Tag: Here’s

Train 18: Here’s how much it will cost you to travel on India’s fastest train

Loknath Das

Train 18 will start its services soon and along with it, will herald a new generation of Indian trains. The much talked about Train 18 is expected to start services shortly after the Budget session.  But how much will a passenger have to shell out to travel on the indigenously-built fastest train in India? According to reports, Train 18 fares are likely to cost you 40-50 percent more than the Shatabdi Express. As mentioned in agency reports, the Executive Class fare is likely to cost around Rs 2,800-Rs 2,900, while…

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Maruti S-Cross selling 4 times the Renault Duster: Here’s why

Loknath Das

Maruti Suzuki S-Cross has picked up the pace on the sales chart after a facelifted version of the car was launched. The S-Cross is sold as a premium crossover on the market and the car has picked up a lot of buyers in the past few months. The S-Cross has become so popular on the market that it is now outselling the once-popular Renault Duster by four times on an average. In the month of June, Renault sold 1,165 units of the Duster, while Maruti sold as many as 4,128…

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Trapped in debt? Here’s how to get out of it

Loknath Das

Once you get into the habit of using credit cards by paying the minimum amount, your free credit period is over. For all purchases from next month, you will be paying interest at the rate of 36-48% a year. Photo: iStockphoto Experts say debt usually has a major impact on emotions. Mounting debt can bring stress and unhappiness. However, the good news is if you deal with it systematically, you can get out of the trap sooner than you expected. If you are one of those who has been struggling…

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This summer, beat the heat and visit the best spots in Rajasthan. Here’s how

Loknath Das

Summers in Rajasthan have become more enthralling — courtesy night tourism, which is taking tourist numbers in the lean season to new heights in the desert state. Colourful lights sparkling bright under the dark sky create a unique contrast, enhancing the beauty of spectacular palaces, gardens and museums. Night tourism allows travellers to visit the major attractions from 6 pm till 10 pm, and was taken to check the dwindling number of tourists during the summers, when the sweltering heat during the day is a deterrent. Introduced by Rajasthan Tourism,…

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Maruti Suzuki Baleno badge-engineered with Toyota clothes: Here’s what it could look like

Loknath Das

It’s now well established that Toyota will badge engineer the Maruti Suzuki Baleno premium hatchback and sell it in India. This is expected to be somewhat like the Nissan Micra and its badge engineered sibling, the Renault Pulse. While the Toyota badged Baleno is a year or two away from a commercial launch in India, here is a speculative render that will give you an idea of what the car could look like.   As seen in the render, the Toyota-badged Baleno is expected to have completely different front-end and…

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What Boutique Travel Is and Isn’t – Here’s How to Qualify Your Clients

Loknath Das

Photo: Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection.  Some well-traveled clients want what they want. Others aren’t quite sure what they want – and therefore rely on you to qualify them. When it comes to boutique travel products, one could almost say it’s as close to custom as you can get – reserved for those seeking something exclusive and ideal for anyone who likes their needs catered to.Boutique and unique may rhyme by coincidence but one is very much a part of the other. So when determining whether or not your client…

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Want to buy a house? Here’s how much to invest in SIPs to achieve your goal

Loknath Das

Disclaimer: This story is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as investment advice. Financial goals are an integral part of investing money into various schemes. Setting aside a life or financial goal can often be motivational for higher investments. A call to Zee Business mutual fund helpline came from a 28 year old investor who has started an SIP in six funds. His dream is to buy a house after a period of seven year and will continue with his investments after that. For that he said he wanted a…

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Don’t ignore Alternative Investment Funds while building your long term portfolio; here’s why

Loknath Das

Indian economy is already looking up after crucial and series of difficult reforms have been implemented over the last three years while some are still in the process of getting implemented. In this scenario, Indian investors are betting big on equities, especially when gold and properties are not on the preferred list of assets. In a tectonic shift most investors – Ultra HNI, HNI, and retail – are focusing largely on long-term investments rather than being swayed by short-term scenarios both external and internal. Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) and Mutual…

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My travel photo addiction is out of control – here’s how I’m trying to beat it

Loknath Das

Travellers have grown increasingly obsessed with documenting their trips It’s my worst addiction. More pernicious than my attachment to caffeine, TV as background noise or squalid post-gym binges with a monster pack of Kettle Chips. My impulse to document every aspect of a holiday with my camera phone has become all-consuming. And my ability to enjoy travel in the moment is under threat. On a recent trip to Colombia, I realised how bad things had got. I was out in the country’s hot, isolated plains with a small group of…

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There’s more to Canada than Toronto. Here’s why you need to explore Ontario soon

Loknath Das

Canada’s most populous province, Ontario is home to nearly 40% of all Canadians. It is diverse and vibrant from the multicultural metropolis of Toronto, Canada’s biggest city, to the First Nations villages on the Hudson Bay shores to the north. There are charming towns, historic settlements, a beautiful chance for cruising amid Saint Lawrence River’s Thousand Islands, as well as vast wilderness in national and provincial parks like the much-loved Algonquin. Ontario celebrates its diversity year-round, from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival to the Toronto International Film Festival and RBC Ottawa…

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