Come what may, the yellow metal will never lose its shine

Retail customers are shying away from gold but it’s a passing phase

EVEN ON FRIDAY, THE PRICE OF 24 CARAT GOLD AT R3,324 PER GM AND 22 CARAT AT R3,128 PER GM, SPELT TROUBLE

FOR RETAIL BUYERS

Big jewellry shops have now turned into ‘banks’ where you can save gold equivalent to the monthly installment of money you deposit with them. They, in effect would be saving gold for you. This is in sharp contrast to the scenario prevalent even a year ago when the jewellry shops, to overcome the psychological barrier of the retail customers who were perturbed by rising gold prices, offered them the option of saving money with them in EMIs for 12 consecutive months and on the 13th month were entitled to buy gold ornament equivalent of the customer’s 13 months of saving.
Gold biscuits, lockets and gold chains with intricate designs on display They were giving the retail buyer an incentive equal to that of their onemonth’s EMI. Though there isn’t any such incentive on offer now, the jewellers, to combat the ever-increasing gold price, have taken recourse to saving gold, on behalf of the retail customer, every month and after the completion of the one-year tenure the retail buyer will find that he/she has saved more gold than what the total amount of money that he has saved in 12 months could have bought. In the process small retail customers stand to gain.
“Gone are days when we used to ask clients to pay installments for 12 months and redeem it on the 13th month. Now we are asking customers to pay installments and save gold with us.
“If you want to buy an ornament on the 13 month you are sure to benefit,” said Chandrakanta Roy Choudhury, the owner of a reputed jewellry chain.
Nandita Sarkar, 55, is feeling the heat of the rising gold price. Her son Joydeep’s marriage is fixed on January, 2013, and she can do little to escape the galloping gold price.
“My son is getting married in winter, so I have to buy gold now. Without gold marriage remains incomplete. But because of the hike in gold price we are trying out alternatives.
“May be I would be going for the hollow, instead of solid gold bangles,” said Sarkar, who is yet not sure when she could buy the ‘hollow’ ones.
“It like you’re gambling. I am waiting, hoping that the price will fall. But, what if the price rises further? I would have benefited had I accepted the scheme before,” lamented Sarkar.
Even on Friday, the price for 24 carat gold at R 3,324 per gm and 22 carat at
R 3,128 per gm, spelt trouble for retail buyers.
“The price of gold touched historical high on September 6 when it was

R32,300 per 10 gram on the Multi Commodity Exchange. The price has gone down since but the dip is not considerable at all,” says Bhavik Ajmera owner of a Burrabazar-based jewellry shop. With panic setting in among the retail customers, who are reluctant to buy gold at a high price, the jewellers have already started feeling the pinch. Sale of gold has decreased by 25% in the city.
“Diwali is round the corner followed by the peak marriage season — from end November to February. This is the ideal time to buy gold. I would not say we are running short of customers. But the quantity of sale has dropped considerably,” said Arup Dutta the owner of a popular gold shop in Gariahat.
Jewellers admitted that now-a-days customers sought gold chains or bangles with less gold content in those. Accordingly, they were changing their designs. “If you want to sale ornaments low in gold content you have to make them as small as possible. You will also have to be very perfect while designing and carving a small piece of ear ring or gold chain,” said Chandan Ghosh owner of a Bhawanipore based jewellry shop.
The drop in sales means jewellers are going slow on their gold purchases as well. “Our daily sales to jewellers has dropped to onefourth since Friday,” says Harshad Ajmera who sells gold bars to jewellers and investors.
But the total business of the big jewellry shops has not been affected. Owners of the big jewellry shops said, their loss was being compensated by investors who expect the price to rise further. “The investor demand has shot up by 50 per cent since early September,” said Ajmera.
According to the dealers in gold, the fluctuations in the US and European economy are responsible for the hike in gold price. “Big-ticket investors are now investing in gold. And when America’s credit rating came down to 2A+ from 3A+ it resulted in the gold price shooting up further,” said Pankaj Parekh, chairman, eastern region, Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council.
In fact the drop is sale of gold has had an adverse affect on the sale of gemstones too. Coloured gemstones are used to give a fashionable look to jewellry. Since gold demand has plummeted, it has affected the overall sale of coloured gemstones.
“The demand for gemstone has been low in the last two months as gold jewellry sale has dropped by around 20%. Gemstone prices, however, have risen as imports have become costlier due to a weak rupee,” said Rahul Agarwal, a gemstone dealer.
Experts said that they, however, were not worried by the dip in sale of gold. They felt that people would get accustomed to the increased price in a short while.
Roy Choudhury explained that in 1991 the price of gold was R300 per gram; within two years it reached
R545. In 1998 the price was hovering around R900 and it suddenly reached
R1,100 per gram in 2000. “It was the same situation, as the one we are experiencing now, in 1991-92 and again in 1998-99. There was dip is sale with the rise in gold price. But post 2001 people started buying gold again. It would take time but sale of gold will increase sooner or later,” said Roy Choudhury.

THE GREAT GOLD RUSH

Experts say one should not depend on price rise of the yellow metal to decide, but make it a primary investment tool

GOLD HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN REGARDED AS A SAFE HAVEN AND A HEDGE AGAINST UNCERTAINTY, BUT THAT DEFINITION MAY BE CHANGING NOW

Gold prices in Indian markets touched an all-time high of R32,300 per 10g on the Multi Commodity Exchange ( MCX) on September 6. On the contrary, in international markets, gold has posted a marginal gain since the beginning of the calendar. In the international market, gold, after touching the level of $1,900 ( R1.05 lakh) per ounce in September 2011, corrected to test levels under $1,600 per ounce and remained at those levels from May to July but gained about $100 just in the month of August. Indian markets did not see similar correction in gold prices as the rupee weakened against the dollar and gold being a dollar-denominated commodity, kept its rupee price firm.

 MARKET EXPECTATION

Gold prices have moved up in the last few days on the expectation of another round of quantitative easing from the Federal Reserve in the US. Quantitative easing happens when the central bank buys assets, primarily bonds, from the market in order to inject money into the system.
The expectation in the market was revived after the minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meetings held on July 31 and August 1 were released recently. It said: “Many members judged that additional monetary accommodation would likely be warranted fairly soon unless incoming information pointed to a substantial and sustainable strengthening in the pace of the economic recovery.”
But, in the much anticipated speech at Jackson Hole on August 31, Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve did not promise anything exclusively on further easing of the monetary policy, but underlined that “the Federal Reserve will provide additional policy accommodation as needed to promote a stronger economic recovery and sustained improvement in labour market conditions in a context of price stability”.
The market is hoping to see a positive outcome from the FOMC meeting scheduled for September 12-13.

DEMAND TREND AND PRICE MOVEMENT

Gold has traditionally been regarded as a safe haven and a hedge against uncertainty, but that definition may be changing now. In the last one year, when there was so much uncertainty in the global financial market, gold prices remained more or less stable, which is also reflected by the demand for the yellow metal. In the June quarter, the total global demand for gold was down 7% with major markets such as India and China showing decline in demand.

“At the moment, gold has moved out of the territory of being the safe haven.,” said Naveen Mathur, associate director (commodities and currencies), Angel Broking Ltd. Mathur explains that it is being driven more by sentiments and a negative correlation with dollar is also playing out.
Put differently, if the dollar remains firm against other currencies, gold prices will remain softer, but any easing from the central bank in the US will weaken the dollar and that will result in higher gold prices.
During the last round of quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve, which was announced in August 2010 and ended in the second quarter of 2011, gold rallied from the level of $1,180 per ounce to $1,500 by the end of June 2011, a gain of about 27%.
As of now, there is no clarity on quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve, and prices will depend on a variety of factors other than the size and tenor of easing, if any. How the situation pans out in Europe will also be equally important. Any easing by the European Central Bank will help (though it has hit a roadblock for now). Meanwhile, Indian buyers should be careful of the currency movement. In case of further easing by the Federal Reserve, more dollars will flow into the Indian market as portfolio and direct investment, which may push the Indian rupee against the dollar and reduce gains to that extent. WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? Gold price movements are generally speculative as it has no intrinsic value. It does not pay you interest like bonds do and it does not give dividends like shares do. Also, there is no tool to judge if the prices are overvalued or undervalued. So should you be buying after gold has crossed another psychological level in the Indian market? “Gold should be used as a diversifier and hedge against central bank easing which can result in higher inflation and investors should have gold in their portfolio,” said Lakshmi Iyer, head of products and fixed income, Kotak Asset Management Co. Ltd.
Though some experts argue that one should keep about 10-15% of their portfolio in gold, there is no scientific reason for that and one should keep the exposure according to one’s own comfort level. However, it is also important to underline that one should not depend on the expected price rise in gold and make it a primary investment. The outlook looks positive for gold, but price movements are not always unidirectional and there could be a correction which is sustained for a long period. Therefore, as experts argue, gold should be used as a tool to diversify your portfolio and should not form the primary asset class.

Don’t close yourself to the wonders of the internet and its amazing potential to expand your worldview and change the way you understand time management

A click in time wastes hours

Being productive is overrated,  Don’t close yourself to the wonders of the internet and its amazing potential to expand your worldview and change the way you understand time management

Wasting time on the internet is as effortless and inadvertent as falling off a chair. It’s not something you need to be taught how to do, by and large — it’s something that just happens, with little regard for your lowered productivity at work or much-touted time management skills. It usually begins innocently enough — your gateway drug was probably Facebook, with its ‘popular links’ beckoning you to read just this one article about the health benefits of power yoga. Before you know it, four hours have passed and you are now the possessor of detailed information about JK Rowling’s new book, the booming industry of Bikram yoga, and the ‘lobotomobile’ — the van which thus christened and favoured by Walter Jackson Freeman II as he drove around America doling out brutal and unnecessary brain lobotomies. Suddenly, you’re left with a wasted day and racked with feelings of guilt. But like any other junkie, sooner or later you’re back, clicking away, consuming information, gossip and pictures of cats with a glazed look in your eyes. Some are either overwhelmed by the sheer scope of the internet and its powers, or left cold by the sheer idiocy of the same. Some peer enviously at their friends who seem to watch a video before it goes viral and can trace the evolution of a meme from a humorous photo to thousands of humorous photos. They know not how to break free of the humdrum cycle of the Hotmail, Gmail and Facebook tabs they have open. I imagine these people trudging back to their orderly, productive lives with a soul-ache they can’t quite identify (possibly because they’ve never been very effective Googlers). These despairing masses need not despair any longer. This article will set you walking on the yellow brick road of time mismanagement, towards a bountiful land of information both useless and useful. First, identify your primary areas of interest. What you read and watch online will eventually have little to no connection to these areas of interest, but it’s good to have a starting point. There is no subject that the internet does not explore, and there are some to which it devotes more of its faculties than others. Like porn, photos of cats, illegal downloading, celebrity voyeurism, and arcane and inaccurate information. If you’re at a loss as to where to start, 99 per cent of the human population will find their specialisation among these. Websites which act like news aggregators, such as the Google Reader in Gmail, Feedly (www.feedly.com) and Fark (www.fark.com), work well for those who need to feel like the time spent online was in some way meaningful. Fark especially is known for its offbeat news items which aren’t to be found anywhere else online. Another source of information that contains within it the alluring possibility of being useful at some point in the unforeseeable future is Tumblr (www.tumblr.com), where you can sign up for free and then subscribe to feeds as diverse as Shit My Dad Says (www.shitmydadsays.tumblr.com) and The Paris Review (www.theparisreview.tumblr.com). Copious amounts of research on my part has revealed that Youtube, Buzzfeed and Twitter are the black holes of the internet. If it’s funny, disgusting, inspiring or all three, these websites will have it and share it with zealot-like enthusiasm. Youtube has come a long way from the days of the Double Rainbow video (search for it, it’s well worth three and a half minutes of your life): a video of a man clearly under some sort of influence, waxing eloquent about a double rainbow. A couple of years since that landmark development, Youtube has burgeoned into a behemoth filled with videos of people hurting themselves in inventive new ways, of animals doing adorable things and of coordinated and catchy dance routines. There are some websites that don’t beat around the bush: for example, I Waste So Much Time (www.iwastesomuchtime.com). An odd collection of funny images, text and memes from around the internet, I Waste... is one of many sites that demand little from your brain cells and yet keep your eyes glassy and trained on the screen. But make no mistake, the internet isn’t entirely vacuous. Check out postsecret.com to see artistically-rendered secrets from people all over the world. The secrets range from deeply saddening (“I don’t want to be alone anymore,” says one simply) to hilariously endearing (“I wear glasses and carry newspapers just to see what it would feel like to be Superman”). There is also the online subculture of webcomics. Most are rubbish, but click over to www.asofterworld.com for one of the sharper voices in webcomics. The simple, one-or-two-line strips are darkly humorous, such as one that says “I know what the secret to happiness is. I can’t tell you though – you not knowing is a big part of it.” For local flavour, see The Vigil Idiot (www.thevigilidiot.com) to see the philosophical insights that may be gleaned when stick figures and Bollywood are united. After you’ve skimmed through the above offerings, the second step is much more important — don’t stop clicking. The internet is for the intrepid explorer, not the cowering mail-checker. As a character from Pixar’s Up says, “Adventure is out there!” You know, out there — on the internet.

As the iPhone 5 showed, from now on expect great but boring smartphones,

The smartphone race gets boring

As the iPhone 5 showed, from now on expect great but boring smartphones,

Another iPhone launch. Another sales record broken. Yet, despite the 5 million handsets sold within three days of the launch, the sentiment this time is markedly different. Even staunch Apple fans were disappointed by the iPhone 5. Let’s recap: The biggest change in the iPhone 5 is its larger 4inch screen. Apart from that, the upgrades were pretty standard — a more powerful processor, an upgraded operating system, and a more intelligent Siri, which is Apple’s voice assistant. Admittedly, the presentation was lacklustre, with one Apple executive even exclaiming, “Our larger screen allows you to have an extra row of icons on the home screen.” (Duh!). But the main reason why fans are disappointed is that the iPhone 5 doesn’t have a single never-seen-before feature. A four-inch screen and a more powerful processor? Android phones such as the HTC One X or Samsung Galaxy S III already have close to 5inch screens along with quad-core processors. New maps with 3D view? Clearly, this app sucks when compared with Google Maps. But skeptics disillusioned by the iPhone 5 are missing one key point. Why did Android phone manufacturers choose to add all those features – larger screens and powerful processors – to their smartphones? It was to differentiate themselves from the iPhone because they couldn’t emulate or do better than Apple on one fundamental point – the user experience that comes from the perfect harmony of hardware and software. Android is built by Google. Companies like HTC and Samsung give it their own theme and add a few tweaks before porting the operating system onto their phones. That’s why even though the experience of using, say, a Galaxy S III is great, there are some creases that just don’t get ironed out. More importantly, once Google launches updates to the Android operating system, users have to wait for their respective manufacturers to release the update — the wait sometimes stretches up to nine months. Compare this with how Apple operates: The latest iOS is unveiled at the beginning of the year, with Apple announcing the exact month when it will be made available to users. And on the said date, every iPhone user gets to update the software on their phone. An iPhone user can also expect that Apple will support older versions of the iPhone by releasing compatible software updates for at least 3-4 years. This is great for both users as well as app developers, who can build better apps knowing that a bulk of their customers have the same version of the operating system. On the other hand, Android phone manufacturers tend to act like, well, phone manufacturers. They tend to wash their hands of the phone once it is sold, thinking, mistakenly, that people are paying just for the hardware. But, by paying for apps, smartphone users invest in the software platform too. Simply put, Apple doesn’t need to do a lot to stay ahead of the race. The iPhone’s user experience and software support remains unchallenged. A 4inch screen and bumped up processing speed may be boring, but Apple has ensured that existing users don’t leave its stables, and the iPhone continues to be one of the best smartphones available. What Apple fanboys have to accept is that the smartphone segment has matured — meaning the race has gotten boring. Every phone has a great feature that the other doesn’t. The Samsung’s Galaxy S III has a feature wherein users don’t have to press the ‘Call’ button. Hold the phone to your ear, and the phone does the rest. Nokia’s Lumia 920 that runs on Windows 8 sports a screen that betters the iPhone’s Retina Display. There is no longer a “best smartphone” in the market. There are many great smartphones out there. And this, though boring, is good for consumers.

Gaming consoles have seen declining sales thanks to smartphones and tablets. How consumers react to Ninentedo Wii U later this year may decide the future of consoles, writes Naoko Fujimura

Will Wii U lead Nintendo’s recovery?

Gaming consoles have seen declining sales thanks to smartphones and tablets. How consumers react to Ninentedo Wii U later this year may decide the future of consoles, writes Naoko Fujimura

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata is convinced the future of gaming still centers on handheld and TV-based machines. He’ll get his answer by Christmas, in the number of new Wii U consoles that get bought. Iwata can’t afford to be wrong. Nintendo, the world’s biggest maker of video-game machines, last year cut prices on its 3DS handheld device after shipments missed forecasts, handing the company its first annual loss. Like a character in one of Nintendo’s “Super Mario Bros.” games, Iwata is battling a storm of life-sapping obstacles: shrinking hardware sales, more people playing on smartphones and the Internet, and uncompetitive costs. “The Wii U’s performance will be a gauge of whether there’s still a need for consoles to exist,” said Makoto Kikuchi, chief executive officer at Myojo Asset Management Japan, a Tokyo-based hedge fund advisory firm. “If it doesn’t go well, Iwata may have to find a new business model.” That’s something Iwata, 52, has vowed he won’t do, making the entrance of the new Wii console a pivotal moment for the Kyoto-based company. As the first home-gaming machine introduced by any global player since 2006, the Wii U also provides a marker for the industry as a whole. The new machine will probably come with blockbuster game titles including one featuring “Super Mario,” said Hiroshi Yamashina, a Tokyo-based analyst at BNP Paribas. “Nintendo should be able to fare well against smartphones and tablets with its software lineup, which would differentiate its product from other devices,” Yamashina said. “Nintendo wants to avoid losing a lot of money this time, after the 3DS experience.” The machine is being released in the midst of an industry slump as consumers abandon consoles in favor of games played on smartphones and social-networking sites including Facebook. When Nintendo introduced its last home video-game console, the Wii, in 2006, Apple’s iPhone hadn’t yet gone to market, the game “Angry Birds” didn’t exist and social-gaming company Zynga hadn’t been founded. Winning customers with its motion-sensor controls, the original Wii sent Nintendo’s shares to a peak of 73,200 yen in November 2007. They are down 15% this year, compared with a 63% gain for Apple. Retail sales of video-game hardware, software and accessories in the U.S., the world’s biggest video-game market, fell 20% last month from a year earlier, led by a 39% plunge in hardware sales, NPD Group said Sept 6. That followed a 20% drop in July, according to the Port Washington, New York-based researcher. “The console market is shrinking, without a doubt, because of smartphones and tablet PCs,” Myojo’s Kikuchi said. Nintendo sold 9.84 million Wii machines in the year ended March 31, compared with 13.9 million PlayStation 3 consoles in the same period. Microsoft sold 14.9 million Xbox machines in 2011. The Wii U screen on the console’s controller will provide extra information to players as they manipulate games on their TVs, and can become the primary screen when they move around. The machine also includes new social-networking features, allowing players to interact with each other. Still, Iwata has ruled out the possibility of making Nintendo’s characters available for gaming devices other than its own. By contrast, Tokyo-based Sony will introduce the PlayStation Mobile service later this year, offering titles for HTC devices as well as its PlayStation Vita portable player and Sony Xperia smartphone, it said in June. At the E3 trade show in June, Microsoft unveiled an application called Xbox SmartGlass that will link the console to phones, tablets and personal computers from Microsoft and rivals. “We are doing everything that we can do and have prepared ourselves well,” Iwata told shareholders in June, discussing plans for the Wii U. “It is now a matter of showing the results.”

For times when you lose your cell-phone

For times when you lose your cell-phone

A few years ago, losing a cellphone used to be a simple affair. Sure, you had to bear the loss of a phone, and the price of buying a new one. The only other pain point was restoring all your contacts. But today, we do so much more than just call and SMS on our smartphones. So when you lose your phone, apart from restoring contacts, you have to worry about photos and videos you took. Then there’s the fact that you are logged in by default into Facebook, Gmail and many other online services that only you have access to. And you would sure like to keep it that way. There are apps available for both iOS and Android platforms for just such a situation. Most of these apps allow you to locate your phone on the map (provided the phone is switched on). Some of them sound an alarm even if your phone is on silent mode, and remotely wipe off all its data. LookOut, Norton, and McAfee are some of the most popular security apps. But a recently-launched service called One Assist goes beyond these features, and is tailored to Indian needs. “Think of us as an assistance company. The app only enables our service,” said Subrat Pani, co-founder and director of the Mumbai-based company. In case you’ve lost your cellphone, you can call the One Assist call centre. The company then blocks your SIM card, remotely wipes all your data, and informs your emergency contacts that you have lost your phone. If you happen to be in one of the 22 cities One Assist has a presence, the company will loan you a spare phone loaded with all your data for seven days. An app like LookOut, on the other hand, only allows you to remotely wipe all your data by logging into its website via a laptop. It doesn’t help you get back on your feet. One Assist is presently focussed on smartphones, and is currently available for Blackberry, Symbian and Android platforms — an iPhone app is in the works. According to Pani, smartphone users are likely to find their services more useful than feature phone users. “One Assist is not just about getting your contacts back. It’s about protecting your photos, videos and sensitive data.” But the service comes at a cost — Rs1,499 per year, to be precise. Will the price-conscious Indian buyer be willing to spend so much money? “We were clear at the outset that we wanted to be an assistance company. Indian consumers are unlikely to spend money for an improved experience. That’s why we chose to service users in a situation when they are in a panic... Plus our price boils down to roughly Rs4 per day. That’s less than the cost of a cutting chai,” says Pani.

Some Android-based tablets can double up as a phone. But is it a good idea to ditch your cellphone?

Seven days with a ringing tablet

Some Android-based tablets can double up as a phone. But is it a good idea to ditch your cellphone? R Krishna uses a tablet as his phone for a week

Any tech pundit will tell you that the tablet is a device whose function lies between your smartphone and laptop. Which basically means that you have to own all three devices. Unfortunately, this means setting aside a large budget just for gadgets. That’s why tablets that double up as a phone are an alluring prospect. I, for one, have always been skeptical of such an arrangement. Using a large device like tablet as a phone is plain impractical. Recently, I decided to put my theory to test by using a tablet as a phone for about a week. Bemused colleagues wondered how I was going to hold a tablet to my ear, and were relieved when I told them that a hands-free provides a simple fix. But first, a little something about the tablet I was using: It was the recently launched Samsung Galaxy Note 800. Samsung, which lost a patent case to Apple last month, has tweaked the design significantly to make it look different from the iPad. A curvy silver border frames the all-white body. The exterior, despite being constructed entirely out of plastic, has a great finish, and in the bargain, allows the Galaxy Note 800 to be thin and light. The tablet is powered by a quad-core processor, along with a separate graphics processor. Suffice to say this was one loaded tablet. I put my SIM card in the tablet and was ready to go. I had bought a bluetooth headset a few years ago but I don't use it anymore. I felt it was the right time to bring it back into action. Unfortunately, it broke the moment I tried putting it in my ear. My only other option was to resort to regular earphones. But here lies the problem. The tablet was too large to fit into my pocket or carry in my hand. So I put it in my backpack. As a result, when it rang, I had no way of knowing whether I was getting a call or an SMS. To hear the entire ring-tone, I would have had to connect the earphones to the tablet, get the tablet out of my backpack and then put the earphones into my ears. This turned out to be quite a complication. I could have avoided this if I had a wireless headset. But then I would have had to wear it around all the time, and I am not yet ready to look like a half-bot. So the tablet remained in the bag, with its volume set at the highest level, and the earphones wound around the tablet. The moment I heard a ring, I would swing my bag in front, fish out the tablet, unwind the earphones, and... well, the call would get disconnected by then. I would then have to call the person back, talking into the 10inch slate, as a friend sitting next to me looked on in amusement. Stares from the friend, however, were nothing compared to the attention I got walking on the street and in a crowded Mumbai local as I tried talking on the tablet. The reaction from the person speaking on the other end was no better. “I can hear the vehicles on the road clearer than your voice,” said one friend angrily, “When are you going back to your regular phone?” To be fair, the situation would have been far better had I used a standard-issue hands-free, which comes with a mic, and is better suited for telephonic conversation. Typing an SMS turned out to be rather awkward as well. It was okay if I were at home or at the office, sitting at a desk. But typing while walking? Not a great idea. Samsung offers the option of splitting the keyboard into two, making it easy to type with two thumbs as you hold the tablet. But this doesn’t really help. After three days of the experiment, I was desperate to switch back to my cellphone. I started ignoring calls, and sending only selective messages. The only advantage of using the tablet was that finally my phone had extra battery life – it lasted a day and a half, compared with my phone (Samsung Galaxy S II) which starts complaining about a near-empty battery after just over half a day. My experience is in no way a reflection on the Galaxy Note 800, which is a good tablet in its own right. The tablet is meant for consumption of media – read a book, browse websites, watch videos, catch up on social media. Each of them leisurely activities. A phone, on the other hand, fulfills urgent needs, which is why it has to be accessible anytime, anywhere. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t own a tablet. Just make sure you have a basic phone to make phone calls and send texts. I now say this from experience.

3D printing in your home

3D printing in your home

File picture of an MIT student demonstrating a portable 3D printer in Germany Getty Images Sruthi Ramakrishnan and Neha Alawadhi Not so long ago, harried moms and dads would have to buy those Lego accessories or that Star Wars battle cruiser. But as three-dimensional printers become available in markets such as the US, they can turn out such gifts in the family living room. 3D printers — which use a process called additive manufacturing to make objects from a digital model by laying down layers of material — aren't new. They've been used to make manufacturing and engineering prototypes for more than 25 years. But printer makers are now turning their attention to the consumer market, and have been rewarded with soaring sales. Some printers capable of churning out simple items such as keychains, wine bottle holders and missing board game pieces are already selling for as little as $350 (approx Rs19,000). "The consumer segment in the next few years will potentially devour everything else that we do," said Abe Reichental, chief executive of 3D Systems. Demand is three times more than expected, Reichental said, although he declined to give exact numbers. "If someone develops a very inexpensive and safe 3D printer for children, then I could envision maybe more than half of homes having 3D printers in them, as a toy," said Wohlers President Terry Wohlers. Tom Nardone is the proud owner of one such printer. Nardone, who runs a marketing company, believes these printers hold great potential for making homemade toys. "Some company will launch this device and it'll be $199 and your kids will be begging you to buy them." 3D Systems operates an online platform, Cubify.com, that works like Apple's iTunes and Google's Android app store. The owner of a printer can download patterns for jewellery, toys, lamp shades and more — many of them created by independent developers. Taking a cut of those sales generate recurring revenue for 3D Systems, as does the sale of consumables and a service where users can order a printed product and get it delivered. People are already using printers to make Star Wars battle cruisers or a cheaper alternative to Lego or Mattel Inc toys. One thing Nardone realised right away, though, is that the process is slow -- about 45 minutes to make something the size of an egg, and about four hours to create an item the size of a soft drink can. Items he has made so far include shoe lifts for his young daughter and a back scratcher. "The longest it took to make something was nine hours, it was a big plastic heart I made for my wife," he said. "When we woke up in the morning it was still printing." Reuters

The Nepalese-American fashion designer has turned Hollywood divas and first ladies into goddesses with his creations. Here, he tells Nona Walia why some things are best left to the imagination

PRABAL GURUNG will not dress bimbos

The Nepalese-American fashion designer has turned Hollywood divas and first ladies into goddesses with his creations. Here, he tells Nona Walia why some things are best left to the imagination

    HE’S been crowned as fashion’s new star. New Yorkbased fashion designer Prabal Gurung has been getting some royal treatment for the past couple of years. The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, wore his purple-printed wool and silk-blend Oriental print dress on her recent visit to Singapore. His latest collection at the New York Fashion Week had A-listers like actresses Kate Bosworth, Hailee Steinfeld, Zoe Saldana, at the front row, in his stunning outfits. The prestigious Parson School of Designgraduate has dressed the current first lady of the US, Michelle Obama (twice) and former first lady, Barbara Bush, apart from Oprah Winfrey, Demi Moore, Cate Blanchett, Gwyneth Paltrow, Carrey Mulligan and Kate Bosworth, among others. Gurung was recently listed by Time magazine as fashion’s new phenomenon, even as Anna Wintour, fashion world’s most formidable magazine editor, personally went up to congratulate him after his recent New York Fashion Week collection. The humble 38-year-old designer, who stared off with Indian designer Manish Arora in Delhi, before moving to the Big Apple only has praise for his mentors, Arora and Donna Karan. His fashion funda is quite simple: “Keep the perfect balance between fabric and cuts, and look dignified”. Excerpts from an interview:
    The Duchess of Cambridge wore your outfit recently in Singapore. She seems to have put a US label back on the global map... Kate Middleton’s fashion choices are revered around the world. Every move she makes is under a microscope and she has undoubtedly affected businesses in such a positive way.
When high-profile women like Sarah Jessica Parker, Demi Moore and Lady Gaga wear your outfits, does that change things for you? Yes. We live in a world that allows us to access images almost immediately. So when people see these women dressed in my creations, they really do take notice.
You’ve been quoted as saying — “girls who wear certain kind of dresses, who show certain areas of the body, are not going to like my clothes”. In fact, you openly say, you don’t dress bimbos. What kind of women do you like to dress? I will never dress people who are famous for being famous. I’ve said this before. I do not design clothes that leave little to the imagination. I want to make women feel beautiful, confident and feminine, and dress them in a way that compliments their figure and their personality rather than detracting from it.
    You’ve been brought up in Nepal, worked in Delhi — do you have Asian/Indian influences in your work? Being exposed to different cultures has helped shape my aesthetics. Living in Nepal and India has exposed me to an endless array of beautiful colours, fabrics and silhouettes. This season, my resort collection in particular, was inspired by Anish Kapoor’s art, which brought eastern influences to the collection.
    You talk about the earliest influence on your fashion aesthetics being around your mother’s shop in Nepal. How did it influence your aesthetics? As a boy, I was intrigued by everything my mother did. Growing up, I was inspired by my time spent in her shop but more than anything, I was motivated by her hard work and overall personality. She has such a unique style and she exudes strength, which to me is one of the most admirable qualities in a woman.
    What was the turning point in your career, the thing that made you the darling of the fashion industry? A huge part of my success is due to the support I have received from the industry. Being a New York-based designer and a CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) member has opened many doors and led to such incredible relationships. It also helped that my designs quickly made it to the red carpet.
    Any tips for women who want to turn into goddesses? Listen to the sound of your own voice over all others, and live by it. It will get you further in life.
How has your style evolved? Fashion is ultimately about evolution. It’s ever-changing and I strive to keep my collections focused, and continue to finetune each season.
What about your personal style? My personal style is quite simple: T-shirt and jeans.
TIPS FOR INDIAN WOMEN For his loose-fitting summer collection this season, Gurung’s inspiration was India. The fashion designer who has been praised for finding the perfect balance, combining feminine cuts with structured lines, gives a few fashion tips inspired by his 2013 collection
Avoid skin show Wear loose clothes Wear layered tunic over pants to camouflage flabby areas Discover sensuality by wearing clothes that skim the body; tight clothes are a big no-no Don’t highlight the waist, cover it for easy and comfortable movement Indian women can teach the world about looking good in traditional attire Purple & vermillion are the hot colours in 2013

Fashion designer Prabal Gurung’s biggest influence has been his mother’s immense strength and overall personality

L-R: Kate Middleton (in Singapore), Priyanka Chopra, Jennifer Lawrence, Anne Hathaway and Zoe Saldana sport Gurung

Models display Gurung’s collection

The best web apps to get more out of YouTube

The best web apps to get more out of YouTube

ViewPure  
Distracted by all the clutter—the comments, related videos, likes and dislikes—that surrounds videos on YouTube? ViewPure promises relief. Head to the website and paste the URL of the video you want to watch.
    The ‘Options’ button will allow you further customization: personalized URL for your ViewPure video, choice between white and black backgrounds, password protection, etc. Of course, you can skip all this tweaking and simply hit ‘Create’ to get a clean and minimalistic interface. No distraction.
viewpure.com 

Veedcast  
There’s a joy in the shared experience of going to a movie with a friend. Veedcast wants to help recreate that camaraderie through the internet. Using the app, you and your pals can watch the same video at the same time; all from your respective homes.
    Head to Veedcast and you are prompted to start with the link of the video you want to watch with friends. Hit ‘Create a Veedcast channel’ and your own private room is created, with a link you can share with friends. Once your friends have logged on, start playing the video – they’ll see what you are seeing on your screen, at the same time. As the ‘host’, you get control of the video playback. However, everyone can post comments in the same window for a convenient chat interface.
www.veedcast.com 
 
Deturl  
If you love a video, you naturally want to download it. But YouTube does not have an option for you to just click and get the file onto your hard drive. Enter Deturl.
    If the video in question has the URL “www.youtube.com/abcdefg”, simply add “pwn” to it such that you get “www.pwnyoutube.com/abcdefg”. Hit enter and you’ll be taken directly to the Deturl page.
    Downloading is made simpler by Deturl’s aggregation service, which has the best Youtube video conversion and download tools at the convenience of a click. There are options to convert the video to FLV, MP4 and many other formats, as well as the ability to extract only the audio and convert it to MP3. Nice and easy.
deturl.com 

Tubechop  
Sometimes, the best part of a video is only a short clip. Why subject your friends to the whole video then? Tube-Chop is a simple app that allows you to clip a section of a video to share with your friends.
    Go to the site, paste the URL and you’re ready to start. TubeChop gives you a progress bar with two markers. Drag the Start marker and the End marker to where you want (you can also customize it by typing the exact time in the given boxes) and click on the Start marker again to preview your video. If you’re satisfied, you can add a comment to the video or simply click ‘chop it’. You’ll get a custom TubeChop link that you can embed in a website or share with anyone.
www.tubechop.com 

We end up giving the least time to life’s most meaningful activities; use the 80-20 life principle to focus and change your life for the better

Are you too busy to be effective?

We end up giving the least time to life’s most meaningful activities; use the 80-20 life principle to focus and change your life for the better

    DO you often feel that there are not enough hours in the day to do all that you really want to do? Do you wish you could stretch a day both sides so you can pack in more than you do in 24 hours?
Exasperated by the busy buzz of Delhi, a visiting friend from a calmer clime exclaimed, “Oh God, these people are so busy! They are too busy to work, too busy to enjoy, too busy to live!” I laughed at the image, but stopped short at the thought. If we are not working, not living, and not even enjoying life, what are we busy doing? We are all busy trying to make the most of every opportunity available, without stopping to think of what is relevant!
    When I suggested to a leading industrialist that his acute powers of observation and eye for detail would make him a good writer, he replied, “I know, but one has to decide what to focus time and energy on; we can’t do everything we are good at!” Words of wisdom, the kind that keep you thinking of long after. There are many things we may like to do, many we may be good at, but does it make sense to spread ourselves out thin trying to do all? Or should one focus on the one or two things one is best at?
    In a way, the 80-20 principle, or ‘Law of the vital few’ can be effectively applied to our lives, helping us live out the most vital and enriched portions fully. Be it at work, relationships, entertainment or our own evolution, the 80-20 principle, which states that 80 per cent of the results come from 20 per cent of the efforts, applies perfectly! It was Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto who stated that 80 per cent of the land in Italy was owned by 20 per cent people. He also established that 20 per cent of the pea pods in his garden contained 80 per cent peas! It is a common principle of business that 80 per cent sales come from 20 per cent clients, as do complaints; and also 80 per cent gains come from 20 per cent products. This principle can be further extended to embrace all areas of life, and be used as a life principle.
    Think about it. You will realise that of the entire day at office, the major chunk of work you managed to complete would have been done in roughly 20 per cent of the time! Of all the things you did in a day, only a few would have given you satisfaction. Of all your friends and contacts, you mostly interact with just about 20 per cent. Of the people you meet, you really enjoy the company of a very few. In a relationship, you mostly create a handful of memorable moments!
    Wouldn’t it make sense to focus on the few meaningful activities and eliminate the rest? It would certainly make for a more meaningful and enjoyable life! Instead of reciting a thousand prayers, focus on the one that gives you most peace; instead of reading 100 books, focus on and re-read the 10 you find most value in. In an entire book, learn to read the 20 per cent that gives you true value. Keep the few things that get used most of the time; throw away the rest. Invest time to learn the tools and hone the skills you use most of the time, rather than trying to learn it all! Work hard on the few relationships that matter and even within those, work on enhancing the very few memorable moments.
    How does one get to an understanding of the 20 per cent that needs focus? Easy. Get an idea of the few things that mean most to you and then devote your time and energy to them! What means most to you in life — money, love, family, friends, music, reading, writing, creating things or consuming them? Think of what you enjoy most, what makes you most happy and leaves you with a feeling of well-being. As businessman and author of the 80/20 series, Richard Koch explains, what would be most meaningful will be something unique to you and more often than not, something that creates value for others as well, since it is in recognition and creating value that happiness and satisfaction lie!

5 inch 3 Smartphones in BUDGET

Smartphones on a BUDGET

    PHABLETS, the phones with a screen size of five inches and above, seem like devices tailor-made for India where consumers may not want to spend on both a phone as well as a tablet. We put three budget ‘phablets’ through our gruelling tests to see how they perform.
WHAT THE RATINGS MEAN: Below 5: The product is poor and doesn’t offer the experience it promises. 5 and 6: The product works as advertised. It is functional. 7: The product is good; will not disappoint the buyer. 8: The product is very good; super value for money. 9: The product is exceptional. 10: You’re kidding, right?

Mercury MagiQ

WHAT WE LIKE Good performance: The Mercury MagiQ performs admirably. There is virtually no lag during day-to-day operations, whether you’re scrolling through hundreds of contacts, browsing apps, or juggling between a few open tabs in the browser. What’s more, its touchscreen is responsive, quick, and fantastic for a budget device.
Media playback: We liked how well the MagiQ handles video formats. Of course, it can’t play back 1080p FullHD videos or the MKV file format. But other 720p HD videos are handled smoothly.
WHAT WE DON’T LIKE Screen: The viewing angles on the screen are terrible. View the display from almost any angle other than up front, and you are likely to see a change in its brightness or distortion in colour.
Call quality: Call anyone using the MagiQ and if you’re in a noisy area, there are chances that they might not hear you clearly. The device’s microphone amplifies all background sounds and this hampers call quality.
GPS: The MagiQ supposedly supports GPS, but during tests, it could never lock onto a satellite. This means we could not use location-based services
    such as Google Navigation.
Bulky: Even for a phablet, the MagiQ – with its rectangular design – feels a bit bulky, making it difficult to use as a phone.

iBall Andi 5c

WHAT WE LIKE Good performance: The Andi 5c performs impressively. There is the occasional lag when switching between apps or during scrolling in some apps, such as Tweetdeck. Mostly, the performance is incredibly smooth. It also helps that the 5c’s touch response is good, and its GPS works very well.
Media playback: The 5c handles 720p HD videos with ease (although the default video player lacks support for most formats). Given its budget hardware, the device is still incapable of handling the heavy MKV file format. But that is not a deal-breaker.
WHAT WE DON’T LIKE Ghosting: The screen on Andi 5c is not as good as what we’ve seen on other devices. It blurs during fast scrolling and images are prone to some amount of ghosting. Bulky: The phone feels heavy to hold. Besides, its wide design makes it seem rather bulky. Poor camera: The camera quality is poor and it is difficult to get usable images unless you are shooting in daylight.

Micromax A100

WHAT WE LIKE Good design: The first thing we noticed is this smartphone’s premium looks. Rounded edges, rubberized back cover, on-screen buttons and attention to detail make A100 one of the best-looking budget devices. The build quality is good and nowhere does it feel flimsy. Touchscreen: This is one of the best touchscreens we have seen on a budget phone. Colours are rendered vividly and brightly. Besides, the handset responds promptly to touches and swipes. GPS: The GPS performance is impressive. It may take a while – around 10 to 15 seconds – to lock onto a satellite, but once it is connected, it’s a solid performer. Battery life: The Micromax A100 has fantastic battery life. On average use, it lasts for over 18 hours.
WHAT WE DON’T LIKE UI lags: A100 is the only phone in this round-up that suffers from chronic lags. If you switch between apps too fast or open more than two windows in the browser, the phone seems sluggish. Try running more than a couple of apps at once and it starts to choke. Media playback: This is not one of those devices where you can just copy any media file and play it. In most cases, the phone can’t even handle 720p HD videos.
Camera: The camera in A100 is disappointing. The images it shoots lack details; and in case of low light, the pictures suffer from too much grain.

SWAPNIL JOSHI’S 2BHK HOME PAYS A FITTING TRIBUTE TO LORD GANESHA EVERY YEAR

Actor Swapnil Joshi welcomes the elephant god with excitement every year, 

SWAPNIL JOSHI’S 2BHK HOME PAYS A FITTING TRIBUTE TO LORD GANESHA EVERY YEAR

 Actor Swapnil Joshi became a household name when he played Lord Krishna in the TV series Shri Krishna on Doordarshan. He became the heartthrob of millions through Marathi movies like Checkmate and Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai and several television serials. However, no matter how busy he has been over the years, he has always ensured that he keeps two days free during the Ganpati festival.
    As a tradition, Swapnil keeps the Ganpati every year at his apartment at Thakur Village, Kandivali (E). This year too Swapnil had welcomed the elephant god for one-and-a-half days. However, this year's highlight was the Lord's idol, which was in panchdhaatu. Until last year, Swapnil used to celebrate an eco-friendly Ganpati with shaadu murti. This year he has gone a step ahead and had kept a panchdhaatu idol which he plans to keep in the future
as well.
    The Joshi family's 2BHK 1140 sqft apartment is on the 27th floor. Swapnil has been staying here since 1998 with his wife Leena and his parents. Swapnil's mother and wife have done the interiors, keeping each family member’s tastes in mind. The decor takes on a special sparkle during the Ganesh festivities.
    Although the decoration surrounding the idol is simple, it holds visitors spellbound. One gets the idea of the interiors through the creative main door. The Warli painting beside the main door wall looks unique. The brass urli near the entrance with its colourful flowers gives the space a welcoming look. The huge wooden door with two metal rings completes the ethnic feel.
    The interior is a mix of traditional and contemporary décor. As you enter, the first room on the left is the kitchen. Walk past this, and come into Swapnil's living room - a space that truly comes alive during the Ganpati festival, with its small wooden stage for the Ganesh idol. Artificial flowers and creepers on the ceiling add to divine atmosphere. The small stage is decked with silk dupattas and various Paithani saris that enhance the Ganpati decoration. The small stage also has Lord Swami Samarth's photo frame.
    The French windows need to be closed for the Ganesh festival, but at other times, this is where the family members like to relax, Swapnil’s mother Anuradha says. There is not much furniture in the living room and this ensures easy movement. There are four chairs and a wooden cabinet in the living room. The off-white colour of the room gives the illusion of a larger space. Everyone's favourite Lord Ganesha has been kept in the wooden cabinet.
    There is one bedroom on the right of the living room, and one on the left. One bedroom has a beautiful temple in marble with photos of several gods. The second bedroom has a lavish theme. The double bed in the centre with maroon cushions looks different.
    Each room in Swapnil's house has French windows which allows you to enjoy nature and also provides ample space for ventilation. There is no need to switch on the lights during the day thanks to the ample natural light coming in through the French windows.
    Swapnil's house depicts positive vibes and the Ganesha festival that comes once every year brings in the positive energy for the family members, says Swapnil. This is the time of year that they most look forward to, as Lord Ganesh brings this home alive.
QUICK BYTES 

How to hack your brain? Read here.

Famous Ancient Hindu Temples

मां दुर्गा के 108 नाम: पांच मिनट की साधना दिखाएगी कमाल

Signs to identify if you are lucky

मृत्यु से 6 महीने पहले ये 7 काम नहीं कर पाते हैं लोग

Rare Pictures of Bollywood Stars That Will Leave You Spellbound

श्रीकृष्ण कथा  

How to find that Money is finding you

 

100% Fengshui Remedies to get pregnant - स्त्रीला गरोदर कसे करावे ? पाहण्यासाठी येथे या 

Developers have their ear to the ground when it comes to addressing the needs of their well-heeled and discerning homebuyers

Developers have their ear to the ground when it comes to addressing the needs of their well-heeled and discerning homebuyers

    There is a marked rise in the segment of homebuyers who settle for nothing less than what is classified as high-end luxury. Pandering to the needs of this segment, developers have started designing projects that appeal to their taste. “The modern-day homebuyer prefers great connectivity to Central Business Districts and convenience in day-to-day business travel and hence is essentially choosing projects that provide a sense of comfort, security, convenience and above all a sophisticated urban living experience,” says Percy S. Chowdhry, Director, Rustomjee.
    Time saved in commuting is the quality time earned for your family, points out R Karthik, Chief Marketing Officer, Lodha Group. “At New Cuffe Parade what you get is a space that respects the environment without compromising on any of the luxuries that come with a Lodha development. You will find everything from 11 swimming pools and five palatial gardens to a 75,000 sq.ft. clubhouse and an organic farm. A trendy café and formal dining restaurant cater to discerning culinary preferences. Sport fanatics can challenge themselves at one of the many courts for badminton, tennis, squash or basketball. Those seeking something a little less strenuous can choose from an indoor theatre, video games room or card room. A banquet hall allows you to entertain your guests in style, while the mega gym helps you burn away the excess party calories. There are plenty of other options where you can spend quality time with your family a cricket ground, a meditation pavilion, party lawn, open air theatre, gym, kids play area and a lot more,” he says.
    The convenience of location is opening up newer areas of development for high-end projects. For example, RNA Metropolis at Sewree offers much sought-after convenience to its residents travelling to work in areas like Nariman Point, Fort, Lower Parel, with travel times of less than half an hour. Another example of much desired connectivity and central location is their project RNA Continental at Chembur. “It is at a walking distance from suburban train and Metro stations, and is a half-hour commute to corporate offices at BKC and Navi Mumbai, retail and trading hubs like Dadar and Ghatkopar,” says Manoj John, Vice-President – Corporate Planning & Strategy, RNA Corp.
    Similarly, Chowdhry says that with more and more offices moving to the suburbs from South Mumbai, western suburbs like Andheri, Malad, Goregaon and Borivali have witnessed enormous development over recent years, leading to demand for housing near the workplaces. Rustomjee Group has some of their prominent projects in the western suburbs like Rustomjee Ozone, Rustomjee Summit, Rustomjee Elements, Rustomjee Elanza, Rustomjee Oriana, Rustomjee Seasons, Elita and a few others. On the Central side, Thane has large layouts and the buyers in Thane are mostly people who opt to live in such large integrated layouts with everything from work to schools at a stonethrow’s distance. “IT/ITeS corporates are choosing Thane as their new destination, which is contributing to the demand of homes, supporting the growth of residential and commercial real estate in the town,” he says.
    Similarly, a Kalpataru spokesperson says that their projects such as Kalpataru Aura, Kalpataru Riverside, Kalpataru Pinnacle and Kalpataru Gradens are centrally located in Mumbai city. “They are in proximity to the main roads, railway station and are well connected to the Western Express Highway and Eastern Express Highway,” he says.
    Amenities like a well-equipped clubhouse, children’s play area and sports facilities contribute towards achieving the desired quality of life. “Parents are able to spend constructive time with kids engaging in games and development activities without being limited to television as the only source of entertainment. It also facilitates more int e r a c t i o n
a m o n g s t
the residents and fosters a community environment,” says Karthik.
    Developers have their ear to the ground when it comes to addressing the needs of well-heeled and discerning homebuyers. It also raises the standards of construction and a customer remains spoilt for choice. HOW TO PARTICIPATE
    If you would like to participate in the lucky draw that has a flat as the bumper prize, choose your property, with the help of the Project Listings below. Once you have booked the flat, you will be given a Customer Participation Form. This is your ticket to the Mangal Parv Home Fest. Keep it safely till you have registered your property agreement. Then fill in the form with the necessary details, add a slogan and drop it in the drop box at the developer's office along with proof of purchase. The last date for submission of forms is October 7, 2012. The grand prize of a lifestyle flat from Lodha Group will be declared shortly after the Home Fest concludes. You could be a winner!
    For more details, call
    Times Infoline at 67005555.
QUICK
BYTE
    AMENITIES LIKE A WELL-EQUIPPED CLUBHOUSE, CHILDREN’S PLAY AREA AND SPORTS FACILITIES CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS ACHIEVING THE DESIRED QUALITY OF LIFE

India gets its first responsible luxury project - Palais Royale

India gets its first responsible luxury project - Palais Royale

    Maximum utilization of limited space has always been a challenge, be it in cities like Manhattan or Mumbai. The only way to efficiently grow would be vertically. Shree Ram Urban Infrastructure Limited (SRUIL) saw the scope of revolutionizing the construction and real estate industry in India by building the first of its kind residential project - Palais Royale.
    The government too has realized the importance of high-rises and that can be seen as the state is considering a proposal to disband the high-rise panel and further relax the norms for high –rises as reported by the Times of India dated Saturday 22 September, 2012. The article went on to state that Prithviraj Chavan said he is in favour of appointing a panel of international structural engineers or engineers from IIT and other renowned agencies to certify a high-rise as structurally sound. This is the need of the hour, however, what was a concern area is the functioning of the high-rise and the environmental impact and burden on the civic infrastructure of the city.
    Good construction must also be green and sustainable. In a city that is stretched for resources, residential buildings must make it their goal to incorporate features such as rain-water harvesting, use of renewable energy sources and organic waste management to name a few. Such initiatives enable structures to become self sufficient and not to put pressure on the city’s infrastructure to service their needs.
    By projects such as Palais Royale that is coming up in the heart of Mumbai which incorporates all these very features and more such as adherence to not local but adoption of global standards and best practices such as the NFPA 101 (National Fire Prevention Association) which is the US fire fighting and prevention standard for high rise buildings in addition to other areas such as earthquake resistance, air quality etc, will give Mumbai a breath of fresh air, literally.
    Already having received the LEEDs Platinum Rating and the 5 Palm rating from CETEC of Australia, reflecting the very high quality of sustainability and “happiness” in its design, the management is closely working with a team of Indian and international experts such Professor Girish Kumar, professor IIT Bombay to build a device to reduce the risk of Cell, FM and TV tower radiation. Kumar is planning to place shields on the building facade to mitigate the radiation effects. ”To my knowledge it is the first time a builder has thought of installing such shields,” said Professor Kumar.
    The building is being designed by renowned architect firm Talati and Panthaky, has well known structural consultants Sterling Engineers and Joe Colaco of CBM Engineers, an American structural engineer who is noted for his contribution to the super tall skyscrapers in United States and the Middle East, RWDI that is undertaken research on wind studies. to name a few.
    Although the details and configuration have not been made public, this project will be something to look forward to.

• The building is being designed by renowned architect firm Talati and Panthaky, has well known structural consultants Sterling Engineers and Joe Colaco of CBM Engineers

Browse through a variety of handloom products

Browse through a variety of handloom products

    Providing perfect impetus for silk fabric lovers this festive season, a show of ethnic and traditional products by weavers across India is currently being held in the city. Weaves of India, the fair-cum-exhibition, supports a grand collection of Chanderi sari and suits, Maheshwari sari and suits, Mulbarys silk saris, crepe silk saris, bagh and dabu print, pigment prints and saris, kosa silk sari, Bhagalpur silk saris and dress materials, zari work Paithani saris from Maharashtra, Maheshwari and Chanderi from Madhya Pradesh.
    Also on display are Kanjeevaram silk saris from Bangalore and Mysore silk crepe, Upada, Gadwal, Dharmawaram, Kalamkari from Andhra Pradesh, silk dress materials from from Bihar, Shanti Niketan, Kantha, Neemzari, Dhakai Jamdani from West Bengal, Bomkai, Sambhalpuri from Orrisa and other silk materials from the interiors of India, are also available.
    The tie and dye, bandhej, block, dabu, batik and kalamkari are some of the finest varieties in prints and embroideries that one can choose from. So, be sure that you don’t miss this great opportunity and pick some of your favourites.
Venue: P L Deshpande, Ravindra Natya Mandir, Behind Siddhi Vinayak Mandir, Prabhadevi. September 28 to October 8 Time: 10 am - 9 pm

On display are a range of ethnic and traditional products

Ritoo K Janjani, India’s first prosthetic makeup artiste

‘There is more to makeup than just making people look beautiful’

...says Ritoo K Janjani, India’s first prosthetic makeup artiste, in an exclusive chat 

How did you decide to learn prosthetic makeup? I learnt it while I was an air hostess based in Jordan. After quitting the job, I researched on makeup and realised that there is more to it than just making people look beautiful. I decided to go to Los Angeles, Hollywood, and learn makeup from the best people in the business. I did my Masters in all kinds of makeup — from beauty to special effect prosthetic makeup. I think our industry needs trained professionals in prosthetic art. 

Prosthetic makeup is not popular in India, since the horror genre isn’t big. Did you have to struggle initially? On the contrary, I got a great response when I returned to India. It’s a myth that prosthetic makeup is used only in horror movies. I just finished working on the Maha Kali avatar in the TV show Devon Ke Dev Mahadev. I am working on Hanuman now. Prosthetics are needed for everything — from making zombies to God. 

Tell us about your projects I run a makeup academy. I have worked with Kamal Hassan in Vishvarupam. I also worked in a Telugu film, where I gave actress Lakshmi Manchu an old-age look. I just finished a zombie film with Luke Kenny and I am working on three TV soaps. 

How much time does it take to do a simple prosthetic makeup? It depends on the intensity of the prosthetic used and the situation — why a character is made to look like that. A lot of detailing goes into applying even a small piece. 

How much have the Ramsay brothers inspired you? The Ramsays did a good job for that time. A few senior makeup artistes told me that they had used adhesive and melted sugar to show old-age and other effects. But now, there are a range of great products available.

Who do you practise makeup on? My husband Karan Uday Janjani (an actor) has been my best model. I even practise on myself to know what an actor is going through. 

How supportive is Karan? I give all the credit to him. He has supported me in everything — from letting me go to Los Angeles to learn make-up till now, when we have a seven-month-old daughter. He is creative and gives me useful ideas when I work on various looks.

Ritoo K Janjani at work; artistes wearing the prosthetic makeup done by her

An increasing number of people are creating awareness about planting trees in the city

ARE YOU A GREEN CRUSADER YET?

An increasing number of people are creating awareness about planting trees in the city

    In the fast-developing urban jungle that Mumbai is today, a handful of people with a green thumb are taking up the initiative to grow more trees and make it greener. Advertising professional Hari Chakyar, who likes nothing better than to take up a pickaxe, plant saplings and educate
    p e o p l e towards the need for verdancy, is one such person. His mission is to plant trees in all 35 Indian states and Union territories and he’s named his project like that too! He talks of the
    serious
need to have more greenery in our cities, especially Mumbai. ...
EFFORTS THAT MUST GO A LONG WAY It’s becoming the need of the hour says the 26-yearold. “Of course, we need to wake up now,” he starts. “In a city like Mumbai, where the population hikes by thousands every year, there is a serious dearth of space. Trees are being felled rampantly to build housing facilities. In such a situation, it is crucial to maintain the green open spaces as well as foliage.”
His project to grow trees began as a whim. “I wanted to spread the message of the need to plant trees and conserve the existing forests. To create awareness of that level across the country, I would have to do something a little crazy. Hence came the idea of planting trees in every state and Union Territory of India.”
    Today, he and others plant trees in schools and colleges. “But just planting trees isn’t enough. The trees have to be entrusted to someone as well,” he explains. Agrees Paresh Pimpale of an eco-group in Mumbai. “One has to also ensure that the tree survives; water and physical protection for it are also crucial.”
    The response to their green movement has been positive. “I get calls and emails every day from people offering to host us in their state; it’s very heartening,” informs Chakyar.
CITIZENS CAN DO MORE Pimpale adds how his nature trail sensitises students towards the environment. “Planting trees such as mango, jackfruit and local fruit-bearing varieties can be an ongoing activity. People can join awareness groups and support the cause. I think if each society says they will just plant one single sapling and take care of it in their building compound, it will make a vast difference,” he adds.
Chakyar stresses on awareness. “Little things like turning off electrical appliances when not required, matter. Did you know that souvenirs in coastal tourist areas such as Kanyakumari and Orissa are causing immense harm to the coral reefs there? If people stop buying these souvenirs, the lack of demand might stop the supply and destruction of these natural barriers against tsunamis. My project focuses on things like this.”
    Ekta Pange, of an eco group teaches people to plant vegetable patches, in bid to steer them towards greenery. She says,“I have planted chillies, tomatoes, and brinjals too. Coriander and methi are easy and basic. In fact, any vegetable that does not need to be pollinated in order to produce will work. The general rule while planting is, most people don’t know when to water the plant. Remember, if the top inch of the soil is dry, it is probably time to water again; most times people flood the plant. A tip is, waste food — like coriander stems (without oil) — can be put into a container with some soil. They will turn out to be good manure for your plant,” she informs.
    ismat.tahseen@timesgroup.com 

It’s time to develop a green thumb today