Category Archives: Leaders

Lasting regret of Tamil thatha

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All
Portrait of U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer
Portrait of U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer

He could not meet the man who sent him palm leaf manuscript of Tamilvidu Thoothu

It may sound like a tragic romantic story in which the lovers never get to meet each other.

U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer, the grand old man of Tamil, had a lasting regret that he never got to meet a man who had sent him a rare palm leaf manuscript of Tamilvidu Thoothu , an anonymous Tamil literary work in 264 stanzas.

In an essay, ‘Innum ariyen’, Iyer narrated his failure to meet the man who had brought the manuscript. Apparently, the man was in financial trouble and was hiding from his creditors. He was not able to preserve the manuscripts and sent them through Swaminatha Iyer’s student Sambasivam Chettiyar in 1900 in Kumbakonam.

“Iyer’s regret was that not only was the author ofTamividu Thoothu unknown, he could not meet even the person who preserved the manuscripts,” said P. Saravanan, who is compiling 165 articles written by Swaminatha Iyer during various periods.

Most of these articles had appeared inSwadesamitran , Kalaimagal , Ananda Vikatan ,Kalki and little known journals such as Darul Islam , Aadal Paadal and Silpasree . Twenty of these were never published.

Book release in August

Mr. Saravanan, a postgraduate Tamil teacher at the Chennai Corporation School, said the book would run into 1,000 pages and ‘Kalachuvadu’, the publisher, had plans to bring it out in three volumes .

It will be published in August with a preface by Professor A.R. Venkatachalapathy of Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), who encouraged Mr. Saravanan to take up this venture.

“While compiling the book, I have depended on the first edition, and the second edition that contained corrections carried out by Swaminatha Iyer himself. I am saying this because subsequent editions are rampant with errors,” said Mr. Saravanan, who has already published the prefaces of Swaminathan Iyer titled Saminatham.

In search of

missing flowers

In Uthirntha Malar , Iyer had explained his journey in search of three flowers mentioned inKurinjipattu .

Nilavil Malarntha Mullai talks about the surprise discovery of a work called Mullaipattu .

Mr. Saravanan said Swaminatha Iyer had also reviewed Sangakaalathil Chera Mannargal , a book penned by Raghava Iyengar in 1937. Sanga Tamizhum Pirkala Tamizhum , originally delivered as a 10-day lecture at the Madras University, runs into 200 pages.

“A news reporter in Swaminatha Iyer can be spotted in the essay he wrote in 1904 about Tiruvidaimarudhur Vasantha Mahotsavam,” said Mr. Saravanan.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by B. Kolappan / Chennai – June 02nd, 2015

Chennai-born US Judge Lives the American Dream

Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion
Raja Rajeswari
Raja Rajeswari

Chennai :

She has lived the immigrant dream — a journey from a one-room house in Alwarpet and a childhood learning classical dance to becoming a criminal court judge in New York City. The first Indian-origin woman at that.

Chennai-born Raja Rajeswari now hopes to ensure that the multi-ethnic population, the foundation of New York City, is treated fairly, while she also balances her other passion in life — dance.

Having migrated to the US aged 16, Rajeswari, now 43, worked at the Richmond County DA’s Office her entire career before being sworn in as a judge by NYC mayor Bill de Blasio on April 27. Her childhood experiences growing up in Chennai, her career as a prosecutor, her early observations of gender inequality, influences from her mother who was a dancer — Rajeswari believes all these paved the way for her successful career.

“I had a wonderful childhood. We were a low income household, and I was an only child. We did not have a lot of money but our lives were filled with dance and music,” she says, speaking to Express in an e-mail interview. Reminiscing about her mother who was a dance instructor, and her father who was an office clerk, she calls him a ‘gentle soul who resembled Mahatma Gandhi in looks and philosophy’.

Having lost her mother in an accident when she was 18, and her father to cancer in 2013, it was Rajeswari’s promise to her dad during their last conversation that prompted her to become a judge. “My mother bequeathed me her love of dance and the belief that the world can become a better place if there is even one person who cared enough,” she says.

And dance it was, that first brought her to New York.

Rajeswari had started dancing at fundraising events as a toddler, teaching dance at the age of 10, and receiving a government research scholarship at the age of 14. After doing her advanced studies in Kalakshetra for Bharatanatyam and also learning Kuchipudi, she travelled with her mother Padma Ramanathan dance troupe to several countries. In 1988, it was on the last leg of a dance tour she came to the city where she would live her life.

“At 16, I had traversed the planet and realised how the treatment of women made an impact on me. I decided to stay in New York and pursue my education in a country where women got equal opportunities,” she says.

Living The American Dream & How

Her cultural background and multilingualism, is what she believes, greatly helped her career as she dealt with various ethnic backgrounds in domestic violence and sexual abuse cases.

“My personal experience of growing up in a third world country provided me with insight into understanding the social stigma of accusing one’s husband or boyfriend in certain cultures,” she says.

Through her appointment, she hopes to follow in the footsteps of those who brought ethnic diversity to the bench, besides standing by her firm belief that the rights of the defendant are sacrosanct and can never be trespassed.

“I cringe every time I read about another defendant who has been exonerated after spending decades in prison for a crime he did not commit,” she says.

The speed and equal access to justice administered in the US, she says, is something to take note of; though not perfect, it is still much more efficient than the legal system in India.

Speaking about cases like the Delhi gang-rape, she says that unless we deal with ingrained social prejudices and discrimination against women, we will never be able to achieve our potential.

“Unless there is a gruesome death, no one pays attention to the victimisation of women. The woman or children rarely report these crimes because they know they are never going to be taken seriously and would be blamed and shunned by the society.”

Being an immigrant in a bustling city like New York, Rajeswari has worked her way up through several trials and is a firm believer in the American criminal justice system, which she considers the best in the world since it affords every person, regardless of sex, race, colour, sexual orientation and social standing, an opportunity to seek justice.

“As an immigrant you have incredible opportunities in this country but you have to be able and willing to work really hard and constantly prove yourself,” she says.

If a female immigrant from a city in South India can make history by becoming the first South Asian female judge in New York City, Rajeswari believes, there is hope for every female who aspires to higher office in India and abroad.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Archita Suranarayanan / ENS / May 02nd, 2015

Remembering the life and times of Pachaiyappa

Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders
Towering personality:The institutions founded in Pachaiyappa Mudaliar’s name came into being more than 40 years after his death —Photo: The Hindu Archives
Towering personality:The institutions founded in Pachaiyappa Mudaliar’s name came into being more than 40 years after his death —Photo: The Hindu Archives

The name Pachaiyappa Mudaliar conjures up an image of an educationist blessing a student, and reminds one of a slew of educational institutions bearing the name. Actually, neither the educational institutions nor the Trust founded in his name were in the picture during his lifetime, or even some 40 years after his death.

Pachaiyappa Mudaliar, who made a fortune as a dubashi  (interpreter) during the reign of the East India Company in the country, died in 1794. The foundation stone for the first residential school for caste-Hindu students was laid only in 1846. The money, bonds and jewels, all worth over Rs. six lakh, were used for charitable activities and various temple rituals, before the arrival of George Norton, the attorney general of Madras Presidency.

The biography of Pachaiyappa Mudaliar, who lived only 40 years, has been re-issued after a gap of 104-years. It reveals the life and times of the man and the legal battles, attempts to appropriate his properties and the efforts taken by Mr. Norton to create Pachaiyappa’s Trust and a slew of educational institutions, including a key college Chennai. The biography was penned by Komaleeswaran Pettai (now Pudupettai) Seenivasa Pillai, the first trustee of the Trust who worked together with Mr. Norton in establishing the educational institutions.

Now,Va.Mu.Se. Andavar, associate Tamil professor at Pachaiyappa’s College, has re-published the book, written in a quaint style that was probably in vogue about a 100 years ago.

“This is probably the first authentic material on the life of Pachaiyappa Mudaliar,” says Mr. Andavar.

Pachaiyappa Mudaliar, born in Periapalayam in 1754, lost his father even before his birth. His mother, Poochi Ammal, reached Madras with her children in search of a livelihood and was supported by a renowned dubashi , Powni Narayana Pillai, who took Pachaiyappa Mudaliar under his wing.

Pachaiyappa Mudaliar had a meteoric rise as a dubashi and his richness can be explained by the fact that he lent Rs. one lakh to the king of Thanjavur. But the book tells us Pachaiyappa Mudaliar, who married twice, could not lead a peaceful life, as his wives fought over the inheritance of his fortunes. He died in Thiruvaiyaru in 1794.

“Mr. Norton interpreted the will of Pachaiyappa Mudaliar in such a way that the money utilised for temple charities and feeding of the poor was used to launch educational institutions,” says Mr. Andavar, pointing out that Rs. one lakh was set apart for resumption of temple charities, but it could not be continued because of subsequent legal battles.

The biography of Pachaiyappa Mudaliar, re-issued after 104 years, throws light on the creation of the Trust and educational institutions that bear the dubashi’s name

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by B. Kolappan / April 06th, 2015

Now, a Planet Named After Chess Grand Master Viswanathan Anand

Leaders, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

VishwanathanCF03apr2015

Chennai :

Here’s a question for the nerds… what do Roger Federer, Jesse Owens, Arsene Wenger, Donald Bradman and India’s Viswanathan Anand have in common?

Well, apart from all of them being connected to some sport, they all have  minor planets named after them. The former World Chess Champion joined this unique club when a minor planet (4538), located roughly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, was named after him.

The newly-named minor planet, (4538 Vishyanand), was discovered by Kenzo Suzuki of Toyota, Japan, on October 10, 1988.

A staff members of Minor Planet Center, Michael Rudenko, was invited to name the object as it remained unnamed for more than 10 years.  “The idea of naming a minor planet for Anand was entirely my own,” Rudenko told Express exclusively. “After careful consideration I selected him because in addition to being a great chess player he is also a gentlemen and astronomy enthusiast,” Rudenko said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Swaroop Swaminathan / April 03rd, 2015

60 years of exemplary service

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologies
(From left) Sugalchand Jain and Dr. V. Shanta of the Cancer Institute, writer Sivasankari, R. Seshasayee of Ashok Leyland and N. Ram of Kasturi and Sons Limited at the function—Photo: M. Vedhan
(From left) Sugalchand Jain and Dr. V. Shanta of the Cancer Institute, writer Sivasankari, R. Seshasayee of Ashok Leyland and N. Ram of Kasturi and Sons Limited at the function—Photo: M. Vedhan

On the occasion of the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Cancer Institute (WIA), its chairman V. Shanta recalled the years of struggle that the team faced to ensure that the hospital functioned properly.

Speaking at the function on Friday, she recalled the formative years of the institute, when it was difficult to find donors.

“ Today, we have a new problem, with no space being available on either of our campuses for any development,” she said.

The Cancer Institute (WIA), founded by Muthulakshmi Reddy in 1954 when her sister died of cancer, started out as a four-bedded hospital. Sixty years later, it is a 500-bed speciality hospital.

N. Ram, chairman, Kasturi and Sons Ltd., said the negative portrayal of cancer in the media and culture was a problem. “In recent years, the scenario had changed a bit, but the problem continues to take a toll,” he said.

The Diamond Jubilee Book of the Cancer Institute was released by Mr. Ram. Ram Santhanam of the TVS Group, Sivasankari, Tamil writer, N. Sugalchand Jain, chairman, Management Committee, Cancer Institute (WIA), K.R. Purushotham from the Satyanarayana Trust, N. Sankar, chairman, Sanmar Group, and A. Krishnamoorthy, chairman, The Amalgamations Group, were present.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – March 31st, 2015

Old TN netas set gold standards in politics

Leaders
'Traffic' Ramaswamy, 83 in action on the roads of Chennai.
‘Traffic’ Ramaswamy, 83 in action on the roads of Chennai.

Chennai :

Age for them is a number, not a limitation. At 80 and 90, these Tamil Nadu politicians, bent on going the extra mile, defy ailments, confinement to wheelchairs and take to the streets campaigning vigorously against corruption and on other national issues.

Meet “Traffic” Ramaswamy . He’s 82 and going after illegal hoardings. Congress veteran Kumari Ananthan is a year senior and on a Madurai-Tuticorin walkathon demanding prohibition. CPI’s R Nallakannu has touched 90, but there’s nothing stopping him from protesting against illegal sand mining.

Of course, nothing can hold back DMK chief, 91-year-old M Karunanidhi. He’s leading a protest in south Chennai against the “anti-poor, anti-farmer” land acquisition bill.Guess who’s leading the stir in north Chennai? It’s party general secretary K Anbazhagan, 92.

A respected PIL petitioner; Ramaswamy is respected for being re lentless. All things illegal make him see red: Illegal hoardings, illegal buildings, encroachments, traffic violations, politicians and bureaucrats violating laws. He was in prison till Tuesday . When he was freed, he immediately went ripping illegal hoardings.On Thursday the fearless activist struck at the AIADMK headquarters.

“I’ve been filing PILs from 1998; I’ve filed more than 500 in Madras HC and 25 in SC. I’m getting more aggressive with age. Though I get threats from politicians and toughs, I never give up,” Ramaswamy tells TOI. On March 13 Madras HC gave the city police an earful for arresting him in a 4am raid, calling it totally unjustified.

Kumari Ananthan proudly flies the Congress flag in a state where it’s struggling for survival. A Gandhian, his struggle now is for total prohibition. He started his 12-day Madurai-Tuti corin march on his 83rd birthday on Thursday . This is his 10th padyatra, his first was n 1967.

Nallakannu, 90-year-old CPI veteran, is a former state party secretary . He’s valued for his simplicity and has been a fighter of long standing, having joined politics at age 15. “We need to meet people and be with them for their issues…Merely issuing statements isn’t enough,” he says.

As for DMK stalwarts M Karunanidhi and K Anbazhagan, they need no introduction.Their party faces criticism for corruption and other issues, but both have been involved in many protests against the state and Centre.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Karthigaichelvan.s,  TNN / March 21st, 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

An intimate portrait of the city’s many facets

About Chennai(Madras) / TamilNadu, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All

 

(From left) author Tulsi Badrinath, N. Ram and S. Muthiah at the book release function. Photo: R. Ravindran
(From left) author Tulsi Badrinath, N. Ram and S. Muthiah at the book release function. Photo: R. Ravindran

‘Madras, Chennai and the Self: Conversations with the City’, a book that explores the metropolis through the personal stories of an eclectic cluster of 12 individuals, was launched on Wednesday.

The author Tulsi Badrinath paints a portrait of a city that is both rooted in tradition and dynamically modern. Launching the book, N. Ram, chairman, Kasturi and Sons Ltd., said, “There is a certain familiarity when one reads the book, but there are also many surprises that the author brings out through her writing.”

Historian S. Muthiah, who received the first copy of the book, said, “This book is by far the best among all the writing on Madras. It is a literary work on how the author sees the city of Chennai through the conversations she has with many people who call this place home.”

Some of the personalities featured are Dalit writer and activist P. Sivakami, the Prince of Arcot Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, actor Vikram and priest and karate enthusiast K. Seshadri to name a few. By bringing together disparate narratives of people and the spaces they inhabit, Ms. Badrinath attempts to capture the flavour of a city that is both intimate and contemporary.

The book launch concluded with a panel discussion with chronicler Sriram V. and scholar A.R. Venkatachalapathy interacting with the author.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – March 19th, 2015

Buckles All Around, Thanks to British Collector

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion

Madurai : 

What can be in a name, particulary when it sounds unfamiliar, lacking in local cultural resonance? Well, some local history behind it. Buckle was one such name that is completely alien to Tamil Nadu but has come to stay for various reasons said historian Venkatraman, a native of Thoothukudi district, at an INTACH (Indian Natural Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) meeting here recently.

Quite common in the southern district, particularly in the coastal areas, Buckle cuts through caste divides though not many know how the name came into currency. “Before I joined the teaching profession I was managing a salt pan along in Thoothukudi town when I came across this name,” he recalled. “Some Dalits working in our salt pan answered the name Buckle – either Buckle or Buckle Durai. Out of curiosity, I asked them the meaning behind the name and they drew a blank. Then my father explained the history behind it,” said Venkatraman, who retired as history professor from Madurai Kamaraj University.

He had also come across the name among students when he taught at Aditanar College of Arts and Science in Tiruchendur.

Folklorist V  Sivasubramanian came across Buckles when he worked as a tutor in the Tamil department of VOC Arts and Science College. “While correcting an examination paper, I saw the name Buckle Durai. But the student belonged to the Nadar community,” he said.

“Many Nadar families in Srivaikundam, Tiruchendur and Sathankulam named their children  Buckle along with the caste title Nadar. It is very common among the agricultural families among our community,” said Murali, a businessman from Thoothukudi town.

Well, Buckle has its origin from R K Puckle, a popular, visionary and benevolent British Collector of the old Tirunelveli district. He served the region 160 years ago, when he built the Srivaikundam dam. Since all communities benefited from the Srivaikundam dam, Puckle caught the fancy of all communities.

Dalit writer, P Sridhar Ganesan, has named the protagonist of his Tamil novel, ‘Vangal’, as Puckle. He said that when he went to his wife’s village Muthuammallpuram Cheri, a coastal hamlet, he met two elders with the name Buckle. ‘During my interaction with the villagers, I learnt that the people were proud to name their children after Puckle, who enaged Dalits to work in his horse wagon,’ Ganesan said.

Collector Puckle was the collector and settlement officer. For building the Srivaikundam dam, he collected Rs 20,000 from the farmers. He also liberated Dalits from forced labour in the region, Sivasumramaniam said. He also constructed a canal to drain rainwater and saved the placed from flooding, said Venkatraman.

All these legendary work done by the collector had endeared him to the local people, whose descendents still pay their tributes by naming children Buckle. It does not matter that many of the Buckles do not know the origin of their name

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Gokul Vannan / March 18th, 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