Category Archives: Nri’s / Pio’s

Tamil poet Iqbal named for Singapore’s highest cultural award

October 21, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

Indian-origin Singaporean poet and writer K.T.M. Iqbal will be awarded Cultural Medallion, the country’s highest cultural award by President Tony Tan Keng Yam on Thursday night in Singapore.

It is the highest recognition for the 74-year-old Tamil poet whose achievements include more than 200 children’s songs written for Radio Singapore in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as seven collections of poetry.

Mr. Iqbal said he was “delighted” to receive the award which was “an incredible honour”.

“My first love is poetry. We have been together for 60 years. I never imagined this would bring me the Cultural Medallion award,” The Straits Times quoted Mr. Iqbal as saying.

Mr. Iqbal learned the basics of Venpa, a form of classical Tamil poetry from a poetry-writing workshop. “I would sit on the street in the evening to write or an idea might come when I was on the bus,” said Mr. Iqbal.

The poet, also a retired bank executive, has received recognition in the education system of Singapore also.

Mr. Iqbal’s compositions are studied in schools and some of them have appeared in the subway stations as part of efforts to bring the arts close to the community.

Mr. Iqbal migrated to Singapore at the age of 11 with his father from Kadayanallur in South India in 1951.

A Tamil newspaper Malaya Nanban, which is now defunct, introduced him to the simple but evocative compositions of Tamil poet Mathithasan. The poet’s vivid depiction of people and values in society inspired the young Iqbal to start penning poems.

The retired bank executive continues to pen poems and hopes to produce an edited collection of his best Tamil poems and an English translation of it.

Along with the award, Mr. Iqbal will get 80,000 Singapore Dollar grant, which can be used to fund artistic endeavours over their lifetime, according to The Straits Times.

“The money once spent is gone. But to have the nation recognise your contribution is great and it will encourage people to keep writing poetry,” said Mr. Iqbal.

The award will also be given to sculptor Chong Fah Cheong, 68, and 51-year old Alvin Tan, the artistic director of a theatre company, The Necessary Stage. Recipients are each eligible for a 80,000 Singapore Dollar grant.

The award, instituted 35 years ago, has been presented to 115 artists to date, including Mr. Iqbal, Mr. Chong and Mr. Tan.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National / by PTI / Singapore , October 16th, 2014

Fortune Ranks Indra Nooyi Third Most Powerful Woman in Business

September 20, 2014Business & Economy, Nri's / Pio's, World Opinionadmin

PepsiCo’s India-born CEO Indra Nooyi has been ranked third most powerful businesswoman by Fortune, the only Indian-origin woman on the 2014 list topped by IBM Chairman and CEO Ginni Rometty and General Motors CEO Mary Barra.

Fortune said nearly half the women on ‘The Most Powerful Women in Business 2014’ list run huge companies, which is a record and “all are working hard to transform their businesses.”

Nooyi, 58, dropped from the second position she held last year to third.

Fortune said her innovation push is paying off at PepsiCo, which has increased research and development spending by 25 per cent since 2011.

In 2013, of 50 bestselling new food and beverage products in the US, nine came from PepsiCo — Starbucks Iced Coffee, Muller Quaker Yogurt, and Mountain Dew Kickstart.

“In July the company raised its profit growth forecast for the year, which should help Nooyi counter calls by activist investor Nelson Peltz to break up the food and beverage giant,” the publication said.

Topping the list for the third time is Rometty, whose strategy of investing in new technologies is showing results.

Even though IBM’s revenue declined for the second consecutive year, falling nearly 5 per cent to USD 99.8 billion in fiscal 2013, its revenue rose 69 per cent for each division last year.

Rometty has also signed strategic partnerships, such as a deal with Apple to provide IBM’s services on the iOS platform.

Rometty has also pledged to invest USD 1 billion in the development and commercialisation of the cognitive computing system, another future growth area for the company.

Making a huge jump in the rankings is General Motors CEO Mary Barra, who is ranked second this year up from the 29th position last year.

Barra became the auto industry’s first female CEO in January and promptly faced GM’s largest vehicle recall ever, 29 million so far from a faulty ignition switch linked to at least 13 deaths since 2005.

The list also includes aerospace and defence giant Lockheed Martin’s Chairman, CEO, and President Marillyn Hewson at number 4, bioscience firm DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman at rank 5 and Hewlett-Packard Chairman and CEO Meg Whitman on the 6th position.

Facebook’s Sandberg slipped in the rankings from fifth postion to 10th.

Fortune said last year was all about Sandberg as her bestselling book ‘Lean In’ helped her become the face of corporate gender equality.

“This year is all about Facebook. Its 2013 profits jumped an astounding 2,730 per cent, mainly because of increased revenue from mobile ads, and it announced huge deals in early 2014 to acquire virtual-reality company Oculus VR for over USD 2 billion and buzzy messaging platform WhatsApp for USD 19 billion,” Fortune said.

As CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s number two, Sandberg remains “crucial to the company’s long-term strategy”.

She’s also the best-paid woman on the list, making USD 38 million last year.

The list also includes aerospace & defence company General Dynamics’s CEO Phebe Novakovic on rank 11, Oracle Co-president Safra Catz (14), Xerox Chairman and CEO Ursula Burns (17), Procter & Gamble Group President, North America Melanie Healey (18), YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki (19), Intel President Renée James (21), Avon CEO Sheri McCoy (27), Apple Senior Vice President, Retail and Online Stores Angela Ahrendts (29) and CEO, Asset Management at JP Morgan Chase Mary Erdoes (32).

source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> News / by Yoshita Singh / New York – September 18th, 2014

Glitter … Glamour and Rochelle …

September 10, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nri's / Pio's, Sports, World Opinionadmin

by S.N. Venkatnag Sobers

Having won a beauty pageant, any girl would want to get into movies and dominate the glamour world. In days when models want to get into movies, Rochelle Rao, who won the Miss India Inter-national 2012, has gained popularity as a presenter and anchor. She was seen as an anchor in season six of Indian Premier League (IPL) hosting Extraa Innings and postmatch analysis. Rochelle has also anchored various events and shows. She was in Mysore to anchor the first leg of Karbonn Smart Karnataka Premier League (KPL) – 2014. Star of Mysore caught up with Rochelle for a brief chat. Excerpts…

Star of Mysore (SOM): Normally, any girl having won Miss India International title would want to get into movies, especially Bollywood. But, you have chosen to be an anchor and a presenter. Why ?

Rochelle: It is that I don’t want to get into movies. But, I like being an anchor and a presenter, which I was involved even before winning the beauty pageant. My whole family loves talking and interacting a lot and moreover my sister Paloma Rao (well-known Video Jockey) has been my mentor and inspiration who helped me to learn about anchoring.

SOM: Do you plan to get into Bollywood in future ?

Rochelle: Yes for sure. But, I would like to launch myself with a Tamil movie, since I am very comfortable with the language with Chennai being my home town. In the meantime if I get an offer from Bollywood, I would definitely take it up. I also need to improve upon my Hindi before taking a project.

SOM: If you get a chance to act in a Tamil movie, whom would like to be your co-star ?

Rochelle: There are a lot of talented actors in the industry. But, among them Vikram has been my favourite actor. I would like to act alongside him.

SOM: Being an anchor for sports show, one needs to get to know with the latest updates and also know about the players. How do you update yourself with cricket ?

Rochelle: Cricket has been my favourite sport which I have been following since I was young. We do a lot of research before coming on air presenting a show. I keep updating myself about cricket happenings not just in India but across the world. Having knowledge about the sport always helps the anchor in presenting the show.

SOM: Who has been your favourite cricketer ?

Rochelle: Undoubtedly Yuvaraj Singh. I think he should have been given a chance to play in England to prepare himself for the World Cup 2015. He played a vital role for India to win the 2011 World Cup. I am sure that he would make a comeback into the team and win us another World Cup.

SOM: You have travelled across the country visiting various cricket grounds. What do you have to say about Gangotri Glades ?

Rochelle: Gangotri Glades is among the best cricket grounds that I have visited across the country. The view is wonderful and I am sure that Gangotri Glades will host IPL and International ODIs in future.

SOM: How has Mysore treated you ?

Rochelle: Mysore has been a wonderful place. My father is a photographer. We have visited Mysore together many times. Ranganathittu, has been one of my favourite places. This apart, I am familiar with the Chamundi Hill, Mysore Palace and Zoo.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / September 05th, 2014

Indian born scientist wins prestigious US award

September 4, 2014Leaders, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinionadmin

Thomas J. Colacot. File photo. / The Hindu

India-born scientist Dr. Thomas John Colacot has won the American Chemical Society’s ACS Award in Industrial Chemistry , one of the top honours in the field.

He studied at St. Berchman’s College, Changanacherry, Kerala and IIT, Chennai, and is the first Indian to get the award in industrial chemistry. He also holds an MBA degree and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

The award is sponsored by the ACS Division of Business Development and Management and the ACS Division of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry.

Currently Global R&D manager in the homogenous catalysis area at Johnson Matthey, a specialty chemicals company, Mr. Colacot directs research in US, UK and in Indian labs.

“The ACS is proud to recognize your outstanding contributions to the development and commercialization of ligands and precatalysts for metal-catalyzed organic synthesis, particularly cross-couplings, for industrial and academic use and applications,” a letter from Tom Barton, president of ACS noted.

The 2015 national awards recipients will be honoured at the awards ceremony in conjunction with the 249th ACS national meeting in Denver, Colorado in March next year.

Mr. Colacot had received Royal Society of Chemistry’s RSC Applied Catalysis Award in 2012 for his contributions to the area of catalysis. His work on ‘cross-coupling’ is particularly acclaimed.

Mr. Colacot joined Johnson Matthey, USA in 1995 and started working in the area of palladium catalyzed cross-coupling.

The catalysts developed in his labs are currently used to make new drugs for Hepatitis C, a deadly disease with no cure, one pill per week for type II diabetics, and many hypertension drugs.

His work involves developing and commercializing ligands and catalysts for applications in metal-catalyzed synthetic organic chemistry.

His book on ‘New Trends in Cross-Coupling: Theory and Applications’ is scheduled to be published in October, 2014 by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

He is also PhD thesis examiner to many IITs and visiting faculty at Rutgers University.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> S&T> Science / by IANS / Washington – September 03rd, 2014

Madras, America and the Links That Go Back a Century

August 30, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Nri's / Pio's, World Opinionadmin

Chennai :

Madras may have been founded by the British but it also has a long association with America, which historian S Muthaiah brought out in his talk about the city’s American connection at Women’s Christian College, during the Madras Week celebrations.

“You are here because of the Rockerfellers,” he told the students — the college was founded with a grant by the Rockerfeller Foundation.

The college functioned in a rented building before moving to the current 19-acre campus with the Doveton House building in 1916, using the donation money of `63,000. “The chapel too, was the gift of an unknown American. WCC still maintains connections with America through exchange programmes,” says Ridling Margaret Waller, Principal of the school.

Apart from more modern associations like Dreamflower Talc that used to be manufactured in India and was taken over by Pond’s, Muthaiah spoke about the connections of people like Elihu Yale, Colonel Olcott and John Scudder.

Elihu Yale’s connection to America is indirect — he came to India as a clerk with the East India Company and rose to the position of a governor in a mere 15 years. He returned to England an extremely wealthy man. He was approached by a representative of a small institution of learning in Connecticut for a grant. “Yale donated to the school, textiles, books and portraits worth 1,200 pounds. This may not seem like much money even for those days, but Harvard too was started with a similar sum,” Muthaiah says. And the college became what is today Yale University.

Some more interesting connections with America involve textiles – the handkerchiefs of ‘Madras Checks’ can be seen in the bandannas of the cowboys of the Wild West. “It was even used as a turban in some places in the South,” says Muthaiah.

Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, who was from New Jersey, founded the Theosophical Society along with Madam Blavatsy, with its headquarters in Madras, and John Scudder, who was also from New Jersey, was the first American medical missionary in India. Scudder has a whole family tree of missionaries, including the third generation Ida Scudder who founded the Christian Medical College, Vellore.

The film industry too is not to be missed, with famous films like Meera and Sakuntalai being directed by the Ohio-born Ellis Dungan. “He never spoke a word of Tamil but contributed so many great films to the industry,” says Muthaiah.

Representatives from the Indo-American Association and American expats also attended the talk that ended with the anthems of both countries.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Education> Student / by Express News Service / August 28th, 2014

32 alumnus to be honoured at celebrations

August 19, 2014Education, Nri's / Pio's, Science & Technologiesadmin

Trichy :

A total of 32 alumni will be presented with the ‘distinguished alumnus’ award at the celebrations on Saturday. The 32 alumni members representing big corporate houses will be presented the award for their achievement in their respective fields.

The success and contribution of the alumni are laudable. They lead some of the large business corporations, governmental departments, services, academia and others fields and most of them are expected to be present for the event as the institute has been sending out invites to every individual who passed out.

Theyjas Srivas, pursuing master’s degree in the mechanical engineering department said that the faculty members are the strength at NIT-T.

“NIT-Trichy stands like a monolithic structure among the peers because of its growth and leadership in the field of technical education. There is a month-long orientation programme for first year students immediately after their join. The objective of this orientation is to bring all students together on a common social-cultural platform and make them ready for a new learning experience,” which is unique, he says. He further added that focus on research and development is given priority and the collaboration with several universities abroad gives the students a lot of exposure.

Santhosh G, a third-year production engineering student said, “Thrust is given to the use of ICT in teaching, learning and administration. A state of the art video-conferencing facility has been established in the campus. The classrooms are also enabled for video-conferencing through NKN (National Knowledge Network) that interconnects all government institutions including IITs, NITs through high bandwidth internet.”

Meanwhile, enthusiastic students have also created a new website for the Golden Jubilee celebrations with a new logo and would be selling souvenirs bearing the logo.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Trichy / TNN / July 19th, 2014

HIDDEN HISTORIES – A Tambrahm wedding in Washington

July 18, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nri's / Pio's, World Opinionadmin

A golden wedding anniversary had passed silently by and nobody noticed. I allude to that of Rukmini and Rajagopalan, which took place, as I see from the invitation card, on April 29, 1963.

A golden wedding anniversary had passed silently by and nobody noticed. I allude to that of Rukmini and Rajagopalan, which took place, as I see from the invitation card, on April 29, 1963. I am assuming that the couple had a happy married life and were still around to celebrate the 50 anniversary of tying the knot.

What is all this you ask. And what is so unusual about a Tambrahm wedding that happened 51 years ago? Well, in the first place, it took place in Washington, a rather unusual location for those times. And secondly, considering that it took place in an era when media was in its infancy and the Internet was something that the army used, thousands of Tamils followed the build up to the actual event with bated breath all across the world.

Those belonging to that era would have caught my drift. Those who came in later will need explanatory notes and here they are – it was in 1963 that the well-known Tamil writer, humourist and editor of the magazine Dinamani Kadir, Sa Viswanathan (Saavi) embarked on his entirely fictitious account of a Tambrahm wedding in Washington, courtesy the wealthy Mrs. Rockefeller.

The plot in brief is like this – the well-to-do Hopes family based out of New York is extremely close to the Murthy family, whose head works for the UNESCO. From Vasantha, the Murthy daughter, Loretta, the Hopes child, hears about the wonders of India. When Vasantha gets married in Thanjavur, the Hopes come down and participate in a full-length wedding.

Back in the US, the Hopes brief Mrs Rockefeller about the wondrous Tambrahm wedding and she is keen to see one; not by herself but in the company of all her family and friends. She therefore, using the good offices of Murthy, selects a South Indian couple who are to be married in Madras, to come over the US. They are of course accompanied by their respective clans, an assortment of cooks, priests, musicians (Ariyakkudi, Lalgudi and Palghat Mani Iyer) and nagaswaram artistes, countless other service providers and above all, a battalion of Mamis who are brought in to make appalams.

What follows is a grand wedding at R Street, Washington DC. Wielding a facile pen, Saavi created a hilarious account of how a Brahmin wedding is organised, contrasting it with the wonderment of the Americans. As you read it, you also get the feeling that Saavi was laughing at us. The story when serialised, was accompanied by the sketches of veteran Gopulu, making for a big hit. Alliance Publishers later released it as a book, which is still in print.

Washingtonil Tirumanam became a successful play, staged by every sabha in the city. Making his theatrical debut in it was Poornam Viswanathan. The highlight was the audience participating in the traditional procession accompanying the bridegroom, conducted every evening around the venue.

51 years later, Washingtonil Tirumanam remains evergreen – a testimony to Saavi, and our weddings that keep getting bigger.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Society / by Sriram. V. / Chennai – July 18th, 2014

Obama names IIT aluminus to Science Foundation board

June 19, 2014Amazing Feats, Leaders, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinionadmin

US President Barack Obama plans to appoint a Madras University graduate and alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology as a member of the National Science Board of National Science Foundation.

The proposed appointment of Dr Sethuraman Panchanathan, Senior Vice President of the Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development at Arizona State University (ASU), was announced by the White House Friday with 15 other key administration posts

“Our nation will be greatly served by the talent and expertise these individuals bring to their new roles. I am grateful they have agreed to serve in this Administration, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead,” Obama said.

At over thirty, the Obama administration has more Indian-Americans working at high places than in any other previous administration.

Panchanathan, who has held his current position at ASU since 2011, previously worked as a Data Communication Engineer for International Software India Limited in Chennai, India in 1986.

He received a BSc from the University of Madras, a BE from the Indian Institute of Science, an MTech from the Indian Institute of Technology, and a PhD from the University of Ottawa, Canada.

Panchanathan has held a number of positions at Arizona State University since 1998.

He has been a foundation chair professor in Computing and Informatics since 2009 and a founding Director of the Centre for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing since 2001.

Panchanathan founded the ASU School of Computing and Informatics in 2006 and the Department of Biomedical Informatics in 2005.

Prior to working for ASU, Panchanathan served at the University of Ottawa as a founding Director of the Visual Computing and Communications Laboratory from 1990 to 1997.

He worked as Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering from 1994 to 1997, and Assistant Professor from 1989 to 1994.

Image courtesy: Wikipedia

source: http://www.prepsure.com / PrepSure / Home> News / IANS / June 16th, 2014

Scale up Research to Compete Globally, Says Panch

June 19, 2014Nri's / Pio's, Science & Technologies, World Opinionadmin

Sethuraman Panchanathan’s father R Sethuraman and mother Saraswathy at their residence, in the city on Sunday | martin louis

Chennai :

For Sethuraman Panchanathan, who was appointed member of US’ prestigious National Science Board of the National Science Foundation by President Barack Obama on Friday, the foundation for his spectacular career was laid while pursuing higher education in India. The scientist with roots in the Chennai, did his schooling and spent and much of his college days in the city.

After passing out of the Madras Christian College School here, he went to Vivekananda College, then the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore and finally IIT Madras before he left for Ottawa, Canada for his doctorate. “When I went to Canada I could easily cope with my research since my professors at the IIT and IISc had motivated and engaged me in research,“ he informed Express in a telephonic conversation from the US.

He fondly recalls many of the professors who guided him to reach that stage. “My professor at the Vivekananda College, Professor Shankar was a tremendous inspiration for me. He was an amazing teacher, the commitment that he brought into teaching and the kind of care that he gave to his students inspired me much,” says Panchanathan.

This is the first time that someone of Indian origin has been appointed to the prestigious body, which guides the science and technology policies in the US. Speaking about research in India, Panchanathan, called Panch by peers, says there is a need to find ways to make a career in research exciting.

“There is some good work being done in the IITs and IISc. But as a whole the training and emphasis is not as much on research as for jobs in information technology or other areas. Research needs to be scaled up and intensified if India needs to compete globally. As of now the research in the country is not level with its position globally,” he says.

He points to the number of options students in the US have when they take up research, including starting their own entrepreneurial ventures, being hired into research wings of companies or as faculty in research positions.

“How to promote interest in research in undergraduate students, increase interest in science among students, how to promote curiosity driven creative research, how to make use of basic research to create innovations that can help society – these are certain questions that needs to be answered,” he says.

Giving a sense of how intense research projects ought to be pursued, Panchanathan’s dad Sethuraman recalls how he had to call off a marriage proposal for his son to enable him to continue his research project in Canada.

“When he was in Canada working on his research, we had this proposal and called him to India. But his professor there, one Mr Goldberg, wrote a long letter to me. He said, ‘no wedding when the research is going on, I will not leave him from here unless he completes his project.’ With that we dropped the plan straight away,” he says with a laugh.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Amritha K R / June 16th, 2014

TIRUCHI: 10TH ANNVERSARY ISSUE – Cycling, samosas, Maaza… Anu Hasan’s memories of Tiruchi

June 2, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nri's / Pio'sadmin

Anu Hasan feels a part of her will always belong to her home city Tiruchi. / by Special Arrangement / The Hindu

My memories of Tiruchi are a stream of pleasantly vague incidents interspersed with events of stark clarity.

I remember walking to Aruna Nagar to get the bus to school and stopping to catch butterflies on the way. My brother and I used to go to the same school for a very brief period. And I remember him walking too fast for me to keep up with him. But I was too proud to ask him to slow down and I would half run half walk behind him.

After a few years, I went back to studying at my old school – St Joseph’s Anglo Indian Girls Higher Secondary school…or convent as it was called then. I loved being back there.

I got my first cycle when I was in the 6th standard and my mother was upset that Visu maama who had gone with me to help choose the cycle had allowed me to buy one that was much too high for me. She later took back her words as my height shot up to 5 ft 7 inches.

I would cycle to school from Kumaran Nagar, past Bishop Heber College and Hostel, studiously ignoring the jeering calls from the boys. The climb up the bridge over Uyyakondaan Vaaykaal would get me out of breath but I would die before I admitted any such thing.

And then we would cross court and then cycle past Campion – another attempt at studiously ignoring the boys who stood outside the school while being acutely conscious of the fact that the July wind could whip my uniform skirt embarrassingly high at any moment if I weren’t careful enough. Half the time I cycled with one hand holding my skirt in place. It’s a wonder I didn’t fall off!

My days were filled with basketball and dance classes and samosas and Maaza (mango drink).

I remember practising basketball in YMCA and my parents coming to watch me. I remember my mother’s shock when some guy yelled out my name as we went past Bishop Heber. She looked at me in askance and I shrugged.

My school teachers who loved me and disciplined me and guided me and encouraged me … what would I have become without them … or should I say how much worse would I have been without their influence in my school life.

When I look back at those years gone by, I wish I could remember more but then I realise I remember that I was happy and that I had a great childhood…and after all that is all that matters isn’t it?

And now even though I live in the United Kingdom and have been to many parts of the world, in my heart, I am still the same small town girl.

I am from Tiruchi and a part of me will always belong there.

Tamil actress and TV anchor Anu Hasan (born Anuradha Chandrahasan) is currently based in the UK.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Anu Hasan / Tiruchirapalli – may 20th, 2014

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