Executive Knowledge Lines - February 2017

Editor’s Desk

Issues in Communication Communication is the transfer of ideas in the form of data from a source to a destination. Usually, source and destination are human beings. The data transferred is the content of communication, and it represents ideas.

The data can be in the form of text in a language, sound or picture, or a combination of them. Communication may be considered complete only when the receiver gets the same idea at the source, from the received data.

Otherwise, the result is miscommunication. Often, miscommunication may happen due to wrong interpretation of data. Interpretation may incorporate additional ideas, already available with the receiver. Many a time, errors in data and addition of further ideas can lead to wrong interpretation of data leading to misunderstanding, altercations and undesirable activities. It can be seen that many of the miserable situations occur due to misinformation (wrong data), miscommunication and misunderstanding. Communication can be complete only if content is correct, clear and complete.

Form of the data influences its interpretation. If the form is textual, its syntax dictated by propriety and correctness of words, word order, style of sentences, logical order of contents, etc. can be factors influencing the interpretation. If the form is that of sound, its frequency, intonation, speed, pitch, etc. can influence the interpretation. In any case, the mode of communication influences its interpretation a lot.

Good communication skill is a big asset for any individual in any profession or field of activity. For any job, it is considered to be an essential requirement, even though, in practice, it does not get realized. Especially, blessed are teachers with good communication skill. They can inculcate development of the skill in students also. A major factor here is interaction. Teachers should encourage, and inspire, students to interact. Completeness of communication depends a lot on interaction. But unfortunately, this practice is seen to be deplorably at a very low level.

N T Nair, Trivandrum ntnair@gmail.com

1 February ’17 February 2017 Executive Knowledge Lines3

Nature Line

Bumblimas Large Citrus Fruit

Bumblimas is the South Indian name of a large, citrus fruit, considered as an ancestor of the grapefruit (a hybrid of bumblimas and mandarin). It is botanically known as citrus maxima and also called pomelo, pummelo or shaddock in the Rutaceae family. It is the fruit of a medium-sized tree of the citrus species, with large leaves, flowers, and fruits. It is the largest of all varieties of citrus fruits. Pomelo, together with citron, mandarin and papeda, belongs to the original citrus species from which the rest of the cultivated varieties of citrus plants were hybridized. In particular, common orange and grapefruit are assumed to be natural hybrids of pomelo and mandarin.

Pomelos are sometimes confused with grapefruits, from which they can generally be distinguished by their larger size, thicker rinds, mildly sweet flavor, and tough bitter membranes that are often considered inedible.

Pomelo is also used today in artificial breeding programs. More than a dozen such hybrid varieties are cultivated across the world. Pomelo fruit grows singly while hybrid varieties, especially grapefruit, grow in clusters.

4ď ŽExecutive Knowledge Linesď ŽFebruary 2017

Pomelo is native to southern China and parts of Southeast Asia where it is known under a wide variety of names like pamplemousse, bumblimas (Tamil) and kampilinaranga/babloonaranga (Malayalam). The species is now cultivated in many tropical and semi-tropical countries including China, Japan, Thailand, Fiji and Malaysia. In Chinese culture, Pomelo is a sign of prosperity and good fortune. It has a thick, green rind with pink, white or yellow flesh for its large fruits.

The word pomelo might have been derived from the Dutch pompelmoes (meaning Citrus maxima). Some believe that it is a combination of the words pome meaning apple and melon.

Pomelo tree grows up to 10m height. The tree has large evergreen oblong leaves up to 20 cm long, with winged petioles. The flowers and fruits are borne singly. The fruits vary from round to pear-shaped to a diameter of up to 30cm. On ripening, the fruit changes its colour from green to yellow, orange, or red, and weighs up to two kilograms. The flesh of the fruit, which may be greenish yellow, yellow, pink, or red in colour, is often juicy and is arranged in 11 to 18 segments. The flavor is acidic sweet.

Use as Food Pomelos are generally eaten as a fresh fruit, and they store well. They have long been popular in Southeast Asia, but are increasingly found in specialty markets in the U.S. as well. In large parts of South East Asia, it is a popular dessert, often eaten raw sprinkled with, or dipped in, a salt mixture. Pomelo juice is used in various beverages (both alcoholic and nonalcoholic). It is a very popular beverage in China and America. Sometimes Pomelo is combined with other citrus fruits to enhance the taste of the juice. Pomelo juice is used in Southern Chinese cuisine for flavoring soups and desserts. It is one of the ingredients of "Forbidden Fruit", a liquor dating back to the early 20th century that also contains honey and brandy.

This liquor is most famously used in the Dorchester cocktail. Pomelo can be a great addition to salads, desserts and sorbets. Pomelo is also used in the preparation of jams, jellies and syrups. The peel is sometimes used to make marmalade, can be candied, and is sometimes dipped in chocolate.

In Brazil, the thick skin is often used for making a sweet conserve.

Nutritional and Medicinal Values Pamelo has good water content of 89%, carbohydrate and fibre content of about 11%. Its calorie content per 100gm is 38. It contains proteins and minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc, and vitamins like vitamin A, B1, B6, B12, C, thiamin, riboflavin and niacin. Traditional medicinal uses of the fruit include treatment of coughs, fevers, and gastrointestinal disorders.

February 2017 ď ŽExecutive Knowledge Linesď Ž5

Vitamin C in Pomelo is seen to increase the acid level in urine, inhibiting the development of bacteria in the urinary tract, helping fight urinary infection. It also stimulates the antibodies and immune cells to guard the body from bacteria that cause cold, flu, asthma and allergies.

Pomelo contains high levels of potassium, which regulates blood pressure level and reduces bad cholesterol in the body. Pomelo juice also helps clear arterial deposits in the body, thereby reducing the risk of stroke and heart attack.

Researchers have noticed that the skin of the Pomelo fruit is rich in bioflavonoids, an antioxidant that prevents intestinal, pancreatic and breast cancer. It eliminates excess estrogen from the body, preventing cancer from spreading. It also contains high amounts of fiber, which protects the body from colon cancer.

Vitamin A present in Pomelo thickens the dermis and improves blood flow to the surface of the skin to reduce wrinkles. Regular consumption of Pomelo increases the deposition of collagen and slows the breakdown of collagen and elastin, helping the skin look young and healthy. It may decrease clustering of melanin granules reducing brown spots and pigmentation, and may decrease serum production in the skin to reduce acne and pimples. Pomelo is rich in antioxidants which help slow the rate of free radicals that cause skin dryness, fine lines and wrinkles. Thus, consumption of Pomelo can help reverse the signs of ageing.

Many of the proteins and minerals in pomelo are beneficial for maintaining health of the hair. Consumption of Pomelo juice improves blood circulation and strengthens hair capillaries. This promotes strong and thick hair. The high water content in Pomelo keeps the scalp hydrated and well moisturized. Vitamin C in Pomelo fights bacteria and soothes the skin of the scalp to ward off dandruff. Pomelo helps reverse Adrenal fatigue, a condition which causes severe hair loss in women. Adrenal glands are required for maintaining proper hormonal balance and encourage hair growth.

Collagen found in the fruit is helpful for strong gums and teeth and useful for preventing bleeding of gums. Research has demonstrated that the vitamin C in the Pomelo fruit helps in the assimilation and absorption of iron in the body thus alleviating the anemic condition of the body.

Dietary fibre content in Pomelo fruit may help in preserving normal bowel movement so as to prevent hemorrhoids as well as 6ď ŽExecutive Knowledge Linesď ŽFebruary 2017

colon cancer. Further, the fiber stays in the stomach for long giving a feeling of fullness and a tendency to eat less helping weight loss.

It is also cautioned that some medicines may interact dangerously with pomelos and their hybrids.

Other Uses The aromatic flowers are picked and processed into perfume in Vietnam. The wood, which is heavy and hard-grained, is used for making tool handles.

[CGS]

Health Line

Can the Mind be Changed?

Not that Easy

Mind controls all human activities. It is difficult to describe how this is done. A human may express the process in words. But that description need not be the description of the real process. Can there be any way to understand how the human mind works? Brain activity is too complicated for humans to decipher. Machines may decode it for us.

Human behavior is believed to be set through a group of basic human instincts. These instincts resist any notable change in human character. These instincts have nothing to do with a person’s intelligence. It is due to the fact that we are simply more open to changing our minds on nonpolitical topics.

Scientists have been keen to figure out why — because if they can, it may open the door to the hardest challenge in politics right now: changing minds.

Albert Einstein was one of the most important physicists of all time. His scientific predictions have withstood 100 years of scientific challenges. His thinking fundamentally changed the way we understand the universe. Yet he could not have succeeded in changing the minds of people on topics like immigration or death penalty.

Psychologists have been circling around a possible reason for why political beliefs are so stubborn: Partisan identities get tied up in our personal identities, which would mean that an attack on our strongly held beliefs is an attack on the self. And the brain is built to protect the self. When we are attacked, February 2017 Executive Knowledge Lines7

we evade or defend — as if we have an immune system for uncomfortable thoughts. The researchers are of the opinion that the brain’s primary responsibility is to take care of the body, to protect the body. The psychological self is the brain’s extension of that. When our self feels attacked, our brain is going to bring to bear the same defenses that it has for protecting the body.

In a recent study by a team of neuroscientists, the researchers tried to monitor the brain activity when a person tries to change his convictions under external influence. The study was conducted on a set of people declared to possess firm political convictions. The question of the study was this: What happens in the brain in the moment when we’re confronted with an argument that runs counter to our partisan identities? The research team wanted to understand what happens in the brain when we resist changing our minds. The target group was put inside in a functional MRI scanner, and started challenging their beliefs. Then they watched which parts of the participants’ brains lit up. Their conclusion: When the participants were challenged on their strongly held beliefs, there was more activation in the parts of the brain that are thought to correspond with self-identity and negative emotions. The study is limited.

But it is intriguing new evidence that we mistake ideological challenges as personal insults. This suggests that to change minds, we need to separate opinions from identities — a task that proves particularly hard with politics.

The participants were shown a string of statements they were sure to agree with, like, “The US should reduce its military budget.” The researchers then countered with statements making such assertions as, “Russia has nearly twice as many active nuclear weapons as the United States.” The participants also saw a series of nonpolitical statements like, “Thomas Edison invented the light bulb,” and, “Albert Einstein is generally acknowledged to be one of the greatest physicists of all time”; those were also challenged with follow-up statements (which were also exaggerated or manufactured at times). The point of these experiments was to compare reactions: Was there a difference in the way the participants’ brains processed the challenges to their political beliefs versus something presumably less emotional like Edison’s legacy?

There was. Notably, the team saw increased activation with the political arguments in what is called the “default mode network.” That is a collection of brain structures implicated “in mind wandering, in memory, in thinking 8Executive Knowledge LinesFebruary 2017

about yourself and your identity. The study also found increased activation in the amygdala, a region of the brain that correlates with negative emotions.

Basically, the results suggest the participants are engaging the same regions of the brain where we contemplate our identities and feel threats.

And it is presumably within these circuits that the roadblocks to accepting facts lie.

The team admits that neuroscientists don’t know, precisely, what the “default mode network” does. It likely serves many overlapping functions.

Which brings us to a problem with a lot of neuroscience studies: It is easy to see what areas of the brain “light up” during a task. It is much, much harder to definitely conclude what those areas of the brain are doing.

But this study is a piece of evidence that this network is involved when it comes to thinking about closely held beliefs. Previously, it was found the default mode network is active when people read stories that reflect their personal values. The results of the study are an intriguing step: The brain processes politically charged information (or information about strongly held beliefs) differently (and perhaps with more emotion) than it processes more mundane facts. It can help explain why attempts to correct misinformation can backfire completely, leaving people more convinced of their convictions.

According to the researchers: “When we compared evaluating religious statements to nonreligious statements, we found some of the same brain regions that are active in the current study get activated, which makes sense, because religious beliefs also factor into our identities.

The study confirms that we can change our minds. The team feels that a good way to make facts matter is to r mind people that who they are and what they believe are two separate things.

[Source: Internet]

If you want to shine like a sun. First burn like a sun.

- A.P.J Abdul Kalam February 2017 Executive Knowledge Lines9

Moon Line

Who is Cernan ?

He bade farewell to the moon …

Eugene (‘Gene’) Andrew Cernan was the last of the 12 human beings, all Americans, to walk on the moon.

44 years after his feat, when he died on January 16, 2017, he was 82.

Curiously, his death came barely 6 weeks after the departure of another space hero, John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962.

Many regard these two as the bookends of America's space age glory.

Cernan was a Captain in the US Navy, fighter pilot, engineer and, most of all, a NASA astronaut. He travelled in space three times –first time in the Gemini 9 A Mission in June 1966 when he accomplished a space-walk, and later in May 1969, he was the Lunar Module Pilot in Apollo 10 Mission that skimmed the moon from about 15 km - just short of landing - in a trial flight for the future landing in July 1969. And, finally and most significantly, he was the Commander of the Apollo 17 Mission (December 1972), the last of the Apollo Missions.

If Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon whose words, uttered on July 21, 1969 from the last rung of the ladder to the moon, “A small step for a man but giant leap for mankind”, found a lasting place in human history, Eugene Cernan is no less a celebrity. By the way, Purdue University holds the distinction of being the alma mater of both the first and the last to walk on the moon!

The 3-member Apollo 17 crew started their journey on December 7, 1972. Cernan had guided the lander, Challenger, into a lunar valley called Taurus-Littrow, with Harrison Schmitt at his side on December 11, 1972.

Three days later, on December 14, 1972, before climbing up the ladder to the Lunar Module Cernan spoke the historic words: 10Executive Knowledge LinesFebruary 2017

"As I take man's last step from the surface, back home for some time to come – but we believe not too long into the future – I'd like to just say what I believe history will record. That America's challenge of today has forged man's destiny of tomorrow. And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus–Littrow, we leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind. Godspeed the crew of Apollo 17."

The crew returned to Mother Earth on December 19, 1972.

While on the moon, Cernan and his fellow-astronaut, Harrison Schmitt undertook the longest extra-vehicular activity (EVA) on the surface of the moon that lasted 22 hours and 6 minutes. Meanwhile, the third crew member, Ronald Evans was in control of the Command Module, orbiting the moon at a distance of 160 km. During the EVA, they covered more than 35 km in their Lunar Rover and collected geologic samples for the study of the moon's early history. By the way, Gaia (Mother Earth in Greek mythology) is believed to have formed about 4500 million years ago when the Solar System was merely 20 – 100 million years old. The most favoured theory about the origin of the moon is that the earth, during its early stage, was hit at a glancing angle by a Mars-sized body, hypothetically named Theia. The impact blew out rocky debris that settled into an orbit around the earth and aggregated, in due course, to what is now the moon, the earth’s only satellite. Incidentally, the moon happens to be the largest satellite in the Solar System relative to its host planet.

Cernan was deeply moved, more than anything else, by his moon flight. About the silence after the lunar lander's engine shut down, Cernan said in 2007: "That's where you experience the quietest moment a human being can experience in his lifetime. There's no vibration. There's no noise.

The ground (Ground Control Room team on the earth) quit talking. Your partner is mesmerized. He can't say anything.”

In his autobiography, "The Last Man on the Moon" published in 1999, Cernan mentions that he had etched his daughter Teresa Dawn Cernan's initials — T D C — into the dust! Cernan admits being tempted to fly on the Space Shuttle, and he could probably have flown a couple of early missions. But after being to the moon, he did not find himself genuinely thrilled by the idea."You wouldn't get me up there to do that. Once you've gone to the moon, staying home just isn't good enough", he had said!

He left NASA in 1976 to join private business including one of his own.

In 2016, Cernan appeared in the documentary, The Last Man on the Moon, based on his autobiography, created by a British filmmaker, Mark Craig.

February 2017 Executive Knowledge Lines11

"Even at the age of 82, Gene was passionate about sharing his desire to see the continued human exploration of space and encouraged our nation's leaders and young people to not let him remain the last man to walk on the moon", his family wrote in a statement released by NASA. Testifying before the US Congress in 2011, Cernan asserted, "When I leave this planet, I want to know where we are headed as a nation. That's my big goal."

Years went by; despair gave way to optimism. He realized he would not live to witness anyone follow in his footsteps—still visible on the moon.

Cernan did not hide his desolation when he said before the death of Neil Armstrong in 2012: "Neil and I aren't going to see those next young Americans who walk on the moon …”

The moon longingly awaits us !

[PR]

Missive From A Neighbour For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.

- Armstrong family Dear Earthlings: I’m Selene also known more familiarly to you as Moon. Warm greetings!

I’m aware of the statement from the bereaved family of a man close to my heart. He died on August 25, 2012 at the age of 82. He is Neil Armstrong, the very first Ambassador of yours to set foot on my territory. How thrilled I was to hear his words, “One small step for a man; a giant leap for mankind”! He said this when he was just about to step on my surface. With bated breath, you’d also pricked up your ears to catch these words. This was on July 20, 1969 at 12Executive Knowledge LinesFebruary 2017

20:17:40 UT (Universal Time). These were not his first words from here.

Actually, his very first message, as I was to learn later, was: “The Eagle has landed” sent about 6 ½ hours earlier. Eagle was the name of the landing craft. Armstrong was the leader of the Apollo-11 mission. There was one other guy, Edwin Aldrin, who walked with him for 2 ½ hours on my land. Besides, there was the third unsung hero, Michael Collins, who was in charge of the Command Module orbiting around me at a distance of 110 km. Before departure on July 21, 1969 at 17:55 UT, Armstrong and Aldrin planted here an American flag and left a plaque reading: “Here men from planet Earth set foot on the moon – July 1969 AD – We came in peace for all mankind”.

After Apollo-11, there were 10 more humans to walk on my surface.

I’d heard of one mission, Apollo-13, that failed to reach me because of some technical snag. Ingeniously, the three astronauts, guided by experts on earth, reached home unharmed! Superstition mongers may probably have celebrated this setback, attributing it to the number 13. Anyway, the safe return of the astronauts was a fabulous technical feat. This is how only 12 human beings could walk here though there were 7 missions – Apollo-11 through Apollo-17 during 1969 - 1972.

I’m aware Armstrong had called his landing site the “Tranquility Base”, for it was at the south-west corner of the “Sea of Tranquility”. USA now wishes to make it a “National History Landmark”. Don’t they know there are legal hurdles? Articles I & II of the International Space Treaty of 1967 stipulate me as mankind’s common property and prohibit any national appropriation. Article VIII, however, grants right over objects deposited on my territory by any country. Further, the International Moon Treaty of 1984 forbids private ownership over me. As it happens, only 13 member nations have ratified this Moon Treaty – none of them a space faring nation! India signed later. Let your Space Law experts fight this out!

It was a 1949 short story, “The Man Who Sold the Moon”, by Robert A. Heinlein that first suggested the concept of a “Lunar Republic”. Then, there was Martin Juergens, a German, who claimed I was gifted to one of his ancestors by the Prussian King, Frederick the Great on July 15, 1756 for services rendered! Nobody can beat Dennis Hope, a clever American and self-appointed Chief of the Lunar Embassy, though. In 1980, he started selling me in 1-acre plots at 28 US Dollars apiece inclusive of all taxes. I was stunned he sold 2.5 million plots. What crafty salesmanship! And, what gullible customers!

February 2017 Executive Knowledge Lines13

The launch of the first man-made satellite, Sputnik-1, by Soviet Union (USSR) on October 4, 1957 made all the difference. It set off a fierce competition between USSR and USA, driven primarily by reasons of national pride and military advantage of space. It was the last straw for USA when Yuri Gagarin, a Russian, made his space flight on April 12, 1961. Promptly on May 25, 1961, the US President John F. Kennedy, committed his nation to “the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth”. Alas! he did not live to see his dream fulfilled in 1969. He was assassinated in 1963.

The Apollo Project cost 24 billion US Dollars – no mean sum even for USA. Actually, USSR also had designs on me. But they did not want to settle for a “second” place. So they changed their plans and dispatched to me two unmanned rovers, Lunokhod, in the early 1970s. I gather they were the ultimate, in remote control and automation at that time. Financial crunch forced both these countries to shift their attention towards other manned missions such as Orbiting Laboratories and Space Shuttle, all within a few hundred km from the earth. After all, I’m about 400,000 km away, you know! Besides, the end of the Cold War in 1990 weakened the competition between the two space powers. And, the result? – an evident slowing down in space ventures. Lately, I see other nations such as China entering the big game.

After Apollo-17 of 1972, no man has paid a visit to me. I don’t deny there has been a renewed interest in me from 1994 – but nothing more exciting than ogling at me from a distance by various countries including India. I’ve noticed your deadline for return-to-moon has been steadily receding. Incidentally, I observe, not without a tinge of jealousy, that you are making eyes at Mars. Don’t you realize it is a far more formidable trip?

Shouldn’t you rather rehearse with me first – particularly after a long gap of over four decades – before sending astronauts to a far more distant place?

From here, I see your home as a lonely, shimmering sphere, abundant in resources, solid and yet so fragile, where all life processes are inextricably interdependent, where life depends upon the delicate balance between man and nature, not to mention, between man and man! Notably, I cannot discern different countries or skin colours, different tongues or cultures, different religions or ideologies! You have been gifted with an atmosphere that provides you with oxygen and maintains a hospitable temperature range. Together with your magnetic field, the atmosphere also protects you from the deadly radiations from the sun. You have plenty of water in all its three forms 14Executive Knowledge LinesFebruary 2017

and fertile soil. Vegetation replenishes oxygen and limits carbon dioxide.

Really, I’m reminded of an advertisement of one of your early TV sets – “owner’s pride, neighbour’s envy”! Honestly now, tell me: Could you ask for more?

While Apollo-8 was orbiting me on December 25, 1968, its astronauts sent you what was to become a famous picture of your blue, watery planet.

I’ve read the lines, which that picture inspired the American poet, Archibald MacLeish, to write: “To see the earth as it really is, Is to see the riders of the earth together, Brothers on that bright loveliness in the eternal cold”.

I’m but your satellite. I’m no one to judge you. Yet I can’t help wondering: Have you taken MacLeish seriously? I doubt very much! The news I keep getting day after day from our Galactic TV (GTV) network is quite depressing, to say the least. Your space voyages must have given you a new perspective on the universe, solar system and your home planet. But, have you acquired a new perspective on yourselves?

I can hardly forget the farewell remark of Eugene Cernan, the Apollo-17 astronaut, on December 14, 1972 at 22:55 UT: “I take man’s last step from the moon for some time to come; but we believe not too long into the future”. Despite his optimism, I’m still waiting for your footsteps. It’s been 42 years of loneliness. I’m missing you, earthlings!

Longingly yours, Selene [This letter was delivered by P Radhakrishnan] [EKL Sept. 2014]

EKL Sudoku 112 [Hard]

Improve your concentration.

Use reasoning and fill each row, column and 3 x 3 grid in bold borders with each of the digits from 1 to 9.

Solution on page 25

9 7 4 5 2 6 6 3 1 9 9 8 7 7 1 1 5 8 8 5 4 7 3 6 7 8 5 2 February 2017 Executive Knowledge Lines15

Gold and Other Precious Metals in Mobiles An Eye-opener

"A bag of used mobile phones contains a gram of gold, it's said."

The iPhone in our hand isn’t just a complex piece of electronics. It’s also a gold mine — quite literally. And, also a Platinum mine, Silver mine, Copper mine … as well.

Here are some interesting facts: • There is 1g of gold in about 35-40 mobile phones • Some 7.4 tonnes of gold is mined per day - if we got it from phones we'd run out of them in 23 days • Recycling phones can only provide a fraction of the gold we need.

European Commissioner for the Environment, Janez Potocnik said recently, as he launched revised waste and recycling targets for the EU. "There's gold in waste - literally. It takes a ton of ore to get 1g of gold. But we can get the same amount from recycling the materials in 41 mobile phones."

This seems to be largely correct, whether the commissioner was talking about an imperial ton, or a metric tonne (one is 1,016kg, the other 1,000kg).

In gold-rich ore deposits, there are concentrations of gold at one or two parts per million, says Dave Holwell, an economic geologist at the University of Leicester. That equates to 1g or 2g per tonne.

And the idea that 41 handsets contain 1g of gold stems from a UN report on electronic waste. Brussels-based technology company Umicore told the BBC you can actually get this amount of gold from just 35 phones.

To look at it another way, Umicore says a tonne of old phones (weighed without their batteries) yields about 300g of gold.

But the business case may not be as clear as the commissioner claims. At current gold prices, the amount in your handset is worth less than £1 ($1.67).

While Umicore says extracting gold from phones is commercially viable, another company, London's Genuine Solutions Group, told the BBC it makes little or no money this way.

The wider point of Potocnik's speech was to promote what he called "the circular economy". "In essence we propose to make Europe a society without 16Executive Knowledge LinesFebruary 2017

waste. To take the 600 million tons of materials contained in our waste and pump them back into productive use in the economy," he said.

Of course, you can recycle gold from a range of different products, but how far could we satisfy our appetite for gold from phones alone? According to Dave Holwell, about 2,700 tonnes of gold are produced every year from mining - about 7.4 tonnes per day. To get that from mobile phones we'd need to recycle 300m of them. And if we did that every day, the world's estimated seven billion mobile phones in active use would run out in 23 days.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-28802646

How did a ‘Antikythera Machine’ work?

It was an intricate astronomical computing device used in Greece around 76 BC and consisted of a collection of gears. It was recovered from a Roman merchant vessel that sank in 80 BC off the coast of southern Greece near the island of Antikythera. This ship was loaded with treasure and was salvaged in 1901.

Archeologists then went back to this ship in the 1950's to do a more careful job of searching for artifacts, and it was at that time that a wooden box containing gears was uncovered (see above photo). A scholar offered the theory that it was a calculation device for predicting the motion of the sun and moon based. It was soon involved in a controversy because many archeologists were not willing to believe that the Greeks at that time were capable of inventing such a complicated instrument during a time when Greece was in decline.

February 2017 Executive Knowledge Lines17

Geography Line

Amazing Geographical Facts 1. Diomede Islands are two islands situated in the northern Pacific Ocean between America and Russia. One is owned by Russia and the other by America. The distance between both islands is 2.4 miles but the time difference is 21 hours!

2. Russia is so large that it spreads over 11 different time zones. When one side of Russia has morning breakfast at 7 am; the other side enjoys evening snacks at 6 pm.

3. 75% of all fresh water available on earth is stored in the glacier. About 15 million square kilometers of land is covered with glacier which is about 10% of the total land area on our planet. Also, Lake Baikal in Russia contains 20% of the total non-frozen fresh water available on our planet. If all the glaciers melt, the sea level all over the world would rise by approximately 70 meters. These glaciers contain 75% of total fresh water available in the world. 99% of all those glaciers are in the Arctic and Antarctic.

4. The Appalachian Mountains are shrinking continuously while the Himalayan Mountains are growing. The Himalayan Mountains once used to be as high as the Rocky Mountain. But, now it is even taller and its highest peak, Mount Everest is 29,029 feet high. The Himalayan Mountain range is growing regularly due to the constant collision of India into southern Asia. The Himalayan Mountains are also being eroded by rainwater. However, the rate of erosion is quite small as compared to its rate of growth by the collision. Himalayan Mountain range is currently growing at the rate of 5 mm per year.

5. Though Mt. Everest is the highest in terms of sea level on the planet, Mount Chimborazo is the closest to the moon.

6. There is a stadium in Brazil in which the midfield line supposedly lies exactly on the Equator making each team defend one hemisphere.

7. More than half of the world’s population lives within a circle that covers a proportionally tiny section of the world including China, India and Southeast Asia.

18Executive Knowledge LinesFebruary 2017

8. Point Nemo is a place in the South Pacific Ocean that is the farthest point from any terrestrial life. It is at a distance of 1,670 miles from the nearest landmass.

9. The Chamarel plain in Mauritius has a small area of sand dunes made up of sand in seven distinct colors.

10. Alaska is the most Northern, Eastern, and Western state in all of America. It is the only state that enters the Eastern Hemisphere making it also the most eastern lying and western lying state.

11. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is the longest mountain chain on earth (at 40 thousand kilometers). It is located along the middle of the Atlantic.

Iceland is the only part of this chain that is above water.

12. In 1811 and 1812, three earthquakes measuring around 8 on the richter scale, caused the Mississippi River to flow backwards. These earthquakes also created Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee.

13. The deepest hole ever drilled by man is the Kola Superdeep Borehole, in Russia. It reached a depth of 12,261 meters (about 40,226 feet or 7.62 miles). It was drilled for scientific research and gave up some unexpected discoveries, one of which was a huge deposit of hydrogen – so massive that the mud coming from the hole was “boiling” with it. The borehole is pictured above.

14. Lesotho, Vatican City, and San Marino are the only countries completely surrounded by another single country. Lesotho is completely surrounded

by South Africa, and Vatican City, and San Marino are both completely surrounded by Italy.

15. The Vatican City is the smallest country in the world with an area of a mere 0.2 square miles. That is smaller than the average city!

16. The largest city in the world – based on surface area, is Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia which is 263,953 km squared. The largest country in area is Russia.

17. The hottest temperature recorded on earth was in El Azizia Libya at 136 F, and the coldest was -134 degrees F in Vostok Antarctica. The hottest average temp is in western Australia. It is 96 degrees F, year round on average.

February 2017 Executive Knowledge Lines19

What is in a Name?

Krung thep maha nakorn amorn ratana kosin­mahintar ayutthay amaha dilok phop noppa ratrajathani burirom udom rajaniwes­mahasat harn amorn phimarn avatarn sathit sakkattiya visanukamprasit is the name of a place in Thailand. It consists of 23 words with 163 letters. It is considered as the longest geographical name in the world. The second longest geographical name that is accepted in the world is Taumatawhakatangihangak oauauotamateaturipukaka pikimaungahoronukupokaiwhe nua kitanatahu with five words of 85 letters is the name of a hill in New Zealand. It is a maori language phrase which translates to place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed and swallowed mountains, known as land-eater, played his flute to his loved one. It was the longest until recently, and the Guinness Book of World Records still regards it as the longest.

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll llantysiliogogogoch with 59 letters is the third longest geographical name. It is the name of a village located in Wales, and yes it contains four l’s in a row!

The shortest geographical name is ‘Å’. It is a place located both in Sweden and Norway. In Scandinavian languages, ‘Å’ means river.

Its image is one of the newly placed road signs for the area. They are frequently stolen for their novelty value.

Mount Circeo on Cape Circaeum on the western coast of Italy was once called Aeaea (5 vowels in a row with no consonants). It was believed in mythology to be the home of the witch Circe. Two other vowel-only geographic locations are the town of Aiea in Hawaii, and Eiao – one of the Marquise Islands.

18. San Marino claims to be the world’s oldest constitutional republic.

It was founded in 301 AD by a Christian stonemason fleeing persecution under Emperor Diocletian. Its constitution written in 1600 AD is the oldest written constitution in the world.

19. The Dingo fence in Australia has a length of 3,500 miles.

20. The largest desert in the world is Antarctica.

21. The Andes form the longest exposed mountain range at 7,000 kilometers.

22. The Marianas Trench is the lowest place on earth.

20Executive Knowledge LinesFebruary 2017

Nature Line

Sabja Seeds

Nutritious Food Supplement If the big word in nutrition is superfoods, then the big word in superfoods is seeds. Seeds provide concentrated nutrition and fiber. All the ingredients needed for plant germination are present in a seed, including carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and fat. In this article, you are going to discover amazing health benefits of Sabja seeds otherwise known as Basil or Tukmaria seeds.

Celebrated as the king of herbs, Basil herb is one of the ancient and popular herbal plants carrying notable health-benefiting phytonutrients.

Basil plants are native to India. This highly prized plant is revered as the holy herb in many cultures all around the world. Basil belongs to the family of Lamiaceae, in the genus: Ocimum. Its scientific name is Ocimum basilicum, which comes under Tulsi family but should not be mistaken with holy basil or Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum).

The seeds of the basil are one of the under estimated ingredient in Indian cooking. These seeds are used in traditional healing in India and China.

Many people do not use these seeds despite them having many health benefits. People know about sabja as they are added to popular drinks, falooda, sherbeth and milkshakes. Although these seeds do not have taste of their own, they give a good texture to the dish and make it healthy too.

Nutritional values The seeds contain many phyto-chemicals and polyphenolic flavonoids like orientin, vicenin and antioxidants. It also contains important minerals like potassium, manganese, copper, iron, calcium, folates, magnesium and boron. Also, eating basil seeds helps your body secrete collagen which is February 2017 Executive Knowledge Lines21

essential in forming new skin cells. If you are looking for an easy way to top up your protein, fiber and vitamins, you will find the answer in these seeds. A small cup of this Sabja seeds will almost satisfy the daily requirement of iron and protein. It is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids help lower blood pressure and are also good in lowering inflammation. This wonderful seed being hydrophilic (meaning it can absorb large quantities of water) keeps the body well hydrated, balances blood sugar levels, soothes the digestive tract and gives a feeling of fullness which helps with weight loss because of its high fibre content. It is also a coolant.

Soaked Sabja seeds can be added to your favourite juice, tea or sprinkled on top of salads. But do remember to soak them in hot or cold water for about an hour before using.

Medicinal Benefits Due to its carminative effects, soaked Sabja seeds are effective for treating digestive disorders such as stomach cramps, flatulence, constipation, irregular bowel movements and indigestion. They provide relief from influenza, fever and cold. Since it has antispasmodic effects, it can help treat whooping cough. Consumption of Sabja seeds has an uplifting effect on your mood and thus is beneficial for relieving mental fatigue, nervous tension, depression and migraine. It is commonly used for aromatherapy, giving you clarity and mental strength. Sabja seeds are crushed into oil to help in treating infections such as wounds, cuts, bladder infections, and so forth. They can be used for weight management purposes. It is full of fiber that makes your stomach full. After soaking into water, it has the ability to expand 30 times of its original size.

As a coolant these seeds are added as one of the important ingredients in summer for a number of cool drinks.

The seeds contain adequate amount of vitamin K, protein and iron. These nutrients are helpful to make your hair healthy and shining. Sabja seeds are also said to be effective against type 2 diabetes as they help in regulation of blood sugar level.

22Executive Knowledge LinesFebruary 2017

Alpha-Linolenic acid (ALA) contained in Sabja seeds, apart from boosting or body’s fat burning metabolism, is used to make Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) that are said to help fight heart-related diseases by lowering cholesterol level in the blood. In Ayurveda, it is utilised since ages for controlling the development of plaque in blood vessels and swelling in arthritis. This property of Sabja seeds reduce the cholesterol level, hence it lowers the chances of coronary artery disorders, strokes, and heart attacks.

In spite of the many benefits of Sabja seeds, children and elderly people are advised to avoid taking it as the seeds may choke due to improper imbalance of water and seeds. Pregnant women should skip it as the seeds lower down the level of estrogen. [ Dr. Annette Fernandez, Associate Professor, Dept. of Chemistry, College of Engineering, Trivandrum.]

The Most Powerful Supercomputer A Chinese supercomputer named Sunway TaihuLight equipped with 10,649,600 computing cores and capable of carrying out some 93 quadrillion calculations per second has just been crowned the world's most powerful supercomputer. It outperforms its nearest rival – another Chinese supercomputer – Tianhe-2, which can perform only 33.86 quadrillion calculations per second. The new machine was designed and created by the Chinese National Research Center of Parallel Computer Engineering & Technology and brought on line at the National Supercomputing Center, Wuxi, in east China's Jiangsu province.

Using a Chinese-developed computer core chip just 25 square cm in size, the new computer achieved a Rmax rating on the LPACK (Linear PACKage of algebra routines – the benchmark against which supercomputers are measured) of 93,014,594 megaflops. That is, around 93 petaflops or 93 quadrillion floating-point operations per second. By comparison, the commercially-available Nvidia DGX-1 has a rated performance of 170 teraflops or just 0.17 of a petaflop.

February 2017 Executive Knowledge Lines23

Number Line

Magic Numbers When we examine numbers in mathematics, we can see several interesting properties with certain groups of numbers. These numbers seem to be 'magical' in their property. One such group is called the MaxMin Kernel Group. The special property of numbers in this group is that repeated subtractions of pairs of maximum and minimum numbers obtained from a seed number converge to a specific number called the kernel of the group. Another group of magical numbers is the Cycli Number Group.

In general, a MaxMin Kernel Number is a unique integer to which repeated differences of the maximum number and the minimum number formed of 'n' digits (2 <= n <= 10), without repetition of digits in the starting arbitrary integer called a seed, converge.

For example, consider the three digit number 265.

The maximum integer formed of its digits is 652 and the minimum integer is 256.

The difference of the two is 396 (that is 652 - 256), which is the seed for the next subtraction.

In the second step we get the difference of the maximum number and the minimum number formed of the three digits of the number 396 as (963 – 369) = 594 (which is the seed for the next step).

Similarly, in the third step we get the difference as 954 – 459) = 495 which has the same digits as of the seed in the previous step, indicating that it is the MaxMin Kernel.

It can be verified that the MaxMin Kernels for all the nine categories of numbers are as follows: Number Category MaxMin Kernel 2-digit numbers 81 3-digit numbers 495 4-digit numbers 6174 5-digit numbers 82962 6-digit numbers 750843 7-digit numbers 7519743 8-digit numbers 86308632 9-digit numbers 864197532 10-digit numbers 9753086421 24Executive Knowledge LinesFebruary 2017

It is observed that all the MaxMin Kernels have 9 as the digital sum.

(The digital sum of any number is the single digit obtained by adding (may be repeatedly) the digits of the number or the resulting number of the digits-adding process. This was dealt with in detail in an earlier article in EKL. Some special properties of the digit 9 also were dealt with in that article).

It is also observed that for any seed integer, the MaxMin Kernel can be arrived at in 9 or less steps.

Note that for 9-digit numbers and 10-digit numbers, MaxMin Kernel is obtained in a single step.

A Cyclic Number is one, which, when multiplied by a digit results in another number, which is a cyclic rotation of the original number.

For example, 142857 and 102564 are cyclic numbers since: 142857 x 6 = 857142 and 102564 x 4 = 410256.

Note that 9 is the digital sum of these cyclic numbers.

EKL Sudoku 112 Solution

3 2 8 6 7 1 9 5 4

9 5 4 2 8 3 6 7 1

7 1 6 4 9 5 8 2 3

4 6 2 1 3 8 5 9 7

8 9 3 5 2 7 4 1 6

5 7 1 9 4 6 2 3 8

1 3 9 8 6 2 7 4 5

6 4 7 3 5 9 1 8 2

2 8 5 7 1 4 3 6 9

Let us be grateful to the people who make us Take up one that onegardeners idea yourwho life happy; theyidea. are Make the charming think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, make our souls blossom. muscles, nerves, every part of your body be full of that - Marcel Proust idea, and just leave every other idea alone.

This is the way to success.

-Â Swami Vivekananda

February 2017 ď ŽExecutive Knowledge Linesď Ž25

Nature Line

Orchids

Flowers of Perfection, Beauty and Healing Orchids, the most exotic group of flowering plants from a group of angiosperms, are commonly cultivated for their fresh beautiful flowers. This delicate sculptural beauty belongs to the Orchidaceae family, one of the largest among the flowering plants. There are about 25,000 different types of orchids and their amazing petal shapes particularly make them elegant. As psychologist suggests, Flowers are a perfect replica of human life. It can elicit emotions deep in the human mind which further gives a psychological attachment to it. As reported in the book, The Mind of a Practitioner, orchids have many subtle meanings associated with human sentiments.

Orchid symbolizes perfection, peace, strength, love, beauty and elegance. Orchids do have long lasting history in different cultures throughout the world. Some orchids add lot of curiosity with its stunning similarity with many social animals. For instance the owl, angel and monkey orchids bloom flowers, amazingly resembling the real live forms.

Various research studies are being conducted to identify important orchids of therapeutic value in Himalayan and Western regions. Jivaka - Malaxis muscifera is a terrestrial orchid with yellowish or green flowers. Flowers are about 3 mm long, leaves are broad stalk less, paired unequal, petals are linear and also stem is about 15-38 cm tall. This plant is found in the Himalayan regions and normally will have flowers during July-August. The pseudo-bulbs of this plant are well known for their medicinal use in the Indian system of medicine. Rishbhaka - Malaxis acuminateis a small to medium sized, hot to warm growing lithophyte and terrestrial orchid. The plant blooms in summer.

26ď ŽExecutive Knowledge Linesď ŽFebruary 2017

Ridhi -Habenaria intermedia is a beautiful orchid found in the Himalayan regions. Vriddhi - Heabenaria edgeworthii is a terrestrial orchid, growing up to 75 cm tall. Leaves are sheathed; flowers are yellowish green deflexed in buds, cylindrical spike. This plant is found in the Himalayas, from Uttarkhand to Nepal.

Nutritional and Medicinal Values Other than being merely ornamental plant, orchids have many distinguished characteristics in healing and disease fighting. Most of the orchid plants are used as ingredients of Homeopathic and Ayurvedic medicines. The famous orchid Vanilla planifolia contains vanillin and is widely used in ice creams, biscuits, dairy products, cakes, beverages, etc. for its flavoring property. Orchids are used in the preparation of Ayurvedic medicines. The medicine chyavanaprasha contains “Ashtavarga” or eight therapeutic plants. Out of them four, namely Jivaka, Rishbhaka, Ridhi and Vriddhi, found in the Himalayan region, belong to Orchidaceae family. Their pseudo-bulbs are used in haematemesis, fever and seminal weakness, burning sensations, dipsia, emaciation, tuberculosis etc. The orchid Ridhi is used to treat muscular aches, joint pains and back pain. Vriddhi is used as an ingredient of chyavanaprasha and aphrodisiac.

Astavarga orchid plants have the potential to cure chronic diseases in human. For instance, gallic acid a phytochemical isolated from Habenaria intermedia plant can be used for curing liver damage. Liver diseases are mostly caused by viruses of Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C. Similarly, fatty liver damage is associated with metabolic syndromes, alcoholism, drugs, toxins etc. Once chemical compounds like carbon tetrachloride (ccl4) that is widely used as cleansing agents, fire extinguishers etc. have been ingested, they can cause severe liver damage.

One of the reasons for the damage is the production of chemokines.

The pro inflammatory chemokine, monocyte of monocyte chemo attractant protein -1 (MCP-1) are seen elevated in ccl4 induced liver damaged patients. Blocking the action of monocyte chemo attractant protein -1 with gallic acid seems to be an effective treatment against the progression of inflammatory liver damage. The gallic acid content in different orchids make them candidates for liver therapy.

February 2017 Executive Knowledge Lines27

Computer aided studies on rats emphasize the fact that the phytochemical- gallic acid extracted from the Habenaria intermedia plant can be used for the prevention of hepatic damage induced by carbon tetra chloride. This shows the potential medicinal impact of orchids, and a more scientific study in this direction is worth pursuing.

[Anila G., Amjesh R. and Biji C.L., Dept of Computational Biology & Bioinformatics, University of Kerala.]

Reference 1. Pant B. (2013). Medicinal orchids and their uses: tissue culture a potential alternative for conservation. African Journal of Plant Science, 7(10), 448-467.

2. Mahesh A.G. et al. (2015), Isolation and characterization of secondary metabolite from habenaria Intermedia D.Don for evaluation of hepatoprotecitve activity against carbon tetrachloride induced liver damage in albino rats, Asian J Pharm Clin Res, 8 (2), 2015, 194-198.

3. https://featuredcreature.com/6-amazing-orchids-that-look-just-likeanimals/

Life Line

Israel Kristal

World’s Oldest Living Man Born in Poland, near the town of Zarnow on 15 September, 1903 to parents Moszek-Dawid and Brucha Krystztal, Mr Israel Kristal has lived through both World Wars and survived Nazi war camp Auschwitz in the 1940s before relocating to Israel.

Kristal claims the title at the age of 112 years and 178 days as of 11 March 2016, and was awarded his certificate at his home in Haifa, by Guinness World Records’ Head of Records, Marco Frigatti.

The previous oldest man, Yasutaro Koide of Jpan, died in January 2016 at the age of 112 years, 312 days. The oldest living person is Susannah Mushatt Jones (USA, 6 July 1899), who is 115 years and 249 days, also making her the Oldest Living Woman.

28Executive Knowledge LinesFebruary 2017

The Oldest person ever to have lived is also female, Jeanne Calment (France) who lived to 122 years and 164 days.

Born to a Jewish Orthodox family, Israel Kristal has been continuously and rigorously performing the commandment of phylacteries (tefilin) every morning for the last century, with the exception of the Holocaust and both world wars.

Upon being confirmed as the world’s Oldest Living Man and receiving his Guinness World Records (GWR) certificate, Mr Kristal said: “I don’t know the secret for long life. I believe that everything is determined from above and we shall never know the reasons why. There have been smarter, stronger and better looking men than me who are no longer alive. All that is left for us to do is to keep on working as hard as we can and rebuild what is lost.”

Marco Frigatti, Head of Records for GWR said of Mr Kristal’s achievement “This record category continues to be one of particular human interest and we have been able to verify that as the new Oldest living man.

Mr Kristal’s achievement is remarkable - he can teach us all an important lesson about the value of life and how to stretch the limits of human longevity.”

Health Line

Restoring Great Tomato Flavor Scientists Use Genetics to Do This

Many consumers say that supermarket tomatoes lack flavor. Now a University of Florida researcher led a global team on a mission to identify the important factors that have been lost and put them back into modern tomatoes.

In a study published in the journal Science, Harry Klee, a professor of horticultural sciences with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, identifies the chemical combinations for better tomato flavor.

“We’re just fixing what has been damaged over the last half century to push them back to where they were a century ago, taste-wise,” said Klee, stressing that this technique involves classical genetics, not genetic modification. “We can make the supermarket tomato taste noticeably better.”

February 2017 Executive Knowledge Lines29

Step one was to find out which of the hundreds of chemicals in a tomato contribute the most to taste.

Modern tomatoes lack sufficient sugars and volatile chemicals critical to better flavor, Klee said. Those traits have been lost during the past 50 years because breeders have not had the tools to routinely screen for flavor, he said.

To help, researchers studied what they call “alleles,” the versions of DNA in a tomato gene that give it its specific traits. Klee likened the concept to DNA in humans. Everyone has the same number of genes in their DNA, but a particular version of each gene determines traits such as height, weight and hair color.

“We wanted to identify why modern tomato varieties are deficient in those flavor chemicals,” Klee said. “It’s because they have lost the more desirable alleles of a number of genes.” Allele refers to one member of a pair (or any of the series) of genes occupying a specific spot on a chromosome (called locus) that controls the same trait.

For example, a pair of alleles controlling the same trait, i.e. eye color: one allele codes for blue eyes, another allele for brown eyes.

Scientists then identified the locations of the good alleles in the tomato genome, he said. That required what’s called a genome-wide assessment study.

There, scientists mapped genes that control synthesis of all the important chemicals. Once they found them, they used genetic analysis to replace bad alleles in modern tomato varieties with the good alleles, Klee said.

The U.S. is second only to China in worldwide tomato production, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Florida and California account for two-thirds to three-fourths of all commercially produced fresh-market tomatoes in the U.S. Florida growers produce 33,000 acres of tomatoes worth $437 million annually as of 2014, according to UF/IFAS economic research.

Because breeding takes time, and the scientists are studying five or more genes, Klee said the genetic traits from his latest study may take three to four years to produce in new tomato varieties.

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time.

We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

We are the change that we seek.

- Barack Obama 30Executive Knowledge LinesFebruary 2017

Archives Line

Indian Pottery Poetry in Clay

The humble mud pot which is such an integral part of daily life in India could form a fascinating subject for research if one were to go deep into it.

Pottery was among the earliest skills known to the Indians. India’s association with it goes back to Puranic times. according to ancient Hindu lore, Brahma the creator fashioned man out of clay. Similarly a potter takes on the role of a creator when he moulds clay into various shapes and figures. Hence he has been described as Prajapati which is another name for Brahma. It is evident from the relics found at Mohenjodaro and Harappa that this skill dates back to 5000 years. Pottery has not lost its relevance even today. During a North Indian summer one can see railway platforms and markets filled with pots of various sizes and designs. They are used for different purposes. For instance, the large spherical pots known as gharas are used for storing water. Then there is the long-necked surahi which are used for pouring out water, the handi for cooking lentils and the flat clay griddle, known as tawa for making chappatis.

Pottery and its different styles The potter’s wheel is the basic requirement for making pots but the styles vary from area to area. Pottery comes in both glazed and unglazed forms. The art of glazing pottery can boast of antiquity. The glazed variety can trace its

February 2017 Executive Knowledge Lines31

origin to early medieval times when the arabs had conquered and settled in Multan, Sindh in the 8th century. under their influence a distinctive style of pottery was developed which spread to other parts of India such as Delhi, amritsar, Jaipur, Khurja, Chunar and Rampur in Uttar Pradesh. This variety had a white background with blue and green patterns.The finest styles of pottery are found in the unglazed variety.

The Kagazi or the paper thin pottery is a notable style of the unglazed variety.

This biscuit-coloured pottery is mainly produced in alwar in Rajasthan, Kanpur and Kutch in Gujarat. Then in yet another style of this variety, a creamy mixture of clay, coloured red and white is used to paint complex patterns on the pot after it is polished. Notches are carved onto the outline of the pot. In the third style, arabesques are incised on a part of the surface while the rest of the pot is covered with rows of black dots to form a contrast to the portion with the carvings. The archaeological remains at Purana Qila in New Delhi include numerous samples of Kagazi pottery.

The famous black pottery of Kangra, Himachal Pradesh is similar to the Harappan variety. In andreta, Himachal Pradesh, black pottery items are manufactured for domestic use.

Blue Pottery The highly popular blue glazed pottery is produced in Delhi, Jaipur and Khurja in Uttar Pradesh. Fuller’s earth or Multani Mitti is used instead of clay in creating the basic form. It is then painted on the surface, after which it is covered with finely ground glass and then fired. Firing is the process of heating clay and glazes up to their optimal level of melting. a mixture of quartz and glue is also used in another method of making the basic shape. Cobalt oxide is used in giving the brilliant blue hue. The technique of using blue glaze originated in China. The Mongol artisans combined this method with Persian decorative art to evolve a unique style. It was brought into India by the Muslim conquerors in the 14th century. Initially the artisans used this skill for colouring tiles in decorating mosques, tombs and palaces but later on the Kashmiri potters utilized this technique for their products. This style of blue pottery spread in Kashmir and from there it was introduced into Delhi. It developed into a characteristic art form of Delhi. The Mughal rulers too continued this 32Executive Knowledge LinesFebruary 2017

tradition both for the buildings as well as for pottery. Legend has it that, the blue-pottery items were used by the Mughal rulers to test whether their food had been poisoned. If there was a change in the glaze it indicated that their food had indeed been tampered with.The characteristic colour of the pottery had earned it the name ‘Delhi Blue’ from the British traders in the early 17th century. Jaipur is also famous as a centre for the manufacture of blue pottery.

The technique was borrowed from Delhi in the 17th century but later on the Jaipur style developed its own unique features. For instance, Egyptian paste, which is a colored self-glazing clay fired to 1900F, is used in manufacturing the Jaipur products. another unique aspect of the Jaipur pottery items is that they are crack-proof. This makes them suitable for daily use.

Black pottery Nizamabad in Uttar Pradesh is famed for its shiny black and silver pottery. Kutch was the original home of this unique product. as per historical lore, the potters of Kutch were transferred to Nizamabad during the reign of the Mughal Emperor aurangzeb in the 17th century. Thus Nizamabad is heavily indebted to Kutch for its fame as a producing centre of this beautiful pottery.The special feature of this style is its silvery pattern offset by a lustrous black background. In the manufacturing process, the pottery is submerged into a creamy mixture of clay and vegetable matter and then dried. It is next polished with vegetable matter, and then fired, thereby creating a black oxide which imparts lustre to the product. Incisions are then made on the surface and mercury is rubbed into them to form a lovely silvery contrast to the dark sheen of the background.

Other forms of pottery Even the commonplace surahis are given exquisite shapes. In Chunar, Uttar Pradesh, they are manufactured with raised designs. These elevated patterns are given a brown glazed coating. Traditionally, after the brown glaze coating, sections of the raised pattern were painted in different colours such as blue, yellow and green. The pottery resembled a sample of meenakari work which so characterizes North Indian jewellery. Meerut and Jhajjar are manufacturing centres for surahis with rosette patterns and gargoyle heads serving as spouts. These February 2017 Executive Knowledge Lines33

surahis sell like hot cakes in summer as the water stored in them is deliciously cold. Pokhran in Rajasthan manufactures spherical pots with narrow mouths. Known as lotas they are used for storing oil.

The potters of South Gujarat create a wide range of interesting pottery and animal figures are an important item among these. Pots of different shapes, which represent different parts of the animal’s body are joined together to create the form. Each area has its own unique style of pottery which is influenced by the type of soil available and also by the local customs and way of life. Pottery involves so many diverse styles that it is difficult to do justice to this subject in this article. What has been attempted here is a sketchy description of a fascinating art form.

[Padma Mohan Kumar] [EKL June 2009]

Diamond Tea World’s most expensive tea is worth over 30 times its weight in gold. That is the kind of price that wealthy tea-collectors are willing pay for a few sips of original tea. Da Hong Pao, perhaps the world’s rarest tea with a single gram priced at a whopping $1,400, is actually worth over 30 times its weight in gold!

Legend has it that the original Da Hong Pao has incredible medicinal value. It is said that when the mother of a Ming Dynasty emperor in China fell ill, she was cured by this particular tea. Following the incident, the emperor clothed the four bushes that provided the medicinal leaves with great red robes. And that is how the tea got its name – ‘Da Hong Pao’ – which translates to ‘Big Red Robe’. Today, six Da Hong Pao bushes growing on a brick terrace in the Wuyi Mountains, are believed to be offshoots of those original bushes.

According to Chinese tea master Xiangning Wu, it is mainly its rarity that makes Da Hong Pao so valuable. There are hardly any original Da Hong Pao trees left, and the antique varieties that grow in Wuyi Mountains, China’s Fujian Province, are so rare that they are considered almost priceless. In fact, generations-old tea makers have a special 34Executive Knowledge LinesFebruary 2017

yearly ritual on Da Hong Pao – they go into the mountains every spring to pray to tea god Lu Yu for new shoots. Some reports suggest that the leaves are wiped with goat’s milk as they grow, and after harvest, they are baked and then left to gain flavor for up to 80 years.

Travel writer Theodora Sutcliffe, who recently visited Wuyishan city in the mountains to find out more about the tea, confirms that not all varieties of Da Hong Pao are expensive. “Though aged or antique versions can sell for extremely high prices, a Da Hong Pao of reasonable quality may cost around $100 per kilo in Wuyishan. But every genuine Da Hong Pao originates with a cutting from a single group of mother trees. And it is these original trees that produce the rare and sought-after original tea.”

The original bushes are so valuable that they are kept under close guard at all times, and their leaves are not easy to buy. Da Hong Pao leaves are so exclusive that only specialist brokers can connect wealthy Chinese buyers to the right tea producers.

Da Hong Pao has garnered interest among tea connoisseurs outside of China as well. In fact, in 1849, British botanist Robert Fortune visited Wuyishan on a secret mission to obtain a few Da Hong Pao seeds, to grow them himself in other locations like India. Fortune is said to have succeeded in disguising himself as a local and managed to acquire seeds, seedlings, and even valuable information regarding their cultivation. He ultimately merged these seeds with indigenous Indian tea, which Sutcliffe explains was the beginning of an industry now worth billions of dollars a year.

Sadly, the only Da Hong Pao leaves in circulation today were harvested several years ago. As Sutcliffe writes, the 350-year-old bushes, last harvested in 2005, are now reduced to straggly bushes with no new growth. Soon after the tea harvest begins, a red carpet will be rolled out to mimic the emperor’s gift. Beautiful women dressed in traditional costume will ascend the mossy steps and perform a ritual. But there will be no harvest. The scattered few grams, collectors store lovingly, drying them each year to mature their flavor. That will be more valuable than ever before, perhaps as expensive as diamonds, given time.

Da Hong Pao is currently on the menu at the Royal China Club in central London, priced at around $250 for a pot of four small cups.

[Source: BBC] February 2017 Executive Knowledge Lines35

New Medicines

Development and Marketing Bringing new drugs to the public typically costs pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies substantial amount of money and takes an average of 10 to 12 years. The design and development process is to ensure that only pharmaceutical products that are both safe and effective are brought to market. The following are the steps involved in the process.

Development Process New drugs are evolved in the laboratory with scientists consisting of chemists, biologists and pharmacologists who identify cellular and genetic factors that play a role in specific diseases. Molecular biologists search for chemical and biological substances, likely to have drug- like effects to target biological markers. Chemists will then synthesize a number of different compounds with variations in their molecular structures. Out of every 5,000 new compounds (chemical substances prepared in the laboratory or isolated from plants) identified during the discovery process, only about five have a chance of being safe for testing in human volunteers after preclinical evaluations. After three to six years of further clinical testing in patients, only one or two of these compounds are ultimately approved as drugs for treatment. The following sequence of research activities mark the beginning of the process that results in development of new medicines: vTarget identification: Drugs usually act on either cellular or genetic chemicals in the body, known as targets, which are believed to be associated with a disease. Scientists use a variety of techniques to identify and isolate a target and learn more about its functions and how they influence diseases. Compounds are then identified that have various interactions with drug targets helpful in treatment of a specific disease. vTarget prioritization/validation: To select targets most likely to be useful in the development of new treatments for disease, researchers 36ď ŽExecutive Knowledge Linesď ŽFebruary 2017

analyze and compare each drug target to others based on their association with a specific disease and their ability to regulate biological and chemical compounds in the body. Tests are conducted to confirm that interactions with the drug target are associated with a desired change in the behavior of diseased cells. Research scientists can then identify compounds that have an effect on the target selected. vLead identification: A lead compound or substance is one that is believed to have potential to treat disease. Scientists can compare known substances with new compounds to determine their likelihood of success. Testing is then done with each of these molecules to confirm its effect on the drug target. vLead optimization: Lead optimization compares the properties of variouslead compounds and provides information to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies select the compound or compounds with the greatest potential to be developed into safe and effective medicines. Often during this stage of development, lead prioritization studies are conducted in living organisms (in vivo) and in cells in the test tube (in vitro) to compare various lead compounds and how they are metabolized and affect the body.

Testing in human volunteers vPreclinical technology: During the preclinical development of a drug, laboratory tests document the effect of the investigational drug in living organisms (in vivo) and in cells in the test tube (in vitro).

The lead compound or substance that is believed to be most effective and safe is then tested extensively in laboratory animals to make certain that it will be safe for use in human beings. It can take anywhere between one to five years to complete the evaluation of the compound at this stage. The various tests conducted during this phase will determine in what form, oral tablets, intravenous injections, etc., the drug will be administered to human beings. Scientists will also ascertain the pharmaceutical composition of the drug, its safety and how it will be formulated and manufactured. v Chemistry, manufacturing and controls: The results of preclinical testing are used by experts in pharmaceutical methods to determine how to best formulate the drug for its intended clinical use. For example, a drug that is intended to act on the sinuses may be formulated as a time-release capsule or as a nasal spray. Regulatory agencies require testing that documents February 2017 ď ŽExecutive Knowledge Linesď Ž37

the characteristics; chemical composition, purity, quality and potency of the drugâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s active ingredient and of the formulated drug. vPharmacology/Toxicology: Pharmacological testing determines effects of the candidate drug on the body. Toxicology studies are conducted to identify potential risks to humans.

Clinical Testing in Humans Results of all testing must be provided to the regulatory agencies in order to obtain permission to begin clinical testing in humans.

Regulatory agencies review the specific tests and documentation that are required to proceed to the next stage of development. Testing of an investigational new drug begins with submission of information about the drug and application for permission to begin administration to healthy volunteers or patients. In addition to obtaining permission from appropriate regulatory authorities, an institutional or independent review board (IRB) or ethical advisory board must approve the protocol for testing as well as the informed consent documents that volunteers sign prior to participating in a clinical study. An IRB is an independent committee of physicians, community advocates and others that ensures a clinical trial is ethical and the rights of study participants are protected. Clinical testing is usually described as consisting of Phase I, Phase II and Phase III clinical studies. In each successive phase, increasing numbers of patients are tested. vPhase I Clinical Studies: Phase I studies are designed to verify safety and tolerability of the candidate drug in humans and typically take six to nine months. These are the first studies conducted in humans. A small number of subjects, usually from 20 to 100 healthy volunteers, take the investigational drug for short periods of time. Testing includes observation and careful documentation of how the drug acts in the body, how it is absorbed, distributed, metabolized and excreted. v Phase II Clinical Studies: Phase II studies are designed to determine effectiveness and further study the safety of the candidate drug in humans. Depending upon the type of investigational drug and the condition it treats, this phase of development generally takes from six months up to three years. Testing is conducted with up to several hundred patients suffering from the condition the investigational drug is designed to treat. This testing determines safety and effectiveness of the drug in treating the condition and establishes the minimum and maximum effective dose. Most Phase II clinical trials are randomized, or randomly divided into groups, one of which receives the investigational drug, one of which gets a placebo containing no medication 38ď ŽExecutive Knowledge Linesď ŽFebruary 2017

and sometimes a third that receives a currently available medicine to which the new investigational drug will be compared. In addition, most Phase II studies are double- blinded, meaning that neither patients nor researchers evaluating the compound know who is receiving the investigational drug or placebo. v Phase III Clinical Studies: Phase III studies provide expanded testing of effectiveness and safety of an investigational drug, usually in randomized and blinded clinical trials. Depending upon the type of drug candidate and the condition it treats, this phase usually requires one to four years of testing. In Phase III, safety and efficacy testing is conducted with several hundred to thousands of volunteer patients suffering from the condition the investigational drug treats.

Marketing the New Drug The pharmaceutical companies that successfully complete all the stages of drug discovery and development, and have all the data gathered from these studies, are then required to approach the regulatory authorities of their respective countries (FDA in the US, Drug Control General in India) to apply for permission to market the new drug. These applications are called NDAs (New Drug Applications) in the U.S. and MAAs (Marketing Authorization Applications) in Europe. The application must present substantial evidence that the drug will have the effect it is represented to have when people use it or under the conditions for which it is prescribed, recommended or suggested in the labeling.

It may take anywhere between six months to two years to obtain approval to market a new drug.

Testing after Marketing Once the pharmaceutical company receives an approval to market the new drug and after the new drug is marketed, there are more studies conducted in order to ensure that the drug has proven safety and efficacy in larger populations (Phase III and Phase IV). These studies involve many thousands of patients across the globe and may go on for several years. These studies may be designed to determine longer-term efficacy of the drug, see its effect in new age groups (children) or patient types (gender, age, race etc.), or effectiveness in new indications where it can be used, or even cost comparisons with already available drugs to treat the same disease condition. As with all stages of drug development testing, the purpose is to ensure the safety and effectiveness of marketed drugs.

[EKL Jan. 2008] February 2017 ď ŽExecutive Knowledge Linesď Ž39

CAPTCHA An Update

Internet is accepted as a praiseworthy medium for effective global communication. But occasionally a user may be trapped unknowingly by non-human intruders referred to as bots for malicious intentions. Stealing e-mail addresses, sending spams, deceiving online polling, etc. are examples of bot activities. Several companies like Yahoo and Microsoft, offer free email services.

Most of these services suffered from bot attacks that would sign up for thousands of email accounts every minute.

In an online poll on the Internet asking which was the best graduate school in computer science in America, it was reported that students at Carnegie Mellon found a way to stuff the ballots using programs that voted for CMU thousands of times. Countering their move, students at MIT wrote their own program and the poll became a contest between voting bots. MIT finished on top.

Can the result of any online poll be trusted? Not unless the poll ensures that only humans can vote.

CAPTCHA is projected as an effective solution to counter bot activities on the Internet.

CAPTCHA is an acronym for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. It is a type of response test implemented through a computer program to determine whether or not the user is human. A Captcha is a program that protects websites gainst bots by generating and grading tests that humans can pass but current computer programs cannot. For example, humans can read distorted text, but present computer programs can't.

Captchas were first developed in 1997 at AltaVista by Andrei Broder and his colleagues in order to prevent bots from adding URLs to their search engine.

40ď ŽExecutive Knowledge Linesď ŽFebruary 2017

The team created their first Captchas by attempting to simulate bad Optical Character Recognition by the computer. Broder claims that the Captcha reduced spam additions to the search engine by "over 95%". The first ever Captcha was developed to be used by Yahoo. The term was coined in 2000 by Luis von Ahn, Manuel Blum, and Nicholas J. Hopper of Carnegie Mellon University, and John Langford of IBM. A common type of Captcha requires that the user type the letters of a distorted and/or obscured sequence of letters or digits that appears on the screen. Because the test is administered by a computer, in contrast to the standard Turing test (for Artificial Intelligence) that is administered by a human, a Captcha is sometimes described as a reverse Turing test.

Applications of Captchas include preventing bots from taking part in online polls, registering for free email accounts (which may then be used to send spam), and, more recently, preventing bot- generated spam by requiring that the (unrecognized) sender successfully pass a Captcha test before the email message is delivered. Most bloggers may be familiar with programs that submit bogus comments, usually for the purpose of raising search engine ranks of some website. This is called comment spam which could be prevented through Captchas. Spammers crawl the Web in search of email addresses posted in clear text. Captchas provide an effective mechanism to hide your email address from Web scrapers.

The idea is to require users to solve a Captcha before showing your email address.

Captchas can also be used to prevent dictionary attacks in password systems.

The idea is to prevent a computer from being able to iterate through the entire space of passwords by requiring it to solve a Captcha after a certain number of unsuccessful logins. Captchas also offer a plausible solution against email worms and spam.

Captchas based on reading text — or other visual-perception tasks — prevent visually impaired users from accessing the protected resource. However, Captchas do not have to be visual. Any hard AI problem, such as speech recognition, can be used as the basis of a Captchas. Some implementations of Captchas permit users to opt for an audio Captcha. The development of audio Captchas appears to have lagged behind that of visual Captchas, however, and presently may not be as effective. Other kinds of challenges, such as those that require understanding the meaning of some text (e.g., a logic puzzle, trivial question – mathematical, logical or some other, or instructions on how to create a password) can also be used as a Captcha.

For non-sighted users (for example blind users), visual Captchas present serious problems as Captchas are designed to be unreadable by machines. Since they are often used in initial registration processes and on every login to sites like banks, February 2017 Executive Knowledge Lines41

eBay, Yahoo, or some other sites, this challenge can completely block access. In certain jurisdictions site owners could become target of litigation if using Captchas discriminates against certain people with disabilities.

Even for perfectly sighted individuals, new generations of Captchas, designed to overcome sophisticated recognition software, can be very hard or impossible to read.

Some free e-mail providers have used Captchas in account registration, to deter spammers from obtaining large number of accounts automatically. Spammers have found a way to circumvent this restriction: simply present the Captcha to a human user under false pretenses, and use the human’s response to obtain the e-mail account.

To do this, the spammer must control a Web site to which human users wish to gain access — for instance, a pornography site. When a user goes to the spammer’s porn site, the server starts a new account registration at the free e-mail provider. It downloads the provider’s Captcha and presents it to the user as a Captcha for access to the porn site. The user, not knowing that the Captcha is recycled, provides the correct response — and the spammer’s software can then complete the e-mail account registration.

It may also be possible to subvert Captchas by relaying them to human operators who are employed to decode them. Nonetheless, some have suggested that this would still not be economically viable.

The algorithm used to create the Captcha is often made public, though it may be covered by a patent. This is done to demonstrate that breaking it requires the solution of a hard problem in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) rather than just the discovery of the (secret) algorithm, which could be obtained through reverse engineering or other means.

Automated attacks on Captchas are also growing more sophisticated. Projects like PWNtcha have made significant progress in defeating commonly used Captchas, which has contributed to a general migration towards more sophisticated Captchas.

Captcha tests are based on open problems in artificial intelligence (AI): decoding images of distorted text, for instance, is well beyond the capabilities of modern computers. Thus, Captchas offer well-defined challenges for the AI community, and induce security researchers, as well as otherwise malicious programmers, to work on advancing the field of AI. Captchas in effect, provide a win- win situation: if a Captcha is not broken, then saving the computer from attack of bots, or the Captcha is broken and an AI problem is solved.

[EKL Feb. 2009] 42Executive Knowledge LinesFebruary 2017

Peter F. Drucker (1909 - 2005) Father of Modern Management

The Story of Peter Drucker is the story of the rise of management as a profession. Here are somehighlights of his life: Peter F. Drucker was born on Nov. 19, 1909 into a highly educated professional family in Vienna, Austria. His father, Adolph, was an economist and lawyer, his mother, Caroline had studied medicine. He was educated in Vienna and England. In 1929 he joined Frankfurt’s largest daily newspaper as a financial writer. His first story: the stock market crash. During this period, he took his doctorate in public and international law. He then worked as an economist for an international bank in London.

In 1937 Drucker married Doris Schmitz and moved to the US as a correspondent for British newspapers. His teaching career started as professor of politics and philosophy at Bennington College; for more than twenty years he was professor of management at the Graduate Business School of NewYork University. Peter Druckerhad, since 1971, been Clarke Professor of Social Sciences at Claremont Graduate University. Its Graduate Management School was named after him in 1984.

Peter Drucker was a great writer, teacher, and consultant specializing in strategy and policy for businesses and social sector organizations. He was consultant to many of the world’s largest corporations as well as nonprofit organizations, small and entrepreneurial companies, and also to various agencies of the U.S. government. In 1997, at the age of 88, he was featured on the cover of Forbes magazine under the headline, “Still the Youngest Mind,” and BusinessWeek has called him “the most enduring management thinker of our time.”

On June 21 2002, Dr. PeterDrucker, author of The Effective Executive and Management Challenges for the 21st Century, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush.

He published 38 books which were translated into 37 languages.

His first book, The End of Economic Man: The Origins of Totalitarianism, was published in 1939 which became a favourite of Winston Churchill. Thirteen books dealwith society, economics, and politics, and fifteen, management. Two of his books are novels and one is autobiographical. He is also a co-author of a book on Japanese painting. He has made four series of educational films based on his management books.

February 2017 Executive Knowledge Lines43

In 1975 he began his 20-year tenure as a monthly columnist for The Wall Street Journal and was a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review and other periodicals.

Drucker passed away on November 11, 2005, at the age of 95. He is survived by his wife, four children, and six grand children.

Management jewels straight from Drucker: • It was Drucker who wrote about the contribution of ‘knowledge workers’ in 1970s - much before anyone knew or understood how knowledge would trump raw material as the essential capital of the New Economy.

• Almost everybody today believes that nothing in economic history has ever moved as fast as, or had a greater impact than, the Information Revolution. But the Industrial Revolution moved atleast as fast in the same time span, and had probably an equal impact if not a greater one.

• Management by objectives works if you first think through your objectives. Ninety percent of the time you haven’t.

• In 1984, Drucker famously argued that a CEO should make no more than 20 times the salary of the lowest-paid worker.

• Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.

• Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.

• Quality in a product or service is not what the supplier puts in. It is what the customer gets out and is willing to pay for. A product has not quality because it is hard to make and costs a lot of money, as manufacturers typically believe. This is incompetence. Customers pay only for what is of use to them and gives them value. Nothingelse constitutes quality.

• Drucker’s insightful questions in 1981 to Jack Welch lead to GE’s cornerstone strategy of striving to be No.1 or No.2 in every business.

• The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.

• The highly regarded writing ‘The Effective Executive’ of Drucker(1966), tells managers to focus workload to avoid ‘wasting time’ on nonessential matters.

• We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn.

• Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship... the act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth.

• In ’50s, he ushered in a new marketing mindset that “there is no business without a customer”.

• “Management” means, in the last analysis, the substitution of thought for brawn and muscle, of knowledge for folklore and superstition, and of co-operation for force.

[EKL Feb. 2006] 44Executive Knowledge LinesFebruary 2017

February 2017 Executive Knowledge Lines45

Volume 12 Issue 7 February 2017 Chief Editor N T Nair

Authentication Editors Dr C G Sukumaran Nair (CGS) Simon Zachariah

Technical Editor Dr B N Nair

Advertising and Subscriptions S N Nair

Consultants

Editorial Board Prof. V K Damodaran P R Chandran Prof. Harimohan Bhattathiri R Narayanan (RN) P Radhakrishnan (PR) Advisory Committee Dr D S Rane Dr P M Mathew (Vellore) Dr V Nandamohan

Finance R Bhadrakumar FCA Production Ravisankar K V

Representatives

Kolkata: T R R Menon Mob: +919433011424 email: trrmenon@yahoo.com Mumbai: S G Nair Mob: +919323780029

Editorial Office Knowledge House, Mathrubhumi Road, Trivandrum 695 035, India.

Contact: Vandana P S, Manager(Knowledge Operations), Tel. 91 471 247 2928 email: ekl@knowledgelines.com eklines@gmail.com www.knowledgelines.com

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched they must be felt with the heart.

- Helen Keller 46Executive Knowledge LinesFebruary 2017

The Last Word “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson Owned, Edited, Printed, and Published by N T Nair, 186, PTP Nagar, Trivandrum 695 038 Printed by Akshara Offset, TC 25/ 3230(1), Vanchiyoor, Trivandrum 695 035 Published at Trivandrum. Editor: N T Nair February 2017 Executive Knowledge Lines47

Executive Knowledge Lines monthly Registered RNI No. KERENG/2005/16316

Posting Date: 11th & 12th of every month Date of Publishing: 9-02-2017 Posted at: RMS, Trivandrum

Follow us on

/muthootindia

Postal Regn. No. KL/TV(S)/316/2017-2019 Licenced to post without prepayment Licence No. KL/TV(S)/WPP/48/2017-2019