Ut dec 2017 2

Vol 7 Issue No.74 Dec 2017 - Jan 2018

Barbados

the paradise of Europeans

WORLD DIABETES DAY BRINGS INDIA’S DIABETES CHALLENGE TO THE FORE Shri V.P. Nandakumar MD & CEO, Manappuram Finance Ltd.

THE IMMACULATE WHITE-BRIGHT EMPIRE & THE MATCHLESS MAN BEHIND M. P. Ramachandran,

Chairman and Managing Director of Jyothy Laboratories

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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 Latha Anand B.S.Krishnan Associates bskrishnanassociates@gmail.com Correspondents Dr. Thomas Nechupadam Vivek Venugopal- Quarter Mile Amrutha V Kumar Karthika S Nair Marketing UAE Phygicart.com P.O. Box: 92546, Al Karama Dubai Mr. Anish K Joy Mob: +971528946999 info@phygicart.com Tamil Nadu Vice president Uma Riyas Khan chennai, Mob: 9841072955 Unique Times, No.6/31, Arunachalam main road, Saligramam, Chennai – 600093 Andhrapradesh & Karnataka PEGASUS Ph: 09288800999 Sunilkumar NN, Saneesh Ashok Your wing Director Shwetha Menon Photographer Ashique Hassan Creative Design PEGASUS Cover Photograph M. P. Ramachandran, Chairman and Managing Director of Jyothy Laboratories 4

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Editorial

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anagement guru, Peter F. Drucker once said: “Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision”.

The success story of Moothedath Panjan Ramachandran, the founder of ‘Jyothy Laboratories’, is the result of a strong decision taken by him around 34 years back. When Ramachandran lost the job in a company where he spent almost 12 years, he firmly decided to start his own venture instead of searching for another job. He started from Rs.5000, the entire savings of his life, and now it has grown into a 2000-crore gigantic diversified entity.

V.P. Nandakumar, the Chairman & MD, Manappuram Finance, in his regular column disseminates the awareness about the diabetes as India is the world diabetes capital now.

He explains the various fights led by Lions Club International (LCI) to save India from the grip of diabetes menace. Rajesh Nair, our expert columnist, reveals the secrets of successful leadership and it is nothing but the management of positives.

Our special auto expert team gives thumbs-up to the new BMW 5 series model 530d. It is a stellar improvement over the outgoing model and BMW has ensured that their top-spec 5er stands out! In travel, our team introduces Barbados, the paradise of Europeans’.

Another fresh issue is here with all regular writings on the stock market, gadgets, banking, beauty, movie review, and book review etc. Hope you enjoy the read!

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CONTENTS

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World diabetes day brings India’s diabetes challenge to the fore

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Key to leadership is the management of positives

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The immaculate white-bright empire & the matchless man behind

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Chinese beauty Honey TianMi wins ‘Manappuram Miss Asia 2017’ title

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Bitter-sweet! diabetic woes! - Dr. Binoy John

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Gadgets

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Recipes

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Five Solutions To Your Skin And Hair Problems

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Barbados the paradise of ‘Europeans'

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BMW G30

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UNIQUE DIARY

Parliament’s winter session likely to begin on December 15

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he winter session of the parliament is likely to begin on mid December. It is going to take place from December fifteen to January five. The announcement regarding the session has been formally made by the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Ananth Kumar.

While making the announcement, he has requested the support of all stakeholders, particularly the support of the opposition parties, for the smooth running of the sessions which are going to take place in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. The dates on which the session is scheduled has been selected by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, which is headed by the Home Minister, Rajnath Singh. The decision regarding the dates was taken in a CCPA committee which took place last week.

Govt to promote cruise tourism

"The common question that gets asked in business is, why?'

That's a good question, but an equally valid question is, why not?"

Jeff Bezos

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n order to strengthen the tourism sector of the country, the central government is set to promote cruise tourism. As part of the cruise tourism project, the Mumbai port will be linked to prominent tourist spots such as Chennai, Cochin and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Importantly, the government also plans to link some prominent ports located in the South East Asian region to extract maximum return from this project. The minister of road transport, highways, shipping and water resources, Nitin Gadkari, has said that the government has already allotted a huge sum of one thousand crore rupees to create a cruise terminal in the commercial capital of the country, Mumbai. At present, the country receives nearly eighty cruise each year. In the immediate future, the numbers are expected to increase rampantly.

Tamil Nadu-based Company to launch electric cars

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Tamil Nadu-based company, Jayem Automotives, is set to launch electric cars. The cars, which are assembled and marked by the company, will supply its first batch of cars in the near future. While speaking to the media personals, the Managing Director of the company, J.Anand, has said that the car, which is powered by an electric drive system developed by Electra EV, is produced in strategic association with the Tata Motors. The company aims to promote widespread use of electric cars across the country. As the world is suffering the consequences of the pollutants emitted by the vehicles, more and more companies are entering the electric cars segment to strengthen the vision of ‘clear world’.

Uber joins hands with Mahindra for deployment of electric vehicles

"The greatest ability in business is to get along with others and to influence their actions."

John Hancock

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ber, the popular taxi aggregator, and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, the automobile giant, have joined hands for deployment of electric vehicles in the former’s fleet in the country. Under the deal, the latter will supply the electric vehicles, such as the e2o plus hatch and eVerito sedan models, and give financial assistance to those who wish to buy the car through the Mahindra Finance.

Importantly, the deal has also covered the sensitive areas such as the insurance, maintenance and other services. The first batch of the electric vehicles under the alliance will be launched on mid 2018. The companies plan to concentrate in Delhi and Hyderabad in the first phase.

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UNIQUE DIARY

Govt hikes incentive rates to encourage readymade garments and made ups export

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he central government has increased the incentive rates of readymade garments and made ups to encourage the export of these goods. As both these sectors are labourintensive sectors, those working in the sectors will get the benefit of this scheme. As per a notice publicized by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, the incentive rate under the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme for readymade garments and made ups has been increased from two per cent to four per cent of the value of export. The notice says that the scheme will come into effect from November 1, 2017. It also says that it will expire on June 30, 2018.

Google launches scholarship to create ‘highly skilled tech workforce’

"If you don't drive your business, you will be driven out of business.

Read more at: https://www. brainyquote.com/topics/business."

Chris Grosser

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n the country from where the technology giants search for the most skilled tech experts, Google, the top technology giant, has launched a new scholarship programme to create ‘highly skilled tech workforce. The programme, which has been introduced in collaboration with some major online education firms such as Pluralsight and Udacity, is likely to help at least one lakh students and developers. Under this programme, the tech giant aims to help the developers and students learn the latest technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality and machine learning. The US based technology leader believes that the programme would help to improve the efficiency of the Indian tech workforce.

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BUSINESS

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

India now holds the unwelcome distinction of the world diabetes capital with as many as 70 million people suffering from the disease, a number projected to increase to 120 million in the next 20 years.

New Delhi, November 13, 2017: At the inauguration of the Lions Clubs International’s Board of Directors meeting, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Science & Technology, lights the ceremonial lamp. He is joined by Ms. Gudrun Yngvadottir (First Vice President) and Chancellor Bob Corlew (Past International President) in the presence of International President Dr. Naresh Aggarwal.

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n November 14, India celebrated Children’s day and also marked the World Diabetes day. In 1922, Frederick Banting discovered insulin and today we acknowledge his work by spreading awareness about diabetes on his birthday.

India now holds the unwelcome distinction of the world diabetes

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capital with as many as 70 million people suffering from the disease, a number projected to increase to 120 million in the next 20 years.

The implications are grim. In a poor country like ours, the average diabetic patient is estimated to spend about Rs 25,000 annually to manage the disease and its associated complications. It has even been reported that diabetes is

an underlying cause in 50 per cent of adult deaths in India. Globally, the prevalence of diabetes has doubled since 1980 rising from 4.7 percent to 8.5 percent in the adult population while the total health expenditure among adults due to the disease is estimated at USD 673 billion.

What is the disease about?

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Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region, with International President, Dr. Naresh Aggarwal.

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Diabetes is a chronic disease occurring when the pancreas is unable to make insulin or when the body is unable to make proper use of the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that allows glucose from the food we eat to pass from the blood stream into the cells in the body to produce energy. All the carbohydrates we consume is broken down into glucose in the blood. Insulin helps glucose get into the cells. The inability to produce insulin or make proper use of it leads to elevated glucose levels in the blood (known as hyperglycaemia). Over the long term, high glucose levels lead to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves.

bacco use can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. In addition diabetes can be treated and its consequences avoided or delayed with medication, regular screening and treatment for complications.

The most common is type 2 diabetes, which occurs usually in adults when the body becomes resistant to insulin or when it doesn't make enough insulin. In the last three decades, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has risen sharply across the world and across all income groups. Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin by itself. A Healthy diet, physical activity and avoiding to-

The mean prevalence of diabetes across all 15 states was 7.3 per cent, with the rates varying from 4.3 per cent in Bihar to 13.6 per cent in Chandigarh. Almost half of the people in the study did not know they had diabetes until they were tested. On an average, diabetes was twice as common in urban areas (11.2 per cent) than in rural areas (5.2 per cent). Living in a stressful urban environment, unhealthy dietary practices and relatively sedentary lifestyle leading to weight gain and body fat were

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The Indian challenge

A recent study that covered 57,000 people across 15 states and published by the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal has reported a worrying trend of poorer people especially in urban areas falling prey to the disease. This is of grave concern in India where access to health insurance or social medicine is limited and even poor people pay for treatment out of their own pockets.

the factors contributing to the increasing risk of diabetes. Further, the number of people with diabetes in rural areas was much higher than what was identified in previous studies. With nearly 70 per cent of population living in rural areas, even a small increase will mean several million more requiring chronic care in areas with poor access to health care.

Medical health experts assert that regular check-ups and timely detection plays a vital role in controlling and managing the problem.

Unfortunately, most patients tend to defer tests that can detect the disease and delay treatment that often leads to complications.

Lions Clubs partners with Manappuram to launch diabetic awareness campaign On November 14, Lions Club International (LCI) marked World Diabetes Day with the global launch in New Delhi of a comprehensive campaign to increase awareness about the disease.

Earlier, following the election of Dr.Naresh Aggarwal as its International President (incidentally, only the third Indian to ascend to this high office), Lions Clubs International had adopted diabetes

as a long-term commitment that will involve support to diabetes education, treatment, research and early detection. And Manappuram Finance Ltd. is officially LCI’s corporate partner to drive the campaign in India.

The highlight of the campaign, as originally proposed, was a one kilometre walkathon from Vijay Chowk to India Gate in New Delhi.

However, this programme had to be postponed because of the smog that enveloped Delhi during that week. The walkathon will now take place on December 25 this year.

A host of other programmes went ahead as scheduled. On November 13, international delegates and LCI’s Board members met at the Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi, where Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Hon’ble Union Cabinet Minister, addressed the audience on the importance of implementing an actionable plan to fight diabetes in India. Dr. Jitendra Singh, Hon’ble Union Minister of State and a well-known Diabetologist, delivered a keynote speech focused on the repercussions of the disease. He also inaugurated a Mobile Diabetes Centre for the city.

On this occasion, LCI also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the World Diabetes Foundation to reaffirm its crusade against diabetes.

Seven world class health

parks with open gymnasiums have been set up for the benefit of the common people of Delhi and I was invited to inaugurate the first of these, at Pitampura, on 13th November. Earlier, between the 9th and 13th November, 35 Yoga Camps were held across Delhi with the support of Patanjali Yogpeeth, which saw participation by more than 15,000 people. On 14 November, a global seminar on Diabetes was held at the Vigyan Bhavan auditorium that was addressed by Dr. T.C. Gehlot, Hon’ble Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Free Diabetic screening camps were organized across the Delhi NCR region in association with Apollo Hospitals to identify individuals with diabetes and refer them to qualified healthcare professionals for additional assessment (without cost to the patient). “Nukkad Nataks” or street plays were held at 75 locations across Delhi to increase awareness about the disease among ordinary people.

These are early days but already, LCI has established a world record for 'attempting the largest Diabetes awareness lesson' targeting approximately one lakh people across India. The Certificate from the Guinness Book of World Records being the official confirmation was handed over to by its

adjudicator to LCI’s International President Lion Dr. Naresh Aggarwal at a press conference held at the Taj Palace, New Delhi, on 25th November 2017.

LCI’s new signature cause – diabetes prevention and control campaign – will strengthen global awareness of diabetes and encourage people to lead active lifestyles to stay healthy and ward off the disease. The campaign’s activities are aimed at spreading the message of leading an active lifestyle for diabetes prevention, management and control. The members of Lion Clubs worldwide, a 1.4 million strong community, will promote this call to action under the inspirational leadership of its International President Dr.Naresh Aggarwal. At stake is a better life for millions around the world who suffer from this debilitating, lifestyle-crippling disease

(Shri V.P. Nandakumar is MD&CEO of Manappuram Finance Ltd. and Board Appointee to Lions Clubs International’s Board of Directors.)

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Dr. Naresh Aggarwal, Chancellor Bob Corlew, and Ms. Gudrun Yngvadottir along with Mr. Jung-Yul Choi, Second Vice President, and Judge Haynes H.Townsend Third Vice President.

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BUSINESS

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

One of the salient features of our education is our increased obsession and orientation towards ‘problem solving’. The psyche that we develop in our education is to ‘correct a mistake’, ‘solve a problem’, ‘identify gaps’ et.al.

Key to leadership is the management of positives creates a mind-set for us to not just calculate for results, but also identify the ‘unpleasant’ or the negatives. This approach often creates an overbearing propensity to delve on negatives. This also creates a bias towards the ‘problem solvers’.

We regularly and continuously reward our ‘fixers’ as they grow and build flourishing careers.

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eadership is one of most written and discussed topics in management. In the management books, there is information regarding the subject’s thoughts, frameworks and approaches. We have gleaned history, geography and even the sciences to clearly understand the subject.

The purpose of this short article is to remind us one aspect of leader-

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ship we tend to neglect –the power of the positives and the ability to leverage and build on strengths!

One of the salient features of our education is our increased obsession and orientation towards ‘problem solving’. The psyche that we develop in our education is to ‘correct a mistake’, ‘solve a problem’, ‘identify gaps’ et.al. This also

What gets missed out in this thought process, is the need to identify opportunities. We often neglect to proactively seek opportunities. Do note that opportunities need a mind-set of the possible and an eternal optimism in ideas. This is not to say that we do not want nay- Sayers in organisations. We want risk analysis done and the occasional warning from the devil’s advocate. But, that can’t be the thinking guideline in meetings and brain storming sessions our there or in your mind.

Leadership is also about ‘duelling narratives’. There is always

a positive and a negative drift to every decision. Leaders take a call not just from the data at hand, but from the collective experiences they had in the past. Their internal-decision-making compass needs to show high level of congruence to the positives in every situation. This also brings me to the trait of great leaders –sense of humour.

Every successful entrepreneur says that it is lonely at the top, when you have achieved your dreams. But, what needs to be reckoned with even more is the fact that it is even lonelier at the start of the venture. When they reminisce the beginning of their entrepreneurial journeys most entrepreneurs are brutally honest about the inevitable crisis of confidence that strikes. The ability to do an appreciative inquiry into what they are doling will also help them identify and leverage their positives. It is not fear but also being mortified to see others who did not

take the plunge and the risk, climbing the corporate ladder with ease, you could have managed in your sleep. The adrenaline surge is often accompanied with a pride swallowing clinch. But, it is also good to remember that you can’t stand tall when you are trying to fit in and you are already different with your steely will, dogged determination and the tough gut to roll out the punches. It also helps to smile and joke at your vulnerabilities as you slowly discover your strengths.

Sense of humour is often mistaken as the singular ability to make others laugh with quick repartees, word associations, bloopers and connected events, anecdotes et.al. It is not just that. It is also the ability to laugh at yourself, not take everything too seriously and the repeated reminder that no amount of perfection was ever created in a first try. You will fail and fail and that is what it takes to succeed.

We laugh and smile when we look at our college pics, our odd side

burns, cantankerous tuft of hair, even the time when our hair grew as if it had a mind of its own. The same instinct needs to bring in to laugh at our past actions, our blind judgements, the time when our mind and gut chided us from doing something exemplary; no amount of education teaches you to laugh the ‘bloopers’ in your life. Laughter also guards us against the business decisions driven by our ego and sometimes delusion of grandeur.

Humour also lets us shed our barriers and walls. Mark Twain famously said, he never let his schooling interfere with his education. Quentin Tarantino, when asked the question ‘which film school did he graduate from’, chuckled that he did not go to a film school, he just went to see the films. These are not just wise cracks. Our learning comes best we observe, reflect, and remind ourselves to be creatively objective and laugh our hearts out when we realise the mistakes and the bad

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Leadership is also about ‘duelling narratives’. There is always a positive and a negative drift to every decision.

Leaders take a call not just from the data at hand, but from the collective experiences they had in the past.

judgements. It eases the pressure on yourself and the near and dear ones around you. So laugh, make others laugh, single out the irritations, look out for your idiosyncrasies -believe me you will find tons!

The quest for opportunities will also open your blinders to listening. It is a silent truth that one of the key aspects of persuasion is the ability to listen and understand.

This is often neglected when we rate articulation much higher than listening and as they say –we refuse to put listening on the same pedestal as ‘speaking well’. One of the most undervalued of skills, it is also still in a nascent state as a business competency. As an entrepreneur, our minds perceive that the biggest challenge is to explain our idea, product or service to others. It needs to be mentally reinforced that our pitches become much more refined when we listen

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to the stakeholders around and their questions. It could be the insightful suggestion of a junior team member, an acerbic comment of a customer, the pointed query of an investor –all of them help you build your repertoire of responses.

We are also driven by the need to feel that what we hear confirms to our beliefs and ideas what Dan Kanhemann calls the ‘confirmation bias’.

When we grow up with the opportunity mindset, age and experience make thinking holistic.

Success and failures structure the mind to ask the right questions.

Then, there is the romantic part, where our five senses sends a pulse when we have a déjà vu experience. 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 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 looked for opportunities to excite ourselves.

In the ‘Geeks and Geezers’ eminent leadership theorist Warren Bennis calls this opportunity mind-set – neoteny! It is about the retention of all those wonderful qualities we normally associate with an opportunity mind-set -being curious, playful and overly optimistic, and being fearless in the face of adversity. It is also about a mind-set of remaining focused on the scores of fantastic undiscovered things which will come to help our ideas and not just delve on the failures which happened in the past or the nuggets of disappointments, which do not help us progress in life! 

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THE IMMACULATE WHITE-BRIGHT EMPIRE & THE MATCHLESS MAN BEHIND

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et’s meet an incredible man who made gigantic dreams come true from nothingness; the man who made immaculate whites of life from the stained struggles of the past. Let’s meet the man who made 2000 cores from his life earning of just Rs.5000. The man who called this light of life or this ray of hope as ‘Ujala’.

Moothedath Panjan Ramachandran, the graceful beacon behind Jyothy Laboratories Limited, has brought an enormous establishment to this magnitude fighting a lot of experiments and trials. A conversation with this humble stalwart opened up enlightening messages for us. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that everyone from Unique Times team in the room was dumbstruck with stories of inspiration. Let us share this path-breaking saga with you, our readers.

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The start and the journey

Mr. Ramachandran had a stint with various arenas of lives before he joined an SME, who were manufacturers of bulk drugs in Mumbai and continued working for them for 12 years. The company decided to wind up due to internal reasons, and thus he dared to launch a new product, instead of looking for a new job. This life-changing story of Ujala started way back in 1983, when Mr. Ramachandran stepped into the world of entrepreneurship and wanted to help the world with a better product versus the staining so called ‘neelam-Blue’ of those times. Ujala indeed became a very novel concept and a unique brand launched into the market then, especially a product which gave much delight and satisfaction to the household users contrary to the counterpart they used to

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from customers. He suggests, in between, that selling is an art -a sales man should never get angry and should always be pleasant to the customers. A small factory was set at Kandanassery, in his home village, at Thrissur, Kerala. He very well knew that the biggest marketing strategy will be the word-ofmouth one. Hence, he focused on developing and manufacturing a product that will be well-received with satisfactory hearts, than anything else. In ‘86, a van was bought for supply and slowly started advertisements in weekly and newspapers. He remembers drawing those ads himself. Today, Ujala has a separate large wing for branding and advertisements. Demand was more than he anticipated; once the advertisements were noticed, more people started using Ujala, and was satisfied with the product.

It all started with 5 sales ladies who started selling this from home to home. Later, Ujala was accepted in shops and then expanded commercially. Rest of the story is history.

About the product

use at homes before. Blue was used extensively then among the households, even though there were a lot of disadvantages. Mr. Ramachandran found that and decided to conceptualize and research on a differently born product called Ujala. It took more than a year and half to do the research and be satisfied with the non-sticky, fullsoluble incomparable product. He himself used to wear white dresses and knew as a user what exactly he is looking for in the product he is making. There was no thought needed to name the company after his daughter. The brand was named Ujala. It represented the spotless brightness and whiteness that it gives the users.

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Initial growth and expansion

The bottle design was also done by him, and even the basic marketing ideas derived strength from his previous life experiences. The test market was in Mumbai, where he distributed around 1500 bottles free of cost to survey and gather feedback. He then received a lot of encouragement from everyone for this very innovative product.

There were field staffs, who went around to sell this door to door. Mr. Ramachandran remembers how he lead the team regularly, guiding them what to do, and teaching the sales team how to talk, make the route map, formulate the reports and how to retrieve results

Thrissur only had the manufacturing unit; all materials and making of bottles was done in Mumbai; all the chemical formulations was devised and done at Mumbai. It only had to be diluted as per the prescribed formulae at the factory in Kerala. Hence, the formulae and secret of the product remained intact without leaking out. Ujala was not competing with ‘Blue’ in the category at all. He created an entirely different class for the category; Ujala was for the superwhiteness of clothes. The product became a fresh new product and brand.

One challenge was spread of exact counterfeits of Ujala in the earlier days in the Northern Kerala.

There were less vehicles and hence was struggling with mobility with only one vehicle, which was supplying to Malappuram district. From Kozhikode to Kannur, counterfeits were spreading and making money, with the help of added advertisements from Jyothy, even though they failed to come anywhere near

“a leader should be a genuine human being, as he is dealing with other human beings, nothing else around us have emotions and life. Anything a genuine businessman is doing is indeed a service for the society. One which is not a ‘service’ cannot survive.”

the exact product in liquid. When it was Rs.3.25 paisa then as MRP, these counterfeits were sold for Rs.6, which proves the acceptance and surplus satisfaction of the product among the masses. Later, the economy Police Wing raided them in truckloads and was curbed down and slowly eliminated. He remembers Malayala Manorama carried that news on the front page.

The brand garnered more attention when the radio advertisements started. Today, with more brands from the house, new technology is helping the expansion of marketing and brand building. The product is being exported to all gulf countries, Asian and western countries. Jyothy has a factory in Bangladesh.

Current, new products and development

Henkel India Limited was acquired by Jyothy Laboratories Limited in 2011. With products like Pril, Margo, Mr. White and Henko, the market is growing. Margo, a Calcutta chemicals product, with 100% neem, will be hitting a century the coming year. The soap still remains untouched, real and unadulterated, just the way it was made a century ago. Jyothy Laboratories has come up with Exo, T-Shine, Maya agarbathies, Maxo, Neem toothpaste, Fa perfumes etc. The fresh innovative technique Lintelligent has come up with amazing techniques, which minimalises the lint extracted due

to the mechanical agitation of the washing machine.

Jyothy Laboratories doesn’t want to be ‘one among many’, always looks at those opportunities and areas where they can serve people better, in the existing categories. The company focuses on the least penetrated category, however which has a big scope for higher penetration into the market. Mr. Ramachandran is very unbending on contributing those products those are non-hazardous.

He asks; “If the acid that you use in the toilet can damage the surface, wouldn’t it damage your body; wouldn’t inhaling it cause you uneasiness by corroding your nos-

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trils and harm your eyes?” Jyothy, after having in depth research on how they can help their consumers from this critical damage, invented T-shine with organic chemicals or anti-bacterial scrubber. All of their products are life-saving. The company goes on creating wonderful products that won’t damage their clients’ existence.

Philanthropy and more

The company, when they put up their facilities and factories in villages, they make sure ample employments opportunities are created, the locals are trained, their family is supported adequately, medical aid is given and the children are educated.

What a leader should be & advice to the start-up and upcoming entrepreneurs

The company, when they put up their facilities and factories in villages, they make sure ample employments opportunities are created, the locals are trained, their family is supported adequately, medical aid is given and the children are educated.

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According to Mr. Ramachandran, “a leader should be a genuine human being, as he is dealing with other human beings, nothing else around us have emotions and life.

Anything a genuine businessman is doing is indeed a service for the society. One which is not a ‘service’ cannot survive.” He advices the youth that they should take advantage of the current world which has immense business opportunities and vast ideas. He adds; “you should crave for learning and knowledge every single day. Be very diligent in dealing with your money. In business, know that the money that comes to you by sales is not yours to spend –take only a portion from the profit, and accumulate and invest the rest. Have mighty, unlimited desire and indefinite determination to succeed, never give up, and never be greedy. Being a citizen of the nation, you need to contribute positively back to the society as well.

There is absolutely no retirement for entrepreneurship –that is the biggest advantage of all.”

M. P. Ramachandran and his dear wife have two daughters: Jyothy and Deepti. Both daughters along with their family members are supporting their father to grow the company in order to reach the next level 

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Chinese beauty Honey TianMi wins ‘Manappuram Miss Asia 2017’ title

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t has been a special day for Honey TianMi, who came to India with a huge bundle of hopes and dreams. When the final announcement has been made in the third edition of the Manappuram Miss Asia, the beauty contest directed

by Dr.Ajit Ravi, all eyes have searched for this beautiful Chinese lady. Ms TianMi’s eyes have extensively described her feeling. She has been in a state of extreme happiness. She has happily accepted the title from the

previous year title winner, Trixia Marie Marana. During that time, the crowd has expressed their approval to the decision taken by the judging panel with a huge round of applause.

There have been nearly twenty participants, hailing from different countries in the Asia and Eurasian region, in the beauty contest: Sanzeeda Hossain Meem (Bangladesh), Regina Mukhamadieva (Bashkortostan), Regita Gurung (Bhutan),

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Honey TianMi (China), Akanksha Mishra (India), Indah Dwi Septiani (Indonesia), Ayana Hirakawa (Japan), Aizhamzl Osmonova(Kyrgyzstan), Vanessa Cruez (Malaysia), Nhkum Seng Nu Aung (Myanmar), Ukusha Giri (Nepal), Mary Eve Adeline Torres Escoto (Philippines), Alina Garaeva (Russia), Ng Xian Wen (Singapore), Taeyeong Kim (South Korea), Keshi Fernando (Sri Lanka), MokhinurZamirova (Tajikistan), Dinara Kharmatullina (Tatarstan), Tenzing Dickey (Tibet) and Huynh Quyen Linh (Vietnam).

Apart from Ms TianMi, in the event which has taken place at the Gokulam Convention Centre situated in Kochi, the Bashkortostan contestant, Ms Regina Mukhamadieva, and the Indian representative, Ms Akanksha Mishra, have also won the top positions. They have been selected as the first and second runner up respectively.

Importantly, the Philippines beauty, Ms Mary Eve Adeline Torres Escoto, has been awarded a special title, the Miss Asia

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Global, in the event, in which Cera, Dque watches, T-Shine and Unique Times Magazine are the prime partners.

Notably, the Miss Asia Global, first and second runners up have been crowned by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Manappuram Finance Ltd, Mr V P Nandakumar.

There have been three main rounds in the event: the ‘National Costume’, ‘Black Theme’ and ‘White Gown’. It is to be noted that the infamous bikini round, which encourages the wrong practice of objectification of the women’s body, is excluded from all beauty contest organised

by Mr Ajit.

Miss Asia 2016 Trixia Marie Marana, Chief Executive Officer of Global Charity Queen, Queen of Brilliancy International, Golden International Corp and Miss Bikini Universe Christine Huang, Spanish film maker Jesus Manuel Montane, popular German photographer Katherin Wermke, Mrs Asia India International 2015 Valentina Mishra have been in the Judges Panel.

Apart from the top winner, the Judges Panel has also selected the sub-title winners. Indah Dwi Septiani (Indonesia), Nhkum Seng Nu Aung (Myanmar), Va-

nessa Cruez (Malaysia), Taeyeong Kim (South Korea), Keshi Fernando (Sri Lanka), Mokhinur Zamirova (Tajikistan), Regita Gurung (Bhutan), Ukusha Giri (Nepal), Aizhamzl Osmonova (Kyrgyzstan), Alina Garaeva (Russia), Huynh Quyen Linh (Vietnam) and Tenzing Dickey (Tibet) have received the Best National Costume, Miss Congeniality, Miss Perfect Ten, Miss Beautiful Face, Miss Beautiful Smile, Miss Beautiful Hair, Miss Catwalk, Miss Beautiful Eyes, Miss Beautiful Skin, Miss Photogenic, Miss Personality and Miss Social Media titles respectively.

Some of the contestants have secured more than one title.

When Mokhinur Zamirova has won the Miss Viewer’s Choice and Miss Beautiful Hair simultaneously, Vanessa Cruez has become the Miss Fitness Asia and Miss Perfect Ten. Notably, the top title winner has also grabbed the title for the most talented contestant, the Miss Talent.

The Miss Asia winner, Miss Asia Global winner, first run-

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ner up and second runner up have been awarded three lakhs , one lakh rupees, one lakh rupees and fifty thousand rupees respectively.

Moreover, the winners have been crowned with a gold plated crown designed by Parakkat Jewellers.

The prize money for the winner has been sponsored by the Manappuram Finance Limited, while the prize money for the Miss Asia Glob-

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al and second runner up has been contributed by the Unique Times Magazine. Meanwhile, the WOW Factor has given the price money for the first runner up.

The grooming session for this competition started on 14 November in Beaumonde The Fern, Kochi.

The contestants were groomed by an expert panel of fashion choreographers and trainers: Aileena

Catherin Amon (2015 Miss South India), Sameer Khan (Fashion choreographer), Reji Bhaskar (Fashion photographer), Dr.AshaBiju (Skin expert), Sudakshana Thambi (Yoga trainer), Dr. Eldo Koshi (Smile expert), Jaseena Backer (Personality trainer) and Vipin Xavier (Fitness trainer).

The Pegasus Chairman, who aims to give awareness against

breast cancer, the dangerous disease which is one of the leading causes of mortality in women in this new era, through this event, has said that the organization would contribute an amount, which is equivalent to the money offered to the title winner, to those poor patients, who are in need of financial assistance for their treatment purpose, under the ‘100 Life Challenge’ scheme.

The noble programmes like the ‘awareness against breast cancer’,

which have been conducted in the sideline of the event, are likely to benefit tens of thousands of poor people.

Breast cancer is a kind of cancer that affects breast tissues. This fatal disease may show no serious symptoms. The disease is mostly seen in those women who are aged above 50. Getting mammograms regularly can bring down the risk of this disease. Actually, the awareness programmes can curb the growth in

the number of people affected by this disease to an extent.

Qube Watches, Kalpana International, Beaumonde The Fern, Zstone Smartphones, Vee Kay Vee Caters, Threka, Parakkat Resorts, Renai Medicity, Fitness For Ever, Sunny Paints, Riti Jewellery, WOW Factor, Aiswarya Advertising and Sara Media are the prime event partners 

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Ravi Saini

W

hat Britons did to us? They made us to start living as slaves and taught us to feel great and take pride in that life.

Our ancient Vedic system, Gurukul system, and joint family culture were erased.

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The fact is that the present education system is not only incomplete, but also harmful. The prime reason for this is that it is based on competition.

differences were there in girls and boys as they all played together.

We need to get the past glory back before it is too late. Ask yourself -are we making our kids literate or educated?

You must visit the past and ask for yourself where have we reached today. It is clear that we are enjoying the modern slavery -be it at the hands of governments, bureaucracy or politics, which is always busy selling the concept that it is a dirty proposition in which good people can’t sustain.

The education that has prevailed in the past is very insufficient, incomplete and superficial. It only creates people, who can earn their livelihood, but it does not give any insight into living itself. The fact is that the present education system is not only incomplete, but also harmful. The prime reason for this is that it is based on competition.

We used to give a longer period of youthfulness that could last up to 12-14 years and the kids used to enjoy the present moments. No

Any type of competition is violent deep down, and creates people who are unloving. Their whole effort is to be the achiev-

Dec17-Jan18

ers: of name, of fame, of all kinds of ambitions –obviously, they have to struggle and be in conflict for them. That destroys their joys and that destroys their friendliness. It seems everybody is fighting against the whole world.

Education, until now, has been goal-oriented: what you are learning is not important; what is important is the examination that will come a year or two years later. It makes the future important –more important than the present. It sacrifices the present for the future.

And, that becomes your very style of life; you are always sacrificing the moment for something which is not present. It creates a tremendous emptiness in life.

That is what the Britons ex-

Gurukul system for empowering India

pected us to be like. The things are getting bad to worst. . It is unfortunate that as citizen of this fully blessed and beautiful nation, we are made to pay through our nose for expecting quality education, health services and proper hygiene.

Now, it is the right time to spread a word amongst all to raise the voice for bringing the muchneeded implementation of the Education and Health Services act, which are supposed to be taken as a society or trust act. The profits earned should be used for the aims

and objectives which are clearly laid down. There is no need for any debate in the parliament or bringing in ordinances for the same.

If you keep sleeping even while knowing what’s wrong then have all the fun being received as a choice made.

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Vinod Kumar

S

hivaraman and his wife Asha looked around for something to do that is new. They are bored of all activities in and around their town.

Very social couple. And had many friends. A picnic with children and five other couples on that empty space, yes there is a thrilling experience of going out together.

That stretch of land that is cleared, so that people could sit there for near five hours. They played, joked, performed songs and danced, slept, ran and generally socialized. They ate lots of food and had a merry and memorable time. Yes the picnic was on the bank of the river.

Many have benefitted from picnics to the banks of river. Many stories and lessons that we learnt are because of these visits to river banks. Entertaining and educating, these rivers were part of our social and community living.

Well, these activities are all dreams. Today the rivers need to be helped by people. Rivers that used to nourish the farm lands have dried up. The waters that ferried people, nurtured the saplings, irrigated the fields and also quenched the thirsts seemed to be on decline.

The rivers are not flowing as fast as they used to.

If the trends of drying up of rivers continues then we will have a severe water shortage. Famine and drought and perched landscape will eject people out of their habitat.

Society and economics will crumble. We have arrived at that hour,

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Rivers that used to nourish the farm lands have dried up. The waters that ferried people, nurtured the saplings, irrigated the fields and also quenched the thirsts seemed to be on decline. The rivers are not flowing as fast as they used to.

when all our support and resources can be given to River Rejuvenation Projects (R.R.P).

We must come together to implement scientific and innovative methods of River rejuvenation.

Many methods are invented but they need earnest efforts from people. People who live on river banks and rural areas have the first and nearest reach to the river.

The people with lower Intelligent Quotient have also, very poor sense of community hygiene and they then, do not learn the latest methods of clean, waste disposal methods. Without understanding of recycling wastes, how can you sensitize people against polluting rivers? Also, picnic goers to river banks, must ensure that your picnic spot on river side is cleaner, than when you found it out. Good education about clean and recycling of waste disposal is essential.

Sensibility towards community hygiene must be taught. The rivers must get attention of reverence upon them. Ganga and Yamuna and Kaveri must get their deserved honour and respect. Krishna, Brahmaputra, Pampa, Bharathapuzha must get dignity and nobility.

All rivers and their tributaries that flows through your villages must get praise and be glorified by you.

Such focus and attention on river rejuvenation projects is imperative.

Corporates, Industry, Business, Non-Governmental Organizations and many other institutions must work to develop a method

to contribute to the cause of river rejuvenation. Water Resources Ministry must be alerted so that they will commission the scientist to participate in inventing methods of water harvesting.

Geo Technologists, Micro watershed initiatives and experts who recharge ground water can be entrusted with this big responsibility.

The Government, though has the capacity and capability, must give incentive for farmers and general public to connect themselves in project of river rejuvenation.

Pollution has stagnated the flow in many streams and creeks and small rivers. Stagnant rivers inside your villages and town is indicative of the stagnation and corrosion in the minds of its people. A healthy mind is like the clean flowing water of the river.

The freshness and neatness of water inside the river, is like the mind. If it's contaminated then the water brings illness and diseases.

Therefore, importance and urgency be there towards the project of rivers rejuvenation.

The picnics towards banks of the river, will connect your hearts and minds to this cause. Eco-tourism must become the new sunrise industry. Or even more specifically we may call it as river tourism.

The rich bio diversity, birds and beauty of the fish, and other aquatic creatures are essential to sustain the healthy living of human. The people who lived by the mercy of

RIVER rivers, considered the rivers as sacred. The adventure seekers, and adrenalin junkies use rough parts of flowing water. They identify the rapids to do rafting and competition of canoeing. The famous snake boat race in Kerala will shut down, if river stops flowing.

Shivaraman and his wife Asha, sat in the balcony, and looked at skyline of their city. Huge and tall building that are almost touching the clouds. Their children in the room are reciting to learn, same nursery rhymes. The nostalgic couple looked at each other. How true what they sang, before thirty five years. It was taught to them that rivers may be visible only in dreams. “ Row Row Row your boat Gently down the stream”

“Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, Life is but a dream”.

Also, is it beginning to come true. Can next generation enjoy, swimming and diving and playing in river water? This generation has to become alarmed. The warnings are evident.

Rainfalls are erratic. In long term, reduction in average volume of precipitation, is seeming to be almost nil. Who has made a deliberate study about actual and authentic flow of the river? We have to amplify the sounds and voices of the water resource engineers.

The Academic institutions must be intercepted by you, and be informed to them to conduct research on water sciences. If we do not act now together, then the

perennial rivers will show signs that they are seasonal. Seasonal rivers have already dried up.

Shivaraman and Asha are affected people. They must incentivize conferences and seminar about “the factors that disturbs the river basins”. The media must broadcast the findings on the drastic land use change and its deteriorating impact. The people movement must cognize the dangers of soil erosion. Every panchayat must worry about situation and finally every individual, Indian citizen must put our brains together to do natural vegetation.

Along with picnicking couple, let us recreate the flora and fauna, birds, bees and butterflies to decorate our river banks

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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.

While the system of AAR was prevalent in the direct tax laws in the country, the said mechanism slowly started emerging in the indirect tax system in the country. The concept of AAR has now been grandfathered even in the GST regime, with its twists and turns.

AUTHORITY OF ADVANCE RULING

THE GST REGIME taining the proper legal position.

T

he Government of Kerala under the aegis of the Honorable High Court of Kerala in the case of Messrs Eten Craft Holdings Private Limited (2017-VIL-576-KER) recently constituted the Authority for Advance Ruling. Further, the Kerala High Court taking note of the instructions of the Government also directed the concerned authority to accept manual filing of applications.

Concept of Advance Ruling

The concept of Advance Ruling was conceptualized by the Direct Taxes Enquiry Committee in 1971 headed by Justice K N Wanchoo.

Though the system was ultimately implemented in 1993, the Authority for Advance Ruling (AAR) was instituted as a mechanism to prevent litigation, pre-empt or plan tax liability, and to foster at large a business-friendly environment where tax payers could approach the revenue authorities for ascer-

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While the system of AAR was prevalent in the direct tax laws in the country, the said mechanism slowly started emerging in the indirect tax system in the country.

The concept of AAR has now been grandfathered even in the GST regime, with its twists and turns.

Advance ruling in the GST regime

The concept of AAR is enshrined in Sections 95 to 106 in Chapter XVII of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 (the Act). An “advance ruling” has been defined to mean a decision provided by the AAR in respect of certain specified matters in relation to supply of goods or services or both being undertaken or proposed to be undertaken by the applicant.

Notably, the definition not only covers proposed transactions of supply of goods or services, but also those supplies that are being undertaken.

The term “applicant” has been defined in a broad fashion to mean any person registered or desirous of obtaining registration under this Act. Hence, the applicant for advance ruling can also be filed

by an unregistered person as well.

Further, in a single application, the applicant could seek clarification on multiple issues, thereby obliterating the requirement of filing multiple applications.

Questions for which an application can be filed

Section 97 of the CGST Act defines the various types of questions that can be raised before the AAR. The questions that can be raised before the AAR is exhaustive in nature, covering the following: • Classification of any goods or services or both; • Applicability of a notification issued under the provisions of this act; • Determination of time and value of supply of goods or services or both; • Admissibility of input tax credit of tax paid or deemed to have been paid; • Determination of the liability to pay tax on any goods or services or both;

• Whether applicant is required to be registered; • Whether any particular thing done by the applicant with respect to any goods or services or both amounts to or results in a supply of goods or services or both, within the meaning of that term.

Hence, questions other than those stated above, would not be addressed by the AAR. For instance, matters concerning the nature of tax to be paid, the place of supply of goods or services, whether a transaction is in the nature of export, etc, would not be addressed by the AAR. It would have been welcome if “any” question could be raised before the AAR rather than limiting the scope of the AAR, as this would have helped in the Ease of Doing Business.

Processing of applications

The Act mandates that post filing the application along with the requisite fees (INR 10,000), the AAR would need to furnish a copy of the application to the concerned officer and, if necessary, call upon him to furnish the relevant records.

Further, the authority may, after examining the application and the records called for by order, either admit or reject the application.

However, the order of rejection can

be passed by the authority only after hearing the applicant or his authorized representative. It may be noted that the AAR is specifically barred from admitting an application in circumstances where the query raised is already pending or has been decided in any proceeding under the CGST Act.

Are there time-limits? Is the order binding?

The AAR is mandated under law to issue its ruling on the query within 90 days of receipt of the application. Post pronouncement of the advance ruling, the AAR is required to send the ruling so pronounced to the applicant, the concerned officer and the jurisdictional officer.. It may be noted that the term “concerned officer” or “jurisdictional officer” has not been defined under the Act, though these aforesaid phrases have been used repeatedly. The ruling of the AAR is binding on the applicant, the concerned officer and the jurisdictional officer.

Appeal mechanism?

The act has interestingly instituted an appeal mechanism also.

Such appeals are required to be filed before the Appellate Authority of Advance Ruling (AAAR).

Any of the three persons aggrieved by the order of the AAR, could

prefer an appeal before the AAAR, this includes the applicant, the concerned officer and the jurisdictional officer. Further, in the event of there being disagreement amongst the members of the AAR, the said question could also be referred to the AAAR. In the event of there being disagreement amongst the members of the AAAR, the act deems that no advance ruling can be issued in respect of the question under appeal or reference. The act does not provide a solution to the applicant in such a situation. This would spell doom for a veritable applicant desirous of avoiding litigation and facing the rigorous of prosecution.

The act prescribed a time limit of 30 days for filing the appeal before the AAAR. Further, the AAAR is mandated under law to dispose off the appeal or the reference within 90 days of filing the appeal or the reference application.

In conclusion, while it is indeed welcome that laws governing advance ruling have been incorporated in the GST Laws, one would need to closely watch the effectiveness of the regime. Only time would answer whether the AAR has indeed unburdened the courts, the tax payer and the revenue authorities or not 

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DR BINOY JOHN MD DM (Cardiology) FCSI FACC FESC FSCAI FAPSIC

Director & head: Dept of Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology, Advanced heart-diseases, Heart-failure and Cardiac transplant medicine.

MIOT International, Chennai

The ravage to health from diabetes is especially amplified and severe, when diabetes occurs in combination with high blood-pressure or hypertension resulting in accelerated organ damage, especially of the heart, kidneys and eyes.

email: dr.aceofhearts@gmail.com The whole article refers only to Type II Diabetes Mellitus or Non-Insulin Mediated Diabetes Mellitus

“Roses are red and Violets are blue, Sugar is sweet, But not really good for you!�

D

iabetes mellitus is a dreaded name and one that sends chills down spines, because its presence in one’s life takes away thefreedom, the care-free freedom, to eat and relish whatever and howmuch ever one wishes to devour!

With urbanization, increasing stress, unhealthy dietary practices, sedentary life-style, lack of exercise and surging obesity, the number of people affected with diabetes are on a rapid rise, already affecting an estimated 200 million people globally and the World Health Organization predicts that by the year 2030, the numbers would reach a staggering 366 million.

Diabetes and complications:

Broadly, diabetes mellitus is a disorder characterized by abnormally high sugar levels in the blood, which arises from the inability

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of specific cells of the pancreas to secrete the hormone insulin which reduces blood sugar levels to normal levels or can also be from the inability of the body or the cells to utilize the insulin that is already present, called insulin resistance.

What makes diabetes a destructive disease is that it affects major organs and organ-systems including the heart, kidneys, eyes, nerves, and arteries or the blood-vessels, producing life-threatening complications and also causes a predisposition to infections. Diabetes, if undetected or uncontrolled for a long time can lead to blindness, kidney failure needing dialysis and kidney transplantation, nerve damage or neuropathy causing loss of sensation or the ability to feel things and thus resulting in injuries, non-healing ulcers and infections requiring amputation of the toes and legs.

Pertaining to the heart and the cardio-vascular system, uncontrolled blood sugar causes increases in triglyceride levels in the blood and also increases the damaging potential of the bad LDL cholesterol, promoting atherosclerosis or the formation of blocks inside the arteries resulting in heart-attacks and also causing heart-failure or diabetic cardiomyopathy by reducing the pumping efficacy of the heart.

The ravage to health from diabetes is especially amplified and severe, when diabetes occurs in combination with high blood-pressure or hypertension resulting in accelerated organ damage especially of the heart, kidneys and eyes.

Diabetes and prevention:

However, even with all its potential for organ damage, there is no reason for dismay or despair

BITTER-SWEET! DIABETIC WOES!

for diabetics. Of course, there are strict restrictions in diet for diabetics, but still most of them can enjoy a good life and indulge within limits by leading a more disciplined life, with healthy life style modifications, a tailored diet and regular exercise. But, I would say, that the key to defeating diabetes is in its prevention. No step taken in the prevention of diabetes can be small

considering the limiting impact of this disease on one’s routine and life itself. Periodic screening, with check-ups help in the early detection of diabetes itself and in the detection of those who have not yet developed diabetes, but are at a risk for developing diabetes, called prediabetes. Such periodic check-ups are especially useful in those who have risk factors for developing

diabetes. People with obesity and a higher body mass index (BMI) or a body-weight much greater than expected for height, have a higher risk of developing diabetes. Also, it is to be noted that, the genetic predisposition for diabetes is rather strong, so much so, that if one parent has diabetes, the risk of diabetes in the progeny is 10% and if both parents are affected,the risk of

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diabetes in their child is scaringly as high as 40%.

Who are the people at risk for diabetes and needing periodic screening?

American Diabetes Association has formatted a Diabetes Risk Test (Table 1) with a seven set questionnaire, where by a score of ≼5 points places the person at a high risk for developing diabetes.

Increasing age, male-gender, a family member with diabetes, presence of high blood pressure, physical inactivity, having had diabetes at pregnancy (gestational diabetes) and being over-weight are all considered as risk factors for diabetes.

Periodic screening is to be undertaken for all people once they reach 45 years of age and for adults of lower ages if they are over-weight with a BMI ≼ 23 kg/m2 and have one or more additional risk factors for diabetes. Children and adolescents should also be screened for pre-diabetes if they are over-weight or obese and have two or more additional risk factors for developing diabetes.

How can we diagnose diabetes and pre-diabetes?

Diagnosis of diabetes and prediabetes can be made from blood tests, by measurements of fasting plasma glucose, 2 hour plasma glucose during an oral glucose tolerance test or from the hemoglobin A1C levels which indicates the person’s average blood sugar levels for the past three months. (Table 2)

Treatment and treatment goals:

Once diabetes is diagnosed, the key is to keep blood sugar levels under control, generally targeting fasting plasma glucose levels of 80-130 mg/dl, post-prandial plasma glucose levels of <180 mg/dl and A1C levels <7.0%. This has to be done mainly with life style interventions including dietary control, weight-reduction, regular exercise and medications if required. Selfmonitoring of blood glucose levels with instruments like glucometers

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are recommended and encouraged as this form of monitoring helps the patient in understanding his own metabolism and his diet and thus aiding in the judicious selection of his food and quantity of food and thus a better control of his blood glucose levels. It is also of prime importance in the management of diabetes to effectively control blood-pressure levels and cholesterol and triglyceride levels to prevent accelerated organ damage and formation of blocks in arteries.

Periodic check-up of the eyes and tests for nerve damage are also to be undertaken along with assessment of kidney function and the

status of the heart with electrocardiograms (ECG), echocardiograms and exercise stress tests or treadmill tests.

The importance of weight reduction in the control of diabetes:

The huge impact of weight loss in the management of diabetes and its prevention cannot be undermined. There is strong evidence that modest and sustained weight loss aids in better control of blood sugar levels and also helps to decrease the dosages of anti-diabetic medications, more so in those who are over-weight. Over-weight

persons are encouraged to attain a sustained weight-loss of at least 5% of their initial weight in a span of six months which can be achieved with a combination of diet providing 1500-1800 kcal/day for men and 1200-1500 kcal/day for women or an energy deficit of 500-750 kcal/day and exercise strategies with high levels of physical activity of 200-300 mins/week. Though weight losses of 5% have been shown to be beneficial, a sustained weight loss of â&#x2030;Ľ7% is considered optimal. Those who achieve the six months weight-loss goals are prescribed longer term weight maintenance programmes.

The importance of weight reduction in the prevention of diabetes:

Just as weight reduction helps in the control of diabetes, it also helps in preventing or delaying the onset of diabetes in those with prediabetes. Patients with pre-diabetes should be encouraged to have an intensive life-style intervention programme targeting a sustained weight-loss of 7% of the initial body weight in a span of six months, with moderate intensity physical activities such as brisk walking for at least 150 mins/week, targeting at least 700 kcal/week expenditure from physical activity. There should be at least three sessions per week and each session should be at least 10 minutes each. In these 150 minutes, a maximum of 75 minutes could be used for strength training. It is recommended that the ideal pace of weight loss be 1-2 pounds per week. As for diet, the initial focus is to reduce total dietary fat and subsequently in the following weeks both fat and calorie restrictions are combined.

Food and prevention of diabetes:

Low calorie eating habits are to be encouraged. Also, the quality of fat that is consumed is more important than the total quantity of dietary fat. The Mediterranean diet with higher mono-unsaturated fats is said to prevent diabetes. Certain types of food like whole grains,

nuts, berries, yogurt, coffee and tea have been shown to be associated with a reduced risk of diabetes, whereas red-meat and sugar-sweetened beverages have been shown to be associated with a higher risk of causing diabetes.

Weight-loss drugs and gastro-intestinal surgeries:

Weight-loss medications are available, but their use must always consider their advantages versus their potential side-effects. Gastrointestinal surgeries are available too, but are to be considered only in people with a high BMI >30-40

kg/m2, who have poorly controlled blood sugars despite optimal life-style measures and medical therapy.

Thus diabetes does induce restrictions and an over-all sense of bitterness to oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life. But, with good life-style practices and a nurtured discipline, life certainly can be made sweet after all!

I dedicate this small educational endeavour of mine to humanity in the backdrop of the World Diabetes awareness month, with sweet regards.ď&#x20AC;˝

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Nizar Abdul Majeed Kutty Senior Lecturer Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia.

Exercise helps to tackle irritability and angry bouts.

You can ward off depression and keep away the blues with a regular exercise routine.

E mail: nizarkualalumpur@gmail.com

M

enopot is something that many women battle after their menopause. It is the pot around your belly, the thickening of your midline and the loss of waist definition which occurs around the dreaded menopause. Menopause marks the end of menstruation and every woman eventually faces it. The hormonal changes of menopause might make you more likely to gain weight around your abdomen than around your hips and thighs. But, hormonal changes alone don't necessarily cause menopause weight gain. Instead, the weight gain is usually related to aging, as well as lifestyle and genetic factors. Those extra pounds come with added health concerns, too. Abdominal fat is linked to heart problems, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, and breast cancer. Though Body Mass Index (BMI- a parameter based on height and weight) is normal, a large waist (35 inches or more for women) along with other risk factors is linked to more chances of getting diabetes in women. According to Dr. Michael Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz, “Progesterone deficiency may be to blame when it comes to waist gain, as progesterone increases basal body tempera-

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ture, which burns calories. With no ovulation, no progesterone, no increased temperature, fewer calories burned, those calories can add up to several pounds a year."

The good news is that you can adopt lifestyle changes to help cope with the changes occurring in your body after menopause. Exercise and diet are of paramount importance to stop a ‘menopot’ from forming, since these are the basis of all weight loss plans. Regular exercise is also an excellent way to stave off weight gain and loss of muscle mass, which are two frequent symptoms of menopause.

Most healthy women should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Exercise is vital to good health, at any age. You are more likely to feel lethargic and not motivated enough to keep up or embark on fitness routine in the years leading to menopause and further. It's never too late to start! Before you start, talk to your doctor in case you have never exercised before or if you suffer any health condition.

Get the right gear and shoes. If you

have been physically inactive, you may feel some amount of muscle fatigue and pain for a few days.

Benefits of exercising

• Beta-endorphins released after exercise help to boost your mood and sharpen your thought process and focus.

• Strong muscles and joints after regular walking or exercising lower the risk of osteoporosis.

• Exercise helps to tackle irritability and angry bouts. You can ward off depression and keep away the blues with a regular exercise routine.

Helpful Exercises

Warming up: Allow about 10 minutes of simple stretches or warming up of muscles.

High-intensity exercise is best because it triggers hormones that make fat available for energy. The recommended routine is adding 2-3 sprint-interval sessions a week on alternate days to two longer workouts that are more leisurely. In addition, abdominal exercises, like the front plank, the bicycle, the ball crunch, the boat pose, and the bird dog can help. These exercises are designed to challenge the abs from

Keep the 'MenoPot' at Bay: Move to Remove

different angles.

Butt lift: Lie down flat on your back, with your hands resting on the floor, palms down, on either side. Keep the knees bent with the feet flat on the floor. Lift your hips off the floor, squeezing your gluteal muscles. Maintain this pose for about a minute.

Aerobic activity that makes use of your large muscle groups while

keeping up your heart rate is a good thing. Your options for cardio are limitless. Almost any activity counts, for example: walking, jogging, biking, swimming etc. The CDC recommends that beginners start with 10 minutes of light activity, slowly boosting exercise intensity as it becomes easier. The American Heart Association reports that as you enter menopause, your risks for cardiovascular disease

significantly increase. Estrogen levels, which are thought to protect your heart, drop during menopause. Knowing the risk factors and embracing a healthy lifestyle can keep your heart healthy.

Every woman should do strength training

Start strengthening exercises using dumbbells and resistance bands. Lifting weights builds

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muscle that helps absorb shock and protect the joints. Lifting free weights has been shown to recruit more muscles and can result in greater strength gains. It mimics natural movement and creates greater muscle activity than machines. A study in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research found that resistance training improves flexibility. Start with light weights. Use a full range of motion while weightlifting to improve flexibility. Bodyweight exercises, such as squats, knee push-ups and lunges are also effective. While cardio has benefits for your heart, research shows resistance training is a proven method for increasing Lean Body Mass and reducing body fat for women. Contrary to popular belief, decline in muscle mass and strength is not a result of the aging process; rather, it’s due to inactivity.

Menopot and Pilates

Pilates works by combining breathing techniques with special stretches. It pushes the body through stretching and targets flexibility, posture and strength. Pilates emphasizes body alignment and corrects breathing while focusing on the lower and deeper abdominal on the one hand and the mid-back and part of the shoulder muscles on the other. Pilates helps to engage your mind and develop better

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body awareness.

Maintain a good posture

Avoid stooping. While you are walking, pretend that your belly button is moving towards your spine. Don't hold your breath but maintain a stance that is comfortable.

Diet

Certain kinds of proteins, fats, vitamins and antioxidants seem to help stop belly fat. These foods include cooked tomatoes, mushrooms, fish, raspberries and coconut oil that help to reduce body weight, body fat, waist circumference and visceral fat in women

with high triglycerides. Limit saturated fats, highly refined carbs, sugar, caffeine and alcohol.

Good sleep and Relaxation techniques

When you are sleep deprived, in addition to snacking, chugging caffeine, and other bad habits to try keep you awake, your hormones go haywire and produce increased cortisol leading to fat deposition. As no two women experience menopause in the same way, your unique symptoms will tailor your approach to relief. Practice a relaxation technique that works for you; whether it’s deep breathing, yoga, or meditation 

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GADGETS

Google Pixel 2

MRP: `61, 000 (approximately) Android 8.0 OS 5-inches Display 12 MP Primary Camera 8 MP Secondary Camera 4 GB RAM 64 GB Internal Memory 2700 mAh Battery Capacity

Google Pixel 2 XL

MRP: `73, 000 (approximately) Android 8.0 OS 6-inches Display 12 MP Primary Camera 8 MP Secondary Camera 4 GB RAM 64 GB Internal Memory 3520 mAh Battery Capacity

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HTC U11 Life

MRP: N/A Android 8.0 OS 5.2-inches Display 16 MP Primary Camera 16 MP Secondary Camera 3/4 GB RAM 32/64 GB Internal Memory 2600 mAh Battery Capacity

Razer Phone

MRP: N/A Android 7.1.1 OS 5.7-inches Display 12 MP Dual Primary Camera 8 MP Secondary Camera 8 GB RAM 64 GB Internal Memory 4000 mAh Battery Capacity

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COOKERY

Toshma Biju

Apple Cake Ingredients

• • • • • • • •

• • • •

Flour.........................................3 cups Sugar........................................2 cups Salt.................................... 1 teaspoon Baking soda....................... 1 teaspoon Vegetable oil........................1 1/4 cups Vanilla extract...................2 teaspoons Eggs(beaten).................................... 3 Apples (peeled and chopped).........3 1/2 cups Chopped walnuts....................... 1 cup Brown sugar.......................1 1/4 cups Milk........................................ 1/3 cup Butter..................................... 1/2 cup

PREPARATION Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a pan. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Make a well in the centre and add oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well (batter will be thick).

Fold in chopped apples and nuts. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.

Glaze the cake while it is still hot.

To make the glaze: In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, milk, and butter. Bring to a boil and continue cooking for 2 1/2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over cake while it is still hot.

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Banana Cake Ingredients

• • • • • • • • • •

Ripe bananas.................................................................... 1/2 cup, Lemon juice................................................................. 1 teaspoon Flour....................................................................................2 cups Baking soda.......................................................... 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt............................................................................1/4 teaspoon Butter................................................................................ 3/4 cup Sugar.............................................................................2 1/8 cups Large egg...............................................................................3 nos Vanilla......................................................................... 2 teaspoons Buttermilk.....................................................................1 1/2 cups

Frosting

• • • •

Butter................................................................................ 1/2 cup Cream cheese............................................................. 1 (8 ounce) Vanilla........................................................................... 1 teaspoon Icing sugar.....................................................................3 1/2 cups

Garnish

Chopped walnuts

Preparation Preheat the oven to 275°. Put grease and flour on a 9 x 13 pan. In a small bowl, mash the banana with the lemon juice; and put it aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; and put it aside. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until it turn light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla.

Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake in preheated oven for one hour or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Remove it from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist. For the frosting, cream the butter and cheese until it becomes smooth. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add icing sugar, and beat on low speed until it combined; and then on high speed until frosting is smooth. Spread the mixture on the cooled cake. Sprinkle chopped walnuts over the top of the frosting, if desired.

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COOKERY

Grape Wine Ingredients

• • • • • • • •

Seeded or Seedless Grapes......................................................1 kg Sugar .................................... 2 Kg(double the quantity of grapes) Water............................................................................. 4.5 litters Yeast.................................................................................... 2 tsps Luke Warm Water ....................1/2 Cup (for dissolving the yeast) Cinnamon Stick......................................................... 1 (optional) Cloves......................................................................... 3 (optional) Sugar................................................ 1/2 Cup (For Caramelizing)

Preparation Method 1. Clean the Ceramic/Glass Jar and allow it to sun dry before using it for making wine.

2. Boil water and allow it to cool completely.

3. Clean and wash the grapes well and remove the stalks.

4. Dissolve yeast in luke warm water and keep it aside for 10-15 minutes so that it rises.

5. Mash the grapes using a wooden spatula or crush the grapes with your hands. Add half the quantity of sugar to the crushed grapes and mix well.

6. Transfer the crushed grapes and sugar mix to the ceramic/glass jar.

Add yeast to the jar.

7. Add cinnamon and cloves. This will give the wine a very nice spicy aroma and flavour.

8. Add boiled and cooled water to the jar. Mix everything well. Keep the jar closed and airtight for 21 days.

9. Stir the mixture with a wooden spatula every day for 21 days. (Some people stir it every alternate day but I stirred it daily ) 10. After 21 days, strain the grape pulp mixture into another vessel using a muslin cloth or clean unbleached cotton cloth. Add the remaining 2 lb sugar and mix well. The Wine will be hazy at this stage.

11. Keep it for another 21 days so that the sediments settle down and the wine becomes clear. Strain the mixture again using a muslin cloth without disturbing the sediments. My wine had a light pink colour because of the grapes I used.

12. For colouring the wine, I caramelized sugar and added it to the wine and the wine had a rich golden colour. You can add the caramelized sugar to the wine a few days before straining it from the glass jar.

Please refer below for details on colouring the wine.

13. Store the wine in clean dry glass bottles. While serving, pour it carefully without disturbing the sediments. The longer the wine is stored, the better the taste.

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Procedure Sugar

for

Caramelizing

1. Take a saucepan and add 1/2 cup sugar.

2. Place it on medium heat and keep on stirring continuously till the sugar melts and becomes a dark brown colour. Keep scraping down the sides of the pan so that the sugar gets caramelized evenly.

3. Remove from fire and place the pan in ice cool water so the sugar doesn’t get burnt.

4. Add 4-5 tbsps of hot water to this sugar syrup and mix well. Cool and add the syrup to the wine in the glass/ceramic jar and mix well.

5. The wine will attain a darker colour after a few days.

6. For cleaning the pan after use, add water to the pan and bring it to a boil and throw away the solution.

Caramelized Sugar

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BEAUTY

Dr. Elizabath Chacko, MD-Kalpana's International

Mob: 9388618112

Five Solutions To Your Skin And Hair Problems

W

ell, do you have a dry skin that you need to take care of? Or tired looking eyes? Or oily one that cannot stop the endless growth of pimples?

Is there a solution to all this?

Yes, absolutely!

There are plenty of issues to deal with while living in an environment where both the weather and circumstances keep on changing. The magic wand is in the form of everyday items that we could use and they will produce the efficient result. The products that could be used are there in your nature. So, do not underestimate the same.

1. Oily Skin

Oily skin will lead to the accumulation of dirt and salt, leading to pimples.

And, the dirt and sweat accumulation will affect your appearance. The solution to

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the same is simple: massage the skin with yoghurt and sprinkle some sugar over it, cut an orange into two halves and use it to scrub gently until the granules melt, and wash the face with iced water. These practices will make a difference.

2. Tired Skin

“Are you tired?” That question might annoy us but we are not tired in our minds. To be active, we have to ensure the same in terms of our appearance. Use papaya based treatment for the same. Take papaya pulp and massage your skin with it. Massage the skin with papaya. Then, by mixing oats and honey along with a little cold milk, you could scrub the skin. Wash off with ice cold milk and water and pat until dry.

3. Frizzy Hair

Want to fix the ‘frizziness’ of your hair? You could make your own spray for

the same. Take two slices of lemon and simmer in two cups of water until it reduces to half the amount.

Pour the liquid into a bottle and spray on your hair. The fly hair will be gone and there will be a natural sheen.

4. For a Smooth Back

Do you like to wear lower back blouse, or a gown? Here is a quick activity you could do without the need for a beautician. Take 1 cup of sea salt and mix it with half a cup of olive oil to which you add 5 drops of sandalwood oil. Mix this solution well and store it in a jar.

Use this to scrub the areas of your body that you want to flaunt. Wipe off with a wet towel.

5. Eye Bags

Use a piece of cucumber, grate it and apply it under your skin to reduce the intensity of the eye bags and dark circles. This is a classic yet effective method.

Use these methods, and stay beautiful and healthy! ď Ź

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The island was not permanently inhibited by human until the arrival of colonial Britain, though Kalinago people, Amerindians, Colonial Spain and Colonial Portuguese stayed there for a brief period.

I

n this edition, we take you to one of the most exiting locations in the Caribbean region.

Barbados is an island nation situated in the easternmost side of the Caribbean region. It is a former British colony. Interestingly, the total population of this island, which spreads across a total area of 430 sq km, is less than three lakhs.

The preponderance of the Barbadians speaks English, even though they use a tribal language, similar to English, to communicate among themselves. The majority of them is Christians and has no interest in preventing others from believing in any other religion.

The island was not permanently inhibited by human until the arrival of colonial Britain, though Kalinago people, Amerindians, Colonial Spain and Colonial Portuguese stayed there for a brief period.

The Great Britain first arrived in this island in 1625. Two years later, the island was made a part of their colonial territories. They established several sugar plantations and made African slaves to work in these plantations. Within few years, it became the hub of the African slave trade.

Actually, the hunger for freedom crawled into the mind of each Barbadian only after the eventful year of 1834, in which the slavery was officially abolished. Until the aforesaid year, most of the Barbadians were living a life of a mere slave, who was considered as a mere commodity.

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Since the aforementioned year onwards, the country has been undergoing several social, political and economic reforms.

These reforms have gifted them several achievements such as independence and economic growth.

Now, the island is the 53rd richest country in the world in terms of Gross Domestic Product per capita.

The island, which was heavily dependent on its sugar plantation sector, has successfully diversified their investments by brilliantly in-

vesting in the manufacturing sector and tourism sector.

The island nation has achieved significant achievements in the education and health care sectors. The literacy rate of this island country is as high as 99.7 per cent.

Moreover, the islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life expectancy is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;76.25â&#x20AC;&#x2122; (which is fairly high compared to other similar island nations).

Barbados is a parliamentary democracy. Interestingly, British Queen Elizabeth II is still the head

Barbados the paradise of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Europeans'

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beaches located in this village.

Apart from these beaches, there is Graeme Hall Nature sanctuary to give travelers a different experience.

Holetown is a small town located in the island country of Barbados. The beaches located in this region are the ideal places to enjoy some adventures such as snorkeling. Paynes Bay, Folkestone Marine Park and Museum, Sandy Lane Beach, Alleynes Bay and St James church are the prime attractions of this town. of this island. There are GovernorGeneral and Prime Minister to rule the nation. The PM, who is the representative of the party which has the highest number of members in the parliament, is the real head of the state. The island functions as a two-party system.

The Democratic Labour Party and Barbados Labour Party are the two prime political parties operating in the country.

Barbados. This port city is located in the southwest region of the island. Beaches, plantation houses, colonial architecture, caves and museums are prime attractions of this city. Harrison’s cave, Animal flower cave, Garrison Savannah racetrack, St Nicholas Abbey, Bottom Bay, Barbados Museum and Historical society, George Washington House are the main attractions in this port city.

The island nation is the member of several multi-national political, judicial and trade organizations such as CARICOM, CSME, ACS, OAS, CCJ and WTO.

Oistins is a coastal village. It is where travelers go to enjoy adventure sports, beach parties, and beach dishes. It is actually a fishing village. Miami Beach, Dover Beach, Rockley Beach, Worthing Beach and Welches Beach are the main

The island has no powerful defense force. It totally depends on the UK for their defense needs. Its army only has six hundred members.

Barbados is the best place to spend an eventful vacation. It is popularly known as the paradise of the ‘Europeans’. There are several beautiful beaches, magnificent colonial ruins, attractive museums and many more in this land. The island is popular for its nightlife, weekend parties, beach clubs, beach music functions, beach house parties, plantation house parties, and adventure sports.

Bridgetown, Oistins, Holetown and Bathsheba are the popular tourist locations in this country.

Bridgetown is the capital city of

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Bathsheba is a less populated fishing village. Flower Forest, the prime horticultural part of the country, is the one of the main tourist attractions. Apart from this location, there are several beaches such as Cattlewash, a botanical garden, named ‘Andromeda Garden’, and beachside parks such as Bathsheba Park in this village.

Apart from these aforementioned regions, there are many tourist places in the country such as Saint James Parish and Speightstown.

It is the best place to spend a good vacation. Plan your trip to this beautiful nation now itself. Don’t Miss the Fun! 

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VIVEK VENUGOPAL

AUTO REVIEW

This is the seventh generation of the 5 series and is officially known as the G30. The previous generation car, the F10, saw a switch, from the hardcore driver’s car that the E60 had been, to a more comfortable motorway cruiser.

I

f you want almost everything the 7 series has, for roughly half the price, the 5 series is the one for you. It is busting with technology like never before and part of it has to be fierce competition in this segment. With new entrants like the Volvo S90, Jaguar XF bringing a new set of talents to the table, it is important to play your strengths. Mercedes E class has decided to play its long wheelbase trump card; BMW has chosen to do what it does best –being the best driver’s car and loading it to the gills with tech.

This is the seventh generation of the 5 series and is officially known as the G30. The previous generation car, the F10, saw a switch, from the hardcore driver’s car that the E60 had been, to a more comfortable motorway cruiser.

With more focus on ride quality, it wasn’t the sharpest BMW to drive, but it was still better than most of its rivals. With the new one, BMW has once again put fun in the driving seat. It is more aerody-

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namic with a Cd of 0.22 while being 36mm larger, 6mm wider and a tad taller than before. It is also about a 100kgs lighter than before, making use of more high strength steel and aluminium. It doesn’t get the Carbon core of the 7 series, although similar architecture is employed in its construction. BMW also provides a space saver in the boot, but this means an extra padding on the

floor, which reduces its volume to just 400 litres.

The styling is modern and the theme is very similar to that of the 7 series. The elongated headlamps stretch to meet the grille like most BMWs of this era. The grilles have louvers in them that open only when needed to improve aerodynamic efficiency. The

BMW

G30 bonnet stretches a long way to the windshield, but the passenger cabin now stretches further into the boot lid making it look smaller than it actually is. The way it hides its visual mass is impressive. The version that we tested had the M Sport package with more aggressive front bumper, black accents and 18-inches wheels and you have to say it looks way better than the regular 5 series.

It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the same vault-like feel when you close these aluminium doors, but the interiors are a vast improvement over the previous generation F10. The material quality is more 7 series than ever with stitched leather trim, the touch screen HVAC controls and ambient lighting lifting the moods.

The overall ambience is one that belongs to a segment above. The seats are sporty in design, yet have

strips of quilted leather combining luxury and sportiness. The front seats are huge and come with lots of adjustments. The rear seat is a bit upright than earlier, but with good legroom, a higher hip point and adequate headroom, it is quite comfortable too. The car is a techfest with most features borrowed from the bigger 7 series. You get gesture control, four zone climate control, powered steering adjust,

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heads-up display, powered seats at the front, sunroof etc. It even has an induction charging base in the centre console where you can wirelessly charge your mobile phone or the display key. The display key lets you pre-cool the car, secure it, see vital parameters such as range.

It can even start and remote park your car from outside if it is a tight spot, by moving it backwards and forwards.

The three litre straight six B57 engine in the 530d is a masterpiece. It puts out 265bhp and 620Nm via an 8 speed ZF gearbox.

Even more impressive than the headline figures is the refinement of this engine. It hums smoothly like a turbine and when you rev it higher, it runs even smoother. It is properly fast propelling the car from 0-100kmph in 5.81 seconds.

That is almost sports car level of

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performance in a big family saloon that sips diesel. The 530d comes with launch control too, which makes it even faster than normal.

Whether it is pottering in the city, driving fast or cruising, you can leave it to the brilliant gearbox to deliver the right gear at the right revs every single time. You can put it in Eco or Comfort mode to dull the throttle responses a bit, or pick Sport and Sport Plus for snappier throttle and more revs in each gear.

The new 530d is also more fuel efficient, thanks to improved aerodynamics, better engines and less weight. It was delivering between 10-14kmpl in our tests, which is over 20 percent better than that of the old 530d.

The steering is the right diameter but the rim is a bit too thick in the 530d. On sheer steering feel, it can’t quite match that of the new

Jaguar XF or that of its predecessor, the E60 but it weighs up nicely.

The initial impressions when you drive the car are that of a luxury saloon, but as you go faster, the 5 series feels very alive and playful.

It grips rather well, yet the tail is ready to step out any time you want. The best part for me was that it feels small and light when you drive it, something you couldn’t say about the earlier generation. Dynamic dampers are now standard across the range and they let you have a luxury sedan at one moment and a sports saloon the next.

The ride quality is fantastic, even in the sportiest setting. You do get mild thuds from the deepest potholes, but it still has the best ride and handling balance in its class.

The car that we drove has rather low profile tyres on 18-inches rims, and you can even get 19 and 20 inches rims as options. The brakes are fantastic and stop the car rather well.

Without having to do a head to head comparison, we can very well say that this is the best car in its class. It is a stellar improvement over the outgoing model and one that appeals to both the head and heart. It has the comfort, the quality, the performance, the handling, the ride quality and long list of equipments. Yes, the long wheelbase E class gives you a better rear seat experience; but for everything else you can’t ask for something better 

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MOVIE REVIEW

Fukrey Returns

I

t is a comedy film directed by Mrigdeep Singh Lamba. It is the sequel to ‘Fukrey’, the popular Bollywood film released in the year 2013. Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani are the producers of the film. There are several mind blowing comedy sequences in the film. The songs of the film have already earned appreciation. Priya Anand, Pulkit Samrat, Manjot Singh, Vishakha Singh and Ali Fazal appear in the lead roles.

The Central Board of Film Certification has given ‘U/A’ certificate to the film. Anyway, the film will be a good comedy entertainment.

Those associated with the film assert that the film will be one of the best comedy dramas of this year.

Firangi

I

t is a historic film directed by Rajiv Dhingra. The film takes the audience to the disturbed year of 1920, in which the India freedom struggle was at its peak. Interestingly, it tells the story of an entirely different man who firmly believes the British era is not as bad as each and every Indian thinks. The film has received good review. Kapil Sharma, Ishita Dutta, Monica Gill, Inaamulhaq and Aanjjan Srivastav appear in the lead roles. All of the main actors have demonstrated appreciable performance, especially Kapil Sharma. Notably, the film is produced by Sharma itself.

The story of the film deserves a special mention.

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Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

I

t is a fantasy movie directed by Jake Kasdan. The film tells the story of four kids who accidently fall into a fantasy jungle though a video game, called jumanji. For the kids, the only way to come back to the real world is to win the game, which is, in fact, an adventurous task. Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Nick Jones appear in the lead roles. The screenplay of the film is written by Jake Kasdan, Scott Rosenberg, Jeff Pinkner, Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna. It is said that there would be several action sequences and adventure scenes in the movie.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

I

t is a science fiction directed

by Rian Johnson. There are several mind blowing action sequences in the movie. The story of the film revolves around Rey, who has many super powers and have developed a new one with the guidance of a teacher. Daisay Riley appears in the film as Rey, and Mark Hamill as her teacher.

Apart from them, Carrie Fisher, John Boyega and Adam Driver act in the lead roles. The screenplay of this movie has been prepared by its director itself. It is the latest movie in the Star Wars series. The film is expected to attract more audience than its predecessors.

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BOOK REVIEW

Darker: Fifty Shades Darker as Told by Christian Author Price

: E L James : Rs 374

I

t is the latest book written by the world renowned writer E L James, who reinvented new dimensions in the art of storytelling with her controversial book, ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’. In this book, the writer tries to tell the male character’s version -Christian Grey’s version, unlike what the readers saw in the previous editions in which the female character, Anastasia Steel, was the main protagonist. It easily answers several questions, particularly those questions related to the male character’s dark past, for which the female version had no answers or explanations. Will Grey recover from the past and surrender completely to the love offered by his partner, Anastasia?

The Perils of Being Moderately Famous Author Price

T

: Soha Ali Khan : Rs 224

he writer is the daughter of Sharmila Tagore and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the sister of Saif Ali Khan, and the sister-in-law of Kareena Kapoor. In this book, she explains how is it like to be the dearest person of these famous personalities. The book is actually a collection of essays. Interestingly, the writer has brilliantly included an attractive element, called ‘humor’, in those portions which demand an extra beautification. The other interesting element of this book is that it publicizes some rare photos which has the ability to silently tell more beautiful stories. The writer also tells about her childhood life, collage life and social life to give more clarity to the situations which she describes in the book.

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DISTRIBUTION & ENQUIRIES 9846050283

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BOOK REVIEW

The Hungry Empire Author Price

: Lizzie Collingham : Rs 524

D

o you know that almost each and every dish we eat contains a taste of the British Empire? Why it is so? Have you ever thought about it?

The global food trade network is the prime contribution of the erstwhile British Empire. In the book, the writer is trying to tell the story of the history of food network and how the colonial British helped in creating a global food network in a way that is now to the global writers. In twenty tasty meals, the book tells the story. In a difference sense, the book is the untold history of the most powerful empire of the world.

From Lehman to Demonetization Author Price

T

: Tamal Bandyopadhyay : Rs 450

he book tells the story of banking in the country in the last decade â&#x20AC;&#x201C;from 2007 to 2017. In another sense, it is the indirect performance report of D.Subbarao, Raghuram Rajan, Urijit Patel, Pranab Mukherjee, P.Chidambaram and present Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The book also contains the sensitive subjects such as the 2008 economic crisis and demonetization. It is actually a collection of interviews. In a right sense, the interviews done by the writer with the renowned economic experts such as Deepak Parkeh, K V Kamath, Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chanda Kochchar, Aditya Puri, U K Sinha, Viral Acharya and Shikha Sharma have shaped the contents of the book.

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Printed On 01/ 12/ 2017

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RNI Reg No. KERENG/2011/42633