Category Archives: Nri’s / Pio’s

Indian-Origin Boy Sweeps Australian Spelling Bee Contest

Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, World Opinion

Anirudh Kathirvel, a nine-year-old Indian-origin boy is Australia’s new spelling champion after he won the 50,000 dollars ‘The Great Australian Spelling Bee’ competition.

Kathirvel, born in Melbourne to a Tamilian couple won 50,000 dollars education scholarship along with an impressive 10,000 dollars worth goods for his school yesterday.

Anirudh said he could not believe his luck after winning the scholarship and asked his fellow spellers to “pinch” him.

“I need to rub my eyes and see if this is a dream,” he said adding “Nope.Nope.Nope.Real. I can’t describe it. It’s like the best day of my life.”

Anirudh said his favourite word to spell was ‘euouae’ as he liked the structure of the word as it was the longest word with consecutive vowels.

“Some of the other words I like to spell are feuilleton, cephalalgia, ombrophobous,” he said adding that he loves watching Indian movies.

Anirudh, whose parents Prithiviraj and Sujatha also migrated to Australia from Tamil Nadu 16 years ago, said, “I started reading from the age of two and slowly my reading passion evolved into my love for words. My parents encouraged and helped me to build up on my spelling.”

“My first spelling competition was when I was in grade 1. But my first year in the spelling competition was challenging.

“Gradually my confidence increased and I was pushing my spelling abilities to its limits. That’s how my spelling journey has begun,” he added.

He also can read, write and speak Tamil apart from English.

For him spelling practice has been his everyday routine and he said that he try and learn at least 10 new words per day.

“I research those words, find their meaning, their origin & the roots and their synonyms. I also practice my spelling on the different spelling apps,” Anirudh, who wants to be a neuroscientist, said.

“I am fascinated with the human body. The working of the brain is so complex. This created a great interest and I want to learn more & more about the brain.

“There are a lot of unanswered questions when it comes to brain diseases like Alzheimer’s or schizophrenia. I want to look for those answers and help those people who suffer from those conditions. I want to be a neuroscientist,” he said.

Four Indian-origin children participated in the contest with another Indian-origin girl Harpita, 8, emerging in the top five finalists.

A total of 50 finalists were picked from over 3,000 children across Australia who had applied to be part of the upcoming TV show of Channel Ten that kicked off last month

source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> Magazine> News / by Natasha Chaku / Melbourne – September 05th, 2015

The rise and rise of Sundar Pichai

Amazing Feats, Leaders, Nri's / Pio's, Science & Technologies, World Opinion
Pichai Sundararajan aka Sundar Pichai. / Photo: Kamal Narang / The Hindu
Pichai Sundararajan aka Sundar Pichai. / Photo: Kamal Narang / The Hindu

“Super excited about his progress and dedication to the company,” says Google co-founder Larry Page.

Google’s announcement on Monday that it would be subsumed within a new parent company called Alphabet had a bonus for people of Indian-origin world over: the company’s head of Products and Engineering, Chennai-born Pichai Sundararajan, was anointed the CEO of the new, “slimmed down” Google.

Underscoring his confidence in the man known as Sundar Pichai (43), Google boss Larry Page said of the restructuring in the company he co-founded with Sergey Brin, “A key part of this is Sundar Pichai.”

Mr. Pichai, who is a graduate of IIT Kharagpur and Stanford University, had “really stepped up since October of last year, when he took on product and engineering responsibility for our Internet businesses,” Mr. Page said in a blog post, adding that he and Mr. Brin were “super excited about his progress and dedication to the company.”

They may well have reason to feel fortunate that Mr. Pichai is the man to head their $66-billion revenue, $16-billion profit, company– by most accounts he combines a deep passion for engineering excellence with a rare managerial quality of attracting the best talent into the teams he works with.

Mr. Pichai started at Google in 2004, where he was known as a “low-key manager” who worked on the Google toolbar and then led the launch of the market-beating Chrome browser in 2008.

Following this his rise through the ranks of Google took on an increasingly meteoric tenor, and soon he became Vice President, then Senior Vice President, and ultimately was charged with supervising all Google apps including Gmail and Google Drive and finally given control of Android itself.

His promotion to Product Chief in October 2014 literally made him Mr. Page’s second-in-command with oversight of day-to-day operations for all of Google’s major products including maps, search, and advertising.

Some of Mr. Pichai’s colleagues describe him in the media as a skilled diplomat, including Caesar Sengupta, a Google Vice President who has worked with Mr. Pichai for eight years, and said to Bloomberg News, “I would challenge you to find anyone at Google who doesn’t like Sundar or who thinks Sundar is a jerk.”

Nowhere was Mr. Pichai’s easy blending of techno-diplomatic competence evident than in early 2014, when the fracas between Samsung and Google was reaching fever pitch, at the time over Samsung’s Magazine UX interface for its tablets, which Google felt may have been deliberately underselling Google services such as its Play apps store.

According to reports “Defusing the situation fell to Sundar Pichai, the tactful, tactical new chief of Google’s Android division. Pichai set up a series of meetings with J.K. Shin, CEO of Samsung Mobile Communications, [where] they held ‘frank conversations’ about the companies’ intertwined fates [and a] fragile peace was forged.”

Since then, Samsung has apparently agreed to scale back Magazine UX, and the two corporations have announced a broad patent cross-licensing arrangement to implement which they “now work together more closely on user experience than we ever have before,” according to Mr. Pichai.

Another apparent talent of Google’s new CEO – his thinking seems to be ahead of the curve. Although Mr. Pichai trained in metallurgy and materials science at IIT Kharagpur, and Stanford and did an MBA at Wharton, he was already deeply immersed in the world of electronics.

According to one of his college professors Mr. Pichai “was doing work in the field of electronics at a time when no separate course on electronics existed in our curriculum.”

The Google founders no doubt recognised that Mr. Pichai was a man on an evangelical-type mission for pushing the boundaries of technology.

Mr. Pichai most eloquently outlined this mission when he said, “For me, it matters that we drive technology as an equalising force, as an enabler for everyone around the world. Which is why I do want Google to see, push, and invest more in making sure computing is more accessible, connectivity is more accessible.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Technology / by Narayan Lakshman / Washington – August 11th, 2015

Sky is the limit

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion
Suraksha Bhatla and Sharan Sundar. Inset shows their model for the 'shanty scraper'. — PHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN
Suraksha Bhatla and Sharan Sundar. Inset shows their model for the ‘shanty scraper’. — PHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN

Winning a competition for their vertical living design is a boost for architects Suraksha Bhatla and Sharan Sundar.

High rises are the future. Growing population, limited land area and talented architects will ensure that. This is probably why the eVolo Skyscraper competition to acknowledge outstanding ideas for vertical living is conducted in New York every year. “The brief encourages designers to come up with digital submissions of new urban vertical living proposals using advances in technology, new architectural methods and sustainable ideas,” explains Chennai-based Suraksha Bhatla, who, along with Sharan Sundar, won the second place in the competition. Out of the 500 entries from around the world, 100 are shortlisted to be published every year.

“We thought of how slums aren’t visible in the city’s skyline,” says Suraksha. Their proposal was for a ‘shanty scraper’, to address the problem of growing slums in the county. They believe that one of the reasons their proposal won is because the jury wanted to bring the issue of slums to the forefront to drive discussion.

“Usually with slums, the Government response is to relocate the dwellers. This doesn’t work because most of them end-up sub-letting their houses to move back to the slums, which is closer to their job,” says Suraksha, a sustainability consultant and freelance architect.

23mp_scraper

“Currently, vertical living is only for people who are from a high-income bracket, so we explored something different,” explains Sharan, who works as an architect for Zaha Hadid in London. The winning Polish entry proposed the idea for a utopian skyscraper in the middle of New York City, interwoven with nature, as a means to relieve one from city life. A Malaysian team proposed an idea for a limestone scraper, China, a tower of refuge and Russia presented Cybertopia.

The duo studied together in Anna University’s School of Architecture and Planning, and graduated from the Architectural Association in London. “We wanted to create something that’s aesthetically appealing and yet made of recyclable material,” says Sharan, while Suraksha adds that the materials used — post construction debris like pipes and reinforcement bars, timber and thatch — give the structure a post apocalyptic feel.

Although theirs is only a conceptual design, they say that it is feasible to execute.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Society / by Raveena Joseph / June 22nd, 2015

Indian origin scientist to get Russia’s highest tech award

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

St Petersburg :

B Jayant Baliga, a US-based Indian-origin scientist, is being awarded Russia’s top technology award in recognition of his work as a major development in energy management which brought about huge increase in efficiency and major savings.

B Jayant Baliga, a US-based Indian-origin scientist, is being awarded Russia's top technology award. (Representative image)
B Jayant Baliga, a US-based Indian-origin scientist, is being awarded Russia’s top technology award. (Representative image)

The award will presented to Professor Baliga and Shuji Nakamura on Friday by Russian President Vladimir Putin at a ceremony here.

Nakamura, a Nobel Laureate, is being recognised for his work on blue light emitting diodes (LEDs). In Russia, the Global Energy Prize is known as the electronics equivalent of the Nobel Prize.

Professor Baliga invented the digital switch or the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) while working at General Electrical research & development centre in New York state in the US in 1983. The IGBT switches energy hundreds of thousands of times a second, raising the efficiency of any equipment manifold.

“Every equipment from your refrigerator to lights to motor vehicles has the need to use energy efficiently. If you take away the IGBT today, almost everything will come to a standstill,” Baliga told a visiting IANS correspondent on the eve of receiving the award.

Scientific American magazine called him among the ‘eight heroes of the semiconductor revolution’, and President Barack Obama awarded him the highest American technology prize last year and he is the 2014 recipient of the IEEE Medal of Honour, a rare distinction.

Professor Baliga, who now teaches to the North Carolina university as ‘distinguished university professor’, said that the IGBT that his invention combines two streams of electronics and electrical engineering and has possibly saved the world around $24 trillion dollars by raising efficiency, according to one detailed calculation.

“I got zero out of it. But then I did it all for humanity.”

Of course, says Prof Baliga, that he did make some money when he started three companies, but these were financed by venture capitalists who exited with enormous profits at the right time.

He says every motor today is at least 40 percent more efficient, the light bulb like the CFL better by almost 75 percent and a motor vehicle saves over 10 percent fuel because of his invention. He has written 19 books and over 500 papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Baliga passed out of IIT Madras before going to the US for his MS and PhD after electrical engineering after which he joined GE where he spent over 15 years.

After his ‘switch’ was invented, several of his colleagues told him that it would not work, and many scientists said he would fall “flat on his face”. But he said it stood the test of time.

The chairman of GE at that time, Jack Welch flew down especially to meet him when he heard what it could do. GE used the switch in the several of the equipments it sold, including medical devices.

A US citizen since 2000, he now has very little connection with India and does not travel to his home country much, especially after his parents and parents of his wife passed away. But, says Prof Baliga, an invention like his is unlikely in India, because it needs huge research infrastructure to be in place from universities to industries.

He feels, that India has a potential which has not been fully used, although in software “it has made great strides”.

Could a Nobel be on its way in the future? “I used to say no way,” but with so many recognitions and this “global prize where I am being feted with a Nobel Laureate, who knows”, he says. His regret though is that India does not know much about him.

“Top scientists that I meet always ask me, why has India not recognised your achievement?” And with characteristic modesty, Baliga told IANS, “I tell them that perhaps my country does not know about what I did.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> NRI / IANS / June 18th, 2015

Fusion puts Tamil bhakti music on global stage

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nri's / Pio's, World Opinion

When Susheela Raman sings ‘Paalum Thelithenum’ (milk and pure honey), an Avvaiyar prayer to Vinayaka recited everyday by millions of Tamil children, with a twang in her velvety voice, the invitation is surely compelling. What is to be lisped with childish innocence, however, assumes a husky edge in Susheela’s beginning line. When she repeats the word ‘thunga’ (elephant trunk) unnecessarily and distorts and elongates ‘thoo’ in the word ‘thoomaniye” (pure and precious treasure), ‘maniye’ is completely lost on us. Tamil listeners may now feel far removed from the prayer they learned in childhood.

We have already forgiven her for mispronouncing the word ‘theli’ in ‘thelithenum’ with a lighter ‘l’ which is a common mistake television newsreaders in Tamil Nadu commit. But Tamils would wonder why the line offering four eatables to Vinayaka invites a swaying of the hips from Susheela. And even before we come out of our wonder Susheela makes the gesture of spinning a top and lifts her hand like a cricket umpire while praying to Vinayaka for proficiency in Tamil. She doesn’t stop there. Ecstatic gyrations, eyes-shut trances, and wild hair whippings follow, accompanied by electric guitar riffs.

For the traditional Tamil, Susheela Raman’s sound, gestures and gyrations may be controversial. But, in taking the genre of Tamil bhakti to a global audience, UK-born Susheela, a major star of world music, in her own way communicates the essence of the genre — invoking ecstasy. She declares on her website: “I don’t want to respect artificial barriers between music, I want to channel everything into the experience. Music is like a goddess that is always changing its mind, never straightforward. To earn her blessings and stay close to her, musicians have to try new things.”

For Susheela, the ecstasy that Tamil bhakti music seeks to provide is not to be achieved through slow ascendance. She simply plunges into it in the very first opening line as she does in the album ‘Vel’. K B Sunderambal, Madurai Somasundram, and Bangalore Ramani Amma would have also begun their first line of their Murugan bhakti song in a high pitch and gone for a higher pitch as the song progressed. Susheela has no such compulsions and her European audience would not have cared less had she opted for a more sober opening. However, Susheela’s first leap into ecstasy facilitates her fusion, like in her rendering of Madurai Somu’s ‘Marudamalai maamaniye murugaiyya’.

In the song, Somu ascends into emotional heights only after a few syllables. Kunnakudi Vaidhyanathan’s violin accentuates Somu’s climb and the ecstatic bursts come nearly at the end. What Susheela does is to begin in the second half of the original Tamil song, and replace the native morsing, ghatam, and violin interlude with the singing of Mian Miri Qawwals from Lahore. Followed by the tabla, Susheela launches her ‘Marudamalai maamaniye’ from a still higher pitch with a faster rhythm.

The effect is terrific because of the newness of the Qawwali singing merging perfectly with the high singing of Tamil bhakti music. The faster rhythm does not allow Susheela to distort words as she does in other songs. When she hands over the mantle back to the Quwwali chorus the similarity of rhythms smoothens the transition. Susheela’s frenzied whipping of the hair does add its visual quality to the orgasmic outbursts. In a way Susheela discovers and demonstrates the inner flow and the connectivity that exists between Qawwali singing and Tamil bhakti music.

When she sings ‘Velundu mayilundu’ with the interceptions from Quwwali musicians singing ‘Nuri Nuri’, the mixture already feels like a natural flow. It also becomes clear that the meanings of the words no longer matter to anyone except the singers themselves. For the audience, it’s all pure rhythmic sounds and bodily gestures.

Tamil bhakti music is at the centre of her three albums: Salt Rain, Music For Crocodiles, and 331/3. In Tamil Nadu, bhakti music is a vehicle for devotees to achieve communion with their gods guided through the meaning of words. The ecstatic experience is supposed to be the result of such a communion. In the Susheela Raman variety of world music, the ecstasy and emotional heights are already there as rhythms, sounds, gestures, and ambience. Devoid of meanings delivered by words, we experience words mingling with other sounds to create pure music. Perhaps only through such channels and loss of ‘word meaning’, native Tamil bhakti music could reach out and achieve a universal appeal.

For Tamil bhakti music is both ancient and contemporary and is deeply ingrained in the consciousness of Tamils living worldwide. For instance, while the poem ‘Paalum thelithenum’ is a Sangam-age composition attributed to Avvaiyar, the grand old lady of Tamil poetry, ‘Marudamalai maamaniye murugaiyya’ is a film song written by Kannadasan. Along with the Saivite and Vaishnavite bhakti movements, Murugan worship had seeped through Tamil history from ancient times, and it achieved canonical status in the 15th century as evidenced by the corpus of songs by Arunagirinathar. Trance behavior and Tamil Murugan bhakti are intimately intertwined, and it takes a Susheela Raman to identify its potential to sync with the ecstasy of Sufi Quwaali music of Pakistan.

(The author is a writer and folklorist who heads the National Folklore Support Centre, Chennai)

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by M D Muthukumaraswamy, TNN / June 13th, 2015

Jaya’s Bid to Spread Glory of Tamil Resonates in Australia

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Nri's / Pio's, World Opinion
Chennai :
Australian MP, Williams Matti and the Adelaide Tamil Association have heaped praise on Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa for her strenuous and unceasing efforts to spread the glory of the Tamil language across the globe.

The Australian MP, while speaking in the Australian Parliament on June 4, hailed the International Tamil Conference and Seminar, organised recently by the Tamil Development Department of the Tamil Nadu government. He said it was the first of its kind to be hosted in Australia for the Tamil people living there.

“It was great that the Tamil Nadu government and the World Tamil Association chose Torrensville Primary School in my electorate to facilitate the event. The two-day seminar and workshop covered teaching, education and development of Tamil language and culture for communities outside India.

Williams MattiCF12jun2015

Lawrence Annadurai, president of Adelaide Tamil Association, in his letter to Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, congratulated her on taking over the reigns of the State government for the fifth time and expressed confidence that Tamils across the globe were praising her measures for the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu and those living abroad.

He said the international Tamil conference, held recently was highly praised by many personalities in Australia.  Zoe Bettison, Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Grace Portolesi, Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Chair of South Australian Multicultural Ethnic Affairs Commission, Angela Keneally, Mayor, City of Charles Sturt and many other invitees from Australian Government who attended the conference lauded the conference.

When traditional Tamil music was played, they danced to the tunes happily, he added.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / June 11th, 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

Cook’s Tale: A Made in Tiruchy Tag in Western Australia

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nri's / Pio's, World Opinion

Perth :

The WACA is undoubtedly the chief cricket destination in the major city of Western Australia. If you want to combine dining with cricket, Gogo’s Madras Curry House should be the destination. While the name reveals what the place specialises in, one has to be in to find out who some of the illustrious patrons have been.

From Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar to Aussie legends of the last few years to Viv Richards, Wasim Akram, Alastair Cook and Kumar Sangakkara all have been here. If words of praise about the experience and autographed gear gifted by players — some of them framed and on display — are something to go by, it seems all would be happy to be back again.

Govinda Rajulu Govardhan | Atreyo Mukhopadhyay
Govinda Rajulu Govardhan | Atreyo Mukhopadhyay

Proprietor Govinda Rajulu Govardhan aka Gogo was born in Tiruchy and grew up at Perambur in Chennai. After abandoning a degree in engineering, he took up hotel management. On finding the administrative and hospitality front not challenging enough, he trained to become a chef. Following stints with Sheraton in different countries, he came to Perth in 1995. Since taking over this place about four years later, he has become a household in the cricket fraternity.

After running the show across cricket centres in Australia, which included supervising catering during international fixtures for over a decade, he owns three more restaurants in Perth. “Cricket memorabilia is fine, but people come here for food. The challenge is to ensure my product is good and going by what people say, it seems we’re doing a good job,” he says.

Contrary to what the name might suggest, this is no typical Indian restaurant serving traditional fare. “This is not an Udupi joint. Notice the word ‘curry’ in the name. We’re surrounded by pubs and serve wine. So the food has to go with it,” he says. Instead of sambar-rice or rava dosa, this place is known for its lamb shank and raan. Chilli paneer, egg plant dishes and mixed poriyal with coconut are what vegetarians can sample.

While Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashiwn and Umesh Yadav dropped in during the World Cup, Gogo’s memorable moment came in 2008 when Anil Kumble hosted a dinner after winning the Perth Test.

Today Gogo employs 45-50 people including Asians and Australians.

There are plans to start something in India, although things are not final. Until that happens, one has to be here to find out what attracts cricketers of different hues other than a historic ground.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cricket> News / by Atreyo Mukhopadhyay / Mar 08th, 2015

INITIATIVE : Chettiar Connect

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, World Opinion
Solai Adaikalavan. Photo: special arrangement
Solai Adaikalavan. Photo: special arrangement

Bringing the community closer is what Solai Adaikalavan’s website on the Nagarathars is hoping to do. Savitha Gautam.

They are known for their sharp business acumen and clan loyalty. For over 150 years, the Nagarathars (better known as Chettiars) of Tamil Nadu have made an amazing contribution to the world of trade and commerce. Often hailed as the pioneers of organised banking in the country and credited with introducing of double-entry bookkeeping (debit and credit), this small community was, and continues to be, a close-knit one.

The rise of the Nagarathars began in the early 1900s when men armed with just courage and determination followed jungle trails in South and Southeast Asia to set up businesses in these virgin areas. Today, their business philosophy is visible across the globe.

But, over the past few decades, the community seems to be slowly losing its stranglehold over the entrepreneurial world. Some attribute it to traumatic post-Independence experiences, while others feel this is due to today’s general economic environment. Whatever the reason, many youngsters are now opting for safe jobs (especially IT) or similar safe-agency businesses. According to statistics, over 80 per cent of today’s Chettiar graduates, both men and women, are employed in the IT industry.

This set Solai Adaikalavan thinking. The Chennai-born Sydney-based second-generation Chettiar spoke to several people from her community. “I felt there was a shift in the attitudes of young Chettiar men and women towards their history.” In 2013, an International Business Conference of Nagarathars, a first-of-its-kind event, was organised by the Nagarathar Association, Singapore. “That was when an idea about setting up a website germinated,” says Adaikalavan.

With help from family and friends, she launched www.nagaratharbusinessgroup.com on November 23, 2013, in Singapore. “There’s a multi-pronged approach to the way the site is designed. Using technology, the site hopes to rope in able, experienced elders who can guide the young entrepreneurs on various biz mantras. Besides, the digital communication platform will serve as link to the Nagarathar groups, speaking their language and transcending geographical boundaries.”

Armed with a Masters in IT, Adaikalavan envisaged a one-of-its-kind online initiative that would have a two-pronged approach in bringing the community closer — communicate and be a catalyst in bringing back the glory Chettiars enjoyed as entrepreneurs.

How different is this site compared to other community sites? “It has a specific purpose. Members can get advice from people within the community, advertise their business, upload articles or voice their thoughts. There’s a heritage link aimed at educating Gen Next about our culture and tradition.” And the target visitor? “It is for both people already in business willing to share their expertise and those passionate about business but in need of some guidance.”

The website now has about 300 members. “The community is rather conservative,” says Solai. “So people register but seem reluctant to use the site.”

Bringing the community together.Photo: special arrangement
Bringing the community together.Photo: special arrangement

The website, designed by her friend Arathi Lawrence, has many interesting features to look out for. To mention a few:

Mentor forum: Here, experienced and knowledgeable elders of the community can guide a greenhorn in the nitty-gritty of business management.

Business Directory: A detailed list of all the members and their business interests, so that members can make enquiries or get other information.

Nagarathar Heritage: This section is an archive of contributions made by the members. It highlights the cultural ethos of the Nagarathars and its uniqueness to a younger generation.

Chat: Members can have online chats and establish contact.

Mobile App: Soon-to-be-launched app will help the tech-savvy keep in touch on the go.

Will it serve the purpose? Only time will tell.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Magazine / by Savitha Gautam / December 27th, 2014

Anglo India hand

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Nri's / Pio's

Eric Stracey talks about his book ‘Growing up in Anglo India’

EricStaceyBF25dec2014

“If as a little boy in the 1920s, I had been asked what I was, I would have said, ‘English’.” In Growing up in Anglo India (EastWest) Eric Stracey, 80, writes about an elusive 400-year-old community. Sometimes reviled, often used, rarely admired, the Anglo-Indians are a people who perhaps got as close to immortality as they ever would with Ismail Merchant’s Cotton Mary.

“Cheap novelists and scriptwriters have often found in the Anglo-Indians ground for sensationalism,” says Stracey. Stracey’s writing is a nostalgic, picturesque, sometimes brutally honest journey through the times, places and achievements that characterised the lives of his parents and 11 siblings.

“There was the realisation that we were an unusual lot and that our story called for some kind of record,” he says. “Another reason was that Bangalore and the conditions prevailing there when I was growing up in the cantonment – the best of weather, pure air, clean water, fine schools, a moral climate and cheap living – have changed beyond recognition. Unfortunately for the worse.”
Stracey migrated to Australia for “family reasons” in 1980. During a retirement marked by “boredom and low spirits”, his writing flourished. He updated his first, unpublished novel Odd Man In – memoirs of his years in the police service, which climaxed when be became director general of police, Tamil Nadu, in 1979.
Growing up in Anglo India is in a sense a literary tribute to his people: “Among our proudest qualities are our sense of loyalty and steadfastness. We stuck to our post and did our duty when others faltered.” It is no wonder then that cities as far afield as Calcutta and Bangalore have their own mini-legends about Anglo-Indian police officers like Stracey.
And despite great distances, this father of two sons, Mike, 52, and John, 54, is as close as he ever was to his community. So while he writes with regret that a lack of financial resources has led to conditions among the Anglo-Indians “going downhill”, he might take consolation in the fact that he will always be remembered for knowing well and writing truly of a time when it was otherwise.
source: http://www.indiatoday.intoday.in / Indiatoday.in / Home> Society & The Arts> Books / by Sonia Faleiro / September 04th, 2014