Category Archives: Leaders

You need to be mad to be a musician, says Benny Dayal

January 29, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leadersmpositiveone@gmail.com

Should you have a backup plan for your dreams? I wonder as I manoeuvre my way towards the makeshift interview room, through the fans who have gathered in huge numbers to click selfies with Benny Dayal, one of Bollywood’s singing sensations. The versatile musician was in Mysuru recently to perform at SPI’s 20th anniversary celebrations.

“There was no question of a backup plan as failure was never an option. I had wanted to be a singer since I was a thirteen- year-old child. I had decided that I would want to sing until I die,” says Benny Dayal candidly, when Sujata Rajpal met him for Star of Mysore after his rocking performance. He still has ample energy to answer a volley of questions. Now read on…

By Sujata Rajpal

SOM: I just watched your show. You have unbounded energy on stage. What drives you?

Benny Dayal (BD): I am mad when I am on stage, but I am a very different and quiet person off stage. I become another human being when I am on stage. Just the feel to be on stage and singing in front of the audience gives me energy. Mad people are the most energetic; one needs to be mad to be a musician. Music or for any art for that matter is a gift from God. Does God gift the entire world to be a musician? No. Therefore, if you are the chosen one, you need to make use of this gift to your optimum potential.

SOM: What challenges did you face to reach where you are today?

BD: It was the most difficult to get a break, as no one was willing to take a risk with a new artiste. No one wanted to launch me but God has a plan for everyone and I am here today. And then I met A.R. Rahman whom I had no intention of meeting or even expected to meet. Today I owe my success to Rahman. He broke all barriers. He is renowned for giving opportunities to new and unheard voices. Today, the youngsters want to become musicians only because of him.

SOM: Once a music director told you that you can’t become a singer; how did that affect you? Did you want to prove him wrong?

BD: Music is not about proving a point. I didn’t want to prove anyone wrong but this triggered the worst possible emotion in me. It never crushed me. Unknowingly I took the positives out of it; I wanted to bring out the best in me. Everything has an equal and opposite reaction. I thank everyone who has ever said anything positive or negative about me; it helped me to go a step further in my journey. Every single line has affected me positively.

SOM: Which is your favourite song?

BD: I have no favourites. I love to sing all songs. They all are stepping-stones, how can I skip one and go to the next one?

SOM: Which is your favourite language as far as singing is concerned?

BD: I have a flair for languages; I can sing in any language — Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

SOM: Do you have any role models or inspiration?

BD: Rahman is my role model and inspiration. He is not only one of world’s most accomplished musicians but also an amazing human being. He has launched the music career of so many like me. May his tribe grow!

SOM: You have performed at various countries; which is your most memorable performance?

BD: Yes, one performance was like a dream come true. In 1998, I went to watch Rahman’s concert in Dubai, UAE. Ten years later, in 2008, in Dubai again, I was with him backstage and performing with him. It was an amazing feeling. It was like seeing a dream come true.

SOM: What advice would you like to give to wannabe singers or to anyone who want to follow their passion?

BD: Do what makes you happy, you will surely excel. Never stop learning, never think that you know enough. Learn as you earn. Never stop earning and never stop learning. That is the only way to go forward. Have an open mind and passion for anything that you do. Most importantly, observe others. You may not like one particular song but if many people like it so there must be something in that. Don’t have a closed mind. Everyone has a path; you will also find your’s sooner or later.

Then he reads out aloud the back page blurb from ‘The Other End of the Corridor’, my debut novel that I presented to him after the interview — ‘When your dreams are tainted with lies and deceit, you have no other choice but to walk to the other end of the corridor…’

He speaks after a long pause, “Everyone has a path. Literally, my life was like a dark corridor, there was only darkness; I was crazy and continued to walk on. I didn’t care even if I tripped but I wanted to just go on, and then a door opened and God said, now you walk on this path…” and the singing star signs off.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / January 23rd, 2015

Minorities commission to set-up legal cell

January 28, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leadersmpositiveone@gmail.com

Karnataka State Minorities Commission Chairperson Balkis Banu is seen addressing media in city yesterday as Zoo Authority Chairperson Rehana Banu looks on

Mysuru :

The Karnataka State Minorities Commission will soon set up a cell to provide legal assistance to innocent members of minority communities arrested by the Police.

Addressing press persons at the Government Guest House here yesterday, the Commission Chairperson Balkis Banu said that the cell to be headed by a retired Judge, will provide assistance by arranging for lawyers and bearing legal expenditure.

Pointing out that the Commission will ensure that no innocent person is forced to face trouble and difficulties, Balkis Banu expressed concern over increasing instances of arrest of innocent minority communities members by the Police.

The Commission is planning to hold communal harmony meets across the State, particularly in the coastal districts, to eliminate misunderstandings among different communities, she added.

Responding to a question, she said that a report has been sought on the recent arrest of three terror suspects from Bengaluru and Bhatkal.

Balkis Banu also said that she had requested the Home Department for details of the recent arrests, two of whom were arrested in Pulikeshinagar in Bengaluru and one from Bhatkal.

Expressing confidence that the Commission would soon be granted judicial powers, Banu said that Chief Minister Siddharamaiah had agreed in principle to bestow judicial powers to the Commission, that will enable it to summon officials against whom there were complaints. Judicial powers will also allow the Commission to call for official records as documentary evidence, she said adding that at present, the Commission’s summons are not binding on officials.

Continuing, she said the Commission was planning to set up a research centre in the name of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, the founder of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). Referring to Bidayi scheme that aimed at providing financial assistance to poor muslim women for marriage, Banu said the Commission has asked the State Government to increase the funding by an additional of Rs. 5 crore, which is now Rs. 5 crore.

Pointing out that the commission had received 543 applications under the scheme in Mysuru district, she said 189 beneficiaries have been selected, who would be provided Rs. 50,000 each.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Thursday – January 22nd, 2015

Smart wards: Nellore woos industrialists

January 27, 2015Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leadersmpositiveone@gmail.com

Mayor looks for support from NGOs, NRIs for city’s growth

In the past two decades, Nellore has witnessed vibrant industrial growth, thanks to the establishment of several special economic zones, a deep-water port and thermal power stations in the district.

Though the city has grown by leaps and bounds, financial constraints have been a constant concern.

The municipal corporation is now a cash-strapped body and is looking for means to take up development projects.

Interestingly, the ‘smart ward’ concept has come as a boon for the corporation. Mayor Sk. Abdul Aziz has seized the opportunity by seeking support from various sections for developing the city with their active participation.

He is keen to take help from big industrialists from the city who have settled elsewhere. He has also proposed to rope them in for development of facilities through adoption of various wards.

Making a difference

“We are keen to take the support of a cross-section of society in this endeavour. NRIs and non-governmental organisations should also play an active role in this. With their help, we are sure of making a difference here,” Mr. Aziz said. During his visit to Hyderabad recently, Mr. Aziz had taken up the matter with the TDP leadership.

The possibility of taking wider support from various stake holders rather than simply relying on Janmabhoomi committees for ushering in development under the smart ward concept also came up for discussion then.

According to Mr. Aziz, Janmabhoomi committees will certainly be there, but they will be more effective if industrialists and NRIs are roped in and their active support taken for the process.

Nellore, a vibrant city located close to the Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border, has come to be the fifth largest city in the State after Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur and Tirupati.

According to the 2011 Census, the population of the city was 5 lakh. With the merger of surrounding village panchayats, it crossed 6 lakh.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by G. Ravikiran / Nellore – January 26th, 2015

A pension scheme of grace

January 15, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leadersmpositiveone@gmail.com

P.T.A. Rahim, MLA, handing over papers of the pension benefits to Iyyamkunnath Devi during a function at the GHSS Peringolam in Kozhikode.

After 30 years of service as a noon-meal worker at the Government Higher Secondary School at Peringolam in Kozhikode, Iyyamkunnath Devi called it a day a few months ago.

Being a daily-wage worker at the mercy of the school management, she couldn’t have expected any retirement benefits from the government as she leaves. Calmly, the elderly widow, in her late 60s, went home to spend rest of her life with her only son’s widow and children.

Ms. Devi’s empty-handed retreat from the school at the end of a prolonged spell of service, however, had left a lingering soreness with her co-workers, teachers and the students, whom she had been feeding all these years. Led by a teacher-in-charge of the noon meal committee P. Bavakutty, they sat one day to discuss the possibility of offering “some help” to Ms. Devi, whom they fondly called Deviyedathi .

Under the initiative of the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) they decided to collect an amount to be given to the retiring member. Teachers, students, and the public, all responded overwhelmingly to the call. A sum of Rs.1, 25,000 was raised at the end, with which a pension scheme was opened forDeviyedathi. “We had never imagined that people would respond in such an overwhelming manner to this,” said Mr. Bavakutty.

From the amount, Rs.1 lakh was deposited in a pension scheme in her name with the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) while the rest, (Rs.25,000) was given to her as a gratuity during a public function organised at the school recently. “A pension scheme for a daily-wage worker under the initiative of a school PTA would probably be the first of its kind anywhere in the State,” said Sasidharan Pullangotte, the PTA president.

“We believe that the Rs.750, though small, that would reach her as pension every month, would at least make a small difference to Deviyedathi’s life,” said the PTA president.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kozhikode / by Jabir Mushthari / Kozhikode – January 13th, 2015

Five new women Collectors in Telangana

January 12, 2015Leadersmpositiveone@gmail.com

Karimnagar District Collector Neetu Kumari Prasad. - Photo: S. Rambabu / The Hindu — Karimnagar District Collector Neetu Kumari Prasad. – Photo: S. Rambabu / The Hindu

In its maiden appointments after allotment of all India service officers between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the latter on Monday confirmed postings of 24 IAS officers as Collectors.

Karimnagar Collector M. Veerabrahmaiah has been transferred and posted as Special Commissioner of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Warangal Collector G. Kishan as Additional Commissioner of GHMC, and Mahbubnagar Collector G.D. Priyadarshini as Collector of Adilabad.

Neetu Kumari Prasad was made Karimnagar Collector, V. Karuna posted as Warangal Collector, T.K. Sreedevi as Mahbubnagar Collector and P. Satyanarayana Reddy as Nalgonda District Collector. All of them were awaiting postings.

K. Nirmala, who was also awaiting posting, is the new Hyderabad Collector, a post that was vacant after the incumbent Mukesh Kumar Meena was allotted to Andhra Pradesh. The adjacent Ranga Reddy District also gets a new Collector in M. Raghunandan Rao.

The other officers, who were awaiting postings after reporting for duties in Telangana government, included senior bureaucrats M.G. Gopal who is made Principal Secretary of Municipal Administration and Urban Development and Ranjeev R. Acharya is Principal Secretary of Education. Navin Mittal and Gaurav Uppal have been appointed as Special Commissioner and Additional Commissioner respectively of GHMC. Pausumi Basu is also another Additional Commissioner of the Corporation.

Rajat Kumar Saini, K. Surendra Mohan and Patil Prashant Jeevan will be the Joint Collectors of Ranga Reddy, Hyderabad and Warangal districts respectively. Hari Chandana Dasari is the second Joint Collector of Ranga Reddy. The Joint Collector of Karimnagar Sarfraz Ahmed is the new Municipal Commissioner of Warangal, Bharati Hollikeri is Chief Rationing Officer of Hyderabad.

Four Sub-Collectors have also been appointed, including D. Krishna Bhaskar (Jagtial in Karimnagar), Alagu Varsini (Vikarabad in Ranga Reddy), Rajeevgandhi Hanumanthu (Asifabad in Adilabad) and Khartade Kalicharan Sudamrao (Paloncha) in Khammam district.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by N. Rahul / Hyderabad – January 12th, 2014

City boy sails the sea of success

January 11, 2015Leaders, Sportsmpositiveone@gmail.com

Leela Sagar won gold during the Monsoon Regatta last year and also bagged a bronze medal at Coastal Nationals.– Photo: BY ARRANGEMENT

City boy P. Leela Sagar highlighted his potential as a sailor with a victory in the Optimist National Sailing Championships held in Bhopal recently. He is a product of the Yacht Club of Hyderabad (YCH), which was instituted six years ago.

Leela Sagar handled his boat with great skill to win six races out of 12 and displayed commendable maturity and confidence while doing so. He had bagged gold during the Monsoon Regatta in July 2014, and also had won a bro nze at the Coastal Nationals at Bombay in October 2014. After the triumph at Bhopal, he is now among the top ranked national sailors in his category. “The boy is a natural, is determined and learns by instinct. He has realised that there is no substitute for hard work and resilience. He will surely go places,” said Suheim Sheikh, his coach and mentor for the last three years.

Sagar well and truly proved himself by beating several sailors who had taken part in competitions all over the world. His rise to the top has come after three years of hard work, dedication and participation in several hard-fought championships. He first joined the sport at the YCH through Naandi Foundation about three years ago.

Despite being a quick learner, his light body proved to be a handicap and he finished at the bottom of the fleet on debut. But later, he made up for the lost ground, developed the skill and craft, and made rapid progress. Two more youngsters Musti Saibaba and P. Raju, who joined the YCH through the LSN Foundation, showed promise and finished 14th and 15th.

Wins six races out of 12 in the Optimist National Sailing Championships held in Bhopal recently

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Abhijit Sen Gupta / Hyderabad – January 11th, 2014

7 Keralites on Hurun Philanthropy List

December 30, 2014Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Kochi :

Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan has been named the most generous person from Kerala according to the Hurun India Philanthropy list 2014.

The IT behemoth’s executive vice chairman who is ranked 8th in the list donated Rs 255 crore mainly in healthcare charities.

The list prepared by Hurun Report, a media group based out of Shanghai, states that region-wise, South Indians were the most generous, donating Rs 13,300 crore, five-times that of the amount given in charity by North Indians.

Ravi Pillai of RP Group is ranked nine in the list with a contribution of Rs 145 crore, mainly in healthcare. As many as seven persons from Kerala have found a place in the list of 49. They together donated Rs 609 crore for charity. Keralites in the list include Azad Moopen (Rs 100 cr), S D Shibulal (Rs 48 cr), P N C Menon (Rs 26 cr), M A Yusuf Ali (Rs 18 cr) and Sunny Varkey (Rs 17 cr).

“It is heartening to see that Indian businessmen are contributing more to philanthropy. This will create a more equitable society. Business is necessary for economic progress and with philanthropy business is also good for overall development of society. I feel proud to see this,” Kris Gopalakrishnan told Express.

The list has Wipro Chairman Azim Premji who gave away Rs 12,316 crore on top.

In September Hurun Report had published a Kerala Rich List topped by Emke Group Chairman M A Yusuf Ali who has a net worth of Rs 11,400 crore. RP Group’s Ravi Pillai came second with Rs 9,600 crore followed by Sunny Varkey, founder and executive chairman of Dubai-centered Gems Education with Rs 9,000 crore.

The India Philanthropy List, which highlights charity contributions made by India’s most generous measured by the value of their cash or cash equivalent donations, debuted in 2013. Donations made by a corporation in which an individual has more than 50 pc holding were recognised as being part of that individual’s personal donation. The period of calculation was from April 1, 2013, to October 31, 2014.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / December 30th, 2014