Vol 7 Issue No.78 April - May 2018
The rise and risks of passive investing Shri V.P. Nandakumar MD & CEO, Manappuram Finance Ltd.
GIBRALTAR: the less explored
European destination
THE ULTIMATE
TRENDSETTER
Stalwart of retail industry Mr. Ajmal V.A, the Managing Director
Bismi Group
Printed by: Ajit Ravi Published by: Ajit Ravi Owned by: Ajit Ravi Printed at: Sterling Print House Pvt. Ltd. Cochin P.B. No: 3627, Veekshanam Road, Cochin Published at: Pegasus, L5-106 Changampuzha Nagar Kalamassery Ernakulam-682 033 e-mail: editor@uniquetimes.org uniquetimesindia@gmail.com Ph:0484 3242220, 6555533, 4025666 Mob:+91 98460 50283, 94470 50283 Editor Ajit Ravi Sub-Editor Vignesh Associate Editor Ravi Saini Editor-In-charge Jebitha Ajit Legal Advisor Latha Anand B.S.Krishnan Associates bskrishnanassociates@gmail.com Correspondents Dr. Thomas Nechupadam Vivek Venugopal- Quarter Mile Amrutha V Kumar Karthika S Nair Marketing UAE Phygicart.com P.O. Box: 92546, Al Karama Dubai Mr. Anish K Joy Mob: +971528946999 info@phygicart.com Tamil Nadu Vice president Uma Riyas Khan chennai, Mob: 9841072955 Unique Times, No.6/31, Arunachalam main road, Saligramam, Chennai – 600093 Andhrapradesh & Karnataka PEGASUS Ph: 09288800999 Sunilkumar NN, Saneesh Ashok Your wing Dr. Susan S Sunny Director Shwetha Menon Photographer Ashique Hassan Creative Design PEGASUS Cover Photograph Mr.V.A Ajmal, the Managing Director Bismi Group
Editorial
requires innovation and the courage to be different", says though "Success leader Rebecca Murtagh.
The meaning of this thought reflects in the success story of V.A. Ajmal, the key man behind 750-crore business entity, Bismi group. Ajmal owes his success to a great extent to the innovation. Bismi began its giant stride by teaching the local crowd how to buy white goods. When the hypermarket was unheard of, Bismi started their retail in a huge store in Kochi in 2001. More innovations are in the pipeline and Ajmal is ready to leave no stone unturned to take his group to a growth trajectory of Rs.4,000 crore by 2022. In the regular column, V.P. Nandakumar, MD & CEO, Manappuram Finance, explains about the new fault line in the financial market called the passive investment. He warns that the new trend shows the shift from active to passive investment which eventually reduces the ability of the market to prevent and recover from sharp corrections in the current market which is highly volatile due to the rising inflation, spike in US bond yields and tighter US job market. If you want a distinct and truly unique midsize crossover, then you can go by Lexus' fourth offering in India- the NX 300h. Our expert team finds NX 300h is the sportiest looking of its lot and the only hybrid in its class. Moreover, it's perfect for the urban environment. In the travel section, we introduce a less explored European destination- Gibraltar, a sovereign British Overseas Territory located near Spain. This rocky island is known for its Mediterranean climate and beautiful locations. Here’s another packed issue for you. Plenty of articles on other topics like the stock market, gadgets, banking, movie review, and book review are all waiting for you. And I hope you enjoy the read!
CONTENTS
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16
20
The rise and risks of passive investing
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Time to get Kerala digitally ready
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The ultimate trendsetter stalwart of industry
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Goods and Service Tax recent developments–Part I
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Masters of disguise!
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46
48
52
54
58
46
Gadgets
48
Recipes
52
Best hairstyles for heavy women
54
Gibraltar: the less explored European destination
58
Lexus NX 300h
UNIQUE DIARY
NDDB uses IT to improve ‘Dairy Sector’
T
he National Dairy Development Board is using the possibilities of the Information Technology sector, in which the country has achievement significant knowledge and expertise, to improve the dairy sector, which at this moment is at the end of a huge disaster due to its lack of efficiency and transparency. The Automatic Milk collection system, which has been contributed to the dairy sector by the Information Technology Sector, has, as per the data collected from nearly forty-eight Maharashtra-based dairy firms which is using this technology, enabled the dairy sector to improve the efficiency of milk collection process, which is the core process of the sector.
Environment ministry liberalizes several norms to help construction sector
"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do." Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple
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April-May-2018
I
n order to help the ailing construction sector of the country, the ministry of environment has liberalised some of its norms regarding the environment clearance, which is the highest hurdle a construction company often confronts.As a part of the liberalisation, the environment ministry has increased the threshold for construction project requiring environment clearance from 20,000 sq metres to 50,000 square metres. Some environmentalists have expressed their concerns about the environment ministry’s move to liberalize the environment clearance norms. They claim the country is not yet ready from such a radical shift in the policy introduced in the construction sector for their benefit.
Centre launches NEIDS
T
he central government, which is seriously engaging with the North Eastern states in all possible ways in an unprecedented manner, is planning to launch an ambitious scheme –North Eastern Industrial Development Scheme- to strengthen the industrial sector of the region, which is traditionally one of the under-developed regions of the country. A huge sum of three thousand crore Indian Rupees will be earmarked for the scheme for a time period of two years. More funds will be allocated for the scheme by the central government after the initial timeframe proposed in the scheme. The central cabinet, which is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has granted the approval for the scheme.
India to strengthen infrastructure ties with Indonesia
"Chase the vision, not the money; the money will end up following you." Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos
I
ndicating that the country is seriously watching the developments in the Indo-Pacific region, India has agreed to increase the infrastructural ties with Indonesia. Though the infrastructural ties, the country aims to achieve deeper relation in the sector of maritime. The developments indicate that both countries are highly committed to the improvement of maritime infrastructure and maritime relation. The Indian Embassy, with the support of the Indonesian Ministry for Maritime Affairs, has organised the first India Indonesia Infrastructure Forum to improve the maritime relation between both countries. The much-awaited event has been inaugurated by Ambassador of India to Indonesia Pradeep K Rawat and Indonesian Minister of Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.
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UNIQUE DIARY
Embassy group set to invest more funds to develop its IT Park in Bangalore
T
he Embassy Office Parks, which is partly owned by the US-based PE major Blackstone Group, is set to invest a huge sum of two thousand crore Indian Rupees to expand its IT Park situated in the India’s tech city, Bangalore. An area of 12 million sq ft has been allocated for the company for the purpose of creating an Information Technology park. Of this 12 million sq ft, at least 6 million sq ft will be successfully developed before the end of this year. The new fund will be mainly utilised to compete its next phase, the remaining 6 million sq ft area.
Tripura to get huge fund for development from centre
"Whether you think you can or think you can't... You're right." Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company
T
he North Eastern state of Tripura, in which the BJP that rule the central government has marked an astounding victory overthrowing the twenty-five year old leftist regime of the state, is likely to get a huge fund for the development process. The central government has decided to give a whooping sum of over two thousand crore Indian Rupees to run the projects and schemes launched by the centre government and the newly elected Chief Minister, Biplab Kumar Deb. The fund is proposed to generate at least twelve thousand direct job opportunities in the state which is struggling due to the increasing rate of unemployment.
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BUSINESS
Shri V.P.Nandakumar MD & CEO Manappuram Finance Ltd.
Active funds management gives importance to the underlying fundamentals of a company in arriving at the investment potential of a particular security.
U
p until the end of January 2018, stock markets around the world were scaling new heights and setting new records at regular intervals. In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average set a record when it closed at 26,616.71 on January 26, 2018. In India, the BSE Sensex set its own closing record at 36,283.25 on 29 January, 2018. However, beginning in February, the picture has turned adverse for the markets. In just two weeks, the Dow Jones industrials posted a steep fall of 3200 points or 12 percent down from the record highs reached a few days earlier on 26 January. Indeed, February 5 was called the scariest day on Wall Street in years with stocks literally in free fall and, at one point, the Dow was down by almost 1,600 points, the biggest ever point decline during a trading day in history. The second half of February saw good recovery with stocks regaining bounce and recovering three-quarters of those losses. But then, there was more volatility to come. The Dow lost 680 points in the final two days of the month leaving it about 1,600 points down from the record high in late January. This sharp correction was totally unexpected because it followed an extended period of extremely low volatility and against the backdrop of a strong US economy. The fall began with worries about rising inflation and the spike in US bond yields
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after data indicated tighter US jobs market. There was a fear that the stock markets had risen too high and too fast in recent months, and therefore a correction was both imminent and overdue. But then, the fact that it happened without any apparent trigger drew attention to a phenomenon that first appeared in the mid-seventies but which started gaining ground rapidly in the bullish period following the great financial crisis of 2008. Today, it has grown to such gigantic proportions that it threatens to become a new fault line in the financial markets. It is the rise of passive investing and the increasing importance of asset management funds that rely on a passive management or passive investing strategy.
What is passive investing?
Let’s begin by considering what the opposite, active investing, is about. Active funds management gives importance to the underlying fundamentals of a company in arriving at the investment potential of a particular security. Fund managers spend time and resources studying financial and valuation metrics before deciding to put money into it or recommending it to their clients and other investors. The larger purpose behind this diligence is to beat the returns generated by the broader equity markets. Unfortunately, this goal has been largely elusive during the current decade characterised as it was by a steady rise in stock prices to reach the record
The rise and risks of
passive investing
highs of January 2018. Indeed, the rise of passive investing can be explained in part by the demonstrated failure of active fund managers to consistently beat the markets. For instance, the S&P Indices Versus Active (SPIVA) funds scorecard for 2016 shows that more than 60 percent of actively managed stock funds underperformed their respective market benchmarks. Mid-cap and smallcap funds were especially poor, having been beaten by the market on 89.3 percent and 85.5 percent of occasions respectively. Consequently, more and more analysts
and investors saw active fund managers as being consistent underperformers and not worthy of their management fees. The role of the active manager became more difficult to justify, even more so after the financial crisis when many alternative avenues for investment emerged that brought simplicity, convenience and affordability to the investor. The passive investment strategy emerged as the alternative to active investment in that it largely ignores analyses of the fundamentals of individual securities, in favour of investing in funds consisting of a
weighted basket of securities that mimic the broader underlying stock indices. Such strategies enable passive funds to replicate—and thus track—the performance of the broader index (for example, the S&P 500). It means that passive funds are not concerned with beating the market (unlike active funds) and instead aim to simply earn the market return assuming that the market is likely to rise over a sufficiently long period of time. Put simply, rather than exercise judgment about which stocks to buy, the passive fund manager will just buy the shares representing a particular index, so that the
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returns delivered are in sync with the chosen index. You will not get to beat the index, but you will also not underperform. The important benefit for the investor is that passive fund management fees are usually a fraction of the fee charged by active funds. According to data of 2015, some index-tracking exchange-traded funds charge as little as $3 annually for every $10,000 they manage, while the average charged by U.S. stock mutual fund managers is $131. Moreover, these funds are easier to access and more convenient to trade, particularly the exchange-traded funds (ETF) that have mushroomed with the boom in passive investing in recent years. In fact, as of the beginning of 2017, there were almost 2,000 ETFs listed on exchanges in the United States alone, which managed a total of $2.56 trillion—20 percent more than they were managing only one year earlier.
how they are programmed. With no room for the human element in this strategy, the decision to sell will be automatic when pre-set stop loss levels are triggered. In contrast, active or value investing will also have stop loss levels that get triggered when there is a fall, but at some point, the fund managers can exercise their judgement and resume buying, such as when they feel the selling has gone too far and valuations have become cheap. Likewise, when the share price of a particular company or sector increases, its value will increase relative to the market leading to greater allocation of funds from passive investing funds. This momentum based investment leads to winning stocks that keep on winning and the relative losers to keep on losing. Clearly, the passive strategy will work well for the investor when markets are on the rise but not so in a scenario of falling stock prices. Over the past decade the US equity markets have seen strong
The ETF market has experienced astounding growth over the last decade. There are now 5,000 ETFs traded globally with over $3.5 trillion in assets, a more than threefold increase since 2007.
Where comes the risk?
The problem with passive investing is that a market shock, as in the first week of February, would cause these strategies to sell into the weakness because this is
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growth in passive and systematic investment strategies that rely on momentum and volatility to decide how much risk to take. The evidence for this is seen in the huge increase in the AUM of mutual
funds that are into blind index investing. In 2016, passive funds in the United States attracted $506 billion, while actively managed funds lost $341 billion in withdrawals. In fact, passive funds currently account for 29 percent of the U.S. market according to Moody‘s and are set to grab more than half the assets in the investment-management business by 2024 at the latest. The shift from active to passive assets, and specifically the decline of active value investors, reduces the ability of the market to prevent and recover from sharp corrections. The approximately US$ 2 trillion that has shifted from active and value to passive and momentum strategies since the last financial crisis has effectively removed a large pool of money that would otherwise be on standby, ready to buy shares and securities on the cheap, and thus arrest a fall in prices before it gets to crisis levels. Significantly, all these risks have come to the fore at a time of all-round valuation excesses. There is good reason to believe that most assets are at their high end of historical valuations consequent to the prolonged period of easy money policies followed by the US Fed and other central banks. Signs of these excesses can be seen everywhere, including multi-billion dollar valuations for tech startups and smartphone apps, and the sharp run up in the prices of bitcoin and other
crypto- currency offerings with little or no intrinsic value. Another related development of concern is that just as the stock markets appear headed for correction, the bond markets too are
showing signs of weakness. Over the past two decades, most risk models have been relying on bonds to offset equity risk, and correctly too. However, now that US Federal Reserve has turned its back on easy money, this assumption is unlikely
Over the past decade the US equity markets have seen strong growth in passive and systematic investment strategies that rely on momentum and volatility to decide how much risk to take. to hold true. From now on, when stock markets fall, don’t count on the bond markets to hold value. Indeed, one should not be surprised if stocks and bonds fall at the same time, a very unpleasant scenario for the market. In sum, the shift of investor funds towards passive or momentum investing, as opposed to active or value investing, has opened a new fault line that has the potential to tip over the markets into another crisis
V.P. Nandakumar is MD & CEO of Manappuram Finance Ltd. and Board Appointee, Lions Clubs International Board of Directors.
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BUSINESS
Rajesh Nair, Director, Ernst & Young LLP Rajesh is also the President of the Kerala Chapter of TiE Global
C
hange has been the hallmark of our civilization. Be it technological change or social change, we have seen metamorphosis happening time and again. Human potential in every walk of life has improved by quantum with an increasing synergistic play of man, machine and software. What has also been significantly a clear trend is the change in daily life, habits and normal rigmarole of life – with increasing penetration of digital technologies. Personal relationships and the way we interact with each other have also changed with multiple gadgets and the social media. So, what is the Kerala story? In the recently concluded ‘#FUTURE’ event in Kochi, we saw more than 2000 future inquisitive professionals and entrepreneurs from different parts of the world converge to listen to the experts from various domains from across the world. The speakers also represented the industry, government and the academia. Consider the following data on Kerala (EY report – The future of digital is Human)
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Kerala has a much higher digital adoption than most parts of India. The mobile penetration is one of kind and there are currently more digitally connected devices than the population in Kerala.
Time to get Kerala
digitally
ready
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Kerala has a much higher digital adoption than most parts of India. The mobile penetration is one of kind and there are currently more digitally connected devices than the population in Kerala. The ability to embrace technology and a digitally savvy population make it fascinating to see how Kerala will steer itself in the future.
The entire focus of the state will have to be around various themes.
• Getting demographic initiatives right-Unlike most of the rest of India, Kerala’s demographics
• Looking at the Fintech adoption rates, the state can be very optimistic about adoption in media, healthcare, education and governance.
Technology will continue to change and mastery will be a continuous process.
has significantly large middle aged and senior population. The initiatives for the youth will have to be smartly balanced with initiatives for the older population.
• We will have to quickly scale up our understanding and application of future technologies like IoT, cloud computing, AI, machine learning and block chain.
• We need to continue providing impetus to the flourishing start-up ecosystem with a focus on tech-enabled services. Today, India is third largest start-up hub globally and Kerala is a very important constituent to it.
• Finding synergy and leveraging central government initiatives like Digital India, Smart Cities and Future Skills
• The initiatives like the KFON network (Kerala Fibre Optic Network) and the availability of the ubiquitous wireless connectivity and high speed broadband will be a key. The recent announcement
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regarding the Kerala public WiFi facility will add further impetus.
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• Industry participation is critical to build on capacity and digital infrastructure. We have to ensure higher IT spending in the state and increased ‘Ease of doing businesses’. While we foresee a future of limitless opportunities, we also see
an interplay of automation and artificial intelligence in both skills and jobs. The common theme for what kind of jobs will disappear is ‘efficiency and manual service’. The activities that have repetition and efficiency attached to it are likely to be taken over by the robotic process automation. The latest introduction of chatbots has seen the regular customer cell phone calls being attended by the audio-supportedrecorded-responses which can answer fairly complex questions, as well. Manual service, where manual
work can be replaced by artificial intelligence and sensor driven equipment, will disappear in the due course. But, there is some time period attached to these changes. Different economies will see these changes coming in different stages and time frames. But, a clear truism is the fact that all these changes will displace between 400 million to 800 million workers globally by 2030. So for, to the youth, who enter the portals of employment, things are fairly in a state of flux. Technology will continue to change and mastery will be a continuous process. It may not just be the fundamentals of education,
which is important, but your ability to adjust yourself to the change needs around you. New competencies and skills will be needed time and again. Basic business models will undergo a change and business intuition will also not be a constant. This also implies decades of business experience which builds into mental intuition in professionals will have to be questioned repeatedly. So, the challenge of changing business scenario is not just for the young professional, but for the middle aged and senior professional as well. Change management does not come to humans naturally. We are wired biologically to resist change. This is true for
pathogens or bacteria and our immunity resits all these change agents with alacrity to the best of their ability. This is true in daily life. We are comfortable with status quo and also to follow regular patterns of behaviour and work. But, with this kind of change lurching in the horizon, we have to learn to not only adapt to new ways but also pre-empt and anticipate changes. Our success will be completely dependent on our ability to instil the change management skills and attitude in our population. We are at a pivotal time in our history. Leveraging technology and amplification of our capabilities will be key for our roadmap to success
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THE ULTIMATE
TRENDSETTER stalwart of retail industry L
et’s look into this exclusive interview with Mr. Ajmal V.A. of The Bismi Group, who is known to be the inspiring trailblazer in the novel sector of electronics and hypermarkets in Kerala from way back in 2000s, opens his heart on how he conquered the retail market in Kerala even today with determination and continuous persistence. After completing his degree in Production Engineering at Mangalore, the aspirant entrepreneur enters business with his father in law. Bismi was known to be the pioneer in successfully giving the first innovative and elite experience for the local crowd in buying white goods. Bismi is currently the unbeatable stalwarts in Kerala in their genre flaunting 7 hypermarkets and 11 electronic retail stores. The company has an annual turnover of Rs.750 crores today and are planning to reach Rs. 4000 crores by 2022. Ajmal is all set to triumph the retail
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market in Kerala and let’s hear his enthralling success saga.
The Journey and the trendsetting growth
Ajmal’s father, V A Abdul Hameed, hails from Ernakulam, retired as a Chief Engineer from PWD, inclined to a secured job and his mother’s family is from Erattupetta cultured into business activities. He took his business interests from his maternal grandfather. He had joined with his father in law, V.A. Yusuf in business after his studies. He felt that the retailer gets more significance when compared to the distributor. In 2001, he auctioned in the first big building of theirs at Kaloor, and decided to fill in the vaccum that Cochin had then. It became a huge hit then. Across India, there was a splurge in malls and bigger retailer stores, and Bismi decided to go with the drift. From 2001 to 2006, Bismi only stretched internally inside
Bismi was known to be the pioneer in successfully giving the first innovative and elite experience for the local crowd in buying white goods.
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the same building at Kaloor outspreading quality experience for the customers with a low cost proposition, increasing the range of products and refining on after sales services and innovating with the existing framework. And then they opened another store at Perumbavoor, then another at Thripunithura and then next, which then started a chain of eleven Bismis opening one after another across Kerala. Those times even when there was good competition, the industry was laid back in marketing. Most of them was following traditional advertising which goes out only on festival times like Onam, Christmas etc. Bismi is again the trendsetters to open on a Sunday; today weekends have the highest sale across Kerala. In 2001, ACV, JukeBox and Medley used to be very popular in viewership. Bismi’s research wing analysed and decide to go full on on those popular channels, which fetched a huge impact in luring customers into the showroom. Bismi participated in some major exhibitions across, which again was a distinctive marketing strategy then. From the onset, from Vanitha ICE to Vanitha Utsav, it’s Bismi who partners exclusively with the prestigious brand. Executing this kind of event in such a magnitude is a herculean task which has been impeccably done for these twelve many years. Calls in for big degree of frontline manpower, extreme professionals, faultless facility and professionalism. Now Bismi has stores successfully running from Kollam to Calicut, and became the first in people’s choice. The product availability in a wide range was always a high competitive element, where the customers could see almost every product lined up, try it physically at the store and then buy. This Ajmal believes that a magnified the sales for Bismi customer will step in and the trust the customers and continue only if had in them.
there is a positivity in his hypermarket.
Five years ago when an MNC retail giant entered the market, the retail landscaping in Kerala was undergoing a sea change, it was a real healthy competition everyone could look up to and Bismi realized that this is the time to change and expand immediately. Before that, no one knew these many people will barge into a hypermarket like this. That’s when Bismi decided to change character from standalone
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stores to hypermarkets, to become a better organized player. Bismi invested an year to do research and backend study on food retail to plan something new, bring in new systems n process, hired a first line team for spotless operations, developed softwares on SAP and launched the first one. Hypermarkets were devised to open in tier 2 cities, and Alleppey was chosen. It was an instant hit, have a huge footfall and then saw another 6 hypermarkets of Bismi opening across Kerala. It sprawls in 40000 squarefeet with Food, Fashion n Electronics. Now another seven hypermarkets is under construction apart from the seven running. Bismi has decided to pull off the current standalone stores, while simultaneously building state-of the art hypermarket.
Way ahead
Bismi is planning forty plus hypermarkets in future for Kerala,
distributed across the tier 2 cities. The victory that Bismi has is that they can take a decision much faster than the multinational conglomorates who might plan to expand. This is possible with the current experience due to the uphand knowledge locally conceivable. Ajmal has clear plans of creating an exclusive ambience and experience for the women who comes to shop, with exceptional salons, privileged services like child care, options to leave laundry for dry-cleaning, special parking for lady-driven vehicles and huge free parking spaces etc. It is how we present the services, product and the brand that the clients perceive us. There is a market intelligence team exclusively out in the market for Bismi who absorbs the pulse of the market, study the aggression of the competitions and to identify the changes needed. Accordingly, new marketing strategies and services offered are strategized. Ajmal
believes that a customer will step in and continue only if there is a positivity in his hypermarket. From the ambience, infrastructure to the staff in the store, Bismi makes sure the client is extremely delighted. Just the way they were an exemplary model for their counterparts who followed, Bismi is all set to create a niche and unmatched involvement in the hypermarket segment. Solid strategies are made to make these 7 hypermarkets to grow into 20 in the next two years and by 2022 into 40 hypermarkets. An online portal, www.bismideal.com, is ready in white good’s sector and is planning to be soft-launched during the World Cup this June. The customer can completely trust on Bismi when they buy online, as they can always rely back on services looking at the branches across the state.
Innovative Diversification
Enhancing a backward integra-
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He advices the upcoming generation to be straightforward and genuine within your business and character.
tion, a new sprawling farm has been created at Piravom with 300s of cows in a genuine desire to bring the customers harmless dairy products. FARMLY is the exclusive brand where the products are being sold in Bismi’s hypermarkets. The milk is being produced so organic, with no added chemicals at all, that it should be consumed in 24 hours. The sole intention was to give the customer what even Ajmal’s children can also consume, and to emphasize the loyalty in the industry. All products are procured directly from the farmers. Quality is what Ajmal always insist on in each and every area of his life and business. He advices the upcoming generation to be straightforward and genuine within your business and character. He doesn’t believe in bargaining above limits and squeezing comfort out of associations; but he makes sure the vendors feel that their money is safely parked with Bismi. He doesn’t fall in for any much stress in his life. Passion is something that should run you. Do not ever be greedy to become a millionaire in months, and have the heart to share what you earn with your team so that they will be co-operative with you. You should not pass the buck, or fall into the blame game; instead we should focus on our improvement areas and figure out how to develop ourselves. There are 1300 employees working currently and are looking at 4000 staff in another 4 years. There is very less attrition at Bismi. Ajmal always look into the welfare of the staff who are sourced out locally for working in the hypermarkets and are given the best salary in the market. The HR manager is always connected with the staff in the stores, and even help them at their family issues as well.
Family
Ajmal has a very supportive family with his wife, Shabani Ajmal, also spearheading the exponential growth of Bismi as the Director. She is very instrumental in identifying the customer’s pulse directly at the shops, which helps enhances the positive customer experience. They have two lovely children
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Do, you know about this World Health Day? The question is in the interpretation of the word ‘Health’. Can there be health, but without wealth? The people cannot come out of this fixation on wealth, as in revenue and money. But the previous generation used to go by dictum, that health is the real wealth. The current generation seems to be with only one occupation, and that is to accumulate wealth. And then what? Expend most of the money that you earned to pay your hospital bills. Chase money and lose on health, in the process. And then expend the wealth to retrieve the health. Economically unintelligent. World Health Day, is an opportunity for all, to pause. Can you step out of the rat race for one week? Get to the arithmetic. Identify your fixation on your routine. All your effort and exertions is deposited into mundane activities of your routine. You may think that it is important. How much more time and how many more years, will you be the victim of this automated living patterns and behaviour habits? It is costly, to be deeply rooted in triviality. So, this World Health Day, is the time to impose a method to cut free. And then, when you cut free from the mediocrity and fixations, you are in effect, de-glued. Yes, the adhesive to entanglements and attachments will be downgraded. And then where to arrive? On the World Health Day, arrive at your destination, sit into
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World Health Day, is an opportunity for all, to pause. Can you step out of the rat race for one week? Get to the arithmetic. Identify your fixation on your routine. All your effort and exertions is deposited into mundane activities of your routine. You may think that it is important.
good lounge chair. Use the elbow rest of your seat. Suddenly, elbow rest is carrying the weight of your arms. Your muscles are de-burdened. Then lay your head onto the headrest. Your head is now rested on the headrest. Now the ergonomically designed backrest can do the work of your spine. Your back is supported and spine does not strain anymore. Relaxed more and more, into the lounged and cushioned seats and chairs. An optimum way to rest, when the firm and sturdy furniture is holding your weight and your form. Then your bones and muscles can rejuvenate. So I made my way to a spa. A place inside a resort. From the lounge, the guest relations executive, guided me to a cool room. This had warm towels for your eyes and face. They gave me a warm herbal drink with jaggery. I suddenly experienced a sense of being cared for and pampered. Suddenly, my brain settled into a new zone. A zone devoid of any sense of alertness. As if all vigil is let down. And that there is a group of people and a spa institution to support you. As if your need to deal with your adversaries, are all outsourced to this centre for wellness and well being. The fragrances of medicated oils were very inviting. But the therapy centres are a good, five minutes walk away, from the lounge and leisure centre. The walk is through a lush garden of manicured lawns. Clusters of bamboo, marygold, roses and other flowers lined the
pathway. The rock garden and the noisy fountains were feast for the eyes. The flute music resonated throughout the walk in the park, till we arrived at the cottages for the therapy centres. Typical as it is, a large Kerala 'Uruli', a Buddha statue and an oil lamp, at the entrance. Yes, also called ‘Nilavilaku’. It is an ayurvedic ‘chikitsa’ resort, upgraded to also having a beauty salon, pedicure, nail art and other products that enhances the feel good quotient. The silence is broken, only when the caregivers and staffs, whisper among themselves. Absolutely pollution free ambience, makes the guests to merge with this exotic environment. I checked into this facility for the next three nights and four days. People had told me to look for a meditation therapy too. As you keep, eyes open to look at the thousand fireflies at night. The breeze that whispers to the silent sky, arrested the thoughts from progressing. The time is at a standstill at this personal cottage, with plunge pool, that adds water value, to my stay here. The second day, as I wake up, began the process of firm, long and soothing massages. The masseurs and therapists are thorough professionals. Their touch on my back, reveals that these are experienced hands. Before proceeding further into kneading my muscles with sure and firm, presses, the therapists,
World Health Day
halted to utter the prayer for this craft. They invoked the presence of Dhanwantari for one minute. These are people who do the craft of ayurveda with devotion and honour. In their invocation, words that explained dedication. Dhanwanthari was requested to help demolish all decay and pain. The therapists expressed their surrender to this leader of medications, called Dhanwantari. Through a unique and peculiar observation from me, yet I found a great sense of dedication to the cause of care, in these young therapists. That functionality was my expectation. I recall the names of some treatments as follows, 'Elakizhi' was a bundle of medicated herbs. It was pressed to my body at various spots. The heat would help to open pores on skin, allow the medication to seep through into the body. This method and technique to transfer the active healing principle of herbs, into your body is a common denominator for most ayurvedic
therapies. The medium for medication, can be oils, ghee, butter milk, mud or even warm water. The location of the resort at the coastal Kerala, adds to the vibrant natural ambience, during the days of the treatment. The only adversaries that exists now, are the names of the herbs. Yes, they were all in the local, malayalam language. The Keralite people sometimes behave as if they have a claim and monopoly over the science of Ayurveda. But I was in no hurry to dismantle their attitude of authority over ayurveda. The Leppam technique, is for you to simply lie on the massage table. Dhaanyamblam and Kottam Chukkathi churnam are the medicines in this treatment. I warned you that the only adversary or opposition, that you need to deal with, are these names. The oils are Dhanwantaram, Bhalaashwagandha, Ksheerabalam and Murivenna. After the massages
inside these well assigned rooms, is the Shwethana techniques. Inside what looks like a big huge shelf, is a seat in the centre. Once the door closes, then the steam is sent into it. As the temperature inside this container increases, then the body breaks into sweat. The body gets to sweat profusely. It is set upto ten minutes. Good release of stagnated toxins, from the skin. The room is with design and mood lighting and captivating fragrances. Hygiene, cleanliness and neatness is at its optimum best. Plenty of towels and paper napkins. The music plays through these top end speakers, almost comforts all the nervous system. The blood circulation and toning of muscles was achieved, by the process of massages. Long and orderly strides, throughout the length and width of the body. The pressing strength is adjusted to your body types. Most treatments are customized and personalized, to specific need of the consumer. Three experts and doctors first,
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The blood circulation and toning of muscles was achieved, by the process of massages. Long and orderly strides, throughout the length and width of the body. consult the guest, to know details of the health conditions, prior to the treatments. They demonstrated a scanning technique called Naadi Pareeksha. Holding your wrist and examining the pulse in your veins. The movement of pulse and circulation, alerts the doctor about the working and conditions of your organs. Accordingly, the ayurvedic Vydya and doctors, make prescription. These are prophylactic or even Sukha Chikitsa. These are meant for general wellness. But curing ailments and healing diseases through ayurveda are totally different procedure. For
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that, the doctor has to generate precise prescriptions. This time my dietician ensured that I had an excellent culinary journey. All meals were monitored for nutrition and taste. The dietician calibrated the calories. His intention was that I absorb more vitamins such as D3 and B12 . He claimed that my body, needed more potassium, and then insisted that I consume more of Sweet potato. My favorite treatment was called Takradhara. Dhara is a technique by which, a liquid or solution is continuously, poured to your forehead. This is controlled and in very small measures. The expert directs this medicated liquid, to drop down from a bowl with a tiny hole. The bowl is suspended at a distance of about two feet above your forehead. All that you are required to do is to lie down and enjoy this dhaara. Shirodhaara is a common product. But in my case, I chose the rare Thakradhaara. Instead of oil, in Thakradhaara, the medium is buttermilk. A stream of medicated buttermilk is poured on to my forehead. The medicinal
herbs are Amalaki churna in appropriate prastha, and other herbs. These bring cooling to the head. All knows of Raasanaadhi churnam. In all, on World Health Day, it is relevant, to give to your body, the needed care and advantage. Yes, some portion of budget, will have to be expended on the body care. The saying is ‘Shareera Maadhyam Khalu Dharma Sadhanam’. Meaning that, it is the body as a medium that, you are enabled to achieve your goals and targets. Now, after three days, my holiday has ended. The relaxation chairs and ergonomic lounge furniture has to be left behind. The heavenly care that I received from loyal workers, in the spa, will become just a memory. I get back, rejuvenated with a toned body and alert mind. Now, to combat my rest of the season of work and generation of revenue. Depletion and exhaustion and fatigue has all been cleared out. Wake up to this World Health Day. Live well, and work with the fitness that you deserve
DISTRIBUTION & ENQUIRIES 9846050283
In this backdrop, the Government of India has in the recent past issued various notifications with the objective of assisting the tax payer. Adv Sherry Samuel Oommen is a practising lawyer at High Court of Kerala who specialises in tax and Corporate Laws. Presently he heads the tax and corporate law practice of Nash Capital Partners. Apart from being a qualified lawyer, he is also a chartered accountant, cost accountant and a company secretary. He is currently pursuing his Doctorate Degree and is reachable at sherryoommen@nashcp.com.
G
ST has been lauded as one of India’s largest tax reforms. While the law was introduced with a view to simplify the existing indirect tax system, the technology platform required for such overhaul in the taxation regime has been found wanting. Recently, the Bombay High Court in the case of Abicor & Binzel Technoweld (P) Limited specifically observed that the regime was not tax friendly. In the said case, the court also observed as follows: “We hope and trust that those in charge of implementation and administration of this law will at least now wake up and put in place the requisite mechanism. This is necessary to preserve the image, prestige and reputation of this country, particularly when we are inviting and welcoming foreign investment in the state and the country. We hope and trust that such petitions are rarity and the court will not be called upon to administer the
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Goods and Service Tax
Recent developments–Part I implementation of the law, leave alone monitoring and supervising the working of the individual officials, howsoever high ranking he may be.” In a similar case before the Allahabad High Court, the said court directed manual filing of applications considering the woes faced by the tax payers.
able restriction. Further, certain courts, for instance, the Rajasthan High Court in the case of Arihant Superstructure Limited, has directed either manual or electronic filing of the Form GST TRAN 1 and directed the government to entertain the same.
In this backdrop, the Government of India has in the recent past issued various notifications with the objective of assisting the tax payer. In this article, the writer intends to cover some of the recent circulars or notifications issued by the government.
In a welcome measure, the Government of India vide Order No 1/2018 dated 28.03.2018 has extended the time-limit for filing the statement in Form GST TRAN 2, relating to deemed credit, from 31.03.2018 to 30.06.2018.
Transitional credit
Export related clarifications
The transitional credit available to an assesee has also found its entry into the litigation arena. Notably, the one year limitation period with respect to transitional credit has been challenged in a few courts, for instance, in the Gujarat High Court by Willowood Chemicals Private Limited. The petitioner in these cases argue that the one year limitation period with respect to accumulated credit deprives a dealer of his vested right and, thus, the statute acts retrospectively apart from imposing an unreason-
In the context of refunds in the context of exports, the government has issued Circular No 37/11/2018 with the objective of clarifying a plethora of issues surrounding refund claims under the GST regime. Some of the salient clarifications are provided below: • Refund of unutilized input tax credit of CGST/SGST/IGST/ UTGST can be claimed if drawback of only basic customs duty has been availed. This would give an asses-
see the option of either claiming a refund or a drawback for each item of tax. • Refund of unutilized input tax credit of SGST can be claimed if drawback has been availed of central tax • The substantive benefit of refund should not be denied even if date of export is before the date of executing the LUT or bond. Further, the circular also provides for condonation of delay in filing the LUT after taking into account all relevant facts and circumstances • In case of export under bond, the Rule 96A of the CGST Rules gives a time limit of 15 days after the expiry of three months from the date of invoice for exporting goods. In case of services, the time limit for receipt of foreign exchange is 15 days after the expiry of 1 year from the date of invoice. The circular urges the authorities to consider granting an extension of this time limit on post facto basis, taking into account all relevant facts and circumstances • The periodicity of refund claims is not specifically prescribed under the GST law. The circular clarifies that the refund may be filed monthly or quarterly or even after clubbing successive months or quarters. The only restriction imposed by the circular is that the clubbed periods should not spill over different financial years • The concessional rate of tax of 0.1% on supplies to merchant ex-
porters is optional. Assessees may choose to make supplies at the full rate of tax. Further, the concessional rate of 0.1% charged would be available as input tax credit to the exporter subject to fulfilment of the prescribed conditions
Job-work related
The Government vide Circular No 38/12/2018 dated 26.03.2018 has clarified certain key aspects relating to job-work and its taxability. Some of the key aspects have been stated below: • In the context of the requirement for registration, the clarification clarifies that a job worker is required to obtain registration only in cases where his aggregate turnover, to be computed on all India basis, in a financial year exceeds the threshold limit (ie, INR 20 Lakhs) regardless of whether the principal and the job worker are located in the same state or in different states. • Where inputs or capital goods sent for job work are not returned within one or three years from sending the goods, the activity of sending the goods for job work shall be deemed to be a supply by the principal on the day when the said inputs or capital goods were sent out by him. Thus, essentially, sending goods for job work is not a supply as such, but it acquires the character of supply only when the inputs or capital goods sent for job work are neither received back by the principal nor supplied further by the principal from the place of business or premises of
the job worker within one or three years of being sent out. Interest for the intervening period shall also be payable on the tax. Further, if such goods are returned by the job worker after the stipulated time period, the same would be treated as a supply by the job worker to the principal and the job worker would be liable to pay GST if he is liable for registration in accordance with the provisions contained in the CGST. It may be noted that if the job worker is not registered, GST would be payable by the principal on reverse charge basis in terms of the provisions contained in the section 9(4) of the CGST Act. However, the said provision has been kept in abeyance for the time being. In the context of input tax credit, the circular clarifies that input tax credit would be available to the principal, irrespective of the fact whether the inputs or capital goods are received by the principal and then sent to the job worker for processing, etc. or whether they are directly received at the job worker's place of business or premises, without being brought to the premises of the principal. Further, the job-workers would also be eligible for input tax credit on inputs, etc. used by him in supplying the job work services if he is registered. The above-mentioned circulars do throw light on some of the key issues surrounding GST including taxability. The writer will in the subsequent articles cover the various other circulars or clarifications issued by the government
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Ravi Saini
W
orld is awakening now. Never before, there were good opportunities for us to help state governments in this clean up and also to impart transparent, secure structured capital for growth of mankind. We always find that government machinery is busy coming out with eye catching and ear soothing announcements that have given an impression that it is really and sincerely concerned about the public welfare. But, is it really happening? In my opinion, the Govts after Govts have unable to put the resources it has and the empower-
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Today, India could play the role of Leader for economic development of the world. Industrial Revolution will also bring in Green and White Revolution (Dairy Farming and Reforestation).
ment it possesses are thanks to the people of this country and businesses, especially the Micro, Small and Medium enterprises. It's time for yet another Industrial Revolution to take place and to start with Punjab and Andhra Pradesh followed by Jammu and Kashmir should be the main focus for all. I don't need to spell out as to why because you will be able to find 100s of reasons to get on the same page as of mine. I would like to suggest a separate CSR fund be created for all the Tax Payers and at least 10% of the total tax revenues. The govern-
ment should place this amount in the State Bank of India under the Heads of CSR fund for New India. This fund should never be used for any activities, but to be used to give comforts to all the foreign contributions that come in a pooled manner and quantum of say USD 100 million or more. Once the fund is in place, the Govt should immediately announce that the States of Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab (to start with) will get Free Health Services in all the existing and New Govt hospitals to be build at par with the likes of Max, Fortis, Medanta, Apollo etc. where the families of Tax Payers and EWS will be treated for free. In order to motivate people to
India needs a
‘wake-up call’ contribute more towards the Taxes, a minimum contribution should be made Rs. 50,000 Per Annum per household or enterprise either directly as Income Tax or against a Tax Exemption Receipt. Trust me, even those declaring their incomes as Agricultural Income would also start contributing towards the same as happy volunteers.
needs, their minds and bodies will transmit more positive energies to their enterprises and people working in it will become Great Human Capital. That's the way forward to make Punjab, AP and J&K "The Very Own Singapore of India" and other states would get the same attention after say, 2 years at maximum.
For the above prospect to really get fructified, State Industrial Development Corporations must invite private Investments into the states by providing fully developed industrial plots and soft loans of up to 90% at a cost of not over 9 % PA with 3 years moratorium on principal repayment. It's no brainer that when people gets a security of good quality health services in their
Today, India could play the role of Leader for economic development of the world. Industrial Revolution will also bring in Green and White Revolution (Dairy Farming and Reforestation). These three states could help India achieve a Two Digit GDP growth in less than 2 years and, trust me, we will be required to open up our borders instead of securing them from
external enemies. If for any reasons, the Govt is either reluctant or finding it complicated or unsure about its successful execution, this could be done through 100% private initiative and once the desired results are achieved, the Govt must incentivise the Mentors/Trustees or corporations that not only wished but made it to work. The least that could be offered is by way of recognitions by the President of India and getting a part of the Economic Advisory Committee reporting directly to the President or Prime Minister. India and Indians needs to wake up from its Giant sleep before it's too late
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Dr. Arun Oommen renowned neurosurgeon at Lakeshore Hospital and Research Centre, Kochi, India.
Dr Arun Oommen
MBBS, MS ( Gen Surgery), Mch( Neurosurgery), MRCS Ed, MBA Consultant Neurosurgeon oommenarun@yahoo.co.in www.arunoommen.com
S
leep is essential as much as you need to breathe and eat. While you’re sleeping, your body is busy tending to your physical and mental health and getting you ready for another day. No other activity delivers so many benefits with so little effort! Even minimal sleep loss takes a toll on your mood, energy, and ability to handle stress. Sleep deprivation is dangerous to our mental and physical health and can dramatically lower our quality of life. The quality of your sleep directly affects the quality of your life, including your mental sharpness, productivity, emotional balance, creativity, physical vitality, and even your weight.
National sleep foundation recommendation (Age specific sleep duration) The stages of REM and non-
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The quality of your sleep directly affects the quality of your life, including your mental sharpness, productivity, emotional balance, creativity, physical vitality, and even your weight.
REM sleep form a complete sleep cycle. Each cycle typically lasts about 90 minutes and repeats four to six times over the course of a night. Deep sleep (Stage N3) and REM sleep are particularly important. The REM helps in mental consolidation while the NREM helps in physical repair and rebuilding.
Sleep Deprivation increases inflammatory markers in our body such as IL 1beta, Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Tumour Necrosis FactorAlpha (TNF-alpha) and C-reactive protein (CRP). They increase risks of many medical conditions.
Reduced brain power and cognition
Our 24-hour sleep-wake cycle, otherwise known as your biological
Age ( years)
Good quality Sleep duration ( Hours)
1-2
11-14
3-5
10-13
6-13
9-11
14-17
8-10
18-64
7-9
>65
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clock or circadian rhythm, is regulated by processes in the brain that respond to how long we have been awake and the changes between light and dark. At night, our body responds to the loss of daylight by producing melatonin, a hormone that makes you sleepy. During the day, sunlight triggers the brain to inhibit melatonin production so we feel awake and alert. Our internal clock can be disrupted by factors such as nightshift work, travelling across time zones, or irregular sleeping patterns —leaving us feeling groggy, disoriented, and sleepy at inconvenient times. The production of melatonin can also be thrown off when we are deprived of sunlight during the day or exposed to too much artificial light at night —especially the light from electronic devices, including TVs, computers, tablets, and mobile phones. Sleep is necessary to keep the brain functioning properly. During sleep, the brain rests busy neurons and forms new pathways so that it can start new functions in the morning. Sleep deprivation leaves the brain exhausted, producing sleepiness. It interferes with our ability to concentrate and learn new things. It negatively impacts both short-term and long-term memory. It gets in the way of our decision-making process and stifles creativity. Our emotions are also affected, making us more likely to have a short temper and mood swings. If sleep deprivation continues long enough, it increased risk of
SLEEP DEPRIVED PROFESSIONALS HAVE REDUCED COGNITIVE POWER AND PRODUCTIVITY
hallucinations, mania, impulsive behaviour, depression, paranoia, and suicidal thoughts. A side effect of sleep deprivation is micro sleep where we sleep for only a few seconds or a few minutes, but we don’t realize it. Micro sleep can get out of our control and can be extremely dangerous if we are driving. Brain events called “sharp wave ripples” are responsible for consolidating memory. The ripples also
transfer learned information from the hippocampus to the neocortex of the brain, where long-term memories are stored. Sharp wave ripples occur mostly during the deepest levels of sleep Sleep deprivation can weaken our immune and respiratory system. Hence, we are more vulnerable to respiratory problems like the common cold and influenza. Moreover, a good sleep can help
cure respiratory problems. During sleep our immune system produces protective cytokines and infectionfighting antibodies and cells. These cytokines and other protective substances give the immune system more energy to defend against illness. Long-term sleep deprivation raises our risk of developing chronic illnesses like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases and can prolong time to recover from many illnesses.
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The most common sleep disorder, insomnia, has the strongest link to depression. Obstructive sleep apnoea (snoring)
It is characterized by repetitive episodes of shallow or paused breathing during sleep, despite the effort to breathe, and is usually associated with a reduction in blood oxygen saturation. The muscle tone of the body ordinarily relaxes during sleep, and the airway at the throat is composed of walls of soft tissue, which can collapse. It is not surprising that breathing can be obstructed during sleep. When airflow is reduced to a degree where blood oxygen levels fall, or the physical exertion to breathe is too great, neurological mechanisms trigger a sudden interruption of sleep, called a neurological arousal. These arousals rarely result in complete awakening but can have a significant negative effect on the restorative quality of sleep. This sleep interruption in the stage 3 AREM sleep and in the REM sleep can interfere with normal growth patterns, healing and immune response. The hypoxia (absence of oxygen supply) related to OSA may cause changes in the neurons of the hippocampus and the right
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frontal cortex. Researches using neuro-imaging revealed the evidence of hippocampal atrophy in people suffering from OSA. They found that in more than 25% of the OSA cases, this problem results in irreversible problems in mentally manipulating non-verbal information and in executive function and working memory.
Sleep deprivation accelerates aging
By releasing the stress hormone cortisol, it can break down skin collagen the protein that keeps skin smooth and elastic. Most people have experienced sallow skin and puffy eyes after a few nights of missed sleep. Chronic sleep loss can lead to lackluster skin, fine lines, and dark circles under the eyes
Sleep deprivation induces depression
The most common sleep disorder, insomnia, has the strongest link to depression. In fact, insomnia is often one of the first symp-
toms of depression.
Sleep deprivation increases cardiac problems
Sleep plays a vital role in our body’s ability to heal and repair the blood vessels and heart. Thus deprival increases risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Scientific evidences say that regular sleep for 6-7 hours increase cardiovascular risk by 2x and 4-5 hours increase risk 3-4x. People in the Mediterranean and Central Americas take an afternoon nap every working day, and this is almost certainly related to their longer life expectancy and lower levels of heart disease. Quick afternoon nap of 10-30 minutes' is very helpful to improve our cognitive power and to reduce stress. It is nature's way of recharging and re-energising. Well balanced diet, regular exercise, meditation, yoga etc are all habits that can help to develop a sound body and mind but they should not be done at the expense of a proper sleep
MOTIVATION
Life is always a roller-coaster ride, with its ups and downs; it can never be perfect because change is a constant, and another reason being none is alike. Dolly Neena Dolly Neena is founder of Your Wing, a training company born out of a noble cause and spirit. She holds a decade long experience being a passionate mentor and entrepreneur.
“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” Oscar Wilde
I
t has been thousands of years that we, the people of Earth, have various celebrations and rituals wearing masks. Then, there are some emotional masks that we wear when we are unsure of our own mental state and behaviour. Many people around us are seemingly having a successful or rather happy life. Some are indifferent and looks like having an uneventful life as well. However, often times, life is never what it appears to be. Some may be just wearing their heart on their sleeves, some being transparent, but most just pretending to be what they want the world to see. We all are performing, all of the time! Have you detected a mask on you ever? Imagine a world where no one cared what others think about us –think that world would have been a better place to be? Most of the time, we all feel ourselves intimidated or reacting to someone else’s action or word on us. Has it dawned on you, why some people
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bounce back on their feet comparatively sooner than the other? Why do some people always greet or are empathetic and are diplomatic? And, some are blunt opposite to this too. We have often heard the outburst:“I don’t know why she is behaving like that?” Almost all people could have shed the imaginary masks they have been wearing all their life then. May it be the people-pleaser mask, avoidance mask, adamant-angry mask, manipulator mask, gain-social-acceptance mask or the always-happy mask, there’s always a reason why. Everyone is cautiously stepping amidst society and family with the masks they knowingly or unknowingly choose to wear. Let’s have a look into the facts and reasons why people wear one or more masks. ”Don’t be fooled by the face I wear, for I wear a thousand masks, and none of them are me. Don’t be fooled. For God’s sake don’t be fooled. I give you the impression that I’m secure, that confidence is my name and coolness my game. And that I need no one. But don’t believe me. Who am I, you may wonder. I am every man you meet, and also every woman that you meet, and I am you, also.” The growing up stage of life shape strategic interactions with your sub-conscious mind and thus, frame some irreversible images on how you look at things. There are traumatic experiences that block a person’s ability to change. Later, with piled up recordings in your brain, it can prove to be very difficult then, to look at the brighter
side of things, or view things in a different perception. Some experiences or people drain our minds, bodies or souls. Hence, it becomes easy to immediately put on a mask because it hides our vulnerability. You do not really want to show the world who you are, we try to conceal what we dislike in us. You feel protected when you wear a mask, and then the other mask, and then it becomes a habit, you feel protected whenever you are behind it and then later, there comes a time when you don’t even know whether you have worn one. This is an act of sheer resistance to the surroundings, so that either you do not want to get hurt or you don’t want the other person hurt. Life is always a roller-coaster ride, with its ups and downs; it can never be perfect because change is a constant, and another reason being none is alike. Hence, coping with the situations is always a preferred thing to do. Understanding your deeper self is the first and foremost key to start with. It is very important to sit with self and analyze your upbringing, conditions that you are raised in, people you were and are with, the decisions that you make, and the patterns that you constantly follow in life and behaviour that you constantly echo. These reiterating patterns will give you clues on what you really are and why you really do what you do. Those self-assessments will take you to revealing explanations and solutions as to how to handle yourself in a similar situation in future and take necessary actions to make foreseeable changes. Im-
MASTERS OF DISGUISE!
provements should be a relentless component in life. Understanding self will help understand the otherwise poisonous relationships better and eventually make it mutually supportive. So now we think that wearing masks is bad, right? Now let’s turn around and look at things in another contradictory angle. You will see that there are both obstacles and openings behind the veil you hide. Imagine a day you are cranky and then you find yourself in the middle of the road in a situation where you are needed to help someone urgently. Won’t we immediately put on the wellness mask of ours and be at help? Imagine you are really tired and right then a client appears whom you’ve been
waiting for so long –wouldn’t you immediately put on the confident smart mask and sell your service like a professional? Sometimes, when the past burdens you down and an inner voice screams at you pulling you down that you cannot do it, have you had your chin up and confidently strode to victory? All these times you have chosen deliberately to put on some positive masks that made a huge constructive difference in your or someone else’s life. Hence, we come to a conclusion that it’s imperative and significant to be able to wear such productive masks as and when it is called for. It is incredibly powerful to fruitfully win a debate with your own doubts and fears. It is possible to work on getting rid of the dan-
gerous masks you carry and simultaneously improve yourself on the productive ones you may need. It is always recommended to have none. However, just in case you might not be able to identify or shed some, it is always recommended to defy the perilous ones. In retrospect, we can be enlightened a lot about our own self which can help us gain real confidence to boldly face life the way it is. Make sure you are living your life to your fullest potential, ensure you are not living in denial and also ensure your heart’s complete contentment while alive! Taking off some masks aren’t easy, and taking off some masks might not be needed –just identify which is harmful and which is helpful. And, accordingly flaunt one!
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Dubai hosts various trade shows, art exhibitions, musical shows, literature fests, economic and sports events whether it is World Government Summit, Gulfood, Fitness Challenge, Shopping Festival, Gitex and various other initiatives. Mr. James Mathew is the Group CEO of Crowe Horwath in UAE & Oman and also serves on the Global Board of Crowe Horwath International; the 8th largest accounting and audit firm in the world. Based in Dubai for the last 25 years, he is one of the most celebrated finance professional and leading entrepreneur in the Middle East region. Among several recognitions & professional affiliations, Mr. James is the Former Secretary General of Indian Business & Professional Council, Dubai and Past Chairman of ICAI, Dubai Chapter.
Run-up to 2020
While trade, tourism, travel, real estate, retail and financial services are said to be some of the key drivers of Dubai economy, various events from vibrant sectors of diverse scales add immensely to its impetus. The strategic location and exceptional connectivity have placed Dubai, as the gateway of Middle East to the rest of the world over several decades; it has resulted in Dubai being the trade hub of the region as well as the epicentre of major events and exhibitions. All these events and initiative have great value to its participants but collectively it has a greater impact on the overall economy and growth of the city in multiple ways. In the past, we have seen major sporting events like Olympics, FIFA, Commonwealth and various World Cups contribute economically to the host
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countries, while there are few cities which are known for the major events that it hosts like Paris for fashion, Davos for World Economic Forum, England for football etc. These events and activities form an integral part of the city’s economy and cultural ethos.
Home of events
Dubai hosts various trade shows, art exhibitions, musical shows, literature fests, economic and sports events whether it is World Government Summit, Gulfood, Fitness Challenge, Shopping Festival, Gitex and various other initiatives. Especially, the dedicated and purpose-built complex for exhibition and events, Dubai World Trade Centre is home to numerous events throughout the calendar year. One such major event which we all are looking forward to is Expo 2020, a six-month long extravaganza. Dubai witnesses almost one significant event every week but the magnitude and scale of Expo 2020 makes it the most sought-after event of this decade. In light of the upcom-
ing Dubai Expo 2020, the major sectors where we anticipate major growth are infrastructure, hospitality, tourism, human resource & communication, social and economic impact.
Infrastructure & hospitality
As Dubai is gearing up for Expo 2020, the major infrastructure developments include
Eventful Dubai
How events impact the growth of the city? 15 km of new rail lines, road connectivity towards Dubai International Airport and Expo site. To enhance the transport infrastructure, Road and Transport Authority (RTA) is planning approximately 625 new buses, 900 new taxis, 14 bus stations and a new metro link as well as port connectivity. When it comes to the event venue, a whole new District 2020 is
Expo 2020 is going to further boost the tourism sector with more than 200 participants from 120 countries and an estimated 25 million visitors expected to visit Dubai between October 2020 and April 2021. Major tourist attractions of Dubai, besides the tallest manmade building Burj Khalifa and manmade islands Palm Jumeirah would be Dubai Opera, City Walk, Water Canal, IMG World of Adventure, Parks & Resorts and
hospitality and leisure will require highly skilled professionals apart from blue colour workers for the large-scale infra-developments. During the preparations as well as the actual event with numerous activities happening simultaneously, need for a lot of promotional content, design, research, reporting and audio-video content is obvious. Thus, Expo 2020 will be a great opportunity for media and communication professionals.
Economic Effect
Expo 2020 is also an opportunity to attract foreign investments which are expected from USD 100 to 150 billion across various sectors like real estate, retail, hospitality, healthcare and IT. It is expected that the economy of Dubai will grow at a rate of 4 percent in the run-up to the main event. It will also open up windows for further economic diversification and investments in Dubai and UAE into a plethora of sectors like real estate, medical tourism, sustainable energy, IT and Innovation.
Beyond 2020
taking shape in the 145 sq.km. area of Dubai South. The total value of projects linked to Dubai Expo 2020 is estimated at Dh 122 billion. The development includes exhibition centres, residential complexes, business parks, logistic hubs and hotels.
Tourism
Dubai has been a major tourist attraction of the entire Middle East.
upcoming projects like Dubai Eye, Harbour Project and Dubai Creek.
People and Communication
Human Resources and Media is said to be another major sector which will see exceptional growth and increase in activities. As we come closer to the mega event, it’s expected to generate more than 2, 50,000 jobs from the preparations to culmination. All the sectors like
The mega event Expo 2020 will have a continual impact on the economic growth of Dubai and the region. We are already aware that the multibillion-dollar event venue will be converted into a multipurpose community District 2020. Apart from the above-mentioned sectors, one area wherein such mega events leave an everlasting impact on the host country is its global stature. For the last three decades, Dubai has earned a reputation for real estate, trade and tourism marvel on the world stage. Expo 2020 is definitely going to be a crowning jewel in the growth story of the global metropolis, Dubai
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DHANYA RAVI
THE MAVERICK ON WHEELS "However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. It matters that you don't just give up." Stephen Hawking
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he mind blazed brightly on the wheels rolling out the mathematics of happiness. Stephen Hawking was one of the most distinguished theoretical physicists. He found his way of shining through cosmology, while his father urged him to pursue medicine. A research in the universal world is what he considered; a revolutionized discipline is what he drove. Hawking had a phenomenal tag following him, while he worked with the origins and structure of the universe from the Big Bang to Black Hole. He just did not confine himself showing about the gallery stories, but how to empower the force of life when it is reliant on a wheelchair that carried him for decades. He bestowed an admiration for many that slowly and surely things turn good with a tryst of consecutive persistence and courage. He led a normal life just like any college boy at the University of Cambridge until the age of 21. After the trauma of being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease or motor neuron disease, he led an extraordinary life of possibilities for more than five decades. Although the lethality of ALS lived by Hawking is difficult to overstate. He lived a life which no one could ever dream of.
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About amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
It is a fact that ALS can affect anyone at anytime. It first weakens the muscles, forces and drops off the physical function by frosting the movements, ripping away the ability to vocalize, swallowing food and eventually restrict breath. ALS is a genetic condition, hence 90% the reasoning of this ailment is unknown and the individual’s parents could inherit remaining 10%. The diagnosis is formally examined based on the person's health symptoms by medical examinations to rule out the potential cause. The ALS Association states that the lifespan for those diagnosed with motor neuron disease is between two to five years. An average of twenty percent lives a lifespan of about five years and less than five percent passes a minimum of two decades. Hawking was in the early twenties when diagnosed with ALS. His body also went through the same revolutionary muscle instability and eventually confined him onto a wheelchair. All though he was told that he would have two to three years of lifespan he proved his doctors wrong. There could be a number of reasons; one of them is the genetic factor which could have brought the condition progress slow. However, there are different types of ALS and each type acts differently. Dr Lau was never involved in Hawking’s treatment but concurs that the constant monitoring of his condition by specialists and restricted muscle movement probably had a positive influence on his condition. For people with ALS, it is vital to have emergency ventilator support and the individual have a good level of oxygen (Interpret by Dr Lau at NYU Langone Health, USA).
Hawking's world of exploration captured information
from different media and conference.
This cosmologist worshiper explained everything through a voice synthesizer that could capture the minute movements of his cheek muscles, after his health condition became more severe. During this time of technology, his motorized wheelchair was also famous and presented a different outlook of perspective to drive life, by and large for people with disability. He was a luminary and hero for thousands of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients. Professor Stephen Hawking marked his groundbreaking research more accessible to the public. He enthralled the
"Concentrate on things, your disability doesn't prevent you doing well and do not regret the things it interferes with." world of students with his brilliance on teaching about space, universe and time. And, he also gave a deeper insight on a whole range of subjects. While living with a debilitating health condition, Hawking wore a custom of never giving up. Through most of his interviews and conferences, one could spot out his intellectual vitality, a true marvel. He himself enjoyed his sense of humour, and appreciated his commitment to his dream and service that helped him lead a life with ALS. One of Hawking's famous advices given in an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer in 2010 for his
children Lucy, Robert and Tim was as follows "Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet." It also included “Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it." And "if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and do not throw it away." Hawking often spoke about space exploration and the potential that a human can turn up to be. In one of his interviews with German paper Der Spiegel in 1988, he stated, “We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But, we can understand the Universe. And, this makes us very special." Although Hawking's movements were restricted, his degenerative neurological disease did not prove fatal to his mental strength and his mind was sowed without any limitation! He affirmed those with a disability to "Concentrate on things, your disability doesn't prevent you doing well and do not regret the things it interferes with." In one of the reports from an Israeli journalist in 2006, Hawking speaks about the downside of being a celebrity. "He is unable to travel around the world without being recognized and it's not possible to wear dark sunglasses and wig, while his wheelchair will give the identity." Due to all his tremendous effort and long survival stories, he became a renowned physicist, professor and author. Hawking lived with the prospect of an early death from the last five decade, but he proved that he was in no hurry to die. The kind of tenacity he carried was rare. The world left behind by him shines brighter, just because he chose to walk undeterred and focused leaving behind a legacy in cosmology for all of mankind that remains unparalleled. His absence will leave a void, which can never be filled
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Exploring innovative blends with passion
C
olours. Textures. Utility. Space. These elements can be blended in countless ways, customised to any requirement and executed to absolute perfection. Concord Design Studio is a venture set up to create a customised character to your living or work spaces —from wardrobes and shelves to kitchen cabinets and counters, from furniture needs to decor pieces. Welcome to a world of interior decor & design that is inspired by each customer’s needs and dreams. This is the story of Concord Enterprises —the strength and inspiration behind Concord Design Studio. It tells us the story of ‘four decades of successfully associating with spaces and all needs that make a space functional’. Established in 1972, Concord Enterprises was launched by Mr. K. K. Menon, with water proofing chemicals as the main product of trading. The firm was later taken over by his son Mr. K. Premachandran in the year 1978 with the aim to bring modern comforts and conveniences into homes and offices. Over the years, the brand has grown to be a credible name in its field with a list of impressive projects. Today, newer lifestyle choices and technologically advanced facilities available have prompted us to branch out to a more exclusive design concept. This is the inspiration and motto behind Concord Design Studio, headed by Mr. Prem
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Kishan, son of Mr. Premachandran. Mr. Prem is a civil engineer and carries an experience working with a multi-national company, Sobha Developers. Equipped with a team that carries experiences earned from past years and enthusiasm to undertake future challenges, the Concord Design Studio comes to you with a promise to design your spaces as unique and personal as you wish. With a modern manufacturing unit, an inspiring design team and an able leadership, the organisation aim to deliver quality, on time, every time.
that cater to the clients’ requirements while being aesthetically appealing too.
Every space has a unique character and identity. The company help their customers to bring this uniqueness into their spaces —be it home, office or any functional space —using appropriate interior design concept. It offer a start-toend service where it meet a client, understand their needs, visit the site and then plan, create and install all necessary interior works
Every customer has a different taste and every space has a different requirement. However, the common factors that every space requires are sturdy, durable and aesthetic designs. The company’s factory is fitted with the most modern machinery, using the latest technology and operated by a team of skilled people. There is a continuous work chain that is
The organisation offer customised designs based on the client’s budget and brief. It also offer standard design packages for kitchen, wardrobes, living spaces & dining areas. A range of material options, textures, colour schemes and design trends are available. The company’s design team educates the client on the pros and cons of each, thereby guiding them in making smart, sustainable choices.
closely monitored and supervised for quality and perfection. The company say that clients are always welcome to visit the factory and have a firsthand look at the equipment and the processes.
Contact details:
Showroom: Concord Design Studio Opp. Axis Bank Kaloor-Kadavanthra road Kathrikadavu, Kaloor Kochi-17 Ph: 8111982007/8111983007/8111 984007/8111985007 Email- interiors@concordkerala.com Web- www.concordkerala.com Factory: Concord Design Studio ShihabThangal road Opp. Hotel Aryas Poojarivalavu, Seaport Airport road Kochi Ph-0484-2982229/ 9656372229
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GADGETS
Huawei P20
MRP: (N/A) Android 7.1 OS 5.7 inches Display 16 MP Primary Camera 8 MP Secondary Camera 8 GB RAM 128 GB Internal Memory 256 GB Expandable Memory 4000 mAh Battery Capacity
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S
MRP: `35,999 (approximately) Android 8.0 OS 5.9 inches Display 12 MP Dual Primary Camera 8 MP Secondary Camera 8 GB RAM 256 GB Internal Memory 3400 mAh Battery Capacity
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Asus Zenfone 5 Lite
MRP: `24,990 (approximately) Android v8.0 (Oreo) OS 6.0 inches Display 16 MP + 8 MP Primary Cameras 20 MP + 8 MP Secondary Cameras 3 GB RAM 32 GB Internal Memory 2 TB Expandable Memory 3300 mAh Battery Capacity
Moto G6 Plus
MRP: 17,990 (approximately Android v8.0 (Oreo) OS 5.9 inches Display 12 MP + 12 MP Dual Primary Cameras 8 MP Secondary Camera 4 GB RAM 32 GB Internal Memory 128 GB Expandable Memory 3300 mAh Battery Capacity
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COOKERY
Vishu Special Toshma Biju
VISHU KATTA Method
Ingredients
• • • • •
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Unakkalari................................. 1 cup Coconut Milk ......from 2 medium size Cumin Seeds..........1/2 tsp, (crushed) Dry Ginger ...............1/4 tsp(crushed) Salt..........................................to taste
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1. Soak the rice for 30minutes. 2. Grate the coconut finely. squeeze the coconut with hand to get 1 cup fresh milk /first extract onnampal- thalappal 3. Now add grated coconut t with 2 cup of warm water in a blender or food processor, and process for a minute, then squeeze it for milk in another bowl. This gives you 2 cup semi thick milk second extract randaampal. 4. Return coconut to processor and add 3 cup warm water and process for couple of minutes and squeeze it for milk in separate bowl. This gives you 3 cup thin milk /third extract moonampal. 5. Now wash the soaked rice and set it aside. In a heavy bottomed vessel over medium heat. 6. Pour 3 cups third extracted coconut milk and bring it to a boil. Stir occasionally. Add the washed rice, close with a lid, simmer then flame and cook till all the coconut milk is used up. Now pour in the second extract randaampal, stir and cook the rice on simmer. When the rice is 3/4th cooked add salt to taste. when all the second extract is used up. Add onnampal with jeera powder and dry ginger . Stir continuously till the rice stir and cook till the rice thickens and oil comes out. 7. Transfer and pour on to a banana leave or plate and make it flat using a flat spoon. Sprinkle little first extract/ onnampal /thalappal and softly press with a spoon. Wait till the mixture cools and cut into pieces.
PULI INJI Ingredients
• • • • • • • • • • • • •
Ginger...................................................... 1/2 cup(finely chopped) Tamarind pulp................................................................ 250 grms Chilly .................................................. 100 grms (finely chopped) Turmeric Powder................................................................ 1/4 tsp Red Chilly Powder.............................................................. 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds.................................................................... 1/2 tsp Small onion...................................................... 5 (finely chopped) Dry Red Chilly........................................................... 2-3 (broken) Jaggery...............................1/4 cup /50 grms or according to taste Curry leaves........................................................................ 4sprig Coconut Oil..........................................................................3 tbsp Water............................................................................... 11/2 cup Salt ....................................................................................to taste
Method
1. Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of hot water for a 10-15 minutes then squeeze the tamarind to extract the juice and filter the tamarind juice to get the extract. Else, dilute the tamarind paste in the water. Set aside. Peel the ginger and chop finely, pour the chopped ginger into salt water and keep it there for 5 minutes, and drain it. Heat coconut oil in a kadai and fry the ginger until its brown. Remove the fried ginger on to tissue paper to remove the oil and keep it aside. 2. Grind the fried ginger in a mixer grinder to get it finely crushed. Take a kadai or preferably an earthen pot (manchatti) and pour the tamarind juice, add salt, chilly powder and turmeric powder and combine well. Bring to boil, reduce the flame to low and cook for 10 minutes, so that the gravy gets thick. Add 1 cup of hot water with jaggery and mix well, filter it and keep that aside. 3. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when it splutter add chopped onion, chopped dry red chilly, chopped green chilly and curry leaves and sauté till brown colour. Pour this mixture to the cooked tamarind water. Add the crushed ginger and jaggery water ,reduce the flame allow the mixture to boil until the mixture is thick, pulpy and reduced by half. Cool and transfer into a sterilized jar or bottle and leave to settle for an hour.
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COOKERY
ADA PRADHAMAN
Ingredients
• • • • • • •
Ada....................................................................................... 1 cup Milk.....................................................................................3 cups Sweetened condensed milk....................................................1 tin Sugar.......................................................................... if necessary Water...................................................................................2 cups Cardamom...........................................................1/2 tsp (powder) Ghee................................................................................... 1/2 tsp
Method
1. Add 3 cups whole milk in a wide vessel with a long spoon in it. Keep the same inside a pressure cooker till 3 whistles blows. Cook the milk for 1/2 hr over low flame. In the meanwhile, boil 2 cups water and add the Ada to the boiling water. Remove it from the heat and keep it closed till it becomes soft (20min). Drain the ada and keep it till all the water is drained (10 min).Take the milk out from the cooker that will have become pink colour by now. 2. Cook the milk further over medium flame and add the ada to the milk. Once it is done, add the sweetened condensed milk and cook for 1/2 hr. Add more sugar to your taste 3. Stir it with a spoon every now and then to avoid making lumps and so that it does not stick to the bottom of the vessel either. 4. Once it is well cooked, add the cardamom powder and 1/2 tsp ghee (clarified butter) to enhance the taste and its aroma.
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MAMPAZHA PULISSERY Ingredients
• • • • • • • • • • • • •
Ripe Mango..................................................................... 2 - 3 nos Turmericpowder................................................................A pinch Chillypowder......................................................................... 1 tsp Greenchillies.......................................................................... 1 no Salt.....................................................................................to taste Coconut (grated).................................................................. 1 cup Cuminseeds........................................................................... 1 tsp Coconut Oil......................................................................... 2 tbsp Mustard seeds.................................................................... 1/2 tsp Red Chillies...................................................................... 3 -4 nos Curry Leaves....................................................................... 2stem Curd..................................................................................... 1 cup Fenugreek........................................................................... 1/2 tsp
Method
Cut the mango into pieces and boil in water along with turmeric, green chillies, chilly powder and salt. Grind the coconut with the cumin seeds to a fine paste and add this to the boiling mango. Bring this to a boil and take off the flame. Blend the yoghurt to make it smooth and add this to the mixture. See to it that the yoghurt does not split. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and when they crackle, add red chillies, Fenugreek powder and curry leaves
MAMPAZHA PRADHAMAN
Ingredients
• Mango pulp.......................................................................... 1 cup • Jaggery............................................................................... 1/2 cup • Saffron strands.........................................................................few • Coconut milk........................................................................ 1 cup • Cardamom powder.............................................................. 1/2tsp • Bits of coconut........................................................................ 1tsp • Ghee...................................................................................... 1 tsp Method
In a kadai, add the jaggery with little water and melt the same. Remove the impurities. Add the mango pulp, sugar, saffron strands to this and cook for 5 minutes. Switch off the gas, add the coconut milk, cardomom powder and stir well. Garnish with coconut bits fried in ghee.
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BEAUTY
Best hairstyles
for heavy women
O
ne of the things that bug every woman is weight gain. It is more of a cultural thing as women have to follow a certain beauty standard and those who do not meet that are often shamed for the same. Well, body shaming is something we have to leave behind and appreciate beauty for what it is. Weight gain is something that cannot be fully controlling, as women enter phases like "motherhood". Heaviness can be quiet an asset for women who embrace the same. We have celebrities like Adele, Melissa McCarthy, Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis rocking in fashion world. In India, Vidya Balan and Bhumi Pednekar have brought the same. One of the significant features that help in beauty enhancement is undoubtedly a good hairstyle. Hair is the perfect decoration for the face. It is better to avoid straight bangs as they will widen your face horizontally. It is better for plus size women to shy away from compact hairstyles; however, try to have elongate hair locks. Additional volume will help in slimming the same.
curl the lower portion. It is the one hairstyle endorsed by most dark skinned women who are plus size.
Loose wave
Cut your hair such that your hair is in perfect layers. After that, curl them and leave it open. It will go with the flow.
Chin length
This for those with round faces. Cut till chin and curled the lower portion.
Loose pony tail
If you have long hair then curl them. Then, tie your hair into a loose pony tail by tying just one know or 5 cms below the scalp.
Cropped bob with choppy ends.
This is a popular hairstyle. After bobbing your hair, cut the end portion in an irregular yet straight manner. If you want, you can dye your hair brown or greyish. Try these different styles and come up with a new look. Don't be afraid to change
Here are some good hairstyles that could help.
Curled bob
After cutting your hair into a bob,
Dr. Elizabath Chacko, MD-Kalpana's International
Mob: 9388618112
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The land was initially captured from Spain in the year 1704 by an Anglo-Dutch force during the War of the Spanish Succession. In the year 1713, the land was formally ceded to the erstwhile Great Britain.
GIBRALTAR:
the less explored European destination
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E
very land is a book. It imparts knowledge and happiness to those who read it -in other sense, to those who explore it. The way it is approached determines the depth of knowledge or happiness that can be reached. So, it is important to approach it with a positive attitude. A book usually shows its positive side to those who approach it with a positive mindset and its negative side to those who approach it with a negative mindset. Make sure that each and every destination is approached with a optimistic mindset and a child-like enthusiasm if the worthy outcome of the rejuvenation of soul is expected from the journey. In this edition, a less explored
European destination is introduced. Gibraltar is a sovereign British Overseas Territory located near Spain. Though it is technically in Europe, it is more like an Asian Island, than like a European Sovereign Island. It is a rocky land. It is very close to Spain and is connected to the mainland though a narrow land formation. Its population is less than forty thousand. Gibraltar covers an area of 2.6 sq mi. Even though it is very small in size and has a very low population compared to other sovereign lands, it is strategically very important location. Technically, a major portion of the European trade ships passes through the narrow waters controlled by this land. Not only in
the sense of trade, but also in the sense of military, it is very crucial location; the fact that the British navy base established in this land during the World War Two helped the Britons to win major gains in the war gives wings to the argument that the land is strategically very important in the sense of military also. Unfortunately, Gibraltar is now suffering a survival crisis. At this moment, it is unclear how the ongoing Brexit negotiations affect this sovereign land. The Gibraltarians is unlikely to agree the proposal to merge with the Spanish mainland, sacrificing their sovereignty in the alter of economic stability. The land was initially captured
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from Spain in the year 1704 by an Anglo-Dutch force during the War of the Spanish Succession. In the year 1713, the land was formally ceded to the erstwhile Great Britain. Since then, the Kingdom has been protecting this land from all kinds of external threats. The land has gradually received a sovereign status from the kingdom. Now, it decides the majority of its affairs. Anyway, due to its lack of military might, the Gibraltarians let the UK decide their defence and foreign relation matters. In the recent past, several
Gibraltar is a perfect place for tourism. It is blessed with several beautiful locations. It experiences a Mediterranean climate. times, Spain, which considers the existence of a British-controlled sovereign land near their territory as a threat to its sovereignty, has tried to recapture it from the Kingdom using several methods. In the past, in the year 1967 and 2002, the Gibraltarians rejected the referendum which asked whether the land should accept the
Spanish sovereignty over Gibraltar or not. Gibraltar is one of the most sensitive issues which create a huge rift between the UK and Spain foreign relations. This sovereign land is economically moderately powerful. Tourism, financial services, cargo ship and online gambling are the prime sectors which help the land to earn a huge sum of money every year. Fortunately, due to its powerful financial condition, it has a welldeveloped health and education infrastructure. Gibraltar is a perfect place for tourism. It is blessed with several beautiful locations. It experiences a Mediterranean climate. Europa point, Gibraltar’s highest point, Gibraltar natural reserve, St Michael’s Cave, the Moorish castle and Gibraltar museum are the prime tourist locations in the country. Europa point is situated at the southern tip of Gibraltar. Nuestra Senora de Europa and Mosque of
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the Custodian of the Holy Mosques are the prime attractions in this region, apart from the 19th century lighthouse, Harding Battery and Nun’s Well. The region is the custodian the one and only cricket stadium of the country. There is a monument, dedicated to a Poland’s general who died during the World War Two, in this part of the country. Gibraltar’s highest point is a point which stands at least 425 meters above the sea level. O’Hara’s Battery, the artificial fortification located in this hills, is the popular tourist spot of the hills. The travellers are normally advised to use Gibraltar cable car to reach the destination. Those who love adventure must explore other available options such as trekking. Nearly forty per cent of the Island is covered by the Gibraltar natural reserve. The reserve is the best place to see the genuine beauty of nature. The chattering voice of migrating birds and amazing scenery of trees, caves, flowers, small plants and animals make it an ideal place for receiving an rejuvenating experience. St Michael’s Cave, which is the largest of the Island’s 150 caves, and Princess Caroline’s Battery are the prime tourist attractions in this part of the country. Moorish castle is one of the oldest buildings in the country. It was actually built in the eighth century. It was later modified in fourteenth century. Gibraltar museum is the place where travellers should go if they wish to get a small glimpse about the wealthy history of this sovereign land. It is where the well-preserved 14th century Moorish Baths is located. Gibraltar is a best destination to spend a peaceful vacation. Plan a trip to this land of rocks
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VIVEK VENUGOPAL
AUTO REVIEW
C
ompetition in the midsize crossover segment is only getting intense with the new Volvo XC60, Audi Q5, the Mercedes GLC and the upcoming BMW X3. But, if you want something distinct and truly unique, Lexus has the answer in the form of the NX 300h. The NX 300h is the Lexus’ fourth offering in India after the ES 300h, RX 300h and LX450d. The NX 300h is based loosely on the Toyota Rav4 which it borrows some of the underpinnings from. Introduced globally in 2014, it has enjoyed quite some success in the United States and European markets. In India, it is the stepping stone to the Lexus range and we have a brief stint at finding how good it is. For a start, the styling is radical for an SUV and quite a big departure from the European competition. Everywhere that you look, there are sharp cuts and creases
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The NX 300h is powered by the same 2.5-litre petrol engine that is under the hood of the Camry Hybrid and ES300h sedan. It runs on an Atkinson cycle instead of the traditional Otto cycle for more efficiency. that add to the sophistication. The large spindle shaped grille is flanked by two sharp LED headlamps and independent DRLs on the aggressive looking bumper. The Luxury variant we tested had a layered grill with horizontal slats while the F sport variant gets a sportier mesh design. It also gets a different front bumper and different alloy wheel design. The 18-inch wheels
look suitably large for the size of the car and apart from certain angles the NX is a great design from Lexus. The interiors are well made and the quality is superb. The spindle theme is carried over to the centre console. The dashboard and most of the door pad trim are covered with quality synthetic leather. The switches and knobs feel solid and nice to use. There is brushed aluminium trim and contrast stitching in places. However, someone of the switchgear is from lesser Toyotas and plastic quality, in certain areas, isn’t up to the usual Lexus standards. The key fob, for instance, looks like it is from a last gen Toyota and isn’t fitting for a car that costs this much. The front seats are comfortable and the cushioning is well judged, but the F-Sport variant gets seats that are even more supportive. The
Lexus NX 300h
Luxury variant, on the other hand, gets ventilated seats -front and rear- while the rear ones get an electric recline feature. The rear seats are low set and lack under thigh support although leg room is adequate. It also loses out on headroom and most average adults will find it cramped at the rear. The boot is also small due to a raised floor which houses a full size spare wheel. It comes loaded with features
including eight way adjustable front seats, 360 degree camera, panoramic roof (it doesn’t open), heads-up display, wireless mobile charging, automatic headlamps, automatic wipers, electric tail gate, steering mounted paddle shifters etc. It also scores well on the safety front with eight airbags and an overprotective electronic stability programme. The 10.3-inch infotainment is controlled by a touch pad instead of the mouse-style
controller seen in other Lexus’s. It also comes with a 14 speaker Mark Levinson audio system that delivers crisp mid-range and punchy bass. The NX 300h is powered by the same 2.5-litre petrol engine that is under the hood of the Camry Hybrid and ES300h sedan. It runs on an Atkinson cycle instead of the traditional Otto cycle for more efficiency. In the NX, it makes 197bhp and 210Nm and has an integrated electric motor
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and yet another one for the rear axle to making it all wheel drive. The electric only range is only 2-3 km because it uses a low energy density Ni-MH battery in place of the usual Lithium ion ones in most hybrid and electric cars. The engine is mated to a CVT which is best suited to relaxed driving. The car feels at home in the city where it potters around silently and keeps up with bumper to bumper traffic with minimum fuss. On the highway, it does a reasonable job of maintaining a good cruising speed. It is when you want to overtake a fast moving car or give too much throttle that the CVT gearbox rears its ugly end, sending the engine revs high making it sound strained. You are better off picking up a relaxed driving style for this Lexus and it rewards by being sublime
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and friendly. With its additional electric motors, battery pack and other hybrid tech, the small NX weighs almost 1.9 tonnes. Yet, it handles its weight quite well, being agile and feeling light at the controls. The adaptive dampers adjust their stiffness to suit varying road conditions and make it feel composed over most surfaces. The steering is on the light side, but it is precise and the ratio is rather quick. On the limit, the NX 300h feels front heavy with little or no assist from the rear motor. The brakes feel strong with regenerative braking, but the pedal feels lifeless and takes some getting used to. The overall ride quality is still on the softer side and you can sense the rear is a bit less composed than the
front. It soaks up bumps easily and can tackle most bad roads. The NX 300h is set to compete against the Audi Q5, BMW X3, Mercedes GLC, and Volvo XC60, but is more expensive than them all. With a cramped rear seat, tiny boot and noisy CVT, it sure is flawed; but it still has a lot going for it. It is the sportiest looking of its lot and the only hybrid in its class. It comes loaded with kit and is perfect for the urban environment. And, because it is a Lexus, it will cost a lot less to maintain than any of its competition and will be endlessly reliable. With the current market trend towards petrol and the future showing promise for hybrids, the NX300h may have its USP work out for itself
MOVIE REVIEW
Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran
I
t is a thriller movie directed by renowned filmmaker Abhishek Sharma. The movie is based on a true event: the 1998 Indian Nuclear Bomb Test. It is a big budget film, compared to other Bollywood films released this month. At least fifty crores INR have been invested to create this film. The movie is produced by Zee Studios. John Abraham, Diana Penty, Zachary Coffin, Mark Bennington and Boman Irani appear in the lead roles in the movie. It is clear that the film maker and actors have shown complete justice to their roles. Unsurprisingly, the film is receiving positive reviews.
October
I
t is a romantic film directed by Shoojit Sircar. The tagline of the film itself states that it is not an ordinary love story, but an extra-ordinary story about a magical feeling called love. The tagline itself is enough to understand how much importance the amazing feeling of love have in this movie. Like all romantic film, this Bollywood romantic drama is also filled with several mind-blowing songs. There is no dispute in the truth that Music Director Shantanu Moitra has done a laudable job. Varun Dhawan, Sahil Vedoliyaa, Gitanjali Rao and Banita Sandhu appear in the lead roles. The film is produced by director himself.
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April-May-2018
Rampage
I
t is a fantasy movie directed by Brad Peyton. The central characters of the movie are a genetically mutated ape, which, along with other genetically mutated creatures, ventures into a disastrous rampage, and its one and only human friend, who struggles to stop the rampage in order to save the generically mutated ape and the world alike. There are several action sequences in the move. Dwayne Johnson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Breanne Hill, Joe Manganiello and Naomie Harris are the prime actors of the film. Mr Johnson, who appears in the lead role, has demonstrated an appreciable performance in the movie, unlike his previous films.
Pacific Rim Uprising
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t is a science fiction movie directed by Steven S DeKnight. It is the story of a son who tries to wash all his misdeeds with a single noble act by stopping a disastrous danger his father once successfully stopped. Will the son be able to live up to his father’s legacy? Will he be able to succeed the challenge made by his sister to make him a better person and to help the world through him? These are the questions the film answers. John Boyega, Jing Tian, Scott Eastwood, Rinko Kikuchi and Charlie Day act in the lead roles in the movie.
April-May-2018
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BOOK REVIEW
Choices: Inside the Making of Indian Foreign Policy Author Price
: Shivshankar Menon : Rs. 299 (approximately)
T
he books help us to understand what made India to decide that it would not use overt hard power against Pakistan, to reach a civil nuclear deal with the United States, to articulate a border agreement with China, to use hard power in the Sri Lankan Civil War, to take the No First Use nuclear policy. The writer is a former diplomat. His proximity to the matters he has tried to explain in his book has helped him to bring out a fool-proof analytical report on each subject. It is extremely helpful to the International relations and foreign policy researches, and to all those who wish to grab a deep insight about the Indian foreign policy.
Talent Wins Author Price
T
: Ram Charan : Rs. 719 (approximately)
he world’s business environment is continuously changing day by day. Are the world’s business houses adapting what it should achieve to stay alive in the fast changing environment? In fact, the preponderance of the business houses is still following the traditional business techniques, which is in reality less useful in the present business environment. The book tells us about the changes which an organisation should implement if it wants to sustain in the changing business environment. It describes the measures adopted by some of the acclaimed business houses such as Tata communications, Marsh and ING to stay strong in the new world. The book extensively discusses the importance of the Human Resource sector, its relevance in the new world, and how to transform it to make it fit for the new world.
64
April-May-2018
BOOK REVIEW
Dera Sacha Sauda and Gurmeet Ram Rahim: A Decade-long Investgation Author Price
: Anurag Tripathi : Rs. 224 (approximately)
G
urmeet Ram Rahim was the most discussed name in India last year. He was a religious leader, for many. For some, he was an ideal of crime. After he was arrested and convicted for some of the cruel crimes he committed, several unbelievable stories about him emerged. How Mr Ram Rahim, who was born in a lower middle class family like most Indians, managed to emerge as a powerful religious leader having a extensive support base from diehard followers to loyal politicians, and how he erected an criminal empire in the pretext of running an religious organisation, are still unanswered questions. The writer, who is an investigative journalist, tries to answer some unanswered question about the mysterious religious group and the controversial person who ran it, with the help of the details he has acquired through a decade-long investigation he has done about them.
She Friend-Zoned My Love Author Price
I
: Sudeep Nagarkar : Rs. 149 (approximately)
t is a beautiful love story. The prime characters of the story are two teenagers: Apurv and Amyra. The boy, Apurv, is a normal teenager, who, like most other teenagers, love to grab attention of girls and is searching for a perfect girlfriend. The girl, Amyra, is also a typical teenage girl, who experiences all those things a normal teenage girl usually experiences in life. In a sense, the storyline is not a new one. The teenage boy falls in love with the girl, who is not interested in such a relationship with boy. Will the boy be able to push their relationship deep beyond the boundaries of friendship into the beautiful world of love?
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April-May-2018
Printed On 01/ 04/ 2018
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