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With Formal Drama Training, City Students Can Now Get Access To World Institutes

Sanjeev Kochhar
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With Formal Drama Training, City Students Can Now Get Access To World Institutes

Ireland’s capital city of Dublin, declared UNESCO City of Literature, has, through its 1,000 year history, been the hub of literature and drama. It has produced world-class artistic talent, from writers like Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw and W.B. Yeats, to extraordinary music artists like U2, Thin Tizzy and Sinead O’Connor. So when Ireland’s largest independent music and drama examining body, Dublin-based Leinster School of Music & Drama (LSMD), established under the aegis of the Griffith College, comes calling at the doorstep of Chandigarh’s elite schools with grading and academic programmes, it creates an instant buzz.

“We are here to offer internationally recognised curricula and graded certification in drama as a regular subject for students from standard 5 to 10 in English medium schools, to start with, since the curricula is going to be based on English literature and drama. Looking at how things pan out we may consider introducing Hindi poetry and drama in the curricula at a later stage, in which case we will also knock at the doors of Hindi medium schools,” Deepak Luthra, Director of Admissions (South Asia), Griffith College, shared with LifeInChandigarh.com during a select news media interaction.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

Joining the interaction, Kevin Geoghegan, Director, International Office, Griffith College, said “Bollywood has been instrumental in creating huge awareness about careers in acting and music. Our initiative in India, which is the first country we are targeting in our outreach, will be to formalise education in drama using our expertise. We are looking for tie ups with regional and national drama and theatre organisations and schools and colleges. Apart from graded exams we are offering a formal curriculum, too.”

Stressing on another aspect of formal drama training, Nisha Luthra, Head of Operations, LSMD and Founder of ‘The Narrators’, said “soft skills are an important aspect employers look for in a candidate for recruitment in the modern times. Formal training in drama polishes an individual’s personality and makes him or her future ready for any challenge in life.”

Deepak added, “On successful completion of LSMD grades, students will be aided in further admission to academic or practical programmes at the university level. They can also take direct admission to degree courses being offered by Griffith College.”

Karen Casey, Head of Faculty, LSMD, and Sheila Nolan, Drama Examiner, LSMD, earlier this week assessed the rehearsal recordings of students at Vivek High School who enacted the play ‘Thy Work Is Done’, directed by The Narrators. The 86-odd participating students were awarded LSMD certificate of Junior Performance Grade, a sort of zero level of gradation.   

Schools, educational institutes and theatre academies, etc interested in getting into an international gradation system and formal curriculum in drama can write in at india@griffith.ie.      

 

LifeInChandigarh.com  by APR Media House is an enjoyable digital reading startup, which keeps you abreast of the latest meaningful happenings of interest to large sections of folks in Chandigarh tricity, and expats from the region, It has been promoted by a public spirited senior journalist and media consultant with a view to encourage good quality and healthy journalism, a dire need of the times.

To keep in touch, drop an email or call :

 kochhar.apr@gmail.com

9815617676

 

Renowned Neurosurgeon Dr Alok Sharma To Give Free Consultation On Aug 31

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Renowned Neurosurgeon Dr Alok Sharma To Give Free Consultation On Aug 31

All parents or attendants, of children and adults with “incurable” neurological disorders or head or spinal injuries, from the region can look forward to a free consultation relating to stem cell therapy, being hailed as a boon for people with such conditions, from world renowned neurosurgeon Dr Alok Sharma in Chandigarh on August 31. For appointments Ms. Pushkala, representing the Dr Sharma run Navi Mumbai based NeuroGen Brain & Spine Institute, can be contacted on 9821529653 or 9920200400.

Dr Sharma, whose institute has already treated 8500 patients from 65-odd countries across the world, including UK and USA, with stem cell therapy, spoke to LifeInChandigarh.com in Chandigarh on Saturday while taking a short break from consultations he provided to scores of patients with neurological disorders at a hospital in Panchkula.

He claimed that the success rate among the 8500 patients treated for various neurological conditions, including autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury, head injury, brain stroke, paralysis, dementia, multiple sclerosis and neuropsychiatric disorders, etc., has been 90% with patients showing improvement to the extent of 80-90% and leading a near normal life.

Photos By: Life In Chandigarh

Asian countries – India, China and Japan – have taken a lead in the field of stem cell therapy for neurological disorders and patients from world over are coming here to get treatment. In fact, the first scientific paper on stem cell therapy for autism published in any international medical journal of repute was authored by Dr Alok Sharma.

The renowned neurosurgeon, who has to his credit 96 scientific papers, published in international medical journals of repute and has written 16 books besides winning several prestigious national and international awards for his accomplishments in the field of stem cell therapy, asserts that Neuro Regenerative Rehabilitation Therapy (stem cell therapy) is simple, 100% safe and effective. There are no medicines and no surgery. Just two thin needles are required – one for aspiration of bone marrow from hip bone of the patient, separation of stem cells from bone marrow and then injecting it in his spinal fluid.

The first cycle of stem cell therapy is a weeklong exercise, which starts with pre-therapy investigations, including clinical, psychological, physical, functional and blood tests. Following the therapy is a process of neurorehabilitation, which involves physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, psychological counselling, special education and diet and nutrition. Follow ups are advised at three and six months’ intervals.

Dr Sharma stresses that outcomes are excellent, since there is life changing transformation in the lives of patients, from a vegetative and lonely existence, because of their neurological disorders, to normal productive members of society. But there is still a general lack of awareness even among doctors regarding diagnosis of neurological disorders and their treatment, which is depriving thousands of such patients the boon of this phenomenal treatment. The Stem Cell Society is seeking to bridge this information gap by organising professional workshops and conferences for doctors in different parts of the country, he adds.

A week’s treatment at the NeuroGen Brain & Spine Institute costs between Rs 2-4 lakh. But poor and needy patients, who cannot afford that much, are also not refused treatment by the institute. As a rule, the institute provides this treatment free of cost to members of the uniformed forces, including the fire services personnel, who get incapacitated in the line of duty.

A shining example of men in uniform not only getting back on their feet but also being able to perform active duties is that of Major Manish Singh, a paratrooper of the Indian Army, who as a Lieutenant won a Shaurya Chakra for gallantly fighting on in a counter terror operation in Jammu & Kashmir despite taking a bullet in his spine, which eventually led to his paralysis below the navel. Surgeries and various treatments notwithstanding, the officer remained incapacitated for a few years before Neuro Regenerative Rehabilitation Therapy at Dr Sharma’s institute allowed him to proudly wear his red beret again.

Dr Sharma also presented before news media, parents of a 4-year-old child from the region, Bhuprad Kumar Kanwar, who is well on the way to full recovery from cerebral palsy. The child was unable to sit and stand without support, had a poor gait, posture and balance, selective attention, eye contact and concentration, was unable to chew food or eat by himself, his mode of communication was non verbal or monosyllabic and he needed assistance for activities of daily living.

After two rounds of treatment, Bhuprad, to the delight of his parents has shown considerable improvement in his head and trunk control, he is able to sit erect, is more aware about himself and his surroundings, his socialisation has improved and he is able to chew food and vocalise a few words.

Emphasising that there is no age considerations for stem cell therapy in treatment of neurological disorders, Dr Sharma shares that his youngest patient so far has been an 8 month old and the oldest a 82 year old. Regarding the future of stem cell therapy, he says as the therapy develops further it is sure to get integrated into mainstream multi-modal treatment.

The neurosurgeon, also professor and head of Neurosurgery at Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and General Hospital, Sion, advised parents to consult a doctor if they notice abnormally delayed development of their child in terms of its ability to sit up, crawl, walk or talk.

https://www.neurogen.in/

LifeInChandigarh.com  by APR Media House is an enjoyable digital reading startup, which keeps you abreast of the latest meaningful happenings of interest to large sections of folks in Chandigarh tricity, and expats from the region, It has been promoted by a public spirited senior journalist and media consultant with a view to encourage good quality and healthy journalism, a dire need of the times.

To keep in touch, drop an email or call :

 kochhar.apr@gmail.com

9815617676 

All-Natural, Anti-Ageing Beverage Startup To Expand Portfolio, Reach

Sanjeev Kochhar
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All-Natural, Anti-Ageing Beverage Startup To Expand Portfolio, Reach

With a pure coconut water base, a concoction of different Ayurvedic herbs, documented since ages to have anti-ageing properties, is gradually finding its way into the daily diet of thousands of health conscious Indians in NCR and in Chandigarh.

It’s early days yet, since Auric, touted as the world first all-natural beverage for mind, body and skin based on anti-ageing wisdom of Ayurveda, was launched nine months ago as a startup, but the brand, buoyed by its acceptance in the market, has already laid out plans for expanding its product portfolio as well as its reach into the rest of the country in the next three to four years.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

Sharing details of the public response to the brand, and its expansion plans, with LifeInChandigarh.com on the sidelines of a media interaction, in Chandigarh recently, Deepak Agarwal, Founder and CEO, Auric, claimed that they had already sold more than 50,000 units of the 250 ml bottles, available in three different variants, in Chandigarh tricity and more than 80,000 in the NCR.

The brand is available in three dozen stores in the tricity, including in the most popular ones like Harry Hyper Store, Peshawari, Life Supermarket, Kewal Stores and Empire Stores, and more than 170 stores in New Delhi and Gurgaon. With aggressive marketing, free samplings and tie-ups with salons and gyms the brand is getting stronger by the day, he added.

“We have prepared plans to expand our product portfolio by adding more healthy beverages like Turmeric and Aswagandha lattes, milkless shakes, weight loss and dinner alternatives and probiotics within a two year timeline. We’ll also increase our reach to 50-odd cities across the country in the next 3-4 years,” he gushed.

Expressing confidence about being able to achieve their goals, Agarwal claimed that Auric had been widely accepted as a healthy replacement for sugary drinks, packaged juices, carbonated beverages and flavoured water. “You get an anti-ageing drink at the price of bottled coconut water (250 ml of the beverage costs Rs 50 as against 200 ml of coconut water with an MRP of Rs 40). It also makes sense to drink healthy when you compare it with a 300 ml can of Coke (Rs 35) or 250 ml Red Bull Energy drink (Rs 99),” he argued.

The existing three ready-to-drink beverages are claimed to be different concoctions of a wide variety of Ayurvedic herbs like Aloe Vera, Gotu Kola, Haldi, Amla, Aswagandha, Moringa, Shankhapushpi and Brahmi. Agarwal says, “The smart drinks by Auric are designed for the fast-paced 21st century lifestyle where right nutrition is often compromised. All beverages offered are rich in antioxidants, 100% natural and vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free, chemical-free, and do not use any preservatives or artificial flavours, and yet non-bitter in taste.”

The beverages are ideal for the calorie conscious as well. Each 250 ml bottle consumed adds just 35 calories to your daily diet. One of the variants is crafted to calm the mind, another to power up immunity and the third to add radiance and glow to the skin.

The beverages are also available nationwide through Auric’s website (https://www.theauric.com) and online channel partners like Amazon India, Bigbasket, Milkbasket and Qtrover.    

 

LifeInChandigarh.com  by APR Media House is an enjoyable digital reading startup, which keeps you abreast of the latest meaningful happenings of interest to large sections of folks in Chandigarh tricity, and expats from the region, It has been promoted by a public spirited senior journalist and media consultant with a view to encourage good quality and healthy journalism, a dire need of the times.

To keep in touch, drop an email or call :

 kochhar.apr@gmail.com

9815617676  

Here Comes An Authentic Eating House For Growing Family Of Vegans

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Here Comes An Authentic Eating House For Growing Family Of Vegans

With 12 years of rich experience working as food and beverage professional in some of the best hotel chains in India and abroad, 37-year-old Manouj Kaushikk’s burning desire to do something on his own in a uniquely different way has resulted in opening of an authentic Vegan multi-cuisine restaurant Nineteenth May in Chandigarh tricity which rates high on health and hygiene benchmarks.

Marking the formal launch of the restaurant, in Sector 67 Mohali on Monday (the soft launch happened on May 19), the former F&B manager of a leading multi-national hotel chain in Chandigarh, shared with LifeInChandigarh.com, “Last few years I had been itching to set up my own restaurant, because working in the hotel chains did not allow me the privilege of spending more time with my family. I saw an opportunity in the tricity specifically, and the region in general, missing an authentic vegetarian restaurant serving an international quality multi-cuisine.”

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

So here I am with my hospitality startup, named after the birth date of my daughter (Maansi, 6), promising the rapidly expanding Vegan population the best in vegetarian cuisines, from freshly squeezed hand & cold processed juices, to shakes, smoothies, salads, cut fruits,  and in house bakery, besides a vast variety of Indian, Continental and Chinese cuisines. There is a separate expert chef for each of the menus,” Kaushikk gushes, exuding confidence that with the initial response being more than encouraging, Nineteenth May is going to be a success story in a very short span of time.     

He claims that the outlet is unique in many ways. “It has been created keeping in mind cleanliness, a very high degree of sanitisation and best global hospitality practices. The restaurant has International machinery in refrigeration, automatic dishwashing, cooking equipments and kitchen appliances. Care is taken that all the vegetables, fruits, spices and other ingredients, which go into our various offerings, are of A-grade quality and sourced from reputed suppliers,” he emphasises.

Being himself an F&B professional,  Kaushikk says,” I am very hands on in the restaurant, planning menus, seeking feedback from patrons and keeping a close eye in the kitchen, in the refrigeration and other work stations. I don’t let go anything, unless I am myself satisfied first,” he asserts.

Boasting of undoubtedly the best kitchen in the city, he informs, “In Chandigarh, all the top notch restaurants don’t allow customers to sneak into the kitchen. But at Nineteenth May we are happy to take our patrons around the work in progress.”  

The signature foods include hand-tossed pizzas, whole wheat pasta and green salads made with exotic veggies. The pizza paradise attractions include Margherita, Romano Pizza, Primavera and Garden Greens. The restaurant has introduced a delicious and crispy pizza, Quattro Formaggi. Grilled Panini is also quite a treat. Among Indian delights, Punjabi Baingan Bhartha, Malai Kofta and Dal Makhni are a rage. Singapore Style Noodles and Wok Tossed Hakka Noodles are just too yum.

Currently, most of the ground floor of the restaurant, opened to patrons so far, is taken up by the preparation area. A more spacious basement fine dining area is being rolled out within weeks.

Open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. all days of the week.

We had our joyful fill at Nineteenth May, how about you!     

 

LifeInChandigarh.com  by APR Media House is an enjoyable digital reading startup, which keeps you abreast of the latest meaningful happenings of interest to large sections of folks in Chandigarh tricity, and expats from the region, It has been promoted by a public spirited senior journalist and media consultant with a view to encourage good quality and healthy journalism, a dire need of the times.

To keep in touch, drop an email or call :

 kochhar.apr@gmail.com

9815617676 

Behind That Facade, Honoured Jurist Guests Pack An Entertaining Punch

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Behind That Facade, Honoured Jurist Guests Pack An Entertaining Punch

It was a memorable evening for Rotarians belonging to Rotary Club Chandigarh Midtown in more ways than one, as well known lawyer Salil Dev Singh Bali was installed its President along with Board of Governors for the year 2019-20. One, they were celebrating the centennial year of Rotary International (RI), and two, both the Chief Guest for the occasion Justice Rajiv Sharma of the Punjab & Haryana High Court, and Guest of Honour Atul Nanda, Advocate General Punjab, unexpectedly turned out to be entertainers par excellence, triggering rounds of applause and peals of laughter.

While Bali received the ceremonial Rotary collar from outgoing President Ashok K. Puri to be installed the 43rd President of the club, the incoming Secretary Nitin Kapur was handed over the Rotary Charter by demitting Secretary Salil Chopra at the CII Northern Region Headquarters Convention Hall on Monday. The handover also marked a clear transition from a wiser generation to a more energetic one. 

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

Puri read out his report card, listing out the 2018-19 team’s achievements, and Bali committed himself and his team to continuity with new initiatives.

Pledging, on behalf of his team, to work with all their might to fulfil the goals of RI President Mark Daniel Maloney’s theme for 2019-20, which is Rotary Connects The World, he spelled out the Three Acts of Kindness which the club will pursue with vigour during the year, apart from the other activities in the service of the society, which will continue with the same commitment.

In pursuance of The Gift of Pain Free Life, Rotary Club Chandigarh Midtown, on Monday formally exchanged a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Fortis Hospital Mohali. Under the initiative, chosen senior citizens, with restricted activity due to orthopaedic illness, will be provided free treatment and care. The club will bear 30% of the cost and Fortis will defray the remaining 70% from its CSR funds.   

The second gift of kindness entails providing Interest Free Microloans to the needy for startup business. As part of the activity two beneficiaries, Vehida and Sandeep, were provided another Rs 30,000 each as loans after they had paid off their earlier loans taken for the same purpose.

Under the scheme Scholarship for Women Empowerment, Rotractor and taekwondo player Ashmita was presented a cheque for Rs 12,000 as first instalment for pursuing her Bachelor of Engineering course.

Among other initiatives which Bali promised to pursue with vigour were creating awareness among physically challenged about the benefits of registering for a Unique ID card specially meant for them, treatment of patients co infected with HIV and TB, helping create Happy Schools, launching Kalam Express mobile school to cater to needs of special children, skilling youth for economic empowerment, TEACH programme for literacy, tree plantation, disease prevention and screening camps, Swachh Bharat campaign, save the girl child and social rehabilitation for peace promotion.

While appealing to Rotarians to add muscle to the nationwide awareness drives to save water, Justice Rajiv Sharma, known for his proactive contribution to environmental protection, also unleashed his funny bone, hidden behind his expressionless face, by cracking a couple of ingenious jokes which had the Rotarians and guests in splits. 

AG Atul Nanda, while suggesting that Rotarians play an important role in helping sew back  the torn fabric of Indian society in tune with this year’s RI theme, proved no less an entertainer. His rendition of a few select stanzas from Bulleh Shah’s poetry to press home his point wowed the gathering, and drew repeated applause.   

As is the latest trend at such gatherings, all guests and members were presented with herbal saplings while leaving the venue.

RI Theme

RI President Mark Daniel Maloney’s theme for 2019-20, Rotary Connects The World, asks Rotarians to strengthen the many ways that Rotary connects the world, building the connections that allow talented, thoughtful and generous people to unite and take meaningful action through Rotary Service.

Public Health Industry To Gain From Shivanshi Vashists New Apparatus

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Public Health Industry To Gain From Shivanshi Vashists New Apparatus

A young woman Senior Scientific Officer and Innovator at the BioNEST, Panjab University (PU) Chandigarh, one of the 41-odd bio-incubators supported by BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council) across the country, has invented a modern apparatus which can speed up large scale production of biotechnological materials, used in various industries manufacturing public health products like cosmetics, pharma, food supplements, etc, and lead to substantial savings.

The apparatus called ‘Novice Seri’, invented by 25-year-old Shivanshi Vashist, was formally launched by Panjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Raj Kumar in presence of Dr Anil Wali, one of the members on the board of Bio-NEST-PU and Managing Director, Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), an industrial interface organisation at IIT Delhi. Chairpersons of various departments, faculty, researchers and students were also present.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

Shivanshi ploughed a large portion of the Rs 50 lakh worth Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG), received by her from BIRAC about six months ago, in inventing ‘Novice Seri’.

Speaking on the occasion, Project Leader of Bio-NEST-PU and Chairperson Microbial Biotechnology Department Dr Rohit Sharma, informed that ‘Novice Seri, which has been fabricated for PU by Karam Singh of Mohali-based GAK Equipments & Technologies, is not a prototype but an industry-ready model for which PU holds the sole patent. Bio-NEST is already in touch with a few companies for technology transfer to commercially manufacture this apparatus, he added.   

Dr Rohit shared that Bio-NEST-PU is currently hosting 16 incubatees from three different verticals – bio-pharmaceuticals, bio processed technology and food & agriculture – and these are being adequately funded through different funding opportunities. Eight patents had so far been filed from Bio-NEST, he said.

Describing the salient features and advantages of the new invention over similar existing products available in the market, inventor Shivanshi told LifeInChandigarh.com that ‘Novice Seri’ comprises six independently-running bioreactors/fermenters/vessels operated from a main control panel, the unique and innovative electronic module of which allows control of multiple parameters in multiple bioreactors at any given time. She claimed that similar existing apparatuses available in the market comprised only two bioreactors, that too not running independently of each other.

This new apparatus also uses the same source of air, water, energy, etc in all six bioreactors, leading to one-sixth of normal consumption of all these inputs compared to the existing products, she asserted.

The apparatus can be used in research and development laboratories, and in various industries that require optimisations of multiple processes (all types of biological optimisation and/or production processes) for production of large quantities of biotechnological materials in a single run.

Extending his full support to specific and focussed societal problem-solving and
industry- linked research, Vice Chancellor Prof Raj Kumar said constant innovation is the key to the progress of any society or nation. He informed the gathering that for the benefit of the industry, the mode lab of the prestigious University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS) will soon be thrown open to outsiders to avail of its facilities. He also shared plans to open a new and big incubator centre on the university campus.

Dr Anil Wali expressed confidence that since Punjab has traditionally been the land of innovation, Panjab University will realise its full potential and emerge as a leader in research and innovation in Northe India in the coming years, and the state a leader in start-ups. Urging all universities to become more and more entrepreneurial in their approach, and compete with the likes of Harvard, Oxford, Stanford and MIT, he said along with getting their research papers published in reputed journals, researchers and innovators should strive for getting patents.  

About BIRAC

Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), an industry-academia interface, is a not-for-profit Section 8, Schedule B, Public Sector Enterprise set up by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, as an Interface Agency to strengthen and empower the emerging Biotech enterprise to undertake strategic research and innovation, addressing nationally relevant product development needs.

About Bio-Nest

Bio-NEST was launched by BIRAC with a view to focus on fostering a biotech innovation ecosystem in the country. Unlike start-ups in the IT sector, enterprising ideas in the biotech sector need incubation support of a different kind, where they need a landing space to test their ideas, run their operations, have access to high end instrumentations and locate in a place where they can connect with other start-ups and mentors. Bio-NEST program provides support to establish bio-incubators either as a standalone entity or as a part of academia. Through Bio-NEST, BIRAC has so far supported 41-odd bio-incubators, creating a cumulative area in excess of 3.91 lakh sq. ft. for budding entrepreneurs.

All Credit To ‘Triple Tsunami’ For Real Estate Consolidation

Sanjeev Kochhar
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All Credit To ‘Triple Tsunami’ For Real Estate Consolidation

The ‘triple tsunami’ of demonetisation, RERA and GST has in the ultimate analysis proved a boon for the real estate industry in the country, leading to its consolidation, with improved transparency, compliance of stricter rules and regulations, and resultant buyer confidence.

These views were aired by Col. Rajiv Bhargava, Associate Director, Indian School of Business (ISB) Mohali campus, while chairing a panel discussion on “Regulatory Issues & Financing In The Real Estate Sector” as part of the first ever Real Estate Summit for the Chandigarh Tricity organised by CII and Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) at the CII Northern Region headquarters on Wednesday. And, the participants, including representatives of builders, developers, consultants, state governments and regulatory authorities could not agree more.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

Quoting figures from a recent study to support the consolidation, Bhargava said 50% of the total developers that existed in 2011-12 across 9 top cities had left the market by 2017-18. In all 42,000 projects across the country had been registered under RERA. The sale of residential units had also shown an increase of 33% across the nine top cities, he added.

The developers and builders while overall welcoming the various rules and regulations framed under RERA to improve the image of the real estate sector, listed out various challenges coming in the way of timely execution of projects. One of the main reasons quoted in this regard was unduly long delays in receiving the plethora of approvals required before projects can be registered with RERA. There were also issues of raising capital by the developers before the start of projects.

In his welcome remarks, CII Chandigarh Council Chairman Sarvjeet Singh, while hailing RERA as a progressive legislation, felt that the focus of the real estate sector has to shift from mere living to liveability.

Industry Status Needed

PK Juneja, partner in Exotic Realtors & Developers, promoters of ‘Exotic Grandeur’, a super luxury 6-star rated project by CRISIL, on Zirakpur-Shimla highway, was of the opinion that only industry status to the real estate sector could resolve its capital starvation woes. Supporting the spirit of RERA, he said developers must gear up to deliver customised solutions to meet the needs and aspirations of various categories of buyers. “Building dwelling units without addressing the needs of buyers is like writing a love letter and addressing it to whomsoever it may concern,” he remarked in a lighter vein, triggering a round of laughter in the gathering.

Green Buildings

Dwelling on the concept of green buildings, M. Anand, Principal Counsellor, Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), said the rich traditional architectural expertise of India should be married with the latest technologies to deliver projects that are compliant with green benchmarks of efficient use of natural resources like water, energy and building materials for sustainable development of environment.  He advocated grant of non-monetary incentives to green buildings like higher FSI (floor space index) also called FAR (floor area ratio).

Supporting this line of thought, Chairman of the Chandigarh Chapter of IGBC Jit Kumar Gupta said time had come when all buildings need to be sustainable and liveable. While designing a building it should be kept in mind that the initial cost of construction is a mere  10% as compared to 90% cost incurred in sustaining it through its entire life cycle in terms of consumption of water, energy, and other resources. The emphasis, therefore, has to shift from affordable housing to affordable living, he added.

Harish Gupta, President of the Builders’ Association of Zirakpur, while lauding various initiatives of the government aimed at cleaning up and promoting the real estate sector for the benefit of all stakeholders, including buyers and developers, particularly mentioned establishment of RERA, affordable housing for all and subsidy on interest component of housing loan for first time buyers as commendable steps.

Speed Up Approvals

At the same time he also asserted that buyers were not getting optimal benefits of these initiatives because of the massive delays in starting work on projects, given the 12 to 18 months minimum period it takes to get the plethora of environmental and other approvals, a mandatory condition for registration with RERA. Unlike in the past, when developers used to raise a bulk of their initial capital by pre sale of their projects, RERA rules and regulations prohibit any such practice before a project gets registered with it, leading to capital starvation for the developer, he added.

Seeking speeding up of various sanctioning and regulatory processes, critical to the viability of any project, Gupta observed that delay in starting construction on projects leads to piling up of additional burden of interest payments on loans taken by developers to defray the high cost of land. Since an estimated 70% of all developers operating in the tricity are local developers, working on very thin margins as compared to their counterparts in the NCR, this delay in approvals rattles their bottom lines, he stressed.

Pointing to the very high external development charges (EDC) being levied by the authorities on projects (anything between Rs 5-10 crore per project), he claimed that invariably these funds are diverted elsewhere and not spent on developing facilities in the surrounding area, for which these are meant. He demanded that at least 25% of EDC charges collected from a particular project should be exclusively spent on developing amenities like water supply, electrification, roads, sewerage, etc in the vicinity of the project. 

During a brief interactive session, former Chief Town Planner of Punjab MS Aujla felt that all integrated townships being planned around Chandigarh should have quality inbuilt facilities of educational institutions, health centres, eating joints, shopping complexes, etc, so that residents do not face the inconvenience of having to move out to fulfil their basic needs. He wondered how these inbuilt basic facilities would be possible if the minimum requirement of 100 acres to set up an integrated township was to be reduced to 25 acres, as was being done in Haryana.

Clean, Green & Smart Tricity

Participating in a round table with municipal commissioners on ‘Clean, Green and Smart Tricity’, Rajesh Jogpal, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation Panchkula, in his detailed and impassioned address highlighted a slew of measures undertaken by the corporation to meet the benchmarks of a smart city despite it not finding a place in the list of 100 cities named by the Union government under its Smart City initiative. Her was only one to attend from among all the three tricity municipal commissioners invited by CII.

Jogpal expressed confidence that some of the bold initiatives, some implemented and others planned, by the Municipal Corporation, including a solid waste management plant, dedicated corridor for non-motorised road traffic on an overburdened route which hosts 85% of the city’s traffic, intelligent traffic management system, a network of CCTV cameras and registration plate reading equipment and a dog pound to attend to 1,000 stray dogs, will be good to be replicated even by Chandigarh. 

Some of the other initiatives of the corporation are introduction of electric buses, smart and safe revenue-generating bus queue shelters, redesigning of accident prone roundabouts, bicycle sharing system and handing over upkeep of public toilets to Sulabh International, a renowned NGO working in this field.

There is no dearth of funds with the municipal corporation as it was sitting on Rs 300-400 crore of unutilised funds, from previous years of extreme politicking, when he was given charge of the corporation by the state government in 2017, Jogpal claimed.

Strongly advocating a regional approach to long term planning in what is now being looked at as Greater Chandigarh area, comprising adjoining and nearby towns of Punjab, Haryana and even Himachal Pradesh, the commissioner expressed his conviction that for Chandigarh to meet the benchmarks under the Smart City initiative its adjoining and nearby areas also need to achieve those benchmarks.

Man Mohan Singh Kohli, Past Chairman, CII Chandigarh Council, emphasised that though technological inputs are important for any city to achieve the status of a smart city, but more importantly you need a smart mind to make a smart city. The community also has an equally important role to play in a smart city initiative by taking ownership and discharging its responsibilities in association with the authorities. He supported a holistic and integrated tricity approach to long term planning and development for optimum results.

Giving the example of Indore as the only one among the 100 selected cities under the Smart City initiative to get an Impact Assessment Study done professionally before undertaking execution of various components of the smart city concept, Sandeep Garg, Founder & Managing Director of Mohali-based Eco Group, said this is the way to go for long term positive results of all the efforts and investments.

Regulatory Issues

Participating in the panel discussion on “Regulatory Issues & Financing In The Real Estate Sector”, Palbachan Singh Sandhu of Helios, a prominent RERA consultancy, vouched for RERA Punjab as being a non-biased regulator and watchdog protecting the interests of all stakeholders, including the buyer, developer and the government along with its various concerned agencies.

He maintained that the authority had been able to restore the confidence of the buyers and investors, which was in the overall interests of the developers, by monitoring timelines for completion of real estate projects and ensuring that the funds collected for a particular project are not siphoned off elsewhere.

 Sandhu, however, wanted greater government indulge to ensure that the promised fast track approvals for projects through the single window mechanism are actually seen to be fulfilled on the ground. All irritants need to be removed in regular consultation with the developers to achieve a win-win outcome for all, he added.

Neeraj Sharma, Director, Grant Thornton Advisory, felt that for RERA organisations in states to be truly effective a strong infrastructural support is needed in terms of staff strength and expertise. Hinting that a large number of real estate projects continued to remain unregistered with RERA across the country, he said the number of projects in three major centres of the country – NCR, Mumbai and Bangalore – alone far exceeded the 42,000 projects which have been registered under RERA in the entire country. 

In order to bring more and more projects under RERA, he advocated all states to replicate the Bangalore model of not allowing registration of individual real estate units until they have a RERA number.

Agreeing with a suggestion by Jit Kumar Gupta that the provisions under RERA need to be harmonised with other related local laws like PAPRA (Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act) of 1995, Sharma said the entire sanctioning and regulatory machinery governing the real estate sector has to work much faster than it currently is to stamp RERA as a positive game changer for buyers and developers alike, and to take the real estate sector to new heights.

Neeraj Garg, co-partner in Exotic Realtors & Developers, while listing out various challenges being faced by the real estate sector, demanded that after the formation of RERA this sector should be taken out of the purview of consumer courts to prevent duplicity. Demanding faster approvals, he also sought the government’s early intervention to address the pressing issue of capital starvation facing the real estate sector.

Another session was devoted to the subject ‘Going Green – Role of  New Construction Technologies and Emerging Concepts’ in which apart from representatives of IGBC, the experts who participated included Ganges Reddy, CEO & MD, BlueDrop Enviro, who spoke on ‘Waste Water Treatment Solutions’, and Anurag Joshi, Senior Sustainability Consultant, AEON Integrated Building Design Consultants, who spoke on the topic ‘Journey to Net Zero’.

Yes, We Are Table Toppers, But Are We Playing Like Champs!

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Yes, We Are Table Toppers, But Are We Playing Like Champs!

Our National team, riding on a tsunami of patriotic support from the cricket crazy fans, has expectedly steamrolled into the semi-finals of the ICC World Cup 2019 in England-Wales, and emerged table toppers at that, with just a single loss, to hosts England. National sentiment would overwhelmingly back the Men in Blue to lift a third World Cup and place India closer to the Kangaroos’ all time record of five titles. But the euphoria across the country apart, are we confident enough to believe that we are playing like champions!

As an avid club level cricketer of yore and a keen follower of the game for close to five decades, I would tend to disagree, going by the ground realities of the team’s performance thus far in the tournament, despite the patriot in me wishfully believing otherwise.

India has progressed to this stage, powered among other things by the consistent brilliance and grit shown by a few key players, and not so much on the strength of being an overall better side. Going into the semi-finals, we are yet to strike a balance in the team vis-a-vis our batting and bowling units.

India went into the tournament with concerns only over an unsettled number four position in the batting order, which otherwise looked rock solid. The core of the bowling unit, comprising medium pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, considered the kings of accuracy, variation and death bowling, and wicket-taking wrist spinner duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, also seemed capable of demolishing any batting line-up.

But going by the team’s performance thus far, the formidable Indian batting top order has once again proved its mettle, despite the further setback of losing the inform Shikhar Dhawan so early on in the tournament. The ‘hitman’ Rohit Sharma is dominating the opposition bowling attacks, arguably as never before, skipper Virat Kohli is a pillar of strength as always despite the fans’ apparent disappointment at him not scoring a century, and KL Rahul is beginning to prove true to the trust reposed in him by the team management. Hardik in the middle order has also done his fair bit and looks set to hit peak form when it will matter the most.

The experimentation in the middle order, which is continuing right up to the semi-final stage and the topic of some criticism, is, therefore, not that much of an issue considering that the top order is firing from all cylinders, and, though late in the day, induction of Rishab Pant has added that extra power punch to the batting order.

The main cause of worry going into the elimination round is lacklustre performance of India’s bowling unit.

Though the team management can take heart in mystery man Jasprit Bumrah being among the top wicket takers in this World Cup, and the Hardik Pandya proving effective with his subtle variations of pace and bounce, the current form of the other bowlers is a cause for serious concern.

Injury-hit Bhuvneshwar Kumar appears to have completely lost his touch, and apart from not being able to take wickets, he is going for too many runs. Mohammed Shami, who replaced him in a couple of matches, displayed his wicket-taking skills to good effect but again went for a lot of runs in the death overs.

The biggest worry for the team, however, is the lack of form of the two wrist spinners. High hopes had been placed on the duo to put the brakes in the middle of the opposition innings by knocking off a few wickets, but sadly, these have been belied. While spinners in most other teams appear to have adjusted well to the unresponsive and two-paced English wickets for the World Cup with their subtle variations, Chahal and Kuldeep have proved completely ineffective. Given the only chance in the tournament, against Sri Lanka, Ravinder Jadeja, however reminded the team management that his services are invaluable and cannot be ignored.

Given such a scenario, playing just five bowlers, in order to strengthen the batting line-up, has not gone well with former greats of the game. They feel that it’s too much of a risk going into the semi-final stage against the best teams in the world.

Despite relegating Australia to the second spot on the points table by an unexpected turn of events, India needs to bolster its bowling options if it  is to lift the cup. The team cannot afford to get into a situation where the opposition batsmen are successful in targeting one, or even two bowlers, as was witnessed in the game against England. The depth of the Indian bowling attack was thoroughly exposed in the match, resulting in a comprehensive loss, the only one for the team in the tournament.

Hinting at the Indian bowling lacking depth going into the most competitive stage of the tournament, England batting great Kevin Pietersen has favoured playing another bowler in Mohammed Shami. He believes that confident of their top order, and a reasonably sound middle order, the team can afford to drop Dinesh Karthik for the semi-final clash with New Zealand.

Feared West Indies pacer of old Ian Bishop has talked about teams in the last four needing to strike a balance between the pacers, who have without doubt dominated this edition of the World Cup, and good spinners, who have complimented the pacers by putting the brakes on the opposition batsmen despite not taking too many wickets.

If India play six bowlers, and include Shami, then they have two options – either to go with four pacers and two spinners, or an equal number of pacers and spinners. In the first scenario either Chahal, or Kuldeep, sits out, since Jadeja has been able to prove a point in the only chance he was given, the last league game against Sri Lanka. He also brings some more solidity to the middle order, apart from electrifying the team’s fielding performance. Choosing a 3-3 combination would obviously mean Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s exit, for sadly being completely out of sorts.

Irrespective of winning or losing the toss, or batting or bowling first, a strong and emphatic beginning is the key for India going into a do-or-die situation. The Men in Blue have had a chequered record against the Black Caps, with a 10-match lead head to head in one-day internationals, and trailing by a single match in ICC World Cups.

For this to happen, both Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have to safely see off the cracking opening spell of left arm pacer Trent Boult, who has a particularly good record of taking early wickets against India. In the batting department Ross Taylor is the man to target considering the punishing mood he has been seen in against Indian bowlers, particularly spinners, in recent face offs between the two sides. This is not to say that taking early wickets is not important, given the hitting power of the Kiwi opening batsmen.

New Zealand outclassed India in the warm up match in preparation for this World Cup with Boult being the wrecker-in-chief. The league fixture between the two was washed out due to rain.   

Indian top order batsmen have done extremely well in planning their innings well, preferring to study the effects of the conditions for a few overs before unleashing their free-flowing stroke play. They have also not gone berserk with their hitting and gifting away their wickets in the process. No wonder India has the lowest dismissals in Power Play 1 among all teams, ahead of Australia, in this World Cup.

India go into the semi-final as favourites to win, but they will have to play out of their skins to beat the spirited Kiwis. The thousands of Indian fans, who far outnumber those of the rival team at any venue, and vociferously root for the Men in Blue, will continue to add that extra punch to the team campaign for the cup.

So guys, let’s start generating a Blue tsunami to psychologically drown the Kiwis even before their campaign begins on Tuesday ….. India! India!

Landlocked Northe States To Benefit From Greater Connectivity Thrust : CII

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Landlocked Northe States To Benefit From Greater Connectivity Thrust : CII

The landlocked northe states are expected to benefit immensely from the government’s promise of greater thrust to connectivity made by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2019, CII Northe Region Chairman and CMD of Jakson Engineers Ltd. Sameer Gupta opined on Friday.

Interacting with the news media after a Union Budget viewing session organised in the CII Northe Region headquarters in Chandigarh, he said greater connectivity will further ease the movement of goods and people, thereby boosting competitiveness of economic activity in the region. 

Photo By : Life In Chandigarh

Since northe region contributes one-third to the national agri-GDP, initiatives like zero budget farming, extension of interest subvention of 2% to fisheries and animal husbandry etc. can be expected to provide a much needed boost to the agri-sector in line with the government’s promise of doubling farmers’ incomes.

Pointing out that the budget reflects a long term view with focus on sustainable development, Gupta termed it as “inclusive, balanced and pragmatic.”  

Noting with satisfaction the Union finance minister’s assertion that the Indian economy had grown from 1.85 trillion US $ in 2013-2014 to 2.70 Tn US $ by the end of the 2018-19 financial year, and is expected to cross the 3 Tn mark this year, he expressed confidence that the country will be able to achieve its target of becoming the third largest economy in the world in the next few years by climbing the 5 Tn US $ summit.

The CII Northe Region chairman also welcomed the Union Budget giving due attention to all major aspects of the economy including enhancing farmers’ incomes, infra development, rural and urban development, empowering youth and women, boosting start-ups and entrepreneurship, financial and banking sector reforms, leveraging the growth of MSMEs for greater employment generation, faster adoption of latest technologies like in electric vehicles, etc. He appreciated the government for incorporating many of the recommendations made by CII.

Gupta complimented the finance minister for the announcement to set up an Online Payment Platform to address the issue of delayed payment to MSME traders. In line with the CII’s recommendations, personal IT exemption has been maintained at Rs 5 lakh, and lower corporate tax slab of 25% has been extended to companies with a turnover of Rs 400 crore from Rs 250 crore earlier, though the CII had recommended it be raised to Rs 500 crore turnover.  Promoting foreign direct investment (FDI) by opening up the aviation, insurance, AVGC (animation, visual effects, gaming and comics) and media sector, etc are expected to boost inflows in the country, making it one of the prime investment destinations, he added.

Sanjay Khurana, Chairman, CII Regional Committee on SMEs and whole time Director Baddi Foils Pvt. Ltd., particularly welcomed the promise in the budget of facilitating the smooth flow of credit to MSMEs.

Commenting on the proposed government push to boost entrepreneurship and start-ups, Dinesh Dua, Chairman, CII Regional Committee on Entrepreneurship & Start-ups and CEO & whole time Director, Nectar Lifesciences Ltd., said it is expected to create a huge space for job creation and mitigate the problem of unemployment to a large extent. He said India ranked only second in the world to USA in the number of entrepreneurs and start-ups, but, considering the size of the country’s population, the 18,000-odd start-ups were not enough. We need to take this figure to at least 50,000, he asserted.

Harish Chavan, Chairman, CII Punjab State and CEO Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd (Swaraj Division), while hailing the underlining theme of ‘Gaon, Gareeb Aur Kisan’ in the budget, highlighted transforming of the rural infrastructure, agricultural diversification, focus on fisheries, cattle feed and milk, creation of 10,000-plus farm producer organisations (FPOs), and ease of doing business and living for farmers as some of the unique features announced by the finance minister.

Expressing his views, Sarvjeet Singh Virk, Chairman, CII Chandigarh Council, and MD, Finvasia India Pvt. Ltd., said the budget appears to ensure more participation by retailers in the economy and also enhances the scope of institutional development by provisioning more FDI. He also appreciated the housing development schemes saying these perfectly fit a C-I-C (credit, investments and consumption) model.

In Rush For Mode Tech, Traditional Wisdom Should Not Be Ignored: Ajay Vir Jakhar

Sanjeev Kochhar
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0
In Rush For Mode Tech, Traditional Wisdom Should Not Be Ignored: Ajay Vir Jakhar

Calls for reviving the multiple village level and other bigger water bodies to improve harvesting of rain water and recharging the fast depleting ground water levels, and inclusion of innovative practices of doing profitable farming in our school education curricula to wean back the youth to agriculture, marked the culmination ceremony of the 2nd edition of the Innovative Farmers’ Meets organised by CII across the northe states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Participating in the deliberations at the CII Northe India headquarters in Chandigarh on Wednesday, progressive farmers, industry leaders and heads of various prominent agriculture and related institutions made an impassioned appeal for conserving and protecting various sources of water, which, it was felt, will be the single largest limiting factor for the future of agriculture in India.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

In his address, Punjab State Farmers’ and Farm Workers’ Commission Chairman Ajay Vir Jakhar emphasised that in the mad rush for adopting mode technologies, the traditional best practices of farming should not be ignored if we are to achieve sustainability in agriculture. He called upon National industry bodies like CII, which, in his opinion, exerted a much more powerful influence on framing government policies than farmers’ bodies, to show greater commitment in espousing the cause of the farming community in terms of framing pragmatic policies and programmes to make agriculture more sustainable and profitable for its practitioners.

Informing the gathering that his commission had recently undertaken a study on quality of groundwater and salinity of underground aquifers, he said since the aquifers of Punjab and Haryana are interlinked, the CII on its own should study which of the industries are polluting the groundwater and underground aquifers and initiate corrective measures accordingly.

Reminding the participants of the age old Hindi saying “Uttam kheti madhyam bann, nishidh chhaakri bheekh nidaan (meaning that agriculture is the best work, business or trade is medium, job is forbidden and begging is the worst work)”,  Haryana State Co-op Supply and Marketing Federation (HAFED) Chairman Subhash Chander Katyal called for thinking up new ideas to awaken the youth to the importance of pursuing agriculture as a profession and making it profitable by incorporating innovative practices and technologies.

Calling on the progressive farmers to become harbingers of change in agricultural practices, Punjab Commissioner – Agriculture Balwinder Singh Sidhu said, since farmers were known to follow by example the progressive farmers had a big role to play in weaning them away from the vicious wheat-paddy cycle. Pointing out that though other sectors of the economy are also culprits in the massive plundering of scarce water resources, but since agriculture is the biggest consumer of water, it naturally takes the lion’s share of the blame, he said, therefore, it becomes our greater responsibility to take steps to rationalise the use of water to safeguard our future generations.

Dr Gurbachan Singh, Founder Chairman of the Haryana based Dr Gurbachan Singh Foundation for Research, Education and Development (GSFRED) argued that the government must stop forthwith all measures which continued to encourage cultivation of water guzzling paddy. He gave the example of subsidy continuing to be paid to rice shellers and futile heavy investment being planned for utilisation of ‘parali’ (stubble) to prevent stubble burning by farmers, when it is a widely accepted fact that paddy cultivation is an unsustainable activity and has a bleak future . “By these measures you are not helping the cause of diversification of crops,” he asserted.

Giving example of his own farms, Dr Gurbachan Singh said stubble can be gainfully used as a mulching agent and for improving the health of the soil. Advocating integrated farming (combination of crops grown simultaneously) for improving the lot of the small farmers (with 5 acres or less of land holding), who form 85% of the total farming community, he called upon farmers to form small cooperatives to practise collective farming and direct marketing of their produce to get remunerative prices in lucrative markets. Maize, cotton, pulses, horticulture, dairy, fisheries, etc are good alternatives to wheat and rice, and farmers can pursue them for greater profits, he added.

He also advocated that the government promote setting up specific agriculture based industry suitable for respective ecological zones to discourage cultivation of specific crops which are not suitable for particular ecological zones.

The former Chairman of the Agricultural Scientist Recruitment Board (ASRB), as also Agriculture Commissioner, Govt. of India, and Director of Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI) Karnal, showed slides of his farms and shared how he was encouraging farm visits by school students to get them a feel of farming, and how it can be adopted as a clean and rewarding profession with a healthy mix of best traditional and mode farm practices.

CII Punjab State Council Chairman and CEO Mahindra & Mahindra (Swaraj Division) Harish Chavan while welcoming the participants, said the primary purpose behind the series of interactions with progressive farmers in the three Northe states was farmers’ welfare, along with propelling industrial growth and boosting GDP of the nation.

 In a power point presentation, CII Director Dr Rajesh Kapoor took the participants through the entire series of interactions under the 2nd edition of the initiative, which involved 9 sessions at different locations and the final culmination ceremony. More than 5,000 farmers participated, and 20-plus corporate organisations supported the cause, he claimed.

 

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