The Future of Travel & Tourism

“I do think that a significant portion of the population of developed countries, and eventually all countries, will have AR experiences every day, almost like eating three meals a day. It will become that much a part of you.” —Tim Cook

The metaverse is a fusion of physical and digital reality. People all over the world saw this as a game-changing stride into the future that would forever alter our lives.

But, exactly, what does the term “metaverse” imply? And what impact will it have on our lives, particularly the luxury travel industry? Let’s find out.

The majority of our internet experiences are currently confined to screens. The metaverse, on the other hand, will change that by allowing us to navigate within the internet itself. It is going to be a lot more detailed and immersive version of virtual reality.

One of the most intriguing things you will be able to do in this virtual world is to be present in various areas where you will be able to meet people and engage in activities like shopping, playing games, and even working. It will essentially be an ecosystem of many technologies that will all complement one another to create a new “virtual world” into which you can enter and exit.

i. VR (Virtual Reality)

Virtual reality is the art of creating movies or visuals that you may examine from all sides in 360 degrees. In effect, compared to a video or photograph, it allows viewers to get a considerably more detailed view of a location.

Virtual reality appears to be harmful to the travel sector on the surface. Why would people fly for hours, walk all day to a top, and spend a lot of money when they can look at the same spot through a VR headset from the comfort of their own home? But it isn’t that easy. That is why virtual reality hasn’t had the same level of success in the travel business as you might think.

ii. AR (Augmented Reality)

Augmented reality is a fantastic technology with a lot of potentials. It’s used in a variety of industries, including automobiles, gaming, navigation, and more. After AI, augmented reality in tourism is the next big thing. The advanced use of virtual reality in tourism will not only make travel more enjoyable but will also increase revenue in this sector.

In tourism, the future of augmented reality is bright and exciting. It will benefit both travelers and tourism boards in a variety of ways. People can have a quick tour of the location before coming there so that they can select where to go. The augmented reality tourist experience is a new marketing strategy used by a number of companies to advertise various tourist destinations.

• Augmented Reality for a travel agency.

An Augmented platform for everyone is built on a QR code-based system, in which the user scans the code and the virtual experience is opened immediately anytime the user desires. 

For a seamless experience, this concept is constructed utilizing real-time GPS coordinates of that location. The number of augmented reality service providers in the tourism industry is continuously expanding.

• AR has ushered in a slew of new revenue models in the tourism industry.

Advertising agencies are also dabbling in this industry, alongside virtual tours and navigation systems. AR for the tourism industry has opened up new revenue streams, such as AR-based airport advertisements. By scanning a code with their smartphones, people can encounter adverts in augmented reality.

Virtual billboards are being used by many businesses to attract clients. Many billboards can be found in shopping malls, train stations, and airports. Many businesses are now basing their advertisements on this principle, and according to research conducted by a marketing firm, these advertising have higher conversion rates than typical multi-channel commercials.

iii. Increasing the amount of information available in real-time.

Virtual and augmented reality Various variables such as a thorough experience of the target area, cost-effective solutions, and real-time information available to travelers enhance the travel and tourism industry. In a single click, a user may check their travel experience, the weather, and the main highlighted spots to visit using this platform.

People may practically choose which restaurant or bar to visit by simply looking at the menu on their phones. Take virtual tours of different restaurants before deciding where to eat, and you’ll never regret it because of phony ratings. After a quick tour, book your table right away and never wait in line for your number.

Hotels are incorporating this technology into their booking systems so that customers may take a virtual tour of a room before booking it. This notion has boosted the tourist industry by giving travel enthusiasts more options right on their phones.

iv. The Metaverse’s travel benefits.

Many travel businesses are already taking advantage of this technology. It allows them to offer their clients a “try before you buy” option. VR can transport you to another world, whether it’s a hotel room or a vacation site. As a result, you’ll know precisely what to expect and won’t be disappointed when you arrive. 

Knowing what you’re getting yourself into ahead of time provides you with peace of mind. Even places and hotels that aren’t getting enough visits right now because consumers are afraid to take chances might use virtual walkthroughs to make a convincing argument for themselves.

v. Is the metaverse going to put an end to travel?

To begin with, it is still in the early stages of development, and it would be premature to make a judgment. However, as far as we can tell, the metaverse or virtual reality as a whole does not provide the “actual experience.” 

Travelers understand that it’s not just about gazing at things, even if the scenes become ultra-high definition. It’s a whole sensory experience that encompasses everything from the fragrances to the weather and, most importantly, the atmosphere.

So it is safe to say that the metaverse cannot replace reality, it is not here to annihilate the travel industry.

Conclusion:

Not everyone can afford to travel in style. The majority of high-end resorts and hotels are out of reach for the average person’s budget. People who want to experience luxury firsthand but can’t afford it can use virtual reality. More importantly, it can be a boon to the elderly and anyone who finds it difficult to go to distant regions.

By Nishil Budhwarkar, BJMC-3

Today, health has become the name of the game. Health and fitness have become subjects of importance like never before. And why not, after all your body is your most precious jewel. Add to that the tumultuous times the professional world faces without any signs of things calming down. Further, the pandemic has also pushed people to stay in their homes making movability minimum. Justifiably, Fitness has become the call of the moment. Fine, now try answering a few questions. Do you feel tired after working continuously for just a couple of hours? Does your breathing become heavier after climbing a couple of floors? Do you feel like falling asleep earlier? If yes, then here comes a warning sign for you. It means that you are not taking care of your body well enough and here is a fitness mantra that will help you come good with time. It is pretty easy to apply and gradually you will surely slip in.  

1. Rest

The foremost thing that your body needs after a painstaking day is rest. A good night’s sleep does wonders for you. 7-8 hours of sleep in the night is what experts recommend, irrespective of how much you doze off in the day.  It relieves you off the mental stress and gives the body a break from the continuous work. Most importantly you feel fresh and ready to conquer the next day.

2. Exercise

Exercising everyday is extremely crucial for your body and has plenty of benefits. It obviously helps in the physical aspect of the body but also relieves your mind off the stress and gives you an enjoyable timeout from the daily routine. It keeps your body moving, keeps the joints healthy, raises the immunity, burns calories, develops the emotional balance and keeps you going. The common perception among people is that when it comes to exercising, it is about visiting the gym.  But well that is not the case. It depends on what suits you and how much time do you have. One can visit the gym and work with a trainer. One can also workout at the home with a few crucial exercises like planks, push-ups, burpees, squats and lunges. In case you are too busy, finding exercises in daily routine would be a good option. Take stairs instead of lifts, walk while on a phone call, walk short distances. In the end, exercising is a must.

3. Water

Water is one of most important element that everyone consumes. It makes up a major part of the body and so it is important to stay hydrated all the time. At least 3-4 litres of water is what the body asks from you. Usually we find it difficult to keep up  with the measure so the best thing is to carry a bottle along that would work as a reminder. Drinking luke warm water to begin the day activates the body organs, eliminates toxins and relieves constipation. Also drinking water half hour before meals controls the diet.

4. Food

Strictly speaking, you are what you eat. In that case it becomes very important of  what you consume. The problem with people who have a busy lifestyle is that they consume foods that are high on calories like pizzas and burgers.  These foods increase the cholesterol and pile extra calories. A change in food habits is necessary. Avoid unnecessary outings to eat and stick to healthy food even if ordered. When to eat also should be taken care of. Dates, fruits, dryfruits and chanas are superb substitutions for breaks.

5. Avoiding

Avoid consuming tobacco, smoking and the intake of alcohol. These substances harm the body in a great deal. Even if alcohol is consumed it should be done in a controlled manner.

Hellie Mistry, BJMC 3

Introduction

What is Privatization ?

• Privatization is the shifting of public ownership and operated means of production to private ownership or operation. In simple words it is the transfer of ownership, property and business from the government to the private sector is termed Privatization. The main difference to see whether it’s a private company or government is when companies drop using ‘Limited’ and start using ‘Private Limited’.

What is Public Private Partnership ?

• PPP which stands for Public Private Partnership is basically the concept where collaboration between Government agency and private based company. This PPP provides the opportunity of concession of taxes or other revenue problems and also it protects from liability. This is the ideal way because when it combines the innovation and technology of the private sector and incentives of the public sector, the work always completes on time and on budget. This was used for highways, airports, railroads, bridges, and tunnels.
• But for the very first time the Indian government is going to adopt Public Private Partnership in the telecom services and this has become the headlines recently. 

All about beginnings :  

Origin of Privatization

• Privatization in India started or I can say it originated in the year of 1991 to 1992 in India with the sale of the minority stake in some PSUs. Current direction in privatization policy was spelt out in December 2002. Let’s dig into it more. Around 30 years back in 1991, India was in debt of 70 billion. If it is not paid then the nation would be bankrupted. At that point of the time, Shri. Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister. So, he introduced a “New Economic Policy”, which is also called “Privatization”. To take this over, Shri.Narasimha Rao introduced a new Finance Minister to the Country. That person was Dr.Manmohan Singh. The budget read by Dr.Manmohan in 1991, he welcomed the Foreign Investment and Privatization. In 1993, Shri. Narasimha Rao gave an announcement. Private sectors are allowed for banking. According to the stats, Central allowed more than 10,000 foreign investments within 1991-2000. So, privatization played a major role in reviving our economy. 

Origin of Public Private Partnership 

• The Government of India decided that public–private partnerships (PPP) as a way of development in the country. In the 1990s, during India’s first liberalization phase, there were many attempts to promote PPPs. PPPs are the natural extension of mixed economic systems. The concept of mixed economy itself backed the concept of 3P or PPP. The first set of countries who followed PPP were China and India.

Current Scenario of Company Which are Privatized in India:

• In the current fiscal year, or going back to the lane of history, there have been several companies which are being owned by state or Nation and were completely taken over by private firms and the Government has planned a list of several companies which are state owned and are aiming to go completely private in near future.
• If we talk about the past Few Years, one of the most Discussed moves by the media was Privatization of Well-known Airline owned completely by the government which later went to a private firm with the government’s deal.
• As it was the loss-making Airline Over many Years with various reasons and additionally on top of that The Pandemic pushed its loss to a higher extent which led the Airline having larger debt than ever before.
• There have been various opinions as well over the years which were saying that privatization of this Airline will create a negative impact on Government Supporting Organizations.
• Later, the deal was done by the Tata Group in Year 2021 in the month of October.

As per above detailed information On Privatization it is believed that the companies will be performing better in private hands.

• For This Company, the Government had Initially planned to sell 76% of its stake which was later revised to complete 100% of stake.

Now, Let’s Go through some Advantages and Disadvantages with the decision of it’s Privatization:

Advantages:

• Earlier it was mostly run by government servants who might not be having dedicated experience as per the field while now as it will be private, there can be expertise which can be hired in near future which will be beneficial for the firm.

• In the Recent Past Scenario, there have been certain strikes by the employees in Air-India and there were times where it came to the remark where many times there was unprofessional behavior was noted, so a Stricter and well Discipline Staff can be formed.

Disadvantages:

• There will be different management once privatization will begin which will result in some point of conflict between the past and new management by certain conflicts of interest.

• It is noted that the government used these airlines for the purpose of VVIP’s Travel including the Higher Authorities like Higher Cabinet Authorities which resulted in 1146.86 crores additionally so it will also take much time to cover that.

Conclusion:

• This ongoing privatization will surely reduce the burden of government but for the Tata group this will be a long term investment but at the end the company will be saved from getting sunk unlike Jet Airways and the winner will be the Indian government as well as the Tata Group.

Current Scenario in which Government is Saving Private Company:

• In recent years, with the competitive market in telecom operator in which Company Like Jio which is running one sided in the market with large scale of profit is Impacting other companies’ performance and to deal with various companies used various methods like Giant companies like Vodafone and Idea merged and tried there chance in the market but the size of the debt scale they were having kept on increasing at every stage.
• So in order to deal with this now, They have decided to convert their all interest and dues into equity and give a Certain stake to the Indian government in order to clear out their dues so to be precise the stake which will be given to the Indian government will be around 35.8% in this entity. All these equity shares will be given to the Government of India on certain rates which will be Around Rs10 Per share. So at the end the current shareholder of these companies will be still holding 28.5% by the Vodafone group and around 17.8% would be held by Aditya Birla Group which is the Idea Group and the Major Part would be held by the Government of India Which will be 35.8% Respectively.
• The Main Scenario over here is Government of India is also having a telecom company which is BSNL and this company is also having huge debts and to revive those debts they had provided Rs70,000 cr worth of revival package to BSNL in which around Rs.30,000 Crore were used towards VRS for employees and according to the firm they will be using the rest of the money to roll out the 4G Plans in near Future.
• But if this merger happens, there will be some benefits to BSNL as well.

Such mergers can also come Under Public Private Partnership which is the natural extension of Mixed Economy.

Let’s see what the Advantages from this merger can be:

• The Government of India will be holding or controlling the majority stakes and there will be no wonder If we see one entity in near future which will be BSNL and VI together.
• The Company VI will be having some kind of bail out option from paying it’s due.
• Already there have been 25 crore paying subscribers so this will keep running the flow of money as well even after the merger.
• Once the merger is done, there will be immediate debt relief for Vi and they can use their cash flows to improve in the market and fight with their competitive giant company.

Disadvantages:

• There might not be Any kind of surety where the brand will change their loss cycle and will start generating profit flow.
• The money they will be using in order to improve themselves won’t be enough in a place where their competitor leader is expanding their business and investing constantly.
• There will be market criticism once this merger will take place which might create a negative impact overall to the brand.
• The track record of the Government of India with BSNL & MTNL is already not very good so this merger might not create any difference in future.
• With this merger there will be one surety that the potential of these companies will be increased than ever before and they will be getting a chance to revive themselves just like other companies and in a field where constant investment is required and if that matches all the needs can make a huge difference in the field of telecom sector.

Reason Why Privatization or Private Public Partnership Happens:

• In current era, where most of the countries have been hit by covid government most of the money is getting diverted to there other assets and at some point many assets of government goes into loss or in verge of getting complete vanished so in order to save that and in order to keep generating the revenue government gives all the stake to private company or some of the stake to private firms which will result as the private firms will use their money and will invest on those assets and will keep generating revenue from it so at the end it will be win-win scenario for the economy of the country as well.

It’s Advantages:

• Companies can be saved from getting bankrupt.
• If it’s Privatization, Fortune Firms can Invest their money on assets and can take it to the next level from the scratch as well with the use of Capital.
• Companies will be more efficient and competitive in the market.
• Long-Term Growth of the company can be seen.
• Ultimately the government will be getting more in return.
• Skilled Employees Can get opportunity.

It’s Disadvantages:

• There will be conflict of Interest between board members.
• There might be cultural differences.
• On the other hand, there will be many critics as well.
• There might be job losses.
• There might be an increase in prices with advancement in companies.
• There will never be surety that it will work completely in the near future with profit holdings.

Mergers Like This Can Create a huge impact on Citizens of Country:

• There might be a huge rise of job Opportunities with advancement in projects as the private sectors will put their additional money at the end to expand their project so that more skilled people will be hired which will result in a decline in the unemployment ratio.

• Better facilities can be provided to the citizens of the country with privatization.

• Culture exploration can be done on a wide scale by employees as well as citizens.

• Citizens won’t be losing their money on service they have been using regularly as under Public Private Partnerships companies can save from getting bankrupt.

With this, there will be also a Significant Impact on the Economy of Country: 

• Dues will be cleared with the merger as there will be a certain stake which will be given to the other party in order to clear out the due.

• Companies will be saved from getting bankrupt so it will create a positive impact on the Government.

• Profit can be Generated on a huge scale in near Future which will result in the boost of economy of the country.

Conclusion: 

• Famous Economist Charles Darwin Quoted that ” Survival of the Fittest” it means as we know coin has two sides so do privatization and it do have evil impact but by seeing those we can not leave the bright future of India. which means one need to survive in this competitive world, so if they want best they need to put behind what is better also PPP is like a safety net for the industries and companies. If they are in debt they can transfer their shares or equity for that debt. And that could either sink the government and company’s ship or can make it reach the shore. This is exactly what is happening in the current situation of Vodafone’s idea with the government.

by, Aarya Vyas (BJMC 3)

I am not a great believer of the Supernatural. A world that is invisible to a human eye, a world that science cannot explain, a different realm on the earth similar to ours. Maybe this disapproval of what science cannot explain stems from the deeper dwelling fear of the unfathomable powers or Xenophobia (fear of the unknown). However, this fear of the unknown drives me to dig deeper into the brain of a human being. The way a brain functions, receives and interprets information and the way the psychology and thoughts of a human being hinder the normal functioning of a brain.

Nevertheless, neither of these parts of me, the disbeliever of supernatural or the geek looking for answers in the science textbooks, takes away the fun of a chill travelling down my spine listening to a good horror story in a pitch-dark room at 3 in the morning.

Here I present to you one of the stories that I’ve heard in the recent past.

The story begins in the Northern parts of Kolkata, well Calcutta to be precise since the story dates back to the 80s when my maternal grand-uncle was a young chap, walking miles each day to earn his bread. Working as an engineer in the famously known Gammon India company, a heavy construction company, their family kept travelling a lot. After constructing bridges and dams in the farthest and darkest corners of West Bengal, my grand-uncle’s family was used to live in temporary quarters made for the people working on higher posts. These temporary quarters are usually built in secluded regions away from any sort of civilization, where land can be bought at cheaper rate in order to cut the extra costs.

The young and enthusiastic chap that he was, he finally felt overwhelmed after being shifted to the huge montane forests of Dooars, situated in the districts of Alipur Duar. He had been in dense forests before but this was different, this was weird. He was used to the fog and the cold of the forests but this sickened him. Lethargy spread through his body and the breeze were hammers to the bones.

The forest was so dense that the site of police investigators looking for dead bodies of murder victims had become mundane. Being situated in such a spot, my grand-uncle and his family often became subject to extensive questioning by the police regarding any unusual sightings.

His job at the site usually ended up the last. After everyone else cleared up the site, he was responsible for securing the premises. On one such regular night, my grand-uncle locked up and cleared the premises quite late. Travelling back to his quarters he could hear the barks of the police dogs in the forest filled with deathly silence. The fog was so dense this night that the flashlight barely helped. Taking the path he usually took back to his quarters, he kept walking, unknown of where or how far he was from his destination. The dog barks at a distance soon mellowed down, and with it went away the last hint of life around him. The silence of the forest started hurting his ears. His ears craved for a sound apart from the leaves rustling with cold breeze and the grass crumbling under his heavy steps. But not this. Especially not this.

Something struck his mind, he started looking in every direction possible, as if he was hoping to find someone who he could talk to. His knees started aching and his steps got heavier. The faster he tried to walk the slower he moved. As he continued walking in densely fogged forest with no visibility, a sound of something heavy hitting a tree nearby caught his attention. Without a thought he turned around and held his flashlight as steady as he could, pointing it from where the sound came.

A second passed and a similar yet louder sound of wood clapping against each other came from another direction. He started to look for the source of the sound. The sound of wood continued for some time, each time erupting from a different location. The fear of the unknown eventually got to him. Hundreds of thoughts started rushing through his brain, he started stepping back and moving towards what he thought was the closest way back home.

He started walking faster and tried to avoid looking anywhere except the narrow path that lead him to his destination. Suddenly his hope to find someone had died, he hoped to never see whatever caused that aggressive thumping of the wood. He continued walking and so did the echoes in the trees. The faster he walked the angrier the echoes got.

Eventually the sound caught a hold of him. Gathering all the strength he had left in him, he turned around with closed eyes hoping that when he opens them the evils would fade away like a cloud. The thwacking of the woods continued aggressively forcing him to open his eyes. To his relief, the moment he opened his eyes the only thing he could see was a dense fog and the soulless forest. He took a long breath of relief realizing the sound too had stopped following him.

He wiped the sweat off his head and looked up to pray his god. As he looked up, he saw the bright light of the full moon seeping down from the heavy fog and the fluttering leaves of the high trees. Gods were not in his favor today. He pointed his flashlight towards the towering branches of the trees and saw a silhouette.

A large yet stout figured man, bald as a 90-year-old, with a ‘Sikha’ hanging behind is head. With ‘Janeu’ draped across his left shoulder and a ‘Kalash’ in his right hand, the man walked down the tall tree wearing the traditional and ancient wooden ‘Khadams’ in his foot.

My grand uncle could barely breath, his flashlight and the bag of files fell right out of his hand on the ground. With the breath left in him, he turned around leaving everything behind and ran away from whatever he saw with no sense of direction. He kept bumping into trees, falling on the wet fields and getting bruised by branches hitting his face.

The next morning, he woke up in his bedroom surrounded by his family and co-workers to find out that they found him swooned at the doorstep of his very quarter.

As spine chilling as this story sounds, here are a few facts about our brain that I found over a long course of time that makes the disbeliever part of me question this entire incident.

One possibility is that the illusion is generated in the visual cortex. Located at the back of your head, this is the part of your brain that directly processes the information coming from your eyes. Maybe the visual system “sees” it wrong. The alternative is that the visual system “sees” it just fine, but some other part of the brain, possibly the frontal cortex that mainly focuses on creativity, overrides it, creating a new reality. Our brain has the tendency to collect data from various senses and create a picture for us that goes parallel to what we’re thinking.  

It’s really important to understand we’re not seeing reality,” says neuroscientist Patrick Cavanagh, a research professor at Dartmouth College and a senior fellow at Glendon College in Canada. “We’re seeing a story that’s being created for us.”

Most of the time, the story our brains generate matches the real, physical world — but not always. Our brains also unconsciously bend our perception of reality to meet our desires or expectations. And they fill in gaps using our past experiences.

Visual illusions occur due to properties of the visual areas of the brain as they receive and process information. In other words, your perception of an illusion has more to do with how your brain works — and less to do with the optics of your eye. An illusion is “a mismatch between the immediate visual impression and the actual properties of the object,” said Michael Bach, a vision scientist and professor of neurobiophysics at the University of Freiburg Eye Hospital in Freiburg, Germany, who studies illusions and has a large collection of them on a Web site. Everything that enters the senses needs to be interpreted through the brain — and these interpretations occasionally go wrong.

The debate of what’s the truth is and what our brain cooks up for us will continue to go on but a spine chilling story every once in a while does no harm.

Granola bars have risen the bars of a healthy lifestyle today. Being the only substitute for gym bars, you can live a better lifestyle yet relish your taste buds and stomach at the same time.

Busy people! We know tum bohot busy ho,tumhari life bohot happening hai, tum bade cool ho, tumhe kitchen me aana pasand nahi hai… but please aa jao! 5 mins of your life can help you and your knees for coming 50 saal till you die! (Brownie *sugarfree* points for identifying movie references.)

But What is Granola?

Granola is a breakfast and snack food consisting of rolled oats, nuts, honey or other sweeteners such as brown sugar, and sometimes puffed rice, that is usually baked until it is crisp, toasted and golden brown. During the baking process, the mixture is stirred to maintain a loose breakfast cereal consistency. 

Granola is a cereal-food consisting of rolled oats, honey, nuts or other sugar substitutes such as brown sugar, and occasionally puffed rice which is usually baked until it is crispy, toasted and light brown. The mixture is stirred during the baking process to maintain a loose cereal consistency for the breakfast. A dried fruit is sometimes added, such as raisins and dates, and confections such as chocolate. Granola is frequently eaten in fusion with yogurt, honey, fresh fruit, such as bananas, strawberries or blueberries, milk, or other cereals. It also acts as a topping for different pastries, desserts or ice cream.

When most people consider granola as just a snack bar, they fail to see its nutritional value. It is not just a normal bar, but can make itself an integral part of a proper balanced diet.

1. Helps Digestion

It is a fact that foods rich in fiber content helps digestion getting better. Granola is a fiber rich diet which consists of soluble as well as insoluble fibers. The soluble fibers become the nutrient portion for the probiotic bacteria living in the gut while in insoluble fibers adds bulk to the stool making it easier to pass.

2. Improves energy levels

Granola bars are the favorite partners of people indulged in fitness and vigorous activities because of its increasing energy level virtue. Granola bars are low in sugar but they contain high levels of a mineral called manganese which is involved in many biological energy giving processes.

3. Promotes weight loss

The protein-fiber rich combinations keeps you full for longer period of time , hence inhibiting hunger calls in between the meals. Granola is rich in protein and fibers that helps it inhibit a hormone called ghrelin which is responsible for making you feel hungry. It can absorb water significantly and also maintain blood glucose levels.

Cutting down the calorie intake is the best way to lose weight and this bar of excellence precisely helps you to do so.

To keep oneself healthy is the best form of self love

virgil

4. Boosts Immune System

Granola has high amount of Vitamin E which is an antioxidant vitamin that ensures the well-being of your immune system. This is not its primary function but it does it via gut. The gut consists of many probiotic bacteria which recognizes and kills any foreign pathogenic particles. The fiber rich granola feeds these bacteria so they perform well against the invading pathogens, hence improving the Immunity.

5. Keeps Your Heart Healthy

While potassium is not one of the key sources of Granola, it provides enough to have a balancing effect on sodium and flushes out extra Sodium and water to maintain the blood pressure. Fiber actively promotes excretion of cholesterol in stool and so helps in reducing cholesterol levels. The fiber potassium presence helps in removing atherosclerosis plaques, which in turn reduces the heart diseases risk and strokes as well.

6. Helps Anemia

Anemia is basically caused due to iron deficiency which results in lesser production of Red Blood cells which substantially is responsible for carrying oxygen to different tissues in our body. Granola is rich in Iron and when consumed with fruits with the alms of Vitamin C, responsible for the absorption of Iron, increases your blood building capacity. Check out https://fitandflexgranola.com/ for Granola with Real fruits.

It, very efficiently, fulfills your fiber requirements of 25 to 30 g per day. Ingredients like walnut, almond, cashews and seeds like sesame, hemp and pumpkin makes Granola rich in protein as well. Nutritionally, granola is typically a good source of iron, zinc and magnesium, as well as vitamin E and B and C, depending on the ingredients of your choice. Granola contains iron that helps you increase your immunity. Granola’s natural sugars, acting as energy boosters, help you kickstart your day with vigour. Naturally cholesterol-free granola, keeps your heart happy, healthy.

Apart from its nutritional value, this quick ideal protein rich breakfast becomes even more convenient and easy to munch on the entire day since they can be made into bars. This empowers Granola to be one of the healthiest breakfasts. Granola bars are thought to be meant only for people in fitness but that is a myth. It not only provides its goodness to them but also to people with its everyday nutritional value. They are Time-saving, Easy to carry, Easy to store, Easy to cook Instant energy source, best for working people who often skip meals due to overload of work.

The next time you are looking for an ideal breakfast, lookout for Granola at https://www.amazon.in/s?k=healthy+granola&hvadid=72567845738895&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&hvqmt=p&tag=msndeskstdin-21&ref=pd_sl_4kwzkl0amr_p

-Pahini Oza. BJMC 3

Rushiraj Panchal, BJMC 3

(Voice over of an old man)

“Arey aao na

Ke jaan gayi

Jahaan gaya, so jaao

Arey aao na

Ke thak gayi hai zindagi, so jaao”

Black to Fade in, a muslim man in his mid 50s, with rough white beard and poor posture. Walking with the help of a shovel in his hand. In his all white pathani which looks new. Walks into a graveyard and greets the security guard like he has known him for years now. The day couldn’t be scarier to enter the graveyard alone, the silence of the dead lying there is deafening and the whistling of trees just adds up to the creeps that one can feel. There’s a storm coming, and every thunder is an alarm for it today but for him. He walks by the number of graves and seems to look like he’s counting them “98..99..100” his face gives a light smile and he taps the shovel on the ground twice. Continues to walk and finds an empty space. He draws a big rectangle on the ground with his shovel and then looks up to the tree to check if the tree will give shade to that space. 

He starts digging it and the ground has started to ruin the purity of his new pathani. The almost done with what seems to be another resting place for a dead soul, sorry do souls die though? I don’t know. He still indulges in his job and the sound of someone walking a fallen leafs distracts him. It’s a boy who seems to be in his early 20s, looking around with curiosity, certainly visiting a graveyard for the first time. The muslim man looks at him with disgust and shouts at him, “OYE!” and nods, calling him near him. The young guy goes to him and say “ji?” 

“Kiske saath aaye ho?” asks the gravedigger.

“Kisi ke saath nahi, meri school nasdik hai yaha se toh hamesha dekha hai iss jagha ko, aaj socha dekh aau”the young guy explained.

The muslim man isnt very happy with his answer so tells him to leave the place, “Dekhna hogaya ho toh niklo yaha se, yeh jagha tumhare liye nahi hai” 

“Haa main jaanta hoon, par mein jalne se zyada dafan hona pasand karunga.” in a very sensible tone, like he has thought about this a lot.

“Abhi bahot chote yeh saari maaslo pe baatein karne ki liye.”

The young boy sits down on the the edge of the grave that the muslim man is digging. “Aap kabse yeh kar rahe hai?” asks him with curiosity with a serious tone. The man wants to ignore him and trys getting back to digging but after 3 4 seconds of silence, he replies “27 saal” 

“Oh itni toh meri umar bhi nahi hai” tells it to himself and throws another question at the man “aap kitni din yeh kaam karte hai?”

“Rooz”

“Daar nahi lagta?” the young lad.

“Nahi.” the muslim continues with his one word replies

“Par yaha rooz log aate hai dafn hone?” questioning his previous reply

The muslim man drops the shovel on the ground and sits on the edge facing the boy.

“Haa, log rooz marte hai, jee chuke hai zindagi, jitni allah ne deni thi toh kya hi hogaya ke marte hai, mere ghar mein roti isse se aati hai.” the muslim man wipes his sweat and has some water. 

“Toh aapko koi farak nahi padta?” the curious kid.

The muslim man chuckles and its surpising for the young man.

“Raat ko neend kaam aati hai, aur jab aati tab usme sukoon kaha. lagta hai, anjaam toh pata hi hai keh kya hona hai toh jeene ka matlab kya? Fir soche keh maare usse phele jo maar chuke unhi ki kuch madad karde kya pata allah jannat mein hamara bhala karde”

The young man, “kuch aur kyu nahi karte zindagi mein jisse tumhe khushi mile, yeh murdo keh bich kyu reh rahe ho?”

“Toh yeh kon karega?”  offended by the young lad’s question, he continues “koi aur 25 saal ka jawaan aadmi kisi ki kabr khod kar aapni zindagi ko maut ka pegham de isse behtar main hi kardu, naahi chahta keh kisi aur yeh roz maurdo ka chehra dekhna paade kyuki yaad reh jaate hai. Saare chehre yaad reh jaate hai.” 

The thunder that was alarming them, has started crying now.

A large group of people comes in with a body. 

“Jao yaha se” the muslim man orders the young man.

The muslim man helps the group with the body and places it in the grave he was digging. 

His white pathani is completely ruined now.

The young man observes everything as that was what that drove him that. The muslim man after taking his reward, 500 rupees goes towards the young man and say, “bhuk lagi hai?” and tries to clean his white pathani

“Haa lagi toh hai..aur yeh kurta naaya laag raha hai toh isse aise kaam ke liye kyu?” 

“Is kabr keh saath, pura aakda dus hazaar ko chuhta hai.”

Vidhi Saxena, BJMC 3

Whenever I ask my friends what the number one thing that’s holding them back from travelling is I almost get the same answer: Money. Travelling the world with no money sounds like an impossible dream. But not if you know how to watch your pennies.

I’ve compiled some tried and tested tips to help you plan a holiday on a budget with the help of your favorite F.R.I.E.N.D.S. characters.

1.Avoid tourist traps like Chandler avoids Janice!

Some places are naturally more expensive or cheaper than where you call home. I’ll suggest you to research places that are feasible to your pocket yet can make you go “OH.MY.GOD!’. Big cities and tourist hotspots are often a lot more expensive than straying off the beaten track! Try and choose less well-known destinations, if you can. Even within your destination, avoid restaurants and try something down a sidewalk. The food will probably be better as well as cheaper!

2. Don’t spend on meals like Rachel does on fancy dresses.

Cheap lunches can be bought in a supermarket or even a local fresh food market, rather than in an overpriced cafe or restaurant. Let’s be honest street samosa’s taste way better than the overpriced outlets. Drinking beer with every dinner soon adds up – both your wallet and your waistline will thank you if you opt for water instead sometimes. Alternatively, hostels and spare rooms often let you have access to a kitchen if you want to save a little money by cooking for yourself.

Image courtesy: whowhatwear.com

3. Unless you have Gunther to your Rachel don’t book in advance.

No one’s sponsoring you! Unless you find some last minute deals, but it’s often cheaper (and less stressful!) to book transport, accommodation and activities well in advance. Flights are more expensive at weekends, because more people are free to travel. Try and fly between Tuesday-Thursday, if you can. Also, Buses and trains are cheaper than planes. A journey on an overnight train also mean you have one less night in a hostel /hotel to pay for. You have to pay to get from A to B no matter what time of day you travel, but travelling overnight saves you the cost of accommodation for that night. Bonus: you don’t ‘waste time’ travelling during the day, so you have more time to explore!

4. Pack like Monica Geller!

Make sure you bring everything you need so that you don’t have to shop while you’re away (apart from a few souvenirs). No matter where you’re heading, prepare for unpredictable weather incidents. Also, pack light. I know!, we know that you won’t wear half the clothes you want to take, and it’ll only cost you more in baggage to bring more than you need. However, it’s important to check that you take everything you need, not forgetting anything! If you forget something, it could cost a lot of money to buy that essential missing item when you’re abroad.

5. Take advantage of shoulder season, when on a sabbatical like Ross.

Research the best time to visit your intended destination, and then travel just before or after these dates. This is called the ‘shoulder season’, where you’ll still have a great trip but maybe the sun won’t shine quite as brightly (and, on the plus side, it won’t be quite as hot.). C’mon it’s not some 18-page (front and back) reconciliation letter that you will find difficult to read. Not only will you save a lot of money, but you’ll have it all to yourself! Also, Hotels and airlines lower their prices to attract customers during this time.

6. Be an accommodation-savvy like Joey and Chandler!

Trading expensive hotel suites for dorm rooms in hostels is a ‘moo point’. Other great alternatives are websites like Airbnb, where you simply book a spare room in a local person’s house or apartment. It’ll halve the price and allow you an experience of real life in the city. You could even stay with family or friends. Reach out to people you know or plan a trip to somewhere that a long-lost cousin or school friend now lives – this could take you to visit places you’d never have thought of before.

Budget travelling can be delightful, and you should not take it as something to feel ashamed of. Moreover, some of the most amazing things happen when you actually step out of your comfort zone and experience life in its more real and conscious form. If Rachel getting off the plane to Paris to be with Ross taught us anything, it’s that taking a risk can actually be thrilling for once.

With this bucket of tips emptied in your brain I guess now you won’t have to say “I don’t even have a pla-”

Have you travelled on a budget? What are your budget travel top tips? I’d love to know.

Happy Adventuring!

-Karan Malukar.

I understand when people say they love food, but I don’t understand why some individuals take pride in the fact that their culinary talents are confined to heating water and preparing Maggi noodles. That is quite an accomplishment.

Cooking has no gender.

Let’s get one thing out of the way first. Cooking does not make you uncool, and it is not at all humiliating. It’s fine if you don’t realise it, but there’s no purpose in bragging about it. I advise learn to cook not so you can wow your mother in sasuraal, but so you can help yourself when you’re hungry and your mother isn’t available to jam aaloo-gobhi in your mouth. Learn it because knowing how to cook provides you with a core ability that can save your life.

Isn’t it true that everyone enjoys eating? So, why isn’t everyone able to cook? Mothers should spend as much time teaching their sons how to hack their way into the kitchen as they do fussing over their daughters’ round rotis.

You can become your own diet planner.

Culinary ability isn’t a threat to manliness, and it’s also not a plus for feminine. For the love of God, it’s a life-saving ability!

If you ever see the quantity of oil that goes into preparing those crispy patties or fries, you’ll be horrified. That stomach fat won’t go away no matter how many diet charts you prepare or how many gyms you visit unless you break up with fast food. There is no such thing as nutritious fast food, and nothing beats the taste of home-cooked cuisine. Fresh, hygienic, and nutritious meals is prepared at home. A basic meal of daal and rice is significantly more healthful and filling than a pricey Subway salad.

Cook your own, and save your gift.

Cooking is not only life-saving, but it may also help you save money. The majority of us live away from our family, and we spend a significant portion of our earnings on food three times a day. When you add up all of the money you spend on meals, you’ll be astonished at how much you spend. Try taking on that cooking adventure with whatever talents you have and you’ll be surprised at how affordable it is.

Self love=self cooked food.

To appreciate the intricacies of cuisine, you don’t have to be a Master Chef. Cooking, my grandfather once told me, is comparable to planting a garden on fire. It’s only now that I know it genuinely calms your nerves, relieves worry, and teaches you the most important life lesson of patience, all while promising a delicious meal at the end.

With each toss or whip, you release anxiousness and give your inner creativity a chance to shape up. Even if it’s not an elaborate four-course meal, it makes you perceive your food in a whole new way.

Cooking is a fulfilling experience that can make you fall even more in love with food. It’s a fantastic skill to have, and there’s no reason it should be gender-specific. Knowing how to cook does not make you any less cool, any more than knowing how to disseminate does not make you sophisticated. It’s a fantastic ability that everyone should have.

_{Image courtesy – brand.netflix.com}

Netflix, the American content streaming giant, on December 14, announced a major price drop in its subscription plans across board.

The biggest drop, that of 60% was made in rates of its basic plan from Rs. 499 to 199. Other plans such as the mobile-only (Rs. 199), standard (Rs. 649) and premium (Rs 799) were also reduced to Rs. 149, 499 and 649 respectively.

_{Image courtesy – pinterest.com}

But why did Netflix drop the prices? Though, it’s not first time that the streaming giant has cut prices in the country. The scope of the slash ranging across plans is what makes it intriguing.

Netflix India, Vice President (Content) Monika Shergill told PTI “The whole focus is on reaching our larger set of audiences out there, it’s a very organic expansion strategy…” Well, it may be. However, there is more to the story than just organic expansion.

Here are 7 possible reasons that might have played a role in the strategic policy shift :-

1. CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR & AFFORDABILITY

^{Image courtesy – pinterest.com}

One obvious reason certainly, is to increase its reach and general affordability among Indian consumers. Its earlier rates provided a monthly basic plan at Rs. 499, whereas its adversary Disney Hotstar offers the yearly basic plan at the exact same price. This pricing gap seemed to be making Netflix unpopular against its peers. Therefore, the move may very well be to abridge the looming rate gap.

Also, studies in the past have shown that Indians are more likely to use unpaid services like YouTube and Jio-cinema than watch paid content over streaming platforms. Therefore, for Netflix to grow in the country amid booming small platforms with modest rates, it had to amend its aggressive pricing policy.

2. UNTAPPED MARKET

^{Image courtesy – pinterest.com}

Netflix seems to be targeting country’s developing markets in tier II and tier III cities. According to a Times of India report, around 60% of current OTT users come from non-metro cities. Shergill, in an interview with livemint, also confirmed that the new rates were in line with their strategy to go deeper in the country.

In addition, India has more than 700 million smartphone users and about 825 million internet users, majority of which belong to semi-urban and rural areas. Out of this, Netflix has been able to woo only about 4.4 million people. It’s a vast but largely uncaptured market that the streaming platform has its eyes on.

3. COMPETITORS’ IMPACT

_{Image courtesy – hindibigzot.com}

The Indian OTT space is seeing a sustained boom in on-demand content platforms. The smaller players such as Zee5 and SonyLiv are effectively capitalising on their very moderate pricing strategies.

Moreover, the two apparent competitors – Amazon Prime and Disney Hotstar, have a larger foot in the Indian market with 19 million and 45 million subscribers respectively as against 4.4 million of Netflix.

It’s also hardly incidental that Netflix announced price drop, just the day after prime raised its yearly rate from Rs 999 to 1499. Grapevine also has it that Netflix is looking to bank upon Amazon’s customer annoyance after latter’s price raise.

4. VALUE FOR MONEY

_{Image courtesy – cnbctv18.com}

Speaking of competitors, both Amazon prime and Disney Hotstar offer greater value for money in tangible terms. The former provides simultaneous services in video streaming, prime music, library and one-day delivery services. While Disney Hotstar enjoys exclusive rights over sports broadcast. Therefore, to compete with the likes of these two, pricing policy seems first in line to undergo modifications.

5. MARKET SATURATION IN THE WEST

_{Image courtesy – theculturetrip.com}

The slow growth and near market saturation in the key western locations is also a reason why the media giant is looking at opportunities in the developing world.

Netflix is exploring incentive-based approach in markets such as India, Brazil, South Africa to increase its market share and hence compensate the ebbing growth in the western part. What makes India special, though, is the cheap Internet services available in the country unlike other developing markets.

6. THE 100M TARGET

_{Image courtesy – davemanual.com}

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, at various occasions has opened-up that their long-term target for India is to reach about 100 million users. Currently, it has only 4.4 million active subscribers and the target is nowhere even close to realization. Therefore, a policy change was certainly called for, if the giant is keen to dress-up for the success.

7. TEST & TRY METHOD

_{Image courtesy – applittools.com}

If nothing else, the new pricing strategy is part of the platform’s try and test method to see how the Indian market responds to the change. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said in an interview with filmcompanion “What [we have] found out is that as good as you can be in one country, it tells you almost nothing about the next one…there’s a trial and error period that we’ve been deep in right now.”

All in all, there is more to the price drop than what meets the eye. Media giants like Netflix don’t make such a move in air. The reasons for the same may range from Indian consumer preferences, modest pricing strategies of adversaries, slow growth in west, market potential in tier II & III towns or what Ms. Shergill said, organic expansion strategy.

Whatever the reason may be, for Indians, ‘Netflix and chill’ just got real again.