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Vol 6 Issue No.62 Dec 2016 - Jan 2017

Demonetisation and the gold loan NBFCs Shri V.P. Nandakumar MD & CEO, Manappuram Finance Ltd.

Fortuner Second Gen

A trip to Latin American

Red Fort

C.J. AJAYAKUMAR

ENTREPRENEUR EXTRAORDINAIRE

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Printed by: Ajit Ravi Published by: Ajit Ravi Owned by: Ajit Ravi Printed at: S T Reddiar 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 Adv. Sreelatha Parameswaran Correspondents Dr. Thomas Nechupadam Vivek Venugopal- Quarter Mile Bejoy George Amrutha V Kumar Marketing BAHRAIN PRESTIGE MARKETING Tel: +971 55 2000933 Email: gopal@prestigemarketing.in UAE Tamquest Entertainments LLC P.O. Box 232886, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Mr.Safi Mulankaad Clap PR and Events:++971 508414706 Email: riju@tamquestevents.com Tamil Nadu Andhrapradesh & Karnataka PEGASUS Ph: 09288800999 Kerala Sunilkumar NN, Saneesh Ashok Your wing Director Shwetha Menon Photographer Ashique Hassan Creative Design PEGASUS

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Cover Photograph C.J. AJAYAKUMAR Dec16 - Jan17

Editorial

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ecember is a month of lights, snow and feasts; time to make amends and tie the loose ends; finish off what you started and hope your wishes come true.

Overthinking will destroy your mood. Breathe and let go.

Featured on front cover is the president of Cambridge Education Group, TechieSoft and Abba Builders, C.J. Ajayakumar. This is an unbelievable success story of a multifaceted NRI business man.

Invariably, it seems like everything C.J. Ajayakumar touches turns to gold.

In his regular column, V.P. Nandakumar, CEO and MD, Manappuram Finance, says that after Demonetisation, the outlook for gold loan NBFCs who have invested in cutting-edge technology is brighter than ever before. In Auto feature, our expert team analyse about the second generation Fortuner from Toyota.

In Travel, we take you to the much spirited Cuba, the land of late Fidel Castro and Che Guvera. There is plenty to explore here beyond communism. An article on Time management reveals a new secret- “the busier you get with engaged work, the more time your will uncover for yourself ”.

How Indian stock market is going to respond to the Demonetisation drive and Donald Trump’s victory? Our stock market article answers this million dollar question. Regular articles on cinema, technology, health, beauty, book review, business diary etc. are there.

Relax and leaf through with a peace of mind. We have gone that extra mile to ensure we give you the best from the different topics.

Enjoy reading.

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CONTENTS

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Demonetisation and the gold loan NBFCs

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The last single advice you need on time management

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The ‘most powerful woman in India’ IS NO MORE: THE NATION MOURNS THE LOSS OF ‘AMMA’

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Entrepreneur Extraordinaire

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Gadgets

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Recipes

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Delete the dots: 7 effective steps to reduce pimples A trip to latin american red fort Fortuner Second Gen

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UNIQUE DIARY

SBI cuts deposit rates Paving the way for low-interest rate, the State Bank of India has lowered the interest rates across various maturities.

The sudden reduction in the interest rate is due to an abrupt reduction in the cost of fund as the banks are flooded with huge deposits ever since the central government demonetised higher denomination currency like 500 and 1000 bank notes.

According to the statistic report released by the Reserve Bank of India, nearly Rs 5.4 lakh crore has been received by the banks as deposit amount between November 9 and November 18. Notably, of this Rs 5.4 lakh crore, over Rs 1.5 lakh crore has been collected by the State Bank itself.

Goldman predicts GDP deceleration in India

"Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come.

Get up and make them!".

C.J. Walker

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he Goldman Sachs, a US-based multinational financial corporate, has predicted that there would be a deceleration in the India’s GDP rates.

As per their report, the GDP rates may reduce to around 6.8 per cent from 7.6 per cent this fiscal.

According to their assumption, the liquidity shortage has considerably reduced the domestic trade and other activities across the country.

In other words, the liquidity shortage would decelerate the Indian GDP rate, says expert.

Notably, the Goldman Sachs report further added that the demonetisation would give long term benefits to the Indian economy in its long run.

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Zee media acquires Anil Ambani’s radio, TV business

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he Reliance Broadcast Network, owned by Anil Ambani, is set to sell their share in the radio and television business to the Zee Media, one of the growing media tycoons, which runs several media businesses.

As per the report, the Zee Media will pay nearly Rs 1900 crore to the RBNL to buy the shares.

The report added that the company is expected to buy nearly 49 per cent stake in the RBNL’s radio business and 100 per cent stake in the RBNL’s general entertainment business.

The amount received through the sale would be used to reduce the debt burden of the conglomerate, the report further added.

L&T terminates nearly 14000 employees

''The winners in life think constantly in terms of I can, I will, and I am. Losers, on the other hand, concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have or would have done, or what they can’t do.”

Dennis Waitley

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n one of the biggest ever reconstruction exercises, the Larsen and Toubro has dismissed nearly 14000 employees between April and September.

As per the report, the organisation has terminated nearly 11.2 per cent of the total workforce in this short span of time.

It is learned that the layoff is being executed by the conglomerate to cut nearly thousands of redundant jobs.

A senior officer of the company claims that the decision to reduce employees was initiated to bring the derailed company back into the rail.

Anyway, the unexpected decision attracts strong criticism from the employees as well as several corners of the society.

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UNIQUE DIARY

Govt directs fertiliser companies to provide credits to farmers

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he central government has directed the fertiliser conglomerates to offer credits to the farmers.

Since the demonetisation, the farmers have been facing difficulty to raise liquid cash to buy fertilisers for their crops.

The government believes that the new decision would help them to overcome this crisis.

The important declaration regarding the purchase of fertiliser is announced by the union fertiliser minister, Ananth Kumar.

It is learned that the government would also make sure that the cooperative societies, retailers, and dealers accept all kind of payment.

Airtel launches India’s first payment bank

"Business opportunities are like buses: there’s always another one coming."

Richard Branson

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n a bid to cater the needs of low-income households, unorganised sector and small business, the Airtel has launched India’s first payment bank.

Interestingly, the bank is expected to offer nearly 7.25 per cent interest rate per annum on deposits in savings account.

It is learned that the huge rural population of our country has prompted the company to create such a business focusing on this untapped section.

As per the report, the people living in villages of Rajasthan can now open their account at the Airtel outlets.

The report added that the Airtel outlets will function as a connecting point between the customer and bank.

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BUSINESS

Shri V.P.Nandakumar MD & CEO Manappuram Finance Ltd.

A cashless economy is likely to kick-start a shift in business away from the unorganised players towards the organised sector.

Demonetisation and the gold loan NBFCs

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n the 10th of November, we at Manappuram Finance Limited, reported our second quarter results. Our performance was very impressive with the net profit of Rs.350 crore for the half year up to September 30 being equal to the net profit for the whole of last year.

However, it so happened that our results were declared against the backdrop of the government’s announcement about the demonetisation of 500

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and 1000 rupee currency notes that caught everyone by surprise. Adding to the woes was the totally unexpected outcome of the US presidential elections where Donald Trump defied all odds to beat Hillary Clinton.

Markets are usually unpredictable but if there’s one thing that can be said with certainty, it is that markets don’t like uncertainty. Not surprisingly, the Indian stock markets reacted adversely to this double whammy and traded at heavy losses.

And so, in both the

investor concall immediately following the results and in the media interactions subsequently, the hot topic for discussion was how Manappuram Finance and other NBFCs would be affected by the measure. In a nutshell, there were two immediate issues we faced post the demonetisation announcement.

Firstly, some of our customers faced problems in making repayments as we had to stop accepting old notes all of a sudden. Secondly, with regard to loan disbursements, we faced hassles in the availability of cash for disbursing small value gold loans where borrowers are keen to get the amount in cash.

(Loans more than 1 lakh rupees are necessarily disbursed through a bank account being a requirement of RBI.) We responded by encouraging our customers to use alternative channels like online repayments using net banking, debit cards and e-wallets. We also started accepting repayments by cheque. These measures were helpful in tiding over the initial dislocation. With the short term pains having eased somewhat, a return to full normalcy can be expected once adequate supply of new notes come into the system. Besides, we also expect de-

monetisation to cause a temporary slowdown in the economy’s growth rate which may last for a couple of quarters or so. This will likely affect businesses across sectors because the nature of an overall slowdown is such it tends to pull down everything.

Beyond the stated objective of unearthing black money, the government is also eager to set in motion the process of moving eventually towards a cashless society.

That is why, in trying to assess the likely long term impact, we are very clear it will be hugely positive. The overall push towards a cashless

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economy is likely to kick-start a long term, secular trend of shift in business away from the informal and unorganised players towards the organised sector. Informed estimates suggest that nearly 3/4th of the gold loan business is still with the unorganised players who conduct their business in cash, and who are generally not tax compliant. The squeeze on cash will favour banks and also NBFCs like ours. In fact, I believe NBFCs stand to gain more as they have greater last mile reach and better connect with the low income customers who depend on the informal economy. Banks that are burdened by higher operating costs will not find it remunerative to deal with this section. On another note, after demonetisation banks are flush with CASA (current and savings account) funds and they have already started to lower

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their interest rates on deposits. It won’t be long before lending rates come down and that will be a plus for gold loan NBFCs who depend on banks for the bulk of their funding.

While the demonetisation announcement itself was quite unexpected — a bolt from the blue, so to speak — for some time now, we have all been getting indications that government is serious about minimising the role of cash in the economy. And, having read the writing on the wall, we have moved to position ourselves in line with this trend.

Today, we are quite prepared for that eventual transition to a cashless economy. Cash disbursement of our gold loans takes place only up to a limit of 1 lakh rupees beyond which we have been using

NEFT. In fact, even before demonetisation, about 50 percent of our gold loans by value were disbursed through NEFT. We are aggressively promoting the online repayments of interest and principal as also our Online Gold Loan (OGL) product which is totally cashless at our end.

A customer has to come to our branch only once to deposit his gold and execute necessary documents.

After that, he can avail a loan up to his eligibility anytime, from anywhere in the world using a smart phone, computer, or other internet enabled devices. The loan proceeds are instantaneously transferred to his bank account. Even after repayment, the gold will continue to remain with the Manappuram branch for future loans to be availed online.

The move towards a cashless economy with digital payments tak-

Indeed, for gold loan NBFCs who have invested in cutting-edge technology, I would say the outlook is brighter now than ever before.

ing over will open up many new opportunities in the Fintech area. We are developing new age gold loan based FinTech business opportunities. We have started implementing new technologies like NetLockers, Mobility solutions, eKYC, digital wallets etc. so that our customers will be able to access all our products and services through their smartphones.

Necessity being the mother of

invention, we will see much faster adoption of technology at the customer level. A recent note put out

by Goldman Sachs says demonetisation will give meaningful fillip to electronic transactions in the longer run implying further market share gains for banks with strong technology based offerings. We are not a bank as yet but as an NBFC with a strong suite of technology based offerings of our own, and with ambitious plans in the Fintech

area, we are very well placed to tap into the opportunities and potential. Indeed, for gold loan NBFCs who have invested in cutting-edge technology, I would say the outlook is brighter now than ever before ď Ź

V.P. Nandakumar is MD & CEO of Manappuram Finance Ltd. and Chairman of the Kerala State Council of CII .

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BUSINESS

Rajesh Nair, Director, Ernst & Young LLP Rajesh is also the President of the Kerala Chapter of TiE Global

I have been in consulting for close to two decades now.

The whole and sole purpose of every consultant is to become a ‘trusted business advisor’. It is no use thinking that you have delivered the final presentation when the client still has the ‘problem’ on this table. This philosophy guides your activities, your time, and your actions.

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common eternal quest for all of the mankind in all several centuries has been to get more time. More time to do everything. The most common mental excuse for any deficiency is the lack of time: ‘Oh , I wish I had more time! Variations of that sentence have been used several times irrespective of caste, creed, and geography!

Well, with all the advancements of medical science, we still have not found solutions to stop aging; neither have we, with all technology experiments, managed to stop time. Called it old fashioned, but these things of the yore are here to stay. So, like all aspects of life, when something is a given, we attempt to make the best out of time and make it look good in our minds (at least)…

Wallace Stevens, an eminent philosopher and poet, writes: “In the sum of the parts, there are only the parts!” He refers to a structural issue with sentences. To understand the sentence, we need to understand the words that the sentence is created with. But, the sentence in itself carries more context than each of the words ever can. Same with time. You can’t break the time down to

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the fundamental unit of second hand, hoping to understand it or making it more productive. So, is there a panacea or a snake oil cure? None, but, you can train your mind to be more conscious and efficient.

The single advice to manage time is ‘ENGAGEMENT’!

Deep involvement in whatever we do, enhances our ability to do things efficiently, pick up a wide variety of things to do across fields, and encourage to seek completion of what we do rather than leaving it incomplete before the next wave of thoughts crowd in. Engagement also does the following.

Engagement prepares our mind for serendipity – picking up ideas from diverse areas and keeping a look out for interesting cross-sector insights.

•Engagement builds porous walls around ideas and helps cross-pollination of ideas.

•Engagement clears the deck of the mind and prepares it for ‘deep work’.

•Engagement helps you to build a mental ‘ to do’ library.

Another word which is closely related to ‘ENGAGEMENT’ is ‘FOCUS’ … Much

has been written about focus and here are some ways to train your mind.

•Focus – builds with some ‘alone time’ each morning.

Spend 15 minutes without any distraction, thinking and mentally visualising the day when you begin it.

•Focus - catalyses when you turn off screens, keep away the busy hand phone, and create a mental construct of the issue at hand.

•Focus-uncovers more time when you travel, walk, eat et.al.

Simon Sinek , in his muchwatched TED talk, reminds us that there are three frames of our action - the WHAT , the HOW and the WHY. Typically, we are guided in that sequence as well. We spend time on ‘what’ we are to do and the mechanics of ‘how’. What we neglect is the ‘WHY’! The ‘Why’ is the raison d'être of our existence. It is the sole reason we are in business, our larger purpose and our objective to spend most of our lives! It is like a calling rather than employment.

Let me explain the consulting context. I have been in

The last single advice you need on time management

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Reaching a mental stasis of work life balance is a concept of the past. Modern technology never lets you switches off and switch on, but it helps you to make the best of time! Mind does not need to sleep to rest, it just needs to be fed and nurtured.

consulting for close to two decades now. The whole and sole purpose of every consultant is to become a ‘trusted business advisor’. This is not just about signing contracts and delivering high quality or dotting every ’I’ and crossing every ‘T’. It is about solving their problems, helping them achieve their vision and reaching and surpassing their goals. Anything that is helping them do this is – ‘NOISE’. It is no use thinking that you have delivered the final presentation when the client still has the ‘problem’ on

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this table. This philosophy guides your activities, your time, and your actions.

time. It may perhaps also help them think differently and, more importantly, act differently!

It is easy to get ‘lost in motion’.

At times some of our lawmakers and politicians are lost in this quagmire of ‘activities’- Speeding cars, aircraft being held up for their arrival or even a wide audience waiting for them to turn up.

‘Where are they going and what are they doing’, we wonder! It would be interesting, if they sit back, think and figure out the best use of their

Then, there is aging. When we age, we initially have an excitement of moving up the time ladder. More and more independence comes our way and the excitement of ‘growing’ is in every neuron in our body. The excitement dies down somewhere down the line and the inflection point is somewhere around thirty years, when we built in a ‘subtle sadness’ of the fact that

we are ‘growing old’. The general tendency is to look at ‘those good days’,’ when I was your age’ and starts sounding a tad boring for some of the folks listening to us.

Then, of course, the war stories creep – “You know this incident when I...” and interestingly we ignore the ‘there he goes again ….’ glances around us.

That is the funny part! Then, there is the romantic part where our five senses send a pulse when we have a déjà vu experience. That taste, that sight, that familiar smell et.al. Our minds then move into quickly to place the similar experience of the past and then there is

‘wistful blue’ fleeting though your mind and the all too familiar ‘ache in the heart’. What does that tell you? We never cease to be our young selves. Age seldom hits our mind when we are silently sitting along and flirting with our solitude.

It is only when we are amongst others that we are silently reminded of the sundry years of the past.

Within ourselves, we are the toddlers, who loved to play with trivial things, ask the naïve questions and had our lives full of dream, ambition and hope. So the recipe for remaining young – think young , feel young and the final secret ingredient - spend some time with

yourself – once in a while …

The mind never switches off.

Reaching a mental stasis of work life balance is a concept of the past.

Modern technology never lets you switches off and switch on, but it helps you to make the best of time! Mind does not need to sleep to rest, it just needs to be fed and nurtured. The more your use it, it develops like a muscle, the faster you complete things and helps you find more time! A good night’s sleep helps you rest and clarify the mind. The greatest conundrum of all is – The busier you get with engaged work, the more time your will uncover for yourself! 

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The ‘most powerful woman in India’ IS NO MORE: THE NATION MOURNS THE LOSS OF ‘AMMA’ Jayalalithaa’s political life had begun in 1982. The then super star and chief of AIADMK, MG Ramachandran, introduced her into the politics. Her first political speech- the greatness of a woman- was regarded as a clear indication of the rise of a charismatic leader.

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arking the end of an eventful era, J Jayalalithaa, popularly known as ‘Amma’ or ‘Puratchi Thalaivi’, had left us on December 5 after failing to recover from a cardiac arrest. She was a quintessential politician, social worker, and actress. She secured several awards and honorary doctorates. While working as a Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, she also held the top position in her party, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. She led her party courageously even when she suffered several setbacks. She learned from her failure and emerged like a phoenix. She was instrumental in creating a united AIADMK party.

She implemented several social welfare policies. These

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pro-common policies initiated by her helped her to attain trust and love of the common population. Her welfare policies included ‘Amma Canteen’, marriage assistance scheme, rainwater harvesting movement, ‘Amma People’s Service Centre’, and et al.

Unique Times magazine managed to maintain a personal relation with the ‘Amma’. In July 2015, we had published a cover story of the ‘Puratchi Thalaivi’, titled ‘Jayalalithaa the most powerful women in India’. J Jayalalithaa showed extreme kindness to read that article and write a review letter.

In the letter received on 27 August, 2015, the iron lady had thanked us for covering the social welfare schemes

implemented by her government. For the organisation, it was a great honour.

Early life of ‘Amma’ She was born on 24 February 1948 at Melukote in Mysore state to Jayaram and Vedavalli. Her father died when she was two years old.

After her father’s death, she along with her mother moved to Bangalore. She was the student of Bishop Cotton Girls School. She was a brilliant student. Later, she relocated to Madras along with her family. She won a gold medal for coming top in the 10th standard examination in the state of Tamil Nadu. She professionally trained several dance forms including Bharatanatyam, Kathak, and much more.

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Amma’s career as an actress In her childhood itself, she proved her talent as a professional dancer. As her mother was an actress, she used to visit several film locations.

During one such visit, she got an opportunity to act in a film as a child artist. Her journey as an actress started there.

Very soon, she became a busy actress. She acted in several Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada films. She had also been casted in numerous dramas. Jayalalithaa acted opposite several silver screen superstars, MGR, NTR, Raj Kumar and et al.

She was considered as a lucky actress. Almost all the films that she acted were super hits.

Notably, she had nearly eighty hits of around eighty-five Tamil film. Her Kannada, Telugu, Hindi films were also a huge success.

Uniquetimes magazine managed to maintain a personal relation with the ‘Amma’. In July 2015, we had published a cover story of the ‘PuratchiThalaivi’, titled ‘Jayalalithaa the most powerful women in India’. J Jayalalithaa showed extreme kindness to read that article and write a review letter. In the letter received on 27 August, 2015, the iron lady had thanked us for covering the social welfare schemes implemented by her government. For the organisation, it was a great honour.

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Amma’s political life Jayalalithaa’s political life had begun in 1982. The then super star and chief of AIADMK, MG Ramachandran, introduced her into the politics. Her first political speech- the greatness of a woman- was regarded as a clear indication of the rise of a charismatic leader. Recognising her talent as a public speaker, she had been inducted as the propaganda secretary in 1983. She had been nominated to Rajya Sabha, at the behest of MGR, in 1984. Since 1984, until 1991, she faced several setbacks. After the death of MGR, Jayalalithaa’s party broke into two unequal parts. In the beginning, the revolutionary lady only got little support from the party members. The majority of the party members and MLAs supported the opposite faction led by Janaki Ramachandran, MGR’s widow.

Her faction slowly expanded their support base and subsequently won several byelections. In 1989, Jayalalithaa had been elected to the Tamil

Nadu assembly. She became the first women opposition leader of Tamil Nadu. In that year itself, her party merged and re-established as a single party under the leadership of Amma. In the same year, on March 25, the Tamil Nadu assembly witnessed heavy violence.

Jayalalithaa was humiliated during that violence between the ruling DMK and opposition AIADMK. After that disturbing incident, like a phoenix, she reappeared in the political hemisphere, grabbing the top post from her opponents.

Amma as Chief Minister She occupied the top post nearly six times. She was the second women Chief Minister of the State. She was the only women Chief Minister of the state who completed five years in power.

She was the second person after MGR who retained the top post nearly two consecutive terms. Her

political life was extremely eventful. She suffered several setbacks.

She was convicted and acquitted several times by several courts.

She was alleged of committing corruptions. Even after facing all these allegations and setbacks, she continued to implement welfare policies, which helped her to create a special bond with the common public. She was felicitated with the name ‘Amma’ by the common people. Her personal bond with the common public helped her to overcome all constraints and shatter all obstacles efficiently.

Amma and welfare policies ‘Amma’ always worked for the common people and lent her ears to hear their grievances. She introduced several welfare policies including ‘Amma Centres’, ‘Amma Canteens’, ‘Amma Cement’, ‘Educational Schemes’, ‘Marriage Schemes’, ‘Rain Water Harvesting’,

‘Women Centric Schemes’, the provision for privacy in public place to mothers of new born babies and much more. Most of these schemes were women centric schemes and pro-poor schemes. The preponderance of them was aimed at poorest among the poor.

Amma in Hospital Jayalalithaa had been admitted to the hospital for severe fever on September 23. Initially, the doctors claimed that she was responding well to the treatment. After seventy-three long days, on December 5, the doctors informed the public that she had suffered a cardiac arrest. Later, she unexpected died giving extreme sorrow to the common people who stood with her in her happiness as well as sorrow.

The common people reacted emotionally. They did not believe the news. The police officers, special task forces, and security forces tried their best to control the emotionally shattered crowd. Lakhs of people and thousands of leaders visited the Rajaji Hall to pay homage to their beloved leader. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, central ministers, Chief Ministers, actors, writers, and several people from different social levels payed homage to the ‘most powerful woman in India’.

Now, her soul rests, in peace, near the memorial of her mentor, MGR, at Marina Beach in Chennai.

Amma will always remain in the heart of all Tamilians and inside those people who know this kindhearted lady 

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COVERSTORY

ENTREPRENEUR EXTRAORDINAIRE Invariably, it seems like everything C.J. Ajayakumar touches turns to gold.

President & C.E.O of Cambridge Education and TechieSoft Group.

Chairman of Abba Builders

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n this edition, we have for you an eminent industrialist who had made an extraordinary success with remarkable resilience with three long decades, who splurged in Information Technology field first and then diversified into Education, Training, Software and Construction.

A complete self-made man, he is nothing less than a boundless inspiration for many. His vision is to transform his life’s journey from ‘Living’ to ‘Winning’! Those who perform love what they are doing – and this man is an embodiment of that.

Meet Mr. C J Ajayakumar, who is the President of Cambridge Education Group, TechieSoft and Abba Builders, who has bagged the prestigious Middle East Business Leadership Award. In UAE, he was successfully a part of a project which developed world’s largest single petroleum/oil production platform. The entire data processing were done using Macintosh platform when there were no PCs introduced. That’s the turning point when he immersed himself into software and learned the opportunities of this industry. He continued working as an IT programming professional.

He ventured into entrepreneurship with an IT hardware/sales in a considerably small shop in Abu

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Dhabi along with his work, which now have expanded in a much bigger scale partnering with IBM, HP, Microsoft and other international authorized partners. Today, they have presences in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, and do turn-key IT projects. Looking at the development opportunities, company stepped into software commerce, and have signed up with a company from SanFransisco who are the developers of World’s best Structural and Earthquake engineering software.

Now the company is responsible for licensing and supporting the Clients in the entire Middle East.

All the tallest buildings in the world and large infrastructure projects are designed by these softwares. It is a very unique software suites comprising of 5 independent softwares which determines how the whole building has to sustain and oscillate etc.

How do you strategize and bring on new ideas for diversification?

Company visualizes to be the best company in the world for Technology and Knowledge in the eyes of our customers, shareholders, communities and people. We expect and demand the best we have to offer by always keeping our Group’s values top of mind.

The group established in 1987.

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domain skill. Mr. Ajayakumar longed for more quality in the services he provides. Thus he brought in the best training from another part of the world to the part of the world he is in. All the clients are highly reputed including the Law Enforcement Authorities of UAE. Cambridge is the largest training provider in Project Management, Risk Management, Supply Chain Management, Cyber Security, Information Security, Professional Business Analysis, and many other domain based trainings. All Trainings are conducted through Partnerships with many Organizations based in United States of America.

Cambridge has trained more than 22,000 professionals so far. During 29 years of providing services in the Middle East market, the Group has earned the trust of thousands of reputed Clients and has been widely appreciated for its professionalism and long lasting Client Relationships.

Computer, back then, looked like a very niche and unique item.

However, when time goes, it is becoming a ‘supermarket item’.

The market has changed drastically from back then. We moved the line then to very specialized Softwares where we are the exclusive solution provider for such software suite.

Started as an IT Solution Provider in the name of Memory Computers. Today the Company diversified as the most integrated organization to provide World’s best Structural & Earth Quake Engineering Software suite, Cyber Security and Project Management Solutions.

With rapid industrialization in the UAE and other Middle East and North African countries, avail-

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ability of a mix of both local and expatriate workforce, the mismatch between the available manpower and the required skilled manpower continues to be an area of concern.

With 'Cambridge Education', now the leader in the industry, it was an endeavor to address such a shortage and in line with their vision to give back to society by educating and empowering the Professionals and Youth of these great countries.

Initially, Cambridge was a training provider of Microsoft, and in the later stages, decided to move beyond and certified by global giants, partnering with top bodies in the world. All these courses train and equip core senior professionals from every industry and certify them on the respective essential

Abba Builders, a Real Estate arm of the Group is developing a highly unique project at Thrissur, and it is the Kerala’s First Naturally Temperature Controlled ECO Villa Project called Fifth Avenue, which enhance and protect biodiversity and ecosystems. Brainstorming on a unique point as to present to Kerala, Abba Builders brought in a consultant from Mumbai who is also a member of the UN Council for Global Warming, and made sure the infrastructure and environment is green complaint. Entire facility and every element of the premise is Green complaint and working towards achieving a high rating on Green Certification. All Villas are in a sterling Class quality and provided with Solar power Backup.

The response they have got from the market is positively tremendous, as to their innovation, inventive technology, distinctive design and novelty.

About the success and growth of the business.

Mr. C J Ajayakumar will not be satisfied only with the byproduct money; he says the company is focusing on respect, values, result

Abba Builders, a highly unique project, is a naturally temperature controlled ECO villa project called Fifth Avenue, which enhance and protect biodiversity and ecosystems, launched in Dubai and Kerala.

and the quality of their products and services. He says he owes his success to the commitment he had towards the work he did.

Services were strategically designed and impeccably executed to the utmost satisfaction of the Clients.

Group thinking is “There is nobody important than Clients in the Business who is paying for everything�.

This catalyzes the growth of the company.

It was surprising that he does not remember much bigger challenges or troubles, and maybe it’s due to the reason that he might have already prepared his mind to face any challenges that may come the way. He travels a lot around the world, especially in US, to learn and research to understand and to enable another domain to widen

the sustainability of services. He makes sure that he sticks onto the services and the line of business he knows and is sure of. He says getting distracted about other opportunities around might be a threat to growth.

Company is striving and achieving a vision after another.

Cambridge has already registered a trademark in India. Now that the company is planning to enter the Indian market, company is ramping up for internationally sophisticated projects here. Looking at the current threats in the society, the company is planning to spread awareness and train people on how to be safe on internet. Company is seriously designing modules on how to deliver the knowledge effectively. Have already partnered with

a US company who develop the best Gartner recommended solutions for fishing attacks. Adequate training will help the Large Organizations and Professionals to reduce such Cyber-attacks. The e-learning simulation platform helps the users to be interactively learning the case-scenarios.

What role do you think entrepreneurs play in the world?

Entrepreneurs occupy a central position in a market economy. For it's the entrepreneurs who serve as the spark plug in the economy's engine, activating and stimulating all economic activity. The economic success of nations worldwide is the result of encouraging and rewarding the entrepreneurial instinct.

A society is prosperous only to the degree to which it rewards and

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encourages entrepreneurial activity because it is the entrepreneurs and their activities that are the critical determinant of the level of success, prosperity, growth and opportunity in any economy. The most dynamic societies in the world are the ones that have the most entrepreneurs, plus the economic and legal structure to encourage and motivate entrepreneurs to greater activities.

Valuable advice for the aspiring…

A man who inspires us by just opening up his mind, says here is no business without risk. It is your deep desire that in which way you’d like to grow, and how far you want to travel. You need to love what you do. It’s called passion. Find your passion because it’s the place to start on your road to success as an entrepreneur.

Your performance depends on it.

“Passion without action is to have the Ferrari in the garage collecting dust.” Do not blindly follow someone else. To some people, life is a burden and they spend their time regretting and cursing the day they were born. Some others see life as a gift and so make the most of everyday they live. Have your own signature to whatever you introduce into the market. Customer is the most important Person and need to take care the Clients with utmost responsibility and commitment. Always keep determined and have your eyes fixed on the goal.

Unlike many other we interviewed, Mr. Ajayakumar took more time to give success tips which would immensely help people who look upto successful people for motivation.

He asks us to Get Organized, Keep Detailed Records, Analyze Your Competition, Understand the Risks and Rewards, Be Creative, Stay Focused, Prepare to Make Sacrifices, Provide Great Service and to Be Consistent.

On how his perception has changed over three decades….

There are many ways we project our perceptions about life and things around us. We need a holistic experience of life before holding very strong and rigid views about

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many things in life, without this, you may find it difficult to enjoy life, build good relationships, pursue a rewarding career, contribute to good environment, the society and manage changes that occur from time to time. To develop the right perception of life,  It is important that we devote some time on regular basis to study.  It is import to think outside the box and look at issues from other people's point of view before arriving at rigid conclusions.  We must learn to accept other people for who they are and respect them genuinely.  We must be ready to understand every phase of life with fortitude and grace.  We must live in integrity.  We must respect other people's right to live and do their business.  We must contribute to the wellbeing of our communities and defend the rights of the vulnerable  We must uphold the dignity of labour.  We must reverence our creator and honour him in all things.

Family and Support. Passion and Hobbies.

His wife, Beena Ajayakumar is

a huge support to his business from the onset. His only son, Abin Ajayakumar, a Cyber-security specialist, has completed Computer Engineering from Boston University and Masters in Cyber Security from Carnegie Mellon University in US. Mr. C J Ajayakumar loves travelling, mostly business related and blended with leisure.

His favorite travel destinations are United States, Europe, South India and Asian countries. Reading about successful people is another pastime hobby. He computes and keeps researching about the new technological and innovative growth, and prefers electronic reading. He does Yoga habitually, which provides him with focus and concentration. Badminton is something he loves to do otherwise to keep him energetic and healthy 

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FEATURE

The photographer’s strength is to convey a context, for his subject and the location. If the picture has proved an imagination of a specific story in the viewer, then the purpose is achieved, by this photograph.

Vinod Kumar

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Photography K

ick start your imagination. This is a narration of a picture. A photograph. He stood still for a moment. He was climbing the steps. With one foot on a step higher and the other foot on the lower step, there seemed to a movement of the subject.

A male figure called “Bensen�.

The yellow grills were thick and bold. The entire photograph had a gothic sentiment. The subject, Bensen looked sure and purposeful and yet a little lost to any specific activity. The direction was clearly upward. Bensen stood with the grill in front and the stone wall behind.

A gate with fabrication of metal, synchronized with the fence. This gate and fence added volume to the heavy body in the picture. All these formed the middle ground.

Below the grilled fence, we see the depth and a lower level from the steps. This contributes a lot of shadow that complements the bright white sunlight above.

Such contrasts have worked well to contribute much meaning to the picture.

Both feet and the hands are visible of the subject Bensen.

A sense of completeness in the subject is essential to give the photograph; it's needed idea of legitimacy.

The immediate, back drops are made from heavy granite stone. It is in a studied formation and a strong wall. As if to kill the

monotony, the next background is lush green and a rich forest.

The depth of field, as if the eyes can travel through far, right into the horizon. And much white sun light is visible among the gaps of the trees. All these, fore ground, middle ground and multiple layers of backgrounds provide a great appeal. Then, is the firm and sure formations. All the geometrics are strong and clear.

Vertical lines, horizontal, circular and angular shapes are incorporated. The picture has a value of a rural and extremely rustic character. The male subject Bensen shares screen space with each and every other factor and component that is visible. No, one part, inside this picture can stand alone. Therefore the composition looks full and total.

The use of outdoor sun light is impressive. Especially on the dark fluffy jacket of Bensen, the light falls on the arm, sleeves and collars. This gives the needed definitions of contours and curves in the dressing. The Architectural accentuation in the ascending frontage and descending tail part bring forth the cultural spirit in photography. Over twenty shades of grey have been produced by light, shades and shadows.

There is an intrigue about the discovery of such location where the green forest is in the upper half of the picture.

The forms, shapes, light and colours all, work in harmony.

These compositions of items that complements one another,

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must, fill in the blank space behind the subject, “Bensen”. The space at the tail end seems to be empty. A still object or a different colour on the floor of the tail end was needed as a filler. That space, proportionately looks empty. Well, nothing is perfect from the scrutiny of a critique. Any which way, this is shot in a mobile cellular phone. This is evidence that everybody who has near, ten mega pixel camera, fitted into a smart phone, can become a photo artist.

Good imagination of the story behind a visual and quick processing of technicality of location is needed. Then you can capture the event or situation in the equipment that is fitted into your smart phone.

You can get visibility on applications such as instagram. You can develop your own photo blog. And migrate yourself to a new photography hobby. Photo journalism is a full time career that has become trendy. An eye for the unique story, that generally misses the attention of the people, such observation can get you glory in the media industry.

Many activities are possible when you begin to own the smartphone. Most of all, you are now the Author and the publisher.

The social media can give many opportunities for you to publish your content.

effortlessly drives the movement of the eyes of the viewer. Where ever the eyes fall, it is then guided like a walk through to all parts inside this frame.

There is richness in the expression. Pleasant and comforting attire. A calculated smile. And a bit dab of melancholy has the viewer, taste a little drama of the director.

In all, one would be safe to rate it towards the winning grade.

The photographer’s strength is to convey a context, for his subject and the location. If the picture has proved an imagination of a

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specific story in the viewer, then the purpose is achieved, by this photograph. The fulfillment in the photographer is in the imparting and the impact of the, message in the viewer. The judges will qualify also, the ability of this photographic work, to communicate.

A good photograph is an award in itself to the art of visual communication. Really, words may be able to render the true sense, of the photographer’s intentions. As is the author to a script, so is the photographer to a picture.

In this photograph, the clicker

A great photograph, good technical understanding of photograph, some imagination can develop your art sense. Narrating the photograph into a technique of storytelling can make you a journalist and reporter.

Many activities are possible when you begin to own the smartphone. Most of all, you are now the Author and the publisher.

The social media can give many opportunities for you to publish your content. Finally the saying is, that the content is king, but the promotion is the Queen. So begin photography, write the narration and then publish your work.

Now, is the exercise for the reader. Simply read carefully with full attention. Then, keep ready a pencil and paper. Now, make a sketch to illustrate in picture form, the story that you have read. It is then, that this communication is complete 

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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.

I fear that the current Demonetisation drive would result in the emergence of the “Inspector Raj”, which would hurt the honest taxpayer. The Government would issue necessary instructions on how the tax administration would work keeping in mind, an honest tax payer.

T

he Government has decided to discontinue the legal tender character of ‘Higher Denomination Bank Notes’ (HDN) of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 with effect from November 9, 2016.In other words, such notes will not be legal tenders from midnight of November 8, 2016. Old HDN can be exchanged or deposited in banks till December 30, 2016. After announcing such Demonetisation, people have started worrying about the tax implications even in the case of genuine savings deposited into the bank account.In this article, I intend to cover some of the key principles, which have emerged from various judicial precedents that would help tax payers with genuine savings deposited into their bank accounts.

Would penalty apply in the case of all deposits made?

The Supreme Court in a judgment pronounced in 1963 held that as long as an assessee is able to substantiate that the cash so deposited formed part of his cash balance with the source of such deposit being well explained, the question of treating such deposit as undisclosed income would not arise.

Hence, in the current scenario, as long as a taxpayer is able to explain the reasons for maintaining such cash along with the source of such money, he would be well insulated.

Additionally, based on the

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current language of the penalty provisions, unless the Revenue authorities are clearly able to establish a “willful attempt” to evade taxes, such impact would not arise. Further, one could also argue that as long as the income reported by the taxpayer and the assessed income is the same, consequences of penalty and prosecution would not arise.

Need for maintenance of accounts?

The Supreme Court in a judgment pronounced in 1956 held that if there is no reason to doubt the genuineness of the financial statements of the taxpayer, the question of taxing such HDN deposits would not arise. Hence, it is imperative that the financial statements duly reflect the cash position along with the source of the same.

Courts have also taken a view that a taxpayer should explain the sudden increase in his cash balance. Hence, in the case of a sudden increase in cash balance, there is an exposure that the cash so deposited could be treated as undisclosed income. However, I am of the view that as long as the source of such income is well captured and duly explained, the mere increase in cash balance cannot be a ground for treating such HDN deposit as undisclosed income.

Should such ‘HDN’ be separately disclosed in the

Demonetisation What the Courts have to say?

books of accounts?

The Patna High Court in a judgment pronounced in 1955 held that no penal consequence could emanate solely on the ground that the taxpayer did not separately disclose the HDN received. As mentioned above, as long as the source of the same is well substantiated and duly captured in the financial statements, such additional disclosure would not be required.

What if personal savings are deposited back into the bank

account?

The said issue has been extensively dealt with by various High Courts. As a generic principle, as long as the taxpayer is able to substantiate that the sums so deposited represent personal savings, which were previously offered to tax, the re-deposit of such sums would not be treated as undisclosed income.

My concluding remarks I would hope that the abovementioned principles would help

the reader. I fear that the current Demonetisation drive would result in the emergence of the “Inspector Raj”, which would hurt the honest taxpayer. I would hope that the Government would issue necessary instructions on how the tax administration would work keeping in mind, an honest taxpayer. It would be unfortunate if the honest taxpayer is put to difficulty, thereby skittling the good intention of such drive 

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After A Double Blow Where Are Indian Equities Headed?

With the Demonetisation having its own implication in shortterm as well as longterm, here we are discussing our view on what to expect from markets after the occurrence of these two events- US Presidential elections and Demonetisation.

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G

lobal equity markets witnessed a lot of volatility in the month of November.

And, the reason behind the high amount of volatility was uncertainty and anxiety of global investors ahead of the US Presidential elections. While leading equity markets had this one reason to remain volatile as Donald Trump snatched a surprising victory, Indian equity market participants faced another major issue– Demonetisation announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

With the Demonetisation having its own implication in short-term as well as long-term, here we are discussing our view on what to expect

from markets after the occurrence of these two events.

Let’s first take a look at a global event first. Ahead of the US presidential elections, most of the market experts had predicted that if Trump wins, it will be a doomsday scenario. However, the actual impact post his election victory is dramatically different. While many on the street were expecting a negative impact on markets, we were quite confident about his ability to understand the economic scenario. Rather we were not negative on Trump and his policies, simply because of the fact that, he has been handling one of the larg-

est, profits, making business successfully for long time. This clearly indicates that his understanding of economics would be much better.

Another advantage is that now the US Congress and Senate are both controlled by Republicans. This will actually help push Trump’s growth agenda. Had there been a different situation, implementation would have been difficult. One of the leading fund managers quoted that “Most western economies have been relying on the lifeline of monetary stimulus without much of policy action to drive longer term growth in the economy. The tax cuts, infrastructure investments and focus on manufacturing pro-

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With old currency notes being banned, it is expected to be a major blow to real estate companies. But, with demand at right price being there, affordable housing at right levels would be seen as a good news for new home buyers.

posed by Trump should be positive for the US Economy”. In simple terms, it will also be inflationary long term and as such could mean a sharper increase in interest rates than what is being currently budgeted. However, this would be too early to comment on the same and this being a moving picture, we may have to analyse it further when the actual event occurs. Now, as Trump takes Charge from January 20th, 2017 all eyes would be on what stance he take for interest rates.

As regards the Indian markets with Trump being elected as president, there are more positives than the negative. The hawkish trade policy of America would mean some negative impact on trade treaties. However, we think India has been in the good books, unlike China (criticised openly by Trump).

It would be India’s gain. From an Indian perspective, the impact at all could be felt by the IT Industry if there is some action on Visas etc. However, on the other hand, if growth actually picks up due to growth-friendly measures it could mean more business. Further, Trump would be also focusing on wooing the Indian students and entrepreneurs.

As far as Demonetisation is considered, it really came as a surprise to everyone. However, we think the timing was absolute ‘Bulls Eye’. Simply put, along with the volatility in global markets, this news would also get diluted. We opine, the move is quite positive and will only make Indian economy

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further strong. It is true that some short term hiccups may occur, but some amount of pain in short term would result in a much larger benefit in long term. Many may also argue that (opposition parties as expected are doing that) it may not work. However, one needs to understand that things are much different today given the prevalence of technology, monitoring and the growth of cashless transactions.

This Demonetisation is surely going to be very different from the past. Apart from that, with GST likely to become a reality over the next six months, a combination of this move of Demonetisation and introduction of new currency notes will lead to a huge increase in the formal economy and be a death knell for the black economy.

There are few factors we need to understand, first is it may slow down the economy in the short run. As cash crunch (not actual) hits the system given the fact that India is still largely a cash economy given the huge rural population it will impact consumption, transactions, investments etc essentially the entire cycle in the rural economy. However, we have a great penetration in rural areas and good infrastructure as well to handle the situation. Just to put the things in perspective, we have seen Aadhar connected cash collection centres with three-way authorization machines. Further, with financial inclusion been on the Government agenda and efforts are being seen to open more rural branches. Add to that the good penetration of internet and smart phones; there

has been lot of improvement on the technological front. Though there would be some hiccups in terms of providing new currency note to the many interior areas, we expect that changes would happen soon.

So, in near term, it may affect the consumption driven story in India.

Like the FMCG products that are majorly driven by the rural demand may witness some slow down. However, we expect it to be a very short term phenomenon.

The second factor is that tax revenues of Government and Bank Deposits would increase for sure.

This will result in improved liquidity in the system. As regards the taxes, we have already seen that as the pending municipal taxes are being accepted in cash, there has been a consistent increase in municipal tax collection. We expect it boost the infrastructure spending done by Municipal Corporations as well. As regards the bank increased Bank Deposits, it may result in reduced lending rates going ahead.

We have already seen a few banks slashing the deposit rates. Though it may happen after one-quarter, it would be a positive news for India Inc. As regards the real estate, it is known fact that realty has been seen as one investment that attracts loads of black money. Rather with the builders in major cities going ahead with higher cash components and even the resellers also adopting the similar practice, generation of black money and usage is high in realty segment. With old currency notes being banned,

it is expected to be a major blow to real estate companies. But, with demand at right price being there, affordable housing at right levels would be seen as a good news for new home buyers. The report by leading real estate research firm shows that there has been a considerable reduction in new launch.

While it can be taken a positive factor for home buyers, realty builders would have a tough time in terms of attracting investors.

Apart from real estate, we expect a short-term effect on sectors like eateries and food joints. A lot of cash component was being used at restaurants and online food joints

or food chains. It includes the chains like Pizza Hut, Dominos, and McDonalds apart from the coffee shops like Café Coffee Day or Barista’s. Already the footfalls are low and we expect lower footfalls in next two-quarters as well.

As regards the growth, it will be higher in the long run. As mentioned earlier, a combination of GST and Demonetisation will boost economic growth by 200 basis points from FY18. Realty may get affected for some time as historically, realty as an asset class has attracted lot of unaccounted money in terms of investment.

short term FII outflow may be seen as a worry. However, as we move ahead towards Q4FY17, things would improve. India has been a great consumption led story and it would remain so even after these two events. It is true that the consumption story may be a bit slow in next quarter. However, it is on the back drop of a much larger longterm positive. It is possible that FIIs may pull out money from Indian equities in short term as global equities are also volatile. However, as the scenario will improve, FIIs will be back to Indian equity markets with a larger chunk 

As for Indian equities, some

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MOTIVATION

Dolly Neena Dolly Neena is founder of Young Wing, a training company born out of a noble cause and spirit.

She holds a decade long experience being a passionate mentor and entrepreneur.

I

n this chapter, let’s have a look at a very difficult, but extremely important element in our personal, social and professional lives – Ethics. This one behavioral aspect highlights every human being on their deeds in private and public.

Sometimes, they are judged rightly or wrongly by the ethics they exemplify.

What is Ethics? Moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity. Simply put, ethics is a system of moral principles. The key moral principles like dignity, integrity, equality, honesty, diversity, accountability, commitment, fairness and individual rights are to be demonstrated respectfully in public in order to be appreciated of good ethical behaviour. From childhood, the society and family get us adhere to certain moral principles, which they think are fair. Growing up in consistence with what the society and individuals think are good values, is the game.

Throughout the educational realm, our teachers and the institutions struggle to reinforce these values for you to concrete it in your character, if you may please. When you opt a career, the organization specifies what acceptable behaviour within the

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In the organizational world, employees are stringently expected to uphold a high level of integrity and manners, whether it be towards a client or the peers. It is directly co-related to the organization’s reputation and the culture it broadcasts to the public.

premises is. The induction training imparts needed organizational value orientation as required by the company norms. Thus, all throughout a human being’s life, the dos and the don’ts are specified clearly so that the individual thoroughly understands what’s fair and what’s not. To act in tandem with the good morals you are expected to embody, is sometimes a tough call on many who wants it the easy way out.

In the organizational world, employees are stringently expected to uphold a high level of integrity and manners, whether it be towards a client or the peers. It is directly co-related to the organization’s reputation and the culture it broadcasts to the public. It’s moral and professional principles definitely should be strengthened by the people involved, like the stakeholders, board of directors, senior executives, resellers, partners or franchisee bearers. An organization’s mission and vision also are directly aligned with its ethical principles. The term ‘corporate culture’ is considered as extremely important and, as a matter of fact, portrayed impeccably towards the society as a means of brand building, hiring and exponential growth. Like Google, when employees are satisfied in

what they receive from company’s end and speak supportive and motivational about it, that enhances team building and eventually the end results.

Excerpts from a survey conducted to find the top 25 companies for its culture and values, says: “If you think of the Twitter platform, it’s all about transparent communication, letting your point of view be known. Inside the walls, we saw this theme of open communication, not being afraid to voice your opinion. It’s interesting that what’s valued on the platform is exactly how employees interact as well.”

While the list is studded with familiar tech names like Google, Riverbed, and Citrix, a broad array of companies are represented, including grocers Wegmans and H-E-B, retailers Nike and REI, Southwest Airlines, and the Walt Disney Company.

Chevron also makes the list, with employees speaking highly of the energy provider’s strict adherence to company principles.

They do feel that the culture that works with one company may not work for another. Most of the companies like Google,

Values are built, not bought!

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Zappos, Twitter, Square Space, REI, Facebook, Adobe etc. Who comes on top to be the most sought after in the world, starts with a cultural fit interview, gives utmost importance to the values the candidate upholds, and are known to give employees “a life to their purpose”. The companies are known to give the employees “culture crushes”, one reason that uplifts the level of success with team work, and “permission” to go extra mile to make their customers delighted. People do what they are rewarded for doing. Organizations thus roots their vision and mission and to align its employees and clients to it. The right mindset of employees is excitedly convinced that for a larger common goal and a larger purpose, they are to follow certain strong ethics and moral values, which in turn will lead to a successful business set-up.

Factors such as knowledge, personality, mind conditioning, personal goals and morals affect a person’s ethical behavior at work.

Coating up lies to your client or competitor to gain benefits, taking

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credit for somebody’s work, leaking official information for external profits, entertaining bribes, going out of the way or illegally to attain professional growth, molesting a fellow colleague for sheer personal interest, biased approaches etc. are instances for unethical practices inside workplace. Every person in an organization is morally responsible for his or her own behavior; it defines a collective effort because they are fundamental to trust and to team relationships that necessitate risk. Each individual should put in a deliberate effort to determine the core values that guides the organization that feeds on it, and try to imbibe those in their own lives. But, most of the times, we do see that human beings often behave irrationally - they follow their 'gut instinct' even when their head recommends a different sequence of action. Virtue and wisdom is built, not bought. Values are instigated and cultivated by self.

Like every other productive habits, this also takes copious difficulty in the beginning. However, when grown it fosters self-esteem and

augments confidence.

As we saw before, just like each company differs in its culture, every individual differs in a way or other from the up bringing sand credentials they emerge from.

Hence, the outlook towards morality also changes. Their basic values and fundamental principles might also differ, which will undeniably reflect in their workplace behavior too. Perceptions towards obedience to law of the land, organizational regulations and societal protocols also will vary. Ethical behaviour is mostly value driven. It varies across geographies and cultures. Basically, an individual’s characteristic traits can affect an individual’s ethics.

It’s in your own best interests, learn to adapt into your organizational values and policies as much as you can. This will catalyze your liaison with the company and make way for avenues that open your dynamic growth inside the organization. Modelling by yourself and encouraging your peers will help set the pleasant moral climate of the organization.

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GADGETS

OnePlus 3T

MRP: `27,999 (approximately)

       

Android 7.0 OS 16 MP Primary Camera 16 MP Secondary Camera 5.5 inches Display 6 GB RAM 64 GB Internal Memory 3300 mAh Battery Capacity 1.6 GHz quad-core Processor

Vivo V5

MRP: `17, 980 (approximately)

  

     

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Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS 13 MP Primary Camera 20 MP Secondary Camera (special feature) 5.5 inch HD Display 4 GB RAM 32 GB Internal Memory 128 GB Expandable Memory 3000 mAh Battery Capacity 1.5 GHz Octa core Processor

Panasonic P71

MRP: ` 8,190 (approximately)

        

Android 6.0 Marshmallow 8 MP Primary Camera 2 MP Secondary Camera 5 inches HD Display 2 GB RAM 16 GB Internal Memory 32 GB Expandable Memory 2000 mAh Battery Capacity 1.25 GHz Quad core Processor

Lenovo Phab2 Plus

MRP: ` 14,999 (approximately)         

Android 6.0 Marshmallow 13 MP Primary Camera 8 MP Secondary Camera 4 inches HD Curved Display 3 GB RAM 32 GB Internal Memory 128 GB Expandable Memory 4050 mAh Battery Capacity 1.3 GHz Octa core Processor

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COOKERY

Toshma Biju

BLUE VELVET CAKE Ingredients

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Maida........................... 2 1/2 cups Cocoa powder............... 1 tablespoon Baking soda.................. 1/2 teaspoon Sugar............................ 2 cups +2cups Eggs.............................. 2nos Blue food colouring...... 2 ounces Salt............................... 1 teaspoon Buttermilk.................... 1 cup Vanilla extract............... 1 teaspoon Vinegar......................... 1 tablespoon Cream cheese............... 1 cup Butter........................... 1/2 cup Marshmallows.............. 1 cup Shredded coconut........ 1 cup Nuts.............................. 1 cup

Method Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour baking dish.

In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter, mix until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix well. Add food colouring and vanila together and then add to sugar mixture. Sift together flour, salt,and cocoa. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk.In a small bowl, combine baking soda and vinegar and add to mixture.

Pour batter into pans.Bake for 25 minutes.Remove from heat and cool completely before frosting.

Method Blend cream cheese and butter together in a mixing bowl.

Add marshmallows and sugar and blend. Fold in coconut and nuts. Spread between layers and on top and sides of cooled cake.

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RED VELVET CAKE

Ingredients

Method

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour baking dish.

Sift the measured flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together- do it at least twice. Whisk the cocoa, food colouring, and water in a small bowl until smooth.

Beat the measured butter. Add the buttermilk until the mixture has lightened in colour and become fluffy. Add the eggs (one at a time), the vanilla, and the orange zest .Add the cocoa mixture and mix until evenly incorporated. Alternately, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture, until just incorporated.

Divide the batter between the cake pans and spread the tops evenly with the spoon or spatula. Bake until a cake about 30 minutes. Remove it from the oven and let the cakes cool in their pans on a rack for 10 minutes.

Maida........................... 2 3/4 cups Baking powder.............. 2 teaspoons Baking soda.................. 1/4 teaspoon Cocoa powder............... 1/4 cup Salt............................... 2 teaspoons Red food colouring....... 2 tablespoons Unsalted butter............ 1cup Granulated sugar.......... 2 cups Eggs.............................. 3nos Vanilla extract............... 1 teaspoons Orange zest.................. 1 tablespoon Buttermilk.................... 1 cup

For Icing For Icing

• • •

Butter........................... 1/2 cup Cream cheese............... 1 cup Powdered sugar............ 4 cups

Beat the butter in a large bowl using an electric mixer until creamy.

Add the cream cheese and beat until the mixture is fluffy. Add the powdered sugar (1 cup at a time), beating for 30 seconds after each addition, until the mixture is creamy. Spread between layers and on top and sides of cooled cake.

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BUTTER CAKE

Ingredients

• • • • • • • • • •

Unsalted butter............... 1 cup+4 table. spoons Sugar............................... 1 3/4 cups Vanilla essence................ 2 teaspoons Egg.................................. 4nos Maida.............................. 2 1/2 cups Baking powder................. 2 teaspoons Baking soda..................... 1/2 teaspoon Milk................................. 2/3 cup Buttermilk....................... 1/3 cup Salt.................................. 1/2 teaspoon

Method Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease cake pans with baking paper.

Sieve all maida, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl.

Add salt and whisk together. Keep it aside.

In a bowl, mix butter, castor sugar and vanilla until it turns light and fluffy. Add the eggs(one at a time), beating to combine. Add the buttermilk and beat. Add the flour.

Next add a little milk and stir to combine. Divide the cake batter equally into the two greased and lined pans. Bake for one hour or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes.

Slice and serve.

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CARROT CAKE

Ingredients

Method

• • • • • • • • • •

Preheat the oven for 15 minutes at 180 degree C. Grease the baking tray and dust flour.

Mix maida, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together, sieve twice and keep it aside.Beat eggs with an electric mixer. Add sugar and vanilla essence.

Beat till sugar dissolves. Then, slowly add 1 cup of oil and beat it well. Then, mix in grated carrot and chopped walnuts.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 180 degree C or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Maida.............................. 2 cups Baking soda..................... 1 teaspoon Baking powder................. 1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon powder........... 1 1/2 teaspoons Egg.................................. 4nos Sugar............................... 1 1/2 cups Vegetable oil..................... 1 cup Vanilla extract.................. 2 teaspoons Walnuts........................... 100 grams(chopped) Carrot.............................. 1/2 cup(grated)

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BEAUTY

Delete the dots:

7 effective steps to reduce pimples

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t is perfectly natural to wake up with these round shaped elevations on your face. During puberty, the hormonal changes in your body lead to several drastic changes and development of pimples is one of them. To those who are sceptic about their facial beauty, pimples can be a big drawback. For many, pimples form in abundance and it can be quite exasperating unless you are a fan of ‘Malar’. But, this growth rate can be reduced and, to an extent, avoided. Here are ten effective steps that will help you;

Ice cubes This is a very simple process and it requires a couple of minutes of your time. Put two ice cubes inside a clean cotton cloth. Press this against the pimples for a minute and then repeat the process a couple of times. Do this every day and the pimples will go.

Steam bath Just like you do when you get the flu, get a warm steam bath by exposing before the steam for a couple of minutes. Do this twice a day. It will help in opening the pores, and the sweating will clean the face of dirt and oil. And, it will also kill all the pathogens present on your face.

Lemon Take lemon syrup and apply uniformly on your face. Vitamin C in lemon is healthy for the skin and it will help in drying the pimples quickly. Apply this before going to bed and wash your face well before waking up. Ensure that you use fresh lemon and not bottles juice as the latter contains preservatives and other added contents.

Honey Bring some sweetness as well as saltiness into the equation. Mix

honey with a pinch of salt and apply it on your face. Wash it with warm water after 15 minutes.

Papaya pulp Take fresh ripe papaya and paste it before applying it. Leave it for about 20 minutes and rinse your face lightly with water if it dries quickly. Wash your face in warm water and use a face wash instead of soap to avoid alkalinity.

Papaya's anti-oxidant contents will help in extinguishing the problems.

Egg white If you like eggs then you will love this technique. Take egg white and apply it uniformly and ensure that you don't touch your eyebrows or eye region. Wash it after 15 minutes to know the result.

Cucumber Juice Cut the cucumber into the slices and put it in drinking water for one hour. Water soluble nutrients and vitamins will get transferred into the water. Remove the cucumber and drink this. Do this five times a day to bring in the necessary components to duel with pimple inducing agents.

These techniques will surely help you maintain your facial appearance. Excelsior! ď Ź

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Cuba was a multi-ethnic country. Beautiful beaches, heritage sites, natural beauty, castles, churches, historical sites turned this country an attractive tourist destination.

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a trip to latin american red fort

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T

he communism was a complicated political theory. Prior to the soviet disintegration, it acquired the confidence of at least two-third people living on our earth. Later, it lost its growth phase and shrank largely.

But, some communist countries did not let it to die. The people living in those countries defended it and continued to lead their communist life happily. Cuba, popularly known as the ‘Communist Cuba’, was one such country.

Cuba located in the northern Caribbean was originally inhabited

by Amerindian tribes prior to the Spanish colonialization. In 1898, the US army liberated Cuba, giving the country into the hands of another dictator. Fulgencio Batista was a ruthless ruler. While the Cubans were struggling under the dictator’s regime, the communist ideologies slowly made their way

into their heart. Finally, in 1959, the communist fighters ousted Batista and established a new ‘Communist Republic’ under Fidel Castro. Since then, the country was ruled by the Communist Party of Cuba.

Cuba was a multi-ethnic country. The tribal life, colonial invasion, communist establishment, and migrant infiltration contributed rich, diverse, culture and heritage to this Island nation comprising of the island of Cuba, Isla de la Juventud, and several other islands.

Beautiful beaches, heritage sites, natural beauty, castles, churches, historical sites turned this country an attractive tourist destination.

Old Havana, Varadero, Trinidad, Guardalavaca, Playa Paraiso, Cayo Largo del Sur, Cayo Coco, Parque Nacional Vinales, Baracoa, Malecon, Santa Clara, Castillo de

San Pedro del Morro, Peninsula de Zapata, ParqueHistoricoMilitar, Plaza de la Revolucion, and et al are the most attractive tourist locations in Cuba.

When you start a Cuban trip, we should keep one thing in your mind: everything that you are going to watch here will be different and informative, and you should not try to make a hurry-burry trip.

Before planning a Cuban trip, you should make a detailed background research.

Old Havana, a world heritage site situated in the country, is a well-maintained region consisting of several historic sites. Plaza de la Catedral, Bodeguitadel Medio, and Castillo de la Real Fuerza are the prominent tourist centres in the region.

You can freely roam around the city watching several historic locations, acquiring some precious knowledge, and listening to the music of the wind. Havana will not make you feel bored. Before leaving the city, you must pay a visit to Plaza Vieja, one of the most vibrant gathering places in the region.

Let your mind relax. Give it to feel a warm sea breeze. Visit Varadero, a beautiful beach destination.

There are several beachside hotels and resorts situated along the beach.

You can check into any of them.

It might be a bit expensive. Apart from beaches, you can see small lakes, elegant restaurants, and flower gardens here. Moreover, you can try some sea adventures like snorkelling and diving. In addition, you can experience skydiving, deep-sea fishing and several other adventures here.

CayoPiedra Underwater Park is the best place to explore the undersea world. It is one of the popular tourist locations in this region.

Again, we will go back to the heritage sites. Trinidad, a UNESCO World Heritage Location, will take you back to the 17th century.

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To get a glimpse of communist revolution, you can visit Santa Clara. Still, you can feel the heat of communist revolution in this soil. It is a university town, where the Communist hero, Che Guevara, had led his last battle against the Cuban dictator in 1958. Notably, Che’s body is buried here.

It is blessed with restored buildings and architecture, ancient statues, and cobblestone streets. It definitely caters a colonial feel. It is learned that this site was constructed during the colonial era.

You cannot avoid this city from your bucket list even if you hate to visit the historical location and heritage sites. You must closely listen to those pillars and walls located in

this heritage city they might have thousands of stories to narrate.

You must visit Church of Holy Trinity, Church and Monastery of Saint Francis, Plaza Mayor, Museum of Colonial Architecture, Palacio Brunet, Casa de Aldeman Ortiz, and Sancti Spiritus.

It is a wrong thing to prejudicially judge that Cuba is all about

beaches and heritage sites. Cuba has a vibrant agricultural culture.

They have numerous agricultural lands, plantations, and agro-businesses.

Parque Nacional Vinales, situated in the north of Pinar del Rio, is a valley in the Sierra de losOrganos. Nearby the park, there are several agricultural sites cultivating tobacco, fruits, and vegetables.

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Playa Paraiso, popularly known as ‘Paradise Beach’, is one of the country’s best beaches.

You can hire a horse and explore the agricultural sites, if you want to learn more about the Cuban agricultural styles and methods.

To get a glimpse of communist revolution, you can visit Santa Clara. Still, you can feel the heat of communist revolution in this soil.

It is a university town, where the Communist hero, Che Guevara, had led his last battle against the Cuban dictator in 1958. Notably, Che’s body is buried here.

In this region, you can see

several museums, like Memorial Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara, MuseoHistorico de la Revolucion, and Monumento a la TomadelTrenBlindado, showcasing the rich revolution stories.

There is a bronze statue of the Cuban’s beloved hero, Che, in this region. Besides the statue, there is a statue of letter that showcases the last letter send by Che to Castro.

Apart from these revolution memories, Santa Clara is famous for their exceptional theatre

arts. Teatro de la Caridad, one of country’s few surviving theatres, is located in this city.

Plaza de la Revolucion is another revolution memorial. In front of this memorial, there stands an attractive statue of the Cuban national hero, Jose Marti.

This memorial is the most important location in the country.

It is considered as a prestigious site by the Cubans.

We can go back to beaches.

After a tiring trip, we will definitely look forward to grab some rest.

Playa Paraiso, popularly known as ‘Paradise Beach’, is one of the country’s best beaches. The white sand beaches, pure blue sea, and calm atmosphere rejuvenate your soul. It is really a paradise. It is defiantly a perfect place to relax your body as well as your soul.

Anyway, it is advised that you should not try typical Cuban dishes unless you are a food freak. Cuban cuisine is the fusion of the Caribbean and Spanish dishes.

This communist bastion has thousands of stories to share. It is a friendly nation. Visit this communist paradise, at least once. Before leaving Cuba, don’t forget to try a Cuban cigar 

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AUTO REVIEW

VIVEK VENUGOPAL

Fortuner Second Gen

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Toyota decided it was time to bring in the new, Second Generation Fortuner.

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E

ver since it hit our markets in 2009, there has been no slowing down for the Fortuner sales. It laughed at the face of an economic slowdown, rising interest rates, and strict NGT rules. The love for the Toyota brand was blinding enough, but people queued to buy what was actually a well accomplished SUV. Now, with competition such as the Fortuner and Trailblazer getting more hightech, Toyota decided it was time to bring in the new, second generation Fortuner.

For a start, it looks more upmarket than the outgoing car.

There are more styling elements and better curves in place of the functional exteriors of the original.

The slim headlamps now feature LED units and extend all the way to the grille. There are ample lashings of chrome at the front, along with the window lines on the sides and at the rear. The new Fortuner is based on the latest generation Hilux pickup truck. This is an old school SUV in terms of its ladder frame construction, but underneath it has one the toughest and proven chassis you will find. The updated chassis has been further strengthened with new cross members and given beefed up suspension mounts designed for longer suspension travel. The Fortuner is now longer, wider and about 200 kgs heavier than the version it replaces.

The bigger changes are to be seen on the inside. The utilitarian dashboard has been replaced with a, new, premium dashboard with matching door trim. The instrument console is all new and looks contemporary. The prominent centre console houses the touch screen and HVAC controls. The steering wheel is nice to hold and the driving position is good. Some parts of the dashboard and door pads look average in quality. You get numerous equipments, like leather

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seats, cruise control, paddle shifts, up and down hill assist, ESP, seven airbags etc. But, the Fortuner misses out on features like sunroof, dual zone climate control etc at this price.

One the driving department, it is massively improved with better steering response and nicer body control. There is less body roll and the car feels more eager to turn into a corner despite the additional weight. Straight-line stability has also improved and unlike the

earlier car, you can now confidently carry more speed on the highway- thanks to massively improved brakes. There are also several areas that could have been better. The ride quality is still bouncy and has only seen marginal improvements.

The car is never really settled on the move. The four-wheel drive variant gets 18-inch rims instead of the 17-inch ones on the twowheel drive variant, while both get adequately grippy 265 section tyres with different aspect ratios.

The Fortuner is powered by the same 177 Bhp 2.8 litre four cylinder diesel used in the Innova Automatic. Throttle response is quite sharp in Power mode and the car leaps forward eagerly. The Fortuner

is available in manual and auto variants with 420Nm and 450Nm torque respectively. The 6-speed manual gearbox has a new shorter shift lever in place of the original’s tall, commercial truck style unit.

It also blips the throttle a little to match your engine speed with the road speed while changing gears.

The six-speed automatic is particularly smooth shifting, although it is a bit lazy at delivering downshifts, beeping when you ask for it while waiting for the rpm to drop. In both variants, it is best to upshift early as the engine only produces healthy power up to 3500rpm after which it gets too noisy.

The Fortuner gets a new selectable four-wheel drive system in place of the earlier full-time allwheel drive version. It is thus more efficient when driven in two-wheel drive mode. The system also uses individual wheel braking to simulate a limited slip differential when required.

The new Fortuner is better equipped, feels more premium and luxurious than the one it replaces.

Then, there is the air of indestructibility surrounding it and the peace of mind with that Toyota badge upfront. But, it all comes to a price that is Rs.27.52 – 31.12 lakhs exshowroom, which is a lot more than the outgoing car. It is also the most expensive car of the lot, but will hold its value better than anything else out there 

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MOVIE REVIEW

Dear Zindagi

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he film directed by Gauri Shinde is a physiological drama, which extensively discusses the term: abandonment. It lets us watch the life of a girl who literally fears the abandonment. The film revolves around the prime character: Kaira. Alia Bhatt acts as Kaira. In the film, the king khan of B-town, Shah Rukh Khan, appears as Dr. Jehangir Khan. The film is set in Mumbai and Goa. The central character feels that her parents abandoned her during her childhood. In one point of time, doctor Jug manages to convince Kaira that she should not need to forgive her parents but she can see them as a two individuals who done a wrong thing.

There is an interesting dialogue in the film: “don’t let the past blackmail your present to ruin a beautiful feature.”

Kahaani 2

T

he film directed by Sujoy Ghosh is a thriller drama. Vidya Balan and Arjun Rampal appear in the lead roles. Interestingly, it is not the sequel of the 2012 film Kahaani. The story revolves around Durga Rani Singh. It gives ample opportunity to the leading actress to express her acting skill. Vidya has definitely utilized it extensively. When we compare the film with the 2012 film, we may feel that the suspense element and screen play have not reached up to the mark. We have expected more from the film makers, but the film fails to please our expectation.

Anyway, it is worth to watch. Naisha Khanna appears as child Minnie and Tunisha Sharma acts as young Minnie, demonstrate brilliant acting.

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Underworld: Blood Wars

T

he film directed by Anna Foerster is a fictional adventure. In the movie, Kate Beckinsale appears in the led role as a vampire death dealer. The movie extensively discusses all emotions including anger, fear, and anxiety.

The led character tries to stop an eternal war between the Lycan clans and vampires. The graphics element and cinematography are noteworthy. Karl Walter Lindenlaub has operated the camera for the film. The film written

by Cory Goodman is the fifth film in the underworld series. Apart from Kate, several other actors including Theo James, Tobias Menzies, Charles Dance, and Lara Pulver appear in the film.

Moana

T

he film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studio is a 3D animated musical fantasy. Notably, it is the 56th animated feature film produced by the world renowned company. This animated film is directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. The film revolves around Moana, the beautiful and intelligent daughter of the chief of a Polynesian tribe. The film receives positive response from the audience.

It features the voices of Auli Cravalho, Rachel House, Dwayne Johnson, Jemaine Clement, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, and Alan Tudyk.

The film has so far grossed nearly 109 US dollars worldwide. Notably, Mark Mancina, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Opetaia Foai are the music directors of the movie.

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BOOK REVIEW

Heartless Author : Marissa Meyer Price : `263 (approximately)

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t is a romantic novel revolving around a mysterious girl, Catherine.

In one point of view, the novel talks about romance and love. Is it completely a love story? No. Definitely, it is not. It introduces us an aspirant baker, who loves to develop an excellent bakery. But, the faith is always an unpredictable subject. It often plays ruthless tricks to shatter the dreams of common people. Ignoring the King’s proposal, our girl falls in love with an ordinary man. Very soon, it transforms into an illicit affair infuriating the King and her parents.

Will she accomplish her dream and love? You can expect an unexpected climax.

The Sun Is Also a Star Author : Nicola Yoon Price : `361 (approximately)

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t is an attractive love story. It revolves around Natasha and Daniel.

If we do a character wise analysis, both of them possess entirely different characters. The former is a realistic girl who loves science and facts, and hates unscientific subjects like fate and destiny. The latter is an innocent boy who unexpectedly fell in love with a strange girl. The author uses an entirely different approach to explain these characters.

By simultaneously highlighting two different characters, the author enables us to approach the same story in two different viewpoints.Anyway, both characters strongly believe that at least one million futures lie between them. Their only confusion is that which one will come true.

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BOOK REVIEW

Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In Author : Bernie Sanders Price : `1104 (approximately)

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he book discusses Bernie’s presidential campaign. The most noticed name in the US political hemisphere, Bernie Sanders, gains prominence after his historic election campaign. Even though he does not make into the Democrat presidential candidateship, he is still considered as one of the most powerful competent that the US election has ever seen. His anti-capitalist views and liberal attitude attract millions of voters. In his exceptional campaign style, the money, media support, and corporate backing have little voice. He calls his campaign: a revolution, a populist war against the capitalistic establishment. It is definitely a reference book, which elucidates the need of a humanistic approach.

It further redefines the prominence of a political campaign, and pro-people movement.

Cooking for Jeffrey: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook Author : Ina Garten Price : `1431 (approximately)

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he writer likes to cook for those people, whom she loves. She definitely care, love and admire her husband, Jeffrey. In her book, she includes those recipes, which often get good review from her lovely husband. Definitely, she believes those recipes are the best. Chicken dishes, special fish dishes, salads, desserts are some of the recipes included in the book. It is a perfect reference book for your cooking experiments. From a variety lunch to an exceptional dinner, the book discusses everything related to the modern recipes. The writer incorporates several, personal, stories in an effort to create enthusiasm among the readers. Notably, in this special edition, the writer reserves a page entirely for cheese and bread.

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Printed On 01/ 12/ 2016

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RNI Reg No. KERENG/2011/42633

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