Unique Times-April2013 by Unique Times

Cover Photograph:

P. Sulaiman

Managing Editor Ajit Ravi Editor Jebitha Ajit Associate Editor Bejoy George Legal Advisor Adv. Sreelatha Parameswaran Correspondents Dr. Thomas Nechupadam Tressa Varghese Denisha Sahadevan Sheela Abraham Sreerekha R. Nair Creative Design Ashique K Gilsha Bindosh Marketing Pramod Mithun Mithraa - Trivandrum Photographer Jinish, Photogenic Our Patron: Mr. V.P. Nandakumar Printed and Published by Ajit Ravi Pegasus L5-106 Changampuzha Nagar Kalamasserry, Kochi-33 Printed at S T Reddiar P.B. No: 3627 Veekshanam Road, Cochin Contact Ph: 0484 3242220, 3292223, 3046432 Mob: +91 98460 50283, 94470 50283 editor@uniquetimes.org

RNI Reg. No: KERENG/2011/42633

Our Patron Mr. V.P. Nandakumar

Editorial We are at the doorsteps of a new financial year. I certainly hope that 2012-13 was a very good year for you. We all plan so many things, some plans get fulfilled, and some are left unfulfilled. It does not mean that we have failed in our mission, the right thing is to pick the work from where it is left and keep on moving. I wish all the readers of Unique Times, a very fruitful new year. My advice is to plan well to the minute details before executing every work. Unique Times is also reaching out to you in brand new avatar, we present to you this edition with an all new design and newer articles. We are also growing in our presence to newer cities and countries. If are you are not able to get hold of our magazine regularly, please do send me a word. Our main story is about a man who is redesigning the skylines of Kerala, especially of the Malabar region, P Sulaiman; the force behind Hilite Builders. Hilite City is an ambitious project by Hilite Builders, which will the change the face of Calicut. My Suggestions for you are the article on the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ten outstanding entrepreneurs, and our new features like fitness and entrepreneurship. Also inside is our regular articles by Mr. V P Nandakumar and Mr. Jiz P Kotukappally. Enjoy your reading Thank you

Ajith Ravi

Contents Business Diary

Concentration Risks in Gold Loans Overstated

V.P. Nandakumar

10 Entrepreneurs who changed our world

Union Budget 2013 From a cynicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perspective

Jiz P. Kottukappally

The Importance of Entrepreneurship

Balancing Work & Working Out

Dr. Thomas Nechupadom

The world of Googlers

Designing the ideal home office

Contents

Gadgets

The HIGHFLYER

Interview with

P. Sulaiman

Beauty Tips for a FAST LIFE

Apps

Accessories

Industry Outlook

Indian Automobile Market

In style in the Corporate Environment Book Review ............................... 57 Books ........................................... 58 International Business ............. 60 Life Management ...................... 62

Letters

Dear Sir, I have been an avid reader of UT. All the articles are very good and appreciate the work done in interviews on Financials and Investments. One Renowned Personalities biography will be interesting to read and know. Renowned Personalities lifestyle always encourages readers. Try include as article as well. Regards, ShushbodhBattacharya Nainital

Whoa!! This article actually reminded me the olden days when I was a nil in corporate dressing and used to receive "dressing sense classes" from my older brother. Now, after so many years of dressing properly I feels that this article will be helpful for my younger brother when he joins me in the business. When I joined my older brother, he scolded me for wearing a tee and jeans in a meeting though having everything possible in my wardrobe. Now, I have this article to show my younger brother before he joins me. Thank you for the favour. Sam. A Chennai

Sir, I have read your article "A Very Special Journey: Dr Kurian John Melamparambil". I would like to opinion that it was an insightful article written in a simple way. I am humble to know the reason behind starting his concern, to fund for the charity house Dr John started. It also gave good insight for future entrepreneurs who would like to venture into food processing business. I expect more articles like these in your future editions. The movie review on I,MeAur Mai, is done skilfully and at the same time interestingly. The review provoked me to want to go see the movie. The theme and the content is placed as it was served by the movie makers. Thanks for a well written review. Deserves a high 5! Bandita. G New Delhi

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

Dear Editor, After much thought I write this mail. I fly out of Kochi Airport to Bangalore and the Magazine is available only in Kochi. It would be good if it is available in other airports too. In the New Products only Electronic and automobile is showcased. Recommend an article on New Apps on Android, Apple and Blackberry which will help users to engage. Regards, Vivek Bangalore

Unique Times is one publication which is great mix of different subjects related to business and lifestyle. It is worth a mention the efforts put in to make it unique as it is named. Wish such efforts would be encouraged and the momentum kept. Girish Kakkarayil Kochi

Dear Editor, I happened to first go through your magazine at my son's place and I was so impressed that I took home a copy. I particularly liked your reviews regarding various places. I don't travel much but such articles do keep me updated. I understand that yours is a business/lifestyle magazines but I'd be glad if you could include some articles for home makers like me, especially on topics such as interiors , landscaping etc, which don't feature regularly in your magazine. Thank you, Elizabeth Joyce, Munnar

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES

Diary

The Youngest Richest of Entrepreneurs

IT employees voicing their rights

In the past few years there have been a string of young rising entrepreneurs and the latest of them happens to be Nick D’Aloisio, a 17 year old programming whiz who is the inventor of a news-reading application called Summly. After selling it to Yahoo on Monday at a sum rounded to be in the tens of millions of dollars, D’Aloisio has become one of the richest kids, and one of Yahoo’s newest and youngest employees, which has gone on to make the 21 year old founder of Kiip Brain Wong laugh and said “I feel old!” as Nick has broken the records of all the young founders of today’s rising businesses. The technology-oriented website All Things D happens to be Summly’s largest shareholder, and other investors include Wendi Murdoch, Ashton Kutcher, Yoko Ono and Li KaShing. “They took a gamble on me when I was a 15-year-old, because it was my first time around, people just wanted to help” D’Aloisio said.

Protests, and fights have been occurring all over Chennai, and the face which sparked these thousands of protests all over was that of the 12 year old son of Velupillai Prabhakaran, Balachandran. The still pictures of Balachandran’s death have shaken up the people’s conscience and throwing the people of Tamil Nadu into voicing themselves over their outrage in the war crimes which have been committed by Sri Lanka. It is not just simple politics, but frustration of the murder of millions of innocent people so much so that even the IT employees are coming out after their work hours to take part in their protests to express their anger and to fight for the rights of the people of Tamil Nadu

Real Estate in INDIA The government is in plans to set up a tough regulator for the real estate sector which includes provisions for jail term for the developer for putting out any misleading ads about the ongoing projects. The proposed regulator will make it mandatory for the developers to launch the projects only after they acquire the clearances from the concerned authorities, according to the Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Ajay Maken. The proposed Bill is also seeking to make it mandatory for the developer to maintain a separate bank account for every project in order to ensure that the money raised for a particular task is not diverted elsewhere.

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

Kingfisher Airlines The plane lessors will be allowed to retrieve most of the deregistered aircraft which they have leased to the Kingfisher Airlines, according to the aviation regulator which puts to ease the worries that a dispute with the global financiers may hurt the other Indian carriers. The financiers have warned that the failure to resolve the dispute could eventually lead to the depletion of funds which India needs to develop its aviation industry. The lenders, airport operators and tax authorities are attempting to recover about some $2.5 billion, however the disagreement over which creditors should take precedence has left the jets stranded. ILFC said on Monday that it had successfully removed one of six aircraft in the Kingfisher colors, but is still worried about the others.

Indians Most Addicted to Mobile Phones Phones, phones, phones. You go anywhere in the world, you will see many attached to their phones 24/7 however according to the Norton Cybercrim Report 2012 68 percent of Indians are the most addicted to their cell phones across the Asia-Pacific region, so much that in the options of saving two items from a fire, it stated that 43 percent chose that their mobile phones would be one. The study has also shown that while browsing the web is the top mobile internet activity at 56 percent, and just 7 percent of users feel unsafe doing so. This shows a high level of complacency in choosing and installing a mobile security solutions, says the report from Norton.

Clariant Chemicals The board of Clariant Chemicals India, an internationally active speciality chemical company, based in Muttenz near Basel which owns over a 100 companies worldwide has approved a proposal to divest the business of textile chemicals, paper specialities and the emulsion products, for a consideration of 209.15 crore. “We are exicted to continue crystallising our businesses and are putting a strong emphasis on advancing our stakeholders’ interests,” said R. A. Shah, chairman of Clariant Chemicals. The divestment of the company’s business includes a textile chemical plant situated at Roha. The Roha site has multi-business, multiproduct production facilities and the textile chemical plant occupies a minor proportion in the overall site. According to Clariant Chemicals MD Deepak Parikh repositioning the company’s portfolio happens to be the an essential part of Clariant’s 2015 profitable growth strategy.

Suzlon Energy It seems that Suzlon Energy has gone on to become one of the first companies to attract investors while already in a debt recast, by raising $647 million in bonds overseas on Monday. The bond sale is unique as Suzlon just happens to be first-ever domestic corporate to get a funding boosting while in CDR. “Suzlon today successfully sold $647 million worth of five-year dollar Reg S bonds at a coupon of 4.97 percent to the U.S. treasury,” according to the Head of Investement and Corporate Banking at JP Morgan India, Rohit Chatterjee. “It also is the first such issue from entire Asia, excluding Japan,” he added. A Suzlon spokesperson refused to comment saying that they have to first report to the exchanges before commenting.

Samsung S4 to be Released Soon in India The latest hot topic is all about the new S4, which many are waiting for eagerly of course. And the online marketing firm Tradus has already started the pre-booking of the latest smartphone in the market in India. Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S4 in new York and declared its official roll out with 327 operators across 155 countries with the official release date being April 26th. With the new Galaxy S4 smartphone, the company is increasing its rivalry with Apple. In the last two years, Samsung has emerged as Apple’s main competitor in the high-end smartphone market. It has also sold enough inexpensive low-end phones to edge out the Nokia Corp as the world’s largest maker of phones.

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES

Diary

Lenovo

Maruti Suzuki

Lenovo has launched 18 different models spread across six different series and catering to all types of users. AiO’s are becoming the most popular as they offer same performance as the traditional desktop PC, however in a smaller form and at a price which is as low as 21,990 rupees. The Lenovo hopes that the range will be offer the sleek and aesthetic form factor the AiO to news PC buyers as well as those looking for an upgrade. Lenovo’s new A series will be catering to the top-end buyers who need performance as well as a style, while the featurerich B Series and the affordable C series have been designed to bring the form factor to all types of users. All the devices will feature Windows 8.

The Maruti Suzuki India Limited signed a memorandum of understanding with the Technical Education Department, Punjab and adopted a five industrial training institutes in the state for the upgradation of the technical education institutes. As per the agreement, MSIL has adopted five it is of Amritsar, Bassi Pathana, Pathankot, Malerkotla, and Nabha. These it is were adopted in private public participation (PPP) mod with the objective to train and to create a pool of employable youth for the automobile and allied industries. Over 2,000 youngsters in he Pubjab region are expected to directly benefit through this initiative.

The Rumors Resurface on Apple and Twitter Have you heard the ongoing rumours about Apple buying Twitter. The news has spread in the world and it is giving a shock to the public, however the matter of the fact is that Apple and Twitter have worked together earlier for integrating the Twitter services in the recent versions of iOS and have been adding more services in Apple’s desktop software for Macs. Even if its only a rumour the idea of Apple investing in Twitter makes good sense. Apple is basically an intelligent company which sticks to the knit producing the best products and earning large profits. Though the rumour is not new, as the same news had come about in May of 2009, the integration of Twitter into the new Mac operating system of Apple not only helps in operating FB but also gives Apple a grip on one of the few areas in which it failed at like social networking.

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

Health sector of the Budget The Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday proposed a hike in India’s health budget by over 28 percent in 2013-14 to Rs. 37,330 crore, with special focus on medical education training and research. The finance minister in his Budget speech in the Lok Sabha said that the new National Health Mission that combines the rural mission and the proposed urban mission would receive Rs. 21,239 crore, which is a hike of 24.3 percent over the revised estimates. While the rural mission aims to provide better health facilites to people living in remote places, the proposed urban mission plans to provide health amenities to those in shanties in cities and towns. Upon making the announcement, Chidambaram said the focus of the government was “health or all.” Also the national programme for the healthcare of the elderly was being implemented in 100 select districts of 21 states.

Finance

Concentration

Gold Loans Overstated Risks in

ndia’s gold loans NBFCs have been in the news a lot lately. For long a business ignored by all, public interest perked up as stories about handsome gains in the shareholder wealth of Manappuram Finance made news. It peaked around April-May 2011, when Muthoot Finance had its highly successful IPO. Later, the focus shifted to the blistering pace of growth of these companies, and questions began to be asked about how sustainable it was. In March 2012, the RBI stepped in with sweeping measures that pretty much took the fizz out of the business. At the top of RBI’s concerns about the gold loan NBFCs was the concentration risk inherent in the business model, brought into sharper focus by the sector’s phenomenal growth. In the three years between 2009 and 2012, the total asset size of the gold loan NBFCs increased sharply from Rs.54.8 billion to Rs. 445.1 billion.

V.P. Nandakumar is the MD & CEO of Manappuram Finance Ltd., a leading gold loans company

The basic idea of concentration risk is not new and is neatly captured in the proverb, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” The world woke up to the consequences of concentration risk during the sub-prime meltdown in the US in 2008. The important lesson was that concentration risk applied even to sectors where conventional wisdom would deny the possibility of an adverse outcome based on a conviction that if something has not happened before, it won’t happen in future too. For over three decades, residential property prices in the US kept going up. To the banks dealing in mortgage loans, it simply did not occur that the value of their collateral would fall below the loan outstanding. And yet it did, in a way that’s been called a black swan event,

which is to say, a probability of occurrence as rare as sighting a black swan, but massive in impact. What began as troubles with sub-prime mortgages went on to become the worst recession in postwar US history. Around this time, questions began to be asked in India about how susceptible we were to a similar sequence of events. After all, in the decade before, the housing loans portfolio had multiplied manifold at India’s banks, driven by the example and aggression of private sector players like ICICI Bank and HDFC. The Indian scenario also had other similarities with the US. One reason why US housing attracted so much investment in the runup to the crisis was the generous tax incentives made available, based on a national consensus that home ownership is inherently desirable, and to be encouraged. This is true of India as well, and our tax code allows many deductions and exemptions for home loans. Consequently, the banking sector’s exposure to home loans had gone up substantially and real estate prices showed a firm upward trend. The word in the market was that it was all booming. For all the overt similarities, for once, there was no panic, no knee-jerk reaction. It was concluded that the Indian scenario was rather different, no need to press the panic button. Firstly, from a purely banker’s point of view, it was pointed out that thanks to the nature of the real estate business in India—a significant “black money” component is the norm in most real estate deals—the price of the property would be significantly under-reported and undervalued. Therefore, there is more cushion available to lenders than would appear on paper, and borrowers would have a greater incentive to keep their accounts in good standing. The second factor had to do with our social and cultural norms. Family ties are stronger in India and the socio-cultural values that bind a family together also finds expression as an emotional connect with the family home. Home owners are unlikely to stop repaying their home loans just because home prices have fallen and

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 11

Making charges are not financed even as it gets priced into all purchases of gold jewellery, it’s a hidden cushion to the lender in the way that the black money component in a real estate transaction is. the equity on their mortgage goes into negative territory. While fears about concentration risks in the Indian housing loans segment were determined to be premature, it’s unfortunate that similar factors at play in gold loans are not given due consideration. After all, in trying to get a measure of the risks in gold loans, interesting points of similarity with housing finance emerge. Exactly in the way that the black component in real estate deals results in undervaluation of property, so too does the making charge add to the security of the lender in gold loans. Because making charges are not financed even as it gets priced into all purchases of gold jewellery, it’s a hidden cushion to the lender in the way that the black money component in a real estate transaction is.

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

Further, precisely as stronger family ties bind people to their homes, they are also emotionally attached to the family jewellery. Often, the jewellery is in the nature of a family heirloom, acquired during important occasions like a marriage, or the birth of a child etc. More often, it belongs to the women in the family who are loath to let it go. Over the years, our experience has been that occasions of wilful default, especially with intention to capitalise on fluctuations in gold prices, are very limited. Clearly, then, the extra cushion given by circumstance to India’s housing loan financiers, which sets them apart from their peers in the US, applies to gold loans as well. What is needed now is simply a greater recognition of this reality from official quarters. What we don’t need is premature alarmism.

Banking

Union Budget 2013 From a cynic’s perspective

Jiz P. Kottukappally

The author is working as Asst General Manager , Catholic Syrian Bank and the views expressed are the personal opinion of the author. Author can be reached at jizpauls@gmail.com

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

he union budget is an annual exercise and strictly speaking the union finance budget is just a statement of receipts and payments of the Central Government. If viewed from this angle it need not attract any hype or euphoria currently attached to it. But in India the union budget is more than just a statement of receipts and payments. It often is viewed as a policy document which spells out the various policies and priorities of the Central Government. The various policy measures announced in the budget, the fund allocation to various projects and the various amendments to direct and indirect tax rates mentioned in the budgets makes it a statement that affects the life of all Indians. I always look at the budget very keenly from two perspective - as an individual and as a banker. From an individual perspective I don’t have any reasons to cheer in the Union Budget 2013 -14 as no additional tax benefits have been granted. I take solace in thinking that reducing the fiscal deficit of the country is more important to the Finance Minister than helping me manage my family budget. Personally I am aggrieved that tax rates have not been adjusted for inflation, but the patriot in me pacifies the family man in me. So my interest as I read through the budget fine print was more as a banker and how it be affecting banks and banking facilities that are available to the public. The Finance Minister has recognized the role of agricultural credit in driving agricultural production. With the intention of providing agricultural credit at affordable rates the interest

subvention scheme for short-term crop loans has been continued. As per the scheme a farmer who repays the loan on time will be able to get credit at 4 percent per annum. The scheme which was till now been made available only to loans extended by public sector banks, RRBs and cooperative banks has now been made applicable to loans extended by private sector scheduled commercial banks also. This would definitely make agricultural credit at affordable rate more accessible to the farmers and also help private scheduled banks meeting their agricultural sector lending targets. By rewarding prompt repayments rather than providing relief by debt waivers, Finance Minister has tried to enforce better borrowing and repayment discipline. Cheers to the Finance Minister. Private Scheduled Banks have been raising this demand for quite some time. Better delayed than never. No doubt. The finance ministry had been in the past pressurizing the banking regulator in the country, the Reserve Bank of India to issue guidelines for granting of new banking licenses. Accordingly RBI has provided guidelines for issue of new banking licenses. It is learned from the reports appearing in the media that various industrial houses also .have applied for banking license. These new banks also would be required to meet the priority sector target of 18% of advances to agriculture sector. It is thus the timing of the announcement that awakes the “cynic” in me. For reducing the role of middle men in farm product marketing and

strengthening the functioning of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPO), an equity grant up to Rs 10 lakh has been proposed for registered FPOs. This together with the creation of the Credit Guarantee Fund with an initial corpus of Rs 100 crore will definitely enable FPOs to leverage working capital from financial institutions. The credit risk for banks’ lending to FPOs gets reduced which would ultimately lead to more funding for FPOs. Let us hope in the days to come we would be able to purchase more fresh vegetables and fruits directly from the farmers through the FPOs. The Finance Minister has expressed firm resolve to ensure that the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme will be rolled out throughout the country during the term of the UPA Government. Lot of basic work like issuing Aadhaar card to all beneficiaries, opening of bank account linked to Aadhaar card for all beneficiaries etc has to be completed

before the DBT is rolled out all over the country. In such case banks would see more savings accounts being opened in the days to come. It would definitely help the banks in meeting their financial inclusion targets and the poor and needy in having “Aapka paisa aapke haath”. Kudos to the Finance Minister for the firm resolve. To attract new investment and to quicken the implementation of projects, the Union Budget 2013 has propose to introduce an investment allowance for new high value investments. Accordingly any company investing Rs 100 crore or more in plant and machinery during the period 1.4.2013 to 31.3.2015 will be entitled to deduct an investment allowance of 15 percent of the investment. This investment allowance is in addition to the current rates of depreciation. So invest Rs 100 crore and claim additional tax benefit of Rs 15 crore. Great. As a banker I can expect higher demand for term loans for purchase of

plant and machinery and better turnover and profits for my plant and machinery manufacturing units. But I fail to understand why this benefit should be restricted only if the investment is more than Rs 100 crore? The Finance Minister himself in the budget speech has mentioned that “higher growth leading to inclusive and sustainable development” is the mool mantra. If that is the case should we not provide the benefit of investment allowance to small and medium scale industrial units also, which would be more labour oriented and thus create more jobs? Point to ponder. The “cynic” in me is getting stronger. Currently interest up to Rs 1.50 lakh paid on a loan taken for the purchase of a house for residential purpose is exempted from tax. The union budget 2013 proposes to introduce section 80EE , whereby, a person taking a loan for his first home from a bank or a housing finance corporation up to Rs 25,00,000 during the period 1.4.2013

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 15

to 31.3.2014 will be entitled to an additional deduction of interest of up to Rs 100,000. Finance minister is confident that such a measure will promote home ownership and give a fillip to a number of industries like steel, cement, brick, wood, glass etc. besides jobs to thousands of construction workers. But are all these required only for one year? If we are looking at inclusive sustainable development for the long term, the benefit should be more of a permanent one. It is such short term, ad hoc knee jerk measures by the government what makes the union Budget an announcement that is eagerly looked upon by all. Thank you Finance Minister for continuing the practice!!!!!!! Given the fact that the benefit is provided only for one year, I feel that instead of giving a fillip to various industries like steel, cement, brick, wood, glass etc. the measure would only be helping real estate developers and builders to clear off their existing stock of constructed flats and villas and thereby unlock value for them. And as the incentive is only for one year to me it sounds similar to a teaser loan scheme. (A teaser loan scheme is scheme where low interest rate is offered for the first year and then once the loan has been taken the interest rates are hiked from the second year onwards) Definitely home loan department of banks and housing finance companied would see enhanced activity during 2013-14. Real estate developers and builders also will see more hectic activity. Share prices of real estate companies like DLF might also improve. “Cynic” is becoming stronger. Inflation definitely has been a cause of worry. People have been looking at safe financial investment products that can provide return above the inflation rate. The absence of such products have seen savings flowing to investment in gold, thereby increasing its import and adversely affecting our current account deficit. The proposal for introduction of Inflation Indexed Bonds is definitely a welcome measure. I wish the structure and tenor of the instruments are finalized and bonds made available to the public at the earliest. Will the

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

inflation indexed bonds compete with bank term deposits and adversely affect the banks capacity to raise funds, is a matter to be seen. Capital infusion of Rs 14,000 Crores for public sector banks would help them in meeting the Basel III regulations and expanding business without constrains of capital. Initiatives proposed like

If we are looking at inclusive sustainable development for the long term, the benefit should be more of a permanent one

bringing all banks, including some cooperative banks, on CBS and epayment systems by 31.12.2013, ensuring all branches of public sector banks have an ATM in place by 31.3.2014 etc. Will provide the public with the convenience of anywhere any time banking. Finance minister has set apart Rs 1,000 crore for setting up India’s first Women’s Bank. The bank will lend mostly to women and womenrun businesses, supports women SHGs and women’s livelihood, employs predominantly women, and addresses gender related aspects of empowerment and financial inclusion. If starting a Women’s Bank is a panacea for all the gender related aspects of empowerment and financial inclusion I wonder why other Finance Ministers did not have this sort of creativity and innovation. As a banker I am happy that the Finance Minister has started a new bank, instead of putting additional targets and pressures on existing banks. I wish and pray the bank starts functioning soon and attain

its goals at the earliest. Banks have been permitted to act as insurance brokers so that the entire network of bank branches will be utilized to increase penetration. But even now all banks are acting as corporate agents of an insurance company. As per current IRDA regulations banks can act as corporate agent of only one insurance company. Due to this regulation the new insurance companies that have come up were finding it difficult to enter into tie up with banks. There had been a lot of pressure, since long on IRDA for bringing out the open architecture, thereby permitting banks for multiple tie ups. But as no final decision was taken till date by IRDA Finance Minister had to make the announcement in the budget so as to use branch network to increase insurance penetration. But why increasing penetration should be a much more serious concern to the Finance Minister, than even to the regulator of insurance business, is what I cannot digest. There would definitely be some macroeconomic consideration, which lesser mortals like me are unable to think off. Even if the proposal might not in the long run help in increasing insurance penetration, it will definitely help new insurance companies to enter into tie up with banks and thus increase their net work. Having regard to the various measures like extending interest subvention scheme to private sector banks also, Pan India roll out of DBT, .investment allowance for fresh investment of Rs 100 crore or more in plant and machinery, additional deduction of interest up to Rs 1 lakh on housing loans for a period of 1 year etc, on a plain reading of the budget, I would rate it as extremely positive for banks and positively touching the life of customers. But reading between the lines, with an element of cynicism I find the intentions of the budget moving from the positive territory to the negative territory. But then I awake the “patriot” in me and put the “cynic” in me to sleep, so that I stop reading the budget , stop writing this article and go back to my routine schedules of family life.

Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurs Who Changed

Our World

Entrepreneurs are great minds with their quest for success and unrelenting attitude towards their goals. Unique Times present you with a list of entrepreneurs, who with their inventions and business sense, change the world we live for good and for ever.

"Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny." Chinese Proverb

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 17

Thomas Alva Edison Thomas Alva Edison who needs no introduction was an American inventor and businessman. He is credited with the development of many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. He was famously dubbed â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Wizard of Menlo Park". Edisonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inventions changed the way we live our everyday life. He applied the principles of mass production and large-scale teamwork to the process of invention and he is credited with the creation of the first industrial research laboratory. Edison is one of the most productive inventors he holds more than 1,093 US patents in his name, as well as many patents in the European countries. He is credited with numerous inventions that contributed to mass communication and, in particular telecommunications. These included a stock ticker, a mechanical vote recorder, a battery for an electric car, electrical power, recorded music and motion pictures. His advanced work in these fields was an outgrowth of his early career as a telegraph operator. Edison developed a system of electric-power generation and distribution to homes, businesses, and factories â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a crucial development in the modern industrialized world. His first power station was on Pearl Street in Manhattan, New York.

Henry Ford Henry Ford was the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and his main achievement was the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. Although Ford is not credited with the invention of the automobile, he is the brain behind the first automobile that many middle class Americans could afford to buy. The Model T automobile developed by Ford revolutionized transportation and American industry. As owner of the Ford Motor Company, he became one of the richest and best-known people in the world. He is credited with "Fordism": mass production of inexpensive goods coupled with high wages for workers. Ford had a global vision, with consumerism as the key to peace. His intense commitment to systematically lowering costs resulted in many technical and business innovations, including a franchise system that put dealerships throughout most of North America and in major cities on six continents. Ford left most of his vast wealth to the Ford Foundation but arranged for his family to control the company permanently.

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

Steve Jobs Steve Jobs is well known as the founder of Apple. Jobs also cofounded and served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company in 2006, when Disney acquired Pixar. After a power struggle with the board of directors in 1985, Jobs left Apple and founded NeXT, a computer platform development company specializing in the higher-education and business markets. In 1986, he acquired the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm, which was spun off as Pixar. He later returned to Apple as the new CEO of the company, then Jobs oversaw the development of the iMac, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, and iPad, and on the services side, the company's Apple Retail Stores, iTunes Store and the App Store. The success of these products and services provided several years of stable financial returns, and propelled Apple to become the world's most valuable publicly traded company in 2011. The reinvigoration of the company is regarded by many commentators as one of the greatest turnarounds in business history.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin Larry Page and Sergey Brin are the Internet entrepreneurs who founded Google, perhaps the most valuable name in the internet. Brin immigrated to the United States with his family from the Soviet Union at the age of six. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland, following in his father's and grandfather's footsteps by studying mathematics, as well as computer science. After graduation, he moved to Stanford University to acquire a Ph.D. in computer science. There he met Larry Page, with whom he later became friends. They crammed their dormitory room with inexpensive computers and applied Brin's data mining system to build a superior search engine. The program became popular at Stanford and they suspended their PhD studies to start up Google in a rented garage. Larry page is the inventor of PageRank, which became the foundation of Google's search ranking algorithm. Together, Brin and Page own about 16 percent of the company's stock.

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 19

Jeff Bezos Jeff Bezos is an American entrepreneur the founder and CEO of Amazon.com, an online e commerce portal. He started with books and later made available almost all products in the online store. Under his leadership, Amazon.com became the largest retailer on the World Wide Web and the model for Internet sales. Bezos founded Amazon.com in 1994 after making a cross-country drive from New York to Seattle, writing up the Amazon business plan on the way. He initially set up the company in his garage. He had left his "well-paying job" at a New York City hedge fund when he "learned about the rapid growth in Internet use", which coincided with a "then-new U.S. Supreme Court ruling online retailers don't have to collect sales taxes in states where they lack a physical presence"; he had headed to Washington because its relatively small population meant fewer of his future customers would have to pay sales tax. Bezos is known for his attention to business details. As described by Portfolio.com, he "is at once a happy-go-lucky mogul and a notorious micromanager..an executive who wants to know about everything from contract minutiae to how he is quoted in all Amazon press releases."

Mark Zuckerberg Mark Zuckerberg is best known as one of five co-founders of the social networking site Facebook. Zuckerberg is the present chairman and chief executive of Facebook, Inc. Born and raised in New York State, Zuckerberg began writing software as a hobby in middle school. Zuckerberg later attended Harvard College, majoring in computer science and psychologyTogether with his college roommates and fellow Harvard University students Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes they launched Facebook from their dormitory room. They took Facebook to other campuses nationwide and soon after moved to Palo Alto, California. By 2007, Facebook had made him a billionaire at the age of 23. By 2010, Facebook had an estimated 500 million users worldwide and reached 1 billion in 2012. Since 2010, Zuckerberg has been named among the 100 wealthiest and most influential people in the world by Time magazine's Person of the Year In 2010 the founding of Facebook was made into a major Hollywood movie, The Social Network where he was portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg.

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

N.R. Narayana Murthy N. R. Narayana Murthy is the Founder of Infosys Limited, a very common name in the Indian IT Story. Infosys is synonymous with the Indian IT success. Infosys is headquartered in Bangalore India. He is currently the Chairman Emeritus of Infosys. Mr. Murthy was listed as one among the â&#x20AC;&#x153;12 greatest entrepreneurs of our timeâ&#x20AC;? by the Fortune magazine in 2012. The Economist ranked him among the ten most-admired global business leaders in 2005. He has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India, he has also won many other laurels. He serves on the boards of many eminent organization like the Ford Foundation, Rhodes Trust and the UN Foundation.

Muhammad Yunus Muhammad Yunus the famous Bangladeshi banker, economist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient. He developed the concepts of microcredit and microfinance. These loans are given to entrepreneurs too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans. In 2006 Yunus and Grameen Bank received the Nobel Peace Prize "for their efforts through microcredit to create economic and social development from below". He is the author of Banker to the Poor and two books on Social Business Models, and a founding board member of Grameen America and Grameen Foundation. Grameen Intel is just one of hundreds of public and private partnerships now mediated Youth &Yunus. In early 2007 Yunus showed interest in launching a political party in Bangladesh named Nagorik Shakti (Citizen Power), but later discarded the plan. He is one of the founding members of Global Elders. Professor Yunus was chosen by Wharton School of Business for PBS documentary, as one of 'The 25 Most Influential Business Persons of the Past 25 Years'. In 2006, Time magazine listed him under "60 years of Asian Heroes" as one of the top 12 business leaders. In 2008, in an open online poll, Yunus was voted the 2nd topmost intellectual person in the world on the list of Top 100 Public Intellectuals by Prospect Magazine (UK) and Foreign Policy (United States).

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 21

Bill Gates Bill Gates is an American business magnate, investor, programmer, inventor and philanthropist. Gates is the former chief executive and current chairman of Microsoft, the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest personalcomputer software company, which he co-founded with Paul Allen. He is consistently ranked among the world's wealthiest people and was the wealthiest overall from 1995 to 2009, excluding 2008, when he was ranked third; in 2011 he was the wealthiest American and the second wealthiest person. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions of CEO and chief software architect, and remains the largest individual shareholder, with 6.4 percent of the common stock. Gates is one of the best-known entrepreneurs of the personal computer revolution. Gates has been criticized for his business tactics, which have been considered anti-competitive, an opinion which has in some cases been upheld by the courts. In the later stages of his career, Gates has pursued a number of philanthropic endeavours, donating large amounts of money to various charitable organizations and scientific research programs through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, established in 2000.

Sam Walton Sam Walton was an American businessman and entrepreneur best known for founding the retailers Walmart and Sam's Club. In 1998, Walton was included in Time's list of 100 most influential people of the 20th Century. Walton was honoured for all his pioneering efforts in retail in March 1992, when he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George H. W. Bush. Forbes ranked Sam Walton as the richest man in the United States from 1982 to 1988. Walmart operates in the U.S. and in 15 international markets, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom.

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

Entrepreneurship

Dr. Thomas Nechupadom

The Importance of

Entrepreneurship

In India

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 23

The international media is also trying to make a point when they report the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts to renew the interest in entrepreneurship and innovation

ntrepreneurship has always led to the making of major organizations. Companies that started in garages like HP has propelled themselves into multinational corporations. In the era of the internet and software entrepreneurs, this phenomena is more evident. The importance of entrepreneurship in the growth of nations is far more apparent in these times when major nations are facing the economic heat. The international media is also trying to make a point when they report the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts to renew the interest in entrepreneurship and innovation. Everybody agrees on the fact that entrepreneurship provides more jobs compared with major corporations who are steadily cutting down on employee strength. The shift of focus towards entrepreneurship also focuses on the type of entrepreneurship that is to be promoted. Opportunity based entrepreneurship is most common among the tech-entrepreneurs who identifies an opportunity and jump to makes a profit from it. Opportunity based entrepreneurs are largest new employment creators in major nations

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

and especially in US. India has long history of entrepreneurship, but off late India has not been in the forefront of entrepreneurial activity. The commercial activities has been more or less limited with business families, who are doing business for a long period of time. There were only a few opportunity based entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship is predominantly necessary based. India has still got many statutory restrictions for a small enterprise to grow and thrive. Labour laws, infrastructure problems and judicial delay have caused for the slow rise of entrepreneurs in India. It is high time that we recognize and encourage our entrepreneurs to start and flourish in their businesses. With the ambitious target that the country has set for itself India should focus more on entrepreneurship. The task before the policy makers in India is to create an environment for entrepreneurs to come up. The challenge again is to prioritize the activities to be done. Infrastructure is a major problem when it comes to entrepreneurship. A lot of time is wasted on developing infrastructure

The importance of providing infrastructure and knowledge base should be passed on the policymakers so that they will make necessary changes in the system

and a good amount of capital is locked in the building up infrastructure, which should have otherwise used for business development and innovation. What happens today in India is that most of the capital available get locked up in developing infrastructure and basic facilities. Another major arena where policy makes should focus on is in the creation and upgrading the knowledge infrastructure. In India major research and development expenditure occurs in the public sector, which is different to the situation in other developed countries. The problem with public sector R&D is that most the time the results are not commercially used. The solution for this situation is that to equip the entrepreneurs with a knowledge base for developing their business. The importance of providing infrastructure and knowledge base should be passed on the policymakers so that they will make necessary changes in the system. Public-private partnership is a good system to commercialize the knowledge and resources the public sector has in store Policies should help channelize the capital to innovation and marketing. The government should make sure that all their efforts should help entrepreneurs stand on their feet and

spend their risk capital to further innovation, history shows us that only entrepreneurship and innovation has taken a country forward. Many examples like Japan and Germany can be taken from history on how they transformed their economic landscape through innovation and brilliant marketing. Japanese companies are great icons of entrepreneurship, from a war ravaged company there emerged major corporations like Sony, Toyota, Honda and the names are endless. The economic supremacy that Japan has now is due to unrelenting efforts of these companies. India lagged in entrepreneurship in the early years of freedom, Indian entrepreneurship become evident through the activities of the IT entrepreneurs. Major names include, Infosys, Wipro, the erstwhile Satyamand many others made the India IT dream run, Indian Telecom companies are also examples of some extraordinary efforts. Companies like Airtel are present in multiple continents and serving millions of people. The scope of public sector companies and private sector companies are different when it comes to employment generation. While public

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 25

India need to create employment and economic growth, and thereby the wealth of the country. In order to achieve this India should create an entrepreneurial eco system. sector has minimum scope for developing large scale employment the story with private sector is different. Private sector is where a lot of opportunities are opening up. In a nation where agriculture is the backbone and where majority of people are employed, the role of entrepreneurs is becoming more important as the agriculture sector is stagnating. India need to create employment and economic growth, and thereby the wealth of the country. In order to achieve this India should create an entrepreneurial eco system. By the year 2020, India is supposed to achieve remarkable growth and will be home to hundreds of highly successful companies. Entrepreneurship is important not just for employment but also for solving Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s developmental issues. Social entrepreneurs should come forward with solutions to Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pertinent problems like clean drinking water, sanitation and infrastructure India needs entrepreneurship and need it in a large scale for achieving economic development, social security and this will lead to greater social harmony and overall improvement. Entrepreneurship also helps in improved healthcare and education facilities for the younger generation.

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

Dr Thomas Nechupadom heads Metanoeo, a total transformation/ grooming company that has been the by word for grooming and dressing, personality enhancement and Social/Corporate Etiquette for many pageants including Ms.South India and Mannapuram Ms. Queen of India contest 2012. Metanoeo also provides quality training to Schools, Colleges, Corporate houses across Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Gadjets

SONY

XPERIA Z 37,990/-

The Sony Xperia Z is a touchscreen enabled, full HD Android high-end smartphone The Xperia Z runs the Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) software. The smartphone is water and dust resistant, and features a 13.1MP Exmor RS sensor as well as a full HD (1080p) display, encompassed in Sony's Industrial 'Omni-Balance' Design

NOKIA

LUMIA720 16,000/Expected

The Nokia Lumia 720 is a smartphone featuring Windows Phone 8 operating system and 1 GHz dual-core processor. The device brings the best browsing experience with IE10 hardware accelerated graphics and HTML5 support. Other key features include a large 4.3" ClearBlack display and a 6.7 megapixel camera with a LED flash.

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

SAMSUNG

GALAXY S4 Price yet to be announced

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is a smartphone with features such as Smart Alerts, Smart Stay, and Smart Scroll, a 13-megapixel back camera, and a 5-inch 1080p display. The international version features an Exynos 5 Octa chip containing the first big. It comprises one faster quad-core cluster, and one slower quad-core cluster. Only one cluster is active at any time, with the faster cluster selected on-demand to save power.

HTC

BUTTERFLY 45,990/-

The HTC Butterfly is an Android-based, 4G LTE-capable smartphone designed and developed by HTC. It is the second smartphone in the world to feature a 1080p display, after Oppo's Find 5. The phone has Android version 4.1, a quad-core 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, and an 8megapixel camera. It comes with 2 GB of RAM and a 2,020 mAh battery.

*All brands belong to their respective owners, prices are indicative and images depicted are for information purpose only.

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 29

Gadjets

SAMSUNG

GALAXY NOTE510

Price yet to be announced

The Samsung Galaxy Note 510 features an 8inch display and runs on a quad-core CPU along with 2GB of RAM. The Note 510 is equipped with features like S-Pen and multiwindow support. Samsung has announced the launch of the Galaxy Note 510 tablet in India. The company made this announcement at the Samsung Forum 2013 event in Hyderabad today. This is the latest Android tablet to be launched by Samsung, in the Indian market, and runs Android 4.1.2 out of the box.

Dell

XPS 13

78,010/-

The Dell XPS 13 was unveiled at CES 2012. It is the company's first Ultra book, a term coined by Intel. The XPS 13 features a 13.3-inch screen and uses flash memory to help with fast booting. The XPS 13 features certain unique design elements. The edges are rounded and the bottom is made of silicone for a gentle surface treatment.

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

NIKON

3,49,500/-

The Nikon D4 is a 16.2 megapixel professional-grade full frame (35mm) digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) announced by Nikon Corporation on 6 January 2012. It succeeds the Nikon D3S and introduces a number of improvements including a 16.2 megapixel sensor, improved auto-focus and metering sensors and the ability to shoot at an extended ISO speed of 204,800. It is the first camera to utilize the new XQD memory cards.

OLYMPUS

E-P3 micro four thirds 38,499/-

The E-P3 micro four thirds is one of the newest members of the PEN family under the Olympus brand. This compact Olympus camera comes loaded with technological innovations. The PEN E-P3 captures great photographs every time. The Olympus E-P3 is one of the best cameras for professional photographers wanting to enter the micro four thirds world. nThe advanced TruePic VI processor in the EP3 camera combines with the highly sensitive 4/3 inch Live MOS Sensor to capture sharp and clear images even in demanding lighting conditions.

*All brands belong to their respective owners, prices are indicative and images depicted are for information purpose only.

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 31

Denisha Sahadevan

Fitness

Balancing Work Working Out

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

Take the elevator instead of the steps unless you have a tiny little stomach problem or your feeling feverish, but just because this comes as a reason don’t just consciously make yourself think yourself to be unwell while there is nothing wrong with you.

rowing up with a father who became so caught up in his business, I watched him while he would run around everywhere trying to get everything done to perfection. Sometimes he would not even be home, as he was busy with work because he wanted to always maintain good business, and during the down days he would try to put double the effort. Being a hard worker that he was and still is my father put himself into a high amount of stress more than he could handle, and of course our family doctor told him the obvious, he has high blood pressure and sugar. Now you’re probably wondering why I am blabbering on about my dear father, well you see the point is that office and work equals to a high amount of stress which many think that they can stand to bear yet in their subconscious state of mind they are probably screaming their heads off. There are numerous workaholics undeniably who can’t help but find it necessary to keep themselves preoccupied with a high volume of work so that they do not get even a moments of rest. All this only will conclude in a trip to the doctor in order to determine that you have high blood pressure or some other health related issues which later on become a headache because then you have to start to learn to maintain a balanced

and healthy lifestyle. However it is an obvious factor that this can all be well avoided if in the middle of a busy day if one were to take time out to just go hit the gym or go for a game of say badminton or shuttle. It’s the simplest way to help oneself keep fit. It isn’ta brainer, but when you’re surrounded by work, you also need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. And in order to do that some may think it requires much effort though in the reality of it all it doesn’t. All it takes are slight changes to the things which you do in your everyday life. Starting each and every day with a walk in the park or around the cornerbefore work is a refreshing way to start off your day. Did you know that working out for 5 consecutive minutes every morning before eating is one good way to burn double the calories during the day? No I am not a doctor but it’s a common sense fact which you can ask a doctor. Instead of having a maid do all the chores at home ladies it might be helpful to learn to do them by yourself though it is understandable that you are a career woman, not every woman in the world has a housemaid in this house doing the daily household chores. Many learn to maintain their house before they go off to work, helping them to keep in practice of exercising their joints on a constant

basis because the daily chores helps you to keep fit as well if you cannot find time to hit the gym everyday. A good example would be our dear old grandparents. Some of them have fallen ill at an early age but if you take a look most of them are still healthy and kicking even now. Most of them live till they are in their late 90’s or even over because back in the good old days they didn’t have the maids doing things for them. They did everything by themselves, and yes it is a true fact that back then they didn’t have a busy lifestyle as well, but as the world changes we have to learn to keep up with the pace by making ourselves a bit faster at doing everything. So learning to get our daily chores at home and mother’s packing your kids off to school before you go to work is not that difficult it is just a matter of waking up a bit early, as I’ve seen many mothers do before they go off to work to start off their busy day. Also when you go to work make sure that you carry your gym clothes and shoes with you in your bag, or keep a small gym back on the side just for that to keep in the side of your desk so that you can hit the gym after work. Take the elevator instead of the steps unless you have a tiny little stomach problem or your feeling feverish, but just because this comes as a reason don’t

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 33

It’s all about your mentality, you may love being at the office, attending the meetings and go ahead and love it and enjoy it, but remember now and then that your health should matter to you as it does to your family. With my father the one thing which he never used to do and is still learning to do is eating on time. The biggest default which you can create is skip your meals, which leads you to taking a higher portion of food later on in the day to pile up on the lunch which you missed or the most important meal of the day the breakfast. Or to just satisfy your hunger you may go and just grab a bite at the nearest fast food joint just to say that you have eaten something. Even if it isn’t a fast food joint, but a very nice restaurant, trust me nothing beats home cooked food which keeps you healthy. If it just so happens that you do miss your breakfast, have it pack and grab an apple with you on the run and learn to eat while you’re running if you are that busy of a person. Make sure that whatever it is that you do that you do not miss out on your daily breakfast even if that requires that you get up early.

just consciously make yourself think yourself to be unwell while there is nothing wrong with you. As someone once saidIf a thought is thought more than a hundred times remember it can become the truth eventually.

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

When you have a business or when you are just work oriented 24/7, means that you need to learn to maintain your stress level. And in order to maintain such high stress levels, you have to learn to eat on time, and balance it with working out. Even if that means you can only work out for 20 minutes a day at least it is fine. You should at least have 20 minutes of workout in and then throughout the day you take the stairs, you walk to the nearest coffee shop instead of taking your car or bike. It is also healthy to keep a cup of green tea or hibiscus tea at hand to sip at while you are in the office since you can drink it hot or cold, it’s good for your health. Remember your working hard now, but later on when your health starts deteriorating, it’ll be hard for you to keep up with the work which you so much love to do. So learn to make the minor changes now, and keep your gym bag nearby always because hitting the gym whether before work or after work will only boost your energy.

Social Media

The World of

Googlers L

et’s have a coffee table chit chat here. The topic on the plate is Google. Being in Chennai, I don’t know the place much and so I asked my friend as to where the nearest place is where I can get good coffee? He said “wait, let me Google it.” Then later on while I was out on an assignment, there were certain things in the news story which I did not understand, so I asked someone, they replied with a “don’t ask me just Google it.” Later on a few days after I was told this random word during a long lecture from someone, and upon asking me a question they said “Google it, and tell me what it is right now.” The world has turned into a world of the Googlers. Even when I turn on my computer and I want to search something I cannot deny, I go straight to Google. Years before I would be on ask.com, or yahoo.com. But

mainly ask.com would answer most of my questions. Then if I had anything which I had to research for project work or any assignments in school, of course my answer was the good old Google. How many stars are there in the universe? Who lived the longest in the history of the world and till what age? How many hairs are there on a human head? A gazillion questions run on and where to find all the answers? The answer is GOOGLE. You know how you thank God for the food on your table every day. Just similarly in the same way you should thank God for two of the most brilliant men on earth Larry Page, and Sergey Brin, the founders of Google. Why do you ask? You should know it without a seconds thought. I’ll be pointing out the obvious here when I make this

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 35

How many stars are there in the universe? Who lived the longest in the history of the world and till what age? How many hairs are there on a human head? A gazillion questions run on and where to find all the answers?

statement however Google over the years has become of course the top search engine in the world, and especially in India so much so that if anyone needs anything just like you say in the comics Batman or Superman to the rescue, its Google to the rescue at all times. Today’s youth’s guiding light seems to be Google as it happens to be one of the fastest and easiest ways to search for anything and everything on the web. So the question at hand is why Google? Is it the double O’s or the placement of colors in the font? Have you ever considered to stop and ask what the exact meaning of the word Google is? Some know, some haven’t actually cared enough to look into the matter. So here’s a little bit of an FYI outside of the everyday lectures. Google got its name from the word “googol” which is a mathematical term for the number 1 which is followed by a 100 zeros. It goes something like this 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,0 00,000,000…get the idea? In simple words 10 raised to the hundredth power. So this name was originally coined by a man named Milton Sirotta, who happens to be the nephew of an American mathematician Edward Kasner. The term was popularized in the book “Mathematics and the

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

Imagination.” So now why derive such a name from a mathematical term such as “googol.” Do you see the high volume of information which you are presented with just when you type in the word “stars,” or “ocean?” It’s an overwhelming amount of millions of sites which Google links you up with isn’t it? The idea which Google is trying to convey is their mission which is basically to organize the high volume of information which is made available to us on the internet. When it comes to Google its fun Catull typeface logo which has these wonderful colors which if you spot at a random at some place, Google might be popping up in your head unknowingly. So what’s with the colorful font which is unlike that of Yahoo’s dark purple? Well according to designer Ruth Kedar, there were many colors which was looked over however, Google came up with the primary colors red, yellow and blue in the end and instead of placing the color pattern in order the secondary color of green was placed on the L which was to emphasis the idea that Google does not follow the usual rules. Now what rules are these? You might as well Google it to find out. When you pull up the website first thing you see are those colorful letters

and each day there is an interesting fact which is drawn amongst the letters and as you browse your mouse over the letters, some animation comes about or a fact is shown about the present day. Google has a simple way of presenting itself with just a search box and the search engines name on top, which is something that is attractive to the mind and pleasing for the viewers eyes. Google is just like any other search engine, only in the minds of the youngsters it isn’t. Because if it just so happens that they want to know when the next movies playing at the nearest theatre they don’t go to yahoo.com or ask.com, they go Google it. It has become a trend to say “just Google it.” With the youngsters of today’s time Google has become like the converse shoes which they sport, or the latest Samsung Galaxy which they spent their money on. Only Google is free! Google as we know it in our time and day is the Armani of search engines, and the answer to why Google is simple. It’s just fashion, it’s what is hot in today’s society and what will continue being hot for time to come. Google is just simplicity presented at its best.

The web is where you should beâ&#x20AC;Ś Website Development I Search Engine Optimization Social Media Management I Content Management I

I Internet Marketing Marketing Consultation

Changampuzha Nagar, Kalamasserry, Kochi-33 Ph: 0484 3242220, 3292223, Mob: +91 98460 50283 e-mail: info@pegasuswebprojects.com www.pegasuswebprojects.com

Workspace

Designing the

Ideal Home Office F The office space you choose should not be essentially very large, but it should ideally be separate from other areas

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

or many people working from home provides an opportunity for real comfort and efficiency, but if the office is too casual, or isn't effectively separated from the home environment, productivity may be hampered. Comfort is necessary in any office, but an office too casual will be counter-effective. The catch is to find a way to separate yourself from the rest of the activity in the home and to convey a sense of a true office. The most effective way is to design your office in such a way as to differentiate itself from the home atmosphere and yet remain close to all the comforts of the home. The office space you choose should not be essentially very large, but it should ideally be separate from other areas. Plan the space exhaustively, so that every work more or less remains in the office room itself. The biggest problem that home workers will face is that to distinguish between work life and home life. The ideal home office should help you solve this problem.

You have to have set hours for working in the home office, which should translate into a good work life balance. Once the basic space is ready, look for the other major requirements like light, fresh air etc. Good lighting is a requisite. If natural light is available try to utilize it as much as possible so that you will save on your electricity bills also. Natural light also has its health benefits so it always good to have as much as of natural light in the office. If natural light is not available, make sure that you lit up your office well enough to enhance. If no daylight is available, a combination of general and task lighting will be required. A high-quality task light will be essential for late nights or cloudy days. If your home office is in a basement or a room without windows, check out daylightreplicating light sources that will provide energy-efficient, full-spectrum lighting. Many ergonomic task-lighting fixtures have dimmer switches so you can control the amount of light. The most effective lighting brings out the

The most effective way is to design your office in such a way as to differentiate itself from the home atmosphere and yet remain close to all the comforts of the home.

fullest quality of the colours illuminated. If lighting levels are too low, there can be negative psychological effects, including depression. Lighting should be arranged to reduce the effect of glare on your eyes. When you plan for your home office, make sure that you are away from disruptions, while headphones may serve to isolate certain sounds, no one wants to be forced to wear headphones all the time. Portable screens can be used to shield the work area from nearby activities. Alternatively, divider walls that double as bookcases will not only divide the area but provide superior storage solutions.To assist in creating the quiet needed for real concentration and work, a degree of white noise can be helpful. Air filters and low fans will operate at a quiet speed to muffle other noises. Solutions are as simple as pencil cups or trays to keep all writing instruments in one place, plus memo and business card holders so, literally, there is a place for everything. Shops such as

The Container Store make it easy for you to get organized and stay that way. In this day and age, there are so many options for storage, the challenge is more in finding what works best with your flow of paper and work. Also plan for all the gadgets and other resources you will need in your office. A separate telephone line to your office will be better and a Wi-Fi hub so that you stay connected. Avoid buying unwanted equipment. Health, safety and welfare are critical. Therefore, the items you choose should be ergonomically designed to promote your health and well-being while using them.Your office should be a connection to yourself, your spirit and your productivity. It should afford focus rather than distraction and be a place you want to be and want to spend time in. That will positively influence you in the space and enhance the work you do there. Make sure set up fixed time spend in the office. This will help you develop a plan for productivity.

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 39

Industry Outlook

Indian Automobile Market T India is expected to become the third largest automobile market in the world

he automotive industry in India is one of the larger markets in the world. It is also among the fastest growing automobile market. India's passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturing industry is the sixth largest in the world, with an annual production of more than 3.9 million units in 2011. The Indian automotive industry has called as a sunrise sector in the Indian economy. India is being estimated as one of the world's fastest growing passenger car markets and second largest two wheeler manufacturer. It is also home for the largest motor cycle manufacturer and the fifth largest commercial vehicle manufacturer. India is expected to become the third largest automobile market in the world. In 2010, India beat Thailand to become Asia's third largest exporter of passenger cars, only behind Japan and South Korea. According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, annual vehicle sales are projected to increase to 4 million by 2015. The foreign direct investment inflow for the automobile industry during the years between 2000 and 2012 is a staggering 7518 million dollars. It amounts to 4 percent of the total FDI

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

India received. The rapid improvement in infrastructure, huge domestic market, increasing purchasing power, established financial market and stable corporate governance framework have made the country a favourable destination for investment by global majors in the auto industry, as per Automotive Mission Plan (AMP) (2006-16).Additionally, the introduction of alternative fuels like hydrogen and bio fuels needs to be promoted to ensure sustainability of the industry over the long term.The vision of AMP 2006-2016 aims India "to emerge as the destination of choice in the world for design and manufacture of automobiles and auto components with output reaching a level of US$ 145 billion accounting for more than 10 per cent of the GDP and providing additional employment to 25 million people by 2016." In addition, the US-based car major, Ford aims to make India its export hub and plans to sell its products in more than 50 countries over a period of time. The company has committed a total investment of US$ 2 billion in India till November 2012 The majority of India's car manufacturing industry is based

around three clusters in the south, west and north. The southern cluster consisting of Chennai is the biggest with 35% of the revenue share. The western hub near Mumbai and Pune contributes to 33% of the market and the northern cluster around the National Capital Region contributes 32%. Chennai, with the India operations of Ford, Hyundai, Renault, Mitsubishi, Nissan, BMW, Hindustan Motors, Daimler, Caparo, and PSA Peugeot CitroĂŤn is about to begin their operations by 2014. Gurgaon and Manesar in Haryana form the northern cluster where the country's largest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki, is based. The Chakan corridor near Pune, Maharashtra is the western cluster with companies like General Motors, Volkswagen, Skoda, Mahindra and Mahindra, Tata Motors, Mercedes Benz, Land Rover, Jaguar Cars, Fiat and Force Motors having plants in the area. Nashik has a major base of Mahindra & Mahindra with a UV assembly unit and an Engine assembly

unit. Aurangabad with Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen also forms part of the western cluster. Another emerging cluster is in the state of Gujarat with manufacturing facility of General Motors in Halol and further planned for Tata Nano at their plant in Sanand. Ford, Maruti Suzuki and PeugeotCitroen plants are also set to come up in Gujarat. Kolkata with Hindustan Motors, Noida with Honda and Bangalore with Toyota are some of the other automotive manufacturing regions around the country. The Indian automobile market is, clearly, going through tough times. Buyers have been targeted with attractive offers to try and induce them to make the purchase decision, good discounts; interest-free offers. Insurance is being bundled in free. Meanwhile, buyers of even popular models of sedans have discovered to their surprise that there is practically no waiting period which earlier they had to wait for many months. Recent reports have emphasised that the

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 41

In 2010, India beat Thailand to become Asia's third largest exporter of passenger cars, only behind Japan and South Korea. According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, annual vehicle sales are projected to increase to 4 million by 2015 problem extends across companies, whether multinational or local. In December, Maruti Suzuki India predicted that growth for domestic passenger vehicles would be singledigit for at least a year and probably three; the firm cut its forecasts for sales from five million units by 201516 to four million. Following distress at its Manesar plant, it had announced that it would suspend production at its Gurgaon plant one day a month; it has now increased that period, citing mismatches between supply and demand and inventories piling up at distributors. Indeed, over the last financial year, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers revised growth predictions downwards by three percentage points, and said the fall was even steeper, with the biggest decline coming in February. In some ways, the worst hit is Tata Motors - in February its domestic sales declined by 62 per cent year-on-year Many reasons are there for the slowdown in demand. One is that the global slowdown is finally beginning to hit even middle-class consumption, which has so far been immune. More hopefully, many buyers may believe that an interest rate cut from the

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is imminent - once that happens, their monthly payments on their car loans will come down. Thus, it makes sense to cost-conscious consumers to postpone their purchase of a car till rates are eventually cut. This view will be tested if the RBI does, indeed, cut rates next week. It is far from certain how, say, a 0.25-percentage-point cut in rates will affect the buying decision. Another reason many cite is a structural move in demand away from regular saloons and sedans to sports utility vehicles (SUVs) of one sort or another. By this way of thinking, consumers have already changed preferences; but many auto makers have yet to alter their supply lines to match changed demand. Anecdotal evidence that waiting periods for SUVs have not declined as steeply as have those for other cars is cited as support for this argument. None of these reasons augurs well for the economy especially if you buy the argument that an SUV market growing while a regular car market falling is a sign that the middle class is being hit by the slowdown while the elite is not, which would have worrying social consequences.

Interview

THE

HIGHFLYER P Sulaiman

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

r. P. Sulaiman is an entrepreneur-turned builder with an experience of almost two decades in project management. His foray into diverse sectors like builders and developers, real estate, construction and contractors, and education has been acknowledged and his growth has been phenomenal. The construction industry in the state benefitted a lot through his innovative building concepts. He also took the bold initiative to construct ‘The Focus Mall’, the first shopping mall of Kerala, which revolutionised the state’s shopping landscape. Mr. Sulaiman introduced the concept of community living in north Kerala with the CRISIL rated luxury apartment, HiLITE Metromax, in Calicut. With his vision to contribute to the economic and infrastructural development of the state, he is now developing HiLITE City, one of India’s largest mixed used development projects spanning across an extensive area of 32 lakh sq. ft. It is being designed as an urban integrated township comprising 400 ultra luxury lifestyle apartments, futuristically designed office spaces and a mega shopping mall. Envisioned to be one of the best malls in India, HiLITE Mall, coming under HiLITE City is spread across 14 lakh sq. ft. and will reflect

the HiLITE trademark, characterized by aesthetics and architectural brilliance. His passion to take up new challenges and new projects has led the construction division of the group, HiLITE Projects and Constructions, to complete more than 2000 projects in South India, thereby playing a major role in the construction and contractor’s industry of the region. He has marked his presence in the gulf region as well with his construction company, HiLITE Builders, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The company has proven expertise in sectors like construction planning, logistics, asset management and facility management gaining esteemed clientele like Naseem Jeddah Hospital, Bashahir School, Bisha School, Dallah Albaraka, SWEC, Ulker, Total, Violet and many more. The Times Group, while announcing the ‘Excellence in Business’ awards in 2011, honoured HiLITE Group of Companies by awarding Mr. Sulaiman the “Game Changer” in business par excellence in the Kerala realty sector. A man with extraordinary will power and dedication, Mr. Sulaiman is planning and executing challenging projects and thereby changing the real estate scenario of the state.

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 45

The Business Park is equipped with all modern amenities including conference hall and board rooms, water bodies, professional facility management, coffee shop etc

Hilite is now a well-known brand. What is the success secret of Hilite Builders?

Can you tell us more about Hilite City?

In a decade, I believe, we have matured enough to become one of the most trusted brands in the region. We have acquired a deep understanding of Keralaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s real estate market. Also, we have set standards that are hard to match- adapting to a variety of challenges including project innovations, tight deadlines, exacting building laws and specifications, changing technological developments and evolving customer requirements.

HiLITE City is a township project with a total area of 32 lakh sq. ft. spanning across 16 acres at Thondayad bypass, Calicut. It has residential, commercial and retail spaces. It comprises of HiLITE Mall with more than 200 Indian and international branded retail outlets, HiLITE Residency with 400 luxury apartments and HiLITE Business park, a project that combines work with leisure, with over 10 lakh sq. ft. of built-up space.

What are the major projects of Hilite, and how they are going to change the infrastructure landscape of Kerala? From a humble 24-apartment HiLITE Park View to 272- apartment HiLITE Metromax, the first CRISIL rated project in the region, we have come a long way with many completed projects. I would say that we have acquired more than 50 percent of the market share in the Calicut region. More than 10,000 persons would find direct employment with the opening of HiLITE City. Our innovative concepts

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

like mixed-use-development and office space marketing has had many takers.

The Business Park is equipped with all modern amenities including conference hall and board rooms, water bodies, professional facility management, coffee shop etc. The construction of the business park has been completed and is ready for leasing while some of the global giants have already come. What are your future plans? We have started the groundwork for a shopping mall in Thrissur. And for Malabar, a satellite township project in 500 acres is in the offing.

Health

Beauty Tips for a

FAST LIFE L Tressa Varghese Director, Pheobe International 48

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

ife is running and time won’t wait nowadays. So how fast can any individual get things done at a normal pace on an everyday basis? It seems impossible. Whether you are a married woman or a bachelorette, you’ll always feel this sense of rush pulsating in your head like thunder. For a bachelorette, she’s got her social life to maintain along with her family life, late night dinners out with friends and suddenly an aunt that wants to meet up because she’s in town out of the blue. And for the married women and mother, there’s the task of cooking, cleaning and sending her husband and kids off before she can take care of herself to look beautiful. So with such a busy schedule and a workload which only keeps piling over, for the mother of three and the young working ladies who try to maintain a balanced social circle along with a balanced family life, one can only wonder how to maintain a glow of perfection at all times. Because it’s the look of perfection which tops of the finishing touches to the image of the superwoman who gets everything done and yet still manages to look beautiful all the while. So here are some quick beauty tips to get yourself on the way to perfection while you are on the run.

hen I am in a rush, I find myself running out of time just to put my daily eye linear on or the gloss on lips, learn to do everything without a proper mirror ladies. It is probably one of the most useful things you can learn. Don’t think that you’ll always have time to sit down in front of your dresser and pat yourself pretty with powder. Grab your sunglasses, or stop by the nearest car window or the windows of your house or the toaster’s steel reflection and learn to quickly draw your eyes. In order to do this keep an eye linear stick with you rather than liquid eye liner. If you have a compact mirror, sure it helps but don’t you find that it’s such a hassle to take it out and open it and then use it, rather the car window is a short cut. You get the picture right? You may look silly doing it to others, but hey you’re just keeping yourself beautiful right so that’s all that matters. Another tip rather than keeping a liquid foundation keep a compact powder, it’s easier to pat on. And for a natural blush just before a meeting pinch your cheeks quickly a couple of times and tada your flood is flowing through your cheeks. When it comes to eye shadow, see if you can find stick eye shadows, which you can apply on with ease. When it comes to toping things off one thing which matters, it the hair!! Sometimes you may not have time to straighten your hair, or blow dry it so what you do is keep a small pack of hair gel with you, and give yourself the wet look. It’s old style, but it is quick. You just apply gel to your wet hair scrunch it up and leave it be. It’s a messy look, but it’s cute. Or if you are one of the tiny tots then just run a brush through and pull an easy high pony. Always keep a little black band on hand or a little butterfly clip just to pull your hair together. If all seems hopeless just do the flip flop hair. You must be thinking the flip a what? Just flip your hair head and whole, and flip it back, you have a naturally blow dried looking hair style that way ladies. Or do a loose side braid to look messy, tidy, and cute at the same time. Now ladies you know that when you go to office you want to wear shoes which

are just too cute, and make your coworker envious. Some prefer flats, some heels. And those who prefer heels have it the hardest especially when you have a long day of work ahead of you, your feet will make you feel like your enduring a slow painful death which results in blisters at the end of the day. So always keep a pair of cute strapless flats on hand just to save yourself dears. Another item which ladies may find to be very helpful is keeping one of those big purses at hand. Why? Because you can put anything and everything into it and it’ll be a life saver. The tough part is just maintaining cleanliness within the purse. Otherwise you can fit your brush, your lipstick and gloss, eye linear, your flats, even an extra pair of clothes into the bag Here’s a tip which will save your natural beauty, water! Drink tons and tons of water. It will keep your skin clean and looking fresh always. It’s like just how you wash your face multiple times a day, drinking water will do the same, and it’ll take that tired look of your face helping you to just freshen up. So rather than opting for those sugary sodas just opt for water and keep yourself always replenished. One way to maintain a healthy glow is wake up early and get yourself working out in the morning. Do a bit of yoga, a mile or two on the track. Sweating in the morning helps to keep your skin glowing through the day. Doing some light aerobics will help you become energized, keeping you fit. And when you feel good, you feel like getting things done, so get up, get running, and get energized with a morning workout. If it happens so that you can’t get this done in the morning find time during the day sometime whenever it maybe, because working out keeps a clear skin and a healthy body which is one key thing to beauty. Drink tea teatea! And I don’t mean the chai which we drink at 4 in the afternoon but green tea with honey. Try to find Japanese teas in the big bazaars nearby. Tea is probably one of the healthiest things and it makes you feel light, and keeps you energized through the day helping to add to the

glow of your skin. When you feel light you feel good like you’re on 7th heaven. Another way to maintain a healthy glow for your skin is to keep a stock on fruits especially the berries of the fruit family. Fruits should be part your daily diet as well of course. See rather than putting all these fruits on your face, it’s better to eat it, because when it works from inside out, the results tend to be much better. You know when you go into office one thing that many notice when you shake their hands is one your handshake and second your nails. There are those who color their nails in such a say an extravagant way that it’s hard to look past those nails and at the individuals face. When you are at the office, you have to keep your nails looking clean. Throw a nail filer into your bag along with a nail cutter and make sure that you keep your nails looking clean always. Opt for a nude color nail polish or a light pink color nail polish to make sure Ladies you know when right after office you have a meeting with your friends and you don’t know what to wear that day to the office which you can wear both to work as well as to the late night dinner parties? Well when you choose outfits make it doubles. What does that mean? It means when you get a dress, if it’s a skirt, make sure u have a top which is professionally looking, and you keep a cute top to change into for the night. If it’s a dress, suit it up with a nice cute little jacket for work, and take off the jacket for the dinner parties and show off the dress itself. When it comes to salwars, buy salwars which is fashionable, not the shiny party type or the dull everyday salwar. Make sure that it’s elegant and simple. So ladies when you find yourself on the run and in a rush, just make sure that you have your big purse, and you learn to get your make up done in a rush. It’s the only way to keep beautiful all the while being prompt on time for every meeting which you have scheduled throughout the day.

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 49

Accessories

Suunto Outdoor

Digital Watch 35,000/-

Tired of regular watches, try something different. These digital creations are made to attract attention. Not just that they are full on with several functions. Phone calls, GPS

Burg 13

Smart Watch 21,900/-

Quechua Forclaz

70 Rucksack 3,499/-

Having been longing to out, away from work pressures and the daily grind. Take the road less travelled, trek in to the natures lap, and spend some days which will feel like eternity.

Wildcraft

Three Season Tent 6,995/-

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

Babolat Aeropro Team GT 2013 Unstrung - 4 3/8 Tennis Racquet

18,000/-

Love sports and have time to enjoy your favourite sport. Go out in the evening or in the weekend and live your life. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great way to get rejuvenated and prepare for the hectic business life.

Firefox Head Protector InMould Cycling Helmet

1,640/-

Morphy Richards MenoExpresso Brushed Coffee Maker

9,995/-

Tired of work, may be tired not having any work. Ease up with some good coffee. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like coffee and way too health conscious, have some fresh juice.

Philips

Aluminum HR1861 Juicer 9,495/-

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 51

Applications

Four Applications that can make your life a little more easier

Evernote Evernote is a suite of software and services designed for note taking and archiving. Notes can also have file attachments. Notes can be sorted into folders, then tagged, annotated, edited, given comments, searched and exported as part of a notebook. Evernote supports a number of operating system platforms (including OS X, iOS, Chrome OS, Android, Microsoft Windows, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, and webOS) and also offers online synchronisation and backup services.

Dropbox Dropbox is a file hosting service operated by Dropbox, Inc., that offers cloud storage, file synchronization, and client software. Dropbox allows users to create a special folder on each of their computers, which Dropbox then synchronizes so that it appears to be the same folder (with the same contents) regardless of which computer is used to view it. Files placed in this folder also are accessible through a website and mobile phone applications. Dropbox, Inc., was founded in 2007 by MIT graduates Drew Houston and ArashFerdowsi, as a Y Combinatorstartup company. Dropbox provides client software for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Android, iOS, BlackBerry OS and web browsers, as well as unofficial ports to Symbian, Windows Phone and MeeGo.

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

Mint.com Mint.com is a free web-based personal financial management service for the US and Canada created by entrepreneur Aaron Patzer. Mint originally provided account aggregation through a deal with Yodlee, but has since moved to using Intuit for connecting to accounts. Mint's primary service allows users to track bank, credit card, investment, and loan transactions and balances through a single user interface. Users can also make budgets and goals, like saving $1000. Users also have the option to manually enter cash or check transactions.

Google Wallet is a mobile payment system developed by Google that allows its users to store debit cards, credit cards, loyalty cards, and gift cards among other things, as well as redeeming sales promotions on their mobile phone. Google Wallet uses near field communication (NFC) to "make secure payments fast and convenient by simply tapping the phone on any PayPass-enabled terminal at checkout.â&#x20AC;?The service works with the 300,000 plus MasterCardPayPass merchant locations, with Visa licensing their Visa payWave system to Google for use in Wallet as of September 20, 2011.

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 53

Denisha Sahadevan

Work Style

In style in the

Corporate Environment Dress yourself in such a way that leaves a lasting first impression on your boss so much that each time he or she sees you, they ask, â&#x20AC;&#x153;how do find so much time to look so smart, and so stylish?â&#x20AC;? 54

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

hen it comes to the corporate environment, the look that employees usually have to sport is not always the most comfortable to all, but it is something which comes with the title of the job. In an office environment it can be all fun and play during the downtimes depending on who and how chill your boss is, or it may be this rigid uncomfortable set of stage where you have to work like a robot 24/7. The atmosphere of the fun and play or the rigid and uncomfortable will eventually determine as to whether it is a place where you have to look spick and tip top or just at ease in your own relaxed little style of dressing. And when it comes to always sporting the formal wear, with the usual tie, shirt, suit, it isn’t always the most agreeable with all of the employees, even the bosses may feel the same. And see when you carry on the corporate look most employees and bosses lack one thing in the way in which they dress or even the minor little things in their outfit which can be related to the way their hair is set, or for ladies even the way their nails are done, or the shoes which men and women wear and that is creativity. Yes, it is not arguable that corporate dressing should portray the person to be serious and hardworking at times, but just think are you ever comfortable and fashion friendly? Just because you are working in an office environment does not give you the right to kill off the latest fashion trends nor does it give you the right to make yourself uncomfortable, or sport just any accessories which makes you look too careless about you take care of yourself. Whenever you dress add a bit of yourself into your look. What do I mean? Add something or dress in a way which shows your individuality as well as blending in with your work place. Dress yourself in such a way that leaves a lasting first impression on your boss so much that each time he or she sees you, they ask, “how do find so much time to look so smart, and so stylish?” And keep one thing in mind ,

when it comes to dressing slick and stylish, it isn’t a matter of thinking like you used to do for your finals in college, it’s just a matter of knowing

because the matter of fact is you won’t, you’ll look like someone just vomited all over you and in a desperate need of a wardrobe raid from the fashion

Don’t get me wrong, pink looks very charming on a guy, but don’t get so carried away with it, but if pink or any other color for that matter just happens to be a favorite of yours there’s no harm in keeping at least two shirts, but with a different style being that it be in the design usually, otherwise it looks like you are wearing the same shirt always. what is style, what is good, and what is pleasing to the eye. Just don’t always sport the same color in your wardrobe repeatedly is something which you have to keep an eye for example ever since the “pink for men” came into style, many men at times tend to keep different shades of pink shirts in their closet. Don’t get me wrong, pink looks very charming on a guy, but don’t get so carried away with it, but if pink or any other color for that matter just happens to be a favorite of yours there’s no harm in keeping at least two shirts, but with a different style being that it be in the design usually, otherwise it looks like you are wearing the same shirt always. This rule is something which applies not only when it comes to color but also when it comes to dress pants, shirt designs, even shoes or belt, or suits. Don’t always be monotonous when it comes to style by sticking with a narrow set of preferences only. Learn to be more expressive and open minded, because that is the only way that you’ll be sure enough to get noted. Be bold and daring when it comes to colors. But don’t go so overboard that you choose to wear a color which can be so displeasing to the eye, that your coworkers cannot even look at you because your shirt is so bright that you can be spotted about 4 miles away. It’s painful to the eyes so go easy on the variety of colors all the while being bold or daring. So how does this work? Don’t choose a bright pista green shirt if your complexion is very dark and wear that thinking you’ll look hot

police. The same goes for colors such as bright blue. You’ll look brighter than the skies if you wear a blue which is unbearably making you stand out in a crowd of hundreds. Choose colors which is similar to that of a soft green, soft yellow, soft blue. Always remember soft colors even if they are bright. When it comes to the dictionary of colors the term “soft” means a color which does not prick the eyes. And one more thing ladies and gentlemen avoid the shiny shirts please because you’re not going to some disco when you’re going to office, and you’re not the guy who’s trying to stop the bulls at some running of the bulls event in Spain. Honestly minus that little piece of item from your closet once and for all. Nowadays thereis another little thing which most ladies and even men think is something which is very hot and in style, and that is bringing that shirt button a little too low for comfort especially while you’re in office. Ladies I need not mention that it isn’t style, and men seriously no one wants to see your chest when you are in office so make sure that you button up all those button on your t-shirts even if it makes you uncomfortable, it’s an office environment, not some fashion ramp where your showing off your chest and competing with other men in the office to see who has more hair on their chest. And as you button up your shirt all the way to a level at least which is professional looking meaning don’t go overboard and lock up the top collar too, you won’t even be able to breathe,

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 55

Not only that when you dress in comfort, style and in set with the office rules, you will be able to carry your head high. think of the tie. This is applicable to even ladies. Ties can make you look hot and stylish as long as you know how to sport it and what kind to sport. Be expressive with your ties. It’s as simple as that. Then when it comes down to dress skirts and dress pants, make certain the pants aren’t too tight or the skirt way too short for comfort. It won’t be so becoming of a lady if she wears a skirt which is way too short for the office, make sure it’s sweet and short down to the knees. The rule is to always stay safe by wearing skirts which come down to knee length. With pants for men, make sure the cut at the bottom is not too much of a bell bottom or too tight like a pencil pant nor that much of a high water pants. If it just so happens though that you are lucky enough to be working in a corporate office where they have the casual Fridays, then you’ll be at ease with just sporting the polo shirts with your dress pants. One thing that does

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

have to be stated is do not wear sneakers with those even on casual Fridays. In the end when it comes to fashion in the corporate world, though not every employee or boss is up to wearing the corporate look, some offices are very strict because they think that a certain style of dressing should be maintained in a corporate environment whereas some offices just let things pass unless there are important meetings with clients or the board. But either way all you have to keep in memory is that never to forget to show your sense of individuality so that you make yourself unforgettable as the gentleman or lady who dressed impeccably neat yet so stylish that an emergency raid of your wardrobe was unnecessary. It’ll win your boss over with a first turn of the head, and even your clients. Not only that when you dress in comfort, style and in set with the office rules, you will be able to carry your head high.

Book Review

DELIVERING

Happiness: A Path To Profits, Passion, And Purpose

Tony Hsieh is an entrepreneur and bestselling author of the book, Delivering Happiness - A Path To Profits, Passion, And Purpose, he is famous for his unconventional approach as the CEO at Zappos.com. Hsieh was born in 1973, and is a graduate in Computer Science from Harvard University. Upon its release, Delivering Happiness - A Path To Profits, Passion, And Purpose was a New York Times bestseller for 27 consecutive weeks. The book Delivering Happiness - A Path To Profits, Passion, And Purpose is inspired by Hsieh’s approach to customer service. It may be called a modern day manual on positive work culture in an organization. The books also narrates the author’s innovative techniques he employed in his organization. The author goes on to explain the reason behind innovative philosophies at Zappos. He explains why a positive company culture should be a top priority, and how it helps establish other areas like customer service and company branding. Most importantly, Hsieh shares his belief that companies that recognise the fact that employee happiness, at work and home, delivers better results, are quick to make happiness and customer service the foundation of their company culture. In his book, the unconventional CEO has shared instances from his professional experience at other companies too. He also speaks about ideas that worked at Zappos, like the core company value of “Delivering WOW Through Service”, and how it can be applied by any company in order to be successful.

Author: T Hsieh Publisher: Hachette India/business Plus Us (2011) Rs. 350/-

Tony’s business mantra is that experience is more important than money. There is no gimmicks employed. The book is true to life depiction of his story and the setting up of Zappos. The author takes us to his world of experiments, his entrepreneurial adventures and his fearless pursuit of his beliefs. The book is a must read for every entrepreneur, it also depicts the importance of customer service, which can break or make a successful organization. April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 57

Books Rs. 995

The $10 Trillion Prize: Captivating the Newly Affluent in China and India (Hardcover) Authors: Michael J. Silverstein, AbheekSinghi, Carol Liao, David Michael Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press (2012) In The $10 Trillion Prize, bestselling author Michael J. Silverstein and his Spl. Indian Price The Boston Consulting Group colleagues in China and India provide the first comprehensive profile of the emerging middle class, primed to transform the global marketplace. Already the world's biggest buyers of cars, mobile phones, appliances, and more, these consumers are eager for Format more products and services. In fact, it's estimated that by 2020, consumers Page extent in China and India will generate more than $10 trillion of total annual Binding revenue for companies selling to them.

Rs. 995

The Architecture of Innovation: The Economics of Creative Organizations (Hardcover) Author: Josh Lerner Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press (2012) How do you cope when faced with complexity and constant change at work? Here's what the world's best leaders and teams do: they improvise. They invent novel responses and take calculated risks without a scripted plan or a safety net that guarantees specific outcomes. They negotiate with each other as they proceed, and they don't dwell on mistakes or stifle each other's ideas. In short, they say yes to the mess that is today's hurried, harried, yet enormously innovative and fertile world of work.

Rs. 399

Where Good Ideas Come From: The Seven Patterns of Innovation (Paperback) Author: S Johnson Publisher: Penguin Group (UK) (2011) Where do good ideas come from? And what do we need to know and do to have more of them? In Where Good Ideas Come From, Steven Johnson, one of our most innovative popular thinkers, explores the secrets of inspiration. He identifies the seven key principles to the genesis of great ideas, from the cultivation of hunches to the importance of connectivity and how best to make use of new technologies. Most exhilarating is his conclusion: with today's tools and environment, radical innovation is extraordinarily accessible to those who know how to cultivate it.

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

Rs.1587

Women Want More How to Capture Your Share of the World's Largest, Fastest-Growing Market (Hardcover) Author: Michael J. Silverstein, Kate Sayre, John Butman Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (2009) WHAT WOMEN WANT is a timely book based on the findings of a groundbreaking study (The Boston Consulting Group's Global Inquiry into Women and Consumerism, which polled 12,000 women in 21 countries) that gets to the heart of women's deepest desires, frustrations, and goals. The authors describe how this "invisible market" has grown in size, influence, and buying power, and they reveal the countless opportunities for companies who understand that meeting women's needs is the key to repowering our crrent economy.

Rs. 795

The Other Side of Innovation The Other Side of Innovation: Solving the Execution Challenge 1st Edition (Hardcover) Author: Vijay Govindarajan, Chris Trimble Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press (2010) The Other Side of Innovation: Solving The Execution Challenge is a book by Vijay Govindarajan And Chris Trimble that stresses on the importance of sustained performance in business. Big ideas need to be executed with the highest level of efficiency that can be attained, converting them into breakthrough products and services. With efficiency being the key to long term success and growth, Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble claim that each business firm should aim to achieve the highest level of efficiency that it can.

Rs.1250

Yes to the Mess Surprising Leadership Lessons from Jazz (Hardcover) Author: Frank J. Barrett Publisher: Harvard Business School Press (2012) How do you cope when faced with complexity and constant change at work? Here's what the world's best leaders and teams do: they improvise. They invent novel responses and take calculated risks without a scripted plan or a safety net that guarantees specific outcomes. They negotiate with each other as they proceed, and they don't dwell on mistakes or stifle each other's ideas. In short, they say yes to the mess that is today's hurried, harried, yet enormously innovative and fertile world of work.

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 59

International Business

The Stock Market the Economy

he stock market is closely related to the economy. Most of the time they are tied together, but sometimes they move in different directions but not 2for long. Roger Farmer the famous economist used to describe stock market and the economy as co-integrated random walks. He also says the relative movement of the both t is one of the most stable things he has seen in the post-war period. John Reed who headed Citicorp from 1984 to 1998 says that markets are strange. He says that the “The financial community has changed dramatically”. The booming economy carries with the stock market. The alternate possibility is that the economy will pull the market downward, but that isn’t happening, that may not also happen always.

The alternate possibility is that the economy will pull the market downward, but that isn’t happening, that may not also happen always 60

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

Economists continue to debate on the adeptness of the stock market. From experience it is known that investors may move financial prices away from their long term cumulative price trends. Over-reactions may occur—so that excessive optimism may drive prices unduly high or excessive pessimism may drive prices unduly low. According to one interpretation of the efficient-market hypothesis (EMH), only changes in fundamental factors, such as the outlook for margins, profits or dividends, ought to affect share prices beyond the short term, where random 'noise' in the system may prevail. The 'hard' efficient-market hypothesis is sorely tested and does not explain the cause of events such as the stock market crash in 1987, when the Dow Jones index plummeted 22.6 percent—the

largest-ever one-day fall in the United States. The fall of Dow in 1987 event demonstrated that share prices can fall dramatically even though, to this day, it is impossible to fix a generally agreed upon definite cause. A thorough search failed to detect any judicious development that might have accounted for the crash. It seems also to be the case more generally that many price movements are not occasioned by new information; a study of the fifty largest one-day share price movements in the United States in the post-war period seems to confirm this. A soft EMH has emerged which does not require that prices stay at or near equilibrium, but only that market participants not be able to systematically profit from any momentary market 'inefficiencies'. Other studies has shown that psychological factors may result in overstatedstock price movements. Psychological research has demonstrated that people are predisposed to seeing patterns, and often will perceive a pattern. Another occurrence also from psychology that works against an objective assessment is group thinking. As social animals, it is not easy to stick to an opinion that differs markedly from that of a majority of the group. In one paper the authors draw an analogy with gambling. In normal times the market behaves like a game of roulette; the probabilities are known and largely independent of the investment decisions of the different players. In times of market stress, however, the game becomes more like poker the players now must give heavy weight to the psychology of other investors and how they are likely to react psychologically. The stock market, as with any other business, is quite unforgiving of amateurs. Inexperienced investors rarely get the assistance and support

Emotions can drive prices up and down, people are generally not as rational as they think, and the reasons for buying and selling are generally obscure. Behaviourists argue that investors often behave 'irrationally' when making investment decisions thereby incorrectly pricing securities, which causes market inefficiencies, which, in turn, are opportunities to make money.

they need. In the period running up to the 1987 crash, less than 1 percent of the analyst's recommendations had been to sell. In the run up to 2000, the media amplified the general euphoria, with reports of rapidly rising share prices and the notion that large sums of money could be quickly earned in the so-called new economy stock market. Sometimes, the market seems to react irrationally to economic or financial news, even if that news is likely to have no real effect on the fundamental value of securities itself. But, this may be more apparent than real, since often such news has been anticipated, and a counter reaction may occur if the news is better than expected. Therefore, the stock market may be swayed in either direction by press

releases, rumours, euphoria and mass panic; but generally only briefly, as more experienced investors quickly rally to take advantage of even the slightest, momentary frenzy. Over the short-term, stocks and other securities can be battered or buoyed by any number of fast market-changing events, making the stock market behaviour difficult to predict. Emotions can drive prices up and down, people are generally not as rational as they think, and the reasons for buying and selling are generally obscure. Behaviourists argue that investors often behave 'irrationally' when making investment decisions thereby incorrectly pricing securities, which causes market inefficiencies, which, in turn, are opportunities to make money.

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 61

Life Management

Kindness One quality that makes a difference ! Helps to maintain an optimistic attitude towards life and would be in a position to enjoy life as it is

UNIQUE TIMES April 2013

o one would deny the fact that it is being kind that makes the difference in our lives. Being kind is being positive and it is the way of life. What is kindness? It is the manner in which we think, talk and act. Kindness is very important to improve our relationships. Kindness in us makes us compassionate. It is not necessary that one should be kind by birth. This one quality or habit can be cultivated and nurtured by oneself. If you focus on being kind for a month or so, would make you a kind person by the end of that period. How can you be kind? Simple, start doing something good for others every day. By doing so, you can feel profound change in your life. Best thing is that you will feel great about yourself and you will also experience people treating you better. Understand that emotions like happiness, joy and thankfulness are the result of being kind. The rest in the heart of a person who practices kindness this state of mind allows a person to see good in others and this world. This will also enable that person

to wade through challenges he or she come across in the life and to respond to the cruelty witnessed and experienced and continuously restore the faith in humanity. In short, it helps to maintain an optimistic attitude towards life and would be in a position to enjoy life as it is. It feels good to do something nice for someone and it feels good when someone does something kind for us. Either way it is a win-win situation. That is Kindness begets kindness. Let me share a story which I read a few years ago to make this clear. One day a poor boy was selling clothing door to door to pay for his education. In the midst, he checked his pocket to realize that he had only a little money with him .It is so little that he canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pay for his lunch. He was too hungry and decided to ask for some food at the next house he visited. He knocked the door. A very young woman opened the door. Instead of asking a meal, he asked for a glass of water. Sensing the boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hunger, the young woman gave him a huge glass of milk. He was happy and

the magic for making others' and ours' lives beautiful and peaceful are nothing but Kindness slowly drank all of it. Then with a large smile on his face, he asked “how much do I owe you?’ she answered’, “my mother taught not to accept anything for doing a kindness to someone”. The boy replied,’ then thank you from the bottom of my heart”

caught her attention. In the margin of that bill she read these words:‘Paid in full with a glass of milk”Dr.Howard Kelly. Tears of joy filled her eyes and her heart.She prayed, "Thank you Lord for your love has crossed the hands and hearts of ‘man’"

Years later, the same woman who now very old was admitted to a hospital where Dr. Howard Kelly was called as a consultant. When he heard the name of her city, a memory burned brightly in his eyes.

I simply loved this story. Did you?

In the room, he immediately recognized her….while returning to his room, he had already made up his mind to do the best for her.

But to one person you might just be the world”

Dr. Kelly paid special attention to her since then. After a long battle with the illness, the war was finally won. The doctor instructed the administration to send the concerned bill to him for authorization. He took the bill and had a look at it. Then wrote something in the margin and send it to the lady. The lady reluctantly opened the envelope thinking how she is going to pay the huge bill. Something

Let me quote Mark Twain here. To the world you may be just one person

We often underestimate the power of touch, smile or a word which can transform a person. A kind gesture from us would make a difference in one's life. That’s why I like to say the magic for making others' and ours' lives beautiful and peaceful are nothing but Kindness.

April 2013 UNIQUE TIMES 63