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VOLUME 11 ISSUE 3 MARCH 2012
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MAGAZINE
Seasonal www.seasonalmagazine.com
Vol 11 Issue 3 March 2012
Managing Editor Jason D Pavoratti Editor John Antony Director (Finance) Ceena Senior Editorial Coordinator Jacob Deva Senior Correspondent Bina Menon Creative Visualizer Bijohns Varghese Photographer Anish Aloysious Correspondents Bombay: Rashmi Prakash Hyderabad: Iqbal Siddiqui Delhi: Anurag Dixit Director (Technical) John Antony Publisher Jason D
1) Putting Stock Market Interests First
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7 Ways in which Indian Priorities are Quite Wrong The budget season is fast approaching, the fiscal will soon end, and our rulers are sitting glum thinking that taming inflation and managing 7% growth are the greatest achievements that would have been possible in this year. When will politicians learn to face facts? Admit that their priorities have often been wrong? Here is just a sampling:
Editorial & Business Office Cochin: 36/1924 E, Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road, Near IGNOU, Kaloor, Cochin-17. Ph:0484- 2345876, 2534377, 2340080 Mob. 09947141362, 09947258505
All health related articles are for first information purposes only. Always consult your doctor before taking any decison affecting your health.
EDITORIAL
MEMBER
Every three months, comes a quarterly result. Companies private and public are perspiring by that time to deliver good numbers. To satisfy whom? Shareholders? They are still not 1% of our population. Or FIIs? Why should we satisfy them? Nations that thought that shareholder interest is the main national interest is today in economic shambles. US, UK, France, Germany, … the list goes on. They are just riding the proverbial tiger that Ramalinga Raju found difficulty in getting down. The tiger of manipulated numbers, self-printed money, and colossal debts. Why should we have a Vision 2050 to reach that very trap? Let us call the bluff. Profits are not everything. Sustainable and equitable growth for all are far more important. Only that would work to the welfare of the remaining 99% of Indians.
2) Putting Growth of Human Capital Last Almost every Western luxury brand has reached our shores. From Audi to iPad. Both are flawed models for India. iPad works not because of Steve Jobs’ vision, but because of the sweatshops and forced labour in China. And how many jobs have these luxury car majors created in India vis-à-vis what they take out from this country? Today, everything from banks to cars excel in not using human capital. Car factories invest huge in robotic assembly lines, while private banks go to limits of absurdity to reduce staff with no limits at all. What for? To boost per-employee revenues and
profit? Again, what for? Let us not idolize the Facebook model of doing business - employing 3000 guys n’ gals and getting obnoxious valuations like $100 billion. That is the American style, the socially failed American style.
3) State Getting Out of Healthcare We can agree that India is not rich to afford social security for all. But what prompted successive governments to get out of healthcare? More often than not, disaster strikes as diseases, not job losses or accidents. Then all of us realize that only health is wealth, but where is that fair aid from taxpayer money? All one can do is go to a posh private hospital and get a nice round hole burned in your pocket. That is, if you are lucky. More likely is that just a critical disease is enough to leave a lasting financial impression on the next generation too. It is high-time that India stopped whatever it has been doing, take a deep breath of introspection, and reverse this number one social malady.
4) State Getting Out of Education For argument’s sake, the state can even get out of healthcare. Provided, the per capita GDP can afford it. But what prompted successive Governments to get out of education? When everyone agrees that education and only education is the great leveller between the classes and between the castes, this deserting has been the most mortal body blow to the Indian society. Instead, we are thinking of when to rollout the red-carpet for some of this globe’s costliest Universities. All should be welcome, provided at least 50% of all admissions, right from Kindergarten to PhD is reserved free of cost to the most deserving sections of the society.
5) Land Grabs Without Compensation Land is not equal to money. Otherwise the most prudent investors wouldn’t have invested in land, and land alone as a priority. But even a democratic state like India has no qualms about usurping a poor man’s land. For the rich it is an investment, but for the poor it his means of livelihood and his only insurance in this uncertain world. Money can’t compensate for taking over land. Landowners should be given even better land after development. Not only that, they should be made special shareholders in any project brought up on taken over land. That single step will kill the tendency to hoard land in the name of SEZ etc, as well as facilitate fruitful projects.
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EDITORIAL
6) Equating FDI with FII From the Great Indian Experiment in stock market, one thing is clear. The day any nation starts boasting about its FII inflows, something rotten is set in motion. Most FIIs are just traders, who bring in tsunami like money, multiply it here at the expense of domestic investors, and take it back entirely with them, leaving a huge hollow in the finances of our companies. A case in point is the huge upcoming FCCB redemptions facing many listed companies, who took hybrid equityconvertible loans at high valuations. FII money is not foreign direct investment. If the nation wants to put FII money to good use, let them come in with a lockin, or let them come through the GDR route. This country has had enough of anonymous P-Notes.
7) Facilitating Hoarding of Assets What we need is not just taxing the income. Only relying on that flawed system has resulted in this enormous hoarding of assets that we see in India. The kind of wealth locked-in unproductive assets like gold and real estate is obnoxious. What would discourage such hoarding? We need to have an annual tax on unproductive assets above a reasonable level. That will prompt the wealthy to liquidate such assets and put it to productive use by investing the same in bonds, equities, banks etc. What is preventing any Government from taking such commonsense steps? Just because, the middle-class and upper-class have come to dominate the policy decisions at every sphere. The fact that media is also highly biased towards its readers/viewers, who are all basically not from the lower-class, doesn’t help either. Let no one forget that the relatively well-off sections of the society don’t constitute even 35% of what is India. The key to India’s future will be in the hands of leaders who don’t forget this fundamental premise. John Antony
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CONTENTS Which are India's most competitive cities for business? The City Competitiveness Report 2011 unveiled by an international think tank, Institute For Competitiveness (IFC) aims to answer this question. The latest report is an indication of how the corporate world selects the cities for investing and also how governance is important in assessing the level of competitiveness in these cities.
India's Best Cities for Business Jones Lang LaSalle Sees Indian Realty Stable
Has Rupee Drop Made Realty Attractive for NRIs?
The internationally noted consultancy’s view is that if buying is restricted to tier 1 and tier 2 cities, it reduces..
Simple Exercizes for Pain Relief Exercise can help reduce stiffness and pain, and it can also help you lose weight, which takes pressure off aching joints..
Understanding Stroke
Fitch Positive on Indian Office Space, Negative on Residential
Stroke is a medical emergency and the third leading cause of death. It occurs when a blood vessel in the brain bursts or, more commonly, when a blockage develops. Without treatment, cells in the brain quickly begin to die. The result can be..
Depression: Using Positive Thinking Five Foods You Don’t Have to Give Up
Heart disease continues to be the number one killer of both ...
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Depression is an illness that makes a person feel sad and hopeless much of the time. It's different than feeling a little sad or down. Depression can be treated with counseling or medicine, or both..
Is Indian Realty Unproductive Compared with Chinese Realty?
8 Things you didn't Know Your Webcam could Do There are plenty of free programs you can use to turn a webcam into a remote security system. Simply install Yawcam..
Audi A6 2.0 TDi Road Test The other highlight of the car other than the way it looks, is the MMI interface, and the way it moulds the car around you, the driver. Want features? Be careful what you ask for, because the A6 could drown you..
Celebs and Their Luxury Cars Peeking into the garages of India's rich and famous to see..
BANKS Q3 RESULTS Digital Banking May Overwhelm Traditional Banking Within 3 Years Digital banking is set to overtake branch networks as the main way customers interact with their banks by 2015 mainly on account of younger generations’ preference to mobile and..
In Cricket, No Team is No.1 As predicted before the commencement of the Australian tour, India let themselves and their fans down with yet..
Banks Start Fighting NBFCs in Gold Loans It seems all that glitters ultimately turns out to be gold. India's top banks are now vying for market share in the gold loan business, which has so far remained the forte of non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and a few..
“KCA’s Achievements are Enough to Silence Critics” Within moments of meeting TC Mathew, his style of doing things is evident. The Secretary of Kerala Cricket Association doesn’t mince words. If he has the option to think of something and also to do that something, Mathew would rather do it first. It is this doer credentials with which he holds his..
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COUNTERVIEWS TO
‘7 WAYS INDIAN PRIORITIES ARE WRONG’ Paul Abraham, COO, Indus Ind Bank Limited: I agree with the issues highlighted in the article, though not necessarily with the extreme tones under each point. There are many things the Government does, and does reasonably well. We have to give credit for that. There are some things that the Government shouldn’t do and leave to the more competent. I think one key thing that you have left out is the
s
Dr. N Kamakodi, MD & CEO, City Union Bank Ltd: Good article, but these views will always have counterviews too. Here are some points I would like to note in this context: All people, especially seniors who are born before 40s, say we can not deny some prosperity to the country as a whole. Secondly, the Chinese model of ‘first create wealth and later we may think of distribution’ can not work in a democratic setup. Had the top leadership of the country been a little more benevolent & straightforward, things could have been much better. Anyway, this article is good.
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revamping of the judicial system. I think that is one of our biggest issues. The ability of wrongdoers to get away and believe that they can get away by manipulating the system is probably one of the biggest causes of corruption in India. Another key item is the funding of the elections and the discretion vested with the Government agencies when it comes to resource allocation whether it is land, minerals, spectrum etc.
Venugopal, Media & Communication Consultant: You have raised valid points in the article. But problems are more with implementation of laws or regulations. Stock market is not only for the rich. Ordinary but intelligent people have benefited from it. Any worthwhile company can raise money thorough the capital market. When being depressed by Satyam, we should also think of Infosys. But market is definitely also misused. I would blame it on the regulators.
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Jones Lang LaSalle Sees Indian Realty Stable The internationally noted consultancy’s view is that if buying is restricted to tier 1 and tier 2 cities, it reduces investment risk. CEO Sanjay Dutt says that, further, if you invest Rs. 2,500 - Rs. 5,000 psf, it gives downside protection from any capital erosion. Simply put, the cost of construction and minimum cost of land literally makes this price segment safe and almost guarantees capital appreciation. Some of the markets that qualify would be NCR, Lucknow, Chandigarh and Jaipur in the north and Ahmedabad in the west. Investors should ensure that the price of the property is lower than the last peak in 2008. Exceptions should be made only for quality, delivery date and location.
Sanjay Dutt
Has Rupee Drop Made Realty Attractive for NRIs? The cheaper rupee and deep discounts offered by developers have triggered a substantial jump in property-related enquiries from NRIs, if not sales. The bulk of the momentum is seen in group buying sites like Groffr.com and GroupBuying.in. Many NRIs are teaming up with like-minded buyers on these real estate group buying sites to shop for flats in India. The cheaper rupee and deep discounts offered by developers through these portals has triggered a substantial jump in property-related enquiries from NRIs in the US, UK and the Middle East in the last three months. The usual discounts are however not high, at around only 10%.
SEASONAL MAGAZINE
CREDAI Launches Ambitious Skill Development Programme
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Rohit Gera
Pune chapter of CREDAI has launched an ambitious worker training programme that is likely to be replicated across the country through its various local chapters. The highlight of the scheme which aims to develop a 25,000 strong skilled workforce is that the training is completely free. Not only that, workers are trained on-site during work, so that they also earn while they learn. CREDAI (Pune) Vice President Rohit Gera said training will be offered to construction workers in six trades - shuttering carpentry, bar-bending, masonry, plumbing, painting and tiling. The programme is in association with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).
Mumbai Realty Show at Dubai a Hit Speaking about MCHI’s India Realty Show 2012, Dubai, Mr. Boman Irani - Hon. Secretary, MCHI, said, “It was a win-win scenario. The foreign currency scenario has created a ‘advantage: NRI” situation for NRIs, as they get the advantage of a favourable exchange rate, which translates into more Indian Rupees for them, given the exchange rate since the past few weeks. “We have seen Non Resident Indians from the U.A.E. as also the G.C.C. showing willingness to make huge investments in Indian property.” The three-day India Realty Show 2012 organized by the Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (MCHI), at Dubai over the last week-end has evoked an enthusiastic response from among serious property buyers. As many as 8,400, NRIs walked into the mega exhibition hosted by MCHI, the representative body of Indian developers and builders from Mumbai,
Boman Irani
Bandish Ajmera
suburbs and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Held at Hotel, Crown Plaza Deira - Dubai, this was the 15th edition of MCHI’s Property Show arguably, India‘s only ‘official’ Property show abroad. Mr. Bandish Ajmera - Chairman, Exhibition Committee - MCHI, said, “Right from the event’s inauguration at the hands of Mr B Rajagopalan, Head of Chancery, Indian Embassy, Abu Dhabi on January 12 2012, wherein he extended best wishes to MCHI and the developers who were participating in the event - his wishes came true,” said Bandish Ajmera. “We had Dr Ram Buxani, eminent business leader of Indian origin at the event inauguration, he had expressed a wish that the event would be a helping hand for NRIs who are looking at buying a ‘home, back home’ ands this too, came true,” he added.
Riding high on the growth in the IT/ITeS sector, demand for commercial office space will continue to grow in 2012, a survey by Fitch Ratings said. The rating agency, in its report titled “2012 Outlook: Indian Real Estate Sector”, has hinted at a lower growth in the retail commercial space. “Though over supply of commercial space continues in some markets, the demand for office space (in 2012) is likely to be maintained at 2011 levels due to the anticipated growth in IT/ITeS, which accounts for a substantial demand for office space in India,” said the report released recently. The rating agency has forecast a negative outlook for the Indian real estate sector in 2012 due to weak overall demand and higher construction costs, which are likely to continue to squeeze margins. “The demand for the residential segment was affected due to higher prices and an
increase in mortgage lending rates. This trend is likely to continue in the first half of 2012. The lower residential demand is likely to drive down revenues in the sector this year.”
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Fitch Positive on Indian Office Space, Negative on Residential
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Is Indian Realty Unproductive Compared with Chinese Realty?
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In both countries, the real estate sector played a prominent part in stoking domestic demand. In India, however, real estate by and large drove investments. Evidence suggests that ever since the SEZ Act came into being in 2005, opening up lucrative possibilities for rent, land has become the biggest profitmaking asset, with manufacturing firms too cashing in on a booming property market. In China, the real estate boom was more the outcome of an export-oriented economy, and robust global demand for that country’s manufacturing. In India, investments in property drove economic expansion, in the bargain also stoking secondary inflation, and creating the dangers of overheating. China’s economy and its dangerously-poised real estate boom now faces a demand freeze in the US and Europe, and that explains the lowered forecast for the current year. In India, the 7-per-cent forecast is an outcome of an even more dangerous pattern of the bulk of private sector investments seeking outlets, not in the creation of productive assets, but in real estate clustered around urban sprawls.
Bangalore Realty Market Steadier Compared to Delhi, Mumbai
Only India and China Have Capital for Hospitality Growth: Hyatt India and China are the most happening places for investors in hotel business, says Stephen Haggerty, Global Head of Real Estate and Development, Hyatt Hotels Corporation. “There are really only two markets - India and China across the world that have significant capital for new (hotel) development and where there are significant number of new locations to build these hotels.” Reacting to the glut remaining in the market, Haggerty said, “Yes, there is glut in India. Any market that is growing is bound to have a glut. When you have a market where you have a number of hotels opening at the same time, the pricing power falls. But we still see strong fundamentals because operating margins are high and owners are making money.” The two models where he sees maximum growth in India are extended stay and the self-service or home-cooking model. “Companies that relocate staff or conduct in training want larger rooms and longer stay. There is also opportunity in the short-term guests who, say, likes to cook themselves. This is a model has proved successful in the US and it works for both our owners and customers.”
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Delhi and Mumbai have slipped in an Asia-Pacific (APAC) real estate investment opportunities list for 2012 owing to economic and inflationary issues, reports PTI quoting a joint report by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and PwC. The report, titled, ‘Emerging Trends in Real Estate Asia-Pacific 2012’, found Delhi and Mumbai dropped from fifth and third place in last year’s list of real estate investment prospects to 12th and 15th position, respectively, in 2012. However, Bangalore maintained its position as the 10th most favoured investment destination in the AsiaPacific real estate space. “Bangalore continues to be a stable play. It never crashed when the sub-prime crisis hit and it didn’t rocket up even when the markets were doing well in 2006-07. It’s a very organic, growth-driven market,” the report noted. In terms of development prospects, Bangalore gained two positions to rank seventh in 2012, while Mumbai dropped dramatically from first to 10th place and Delhi fell from second to 13th place.
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Ackruti Launches Premium Residential Project in Andheri
with approximately 426 apartments, ranging from one BHK to 3.5 BHK, with saleable area of 730 sq ft for one BHK to saleable area of 1,900 sq ft for a 3.5 BHK.
Ackruti City has recently launched a premium residential project, Ackruti Hillcrest, in Andheri. The prices are in the range of Rs 10,900 per sq ft, starting at Rs 85 lakh. According to a company release, Ackruti City is also offering a launch discount. Ackruti claims that one can own a home in this up-market residential complex for less than a crore, which would be difficult otherwise considering Mumbai’s constant struggle with space. Ackruti Hillcrest is a 22-storeyed tower comprising three wings
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Godrej Properties To Develop Residential Launches Residential Project in Pune Project in Nagpur Godrej has also joined as a partner in Mosiac
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The real estate development arm of the Godrej Group, Godrej Properties, recently announced that it will develope about 20 lakh sq.ft of premium residential apartments and villas within Anandam World City at Model Mills, Ganeshpeth, bang in the middle of Nagpur. Godrej Properties claimed that the residential towers are planned to be the tallest in Nagpur. It will comprise a range of luxurious amenities such as a 4 acre central garden with a state-of-the-art club house, swimming pool, indoor games and a yoga room.
Landmarks LLP to develop a group housing project at Undri (near NIBM) in Pune. This is a profit sharing arrangement with GPL getting 51 per cent of the profits from the project. The project, spread over 8.64 acre, will offer approximately 500,000 sq ft of saleable area and is proposed to be developed as a modern group housing residential development comprising 2, 2.5, 3 BHK, and penthouse apartments. The location offers excellent connectivity to all key areas in Pune, like MG Road, the Mumbai-Bangalore Highway (NH 4) and the PuneSolapur Highway (NH 9).
ATS Group Launches Residential Project in Gurgaon
Ansal Housing Presents ‘Ansal Heights-2’, at Sector 86 Gurgaon
Grand Residential Project SJR Trillium SJR Group is presenting its awesome home project at Electronic City Bangalore named SJR Trillium. The development is offering 2/3 BHK plentiful apartments. The size range of these flats is 1230 sq ft to 1615 sq ft. The price of these apartments is Rs 32, 47, 200 onwards. The project is located at a location from where beautiful landscapes and greenery can be seen, which is going to offer its residents calm and healthy living. The project also includes many unmatched amenities, such as, club houses with party hall, gymnasium, snooker, table tennis, shuttle court, children’s play area, badminton court, swimming pool, and many more to make your life more comfortable and relaxing.
Ansal Heights- 2 is a gated community in approximately 14.5 acres, with high rise buildings with four apartments per floor, comprising of 2/3BHK/ 4BHK SQ Bedroom apartments featuring the highest design standards & quality amenities at attractive price points. Ansal Heights is licensed which makes it a safe investment which is legally viable. The pricing has been kept in such a way that the investor makes sufficient returns on the project. Ansal has Launched New Residential Project in Sector-86, Gurgaon With 2/3/4 BHK All Amenities in Society 100% Power Backup, Fully Water Supply Swimming pool and health club landscaped garden Project Name “”Ansal Heights- 23 “ is for those to whom style matters.
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Real estate firm ATS Group today announced the launch of ATS Kocoonits first residential project in Gurgaon. A 1.1 million square foot highrise apartment complex, ATS Kocoon will offer 450 apartments, built over 12.2 acres at Sector 109 Gurgaon. The project is a joint development with the landowner, Chintels Group. On offer are 3 bedroom and 4 bedroom apartments in 3 basic unit sizes–1,750 sq ft, 2,125 sq ft and 3,050 sq ft. The project will be completed within 30 months from the date of launch. Hafeez Contractor will be the master architect for the Gurgaon projects.
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CHD Presents Residential Project Avenue 71 in Gurgaon
CHD Developers Ltd. have come closer to their dream of introducing the country to lavish living. The company’s latest project, Avenue 71 is created with a vision to surround you with opulence, and overwhelm you with beauty. So, come close to nature, and relish every intricate detail. Succumb to the greenery around you, and savour every breath. Become a child again, not missing a single path to run on, and a single tree to circle around. Get ready to joyfully await every Autumn and Spring, and watch them fade into a colourful Summer and a beautiful Winter. When you’re done exploring our open spaces, retreat indoors to a secure life with absolute privacy, and clutter-free living. CHD Avenue 71 is a perfect example of an ideal sustainable design. It is carefully designed keeping the idea of water and electricity conservation in mind. Our architects have maintained a balance between energy usage and design excellence, and the result is simply phenomenal.
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Introducing Odisha’s First 100% Nature Inspired Premium Residential Project DN OxyPark, Bhubaneswar
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Odisha’s premier real estate company D.N.Homes announced their most prestigious project ever – DN OxyPark in Dumuduma Bhubaneswar. DN OxyPark is a Lifestyle residential project built with the theme of Nature and will appeal to customers who aspire an upgraded premium living. DN OxyPark promises an unparalleled premium living, by introducing waterscapes encompassing each tower of the project with natural landscaping for the very first time in Odisha. The DN OxyPark project is coming up at Dumuduma, one of the most promising locales in Bhubaneswar. It is located just a minute from National Highway 5 and in close proximity of Khandagiri Square and many other desired facilities such as schools, hospitals, and shopping complexes. DN OxyPark has four premium towers – Flora, Fauna, Aqua and Terra – and a total of over 300 premium apartments, with 3BHK, 4BHK and studio configurations. The project is build over 4.125 acres of land, out of which 78% is open speaces and 61% green zones. with open space of 78%. Some of the world class amenities in the project include Yoga and meditation pavilions, rooftop swimming pool, health club, basketball court, tennis court, kids play zones, cafeteria and a retail zone.
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Five Foods You Don’t Have to Give Up
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Beef.
Heart disease continues to be the number one killer of both men and women in this country and controlling cholesterol levels is thought to be the most effective way of reducing the risk of heart disease. Meat is usually the first diet element to get the old “heave-ho” when it comes to cholesterol management. However, a study that appeared this month in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that including lean beef, such as sirloin, in a heart-healthy diet was as effective for lowering cholesterol as traditional heart-healthy diets.
Roasted Nuts.
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You’ve always heard that roasting nuts kills off many of their nutrients and health benefits. Many of the raw foodie buds think you have to soak nuts too in order to make them more digestible and to release their inner nutrients. But a recent study conducted by Joseph Vinson, PhD from the University of Scranton found little nutritional difference between raw and roasted nuts. He found that the polyphenol (plant antioxidant) content were virtually the same. Myth busted! But don’t forget, most roasted nuts are salted. If you must eat them salted, try to stay within the recommended amount of 1 ounce a day, which typically provides less than 200 mg of sodium.
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Chocolate.
Something that tastes so good can’t possibly be good for you, so it’s easy to assign blame to chocolate for a whole host of health woes. However, a review of several short-term studies (meta-analysis) conducted by researchers from Harvard revealed that those participants who regularly consumed flavanol (plant antioxidant) -rich cocoa had significantly improved blood pressure, cholesterol levels and blood flow and also reduced insulin resistance. Most health experts suggest about an ounce a day for good health. Remember — it’s the cocoa in chocolate that’s the healthy ingredient NOT the added calories and saturated fat found in confections made with cocoa. Bottom line? Enjoy in chocolate confections in moderation.
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Whole Eggs.
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Like beef, eggs have been relegated to the hall of shame for foods associated with heart disease. However, research spanning some 40 years has not made the connection between egg consumption and heart disease. Though eggs are high in cholesterol, what’s different about them compared to other cholesterol-containing foods is that egg yolks contain powerful antioxidants that may help protect LDL cholesterol from becoming oxidized and turning into a more harmful form associated with heart disease. Regardless if whether the theory holds water or not, most agree that one whole egg a day, which supplies about 185mg of cholesterol, fits well within the heart-healthy guidelines of 300mg of cholesterol a day. Let me be the first to egg you on!
Coffee.
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Next to alcohol, no other beverage has been blamed more for causing health problems ranging from cancer and heart disease to reflux disease (chronic heartburn) and dehydration. And to be clear, I’m referring to straight up coffee without all of the fixin’s here. Lots of added cream and sugar can change this healthy beverage into liquid candy.coffee was found to be the number one source of antioxidants in the American diet, finally establishing that coffee wasn’t just caffeinated fluid anymore. In fact, several studies have correlated coffee drinking with health benefits such as reduced or no increased risk of colon, prostate, breast and endometrial cancers. The research on diabetes has been mixed depending on whether your cup of Joe has caffeine or not. Some research has suggested that coffee drinkers may be at lower risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease and senile dementia when compared to those who don’t drink coffee. A recent Australian study was unable to find any correlation between coffee consumption and gastroesophageal reflux disease even though coffee always appears on the top of the list of “no-nos” for chronic heartburn sufferers. Regarding dehydration, up to two cups (16 ounces) of coffee a day was found to be as hydrating as water. After that the diuretic effects of caffeine may kick in for some and increase your need for additional fluids.
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Understanding Stroke Stroke is a medical emergency and the third leading cause of death in the U.S. It occurs when a blood vessel in the brain bursts or, more commonly, when a blockage develops. Without treatment, cells in the brain quickly begin to die. The result can be serious disability or death. If a loved one is having stroke symptoms, seek emergency medical attention without delay.
Stroke Symptoms Signs of a stroke may include: Sudden numbness or weakness of the body, especially on one side. Sudden vision changes in one or both eyes, or difficulty swallowing. Sudden, severe headache with unknown cause. Sudden problems with dizziness, walking, or balance. Sudden confusion, difficulty speaking or understanding others.
Stroke Test: Talk, Wave, Smile The F.A.S.T. test helps spot symptoms. It stands for: Face. Ask for a smile. Does one side droop? Arms. When raised, does one side drift down? Speech. Can the person repeat a simple sentence? Does he or she have trouble or slur words? Time. Time is critical.Seek help
immediately Stroke: Time = Brain sng drugs that can curb brain damage, but they have to be used within three hours of the initial stroke symptoms. Once brain tissue has died, the body parts controlled by that area won't work properly. This is why stroke is a top cause of long-term disability.
Diagnosing a Stroke When someone with stroke symptoms arrives in the ER, the first step is to determine which type of stroke is occurring. There are two main types, and they are not treated the same way. A CT scan can help doctors determine whether the symptoms are coming from a blocked blood vessel or a bleeding one. Additional tests Ischemic
Stroke Types The most common type of stroke is known as an ischemic stroke. Nearly nine out of 10 strokes fall into this category. The culprit is a blood clot that obstructs a blood vessel inside the brain. The clot may develop on the spot or travel through the blood from elsewhere in the body. Hemorrhagic strokes are less common but far more likely to be fatal. They occur when a weakened blood vessel
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What Is a Stroke?
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in the brain bursts. The resbleeding inside the brain that can be difficult to stop.
'Mini-Stroke' (TIA) A transient ischemic attack, often called a "mini-stroke," is more like a close call. Blood flow is temporarily impaired to part of the brain, causing symptoms similar to an actual stroke. When the blood flows again, the symptoms disappear. A TIA is a warning sign that a stroke may happen soon. It's critical to see your doctor if you think you've had a TIA. There are therapies to reduce the risk of stroke.
What Causes a Stroke A common cause of stroke is atherosclerosis hardening of the arteries. Plaque made of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances builds up in the arteries, leaving less space for blood to flow. A blood clot may lodge in this narrow space and cause an ischemic stroke. Atherosclerosis also makes it easier for a clot to form. Hemorrhagic strokes often result from uncontrolled high blood pressure that causes a weakened artery to burst.
Risk Factors: Chronic Conditions
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Certain chronic conditions increase your risk of stroke. These include: High blood pressure, High cholesterol, Diabetes Obesity Taking steps to control these conditions may reduce your risk. Risk Factors: Behaviors Certain behaviors also increase the risk of stroke: Smoking Getting too little exercise Heavy use of alcohol
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Diet A poor diet may increase the risk for stroke in a few significant ways. Eating too much fat and cholesterol
Risk Factors You Can't Control
A common cause of stroke is atherosclerosis, that is hardening of the arteries. Plaque made of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances builds up in the arteries, leaving less space for blood to flow. A blood clot may lodge in this narrow space and cause an ischemic stroke. Atherosclerosis also makes it easier for a clot to form. Hemorrhagic strokes often result from uncontrolled high blood pressure that causes a weakened artery to burst.
can lead to arteries that are narrowed by plaque. Too much salt may contribute to high blood pressure. And too many calories can lead to obesity. A diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish may help lower stroke risk.
Some stroke risk factors are beyond your control, such as getting older or having a family history of strokes. Gender plays a role, too, with men being more likely to have a stroke. However, more stroke deaths occur in women. Finally, race is an important risk factor. AfricanAmericans, Native Americans, and Alaskan Natives are at greater risk compared to people of other ethnicities.
Stroke: Emergency Treatment For an ischemic stroke, emergency treatment focuses on medicine to restore blood flow. A clot-busting medication is highly effective at dissolving clots and minimizing long-term damage, but it must be given within three hours of the onset of symptoms. Hemorrhagic strokes are more difficult to manage. Treatment usually involves attempting to control high blood pressure, bleeding, and brain swelling.
Stroke: Long-Term Damage Whether a stroke causes long-term damage depends on its severity and
Stroke Rehab: Speech Therapy Rehabilitation is the centerpiece of the stroke recovery process. It helps patients regain lost skills and learn to compensate for damage that can't be undone. The goal is to help restore as much independence as possible. For people who have trouble speaking, speech and language therapy is essential. A speech therapist can also help patients who have trouble swallowing.
Physical Therapy Muscle weakness, as well as balance problems, are very common after a stroke. This can interfere with walking and other daily activities.
Physical therapy is an effective way to regain strength, balance, and coordination. For fine motor skills, such as using a knife and fork, writing, and buttoning a shirt, occupational therapy can help.
Talk Therapy It's common for stroke survivors and their loved ones to experience a wide range of intense emotions, such as fear, anger, worry, and grief. A psychologist or mental health counselor can provide strategies for coping with these emotions. A therapist can also watch for signs of depression, which frequently strikes people who are recovering from a stroke.
Stroke Prevention: Lifestyle People who have had a stroke or TIA can take steps to prevent a recurrence: Quit smoking. Exercise and maintain a healthy weight. Limit alcohol and salt intake. Eat a healthier diet with more veggies, fish, and whole grains.
Doctors can also treat a clogged carotid artery without major surgery in some cases. The procedure, called angioplasty, involves temporarily inserting a catheter into the artery and inflating a tiny balloon to widen the area that is narrowed by plaque. A metal tube, called a stent, can be inserted and left in place to keep the artery open.
Medications For people with a high risk of stroke, doctors often recommend medications to lower this risk. Antiplatelet medicines, including aspirin, keep platelets in the blood from sticking together and forming clots. Anti-clotting drugs, such as warfarin, may be needed to help ward off stroke in some patients. Finally, if you have high blood pressure, your doctor will prescribe medication to lower it.
Surgery In some cases, a stroke results from a narrowed carotid artery -the blood vessels that travel up each side of the neck to bring blood to the brain. People who have had a mild stroke or TIA due to this problem may benefit from surgery known as carotid endarterectomy. This procedure removes plaque from the lining of the carotid arteries and can prevent additional strokes.
Balloon and Stent Doctors can also treat a clogged carotid artery without major surgery in some cases. The procedure, called angioplasty, involves temporarily inserting a catheter into the artery and inflating a tiny balloon to widen the area that is narrowed by plaque. A metal tube, called a stent, can be inserted and left in place to keep the artery open.
Life After a Stroke More than half of people who have a stroke regain the ability to take care of themselves. Those who get clot-busting drugs soon enough may recover completely. And those who experience disability can often learn to function independently through therapy. While the risk of a second stroke is higher at first, this risk drops off over time.
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how quickly treatment stabilizes the brain. The type of damage depends on where in the brain the stroke occurs. Common problems after a stroke include numbness in the arms or legs, difficulty walking, vision problems, trouble swallowing, and problems with speech and comprehension. These problems can be permanent, but many people regain most of their abilities.
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Is it the Grapes or is it the Alcohol
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that Make Red Wine Good for the Heart?
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What’s been less clear is whether it’s the alcohol in wine or its antioxidants mainly from grape skins and seeds that may be responsible for those heart and stroke risk reductions. Now a new study has arrived at a surprising answer: It may be both. Spanish researchers asked 67 men at high risk for heart disease to try an experiment. After abstaining from alcohol for two weeks, the men were asked to drink about two glasses of red wine each day for a month. The next month, they had the same amount of red wine, but with the alcohol removed. For the last month, they downed the same daily measure of gin. Researchers used blood tests to measure a host of chemicals related to plaque formation in their artery walls and inflammation before the men started drinking and at the end of each month.
During the months the men were drinking red wine and gin, for example, levels of a chemical signal called interleukin10, which turns down inflammation, went up, suggesting that alcohol alone was behind that benefit.
paper, but was not involved in the research. During the months the men were drinking red wine and gin, for example, levels of a chemical signal called interleukin-10, which turns down inflammation, went up, suggesting that alcohol alone was behind that benefit.
“They measured a whole slew of these inflammatory markers,” says R. Curtis Ellison, MD, a professor of medicine and public health at the Boston University School of Medicine.
But, drinking red wine, with and without alcohol, also lowered levels of other chemicals that encourage the formation of plaques in artery walls, suggesting that the healthy antioxidants called polyphenols in red wine might be responsible.
Ellison, who is also co-director of the university’s Institute on Lifestyle & Health, reviewed the
“Thus, both grapes and [alcohol] are good for the heart,” researcher Ramon Estruch, MD,
PhD, of the department of internal medicine at Hospital Clinic, Villarroel in Barcelona, says in an email to WebMD. Estruch says he believes drinking the two together probably conveys a stronger benefit than having either alone. Ellison agrees. The study is published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Advice on Imbibing The American Heart Association says people who don’t have health conditions that can be aggravated by drinking alcohol like liver disease, pancreatitis, or heart failure may enjoy alcohol in moderation. That means no more than two daily drinks for men or one drink a day for women. Study researchers say if heart health is a concern, red wine may be your best beverage choice. For people who don’t want to drink alcohol, Ellison says drinking grape juice, made from red Concord grapes, may also convey some benefits. In either case, watch the calories, which come mainly from sugar. One cup of grape juice contains about 152 calories. A 5-ounce glass of red wine, the standard serving at restaurants, has 125 calories.
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tudies have long suggested that drinking red wine in moderation might be good for the heart.
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Exercise can help reduce stiffness and pain, and it can also help you lose weight, which takes pressure off aching joints. Losing as few as 11 pounds can cut the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis by 50% for some women. Although OA typically affects the knees, your hips, hands, lower back, and neck may also be affected. Always ask your doctor before doing any exercise for pain. Depending on the cause and intensity of your pain, some exercises may not be recommended and can be harmful.
Warming Up Is Critical Warming up with gentle stretching can help get your body ready for your workout. Gentle stretches such as side bends, shoulder shrugs, arm circles, overhead stretches, and bending to reach (but not touch) your toes are all good warm-up exercises. Do three to five repetitions of each. If you are swimming or walking, you can also warm up with a slower swim or walk.
If you have OA in your knees or hips, you want to avoid any jolting exercise like jogging that causes your feet to pound the ground. Lower-impact aerobic activities such as walking, swimming, bicycling, and water aerobics are easier on your joints. They can also help you slim down. Aim for 30 minutes of low-impact aerobic activity on most days of the week - work up to that total if you need to start slow.
Tai Chi and Yoga for OA Tai chi, an ancient Chinese exercise, incorporates slow, gentle movements. It may help with joint pain and flexibility and your balance. Yoga typically involves deep breathing, stretching, and poses that tone, strengthen, and align the body. Both of these lowimpact exercises are easy on the joints and can improve flexibility and muscle strength. Look for classes in your community.
Lat Stretch The latissimus dorsi is the broadest muscle in your back. Stand with your back straight and feet shoulder-width apart. Hold your arms above your head, and hold one hand with the other. Pull upward while leaning straight over toward your right side. Keep your lower body straight. You should feel the pull along your left side. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, then switch sides. Do this 2 to 4 times on each side.
Tricep Stretch Your tricep runs along the back of your upper arm. To stretch it, stand
with your back straight and your feet shoulder-width apart. To stretch your left tricep, bend your left arm and bring your elbow straight up so that it points to the ceiling. Grab your elbow with your right hand, and pull your elbow toward your head. You should feel the stretch along the back of your bent arm. Hold 15 to 30 seconds, then switch elbows. Repeat 2 to 4 times on each arm.
Calf Stretch Place your hands on a wall, back of a chair, countertop, or tree. Now step back with your left leg. Keep it straight, and press your left heel into the floor. Push your hips forward and bend your right leg slightly. You should feel the stretch in your left calf. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat 2 to 4 times for each leg.
Hamstring Stretch Your hamstring muscles run down the back of your thigh. Stretch them by sitting up straight in a chair with one foot on the floor. Slowly raise the other leg, while keeping your knee straight. Support your leg with both of your hands. Hold this for 15 to 30 seconds, and repeat 2 to 4 times on each leg.
Weight Training Strengthening exercises such as weight training help you build the muscles that support your joints. This can be done using hand weights or even a 1-liter water bottle. Start with weights that you can lift 12 to 15 times without slouching or poor form. Talk to a physical therapist or trainer to help design the best strengthening program for you.
Quadriceps Stretch Exercise and OA: You'll feel this stretch in your quad muscles along the front of your Develop Your Plan thigh. If it causes knee pain, stop. First, balance on your left foot. Bend your right knee, raising your ankle to your hand. Grab hold of your ankle, pulling your foot towards your butt to deepen the stretch. Hold 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat 2 to 4 times for each leg. Can’t reach your foot? Loop a towel around your ankle to extend your reach.
Groin Stretch Stretch your groin, or inner thigh muscles, by sitting on the floor with the soles of your feet pressed together. Grab your ankles and gently pull your legs toward you. Go only as far as you can. Use your elbows to press your knees toward the floor. You should feel the stretch in your inner thighs. Hold your groin stretch for 15 to 30 seconds, and repeat it 2 to 4 times.
Mix up your exercise to keep your joints in tip-top shape and your workout routine fresh and fun. Do low-impact aerobic exercises such as walking. Add in gentle stretches with yoga or tai chi, plus range of motion exercises. Weight training can round out your routine. A wellrounded conditioning program can help improve your ability to move, stay limber, and increase muscle strength.
Listen to Your Body Listen to your body and know your limits. If you have severe joint pain or stiffness, talk to your doctor about ways to reduce your discomfort. Heat can help relax your joints and muscles. After exercise, try icing your joints for 10 to 15 minutes to reduce swelling.
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Joint-Friendly Aerobic Exercises
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Pleasure of Eating, Pain from Eating Dietary changes and certain foods can trigger migraines. .Suffering from headaches or migraines every now then? Well, you're not alone as many people complain of such problems. Leaving aside obvious reasons like sinusitis, stress and mental tension, little do people know that their diet could be a culprit too. Surprised? We tell why you should be more watchful of what you eat to avoid that throbbing pain in your head.
Diet
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A headache is a discomfort or a pressure-like sensation in the head. A migraine is a common type of headache that usually occurs on one side of the head. Dietician Dr Sunita Dube agrees that one's diet can affect headaches and says, "A family history of migraine, apart from stress, food and beverages may be responsible for up to 30 per cent of migraines. If you consider some other triggers such as hormonal changes, stress, sleeping habits, and depression, it's possible that the percentage is actually higher."
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One of the most common reasons for headaches due to dietary changes is suddenly switching to a very low calorie diet, in other words, crash dieting. Agrees consultant nutritionist Niti Desai, "This can lead to headaches, especially if these diets cut down or eliminate carbohydrates completely. The brain can only use carbohydrates as fuel. Headaches can also set in due to low blood sugar levels. Also, if you start skipping meals or have long intervals between your meals, headache sets in. Even a very low water intake can trigger headaches."
Tyramine, a Culprit Tyramine is an amino acid that has been thought to trigger headaches by reducing serotonin levels in the brain and affecting the dilation of blood vessels. Because of their connection to migraines, tyramine containing foods are important triggers. These include red wine, cheeses, chocolate, alcoholic beverages, and certain processed meats.
Alcoholic Beverages Dr Dube says that red wine contains tyramine, phytochemicals called phenols, which may be the real triggers. For some people, drinking any kind of alcohol can bring on a migraine. Other compounds in beer, whiskey, and wine that deplete levels of serotonin (the happy hormone) in the brain could also be triggering migraines.
Chocolates They can act as migraine triggers because they too contain tyramine. But at the same time, the connection could be that women tend to crave chocolate during stress and hormonal changes, both of which also may trigger headaches. The amount of chocolate can be an issue too, as migraine patients with the diets highest in fat tended to have more frequent headaches.
Coffee This deserves a special mention because sudden withdrawal of coffee consumption can trigger headaches. Clinical nutritionist Dr Nupur Krishnan explains, "Coffee is mildly addictive and it temporarily enhances mental alertness and concentration. Sudden withdrawal can often cause headaches, irritability and other symptoms that vary in severity from one person to another." For example, in some people who are sensitive to caffeine, it can trigger migraine headaches, while in others it might actually abort a migraine by relaxing the constricted blood vessels that are causing the throbbing head.
Sugar
So if you suspect the reason for your frequent headaches or migraines might lie in your diet, why don't you try and avoid these foods?
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Natural sugar is important because all plants and animal store energy chemically as sugar. All form of natural sugar provide about the same energy value - four calorie per gram. Natural sugar is better than artificial sweeteners. Desai says that a very small percentage of people intolerant to the sweeteners suffer from headaches. However, this is more common with the sweetener aspartame and not with the newer sweeteners that use sucralose.
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What makes Greek yogurt a delicious tool for weight loss is its protein content. It has twice as much as other yogurts. "Protein takes longer to leave the stomach," says sports nutritionist Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD. "That keeps you satisfied longer." As a bonus, Bonci tells WebMD, the body burns more calories digesting protein than carbs. Non-fat, low-fat, and lowsugar types keep a slim profile.
Quinoa Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is a nutritional all-star that belongs in your weight loss plan. This whole grain has 8 grams of hungerbusting protein and 5 grams of fiber in one cup, plus it's as easy to cook as rice. It's also packed with nutrients such as iron, zinc, selenium, and vitamin E. For a quick and interesting dinner, mix in some vegetables, nuts, or lean protein.
Cinnamon Studies suggest cinnamon may have a stabilizing effect on blood sugar levels. This could curtail appetite, particularly in people with type 2 diabetes, Bonci says. Nearly everyone can benefit from cinnamon in its traditional role. Stir some into your coffee, tea, or yogurt to add sweetness without adding calories.
Hot Peppers Hot peppers contain a flavorless compound called capsaicin. It's more plentiful in spicy habaneros, but also occurs in jalapeĂąos. This compound appears to curb appetite and speed up the metabolism slightly, but only for a short time. Bonci doubts that this has a significant impact on weight loss.
But, she says, people tend to eat less when their food is spicy.
Green Tea Several studies suggest green tea may promote weight loss by stimulating the body to burn abdominal fat. Green tea contains catechins, a type of phytochemical that may briefly affect the metabolism. To get the most benefit, you may need to drink green tea several times a day. Bonci recommends taking your tea hot, because it takes longer to drink, slowing your calorie intake and providing a soothing, mindful experience.
Grapefruit While grapefruit doesn't have any magical fat-burning properties, it can help dieters feel full with fewer calories. Bonci attributes this to the plentiful amounts of soluble fiber, which take longer to digest. Having half a grapefruit or a glass of grapefruit juice before a meal may help fill you up, so you eat fewer calories during the meal.
Watermelon Foods that are high in water content take up more room in the gut, Bonci says. This signals the body that you've had enough to eat and leaves less room for other foods. Many raw fruits and vegetables are chock-full of water and nutrients, but low in calories. Watermelon is a great example. It's a rich source of the antioxidant lycopene and adds some vitamins A and C to your day, too.
Pears and Apples Pears and apples are also high in water content. Eat them with the peels for extra fiber, which will keep
you full longer. Bonci recommends whole fruits rather than fruit juice. Not only do you get more fiber, you have to chew the fruits. This takes longer and requires some exertion. You actually burn a few calories chewing, as opposed to gulping down a smoothie.
Grapes & Raisins The value of water content becomes clear when you look at two cups of grapes vs. Âź cup of raisins. Either choice has a little more than 100 calories, but the larger portion of grapes is likely to feel more satisfying. Still, Bonci says, dried fruit has an interesting texture. When used sparingly, a few raisins or dried cranberries can make a salad more appealing.
Berries Like other fruits, berries are high in water and fiber, which can keep you full longer. But they have another benefit -- they're very sweet. This means berries can satisfy your sweet tooth for a fraction of the calories you would take in gobbling cookies or brownies. Blueberries stand out because they're easy to find and loaded with antioxidants.
Raw Vegetables Raw vegetables make an outstanding snack. They satisfy the desire to crunch, they're full of water to help you feel full, and they're low in calories. Half a cup of diced celery has just eight calories. Bonci suggests coating celery with a little peanut butter or dunking carrots in salsa. When you're in the mood for chips and dip, try replacing the chips with raw veggies.
Sweet Potatoes Think of the typical toppings on your baked potato butter, sour
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Greek Yogurt
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cream, maybe cheese and bacon bits. If you substitute a sweet potato, you might not need any of that. Baked sweet potatoes are so full of flavor, they require very little embellishment. This can save you loads of calories. As a bonus, sweet potatoes are packed with potassium, beta carotene, vitamin C, and fiber.
Lettuce has plenty of water content to take up space in the stomach. That leaves less room for fattier foods that might come later in the meal. Make your salad interesting by adding a variety of fruits and vegetables or grated cheese.
Eggs Studies suggest eating protein in the morning will keep your hunger at bay longer than eating a bagel or other carbs. One egg has only 75 calories but packs 7 grams of highquality protein, along with other vital nutrients. Bonci adds that your body will burn more calories digesting eggs than a carb-heavy breakfast. If you have high cholesterol, check with your doctor about how many eggs you can eat per week.
sometimes called crispbreads, offer a low-fat, fiber-packed alternative to traditional crackers. Research suggests people who replace refined grains with whole grains tend to have less belly fat. Whole grains also provide a richer assortment of plant nutrients. This doesn't just apply to crackers. You can get the same benefits by switching to whole-grain breads,
Coffee
Soup
It sounds too good to be true one of your favorite beverages may actually help rev the metabolism and help you lose weight. Bonci says coffee does stimulate the metabolism a little. She cautions that the effect is small and is easily cancelled out by the extra calories in a mocha cappuccino.
Soup we're talking broth-based, not creamy is a dieter's friend in several ways. It's full of water, which fills you up with the fewest possible calories. It's hot, which prevents you from guzzling it down too quickly. When eaten before a meal, soup can take up space that might have gone to higher calorie foods. You can also make a satisfying, low-calorie meal out of soup alone by adding chicken, fish, cut-up vegetables, or beans.
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Oatmeal
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Oatmeal has three things going for it: fiber-rich whole-grain oats, lots of water, and it's hot. Bonci says this is a very filling combination. Hot food takes longer to eat, and all that liquid and fiber will help you feel full longer. "Don't buy the one that's already sweetened," Bonci says. "You can choose how to flavor it." Stirring in cinnamon or nutmeg will give you a sweet taste with less sugar.
Crispbreads Whole-grain
rye
crackers,
Salad Another way to fill up before a meal is by eating salad. Lettuce has plenty of water content to take up space in the stomach. That leaves less room for fattier foods that might come later in the meal. Make your salad interesting by adding a variety of fruits and vegetables or grated cheese. But be careful about dressing, which can add a lot of calories. Bonci recommends using salsa, hummus, or black bean dip as dressing.
Vinegar
Lean Meat
If you dress your salad with oil and vinegar, you may get another fatfighting benefit. More research is needed, but some studies suggest vinegar may help the body break down fat. Whether or not this effect pans out, Bonci says vinegar is a good choice. It's full of flavor that can make salad more satisfying and it has no calories.
As we've seen, protein can keep you full longer and burn more calories during digestion. But you want to choose your protein carefully. Dark meat tends to be high in fat, which could cancel out some of the benefits. Skinless chicken breast is a great choice. And some cuts of beef can make the grade. Flank steak, eye of round, and top sirloin are extralean with less than 4 grams of saturated fat per serving. Just stick with a 3- to 4-ounce portion.
Air-Popped Popcorn Three cups of plain, air-popped popcorn may seem like a whole lot, but the calorie content is low. All that air adds volume without adding fat or sugar. "When people are looking to snack, they don't stop at 10 potato chips," Bonci says. They want to have their fill, and a big bowl of popcorn delivers. "It's visually satisfying, plus it takes time to eat."
Skim Milk Skim milk provides plenty of protein and calcium with none of the fat found in whole milk. And even though it's fat-free, skim milk can help you feel full. It takes longer to leave the stomach than drinks with less protein, Bonci says. There's also evidence that skim milk and other nonfat dairy foods may promote weight loss, particularly around the mid-section. More research is needed to confirm this effect.
Fish One of the best sources of protein is fish. Studies show it's more satisfying than chicken or beef, probably because of the type of protein it contains. Most fish is low in fat, and the exceptions usually have a healthy form of fat omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3's, which are found in salmon, herring, and other fatty fish, appear to help protect against heart disease and other chronic conditions.
Beans Beans deliver a nutritional triple punch, Bonci says. They're a vegetable, a protein, and a great source of fiber. This means they'll help you stay full for the price of very few calories. They're also easy to prepare when the munchies strike. Open a can of garbanzo beans and toss them into soup or salad or mash them up to use as a dip. One cup packs 12 grams of fiber, just 4 grams of fat, and 15 grams of protein.
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Nuts are an excellent way to curb hunger between meals. They're high in protein, fiber, and hearthealthy fats. Studies suggest nuts can promote weight loss and improve cholesterol levels when eaten in moderation. The key is to "be careful with quantity," Bonci tells WebMD. "Choose something in a shell, so you have to work harder and slow down."
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Manage Depression by
Positive Thinking epression is an illness that makes a person feel sad and hopeless much of the time. It's different than feeling a little sad or down. Depression can be treated with counseling or medicine, or both. Positive thinking also can help prevent or control depression.
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If you have thoughts of harming yourself or others, you need to see your doctor or therapist right away. Positive thinking can help with depression. But you may also need medicine and therapy. Negative thoughts can make depression worse or can raise your chance of having depression. Cognitivebehavioral therapy, or CBT, is a type of therapy that can help you replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Changing your thinking will take some time. You need to practice healthy thinking every day. After a while, positive thinking will come naturally to you.
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Positive Thinking: Stopping Unwanted Thoughts Unwanted thoughts can make you feel anxious or depressed. They may keep you from enjoying your
life. A technique called thoughtstopping can help you stop unwanted thoughts. What you think can affect how you feel. Thought-stopping helps you change how you think so that you feel better. Changing your thinking will take some time. You need to practice thought-stopping every day. After a while, you'll be able to stop unwanted thoughts right away. Some people may need more help to stop unwanted thoughts. Talk to your doctor or a therapist if you want more help to stop thoughts that bother you.
What is Thought Stopping? Thought-stopping is a way to get rid of unwanted thoughts. You may dwell or obsess on thoughts that make you worry, feel sad, or feel bad about yourself. Research shows that thought-stopping works. It can change the way you think. In thought-stopping, you focus on the unwanted thought and then use a technique to stop it. When you practice thoughtstopping, the unwanted thought occurs less often. Over time, the thought will be easier to ignore or may not occur at all. In some cases, the thoughts may be worries. For
example, you may worry a lot about your health or the health of a family member. Or you may think over and over about a bad grade in school or a comment by a supervisor at work. Thought-stopping can help you deal with these thoughts. You can work on thought-stopping on your own or with a counselor or therapist. Studies show that when you change what you think, you can change your mood. Thought-stopping is easy to learn, and it can help you feel better. Negative, unwanted thoughts can lead to anxiety or depression. They can keep you from sleeping well. And they can make it hard for you to work and enjoy your life. Thought-stopping also can help if you already have anxiety or depression. It's one way to take an active role in your treatment. You can prevent some of the thoughts that make you anxious or depressed. You can learn to do thoughtstopping anywhere, so it can help you at work or at home. It's also easy to learn. But it does take some practice. In some cases, you may need more help to stop thoughts that worry you or make you feel bad. Some thoughts or behaviors can't be handled by thought-stopping alone.
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Seek the help of your doctor or a licensed therapist or counselor if you can't stop unwanted thoughts on your own.
How can You Stop Thoughts? To stop unwanted thoughts, you focus on the thought and then learn to say "Stop" to end the thought. At first, you will shout "Stop!" out loud. Then you will learn to say it in your mind so that you can use this technique anywhere. Here's how to get started:
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Practice steps 1 through 3 until the thought goes away on command. Then try the process again. This time, interrupt the thought by saying the word "Stop!" in a normal voice. After your normal voice is able to stop the thought, try whispering "Stop." Over time, you can just imagine hearing "Stop" inside your mind. At this point, you can stop the thought whenever and wherever it occurs.
List your most stressful thoughts. These are the thoughts that distract you from your daily activities and make you worry more. You wish you could stop having these thoughts, but they keep occurring. Write down your upsetting thoughts in order of the most stressful to the least stressful. Start practicing thought-stopping with the thought that is the least stressful. Here's an example of a list, starting with the most stressful:
Pick another thought that bothers you more than the last one, and continue thoughtstopping. Other ways to stop thoughts
I'm always worried that something bad will happen to my child, even if she just gets a cold. I just know that one of us is going to get laid off from work. I'm so nervous about making a presentation at work that it’s all I can think about. Imagine the thought. Sit or lie down in a private place (so you can say "Stop!" out loud and not feel self-conscious). Close your eyes. Imagine a situation in which you might have this stressful thought. Then allow yourself to focus on the thought.
Make yourself aware that you are having an unwanted thought by saying to yourself, "I'm having the thought that I might lose my job." Or "I'm thinking that I might lose my job." This reminds you that these are thoughts, not something that will happen.
Stop the thought. Startling yourself is a good way to interrupt the thought. Try one of these two techniques: Set a timer, watch, or other alarm for 3 minutes. Then focus on your unwanted thought. When the timer or alarm goes off, shout "Stop!" If you want, stand up when you say "Stop." Some people snap their fingers or clap their hands. These actions and saying "Stop" are cues to stop thinking. Empty your mind, and try to keep it empty for about 30 seconds. If the upsetting thought comes back during that time, shout "Stop!" again.
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rid of the unwanted thought.
Instead of using a timer, you can tape-record yourself shouting "Stop!" at intervals of 3 minutes, 2 minutes, and 1 minute. Do the thought-stopping exercise. Focus on the thought, and then stop thinking about the unwanted thought-or anything else-when you hear your recorded voice say "Stop." Hearing your own voice telling you to stop helps strengthen your commitment to getting
You can change how you do thought-stopping: Put a rubber band around your wrist. Whenever you want to stop an unwanted thought, say "Stop" to yourself and snap the rubber band at the same time. After a while, you will be able to just snap the rubber band to stop an unwanted thought.
After you stop an unwanted thought, add a positive thought or image that makes you feel more calm. This thought or image is not related to the unwanted thought. For example, you can think of playing with your children or going out on the town with friends. Or you might see yourself lying on a beach. This positive image or idea is not the same thing as replacing a negative thought with a positive thought that is related to it
An Example of Thought Stopping Here's an example of how thought-stopping might work: You're worried about a presentation you are giving at work later in the day. You're prepared. You know you're ready. But you can't stop worrying about it. You imagine making a mistake. When you start to think of yourself stumbling over words, you say "Stop" quietly in your mind. You get up and move around, or you snap your rubber band as you say "Stop." Then you think of something pleasant to take your mind off the thought-such as a trip you are planning to take or a movie you saw recently that made you laugh.
Depression in Women The majority of the depressed in affluent societies are women. In fact, women are twice as likely to develop clinical depression as men. Up to one in four women is likely to have an episode of major depression at some point in life. Unfortunately, nearly two-thirds do not get the help they need.
What are the Symptoms of Depression in Women? Symptoms of depression in women include persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood loss of interest or pleasure in activities, including sex restlessness, irritability, or excessive crying feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, hopelessness, pessimism sleeping too much or too little, early-morning awakening appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain decreased energy, fatigue, feeling "slowed down" thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain. What are the Symptoms of Mania in Women? Mania is a highly elevated mood that can occur with bipolar disorder. Moods in bipolar disorder swing from the lows of
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Depression is a serious and pervasive mood disorder. It causes feelings of sadness, hopelessness, helplessness, and worthlessness. Depression can be mild to moderate with symptoms of apathy, little appetite, difficulty sleeping, low self-esteem, and low-grade fatigue. Or it can be more severe.
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depression to the highs of mania. Even though mania is an elevated mood, it is serious and needs medical assessment and treatment. The symptoms of mania include: abnormally elevated mood irritability decreased need for sleep grandiose ideas greatly increased talking racing thoughts increased activity, including sexual activity markedly increased energy poor judgment that can lead to risk-taking behavior inappropriate social behavior Why is Depression in Women More Common than Depression in Men? Before adolescence, the rate of depression is about the same in girls and boys. However, with the onset of puberty, a girl's risk of developing depression increases dramatically to twice that of boys. Experts believe that the increased chance of depression in women may be related to changes in hormone levels that occur throughout a woman's life. These changes are evident during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause as well as after giving birth or experiencing a miscarriage. In addition, the hormone fluctuations that occur with each month's menstrual cycle probably contribute to premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD a severe syndrome marked especially by depression, anxiety, and mood swings that occurs the week before menstruation and interferes with normal functioning of daily life.
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What increases the chances of depression in women?
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According to the National Institutes of Health, factors that increase the risk of depression in women include reproductive, genetic, or other biological factors; interpersonal factors; and certain
psychological and personality characteristics. In addition, women juggling work with raising kids and women who are single parents suffer more stress that may trigger symptoms of depression. Other factors that could increase risk include: Family History of Mood Disorders History of mood disorders in early reproductive years, loss of a parent before age 10, loss of social support system, or the threat of such a loss, ongoing psychological and social stress, such as loss of a job, relationship stress, separation or divorce, physical or sexual abuse as a child, use of certain medications, Women can also get postpartum depression after the birth of a baby. Some people get seasonal affective disorder in the winter. Depression is one part of bipolar disorder. Can Depression in Women Run in Families? Yes. Depression can run in families. When it does, it generally starts between the ages of 15 and 30. A family link to depression is much more common in women.
Depression in women may occur earlier, last longer, be more likely to reoccur, be more likely to be associated with stressful life events, and be more sensitive to seasonal changes.
How does Depression in Women Differ from Depression in men? Depression in women differs from depression in men in several ways: Depression in women may occur earlier, last longer, be more likely to reoccur, be more likely to be associated with stressful life events, and be more sensitive to seasonal changes. Women are more likely to experience guilty feelings and attempt suicide, although they actually commit suicide less often than men. Depression in women is more likely to be associated with anxiety disorders, especially panic and phobic symptoms, and eating disorders. Depressed women are less likely to abuse alcohol and other drugs. How are PMS and PMDD Related to Depression in Women? As many as three out of every four menstruating women experience premenstrual syndrome or PMS. PMS is a disorder characterized by emotional and physical symptoms that fluctuate in intensity from one menstrual cycle to the next. Women in their 20s or 30s are usually affected. About 3% to 5% of menstruating women experience premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD. PMDD is a severe form of PMS, marked by highly emotional and physical symptoms that usually become more severe seven to 10 days before the onset of menstruation. In the last decade, these conditions have become recognized as important causes of discomfort and behavioral change in women. While the precise link between PMS, PMDD, and depression is still unclear, chemical changes in the brain and fluctuating hormone
How are PMS and PMDD treated? Many women who suffer with depression along with PMS or PMDD find improvement through exercise or meditation. For individuals with severe symptoms, medicine, individual or group psychotherapy, or stress management may be helpful. Does Depression in Women Occur During Pregnancy? Pregnancy has long been viewed as a period of well-being that
Women are more likely to experience guilty feelings and attempt suicide, although they actually commit suicide less often than men.
protected women against psychiatric disorders. But depression in women occurs almost as commonly in pregnant women as it does in those who are not pregnant. The factors which increase the risk of depression in women during pregnancy are: having a history of depression or PMDD age at time of pregnancy the younger you are, the higher the risk living alone limited social support marital conflict uncertainty about the pregnancy Does the Prevalence of Depression in Women Increase at Midlife? Perimenopause is the stage of a woman's reproductive life that begins eight to 10 years before menopause. In the last one to two years of perimenopause, the decrease in estrogen accelerates. At this stage, many women experience menopausal symptoms. Menopause is the period of time when a woman stops having her monthly period and experiences symptoms related to the lack of estrogen production. By definition, a woman is in menopause after her periods have stopped for one year. Menopause typically occurs in a woman's late 40s to early 50s. However, women who have their ovaries surgically removed undergo "sudden" menopause. The drop in estrogen levels during perimenopause and menopause triggers physical and emotional changes such as depression or anxiety. Like at any other point in a woman's life, there is a relationship between hormone levels and physical and emotional symptoms. Some physical changes include irregular or skipped periods, heavier or lighter periods, and hot flashes.
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levels are both thought to be contributing factors.
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IN FOCUS - KERALA CRICKET ASSOCIATION
“KCA’s Achievements are Enough to Silence
W
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ithin moments of meeting TC Mathew, his style of doing things is evident. The Secretary of Kerala Cricket Association doesn’t mince words. If he has the option to think of something and also to do that something, Mathew would rather do it first. It is this doer credentials with which he holds his forte among a rising pool of detractors. His opinions are often radical, not to mention that Mathew has an opinion for practically everything under the sun - right from the debacle in Australia to local issues like Kochi Metro.
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When we met him, Mathew was not alone, and soon we realized that this guy can never be alone. Some other top functionaries of Kerala Cricket Association were there in the room, including one of KCA Vice Presidents, Ronklin John; International Stadium’s Project Head, Jayesh George; and Technical Committee Member, Moby Thomas, to name just a few. Some other office bearers went in and went out, almost throughout, during our interview, and not just doing their official duties. If we expected the interview to be a one-to-one, we were wrong. TC Mathew works in teams. They move together, discuss together. No first-time visitor to Kerala
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Cricket Association office in Kaloor International Stadium would be at fault to assume that their meetings are more like guy pals partying rather than men-insuits contemplating the future for gentleman’s game in Kerala. Remember, these are the guys sitting in seats once occupied by stalwarts like PM Raghavan, KV Kellappan Thampuran, and Col. Godavarma Raja, not to mention several illustrious players and IAS/ IPS officers who were office-
bearers of Kerala Cricket Association and its precursors Tripunithura Cricket Club and Travancore-Cochin Cricket Association, right from 1935. When asked about this, TC Mathew and current KCA administrators are equivocal in praising Kerala cricket’s early movers. But they also admit that after the initial decades, during its mid-history, Kerala Cricket Association lost its steam. We are meeting with the team that
Analyzing TC Mathew‘s achievements and counterviews, one would be reminded of the insightful quote by Emerson: “A man comes to measure his greatness by the regrets, envies and hatreds of his competitors.”
One strategy they have implemented is to turn young. Gone are the days when aged players and retired hands headed the show. We could find that most of them were in their late youth to early middle-age. “This is a justdo-it team unlike in politics,” says, Moby Thomas, one of the youngest in the room as well as in KCA, who heads the Physical Education Department at SB College, Changanassery. Jayesh George who also heads the Ernakulam District Association apart from the Stadium Project is
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is now trying to correct the errors. Are they up to it? Is that why they are being so radical, that they have a radical guy like TC Mathew at the helm?
TC Mathew, Secretary, KCA
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IN FOCUS - KERALA CRICKET ASSOCIATION another example. Despite lying in a sofa due to a torn hamstring from a recent bout of Celebrity Cricket, Jayesh is quick to spring to his former player’s feet when it comes to defending Kerala Cricket Association’s pet project, the Edakochi Stadium. Google Earth, a fast broadband, and a slick netbook is not enough to satisfy George’s impatience, as he rapidly shows us how hollow is the argument that Edakochi stadium was marshland a few years back. Also gone are the days, when money or politics could buy KCA positions. Some political leaders in the state who recently tried to bulldoze into top KCA positions found it out the hard way. TC Mathew clarifies the hard stand of Kerala Cricket Association on the issue, “This is a democratic forum, and anyone coming in democratically is welcome. But if somebody thinks he can occupy top positions by raising wild allegations against us and buying a few clubs for cash, he is mistaken.”
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Most of the present KCA administrators are well-educated, or people who have made a mark in their fields. Unlike in the past, precisely since the last two years, Kerala Cricket Association has also made sure that no one can aspire for top office-bearer positions without handling lower
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responsibilities at least for two years. Mathew himself was a long-term associate of KCA, before which he was an aspiring player, a qualified umpire, a lawyer, and a double postgraduate in Business Administration as well as Political Science. Also tucked under his belt are twin PG Diplomas in Tax Laws and Computer Science, that contributes to a well-rounded knowledgebase. He also had a close brush with state politics, as he was Personal Secretary to PJ Joseph, a prominent political leader in the state, and currently a Minister in Kerala. Anyway, there is no doubt that Kerala Cricket Association is now facing one of its hardest times ever of public scrutiny and allegations. There are accusations being made about fund misuse by KCA, allegations about unauthorized donations to a political party, emergence of strong political detractors, allegations regarding acquisition of Edakochi land, and not to mention a vigilance case. But TC Mathew brushes aside such allegations. “Everything we have done is in the minutes of our meetings. Just because somebody alleged something with malicious intent, we won’t lose our resolve. This is a country whose sports administration rules are so outdated that any purchase above
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Though many reasons are being said, like use of bouncers, bodyline balls etc, I think it of as a failure of strategy and preparedness. The Aussies were much better prepared than us, this time. It is clear for the discerning cricket fan, that they had made their players well aware of the quirks or soft-spots of our players, probably by making them watch numerous matches closely. There was also a case of superior fitness. I am sure the Indian side will learn the lessons well and thoroughly overhaul our strategy after this series.
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“KCA’s Achievements are Enough to Silence Critics” 20,000 bucks need a tender, which was a condition framed in the 70s. We have to work in such a hopeless environment. Only doers attract critics. I am confident that Kerala Cricket Association’s achievements are enough to silence its critics.” Off to the interview with TC Mathew and his team at KCA:
It is not only my stand. BCCI as well as KCA has a clear stand on this issue. Our national functionaries including Arun Jaitley has made our stand clear. We had been called for discussions after the initial draft, where BCCI made its stand clear, and yet the second draft is hopeless than the first. What are your main objections regarding the Bill? Is it about the RTI provision? Yes, that is a serious concern, though we don’t believe it will be part of the Bill. How can it be, when these sporting bodies are not getting government money? RTI is basically for institutions running on public funds, and yet you see a huge segment like cooperative banks still being kept out of the RTI. So we coming under RTI is impractical. Any other provision in the Sports Bill that BCCI or KCA finds troubling? There are many troubling provisions. One that readily comes to my mind is the proposal for creating a Sports Tribunal. The objective of the tribunal is to direct arbitration between sports administrators and practically anyone in the public. That sets a very bad precedent. Anyone raising
complaint in arbitration should be qualified to do so. Have some recognized domain knowledge or experience in the subject. Otherwise, it should go through the normal judicial process. Everyone in public administration today knows the situation unleashed by RTI and PIL. This proposal goes even beyond that. What else is your objection? Well, if you have read the provisions of the Sports Bill, you would realize that it is basically designed to rein in the sports administrator’s activities. Is that a positive thing? We would say not at all. All these noise about the Commonwealth Games has contributed to this Bill. That is not the right way to go about it. Where are the positive points, the innovations? They have a model for sports administrators to follow, and instead of doing it, they are kind of stifling even the best model available. The model you refer is BCCI? Of course. Is there any other model to look upon? Every other sport in India, other than cricket, is in shambles. Why? Because they don’t have proper administrators like BCCI. Every sport has a federation, but what do they really achieve? Our only gold medal in Olympics since the last thirty years is in an individual sport, and that too by an affluent sportsman who
TR Balakrishnan, President, KCA was capable of creating his own shooting range as well as in getting overseas training under the best coaches. In contrast, BCCI has achieved not only sporting success, not only commercial success, but succeeded in making cricket the most popular sport in the country. But with such success comes great responsibility too. The call for RTI might be also due to the clout they get to wield in the national team selection… For that argument to be true, BCCI must be following a nontransparent selection process. Not so. We have a professional and
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Let us start with the upcoming Sports Bill. You have been a vociferous critic in recent discussions on the topic. Why so, regarding what is perceived as a good initiative?
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IN FOCUS - KERALA CRICKET ASSOCIATION democratic system of selectors that goes about doing it job professionally. Do you think any kind of hanky-panky is possible in this age where media as well as cricket enthusiasts are watching our every moves, and sharing the same through technology. We believe that we always select the best team. We may not be perfect, but there is enough room for discussions, reviews, tweaks etc. Even the current team touring Australia is the best one? Yes, it is, under the current scenario. We cant say it is not, just because they had a bad series there. And each match and each series provide continuous feedback to selectors and the system which is taken seriously. Frankly speaking, how do you view the Australian debacle?
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I think it requires a formal and rigorous assessment. Though many reasons are being said, like use of bouncers, bodyline balls etc, I think it of as a failure of strategy and preparedness. The Aussies were much better prepared than us, this time. It is clear for the discerning cricket fan, that they had made their players well aware of the quirks or soft-spots of our players, probably by making them watch numerous matches closely. There was also a case of superior
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fitness. I am sure the Indian side will learn the lessons well and thoroughly overhaul our strategy after this series. But where is the scope for oversight? Isn’t that what the Sports Bill attempts to do? Is it a bad thing that there should be public oversight? Again, that will be true only if Government oversight has worked in sports. As of now, the proof is to the contrary. Despite many big promises by many successive governments towards promoting many sports, nothing has worked. Sporting is best promoted and administered by its enthusiasts, their clubs, and their apex bodies. Sports administrators always have the structure of a cooperative movement. Will a cooperative works against its ultimate aim? Similarly, BCCI won’t be ever working against its own and only aim - promoting Indian cricket. But still, there is no doubt that BCCI and KCA are monopolies… Well, maybe that is one way of looking at it. But BCCI is never saying that no one else can promote cricket. Anybody is welcome to do it. But when it comes to administering it, there should be some system. As early movers, BCCI naturally occupied and continues to occupy that spot.
“KCA’s Achievements are Enough to Silence Critics”
A few minutes back you mentioned BCCI being a commercial success. But is that simply because of BCCI? How can you not credit factors like cricket being a professional game, and not an amateur one internationally, and regarding your success in India, is it not because we have the maximum eyeballs? Yes, there are those factors. Cricket has money in it. It needs money, it earns money. It is not only here, but in all cricket playing nations. Today, BCCI earns the highest revenue among all national cricket boards. Was it only due to eyeballs? If that were the case, hockey has been so popular a few decades back that it was made our national game, and even today football is so popular in the country especially during the World Cups. But does that mean we have an internationally respectable soccer team? The situation is far from it. So, the fact is Indian cricket’s success is not only about money or eyeballs, but about proper administration. There is money available for facilitation in every sport, provided the administration is good. For example, I see a bright future for soccer in this country, provided the administration is beefed up. Coming to Kerala Cricket, why is it that Kerala is lagging so much, compared to other states? Well, I am tempted to tell you first that we are not lagging any more. But before that let me try and
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They are all very talented and good boys too. Tinu has now settled in Chennai and is pursuing his career. Sreesanth will bounce back from his injury and we have good hopes on him. Sony Cheruvathur and Sanju Samson are other very talented players. We also have more than a few talented players like them. But one thing we need to correct in our system is the optimum timing our players should be at their prime in the optimum age so that they will be nationally noticed. The integrity of our players is above par, they don’t correct their age in records or stuff like that.
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explain why this has been so, until recently. I personally think that there are three aspects to this problem. One is that awareness about cricket in our state has been pretty poor some ten or twenty or thirty years back. There were cricketing clubs, but they were elitist, and the game itself was thought to be for the rich, maybe due to the high cost involved. But
I would put one big blame for this with our physical education departments in schools and colleges, that did not take that little extra effort to learn this complex game themselves. So, they brushed aside students’ doubts regarding the game. Secondly, our state has a weather problem. Around half of the year it is raining, and as you know cricket and its pitches are very much affected by rain. Half of the remaining months it is scorching hot. Hopefully, better technologies being tried now in stadiums and pitches will help us on the weather front. And thirdly, the lagging was due to less than perfect cricket administration. The selection process was not very inclusive to bring out the best. Can you elaborate on this second point regarding selection? Yes, the selection system that was in force around 5 to 7 years back, was about selecting 22 players from say around 220 players, which gave a high probability of around 1-in-10 chances for a serious cricket aspirant getting into the state team. During that time, the best performing states on the national scene was selecting 22 players from 2000 aspirants. That ensured that those coming through such a system was far superior than our players. But since the last 5 years, we have also adopted such
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Anybody earnest about promoting and administering cricket is likely to come through this elaborate system of district, state, and central level hierarchies that are working fine. At the end of the day what counts is not whether we are a monopoly or not, but whether we are doing our duty, meeting our objectives.
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IN FOCUS - KERALA CRICKET ASSOCIATION an elaborate system to identify, groom, and select 100 or 200 times the number of players than our state requires finally, right from high school onwards. And we are with them through their various stages of schooling and college, until they are 21. You say this system has been in place for 5 years. Has it started yielding results? Of course. You should remember that we started by identifying talents young. So the first results are likely to be in the Under-14, Under-16 categories. And that is what is happening now. The Kerala team in both these categories are doing extremely well, compared to the past. We narrowly missed qualifying for the Under-19 finals, but it won’t be the case next time. Eventually, we will conquer Under-21 too, as these talent pool get more refined. How did Kerala Cricket Association go about creating such a system?
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At the crux of this is a written down vision statement, which we call Mission-2020. It is a master plan that is elaborated through 16 constituent objectives to change the very prospect and profile for this game in the state. It would be difficult to describe all these 16 points now, but to give you a sampling, I will mention a couple of these objectives. One involves the creation of multiple venues for
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first class cricket in all the fourteen districts of Kerala. When we said this initially, many were sceptics. But we have proved that it was no hollow promise, by tying up with colleges and schools with excellent infrastructure and by assisting & funding them, we have already made a head-start. For example, in Ernakulam, we have upgraded the stadiums at Rajagiri Engineering College and St. Paul’s College to wonderful effect. Several such college and schools stadiums in all the 14 districts are being assisted with upgradation. Another objective as part of Mission-2020 was to create enough Cricket Academies in each district. We started off with Academies in Trivandrum & Ernakulam, and today we have 21 Cricket Academies, where 336 identified talents - both boys and girls - are being trained intensively. A few more Academies will also
come up. Another objective is creation of more than one cricket hostel in all the 14 districts, which has also made much progress. Similarly there are 16 objectives in Mission-2020. How has been the response of young talents and their parents towards this ambitious plan? But before that let me tell about the talents themselves. We ourselves have been surprised by the kind of young talent in the state, which was uncovered by this program. Even the first students we selected after rigorous tests and screening were very impressive in their abilities. That spurred us on to extend this program and selection to a much bigger scale. They too are extremely happy as we take care of the entire funding, professional coaching, physical training, Psychologist assistance, Gymnasium, good general
“KCA’s Achievements are Enough to Silence Critics” Are there similar programs in other states? How do you compare? There are similar programs, but not this ambitious and from a grassroots level. We were lagging, so when we created something, we were impatient, and we have given only 10 years to ourselves to achieve these high objectives. Both BCCI and NCA officials have visited our facilities, and they were very impressed. Our best endorsement came from Sandeep Patil, former national player and Director of NCA now, who remarked that other states should follow the Kerala model. Many other states that were lagging like us, have now adopted our grassroots level approach and model. How do you assess the talent and the current form of Keralite players at all levels, including Sreesanth, Tinu Yohannan, and others? They are all very talented and good boys too. Tinu has now settled in Chennai and is pursuing his career. Sreesanth will bounce back from his injury and we have good hopes on him. Sony Cheruvathur and Sanju Samson are other very talented players. We also have more than a few talented players like them. But one thing we need
Kochi Tuskers Seek Chandy's Help The owners of Kochi Tuskers, the terminated Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, have sought help from Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy to revive the state’s Twenty20 cricket team. Chandy said Thursday that officials from Rendezvous Sports, owners of Kochi Tuskers, have requested him for help to revive the team. “I told them that I will discuss this issue with my cabinet colleagues and find out what can be done,” Chandy told reporters here after a special cabinet meeting.
after they went to the court,” said Mishra.
The IPL franchise was terminated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after it defaulted on an annual payment of Rs 156 crores as a bank guarantee.
Rendezvous is owned by a consortium that includes companies like Kerala based Elite Group of Vivek Venugopal, Anchor Earth, Parani Development Pvt. Ltd, Anand Shah Developers and Film Waves.
Prashanth Mishra, a representative of Rendezvous Sports, met Chandy twice and discussed the problems. ‘We have also met Sports Minister K.B.Ganesh Kumar to seek his help as well. We are also going to seek legal recourse of canceling our franchise because in the past two franchises (Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals) were successful
Rendezvous won the franchisee rights for the Kochi IPL Team for Rs 1500/- crore for 10 years.
Shashi Tharoor, a Congress MP from T’puram, lost his job as the minister for state for external affairs after it was revealed that Sunanda Pushkar, whom he later married, was given sweat equity. Tharoor reportedly did the initial spade work to bring the owners together and bid for the team.
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education, lodging etc. We are also doing a lot to develop women’s cricket, by bringing more girls into our academies.
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IN FOCUS - KERALA CRICKET ASSOCIATION
In December 2001, Seasonal Magazine had covered former player, K Jayaram, and his views on Kerala Cricket’s future. Then, Jayaram spoke about the need for superb coaching as a gamechanger in Kerala Cricket. He expressed his willingness to contribute more to the future of Kerala cricket, and today, Jayaram finds himself in a more responsible role, and the state has definitely a better coaching setup than earlier. to correct in our system is the optimum timing - our players should be at their prime in the optimum age so that they will be nationally noticed. The integrity of our players is above par, they don’t correct their age in records or stuff like that. That sounds strange. Are there players in other states resorting to such tactics? Well, it seems so. Looking at the kind of players coming to play with our Under-19, Under-22 etc, one can’t help wondering. I think there are similar allegations on the national scene too. But it is for the respective associations to take notice and discourage such practices.
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Do you think Kerala players like Sreesanth or Tinu were sidelined by national selectors?
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No, I don’t think so. Indian cricket is an affair of abundant talent, and hence very competitive. It is very difficult for any state to have even one stable player in the Indian team, given that we are now 35 states and union territories. That is why our Vision 2020 statement has set the objective of developing at least one international player who can be consistently in the
Indian team for at least 5 years. Do you think the selection process at each level in the state is fair and transparent? I think it was reasonably fair, especially at the senior levels. But that is not enough. We wanted it to be more professional, near perfect. That is what has been achieved now. Nobody will get a walkover into state or district teams at any level. The method being used for this is exponentially increasing the number of competitive games the players get to play. The performance in hundreds of games will be tracked and evaluated by the selectors to come up with the best teams for each level. And at each level we will be selecting more than double the required players, so that even after the selection, nobody’s place will be assured, but hard-earned due to their performance in the final camps. Can you specifically list out this new system’s achievements on the competitive or performance side? Yes, as I told you before, there are enough achievements already at each stage. For Under-14, we are South Zone champions. For Under19, we have been in the ‘Elite’
league since last year. Coming to Under-25, we were second in South Zone. And coming to Renji, we missed being in the Elite league by just 1 point. You spoke about the better way in which players are being selected now in Kerala, at every level. What about the support system like infrastructure and officials? Well, there too we have made rapid strides. We now have the second or third position in the number of Level A coaches. For advancing in the Level B stage, we have recently hired a noted coach for our Academy from Bangalore, who was training students for an international school there. Similar is the case with our focus on physios, curators etc. We have a good support system now. The way our system is being built up has proven that we are trendsetters. The same model is being tried now in Nagpur, and we expect more emulations of our Kerala model. What is the status of the Edakochi Stadium project now? As you know, as things stand now, it needs an Environmental Clearance from the Centre. It is
“KCA’s Achievements are Enough to Silence Critics”
KCA’s Proposed Edakochi Stadium
How do you view the allegations regarding entrusting the Edakochi
stadium work to one party and later revoking it when queries were raised? That is a totally fabricated allegation. Who entrusted the stadium work to IVC? We haven’t. If we had, we would have paid them some advance. A section of the media is totally convoluting this issue. We had signed just an MoU with them to procure land, and entrusting the work to them arose only if they fulfilled our many
conditions, which mainly involved getting requisite clearances. But they didn’t fulfil any conditions after procuring the land. And the land was not theirs. They just helped in identifying it. Our only contract in this affair is with the landowner. We have securely bought the land at very attractive prices, and hence it is a high-value investment too for Kerala Cricket Association. We can’t help if IVC, instead of fulfilling the agreed upon conditions, decided to gang up with some of our enemies to raise wild allegations. We have a solid legal case and we will fight it out successfully. How far did the stadium plans proceed before the bar from environment ministry came? We had brought in Sir Michael Hopkins, one of the this globe’s most renowned architects and stadium specialists for this project. After visiting the Edakochi site and reviewing our rough
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unfortunate, but that is the way things are in our state. There was the widest possible consensus regarding the selection of the site and the project’s initial steps from all authorities and democratic bodies, but a few people could still play mischief by raising wild allegations against us and the project. But we are so determined about the project, and have done so much hard work for it, that we won’t abandon it ever. But our current priority is to develop the stadiums in other districts before we re-visit this project again. The Edakochi site was not a marsh land ever, as Jayesh George would show you now in Google Earth. You should remember that this issue is being raked up, even while acres of marsh land are being freely converted into commercial development in this very district. We will fight it out.
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IN FOCUS - KERALA CRICKET ASSOCIATION plans, Sir Hopkins had remarked that this holds the potential to be world’s finest stadium. Coming from a celebrated professional who designed the London Olympics Velodrome (2012), not to mention cricket stadiums like Mound Stand at Lords, Hampshire Country Cricket Club, Chepauk Cricket Stadium, MCA Pune International Cricket Centre & Stadium etc, this was real appreciation. Such is the scenic possibilities of the land and our plans. Personally speaking, I used to note down the best innovative stadium features from wherever I travel, and I was instrumental in suggesting the A/c-non-A/c concept when a couple of stadiums were refurbished. Anyway, we are waiting for the environmental issues to resolve before going fullsteam ahead. You were planning to bring in some IPL matches in the coming season. Will it be successful?
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Though we have done our best, and we also had the blessings of
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our Chief Minister for the same, it is not entirely in our hands. Ultimately the Chennai and Bangalore teams which we tried to host should be agreeable to this. According to me, they wouldn’t have any problem except our summer heat. Let us see, I am still hopeful. Will you ever see the Kochi IPL team being revived? Do you think KCA could do its best to assist them? As you know, the future of Kochi Tuskers will be decided as per the arbitration going on. Let us hope the Tuskers can be revived. Whether we will have another team is a distant possibility as of now. The main problem is funding, as the break-even for this huge investment can be more than four years. We don’t have such industrialist sponsors here. The last experiment was basically by a group of Gujarati businessmen, and they themselves lacked a cohesion to persist. They were not very committed to Kerala too. Though
we did our best to assist them, there was obviously limits to our help, especially when they weren’t communicating properly their issues. Compared to Kerala, a metro like Mumbai, Chennai, or Bangalore is much more capable of making an IPL team viable. But we can’t overrule the possibility absolutely. Kerala Cricket Association will definitely do its part if any sponsor comes forward. How do you view initiatives like Celebrity Cricket? Spreading awareness about cricket is a crucial aim of KCA. We think Celebrity Cricket too can help significantly in gaining ground support for cricket. Look at the turnout for their match at Kochi. That is why Kerala Cricket Association supported this initiative, and in the future too the association will continue to support such unique initiatives to promote cricket. How far will Vision 2020 succeed in cricket being a grassroots movement in this state, in the decades to come? Yes, there is no doubt that change has to start from the grassroots level. Vision 2020 plans to create grassroots level momentum through an ambitious program called Cricket@School. It is different from our Academies, something that will complement our academy system. The idea is simple - creation of a cricket team for each school. Today, only a handful of schools have cricket teams. That should change. Kerala Cricket Association will facilitate this change for schools. Many already have infrastructure. Many require only fine-tuning of facilities. From coaches to consultancy, we have created a formal framework for schools to pursue cricket.
CRICKET
In Cricket, No Team is No.1
By Carl Jaison
ven now, interview after interview, press conference after press conference, each Indian player points out that even with 8 successive test losses abroad, India were once the “Former World No.1”. It’s hard to accept for anyone that they’ve been outplayed which is why Sehwag and Dhoni keeps “reminding” the media and fans that they were once world-dominators. But the reality is that India was never World No.1 and will never be if this trend of pulverizing teams at home and being battered by the same opposition at their den continues without any thought put into it. Well, one can confidently say that even the English can’t be touted as the best with their recent setback and defeats at the hands of Pakistanis. This also further
implies that Pakistan can’t be portrayed as the best unless and until they tame the English lions at their niche. This just stands to prove that there’s not been many teams who have convincingly taken home with them the unprecedented tag of “title-holders”. India certainly dare not speak about their once held-onto post. Shameless as ever, Sehwag once
again addresses the media claiming that India is World Champions in the ODI format little knowing that another white-wash in this format will only encourage him to speak and praise even more about past laurels when current performance has come a cropper. All the fun and frolic associated with India’s World Cup triumph has to die down, even among the fans. The fans highly rate their home team with neverending support so much so that any mediocre performance put forward by them is looked upon with strict scrutiny. Whatever Sehwag or the ordinary Indian claims, they must realize the burning fact that India emerged victorious at home. Would we get a surety that this same team would have won us the World Cup if it were held at, say New Zealand? Certainly not because India doesn’t have it in them to de-moralize oppositions abroad. Has the ardent Indian cricket fan ever witnessed the Men in Blue blank an opposition abroad? India won the 2008
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As predicted before the commencement of the Australian tour, India let themselves and their fans down with yet another abject surrender. Before this starts to become a habit, India must arrest this horrifying slide. An overhaul in Indian Cricket is impending. The sooner, the better. Losing is part and parcel of any sport, but the margin of defeats shocks one more than anything. As the storyline enters it’s exciting stage, India will hope the infusion of fresh talent, change in the ball color and adorning with the Blue jersey will bring about some relief to their distorted senses.
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in every game nor can one expect the Los Angeles Lakers to romp home victorious game after game. So the champions tag can’t be linked to anyone or any team unless and until the phrase “indomitable” is seen in their blood.
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Commonwealth Tri-series. Agreed. But India did suffer defeats on the build-up to the finals and didn’t look completely dominant of the proceedings. Even in the ODI series in the Caribbean, back in 2011, India was pushed to the wire on almost every occasion and had to fight it out to earn a victory. Even the recent ODI series against Windies, apart from the 4th ODI in which Sehwag’s blitzkrieg “blew” away the Windies, India had to literally grind out victories. A loss at home would have infuriated fans which did happen as West Indies sealed a solitary win on the tour in the 3rd ODI. But it’s a near-reality that we haven’t been able to seize the initiative even when the opposition is trailing on us. India were all guns blazing in the first test at Melbourne when Australia had to bank on their tailenders to bail them out of a dire situation. And so they did. India failed to wrest the initiative and allowed the tail-enders to capitalize and the end-result was there for all to know. But can our tail-enders bat like how their rivals did? Even if they have done in the past, they weren’t able to re-live the same in this series. But why blame it on the poor bowlers for their poor batting when the better batters came up with notso-better performances. The Indian
batsmen failed miserably Down Under. But would their counterparts fail in the same fashion if they were playing abroad, say in India? We have witnessed the Aussies giving a run for our money when playing in India but we haven’t been able to do so in the same manner (barring the 2008 Perth test). In a nutshell, India haven’t crushed their opposition abroad nor have they scripted massive wins even at home (like the Aussies did to them recently). Thus, India can rule itself out of the reckoning of the top spot until they start winning abroad, convincingly. Fittingly, even the Aussies have no right to campaign their supremacy just because they beat India at home. The real test awaits them when they tour sub-continent nations. Even the likes of Pakistan and Sri-Lanka have struggled to come to terms with foreign conditions . So it’s not only India’s problem. The quest for supremacy arises when confidence starts taking wings and no team, by far, in recent times has looked far from confident when playing on alien turfs. Thus, the statement that “no team is No.1” gains universal acceptance. Take any sport for example. One can’t completely press for a Manchester United win
Since there can be no team with such a tag assigned to them during their entire longevity in the game, it’s practical to alter the very terminology of “Champions”. A champion team is one which fights itself out of precarious situations, doesn’t let go of opportunities that comes their way and lays past glories aside and hope to conquer all corners of the world. Such a team learns quickly from their past mistakes and introspects the cause for their downfall. Such teams have in them match-winners who see them through in every occasion. What does it take to be the best? It takes courage and determination to beat the best. Rankings are just a systematic record of a team’s performance over the stipulated period in question. Mere rankings doesn’t reflect a team’s complete dominance, the very reason why India was never World No.1 nor are the current teams holding onto that spot. With great failures, come even greater sacrifices and Team India will definitely need to make few mammoth changes and sacrifices if it wants to get back on track. By loosing 4-0 to Australia, India have proved that their 4-0 whitewash at the hands of the English was no fluke! Making a mockery of proud teams, whose basics associated with game has come under the scanner, is the only way out to grab their attention and pinch them on their backs as only then will they realize that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
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Gedgets
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Best Tablets in India Under Rs 15,000
1. Amazon Kindle Fire Price: Rs 13,900 Even though it isn't officially here, that has not stopped anyone from buying a gadget! We had reported sometime back that the Kindle Fire is retailing in India for Rs 13,900. What the Fire brings to the table is a dual core processor, a 7-inch IPS display, Amazon's Silk web browser, e-mail and the integrated e-book reader capabilities. The price was the cause of considerable excitement at the time of launch. It runs a customised version of Android 2.3. Customised, because of the integration of Amazon's services Market, Cloud, Prime and the Kindle service. What it leaves out is Google's original app store. The Silk web browser offers full screen web browsing. Overall, this is a tablet balances the specs and the price bit well.
2. BlackBerry PlayBook Price: Rs 13,490 You get the 16GB version of the Playbook for Rs 13,990. With a 7inch display, it is one of the most compact tablets out there. It may fit into most coat pockets with ease, and even slip inside a handbag without any fuss. The specifications cannot be argued with -- 1GHz dual core processor, 1GB RAM and very powerful graphics.
This shows, because it handles multitasking a million times better than all Android tablets out there. We had an HD video playing to the TV while playing NFS on the tablet, all at the same time. The bezel around the display is touch activated, and you can use swipe up, down, left and right gestures to navigate through apps and the UI. We are eagerly waiting for the 2.0 version of the Blackberry Tablet OS, that promises to bring Android apps on to the platform, along with a much-missed e-mail client. How much beleaguered it may be, this tablet may just realise its potential in the near future.
3. Reliance 3G Tab Price: Rs 12,999 The critical point with the Reliance 3G Tab is the price. What this does is lowers the entry price barrier for branded tablets. We were pretty impressed by the performance in general. While it isn't a multimedia or gaming powerhouse, the 3G Tab does a little bit of this and a little bit of that -- steady performance, good battery life and a surprisingly sleek form factor. We have used this tablet as a Wi-Fi hotspot continuously for six hours, and there was still a lot of battery left. You do sacrifice on certain
things just okay display, touch response that is slightly iffy at times and a bad camera. The 3G Tab is network-locked to the Reliance 3G network on GSM.
4. iBall Slide Price: Rs 13,995 Despite having the same 1GHz Cortex A8 processor as most of the rivals, it has by far the best benchmarking figures when compared to all Android tablets in the sub-Rs 15K price bracket. A minimalist UI over Android 2.3 has retained performance along with functionality. The Slide has 8GB of built-in storage, a microSD card slot and a USB hub (compatible with data cards as well). No real faults with the build quality even the plastic seems quite solidly put together. The 7-inch display felt better than quite a few of the rival tablets. This could just be the perfect 'first' tablet experience, without paying a lot for it!
5. Samsung Tab P1010 Price: Rs 14,000 Another tablet that has seen a price reduction recently is the Samsung Tab P1010. It has the exact same dimensions as the Tab P1000 that was one of the first Android tablets released in 2010. This one has a 1GHz single core processor, Android 2.2, 16GB internal storage and a 7-inch display. The way it is different from the P1000 is the lack of a SIM card slot and an updated version of the Touchwiz UI over Android. The P1000 did very well, and we believe at Rs 14,000, the P1010 does have all the ingredients to be a more than decent first tablet for most users.
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ll five of these tablets deliver top value for money, with their smooth performance, great build quality, and overall feature set. This could be your first tryst with a tablet device. Or you could be buying this for your child. Any which ways, a budget tablet doesn't have to miss out any features or feel badly built. We have handpicked the five best tablets that you can currently buy in India, all within a budget of Rs 15,000.
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Tech Trend
SMS in ICU?
ith the emergence of IP-based messaging services like iMessage, BBM Messenger, Facebook Messenger and Google Plus Messenger becoming a hit with smartphone users their dependence on short messaging services to communicate is losing sheen. But is that reason enough for telecom operators to worry? Or is there a silver lining?
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The writing is on the wall. Or in this case, the messaging interface on your mobile phone.
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SMS, in its current form is on its way out. Don't get me wrong. Short messages or 'texts' as it is more popularly known is well alive and will continue to thrive into the next
generation and the one after that. The one on the deathbed is its current avatar. A version that is controlled tightly by network operators and reaps crores of rupees in profits every year. The operator controlled SMS feature was long overdue for an evolution. Thanks to
the new generation of smartphone operating systems, that correction is coming very soon. Facebook introduced its Messenger app for mobile phones a few months ago. This is a dedicated messaging app that is not part of its popular Facebook app for iOS and Android. It underscores how much value there is in the messaging business that ecosystems want the user locked into. Apple has iMessage, a new feature that launched with iOS 5. This will allow iPhone users to communicate with each other – un-tethered figuratively to the operator and thus
Google, as part of its Google+ social infrastructure launched Google+ Messenger, a mobile messaging app between Google+ users. With all these services, Microsoft can't be far behind. It would not be surprising to see a Windows Live Messenger for their mobile OS running on all the new Nokia Windows Phone devices. All these messaging apps underline a key fact -- messaging between mobile phone users does not have to use the carrier driven SMS infrastructure. There are cheaper (as in free) ways to message your friends and it can be done over Wi-Fi or cellular infrastructure. iMessage, while having the potential to be something really big is hampered by the fact that it is only between iPhones. While that is a sizeable and growing population around the world, it is only a portion of all smartphones. Which is why Facebook's app and Google's plus platforms work better. They work as apps on any smartphone and connect people on their platform not just on a mobile OS. This means that Android could die
tomorrow but people would still be using Google Plus Messenger on non-Android devices to exchange short messages. Facebook's mobile solution also aims to reach a much broader audience. Apple's rationale is easy to explain. It owns software and hardware and would like to offer its users a value added service that could potentially eliminate a carrier link and thus a cost paid by the customer. The emergence of messaging as an integral part of the mobile OS experience, and also the social networking medium (Twitter direct messages, Facebook messenger), means that every major OS now will boast or soon boast of its own messaging service. That leaves us with Blackberry OS. One of the biggest selling points for RIM has been its extremely popular BBM service. While it continues to be a major selling point for the OS, the challengers are aiming for the one last bastion of RIM dominance. With iMessage, Facebook Messenger and Google+ Messenger, the final frontier of Blackberry domination would be conquered. RIM must be very worried about this.
The emergence of iOS, Facebook Messenger, and Android supremacy means that operators have little or no choice in accepting the new services and applications that they enable. Instead, operators are choosing to go after a bigger pie in the form of mobile data revenue.
Operators have reasons to be worried also. SMS is a huge revenue generator on little or no new investment and operating cost. The infrastructure is already in place. SMS is a negligible footprint on the pipe but generates wads of cash. But the emergence of iOS and Android supremacy means that operators have little or no choice in accepting the new services and applications that they enable. Instead, operators are choosing to go after a bigger pie in the form of mobile data revenue. All the aforementioned messaging services will require an IP connection. And this is where operators are looking to make money. For every user moving from a voice only plan with SMS capability to one of these messaging services will be a new user of their data services. SMS, while significant and cheap to offer, will eventually pale in revenue comparison with those of 3G data packages. And they will continue to mine the feature phone users for SMS revenue until there is no feature phone user left! In the Indian market, this transition from traditional SMS to IP-based messaging services will happen over a period of time. This is because there are crores of users of the cheap or, in some cases, free SMS. Their feature phones don't support the new apps that are required for messaging. But as with the rest of the world, more and more people will transition to smartphones or app-capable feature phones. As 3G services become more prevalent and affordable in India, there will be more people gravitating to smartphones. And then IP-based messaging services will take off.
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save the cost of having a messaging plan.
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INTERNATIONAL
World’s PMs, and Where Does
MMS Stand? 1. Singapore PM
2. Hong Kong PM
4. US President
Despite a whopping salary cut of 36 per cent, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong remains the highest paid leader in the world, who takes home a salary of $1.69 million (about Rs 8.9 crore) per annum. He took the cut to appease public anger after the election in 2011. The People's Action Party, which has ruled Singapore since independence in 1965, has been on the defensive since its share of votes in the 2011 election fell to 60 per cent, an alltime low.
After the Singapore PM, the next in line is Hong Kong's Chief Executive Donald Tsang who earns $550,000 (about Rs 2.9 crore) per annum.
The Singapore PM draws more than four times as much as Barack Obama who gets $ 400,000 (about Rs 2.1 crore) a year as President of the United States.
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Among the grave issues facing the PAP was ministers' high pay, which the government has justified as necessary to attract talent from the private sector and to deter the corruption that afflicts other Asian countries.
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5. Australian PM
3. Japanese PM Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda gets about $513,000 (about Rs 2.7 crore) a year.
In December, the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard received a 31 per cent pay rise that boosted her salary to about $470,000 (about Rs 2.4 crore). With a hike of about $90,000, Gillard takes home a bigger pay cheque that Obama and United Kingdom PM David Cameron.
6. Kenyan PM According to media reports, Kenyan PM Raila Odinga earns $ 427,886 (about Rs 2.2 crore). According to research this indicates that he earns 240 times more than the country's GDP per person. On that ratio, this makes him the world's highest paid politician.
7. French PM France's President Nicolas Sarkozy earns just over 230,000 euros (about Rs 1.5 crore) annually.
8. German Chancellor German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who heads Europe's biggest economy, earns a gross salary of about 189,216 euros (about $246,750 or Rs 1.3 crore) a year.
10. Russian PM Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin earns only $140,000 (about Rs 74 .1 lakh) a year. His official income statement published in the government newspaper, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, put his income over the past four years at 17.73 million roubles (about $559,100 or Rs 2.96 crore) from salary, a KGB pension and interest from bank deposits.
9. British PM Having set up his pre-election pledge to cut ministerial salaries by five per cent, British PM David Cameron took his own salary down to a humble ÂŁ 142,000 (about Rs 1.1 crore) per year.
Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh gets about Rs 19.1 lakh annual salary, including allowances. The 10th man Putin gets 4 times the salary of MMS, while Singapore PM makes more than 45 times than the Indian Prime Minister. But it is not a bad thing, as it shows that Indian democracy doesn’t like excesses!
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Where does Indian PM Stand?
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COVER STORY
India's Best Citi hich are India's most competitive cities for business? The City Competitiveness Report 2011 unveiled by an international think tank, Institute For Competitiveness (IFC) aims to answer this question. The latest report is an indicative of how the corporate world selects the cities for investing and also how governance is important in assessing the level of competitiveness diversity spread across these cities. These variations will indicate to the governing bodies the issues that need to be addressed to improve the competitiveness of Indian cities. The India City Competitiveness Report 2011 is based on the 'Microeconomic Diamond Model' laid down by management guru Michael E Porter and focusses on 'Strategy and Competitiveness'. The model is widely accepted across the world and assesses the competitiveness of a region or domain based on specific benchmarks.
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The core of the model competitiveness is founded across the four pillars: Factor conditions, demand conditions, context for strategy and rivalry, and supporting and related industries. These four pillars are interlinked and instrumental in determining overall competitiveness.
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To gauge the productivity and thus the prosperity of a city or a region it is essential to identify and measure dimensions on and around these four pillars, which are further categorised into sub-indices that assess the various details of a city through a set of well-defined indicators. A city would need to improve along all these factors to increase its competitiveness. Each of these factors is further divided into sub-indices, which in turn are measured through indicators.
1. New Delhi Overall competitive score: 78.02 New Delhi, the capital of India, has once again emerged as the top metropolis in the country and retained the title of the most competitive city in India. Delhi pipped the financial hub Mumbai and IT hotspot Bengaluru to grab the top slot in the annual survey conducted by the Institute For Competitiveness (IFC). This can be attributed to the fact that Delhi is continuously evolving as well as growing in order to satisfy ever-changing and growing needs.The growth and progress under some parameters is
es for Business
For instance, Delhi's physical infrastructure, its demographics, some business dimensions are its strongest points. In addition, its proximity to the cities like Gurgaon and Noida lend it a big advantage. Incidentally, Delhi on Monday completed 100 years of its emergence as the capital of the modern India. Delhi was proclaimed as the capital of British Raj on December 12, 1911, shifting from Kolkata, by then Emperor of India George V thereby returning to the historic city its lost glory.
Delhi Metro
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remarkable and if Delhi continues to keep the pace then it may remain unbeatable for some time to come.
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India's Best Cities for Business 2. MUMBAI Overall competitive score:72.93 Mumbai is the second most competitive city in India, according to the report by Institute for Competitiveness. It is the second most populous city in India, and the fifth most populous in the world. The financial hub of India, Mumbai attracts people from all over India. The report supports the evidence that the metropolitan cities Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad are still the prominent competitors in the list of top 10 most competitive Indian cities.
Bandra–Worli Sea Link, Mumbai
3. BENGALURU Overall competitive score:65.28
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If the trend is analysed in the Competitiveness Index 2011 then it is exhibited that Bengaluru has jumped one spot up to the 3rd rank. Bengaluru is well known as a hub for India's information technology sector.
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Despite the ranks, India's cities are still way behind cities in the developed world. Though Indian cities should not try to imitate the model of other foreign cities and instead grow uniformly in a sustained manner, complimenting their own inherent strengths. They need to move from factordriven competitiveness to efficiency-led and finally innovation-led economies. One of the key derivate from the report is government and the residents of the city should actively participate in mapping the strengths and working towards creating competitive advantages.
Media Centre, Infosys, Bangalore
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway India's first Expressway as seen from Khandala
4. Pune Overall competitive score:64.27 Last year, Pune was the 8th most competitive Indian city, but has leapt to the 4th spot this year. The eighth largest metropolis in India, Pune is also the second largest city in Maharashtra. The metros are followed by cities which are fast catching up and creating a mark on the map, such as Pune, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, etc. Pune witnessed an upward movement in its position and has shown significant improvement in the areas of innovation, communication, competitive intensity and diversity in between the firms thus standing high to cater the education and business related masses.
5. Chennai
Chennai International Airport
Chennai saw a drop of three positions in competitiveness this year and is ranked at the fifth place. Chennai is the sixth most populous city in India.
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Overall competitive score:62.75
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India's Best Cities 7. Kolkata Overall competitive score:61.99 Kolkata is India's 7th most competitive city. Capital of West Bengal, it has a population of over 15 million. Like its many other metropolitan cousins, Kolkata suffered from economic stagnation in post-independence India.
Delhi-Gurgaon Airport Expressway
6. Gurgaon Overall competitive score:62.30 The report said it was surprising to note that Gurgaon figured in the list of the top 10 competitive Indian cities, at the sixth position, despite holding low scores in the administrative and human capacity. Gurgaon is the one of the most-preferred cities in India for entrepreneurs. Gurgaon has in the last few years received huge amounts of foreign direct investment, especially in the ITeS sector. Gurgaon was ranked as the best city in India to set up a software unit or a BPO centre.
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Kolkata's Central Business District
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However, since 2000, the city has witnessed an economic rejuve nation, thanks to the development of IT industry in Rajarhat in Greater Kolkata. The city's IT sector is growing at 70 per cent yearly twice that of the national average. With an overall competitive score of 64.94, and an infrastructure score of 63.03, Kolkata is 5th. The city has seen a surge of investments in the housing infrastructure sector. Several new projects have come up in recent times. The India City Competitiveness 2011 uses hard data that is published by the Government of India. The data is derived from reports, published articles, etc. of the various ministries of India, government-funded research organisations and other reliable sources. It also eliminates the possibility of sampling error or other related faults.
for Business
8. Hyderabad Overall competitive score:61.76 Hyderabad, one of the largest metropolitan cities in the country, is the 8th most competitive Indian city. South Indian cities such as Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Visakhapatnam have witnessed an upswing in competitiveness rankings by surpassing various upcoming North Indian cities.
Cyber Towers Madhapur, Hyderabad An Ahmedabad Mall
9. Ahmedabad Overall competitive score:60.86 Ahmedabad, the financial capital of Gujarat, is India's 9th most competitive city. It is the seventh largest metropolitan area in India. In 2010, Forbes magazine rated Ahmedabad as the fastest-growing city in India. It is the largest inland industrial centre in Gujarat and has been an important base of commerce, trade and industry. Ahmedabad has seen great prosperity because of its proximity to Surat and its access to the hinterland of Gujarat. A wide developmental gap exists between the north and south.
World Trade Park, Jaipur
10. Jaipur Jaipur maintains its position by stabilising its overall growth and is placed at the 10th spot. The capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur is one of the finest planned cities of India.
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Overall competitive
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11. Noida Overall competitive score:59.33 NOIDA, a city included in the NCR (National Capital Region), has proved that it has huge potential by itself and is pegged at the 11th spot in the City Competitiveness Index 2011.
12. Surat Overall competitive score:58.85 Surat, India's diamond city, is India's 12th most competitive city. It is also India's second-fastest and the world's fourth-fastest growing city
Delhi Noida Express Way
The report states that there is a huge potential in the Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. What is required is to tap into potential so as to explore aspects of these Indian cities they can provide the distinctive advantages to them in terms of competitiveness.
13. Nagpur Overall competitive score:58.48 The 13th most competitive Indian city is Nagpur. Nagpur's location at the center of India has earned it to be an important growth centre in industry and key logistics base for supply chain investors.
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It is the 27th fastest growing city in India and the world's 114th fastest growing urban centre. The city is ideal for business in education, banking, food manufacturing, and logistics. It is also central India's largest trade and cargo hub.
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For change to happen, cities will have to invest heavily in improving infrastructure and physical support systems.
Gaurav Path, Surat International Airport, Nagpur
India's Best Cities for Business 14. K ochi Kochi Overall competitive score:58.06 Kochi has been ranked India's 14th most competitive city. It has been ranked third in education and health facilities. However, it falls in safety, housing options and economic environment. The 'Queen of the
Arabian seas', Kochi is the second largest city in Kerala. The commercial hub of Kerala, it also has one of the major seaports.Cities need to move forward on the path of competitiveness by planning and implementing an appropriate strategy addressing their respective strengths and weakness'.
Vallarpadam Container Terminal, Kochi
15. Chandigarh
Legislative Assembly, Chandigarh
Overall competitive score:58.01 The capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh is one of the best planned cities in India. Amongst the greenest Indian cities, Chandigarh however has slipped a bit on the competitive index from the 11th to the 15th spot this year. It is ranked 3rd in purchasing power, 4th in housing options, 8th in economic environment, 9th in education and 10th in healthcare. It falls in terms of safety at 29th position. Cities such as Mysore, Madurai, Lucknow, Goa, Bhopal, Ludhiana are considered to be moving ahead on the growth path and have improved immensely on the competitive index.
17. Thiruvananthapuram
Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram is India's 17th most competitive city. The city, called the 'Evergreen city of India' by Mahatma Gandhi, is a city built on seven hills. It is famous for its beaches, monuments and backwater stretches. It is also a major destination for tourist looking for natural beauty and serene greenery.
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Overall competitive score:57.31
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16. Vadodara Overall competitive score:57.38 Vadodara is a big centre for pharmaceuticals, chemicals, cotton textiles and machine tools in Gujarat. It is also India's 16th most competitive city. The city is ideal for business in education, industrial, petro, IT,Pharmaceuticals, cotton textiles and machine tools. Vadodara is gradually becoming a hub in Gujarat for IT and other
Vadodara Airport development projects.
Nashik Residential Area
The small towns of today will need to emerge as hubs of trade and business in the coming years. However, to ensure that they keep up with the growth, they will need to invest in physical infrastructure and urban services. Some of that is already happening. Over the past decade, many cities have changed sharply, improving the quality of life they provide.
Treasure island, Indore
19. Rajkot
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Overall competitive score: 57.07
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Rajkot, one of the largest cities in Gujarat, is the nation's 6th fastest growing city. It has been ranked by City Mayors as the 22nd fastest growing urban area in the world. It is also India's 19th most competitive city. Amit Kapoor, honorary chairman, Institute for Competitiveness,
which conducted the study said that 'Cities are already competitive and should look ahead to move from factor-driven competitiveness to efficiency-led and finally innovation-led economies. It is the joint responsibility of the government, the corporates and the people to offer cost-effective and business-positive solutions to make India a prosperous country.'
India's Best Cities for Business 22. Coimbatore Overall competitive score: 56.51 Coimbatore houses a large number of small and medium texitle mills, and is a major centre for auto components, pump manufacturing and also ITeS firms. It has been ranked India's 22nd most competitive city. The need of the day is to cultivate these smaller Indian cities, wherein lies the potential of the country and it is then that we would see the country grow higher and sustain the growth,' added Garg.
Coimbatore Lucknow
18. Nashik Overall competitive score:57.14
20. Indore
23. Lucknow
Overall competitive score: 57.04
Overall competitive score:56.17
With a competitive score of 57.04, Indore is 20th in the ranking done by the IFC. Indore is a fast growing city in Madhya Pradesh and a major business centre in central India.
Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, is home to many a huge manufacturing and industrial unit. It is the 23rd most competitive Indian city.
Competitiveness has the power to transform India's urban landscapes and we owe it to ourselves as a nation to use this power to become truly competitive, starting with our most fundamental units of change, our cities,' Kapoor added.
It is the 17th fastest growing city in India and the world's 74th fastest growing urban centre. Lucknow is not only a major market and trading city in northern India, but is also an emerging hub for producers of goods and services.
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Nashik, the wine capital of the nation, is the country's 18th most competitive city. While Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore are known globally, much needs to be done not only to improve the competitiveness of these cities, but also to create awareness to attract investment.
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India's Best Cities for Business 21. Kozhikode Overall competitive score:56.62 Kozhikode, the 21st most competitive Indian city, is the third largest city in Kerala. One of the major commercial centres, the city has developed at a fast pace. It is ranked first among the 37 cities in India for the best healthcare and medical facilities. Commenting on the City Competitiveness Index 2011, one of the authors of the report, Ankita Garg, said: 'Cities are a reflection of prosperity so they should develop in a sustainable and competitive manner. It is true that the metros are moving from good to better, but the smaller cities also hold immense potential and should not be neglected.'
Kozhikode Church of St Francis of Assisi, Old Goa
24. Mysore Overall competitive score:55.57
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Mysore, India's 24th most competitive urban area, is a sedate and characteristic city with potential to blend its cultural, educational and industrial background to give a fillip to knowledge industry. Planned as part of a proposed Japanese industrial corridor, starting from Chennai via Bengaluru, Mysore ideally can be an investor's paradise for high speed transport like the bullet train. It is ideal for business in education, tourism, small scale industry, IT, research, and silk.
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25. Goa Overall competitive score:55.51 Infosys Campus, Mysore
India's tourism hotspot, Goa is among the top ten liveable places in India. It is also India's 25th most competitive city, with tremendous potential for improvement. Goa is ranked at 4th position in terms of socio-cultural political environment, purchasing power, 7th in healthcare facilities and 13th in education. It scores low on safety and economic environment.
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ITTY ODD
Fake News Can be a Success! Even
Meet the IIM-A graduate who founded Faking News, Indian journalism's reply to 'The Onion'.
Rahul Roushan, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of ManagementAhmedabad and a journalist by profession went on to start FakingNews.com, India's first satire based business in 2008. FakingNews.com is in a way the voice of people's inner feelings about the over all socio-economicpolitical status of the country. Read on to what inspired journalist turned entrepreneur towards satirebased news as he takes us through his journey of success. What inspired you to start Faking news? How did it grow viral?
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Having been a journalist, I always wanted to write about current affairs, but I thought starting another journalistic blog might not be the best thing to do, so I decided to experiment with 'news satire' genre. It grew viral as people liked my take on issues, which was often coated in absurd/humorous spin on current affairs. A couple of fake news reports could fool the mainstream media into believing that they were real reports, and that too helped.
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How do you manage your full time work with Faking news. How did you manage to attract multiple writers? I can manage it because I love doing this! With growing popularity, it attracted writers, some of whom are pretty regular in contributing. After doing a PG Diploma in journalism, What was the reason for pursuing an MBA?
I was a bit disillusioned with the world of journalism, especially television journalism, and it started appearing like just another job for me. That's when I decided to go for a career change. I can't do something that I'm not enjoying. How did your education at IIM-A aid you in setting up FN? Well, the education at IIM-A gave me a lot of confidence and taught me a lot of things, but setting up FN was mostly an experiment in blogging, which was more rooted in my experience as a journalist, that has now become a full time job. Also, I was notorious among my batchmates at IIM-A for digging up weird news (but real news) from around the world and that played part in making me believe that I had this ability to spot oddity. When it came to making FN a full time job, which meant finding ways in which I can sustain myself financially, the education at IIM-A definitely helped. Apart from advertising are there
other sources of income for faking news? Not yet, there have been queries about writing sponsored stories, but I've tried to avoid them till now. There are other plans in the pipeline, and let's see when it can materialize. What is the future vision for Faking news? Any plans to take The Onion head on and compete at a global level? Brand-wise Faking News is already "The Onion" of India, and I want to grow it to a bigger level and have diverse content to truly be comparable to The Onion, right now, it's just a fraction of what The Onion is. Competing with The Onion is a bit too far fetched, also they are mostly "American" than global. Faking News too will remain mostly "Indian". How does it feel when the mainstream media publishes 'Faking news' as 'real news'? Flattering! I feel proud of my journalistic background, it's still alive ;)
Do-It-Yourself
8 Things You didn't Know Your Webcam could Do 1. Home Security System There are plenty of free programs you can use to turn a webcam into a remote security system. Simply install Yawcam (Windows only) from www.yawcam. com or Vitamin D (Windows and MAC) from www.vitamindinc.com. Both are free and once installed, you can configure them to live stream video and monitor the feed remotely. The software can also be set to alert you or start recording when motion is detected in the frame of view this is great because you obviously cannot monitor the feed from the camera all the time. For general surveillance, you can setup the software to take snapshots at set intervals and upload them to a remote FTP server. For Linux users, Motion (www.lavrsen.dk) does the same thing.
OCR or Optical character recognition using a webcam is a bit tricky as the image quality of most webcams is average. However, your webcam can double up as an OCR reader in a pinch. You can take an image using the webcam and then use software like Microsoft Document imaging, Google Docs
and Abbyy FineReader Online to convert images to text. You can also try Evernote (free from www.evernote. com). Evernote is recommended software for OCR since it reads the image from the webcam and converts it into searchable text in real-time. You can use it to save notes, book pages, reports and business cards.
Accuracy of converted text varies between 70-90% depending on the image quality and software used for OCR conversion.
3. Bar Code Reader Reading bar codes and QR codes is easy with a smartphone and a free app. But you can do the same thing on a PC with a webcam (doesn't matter if the webcam is built in or
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2. Optical Character Recognition
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8 things you didn't know your webcam could do external, although external is probably better for this purpose). Download and install bcWebCam (get it free from www.bcwebcam. de) and it will automatically connect to your webcam to show the feed. Now just place the barcode or QR code in front of the webcam, the software will take a few seconds to recognise the embedded content and show you the text/link it contains. Mac users who need similar functionality can use Evobarcode (15day trial & US$30 post that) from www.evological.com or QuickMark (US$ 3.99) from the Mac App store.
4. Fun & Gaming A webcam can literally put you into the action while playing a game. At www.newgrounds. com, you will find a collection of short, quick online games and Adobe Flash applets that use your webcam. Just head to the games section and webcam games subsection on the website. You will need to allow Flash Player to access your webcam when it prompts you — this has to be done for each game.
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There are plenty of games available on the site that you can play using your webcam and each of them has a different theme. Our favourites are the 3D Target Shooting (the game uses the webcam to detect your location and displays a 3D effect, relative to your position), Night of the Ninja (fend off angry ninjas by hitting them), Bunny Zap (zap bunnies before they hit the ground) and Dress Up Yourself (add spectacles, thought/speech bubbles, facial hair, accessories to your face).
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5. Time Lapse Videos Time lapse is a photography technique wherein multiple photographs, taken at the same
location over a period of time are stitched together to form a video. The resulting effect is of time passing by very quickly, hence the name. Free software called Tilaphos (http://sourceforge.net/projects/ tilaphos) or Webcam TimerShot (available on http:// download.cnet.com) can do this for you without hassling you with too many technical details. An external webcam is recommended for time lapse videos because it is easier to keep it still. Also, it is much easier to place it at a location from where a wider frame can be captured — larger coverage would result in capturing of more movements, which in turn will make the video look good. It's important that the laptop (or webcam) is kept perfectly still and that it receives constant power. After that, it's just a matter of setting the time interval and recording the time lapse.
6. Login Via Face Recognition Some computers may have this feature built in, but if you have a PC running Windows and a webcam, you can enable login via face recognition easily. Head to www. luxand.com/blink or http:// bananascreen.en.softonic.com and download the free software. In the initial configuration register your face with the software and set an auto-lock for Windows. Once active, the software will recognise your face and automatically log you in to Windows without the need for a password. Since the software recognises certain points on your face, it doesn't matter if you have a different hairstyle or if you're wearing spectacles one day. There is an easy way to break in though – if anyone just holds up a photo of yours to the webcam, the software
may log in because it can't recognise 2D or 3D shapes.
7. Photos With Funny Effects If you go to www.cameroid.com, you can use any webcam to take funny photos — either with various filters, distortion effects, scenes or frames. You don't need to install anything or even sign up — just give the site permission to access your webcam through Adobe Flash when prompted. Once you take a photo, you can either save it to the Cameroid public gallery or download the JPG file to your computer. You can also try out similar effects at www.seenly.com. You can also get software to create realtime effects while you video chat with someone using Skype or Google Talk. Videoskin.net offers some freeware while www.webcammax.com and www.shiningmorning. com offer trial versions of their software with thousands of different effects.
8. Make Your Own Font You can use your webcam to create a font from your own handwriting. This font can be used to send emails or create documents with a personal touch. Head over to w w w. p i l o t h a n d w r i t i n g . c o m , download and print the template provided. Now fill out the boxes in the printed form with the corresponding alphabets — using your handwriting. Once done, use your webcam to take an image of the form and upload it to the website. After upload, the site will show you the template and you can edit it to make the alphabets look better. Next, the website will generate a font based on your handwriting and then you can download the font to your computer and use it with any software of your choice.
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Daniel Radcliffe:
My days as
‘MESSY DRUNK’
were less than magical Daniel Radcliffe says he didn’t develop a drinking problem because he was Harry Potter, even though he knows that’s what most people assume. “What ‘Potter’ did do was put me around people who were older than me, and I heard all of their amazing stories about their drunk nights. I just started thinking, ‘That’s what I want,’” said the actor, 22. “I don’t think I ever had one, great drunk night, but I had heard about them, and that was what I was desperately trying to pursue.”
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On an early morning this week, Radcliffe looked bleary-eyed at his hotel, having just flown to Los Angeles to promote his new film, “The Woman in Black.” The movie, released Friday, marks one of the few times in more than a decade that audiences worldwide will see the actor play someone other than the iconic boy wizard on the big screen.
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In fact, he’s very much a man in the old-fashioned ghost story, a production of England’s revived Hammer label: His character, lawyer Arthur Kipps, is a forlorn widower in 19th century London who must leave behind his son to take on a job
Daniel Radcliffe in a scene from "The Woman in Black." (Nick Wall / CBS Films) “Ever since I was 15, I’ve kind of known what people expect when I walk into the room: ‘Oh, he was a child actor. He’s gonna be a … nightmare,’” he said, peppering his speech with expletives. “I try as hard as I can to counteract that image immediately.”
in an isolated village where paranormal activity is afoot. He said he settled on the movie as his first post-”Potter” project because it didn’t feel to him like “a Daniel Radcliffe vehicle” - something that would be sold more on his name value rather than the film’s merits. But as he opens the next chapter in his film career, Radcliffe also is trying to sort out what it means to be a grown-up offset - one with an obscene amount of money in his bank account. The eight “Harry Potter” films sold a total of $7.7 billion in global ticket sales, making the series the highest-grossing film franchise of all time. As a result of the massive success of the movies, Radcliffe became a very rich young man: He’s worth a reported $75 million.
Translation: He tries to hide his wealth. His biggest extravagance is artwork - he has bought pieces by Damien Hirst and Craigie Aitchison - but he doesn’t own a car and doesn’t really go on vacation. He owns a handful of pricey properties, but says the real estate is handled by his mother, who thought he should “invest this stuff so it doesn’t just sit around.” He also quit drinking alcohol 18 months ago because being a “really annoying, loud, inappropriate, messy drunk” wasn’t exactly thwarting the obnoxious kid actor perception. “I’m very good fun for the first four drinks, and then after that it’s a rapid, rapid decline into where I have to be helped home. Blackout was kind of my thing,” he admitted sheepishly. Radcliffe says now that newspapers nearly published stories about his bad behavior on multiple occasions, but his public persona has somehow
remained essentially flawless. Even a full-frontal nudity scene in his first stage production, 2007's “Equus,” couldn’t harm his squeaky clean reputation. While news outlets stalked his “Potter” co-star Emma Watson at Brown University press reports claimed she was taunted by her college classmates for her fame the media largely ignored Radcliffe’s private troubles. Instead, papers published sterling reviews of his year-long turn in Broadway’s “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” which concluded in January. During the show’s run, cast mates often teased the actor about his Alist status, said Rose Hemingway, who played Radcliffe’s love interest in the musical.
James Watkins, the director of “The Woman in Black,” was initially uncertain whether Radcliffe would be able to attract more than just a young female fan base to the PG-13rated fright flick. To make sure the actor could believably pull off the role of a grieving father, the filmmaker asked him to taper down his manic energy and breathe only through his nose while in character. Watkins also organized a screen test in which Radcliffe was given period clothing, sideburns and a more mature hairstyle. “Seeing that, I thought, ‘Wow, absolutely. This is worlds apart from what he’s done before,’” the filmmaker recalled.
“I think often when you’ve known somebody very well for another part, it takes a minute or two to get used to them in something different, but I got used to him very quickly,” added Janet McTeer, who plays a possessed villager in the film and who was recently nominated for an Oscar for her supporting turn in a very different period film, the genderbending drama “Albert Nobbs.” “And of course, he doesn’t look like a kid anymore. He’s a young man.” Radcliffe says he knows film fans will likely still identify him with Harry Potter following “The Woman in Black,” but he’s patient. In March, he’ll take on another film challenge, playing gay poet Allen Ginsberg alongside Elizabeth Olsen in “Kill Your Darlings.” “I would have been incredibly
foolish to go into this movie thinking this was it, and people are no longer going to see me as Harry. I think that will take two or three more films. But I think this is a good start.” If Radcliffe seems confident that moviegoers eventually will accept him without his trademark round glasses and wand, he’s less certain about being understood as a young adult. “People always say stuff like, ‘You didn’t have a childhood,’” he said, his brow furrowing in frustration. “That’s an insulting thing to say to somebody. Being on a film set is a fantastic place for a 10-year-old boy…. I would just be a nuisance in any other line of work. I think if I was in an office, I might come in one day and kill everyone. I might be one of those guys who just goes crazy.”
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“There’s a pillow that they made for the show - this ridiculous pink pillow with his face on it that they sold for $30 at the merchandise stand,” Hemingway, 28, recounted. “I just thought it was absolutely insane that little girls bought those and took them home and slept with a pillow with his head on it. So for his goodbye gift, I made a pink pillow with my face on it, and it’s now prominently featured on his couch.”
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Higher Education
Mumbai Business School Shuts Shop Within 3 yrs
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Move follows after the institute did not get sufficient students; promoters are now planning to bring in a new school for brand development.
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It is a classic case of how brand and marketing gurus have not been able to sustain their own baby. Mumbai Business School, a privately-run B-school promoted by A Mahendran, managing director, Godrej Consumer Product Limited (GCPL), has shut shop after three years of its operation. MBS registered itself under Section 25 of the Companies Act as a private entity. It was modelled on the lines of the Indian School of
Business, Hyderabad, to provide a one-year full time programme in management. The school, promoted by Mahendran (who holds over 60 per cent in the venture), and a few of his academic friends in India and abroad, including Jagdish Sheth, leading marketing guru, and Charles H Kellstadt, professor of marketing at Emory University who was also the chairman, academic advisory council at MBS.
MBS Directors Balachandran had earlier told Business Standard that he plans to take over the Mumbai Business School and convert it into the Great Lakes, Mumbai, campus.
The institutes which was located in Malad, suburban Mumbai, could not sustain itself due to lack of students.
"Mumbai Business School was created as a for-profit organisation, so I was not keenly involved. Now I took it over as a not-for-profit institute. The change of ownership is in approval process. The school could be re-named Great Lakes, Mumbai campus,” he had told earlier.
As its last attempt to save itself, the B-school had roped in Bala V Balachandran, founder and honorary dean at The Great Lakes Institute of Management, last year. The tie up which as supposed to shore up the B-school's profile, also failed. "People who were supposed to run the B-school failed in their duties. We brought in Bala last year to help us. Balachandran was supposed to play an active role in the institute's functioning. But even he failed," the official added.
The institute had, according to an official who has quit the B-school, put in around Rs 4 crore as initial investment. The campus was taken on rent. After three batches passed out of the institute, it did not admit new students as it did not received sufficient applications to fill a class size of 30 students. One of the members of the school
said the investors in the MBS plan to stay on and are looking at different models of the business schools. “We are planning to develop it into a brand school or a super speciality B-school now. We are working on a new concept which is getting ready. We have identified a CEO for that who could take a brand school concept forward and specialise in brand equity development,” said an official from MBS. Crisil research in a study anticipates a shake-out in the higher education space in India on account of declining occupancy levels. The research said that several colleges have not been able to equip students to meet the requirements of corporate India. According to Ajay Srinivasan, head, Industry Research, Crisil Research, “Low occupancy rates are making it difficult for many lower-rung colleges to sustain operations. As a result, we expect a number of colleges to face closure or change in ownership over the next few years.” According to Crisil Research, the average occupancy rate declined in 2011-12 to around 67 per cent for engineering colleges and to about 65 per cent for business schools (B-schools). In October 2011, Pune-based Training and Advanced Studies in Management and Communications Group closed its business school in London due to tighter restrictions on student visas in the UK.
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“We were not able to generate the operational cashflow and capacity utilisation was below the mark. So we decided to down the shutters,” said an official from the school.
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Her Father's Daughter ith the Hiranandani family feud out in the open, K Raghavendra Kamath gives details of the tussle between Priya HiranandaniVandrevala and her father, group patriarch Niranjan, and brother Darshan. Ownership issues” among scions of business families are not uncommon, but rarely is a woman at the centre of the controversy. Which is what gives an added edge to the latest turn in the legal tussle between Priya Hiranandani-Vandrevala and her brother, Darshan Hiranandani. Priya and Darshan are the children of Niranjani Hiranandani, co-founder and managing director of Hiranandani Group which is one of the largest real estate developers in the country and has built mega townships in Powai and Thane near Mumbai. The overRs 12,000 crore group has now, under Darshan, diversified into hotels, hospitals and power.
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It is the proposed power project, being set up in Maval in Pune district by a subsidiary, Hindustan Electricity Generation Company, that is at the centre of the current trouble with a newspaper report alleging that the protests at the site, which had held up work on the project, had been engineered by Priya. This apparently was what the Mumbai Crime Branch had reported to the state home ministry, after the latter had ordered an inquiry on the request of Niranjan who found that many of the protesting villagers and NGOs had lawyers who charged Rs 5 lakh a day.
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Priya has not reacted publicly to the media report, but her father has. “I was sad and disappointed. I have only information of her involvement, but no proof against her,” he says. But then 34-year-old Priya has always been something of a rebel and a maverick achiever. She started her career with international consultancy Arthur Andersen, much
Niranjan Hiranandani against her family’s wishes. She left soon after and, in 2001, set up a BPO, Zenta, on a friends’s advice. “I was always a rebel. I wanted to do things my way,” Priya, then 24 years old, had declared in a newspaper interview. That year, Priya, a post-graduate from Mumbai University and a chartered accountant, won the Indo-American Society for Young Entrepreneurs award (last year, she was one of a dozen Indians who were named Young Global Leaders by World Economic Forum). In just four years, Zenta became one of the top-10 BPOs in the country and Priya sold it to GTCR, an American private equity firm, in 2005 for $80 million (then around Rs 350 crore). This is not the first time that Priya has had a strained relationship with her family. Her parents had not liked it
when her first marriage to Samir Gupta, who worked with her in Arthur Andersen, fell apart and she moved to the US. She met Cyrus Vandrevala, co-founder and vicechairman of private equity firm Intrepid Capital Partners, there and married him, but it was only after the birth of their two children that their relations improved.
In 2010, they were one of the principal contributors to The Elephant Parade, a charity and public-art event organised by an elephant-conservation NGO headed by Mark Shand, the brother of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. That year they also made to Evening Standard’s list of London’s top-20 philanthropists. The seeds of the current dispute within the Hiranandani family can be traced back to an arbitration plea filed a year ago by Priya in which she alleged that her father and brother had violated a business association agreement that the three had signed in May 2006. The bone of contention is the nearly 28 realestate projects valued at around Rs 3,000 crore, which Priya says flout the agreement, which required Priya, Niranjan and Darshan to exclusively transact with each other while buying and developing land. She argued that new land bought by the Hiranandani Group was not
Priya has not reacted publicly to the media report, but her father has. “I was sad and disappointed. I have only information of her involvement, but no proof against her,” he says. translating into profits for her. The arbitration plea caught attention for the high profile names on the panel — Cherie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who headed it; Ajit P Shah, former chief justice of Delhi High Court; and Lucy Reed, a queen’s counsel from UK. The year 2006 was also when the Hiranandanis and Cyrus Vandrevala had floated Hirco, the investment arm of the Hiranandani Group, with an IPO on London’s Alternative Investment Market which raised a corpus of £383 million, and was one of the largest real estate IPOs on AIM that year. By 2010, things had started to sour with Hirco as well. In September that year, Priya resigned as the chief executive following a strategic review by the company. Within a few months, Niranjan had also quit. He’d been waging a bitter battle with
Priya Hiranandani Vandrevala, Darshan Hiranandani activist hedge funds which wanted his ouster from the company and had had to defer plans for Hirco’s reverse takeover of Hiranandani Group companies. There was also a Central Bureau of Investigation probe against him for breach of the Employees’ Provident Fund Act. However, both Priya and Niranjan continue to be key promoters of the company; Priya also remains a consultant to the board. Though insiders say it is money that is behind the infighting between the siblings, Niranjan takes a more philosophical view: “Younger people have high ambitions but little tolerance,” he says. “They want everything fast... Also, the joint family system is eroding. Earlier senior member of the family controlled affairs; now everyone wants to take their own call.” Despite the bitterness, the Hiranandani patriarch does not seem to be without hope. “We would want to work out all issues and resolve them,” he states. “She [Priya] stays in London, Darshan stays in Dubai... Obviously we would like everybody to stay together. Nobody should impinge on the growth of other person. [But there is] a lot of scope to work together or separately.”
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These days, Priya and Cyrus Vandrevala form part of what The Telegraph, UK, has dubbed “Britain’s Bollygarch” set — Indian billionnaires who have made London their home. Cyrus Vandrevala was in the news in 2008 for buying a £20 million home in Holland Park. The couple runs a British charity, The Vandrevala Foundation, that works in the areas of mental health, dyslexia and multiple sclerosis, and are regularly photographed at charity do’s and dinners with royalty, politicians, artists and film-stars.
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BURNING ISSUE
STOP
BLAMING THE POOR
Not only are too many people competing for too few jobs, a large chunk, handicapped by their circumstances, are not even eligible to compete.
ot so long back, the government, after more than a wink and a nudge from Congress party president Sonia Gandhi?, tabled the legislation on food security in Parliament. In the uproar over the Lokpal Bill, the only attention that another item of legislation with immense disruptive potential got was over the underlying economic cost of providing the entitlement. The usual culprits, including feisty television anchors, wasted no effort in brandishing this as yet another instance of wanton populism that was wrecking the fiscal arithmetic of the Union government. (For the record, providing food security will cost the exchequer an additional Rs. 13,000 crore, taking the total annual food subsidy to Rs. 80,000 crore in 20011-12.) The main thrust of their argument is that the country needs to think before expanding the list of entitlements - the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has already implemented the popular Mahatma Gandhi Rural
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Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Right to Education. Though a logical demand, it is removed from reality. Yes, there is a fiscal problem. But it is absolutely wrong to claim that it is the spending on these entitlement regimes that has caused a fiscal overrun. The numbers simply don’t stack up. Instead, the deterioration of the fisc has been caused by a complete abdication of fiscal responsibility on the part of the UPA and sticking to a business-as-usual approach avoiding a candid review of expenditure patterns and the failure to push reforms through the introduction of a single goods and services tax - that has brought the country to the brink of an economic crisis. Yes, lumpy spending on such entitlements does add to the problem, but is definitely not the cause. More worrying is what is implicit in this argument. It questions (or fails to comprehend) the redistributive intent of such entitlement regimes. This is dangerous. Unquestioned, it will worsen the inequalities in the system and create the portents for a social upheaval that this country’s polity is totally unprepared to deal with.
We may choose to live in denial, but the spurt in economic growth in the last 10 years has not really trickled down. This is partly due to the fact that a large proportion of the country’s population does not even have a fair shot at getting the jobs that are being created. Not only are too many people competing for too few jobs, a large chunk, handicapped by their circumstances, are not even eligible to compete. Data published by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) and reported in Mint on 25 June, clearly demonstrated that the country, in the period 2004-2009, was afflicted by the phenomenon of jobless growth. There are far more who can’t even compete. A part of the reason for the lack of skills is their circumstance. Nearly one in two children below five years suffers from malnutrition; social rules (which keep Dalits at the fringe of society) often impede access to education, water and a basic livelihood. The government’s estimate of the official number of poor (or those in the so-called below the poverty line level) is around 400 million. The
entitlement regime is trying to level the playing field for this economically disenfranchised segment.
that drives the creation of gated communities and pushes the poor into ghettos—and then blames them for the crime rate.
Critics have a point in that these benefits have a tendency to be appropriated by people other than those who they are designed for. But then fix the problem—particularly with respect to the public distribution system—that has been more than apparent for the last six decades. Use the very same logic with which you repair your car—you send it to the garage to be fixed, but certainly don’t stop driving!
Similarly, it is rapidly becoming a fashion, including in the government, to blame the spurt in food prices on rising consumption in rural areas, inspired by the payouts made under the rural employment guarantee scheme. Yes, consumption has increased. But what else do you expect? The poor have a higher propensity to consume food. The solution is to fix availability; you can’t have overflowing granaries leading to rotting food stocks and then claim that enhanced consumption is tilting the scales.
However, what is being articulated is a demand that the government cut back on such so-called wasteful spending. There is a pattern to this kind of thinking. It is the same logic
Another problem with this kind of
argument is that it is not evenhanded. While payouts for entitlements are treated as subsidies, state or public sector funds forked out to save companies in crisis is termed bailouts (even when they are questionable, as in the case of Kingfisher Airlines Ltd, which by the government’s own admission in Parliament has failed to pay taxes deducted from staff salaries). Implicit in this lexicon is that while the former is wasteful, the latter is desirable. If you want the market to fix poverty, then its brutal logic needs to be applied to ailing industrial units, too. If this is not acceptable, then at least stop blaming the poor for stoking crime, food inflation and fiscal rot. (By Anil Padmanabhan, Deputy Managing Editor of Mint)
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PNB Q3 Net Up by 5.5%, Loan Book Up by 19% State-owned Punjab National Bank's (PNB) third quarter (October-December) net profit moderated 5.5% year-on-year to Rs 1,150 crore on the back of higher provisions against non-performing loans. The numbers were lower than the market expectation. The net interest income or the difference between interests earned and paid out rose more than 10% y-o-y to Rs 3,537 crore. Total loan book expanded by nearly 19% to Rs 2.63 lakh crore. Retail loans grew 20% y-o-y to Rs 26,000 crore. The gross non-performing asset (NPA) ratio increased from 2.05% to 2.42% sequentially while the net NPA ratio too rose from 0.84% to 1.11% quarteron-quarter.During the quarter, the bank's provisions against bad loans climbed more than 32% to Rs 946 crore as compared with Rs 714 crore a year back. Total deposits increased more than 23% y-o-y to Rs 3.57 lakh crore while the current account and savings account (CASA) deposits, traditionally cheap source of funds for banks, crawled up 12% to Rs 1.26 lakh crore. The share of CASA to total deposits contracted from 37.1% to 36.2% sequentially. This sug-
gests, the bank continued to focus on term deposits offering higher rate of interests. PNB's net profit for nine months rose 7% y-o-y to Rs 3,460 crore. Queries sent to the bank for clarifications on the results, remained unanswered at the time of publishing.
Union Bank of India Q3 Net Down 66%, But NPAs Decline, NII Up by 10%
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Union Bank of India has reported less than expected numbers in the third quarter of FY12 due to corporate banking losses and fall in treasury operations. Its Q3 net profit fell 66% to Rs 197 crore as against Rs 579.6 crore in the corresponding quarter of last fiscal.
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The bank reported a loss of Rs 81 crore in its corporate banking division as against profit of Rs 366 crore year-on-year. Its treasury operations' profit dropped nearly 43% to Rs 190 crore from Rs 332 crore during the same period. Net interest income increased 10% to Rs 1,781 crore from Rs
1615.8 crore year-on-year. Provisioning of seventh largest bank in public sector by total assets jumped 143.25% to Rs 973 crore in the quarter ended December FY12 as against Rs 400 crore in a year ago quarter. Net non-performing assets (NPAs) stood at 1.88% - less as compared to 2.04% in the previous quarter. Even gross NPAs declined at 3.33% versus 3.49% quarter-on-quarter. The bank reported gross NPAs at Rs 5,209 crore in October-December quarter of FY12 as against Rs 5,136 crore in an earlier quarter.
BANKS Q3 RESULTS
India's largest private sector lender ICICI Bank 's third quarter (Oct-Dec) net profit rose to forecast-beating 20% year-on-year to Rs 1,728 crore on the back of robust loan growth. Net interest income or the difference between interests earned and paid out increased more than 17% y-o-y to Rs 2,712 crore. The bank's loan book expanded 19% y-o-y to around Rs 2.46 lakh crore in the three months period. In between April 1 and December 31, the lender has disbursed around Rs 30,000 crore loans to companies and individuals. Currently, retail loans have higher share of 33% out of the entire loan book as against 26% in corporates, 28% in overseas business and 13% in SME and agriculture loans. ICICI Bank aims to attain 18% y-o-y credit growth for FY12. During the quarter, the bank improved its asset quality with the gross nonperforming asset (NPA) ratio stood at 3.82% compared with 4.14% a quarter back. The net NPA ratio too fell from 0.93% to 0.83% sequentially. Consequently, provisions declined by 27% y-o-y to Rs 341 crore. It has improved its NIM from 2.6%
to 2.7% quarter-on-quarter. The net restructured assets stood at Rs 3,070 crore. During the quarter, the lender restructured assets worth Rs 500 crore. Its power sector exposure stood around 7% of the total loan book (around Rs 17,200 crore). However, the bank did not disclose its credit exposure to GTL Infrastructure, the company which is negotiating debt restructuring with 25 lenders. Due to the higher cost of deposits, the bank tried to access cheap source of funds by raising its share of current account and savings account (CASA) to total deposits. CASA ratio increased from 42.1% in Q2 to 43.6% in Q3. Total deposits grew nearly 20% y-o-y to Rs 2.61 lakh crore. In ICICI Bank CASA offers 0-4% interest rates. This is much lower than the rates offered by their term deposit schemes. For the nine months ended December 31, the bank posted a consolidated net profit of 29% to Rs 5,833 crore. Queries sent to the bank for clarifications on the results, remained unanswered at the time of publishing.
OBC Q3 net profit down 13% at Rs 354 cr
Public sector lender Oriental Bank of Commerce has reported a net profit of Rs 354 crore in the quarter ended December FY12, a fall of 13% as compared to Rs 408 crore in the corresponding quarter of last fiscal. Net interest income went up 10.6% to Rs 1,139 crore from Rs 1,030 crore year-on-year. Numbers were slightly better than analysts' expectations. Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) declined at 2.92% versus 2.95% quarter-on-quarter. The bank reported gross NPAs at Rs 3,232 crore as against Rs 3,111 crore QoQ. Provisions nearly doubled to Rs 381 crore from Rs 192 crore yearon-year while reduced by 21% quarter-on-quarter. Queries sent to the bank for clarifications on the results, remained unanswered at the time of publishing.
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ICICI Bank Q3 Net Up by 20%, NII Up 17%
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Allahabad Bank Q3 Net Up 35%, But Provisions Up 74%
Bank of Baroda Net Up 21%, NII Up 35%
Supported by robust growth both in other income and loans stateowned Allahabad Bank 's thrid quarter (Oct-Dec) net profit shot up nearly 35% year-on-year to Rs 560 crore. The net interest income or the difference between interests earned and paid out increased 31.3% to Rs 1,381 crore. The total other income climbed more than 35% to Rs 348 crore. The loan book expanded 17% y-o-y to Rs 1.02 lakh crore. The retail credit stood at Rs 14,400 crore out of the total book. The gross non-performing asset (NPA) ratio increased from 1.77% to 1.86% quarter-on-quarter. Gross NPAs stood at Rs 1,887 crore in the October-December quarter of FY12 as against Rs 1,715 crore in previous quarter. The net NPA ratio too crawled up from 0.69% to 0.79% sequentially. The rise in bad loans led to higher provisioning for the Kolkata-based lender. NPA provisions stood at Rs
306 crore compared with Rs 175 crore a year back, a surge of 74% yo-y. Meanwhile, deposits grew at 20% to Rs 1.45 lakh crore in rising interest rate regime. Consequently, the cost of deposits moved up nearly 100 basis points to 6.80%. At the same time, the yield on advances too upped by 163 basis points to 12.21%. This suggests, the bank has successfully passed on the high cost deposits to its lenders.
Vijaya Bank Q3 Net Down 18%, Gross NPAs Up QoQ
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State-owned Vijaya Bank 's net profit fell 18.4% to Rs 124 crore in the third quarter of FY12 as against Rs 152 crore in a year ago quarter.
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Net interest income too dropped 11.7% to Rs 474 crore from Rs 537 crore year-on-year. Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) increased at 2.98% in the quarter ended December FY12 as against 2.54% in the previous quarter.
Bank Of Baroda has reported its results for the quarter ended Dec '11. Interest earned for the quarter was Rs 7,671.99 crore and net profit was Rs 1,289.85 crore. For the quarter ended Dec 2010 the interest earned was Rs 5666.15 crore and net profit was Rs 1,068.88 crore.
JK Bank Q3 Net Up 27%, NII Up by 35% Jammu and Kashmir Bank has reported its results for the quarter ended Dec '11. Interest earned for the quarter was Rs 1,266.53 crore and net profit was Rs 213.19 crore. For the quarter ended Dec 2010 the interest earned was Rs 934.66 crore and net profit was Rs 167.88 crore.
BANKS Q3 RESULTS
Indian Bank Q3 Net Up 7%, But NPAs Increase
UCO Bank Q3 PAT up 10%, Asset Quality Improves UCO Bank has reported a profit after tax of Rs 332 crore in the third quarter of FY12, a growth of 10% as compared to Rs 301 crore in a year ago quarter. Net interest income fell 2.7% to Rs 1,033 crore versus Rs 1,062 crore yearon-year.
Public sector lender Indian Bank has reported a net profit of Rs 526 crore in the third quarter of FY12, rising over 7% as compared to Rs 491 crore in a year ago quarter.
The bank made provisions of Rs 420 crore in the October-December quarter of FY12, falling 8% year-onyear due to improvement in asset quality. Other income increased to Rs 235 crore from Rs 214 crore during the same period.
On quarter-on-quarter basis, gross non-performing assets (NPAs) declined at 3.49% versus 3.64% and net NPAs too dropped at 2.04% versus 2.11. Gross NPAs stood at Rs 3,695 crore in the quarter ended December FY12 versus Rs 3,542 crore and net NPAs were at Rs 2,131 crore versus Rs 2,022 crore quarter-on-quarter. Queries sent to the bank for clarifications on the results, remained unanswered at the time of publishing.
Net interest income went up nearly 13% to Rs 1,170 crore from Rs 1,037 crore year-on-year. Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) increased at 1.35% versus 1.21% quarter-on-quarter. The bank reported gross NPAs at Rs 1,190 crore versus Rs 1,047 crore and net NPAs at Rs 695 crore versus Rs 595 crore quarter-on-quarter. Indian Bank made provisions of Rs 236 crore in the October-December quarter of FY12, which was much higher as compared to Rs 54 crore in the corresponding quarter of last fiscal and Rs 220 crore in an earlier quarter.
Karur Vysya Bank has reported its results for the quarter ended Dec '11. Interest earned for the quarter was Rs 856.33 crore and net profit was Rs 124.92 crore. For the quarter ended Dec 2010 the interest earned was Rs 575.49 crore and net profit was Rs 113.22 crore.
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Karur Vysya Bank Q3 Net Profit Up 10.33%, NII Surges by 49%
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Federal Bank Q3 Net Up by 41%, NII Up by 43% Federal Bank has reported its results for the quarter ended Dec '11. Interest earned for the quarter was Rs 1,466.83 crore and net profit was Rs 201.87 crore. For the quarter ended Dec 2010 the interest earned was Rs 1021.88 crore and net profit was Rs 143.10 crore.
Yes Bank Q3 Net Profit Up 33%, Gross NPAs Stable at 0.20% Yes Bank has announced its third quarter results. The company's Q3 net profit was up 33% at Rs 254 crore versus Rs 191 crore, year-on-year, YoY. Its net interest income (NII) was up 32% at Rs 428 crore versus Rs 323 crore, YoY. Its gross NPAs unchanged at 0.2% (QoQ).
Canara Bank Q3 Net Down 20.7%, Gross NPAs Up QoQ State-owned Canara Bank has reported a net profit of Rs 876 crore in the third quarter of FY12, degrowth of 20.7% as compared to Rs 1,105 crore in a year ago quarter.
versus Rs 3,793 crore quarter-onquarter. Canara Bank made provisions of Rs 501 crore in the October-December quarter, rising 219% as compared to Rs 157 crore in the corresponding quarter of last fiscal.
Net interest income too fell 9.5% to Rs 1,918 crore from Rs 2,119 crore during the same period. Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) increased at 1.81% in the quarter ended December FY12 versus 1.73% in the previous quarter. Gross NPAs stood at Rs 3,999 crore
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IOB Q3 Net Falls by 53%, But NII Up by 48%
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Indian Overseas Bank has reported its results for the quarter ended Dec '11. Interest earned for the quarter was Rs 4,604.26 crore and net profit was Rs 108.27 crore. For the quarter ended Dec 2010 the interest earned was Rs 3101.65 crore and net profit was Rs 231.66 crore.
BANKS Q3 RESULTS
Bank of India Q3 Net Up 10%, Stops Lending to State Electricity Boards recognised Kingfisher performing restructured
Public sector lender Bank of India 's (BoI) third quarter (October-December) net profit rose nearly 10% year-on-year to Rs 716 crore on the back of lower provisioning due to improved asset quality. The numbers were better than the market expectations.
BoI's credit exposures to aviation and power sectors are Rs 4,000 crore and 12,900 crore respectively. It has stopped extending fresh credit to the troubled state electricity boards (SEBs). Out of total power sector loans, SEBs account for Rs 6,500 crore.
The net interest income (NII) or the difference between interests earned and paid up crawled up 4% y-o-y to Rs 2,067 crore. The bank's global (domestic + foreign) loan book expanded 21% yo-y to around Rs 2.33 lakh crore while the domestic credit off-take saw rather a muted growth of just 8% at around Rs 1.63 lakh crore. The global net interest margin increased to 2.55% versus 2.44% a quarter back. In the three months period, the BoI's corporate book grew by 10% as compared with 15% rise in retail loans.
loans given to Airlines as a non loans and GTL in assets.
The lender's provisions (other than tax) and contingency fell 40% sequentially to Rs 693 crore. The gross non-performing asset (NPA) ratio improved from 3.02% to 2.74% quarter-on-quarter. The net NPA ratio too declined from 1.98% to 1.78%. During the quarter, BoI has restructured assets worth Rs 2,233 crore wherein a single large corporate account accounted for two third of it. The bank said it has
Domestic deposits climbed more than 14% y-o-y to around Rs 2.44 lakh crore while global deposits shot up nearly 22% to Rs 3.07 lakh crore. In the October-December quarter, the bank's international business grew at a much higher pace than its domestic segment. The foreign business spurted 67% y-o-y to Rs 1.33 lakh crore as against 11.50% rise in the domestic arena at Rs 4.08 lakh crore.
IndusInd Bank Q3 Net Up 34%, NII Up by 16%
Net interest income increased 16% to Rs 421 crore from Rs 363 crore during the same period. Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) declined at 1.02% in the quarter ended December 2011 as against 1.09% in previous quarter. Net NPAs during the same period too slipped at 0.29% versus 0.31%.
The management, addressing a press conference, said bank's new customer base has increased by 10% and savings deposits volumes shot up by 22% in the quarter in focus. The bank revised interest rate to 6% per annum on saving accounts after the Reserve Bank of India had deregulated saving rates last year. Meanwhile, credit growth during the period stood at 30%. Fee income was up by 46% to Rs 250 crore year-on-year and 18% on quarterly basis.
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Private sector lender IndusInd Bank has reported a net profit of Rs 206 crore in the third quarter of FY12, a growth of 33.8% as compared to Rs 154 crore in the same period last year.
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South Indian Bank Q3 Net Up 32%, to Raise Rs. 1000 Crore Driven by a robust loan book growth Thrissur-based South Indian Bank 's (SIB) third quarter (October-December) net profit shot up by 32% year-on-year to Rs 280 crore meeting analysts' expectations. With this, the lender has recorded the highest ever quarterly profit. It is also planning to raise Rs 1,000 crore capital through qualified institutional placement (QIP)in the first quarter of the next financial year 2012-13.
Kotak Mahindra Bank Q3 Net Rises 21%, Posts One Time Loss in Investments of Rs. 220 Crore Private sector lender Kotak Mahindra Bank posted a better-than-expected 21 percent rise in quarterly profit helped by higher loan growth, better asset quality and lower provisions. Consolidated net profit rose to 4.63 billion rupees in the fiscal third quarter ended December from 3.84 billion rupees a year ago, the bank said in a statement. Net interest income grew 14 percent to 10 billion rupees. It had grown about a quarter in the year-ago period.
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Interest expenses grew on higher deposit rates and after it raised interest rates on savings deposits, following a deregulation in the rate by the Reserve Bank of India. The bank posted a one-time loss of 2.2 billion rupees on sale of investments from a gain of 149.3 million rupees in the same period a year ago.
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Net interest margin, a key gauge of profitability, stood at 4.7 percent compared to 5 percent in the same period a year ago. The bank's provisions for the quarter fell to 452.2 million rupees from 534.3 million rupees in the year-ago quarter. Net non-performing assets --or bad loans -- as a proportion of net assets was at 0.47 percent this quarter from 0.69 in the year ago quarter.
The SIB's loan book expanded by more than 30% to Rs 25,050 crore in Q3. The share of coporate loans is at 55% of the total book. During the quarter, the bank has added Rs 5,000 crore (both to companies and individuals) to its book. The net interest income or the difference between interests earned and paid out rose by nearly 34% to Rs 273 crore. NIM inched up to 3.05% from 3.03% recorded in the July-September quarter. Bucking the trend of worsening asset quality, the bank has shown resilience on this count. Its gross non-performing asset (NPA) ratio has improved from 0.99% to 0.94% sequentially while net NPA ratio was little changed at 0.24% during the three months period. The bank's capital adequacy ratio stood at around 12% exclusive of the last nine months profits. After the proposed capital raising, it would be around 18%. The bank's deposit book grew by 25% Y-o-Y to Rs 33,834 crore. It has recently hiked its deposit rates for non-resident Indian customers on external term deposits across maturities to 6.75% from 3.82%.
BANKS Q3 RESULTS
HDFC Bank Q3 Net Up 31.4%, NII Up by 13% India's second largest private sector lender HDFC Bank 's third quarter (October-December) net profit rose more than 31% year-on-year to Rs 1,430 crore on the back of robust loan growth. Net interest income or the difference between interests earned and paid out increased nearly 13% y-o-y to Rs 2,945 crore.
Axis Bank Q3 Net Up 23.7%, NIM Retreats
The lender's overall loan book grew by 22% Y-o-Y to around Rs 1.96 lakh crore. Retail loans currently account for more than 51% of the book while corporate loans form the rest. Moreover, the incremental loan growth has been around 21% to Rs 35,000 crore between April 1 and Dec 31, 2011.
Aided by higher net interest income, the private sector lender Axis Bank's third quarter (October-December) net profit rose to forecast beating 24% year-onyear to Rs 1,102 crore. Net interest income or the difference between interests earned and paid out shot up 23% to Rs 2,140 crore while fee income scaled up by 26% y-o-y to Rs 1,223 crore. Fee income from large and mid corporate credit (including infrastructure) grew 34% y-o-y, retail banking fees grew 26%, treasury and debt capital markets fees grew 25% y-o-y and agriculture & SME banking fees grew 13%.
The lender's total deposits rose nearly 34% to Rs 1.56 lakh crore. During the quarter, Axis has expanded its network to 1,493 branches and 8,324 ATMs. The current account and savings account (CASA) grew by 32% to Rs 86,756 crore. However, the share of CASA to total deposits remains unchanged at 42% quarteron-quarter. Though the lender has not hiked its savings deposit rate after the deregulation of rates, the daily average balances of savings deposits grew 19% y-o-y. Capital adequacy ratio in the October-December quarter stood at 11.78% and provision coverage ratio at 87.68%. Net interest margin declined to 3.75% versus 3.81% year-on-year and 3.78% quarter-on-quarter.
For many banks, incremental loan growth has been subduded so far as against their year-on-year growth. This would force lenders either to go for aggressive lending in the last quarter to achieve their credit growth target or bring down loan growth. The Reserve Bank of India has projected the industry's credit offtake at 18% in FY12. The lender's cost of funds have gone up by 10 bps sequentially while it rose by 1.30% (or 130 basis points) Y-o-Y basis. Its net interest margin (NIM) however did not squeeze and remained the same at 4.1% as in the July-September quarter. Despite concerns over economic slowdown, the bank has retained its asset quality. Its gross non-performing asset (NPA) ratio was flat at 1% quarter-on-quarter. Similarly, net NPA ratio remained unchanged at 0.20%. The other income component too increased by 26% Yo-Y to Rs 1,420 crore, supported by higher fee and commission income.
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The bank's loan book expanded 20% y-o-y to around Rs 1.49 lakh crore. The share of retail lonas have gone up to around 22% of the book as against 20% a year back. The gross non-performing asset ratio was a tad up from 1.08% to 1.10% quarter-on-quarter while the net NPA ratio inched up from 0.34% to 0.39%.
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BANKS Q3 RESULTS
Development Credit Bank Q3 PAT Up 91%, Net NPAs Slightly Up Development Credit Bank reported a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 15.6 crore in the third quarter of FY12, a massive growth of 91% as compared to Rs 8.2 crore in the previous quarter. Net interest income of the bank jumped 21% to Rs 59.7 crore from Rs 49.3 crore during the same period. Topline was almost in line with expectations while net income was way above estimates.
Non performing assets (NPAs) on the gross basis declined to Rs 256 crore in the third quarter from Rs 260 crore in the previous quarter. Gross NPAs stood at 5.67% versus 5.75%. But net NPAs increased to Rs 44 crore from Rs 42 crore quarter-on-quarter.
ING Vysya Q3 Net Up 43%, Maintains Net NPAs at 0.31%
The bank made less provisions in the third quarter at Rs 6.8 crore as against Rs 7.5 crore in a year ago period. Capital adequacy ratio in the same period stood at 13% versus 13.1%.
Supported by higher interest income Bangalore-based ING Vysya Bank's third quarter (October-December) net profit rose 44% yearon-year to Rs 120 crore, beating analysts' expectation. The net interest income or the difference between interests earned and paid out rose 32% to Rs 324 crore.
Punjab and Sind Bank Q3 Net Down 33%, NII Drop Better at 3%
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Punjab & Sind Bank has reported its results for the quarter ended Dec '11. Interest earned for the quarter was Rs 1,660.87 crore and net profit was Rs 91.63 crore.
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Central Bank of India Q3 Net Down by 72%, NII Better at Down 11.56% State-owned Central Bank of India has reported a net profit of Rs 113 crore in the third quarter of FY12, degrowth of 72% as compared to Rs 404 crore in the corresponding quarter of last fiscal. Net interest income too declined 11.56% to Rs 1,178 crore from Rs 1,332 crore year-on-year.
The bank's loan book expanded by 22% Y-o-Y to Rs 26,752 crore while total deposits grew 16% to Rs 31,654 crore. The current account and savings account (CASA) ratio stood at 32.6% of total deposits as against 33.5% recorded in the same quarter previous year. The lender managed to retain its asset quality with the net nonperforming asset (NPAs) ratio remaining unchanged at 0.31% quarter-on-quarter. The gross NPA ratio however, improved a little from 2.02% to 2.01% sequentially. Provisions and contingencies were marginally lower at Rs 33.40 crore from 33.60 crore in Q3, FY11.
Digital Banking May Overwhelm Traditional Banking Within 3 Years Digital banking is set to overtake branch networks as the main way customers interact with their banks by 2015 mainly on account of younger generations’ preference to mobile and computer platforms for transactions, says a PwC survey. for digital banking services if they believe they offer convenience and value. It suggested that despite a strong demand for digital banking products from consumers, banks have been rather slow to respond to the digital innovations.
“Mobile banking is expected to follow a similar usage curve to internet banking, with China, India and the UAE currently leading its adoption,” PwC noted.
“...The majority of banks still only provide basic mobile and internet banking...Banks are clearly missing a trick if they don’t start to invest in their digital offerings and only see digital as a way to reduce costs services,” Stephen Whitehouse, retail and commercial banking partner at PwC, said.
Overall, 69 per cent of respondents globally currently use the internet to purchase financial products, while 33 per cent use their mobile phones.
Digital banking could prove a significant source of revenue for banks as most consumers are willing to pay as much as £10 ($15.29) a month for the service.
In terms of customer profile, Generation Y (people born in the 1980s and 1990s) leads the way, with 67 per cent of respondents saying that they currently use or are considering using mobile channels for banking.
Social media notifications, an electronic wallet for loyalty cards and tailored financial services are popular draws for customers.
The report said that most of the consumers are willing to pay more
“The banks that provide a differentiated digital experience, with advice and relationship management elements tailored to the individual customer, will secure
deeper engagement and more profitable relationships with their customers,” Mr Whitehouse said. “The growth of digital has removed key barriers to market entry, including the need for large branch networks, customer inertia and brand trust. Because of this, banks need to consider strategic acquisitions or partnerships with digital innovators to secure their long-term position and market share,” he added. The report suggested that incumbents in developing markets, where there is a larger share of unbanked consumers, would experience the greatest threat from new players if they do not improve their digital offerings.
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he survey, the New Digital Tipping Point, conducted among 3,000 b a n k i n g customers across nine developed and emerging markets, found that 70 per cent of respondents in India use internet and 56 per cent use mobile to purchase financial products.
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Banks Start Fighting NBFCs in Gold Loans
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It seems all that glitters ultimately turns out to be gold. India's top banks are now vying for market share in the gold loan business, which has so far remained the forte of non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and a few banks in the South.
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At a time when credit demand has been dwindling because of high interest rates, banks have stepped up lending against the yellow metal. Financing against gold being a secured form of lending, and higher margins are the key reasons why banks are expanding this portfolio. Loans against gold are considered priority sector advances. This has also made the business attractive
for banks, especially those in the public sector. According to Reserve Bank of India data, 18 of the 26 public sector banks (including five associate banks of State Bank of India) have missed their agricultural lending targets for 2010-11. HDFC Bank, the second-largest private sector lender in the country, has doubled its gold loan portfolio in the last 12 months. The bank had
entered this business only three years ago. However, within this short period, the bank claims to have acquired significant market share among new-age private sector banks. "We are well placed in terms of market share among new-age private banks. We have doubled our portfolio this financial year and expect the growth to accelerate, as more branches start
offering this product," a senior HDFC Bank executive said on the condition of anonymity. The bank currently offers gold loans through 70 per cent of its branches in the country. It also offers these loans both in rural and urban markets.
Bankers said margins in the gold loan business were relatively higher than those in other secured loan products.
Aditya Puri, MD, HDFC Bank
Even banks that have traditionally been active in the gold loan business are looking to ramp up operations. Shikha Sharma, MD Axis Bank
According to industry players, while NBFCs offer these loans at 18-24 per cent, most banks offer gold loans at 11-15 per cent to attract borrowers. Banks lend only 60-80 per cent of the value of the gold. Most banks said credit risks are significantly lower for gold loans, compared to unsecured personal loans. According to the lenders, these loans are one of the bestperforming assets in the credit portfolios of banks. "These loans are given against securities that do not depreciate very fast. Also, the securities are relatively liquid. It is a good deal if you get 11-12 per cent interest by offering loans against these securities," said a senior official of a Mumbai-based private bank.
Thrissur-based South Indian Bank, which has about 20 per cent of its advances in gold loans, had earlier planned to set up a separate subsidiary for this business, a proposal which did not find favour with the banking regulator. The move was aimed to strengthen its gold loan business and offer this product through its NBFC arm in areas where it did not have a bank branch.
Dr. VA Joseph, Chairman & CEO, South Indian Bank
"In many of our rural branches, we found customers were coming to the bank only to borrow loans against gold jewellery. In some of our branches, the only business is to lend against gold. We are looking to expand this business in the coming quarters," said the chief executive of a mid-sized private sector bank.
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Another private sector lender, Axis Bank, which recent forayed into this business, plans to ramp it up. "So far, we have been watching the market, assessing the risks and evaluating the business model. Most of these have been sorted out. We will start ramping up our business now, and would be more active in the gold loan market from the next financial year," said Jairam Sridharan, head of consumer lending and payments, Axis Bank.
According to industry players, while NBFCs offer these loans at 1824 per cent, most banks offer gold loans at 11-15 per cent to attract borrowers. Banks lend only 60-80 per cent of the value of the gold.
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Celebs and Their Luxury Cars
Peeking into the garages of India's rich and famous to see what they drive. SACHIN TENDULKAR Sachin Tendulkar's shiny new Nissan GT-R, airfreighted straight from Japan, had its first pit stop at the Regional Transport Office in Andheri. The Rs. 2.5 crore sedan boasts maximum speed of 300 km/hour.
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AMITABH BACHCHAN
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A gift from director Vidhu Vinod Chopra, the Rolls Royce Phantom is the Bachchan's most expensive car yet. After a week in hospital, the Bachchans took their baby girl home. And what better way to get a first look at the world than through your very own Rolls Royce.
YUVRAJ SINGH As promised, German car major Audi presented Yuvraj Singh a brand new Audi Q5 for his performance in the recently won World Cup.
SANJAY DUTT Major car junkie Sanjay Dutt is the proud owner of a bright red Ferrari 599 GTB. Besides this Rs. 5.5 crore prized possession, he also owns a whole fleet of cars including a Porsche SUV. Additionally, he is known to have gifted his wife Manyata a Rolls Royce Ghost after the birth of their twins.
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TWINKLE KUMAR The actress is one of the few Bentley owners in Mumbai. Gifted to her on her birthday by husband Akshay Kumar, this luxury vehicle is worth Rs. 3 crore.
ABHISHEK BACHCHAN
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Dad Amitabh gifted Abhishek the luxurious Bentley Continental GT. It was given to him by his father on his 31st birthday. The second most expensive car in the Bachchan household, this car cost them more than Rs. 2 crore. With its sophisticated touch screen controls and rotary switches, this car is completely hassle-free.
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SUNIL SHETTY
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The car crazy Sunil Shetty is owner of a civilian version of the Hummer H3 which is used by the US military. The car cost him approximately Rs. 1.5 crore.
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Katrina Kaif, who’s a big fan of F1 racing, owns a full-size luxury Audi Q7 SUV that costs somewhere between Rs. 55 lakh to Rs. 69 lakh.
Then we have the impressive Priyanka Chopra, who drives around the in the luxury of her Porsche Cayenne that falls in the Rs. 64 lakh to Rs. 1.46 crore price range. Even Bipasha Basu owns a Porsche Cayenne.
No One Killed Jessica star Rani Mukerjee has bought herself a Mercedes Benz E-class. With a price tag of Rs. 44 lakh, this luxury car features flawless style and top performance.
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Kareena Kapoor owns an Lexus LX 470 SUV. The car comes with a price tag of approximately Rs. 36 lakh.
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Nissan unveils the Evalia MPV at the Auto Expo
Jaguar LandRover unveils CX16 Among the sea of new launches there is another addition from the British luxury car manufacturer, Jaguar Land Rover. Jaguar has pulled out two new concepts out of the bag defying the prediction of a single CX16 sports car concept when the CX 75 concept is basically a surprise to many. As for the Land Rover's stance at the Auto Expo, the renowned SUV manufacturer has brought the Defender Concept 100 Sports (DC 100 S) with some exceptional features to boast about.
Nissan has finally pulled the wraps off the imposing Nissan Evalia MPV which was popularly known by its codename-NV200 until now. None other than Normand Gilles, the Nissan Vice-President of Africa, Middle-East and India has unveiled the locally developed Nissan MUV at the Auto Expo 2012. The MPV is undoubtedly majestic is basically an eight–seater but the box like structure is making it look heavy and much bulkier.
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On an overall the MUV is decent enough if you ignore the caravan like structure as mentioned before with the dimensions of 4.44 m in length, 1.69 m width and 1.88 m in height.
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The dimensions are enough to kickstart you imagination which might as well give you a rough sketch in your mind's eye the narrow form although looking tall enough towering high over the passing cars.
With a short bonnet and a sliding rear doors, the Nissan Evalia MPV reminds us of the age old Maruti Omni but the similarity goes only that far. The new Nissan MPV will not go into production until the later half of 2012, is what the top executive had stated. The wheelbase however is not bad in fact more than the Nissan XTrail at least by 95 mm with 2.73 m in length. Another big plus for the MPV is the all-diesel engine Nissan Sunny's 1.5 L powertrain which is more of an advantage as the lack of petrol engine usually does not garner attention as the diesel engine deficit does. The company has to come up with the pricing and other details of the MUV. The Nissan GT-R and the Nissan Leaf electric are the other cars from the Japanese car manufacturer which are already put up for a display at Nissan's stall in the New Delhi Auto Expo.
The British manufacturer claims of some high fuel efficiency numbers endowed by the cutting edge technology brought into the car which undoubtedly carries some advanced features to give an insight as to how the new Defender will look like. The eons long existence of Land Rover Defender in the global markets is not unknown but the new design philosophy will override the old model at any cost.
New Toyota Camry, Land Cruiser setting stage on fire With New Toyota Camry the company hopes to fly in the sky of success. Now, that the auto major has the revamped version in hand, Toyota has set for itself some really big target of 360,000 units this time.
Carrying the 100 inch wheel base, the SUV concept is quite deceptive coming to the special features it carries on the inside. The new Terrain-i technology featured in the concept has the potential to take the under development SUV generations ahead this time which fore-warns the user well ahead of the upcoming obstacles especially on the difficult terrains.
The Terrain Response feature on the DC 100 concept makes it perfect for all terrains be it on or off-roading.
Mercedes brings in SLS AMG Roadster and M Class Mercedes is certainly using the Auto Expo 2012 platform very intelligently. The German auto major brings the new SLS AMG Roadster along with the M class SUV. Both the automobiles are unique in its class and are technically sound. The SLS AMG Roadster is powered with the V8 four cylinder engine that has a displacement of 6208cc and has the carbon dioxide emission of 308 grams per kilometer with a
compression ratio of 11.3:1. The engine has the capability to generate 571 HP of peak power at the rate of 6800 rpm. It takes merely 3.8 seconds to go from 0 to 100 and has a top speed of 317. SLS AMG Roadster is also up-tothe mark in style and looks. The car sure is a head turner and the pricing details are still kept under cover. The other offering by Mercedes is Mercedes M Class SUV, which is considered to be one of the most capable German sports utility vehicle in the market. The engine has the capability to generate 571 HP of peak power at the rate of 6800 rpm. It takes merely 3.8 seconds to go from 0 to 100 and has a top speed of 317. SLS AMG Roadster is also up-tothe mark in style and looks. The car sure is a head turner and the pricing details are still kept under cover. The other offering by Mercedes is Mercedes M Class SUV, which is considered to be one of the most capable German sports utility vehicle in the market.
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The SUV concept boasts of the technology which can make the SUV deliver sheer performance even through water bodies which makes one difficult to assess without the help of Wade Air Sonar technology.
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Tata unveils the Safari Storme SUV Country's leading auto giant has unveiled the Tata Safari Storme to stun the spectators for the moment with the new design concept, a huge deviation from the Tata Safari on which it is based on. However, ruling out all the speculations of dropping the Safari name, the SUV carries the bold Safari name which is quite prominent stressing on its parentage. The unique looking grille and a matching air-duct with the in-vogue wrap around headlamps quite takes the cake to add a certain charm to the otherwise macho-looking SUV. The twin exhausts at the rear end is another interesting bit of addition with the chrome outline, but certainly not ugly by any standards. The exhaust pipes not spoil the overall look one little bit and the same goes for the Stepney as well, where the extra tyre is placed under the body unlike the rugged SUVs we see of late.
The SUV interiors matches up to the rest with the all leather beige colored upholstery and matching accessories to go with it like the leather cover on the power steering. The wooden inserts on the dashboard once again asserts our speculations on the SUV as seen on the spotted model numerous times before with an attractive instrument panel covering all the essential features on the SUV. Ergonomically, the Safari Storme could be an ideal choice as a family car with the 2.2 L DiCor engine is just the same as in Safari belting out the 140 Bhp and 320 Nm peak power and torque numbers. Tata Storme claims to be the one to offer the best turning radius among the SUV lot apart from the most loveable feature with the Easy Shift on Fly, which enables the user toggling between the 4x2 and 4x4 drive when opted.
Tata reveals Manza Hybrid and Nano CNG At the Auto Expo 2012, the auto major displayed one pretty technical but a clever piece of engineering. The company unveiled the Manza Hybrid concept for which it seems to be very serious. This car is powered with three cylinder version of company's DICOR engine, known as 1.05 DICOR. Furthermore, Tata Motors has made use of balancer shaft and few other changes have been made to enhance the fuel efficiency of the engine. What is more interesting here is the electric power source that has a 45KW electric traction motor. The power will be taken from the costly Li-Ion batteries. The solar panel on the roof will sprinkle the some charge to the Li-Ion batteries. The Manza Hybrid is the first car of Tata to get bi-xenon headlamps. The 1.05 DICOR engine is also likely to power Tata Vista. This car is in its testing stage and the engineers are claiming that it will deliver astounding fuel efficiency, which would certainly set a new benchmark in the Indian auto industry.
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The three cylinder engine will be more efficient than four cylinder engine, reason being the lower internal friction and reduced cubic capacity. Besides this hybrid car concept, Tata Motors also showcased its new cars, which includes Tata Nano CNG, Tata Pixel and Tata Safari Storme 4WD.
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Fortuner facelift priced BMW Mini The iconic British brand Mini made its debut in India. The at Rs 19.9 lakh most awaited premium small cars of the generation are Apart from the apparent changes to proffer a fresher appeal to the SUV, the intention was mainly to offer more variants for ample options to the consumer. Toyota India has now introduced the 4x2 variant which was missing before with a new Toyota Fortuner price of Rs 19.99 lakh. The Toyota Fortuner was launched with all-diesel 3.0 L D-4D 168 Bhp power and 343 Nm torque generating engine mated with a 5-speed manual gearbox to power the car which is completely devoid of an automatic gearbox despite the Toyota Fortuner price of Rs 20.5 lakh.
finally here. Mini launched, the Mini Cooper and Mini Cooper S hatchbacks priced at Rs 24.9 lakh and Rs 27.9 lakh (exshowroom Delhi) respectively. Apart from these Mini has also launched the Mini Cooper S Countryman at Rs 31.99 lakh and Mini Cooper Convertible at Rs 29.99 lakh (ex- showroom Delhi). These cars will come to India through CBU route initially, Mini will have two exclusive showrooms in India at present in Delhi and Mumbai. Well this is not all we from the BMW pavilion this season. The all new BMW M5 sedan has also been launched at Rs 95.9 lakh. Most probably all the mini line-up for India will house a 1.2 L petrol engine while the diesel engine could also be considered for the Indian car market. The Mini Countryman S however, could be a perfect choice for many carrying a price tag of around Rs 27.9 lakh (exshowroom Delhi) with ample interior space and an accommodation for four passengers. So, keep your senses intact until then to watch the surprise BMW is going to deliver before the end of the day.
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The all new Toyota Fortuner is another car model the auto major launched for the benefit of car enthusiasts, which is again fraught with ample changes along the interiors and exteriors of the car.
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Audi A6 2.0 TDi Road Test
6TH SENSE The new A6 makes a lot of it. What do a Honda Unicorn’s airbox and an Audi A6 2.0-litre TDI’s fuel gauge have in common? No matter what I do, they refuse to budge. Even as my hands were deep inside my Unicorn, trying to prise the stubborn plastic box out, the exceedingly white A6 arrived home, immediately prompting me to wonder what Jason Statham would think of it. The Audi chap looked a bit shocked as I reached for the door handle with frighteningly greasy hands, so I didn’t touch the car (not until he left, anyway), and got back to dismembering the poor Honda. Yes, I was as excited as Mr Statham would
BRAKES
(F/R): Ventilated discs/solid discs, with ESP and ABS
TYRES
(F/R): 225/55 R17
DIMENSIONS L/W/H (mm): 4915/1874/1455 Wheelbase: 2912 mm Boot space: 530 litres Kerb weight: 1585 kg
PERFORMANCE
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0-100 kph: 9.1 seconds Top speed: 220 kph Fuel consumption: 14 kpl (overall)
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Price: Rs 37.70 LAKH Ex-showroom, Mumbai
be to see the new Audi A6 2.0 TDI. However, a few hours and a couple of hundred kilometres later, the fuel gauge remained resolutely at the ‘full’ mark, causing my eyebrows to raise in appreciation. This is certainly one very efficient motor. And though we motoring journalists always make fun of how all Audis look the same, this time, I noticed that people do look...no, make that gaze at the A6. Something about white cars and Indians, methinks. The other highlight of the car other than the way it looks, is the MMI interface, and the way it moulds the
car around you, the driver. Want features? Be careful what you ask for, because the A6 could drown you in its list of creature comforts. A cool-looking screen pops out of the dashboard and lets you control myriad number of systems via a circular knob near the armrest, like the drive select system. Here, you choose between ‘comfort’, ‘dynamic’, and ‘auto’ settings for the engine, drivetrain, steering and suspension. If you want, you can individually tailor each parameter through an option called... er, ‘individual’. And boy, does it work. ‘Comfort’
Displacement: 1968cc, I-4, diesel Max power: 177 bhp@4200 rpm Max torque: 38.75 kgm@1750-2500 rpm Transmission: 8-speed automatic
gives you a light-as-an-iPod (feathers are passe) steering, that can effortlessly twirl the long and wide A6 through never ending mall parking spirals. The throttle response is more laidback, and the suspension is in its most forgiving mood. Put it into dynamic, and instantly, the steering feels more weighted and business-like, with the throttle response noticeably sharper. What’s more, slot the ‘box into ‘S’ mode, use the flappy paddles behind the steering and your trafficbattling sedan becomes a firebreathing DTM machine. Well, not really, but the difference is that
STEERING
Type: Electromechanical steering with power assist
SUSPENSION Front: Five-link with anti-roll bar Rear: Trapezoidal-link axle with anti-roll bar
apparent. Talk about power and 177 bhp might not sound like much on a car like this. But a 0-100 kph time of 9.1 seconds (against Audi’s claimed 8.2 seconds) is pretty respectable and nothing to scoff at. The 38.75 kgm of torque comes in at 1750 rpm via the seamless and fast gearbox, and catches the traction control sleeping every time you want to execute a traffic light getaway that’d do Mr Statham proud. In ‘dynamic’ mode, the A6 goes through corners with gusto – no quattro on this one, only front wheel drive, but that doesn’t stop it from displaying neutral-to-positive han-
dling characteristics up to moderate speeds. Over the limited time that I had this new A6, I quite came to like it. Though the MMI interface buttons tended to stick and the European ride quality is not suited for the worst of our roads, the anti-Transporter did it all and is quite a stunning car to live with, I must admit. If I had the necessary Rs 37.70 lakh, I might vaguely consider buying it. As for the bald bad good guy, this is the Audi he’d pick to go across countries, if he wasn’t allowed fuel stops.
By Kartik Ware for BS Motoring
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POWERTRAIN
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“The 11/2 Year Ordeal is Over,
Musli Power X-Tra is Stronger Than Before” Earlier customers used to rely only on his word. But thanks to a court-directed analytical test, which KC Abraham believes to be instigated by some powerful lobbies, now the product’s purity is attested by the best authorized analytical lab in the country. Kunnath Pharmaceuticals’ Founder is rapidly trying to cover lost ground in the past 18 months, and his first major win has come when a global distributor started selling Musli Power X-Tra in overseas markets like USA, UK, Canada, Australia, & New Zealand. New customized packs are already being made available in several Middle East countries too.
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You have recently obtained two court verdicts in your favour. First, can you explain the first of these orders? Yes, through the first order we obtained the permission from court to manufacture and sell Musli Power X-Tra, as was the situation before all these allegations were raked up more than one and a half years back.
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So, what was the need for the second case you filed in High Court? Well, before that, let me explain the follow-up action in the first case. After obtaining the first order, we had approached the concerned
government departments to get the court order executed. But they dragged the procedures so long that, anyone except me would have decided to wind up the operation. Do you see any malafide intentions behind these, from the concerned departments? Revengeful intentions were there, but not necessarily from the departments or officers. I suspect that the losing parties in the case were continually warning some officers against executing the court order. Finally, the order was executed only when it was made clear to the officers that they will have to face contempt of court action.
Come back to the need for the second case… Yes, that happened because, the concerned department didn’t execute the order properly. They added a clause to our licence that we can’t advertise and if we do so, the licence will be cancelled. According to Section 33N, state government cannot impose any conditional clauses while giving licence to ayurvedic drug makers. That authority is vested only with the central government. We promptly went to court on that, and that was the second case. Now, the court has ruled that we can advertise, subject to their earlier conditions. They also withheld our free sale certificate even after the first order, but today (8th February) we have obtained the free sale certificate too. But this advertising angle was always there, isn’t it? That you can’t advertise against the magic remedies act? Maybe the government was only trying to enforce it?
“They were really gunning for the brand, thinking that if the brand is finished, I am finished. But a genuine brand rarely dies that way. There still is robust demand, and only the supply side needs to be beefed up. Frankly, we too were surprised by this rebound, once the lab results and court order came in our favour. Not at all. We were already compliant of the magic remedies act, and especially so since we started advertising as per the earlier court order. So, this was a totally irresponsible act on the part of the government. I believe that they were misguided by these pressure groups, and they failed in the court. So, you are back on the marketing track, with full force? Yes, very much. They tried to kill the product with a protracted legal battle. But in the final assessment we came out with flying colours. Thanks to their malafide intention, our product went through the most rigorous check for purity, quality etc and we came out with flying colours. Musli Power X-Tra is now stronger than before. The top government lab says the product is pure, and that too in a court-directed process. Customers don’t have to take only my word for it now. But don’t you think the brand got
affected? No, and that is the wonder. They were really gunning for the brand, thinking that if the brand is finished, I am finished. But a genuine brand rarely dies that way. There still is robust demand, and only the supply side needs to be beefed up. Frankly, we too were surprised by this rebound, once the lab results and court order came in our favour. What about your overseas expansions? Will they be attended to again? We have already tied up with a large US based global distributor who has started selling our product in advanced markets like USA, UK, Canada, Australia, & New Zealand. They use effective use of technology mediums like television, web, mobile etc, and we are most bullish from the initial responses we have started getting from these markets.
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What do you think is the motivation behind all these? You may not believe this, but all through my life as an entrepreneur in this state, I have been threatened for only one thing - money. So, whatever high causes are being extolled, I think the litigators are after money. Or some other influential groups are behind them, like business competitors. But as most past blackmailers have found out, I have been a hard nut to crack. I come from the grassroots, and I have that courage that comes only from someone coming up from below. If there is nothing to be blackmailed in what we do, we can’t be blackmailed at all. It is as simple as that. Whatever garb these litigators come in, they have realized this thing.
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