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Exclusive Interview with Mukesh Kothari

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This week we had the opportunity to speak with Mukesh Kothari, who took us deeper into the meaning of Yoga.

Thank you for your time answering the questions. Please tell us a little bit more about yourself. When was the first time you’ve started practicing Yoga and give us a bigger picture of what are you doing regarding Yoga?

I was born in Rishikesh, India in a Brahmin family. My father is a doctor and my mother is a social activist. I have two younger brothers, one of them is a Yoga teacher and manages our school in India and the other one choose to stay with Bank. I started doing yoga from my early school days, I studied in a Hindu school where spiritualism is a core of education and also included Sanskrit and yoga education. In 2003, I went to the Yoga school to finish my education in yoga and naturopathy (Ayurveda).

Now I share what I have learned from masters and school through yoga classes and courses. I conduct courses for general students who want to deepen their practice and also those who wish to share the same what I did by becoming a yoga teacher through yoga teachers training 200 and 500 hours.

 

Please explain a little bit for the readers, what is let’s say the difference or “better” in Bindusar Yoga and other kinds of Yoga, or Yoga is One and there are no differences? How can Yoga and Bindusar Yoga help people in generally speaking?

Technically yoga is the same, and no one can brand it to his invention. All yoga styles taught in modern time are inspired by Hatha yoga, and they are representing its method irrespective of the name used. Only difference occurs how much of its authentic nature is kept as per Hatha yoga teachings.

In Bindusar we try to deliver the lessons purely and practically, we include awareness of all yoga contents such as purification methods, asanas (posture control), pranayama (breathing methods), meditation and even enhancing its effectiveness by assimilation of Ayurveda in the form of diet, lifestyle and yoga therapy. Yoga and Ayurveda are sister sciences, and yoga widely quotes ayurvedic terms and concepts, so involve both for better understanding and effectiveness. We also explain why the practice is relevant and how it can be significant in the students’ life.

 

As some big yogis say, that Yoga is actually a way of life, and more than in western society people understand (not just exercise or respiration techniques), what do you think is it easy to adapt in daily lifestyle for people in western countries, or there are cultural or other boundaries?

There are no big, or small yogis, where big and small exists, then ego also exists, and yoga is all about dropping the ego. They are also right when they say it because postures and respiration method are just a tip of an iceberg of the yoga world. It needs well-trained teachers to grow awareness about the depth of yoga. But anyway, yoga is all about flexibility, either body or mind or even attitude to yoga itself. People can begin with postures and respiration method, and soon with the help of a good teacher, they can deepen the practice. Yoga is not meant for one culture; it is flexible and can be adapted to cultures, just keeping its effectiveness.

 

We understand that you are teaching in lots of countries, but you are living in Budapest. How Hungarians or people in Central and Eastern Europe understand Yoga or particularly Bindusar Yoga, is it easy to adapt in people’s daily lifestyle?

Precisely Hungarians and Romanians are deep thinkers, and their understanding and orientation to yoga are excellent. They are adapting the yoga in their daily life very well, even with 20 minutes of sun salutations. I have been teaching in Hungary for the last ten years, and yoga has evolved here a lot. In Bucharest, I came to train trainers in 2015, and during that time just a couple of small yoga studios exist and yoga is more seem like either a physical exercise in gyms or as a cult, but as I see now in 4 years, yoga has grown all over Romania and even in smaller towns. Our trained teachers have opened around ten studios all over Romania. We have done many Yoga teachers courses even in cities like Cluj, Brasov, etc. and are invited to Sibiu, Timisoara, Iasi, and Oradea. So, this shows Romanians are very keen to practice yoga and learn it well.

As a Yoga instructor, we are sure that you’ve met many people from different cultures, and as we know nowadays Yoga is a trend, too. From your experience have you seen people who really could adjust Yoga or particularly Bindusar Yoga as a lifestyle/way of living, or people just want to learn Yoga for their specific needs (ex. weight loss, for muscular system, relaxation or curiosity), and then they just quit.

People come to yoga for different reasons, such as you mentioned Philosophy, practice, and effects of yoga on health. My experience in Romania have proved people want not just health with yoga but also wants to accept yoga effectiveness in lifestyle such as eating, positive thinking, joyful living, good relationship, stress reductions, etc. With Bindusar we bring a method, where we analyze the student’s health, body and mind state, starts with easy yoga and slowly grow them with the safe practice to an advanced level at the same time improving the different dimension of life.

 

As we see you have several upcoming events in Hungary, Romania, Austria, one of those is this weekend, ” Bindusar Spine Yoga Therapy” in Romania, what can people learn there?

We regularly conduct workshops and courses in Europe. Mainly we run the series of workshops that are designed to help students either with their physical health, mind or spiritual motive. The Bindusar spine is our standard class that is taught by our trained teachers, and its primary purpose is to prepare students safe movements of the body with keeping spine and back safe. It helps students to understand their body so have an injury-free yoga practice. The Bindusar spine is also recommended for people with issues with the back, as the class is gentle and can help them to progress in the world of yoga safely and effectively.

 

Your Yoga classes have specific needs for people, dietary changes, for ex. Ayurveda or you accept anybody, who is willing to learn?

Yes as I mentioned with, we have system placed to introduce people to yoga in steps by steps. Our studios or course always invite beginners with spine classes after six weeks, they can enter to hatha and then to basics, basics 2, etc. Here is our chart attached that shows our method.

 

What do you think, why people should invest in Yoga?

Just for two reasons and those are health and good state of mind.

Take an example that most people want to amass wealth, career, status, family goals, etc. in their life the journey cost their health and peace of mind during the process. So, yoga helps you to achieve everything you need but keeping you healthy to enjoy the fruits of hard work.

Second, is a state of mind; every second we are becoming Vikshipta (distracted either with desires or fears) as said by sage Patanjali. Distracted state of mind always keeps us unsatisfied and anxious. Therefore yoga is the only solution to attain the Ekagara, the focused state where we keep the mind quarantined from negativity.

In conclusion, Bindusar Yoga system brings yoga in daily life to help students to enjoy fulfillment and stay healthy without moving to caves or jungle for peace of mind. 

 

About Mukesh Kothari

Mukesh Kothari is a spiritual counselor for some and yoga guru to others. He was introduced to yoga at an early age due to the surrounding of his native village in Rishikesh (The yoga capital of the world” a town in the Himalayas). Later, the quest to understand it in depth took him to many Himalayan gurus and yoga school. 

He has been teaching yoga since 2003, immediately after finishing his formal education in Yoga and Ayurveda. His teaching includes the style of Hatha yoga and inspired modern styles such as Ashtanga Vinyasa, Vinyasa, and self-created Bindusar yoga system. 

His teachings also include the study of classical texts like Patanjali Yoga Sutra, Hatha yoga texts such as Hatha yoga pradipika, Gherand Samhita, Hatha ratnavali, where the complete approach of asanas, pranayama, meditation, and Vedanta emerges. 

He has regularly been teaching in India and West since last 15 years, where he has gained the competency to explain the old tradition of Vedic yoga and Ayurveda knowledge to western students easily.  

He was introduced to Ayurvedic lifestyle since from his childhood due to family and social environment, as his father is a doctor in an Ayurvedic system. He started learning yoga concepts at an early age under the guidance of Swami Hanumant Giri.

Mukesh Kothari has a high influence of yoga and spirituality during his school education of 14 years at the school of Honorable Swami Omkarananada Saraswati (www.omkarananda-ashram.org).

He is actively teaching around the world with his courses and Yoga teachers training 200 and 500 hours and set up his stable teachings along with a very dedicated team in European cities such as Budapest, Vienna, Prague, Moscow, Bratislava, London, Moscow, Sardinia, Cluj, and Bucharest. He has trained over 600 Yoga teachers in the European continent since 2012. 

He is the founder of BinduSar Yoga Rishikesh and Yoga studio in Budapest, where more advanced courses and teacher development programs are conducted regularly.

For his courses in Europe and India, please visit: www.bindusaryoga.com

 

 

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Asia’s leading tech company to partner with Nagad

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DHAKA, Bangladesh, March 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Southeast Asia’s first tech billionaire Goh Peng Ooi has expressed his keen interest in partnering with Nagad, a leading mobile financial service provider based in Bangladesh, through his established Silverlake Group that provides financial software and digital services to banks.

The Malaysian fintech mogul first learnt about Nagad, went through relevant case studies, and gave the go-ahead – this will mark Silverlake Group’s first partnership initiative in South Asia.

Recently, Tanvir A. Mishuk, executive chairman and CEO of Nagad Ltd., received a warm invitation from Goh Peng Ooi at his residence in Malaysia. Impressed by Nagad’s customer-friendly innovations, acquisition of over 9 crore customers within just five years, and its unique business model, Goh Peng promptly expressed his interest in making the partnership Nagad. During this courtesy call, Mishuk also invited him to Nagad Ltd.

Founded in 1989, Silverlake Group currently provides support to more than 400 banks operating in over a hundred countries. Almost all banks in Singapore, including its two main banks United Overseas Bank (UOB) and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC), are heavily dependent on Silverlake’s technology. Its business collaborations extend across Europe, America, Australia, Africa, and Asia.

During the meeting with Tanvir A. Mishuk, Goh Peng Ooi said they had previously received multiple proposals from different companies in various South Asian countries, including Bangladesh and India, but they hadn’t found sufficient reasons to integrate them into Silverlake. However, they perceive Nagad differently in the realm of financial entities.

According to the proposal, Silverlake Group will offer Nagad the opportunity to utilise its most advanced banking technologies. Nagad believes this initiative will not only benefit Nagad but also bring significant changes to the entire banking sector in Bangladesh.

Talking about Goh Peng Ooi and Silverlake Group’s interest in partnering with Nagad, CEO of Nagad Ltd. Tanvir A. Mishuk, said, “I think this is not only good news for Nagad but also for the entire Bangladesh, as it creates the possibility of a massive change in the country’s banking landscape. We believe it will eventually play a transformative role for millions of people in the country.”

Inaugurated by Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2019 as a mobile financial service, Nagad is now preparing to emerge as the country’s first digital bank in the middle of this year. Nagad has already introduced some ground-breaking innovations, leading to a transformation in the country’s financial industry. Nagad also hopes to continue to better serve its customers through its digital bank.

About Nagad Ltd (https://www.nagad.com.bd/)

Nagad Limited is one of the leading MFS operators in Bangladesh’s payment industry with 90 million registered customers and an average daily transaction of about USD 113 million. The digital payment platform, known as a successful public-private partnership between Bangladesh Postal Department and the private sector.

Contact:
Lincoln Md. Lutforzaman Sarker
Assistant Vice President (AVP),
Media and Communications, Nagad Limited.
Email: [email protected]

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Hakluyt’s 2023 accounts record another year of strong growth

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LONDON, March 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Hakluyt, the global strategic advisory firm for businesses and investors, recorded another period of robust financial growth in the year ending 30 June 2023, expanding its core advisory business while investing for the future.

The firm’s financial results, which were filed today with Companies House, show that revenue increased by 9% to a new record level, with a slightly lower profit margin reflecting substantial investment in the firm’s people and geographic footprint. During this period, Hakluyt opened new offices in Abu Dhabi and Toronto, and continued to recruit new talent worldwide.

Hakluyt also announced its first investment fund, Hakluyt Capital, during this period, which gives some of the world’s most promising growth-stage companies access to the firm’s unrivalled global connectivity, advice and expertise.  

Hakluyt’s managing partner, Varun Chandra, said: “As business leaders continue to face increasingly complex challenges, we have invested in the international reach and expertise of our team, which enable us to provide world-class counsel and connectivity where they are most needed. I am pleased that our core business grew substantially in the financial year 2022-23, and that operating profits remained strong. My thanks to every member of the brilliant Hakluyt team who has helped us deliver against our plan.”

Notes to editors:

Hakluyt is a strategic advisory firm that works with corporate leaders and investors around the world on their most important commercial issues. For more information on the firm, please visit www.hakluytandco.com 

 

 

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Tigermed Reports Full Year 2023 Results

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HANGZHOU, China, March 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Hangzhou Tigermed Consulting Co., Ltd. (“Tigermed” or the “company”) (Stock code: 300347.SZ / 3347.HK), a leading global provider of integrated research and development solutions for biopharmaceutical and medical device industry, announced its annual results for the year ended December 31, 2023 (the “Reporting Period”).

This press release is for information and summary only and is not intended to provide any representation, in whole or in part, of the relevant matters. For further information, please refer to the 2023 annual results and relevant announcements published on the websites of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (www.szse.cn) and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (www.hkexnews.hk).

All financials disclosed in this press release are prepared based on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) except for those specifically noted otherwise.

The 2023 Annual Results of the Company has been audited.

Financial Highlights:

  • Total revenue achieved 4.2% year-over-year (“YoY”) growth to RMB 7,384 million during the Reporting Period.
  • Adjusted Non-IFRS net profit attributable to the owners of the Company increased by 7.2% YoY to RMB 1,786 million during the Reporting Period.
  • Segment revenue generated from Clinical Trial Solutions reached RMB 4,168.1 million and that from Clinical-related and Lab Services reached RMB 3,215.9 million, representing a YoY growth of 1.0% and 8.6%, respectively.
  • Geographically, China’s revenue increased by 17.6% YoY to RMB 4,234.5 million. The company’s overseas revenue decreased by 9.6% YoY to RMB 3,149.5 million in 2023.

Business Highlights

Tigermed continued to empower pharmaceutical and medical device innovation in 2023 and navigated the complexities of the life science sector, solidifying its leading position in the clinical CRO industry. From 2004 to 2023, Tigermed provided services to 61% of all Class I new drug approvals in China. During the reporting period, Tigermed assisted in the approval of 22 Class I new drugs and 6 innovative medical devices in China. Additionally, Tigermed opened its International Headquarters in Hong Kong in 2023, serving as the main hub for overseas functional support and business development. As of December 31, 2023, Tigermed had 9,701 total employees in 28 countries worldwide, including 1,632 overseas employees.

In the clinical trial solutions field, as of December 31, 2023, Tigermed has 752 ongoing drug clinical trials and 465 ongoing medical device & IVD projects. In 2023, Regulatory Affairs had a total of 1,009 accumulated project experience, added 29 new US FDA IND projects, and assisted 9 products to receive approvals in China. Medical Translation added 86 new customers in 2023. Besides, Medical Device & IVD assisted 6 innovative medical device products to receive China launch approvals. Moreover, Real World Studies projects have been further expanded to multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology, rare diseases, orthopaedics, etc.

In the clinical-related and lab services field, as of December 31, 2023, Tigermed Data Management & Statistical Analysis (“DMSA”) team had over 850 professionals globally, serving a total of 340 customers, with ongoing projects increasing to 826.

In addition, Tigermed Site Management (“SMO”) had 1,952 ongoing SMO projects as of December 31, 2023 and provided services to support 50 Class I innovative drug approvals in China accumulatively. Tigermed’s Clinical Trial Sites of Excellence (“E-Site”) had 224 core collaborative sites and 74 green channel sites. Furthermore, Independent Central Imaging has provided services for over 280 clinical trials, with 25 products approved.

In 2023, Tigermed laboratory services–Frontage, completed the acquisition of Nucro-Technics Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiary, Nucro-Technics, Inc. (“Nucro Technics”), expanding its lab capacity by over 60,000 square feet. Moreover, on June 6, 2023, Frontage Suzhou Safety Assessment Center obtained the GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) certification issued by the NMPA.

In 2023, Tigermed accelerated the integration of innovative and digital technologies into clinical development, introducing a wide range of virtual and hybrid approaches to Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCT). The company’s in-house DCT technology has been widely used in various projects, including pivotal clinical trials, post-marketing studies, real-world studies, etc., covering therapeutic areas including oncology, hematology, central nervous system, respiratory and endocrine, etc.

As of December 31, 2023, 13% of Tigermed’s ongoing clinical trials had adopted the DCT hybrid model. Further, Tigermed played a significant role in the development of China’s DCT ecosystem and published the landmark report on the DCT Industry Best Practice and authored Tigermed DCT Global Regulatory Handbook.

In 2023, Tigermed continued to deepen its global presence and service capabilities. Tigermed US clinical operation business saw rapid growth in revenue and backlog with a well-supported integrated platform and a growing team. Tigermed US team had accumulated know-how from over 100 clinical trials. As of December 31, 2023, Tigermed had 59 ongoing multi-regional clinical trials (MRCTs) conducted in countries across North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Africa, as well as 194 ongoing single region overseas clinical trials, primarily in South Korea, Australia, and the United States.

Tigermed’s exceptional performance earned recognition from industry, media outlets, and other stakeholders, including an upgrade to an AA rating by MSCI. Tigermed has also received notable awards, such as being named the Best Medical Device Overseas Enabling Service Provider and LinkedIn Best Employer Brand Award, etc.

Management Comments

“Despite industry fluctuations in 2023, Tigermed maintained a steady growth, reflecting our team’s dedication and the company’s robust capabilities and resilience,” stated Dr. Xiaoping Ye, Co-Founder and Chairman of Tigermed. “Looking ahead, the life science industry remains ripe with vast opportunities and potential. The company will continue to embrace regulatory changes, technological innovation, and global expansion to deliver value to society.”

Dr. Xiaochun Cao, Co-Founder, Executive Director, and President of Tigermed, said: “Since our founding in 2004, Tigermed has been integral to China’s pharmaceutical evolution from imitation to innovation. With global expansion and exceptional quality, we’re driving impactful advancements in clinical research and addressing patient needs for better health outcomes.”

Mr. Hao Wu, Executive Director and Co-President of Tigermed, said: “Tigermed is dedicated to delivering professional, high-quality, and efficient services, actively responding to market changes, and advancing innovative product launches to meet diverse customer needs. Looking forward, Tigermed remains steadfast in its mission, collaborating globally to drive medical industry development and contribute to human health.”

Forward-Looking Statements

The information communicated herein may contain certain “forward-looking statements”, which are not historical facts but instead include predictions about future events based on our beliefs and information currently made available to us. Although we believe that these predictions are reasonable on the date hereof, future events are inherently uncertain and these forward-looking statements may turn out to be incorrect. Forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty by nature because they relate to events and will depend on circumstances that will occur in the future relating to, inter alia, our ability to compete effectively, our ability to develop and market new service offerings, our ability to expand into new markets, the risks associated with listed subsidiaries of the Company, unforeseeable international tensions, regulatory or governmental scrutiny in certain countries, the impact of emergencies and other force majeure events. We undertake no obligations to update forward-looking statements or to adapt them to future events or developments except as required by applicable laws or listing rules. Any investment in any securities issued by the Company or its subsidiaries will also involve certain risks. There may be additional material risks that are currently not considered to be material or of which the Company and its advisors or representatives are unaware. Against the background of these uncertainties, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements.

Non-IFRS Measure

To supplement our financial information which are presented in accordance with IFRS, we use adjusted net profit attributable to owners of the Company as an additional financial measure, which is not required by, or presented in accordance with IFRS. We define adjusted net profit attributable to owners of the Company as profit for the year attributable to owners of the Company before certain expenses and amortization. We define adjusted net profit attributable to owners of the Company as profit attributable to owners of the Company adjusted for (1) share-based compensation expense, (2) net foreign exchange loss/(gain), (3) amortization of intangible assets arising from acquisitions, (4) listing expenses incurred by our Group, and (5) increase in fair value of financial assets at FVTPL. Adjusted net profit attributable to owners of the Company is not an alternative to (i) profit before tax, profit for the year or profit for the year attributable to owners of the Company (as determined in accordance with IFRS) as a measure of our operating performance, (ii) cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities as a measure of our ability to meet our cash needs, or (iii) any other measures of performance or liquidity. We believe that this non-IFRS measure is useful for understanding and assessing underlying business performance and operating trends and that the owners of the company and we may benefit from referring to this non-IFRS measure in assessing our financial performance by eliminating the impact of certain unusual, non-recurring, non-cash and/or non-operating items that we do not consider indicative of the performance of our business. However, the presentation of this non-IFRS measure is not intended to, and should not, be considered in isolation from or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with the IFRS. You should not view the non-IFRS measure on a stand-alone basis or as a substitute for results under the IFRS, or as being comparable to results or a similarly titled financial measure reported or forecasted by other companies.

About Tigermed

Tigermed (Stock code: 300347.SZ/3347.HK) is a leading global provider of integrated research and development solutions for biopharmaceutical and medical device industry. With a broad portfolio of services and a promise of quality, from preclinical development to clinical trial to commercialization, we are collaborating with over 2,800 customers and committed to moving their development journey efficiently and cost-effectively. Tigermed currently represents a worldwide network of more than 180 locations with over 9,700 employees across Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America and Africa. We are devoted to building an integrated platform that enables the boundless possibilities for the healthcare industry, embracing challenges to fulfill our commitment to serving unmet patients’ needs, and ultimately saving lives.

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