Battle of crossovers
The comfort of car, roominess, SUV-like stance and gadgets galore — meet the new tarmac kings
H. Kishie Singh

Ford Ecosport  (PRICE Rs 8,42,707)

Ford Ecosport

Ford has recently introduced the EcoSport Urban SUV. It comes in three variants: The 1.5 litre TDCi diesel, the 1.5 litre Ti-VCT petrol and the 1.0 litre EcoBoost petrol with turbo charger. It’s not a real SUV being sub-four meters in length. It also does not qualify as a hatch. The ground clearance is 200mm which is great for senior citizens. This ground clearance and the layout of the engine gives it a wading capacity of 550mm.

Seating is high as in SUVs. On driver’s seat height can be adjusted and it has lumber support. Driving the EcoBoost is sheer joy. The engine has a revolutionary design. It is 1000cc, 3-cylinder and turbo charged. It received the Engine of the Year award. The EcoBoost engine is the size of an A4 paper (21cm x 30 cm), yet puts out 125 p.s. at 6000 r.p.m. and 170 Nm of torque between 1400-4500 r.p.m. In comparison, the VW Vento with a 1600cc engine puts out 105 p.s. Fuel consumption is a staggering 18.9 k.m.p.l.

In addition to anti-lock braking system and electronic brakeforce distribution, the EcoBoost has electronic stability control, traction control system, hill launch assist and six airbags.

This is a driver's car. The more you push her, the more she delivers. There is little body roll under hard cornering. Straight line trajectory is quite accurate thanks to the electric power assist.

The gearing is perfectly mated to the EcoBoost engine — short throws, perfect gear ratios for driving on the highway or city driving. Ably assisted by the turbo, the car is a driver's delight.

The car rides on 205/ 60.R16 tyres. If you want a slightly larger foot print 215/60.R16 is a good choice. A 225/55.R16 is also available. This will lower the aspect ratio and height of the car. A slightly wider tyre will improve braking and cornering slightly. Any larger size will disturb the geometry of the car and mess up what the designers set out to achieve.

The loading area is 346 litres on this mini-SUV. With the seats folded it is 705 litres. A final word on the engine. A 3-cylinder, 1000 c.c. engine is getting this power output and fuel efficiency from the compact, low-inertia turbo which can spin at 248,000 r.p.m. Repeat! Two lakh and forty eight thousand r.p.m.! It is made by Continental, the tyre manufacturer.

 

REXTON (PRICE Rs 21,39,561)

REXTON

At 4.72 metres long, the Rexton from Mahindra and Mahindra is big and good looking and should carve out a road presence for itself. The Rexton is loaded with safety features. The electronic power steering is variable assist which means it is speed sensitive. That is the car is very sensitive at slow speeds in the city. At 60 km.p.h on the highway, it becomes harder to give the driver a better control of the 2000 kg Rexton.

Safety features are anti-lock braking system, hill decent control, disc brakes on all four wheels; dual front air bags plus side air bags, parking sensors and speed-sensitive door locks.

The auto gear box is a bit sluggish and does not have the snap-to-attention of a manual gear box but the ease and comfort of driving overcomes this disadvantage. The RX 7 is also full-time all-wheel drive with 60 per cent of the torque to the rear wheels and 40 per cent to the front wheels.

The SUV rides on 235 / 70 R 16 tyres. This gives the Rexton a ground clearance of 252 mm, the highest of all SUVs in this segment.

The interior is pure luxury. The huge plush leather seats in beige and the dash-board finish with black and beige are both easy on the eye. It is a seven-seater with A/C vents for all three rows of seats, and fully automatic climate control.

The plush leather driver’s seat has electric adjustments and a three-memory setting which adjusts the outside rear view mirror as well.

It has a sun-roof — the only SUV in this segment to have one, rain-sensing wipers, cruise control, steering adjustable for rake, illuminated glove box. The lights are also light sensitive. The Rexton boasts of a unique fitment. The lower edge of the front windshield is heated. It keeps the wiper blade dry and prevents snow accumulating on the lower ledge and impeding the movement of the wiper.

The RX 7 with the e-tronic auto transmission is priced at Rs 21,39,561 (showroom price). The RX 5 is Rs 19,14,402 (showroom price).

How they stack up

For years we have had a staple diet of cars in every segment. Over time, big cars have got smaller and small cars bigger. They were referred to as crossovers. The segment distinction got blurred. The best example of blurred segment would be Ford EcoBoost. So we have a neither-here-nor-there segment, possibly the only other vehicle that falls into this blurred category would be Premier Rio. However, the production is limited and you hardly see any on the road. Price-wise, the Renault Duster and EcoBoost are about the same. However the Duster is a proper SUV so it’s an unfair comparison. Rexton from Mahindra stables is in a standalone category. It is the most expensive offering and oozes luxury; vastly different from the Scorpio and Bolero which are basically people-mover SUVs. These are also about half the price of the Rexton. The Rexton AWD made by SsangYong, a Korean auto manufacturer, has an enviable pedigree. The gear box, engine and chassis are Mercedes-Benz inspired. The Rexton is set to do battle with the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour. Here again the Rexton scores. The price is much less than the competition.

The Stamp of value
In this digital age of emails and instant messaging, stamps have become a collector’s item, besides being profitable investment
Divisha Saran

Hemant Talwar, a director in a leading corporate house, was in for a surprise when he went to meet an investment adviser. On the verge of retirement, he wanted to streamline his finances so that he was assured a steady income in his golden years.

Besides instruments of investment like fixed deposits, mutual funds and gold bonds, the adviser suggested that Hemant should put money in works of art and also become a stamp collector.

Stamp collector? Putting money in art was understandable. Hemant knew that paintings tend to appreciate with time. But stamps? Yes, said the adviser, “Investment in stamps can be as beneficial as that in gold and art. Rare stamps can appreciate exponentially with time. As with other assets, you just have to be patient.”

Alternate asset

He gave the example of the 1948 Rs 10 Mahatma Gandhi stamps, which fetched a record $205,000 (Rs 1.23 crore) at a recent auction by one of the world’s leading philatelic auction houses, David Feldman. What made it so valuable was the fact that a set of hundred of these stamps was overprinted with the word “Service” for exclusive use by the, then, Governor-General of India, C. Rajagopalachari. Those who possess this stamp now can make a fortune.

With economy in the doldrums and stock markets on a downward slide, people have been looking for alternative avenues of investment. Companies like David Feldman, Harmers International Inc. and others have seen a spike in their list of stamp investors. Some of their leading clients/collectors include rock star Ronnie Wood and tennis sensation Maria Sharapova.

Such has been the interest in stamp collection that British philatelic service provider Stanley Gibbons has launched the GB30 Rarities Index, which lists the prices of rare stamps available in the open market, and gives a snapshot of the market for scarce stamps as well. The company says it has been receiving enquiries from around the world about the prospects of putting money in stamps.

As in any other investment, in philately, too, there are the market makers and the market movers and the market itself has its bullish runs and bearish pulls. That is why, for a serious investor, stamps can yield between 10 and 15 per cent annual dividends and some rare stamps can result in windfall profits.

Rare display

An example will highlight the kind of money that stamps can generate. When the Allied Armies laid siege to Germany at the end of World War II, they destroyed all postage stamps with a ‘Hitler Head’ (face profile of Adolf Hitler). However, some soldiers carried a few as souvenirs. Today each of these stamps fetch a price of around $10,000 (Rs 6 lakh)!

However, interest in stamps as an asset class in India is still in a dormant stage and experts feel that it will be some years before philately shifts from a hobby to an investment opportunity where people actually start building a portfolio as in the case of stocks and mutual funds. But collectors like 47-year-old Delhi High Court lawyer Ritesh Choubey have an obsession with stamps are always on the lookout for rarities.

“Stamps have such a colourful history,” says Choubey, who has been a collector for more than 30 years. “These are a great way to learn about a country’s historical events. Many avid philatelists are half historians, who can tell you in detail about the events of the period during which a particular stamp was in circulation.”

Most enthusiasts agree that stamps are an elaborate representation of a country’s historical events, personalities and social happenings prevalent in a certain era. Many stamps commemorate kings, queens, prime ministers and other political personalities. Some pay tribute to leading sports, films, art and cultural celebrities while others depict important events in sports like Olympics and some depict important issues like dwindling flora and fauna.

Precious portfolio

“Some stamps are precious in real terms as well. That’s because gold or silver inks have been used in their making,” says Choubey, who now organises exhibitions around the country where he gives a platform to other collectors to display their rare stamps as well. “The response from stamp lovers has been very encouraging. At some exhibitions, I have people come up to me for autographs,” he says.

Though in the age of computers and digital games, stamp collection as a hobby has seen a decline, it still has its avid followers like Choubey, whose collections also have some very precious stamps. However, he has so far not thought of turning into a business or consider selling or auctioning them.

“Right now, I am not in the business of selling but in the business of buying. I am constantly on the lookout for those hard-to-get stamps to enhance my collection. Once I have a good portfolio, I may start thinking in terms of a business venture,” says he.

Collectors like Choubey may not be after stamps like once-in-a-lifetime Tressling Yellow or an Inverted Jenny costing crores, but they do know the potential of an uncommon stamp when they see one.

“When you have an eye for it,” he says, “it is these stamps that can turn out to be a rarity and completely turn your fortunes.”

 

First Day Cover: Mother Teresa This is one of the many First Day Covers honouring the Saint of the Gutters, Mother Teresa. Carrying a Rs 30 stamp, it is cancelled on August 27, 1980, with the postmark of Mother Teresa with Child. It was issued after she received the 1979 Nobel Prize for Peace. Price: Rs 200

India: First Post-Independence This is the first postage stamp of independent India. Printed by the Nasik Press in November 1947, the 3½ -anna value stamp depicts the, then, new Tricolour flag with the Ashoka’s Dharma Chakra in blue at the centre of the white horizontal band, flanked by orange and green bands. Price: Rs 5,000

Hong Kong: Olive-coloured Queen Victoria’s head Printed in 1864, this is the most expensive postage stamp of Hong Kong. Though the face value was 96 cents, it is today counted among the costliest stamps as due to an error, a few stamps were printed in olive colour instead of the original brownish grey. Only four exist now. Price: Last auctioned for Rs 5.07 crore

First Day Cover: First Powered Flight  This First Day Cover is dedicated to the two aviation pioneers Oliver and Wilbur Wright on the 75th anniversary of man’s first powered flight in 1903. The cover issued in 1978 has a one-rupee stamp with the Wright Brothers and their airplane Kitty Hawk.  Price: Rs 1,500

First Day Cover: Motorcycles A tribute to British motorbikes, this First Day Cover from the Royal Mail of England commemorates the iconic models of British bikes like Norton, BSA, Vincent, Triumph, Brough and Royal Enfield with stamps in the denomination of 30, 40, 42, 47, 60 and 68 pence.  Price: Rs 3,000

Russia: Tiflis  This is a rare postage stamp, issued in the Russian Empire (in Georgia) for the city post in Tiflis (now Tbilisi) in 1857. This is one of the three known stamps in existence today. These are all in the hands of collectors and are not known to appear in any of the worldwide auctions. Price: Estimated at Rs 1.80 crore

First Day Cover: Project Tiger  Project Tiger, which was launched with much fanfare in 1973-74, has been one of India’s most successful conservation endeavours. This First Day Cover cancelled on November 22, 1983, pays tribute to the project depicting a tiger. There is a postage stamp of the value of Rs 2. Price: Rs 200

First Day Cover: Moon Landing The First Day Cover by US Post Office Department pays honours humankind’s first moon landing in Apollo 11. It depicts astronaut Neil Armstrong first setting foot on the lunar surface in 1969. The cover also has a 10-cent First Man on the Moon airmail stamp. Price: Rs 300

Sweden: Treskilling Yellow The Swedish 1855 Treskilling Yellow is one of the world’s top postage stamps which hold the world’s record auction sales price. It is one of the three — and only survivor — flawed stamps. Instead of its regular green colour, a printing mistake resulted in it being printed in yellow.  Price: Rs 2.10 crore

UK: Penny Black The first postage stamp of the world —and also among the most expensive — the Penny Black was issued in 1840 in the UK. The stamp was valued at one penny with the face of Queen Vic toria with a black background. That resulted in the stamps getting the name ‘Penny Black’.  Price: Rs 3 crore

First Day Covers: Conquest of Mount Everest In 1953, a number of First Day Covers were issued celebrating the historic conquest of Mount Everest by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. Besides the picture of Everest with insets of the two mountaineers, the cover has two stamps of two annas and 14 annas, respectively. Price: Rs 1,500

India: Second Post-Independence stamp Soon after the first Tricolour stamp India issued, the second one on December 15, 1947, valued at 1½ annas depicted both in Hindi and English. Printed in grey green, this stamp depicts the Lion Capital of Ashoka Pillar, which was adopted as the government’s state emblem.  Price: Rs 5,000

India: The rarest of rare Gandhi stamp The 1948 Mahatma Gandhi stamp celebrating the first anniversary of India’s independence is among the world’s rarest and costliest stamps. A hundred were overprinted with the word “Service” for the Governor-General’s office. A lot of 50 stamps recently fetched a record price. Price: Set of 50 auctioned for Rs 1.23 crore

USA: Inverted Jenny The 1918 American stamp with the picture of the Curtis JN-4 ‘Jenny’ aeroplane was issued in 1918. Priced at 24 cent many of these had the Jenny plane printed upside down thus giving it the name ‘Inverted Jenny’. Only around a 100 misprints exist and keep coming up in auctions. Price: Rs 2.10 crore

USA: Benjamin Franklin Z-Grill  This American stamp with a Z-Grill is very rare and just two copies are known to exist and just one is in circulation. This is the first stamp to use the “grill” printing method to prevent counterfeiting. The grill method consists of embossing a specific pattern of tiny squares into the paper. Price: Rs 1.80 crore

Mauritius: Stamp of history  This is the first colonial stamp issued by the Governor of Mauritius in 1857. The stamp is flawed as the designer incorrectly printed the word ‘Post Office’ instead of ‘Post Paid’ which is why the handful of stamps which exist today have been a collectors’ delight. Auction price: Rs 2.28 crore

Germany: Adolf Hitler The stamp is the original Hitler Head issued by the Germany during World War II. Only a handful of these survive as most of these were destroyed by the Allied forces as they overran German towns, banks and post offices. A few were taken as souvenirs which are highly prized. Auction price: Rs 6 lakh

USA: Postage Due  This is a unique stamp issued in America in 1879. A part of the ‘Postage Due’ stamps affixed by a post office to an envelope in order to indicate insufficient postage. The numeral printed on the stamp indicated the money the addressee had to pay to receive the mail.  Price: Rs 39,000

Canada: 12 Pence Black  In 1851, Canada printed more than 50,000 copies of the 12 pence black stamp. But because of its high price, only 1,450 were sold. The post office destroyed the rest of the stamps. Today only a handful of these stamps are known to exist and are in the possession of collectors around the globe.  Price: Last auctioned in 2011 for Rs 1.35 crore

China: The Whole Country is Red  Issued in 1968 during the height of the Cultural Revolution in China the stamp is imprinted with the golden words “The Whole Country is Red”. It is so rare because it was issued for just half a day before being withdrawn as it was discovered that the map of China printed on it was not accurate.  Price: Last auctioned for Rs 2.26 crore

Bermuda: Postmaster Provisional The Postmasters’ Provisional of Bermuda is one of the very rare stamps. There are only 11 surviving ones of which just four are in black ink. These were issued in 1848 by William Perot, the postmaster of Bermuda, who signed the stamp and hand wrote “one penny” on it. Price: Rs 96 lakh

British Guiana: 1 cent Magenta Counted among the world’s most valuable stamps, the British Guiana 1 Cent Magenta was issued in 1856 and only one stamp exists today. It features a sailing ship along with the colony’s British Guiana’s motto Damus Petimus Que Vicissim (We give and expect in return). Price: Rs 5.10 crore

China: Stage art of Mei Lan fang stamp set This set of perforation stamps printed in 1962 is a posthumous honour to one of China’s most renowned Peking Opera artistes in modern history Mei Lanfang. He was known the world over for his unique type of roles he performed and later served as director of the Chinese Opera Institute. Price: Rs 16.80 lakh

First Day Cover: First Republic Day 1950 The First Day Cover with four stamps of the denominations of two annas, three-and-a-half-annas, four annas and twelve annas (16 annas made a rupee) was issued on January 26, 1950 on the occasion of the celebrations of India's first Republic Day.  Price: Rs 2,000

PACESETTER Nishant Banore
He took the road less travelled 
This young entrepreneur founded Desta to use his education for outreach programmes in rural India
Geetu Vaid

Bharat too Matters: Nishant faced many challenges to chase his dream

Philanthropy and commercial success rarely go hand in hand. But 26-year-old ISB graduate, Nishant Banore, decided to bridge this gap three years ago. A computer science graduate from VJTI, Mumbai, and an ISB alumnus, Nishant decided to use his education for rural development. “I did not want to join an MNC as I could see that the opportunities to learn and grow with a start-up in rural development will be unparalleled”, he says. This fuelled a desire to bring the benefits of growth, globalisation and technical development to rural pockets and improve incomes of villagers through his start-up. The motivation for setting up his venture ‘Desta’ came from the irony of the situation wherein rural customers had limited choice of products and services in spite of a plenty of these available to improve their lives just because it was too expensive to market, deliver and collect payments from villages.

Nishant, along with his co-founders Ron Boehm and Marlys Boehm, decided to build an infrastructure to facilitate any income-generating product or service company to reach villages in a cost-effective manner. “We have built this by partnering with village-level agriculture stores, whom we refer to as Desta Village Managers”, says Nishant. Training and support from Desta enables Village Managers to educate farmers, market innovative products, and offer advise with the help of tech tools such as mobile software, DVD players, soil-testing kits, etc. They are focused on agriculture, livelihood education, renewable energy and water.

The company also motivates small farmers to take to organic farming by providing solutions to problems like selling the output and getting the required technical know-how. Nishant has also set up a product-development centre, Desta Innovation Labs, to focus on developing market-driven products to serve basic needs of the villagers. One of the success stories of this lab is the ‘Desta Water Wheel’, a 40-litre rolling drum, that helps people in villages and slums to transport water from the source to their homes.

Desta, which means “happiness”, is living up to its name by making opportunities available to villagers for sales, fulfillment, and payments service for agriculture tools that have an existing demand; marketing service for products that don’t have an existing demand; and for rural e-commerce and traditional commerce activities.

This young gun, who had bagged the prestigious Chairman’s Gold Medal at ISB for exemplary leadership, and best all-round performance, has handled challenges like foraying into an area where the cost of servicing was pretty high and availability of talent dismal. But the venture has brough about a change in perception at the grass-root level. Three years on, Desta works through 150 village managers in about 1,000 villages in seven districts of Maharashtra and reaches out to 15,000 farmers.

Nishant has a 30-member team and by the end of 2015 Desta aims to increase the income of two million households by 10 per cent, with the help of 10,000 village managers in 50 districts in India.

BLING IT ON

RAISING A TOAST  TO STYLE It is stylish, opulent and exclusive. The new Miroir gift pack with a bottle of Ruinart, from the world’s oldest champagne house is the best example of exotic drinks being presented in luxurious packaging. French company Ruinart—now owned by Moet Hennessy and Louis Vuitton—has released a limited-edition gift pack, designed by renowned French artist Hervé Van der Straeten comprising silver-plated coasters and ice buckets crafted by luxury silver brand Christofle. Each coaster and ice bucket has been numbered and signed by the artist and every number is listed for authentication. So go ahead, put some style in your bubbly and buy a gift pack of The Ruinart. Price: Rs 10,500 ($175) a giftpack bottle

RAISING A TOAST  TO STYLE The first thing many of us do during power failures is to hunt for a torch which is usually not in the right place. Now you can stop worrying about it and, instead, grab a light bulb. Or simply unhook it from the socket and voila, you have a torch in your hand. New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has brought out the Moma Bulb Flashlight that has a built-in rechargeable battery that allows it to double up as a regular bulb and an emergency flashlight. The LED bulb is recharged while being used as a lamp. As a flashlight, it can provide lighting for up to three hours. So go ahead, have your bulb and light it too…as a flashlight. Price: Rs 2,700 ($45)

‘TIME’ FOR A ROLEX If time is money, goes an old Swiss saying, then we should be buying a Rolex! Especially the 2013 version of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona, which is celebrating its 50th. anniversary this year. The new version, featuring a dial made of platinum, has fewer components which lessen the chances of a breakdown. This handsome model still has the Calibre 4130 Rolex engine housed in a 40mm Oyster platinum case. The ice-blue dial has the classic three-circle layout, with the small seconds, 30-minute and 12-hour counters. The chestnut brown tachymetric scale on the Cerachrom bezel helps runners keep time. Little wonder than that this wristy marvel is called the Racer’s Watch. Price: Rs 46.80 lakh

THE COPY CAT The eight-minute DVD Duplicator is a standalone device that copies not just DVDs but also CDs and USB flash drives, without the need for a computer. Dual USB ports allow users to transfer content between flash drives or audio can be transferred between a CD and USB flash drive. You can copy a two-hour DVD in eight minutes and a 70-minute CD in three minutes. The built-in LCD shows the percentage of the copying completed and the amount of disc space used. So the next time you want to copy a CD or a DVD, you don't have to lug your computer. Just take this ten-by-seven-inch device which will do the job for you. Price: Rs 19,800 ($330)

DIGITAL WOODEN STICKS The Going Green movement seems to be permeating into the digital world. Oooms, a well-known Dutch design company has come out with USB Sticks which are made of…well, sticks! Wooden sticks are picked from the woods and are individually selected for their natural beauty and then professionally handmade into unique wooden USB sticks. They range in memory sizes from 2 Gb to 16 Gb and are suitable for Windows, Linux and Mac. They come in an attractive white packaging and are an ideal corporate gift as they make a ‘natural’ statement in an otherwise sanitised office atmosphere.  Price: Between Rs 1,740 and 2,340 per stick (Between $29 & $38)

INDIAN ART UNDER THE HAMMER That Indian art is making waves globally was evident from the results of Christie’s September auction in New York where it mopped up $71,609,313 (around Rs 43 crore) by selling works of leading Asian artists, including Nandalal Bose, Abanindranath Tagore and Rabindranath Tagore. Heartened by the success, Christie’s has announced a new auction of Indian art to be held on December 19 at Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai. A preview exhibition will be held at Delhi’s Taj Palace Hotel from December 6 to 9. The announcement has sent waves of excitement in art circles as it is widely known that with the entry of the international auction houses, Indian art prices will go through the roof. Price: Abanindranath Tagore’s Siva-Simantini fetched Rs 3.34 crore ($555,750) at the New York auction

CYNOSURE OF ALL EYES Sunglasses are fast becoming an essential accessory for that trendy look. From cool dudes to top corporate honchos and from beauty queens to housewives — all are sporting a sleek pair of shades to look elegant and stylish. Take the case of the Rayban Clubmaster. The iconic style has now been reinvented in aluminium, which gives the sunglasses and amazing lightness while being trend-right and modern. The temple design provides a unique twist on the classic style and is guaranteed to make you look spectacular.  Price: Rs 14,700 ($245)

TOUCHSCREEN DESK The future desk will be a clutter-free workspace, where many physical tools and devices will be replaced by smart apps and widgets. The iDesk concept, published by the American futuristic magazine Mac Life, will be an entirely adaptable workspace that doesn’t just have the computer and documents but allows them to interact with each other. In short, the desk basically will be a huge iPad, a clean touchscreen surface that can sync with all devices by just placing them on it. Images and data would easily be transferred from tablets, smartphones or camera directly to the desktop computer and vice versa. It is believed the iDesk is in and advanced stage and will be in Apple stores soon.  Price: To be announced

CHEERS TO RARE VINTAGES It’s a collection that vintners and wine lovers have been waiting for with baited breath. Finally, leading French winery Moët & Chandon has announced that it plans to auction its Grand Vintage Collection of very rare Blanc and Rosé Champagnes, magnums and jeroboams through Sotheby’s. The auction will see 270 bottles of the vintages—some dating back to World War 1— go under the hammer. A global audience of eager buyers can bid for these bottles to celebrate the House’s 270th anniversary this year. If you are a wine lover with deep pockets, do attend the November 13 auction in London. auction base Price: Yet to be announced