Monthly Archives: January 2012

Dam maker could bat and bowl too

Business & Economy, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Science & Technologies, Sports

The first we heard of his name was when as students we played inter-collegiate cricket in Chennai. The competition that pitted colleges from all over the state was always played for the Pennycuick trophy. As a PUC student of Loyola College I was a member of the team that won the trophy in 1968. Our trip to Coimbatore to play the final was the highlight of college life then. The name itself did not drop a penny until we learnt the reason why the trophy was named after him was because the Colonel in the Royal Engineers himself had instituted the cup long before leaving for home after a long stay in India. It was later, as members of the historical Madras Cricket Club, were we to learn of the association of a very competent cricketer in the making of a great dam across the Periyar River at considerable personal risk and expense.

As one of the early secretaries of MCC, the Colonel had been instrumental in moving the club from its original location on The Island between Mount Road and Beach Road to its present home in Chepauk on land that originally belonged to the Nawab of Carnatic. This was in 1865 and the ground has remained virtually the same save for a concrete stadium built in the late ’60s that was later to be replaced in part by modern stands.

The Colonel was also heading the Public Works department in Madras in 1890 when a cyclone damaged the ancient clubhouse and he was generous in sanctioning the funds for repair work. A princely Rs 10,000 was the grant then and the club spent it lovingly on a new clubhouse that was in red brick to be in consonance with much of the Indo-Saracenic architecture that distinguishes the city.

Historians record that the Colonel was a decent batsman, often opening the innings and also bowled (underarm?) well enough to have actually picked up nine wickets in the first Madras-Bangalore Test match in 1862. He also represented Madras against Ceylon in 1886. The MCC placed on record his services to the club in 1896 when he retired from the game — “For over thirty years this gentleman has been associated with and has encouraged Cricket in the Madras Presidency, while his services to the Club, both as an official and in the field (he was a fine underarm bowler), will long be remembered.” He reciprocated with that first cricket trophy to be competed for by Indians in the Madras Presidency. No wonder a commentator described it as “his last, lasting and most important contribution to Madras Cricket.”

His work as an irrigation engineer may have gone on to far outstrip his cricketing talent. His masterstroke at engineering a dam to bring its wet-flowing water through a tunnel back to parched lands in Tamil Nadu (Madras Presidency then) is something he will be remembered for long even though his name now gets posthumously into controversies as two states wrangle over the state and status of the dam he built against all odds.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Channels> Cities> Chennai / DC, Chennai / January 09th, 2012

Meet on computer communication

Business & Economy, Science & Technologies, Uncategorized

Coimbatore, Jan. 4: 

Sri Sakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology is organising the second International Conference on Computer Communication and Informatics (ICCCI 2012) between January 10 and 12.

About 150 scientists, research scholars, professors and teachers from universities across the world would be presenting their research work in the areas of computer engineering, IT, electrical and electronics engineering and communication engineering, states a release from the institute.

Dr A. Sivadhanu Pillai, Scientist – DRDO, CEO and Managing Director, BrahMos Aerospace is slated to deliver the inaugural address, while the former Vice-Chancellor, Anna University and Chairman, National Design and Research Forum, Bangalore, Dr R. M. Vasagam, is to deliver the key note address.

The Vice-Chancellor of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University, Dr P. Venkat Rangan, is to deliver the inaugural address.

source: http://www.TheHinduBusinessLine.com / Industry & Economy> Info-Tech / Our Bureau / January 04th, 2012

Rs 30 crore gold car on display in fort city

Business & Economy, Records, All, Uncategorized

Vellore:

India’s first Golden car made by the Tata Group and valued at `30 crore is on display here for the next four days at the Dhandapani Mudaliyar Kalyana Mantapam. VIT vice president G V Selvam inaugurated the exhibition of the car here on Tuesday.

“The gold car is a brand initiative aimed to create awareness among the general public that gold ornaments from the tiniest size of 0.2 gm to 80 kg could be designed by the Tata group”, noted S Balachandar, branch manager of Gold Plus here.

R Suresh, head, Business Analytics, Titan Industries at Bangalore said, the Goldplus Nano Car, a Tata product was declared as the first ever gold jewellery car that embodies the 5,000 years old jewellery making profession in India. He added, “The car’s body, made of 80 kg of 22-carat solid gold and 15 kg silver, features artistic designs made with precious stones (navaratna). As many as 14 techniques of jewellery making have gone behind the effort. From the intricate ‘filigree’ to the delicate and colourful ‘meenakari’, from the stunning ‘kundan’ to the traditional ‘naqashi’, the car has it all”.

The blueprint of the car was created in January 2011. The Titan jewellery industry plant at Hosur took up the work the following month and finished it by September. The components of the car’s outer body have been developed using gold, using the Fiber-Reinforced technology and a lot of precision engineering has gone into it, achieved by a team of 30 artisans and engineers, Suresh informed.

After its launch in Mumbai in September 2011, the Goldplus Nano Car is travelling to all the Goldplus showrooms at 32 locations in the country that includes 16 chain shops in the State before its stop at Vellore. The car would go to Kancheepuram for a brief display before winding up the tour

source: http://www.ibnlive.in.com / South> TamilNadu / Express News Service, The New Indian Express / posted January 025th, 2011

Chennai better than Bangalore for setting up top B-school: Dr. K Rangarajan, Director, VIT Business School

Education

MBAUniverse.com interviewed the Director of the B-School, Dr. Kalyani Rangarajan to know what makes VIT Business School unique, the future plans and the importance of Chennai in the map of MBA education in India.

VIT Business School, VIT University is one of the top B-schools in Chennai. Established in September 1994 as the Department of Management Sciences under the University of Madras, VIT Business School (VITBS) has expanded along multiple fronts.

MBAUniverse.com interviewed the Director of the B-School, Dr. Kalyani Rangarajan to know what makes VIT Business School unique, the future plans and the importance of Chennai in the map of MBA education in India.

Dr. Kalyani Rangarajan, Director, VIT Business School Chennai is a postgraduate in Mathematics and has done her PGDM from IIM Ahmedabad. She is also a doctorate in Health Economics from Bangalore University.

Starting her career in banking Dr. Kalyani moved on to consulting and training after her MBA.  Her passion for teaching gradually drew her into academics and she has taught in B Schools in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.  Her last stint was with PES Institute of Technology as Director of their MBA Program.

Excerpts from the exclusive interview:

Q: How has been your journey so far as the Director of VIT Business School? What are your key learnings?

A: The journey so far has been very exciting.  Compared to Karnataka, where I had operated previously, the scope for establishing a high-end B-School at Chennai is better, as the market place is not crowded to the same extent as in Bangalore.

As we are a fledgling B-School, first of all, we have to quickly attain a high awareness level about our existence among B School faculty and MBA aspirants. I have learnt that networking quickly with the the local academic and industrial community, is of utmost importance. High end placements will lead to better quality admissions, which will go a long way to building a strong B School. We provide plenty of value addition to the students’ learning through industry-oriented add-on courses.

Q: As the Director of the VIT Business School, what are the initiatives you have taken?

A: We are toning up the academic inputs to the programme.  We have taken significant efforts to get in touch with VIT alumni , besides organizing a Corporate Conclave to bring senior industry executives to visit our campus.
Currently our focus is on finding suitable placements for our first batch of MBA students, who will be employment- ready by May 2012. We are also making efforts to have quality admissions through CAT, XAT, GMAT and MAT channels.  This time we have increased our online marketing efforts. Admissions will be done on an all-India basis.

The focus on research has commenced right from the beginning and we have admitted our first batch of full-time and part-time Ph. D scholars in a wide range of areas such as Derivatives, Microfinance, work-life balance. Our faculty members have applied for funding to various research organizations such as ICSSR, UGC etc.

Efforts are on to form a strong academic advisory body.

Q: How does a university B-School have an edge over stand alone B-schools?

A: Since VIT Business School comes under the well known VIT University, the B-School is able to offer a full fledged MBA program. The advantages of a standalone B-School are incorporated by having independent premises, flexibility in framing of the curriculum and separate budget for the B-School.

Q: How is VIT Business School different from other B-schools in India in terms of curriculum, pedagogy and other factors?

A: We have endeavored to make our programs and projects innovative. Some of the qualities that we have imbibed in our program include Fully Flexible Credit System (FFCS), Overseas Experiential Learning Program (OELP) to name a few. Experiential learning constitutes 40 per cent of the continuous assessment in many courses and Interactive, learning centered pedagogy. Elective courses are handled by a congregation of visiting faculty from top companies and leading business schools such as XLRI, IIMs etc.

The achievements of the programs and the projects include successful implementation of FFCS and adoption of ‘RUBRICS’ as a tool for assessment, class discussions based on cases developed by the faculty, ‘Higher Order Thinking’ skills tested in examinations and need based industry internship and two overseas experiential learning trips have been organized during the current year, one to Dubai and another to Malaysia or Singapore.

Q: The admission process of VIT Business School is going on at the moment. What qualities do you look for in your prospective students?

A: We will look for reasonably high cut off scores, good communication skills and will be picking up students with initiative and drive.

Q: What are your future plans for your institute?

A: We expect VIT Business School to emerge among the top B Schools in South India.

Q: What are your views on the state of management education in India?

A: Management education is in a state of flux with over 4000 B Schools, the MBA aspirants are confused as to which one to apply for and what to look for in a B-School. There will be a shake-out when foreign B Schools enter the fray!

Q: Chennai is not on the map of Indian management education like Delhi, Pune or Bangalore is. What lies in future? What are the USPs of Chennai region from the perspective of a potential MBA student.

A: It is an advantage for us.  We will endeavor to position ourselves as a premier institute of management education in Chennai. The B-School fever is yet to catch on strongly in Chennai, as reflected in the number of MAT and CAT applications every year.  Since Chennai has always been a strong centre of academics and high academic and research credentials are a must for any top-end B School, there is room for an academically strong B School in Chennai. We plan to occupy this niche.

source: http://www.MBAUniverse.com / January 02nd, 2012

Building Businesses

Business & Economy, Nri's / Pio's, Uncategorized, World Opinion

Two Singapore office buildings seem to be magnets for Indian-owned businesses

CECIL Street, nestled in the very heart of Singapore’s central business district, is a buzzing hive of activity. Where once it was lined by rickety, one-storey shophouses, today it has become part of the nation’s financial hub.

Beginning at Maxwell Road and running parallel to Robinson Road, this street is home to office buildings like Capital Tower, Aviva Building, Cecil House, Keck Seng Tower, The Octagon, GB Building and the 46-year old Tong Eng Building.

It is here, in Tong Eng Building, that several Indian-owned businesses thrive. Nearly 35 per cent of the roughly 190 offices in this building are occupied by them, many having settled in decades ago while others are more recent arrivals.

Not too far away, at 1 North Bridge Road, is a similar story: High Street Centre, a stone’s throw from the Clarke Quay MRT station, is also home to a multitude of Indian businesses. Nearly 60 per cent of the approximately 200 offices in this building are occupied by Indian businesses dealing with trades ranging from engineering consulting to electronics retail.

But why, despite growth, branching out and even moving offices, have these businesses continued to operate from these two locations? Tong Eng Building

For some, Tong Eng Building is filled with positive vibes which has been good for business. Says Batavia Eximp and Contracting’s managing director Atish Mody: “Tong Eng is definitely a popular building for Indian businesses. It is considered to have the best vaastu – along with the Afro-Asia Building – within the traditional CBD area. Of course, this does not mean other buildings have lesser vaastu (an ancient Vedic science of layout planning of buildings that is said to influence peace and prosperity of the inhabitants), but these two buildings have a well-known track record of housing Indian firms.”

Event management firm De Ideaz’s chief executive officer Purnima Kamath, who has been a tenant in the building for the past 11/2 years, agrees: “There is a certain good feng shui in this building; a lot of positive vibes… and a feel good factor.”

Vintel Exports’ managing director Puneet Jain claims his family-owned business dealing in agricultural commodities has been in Tong Eng Building for nine years. He has moved offices in that time, but remained within the building.

He tells tabla!: “This building seems to be lucky – touch wood – for Indian companies. And business has been good so far. When business is good in a place, we Indian businessmen don’t like to take unnecessary risks by moving.”

Not only does he have many friends in the building, some of his family members also have their offices there.

“My cousin, who moved to Singapore after me, was also drawn to this building. I also have many relatives in different parts of this building. My auditor is here too – so this building is a one-stop shop for me, whether it’s meeting people for coffee or work. Even if I were to shift to a bigger office, I would like to stay in this building. In fact, my unit number is 11, so I would look for the same unit number, even if it’s on a different floor,” he adds.

Singaporean businessman Balasupramaniam, who runs Net Access Singapore, has been a tenant since April this year and chose the building because of its location and rent. “Not only is it within the heart of the CBD,” he says, “but it has a carpark and the rent is reasonable, which is the main thing.”

He was already familiar with the building prior to setting up his office thanks to some of his friends already having their offices here. For MrBalasupramaniam’s IT business, having so many varied businesses under one roof is a huge bonus. “We do send out our brochures to other businesses in the building. We even have a few clients here,” he adds.

The location of the building was the draw for P.L. Global Impex’s managing director Naresh Dinodiya to move into Tong Eng in 1992. “It’s very convenient because several banks are located in the vicinity, a lot of people from the same trade are around the area (mainly in the building), transportation is easily available and there are enough food venues,” he tells tabla!.

Attributing convenience and comfort factor as the reasons several Indian businesses stay put in this building, he adds: “The building is very central, it’s easily accessible and it has a lot of people from the common trade which makes communicating much easier.”

While convenience is undoubtedly the key word, most of these businessmen agree that the atmosphere within the building is what they enjoy. Since almost 35 per cent of the building is occupied by Indian businesses, there is almost a community-like air in the building.

As Mr Mody puts it: “It is nice to see familiar faces – and many of them good friends too – in the lift. We have many common things to discuss and one just has to call and walk across to another office to get your work done. Even coffee and tea breaks are true stress-relievers when it’s shared with friends – we just go next door to Starbucks or to Mama Chai down the road.”

Mr Dinodiya seconds this opinion: “The atmosphere in the building is warm and welcoming, especially in the entrance lobby where people greet their fellow businessmen and have a little chat about the market or something. It’s quite often referred to as a ‘meeting point’.” High Street Centre

Located not too far away from Tong Eng Building in North Bridge Road is High Street Centre. Completed in 1969, it is home to several Indian businesses – almost 60 per cent of the offices are occupied by them. And like Tong Eng Building, most businesses have been there for many years.

Dynamix International’s director Vinod Dadlani has been a “High Street boy” for a long time and is well versed in the history of the building. Although his own business is just three years old, he has worked for other establishments in the same trade, within High Street Centre and High Street Plaza, since 1994.

He tells tabla! that High Street Centre has always been a trade hub: “It used to be popular with Russian traders who came here to buy electronics – similar to how Mustafa Centre is for many today. There were spice and textile merchants, electronics retailers and many others. Then the textile merchants moved out to Arab Street.”

Mr R. Narayanamohan, whose accounting firm Natarajan and Swaminathan has been operating from the building since 1977, says that he can remember some businesses that were very well known.

“The famous ones I can recall are Khimchand and Sons (textile business) and SA Majeed and Co (supplier of uniforms to most of the schools in Singapore). All these businesses were originally in shophouses and, when those were demolished to make way for High Street Centre, they moved into the new building as well as High Street Plaza. After we moved into this building in 1977, we mainly catered to the Indian business community in the building and started assisting the newly established Indian businesses there,” he says.

Today, the turnover of businesses moving out of the building is low and it continues to be a hub for traders.

Says Mr Dadlani: “Many individuals own blocks of offices – for example, 24 offices will be owned by a single individual, who will rent them out. It is hard to find a vacant office.”

According to MrNarayanamohan, most of the Indian businesses in the building have purchased their office space. “It is very convenient to have our offices here. The building has been totally renovated and the facade was changed to a glass-panelled frontage, making the building very modern,” he says.

Today, High Street Centre is well known for its electronics retail shops, owned mostly by Indians. Ganga Jamuna Electronics’ general manager

M. Sreenivasan, who has been a tenant here since 1992 when the firm relocated from Sembawang, says: “There are a lot of electronics shops based here, mostly Indian, although there are a few Chinese-owned electronics shops too. And although we have a branch in Serangoon as well, we haven’t moved out of this building because High Street Centre has a good name for electronics, so business is still good.”

Despite being in different geographical locations, both Tong Eng Building and High Street Centre have many things in common: Easy access, good business dealings and a friendly atmosphere. Even the electronics retailers at High Street Centre, despite being competitors, enjoy a good relationship.

“There are lots of electronics retailers here yet the atmosphere is friendly and people are co-operative,” says Mr Sreenivasan.

The influx of Indians into these buildings has even had its integration effect as Chinese neighbours happily co-exist with their Indian counterparts. In fact, over the years, they have become good friends. Mr Dinodiya, whose company is one of the few Indian businesses on his floor at Tong Eng Building, says: “We have wonderful Chinese neighbours and over time we have become really good friends. It’s a very homely atmosphere in the building here. Everyone knows everyone.”

This is all the more visible during festival time. The Indians celebrate pujas and the Chinese celebrate Chinese New Year, giving the buildings a community-like feel… and hopefully ushering in more business.

source: http://www.news.asiaone.com / Singapore Press Holdings / AsiaOne> News> Singapore / by Malavika Nataraj / table! / December 30th, 2011

Indian-origin scientist & Nobel Prize winner Venkatraman Ramakrishnan to be honoured with knighthood

Amazing Feats, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, Science & Technologies

LONDON:  Indian-origin scientist Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, a winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize for chemistry, will be honoured with knighthood in 2012.

Venkatraman works as a biologist at the Medical Research Council’s Molecular Biology Laboratories in Cambridge, BBC reported.

Born in 1952 in Chidambaram in India’s Tamil Nadu state, Venkatraman was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2009 along with two other scientists “for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome”, according to the Nobel Prize website.

The ribosome — the cell’s protein factory — translates genetic code into proteins, which are the building blocks of all living organisms.

Experts said the India-born scientist’s work solved an important part of the problem posed by Francis Crick and James Watson when they discovered the now-iconic double helix DNA structure as to “how does the code become a living thing”.

source: http://www.articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com / Home> Collections / News> News by Industry / IANS/ December 31st, 2011