uniquetimes 2019

Vol 8 Issue No.87 Jan-Feb 2019

V P NANDAKUMAR

INNOVATOR PAR EXCELLENCE

Italian Luxury Designer Sanitaryware.

ISVEA products are artfully curated by eminent Italian designers to elevate your bathroom experience. isvea.cera-india.com ISVEA Boutiques in Kerala: Ernakulam: Sri Venkateshwara Agencies, Near Popular Hyundai Showroom, Chalikkavattom, N.H. Bypass, Vytilla, Ernakulam 682019 Tel: +91 484 4021897 Cochin: Brothers Hardwares & Agencies, 31/127A, Metro Pillar 362, Opp. Milma, Koonamthai, Edapally, Cochin 682024 Mob: +91 8129737666, 8129533990 Kozhikode: Kurikkal Tile Studio, Soubagya Shopping Complex, Arayadathupalam, Mavoor Road, Kozhikode 673004 Tel: +91 495 4040762, 3040101 Kannur: KPK Rialto, Thana, Kannur 670012 Tel: +91 497 2701865 Nooranad: J K Traders, J K Plaza, Nooranad, Alappuzha Tel:+91 479 2386234 Mob: +91 9349607951 Thiruvananthapuram: Saraswathy Enterprises, Saraswathy Building, TC-13/384, Vadayakkadu, Kunnukuzhi, Thiruvananthapuram 695035 Tel: +91 471 2444627, 2443724 or visit

Kochi: 1st Floor, Bay Pride Towers and Mall, Marine Drive, Kochi 682031 Tel: +91 484 4052213, 2365440 E-mail: cochin@cera-india.com Thiruvananthapuram: 2nd Floor, CPS Plaza, TC 79/342/5/6, Opp. Nissan Showroom, NH Bypass, Venpalavattom, Anayara P.O. , Thiruvananthapuram 695029 Tel: +91 471 4064101 E-mail: trivandrum@cera-india.com

Printed by: Ajit Ravi Published by: Ajit Ravi Owned by: Ajit Ravi Printed at: St. Reddiar & Sons 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 2532040, 2532080 Mob:+91 98460 50283, 94470 50283 Editor Ajit Ravi Sub-Editor Vignesh S.G 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 Marketing UAE Phygicart.com P.O. Box: 92546, Al Karama Dubai Mr. Anish K Joy Mob: +971528946999 info@phygicart.com Plot No 19A, 9th Floor, Green Building, Film City, Sector - 16A, Noida - 201301 Tamil Nadu Vice president Uma Riyas Khan chennai, Mob: 9841072955 Unique Times, No.6/31, Arunachalam main road, Saligramam, Chennai – 600093 Andhrapradesh & Karnataka PEGASUS Ph: 09288800999 Sunilkumar NN, Saneesh Ashok Your wing Dr. Susan S Sunny Director Shwetha Menon Cover Photographer Jinish Photogenic Creative Design PEGASUS Cover Photograph Shri V.P. Nandakumar, MD & CEO, Manappuram Finance Ltd.

Editorial

W

ish you a Happy New Year! American author Sarah Ban Breathnach said: “New Year's Day. A fresh start. A new chapter in life waiting to be written. New questions to be asked, embraced, and loved. Answers to be discovered and then lived in this transformative year of delight and self-discovery.

Only dreams give birth to change.” Let us embrace the New Year to realize new, unfulfilled dreams.

Our cover story unravels the rare success story of a businessman who popularized gold loans in India and is now at the helm of one of India’s leading NBFCs, Manappuram Finance. Today, V P Nandakumar’s Manappuram Finance straddles the length and breadth of India with over 4,200 branches across 28 states/UTs managing assets worth over Rs. 17,000 crores and employing a workforce of 25,000.

Meet the Tata Harrier, one the most eagerly awaited SUVs in India and probably one of the best cars to come out of Tata Motors yet. Our expert team says the imposing looks, stunning interiors, performance, ride quality and the massive space are all in Tata Harrier’s favour. In travel, we check out Burkina Faso, the richest country in the African continent in terms of its natural beauty.

Regular articles on the stock market, gadgets, banking, movie review, and book review are there. I sincerely hope you find as much joy in this issue as it brings me.

Dr. Ajit Ravi

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CONTENTS

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Lending to India’s education infrastructure is an untapped opportunity

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What is your digital quotient?

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VP Nandakumar: innovator par excellence

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Recommendations made during the 31st Meeting of the GST Council - A few key aspects

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Starve your distractions; feed your focus

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Gadgets

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Recipes

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Natural tips to solve all skin issues winter likely to cause

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Poor, but Rich: Burkina Faso

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Tata Harrier

UNIQUE DIARY

MP to write off farmers’ loans up to two lakhs

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he Indian state of Madhya Pradesh has decided to write off farmers’ loans up to two lakhs. The crucial decision has come after the induction of Kamal Nath as the new Chief Minister of the state. The total cost of the program is estimated to be around 350 billion to 380 billion. Recently, numerous farmers’ protests have taken place across the country demanding the same. Most farmers are in trouble due to the fall in crop prices. The proposed policy is expected to benefit at least 3.4 million farmers. The agrarian crisis is likely to influence the outcome of the upcoming general election. Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh government and Maharashtra government executed similar waivers in their respective states.

Commerce and industry ministry to review proposed e-commerce policy

“If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to meet it!”

Jonathan Winters

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he minister of commerce and industry, Suresh Prabhu, is set to review the new e-commerce policy proposed by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. As per a report, the prime focus of the proposed policy is the issue of deep discounts.

Most offline retailers see e-commerce platforms as a threat. With the policy, the government primarily aims to address the concerns of offline retailers. The policy is essential to make sure all abide by the Indian competition laws. There is an assessment that some ecommerce platforms openly defy the law of the land which stands to ensure fair play.

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Tourism ministry’s Swadesh Darshan scheme to get a boost soon

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he ministry of tourism’s Swadesh Darshan scheme is likely to get a good boost in the near future. While answering a question in the lawmaking house, Union Tourism Minister K J Alphons has informed the parliament that nearly seventy-three new projects with central financial assistance have been approved recently as a part of the ambitious scheme. The central government is expected to invest a little more than 5,800 crore for the scheme. The central scheme aims to improve the tourism potential of India, particularly the rural India. It is assumed that the scheme would help the country to attract more tourists in the coming years.

India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge opens its gates

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

Steve Jobs

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ndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge, Bogibeel Bridge. The bridge has been constructed on the Brahmaputra River. It is 4.98 Km long. It considerably reduces the distance for the people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Strategically, the bridge is very important.

The reduction of the time taken to reach Arunachal Pradesh –the Indian state which shares border with China- means the facility for the faster movement of goods, personals and supplies to that state. The project was originally envisaged during the Deve Gowda era. Noteworthy, it was Atal Behari Vajpayee who gave serious impetuous to the project.

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UNIQUE DIARY

Afghan thanks the US for the support it gives to India’s Chabahar port project in Iran

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fghanistan, the most important strategic partner of the United States in the Asian region, has thanked the White House for its move to exempt the Chabahar port from the armpit of the sanction it executed against Iran. India is the one that is on the task to develop this port. The port is likely to benefit Afghanistan and India alike. Had the US showed unwillingness to exclude the port from the sanction, the ambitious port project would have suffered premature death. It seems that though the White House is keen not to encourage any of its satellite countries to develop any relation with Iran, the US is least interested to stand against the interest of Afghanistan and India.

India imposes anti-dumping duty on Chinese chemical

“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

Maya Angelou

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ndia has imposed anti-dumping duty on a Chinese chemical, Zeolite 4A. It is the Directorate General of Trade Remedies that has recommended the imposition of the duty. The DGTR has found that the cheap import of the chemical from China would affect the Indian industry adversely. The ban is proposed to be in place for at least five years. It is expected that the ban would ensure fairness. The chemical is widely used to make detergents. The Gujarat Credo Mineral Industries and Chemicals alleges that the Chinese cheap chemical has already affected the market. Actually, it is on this company’s complaint that the DGTR has initially launched an investigation into the matter.

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BUSINESS

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

The education sector is further expected to move into a high growth phase in the coming years as India will have the world’s largest tertiary school-age population and the second largest graduate talent strength by the end of 2020. The education sector in India is estimated at US$ 91.7 billion in FY 2018 and likely to cross US$ 100 billion in FY 2019.

Lending to India’s education infrastructure is an untapped opportunity

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t a global level, the Indian education sector is amongst the largest, with over 250 million school going students, more than anywhere else. It also has one of the largest networks of higher education institutions in the world. In 2017-18, the total number of colleges and universities in India stood at 39,050 and 903 respectively. India also had 36.64 million students enrolled in higher education in 2017-18, as per a government report.

India holds an important place in the global education industry, but it still has a large young population with low gross enrolment ratios (GER) at around 26 percent in 2017-18, as compared to an average of 75 percent in Europe and North

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America (though much better than the 8 percent level in Sub-Saharan Africa). GER is defined as number of students enrolled in a given level of education, expressed as a percentage of the official schoolage population corresponding to the same level of education. Lower GER indicates there is still scope for further growth in the education sector.

The education sector is further expected to move into a high growth phase in the coming years as India will have the world’s largest tertiary school-age population and the second largest graduate talent strength by the end of 2020. The education sector in India is estimated at US$ 91.7 billion in FY 2018 and likely to cross US$ 100 billion in FY 2019.

Scope of School Finance in India

The Economic Survey 2017-18 reveals that government spending on education as a percentage of GDP has remained close to or less than 3 percent of the GDP since 2013-14. We are nowhere near the Kothari Commission (196466) recommendation of 6 percent of GDP. Where governments are failing to provide youngsters with a decent education, the private sector is stepping in. The total no. of private schools in the country grew at a CAGR of 4.1 percent, from 2.4 lakhs during FY08 to 3.5 lakhs during FY17.

With 3,50,000 private schools in India, we now have a huge base of affordable private schools. How-

ever, most of them lack access to credit and are unable to reap economies of scale. Schools rarely comply with the banks’ standard lending requirements. Banks avoid lending to them because they would lack audited balance sheets as they are run mostly on cash basis, and owners do not have the wherewithal to make a balance sheet and get it audited. But then, even as the banks stay away, many of these schools ur-

gently need funds to upgrade their infrastructure. The alternative is to take recourse to informal money lenders but the interest rates can be exorbitant. With limited funding options, growth and innovation at these schools suffer.

And that gives an opening to specialized NBFCs, viz. school finance companies. Financing private schools becomes a good opportunity as you enter a space where

India has not fared well and where mainstream players are not willing to enter. With competition absent, growth is feasible both by going deep and going wide. The NBFC players in this market can grow the loan book, enjoy good yields (of 14 to 15 percent) and the comfort of loans that are secured by land and property. By providing easy-to-access funds at competitive interest rates, they help the schools grow and pro-

vide better quality of education to students. After all, education Infrastructure is an important ‘enabler’ in the delivery of a better quality of education.

Their loans enable schools to enhance their delivery capability by improving infrastructure facilities like construction of new classrooms or new buildings within existing premises, investing in computer

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and science laboratories, or augmenting basic amenities. They also provide finance for implementing new teaching methodologies, like digital classrooms, experiential learning, and other activities which lead to a qualitative improvement in educational delivery.

Recession-proof lending

Education is a recession proof business. Lenders to the business can play an important role in enabling capacity growth of affordable private schools. Private schools get access to affordable loans while lenders get to securely diversify their portfolio, to mutual benefit.

A good chunk of private schools do not have access to bank loans for upgrading their infrastructure.

Banks, by and large, extend loans only to educational institutions at the middle to higher end, and to the larger chains of successful private schools.

Despite the good opportunity, most established NBFCs would hesitate to venture into these relatively untested waters and build an education portfolio if only because they anyway have access to adequate lending opportunities in

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conventional areas. It therefore requires a new breed of players, with the mindset and daring spirit of pioneers, who are willing to consider smaller markets, and who would look at education as a viable market and prepare the way for larger players to enter later on. The two goals of the school financing NBFC should be to assist with capacity building through social infrastructure (thereby enabling students to enjoy access to quality education) and to promote financial inclusion by focusing on schools serving urban low income segments.

NBFCs like Indian School Finance Company, Varthana and Shiksha Finance are among the few

Education is a recession proof business.

Lenders to the business can play an important role in enabling capacity growth of affordable private schools.

specialised lending institutions in this niche market that are today transforming the quality of the affordable private schools in India by extending financial support. If more players enter this sector and make available more credit to schools, then we may even reduce school dropout rates and achieve better education for all.

In July 2018, Manappuram Finance Ltd, announced plans to acquire an 85 percent stake in the Hyderabad-based Indian School Finance Company (ISFC). The company is a niche player focused on lending to the education segment with loans to affordable private schools, vocational colleges, coaching centres etc. Once the acquisition is through (after due regulatory approval), Manappuram Finance would have entered yet another largely unbanked sector of the economy, to serve people who have long been ignored by mainstream financiers

(V.P. Nandakumar is MD & CEO of Manappuram Finance Ltd.)

BUSINESS

Rajesh Nair Asociate partner-markets, Ernst & Young LLP Rajesh is also the President of the Kerala Chapter of TiE Global

I

n the early part of the last century, scientists and theoreticians were avidly pursuing research and theory on the human mind. More specifically, the attempt was to correlate mental abilities and the eventual success in life.

Success, as defined, during those days was the material wealth, career, upper class social status et.al.

The key output of the extensive research was defining the contours of IQ – Intelligence Quotient. As a metric it gained popularity especially in academic institutions and suddenly every other educational institution in the western world was having the kids being ‘tested’ for their IQs. Organised bodies like MENSA, publicised it further, there was tremendous chatter around it.

The next wave was when scientists, especially management experts and anthropologists, added another dimension to the ‘pursuit of successes’. The strong opinion was that there is a social element which is critical to fame and glory. While no one contested the veracity of IQ and the fact that it is an ‘interesting’ metric, the larger dynamics of everyday life, needs the common man to be attuned with the social fabric, open to people interactions and have the ability to work with his ‘emotional’ self. EQ- emotional quotient- was born and Daniel Goleman, and many others, wrote seminal books and treatise on the subject. While it did not take the metric form in quantitative terms like IQ, it was widely figuring in the

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With the changing realities, it is of high imperative that the professionals and students of today understand the ‘digital’ perspective of things. This is not just changing ways in which business is done but also about the large shift in the way we work, communicate and think. In this context, an important question is: what is your Digital Quotient (DQ).

leadership and management competencies in the past two decades.

Then came the age of technological advances, disruptions of business, new revenue models, innovative asset sweating paradigms and the flux in the business environment was palpable. ‘Digital’ is the catch phrase and has a larger meaning from ‘technology’. Digital is the complete transformation of our way of life and work. It is a potpourri of software, the gazillion devices, the interconnected network and the host of exponential technologies that is connected everything and everyone into one large invisible labyrinthine maze of relationships. The rate of change has also redefined the basic tenets of what ‘long term’ is, and what ‘short term’ is. The strategic planning horizons have also changed. Management intuition, a cumulative precis of all our experiences drives decision making; but the recent past movements in the business landscape show that there is a significant shift in the very basis of our fundamental business options.

With the changing realities, it is of high imperative that the professionals and students of today understand the ‘digital’ perspective of things. This is not just changing ways in which business is done but also about the large shift in the way we work, communicate and think.

In this context, an important question is: what is your Digital Quotient (DQ). It represents your ability to understand the digital context,

learn new ways of working, unlearn some of the seemingly archaic practices of the past and embrace the digital environment completely.

Qualitatively, it means having an eye on the horizon, understanding disruptions not just in the large business landscape but in your respective work domains. It is a nobrainer than some of the routine works with have ‘Bots’ and robotic process automation bringing in efficiencies. So, skilling yourself and thinking meticulously is the need of the hour. The moot question to ask yourself is: how will you differentiate your digital quotient to manage your businesses and your career?

Digital transformation holds both great potential and significant risks at all levels of the business.

But, most organizations are yet to articulate a comprehensive, digital enterprise work plan and prepare roadmaps for the future. This isn’t necessarily a failure of oversight: setting out a digital strategy and an approach to digital governance is tough. As yet, there are no best business practices or a confirmed playbook, only scattered examples.

And, each business will need to prioritize its approach based on its unique market dynamics and relative digital maturity.

Besides all the changes, the most ominous and the fiercely debated issue is that of the future of employment. Will robots take over?

We can broadly classify work into the following categories: 1. Expert - these cluster of jobs

What is your digital quotient?

are for subject matter experts who have the ability to provide deep expertise in an areas and topically most technically professional jobs are to fall in this tranche; 2. Collaborator- these are jobs where there is the need for constant interaction with others, understa nding data, working with people; 3. Doer- typical blue collar and some white collar jobs which are normally a regular set of activities which are detailed and supervised by others; 4. Trainer and Coach - these are a slight variation of the first category of expertise, but the bulk of the work content is instructive and pedagogical.

Jobs are also not endemic to a particular category and have fla-

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BUSINESS

vours from all the categories and are normally a collage of all the categories. The immediate category which will get affected is the third one –‘pair of hands‘. The displacement of labour by technology and globalization is hardly a new phenomenon. Technology has been reshaping work since the first Industrial Revolution, which demolished trade groups and replaced artisanal craftsmanship with assembly line production and templated manufacturing. Globalization has been changing work for decades, thanks to trade liberalization and emerging markets.

It is not the time to panic but the time to realise that these are just changing norms of work and re-

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jig of the traditional ethos and routines of employment. What we are also like to usher in is the ‘freelance economy’ where professionals will increasingly barter their expertise across organisations and projects, rather than being employed with one organisation. The rise of various business platforms such as Airbnb, OYO, Didi and Uber has already ushered in the freelance economy in which non-employee freelancers provide labour in temporary assignments and actually form the core workforce of these companies.

But, at the end of all these, in the near future, the ultimate resource that companies will use more efficiently is the human resource. Labour-intensive firms eve-

It is not the time to panic but the time to realise that these are just changing norms of work and rejig of the traditional ethos and routines of employment. rywhere will need to reinvent their business models, deploying smart technologies and using labour more productively. One result is that work will be unbundled. Just as the technology disruption unbundled music albums into songs, it will unbundle jobs into tasks, with each task performed in the most efficient manner –whether by a human resource or by a robot! So, what is your digital quotient?

LIMITED EDITION

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V P NANDAKUMAR:

INNOVATOR PAR EXCELLENCE T

hese days, V.P. Nandakumar is well known as the promoter and MD & CEO of Manappuram Finance Ltd., a company that is something of a darling among the investor community. As the man at the helm of one India’s leading NBFCs recognised for its pioneering role in popularising gold loans, he has delivered unprecedented returns to his investors. And many of them were ordinary people who became wealthy beyond their wildest imaginations. Incorporated in 1992, the company had its IPO within three years and was listed on the BSE in August, 1995. Anyone who had invested ten rupees then would be holding 40 shares today worth about Rs.3,600! And yes, phenomenal as these returns are, it does not include the regular and uninterrupted stream of dividends the company has paid all these years. In the last fiscal, the dividend paid out to the investor holding 40 equity shares amounted to Rs.80, remarkable when you consider that the original investment was merely ten rupees. No wonder then, that in

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January 2017, Manappuram Finance Limited was ranked 13th in the list of the Top 20 wealth creators in the stock market published by Moneylife magazine.

Today, Manappuram Finance straddles the length and breadth of India with over 4,200 branches across 28 states and Union Territories managing assets worth over Rs.17,000 crore and employing a workforce of 25,000. In keeping with changing needs and the changing times, Nandakumar has led the way as the company boldly diversified its business and moved away from the exclusive focus on gold loans. Microfinance, vehicle and housing finance, SME lending and insurance broking are some of the new businesses where a good start has been made. The entry into microfinance followed the acquisition of the struggling Chennai based Asirvad Microfinance in February 2015, which has now turned around to become the sixth largest microfinance company in India.

While Nandakumar’s success as a business leader is there for all to

Manappuram Finance Limited was ranked 13th in the list of the Top 20 wealth creators in the stock market published by Moneylife magazine.

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see, the question remains, what best explains the success? Of course, like all successful business people, he has many qualities of head and heart, such as intelligence, determination, singular focus, a vision that sees miles ahead and to top it all, a rigorous work ethic. But beyond these conventional qualities lies an uncanny ability to reinvent the game when the occasion demands, to innovate and stay ahead of the pack. The motivational speaker Shiv Khera said, “Winners don’t do different things, they do things differently.” Nandakumar goes by his own version and believes that what you do is not important, it’s how you do it that matters.

After all, the business of pawnbroking - lending against the security of household gold jewellery - has existed for ages across India. Nothing really changed all these years until Manappuram Finance Ltd. happened, and then nothing was the same ever!

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Pioneered the corporate model of gold loans

That India’s gold loan sector has come of age is to be seen in the way more and more people are shedding age-old taboos to borrow money against their gold jewellery and in the way the gold loan NBFCs have made a mark on the stock markets.

However, things were not always this easy. Even as late as 2007, few had heard of Manappuram and few in the capital markets cared about gold loans. So, the question may be asked, how did an unglamorous activity carried on for ages suddenly manage to capture the attention of the capital markets?

Without a doubt, this story begins with V.P. Nandakumar and the company he founded, Manappuram Finance Ltd. Promoted in 1992, Manappuram Finance was initially focussed on leasing, hire purchase and general finance. Despite his roots in gold loans, Nandakumar kept this business off the agenda initially and it was relegated to a small proprietary concern like any other pawn broker. Clearly, at this point, even he had no idea of the gold mine it would become one day. Things changed in 1998 when a credit crunch following the CRB scam made life difficult for NBFCs, forcing Nandakumar to re-evaluate the business model. With limited access to long term funds (needed for leasing and hire purchase), he decided that the way out would be for Manappuram Finance to also get into gold loans. And so, the company became the first corporate entity in India to get into the business of gold loans. Up to this point, the gold loan business was for long a deeply tradition-bound business dominated by pawnbrokers and moneylenders operating in lanes and by-lanes scattered across India. Manappuram’s entry was to prove a game changer.

By introducing technology, transparency and modern management practices to the business, Nandakumar went on to change the face of gold loans.

Foresaw the rise of technology

It’s not widely known but the fact is, Manappuram was one of the ear-

liest to adopt the core banking style platform for its network of branches. This was no mean achievement considering that unlike the banking sector there were no ready-made software solutions for gold loans.

It could come about only because Nandakumar was quick to realise the potential and invested money and effort in developing his own proprietary solutions. Today Manappuram’s technology platform is one of its core strengths. The investment in technology paid off in many ways, for instance, in streamlining procedures to reduce turnaround times in gold loan disbursal and in implementing advanced risk management practices, without which the gold loan business could not have been

transferred to his bank account and later he can continue to make repayments of interest and principal without stirring from his home.

Nandakumar was also an early mover in putting technology to use in managing the company’s security systems for the safe custody of all the gold it holds. A comprehensive video surveillance system with high resolution IP cameras was set up at the branches to bring them under continuous remote surveillance. A team at head office works 24X7 to constantly monitor the video footage. Besides surveillance cameras, advanced intrusion alert sensors like contact sensors, IR-based proximity sensors, and vibration sensors have been installed at all the potential entry points within the branches as part of an automatic intrusion alert management system.

Product innovations: No more ‘one size fits all’

Manappuram Finance Ltd. launched short term gold loans of three and six months tenure and today almost its entire gold loan portfolio has been shifted to the short term buckets.

scaled up. For example, the gold loan business believes in lending against household used jewellery to which borrowers would have an emotional connect. When a branch accepts multiple numbers of the same ornament for pledge, it is more likely to be a local jeweller, and the system automatically flags the transaction for verification by internal auditors.

In keeping with the record of technology led innovations, Nandakumar’s company launched ‘Online Gold Loans’ in 2015. A customer who has completed the initial formalities can now avail a gold loan 24X7, from anywhere in the world, even from the comfort of his home.

The loan proceeds are immediately

Gold loans were for long sold as a ‘one-size-fits-all’ product. Nandakumar was a pioneer in introducing variety to it, for instance, by offering progressively higher loan amounts at higher price points. Manappuram was also the first to come up with “one-day interest” where borrowers have the option to settle a gold loan at their earliest convenience, even before the day is out, at a time when the norm was to recover a minimum interest of seven days, or even a month. Most recently, in keeping with its tagline ‘make life easy’, Manappuram has introduced ‘gold loans at your doorstep’. Made available for now in Chennai and Bengaluru, this is a gold loan where a team from the branch calls on the customer at his home to appraise and take custody of the gold, while disbursing the eligible loan amount on the spot.

Earlier, it was in 2014 that Nandakumar went decisively against long established industry norms to launch short tenured gold loans.

Historically, all gold loans were sanctioned for one year and bullet repayments of both interest and principal were the norm. After the sharp correction in gold prices in 2013, gold loan companies were faced with higher defaults and profitability took a hit. Manappuram Finance Ltd.

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launched short term gold loans of three and six months tenure and today almost its entire gold loan portfolio has been shifted to the short term buckets.

This has minimised price risk which otherwise is a major concern for gold loan lenders. Importantly, notwithstanding the abbreviated tenure, customers can continue the loan for the long term by remitting the interest regularly.

When banks wouldn’t lend: Raising funds in unconventional ways

For a non banking financial company (NBFC), raising funds was a big challenge in the nineties. In the aftermath of the CRB scam of 1997, getting deposits from the public was difficult and banks were not comfortable with lending to NBFCs in general.

Moreover, Manappuram’s foray into gold loans was untested as a business model. Growth was slow in the initial days. The picture changed only after the company hit upon unconventional ways to raise funds, entirely bypassing the PSU banks.

In the first breakthrough, Manappuram became the first gold loan company to raise finance through the securitization and assignment route in a tieup with ICICI Bank. This arrangement with ICICI Bank (essentially it involved Manappuram sourcing the gold loans to be parked in ICICI Bank’s books) continued to work well for a year or two and the company was put on the growth path. Buoyed by the success, the company planned a big expansion of the branch network. However, around 2006, ICICI Bank faced some regulatory hurdles regarding securitization and they could no longer fund the company. With ICICI Bank pulling out, the expansion plans were in jeopardy.

At this point, the company chanced to get its second break. Temasek, the sovereign investment fund of Singapore, was looking to expand its footprint in the Indian financial market. Mr. Nandakumar happened to be in Singapore to take part in a conference of NBFCs. Having heard Mr. Nandakumar speak about the gold loan business, Temasek expressed interest in financing Manappuram through their India arm Fullerton. Temasek’s debt participation provided the visibility, and paved the way for other international players to follow.

In December 2007, Manappuram became the first NBFC in Kerala to attract foreign institutional investment when the celebrated PE fund Sequoia Capital invested Rs.70 crore together with Hudson Equity Holdings. Since then, the company has regularly received foreign investment. The second round of private equity funding in November 2008 was led by Ashmore Alchemy which, together with Sequoia and Hudson, put in another Rs.108 crore.

Sizable foreign investment was garnered during the two QIPS in 2010 when a total of Rs.1,245 crore was raised. To this day, it remains the largest foreign investment (in US dollar terms) garnered by any Kerala based company. Once private equity

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Nandakumar followed a strategy of a big-budget advertising campaign that revolved around celebrity brand ambassadors with strong regional appeal, who talked about gold loans to the masses in their own language.

came in, the company was able to shift gears and grow much faster than before because now even the PSU banks were willing to lend to it. From this point onwards, there was no looking back.

Conventionally, companies have sought funds from foreign investors after they have tapped the domestic banks and other financial institutions. In the case of Manappuram, the order was upended. Because the domestic banks were uncomfortable lending to NBFCs, especially one with an untested business model focused on gold loans, the company went out of India and roped in the foreign players first. Once they were persuaded, the domestic players became more confident about lending to the company.

A bold marketing campaign that broke new ground

Despite the vast amount of gold in private hands in India, the gold loan business is yet to grow to its true potential even today. There is a continuing stigma attached to pledging gold. Rather than use their gold to raise money, many preferred to go to moneylenders and borrow at exorbitant rates.

Manappuram has been proactive in tackling this sensitive issue head-on. Nandakumar followed a strategy of a big-budget advertising campaign that revolved around celebrity brand ambassadors with strong regional appeal, who talked about gold loans to the masses in their own language. When the prevailing fashion was to use one celebrity brand ambassador for a nationwide campaign, Manappuram’s campaign that began in 2010 featured a galaxy of superstars like Akshay Kumar, Mohanlal, Mithun Chakraborty, Vikram, Venkatesh, Puneeth Rajkumar etc. and they were used to target different geographies. If Mohanlal was for Kerala, Akshay Kumar was meant to cover the entire Hindi speaking belt. And then, there was Vikram for Tamil Nadu, Venkatesh for Andhra and Telengana,

Mithun Chakraborty for Bengal etc. The campaign was unleashed with a budget exceeding Rs.100 crore and it was hugely successful in establishing Manappuram as a national brand and also in growing the gold loan category as a whole because benefits were reaped by other gold loan players too.

Tailpiece: Innovation and the ‘cellular safe’

In the months following demonetisation in November 2016, when criminal gangs in the country were apparently at a loss for business, a spate of robberies took place that targeted the branches of the gold loan NBFCs. The modus operandi was simple; walk into a branch, brandish a weapon, compel the two joint custodians of the branch to open the safe or vault, empty all the contents into a bag, and run away. The whole misdeed would get over in a matter of minutes before anyone noticed and raised an alarm. Nandakumar was deeply perturbed by these recurring incidents. Once again, ever the innovator, he thought of a simple expedient that could deter robberies in future. The idea involved a change to the structure of the safe. Instead of the door of the safe opening to give access to all of its contents, he wanted a modification so that there would be multiple cells within the safe and each cell would be individually locked. The arrangement moreover should be that no two cells can be opened at the same time, in other words to open another cell, it would be necessary to lock the previously opened cell. In this way, a robber intent on emptying the contents of the safe would have to spend a good 20 to 30 minutes at the branch, increasing his risk of getting caught. As a matter of fact, the idea was suggested to the leading Indian manufacturers of safes and they accepted it forthwith. The ‘cellular safe’ has now been introduced in the market and Manappuram’s branches are phasing out the old safes and switching over to new 'cellular safes'.

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The people who design the training programs must, get shop floor expertise. There is a big difference between stacking of goods in the shelf and the other, which is intelligently stocking of goods, that are selling and moving fast.

Vinod Kumar

Retail T

here must be quality inside your training program. Or else how will Rohit and Sandra and many young people, know about Consumer care? Rohit and Sandra are only twenty-year-old each. And you have employed them as sales person in the textile and dress store.

Your twenty five thousand square feet, floor space of the store, shop and showroom, has best of the furniture and shelving and display of the products. But, what about the people whom you have recruited?

They are interfacing with the walk in, customers. The customers have queries and questions. Are these young people on the shop floor, equipped to give satisfying answers?

You know Big Bazaar, Decathlon, Shopper's stop, Lifestyle, FabIndia, Bodyshop, Sony Electronics, Reliance, More and also Apple computers and IPhone store, and have experience walking into their fancy shop floors. How do you rate your purchase experience? Have you seen that even in airports in India, is a kiosk, a machine with three Emotiffs of Smilies. The first shows smile for delight and the second just

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satisfaction. And, the third one is to denote unhappiness and dissatisfaction.

Many department stores have now installed such machines to gauge the customer's purchase experience. The department store, supermarket or the shop floors may be well-furnished and well lit up, with bright chandeliers. The scientifically arranged, racking and shelving can get visibility of neatly arranged clothes and fabrics. The choodidhars and blouses and skirts are all well hung on the hangers and clothes linerod. But, what about the sales people? Have you, as the owner of the clothes store, ensured that your young recruits are impacted with high quality training?

Gauging the sentiment of your consumers by studying their body language and deciding behaviors are essential. Robotics and CCTV and other devices of collecting data have been installed. Market research studies about data analysis have been perfected. But, yet, how much weightage is given to the new hires who are actually interfacing and transacting with the confused buyer?

Rohit and Sandra are dropouts from the college. They have lived all their years in the village. They come from farming families. Today these are the profile of many young people who are working in departmental stores. But, do they get exposure to international standards of training and education? The supply chain management has thousands of factors and components: the stockiest of your products and then to distributor. The designation of the merchandiser is also significant, and then are the transport and logistic regulations. Numerous entries and forms of regulations are there to administer the journey of products from the stockist, and then until its arrival at the retailers stores.

But does your young staff, get understanding of these processes and procedures about the movement of goods through the supply chain? And, do the managers of the floors of the stores engage the team of sales people into information exchange programs, regularly?

All of these young people whom you have recruited, may not be equipped to make a total career in retailing goods. They may have tak-

en this job out of other compulsions.

So, the owners of such mega stores need sincerity to educate the young workers, of the benefits of making a career in retail outlets. Customer care has its own fascinations. A lot of dignity and self respect must be accorded to those young sales people who succeed in retaining foot falls into the store. The in house training must apportion adequate self worth and esteem to these young staff on the retail shop floors.

The confidence level of these people who talks to customers is the most important factor that helps to sell your product. Not all times, the exact product of choice is available to the consumer. The smart shops and intelligence software

and computerization can give you all information about availability of the product on the shelves. You can make any amount of statistical calculations and comparisons. But, evidently twenty percent walk in people, simply did not get that specific size of dress, or this particular style of dress, they purchased a week before. But, today, their expectation is turned down, because this precise and accurate size is missing from the shelf or that particular color is not available. I have seen customer grief when, that what they need was four pieces of the similar style, identical colors and the same size. This disappointing situation is because of the time of duration in shipment of the prod-

uct from stockiest to retail shop.

But, my case is different. More than forty percent of the time, the young sales girl or sales boy, has no interest in making requisition list of goods that is needed. No doubt, that the accounts department, and store and inventory keepers and all of the computer system announces the sale of a product. But, devoid of the human element, the sincere follow up, there placement of the sold product, just does not get the deserved pace and speed.

The consumer, in their ignorance does not escalate or express their dissatisfaction. And the owner of the retail outlet just remains ignorant of the actual reason for the snap out moment of the consumer.

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All people in business establishment are familiar with the term, “Return on investment”.

But now, it is time to consider progressive paradigm. And, that is “Return on Activity”. Every time Rohit and Sandra can transact successfully, with the customer, then they must be incentivized.

Whether it is Samsonite showroom and sales outlet, or a Jockey inner garment store, all of them can consider incentivizing the sales people, for their capacity to bring a transaction, to result in the purchase of the product. Then are more and more of mega retail outlets that are opening up in densely populated cities. These investors does not seem to have much fears and threat, from ecommerce industry such as Amazon, Flipkart and many others. These fearless investors are relying on the staff

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and workers who have passion and interest in retail management and supply chain.

These young recruits like Rohit and Sandra, must get trust in the benefits of becoming professionals in supply chain and retail and showroom dynamics. The stakeholders and investors must give funds to extremely good training programs so that they attract talent and skills to the shop floors. Then, these young people will decide in favor of a career in sales for the big outlets. And attrition can be reduced. Loyalty to the trade of consumer care has benefits. You can reduce the number of goods returned. The policy and protocol for exchange of goods and clothes can be reduced. The people queuing in front of fitting rooms can become orderly. The cash counter can get speedy payment methods.

Unnecessary query by cashier to

consumer must be deleted. And most of all, purchases and exit from the stores can become a smooth and memorable experience.

The people who design the training programs must, get shop floor expertise. There is a big difference between stacking of goods in the shelf and the other, which is intelligently stocking of goods, that are selling and moving fast.

We need many more Rohits and Sandras to be educated in the retail industry. The bosses must have capacity to have empathy to new recruits. The retail industry is capable of creating jobs for young people. And, then, the consumers will be thankful, for a satisfying visit to your stores. Best wishes to all shoppers for this New Year. Greetings to retailers, for a year of transactions.

Do the stock taking of situation, in this festive season

FINANCE

Adv Sherry Samuel Oommen is a practising lawyer at High Court of Kerala who specialises in tax and Corporate Laws.

Presently he heads the tax and corporate law practice of Nash Capital Partners. Apart from being a qualified lawyer, he is also a chartered accountant, cost accountant and a company secretary. He is currently pursuing his Doctorate Degree and is reachable at sherryoommen@nashcp.com.

I

ts Christmas Time, and Santa is in town. Before I dwell on the topic, I would like to draw the attention of our readers to a recent judgment of the Kerala High Court in the case of Alwaye Chartered Accountants Association (WPC 35382) where directions were issued in the case of those tax payers who have faced hardship as a result of the recent floods in Kerala. Notably, in the context of filing the income-tax return for the year ended 31 March 2018, the Kerala High Court has directed those who have faced hardship on account of the floods to approach the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) seeking necessary relief including refund of interest/ late filing fees paid. For those tax payers who have not been able to file their return, the Honourable Court has directed such tax payers to approach the CBDT directly seeking extension.

Further, where returns have been filed belatedly resulting in the levy of interest/late filing fees, the Court has directed such tax payers to approach the CBDT directly seeking refund of such sums paid. Notably,

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The GST Council has made the recommendation for extension of due date for filing of GST Annual Return in Form GSTR-9 or GSTR-9A and GST Audit in Form GSTR-9C for financial year 201718. The revised due date shall now be June 30, 2019 instead of 31 December 2018.

Recommendations made during the 31st Meeting of the GST Council – A few key aspects credit

Under the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, the time limit for “taking” input tax credit for the period ended 31 March 2018 has been limited to the due date of filing of the related return for the month of September 2018, ie, October 20, 2018. It has now been proposed to extend the due date for availing input tax credit till the due date for filing the monthly return for the month of March 2018 (ie, by 20 April 2018).

2. Extension of due date of filing of GST Annual Return and GST Audit

The GST Council has made the recommendation for extension of due date for filing of GST Annual Return in Form GSTR-9 or GSTR9A and GST Audit in Form GSTR-

9C for financial year 2017-18. The revised due date shall now be June 30, 2019 instead of 31 December 2018.

3. Waiver of late filing fees

The GST Council has made the recommendation for waiver of late filing fees for all tax payers who have failed to file their monthly returns for the period July 2017 to September 2018. The said waiver would be applicable only if the related returns are filed during the period December 22, 2018 and March 31, 2019. However, if any late fees have already been paid by the taxpayers for late filing of return, he shall not be eligible to get the waiver of such fees by way of credit in the electronic credit ledger. It would have augured well if such a relaxation was granted to even those who

the CBDT has been directed to consider the necessary applications and pass orders within a period of two months from the date of receipt of the applications.

Moving on; the GST Council in its meeting held on 31 December 2018 has made certain key policy recommendations. The said policy recommendations would become effective once the necessary notifications are issued. In this article, I intend to briefly cover some of the key recommendations of the GST Council.

1. Availment of input tax

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31

have filed their return, thereby rewarding the “compliant” tax payer.

4. GST Refunds

The process of applying for refunds and its delayed issuance has caused grief to various assesses. As a measure to assuage the administrative hurdles, the Council has approved an online facility which would enable the tax payer to upload all the required documents directly on the GST portal in order to claim refunds. Hence, the need to visit the Department to file the related applications has now been dispensed with.

7. Migration to GST

5. New return filing system

The Council has recommended one more window for those who are yet to migrate to the GST regime.

Such assesses who have received their provisional registration but have failed to furnish the details required in Form GST REG-26 have been granted time till 31 January 2019 for migrating to GST. Post migration, such tax payers have been granted time till 31 March 2018 for filing the monthly returns for the period July 2017 to February 2019.

6. E-way bills

8. Reduction of tax rates

The Council has proposed a new return filing system. The said system would be introduced on a pilot basis from 01 April 2019, which would thereafter be made mandatory with effect from 01 July 2019.

The Council has proposed that

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those tax payers who have not filed their returns for two consecutive periods would be restricted from generating e-way bills. failed a new return filing system. The said system would be introduced on a pilot basis from 01 April 2019, which would thereafter be made mandatory with effect from 01 July 2019.

Jan-Feb-2019

The Council has recommended

substantial reduction in the GST rates on various goods/services.

Some of the notable changes are as follows: • Electronic goods, such as monitors, television (up to 32 inches), digital cameras, video cameras, video games, pulleys, transmission shafts, cranks, gear boxes, which were subject to a tax rate of 28 percent, have been reduced to 18 percent.

• Renewable energy devices and their parts would be subject to a lower tax rate of 5 percent.

• The GST rates on cinema tickets has been reduced from 28% to 12% for tickets price up to Rs. 100 and in cases where the price exceeds INR 100, the rate has been reduced from 28 percent to 18 percent.

• Third party insurance premium of motor vehicle shall be chargeable to GST at 12 percent instead of 18 percent

Dr. Elsa Lycias Joel

National farmers’ day is organized and celebrated in many states. Are their problems solved? Has scientific data, governments or research helped farmers cope up with droughts and floods? Unpredictable rainfall patterns, meteorological predictions and unreliable promises and hopes offered by various governments have made a handful of farmers resilient and adopt their own strategies as well.

Farmer: The Unsung Hero “Once in your life you need a doctor, lawyer, policeman, or preacher but every day —three times a day— you need a farmer.”

I

t wasn’t so long ago when every other person in a family knew farming. Owning an arable land also meant frequent visits to the land to know the nitty-gritty details. From sowing to planting to the final harvest all members of a family knew what all it took to earn a few sacks full of rice. Good rice grew out of months of hard work not to mention the anticipation of each one involved in the whole process. Most households owned at least a cent of arable land. Many knew the hardships behind cultivation. Even the most unskilled one in a family had a small role to play in addition to observing the sweat and toil. Then, there were no stories of climatic variations, GM seeds and crops, conversion of agricultural lands to residential or industrial lands and above everything agrarian crisis. In my own small secret world

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I celebrated anything done in our paddy field. Harvesting coconuts was too much fun as I showcased my strength in how many coconuts can I carry by their stalks in one go.

Most of all it used to thrill me watch the coconut climber scale trees with deceptive ease. Coconut climbers looked daring and adventurous as they pushed themselves up with their feet. Ankles tied together, with an axe hooked on to his dhoti that tied in a certain way, Velayudhan Annan climbed up, plucked coconuts, dropped them down with caution and climbed down in a matter of minutes. Spiderman and Heman came nowhere close to him.

Today, palm oil expansion sounds an alarm as much as the dwindling number of coconut climbers does.

The Department of Oil Palm Research (DOPR) envisions one million ha under oil palm in its VISION 2030 document. Oil palms guzzle up more water than coconut palms.

Still, new technologies, hybrids, facilities and subsidies that motivate farmers to switch over to oil palm

farming show us a parched future.

Palm oil is directly linked with severe ecological damage. And, we have already seen it in Malaysia and Indonesia. Is it justifiable on the part of our government to feign blindness!

National farmers’ day is organized and celebrated in many states.

Are their problems solved? Has scientific data, governments or research helped farmers cope up with droughts and floods? Unpredictable rainfall patterns, meteorological predictions and unreliable promises and hopes offered by various governments have made a handful of farmers resilient and adopt their own strategies as well. ISRO’s cartosat-1 and 2, Resourcesat, Risat-1 will help in more accurate crop acreage and production estimates; assessment of flood and drought damage, environmental monitoring.

What happens after the prediction a disaster and hit by one, the recovery matters the most.

At 157.3 million hectares, India holds the world’s second largest

agricultural land area. It has about 20 agro-climatic regions, and all 15 major climates in the world exist here. Consequently, it is a large producer of a wide variety of foods.

India is the world’s largest producer of spices, pulses, milk, tea, cashew and jute, and the second largest producer of wheat, rice, fruits and vegetables, sugarcane, cotton and oilseeds. And. while it may be second in global production of fruits and vegetables, it is the largest producer of mango and banana.

It also has the highest productivity of grapes in the world. Agricultural export constitutes 10% of the country’s exports and is the fourthlargest exported principal commodity (scroll.In, June 19, 2017). If I had read these two decades ago, it would make more sense to me.

But not after the report of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) that says at least, 2,70,940 Indian farmers have taken their lives since 1995. The economic, social and the physical factors being the cause of farmer suicides are known. The layman understanding of farmers’ problem is that trade, government budgets, schemes, banks and financial systems, technology and techno-products, and the package of modern agricultural practices are all geared to help big farmers agriculture, and not small and marginal ones who constitute the majority of the Indian farmers. So, before granting loan waivers and effective crop insurance schemes, government should pick genuine needy farmers, educate and train them, improve logistics and storage ser-

vices that might eliminate middlemen and agents. India’s agriculture depends on rains. We had water resources suitable for round-the -year agriculture.

If farmers give up what will become of our country which has agriculture as the backbone of its economy. Many work on trying to understand the obstacles faced by farmers and find solutions. TAFE is one. On its part, TAFE works on inspiring people from all backgrounds to experience what a farmer does in addition to playing a proactive role in empowering farmers. Helping the urban society appreciate the hard work of farmers through various digital media communications and through on-ground activities is otherwise a valuable lesson to identify the vital signs of ecosystem health

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and change our lifestyles accordingly lest ecology can’t be restored and human life remains unsupported.

Gratefully, remembered as the Architect of India’s Green Revolution Shri C. Subramaniam founded the National Agro Foundation (NAF), with the vision to create a prosperous rural India through rural innovations. The milestones of NAF are many. Krishiyodha, Kisan welfare organization, ISAP (India Society of Agri-Business Professionals), its umbrella brand ‘Dhaarini’, CARD (centre for advanced research & development), DHAN foundation and its Rain-fed Farming Development Programme (RFDP) are other friends of farmers. The report of the “Committee on Doubling on Farmers’ Income" prepared, in 14 Volumes, by the department of agriculture cooperation and farmers’ welfare deserves attention- at least till 2022. Until then, agricultural lands should be protected to see if farmers can put agri-inputs from various sources into practice and the reports will yield results.

Farmers’ welfare is the responsibility of every citizen. What was the country’s reaction when farmers and people of kathiramangalam raised voice against the coal bed methane (CBM) and shale gas projects in the Cauvery basin? According to coastal resource centre reports, the ONGC had ignored repeated requests by farmers in Kathiramangalam to clean up the contaminated area. The government and the oil company turned the granary of Tamil Nadu into a ‘war zone’. Almost 6 lakh small and marginal farmers and 17 lakh agriculture labourers relying on around 11.35 lakh acres of cultivable land in the delta districts including Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur, the awarding of contracts for two exploration blocks in the fertile Cauvery basin of Nagapattinam to Vedanta and one block in Cuddalore to ONCG speaks volumes about the state and union government’s concern over the welfare of farmers. Accusations of our government being anti-farmer, anti-poor by almost 200 farm organizations under

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the banner of the All India Kisan Sangarsh Coordination Committee should be paid heed to. Measures to help real farmers who scratch a living from soil should in no way help top-of-line farmers and people who claim to be farmers. In India, it doesn’t take lot of guts to stand an accusation of tax evasion and cover –up by IT department because any time one can claim to have “taken care” of a thousand real farmers, tweet “sense of accomplishment" and expect to be looked up to as a saviour.

Implementing a number of schemes, public-private partnership, cutting edge technologies, and ‘FEM@Mobile’ are all well and

This New Year, let’s spread some cheer among farmers in and around our vicinity. Or help a farmer indirectly by avoiding junk food and beverages.

good. What if groundwater is a diminishing resource! Where to will visions of various forums lead us if the vital signs of Earth are ignored?

Holistic monitoring of agricultural productivity and ecosystem health is one thing whereas understanding of trade-offs of agricultural production is another. Any agricultural development need not necessarily degrade natural systems. Having a set of data for one issue on one table and another set of data for another issue on another table can still work if the intent is clean and clear; either a ‘gold standard’ or a human face.

GMO crops and increased productivity, pesticide based solutions and food security, forces of conservation

and rapid pace of industrialization boil down to one question. That is, is it possible to see the full picture of what’s happening to earth! Farmers and their concerns are looked upon as a political game by a handful of beneficiaries. All of us are critically dependent on farmers and agriculture.

Agricultural lands taken away for non-agricultural purposes, allotment of lands in the agricultural belts to big players in the mining and minerals industries and highway projects that destroy roads, forests, hills and agricultural lands will happen only till we have food to eat, a steady access to food.

As we hyperventilate over the World Bank’s statement that India has beaten four big economies to secure its position as the world’s sixth largest economy, pipping France this year and it’s likely beat the United Kingdom by the end of this year if the GDP growth continues its 7% plus trajectory, it will be wise to remember that a proper use of economic principles which would encourage greater environmental responsibility in investment decisions would keep us all away from starvation deaths.

One killer wave taught us a valuable lesson what many number of publicity campaigns, lessons, news and articles as this couldn’t. Should we wait for another disaster to teach us the value of farmers and agriculture?

This New Year, let’s spread some cheer among farmers in and around our vicinity. Or help a farmer indirectly by avoiding junk food and beverages. It may sound a bit idealistic. But, then, isn’t that what humanitarianism is all about?

Meanwhile, if you can spare one hour and 35 minutes watch ‘GabrichaPaus’ (The Damned Rain).

The story of Rajeev Bittu of Ranchi is worth sharing too.

“Everything can wait, but not agriculture”. Does this ring a bell!

P.S. Try growing a plant and you will know what it means to be a farmer

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Dr. AJIT RAVI PEGASUS

17TH EDITION

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MOTIVATION

Dolly Neena

Try enjoying the simple pleasures of life. Having a Ferrari is not the only thing that can give you happiness. Seeing a baby laugh or hugging a loved one or having a sumptuously tasty meal, should be enjoyed with the same spirit.

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

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

H

ere comes a brand new year, and I’m sure you all will have scores of new and revived resolutions in your kitty -half of it would rather wither out, as usual, amongst the hurdles of life. So, it’s important to 1) stay positive and to 2) stay focused, for us to achieve our desired goals. Good news is that optimism and staying focused are traits that we can develop on the go.

Several studies conducted across the globe has proved that optimists are physically and psychologically healthier than pessimists. Optimistic people are proven performers across any careers too.

Being positive increases your life span for sure, and lowers the depression fits. It helps you manage your stress effectively; helps people around you to be happier; definitely brings better results at your work front; helps you with better marital relationships; have lesser diseases caused due to high stress; have more good friends; and enlarge your circle prolifically. However, it can be really hard to throw a positive outlook amidst negative people and struggling situations. It’s just that you need to learn how to flip negative thought crawling into your mind faster, before it engulfs your fortitude. You need to make a conscious effort. The first and foremost thing is to learn to count your blessings; make a Gratitude List. It

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might sound easy, but very difficult to execute whenever needed. Realise the strengths, skills, opportunities and assets you own now. Write it down or paste it on the wall, for you to read it every day. Gratitude is definitely one amazing way to stay positive in life. It is the healthiest and the most fruitful of all human emotions. In order to be grateful, you need to list out what you are thankful for. It might take days for you to complete the list; take others’ help also if needed, as at times you might not recognize some of your real blessings by yourself. Saying affirmative sentences aloud right after you get up helps you to start your day with a very positive note.

Whatever you do, try to keep it up each and every day for at least 45 days without a break, so that it can become a habit. For example, if one of your resolution is to lose weight, it doesn’t happen overnight –you need to keep up the daily routine of exercising for weeks together until you see a small change. Hence being positive until you see the first signs of results is very essential.

Try enjoying the simple pleasures of life. Having a Ferrari is not the only thing that can give you happiness. Seeing a baby laugh or hugging a loved one or having a sumptuously tasty meal, should be enjoyed with the same spirit. Being absolutely healthy; or having your beloved mother/grandmother

STARVE YOUR DISTRACTIONS; FEED YOUR FOCUS

beside you; having a job that fetches you monthly salary –there are hundreds of things you can add to your Grateful list. Don’t you think it would be absolutely impossible to be low and depressed when you have a long list of things to be grateful for?

When you are trying to grow your dreams and goals, be mindful about the unwanted destructive weeds that breed with it. You might be breeding discontent, unhappiness,

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ungratefulness, hatred, cowardice or what not along with the good things that you cultivate. Always keep cutting down the weeds before it affects your positive-crops. Do not be in haste –if things happened the moment you wished for it, wouldn’t life be so boring? Take one day at a time; appreciate as life unfolds before you, as per your incessant persistent efforts on it. You don’t have to watch Charlie Chaplin or Tom and Jerry to have a good laugh –keep you mind open and engaged to things that makes you happy, especially laugh. Find ways. There are lot of things you need to have a look into for staying positive –dissect every area of your life and find out zones you need to change. Personalise it. Another person might not react or respond to a certain situation the way you do.

It is easy to take a decision, but it is extremely difficult to endure on it. While setting a goal, you know the drill –visualize the final out-

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come, do draw or write it out and post (like a Vision Board) where you can see it, mentally rehearse as if you already have achieved it.

Ensure that you have a foolproof plan, with contingencies taken in account. Successful life coaches would ask you to mentally plan every night before. Let your subconscious mind sleep over it, and magnify the possibility in all realms.

Constantly and relentlessly reminding yourself of the dream, the end result or ultimate goal, as well as the benefits of achieving that will help you much. Distractions affect your productivity. Block all the external noises out, deliberately. You need to then learn ways to stay focused, and not to get distracted with the temptations of life. Life will display a lot of attractive decoys and snares in disguise, especially in this new era of vanity. But need not warn you with the Danger sign along with it. There are time-wasters around –people and situations.

Say a very firm, “No, Thank you”, to all those. Remember, you are out there fighting your own battle. And you are absolutely alone in this. Nobody can do anything for you more than yourself in the longer run. Focusing immaculately on your goal definitely the skeleton to success.

Like we have discussed in the previous episodes, any skill is like a muscle, it takes time to train it and build it. You got to start that slowly with lesser loads and gradually increase it. Slowly breaking your comfort zone little by little, not giving your mind rest, until you have seen the ultimate Summit.

Reaching a goal that you have set is a drug, it’s an ecstasy, which would make you pine to set another ten more. It builds your confidence and mental strength. Helps you wade through the difficulties in life a bit easier. It makes you a more happy person, more Joyful than ever. Be happier than ever this 2019!

Nizar Abdul Majeedkutty Senior Lecturer Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia

In daily life, we often use the term "stress" to describe negative situations. This leads many people to believe that all stress is bad for you, which is not true. The adverse impact of stress has been studied extensively, whereas the positive aspect of stress has also attracted rising attention.

EUSTRESS AND THE POWER OF MINDSET

E

veryone experiences stress in their life from time to time. Stress, as one of the major attributes to mental health has received growing interest from both industry and academia.

Many of the sufferers report stressrelated behavioural responses including lack of sleep, losing appetite and lack of interest to exercise.

Stress is simply the body's response to changes that create taxing demands. In general, stress refers to the physiological responses caused by any stressful event. These responses are triggered by the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), which influences internal organs, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood vessel, galvanic skin response, and so on. There is a growing body of evidence that has looked at stress among university students and its effect on wellbeing. Sources of academic stress include examinations and assessments, fear of failure, the quality of teaching, as well as lack of timely feedback on assessments.

Personal sources of stress include financial concerns; a lack of or difficulties in managing one’s appar-

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ent free time and a concern about career direction.

What Is Eustress?

In daily life, we often use the term "stress" to describe negative situations. This leads many people to believe that all stress is bad for you, which is not true. The adverse impact of stress has been studied extensively, whereas the positive aspect of stress has also attracted rising attention. For example, the business and management community aims at maximizing individual productivity by managing work stress.

Eustress is literally the “good stress” that is associated with positive feelings and health benefits. Eustress is “healthy, positive, constructive results of stressful events and stress response”. Eustress is considered as a positive cognitive response to a stressor, which associated with positive feelings and a healthy physical state. Stress is beneficial to performance until some optimal level is reached, after which performance will decline. Eustress could be regarded as an increase of the buffer zone, with the effect of improving health and decreasing morbidity

and mortality. The excitement of a roller-coaster ride, a scary movie, or a fun challenge, receiving a promotion at work, taking a vacation, learning a new hobby, the anticipation of a first date, the first day at a new job fall under the umbrella of Eustress.

Eustress has the following characteristics:

• Motivates, focuses energy; • Is short-term; • Is perceived as within our coping abilities; • Feels exciting; • Improves performance.

Mindset matters

A mindset is the mental frame or lens we use to organize and encode information. Every person had a unique way of responding to the environment and this significantly influence psychological, behavioural and physiological outcomes. More specifically, the effects regarded judgments, evaluations, health, and behaviour. The attitude an individual has towards stress and towards the environment significantly influence the amount of stress perceived by the individual and the individual

was the main predictor whether a stressor caused Eustress or distress. The stress mindset is the extent to which an individual has the opinion that stress can be enhancing or debilitating and which effects this had for outcomes as work performance, productivity, health and well-being. It has a significant impact not only on short-term effect like motivation,

but also on long-term effects like overall life satisfaction.

It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it!

Stress mindset is a self-fulfilling prophecy. The stress mindset we hold alters and influences the effects of stress, with the consequence of making the expected effects more likely. Some situa-

tions which are not negative ones may still be perceived as stressful. This is because we think we are not completely prepared to cope with them effectively. The perception of stress is the main indicator of whether the mindset had a positive or negative relation with health. Every person has a unique way of responding to the environment and this

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significantly influences psychological, behavioural and physiological outcomes. More specifically, the effects regard judgments, evaluations, health, behaviour and intelligence.

The attitude an individual has towards stress and towards the environment significantly influences the amount of stress perceived by the individual. Individuals who have a negative mindset towards stress are less likely to engage in activities that influence health positively, like eating well, physical exercising and visiting physicians regularly. Changing one's perspective can certainly help with stress management, but it's not the only way to manage stress, and it's not the only strategy that should be used.

How Eustress Helps?

Eustress facilitates effort and the abilities which are needed to cope with stress effectively, and good

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Eustress facilitates effort and the abilities which are needed to cope with stress effectively, and good coping strategies are known to reduce physiological damage. Eustress stimulates the systems of the body to function at peak levels. coping strategies are known to reduce physiological damage. Eustress stimulates the systems of the body to function at peak levels. One 2013 study conducted at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico, found that working memory in particular improved in participants experiencing stress-induced rises in cortisol compared with those who had no increase. In order to be creative about anything, whether it's working on a project, Eustress helps by focusing your thoughts. Thus Eustress enhances creativity.

Instead of whining and letting all

the stress get to you, find the source of stress as an exciting challenge meant for you to conquer. It’s of paramount importance to be mindful of your limitations and to work to maintain balance in your life. This can mean cropping unnecessary obligations, adopting some resiliencepromoting habits like striving for self-improvement, embracing flexibility, and become comfortable with saying no to new activities if they won't really excite you. The frequent experience of positive emotions is beneficial for psychological and physical wellbeing of employees and triggers the development of desirable job attitudes such as work commitment. The right kind of stress can bring out the best in anyone and Eustress can lead you to accomplish your goals and allow you to be successful. Your largest fear carries your greatest growth

GADGETS

Lenovo S5 Pro GT

Rs. 12,290 (approximately)

Android v8.1 (Oreo) OS

6.2 inches Display

12 MP + 20 MP Dual Primary Cameras

20 MP + 8 MP Dual Secondary Cameras

4 GB RAM

64 GB Internal Memory

256 GB Expandable Memory

3500 mAh Battery Capacity

Oppo R17 Neo

Rs. 24,990 (approximately) Android v8.1 (Oreo) OS 6.41 inches Display 16 MP + 2 MP Dual Primary Cameras 25 MP Secondary Camera 4 GB RAM 128 GB Internal Memory 256 GB Expandable Memory 3600 mAh Battery Capacity

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BLU Vivo X

Rs. 15,990 (approximately) Android v7.0 (Nougat) OS 6.0 inches Display 13 MP + 5 MP Dual Primary Cameras 20 MP + 8 MP Dual Secondary Cameras 4 GB RAM 64 GB Internal Memory 64 GB Expandable Memory 4010 mAh Battery Capacity

Qin 1

Rs. 1,799 (approximately) Android OS 2.8 inches Display 8 MB RAM 16 MB Internal Memory 32 GB Expandable Memory 1480 mAh Battery Capacity

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COOKERY

Toshma Biju

New year Stars Ingredients

• • • • • • • •

Butter (softened) - 3/4 cup Sugar - 1 cup Egg - 2 nos Vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon All-purpose flour - 2 1/2 cups Baking powder -1 teaspoon Salt - 1/4 teaspoon Strawberry jam - 6 tablespoons

Method In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir flour mixture into the butter mixture until well blended. Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate dough for three hours. Preheat oven to 175° C. Grease two cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper.

On a floured surface, roll out half of the dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut dough into star shapes using a 3 to 4 inch star cookie cutter. Using a 1 to 2 inch star cookie cutter, cut a star into the center of half of the big

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stars. Place the full stars on one cookie sheet and the "tops"-the cookies with the center cutouts on another.

Sprinkle coloured sugar on the star tops, if desired.

Bake in preheated oven until edges are golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Allow cookies to cool completely.

(You can re-roll the mini stars cut out of the centers, or bake them separately for about 5 minutes.) Repeat with remaining cookie dough. After cookies cool completely, spread 1 teaspoon of preserves in the center of each full star cookie. Place a cut-out cookie on top of the layer of preserves. Pack cookies between waxed paper in a covered tin to preserve freshness.

Bananas Foster Ingredients

• • • • • • • •

Butter - 1/4 cup Brown sugar - 2/3 cup Rum - 3 1/2 tablespoons Vanilla extract - 1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon powder - 1/2 teaspoon Bananas - 3 (peeled and sliced) nos Chopped walnuts - 1/4 cup Vanilla ice-cream

Method

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in sugar, rum, vanilla extract and cinnamon powder. When mixture begins to bubble, place bananas and walnuts in pan. Cook until bananas are hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve at once over vanilla ice cream.

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Caramel Apple Cake Ingredients

• • • • • • • • • • •

Butter - 2 tablespoons Apple (peeled and sliced) - 3 cups Topping Caramel Sauce Butter - 1/2 cup Sugar - 1 cup Eggs - 2 large All-purpose flour - 2 cups Baking powder - 2 teaspoons Salt - 1/2 teaspoon Milk - 2/3 cup Vanilla extract - 2 teaspoons

Method Preheat oven to 350°.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add apples; sauté 5 minutes or until softened. Remove from heat; cool completely. Prepare Caramel Sauce. Reserve 1/2 cup Caramel Sauce.

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Pour batter into a greased and floured shiny 9-inch spring form pan; top with apples. Drizzle with 1/2 cup Caramel Sauce; sprinkle with Streusel Topping.

Bake at 45 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes; remove sides of pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Drizzle with 1/2 cup Caramel Sauce.

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Snowballs

Ingredients

• • • • • • •

Roasted peanuts - 1 cup Unsalted butter - 1 cup Confectioners' sugar - 1 3/4 cups Vanilla extract - 1/2 teaspoon Almond extract - 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt - 1/4 teaspoon Purpose flour - 2 cups

Method

Heat oven to 350° F. Spread the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 8 minutes. Let cool and roughly chop.

With an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until fluffy. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts and salt.

Gradually add the flour, mixing until just incorporated. Mix in the peanuts. Shape the dough into tablespoon-size balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Transfer half the balls to a second parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes. Place 1/2 cup of the sugar in a large bowl. Toss the warm cookies in the sugar and return to the baking sheet.

Sift the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar over the cookies before serving.

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BEAUTY

Natural tips to solve all skin issues winter likely to cause

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inter is here. Skin needs special care and attention during winter. Dryness is the most serious issue skin faces during this season. It is good to remember that dry skin is more vulnerable to UV rays than the other types.

Wait! No need to rush to your nearest cosmetics shop for the solution. Actually, the solution is there in your kitchen. Seriously, yep! It is not a joke!

Milk Cream and Honey

Take a tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of milk cream, and mix it well. Apply the mixture on your face. This mixture is the most effective natural moisturizer.

Use it at least one time a week.

Rosewater and Strawberry

Strawberry is the most delicious seasonal fruit available in winter. It is not only good for health, but also good for skin.

Take two or three strawberries, and grind them together well occasionally pouring one or two tablespoons of rosewater into it.

Apply the mixture on your face.

Rinse it off after 20 to 30 minutes.

See it yourself what changes this

brings to your face. The change can be expected from the first usage itself.

Coconut oil

Coconut is the most common tree seen in the southern region of the country such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Most Indian households use coconut oil for their daily cooking needs, so it is not unusual to find this oil in the Indian kitchens. Notably, this oil is the cheapest natural element available to solve all skin issues this season is likely to cause. Take a tablespoon of coconut oil. Heat it slightly. It is advised to use it all over the skin, except on face –as to those with certain skin conditions, this oil is not suitable to use on face. It is natural that skin absorbs oil. Don’t get panic! It is good for health.

Oats and Honey

Nowadays, oats is the breakfast of most families which have a working wife and husband. We all know that it is good for health as it contains dietary fibre and many more nutrients.

Here, we offer you one more reason to love this.

Take a half cup of oats

Dr. Elizabath Chacko, MD-Kalpana International

Mob: 9388618112

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and two to three tablespoons of honey, and mix them well. Apply it on your face. Leave it there for 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse it off with lukewarm water. It definitely helps your skin to gain an unusual glow.

Banana and Buttermilk

No one loves bananas as much as Indian’s do. For that reason, it is commonly available in every Indian kitchen. Do you know how good it is for your skin? Take a banana. Mash it well. Add little buttermilk into the mashed banana, and mix it well. Apply it on your face. Leave it there for few minutes. Rinse it off with lukewarm water. It is said that the mixture helps to fight the issue of dryness effectively.

Do you still feel winter is bad?

It is not that bad, actually. No other season is as comfortable as winter. It is the season of happiness and joy. Try these tips. Stay Healthy!

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TRAVELOGUE

Poor, but Rich: Burkina Faso H

ow do we evaluate whether a particular nation is rich or poor? For most, a nation is rich means that nation is financially rich; a nation is poor implies that nation is financially poor. Are you one of those fools who evaluate the richness of nation in that way? If not, proceed.

In this edition, we take you to one of the richest nations in Africa - certainly not in terms of its financial strength. Burkina Faso is the richest country in the African continent in terms of its natural beauty. It is blessed with everything a traveller loves.

It is a former French colony.

Not many years have passed since it gained independence.

Like most African countries, it is very young. The post-colonial generation of this country is entirely different from the pre-colo-

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nials, who were not too different from their counterparts in the Stone Age. The present generation is hugely influenced by the Europeans, mainly French. That influence is everywhere.

It is good to note that this national at present does not look like the one which has suffered numerous coups in the recent past. No other country in Africa has every experienced as many coups as this nation has –in the aftermaths of the independence, this country has experienced at least four to six coups. Fortunately, now, here the things remain peaceful to an extent.

It is the colonial rule that has gifted all the country now enjoys.

Most post-colonial leaders have done nothing new, but followed the path paved by their erstwhile masters. If someone has tried anything different, it is Thomas

It is a former French colony.

Not many years have passed since it gained independence.

Like most African countries, it is very young.

Sankara. Even the present name of this nation itself is the contribution of this great leader- its former name is Upper Volta.

It was in the year 1982 that Mr Sankara was first introduced to the people of this country, when he was bestowed the position of Prime Minister by Jean-Baptiste Ouedraogo who dethroned the Saye Zerbo led government in that year. Noteworthy, he was that close to the people of the country that the people themselves rallied behind his supporters for him when he was imprisoned unjustifiably. Moreover, he was the only leader who was brought back to power by the people. Notably, when he returned to power as the President after the brief imprisonment, he launched the most ambitious social and economic restructuring program the country ever witnessed. He wanted to implement

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land redistribution, and to end polygamy, female genital mutilation and forced marriages. He also tried to launch huge infrastructural projects such as road and railway projects, and to light up the mind of people with quality education.

But, the destiny was not merciful to him. It pulled him out of the power, and separated his soul from his body.

The aforementioned is not just the story of the unpleasant exit of the greatest leader the country has even seen, but also the story of the death of those sincere efforts aimed at rewriting the destiny of this land. If this land lacks happiness, peace and basic resources like food and water, need not to look anywhere else for the answer.

It is in the aforesaid paragraph itself.

Though confused, the people of this land now know what they are facing now is the natural outcome of their own deeds. Yet, they are not ready to ditch hope. That confidence deserves appreciation.

The people of this land now look tourism as an opportunity to regain what they missed due to their ignorance in the past. This time, they are a bit more vigilant, it seems.

Bobo-Dioulasso, Arli National Park, W National Park, Ouagadougou, Gorom Gorom, Sindou, Lake Tangrela and Ziniare are the main tourist attractions of this country.

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Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city in the country, is the most popular tourist location. It attracts all kind of travellers alike.

It is where travellers normally go to enjoy nightlife. Live music and dance performances are the prime attractions here.

Arli National Park is a beautiful wildlife park. Hippos, monkeys and African wild dogs are the common animals found here.

W National Park is another famous park located in the country.

It is popular for the presence of migratory birds. It is known as bird watchers’ heaven. Numerous migratory birds visit this heaven every year. The park authorities arrange trekking trips for the visitors. It is worth participating in these trips.

Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkina Faso. It is where most serious economic activities happen.

It is similar to Bobo-Dioulasso. It is famous for its nightlife and its music and dance shows.

Gorom Gorom is the largest market in the country. It is good to visit this market to get a deep insight about the goods and wares of this country.

Sindou is a rocky hill known for its sharp peaks. It is the best place to watch sunset in the country. It is difficult to explain how exciting it is to watch sunset through the sharp peaks.

Lake Tangrela is the most at-

tractive tourist location in the country. It is the presence of hippos in this lake that makes this lake even more attractive. It is one of the few places in the world where the demarcation that separates soul from nature does not work.

Ziniare is the most popular wildlife park located in the country.

Lions, tigers and hyenas are the common animals seen in this park.

There are many more attractions in Burkina Faso. Most of those attractions are least explored regions. This country is not only famous for these attractions, but also for its culture, art, food, music and architecture. There is no serious difference between the Burkina Faso cuisine and West African cuisine. Both are based on rice, potato, beans and okra.

It is hoped the growth of tourism sector will help the country to surmount poverty. Now, at least eighty per cent of the employable population of this country relies on the agricultural sector for their livelihood. The land is not that suitable for agriculture, as it is situated in the drought prone region of Africa. It is important to open up the gates of new opportunities in the country at the earliest. As per a study, a good number of women and children in this country are the victims of food scarcity.

Include this exceptional country in your bucket list

AUTO REVIEW

VIVEK VENUGOPAL

Vivek Venugopal is one of India’s top automotive writers with over a decade’s experience in road-testing and reviewing cars. He is currently the Editor of Quarter Mile magazine and a columnist in several leading magazines and newspapers. He is also a highly sought after consulting engineer and market analyst for many automobile manufacturers.

T

ata Harrier is one the most eagerly awaited SUVs in India and probably one of the best cars to come out of Tata Motors yet. We got to sample one in Rajasthan ahead of its launch next year.

Based on the L550 platform which underpins the Discovery Sport, the Harrier is a handsome and well-proportioned SUV. There is massive road presence, unlike the Jeep which looks really small -especially from the rear. The striking front end with the LED DRLs and the big grille stretching between them are unmistakably Tata. The window line is pinched towards the rear, and is given a wraparound look. The styling is quite striking.

Mr. Pratap Bose is the best thing to have happened to Tata in the recent

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times. How he has taken the brand forward in terms of appeal and made design, one of the key USPs of Tata cars deserves a big round of applause. The low set headlamps may polarize opinion but not so much when you see it in flesh. Still, it would have helped if they had black innards to make them feel part of the bumper than look like headlamps. That and the small 17 inch alloy wheels are the only faults you can find in an otherwise great looking design.

The interiors look like it belongs to a car several classes above. Tata has used soft touch materials on the top of the dash, a very convincing oak wood finish plastic trim on the dash and lashings of brushed aluminium trim everywhere. The seats are finished in chocolate

brown leather and you can see the finish carried over to the door pads and grab handles with perforated leather trim.

The generous dimensions also make it very spacious. The rear seats in particular have very good legroom, ample width and headroom making for comfy three abreast seating. The seat has very good under thigh support and contours to make you feel comfortable for long hours. The front seats are well shaped too, and give you good visibility. The rear view mirrors however create massive blind spots at junctions although they never looked too big from the outside.

Also, the USB and aux input for the audio system which are made to be hidden away from the line of sight, takes some getting used to.

Tata has also equipped the Harrier with six airbags, ABS, EBD, Traction control, ESP, hill hold, hill decent control etc. Prices for the Harrier will only be disclosed in Jan 2019 during the launch.

Tata Harrier

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The Harrier has an 8.8 inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple Car Play. You also get a 7 inch screen in the instrument cluster that displays vehicle related information as well as audio and navigation data. The infotainment gets its audio via a 9 speaker JBL

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sound system that even has a subwoofer in the boot. The audio quality is brilliant as is with most modern Tatas these days, right from the Tiago onwards. You also get cruise control, automatic headlamps, automatic wipers, driving modes, rear view camera etc. On the other hand, the seats aren’t electrically operated, the climate control is single zone and you don’t get a sunroof which we think are deliberate to keep price competitive.

It uses the same 2.0 litre diesel and 6 speed manual gear box as in the Jeep Compass. The engine has been slightly detuned from the 170bhp in the Compass to 140bhp in the Harrier, although the torque remains an identical 350Nm. What’s also different is the clutch; the gearshifts are lighter and take less effort than in the Jeep. It responds well

at low revs and has adequate performance. It gets to triple digit speeds rather quickly and you can cruise along in fifth or sixth gear all day long. There is noticeable difference in each of the driving modes –Eco, City and Sport. The engine lacks the refinement you expect, with the classy interiors. It is a bit too loud when you are driving, whether it is at low speeds or when you are going in for an overtake. The handling is surefooted, although not as sporty as you’d think for its development

by Jaguar and Lotus. You would be impressed by it straightline stability at high speeds and how it can tackle broken patches without losing its composure. Ride quality is good too, with adequate suspension travel and excellent bump absorption. The high profile 235/65 R17 tyres also help. You also get a terrain response knob like in the Discovery which lets the ESP improve traction in wet and rough road conditions.

Although it is only front wheel drive, the Harrier was still able to pull itself out of sand like no other front

wheel drive would.

Tata has also equipped the Harrier with six airbags, ABS, EBD, Traction control, ESP, hill hold, hill decent control etc. Prices for the Harrier will only be disclosed in Jan 2019 during the launch, but we expect Tata Motors to undercut its rivals. With expected prices around Rs.13.5-18 lakhs (ex. showroom), it will give everything from Creta, to the XUV and even the Compass, some competition. The imposing looks, stunning interiors, performance, ride quality and the massive space are all in its favour. The way we see it, it is a Discovery Sport for one third the price

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MOVIE REVIEW

The Accidental Prime Minister

I

t is a biographical film directed by young filmmaker Vijay Gutte. It discusses the story of former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who served as the PM of the world’s largest democracy under the United Progressive Alliance led by the Congress Party from 2004 to 2014 –almost a decade. It is based on a memoir of the same name written by Sanjaya Baru, who is an acclaimed political commentator and analyst, and who was the media advisor and chief spokesperson of Mr. Singh from 2004 to 2008 –nearly four years. In the film, Anupam Kher acts as Mr. Singh. Apart from Mr. Kher, Akshaye Khanna, Suzanne Bernert, Aahana Kumra and Arjun Mathur appear in lead roles.

Simmba

I

t is an action thriller directed by popular filmmaker Rohit Shetty.

Precisely, the film tells its audience how an incident turns a corrupt police officer into an ideal policeman.

In the film, Ranveer Singh appears as the corrupt officer who undergoes the character transformation.

Apart from Mr. Singh, Sara Ali Khan, Sonu Sood and Siddhartha Jadhav act in the lead roles. In the film, Ajay Devgan makes a cameo appearance as Singham. The film is one of the best entertainers released this month. The most interesting thing about this film is that it shows how a police officer should be and how a police officer should not be. There are several comic sequences and beautiful songs also in the film.

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On the Basis of Sex

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t is a social film directed by renowned American filmmaker Mimi Leder. It discusses the subject of gender inequality extensively. The film deserves special appreciation for that. Not many filmmakers have dared to touch the subject until this moment. A struggling woman attorney is the central character of the film. How she leads a battle against gender discrimination is what the film beautifully portrays. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Cailee Spaeny and Justin Theroux appear in the lead roles. The strength of this film is its screenplay, which is contributed by Daniel Stiepleman. The screenplay helps a lot not to misinterpret the film as a feminist film.

Mary Poppins Returns

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t is a family drama directed by popular American filmmaker Rob Marshall. The central character of this film is a family man, who, to avoid the repossession of his house due to the failed repayment of a loan, struggles to find a document regarding the fortune his forefathers have left behind for him. The film beautifully portrays how a surprise guest solves all problems of the man easily.

Emily Blunt, Dick Van Dyke, LinManuel Miranda, Angela Lansbury and Meryl Streep act in the prime roles. The film is expected to become the most popular family dram of the year. If it wins that, it will not be a surprise.

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BOOK REVIEW

Partitions of the Heart: Unmaking the Idea of India Author Price

: Harsh Mander : Rs. 349 (Hardcover)

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he book is a true social critique. Like what the name of the book symbolises, it speaks about the sensitive matter of partition. But, interestingly, it is not about that painful event the country witnessed in the aftermaths of its independence. It is about that dangerous evil that has carved its own space in the Indian society in the recent past. The writer wants to bring the society’s attention into that carefully planned programs aimed to divide the mind of society on the basis of religion, caste and many such grounds. An active social worker and human rights activist, Mr Mander also explains clearly how the society can fight the wicked efforts successfully.

India Unmade: How the Modi Government Broke the Economy Author Price

A

: Yashwant Sinha, Aditya Sinha : Rs. 489 (Hardcover)

tal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi are the only BJP leaders who have ever become the Prime Minister of the country. So, it is not unfair to compare the governments of these two exceptional leaders.

That task is what Yashwant Sinha, who was the financial minister of the Vajpayee led government, does with this book. As he is a former finance minister, he uses the subject of economy extensively to do his task. This brilliant leader, who helped the country to overcome the 1997 East Asian crisis and the 1998 nuclear crisis, explains how the present government has wasted the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead the country for people.

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BOOK REVIEW

Success Habits: Proven Principles for Greater Wealth, Health and Happiness Author Price

: Napoleon Hill : Rs. 299 (Paperback)

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hat are the fundamental rules that lead to a prosperous life? It is a very confusing question. Isn’t it? Here, the writer tries to answer this complicated question in the simplest way possible. The book motivates its readers to follow their goals. It sounds more like a motivational speech, less like a motivational write-up. The book underlines the importance of purpose in life. Most of the stories the writer uses in this book to bring clarity to the points he puts forth is taken from his personal life itself. The book can appeal all kind of readers. But, it is ideal for business aspirants.

God of Sin: The Cult, Clout and Downfall of Asaram Bapu Author Price

I

: Ushinor Majumdar : Rs. 295 (Paperback)

t is the story of the rise and fall of infamous godmen Asaram Bapu, around whom once most business and political leaders operated in the Hindi belt revolved passionately, and because of their closeness to whom the same persons are in trouble now. This godmen is a right example on how dangerous a self-proclaimed religious leader can be. He is one of the godmen who has been booked for sexual harassment. It is not the only allegation against him. He is accused of corruption, intimidation, money laundering and many more. Apart from discussing the controversies around this godmen, the writer puts serious effort to explain the unique business model the man has used to run his system. That approach makes this book much more than a mere attempt to enumerate the wrongdoings of the godmen.

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Printed On 01/ 01/ 2019

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