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Vol 9 Issue No.105 June - July 2020 USD 0.70`50AED 5BD 0.500

Dr. RAVI PILLAI

The Ravishing Biz Epic The curious case of growth in gold loans as redemptions spiked

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

Jebitha Ajit Director & CEO Editor Dr. Ajit Ravi Editor in charge Jebitha Ajit Legal Advisor Latha Anand B.S.Krishnan Associates bskrishnanassociates@gmail.com Sub-Editor Vignesh S.G trength does not come from physical caAssociate Editor Ravi Saini pacity. It comes from indomitable will.” – Rajeev Kumar Mahatma Gandhi Director and special editor kollur The journey of Dr. Ravi Pillai is extremely Correspondents Dr. Thomas Nechupadam Vivek Venugopal- Quarter Mile inspiring. He is now one of the most successful Amrutha V Kumar business persons in this part of the world. His Creative Design PEGASUS passion for social work is equally commendable. Cover Photographer Reji Bhaskar An interview with this business legend gifts a Marketing UAE perfect cover story for this edition. Phygicart.com Dr. R Padmakumar, who is one of the most P.O. Box: 92546, Al Karama Dubai respected laparoscopic surgeons in the world, Mr. Anish K Joy discusses about the possibilities of this modern Mob: +971528946999 surgical method. That makes this edition’s spe info@phygicart.com cial story. Plot No 19A, 9th Floor, Apart from these two, we have almost all reg Green Building, Film City, ular articles from gadget, movie and book review Sector - 16A, Noida - 201301 to travel and motivation. Maharashtra In the auto section, Skoda Octavia RS245 Jayasankar M, a/101, is explored. New Prathamesh Niwas, A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. OPP. Laxmi Park, Thakurli East, The man who never reads lives not more than Dombivli post, Thane District, 421201 one. Mob: 9820708662 Hariharan Enjoy Reading! chennai, Mob: 9840018929 Unique Times, No.6/31, Arunachalam main road, Thank You Saligramam, Sd/ Chennai – 600093 Karnataka Paperback Publishing 3218/A, 6th C Main, 13th Cross, HAL 2nd stage, Indiranagar Bengaluru 560038 Andhrapradesh PEGASUS Ph: 09288800999 Sunilkumar NN Your wing Vineeth Nair Director Ambalika Saikia, Ambalika_saikia@yahoo.com

Editorial “S

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:+91 98460 50283, 94470 50283

Cover Photograph Dr. Ravi Pillai, Chairman and Managing Director of RP Group of Companies.

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

CONTENTS

A man with a mission

The curious case of growth in gold loans as redemptions spiked

Management is action not just a bunch of activities

Transitional credit-a fight to retain my property

A extraordinary laparoscopic surgeon with excellence: Dr. R. Padmakumar

Imagine a new future!

Gadgets

Natural ways to fight pigmentation

New Zealand: A Truly Blessed Island Country

Skoda Octavia RS 245

UNIQUE DIARY

GST Council set to meet in mid-June

he Goods and Services Tax Council is set to meet in mid-June. State governments are worried about the pending GST payment. The GST revenue has dropped sharply due to the measures imposed to curb the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak by the country. Usually, the GST revenue data is released every month. Notably, it remains withheld since March â€“ particularly since the country imposed a national wide lockdown to contain the spread of the disastrous virus. Earlier, there were rumours that the central government may slightly increase the GST rates on non-essential items. Anyway, the centre has recently denounced those rumours.

TRAI recommends national numbering plan

"The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity." Peter Drucker

he Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has recommended a new National Numbering Plan. The regulator has demanded that the plan should be implemented as early as possible. The plan aims to provide a unique identifiable number to every user in India. The proposed change may not be easy, says many. It may bring in some serious problems, they add. At present, there are at least 1,177.02 million telecom subscribers in India. In the country, the sector is in the growing stage. The proposed change, as per the TRAI, may ensure the sustainable development of the telecom sector in the country.

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UNIQUE DIARY

Madras HC issues notices to Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund

he Madras High Court has served notices to the Securities and Exchange Board of India and Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund, in response to a Public Interest Litigation filed questioning the swift closure of at least six debt schemes by the company. The questionable closure was exposed by a Chennai based organisation, named Chennai Financial Markets Accountability. The PIL petitioner has announced its plan to launch an online petition to trace more unit holders of the doubtful schemes. The SEBI has not yet come forward to explain its position on this matter. Meanwhile, in an email sent to a national daily, the fund house has assured that they would look into the matter seriously.

Fiscal deficit for financial year 2020 stands at 4.6% of GDP

"If you're trying to create a company, it's like baking a cake. You have to have all the ingredients in the right proportion."

he fiscal deficit for the Financial Year 2019-2020 has grown to at least 4.6 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product. What it indicates is that the gap between the government revenue and expenditure has widened deeply. The deficit is at least one per cent higher than the reverse estimate of 3.8 per cent. The reduced revenue collection is said to be the reason for the increase in the gap between the revenue and expenditure of the government. The reduced collection is actually the after-effect of the measures imposed to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus. The gap may be reduced, once the country goes back to its normal state.

Elon Musk

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Output of core sector shrinks at least 38%

he output of the core sector of the country has reduced at least 38 per cent in the month of April. It is a huge fall compared to the rate in the same month in the previous year. The steel and cement industrial sectors are the prime part of the core sector. The output from both these industrial sectors has dropped considerably in the aforesaid period. The Indian economy is at present in a bad state especially since the imposition of the measures to contain the spread of the virus outbreak. Actually, it is the fall of production in the core sector that reflects in the form of the fall of the economy.

Automobile sector shows signs of recovery

"A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well.,, Jeff Bezos

he Indian automobile sector is one of the sectors which have been badly affected due to the measures imposed to curb the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak. As per a latest report, the sector may re-enter back into the path of growth in the near future itself. It has shown the initial signs of recovery, in the form of the returning of the demand for the products from the sector. During the lockdown period, the demand for the products from the sector has fallen sharply. The automobile sector is one of the prime sectors in the country. The recovery of the sector may give a positive impetus to the economy of the country.

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COVERSTORY

A MAN

WITH A MISSION...

HSE Mass gathering at one of the major projects of RP Group

ntrepreneur, Dr. Ravi Pillai's success story is one that inspires every young entrepreneur. From humble beginnings, the son of a farmer from the southern Indian state of Kerala, Dr. Pillai is now Chairman and Managing Director of Middle East based RP Group of Companies. A global conglomerate, RP Group today is involved in construction & infrastructure, healthcare and wellness, education, real estate, hospitality, Information Technology, travel & tourism and retail & malls, with a combined turnover of more than $5 billion, a workforce of 120,000 plus and an operational footprint that extends across nine countries. The group is famed for its rich resource pool of professional, dedicated personnel and its ability to maintain the highest standards of excellence in all its activities. As early as 17 years of age, Dr. Pillai began dabbling in trading in

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his home state of Kerala, and soon after college graduation, entered into the construction business. Despite no background of business and no one to hold hands, he became successful doing construction work for some of South Indiaâ€™s biggest companies. However, unforeseen challenges stifled his blossoming business, though he was not deterred. "You have to trust in yourself first," said RP Group Chairman, Dr. Ravi Pillai. "If there is a will, there is a way. Without self-confidence, you canâ€™t win." Armed with determination and faith, he moved to Saudi Arabia in 1978. At that time oil price was around $9 - $10 per barrel, however there were multiple business opportunities in Saudi Arabia. He started his journey with 150 employees in Saudi Arabia. Though it was extremely difficult for Indian companies to win important projects in those days, his undying determina-

tion and hard work resulted in getting him infrastructure and defense related construction contracts. One of his early wins was a construction order for the Royal Air Terminal at Riyadh Airport. During the next five years, as the price of oil increased upwards of $25 per barrel, the company moved into industrial contracting, including oil and gas and petrochemical projects critical for nation development, and grew to 5,000 employees. Forty years later, he is considered one of the largest employers in the Gulf. The group employs over 120, 000 employees of various nationalities, including various GCC nationalities, Americans, Europeans and people from the Indian subcontinent. "My true satisfaction comes from the happiness of my 120,000 happy employees, and their families which they support, which equates to almost 750, 000 people." says Dr. Pillai.

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COVERSTORY Dr. Pillai's focus is on group’s human capital, and he believes rest everything will follow. "Money is not everything, most important is to have a kind heart," said Dr. Pillai. RP Group is known for uncompromised business values of commitment, hard work & dedication, honesty and respect. "My policy is that money cannot be made with someone’s tears, and must always be earned the right way.” Says Dr. Pillai. The Oil & Gas industry globally recognized Group’s companies for giving safe working environment to their employees, by adhering to highest safety standards in the construction world, best amenities, facilities and care as an employer. Dr. Pillai say, “Our dedicated workforce is my real wealth. If you have money, you can accumulate assets, but you can't buy people’s trust and commitment. I am fortunate to have committed people and the company has grown because of them. Only if an employee is happy can he or she give their best for the company." Many employees have worked with him for almost three decades. Dr. Pillai is delighted that many of his employee's children are doctors and engineers and a good number of them are working for the company. RP Group has grown phenomenally over the years. It has been one of the most trusted infrastructure development partners in the GCC for four decades and the group has delivered projects worth over $30 billion. These include working on some of the world’s best refineries and petrochemical plants all over the GCC. The group is very closely connected with the oil and gas giants in energy sector like Saudi Aramco, Kuwait Oil Company, Kuwait National Petroleum Company, ExxonMobil, Sabic & its affiliates, Qatar Petroleum, Bapco, Maaden, Alba and several illustrious International Engineering Companies as well. Group companies have

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received numerous international awards including the recent ExxonMobil‘s global “Best Contractor” award and Samsung’s “Best Partner” award. Group companies are a trusted partner of choice for their clients. Dr. Pillai says, “The biggest and the most demanding companies in the world who deal with us, know that they are at peace with responsibility on our shoulders, and know that the work we undertake shall be carried out by very skilled manpower, in a professional manner and deliver high quality output on time, even for some of the most complex jobs in the world.” Recently, one of the group companies entered the Guinness

The Dr. Ravi Pillai Foundation works towards the betterment of humanity, with the lion's share of his earnings disbursed every year to the construction of homes, education, thousands of weddings, medical assistance and charity for the underprivileged and needy. World Records - for completing the largest continuous concrete pour (of 19,793 cu m for 42 hours) in the world. In 2011, the group entered IT sector and since then has been growing steadily in India, Middle East and USA. Over the last 20 years, RP Group operations expanded into real estate, hospitality, education, health care, trading, retail and IT sectors across the GCC as well as India, Korea and Australia and the USA. "It is very important to respect the laws and regulations of the countries

we work in," said Dr. Pillai. "Only then can we achieve success globally." In the Indian tradition of 'Atithi Devo Bhava’, where a guest has to be treated with the utmost respect, Dr. Pillai established a chain of 5 star luxury hotels - the flagship property Raviz Kovalam, Raviz Resort and Spa by the Lake Ashtamudi in his native Kollam, the Raviz Kadavu Resort on the banks of the River Chaliyar and a luxury city hotel, the Raviz Calicut. Dr. Pillai’s hospitality portfolio also includes 5-star luxury hotels in Pune and Dubai. RP Group's reach in Kerala also extends to the healthcare and wellness sector. It owns and manages the 300 bed multi-specialty Upasana Hospital at Kollam, a fully-equipped state-of-the-art facility, manned by a team of medical and para medical professionals. The hospital is also responsible for the nearby Upasana School and College of Nursing which offers graduate and post graduate courses. "We have a good name because of our commitment, quality, honesty and credibility," said Dr. Pillai. RP Group over the years has transformed from a highly efficient construction company into a diversified conglomerate. Besides business, Dr. Pillai is also mindful of sharing his wealth with the less fortunate. The Dr. Ravi Pillai Foundation works towards the betterment of humanity, with the lion's share of his earnings disbursed every year to the construction of homes, education, thousands of weddings, medical assistance and charity for the underprivileged and needy. Dr. Pillai and his wife Geetha have two children - Ganesh and Dr. Arathi. Both Ganesh and Dr. Arathi are following their father’s footsteps by joining the business after completing their studies. Throughout his career, Dr. Pillai has been honored with many awards from various governments and organizations. The govern-

ment of India honored him with one of its most prestigious civilian awards, in 2010, the Padma Shri, for his outstanding contribution to the fields of business and charity. He was also recognized by the Indian government with the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Award in 2008, and has received numerous other honors and awards from around the globe for both his business and philanthropic contributions. However, the best accolade for him is the happy faces of his employees. "Their happiness is my greatest reward," he added. It is no secret that Dr. Pillai's â€˜Good Human Beings build lasting Business' motto is the true secret of his success.

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Honored by Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, the Hon. former President of India

The world is at present struggling under the clutches of Covid-19. As a business leader, how do you see this crisis? How the business community can be supported to surmount this crisis? And, what is your expectation about the post-Covid-19 world?

There are a few events in the world that leave their long-lasting mark in the history books across the world. As an entrepreneur, Covid-19 to me is a Black Swan event wherein there is a simultaneous but massive shock to the supply as well as demand side of the businesses across various industries and regions. Apart from the health-related challenges of this pandemic that is on top of everyoneâ€™s mind, the lockdown which various countries were forced to impose has stifled the demand as well as disrupted the supply chain for various businesses. It goes without saying, just like

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countries will need years to recover the loss of GDP, businesses will also take time to recover the lost traction. We have seen a very successful co-operation between various members of our society for coming together to fight the pandemic on healthcare front. Everyone - the government, law & order machinery, businesses and general public have all helped the healthcare professionals who are our frontline warriors fighting against Covid-19. Similar to the menace of Covid-19, our next challenge collectively as a society is the stagnant economic activities. On this front, I see business leaders and entrepreneurs as our frontline warriors fighting to help us get back to the normal level of GDP, employment and prosperity. I believe, just like the health front, various members of the society need to bring their best foot forward to support the frontline warriors on the economic front as well. These members are everyone including governments, central banks and financial in-

stitutions, employees, customers, landlords, vendors and the general public. They all need to be together with the businesses during these difficult times and extend any and every cooperation they can to various businesses. While a lot is being done in this front as well, we need to look at best global practices and adopt these relief measures to the extent feasible here. Just to give a few examples, globally various governments are giving tax breaks, economic assistance to maintain the staff strength (not reduce the workforce), special bailout package for the most affected industries, direct benefits transfer to the unemployed and jobless to prevent individual insolvency as well as maintain a basic level of purchasing power in the hands of lower income segment of the society to meet their essentials. Central banks have helped by infusing liquidity, buying the corporate loans and bonds, reducing interest rates as well as relaxing the norms on payment timelines of

various bank loans for eligible businesses as well as individuals.

Due to the Covid-19 crisis, several Non-Residential Keralities have been forced to return to the state. As a director of NORKA Roots, what is your say on this issue? Can NORKA emerge as a saviour to address the concerns of those who have been forced to choose their lives over their dreams?

Yes, we are passing through one of the worst times. Kerala with one of the largest diaspora outside India has manifold problems. NORKA has been very proactive. We could set up NORKA help desk in several countries to guide Pravasis in the early days of Covid pandemic itself. Kerala has given the maximum number of approvals for flights to bring back people from Asia and the Middle East. Almost one third of flights operated under Vande Bharat Mission was to Kerala. Also, as many as 800 chartered flights were given permission by Kerala Government. This is the highest ever by any state in India. Hon. Chief Minister convened two video conferences with Pravasis and based on their feedback, Hon’ble Chief Minister has announced several relief measures including financial assistance to Pravasis who have lost jobs. NORKA department also has plans to create a skill pool of returnees, for them to gain employment later in Kerala.

India at present maintains a good relation with the Middle East. The IndoMiddle East business community, in which you are an important member, plays a huge role in the growth of this relation. How these two economic giants can support each other to sail through the present crisis safely?

A strong bond of mutual trust, respect and brotherhood has been the foundation of the strong economic, social and political ties between India and the Middle East for decades. This bond has only grown stronger

in recent years. Both India and Middle Eastern Countries have demonstrated that “a friend in need is a friend indeed”. India has exported medicines like hydroxychloroquine and sent teams of medical professionals to countries like Kuwait, UAE, etc. to help them combat Covid-19. Given the sudden lockdown, many Indian citizens - not just those who work here but even visitors and tourists were stranded in Middle-East countries. All these countries have taken care of these stranded Indian citizens and treated the patients of Covid-19 amongst visitors and tourists as well, as if they were their own citizens. Just like on the Dr. Ravi Pillai with US 44th President Mr. Barack Obama healthcare front, on the economic front as your company to transform well I see many avenues of strong co-operation and the system in the way the mutual support. Middle-eastern time demands? sovereign wealth funds are always This has indeed been an ineflooking for good investment opportufable and overwhelming time. One nities. India, given her demographics that I have not experienced in the and fundamentals, is an attractive past 42 years of my business career. investment choice. The investment The customary business culture by these countries can infuse capiwhich demands a lot of travel and tal and help create businesses and interaction with people, this global jobs in India. We have seen record culture has definitely taken a pitch amount of investment in a single pole. company announced from Saudi During the Gulf war in the Arabia and UAE in the middle of 1990s, was the last time I had faced this crisis (e.g., Saudi Wealth Fund a gruelling situation. It was a time investing USD 1.5 Billion and UAE’s that demanded my employees to Mubadala and ADIA investing close reach their homes safely. I had made to Rs. 14,700 crores in Reliance Jio arrangements for Chartered flights platform). Similar such investments for their safe travel, which I must say can be mutually beneficial to India wasn't a very tough task at the time, as well as Middle-East. in comparison to our current state How much disturbing the of uncertainty. The present situation makes lockdown was for you? What are the structural changes countries cautious in bringing their you have brought in to the citizens home whilst handling the administrative structure of pandemic domestically; as such is

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COVERSTORY

the dilemma faced by various governments. Covid -19 pandemic has caused panic and apprehension all over the world. Health and safety protocols with respect to Covid -19 deterrence has become the highest priority. The same goes for my employees, many of them who do require reach their homes safely, has become my prime responsibility. We have arranged chartered flights to various states of our country, for which we had ample support and coordination from the MEA (Ministry Of External Affairs). I highly appreciate all the support we received from the MEA (Ministry Of External Affairs), all State Governments, Embassies in the GCC in making this mission possible! We also ensured that our employees of other nationalities, travel home safely to countries like Philippines, Nepal and Bangladesh. Secondly, as businesses need to continue in spite of the present state of affairs, we need to encourage our employees with good Healthcare and safety measures. This has prompted us to reorganize work conditions and ensure a more sterile environment. Our sites have been equipped with qualified Healthcare officials

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Me, my family and my team are fully committed to do whatever we can, towards having the minimum impact of the current situation on our employees and their families, and give them maximum possible care towards their lives. to tackle medical problems faced by our employees on a daily basis. Beds have been arranged in hospitals to ensure timely medical attention in case of any emergencies. As of now, the relevant Health authorities have cautioned those above 60 years and the provision for traveling has become speculative to a large extent. Hence videoconferencing has become a routine of business and has become a boon. It has become one of my preferred means for communication and has helped me keep in touch with my team across various offices globally. The same goes for meetings scheduled with our various global clients. Time flies these days with the problems we face on a day to day basis.

Companies normally shift burden over employees when they face difficulties. But, your company was different. We have learned that

your company has extended enormous support to your employees during this difficult time. Please share us about those initiatives.

This is the time for supporting one another and at the same time extending best understanding towards each other. I consider my employees as family. The biggest strength of my group has been my employees and I share a very personal bond with them. Most of them have worked with us for 30-40 years and have dedicated most of their time with us than with their families. I feel duty bound to take all possible care for them. One of my biggest focuses has been the health & safety and wellbeing of my employees. By means of working with some of the biggest companies in the realm of Oil and Gas; my companies have had to adhere to the highest levels of health & safety standards and have been bestowed with numerous global awards for the same. Maintaining the same in a pandemic scenario like this is a very different kind of a challenge, we are doing everything possible to take care of our employees and their well-being. Me, my family and my team are

Glimpse of RP foundations Mass Wedding Ceremony

fully committed to do whatever we can, towards having the minimum impact of the current situation on our employees and their families, and give them maximum possible care towards their lives.

The tourism sector of the state is one of those sectors which have faced the heat of this crisis the most. Your group holds ownership in highly reputed hotels such as Raviz Kovalam, Raviz Astamudi and Raviz Kadavu and Raviz Calicut – which remain as the backbone of the state’s tourism sector. Can the sector regain the impetus it has lost to the present crisis?

Unfortunately, tourism and international travel are the worst-hit sectors world over due to the pandemic. Between these 2 sectors, tourism will definitely take longer compared to other sectors to recover back to the level of activities that were seen in 2019. However, I do see some silver lining in these dark clouds: (1) I think tourism will return in other countries including India. The young will venture out first. Travel will involve nearby destinations. Economy travel will recover more quickly. People would want to seek some sort of healing to the lockdown (or as it is called “revenge travel”) by travelling outdoor and hence, nature-related destinations will be more popular than congested cities. Here, Kerala, God’s own country, is the most obvious choice. (2) As per RBI estimates, Indians spent roughly $ 1.6 Billion on international travel during summer holidays last year. Till the time a vaccine is developed, widely available

and administered to public at large and is considered effective, International Travel (esp. non-essential like tourism) will remain handicapped as many countries are continuing stringent 14-day quarantine period for international travellers which is not practical for most tourists. Thus, all the tourists, Indians and foreigners alike, will be inclined to travel to explore domestic tourist destinations rather than international ones. Thus, unfortunately on one hand, India (& Kerala) may miss out on foreign visitors but Indian travellers are more than capable of compensating for this loss of business as they re-align their travel aspirations with the new normal. (3) Ability to maintain social distancing and avoiding crowded cities as well as availability of good healthcare facilities will be the top factors that will influence the choice of tourist destination. Here again, despite my best efforts, I can’t think of any other tourist destination that can even match Kerala on both these factors. (4)With the present day advancements in Research and Healthcare, the probability of a vaccine being discovered is unquestionable and is indeed possible at a faster pace. A recovery phase would demand a lot of healing which includes travel and leisure activities. (5)With the Kerala Government doing a mighty task in controlling the spreading of Covid -19, Kerala has yet again proved worthy for safe tourism in the future. Nestled in the secluded backwaters of the Arabian Sea near Trivandrum in Kerala is the fivestar deluxe, Raviz Resort & Ayurveda Centre Kollam, a perfect blend of modern architecture and traditional designs of a bygone era. Clearly taking advantage of its scenic backwa-

ters. Designed to reflect the architectural splendour of the mystical Malabar region, the Hotel Raviz Resort & Ayurveda Centre Kadavu, a five-star resort on the banks of the Chaliyar river in Calicut. The Raviz Kovalam Beach, Kerala, is a prized possession of the Group in picturesque Kovalam, a popular beachside destination in Kerala. The well placed 5 star Clifftop Beach property is spread over 65 acres of land Kovalam has also been well known for its most coveted Kovalam Palace. During the post pandemic times, We at Raviz group intend to offer a safe yet enjoyable, world class tourism experience which will help further crown jewel of Kerala tourism.

RP Group of Companies is now one of the most promising business groups in this part of the world. We all know there is a struggle behind this group. Our readers may be interested to hear about that struggle. Please share.

I was born to a farming family with plenty of paddy fields and coconut plantations. I grew up understanding the limited scope of the agricultural sector at the time. As I have walked in a farmer’s shoes, I could learn of the challenges first hand and noticed the hardships of a farmer did not receive proportionate returns. Modern agricultural technology and practices at the time were not well known or available. At the age of 17, I started my own business, which was of course on a small scale. As I did not have a business background I had no guidance, and I was my own teacher. There were no right and wrong decisions. Only choices that I bore complete

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Dr. Ravi Pillai receiving Padmashri Award from Former President Smt. Pratibha Patil

Dr. Ravi Pillai with PM Shri. Narendra Modi

responsibility of and of course destiny as well as God's blessings. The beginning of my business career was in Kerala, my initial ventures being contracts for FACT and Cochin refineries. Unfortunately, due to labour strike, these businesses did not serve me well. It was in 1978, that I had decided to explore my opportunities in the Gulf. With 150 employees, I had initiated

Dr. Ravi Pillai receiving ExxonMobil’s Best Contractor Award from Mr. Clay Vaughn, Executive Vice-President of ExxonMobil Company, Texas–USA

my first construction business in Saudi Arabia. Strong determination, hard work and commitment were the only 3 mantras I held close to my heart. Presently, I have more than 1,20,000 employees working for me globally. Now we are one of the biggest Industrial Construction Companies for Oil and Gas. We have been fortunate to have some of the World's famous oil companies as our clients. My career has indeed been rewarding and I am eternally thankful to God for this rich experience. My only advise is, anyone who has good knowledge in business can start a business in today's Era as long as you work hard, bear good will and strong commitment. I strongly believe that Nothing is impossible as long as you have a strong will.

What is your message to the global business community?

My biggest message to the business community is firstly to stay on course and manage this storm with positivity. Let the compromising situation of the world not make business community compromise on their values and ethical system. After the discovery of a vaccine, we will return to a world of perhaps, more and more opportunities. In my strong opinion “This Year, to stay alive is equivalent to profit!” Secondly, Covid-19 will bring big changes in the business community and the way business is being conducted. Being fungible and adaptive to the changes will be required more than ever.

What do you want to say to youngsters who see a true role model in you?

Change is the only static thing that occurs with time. The same goes for the pulse in world

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Dr. Ravi Pillai receives MBA award from Pegasus Chairman Dr. Ajit Ravi

business. However, the mantra to success stays the same. Be honest with any business that you wish to pursue. With goodwill comes good opportunities. Be optimistic. With every downfall comes greater opportunities. You still need strong will, hard work, honestly, commitment and strong values to be successful in the long run. Rather, if anything, the current pandemic has only reinforced the need for these values.

You are the recipient of several prestigious awards including the highest civilian honour of Padma Shri. How do you see these achievements?

Each award has only reinstated and instilled my responsibilities to the community and global society. These honors constantly drive me to stay on my course.

What are the latest CSR initiatives of your company?

Philanthropy is the ideology that drives Dr. Ravi Pillai Foundation which undertakes all the CSR activities of the Group. The Foundation works towards the betterment of the society by providing the underprivileged and the

needy with necessary moral and financial support. This is an earnest mission set in motion to help the humanity by Dr. Ravi Pillai, the Chairman and Managing Director of RP Group. The main activities of the RP Foundation are: Provide assistance and help in the re-habilitation of the destitute who are suffering from incurable/ perennial diseases and who are physically/mentally crippled. Provide assistance to the victims of natural calamities. Provide poverty eradication schemes for the down trodden people. Establish hospitals, clinics, and sanatoriums, to help the poor. Provide assistance to establishments intended for the welfare of the poor. Start educational institutions that provides technical and job-oriented education with intention for social development. Provide financial assistance for the marriage of young ladies who fall below the poverty line. I have been able to provide jobs to many who have aspired to work in the Gulf. The current scenario demands all efforts to be focused on CSR

activities related to Covid-19. As mentioned above, we are doing everything possible to give back to the community especially with the Covid-19 crisis and have been able to help many families personally with respect to travel, financial aid and healthcare. During this unprecedented and challenging times of Covid-19, the most pressing need of the pravasis is to safely travel home. While arranging chartered flights for the safe return of all my employees who wanted to travel home, I have been fortunate enough to offer travel assistance to hundreds of workers and families in the gulf countries to travel back to their home countries. I deem it my responsibility to lend a helping hand to my brethren at this time of need and shall continue to offer my assistance to those who are in need. Continuing our mission to support the needy in society, I am still strongly interested in providing more housing facilities to those in need. This I bear in heart and mind as my duty as well as social commitmentď Ź

Dr. Ravi Pillai with his family

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BUSINESS

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

oon after the first phase of the lockdown was over and NBFCs were allowed to resume operations at their branches, there was much interest in the financial media about how gold loans would hold up in the current scenario where economic activity is at a low and GDP growth is heading into negative territory. The expectation was that the demand for gold loans would surge in keeping with the wider observation that most lenders in India have become risk averse and were focused on reducing their exposure to vulnerable customers. This is, of course, the direct outcome of the nationwide lockdown which effectively shut down the economy and which was aggravated by the RBIâ€™s moratorium package, which led to a flight to safety among banks and NBFCs alike. Consequently, small borrowers and businesses were being starved for want of debt capital, be it to restart operations, or pay wages. Their working capital cycle was stretched to breaking points.

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Amidst this widespread risk aversion, only the gold lenders stood firm and kept their doors open for everyone. Even during the lockdown, when most lenders had stopped lending, gold loan companies were disbursing fresh loans through digital modes. Safety, or worries about likely defaults, is not an issue for the gold loan companies as the gold collateral (i.e. the jewellery pledged by borrowers) is held in the custody of the lenders and can be easily liquidated in the event of default. After the lockdown restrictions were relaxed in midApril, NBFCs were able to reopen most of their branches, giving customers the opportunity to borrow afresh or close their existing loans and take the jewellery back. With other lenders turning shy and with gold prices climbing to historic highs, the expectation was that gold loans would take off, if not from new borrowers, then at least from existing borrowers who could choose to renew their pledges at the higher loan to value (LTV) ra-

tio prevailing now. However, over the next one and half months till the end of May, most gold financiers saw a decline in their holdings of gold collateral in the range of 2 to 5 percent from March levels, as there was a rush of people looking to settle their loans and take back the jewellery. At the same time, the overall gold loan portfolio showed an increase, as the redemptions were more than offset by borrowers availing fresh loans at higher LTV (where the loan amount increases without needing more gold for pledge). And this brings us to something of a puzzle, why there should be a decline in collateral tonnage, even as demand for gold loans is high? In trying to answer this question, letâ€™s try and get a sense of who the gold loan customers typically are and the reasons why they borrow against their family jewellery. To begin with, these customers are overwhelmingly those who do not have ready access to credit from the institutional lenders. Afterall,

The curious case of growth in gold loans as redemptions spiked most of them donâ€™t earn salaries, and they are unlikely to have proof of a regular income. Such would be the case with small time vendors and shopkeepers, the self-employed tradesmen etc. Secondly, their requirement of money would be urgent although they need the money only for a short period, say, to offset a temporary mismatch in cash flows. Some may borrow for just a few days or a few weeks. In fact, there are vendors who may borrow the money in the morning to purchase goods, sell them over the course of the day, then repay or close their loan by end of day to take back the jewellery the same day. The availability of such a unique short-term loan ensures their livelihood. At the same time, there is always a choice between selling the jewellery as scrap or borrowing against it. Which of these options gets picked would depend on the proposed use to which the money is to be put to. If it is meant for an income generating activity, chances are they would prefer to borrow. However, when faced with a severe downturn in business where there is no sight of a revival any-

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BUSINESS

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On the other side, with gold prices in India ruling at historic highs, a customer today stands to get a higher loan amount that what he would have likely paid to acquire the jewellery. As all the other sources of loans run dry, a gold loan becomes the natural fall-back option.

time soon, their stress levels go up and they may resort to the sale of their gold jewellery. This trend becomes stronger at times of high gold prices, such as now. The lockdown would have disrupted their daily routine of borrowing, trading and repayment and dented their confidence in their own ability to generate a profit good enough to repay a loan. At this point, they may prefer to sell their jewellery to raise funds because a loan would fetch them only 75 percent of the gold value, whereas a scrap sale would likely fetch them full value for the bullion content of the jewellery (though not for the making charges or the taxes paid). In fact, we have been hearing reports about customers coming to the branch accompanied by scrap dealers who fund the

repayment and then acquire the jewellery from the borrower. This is one side of the picture. On the other side, with gold prices in India ruling at historic highs, a customer today stands to get a higher loan amount that what he would have likely paid to acquire the jewellery. As all the other sources of loans run dry, a gold loan becomes the natural fall-back option. It gives them access to the capital needed to restart their businesses, leading to growth in the overall asset size of the gold financiers. These two aspects, seemingly contradictory, may now be seen as two sides of the same coinď Ź (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

We often mistake activities and movement for concrete action. When we get busy with quotidian, repetitive tasks, we also pile up a series of prosaic and not so important tasks that buries our calendar. Time Management principles are popular and we have some very interesting frameworks including that of ‘7 Habits’ by the late Stephen Covey. But, what is useful is also a mental frame which helps you guide you work life.

Management is action not just a bunch of activities

hen I began my career as a young graduate engineer, one of my first assignments was to lead a maintenance team at Tata Motors, working diligently to upkeep the slew of CNC machines we had to manufacture gears for excavators. While the job was exciting and plenty to learn about, one of the things which remained with me was a serious advice from a very experienced workman in my team. Since it was a high tech area with significant investments, we had a lot of senior management visiting the machine shop and there was always senior management oversight. So, this senior workman advised – ‘ Raghu Babu (as, he called me fondly), when these serious fellows come, WALK FAST AND LOOK WORRIED!’ I smiled it out and still have a hearty laugh many years later remembering his grave countenance when he

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said this. But, over the years, I have also seen a remarkable trend around this. We often mistake activities and movement for concrete action. When we get busy with quotidian, repetitive tasks, we also pile up a series of prosaic and not so important tasks that buries our calendar. Time Management principles are popular and we have some very interesting frameworks including that of ‘7 Habits’ by the late Stephen Covey. But, what is useful is also a mental frame which helps you guide you work life. Simon Sinek, in his much watched TED talk, reminds us that there are three frames of our action - the WHAT , the HOW and the WHY. Typically, we are guided in that sequence as well. We spend time on ‘WHAT’ we are to do and the mechanics of ‘HOW’. What we neglect is the WHY! ‘WHY’ is the raison d'être of our existence. It is the

sole reason we are in business, our larger purpose and our objective to spend most of lives! It is like a calling rather than employment. Let me explain the consulting context. I have been in consulting for close to two decades now. The whole and sole purpose of every consultant is to become a ‘trusted business advisor’. This is not just about signing contracts, and delivering high quality or dotting every ’I’ and crossing every ‘T’. It is about solving their problems, helping them achieve their vision and reaching and surpassing their goals. Anything that is helping them do this is – NOISE. It is no use thinking that you have delivered the final presentation when the client still has the ‘problem’ on this table. This philosophy guides your activities, your time and your actions. It is easy to get ‘lost in motion’. At times some of our lawmakers and politicians are lost in this quagmire of ‘activities’. Speeding cars, aircraft being held up for their arrival or even a wide audience waiting for them to turn up, ‘where are they going and what are they doing , we wonder!’ It would be interesting, if they sit back, think and figure out the best use of their time. It may perhaps also help them think differently and more importantly act differently! It is also embarking on action with the zest of a toddler or a teenager. Curiosity is always the prerogative of the child. An unassailable, unblemished, unbiased curiosity for any thing around them… Entrepreneurs have abundance of this trait and some never lose the edge, it gives them. Well, with all the advancements of medical science, we still have not found solutions to stop aging; neither have we, with all technology experiments, managed to stop time. There is something very poetic and lyrical about aging. Most of the amazing emotive words and phrases in the English Lexicon have something to do with it. Check out ‘wistful blues’, nostalgia, memories, ‘ache in the heart’ – they are all concepts around this. While three quarters of the cosmetic industry tries to fight this ‘evil’, quite a lot of the liter-

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ary world survives just by writing and painting visages of this concept. But, for the ‘innovative entrepreneur’ – youth which was always a guarantee (or so is the general consensus) for innovation is not there anymore. Nothing can be farther from truth. Age and experience makes thinking holistic. Success and failures, structures the mind to ask the right questions. Then, there is the romantic part where our five senses sends a pulse when we have a déjà vu experience. We never cease to be our young selves. Age seldom hits

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our mind when we are silently sitting along and flirting with our solitude. It is only we are amongst others that we are silently reminded of the sundry years of the past. Within ourselves, we are the toddlers, who loved to play with trivial things, ask the naïve questions and had our lives full dream, ambition and hope. Great entrepreneurs keep the edge alive – of asking questions, not agreeing with the run of the mill answers. Repeating the same questions again and again.... The subtle stubbornness of the fiver year old …

For those wanting to remain young – think young, feel young and the final secret ingredient - spend some time with yourself – once in a while … Just begin by asking three questions at the end of the day Did I learn today? Did I dream today? Did I make my workplace better today? If you did not answer any question in the affirmative, don’t worry – you can always begin from tomorrow 

FINANCE

Adv Sherry Samuel Oommen is a practising lawyer at High Court of Kerala who specialises in tax and Corporate Laws. Presently he heads the tax and corporate law practice of Nash Capital Partners. Apart from being a qualified lawyer, he is also a chartered accountant, cost accountant and a company secretary. He is currently pursuing his Doctorate Degree and is reachable at sherryoommen@nashcp.com.

In It is known to every reader of this article that “lexprospicit non respicit”, which means that ‘The Law looks forward and not backward’. We are in a period where law is made to look backward whenever the courts read it favourable to the taxpayers and against the Government. Retrospective amendments, in the recent times, have become a weapon with the Government to overcome any judicial pronouncement against the Government. Needless to state, such retrospectivity has been a matter of challenge, whilst there is no wrangle that the Legislature does have the right to promulgate laws retrospectively.

TRANSITIONAL CREDITA FIGHT TO RETAIN MY PROPERTY

t times, one does wonder whether the actions of the bureaucracy are in effect a display of what one would call, the “Nabob of Cluelessness”. To put it differently, “Heads, I win, Tail, you loose”, is yet another a highminded aphorism that would well articulate the actions of the Government in the amendments effected on the subject of transitional credit. Interestingly, this issue continues to boggle industry even as the famed law “Goods & Services Tax” (“GST”) approaches its fourth anniversary. It is no secret that the views of even the executive have changed by the day raising questions on the very intent of this new law, apart from in-

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troducing differing interpretations on the subject. Various High Courts including the Punjab & Haryana High Court in the case of Adfert Technologies Private Limited (2019-TIOL-2519HC-P&H-GST), Delhi High Court in the cases of Brand Equity Treaties Limited (2020-TIOL-900-HCDEL-GST) and Messrs Blue Bird Pure Private Limited (2019-TIOL1564-HC-DEL-GST), the Kerala High Court in the case of Messrs Kalpaka Distributors Private Limited (2019-TIOL-2934-HC-KERALA-GST) have upheld the nature of such credit as a “vested right” protected under Article 300A of the Constitution of India. Further, it has

also been held that such vested right could not be taken away by virtue of a limitation prescribed in the Rules, without there being an overarching provision in the GST Act. It deserves mention that the Special Leave Petition filed by the Union of India against the judgment of the Punjab & Haryana High Court in the case of Adfert Technologies (supra) was dismissed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in SLP 4408/2020 dated 28.02.2020 (2020-TIOL-64-SCGST). One would have thought that the Government ought to have been gracious in accepting the judgment, as it nonetheless pertained to credit which stood accumulated, acquired and vested on the appointed date.

Sadly, the script had to undergo a twist, as the tagline “my demons though quiet, are never quite silenced”! It also does deserve mention that the Hon’ble Gujarat High Court in the case of Siddharth Enterprises (TS-684-HC-2019) evaluated in detail the various aspects regarding transitional credit and notably on the touchstone of Article 14 of the Constitution of India held that restricting the right to claim transitional input tax credit of pre-GST purchases creates an arbitrary, irrational and unreasonable discrimination in terms of the time-limit to allow the availment of input tax credit, which is violative of Article 14 of the Constitution. In another turn of event, a solicitous view expressed by the Delhi High Court in the case of Brand Equity (supra) was that the term ‘technical difficulty’, which is undefined and nebulous, cannot be given a narrow interpretation by restricting its applicability to the difficulty faced due to electronic and similar glitches in the Goods & Services Tax Network (“GSTN”). The Court noted that just like the Government, the taxpayers faced technical challenges because of low bandwidth, new forms, new rules etc. Hence, the

Court held that prescribing a time limit and not allowing carry forward of credit (vested right) due to difficulties, which are by some viewpoint not considered as technical glitches is an arbitrary approach and action. As the dust was settling, there was a need for bureaucracy to prove its existence by unsettling the dust, vividly displaying its obstinacy through a retrospective amendment effected to section 140 of the Act, which has been notified by Notification No 43/20-CT dated 16.05.2020. The said amendment was effected vide Section 128 of the Finance Act, 2020 which retrospectively amends Section 140 of the GST Act to empower the Government to prescribe a time-limit for filing Tran-1 form/ carrying forward credit from existing laws. It would appear ex-facie that the above-mentioned amendment vide Section 128 of the Finance Act, 2020 was to overcome an observation in the judgment that as the time-limit was prescribed under the Rules and not under the Act, Rule 117 should be reckoned as directory in nature. In our view, such amendment was not necessitated as the time-limit prescribed under Rule 117 was pursuant to Section 164 of the Act, which was upheld by the

Bombay High Court in the case of Nelco Limited (2020-TIOL-273-HCMUM-GST).

DOES IT UNSETTLE THE EMERGING JURISPRUDENCE?

In our view, the principles in the above-mentioned judgments regarding such “vested right” would also apply to the amendment effected to section 140 of the Act. Aptly, in the litigation this far, Courts have held as followed, which continues to hold forte: • The fixing of a timelimit in allowing input tax credit with respect to purchase of goods and services made in the pre-GST regime and post-GST regime, is violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India. • The doctrine of legitimate expectation, which has been upheld by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of MRF Limited 2006 (206) ELT 6 would indeed apply in the context of transitional credit. • By not allowing the right to carry forward the CENVAT credit for not being able to file the related forms within the due date would severely dent one’s working capital and diminish their ability to continue with the business. Such action would violate the mandate of Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution of In-

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dia. The said principle was upheld by the Gujarat High Court in the case of Indsur Global Limited 2014 (310) ELT 833. Hence, in our view, a mere amendment in the Act would not remove the basis of the above-mentioned judgments.

RETROSPECTIVITY – A PERSPECTIVE

It is known to every reader of this article that “lexprospicit non respicit”, which means that ‘The Law looks forward and not backward’. We are in a period where law is made to look backward whenever the courts read it favourable to the taxpayers and against the Government. Retrospective amendments, in the recent times, have become a weapon with the Government to overcome any judicial pronouncement against the Government. Needless to state, such retrospectivity has been a matter of challenge, whilst there is no wrangle that the Legislature does have the right to promulgate laws retrospectively. In the context of retrospectivity in tax laws, the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in the case of Vatika Township Private Limited (2014-TIOL-78-SC-IT-LB) has held the laws which modify accrued rights or which impose obligations or impose new duties or attach a new disability would need to be treated as prospective in nature. Further, even if such retrospectivity exists, it would need to confirm to the doctrine of fairness as upheld in L’OfficeCherifien des Phosphates v. Yamashita-Shinnihon Steamship Co.Ltd (1994) 1 AC 486. One may also contend that the amendment would need to also satisfy the various tests laid down in the context

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of Article 14 of the Constitution of India for it to be valid law (Supreme Court in KunnathatThathunniMoopil Nair AIR 1961 SC 552). Further, the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in Rai Ramkrishna and Ors. vs. The State of Bihar AIR 1963 SC 1667 has held that where it appears that the taxing statute is plainly discriminatory, or provides no procedural machinery for assessment and levy of the tax, or that it is confiscatory, Courts would be justified in striking down the impugned statute as unconstitutional. In such cases, the Court would need to review the character of the material provisions in determining whether the amendment is indeed a cloak adopted by the legislature for achieving its confiscatory purposes. In the present case, one does have ground to contend that the amendment could be construed as confiscatory in nature. There also lies a ground to contend that the retrospective operation creates a situation which could be described as an unreasonable restriction which violates the right to carry on business or the right to hold and dispose property, which has been upheld by the Hon’ble Supreme Court following judgments in the Chhotabhai Vs Union 1962 Suppl 2 SCR 1. In another judgment, the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of The State of Karnataka & Ors. Versus The Karnataka Pawn Brokers Assn. &Ors.(2018) 6 SCC 363 held that the Legislature cannot set at naught the judgments which have been pronounced by amending the law not for the purpose of making corrections or removing anomalies but to bring in new provisions which did not exist

earlier. It is now settled that the Legislature cannot, by way of introducing an amendment, overturn a judicial pronouncement and declare it to be wrong or a nullity. Such amendment would be against the doctrine of separation of powers as upheld by the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in the case of State of Tamil Nadu Vs State of Kerala & Another (2014) 12 SCC 696. The said doctrine provides that the Legislature cannot declare any decision of a court of law to be void or of no effect. It can, however, pass an amending act to remedy the defects pointed out by a court of law or on coming to know of it aliunde. In our view, the said amendment would not fall within the exceptions provided. Hence, there does lie strong ground to challenge the amendment even on the ground of retrospectivity. The battle now continues in the Courts, with the hope that the said provision would not be subjected to further retrospective amendment. Hopefully, the demons of transitional credit would become quiet. In our view, with increased focus on MSMEs, the Government should consider granting such credit in the lines of the dictum laid down by the Delhi High Court in the case of Brand Equity (supra). This would be a clear sign of harmony between words and action. The said action on the part of the Government would indeed reflect its magnanimity and its keenness to ensuring certainty in tax laws coupled with ease of doing business. It is imperative that the Government displays a single-minded vision rather a discombobulated, utterly confused mindset

A Extraordinary Laparoscopic Surgeon with Excellence:

Dr. R. Padmakumar He is a source of comfort not only to patients in Kerala, but also to patients in the GCC countries. He is the fifth person in the world and the first person in the Gulf countries and Kerala to conduct a surgery to surgically resolve the condition of diabetes under the non-obesity category. He is one of the rare doctors who has expertise in endoscopic thyroidectomy, and is the first doctor to successfully perform intestinal surgery with just two grams of haemoglobin. He is the inventor of Ileal Hybrid technology.

part from being an extraordinary keyhole surgeon, Dr. Padmakumar, who is one of the unique surgeons in the world performing all forms of minimally invasive surgeries, is well known for his caring and compassionate attitude. He, who has dedicated his entire life for hospitality, is not only an asset to our state of Kerala, but also a gem to the entire world. He is at a time a student, who is always eager to learn new techniques in laparoscopy; as well as a teacher who finds happiness in sharing what he has learned, to others who are eager to know about the topic. After securing an MBBS degree from Alappuzha Medical College, his destiny was to be a part and a leader of a medical revolution. As a surgeon with around 23 years of experience, he stands with a magical method

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which offers a permanent solution to painful surgeries. It is important to remember that the doctor has contributed immensely in developing this surgical method and in passing what he has learned to the next generation for the benefit of the society. It is the knowledge and experience he has gained from New Delhi AIIMS, Chennai Apollo and Mumbai Tata Memorial, and his hard work, accuracy and self-learning capability is what makes Dr. Padmakumar one of the finest Keyhole surgeons in the world. He is a source of comfort not only to patients in Kerala, but also to patients in the GCC countries. He is the fifth person in the world and the first person in the Gulf countries and Kerala to conduct a surgery to surgically resolve the condition of diabetes under the non-obesity category. He is one of the rare doctors

who has expertise in endoscopic thyroidectomy, and is the first doctor to successfully perform intestinal surgery with just two grams of haemoglobin. He is the inventor of Ileal Hybrid technology. It is a commendable achievement that he was ranked twenty-eight when the 100 most powerful Indians were selected in Gulf countries in the year 2012. The doctor has a lot of golden feathers in the crown of excellence such as Global Achievers Award 2014, Voice of Gulf Returnees Excellence Award 2016 and Icon of Laparoscopy 2018. In the year 2016, he was the National President of the Indian Hernia Society. Currently, he is the Chairman of the Association of Surgeons of India (Kerala Chapter) and National Vice President of SELSI (Society of Endoscopic and Laparoscopic Surgeons of India). Letâ€™s hear

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what the apostle of simplicity and service has to say about the importance of keyhole surgery and many things related to that.

The Importance of Endoscopic Neck Surgery

Endoscopic neck surgery is one of the rare surgeries in the world. This is mostly done in thyroid cases. Nonetheless, this can be done in cases of para-thyroid, thyro-glossal cyst surgery and lymph node operation. Specifically speaking, a threeyear-old Omani child with branchial cyst condition was treated with the help of keyhole surgery. Usually, this surgery is not done in children. This case is a world record. Generally, patients show disinterest to thyroid surgeries as it may leave a mark on the neck of patients. Today, using the potential of keyhole surgery, this condition can be cured without the fear of any permanent mark. The publication about Endoscopic Neck Surgery has appeared in the International Journal. A special invitation was made by the government

of Dubai to perform these surgeries on their natives. What makes this method attractive is it does not make permanent mark and does not consume too much time for recovery. This surgery is of great importance in the treatment of cancer.

Small Wound, Excellent Results

Minimally invasive surgery training needs lot of dedication and hard work. Many complex surgeries which required large cuts (20 to 30 cm) in abdomen or chest can now be performed using one or two centimetre cuts. This will bring down pain very significantly and reduce hospital stay. Patient will be in a position to resume normal activities in few days. In cases of cancer, as the cuts are very smaller in laparoscopy, patient can proceed with additional treatments like chemotherapy or radiation without much delay. The need for blood transfusion is reduced to one-hundredth as we have precision, magnification by HD camera and vessel sealing by use of

ultrasonic devices.

Obesity Treatment

Obesity in children is managed by Intragastric balloon placement with the help of endoscope. Women suffering from infertility due to polycystic ovarian disease also benefits very well by this procedure, if they have high levels of body fat. People with morbid obesity will require Bariatric surgery. This keyhole procedure helps them not only in fat loss or weight loss but also helps to resolve their medical conditions like Diabetes, high BP, high cholesterol, sleep disorders. The joint disease & fatty liver also improves a lot once the person loses weight. Risk of cancer especially of colon, breast, ovary â€“ are reduced remarkably with weight loss.

Diabetes cure through surgery

It is a big deal that diabetes can be cured using laparoscopic surgery. It is an undisputed reality that there is no clear understanding about this among people. This surgery is nor-

Dr. R. Padmakumar with his team members: Ms. Premna Subin, Dr. Kevin Chiramel and Dr. Madhukara Pai

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mally prescribed to type-2 diabetes patients, and is very effective. This is called Hybrid Ileal Interposition. It has been featured in an International Journal as a surgical innovation. This treatment is now very popular around the world. I was an invitee in the first IFSO conference held in Canada in 2014. Hybrid Ileal Interposition has gained greater recognition than Robotic Surgery when it has been identified that the former consumes less time and costs less compared to the latter. If this surgery is done in a patient with diabetes type-2, he/she can taste cure within a timeframe of 24 hours itself. If one is obese or overweight and under treatment for type-2 diabetes for long time, he/she can be treated with this method - which helps to adjust the intestine position and resume insulin production. But, this type of surgery is not effective in type-1 diabetes mellitus patients in which insulin production is completely defective.

For a doctor, what is important is the health and satisfaction of his patients. He should be willing to go to any extent to help his patients.

Laparoscopic Hernia Surgery

All kinds of hernias can be effectively managed by minimally invasive technique. It avoids large cuts especially on the area of hernia which is already weak. Using a one centimetre cut, the lap surgeon can place large mesh â€“ five times the size, possible in open surgery. Mesh will be placed in the beginning portion of hernia so as to get best strength and least reaction with skin and fat. It gives excellent results as recurrence chance is only 0.1 percent and infection chance is very negligible. Patient can be active in few daysâ€™ time compared to months of rest in cases done by open techniques.

How did you get interested in Laparoscopy

The Laparoscopy was introduced in India while I was doing my post-graduation in New Delhi. It was only few years since its inception in the world. My training period gave me the opportunity to observe and compare the laparoscopy with open methods. The remarkable advantage and comfort of laparoscopy experienced by patients, generated interest in me to pursue this speciality. I have trained and developed a team of experts who are now capable of performing these procedures and surgeons from all across globe continue to benefit from our training programmes.

Keyhole surgery: Further studies are underway

Right now, there are several surgical associations across the world. Special live operative sessions and conferences are arranged for - the members of these associations - who are interested in this specialty. In some cases, only a week long session is required to get

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an idea of this method. Sessions about this procedure also improve the knowledge of both teachers as well as students. I was a person who learned this technique with my own effort. Earlier, it needed at least one year to learn this method. But, now, it requires only weeks. What attracts doctors is the fact that laparoscopy require less time to perform. This surgical procedure is taught through several steps and methods. Large pigs in animal labs at Yenopoya Medical College are used for training purpose. To get an opportunity to try this method on human, a surgeon has to get acquainted with this technique by observing several cases on a regular basis. International Conference is organised every year to discuss the latest developments of this specialty, and to promote this method. The main objectives of Verwandeln Institute in Kochi are to promote Laparoscopic training and conference. The institute activity benefits learners, and helps patients to be aware of this surgical innovation. Only when patients are aware, they seek such procedures and give consent to laparoscopic surgeries. There is an outpatient section, named Keyhole clinic in Kochi to educate patients about this method. For those who need the surgical service, it is done at VPS Lakeshore hospital. There is a general confusion about whether there is any difference between keyhole surgery and laparoscopy. Actually, laparo means abdomen and scope means watch. That means when done in the abdomen - it is laparoscopy; when done in the chest -thoracoscopy; when at the joints- arthroscopy; and when in the neck- endoscopic neck surgery. Laparoscopic method is helpful to treat cancer – especially in cases connected to intestine. It avoids bringing out intestine – stoma.

Some experience

Jehovah’s Witness belief group will not accept blood transfusion. Once such a patient, with an intestine bleeding condition, consulted me. For him, his belief was much higher than his life. To save him and his belief, for the first time in the modern medical history, surgery

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FRCS Award from Royal College of Surgeons Glasgow was performed on him with just 2 gmHb; without the support of any blood administration. He was given oxygen assistance for at least four weeks. An injection to improve haemoglobin level –was administered. He successfully recovered from his disease. That story was featured in several global journals. For a doctor, what is important is the health and satisfaction of his patients. He should be willing to go to any extend to help his patients. Had I not taken that risk, the aforesaid patient would not have survived his disease condition. Likewise, a surgery performed on a cancer patient who was turned

away by almost all major hospitals across India is also noteworthy. She was struggling with the pain caused by the disease condition. The tumour that had developed in her pelvis had spread to almost all nearby organs. Through surgery, the size of the tumour was reduced to around 1/20. It is very satisfying to see her moving around happily. A surgery done on a woman who suffered a stab injury from a guest worker is similar to those mentioned above. She was bleeding to death. In that case also, the patient was successfully saved by an emergency chest surgery within minutes of her arrival to hospital

HEALTH

There is definitely a scientific basis for which our minds released so much energy helping us to perform exceptionally well as per demand. All humans have this potential. But only few learn to ulitise the skill well. Definitely, strong genes play a significant role in developing our mind power but at the same time we can train ourselves to develop strong minds and achieve the impossible.

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

ncreasing the levels of Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphin in our body is the secret of developing a strong mind and becoming a better version of ourselves. The human mind is the most power weapon a man possesses. Human mind is so powerful that it has no limits. There are incredible stories of human endurance made possible due to the astonishing power of the human mind. How could the fisherman from Salvador, Jose Alvarenga who got lost in the Pacific ocean survive 14 months in

a small boat feeding on raw fish, turtles and insects and finally escape. How could 42 year old French man, Philippe Croizon who lost his both arms and legs swim across the English channel in 13 hours? How could Mark Inglis from New Zealand who had lost both his legs following frost bite later become the first double amputee on earth to successfully climb mount Everest? There is definitely a scientific basis for which our minds released so much energy helping us to perform exceptionally well as per demand. All humans have this potential. But only few learn

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to ulitise the skill well. Definitely, strong genes play a significant role in developing our mind power but at the same time we can train ourselves to develop strong minds and achieve the impossible. Our body follows what our mind believes. Remember acronym DOSE- Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphin. These are the four important hormones in our body - nicknamed as the success hormones in our body. Increasing their levels in our body is the secret of developing a better version of ourselves. Dopamine is also called the â€˜Reward chemicalâ€™. Itâ€™s the

THE GREATEST WEAPON HUMANS POSSESS IS THEIR MIND POWER pleasure giving hormone which gives us a 'kick' when we are praised for doing a good job. Set realistic goals and achieve them. Dopamine level increases. This in turn gives more and more motivation to work. Dopamine level in our body increases dramatically when you do acts of kindness. Music too helps to increase dopamine. Oxytocin, which is known as the ‘Love hormone’, plays greater role in women than men. It improves happiness multifold, reduces stress and increases loyalty, trust, empathy and generosity in work place. Oxytocin level increases in our body during love making, hugging and during close relationships. Having good relationships with colleagues at work place also triggers burst of oxytocin.

Social interactions also help to release oxytocin. We can notice that successful people mostly will have a happy family, a good circle of close friends and maintains good relationship with their colleagues at their work places. Serotonin is the “Leadership hormone”. Serotonin helps to boost confidence, power, self esteem, inner satisfaction and sense of purpose. It reduces stress too. Please note, people see confidence, high self worth and low stress in their leader. Serotonin can be increased by daily moderate exercises like brisk walking for 10-30 minutes, exposure to sunlight, tryptophan rich diet (salmon, spinach, egg, soya, nuts, bananas). Serotonin deficiency is a cause of major depression. Endorphine is the ‘Happiness Hormone’. En-

dorphine produces a state of Euphoria and plays a major role in the body's inhibitory response to pain. Endorphin releases during heavy exercises, sex orgasm, listening to music, food like chocolates, during meditation and even during laughter. Strong prayers and regular yoga too play a great role in releasing endorphins in our body. Endorphin explains the positive effect of exercise on anxiety and depression. The same phenomenon may also play a role in exercise addiction. Medical problems like fibromyalgia can also be due to deficiency of endorphins in our body. The secret magic for success is try to become the best version of ourselves rather than comparing and competing with others

June - July 2020

MOTIVATION

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

Softskills is a combination of communication skills, life skills, behavioural skills, business skills and cognitive skills. Where hard skills are quantifiable skills which can be gained through technical and on-the-job training, Softskills are qualifiable much harder to define and evaluate. It accounts to 80% of your productivity. Technical skills applied alone won’t be truly effective.

IMAGINE A NEW FUTURE! T

here is a widening skill gap today in this transforming time. Covid has brought us a pandemic not only of health, but deteriorating economy. Lot of industries are on a verge of closing down, where a set of industries definitely will flourish ahead as well. So as I very often advocate, the value and significance of softskills have risen considerably. So simultaneous to you upgrading your digital assets now, sharpen your softskills as well, so that the sail ahead would be smoother through the pandemic. Softskills is a combination of communication skills, life skills, behavioural skills, business skills and cognitive skills. Where hard skills are quantifiable skills which can be gained through technical and onthe-job training, Softskills are qualifiable much harder to define and evaluate. It accounts to 80% of your productivity. Technical skills applied alone won’t be truly effective. Where hard skills is the knowledge of the

June - July 2020

product, Softskills is the wisdom on how to apply it. Softskills are more of less personal and emotional attributes and traits which help you complement your technical knowhow – the most important part of you being successful. It is that supports situational awareness and enhances the ability of performance and productivity curve of a person at work and life. The senior executives, entrepreneurs, leaders and employees have made it a priority to keep updated on the softskills adaptability. The customer or service relationship component is one of the major factors for you to ensure success of your career and business. To ensure that you have the deal, it is imperative that your customer remains happy with your product or service. Your softskills in retaining a customer becomes all the more important in your graph of success. It is the parameter and gauge of your personal attributes on how well you can work around people and system.

Covid has been incurring serious loss and negative impact to business and industries across the globe. The virus has forced many companies across world to cancel what they had planned for the year and is doing contingency management. It’s very difficult to figure out where all to prioritize when you are hot by a natural disaster. There needs to be a literal paradigm shift in locating where we stand and what we should pursue in the coming months and years to come. Some work that we may be thriving in would not be even existing pot covid. While you get organized, change route plans and figure out a new plan, it's critical to communicate as quickly and transparently as possible with your existing customers and new possible customers who are searching for you online. Here is where the importance of cognitive emotional intelligence and strength of softskills comes into picture. Many companies have emerged discussing employee softskills home

training during covid-19 pandemic. In this unprecedented times, it is crucial to navigate wisely to produce long-term positive customer experiences. Because, customers retained are far easier than the customer newly made. Companies across the globe got ample time to asses and recheck on their need to retain the current employee strength, and as the rest are probably stuck at home they get extra time to work on their softskills training. Reviewing at home employee work plans, improving customer experience, sustaining and survival of your systems are all on. Retaining your existing customer base should be a priority – assure them continued services. Remain credible with the base and pivot quickly onto bettering the communication and support. According to past statistics, 40 to 60 percent of small businesses never reopen their doors following a disaster. It is indeed a great idea and time to review your business models. I’m sure there would be a lot of it in the back of your mind for months now. It is important to decide on your post-disaster actions, visualize the challenges ahead,

calculate where you stand realistically, take an account on what you think should be done to recoop and recover, schedule the actions, and account the helps needed. For all these to happen, you need to start communicating! For proper, effective, responsive communication, your softskills should be excellent. You are trying to tend to a problem here, you are trying to figure out the alternate solutions, and act upon it so that you may successfully eliminate the dangers and find a safer shore. Here, you need to play your interpersonal skills and all other tangible skills that you possess in order to surf your way out through the storm to calmness.This is a brilliant opportunity to have a look at how you can change your business model to make it more sustainable. Finally, it all comes down again to your intangible softskills. Use your experience and expertise to rebuild, this time more carefully. Empathy plays a keyrole here. We need to acknowledge that everyone is going through their own turmoils. You cannot possibly ignore the situation and demand an expected response. You cannot make

light of the fact that people are suffering, emotionally, health-wise and financially. Everyone would be hoping that this would get over sooner, and eagerly looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. So be patient with them. Show that your product helps in this situation. Also show that your company understands and empathise with them during this crisis time. Utilise your problem solving skills and conflict management skills. Even though this is not a time to overspend, don’t unnecessarily cut your marketing budget. On the contrary, utilize this time to nuture your prospects, to ensure that in the aftermath of lockdown you have a larger audience. Social distancing doesn’t allow us to physically meet employees and clients, hence use online tools to keep touch basing with them on a regular basis. Well, believe it or not, the global pandemic will come to an end, and life will get back to normal, but it won’t be exactly as we knew it. So, entrepreneurs have something to look forward to. While you are thinking of mere survival now, also imagine of new future, a brighter one!

June - July 2020

BUSINESS

By Jiz P Kottukappally Chief Executive Officer Yescalator Management and Financial Consultants

From a business point of view definitely there are sector specific opportunities coming up in various fields of health care, technology, online trade and e-commerce etc. For organisations existing in or related to these sectors definitely the opportunities would be easily visible. For other organisations if they have to survive the current crisis they have to spot the opportunities, develop them and encash them.

Mob No 75588 91177 Email Jizpk@yescalator.com

Zero working capital management for enhanced profitability “When written in Chinese the word crisis is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.” John F Kennedy

o doubt COVID 19 virus and its impact have created a big crisis for the entire world. While the full impact of COVID 19 on the health life and living of people is not fully known even now, with what we have seen till now it is pretty clear that most of the people living now might not have witnessed a crisis of this magnitude during their entire life time. But, as we have to move forward let us write crisis in Chinese and having seen and to some extend felt the danger part let us now try to find out the opportunity part of the COVID 19 crisis. From a business point of view definitely there are sector specific opportunities coming up in various fields of health care, technology, online trade and e-commerce etc. For organisations existing in or related to these sectors definitely the op-

June - July 2020

portunities would be easily visible. For other organisations if they have to survive the current crisis they have to spot the opportunities, develop them and encash them. As per Newton’s law of motion, an objective in its state of motion or rest will continue in its state of motion or rest till an external force is applied. This law of motion is equally applicable for individuals and business organisations as well. COVID 19 has been that external force for many organisations which has now forced them to think of all the ways and means to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Igniting the thought process for reducing cost and improving efficiency is an opportunity the COVID 19 has given to all business enterprises. Though many organisations have come out with initial actions on these areas unless such actions are well thought of and meticulously executed the results would be just short term and not sustainable.

Learnings from the liquidity crunch

The liquidity crunch brought about by the sudden lockdown has

made many organisations to relook at the level of investment in current assets and the requirements of cash. Competing uses for the company’s cash, which is now a very scarce resource has created the need for an efficient method of handling the short-term financing of company activities. The manner in which cash can be raised and preserved is being thoroughly looked into by many MSME units. The need for a proper working capital management and cash budgeting is gradually being realised by many MSME units.

Importance of working capital management

The goal of effective working capital management is to ensure that a company has adequate funds for day-to-day operating expenses and at the same time making sure that the company’s funds are invested in the most productive way. Excessive investment in current assets like stock, debtors and cash though will provide liquidity to the firm will adversely affect the profitability. For example, let us assume that a manufacturer or trader is

holding stock of goods. The costs associated with this are the rent for storage space, electricity and other utility charges, insurance cost, interest cost and even cost of obsolete stock etc. It can be easily seen that all these costs commonly known as carrying cost will go up as the quantity of stock held goes up. On the contrary, if the firm for reducing the carrying costs of inventory reduces the quantity of stock held there could be shortage of stock which would result in disruption of production or loss of a sale opportunity. Thus there would be a shortage cost. Firms need to find a balance between the carrying cost and shortage cost and find the levels of stock where the combined cost is the minimum. This is the ideal level of stock that the firm should maintain.

Who is responsible?

As can be seen from the above example efficient working capital management has a significant impact on the firmsâ€™ liquidity and profitability. Now, the most important question that firms need to ask themselves is if working capital management is so important a function from liquidity and profitability perspective, who in the organisation is responsible for this function? Which of your employees are having ensuring adequate levels of inventory as a key parameter in their performance appraisal? The owner of a manufacturing unit might scold the storekeeper if there is a shortage of any raw material and production gets disrupted. But, does the scolding happens if there is an overstocking of items? So, the

store keeper would to avoid any such incidence of scolding or displeasure by the management might always try to overstock the items. This would result in wastages, obsolescence and higher carrying cost. To increase the sales and to achieve the sales targets the sales team may aggressively push for higher credit periods. This could sometimes result in higher bad debts and additional interest cost due to funds being blocked. Firms to overcome the current crisis will have to look into whether such parameters on cost profitability and working capital management are built into the key performance indicators of their employees. If not, these areas needs to be aggressively worked on.

Working capital management strategies

Firms who want to focus on working capital management should put in place appropriate working capital management strategy in tune with the profitability and risk appetite of the enterprise. The working capital management strategy could range from conservative strategy to zero working capital strategy. Firms following conservative strategy will not take any risk on working capital management. They will carry high levels of current assets in relation to sales. More funds would be required, liquidity will be high but profitability will be low. Many firms would have in the pre COVID era would have adopted this approach. It would not have been a conscious decision after analysing all the consequences. It would have been a default setting. If the firm is following a conserv-

ative working capital management strategy then the working capital financing strategy should be to use long term financing to cover most of the working capital requirement. Otherwise there would be serious liquidity issues for the firm.

Zero working capital management strategy

On the other extreme we have the zero working capital management strategy which is one of the latest trends in working capital management. Under this strategy the firm will have zero working capital and the current assets shall be equal the current liabilities. Here there will be better financial discipline and more pressure on the employees to improve the quality of current assets including stock and debtors. The cash to cash cycle period will be significantly reduced and the turnover ratios of stock and debtors will improve drastically. The working capital financing strategy under this approach is to fund current assets from the current liabilities. Profits will be higher under this strategy. Firms which are facing liquidity and profitability challenges in the COVID era should try to move themselves from the conservative working capital management strategy to the aggressive zero working capital management strategy. To implement this vital shift, the top management should clearly lay down the objectives of working capital management, formulate plan and policies for achieving the objectives, make adequate organisational arrangements with clearly defined duties and responsibilities for different management levels involved and exercise effective control through a system of authorization of expenditure and timely reportingď Ź

June - July 2020

SPIRITUAL ODYSSEY

Make the Mind Heaven

hildren, just as the body needs food, the mind needs good thoughts for nourishment. We ought to know what kinds of food are beneficial and what kinds are harmful for our health. Accordingly, we should regulate our diet. Instead, if we habituate ourselves to eating just confectionery, our bodies will become weak and fall prey to in curable disease. In the same way, if negative thoughts increase, the mind will become weak. This will pave the way for physical and mental illnesses, which will lead to our ruin. The mind is a flow of thoughts. If there are no thoughts, there is no mind. If we wish to control our mind, we should become aware of our thoughts. We should always be alert about which thoughts to accept and which to reject. A prime minister should be able to size up his ministers. He should know their intellectual abilities as well as the extent to which he should accept their opinions and suggestions. If he heeds whatever they say and acts without due deliberation, he might even lose his position. Similar is the case with the thoughts in our mind. It is necessary that we understand them well and handle them accordingly. If not, they will become the cause of our ultimate ruin. Often, we are not aware of the rise of thoughts. Weeds flourish where paddy grows. They should be rooted out at once. If not, they will absorb all the fertilizer and destroy the crops. Weeds proliferate very quickly even when we don’t pay any attention to them. But we should give the crops we have planted sufficient water and fertilizer at the right time. We should spray insecticides to ensure that worms don’t destroy the crops. It is thus necessary to tend them with utmost care and attention. In the same way, negative thoughts will flourish on their own; we don’t need to try. However, in order to cultivate good thoughts, we need to make deliberate efforts. One day, a grandfather took his grandson to the zoo. There, they saw two lions in two cages next to each other. One of the lions would remain standing peacefully no matter who went near the cage. Even if someone tried to touch it, it would not become angry. It was obvious that the lion had become habituated to the presence of human beings. The other lion would start to roar as soon as anyone went near. It would try to strike with its paws. Because of this, people would keep away from it. The grandfather asked, “Son! If these two lions were to fight each other, who would win?” No matter how hard he thought, the grandson couldn’t come up with an answer. Then, the grandfather said, “The lion that’s fed more food will win.” Similar is the case with the thoughts in our mind. If we allow negative thoughts to proliferate, they will become strong. Negative qualities such as pride and anger will fill the mind. They will bring about inner and outer failure. This indulgence in negative thoughts is the main cause of the violence, injustice and other problems that we see around us today. However, if we encourage positive thoughts more, they will sink their roots in the mind, and qualities such as love, compassion and patience will fill our hearts. Peace and contentment will flourish in society. Love, compassion and patience should become our very

June - July 2020

nature. Before this can happen, we should root out the weeds of egoism, selfishness, and likes and dislikes from the garden of our mind. We should evaluate each thought mindfully, reject the negative ones, and cultivate the positive ones. Consider how hurt we feel if someone gets angry with us. For this reason, we should never become the cause of hurt to even one other person. Just as we feel so much happiness when someone behaves lovingly to us, we should be able to give others such happiness, too. If we have this attitude, we will be able to respond appropriately in any situation. Love, patience and discrimination form the foundation of life. We need these more than learning or earning. If we have them, we will be able to gain everything else. Not understanding this truth, human beings are creating hell on this earth, which is equal to heaven. It is the mind that makes earth heaven or hell. It is the mind (we ourselves) that illumines or darkens the path of life. Amma, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi

The best way to get over our thoughts of death is to engage in activities we love. This can help lessen mental stress. Convince ourselves that when someone dies, he or she is sleeping into peace and euphoria. Never let ourselves ponder over negative ideas related to these.

Mansoor Palloor mansoorpalloor@gmail.com

ith the widespread attack of the COVID virus, people are caught up in intense fear of communicable diseases and death. There was never anywhere in recent times when the whole world was alarmed. Whether this panic can lead to illogical beliefs and disastrous actions that could affect society should be a matter of concern. Studies have shown that excessive fear of death can diminish our immunity and can make human bodies more vulnerable to diseases. Yet another grave issue is whether this social and physical distancing that is now in practice to curtail transmission through touch can take a toll later with people isolating themselves mentally and creating divisions in society. Therefore, we have to be extra cautious in maintaining mental rapport and closeness in these hard times. We should devote some time to catch up with our friends and relatives, check on them and be surrounded by others through calls and other modes of communication. This can, to an extent, curb unnecessary thought on what happens post-death and reduce mental distress due to epidemics. When the whole world is facing a never before happened disaster and the pandemic gaining momentum, rather than letting our bodies and minds be hotspots of stress, let us keep ourselves healthy and focus on

FEAR OF DEATH

IN THE TIME OF COVID helping each other out. Majority of us agree with the view of Greek philosopher Epicurus on how friendships can create happiness. For him, someone who does not share food with others leads a desolate and depressing life. He believed in happiness as the sole purpose of life. The term ‘Epicurean’ was thus later used to refer to people who completely gave themselves to enjoying the joys of the world. In one way or the other, everyone interacts with death by avoiding it. Nevertheless, the fact is thoughts of death can help us compartmentalise our lives. Death always threatens our existence; the essence of our consciousness with questions like who am I, how do I think. Mostly, we ignore death. We plan or future in a way convincing ourselves that there is nothing called death. Here, it is not the notion of death, but an immortality complex is in the rule. This feeling of deathlessness in its both physical and mental senses can trigger their passion for life. Only when trauma hits them, they seem to get a hold of reality. The longest served President of France, François Mitterrand, who was in office for fourteen years led a life of an agnostic, not answering whether God exists or not. However, during his last days, bedridden with prostate cancer, he was absorbed in thoughts of the afterlife. He used to engage in long conversations with his friend and renowned journalist

Franz-Olivier Giesbert over this. Later, when Giesbert came up with the book Dying Without God (1998), it opened to large scale discussions. The book has a quote by Mitterrand, which reads, “The fear of death is virtually meaningless. We need to have the humility to know that, in death, we’re in the company of countless others, and that death is the only certain destiny that awaits us all. I’m not overly preoccupied with death but rather by the enormous question mark it represents. Is it nothingness? That’s possible. If it’s not, then what a great adventure lies ahead.” The best way to get over our thoughts of death is to engage in activities we love. This can help lessen mental stress. Convince ourselves that when someone dies, he or she is sleeping into peace and euphoria. Never let ourselves ponder over negative ideas related to these. Even during hours of utmost hardships, never let go of your confidence. We should savour each moment of our life. As each day is born, let us hope that it is for good and these dark times are eventually going to fade. Also, let us remember, we came to this world to live although we are aware of the reality that we cannot win over death and continue forever with our material life (Writer is the author of the book, To Whom does the Twenty ﬁrst Century belong?) June - July 2020

GADGETS

Samsung Galaxy M11

` 10,999 (approximately) Android v10 (Q) OS 6.4 inches Display 13 MP + 5 MP + 2 MP Primary Cameras 8 MP Secondary Camera 3 GB RAM 32 GB Internal Memory 512 GB Expandable Memory 5000 mAh Battery Capacity

OnePlus Z

` 34,990 (approximately) Android v10 (Q) OS 6.4 inches Display 48 MP + 16 MP Dual Primary Cameras 12 MP Secondary Camera 8 GB RAM 128 GB Internal Memory 4000 mAh Battery Capacity

June - July 2020

ZTE Axon 11

` 28,890 (approximately) Android v10 (Q) OS 6.47 inches Display 64 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP Quad Primary Cameras 20 MP Secondary Camera 6 GB RAM 128 GB Internal Memory 2 TB Expandable Memory 4000 mAh Battery Capacity

Vivo X50

` 37,190 (approximately) Android v10 (Q) OS 6.56 inches Display 48 MP + 13 MP + 8 MP + 5 MP Primary Cameras 32 MP Secondary Camera 8 GB RAM 128 GB Internal Memory 4200 mAh Battery Capacity

June - July 2020

BEAUTY

Natural Ways To Fight Pigmentation

igmentation is not a serious problem. It is easily curable. Not many know this condition can be fight using certain natural methods. Unlike others, natural methods offer a permanent solution to this condition. If you want to address your pigmentation problem rightly, you need to understand the nature and character of your condition. To understand the nature and character of your condition, you may have to seek the assistance of an expert who has knowledge about the health of skin. In this edition, some natural methods to fight the skin condition of pigmentation are shared. The below mentioned methods are general, and are suitable for all skin types.

Potato and Lemon

Both potato and lemon are easily available. Both are rich sources of several vitamins and minerals. As per a new report, the combination of these two items can be used to treat the skin condition of pigmentation. The presence of an enzyme, named catecholase, in po-

tato is what that makes this item perfect for the treatment against the condition of pigmentation. Meanwhile, lemon functions as a natural bleaching agent. Take a spoon of grated potato. Add few drops of lemon juice into this. Mix them well. Apply the mixture on your face. Let it rest there for few minutes â€“ at least ten to thirty minutes. Remove it with lukewarm water. Repeat the procedure at least once or twice a week for better result.

Lemon and Honey

Like potato, honey is also not difficult to procure. It is rich source of several vitamins and minerals. The combination of lemon and honey is used for the treatment against the condition of pigmentation. It not only acts a bleaching agent but also function as an anti-pigmentation agent, as well as a moisturising agent. Take a spoon of honey. Add a spoon of lemon juice into it. Mix them well. Apply it on your face gently. Let it rest there for at least fifteen to twenty minutes. Wash it off with lukewarm water. Repeat the procedure at

least thrice a week for better result.

Papaya and Multani Mitti

Papaya is a common fruit available in India. It is not hard to procure. Multani Mitti is also not difficult to find. It is available in all ayurveda shops in the country. Multani Mitti is a rich source of various vitamins and minerals. It functions as a cleansing agent, as well as a nourishing agent. Meanwhile, papaya is also a rich source of several rare vitamins and minerals. Moreover, it is the only source of a skin whitening enzyme, called papain. Take few spoons of multani mitti. Add few spoons of pasted papaya into it. Apply it on your face gently. Let it rest there for at least fifteen to twenty minutes. Wash it off with lukewarm water. Repeat the procedure at least once a week.

Turmeric and Milk

Both turmeric and milk are easily available. Turmeric has bleaching properties as well as anti-bacterial properties, in addition to

Dr. Elizabath Chacko, MD-Kalpana International

Mob: 9388618112

June - July 2020

many other useful properties. Meanwhile, milk is a rich source of several vitamins and minerals. It moisturises and whitens the skin. Take a spoon of fresh turmeric powder. Add two teaspoons or three teaspoons of milk into it. Mix them well. Apply the mixture on your face gently. Let it rest there for twenty to thirty minutes. Wash it off with lukewarm water. Repeat the procedure every day for better result.

Aloe Vera and Honey

Aloe Vera is a magical plant. It is actually a gift of God. It is a rich source of several vitamins and minerals. It is the presence of muscilaginous polysaccharides which makes the plant perfect for the treatment against the condition of pigmentation. Likewise, as said earlier, honey is also good for the skin. As per a latest report, the combination of these two elements can be used to fight the condition of pigmentation. Take few teaspoons of aloe vera. Add a spoon of honey into it. Mix them well. Apply the mixture gently on your face. Let it rest there for at least twenty to thirty minutes. Remove it with lukewarm water. Repeat the procedure daily for better result. Stay Beautiful! Stay Healthy!

June - July 2020

TRAVELOGUE

June - July 2020

hat is beauty? How can beauty be defined? It is hard to explain the concept of beauty. Why we see beauty only in few things that we see around us â€“ not in all? What separates beauty from ugliness? Actually, the real beauty does not lie in things that we see around us, but is in the eyes through which we see those things. Not all may get this point right. Nature is the mother of beauty. Those countries, which show reverence to her and do everything possible to make her happy, remain blessed with beauty forever. In this edition, such a beautiful country is introduced. It is none other than New Zealand, the last large habitable land to be inhibited by humans.

New Zealand is an Island country situated in the southwest region of the Pacific Ocean. Australia is the nearest neighbour of this Island country. The North Island, the South Island and as many as six hundred small Islands constitute this sovereign country in the southern hemisphere. What that makes the land special is its rich biodiversity and its gifted topography. Though Wellington is the capital of the country, its most populous region is Auckland. Polynesians were the first inhabitants of this land. Meanwhile, the first European which landed in this Island was Dutch. The dominance of Dutch over the territory had remained until the land was handed to the British colonials. The Brit-

June - July 2020

TRAVELOGUE

ish colonials overturned the overall character of this Island. When the British colonials finally left the territory in the year 1947, it was left with a new character â€“ far different from the one it had possessed before the arrival of the colonials into this land. Now, the Island is more of European in character than of Polynesian. Notably, the majority of the population of the country is of European descent. The country is ruled by its cabinet led by the Prime Minister. The cabinet is accountable to the parliament. Nonetheless, the head of the state is still the Queen of the United Kingdom. Unlike the UK, this country has a unicameral parliament. The country is a highly developed nation. The service sector is the backbone of the New Zealand economy. The industrial sector and agriculture sector also play an important role in the strength of the economy. The country is closely connected to the world. Since 1980s, it has been delightfully following the concept of liberalism. It has almost

June - July 2020

completely detached itself from its protectionist past. The country, which has benefitted hugely from the new age concept of multilateralism, is now a member of several multilateral organisations. Apart from the United Nations and the Commonwealth of Nations, it is a member of the ANZUS, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the ASEAN Plus Six. It is also a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Pacific Community and the Pacific Islands Forum. The prime official language of the country is English. Maori and New Zealand Sign Language are also widely used in the country and are also official languages. New Zealand is a less populated country. Many of its Islands are still uninhibited. Its population is just 5 million. The country excels in its standard of living index. Its health and education standard is far better than many of its counterparts in the rest of the world â€“ particularly those situated in the continent of Europe.

This Island country is one of the first countries which have recovered from the clutches of the disastrous Covid-19 outbreak â€“ which has brought the world to an unpleasant state. Like most advanced countries in the world, the tourism sector of the country is one of the main contributors to the economy. The quick recovery of the country from the clutches of the virus implies that the country may go back to normal in near future itself. The achieved recovery is a great relief to the tourism sector â€“ which has come almost to standstill due to the present virus crisis. The potential of the New Zealand tourism sector is enormous. It can emerge as the most prominent tourist destinations in the post-Corona world.

The country is known for its biodiversity and topography. It has beautiful mountains, outstanding forests, spectacular rivers, vibrant cities, amazing villages and noble-hearted people.

June - July 2020

Like what has been mentioned earlier, the country is known for its biodiversity and topography. It has beautiful mountains, outstanding forests, spectacular rivers, vibrant cities, amazing villages and noble-hearted people. The Bay of Islands, Milford Sound, Auckland, Waiheke Island and Queenstown are the main tourist destinations in the country. The Bay of Islands is situated close to Auckland. There are at least 144 Islands in the region. It is the most popular tourist attraction in the country. It is a best place to experience scuba diving. Apart from scuba diving, the bay offers opportunity for several other adventure activities such as sailing. The region is also popular for the presence of whales and dolphins. Milford Sound is regarded as the eighth wonder of the world. The best way to explore this place is via boat. The scenic beauty

June - July 2020

of the place is unexplainably high. Sightseeing is the best activity that can be done in this place. There are several beautiful waterfalls in this region. The region is blessed with the presence of penguins and dolphins. Milford Discovery Centre and Underwater Observatory, which is the only underwater observatory in this part of the world, is the most popular tourist attraction in the region. It offers a rare opportunity to explore the beauty of underwater. Auckland is a highly developed region. It is different from the rest of the country for several reasons. As it has been mentioned earlier, it is the most populous region in the country. It is also a business hub. It is the best place to understand how a normal New Zealand city looks like. The city reflects the image of metropolitan life. It offers all one expects from a highly developed city - from entertainment to relaxation. This

city is highly connected. It is the place where one of the most popular airports in the country is located. Waiheke Island, which is a small Island located near Auckland, is a heaven for wine lovers, as it is home to several exceptional vineyards. The Island is popular for its wine tour program. It is also the best place to experience the authentic New Zealand cuisine, which is a blend of European and Polynesian. The Island is also popular for its art, music, beaches, olive groves and forests. Queenstown is known as the adventure capital of New Zealand. The name itself implies what attracts travellers to this destination. The region offers lot of adventure activities such as skydiving, bungee jumping and river rafting. It is the place where the worldâ€™s highest cliff jump is situated. New Zealand is not less than a truly blessed country. Do visit this beautiful country at least once!ď Ź

AUTO REVIEW

F 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.

June - July 2020

orty five lakhs for a Skoda Octavia, you must be joking, right? Not really, the Octavia RS245 is expensive, but special in its own way. These are completely built units from Germany and that explains partly why it costs so much. Only 200 cars had reached the Indian shores, and the whole lot was sold out in a matter of weeks. So, quite far from the useful consumer advice we normally give in this column; now I really am wasting your time telling you about a very expensive car that you can’t buy any more. But if you decided to read on, you are an enthusiast and you already know about the RS range and what it means to Skoda. The Octavia RS245 is the ultimate version of the RS range. The Octavia RS is

the faster, sportier offering in the Octavia range, much like the Volkswagen Golf GTI, which it is based upon. This genre of cars is quite popular in Europe where it is seen as a family sports car. You get the performance of a sports car without compromising on the practicality of a sedan or hatch. This particular generation of the Octavia is on its way out and India’s import taxes weren’t doing it any favours in the pricing department, but enthusiasts in our country knew what they were getting for their money and got their cheque books out immediately. Before you knew it, the whole lot was sold out. Not even Skoda India or any of its dealers have a car kept aside for themselves. Two months of being stuck at home and I was dying to drive some new cars, so when a

Skoda Octavia RS 245

June - July 2020

friend of ours who bought one offered a drive, I couldn’t say no. This was after all, one of 12 cars in Kerala and I knew an opportunity like that is hard to come by. Skoda has previously sold an RS model of this generation in India as the RS230 and the older generations had their RS models too. If you are wondering what the numbers 230 and 245 mean, they refer to the power output in PS – a German unit for horsepower (1hp = 1.013ps). The RS230 was fantastic value at Rs.24 lakhs and was only four lakhs more than a regular 1.8 TSI. For that you got the 227bhp, 2.0L engine, a better gearbox, retuned suspension, bigger brakes, different bumpers, RS interior trims, sportier seats, 17 inch wheels etc. This RS245 is quite expensive at 36 lakhs ex showroom. Add our 21 percent taxes, insurance etc, and that works to an on road price of Rs.45.58 lakhs! Any car with the power output mentioned in its name is not to be taken lightly, and the Octavia RS245 is no different. From the outside, you can tell it’s the 245 with its black trim - grille, mirrors, spoiler, roof etc, although on this black car you can’t quite tell the difference. The previous RS230 was available in white, red, blue, steel grey and black. For the RS245, there is a new colour - rally green, while the steel

June - July 2020

grey has been dropped. Although they both had 225 section rubber, this one comes with 18 inch rims instead of the 17 inchers of the 230. It gets digital instrument console and nine airbags instead of the RS230’s eight. It also has a VRS mode button which helps select the drive modes very easily. The brakes are bigger and the suspension has been retuned, although Skoda didn’t give us the full dynamic dampers this time either. You do get more features like automatic parking assist, auto emergency braking for reverse etc. Other differences between the RS230 is the bonnet release lever on the left hand side, the umbrella under the passenger seat and the missing rear sun blind. The engine is the famed EA888 motor from VW, used in several Audi and Porsche cars, and here it puts out 242bhp and 370Nm compared to the RS230’s 227bhp and 350Nm. The engine gets the same IS20 turbo but has some minor modifications in the piping and oil lines. It has a different engine cover and underneath, it has slightly different intake manifold with longer runners, compared to the RS 230. The biggest difference is the new 7 speed DQ381 gearbox compared to the RS230’s 6 speed DQ 250.

It feels very responsive above 3000rpm, although power build up is quite progressive. It keeps gathering speed and you lose track of how fast you are going. The engine is torquey and surprisingly revvy for a turbocharged unit. Skoda has a soundaktor system on board which brings in a fake sound into the cabin and that makes it feel like a Audi five cylinder. Can you tell the extra 15 horse power it has over the 230....may be not. What you can tell is how much nicer this 7 speed gearbox is. It is more eager to change gears and if you give it a bit of a throttle, it will skip down a couple of gears and fire you into the distance. This car has an Electronic Limited Slip Diff that Volkswagen called VAQ. Think of it as a haldex all wheel drive, but instead of being in the center of the car splitting torque front and rear, it's in the front drive line between two wheels, splitting torque left and right. Unlike brake vectoring which eats up your brake pads, this big pack of clutches between the differential and the right drive shaft does proper torque vectoring. Start accelerating out of a curve and the computer uses the clutch pack to send more power to the outside wheel for a faster exit. Add torque to the left wheel and

the car wants to turn right. Add it to the right and the car turns left. That lets you rotate the car using power. It doesn't feel like a front wheel driven car in the corners. Yes, it understeers on the limits, but within that, it feels agile and ready to rotate. On a winding road, very little will be able to keep up with this. The suspension is retuned for the RS245, and they have struck a good balance between ride and handling. Even on this 18 inch wheels, it feels comfortable but with a hint of firmness. Still, we wish that dynamic dampers were part of the equipments list. The braking is progressive and strong. The pedal feels great and there is very little fade. The rotors are much larger than they were in the RS230. The variable ratio steering is accurate, but not bristling with feel. The regular Octavia has three turns lock to lock, while all the RS models have a little over two. There is nothing really not to like about the RS245. It is a sensible, practical family car with a good engine, well sorted dynamics and a big boot. Had it been five or seven lakhs cheaper it would have been terrific, but for how it makes you feel from behind the wheel, the RS245 is one of those unparalleled motoring moments

June - July 2020

MOVIE REVIEW

Gulabo Sitabo

t is a comedy film directed by young filmmaker Shoojit Sircar, who is also a highly successful producer. The film tells the story of two interesting scamsters. There are several mind-blowing comedy sequences in the film. The screenplay of the film is done by Juhi Chaturvedi, who is also the screen writer of another successful film of this filmmaker, Vicky Donor. In the film, the evergreen superstar of Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan, acts as one of the two central characters. Apart from Mr. Bachchan, Ayushmaan Khurrana, Nalneesh Neel, Vijay Raaz and Sunil Butolia appear as the central characters. The film is suitable for all kinds of viewers.

Radhe

t is an action film directed by brilliant filmmaker Prabhu Deva, who is the most sought after dance choreographer in this part of the world. In the film, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan appears as the central character. There are several exceptional action sequences in this film. Ayananka Bose is the cinematographer of the film. Apart from Mr. Khan, Disha Patani, Randeep Hooda and Jackie Shroff act as the central characters. The film is produced jointly by Salman Khan Films and Sohail Khan Productions. If you are a Salman Fan, you may love this film. The film has everything a fan expects from a typical Salman film.

June - July 2020

A Quiet Place Part II

t is a horror movie directed by young American filmmaker John Krasinski, who is also a highly successful actor. It is a sequel to A Quiet Place â€“ released a few years ago. The film is based on Characters by Bryan Woods and Scott Beck. The screen play of the film is done by the director itself. There are several breadth taking horror sequences in the film. The film tells the story of a fight â€“ the fight for survival. In the film, the director himself appears as the central character. Apart from Mr. Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe act as the central characters.

Onward

t is a comedy, as well as fantasy, film directed by renowned filmmaker Dan Scanlon, who is a wellknown animator and story board artist. The film tells the story of the magical journey of two brothers. What makes the film exceptional is its outstanding comedy contest. It is at a time both comical and adventurous. In the film, Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Octavia Spencer, Wilmer Valderrama, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lena Waithe, Ali Wong, Kyle Bornheimer, John Ratzenberger, Mel Rodriguez, Tracey Ullman, Grey DeLisle, Leonhard Mahlich, Annette Frier, George Psarras and Sascha Rotermund appear in the lead roles. The film can excite all kinds of viewers.

June - July 2020

BOOK REVIEW

Letters to Mother: Translated From The Gujarati Saakshi Bhaav By Bhawana Somaaya Author Price

: Narendra Modi, Bhawana Somaaya : Rs. 284 (Hardcover)

ndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the most powerful as well as charismatic leader the country has ever witnessed in its modern political history. He is one of very few Prime Ministers who have gotten a second chance to rule the country. That implies that the love of the people of the country towards this personality is very huge and even immeasurable. Most of us love this legend as an extra-ordinary politician. Do we know anything more about him? Anyway, what this book offers is one more reason to love this exceptional leader. The book throws light into the thoughts and emotions of this amazing man.

Checkmate: How The BJP Won And Lost Maharashtra

Author Price

: Sudhir Suryawanshi : Rs. 499 (Hardcover)

he BJP is the single largest party in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is only few seats short from the number required to prove the majority in the state assembly. Still, the party is nowhere near the corridor of power of the state. The politics of the Indian state is very complicated. It is not easy to explain why the single largest party sits in the opposition char in the state assembly. This book serves as a guide to comprehend the latest political development led to the emergence of the Shiv SenaNCP-Congress coalition. It explains the biggest loss the BJP has suffered in the recent history.

June - July 2020

BOOK REVIEW

The Coronavirus: What You Need To Know about The Global Pandemic Author Price

: Dr. Swapneil Parikh, Maherra Desai, Dr. Rajesh Parikh : Rs. 270 (Paperback)

he Covid-19 outbreak, allegedly originated in the Asian country of China, has brought the world to a bad point. Tens of thousands of people across the world has lost their lives. Most of us who have managed to survive have been left in a state of despair. In this juncture, the lack of clear knowledge about this Covid-19 outbreak is as serious a threat as the outbreak. To win this battle, it is important to address the threat of misinformation first. This book offers all one needs to know about the present coronavirus crisis. It is suitable for all kinds of readers.

The Careers Handbook: The Ultimate Guide To Planning Your Future Author Price

: DK : Rs. 602 (Paperback)

re you looking for a good career guide? The moment you recognise you need a good career guide, your entry to the world of success happens. It is important to have a good career guide. It is easy for a properly guided person to achieve his career goal than an unguided person. It is not necessary that all those who want to achieve success in their careers should have used the possibility of career guidance at least once in their life. It is only that a person who has received the guidance will have an advantage over the others who have lacked that luxury.

June - July 2020

Printed On 09/ 06/ 2020

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