Internal Medicine physicians Dr. Prabhu Ram and Dr. Ye Tun have joined Sturdy’s staff.
Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro.
Internal Medicine physicians Dr. Prabhu Ram and Dr. Ye Tun have joined Attleboro Medical Associates, located at 28 Sturdy Street in Attleboro. They will practice with Drs. Steven Bensson, Cheryl Gottesman, Chadi Kaba, Justin Loew, Howard Schulman, Jean Siddall-Bensson, and Glenn Tucker.
Dr. Ram received his medical degree from Government Stanley Medical College in India. He completed his residency at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Memorial Medical Center and St. John’s Hospital, in Springfield, Illinois. Dr. Ram is accepting new patients and appointments can be made by calling (508) 236-8394.
Dr. Tun received his medical degree from the Institute of Medicine 1, Burma. He completed his residency at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, in New York. Dr. Tun is accepting new patients and appointments can be made by calling (508) 236-8397.
The doctors at Attleboro Medical Associates provide comprehensive adult primary care services and the practice offers on-site laboratory and testing as well. Attleboro Medical Associates is one of 16 practices managed by Sturdy Memorial Associates and is affiliated with Sturdy Memorial Hospital.
source: http://www.attleboro.patch.com / Attleboro Patch / Home> News> Around Town / by Patrick Maguire (Editor) / July 30th, 2013
R.Porchezhiyan, Director of Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America./ The Hindu
Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America has been demanding American authorities to introduce Tamil as second language, like French and Spanish, in schools in areas with significant Tamil population throughout the U.S. , said R.Porchezhiyan, director of the federation, here on Monday.
American Tamil Academy has taken up teaching Tamil language and culture to students in many schools. Text books have been prepared and students are taught, along with Tamil language,Thamizhisai, folk and martial arts. “Nearly 5,000 students in 45 schools are being taught by 500 volunteers,” Mr. Porchezhiyan said.
“Migrant Tamils want the younger generation to keep their roots intact . Tamil sangams were established in America 35 years ago and the federation was formed 25 years back,” he said.
The federation has been celebrating Pongal , summer festivals, Muthamizh Vizha and Vasantha Vizha. “ Leaders like R.Nallakannu and Mahendran have participated in our functions and gave lectures. We have organised talks by popular artists, writers, and political leaders, including Sivaji Ganesan and Manorama, and artistes like Thirubuvanam Athmanabhan and Narthagi Nadaraj,” he said.
American Tamils have expressed solidarity with their brethren in Sri Lanka and have expressed their views over the issue in the form of agitations. “Our agitations before the White House was one reason for the US bringing in a resolution on Sri Lanka in the United Nations,” Porchezhiyan said.
Mr.Porchezhiyan expressed concern over introduction of English in government schools. The federation will organise a conference on Purananooru in October, he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Special Correspondent / Thanjavur – July 23rd, 2013
After Dipak Patel, Jeetan Patel, Ronnie Hira and Tarun Nethula, there is a new generation of cricketers with sub-continental origins who dream of wearing the black cap for New Zealand. Two of these aspiring youngsters even trace their roots back to Chennai.
Teenagers Rachin Ravindra, Sushant Balajee and Chander Ravi idolize the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid but they dream of playing international cricket for New Zealand.
The trio plays for Hutt Hawks, a Wellington-based cricket club. The Hawks are in India for an exposure trip in collaboration with city-based Cricket Drome and the enthusiastic youngsters are loving every minute of their ‘homecoming’.
All-rounders Sushant and Chander have both represented Wellington at the junior level and have roots in Chennai. “We were born in Chennai and our parents moved to New Zealand when we were very young so it’s always nice to come here and play,” said Sushant.
Sushant was just two when his father, who works for a bank, decided to migrate. Chander’s parents work in the IT industry and he landed in New Zealand as a four-year-old.
Thirteen-year-old Rachin (who was born in New Zealand) is the youngest of the three but by far the most vocal. Ask him what he looks forward to when he comes to India and he sums it up in one word, “Batting!” the left-hander says with a big smile.
“The pitches are completely different and the fast outfields make it even better,” he said.
Rachin’s father Ravi, a level-three coach in New Zealand and fellow Hawks member Neeraj, also a coach (level-two) are the adults of Indian origin guiding the youngsters on this tour.
After experiencing the cricket culture in both countries, they were able to explain how things are different down under, especially for people from the sub-continent.
“I guess the biggest difference apart from things like pitches and conditions is the number of opportunities. The competition is far less than here in India,” Ravi, originally from Bangalore, said.
Neeraj said the amount of cricket played is much lesser too. “On this tour we’ll be playing around 20 games, which are about as many games as you would get in an entire summer back home. This trip is like a season’s worth of cricket.”
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> Cricket / by Shreyas Bhat / TNN / July 24th, 2013
Students enjoy the shade under the trees while sitting on the philosopher ‘thrones’ at MCC in Tambaram on Saturday. — DC
Chennai:
MCCians from both hemispheres of the globe crossed several seas and lands to be present at the global alumni meet 2013 in Tambaram on Saturday-Sunday. A Sri Lankan settled in Australia, another in Canada and two Indians in the US did not mind sinking their money in the trip meant solely to be part of the global re-union.
“In those days, we had only one university and only sons of influential people got seats. So, I followed my brother and came to MCC to study,” said M. Karunananthan (74), who hails from Jaffna in Sri Lanka. After graduating with B.Sc. in Botany in 1962 at MCC, Karunananthan went to Brunei and worked as a principal in a school for 30 years.
“Politically things were not good in Sri Lanka and so I chose to settle down in Australia,” said Karunananthan who spent about Rs 1.25 lakh to attend this event. “I used my 30 years’ savings to return to my alma mater. I came because it is a global meet and I wanted to touch base with my friends and classmates,” he said, adding that he and his friends would continue the meeting with a separate party on Sunday night.
Ambi Harsha (66) couldn’t wait for the cricket match to start on Sunday, as the former MCC cricket captain made it to the alumni meet all the way from Santa Barbara, USA.
While the alumni cricketer who passed out with M.Phil in History in 1971 was keen to get back to the field, he was also a little upset because a few of his old friends had passed away. When asked about the absence of some big names like PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, Harsha said all of them were equal till they left college.
“We don’t think about big shots. They made it big only after leaving this campus and so we are happy to meet the old bunch who made all efforts to join the re-union,” he added. For Saravanan Kannan (40) it was MCC that helped him develop in life.
As a sports convener and later college union secretary general, the 1995 M.Sc. Physics student dedicates the rise in his career at IBM Software in New Jersey to the planning and implementation that he learnt from organising sports events in his college.
Canadian T. Siva Yogathy, who graduated with B.Com. in 1973, said the re-union was something unique. “We met five years ago to celebrate our B.Com. class re-union. But this global re-union where all batches across departments were invited to one place is simply mind boggling,” he added.
A college visit that evokes nostalgia
Chennai: Where are the classrooms? For a newcomer, Madras Christian College (MCC) would be ideal ground for a treasure hunt, as the 365 acre scrub forest hides most of the buildings.
How much the students in those well concealed classrooms value their green cover became apparent when the cutting down of a few of those very trees occasioned a strike.
Students go on strike for a variety of reasons, including bad hostel food or water shortage, but here they were up in arms against the management for shearing a few of the trees in their midst.
“To reinstate the trees that were to be cut, we planted many new saplings. But, fortunately, the college decided against the planned felling of trees and it made us feel doubly happy,” said K. Chendilnathan, a B.Sc. Zoology alumnus of 1992.
The college has managed to maintain till date the beauty of its natural surroundings, be it the lake or the scrub forest, over a span of the last 76 years. Further, the college has also made sure that the students’ natural talent and interests were not diluted.
“There were no rigid divisions between departments. We used to discuss freely with all our teachers across disciplines,” recalled Dr C. Selvaraj, who passed out with an M.A. in Economics in 1973.
The main grooming ground for the boys were the three ‘Halls’ where the hostel students resided. Day scholars were also attached to one of the Halls. All sports and cultural events were conducted between the three Halls.
An alumnus pointed out that the Halls had their own nicknames, the students of Heber Hall being called ‘barbarians’, Selaiyur Hall students were known as ‘kataans’, and Thomas Hall men were reduced to ‘thaiyer vadais’.
“We used to go for night walks and also ride through the entire circumference of the campus, which extends to 6 km, as part of cross-country events,” recollected Raj Mohanan, who passed out with an M.A. in History in 1997.
One place that always attracted young boys, and now girls, inside the campus were the philosophy ‘thrones’. “We enjoy sitting on these stones under the shade of the trees and discuss things,” said R. Nikitha, a first-year, B.Com student.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / by DC / S. Sujatha / July 29th, 2013
Earned her Bachelors in physics, chemistry and mathematics from Madras Christian College in 1974. MBA, IIM-Calcutta, 1976. Master of Public and Private Management, Yale University, 1980
Married to Raj Nooyi; has two daughters, Preetha and Tara Earned $12.6 million last year
PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi and Cisco’s Padmasree Warrior have demonstrated how women can succeed at the highest level without sacrificing their personalities.
High Point: President Obama invited her for a discussion on the economic crisis facing the US in November 2012. In 2010, there was a strong buzz that she was being considered a successor to Ratan Tata. She declined saying she was having “too much fun at PepsiCo”.
Unwinding: In an interview with CNBC’s Off-the-Cuff programme, she said she likes watching the New York Yankees play, but puts the TV on mute so she can continue working. When she “really wants to blow off steam”, she plays rummy with her kids. In an interview with Good Housekeeping, she said she likes playing games like Bridge, Scrabble and Sudoku online. “My guilty pleasures are the websites where you can look at the fashions and see how different outfits will look. You can even take a picture of yourself and download it and play with the fashions!,” she told GH.
Early years: Nooyi grew up in Chennai where her father was a bank officer. Her career path in the US began in 1980 at the Boston Consulting Group, followed by stints in Motorola and ABB. In 1994, she joined PepsiCo as senior VP, strategic planning. With annual revenues of $65 billion, PepsiCo is the world’s second largest food and beverages company.
Career graph: As the head of strategy at PepsiCo, she was responsible for much of its restructuring. During her tenure, PepsiCo sold off the restaurant business and spun off its bottling operations, and acquired new businesses like Tropicana and Quaker Oats. In 2006, she was named CEO, only the fifth in PepsiCo’s history. With her at the helm, sales have nearly doubled and earnings have gone up by 30 percent. Nooyi has pushed PepsiCo to become a healthier company by investing in R&D to make soft drinks with less calories, chips with less sodium or yoghurt with more fruit.
She has taken the company global, cut costs by consolidating facilities and laying off more than 8,000 employees last year. She has made aggressive acquisitions in the BRIC nations. (PepsiCo spent $7 billion in buying two businesses in Russia alone). She is a fierce supporter of conscious capitalism and says a lot of inspiration for her thoughts on sustainability come from the tough times in Chennai where her mother would wake up at 3 am to store water.
Last year, the market feared that her position at PepsiCo would be under pressure, when activist investor Ralph Whitworth’s hedge fund invested $600 million in PepsiCo. Her critics say her push into “good-for-you” products is taking too long to show results.
Work-life balance: Nooyi says she made several sacrifices in managing her career and her family. But, in an interview with WSJ, she says every time her kids called during work, she would stop to take those calls. Even when those were only to ask her if they could play Nintendo. Nooyi credits her husband for his support; she says he took on half of her workload at home so she could continue building her career.
Padmasree Warrior
Chief Technology and Strategy Officer, Cisco Systems
Age: 52
Educated at IIT-Delhi (chemical engineering), Cornell University (Masters in chemical engineering)
Married to IIT-Delhi college-mate Mohandas. They have a son, Karna.
Responsibilities: In her current role, Warrior is charged with aligning technology development and corporate strategy to enable the $43-billion Cisco to anticipate, shape and lead major market transitions. She has led the company through 15 acquisitions in 15 months. In a recent interview, Chairman John Chambers named her as one of the people who could get his job when he retires in 2-4 years.
Warrior sees a huge shift in technology and how it impacts our lives in the next five years. In an interview to McKinsey, she said only 1 per cent of what could be connected in this world actually is; as these connections increase it will change how consumers shop, businesses handle data and individuals grapple with the data.
Poster women of tech: Warrior is among a handful of women executives in the overwhelmingly male-dominated technology world. Chambers said in an internal memo that only 22 per cent of Cisco’s workforce are women. Warrior admits that when starting out, she was intimidated as technology was considered a man’s domain. She considered a career in academia but took up a job at Motorola’s semiconductor factory in Arizona. She had given herself one year but ended up staying 23, rising to become the CTO. She came to Cisco in 2007 after Chambers pursued her for a year.
Biggest mistake: In an interview to The Huffington Post, Warrior says the biggest mistake she made in life was saying no to opportunities when she was starting out. “I thought, ‘That’s not what my degree is in’ or ‘I don’t know about that domain’.” In retrospect, at a certain point, it’s your ability to learn and contribute quickly that matters…I always tell women that the fact that you’re different and that you’re noticed, because there are few of us in the tech industry, is something you can leverage as an advantage.”
Unfulfilled wish: In an interview with Fast Company she says, “I would have dinner with PG Wodehouse. I have read all of his books at least 10 times over. I am a great fan of his character Jeeves. His intellectual brilliance and audacious sense of humour fascinate me.”
Work-life balance: When her son was born, Warrior was in charge of a factory at Motorola. It was a 24/7 job that put enormous stress on her family and herself. At one point, she moved her treadmill into her son’s room so she could exercise while looking after him. In later years, she says she came to realise that operating like this was a big mistake. In an interview to The Take Away she says, “The important thing to remember is it’s not about balance; it’s about integration… to really focus on making sure you’re integrating all four aspects of your work, your family, your community and yourself. And it’s not about trying to spend equal amounts of time on everything you do each day on each of these things, but making sure you’re paying attention to all the things that make it up as a whole human being.”
source: http://www.ibnlive.in.com / IBN Live / Home> IBN Live> Business / by Mitu Jayashankar, Forbes India / July 01st, 2013
Over 70 professionals from Tamil Nadu employed in Beijing and neighbouring areas today formed first Tamil association in China reflecting on growing numbers of Indians working there.
Beijing Tamil Sangamam was formed on the Tamil New Year’s day at a get-together here, Maria Michael, a broadcasting professional working in the Tamil service of state-run China Radio International (CRI), said.
This is the second association of Beijing-based Indians. The city already has a well established Beijing Malayalee Association which for over several years has become rallying point for south Indian cultural events there.
The new Tamil association would mainly focus on cultural events and get-togethers of the Tamils, Michael said.
A number of Beijing-based Tamil professionals from Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka and Malaysia took part in today’s meeting.
CRI, which broadcasts in several foreign languages, also has a Tamil service employing a number of Indian as well as Chinese professionals specialising in Tamil language.
PTI
source: http://www.zeenews.india.com / ZeeNews.com / Home> World / Sunday – April 14th, 2013
US-based NRIs form majority that obtain birth/death certificates from Corporation.
Non-resident Indians (NRIs) in the United States are the most prolific when it comes to obtaining certificates for births/deaths recorded in Chennai.
As many as 41,300 birth certificates have been downloaded in the US, from the Chennai Corporation’s website, since September 2008.
The Corporation simplified the process of issuing birth and death certificates in 2008 by enabling downloading of the documents free of cost from any corner of the world. The number of death certificates downloaded in the US is 8,350 during the same period.
The number of NRIs availing the service has been increasing every year, an official said. Singapore has downloaded the most number of birth (14,000) and death (2,190) certificates among Asian countries.
The European country with the most downloads is the United Kingdom. As many as 6,820 NRIs in the UK have downloaded Chennai Corporation’s birth certificates and 1,130 have downloaded death certificates. Among the Gulf countries, a large number of persons from the United Arab Emirates have downloaded birth (353) and death (52) certificates.
Births and deaths have been registered, and certificates issued, in all zonal offices by birth and death registrars since January 1991. Computerised birth and death certificates too are issued in the zonal offices.
Those born in the city between 1879 and 1990, however, can get these documents issued only at Ripon Buildings. More than 1.1 lakh births and about 39,000 deaths are registered in the Chennai Corporation every year.
The civic body issues a copy of the birth or death certificate free of cost if the event is registered within 21 days of its occurrence. A late fee is collected from those who fail to register before 21 days.
Beyond 30 days, the order of the Corporation commissioner is required, in addition to the late fee, for registration of birth. If it is delayed beyond a year, the birth is registered based on orders from a judicial or metropolitan magistrate alone.
In such cases, applicants have to spend more than Rs. 2,000 for a certificate because of the legal processes involved.
Efforts are underway to improve recording of births and deaths by creating awareness on timely registration among residents.
Birth and death certificates can be obtained from http://www.chennaicorporation. gov.in/online-civic-services/ birthanddeath.htm.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Aloysius Xavier Lopez / April 14th, 2013
Kal Raman , Chief Operating Officer of Groupon./ The Hindu
Hailing from small-town Tamil Nadu, Groupon COO Kal Raman has taken many a risk in his dream career — all ‘for the learning and not the money’.
I am mad at Kal Raman — he’s kept me waiting for 45 minutes. I threaten to leave, but don’t because he has a great story to tell — a textbook rags-to-riches tale. When he finally arrives, I mention punctuality, but he is sufficiently, and smartly, contrite. He isn’t feeling too well, and so on.
In two minutes, I can see why the man who couldn’t “even say ‘My name is Kalyan Raman in English without shivering’” when he joined Anna University’s electrical engineering course in 1984, has today become the Chief Operating Officer of American company Groupon, with an annual billing of $5.5 billion.
Raman is disarming, can talk his way through tough spots and, in his dream career, has taken huge risks — but more for learning, he says, than money.
EARLY YEARS
The son of a tahsildar from a village in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, a 15-year-old Raman, his mother and four siblings were literally thrown out on the streets after his father died of a heart attack. “From a nice house, three servants and a jeep, we were on the road.”
With a pension of Rs 420, and the Rs 100 she earned through reading palms, his mother raised the five children with a single goal — they’d have the best of education. “She became an expert at pawning; pay the interest for a piece of jewellery or kodam (utensil) by pawning another.”
After high school, he qualified for both a medical course in Tirunelveli and an engineering course at Anna University, Chennai. He opted for the latter; “I took the first risk of my life because I didn’t want my life to begin and end in Tirunelveli, so I chose Madras.” He didn’t even know about the existence of Anna University — “a friend’s dad applied and picked my courses. There was nobody to help or guide.”
One of the toppers in his batch, Raman cruised into Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE). We now have the famous story of how he landed at 4 a.m. at Dadar East in Bombay, slept on the platform, and left his bag with a vegetable vendor from Tirunelveli. Reporting to the office in chappals, he got ticked off by his boss, who soon turned sympathetic after hearing his story and gave him a month’s advance… and shoes!
AC, NOT COMPUTERS, IMPORTANT!
After nine months at TCE, when Tata Consulting Services wanted staff, he volunteered, “because the computer guys worked in AC rooms”. At TCE, he had done very well, and was offered a jump from Rs 2,350 to Rs 3,600, but he turned it down, quit, and applied to TCS. “Maybe I was naïve, crazy or audacious, but I enjoyed the power of computers and wanted it as a full-time job.”
He stayed at TCS for six months, his last stint in India. The highlight of it was his trip to Singapore as a “glorified courier” to deliver a software tape to IBM — but it crashed, robbing him of the opportunity to shop at Mustafa! After fixing the problem over two days, he whined to a senior about his bad luck. “He extended my trip, gave me an extra $1,000, and a car and driver. And I returned to India like a king, with a new suitcase, two gold chains for my mother and sister, shoes for my brother, TDK cassettes, Tiger Balm, etc.”
AUDACITY PAYS
TCS next sent him to work for a Scottish insurance company. It was launching five new policies, and Raman found the statistical fundamentals of one model flawed. When he pointed that out to his TCS boss in Bombay, he was asked to mind his business and stick to software writing! But when a director of the company, Chris Nicolty, stopped to chat with him, “I told him, ‘Please educate me, I am trying to understand how this will work.’ He listened and said ‘You might have a point’… but nothing more, and walked on.”
Two weeks later, the Scotsman came back to him and said, “Good job, I’m proud of you.” The project was stalled, Raman was given a bonus, and even offered a job at that company, hiking his salary from £500 to £2,500. “My life was made; in my mind I could see a house for my family, sister’s marriage, etc.”
But, interestingly, Nicolty advised him not to take the job because his biggest strength was the ability to take risks. In the UK he would soon hit a glass ceiling, so he should go to the US. “He said ‘don’t make your strength your weakness’.”
US CALLING
It was 1992. Fighting the urge to grab the opportunity, with his Scottish friend’s help, Raman soon had an offer for a contracting job with Walmart at an annual salary of $34,000. “But by the time they processed my visa, within a month the offer had gone up to $60,000,” he says.
By then he was married; he met his wife at TCS. “So with a Prestige cooker, two suitcases, and $100, we landed in Atlanta.” He joined as a Cobol programmer.
Raman’s dream run continued, with a helping hand from his ability to take risks. Walmart was making some of its contractors permanent employees, but the catch was reduced income — from $60,000 to $34,000. “Many others refused, but I took the job. By now my wife was also working, and we were comfortably sending $1,000 home every month,” he says.
FAIRYTALE RUN
Unbelievably, Raman says he got 18 promotions within just 18 months, and his salary jumped from $34,000 to $96,000.
Fascinated, I ask Raman how much more time he has for the interview. “I came late, so I don’t get to decide on the time; you do,” he says.
So, is he really good, or is it his gift of the gab that got him so far, I ask cheekily. Or does the US really recognise and reward talent? “I happened to be lucky; just like Forrest Gump, I was at the right place at the right time. God was disproportionately unkind to me when I was young, and disproportionately kind to me later.” He believes the US is “the most meritocracy country in the world… there is no question about it. You can take shots at America for so many things, but for honesty, work ethics and meritocracy, there is no country like it.”
So, was Nicolty right about the UK? “I think so… experience, tenure, that s**t works there. But in the US, I became a director so soon. At 24, I was negotiating $100 million deals with AT&T, without knowing the zeroes in one million.”
By 1993, he had shifted to retail, and when Walmart bought Pace Club the day before Thanksgiving, his challenge was to “integrate everything by Christmas — only six weeks. At this time, about 90 per cent of the people are on vacation. I wrote a bunch of codes and the system went live the day after Christmas.”
This is the day of heaviest returns, but everything worked without glitches. “So my boss introduced me to Rob Walton (the Chairman), saying, ‘he is the guy who did it’.”
Next, he moved to Walmart’s international division; “I moved away from technology to marketing and sales, and in the six years I spent in Walmart, I played every single role you can in retail business.” That laid the seed for his present role in Groupon.
So why did he leave?
“Because my boss, Doyle Graham, a father figure to me, died at 45 — just like my father. After he died, I lost the spark.” He next went to Blockbuster (a home movie rental provider) as a senior director running international technology for 26 countries. Here, too, he found the business model was flawed, and wrote a white paper detailing why it would go bust. But the Chief Executive Officer didn’t care for his views. So he left for Drugstore.com. “It was 1998 and the Internet was becoming big.” He joined as Chief Information Officer, became COO, and then CEO — all within two years.
Then the dotcom bust happened; everybody wrote the company off, but “I said the company would be profitable in two years. We got there a quarter earlier… and then I got bored.”
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was on the board of Drugstore; “and I made another weird call. I became CEO when I was 31, and when I left I was 34, I said I’ve got promotions too fast in my career, so for the next two years I won’t be CEO and will undo all the bad habits I’ve learnt.” Bezos “invited me to solve a complicated technology problem at Amazon. I said I’ll work for a couple of years, but I want to start my own company in education.”
“I DON’T WORK FOR MONEY”
In 2007, he started Global Scholar to “help teachers give differentiated education to kids using technology. It was a fantastic experience. I raised $50 million in the toughest economy since the Depression. In 30 months, I gave four times returns to my investors and then sold the company in 2010-11.” On why he did so, he quips, “The moment you start a company, it is for sale… at the right price. You can’t have emotions…”
Also, by then he must have made enough money, I prompt. “I don’t work for money; every penny I make in Groupon, I’ve pledged to charities…”
To my sceptical look and arched eyebrows he responds: “I don’t need money; I work hard because I want to work hard. Why do I need money? My daughter (studying computer science at Carnegie Mellon) says she won’t take a penny from me. My son, too, is the same, and my wife is cool with it. I still take care of my siblings… I play cricket, watch Tamil movies, read books, that’s it.”
No fancy yachts? “I can’t even swim. I have the same car, a Lexus, since 2001.”
Groupon’s Chief Financial Officer, Jason Child, a colleague in Amazon, got him on the board of the company, which has 14,000 people and 500 offices in 46 countries.
But isn’t Groupon doing badly?
“It is under pressure, true, but not doing badly. That is a distorted reality. I like it this way, though. I want everybody to think we are doing badly, so that all of a sudden you guys will call me a magician. We’re not going to do anything different, but will look like winners.”
On the speculation that he might be named Groupon CEO, he says, “Why should anybody care? Let’s get the stuff going in the right direction.”
During his last visit to India, Raman adopted 24,000 physically challenged kids in a village in Tenkasi — he’ll help with their education, healthcare, vocational training, and employment. “My goal is to give them both dignity and hope… and the ultimate goal is to create one million jobs in Tirunelveli district.” And to own an IPL team!
On India’s future, he says nobody can stop the country from becoming a superpower — “We will work hard to mess it up, but India will prevail because of our intellectual talent and the average age of Indians.”
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Home> Features> Weekend Life / by Rasheeda Bhagat rasheeda.bhagat@thehindu.co.in / 2013
old memory: Doctors of the Twin Medicos 1959 batch at a reunion in the city recently.
Fifty-four years ago, 70 students were admitted as the first batch of the Thanjavur Medical College. But with the new campus being under construction, they joined the fifth batch of the Madurai Medical College (comprising 100 students), earning the sobriquet ‘Twin Medicos’ that stuck on and got renewed at every reunion.
The two-day reunion of the ‘Twin Medicos 1959 batch’ was an informal meeting of old friends who specialise in various fields from paediatrics to geriatrics. Of the original 170, 64 made it to the 13{+t}{+h}get-together. The reunion saw the maximum participation in recent years, said Mohamed Farook, orthopaedic surgeon and member, organising committee.
The meet included a sightseeing trip to the historic Grand Anicut (Kallanai) and a group photo was taken on location.
Among the most illustrious of the classmates was V.S.Natarajan, pioneer in geriatric medicine in India, and recipient of the Padma Shri and B.C. Roy Award. He was felicitated along with recipients of the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University’s Lifetime Achievement Award and doctors who had won recognition from various medical bodies. Surgeon Dr. Zawahir presided over the meet.
Close to 10 medicos flew from America, Europe and Australia to attend the event with their families, said the organising committee members.
The medicos took home a souvenir with photographs and an update on each of their classmates. Featured among the pages were sepia tinted photographs of sharing food in the hostel mess, cultural programmes and medical college life in the 1960’s- a handy trip down memory lane.
source: http://www.TheHindu.com /Home> National> Tamil Nadu /by Staff Reporter / Tiruchi, January 30th, 2013
