Onam JUMP-START YOUR VENTURES Bring your innovative concept to life with operation in 2011 in Dubai, of- pany incorporation, Limited fers specialised services in busi- Liability Company, PRO servic- Speed Business Services LLC ness consulting and business es, local sponsor agreement and licensing. drafting of legal documents. Since then, the company has Speed Business Services also re you one of the many set up businesses for over 200 addresses the challenges that executives who’d love companies and issued 5,000 li- new expat entrepreneurs face to leave the corporate cences through its services across when starting a new venture in battleship to skipper a different business platforms. the emirates. Thus, a 180-degree Aspeedy, nimble start-up? And are These include restaurants, engi- solution services and support are you using a variety of rationales neering services, construction, IT provided for them right from li- for why it’s not yet time to go? Rea- and technical solutions, educa- censing, business consulting, of- sons such as ‘I need to work on my tion, real estate, media and event fice set-ups, office space, interior résumé, acquire more credibility, management, cargo and courier, designing, furniture, printers and learn to manage better, figure out hospitals and clinics, shipping, stationeries, car services, bank ac- SAJEER S PILLAI how financing really works, main- tourism and trade, hypermarkets counts, real estate, medical, visa, MANagiNG DIRECTOR tain stability at home while my and supermarkets, facilities man- human resources, etc. children are young’, etc.? agement, transport and rent a car Free consultation services are Don’t wait too long to become services, and more. available at the office. an entrepreneur. Speed Business Services pro- All you need to decide is what vides a range of support servic- For details contact, Speed Business you want to do. es to individual entrepreneurs Services LLC, Second Floor, Mozna Starting your dream company as well as corporate groups of Building (UAE Exchange Building), in the UAE with Speed Business businessmen. Opposite Union Cooperative Society, Free consultation Services is quick and 100 per cent Through Speed Business Ser- Near Al Nahda Metro Station, hassle-free, as its services are cus- vices, many young entrepreneurs Dubai, UAE. services are tom-made to suit every business have successfully set up their busi- Tel: 04 2630301 available at and budget. ness organisations in the UAE. Fax: 04 2616701 Speed Business Services, a The services offered are Mob: 0553107788 the office. professional firm that started its business consultancy, com- www.speedbusinessservice.com KHALEEJ TIMES | sePtemBER 6, 2014 44 Onam SBT: A leader in NRI banking The State Bank of Travancore offers extensive services to the UAE-based NRI community tate Bank of Travancore Dubai facilitates all types of NRI plans to open more such branches www.statebankof travancore.com. (SBT) is a leader in the In- transactions and provides all req- during the coming years. Another special product dian NRI banking space, uisite services for the bank’s NRI The NRI deposits of SBT record- for NRIs launched this year is having a long and success- clientele in the UAE, acting as a ed a growth of Rs56.51 billion dur- TWINKLE, which is a recurring Sful track record of rendering top conduit between them and the SBT ing the last financial year, reaching deposit for children below the age quality service to a very large num- branches in India. SBT also man- a level of Rs249.63 billion as on of 18 years. A child can be made ber of Indian expatriates. SBT has ages two exchange houses, one March 31, 2014. The bank con- a millionaire under the scheme in been in existence for nearly seven each in the UAE and Oman; viz, tinues to maintain its number one 10 years, if the parent/guardian decades and since 1960, has been M/S City Exchange LLC, Dubai, position in Kerala, in terms of NRI can deposit Rs5,200 per month a part of the State Bank group, the UAE, and M/S Global Money Ex- deposits, enjoying a market share for 120 months in the name of his/ largest banking conglomerate in change Company, Ruwi, Oman. In of 41.5 per cent among public sec- her child. A ‘valuable gift’ indeed India. The bank offers a wide va- addition to this, in order to ensure tor banks in the state. NRI deposits for their loved ones! riety of attractive and customised smooth business facilitation for constitute 28 per cent of the bank’s The bank has also launched a NRI products and services that NRI clients in the other GCC coun- total deposits. new deposit product SAPTHAMI cater to every need and fancy of its tries, the bank has posted relation- For facilitating smooth remit- (tenure 700 days) with interest at vast NRI clientele. ship managers in countries such as tance of funds to India, SBT has 9.15 per cent per annum. All these As the only Indian Public Sec- Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. established direct remittance ar- products are available to the NRI tor Bank based in Kerala, SBT has In order to enhance the banking rangements with 43 exchange community for investment and to been playing an important role in experience of its vast NRI clientele, houses in the GCC. Of this, five enjoy better yields. the social milieu of the state. SBT the bank has established several tie-ups were established last year. Besides these special products, provides high quality, personalised specialised NRI branches and The bank plans to have more such the bank also offers a wide choice NRI banking services from its vast personal segment branches at tie-ups in place, and the target is of attractive deposit and loan prod- network of branches and also from major centres in India. The bank to reach 50-plus tie-ups during ucts. These include NRE/NRO its dedicated representative office has also opened four boutique 2014-15. Savings bank accounts and NRE in Dubai, UAE. branches for its premium, Remittances equivalent to Rs360 Platinum Savings account. Apart In order to reach out to the vast high-end NRI customers – NRI billion was routed through SBT dur- from NRE/NRO Fixed and Recur- NRI population in the UAE, the Premium Banking branches at ing FY 2013-14, which amounted ring deposits in Indian Rupees, the bank established the representa- Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai to 50 per cent of all remittances re- bank offers the facility of FCNR tive office in Dubai in 2008. The and Kollam, and a ‘Platinum Point’ ceived by banks in Kerala. deposits and Premium Rupee de- SBT Representative Office in branch at Hyderabad. The bank has Recently, the bank has intro- posits (one year term) in nine major duced several new attractive NRI currencies — USD, GBP, EUR, JPY, products such as: SUKOON, a AUD, CAD, CHF, SGD and HKD. new current account product ex- Rupee Premium deposits (in USD) clusively for NRIs who wish to of longer terms is also available. keep their savings free of interest, Retail loans such as home loans, and at the same time can enjoy car loans and mortgage loans are several value-added benefits. available for NRIs on very attrac- Similarly, a foreign currency loan tive terms and conditions. product against the FCNR (B) de- In short, the bank provides posits was introduced last year. tailor-made products to serve cus- Also, Indian expatriates all over tomers in all segments, across dif- the world can now enjoy SBT’s ferent strata of society. SBT has online NRE account opening become a financial super market, facility, which is made avail- offering the full spectrum of prod- able through the bank’s website ucts and services under one roof. 45 KHALEEJ TIMES | sePtemBER 6, 2014 OnamOnam Magical RenditionsOPPANA DANCE erala’s dance forms are Kthe best portrayal of its abundance in colours, expressions and cultural wealth. Whether it is the world-famous Kathakali dance based on the stories and ideas from Indian epics and Puranas; Mohiniyattam, the more sinuous dance of the enchantress; Kannyarkali and Kolkali, folk art performances; or Kummattikkali, a popular mask dance; every art form is a true reflection of hotos: Kerala Tourism Kerala hotos: the richness and diversity of P culture. Onam, a celebration of the homecoming of the mythical king Malabali from netherworld, is a perfect time to witness the magic woven by these art forms. KHALEEJ TIMES | sePtemBER 6, 2014 46 MOHINIYATTAM THRISSUR POORAM KALARIPAYATTU KATHAKALI Renditions PULIKALI 47 KHALEEJ TIMES | sePtemBER 6, 2014 Onam Spicing it up The story of Kerala’s spices and crops dates back to thousands of years into the past CARDAMOM Cardamom ing the shell, extracting oil from the shell, peeling the “…Kerala cuisine might prove too spicy to a deli- kernel, and selecting and packing the nuts accord- cate palate...” That’s a warning some tourist guides ing to quality. The nuts are available in the market at give visitors to the land of spices. prices that vary with quality and brand names. Spice trade in Kerala dates back 7,500 years. The Spice Coast of Malabar has found mention in ancient Clove travelogues. If chilli and pepper have been the hot A common spice of Kerala, cloves are the dried favourites across time, the cardamom of Malabar is floral buds of Eugenia caryophyllaeta. Keralites call it considered the best in the world. Cardamom from Grambu or Karayambu. Kerala is widely used for medicinal purposes. Clove is one of the key ingredients of garam Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum), apart from its masala (spices in varying proportions roasted and medicinal qualities, has a pleasing flavour and aroma powdered).