Seasonal Magazine Latest Issue by John Antony

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VOLUME 18 ISSUE 3 MARCH 2019

MAGAZINE

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WHY INDIA’S GREATER WAR SHOULD BE ON UNEMPLOYMENT

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

It is high time we stop incentivizing investments and start incentivizing job creation. India finally decided to act on terrorists sponsored by Pakistan, by boldly attempting to destroy their camps across the border and this step will always go down in history as a major new direction the country took. While the success of the step is yet to be fully ascertained, and while many more such steps – armed as well as strategic - would be necessary before the country achieves freedom from such terror, the bigger picture not to be missed is that India’s greater was should be on unemployment, and yes, this would even be a long term and stable solution to terrorism.

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While those perpetrating terrorism on their own countries or other countries would wax eloquent about ideological or religious reasons, fact of the matter is that terrorism is inversely proportional to a society’s prosperity. If a region or a country offers ample opportunities to make a prosperous living, very few youth would be enticed to fatal professions like terrorism. India has always had an uphill task on the job creation front due to its world leading population, which has been worsened in recent decades and years due to phenomena like the global financial crisis, the NPA crisis, and events like demonetization and GST implementation. While there is no doubt that India would eventually put all these crises behind it, learn from them and emerge stronger, what is equally without doubt is that it won’t be enough to produce jobs in a rapidly changing global environment, which is further exacerbated by dynamic movements on the technology front. After decades of mindless globalization, and finding out that it is not the magic pill for all economic ills, almost all developed countries, led by USA and UK are now on a protectionist spree. Major exporters like China have already understood that they can literally forget that golden period when USA overlooked a massive trade deficit for getting some cheap goods. No, every country is waking up to the fact that they need to protect their precious jobs, even if it is in manufacturing. The onslaught from technology has been even worse. Automation is already here and it will vaporize jobs in almost every sector – be it manufacturing or services. Technology is making it possible for large businesses with deep pockets to eliminate hundreds of thousands of jobs using automation.

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All health related articles are for first information purposes only. Always consult your doctor before taking any decison affecting your health.

EDITORIAL

At the automated car factories and pharma companies, the number of qualified and trained employees required is on a rapidly downward spiral. At the automated e-commerce warehouses, billions of tons of consumer goods are packed and dispatched with very few staff required. At banks, complex software can instantaneously do loan appraisals, which earlier took a small team of highly paid bankers and several days. The extent of the automation problem is, ironically, most evident in software companies that drive this automation wave across industries. The number of programmers required for software projects are coming down rapidly due to automated software generators!

The damage inflicted by automation will grow to exponential heights as artificial intelligence (AI) also kicks in. Once only visible in the realm of science fiction movies, AI is rapidly aiding the next wave of automation as everything from writing news repor ts to driving automobiles to conducting surgeries are rapidly becoming realities that are powered by AI based systems that are self-learning. And calling the shots in all such technological advancements are not just the innovators but the deepest pockets in the global investing world – the VCs and the PE funds, or in other words, blemish-less capitalists. We all know where their allegiance is – to their own returns, their own riches. More often than not, jobs are the first and foremost casualty when funds and tech come together! For instance, the major investors behind taxi hailing services like Uber are known to be encouraging these companies to focus all energies on developing driverless cars so that millions of drivers can be eliminated, which can be the next growth driver for these funds! This is where all countries, especially a population leader like India should exercise immense caution. Not every new technology or start-up idea is beneficial for India, especially if it results in the kind of disruptive innovation that results in a sharp decline in net jobs created. Even worse, we also need to say no to many new investment proposals. Nowadays it is common in many sectors, especially in pharma and automotive, where multinational companies invest big but contribute to too little new jobs. Why we should say no to such ventures is not because we don’t want them, but because they eat up all the incentives and subsidies that we provide to attract industries. The lure of higher taxes from such companies should also be introspected, as often these higher taxes are never realized due to the offered tax-breaks or these taxes never go on to produce new jobs in the public sector.

In contrast, what the Central and State Governments should be incentivizing is only the job creators, and that too only to the extent of jobs and the kind of remuneration these new jobs provide. This will motivate both domestic entrepreneurs as well as overseas companies to pursue projects that entail serious and quality job creation, if they are to set shop in India. And setting shop in India with incentives and subsidies and red carpet is no small thing, given the size of the market. This is no rocket science but pure common sense. In fact, this is also a tried and tested model by our neighbour China for more than a decade now, which calls it the ‘Employment First’ policy. All new investment proposals, technologies and start-up ideas are assessed against this ‘Employment First’ policy and then only are they eligible for any kind of subsidies, investments or tax-breaks. On such common sense moves, despite Trump’s new protectionist policies, China is still able to produce over 40,000 new jobs a day! What is even more, apart from meeting the enormous demand for jobs from its citizens, China is steadily growing to be a major jobs destination! It is currently the 20th largest destination for jobs for immigrants from the world over, having jumped nearly nine positions during the past few years! There is a place for war, and there is a place for more holistic policies. Suppose at least one city or a few cities in Jammu & Kashmir would have been developed into cities like Dubai or Singapore. Would the terrorists still develop among youth? Chances are that they will seek employment there, even those from across the border. The economic roots of social unrest is what should be investigated and corrected over the long term, along with the short term armed and strategic moves that India is currently undertaking. John Antony SEASONAL MAGAZINE

CONTENTS

ALWAYS INDUSTRY READY, NOW, INCUBATION READY When a university is founded by two passionate teachers with over four decades of experience in grooming students, it shows in their final products. That is what Dr. Ashok K Chitkara and Dr. Madhu Chitkara have done by making Chitkara University come on top in placements for nearly a decade now. Since the last few years, Punjab based Chitkara has pioneered startup incubation too with outstanding results like their two incubated..

AMAZON'S FIGHT WITH LAMBORGHINI LAUNCHES THE NEW YORK Amazon recently abandoned plans for a new headquarters site in New York City, citing opposition from local leaders angry at the huge subsidies being offered to one of the world's most successful..

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TRANSLATES BRAIN SIGNALS INTO SPEECH In a first, scientists have created an artificial intelligence (AI) based system that directly translates thoughts into intelligible, recognisable speech, an advance that may help people who cannot speak regain their ability to communicate with the outside world.

HURACAN EVO IN INDIA Luxury sports car brand Automobili Lamborghini has launched the new Lamborghini Huracan EVO in India - the next generation V10 super sports car,

GIGANTIC CAVITY FOUND IN MASSIVE ANTARCTIC GLACIER NASA scientists have discovered a gigantic cavity, almost 300 metres tall, growing at the bottom of the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, indicating rapid decay of the ice sheet and acceleration in global sea levels due to climate change.

AMAZON MAKES DIFFICULT ADJUSTMENTS TO COMPLY WITH NEW E-COMMERCE RULES E-commerce rules that went into effect in India recently caused widespread disruption for Amazon.com, forcing it to take..

INSIDE REDMI NOTE 7'S 48 MEGAPIXEL CAMERA The Redmi Note 7 from Xiaomi has created quite a furore in the Indian smartphone market even before its launch simply by the virtue of the loaded package that it is and its expected price point. However, the most talked about highlight of the smartphone is the rear camera, which flaunts the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first 48megapixel sensor accompanied by a 5-megapixel secondary shooter. Now, if the engagement on our..

AI THAT BECOMES REAL AND SCARY IS HERE Elon Musk backed AI group says their new text generator is so good it's scary.

BEWARE OF ANTIDEPRESSANTS: ADDITIONAL RISK OF INTESTINAL BLEEDING If you are in the habit of popping anti-depressant pills used to treat anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder, then you could be at risk of intestinal bleeding which can range from mild to severe and can be lifethreatening.

CONTENTS FASTING REVERSES AGEING AND BOOSTS METABOLISM: STUDY A new study has said concluded that fasting can boost metabolism, lead to an uptick in antioxidants in the body and even reverse some effects of aging.

TATA HARRIER OFF TO A GOOD START Tata Harrier's waiting period is more than three times that of Hyundai Creta.

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION USEFUL FOR RELIEF FROM CHRONIC PAIN EXCESS TOOTHPASTE CAUSES TOOTH DECAY

New research appearing in the BMJ journal Evidence-Based Mental Health suggests that..

RUSTOMJEE

CELEBRITY CLASS QUALITY AT COMMON MAN'S PRICES

The developer that many celebrities including Bollywood heartthrob Tiger Shroff chose for their homes need no words for their quality. Boman Irani is however now exploring whether superior quality can be delivered at common man's price points by teaming up with global interiors specialist IKEA and affordable homes enabler, HDFC Capital.

Many young kids who use toothpaste more than needed are at an increased risk of dental fluorosis when they get older, warns a new study. Fluorosis is a condition that affects the teeth caused by overexposure to fluoride during the first eight years of life.

AMERICA PLANS TO MAKE ASTONAUTS STAY ON MOON

WHY IS AIRBUS STOPPING A380 SUPERJUMBO?

Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Airbus announced plans to scrap production of the A380 superjumbo on February 14, abandoning its dream of dominating the skies with a cruiseliner for the 21st century after years of lacklustre sales.

SASTRA DEEMED UNIVERSITY

OUTPACING COMPETITION THROUGH GLOBAL THINKING Sastra Deemed University has been improving its ranks not only in India, but in world rankings, outpacing most of its peers. The private sector university's edge lies in pursuing global thinking..

NASA is accelerating plans to return Americans to the Moon, and this time, the US space agency says it will be there to stay. Jim Bridenstine,

INSIDE TRUMP'S NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARATION President Donald Trump on Friday declared the southern border of the United States to be a national emergency, catapulting the country into uncertain legal and political battles as he seeks to fulfill a campaign promise that eluded him for two years.

MERCEDES-BENZ V-CLASS LAUNCHED AT RS.68.40 LAKH The new Mercedes-Benz V-Class will be sold here as a completely built unit (CBU) and will be imported from Spain.

7 WAYS KERALA IS PLANNING, AND HOW GOOD ARE THEY? As if Kerala’s ruling LDF Government did not have problems, yet another blunder has occurred in the form of a gruesome twin murder of youth by allegedly leftist assailants at Kasargod. It is doubtful whether any other state government has been this besieged with challenges during its first three years in office. A UN expert panel has submitted its detailed report that Kerala would need Rs.31,000 crore to rebuild itself after the floods. Whether the flood was man-made due to mismanagement of

NASA ANNOUNCES DEATH OF HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL MARS ROVER, OPPORTUNITY During a press conference, the space agency inferred that a planet-encircling dust storm cut off communications with Opportunity on June 10, last year, disabling its solar panels from storing power. Since then NASA has beamed over..

SLEEP LESS, INVITE HEART DISEASE MEET WORLD'S FASTEST SUV: NEW BENTLEY BENTAYGA Bentley has announced its new SUV, the Bentayga Speed. Now it’s a given that it being a Bentley, it will be one of the most luxurious SUVs out there but that was already established with the standard Bentley. The Bentayga Speed as the name implies concentrates on performance. In fact Bentley is claiming that it is the world’s fastest..

5 REASONS WHY VIBRANT GUJARAT 2019 MAY BE THE BEST EVER How do you make the best, better? That is the challenge before CM Vijay Rupani and his team behind Gujarat's upcoming investment meet. Already, the Vibrant Gujarat summits of the previous years, started by PM Modi himself, had been benchmarks for investment..

SURGERY KILLS MORE THAN THREE DEADLY DISEASES COMBINED Surgery kills more than HIV, TB and malaria combined, finds study.

ARE INDIANS GENERALLY WIRED TO BECOME GOOD MANAGERS?

Is there really something about managers coming from a certain cultural context? Authors R Gopalkrishnan and Ranjan Banerjee argue that there is a..

LABOUR DATA TROUBLING, EFFORTS ON TO FIX IT?

ENERGIZER'S NEW PHONE WITH MONSTER BATTERY Meet this new smartphone with a whopping 18,000mAh battery Energizer Power Max P18K Pop is the world’s first smartphone to feature a whopping 18,000mAh battery.

ROYAL ENFIELD UNFAZED BY LOWER SALES, GREATER COMPETITION? Royal Enfield is one of the most profitable motorcycle companies in India and in the past decade, it has shown exceptional growth. The Classic 350 is its best selling motorcycle as of now with monthly sales between 40,000 to 50,000 units. However, since the last few months, country wide sales of Royal Enfield have taken a hit as compared to the year earlier.

Soon after the National Sample Survey Office’s Periodic Labour Force Survey recorded the..

WELLNESS

Sleep Less, Invite Heart Disease

Have you been compromising on your sleep lately? Is the pressure at workplace becoming too cumbersome for you, or are there some personal commitments making it difficult for you to catch up on your much needed sleep. It is time you re-look your schedule and find some time to accommodate seven to eight hours of sleep daily. According to a latest study, published in the journal Nature, insufficient sleep increases the risk of serious problems, including cardiovascular disease.

"This is a direct demonstration that hypocretin is also an important inflammatory mediator," Swirski said. According to the study, targeting the newly-discovered mechanism could be a breakthrough, which in near future may lead to advanced treatments for heart disease and sleep disorders.

Sleep Inducing Foods: Your diet plays an intrinsic role in the quality of your sleep and sleep-wake cycle. Some foods and herbs are naturally enriched with compounds that are known to promote sleep. Here are some foods that may induce sleep naturally:

1. Bananas: Bananas are enriched with tryptophan that helps stimulation of serotonin. Serotonin helps calm nerves and ease anxiety, which helps promote good sleep. The good carb content of bananas also play a crucial role in inducing sleep.

2. Cherries: Cherries are packed with he study was conducted by a group of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). The team identified a previously unknown mechanism by which sleep protects against the build-up of arterial plaques. According to researchers, this mechanism may serve as a potential treatment option. The study described the mechanism between brain, bone marrow and blood vessels, by which insufficient sleep increases inflammatory white blood cells known to be major contributors to hardening of the arteries, reports Xinhua. "We have discovered that sleep helps to regulate the production in the bone marrow of inflammatory cells and the health of blood vessels and that, conversely, sleep disruption breaks down control of inflammatory cell production, leading to more inflammation and more heart disease," said co-author Filip Swirsk. "We also have identified how a

hormone in the brain known to control wakefulness controls processes in the bone marrow and protects against cardiovascular disease," Swirsk added. For the study, the team interrupted the sleep of mice - the pattern of interruptions was similar to the experience of someone constantly waking up. The findings revealed that the sleepdeprived mice developed progressively larger arterial plaques and were also found to have twice the level of certain inflammatory cells like monocytes and neutrophils in their blood vessels. The mice also showed lower amounts of a hormone called hypocretin made by the brain that plays a role in regulating sleep. The researchers said that the hypocretin regulated the white blood cell production through interaction with neutrophil progenitors in the bone marrow. The study demonstrated molecular connections linking blood and cardiovascular risk factors to sleep health.

melatonin that helps regulate the sleepwake cycle. Make sure you do not have more than 10 cherries a day.

3. Almonds: Almonds are considered excellent to boost brain power; they are also good source of magnesium that helps relax muscles. A good source of tryptophan, almonds helps you fall asleep by calming you down.

4. Milk: A hot glass of milk is one of Ayurveda's most trusted remedies to fall asleep. Milk again is a very good source of tryptophan. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

AUTO

MERCEDES-BENZ V-CLASS LAUNCHED AT RS.68.40 LAKH THE NEW MERCEDES-BENZ V-CLASS WILL BE SOLD HERE AS A COMPLETELY BUILT UNIT (CBU) AND WILL BE IMPORTED FROM SPAIN.

The new Mercedes-Benz V-Class MPV has been officially launched in India today with prices starting at ? 68.40 lakh for the base Expression Line variant going up to ? 81.90 lakh for the top-end Exclusive Line variant, all prices exshowroom, India. While the MPV segment might not be all new for the Stuttgart-based carmaker in India, this is nonetheless a bold step for the company. The new V-Class is the first model to be launched by MercedesBenz India in 2019 and marks the company's re-entry into a segment which is not really popular among luxury carmakers in India. The new Mercedes-Benz V-Class will be sold here as a completely built unit (CBU) and will be imported from Spain. The India-spec Mercedes-Benz V-Class MPV is powered by a 2.2-litre, fourcylinder diesel engine which is BSVI complaint. The engine is turned to churn out 161 bhp and 380 Nm of peak torque and is mated to a 7G-Tronic automatic gearbox. The new Mercedes-Benz VClass MPV is offered in India two options - Expression Line and Exclusive line. The former is the extra-long wheelbase version that measures 5370 mm and gets an extended wheelbase of 3430 mm, the latter is the standard long-wheelbase version that measures 5140 mm, and a

wheelbase 3200 mm. Globally you also get a standard version that measures 4895 mm in length. Visually, the Mercedes-Benz V-Class has the typical Van-like appearance with boxy proportions. However, the MPV comes with a bunch of bold character lines along the bonnet, front bumper and profile of the vehicle, similar to what you'll find on Mercedes' sedans. The front section also appears to have been inspired by the company's high-end sedans like the E-Class or S-Class. In fact, the headlamps are quite similar to what we see on the S-Class, with LED lights and integrated multi-unit LED daytime running lamps. The grille is typical Mercedes style with twin horizontal slats and the tri-star logo at the centre. Other exterior elements include a set of stylish alloy wheels, roof rails, a larger rear windshield and small vertically positioned LED taillamps. The cabin of the new V-Class is premium and well-equipped, featuring styling elements like the clean dashboard with large air-con vents and a stick-out display for the COMAND infotainment system. The MPV gets a new multifunctional steering wheel and a large twin-pod instrument cluster with a MID unit at the centre. It also comes loaded

with safety tech such as attention assist, crosswind assist, headlight assist, tyre pressure monitoring systems, active parking assist, 360-degree camers and six-airbags as standard.

It is offered in two seating configurationsa seven-seater variant where both second and third row get executive seats and a seven-seat version where the second row gets two executive seats and the third row gets three. Interestingly, the secondrow seats can also be rotated towards the door which adds to the comfort as it makes ingress and egress easy. Moreover, the seats can also be rotated to 180-degrees and the passengers can sit facing each other, thus making it an apt MPV where interactions and meetings can be held on the go. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

CHITKARA UNIVERSITY

ALWAYS INDUSTRY READY, NOW, INCUBATION READY When a university is founded by two passionate teachers with over four decades of experience in grooming students, it shows in their final products. That is what Dr. Ashok K Chitkara and Dr. Madhu Chitkara have done by making Chitkara University come on top in placements for nearly a decade now. Since the last few years, Punjab based Chitkara has pioneered start-up incubation too with outstanding results like their two incubated projects coming on top in an international competition for start-ups spanning UK, China and India, recently. CU is also home to one of the largest portfolio of innovative courses in diverse fields.

SEASONAL MAGAZINE

ny world-class university is also known for its productive interventions into the world around it. Great universities pursue this path because any university can produce a job aspirant whereas it takes a great university to create a true leader in any field. Chitkara University which aspires to be world-class in everything it does has been supporting all such social interventions, so that it grooms leaders and not just followers. Recently, Chitkara hosted State Youth Parliament 2019, organized by the NSS Department in collaboration with Regional Directorate Office, Chandigarh. The main objective of National Youth Parliament Festival 2019 is to hear the voice of Indian youth between 18 to 25 years of age, who are allowed to vote but cannot stand as a candidate for election, through deliberations in Youth Parliaments at different levels. With engineering education being a major thrust area for Chitkara University, it has always been working diligently to better its own engineering programs, as well as support national and international initiatives in this regard. Recently, Chitkara University hosted the prestigious ICTIEE 2019 (The International Conference on Transformation in Engineering Education), at their Punjab Campus. Chitkara University in association with Indo Universal Collaboration for Engineering Education (IUCEE) has been continually working to improve Engineering Education ecosystem in India. IUCEE has its objective as improving quality and global relevance of Engineering Education in India. The well-attended conference included keynote sessions, panel discussions and workshops by experts from around the B. Ramkrishna (Director, NAE Grand world. An important part of the Challenges Scholars Program), Dr. Rao conference was presentations by Vemuri (University of California), Dr. renowned Engineering faculty who Lueny Morell (InnovaHiED, USA), and have already gained some experience many more. in transforming their own curriculum, Going beyond its own students, and Chitkara University classrooms and programs. often going beyond college students, Punjab The conference was attended by some Chitkara Group also promotes the wellof the world-renowned engineering being and achievements of school going educators and practitioners like Dr. children. Recently, Chitkara Group in Michael Milligan (CEO, ABET), Dr. collaboration with RoboChamps, Hans Hoyer (President, IFEES), Dr. Chhapai.com and RoboGenie, Stephanie Farrell (Rowan University), conducted International School Awards,

Dr. Ashok K Chitkara Chancellor the world's largest education conference and award show in Dubai. And most interestingly, Chitkara alumni Akshay Ahuja, is the Co-founder of RoboChamps India and RoboGenie. The event witnessed participation from 500 representatives from educational institutions of 20 countries. A total of 180 schools and educators took home the awards in various categories, which received over 12,000 nominations. A first-of-its-kind education event on a global scale, International School SEASONAL MAGAZINE

Awards served as a platform to brainstorm and recognize excellence, and transformational approaches in the education landscape. However, Chitkara’s social interventions for the benefit of its students are most impactful in the startup sphere. Universities today cannot afford to ignore entrepreneurship development and start-up incubation, given the high momentum start-ups have achieved in India . While most private universities worth their name have started start-up promotion cells, very few have full-fledged incubation centres. Even for private universities with their own incubation centres, it is an uphill task for delivering on the promise, as unlike degrees and even placements, start-ups don’t become successful on hard work alone. It calls for brilliant ideas, the right enabling ecosystem and real entrepreneurial brains that can be groomed. It is in this background that Chitakara Univeristy’s recent achievements in the international start-up domain, achieves significance. The university incubation initiatives, named Chitkara University Research and Innovation Network (CURIN) and the Chandigarh based Chitkara Innovation Incubator, are the places where its researchers, faculty and aspiring student entrepreneurs work across various disciplines to extend the boundaries of knowledge so that their projects can be executed. Chitkara recently participated in a three nation start-up competition for China, India and United Kingdom, with all three nations ranking high in start-up innovations. The event titled Ingenuity2018 Innovation Challenge was hosted by a UK University arm, University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China. While only a select group of 17 teams from these three nations got to participate in this high-profile event, Chitkara University could send in four teams, in association with the public facility, Chandigarh Region Innovation and Knowledge Cluster (CRIKC). Ingenuity 2018 Innovation Challenge has several tiers of winners. Out of the 17 teams, 10 top teams got an Exclusive International Pass for having SEASONAL MAGAZINE

Dr. Madhu Chitkara Vice Chancellor

Chitkara University, Himachal Pradesh swift business establishment with local government support in China and in the UK. The top 6 top among them will be co-founded in India, China and the UK. Not only did two teams from Chitkara come in these categories, but it was a Chitkara University project, a farm engineering start-up called MOKSH that won the first spot and gold medal among all 17 international projects. The winning USP of MOKSH was the global importance of an innovative idea that simplifies the life of a farmer's post-harvest and helps them earn more from crop waste. MOKSH is headed by its Founder Dr. Nitin Saluja, an entrepreneur from the Chitkara Innovation Incubator, Chandigarh. The second winning project from Chitkara University was DAT, an incubated company which is into making braille education for the blind easy across the globe. It was declared as the 'Best International Project' at the event. They won 10,000 UK pounds by Hayden Green Foundation UK. E-Braille Slate is a project devised by DAT for making education for the blind painless and comfortable. The project,

under the supervision of Chitkara University Centre for Research and Innovation (CURIN), has a high international relevance as it addresses millions of people with blindness. This project was especially applauded by the Jury and the audience. Such achievements by students of Chitkara University can be traced back to the passion of its founders. The university has been founded by Dr. Ashok K Chitkara and Dr. Madhu Chitkara who have been passionate teachers for more than 40 years now. As Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor respectively, they are not just founders

A Chitkara University startup project, a farm engineering start-up called MOKSH won the first spot and gold medal among all 17 international projects.

but hands-on leaders at the campus, which has proven to be a major edge for Chitkara. It was in 2002 that Chitkara Educational Trust established its Punjab campus, near Chandigarh, on the Chandigarh-Patiala National Highway. In the year 2010, this campus became Chitkara University, a private university established through an Act by the Punjab State Legislature. The Group also runs Chitkara University, based at Solan, Himachal Pradesh. Chitkara Education brings with it a reputation that has been earned through years of serving the career needs of the student community. Chitkara University graduates go on to great careers, as they have hands-on experience in their respective fields. Within a decade, most of Chitkara University academic programs are ranked among the top 50 programs in the country which speaks volumes about their string academic heritage, highly committed faculty, extensive industry collaborations, great international connections, and state of the art campus facilities. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

MOST

Preferred

SASTRA DEEMED UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITIES

OUTPACING OUTPACINGCOMPETITION COMPETITION THROUGH THROUGHGLOBAL GLOBALTHINKING THINKING

SEASONAL MAGAZINE

Sastra Deemed University has been improving its ranks not only in India, but in world rankings, outpacing most of its peers. The private sector university's edge lies in pursuing global thinking that is at par with the best in the world, which has resulted in some outstanding achievements. While many universities in the country are mulling the purchase of 3D printers, Sastra faculty and students have designed a 3D Bioprinter that can produce even tissues. The university also performs beyond par in placements with 1400 of its students bagging 1800 offers by bluechips led by TCS and including names like Microsoft, Infosys, Cognizant etc. Sastra is also a leader in industry-led courses, with the latest being in Cybersecurity in alliance with Tata Communications.

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t is not always studies and exams for Sastra students. Students from the Thanjavur based university recently participated in Riviera 2019, organized by Vellore Institute of Technology. The four-day carnival was larger than life in every way, with 38,000 students from 700 universities and colleges in 25 countries in Asia, Africa and Europe competing across 129 sports and cultural events. Even with such intense competition, Sastra students came out with flying colours, bagging the championship trophy in the arts, literary and cultural category, while the host VIT, Vellore, won the championship trophy in sports. The arts, literary and cultural events included dance, drama, poetry, essays, seminars, debates, short films and lots more. Sastra students also regularly excel in cocurricular events. Recently, Sastra Law School students won a national level moot court competition. The Tier 1 KR Ramamani Tax Moot Court competition was held at the Tamil Nadu Dr Ambedkar Law University in Chennai. The Sastra team comprising of law students Chandrasekhar, Nivedha and Abhishek beat ILS Law College, Pune, in the finals and won a trophy and a cash prize of Rs 50,000. Sastra students also won individual top ranks, with Chandrasekhar winning the Best Speaker award and Nivedha bagging the honours for the Best Researcher. It's the third time in the last four years that Sastra has won the award. In 2018, the Sastra team was the second runners up. The victory came as strong proof for Sastra’s total commitment to support the co-curricular activities of their professional students, whether it be law or engineering or any other domanin. With all major recruiting companies looking for all-rounders rather than the purely academic or studious types of students, Sastra’s support for holistic development of its students is helping the university to excel in job placements. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

In its last major placement event a few months back, Sastra students bagged 1800 placements from several blue-chip companies including some of the largest MNCs. Among these, 1400 offers were made by four major software companies on the first day of the 10-day event, which was reserved exclusively for them - Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, Wipro and Cognizant. The largest single recruiter was TCS, which has been preferring Sastra students for many years now. The remaining 400 job offers were made by international majors like Paypal, Symantec, Cypress, Microsoft, Freshworks and Rockwell Collins, as

WITH ALL MAJOR RECRUITING COMPANIES LOOKING FOR ALLROUNDERS RATHER THAN THE PURELY ACADEMIC OR STUDIOUS TYPES OF STUDENTS, SASTRA’S SUPPORT FOR HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT OF ITS STUDENTS IS HELPING THE UNIVERSITY TO EXCEL IN JOB PLACEMENTS.

PROF. R. SETHURAMAN

well as Indian majors like Zoho, Tata Communications, Bajaj, TVS Motor and other reputed product companies. There is also a social development angle when it comes to Sastra placements. The deemed university’s admission policy ensures that 20% of its seats are reserved for students from Trichy and Thanjavur, which are relatively economically backward compared with big metros like Chennai. Due to this unique reservation policy, around 260 local students also got placed wonderfully in the best companies. The best example was S Anushree, who is the daughter of a security staff at Sastra. She bagged two job offers, from Infosys and Wipro. Each year, Sastra thus facilitates the upliftment of over one thousand families belonging to lower and middle-class strata of the society. The Sastra family is also known for extending free education, healthcare facilities, medical surgeries, food and other such essential services to the needy around it. The university shines when it comes to research and development. A few months back, Sastra’s Srishti laser bioprinter was launched. It is a 3D printer

Dr.S.VAIDHYASUBRAMANIAM

that can print out tissues. Signalling the might of this achievement it was Niti Aayog member VK Saraswat who launched ‘Srishti,’ designed by the Tissue Engineering and Additive Manufacturing (TEAM) lab at Sastra. Supported by the Nano Mission of the Department of Science & Technology, the bio-printer will reach the market through industry partner and leading technology manufacturer AIMIL. Srishti aligns well with the ‘Make in India’ mission of the Union Government to deliver next generation solutions for healthcare with a focus on tissue and organ regeneration and replacement. Interestingly, Srishti was dedicated to the memory of former President APJ Abdul Kalam who seeded this idea during one of his visits to Sastra in 2008. The R&D achievement marks a major milestone not just for Sastra, but for the whole academic research community as it marks the coming of age of nationbuilding research as against individualistic research. Sastra is also making waves by pioneering in-depth industry tie-ups to create next generation courses and labs. A few months back it tied up with networking and broadband leader Tata Communications to set up CyberSecurity Lab. This lab will act as a catalyst to spark student interest in specialising in cyber security. Tata Communications and SASTRA have also jointly built a curriculum in cybersecurity focused on training, developing and strengthening the practical application of cyber security, encompassing the process and technology elements of cyber threat detection and mitigation. Since this launch, Sastra has already begun to see huge interest among their graduate and post-graduate students. The new facility will help our students gain hands-on knowledge with access to mentors and guest lectures from senior Tata Communications staff, and real life case studies on how to mitigate cyber security risks with the latest cutting edge technologies.

THE R&D ACHIEVEMENT OF DEVELOPING BIO 3D PRINTER MARKS A MAJOR MILESTONE NOT JUST FOR SASTRA, BUT FOR THE WHOLE ACADEMIC RESEARCH COMMUNITY AS IT MARKS THE COMING OF AGE OF NATION-BUILDING RESEARCH AS AGAINST INDIVIDUALISTIC RESEARCH. The investment, active involvement and support from Tata Communications will also help Sastra faculty members get better exposure to the latest updates in cyber security which will be go a long way in making their classroom lectures more interactive.

According to industry studies, there are currently 30,000 cybersecurity vacancies in India. Globally, this number is likely to go up to3.5million by 2021. Apart from funding the lab, Tata Communication has also invested its technology and resources in this partnership. The course curriculum is being developed in conjunction with Tata Communications’ senior cyber security engineering team. Senior leadership and domain experts from the organisation will visit the lab as guest faculty, and the university will receive extensive training on how to manage, operate and run the lab from a technical perspective. Apart from SASTRA, Tata Communications has only tied up with another university, Singapore University of Technology and Design, signalling the importance of this tie-up. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

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SCSVMV DEEMED UNIVERSITY

DEVELOPING GLOBAL INFLUENCERS Knowledge is expanding at the speed of light and many universities and colleges are finding it challenging to cope up with pace and develop their students into required candidates in the global workforce. Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu based Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Mahavidyalaya (SCSVMV), a deemed university has been taking this challenge head-on by aiming for developing not just graduates fit for jobs, but global influencers in science, technology, research, entrepreneurship, finance, management, human resources, marketing and all the largest growth avenues for today’s youth. SCSVMV is able to achieve this by having a firm foundation in centuries old values as embodied by the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, even while pushing on at the forefront of sunrise domains like Automation, Big Data, Digital Image Processing, Smart Manufacturing, Open Education Resources, Social Entrepreneurship and lots more. The university is headed by Prof. Dr. S Jayarama Reddy as Chancellor, Prof. Dr. S Vishnu Potty as Vice Chancellor and Prof. Dr. G Srinivasu as Registrar. Admissions are now open for graduate and post-graduate programs in engineering, science, business, commerce, arts, computer applications, education, ayurveda, as well as research programs like MPhil and PhD in over nine subjects. isten to what Sai Chandana Divi, a doctoral student at Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands and a specialist in computational mechanics has to say about her early years in higher education. Says Sai Chandana, “Perfectly predicting defects of designs in manufacturing, construction, and various biological aspects with attractive colour maps has always fascinated me and made me curious to know how it is done. That is why I was interested in pursuing computational mechanics. I chose my undergraduate programme in Mechanical Engineering at SCSVMV, Kanchipuram, where things started to dawn upon me.” Fortunately for her, her faculty at SCSVMV as well as Dr. Ratna Kumar Annabathula, Assistant Professor, IIT Madras – with which SCSVMV has a major tie-up – groomed her interest SEASONAL MAGAZINE

towards Finite Elements as well as research. Dr. Ratna Kumar encouraged her to pursue masters in computational mechanics through a programme called Erasmus Mundus. An Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree, is an integrated, international study programme, jointly delivered by an international consortium of higher education institutions. Students study in two universities: the first year in Barcelona, Spain or Swansea, the UK. Through the Erasmus Mundus programme, Sai Chandana had the opportunity to learn the best from not just one, but two universities and eventually enrolled for her PhD in Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands. Sai Chandana symbolizes the kind of global influencers that SCSVMV is developing year after year. Students from the university are more often than not recruited through campus

placements by Indian as well as MNC majors like TCS, Infosys, Cognizant, Tech Mahindra, HCL, HDFC, ICICI, Axis Bank, PSU companies, public sector banks, emerging start-up and technology companies etc.

is taking the manufacturing world by storm. But at SCSVMV, rather than being bogged down by that challenge, experts are finding ways and means to exploit this new trend to get their students ready for jobs in the automation field.

SCSVMV achieves this by forging ahead in the higher education scene with a highly proactive culture of applied learning through international and national conferences, seminars, and workshops on diverse subjects. Through such professional events, students get to learn next-generation trends like Automation, Big Data, Digital Image Processing, Smart Manufacturing, Open Education Resources, and much more.

SCSVMV University’s radar is tuned to pick up signals from all emerging areas that are prospective for Indian industry, and therefore its students. Such a focus is helping the university to focus on such a field, Digital Image Processing, with students getting exposed to this sunrise domain.

Admissions are now open for BE, BTech, BSc, BA, BCom, BCA, BAMS, BEd, MCA, ME, MTech, MSc, MCom, MBA, and MA in various subjects. Research programs like MPhil and PhD are offered in nine subjects including Computer Science, Management, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Education, English, Tamil and Sanskrit. There are no marks for guessing the greatest threat to employment generation in the coming years. Every student, or at least every engineering student, knows it is automation which

And it is not only in the technology domain that SCSVMV has been successfully exploring employment and

SCSVMV ACHIEVES THIS BY FORGING AHEAD IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION SCENE WITH A HIGHLY PROACTIVE CULTURE OF APPLIED LEARNING THROUGH INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL CONFERENCES, SEMINARS, AND WORKSHOPS ON DIVERSE SUBJECTS.

growth avenues for its students. A couple of years back, under the leadership of Dr. Ramanakumar, Dean, Faculty of Management Studies, SCSVMV embarked upon specialized MBAs which has proven to be highly successful. Among these are MBA (social entrepreneurship), MBA (textile marketing), MBA (banking) and MBA (integrated finance) as specialisation subjects. According to Dr. Ramanakumar, “Corporate social responsibility is the buzz word in today’s market. Organisations are supposed to fulfill their responsibility by contributing a designated percentage of resources to social causes such as education, health, sanitation, water management and so on. However, today, professionals who know what is required at the ground level on the field are rare and it is a state of absolute vacuum. We realised that this gap could be a source to tap the potential of students from rural and semiurban areas who would evince interest in pursuing this as their specialisation.” SCSVMV believes that poverty is not a mere state of mind for many. It is an endemic that threatens existence. With a little help, rural population can lead a life of dignity, hope and choice. Hence

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Prof.Dr.S.Jayarama Reddy CHANCELLOR

their management programme strives to cater to this requirement to build on the existing resources as a base and create livelihood options from them. In the process, students will gain practical exposure by working with the universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s NGO partners for a year as intern and gain hands-on experience. With this exposure, if they become part of the corporate world under CSR departments, not only will they gain gainful employment but also serve the society in a meaningful way. Students will learn about ways to alleviate poverty by tackling social, economic and environmental factors through interlinked interventions in microfinance that emphasize job creation, education, health, livelihood, dissemination of information, knowledge empowerment and environmental management. This course will aid them in working with skill training in sectors such as agriculture, apparel, handicrafts and handlooms and microfinance. Similarly, SCSVMV has also done significant homework to ensure that their other specialized MBA courses also deliver the promise. The MBA integrated finance course is structured in such a way that students who complete the course can opt for finance specialisation in MBA or ICWA or CA or ACS. Practical training and internship in the areas of handling income tax, banking transactions, credit appraisal and other procedures will be taught by chartered accountants from the field. Hands-on training and imparting Indian ethos for effective human resource management are the unique features of these SEASONAL MAGAZINE

Prof.Dr.V.S.Vishnu Potty VICE CHANCELLOR

Prof.Dr.G. Srinivasu REGISTRAR

specialized MBA courses.

medical care to students and staff.

SCSVMV has a sprawling campus of 50 acres at Enathur, four kilometres from Kancheepuram and 80 kilometres from Chennai. The university is structured as different schools - School of Management, School of Education, School of Engineering and Technology, School of Science, School of Social Science and Humanity, School of Health and Life Science, School of Languages and School of Sanskrit and Indian Culture.

SCSVMV is a fully Wi-Fi enabled campus. The web centre has high end servers and is connected by NKN (National Knowledge Network) 1 Gbps Intranet / Internet connectivity via NIC. Internet connection is available campus wide, through the campus network, to enhance research and teaching activities. The Computing and development centre has high end client systems which are used by staff and students for research and development activities.

Well appointed accommodation facilities are provided. Separate men's and women's hostels provide oncampus accommodation for students and a mess which provides food for dayscholars and hostelers. The university has a reverse osmosis plant to cater to the pure drinking water needs of the campus. Solar Water heater facility is available in each hostel. There is 24 hours uninterrupted power supply and a medical centre in the campus provides

STUDENTS WILL LEARN ABOUT WAYS TO ALLEVIATE POVERTY BY TACKLING SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THROUGH INTERLINKED INTERVENTIONS IN MICROFINANCE THAT EMPHASIZE JOB CREATION, EDUCATION, HEALTH, LIVELIHOOD, DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION, KNOWLEDGE EMPOWERMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT.

For entertainment and leisure purposes common TV viewing room is provided for each hostel. English, Telugu, Hindi and Tamil newspapers and other magazines are also provided in each hostel. Other common facilities include laundry facility, well-equipped gym and extensive sports facilities both indoor and outdoor. The university has a noteworthy library facility - the Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi International Library, established in 1995, housed in Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Diamond Jubilee Mahal. It is spread across an area of 7,500 square feet with three floors. There are around 200,000 books, periodicals and electronic services including over 1,000 tapes and CDROMs. The library has a collection of books relating to Engineering and Technology, Management, Science, Humanities, Sanskrit Literature, Tamil Literature, Arts, Indian Culture, Life Sciences, Education, and subscribes to over 200 national and international journals and also all leading magazines and newspapers

SOCIAL MEDIA

WHATSAPP LETS USERS CONTROL WHICH GROUPS TO BE IN WHATSAPP USERS ARE CURRENTLY ANNOYED WITH THE FACT THEY GET ADDED IN RANDOM GROUPS. ast year WhatsApp introduced several new features related to groups. It looks like the Facebookowned messaging platform is coming up with another group related feature. This is a feature some WhatsApp users have been waiting for a long time. News reports suggest that WhatsApp is working on a group feature that will let users have control over who can add them to a new group. Currently, anyone and everyone can add you to a random WhatsApp group without your permission. But with the coming of this new feature, this will no longer happen. You will have full control over who can add you in a group. People will need your permission before they add you to a group. This new group feature will most likely be like an invitation control mechanism. The report suggests that this new group feature is currently being tested in closed beta for iPhone users. Most WhatsApp features first come to iPhone users later followed by Android and Windows. The same will happen for the new upcoming WhatsApp group as well. This group feature was first spotted by WABetaInfo. As noted, this WhatsApp group invitation feature is currently available only to WhatsApp for iPhone beta users and will be soon rolled out to other users as well. The report suggests that the group invitation feature is currently in an inactive state as it is in its early stages of development. Users will be able to turn on the group invitation feature by heading to the “Privacy” section in the Settings menu. To enable the group invitation feature users will just need to go to Settings > Account > Privacy > Groups. This process is for the WhatsApp for iPhone beta users. The group invitation feature comes with three options. First, “Everyone” – this

OSCAR TROPHIES DURING WORLD WAR II WERE MADE OF PLASTER The Oscar trophies were made of painted plaster for three years, owing to a metal shortage during World War II. Following the war, the recipients of the awards were invited by the Academy to exchange the plaster figures for goldplated metal statuettes. The statuettes are usually made of solid bronze and plated in 24-karat gold.

WE DON'T NEED TO TELL GOVT WHAT TO DO: AJAY ON J&K ATTACK On being asked what steps should the government take to fight terrorism, Ajay Devgn said, "We don't need to tell the government what to do, they are doing whatever they can." Speaking on the Pulwama terror attack, Ajay further said war is not the only solution, adding, "You have to arm-twist, you have to talk, you have to do everything."

option will let everyone add you to any group without your consent. The second option is called “My Contacts” – this will enable only your contacts to add you to a group without an invite. Others will need to send an invite first to add you to a group, which can be accepted or declined. The third option is “Nobody” - which will not let anyone be it contact or not add you to a group without your permission. After this option is enabled everyone in and outside your contact will need to send a group invitation first. The invite can either be accepted or declined.

NOTEBOOK', 'KABIR SINGH' NOT TO BE RELEASED IN PAK: PRODUCER Producer Murad Khetani has announced that his films 'Notebook' and 'Kabir Singh' won't be released in Pakistan. The decision comes after the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were martyred on February 14. "'Satellite Shankar' also won't release there," added Murad. 'Notebook' is being co-produced by Salman Khan and 'Kabir Singh' stars Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani.

It is important to note that you’ll need to take action regarding a group invite within 72 hours of receiving it as a post that the invite will expire. After the invite expires, you’ll be able to join the group only after the admin sends an invite. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

MOST DON BOSCO UNIVERSITY

Key People VC - Fr (Dr) Stephen Mavely Pro Vice Chancellor (Ex Officio) Fr Joseph Nellanatt Secretary – Registrar (Ex Officio) Basil Koikara Streams – Technology, Commerce and Management, Humanities, Social Sciences

Preferred UNIVERSITIES

VELLORE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

MODY UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Key People Chairman - Shri Rajendra Prasad Mody President - Dr. (Prof.) M.K.Madaan Professor & Director Academics DR. M. VENU GOPALA RAO Streams – Allied Health Sciences, Architecture, Engineering, Law, Arts and Humanities, Management

NIRMA UNIVERSITY

Key People Founter - Karsanbhai Patel Director –General – Dr Anup Singh Vice President – Shri K.K Patel Streams– Technology, Law, Management, Architecture, Commerce, International Relations, Pharmacy

GALGOTIAS UNIVERSITY Key People Chancellor – Mr SuneelGalgotia CEO – Mr DhruvGalgotia VC – Dr RenuLuthra Pro-VC (Academics) Prof.Jayasankar Variyar Streams – Engineering and Technology, Business, Law, Medical and Allied Sciences, Nursing, Hospitality, Media, Liberal Arts

M.S RAMAIAH UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES Key People Chancellor - Dr. M. R. Jayaram Pro-VC - Prof.Govind R. Kadambi Registrar & CFO CA. N. C. Shekar Streams – Engineering and Technology, Art and Design, Management, Physical Sciences, Dental Sciences, Pharmacy, Hospitality

VIT University plans and executes initiatives at a different scale than most of its peers. Recently VIT conducted a two-day international conference on Science, Engineering and Technology (SET). While over 1,000 research papers were submitted for presentation in this annual conference, over 2,000 scientists, young researchers, academicians, experts and students from different parts of the world took part in the conference. Ambassador of Ecuador to India, Hector Cueva Jacome was a special invitee. Vellore Institute Of Technology is also shining on the placements front. It has set a record in their placements this year. Microsoft has offered a CTC package of Rs 39 lakh each to 14 students at VIT. This is a record placement offer made by any company at VIT. There were more winners worth mentioning. Consultancy firm Deloitte recruited 191 students with a CTC of Rs 6.5 lakh; followed by Wipro Design offering 160 offers with Rs 6.5 lakh; TCS Digital offering 82 offers with CTC of Rs 7 lakh and Bank of America offering 108 offers with CTC of ?6 lakh. VIT was established under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956, and was founded in 1984 as a self-financing institution called the Vellore Engineering College. The Union Ministry of Human Resources Development conferred University status on Vellore Engineering College in 2001. The University is headed by its founder and Chancellor, Dr. G. Viswanathan, a former Parliamentarian and Minister in the Tamil Nadu Government. Leadership in entrance examination standards, campus placements, research outlook, scholarships and start-up incubation have ensured that VIT University is the benchmark

a strong partnership with Purdue University, Indiana, USA on the technology and artificial intelligence sectors, to develop an app called the Chat Analysis Triage Tool (CATT), which aims to detect the mental state of the people who think of sexually abusing children, emphasizing the growing importance of data analysis and artificial intelligence.

to beat when it comes to private sector engineering institutions in the country. No wonder then that UGC granted graded autonomy to VIT based on its high NAAC Score, while NIRF has given it 16th rank among universities as well as engineering colleges in India. The students who are able to clear the entrance examination VITEEE will be granted admissions to courses offered at VIT's four campuses - VIT Vellore campus, Chennai campus, VIT-Bhopal campus and VIT-Andhra Pradesh campus. Even in these difficult days for engineering education, how is VIT University able to attract so much interest for its BTech programs? There are several answers to this riddle. Firstly, VIT University excels when it coming to campus placements. Even while jobs growth is down in India, and most engineering institutions have trouble in placing most of their students, VIT just goes on to break new records in campus placements, year after year. VIT has been featured in the Limca Book of Records thrice for the highest number of campus placements done from a single Institution by a single company. How this has been possible is by staying industry relevant by regularly updating its course content or curriculum in consultation with industry experts, academic scholars and even bright students who keep abreast of the next

The tool would help the law enforcement wing filter out and focus on sex offenders most likely to set up face-to-face meetings with child victims. generation of technologies. Secondly, VIT University excels in research outlook, and is a de facto leader in research accomplishments among the private sector universities of India. In fact, it is ambitious enough to compete with leading public universities whose research is funded by government. Thirdly, VIT University has one of the most sophisticated as well as pragmatic start-up incubator programs that has already accelerated the development of many student projects into start-up companies.

Lastly, VIT University is the undisputed leader when it comes to student scholarships. While most universities in the private sector are waxing eloquent about their scholarship programs, only a handful of them have come forward with transparent numbers. VIT became prominent among them, when it disbursed over Rs.12 crores in scholarships to 4187 of its deserving students in a public function. VIT Students here also get to participate in the best conferences like the recent 16th International Conference on Science, Engineering and Technology (ICSET) hosted by VIT. SM

The university also excels in not only forging tie-ups with reputed foreign varsities, but making practical use of these tie-ups to break new ground in innovation. For instance, VIT has forged

O.P JINDAL GLOBAL UNIVERSITY Key People Founding Chancellor Naveen Jindal Founding VC Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar Streams – Law, Business, International Affairs, Liberal Arts and Humanities, Journalism, Banking and Finance, Art and Architecture

KALASALINGAM ACADEMY OF RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

MOST Preferred UNIVERSITIES

KARUNYA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCES

ACHIEVING WORLD CLASS STANDARDS

Key People Founder and Chairman Thiru T. Kalasalingam Chancellor - Dr. K. Sridharan VC - Prof.Nagaraj R Streams – Engineering, Liberal Arts, Business, Architecture, Agriculture and Processing

SOA UNIVERSITY

Key People Chancellor – Dr.Khageswar Pradhan VC – Dr. Amit Banerjee Registrar – Prof.BibhutiBhusan Pradhan Streams – Engineering, Management Sciences, Dental Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Medical Sciences, Nursing, Hospitality and Tourist Management, Law

LNM INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Key People Director (VC) – Prof. Rahul Banerjee Dean (Academic Affairs) Prof. Ravi Prakash Gorthi Streams – Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Humanities

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY Key People Chancellor – Ashok Mittal Pro-Chancellor – Rashmi Mittal VC – Ramesh Kanwar Streams – Engineering, Liberal Arts, Humanities, Management, Law SEASONAL MAGAZINE

Positioned in the verdant valley of the Siruvani Hills, at a distance of 25 km from Coimbatore city is Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences (KITS) a Deemed to be University and a Christian Minority Residential Institution in a sprawling 720 acres of land, amidst the green vegetation and misty mountains. The origin of Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences dates back to the year 1986, when it functioned as an Engineering College affiliated to Bharathiyar University. Since then there has been a phenomenal progress –with the institution being granted Autonomy in October 1999 and eventually conferred the Deemed to be University status in 2004. True to its name, Karunya which means ‘Compassion’ is an institution with social concern to address the problems of humanity through technical education, research & development, products, patents and extension. The Faculty and students of Karunya are nurtured in character, ethics and spiritual discernment to serve the society with fervour and zeal. Owing to the excellent education imparted by the institution in engineering, biotechnology, food processing, agriculture sciences, arts, media, commerce and management, the accreditation by NAAC is without doubt an acknowledgment of its stature and reputation. The recent accreditation of the Departments of Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering by NBA is a testimony to the quality of education at KITS. It should also be stated that all B. Tech and M. Tech programs as well as the MBA programs have been approved by AICTE in April 2018. Accepting the recommendations of the UGC and AICTE, the MHRD Government of India, has granted extension of Deemed to be University status to KITS on 8th June 2018.

Participating in QS Star Rating, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences has entered into the International Rating System. The QS Intelligence unit has through independent data collection and analysis of performance metrics, rated KITS as a Three Star Institution, awarding Four Stars for Teaching and Five Stars for Facilities and Inclusiveness. In recognition of its contribution to academic excellence and for taking a stand to resolve the societal and technological problems in the areas of food, water, energy and health, KITS has been consistently ranked amongst the top 100institutions in the past years by NIRF, MHRD GoI. In the year 2018, the institution bagged the 72nd position under the Engineering Colleges category and was placed in the 89th position under the University Category by NIRF. In the School of Engineering and Technology, programs such as Aerospace, Biomedical, Civil, Computer Science, Electrical and Electronics, Electronics and Communication, Mechanical Engineering and Robotics & Automation are offered.

recognition for offering unique and distinctive programs. Furthermore, Postgraduate programs in basic sciences such as Physics, Chemistry, Nanoscience (5 year integrated program) and Mathematics are also offered. The MBA is a flagship program of the institution. KITS also hosts programs in the domains of commerce and computers such as B.B.A, B.C.A and B.Com. Karunya has carved a niche for itself by introducing a wide array of interdisciplinary and departmentspecific postgraduate programs, such as Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Aerospace, Bio technology, Biomedical Instrum entation, Communication Systems, Cyber Security, Embedded Systems, Engineering Design, Environment and Water Resources Engineering, Food Processing Technology, Geotechnical Engineering, Renewable Energy, Structural Engineering, Thermal Engineering and VLSI Design. The institute takes immense pride of

its faculty comprising of learned academicians, avid researchers, eminent scientists and inspiring teachers. Most of the faculty members in KITS have doctorate degrees and continue to undertake research in their areas of specialization transforming the institute from being a Center of learning to a Center of research and change.

CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE: KITS has established Centers of Excellence in collaboration with SIEMENS, CISCO, NOVELL, IBM, SALZER and LANCET. These Centers bridge the gap between the academic world and industry.

IQAC: The IQAC of KITS ensures sustenance of quality stipulated by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) by organizing periodic academic audits thereby strengthening teaching-learning, research and student progression. The cell has developed a robust system to prepare the institution

In the School of Agriculture and Biosciences, programs such as Biotechnology and Food Processing Technology extend the spectrum of engineering applications to the vital thrust areas of the University- water, health, food and energy, thus integrating Engineering with Sciences. Moreover, Karunya distinguishes itself from other institutions by offering a unique set of Agriculture programs such as B.Sc. (Hons.) in Agriculture, B.Sc. (Hons.) in Horticulture and B.Tech in Agricultural Engineering. The School of Sciences, Arts, Media and Management encompasses the Departments of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Nanosciences, Information Technology, Commerce, Management and Media. With the introduction of programs such as M.A Media &Communications, B.Tech ECE with specialization in Electronics and Media Technology, B.A Criminology, B.Sc. & M.Sc. Information Security and Digital Forensics, KITS has gained SEASONAL MAGAZINE

for national and global assessments and ranking.

IAESTE KITS serves as the Local Chapter for the I nternational A ssociation for the E xchange of S tudents for T echnical Experience (IAESTE) India, facilitating student exchange programs for technical internships abroad. The Karunya Chapter holds the privilege of being one of the major pivotal points of contact for several aspiring students in India to go abroad for internships and a portal to international students who visit India in exchange. The Karunya chapter has thus far facilitated the exchange of more than 250 foreign nationals from different countries to pursue their internships in KITS and in the R&D sector of India. On exchange, we also provided opportunities for more than 250 students of KITS to pursue their internship with an average stipend of USD 750 per month (approx. INR 50000).

KARUNYA INNOVATION & INCUBATION CELL (KIIC) K arunya I nnovation and I ncubation C ell was setup to foster innovation, research and entrepreneurial activities in technology related areas. The goal of the cell is to promote technology based entrepreneurship and thereby facilitate creation of ideas and inventions that solves the problems of humanity. To achieve its objectives, KIIC has adopted an incubation procedure and policy to provide guidance and management structure

for creating the entrepreneurship ecosystem.

CENTRE FOR PLACEMENT & TRAINING KITS trains students with professional ethics to set a benchmark of excellence in the corporate world. Offering information, advice, guidance and support for Job seeking students are considered to be the primary responsibilities of the Placement Cell. Its graduates and postgraduates are highly regarded by employers from industries in private and public sectors. Top recruiters comprise some of the renowned and prestigious companies such as Accenture, Infosys, Wipro, KPIT, Cognizant, Tech Mahindra, IBM, Nokia, Jasmin InfoTech, Renault Nissan, NetApp, Samsung, Newage, HGS, HDB, Everest HCL, BOSCH, Amazon,

etc., Trained staff are appointed to work with the Director (Industry Academia Collaborations) and the Training and Placement Officer.

MoUs The institution has numerous collaborations with academic institutions and universities and has signed MoU with several of them. KITS has been privileged to pursue research with Ben Gurion University(Israel), Technion - Israel Institute Of Technology, RWTH Aachen University(Germany), University of Wisconsin (Milwaukee, USA), Hebrew University(Israel) and Bar-Ilan University (Israel), Cape Breton University(Canada) and National Dong Hwa University(Taiwan). For Research & Development to be on par with the global research fraternity, KITS has signed a Letter Of Intent (LOI) with Agriculture Research Organization (ARO),Government of Israel for facilitating cooperation in the fields of micro-irrigation, precision farming, biological control, plant biotechnology, food processing and waste water reuse. Admissions for the year 2019 are open for Engineering, Management, Agriculture, Arts, Science, Commerce and Media. Scholarships to the tune of Rs.5crore are earmarked on meritorious and needy students. SM

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SYMBIOSIS INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Key People Chancellor – Prof.Dr. S.B Mujumdar Pro Chancellor and Director Dr VidyaYeravdekar VC – Dr.Rajani R Gupte Streams – Humanities, Liberal Arts, Management, Media, Engineering, Health and Biological Sciences, Computer Studies, Law

JSS ACADEMY OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH, MYSURU Key People

MOST Preferred UNIVERSITIES

NITTE (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY)

CREATING WELL ROUNDED PROFESSIONALS

Chancellor - His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Shivarathri DeshikendraMahaswamiji Vice-Chancellor and Chairperson Dr. B Suresh Registrar - Dr. B. Manjunatha Director (Academics) – Dr.Kushalappa P.A Streams – MBBS, Medical UG and PG courses

SASTRA DEEMED UNIVERSITY, THANJAVUR Key People VC – Prof. R Sethuraman Registrar – Dr. G Balachandran Streams – Engineering, Commerce, Physical Sciences, Management

ETERNAL UNIVERSITY Key People Vice Chancellor and Chairman Dr H.S Dhaliwal Registrar – Dr Davinder Singh Streams – Arts and Social Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Basic Sciences, Management, Business

INTEGRAL UNIVERSITY Key People Chancellor - Prof. S. W. Akhtar VICE CHANCELLOR (ACTING) - Prof.Aqil Ahmad Streams – Business, Computer, Engineering, Medicine, Pharmacy, Arts

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Nitte (Deemed to be University) has been ranked 77th by NIRF and awarded A Grade by NAAC. The Nitte Gulabi Shetty Memorial Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences has been ranked 25th by NIRF and the AB Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences ranks among the top 10 private dental colleges in the country. The university continues to push the frontiers of excellence by a combination of knowledge creation and dissemination, community outreach and social work, and facilitation for overall development of students. Nitte University continues to host impressive scientific conferences and workshops. A one day workshop on Digital Droplet Third Generation PCR in clinical applications was recently held at Nitte University Centre for Science Education and Research. Prof Indrani Karunasagar, director- R & D, welcomed the gathering and highlighted the urgent need to be aware of the latest advances world over in rapid diagnostics. The workshop was inaugurated by the chief guest, Dr Krishna Prasad, chief medical oncologist, Mangalore Institute of Oncology. He recognized and appreciated the need for this advanced technique as it is not available in the coastal belt of Goa, Karnataka and north Kerala and explained how it would benefit those suffering from conditions like cancer and certain infections. If detected early through non-invasive method like Liquid biopsy it would make the suffering less and also help in prognosis to monitor the treatment effect. In fact, all constituent institutes of Nitte University takes care to host such conferences in their domains. Nitte Institute of Communication recently organized a media conference at its campus in Deralakatte. The two-day event had talks and

University has also tied up with some of the best public universities in US like University of Minnesota, to further student and faculty exchange.

discussions with eminent academicians and media persons, and a cartoon exhibition by internationally acclaimed political cartoonist Satish Acharya. He also conducted a one-day cartooning workshop. Nitte University goes full length to ensure that their students remain comfortable. When it is about infrastructure, Nitte offers nothing but the best. Clean and comfortable hostels, college buses which offer free pick-up and drop from the city, Medicare facilities at the multispecialty KS Hegde Hospital, mentor-mentee programmes and trained counsellors on campus are only some of these. A strict vigil against ragging is maintained in all the campuses. All round development of students including their physical and mental fitness are also catered to. Sports and extra-curricular activities have always been encouraged at Nitte. The BC Alva sports complex measures 14,000 sq ft and has badminton courts, a basketball court, multi-gym, work-out stations for power lifting and weight lifting and much more. The basketball court at Nitte is of NBA standards and compares with the best in the country. The university wants not to just churn out graduates, but for them to be productive for the community around them. Hence, another feature that is a Nitte hallmark is the emphasis on social responsibility. With 21 rural health centers which provide free medical and dental services to the rural poor, students at the medical college, the

Nitteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s various arms like its Management Institute and Medical College are doing their level best to stay relevant and influential in the industry and community, by furthering causes like MSME growth and community medicine.

dental college and the department of Public Health, get to work at these centers and understand the problems of rural healthcare. A rural psychiatric centre, the first-of-itskind in coastal Karnataka, addresses the sensitive issue of mental health and provides counseling, medication and rehabilitation, completely free of cost. Free denture camps are frequently held and the dental college also conducts free cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries for those who can ill afford it. Nitte University is focusing on integrated research programs, promotion of innovation, and focus on sunrise knowledge sectors like stemcell research. It is collaborating with multiple arms of Indian Government like DST, NITI Aayog etc, as well as with foreign governments like that of Belgium. NITI Aayog has already selected a Nitte institution as a startup district with innovation hub along with the prestigious NIT Suratkal. Nitte

Nitte University has always been a stalwart in the research and development arena. In fact, the university has a specially designated Dean for R&D activities, who looks into quality checks in the research literature leading to PhD degrees. At the funding level, the institution is involved in sponsored research. It has been obtaining funding from VTU, DST and AICTE for carrying out sponsored research and also for developing research facilities. The faculty members of the institution have about 250 research papers published in research journals and subsequently presented in national and international conferences held in India and abroad. The S. W. Akhtaruniversity looks poised to strengthen its research capability further and the presence of a strong research culture should help the institute to redefine its curriculum to suit the demands of quality, cutting-edge research work. Always known to be a major influencer in the scientific field, Nitte University continues its outstanding contribution in stem cell research through various initiatives including hosting conferences on this sunrise domain. Nitte (Deemed to be University) is also one of the select few higher education institutions in India to be selected by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India for support under bilateral cooperation with Ghent University, Belgium, within the framework of DST-BELSPO (Belgian Federal Science Policy Office) IndoBelgian Research and Technology Cooperation. Nitte (Deemed to be University) also offers Syndicate Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one year Post Graduate Diploma programme in SM Banking and Finance course. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

RABINDRANATH TAGORE UNIVERSITY Key People Chancellor - Mr. Santosh Kumar Choubey VC – Professor Ashok Kumar Gwal Registrar – Dr Vijay Singh Streams – Arts, Commerce, Computer Science and IT, Engineering, Law, Management, Science, Nursing, Paramedical

MANAVRACHNA INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF RESEARCH AND STUDIES Key People President - Dr Prasanth Bhalla Vice President – Dr Amit Bhalla VC - Dr N.C. Wadhwa, IAS (Retd) Pro-VC - Prof. (Dr.) M.K.Soni Dean – Academics – Dr Naresh Grover Streams – Engineering and Technology, Commerce and Business Studies, Law, Dental Surgery, Media, Management, Liberal Arts, Social Sciences

SCSVMV UNIVERSITY Key People Chancellor – Prof.Dr.S.Jayarama Reddy VC - Prof.Dr.V.S.Vishnu Potty Registrar - Prof.Dr.G. Srinivasu Chief Adm. Officer & PRO - Sri G.Ramachandran Streams – Engineering, Management, Science, Arts and Humanities, Ayurvedic, Sanskrit and Indian Culture

JKLU Key People President/Vice Chancellor, JKLU - Dr. R.L Raina Streams – Engineering and Technology, Management, Design

INVERTIS UNIVERSITY Key People Chancellor – Dr Umesh Gautam Pro-Chancellor – Sanjeev Gautam VC - Dr. YDS Arya Streams – Engineering and Technology, Biotechnology, Management, Computer Applications, Legal Studies, Mass Communication, Science SEASONAL MAGAZINE

MOST Preferred UNIVERSITIES

AMITY UNIVERSITY

A HIGHER MOMENTUM THAT BENEFITS STUDENTS It is a different momentum with which Amity University operates. The leading private university group recently held its Convocation 2018, not on a single day, but across three days. Thousands of students of Amity of class 2018 enrolled under Science, Engineering & Technology received their degrees and diplomas during the three-day ‘Convocation 2018’ of Amity University Uttar Pradesh. The convocation commenced at the University Campus in Noida where 2409 students from over 30 Institutions from different parts of the country received their degrees and diplomas. 65 Gold Medals, 64 Silver Medals, 37 Bronze Medals and 73 PhDs were awarded to the meritorious students and 47 students were awarded Baljit Shastri Award and 12 were awarded best All Round Student Trophies. Amity also continues to further its initiatives in furthering knowledge creation and employability. A National Workshop on vertical farming was organized by Amity in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The university also signed an MoU with India Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (ITDC), the PSU hospitality major for starting various job oriented courses. Amity is not just one university, but a group of private universities in different Indian states with 11 campuses, 11 B-Schools, and 8 international campuses, to name just the three largest entities within the Group. The Amity campuses are spread across 1000 acres and have a built-up area of 4.5 million sq ft. Amity’s size is mindboggling as it student strength is over 1,25,000. Even the faculty strength of Amity institutions – at over 4500 – is more than the student strength of many private universities in the country. Amity professors are known for their knowledge, having authored over 500 scholarly books. When it comes to tie-ups with overseas academic institutions, Amity is the de facto leader in India, with effective tie-ups with over 100 world-class universities and institutions of repute. Founder President of Amity Dr. Ashok K Chauhan has formerly been an NRI technopreneur and

research journals. Students are also spoilt for choices at all levels – from undergraduate to PhD – as there are over 300 programs to choose from. And many of these course are simple to offer, as is evident from the over 300 labs Amity has established for mature course delivery. Amity B-Schools on the other hand thrive on case studies, and is home to over 1300 case studies, like how the best B-Schools in the developed world deliver management intelligence. Even the Indian government and various state governments of India are taking Amity’s thrust on research seriously. Amity scholars are now undertaking around 300 Government funded research programs.

industrialist from the European Union. Chancellors of Amity University, Dr. Atul Chauhan and Dr. Aseem Chauhan lead from the frontline Amity University’s expansion in India as well as into Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa. Various factors reveal the thrust Amity University has on research. Amity faculty members have over 950 filed patents, which should easily be a record in the private higher education space in India. Between them and Amity’s research scholars, the university has published over 6000 papers in national and international

Corporates have been favouring Amity campuses for some years now, and each year Amity places more than 30,000 students with companies in different sectors. Amity has one of the largest scholarship programs in the private space. Amity estimates that over 25,000 students have benefited from this fair practice, as is followed in the West. Since starting full scale operations in 2003, the Amity University chain has opened campuses in major higher education destinations like England, China, South Africa and five other countries. The Amity chain offers bachelor’s and graduate degrees in a range of fields, from art to engineering. With a

penchant for setting up world-class campuses at home and attracting talent cutting across national boundaries, it is a no-brainer as to why the Amity network wishes to leave a footprint on the global stage. The sports scholarship and grants program have also gone a long way in supporting budding sporting talent and it is a further testimony to the university's quest for all-round excellence. The university has also organized numerous conferences and seminars over the past year. These events have ensured the convergence of the leading practitioners in a particular field, much to the benefit of the student community at Amity. Seminar topics have ranged from cyber-security, big data, cloud computing, IoT, intellectual property rights to climate change, biodiversity, sustainable development, agriculture, best HR practices to physical education, legal systems, art and sculpture, just to mention a few. Through such initiatives, Amity has attained prime standing in India's and the world's most relevant fields of inquiry and research. Amity has been getting ranked among world-class universities owing to its high-end research and innovation, increasing number of PhD faculty members, innovative teaching methodologies, international outlook and industry outcome in terms of knowledge transfer - all markers of an excellence-driven university that sets SM its bar high each time. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

MOST Preferred UNIVERSITIES

KALINGA INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY

There is a KIIT Way of doing things in higher education. It is deeply rooted in traditional values, even while delivering the most modern of higher education for today’s demanding times. That is how Prof. Achyuta Samanta, Founder of KIIT, has succeeded in bringing students from the world over to the sprawling KIIT campus in Odisha. Instead of waiting for the world to wake up to KIIT, this deemed university has made it a habit to embrace the industrial and academic world on a daily basis by promoting and hosting international conferences, seminars and workshops of the highest profile, which ensures that KIIT students are exposed to the best of the world even before they leave the campus. Accredited at A Grade by NAAC and given 42nd rank among all Indian universities by NIRF, KIIT is also a top winner in campus placements. Admissions through the upcoming KIITEE 2019 are now on.

ndian Engineering Services (IES) is one of the most prestigious career examinations conducted by Indian Government’s UPSC, as it selects the crème de la crème of engineering talents to head the highest technology posts in Central Government’s vast departments. Rarely do we find anyone outside of IITs and NITs, coming up as toppers in this gruelling exam. But IES 2018 was an exception when Shashank Shekhar who passed BTech in Electronic & Telecommunication Engineering from KIIT Deemed to be University in 2013, topped this exam. After doing his BTech from KIIT, Shashank had also completed his MTech from IIT, Khargapur. But it was the young man’s words that came as a surprise to many. He said, “I did not take any coaching for preparation of Engineering Services Exam. The only reason that I could achieve success in this examination is the study that I had done at KIIT”. He also countered the perception that only BTech students from IITs and NITs can top the exam. He continued, “There is no point discussing whether only IITians or NITians get better marks, or the Engineering Services is only for SEASONAL MAGAZINE

them. Anyone who has patience, dedication and talent can qualify. This perception is completely wrong because I have done my BTech from KIIT.” Shashank’s performance and his surprising words for his alma mater came as a shot in the arm for KIIT. Congratulating Shashank, Prof. Achyuta Samanta, Founder of KIIT said, “The success of

Shashank proves the quality of teaching and educational ambience at KIIT.” The educational ambience of KIIT has been evolving into extraordinary levels in recent years. Whereas earlier the edge was on superior infrastructure and faculty experience, lately the deemed university has perfected the art of using this superior infrastructure and faculty expertise to further interactions with both industries and academics by hosting high-profile conferences,

seminars and workshops. Recently, the sprawling KIIT campus hosted the prestigious 42nd Indian Social Science Congress, which was was inaugurated by Manipur Governor Dr Najma Heptulla. Indian Social Science Congress is the annual meet of social scientists organized by Indian Social Science Academy (ISSA). The theme of this year’s Congress was ‘Human Future in Digital Era’. Over 400 research papers were presented during the five-day meet that concluded on December 31. Dr Debendra Sharma delivered the Third BV Rangarao Memorial Lecture on agriculture. Prof Binod C Agrawal, President, Indian Social Science Academy and 42nd Indian Social Science Congress delivered the presidential address on theme during the inaugural session. Dr Sasmita Samanta, Organising Secretary, ISSA and Registrar, KIIT University gave the welcome address. KIIT also welcomes and hosts highprofile visitors in its campus, and recently the United States’ Ambassador to India, Kenneth I Juster visited the campus of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and its sister concern, Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), which is world’s first tribal

university, and home to 27,000 tribal students from kindergarten to postgraduate level. Addressing the students the US Ambassador said, “I am impressed by the talent and enthusiasm of the student community of KISS. The institution which is providing quality education to 27,000 students is an impressive and significant achievement, especially when it has the such a positive impact on the State of Odisha’s many and diverse tribal communities. This is a benefit not just for KISS and its students but for all of India.” Ambassador Juster also mentioned the support of US Government to the institution. He said, “The US Government has maintained a long-term partnership with the KISS through the English Access Programme. Next year, we will mark the 10th Anniversary of this partnership. English is particularly important because of its role as a common language throughout the world.” Before leaving the campus very impressed, Juster also inaugurated a newly-constructed KIIT-KISS Hockey Stadium, which adds to the already impressive array of sports facilities in both the campuses.

KIIT also played host recently to the South Asia Communication Conference. Organized by KIIT School of Mass Communication, the South Asia Communication Conference on Media and the Marginalized Communities, was inaugurated by Prof. Biswajit Das, President, All India Communion and Media Association who said, “We have to empower by communication to get connected with the nation. And KIIT has become a gateway to understand South Asia.” On the occasion, Prof. Vibodh Parthasarathi, the In-Charge of Centre for Culture, Media & Governance, Jamia Millia Islamia said, “Mass Communication is a developing field across existing Institutions.” In his presidential address Prof. Hrushikesha Mohanty, Vice Chancellor, KIIT Deemed to be University said, “Communication could be a way of trust building. Communication is the fundamental mode of transfer of knowledge. Communication and communicator are wavelengths to accept each other. In the context of technology, it is providing people to communicate through the pangs of nostalgia of yesteryears.” Emphasizing on Indigenous Communication Prof. Sasmita Samanta, Registrar, KIIT Deemed to be University, said, “For communication, often words are not required. Moreover, communication is being transferred from generation to generation and basic core of the society is the base of communication.” Accredited at A Grade by NAAC and given 42nd rank among all Indian universities by NIRF, KIIT is also a top winner in campus placements. Admissions through the upcoming KIITEE 2019 are now on. The faculties of technology at KIIT include, School of Computer Applications, School of Civil Engine ering, School of Mechanical Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering, School of Computer Engineering, School of Chemical Technology, School of Electronics Engineering and School of Bio technology. SM SEASONAL MAGAZINE

MOST

Preferred UNIVERSITIES

ASSAM DOWN DOWN UNIVERSITY

DELIVERING EXPERT TRAINING IN TRADITIONAL & SUNRISE SECTORS

ver the years, ADTU has progressed to offer powerful courses in traditional domains as well as sunrise sectors. There is also an emphasis on designing special courses on new age topics like Cyber security, Cloud Technology, and Animation. Assam Down Town University recently conducted a national conference on Translational Drug Discovery: Current Trends and Future Interventions. Held in association with the Society of Biological Chemists India, the conference was organised by the Faculty of Sciences at Assam Down Town University campus. Renowned participants from different regions of the country took part in the conference. One of the leading universities in the northeast, ADTU is built over a sprawling 80 acres of land, offering its students a unique amalgamation of professional and academic excellence. With students from over 20 Indian states and 5 countries, it is one of the most culturally diverse

universities in the vicinity of the beautiful city â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Guwahati. Established in the year 2010, Assam Down Town University offers multidisciplinary programs at Graduate, Post Graduate and Doctorate levels apart from several skill-oriented certificates and diploma programs. Along with the Faculty of Engineering & Technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Nursing, Faculty of Paramedical Sciences,Faculty of Sciences, Faculty of Commerce, Management, Humanities and Social Sciences; ADTU also focuses on unique programs like Trauma & Disaster management, Radiography Technology, and Dialysis Technology in addition to skill oriented programs in Hotel Management, Dietary Sciences, Biotechnology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Social Work etc. When it comes to choosing a private university in the North Eastern region, Guwahati based Assam Down Town University is surpassing its position every year, providing all the

nourishment needed for a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall growth and therefore manifests itself as one of the best universities to choose from. Spreading over 80 acres with all the modern educational infrastructure as well as facilities for extracurricular activities, ADTU is also a powerhouse when it comes to campus placements. Major organizations recruiting from ADTU include Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, Oberoi Group, Cipla, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Taj Group, Accor Hotels, Lemon Tree Hotels, Indigo, Spice Jet, Patanjali, Genpact, NH Hospitals, Asian Heart Institute, HCL etc. And more than that, ADTU has been facilitating all students in North East by conducting what is perhaps the largest and most successful job fairs in the region for four years in a row now. Known equally for catering to traditional courses that are still in demand like engineering and MBA, as well as for emerging sunrise courses like in cybersecurity, ADTU has always been innovating on forming industry-ready courses, the latest of which is a specialized MBA. Recently, Assam Down Town University in association with National Career Service organized a two-day long Campus Placement Drive. It was one of the largest placement drives with 72 national and international companies participating, and recording a footfall of more than 3000 people from across the North East Region. Industry Minister, Government of Assam, Sri Chandra Mohan Patowary

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attended the closing ceremony as the Chief Guest. ADTU had conducted the placement drive successfully for the past three consecutive years and this was the fourth edition. Around 1,400 candidates were selected by 59 companies in 2017 placement drive. The placement drive is open not just for ADTU students, but for the students of the entire North East region. The USP of the placement drive was that it was not just for the experience holders but also for fresher candidates. With each passing year, the number of companies and number of placements are rising for this noted event. The venue for the placement drive was the Campus of Assam Down Town University at Sankar Madhab Path, Gandhi Nagar, Panikhaiti, Guwahati, Assam. Due to the huge demand from both recruiters and candidates witnessed at the event, ADTU is now planning to make this mega event a regular feature. ADTU has recently entered into a new strategic academic partnership with Timespro, a leader in banking and finance sector education. This collaboration will bring forth a specialized MBA program by ADTU, with an additional certification of Post Graduate Diploma in Banking Management (PGDBM) by Timespro, for the benefit of banking and finance career aspirants. Recently the Banking industry has gone through a radical transformation. Demonetization, government policies and reforms have ushered a new era in banking and financial services. While this economic scenario would pose a few challenges to the industry, it also brings along a flood of opportunities for those interested in making it big in banking and finance. Through this 2 year full-time MBA course by ADTU with specialized skill enhancement programmes in the field of Banking and Finance by TimesPro, students will not just be able to acquire the skills required in the sector but will also be equipped with the tools and techniques, and most importantly develop the practical and sharp mind set of a banker.

The program has been conceptualized in a manner that makes one ready for a rewarding career in the industry, as the industry needs professionals who understand the practical aspect of banking and can grasp the regulatory dynamics of the system. The BFSI industry consistently needs good professionals who understand the banking ecosystem thoroughly and in that respect the PGDBM with its unique course content effortlessly achieves that. The program fully equips students to address this knowledge and expertise gap. The program curriculum, which has been specially, designed by TimesPro and Assam Down Town University, fast tracks your career as a banking professional. It is conceptualized in such a manner to give a holistic learning experience through both classroom expositions and case focused approach. Mr. Joutishman Dutta, Managing Trustee of Down Town Charity Trust says, "The program is a unique industryoriented MBA program that is being offered by us with additional Certification from TimesPro. For the first

time in this region, students will be exposed to practical banking and finance concepts. Students must choose this program for its unique course content and industry-specific approach which prepares them as thorough banking professionals." While this program has been designed by TimesPro, the industry integration of such professional training programs with universities and educational institutes of repute is being conceptualized and facilitated by N K Das foundation. The N K Das foundation has been relentlessly working to impart skill enhancement and employability based training programs across North East. Students who have successfully completed their graduation level examinations without any gaps and through regular mode of education may apply for the program. They will have to appear for the TAP test and Personal Interview by an Ex-banker. After successful short listing of candidates, beyond this point they will go ahead with the training over four semesters at regular intervals which would act like periodic interventions for skill enhancement. With an excellent track record in placement, students can be assured of interview opportunities at some of India's top banking, non-banking and financial institutions after successfully completing the program. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global workplace, a deciding factor for success how professional degree holders can work together with colleagues from various cultures. One of the leading universities in the northeast, ADTU is built over a sprawling 80 acres of land, offering its students a unique amalgamation of professional and academic excellence. With students from over 20 Indian states and 5 countries, it is one of the most culturally diverse universities in the vicinity of the beautiful city â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Guwahati. Established in the year 2010, it offers multi-disciplinary programs at Graduate, Post Graduate and Doctorate levels apart from several skill-oriented certificates and diploma programs. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

COVERS FROM YEARS PAST

COVER STORY ON VPS HEALTHCARE Over the years, ADTU has progressed to offer powerful courses in traditional domains as well as sunrise sectors. Along with the Faculty of Engineering & Technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Nursing, Faculty of Paramedical Sciences,Faculty of Sciences, Faculty of Commerce, Management, Humanities and Social Sciences; it also focuses on unique programs like Trauma & Disaster management, Radiography Technology, and Dialysis Technology in addition to skill oriented programs in Hotel Management, Dietary Sciences, Biotechnology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Social Work etc. There is also an emphasis on designing special courses on new age topics like Cyber security, Cloud Technology, and Animation. No modern university is worth the mention without the best educational infrastructure and facilities for extracurricular activities. ADTU embraces a sound infrastructure in addition to the courses and faculty. Besides a wellstocked library, well- built seminar rooms, and excellent laboratories; the University provides services like an on-campus ATM, seamless WiFi network, and a reliable transport SEASONAL MAGAZINE

and security system. To ensure all round development, it has various sporting facilities, gym, and a swimming pool. AdtUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s weekend curriculum is unique. Saturdays are reserved for various activities for the students and faculty, ranging from dance classes to music lessons and yoga. Further, the university has several clubs for the students to pursue their areas of interest. Major organizations recruiting from ADTU include Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, Oberoi Group, Cipla, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Taj Group, Accor Hotels, Lemon Tree Hotels, Indigo, Spice Jet, Patanjali, Genpact, NH Hospitals, Asian Heart Institute, HCL etc. ADTU also offers the largest scholarship program in the region. Every year 100 students are selected for free education by the University, where the required hostel facilities and any other additional financial support are borne by the University to enable students to pursue higher education. Scholarships are issued on the basis of merit depending on marks obtained during entrance examinations and also for meritorious students who top University examinations. SM

When Seasonal Magazine covered VPS Healthcare and its young dynamic leader Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil in early 2018, he was already an accomplished healthcare leader and philanthropist, more known in Middle East. However, it was in the aftermath of the unprecedented Kerala floods, later in the year, that India, especially his home state of Kerala, came to know about the generosity of this philanthropist. As he himself loves to say often, "We don't worry about cost. Our philosophy is that when we give, we grow." And indeed he is growing. With a personal networth of $1.5 billion, he has invested heavily to take a significant stake in listed investment major Amanat Holdings of UAE that invests primarily in healthcare and educational organizations and has also taken over as its MD & CEO.

CITIES

WITH METRO EXPANSION, DELHI IN PREMIUM LEAGUE OF CITIES DELHI METRO NETWORK HAS NOW EXPANDED TO NEARLY 314 KM WITH 229 STATIONS WITH THE OPERATIONALISATION OF THE NEW CORRIDOR

he 17.8-km Shiv ViharTrilokpuri Sanjay Lake section of the Pink Line was opened to public Wednesday, putting Delhi among a select group of cities such as London and Shanghai that have an operational metro network of over 300-km.

15 stations on the new corridor are Trilokpuri Sanjay Lake, East Vinod Nagar-Mayur Vihar-II , Mandawali-West Vinod Nagar, IP Extension, Anand Vihar ISBT, Karkardooma, Karkardooma Court, Krishna Nagar, East Azad Nagar, Welcome, Jaffrabad, Maujpur-Babarpur, Gokulpuri, Johri Enclave and Shiv Vihar.

The Delhi Metro network has now expanded to nearly 314 km with 229 stations with the operationalisation of the new corridor.

After the opening of this line, the Delhi Metro will be running 4,749 trips a day, the “highest ever” so far, officials said.

The new Anand Vihar metro station on this stretch, an interchange facility with an existing eponymous station on the Blue Line, has turned the area into a major transport hub, with a railway station and an Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) already present. The main highlight of this section is the presence of three interchange stations - Anand Vihar (with Blue Line), Karkardooma (with Blue Line) and Welcome (with Red Line). With its opening, the Delhi Metro also joined the league of top metro networks around the world which have an operational length of over 300 km, like those in London, Beijing, Shanghai and New York, Delhi Metro officials said. Addressing a gathering at the inauguration function held at the Metro Bhawan early in the day, union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, “The journey that started in 2002 has passed the 300 kmmark today to reach 314 km. The metro project in Delhi is a global success.” The

However, due to infrastructure constraints, trains on the Trilokpuri Sanjay Lake-IP Extension section on this corridor will ply on a single route with a frequency of a little 15 minutes and 36 seconds, officials had said on Monday. A bottleneck near Trilokpuri station has arisen due to multiple issues, including land acquisition, resulting in a portion of metro segment, about few kilometres remaining incomplete, rendering the Trilokpuri Sanjay Lake station, a terminus. Also, only every third train will go to Trilokpuri station from IP Extension due to the single line operation on down line due to non-availability of cross-over facility at Trilokpuri, executive director, corporate communications at DMRC, Anuj Dayal said.

AFTER THE OPENING OF THIS LINE, THE DELHI METRO WILL BE RUNNING 4,749 TRIPS A DAY

The train services between IP Extension and Shiv Vihar section will be run as per normal practice on both the lines at a peak hour frequency of 5 minutes and 12 seconds, officials said. “However, passengers heading towards Trilokpuri or Shiv Vihar will be required to change the trains at the platform level itself at Maujpur-Babarpur station. “This interchange is necessitated since Maujpur-Babarpur is designed to meet Phase-IV requirement as an interchange station with four platforms,” Dayal said. The train services between IP Extension and Shiv Vihar section will be run as per normal practice on both the lines at a peak hour frequency of 5 minutes and 12 seconds, officials said. In construction of this section, the Delhi Metro has achieved a rare feat in metro construction by crossing over its existing operational line (Blue Line) at the Karkardooma Metro Station (old one) at a record height of 21 m above the ground, making it the second highest structure in the network. The highest point in the metro lies in Dhaula Kuan area, between Mayapuri and South Campus metro stations of the Pink Line, at a height of 23.6 m – as high as a seven-storey building. Also, the metro has constructed a double-decker train depot at Vinod Nagar, Dayal said. “We had a land constraint, so we built a double-decker structure for parking, which is quite unusual. Besides, this facility, some of the trains would be SM stabled elsewhere,” he said. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

REAL ESTATE

RUSTOMJEE

CELEBRITY CLASS QUALITY AT COMMON MAN'S PRICES THE DEVELOPER THAT MANY CELEBRITIES INCLUDING BOLLYWOOD HEARTTHROB TIGER SHROFF CHOSE FOR THEIR HOMES NEED NO WORDS FOR THEIR QUALITY. BOMAN IRANI IS HOWEVER NOW EXPLORING WHETHER SUPERIOR QUALITY CAN BE DELIVERED AT COMMON MAN'S PRICE POINTS BY TEAMING UP WITH GLOBAL INTERIORS SPECIALIST IKEA AND AFFORDABLE HOMES ENABLER, HDFC CAPITAL.

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oman Irani is that rare developer who is equally adept at catering to celebrity customers as well as those looking for affordable homes. A pioneer in affordable housing, having delivered 6000 such homes in one go in Virar near Mumbai in 2014, Boman-led Rustomjee has tied up with HDFC Capital Advisors and global interiors major IKEA to scale the affordable game to a whole new level with homes being offered at Rs.34 lakhs (+taxes). At the same time, Rustomjee which counts many celebrities including actor Tiger Shroff among its celebrity homebuyers, has recently launched its ultra luxury Crown project at Prabhadevi, right inside Mumbai city, with 700 apartments costing between Rs. 8 crore to Rs. 20 crore. Ask Boman about this dual capability and you will get the perfect answer, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are in the business of making all our customers feel like celebrities.â&#x20AC;? Boman, together with Directors Chandresh D Mehta and Percy S Chowdhry, has guided Rustomjee to be a data driven developer which takes decisions purely on its research and analysis of the market as well as on materials and technologies. Boman also has his hands full due to his participation in the revival of the iconic Jawa brand of motorcycles that his father brought to India in 1960. Jawa has been revived by a team led by Anand Mahindra, Chairman of Mahindra Group. Seasonal Magazine in conversation with Boman Irani, Chairman and Managing Director of Keystone Realtors, the corporate entity of brand Rustomjee.

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BHK properties that reflect their style and give them a chance to live comfortably, near Mumbai.

When Bollywood heartthrob Tiger Shroff recently made a real estate investment in Mumbai, it was at the luxurious Rustomjee Paramount, Khar. The project offers spacious 2, 3 & 4 BHK apartments, featuring cross ventilation and unmatched privacy to all its occupants, with base price starting at Rs.7.99 crore. The project caters to the demanding needs of its discerning residents and offers different types of apartments to choose from, to best suit their desires and needs. Now, Boman Irani, Rustomjee's dynamic young moving force is exploring whether superior quality can be delivered at common man's price points by teaming up with global interiors specialist IKEA and affordable homes enabler, HDFC Capital. IKEA has collaborated with Rustomjee, to furnish 1,200 apartments at Global City, Virar, Mumbai. The housing project is aimed at young homebuyers who are looking for affordable 1- and 2-

IKEA, is targeted at millennials and synonymous with minimalism and stylishness. The show flats for the first IKEA-designed and furnished flats in India are now ready. From artificial planters and cushy sofas in the living area, to sleek wardrobes and comfy mattresses in the bedroom, the Swedish furniture giant has made these sample flats look homey with its curation of products. The flats at Rustomjee Global City starts at Rs 34 lakhs (+taxes). The Rustomjee - IKEA association is an extension of Rustomjeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision to meet the needs and aspirations of young homebuyers who are working with a budget and yet want their family to enjoy a fulfilled life with a home that is a testament to their self-worth. The design, layout, amenities and the furnished homes by IKEA are all a part of Rustomjee Global City making those home buyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dreams a reality. Rustomjee has also tied up with HDFC Capital Advisors, the real-estate focused fund of financial services major, HDFC, for a new affordable housing platform that will execute such projects. The first beneficiary of this tie-up will be Rustomjee's Global City project in Virar itself. The tie-up has come as a shot

in the arm for the developer as HDFC Capital has only created such a platform with only two other developers in India, the other two being listed players.

Seasonal Magazine in conversation with Boman Irani, Chairman & Managing Director, Rustomjee: You have recently launched Rustomjee Crown for the upper end of the customer segment. But with 700 units starting at Rs.8 crore and going up all the way to Rs.20 crore, do you think the market currently has such an appetite for luxury offerings or are you foreseeing a significant change in market sentiments in the near future? The Mumbai market already has good appetite for such luxury homes. I am not saying this as a hunch, but based on data. What differentiates Rustomjee from most others is that we are a data driven, research driven company. We do lots of specific studies in all the micro markets we are operating in or are planning to enter into. And our studies here shows that there is good appetite for the kind of homes we are offering in Crown. Our customers for this project will be globe trotters who are exposed to the best in the world, and are longing for the same in Mumbai as it is still not available here. So, we are bringing in international architects and designers and developing best-in-class amenities even from an international view. The

fact that there are more than enough customers for projects like Crown is not surprising as data on emergence of wealth shows that India added 7300 dollar millionaires in 2018 alone. So, basically Crown will be a haven for those looking for world class homes and with these kinds of earning capacities. This is not something new for Rustomjee too, as we have already done three such luxury projects near this location. You had recently created an affordable housing platform with HDFC Capital Advisors, starting with your Global City in Virar. Is the funding of Crown by HDFC through the same platform or it is a distinct arrangement? No, both are distinct. Crown is part funded by HDFC Ltd directly whereas the affordable platform is funded by their funds subsidiary HDFC Capital Advisors. Affordable housing is a huge opportunity. Rustomjee has been a pioneer in this field and we have already delivered 6000 affordable homes in Virar in 2014. With the joint platform with HDFC Capital Advisors, we will scale this up. As a first step using this new platform, we are developing around 1800 homes for which we have also tied up with IKEA.

been venturing out into developing affordable homes for the common man. That is what took us to Thane in 2001, using their then new township policy. We delivered affordable homes there in 2004. Later, our diversification to Virar was also in pursuit of developing affordable homes. We became active there in 2010-11 and by 2014 we could deliver 6000 affordable homes spanning 150 buildings. It was a huge operation with over 5000 labourers working every day. This is one of the largest affordable housing project in the whole country. We are confident that we can do even better by intelligent use of new affordable materials that are extremely durable and by mass production using economies of scale. For instance, our new Virar homes are starting from Rs.34 lakhs (+taxes). But what you told is true, no developer can deliver such homes in Mumbai city locations. Affordability is a function of location, not just going by land prices but going by earning capacities too. So what is affordable housing in Mumbai is not affordable at

all in cities like Nagpur or Hyderabad. Mumbai can have truly affordable housing for the common man only if the premium charged by way of FSI, taxes etc are brought down significantly. As you said, you have recently tied up with IKEA to offer fully furnished homes in your Global City project. Can you mention how this tie-up came about, what all were its prime movers? Does IKEA have such arrangements with any other developer in India or abroad? As I told you, Rustomjeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s speciality is that we are a research driven company. We always do studies on customer needs, before a project is launched and even after a project is handed over, and even months or years later. We find out what was appreciated by them, what could have been done more and where they had difficulties. We do this in all our markets, and since the last five or six years, one of the greatest needs identified has been doing up the

Being a pioneer in the affordable housing scene of an expensive city like Mumbai and its suburbs, how realistic is it to expect developers to deliver really affordable homes for the common man, even in the suburbs? Since 2001 itself, Rustomje has always

interiors of apartments. Often, it takes up one to six months after we have handed over to build the wardrobes, kitchen cabinets etc. Many of our customers being professionals in their own fields are also confused regarding selection of materials for interiors. Our study found that it also entails, on an average, 12 leaves for the customers to manage this work over the course of a few months. So, we were always looking for a reputable partner for getting the interiors done in contemporary, worldclass fashion. And now with IKEA, we are sure as they are a global giant renowned not just for their aesthetic designs but for their innovative approaches and superior functionalities. Answering the second part of your question, I am proud to share that this is a first for IKEA too outside their home country. There they build whole IKEA homes, but it is the first time that they have partnered with a developer brand for designing interiors.

on how the geographical diversification goes in Pune and elsewhere in Maharashtra, we will decide on venturing outside the state. How active is Rustomjee in the redevelopment scene of Mumbai? How does this sector look now after many individual projects from various developers running into serious troubles? We have been active in redevelopment since 2001. Our first delivery of a redeveloped project happened in 2004. I am happy to tell you that currently we are one of the largest and most successful redevelopers, having delivered over 1500 redeveloped homes with all kinds of amenities. We have handled large redevelopments, involving 500 plus members and now we are working in a project with 1000 plus members. All our redeveloped projects have been handed over with the members living happily there. Redevelopment continues to be a major opportunity in the market for Rustomjee.

With land getting scarcer and scarcer in Mumbai, and several other metros playing catching up to the city, do you have plans to diversify into other metros of India, including in major South Indian cities?

How has been the positive and notso-positive impact of RERA on the real estate sector in Maharashtra, and especially Mumbai?

With our new affordable platform in place with HDFC Capital Advisors, yes, we will be diversifying into other cities within the next few years. Our first destination is likely to be Pune which should happen by the next two to three years. We will focus on our home state of Maharashtra for now, and depending

I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know about other states, but in Maharashtra, RERA has done a phenomenal job. I fully appreciate all the officials who have worked to make it a success. Due to RERA alone, a lot more confidence and positivity has come in the real estate market. Customer interests are getting greatly protected.

Anand Mahindra, Boman Irani and Anupam Thareja

Moreover, this has been a technological breakthrough too as everything is done online including the filing and sanctions and data access, so that customers can do much of it online. I would say the impact has been quite positive, and it will prove to be more so in the long run. Are you planning to take Rustomjee public through an IPO or REIT IPO in the near future? One thing about real estate development business is that it is capital intensive. Money is always needed and at the centre of it all. With finance now available through several new channels, we are carefully studying various options. Public fund raising routes like

IPO and REIT are also being studied, the pros and cons of going public in either route, and we hope to decide on something in a year’s time. You are participating actively in the return of the Jawa brand in India that was pioneered way back by your family. Apart from this emotional or sentimental factor, what prompted you for this rare diversification for a developer? Yes, as you rightly said, we the Irani family brought the Jawa brand to India in the 1960s. So, there is definitely a historical and emotional element involved, especially as my father was directly involved, first in importing the bikes from Czechoslovakia and then manufacturing it in Mysore. When Anand Mahindra and Anupam Thareja came to me with their plan to revive Jawa, I didn’t have to think much. Mahindra is one of the Indian business groups I most admire and their vehicles are synonymous with ruggedness. Anupam has great ground level experience in both finance and automotive sectors. I don’t think any better team other than these two gentlemen can handle the revival of this iconic brand. Having delivered homes to several celebrities, can you explain how the Rustomjee brand clicks with them? Are they tough customers, negotiating for greater value?

All customers appreciate value. And nowadays, all our customers including celebrity customers are extremely educated and very demanding in their requirements. But, yes, celebrity customers do bring in their brand value and glamour. Since they are very choosy, their buys come out as endorsements for us. I am very happy to have them on board. At Rustomjee, every single customer is valuable and our business is to make them feel like celebrities. With real estate sector experiencing a rebound in recent quarters, how do you expect the business to be going forward? I strongly feel that 2019 will be a great year for realty. The sector will consolidate and the reputed players following both proper governance and good practices in development are set to become the major beneficiaries of this consolidation. More than ever, customers can now afford to be choosy

and value of each offering will be intensely looked into. Market is maturing rapidly and this is good for customers too. Why should a prospective homebuyer look at a Rustomjee home? It starts from the kind of research and analysis that we do. We deliver more of what customers want and less of what they don’t want. We go even beyond and identify their unsaid and unmet needs. For example, in India, the youthful generation lives for two other generations at least – their parents and their children. So, for such hardworking youth we design lovely amenities where they can relax. However, this research culture permeates to not only customer preferences but on vital elements like design, materials and technology. Using such inputs we lead in the business of redefining the verticals – redefining luxury, redefining affordable.

JOBS

Labour Data Troubling, Efforts On to Fix it? Soon after the National Sample Survey Office’s Periodic Labour Force Survey recorded the unemployment rate in India at a 45-year-high, Prime Minister’s Economic Advisor, Bibek Debroy said that they will prepare a fresh jobs report.

compared to that in the overall population”. The rate of unemployment among men in rural areas between the ages of 15 and 29 years jumped to 17.4 percent in 2017-18 compared to 5 percent in 2011-12. The unemployment rate among women in rural areas stood at 13.6 percent in 2017-18 compared to

he survey will show that there has been a substantial increase in jobs,” said Debroy. "It is important to realise that what is the role of the Modi government in jobs. It is partly union government and large part of what happens to business environment, jobs, employment is the problem of states,” he said. “But Union government can facilitate enabling environment for establishments to function, entrepreneurship to flourish and this is precisely what the Modi government has been doing by pushing selfemployment," he added. The leaked report recorded unemployment rate of 6.1 percent in 2017-18, giving the opposition Congress ammunition to attack and pushing the NDA government in defensive mode. Congress president Rahul Gandhi said it was time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to go as he had failed to keep his 2014 promise of adding two crore jobs every year, and called the unemployment rate a “national disaster”. Two independent members of the National Statistical Commission had resigned this week after the government allegedly failed to publish the report that was prepared last month. The report is still not public. This was the first survey on employment by a government agency after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes in November 2016. The Periodic Labour Force Survey is the first annual household survey of the National Sample Survey Office and data was collected between July 2017 and June 2018. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

According to reports, documents showed that unemployment rate was at its highest since the 1972-73 period, from when the employment data is comparable. In comparison, the unemployment rate stood at 2.2% in 2011-12, during the United Progressive Alliance’s second term, according to the survey. The report showed that the unemployment rate among the youth was at a higher level compared to previous years and “much higher

THE LEAKED REPORT RECORDED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE OF 6.1 PERCENT IN 201718, GIVING THE OPPOSITION CONGRESS AMMUNITION TO ATTACK AND PUSHING THE NDA GOVERNMENT IN DEFENSIVE MODE.

4.8 percent in 2011-12, according to the survey. Unemployment among youth in urban areas was higher than in rural areas – 18.7 percent for men and 27.2 percent for women in 201718. More among the educated were jobless in 2017-18 than they were in 2004-05. For educated women in rural areas, unemployment was at 17.3 percent in 2017-18 compared to 9.7 percent-15.2 percent during 2004-05 to 2011-12. For educated men in rural areas, the unemployment rose to 10.5 percent in 2017-18 compared to 3.5 percent to 4.4 percent during 2004-05 to 2011-12. The labour force participation rate, which is the proportion of population working or seeking jobs, declined from 39.5 percent in 2011-12 to 36.9 percent in 2017-18. The labour force participation has been declining since 2004-05. The dip was at a higher pace in 2017-18 compared to 2011-12, but at a lower speed than what was witnessed in 2009-10.

E-COMMERCE

AMAZON MAKES DIFFICULT ADJUSTMENTS TO COMPLY WITH NEW E-COMMERCE RULES

long-term opportunity, Amazon Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky said on a conference call with reporters following its fourth-quarter earnings announcement. The company’s main goal is to minimize the impact of the new ecommerce rules on customers and sellers, he added. The US government has also urged India to protect the investments of the two American retailers, Reuters reported last week. Both companies have bet heavily on India being a big growth driver: Amazon has committed to investing $5.5 billion there, while Walmart last year spent $16 billion on Flipkart. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration is seen as keen to appease small traders in the run-up to a general election due by May.

E-commerce rules that went into effect in India recently caused widespread disruption for Amazon.com, forcing it to take down an array of items from its India website including Echo speakers, batteries and floor cleaners. wo sources with direct knowledge of the matter said the products began to disappear from the Amazon India site as it began complying with the revised norms before a midnight deadline.

as Cloudtail, in which Amazon holds an indirect equity stake, were no longer available on the Amazon India site.

“The company has no choice, they are fulfilling a compliance requirement ... customers will suffer,” said one of the sources.

Amazon’s own range of Echo speakers, its Presto-branded home cleaning goods and other Amazon Basics products such as chargers and batteries had also vanished from the website.

In December, India modified foreign direct investment (FDI) rules for its burgeoning e-commerce sector, which has drawn major bets from not only Amazon.com but also the likes of Walmart Inc, which last year bought a majority stake in homegrown ecommerce player Flipkart. India’s new e-commerce investment rules bar online retailers from selling products via vendors in which they have an equity interest, and also from making deals with sellers to sell exclusively on their platforms. Numerous items sold by vendors such

Clothing from Indian department store chain Shopper’s Stop was also no longer available, as Amazon owns 5 percent of the company.

Both Amazon and Walmart had lobbied against the latest rules and pushed for a delay in their implementation, but India said the deadline stood. The situation in India is “a bit fluid right now,” but the country remains a good

INDIA’S NEW E-COMMERCE INVESTMENT RULES BAR ONLINE RETAILERS FROM SELLING PRODUCTS VIA VENDORS IN WHICH THEY HAVE AN EQUITY INTEREST, AND ALSO FROM MAKING DEALS WITH SELLERS TO SELL EXCLUSIVELY ON THEIR PLATFORMS.

Many small traders say the e-commerce giants use their buying power and control over inventory from affiliated vendors to create an unfair marketplace where they can offer deep discounts on some products. Such arrangements will be barred under the new policy. Industry sources have said the new rules will force the big e-sellers to change their business structures, and will raise compliance costs. Amazon India told Reuters it was “committed to remaining compliant to all the laws of the land”, adding that all sellers make their own independent decisions of what to list and when. Exclusive deals with sellers will be discontinued, the two sources said. It is unclear how long the disruption will last. Would-be buyers of Echo speakers on Amazon India saw a message reading: “We don’t know when or if this item will be back in stock.” The impact of the changes on Flipkart was not clear. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a letter to India’s industries department in January, Chief Executive Kalyan Krishnamurthy said the rules required Flipkart to assess “all elements” of its business operations and risked causing “significant customer disruption”. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

DISCOVERY

GIGANTIC CAVITY FOUND IN MASSIVE ANTARCTIC GLACIER

NASA scientists have discovered a gigantic cavity, almost 300 metres tall, growing at the bottom of the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, indicating rapid decay of the ice sheet and acceleration in global sea levels due to climate change.

ocean a little over 65 centimeters and backstops neighbouring glaciers that would raise sea levels an additional 2.4 metres if all the ice were lost, they said. “We are discovering different mechanisms of retreat,” Millilo said. Different processes at various parts of the 160-kilometer-long front of the glacier are putting the rates of grounding line retreat and of ice loss out of sync, NASA said. The huge cavity is under

THE CAVITY WAS REVEALED BY ICE-PENETRATING RADAR IN NASA’S OPERATION ICEBRIDGE, AN AIRBORNE CAMPAIGN BEGINNING IN 2010 THAT STUDIES CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE POLAR REGIONS AND THE GLOBAL CLIMATE. he findings, published in the journal Science Advances, highlight the need for detailed observations of Antarctic glaciers’ undersides in calculating how fast sea levels will rise in response to warming. Researchers expected to find some gaps between ice and bedrock at Thwaites’ bottom where ocean water could flow in and melt the glacier from below, NASA said in a statement. The size and explosive growth rate of the newfound hole, however, surprised them. It is big enough to have contained 14 billion tonnes of ice, and most of that ice melted over the last three years. Antarctica's annual ice losses have accelerated six-fold in the past 40 years in a trend that could push sea levels meters higher in coming centuries amid man-made global warming, scientists say. “We have suspected for years that Thwaites was not tightly attached to the bedrock beneath it,” said Eric Rignot of the University of California, Irvine in the US. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

“Thanks to a new generation of satellites, we can finally see the detail,” said Rignot, who is also associated with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The cavity was revealed by icepenetrating radar in NASA’s Operation IceBridge, an airborne campaign beginning in 2010 that studies connections between the polar regions and the global climate. The researchers also used data from a constellation of Italian and German space-borne synthetic aperture radars. These very high-resolution data can be processed by a technique called radar interferometry to reveal how the ground surface below has moved between images. “(The size of) a cavity under a glacier plays an important role in melting. As more heat and water get under the glacier, it melts faster,” said Pietro Milillo of JPL. Thwaites Glacier is currently responsible for about four per cent of global sea level rise, researchers said. It holds enough ice to raise the world

the main trunk of the glacier on its western side — the side farther from the West Antarctic Peninsula. In this region, as the tide rises and falls, the grounding line retreats and advances across a zone of about three to five kilometers. The glacier has been coming unstuck from a ridge in the bedrock at a steady rate of about 0.6 to 0.8 kilometers a year since 1992. Despite this stable rate of grounding-line retreat, the melt rate on this side of the glacier is extremely high. “On the eastern side of the glacier, the grounding-line retreat proceeds through small channels, maybe a kilometer wide, like fingers reaching beneath the glacier to melt it from below,” Milillo said. In that region, the rate of grounding-line retreat doubled from about 0.6 kilometers a year from 1992 to 2011 to 1.2 kilometers a year from 2011 to 2017, researchers said. Even with this accelerating retreat, however, melt rates on this side of the glacier are lower than on the western side, they said.

BREAKTHROUGH

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TRANSLATES BRAIN SIGNALS INTO SPEECH

IN A FIRST, SCIENTISTS HAVE CREATED AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) BASED SYSTEM THAT DIRECTLY TRANSLATES THOUGHTS INTO INTELLIGIBLE, RECOGNISABLE SPEECH, AN ADVANCE THAT MAY HELP PEOPLE WHO CANNOT SPEAK REGAIN THEIR ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD. y monitoring someone's brain activity, the technology developed by researchers from Columbia University in the US can reconstruct the words a person hears with unprecedented clarity.

way to restore that power. We've shown that, with the right technology, these people's thoughts could be decoded and understood by any listener," said Mesgarani, a principal investigator of the study published in the journal Scientific Reports.

The breakthrough, which harnesses the power of speech synthesisers and artificial intelligence, could lead to new ways for computers to communicate directly with the brain.

Decades of research has shown that when people speak-or even imagine speaking-telltale patterns of activity appear in their brain.

It also lays the groundwork for helping people who cannot speak, such as those living with as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or recovering from stroke, regain their ability to communicate with the outside world, researchers said. "Our voices help connect us to our friends, family and the world around us, which is why losing the power of one's voice due to injury or disease is so devastating," said Nima Mesgarani, of Columbia University in the US. "With today's study, we have a potential

However, because this approach has failed to produce anything resembling intelligible speech, the team turned instead to a vocoder, a computer algorithm that can synthesise speech after being trained on recordings of people talking. "This is the same technology used by Amazon Echo and Apple Siri to give verbal responses to our questions," said Mesgarani. Researchers plan to test more complicated words and sentences next, and they want to run the same tests on brain signals emitted when a person speaks or imagines speaking.

Distinct pattern of signals also emerge when we listen to someone speak, or imagine listening.

Ultimately, they hope their system could be part of an implant, similar to those worn by some epilepsy patients, that translates the wearer's thoughts directly into words.

Experts, trying to record and decode these patterns, see a future in which thoughts need not remain hidden inside the brain-but instead could be translated into verbal speech at will.

"In this scenario, if the wearer thinks 'I need a glass of water,' our system could take the brain signals generated by that thought, and turn them into synthesised, verbal speech," said Mesgarani.

However, accomplishing this feat has proven challenging. Early efforts to decode brain signals by researchers focused on simple computer models that analysed spectrograms, which are visual representations of sound frequencies.

"This would be a game changer. It would give anyone who has lost their ability to speak, whether through injury or disease, the renewed chance to connect to the world around them," he said. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

MEDICINE

SURGERY KILLS MORE THAN THREE DEADLY DISEASES COMBINED SURGERY KILLS MORE THAN HIV, TB AND MALARIA COMBINED, FINDS STUDY. very year 4.2million people die worldwide within 30 days of surgery, research suggests. An analysis of data from 29 countries by the University of Birmingham revealed a staggering 1.23million more die after going under the knife than from HIV, TB and malaria combined.

researchers analysed the available data on the number of fatalities that occur after people going under the knife. Information on surgery prevalence and post-operation death rates was only available for 29 countries. This data was then extrapolated to cover the rest of the world by looking at their mortality statistics and incomes.

every year despite patients being in critical need. If these operations were performed, the annual death toll after surgery would increase further to 6.1million, the researchers claim. The study did not look at the cause of these surgery-releated fatalities.

Results - published in a research letter to The Lancet - revealed 2.97million people die every year as a result of HIV, TB or malaria.

However, the authors wrote many occur 'as a result of postoperative complications'.

TB is the tenth most common cause of global deaths and is responsible for 2.2 per cent of fatalities every year. HIV and malaria are not in the top ten.

operation failing to relieve the disease it was intended to treat.

Some deaths may also be due to the

Overall, 7.7 per cent of all fatalities worldwide occur within 30 days of the deceased going under the knife - with only heart disease and stroke being bigger killers. 'Postoperative complications' - such as bleeding and infections - are thought to be behind most of these deaths. The researchers claim surgery is the 'neglected stepchild of global health' after too much money has been pumped into treating infectious diseases. A study found deaths that occur within 30 days of surgery make up 7.7 per cent of all fatalities every year worldwide. This suggests that going under the knife is the third biggest cause of death, with only heart disease and stroke being bigger killers. HIV is not even in the top ten. The research was carried out by the University of Birmingham and led by Dr Dmitri Nepogodiev, from the department of public health and surgery. 'Surgery has been the "neglected stepchild" of global health and has received a fraction of the investment put in to treating infectious diseases such as malaria,' Dr Nepogodiev said.

This is followed by stroke - at 10.1 per cent of deaths - and then surgery.

'Although not all postoperative deaths are avoidable, many can be prevented by increasing investment in research, staff training, equipment, and better hospital facilities.'

And people living in these nations are often forced to go without much-needed surgery. The researchers estimate 4.8billion people around the world lack access to safe and affordable operations.

To determine the quality of surgeries carried out all over the world, the

In these poor regions, 143million procedures are not being carried out

SEASONAL MAGAZINE

Coronary heart disease - when the organ's blood supply is blocked due to plaque in the arteries - is the biggest killer and makes up 17.3 per cent of all deaths every year.

Of the 4.2million who pass away following surgery, half occur in low or middle-income countries.

'To avoid millions more people dying after surgery, planned expansion of access to surgery must be complemented by investment in to improving the quality of surgery around the world,' Dr Nepogodiev said. Study author Professor Dion Morton chair of surgery at the University of Birmingham - adds that as access to operations improves, so to must the safety of these procedures. 'Surgery saves lives and can transform patients' quality of life, but this study shows that a large number of patients die in the immediate postoperative period,' he said. 'As efforts continue to increase access to surgery around the world, there is also an urgent need for research to improve the quality and safety of surgery.'

Excess TOOTHPASTE Causes Tooth Decay MANY YOUNG KIDS WHO USE TOOTHPASTE MORE THAN NEEDED ARE AT AN INCREASED RISK OF DENTAL FLUOROSIS WHEN THEY GET OLDER, WARNS A NEW STUDY. FLUOROSIS IS A CONDITION THAT AFFECTS THE TEETH CAUSED BY OVEREXPOSURE TO FLUORIDE DURING THE FIRST EIGHT YEARS OF LIFE. luoride is a mineral found in water and soil. More than 70 years ago, scientists discovered that people whose drinking water naturally had more fluoride also had fewer cavities. That led to the addition of fluoride to tap water, toothpaste, mouthwash and other products.

NEHWAL REFUSES TO PLAY NATIONAL C'SHIPS MATCH DUE TO POOR SURFACE Defending champion Saina Nehwal refused to play her opening singles match of Senior National Badminton Championships in Guwahati, citing a "poor playing surface". Saina was scheduled to play Shruti Mundada in a pre-quarterfinal clash. "The wooden planks came out at a couple of places after Sindhu played her match. So they are now going to fix it," Parupalli Kashyap revealed.

dentist in Chicago was quoted by Daily Mail. For the study, the researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention included parents of more than 5,000 kids ages three to 15.

However, the study showed that when teeth are forming, too much fluoride can lead to tooth streaking or spottiness or dental fluorosis.

Although the researchers did not determine how many kids developed streaked or spotty teeth as a result of using too much toothpaste, they recommended children under three are only supposed to use a smear of toothpaste the size of a grain of rice, reported Daily Mail.

In addition, the study found that although experts recommend no more than a pea-sized amount, about 40 per cent of kids aged three to six used a brush that was full or half-full of toothpaste."Fluoride is a wonderful benefit but it needs to be used carefully," Mary Hayes, a pediatric

Kids aged three to six should keep it to a pea-sized amount. Young kids may push for independence in brushing their teeth, but kids' toothpaste tastes sweet, according to the team."You don't want them eating it like food. We want the parent to be in charge of the toothbrush and the toothpaste," noted Hayes.

MARTIN GUPTILL GETS INTERVIEWED BY WIFE AFTER HIS 15TH ODI TON New Zealand opener Martin Guptill was interviewed by his wife and TV presenter Laura McGoldrick after he won Man of the Match award for smashing his 15th ODI hundred, against Bangladesh on Wednesday. The 32-year-old scored an unbeaten 117 off 116 balls including four sixes and eight fours. Guptill also received a bottle of champagne from Laura for his award.

HOWEVER, THE STUDY SHOWED THAT WHEN TEETH ARE FORMING, TOO MUCH FLUORIDE CAN LEAD TO TOOTH STREAKING OR SPOTTINESS OR DENTAL FLUOROSIS. EX-APPLE LAWYER TO CHECK INSIDER TRADING SUED FOR INSIDER TRADING US Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against former Apple lawyer Gene Levoff for insider trading. Apple hired Levoff in 2008 as Director of Corporate Law to check insider trading and fired him in 2018. Levoff is accused of selling millions of dollars in stock ahead of earnings and saving around $382,000 in losses besides earning $245,000 in profits. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

SC VERDICT AGAINST CONSTITUTION, DEMOCRACY: ARVIND KEJRIWAL Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said the Supreme Court's order on power-sharing in the national capital was against democracy and the Constitution. He added the judgement was an injustice to the people of Delhi and his government will seek legal remedies into this. He alleged the BJP-led central government was creating hurdles in the functioning of the AAP dispensation.

GOVT MAY RELAX FDI NORMS FOR SINGLE-BRAND RETAILERS: REPORT The Cabinet is reportedly considering a proposal to relax mandatory 30% local sourcing norms for foreign single-brand retailers. As per existing FDI norms, 100% foreign investment is permitted but with 30% of the value of the goods sourced from the country. The proposal also suggests that retailers may sell online before opening a physical store if they invest $200 million.

EXERCISE BOOSTS COGNITION IN MOST AGE GROUPS Aerobic exercise training improves cognition - that is acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses - even in young and middle-aged adults, according to a study. he study, published in the journal Neurology, involved 132 adults between the ages of 20 and 67. It found aerobic exercise training increases executive function -cognitive processes important for reasoning, planning, and problemsolving in adults as young as 20, although the effect was stronger with increasing age. The study led by researchers at Columbia University in the US indicates that aerobic exercise training improves cognition in younger adults, suggesting that exercise can prevent or slow the appearance of at least some age-related cognitive changes. The flexibility of the exercise protocol, in which participants choose when and how to exercise, could make the intervention more attractive to the general population and increase its chances for adoption. Researchers assigned 132 individuals with below

median aerobic capacity to an aerobic exercise training programme or to a control programme of stretching and core-strengthening exercises. All participants worked out four times a week, and those in the exercise group could choose any form of aerobic exercise as long as they reached target heart rates. Data from heart rate monitors worn by the participants were downloaded to an on-site computer.

IIT STUDENT STABS CLASSMATE OVER PROPOSING SAME GIRL ON VALENTINE'S A second-year IIT Madras MTech student named Manoj allegedly stabbed his classmate Pramod inside the campus on Wednesday. Hailing from Haryana, both were reportedly in love with the same girl and the fight was over who would get to propose to her on Valentine's Day. Police have detained Manoj for questioning while Pramod is recovering at a local hospital.

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BEWARE OF ANTI-DEPRESSANTS:

TOWN WITH GOOGLE, FB BILLIONAIRES US RICHEST WITH ?3.2CR AVG INCOME

IF YOU ARE IN THE HABIT OF POPPING ANTI-DEPRESSANT PILLS USED TO TREAT ANXIETY, OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDERS AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, THEN YOU COULD BE AT RISK OF INTESTINAL BLEEDING WHICH CAN RANGE FROM MILD TO SEVERE AND CAN BE LIFE-THREATENING.

Silicon Valley suburb Atherton, home to former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, is America's richest community for the third year in a row, according to Bloomberg Richest Places annual index. Atherton's household income averaged $450,696 (?3.2 crore as of now) in 2017. Stanford University and Google and Facebook headquarters are a short drive away from Atherton.

ADDITIONAL RISK OF INTESTINAL BLEEDING

Gastrointestinal bleeding, also known

as gastrointestinal haemorrhage, is all forms of bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the rectum. Patients taking anti-depressant medications classified as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are 40 per cent more likely to develop severe gastrointestinal bleeding, according to a research review in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. Although SSRIs are among the most frequently prescribed as they are relatively low-cost, effective and safe, they carry risks for gastrointestinal and intracranial bleeding -- particularly when they also use common over-the-counter pain relievers. The most common and concerning interactions occur with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) including ibuprofen and naproxen, anticoagulants like warfarin or anti-platelet medications such as aspirin and clopidogrel, the study said. "The real risk comes from the assumption that each of these drugs is relatively safe and benign. But they all carry a risk for bleeding, and that risk

increases when these medications are taken concurrently," said lead author Wei Cheng Yuet, Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Centre. According to Yuet, a significant portion of SSRI prescriptions are written by primary care physicians. The risk of bleeding is well established but not well known among patients, she said, while encouraging physicians to take a full inventory of the medications their patients take, including over-thecounter NSAIDs. "Whenever physicians discover their patients are taking any combination of these medications, they should begin assessing the risks and benefits and determine whether there are alternative treatment plans," Yuet said. "For example, physicians should periodically assess antidepressant use even when patients are stable on therapy." Yuet also recommends physicians monitor their patients closely for symptoms of gastrointestinal bleeding during the first 30 days of SSRI therapy, especially if patients are taking concurrent medications that may increase bleeding risk.

TWITTER TESTING 'PROFILE PREVIEW' FEATURE ON IOS APP Micro-blogging platform Twitter is testing a new 'profile preview' feature on its iOS app to check user profiles without leaving the timeline. The feature lets users see a card with information including options to follow or mute an account after tapping on the account's '@' handle in a tweet. This will encourage people to check profiles before responding, Twitter said.

KEJRIWAL, CONGRESS JUST WANT TO RULE AND LOOT: KIREN RIJIJU After Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal called the Supreme Court judgement in the Delhi government vs Lieutenant Governor case unconstitutional, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju claimed, "Kejriwal and Congress do not trust any constitutional body." Rijiju added, "They criticise Election Commission, CAG, Supreme Court... Anarchy is in their scheme of things... They just want to rule and loot." SEASONAL MAGAZINE

HEALTH

SNORING IS BAD FOR BRAIN Does snoring ruin your memory? Sleep apnoea patients struggle to remember people's names and houses they lived in because the condition 'destroys parts of their brain.'

norers may think they face no greater problems than an occasionally angry spouse. But if you snore, it could make it harder to remember past memories from your life. People with obstructive sleep apnoea, a leading cause of snoring, have worse memories of years gone by. They struggle to remember specific details, such as colleagues' names or the house number and street they used to live in. Every time someone with sleep apnoea snores, their throat is constricting to block their airway, which also cuts off oxygen to the brain. Experts believe this may destroy grey matter in the part of the brain important for logging memories. People with obstructive sleep apnoea, a leading cause of snoring, have worse memories of years gone by and details such as people's names and houses they have lived in, study finds People with obstructive sleep apnoea, a leading cause of snoring, have worse memories of years gone by and details such as people's names and houses they have lived in, study finds

A study of 44 people with sleep apnoea, which affects 1.5million people in Britain and up to a third of pensioners, found they have much worse memories for life details from early adulthood. Asked to recount their personal histories, more than half had an 'overgeneral' memory, where they struggled to remember specifics. For healthy people of the same age, fewer than one in five had this problem, with most able to provide detailed memories. Dr Melinda Jackson, who led the study from RMIT University in Australia, said: 'Our study suggests sleep apnoea may impair the brain's capacity to either encode or consolidate certain types of life memories, which makes it hard for people to recall details from the past.' She added: 'Brain scans of people with sleep apnoea show they have a significant loss of grey matter from regions that overlap with the autobiographic memory network.' Researchers recruited people aged 20 to 69 with sleep apnoea, which causes snoring and interrupted sleep when the walls of the throat relax and

prevent breathing. They were asked to recall three memories each from their childhood, early adult life and recent life, which were judged on the level of detail people could provide. Their responses were compared to 44 people of the same age who did not have sleep apnoea. When asked about their early adulthood, which could include a wedding, having children or starting out in their career, snoring seemed to affect memory. The people with sleep apnoea were less able to recall details, such as addresses and names. Researchers then gave people cue words, asking for memories which had made them feel guilty or proud, for example. These were scored as 'specific' if they were focused, with exact times and places, or 'overgeneral' if the memory included many events or jumped about over a longer period of time. This led the study to conclude that 52.3 per cent of people with sleep apnoea had a highly overgeneral memory, recalling five or more generalised memories. That compared to just 18.9 per cent of people free from the SEASONAL MAGAZINE

SNORING IS BAD FOR BRAIN PAY RS 453 CR IN 4 WEEKS TO ERICSSON OR FACE JAIL: SC TO ANIL AMBANI The Supreme Court on Wednesday held Reliance Communications Chairman Anil Ambani and two Directors guilty of contempt of court on a plea filed by Ericsson India against them for not clearing dues of Rs 550 crore. The court also said they would be jailed for three months if they don't pay Rs 453 crore to Ericsson within four weeks.

condition. However the people with sleep apnoea did not show problems remembering episodes from their life. Details from recent times and childhood did not elude them either. The sleep-deprived people may be worse at remembering early adulthood because that is when their snoring began to affect their brain. Or it may be that people with sleep apnoea struggle with memories from further back in the past. Sleeping masks worn by people to open their airways have been found to help improve thinking problems, according to the study published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.

These repeated sleep interruptions can make the person very tired, with them often being unaware of what the problem is. Risks for OSA include: Being overweight - excess body fat increases the bulk of soft tissues in the neck

WE SHOULD BUILD A WALL AT INDO-PAK BORDER: CONG MP AFTER J&K ATTACK Speaking on the Pulwama terror attack, Congress MP from Ludhiana Ravneet Singh Bittu suggested, "On lines of USMexico border, we should also construct a wall at India-Pakistan border." Stating that the US decided to construct the wall to restrict the entry of immigrants, he added, "India should...construct a wall on border with Pakistan so that entry of terrorists is checked."

Being male Being 40 or over Having a large neck Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol

Dr Jackson said: 'An important next step will be to determine whether successful treatment of sleep apnoea can also help counter some of these memory issues or even restore the memories that have been lost.'

Being in the menopause - hormonal changes cause the throat muscles to relax

WHAT IS OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNOEA? Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) occurs when the walls of a person's throat relax and narrow during sleep, blocking their airways.

In addition, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices prevent the airway closing by delivering a continuous supply of compressed air through a mask.

This interrupts normal breathing, with symptoms including loud snoring, noisy and laboured breathing, and repeated episodes when breathing is interrupted by gasping and snorting.

A mandibular advancement device (MAD) can also be used, which is like a gum-shield that holds the jaw and tongue forward to increase the space at the back of the throat.

OSA affects between four and 10 per cent of people in the UK. In the US, around 22 million are affected.

Untreated, OSA increases a person's risk of high blood pressure, stroke, heart attacks and type 2 diabetes.

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During an episode, the lack of oxygen triggers a sufferer's brain to pull them out of deep sleep so their airways reopen.

Treatment includes lifestyle changes, such as loosing weight, if necessary, and avoiding alcohol.

TRYING TO PUT MASOOD AZHAR ON UN TERROR LIST FOR 2 YEARS: FRANCE Alexandre Ziegler, the French Ambassador to India, has said France has been trying to designate Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist for two years. He added that France is "very much pushing" to move a proposal at the United Nations to place Masood Azhar's name on the terrorist list. JeM claimed responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack.

WELLNESS

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION USEFUL FOR

RELIEF FROM CHRONIC PAIN New research appearing in the BMJ journal Evidence-Based Mental Health suggests that mindfulness could be a promising alternative to cognitive behavioral therapy for relieving some of the psychological and physical symptoms of chronic pain. THE MAJORITY OF THE STUDIES EXAMINED MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, SUCH AS FIBROMYALGIA, CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN, RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, AND OSTEOARTHRITIS, PLUS OTHERS.

Chronic pain: Comparing MBSR with CBT Khoo and colleagues examined existing clinical trials that studied the effectiveness of CBT or MBSR, respectively, for coping with chronic pain. The researchers found 184 clinical trials that looked at chronic pain and, after a further screening, they narrowed these down to 21 clinical trials. The studies summed up almost 2,000 participants who were between 35 and 65 years old. Most of the participants were women. The majority of the studies examined musculoskeletal pain, such as fibromyalgia, chronic lower back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis, plus others. Khoo and team examined both direct and indirect evidence for the effectiveness of CBT in comparison to no care or standard care, MBSR in comparison to no care or standard care, and finally, MBSR up against CBT. Their analysis revealed that both techniques considerably improved the physical functioning of the participants and eased their pain and pain-related depression. Khoo and colleagues conclude, "This review suggests that MBSR offers another potentially helpful intervention for CP management."

ccording to the most recent survey analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 50 million people in the United States or 20 percent of the U.S. adult population are living with chronic pain. Individuals with chronic pain experience pain "most days or every day" for 6 months or more. Also, some of these people experience "highimpact" chronic pain, meaning that the pain severely interferes with their daily activities on most days. Chronic pain can affect all aspects of a person's well-being, and the psychologically distressing impact of the condition is significant. Currently, the psychological treatment for chronic pain that doctors most widely prescribe is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT helps people cope with chronic

pain by encouraging a more flexible approach to daily challenges, both on a mental and behavioral level. However, not every person is the same, so CBT does not help everyone living with chronic pain equally. New research evaluates the therapeutic potential of an alternative that practitioners call mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and compares its results with those of CBT. Eve-Ling Khoo, of the Clinical Epidemiology department at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Ontario, Canada, is the first author of the paper.

Chronic pain can affect all aspects of a person's wellbeing, and the psychologically distressing impact of the condition is significant.

However, the authors add, "While CBT is considered to be the preferred psychological intervention of [chronic pain], not all patients with [it] experience a clinically significant treatment response." Finally, Khoo and colleagues conclude: "Although a number of recommendations have been proposed to improve CBT for patients with chronic pain, an additional solution may be to offer patients [MBSR] since it shows promise in improving pain severity and reducing pain interference and psychological distress." The authors note that more research with "consistent measures" would now be helpful to inform decisions about whether to offer CBT or MBSR to those experiencing chronic pain. They point out that it may be too early to know which individuals would benefit more from CBT or mindfulness, respectively. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

GOOD SHEPHERD INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

10 WAYS IN WHICH GSIS IS A WORLD CLASS SCHOOL OF INDIA

uring its 42 years in operation, Good Shepherd International School (GSIS) has grown from strength to strength, branching out from the original ICSE syllabus to the more international IGCSE and IB curricula. A fully residential school, the integrated nature of GSIS would stun anyone as the campus is fully self-sufficient with its own organic farm for sourcing unpolluted vegetables for students, a cattle farm of 450 cows for the milk needed by students and a poultry farm with 50,000 birds for the eggs and meat! GSIS is also renowned for having the most extensive sporting facilities including equestrian with 30 thoroughbred horses, golf course, heated swimming pools, grounds for all popular outdoor sports including a cricket ground, which is the highest cricket ground, not just in India, but in the whole world! SEASONAL MAGAZINE

Now, under the visionary guidance of Dr. PC Thomas, GSIS is expanding its bigger Palada campus significantly, with new construction for housing new world-class cubicle based hostels and a new Indoor Sports Complex where all students can play at these facilities simultaneously! Dr. Thomas is a visionary edupreneur who dreams and executes larger-than-life visions like how he procured a 3D Printer and sends 50 of his students each year to NASA for a unique study tour. Yet, Dr. Thomas, together with wife Elsamma Thomas, is particular that his students have their feet planted firmly in the ground realities of India, and inspires them to do a lot of charitable and relief works for the afflicted and the downtrodden segments of the society. Seasonal Magazine identifies 10 ways in which GSIS is a world class school of India.

World Class Teacher-Students Ratio The very best schools in the world have only 15 students per class. This ensures that each student gets individual attention from the teacher and ensures better teaching/ learning outcomes. GSIS is very close to this golden standard, with less than 20 students per class. Very few schools in India have such a facility. Secondly, many schools canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford the kind of highly educated, specialist teachers for advanced subjects. But GSIS employ such teachers too for the benefit of their students.

World Class Self Sufficient Campus GSIS doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t allow any day scholars as mixing day scholars and residents affects the discipline and grooming. Instead, GSIS strives to be a true home away from home for all their students, by being a fully integrated campus with all

facilities. GSIS is also very holistic and self-sufficient in sourcing the highest quality food. Towards this, it runs their own organic farm which supplies all the fresh vegetables they need. The campus has 450 cows for sourcing pure milk for their students. And the campus poultry farm has 50,000 birds for the best quality eggs and meat.

World Class New Facilities GSIS is constructing significant additional space at Palada campus. This will enable GSIS to have additional facilities for students, main of which is that each student will have his or her own cubicle rather than a dormitory to study and sleep in privacy. Research also shows that students learn better when they play better. So, the additional construction also houses a new Indoor Sports Complex catering to most sports. GSIS is already a leader SEASONAL MAGAZINE

in sporting facilities, but this one is so huge that all students can play indoors even if there is unexpected rain or adverse weather. GSIS is also building a new hospital, in addition to the one they already have. So, altogether, the campus is being upgraded to a world-class facility.

World Class Accreditations

THE GSIS DESIGN TECHNOLOGY LAB WITH ITS 3D PRINTER IS GREAT AT FOSTERING INVENTIONS AND INNOVATIONS.

GSIS is accredited with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), which is a United States based accreditation association providing educational accreditation for all levels of education, from prekindergarten to the doctoral level. NEASC serves over 2,000 public and independent schools, technical/career institutions, colleges and universities in the six New England states, plus International Schools in more than 65 nations worldwide. Founded in 1885, NEASC is perhaps the oldest and most prestigious accreditation bodies based in USA. GSIS is also affiliated to Council of International Schools (CIS) which includes more than 1300 premium institutions comprising of 738 schools and 583 colleges and universities across 116 countries. In 2017, GSIS had become the first school in India and one among the five schools in the world to get the CIS International School Certification.

World Class Finishing School for Other Students Good Shepherd also has a finishing school for girls from other institutions, focusing on all round grooming, personality development and skill development in fields like business English, accounting, fashion designing and French. The finest international or national bodies in these

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fields like the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) come and administer the relevant professional tests here. The Good Shepherd Finishing School (GSFS) also have different tenures like two month summer courses to nine-month programs. This is not for regular GSIS students, but for students who have studied in other schools. Girls enrol here after plus-two, graduation or even post-graduation. All the finishing school courses are also fully residential. Going beyond smaller objectives like winning a job, GSFS equips ladies to start their own firms like boutiques etc.

World Class Alumni Network GSIS has an excellent alumni network, that too across the world. Many major US cities have a GSIS alumni group. At least 50 of GSIS students would be there in each such city. They keep in touch with each other and meet together occasionally. GSIS students have gone on to become some of the best surgeons in USA as well as best engineers in companies like Microsoft etc. GSIS runs a website for alumni to register and network with each other, as well as hold a mega annual event for alumni in April of every year. Dates are fixed one year in advance and invitations sent early, so that their former students can come from places as far as North America, Europe, Australia etc. All get inspired by the warm stories that get shared in these annual events.

World-Class Startup Culture GSIS, as well as all its teachers, provide all support to promote student start-ups. In fact, the GSIS Design Technology Lab with its 3D Printer is great at fostering inventions and innovations. GSIS also has alumni working in prestigious

MNCs for a while, and then starting out on their own ventures, and some of them have become very successful. It goes on to reveal the kind of courage and independence GSIS has fostered in them from the young age.

World Class Curricula GSIS started off with ICSE, 42 years back. Then it started the Cambridge IGCSE curriculum and later on the IB curriculum. Growth wise, in recent years, the number of ICSE students have been dropping and the number of IGCSE students has been steadily increasing with students from the major metros especially Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai etc preferring it. Demand for ICSE still continues to be strong from students hailing from West Bengal, Bihar and neighbouring states. Now, ICSE students are around 20% of GSIS strength. GSIS also offers IB which is perhaps the best syllabus especially for those who have already made up their mind to attend colleges or universities in USA and UK. IB is offered in grades 11 and 12.

World Class Academic Placements Admission teams of around 35 universities from USA and across the world visit GSIS campus every year. This is because, previous generations of GSIS students have made their mark in higher studies at these and other universities

GSIS HAS INCULCATED THESE VALUES INTO EACH GENERATION OF THEIR STUDENTS AND THEY GO ALL OUT TO HELP THE POOR AROUND THE SCHOOL. THEY VISIT THE SLUMS, TEACH THEIR KIDS ENGLISH, GIVE PROVISIONS TO THEM, AND EVEN GIFT THEM LARGER ITEMS LIKE COTS ETC.

like Harvard, other Ivy League universities etc. For the benefit of their students, for them to interact directly and properly with the university authorities, GSIS also conducts an annual exhibition of universities in their campus, and teams from these institutions participate enthusiastically. GSIS students also get generous scholarships from almost all of these universities.

World Class Social Work As a premium school, GSIS gets to teach children from affluent homes. And it is so easy for such rich students to not understand the real plight of the downtrodden in this country. But you will never find a GSIS student with such insensitive behaviour. Because, GSIS has always believed that it is extremely important to look after the downtrodden and help them in all ways possible. GSIS has inculcated these values into each generation of their students and they go all out to help the poor around the school. They visit the slums, teach their kids English, give provisions to them, and even gift them larger items like cots etc. GSIS has given them a free hand to take whatever food items as needed from the school stores to give to the poor. GSIS also does a lot of relief work when disasters like Indian ocean tsunami, Chennai floods, Kerala floods etc struck. With this kind of social participation, GSIS ensures that their students grow up as top contributors to the society. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

AUTO

TATA HARRIER OFF TO A GOOD START

TOYOTA EYES SUB 10 LAKH SEGMENT WITH SUZUKI PRODUCTS urrently, Toyota India is not a mass volume seller since their line-up mostly consists of cars costing above Rs 10 lakh. The company has already started considering products for the sub-10-lakh vehicle segment by joining hands with Maruti Suzuki. As an advancement to this, they will be launching a new hatchback based on the Maruti Baleno.

TATA HARRIER'S WAITING PERIOD IS MORE THAN THREE TIMES THAT OF HYUNDAI CRETA. ata Motors launched the Harrier a week back in India at a killer price tag of Rs 12.69 lakh for the base variant with the top end maxing out at Rs 16.25 lakh (exshowroom, Delhi). Here is why the Hyundai Creta rival is off to a good start. Tata Harrier was launched in India a week ago and now it looks like the much talked about SUV is here to stay. Dealer sources have confirmed that the Tata Harrier is now commanding a waiting period of up to 22 weeks, which is almost five months. Bookings for the Tata Harrier started in October last year and the vehicle already had a three month waiting period at the time of its launch. One of the biggest reasons behind the over whelming response is the aggressive pricing for the Harrier. Tata Motors launched the Harrier in India at a killer price tag of Rs 12.69 lakh for the base variant with the top end maxing out at Rs 16.25 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Tata Harrier draws power from a 2.0-litre, diesel engine that is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. The Fiat sourced motor SEASONAL MAGAZINE

is good for developing a maximum power output of 140 bhp while the peak torque output is rated at 350 Nm. Tata Harrier is based on the Omega platform derived from Land Rover. Another key reason why the Tata Harrier is off to a flying start is its design. The SUV gets an aggressive front end with the LED DRLs positioned above the headlamps at a spot where the latter are usually present. The cabin of the Harrier also looks premium and the 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system is the biggest highlight. Other notable features on the Tata Harrier include terrain drive modes along with auto climate control and JBL sourced sound system. With the SUV just being launched in India, it will take some time to know what volumes the Harrier will sustain and it will be interesting to see if the Tata's latest SUV can beat the Hyundai Creta in the long run. Tata Harrier's closest rival Hyundai Creta currently has a waiting period of up to 6 weeks and hence, the waiting period of the Harrier is almost three times to that of the Hyundai SUV.

Furthermore, the Toyota-Maruti Suzuki partnership promises affordable and desirable hybrid products across a wide price range. Under the partnership, Maruti Suzuki can explore more in the premium vehicle segment while Toyota can make their debut among the popular budget segment. Toyota recently launched the all-new Toyota Camry Hybrid in the premium segment. 70 per cent of the cars sold in India cost less than Rs 10 lakh and are mostly bought by young customers. With just the Etios sedan and Etios Liva hatchback in the affordable car segment, Toyota India occupies just a small space in the country's automotive market. With more cars coming in the price range, we can expect the Japanese automaker to be a popular choice among the average Indian, and a strong rival to Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Tata Motors. Toyota is expected to launch Vitara Brezza based compact SUV by the end of this year and it might come with some cosmetic changes Toyota and Suzuki announced their new partnership last year and they agreed to share some models between each other to explore

WHOEVER READ QUEEN'S SCRIPT BEFORE SAID IT WAS LAME: KANGANA new segments. Both manufacturers are also working on a new ultra highefficiency powertrain and battery electric vehicles from this new partnership are expected to reach the market by around 2020. Maruti Suzuki will share both Baleno and Vitara Brezza while Toyota will share the best selling Corolla. The upcoming compact SUV based on the Vitara Brezza will come with the same mechanicals. But the design is expected to be different as they want to make the new model in line with other Toyota models. The front might get new grille along with redesigned projector headlamps with integrated DRL and a new bumper with integrated fog lamps. The side may get new alloy wheels and new tail lamps at the rear. Toyota Subcompact SUV Based On Baleno The interior might be shared with Maruti Suzuki’s version but we can expect the features list of both models to be almost the same. The compact SUV will come with the

touchscreen infotainment system, climate control, steering mounted controls, cruise control, key less entry, push-button start, electronically controlled exterior mirrors, reverse camera with parking sensors, cruise control, automatic headlamps and more. The safety features include dual airbags, ABS with EBD, speed alert and seat belt alert. Initially, the compact SUV will likely come with the same diesel engine from Vitara Brezza and they might introduce the petrol engine as Maruti Suzuki is yet to launch the petrol version. The 1.3 L diesel engine on the Vitrara Brezza is expected to produce 90 PS of power and 200 Nm of torque. This engine will be mated to a 5-speed manual and AMT gearbox. Toyota’s version is expected to offer the same efficiency as the Vitara Brezza. The pricing of Toyota Vitara Brezza might be on-par with Maruti’s model and the launch is expected to take place by the end of this year or in early 2020.

Actress Kangana Ranaut has revealed that whoever read the script for her 2013 film 'Queen' before it was made, said it was "the most lame script they’d ever seen". "'Queen' was a big party for everyone...It turned out to be...good, but...could've gone the other way," she added. Kangana further said the film's director wanted everyone to have fun on set.

RANVEER SINGH, ALIA BHATT STARRER 'GULLY BOY' LEAKED ONLINE Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt starrer 'Gully Boy', which released on Thursday, has been leaked online by piracy site TamilRockers. Also starring Kalki Koechlin, the film is directed by Zoya Akhtar. TamilRockers, which has been banned innumerable times earlier, had also leaked 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga', 'Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi', 'Uri: The Surgical Strike' and '2.0'.

THESE MONSTERS HAVE NO HUMANITY: SWARA ON PULWAMA ATTACK Following the terror attack in which at least 44 CRPF jawans were martyred in south Kashmir's Pulwama, actress Swara Bhasker tweeted, "Shameful! Tragic and shocking. Jaish-eMohammed has brazenly and shamelessly claimed responsibility." "These monsters have no soul, no humanity. Pure evil! Why does this terrorist group have safe haven in Pakistan?" the actress wrote. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

HEALTH

FASTING REVERSES AGEING AND BOOSTS METABOLISM: STUDY A new study has said concluded that fasting can boost metabolism, lead to an uptick in antioxidants in the body and even reverse some effects of aging.

lot of research is being conducted on the viability and effectiveness of fasting diets, which are rising popularity around the world. The basic concept behind these diets is that dieters only eat during a small window of a few hours during the day and then fast for the rest of the day. A number of research studies have looked into the impact of these diets, which are said to alter the metabolism in a major way. A new study, conducted by the scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) and Kyoto University, has said concluded that fasting can boost metabolism, lead to an uptick in antioxidants in the body and even reverse some effects of aging. The study points to possible rejuvenating effects of fasting, which were not revealed in other research studies before. The results of the study were published in the journal Scientific Reports and it presents an analysis of the blood taken from four people, who were following the fasting diet. The study looked at

the plasma as well as the red blood cells of the subjects and the researchers monitored the change in the levels of metabolites. The researchers observed that in the blood samples of the fasting individuals the presence of 44 metabolites, out of which 30 were previously unrecognized. These metabolites were seen to increase 1.5 to 60-fold in all the four subjects, after just 58 hours of fasting. The study titled, "Diverse metabolic reactions activated during 58-hr fasting are revealed by nontargeted metabolomic analysis of human blood" indicated a variety of health benefits of fasting. The researchers further noted that in fasting individuals, there is an increase in the levels of metabolites, whose quantities are known to decline with age. Three of these metabolites include isoleucine, leucine and ophthalmic acid. The researchers said that an increase in these metabolites' quantities in fasting humans, indicated towards a possible mechanism to use fasting for increasing life span or longevity.

DELHI'S POWER ISN'T UNLIMITED: FORMER CM SHEILA ON SC RULING After Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal called the Supreme Court judgement in the Delhi government vs Lieutenant Governor case unconstitutional, former CM Sheila Dikshit said, "The Constitution has defined the power Delhi has, it is not unlimited." Sheila added, "Centre, Lieutenant Governor and Home Ministry handle a lot of things... Power doesn't depend on the number of seats you have."

PM TO LAUNCH SCHEME TO GIVE RS 6,000 TO FARMERS ON FEBRUARY 24 PM Narendra Modi will launch the Rs 75,000-crore cash transfer scheme for farmers on February 24 in Uttar Pradeshâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gorakhpur, a government official has said. The first instalment of Rs 2,000 each would be transferred to about one crore beneficiaries. Under the scheme, Rs 6,000 will be given in three instalments to 12 crore small farmers holding cultivable land up to two hectares.

VIRAT KOHLI WOULD HAVE SMASHED ME AROUND THE PARK, SAYS SHANE WARNE Former Australia leg-spinner Shane Warne has said that Team India captain Virat Kohli would have smashed him around the park just about every time. "I am a huge fan of Virat. He is an absolute superstar of the world game. And he loves Test cricket so I really respect that as an old-time player who loves Test cricket," he added.

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CONTROVERSY

After IL&FS Comes DHFL A report by Cobrapost claimed that DHFL, through layers of 45 shell companies, allegedly siphoned off Rs 31,000 crore out of the total bank loans of Rs 97,000 crore. he corporate affairs ministry has started inquiring into allegations of Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL) diverting Rs 31,000-crore loans and would seek more information from the housing finance firm, a senior government official said recently. “We have started verifying them… we will also call for information from DHFL,” the official said. But will the enquiry or the allegations severely affect DHFL’s business? Analysts said the chances are slim, though the macro effect on the sector could be more pronounced. DHFL is in the eye of a storm after a report by Cobrapost that the company, through layers of 45 shell companies, allegedly siphoned off Rs 31,000 crore out of the total bank loans of Rs 97,000 crore. The promoters allegedly bought assets overseas and even a cricket team in Sri Lanka. The management has denied the allegations. In a clarification to the exchanges, DHFL also said it has not received any communication from the corporate affairs ministry “in relation to any probe against the company”. The company’s shares on the BSE fell 15.9 per cent on Thursday to Rs 135.85 a piece from Rs 161.6 per share on Wednesday. Analysts said the alleged amount might be an exaggeration, and that several things were going in favour of the company. First, it has never defaulted on loan payment; it paid back Rs 17,876 crore between September 24 and December 31 last year. This includes commercial papers, bank loans, external commercial borrowings, and bonds. Their liquidity status is good and they have deep credit lines. They also have a good asset base, focused on semi-urban and rural areas. This generates good revenue. They would find buyers easily for these.

suffering from liquidity issues. The stocks were hammered, falling to Rs 350.55 per piece on September 21 to Rs 610.55 per share on September 19 — a fall of about 43 per cent. But, the stocks recovered after the management assured investors that all was well. Analysts said in the light of the Cobrapost report, it seems that the group of investors who hammered the DHFL stock then could have already known about it. They also said defaults by the IL&FS triggered a crisis in the NBFC sector; DHFL was the worst hit. This is the not the first time DHFL management has come under the scanner. In December last year, Moneylife noted that the company used poor disclosures to boost its valuation.

The effect of the allegations and enquiry could be macro, said analysts. DHFL is the second-largest non-banking finance company (NBFC) for mortgages. Allegations of mismanagement against it, close on the heels of the IL&FS crisis, does not bode well for the sector. Raising funds is a challenge; this could damage the confidence in the ecosystem further. NBFCs, struggling to raise money from institutions, have successfully tapped the retail segment. DHFL itself has raised Rs 10,000 crore through retail bonds. Even though they are unlikely to default, when they return to the bond market, mobilising funds will be very difficult, said analysts. “If a single company hits the confidence channel, it becomes difficult for others to raise funds, too. The DHFL issue may stifle retail bond participation, which was coming up nicely,” said an executive at a rating agency who did not want to be named. Established in 1984, DHFL’s business interests range from real estate financing, SME loans, housing construction loans, loans against properties etc. It has an “AAA” rating. In September last year, DSP Mutual Fund tried to sell a DHFL bond in the secondary market, but buyers were few. DSP sold Rs 300-crore papers at a yield at 11 per cent. This was about 100 basis points higher than what the papers were sold at before September and created an impression that the housing finance company was

The company borrowed from two mutual funds and indirectly injected the money into DHFL to boost net worth. The company wrote a put option for the promoters without disclosing it properly, despite being a publicly listed company, according to Moneylife. “DHFL is not transparent, but not insolvent either,” said an analyst tracking the company. “They have probably lent to their real estate arms as the sector is not getting ready finance. The understanding could be that the money will be returned with interest upon completion of the projects. In the worst case scenario, it is roundtripping of funds, but not necessarily siphoning off.” There is a difference between IL&FS and DHFL. In the case of the former, cash flow had stopped and debt-servicing stopped. DHFL looks like it can still manage its financial obligations. The risk of default does not seem too high. But the company will have trouble raising funds till the cloud of uncertainty clears, said analysts. The company has enough liquidity to fund its operations for the next four-five months. In the meanwhile, DHFL has become averse to lending to maintain balance sheet liquidity, said analysts, adding that this is potentially a bad move. “NBFCs can leverage up to 10 times and banks can leverage 15 times of their net worth, but the option for banks is to remain afloat through their treasury operations, but an NBFC scaling back on lending is a potential red flag, though conservatism is good for your liabilities,” said an analyst. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

GADGET

GREAT SMARTPHONES UNDER RS 20,000 HERE'S A LIST OF THE BEST SMARTPHONES UNDER RS 20,000 INCLUDING THE NOKIA 7.1 AND XIAOMI POCO F1 YOU CAN BUY RIGHT NOW IN INDIA. he mid-budget smartphone segment in India is getting premium with devices that pack good specifications for under Rs 20,000. Xiaomi Poco F1, Realme 2 Pro, Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro, and Asus Zenfone Max Pro 2 are among a few popular smartphones in the premium mid-budget phones. We have curated a list of the best smartphones one can buy for under Rs 20,000 in India.

Samsung Galaxy M20 Samsung recently launched its new Galaxy M-series of smartphones in India targetting millennials, with the new Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20 smartphones. The new devices are priced aggressively and feature the company’s new Infinity V displays. The Samsung Galaxy M20 is priced at Rs 10,990 for the 3GB RAM/32GB internal storage variant and Rs 12,990 for the 4GB RAM/64GB internal storage variant. It comes with Samsung’s new Experience UI 9.5, which paired with the company’s own Exynos 7904 processor. It sports a 6.3-inch full HD+ display and comes with Widevine L1 certification support. It also comes with the company’s own live focus feature.

Nokia 7.1 HMD Global’s Nokia 7.1 is priced at Rs 19,999 in India. We observed in our review that this is one of the best-built smartphones with a glass and metal sandwich body. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor, which manages to get daily tasks done easily. The phone comes with a 5.84-inch full HD+ PureDisplay, which is one of the major highlights of the device alongside a stock version of Google’s latest Android 9.0 Pie operating system. Nokia 7.1 also sports a dual camera setup on the back consisting of a 12MP primary sensor paired with a 5MP secondary sensor. On the front, it features an 8MP sensor for taking selfies.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro Xiaomi is a popular budget smartphone in India. The Redmi Note 6 Pro comes with good hardware at a budget price. The device is priced at Rs 13,999 for 4GB RAM variant and 15,999 for the 6GB RAM variant. It sports a 6.26-inch display with a notch on top that includes the dual front camera setup. The company has improved the build quality compared to its predecessor, the Redmi Note 5 Pro while and has added a P2i coating making the device splash resistant. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor and backed by a 4,000mAh battery, which should easily last a day or more depending on usage. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2

Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 just like its predecessor, the Zenfone Max Pro M1, offers a 5,000mAh battery along with a stock Android experience. Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 comes with good battery life, performance, cameras and design. It is is priced at Rs 12,999, Rs 14,999 and Rs 16,999 for the 3GB RAM/32GB internal storage, 4GB RAM/64GB internal storage and 6GB RAM/64GB internal storage, respectively. The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, which can handle most tasks including playing heavy games like PUBG Mobile with ease. We observed in our review, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 has good battery life, performance, cameras and design. However, the display and low light performance of its camera left us longing for more.

Realme 2 Pro Realme 2 Pro features a 6.3-inch full HD+ display, Snapdragon 660 processor and a dual 16MP+2MP rear camera module. Realme 2 Pro was one of the first smartphones to bring the teardrop notch design display to budget smartphones and it sports a very good camera module that is capable of capturing intricate details. It features a 6.3-inch full HD+ display, Snapdragon 660 processor and a dual 16MP+2MP rear camera module. The device is available exclusively on Flipkart and price starts at Rs 13,990. Realme 2 Pro features an all-plastic body.

TESLA FREES PATENTS TO SAVE EARTH ELON MUSK HAS ANNOUNCED THAT HE HAD RELEASED ALL OF THE ELECTRIC CARMAKER TESLA'S PATENTS, AS PART OF AN EFFORT TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE.

n a blog post, the colorful billionaire founder of Tesla promised the company "will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology." It was a remarkable move in an industry where the smallest idea or seed of invention is carefully guarded to protect its monetary value. And it in fact came on the same day US prosecutors charged a Chinese national with stealing secrets from Apple's self-driving vehicle project.

Xiaomi Poco F1 Xiaomi Poco F1 offers flagship grade specifications like a Snapdragon 845 processor at an affordable price. It is also arguably the most powerful smartphone available under Rs 20,000, starting at Rs 19,999. It has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, which a very capable processor and is succeeded by only the Snapdragon 855 processor, which is yet to make its debut in smartphones. However, Poco F1 has a plastic body, which might be a let down for some. The processor is paired with 6GB RAM and liquid cooling technology, both of which combined help it deliver a better user experience (UX). It sports a dual camera setup on the back consisting of a 12MP primary sensor paired with a 5MP secondary sensor. On the front, it features a 20MP sensor for taking selfies.

"Tesla Motors was created to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport," Musk said. "If we clear a path to the creation of compelling electric vehicles, but then lay intellectual property landmines behind us to inhibit others, we are acting in a manner contrary to that goal." In fact Musk said he was now skeptical of patents which too often only served "to stifle progress" and helped enrich

giant corporations and lawyers rather than inventors. He said he had earlier felt compelled to file patents for Tesla to prevent big car companies from copying the technology and using the huge marketing and sales apparatus to take over the market. "We couldn't have been more wrong. The unfortunate reality is the opposite," he said, noting that electric or cleanfuel cars "at the major manufacturers are small to non-existent." But with car production continuing at 100 million a year "it is impossible for Tesla to build electric cars fast enough to address the carbon crisis," Musk said. Have other companies making electric cars and the world would benefit from rapid advances in technology. "We believe that applying the opensource philosophy to our patents will strengthen rather than diminish Tesla's position," and ability to attract talented engineers, he said.

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GADGET

INSIDE REDMI NOTE 7'S 48 MEGAPIXEL CAMERA

The 48-megapixel image resolution on the Redmi Note 7 Pro can be accessed only through the Pro Mode in the camera interface.

The Redmi Note 7 from Xiaomi has created quite a furore in the Indian smartphone market even before its launch simply by the virtue of the loaded package that it is and its expected price point. However, the most talked about highlight of the smartphone is the rear camera, which flaunts the brand’s first 48megapixel sensor accompanied by a 5-megapixel secondary shooter. Now, if the engagement on our social media is of any indication, many seem to believe that the 48-megapixel shooter on the rear panel is a sham and is not actually a true 48MP unit. Technically, that is part truth and part misdirection. efore delving deep into the camera capabilities of the Redmi Note 7, let’s take a look at the camera specs. The Redmi Note 7 has been equipped with a 48MP, f/1.8 aperture sensor paired with a 5MP, f/2.4 aperture depth sensor on the back. The primary sensor on the Redmi Note 7 makes use of the Samsung’s ISOCELL GM1 sensor, which is where the whole debate regarding the camera capabilities stems from. We will get into more details of the sensor ahead in the review. The camera app on the Redmi Note 7 has been equipped with features like Portrait shots, Night mode, short video, HDR, AI camera and live filters among others. Along with the Redmi Note 7, the company also announced the Redmi Note 7 Pro, which is expected to come with a better 48MP sensor on the back. The difference between the two is that the Note 7 – as mentioned before – uses Samsung’s ISOCELL GM1 sensor and the Pro variant will come with the more enhanced Sony IMX586. So how exactly is the GM1 different from Sony’s IMX586 sensor. Both these sensors use the Quad Bayer array tech to combine data from four conjoining pixels to produce sharper and better exposed images. However, in the case of the Sony sensor, the pixel structure is essentially transformed to achieve a true 48MP resolution. The Samsung GM1, on the other hand, is essentially a 12megapixel sensor which interpolates SEASONAL MAGAZINE

images to 48-megapixel. The 48-megapixel image resolution on the Redmi Note 7 Pro can be accessed only through the Pro Mode in the camera interface. While the difference between the normal photo mode and 48-megapixel shot is not day and night, it’s pretty evident when you click pictures under good lighting conditions. The details don’t really diminish when they are viewed in full resolution. However, the images tend to look a little bit artificial when watched in full resolution as the sharpness is tad bit aggressive. One can judge how good camera is by taking a look at images clicked in close up modes, as the smaller sensor size on the smartphone struggles to focus when the distance between the lens and the subject decreases. The Redmi Note 7 manages to retain the sharpness and colour of the flower in the focus as well as the leaves in the foreground, while carefully blurring the background a bit to pop the image. The end result is a picture that’s very easy on the eyes and looks natural. When it comes to portrait imaging, the Redmi Note 7’s secondary assisting 5megapixel camera with Snapdragon 660 AIE’s prowess come to the fore. The sensor manages to detect the edges perfectly and creates a nice blur in the background to make the subject pop out. However, it does bring random objects from the background in focus at times.

The Redmi Note 7 comes with a dedicated Night mode for lowlight imaging that does a very good job. There is very little graininess when you look at the sky behind, or even in the areas around the lamp shades, which is typically where low light shots get distorted with noise. The Redmi Note 7 also handles the lens flare very well. The Redmi Note 7 also comes with a single 13-megapixel shooter on the front for selfies. The smartphone lets you capture selfies in HDR, AI mode and normal modes. While the camera captures a high amount of detail, the sensor seems to be neutralising the colour vibrancy to make it look more life-like. The same is the case with the other two modes as well. Therefore, while the pictures captured are more close to real life but in the bargain you lose out on the saturation boost which Xiaomi smartphones are known for. To summarise, the Redmi Note 7 is quite possibly the best camera smartphone in the affordable segment. As for the debate whether the camera is for real or fake, the images clicked using the 48MP mode are captured in 8,000 x 6,000 pixels resolution and retain more details than the normal mode. While the sensor might not be as good as the Sony IMX586, it is bang for bucks for the price it comes for. Below is a gallery of more shots taken using the 48MP mode on the Redmi Note 7 for you to feast your eyes on.

L U X U R Y ANUSHREE REDDY'S SUMMER WEDDING COLLECTION IS DELICATE, FLORAL

JEWELRY BRAND ORTAEA LAUNCHES IMPERIUM COLLECTION Ortaea Imperium Collection Birch tree inspiredFebruary 4, 2019: Luxury jewelry brand from London, Ortaea, has launched the Imperium Collection which will be available at Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge. But what makes it such as special collection is the brand’s collaboration with HH Rostislav Romanoff. Founder and designer Mita Vohra was seeking to work on a collaborative creative process and in 2016 she was introduced to the artist HH Rostislav Romanoff, one of the last surviving members of the Russian Royal family.

Playing on her forte, Indian designer Anushree Reddy’s Spring Summer 2019 collection ‘Atirah’ at Lakme Fashion Week is a perfect amalgamation of flowers and delicacy.

LATIQUE LAUNCHES THE VICTORIAN COLLECTION OF JEWELRY February 4, 2019: Indian jewelry brand Latique knows how to play with grand themes. Presenting its new Victorian collection, Latique has infused its designs with the romantic theme of florals.

Inspired by the rich traditions of the Mughal era, the collection yet has modern, clean silhouettes. Fabrics like pure silks, hand-woven cotton and organza, across a range of pastel colours including frosted almond (sang raza), apricot (zar) and celestial blue (fiza), are enhanced with intricate thread work embroidery infused with zardozi.

Created with rubies, diamonds and emeralds in sweeping designs, the collection is a visual feast. While there are dainty designs to play with, it’s the magnificent representation of florals which catch the eye more. The designs hold a universal appeal which would suit the tastes of an Indian bride along with those of fashionista at a luxury ‘do’.

MB&F & L'EPEE 1839 INTRODUCE THE MEDUSA CLOCK MB&F and L'Epee Medusa ClockFebruary 1, 2019: In its tenth collaboration with Switzerland clockmaker, L’Epée 1839, MB&F takes inspiration from the beautiful jellyfish to create Medusa, a dual-configuration clock, housed in hand-blown Murano glass, that can be ceiling mounted or stood upon a desk. Introduced for the first time during SIHH 2019, the central mass of Medusa includes two rotating rings, one displaying the hours and the other displaying the minutes, which are visible through the dome, and the time is read off a single fixed indicator that extends over the rings. Like a jellyfish glowing in the abyss, Medusa glows in the dark thanks to SuperLumiNova.

KIEHL'S LAUNCHES 99.8% NATURALLY DERIVED MICELLAR WATER

FENDI PRESENTS KARL LAGERFELD'S LAST COLLECTION FOR THE BRAND Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld are names that can never been taken apart from one another. The designer had put his life and soul in the brand. The Fall/Winter Collection is the final Collection designed by Karl Lagerfeld that encompasses his lifetime of dedication and creation from 1965 until today. In his perpetual search for beauty and innovation, Mr. Lagerfeld’s commitment to his craft never waned.

Expanding its line of facial cleansers, apothecary brand Kiehl’s has introduced its first micellar cleansing formula – the Herbal-Infused Micellar Cleansing Water, a powerful, yet gentle cleanser that uses micellar technology to instantly trap and lift away dirt, impurities and makeup with a cotton pad—no rinsing, rubbing or scrubbing necessary.

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LAUNCH

LAMBORGHINI LAUNCHES THE HURACAN EVO IN INDIA

uxury sports car brand Automobili Lamborghini has launched the new Lamborghini Huracan EVO in India - the next generation V10 super sports car, based on the performance of the Huracén Performante and incorporating next-generation vehicle dynamic control and aerodynamics. It goes without saying that the Huracan EVO makes an impactful presence with its design. “The all new Huracan EVO is much more agile, light and nimble than its predecessor. Lamborghini has gone the extra mile to bring out the best in this new supercar, both in terms of design dynamics and technology. The Huracan EVO is certainly an impressive upgrade from the Lamborghini stable. As the customer expectations for super Luxury cars evolves in India, we have received an overwhelming response, and Huracan EVO will further help establish a stronger connect with the growing number of super car enthusiasts in the country," says Mr. Sharad Agarwal, Head, Lamborghini India. The Huracan EVO outputs 640 hp (470 kW) at 8,000 rpm with 600 Nm of torque SEASONAL MAGAZINE

delivered at 6,500 rpm. With a dry weight of 1,422 kg the Huracan EVO reaches a weight-to-power ratio of 2.22 kg/hp, accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 2.9 seconds and from 0-200 km/h in 9 seconds. Braking from 100 km/h to 0 is achieved in just 31.9 m, with a top speed of more than 325 km/h. The car features the Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Integrata (LDVI): a Central Processing Unit that controls every aspect of the car’s dynamic behaviour, fully integrating all of the car’s dynamic systems and set-up to anticipate the next move and needs of the driver. Lamborghini Piattaforma Inerziale (LPI), a comprehensive set of accelerators and gyroscope sensors placed at the car’s center of gravity, has been enhanced to version 2.0. With improved precision, it monitors in real-time the dynamic vehicle attitude regarding lateral, longitudinal and vertical accelerations, as well as roll,

It goes without saying that the Huracan EVO makes an impactful presence with its design. “The all new Huracan EVO is much more agile, light and nimble than its predecessor.

pitch and yaw rate. A new advanced traction control system together with enhanced all-wheel drive and torque vectoring, allows traction to be directed to a single wheel as required. Enhanced Lamborghini Dynamic Steering (LDS) allows agility at low speed, as well as maximum stability in highspeed cornering and under braking in the most severe conditions. The unique combination of all these systems is governed by Lamborghini’s LDVI to create a super-responsive car with unparalleled level of control. Processing data in real time, the Huracán EVO recognizes the driver’s intentions through steering wheel, brake and accelerator pedal inputs, engaged gear and the driving modes selected: STRADA, SPORT or CORSA. External conditions are also determined through active suspension and all-wheel drive grip estimation function. All of this information is analysed by LDVI, which turns them into precise inputs for the vehicle dynamic system. Which means the car doesn’t just react, but predicts the best driving set-up for the next moment. The design of Huracan EVO defines the aerodynamic superiority and enhanced driving dynamics of the car. A new front bumper gives the car a low, assertive personality. The side profile of the Huracán EVO is articulately dynamic, featuring Lamborghini’s hexagon design references in the windows, the new wheel design and around the new side air intakes. It is at the rear of the car that the Huracán EVO most distinctively evokes the power and dynamism that lies within. Reflecting the wide, open, naked rear seen in its race-car brother, the twin outlets of the new sports exhaust system are positioned high up in the car’s rear bumper. At the upper end of the tail an integrated, slotted spoiler provides enhanced air flow, clearly asserting the car’s aerodynamic abilities. A new 8.4” HMI capacitive touchscreen, located in the centre console, puts connectivity at the driver’s fingertips, with multi-finger gesture control. Governing car functions including seats, climate and the status of the LDVI system in real-time. It also puts all infotainment, such as Apple CarPlay with smartphone integration, at the cabin occupants’ disposal.

AVIATION

WHY IS AIRBUS STOPPING A380 SUPERJUMBO? EUROPE’S AIRBUS ANNOUNCED PLANS TO SCRAP PRODUCTION OF THE A380 SUPER JUMBO ON FEBRUARY 14, ABANDONING ITS DREAM OF DOMINATING THE SKIES WITH A CRUISELINER FOR THE 21ST CENTURY AFTER YEARS OF LACKLUSTRE SALES.

he world’s largest airliner, with two decks of spacious cabins and room for 544 people in standard layout, was designed to challenge Boeing’s legendary 747 but failed to take hold as airlines backed a new generation of smaller, more nimble jets. Airbus said in a statement that the last A380 would be delivered in 2021. Confirming a shake-up first reported by Reuters, it said Emirates the largest A380 customer had decided to reduce its orders for the iconic superjumbo and order a total of 70 of the smaller A350 and A330neo models. The European company said it would enter talks with unions in coming weeks over the 3,000-3,500 jobs potentially affected. Airbus will produce 17 more of the planes including 14 for Emirates and 3 for Japanese airline ANA. As part of the restructuring, Emirates placed a new order for 40 A330-900neo jets and 30 A350-900 aircraft, partially restoring a purchase of A350 aircraft which it cancelled in 2014. Emirates, which had built its global brand around the A380 and Boeing 777 and which also has 100 of the Airbus superjumbos in its fleet, said it was disappointed by the closure. “Emirates has been a staunch supporter of the A380 since its very inception,”

said Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum. “While we are disappointed to have to give up our order, and sad that the programme could not be sustained, we accept that this is the reality of the situation,” he added. The A380 will remain a pillar of the Emirates fleet well into the 2030s, stated the airline.

MAYAWATI'S BSP TO CONTEST ON 38 SEATS, SP ON 37 IN LOK SABHA POLLS Bahujan Samaj Party Chief Mayawati and Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav have decided BSP will contest on 38 seats while SP will fight on 37 seats in 2019 Lok Sabha elections in UP. The SP will be contesting on seats including Varanasi, Lucknow and Allahabad (now Prayagraj). The BSP will be contesting on seats including Aligarh and Gautam Buddh Nagar.

AUSTRALIAN STATE TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO ADD EMOJI TO LICENCE PLATES A firm in Australia's Queensland state has announced that from March, drivers can add smiling, winking, laughing out loud, hearteyed and sunglasses emoji to their vehicles' licence plates. The state's largest automotive organisation welcomed the digital addition. "People support their favourite team or town with a symbol on the number plate and using an emoji is no different," it added.

Emirates’ local rival Etihad of Abu Dhabi also disclosed it was cutting some Airbus and Boeing jet orders, highlighting growing questions over the growth of Gulf airlines. Making its maiden flight in 2005, the A380 was a major step in Airbus’s efforts to compete on equal terms with Boeing and challenge what had been a cash cow for its arch-rival. But sales of the industry’s largest fourengined jets have fallen due to improvements in lighter twin-engined alternatives, such as the Boeing 787 and 777 or Airbus’s own A350. The prospect of a premature halt to A380 production emerged last month as part of a restructuring of orders first reported by Reuters.

PAK ENVOY'S STATEMENT ON PULWAMA ATTACK IRRELEVANT: AFGHANISTAN Afghanistan has criticised Pakistani Ambassador Zahid Nasrullah over his remarks that Afghan peace talks would be affected if India retaliates over the Pulwama terror attack, calling them "irrelevant". Afghanistan said Nasrullah's remarks are "in contradiction with Pakistan's commitments with regards to realising peace in Afghanistan". The US and Taliban are taking part in the talks, aimed at ending Afghan war.

On February 13, Reuters reported that Airbus was poised to axe the superjumbo and would likely give an update coinciding with results due on February 14 morning. The decision to scrap production is the last major step by outgoing Airbus chief executive Tom Enders. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

AUTO

ROYAL ENFIELD UNFAZED BY LOWER SALES, GREATER COMPETITION?

Royal Enfield is one of the most profitable motorcycle companies in India and in the past decade, it has shown exceptional growth. The Classic 350 is its best selling motorcycle as of now with monthly sales between 40,000 to 50,000 units. However, since the last few months, country wide sales of Royal Enfield have taken a hit as compared to the year earlier. The growth has not plunged in negative but the pace of growth is the slowest in more than 12 years. The reason for this can be attributed to various factors including brand fatigue, increased competition and a series of price hikes. owever, one major factor in the degrade of company’s growth has been the launch of Jawa brand in India. Jawa motorcycles were one of the most popular bikes during the 1970s and 80s and the relaunch of the brand has been very well received. The two bikes on offer by the company, the Jawa 42 and Jawa Classic, have been priced strategically between Rs. 1.5 to 2 lakhs price range which directly target Royal Enfield bikes. The online bookings for Jawa bikes were halted back in December as the full inventory was booked up till September 2019. Mahindra & Mahindra, who own the Jawa brand in India, have declared a total stock out for nine months for the Jawas. However, Eicher Motorscontrolled Royal Enfield, on the other hand, saw a dip in sales growth for the months November, December and January. The direct competition between both the companies has lead to Jawa getting hold of a chunck of potential Royal Enfield customers. Jawa bikes do SEASONAL MAGAZINE

offer better technology and power in the same price range which is another factor that has lead to this development. Siddhartha Lal, the Managing Director and CEO, Eicher Motors, admitted that competition for Royal Enfield is rising and will continue to rise in the future but it ‘will take a lot more to take away our pie’. According to him, “Royal Enfield is an entrenched leader which has a strong distribution and aftermarket network with strong service backup and residual value. New entrants, of course, there will be many and more shall be coming up. There will be copycat types and there will be people doing totally different things and that is part of a competitive nature. We have a very good product line and very strong plans. We are on a great wicket, it’s the others who have to try hard to even take a nibble out of us." "In the last 10 years, we have had an excellent growth of nearly 20X and margin expansion to 30 percent from 10 percent. And that is attracting lots of

people to enter our market and that includes some of the biggest players. Initially, there is always hype, because there is a new product and there is always the noise and excitement about it. But we have managed to keep steady and keep our course. We take deep cognizance of competitors coming in and we have our own ways of managing that.” While it is true that Royal Enfield has a better and much larger dealership and service network, Jawa is also growing in full swing and already has opened dealerships across all major cities in India. The only thing that will help Royal Enfield now will be advancement and induction of new technology in their bikes. The higher priced 650 twins are currently the best motorcycles in their price range and any other manufacturer does not even come close to them in terms of value for money propositions. The company will have to upgrade other bikes in its portfolio too in the come timing, now since it has a good competitor in the form of Jawa too.

RBI SUDDENLY TURNS FROM NO TO YES, TOWARDS YES BANK

fter the huge divergence between Yes Bank Ltd’s assessment of its nonperforming assets (NPAs) and the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) assessment for two years in succession, investors feared a repeat in the audit for FY18 as well. After all, a few months before the audit results became public, RBI had even forced the bank to replace its chief executive officer (CEO). It was almost a foregone conclusion that Yes Bank had more skeletons to hide in its closet. “There is an interim inability to address the gap between perceived asset quality worries and headline stress ratios," analysts at JM Financial Institutional Equities had said in a note in mid-2018. So, it’s clearly an understatement to say that the lack of any bad loan divergence came as a huge surprise. The audit of the private sector lender’s books by the central bank showed that Yes Bank has recognized all toxic assets and provided for them for FY18. Stock market investors looked most surprised, what with Yes Bank shares rising more than 30% on Thursday. There are two key takeaways for investors. One, Yes Bank has amended its ways and its new chief will have a fairly clean book to work with. Ravneet Gill, who takes charge as CEO of the bank next month, will have no legacy pain. Gill, of course, will have to contend with delinquencies that arise from business as usual. However, SEASONAL MAGAZINE

investors will test him for that and not for the remnants of former head Rana Kapoor’s performance. Indeed, for investors, the gross NPA ratio of 2.1% as of December can perhaps be taken at face value and the fact that the bank has provided for exposure to Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS) and other pain points should also give comfort. However, this clean chit report also throws up a question as it puts a question mark on the regulator’s decision to demand a change in leadership. Earlier news reports said that RBI had found serious lapses in the functioning of Yes Bank. What were the serious lapses? One way of looking at it is that the regulator perhaps reacted to the previous year’s bad loan divergences and found it appropriate to punish Kapoor, even if after a long gap. As brokerage firm Jefferies India Pvt. Ltd said, “We believe it is time for the RBI to increase transparency on decisions that have a significant impact on minority shareholders." Be that as it may, investors can rejoice that the bank has got not just a new chief, but a clean balance sheet vetted by the regulator as well. Two big overhangs are now done with and analysts noted that, from here on, the stock would truly reflect the bank’s performance. Under Gill, it is hoped that Yes Bank would deliver the same high growth it did in the previous regime, but with an added measure of prudence.

MAKING FUN OF VANDE BHARAT EXPRESS INSULT TO ENGINEERS: PM MODI After Congress President Rahul Gandhi called 'Make in India' initiative a failure citing Vande Bharat Express's breakdown, PM Narendra Modi said, "Some persons (are) targeting and mocking semi-high speed train." "This is an insult to engineers and technicians involved in the project," PM asserted. PM Modi also asked people not to get demoralised by those "surrounded by negativity".

HOW WILL AAP GAIN BY WEAKENING ME, ASKS PARTY MLA ALKA LAMBA Claiming AAP was accusing her of attempting to switch over to Congress, AAP MLA Alka Lamba asked, "How will the party gain by weakening me?" She said "someone else" in AAP is ready to "go to any level" for an alliance with Congress. Earlier, she had claimed AAP was trying to force her to resign, but the party denied this.

WARMBIER'S PARENTS CRITICISE N KOREA AFTER TRUMP PRAISES KIM The parents of Otto Warmbier, the American student who died after he was jailed in North Korea, have criticised the regime after US President Donald Trump praised its leader Kim Jong-un. Trump had said he believed Kim's claim that he did not know about Warmbier who was jailed in North Korea for 17 months and allegedly subjected to torture there.

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INVESTMENT MEET

5 REASONS WHY VIBRANT GUJARAT 2019 WAS THE BEST EVER With 42,000 national and international delegates participating from across the world in the three-day event and with 28,360 Memorandums of Understanding signed, and with a projected creation over 21 lakh jobs, Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2019 has been a resounding success. The added sheen was major MoUs signed with large industrial houses including Tata, Reliance, Aditya Birla, Suzuki, Rosneft, Adani, Torrent etc, as well as excellent participation by the MSME sector. Vibrant Gujarat 2019 may also go down in history as the best ever business meet conducted in Gujarat. Seasonal Magazine identifies five reasons for this achievement.

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FOCUS ON EXECUTION

The most persistent criticism of investment meets has been the slow as well as low conversion rates of MoUs into actual projects on ground. While Gujarat ranks high in its conversion and execution track-record, the state is breaking new ground this year to ensure that the focus remains on execution, starting from the very next day of the event ending. Towards this, the Gujarat government has decided to facilitate rapid execution of projects whose MoUs were signed at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit. The government will lay foundation stones for the projects, fetching investments of Rs 1.11 lakh crore within the deadline of March 31. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself may inaugurate the work for a few major industrial projects for which Memorandums of Understanding

(MoUs) were signed during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit (VGS). It is likely that the PM may inaugurate the initiation of a project by a Chinese company that proposed an investment of Rs 21,000 crore at the Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR). The overall plan is to identify projects in which implementation does not require a long process and those investments proposals would be given priority so that they come into existence soon. Several sectors like education, health, hospitality, textiles, pharmaceuticals etc have been identified for fast implementation. These are also the sectors which generate huge direct employment and thus are expected to have a good impact on the social sector in the state too. By March-end, work would be kicked-off on more than 400 SEASONAL MAGAZINE

projects for which MoUs were signed. The state government has recently made several initiatives to fast track execution including online non-agricultural land permission and online approval for environmental clearance. In short, as Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has said, the state will be rolling out a red carpet for investors, including in the crucial execution phase.

FOCUS ON GREENFIELD INDUSTRIAL CITIES

China had forged ahead of most nations in economic development leveraging its strategy of developing new industrial cities in a greenfield fashion, rather than attract investments into its already crowded metros. Narendra Modi, who admired this model during his China visits as Chief Minister of Gujarat had emulated this model, which was first announced for developing GIFT City in Vibrant Gujarat 2007 Summit. The success of this project – Gujarat International Finance Tec City (GIFT City) – which spans around 4 square kilometres and houses over 200 world class organizations, have prompted the Gujarat Government to develop more such projects, and Vibrant Gujarat 2019 had major announcements & MoUs regarding both GIFT City and the upcoming Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR). Spanning a whopping developable area of over 400 square kilometres, Dholera SIR is being developed as India’s first ever greenfield industrial city, and is expected to cost $12 billion in investments, which will make it the world’s second largest urban development project. Dholera is part of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor and the highlights of Dholera include a proposed international airport, central

spine expressway, metro rail link, premium civic amenities and proximity to sea, Ahmedabad, GIFT City, Petrochemicals & Petroleum Investment Region (PCPIR) etc. Dholera is getting ready to take off, with basic infrastructural facilities for its first phase of development set to be completed by this September. The Centre has provided a grant of Rs 3000 crore for the development of smart infrastructure at this new industrial city. The city will get stormwater drains, wastewater discharge, underground ducts, electricity and water supply, piped gas, drinkable tap water, wide roads and good connectivity, all from day one of its commissioning. Being planned as an egalitarian city, it will have 11 per cent of open green area which will be the largest in the country, and 10 per cent of the area earmarked for residential purposes being reserved for housing for the economically weaker sections (EWS).

FOCUS ON EMERGING COUNTRIES AS PARTNERS

Most of the investment meets in India have focused on developing nations as partner countries. But with Vibrant Gujarat 2019, the state is pursuing a more unique path, scouting for fast growing opportunities in emerging nations in Africa, Middle East, Europe and elsewhere. Partner countries for Vibrant Gujarat 2019 included Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark,

France, Japan, Norway, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, Netherlands, UAE, Uzbekistan and Morocco. Ministerial level delegations participated actively from partner countries. Altogether the meet saw participation of delegates from over 100 countries. A major focus of Vibrant Gujarat 2019 was African nations and the event also saw the celebration of Africa Day. Over the last four years, the exports from the ports of Gujarat have doubled, and Africa is a major destination. Gujarat is exporting its products in 51 out of the total 54 African countries. The event focused on around 14 sectors where trade between the two sides is good. Many major MoUs were signed with African nations during the event, most notably in healthcare, education and mineral development sectors. As many as 32 African countries of the total 54 participated in the summit. The trade show at the exhibition centre also has an African Pavillion, featuring the progress of various projects carried out under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Gujarat and over 20 African countries in the past.

FOCUS ON RENEWABLE POWER PROJECTS

There was a time when many Indian states were short of power and were running behind massive power projects to attract investments. Over the last two decades this has changed, with many states including Gujarat having ample power. Today, the game has changed, and the focus is on the availability of renewable power not only to contain costs in the long run, but to ensure speedy environmental clearances for industrial projects. This has become especially important in attracting overseas investments, and Gujarat has already taken a lead in the renewable energy sector, with it hosting some of India’s largest wind and solar farms. But Vibrant Gujarat 2019 has taken this to a new level by targeting major MoUs for renewable power projects. The signed major renewable energy MoUs include those with Adani, Torrent and Aditya

Birla. Proving that it is not only signing such MoUs, but also executing such projects, the Vibrant Gujarat 2019 highlighted major upcoming commissioning of projects. The stateowned Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Ltd (GSECL) is commencing commercial production of its Rs 323crore 75mw solar photovoltaic power plant at Dewan in Anand district. Commercial production at the Powerica Ltd's Rs 720-crore 100 MW wind power project at Jamnagar is also on track.

the country’s pioneering state in organizing investment meets upped the game to a new level by organizing the first ever conference of some of the world’s largest wealth funds, including public and sovereign funds of various nations. Around 27 of the world’s largest such funds had been invited to participate in a roundtable conference chaired by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which signalled the seriousness of the event. The idea behind the event was that to take Gujarat’s infrastructure development to a new level, the state needs a higher quantum of investments that are not easy for private sector companies, but easily doable by public wealth funds like pension funds and sovereign funds. This is because these public funds manage assets worth trillions of dollars and are actively

FOCUS ON GLOBAL WEALTH FUNDS

Traditionally, most investment summits by various states in India, including Gujarat in past years, have focused on attracting corporate investments. But this time over, Gujarat Government, being looking for large-scale infrastructure projects to invest into. Some of the funds which participated in Vibrant Gujarat 2019 include the Government Pension Investment Fund of Japan, International Finance Corporation, Japanese Bank for International Cooperation, Vanguard, and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The Union Finance Ministry, Gujarat government and the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) organised this conference jointly, and highlighted projects in Gujarat and elsewhere in the country. There was also a seminar to discuss opportunities at the International Financial Services Centre at Gift City, which had participation from major global exchanges like the LSE, LME, Nasdaq, Shanghai Gold Exchange and BSE. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

CONTROVERSY

AMAZON'S FIGHT WITH NEW YORK

"We have the best talent in the world and every day we are growing a stronger and fairer economy for everyone. If Amazon can't recognize what that's worth, its competitors will." Both conservatives and liberal opponents of the deal have argued that Amazon does not need what some describe as "corporate welfare" for the company led by Jeff Bezos, the world's wealthiest person. In addition to complaints about the scale of the incentives, critics voiced concerns that the promised jobs could inflate an already overpriced housing market and strain infrastructure.

Amazon recently abandoned plans for a new headquarters site in New York City, citing opposition from local leaders angry at the huge subsidies being offered to one of the world's most successful companies. The New York neighborhood of Long Island City had been one of two locations Amazon selected last year after a long search for a second headquarters or "HQ2." he online giant had promised the sprawling complex in the borough of Queens would create 25,000 new jobs in exchange for nearly $3 billion in state and city incentives which had riled some in the community. "While polls show that 70 percent of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project," Amazon said in a statement. "We are disappointed to have reached this conclusion -- we love New York, its incomparable dynamism, people, and culture -- and particularly the community of Long Island City, where we have gotten to know so many optimistic, forward-leaning community leaders, small business owners, and residents." Amazon said it would "continue growing" its workforce in New York which includes some 5,000 people. The company said it would not reopen the bidding process but would "proceed as planned" with a headquarters site in SEASONAL MAGAZINE

Northern Virginia and a logistics center in Nashville, Tennessee. It added that it "will continue to hire and grow across our 17 corporate offices and tech hubs in the US and Canada." The New York plan had been endorsed by Mayor Bill De Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo, but ran into fierce opposition from some local politicians and community activists, including newly elected Democratic Representative Alexandria OcasioCortez, whose district borders the New York site. After the announcement, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted: "today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers & their neighbors defeated Amazon's corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world." De Blasio sounded bitter about the loss of Amazon, which reversed the deal clinched after months of negotiations. "We gave Amazon the opportunity to be a good neighbor and do business in the greatest city in the world. Instead of working with the community, Amazon threw away that opportunity," the mayor said in a statement.

Initial reactions to Amazon's decision from the local community appeared mixed. "I'm relieved because I'm a renter here," said one female resident of the Queens neighborhood who declined to give her name. "I'm not sure these jobs would have been what the people living in this community need." But others like David Katzen, who owns a construction company in the neighborhood but does not live there, were disappointed. "It was a horrible decision by the local legislators to oppose it," he told AFP. "It was short sighted and ultimately what's going to happen here? Nothing. There's no good that came of this." Amazon, the dominant online retail giant which also operates services in cloud computing, streaming media and artificial intelligence, began seeking a new headquarters, saying it was outgrowing its current home in Seattle, Washington. Chelsea Connor of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which had protested the subsidies offered to Amazon, criticized the company for pulling out instead of renegotiating the deal. "Rather than addressing the legitimate concerns that have been raised by many New Yorkers Amazon says you do it our way or not at all, we will not even consider the concerns of New Yorkers -- that's not what a responsible business would do," said Connor. Scott Galloway, a New York University professor and author, said on Twitter after the announcement: "Immunities kick in and NYC finds its testicles. This is good for NYC, and America. Billionaires should not have their hand(s) out."

YOUR PHYSIOLOGICAL AGE IS WHAT MATTERS

SACHIN TO DO PUSH-UPS TO RAISE FUNDS FOR PULWAMA MARTYRS' FAMILIES Ex-India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar will do 5-10 push-ups as part of KeepMoving Push-up Challenge and the runners will join him in the exercise at New Delhi Marathon on Sunday. For each of the participants in the challenge, the marathon organisers will donate Rs 100 towards the fund for the families of the CRPF jawans, who were martyred in the Pulwama attack.

BREAKDANCING PROPOSED AS NEW SPORT FOR PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES he new large-scale study looked at 126,356 patients with an average of 53.5 years who were referred to the clinic for their first exercise stress test, a common exam which diagnoses heart problems.

of 8.7 years, the A-BEST was a significantly better predictor of mortality than chronological age, even after taking into account sex, smoking, body mass index, statin use, diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, and end-stage kidney disease.

New US research has found that your physiological age, which is how well you respond to exercise, maybe a better predictor of life expectancy than your chronological, actual age. Carried out by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic, the new large-scale study looked at 126,356 patients with an average of 53.5 years who were referred to the clinic for their first exercise stress test, a common exam which diagnoses heart problems.

"Age is one of the most reliable risk factors for death: the older you are, the greater your risk of dying," said study author Dr Serge Harb. "But we found that physiological health is an even better predictor. If you want to live longer then exercise more. It should improve your health and your length of life."

During the test, patients walk on a treadmill, which gets more difficult throughout the exam, and have their exercise capacity, heart rate response to exercise, and heart rate recovery measured. The researchers then developed a formula which calculates how well people respond to exercise their "physiological age" - using this data, which they call the A-BEST (Age Based on Exercise Stress Testing). They also took into account gender and any medications that affect heart rate. The findings, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, showed that after an average follow-up

Dr Harb added that the A-BEST could also be used by doctors when giving patients the results of exercise testing, "Telling patients their estimated age based on exercise performance is a powerful estimate of longevity and easier to understand than providing results for the individual components of the examination." "Knowing your physiological age is good motivation to increase your exercise performance, which could translate into improved survival," he continued. "Telling a 45-year-old that their physiological age is 55 should be a wake-up call that they are losing years of life by being unfit. On the other hand, a 65-year-old with an A-BEST of 50 is likely to live longer than their peers."

The organisers of Paris 2024 Olympics have proposed that breakdancing should be included as a new sport in the Games. Skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing, which will all make their debut in 2020 Tokyo Olympics, have also been invited to return for the Paris Games. Breakdancing was included in the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018.

SC ASKS CENTRE, STATES TO PREVENT ATTACKS ON KASHMIRI STUDENTS The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Centre and 11 states, asking them to reply on a plea seeking their intervention to prevent attacks on Kashmiri students following Pulwama attack. "The chief secretaries, DGPs and Delhi Police Commissioner are directed to take prompt and necessary action to prevent incidents of threat, assault, social boycott against Kashmiris," the court said.

SEASONAL MAGAZINE

INTERNATIONAL

Inside Trump's National Emergency Declaration PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP ON FRIDAY DECLARED THE SOUTHERN BORDER OF THE UNITED STATES TO BE A NATIONAL EMERGENCY, CATAPULTING THE COUNTRY INTO UNCERTAIN LEGAL AND POLITICAL BATTLES AS HE SEEKS TO FULFILL A CAMPAIGN PROMISE THAT ELUDED HIM FOR TWO YEARS. e made the designation in an attempt to redirect taxpayer money from other accounts and use it to erect more than 230 miles of barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border. But Trump anticipates a flurry of legal challenges that will eventually be decided by the Supreme Court. Democrats are trying to paint the action as evidence of a rogue president who has finally gone too far and vowed to stop him. Trump's announcement capped a frenetic two-month period that included the longest government shutdown in U.S. history at 35 days, the reemergence of Democrats as a political force, and a Republican Party caught between taking signals from Trump and bucking his unconventional impulses. It also begins a new phase of his presidency that will test the separation of powers, as he sidesteps Congress despite Republicans urging restraint. During a meandering 50-minute Rose Garden news conference, Trump offered little empirical evidence to back up his assertion that there was a crisis on the border requiring an extraordinary response. Instead, he invoked hyperbolic, campaign-style rhetoric about lawlessness that he said only walls could suitably address. "We're talking about an invasion of our country with drugs, with human traffickers, with all types of criminals and gangs," he said. He used the word "invasion" seven times. He later said the emergency declaration wasn't urgent, but rather expedient, as it would help him build a wall more quickly than Congress would allow. "I didn't need to do this, but I'd rather SEASONAL MAGAZINE

do it much faster," he said. Democrats and the American Civil Liberties Union mapped out the ways they would try to block Trump's wall before it was completed. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said he would summon White House counsel Pat Cipollone to Capitol Hill to explain the White House's rationale.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, said he planned to work with other states to take legal action against the White House. The ACLU said it was preparing a lawsuit of its own, arguing Trump cannot legally redirect taxpayer money during an "emergency" unless it's for military construction projects that support the armed forces.

Democrats and several Republicans predicted a two-pronged response to the declaration: One, having Congress vote to reject it in the coming weeks, and two, suing Trump - or at least aiding other parties who attempt to intervene.

Republicans are divided over Trump's declaration, with many unnerved over what they see as an executive power grab while others are unwilling to challenge the president ahead of 2020 presidential and congressional elections.

"The president's actions clearly violate the Congress' exclusive power of the purse, which our Founders enshrined in the Constitution," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who faces reelection next year, suggested it would be hypocritical for Republicans to support an emergency declaration after criticizing former President Barack Obama for "executive overreach" and suggested future Democratic presidents might follow Trump's precedent. Tillis described a future "President Bernie Sanders declaring a national emergency to implement the radical Green New Deal" or a "President Elizabeth Warren declaring a national emergency to shut down banks and take over the nation's financial institutions." "I don't believe in situational principles," he said. Other Republicans lodged an even more straightforward objection: Declaring a national emergency might prompt Trump to shift funds from other desperately needed projects. Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, warned against tapping Defense Department and military construction accounts to build the wall. "Doing so would have detrimental consequences for our troops," he said in a Thursday statement. "And it would undercut one of the most significant accomplishments of the last two years beginning to repair and rebuild our military. I hope that the president will pursue other options."

Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a joint statement. "The Congress will defend our constitutional authorities in the Congress, in the Courts, and in the public, using every remedy available." Most notably, Pelosi and Schumer said, "We call upon our Republican colleagues to join us to defend the Constitution."

The issue was more than a constitutional discussion for Republicans. Democrats have signaled they would proceed with a privileged resolution of disapproval that would force GOP lawmakers to either vote for Trump's wall or oppose his emergency claim - with certain political repercussions. By Friday afternoon, Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, had 60 co-sponsors for the resolution. Such a measure would pass in the Democratic-controlled House, and more

than enough Republicans could break ranks to ensure its Senate passage. But Trump is certain to veto the resolution, and Congress is unlikely to muster enough votes to override a veto. Democratic legislative staff huddled on Capitol Hill at 2 p.m. Friday, shortly after the White House issued their proclamation. According to a senior Democratic aide, no decisions have been made on how Congress would proceed with a formal measure of disapproval, but both House and Senate leaders are expected to move carefully to win over as many Republicans as possible. The more serious threat to Trump's move could be litigation, with numerous parties exploring legal challenges including Democratic House leaders who have been examining various options for months. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Thursday that he did not consider an emergency declaration to be "a practical solution" for Trump because litigation could keep any potential wall funding on hold for months or years while the lawsuits resolve themselves. "I thought there were other, better alternatives," he said. White House officials want to rush to approve projects and reallocate money as quickly as possible, but no timeline has been given. Part of their strategy is to try to use "eminent domain" to seize private property along the border, particularly in Texas, where they want to install parts of the barrier. This is expected to open another round of legal challenges from private landowners. Other parts of the approach are equally unclear. White House officials have not said, for example, how they plan to solicit bids on the projects or what type of process they will follow. Congressional Democrats and some state leaders, meanwhile, have vowed to try to stop the work before it can even begin. Trump has long asserted that the United States is full of rapists, murderers, and other violent criminals who enter illegally from Mexico, and he has vowed SEASONAL MAGAZINE

to address it by building a wall. Government data, though, show that attempted border crossings remain near 40-year lows and that drug traffickers primarily attempt to smuggle hard narcotics through ports of entry, not through empty gaps as Trump has suggested. The biggest challenge on the border in recent years has been a surge of families seeking to cross into the U.S. and claim asylum, overwhelming border agents and U.S. facilities. White House officials plan to use $8 billion to build new fencing that they believe will block or discourage a wide range of immigrants. Of that money, $1.375 billion was approved by Congress on Thursday, and it can be used for 55 miles of "pedestrian fencing" in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. The White House plans to use another $600 million from the Treasury Department's forfeiture funds account, which is money that is seized by the federal government from a range of illicit activities. An additional $2.5 billion would be redirected from a Pentagon program for countering drug activities, and a final $3.6 billion would be moved from military construction accounts. It's that final pot of money that White House officials said required the national emergency declaration, as the White House is generally barred from moving money from one account to another without congressional approval. Trump promised during the 2016 campaign to build a border wall and have Mexico finance it. Since becoming president, he has insisted instead that the money come from U.S. taxpayers. White House officials said more than 50 national emergencies have been declared since the 1970s, attempting to rebut concerns that Trump was stepping outside his authority in taking this step. "This is authority given to the president in law already," said acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. "It's not as if he just didn't get what he wanted so he's waving a magic wand and taking a bunch of money." But some presidential historians said Trump's move was unusual, in part SEASONAL MAGAZINE

because he stopped short of describing how his steps would ameliorate a situation that he hasn't precisely defined. White House officials on Friday wouldn't even disclose where the new border barriers would be placed. Presidents have taken extraordinary steps before, at times invoking a crisis facing the United States. President Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus during the Civil War in 1861, making it easier to arrest someone without bringing the individual before a judge. President Truman tried to nationalize the steel industry in the 1950s amid tensions brought by the Korean War, and was rebuked by the Supreme Court. Presidential scholars said Trump's move on Friday, though extreme in its rhetoric, will be viewed much differently even if he attempts to use the National Emergencies Act of 1976 to buttress his case. That's because Trump isn't responding to a crisis that's evident to the American people, but instead taking action after Congress rejected his funding request for two years.

INDIA'S FASTEST TRAIN BREAKS DOWN ON SECOND DAY VANDE BHARAT EXPRESS, INDIA'S FASTEST TRAIN, BREAKS DOWN DAY AFTER LAUNCH.

ccording to reports, the engine of the train failed, breaks jammed in one of the last coaches and there is no electricity in four coaches. A day after it was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fastest train, Vande Bharat Express, broke down on Saturday morning, leaving it stranded. The snag occurred around 15km away from the Tundla junction in Uttar Pradesh that is around 150km away from the national capital.

"It shrinks the importance of Congress even more," said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian. "It is a wildeyed imperial presidency."

According to media reports, the engine of the train failed, breaks jammed in one of the last coaches and there is no electricity in four coaches.

In his Rose Garden remarks, Trump suggested that he had already thought through the legal minefield that his decision was likely to traverse. He predicted that lower court judges and Ninth Circuit appeals court judges would likely rule against him before the administration ultimately prevails.

Engineers on the train have reportedly told senior officials that the controls have also failed and the snag is "unfixable" for now. The people on board, including journalists, have been shifted to two different trains.

"We will have a national emergency and we will then be sued, and they will sue us in the 9th Circuit, even though it shouldn't be there, and we will possibly get a bad ruling and then we'll get another bad ruling and then we'll end up in the Supreme Court, and hopefully we will get a fair shake," he said. As part of the national emergency declaration, Trump signed a $333 billion spending bill that funds many government operations through September. This averted a government shutdown that would have begun Saturday.

The train was making its way back to New Delhi, from where it was launched on Friday. The train was set to begin its commercial run from tomorrow. The engineless train, formerly known as Train 18, had rolled out of the New Delhi railway station at 11.19 am on Friday for its inaugural journey to Varanasi. It had hit a top speed of 130 km per hour in its first journey. Speaking to reporters on board the train, railway minister Piyush Goyal had said this state of the art train will offer a convenient experience to passengers and reduce travel time on the New Delhi-Varanasi route to eight hours compared to 13-14 hours other trains take for the trip.

SPACE

AMERICA PLANS TO MAKE ASTONAUTS STAY ON MOON NASA IS ACCELERATING PLANS TO RETURN AMERICANS TO THE MOON, AND THIS TIME, THE US SPACE AGENCY SAYS IT WILL BE THERE TO STAY. JIM BRIDENSTINE, NASA'S ADMINISTRATOR, TOLD REPORTERS ON THURSDAY THAT THE AGENCY PLANS TO SPEED UP PLANS BACKED BY PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP TO RETURN TO THE MOON, USING PRIVATE COMPANIES.

"It's important that we get back to the moon as fast as possible," said Bridenstine in a meeting at NASA's Washington headquarters, adding he hoped to have astronauts back there by 2028. "This time, when we go to the Moon, we're actually going to stay. We're not going to leave flags and footprints and then come home to not go back for another 50 years" he said. "We're doing it entirely different than every other country in the world. What we're doing is, we're making it sustainable so you can go back and forth regularly with humans." The last person to walk on the Moon was Eugene Cernan in December 1972, during the Apollo 17 mission. Before humans set foot on the lunar surface again, NASA aims to land an unmanned vehicle on the Moon by 2024 and is already inviting bids from the burgeoning private sector to build the probe. The deadline for bids is March 25, with a first selection due in May, a tight timeline for an agency whose past projects have run years behind schedule and billions over budget. "For us, if we had any wish, I would like to fly this calendar year. We want to go fast," said Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. However, he admitted that "we may not be able to." NASA's accelerated plans flesh out the

Space Policy Directive that Trump signed in December 2017, envisaging a return to the Moon before a manned mission to Mars, possibly in the 2030s. NASA plans to build a small space station, dubbed Gateway, in the Moon's orbit by 2026. It will serve as a way-station for trips to and from the lunar surface, but will not be permanently crewed like the International Space Station (ISS), currently in Earth's orbit. As with the ISS, NASA would seek the participation of other countries, who could provide some of the necessary needed, such as modules for the Moon station or vehicles to allow landings on the surface. "We want numerous providers competing on cost and innovation," Bridenstine said. Before this manned program, NASA is also pushing to send scientific instruments and other technological tools to the Moon in 2020 or even before the end of this year. The agency is also calling for quickturnaround bids to manufacture and launch such instruments, offering financial incentives to make it happen fast. "We care about speed," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "We do not expect that every one of those launches or every one of those landings will be successful. We are taking risks."

SWIGGY LIKELY TO ACQUIRE RIVAL UBER EATS IN INDIA: REPORT Bengaluru-based food delivery startup Swiggy is reportedly in final stages of a deal to acquire rival Uber Eats' India arm in exchange for giving the US ride-hailing giant a 10% share of its business. Swiggy was recently valued at $3.3 billion following a $1-billion funding round led by Africa's largest conglomerate Naspers including new backers Tencent and Uber investor Coatue.

WOMAN THREATENS TO BLOW UP RASHTRAPATI BHAVAN ON TINDER; CASE FILED A 30-year-old man filed a complaint against a woman after she threatened to blow up Rashtrapati Bhavan and warned him of a nuclear attack on Delhi during their fight on Tinder. According to the police, she said, "You don't know who I am. When there'll be a nuclear attack...and the Rashtrapati Bhavan will be blown up...you will get to know."

INDIA, SOUTH KOREA SIGN 6 MOUS DURING PM MODI'S VISIT India and South Korea on Friday signed six Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) during PM Narendra Modi's visit to the country. The MoUs focus on cooperation in media, combating transnational crime and startups, among others. An MoU was also signed between India and South Korea to promote bilateral cooperation in road and transport infrastructure.

SEASONAL MAGAZINE

TREND

Pete Jaison

HOW ANALYTICS WILL CHANGE THE WAY SPORTS IS BEING PLAYED The acceptance of advanced sports analytics and a data driven approach in modern sports is revolutionizing the way teams are preparing for games. However, we are still only on the brink as not even 1 % of all professional sporting franchises in the world have adopted this approach. For some reason, it gets met with frustration, dismissiveness, and denial of its impact – mostly because a lot of people don’t like numbers and math infiltrating play. Also, because it’s a big change from the sanctioned eye-test, that most of us love to assume that we’re great at passing. Myself, included.

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he Houston Rockets (NBA), are a team that is religiously devoted to the stats and data they mined over the years. GM, Daryl Morey and his team spent over a decade breaking down each play, efficiency, scoring percentage, missed chances etc. and now, understood the two most effective ways to score a point – Three pointers and around-the-rim plays. His analysis showed that a 2-point shot inside the three-point line but outside the paint is a less effective shot due to the low scoring percentage it has and the lesser weightage in points. This shot – the mid-court jumper, which was commonly used in the 90s and 2000s is almost extinct in today’s NBA and stats are the only reason why. The analytics company, Second spectrum gathers and codes data a vast range of granular data of all NBA teams. Their cameras track and record 3D special data for every player and ball movement. Machine learning technology uses the huge amount of data to produce interactive visualizations, allowing teams to analyze the minutiae of their performances and achieve marginal gains on the court. This data is even helping teams decide on the type or types of player they should be looking to hire or trade for. Dependence on data-analytics has also seeped into Football and the application has been widespread. When Red Star Belgrade, a popular

Serbian football club was looking out for a midfielder, Lorenzo Ebecilio wasn’t even on the radar. But in a London office more than 2,000 miles from Cyprus, an analyst working at his computer liked what he saw and suggested the Serbian champions take a look at Ebecilio. They too liked what they found and, a month after he joined Red Star, the Dutchman scored in a Champions League qualifier. Red Star evaluated every other option that was available in the market and within their budget buteven they could not have predicted the success of their newest signing. Manchester City, is another popular football club that has dedicated an entire team to derive advanced stats from each game that gives them a competitive advantage over other

clubs. After each match, their army of analysts compile exhausting reports about the team’s performance data that they think are most relevant. They analyze the number of line breaks, they look at what happens in the 25 seconds after the team wins or loses the ball, they pay attention to City’s ball possession in the final third, a measure which they found to be strongly correlated to scoring goals and winning matches. It is probably only in the next decade can we see more and more teams adopting a pure data driven approach and in turn, a mindset shift amongst sports owners and managers. With all that is being said and written, analytics and stats do not guarantee a win for any team and the aforementioned, Houston Rockets can painfully vouch for that. After a franchise best 65 wins of 82 games, the Rockets entered the playoffs confidently and locked horns with defending champions, Golden State Warriors in a closely contested playoff series that went down to 7 games. In the last few minutes of Game 7, analytics and their beloved 3-pointer betrayed the Rockets as they set an unprecedented record of 27 consecutive 3s to fall to the Warriors. Maybe over time, hot ‘shooting streaks’ and poor form will be incorporated into Machine learning and sports analytics but until then, we can still reply on eye-tests. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

SCARY AI CREATES FACES OF NON EXISTENT PEOPLE

TWITTER'S NEW PROFILE PREVIEW FEATURE Twitter starts testing new profile previews on iOS and Android. Twitter has debuted a new way to check out profiles on iOS without leaving your timeline. When in a conversation, or simply scrolling down the TL, users can tap on @ handles to bring up a quick overview of the profile mentioned. From there, users can see who they’re talking to and even follow them (although actions such as blocking and muting aren’t immediately available).

WITH THE HELP OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, YOU CAN MANIPULATE VIDEO OF PUBLIC FIGURES TO SAY WHATEVER YOU LIKE — OR NOW, CREATE IMAGES OF PEOPLE'S FACES THAT DON'T EVEN EXIST. ou can see this in action on a website called thispersondo esnotexist.com. It uses an algorithm to spit out a single image of a person's face, and for the most part, they look frighteningly real. Hit refresh in your browser, and the algorithm will generate a new face. Again, these people do not exist. The website is the creation of software engineer Phillip Wang, and uses a new AI algorithm called StyleGAN, which was developed by researchers at Nvidia. GAN, or Generative Adversarial Networks, is a concept within machine learning which aims to generate images that are indistinguishable from real ones. You can train GANs to remember human faces, as well bedrooms, cars, and cats, and of course, generate images of them. Wang told Mashable he created the site to create awareness for the algorithm, and chose faces "because our brains are sensitive to that kind of image." He added that it costs $150 a month to hire out the server, as he needs a good amount of graphical power to run the website. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

"It also started off as a personal agenda mainly because none of my friends seem to believe this AI phenomenon, and I wanted to convince them," Wang said. "This was the most shocking presentation I could send them. I then posted it on Facebook and it went viral from there." A powerful enough GAN could be used to create an image of a loved one, which could be used for manipulation, he said. Or a big enough dataset could be used to create all sorts of realistic images, from scratch. "I think eventually, given enough data, a big enough neural [network] can be teased into dreaming up many different kinds of scenarios," Wang added. "We just don't have very good control over the dreams, but I actually have a small side project where I'm going to see if I can control the StyleGAN dreams with a paragraph (I want to see an old man with sunglasses and a beard wearing a blue shirt)." By the way, it's not just images and video that AI can fool you. Text too, can be generated by artificial intelligence, and it's also just as unbelievable.

Twitter tweeted," We’re testing an easier way to check out profiles on iOS without leaving your timeline! Simply tap any @ handle in a Tweet, take a peek, follow, and get right back to it. Let us know what you think!" The new preview system works on Android devices as well, despite only iOS being mentioned. It seems to be account specific from my testing, as my main account doesn’t feature this yet others do. Twitter will be watching user response to this feature before they roll it out completely, so be sure to let them know what you think.

IN THIS PHONE, DISPLAY IS THE NEW SPEAKER

MEET WORLD'S FASTEST SUV: NEW BENTLEY BENTAYGA BENTLEY HAS ANNOUNCED ITS NEW SUV, THE BENTAYGA SPEED. NOW IT’S A GIVEN THAT IT BEING A BENTLEY, IT WILL BE ONE OF THE MOST LUXURIOUS SUVS OUT THERE BUT THAT WAS ALREADY ESTABLISHED WITH THE STANDARD BENTLEY. THE BENTAYGA SPEED AS THE NAME IMPLIES CONCENTRATES ON PERFORMANCE. IN FACT BENTLEY IS CLAIMING THAT IT IS THE WORLD’S FASTEST SUV. t has set this new speed record at 305.775 kmph, breaking the earlier record held by Lamborghini Urus (304.970 kmph). However, in terms of acceleration the Urus can accelerate from 0 to 100 kmph in 3.6 seconds as against the 3.9 seconds taken by the Bentayga Speed. To back that claim, the Bentayga Speed gets an enhanced version of the 6.0-litre W12 engine. The numbers as expected are mind boggling. 626 bhp and a whopping 900 Nm of torque that propels this behemoth to a 100 kmph in just 3.9 seconds and go on to hit a top speed of 306 kmph. As with all Bentayga’s, the all-wheel-drive Speed is equipped with electronic differential lock and up to eight drive dynamics modes. On the handling front, the Speed comes with Dynamic Ride which is the world’s first electric active roll control technology that utilizes an unrivalled 48V system. This system instantly counteracts lateral rolling forces while cornering and ensures maximum tyre contact to deliver better cabin stability, ride comfort and exceptional handling. To match the go with show, the Speed gets dark tint headlights, body-coloured side skirts and a tailgate spoiler hint at the SUVs performance credentials. Dark-tint radiator and bumper grilles, a unique 22-inch wheel design available in three finishes and Speed signature badging add to the sporting design cues. The Bentley Bentayga Speed will debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show and will go on sale later in the year. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

LG HAS ANNOUNCED THAT ITS UPCOMING G8 THINQ WILL HAVE A UNIQUE NEW FEATURE THAT WILL ALLOW IT TO USE THE DISPLAY AS A LOUDSPEAKER. alled the Crystal Sound OLED or CSO, the feature utilizes the display as a moving diaphragm by vibrating the entire surface. This allows the display to act as a second channel, working alongside with the dedicated loudspeaker placed at the bottom of the phone to create a stereo audio effect. Also, this doesn’t mean that the phone’s screen will be shaking all the time. The company explains that in speakerphone mode, it will deliver audio through the bottom speaker, and step up to two channels with the top part of the screen. Other audio features of the smartphone include support for emulated 7.1 surround sound using DTS:X with or without headphones, and its “Boombox Speaker” design that uses space within the phone as a resonance chamber to fill out its sound. It also supports Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) encoded audio that Tidal uses and has a Hi-Fi Quad DAC. The technology is new for smartphones but was first included in its OLED televisions by LG last year. Sony has had this even longer in its televisions and calls it Acoustic Surface technology. In case of televisions, the feature works well due to just how large the display surface is. It also helps localize the sound so it sounds like the dialogue is coming straight out of the mouths of the characters on screen instead of from elsewhere in the room. With smartphones, it remains to be seen how effective the technology is with a much smaller surface area. The G8 ThinQ will have audio powered by Meridian, along with DTS:X 3D surround effect that emulates 7.1 audio through headphones or speakers. The phone will also include a headphone jack with a quad DAC system, along with MQA support. The Boombox Speaker feature from last year's phones will also be included, which lets the phone vibrate the surface it's kept on to create a louder, more full-bodied sound. The LG G8 ThinQ will be officially announced during MWC 2019 in Barcelona.

ENERGIZER'S NEW PHONE WITH MONSTER BATTERY

MEET THIS NEW SMARTPHONE WITH A WHOPPING 18,000MAH BATTERY ENERGIZER POWER MAX P18K POP IS THE WORLDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FIRST SMARTPHONE TO FEATURE A WHOPPING 18,000MAH BATTERY.

The Ultimate U620S Pop smartphone with dual popup cameras was launched first in this lineup but it lacked stellar battery life.

NOT CONCERNED IF INDIA DIVERTS WATER FROM EASTERN RIVERS: PAKISTAN Pakistan has said it has "neither concern nor objection if India diverts water of Eastern rivers" (Ravi, Sutlej and Beas) to Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. "(W)e will definitely express our concerns and raise objections strongly if they use or divert waters of Western rivers (Chenab, Indus, Jhelum) on which our right to use prevails," Pakistan's Water Resources Ministry said.

PM MODI 1ST INDIAN TO BE AWARDED SEOUL PEACE PRIZE, GETS $200,000 nergizer is known for its portfolio of smartphones that offer a long-lasting battery life in the entrylevel and mid-range segment. Last month, the brand started focusing on the premium market segment with the Ultimate series. The Ultimate U620S Pop smartphone with dual pop-up cameras was launched first in this lineup but it lacked stellar battery life. Now, the company has come up with a new device dubbed Energizer Power Max P18K Pop. Well, the Energizer Power Max P18K Pop is the world's first smartphone to feature a whopping 18,000mAh battery. Notably, it is the sequel to the P16K, which has an additional battery capacity that is larger than the one used on the iPhone 8. Long-lasting battery performance With such a huge battery, this new Energizer smartphone will be suitable for extended trips as it does not require users to compromise on the functionality such as music playback. The company touts that this smartphone can last for up to 4 days of non-stop music playback, 2 days of video playback and up to a whopping 50 days of standby, which is seen usually with feature phones. The smartphone can be charged with the bundled 18W fast charger with USB

Power Delivery 2.0. It also has the reverse charging capability and can be used as a power bank to charge other phones and accessories. Energizer Power Max P18K Pop specifications When it comes to its hardware, the Energizer Power Max P18K Pop smartphone has similar specifications as the Ultimate U620S Pop except for the battery capacity. Due to its capacious battery, the P18K measures 18mm in thickness. It flaunts a 6.2-inch FHD+ display and gets the power from a MediaTek Helio P70 SoC paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage space, which can be expanded up to another 128GB using a microSD card slot. The imaging aspects comprise pop-up dual selfie cameras with 16MP + 2MP sensors. The rear panel has triple cameras with 12MP, 5MP and 2MP sensors but it misses out on the 4K video recording support. The Energizer smartphone runs Android 9 Pie and comes with a USB Type-C port. Eventually, it misses out on a 3.5mm headphone jack. As of now, there is no word regarding the pricing of this Energizer Power Max P18K Pop smartphone. But it is said that it will be available in June. The company is in plans to showcase 25 devices at the MWC 2019 on February 25, so we can expect the latest offering to also be showcased.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday became the first Indian to be awarded the Seoul Peace Prize, receiving the honour during his visit to South Korea. He was awarded for his contributions to international cooperation and the growth of Indian and global economies. PM Modi said he'll contribute the entire $200,000 (?1.4 crore) prize amount to the 'Namami Gange' programme.

ASSAM RIFLES ALLOWED TO ARREST WITHOUT WARRANT IN 5 NORTHEAST STATES Union Home Ministry has issued a notification, empowering Assam Rifles personnel to arrest anyone and search a place without warrant in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, and Mizoram. The notification states, "an officer of the rank corresponding to that of the lowest rank of members of the Assam Rifles" has been given these powers under the Code of Criminal Procedure.

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7 WAYS KERALA IS PL AND HOW GOOD ARE

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ANNING, THEY?

DAYS OF LDF GOVERNMENT

As if Keralaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ruling LDF Government did not have problems, yet another blunder has occurred in the form of a gruesome twin murder of youth by allegedly leftist assailants at Kasargod. It is doubtful whether any other state government has been this besieged with challenges during its first three years in office. A UN expert panel has submitted its detailed report that Kerala would need Rs.31,000 crore to rebuild itself after the floods. Whether the flood was man-made due to mismanagement of dams has also been raised by metro man E Sreedharan in the court. The stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s once soaring tourism sector is in tatters, even with continued international visibility due to CNN selecting Kerala as one of 19 locations to visit in 2019, and with the conclusion of the well attended IAA World Congress at Kochi. And for the first time in the history of the state, it has not spent even 50% of last year's plan spend, as a precautionary measure for funding flood relief. Even while facing such huge challenges, the energy and focus of the government has been taken up by the Sabarimala issue which was thrust on it via an SC verdict. It would require unprecedented initiatives by CM Pinarayi Vijayan if he is to lead LDF to victories in coming elections, which he is hoping to achieve by launching 1000 new welfare schemes. But anyone going through the schemes in details can find that it is old wine in new bottle - like the often repeated NRI pension scheme, and that more will depend not on such PR exercises but how the state fares on core growth challenges. Seasonal Magazine takes a look at seven major government initiatives and how they measure up.

SEASONAL MAGAZINE

1000 DAYS OF LDF GOVERNMENT

HOW GOOD IS KERALA’S EASE OF DOING BUSINESS? Kerala has finally launched its online portal for single window approval of new industrial projects. By streamlining the laborious approvals from various departments, this new mechanism will go a long way in bettering the ease-of-doingbusiness in the state. However, the achievement would have been far more meaningful if it was implemented within just months of Pinarayi Vijayan Government assuming office. This is because, ease-of-doing-business indices are a purely relative affair, and when Kerala implements something that all its neigbouring states had already implemented it becomes just a mandatory step, and not an innovation that will definitely attract more investment into the state on its own. Neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, as well as other southern states like Andhra Pradesh and Telengana have all implemented their online portal for single window approval of industrial projects.

HOW GOOD IS KERALA’S GLOBAL CONNECTIVITY FOR BUSINESS? Post the significant win of Nissan Innovation Hub at Thiruvananthapuram, hopes were running high that Kerala would be able to attract more investments from South East Asia and Japan. The high voltage inauguration of Kannur International Airport was also touted as an added attraction for getting such new investments, as with its commissioning, Kerala had become the only state in India with four international airports. However, subsequent analyses have shown that adding more international airports was not the need of the day, as far as attracting investments was concerned. Most other nations, and even some of the prudent states in the country are rather opting for the hub-

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and-spoke model for taking international air traffic to new growth levels. In Kerala’s case, this would have meant growing the infrastructure at Kochi International Airport much more and building more smaller airports if need be. This is because, at the end of the day, airlines call the shots whether to begin a new international service and they go purely by real traffic estimates.

HOW GOOD IS KERALA’S PLANNING FOR TIER-2 CITIES? Kerala has also started Investment Promotion and Facilitation Cells in all districts of the state. Almost all states in India have been grappling with the issue of new industrial investments preferring to be in the biggest cities itself. To ensure all-round development of the state as well as to battle congestion in such top cities, the states have been finding ways and means to encourage industries to set shop in their tier-2 cities. While Kerala too has this challenge, it has the additional challenge of too little available land for large projects. Hence, it was imperative for the state to have districtwise industrial promotion centres. However, large industries coming in with big investments would prefer to rely on central processing of their affairs at Thiruvananthapuram at a higher facility. As such, the benefit from such district-wise industry promotion centres remains to be seen, except in the case of MSME investments.

HOW GOOD IS KERALA’S SOCIAL & ECONOMIC GROWTH? Kerala which continued to grow reasonably well in FY’18 with a Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of 7.18% despite all odds, is however all set to witness one of its weakest

fiscals in the current year of FY’19 due to the unprecedented floods. While the state is unlikely to yield its national first rank in the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals to any other state, this year too, chinks may start to appear in its social armour starting this year. This may start from the rising disparity in wealth between the rich and the poor in the state. While poverty was alleviated in absolute terms in FY’18 too, this may not be the situation going forward. Even if there is only a marginal dip in poverty alleviation targets in absolute terms, the deeper picture is that disparity in income is likely to rise substantially as natural calamities like the massive flood tends to hit the poor much more drastically than it hits the welloff. Indeed, many poor families have lost all their life savings and possessions and are unable to fund minimum requirements like home and furniture, let alone restart their savings.

HOW GOOD IS KERALA’S FLOOD RECONSTRUCTION? Kerala which admirably stood together during the initial flood relief measures under the state government, is however struggling with the flood reconstruction initiatives. With Central Government approving the state’s proposal for a GST Calamity Cess, this may improve in the long term. But for now, the only impressive work executed has been the agricultural relief works completed in the devastated Kuttanad. This underperformance across the districts is understandable, as a UN expert panel has submitted its detailed report that Kerala would need Rs.31,000 crore to rebuild itself from the floods. The state government has taken significant precautionary measures to contain expenses. For the first time in the history of the state, it has not spent even 50% of

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last year's plan spend. However, no significant fund raising plans have materialized so far, with the central government objecting to the state receiving overseas funds, especially from Middle East where many governments and the Non Resident Keralites who work for those countries had indicated about their willingness to help. Adding to the state government’s woes, metro man E Sreedharan, who is from the state, has filed a case in High Court to investigate whether the flood itself was man-made due to mismanagement of dams by KSEB, which has been a lingering doubt in many Keralite’s minds from the days of the floods.

HOW GOOD IS KERALA’S PUBLIC HEALTHCARE? Kerala which has made impressive advances in healthcare, is continuing to push the frontiers. The state has recently become the first in India to implement a price monitoring system for drugs. Kerala has also announced plans for a population based cancer registry. However, the state has been witnessing an unfortunate situation, where successive state governments SEASONAL MAGAZINE

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have been unable to alleviate the deep pain of cancer and tumour victims in the state due to uncontrolled use of pesticides like Endosulfan for decades in the state. Anguishing all the right thinking people of the state, the disabled victims and their families had to sit for a fast for weeks before the Secretariat, to make the government extend some relief to them. The government has recently introduced new radical pesticide control measures, but the magnitude of the already inflicted damage to thousands makes every new measure to appear as too little, too late.

HOW GOOD IS KERALA’S INFRASTRUCTURE GROWTH? In the new budget, Finance Minister Dr. Thomas Issac has understandably given the largest thrust to the infrastructure and transport sector. Apart from major infrastructure projects, thrust is also being given to growth of electric vehicles. The state has published its electric vehicle roadmap for 1 million EVs by 2022. A major beneficiary of this move is touted to be KSRTC, which will be made to switch completely to electric

buses, starting with a pilot project this year itself. The state owned bus service has been in tatters for long, due to continued mismanagement brought about by overstaffing and the continued employee expenses including pensions over the decades. Each round of new procurements including expensive Volvos and low floor buses have only added to KSRTC’s woes and it remains to be seen whether the impending purchase of and/or conversion to electric vehicles would be another disaster, may be even the proverbial straw that broke the donkey’s back. What KSRTC needs is either partial privatization and/or unlocking of its major land assets in almost cities and towns to develop real estate projects, the revenues from which can clear off the staggering debt of KSRTC forever. However, such self-evident solutions are not favoured by the Communist government, even while many in government circles privately admit that it is the only solution. KSRTC has come to symbolize the kind of problems and the kind of solutions the state has, but won’t implement due to traditional left wing thinking.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

AI THAT BECOMES REAL AND SCARY IS HERE The singer was also wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses, a black jacket, black jeans and black sandals. She was carrying a pair of black and white striped gloves and a small black bag. On the plus side, that could lead to things like AI writing assistants and better speech recognition systems. But in an era still coming to grips with bot-generated tweets and deepfake videos, OpenAI is worried that bad actors would use automated text generators to whip up "deceptive, biased, or abusive language at scale" -things like misleading news articles, online imposters, abusive content on social media, or spam and phishing content.

ELON MUSK BACKED AI GROUP SAYS THEIR NEW TEXT GENERATOR IS SO GOOD IT'S SCARY. penAI, a nonprofit artificial intelligence research group backed by Elon Musk, on Thursday offered a look at GPT-2, "a large-scale unsupervised language model" that it says does remarkably well at skills like reading comprehension, question answering and summarization. That is, give it a sentence as a prompt, and it'll give you a writing sample that's pretty convincing. Trained on a data set of 8 million web pages, GPT-2 can even adapt to the style and the content of the text you feed it. OpenAI offered a number of examples, including this one: SYSTEM PROMPT (HUMAN-WRITTEN) Miley Cyrus was caught shoplifting from Abercrombie and Fitch on Hollywood Boulevard today.

MODEL COMPLETION (MACHINEWRITTEN, SECOND TRY) The 19-year-old singer was caught on camera being escorted out of the store by security guards. The singer was wearing a black hoodie with the label 'Blurred Lines' on the front and 'Fashion Police' on the back. Shoplifting: Miley Cyrus was caught shoplifting from Abercrombie and Fitch on Hollywood Boulevard today (pictured) The singer was wearing a black hoodie with the label 'Blurred Lines' on the front and 'Fashion Police' on the back

The singer was wearing a black hoodie with the label 'Blurred Lines' on the front and 'Fashion Police' on the back.

For that reason, OpenAI said it's not revealing all the research details of GPT2. Instead, it's releasing a much smaller model and a technical paper for other researchers to play with. Last year, OpenAI built a team of bots to compete in Dota 2, a popular multiplayer online battle arena game in which players compete in teams of five. In June, OpenAI's five bots defeated amateur human teams, and in August, they took on semiprofessional Dota 2 players (ranked in the 99.95th percentile in the world), beating the humans in two games and losing once. Musk, who is the staunch critic of AI and co-founded OpenAI in 2016, stepped down from its board in 2018. OpenAI said governments should consider expanding or commencing initiatives to more systematically monitor the societal impact and diffusion of AI technologies.Musk stepped down as chairman a year ago amid concerns about a possible conflict of interest, given that Tesla Motors, the electric car company he runs, would be focusing more on AI. The billionaire said he would continue to "donate and advise the organization." SEASONAL MAGAZINE

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NASA Announces Death of Highly Successful Mars Rover, Opportunity

During a press conference, the space agency inferred that a planet-encircling dust storm cut off communications with Opportunity on June 10, last year, disabling its solar panels from storing power. Since then NASA has beamed over 830 unanswered rescue commands. n a last-ditch attempt the Rover team, on February 12 sent a transmission of commands and Billie Holiday's I'll Be Seeing You to Mars via the Deep Space Network, however, Opportunity could not be roused.

the Red Planet. From stumbling upon the first meteorite found on another planet to discovering that Meridiani Planum was once immersed in water, Opportunity's journey is a testament to the sheer dedication and scientific prowess of NASA.

The robotic rover, which wandered the surface of the red planet for over 15 years (5,515 Earth days), was launched by NASA in July 2003 as a part of its Mars Exploration Rover program.

Whilst being on Mars, Opportunity had to overcome some major hurdles. Hurdles where its predecessors had sunk. In 2005, the rover got stuck in a dune but was eventually rescued after NASA extensively worked to mimic Martian soil, helping Opportunity to carefully manoeuvre its way out of trouble. It also survived its first dust storm in 2007, grappled with intermittent wheel problems and toiled with a problematic robotic arm throughout its expedition.

Responsible for much of our understanding of the Martian landscape, geology, atmosphere and history, the Opportunity was originally intended to last just over three months. However, the gritty robot continued its mission travelling nearly 45 km on the red plains- the farthest distance accomplished by any extra-planetary robot. Since landing on Meridiani Planum, a plain on Mars, the golf-cart-sized robot made several landmark discoveries on

DR.SEKAR VISWANATHAN APPOINTED AS FICCI-HE CO-CHAIR

Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is the voice of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business and industry. Its president Mr.SandipSomany has appointed Dr.Sekar Viswanathan, Vice President, VIT-Vellore as the National level Co-Chair of FICCIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Higher Education Committee. The Higher Education Committee consists of leading educations of the nation. The committee will present to the government and other stakeholders, a roadmap, vision for development and suggestions for improvement of the Higher Education sector in India.

Opportunity now lies dormant in the Perseverance Valley. It is survived by NASA's Curiosity rover, which is now the only active robot on Mars.

BANNING NAVJOT SINGH SIDHU FROM SHOW NOT A SOLUTION: KAPIL SHARMA Kapil Sharma, while reacting to reports that Navjot Singh Sidhu has been banned from 'The Kapil Sharma Show' over remarks on Pulwama attack, said banning him isn't a solution. Adding such controversies are "mere propaganda", Kapil said government must look for "permanent solution". He explained he shot some episodes with Archana Puran Singh as Sidhu was busy with prior commitments.

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LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR VIT FOUNDER Vellore Institute of Technology (Deemed to be University), has been one of the finest examples of what a pioneering vision in private higher education can do in a country dominated by public institutions. Within a few decades, VIT Deemed University has grown by leaps and bounds to dominate even many public institutions in every facet of technical education - admissions, academics, industry tie-ups, research, incubation and placements. VIT owes its success to the unique vision of its Founder, Dr. G Viswanathan, noted educationist, former Parliamentarian and former Minister in the Tamil Nadu Governmen. Due to Dr. Viswanathan's efforts, VIT has come to be the benchmark to be beaten among private technical universities in the country. Now, National Teachers' Congress has acknowledged his massive contribution to India's higher education scene by bestowing on him, the Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar - Lifetime Achievement Award for remaining an inspiring teacher throughout and for Teaching, Research and Institution Building.

weaker sections from all over India. A citation, signed by Anil Kakodkar, renowned Atomic Energy Scientist and Founding Patron of National Teachers’ Congress, R.A.Mashelkar, President of the Congress and National Research Professor and Eminent Scientist and Dr. VishwanathKarad , Founder of MIT World Peace Universityrecognised Dr. Viswanathan’s recognition and appreciation of his momentous contribution as a Visionary Academic Leader. The citation listed out the exemplary career, political, academic and public life of Dr. Viswanathan and also noted: “You are an academic leader with an unending thirst for knowledge that makes you strive harder and achieve various milestones.” The 3rd National Teachers’ Congress was supported by the Government of Maharashtra, All India Council for Technical Education and UNESCO Chair for Human Rights among other reputed institutions.

r. G.Viswanathan, Founder and Chancellor of Vellore Institute of Technology, has been bestowed with the JeevanGauravPuraskar – Lifetime Award for remaining an inspiring teacher throughout and for Teaching, Research and Institution Building by the National Teachers’ Congress and MIT World Peace University, Pune. The award ceremony took place at the 3rd Global National Teachers’ Congress held at MIT World Peace University, SEASONAL MAGAZINE

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Kothrud, Pune on Sunday, January 6. The Lifetime award is the latest feather in the cap of noted educationist, former Parliamentarian and former Minister in the Tamil Nadu Government, Dr. G.Viswanathan, who has been instrumental in creating and nurturing Vellore Institute of Technology as one of India’s finest higher educational institution providing engineering, management, legal, agriculture and arts and science education to young women and men, especially economically

A National Teachers’ Congress, was founded in the year 2016, to inspire the teaching community of under-graduate and post-graduate colleges from across the nation and form other countries, has gained active support of Union Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, Ministry of Higher & Technical Education, Government of Maharashtra, Association of Indian University (AIU), National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and the UNESCO Chair of Human Rights, Democracy, Peace and Tolerance, Pune. DevendraFadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra is the Patron. Over 5,000 renowned teachers from all disciplines and from all over the country took part. The theme of the Congress was “LeapFrogging to a Future Ready Higher Education.”

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THE OBEROI, MUMBAI OFFERS THE BEST OF SICILIAN CUISINE

RALPH LAUREN PRESENTS ITS SPRING 2019 COLLECTION

Brining some fresh whiffs from Italy, The Oberoi, Mumbai is welcoming Executive Chef Agostino D’Angelo from Ristorante Olivier at Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea from February 21 to 28, 2019 at Vetro.

American luxury fashion brand Ralph Lauren debuted its Spring 2019 collection while transforming its Madison Avenue flagship store into Ralph’s Café, an immersive dining experience. “To bring the fresh spirit and modern glamour of my Spring 2019 Women’s Collection to life I decided to share it in the charming environment of my new Ralph’s Café on Madison Avenue. I wanted to create an intimate experience to share my vision in a more personal way,” said Ralph Lauren. The first floor of the store has been reimagined as Ralph’s Café which will serve breakfast as guests enjoy an intimate presentation of the new season.

Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea was built by an aristocratic family in 1830 among lush, subtropical gardens. Till today, Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea enjoys a reputation as one of the most romantic hotels in Taormina. The exclusive Culinary Showcase at The Oberoi, Mumbai will have Chef D’Angelo celebrate fine Sicilian cuisine with dishes such as the Caponata, one of the most renowned and well known traditional vegetarian dishes of Sicily; Marinated sea bass with shaved fennel and orange segments; Burrata cheese and basil cream with grilled fruit (where the fruit is marinated with modern techniques, then vacuum packed to remove the internal oxygen and give the fruit a more intense flavour and colour); Traditional Sicilian style Cannoli and more.

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN LAUNCHES ITS FIRST RUNNER COLLECTION French luxury shoemaker Christian Louboutin debuted their first luxury runner collection for men and women ‘Run Loubi Run’ at the London Fashion Week 2019. Made for inner-city life, but with an insistence for individualism and a refusal to conform, the sneakers are about breaking convention in a crowd. The brand has collaborated with Wonderland to produce a short film and still images featuring leading dance talents from the Royal Ballet: Principal dancer Lauren Cuthbertson and First Soloist Marcelino Sambé, who prove elegance is an attitude, even in audacious footwear. Using a variety of design elements to create a fashionable runner that is like a painting on a blank canvas, Mr. Louboutin takes the traditional sneaker and gives it a glamourous avatar. Studs, stripes, shades – all have been converged to present stunning shoes for the millennials of the world. SEASONAL MAGAZINE

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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ARTWORK ON AUCTION FOR THE FIRST TIME Giving credence to the rapidly emerging field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Art, Sotheby’s London will offer the first selfcontained, generative work of Artificial Intelligence ever to appear on the market, as part of the Contemporary Art Day Auction in London on March 6. Titled Memories of Passersby I, Mario Klingemann’s installation comprises a custom-made wooden console table which hosts an AI computer ‘brain’, and two framed screens upon which the machine’s output - disquieting portraits of imagined male and female faces - blur hypnotically into focus. A remarkable technological feat, the flow of faces on the screen are not predefined, but instead are a result of the AI creating its own unique output in real-time. The machine generates a new and neverrepeating combination of portraits for as long as it is running. Imagine – a new artwork in your space every five minutes.