First Prize : Kailash Mansarovar Harikesavan C, RO/ Irinjalakuda Second Prize : Family isn’t whose blood u carry.... its whom u love n who loves u Arnab Ghosh, Br: Howrah Third Prize : Mahabaliyum Divyabalium (Mal) Jose Paul, Thrissur, Ollur. First Prize : Nikhil Ghosh A, Br: Puthiyara Second Prize : Neil Joseph, ZO/Ernakulam Third Prize : Thushara Mathew, Br: Edapally We request all the other participants and contributors not to lose heart and keep up the good efforts and support us in making the magazine a big success. The Editorial Team, Federal Reach 18 Travelogue - A walk to remember 20 Reminiscence 24 Kids Zone - Oh.. dear.. It’s me! 26 Photo Essay - Slave trade - The dark ages of Africa 30 Technology - Cloud computing 32 Cricket - Transition of Indian cricket 38 Article - Do you really want it? Think again...? 39 Chalk Art 40 Diamond... Princess Cut 43 Fed Events 44 Short story - Meri Pyari Gudiya 45 Happy birthday & Smiles of the issue 04 Message from MD & CEO 47 Best of Selfie contest 05 Message from GM & Chief Editor 48 Click Away 06 Green farming 50 Kids Gallery 10 My India My Pride - Unsung heroes of India 51 Just Married 12 Recipe - Kundapura chicken ghee roast 52 Crossword 13 ICE Award for Federal Reach 53 Sudoku 14 Travelogue - Mt. Kanchanjungha, Sillery Gaon 54 Colouring competition Chief Editor Zonal Coordinators Designers: themediafactory1@gmail.com. 989 572 0000 Mr. Thampy Kurian, GM & HR Head Ms. Geeta Kanwar, New Delhi Credit Hub Editorial Board Printers: Anaswara Offset Printers, Ernakulam Ms. Linda Menon P, SME Business Department Mr. Syam S, Br. Chathannoor Mr. Senthil Kumar K, Br. Bangalore/Sadashivanagar Mr. Roopchand C R, HR Employee Relations & Operations Mr. Abhijit Bimal Kumar Laha, Mumbai Zonal Office The Federal Bank Ltd., Regd. Office: Mr. Raj Gopal R, HR Employee Relations & Operations Ms. Sujata Naha Roy, Br. Kolkata/Burra Bazar Federal Towers, Aluva, 683 101. Kerala, India For and on behalf of The Federal Bank Limited, Edited, Printed & Published by Mr. Thampy Kurian, GM & HR Head, Ms. Lakshmy Radhakrishnan, HR Talent Development & Training The views and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those Ms. Latha H, HR Employee Relations & Operations of The Federal Bank Ltd. (For Private Circulation only) Ms. Rose Mary M. Gregory, Corporate Services Department Federal Reach online: Please visit Darpan (the online e-platform by HR Department) to view the flipbook version of Federal Reach Send your contributions to: The Editor, Federal Reach, HR Employee Relations & Operations, The Federal Bank Ltd, Federal Towers, Aluva – 683 101, Kerala. Email: magazine@federalbank.co.in ISSUE XXX Dear Federal Family, We need to let go of things that have been imposed on us and those that have held us back. Take leaps. Stumble and get up… but never let go of your dreams! 04 . FEDERALREACH encouraging all our customers to use alternate banking channels Its monsoon once again and it’s the time when the air is like debit cards, credit cards, Scan n Pay, e-pay, internet and fresh and life brightens up. It is a time when Mother Earth mobile banking for their bill payments and other daily banking gives us the message of togetherness and hope. Rains bring requirements. respite to everybody and the scorching heat takes a break. Online banking helps our customers become more of a banker, Schools around the country have opened up and a new running their accounts like a small business that they control academic year has started for our young family members. every day. Soon enough we aspire to make each of our customers It is hard to know sometimes how our life has changed check their bank account as often as they check their e-mail. until we stop for a moment and look at how different it is Going Digital is no more an option for us now; it is a default. We from ten or even five years ago. Most of us are living in a are aware of the fact that there is a group of our customers “system world” and there is this new restlessness of technology who are not as technology enabled or friendly as others and we creeping in all around us. We are so obsessed with internet constantly strive to reach out to them through our vast branch and mobile phones that they are so much a part of our daily network and are “Never too far away” to serve them. We believe lives and we can hardly think of how the world would be in personalizing for each of our customers’ requirements and without them. In today’s world, families are pulled in different hence wish for higher chances of adoption. directions far too often. It is important for us to seek out We have begun our journey in this financial year with new ways to enrich bonds and relationships instead of everyone hopes and dreams to become “the Most Admired Bank” by all going their separate ways. Technology has the ability to be stakeholders. We dream of being a Bank where access to our used to lessen stress and time consuming tasks that steal service knows no barrier. All our offerings are tailored to serve precious moments away from our family. The evolution of emerging opportunities and we will spare no effort till we get technology has reached a point where pretty much anything “Federal on every mobile”. This dream is a lofty one but realize is available at the touch of a button; shopping, learning, it we will. working and entertainment are all accessed at the comfort of our homes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the “Digital India” programme as a flagship initiative that would bridge the gap Finding our way is as much about getting out of our own way. We need to let go of things that have been imposed on us and those that have held us back. Take leaps. Stumble and get up… but never let go of your dreams! between the haves and have-nots so that development reaches the country’s poorest and those living in its remote corners. Best Wishes Our PM held out a “digital” dream for India. We hope to be p a r t n e r s i n t h a t d r e a m a n d h e l p i n our country’s Shyam Srinivasan development in a way of our own. As a first step we are MD & CEO Dear Team, Having flagged off from Thiruvananthapuram, the spirit and flavour of MILAN is spreading virally through the rest of our organization! I’m sure those who have already celebrated the occasion of togetherness would have lots of memories to cherish and moments to linger on..! I had the golden opportunity to be part of MILAN at many regions and what made me feel happy and proud is the exemplary artistic talents exhibited by the younger as well as the elder generations, the togetherness each one of you enjoy, the concern you have for one another and the team spirit you display while celebrating the diversity of culture and language. Presence of an 85 year old family member at one of our programmes made me feel blessed as an HR person! The award winning moments from the achievements and accomplishments spreads a message on what is most important to us as a company that gives us our identity. The growing numbers of Facebook members of Milan 2015, the 250+ entries to the traditional dress contest, the gatherings of 500+ Federals in each region, all speaks of the enthusiasm we share as part of a big family. While the contests and the competitions get us to involve with each other, the bonding we share makes the vast family come closer. Through these informal meetings our next generation is also getting to know better about the Federal culture and legacy. Let us cherish every chance we get to mingle with each other. After all, at the fag end of the life, it is the warmth of these relations we share and strength of the connections we make that keeps us feel special! Wish you all a happy MILAN and robust days ahead! Best Regards Thampy Kurian General Manager & HR Head Let us cherish every chance we get to mingle with each other. After all, at the fag end of the life, it is the warmth of these relations we share and strength of the connections we make that keeps us feel special! FEDERALREACH . 05 . 06 FEDERALREACH ot in any way trying to explain the philosophy of life! Here N Spot it right! The first and foremost requirement for setting up a we are talking about nothing other than gardening - an idea garden is the identification of proper space with sufficient sunlight. of having your own kitchen garden! Yes, as the ad goes – An No amount of fertilizer, water, or care can replace needed sunshine. idea that can change your life! Planting a garden that includes Choose a spot close to water supply for convenience, and to avoid vegetables and flowers means you’ve combined the natural having to use long lengths of hoses. companions to set up an attractive landscape feature. Here let’s take a journey through vegetable gardening! Planting a vegetable garden where it can be visited frequently will allow to monitor plant pests and the general health of the plants more easily. Imagine a handful of tomatoes, a few beans and chillies, pod of green peas, a little bunch of coriander and pudina leaves – right from the back of your kitchen. Just look at them for a minute, smell them closely – don’t you have a feeling of contentment and accomplishment? If you think this is something impossible or difficult, you are wrong! If you think that a big yard is required to set up your little kitchen garden, you need to think again! For those who have not ventured into a little kitchen gardening, we feel this will be a self help guide. Good Luck! Imagine a handful of tomatoes, a few beans and chillies, pod of green peas, a little bunch of coriander and pudina leaves – right from the back of your kitchen. Just look at them for a minute, smell them closely – don’t you have a feeling of contentment and accomplishment? Sit together – think of what you would like to grow in your garden. We bet, the family time you enjoy discussing these will pump more Start small! Start growing vegetables that you can harvest in 30 energy and happiness! Think of plants which give yield quickly – always to 45 days. Start growing in pots or grow bags. If you choose to have coriander, pudina, spinach, tomato, chillies, lady’s finger, egg grow in containers, you don’t even need a yard – even a balcony plant, peas, any bean and gourd varieties, onions (you can lavishly may provide plenty of space. Do not start with a large area if you are use for spring onions!), beetroots & radish and the list goes on! a novice. Setting up a little space is wiser than ending up with The Preps! frustration by beginning in a large area! Get the saplings ready – either you can buy good quality ones or Make it rich! A deep, organically rich soil encourages the growth get some good seeds on your own, sow them and make your own of healthy, extensive roots that are able to reach more nutrients and saplings ready. Seeds need moisture to germinate, so it is important to water. Expert gardeners agree that building up the soil is the single keep the soil evenly moist until the seedlings are sprouted and growing. most important factor in pumping up yields. Raised beds yield up to four FEDERALREACH . 07 times more than the same amount of space planted in rows. The result is extra-lush, extra-productive growth above ground. In case if you have infertile soil, don’t worry, you can make it productive by tilling in organic matter, harmless fertilizers, lime and other soil improving materials. Water matters! There are no hard and fast rules to watering, because every situation is different, due to temperature variations, humidity and soil types etc. City water is treated with chemicals like chlorine or fluoride, so it’s a very good idea to allow the water to sit in an open container for at least 24 hours prior to using it for watering. This may be possible for those who have potted plants in their balcony. Be watchful! Mulching between the rows will help to control weeds, conserve moisture in the soil, and provide you with pathways to access your plants. Weeds rob your vegetables of water, light and root space. Keep them pulled out regularly (try to get the entire root) and the Start growing vegetables that you can harvest in 30 to 45 days. Start growing in pots or grow bags. If you choose to grow in containers, you don’t even need a yard – even a balcony may provide plenty of space job isn’t too bad. Discovering a bug problem early will make it much easier to take appropriate action and eliminate the pests. Unfortunately, it is a fact of life that if you grow plants there will always be the possibility of the summer for a succession of crunchy, colourful crops. an insect infestation of one sort or another. To control Just that the peas require a support for their stems - the pests, only use organic, homemade pesticides – spray simply erect some chicken wire or netting between a watery mixture of garlic, turmeric powder, neem oil all supports at each end of the row. Tomato plants are so blend in a mild soap base. Always remember NOT to use quick that you can almost watch them grow so they are chemical pesticides and chemical fertilizers which are very the ideal easy vegetable for kids to grow. much harmful to health. . 08 FEDERALREACH Teamwork pays! With a full time job, managing one’s Watch them grow! Ensure not to overcrowd plants time becomes critical. Involve all the family members to in a single container/grow bag. The more space and good be part of this interesting engagement. Kids may be potting mix you use, the better the plant will grow. Spring taught to water the plants, encouraged to monitor the onions and radishes make easy vegetables to grow in garden for any pests and weeds, prepare the compost, pots, or sow them directly into the ground throughout pluck the ripe vegetables etc. Set aside a fixed time everyday for gardening so that it will never become an unexpected job. The general perception is that starting and maintaining a terrace garden is an expensive affair. just in your dreams, you can make your vegetable garden a reality! Happy & Healthy Living! Treat early disappointments as small learning steps. We fail to notice that there are free and less expensive resources that can be optimally Growing your own vegetables is not just a cost saver but also a healthier option. The used and reused to maintain a terrace garden. You can use partially broken buckets, color and taste of the home grown vegetables are the best. Gardening is a great paint containers, partially broken dust bins as pods, alternatively you can buy grow stress reliever and harvest time is the most exciting one too. Learn using Google, bags. Use tea grinds as effective fertilizers and compost. Instead of throwing tea and YouTube videos on how to grow each type of plant. Learn about companion grinds and vegetable peals as waste, reuse them as fertilizers. Check with your milk man if planting to provide a diverse habitat for all type of insect life (good or bad). Talk and he can supply cow manure for a nominal amount. Your own kitchen is a great source for learn from people who have been growing for a while. Plus, growing vegetables is seeds. You can find coriander (dhania) and methi seeds right in your kitchen. fun. It’s a great way to spend time with children in a productive way or have a place Get your dining table ready! Spice up your salads with spring onions and peppery radish. Tomatoes, beans, brinjal, chilly, bitter gourd, lady’s finger, radish, carrot, ridge gourd, cucumber, pudina, palak, coriander and the list grows on…. Not . to get away and spend time outdoors in the sun. So don’t think too much.. If you haven’t started yet, this is the best time to begin. Happy Gardening! Editorial Team FEDERALREACH 09 ords haven’t spoken much of them neither do volumes have been written on them! Not much media coverage, No usual Godfathers to sing praises of them! Not many eyes have seen what they have done. Not many ears have heard of their heroic deeds and yea, Not many mouths have spread the word! Yet, in one corner of this beautiful world, they continue their good deeds leaving an impact in others’ lives, making this place a better one to live in! Unsung their stories are, Unsung their strengths are — Unsung these heroes are!!! Look around to see them operate in shadows away from the grip and clutches of fame and pride, sincerely committed to what they have imbibed in as their life goals! This edition of ‘My India My Pride’ brings to you the ‘Unsung Stories of some of these Unsung Heroes’. Hardly a few of us would have realised the importance of Education, when we were small. That’s when Babar Ali becomes a real hero. Even at the very amorphous age of nine years, he comprehended the significance of ‘Education’ and the importance ‘of being educated’. He perceived and conceived the idea to teach those hapless kids who are deprived of education in his neighbourhood. He took classes in his family’s backyard, after his school hours and gradually, this outdoor school grew with ten volunteers teaching almost 1000 Babar Ali, Murshidabad, West Bengal students from grades 1 to 8. His school christened ‘Anand Shiksha Nikhetan’ gives education free of cost with the belief that education can change the lives of these poor and hapless. In a world where competition steals the show and where ‘A nine year old who thought he could change the world of many’ . 10 FEDERALREACH selfishness rules the blood, people like Babar Ali stands out with their extra ordinary efforts in helping others change their world. A normal day of Dr.Laxmi Gautam begins in the alleys besides the ghats of Yamuna. Her eyes look out for widows – alive or dead with an aim to give them a dignified living or end! Rightly called the ‘Angel of Vrindavan’, she says :” I am never scared Shakti Puraskar for her dedication to widows’ welfare. of the dead. It is the living who frightens me. They To live for others is tough and hard. We all do that for can harm you, but not the dead”. For the our loved ones. But how many of us would live for abandoned widows, sometimes she became their those strangers who have never been a part of our mother, sometimes a friend, sometimes a sister lives! Forget about spending money for them, how and sometimes an Angel! She gives them a warm many of us would be willing to spend some quality meal, a blanket, medical and emotional care time with the abandoned! Most of them needs a through her NGO Kanak Dhara Foundation. For gentle touch, care and a sweet welcoming smile – the dead and abandoned widows, she arranges things that money cannot purchase! for a respectable cremation and are given befitting Dr.Laxmi Gautam reminds us that its time we ought to solemnities. be more humane! She has been awarded the Nari People like Dr.Laxmi Gautam, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh ‘The Mother Teresa of Widows’ Arunima Sinha, UttarPradesh Arunima Sinha – a name that has been etched in the She was awarded Padma Shri in snow laden peaks of Mt.Everest. Hailing from Uttar 2015. She has reproduced her life Pradesh, she climbed the highest peak to become story of ‘ups and downs’ in the the first lady amputee to successfully complete this autobiography ‘Born Again on the herculean task. For many, Mt.Everest is still an Mountain’. Arunima Sinha stands as unconquerable gigantic mountain, out of their reach a token of hard work, dedication, and climbing it is still a dream. But Arunima Sinha relentless dreamt of it to have sleepless nights and finally climbed continuous inspiration to many. the peak at the age of 26 (in 2013) making her dream Unknowingly has she touched the a reality. This national level Volley Ball player was lives of many when she climbed pushed from a running train by thieves when she Mt.Everest with her amputated leg - refused to hand over her chain to them. One of her a living inspiration for many others to legs had to be amputated below the knee. Like a convert the tragic twists and turns to phoenix, she rose from the ashes to be ‘Born Again on exceptional achievements in their the Mountain’. lives. determination FEDERALREACH . and 11 Bini Amith, W/o. Amith Kumar Service Quality Department This Madhabhi Puri Buch, Delhi ‘Conceptualizing Innovative Approach to Charity’ Madhabhi dish is the specialty of Kundapura in Karnataka. The most famous restaurant for Chicken Ghee Roast in the entire Karnataka, or perhaps in the world is Shetty Lunch Home in Kundapura. Once Puri Buch - A banker cum surgery with the same money. Let us extend you got to know the taste of chicken ghee roast you will get philanthropist who initiated an innovative our warm hands to those who are suffering. addicted to it! approach to charity. Take a ride in ‘Luxura When innovation keeps the world moving, Ingredients: Magical India Bus’ and contribute to Madhabhi Puri Buch has turned the wheels for 1. charity. This luxury bus offers its users the a social cause. 2. Whole Red chilly - 15 (Byadgi) 3. Ghee - 100 gm 4. Garlic - 8 flakes 5. Ginger - 1/2 inch piece 6. Big Onion - 1 (medium) 7. Salt - to taste comforts of a private jet and is aimed for Let these words stand as a testimony for those who want to travel luxuriously to any the extraordinary efforts of these seemingly tourist destination. The ‘home like feel on ordinary Indians who did nothing but thought wheels’ comes at a fare of Rs.30,000 for ‘off the track’ and took some extra steps to eight hours and a part of the profit extend helping hand to the needy. Such generated by this luxury bus ride is donated unsung heroes continue to inspire us, tell us to Cancer Institute, Chennai and Goonj, how to beat all the odds and most importantly an NGO which helps the underprivileged. remind us about our social responsibility. They Next time when we spend extravagantly, teach us to feel the pain of those strangers, to let us think of those underprivileged and love them as our own and do our bit to make the needy who would have a life saving their lives beautiful! . 12 FEDERALREACH Editorial Team Chicken (cut into medium size) - 1/2 kg Method : Boil the chicken pieces with a little salt sprinkled with a little water for 10 minutes and keep aside. Dry roast the red chilly and make it into a fine paste with garlic, ginger and big onion by putting in a mixer grinder. Put ghee in a Kadai and then add the fine paste and fry for 5 minutes. Then add chicken into this fine paste and fry for 15 minutes in low flame. Your chicken ghee roast is ready. It can be served for 2 people. FEDERALREACH . 13 Shuvajit Ghosh, Kolkata ZO . 14 FEDERALREACH B eing tired of the daily rat race, I was looking for a peaceful destination, which will refresh my soul and mind. That’s when a friend gave the suggestion to visit a small village near Pedong, called Sillery Gaon in North Bengal. Immediately the excitement to visit a new place roared loud from within. A weekend trip to Sillery Gaon was planned immediately along with two other friends of mine - Sam & Jaggu. I was told that there is no Hotel in Sillery Gaon and staying arrangement had to be made in one of the villager’s hut. This type of arrangement is popularly known as Homestay and this excited me more. Reaching New Jalpaiguri Junction by Darjeeling Mail, on a sunny February morning, we headed for Kalimpong, a well-known town of Darjeeling District. We had already arranged for our stay at Sillery Gaon through a friend in Kolkata. Mr.Phurba Tamang would be our host for the weekend and he would be there to receive us at Kalimpong. On reaching Kalimpong, we met an ever-smiling person, who greeted us like friends for years. A car was booked for our journey from Kalimpong to Sillery Gaon which was hardly one and a half hour journey. Our host cum guide informed us about the beautiful village, which they were planning to develop as an eco-tourism destination. From Kalimpong, we drove The glass windows were covered with water droplets and sky outside was clear. Snow-capped mountains were standing tall with clear sky above. Mt Kanchanjungha was standing there with all its beauty. We ran to the viewpoint. It was breathtaking through Algarah and Pedong to reach Sillery Gaon. We reached Sillery Gaon at around 1 O’clock and immediately the freshness and happiness started flowing within. We were welcomed with an ‘out-of-the-world’ Tea. The aroma of the delicious tea was awesome and though not a tea-lover, I liked it and would never forget the taste. Jaggu is an ardent tea-lover and I could imagine the innumerable cups of tea, he would gulp in two days. His eyes were shinning as if one of his dreams came true. Phurbaji has built rooms in hut-style with balcony for his guests. The rooms were cozy with attached western style toilet. After all the introductory chit chats, it was time for lunch. Mrs Tamang has notable culinary expertise. The lunch table was ready with smoky rice, lip-smacking egg curry along with Dal . and potato chips. Wow, what a lunch it was, immediately myself and Sam were planning for an afternoon nap, but Jaggu immediately requested for tea after lunch. That is Jaggu! FEDERALREACH 15 We did some treks together and we loved it. After the post-lunch tea, we thought of keeping our plan for siesta aside and visit Ramitey. Ramitey is a viewpoint almost an hour walk from Sillery Gaon with a special feature of snow capped mountains and river Teesta below in a single frame. Mt Kanchanjungha can also be seen from HOW TO REACH: Reach Kalimpong from NJP or . 16 FEDERALREACH Bagdogra. Government buses ply Where to stay: from NJP to Kalimpong. Share jeeps There are many cottages are also available. From Kalimpong available for Homestay in Best time to visit: book a car to reach SilleryGaon. SilleryGaon. October to April Ramitey. But that evening, by the time we reached Ramitey it was overcast. Our host cum guide warned us about the possibility of a rain and we headed back towards Sillery Gaon through the jungle road Tinchuley was our next trek destination from SilleryGaon. It is about 5-6 kms from (which is possible only in winter, as during summer and monsoon leeches will be there SilleryGaon. Tinchuley, means “3 peeks”, is a point from where the whole ranges of to love you). Soon severe lightning and thunderstorm started. We ran to the village mountains in Sikkim are visible. Gangtok, Zelep La and Zuluk can be visible if sky is and took shelter in the village school verandah. It was going to rain heavily and to clear. Now-a-days paragliding is being organized from Tinchule during the season. We protect ourselves we had to run to our rooms before the village roads become slippery clicked few of our best Mountain Range shots clicking photographs of mountain ranges to walk. Evening snacks and tea were awaiting us. We enjoyed the rain sitting at the can be of different experience from Tinchuley. Thousands of colorful butterflies balcony with tea and ‘pakora’. We were a little excited too, as from our fluttered around us and the village of Sillery looked like a post-card image of a village experience we knew that the rain may clear the sky and help us to have an on the slope of a mountain. While coming back from Tinchuley we rested for a while uninterrupted view of Mt Kanchanjungha. in a small valley, surrounded by pines, popularly known as Silent Valley. During monsoon, this valley becomes a lake. After coming back to room from Tinchuley, we felt little tired but the awesome lunch prepared by Mrs Tamang refreshed us. We planned another small trek to a very old fort called Damsung which is 4km trek from Sillery Gaon. This Fort was built during 17th century by Lepcha king. Our host told us various stories about this fort. It is told that the Fort was built in a single night. Now there is nothing left except the memories, reflected through the debris. The left-over and broken staircases through the jungle, the room, kitchen, prayer room would carry you to a period of about 400 years back. The natives believe that the place near the Damsung Fort is always guarded by Holy spirits and wrongdoers will be punished by the spirits. It was a nice and memorable trip with loads of fond memories to carry back home. The village had already won our hearts. There were only 25 huts in the village and people are very friendly. At night, the whole village was dark, only our room was having artificial light with the help of generator. As electricity was not there, villagers would normally go to bed at 7.30 pm itself. At night after having heavy dinner with Chicken and ‘chappati’, we watched the millions of stars shining clearly and that gave us more hope for view of Mt. Kanchanjungha next morning. Next morning at 4.30am, we could feel the chilling cold once we stepped out of the room to enquire about the weather. The glass windows were covered with water droplets and sky outside was clear. Snow-capped mountains were standing tall with clear sky above. Mt Kanchanjungha was standing there with all its beauty. Ramitey would be the best place to have the view with clear sky. We ran to the viewpoint. It was breathtaking. I had never seen such a view before; Teesta and snow peeks together in a single frame! Coming back from Ramitey we enjoyed our morning tea with The foods were fresh and delicious. Villagers were caring and friendly. This village would become a noted name in the map of Eco-tourism centres soon. From Sillery Gaon one can visit the nearest town of Pedong. Pedong has the options of several adventure sports like Mountain biking, rock climbing etc. The visitors to Sillery Gaon can also enjoy these adventure sports. Sillery Gaon and surroundings is a dream destination for bird-watchers. After 2 days of comfortable stay at Sillery Gaon, we bid goodbye to Tamang family and started our journey back with a promise to return. As of now in 2015 the village has the privilege of having electricity. Motorable road is there upto Ramitey. The village has made its own mark in the map of eco-tourism of West Bengal. The warmth and friendliness of the villagers is still the same, which is the reason why you will feel like going back again. Everytime I go there, I feel like . visiting my own people. Make this your next weekend destination for rejuvenating your soul and mind! the view of Mt Kanchanjungha. FEDERALREACH 17 Ernakulam Town, 01-12-2014, 2:30 A.M Srinivasan K. Br: Mecheri manage to book tickets, was the one that arrives at Thobith, Sebash, Suresh and myself alighted at the EKN railway station, such an inconvenient hour. We had piping hot half asleep. Due to heavy rush of Sabarimala devotees (according to one kattanchaya at the railway platform instead of estimate, Lord Ayyapan attracts 6 crore devotees a year, almost thrice the usual tea, as we had intended to savour every size of the population of Australian continent!!), the only train that I could flavor of Kerala cuisine for the next 2 days. Our ‘Chai pe Charcha’ started off with discussions on what to do with the time at hand as our Hotel at Thrikkarra informed that they would let us in by 6 am only. Being usually adventurous, we decided to walk. (Our hotel was 12 km from EKN station said Google Maps, the small clock on the right corner of Nexus mobile displayed time 2:45 am). As we went past the exit of the railway station, an autowallah approached, offering us a ride. Just to estimate the distance and we enquired the fare. He said he would drop us at the place for Rs. 400/ -. We thanked him for the ‘generous’ offer and embarked on our journey. Caffeine had kicked in and we were in full spirits so we decided that we would walk half the distance and then hire an auto. Navigating with the help of Google Maps we started ‘trekking’ the urban jungle. Suresh, a TCS employee and an amateur movie maker decided to capture the moments with his DSLR. . 18 FEDERALREACH Once out of the junction roads, she (Ernakulam city) welcomed us with open arms. Her widely paved roads and newly constructed flyovers looked imposing and spoke noiselessly about the ones who were travelling by the road and hub of activity that would be witnessed in that too at our own pace, we were able to a few hours from then. But for now, they view and appreciate things from different looked unused and offered just enough perspective. As we were wading through ‘space’ for the four of us to walk around! the city, we noticed that Ernakulam is Our topic of discussion was around how mini slice of India. In a sense, the city Kerala’s wealth was showcased in the highlights our secular ethos in a beautiful form of large billboards and neo-signs. manner. I say this, because we saw a Hoardings were selling all types of mosque, a church and a temple built automobiles, fashion wear, residential adjacent to each other and were playing apartments, financial products etc. This their morning prayers and hymns for triggered off a discussion amongst us on their respective followers. By the time we merits and demerits of capitalism. We walked past Lulu Shopping Mall, the sun discussed on how the influx of capital began to rise and we decided to have gradually increased, mostly with school is observed the instances of cheating influences the geo-political equations, how another pit-stop. A small restaurant had children carrying their heavy bags on during exams are almost non-existent the modern economy has become entirely just opened its door and we were its first their tender shoulders. On observing now. When the emphasis is more on consumer driven etc. Though we knew it customers of the day. We had a nice chat this, our conversation turned towards marks than on learning, students cheat. was a heavy topic to discuss at 4am in the over tea in broken Malayalam with the the modern education system and how it This particular interesting conversation morning we did so with much interest as chef, asked him about that day’s special affects young minds. We wondered if the carried us forward for next two hours when all of us had a lot of interesting things to menu and promised him to come back for quintessential sessions like PT(Physical we finally reached our destination at 8 am. contribute to the topic. As we were walking breakfast to his restaurant because it was Training period where we just played for We had walked for 5 hours (with a through the city, we decided to have our only 6 am and he hasn’t started his hours together) and Moral science are couple of pit-stops thrown in) with heavy first ‘Pit-stop’- at a small tea shop. After preparations. included in syllabus these days when shoulder bags but were not fatigued but a brief rest of 5 minutes, we decided to We noticed that slowly we have left the schools and parents are concerned only rather felt invigorated. Though we had continue the walk and our conversations. big city behind and moving towards its about marks. We chatted about an initially decided to cover only half the Along the way, the buildings were outskirts. Roads were getting smaller and interesting development in foreign distance by walk, we ended up walking getting bigger and more majestic. We houses bigger. Keralites have a great universities like Oxford and Stanford the whole 20 kms by walk. (Google were in the belly of the city. We couldn’t sense of style. Even the choicest locations where examination halls don’t have an Maps took us places instead of the resist the urge to appreciate the grand in Tamilnadu will have only 1 or 2 such invigilator or a CCTV to supervise the shortest route, but we were happy manner in which these modern building houses. We continued our walk as we students giving exams. The students are about it!) were designed. None of us would have soaked in the fresh morning sun rays and asked to sign a code of honor before given them a second glance had we been chirping of birds. The paths were getting entering the exam halls and nobody travelling by car or bus at another time of curvy and bumpy (roads can get bumpy supervises them. This inculcates a sense the day. But now, since we were the only even when you walk). Vehicular traffic of moral responsibility and ethics and it I couldn’t help but close this travelogue with an interesting African quote. . “If you want to walk fast walk alone; If you want to walk far, walk together” FEDERALREACH 19 I n another 14 months down the lane I am due for superannuation. Already my colleagues, friends and relatives have started asking “what plans after retirement”. Being a person who has the nature of crossing the bridge only when I come to it, I have not given a thought to my retired life. But still, if ever I was given a chance to relive my childhood I would go back to those days and spend my retired life. The life during the age of 5 years to 12 years especially was eventful .Every moment was joyful. I should thank Federal Reach for giving me an opportunity to reminisce on those days. My native place is Nagercoil and we lived in a Brahmin agraharam called Vadiveeswarm. The houses were all built continuously with common walls on left and right. The length of the house will be 200 feet and width will be only 20 feet. The kitchen will be at the far end . 20 Letha L. Chennai/Asset Recovery FEDERALREACH and to answer the door bell one has to run these 200 feet. It was always the children who do this running. So brisk we were that we always had something up our sleeves to do. Every month of a year was eventful. I had a large number of friends who have become a part of my life. No worries, No commitments, No burdens. So if ever I am given a chance to go back to my childhood days I shall definitely spend my retirement that way January This February month we have a famous car festival at Suchindram about 3 miles from Nagercoil. Thousands of people throng the place and pull the ropes of the Rath. Our main attraction for this day was the pocket money being given to us by parents and grandparents to spend on eateries and fancy items. We were given just 25 paise. Though Indian Govt has brought about T he the decimal system in currency the anna system was prevalent. We used to get ¼ annas coins month of Thai Pongal. which have a hole in them. As we had to wear pattu pavadai for such occasions, the ribbon Harvest season was celebrated of the pavadai came in handy to tie all these kaalanna through their holes. . We will spend three days thanking the Surya, them on sugar candy, goose berries, bangles, watches etc. We were so satisfied with these Varuna, Indra and the cattle and trinkets. Shivarathri was another major festival of this month. As we had to keep awake birds. The roads will be spread throughout the night, we enact plays like, Chilapathikaram (Kovalan Kannagi), Prahalada with the hay and while coming charithram and the like. The rehearsal will start 2 weeks before. All friends will assemble in any back from school we will roll on one of their house terrace and practice. One will be director, one dialogue writer; one will take this hay and get beatings from care of attire and so on. It will be fun throughout. mother later. Painting the house and adorning the front and back yard with kolams was the main item of this festive season. March April Before Tamil New Year day i.e., around 10 The th veranda will be half wall and half April school will be closed. As no mobile or fixed with grills. The outside wall of whats app was available and Land line was a the veranda is to be painted with luxury it was through letter we friends keep in white and saffron alternatively to touch. After celebrating Tamil New Year day give a temple like look. This job I started off the journey to my relatives houses was usually entrusted to children. living in places from Trivandrum to Ernakulam. Like Tom white washing the fence, half way it will be passed on to some “onlooker kid”. This month was usually busy with studying for exams and awaiting the holidays. The holidays were spent playing cards, shuttle and visiting beaches, temples, watching movies and going to Trade fares. FEDERALREACH . 21 May June July and so girls will queue up before them. It will be the flowers of the season like Pichagam, Thazhambu, and Champagam etc. With dreamy eyes and happy mind we will go the We are back at Nagercoil. Mom and aunts are busy making “Vadams” (rice and sago papads). Early morning they prepare the batter and spread on the cloth in the terrace to dry. We kids have to be on the terrace guarding the vadams from crows, temple and do the Kolattam (a School dandiya type dance with sticks). reopens. It was a pleasure to go back to school to meet our class mates Mid of July comes the month of Aadi during There will be different dances after 2 months break. The smell of new which the Tuesdays are special for the Goddess with complicated steps and the books and note books gives a good feeling. Devi. So young girls like us adorn ourselves in sticks should be beaten against Any newly admitted girl will be studied, pattu pavadai. Plait our hair and the plait are each other as per the thaal. decided whether she is worthy to become decked up with accessories like Rakudi and was a sort of yoga with a member of our gang. New teachers, new flowers are stitched concentration of mind and subjects, days fly. Very few old aunties have mastered this art to this plait with Needle. It steps.” squirrels etc. Morning to evening me along with friends or sister or brother will stay on the terrace under some shade August reading stories, chatting, Mid of August starts the auspicious month of Aavani and sees a lot of weddings and poojas. singing, eating mangoes ripe Those days’ weddings were conducted on the street in front of the house itself. All the people or kaccha and polish off some will treat the neighbor’s house wedding as their own house wedding and jointly do all the of the semi dried vadams. . works. Pandal enclosing four or five houses will be set up. The common walls at the back yard Next week we will be down of these houses will be demolished for easy access.We will be overjoyed as parents wouldn’t with dysentery. mind us loitering without studying as we will be running errands for them. . 22 FEDERALREACH October comes and we are busy with Pooja. “Kolu” is arranged at all houses. We will be visiting each house with a big bag (hee... hee… to collect the eatables) and sing keertans in the best of our voice, swar, raag and thaal. The poor mamis of the house have to bear with us and try to evacuate us as early as possible. Then shopping September is for Deepavali starts. busy with Quarterly exams and the Michaelmas Holidays. These holidays we learn cycling. One November cannot own a cycle, so we hire This month we wait for Deepavali cycle by the hour. The cycle will not early morning and join the Bhajan group have a brake or bell. While who sing Thirupavai which was composed negotiating a turn we have to shout by Sri Aandal a devotee of Krishna. This “Cycle Cycle” instead of ringing has 30 pasurams (slokas) to sing all the the bell. We usually go around the thirty days. We by heart these pasurams big Sivan temple in our village in the and sing everyday morning.The mornings afternoons when not many will be will be chill and the teeth chatter in cold. outside. One day the cycle December rammed into a lady selling curd A pleasant month. Mid of December, streets of the agraharam will be visited and ghee resulting in paying her Month of Margazhi starts. It is special for and each day any one of the house will compensation and putting an end Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva.We get up distribute hot yummy PONGAL Still we enjoyed the 30 days. All the four as this is the time one gets a new dress. We do not get any new dress for Birthdays even.So the dress is taken out everyday admired and kept back in the almirah.On Deepavali day we wake up very early take oil bath wear the new dress and fire crackers. It will be a competition among the neighbuorhood children as to who has fired maximum. to our cycling. So friends don’t you think the child hood days were the best in our life. No worries. No commitments no burdens . So if ever I am given a chance to go back to my child hood days I shall definitely spend my retirement that way. The only word with all the vowels in reverse order is “SUB CONTINENTAL”. FEDERALREACH . 23 "Mummy, Where is my commmbbb,???????????" Meena was yelling in the morning. It was 8.45 am and her school bus would be at the gate within five minutes. She was frantically searching for her comb which she had left somewhere the previous night! A typical morning scene in our homes! Our fretful search for combs would definitely not have triggered atleast a momentary thought on the "How, Where and When" of the otherwise irrelevant item: "The Hair Comb". Let’s hear it straight from the horse’s mouth!! I keep your unkempt hair in the most orderly way, "Hai dearies ,,, Yet nobody cares to give me a "hai", You take me in your hands everyday, Some have shiny and smooth hair , Yet neither do you smile nor do you talk to me, While some are always tangled and take life out of me, I help you look beautiful, Yet I don’t grumble and complain, I make you stylish, For I love my masters sincerely…!!" Kanga Comb or Sikh Comb . 24 It is a wooden comb used particularly by the Sikhs. It is A golden comb one of the articles of faith (five kakar) needed for a with peacocks Amirthdhari (meaning :possessor of Amrit), a Sikh who observing you has been initiated into the order of Khasla. The Kanga with ruby eyes, Comb is usually made out of rose wood or sandal wood while and is of 2-6 inches size. It is worn in the joora, the top beads hang at knot of unshorn hair of Amirthdhari, under the turban. the sides. FEDERALREACH coral As you all know, it would be practically difficult to pin point a sole inventor of combs. Origin being dated back to 3200 BC, it is necessity and constant innovation that has helped combs evolve to the present day sleek, slender and stylish shapes, colour and form. Pictured is an example of a comb used by someone over 5000 years ago. The intricate animal carvings are aligned in rows. The elephants and snakes in the comb allude to African mythology, associating the beasts with the creation of universe. Combs were used in Ancient China as decorative hair accessories that reflected one’s social status. Ancestors made use of almost any material they had in hand to make combs. It includes animal bone, glass, wood, silver, gold, lead, tortoise-shell, iron, tin etc. In the late nineteenth century, evolution and revolution in the field of technology gave way to a new material – celluloid, the first man- made plastic. Combs can be proudly named to be among the first and most popular objects made of celluloid. Then on, there was no looking back . Comb makers experimented, innovated with the most modern materials to suit the style quotient of the day! And now they are proudly branded too!! So next time when your hands go for a comb, fondly remember that you are using something which has got a history of about 5000 years or more!! Very often, even the smallest of small things we use daily, have a story to tell! "…..Small, Trivial and Insignificant I seem to be, Yet a day cannot pass by without me, And I have stories to tell, Stories of my birth, my life…." Kids, do you have any story to tell us about something like COMB – seemingly unimportant, yet doing wonderful jobs! We, the Reach Team is all ears to your stories!! On this ivory comb, Krishna and Radha featured with four sacred cows beneath This antique ivory comb comes from the Shunga Empire displayed at their pedestal. The bottom section of the the Cleveland Museum of Art. It is in the style of Chandraketugarh, an comb features five female musicians. On the archaeological site 21 miles from Kolkata in Northwest India. The comb back is Ganesh, the god of good fortune. features two goddesses and two peacocks on either side of them, facing each other. Editorial Team FEDERALREACH . 25 H ave you watched the movie “12 years a slave”? Well, if you haven’t watched it because of the horrific title, then I would say I was just like you , until two weeks back. Two weeks back, I surprised myself by picking up its DVD and watching it all alone. That was a surprise for Sid also, my movie buff husband (who has watched his favourite movies over 60 times and watches not just Bollywood and Hollywood but also Japanese, Korean, French, Spanish, Iranian and Chinese movies!!). So when such a movie Guru had suggested me to watch this movie, I snorted my disapproval declaring that I prefer happy movies with happy endings. I have a ‘rom-com’ heart and may be some comedy and Hollywood action once in a while. But something as serious as this - NEVER. But then what made me watch it all alone?? Well, knowing history doesn’t stir you up as much as visiting the site which has witnessed history in making. My picnic turned serious when I visited the Elmina castle at Cape Coast, a major slave trade center for over two centuries. Humans were traded as property along with spices and jewels here. Humans were just priced livestock. Human rights were unheard of. ’12 yrs a slave’ is based on a true story of an educated free African man who gets kidnapped and captured as slave. He was meant to live rest of his life as a slave but after 12 years he gets rescued by a friend. This Oscar winning movie portrays slave trade and the hard life of the slaves after they have been exported to different destinations. Elmina witnessed their lives prior to the export. Poor and uneducated locals were captured, tortured, traded and exported from Elmina. It was a human market. It is . 26 FEDERALREACH estimated that around 2 million slaves were exported from Elmina alone and around 15 million slaves from the whole of west Africa. Elmina Castle was built by Portuguese in 1483. Portuguese started exporting slaves in horrifying conditions to Europe and the Americas to work in agricultural plantations and mines. Other European powers- the Danes, Dutch, English, French, Germans and Swedes soon joined the trade. Besides trade, African soldiers were recruited during the Dutch period and sent from Elmina to other Dutch colonies such as Java in Indonesia, as part of Dutch army. For almost 200 years, in the ‘Main Trading Hall’ of the Castle, Europeans traded their goods such as cloth, brassware, liquor, guns etc to African traders in exchange for the produce of Africa - gold, ivory, local foodstuff and artifacts and slaves. Until the abolishment of slave trade in early 19th century, the most Entrance to the castle. The cross over bridge was built later for the tourists. Earlier, water body was surrounding the outer wall to prevent any escape lucrative commodity traded here were slaves. Iron collars, chains, fetters and handcuffs which slaves wore upon their necks, wrists, ankles, and other parts of the bodies. FEDERALREACH . 27 About 100-150 slaves were cramped in these dungeons. Sunlight is pouring in these rooms now. But back then, there used to be iron doors which kept away Main Trading Hall. In ’12 years a slave’, there is a scene depicting light. The iron doors have been slave trade. Slaves are stripped naked and lined up. The trader tries to removed. Instead,these iron bars strike a deal with a customer by describing features of the slave such have been installed for tourists to as a masculine body that is healthy, strong and sturdy etc. experience ‘being caged’ Our guide played a prank on us. He locked us in the dungeon demanding for more fee! : P Female Slave Dungeon The fate of being a slave also meant giving up the . 28 FEDERALREACH Male Slave Dungeon right to bodily integrity. The Chief European officer, head of the Castle had some special privileges. For his physical pleasure, he could select any woman slave to spend the night. The women slaves were stripped and lined up in the common area. The Chief standing on his balcony, overlooking the common area, chose the unlucky slave. The Condemn Room. Notice the skull and cross at the entrance. Once the slaves were captured in Elmina, they never saw the outside world. They were kept in dungeons till the ships arrived to pick them up. There was a path way from the Castle going directly to the ships. The last room of the Castle was called the “Room Our guide pointing to of No Return”,which was the waiting room the bathing area of the before boarding the ship . It meant that slave before sending her once they enter that room, they will be up through the stairs sent to a foreign land but with no hope of behind him. If any slave returning to their home land ever. This dared to refuse to spend statement stood true. It is believed that the night with the Chief, no slave returned to their homes. They anguish of those who never then she was made to either died during the voyage or lived rest returned to their homes. The bend down and was of their lives in a foreign land. Even after scenic beauty of the place with chained to a Cannon ball six centuries, Elmina stands strong with Atlantic ocean kissing its shore for days without food or some necessary restoration work. It does help in easing out the heart water till she agreed. stands as an everlasting memory of the ache momentarily. Chief’s balcony The common area where slaves were lined up. Once the slave was chosen, she was brought to the The punishing canon ball. side for a bath. After the wash, she was sent up to Our guide explaining the the Chief’s room. punishment. The castle was guarded in such a way that escape was not feasible. If any slave was caught while trying to escape from the Castle, the slave was put in Written by: Ms.Roshni Rajiv, D/o. A.Srikumari, the ‘Condemn Room’ with Inspection & Audit Deptartment, Mumbai. no water or food till death FEDERALREACH . 29 C loud computing is basically storing data somewhere up in the nebulous “cloud” that the Internet represents, and you access it from any computer or mobile device with an internet connection. Instead of all the hardware and software you’re using from a workstation in your company, it’s provided for you as a service by an outsider and accessed over the internet, usually in a completely seamless way. The cloud can be servers, applications, networks or services published outside your premises. In other words you keep your data on the internet, and rely completely on that service or system to access it when you need to. It doesn’t matter to you where your resources are located and how it all works, rather you be concerned with the computing service being asked for. This method of distributed computing is done through pooling all computer resources together and being managed the resource pool in an effective way. Most of us use cloud computing all day long without realizing it. When you sit at your PC and type a query . 30 into Google, your computer isn’t Anoop P IT Dept. FEDERALREACH playing much part in finding the answers you need. Your keyword is The cloud can be servers, applications, networks or services published outside your premises. In other words you keep your data on the internet, and rely completely on that service or system to access it when you need to hitting one of Google’s hundreds of of typing your words into an installed thousands of clustered servers, which program dig out the optimized result for you OpenOffice, installed on our and pop up them back on your computer, we can use a similar window. When we do a Google search, software, running on a PC at one of the real work in finding our answer Google’s world-wide data centers. might be done by a computer sitting Like an email getting drafted on at New York, Hon Kong, London, Gmail, the document we create, will Tokyo, Singapore or somewhere else; get stored remotely, so that we can demand and often bought on IT infrastructure. As a pre-requisite we don’t know exactly and most likely access it through the internet, from subscription basis, that you can buy as for subscribing a cloud, you ought we don’t care! anywhere, and any time. Using a much or as little of a cloud computing to have a reliable high speed internet The same applies to Web-based Web-based service like this means service to suffice your needs. or virtual private network for robust email also. Earlier days, email was that we are outsourcing some of our You can have a choice of two connectivity and high availability, something we could only send and computation and storage needs to flavors of cloud, public and private. and is purely dependant on the receive using a program running in some cloud service provider such as Web-based emails and free services geographical locations of your our PC, and we called it an e-mail Google. of Google are familiar examples of business stations. You can have the client. But then, Web-based services like MS Word or On behalf of you, your service Think of cloud computing as renting a fully serviced flat instead of buying a home of your own. Clearly there are advantages in terms of convenience, but there are huge restrictions on how you can live and what you can alter public clouds. Amazon like companies choice of most appropriate services such as Hotmail and Yahoo came with provider and have space for your own secure private from a vast variety of providers, their cloud space to store and manage maintaining the cloud space and cloud, known as a Virtual Private Cloud but it may not fit your business our emails. Now, we all are well services offered to you and so you (VPC) to which the access is only needs as good as one of your own versed to their thought that our emails can enjoy the services, outsourcing through virtual private network (VPN) custom application. can be stored and processed in a the worry of software, security and connections, much private like our server from any corner of this license updates consistently. Cloud Bank’s internal network. connected world, wherever we happen provider will be taken care of data When you go for the cons of of buying a home of your own. to be. Keeping email in a cloud space redundancy and other dependable cloud computing, you may find this Clearly there are advantages in makes it utmost convenient for us to services. It’s really quick and easy much more expensive in a long- terms of convenience, but there are manage it while we all are moving on to add new applications or services term perspective, especially if you huge restrictions on how you can or on a holiday. to your business without waiting can have your own well established live and what you can alter. is managing Preparing documents over the Net weeks or months for the new server is a newer example of cloud and its software to arrive. You can computing. We can simply make use add extra services or drop an existing of a cloud service such as Google one at a moment’s notice as your Documents to create a document or needs change. spreadsheet or presentation. Instead Cloud services are available on- Think of cloud computing as renting a fully serviced flat instead “TYPE WRITER” is the longest word in the English language that can be typed using ‘1’ row on the key board. FEDERALREACH . 31 . 32 FEDERALREACH Venugopal K Br.Thiruvananthapuram/ Statue The buzz and bliss of the 2015 World cup is over, with the Aussies reasserting their supremacy and the euphoria of yet another colorful IPL season also having been drawn to a close, the cricket world has once again fallen in love with the limited overs’ game. Here are some re-ignited reminiscences of a few milestone matches of the last 4 decades spanning from the Gavaskar era to the Tendulkar saga. Down memory lane ……. to his batting) of Indian cricket team’s various home In January 1981 while returning from a college and overseas tours and match experiences , two facts study tour to Ooty Botanical Gardens, we students came to my mind prima facie from the book. The had a stopover at Coimbatore for shopping. Glancing first one is a part of a calypso song composed by the casually at a nearby bookstall, I caught a glimpse West Indians in honor of the Indian cricket team that of toured the Islands in 1971. It read like this -: “Sunny Days“, the autobiography of Sunil Gavaskar. I bought a copy of the book (partaking a “It was Gavaskar, the real master lion’s share of the pocket money which my father Just like a wall had given me) to experience some delightful reading We couldn’t out Gavaskar at all, excitement for the next few days. Not at all, you know, the West Indies Apart from his lucid, fluent, graceful and flamboyant narration (which is as much similar Couldn’t out Gavaskar at all.” The . second is a funny incident involving Mr.Hylton FEDERALREACH 33 Ackerman who was Gavaskar’s opening partner in the test series played between the Australian team and a Rest of the World team in the early '70s.Mr.Ackerman and Mr.Tony Greig, both playing for the Rest of the World team, had flown in from South Africa and were received at Adelaide airport by Sir Gary Sobers and an elderly gentleman. Sir Gary mumbled an introduction and Greig and Ackerman, both tired from the long journey, sleepily mumbled ‘hello’ and sat down for a cup of coffee. While waiting to go to the hotel, Ackerman asked the gentleman to hold his overnight bag while he went to the toilet to freshen himself up. When he returned, he made some polite conversation and then asked him if he . was connected with Australian cricket. The gentleman replied in the affirmative. 34 FEDERALREACH In 1985 India won the Benson & Hedges ODI cup in Australia. Ravi Sastri was the man of the series in the tourney. I remember one of his comments after winning the title. “You may be the Champion of champions today. But tomorrow you have to prove yourself all over again on the field” Ackerman asked him if he had played Sandeep Patil’s stylish 174 , India was cricket, to which the reply was again a on the verge of defeat again. But a yes. Since Ackerman had not caught the defiant 9th wicket partnership between other’s name properly, he asked him,’ Karsan Ghavri & Sivalal Yadav which what did you say your name was?’The resisted Lillee & Co for nearly 11 overs answer was “Donald Bradman”! rescued There are some matches that are We India to a taut, tense draw. were into the 3rd test at still remain afresh in my memory. In Melbourne to salvage some pride. It 1981, was India toured Australia and clear that Australia had played three test matches. In the first underestimated the tourists who were test Chappel the underdogs till the last day of the scored a double century, India , unable tour. They won the toss & put India in. to cope with the pace and bounce of Gundappa Viswanath, the inimitable & Aussie pitches and against the fearsome stylish steering specialist made 114 in duo of Dennis Lillee and Len Pasco who our first innings score of 237. In reply, gave our batsmen a torrid time, was the Aussies made 419 in which Allan defeated by an innings & four runs. In Border the second test, on a relatively flat second pitch at the Adelaide Oval, Kim Hughes controversy when Captain Gavaskar was made adjudged LBW in a dubious manner at Sydney after 213 Greg for Australia and despite contributed 124. In India’s innings (which raised some against Dennis Lillee , following Gavaskar almost made which wickets after the fifth over, I get match . India lost their first 5 wickets overs and ended the innings at 266 Chethan animated. Soon the pain disappears from for a mere 17 runs. The stage was set runs with Kapil unbeaten on a dazzling Chauhan & himself stage a walkout of my mind and body. It keeps easing out. for one of the most celebrated one- 175. From there, India went on to win sorts which would have been equal to With my thigh heavily strapped, I rip day innings of yester years. Captain the match and the tournament at a time surrendering of the game) we scored through the middle and lower order Kapil Dev strode in. He started very when limited over’s cricket was not 324 runs leaving the Aussies an easy including the key wicket of Allan Border. slowly in quite a ‘not-so-Kapil’ like attitude supposed to be our cup of tea. target of 143 runs for their second win —You have to go to the field with your at the beginning. In the company of In 1985, India won the Benson & of the series. Towards the end of the national flag mentally wrapped around you.” Roger Binny, Madan lal & the ever- Hedges ODI cup in Australia. Ravi Sastri play on the fourth day itself , Karsan In the 1983 CWC, India had a crucial reliable was the man of the series in the Ghavri could give us some hope by match against Zimbabwe, at Turnbridge strike very effectively and these three tourney. I remember scalping Greg Chappel’s prized wicket Wells, in rural Kent. tenacious and gritty fighters ensured comments after winning the title. “You Syed Kirmani he rotated the one of his for a duck. Aussies were 24 for 3. The Considering India’s status in the points that Kapil got the maximum strike. may be the Champion of champions next morning the pitch also gave some table it was virtually a crunch, knockout India amassed 100 runs from the last 7 today. But tomorrow you have to prove assistance to India. With Kapil Dev bowling his heart out despite an injury and Dileep Doshi batsmen , especially entangling the the dangerous Doug Walters in his spinning web , India stunned Australia to square the series. They were all out for a paltry 83. Kapil Dev Nikhanj, Wisden’s greatest Indian cricketer of the 20th century, in his autobiography, “Straight from the heart’’ recollects that he suffered an injury during the match. He recalls; “Two factors are at the back of my mind as I enter the arena on the final day. One is my injured thigh, and the other is the fact that the wicket is deteriorating fast. And I use the wicket to my advantage. I don’t try to bowl too fast, and concentrate on line and length and let the ball do something. As I capture a couple of FEDERALREACH . 35 yourself all over again on the field“. Khan deployed his fielders, especially the fear of Sri Lanka easily chasing down an Indian target. Turn the clock a little further forward. In the Pak batsmen, around Sunil Gavaskar the sunshine and mellow weather of the while he was batting. Later he told the It was true that thus far in the summer of 1987 when India played press, “I asked my boys to field as tournament, the Sri Lankans had made a Pakistan for a 5 test home series, all the close to Sunny as they could, and told nightmarish first 4 matches ended in a draw. So to them “never expect a catch, for, you able to successfully elicit a result the curators made the pitch won’t get any, but see how the master target set up by any of the opponents. at Chinnaswamy stadium, Bangalore, a bats track“! What a They had in their formidable line-up the spinners’ paradise for the 5th test. India compliment for Sunny from a great likes of Jayasuriya, Kaluwitharane, Aravinda had Maninder Singh and Ravi Sastri while cricketer! de Silva, Roshan Mahanama, Arjuna on a turning . FEDERALREACH chase down any Pakistan had Iqbal Quasim and Tauseef Pakistan won the World cup in 1992 Ranatunga, Tilakaratne, Gurusinghe etc.But Ahamed as specialists. Pakistan made 116 in a manner similar to the rise of the it was also true that India was perhaps in the first innings while India made 145. mythical “ phoenix from the ashes “. The the only team which had the talent to In the second innings, Pakistan improved turning point of the tournament as well beat Sri Lanka even on the latter’s best its tally to 249 leaving India to score 221 as match day. For, I firmly believe that had India for a victory. Sunny Gavaskar fought all against Zimbabwe which was washed out opted to bowl second, Anil Kumble, Ashish the way till the end but was very unlucky due to rain. Later Kapil rightly pointed out, Kapoor, Ajay Jadeja & Sachin Tendulkar not to get his century and a win for India. “it didn’t matter that they (Pak) lost a few could have made it the ‘ waterloo’ for the We were ‘all out’ for 204 and Gavaskar matches in the beginning. They played famed Sri Lankan chasing contingent on made a 96. In the course of the Indian their best cricket when things mattered the the much spinner-friendly Eden pitch. second most“. About the match and our failed strategy, innings, Pak skipper Imran Pakistan’s fortunes was a I like to remember the 1996 world cup 36 reputation of having been Anil Kumble’s 10 wicket haul vs Pakistan in the Kotla test on Feb.7, 1999 , V V S Laxman’s 281 at the Eden Gardens vs Australia in the 2nd test of March 2001 which enabled India to win despite having been forced to follow on etc are a few more matches which the cricket lovers cherish for long Zaheer Abbas lamented later, “Play to specially for one reason, more than your anything else. To me, the semi-final match opponents’ weakness!“ between India and Sri Lanka at the Eden strength, Anil Kumble’s rather 10 than wicket to the haul vs Gardens is a classic example to show how Pakistan in the Kotla test on Feb.7, 1999, badly a team’s prospects are affected V V S Laxman’s 281 at the Eden Gardens when some negative thoughts creep in vs Australia in the 2nd test of March a player’s mind at some crucial juncture 2001 which helped India to win despite of a match. On winning the toss at the having been forced to follow on etc Eden Gardens pitch, famous for assisting are a few more matches which the the spinners in the second innings, Captain cricket lovers cherish for long. So is Mohammed Azharudin still elected to India’s final in the 2011 World Cup. In chase. The decision was prompted out of a captain’s knock of 91* Dhoni showed why he is rated so highly while was brought to our country by the British playing in crisis situations. In the ICC and was first played in 1721 A.D. T20 World cup matches, so far India’s The Indian Premier League, started in most memorable game has been the 2008 is the most watched T20 cricket one against England at the Kingsmead, league in the world and is known for its Durban in South Africa in September great commercial success. It has added an 2007 in which Yuvaraj hit 6 sixes in entirely new dimension to our country’s an while cricket. During the last IPL season in 2014 scoring 58 runs off just 16 balls to set over from Stuart Broad the tournament’s brand value was estimated up a World Cup record. to be around 3.2 billion USD. Sachin Tendulkar, India’s most celebrated The BCCI headquartered at Mumbai, cricketer , in his autobiography, “ Playing It is the national governing body for cricket My Way” has penned his jubilation on the in India. Presently it is a powerful member fulfillment of his great dream of India winning of the World Cup in 2011. He writes” It (the Mr.N.Sreenivasan is the current chairman target of 274 runs ) was not insurmountable, of ICC. The BCCI has 27 state association but it was important for us to forge members and 3 non-playing members partnerships in the early overs, because the across the 5 zones. The board organizes wicket was expected to become slightly the following domestic cricket competitions easier as the match progressed. every year in this order : BCCI Corporate the International Cricket Council. ——Once Virat was out, Dhoni trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy, Irani promoted himself up the order to trophy, NKP Salve Challenger trophy, negotiate the Sri Lankan off-spinners, Ranji trophy, Duleep trophy, Vijay Hazare Muralidharan,Randiv and Dilshan. It was trophy, Deodhar trophy, IPL and the Vizzy the Gambhir-Dhoni partnership of 109 trophy. that won us the World Cup. Both played Under M.S.Dhoni who has reinvigorated exceptionally well under intense pressure. Indian cricket more than any of his ——It was only after Dhoni’s shot had predecessors, our Country has earned finally crossed the boundary that I went ICC’s first ranking in tests, ODI’s and out…. It was the greatest moment of my T20’s and cricketing journey.” World Cup in 2007 and the ODI World Cup team to have won the World Cup in As India is a large market in terms of home soil. international In the last 10-15 years cricketing revenue, the so many BCCI’s opinions carry weightage within matches the ICC’s decision making process. The have been played in test cricket, ODI and ECB, Cricket Australia and the BCCI are the T20. But how many of them are regarded as cricket’s “Big Three“ economic memorable? If the answer is “not so players. Barring all controversies and the many“, I occasional cold war exciting and heart-throbbing think the reason is the with the ICC, it is commercialization of cricket over the last reasonable to assume that today the 2 decades or so. In the 1980’s, 1970’s BCCI , the ebullient and vivacious Indian and prior to that, the game was played spectators and Indian cricket put together with Passion for Pride. Now the lure of collectively occupy a pivotal position in money of the centre stage of world cricket. The players & the authorities of the cricket- has changed the transition of Indian cricket has been so playing phenomenal and dazzling ever since its countries, attitude setting aside the 2 Ps. origin in the colonial days. The BCCI is the richest sporting body and the richest cricket Board in the world. have won the inaugural T20 If one traverse through the history of in 2011. India is the 3rd team after the India’s cricketing past, it can be learnt that West Indies and Australia to have won the the game which had originated in England World cup twice. India is also the first An electric eel can produce shock upto 650 volts. FEDERALREACH . 37 One needs to ask oneself whether they really need all the riches they seek for. Will the fortunes make them happier or the time spent with family and close ones? . 38 Ayush Chhallani New Delhi Credit Hub FEDERALREACH oing by the economic theory G Say hello to the coolest, eco friendly have: clothes, accessories, gadgets and of demand, there is no end to trend which is to minimize your needs everything that fill our homes, but does not the wants of individuals. We and rusticate the additional resources necessarily serve us better or make us always crave for more and more without from your lifestyle. The idea is identified happy. Here people are embracing `voluntary considering the scarcity of resources Does with the motto ‘Eliminate the excess, simplicity’. In other words, they are anyone care about the future generations? go with less’. These are the people developing the art of living with less luxury. We simply think of the present and see that who’d rather take a bike to work, de- Famous host Oprah Winfrey has auctioned the present lifestyle to be as affluent as it own their possessions and live a simple all her precious belongings in order to can be. But there is a sigh of relief, a green life. rusticate the excess from her life. She says: line in the horizon – a new trend to ‘minimize In our hitech world of ‘extravaganza’, ”Now I feel less burdened towards the Mother and rusticate’. Please don’t take me wrong there is a quiet movement towards Earth”. Mad Men actor Vincent Kartheiser with the word ‘rusticate’ - it is certainly not minimalistic living that’s gaining prefers to take a bus or walk, instead of the rustication from college for any momentum. A large number of affluent going by car. The Twilight Saga star Robert misdeeds. In fact it is nothing related to people are interrogating themselves Pattinson does not even own a house. academics. whether they need as much as they Millionaire David Karp, 26, founder and owner of Tumblr, has a living room that has only one sofa and a TV. He has no books and has very few clothes. He says he is unable to understand why people want to fill their houses with stuff. Karp doesn’t even own a car, and prefers to use a motorbike for travel. Legendary American business magnate, investor and philanthropist, Warren Buffet, does not have a cell phone because he prefers to live simple just as director Christopher Nolan who does not even have an email account! You might have heard that Bollywood actor Krishnaraj R. Br: Vadavalli Siddharth Malhotra cycles to work. Actor Nana Patekar enjoys a simple farm life and dislikes collecting material possessions. Ms. Edwina Alias T., S/o. Edwin One needs to ask oneself whether they really need all the riches Alias T. they seek for. Will the fortunes make them happier or the time Operations Dept. spent with family or close ones? Do one really need a million dollar as secured 3rd car or even a compact one that will serve the same purpose. Rank in the Mumbai based Piyush, Firoza & Sam have introduced ‘Smart M.Tech (Signal Commute’ – their passion made them start a movement, Processing) ‘Cycle2work’. “The fast track of city bogs you down. Cycling to examination from work is not only eco-friendly but a great way to beat the traffic and MG University stay in shape. I also sold my house. Now, I live in a one room apartment. I want to be light and free. I’ve been shedding material stuff since some time now”, says Piyush who is working at BKC. The purpose of minimalism is to remove the things in our life that do not serve us, so that we can make room for the things that make sense. When we eliminate the excess, we’ll gain more clarity about what we really need for a healthy & happy life. Cut down your possessions or at least stop buying things you don’t really need. Move to a smaller place; bring people with positive energy into your life. Spend time with people you love. Schedule time so that you can just relax, turn off your gadgets, eat simple, fresh food, and talk to your family. This will make you feel less burdened, less stressed, more comfortable and above all more secured about yourself. Bamboo can grow upto 3 feet in just 24 hours. FEDERALREACH . 39 I believe in two universal facts without any doubt. One is that Sun rises in the east and the other one is the fact that one will have to sleep in sofa for a minimum of one week if he forget his wife’s Birthday ! I can throw a serious challenge on the former provided I get a respite from my regular banking job for a whole week but the latter is proven beyond doubt by psychologists after researching the psyches of the special cute breed named ‘wives’! I have been an active participant in various heated discussions on the above subject with my experienced peers on how to tackle ‘wife’s attack’ in such instances. Since many of those discussions happened before my marriage, I was one of the very few vehement opponents of their views which mainly centered on the global vindictive attitudes of wives . 40 Nanda Gopan S.B Br.Mangalapuram FEDERALREACH I never expected her to do this. No ordinary girl would offer the first piece of Birthday cake to her husband who did not keep his word on her birthday towards husbands who forget birthdays, anniversaries etc. My general view on the subject was that such vindictive wives were products of soap operas and not real life products simply because wives and ladies are so soft and tender to caused by their inherent thoughts and O’ clock and to rush back home for a and my brother-in-law, Hari. And there, carry such hostility around. And after all, nature. And the best that I used to quote beautiful shopping session and a at 12:01 am, was her sister-in-law and why should and how could one forget his to Anjali is the one which depicts a man sumptuous dinner with Anjali and hence Hari’s wife Ambili with her wishes and wife’s birthday when they vouch during demanding some diamond jewellery to to make her birthday a memorable one, love.. And there goes the plethora of wedding ceremonies that they are ‘better gift his wife for wedding anniversary. not to mention a special gift too. Sincerely wishes from mid night till 6:17 AM! And halves’! No guys with sufficient intellect The sales man shows him some ordinary wished to see everything move as while I scrolled through the wishes, were there to address this query and I cut yet costly diamonds which the man planned! After all, this is her first birthday another 5 wishes dropped in which did felt proud to trap them with such a refuses and when the sales man learns after getting to work together at the suggest that my hearty wish was 82nd in thoughtful question. Later, experience that the wedding anniversary was the same place as mine after her recent chronological order! Sheepishness was gave me the best answer to the above day before, he shows him the supreme transfer to Trivandrum. Moreover, it was all what I had in return! Her expression doubt which I wish to etch in golden princess cut diamond jewel. This the evening that would declare my fate threw some warning to the tantrums in words and which if I literally do, would be advertisement just scores above all and for ‘Bed’ or ‘Sofa’ for the ensuing week! store for me the whole day but I was exchanged for a diamond studded ring when the same pops up on TV, Anjali Waking up to the routine ‘Kousalya sure that my plans for the day would be by my cute little wife! used to tell me not to be like the one in Supraja Rama Poorva Sandhya…” alarm a befitting cover to the morning folly of I am a huge admirer of advertisements. that advertisement during anniversaries tone on November 14, the D day, I was not wishing her at 00:00:00 hours. Even Imagination and ideas swell in the and birthdays. I used to dismiss her geared up to wish my sweetheart, the though she did not reciprocate my wishes advertising industry, giving birth to comment with disdain as I knew I cannot best of birthdays. She was nowhere to be at the heartily best, she was beaming at amazing concepts that creates a lasting forget her birthday since I was aware of seen and sound of running water in the my parents and sister for their sweet impression in consumer’s minds about my ways. bathroom suggested that she was off for wishes much to my relief. While starting the products they try to showcase. Anjali November 14 was fast approaching. an early bath. As she emerged after my bullet (the one which she refers to as (my better half) and I used to debate on Apart from being Children’s day, the day bath, I expressed my hearty Birthday someone dearer to me than her!), I the best ads available in media with she was more special being my Anjali’s wishes to my sweetheart in the best reminded her to be ready by 6:30 PM for zeroing in on those dealing with Diamonds, birthday. This time, I had to make up for fashion I knew. Yes.. She was happy but an evening outing loaded with surprises. Golds and Platinums where as I mull over the lapse I made when I forgot to wish not to the extent that I had expected her She Parles, Britannias, Hondas and so on. To her brother on his birthday couple of to be… Then and there, I knew something be very true, a fire rages up the abdomen months back. With this birthday of hers, was wrong! That’s when she quietly till the ad choices of my wife gives way to all her complaints like “You care only extended her smart phone some mundane toothpaste ads on TV your friends”, “You wish your friend on to me after logging on to since the former is always a threat to our his/her birthday promptly but not my Facebook. Yes… 76 birth petty bank balances. Among all the relatives”, “Since he is my brother, you day wishes!!!! That too, advertisements on TV, my favourite is did not even care to/at least/ put a wish” the first wish coming right the ‘Men will be Men’ series of Imperial etc could be wiped off. Even though her at the stroke of 12 at Blue which just tears open the benign, birthday was on a Friday, I had already midnight. comic and helpless situations of men planned to wind up the day’s work by 6 who?.. Her elder brother And seemed happy and guess FEDERALREACH waved . 41 to me with glee. I felt great that the there were five messages from Anjali understand is what I hoped. As I opened evening could be made fantastic with which were not replied! Somehow or the the door of our room, I saw her blank shopping and a candle light dinner. other, shutter was latched by 7:00 PM. face and she threw a raw look at me. As fear! On one side, I was happy that she To my dismay, it was mayhem at Bullet gained speed than it had never any seasoned husband would know, such got such a good surprise. And on the office that day. Jan Dhan was rolling at before. After all, both, speeding on the an expression is one of the most other hand, I was afraid if she will high speeds. Customers thronged the road and missing to give her my birthday dangerous of expressions and one would dismiss my plan. The cake cutting counters and to add to the routine works treat are matters of life and death. Why have to be ready with all might to face ceremony was conducted with élan. Yes.. was calls, queries and extra tasks from to take chance with the latter!? Hopeless any sort of calamity! “Anjali.. lets dash. The first piece of cake from birthday girl Head Office, Zonal Office, Regional Office, traffic and rain did eat more time. And I am sorry but it was hectic for me. The was given to me. I felt so happy. My eyes and Inspection Department. Various finally, when I frantically opened the office….” As soon as I tried to spit out welled up with emotional tears. I never queries like “Nandan, what about the gate of my house, the midway dialogues excuses, she just left me and moved to expected her to do this. No ordinary girl inspection comments?”, “Sir, what about of 8 p m soap opera on TV was on its way! the hall which indicated that my first would offer the first piece of birthday my housing loan?”, “Mr. Nanda Gopan, Putting my bike on its stands and clearly round of firing hit some wall post rather cake to her husband who did not keep This is from “X-X” department…” went on making up my mind to face any atrocity than bulls eye. But I knew that the night his word on her birthday. But here she and all were dealt with in addition to the from my wife, I ran in to show some was crucial for ensuring my sleep in BED is. ‘A girl of divine thoughts’. I opened numerous Emails from various quarters. urgency to get out for shopping at the and hence with all my courage and might, my mouth closing my eyes and trying Apart from attending prime customers at earliest by calling out her name. I knew I followed her to the hall when my dear hard to hide my tears. But a mild giggle their place and branch, business review that there was enough time to get out for dad intercepted me with a can of ‘one of from our tiny tot Noopura, my sister’s proved to be another icing on the day’s shopping and dinner as planned and to the best brand of petrol’ available in the baby perched on my arm made me open cake. Altogether, the day was fully packed make her birthday beautiful. But the market to make a minor flame a rage my eyes to see her enjoying a tiny piece with lunch taken along with official phone task in hand was to pacify her for the fire. “Nandan..” told my Dad “See this of cake!. The next piece was served to calls! Adding to that, a technical glitch in delay in reaching home and explain the card. This was send by Ambili to wish my sister. Then to my dad, mom and ATM was the last thing I could have day’s hectic activity at the office. As a happy birthday to Anjali. And along with finally a small piece was given (‘forced’ expected! And by evening, I found that banker herself, at least she would this card, she has arranged to deliver would be apt) to me! And as final nail to this cake today as a surprise. So sweet. the coffin, my request to her to get Is it not? Being in Bangalore and amidst ready for our planned evening outing their busy schedule, she and Hari did was answered by a loud thud of door remember to send out a cake and card shut from our room. Rest is history on for her birthday. Great”… Pandemonium Sofa! A “gold fish” is the only animal on earth that can see “infrared” and “ultra violet” light. . 42 FEDERALREACH rang in my inner self. Even Mr.Osho could not have come out with a meditation method to control my feeling of turmoil, frustration and frankly speaking, my “Yes sir.. Welcome to Bhima Jewels. How may I help you?” “Well.. Where is the Diamond section?.. I mean ‘Princess cut’!!!” F ederal Bank-SBI Cobranded Credit Card launched, Federal Bank collaborates with SBI Card to launch 2 variants of Credit cards for customers Platinum and Gold ‘N More. Seen in the picture Shri Shyam Srinivasan (MD & CEO) & Shri Vijay Jasuja (CEO, SBI Cards) unveiling the Federal Bank SBI Credit Card. Official launch of PM’s Social Security Schemes in the State of Kerala was done by Hon’ble Governor of Kerala , Justice (Retd.) P. Sathasivam at Thiruvananthapuram. Seen in the picture, Our customer Shri Lal Mahesh of Thiruvanthapuram Statue branch receives the certificate of insurance from Dr Shashi Tharoor MP in the presence of Hon’ble Governor of Kerala, Justice (Retd) P Sathasivam, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Industries and Commerce, Shri V Y James (DGM & Zonal Head) and others. F ederal Bank Speak for Kerala- Miss Sana Nazar (FISAT Engg college, Angamaly) receiving award from Former international cricketer Shri. Anil Kumble in the presence of Shri Abraham Koshy (Chairman), Shri Shyam Srinivasan (MD & CEO), and others. Shri Thampy Kurian (GM & HR Head) receiving the ‘100 Most Talented Global HR Leaders’ Citation, instituted by CHRO Asia. A glimpse from the award giving ceremony at the Businessworld MAGNA Awards 2015, where our MD & CEO Shri Shyam Srinivasan & Shri Abraham Chacko, Former Executive Director receiving the Best Small Bank Award from Shri Anurag Batra, Chariman, BusinessWorld. Businessworld - Price Waterhouse Coopers combine chose Federal Bank as the Best Bank among Small Banks in India in its Best Bank Survey, 2014. We, as the winners were quoted thus: ”Over the years, it has expanded its book, beefed up assets, cut non-performing assets (NPA), tapped new revenue streams, widened its geographical reach and augmented its technology to stay ahead of the competition. These traits helped it bag the ‘Best Small-sized Bank’ distinction in the BW - PwC Best Banks Survey, 2014.” Smt Usha Mary Mathan, Chief Manager (Training), Talent Development & Training receiving the 5th Annual Greentech HR Excellence Award 2015 in Bangalore for Excellence in Training & Development from Shri K S Jamestin, Former Director – HR & Dir. I/C Business Development, ONGC Limited and Shri K Sharan, Founder & Chairman Greentech Foundation. FEDERALREACH . 43 V…§… ®…È EÚÆ˙“§… i…“x…-S……Æ˙ ∫……±… EÚ“ l…“, ®…‰Æ‰˙ BEÚ ®……®…… . 44 x…‰ ®…÷Z…‰ BEÚ M…÷ c˜™…… n˘“ +…ËÆ˙ ¥……‰±…‰ <∫… M…÷ c˜™…… EÚ… x……®… ±…“±…… Ω˲* +V…˜“§… Ω˲ EÚ ®…‰Æ˙… x……®… ¶…“ ±…“±…… Ω˲* =∫… =©… ®… ®…È ∫……‰S…i…“ l…“ EÚ ∫…°«Ú ®…‰Æ˙… x……®… Ω˛“ <∫… n÷˘ x…™…… Leela George K. ®… ±…“±…… Ω˲* ®…È §…Ω÷˛i… n÷˘&J…“ Ω÷˛<«, i……‰ ®…‰Æ‰˙ ®……®…… §……‰±…‰, IT Dept. <∫…EÚ… x……®… ±…“±…… Æ˙J…… Ω˲ C™…… EÚ ±…“±…… EÚ… ®…i…±…§… Ω˲ J…‰±… +…ËÆ˙ J…÷∂…“* ™…Ω˛ i…÷®Ω² Ω˛®…‰∂…… J…÷∂… Æ˙J…‰M…“* ®… x…‰ ∫……‰S……, ™…Ω˛ M…÷ c˜™…… EËÚ∫…‰ J…‰±… +…ËÆ˙ J…÷∂…“ EÚ… |…i…“EÚ Ω˛…‰ ∫…EÚi…“ Ω˲? ™…Ω˛ EËÚ∫…‰ ®…÷Z…‰ J…÷∂… Æ˙J…‰M…“? i…§… +…™…… Ω˛¥…… EÚ… BEÚ Z……ÂEÚ… +…ËÆ˙ ®…‰Æ˙“ M…÷ c˜™…… Ωƒ˛∫…i…‰ - Ωƒ˛∫…i…‰ +{…x…… ∫…Æ˙ Ω˛±……x…‰ ±…M…“* ®…÷Z…‰ ®……±…⁄®… {…c˜… EÚ ¥…Ω˛ Ω˛…l… +…ËÆ˙ EÚ®…Æ˙ Ω˛±……EÚÆ˙ x……S… ¶…“ ∫…EÚi…“ l…“* ®…È i……‰ ∫…S…®…÷S… ∫……‰S… ¶…“ x…Ω” ∫…EÚi…“ l…“ EÚ BEÚ M…÷ c˜™…… EÚ… ®…‰Æ˙… Ω˛ x……®… Ω˛…‰ ∫…EÚi…… Ω˲ +…ËÆ˙ ¥…Ω˛ Ωƒ˛∫…i…‰-x……S…i…‰ ®…÷Z…‰ J…÷∂… EÚÆ˙ ∫…EÚi…“ Ω˲* V…§… EÚ¶…“ ®…È EÚ∫…“ S…“V….˜ EÚ‰ ±…B Æ˙…‰i…“ l…“ ®…‰Æ˙“ ®……i……V…“ ®…÷Z…∫…‰ EÚΩ˛i…“ l…“ EÚ- i…÷®Ω˛…Æ˙… x……®… ±…“±…… ΩÈ˛x…… <∫… ±…B Ω˛®…‰∂…… J…÷∂… Æ˙Ω˛x…… S…… Ω˛B* n‰˘J……‰ , i…÷®Ω˛…Æ˙“ M…÷ c˜™…… EËÚ∫…‰ Ω˛®…‰∂…… J…÷∂… Æ˙Ω˛i…“ Ω˲, +…ËÆ˙ x……S… EÚÆ˙ J…‰±…i…“ Ω˲* =∫…E‰Ú §……n˘ ™…Ω˛ M…÷ c˜™…… ®…‰Æ˙“ V…⁄c¥…… §…Ω˛x… V…Ë∫…‰ Ω˛…‰ M…<«* V…§… ®…È ∫E⁄Ú±… ∫…‰ ±……Ë]ı EÚÆ˙ +…i…“ l…“, i…§… ®…È ∫…§…∫…‰ {…Ω˛±…‰ +{…x…“ {™……Æ˙“ M…÷ c˜™…… E‰Ú {……∫… V……EÚÆ˙ =∫…‰ l……‰c˜… Ω˛±……EÚÆ˙ §……i… EÚÆ˙i…“ l…“* ™…Ω˛ ®…÷Z…‰ Æ˙…‰V… i…fiŒ{i… EÚ“ ¶……¥…x…… n‰˘i…“ l…“* V…§… ®…È EÚÆ˙“§… n˘∫… ∫……±… EÚ“ Ω÷˛<«, i…§… ®…÷Z…‰ ±…M…… EÚ ®…‰Æ˙“ {™……Æ˙“ M…÷ c˜™…… ∫…Æ˙ +…ËÆ˙ EÚ®…Æ˙ Ω˛±……EÚÆ˙ ¶…Æ˙i…x……]ı¨®… ¶…“ EÚÆ˙ Æ˙Ω˛“ l…“* ®…È x…‰ +{…x…“ ®……i……V…“ ∫…‰ EÚΩ˛… EÚ ®…÷Z…‰ ¶…“ ¶…Æ˙i…x……]¬ı™…®… ∫…“J…x…… Ω˲* i…§… ®…È +{…x…‰ ®……i……- FEDERALREACH {…i…… E‰Ú ∫……l… ®…p˘…∫… ®… l…“ +…ËÆ˙ BEÚ +SUÙ“ ¶…Æ˙i…x……]¬ı™…®… ]ı“S…Æ˙ Æ˙…‰˙V… ∂……®… EÚ…‰ ®…‰Æ‰˙ P…Æ˙ +…EÚÆ˙ ®…÷Z…‰ ∫…J……x…‰ ±…M…“* <∫…|…EÚ…Æ˙ ®…È x…‰ ∫……i… ∫……±… ¶…Æ˙i…x……]ı]ı¨®… ∫…“J… ±…™…… +…ËÆ˙ ®…‰Æ˙… {…Ω˛±…… x…fii™… |…n˘∂…«x… ¶…“ +…™……‰ V…i… Ω÷˛+…* ®…‰Æ˙“ {™……Æ˙“ M…÷ c˜™…… Ω˛“ ®…‰Æ˙“ |…‰Æ˙h…… l…“* ®…È x…‰ ¶…“ <∫… ±…“±…… M…÷ c˜™…… EÚ“ i…Æ˙Ω˛ ∫…Æ˙ +…ËÆ˙ EÚ®…Æ˙ Ω˛±…x…… ∫…“J… ±…™…… +…ËÆ˙ ®…È M…÷ c˜™…… E‰Ú ∫……®…x…‰ x…S…i…“ l…“* Ω˛®… n˘…‰x…… ! ! ! Abhishek P. S/o. Dhanya V Br: IRMD Dob: 28.04.2014 ! ! ! Ishan P. Arjun S/o. Prajina V.C. Br: Valapattanam Dob: 07.09.2013 ! ! ! EÚ“ n˘…‰∫i…“ §…g¯i…“ M…<«* V…Ω˛…∆ ¶…“ ®…‰Æ‰˙ {…i……V…“ EÚ“ §…n˘±…“ Ω˛…‰i…“ l…“, ®…È +{…x…“ M…÷c˜™…… EÚ…‰ Ɖ˙∂…®…“ Ø˚®……±… ®… ±…{…‰]ıEÚÆ˙ ∫…÷Æ˙ I…i… ±…‰ V……i…“ l…“* ®…‰Æ‰˙ {…i……V…“ V……‰ BEÚ ∫…Æ˙EÚ…Æ˙“ +°Ú∫…Æ˙ Ω˛…‰x…‰ E‰Ú EÚ…Æ˙h…, ¶……Æ˙i… E‰Ú +x…‰EÚ |……∆i…… ®… =x…EÚ“ §…n˘±…“ Ω˛…‰i…“ Æ˙Ω˛“, +…ËÆ˙ =x…E‰Ú ∫……l… ®… ¶…“ ¶……Æ˙i… E‰Ú +x…‰EÚ Æ˙…V™… n‰˘J… ∫…EÚ“* ®…‰Æ‰˙ ∫……l… Ω˛®…‰∂…… +{…x…“ {™……Æ˙“ M…÷ c˜™…… ¶…“ l…“* EÚ¶…“-EÚ¶…“ ®…÷Z…‰ EÚ…‰<« n÷˘&J… Ω˛…‰i…… i……‰, ®…È +E‰Ú±…“ +{…x…“ M…÷ c˜™…… ∫…‰ §……i… EÚÆ˙i…“ l…“* ®…È V……‰ E÷ÚUÙ =∫…∫…‰ EÚΩ˛i…“ l…“, ¥…Ω˛ ∫…§… ∫…®…Z… ±…‰i…“ l…“, +…ËÆ˙ +{…x…… ∫…Æ˙ Ω˛±……EÚÆ˙ Ωƒ˛∫…i…“ l…“* +…{… ¥…∑……∫… EÚÆÂ˙ ™…… x… EÚÆÂ˙, V…§… ®…‰Æ˙“ ∂……n˘“ Ω÷˛<« +…ËÆ˙ ®…È ∫…∫…÷Æ˙…±… M…<«, i…§… ®…‰Æ‰˙ EÚ{…c˜… EÚ“ §…C∫…‰ ®… ®…È +{…x…“ M…÷ c˜™…… EÚ…‰ ¶…“ ∫……l… ±…‰ M…<« l…“* +{…x…‰ ®……i……- {…i……, ¶……<«-§…Ω˛x… ∫…§… EÚ…‰ UÙ…‰c˜EÚÆ˙ ®…÷Z…‰ +{…x…‰ P…Æ˙ ∫…‰ ¥…n˘… ±…‰x…“ {…c˜“, {…Æ˙ ®…‰Æ˙“ {™……Æ˙“ M…÷ c˜™…… ®…‰Æ‰˙ ∫……l… Ω˛“ Æ˙Ω˛“* EÚ∫…“ EÚ“ n‰˘J…¶……±… E‰Ú §…x…… +…V… ¶…“ ®…‰Æ˙“ M…÷ c˜™…… +…±… ®…Æ˙… ®… +…Æ˙…®… ∫…‰ ∫……‰i…“ Ω˲* V…Ë∫…‰ ®…‰Æ˙“ <©… §…g¯i…“ M…<«, ®…‰Æ˙“ M…÷ c˜™…… EÚ… x…fii™… EÚ®… Ω˛…‰i…… M…™……* U÷Ù]¬ı]ı“ E‰Ú n˘x…… ®…Â, V…§… P…Æ˙ ®… n⁄˘∫…Æ˙… EÚ…‰<« x…Ω˛” Ω˛…‰i…… Ω˲, i…§… ®… =∫…EÚ…‰ x…EÚ…±…EÚÆ˙ ®…‰V… {…Æ˙ Æ˙J…i…“ Ω⁄ƒ˛ +…ËÆ˙ =∫…E‰Ú ∫……®…x…‰ ¶…Æ˙i…x……]¬ı™…®… ¶…“ EÚÆ˙i…“ Ω⁄ƒ˛* Ω˛®… n˘…‰x…… EÚ“ x…fii™… EÚ“ M…i…” v…“®…“ Ω˛…‰ M…<«, °ÚÆ˙ ¶…“ Ω˛®… n˘…‰x…… BEÚ +V…“§… ∫…“ J…÷∂…“ EÚ… +x…÷¶……¥… EÚÆ˙i…“ ΩÈ˛* §…S…{…x… EÚ“ ∫…Ω‰˛±…“ ∫…‰ ®…±…x…‰ EÚ“ J…÷∂…“ +…ËÆ˙ EÚ∫…“ ∫…‰ x…Ω˛” ®…±…i…“ Ω˲* ®…È EÚ¶…“-EÚ¶…“ ∫……‰S…i…“ Ω⁄ƒ˛, C™…… ™…Ω˛ ®…‰Æ˙… {……M…±…{…x… Ω˲ EÚ ®…È C™…… <∫… M…÷ c˜™…… ∫…‰ <i…x…“ V…÷c˜ M…<« Ω⁄ƒ˛? =∫…‰ n‰˘J…‰ §…x…… BEÚ n˘x… i…EÚ ®…È ∫……‰ x…Ω˛” ∫…EÚi…“* {……M…±…{…®… Ω˛…‰ ™…… ∫…SS……<«! +V…“§… §……i… Ω˲, +…V… ¶…“ ®…È M…÷ c˜™…… EÚ…‰ {…∫…∆n˘ EÚÆ˙i…“ Ω⁄ƒ˛ +…ËÆ˙ <∫… ±…B ®…È +{…x…“ {™……Æ˙“ M…÷ c˜™…… {…Æ˙ ™…Ω˛ ±…‰J… ±…J… {……<«* ®…‰Æ˙“ +…ËÆ˙ ®…‰Æ˙“ {™……Æ˙“ M…÷ c˜™…… EÚ“ i…Æ˙¢Ú ∫…‰ +…{… ∫…§…EÚ…‰ §…Ω÷˛i… ∂…÷ GÚ™……* Hafis H. S/o. Haris A, Br: Kayamkulam/ College Junction Dob: 17.02.2014 ! ! ! Jaan L. Sojan D/o. Seethu Stephen Br: Adoor Dob: 08.06.2013 ! ! ! Devika T.V. D/o. Binesh T.V. Br: Alathiyur Evan S. Sojan S/o Seethu Stephen Br: Adoor Adwaith Girish & Abinav Girish S/o. Girish Babu Br: Puthiyara ! ! ! Mosquito are attracted mostly to the color BLUE. ! ! ! ! ! ! Aarav Sajin S/o. Aryasri B.R. Br: Ernakulam/ Elamakkara FEDERALREACH . 45 Never had such desperate moments, being in a bus, Crowded bus; though wrapped by strangers, standing on Both feet all alone, with an ear hearing the noisy quarrel And other, the wailing of many kids, between the one too many Things of cheers of happiness, the ringing laughter and chatter From corners or witnessing different people- some overwhelmed, Mocking others, excited or tensed while many whose breath I sensed smell of cigars, holding my breath being under them, Being near them, having their eyes staring, at times in the thunder And rain with the doors and windows clamped making the yellow Tube light shine in the dark like fireflies in the graveyard, Feeling insecure, frail and much more frightened, I fixed my gaze Outside, unaware of me biting nails, not to revert my shaky mind back, But to see the approaching trees and had a vague sight of them Which once reached me got dragged to the back, behind it was-once And forever; felt happy (on) that (realization) I’m going forward, Forward as to reach my destination and will go forth, for sure, Till I step there… STRANGE BUT TRUE: a) King Napoleon was born in 1760. Hitler was born in 1889. The difference is 129 years. Prashannaa R V R Br: Denkanikottai b) Napoleon came to power in 1804, Hitler in 1933 The difference is 129 years. c) Napoleon occupied Vienna in 1809 and Hitler in 1938. The difference is 129 years d) Napoleon declared war on Russia in 1812, Hitler in 1941. The difference is 129 years . 46 FEDERALREACH e) Napoleon was defeated in 1816, Hitler in 1945. The difference is 129 years. Divya Joshy D/o. Beena Mahew, Br: Kothamangalam IT Dept. Asset Recovery Dept. Best of SELFIE Contest Pune/RO Br: Thiruvalla/Muthoor Br: Chennai/Adayar Mumbai/ZO Transaction Monitoring Cell Br: Parassala HR TD&T FEDERALREACH . 47 1 Darshan M. Operations Dept 2 Ajith Ravi Br. Nelliyadi 3 4 5 Jiju Boby George Large corporate Dept. Sanya Yvonne D’souza Br. Kannur Gagan Preet Singh Jolly Treasury Dept. . 48 FEDERALREACH 6 Ravi Dineshkumar Pansuriya Br. Metoda 7 Siddharth V Menon Br: Perunna 8 Pradeep John Treasury Dept 9 10 Shyam Krishnan I S Service Quality Dept. Praseetha Prabhakaran Nair Service Quality Dept. FEDERALREACH . 49 01 02 04 05 01 . 50 Bhairavi V. Maneti D/o Ruchita Venkataramana Maneti Br: Panvel 02 P.B.Athira D/o Bijulal P K Br. Kolkata/ Bhowanipore FEDERALREACH 03 06 07 04 03 R.Yamuna D/o Ramesh A. Br: Oragandam 05 Grace Mary Sunil D/o Jincy Simon Chennai/ZO Sakshi D. Rao D/o Poonam Dinesh Rao Br: Mumabi/ Goregaon 06 Gayathri V. D/o Vinod B. Br. Kochi 07 Nagavrinda V. Maneti D/o Ruchita Venkataramana Maneti Br: Panvel Jomon Mathew, Br. Eriam and Julia Thomas Adars B.G , Corporate Planning Dept. and Nikhitha Adharsh J. Mundackal, Br: Panposh and Anju Edwin Alias T, Operations Dept. and Nithya Paul Nebin V. Jose, HR ER & Ops. and Roshni Mathew Gixon Baby, Br. Payyannur and Priyanka Francis, Br. Chavakkad Arti Priya, Br. Pune / Sinhagad Road and Pramod Birajdar FEDERALREACH . 51 Mammals The winner will get a surprise gift Prize Winner of Crossword-29 Ms. Meenu Joseph M, Br. Thrissur/East Fort Congratulations.... Send your entries before, 15th September 2015 . To The Editor, Federal Reach, HR Employee Relations & Operations, 52 Federal Bank, H.O. Aluva. 683 101 FEDERALREACH Name ........................................................................................................................ C/o ........................................................................................................................... Relationship Br/Office ..........................................……..……................................................. .............................................................……………….. ............................ Mention your name and address ACROSS: 1. The Grapes of Wrath 4. Paradise Lost 6. The Call of the Wild 8. The War of the Worlds 9. Dr. Zhivago 11. The Red Badge of Courage 12. Invisible Man 13. Crime and Punishment 15. The Old Man and the Sea 17. The Three Musketeers 23. Gone With the Wind 24. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 25. Frankenstein 28. Jane Eyre 29. 1984 30. Moby-Dick 31. Tragedy of Hamlet 33. The Picture of Dorian Gray 34. Les Misérables 35. The Great Gatsby 36. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde DOWN: 2. Walden 3. Swiss Family Robinson 5. Anna Karenina 6. To Kill a Mocking Bird 7. Robinson Crusoe 10. The Lord of the Rings 13. David Copperfield 14. The Catcher in the Rye 15. Brave New World 16. Ulysses 17. The Complete Sherlock Holmes 18. Gulliver’s Travels 19. The Good Earth 20. Don Quixote 21. The Scarlet Letter 22. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland 26. Uncle Tom’s Cabin 27. Lord of the Flies 32. Pride and Prejudice Name: .............................................................................. C/o: ................................................................................. Relationship: ...................................................................... Br/Office:.......................................................................... Send your entries before 15th September 2015 To The Editor, Federal Reach, HR Employee Relations & Operations Federal Bank, HO, Aluva-683 101 Selected three winners will get surprise gifts from Federal Reach PRIZE WINNERS OF SUDOKU - 20 Sankari Navaneethakrishnan W/o. Navaneethakrishnan S, Br Chennai/CMS Atharv Anant Kulkarani S/o Anant Digambar Kulkarni, Br. Shirati Shyamreth K R Br.Edakkara CONGRATULATIONS!!! FEDERALREACH . 53 The winner will get a surprise gift WINNER of Colouring Competition-20 Avanthika Ajith D/o. Susmi S. Br: Koduvayur Send your entries before 15th September 2015 To The Editor, Federal Reach, C/o. Employee Relations & Operations Federal Bank, H.O. Aluva. 683101 My Name is :...................................................................................................... Age: ........................... I am son/daughter of Smt/ Shri........................................................................ of Br/Office: ................................................................................... Date of Birth............................... . 54 FEDERALREACH COMPETITION OPEN TO KIDS UP TO 8 YEARS OF AGE. Ahmedabad Credit Hub Garia Virar Ankit Mathur, Udaipur Chavakkad Chittur Antony Thekkethala, Shillong /Laitunkhrah Alapuzha Credit Hub Gurgaon Hirandahalli Chennai, T Nagar Kolkata Burra Bazar Anand R, HR ER & Ops Pune Aizawl Chetan Chintamani Aphale, Vigilance North Paravur Regd. No: KERMUL 00480/11/1/2005-TC Federal Reach 30 Rajesh P. Br: Kallikkad