Moving Cryogenic Tanks

CSS Chennai successfully handled one major movement of cryogenic tanks recently. During the first week of December 2016 the project was awarded to the CSS office and subsequently they received the confirmation to handle the project. An extensive study was conducted regarding the movement of the units and clearances needed in place for the movement of the 18 ton cargo with the volume specification of 03 x 40 OT and 01 x 40 FR. The scope of work included the cargo being taken out from the factory and moved all the way to the port through the congested city of Chennai. The climate too was totally adverse for the movement due to civil and political unrest during the time in the city of Chennai. “Chennai team of CSS did a commendable job in tacking all adversities and moving this cargo with utmost precision and care. I feel proud for my team” commented Sudarshan, Vice President, CSS South India.

Highly experienced team of professionals from the CSS Chennai office did study the inch by inch movement details that needed to be carried out. The cargo was meticulously lashed on to flat rack trailers with all precautions ready in hand. Finally the cargo which needed to be shipped to its final destination of Buenos Aires, reached safely, the port of Chennai to be loaded on to the vessel.

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Enforcement of DIFC Judgment in Ras Al Khaimah Courts

On 12 December, 2016 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Dubai International Financial Centre (hereinafter referred as “DIFC”) and Ras Al Khaimah (hereinafter referred to as “RAK”) Free Trade Zone Authority, RAK Investment Authority and RAK International Corporate Centre to enhance the efficient enforcement of the Judgment and / or Orders pronounced by the DIFC Courts.

Enforcement of DIFC Judgment in RAK Courts
Ras Al Khaimah aka RAK is one of the seven Emirates in United Arab Emirates. It is also one of the three Emirates which has their own Court System. The jurisdiction of these courts is set out in the UAE Constitution and the UAE Civil Procedure Law. Further, RAK Court has an independent legal system like the Dubai Courts and the entire proceedings in the Court including the documents to be submitted the Court are to be in Arabic Language.

The DIFC Courts are established under the Dubai Law No. 9 of 2004 and is an independent Common Law Judiciary based in the Dubai International Financial Centre with jurisdiction governing civil and commercial disputes. Further, unlike the other courts in the UAE, the language used in the proceedings of DIFC Courts is in English.

With the signing of this MoU, the companies that comes under the authority of RAK, can have the disputes resolved by the DIFC Courts and can enforce the English Judgment issued by the DIFC Courts through RAK Courts. However, in order to enable this provision the Agreement entered into by the parties shall explicitly contain the clause for DIFC Jurisdiction. All the RAK Government bodies, companies, Investors and individuals shall utilise this provision in their Agreements.

Registration of Will
Previously in May 2016, the Dubai Government had framed a new rule allowing all Non Muslim expatriates to register their Will in Dubai. In order to provide these services, the Government has even formed the Will and Probate Registry, a public entity of the Dubai Governement and an ancillary body of the DIFC’s Dispute Resolution Authority (DRA). This rule had been designed to protect the assets in Dubai.

However, pursuant to the new MoU signed between DIFC and RAK authorities, the above facility has been extended to those who have assets in RAK. The party who has asset in RAK can share the details with the DIFC Wills and Probate Registry about their shares, they own in any company or partnership firms in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. They can also attach the business licences also to the Registered Will.

The DIFC Wills and Probate registry may share these information pertaining to the business licences and / or property with the RAK authorities like RAK Free Zone Authority, RAK Investment Authority, and RAK International Corporate Centre. Since, only the DIFC Courts have the exclusive jurisdiction over estates and succession for Wills which have been registered with DIFC Wills and Probate Registry, if the Testator passes away, the appointed executor may approach the DIFC Court for a Probate Court Order appointing him as the executor and allowing him to execute the Will, administer the estate and distribute assets to the beneficiaries. The probate order thus issued by the Court shall contain the powers and duties of the executor in relation to the deceased’s succession.

Further in order to carry out the execution of the Will, the executor shall present the “Execution writ” by the DIFC Courts to the Ras Al Khaimah Courts. The authorities as mentioned in the above paragraphs shall execute the Will without any delay on accordance with the applicable laws of RAK. However, there shall be applicable fees to be paid in this regard.

Conclusion:
Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, the ruler of the RAK Emirate, while signing the MoU has stated that “We understand that we live today in a World where not everybody speaks Arabic Language. We are proud of our language, but we are human beings. ……What we want to do is allow businesses, people who live here, to feel comfortable that they can speak as well in English”. Sooner or later the words of Sheikh Saud Bin Sagr Al Qasimi would come true since the three above mentioned Authorities are there to support the transformation and improving the business environment and thereby attracting foreign investors and business entities to Ras Al Khaimah.

Training at CSS Mumbai

The staff at CSS Mumbai witnessed a unique training session recently. The pens and pads they carried to the conference room proved to be of no use when the training started. It was all about Martial arts and self-defence techniques. Even though the session brought in surprises and beaming smiles on faces, in the hind sight, everyone agrees that the training they got was one of the most important lessons which the time demands in India.

The training was led by Ganesh Padyachi, Business Development Manager, CSS Mumbai. Ganesh is formally trained in Martial Arts. “Self –defence is a must learned lesson for everyone. As the crime rates are soaring high in our country, we need to equip ourselves to protect our body from abuses” mentioned Ganesh. The training was conducted in two batches and covered areas like personality development, thinking style and self-help techniques as well.

Lucky Winner

As part of our continuous commitment to the freight forwarding fraternity, CSS initiated a thank you scheme over 9 years ago, whereby one lucky name out of the scores of business cards that are dropped into the raffle bowls placed at the Delivery Order Counter will be rewarded with a gift.
The winner picked selected and rewarded for the months from January- February 2017 was Varghese Thomas from Bareeq Al Mas Cargo who walked away with Gift voucher worth AED 200 from Lulu presented by Rejani S Pillai, HR Co-ordinator, CSS Dubai

Cricketing Veterans of CSS

CSS Group’s two senior staff members played this year’s Veteran’s Premier League held in Wayand, Kerala. Fida Asghar & Hareesh Haridas, two well-known names in the Cricketing circuits of Kerala & the UAE played for two different teams. While Fida Asghar played for the Absolute Sobers, Hareesh played with Kochi Royals. Interestingly both the team entered the finals after the league matches.

About KVCA

Kerala Veterans Cricket Association – a fraternity of former state cricketers was formed as early as 1995. Affiliated to the Board of Veterans Cricket in India, the KVCA has been extremely active with its cricket tours to almost all cricket-playing countries, hosting, conducting international & national level tournaments and also playing a constructive role in the development of cricket in the state. Presently, KVCA has over 200 members comprising national and international cricketers, celebrities and sports administrators.

CSS had always patronised Cricket in the UAE and played a commendable role in promoting cricketing talents from the local and international levels. Fida Asghar, Team Manager of the NVOCC department in CSS Dubai, is a first class cricketer. Hareesh Haridas has a wonderful track record of playing major league matches in the UAE and India and is a leading batsman who works in the capacity of Manager in Supply Chain department of CSS Dubai.

Failure Leads To Success

You may have it heard said that successful people don’t have failures. They view all events as a learning process towards achieving their goals. If this is the case why is there growing criticism that younger industry talent seem to have lots of knowledge and qualifications but lack the fire to grow their career? Could it be that they lack an ability, to take time, to assess failure as a step towards promotion and success? Whilst mistakes and ill-fortune happen, talented people demonstrate their real skills and true metal; by the way they mitigate such events, possibly turning them into an advantage.

So what, if anything, has given rise to this situation?

Well, turn the clock back only forty years and you’ll find a time when the principle source of learning general communication skills came from within a family. Meals, where all generations ate and interacted together, were a regular feature. Values, traditions, customs, courtesy, social and verbal skills were passed onto younger family members. They were then able to develop them as appropriate for their generation.

But the internet has changed everything. Its phenomenal growth has overtaken what was usually slow social development and replaced it with a potential for an immediate global response. News from all corners of the world impacts on us 24/7. ‘YouTube’, ‘SnapChat’, ‘WhatsApp’, ‘FaceBook’ and ‘Twitter’ are just some of the current social media resources which influence and create social trends. These are outside what were our usual family, community, state and even a Country’s ethos and ambience.

Our younger generation is being influenced in a way which has never happened before. Yes, all generations are impacted by these changes in communication but the great difference is that the older generations have more experience to deal with them. The values of parents invariably influenced their children. This aspect has now, in many societies, been subjugated by what youngsters learn from social media. Values are learnt from the internet which question and challenge views being taught by parents.

Considering this background and applying it in the workplace focuses minds on the way different generations react. Whereas the middle-range and upper-management, generally in their youth, were used to having at least 30 seconds to consider an issue, (as demonstrated by the length of television adverts), today social media and interaction is often limited to 5 seconds. No time for thinking, just an immediate reaction. This is often why tweets and emails sent, with a quick click, lead to instant regret. What is needed, especially in business, is forward planning and considered responses. However this flies in the face of the social environment in which today’s students find themselves. On one hand at university, being required to study for their degrees and on the other hand, being expected by their peers to give fast responses. Clearly there is a potential conflict as it is not realistically possible to completely separate social skills from business skills. They are all part and parcel of the same thing – an ability to communicate and take decisions.

There is also a growing tendency for educators being encouraged to highlight the uniqueness of students. Unfortunately if you focus on believing you are unique, especially when a team member, it has a tendency to set you apart from others. A belief in uniqueness impacts on a person’s assertive nature. Everyone has their own particular unique talent. This needs to be nurtured but not at the expense of it becoming an excuse for lack of success. The claim that ‘YOU’ didn’t nurture my unique talent enough, as a means of blaming others for one’s own failure, is not a sustainable proposition. However it’s a view which can comfort those who lack motivation and determination.

This brings us back to our opening question. The growing criticism, about younger industry talent seeming to have lots of knowledge and qualifications but lacking the fire to grow their career, needs to be addressed. This is an important consideration for a company determined to build on its success. Once we realise and accept how rapidly changing social media has altered the way different generations interact; planning, training, encouraging and coaching younger staff members, within a company’s ethos, can be seen as ‘must have’ approach. Undoubtedly it will add invaluable corporate value to a workforce.

Youth brings a vibrancy that companies need. How a company benefits from this is going to be judged on the way intergenerational trust can be fostered and developed. Personality, assertiveness, bargaining and negotiation skills cannot be successful asserted if they are limited by social media experiences. Short attention spans limit an ability to see beyond failures towards a successful horizon. Herein lies the challenge for a progressive company – how to unlock the social media box and encourage younger talent to take control of their own vibrant potential to flourish.

Seeking What We Can Never Receive and Receiving When We Stop Seeking

Rahat Talreja
Vice President – CSS India


This article is not about business or economics in its conventional way. But the world is run by people and so whatever is going on within people affects commerce and trade as well. So this is my license to write this article in a business journal.

What is it that you always seek?
Peace or Stress ?
Sorrow or Happiness ?
Poverty or Wealth ?
Love or Hatred ?
And so on ….
Ask yourself.

The conventional and obvious answer is the “ better “ looking feeling wether Peace, Happiness, Wealth, Love etc Don’t you remember the several messages you receive and forward on occasions like Diwali, Eid, Christmas seeking the above for you?

But now ask : Which is more powerful and Think. ( this is keeping your mind silent and tongue silent and letting your mind and energy go on a deeper plain ) the definition was important because we are talking more and thinking less these days

The more powerful thing is the one which is omnipresent and the one we are seeking is eluding us always or not visible.

So Stress is present always, peace is to be found
Sorrow is a larger reality, happiness is a wish
Let me give you an example.

All religions, leaders of peace, humanity etc always talked and worked for “ Equality “

Many centuries have passed. Is the world equal ? Need I answer this no brainer? Can I actually say that inequality was always there and is there and will always be there. What happens is that we make the omnipresent reality a bad word and then seek the opposite of it always

But lets be humble to accept that “If the maker of the universe thought that inequality was not required, it would not be there. Simple. Period.”

So if equality is not there – it had to be like this. The issue is our doubt and distrust and non acceptance of the realities around us.

People may argue that what ought to be there, wouldn’t always be.

But just do simple observation. No intelligence required.

The maker didn’t want a cat giving birth to a human, does it ? it doesn’t

The maker didn’t want the ocean to cross its line at the beach, does it ? it doesn’t

But unequal – it wanted . And it did. We cant decipher why so we keep seeking the other end of it. And fail. Till date.

No eye image, no thumb impression, no toe print in the world is equal. So what else should be?

So i come back to the main point of this article. By illustrating the example on equality, I want to simply say that what is present is actually the powerful reality and not the opposite of it. The issue is we make a bad word out of it and keep trying to rotate it. We are actually masters at making bad words out of situations. The two eyed approach. The dual aspect approach.

Without realising that:

Only after stress, deep stress, the peace is recognised – the absence of stress.

Only after sorrow, deep sorrow, happiness is recognised, the absence of sorrow.

The stress is the womb on which peace grows

The sorrow is the womb on which happiness grows

So now I request you all to stop making bad words out of realities.

And accept reality.

And then see what happens.

Once you are ok with stress, the value of seeking peace will go away.

Once you are ok with inequality, the value of seeking equality will go away.

And as every aspect of reality is accepted in its own form, the effort, pain and journey to make the opposite happen will end. Because your starting and ending point will be the same. You will be the 1st and last in the race because the race will never happen. Because now, you have stopped judging everything in dual aspect.

I remember a hilarious situation. Just before a company’s results are out, there are analyst expectations and then if the results are lower than that, people react negatively to it.

But the result is the reality, the expectation is above it. Funny isn’t it.

Another example is in eating. Rich food and Poor food. You eat as you can afford. But what does it result into? If you eat the food of the poor you never get the diseases of the rich. But one strives to get from poverty to richness and misses the mirage.

The article needs to end like this. Understand carefully.

In continuation to my own point that the actual reality is omnipresent and we make a bad word of it and seek the other opposite end. ( Inequality the reality and equality the opposite)

But the reality is also that we do it. This making a bad word if it and seeking the other end. So if it is like this, so be it. My article and its points stand validated only if they stand cancelled. I hope the confusion has bought you clarity on a deeper point.

If not, turn the page and ignore this article, its as simple.

Cheers

Chairman’s Message

T S Kaladharan

T S Kaladharan

 

2016 proved to be another challenging but, at the same time, an exciting year. The past twelve months have occasioned situations, in the business world, which have tested our abilities. Unrest in the Middle East and the demonetisation in India are only a couple of things from a long list of challenges. However, looking back, I take comfort from the fact that our resilience and forward planning have carried us successfully along. Overcoming such demanding events makes you even more confident to move forward. As time passes we learn and mature gaining the experience to strive and stride forward towards a better future. As the year comes to its end, we invariably end up analysing the ups and down. It should give us all satisfaction, at CSS, that our team work and commitment has meant we have had many more ups than downs.
Accordingly it is an opportune time to highlight our recently concluded strategy meet. We focused on the disciplines and skills that have stood us in good stead, realising that even the unexpected can be successfully addressed by sticking to the ethos on which CSS has built its strategies. Whenever big or small situations arise, our past experiences enable us to sail through any adverse currents, with confidence and determination.
As we start a New Year I am emboldened to feel upbeat to see the opportunities that lie ahead for all of us, in the logistics industry. My personal thanks for the past year and wish everyone at CSS, our well-wishers and clients; good fortune while we move forward together.

Planning, Precision & Performance (P3)

meet


CSS Group Sales Strategy Meet 2016 held during the month of November


CSS Group recently conducted their Annual Sales Strategy Meet for the year 2017 in Dubai. The Two day event was organized at the prestigious and picturesque Golf Club in the Arabian Ranches. The theme they adopted for the year’s meet was “Planning, Precision & Performance (P3)”, which invariably demonstrates the professional approach of the company towards the services rendered from the day of its inception. CSS has always strived to excel in all the ventures, year on year and today has reached a respectable position amongst the renowned names in the field of Shipping and Logistics in the Middle East and the Indian Sub-continent. The meet was inaugurated by Chandrakala (CK) who introduced the theme and its inner sense and importance.

sales-meetThis year’s meet saw some interesting presentations on the first day regarding the Strategies for each division of the company. The strategy presentation was done by the division heads and Senior Management staff. Day Two was dedicated to Budget analysis and proposal for the next year. The discussions and interactions invited some novel changes in the current approach of Sales and Marketing. Delegates from both the Middle East and the Indian offices participated and did their presentations.

The sales strategy meet is organized as a part of enhancing the sales programme, every year. The middle & top management of the group company assemble at any of the renowned destinations of the globe and discuss about the past sales and design new sales programme. Each office and each department will have separate presentations and suggestions regarding the sales enhancement. All suggestions will be finally reviewed by the Top management who approves a consolidated sales programme which will be incorporated into the sale process.

The Two day meeting concluded with the vote of thanks by the Chairman of CSS Group T S Kaladharan wherein he reiterated the need for more focused approach to overcome the present global crises.

Machinery Movement

jcbCSS team at Coimbatore office has successfully handled the shipment of excavator JCB machine movement from Coimbatore to Tema, Ghana.  Shipment weighing 21tons with a volume of 93 CBM was handled by well-trained team of CSS. The movement which required close coordination was handled professionally by the CSS projects team with careful planning and meticulous handling.

The volume specification was 9.5X 3X 3.2 meters and was successfully moved on 1X40 flat racks. The entire units were carefully loaded under expert supervision and moved with enough escorts to the destination site. The movement was carried out in November and CMA CGM will take the machines to its destination in Ghana which is expected to reach by January. All necessary documentation including permissions was procured prior to the movement. Team Coimbatore, under the leadership of C. Thainis Raj, Manager Sales & Marketing reports that this is going to be a regular project movement henceforth awarded to CSS.

“CSS offices in the South will be more aggressively exploring the opportunities related with machinery movement, as there are huge hidden prospects involved here” mentioned T K Vishwanath, GM South India. High professionalism was displayed by each and every team member involved in the project and proved once again CSS Group’s commitment towards achieving highest quality of service rendition.

Demonetization

How long will it take to stabilize the economy?

cashOn 8th November 2016 India makes another abrupt history when Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi announced Demonetization of High denomination Notes with immediate effects. The step has been taken into consideration to stop Black Money, Fake Currency Note, Inflation & fight against terrorism.

To some extent the Demonetization abolishes Terrorism, Black Money in India but Growth of any Country depends upon its Export Import Trade and indeed it is very crucial for India too. After demonetization however Exports have slowed down due to currency crunch.  The Trading Market almost demolished due to the fact that this market operates in Currency Notes only. True to its core that instability in the Exports leads to inflation and that in turn leads to an uncertainty of internal purchasing power and unstable economy.

The Foreign Trade industry is suffering in the aftershocks and shall continue to suffer for a further period, though for limited time as per Trade Experts.

Government’s decision to ban use of old Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currency notes is expected to impact adversely the growth of export-import (EXIM) trade, shipping giant Maersk Line said in a report.

rajesh-arora“Trade wise, Maersk Line expects India’s EXIM growth in the fourth quarter (October-December) to be slower than third, as a result of the demonetization exercise undertaken by the government in November this year,”…. the global containerised division of the Maersk Group said in a statement.

However the influx of money from the black market shall certainly improve to be beneficial in the long run for Export Import Trade. The fact lies at the moment that plunge in money supply with overflowing bank deposits ring an alarm in consumption demands, means decline in imports.

The Indian Government has always paid incentives and promoted Export with easy policies. Nonetheless the Exports market is taking a toll at the moment. “ Make in India” projects need easy flow of currency for manufacturing, hence the Import and Export both trade have got their bottlenecks as of now and nobody is sure how much time it requires to be back on business…

Demonetization is indeed a great move by Government to fight against corruption, fake money, black money, terror financing and long term economic gains and  for a greater cause it is inevitable that for a few months Indian’s Export trade will be slow but as per experts considered it is a bold step taken by Indian Government to strengthen our GDP the future of Indian Export Import trade looks promising for coming 2017.

AFBN 1st Annual Meet

afbn-conference


The first annual meeting of the AFBN (African Freight Bridge Networks) was held in the historic city of Marrakech, Morocco from the 8th to 11th December 2016. Consolidated Shipping Services Group attended the Meeting and was represented by Ajay Krishnan, Vice President, Freight forwarding & Pricing. The conference comprised of presentations, one-to -one meeting, social get together, group lunches and post tours.

awardAFBN is the first International freight forwarders network based in the African Continent. The network membership offers many benefits to the member companies in the African region. This member ship introduces a new member to the best and reliable freight forwarders in Africa. Being a member of AFBN networks will allow you to work only with trusted and specialized freight forwarders from all over the world under the financial and monitoring protection programme of AFBN which secures all financial transactions amongst the members.

“AFBN Conference was an extremely interactive and engaging event for CSS. Three days provided opportunity to know about the members of the network more closely and explore new paths to build better business relationships in the African region”, mentioned Ajay Krishnan.

CSS Group with its worldwide network aims at exploring the opportunities of the prospects offered by the African countries, which they haven’t pursued yet. Consolidated Shipping Group, established in the year 1995, is one of the fastest growing NVOCCs in the region where it operates. CSS Group, headquartered in Dubai has become one of the most trusted partners for freight forwarding and logistics among the global fraternity within a short period of time. Professional and dedicated services offered in the field of Ocean Freight, Air Freight, Local & International Land Transportation, Projects Management, Supply Chain Management and Personal Effects Management has brought in accolades and recognition for the entire CSS Group. Being a prominent name in the field of freight forwarding in the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent, CSS Group has to its credit an enviable list of Global Network Partners. CSS has a dedicated and highly skilled team of over 750 professionals around the globe offering integrated freight forwarding & logistic solutions to varied clientele.

Regional Headquarters

kala


Consolidated Shipping Services L.L.C Starts functioning from its new Regional Head Quarters in Jebel Ali. The new facility is conveniently located in JAFZA adjacent to the existing CSS CFS and Opposite to LOB 08. The soft launch of the new office building was held in the first week of December with the CSS Senior Management and other staff in attendance for the function. Office inauguration was done with a ribbon cutting by Chandrakala (CK), Director Ocean freight Operations which was followed by Lighting of the Lamp by the Senior Management members.office-relocation

The business relocation was informed well in advance to all the company stake holders, overseas agents, local customers and associates through an office announcement release a week prior to the function. The sprawling new office was completed in record time with the state of the art ware house associated with it and is adjacent to the previous CSLC 1 facility. The new facility has increased the storage provisions of CSS in the Middle East, which will give a boost to the 3PL activities over this area.

The telephone number of the new office would be 04 8831303, however the PO Box will remain same for the company.

Lingering of Oil Economies – A Matter of Concern

oil-economyEconomics is a social science which studies human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses.

Oil Economies, a cliché term to elaborately define the strong existence of the conventional oil producing nations. As oil is an exhaustible resource, which will eventually run out, the economy that depends on oil can also eventually run out. The oil market has undergone considerable amount of change during the past few decades. The etiquette that protects the oil market is no more valid. The oil economies require an updated set of principles reflecting the New Economics of Oil.

The current soar in oil prices of an approximate 40% is not a matter of excitement according to experts. No one knows the future of oil prices, which has been showcasing fluctuations in the recent past. The so called oil economies are preparing to lower their oil production and thus bring the prices to hover around $50 per barrel. To a certain extent this strategy might show a positive vibe. However, can we consider this as an everlasting phenomenon?

The recent survey done by the Harvard Business Review shows that the present situation of lower oil price environment is not an “oil bust” that will be followed by an “oil boom” in the near future. Instead, it cautions that the aftereffect of this phenomenon will definitely impact all nations including non-oil producers.

In the recent past, economic scenario assumed that the oil producers are strong enough to take care of the oil and gas supply worldwide. However, as an unexpected jolt to the conventional energy giants, the American shale oil and gas producers’ master crafted a new business strategy. When the traditional oil companies takes at least five to ten years to explore, invest, and produce new oil fields, the US based shale oil companies require just five to six months overall to execute the same process. The capital investment for these American shale oil companies is really low when compared to their conventional rivals. This has resulted in a five times jump of total oil production in the United States.

The US has also lifted a four decade old ban on exporting its oil to the worldwide demands forcing the traditional oil producers to lower their production.

It is high time that the oil nations should stop relying on the conventional oil strategy as their economic backbone. GCC nations who have a strong oil based economy have amassed considerable wealth during the past decades could come under stress in the coming decades if they continue to follow their status quo. Instead, they have to find new methods and technology to invest in other forms of renewable energy and shale gas production as well.

Gopakumar KP
Sales Executive – CSS Dubai
gopakumar@cssdubai.com

Caste System in the World

rahat-talrejaOh no? What did I just say? isn’t this supposed to be a corporate journal and I need to write all the neutral and nice sounding things which appear modern and liberated from the past clichés of society like caste , class etc.

Shouldn’t i have written words and phrases like “go green” or “value addition” or “digital revolution?”

How could I use THAT word in the 21st Century?

But me being me, I can’t remain on the surface for long. So let’s get to the real thing. Which is our internal world which is not seen by all but runs us constitutionally in every way.

Caste! So what is it? It is nothing but a race or a set of similar people who follow similar customs and traditions and mind set and thinking. Not wholly but mostly.

My current insecurity makes me identify my current caste.

If sitting with a Delhi person, I am from Mumbai

If with a Chinese, both Delhi and I are Indian

If with a European, all, Chinese, Delhi and me are Asian

If with an alien, all, European, Chinese, Delhi and I are from the Earth

If in a car, the guy on the bike is another caste

If with a female, I am the guy, the other caste

If with an old person, I am young, the other caste

If I am fat, the thin guy is another caste

Besides if i am my caste, all others are from the other caste.

So basically, my dual nature of viewing things, with two eyes, and not the third eye: the eye of perception, everything is Another Caste

I am basically “casting” myself in one slot, viewing with 2 eyes and automatically the other becomes “other caste”

If you see, this caste system emerges from human insecurity and nothing else

He is just trying to get comfortable in his own casted space.

If insecurity is a fear and the human overcomes it be “casting” himself, how can it be wrong since it comes from a totally helpless and hapless position

Now a lot of countries like India are especially infamous for the caste system. North Indian, South Indian, East Indian, West Indian. Dig further and you get many such bifurcations.

So as we have observed, human beings first need “security” It is the most fundamental need and survival instinct of a human being. You cannot move forward one bit unless you feel secure. This is why now I come to the point that it is not the bad word it is made out to be. In fact the whole world follows it. I have seen in India. Japanese forwarders work with Japanese exporters/importers. Germans work with Germans. And so on. It is the feeling of security, of being like them, of having same thinking. And this is across the world. A very big role is played by the caste everywhere in the world. I have heard how Jews are comfortable with the Jews. How Whites avoid marrying the other colours.

Nothing wrong. It’s the comfort, the security; the same values the same thinking, the ability to address issues together.

The problem is we made it a bad word and then started avoiding using it on the surface although internally, our fundamental need of security and comfort drives us to think with that mentality. Many people suggested that the world citizens have globalised and everything is common now. But look around on the socio-geo-political front, globalisation has failed miserably. Protectionist policies are coming back on the economic front, on the leadership front, protectionist leaders are getting elected with recent examples of this being Mr Trump in the USA and The Brexit vote. How you find the disparity in retirement ages bring grudges to the hard working European countries vis-a-vis the earlier retiring populations of other European countries. In fact the prime agenda is now to save the EU. How the migrants from Syria and the other GCC countries being met with resistance from taking refuge. How Russia is consolidating its CIS position. How India is protecting its local farming industry for years now with protectionist duties.

As they say, you can only make others happy if you are yourself happy. Same applies to races, castes, countries etc. Human populations became adventurous in the name of globalisation and now are coming to terms, that first is security, then comes the rest.


Don’t you see that pickle jar being off loaded by the customs for an Indian traveller? It’s the pickle that gives him security. That taste. Makes him connect to himself, before he connects to others. The goal of every person should be to make a relation with himself first and then others. Every act you do should take you closer to yourself.

And for that, I think the most important is to see things in three dimensions and not duality. Beyond good and bad, beyond right and wrong, beyond day and night, beyond fire and ice, beyond high and low. The fact that every aspect is useful to understand the other aspect. That good cannot be understood without knowing bad. That richness can never be achieved without knowing poverty. That tall cannot be understood without seeing short. This is the third dimension. Which takes you beyond presentation, performance and any other external activity. It gives you a “cast” where you slot yourself and see things as they are. Without judgement. Because that my friends, is the actual caste that we belong to.

The inner world of blood, bone, mind, soul, perception. All the same.

Cheers and Merry Christmas to all

Merry Christmas

celebration


It was a room full of variety dishes and beaming faces. Christmas decors all around, red, gold and green colours were predominant. Celebration, gifts and carol songs and the pot luck lunch with around 30 dishes from starters to desserts. CSS Group celebrated Christmas this time in style on the 22nd in the office and the 25th of December in the Warehouse.

Santa arrived, but not in a sledge as the tradition recommends. Instead he came in full style in a Forklift, the CSS way. Gifts were distributed amongst the staff members. Cake cutting on the 22nd was done by Chandrakala (CK), Director Ocean freight operations in the office and on 25th it was done by T S Kaladharan, Chairman of CSS Group.

Two Tier Arbitration Clause is valid – Supreme Court of India

joyIn the recent Appeal filed by M/s Hindustan Copper Limited against M/s Centrotrade Minerals and Metals Inc., the Honourable Three Judge Bench of the Supreme Court of India held that “the Arbitration Clause in the Agreement between the parties does not violate the fundamental or public policy of India by the parties agreeing to the Second Instance Arbitration”.

The brief fact of the case is that M/s Centrotrade Minerals and Metal Inc and M/s Hindustan Copper Limited entered into a sale Agreement wherein 15,500 DMT of Copper Concentrate was to be delivered at Kandla Port, Gujarat as two consignments. Though the consignments were delivered and payments were made, a dispute arose between the parties later and M/s Centotrade invoked the Arbitration Clause in the Agreement.

The Clause 14 under the heading “Arbitration” in the Contract between the parties is as follows:

“All disputes or differences whatsoever arising between the parties out of, or relating to, the construction, meaning and operation or effect of the contract or the breach thereof shall be settled by arbitration in India through the Arbitration panel of the Indian Council of Arbitration in accordance with the Rules of Arbitration of the Indian Council of Arbitration.

If either party is in disagreement with the Arbitration result in India, either party will have the right to appeal to a second arbitration in London, UK in accordance with the Rules of the Conciliation and Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce in effect on the date hereof and the result of this Second arbitration will be binding on both the parties.

Judgment upon the Award may be entered in any court in Jurisdiction”.

By an Award dated 15 June, 1999, the claim of M/s Centrotrade was dismissed by the Indian Arbitrator and a Nil Award was passed. Hence, M/s Centrotrade invoked the second part of the Arbitration Clause and thereupon an Award was made by the London Arbitrator upholding the claim of Centrotrade.

Further, M/s Centrotrade filed an application for the enforcement of the London Arbitration Award and the said application was allowed by the Calcutta High Court by an order dated 10 March 2004.

Aggrieved by this Order, M/s Hindustan Copper Limited, filed an Appeal before the Calcutta High Court, (AIR 2005 Cal 133) the Honourable Court allowed the said appeal and the impugned order was set aside. It was stated that the London arbitration Award was declared inexecutable so long as the Indian Nil Award stands.

While considering the Appeal, Hon. Supreme Court opined in Para 27, that “a combined reading of Subsection (1) of Section 34 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act and Section 35 thereof, an Arbitral Award would be final and binding on the parties unless it is set aside by a competent court on an application made by a party to the Arbitral Award. This does not exclude the autonomy of the parties to an arbitral award to mutually agree to a procedure whereby the arbitral award might be reconsidered by another arbitrator or panel of arbitrator by way of an appeal and the result of that appeal is accepted by the parties to be final and binding subject to a challenge provided for by the Arbitration and Conciliation Act. This is precisely what the parties have in fact agreed upon and that the Court see no difficulty in honouring their mutual decision and accepting the validity of their Agreement”.

This Judgment can be marked as a landmark Judgment wherein the Hon. Supreme Court has accepted the Two Tier Arbitration as agreed by the Parties to the Contract and hopefully, this can be a turning point to the international community.

Chairman’s Message

T S Kaladharan

Paramount, during the last twenty-one years of our operations, has been the determination of CSS to cater for the ever growing demands from the shipping and logistics industry. We have been very particular in adopting the best practices so as to service our clients around the globe. Each and every decision we have taken, from time to time, has been focused on offering the best outcomes for our customers. It is therefore with great satisfaction that we find ourselves standing, here today, with our extensive presence in the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. Our latest developments, in Qatar and Oman, are in line with our decision to provide exemplary service.
This commitment, and the ever growing demand for storage, has driven CSS to increase the capacity of our facilities in the Jebel Ali Free Zone. As a result we have equipped ourselves with an additional 40,000 sq.ft, warehouse facility and 100,000 sq. ft. open yard storage, ready for our customers’ occupation. This is an opportune time to announce the availability of this huge facility as we are on the doorstep of our annual Sales Strategy Meet. Whilst the management and team-heads plan and design concepts and ideas, to take up new challenges and face the existing demands of the industry, CSS commends this new Jebel Ali Free Zone addition as our latest offering towards boosting the commerce and industry of the Middle East economy.
The world of logistics is moving at such a fast pace, that companies are compelled to form specialised task forces. Such a move will effectively combine the knowledge and skill based workforces in order to cope with this invigorating environment. Although we appreciate the demands concerning the urgency of products and services, we know it’s the results that are paramount. This is invariably the primary focus of our discussions; which is why our Sales Strategy Meet always proves to be a valuable opportunity to present what we have achieved, as well as what we have in store as our future strategy.

Open Yard Storage In Jebel Ali From CSS Group

css-dubaiThe new open yard storage facility inside the Jebel Ali Free zone is CSS Group’s latest contribution to the ever growing demand for open yard storage requirements in the UAE. More than 100,000 Square feet area is allocated within the free zone premises and commissioned along with the Consolidated Shipping Services new Regional headquarters. The facility is a welcome initiative when it comes to requirements like the storage of large cargo such as machinery, construction materials equipment, automobiles and other heavy duty equipment. The company ensures all safety measures to the convenience of the customer.
The open yard facility is fully fenced and interlocked with sufficient lighting and is monitored by a 24 hour on-site security team. The location of the open yard is near R/A- 07 JAFZA North and adjacent to Jebel Ali Port general cargo berth. “We have always ensured maximum client satisfaction in all our initiatives. Our new addition to the existing facilities can be seen as a contribution from CSS, towards the ever growing demand for open yard storage requirements in the UAE region and thereby improve the trade within our industry” mentioned Chandrakala (CK), Director, Operations, CSS Group.

Salient Features

  • Total area of 100,000 Square Feet
  • Full managed by CSS Staff & State of the art equipment
  • 24 hours security
  • Offers short term and long term storage

CSS Group, headquartered in Dubai has become one of the most trusted partners for freight forwarding and logistics among the global fraternity within a short period of time. Professional and dedicated services offered in the field of Ocean Freight, Air Freight, Local & International Land Transportation, Projects Management, Supply Chain Management and Personal Effects Management has brought in accolades and recognition for the entire CSS Group. Being a prominent name in the field of freight forwarding in the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent, CSS Group has to its credit an enviable list of Global Network Partners. CSS has a dedicated and highly skilled team of over 750 professionals around the globe offering integrated freight forwarding & logistic solutions to varied clientele.

Key Contacts:

 

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