Category Archives: Business & Economy

Kunal Sood: A techpreneur on celluloid

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

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Chennai-born, US-based social entrepreneur and impact investor Kunal Sood talks about instigating further futurism via tech-vestments

Having spent the past 20 years of his life in the US, Kunal Sood, the Founder of X Fellows and Partner at X Impact Group, uses technology to drive change. A TED Resident and Ambassador to Singularity University NYC, the 41-year-old empowers entrepreneurs and innovators to turn their dreams into reality.

Kunal’s expertise ranges from psychology degrees to being a global health scientist to, of course, entrepreneurship. All this culminates in two important bodies: X Fellows and Novus Summit.

X Fellows, a privately-held community of entrepreneurs, is considered the inner-circle of innovators with companies.

Excerpts from an email interview:

Working with world leaders

My work with world leaders is primarily about building extraordinary citizens. The men and women shaping the future of our planet can find common ground around solving our global challenges.

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People sometimes ask me ‘what do the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi and the President of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid have in common?’ I’ve been fortunate to play an important role in helping them unite around solving our world’s most urgent problems. Leaders that live their values in action help drive real-world results.

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Hear it from the leaders
  • As the founder and chairman of Novus Summit launched at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in 2016, Kunal has put the world’s most accomplished and exponential leaders together.
  • Such figures include Peter Diamandis, Anousheh Ansari and Astro Teller on stage, alongside tech titans like Sunil Mittal, Reid Hoffman and Marc Benioff.
  • Expect stories of transformation with a global audience of delegates representing 193 countries, consisting of Heads of State, UN Ambassadors and Youth Leaders.
  • While 2019’s summit on July 20 – to celebrate man’s landing on the moon – is invite-only, Kunal shares there will be a line-up of astronauts, influencers, artists, policy-makers and storytellers present.

______________________________________

My hope is to make X Fellows and Novus Summit the pre-eminent gatherings at the UNGA, for exponential leaders to unite in action and work to achieve the 17 UN Global Goals.

The Indian influence

Growing up in Chennai was my toughest lesson in life early on, and given where I am today, the biggest blessing. My life, when I was around eight years old, shifted drastically, and I suffered both physically and mentally. While others excelled academically, I was left behind — often lost and without an understanding of why I was not able to keep pace.

My experience taught me how to relate to people with compassion and extraordinary resilience. India continually influences me because my late mentor Dr T J Cherian was a renowned cardiologist and served as a father figure in my life.

The birth of X Fellows

The idea of X Fellows was born out of the extraordinary courage of people like Dr Cherian. The programme was also born out of the need I see in the world to create a new league of extraordinary citizens. It is focused on the vision that we are all gifted, even when seemingly cursed.

Given the fast and accelerated pace at which exponential technology is outpacing our lives, I have learnt that the right community with sparking the right kinds of stories can bring about real impact. Together, they drive a sense of urgent action and offer a genuine opportunity to learn, connect and create something that is larger than us and truly extraordinary at its core.

We have entities such as Astro Teller of Google X, Anousheh Ansari of X Prize and Craig Hatkoff, founder of Tribeca Film Festival and Disruptors to name a few involved with X Fellows.

Tech talk

X Fellows is unique in technology because we believe in the power of mass customisation. Exponential technologies, be it Artificial Intelligence, 3D printing, or life-saving drones, can help us design individual solutions at an unparalleled scale. For example, a child who needed a prosthetic limb 20 years ago would face a lifetime of extremely expensive, poor-fitting choices. Today, tailor-made solutions are available at a fraction of the cost.

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Sustainable solutions that are customised to the individual experience is where humanity is heading. By 2020, IDC analysts expect 3D printing global revenues to exceed $35 billion. It is human nature to want to create something that improves your life.

Human beings by nature are drawn to stories. Novus gives the youth a voice, as much as we give our elders a platform to share practical wisdom.

(As told to Akila Kannadasan)

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Internet / by Akila Kannadasan / February 04th, 2019

Juicy Chemistry to show its organic skin care range at Vivaness 2019

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature, Records, All
Pritesh Asher and Megha Asher | Photo Credit: M.Periasamy
Pritesh Asher and Megha Asher | Photo Credit: M.Periasamy

Juicy Chemistry hopes to spread the good word about their certified organic range of skin care products at the prestigious trade fair, Vivaness 2019

City-based Juicy Chemistry that is an organic skincare brand gets ready to participate in Vivaness 2019. In association with BIOFACH, Vivaness is the world’s largest trade fare exhibition for organic/natural personal care, skin care and organic food products. It is to be held between February 13 and 16 at Nuremberg, Germany. Explaining its significance for Juicy Chemistry, its co-founder and Managing Director, Pritesh Asher says that it is the opportunity of a lifetime to participate in this fair that is in its 30th consecutive year. “As Juicy Chemistry is a 100% Certified Organic Skincare brand, we will co-exhibit with Ecocert (the worlds largest organic certification body). We will present over 100 products that are certified by the Cosmetic Organic Standard (COSMOS).”

Megha Asher, founder and CEO of Juicy Chemistry, reiterates, “This expo onlyshowcases brands that are 100 per cent natural/organic.” She explains the stringent screening process that preceded their participation and adds, “Every product we want to showcase here is screened for various parameters. Exhibitors are required to keep the necessary documentation to validate the products on display comply with these standards.” (see box)

The fair expects over 50,000 visitors and 2,900 exhibitors from 154 countries over four days and “gives us a chance to represent India and present to the world that we are built on a simple philosophy that emphasises on ‘less is more’,” says Megha. It is all a matter of pride for the country, says Pritesh.

“We are a clean, environmentally-friendly, sustainable, cruelty-free, certified organic brand. More importantly, we want to show the international buyers that we can deliver world class products, which comply to the highest international standards. And all of them are made right here, in India.”

Juicy Chemistry is a very young company, just four and a half years old. Says Megha, “We started with ₹5,000 and the rice and green tea scrub (it is still a bestseller). We then built up our brand one product at a time and here we are today with over a 100 items and going to this prestigious international fair. I am excited.”

Stringent screening

The products should contain only natural or organic raw materials

There should be no petrochemical-based raw materials

There should be no synthetic ingredients including synthetic fats, oils, waxes or silicones. The list of no-nos is long

All ingredients used should be declared on the products

The natural raw materials must not be produced from genetically modified organisms

Products should be manufactured without using ionising radiation

Products are, as far as possible, produced and processed to the latest technical standards in an environment-friendly way

The products must be cruelty free

Beauty, naturally

Juicy Chemistry is preparing to launch a complete range of organic care for athletes and an intimate care line for women. They also have a range for junior care. “The aim is to bring simplified chemical-free solutions in anything that we use in our day to day life,” says Megha

Find out more on www.juicychemistry.com

The range is also available on Amazon.com and Amazon.in

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style / by Pankaja Srinivasan / February 01st, 2019

Yards to dream upon

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Records, All, World Opinion

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From portraits to Christmas patterns, the recently-concluded International Quilt Show showcased creative works of various sizes, shades and nationalities

Jim Morrison strikes a pose with his guitar as disco lights twinkle overhead. Then there are glasses of martini — shaken not stirred — dancing peacocks, cobbled stone paths and landscapes… all on quilts. The recently-concluded International Quilt Show, part of India Quilt Festival 2019 (organised by India Quilt Foundation), displayed patterns that ranged from creative and dramatic to quirky.

“This is the first time this event is being organised in India,” says Tina Katwal, who started India Quilt Foundation along with Deepa Vasudevan and Varsha Sundararajan in January 2018. The event was divided into two sections: competition and exhibition. The competition featured around 290 quilts. With its dizzying colours, varied themes and intricate work, the displays made sure the attendees had their phone cameras out the whole time. The lure of the quilts also ensured heavy traffic outside Sri Sankara Hall, the venue, as people came in droves to witness works of art.

The exhibition section had around 70 quilts, some on loan from countries such as the US, Hungary, Guatemala, Korea, Kuwait, UAE and Scotland.

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“India has a large number of talented quilters. While quilting festivals happen the world over, we wondered why it hadn’t been organised here before. We have an online community called Desi Quilters. They seemed excited about the idea of a quilt show. And that’s how it started,” says Tina, who owns a quilt store called The Square Inch.

All about talent

Chitra Mandanna can hardly stop smiling. Of her six exhibited works, four have won her awards. “These include Best of Show and Judges’ Choice in the Art category, and a first prize and an honorary mention in the Theme category,” says Chitra.

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A striking portrait of her uncle, made using cheesecloth and denim, stands out. “It took me a month to create this. Working with cheesecloth can be challenging,” says the 42-year-old, adding, “It took me seven months to complete all six quilts. I’ve used techniques such as beading, fabric manipulation, upcycling, confetti quilting…” Only after she lists the different techniques do we realise that there is so much more to quilting than just stitching together layers of fabric, usually saris.

The show also had entries by children, their quilts brimming with things that occupy their thoughts — cupcakes, ice cream sundaes and ice lollies. Ten-year-old S Ritika’s quilt is just as petite as her. The 26X40 inch quilt features a patchwork of chubby yellow, green, orange, pink and brown birds against a black background. “My mother introduced me to quilting. We have two machines at home and sew together,” says Ritika, who took two weeks to complete her quilt.

What also stands out is a hot pink quilt, with rectangular bars in sea green, brown, tan and shades of pink, created using patchwork and machine quilting techniques. Something that would look great as a sari. People around fondly refer to it as the “muttai pink delight”.

Monochrome on Fabric
Monochrome on Fabric

“It’s actually a throw,” says Kamala Murali, its 29-year-old creator. “I am a textile designer and use a lot of quilts in my work,” she says, adding, “My grandmother has always collected quilts and since there is something so comforting about quilts, I gravitate towards it.” Kamala is also launching her own textile label titled Kambli, which means quilt in Tamil (nothing to do with Vinod Kambli, the cricketer!).

Quilting is no longer a hobby of the older generations. “I’ve noticed a lot of young people taking to it. I think it’s because they get a large surface to express what they want to say,” says Kamala.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Art / by Priyadarshini Paitandy / January 28th, 2019

The music keeper

Business & Economy, Records, All

It’s 11.30 am as we walk our way through the bustling streets of radio market on Anna Salai.

John came to Chennai in the 1980s for a television repairing and service course  Ashwin Prasath
John came to Chennai in the 1980s for a television repairing and service course  Ashwin Prasath

Chennai :

It’s 11.30 am as we walk our way through the bustling streets of radio market on Anna Salai. A three-storied building with a board ‘Torvin Audio System’ catches our attention. As we step into the building, we notice a huge projector mounted on the wall along with advanced speakers, amplifiers and home theatres arranged in a studio-like set-up to our right. An assistant guides us to M John Thankachan’s room on the first floor. John is the founder of Torvin Audio System, and is passionate about music and audio electronics.

Ingeniously Indian
John Thankachan is popular in the Indian audio industry. His selfless contribution towards taking music to audiophiles and people from all walks of life through affordable and made-in-India gadgets has earned him the title ‘Father of Indian audio systems’. Down-to-earth, open-minded and hard-working — these are the three words to sum up his persona. Dressed in a white shirt and black pants, John welcomes us into his room with a smile. Electronic magazines are piled up on his table, shelves are stacked with encyclopedias, client folders, and awards, and walls are filled with paintings and motivational quotes. Books, greenery, and music are an inevitable part of his life.

“I like enriching myself with updates and advancements in technology daily through Internet and magazines. I have hard disks with thousands of songs. I’ve been on a solo journey from the beginning. To design music equipment, you need to be a music lover after all,” says John, who lives in Anna Salai with his family. He came to the city 40 years back. John, son of a farmer, was born in a village called Poomala in Thrissur. He completed his diploma in electronics and communication and worked in Murphy Service Center in Kerala for four years. John came to Chennai in the 1980s for a television repairing and service course.

The man behind Torvin
Talking about the inception of his brand, John says, “That was a phase when there were several hindrances in servicing international brands due to the unavailability of spare parts. What started out on a small scale to offer servicing solutions to audio equipment later turned me into an equipment maker. I founded the Power Electronics & Technologies in 1980. In 1990, I started the brand Torvin Audio System and we’ve been in this building for 23 years now,” says John. He was honoured as a Doctor of Audio Engineering and Research by America West University, California, in 2005.

John kickstarted his business in a 150-sq ft room. Currently, he has his own servicing unit, a manufacturing place, and outlets. Unlike a typical workspace, his office has four large speakers with exceptional sound emanating from them. Transparent boxes with connectors, moulded samples, sockets, diodes, and knobs are neatly labelled and arranged on the shelves. The motherboards of the amplifiers and spare parts of gadgets are scattered on the side table, there are a few demo models under testing, and charts with diagrams hung on the walls. His service room is no less than a lab.

“The three challenges in electronic industry are  lack of spare parts, skilled labour, and competitive mushrooming of foreign brands. I emphasise on the tagline, which is also my logo, — ‘It’s Indian’. All the equipment here is made with Indian components as much as possible and are priced affordably. But, the radio markets are flooded with Chinese products and people fall for that. We Indians are capable but do not appreciate or support one another. Secondly, engineers go for IT jobs for good pay. Nobody takes up electronics, so there’s always a shortage of labour. It takes years of experience to earn recognition in this field,” he says..

Musical experiences
John’s first innovation was a single station radio for `40 in the 1970s. Subwoofer amplifier, tower speakers and audio systems — he has manufactured them himself. His latest creation under progress is called the project 1.3 speaker system and his best work is a six-foot tower speaker. In the 90s, John was the first to introduce virtual home theatres to Indians. He also built the fully-protected amplifier to bring a theatrical impact at home. He also has a huge collection of electronic gadgets, spanning different eras, stored in a dust-free room on the second floor that is vacuum-cleaned once in three months. One of the oldest of the lot is a radio from the 1950s. John’s favourite is a walkman with a mini-reel player from the 70s. Radios, gramophones, disc players, vinyl, laser discs,and  mics, are some of his priceless possessions.

“Given the time and opportunity, I’d like to pass on my knowledge by conducting workshops for sound and electronic engineering students. Lastly, people should listen to good music that captures the sound of every instrument and enhances the singer’s voice,” he says.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Vaishali Vijaykumar / Express News Service / January 29th, 2019

Showcasing visionaries of Coimbatore

Business & Economy, Leaders, Records, All
Portraits of illustrious entrepreneurs of Coimbatore are on display along Race Course on Friday. | Photo Credit: M. Periasamy
Portraits of illustrious entrepreneurs of Coimbatore are on display along Race Course on Friday. | Photo Credit: M. Periasamy

TiE Coimbatore, under the theme Fostering Entrepreneurship, is organising “The Visionaries – Dreamers who built Coimbatore” as part of Coimbatore Vizha.

As part of the event, portraits of 20 great personalities of yesteryears, who had contributed immensely for the growth of Coimbatore and who reaffirmed the entrepreneurial spirit, will be on display along Race Course till Sunday.

The objective was to show the young minds the contributions of these dynamic entrepreneurs, said Ranjana Singhal and Hemalatha, secretary and president of TiE Coimbatore.

The portraits are that of L.G. Varadaraj, N. Mahalingam, SRP Ponnusamy, SP Narashimalu Naidu, Sir Robert Stanes, Swamikannu Vincent, R.S. Shamugam Chettiar, P.A. Raju Chettiar, Sri Ramulu Naidu, PSG Brothers, G.K. Devarajulu, GD Naidu, R.K. Venkatasamy Naidu, K. Damodarasamy Naidu, N.K. Mahadeva Iyer, A.P. Thiruvenkatasamy Mudaliar, P. Somasundara Chettiar, Textool Balasundaram, P.B. Krishnamurthy, and DPF Narayanasamy Naidu. The portraits will have a small note explaining their contributions.

Family members of a few personalities attended the inauguration event on Friday.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by Special Correspondent / Coimbatore – January 12th, 2019

Transform old clothes, wedding saris into heirloom pieces

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment

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Wrapped in memories: Tina Katwal’s Memory Quilts transforms fabrics

Old baby clothes, wedding dresses or saris you bought for a particular event, all of these may have at least one thing in common: they are of no use anymore. Yet they are objects of such fond memories that one gets reluctant when it comes to disposing them.

Tina Katwal, founder of The Square Inch, has the perfect solution for you. Her new venture, The Memory Quilts, is all about preserving memories. Give her your baby clothes and she will transform them into a charming quilt, and even add a batting of cotton in between so you can snuggle with it.

Celebrating The Square Inch’s fifth anniversary, Tina talks about her early days as a quilt enthusiast. “For me it was a case of playing with scraps from clothes. When I was younger, I used to make my own clothes. Then I started playing around with scraps and turning them into a quilt,” says Tina. Eschewing the more traditional notions associated with the quilt, Tina has transformed it into a symbol of both beauty and utility, bringing out its latent artistic value.

“We have made quilts out of a child’s first year clothes; we have also made quilts for a child graduating out of school with his or her school uniform and sports’ T-shirts. These memory quilts are a great way to preserve and cherish memories and also document events in a person’s life,” says Tina, adding that customers even request her to make quilts in memory of others.

Memory Quilts also uses a range of different materials and fabrics. She has turned ponnadai (shawls) and even wedding saris into quilts.

“We can make them in any style as per the client’s request. They can be whimsical and fun, minimalist, subtle and elegant, or even bold and graphic. We can make it to go with the décor of the room or even the general mood of the house. We try to capture the personality of the person it is meant for,” she adds.

Talking of what inspires her, she says, “A bulk of tailor produce and worn out clothes go to waste as scraps. By making quilts, we are also reducing the amount of waste that goes to a landfill and encouraging sustainable practices all across the textile community.” The financial savings don’t hurt too, and Tina laughs about this ulterior objective.

“Not a single scrap of cloth is wasted here. Everything is upcycled or reused. That is our little contribution,” says Tina.

Till date, Tina has converted about 30 saris and hundreds of baby clothes into memorable quilts, giving people an opportunity to go to bed cocooned in fond memories.

For details, call 9551655776 or visit The Square Inch’s Facebook page

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Pracarsh Rastogi / January 10th, 2019

Food business operators in Salem go green

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment
With the ban on one-time use plastics coming into effect on January 1, customers bring vessels to buy food in Salem on Monday. | Photo Credit: E. LakshmiNarayanan
With the ban on one-time use plastics coming into effect on January 1, customers bring vessels to buy food in Salem on Monday. | Photo Credit: E. LakshmiNarayanan

Avoid plastic carry bags, deliver food at the doorsteps of customers

Ban on plastic bags has forced many food business operators in the city to carry food items in stainless steel containers and deliver it at the doorsteps of customers.

Small shops selling variety rice, gravies and other food items are present in large numbers in the city, particularly in Guhai. Food items are packed in disposable carry bags and sold to customers.

However, after the plastic ban from January 1, Corporation Officials intensified raids against use of banned plastics. Catering service units could not find alternative or cost effective material for packing.

Though customers were asked to bring their own containers, only a few turned up.

Hence, in order to keep the business going, many caterers started delivering food at the doorsteps of customers.

Business hit

S. Malligeswaran, a caterer in Guhai, said that after the plastic ban he had lost 70% of his business as customers wanted food delivered in plastic bags. We have been educating the customers for over a month asking them to bring containers. Since many are labourers, the result was discouraging.

Now he uses a delivery van and reaches out to the customers.

His wife, M. Kalaiarasi, goes to the houses of customers to deliver food.

Between 11.30 a.m. and 3 p.m., she delivers food in localities near Tiruchi Road, and Dadagapatti Main Road. The couple said that to keep the business running it was bearing the additional cost of operating the van and was positive that people would co-operate in making the society plastic-free.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Salem – January 08th, 2019

This TN lad’s Pixalive APP freezes memory for a week

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

It’s not quite often that we chance upon a social media app made in India.

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Chennai  :

It’s not quite often that we chance upon a social media app made in India. Enter Pixalive — designed and founded by 28-year-old Rajasekar Sundaresan, from a village called Soolamalai in Krishnagiri district.After completing his degree in electronic engineering, Rajasekar worked as a network engineer at Wipro for four years in 2008.

Inspired by popular apps like Snapchat and Instagram, Rajasekar quit his job in 2012 and went on to pursue his dream of designing an app with similar features. The app was launched in the first week of August by Disha Gosh, vice captain of the Indian Junior National Volleyball Team.

So far, it has 70,000 downloads and the count is expected to reach a lakh soon. “When I checked out the features of Snapchat it piqued my interest and helped me to further develop an app of our own with better features. My father sold his property and lent me money to pursue this app. I completed it in a year. Currently, we have two offices — Bengaluru and Chennai.

A team of 12 developers works with me. Getting investors is the challenging part,” said Rajasekar.
Pixalive is colourful app with stylish icons and funky fonts. It is said to have all the features that millennials look for today. Apart from basic features like sharing posts, photos, videos, texts and voice notes, the app boasts customised features like the ‘nearby’ option which restricts a user from sharing data on a specific geographical range and to a private or public group.

It also permits the user to access hashtags and news trending in a particular radius chosen by him or her. The data posted will be automatically erased from the application after seven days, thereby giving it a human touch to cherish moments till they’re available. “The app is designed for regional and international users. Language is not a barrier here,” he added. Pixalive is available on Android and iOS.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Vaishali Vijaykumar / Express News Service / January 08th, 2019

Hotel Saravana Bhavan to attempt Guinness record for longest dosa

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All, World Opinion

This concept, envisioned by celebrity chef Vinodh Kumar, will be implemented by 50 chefs from Saravana Bhavan at IIT Madras.

Masala dosa (File picture)
Masala dosa (File picture)

Chennai :

Hotel Saravana Bhavan will attempt to break the Guinness World Record by making a 100 ft-long dosa on Friday. This concept, envisioned by celebrity chef Vinodh Kumar, will be implemented by 50 chefs from Saravana Bhavan at IIT Madras.Speaking at a press conference in the city on Monday, chef Vinodh Kumar said that around 20 kg of batter will be used to make the dosa. “We have gone to great lengths to plan this endeavour, and we will be successful,” he said.

Currently, Hotel Dasapalla in Hyderabad holds the record for making the longest dosa measuring 54-feet-8.69-inches. “We could have decided to make a 60-feet dosa to claim the record, but we are going all in by making a 100-feet-dosa,” he said.

The 105-feet dosa pan for the event is being made in coordination with Saravana Bhavan’s engineering team, and it is learned that the pan will be maintained at a temperature of 180-200 degrees celsius to ensure the dosa batter doesn’t set immediately.

“The temperature will be maintained, so all the batter can be transferred to the pan and then the chefs will work in tandem to roll up the dosa,” said Vinodh Kumar, replying to a question from a journalist at the press conference.

Actor Nakul’s wife Shruti Nakul, who also spoke at the press conference, welcomed the initiative and expressed confidence that it would be successful. Saravana Bhavan’s general manager Damodaran was also present at the event.

The current record holder

Currently, Hotel Dasapalla in Hyderabad holds the record for making the longest dosa measuring 54-feet-8.69-inches.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / January 08th, 2019

IIT-Madras students turn cardboard boxes into study desks for students

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Education, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, World Opinion

The design was inspired from a South Korean interior designer, Ha Young Lee, who designed a sturdy desk made out of cardboard for underprivileged kids in his country.

Chennai  :

IIT-Madras students have designed study desks using discarded cardboard boxes, for underprivileged students, in some of the government schools. Under the REACH (Reuse cardboard to help children) initiative as part of Shaastra, IIT-M’s annual technical fest that starts from January 3, students have created a supply chain network to collect hundreds of used cardboard cartons from shopping malls, electronic shops, retailers and other places.

The material was then sorted, based on size, shape, and thickness, and then shaped by cutting the sorted boxes into pieces such that they can be assembled easily by anyone with minimal instructions.

The design was inspired from a South Korean interior designer, Ha Young Lee, who designed a sturdy desk made out of cardboard for underprivileged kids in his country. “After a month of trial and testing, we came up with a prototype which was tested by distributing in schools which are devoid of these facilities and infrastructure.

We collaborated with one NGO named ‘BHUMI’, which helped us to get volunteers for making the desks and TFI (Teach For India) which helped us to reach out to schools which didn’t have desks. We have currently reached out to 200 students in 5 schools with each child getting access to these desks,” Shaastra team said in a release. In India, according to a survey, there are 20 million students in the age group of 6-14, who lack basic facilities.

source:http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / December 28th, 2018