Category Archives: Amazing Feats

As a loyal Tamil soldier, he gave his life in Italy

Amazing Feats, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, World Opinion

by K R A Narasiah

I recently had a chance meet ing with Durailingam who told me the story of his father, Subedar Subramanian of the Madras Sappers regiment. Subramanian lost his life trying to protect others during mine clearing operations in Italy in World War II. Subedar Subramanian was awarded the then instituted George Cross; the first Indian to get the bravery award for noncombatants.

India was drawn into the Second World War without its ond World War without its consent and in spite of stout protests from the national leaders. Madras SapParis pers’ 4th division was put into operation in the Italian campaign landing in Taranto in December 1943. Two companies of the Madras Sappers joined action 100 miles south of Rome where they were mainly engaged in clearing the mines. In all, about 50,000 Indian troops fought in Italy. Half of them were injured and one in ten lost their lives.

The Madras Sappers were sent there after the allies invaded on September 3, 1943 the Italian mainland, with the invasion coinciding with the armistice made with the Italians who then joined the allies’ side. The objective of the attack was to draw the German troops from France, where an offensive was planned. The allies were facing the Gustav line (German winter defensive position) which extended from the river Garigliono in the west to Sangro in the east. Very soon the allies had occupied the ridge overlooking the river.

The Sangro River Cremation Memorial near Torino di Sangro is one of the memorials erected in Italy to officers and men of the Indian forces whose remains were cremated in accordance with their faith. In that memorial Subedar Subramanian’s name is inscribed.

The details recorded in the Sangro river memorial reads, “Subramanian, son of Kannayiram and Thangammal holding the rank of Subedar, with official Number 14069 from the unit Queen Victoria’s Own Madras Sapper and Miners and husband of Shanbgammal of Keelvodivakkam, Chengalpet, India.”

The details show that while Sub Subramanian was operating the mine detector, with Lance Naik Sigamani behind him marking his path with a white tape, there was a small explosion. The subedar realized immediately that the Lance Naik had stepped on an anti-personal mine and within the next four seconds the canister would be thrown into the air and explode causing great damage. Without the slightest hesitation and knowing that this would be fatal, Subramanian hurled himself over the mine knocking the Lance Naik aside. The force of the explosion was neutralized by the Subedar’s body which caused his death. With this action he saved the lives of his comrades, especially Lt Young, who was next to him.

In a rare gesture of gratitude, touching tributes were paid to 5,782 Indian soldiers who laid down their lives fighting for Italy against the fascist forces, on Oct 5, 2007 in Rome. The Memorial Gates in London have been constructed in the Constitution Hill, to pay tribute to the brave men of WW II. Sub Subramanian’s name is included in the memorial list.

Durailingam who did well for himself in his business wanted to perpetuate his father’s memory by giving the ancestral home in his village Keelottivakkam in Kanchipuram district to the Army to run an Ex Servicemen Health Service (ECHS) polyclinic. Durailingam has erected a statue (bust) of his father at the site with a cenotaph. Unfortunately, stating no reasons, the Army has withdrawn from this place after using the same for seven years in 2013. Durailingam says he has no idea why the Army withdrew. He says since he is getting older his only wish is to donate this land of over 700 sq yards to the Army so that the polyclinic can be set up.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / TNN / April 15th, 2015

Where saving lives is a routine

Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Science & Technologies
A. Kennedy, district project coordinator, Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project, Vellore, hands over a certificate to an emergency medical technician on Thursday.— PHOTO: C. VENKATACHALAPATHY
A. Kennedy, district project coordinator, Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project, Vellore, hands over a certificate to an emergency medical technician on Thursday.— PHOTO: C. VENKATACHALAPATHY

Emergency medical technicians honoured for service

For A. Sharmila, an emergency medical technician (EMT) with the 108 ambulance network, the last six years has been about saving lives. More importantly, she has also helped to create a change in deterring a section of people from unsafe delivery practices.

“One of my earliest cases was a labour pain in Keeranur, The call was from an interior village on a hill. I saw a woman sitting on a pregnant woman in labour trying to push the baby out. She was bleeding profusely. We took her in the ambulance and she delivered her baby onboard,” she said.

With the mother and child hospitalised safely, Ms. Sharmila learned that this was way the villagers have been delivering babies for years. She went on to visit the village around 10 to 12 times for demonstrating safe practices.

“Such a situation prevailed prior to 2008. We cater for many pregnant women,” said Ms. Sharmila, who has helped 81 mothers deliver their babies on board the ambulance, she added.

Ms. Sharmila is now with thaanipadi ambulance in Tiruvannamalai.

Thursday was the day to recognise the efforts put in by EMTs like her as GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI), which operates the ambulances, celebrated the National EMT Day.

Several male EMTs have also helped mothers deliver babies on board the ambulance. Like A. Charles, another EMT at Vaniyambadi, who has 11 ambulance deliveries to his credit. “In fact, my first case was delivering a baby with cord around the neck. I attended to another woman who had previous caesarean section but delivered the baby in the ambulance,” he said.

EMTs should never get angry or emotional when handling patients, E. Ramarajan, an EMT with Avoor Primary Health Centre ambulance, Tiruvannamalai, stressed.

“A year ago, I attended to two persons aged 24 and 25 involved in a road accident. Both suffered head injury and fractures. We rushed them to the Government Hospital, Tiruvannamalai, and then to another centre. Recently, they called us and said they were doing well,” he said.

Six EMTs – three each from Vellore and Tiruvannamalai – received the Best EMT Award on the occasion. There are 41 ambulances in Vellore and 28 in Tiruvannamalai, with both districts accounting for nearly 200 EMTs.

Handing over the awards, A. Kennedy, district project coordinator, Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project, Vellore, said the EMTs played a pivotal role in saving lives as they bring the patients to hospitals on time.

“This golden hour is important as doctors, however experienced, will be able to save lives if patients are brought on time,” he said. He also asked the EMTs to take care of their safety and asked the district officers to conduct annual medical check-up for them.

R. J. Shriraman, district manager of GVK EMRI, Vellore and Tiruvannamalai, said the best EMTs were selected based on certain parameters such as highest number of life saving cases and those who secured above 85 per cent in the exam held in the refresher training.

Jayageetha, chief medical officer of Government Pentland Hospital, and Krishna Kumar, head of Finance, GVK EMRI, Chennai, spoke.

VK Emergency Management and Research Institute celebrates the National EMT Day

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by Staff Reporter / Vellore – April 03rd, 2015

Liquor to milk: Distillers turn dairy farmers

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature

Coimbatore :

R Ravi, 43, from Shankara Nagar, was once a sought after man in the village just outside of Mettupalayam. Long before noon, at least half-a-dozen men would be waiting at his hideout on the forest fringes for a glass of the village’s best arrack. With every passing day his clientele increased because his arrack was known to have the best bite.

However, for the past 10 years the village’s best arrack brewer has been cutting trees and clearing fields for a meagre 150 to 200 a day to feed his family of four. “I learnt how to distil arrack because I started hanging around an arrack distiller in the village when I was eight years old and dropped out of school,” said Ravi. “I began serving customers and slowly learned the art of distilling,” he said. After his master died, he took over the business. “I would work till 11.30pm, earning up to 800 a day,” he said. Ravi’s reformation from an illegal arrack distiller to a tree cutter was not easy. “We would never know when we’d get caught by police,” he said. “Once we were picked up, our family members would have to go from station to station to trace our whereabouts,” he added.

In 2005, at least 80 arrack distillers in Mettupalayam and Karamadai panchayats were forced to leave their arrack business. “We kept them in jail for three months and counseled them, promising to give them jobs if they kept away from the illegal business,” said a senior inspector in Mettupalayam. “We told them that if they showed us that they had reformed, they would get a reward,” he said.

The government began distributing cows to reformed arrack distillers in 2011. We distributed around 120 cows in the district, said a government official.

The beneficiaries have been given medical and life insurance for the cow for three years, free periodical visits by the animal husbandry department and a one-day training programme on how to care for the cows. “This is to give the reformed men an alternative livelihood as dairy farmers,” said district collector Archana Patnaik.

S Arumugam, president of Palepalayam panchayat, said at least 50 men who received cows in last year have reformed. “Earlier, these arrack distilling units destroyed several families in our village. It is only in the last 10 years that men can be seen holding a job,” he said.

“The distillers are also working hard to sell their milk, keeping their cattle sheds clean and taking care of their calves,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / by Pratiksha RamKumar, TNN / March 21st, 2015

Green corridor helps airlift heart within golden hour

Amazing Feats, Science & Technologies

Trichy :

Traffic on arterial roads in the city came to a halt on Wednesday morning to give way to a heart harvested from a 40-year-old brain dead woman to reach the Trichy international airport from a private hospital near Chathiram bus stand within the golden hour.

The city police created a green corridor on the entire route to ensure quick transit of the organ. The organ was transported from the hospital to the airport within a span of 10 minutes.

The organs harvested from P Lourdhu Mary, 40, who was declared brain dead on Tuesday following a road accident here on March 2, gave a new lease of life to patients in Trichy and Chennai.

Doctors at the Frontline Hospital here performed surgery and harvested the heart, pair of eyes and kidneys from Mary early on Wednesday morning.

While the kidneys were transplanted to a patient admitted in Frontline Hospital and a patient at a private hospital here, the pair of eyes was sent to a private eye hospital in the city.

However, the heart was required for a patient in Frontier Lifeline Hospital in Chennai as per waiting list of the Tamil Nadu Organ Sharing Registry.

“The heart should be transplanted within four hours of harvesting. Frontier Lifeline Hospital made arrangements to take the heart by a flight. But we had to bring the organ to the airport through the congested traffic in the city on time. So, we sought the help of the police who made traffic diversion en route to the airport,” said Dr S Radhakrishnan, general surgeon at Frontline Hospital.

On receiving the request, city police commissioner Sanjay Mathur ordered to create a green corridor from the hospital near Chathiram bus stand to the airport via Karur Bypass Road, Shastri Road, Uzhavar Santhai, Bharathidasan Salai, Head Post Office and TVS Tollgate.

“Traffic signals en route to the airport from the hospital were closed until the ambulance with the organ reached the airport within 10 minutes,” said S Venkataraman, assistant commissioner of police, intelligence section, Trichy.

Many lauded P Narian Prabhakaran, son of Mary for his timely decision to donate the organs of his mother.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Trichy / TNN / March 05th, 2015

Nobel laureate Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan to head Royal Society in UK

Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

Nobel laureate Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan has been confirmed as president elect of Britain’s prestigious Royal Society. Ramakrishnan, who will be the first Indian-origin scientist to hold the post, was born in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, and studied biology in the US.

The result of a ballot held by the fellowship was confirmed at a meeting of the Society’s Council this week and Ramakrishnan, or Venki as he is popularly known, will take up the post on December 1, 2015, PTI reported.

“I feel very touched that the Royal Society has chosen me for this job, especially because I only came to Britain 16 years ago from the US,” said the 63-year-old structural biologist who shared the 2009 chemistry Nobel Prize for discovering the precise structure of ribosomes ? the molecular machines that manufacture proteins inside all living cells.

“I think in some ways the Royal Society, ever since its inception, has reflected the best traditions of openness in Britain. I think of Britain as a particularly open and tolerant society,” he told BBC.

He is currently deputy director of the British Medical Research Council’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology at Cambridge University.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2003 and was knighted by Britain’s Queen in 2012.

The Royal Society dates back to 1660 and its president is a key advocate for science in the UK and the world.

Previous presidents of the Royal Society have included Isaac Newton, Christopher Wren, Samuel Pepys, Joseph Banks, Humphry Davy, and Ernest Rutherford.

Ramakrishnan?will succeed geneticist Sir Paul Nurse, also a Nobel laureate.

“Appointing the first Indian-born president of the Royal Society sends a strong message about the importance of the contribution of immigrants to British science,” said Blakemore, a Royal Society Fellow from the School of Advanced Study, University of London.

The research for which Ramakrishnan shared the Nobel was commenced in the US, where he has spent much of his working life before moving to Cambridge in 1999. He shared the prize with Thomas Steitz, of Yale University, and Ada Yonath, of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Jerusalem.

The award recognised the team working out, between 2000 and 2002, the exact structure of a key part of the ribosome, the tiny molecular machine ? found in the cells of our body ? that turns the genetic code of living beings into the proteins from which they are made.

“I knew the ribosome was going to be the focus of Nobel prizes. It stands at the crossroads of biology, between the gene and what comes out of the gene. But I had convinced myself I was not going to be a winner,” he said of his award.

In winning the prize, Venki became the 13th member of staff of Cambridge’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology to win a Nobel; previous winners include Crick and Watson, discoverers of the structure of DNA.

source: http://www.indiatoday.intoday.in / Indiatoday.in / Home> World / New Delhi – March 20th, 2015

Arun Pudur: From Bengaluru to billions

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

ArunPudurBF17mar2015

Recently, Wealth-X listed Indian businessman Arun Pudur as the world’s 10th richest individual under 40; top on the list was Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook.
Arun Pudur, whose net worth is estimated at over four billion dollars, is the CEO of Celframe, which makes world’s second most popular word processor after Microsoft, among other things. Based in Kuala Lumpur, Arun Pudur has diversified into several sectors including mining and real estate.

In an exclusive interaction with Tarannum Khan of Deccan Herald, the reclusive billionaire, who says he does not give interviews as they intrude into his personal space, opens up.

He talks about his humble beginnings in Bengaluru, the milestones in his sensational success, the city which made him, his parents and the qualities that propelled him to the top.

A shorter version the interview appeared in the Panorama section of the Deccan Herald.

You were born in Chennai, when did you shift to Bengaluru?

When I was in my sixth standard, my family decided to move to Bengaluru as my father spent nearly seven to eight months in a year there. When we came to Bangalore, we stayed in Rajajinagar and then moved to Basaveshwarnagar before buying a place in HBR Layout. I stayed there till 2003, when I shifted overseas.

When I lived there, there was nothing in HBR Layout. Now I am told it’s a central part of the city.

When you were born, your family felt, you had a great destiny to fulfil…

My father always used to talk about us being Tirupathi Iyengars, one of the three families, who were the high priests at Tirumala. Though we never managed the temple, we always knew greatness was within us.

My mother always used to say that I was the lucky one in the family. After I was born, my father’s career skyrocketed. He passed away just three months ago. My mother always instilled in me that I was born for greatness.

Your parents wielded a considerable influence on your growth…

My father Sri Ranga, was a cinematographer, who was known for his work in the 16 mm movies, which typically tend to be artsy and low-budget movies. He had built quite a reputation in Kannada and Tulu industries and thanks to him I knew everyone in the industry – be it Vishnu uncle, Ambareesh uncle, even Dr Rajkumar and his sons.
I remember when Shivrajkumar stopped his car on a road and touched the feet of my father. I was shocked that my father, who was just a normal guy at home, commanded that kind of respect in the industry.

He did produce a few movies and television serials. But I asked him to retire early as the movie industry is a really tough business and every Friday fortunes are made and lost. I didn’t want him to be stressed out.

My mom was a housewife, who was my teacher as well. She was a disciplinarian, who made sure that we did our chores ourselves, including washing clothes and utensils.
But she was there 24×7 for me and now, I understand, the value she brought to my life. She taught me the way I should grow.
Now I have chefs, cleaners and a dozen people helping me run the house. But my mom used to do everything on her own.

I have a brother as well, who runs his own consulting business.

While stuyding in Bengaluru, you seemed to have stayed away from well-known schools…

When we moved to Bengalurufor my sixth standard, it was already August. So my father had to scramble to find a school.

Though I was supposed to go to National School in Rajajinagar, the cut off date to transfer had passed. So I joined St Anns Matriculation School. I had never been in a co-ed before, so it was a shock when I saw girls sitting in the classroom.

I had to learn Kannada as well. I think in my entire life it was the only time I failed in a subject.  I am very proud to say that in a matter of six to seven months, before the end of annual exams, I had mastered Kannada, and scored my usual, between 80 to 95 per cent.

The choice of college was also unconventional…
In SSLC, my results were fantastic, so I could have picked any course or college. Typically for Bangalore, everybody was pushing me to take science. But the entrepreneur bug had already bitten me and I wanted to do commerce instead of science.

While I was looking at St Joseph’s and other colleges, my mother wanted me to come home for lunch everyday as we were not allowed to eat outside.

So, I joined the Nijalingappa College in Rajajinagar, which was nearby. Though everyone said it was notorious, the year I joined, a new principal took over and he turned my college years into the strictest time of my life.

Literally, we were not allowed to do anything at all; only in the last year, that is when I was in the third year of B com, we could have a college day.

I was pretty studious and attendance was very important for me. I would sit right on the front bench everyday. College days are the best memories one has in a life and my longest-lasting friends are from this college.
You have been away from Bengaluru for a long time; what are your memories of the city…

It brings joy whenever I think of my days in Bangalore. The City was extremely cold until early 2000. Coming from Madras in the ’80s, where it was scorching hot, I took to wearing sweaters in Bangalore.

Whenever I travel overseas, and whenever I wear a sweater, the first thing that comes into my mind is Bangalore. If anyone asks me where I am from, my immediate answer is not Malaysia, not Chennai, but it’s Bangalore, India.

I remember the time with my friends when we used to ride in our kinetic Honda and drive down to Bannerghatta or the Tumkur road.

And of course, the one-by-two coffee or tea… Though I was not allowed to have tea or coffee at home, when I was out with my friends, we used to have by-two tea, and I think that’s a very Bengaluruthing to have.

There were some bad experiences as well; when we were staying at Rajajinagar, the Cauvery riots happened. We saw how the National School was looted.

I have not visited Bengalurufor a very long time. My parents went back to Chennai as that was where they were born and brought up. But I am in touch with few of my closest friends through Whats App and Viber.

What turned you into an entrepreneur?

I think curiosity, the zeal to solve problems and take on challenges. If you ask any of my school or college mates, they will tell you that I used to look forward to examinations, which may sound very funny, but that’s true.

I never wanted to work for anybody. In my entire life I have spent just one year working for a company in Jayanager. It was a training company. When I had joined the company they had a turnover of five to six lakhs a year. When I left after nine months, I had brought up the turnover to one crore a year.

I was working to open franchises for this training centre. That guy had promised to pay me for every few centres set up, but he did not keep his word.

I have seen top CEOs of multinational companies, who retired with very little to their name. They were running 120 and 130 billion dollar companies and now may have a personal fortune of 30 to 40 million dollars. And that was what I didn’t want to be.

You began your career at the age of 13 in a garage, fixing kinetic Hondas…

We opened the garage for a guy who was working for a shop near our house; he became a friend of us. He was from Tamil Nadu and could not speak Kannada. As we could speak Tamil, though we are Telugus, he became close to us.

He told me there was good money in garage. So we coaxed our mother and borrowed a few thousands to fund the garage at Rajajinagar, just a stone’s throw away from National school. But he disappeared after five or six months and we were stuck with the garage.

When I began my career in the garage, we had no training.  There was no Google at that time or any no manual. I had just had observed how this guy used to fix bikes and picked up from there.

But whenever a bike or a scooter used to come with a problem, I was on my own.

We used to solve problems on the fly and became good at that. I really loved it. I could open and fix back the engine, almost the entire vehicle, in about one hour and fifteen minutes, without any specialised tools.
Sai scooter garage became famous and even scientists from ISRO started coming to us. That is where I think I got the taste of business. That is where I learnt sales, marketing, customer handling, problem solving, managing human resources and financial management.

Running the garage was not a financial necessity to our upper middle class family. But I still ran it till my first year or second year PUC.

I would come back from school, finish homework and then open the garage. On Saturday and Sunday we were open full. It helped me not to get into wrong company, wasting my time, or you can say, chasing girls.

My priority was to show much business I could generate, how much money I could give my mother. My mother, who managed the finances of the house, would keep all the money. We would consider ourselves lucky to even get 10 rupees from her. But I loved the business. That’s why I went into it.
But we decided to close the garage because of my studies; my father wanted me to perform very well in college.

But you started breeding dogs after that…

From my aunt in Chennai, I found out about breeding dogs, and she gave me a Boxer to kick start my business. I started breeding boxers and Rottweilers. I have delivered hundreds of puppies, cut their umbilical cord and taken care of them. Though there was no formal training, I learnt how to manage them. Any dog lover would tell you that a dog will not allow anyone near the puppies unless she trusts you with her life.

Then I used my marketing skills to sell the puppies for up to Rs   20,000, which was good money in the mid ’90s. I was in this business till the end of my final degree.

You started Celframe after graduating; how difficult were the early days…

We opened the first office of Celframe at Lalbagh road. Prior to it, I had done one venture with my brother, which had failed.

Funding is a problem when you are not a big brand or don’t have a big family name behind you. Because of my age, I worked with wrong people, who took advantage of my naivety. I lost quite a bit of money – my own money and also the money of some of my initial backers. But I bounced back and it made me understand people better.

What were the major turning points in your career?

Everything was a turning point – opening the garage, breeding dogs, starting a technology company. But the biggest jump or spike in my revenue happened – if you consider money to be metric of success – when we released our first product called Celframe office.

It is now considered to be the Number 2 office suite in the world by way of sales. Not many people know that Microsoft office makes more than 60 billion dollars annually. When I launched my office suite, companies like Sun had failed in this product category. Even IBM’s Lotus notes had not made a big impact. Coral is still there but its sales are very small.

It is said you were one of the few people the Redmond giant could not smother…

It was more of a David and Goliath kind of situation. Being a monopoly Microsoft used every tool in its arsenal to bring us down. They made sure that no Original Equipment Manufacturer like Dell, HP or IBM would ever buy our products and pre-load them on their PCs.

I will not use the word bully but that is the word everybody uses when it comes to dealing with American tech firms. They use patent, money and media to bring down any small company that may look like a threat.

How did you survive that?

In this industry, partners and distributors get one or two per cent on every deal they make. I decided to give away 40 percent of my revenue and make them partners in success. We treat customers with respect and customise the way they want.

I focused my business more on the public sector as private companies cannot bully the government.  We managed to implement our product in several governments in Asian and African regions.

We made it a policy to promise a 50 per cent reduction in the tech cost of customers using our products. That is, if they are paying 100 million dollars to a competitor, we would deploy our software for just 50 million. We would increase the price over three to four years and by this time they would have realised that we were a fantastic company to work with. We also supported them very well.

That was the biggest hurdle I crossed in business. But now with the mobile ending the old monopolies, things are moving forward amazingly.

You have also made you mark as an investor…
I have diversified into gold mining, coal business, oil and gas, real estate, venturing with top companies. I am looking to build a casino and start an airlines in South Africa.

It’s said that my fortune is four billion dollars but with my diversification it has grown nearly five to six times in the last two to three years.

I am a very cautious investor. You want me in, you need to show me why should I invest money. I would like to know the entire story and the people before I do business. I turn away from a deal if the pressure is too much for me to invest money into it.

I invest only if I can get a majority control on that company. I don’t like to be a minority partner as I am very passionate about what I do. I get involved in minute details from the start to the end. The running of the company is done by CEOs whom I trust. But I get involved in major decisions. If a problem needs solving, I am there in the front. I don’t like to sit back and let my people take the hit.

You say your upbringing taught you the value of money

There was a time when I used to buy jets like buying candies. I had eight private jets of my own. I once tried to sell one of my jets and found that I had lost about 40 percent of what I had actually paid. Then I realised that these toys, homes or yachts, do not add much value to you.

I took the hit, got rid of jets and houses, and reinvested them back into my businesses. I also turned whatever jets and yachts I was left with, into a rental business.

This lesson, appreciating the value of money, was taught by my parents. The strongest reason for my success was the foundation I had when I was young.

What are your future plans?

I am excited about several ventures we are pursuing. We started a technology company called Browsify corporation a few months ago. We are setting up one of the largest mines in South Africa.
I am looking for partners to bring Celframe products to India. It’s ironical that most of the governments use my product, but the Indian government does not. India is still reliant on the investments coming from the US. China did a phenomenal job supporting local companies such as Alibaba.
Though I am known globally for my technology company, very few people know that I have a group company called Pudur group. We are going to make the information public sometime later this year.

You left Bengalurufor Kuala Lumpur, when the whole tech world was coming here…   
I was brought here in 2002 or 2003 by someone I knew in Bangalore. Though the business with him didn’t work out, and I lost quite a bit of money, I loved the way the government was moving over here.

The quality of people, though more expensive than India at the time, was very good. The access to banking was much better; if I needed money, I could always rely on my bank without having my father to co-sign as age was not a barrier.

As I grew, I was given tax exemptions. I have not paid tax in the past eight to nine years. I do pay income tax, though a small amount.
Government is straightforward; if you need an approval, it gets done on time. Malaysia compared to Singapore is a bit slow, corruption does exist here as well.

The support from the government is phenomenal. As it is a small country, they act pretty fast. They can change rules very fast in the interest of the nation.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Panorama / by Tarannum Khan, Bengaluru / DHNS / March 07th, 2015

Artificial Skull Implanted in 5-yr-old at Erode

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Science & Technologies

Erode :

A private hospital here conducted a rare artificial skull implant surgery on a five year old girl.

According to the KMCH Hospital neurosurgeon Dr M Prabhu, Thayasri, daughter of Sakthi Prakash (27) of Kalingarayanpalayam, near Bavani, met with an accident on Nov 2, 2014 while traveling on a motorcycle with Balasubramaniam, a relative.

When a van hit the motorcycle, Thayasri suffered serious head injury with skull bone fracture. Normally, a part of the skull would be removed to avoid infection from spreading to the brain and to allow space for the injured brain to heal.

As she was a child and the fractured skull was disfigured, both she and her parents had to be handled carefully. Hence there was a compelling need to consider not only corrective surgery but also cosmetic and protective aspects, said the neurosurgeon.

The specialist decided on a special type of skull bone implant called PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone).

PEEK has several advantages. It is durable, has shape memory properties (where the material given shape under specific conditions will retain it even if were subjected to stress) and is aesthetically pleasing.

Traditional methods for reconstructing the skull anatomy involved bone grafts or other implants like metal or titanium. But the disadvantages were inaccurate fits, increased surgical time and infection risks.

Cranial implants made of PEEK (which only recently made its way into orthopaedic surgery) are stronger, lighter and bio-compatible, making it an alternative to titanium.

With precise customization and better fit these implants required less time in surgery and provided greater comfort to the patient.

Thayasri’s head was scanned to measure the contour of the broken skull accurately and the details were sent to Switzerland for fabrication of the implant.

Once the implant arrived, the girl was operated on for inserting it in place. The implant has provided the required geometry and precision to obtain appropriate skull and facial reconstruction.

She has recovered well and is back to school with a renewed life, the neurosurgeon added.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / March 12th, 2015

CITY EXPLORER – Stones that tell a story

Amazing Feats, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologies
The mandapam housing the memorial to Dr. Sundara Reddy. / The Hindu
The mandapam housing the memorial to Dr. Sundara Reddy. / The Hindu

“You need permission,” says the watchman at Ramaniyam Sanjivini, a residential complex in Thiruvanmiyur, and despatches his assistant to call the secretary of the building association. I blink at the CCTV camera, hoping the secretary will take kindly to what he sees. Soon, a couple of dhoti-clad seniors walk toward me. “I need to photograph the memorials of Dr. Sundara Reddy and Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy,” I tell them. “Historian Narasiah told me I’d find the shrine and the memorials here.” They point to the round-about ahead; a few steps down and I’m face-to-face with the stone memorials — Dr. Sundara Reddy’s under a traditional mandapam and Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy’s out in the open air.

The memorial to Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy / The Hindu
The memorial to Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy / The Hindu

Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy deserves more than just an open stone plaque in a private property. Born in the princely state of Pudukkottai on July 30, 1886 to Narayanaswami Iyer and Chandramma (16), a devadasi, Muthulakshmi was one of eight siblings. An exceptionally bright child, she completed schooling from home, fought for higher education, and was admitted to college as the first girl student when the Maharaja passed an order for her to be enrolled. (She sat behind a screen visible to the teachers alone, and left the class while the boys remained seated.) She topped the Intermediate exams, refused to get married and insisted on doing medicine, a decision brought on by her mother’s cancer attack and death of a cousin during childbirth.

In Madras, she met Sarojini Naidu at Dr. Nanjunda Rao’s Mylapore bungalow, and with her attended Annie Besant’s speeches at Adyar, and was drawn to the Home Rule Movement. Having stood first in her Medical degree (MB & ChM) exam, she worked at the Women and Children’s Hospital in Egmore, the first lady house surgeon in Madras’ medical history. She married Dr. Sundara Reddy in 1913.

Meeting the kids in Dr. Vardappa Naidu’s Destitute Home for Boys and Girls on her child’s Vidyabhyasam Day, she vowed to help them. When her youngest sister died of cancer, Muthulakshmi decided to do all she could to tackle the disease. Foregoing her handsome practice, she went to London with her husband and two boys for PG studies. In June 1926, she attended the International Congress of Women in Paris as India’s representative. When she returned, the Women’s Indian Association proposed her name for the Legislative Council and she became the first woman legislator in the Council. She was also the first alderwoman between 1937 and 1939. During her time, the Council passed a resolution giving the right of franchise to women. Her association with a home run by Sister Subbulakshmi brought her close to the plight of women and children, and she piloted the legislation preventing child marriage. Her bill for abolition of the devadasi system was passed after much debate in February, 1929. In 1937, she moved a bill for Inam lands to be given to devadasis. In 1930, when a batch of seven freed devadasi girls were refused accommodation in Madras hostels, she started the Avvai Home to house and train children and young girls, selling her jewellery for its basic facilities. She organised the first Vigilance Association, Rescue Home for Women and supported the Children’s Aid Society.

She resigned from the Council when Gandhiji was arrested in 1929-30. She was then editing Stri Dharma, a journal promoting the national movement. She went as a delegate to London to depose before the Lothian Committee on Franchise and to Chicago to attend the International Congress of Women. In 1935, MMC moved a resolution for a specialised hospital for cancer, but she had to wait to see it happen. After constant campaigning, she collected Rs. 2 lakh and established the Cancer Institute in 1955. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1956. In 1967, she spoke for half-an-hour at the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Women’s Indian Association, her last public speech. She passed away on July 22, 1968.

How did the plaque get there? The land belonged to Dr. Reddy and her son lived there, said Narasiah. After he passed away, the builder purchased it. While researching on Dr. Reddy, Narasiah came to know of the memorial at the residential complex. “I showed Sridhar of Ramaniyam the memorials at the site, and requested him to preserve them along with a shrine where the Reddys used to pray.” It turned out he had already promised Dr. Shantha of the Cancer Institute the memorials would be left untouched. “Dr. Shantha visits it often to see that it is well-maintained,” said the seniors.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Geeta Padmanabhan / March 03rd, 2015

Visually impaired strike a chord, win hearts

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

Chennai :

These aspiring singers required no accomplices, not a single musical instrument. Their sole voices would do the job for them once they were handheld and aided to climb the stage. For, they were all visually impaired.

More than 100 students from- Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh endeavoured to hit all the high and low notes at the South Indian Singing Festival 2015 organised by the NGO, Nethrodaya. And it was 20- year- old Bhagyamma a student from Bangalore who was adjudged the best among them for her rendition of a Carnatic based Kannada cinema song and won Rs 50,000 in cash. The second and third winners were both from Chennai. “I don’t know what raaga I sang in, I’m not trained in music, but I have the gift of singing which I don’t want to waste,” says Bhagyamma, a BA History student from Bharat Education Society, Bangalore who has been visually impaired since she was born.

But the man who was placed after her in the third position is Gokula Krishna who has been training in Carnatic music since he was 6. This final year B Com student from Loyola College sang a medley of the popular Rajinikanth song raagangal pathinaru and the recent aanandha yaazhai. Krishna, 20 is also part of Loyola’s light music team. “Parents forced me into learning classical music but I began liking it,” laughs Krishna who now says he wants to make it as a professional singer. Krishna has a condition of low vision but like Bhagyamma he says they are not stumbled by difficulties. “No one deliberately isolates you, if you can mingle with a normal crows, it’s just fine. Fortunately my peers who have vision are friendly and cooperative,” Krishna says.

Six playback singers from Tamil cinema were the panellists who marked them on par with any other singing competition. Social Welfare minister B Valarmathi gave away the prizes. “The purpose was to provide entertainment and competitions for the visually impaired and to make an impact that they are on par with sighted singers,” says Nethrodaya founder C Govindakrishnan known as Gopi to Chennaiites. “The fighting spirit among is prevalent but they have no platform to showcase their talents. This is why we increased the price money to encourage the student community. It is a hope that now other clubs and organisations too will host competitions and fests for them.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Divya Chandrababu, TNN / February 22nd, 2015

In a city on the move, destitute find an angel of mercy

Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

Chennai :

Should you chance upon a 50-something, bespectacled man giving a haircut or a bath to a destitute person in the city, stop by and ask him how you can help, if you can buy a bottle of water or medicine, or some food for the less fortunate individual he is caring for.

Siddique Ali, a resident of Sidco Nagar, owns a small shop and sells and repairs bags. He also delivers cooking gas cylinders to commercial establishments. He has a family to look after, a wife and an 18-year-old daughter, though his two sons now have jobs of their own. But he also does what he can to make the lives of society’s outcasts a little less miserable.

With medicines, soap and towels, a set of clothes, bottles of water, biscuits and food, Ali goes around the city on his two-wheeler to help people who have been abandoned by their families, the orphans and beggars and the other abject people whose presence others usually refuse to acknowledge.

Ali, who steadfastly refused to give an interview to this correspondent for three days because he did not want any publicity, says most barbers will not give homeless people a haircut even if they had the money for one. “Restaurants will turn them away even if they can pay for food,” he says.

“I wanted to do so much for my father but, when he passed away a decade ago, I decided to do something for the needy,” he says. “When I someone in tattered clothes, I stop and ask them if they will change their clothes if I gave them a new set and Rs 10. Most agree,” Ali says, recalling how one homeless man slapped him because he suspected that he was trying to steal his money.

“When I clean, bathe and shave the needy, poor and destitute and cut their hair and change their clothes, there are times when they cry in joy,” he says. “That is the most wonderful moment for me. What greater blessing can a man want?”

Everyone can do small things to make the world a better place, Ali says. “Place water on the terrace for thirsty birds to drink. Don’t throw away rotten tomatoes… Squirrels love them. Keep them on a compound wall and they’ll find them.”

Sometimes people stop and offer him money. “I don’t accept money. Depending on the condition of the person I am helping, I ask them to buy medicine, water or some curd rice,” Ali says.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Daniel George, TNN / February 20th, 2015