Unique Times March 2021

Vol 9 Issue No.114 Mar - Apr 2021 USD 0.70`50AED 5BD 0.500

INTEREST RATES IN INDIA LIKELY TO RISE Shri V.P. Nandakumar, MD & CEO, Manappuram Finance Ltd.

The Nail

Tycoon

DR. LEENA S

Jebitha Ajit Director & CEO Editor Jebitha Ajit Legal Advisor Latha Anand

B.S.Krishnan Associates bskrishnanassociates@gmail.com Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about Sub-Editor Vidya Nair what you believe in. And, when you stumble, keep Associate Editor Ravi Saini faith. And, when you’re knocked down, get right back

Rajeev Kumar up and never listen to anyone who says you can’t or

Director and special editor kollur shouldn’t go on.” - Hillary Rodham Clinton Correspondents Dr. Thomas Nechupadam On the month of Women’s Day our coverstory is

Vivek Venugopal- Quarter Mile one of the bold and fearless women entrepreneur Dr.

Amrutha V Kumar Leena S who created her own impression in the field Creative Design PEGASUS of nail art by her initiative The Nail Artistry.

Cover Photographer Prasad Naik Other than that in this edition Manappuram FiMarketing UAE nance Limited MD and CEO V P Nandakumar tells

Phygicart.com us his opinion on Interest rates in India that is likely

P.O. Box: 92546, Al Karama Dubai to rise.

Mr. Anish K Joy

This month’s travelogue is Republic of Fiji situated

Mob: +971528946999 at Melanesia, an island country with numerous friendly info@phygicart.com people and heavenly tropical islands. Along with this

Plot No 19A, 9th Floor, there is a special trip log to one of the best resorts in

Green Building, Film City, Wayanad, the Vythiri resort.

Sector - 16A, Noida - 201301 In the auto section our auto expert explores the Maharashtra

Citroen C5 Aircross the most comfortable family SUVs

Jayasankar M, a/101, on sale.

New Prathamesh Niwas, Apart from all these our usual contents like beauty,

OPP. Laxmi Park, Thakurli East, movie review, book review, gadgets, business and mo Dombivli post, Thane District, 421201 tivational articles are also included in this current edi Mob: 9820708662 tion.

Hariharan

"There is more treasure in books than in all the

chennai, Mob: 9840018929 pirate's loot on Treasure Island."

Unique Times, No.6/31,

Arunachalam main road, Enjoy Reading!

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Chennai – 600093 Thank You Karnataka

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Printed at St. Reddiar & Sons, P.B. No: 3627, Veekshanam Road, Cochin Published at Pegasus Global Pvt. Ltd. L5-106, Changampuzha Nagar Kalamassery, Ernakulam-682 033 e-mail: editor@uniquetimes.org uniquetimesindia@gmail.com Ph:0484 2532040, 2532080 Mob:9288800999

Cover Photograph Dr. Leena S

Printer & publisher Pegasus Global Pvt. Ltd. Cochin (682033) on behalf of Ajit Ravi. Printed at S.T.Reddiar & Sons, Cochin-18.

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CONTENTS

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28

The Nail Tycoon

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Interest rates in India likely to rise

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A relook at personal development

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Union budget 2021 a perspective – part-2

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Expect the worst, plan for the best!

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34

52

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48

58

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Gadgets

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Home remedies for strengthening brittle nails

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Fiji- A delightful fusion of nature and tradition Citroen C5 Aircross

UNIQUE DIARY

Flipkart to Deploy over 25,000 Electric Vehicles by 2030

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lipkart has announced its plans for deploying more than 25,000 electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030, an initiative to change its logistic fleet to green energy vehicles. The online retailer owned by Walmart Inc. made the announcement just a day after Amazon India said it deployed nearly 100 Mahindra Treo Zor three-wheelers.

Flipkart has partnered with leading EV manufacturers such as Hero Electric, Mahindra Electric, and Piaggio for making customized vehicles. It also stated that it will place requirements in service contracts, install charging infrastructures around delivery hubs and offices, conduct awareness programs, and encourage delivery executives to make use of the EVs.

India Toy Fair 2021: PM Modi Urges Manufacturers To Go More Eco-Friendly and use Plastic

"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary" Vince Lombardi

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rime Minister Narendra Modi while inaugurating the India Toy Fair 2021 has asked the toy manufacturers to use less plastic and concentrate more on using eco-friendly materials focusing on innovation. He also interacted with the traditional toymakers from Chennapatnam, Varanasi, and Jaipur and advised them to innovate and make traditional toys keeping in mind the changing tastes of children. He further added that India’s share in the USD 100 billion global toy market is less, and about 85 percent of the toys are being imported into the country. For this, the government has brought up a National Toy Action Plan consisting of 15 ministries.

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UNIQUE DIARY

Mukesh Ambani Now Asia’s Richest Person Overtaking Chinese Billionaire Zhong Shanshan

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eliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani has become the richest person in Asia once again overtaking China’s Zhong Shanshan who lost $22 billion recently. Zhong Shanshan’s bottled-water company Nongfu Springo Co. wasted a record 20 percent, making Mukesh Ambani the richest with a net worth of about $80 billion. For the last two years, Mukesh Ambani had led the ranking as Asia’s richest man. Zhong Shanshan had previously won the title by surpassing Chinese tech titans like Jack Ma. Over time, his Nongfu Springo Co. tripled to the peak in January, while his other company the Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise Co. rose a 3,757 percent. However, with a bad week for stock markets, Zhong’s companies recorded a quick drop.

Narendra Modi to receive CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award

"If opportunity doesn’t knock build a door" Milton Berle

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rime Minister Narendra Modi will be receiving the CERAWeek global energy and environment leadership award during an annual international energy conference which will be held next week. The conference is a gathering of energy industry leaders, experts, government officials, and policymakers. The PM is expected to deliver the keynote address at the 39th edition of the CERA Week Conference 2021 which will be held virtually from March 1 to 5. The award is being given to him as a recognition to his commitment to sustainability in the energy and the environment.

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Why India Should Lower its Taxes on Petrol and Diesel

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he retail prices of petrol and diesel have been increasing over the past few weeks now. It has been raised by over Rs 7 a liter for past one year and in some parts of the country, the retail price of petrol has crossed over Rs.100 a liter. An increase in the international crude oil prices has triggered this sharp rise in India. The situation is also expected to culminate in inflation. Experts have urged the central government to provide some tax relief concerning the fuel prices, claiming that this non-stop rise is not ideal for the majority of middle and low-income earners in the country which in turn will have a bad impact on its economy.

Uber and Amazon Pay Expand their Partnership in India

"The biggest mistake a small business can make is to think like a small business" Aruna Bhayana

U

ber is partnering with Amazon Pay to install safe plastic screens in 40,000 Uber autos, a step to ensure and enhance the safety of passengers as well as the drivers The initiative will begin with seven cities in India- Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Jaipur, and Bengaluru. Under this partnership, Uber drivers who now pay through AmazonPay are going to be eligible for a cashback of up to 50 percent for every ride. Over the past few months, Uber has launched a set of safety measures such as the Go Online Checklist along with a mandatory mask policy in order to ensure that both riders and drivers feel safe during the “new normal”.

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French Nun World’s Second-Oldest Person Survives Covid-19

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16-year-old French nun, believed to be the World’s second-oldest person has survived Covid-19 and is looking ahead to celebrate her 117th birthday. According to the Gerontology Research Group that validates details of people above 110 or older, has listed Frenchwoman Lucile Randon which is Sister Andre’s birthname to be the second-oldest living person in the world. Sister Andre who is believed to be blind and uses a wheelchair was diagnosed with Covid-19 in mid-January. But just after three weeks she was tested negative and recovered from the virus. She wasn’t even worried when she came to know about her diagnosis, on the other hand, she was very worried about the other residents.

Tiger Roll Trainer Confirms Picture of Him Sitting on Dead Horse

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ordon Elliot, the trainer of dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll, has confirmed that the image circulating widely on social media is genuine and has apologized for the offense.

The three-time Grand National winner was pictured sitting on a dead horse at a training yard while making a phone call. He stated that it was taken some time ago and occurred after a horse had died of an apparent heart attack on the gallops. Elliot said that he was fully cooperating with the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board which had launched an investigation towards the image.

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Lady Gaga’s Bulldogs Stolen After Shooting Her Dog-Walker

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wo of Lady Gaga’s French bulldogs were being stolen after a gunman shot her dog-walker in Hollywood, Los Angeles. The singer is offering a reward of $500,000 for the returns of her dogs, Koji and Gustav. A third bulldog named Miss Asia ran away during the incident and was later recovered by the police. The victim was walking the dogs when a white Nissan Altima pulled over and two men tried to steal the dogs. The dog-walker was transferred to the hospital immediately as per the reports. Gaga is currently in Rome working on a Ridley Scott film, Gucci. French bulldogs cost thousands of dollars. Similarly, a woman in San Francisco was beaten in January at gunpoint, where three men stole her gray French bulldog puppy named Chloe.

Pokemon 25: Women with most Memorabilia over 21,000 items

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s Pokemon celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, Lisa Courtney, from Hertfordshire who has claimed the Guinness World Record in 2016 states it to be a great escape for her. Miss Courtney who had over 17, 127 items of Pokemon memorabilia has since increased her collection to over 21,000 items.

It was on 27th February 1996 that Pokemon Red and Blue were released in Japan. Since then the brand has brought up trading cards, television, manga, films, and toys-all of which Miss Courtney was excited to experience. She finds them to be a great relief from all the school bullies that she had to go through and stated that she has been in its collection for 24 years, having a vast range of plush toys, action figures, posters, books, and even toilet paper.

For more info: europetimes.co

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COVER STORY COVERSTORY

The Nail

Tycoon W DR. LEENA S

hat better way to celebrate Woman's Day (March 08) than listening to an exceptional woman entrepreneur who has made her mark.

Dr Leena S., the brain behind the super-luxury nail salon ‘The Nail Artistry’ in Kochi, has such an inspiring story.

Extremely analytical, Dr Leena has a flair for the spectacular and has captured the imagination of the young elite Indians through her salon. And, her business is growing rapidly. Considering the success of her venture, Forbes called her the ‘Nail Tycoon’ while Femina addressed her as the ‘Nail Empress’. Needless to say, Dr Leena, who is savvy, stylish and foresighted, is truly a woman of substance.

In a candid conversation with Unique Times, she elucidates her work and reveals what it takes to be a spunky businesswoman.

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COVER STORY COVERSTORY

Photographer: Prasad Naik, Makeup: Florian Hurel Hair: Yianni Tsapatori, Stylist-Mohit Rai, Outfit: Gucci Hair accessory: Dolce and Gabbana.

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People who understand this, use it to their advantage by paying extra attention to not only their looks but also their hands and nails and benefit from the positive impression they make. We truly believe that everyone must look their best and that’s exactly what we offer. And we must be doing things right because our patrons also seem to share our belief and also consider it a big deal and really care about and pay for our niche services.

Nails are small and not so noticeable even in close vicinity. Also, it is a niche industry. How did you get the idea to make a business out of it?

Yes, it’s very niche. But it is an area that has long been ignored by the beauty industry and therefore presents a huge opportunity. Like it or not, your appearance matters as that’s how people form opinions about you.

Nails might be small but they have a big impact on our overall personality. Especially during business or personal interactions where one can’t help but look at your hands and unconsciously take in how beautiful or dirty the nails are. I strongly believe that if you don’t wish to turn people off and ruin your meetings, you have to take care of your nails, giving them the same attention and care you provide for your face.

People who understand this use it to their advantage by paying extra attention to their hands and nails and benefit from the positive impression they make.

We truly believe that everyone must look at their best and that’s exactly what we offer. We must be doing things right because our patrons also seem to share our belief and consider it a big deal and care about and pay for our niche services.

You have a cosmopolitan perspective, yet you started this in Cochin, a place not as liberal as Mumbai or Delhi. What was the reason?

There is a lot in India beyond places like Delhi and Mumbai.

Even though I have many friends and acquaintances in both places, it was just the reason why I chose to start from Kochi. I simply did not want to begin my business in a place where many people knew me. I wanted to gauge if my venture could make a difference. In a new place, I would have nothing but brand philosophy and quality of services to cover for me. If people accept it, I could say that my business idea had merit. So, it was kind of a test and it proved to be the right thing to do. People in Kochi loved what we offered. They kept coming back to us. Our patrons gave us the confidence to experiment and we introduced additional services. Our audience has been growing ever since and now we are in expansion mode and have plans for several operations in several other places.

What is the force behind you? Who have been your all-time influencers?

If there is one person whom I’d credit for all my success, it has to be my husband. He has

been my strength. Someone who truly believes in me and wishes nothing but the best for me. His work ethic and integrity inspire me to do better every day. He has been there for me since day one and helped me realise my dream.

He has been my strength in moments of weakness, gave me clarity when I was in doubt. Most importantly, he taught me to believe in myself and reach out for whatever I feel worth working hard for.

Apart from my husband, I believe it is the members of my team at The Nail Artistry who contributed towards making this venture a success. They stood by my side through thick and thin and helped me meet the expectations of our customers. I can never thank them enough for their hard work and dedication.

I would also like to credit myself a bit for having the vision and the will to pursue it relentlessly to realise the dream. Of course, being a Taurean also helps!

You're an actor, entrepreneur and model. Which role do you enjoy more?

What are the challenges that helped you become this version of yourself?

All roles have their benefits but being an entrepreneur makes me content and liberated.

I value achievements and being

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independent. It is only through what I love to do that I can have control over my life's direction. I also believe that a business person has more shelf life than an actor or model. So, that is yet another plus.

As a socialite, you tend to be a victim of rumours. What are the most bizarre rumours you have heard about yourself? You can list 3 or more:-

As someone who respects everyone’s personal space and privacy, I steer clear of any rumour or the people who indulge in the same. Frankly speaking, I believe that giving even an iota of importance to a rumour or its perpetrators is a huge disservice to my value system and ethics. Rumours are what they are - unworthy of my time or a comment.

How has your husband been a rock for you throughout your life?

My husband supported me like no one else in my journey. He always believed in me and had faith in my dream, maybe even more than I did.

I am truly blessed to have him in my life. Had it not been for him, I might have given it up a long time ago. He made me believe in my capabilities and encouraged me to chase my dreams. He stood by my side through the darkest of my days, encouraging me to stand up for myself. He is the reason I have been able to prove that I have what it takes and the success of The Nail Artistry is proof of that.

What can bring the best out of a woman entrepreneur?

Staying focused. There’s a lot of noise and negativity around us.

People will let you down and enjoy seeing you stumble. But no matter what, you have to keep moving on.

Staying focused makes a huge difference. Always keep your head high and nothing else matters.

Where would you like to see yourself five years from now?

Five years from now, I see myself as a more successful and mature

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businesswoman than I am today.

I’d like to see at least 100 The Nail Artistry salons operational across different countries around the world. It may take a few more than five years, but it is a dream I am determined to accomplish.

COVID has impacted the lipstick industry. Is it Good news for your business? Do you think nails are in vogue now?

COVID-19 has not been good news for any business. Even the healthcare businesses that flourished during the period won’t call it good news. They are the ones who are bearing the brunt of the pandemic as they are at the fore-

front dealing with it. The amount of suffering, deaths and despair that they witness every day would render any amount of money meaningless. However, this has also been a time when many people started self-care and I must say that maintaining the nails has now become a part of one’s beauty regime like never before.

We find that people are taking care of their nails’ health and hygiene like never before and as a business, we definitely will benefit from the same.

Tell us about the kind of clients you come across and the amount of work you indulge in to make

Your favourite actor: Amitabh Bachchan Your most romantic moment: Ten years ago, when my husband proposed to me by booking an entire theatre for just the two of us where the movie Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa was running.

One thing you remember when you were five years old: My impatience to be a grown-up.

The most attractive character of a man: His intellect (I’m a sapiosexual).

The most annoying character: Being deceitful.

Your most favourite holiday destination: Paris, any day!

Your house is on fire. You can take only five things. What will they be?

Just my purse. It always has all that I need - my mobile, cash, credit cards, car keys, makeup and more!

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Tell us what comes to your mind when you hear these words.

Kerala: God’s own country and my Karma bhoomi Religion: Humanity First Nation: India First Bollywood: Life Ka Tadka Nails: Embellishment to your personality Women: Have Arrived Politics: Better left unsaid

them happy.

The Nail Artistry is a luxury salon chain that has established itself as an absolute favourite amongst its target audience.

The Nail Artistry is where the elite and celebrities head when they wish to be pampered with a relaxing and luxurious manicure or pedicure. We also get a lot of brides who wish to be at their relaxed best on their special day. They all seem to love the sheer luxe experience they receive from The Nail Artistry team where they are treated royally.

We don’t find any of our clients challenging. A few of them do require more than usual pampering once in a while. But, all of us get into that kind of mood once in a while. For us, it is a part of our job to gauge the state of mind of our patrons and meet their requirements. I can say with confidence that except for one or two rare occasions, no client has left our premises without a broad smile.

You are born and brought up in the Middle East. What is missing in India, particularly Kerala?

I may have been born and brought up in the Middle East but I am a proud Indian.

There’s nothing amiss in India and for me, Kerala seems the best place. The natural beauty of the place and its people is just too much to ignore. I am

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proud to have chosen Kerala as the base for The Nail Artistry.

Your business is with the fashion industry. What has changed in the fashion industry? Where do you see it going in the post COVID world?

Like every other industry, the fashion industry is also adapting to the post-COVID-19 world. Rapid changes are happening across all levels. Fashion weeks are going online and a more robust and fast-growing online market has emerged for fashion products. Brands and designers are working more on online-oriented marketing strategies. Consumers are also rapidly becoming accustomed to online shopping.

What makes Nail Artistry unique?

Competition is irrelevant to us. What we do at The Nail Artistry is unique. The Nail Artistry offers the most luxurious and safest salon experience to its patrons. Others might try to copy us but they can never achieve our absolute focus. We have always treated our patrons like royalty. Most regular salons miss out on the nuances of a professional manicure or pedicure. They treat them just as a part of their routine while at The Nail Artistry, this is the crux of our very being. This is what we specialize in. We’re India's first super-luxury nail salon and our focus is altogether

What makes a woman beautiful?

A woman’s grace and dignity make her beautiful. A trip to The Nail Artistry also helps!

As a woman, what makes us stand apart from the men in the business world?

Women are more mindful, intuitive, flexible and resilient.

Also, we have gratitude and empathy, which I find are sourly missing in most businessmen.

Who is the strongest woman you have come across? And why?

That woman who stares back at me in the mirror is the strongest one for me. I look up to her for the strength and determination that she displays every day in her quest to prove herself. She may go through a lot on a given day, still, she chooses to keep moving. That takes real courage. She’s my hero!

Gender is dissolving; we are talking about LGBT, Transgender, and more liberal views on gender? How do you see this?

I truly believe that what matters is that people remain comfortable in whatever identity they choose for themselves.

We, as a society, need to grow up and stop categorising and chastising people for the choices they make. Instead, support them in their quest to find their true self.

Photographer: Dabboo Ratnani, Makeup-pompy Hans, Hair: Yianni Tsapatori, Stylist: Mohit Rai, Outfit: Abu jani Sandeep Khosla, Watch: Richard Mille

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What quality should a woman entrepreneur possess to be successful?

Women are ambitious and focused.

We're mindful, intuitive, flexible and resilient. We have gratitude and empathy. All these must be there in the personality of a good business leader. As such, I sincerely believe that a woman has all the qualities inside her to be successful in business.

We just have to stay positive consistently.

Despite all the odds and those people around who might want to bring us down, we have to learn to stay positive and keep moving towards the goal.

Has patriarchy brought your spirit down?

Since it is all around us, patriarchy does get under my skin once in a while too, but I don’t allow it to sustain and influence my spirits for long. I remind myself that I am not only fighting it but I am doing it well. I also remind myself that I am not fighting it alone either. There are millions of women like me in all corners of India, and the world, who are fighting it every day. I tell myself that I have to be strong and prevail for the sake of future generations of women. All of us deserve better and we are together in this fight against patriarchy in our society.

Three points that women who wish to fly high should keep in mind?

One, being financially independent is as important as being emotionally strong.

Two, being good at what you do is as important as being good to those around you.

Three, your hands and feet deserve the same tender love and care you reserve for your face.

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Like everyone else, the lockdown hit us hard. We have mostly young women working at our salons and their families depend upon their earnings. We made sure that none of our employees suffered because of money issues. We paid everyone’s salaries even when our salons were shut down. I was available to them throughout the lockdown for counselling. As an entrepreneur I knew I had to be strong for my team.

on a different level. No regular salon can even come close to the quality of service we deliver to our clients.

During the lockdown, how did you cope with the complete halt of business? How did you overcome it?

Photographer: Prasad Naik, Makeup: Florian Hurel, Hair: Yianni Tsapatori, Stylist: Mohit Rai, Outfit: Gauri and Nainika, Headpiece: Evelyn McDermott Millinery

Like everyone else, the lockdown hit us hard. We have mostly young women working at our salons whose families depend upon their earnings.

We made sure that none of our employees suffered because of money issues. We paid everyone’s salaries even when our salons were shut down. I was available to them throughout the lockdown for counselling. As an entrepreneur, I knew I had to be strong for my team. We all must stay positive to see through such dire circumstances. Thankfully, I am a Taurean and have strong will power. Because of the pandemic, we now have a sharpened focus on safety and hygiene while ensuring a luxe experience for our clientele.

All our salons follow elaborate safety measures and strict hygiene protocols and procedures that only big hospitals follow. All our salons have their autoclave machines to sterilize instruments that are

used and all the manicure and pedicure pods are disinfected after every session. All our clients draw confidence from our efforts and it has helped us a great deal in pulling them all back to our salons for their nails and beauty routines.

Your five secrets looking beautiful?

of

Feeling Positive, staying Happy, eating Healthy, regular Yoga & Exercise and finally, a beauty regime at The Nail Artistry.

Why should all women think about paying attention to nails?

Whether we're at work or home, we use our hands and feet all day long. While most of us take good care of our face in the regular beauty or grooming routines, somehow we just tend to ignore our hands and feet. They need our attention too and we need to take good care of them as we use them so much. So it’s necessary to give both our hands and feet the much-deserved pampering to help them de-stress. It adds a lot to a woman’s overall feeling of wellbeing. Proper manicure and pedicure can be as extensive as taking care of your face. It gives you confidence and makes you ready to take on the world

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BUSINESS

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

A

n important development for the Indian economy in recent years has been the remarkable success achieved in lowering interest rates.

This came about because the RBI has steadily cut its key policy rate since January 2014 when the repo rate had peaked at 8 per cent. The repo rate has now come down to 4 per cent (the lowest ever) for a total reduction of 4 percentage points over six years. During the global financial crisis of 2008, the repo rate had bottomed out at 4.75 per cent before starting to rise again. Incidentally, the RBI had tried to raise rates briefly from June to August

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Investors are becoming uncomfortable with the surge in money printing by central banks and that has also led to the ongoing rush of investments into digital cryptocurrency. The balance sheet of the US Federal Reserve has jumped from $4 trillion to around $7 trillion in 2020, a 75% growth in a single year, thereby expanding the supply of dollars at an unprecedented pace. The debasement of the US dollar has been a major source of support to gold prices. However, the returns on gold during the year have been far outstripped by the multi-fold rise in digital cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin, the most famous of the cryptocurrencies, rose 700% in 2020 and, over the course of the last 5 years, it has given returns of 85 times!

2018, when it increased the repo rate from 6 to 6.5 percent. In fact, in the March 2018 issue of this publication, my article titled “Are interest rates poised for reversal?” about my expectations of interest rates heading up, proved correct in that the RBI increased the repo rate from 6 to 6.25 per cent in June 2018 and then to 6.5 per cent in August 2018.

However, the IL&FS crisis hit the economy towards the end of 2018 and there were no further hikes.

The RBI’s move to cut interest rates over the last 3 to 4 years followed the decline in India’s inflation rate and reflected its confidence in the government’s ability to keep a lid

on fiscal deficit.

During its February 2021 meeting, the RBI left its benchmark repurchase rate at 4 per cent stating that it would maintain an accommodative stance as long as necessary to support the economy hit by the COVID-19 crisis, while ensuring that inflation remains within the target going forward. The RBI revised its inflation forecast to 5 per cent from 5.2 per cent in H1 2021-22 and 4.3 per cent for Q3 2021-22. Meanwhile, the real GDP growth is projected at 10.5 per cent in 2021-22.

RBI Repo Rates

The economy-wide decline in borrowing costs has been benefi-

Interest rates in India likely to rise

cial to industry and business across sectors and this is one of the reasons why stock markets in India have boomed recently. Against this backdrop, recent events suggest that an unwelcome reversal of the trend may be in the offing. While the RBI has held rates steady since the last cut effected in May 2020, it is the action in the bond market that points to rougher weather going forward.

Warning signals from the bond market

Thanks to interest rates falling steadily since 2014, the bond market participants enjoyed a rally in prices for much of the last four years.

Yields had fallen from their peak of 9.10 per cent in April 2014 to 5.76

per cent in July 2020. The sustained decline in bond yield was mainly due to the easy monetary policy followed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) after January 2014, with the repo rate coming down from 8 per cent in 2014 to 4 per cent as of today.

The decline in bond yield (in other words, the rally in bond prices) came to a halt by December 2020 as the RBI neared the end of its easy monetary policy cycle. The RBI finds itself unable to push for further rate cuts despite the contraction in GDP for two consecutive quarters (following the pandemic) because of the risk of higher inflation on the back of increased borrowings by the government. Market participants expect that the RBI will likely in-

crease the policy rate in 2H-FY21.

The key factor underlining this view is the likelihood of inflation making a comeback, which would cause the RBI to normalize policy sooner than currently expected.

In the Union Budget presented in February, the FM budgeted for fiscal deficit at a much higher level than last year’s budget given the pressing need to stimulate economic activities. However, because this necessarily involves higher government borrowing, the bond interest rate cycle turned, resulting in a spike in the cost of borrowing for the government as well as for the highly rated corporates. Yield on the 10-year benchmark bond went up recently. Since the Union Budget

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BUSINESS

was unveiled, the benchmark yields have hardened to 6.20 in March (up by 42 bps). Even the yield on oneyear T-bill has increased from 3.40% to 3.70% in February this year. The elevated fiscal deficit shown in the budget was not unexpected. After all, there is a clear need to revive the economy and channel investment into infrastructure, and it was expected that fiscal deficits would likely run higher than base for a couple of years or so. In the corporate bond market, two AAA-rated borrowers had to reduce the size of their debt issuances recently, due to the higher yield demanded by the market. Incidentally borrowing costs for large, AAA-rated PSU's have increased by 80-100 bps over the past few weeks.

These days, the bond markets and the RBI are involved in a tug of war over the yield on government securities. The RBI chose to devolve several auctions on the underwriters last month as the market was demanding a higher yield. The RBI wants to keep the government's borrowing costs below 6 per cent, which market participants believe is less than the fair price. In this context, it may be mentioned that the increase in yield on government debt

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is not unique to India as almost all the large economies have witnessed rising yields on government bonds.

Risk of inflation – commodities and oil

Fiscal stimulus in the advanced economies can be inflationary too, as we have begun to see in the commodities space where prices have firmed up. With prospects of faster than expected economic revival and with governments across the world loosening their purse strings to stimulate economic recovery, the risk of inflation is real although it may not be significant in the near term (i.e. over the next year). However, the current trends indicate that the period of low commodity prices may have come to an end. After Pfizer’s vaccine announcement revived hopes of a quick end to our pandemic woes, global commodity prices started moving higher on hopes of increasing demand as the pace of economic activities picks up.

Commodity prices started rallying from June 2020 onwards thanks to a post-pandemic recovery, rising global liquidity, and a weaker dollar. Steel, cement, coal, copper, aluminium, iron ore, are up by up to 75% since

June 2020. Copper and tin prices hit their highest in nine years earlier in February, while crude oil continues to trade at a 13-month high.

Oil is a ‘leading’ indicator of growth in the global economy and in 2021, prices went up by 20 per cent within one month reflecting optimism about revival of growth.

Moreover, greater compliance by OPEC+ members in respect of their agreed upon production quotas has also supported prices. In April 2020, in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, the OPEC+ alliance decided to enforce a 10 million barrel per day (bpd) production cut till June 2020, which gave way to a cut of 7.6 million bpd until the end of the year, and now to a cut of 5.6 million bpd through 2021 until April 2022. Crude oil prices have risen more than 60 per cent since November 2020 when the first vaccine announcement was made.

Staying with the outlook for crude oil prices, a further complication is that the new Biden administration in the US is very conscious about the environment. Many of its leading lights are opposed to fossil fuels and keen to force the pace of change towards renewable sources

of energy. This is in marked contrast to the pragmatic approach of the Trump administration that had no qualms about encouraging oil prospecting onshore and offshore. While the long-term impact of a shift to renewable sources of energy would be positive, there are short term costs to be borne. Under Trump, on each occasion that oil prices rose above US$ 60 to the barrel, shale oil producers would ramp up their output and keep a lid on prices. In fact, thanks to the rise of shale oil, the US had effectively become a netzero importer of crude oil. But now, with a new dispensation under the influence of environmentalists and climate warriors, there is less likelihood of domestic shale oil producers stepping up their output to keep a check on OPEC’s ability to raise prices. Against this backdrop, crude oil may well continue its rally to US$ 80 and above, which does not bode well for India’s battle against inflation.

The negative impact of rising yields

The overshooting of the fiscal deficit in the past and the revised higher deficit estimated for the cur-

rent FY 2021-22 will put further pressure on bond yields. The rising yield increases inflationary pressure (by pushing up costs for producers) and can lead to a slowdown in private investment and economic growth. As the supply of government bonds increases, it tends to “crowd out” private borrowers and forces up interest rates for them.

Banks are also adversely affected by rising yields as it erodes bond prices and the value of their existing bond portfolio. The higher mark to market losses that banks are forced to book will further erode their profitability at a time when it is

already strained by non-performing loans. The cost of raising deposits for banks has also increased in recent months. Corporate entities are finding it harder to borrow from banks at competitive rates. Earlier, higher-rated corporate could borrow via corporate bonds at lower yields compared to bank borrowings. In a scenario of rising yields in the bond market, this window is also becoming costlier.

Outlook

As in India, bond markets in the advanced economies have also witnessed rising yields (and falling prices). US government's fiscal response to the great recession of 2008 was to the tune of $1.8 trillion, whereas the fiscal response to the pandemic has ballooned to $6.1 trillion and counting. Recently, the US Treasury bond yield jumped from 0.53 per cent in July 2020 to 1.42 per cent in March (nearly 90 bps jump in less than six months). It must be noted that pre-Lehman the US treasury yield was nearly 5 per cent. In this context, any deviation by the Indian government from the path of fiscal prudence will further pressurise the 10-year benchmark yield given the limited scope of help from the central bank. And that, as we have seen, can only make things more difficult for corporate borrowers who are now well-advised to get used to a period of belt-tightening.

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

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BUSINESS

Rajesh Nair Associate Partner, Ernst & Young LLP

E

What we see today around us is an avalanche of change. Some of it was asking or rather begging for the change. We can attribute the reasons as disruptive technology, economic externalities, a global pandemic, or changing workforce demographics. But the situation is here to stay.

ducation is a lifelong journey.

There is no real state of being ‘educated’ and there is no defined finite-state when we know it all. The nature of change and flux is also that, just when we figure something and think that we have understood, things change. Science or art in its entirety lacks a definition and much of it is contextual.

While science at least has the solid foundation for us to build on and understand new principles, art is often a matter of context and the nature of times. We have seen art – style and fashion, even follow a cyclical pattern, where the same hues of the past become avant-garde.

In most cases, after the primary phase of education, be it the professional degrees or the more general qualifications, we tend to rely on our observational skills and the day-to-day interactions we have in our working environments to teach us further. What we pick up during this phase is the processes and the work scenarios from the quotidian tasks of work and perhaps display elements of discipline, culture and follow the way ‘things are done in your respective workspace. For the professional courses, there is a little more application of what was taught in college and some of the fundamental principles we picked up in college is polished further.

In most cases, we also trudge the fine line between monotony and thinking.

Workplace researchers have also identified – ‘motions of life’ (MOL ) as a set of regular steps we follow at work every day – across industries. MOL syndrome also indicates how brilliant people fall prey to the ‘regularity’ of work and eventually the longer they work in an environment, they tend to think less about change and ex-

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pect every aspect of work to repeat itself.

This is where we often see the experience as an impediment. In a lot of jobs, the nature of work is that the employee gets solid experience for three to four years, and then it is the reputation of the same tasks which comes in again and again.

Perhaps our ability to think of variations and change diminishes slowly as we do these tasks again and again.

Most organizations use training and development to counter some of these issues. The regular calendar of training programs on soft skills and technology is useful for a refresh, to view things from a different perspective, and to also break the monotony of place and context. There is some phenomenal content on ‘change management’ – a mixture of parables, ‘to do’ books, and presentations, and a slew of excellent speakers on the subject who can inspire and instil great ideas in you and also help you look at the same activities with a different lens.

What we see today around us is an avalanche of change. Some of it was asking or rather begging for the change. We can attribute the reasons as disruptive technology, economic externalities, a global pandemic, or changing workforce demographics. But the situation is here to stay.

We say with a lot of caution to technology students in engineering schools that a lot of what they learn today will undergo a sea change when they are out in the marketplace after their respective courses.

This seemingly cliched joke is truer today than ever before.

So what does the professional of today do? The first part is the realization that she should be responsible for her personal development. With increasing ‘work from

A relook at personal development

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BUSINESS

home’ (WFH) modalities, some of the jobs will move offline and the regular content of daily physical interactions and water cooler discussions are things of the past.

Technologies like AI is being aggressively used across sectors to replace the regular repetitive jobs and if your job content is a mixture of such tasks and routine activities, be sure that eventually there will be a software program that will do the same content far more efficiently and error-free. Some proactive thinking of the future of work in your respective area and reading about what is happening in your sector globally is also a quick indicator of what to expect.

Of course, the pace of technology adoption with following a different curve in different industries and geographies, but that change will eventually knock on your door.

The second part of the thinking process is to plan your respective careers. In today’s context, no

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planning can effectively be called long-term, but it is worth a try to focus on a few things you want to do as you progress into your career matrices. It is also of a high imperative to look at this from the perspective of skills and not roles and designation and responsibility landscapes. With changing organization structures, the roles you think about may change in the future, so focus on the skills that you want to acquire. This focus should also help you align your time – today, we have many options of videos, literature, books, and structured courses UDEMY et.al – the charm is to plan your time with a focus to accomplish the decided area rather than carpet bombing a laundry list.

The third part is a preparatory process that you can calendarize into schedules. Have milestones that enable to you learn and experiment, have milestones to change the trajectory of your ca-

reers if required, and continuously nurture the ability to learn by reading, taking notes, observing trends, and keeping abreast with what is going around. A clear focus and intent are half the battle won and you would be surprised by how the right material pounce on you with ease and you don’t have to dig deep to get the relevant information on any areas you choose to master.

The fourth and the last is the time-old advice that every elder would have ever given you, whether it was your parents, teachers et.al – read, read, and read. There is no better and easier (and often cheaper) method than slogging through pages of documented experiences, mistakes, and successes. It will help you build your character, reflect better, and think on a broad frame. Because, tomorrow, it is your personal development that will stand between you and success, whatever happens around you!

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HEALTH

Dr Arun Oommen MBBS, MS (Gen Surg), Mch( Neurosurgery), MRCSEd, MBA Consultant Neurosurgeon, VPS Lakeshore Hospital Kochi, India

The best-known environmental risk factor for brain tumors is radiation exposure, most often from radiation therapy to treat some other condition for eg leukemia. These brain tumors usually develop around 10 to 15 years after the radiation. Radiation-induced tumors are still rare.

Risk factors and warning signs for Brain tumors

M

ost brain tumors are not linked with any known risk factors and have no obvious cause. But there are a few factors that can raise the risk of brain tumors.

Radiation exposure

The best-known environmental risk factor for brain tumors is radiation exposure, most often from radiation therapy to treat some other condition for eg leukemia. These brain tumors usually develop around 10 to 15 years after the radiation.

Radiation-induced tumors are still rare.

The possible risk from exposure to imaging tests, such as x-rays or CT scans, is not known for sure.

However, the risk is negligibly small.

Immune system disorders and drug-induced People with impaired immune systems have an increased risk of developing lymphomas (cancers of lymphocytes) of the brain or spinal

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cord. Giving the cancer drug methotrexate into the fluid around the spinal cord (intrathecal methotrexate) for the treatment of leukemia has been shown to marginally increase the risk of brain tumors.

Post-menopausal women who are taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or oral contraceptives may have a slightly increased risk of developing meningioma, but more research is needed to confirm this.

Family history

In rare cases (5%) brain cancers run in families and usually occur first when they are young. Some of these include Neurofibromatosis, Tuberous sclerosis, Von Hippel-Lindau disease, etc.

Other factors

Environmental factors such as exposure to solvents, pesticides, oil products, rubber, or vinyl chloride (a chemical used to manufacture plastics), petroleum products, and

certain other chemicals have been linked with an increased risk of brain tumors.

Exposure to aspartame (a sugar substitute) and infection with certain viruses (EB virus, human CMV, polyomavirus) have been suggested as possible risk factors.

Factors with uncertain, controversial, or unproven effects on brain tumor risk

Cell phone use

Cell phones give off radiofrequency (RF) rays, a form of energy on the electromagnetic spectrum between FM radio waves and those used in microwave ovens, radar, and satellite stations. RF rays have not been proved to induce cancer. And at the same time, RF rays have not been proved to be safe. Cell phones do not give off ionizing radiation, the type that can cause cancer by damaging the DNA. In 2011, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified mobile

phone radiation as Group 2B - possibly carcinogenic. That means that they should be used with caution.

So additional research needs to be conducted.

Diet, Smoking, and alcohol

Dietary N-nitroso compounds may raise the risk of both childhood and adult brain tumors. Dietary Nnitroso compounds are formed in the body from nitrites or nitrates found in some cured meats, cigarette smoke, and cosmetics. Drinking alcohol doesn't seem to affect risk.

Warning signals

Tumors produce symptoms ei-

ther due to compression or irritation of brain Headache occurring at a later onset of life and gradually increasing in intensity. There can be a constant aching pain without any pain-free period in between. Usually, a Headache in the morning and the victim wakes up with a severe headache Projectile vomiting mostly on waking up in the morning. Here the vomiting will not be preceded by nausea. Vomiting offers temporary relief to the headache.

New-onset seizures can be focal seizures (More significant) involv-

ing only part of the body or they can be generalized seizures.

Weakness or numbness- progressively increasing and can involve only one limb or one side of the body.

Visual problems especially when it involves the Optic Nerve (nerve of vision) or pituitary gland.

Cognitive problems occurring suddenly like memory problems, behavioral changes, language problems, confusions, etc Difficulty in speech, Sudden Gait disturbances, imbalance, incoordination, or weakness of facial muscles

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FINANCE

Adv Sherry Samuel Oommen This article is authored by Adv Sherry Samuel Oommen. Adv Oommen, who specializes 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.

It is also saddening to note that the Government in the amendments carried out in the Finance Bill even on the direct tax side has sought to unsettle the settled positions in law. It is not in dispute that the Constitution of India which is supreme adumbrates as well as divides powers, roles, and functions of three wings of the State - the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary.

I

n the earlier article, I had shared my views on India Inc's future and my views on the direct tax proposals in the Union Budget 2021. In this article, I intend to discuss some of the key indirect proposals in the context of the amendments effected in the laws governing Goods & Services Tax (“GST”). As a precursor, it is indeed saddening to note that the Government despite its avowed objective of being against retrospective amendments, has made certain amendments retrospectively intending to nullify judgments of the Hon’ble Supreme Court.

Key amendments

1. The Finance Bill has proposed to amend the definition of the term “supply” to retrospectively cover transactions between a club and its members. It deserves to be noted that the Hon’ble Supreme Court in State of West Bengal Vs Calcutta Club & Others (2019) 19 SCC 107 held that services provided by a club to its members tantamount to selfservice, which is not liable to service tax. The non-applicability of service tax was based on the doctrine of mutuality, which is premised on the theory that a person cannot make a profit from himself.

Further, an amount received from oneself cannot be regarded as income and taxable. Pertinently, the Government has sought to nullify this common law principle. Consequently, transactions between the club and its members and vice versa would now be subjected to GST.

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It is also saddening to note that the Government in the amendments carried out in the Finance Bill even on the direct tax side has sought to unsettle the settled positions in law.

It is not in dispute that the Constitution of India which is supreme adumbrates as well as divides powers, roles, and functions of three wings of the State - the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary.

The doctrine of separation of powers which forms an integral part of our constitutional ethos requires each branch of the triad to respect the constitutional division and not to disturb the allocation of roles and functions between the triad. This has been aptly captured in the landmark judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Dr. Ashwani Kumar Vs Union of India and Another 2019 (12) SCALE 125 as follows: "These divisions are boundaries and limits fixed by the Constitution to check and prevent transgression by any one of the three branches into the powers, functions, and tasks that fall within the domain of the other wing. The three branches have to respect the constitutional division and not disturb the allocation of roles and functions between the triad. Adherence to the constitutional scheme dividing the powers and functions is a guard and check against potential abuse of power and the rule of law is secured when each branch observes the constitutional limitations to their powers, functions, and roles."

2. In the context of availing of

UNION BUDGET 2021

A PERSPECTIVE – PART-2

the input tax credit, the Finance Bill now proposes to add another eligibility prerequisite that a taxpayer will be eligible to claim the input tax credit on the vendor's invoices and debit notes only if such invoice or debit notes are declared by the concerned vendor in his statement of outward supply and the same is communicated to the taxpayer in GSTR-2A and GSTR-2B. Hence, given the said amendment, the claim of an input tax credit of a taxpayer will be restricted to the extent

of such credit reflected in the GSTR 2A and GSTR 2B. Because of the said amendment, which I feel is draconian, the onus is now cast on the taxpayer to ensure that his vendors are compliant and disciplined. This is a perfect example of the Government working for hand in glove with the bureaucracy to protect their incompetence. In which case, I would urge the Government to seriously consider downsizing its staff in various Departments.

3. In a major bolt to the industry and the accounting fraternity, the Government has now proposed to do away with the requirement of GST Audit.

Presently, the GST Act requires that every registered person whose turnover exceeds INR 5 crores is required to submit a reconciliation statement in Form GSTR-9C certified by a Chartered Accountant or Cost Accountant (which is known as “GST Audit Report”).

4. Presently all supplies of goods

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FINANCE and services to an SEZ or an SEZ Developer qualified as zero-rated supplies irrespective of whether or not such supplies of goods or services are used for authorized operations. The Finance Bill 2021 has sought to amend Section 16(1) of the IGST Act, 2017 according to which supplies of goods or services to an SEZ would qualify as zerorated supplies ONLY if such supply is to be used for the authorized operations by an SEZ unit or an SEZ Developer.

5. The Bill now proposes that in the event of non-realization of export proceeds within the timeframe prescribed under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, the registered person exporting goods without payment of tax will have to repay the refund received along with interest in respect of such export. Interestingly, the proposed amendment applies to export without payment of tax and does not apply in respect of export done on payment of IGST. 6. The scope of self-assessment tax and the related recovery proceedings has been enlarged. With

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the proposed amendment, recovery proceedings could be initiated self-assessed tax as disclosed in the statement of outward supply (GSTR 1) does not correspond with the liability declared in the GST Return (ie, GSTR 3B). With this amendment, the Department would now be in a position to initiate recovery proceedings without resorting to the adjudication process where the tax liability in the GSTR 1 is more than the amounts declared in the GSTR 3B. In another measure to check tax evasion, which could also turn into a haven for corruption, the Commissioners power of provisional attachment has been further enhanced in cases of self-assessment, provisional assessment, and scrutiny of returns. Further, the powers of provisional attachment can now be done in respect of assets of any other person retaining the benefit of unlawful transaction for which penalty is prescribed under section 122 of the Act. 7. Currently, the GST Act provides that if recovery and penalty proceedings are initiated on the

main notice (ie, the supplier), the related proceedings against all other co-notices shall stand deemed to be concluded if the penalty proceedings against the supplier are concluded. The Finance Bill has proposed an amendment to delink the penalty proceedings on the main noticee and the other conoticees.

Given the sleuth of amendments that were carried out on both the direct and indirect tax front, I ask myself this question – Is India still a tax-friendly jurisdiction? To me, the copper-bottomed response – A definite NO. I do hope that the Government would bring in necessary safeguards to avoid the arbitrary and untrammeled exercise of power. In my recent interaction with the Department, the arrogance on their part is indeed visible apart from being brazen.

While there is no doubt that tax evasion should be checked and the errant punished, I would also urge the Government to ensure that in the event of an arbitrary exercise of power, the concerned officials are punished in the same measure 

MOTIVATION

Dolly Neena Dolly Neena 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

ccording to statistics, 100 million business ventures are launched every year.

However, most of them find it extremely difficult to thrive in this fast-paced world and to sustain in this very competitive world. Business founders thus strive and struggle to scale up as fast as they can to outsmart the competition. There are a lot of things a new business should not possess – like lack of mentoring, ineffective management, limited business resources, bad financial strategy, no market research, not analyzing the competitors, unrealistic expectations, etc. Hence, it is very important and foremost to have a Business Plan in place, at the very onset. Planning is indispensable. “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”.

The business plan develops and spreads out all procedures and strategies a company should execute to convert a business opportunity into action and thus to generate profit and be successful. Of course, whether you’re a start-up or a new business, it takes a huge deal of optimism, practicality, and realism, along with substantial business strategies to keep the boat sailing.

Founders are ‘living the company’, on a day-to-day basis, which makes it highly emotional also for them to keep the balance and momentum going. Of course, we can see a lot

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What we see today around us is an avalanche of change.

Some of it was asking or rather begging for the change. We can attribute the reasons as disruptive technology, economic externalities, a global pandemic or changing workforce demographics. But the situation is here to stay.

of ventures who have hit the top without having a blueprint in hand.

However, we are not here to take a risk or chance on our biggest dream, especially when a lot of investment and reputation is at stake. Planning simply means that you are prepared and are being thoughtful about what your venture should look like, what are you planning to offer your valuable customers, how would you manage your finances to break-even faster and to scale up, how do you list your small-term and long-term goals ahead, etc. It consumes a lot of time even to make a business plan into a workable idea. Because even though you might have a foolproof plan at hand, it is a long bumpy road ahead between the ideation and execution. A business plan helps you keep track and acts as a map to keep you focused on your goals. It will help you analyze how far you’ve traveled, whether you are making money and whether you’re on the right track, or should you take a detour. If you are new to entrepreneurship, it would also be wise to take help from professionals or have a mentor to guide you through and to make a realistic business plan. Having a fresh set of eyes reviewing your progress from outside and giving you a different perspective can help you to run your business effectively.

Hiring the right talent is one of the foremost components to make

a business successful. Because it is the efficiency of the team that helps you win customers and sustain them. Have experienced HR personnel who are efficient to search, find, attract and engage the right talents. Despite the unemployment cries across the globe, companies are always on the lookout for skilled talents. There are a host of metrics available in the market for companies to track the hiring process, as the data we have in the current market is enormous which makes it difficult to be tracked. Having a concise documented recruitment process can guide the HR team who are struggling to identify the right talents, and also for the freshers to understand the company in depth.

It is important to get the new joiners to align their visions with your company’s. Make sure they gel in well with the culture of the company so that they start contributing faster.

Creating an environment they want to stick to is a real-time challenge.

You’d always wanna revisit your salary structure, perks/incentives, culture, competition, and reviews, to ensure the above. It’s important to have a two-way dialogue with the employees to know what they feel, get their feedback, and also make necessary changes/improvements, to retain skilled employees. Competing with larger branded organizations/ MNCs can be a hard task when it

Expect the worst, PLAN FOR THE BEST!

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MOTIVATION

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comes to retaining good talents. When you have attrition it incurs a loss for you as the whole time and money spent for recruitment, hiring and training would go wasted.

Talent acquisition has always been thus a demanding challenging discipline and is a core activity to keep the company afloat among the crazy competition outside.

Hence, this should have a clear Operating Procedure in early business planning.

For any new organization that decides to enter the business world and take up the competition, crises are inevitable, and most of the hurdles pop up unexpectedly also like the current pandemic of Covid 19. The whole world went clueless and many giants announced bankruptcy post this. The type and magnitude of risks you want to take depend on what is at stake for you here. There should always be a constant analysis, learning, unlearning, and relearning, and always should be open to doing a postmortem on what went wrong and right. Hours of work you put in and the massive pressure you gotta go through can out any passionate entrepreneur to think twice about moving forward. Times of trials are given in the world of entrepreneurship. Whether it be a product or a service industry, there would always come a time when a venture will have to weigh on choices on what sacrifice to make so that they can survive, sustain or scale up the company to the desired milestone. Money is the most common for all business people – trimming the costs to a manageable size, having a ‘life-saver of an accountant, diversifying funds, investing in the right places, having a financial advisor, etc can help. Most important is to retain loyal customers. It is important to have more number of clients that to be dependent on a large one client, the latter will put you on a larger risk. Adapting to market transformations and technological advancements is very important to balance quality and growth. Marketing resources are to be properly and carefully allocated.

Your KPIs (key performance indicators) should always give you a track of results achieved. Building a powerful and trustworthy corporate brand is a step-by-step process, complex long-term initiative.

Return on investment pays off only with time. As mentioned earlier, defining and executing optimal strategies is the key. A Business Plan is thus a must-have for any business to guarantee long-term success.

“Always plan. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.”

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TRIPLOG

The greenery-clad twists and turns on the road takes you to another era or is it a trip down a dreamy memory lane! You’ll find yourself so close to nature - I was heartfully amused by the hundreds of small monkeys pouncing about on both sides of the road uphill

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INTO AN

ETHEREAL WORLD OF QUIETUDE!

T

his journey was one of the most ethereal one I ever had. The whole travel was dreamlike – glided along one after another with pleasant surprises, breath-taking sceneries, adventurous excitements, serene nature and at last to a relaxing abode called Vythiri Village resort. Before I tell you what this spectacular resort had in store for me, let me tell you how spellbound I was with the mesmerizing beauty of this lush green enchanting district – Wayanad. I got to know that ‘Wayanad’ is originally derived from “VayalNaadu’ which translates into ‘the land of paddy fields’. This breath-taking beauty, Wayanad, is situated in the northeast of Kerala and has a historical evidence of New Stone Age civilization.

The famous Edakkal caves at Wayanad unveils 6000-year-old rock en-

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43

TRIPLOG

It was indeed a walk with nature, amidst the trees and the chirping birds. For a moment, I sat on a fat root of a tree for some time, relished this earthly feeling, took a deep breath to take in the fresh fragrance of flowers, woods and moistened sand.

gravings from the Neolithic age. The ghat road, from Vythiri to Thamarassery, which was constructed during the British rule is a real driving experience. The greenery-clad twists and turns on the road takes you to another era or is it a trip down a dreamy memory lane! You’ll find yourself so close to nature – I was heartfully amused by the hundreds of small monkeys pouncing about on both sides of the road uphill. For a travel-enthusiast like me, this trip was sensational due to the amazing locales, scenic destinations and a thrilling smooth drive to the resort I was traveling to. You wouldn’t want to close your eyes even for a minute, and surprisingly I was so refreshed when I reached Vythiri Village resort.

I had heard a lot about this place

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from my friends and colleagues, and decided to book this resort itself this time. My expectations were not put down – the gatekeepers were so obliging and thoughtfully explained way to the reception. I was welcomed at the door step with a very refreshing welcome drink with a wide courteous smile. The reception area was so woody that you wouldn’t feel that you entered a building. The check-in formalities were smooth, the staff was helpful enough to help me fill in the forms and took my luggage into the room I was assigned to.

The understanding staff didn’t want to hold me up and urged me into the room so that I can freshen up after a long journey in. A van carried me from the lobby through the wilderness into my pool villa, as it was situ-

ated away from the main building. I had a glance at their website when I booked rooms - but the real experience was indeed incredible. The villa was so quietly cozy with lovely wooden interiors. The rooms were 2000 sq ft spacious with a two bedroom and a private sitting area, and the pool inside was absolutely gorgeous – just enough for me to sink and dissolve in all the travel-lag.

I got outside to take a stride to the restaurant for lunch. The nocturnal chorus you’d hear by the singing insects is heard here even in the afternoon. It was indeed a walk with nature, amidst the trees and the chirping birds. For a moment, I sat on a fat root of a tree for some time, relished this earthly feeling, took a deep breath to take in the fresh fragrance of flowers, woods and moistened sand. I was really hungry after a long journey, and I saw a sumptuous buffet ready when I reached the lovely restaurant SpiceBowl. It was situated at the crown of the magnificent atrium. There was a stage in the middle, which later I realized was for various theatricals, musicals and performances to be played. I

am usually finicky with the cuisines as I am an ardent foodie – but just like the breath-taking nature, Vythiri Village’s refreshingly fresh taste took me by surprise. I had a small talk with the very friendly attendant and she told me that all the greens are farmed in the backyard which gives the vegetables and spread a distinct flavour. I had a sumptuous delicious meal, with a soothing instrumental playing in the background.

I was then told by the staff to come back to the atrium at 7.30pm to enjoy a stunning musical extravaganza. It seems that every weekend they have several ethnic and other performances scheduled to entertain their guests. There are a lot of exciting and adventurous trekking points in Wayanad. I was told that the resort arranges trips to all the

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TRIPLOG

nearby attractions like pookode lake, banasura sagar dam, edakkal caves, muthanga wildlife sanctuary, tea museum etc. It was mentioned on their brochure as well. Even though they caringly offered the van, I wanted to take the lovely stroll back to my villa and had a relaxing quick siesta. I had heard of the beautiful hanging bridge at the resort and was planning to have a look at that in the evening. The courteous driver drove me around the winding tea plantations, explained vividly about other different scenic spots that I can come back and visit during my stay. From far I saw that gigantic structure and yes, it was indeed just stunning as I’d heard of. The hanging bridge looked like it was a portal which took you to another world. I so wanted to step on it as fast as I can, I jumped out of the van. This was a striking piece of architecture and it took you across a serene tranquil stream of water, to the other side of the land. There is an enormous swimming pool when you look down and it looks darker than the sky’s hues. There are other activities like

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archery, 12D cinema, paintball, fish spa, snooker and so on. My favourite was the ZipLine. It was awesome experience, the guide was very helpful, I zipped flew through the pleasant weather and spectacular scenery safely to the other side of the line. It was like flying amidst the tress like a real Tarzan!

Evening we had a sensational musical night, had so much of fun, merry and dance in a long time.

The dinner was again sumptuous with a large spread of cuisines and finger-licking desserts. I had a lovely sulaimani also which is my favourite in Kerala, as a final flourish before I hit the relaxing beds. I had one of the comforting sleeps of my life.

The cicadas and crickets played a nature’s harmony for my ears while slept sound.

The sun-dawn was mystic, with the birds chirping, leaves rustling in concord and the bright rays of the sun seeping into the room giving it a fairylike ambience. I woke up to an enchanting dawn, and decided to indulge more with a calming spa. The ancient Ayurveda indeed was a heal-

ing therapy, detoxifying, rejuvenating my body and mind. I felt much de-stressed and calm. This trip was proving to be one of the best ever of my life, so close to nature and my essence. I left Vythiri Village resort with a cleansed soul, refreshed and armoured to get back into the routinely hustle-bustles of the concrete jungle. I am for sure to come back to refuel myself and experience this ethereal mood again

Addresss: NH-212, Near Vythiri Town, Vythiri P.O, Wayanad - 673 576, Kerala, India Phone Numbers: +91 4936 256 716 / 717/ 718, +91 8086622217, +91 9388256723, +91 8086622246, +91 9388803030, +91 8086622276 Social Media Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VythiriVillageResort/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vythirivillageresort/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Vythiri_Village TripAdvisor : https://www.tripadvisor.in/ Hotel_Review-g2295130-d2244535-ReviewsVythiri_Village-Vythiri_Wayanad_District_Kerala. html Website : https://www.vythirivillage.com/

GADGETS

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro

Rs. 18,999 (Approximately)

Android v10 (Q)

6.7 inches (17.02 cm) Display

64 + 8 + 5 + 5 MP Quad

Primary Cameras

LED Flash32 MP Front Camera

6 GB Ram

64 GB internal memory

512 GB Expandable memory

5050 mAh Battery Capacity

OnePlus 9

Rs. 46,999 (Approximately) Android (v10) Q 6.55 inches (16.64 cm) Display 48 MP + 48 MP + 8 MP

primary camera 16 MP secondary camera 8 GB RAM 128 GB internal memory 4500 mAh battery capacity

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Realme V15

Rs. 15,890 (Approximately) Android v10 (Q) 6.4 inches Display 64 MP + 8 MP +

2 MP Primary Camera 16 MP Secondary Camera 6 GB RAM 128 GB Internal Memory 4310 mAh Battery Capacity

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Rs 91,399 (Approximately) Android v11 6.8 inches Display 108 MP + 10 MP + 10 MP +

12 MP Primary Camera 40MP Secondary Camera 12 GB RAM 256 GB Internal Memory 5000mAh Battery Capacity

March - April 2021

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BEAUTY

Home remedies for strengthening brittle nails

W

ho does not admire long beautiful nails?

However, beauty of the nails lies in their health. Only healthy nails can look beautiful and stay strong. Brittle nails can be considered unhealthy making them look awful. Brittleness in nails can be the effect of many factors like aging, excessive usage of nail enamel or nail polish remover.

Other conditions that can lead to brittleness in nails are fungal infections, anaemia, psoriasis, eczema, and lichen planus. For all those who want to have beautiful nails, it is important that they are given proper care on timely basis.

Mentioned below are few home remedies which can strengthen the nails and keep them beautiful.

Lemon Juice and Olive oil

While lemon juice helps in protecting damaged and peeling nails, olive oil penetrates the nail cuticles repairing and strengthen the brittle nails.

Mix 3 tablespoons of olive oil with 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and heat the mixture until slightly warm. Massage the mixture on each nail while soaking the fingertips in

the mixture for 20 minutes. Leave the mixture on the nails overnight.

If done on a routine basis, one can notice substantial difference within a month.

Sea Salt

Using sea salt is one of the easiest and readily available home remedies that can be used by anyone to make their nails strong and healthy.

The minerals present in sea salt have healing and rejuvenating properties which make the nails strong and shiny.

Add four drops each of wheat germ oil and lemon essential oils to two tablespoons of smooth grain sea salt. Dip the nails in the solution for 15 minutes. Once pat dried, moisturize the hands and legs thoroughly.

Repeat this procedure two -three times a week to receive surprising results.

Coconut Oil

Pure coconut oil has been considered as the easiest and most efficient solution for all kinds of skin and hair problems. Massaging the nails with coconut oil helps in keeping them hydrated and improves blood circulation.

Heat some coconut oil and

Dr. Elizabath Chacko, MD-Kalpana International

Mob: 9388618112

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massage the nails with the fingertips for around 5 minutes. Follow this process every day to achieve best results.

Egg Yolk and Milk

Lack of protein and calcium can be a reason behind brittle nails. Egg yolk and milk are easily available sources of calcium and protein that helps reduce nail brittleness and makes it strong and beautiful. Mix the yolk of an egg with two tablespoons of milk. Beat the mixture well, and thoroughly massage it onto the nails. Wait for 20 minutes and clean it off with lukewarm water. The mixture provides deep moisturisation to the nails and prevents them from peeling and splitting.

Honey

Honey helps fight bacterial and fungal growth thereby keeping the nails and cuticles nourished and

supple. A honey and lemon mask for the nails, which combines the hydrating properties of honey with the healing properties of lemon, is one of the simplest yet effective home remedies to get rid of brittleness of nails.

Add few drops of lemon juice into 2 teaspoons of honey and massage onto the nails. Rinse off the mask after 15-20 minutes. Repeating the procedure guarantees healthier nails and soft cuticles.

Tea tree oil

The antiseptic property of tea tree oil is used for treating various skin diseases. However, it is always recommended that tea tree oil should always be applied in diluted form - either mixed with water or some other oil. Add 5 to 6 drops of tea tree oil in 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Rub this solution thoroughly on the nails and leave it for 30 minutes.

Wash the nails with lukewarm water, pat dry, and apply a moisturizing lotion. Following this remedy twice a day for a month can bring in amazing results. Along with these useful home remedies, following a healthy lifestyle that comprises healthy diet, moisturizing the nails at frequent intervals and avoiding excessive use of nail polish removers are certain effective methods to keep the nails healthy. Limiting the use of fake nails is also a best way to keep the nails strong and beautiful. All these steps are done using natural ingredients that ensure the strength of the nails and make them look beautiful naturally. Following these home remedies, one can grow strong, long and beautiful nails which can be styled accordingly.

Stay Healthy Stay Beautiful!

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TRAVELOGUE

The white sandy beaches are to die for, and the coral reefs needs to be visited once in a lifetime for knowledge one can receive from there and maybe give it a second thought before dumping the waste and plastic in the sea after that.

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Fiji - A delightful fusion of nature and tradition

D

ifferent people explain travel in different ways. For some it is for leisure and for others their job takes them places. But there are travelers who take traveling as a meditation. They meet different people, garner knowledge about the culture, food, and other aspects of a place.

These experiences undoubtedly contribute towards experi-

ences that are worth living for and exposure that any amount of reading cannot provide. Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji is an island country that has immense potential to lure a traveler. The country is a mixture of Indians who came to the island as a part of laborers’ migration, Europeans and Rotumans. Fijians, the indigenous inhabitants of Fiji, are Melanesians who possess a

mixture of Polynesian blood which is apparent in the eastern islands. As Indians form most of the population Fijian Hindi has become an official language of the country.

Fiji’s Indians can be divided into two broad cultural categories reinforced by physical differences. Those from the north of India – the ‘Calcuttas’, or ‘Calcutta Wallahs’came from Bengal, Bihar and

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TRAVELOGUE Uttar Pradesh through the immigration point of Calcutta and spoke ‘village’ Hindustani.

A Melanesian country in the South Pacific Ocean, Fiji is formed of volcanic mountains and warm tropical waters and lies close to New Zealand. Despite consisting of 330 island groups about 87% of the total population of 883,483 live on Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, the two major island groups. One of the most outermost island group is Ono-i-Lau. With Nadi, the Coral Coast, Denarau Island, and Mamanuca Islands being the famous spots, fiji attracts

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tourists and travelers throughout the world. For those who are beach and coral lovers, Fiji is the apt place to visit. One can also try a hand in scuba diving. The tropical climate and Quaint villages also add to the itinerary for those who love to enjoy their trip in the lap of the nature.

The white sandy beaches are to die for, and the coral reefs needs to be visited once in a lifetime for knowledge one can receive from there and maybe give it a second thought before dumping the waste and plastic in the sea after that.

The extent of damage it creates to

Other major attractions of Fiji include the Botanical Gardens of Thursten in Suva, Sigatoka Sand Dunes, and Colo-I-Suva Forest Park.

Even though these can seem quite common to any other places with nature as a backdrop for tourism, in Fiji it is different considering the comparatively less number people visiting the island.

the marine ecosystem can only be understood once we get to see it for ourselves. One needs nothing more to rejuvenate and feel relieved other than experiencing aesthetic beauty of a beach and blue waters surrounding it. The tropical climate of the island makes it the best place to be visited throughout the year.

Other major attractions of Fiji include the Botanical Gardens of Thursten in Suva, Sigatoka Sand Dunes, and Colo-I-Suva Forest Park.

Even though these can seem quite common to any other places with nature as a backdrop for tourism,

in Fiji it is different considering the comparatively less number people visiting the island. Honeymoon in Fiji has become of the recent trends among the married couples. According to the remports, In August 2013, five couples entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the "Highest Altitude Wedding on an Aeroplane" after planning to get married at a height of 41,000 feet on a Fiji Airways flight from Auckland to Nadi.

Apart from adults only or couples only resorts there are many kids friends resorts that offer many

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TRAVELOGUE services like kids clubs, nanny services etc, making it an accessible destination for both people traveling with or without kids. And even if you are traveling with kids but want a quick getaway, the above-mentioned services keep the things sorted. With professional assistance that also ensure safety, kids can enjoy their own time while the rest of the family enjoys their way of exploring the place.

When in Fiji, traditional Fijian Bobo massage is a must. A healing blend of massage with oils that are extracted from nuts identical to the place is an experience worth giving a shot. Other distinctive relaxation therapies that the island provides are. Duavata island-style four-handed massage and Thalgo therapy mud and algae wraps top enticing local treatment options.

Fiji is also known for its Kava culture wherein drinking yaqona (or kava) is a tradition and considered as the part and parcel of Fijian life. Made from the pulverized root of Piper methysticum, which is a plant from the pepper family, the drink has a legend associated with it.

According to legend, the word “yaqona” was derived from the Fijian god Degei, whose name means “from heaven to the soil and through the Earth.” It is believed that Degei had three sons, all of whom he had given two sacred crops, vuga and yaqona, which provide wisdom. The sons gave these crops to their people, also making them the subjects of the wisdom. It is believed that this tradition has carry on and therefore the legend states that to this day, the crops grow wherever Fijian descendants reside.

Fiji is, therefore, an island that has a rich culture and distinct traditions attached to it. It is undoubtedly a place for those who want to combine the experiences of having explored a place with undefined natural beauty while delving deep into the roots of how a place and its unique traditions are formed.

In the present scenario, one knows that only thing that is still are the pandemic restrictions that every country is following. However, holidays know no boundaries and restrictions. While such places are still not open for the tourists, one can plan everything in advance so that while in Fiji one can explore it to the fullest, without leaving out a single beach or experience the volcanic mountains

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AUTO REVIEW

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.

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It is a global product, much like a Honda CRV. The C5 Aircross has a lot going for it in the styling department. The front end styling with the DRLs placed above the headlamps on the bumper was originally a design element seen on Citroens a decade ago, but in India it has already been familiarized by other brands.

O

ur love for cars isn’t a secret any more and more and more car manufacturers across the world are taking notice. Sure, it’s a challenging market but it is also a welcoming one. If you watched the trend, we Indians aren’t just opening our gates to new car manufacturers; we are laying down a big red carpet for anyone who comes our way. All it takes is to come up with a desirable product that offers good value and we will buy it. Renault became a household name with the Duster and Jeep was off to a decent success with the Compass too. New entrants from two years ago, like MG and Kia, were welcomed by the Indian car buyer with open arms as well. French manufacturer Citroen,

which is part of PSA which in turn is now part of the automotive giant that is the Stellantis group, has been eyeing India for a while. With over 100 years of history, Citroen is known for innovation, design, and comfort. We drove their first offering in India – the Citroen C5 Aircross.

It is a global product, much like a Honda CRV. The C5 Aircross has a lot going on it in the styling department. The front end styling with the DRLs placed above the headlamps on the bumper was originally a design element seen on Citroens a decade ago, but in India, it has already been familiarized by other brands. It still looks premium and expensive.

The white car we drove had reddishorange accents on the front bumper, side cladding, and roof rails which

CITROEN C5

AIRCROSS looked funky. The 18-inch alloys look contemporary, the tail lamps have a 3D design inside, and everywhere you look, there are polygons with rounded corners. The proportions are great as well. It isn’t too big from the outside, but it is wider and taller than something like a Tiguan All Space.

The design flair carries on to the interiors as well. There is a square theme throughout, from the AC vents to the block pattern on the seats and even the steering wheel is somewhat of a square. Everything feels well-built and though most of it is hard plastic, it doesn’t feel cheap.

The centre console is chunky and with the dashboard and door pads being quite thick, you feel cocooned in. The instrument console is digital and minimalistic and the tachometer is very difficult to read at times.

The gear selector is an interesting shape and is easy to operate, while the paddles behind the steering feel

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AUTO REVIEW

The Citroen C5 comes across as a breath of fresh air in an otherwise staid segment. This French flair is something we Indians haven’t really experienced. Sure, we have Renault, but most of their cars sold here are sourced from Romania. The C5 is a great start for the brand to show what they are capable of, before coming up with a new reasonably priced car later next year.

a bit ordinary. The front seats are supportive and comfortable though the material isn’t great on a hot day.

The rear seats are clever in the way that they are three individual seats that slide and recline independently of one another. While they are comfortable, the seats themselves are too contoured and two rear passengers will have to sit in their designated spots and not take up space in the middle. And even with the seats slid back, legroom is only average. A better arrangement would be if the seats could slide further back when you don’t need that luggage space.

Speaking of luggage space, there are 580 litres of it and clever storage spaces are everywhere in the cabin.

The Citroen C5 Aircross gets Peugeot’s 2.0L diesel with 177bhp

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and 400Nm. Performance is strong and effortless and is delivered linearly. The engine is quite loud and though you don’t hear it thanks to the cabin insulation, it can get a bit thrashy when revved close to 4000rpm. It pulls everywhere in the rev range and the 8 speed Aisin gearbox is well suited for the characteristics of this car. You have various driving modes and choosing Sport isn’t necessary and nor is using the paddles. 0-100kmph is pretty quick taking only 9.7 seconds. It feels quite relaxed, masking speeds and feeling confident at highway speeds.

If you have watched the advertisement for the C5, you would know the emphasis is on the suspension used. Citroen as a brand has always focussed on comfort, having come

up with the first all-wheel independent suspension in a production car, experimenting with a hydropneumatic system in the DS, and stuff like that. With such pedigree, it’s not surprising to see that the C5 can glide over anything. It can take a whole load of beating without transferring any of the shocks to the cabin. The suspension uses hydraulic bump stops to absorb rebound energy and make the wheels settle down quicker. With the focus on ride quality, handling isn’t very entertaining, but it isn’t bad either. The grip is very good and the steering is decent as well. There is a hint of body roll and it pitches under braking but in this class of vehicle, you don’t mind those.

The Citroen C5 comes across as a breath of fresh air in an otherwise staid segment. This French flair is something we Indians haven’t experienced. Sure, we have Renault, but most of their cars sold here are sourced from Romania. The C5 is a great start for the brand to show what they are capable of, before coming up with a new reasonably priced car later next year. From looking chic to feeling great inside and driving well, the Citroen C5 does everything right. It all depends on how well they are going to price it and what the after-sales are going to be. If it falls in the CRV, Tucson segment, then it’s going to be a hard sell for Citroen much like the other cars in that class. On the other hand, if it’s in the Compass, Hector, and Harrier segment, it is going to get a lot of interest. We will have to wait for the prices, but you can already check out the car at the Maison Citroen showroom near you

MOVIE REVIEW

Drishyam 2: The Resumption

I

t is the sequel of 2013 movie Drishyam directed by Jeethu Joseph, who gifted numerous movies to Malayalam film industry such as Memories and Oozham. Produced

by Antony Perumbavoor under the banner Aashirvaad Cinemas, the film is a crime mystery thriller which focuses on the events that revolve around the death of the character named Varun in the first part of the movie. Mohanlal, Meena, Saikumar are Murali Gopy are playing the pivotal roles. The film was released worldwide on 19 February 2021 gaining all the positive response.

Phobias

P

hobias is an anthology film which features the directorial debut of three women- Jess Varley, Maritte Go, and actor Camilla Belle. They’re joined

by Chris von Hoffman and Joe Sill. The movie says the story of five dangerous patients, suffering from extreme phobias at a government testing facility. They are put to an ultimate test under the supervision of a crazed doctor and his quest to weaponize fear forms the plot for the movie. Leonardo Nam is seen playing the main lead for the movie.

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Raya and the Last Dragon

R

aya and the Last Dragon is an upcoming American computer-animated action-adventure fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios. The film features a predominantly Asian American cast, including the voices of Kelly Marie Tran as the titular Raya and Awkwafina as Sisu. Raya and the Last Dragon tells the story of a young girl who must go on a quest to find a dragon in order to unite the five diverse clans of her fictional land of Kumandra. Raya and the Last Dragon is scheduled for a theatrical release on March 2021 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The film will also be simultaneously available on Disney+ with Premier Access.

The Girl on the Train

T

he Girl on the Train is a psychological thriller movie inspired by the 2015 novel by Paula Hawkins of the same name. This mystery thriller film is directed by Ribhu Dasgupta and is produced under the banner of Reliance Entertainment. Parineeti Chopra, will be seen playing the lead role, portraying the character Meera Kapoor. Aditi Rao Hydari, Avinash Tiwary and Kirti Kulhari are also seen in the movie playing pivotal roles. The Girl on the Train will take the audiences on a dark journey of a girl trying to piece together the reality.

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BOOK REVIEW

The Pearl Thief Author Price

: Fiona McIntosh : Rs. 1,284 (Paper Back)

T

he Pearl Thief is a sweeping, epic story of love and betrayal from internationally bestselling author Fiona McIntosh. It says the story of Severine Kassel who is asked by the Louvre in 1963 to aid the British Museum with curating its antique jewelry, which is her specialty. But her distant and mysterious nature leads the whole story into unexpected twists and turns. No one could imagine that she is a desperately damaged woman, hiding her trauma behind her chic, French image. It is a journey and a half, filled with moments of heart-stopping survival, devastating choices, realization, acceptance, love, and hope.

Suitcase of Dreams Author Price

S

: Tania Blanchard : Rs. 1,284 (Paper Back)

uitcase of Dreams by Australian author Tania Blanchard is the sequel to the hit, The Girl from Munich. While the prequel is set in Germany, Suitcase of Dreams is set in Australia between 1956 and 1976, based on the life of Blanchard’s grandparents. The story revolves around Lotte and her husband Erich's dream of giving their children the future they have always wanted. The inner strength in both Lotte and Erich as individuals and as a couple was inspiring as they worked hard to make a better life for their children that they never experienced. The main theme of the story is war, migrants, racism, and family. This novel reminds us of just how far we have come because of the sacrifices that the war generation made for a family.

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BOOK REVIEW

The Women's Pages Author Price

: Victoria Purman : Rs 1,926 (Paper Back)

B

estselling author Victoria Purman returns with a novel that takes a closer look at the life of people at the home front in Australia, with a particular focus on women’s experiences during the post-World War II period. The story is about a woman named Tilly Galloway, who after the war has been forced to work on the women’s pages of her newspaper the only job available to her where she struggles to write advice on fashion and make-up. The Women’s Pages is a rich historical fiction story that leaves a strong imprint on the reader, reminding the audience of the struggles faced by the ancestors in the post-World War II period.

Name Place Animal Thing Author Price

N

: Daribha Lyndem : Rs. 300 (Hardcover)

ame Place Animal Thing written by Daribha Lyndem’s mirrors the old school game as the title as it trails the life of a young Khasi girl, through the politically charged Shillong, while she comes of age. Breaking into informal quite often, the novel creates an impact mostly garnered from fresh, easy, yet intensive narratives. Daribha adds the element of humor and suspense making it easier for the readers to not feel too overwhelmed as she explores the themes such as friendship, race, religion, class, and death. Daribha Lyndem gives the reader a personal tour of life in Shillong as well as an inside view of how various parameters like race, gender, class, and nativity come up in day-to-day life and form an inescapable part of every interaction and experience.

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Printed On 09/ 03/ 2021

RNI Reg No. KERENG/2011/42633