Unique Times Sep 2022

Chief Mentor Mr. V.P. Nandakumar

Director & CEO Jebitha Ajit

Editor Ajit Ravi

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Correspondents Dr. Thomas Nechupadam Vivek Venugopal- Quarter Mile Amrutha V Kumar

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“Success is focusing the full power of all you are on what you have a burning desire to achieve” - Wilfred Peterson.

Some of us struggle to identify even one of our dreams because there are so many running around in our heads that we don't know where to begin. Whatever the dream be, fulfilment always begins with the deliberate identification of one specif ic goal and the sincere conviction to carry it through. Spend time on it. Choose one. Then start working to ward achieving it. Sadly, many people will never realise their aspirations because they just lack self-confidence. For dream fulfilment and life satisfaction, optimism is a must. In this edition, our cover story is about one of the leading producers of Mollywood, Mr Venu Kunnappilly who fulfilled his dream of stepping into the entertain ment industry by producing the 2019 periodical movie 'Mamangam'.

This month, Manappuram Finance Limited MD and CEO V P Nandakumar expresses his thoughts on 'Inno vation in business: The all-important ingredient.'

Along with the above-mentioned articles, this edi tion has all our regular articles from beauty, travel, auto review, movie review, and book review to motivation and business articles.

"Reading a good book is like taking a journey!" Let's start a new journey! Joyful Reading!

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Flipkart Is Penalised by the CCPA for Selling Pressure Cookers That Are of Poor Quality

Any product found to be inferior in quality is considered unus able and withdrawn from the market. Selling and producing such products is legally a crime in the country. Online shopping chain Amazon was fined for selling substandard pressure cook ers in this manner. Amazon was fined by the Central Consum er Protection Authority (CCPA). The fine was Rs. 1 lakh. The CCPA had also ordered to take back the sold cookers and re fund the money to the consumers. Another e-commerce chain, Flipkart, has now been fined by the CCPA in a similar manner. Selling substandard cookers is the crime itself. Flipkart also has to pay Rs. 1 lakh as penalty. The fine is under the section that violates the rights of consumers. This was the reason why Am azon was also fined. Flipkart has sold 598 pressure cookers as substandard. All these should be taken back and the customers should be refunded. The CCPA has also asked Flipkart to sub mit an explanatory report on the incident within 45 days.

Har Ghar Tiranga, Har Haath Paytm: Shareholder’s Tagline For Payment App

Paytm

CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma offered a few updates from the company’s annual general meeting, which was held virtually on 19th August. Sharma is facing a vital test of investor trust. Mr. Sharma tweeted that a stakeholder at the crucial meeting said, “Har ghar tiranga, har haath Paytm (tricolour at every house, Paytm in every hand)”. Prime Min ister Narendra Modi’s “Har Ghar Tiranga” campaign, which he introduced in July, encouraged people to fly their country’s flags from their homes. On the website for the campaign, the Culture Ministry had also urged people to post selfies or pic tures of themselves with the word “Tiranga.” Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s position as CEO was reportedly one of the issues up for vote during the meeting. Since its high-profile initial pub lic offering in November, Paytm, the face of India’s internet startups, has struggled to persuade investors of its profitability potential, losing more than 60% of its value.

"It’s very easy to be different but very difficult to be better"

Jonathan Ive

Reliance Jio To Launch 5G Services Within 2 Months

The leading telecom provider in India announced on 29th August, that Reliance Industries Ltd.’s Jio will start rolling out 5G services for its customers in the next two months. Chairman Mukesh Ambani announced at the company’s annual general meet ing that the company has committed 2 trillion rupees ($25 billion) to the rollout of 5G services. According to him, the corporation will launch 5G in selected cities before expanding to the entire country by De cember 2023. In India’s $19 billion 5G spectrum auction earlier this month, Jio came out on top as the biggest spender, securing airwaves valued at $11 billion. By October of this year, the Indian govern ment hopes to start rolling out 5G, which it claims can deliver data speeds around ten times faster than 4G. Globally, the next-generation network is regard ed as essential for new technologies like artificial in telligence and self-driving cars.

Gautam

Adani Now World’s

3rd Richest, First Asian In Top 3

Just a few years ago, Gautam Adani was mostly unknown outside of India. The Indian billionaire, who dropped out of college and tried his luck as a diamond trader before switching to coal, is now the third-richest person in the world. It’s the first time an Asian has entered the top three of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index; Jack Ma of China and fellow citizen Mukesh Ambani have never done so. With a fortune of $137.4 billion, Mr. Adani has surpassed Bernard Arnault of France and is now just behind US billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos in terms of wealth. The 60-year-old Mr. Adani has invested the last several years in growing his coal-to-ports conglomerate by foraying into a variety of industries, including data centres, cement, media, and alumina. The group today controls the largest private-sector coal miner, city-gas distributor, and oper ator of ports and airports in India.

"Strength and growth come only through continuous ef fort and struggle"

Napoleon Hill

SBI Launches Its First Dedicated Branch for Start-Ups in Bengaluru

In order to assist and encourage start-up businesses, State Bank of India (SBI) on 23rd August announced the open ing of the nation’s first “state-of-the-art” specialised branch here. The branch opened by SBI Chairman Dinesh Khara is situated in Koramangala, one of the city’s largest start-up hubs together with its neighbourhoods HSR Layout and In diranagar. "Overall, we are able to offer start-ups end-to-end services; in light of this, this particular start-up branch is the first start-up branch we are launching, from Bengaluru, the capital city of start-ups. It will undoubtedly increase the startup potential," added Mr. Khara. He told local reporters that the bank would carefully assess the potential for such a startup effort in other locations based on the experience it gains from this location. In addition, Mr. Khara stated in response to a question that SBI has already provided 104 start-ups with debt financing, adding that “cumulatively it should be aggregating to 250 crore.”

India To Be Fastest Growing Economy This Year: Government Sources

India will have the fastest economic growth this year, a top gov ernment source predicted on 11th August, despite rising infla tion rates. Pent-up demand for services and increased industrial output have kept the economy on its recovery path even while inflation remains over the comfort level. According to the source, the administration is working with the RBI and taking ongoing action to reduce inflation. For six months in a row, inflation has ex ceeded the highest tolerance limit of 6%. According to the source, India’s economy would continue to grow at the fastest rate this year and the following. The source claimed that despite the grow ing trade deficit, the current account deficit (CAD) should remain stable moving forward. According to the insider, the government is constantly keeping an eye on borrowing costs. According to the source, the Finance Minister will likely get a report on casino tax ation from a group of state ministers about GST.

"Motivation is the catalyzing ingredient for every successful innovation"

Clayton Christensen

Spanish Fires: Passengers Injured Fleeing Train in Bejís

Three of the ten passengers who at tempted to flee a train that became en gulfed in a massive inferno north of Valen cia in eastern Spain were critically injured. Strong gusts have whipped up the fire near Bejís, sending some firefighters fleeing for their life. When the fire stopped the train, the passengers were travelling on a route from Valencia to Zaragoza in the north. Some passengers became frightened when the train driver requested them to stay on board. Some of the 48 people on board the train, which had left Valencia late on on the 16th august afternoon, broke windows in an effort to escape as the flames got closer as he prepared to reverse the train. Some of them who ran away had burns, and one of them needed to be evacuated to a Valencia hospital for treatment. According to Span ish news sources, a 58-year-old mother and a 15-year-old girl suffered the most severe burns. Those who remained on the train were unharmed.

Sanna Marin: Finland PM’s Drugs Test Negative After Party

Video

After being spotted dancing, singing, and drinking at a recent party, the government of Finland reports that Prime Minister Sanna Marin tested negative for narcotics. To satisfy concerns about her behaviour, Ms. Marin, 36, consented to take the test on 26th August. Although she claims to have never used drugs and to have done nothing wrong during the party, she does admit to drinking beer. She is seen having fun with friends, including a Finnish popstar, in a video that was released. “No drugs were iden tified,” according to a government statement in Finnish, during the test. It also said that the prime minister was re sponsible for covering the test’s costs. According to the AFP news agency’s citation of special adviser Iida Vallin, Ms. Marin’s urine sample had been examined for the presence of cocaine, amphetamines, cannabis, and opioids. After the tapes were made public, Ms. Marin received criticism from a number of lawmakers. One opposition party leader even demanded that she submit to a drug test.

Turkish Singer Gulsen Arrested Over Religious Schools Joke

Gulsen, a Turkish musician, was de tained and charged with inciting hatred after making a joke about religious schools. The singer made light of the “perversion” of one of her band members in April by joking that he had been to one. Even though the statements were made years ago, they sud denly gained popularity online and came under fire from conservative groups. Critics claim that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the arrest in an effort to increase his support before the elections the following year. Gulsen, who is known as Turkey’s Ma donna, apologised on social media before being detained and claimed people trying to “polarise society” had taken offence to her statements. The singer apologised to “everyone who was hurt,” writing on Twit ter and Instagram that she was “defending freedom of expression” with her “joke be tween coworkers” and that she “sincerely regrets any offence caused.” Until her trial, she is being detained.

Tom Parker: The Wanted Singer up for Posthumous National Television Award

Tom Parker, of The Wanted, Kate Garraway, and Katie Price are three celebrities whose personal films have received nominations for National Television Awards. Five months before to his passing, Parker’s Inside My Head, a documentary about his brain tumour, debuted last October. Garraway is nominated for her most recent film about her spouse Derek after winning the written documentary award the previous year. Additionally nominated are Julia Brad bury, Price, Paddy and Christine McGuinness. Bradbury’s video detailed her battle with breast cancer, while the Mc Guinnesses opened up about their experience raising three autistic children. Price’s documentary centred on her crip pled son Harvey. The winners will be decided by public vot ing and announced at a ceremony in London on September 15 together with the other NTA awards. The LGBT teen drama Heartstopper’s Joe Locke and Kit Connor have both been nominated for emerging star, and the programme is up for best new drama elsewhere in the nominations.

For more info: europetimes.co

Staying The Course

By Shevlin Sebastian

Fromchildhood Venu Kunnappilly loved watching movies. It remained his pri mary pastime during college and in his life in Dubai. One day, a thought arose in his mind: how can I enter Mol lywood? Venu pondered over the options. He could be an actor, director, cinematogra pher, singer or scriptwriter. But he felt he did not have the talent for any of them. So, Venu felt the only way was to be a producer.

Through a friend in the industry, he sent out feelers he wanted to produce a film.

Vivek Ramadevan, one

of Mollywood’s leading en tertainment and market ing consultants, met Venu. He narrated the story of ‘Mamangam’ for over two hours.

Every 12 years, in the 18th century, the Maman gam festival would take place on the banks of the Nila river in the town of Thirunavaya in north Kera la. The Zamorin, the Hindu chiefs of Kozhikode, con ducted the festival. Several years ago, they seized own ership of the festival from Valluvakkonathiri, who were the rulers of an independent kingdom in central Kerala.

Every year, the Valluvakko nathiri sent their best war riors to confront and kill the Zamorin, who would always appear at the festival with his family members.

Venu liked the script be cause he had always liked to watch historical themes in films. In his childhood, he liked ‘Unniyarcha’ (1961). This was based on Unni yarcha, a legendary warrior. She had been mentioned in ‘Vadakkan Pattukal’, a set of ballads.

Another film he enjoyed watching was ‘Kayamkulam Kochunni’ (1966). Kochun ni was an outlaw who stole

Venu Kunnappilly made his debut as a producer with the hit, ‘Mamangam’, in 2019. He talks about his experiences in Mollywood.

from the rich and gave to the poor in present-day Travancore.

To get confirmation from Mammootty, Venu met him for the first time in a suite at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai in 2017. He was taken aback by the su perstar’s genuine respect shown to him. Mammootty inquired whether Venu wanted to drink or eat something. Then he asked about Venu’s family and all other aspects of his life. “Mammootty was a straight-forward, and downto-earth person,” said Venu.

The aspiring producer was keen for Mammootty to take the lead role. Because he knew the actor excelled in historical roles. He had admired Mammootty’s performance in ‘Pazhassi Raja’ (2009).

Mammootty had played Pazhassi (1753–1805), who was the de facto head of the kingdom of Kottayam, otherwise known as Cotiote, in Malabar.

Pazhassi fought against the exploitation of farmers, through steep taxation, by the British East India Company. There were con

stant battles between Pazhassi and his men against the Brit ish. Eventually, the British killed Pazhassi, aged 52, on November 30, 1805, in a gun-fight at Mavila Thodu, on the border of presentday Kerala and Karnataka.

Mammootty confirmed again. So, Venu became a producer.

When the film came out, ‘Mamangam’ became a box office hit. It grossed Rs 100 crore at the box office.

Venu learnt some important lessons after his first film. “If you have a good relationship with a person, it might break down when you are working together on a film,” said Venu. “So, it is imperative to have clear-cut le gal agreements with all the crew members.”

To avoid a financial loss, the producer must ensure he has lu crative deals with OTT platforms and buyers for satellite rights. “So, when the film hits the thea tres, you have already recovered your costs,” said Venu. If the film becomes a hit, then all the theatres income is a profit for the

“If you have a good relationship with a person, it might break down when you are working together on a film,” said Venu. “So, it is imperative to have clear-cut legal agreements with all the crew members.”

producer.

Following ‘Mamangam’, Venu has ploughed ahead. He produced ‘Night Drive’, and ‘Drishyam-2’ in Kannada. ‘Ee sho’ is coming out next month. Directed by Nadir Shah, it fea tures Jayasurya and Namitha Pramod in the lead roles. The shoot of the film, ‘2018’, budg eted at Rs 25 crore, is in pro gress. It stars Kunchacko Boban, Tovino Thomas, Asif Ali, and Vineeth Sreenivasan. The shoot of two other films, ‘Chaver’ and ‘Malikappuram’ is also taking place now.

Venu also released a Holly wood film called ‘After Midnight’ on February 11, 2021. Jeremy Gardner and Christian Stella play the main roles. The meta score on imdb.com is 55 out of 100.

Reflections about Mammootty and Mohan

lal

In April, 2019, Mammootty was shooting for ‘Mamangam’ during the month of Ramzan. He was fasting the entire day. A

battle scene was being filmed on an 18-acre land, behind Lake shore Hospital in Kundanoor, Kochi. “After a whole day’s shoot, with no food, Mammootty had to continue shooting till 2 a.m.,” said Venu. “But he never complained at all. He was tire less on the set.”

In the film, Mammootty had to don the role of a woman. The actor was chatting with Venu and cracked a few jokes. Then the director said, “Action.” Right in front of Venu’s eyes, he saw Mammootty transforming him self into a woman. “It was amaz ing how effortlessly he slipped into the role,” said Venu.

The producer realised it was the passion for acting that drove Mammootty. “Whatever role he takes on, he plays it with the utmost dedication,” said Venu. Immense wealth and stardom have not satiated Mammootty’s burning drive to excel. “The youngsters of today make two or three films a year. The rest of the time they are enjoying them selves and going for vacations,”

Both Mohanlal and Mammootty have an immense positive energy about them. “It could be because they are both doing work for which they have an immense passion,” said Venu.

said Venu. “Mammootty’s primary focus and enjoyment is acting.”

Venu met Mohanlal three years ago. The actor expressed an inter est in buying an apartment in ‘The Identity Twin Towers’ that Venu was building right next to the Crowne Plaza hotel in Kochi. Mohanlal bought two apartments on the 15th and 16th floor. This was converted into a duplex, with interior stair cases, and has a floor area of 9500 sq. ft.

As for Venu, he stays on the 11th floor. The view from the veranda is breath-taking. Except for the Le Me ridien hotel, which is on the opposite side, the vista is one of green vegeta tion, rivers and the wide arc of the sky above. A sharp breeze blows all the time.

“Mohanlal is able to get along with all sorts of people,” said Venu. “He has no airs at all. When he is talking to you, he is so down-to-earth that sometimes you forget that he is a superstar. He always asks about others life and what is happening in it.”

Both Mohanlal and Mammootty have an immense positive energy about them. “It could be because they are both doing work for which they have an immense passion,” said Venu.

On how they have endured as stars for over 30 years, Venu said, “Both arrived at the right time and at the right place. They have played so many roles which have been in grained in the Malayali psyche. We will always look at them with awe and reverence. But they have also maintained their image.”

Early life and career

Venu was born in Ayyampilly on the Vypeen islands. His father culti vated prawns and did pokkali farm ing (pokkali is a saline tolerant rice that is grown in the coastal regions). Venu did his early schooling in the Rama Varma Union High School

in Cherai. The school is over one hundred years old. The large build ing has a tiled roof, and British-style columns along the veranda of the ground floor. There is a sandy court yard in front. Today, it has over 800 students on its rolls.

After completing his Class 10, Venu did his pre-degree at the Sree Narayana Mangalam College, Ma liankara. In 1986, he joined the Noorul Islam Polytechnic College in Tamil Nadu to do a three-year diplo ma course in automobile engineer

ing. Venu had a desire to become a vehicle inspector in the state motor vehicles department, that would as sure him of a steady salary.

But after graduating with high marks, he got a job as a trainee in the Royal Enfield company. It makes the iconic Bullet motorcycles at their factory near Madurai. But he worked there for only four months before he got a chance to go to Saudi Arabia.

On May 17, 1990, he joined as the head of the automobile division at the Al Omarani company. The

agency did the maintenance for all government vehicles. But Venu soon discovered that his lack of experi ence was creating a problem.

Venu had worked with the Tata, Ambassador Ashok Leyland and Maruti cars. But in Saudi Arabia, he was working with Mercedes Benz, BMW, the Range Rover and Jag uars. Venu was seeing their engines for the first time.

The workers, Malayalis, North Indians, Bengalis, Filipinos and Pakistanis, came to him asking for

solutions. He found he did not have the necessary knowledge to help them.

But somehow, he learned quickly and worked in the com pany for three years. In the last year, the company became bankrupt. They paid no salary. Venu found it difficult to eat. Reluctant to come back, Venu did odd jobs here and there. He worked in a vineyard at the hill station of Abha, which is 7200 ft. above sea level. The weath er is mild throughout the year. People had to wear sweaters all the time. There is no air-con ditioning but heaters are eve rywhere. There are kilometres and kilometres of vineyards.

Venu had to walk a few kilo metres every day to reach these farms, which were in remote ar eas. He earned 20 riyals a day. “It was a difficult time,” he said. “Sometimes, we encountered

snakes in the fields. We had to be careful.”

Unfortunately, even though the labour rate was agreed upon beforehand, at the end of the day, the supervisors would say the work was not perfect. They would give the workers only

five riyals. “It was exploitation,” said Venu. “I would feel upset, but there was little I could do, since I was living in a foreign country.”

In August, 1993, Venu moved to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. He worked as

a sales executive in a company which dealt in spare parts for the Range Rover. During this time, he learned everything about the business.

Finally, in 2000, Venu took the plunge. He opened a whole sale shop dealing in automobile

spare parts in the Deira market. A lot of Africans would come there. Venu would import from India and China and export to several coun tries in Africa. The business did well from the beginning.

In 2001, he started a packing company with his roommates, with whom he stayed before his mar riage in 1997. The company spe cialises in blister packing. This is a pre-formed packaging, made of plastic, used for consumer goods, foods, and medicines. This has become a large company. He also opened a spare parts shop in the Congo called Auto King. In 2004, he opened a factory making lubri cant oil in Ajman.

Venu has made many visits to South Africa, Mozambique, Zam bia, Malawi, Somalia, Djibouti, Tanzania, Kenya, Angola, Togo, Benin Republic, Niger, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Ghana, Mali and other countries.

Venu said the Africans differed from place to place. The people who lived under Portuguese rule, in countries like Angola, Congo, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique,

Venu continues his business in Dubai, building construction in Kerala and a shop in the UK. He also has a film production company in Los Angeles and a Greentech company in Sweden.

had suffered from centuries of slav ery. So, they had low self-esteem and were deferential. The people who lived under French rule, like in Togo, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, and Mali, were tough and bargained hard when they did business. But the smartest people were those who grew up under British rule in coun tries like South Africa, Zambia and Ghana. “They had self-confidence because of the excellent education they received,” said Venu.

But across all countries, one common trait was that the Afri cans did not trust outsiders. That has been the impact of hundreds

of years of slavery. They have a fear that they will be cheated and ex ploited. “Now, the Chinese are ex ploiting them,” said Venu. “Poverty is still widespread. Many people only get two meals a day.”

Venu continues his business in Dubai, building construction in Ker ala and a shop in the UK. He also has a film production company in Los Angeles and a Greentech com pany in Sweden.

Venu as writer

In November, 2021, Venu pub lished a collection of 15 short sto ries called ‘Victoria 18’. This was released at the Sharjah Book Fair

last year. Venu wrote the stories in an autobiographical style, but it is all fiction.

Finally, when asked about his advice to young Malayalis, he said, “Please remember, life is very short. No other species has the freedom that we have. We can live and work anywhere. There are so many op portunities. Youngsters should go in search of them. They should avoid spending their time in negative thought processes and harassing people. You should have a dream. And follow it. You have only one life and it goes fast. Always remember that”

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

To progress and prosper, organisations have to continu ously innovate and promote ‘intra-preneurship’. When things go smoothly, there is a tendency on the part of institutions to slip into a comfort zone and believe that their model is sustainable forever.

Innovation in Business: The All-Important Ingredient

Intoday’s fast-changing business environment, innovation is not just important but also essential for the survival and progress of any organisation. There are any number of examples of global giants that ruled the roost for years or decades but perished because they did not or could not adapt to change fast enough. Two of the most well-known case studies often cited by management experts are, of course, those of Nokia and Kodak. While the former did not see the tech world mov ing from hardware to software, the sec

ond did move from analog to digital but the transformation was not swift enough to keep the competitors from chipping away at its once-enviable market share.

If today Manappuram Finance boasts of an AUM of Rs 31,000 crore, over 5,000 branches all over India and 44,000 employees, it wouldn’t have been possible at all without that magic ingredient of business called innovation. Pawnbroking or lending against the se curity of household gold jewellery has been in existence for several decades in this country but a transformation was

brought into the field by infusing professionalism, modern manage ment practices and technology into the gold loan business, which was till then a traditional business dominat ed by pawnbrokers and moneylend ers operating in lanes and bylanes spread across the country. Manap puram became the first corporate entity in the country to enter this business and turn it into an organ ised and professional field. This not only paved the way for the growth of one company but an entire sector. This brought about much-needed transparency to the business, which was till then riddled with complaints of malpractices. Today, there are many NBFCs that are following on the footsteps of Manappuram and private as well as public sector banks

have also woken up to the immense potential of the gold loan business. Since then, to stay ahead in the intensely competitive business sce nario, Manappuram has been adopt ing incremental innovations with the help of technology; products such as Online Gold Loan and Doorstep Gold Loan are two such examples of innovative products that are tai lormade for the modern Net-savvy customer.

To progress and prosper, organi sations have to continuously inno vate and promote ‘intra-preneur ship’. When things go smoothly, there is a tendency on the part of institutions to slip into a comfort zone and believe that their model is sustainable forever. But when a busi ness is attractive, it is bound to at

tract competition. Also, when a com petitor comes, he won’t just emulate but add some ‘plus’ to the product or service. It is this ‘plus’ that takes away the customer.

And whatever seems a relatively safe zone can turn out to be slippery, almost overnight. To tackle this chal lenge, companies need to set up a specialised cell to bring about inno vations based on current develop ments. Also, every department has to be encouraged to be innovative in its functions.

For innovation to bloom, the soil needs to be right and the culture appropriate. I once headed a FICCI team that went to Israel to study the water management system there. They get very little rainfall but de salinate sea water and recycle even

Even the most ordinary individuals have learned to use the e-wallet. Currencies have progressed from physical to plastic to digital. These days, the digital nature of the transactions enable the lender to assess the creditworthiness and turnover of the customer. This has led to digital, round-the-clock lending.

waste water. Since the land is bar ren, they employ ultra-modern ag ricultural techniques and are selfsufficient in most areas including food production. This is admirable, since they are always under threat because of the geo-political situa tion and constantly under air sur veillance.

I was there for a week and used to go for evening walks in the beach. Once a couple of youngsters accosted me and greeted me with, ‘Hello, uncle’. I instantly knew they were Indians and they turned out to be final semester students of IIT Powai who were doing a pro ject at a local college there. I asked them why Israel and not the US. They told me that it is the dream of any student to do a project in that country where innovation is a way of life. People always try to do things differently there. It has be come part of their culture to con stantly look for innovation.

Long ago, when I used to work as a banker in Chennai, I saw a dif ferent kind of innovation in rais ing and grooming children. Our branch was in Mint Street and our customers included members of the Gujarati community. I came to know that while celebrating chil dren’s birthdays, they would ac cept small donations and with the pooled-in cash, they would buy blue chip shares in the name of

the birthday boy or girl. The child would see how the share price goes up and down and watch the share’s worth swell and understand the value of money automatically.

In this century, innovations are mainly driven by information technology. And technology pro gresses in totally unpredictable ways such as Artificial Intelligence and Metaverse. In the financial field, a lot of innovative products have become the order of the day. Even the most ordinary individuals have learned to use the e-wallet. Currencies have progressed from physical to plastic to digital. These days, the digital nature of the transactions enable the lender to assess the creditworthiness and turnover of the customer. This has led to digital, round-the-clock lend ing.

Same is the case with any field. In medicine, complex surgeries are done by renowned experts sitting in another corner of the world, us ing robotics. In automobiles, they are coming up with driverless cars and intelligent cars. Innovation is now inevitable and an integral part of modern life.

Innovation happens more of ten in startups because these are the creations of individuals who are passionate about what they do. It is like a chess player who plays for hours but does not feel tired

because he is passionate about the game. An entrepreneur is also similar in his ways to the chess player and tries different ways of doing a business until he finds the best method.

In large organisations, on the other hand, we create followers but it is not easy to create an innova tive mindset in people, though it is not impossible. At Manappuram, we do have an internal group of people who keep their ears and eyes open to the latest technologi cal innovations.

We are all slaves of customs and practices and creativity gets blunted as we get older. This is why, large firms nowadays identify good startups and promote them. The idea is to identify someone who is driven by sheer passion rather than bring together people and create formal think tanks. Another posi tive development is that the Cen tral government now allows CSR funds to be used for innovation. The IIMs and the IITs now have a startup fund and even the Kerala government has an incubation cell.

India is fast becoming a global hub for unicorns and as Jeff Bezos, one of the greatest innovators the world has seen, once said, “I think frugality drives innovation, just like other constraints do. One of the only ways to get out of a tight box is to invent your way out”

Miss Glam World 2022:

Manappuram DQUE and Pegasus’s Beauty Pageant Kicks Off the Charm and Confidence

Contestants in beauty pageants have a platform on which they as cend to fame and glory. Both glam orous and less glamorous fields can be entered successfully using them. Participants in the pageant stand out from the thousands of other hope fuls competing for jobs in industries including filmmaking, hosting tel evision shows, news anchors, and many others even if they don’t win. A female who has taken part in the competitions stands out in a certain way from the rest.

It’s a fantastic opportunity for girls to compete in beauty pageants and have fun while learning valuable life skills. It’s an excellent approach to networking and understanding the difference between winning and losing. Participating in beauty pag eants can teach women new skills that they can utilise as adults. The pageant boosts women’s confidence and improves their personalities, so cial skills, and composure. Women learn a range of skills from compet ing in beauty pageants that they may utilise in their future careers.

Such a chance is provided to young, exceptional girls around the World by Pegasus Event Production Company’s international pageant, Miss Glam World. Pegasus organised the 4th edition of Miss Glam World effectively.

The three rounds of the pageant were National Costume, Red Cock tail, and White Gown. The 21 con tenders for the National Costume Round entered the stage in national costumes to represent their nations during the opening round and intro duced themselves to the audience. The competition was actually more

“Beauty is when you can appreciate yourself”

Zoë Kravitz

tense among the audience during the second round.

The “Red Cocktail” round of the competition, when the number of contestants dropped from 21 to 12, saw our respected panel of experts engage the contestants in a Q&A ses

sion. The stunning girls perceptive and moving responses astonished the panel as well as the audience.

There was a great deal of excite ment in the air before Miss Glam World 2022’s final round because six of the top 12 competitors were about

to be eliminated. Pegasus Event Pro duction, the organisation organising the event, alternated these sessions with a flurry of cultural performanc es to shake things up and lighten the mood.

The final round of common

questions came next. Each of the six finalists gave a thoughtful written response to the question. As each response was read out, the participants received cheers and applause from the crowd.

The moment that had been eagerly anticipated came next. When the emcee asked who they felt would win the competition, the audience erupted with the names of their favourite contest ants. The contestants, who were holding hands, were beaming with happiness. At the height of the tension and excitement, Valentina Vasilic of Serbia was crowned as Miss Glam World 2022, with Vaishnavi Sharma of India taking first runner-up place and Jechen Ladree of Bhutan coming in as the second runnerup.

The Miss Glam World pag eant winners were crowned by Manappuram Finance Ltd MD and CEO V P Nandakumar. Dr. Ajit Ravi, the chairman of Pegasus, and Bibin, MD of Zaya The Infinity Elegance were also

present during the occasion.

Apart from main titles con testants Odella Yei Floma, Tha daza Sorn, Annisa Pretty Musa, Nirashini Gunasegaran, Michelle Elise Berthina Van De Vin, Cyn thia Veronica Florenciani Agüero, Marta Sánchez De Nieva Ball esta, Sarah Bulus, Vivian Her nandez, Maeva Balan, Valentina Vasilic, Irina Shrestha, Daria Gubanova and Endgel Ponicio Da Cruz also owned subtitles such as Miss Glam World Solidarity, Miss Glam World Fashionista, Miss Glam World Talent, Miss Glam World Sensational, Miss Glam World Diligent, Miss Glam World Inspiring, Miss Glam World Viva cious, Miss Glam World Shin ing Star, Miss Glam World Best Ramp Walk, Miss Glam World Tenacious, Miss Glam World Renaissance, Miss Glam World Adorable, Miss Glam World Fit ness Icon and Miss Glam World National Costume respectively.

On the judging panel were GD Singh (an entrepreneur and philanthropist), Dr. Jaya Mahesh

(a fitness specialist), Sandeep Malani (a filmmaker), Hari Anand (a fashion de signer), and Lucie (an international yoga instructor). A jury of distinguished people chose the winners of the subtitles.

The winners were crowned with gold stuffed crowns created by Parakkat Jewel ers. The competition was run in accord ance with the guidelines established by the government in light of the Covid spread.

Pegasus event Production Company basically did away with the famous bikini round from beauty pageants. The company has made a unique position for itself in the fashion industry thanks to its unique ideas. As its main beauty brands, the company also owns Miss Queen Kerala, Miss Queen

of India, Miss Asia, and Mrs India Global. The pageant was set up to encourage tourism and highlight the nation’s rich and diverse cul tural assets.

Manappuram Finance Lim ited and DQUE are the main partners of Miss Glam World 2022 organized by Pegasus Global Pvt Ltd. Amrut Veni, SAJ Earth Resorts and Convention Center, Unique Times, and DQUE Face and Body Skin Friendly Soap are powered by Partners. Co-partners are FICF, Parakkat Resort, Kalpa na International, Nechupadam Dental Clinic, Times New, UT World, Aiswaria Advertisements, Europe Times, Photogenic Fash ion and Weddings, UT TV, Udaya Sounds, Green Media, Juzt Shine Family Fitness, Good Day Hotels and Resorts, Akshay Inco and JD Institute of Fashion Technology. Indra Parmentier from Bel

gium, Jechen Ladree from Bhu tan, Endgel Ponicio Da Cruz from Brazil, Thadaza Sorn from Cambodia, Maeva Balan from France, Vaishnavi Sharma from India, Annisa Pretty Musa from Indonesia, Odella Yei Floma from Liberia, Nirashini Gunasegaran from Malaysia, Badema Hal ilovic from Montenegro, Moni ka Clarke from Namibia, Irina Shrestha from Nepal, Michelle Elise Berthina Van De Vin from the Netherlands, Sarah Bulus from Nigeria, Cynthia Veronica Florenciani Agüero from Para guay, Vivian Hernandez from the Philippines, Katarzyna Justyna Gajewska from Poland, Daria Gubanova from Russia, Valen tina Vasilic from Serbia, Marta Sánchez De Nieva Ballesta from Spain and Pham Ngoc Xuan Quynh from Vietnam were the contestants

Mrs Glam World 2022: Manappuram DQUE along with Pegasus Paves Way to Yet Another Fame and Glory

Abeauty

pageant recognises artistic tal ent. Women who compete in beauty pageants have the opportunity to showcase their qualities both nation ally and internationally.

Through pageants, women gain invaluable life skills and several advantages. The best thing about competition is that you can ben efit from it even if you don’t “win.” A woman who has competed stands out from the other women in a particular way. You might be sur prised by the growth and improvements you notice in those who took part!

With 20 years of experience, Pegasus is a well-known, elite event production com pany in India. The company dominated the

fashion business by hosting numerous national and inter national beauty pageants. Mar ried women from all around the world have access to this oppor tunity thanks to Pegasus Event Production Company’s inter national pageant, Mrs Glam World. The first Mrs Glam World edition was successfully organised by Pegasus.

The National Costume, Red Cocktail, and White Gown rounds made up the pageant. In the first round, National Costume Round, the 14 com petitors entered the stage dressed in national garb and self-introduced themselves. The first round itself was par ticularly tense because of how fiercely competitive the con testants were.

The second round was the Red Cocktail round. 14 stun ning women were lining the stage in crimson gowns. Out of the 14 participants who gave it their all in the first round, 10 gorgeous contestants were selected for the second round. The audience then witnessed

our esteemed team of judges question the competitors in the following round. The panel and the audience were both as tounded by the beautiful ladies’ insightful and heartfelt com ments. In addition to physical beauty, Mrs Glam World places a strong focus on self-love, con fidence, and social responsibil ity. In the second round, each competitor faced off against the other.

The 10 participants lined up for the last round of com mon question while wearing white gowns. Seven of the 10 candidates were chosen as fi nalists. Each of the seven final ists responded to the common question in a well-written es say. The audience clapped and cheered for the contestants as each response was read out.

Then came the moment that had been long awaited. The audience roared with the names of their favourite com petitors when the emcee asked who they thought would win the competition. The contest ants were grinning with joy as

they held hands. After much wait ing, the winner was announced as Zambian beauty Brandina Lubuli won the title Mrs Glam World, along with first runner-up Dash baljid Munkhzul of Mongolia and second runner-up Kripa Dharmaraj of India.

The inaugural Mrs Glam World event took place on August 27 at the Gokulam Convention Center in Kochi. Pegasus Global Pvt Ltd, one of the top event production companies in India, was in charge of planning the event. By launch ing yet another new pageant for married women around the world, they have added another illustrious feather to their collection of accom plishments. V P Nandakumar, MD and CEO of Manappuram Finance Ltd, crowned the Mrs Glam World pageant winners. Dr. Ajit Ravi, Chairman of Pegasus and Bibin, MD of Zaya The Infinity Elegance were also present during the cer emony. Gold stuffed crown made by Parakkat Jewelers was handed to the Mrs Glam World winners.

GD Singh (Entrepreneur and

Philanthropist), Lucie (Interna tional Yoga Trainer), Dr Jaya Ma hesh (fitness therapist), Sandeep Malani (film director) and Hari Anand (Fashion Designer) were on the judging panel. The winners of the subtitles were selected by a panel of renowned persons.

Subtitles Mrs Glam World Solidarity, Mrs Glam World Fash ionista, Mrs Glam World Talent, Mrs Glam World Sensational, Mrs Glam World Diligent, Mrs Glam World Inspiring, Mrs Glam World Vivacious, Mrs Glam World Shining Star, Mrs Glam World Best Ramp Walk, Mrs Glam World Tenacious and Mrs Glam World National Cos tume were owned by Eztelle Roche Kaye, Tashi Yangzom, Yonela Jinde la, Eleonora Monica Massara, Irina Pikulik, Agnes Angie Anak Mar tin, Kristina Verkhoturova, Yukari Hayashi, Dashbaljid Munkhzul, Miss Varisaon Petchsiri and Agnes Angie Anak Martin respectively.

Manappuram Finance Limited and DQUE are the main partners of Mrs Glam World 2022 organized by Pegasus Global Pvt Ltd. Amrut

Veni, SAJ Earth Resorts and Convention Center, Unique Times, and DQUE Face and Body Skin Friendly Soap are powered by Part ners. Co-partners are FICF, Parakkat Resort, Kalpana International, Nechupadam Dental Clinic, Times New, UT World, Aiswaria Adver tisements, Europe Times, Photogenic Fashion and Weddings, UT TV, Udaya Sounds, Green Media, Juzt Shine Family Fitness, Good Day Hotels and Resorts, Akshay Inco and JD Insti tute of Fashion Technology.

The iconic Bikini round is not included in Pegasus Global Pvt Ltd’s pageants; instead, the organisation places a greater emphasis on talent and charisma. Thanks to its original concepts, the brand has carved out a distinct niche for itself in the fashion market.

Tashi Yangzom from Bhutan, Irina Piku lik from Estonia, Kripa Dharmaraj from India, Eleonora Monica Massara from Italy, Yukari Hayashi from Japan, Agnes Angie Anak Martin from Malaysia, Mariana Xochipilli Martinez Mac Kenzie from México, Dashbaljid Munkh zul from Mongolia, Evarista Elizabeth Rivas Brusquetti from Paraguay, Kristina Verkho turova from Russia, Eztelle Roche Kaye From Singapore, Yonela Jindela from South Africa, Miss Varisaon Petchsiri (Anny) from Thailand and Brandina Lubuli from Zambia were the contestants.

The goal of the pageant is to encourage tourism while showcasing the nation’s rich and diverse cultural values. The event was planned according to the government-estab lished pandemic norms

Rajesh Nair Associate Partner, Ernst & Young LLP

The ability to think and reflect is key to leveraging whatever we have learned and the mind has to often work like an orchestra. It needs to maintain the symphony by extracting the right ‘notes’ from every subject we know and condensing it into a meaningful series of information that can then be used to take decisions.

The Age of Hyper-Learning has Arrived

Theimportance of learning has never been dim. Right from the time we enter the portals of kindergarten, to the brick walls of higher learning in stitutions to the places of work, we have always been urged, cajoled and often motivated to learn new con cepts and new ways of doing things. While the foundations were key in schools and not much has changed in the content and the basics, the subsequent specialisations have un dergone a serious change. As a thirdgeneration engineer by qualification, I often quote how the science and the pedantic of engineering had not really changed over the times of my grandfather and then my father. But what the current generation learns has technology in a different dimen sion. Digital was a futuristic buz zword of the past and now, it is often the synopsis of our lives – personal and professional. From the basic electronics of the past to the com plex circuitry of today, we use newer

technologies for everything. While the debate on whether there is too much technology is on, there is no question that everyone – every single human being needs to have some ac cess to it and we can no more chide it – calling it the ‘millennial thing’! Data from every source and a connecting business framework for thinking and thinking through op tions provide a helpful structure for planning. All this needs an open mind and the ability to learn. Learn ability is often underrated or taken as granted – ‘Of course the ability to learn and change is important’, but we do not see it as a strategic advan tage. This is relevant equally for pro fessionals as much as for organisa tions. We often also rely completely on existing data to make decisions. While it is important, there are of ten new trajectories, and you will not always find numbers that will help us conjure the story. Imagina tion is equally important. Imagina tion is not dreaming our new con

texts but learning from trends and questioning the direction which we often take. This imagination is often stoked by your ability to learn and delve deep into learning.

A learning mindset also helps you summarise what you see – put ting the student mindset at work! What we learn in school is best retained and leveraged when we connect all of it into structures. As we learn new things, our ability for retention and application of what we learn happens when we con nect what we learn to our existing knowledge structures in our minds. For example, digital transformation or simply automation is fairly cycli cal a phenomenon and our ability to adapt to new inventions and in novations in technology. From time immemorial we have seen miracle technologies. Suddenly regular tasks have been transformed with new technologies and these have allowed us to do more with less, ratcheting our fundamental capabilities to a dif

ferent level.

Learning and keeping an in quisitive mindset also helps us simplify tasks in our minds. Like the often quoted Occam’s Razor philosophy – the answer to com plex questions are usually the sim plest! Consider again the example of digital transformations. Most of the innovations we see on a daily basis are basically around data and connectivity – on how we can lever age the two to transform customer interactions and experiences or to redefine products and services which build better customer inter actions. These seem like over-sim plifications but leaning back to the first principles helps you clarify and demystify your service offerings.

All of this is also relevant for professionals. Your basic education is nothing more than a fundamen tal baseline for you to add more from experience and embellish by thinking and creativity. The ability to think and reflect is key to lev eraging whatever we have learned and the mind has to often work like an orchestra. It needs to maintain the symphony by extracting the right ‘notes’ from every subject we know and condensing it into

a meaningful series of informa tion that can then be used to take decisions. This is not a factor of the age of a person – youth is no guarantee of innovation and fast thinking while seniority in age is nor an indicator of well catalogued experience. We often get counters of words like ‘serendipity’, the play of luck/change and God’s dice. Well, some of thee are purely con nections and they happen when we are more ‘mindful’ and aware. The Latin phrase ‘Amat Victoria Cur ram’ means victory loves prepara tion and it is a necessary condition.

A constant learner can deliver crisp, relevant and clear messages in a steady cadence using the rel evant formats and modes of com munication. These are also impor tant to communicate the long-term orientation of people and firms which is a necessary counterbal ance when we constantly have pressures of short-term financial targets to meet out our goals. These messages need to constantly use the prism of learning to converge relationships, data and information into manifestable actions to meet customer goals.

So, are the pessimistic sooth

sayers on technology correct? Will the machines take over? Not really. From time immemorial, technology has ushered disruption and chaos to order. Whether it was the print ing press of the past, the computers and now automation. It is also of interest to note, that automation tends to bring efficiency to tasks within a vocation and does not obliterate it altogether. But even the most optimistic of futurologists will aver that in most occupations, it is of paramount importance to figure out new skills when the es tablished routines become obsolete. Employers cannot always give you futuristic guidance. In most cases, it is difficult to articulate what is the expertise needed in even a smaller time horizon of two to three years.

It is time to revert back to the school time routine of reading and thinking and not just trust their business intuition to make deci sions. We are moving into a ‘learn and earn’ future as the world throws up challenges like climate change, pandemics and the like which have never been experi enced to their fullness. The time for deep hyperlearning is here!

Dr Arun Oommen

MBBS, MS (Gen Surg), MCh (Neurosurgery), MRCSEd,MBA Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon VPS Lakeshore Hospital

NH-47, Bypass, Maradu, Nettoor PO, Kochi 682040, India.

Education programs before reaching school age may be useful. School-age children with Down syndrome may benefit from inclusive education (whereby students of differing abilities are placed in classes with their peers of the same age), provided some adjustments are made to the curriculum.

Facts about Down's Syndrome

Downsyndrome (trisomy of chromosome 21) is the most common chromo some abnormality in hu mans occurring in about one per 1000 babies born each year. It is typi cally associated with physical growth delays, characteristic facial and physical features, mild to moderate intellectual disability, poor immune function and an increased risk of a number of other health problems, including congenital heart disease, leukemia, thyroid disorders, and mental illness.

Risk factors for down's syndrome include:

• Advancing maternal age: A woman's chances of giving birth to a child with Down syndrome increases with age because older eggs have a greater risk of improper chromo some division. By age 35, a woman's risk of conceiving a child with Down syndrome is about 1 in 350. By age 40, the risk is about 1 in 100, and by age 45, the risk is about 1 in 30.

• Having had one child with Down syndrome risk for the next child with down syndrome is about 1 in 100.

• Mothers who have Down syn drome themselves are 50% more likely to give birth to a child with Down syndrome.

• Being carriers of the genetic translocation for Down syndrome: Parents can pass down a chromosomal abnormality called balanced translocation, which con tributes to the Translocation Down syndrome. In this instance, the par ent does not have signs of Down syndrome, but has genetic material "balanced" between chromosome 21 and another chromosome, pos ing an increased risk for the child if that material attaches to the other chromosome when the cell divides.

• Folate metabolism is abnor mal in mothers of children with Down syndrome and that this may be explained, in part, by a mutation in the MTHFR gene.

Physical features include a

short stature,small chin, slanted eyes, poor muscle tone, a flat nasal bridge, a single crease of the palm, a protruding tongue due to a small mouth and large tongue, a flat and wide face, a short neck, excessive joint flexibility, extra space between big toe and second toe, abnormal patterns on the fingertips and short fingers.

Neurological features include mild (IQ: 50–70) or moderate (IQ: 35–50) intellectual disability. Many developmental milestones are de layed. As they age, people with Down syndrome typically perform less well compared to their sameage peers. Commonly, individuals with Down syndrome have better language understanding than ability to speak. Many have either a stutter or rapid and irregular speech, mak ing it difficult to understand them. They typically do fairly well with social skills. Behavior problems are not generally as great an issue as in other syndromes associated with in tellectual disability. In children with

Down syndrome, mental illness oc curs in nearly 30% with autism oc curring in 5–10%. People with Down syndrome experience a wide range of emotions. While generally happy, symptoms of depression and anxi ety may develop in early adulthood. Down syndrome is at increased risk of epileptic seizures which occur in 5–10% of children and up to 50% of adults. Many who live 40 years or longer develop dementia of the Alz heimer's type.

Visual problems include re fractive errors, strabismus, Cataracts Keratoconus, glaucoma. Hearing problems are otitis media with effu sion and chronic ear infections due to poor eustachian tube function. Excessive ear wax can also cause hearing loss due to obstruction of the outer ear canal. Age-related hearing loss of the sensorineural type occurs at a much earlier age and affects 10–70% of people with Down syndrome.

Congenital Heart Diseases in Down syndrome include atrio ventricular septal defect ,ventricu lar septal defect, tetralogy of Fallot and patent ductus arteriosus. Mitral

valve problems become common as people age.

Risk of leukemia and testicular cancer is increased and risk of solid cancers is reduced. Solid cancers are believed to be less common due to increased expression of tumor suppressor genes present on chro mosome 21. Cancers of the blood are 10 to 15 times more common in children with Down syndrome. In particular, acute lymphoblastic leu kemia is 20 times more common and the megakaryoblastic form of acute myelogenous leukemia is 500 times more common.

Thyroid problems can be due to a poorly or nonfunctioning thyroid at birth (known as congenital hypo thyroidism) or due to an attack on the thyroid by the immune system resulting in Graves disease or auto immune hypothyroidism. Type 1 dia betes mellitus is also more common.

GIT problems like Constipation occurs in nearly half of people with Down syndrome. Other congenital problems include duodenal atresia, pyloric stenosis, Meckel diverticu lum, imperforate anus, Celiac dis

ease and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Males with Down syndrome usu ally do not father children, while fe males have lower rates of fertility. It is said that fertility is estimated to be present in 30–50% of women. Menopause typically occurs at an earlier age. The poor fertility in men is thought to be due to problems with sperm development; however, it may also be related to not being sexually active. Three instances of males with Down syndrome fathering chil dren and 26 cases of women having children have been reported.

Diagnosis before birth

Several blood markers can be measured to predict the risk of Down syndrome during the first or second trimester. Testing in both tri mesters is sometimes recommended and test results are often combined with ultrasound results. In the second trimester, often two or three tests are used in combination with two or three of: a-fetoprotein, un conjugated estriol, total hCG, and free ßhCG detecting about 60–70% of cases.

Testing of the mother's blood for fetal DNA is being studied and appears promising in the first tri mester. The International Society for Prenatal Diagnosis considers it a reasonable screening option for those women whose pregnancies are at a high risk for trisomy 21. Ac curacy has been reported at 98.6% in the first trimester of pregnancy. Confirmatory testing by invasive techniques (amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling) is still required to confirm the screening result.

USG Findings that indicate in creased risk when seen at 14 to 24 weeks of gestation include a small or no nasal bone, large ventricles, nuchal fold thickness, and an ab normal right subclavian artery. In creased fetal nuchal translucency (NT) indicates an increased risk of Down syndrome picking up 75–80% of cases.

Diagnosis after birth

The diagnosis can often be sus pected based on the child's physi cal appearance at birth. An anal ysis of the child's chromosomes is needed to confirm the diagnosis, and to determine if a translocation is present, as this may help deter mine the risk of the child's parents having further children with Down syndrome.

Managing a child with Down Syndrome

Efforts such as early childhood intervention, screening for com mon problems, medical treatment where indicated, a good family en vironment, and work-related train ing can improve the development of children with Down syndrome.

Education and proper care can im prove quality of life. Raising a child with Down syndrome is more work for parents than raising an unaf fected child. Typical childhood vac cinations are recommended.

A number of health organiza tions have issued recommendations for screening those with Down syn drome for particular diseases. This is recommended to be done system atically. At birth, all children should get an electrocardiogram and ultra sound of the heart. Surgical repair of heart problems may be required as early as three months of age. Heart valve problems may occur in young adults, and further ultra sound evaluation may be needed in adolescents and in early adulthood. Due to the elevated risk of testicular cancer, some recommend checking the person's testicles yearly.

Cognitive development

Hearing aids or other ampli fication devices can be useful for language learning in those with hearing loss. Speech therapy may be useful and is recommended to be started around 9 months of age. As those with Down's typically have good hand-eye coordination, learning sign language may be pos sible. Augmentative and alternative communication methods, such as pointing, body language, objects, or pictures, are often used to help with communication. Behavioral issues and mental illness are typi cally managed with counseling and/ or medications.

Education programs before reaching school age may be useful. School-age children with Down syn drome may benefit from inclusive

education (whereby students of dif fering abilities are placed in classes with their peers of the same age), provided some adjustments are made to the curriculum.

Others

Tympanostomy tubes are often needed and often more than one set during the person's childhood. Tonsillectomy is also often done to help with sleep apnea and throat infections. Surgery, however, does not always address the sleep apnea and a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine may be useful. Physical therapy and partic ipation in physical education may improve motor skills.

Efforts to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection with human monoclonal antibodies should be considered, especially in those with heart problems.

Plastic surgery has been sug gested as a method of improving the appearance and thus the ac ceptance of people with Down's. It has also been proposed as a way to improve speech.

Many alternative medical tech niques used in Down syndrome include: dietary changes, massage, chiropractics and naturopathy, Future prospects

Efforts are underway to deter mine how the extra chromosome 21 material causes Down syndrome, as currently this is unknown, and to develop treatments to improve intelligence in those with the syn drome. One hope is to use stem cells. Other methods being studied include the use of antioxidants, gamma secretase inhibition, adr energic agonists, and memantine

Adv Sherry Samuel Oommen: This article is authored by Adv Sherry Samuel Oommen. Adv Oommen, who spe cializes in constitution, tax and corporate laws has also cleared the final exams of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, the Institute of Cost Accountants of India and the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. He has also completed his Masters Degree in Commerce, apart from obtaining a Post Graduate Diploma in Business and Corporate Laws from Symbiosis Pune. The views expressly are personal and should not be construed as a legal opinion.sherryoommen@nashcp.com.

BENAMI TRANSACTIONS ACTTHE DUST FINALLY SETTLES

Ina recent judgment, the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Union of India Vs Ganpati Dealcom Private Limited

2022 SCC Online SC 1064 held that the amendments effected through the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016 which came into effect from 01.11.2016 would not apply retro spectively. What prompted the amend ment?

The Benami Transactions (Pro hibition) Amendment Act, 2016 (“2016 Act”) was essentially passed to cure certain infirmities in the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988 (“1988 Act”). Pertinently, the 1988 Act did not contain provi sions relating to confiscation, appel late mechanism, amongst others, which resulted in the said law being largely toothless. This is aptly stated by the Standing Committee in the context of the 2016 Act, which has been reproduced below:

“In this context, it is submitted that a new bill incorporating the

above features was prepared and for warded to the Ministry of Law. In the Repeals and Saving clause, a specific sub-clause had been included, so as to ensure that any Benami transac tion which had been undertaken by any person between the year 1988 and the date of the proposed bill coming into force, was also covered under new legislation. This implied that Benami Transactions, on which no action was taken under the 1988 Act, would be recognized as Benami transaction under new act, and con sequential action would follow. The Ministry of Law was of the opinion that aforesaid provision was uncon stitutional in view of Article 20 of Constitution, and therefore could not be included in repeals and sav ings. Therefore, no action would be possible on any such transactions which occurred between 1988 and the date of repeal of 1988 Act. As a consequence, the Benami transac tions during the period of twenty six years, would be in fact granted immunity since no action could be initiated in absence of specific provi

sion in Repeals and Savings clause. It was therefore suggested by Minis try of Law, that it would be advisable to comprehensively amend the exist ing Benami Transactions (Prohibi tion) Act, 1988, so that the offences committed during the last 26 years are also covered. This would enable action against Benami transactions undertaken after the commencement of 1988 Act. Therefore, the present Bill is an Amendment Bill and not a Bill proposing a new Act”

Thus, the intention of the Gov ernment was indeed clear that the provisions of 2016 Act were intended to apply retrospectively. This was in deed evident as the Government had sought to amend the 1988 Act in stead of introducing a new law. This position was even stated by then Fi nance Minister while responding to a question posed by a Member of Parliament. The excerpt of the reply is stated below:

“Anybody will know that a law can be made retrospective, but un der Article 20 of the Constitution of India, penal laws cannot be made

Anybody will know that a law can be made retrospective, but under Article 20 of the Consti tution of India, penal laws cannot be made retrospective. The simple answer to the question why we did not bring a new law is that a new law would have meant giving immunity to everybody from the penal provisions during the period 1988 to 2016 and giving a 28-year immunity would not have been in larger public interest, particularly if large amounts of unaccounted and black money have been used to transact those transactions.

retrospective. The simple answer to the question why we did not bring a new law is that a new law would have meant giving immunity to eve rybody from the penal provisions during the period 1988 to 2016 and giving a 28-year immunity would not have been in larger public inter est, particularly if large amounts of unaccounted and black money have been used to transact those transac tions. That was the principal object. Therefore, prima facie the argument looks attractive that 'there is a 9-sec tion law and you are inserting 71 sections into it. So, you bring a new law.', but a new law would have had consequences which would have been detrimental to public interest.'

The said act of retrospectivity was a subject matter of challenge before various High Courts in India. The Rajasthan High Court in the case of Niharika Jain Vs Union of India [2019] 107 Taxmann. com 272 held that the 2016 Act cannot be applied retrospectively owing to substantial changes in the law. However, the Chhattis garh High Court in the case of Tulsiram Vs Assistant Commis sioner of Income-tax [2019] 112 Taxmann.com 129 held that the provisions of the 2016 Act relating to confiscation of properties would apply retrospectively, ie, in respect of transactions entered into prior to 01.11.2016. This question has now finally been settled in favour of the citizen by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Union of India Vs Ganpati Dealcom Private Limited 2022 SCC Online SC 1064.

The Hon’ble Supreme Court held against retrospectivity, as be

ing unduly harsh , being guided by some of the following principles, which has been discussed below:

1. The word “law” in the expres sion “procedure established by law” in Article 21 of the Constitution of India means a law that must be right, just, fair, not arbitrary fanci ful or oppressive. This proposition has been upheld in a catena of judgments including by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Sunil Batra Vs Delhi Administration (1978) 4 SCC 494.

2. In the landmark judgment in the case of K Puttaswamy Vs Union of India (2017) 10 SCC 1, the Court held that a person cannot be deprived of life or personal lib erty except in accordance with the procedure established by law. Fur ther, Article 14 of the Constitution of India, which guarantees against arbitrariness infuses the entirety of Article 12.

3. The interrelationship between the guarantee against arbitrariness and the protection of life and per sonal liberty operates in a multifac eted plane. First, it ensures that the procedure for deprivation must be fair, just and reasonable. Second, Article 14 of the Constitution of In dia impacts both the procedure and the expression “law”.

4. Thus, a law within the mean ing of Article 21 must be consistent with the norms of fairness which originates in Article 14. Hence, as a matter of principle, once Article 14 has a connect with Article 21, the norms of fairness and reasona bleness would apply not only to the procedure but to the law as well.

5. The Court observed that if

retrospectivity is imposed, it would be manifestly arbitrary. The test of manifest arbitrariness was dealt with by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Joseph Shine Vs Union of India (2019) 3 SCC 39, where the Court held that “manifest arbi trariness” must be something done by the legislature capriciously, irra tionally, and/ or without adequate determining principle. Thus, when something is done which is exces sive and disproportionate, such legislation would be manifestly ar bitrary.

6. Every law that takes away or impairs rights vested agreeably to existing laws is retrospective and is generally unjust and may be oppres sive. The Hon’ble Supreme Court in T Barai (1983) 1 SCC 177 in the context of Article 20(1) of the Constitution of India held that it is a good general rule that a law should have no retrospect. This would not take into its sweep, an ex post facto law that mollifies the rigour of a penal provision but only those than create or aggravate the crime or in crease the punishment or change the rules of evidence for the purpose of conviction.

The said judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court is indeed a huge relief for various citizens who have been facing the brunt of the retrospective law. One would hope that the Government would be as siduous especially when introducing laws that could have a retrospective impact. Courts should indeed be the sentinel que vive to protect the citizen from an unconstitutional law irrespective of whether it is chal lenged or not

Rajiv Ambat Lifestyle Disorders Coach & Founder - NuvoVivo

About NuvoVivo (www.nuvovivo.com) Rajiv Ambat is the CEO of NuvoVivo, an online health & fitness com pany that is into medical fitness. He is a well-known speaker and author of the best-selling book - ‘The Midriff Crisis’ and lifestyle expert. Under the guidance of Mr Rajiv, his team at NuvoVivo help their clients manage/reverse lifestyle diseases like diabetes, cholesterol, fatty liver, uric acid, hypertension, PCOS, thyroid disorders, etc.

The Single Most Important Factor for Long-Term Health & Fitness - ‘Sustainability’

Have your Onam Sadhya, Payasam, and still be on a ‘Diet’!

Yes, you heard that right! First of all, I, personally do not like the word ‘diet’. Diet has a negative connota tion - it is constraining, it reminds us of saying NO to our favorite food and being hungry all the time and perhaps eating only salads. Sadly, this is how quite a few of us relate to the word ‘diet’ and the idea of eat ing healthy! And that is why, I pre fer the word ‘Nutrition’ over ‘Diet’. The word ‘nutrition’ has a positive overtone; it is about nurturing one’s body and making it healthy. It is also about building a healthy relationship with food.

I ask my clients - what is the point in living healthy if you cannot enjoy an Onam sadhya!? There is no point in living every day for a tomor row, and never ever living a today! Eating healthy is not a punishment; it does not mean eating bland and tasteless food, or not having rice

(carbs). One should learn to have an occasional indulgence and yet stay healthy. Yes! I’m saying, you CAN have your cake and eat it too! Such a sustainable approach to your nutrition is the single most fact that defines your long-term success in staying healthy, in shape and ward ing off lifestyle diseases.

Flexible fitness, for longterm sustainability

A sustainable or flexible fitness is when you do not feel terrible and cringe just because you had a Jalebi* or a bowl of Palada payasam. Sounds great - but, how do you implement this in real life?

Let me give you an exam ple - 1 serving of Semiya Payasam (Kheer) is roughly 200+ Calories! (This is highly variable based on the amount of ghee, sugar, etc. used in the preparation) Go ahead and have those extra 200 calories of sugar*, as long as you are going to adjust this in some way in subsequent meals or through exercises.

That said, if you are a very ac tive person and exercise at least 4 - 5 days in a week, those extra 200 calories are hardly going to make any difference - just go ahead and enjoy your sadhya with payasam.

I hope you did not miss the asterisk symbol ( * ) on the words ‘Jalebi’ & ‘ 200 calories of sugar’? That means - ‘Subject to terms & conditions!’ :-)

Let me explain this to you with an example. If a person is diabetic with high blood sugar, then payasam or jalebi may not be a suitable op tion! Similarly, if a person has high uric acid or gout, then red meat is best avoided!

In short, it is possible to occa sionally binge eat and still manage your health goals. You only need to stay within your calorie limits and you can do this by doing the follow ing -

• Reduce those extra calories in subsequent meals

• Exercise and stay active and

There is no point in living every day for a tomorrow, and never ever living a today! Eating healthy is not a punishment; it does not mean eating bland and tasteless food, or not having rice (carbs). One should learn to have an occasional indulgence and yet stay healthy.

you are allowed to binge once in a while.

Is calories ‘The be-all and end-all’?

If you consume (eat) more calo ries than what you spend in a day, you gain weight. Similarly, if you consume lesser calories than what you spend, you lose weight. Pretty straight forward and simple, right!? But is becoming healthy only about calories and their input Vs output balance? Well, it is not!

Let me explain that with yet an other example! A diabetic person who is slightly overweight, has bor derline cholesterol and also with a bit of belly fat, want to lose weight. He hence eats lesser calories (lesser than his expenditure calories). He is thus on a calorie deficit. However,

he is also eating sweets/sugar, fried food and consuming less fibre and vegetables.

1. Question 1 - Will he lose weight?

2. Question 2 - Will he become healthy?

For sure, he will lose weight since he is on a calorie deficit. How ever, his blood sugar levels will be el evated due to the high carb and less fibre intake. His cholesterol levels also may perhaps increase - thanks to the fried food! This means, not just the quantity of calories (calorie balance), but the quality of calories also is important. In the same breath - even if you eat the world’s most healthiest food, but eat more than your calorie requirements, you will gain weight and worsen your health

(elevated cholesterol, fatty liver). So, becoming healthier is a lot more than just maintaining calorie intakeboth quantity and quality of calories are important.

However, it does not hurt to have an occasional piece of cake or bowl of payasam! A reasonable recom mendation is to go by the 80 - 20 rule! Make sure, 80% is healthy, homemade food devoid of excessive oil, unhealthy fat, preservatives, etc. Occasionally (once in 2 - 3 weeks), you may have 20% of the calorie in take from your favourite food even if it does not fit into the conventional “healthy-food” category!

And, what if you want to eat more? Simple! Spend more calories through exercises & activity. But, more about it in next article

Dolly Maria

Dolly Maria is founder of THE IGNIST, a training company born out of a noble cause and spirit. She holds a decade long experience being a passionate mentor and entrepreneur.

A strong leadership needs strong self-discipline. Be ing tempted and distracted doesn’t get you to your goals. Mistakes happen, but knowing thyself helps you to accept the mistake done and make it where it is necessary takes a lot of courage.

“TONE” YOURSELF UP!

Communication plays a fun damental crucial role in our day-to-day lives; Com munication at the work place is all the more important as it is about building relationships, engaging in productive activities, minimizing errors, encouraging the team to succeed, creating rapport, and reaching goals faster. For that, you need to adapt to the right com munication techniques and skills.

Right communication with clients, employees, team members and part ners always boosts growth, enhances innovation, improves productiv ity, increases efficiency and loyalty, eases conflicts and solves problems, and engages harmony. On the other hand, results are detrimental to those who fall short in the right com munication skills and fail at it.

Effective communication di rectly affects your client relations. Employees feeling understood also creates an escalated sense of togeth erness and commitment. There are

different behavioural types that we get to encounter while we interact with people at the workplace. A very recommended behavioural type from those is being – Assertive. Assertive ness is when we strike a balance between submissiveness and ag gressiveness, not being both, but be ing able to convey the message/your feelings across to another without hurting his/her feelings. Assertive people are confident and direct in dealing with others. Being assertive helps you express your needs by upholding your integrity and self-es teem. Most of the time, we see that people cannot freely express their feelings, emotions and opinions in fear of others’ impression on you. At times, the other party might be too aggressive that you naturally be come submissive in your behaviour and have to suppress your desires/ opinions.

However, to be a successful pro ductive team, the members should be able to freely express themselves,

voice out their opinions, debate and argue positively and challenge any system, process or concept. Asser tive people frames sentences logi cally and empathetically. They do care of other people’s opinions and stand as well. They are also willing to adjust and negotiate to achieve a common higher aim. Self-awareness is very important to be assertive in life; when you are taking an effort to make a lasting change in yourself, it goes a long way in recognizing your self over how other people see you. It helps you to keep yourself moti vated and encouraged. Monitoring your own inner emotions and re actions, observing your thoughts, making small changes in your be haviour for better response, taking a deeper look at the patterns of your life, etc. will help you have a better understanding of yourself. When your self-awareness quotient is finetuned, your emotional intelligence is heightened. You become more mind ful of the present moment, allowing

yourself to accept the situation as they are and take necessary steps to improve.

When you tend to be submis sive, it mostly stirs up the peace of your mind. You’re more worried about the external factors than the actual reality. Trusting your instincts, your genuine gut feeling, is one of the components that ac celerate towards success. When you are comfortable with yourself, at peace with your own mind, it becomes all the easier to recognise these intuitions. When you find peace with your true self, it helps you to embrace discipline smoothly. A strong leadership needs strong self-discipline. Being tempted and distracted doesn’t get you to your goals. Mistakes happen, but know ing thyself helps you to accept the mistake done and make it where it is necessary takes a lot of cour age. Being away from the child and parent ego, the submissive and ag gressive self, thus helps you to be “assertive” to process what’s right to be done. Assertiveness helps you convey your exact feeling of yours boldly and respectfully.

Most of the time at the work place ‘assertiveness’ helps you to maintain a positive attitude, to ask your manager for a raise, to stop any bullying, vetoing any deci sion of a group, voice out against

any unethical practices, finding an alternative approach to a task/ strategy, assigning/delegating tasks to employees, to sustain your confi dence level, to engage in successful collaborations, to accept a mistake, stating your opinions clearly, take responsibility for your actions, re spect and follow an authority, avoid interpersonal conflicts, using the appropriate choice of words and posing the right body language. Mastering verbal communica tion strategies is an inevitable trait of a good leader. Being assertive in a workplace is a tactful balancing act. Avoiding negative outcomes is the goal though. Some people might come across as bossy or guilty, ag gressive or submissive when they point out things. Submissiveness mostly holds the other on a higher pedestal for no valid reason, they feel ineffective and vulnerable. Ag gressive people on the other hand mostly put others down. Hence, it is important to be aware of your tone. The way it sounds to another makes a lot of difference. The line between all these behavioural types appears to be thin, tread carefully. It is in deed a journey – understanding pat terns and committing to changing the past behaviour that no longer serves you is to be chosen. To be transparent and honest, your tone also should suggest the same. You

need not hold back or hide your thoughts from others just because you are just scared to do so. Practic ing assertiveness reduces stress and anxiety, and helps you earn others’ respect. It is about respecting self and respecting others. When you strategically get the other person to open up with you, it is easy to find win-win solutions in conflicts. Open communication makes another feel that they are being treated fairly and just. So, to evolve rapidly in life, learning and practicing asser tiveness skills is a must. It teaches you to be direct, bold and respect ful. Always consider how your words and actions affect others. Always ask for others’ feedback. What they think of you should be care fully filtered and screened, so that it doesn’t demotivate you, but should encourage you to take positive ac tions ahead for success.

Life is too short to live unhap pily. The idea of life is not just to survive, but to thrive. We are here to celebrate our existence on this planet. How do we know and han dle ourselves makes it easier or oth erwise. So, lift up your spirits and be ready to learn yet another pro ductive successful trait to win your life called ‘assertiveness’. Learning this trait will definitely give you bountiful peace of mind. Enjoy your life ahead!

Who is Swami Bhadraanand?

A short story of a Hunted Mystic Monk

Swami

Bhadraanand is an unambitious mystic mod ern monk who is incarnat ed to establish Sanathana Dharma in Kali Yuga. The Rise of this Seer was in the southern part of India where Adi Shankaracharya and Jagad Guru Sree Narayan had taken birth and struggled their life for the emancipation of mankind. He is a famous future analyst, noted sanathana dharma pracharak, fear less activist, critic, political advisor, photographer and writer. The spir

itual efforts enhanced Swami's sixth sense and he predicted many major incidents. The Seer with extrasen sory perception, Swami is known as an Indian Nostradamus. Moreover, the accuracy of Swami's predictions rated him beyond the insights of Nostradamus. The community first learned about Swami's prophetic in stinct at the age of seven. Swami first shocks the family by predicting the death of his grandfather and father. By twenty he was known all over for these unusual insights. Swami's

karmic purity, spiritual wisdom and prophetic abilities are irreplaceable.

The roots of Swami Bhad raanand's spiritual inheritance stem from his forefathers. Swami's great grandfather Nani Ashaan was the first devotee and supporter of Sree Narayana Guru. Sree Narayana Guru was a spiritual mentor who taught the world about the philoso phy of one caste, one religion, and one God for man. Sree Narayana Guru was a highly revolutionary spir itual personality who fought against

the caste system and the prejudiced mindset of society throughout his life. The devotees of Sree Narayana Guru regard him as an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Sree Narayana Guru and Swami's great grandfather Nani Ashaan together installed the fa mous controversial Shiva Linga at Aruvippuram and materialised the Shiva temple there. The grandfa ther of Swami is Mr N Rama Pan icker, who is a Shiva Yogi and the son of Nani Ashaan. Also, Swami's grandmother was an ardent devotee of Durga Devi and some of Swami's family members are all famed in Tantrics. The Malayalam month of Kanni 5th is observed in Kerala as Sree Narayana Guru's Samadhi Day. On the same day of Kanni 5th in 1982, a baby boy was born to Nani Aashan's granddaughter, Dr Madhu ja in Thiruvananthapuram. The year of Sree Narayana Guru's Samadhi is on Kanni 5th 1928 and the birth year of Swami Bhadraanand is on Kanni 5th 1982 this itself indicates a mystic twist, 28 and 82! Many be

lieve that this boy was born to con tinue Sree Narayana Guru's cycle of revolutionary work, but nowhere Swami Bhadraanand claims that he is an incarnation of Sree Narayana Guru. What more to say? If we compare the existing sanyasis from Sree Narayana's Mutt only Swami Bhadraanand has such a great birth connection and family relationship with Sree Narayana Guru, but he never availed his connection with Sree Narayana Guru for any of his benefits.

Swami was adorable and special to all. For his grace, he was named Arun. He grew up naughty, was good at everything including studies and extracurricular activities, and was at the forefront of cultural and creative works. During his teenage years, he showed interest in cars and bike rac ing. Arun went to Bangalore from his hometown to study engineering and there he met an Aghori Baba whom nobody knew but loved only by him. Arun gave up his engineering stud ies and turned to spiritual studies.

Arun went to the Himalayas with Agori Baba and they led a spiritual life there. The spiritual heritage car ried down through the generations gifted Arun with his spiritual quest for enlightenment. Young Arun grew with the blessings of the great Him alayan Saints and eventually trans formed into Swami Himaval Ma heshwara Bhadraanand. If a child named Arun was born in God's own country, Kerala, then Swami Hima val Maheshwara Bhadraanand was born in the Himalayas. There, he felt his spiritual power unleashed, and it shone like a sun illuminating his soul. His great Himalayan masters taught him the essence of Vedas and Maha Tantric Vidyas.

Swami Bhadraanand's journey was to the ancient gurus who lived in the Himalayas. Swami gained a lot of mystical knowledge that could rewrite a person's destiny by altering aura and chakras without the help of religions and rituals. Swami's ex ploration has traversed through his sixth sense and sanctified powers

leading him to foresee Human life and its Aura. Swami's experiments on ‘Aura Mechanism’ are to alter a person's Aura and restore the im paired Aura. Through the unique 'Aura Mechanism', we can redesign our destiny. Swami is known to be a spiritual scientist for his 15 years of intense research on “AURA and its Implications on Human Life – Good, Bad and the Unknown”. The secrets behind our future and success are hiddenly written in our aura. If once we were able to understand the en ergy and condition of our aura, then we can be free from the bonds and fulfil the purpose of our life. For ex periencing such bliss and inner evo lution Swami has developed the Art of Ascetics.

Swami Bhadraanand is a unique saint who has shown the world what spiritual siddhi like PARAKAYA PRAVESHANAM (Transmigration) is through his own life. The Predic tion of 2004 Tsunami, honoured Swami with the Mother Teresa Award by the then Fisheries Minis ter Mr Dominic Presentation from the Government of Kerala. Mumbai Rotary Club honoured Swami with the Social Revolutionary Award in 2019. In 2019, Swami was hon oured with the Doctor of Philoso phy from the Academy of Universal Global Peace USA, for his rare Aura Mechanism and his unusual predic tions. For his accurate predictions like the Kerala flood, Corona pan demic, actor Dileep’s controversy, Bineesh Kodiyeri’s arrest, Pinarayi Vijayan’s bickering and Narendra Modi's hidden failures, Dr Swami Bhadraanand received the Unique Times excellency award for "The Prognosticator" in 2022, the Goku lam group of companies Chairman Shri Gokulam Gopalan presented the award to Swami Bhadraanand with the presence of Film Director Major Ravi and Pegasus Chairman Dr Ajit Ravi. You may know Swami Bhadraanand's name but not his story

Swami is against all the evils and injustices in society so he became the enemy of the wicked. Swami strived to educate people against the hatred and violence caused in

the name of religion and politics. The vision he put forth was to bring harmony into human thoughts. For this, Swami maintained a healthy distance between devious religious leaders, fake political chieftains and gangsters. The invasion of leftist thoughts in Kerala has tried to keep away our spiritual masters and Swa mi Bhadraanand has proved them wrong through his findings. Swami stood with his people and preached to them about the light of universal truth and taught them about the real state of society. His training for the young minds is to be the torchbear ers of a great India for the prosperity of the country. Swami imparted to the younger generation, not about religions and rituals but selfless ser vice and dharma. Swami tried to convey to the world the truth that if we protect Dharma, Dharma will protect us. There is no doubt that the heart of Swami is aimed at Dhar ma. His aims presented here are to enrich society through spirituality and make people walk through the path of social empowerment. But some anti-national media, politicians and administrators have not allowed Swami to do such things in Kerala. Swami teaches to live by upholding the essence of Sanatana culture re gardless of caste and religion. Also, Swami gave society spiritual strength and revolutionary thoughts to break down the boundaries of caste and religion. But today's society wants something else.

The anti-nationals of Kerala at tacked Swami miserably, but Swa mi has no grudge against anyone. These cowardly criminals are not courageous like Swami and they will never fight directly with any one. The attacking methods of these traitors are too strange and their art of attacking is sui generis. For ex ample, if these grisly guys don't get a virgin woman then they will fab ricate a story against that innocent virgin and they will spread that the virgin is a prostitute. How can she convince society of her innocence if it happens like that? Is she able to walk down the road and scream that she is a virgin? This is what happened with Swami too. No one knows Swami totally except those

who know Swami closely. Swami's life story became a lesson for soci ety to understand that no one should be judged by prejudice. If anybody opposes such anti-nationals they use their political and media influ ence to harm their enemies. These backstabbers will hire criminals and apply their brains to hired crimi nals. Many creative media Goondas are available in Kerala, such media thugs are cheap and best. Just for one bottle of liquor or lump sum amount, they will do any filthy job professionally. With the help of these media goons, the anti-nationals will destroy their enemies' reputations and image. Finally, with the help of police criminals, these anti-nationals will fabricate false cases against their enemies and destroy one's life totally. The former DGP of Kerala Dr T. P. Senkumar himself admitted and told the media that there were “crimi nals” in his police department. Ac cording to the documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, 1,129 Kerala Police officers are facing criminal charges. However, a report submitted by the then DGP Loknath Behra to the State Human Rights Commission in 2018, stated that 387 police officers in Kerala are accused of criminal cases. These are the nature of nefarious unholy po lice hooligans of the depraved police department of Kerala's left govern ment who tried to portray a right eous Swami as the wrong man. In Kerala, there is a saying, "if you are a social worker and due to your rebel lious nature, if you have any crimi nal cases, then you must believe that you are on the right track and due to you the society is getting some thing good". But they failed only in Swami's case. The entire filthy gang who all worked against Swami were in an inferno, many lost their lives tragically. Now society is understand ing the aftermath of spiritual power.

Swami's strong and impartial stand to safeguard Sanatanis and protect their property, life and pride made Swami a controversial figure and an enemy of anti-nationals. Swami was imprisoned four timesnot for money laundering, molesta tion, public annoyance or cheating. But only for his voice and action

against the anti-nationalists and drug peddlers who were destroy ing the future of the youth and the country. Now Swami is a big chal lenge to the anti-nationals. Swami is facing serious threats from the extremists for his outspoken state ments against the traitors' activities. But some of the government officials who are responsible for ensuring the safety and security of the people do not take any proper action against the traitors or do not provide proper protection or help to people like Swami. If people like Swami who works in the society without a salary and pension for the wellbeing of the country, do not get legal help from the government officials, then whom do these government officials help indirectly? Think!

As ordinary monks enjoy a very high level of happiness and detach ment from the material world, they generally stay away from society. But Swami Bhadraanand's spiritual mas ter, Aghori Baba, reminded Swami of his duties to the motherland and convinced him to go to his native land. For Swami Bhadraanand, who

believed that the Guru was every thing, defying the Guru's words was unthinkable for him. His Guru told, that Pakistan, Bangladesh, China and Kerala are the four regions that pose a threat to our country and there are border force systems to protect the country from other re gions except for Kerala. But there is no border force system to protect the country from Kerala; therefore, your task is very big and you should be like a border fire to protect the country, Guru said. This made Swa mi think a lot. And his Baba pointed to a soldier who he saw on the way, and said to Swami, "Did you see that warrior? You should be like him who stands on the border without fearing the enemy's attack, leaving even his family behind to protect his coun try and people, regardless of snow and sun, heat and humidity. He will have a salary and a pension and you will not get those two, but the power and blessings of me and God will still reside in you. You have that innate siddhi to predict and understand things, but others don't have that. That siddhi which you got is meant

to be a light to the world in darkness. That siddhi will be your guiding light when you are walking in the dark. First the ignorant will reject your knowledge, and then those who re jected you will come behind you. You will have to overcome many trials and those experiences will make you a strong fighter. No one can destroy you, and those who try to destroy you will be destroyed themselves. Because, it is the sages who have sent you on this earth to establish dharma, and therefore the deities will come to your side to help you in various forms. A great nation awaits your service, and you must protect them. You go and protect your dhar ma, that is the guru Dakshina which you are giving to me". The Swami re mained silent for a while and medi tated for several hours, and finally, after bowing his head at the feet of his Guru, Swami returned to his native land with the knowledge and miraculous achievements which he had acquired from the Himalayas. These words are from Swami's au tobiography, just wait to know about his unspeakable life story

Get Smooth Skin and Rich Hair with Sapota Fruit

Morecommonly, sapota is referred to as chikoo or chiku. In Indian households, it is typi cally referred to in this way. When referring to the tropical tree that produces this fruit, the name “Sa pota” is used in a more technical sense.

The consumption of sapota has several positive health effects. In addition to other health advantages, it is very helpful for the skin and hair. The sapota fruit is a fantas tic option for healthy, radiant skin because of the variety of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants it con tains.

Benefits of Chikoo for Skin

Sapota is a tremendous option for achieving bright skin because it is high in antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. Sapota is renowned for treating your skin from the in side out and making sure you at tain a natural shine that none of the makeup products packed with chemicals can provide.

Benefits

Your need for skin care prod ucts to improve the texture and complexion of your natural skin might be reduced since the sapota fruit makes your skin sparkle. This fruit’s vitamin E moisturises your skin, giving you glowing, healthy skin. So, eating sapota fruit is ben eficial for your skin.

Antioxidants are abundant in sapota fruit. As a result, it functions as an anti-aging agent by eliminat ing the body’s free radicals, which accelerate the aging process. It

works well to prevent skin cancer as well as wrinkles and other types of cancer.

Sapota seed oil is used topically on the skin. After the oil has been extracted, the seed’s leftover ma terial can be used as a poultice for severe skin conditions.

Warts and fungus growth on the skin can be removed with the sapota plant’s milky sap. Vitamin C and A work together to give the skin a healthy glow, which enhances its beauty.

Benefits of Chikoo for Hair

In order to maintain healthy hair, the body must receive the necessary amount of nutrients and be able to absorb them properly. A poor lifestyle might lead to hair issues. Sapota is a fruit that is beneficial for achiev ing healthy hair because it is packed with necessary nutrients.

Benefits

Sapota seed oil helps to smooth and moisturise your hair, which makes it easier to manage. It adds gloss and is regarded as being great for curly hair. It absorbs quickly and doesn’t leave a greasy residue.

Sapota seed oil soothes sensi tive skin conditions while nourish ing the scalp and encouraging the growth of strong, healthy hair. This oil is thought to work well in treating hair loss brought on by seborrheic dermatitis.

Sapota seeds can be mashed into a paste and combined with castor oil. The next day, the mixture should be removed from the scalp by washing. This smoothes your hair and helps you manage the dandruff issue.

Sapota is a healthy fruit with a wealth of vitamins and important nutrients. All of these vitamins and nutrients are naturally benefited by adding it to our diet. To get the many advantages of chikoo, we can eat it as fruit or incorporate it into a drink, smoothie, or dessert.

Stay Beautiful! Stay Healthy!

Paro, Bhutan The Land of Wanderlust

Top

attractions, such as several temples, monasteries, and the nation's only international airport, may all be found in Paro.

Oneof Bhutan's oldest an cient cities is Paro. It is a little town with a vibrant culture, mythical sacred sites, and stunning green valleys.

Top attractions, such as several tem ples, monasteries, and the nation's only international airport, may all be found in Paro. Due to its setting amidst mountains, the airport is one of the main tourist destinations.

Apart from its breathtaking scenery, Paro is home to a variety of stores, restaurants, and tradition ally built homes spread throughout its lush valleys. The golden triangle of Bhutan is formed by this town, Punakha, and Jakar.

Best Time to Visit

The ideal season to visit Paro in Bhutan is from March through May (spring). The hills are alive with the most exquisite blossoms at this sea son. Bhutan's autumnal months are October and November. The weath er in Paro during these two months is often sunny throughout the day with some snow in the higher eleva tions.

The temperature is just 20 de grees Celsius, the skies are clear, and

the weather is lovely. The greatest month for hiking is October since the weather is pleasant and the sky is clear. Bhutan's climate is typically influenced by the monsoon season in India. Bhutan experiences its mon soon season from June to Septem ber, which is marked by high humid ity and frequent downpours.

Bhutan's dry season, which lasts from late November to early March, is an excellent time to visit if you want to avoid the tourist crush; nev ertheless, early December through early February can get chilly. Bhu tan's low season runs from June through August, when accommo dation rates and airfare are at their lowest.

Taktsang Lhakhang

No list of the top things to do in Paro is complete without mention ing Tigers Nest, also known as Takt sang Monastery, which serves as the unofficial emblem of Bhutan. A ride on a horse or a pony is an option if you don't feel like walking the two to three hours it takes to get to the monastery.

Midway, there is a café where you can pause for a break and some

refreshments. As the facility hugs a barren, stony cliff 3000 feet above the ground, its remarkable architec tural accomplishments defy all logic and explanation.

The National Museum of Bhutan

The National Museum of Bhu tan, located in Paro Ta Dzong, is certain to provide answers to his tory enthusiasts' questions. A cul tural museum, which is a well-liked tourist destination, was founded in 1968 to exhibit some of the finest ex amples of Bhutanese art, including bronze paintings and statues.

The museum currently has more than 3,000 Bhutanese artefacts and artworks, representing more than 1,500 years of the country's cultural legacy. These include traditional weaponry, clothing, armour, and handcrafted tools. Visitors to the museum will have the chance to learn about the distinctive history of Bhutan, which is rich in numerous creative traditions and disciplines.

Chele La Pass

Chele La Pass, which is two hours' drive from Paro Valley and is located at a height of 13,000 feet

above sea level. One of Bhutan's highest motorable road crossings, it is renowned for its Himalayan views, particularly those of Mt. Jomolhari, the country's holiest mountain, and Jichu Drake.

The journey to this botanical paradise can be so breathtaking that sightings are frequent. The best of these are frozen rivers. The route is lined with hundreds of flags, giv ing the area a vibrant appearance. For those who enjoy adventure, this place is ideal for hiking.

Drukgyel Dzong

A fortress named Drukgyel Dzong was erected in 1649 to com memorate one of Bhutan's victories. The Dzong's structure is all that was left after the fire that started in 1951. Despite being engulfed in flames, the location has managed to retain its majesty.

When you reach the top of the ruins, you will get stunning views of valleys. Even though the loca tion has lost several significant el ements, it is still one of the most popular attractions. Make sure to include this on your list if you wish to be fascinated by the ancient stone works.

Sangay Wood Turning Factory

Bhutanese culture, which is tucked between the Himalayan mountains, has long demonstrated

its respect for and distinctive uses of natural resources. One of the thirteen traditional arts and crafts of the nation, shakzo, or woodturn ing, is an irreplaceable aspect of its rich cultural legacy. Shagzo demon strations can be seen at the Sangay Wood Turning Factory.

The plant is situated at Dop shari, just 3 km from Paro town, on the route to the National Museum of Bhutan and Paro Rinpung Dzong. Due to the use of traditional pro cesses and the distinctive shapes, sizes, and colours of each product, shagzo techniques are probably un like anything you have ever seen.

Jangtsa Dumtseg Lhakhang

Jangtsa Dumtseg Lhakhang, a Buddhist temple, is located across from Paro on the brow of a hill be tween the Paro and Dopchari Val leys. Visitors to the tourist attraction can view the Buddhist iconography, which is thought to be a special col lection of the Drukpa Kagyu school.

The stories connected to Jangt sa Dumtseg Lhakhang attract visi tors, especially those who are eager to learn about the local folklore of a particular location. One such Bud dhist temple folktale claims that the Lhakhang was built to tame a serpentine power. Without seeing Jangtsa Dumsteg Lhakhang, which allows visitors the chance to learn

about the temple's distinctiveness, a trip to Paro would not be com plete. The temple is unusual and a must-visit while on vacation in Paro since it was built in the shape of a chorten, which is quite uncommon in Bhutan.

Festival Ground

You shouldn't spend too much time considering what to do in Paro if you enjoy attending cultural acts. Just go to the town's Festival Ground to see dancers in masks perform the national folk dances of Bhutan. This is unquestionably a site that you must see while in Paro and should be on your list of things to do.

Enjoy Delicious Local Cui sines

It seems sense that visiting a city must always include trying the local cuisine. And while being in Paro, one can try a lot of different cuisines that combine the cultures of the various local zones. After ex ploring the neighborhood's streets, try some of the local fare, including momos, red rice, Phaksha Paa (pork with red peppers), Jasha Maroo (spicy chicken), and Ema Datshi (stew combined with cheese and chillies).

These dishes are the ideal way for anyone to quickly experience Bhutanese cuisine while also get ting a taste of the local culture

Tata Nexon EV Max

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

Mostof you already know that the Nexon EV is In dia's best-selling electric vehicle, outselling the next competitor by a huge mar gin. The well-rounded package coupled with the low running costs and a relatively affordable purchase price has helped a lot of families get on the EV band wagon earlier than they previ ously thought. And to many, it has sort of become their prima ry car and besides being driven around in the city, most are seeing occasional highway use as well. Now there is an even better version of it called the EV Max which promises better range and more features, but is it any good? Let's find out.

The Nexon EV Max has

only minor changes on the out side. The Intensi-blue paint is different as is the contrasting roof in grey colour. The other big difference is the new 16inch alloy wheel, which keeneyed amongst you would notice now has five lug nuts when all other Nexon variants have four. There are also disc brakes at the rear.

The biggest change is the battery which is now 40.5kWh instead of the 30.2kWh the standard car has. This thicker battery pack had resulted in the floor pan being 10mm high er inside the car while it has reduced the ground clearance by 15mm. That and all the new equipment means, it is also 100 kilograms heavier than before.

Inside, there is a more pre

mium gear selector with a knurled finish and a display on top. It feels better than the regular variants and now has an Eco mode too, but is still slow in its operation. There is an electronic parking brake and auto hold function, and finally, we have adjustable regen via a toggle switch. There is a wireless mobile charger, and a built-in air purifier. The ivory seats in the Lux variant have always looked cool, but now they can cool you too. Those perforations are for seat ventilation. The front seats are comfy, but the raised floor means the rear seats now lack under-thigh support.

The motor in the EV Max pro duces 143bhp and 250Nm, 14bhp and 5Nm over the standard car. But with an additional 100kilos to lug around, performance is more or less similar with 0-100kmph taking 9.5 seconds. What's better is the refine ment. The motor now feels better isolated from the chassis with few er vibrations passing through. The throttle response is quite aggressive

and the EV Max feels much faster. While the regular car is limited to 120, the top speed has gone up to 140kmph for the Max. The adjust able regen is good but in the Max setting, it still requires you to use the brakes to come to a stop.

The Nexon EV Max can do nearly 50-60kms more than the earlier Nexon on a full charge and that makes a world of difference to how usable it has now become. De pending on how you drive, the realworld range can be up to 280kms and it can now be charged up from 0-100 percent in 6.5 hours using the 7.2kWh charger. Tata claims 56 mins to do 0-80 percent using a 50kW fast charger but when we tried, it could only do 29kW maxi mum. A standard 3.3kWh charger can do 0-100 charging in 15-16 hours.

To address the extra weight, the EV Max gets stiffer springs and re worked dampers. The steering is a bit heavier, but it is still sharp at the front and turns into corners enthu

siastically. It is also much better in putting its power down, thanks to the addition of an ESP which pre vents inside wheelspin in corners. The addition of rear disc brakes and a new brake booster has helped with the pedal feel, although it takes longer to stop than the regular EV. The ride quality is on the stiffer side yet it can tackle most road imperfec tions very well.

The Nexon EV Max costs Rs.1.5 lakhs more than the stand ard Nexon, for which you get 33 percent more range and a host of new comfort and safety features. There is wireless charging, cruise control, drive modes, four levels of adjustment for regenerative braking, sunroof, ventilated seats, air purifier, ESP, traction control, hill-start as sist, hill-descent control, electronic parking brake with auto hold func tion, tyre pressure loss indicator and rear disc brakes to name a few. The additional range not only gives you the freedom to go further but charg es it less frequently than before

Cobra

Cobra is an R. Ajay Gnanamuthu-written and -directed action thriller movie in Tamil. In addition to Vikram, Srinidhi Shetty, Irfan Pathan, K. S. Ravikumar and Roshan Mathew, who plays the lead role, the movie also stars Robo Shankar, Miya George, Mirnalini Ravi, and Meenakshi Go vindarajan in supporting roles. It also served as Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan’s film debut. The story is about a mathematician genius Mathi who has another identity Cobra who commits intelli gent crimes using Maths. The excellent execution and storyline provide the impression that you are seeing a complex, mind-bending thriller. As usual, Vikram’s performance in this film was legendary, but he also kicked it up a notch with his behaviour and expressions related to his medical condition. The proper chords were struck in Chiyaan Vikram’s movie, impressing both his fans and moviegoers.

Orphan: First Kill

William Brent Bell’s psychological horror movie Orphan: First Kill is a prequel to the 2009 movie Orphan. Along with Julia Stiles, Rossif Sutherland, Hiro Kanagawa, and Matthew Finlan, Isabelle Fuhrman, who previously appeared in the movie, also stars. The plot of the movie revolved around Esther who sneaks into America after escaping from an Estoni an mental hospital by pretending to be the missing daughter of a wealthy fam ily. However, a shocking development places her against a mother who would stop at nothing to keep her family safe. The movie gave the Orphan franchise a new taste while maintaining the passion and creativity that Orphan 2009 brought to the table. The performances, filming, effects, and writing were all flawless.

The Invitation

Seoul Vibe

Hyun-sung is the director of the South Korean action movie Seoul Vibe. The ensemble cast is completed by Yoo Ahin, Go Kyung-pyo, Lee Kyu-hyung, Park Juhyun, Ong Seong-wu, Kim Sung-kyun, Moon So-ri, and Jung Woong-in. In the middle of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, a car chase occurs on Seoul’s streets as the Sangyedong Supreme team, a brilliant group of young drivers, attempt to expose the slush money wrongdoing. Seoul Vibe can be summed up as a vibe with its garish eighties jewellery and clothing, dirt vehicle races, and shaky handheld cinematography. Through the lens of one group busting a money laundering scam, it captures the essence of an entire era and links it to the larger historical back ground present in South Korea at the time. The great ensemble of Seoul Vibe ties eve rything together and effectively conveys how these individuals have been longtime friends and criminal partners.

Moon

Jessica M. Thompson is the director of the American supernatural horror movie The Invitation. Nathalie Emmanuel and Thomas Doherty play important roles in the movie. The movie, which was influenced by Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, centres on a young woman who meets her family for the first time following the death of her mother only to learn the sinister secrets they are hiding. Nathalie Emmanuel portrays Evie with ease and without ever seeming forced in her por trayal. In his role as the aristocratic Lord of the Carfax Abbey mansion, Thomas Doherty also excels. There are times in the movie when you as the audience can be duped into pulling for this relationship to succeed between their characters because of how real and convincing their on-screen chem istry appears to be. It’s basically a modern retelling of “Dracula,” so if you’re a lover of “actual” vampires and in particular of the Dracula myth, you should watch it. Yes, it gets very predictable once you know that, but it doesn’t make it any less pleasant.

Author : Elena Armas Price : `1,106 (Paperback)

The American Roommate Experiment: A Novel Lucy Checks In

The American Roommate Experiment is a Contemporary romance novel written by Elena Armas. In order to help Rosie find some rea sonably priced temporary lodging, Lucas offers to let her stay with him. Then he suggests an absurd experiment to revive her creative inspiration and make her deadline: He’ll go on a series of test dates with her to spark her amorous inspiration. It was fascinating to observe how Lucas and Rosie looked out for one another. Given that they were typically in control of their family and friends, having someone else take care of them was novel to them. Despite the fact that it led to a few issues. But readers will appreciate Rosie and Lucas’s story and their sigh-worthy ending. With this contemporary, sensual romance by author Elena Armas, your heart will undoubtedly skip a beat. It was painfully lovely and wonderfully delightful.

Author : Dee Ernst Price : `1,218 (Paperback)

The charming romantic comedy Lucy Checks In by Dee Ernst is about a disgraced hotel manager who goes to Rennes in order to rebuild a hotel and her own life. She dons her apron and dives into situations she never imagined she would. And one of the highlights of this tale is her sarcastic conversations with her so-called “love interest,” Bing. Many of us will relate to the main character because we are mature ladies. After a frenzied period of work, the worst scenario unexpectedly occurs. But by taking a leap of faith, a new lady emerges from the ashes. What initially seems to be a bizarre circumstance transforms into a beautiful story with perseverance and a dream career in France. Ernst endows us with lovely characters and a slow-burning romance that leads to a nice conclusion. The descriptions of the region will entice you to board an aircraft and experience the local way of life.

A Venom Dark and Sweet

Author : Judy I. Lin Price : `1,210 (Hardcover)

AMagic Steeped in Poison and A Venom Dark and Sweet, the captivat ing climax to Judy I. Lin’s Book of Tea duology, are likely to enchant readers. More of Chinese and Taiwanese mythology is explored in the book. This one’s deeper linkages between the gods and Ning’s abilities were fantastic. There was a tonne of action and drama in this one as well, but the stakes were unquestionably higher because the threat wasn’t elimination but rather death or something worse. A Venom Dark and Sweet, the breath-taking conclusion to the Book of Tea duology, will en gross readers in its pages full of magic as the voyage to free the kingdom of Dàxi from invaders and as nightmares of war and carnage fill Ning’s. A Venom Dark and Sweet has fantastic action, and it’s simple to become engrossed in the narrative.

These Fleeting Shadows

Author : Kate Alice Marshall Price : `1,513 (Hardcover)

Kate Alice Marshall’s These Fleeting Shadows is a teen girl-centered gothic horror book. The protagonist of the tale is a teenage girl who, following the passing of her estranged grandfather, inherits a mysterious estate. But before she may inherit, she must live on the property for a full year and go through a rite to be welcomed as mistress of the house. However, not everyone is in favour of her inheriting, and the house’s past contains sinister hints. The author expertly employs the unreliable narra tor cliché to make certain situations hit hard with terrifying bewilderment and numbing misery. The novel is recounted in the first-person from Helen’s perspective, so we are right with her every bewildered step of the way. A darkly captivating read is produced by the unsettling atmosphere, our heroine’s enigmatic past and murky family history, paranormal hap penings, and an odd sequence of strange fatalities.