Synergyz Vol 13 Dec 2014

Vol. 13 | December, 2014

THE 2014

LEADERS | LEGENDS | GENIUSES | HEROES WRITERS & EDITORS | GENERATION NEXT

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Inside: Cover Story Ronnie Screwvala | Cityscape: My Dubai, My City

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www.fossil.in

CONTENTS COVER STORY

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RONNIE SCREWVALA, ONE OF ASIA’S MOST POWERFUL PERSONS TAKES UP A NEW CHALLENGE IN 2014.

THE 2014

POWER ISSUE

REGULARS 11

THE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

66

WZCC AGM

68

WZCC AWARDS

FEATURES 14

MY DUBAI, MY CITY

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SNAPSHOT OF GLOBAL ECONOMY

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POWER LIST - 2014

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WOMEN ACHIEVERS

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SUCESS STORY - DADI MISTRY

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WHO IS RUNNING YOUR LIFE

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BEING AN EXPERT WILL PROPEL YOUR BUSINESS

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DOING BUSINESS WITH CHINA

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WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE CLOUD

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VAASTU FOR ART OF LIVING

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Vol 13, November 2014 — For Private Circulation only

Registered Office: 5750 South Jackson St.. Hinsdal, IL 60521 - 5109 Website: http://www.wzcc.net President: Minoo. R. Shroff WZCC Journal Conceived and Developed by: Meher Bhesania, Chairman, SynergyZ Treasurer: Barjor Bajan, P. O. Box 34129, Dubai, UAE E-mail: bajansbb@yahoo.com

WZCC Board Members Minoo Shroff Bomi Patel Temo Arjani Behroze Daruwalla Adil Sarkari Jamshid Dindar Roomi Sarkari Fariborz Rahnamoon Farrokh Rustomji Minoo Mody Shahram Jiveh Neville Shroff Pheroze P. Kharas Natalie Gandhi Nauzar Manekshaw Umeed Kothavala Kersi Limathwalla

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President Vice President Treasurer Corporate Secretary Regional Director (Australia) Regional Director (Iran) Regional Director (Middle East) Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Youth Director Immediate Past President

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mrshroffadst@gmail.com bomip@yahoo.com temo@arjani.com behroze@frenaus.com adilsarkari@gmail.com dindar2000@yahoo.co.uk rsarkari@emirates.net.ae fariborzr@hotmail.com f.m.rustomji@gmail.com modymh@me.com shjiveh@yahoo.com nshroff@shroff.com.hk phili.kharas@gmail.com nvania@encouragementnewbiz.com wzcc@mieraconsulting.com umeed.kothavala@extentia.com klimath@gmail.com

Editorial Board: Burjor Patel, Former General Manager, Khaleej Times, Dubai Rita Mehta, Managing Director, Blitz Media & Communication, FZ-L.L.C, Dubai Kersy Bhesania, Managing Director, Climate Control L.L.C, Dubai Nowshir Engineer, Director, Event Management Development Institute, Dubai Dadi Motiwalla, CEO, mt2, Dubai Yazdi Tantra, Managing Director, On-lyne Computers, Mumbai

Afreed Mistry

afreed.mistry@gmail.com

Navroze Dhondy

navroze@creategies.com

Adi B. Siganporia Viraf Deboo Khodayar Attaie Roomi Sarkari

adisiganporia@gmail.com vbdeboo@gmail.com khodayarattaie@gmail.com

Nauzar Manekshaw

wzcc@mieraconsulting.com

Jehangir Darukhanavala Zarir Sethna Kamran Behroozi

jvdarukhanavala@aol.com zarirs@sbcglobal.net nvania@encouragementnewbiz.com kbehroozi@verizone.net

Firdosh Bhesania

bhesania@hotmail.com

Picture credits, Google.com : Pages 10, 14-17, 19, 59, 70, 71, 74, 76, 77, 78, 79, 81, 82.

Journal designed by: Sameer Aslam, Graphic Designer, Colour Power, Dubai.

For booking AD space in SynergyZ please contact: WZCC - Mumbai Tel: +91 22 3296 8175, 53532522, Email: wzccindia@on-lyne.com

SYNE RGY Z

Cities R E A C H I N G O U T T O Ahmedabad Atlanta Boston Central Florida Chicago China Delhi Dubai Hong Kong CO NTINE NTS Hyderabad Houston Karachi London Mumbai New York North Texas ynergyZ’ is a carefully crafted publication for businessmen and Perth professionals worldwide. It is comprehensive, credible and thoroughly Pune exhaustive in its coverage. It keeps the reader informed on a variety of subjects ranging from inspiring stories of successful entrepreneurs and San Francisco professionals to WZCC news worldwide; articles on management topics; Seattle success stories on youth, cityscapes, culinary delights and much more…

Singapore In short it is a wholesome publication designed to appeal all age groups. It is available in hard copy form as well as e-format on: www.wzcc.net.

Southern California Businessmen, professionals and corporations are requested to get in touch Sydney with us for their advertising requirements by writing to: wzccindia@on-lyne.com Tehran Toronto Vancouver

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In this Issue

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Defining Power

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uilding up on the euphoria of Enterprise Dubai which is taking place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dubai from 19th to 21st December, 2014, the wonderful team of SynergyZ thought of doing something exceptional and came up with the idea of publishing a ‘Power List-2014’ comprising Zoroastrian community’s most influential people.

Meher Bhesania Chairman, SynergyZ

It was not an easy task, but we did it.

Perhaps, some of you may not agree with this list, but, it showcases an extraordinary pool of talented people that exist in our community.”

It was not an easy task, but we did it. Perhaps, some of you may not agree with this list, but the idea was to showcase an extraordinary pool of talented people that exist in our community. They are industrialists, businessmen, scientists, engineers, lawyers, doctors, editors, community stalwarts and the next generation youth who are doing exceeding well in their fields. And, yes, of course, there are the philanthropists who make a difference to the society with their charitable work.

In addition, to the 'Power List-2014' we have also covered an inspiring story on Ronnie Screwvala, who is taking up a new challenge in 2014, interesting stories of two women achievers, articles on management topics and much more…

Hope you find the issue interesting.

From all of us at SynerygZ, we convey warm wishes for a peaceful and a joyous 2015 to you and yours! ‘Til next time stay connected!

Enterprise Dubai 19th t0 21st December, 2014, Crowne Plaze Hotel, Dubai

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WZCC Re-engergizing the spirit of entrepreneurship through strong network of multiple chapters worldwide

Offers networking

Offers free copy of

facility to members in

Synergyz, a prestigious

every industry

Business journal, to members worldwide

Links supply and

Offers the

demand of major

state-of-the-art

Business Institutions and

website: www.wzcc.net

Employment

and Zchamber Group

oppurtunities

Membership

Offers fecility to members to participate in WZCC Meetings and Seminars worldwide

WZCC Benefits & Advantages

Offers Zoroastrian Businessmen Professionals, Youth an opportunity to win the prestigious WZCC Awards

WZCC Global Network: Ahmedabad | Atlanta | Boston | Central Florida | Chicago | China | Delhi | Dubai | Hong Kong | Hyderabad | Houston | Karachi | London | Mumbai | New York North Texas Perth | Pune | San Francisco | Seattle | Singapore | Southern California | Sydney | Tehran | Toronto | Vancouver Contact Details Regd. Office: 5750 South Jackson St. Hinsdal, IL 60521 - 5109, USA | Tel: +1 630 3255383 Website: www.wzcc.net |

https://www.facebook.com/groups/wzcc.net

India Chamber Office: #8, R. N. Gamadia Polyclinic, Gamadia Colony Road, Tardeo, Mumbai-400 007, INDIA. Telephone: +91-22-3296 8175, +91-22-2353 2522 | Email: wzccindia@on-lyne.com

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President’s Message

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nterprise Dubai is an extravaganza which is very well conceived. I have no doubt it will be meticulously managed by the organizers in Dubai.

For our community with a very rich legacy and enviable achievements, it is a unique occasion for the widely dispersed diaspora to get together and revive old relationships. Our numbers may have declined but our pristine sense of values have remained in tact. We must now build our future and mould our business and professional endeavours on this heritage. I would like to read out a limerick which so well encapsulates our past:

Minoo Shroff, WZCC, President

We are meeting in Dubai which within a generation has metamorphosed itself into a globally thriving, trading and financial centre.”

“Once upon a time in a far away land; Lived a thriving community on the Persian sand, Charity flowed in their blood; Honour was their middle name, The world looked up in awe and respect, Vast spread their glory and their fame.”

This will be a rare opportunity to fraternize with a sense of bonhomie which is our Zoroastrian trademark. What we have achieved so far with our miniscule numbers is beyond compare and envy of most other communities.

It is now for us seniors to pass on the baton to the younger generation which will inherit what our forefathers had built with enormous hard work, courage, faith in the future and immense self-confidence, always upholding the noble teachings of our great Prophet.

We are living and operating in a world which is constantly evolving and churning. In the last decade alone there have been mind boggling changes which could not have been imagined earlier. We must keep pace with these changes, in fact stay ahead of with this transformation to be relevant and be counted. This can only happen if we keep our minds open and adapt to the changing environment with alacrity through exchange of ideas and experiences.

We are meeting in Dubai which within a generation has metamorphosed itself into a globally thriving, trading and financial centre. This is so evident from what we see around, a desert converted into an ultramodern, elegant, vibrant city state.

Let us look forward to assemble in Dubai at this Gala Event and regale in the company of many of our ebullient Zoroastrian brethren and the Indian Diaspora from so many different regions.

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Cover Story

Ronnie Screwvala

First generation entreprenuer, founder - Unilazer Ventures & Founder Trustee - Swades Foundation 12

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Taking up a

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Ronnie Screwvala’s vision and business acumen are enough to make him an extraordinary figure, but what secures him a place among pantheons of modern India’s greatest sons is his humaneness.

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Ronnie Screwvala production comes with its own stamp of quality. His intrinsic vision and business acumen have catapulted him onto centre stage and deservedly so.

Known for his gracious and giving nature, Ronnie has ably contributed to India's rise in the media and entertainment industry. He has managed to achieve these successes by introducing new concepts and initiatives, aspiring to a more professional approach towards the industry and injecting a much-needed vibrancy and supporting the pursuit of excellence. His constant desire to go a mile further has underscored the fact that Ronnie is more than an entrepreneur; blessed with a sturdy bent of mind and passion for sharing his vision with the world, Ronnie is naturally innovative and constantly striving for a fresh dimension to the creative arts.

Born in 1956, Ronnie was raised in Mumbai, an intellectual and cultural centre for many Indians. The liberal education he received fuelled in him a lifelong admiration for academics and a love for reading. But those passions soon took a backseat to what he recognised as his true calling. Entertaining the world and bringing to a wide range of people a viable and intelligent option. Combining his desire to provide good content with a business acumen that was second to none he pioneered India’s first cable TV in 1981. He founded UTV in 1990 which has maintained its premier position and is today one of India’s largest media and entertainment conglomerates.

In 2005, Ronnie took UTV public. With his innate ability to merge creativity and commerce he has been credited with the

corporatization of the media industry and the marketing of cutting-edge new cinema.

His first hit was Rang De Basanti in 2006. Since then, UTV Software notched up a string of hits — Raajneeti, Paan Singh Tomar, Chennai Express. Ronnie helped redefine Bollywood by setting up professionally managed, studio-style operations, with the help of Disney. His pivotal role in the expansion of the Indian media scape has been recognised globally.

Ronnie expanded UTV’s interests to encompass gaming and the interactive arena and established the digital entertainment arm of UTV interactive in 2008. Today, he stands tall, having earned so much success in the entertainment industry.

He sold UTV to Walt Disney and moved out at the end of 2013. He is now venturing into totally different areas. The biggest challenge is how best to use his 15 years of learning and experience that he gained as a media entrepreneur. Ronnie thinks big and he thinks global.

Another important observation he makes and what motivates him is that for India to climb out of the crevice of poverty for which it’s finest minds will have to invest in its upliftment. This is where his sense of charity is given ample opportunity. With this belief, a huge part of his assets are devoted to social development initiatives.

He is not your clinical cheque giver but likes to invest in the human spirit and the human endeavour to strive, to seek and not to yield.

He and his wife Zarina, have set up the Swades Foundation (SHARE: Society to Heal Aid Restore and Educate) with a

single-minded focus of empowering Rural India and believe in an all round degree of development. At the end of a two year assessment and research effort he shortlisted five trusts aimed at impacting rural life and made them a reality.

“We will touch the lives of a million people over a period of 5-7 years. We are running 86 programmes, including teaching English and computers. We aim to set up 200 libraries in villages and provide tap water everywhere we go. The foundation has invested Rs. 50 crore in these social programmes, and intends to plough in Rs. 700 crore over seven years, with 50 per cent coming from his family trusts,” says Ronnie.

Currently he is weighing different options to bringing to life his visionary ventures and has set up a few ground rules for himself - spending half the time in business and half in pro bono service.

Ronnie’s thinking is far ahead of his peers but still being in his prime he will be able to make his second innings just as passionate and fruitful as his first.

The 56 year old media and entertainment tycoon was rated by Fortune as one of Asia’s 25 most powerful persons and by Esquire amongst the 75 most influential people of the 21st century. He was termed the Jack Warner of India by Newsweek, but the benediction he treasures most comes from the sons of the soil for whom he has opened so many doors and sought nothing in return.

For Ronnie the words of the song resonate; he ain’t heavy, he is my brother.

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My Dubai

My Dubai

My City S

ome times the world’s biggest stories come from smallest nations and this story began thousands of years ago when some 800 members of the Bani Yas tribe, led by the Maktoum Family, settled at the mouth of the creek in 1833. The creek was a natural harbour and Dubai soon became a center for the fishing, pearling and sea trade.

By the turn of the 20th century, Dubai became a successful port. The souk on the Deira side had 350 shops and a steady throng of visitors and businessmen.

In 1930’s, Dubai’s population was nearly 20,000, a quarter of who were expatriates.

It is said, that the Creek shaped Dubai’s destiny and Dubai shaped the creek. The activities that occur around it exemplify the microcosm of the industrious, multicultural, tolerant and adaptable city. The creek curves through Dubai, its waters reflecting ancient wind towers, slender minarets and high rise offices.

Churning its surface are the dhows and fishing boats, hotels, beautiful gardens that line its banks and busy along the shores are its people of many nations who live and work here bringing a cultural variety that enriches every aspect of life in the city.

When oil was discovered in 1966, H.H Sheikh Rashid utilized the oil revenues to spur infrastructure development in Dubai. Schools, hospitals, roads, were made and a modern telecommunications network was laid down. A new terminal building was built at Dubai International Airport. The largest man-made harbor in the world was constructed at Jebel Ali, and a free zone was created around the port.

Since the 1960’s, H.H Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Ruler of Abu Dhabi, and Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum

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had dreamed of creating a Federation of the Emirates in the region. Their dreams were realized in 1971 when Dubai, Abu

Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah and (in 1972) Ras Al Khaimah, joined to create the United Arab Emirates.

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In the 1980s and early 1990s, Dubai took a strategic decision to emerge as a major international-quality tourism destination.

Investments in tourism infrastructure have paid off handsomely.

Dubai is now a modern city that boasts unmatchable hotels, remarkable architecture and world-class entertainment and sporting events. The beautiful Burj Al Arab hotel presiding over the coastline of Jumeirah beach is the world’s only hotel with a seven star rating. The Burj Khalifa is today the tallest tower in the world. The dancing fountains are the world’s tallest fountains and Dubai Mall and other structures remind us of the commercial confidence in a city which is expanding at a remarkable rate. Dubai also hosts major international sporting events.

The emirate has several shopping malls such as Deira City Centre, BurJuman, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall, Ibn Battuta Mall. The sprawling expanse of the malls, the innovative architecture, the designer boutiques, top brands, vast product range allow visitors the option of passing an entire day within the premises of a single shopping complex. A visit to the Souk, alive with noise, crowds and atmosphere, is a memorable experience.

Gold, the traditional wealth standard of the east, is another of the city’s bestbuys. For centuries Dubai’s gold trade has flourished. The Gold Souk in Deira is a tribute to the metal’s eternal attraction.

Annual entertainment events such as the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) and Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) attract over 4 million visitors from across the region The diversity of cuisine in Dubai is a reflection of the cosmopolitan nature of the society.

Dubai being positioned midway between Europe and the Far-East is at the hub not only of the wealthy Middle East but a much great market that stretches from

Levant to Indian Sub continent and from the newly emerging states of the CIS to Africa.

Dubai has a well established network of print, radio, television and electronic media which service the city. Additionally, several local network television channels provide programming in English, Arabic and South Asian languages.

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My Dubai

regionally and locally with significant competitive advantage.

Dubai media city offers businesses like Broadcasting, Production, Advertising, Public Relations, Recruitment, Music, Publishing, Marketing Consultancy, Webcasting/New Media, News Agency, Postproduction, Research etc. to operate with competitive advantage.

The Dubai International Financial Centre established in 2004 is spread over 110 acres aims to provide a platform for business and financial institutions to reach into and out of the emerging markets of the region.

Established to create an environment for growth, progress and economic There is a comprehensive network of government and private schools in Dubai and a growing presence of universities such as Michigan State University Dubai; the Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani - Dubai; American University in Dubai; the American College of Dubai; Mahatma Gandhi University (Off-Campus Centre); SP Jain Center Of Management; University of Wollongong in Dubai; Harvard Medical School Dubai Center (HMSDC) and several others exist in Dubai.

The annual Dubai International Film Festival each year attracts the celebrity stars from various parts of the world.

Football and cricket are the most popular sports. Dubai also hosts both the annual Dubai Tennis Championships and The Legends Rock Dubai tennis tournaments, as well as the Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament, all of which attract sports stars from around the world. The Dubai World Cup, a thoroughbred horse race, is held annually at the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse.

The emirate’s revenues are from trade, real estate and financial services. As an open port with low import duties, Dubai’s retail prices are attractive to several tourists.

Dubai’s residents enjoy tax free salaries and incomes.

The government has embarked on a program for development of Free zones and Techno Parks: Jebel Ali Free Zone offers the international companies the benefits and opportunities of the free trade.

Dubai Internet City provides an environment, infrastructure and attitude for ICT companies to operate globally,

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development in the UAE and the wider region by providing the needed legal and business as well as physical infrastructure benchmarked against international standards. It has its own legal system and courts distinct from those of the wider UAE, with jurisdiction over corporate, commercial, civil, employment, trusts and securities law matters.

Knowledge village provides an infrastructure for developing, sharing and acquiring knowledge in a variety of disciplines for student and corporate communities.

Dubai Gold & Diamond Park offers Gold and diamond trading, designing, manufacturing and crafting of gold and diamond jewellery. Unlike other free zones Gold & Diamond Park offers retailshopping facility for visitors.

In addition, the city boosts of having the Dubai silicon oasis; Dubai Maritime city; Dubai Metals and Commodities Centre; Dubai Maritime City; Dubai Auto Parts City; Heavy Equipment & Trucks Zone Mohammed Bin Rashid Technology Park; Dubai Flower Center; Dubai Health Care City; Dubai Textile Village; International Media Production Zone; Dubai Aid City; and Dubai International Arbitration Centre. The metro is helping transit millions of commuters a day. 'The World'

is a new air port being constructed apart from the Al Maktoum Airport with latest technology to meet the rising visitors coming to Dubai.

The Dubai Metro is a driverless, fully automated metro rail network in the

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The latest project is the ‘Dubai World Central’ currently under construction.

It will be an economic zone to support a number of activities including logistics, aviation, commercial, exhibition, humanitarian, residential and other related businesses around Al Maktoum International Airport with the planned annual capacity of 12 million tonnes of cargo and 160 million passengers.

The construction area is 140 square kilometres, almost two times the size of Hong Kong Island. The Dubai World Central combined with the Al Maktoum International Airport is expected to draw additional tourism to the Middle East, designed to handle 20 million visitors a year by 2020.

United Arab Emirates city of Dubai. All trains and stations are air conditioned with platform edge doors to make this possible. It was inaugurated at 9:09:09 PM on 9 September 2009, by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai. Guinness World Records has declared Dubai Metro as the world’s longest fully automated metro network spanning at 75 kilometres.

Despite such mega developments, few in the population can guess the changes that will take place in the years ahead but the prediction is that, the story of My Dubai My City will continue as the secret of success for Dubai has always been the same: to make the most of its wonderful strategic position on the world map and hold a sucessful World Expo in 2020.

By: Meher Bhesania

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Global Economy

Snapshot of Global Economy a sizable reduction in the current account deficit to below 2% of GDP as against 4.5% earlier. The Forex reserves have been rising steadily with larger inflow of foreign investments. Rupee has appreciated by 10% from the low of US$ = Rs.68 last year. The stock market has been buoyant, showing a smart spurt in recent months reflecting overall optimism in the future.

On the external front general perception of India has changed dramatically. Japan, China and USA are looking at India more positively. Ambitious plans have been drawn up for setting up 100 smart cities and massive investment planned for revamping infrastructure in the next decade. Huge loans exceeding $ 100 billion are being expected to flow in the next decade to partly fund these projects.

India forging stronger and deeper ties with major countries starting with Japan, China and the

The global economic outlook has again turned rather sombre. Among the advanced countries the only shining star is United States but even there the projected growth in the current year is expected to be below 3%, lower than expected. In Japan, which under Abe’s liberalization policies was expecting an upward trend, the economy has started wilting due to consumer resistance to the higher sales tax. Among Eurozone countries the overall growth in the current year is likely to be only marginal 0.8%. The overall global economy is expected to enlarge by 3% in the current year as against 3.5% projected earlier. The indications are that quantitative easing in the US, which has been largely responsible for spurt in liquidity in the emerging countries, is likely to end by October and this will be accompanied by a hike in the cost of borrowing. This will have an adverse impact on the flow of liquidity into emerging markets like India. While the US economy is rebounding from the financial crises the Eurozone has shown no pick-up. In fact the European Central Bank is moving in the opposite direction

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to the US in a bid to rekindle growth and inflation fearing Japanese style deflation which lasted for over 15 years till 2002.

The saving grace on the global scene is that emerging economies, particularly China and India, continue to be the major drivers of the moderate global expansion.

Economic advance in many BRIC countries has been only marginal in the current year. The Chinese economy during the last two years has lost its zing and is now expecting gain in the mid term of around 7.5% as against over 10% experienced in the last two decades.

The Indian growth story has now taken a turn for the better after lack-luster gain of 4.5% during the last two years. With a majority single party government in power and a strong leader like Narendra Modi becoming the Prime Minister the sentiment has dramatically changed for the better. GDP growth is expected to be over 5% in the current year rising to 6% and 7% in the next two years. Inflation is being tamed gradually thanks to reduction in oil and commodity prices globally. The fiscal deficit is under control and there is

US is a harbinger for better times. Smart cities is a fine augury for growth of small and medium size industries, which holds great promise for rapid industrial growth in India. The last budget has provided for a special fund of Rs.10,000 crores to assist the SMES by way of start up capital and soft loans.

The economic environment in India is being rapidly transformed. This will open up boundless opportunities for young entrepreneurs which they must grapple with at the early stage. Economic development is a game of snakes and ladders. Fortunately in an emerging country like India there are more ladders than snakes. What is called for is daring and commitment to be adventurous and succeed and not be overborne by the risk of failure which is inevitable in any endeavour.

There will be a burst of entrepreneurship in the newer towns and cities in the coming years. While India is already the second fastest economy it is bound to emerge as one of the largest globally in the next 20 years with a GDP of over $ 20 trillion, against the current $ 2 trillion.

Now is the time for young entrepreneurs to step up on the escalator.

By: Minoo Shroff

Power List

LEADERS LEGENDS GENIUSES HEROES WRITERS & EDITORS GENERATION NEXT

POWER PEOPLE Welcome to the 2014 SynergyZ Power List, Our guide to Zoroastrian Community’s 30 most influential people

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With well over 100,000 Zoroastrians living all over the world, SynergyZ brings you for the first time a 'Power List' for 2014.

The list has been categoried into Leaders, Legends, Genuises, Heros,Thinkers and Generation Next.

Putting together such a list was difficult – and no doubt a controversial task, but we did it.

So what is power? In simple terms we define it as the ability to influence - the more people you influence the more powerful you are. This can be done through, for example, having thousands of employees, or being responsbile for millions of dollars worth of assests, or being involved in projects that are or have the potential to influence many people.

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Alongside the leaders of multi-million-dollar companies and Padma Award winners is a fashion designer who traveled through Iran and China to trace the routes and origins of the Parsi embroidery craft; a young lawyer working in the highly reputed legal firm of M/s Mulla & Mulla and Craigie Blunt and Caroe serving his profession with exemplary honesty and dedication; and an Eye Surgeon who has crossed the milestone of 25,000 cataract surgeries; and more...

The members range from North America to London and from Middle East to Far East, while working in industries as diverse as medicine to food craft.

So did you make this year’s list? There’s only one way to find out. We hope you enjoy reading this list as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

As you will turn the pages, you will see some familiar faces and some names that we think are going to be household names in the not-toodistant a future.

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THE POWER ISSUE

ZOROASTRIAN COMMUNITY’S MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE

LEADERS LEADER: A PERSON WHO HAS COMMANDING AUTHORITY OR INFLUENCE

LORD KARAN BILIMORIA, CBE, DL Chairman, Cobra Beer Partnership

T

he story of Lord Karan Bilimoria gets more remarkable each year.

You wonder how he finds time to sleep.

Running the Cobra Beer Partnership would be a full-time job for most people but not for Lord Bilimoria, a talented entrepreneur who has mastered the art of handling various projects at the same time with ease.

Winner of 70 prestigious Monde Selection Awards, including five Gold Quality Awards in 2013.

Apart from his role as the Chairman of Cobra Beer Partnership, Lord Bilimoria is also one of the first two visiting entrepreneurs at the University of Cambridge, the Senior Non-Executive Director of Booker PLC and a founding member of the Prime Minister of India’s Global Advisory Council. He is also an honorary fellow of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge and a Member of the Advisory Boards of the Judge Business School, Cambridge, Birmingham University Business School and the Cranfield School of Management.

He was awarded a CBE in 2004, and was appointed a Life Peer in the House of Lords in 2006, where he sits as a Crossbencher.

In Parliament, Lord Bilimoria is active in a wide range of matters, including commerce, entrepreneurship, education, diplomacy, minorities’ contributions, and academia.

Cobra’s headquarters in the Barbican, Central London, are a treasure trove of gongs, awards, trophies and certificates— all celebrating Cobra’s success in a fiercely competitive world marketplace. Over the years, Cobra has become one of the world’s most celebrated beers, having been awarded over seventy awards from the prestigious Monde Selection Awards, including five Gold Quality Awards in 2013.

Lord Bilimoria’s philanthropic principles are rooted in his Zoroastrian beliefs which influenced him in setting up the Cobra Foundation to give something back to the community. Established in March 2006, the Cobra Foundation is an independent charity providing health, education and community support for young people in South Asia, especially through the provision of safe water.

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SAM BALSARA

Head of Madison World

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self-made man and a communications guru with an unshakeable faith in his abilities, Sam Balsara is often cited as the man who changed the face of the highly competitive world of Indian advertising.

With planning and patience as his mantras, he has climbed to the pinnacle of his profession and is today seen as one of the most influential persons in his field.

Sam Balsara is head of Madison World, a completely Indian-owned organisation – a rarity in the advertising sector.

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Eloquent and engaging, he is a muchsought-after speaker at seminars.

Sam Balsara has received many accolades and awards for his achievements.

Important among them are: Rated by Economic Times Brand Equity as India’s Most Influential Media Person for six consecutive years, from 2006 to 2011; ranked amongst the 50 Most Influential People in Mumbai by DNA; was a judge at Media Festival, Valencia and Cannes in 2005 and this year; has won the ‘Lifetime

Achievement’ Award from Advertising Agencies Association of India in 2009 and the ‘Hall of Fame’ Award by the Advertising Club of Kolkata in 2012.

Balsara’s latest feather in his cap is helping Narendra Modi and BJP get a landslide victory in the Indian parliamentary elections in 2014.

ALAYAR DABESTANI Chairman, Dabestani Group of Cos., USA.

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layar Dabestani has come a long way

He gives credit to his father for making

Alayar Dabestani has certainly lived his life

in his eventful life.

him a good Zoroastrian. “My father

practising what he preaches. Providing

believed that knowledge was the key to

scholarships

doing well in life. With his actions and

University students from Iran is one of his

words he showed me that blessings are

many acts of generosity.

Growing up as a shepherd boy in Iran, he is the Chairman and President of several high profile companies in North America.

His life is a definitive proof of what can be achieved through dint of one’s own hard work and self confidence.

to

several

Zoroastrian

showered upon those who give freely without expecting anything in return,” His motto in life is - “Make sure you live your life to exemplify what you teach.”

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BYRAM JEEJEEBHOY Chairman, Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Pvt. Ltd.

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t the forefront of the iconic family which symbolises the essence of enterprise and philanthropy in India, Byram Jeejeebhoy has not only furthered the tradition, but also given it a modern dimension.

Byram Jeejeebhoy, the great-great grandson of Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy who established the JJ Hospital and the JJ School of Arts, carries his illustrious lineage with humility and dignity. Blessed with the business acumen his family is famed for, he is at the helm of several enterprises and is the Chairman of Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Pvt Ltd., the family business concern. As the Trustee of various charitable organisations, he has enriched the scope of philanthropy.

A harmonious blend of the finer things of life, he is an Art collector, musician, an avid golfer, racehorse breeder, skilled horseman, tennis player, swimmer and a helicopter pilot – a complete gentleman with great zest for life. Though based in London, as a global citizen, he feels equally at home in India and Dubai, and travels extensively.

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DR. DHUN NORIA Chief of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Director, The Scarborough Hospital, Ontario always extended their good fortune to family, friends, friends of friends and even strangers.

On 17th March, 2014, Dr. Dhun and Farokh Noria gave $1 million donation to The Scarborough Hospital Foundation.

The cheque was presented at a special reception hosted by the Foundation. In honour of their generous donation, the laboratories at both campuses have been dedicated to the family and named the Farokh and Dhun Noria Laboratory.

Noria Family donates $1 million to support cancer care at The Scarborough Hospital

Dr. Noria is also the recipient of several awards. A few of them are: ‘Professional Woman of the Year’ Award from the Federation of North American Zoroastrian Organization in the United States, 2004, as also the ‘Business Woman of the year’ award from the Indo-Canada

Chamber of Commerce the same year; The Hind Ratan Award, India, 2005; the Nav Rattan Award, India, 2008. She was appointed to the Toronto Police Services Board by the Premier of Ontario and the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario in 2011 and was inducted into the ‘Scarborough Walk of Fame’ the same year. In March 2012, she received the ‘President’s Award’ from the Ontario Medical Association, an organisation of 27,000 physicians and the same year ‘Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee Medal’ for significant contribution and achievement by an outstanding Canadian. On 10th May 2014, she received the ‘Global Lifetime Achievement’ Award from The Scarborough Hospital in Toronto.

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brilliant doctor, an outstanding administrator and community leader, Dr. Dhun Noria has made a very positive impact on the management of health facilities in Canada. She has the rare ability to inspire others by her example.

For her, success is simply a way of life.

Dr. Dhun Noria, Chief of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Director of Laboratories, the Scarborough Hospital, Ontario is a woman of remarkable strength and courage. At the vanguard of worthy causes, she has left her mark of excellence on all the professional and charitable organisations she has been associated with. She has contributed immensely to the Zoroastrian community and to Toronto as a whole because giving back has always been the standard in the Noria house. From early days Dr. Dhun Noria and her husband, Farokh, have

Left - Dr. Sabrena Noria, Dr. Dhun Noria, Zubin Noria, Farokh Noria, Robert Biron, President of the Scarborough Hospital and Mary Murphy, the Foundation Vice President

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DR. VILLOO MORAWALA-PATELL Founder, Chairperson and Managing Director, Avesthagen Ltd.

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r Villoo Morawala-Patell is the Founder, Chairperson and Managing Director of Avesthagen Limited, an Indiabased globally-focused biotechnology company with a mission to leverage science to develop innovative products.

Deeply attached to her Zoroastrian and Indian roots, she has launched a project to build a genetic, genealogical and medical database of India’s Zoroastrian community.

Dr Villoo Morawala-Patell obtained her PhD from the University Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France in 1993 and Post Doc from the University of Ghent, Belgium, in 1994.

She is the Founder, Chairperson & Managing Director, Avesthagen Limited.

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The following are the highlights of her career: Worked for ICRISAT, Hyderabad, 1978-1989; independent scientist and principal investigator at the National Center for Biological Sciences with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, 1995; incubated Avesthagen at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, (19982000), with a grant from IFCPAR, the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research; registered Avesthagen as a public-private model in 1998; Created a full private entity, Avestha Gengraine Technologies Pvt Ltd in 2000, which became Avesthagen Ltd in 2008.

A few of the many awards she has received are: New Millennium Technology Leadership Initiative, Grant, CSIR, Govt of India, 2004; L’Oreal of France Award

for ‘Women in Science’, 2004; USAID, Grant, 2005; The Outstanding Women Entrepreneur for the year 2005-2006 from FICCI; The BioSpectrum Entrepreneur of the Year Award, 2006; Parsi Entrepreneur par Excellence Award by the Bombay Parsi Punchayet, 2008; Officer of the National Order of Merit by the President of the French Republic, 2008; Karmaveer Puraskar as a Corporate Citizen for her contribution in the field of agriculture and healthcare, 2009 and Outstanding Zarathushti Entrepreneur Award from WZCC, 2009.

NEVILLE SHROFF Chairman and CEO, Shroff and Company Ltd., Hong Kong

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eville Shroff is today one of Hong Kong’s most successful businessmen.

Reflecting Shakespeare’s words, ‘There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune’ and Neville had the foresight to continue his business in China, and was instrumental in opening a representative office in 1988 in Shanghai. He then started a joint-venture factory in Jiangmen in 2002, and now has two joint-venture manufacturing plants in Guangdong.

He is also the Managing Director, of Direct International Hong Kong Ltd. His main markets are Europe, USA, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.

Active in public life, he assumed the office of President, of the 137-year-old Trust – 'The Zoroastrian Charity Funds of Hong Kong, Canton, and Macao' on May 20, 2011. He is a member of the Manpower Committee panel since 2004 and on the Board of the nominating committee of the English Schools Foundation, which

manages and controls 20 international schools in Hong Kong since 2005.

He is the Chairman of the 'Asia and Africa Committee' since 2008. He is the ViceChairman of the Europe Committee since 2010. He is a member of the Kowloon Cricket Club and also serves on several social and sporting organisations.

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DINSHAW TAMBOLY Trustee, World Zoroastrian Organisation Trust, WZO Trust for Women and Children and WZO Trust Funds

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pend a couple of hours with Dinshaw Tamboly and you will soon become very familiar with his personal mantra: ‘the process is the product.’

“Don’t be fooled by the suit and tie I am wearing”, the Zoroastrian born, Managing Director of Kaikisons and Trustee of the World Zoroastrian Organisation Trust told us recently. “Most of my time, I have my working boots on and my helmet by my side.”

After acquiring a Masters Degree in Sales Management from Berks, UK, Dinshaw Tamboly started his journey by working in senior positions with multinational companies such as Bombay Dyeing, Tata Textiles and the Reliance Industries. In 1987, he started his own firm, Kaikisons.

Under its aegis as a corporate counsellor,

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he advises leading Indian corporations in promoting exports to markets in North America and Europe and provides counselling services to foreign brands entering Indian markets.

He served on the International Board of WZO London from 1983-2004 and as Trustee of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet from November 1996 to September 2008.

Dinshaw Tamboly has been involved in public service for the last 27 years, with focus on the World Zoroastrian Organisation Trust, WZO Trust for Women & Children and WZO Trust Funds, where he and his wife Bachi are among the founder Trustees.

The husband and wife team is a shining example of what commitment to a cause can achieve. Their tireless efforts have

garnered support for three important projects: Bringing Zoroastrian farmers in Gujarat back into the mainstream where they have touched the lives of 469 Zoroastrian agrarian families in 184 villages, expending in excess of Rs.60,000,000 for rehabilitating them; providing financial support to 871 aspiring entrepreneurs through the SelfEmployment Project by extending interest free financial support (Rs.130,000,000) up to a maximum limit of Rs.300,000, and the beneficiaries returning the amount given to them through 40 equated monthly installments; setting up of two Senior Citizens Centres at Navsari, where the elderly of the community live with dignity under professional supervision and care and a beautiful sanatorium at Sanjan.

DR. ROSHAN BHAPPU Former President of American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers, USA

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e believe that great minds make great business and Dr. Roshan Bhappu has done just that and is playing a top role in the metals and mining industry in America. His growth has been nothing short of astonishing right from the start of his engineering career as the Resident Metallurgist for the Miami Copper Co. in Arizona followed by 14 years of Senior Metallurgist at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, as well as Research Professor and Vice President for Research at the same institutet.

In 1972, he joined the Mountain States Engineers group in Tucson, Arizona to start the Mountain States R&D Division, which was spun off as a separate company in 1987.

During the last 33 years, Dr. Bhappu has worked on hundreds of mining projects worldwide with emphasis on the extraction of base metals, precious metals, industrial metals, rare earth elements, coal and uranium.

‘Van Diest Gold Medal’ of CSM, Robert Richards Award of AIME, ‘Metal of Merit’ (MFSW) and most coveted the ‘Gold Medal’ from the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America (2010).

He serves as a Member of Advisory Board of Rare Element Resources Ltd. He has been a consultant to UNDP and World Bank. He was President of Society of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers (SME in 1990), and President of American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers (AIME in 1992).

Dr. Bhappu holds a Metallurgical Engineers Degree (1950), MS (1951) and Doctor of Science (1953) at the Colorado School of Mines. He has been a recipient of several awards some of which are: The

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THE POWER ISSUE

ZOROASTRIAN COMMUNITY’S MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE

LEGENDS LEGEND: A PERSON WHOSE SKILLS, TALENT AND ABILITY HAVE WON HIM UNIVERSAL RESPECT

ADI GODREJ Chairman, Godrej Group

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ead of the 115 year-old group, Adi Godrej is driven by action rather than by words. He believes that generating jobs and producing a common wealth is the greatest service to his country. A strong advocate of the free market economy and also deeply involved in environmental conservation, he has contributed tangibly to both. With a consumer - centric business philosophy, his cherished goal is to touch lives for the better.

Over 500 million Indians use Godrej products each day

He is currently the Chairman of the Godrej Group, whose presence is all very impressively wide ranging. “About 500 million Indians use one or the other of our products each day, and this is more than the number of consumers any other Indian group has,” Adi Godrej reveals with quiet confidence.

He admits that the Godrej Group’s commitment to preservation of the environment, promoting health and education through Corporate Social Responsibility has given him great satisfaction.

Currently, 25% of the shareholding of the major group holding and operational company, Godrej & Boyce, is held by the Godrej Trust, and all the dividends that come from it go into philanthropic activities. Also, they have preserved about 1,500 acres of their land in Vikhroli, Mumbai, and made it into a mangrove forest; sponsored the CII Godrej Green Business Centre in Hyderabad, which disseminates knowledge about green and environmentally friendly business practices. They support the World Wildlife Fund and other such activities.

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NADIR GODREJ Managing Director, Godrej Industries Ltd., and Chairman, Godrej Agrovet Ltd.

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adir Godrej serves as the Managing Director of Godrej Industries, a family business group operating in India since 1897.

The group consists of 6 divisions – Godrej Properties, Godrej Consumer Products, Godrej Household Products, Godrej Hershey, Godrej Agrovet and Nature’s Basket Ltd. With a large work force and commendable progress the superlatives just keep adding for this highly respected business house operating across several industry sectors of the global economy.

Armed with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard University, Nadir Godrej is also the Chairman of Godrej Agrovet Limited (GAVL) a diversified agribusiness company dedicated to improving the productivity of Indian farmers by innovating products and services that sustainably increase crop and livestock yields.

Nadir Godrej also serves on the board of several companies in Godrej Group and sits on the boards of Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Teleservices and Taj Hotels. He is President of The Alliance Française De Bombay, and Member of CII National Council; Harvard Business School Association of India; MIT Alumni Association; and Stanford Alumni Association. Deeply known for his fondness for poetry and mathematics, he speaks 7 languages Hindi, Gujarati, English, French, Spanish, German and Italian.

He was conferred by the Government of France the prestigious Awards - 'Chevalier De L’Ordre National Du Merite' (2002) and 'Chevalier De La Legion D’ Honneur' (2007).

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RATAN NAVAL TATA, GBE Chairman Emeritus, Tata Sons

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atan Tata was born on 28th December, 1937. After his schooling in Mumbai, he obtained a BS Degree in Architecture from Cornell University in 1962. He also completed the Advanced Management Programme at the Harvard Business School in 1975.

Returning to India in 1962, he joined the Tata Group and was associated with several Tata companies before becoming Chairman of Tata Sons in 1991, traditionally regarded as the Group Chairman. He was also Chairman of the major Tata companies, including Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Power, Tata Global Beverages, Tata Chemicals, Indian Hotels and Tata Teleservices.

The Government of India honoured him with 'Padma Vibhushan' in 2008 and Her Majesty the Queen of England conferred the 'Knight Grand Cross' on Ratan Tata in 2014.

A titan among industrialists and a man who changed the paradigm of conducting business, Ratan Tata helped usher India into the global market.

A national icon, in the two decades as the commander of the country’s largest business house, he led it to the summit with his dignified yet forceful leadership.

Eloquent and honest in his views, he continues to uphold the Tata legacy of integrity, nation-building and philanthropy.

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THE POWER ISSUE

ZOROASTRIAN COMMUNITY’S MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE

GENIUSES GENIUSES: A PERSON WHO HAS A LEVEL OF TALENT OR INTELLIGENCE THAT IS RARE OR REMARKABLE

DR. FAROKH UDWADIA

India’s most eminent Physician

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ailed as India’s most eminent physician, Dr. Farokh Udwadia combines extraordinary brilliance with deep compassion. His amazing ability to diagnose and cure the most baffling of ailments is now legendary.

Dr. Udwadia has the distinction of pioneering critical care in India, especially, intensive respiratory care. In the last decade, he has set up a worldclass critical care unit at the Breach Candy Hospital.

Enriched by decades of experience, he has a remarkable mastery over his subject.

But what really sets him apart is the humaneness he brings to his profession.

In a world where professionalism is gauged by the level of one’s impersonal attitude, he spends time listening to his patients and their problems. That in itself is therapeutic.

His major thrust as a Consultant Cardiologist, and as the Doctor-in-charge of the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, has been to make use of non-invasive surgery and accelerate the rate of recovery of patients. These, and the books he has authored, replete with scholarly insights, are undoubtedly his monumental contributions to the field of Medicine and to humanity.

In recognition of this, he was awarded the ‘Padma Bhushan’ in 1987 and the ‘Dhanvantari Award’ in 1996.

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DR. KEKI TUREL India’s eminent Neurosurgeon

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scalpel is transformed into a magic wand in the hands of Dr Keki Turel. As an eminent neurosurgeon he has performed extraordinary medical procedures in brain and spine tumour surgery, one of them lasting 27 hours at JJ Hospital, Mumbai. Other marathon sessions involving eight major neurosurgical operations have lasted 26 hours on a variety of disorders affecting the brain, spine and nerve.

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But what is even more remarkable is that despite all his commitments, he has offered his time and expertise to treat the less fortunate.

He believes the next few years will be the most defining years of his life.

“I want to establish a dedicated Neurosciences and trauma centre – a state-of-the-art institution with a holistic

approach to the field, incorporating diagnosis, treatment, research, rehabilitation and alternative medicine”, he says.

WE (Women Entrepreneurs) 'The Women's Wing of WZCC' “WE” provides a platform for professional grooming, idea validation, strategic alliances and enterprise promotion.

Women from all spheres, businesses and professions are welcome to join “WE” and realize their true potential and discover the power of being a woman.

If you become a member of “WE”, you automatically become a member of World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce (WZCC).

For membership and program details contact: Homai Mehta Chairperson, WE +91-9820826367 homai_mehta@yahoo.com

Villie Daruvala Vice Chairperson, WE +91-9820076993 villied@hotmail.com

Behroze Daruwalla Director, Corporate Secretary International Board of Directors, WZCC +91-9619201951 behroze@frenaus.com

Persis Dubash Secretary +91-9820133150 pdubash3@yahoo.co.in

THE POWER ISSUE

ZOROASTRIAN COMMUNITY’S MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE

HEROES HEROES: A PERSON WHO IS ADMIRED FOR GREAT OR BRAVE ACTS OR FINE QUALITIES

PADMA SHRI FAROKH ENGINEER Former wicket keeper of India

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n his glory days, Farokh Engineer, the stylish cricketer, showed felicity with both the willow and the gloves. The former Indian batsman-wicketkeeper has scripted some of cricket’s finest moments, has been a radio and TV commentator, a raconteur of good stories, a sports columnists and one of the happiest ambassadors of the community.

Played 46 Test Matches in India and many more in Lancashire.

With nearly two decades in First Class cricket, Farokh Engineer, the swashbuckling cricketer, has come out in 46 Test matches for India. Known as one of the world’s quickest run-getters and an astute wicketkeeper, he has exhibited his prodigious talent in both areas. He played with a flourish and style all his own. A popular cricketer, he was the cynosure of all eyes when he stepped on to the field with his jaunty walk and an easy smile, exuding confidence.

He played for Lancashire from 1967-76.

During this period, the team won the Gillette Cup four times, the John Player Sunday League thrice and were runnersup in the country championships.

In 2004, his biography, Farokh Engineer: ‘From the Far Pavilion’, by John Cantrell, was published with a Foreword by former British Prime Minister, Sir John Major. He served as the Match Referee for the first IPL match in 2008. He was conferred the Arjuna Award in 1972-1973 and the Padma Shri in 1974-1975.

Endowed with a pleasing personality, he radiates charm. Not surprisingly, he was the first Indian cricketer to bag advertising contracts, the main one being for Brylcream.

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ZERBANOO GIFFORD Director, Asha Foundation

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erbanoo Gifford is a woman of exceptional dedication and determination. An indefatigable human rights campaigner and author, she is the founding director of the ASHA Foundation, which promotes philanthropy, interfaith and intercultural understanding worldwide. She is a true pioneer who has paved the way for Asian women to make a mark in British public life.

Combining the worthy qualities of concern and courage, Zerbanoo Gifford is involved in both grassroots and global activism for over 30 years. A committed champion of human rights, she has espoused the cause of bonded labourers, disadvantaged women and children.

Undeterred by obstacles, she made political history when she was elected a councillor for the Liberals in 1982 as the first non-white woman. She then went on to become the first Asian woman to contest Parliamentary elections thrice.

Though she didn’t win, she succeeded in challenging the traditional mindset. Her example has emboldened Asian women to follow in her footsteps. The first Asian women were elected to the British House of Commons only in 2010, nearly three decades after she pioneered the trend and paved the way for them, thus proving that she was way ahead of her times.

She was a former adviser to the British Home Secretary, Jack Straw, and was responsible for addressing the cause of ethnic minorities.

She has authored seven books and is a recipient of several awards. A few of the awards conferred upon her are: the Freedom of the City of Lincoln, Nebraska (1986), for her work combating modern slavery and racism; The Nehru Centenary Award (1989); the International Woman of the Year 2006 and 2007; The International Splendor Award in Hollywood for her lifetime achievement in the field of equality and human rights (2007); and being honoured by the Sewall-Belmont Museum in Washington DC to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of American Suffrage in 2010.

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RUSTOM JOKHI Managing Director, SF Jokhi & Co Ltd., Hong Kong

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ustom Jokhi is one of Hong Kong’s most respected and successful business leaders renowned for his business acumen and visionary leadership.

Born in 1961, he obtained his Degree in Economics, majoring in Accounting and Finance, from the University of Buckingham, UK, in 1986. His prolific career started when he joined Citicorp Scrimgeour Vickers in its Investment Banking Department and later moved on and set up SF Jokhi & Co Ltd in 1992 in Hong Kong, dealing in raw cotton.

Over the years he has added new dimension to the company and proved himself to be the master of the unexpected. Today SF Jokhi & Co Ltd is a dynamic enterprise.

Hailing from a family known for its charity works and being the son of philanthropist Keki Jokhi and nephew of late Shapoorji Fakirji Jokhi who bestowed their wealth in their homeland India, he has endeavoured to walk in the footsteps of his famous forebearers and supports the noblest of causes around the world.

His family provides support to the Ruttonjee Hospital, Red Cross and Save the Children, among others, and contributes both materially and with its time and energy.

Rustom also sits on the Board of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Hong Kong, Canton and Macao as a Trustee.

His belief in the philosophy that “giving is better than receiving” is admirable. He is involved in different charitable initiatives and projects around the world, some of which have already come to fruition and the rest will be completed in the next few years.

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H.E. SAROSH KAPADIA Former, Chief Justice of India

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he former Chief Justice of India, H.E Sarosh Kapadia, is the personification of righteousness and a sterling example of a man who has touched the stars and brought greater glory to his profession by setting the bar that much higher.

Hailing from a humble background, he attained the highest judicial office in India as the Chief Justice of Supreme Court of India on 12th May 2010 with his

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indomitable spirit, drive, determination, and above all, excellence.

Undoubtedly he is one of the most respected persons in India.

With truthfulness, probity, sincerity, and an unflagging obligation towards his duty as his hallmarks, Sarosh Kapadia, wears the mantle of his eminent position with both dignity and distinction.

A champion of justice, he believes that his profession is not only a noble calling, but also a lifelong mission. ‘Justice is truth in action’ is a dictum he has always lived by, and believes in following, both the spirit and the letter of the Law.

H.E. FALI HOMI MAJOR Former, Air Chief Marshal of India

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n his outstanding career spanning 43 years, Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major (Retd), has served his country India with distinction and done his community proud by wearing his four stars with pride and dignity and leading the Indian Air Force during its major transition period to reach the level of becoming the fourth largest in the world and, by far, one of the most efficient military entities in any nation.

Born in 1947, he is a graduate of the National Defence College and the Army War College; he served the IAF from 19672009.

He has held important positions in his long and distinguished career. In 1999, he took over as the Air Officer Commanding Leh (Ladakh). He was promoted to the rank of Air Vice Marshal

in 2002 and appointed as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Personnel) at Air Headquarters. On promotion to the rank of Air Marshal in January 2004, he moved to HQ Integrated Defence Staff as the Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations). In 2005, he was appointed as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command, where his area of responsibility bordered five countries.

The tenure saw the successful conduct of three major international air exercises. In 2007, the Government of India appointed him as the Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force.

he led a daring rescue operation in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh, India, and was awarded the ‘Shaurya Chakra.’

For his leadership, successful conduct of crucial air operations and distinguished service of a very high order, he was awarded the ‘Ati Vishist Seva Medal’ in 2002 and the ‘Param Vishisht Seva Medal’ in 2006 by the then President of India.

He has been conferred prestigious awards for his meritorious and gallant service to the nation. A few of them are: as Station Commander of a forward Air Force Base,

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THE POWER ISSUE

ZOROASTRIAN COMMUNITY’S MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE

WRITERS & EDITORS HEROES: A PERSON WHO IS ADMIRED FOR GREAT OR BRAVE ACTS OR FINE QUALITIES

TOXY COWASJEE Editor

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orn in Karachi, and educated at Karachi Grammar School and the Roedean School, Toxy Cowasjee is the 4th generation Zoroastrian resident of Pakistan.

Distinctive in thought and creative in multiple fields she is the finest example of a professional who is always ready on time, disciplined and does her home work before starting any new work. She is a vibrant and warm person. Happy and cheerful. She is an inspiration to every woman who has a dream and a desire to excel.

As the President of the Karachi Zarthosti Banu Mandal from 1994 - 2001, Toxy initiated numerous community-oriented projects that ranged from helping young people and working with families to developing knowledge and skills, setting up blood banks, to establishing lines of communication with a monthly newsletter “What’s On.” An accomplished writer, she has edited and published several books, including the cookbook ‘Manna of the Angels’, and is the current editor of HAMAZOR, the acclaimed magazine of the World Zoroastrian Organization.

Toxy was also the first and only woman president of Karachi Parsi Institute established in 1893.

An advocate for the underprivileged, whether Afghan refugees, victims of floods and earthquakes, or farmers suffering in Gujarat, she is admired for her selfless campaigns.

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BACHI KARKARIA Journalist

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he highly acclaimed journalist and writer Bachi Karkaria, with her unique sense of humour and insight into life, is an incisive chronicler of our times.

She has played a key role in sharpening the urban-centric focus in the Indian print media and brought to the reader a delightful style in which a play on words has made it so uniquely her own.

Bachi Karkaria, one of India’s veteran journalists, is Editorial Consultant with The Times of India and a Media Trainer.

Her wit and wisdom are legendary.

Her prose style is inimitable. She has an uncanny ability to hold a mirror to

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society and make her readers laugh and introspect at the same time. Her in-depth and analytical writing has made her a true game-changer.

She has been credited with reinvigorating journalism by creating reader-friendly ways to present complex infrastructure problems, expanding the idea of city coverage to include health, leisure, retail, where it intersects with citizens’ issues, and most importantly, focusing on what she terms ‘infrastructure’ – the importance of the social dividend, by always keeping people at the centre of the urban agenda.

Her books include, ‘Dare to Dream’ on hotelier MS Oberoi; Mumbai Masti, an illustrated book capturing the city’s quirky soul; and ‘Behind the Times’, stories from the trenches and war rooms of the Times Group. She was the first Indian on the board of the World Editors Forum.

She is a recipient of the US-based Mary Morgan-Hewitt Award for Lifetime Achievement, and a Jefferson Fellow of the East West Centre, Honolulu.

MEHER MARFATIA Author

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eher Marfatia has been a writer and editor since 1985 when she earned her Master’s degree in English Literature from Bombay University.

A former Assistant Editor of The Illustrated Weekly of India, she worked as Text Editor for Marg Publications, The Art India Magazine and Verve.

Her publishing imprint – 49/50 Books – contributes quality books on community cultures and ethnic heritage. The first title in 2011 was ‘Laughter in the House: 20thCentury Parsi Theatre.’

She is Creative Consultant to a successful play based on this book, sparking a revival of Parsi theatre.

Her next title from 49/50 has been the popular Gujarati-English phrasebook ‘Parsi Bol’, published in partnership with Sooni Taraporevala. Now launching in June will be ‘Musical Journeys – A Personal Introduction to Western Classical Composers’, authored by Homi Dastoor with a Foreword by Zubin Mehta.

Also the author of 12 books for children, Meher runs a reading club for them.

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ROSHAN RIVETNA Editor

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oshan Rivetna is best known for her stewardship of FEZANA Journal, the flagship magazine of FEZANA, from a fledgling newsletter in 1991, to a worldclass publication where each issue is a keepsake edition on some aspect of Zarathushti religion, scriptures, history, traditions, ceremonies …, The FEZANA publications ‘The Legacy of Zarathushtra and Zoroastrian Connections with Judaism and Christianity,’ and the pamphlet ‘Zoroastrians - Followers of an Ancient Faith in a Modern World,’ edited

by Roshan, have been widely used for showcasing Zoroastrian history, religion and culture. Her study ‘The Zarathushti World- a Demographic Picture’ [FEZANA Journal, Fall 2013] presents data on population, intermarriages, births, deaths, etc as well as concerns and suggested corrective actions, gathered from each country where Zarathushtis reside. Deeply committed to perpetuating the religion, customs and traditions in the Diaspora, her efforts at bringing Zoroastrian singles together, were featured in an article: Matters of Heart and Faith Guide a Zoroastrian Matchmaker in the New York Times [February 7, 2009].

In 1990, Roshan shared the Outstanding Zoroastrian Award at the 7th NA Congress, with her husband Rohinton Rivetna, both having worked tirelessly to build infrastructure for the community in North America. Their three children architect Cyrus Rivetna, Jamshed Rivetna and Zenobia Damania are also committed to perpetuating the faith for future generations.

In 2000, Roshan was selected as one of 20 women inducted to the ‘Hall of Fame - Daughters of Mashyani’ at the World Zoroastrian Congress in Houston.

In 2004, she was recognized by ZWIN (Zoroastrian Women’s International Network) for her “tireless commitment to the community.”

Roshan has an M.S. in Nuclear Physics from University of Pittsburgh and pursued a career in science at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay, Argonne National Laboratory, IL and AT&T Bell Laboratories.

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BAPSI SIDHWA Writer

T

he immensely gifted Bapsi Sidhwa is indisputably Pakistan’s leading diasporic writer. She has distilled her experiences through her Zoroastrian perspectives in her bestselling books and won international critical acclaim and prestigious accolades for her insightfulness, her prose and her ability to create characters that are easy to identify with.

Bapsi Sidhwa is one of the most authentic authors to emerge out of South Asia in the postcolonial era. Her writings vividly depict her personal experiences of the Indian Subcontinent’s Partition, plight of women, conflicts of a migrant and her cultural identity.

The writer describes herself as a PunjabiParsi-Pakistani and an author, essayist and a playwright, reflecting her multiple affinities and affiliations. A women’s rights spokesperson, she brings to her books the quintessential perceptiveness unique to a female psyche, adding richness to her narrative.

Bapsi Sidhwa was born in 1938, grew up in Pakistan and now lives in Houston, Texas. She received her BA from Kinnaird College for Women in Lahore in 1957. She has authored The Crow Eaters (1978); The Bride, (1982); Cracking India (1991); An American Brat (1993); Bapsi Sidhwa Omnibus (2001); Water: A Novel (2006); and City of Sin and Splendour: Writings on Lahore (2006).

Her play, Sock ‘em With Honey played in London in 2003 and the stage version of An American Brat played to full houses in Houston in March 2007.

The most prestigious honours Bapsi Sidhwa has received are: ‘Bunting Fellowship’ at Radcliffe/Harvard, 1986; the ‘Sitara-i-Imtiaz,’ 1991; ‘Literaturepreis’ in Germany for ‘Cracking India,’ 1991, the ‘Lila Wallace - Reader’s Digest Writers’ Award,’ 1993 she was inducted into the Zoroastrian ‘Hall of Fame’ in Houston, in 2000. She received the ‘Excellence in Literature Award,’ the Zoroastrian Congress, Chicago, 2002; and ‘Italy’s Premio Mondello,’ in 2007.

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THE POWER ISSUE

ZOROASTRIAN COMMUNITY’S MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE

GENERATION NEXT GENERATION NEXT : A YOUNG AND SUCCESSFUL PERSON WHO HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DEFINE THE FUTURE

XERXES BODHANWALA Executive Chef

X

erxes Bodhanwala is a Chef and Partner at Red Fork, a contemporary bistro in Bangalore, India. His parents had already thrilled Bangalorean sensibilities with their traditional Parsi delights at their restaurant, Daddy’s Deli.

While chopping those onions, chillies and coriander for his parents’ Sunday “pora” as a teenager, Xerxes knew that he too was cut for the kitchen. It took him to Sydney, Australia for a Diploma in Culinary Arts & Managment and to work for five years in some of the finest restaurants there.

a theme, like Red Fork’s take on Italian cuisine or the currently featured FIFA World Cup inspired menu.

in his little black book always believing that “Form is temporary but Class is permanent”.

Xerxes has a huge fan following for his unique dishes: 12-hour braised Pork Belly, Spring Onion Pancake with Smoked Salmon, Tuna Tataki with Ponzu Dressing and many others.

Xerxes brings adventurous cuisine to the city. “I was convinced that I should have a menu that reads different from everyone else’s”, he says.

“For me, a little voice is always pushing for personal satisfaction”, says Xerxes. He could, of course, do with pasta bought off the shelves, for instance, but that voice, won’t let him. He chooses to make it from scratch. For him, it’s all about stepping out of his comfort zone and being a little adventurous.

So he launched ‘Red Fork’ with a blackboard menu that changes once every 3-4 weeks. The menu usually works on

Right now Xerxes is focusing on consolidating Red Fork whilst noting down his hopes and dreams for the future

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ZENOBIA DAVAR Fashion Designer

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enobia Davar has packed more into her young life than most of us do in a lifetime. She founded her most famous label ‘ZS’ in 2001. She specializes in all forms of embroidery and has a niche clientele. She ensures that the items designed by her are one of a kind. She creates ONLY authentic hand embroidered Gara sarees, bridal wear, and undertakes embroidery as well as stitching orders for Navjote dresses, party wear, children wear, embroidered daglas & daglis, kurtis, embroidered frames, cushion covers, corporate gifts etc.

A graduate in Fashion Designing from Sophia Polytechnic, she has been teaching students from various colleges the art of different forms of embroidery. She has had Students from Symbiosis Institute Pune, who learnt the art of gara embroidery, and got their garments embroidered for the fashion show, in which the art was much appreciated, and even managed to get 1st position.

In February 2011, she was approached by Mr. D. B. Biswas (Executor And Trustee To The Estate Of Late Dr. Jamshed J. Bhabha) for the valuation and classification of garments and accessories at the residence of Late Dr. Jamshed J. Bhabha.

In March 2011, was approached by a producer Ms. Priya Krishnaswamy, who wanted to make a film on Gara embroidery to promote the art. The film was made by NFDC. They liked her collection of Gara embroidery and she assisted them by providing them with 25 gara garments.

The fashion show in the film which was choreographed by Achala Sachdev. The film “Gangoobai” was released on 11th January 2013.

She has been in this field for over a decade and really enjoys her work. She believes in being innovative and creating masterpieces that are unique.

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Mrs. Cherie Blair wife of Former Prime Minister Tony Blair with Zinobia Davar

PORUS GUZDER Entreprenuer

H

e took the high way to success.

Literally, the road had its hairpin bends and its diversions but he stuck to the route and followed his dream. Each milestone for him was a tangible reminder of grit, determination and self belief.

Today, Porus Guzder, Managing Director of Incentive connections Tourism L.L.C and Ahura Transport and Limousine Services has pole position in transit and travel and there are still miles to go.

His story began in 1997, when he was in his 20s. After completing his Post graduation in International Tourism and Marketing from Switzerland followed by an MBA in Marketing – he worked with World Network Services (British Airways) in Mumbai. In 1999, he came to Dubai on vacation. As luck would have it, he got a job but soon thereafter another window of opportunity opened when he took up a challenging position as the Executive Director of 1001 Events.

That was the beginning of his journey as a businessman, and since then he has not looked back.

Porus started Ahura Transport, five years back. Realizing there is a lot of potential in UAE’s tourism and hospitality sector, Porus started yet another company called Incentive Connections three years ago, which is a destination management company that offers clients enriching experiences and cherished memories in areas of conferencing management, incentive travel, high-end tourism, product launches, gala events, sports and outdoor events, road rallies and much more. He also has an office in Argentina.

His mantra is to do well in whatever he does and maintains that all his business decisions hinge on sustainable growth.

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MANEK KALYANIWALA Advocate and Solicitor

M

anek Jangoo Kalyaniwalla, an Advocate and Solicitor of the Bombay High Court, has been serving his profession with exemplary honesty and dedication for the past several years. With his impeccable reputation and wisdom, he also has the cause of the community close to his heart.

Acknowledged as an expert in personal, estate and shipping labour laws he is seen both as a guide and an advisor to his clients and a mentor to the younger generation who are opting to choose law as a profession.

Born in Mumbai, he is currently the senior most Associate of M/s. Mulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe. Manek is proficient in Civil Litigation matters pertaining to Land, Trusts, Charities, Personal/Estate Laws and Shipping Labour and has successfully represented his Clients right up to the Supreme Court of India. His name appears on the rolls of Solicitors of England & Wales.

Manek is also a Trustee with various Charitable Trusts which espouses the cause of the poor, needy and the indigent people. He may spend his working hours in handling cases but his spare time is devoted to scouting, music, charity and community matters and encourages Parsi Youth to excel in their chosen profession by having an all-round development.

Manek attributes whatever little he has achieved to Ahura Mazda, his parents Khurshid and Jangoo and noted Solicitor and his mentor Mr. Burjor H. Antia.

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ASHDEEN LILAOWALA Textile Fashion Designer

A

shdeen Lilaowala hails from New Delhi and is a Textile Designer, Author and Curator.

After graduating in Textile Design from National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, in 2005-2006 with UNESCO Parzor Foundation, Ashdeen conducted a detail research project on Parsi Embroidery for the Ministry of Textiles.

He traveled through Iran and China to trace the routes and origins of the craft.

He has documented several private Parsi embroidery collections in various cities of India. Ashdeen conducted four training workshops in Ahmedabad, Navsari, Mumbai and Delhi. More than 120 craft’s person were introduced and trained in Parsi Gara embroidery. He organized a symposium and exhibition, “Painting with a Needle” at NCPA, Mumbai and curated an exhibition titled “Parsi Panorama” at IIC, New Delhi in 2011.

In October 2012, Ashdeen launched his eponymous label ASHDEEN specializing in hand embroidered saris. He showcased his Spring/Resort collections at Lakme Fashion Week (Mumbai) in 2013 & 2014.

His embroidered cocktail dresses, gowns and saris have been appreciated for their contemporary, unique take on the traditional Parsi Gara embroidery. ELLE magazine voted him as “The hottest design talent of 2013” and awarded him for his excellence in reviving embroidery.

Ashdeen is a part-time lecturer at the NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology), New Delhi and a freelance fashion and travel writer. He has written diverse travel and craft stories that have been published in ELLE, Marie Claire and Travel+Leisure magazines.

His book ‘Threads of Continuity – The Zoroastrian Craft of Kusti Weaving’ was released at the World Zoroastrian Congress (Mumbai) 2013 and India International Centre IIC (New Delhi) 2014.

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DR CYRES MEHTA Eye Surgeon

D

r. Cyres Mehta has made a habit of breaking new ground in whatever endeavor he puts his mind to.

The Indian born eye surgeon after obtaining his Master’s Degree in 2000, and scoring highest marks in theory exam left the shores of India in 2000 in his quest as an ambitious young doctor to Germany and USA with a passion to be trained in Laser Cataract Surgery with the great Inventor and Innovator Dr. Howard Fine and Prof. Rentsch in Germany. He returned to India two years later and introduced immersion Biometry, Multifocal Lens implants and non-penetrating Glaucoma surgery, a technique not so well-known in India at that time.

No wonder, his list of accolades is growing longer by the day. He spends most of his time performing eye operations in cataracts and glaucoma – a problem that is taking a considerable toll on the population. He has crossed the milestone of 25,000 cataract surgeries so far. His career has been marked by a succession of researches into diagnostics and his inventions have been heralded internationally. He has been a recipient of several Gold medals and awards including the coveted Parsi Ratna Award in 2013.

His impressive numbers of firsts include appointment as Indian Editor to Eurotimes, a widely read eye magazine in the world; non-penetrating Glaucoma Surgery and Canaloplasty surgery; conducting instruction courses yearly at the European society of cataract surgeons and being consultant to Maharashtra Police.

He is the author and co-author of over 50 text books on ophthalmology.

His hobbies include interest in racing motor cycles, a rare hobby for surgeons (2 time graduate of the California Superbike School), playing harmonica and spending time with his two lovely boys.

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Crossed the milestone of 25,000 in Cataract Surgeries so far.

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On the occasion of the XVII North American Congress WZCC and SynergyZ join in wishing all the Zoroastrians residing in North America a very sucessful Congress and salutes the great leaders of FEZANA for giving the Zoroastrian community a vision for the future and keeping the community united in the true spirit of Peace and Harmony.

Wishing FEZANA

and the North American Congress Organizing Team a very memorable Congress in Los Angeles 59 SynergyZ December, 2014

Women Achievers

A Force to be

reckoned with F

rom the old world charm of Mumbai in India where she was born in 1939, to the hallowed portals of McGill University in Montreal and from there on to chairing Education Committee of the McGill Centre on Aging, it has been a long and eventful journey for Dr. Dolly Dastoor.

But you know what they say about the quality of good leaders: They never forget their roots. SynergyZ caught up with Dr. Dastoor during her visit to Mumbai last year, when she came for the Navar initiation ceremony of her two grandsons, and the Martab ceremony of her son, living in Singapore. Here is an inspiring story on this outstanding woman.

A multifaceted personality, Dr Dolly Dastoor straddles two worlds. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University and has been at the forefront of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA) since last 26 years.

Passionate about her vocation and her avocation, she has won acclaim in both spheres. With her exceptional energy and a warm and charismatic personality, Dolly Dastoor, is a one-woman institution who has conquered many milestones in her life.

Raised in Mumbai, she received her B.A. and M.A. from the Bombay University in psychology. She went to Nigeria in 1964 and worked as a WHO Research Fellow at the University College Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria. In 1973 she immigrated to Canada with the family and joined the Douglas Hospital as a Clinical Psychologist and later became the Clinical Administrator of the Program in Dementia with Psychiatric Co-morbidity.

At present she is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and in the Centre of Aging, McGill University, and was Clinical Supervisor in the Department

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Dolly Dastoor

of Psychology, Universities of Concordia, McGill, and Montreal.

Understanding the value of education and service to society; which were ingrained

in her since childhood, she followed the path of education and did not allow anything to deter her and obtained a Ph.D in Clinical Psychology from Concordia University, Montreal. Currently she is

active in teaching, research, and clinical work. She was the Divisional Chair, Canadian Association on Gerontology, and Secretary/Treasurer, Aging Division Canadian Psychological Association. She chairs the Education Committee of the McGill Centre for Aging.

She has extensively published and lectured on the subject of Alzheimer Disease, and Memory and Aging. She has been the founder President of the Alzheimer Society of Montreal from 198691 and is the honorary Life member of the Board. In 1990, she was recipient of the ‘Roberts Award of Douglas Hospital’ for outstanding achievement.

She became the President of Zonta International, Montreal Club, 1982-85, and Governor of District 2, 2002-2004. Zonta is an International service organization of executives in business and profession to improve the status of women worldwide.

She served as the International Chair of the Status Women Committee 19891992 and attended the UN Commission on the Status of Women, in Vienna; was elected as member of the International nominating committee 2010-2012, and is now co-chair of the Zonta Foundation Development committee 2014-2016.

Since coming to Canada, Dolly Dastoor has been deeply involved with the Zoroastrian Community.

From 1978-85, she was the President of the Zoroastrian Association of Quebec, during which time she chaired the Fourth North American Zoroastrian Congress in Montreal and published the first directory of Zoroastrians living in Canada. She was also the associate-editor of “Gavashni”.

Dolly served as the first Secretary of FEZANA from 1988-1993 and realizing that she had strong leadership skills, she was elected President of FEZANA serving two terms from 1994-98. She was the recipient of the ‘Outstanding Zarathushti Award’ in 1994.

Since 2005, Dolly has been the editor of the FEZANA JOURNAL, a quarterly publication with an international subscriber base. In her role as editor, she encourages the younger members of the community to contribute articles.

She can be credited for bringing the venue of the World Zoroastrian Congress for the first time outside India and Iran and was the co-chair of the 7th World Zoroastrian Congress, 2000 in Houston. With 2,200 Zarathushtis from Argentina to Zanzibar attending, it was truly a ‘World Congress’, nurtured through cohesive teamwork.

She alludes her three role models and says - “In my formative years, it was my grandmother who raised five children through troubled times; then my Masi, Sheroo, who gave up her ambitions for higher studies to be able to support her siblings and never complained about it and later on, my mother-in-law, Shirin, who was forward thinking and open-minded to new ideas in spite of a very traditional upbringing and made me appreciate the meaning of duty.”

Following in their footsteps, her motto in life is, Frashokereti – to move the world towards goodness and perfection in every action she does. She believes that the qualities which have shaped her to be a good Zoroastrian are to abide by the principle of doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do, to treat others as she would like to be treated and to give of her time and talent for a cause.

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The three passions in her life are helping people cope with their emotional suffering; empowering women by helping reduce gender inequality; and making the Zoroastrian faith relevant to the young of the community in North America.

The year 2013 was a very significant year for Dolly Dastoor as the editorial team of FEZANA put together the special issue ‘I am Cyrus’ which is now translated in Spanish, Farsi and French. The same year she travelled along the “Silk Road” looking for the roots of the Zoroastrian religion.

A great admirer of Nelson Mandela, when asked about the definition of power in life she aptly sums up - “You are not born with greatness or power, it is given to you because of the respect you generate, through your actions and integrity. It comes to you because others attribute it to you. When you use yourself for the greater good of humanity then people think of you as powerful or great.”

Dolly is the mother of three successful children living in different parts of the world and says, “My six grandchildren are the interest I’m reaping from investing my values in my three children, who are successful contributing members of the community.”

I firmly believe the future of the Zarathushti community lies in the diaspora of North America. And I will work tirelessly to see it happen.”

Not resting on her laurels, she says: “I firmly believe the future of the Zarathushti community lies in the diaspora of North America. And I will work tirelessly to see it happen.”

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Women Achievers

Flying

high A

ccording to research published last year by 'The Lawyer' magazine, only 18.6 per cent of partners across the UK’s top 20 law firms are women.

Sherina Homa Petit is one such woman and that too an Indian - who at a young age, has made it to being invited to join the partnership in the London office, of one of the world’s largest global law firms, Norton Rose Fulbright. This is no small achievement as it is not hard to see that the legal profession in general is still very male dominated.

Sherina has a wide range of experience in all key aspects of dispute resolution specializing in international arbitration in a broad range of industries including energy, trade, transport, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, commodities, finance and other industries. She represents clients across the globe including in Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa in a wide variety of arbitration proceedings including before the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). In addition to representing clients as counsel in arbitrations, Sherina regularly sits as an arbitrator. She also has significant experience in Alternative Dispute Resolutions, high court litigations and regulatory investigations.

Sherina’s love for the law began when she was in school and when she would hear her father and grandfather both leading Solicitors in Mumbai discussing issues. “I used to really look forward to the school summer holidays when my father would take me to his office. He always sounded immensely intelligent and I was intrigued at how authoritatively he would speak and clients would listen with respect. “That’s when I decided - I wanted to be just like my dad”.

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Sherina Homa Petit

Sherina began her official legal career at Government Law College in Mumbai – an institution where she went on to being elected as one of a handful of female presidents of its student council.

Sherina’s first day at law school was also her first day at work with her father.

This is where her love for international arbitration developed. Sherina qualified as an Advocate on the Rolls of the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa in 1999 and then went on to do her LL.M. at Kings College London.

As Sherina puts it: “I was lucky enough to have the best set of parents, who gave me roots and then – as difficult as it was for them - wings. After coming from a very sheltered background in Bombay, it was exciting to be out in the world and to learn to struggle on my own. I was

eager to stay on in London and secure a position at a law firm. My parents, who wanted me back to start practice with my dad, made it very clear at the time – “either you get into a firm in the top 10 or you come back home, and there were no Godfathers”. It was extremely difficult to get work experience at an international law firm in those days but after putting in countless applications, finally Linklaters (a firm in the top 5 and considered part of the “magic circle” of law firms) called her for an interview and Sherina negotiated a quasi-training contract in project finance with them. This was the start of her legal working career in London.

From Linklaters, Sherina moved on to the London office in the international arbitration department of Shearman & Sterling (a top US headquartered global law firm) and finally in 2009 to the London office of Norton Rose Fulbright.

It was during my time at Shearman & Sterling that I started thinking – If I am to make it, I need to create something and distinguish myself from others and that’s when the idea of setting up a practice to work with clients who are based in or have business interests in India came about. It was also a way to ensure that I could keep coming home. The experience of strategizing and building an India practice along with working 15-hour days on multi-billion dollar disputes for the world’s largest companies and banks was second to none. I just soaked it all up – exhausted but happy”. As part of the India practice initiative, Sherina was later seconded by her firm to the legal department of the Tata Group and the Taj Group of hotels in 2008 in Mumbai.

Finally, after 6 happy years at Shearman & Sterling, when Sherina moved to Norton Rose Fulbright as a senior associate, she knew exactly how to help them to build on their already existing India and arbitration practice. She was lucky enough to be recruited by and to work directly with the global head of international arbitration Joseph Tirado, who eventually became her mentor and who believed that she was good enough to be fast tracked to partnership. On 1st May, 2012, Sherina was elected as the only female partner in her team in London. Sherina is today actively involved in coordinating the arbitration and India practice of her firm and spends her time between London and Mumbai.

Making the transition from having been trained in Mumbai to working in London was difficult. “In India, we were taught the more you write and the more case law you quote, the better. In London it was just the opposite – drafting had to be neat, sharp and concise. I remember my initial drafts being returned with red ink all over and only “a” and “the” left behind in the document – so it was a question of unlearning and starting at the very beginning”.

Sherina is a published writer and speaker on international arbitration and India and has recently co-authored a chapter of a leading book ‘Arbitration in England’.

She was appointed as the Secretary to the ICC UK Task Force on the revision of the ICC Rules of Arbitration and is a member of the managing committee of The B.D. Petit Parsee General Hospital in Mumbai.

She also sits on the panels of numerous arbitration institutions around the world.

Through her years in London, Sherina faced many hurdles including sexism.

It would have been easy to throw in the towel and head home to walk a welltrodden path within a legal community in which she had grown up in. But “the tougher it became the more I wanted to try to reach the top on my own – to break the glass ceiling and to make a difference!!

Sherina is ranked in several leading legal directories including Chambers Asia Pacific (2013), which describes her as ‘highly recommended by several sources, with clients particularly noting her ability to understand the client’s needs’ and in Chambers & Partners Global (2014) in which sources describe her as offering “splendid advice, thoroughness and a quick turnaround” and a “phenomenal

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talent who gives her all to every case. She has great strategic and technical skills, as well as being incredibly hard-working and immensely personable.”

It hasn’t been an easy path that brought Sherina to where she is today but she attributes it all to hard work, believing in oneself and her values of honesty, integrity, loyalty and the support of her parents and friends.

Life really has come a full circle for Sherina where she has proved that being a woman and particularly an Indian woman in a foreign country did not stand as an impediment to becoming a woman of the world – a partner in London at a leading law firm and to pursuing her dreams. And to her – this is just the beginning…

“

I was lucky enough to have the best set of parents, who gave me roots and then – as difficult as it was for them - wings.

After coming from a very sheltered background in Bombay, it was exciting to be out in the world and to learn to struggle on my own”

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Success Story

Dadi Mistry

makes the community proud

D

adi Mistry’s name comes with an impressive array of credentials suffixed to it. He is the Member (Parsi) of the National Commission for Minorities, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Patron of the Delhi Parsi Anjuman, TrusteeWorld Zarathushti Cultural Foundation, Founder and current DirectorInternational Affairs - World Zoroastrian Oraganisation and Founder and current Director, World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce. A role model and a pillar of strength for the community, he carries his credentials with humility.

Actively involved in the community, he was elected Trustee of the Delhi Parsi Anjuman in 1969, served it as the Vice President from 1991-2007 and has been its President since 2007 and now its Patron since 2011. He was also on the Editorial Board of the Anjuman’s magazine, Dipanjali. The Founder-Member of the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India, he was the Member of its Executive Council from 1976-1982 and from 1984 till date. He has also served the Federation as the Honorary Secretary from 1980-1982. A Founder-Member of the World Zoroastrian Organization, he is the Member of the Main Managing Committee, UK, since 1980 and was its Vice President from 1986-1988. He was the pioneering member initiating the establishment of WZO’s India Chapter, and also served as a member of the Editorial Board of its magazine, Hamazor from 1986-1988. He is a Member of the Parsi Matrimonial Court since 1978. He is the Founder-Member of the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce, and helped liaise with international bodies to establish its Indian Chapter in 2005. He is on the Board of the World Zarathushti Cultural Foundation since 2004 and in 2013 was nominated as Member of the National Commission for Minorities.

A few of the many organisations he has been associated with in various capacities are: Professional Member, Delhi Management Association, since 1966; Member, Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, since 1986; Member,

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Dadi Mistry

National Committee of the Confederation of Indian Industries, Defence, Energy & Environment, since 1990, Chairman, Delhi State Council, 1996-1997; and Member, Energy Sub-committee on Renovation and Modernisation of Power Plants.

He is married to Nergish and has two children Armeen married to Margarita and daughter Behroze married to Navdeep and has six grand children, Shahryar, Maneck, Daraius, Meherab, Bhavani and Chaitanya.

If we can measure steam, gas, chemicals and water,then why not smiles?

A philosophy that drives Forbes Marshall’s extensive social commitment programme At Forbes Marshall, we firmly believe that an organisation should actively contribute to the community it operates in. Our initiatives focus on community development, empowerment of women, education and healthcare for the underprivileged.

We also undertake extensive programs on HIV awareness and literacy, besides enabling underprivileged youth with sustainable skills to earn a livelihood. Over 140 of our self help groups empower and equip women with

special skills and train them to become self sufficient entrepreneurs.

The Shehernaz Medicare Centre at our Kasarwadi campus provides all-round medical aid while handling sensitive issues like deaddiction and substance abuse in the community.

Our commitment to society is unwavering as it is inclusive. To know more, email us at response@forbesmarshall.com.

Energy Conservation | Environment | Process Efficiency

www.forbesmarshall.com

P B # 29, Mumbai Pune Road, Kasarwadi, Pune 411 034, India. Tel. +91 20 27145595, 39858555, Fax. +91 20 27147413 A-34/35, M.I.D.C., H Block, Pimpri, Pune 411 018, India. Tel. +91 20 27442020, 39851100, Fax. +91 20 27442020

WZCC AGM

World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce

Global Meet W

orld Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce (WZCC) organized a glittering event during their Global Meet on Thursday, 26th December, 2013 at Hotel Taj Lands End, a luxurious Hotel situated at Bandra Band Stand, Mumbai, facing the Arabian Sea. It witnessed a wide range of dignitaries from all over the world and from different fields. Basically it served as a platform for interaction between its Chapters spread worldwide to exchange ideas, experiences, as also professional and business expertise.

Representatives of various Chapters from UK, USA, Canada, Dubai, Iran, Mumbai, Pune etc. participated enthusiastically, mainly with the prime objective of proliferation of Trade, Commerce, Industry, Entrepreneurship and professionalism.

The meet took off with the welcome address by the Global president, Mr. Minoo R. Shroff, who specially welcomed the overseas members who had come to Mumbai to attend this meet. The meet started with the observance of a minute’s silence in memory of WZCC’s past president, Mr. Bomy Boyce who passed away in Toronto on 25 December 2013.

Mr. Shroff in his opening address mentioned that in today’s scenario there is a deceleration of employment and job opportunities are not many and many employees are being laid off. Hence the key to success, especially for the youth is “Entrepreneurship”. He advised the youth not to sit in the comfort zone of their jobs, but forge ahead and take on the new opportunities that are forth coming, mainly in India.

He advised the parents to motivate their children to venture into business and grab the available opportunities. The youth should ignite the fire in their belly and take the plunge. Our community has a legacy of entrepreneurs and the spirit of entrepreneurship has to be rekindled.

He mentioned that although ”funding” was available from various sectors e.g.: “Venture Capital Scheme” of BPP; unfortunately there are very few takers.

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(Left to Right), Adi Siganporia, Minoo Shroff, Aspi Antia and Xerxes Mistry

The world economy is still in a tepid state.

India is supercharged with excitement about the possible change of guard after the 2014 elections leading to change in economic policies.

Yet there is a new burst for entrepreneurship globally due to shrinkage of jobs in the organized sector. In India, Entrepreneur courses are increasingly preferred even by engineering and technical graduates with greater participation by women.

Globally entrepreneurship, business and profession, is rising in smaller towns and cities. This is especially so in emerging countries where urbanization is creating a new class of young aspirants. He then added that “WE” Women Entrepreneurs Wing, launched by WZCC about two years ago, has got off to a very good start. It organizes programs from time to time to involve participation of women entrepreneurs. It has evoked enormous interest both in Mumbai and Pune.

WZCC has also worked out a collaborative arrangement with “TIE”, the internationally renowned organization for arranging joint programs and affording opportunities for our member to participate in their very instructive programs. We also have collaboration with IMC, the leading body of businessmen in Mumbai and we get regular invites for our members to attend their programs and network.

He further emphasized that WZCC has tried its best to inspire our youth to be more daring and step out. However they are still very hesitant, opting for secured jobs. One can only facilitate and empower.

In this endeavour WZCC earnestly seek the cooperation and willing support of all those who have made successful careers in business and profession to join us by offering to train, counsel and mentor.

Their willing participation is more critical than financial help.

He stressed that the environment is exciting but getting more competitive.

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After these presentations, there was vibrant interaction between the Panel Chair, the Panelist and the audience.

Post Lunch was the Economic Forum Session which was also very stimulating.

Mr. M. R. Shroff addressed the audience on the “Overview of Global/Indian Economy.” He said that he came across a very telling definition of slowdown which he narrated “An Economic slowdown is when your neighbor loses his job. When you lose your job it is a recession. But when a journalist or an economist loses his job, it is a depression.”

(Left to Right), Maher Dhamodiwalla, Kobad Bhavnagri, Yazdi Tantra (Session Chair) and Burzin Engineer

The younger generation will have to be smarter and faster than we were, to succeed. Look at the possible economic benefits derived from a successful enterprise.

Lastly, technology is changing at a mind boggling pace. Those who plan to venture will have to be innovative and be fleet footed.

After the Global AGM, there was a youth panel discussion the topic being “Challenges of being an Entrepreneur”.

This panel was ably chaired by Mr. Yazdi Tantra, Managing Director, OnLyne Comptech (India) Pvt. Ltd, Vice Chairman of Zoroastrian Co-op Bank Ltd (ZCBL) and the Chair of WZCC Technical Committee.

Dwellar is cloud based software as a service platform for real estate. His presentation was ”Being globally Competitive” • Mr. Kobad Bhavnagri –An Environmentalist and Energy Consultant. He is currently Head of Australia for Bloomberg, New Energy Finance. His presentation was “Growth of Green Energy Sources.” All the aforesaid three panel members gave a very interesting and informative presentation considering the current global scenario.

Subsequently the Economic Forum Panel discussed the topic “Innovation - Key to Success”. This Panel was chaired by Mr. Sam Balsara, Chairman & Managing Director of Madison World, who is ranked as one of the 50 most powerful person in Indian Marketing, Advertising and Media Business.

The three panelist were : • Mr. Edul Daver (USA) – Entrepreneur who bought over Powder Division of the Company that he worked for and as CEO/President of the new company ACu Powder International, LLC implemented an “Open Book Management” technique with all employees having a stake in the business and sharing 20% of pre - tax profits. His presentation was “Transition from Professional Manager to Entrepreneur”.

The three panelist were : • Mr. Maher Dhamodiwalla – Financial Planner. He is the Chief Architect of “Financial Artists”. The Company founded to venture into the practice of Financial Planning. His presentation was on “Funding of Business” • Mr. Burzin Engineer – MD of Elemental Crafts and Founder CEO of Dwellar Elemental Crafts combines design technology and marketing teams to turn around innovative solution to help business achieve growth.

Economic Forum Panel Disscussion (Left to Right), Edul Daver, Rohinton Karanjia, Sam Balsara & Kanchan Kumar December, 2014

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WZCC AGM

1. Dr. Beheruz Sethna from USA as the Outstanding Zarathushti Professional of the year 2013.

2. Mr. Kobad Bhavnagri from Australia as the Outstanding Young Zarathushti Professional of the year 2013.

WZCC Award Holders Profiles: Dr. Sethna

Governance Encompassing Law, Safety, Justice and Enabling Infrastructure.

She then mentioned about the need of Leadership, involving Ethical, Progressive and Decisive qualities and then emphasized the need for capacity building which should include Ideas, technology and access to markets. However, the most touching and pertinent point in her entire talk was when she brought in the wisdom of Zoroastrian Religion in terms of the Avesta Prayer. The audience truly appreciated her talk with thunderous applause.

Dr. Sethna is a distinguished Alumni of the two most higher Education Institutions in India/Asia : IIT-Mumbai and IITAhmedabad. It is estimated that no more than a handful (5 to 10) of the persons in the World hold both these honours.

Dr. Sethna is the Regents’ Professor of Business and President of the University of West Georgia from 1994 to 2013, the longest serving University President in the State. In all of the history of American Higher Education, Dr. Sethna is the first known person of Indian origin to become President of a US University. He has awarded more than 33,000 degrees at UWG, than every other President combined in the institution’s 107-year history. He had functional responsibility for approximately 260,000 students and 10,000 faculty members in all 35 Public Institutions in the State, including 4 Research Universities, 15 Comprehensive Universities and 16 Two-year and State Colleges. He has appointed 2 interim Presidents and led the search to appoint two permanent Presidents of two Georgia Universities.

The two Awards were then presented by her to:

He has been presented the Key to the City of two cities in Georgia and the

Section of the Audience at the WZCC AGM

• Dr. Rohinton Karanjia (USA) – Senior Banking Executive who has worked in large US Banking institutions, including JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America. He specializes in Credit Risk, Market Risk and Counter Party Credit Risk Management. His session was “Risk Analysis – Its growing importance”.

• Mr. Kanchan Kumar – Executive Director of The Indus Entrepreneur (TiE) Mumbai.

He has over two decades of experience in the software product Industry and over 10 years as an Entrepreneur – He is founder and CEO of FLUOUS – Leader in Enterprise HR Solution. His session was “Innovation – Changes over the last decade”.

Once again there was enthusiastic interaction between the panel chair, the panelist and the audience.

Then commenced the most awaited event of the day – The Outstanding Awards.

The Ball room of the Taj Lands End was glittering with a large audience of members and guests. The Chief guest, Mrs. Meera Sanyal, gave a power-point presentation which depicted how Indian ingenuity works in converting opportunities to very fruitful business entities. With factual and concrete examples, she showed how small scale business can develop in farflung villages by people who earlier were simply written off. She stressed the importance of “Intellectuals in Public Life – Need of the Hour”. She wanted Good

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Mrs. Meera Sanyal, Chief Guest persenting the WZCC Outstanding Zarathusthi Professional of the year Award to Dr. Beheruz Sethna

city of Carrolton named a day as the Behruz N. Sethna Day. He has a number of International Publications. He has published a Book – “Research Methods in Marketing & Management”. In addition, he has published 69 papers (30 since becoming UWG President), several case studies and obtained externally funded research from US Dept. of Energy, IBM, A.T.&T. and others.

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radio programs, including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s The World Today program.

• Selected for the Youth Leadership Enhancement Program for the 9th World Zoroastrian Congress.

Alongside his professional life, Kobad is also a professional level opera singer and also an active member of one of Australia’s major political party and served as President of his local District Branch.

WZCC global corporate secretary, Ms. Behroze Daruwalla then honoured their Chief Administrative Officer – Mr. Aspi Antia and Administrative Officer Ms. Zarine Khan for their outstanding contribution in organizing this event.

Dr. Sethna has been personally honoured

by Universities and University Presidents in China, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia and countries in Europe and also by Vice Chancellors and Board Chairs in India and also by three Ambassadors of India, in Washington DC. Dr. Sethna has been a judge for Zoroastrian Scholarships for the past seven years, has made presentations to Zoroastrian students and been honoured

by Zoroastrian Associations over the past couple of decades.

He has been an integral part of the judging committee for the past seven years for the Annual Congress 2000 Legacy Awards presented by the Zoroastrian Association of Houston.

Mr. Kobad Bhavnagri Mr. Kobad Bhavnagri holds a degree in Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.) in Mechatronic Engineering from University of New South Wales and is part way through a Masters of Environmental Management at the Institute of Environmental Studies, at the Universty of New South Wales.

Kobad is the Head of Australia for Bloomberg New Energy finance and is responsible for USD 1m a year in business.

He is the youngest Country Manager in the Company which has offices in 14 countries around the world.

Kobad has achieved widespread recognition as a thought leader in the rapidly changing Energy Industry. He is regarded as one of Australia’s leading experts on Energy policy, economics and business, particularly in the renewable energy and carbon markets. Kobad’s analysis on energy issues has made headlines in the international and local media. He has been quoted in over 35 media articles in major Australian newspapers – The Sydney Money Herald, The Age; The Australian Financial Review, etc. He has been on various TV and

Mrs. Meera Sanyal, Chief Guest persenting the WZCC Outstanding Young Zarathusthi Professional of the year Award to Kobal Bhavnagri

Kobad has been heavily involved with youth and community leadership within the Zoroastrian community in Australia – • Director, Australian Zoroastrian Association, 2007-08 • Sunday School teacher of the advanced children’s group, 2007 • Winner of Australian Zoroastrian Association essay competition, 2004 (Published in both the NSW and Victorian Zoroastrian journals) • Youth Representative and Director Zoroastrian Association of Victoria, 2001-03 • Pioneer of exchange program between Zoroastrian youth of Melbourne and Sydney.

He has also contributed to the Zoroastrian community worldwide through his involvement in Congresses :

Mr. Bomi Patel Global Vice President than proposed a vote of thanks particularly with reference to the untiring efforts of Mr. P. P. Kharas – Director of the International Board, Mr. Adi Siganporia and his team of Mumbai Chapter and Mr. Viraf Deboo and his team of Pune Chapter. Along with the team led by Mr. Farhad Cooper of Samsons for providing excellent sound system and photography.

The entire Event was ably lead by Mr. Burzis Taraporevala as the Compere with intermittent and relevant anecdotes. The proceedings under his overall stewardship went on smoothly with a high degree of interest and motivation. The Event concluded with the audience enjoying the cocktails and the sumptuous food served by Taj Lands End. All those present appreciated the excellent arrangements made for this Event.

• Directed and acted in the opening ceremony of the 4th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in 2007.

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Who Is Running Your Life…

Are you the star of your own enterprise?

D

o you dare To Be yourself? Who is writing your script? Do you have enough courage to tell the world – YES I FAILED and that is why I succeeded?

Do you live cautiously or do you live passionately? Who is running your life; ARE YOU? Are you the master of your own ship? Think about it this way… are you a priority in the lives of others or are you their option? I urge you, challenge you, and compel you to THINK very carefully about this sentiment; I choose to call it Relationship Illness!

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Thinking Outside The Box In my opinion, thinking outside the box, is the most overused term in management circles and also in everyday life. Why should you confine yourself and be boxed up at all in the first place. Realize and enhance your self-awareness, for the faster you realize it, the quicker will be your progress. Capitalize on your unique and special personality - stop thinking outside the box and start by stepping outside the box! And for your own sake - don’t ever get trapped in a box! Research suggests that

our brains are wired to process information in narrative form. Think about it… we tell stories all the time, about how we spent our day, funny things that happened, and issues that are bothering us. We often frame our stories in terms of supporting characters – spouses, parents, children, friends, colleagues, to name a few – and adversarial ones – the disapproving mother-in-law, the psychotic powerhungry boss, or the crazy ex-boyfriend. We classify our lives as chapters, which we call “the good old days,” “hard times,” “getting married,” and “raising children.” We get

frustrated by sudden plot twists, excited by climaxes like weddings and falling in love, and disheartened by tragedies and let-downs. Despite our predilections as natural storytellers, few of us actually take time to step out of our stories and figure out what they’re about; who is writing our script, why we’ve selected our chosen roles, or how the challenges that we face can help us develop the strengths we need to move to the next chapter. Why is this so?

One reason is that it’s very difficult to be objective about our own stories. Another reason is that many people are afraid to question their storylines for fear that they might not like what they find. They are trapped in the box. But this might be more a problem of over-valuing materialist achievements and undervaluing the subtle but substantive personal victories that build character – facing a fear, changing an attitude, or kicking a bad habit.

are achieved. Free your mind and think. If you want total security… go to prison, for there you will be given clothes, medical care and even food. The only thing lacking there will be the freedom to think and the freedom to act.

There comes a time in one’s life when the big decision is whether to turn the page or to close the book. And believe me that doubt makes it the hardest decision of them all, for either way it seems like the right thing to do. Doubts kill more dreams than failure ever will. And once again it depends on the way we think.

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the kid to take what he wants. The kid takes the quarter and says “thank you sir”. The barber turns to the customer and says “see what I said… I have been offering him the dollar for as long as he has been coming to my shop for his haircut, but the kid always takes the quarter and never the dollar – he is dumb”. The customer turns to the boy and says, “Kid, you are certainly dumb”. The boy turns to the customer and very politely states “no sir… you all are dumb. The day I take the dollar the game is over. I have been taking this quarter each month when I come for my haircut for years now”. It all depends on how we think!

“ A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions”

Why Do People Struggle My experiences have taught me that most people struggle in life because their happenings are not in line with their expectations. Follow this advice and you will be on your way to success – do not fix your weakness, strengthen your strength! And sometimes you need to tap into the strength of another in order to grow and excel. But that is ok too. The vast majority of us always think ‘routine’ and do not anticipate the likely future.

We work on things that are not within our control and then make it worse on ourselves by complains, but fail to look for alternate solutions. We are not ready to adapt to the ever changing dynamics of the world and the environment around us. The brain moves forward but the heart never forgets. Most of us go through life with the belief that we cannot do something because we have failed at it once before.

In order to succeed, your desire for success must be great than your fear of failure. Remember – if you have the ability to CREATE, you do not have to worry about competition. If you don’t build your dreams, you will be hired by someone else to build theirs.

It All Depends On How We THINK Our mind is our best friend and our worst enemy. When our mind is focused our goals

A mind that is stretched by new experiences will never go back to its old dimensions.

Have you ever thought of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco as one of the most beautiful and most photographed bridges in the world? Yes, indeed. It is a testament to humankind’s technical ingenuity and also to our moral failure, for the Golden Gate Bridge is the second most common suicide site in the world. It all depends on how each individual that sees the bridge, thinks.

A boy enters a barbers shop only to hear the barber telling one of his customers, “This boy is so dumb I cannot even believe it”.

Saying that he holds a dollar in one hand and a quarter in the other hand and tells

And my advice… Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the back and an idiot from any direction – they will all beat you with their experience!

Are you truly in Control When we get into a car and drive to a new location, we are always thankful for all the traffic signs along the way that tell us what to do, or better still, what not to do—slow down, one way, wrong way, and so on. These signs are there to guide us and deliver us to our destination. When a business plan fails, trust me, there are signs along the way that you have neglected to observe and reflect on seriously. There are signs that must have warned you of the fact that your plan has not worked as effectively

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as you had expected and that you need to slow down, stop, turn around, and not be afraid to ask for directions once again.

You need to get back in control by creating a new road map, a better strategy, and a more realistic business plan. Why are you going there (purpose of the business)?

What do you need to make your business successful (products and services)? Are you moving in the right direction (strategy and business plan)? Do you have enough money (capital) for the trip? You need to constantly ask for directions along the way and find role models and mentors who can help guide you. You need to stop occasionally and evaluate your path, and, most certainly, the speed with which you are traveling. These are the things that have helped me define my own success.

There are three simple rules that will help you stay in control while at the same time understand and evaluate your behavior, and therefore your chances for success: • If you do not go after what you want, chances are that you will never get it; • If you never ask a question, the answer will always be no; • If you don’t push yourself forward, you’re always going to be in the same place.

So How Will You Shape Your Personal Success Story?

Success, in my opinion, is measured by the strength of your desire. It is measured by the size of your dreams and by how you handle disappointments along the way.

That is what I resolutely believe. Most importantly, in life and in business, when we lose our way and thereby control, it is not typically because we lose sight of the goal or that we lose sight of the destination or even our strategy. It is because we have no road map to get there.

Success is neither magical, nor is it earned overnight. It is a tedious process that you engage in, day after day. Your level of success is directly proportionate to your tolerance to risk, your passion to succeed, and your never-give-up attitude. I am entirely convinced that the day you develop clear intentions and decide firmly in your mind to set your own course is the day

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you start creating your own road map to success.

We all have a choice; a choice every single day as to what we’re going to do with our life and where we are going to take it. If you follow your passion and your dreams, you’ll be amazed at how far it can actually take you—all you need to do is to believe in yourself and your abilities. And bear in mind – when your memories are bigger than your dreams… you are headed for the grave. Never be afraid to create your own opportunities. Successful people always know where they are going, and where they’re going to end up. And if you need help along the way, just ask. Remember, you are your own driving engine and you are your own brake.

The only person who can stop you from achieving anything in life is you! And do not worry about people criticizing your goals; if people do not laugh at your goals, your goals are probably too small! And do not be afraid of making choices in life – choices for selecting the right path, choices for working with the right people and choices for determining what is good for you. Do not give that right to anyone else.

And finally…The truth is that everyone is going to hurt you in life… you just need to find the ones worth suffering for!

“

Do not be afraid of making choices in life – choices for selecting the right path, choices for working with the right people and choices for determining what is good for you. Do not give that right to anyone else."

About: Nozer Buchia, also referred to as Mr. Motivator, is an internationally acclaimed motivational, inspirational and keynote speaker of repute. He is known as a “speakers-speaker” due to his dynamic inimitable style of humor and delivery, and his practical approach to any situation. Author of WHY ENTREPRENEURS REALLY FAIL and ROADMAP TO SUCCESS (co-authored with Dr. Ken Blanchard and Dr. Deepak Chopra.)

Nozer guides and mentors organizations and individuals, and helps them plan and strategize for success. Individuals and corporations worldwide have greatly benefitted from his motivational and keynote addresses, his seminars, and his leadership training sessions, for he stimulates thinking and helps formulate and communicate corporate strategy with clarity and effectiveness.

Nozer can be contacted at nozer@nozerbuchia.com and at (832) 606-1777.

THE ZARATHUSHTRIAN ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND

&

THE ZOROASTRIAN YOUTH OF NEW ZEALAND

Invites you to join in on an

Unforgettable experience

Management

Being An Expert

Will propel your business

In business, everyone wants to succeed.

However, with so much competition in the marketplace, success is often elusive.

In order to be the best, you have to start by being an expert in your industry.

An expert is simply someone who excels in their area of business. You can be a

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real estate expert or an expert on used cars. You can be an expert in accounting, engineering or childcare.

Expertise is about more than bragging rights or even personal satisfaction.

Expertise is a critical marketing tool. We live in a world of clutter. People not only

have too many things, but they are exposed to too much information in any given day.

With so much excess in their lives, clients are naturally overwhelmed. This leaves most people skeptical and tentative, making it harder for professionals to gain their trust.

By being perceived as an expert, however, you can cut through the clutter.

can help our business when we actually hire them to do so.�

In essence, people latch onto experts as steady points in a world of chaos, which is why experts retain clients, attract new clients and ultimately succeed.

3. Mentor. An expert is a leader, and no one can lead without followers. However, mentoring is not a one-way relationship.

In fact, mentors often refine their skills even more with every person they teach.

This not only enhances your ability to do your job, but it also improves your standing in your industry. After all, if you can train other people to be successful, then you have to be successful yourself.

While many people have the knowledge to be an expert, not nearly enough know how to capitalize on that knowledge and turn it into viable business success. In order to be considered an expert in your field and attain business success, consider the four following steps.

1. Prove it: No one is an expert just because he or she claims to be one. No, becoming an expert requires something much more substantial. In order to be perceived as an expert, you have to prove that you have the skills, experience and knowledge.

Therefore, you need evidence to support your assertion, and that evidence needs to be readily available to your industry peers and your potential clients.

It is one thing to prove your standing with degrees on a wall, but it is another thing to validate your abilities with tangible results. Get articles published. Sell books.

Do charitable work in the community. Be a go-to person when needs arise. Ask your clients and business connections for endorsements or testimonials, and always have these records available for easy access when you need to prove your mettle.

2. Share knowledge. Experts have the confidence to share their knowledge.

When clients come to you, always be ready to talk about what you know. More than that, when you are with other people in your industry, be open to talking about what you know and how you came to know it. You can have all the knowledge and skills in the world, but if you are not sharing them with others, no one will ever know it.

Also, never be afraid of a question you cannot answer. Experts do not have all the answers; they just know where to look to get the answers. Your knowledge is like a badge of honor, so you should wear it proudly. True experts are willing and eager to share their knowledge with others.

This is where your clients will have the thought; “if they have much knowledge in a conversation, imagine how much they

True experts do not only have the skills and knowledge but also the confidence to let someone else step into the spotlight and succeed. This confidence is critical and unique to only the very best. As soon as you become a successful mentor, you become an expert in peoples eyes.

4. Build partnerships. Being an expert is relative. You can only be an expert in the context of a larger business community.

Therefore, if you strive to be an expert, you should always strive to work with others. You cannot be viewed as an expert in your industry if you are not actively part of your industry.

With competition, it can be tempting to shy away from other business seekers, but real experts understand the opposite is needed. As an expert, you should always be building new partnerships. You should look for other like-minded people in your field and recognize their skills. Even an expert cannot do everything. Therefore, a smart partnership can enhance your standing and improve your overall business model.

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About: Fred is an International Speaker, with a background in Psychotherapy. His focus is around Emotional Engagement in personal and professional relationships. Fred has been dubbed by the media as a Human Behavior Expert.

Contact Details: www.FredSarkari.com fred@fredsarkari.com facebook.com/fredsarkari

Moreover, sometimes being an expert requires some exclusivity in knowledge.

Your expertise may be impressive, but it is also inherently limited. Therefore, partnering with other respected experts can be mutually beneficial to everyone.

Becoming an expert takes years of work and dedication. However, some people never get there despite having the necessary knowledge and skill. Harness your potential. Prove yourself, share your knowledge, mentor others and build partnerships. Then you will be seen as an expert, and the results will dramatically impact your business.

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IT Focus

Doing Business with China Leveraging cultural differences for creating successful outcomes in business By: Adil Sarkari, MBA, J.P., Sydney, Australia

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hina is one country in the world that has shown a strong economic growth in Asia and more and more western businesses have taken advantage of that situation by entering the Chinese market.

However, negotiating with the Chinese counterpart is an art and not knowing and understanding the Chinese customs, their culture and history could be one of the biggest hurdles in carrying out negotiations. Hence it is important that this art be mastered prior to entering the Chinese market.

There are eight elements of Chinese negotiations. Without proper understanding of these eight elements, a negotiation could become frustrating and lead to many misunderstandings.

Let's take a look at these eight elements.

(1) Guanxi (Personal Connections) The term Guanxi means an intricate web of personal and social relationship that exists between the parties who do business in China.

Hence it is very important to have a proper understanding of Guanxi. Also the chinese businessmen believe in the old saying, ‘It is not only what you know, but also whom you know’.

(2) Zhongjian Ren (The Intermediary) In business dealings with Chinese businesses, it is imperative that either you appoint or

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request your opposite counterparts to arrange a reliable Zhongjian Ren to avoid distrust and suspicions. One can never form a business relationship without earning and building trust with chinese businessmen.

(3) Shehui Dengji (Social Status) Confucius always said that etiquette of social status is very important and one needs to show respect for that status. Not doing so shows that you don’t care and therefore a lack of respect for that person. So don't let this happen.

(4) Renjie Hexie (Interpersonal Harmony) It is said, “a man without a smile should not open a shop” and “sweet temper and friendliness produce money” are some of the Chinese sayings upon which pleasant relationships are built between two negotiating parties, so Renjie Hexie is important.

(5) Zhengti Guannian (Holistic Thinking) Although Westerners tend to think sequentially, and prefer to negotiate one issue at a time, Chinese negotiators discuss all the issues simultaneously, so nothing is settled until everything is settled.

(6) Jiejian (Thrift) Chinese people save much more than Westerners do.

This underlying concept of thrift is reflected in how Chinese negotiators haggle over price. Their initial price, counteroffers, and negotiating tactics of silence and patience can seem unreasonable, but Western negotiators should expect these tactics.

(7) Mianzi (Social Capital) Face or social capital defines a person’s place in their social network and is the measure of their reputation, social standing, or social worth. Embarrassment or loss of composure can reduce or take away ones social standing. So it is very important not to cause a negotiator to lose face or to show anger, frustration, or aggression at the negotiation table.

(8) Chiku Nailao (Relentlessness) This element relates to the Chinese work ethic where patience and relentlessness are viewed as more important than talent and as the keys to success.

Every Picture Tells A Story The distinct sparkle that first captured the world’s attention glittered once again as Vada Dasturji Saheb Khurshed Dastoor of Shreeji Pak Iranshah, Dinshaw Tamboly, Chairman WZO Trust Funds, Jehangir R.J. Cama, Hotelier, Ahmedabad (who recently passed away) and Homai Engineer, Industrialist (Vapi / Delhi), intrinsically connected with FDU (Foundation for Development for Udvada), met the Prime Minister of India, H.E Mr. Narendra Modi on 30th June 2014 in the Prime Minister’s Office in New Delhi.

The members disscussed with the Prime Minister, the strategic plan to develop Udvada as a pilgrim centre being undertaken by UADA (Udvada Area Development Authority), set up by Government of Gujarat; the problems faced by Parsi youth in getting admission into institutions of higher learning and other issues concerning the welfare of the community.

Confidence, grace and poise color the elegant pictures shown below.

Vada Dasturji Saheb Khurshed Dastoor with the Prime Minister of India, H.E Mr. Narendra Modi

Dinshaw Tamboly, Chairman, WZO Trust Funds presents the Prime Minister with the selection of Coffee Table Books on the Parsees

Industrialist Homai Engineer presents flowers to the Prime Minister

Late Jehangir R.J. Cama, Hotelier from Ahmedabad who greeted the Prime Minister

In Deepest Sympathy for someone special

Villoo Minoo Shroff Year(1928-2014)

Those we love don't go away; They walk beside us every day.

Unseen; Unheard; But always near.

Still loved: still missed and very dear.

IT Focus

What’s Happening

on the Cloud

By: Umeed Kothavala

How cloud computing is transforming business – benefits, challenges, CEO, Extentia Information Technology and what’s ahead?

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n recent years there’s been a lot of buzz about cloud computing – ‘the cloud’, and how it will significantly impact businesses and end-consumers. Major points of discussion have been about how it’s a practical business solution that helps cut costs, the flexibility it offers, and possible security or legal concerns. It now is being spoken of as being the ‘most disruptive technology ever’ – and that’s saying something.

What happened after the cloud came in?

• Specialist vendors took over hardware and software management – think Salesforce.com • Pay only for what you need, get automatic upgrades, scale up or down as required – shared infrastructure makes this possible • You just open a browser, log in, customize the app, and start using cloud applications • Businesses run a range of applications on the cloud – customer relationship management (CRM), sales tracking, HR, accounting, and more

What is Cloud Computing?

Definitions include ‘many computers connected through a real-time communication network like the Internet’, or an ‘Internet hosted network of remote servers that store, manage, and process data, instead of local machine or computer’.

Now what was life like before the advent of the cloud?

• We had complicated and expensive traditional business applications • A lot of (and many varieties of) hardware and software was required to even get started • Experts were needed to install, configure, test, run, secure, and update

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• Anytime, anywhere access work environments and services – the mobile workforce As a result we started to talk about items in the cloud now offered ‘as a service’ with models such as infrastructure as a service, software as a service, and platform as a service. Major players in cloud computing services are Salesforce, Amazon Web services, Oracle Cloud, IBM, Microsoft Azure, VMWare, and very recently – Cisco.

Some interesting cloud related facts and numbers • The cloud computing economic pie was $131 billion overall in 2013, and analysts say that’s ‘nowhere near saturation’ • The cloud has an amazing availability rate of 99.9% – the average outage on cloud services is 7.5 hours in a year, far more reliable than traditional infrastructure • Fuelled primarily by cloud computing ,the Internet will connect 2.5 Billion People, and more than 15 Billion devices by 2015 • For every 600 smartphones or 120 tablets used, a new cloud server is added • Compared to 8% in 2011, Infrastructureas-a-Service ( IaaS ) contributed to 38% of outsourcing growth in 2012 • Cloud computing means up to 40 times more cost-effectiveness for an SMB, compared to managing an in-house IT set up • Strangely, a lot of users don’t believe they use cloud computing when they actually do! (Dropbox, Gmail, Shazam – anyone?)

And the cloud is huge! Even as cloud service providers won’t share their numbers, cloud space is estimated to be 1 Exabyte, which is more than a million terabytes and counting. That is a lot of space indeed.

with applications accessible from anywhere on the internet. Examples are web mail services such as Gmail, blog posting systems, and pay per use/ subscription based software for storage, accounting, and gaming.

PaaS (platform as a service) is used by application developers to design and develop their own apps on a computing platform given by the cloud provider.

It›s a set of tools to enable coding and deployment of applications quickly.

IaaS (infrastructure as a service) is the ‘rented infrastructure’ – the networks, servers, operating systems, and storage that enable all of this.

Key characteristics of the cloud

• Cost reduction with scalability and fewer IT resources needed • Flexibility as infrastructure resources can be re-allocated quickly, scale capacity as needed

• Efficient maintenance at a central location – access to applications is possible from various locations • Improved security as the provider has more focused and centralized resources, even as there are concerns about loss of control over sensitive data A cloud service can be public, private, or hybrid in nature. In public cloud services, the cloud vendor hosts the infrastructure that is shared across businesses, and is for public use. Private cloud systems are built specific to organizations, and cannot be shared with other businesses. Hybrid cloud services are a combination of private, public, and community systems to offer the benefits of each – privacy and security, public access for an application that stores sensitive data on the backend, and temporary extra capacity needs.

Cloud computing service models SaaS (software as a service) is consumed by end users as an on-demand service,

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Security and privacy – The number one concern for would be cloud adopters. How safe will your data be? However the best cloud services vendors have state-of-art security systems, and they won’t want to compromise and get into legal hot-water.

They can probably afford to put in better processes in place than the average smallmedium (or even, large) business.

Going offline – Your business is dependent on the cloud system and the internet at all times. If the cloud’s down, so are you. 99% uptime as promised by vendors becomes critical, as sudden outages could be disastrous. Think holiday season, and your gifting business is hit by downtime beyond your control.

Remember, compromised security, privacy, and downtime could even make a business a target for lawsuits from customers. It’s prudent to have disclaimers and policies in place when operating in a cloud computing environment, for situations beyond your control.

• Access available from anywhere on the internet regardless of device or location

• Multitenancy – shared resources across users which means better load capacity, efficiency of use and lower costs

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What’s next up there?

Why is the cloud great!

Consider adoption numbers and benefits realized by businesses using cloud computing services!

These are findings are from a global survey of 3,645 IT decision makers from companies in eight countries.

• 82% said they saved money on their last cloud adoption project • Cloud subscriptions of one year or more are taken by 65% of companies • 64% of subscribers reported lowered energy consumption and wastage • Increased data center efficiency and utilization by 52% of respondents while 47% saw lower operating costs • Access to services from any device was the primary reason for cloud adoption for one-third of these IT decision makers

But you should think about Yes, it all sounds nice, but wait a minute now – here are some issues to consider.

Despite all the trends and amazing adoption numbers revealed – the cloud is still under-hyped. In effect, we ain’t seen nothing yet!

Soon, the cloud will disrupt any domain, any industry, that’s exposed to it. It’s literally ‘raining’ change all over – pricing models, selling strategy, business models, development, everything. There will be more efficient collaboration within organizations, and increased competitiveness among them across regions.

Cloud based services will complement offline services such as transport by offering information and real-time updates for travelers. In the near future, leave your music and video at home – they’ll follow you where you are, transported by the cloud. Importantly, with sophisticated ‘no-fail’ systems – fears about security and downtime will fade.

There will be a wave of innovation, not seen since the first wave of internet adopters. 2014 – the year of the cloud, a cliché? We’ve had a few such years already, and some more to come!

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Art of Living

Vaastu

for Art of Living

As a speaker, she has been a part of some of the very reputed shows and events in Dubai.

1) IFI 2009 Dubai – By APID (Association of Professional Interior designers).

2) INDEX 2010 Dubai – The biggest show on interior design in the MENA region.

3) Indian Property Show – The biggest show for Indian properties in Middle East.

D

r. Padmaja Yadav, a PhD in Vaastu Shastra, has always believed in Vaastu and her belief only gained strength when radical changes were experienced by her in her own life because of this mystic science. Her inquisitiveness towards this subject led her to do a lot of research and analysis under expert guidance.

Today, she has successfully completed various projects for residential and commercial spaces to the complete satisfaction of her clients living in different parts of the world. Every project she undertakes is with a complete faith in Vaastu.

Her strengths include her positive temperament and exuberant personality and an innate ability to connect with people, work with them at a relaxed pace and offer very simple solutions to their issues.

She has conducted workshops and seminars in India, Doha (Qatar), Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai. She has also presented talk shows on various channels on radio in Dubai. Apart from that she writes articles for some reputed newspapers and magazines in India and Dubai from time to time.

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Dr. Padmaja's few useful tips to readers • Lighting and burning of Incense, camphor, Oudh, natural essential aroma oils in a property on a regular basis helps in clearing negative energy in the space in and around it.

• Sunlight should be allowed to enter the house.

A dark and gloomy house attracts negativity.

• Darkness in the house causes depression and stress. It is advisable to light up all the corners in a property every evening even if it is for a short while.

• Using Sea salt in water to mop the house helps in destroying negativity.

• Pastel colours, spiritual music help in enhancing one’s state of mind.

• Clutter causes negativity. De-cluttering time to time should be made a regular practice.

• Shapeless properties should be avoided.

• For good health and faster recovery during sickness it is advisable to sleep with head in South direction.

• Damaged, broken, cracked or spoilt articles should be immediately taken care of. This

WHAT IS VAASTU ?

Vaastu is an ancient mystic science of designing and constructing buildings.

Vaastu aims at restoring a certain balance between home and space which results in an overall growth in terms of health, wealth and happiness.

It also includes maintaining a proper balance between the “Panchmahabhoothas” or the five elements of life – Earth, Air, Water, Fire and Space. Earth is the only planet to have life. This is because of not just the presence of these elements but the right balance of these elements. Each of these elements comes with its own strengths. attracts negativity.

• Mirrors, television and other electronic gadgets should be avoided in bedrooms.

• One must always avoid sitting, sleeping or working under a beam.

• Ringing bells and wind chimes, blowing conch help in spreading positivity.

• Placing a pendulum clock in the west or north west of the property helps in giving a structure and rhythm to life.

Contact details: Dr.Padmaja Yadav, Vaastu consultant, Vaastu for Art of Living, +971-56-6245635 +919810699814 padma.vaol@yahoo.com padmaja@vaastuforartofliving.com www.vaastuforartofliving.com