CATEGORIES

HYUNDAI VERNA

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.

GOKULAM GOPALAN: THE SOCIALLY COMMITTED BUSINESSMAN

Being a socially committed person is extra-ordinary – especially if you are into business. Not all people have the true courage to dedicate their life for their society. Specifically speaking, the present generation has come down to the level of selfishness. Needless to say, given the aforesaid facts, if there is someone who does not qualify the said assumptions, he deserves to be treated as a noble soul. Fortunately, a search for one such divine soul has culminated with a positive note. In this edition, a business legend, who has shown the world the importance of leading a socially committed life, is covered. That exceptional human is none other than A M Gopalan (popularly known as Gokulam Gopalan), the owner of Gokulam Group of Companies.

FACTS ABOUT FIBROMYALGIA

Fibromyalgia is a common and disturbing ailment. Fibromyalgia is estimated to affect 2–8% of the population, with a female to male incidence ratio of approximately 9:1. Fibromyalgia is basically a functional somatic syndrome ie a physical response to depression and stress.

BOOK REVIEW

Executive Presence: The POISE Formula for Leadership

A Man With A Mission...

Entrepreneur, Dr. Ravi Pil-lai's success story is one that inspires every young entrepreneur.

Transitional Credit A Fight To Retain My Property

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 retrospective has been a matter of challenge, whilst there is no wrangle that the Legislature does have the right to promulgate laws retrospectively.

New Zealand: A Truly Blessed Island Country

This Island country is one of the first countries which have recovered from the clutches of the disastrous Covid-19 outbreak – 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.

SKODA OCTAVIA RS 245

Forty-five lakhs for a Skoda Octavia, you must be joking, right? Not really, the Octa-via RS245 is expensive, but special in its own way.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF GROWTH IN GOLD LOANS AS REDEMPTIONS SPIKED

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.

ZERO WORKING CAPITAL MANAGEMENT FOR ENHANCED PROFITABILITY

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.

THE GREATEST WEAPON HUMANS POSSESS IS THEIR MIND POWER

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.

MANAGEMENT IS ACTION NOT JUST A BUNCH OF ACTIVITIES

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.

IMAGINE A NEW FUTURE!

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.

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.

Covid-19: Light At The End Of The Tunnel

A couple of months ago, in the March issue, I had written about COVID-19, even as it was in the early stages, highlighting the need for a coordinated global response. That was when total worldwide cases stood below 100,000 whereas it stands at over 3.8 million now, after having caused over 265,000 deaths. The disease has moved from China to Iran, Italy, South Korea, Spain, France, US and so on, to almost every inhabited part of the world. The worldwide lockdowns necessitated by the need to contain its spread have brought trade and travel to a grinding halt.

Covid 19: Is It An Opportunity?

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.

NAMIBIA: THE DRIEST COUNTRY IN AFRICA

Africa is a magic. It is an interesting land to explore. The world knows this continent as a dark continent. But, there is more this can offer. Its beauty is unexplainable. It possesses everything – from beautiful mountains and amazing forests to mindblowing deserts.

THE NEW CONNOTATION OF LITERACY-DIGITAL AWARENESS

The past two months have been that of severe dis-ruption and change. The COVID 19 spurt and the subsequent lockdowns of various degrees across the world have forced us to explore new working models and also sweat every idea we had of remote working. Plugging into office networks on remote lines, home networks, multiple devices has thrown up opportunities and challenges of its own. Our old definition of literacy was the ability to read and write in a language – the presumption being that this would give us access to education, communication, reading, general information and build our thinking capabilities. But, today, some of it have no meaning unless we are able to access an electronic equipment like a phone or a laptop or desktop and a handheld mobile phone!

GADGETS

Honor X10

SHASHI THAROOR: THE IDEAL PARLIAMENTARIAN

As a Member of Parliament, Tharoor has converted his unorthodox entry into politics and diplomatic skills inherited from his UN days, into a potent asset. In a country notorious for long-winded bureaucratic bottlenecks and red tape-ism that often reduces development projects to crawl, Tharoor has displayed an irreverential approach to the system and the rules of conformity it demands.

COVID-19: THE CROWNED DOOM

Dr. Binoy John MD DM (CARDIOLOGY) FCSI FACC FESC FSCAI FAPSIC Senior consultant interventional cardiologist & specialist in heart failure & advanced cardiac diseases, Chennai Visiting Consultant: Dr Rela Institute & Medical Centre, Chennai Credence Hospital, Trivandrum

VIZAG LEAK: THAT AVOIDABLE TRAGEDY

What have we learned from the infamous Bhopal Gas Tragedy – the gas leak which claimed the lives of as many as 3,787 innocent people in a city situated in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh? The repetition of similar incidents proves that the country has not learned anything from that tragedy.

COMBATING CHALLENGING TIMES AND MOVING FORWARD

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

BEING EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT IN BUSINESS

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.

Force Majeure - What It Means In The Wake Of The Covid 19 Pandemic?

I must admit that ever since the lockdown was announced by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 24 March 2020, I have received various queries on whether the “lockdown” in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic would qualify as a “Force Majeure”. In this article, I intend to pen down some of my views on the interpretation of the term “Force Majeure”. As a matter of caution, please note that these views are entirely personal and should not be construed as a legal opinion.

Natural Ways To Fight Aging Skin

Aging is inevitable. It is natural. Still, it is a nightmare for many. Most hate the signs it leaves on their skin. Some spend hours doing makeup to hide these signs.

This lockdown, unlock the Real You!

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.” - Helen Keller.

THE MECHANICS OF WORKING FROM HOME

The recent COV-ID-19 situation has forced companies to reorient their work plans, and shift the work landscape to home. Professionals today, login from the confines of their homes, work to their organisational goals largely using online access, instruments like mobile or a laptop, and try to bring in productivity working from a place, which most of them have not associated with work – Home!

SHRI Narendra Modi: The Ethnarch of East

India is at present at a crucial juncture. Not any time in its nearest history, the country has come to this point. The coronavirus outbreak, which originated in China, is what that bothers the country – and the world – at this moment. As its proper solution is nowhere near, the ray of hope is still unclear.

Maruti Suzuki Brezza - Petrol

When the Brezza came out in 2016, that diesel engine was one of the main reasons to buy it. It was available only as a diesel and people were happy with it, but how times have changed.