Category Archives: Business & Economy

Cipla chairman donates Rs 8 cr to promote chemistry

February 11, 2014Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, Science & Technology, World OpinionCIPLA Chairman, Dr.Yusuf Hamied, Hamied Inspirational Chemistry Programme, Yusuf Hamiedmpositiveone@gmail.com

Indian business leader, scientist and philanthropist Dr Yusuf Hamied on Monday announced a major financial donation to the Royal Society of Chemistry, the world’s leading chemistry community, to support an innovative chemistry education programme for school students in India.

Dr Hamied, who is the chairperson of the generic pharmaceuticals company Cipla and has pioneered the model of producing affordable medicines for patients in developing countries, is donating Rs eight crore to the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Hamied Inspirational Chemistry Programme.

The programme will be managed by the Royal Society of Chemistry in partnership with the UK’s Salters Institute and leading Indian academic institutes to enhance the skills and knowledge of Indian chemistry teachers and inspire students to study chemistry at university.

Over the next five years, the programme aims to equip 8,000 teachers across India with the specialist knowledge and skills to deliver exciting and engaging chemistry lessons, and to pass this knowledge on to their colleagues. It will also provide 1,600 of the brightest chemistry students from all backgrounds with places at chemistry camps to motivate them to reach the necessary standards to study chemistry at university.

Dr Hamied said: “I am very pleased to be working in partnership with the Royal Society of Chemistry to support the Hamied Inspirational Chemistry Programme. I believe the programme will make a real difference to the education and experience of students studying chemistry in schools across India.”

Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Dr Robert Parker, said: “We are delighted to be working with Dr Hamied and grateful for his generous donation to enable us bring together leading organisations from the UK and India to deliver this education programme and make a real impact.” Dr Hamied added: “To inspire the next generation of great Indian scientists we must equip our teachers with the specialist knowledge and practical skills they need to show their students that chemistry is a fascinating.”

Just as teachers pass on their knowledge to their pupils, the programme will support the most talented chemistry teachers in India to train their colleagues to deliver informative and exciting chemistry lessons – a “train the trainer” approach. I am very pleased to support this sustainable model for teacher training which will allow the programme to reach thousands of teachers across the country.” Dr Hamied said: “An inspiring chemistry education isn’t just about excellent teachers.

We need to encourage and motivate the best students to achieve the knowledge and skills they need to go on to study chemistry at university and eventually, to make a strong contribution to India’s success. This isn’t just about getting the best grades – we also need students to develop problem-solving and interdisciplinary skills. That is why I am also very pleased that this joint initiative will support the best students – particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds – to take part in chemistry camps at leading academic institutions and experience a true taste of chemistry at university.”

Dr Simon Campbell, former president of the Royal Society of Chemistry and personal friend of Dr Hamied, said: “This unique programme is a significant educational investment with great potential to train the skilled chemists that will be vital for India’s growth and social wellbeing.”

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State / Bangalore – DHNS / February 10th, 2014

A Digital Village

January 22, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Science & TechnologyChanderiyaan, Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), Shahid Ahmad, Shahid Ahmad Project Directormpositiveone@gmail.com

Shahid Ahmad (38) Project Director, Chanderiyaan

When you ask a software engineer like Shahid Ahmad about Jacquard weaving, the answer would stump many a fashion designer. “It is actually the world’s oldest binary system,” says Ahmad of Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF). He has even devised a Jacquard card punching machine that eliminates two weeks of manually punching a card with the binary sequence to an hour’s work. And the weavers of Chanderi village in Madhya Pradesh are rejoicing.

Ahmad’s tryst with the age-old traditional weaving business of Chanderi began when it was gasping on its last breath. It started off with a 2008 basic survey of Chanderi village on the instigation of Jyotiraditya Scindia when Ahmad had gone to invite him for a DEF function.

The survey threw up distressing facts: weavers were being treated as labourers and earned a pittance; a few businessmen controlled the market; there wasn’t much demand for the products in the market and the youngsters were migrating to cities. Ahmad decided to give the ancient craft and its craftsmen a shot of digital empowerment. Thus was born Chanderiyan, a programme that has transformed the ancient weaving village of Chanderi.

Ahmad eased the bottleneck in the designing process (which was done manually by a couple of designers on graph paper). “I wanted to speed up designing and other aspects of the business while retaining the traditional looms,” he recalls. He also wanted to increase the earning capacity of the weavers, which was then at Rs 2000 a month.

He customised the CAD CAM software and trained 20 weavers in using the software. Of these, three to four weavers were selected to train a further 100 weavers. Simultaneously, a design library was created with 10,000 traditional designs, some retrieved from old saris.

Digitisation gave the weavers a chance to create designs and replicate the same in the loom quickly. It also allowed them to visualise new colours and create contemporary variations without having to waste precious man hours. The demand for Chanderi saris increased as the market saw newer designs and faster supply. Today, the weavers earn at least Rs 10,000 per month. The business turnover, according to an IIM Calcutta survey is anywhere between Rs 65 crore to 100 crore.

Ahmad has now taken his big idea a step further: he has devised an e-portal (Chanderiyaan.net) wherein weavers can sell their products directly to the customers globally. He also trained the weavers in aspects like taking photographs of their products, sending couriers etc. He also put up Wi-fi in a five kilometer radius. “From raw materials pricings to what exhibitions are on, the youngsters can now take their own decisions,” says Ahmad.

His dream is to make the weavers the future businessmen of Chanderi. Ahmad admits to now being more of a textile engineer than a software engineer; he even trains NID students from Bhopal on the technique of Jacquard weaving. He might not be familiar with colours, warps and weaves, but he sure knows his binary system.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Work / by Jayanthi Madhukar, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / January 21st, 2014

GRAB YOUR GRUB : Breaking bread

December 24, 2013Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Travel & TourismGriffin, Griffin - The Artisan Bread Store, Hyderabad, Mohd Mujahidmpositiveone@gmail.com

A view of the open space outside the Griffin. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu

From artisan breads to scones, pastries, sandwiches and pastas, Griffin has something in store for everyone

Fancy some sourdough bread or maybe some ciabatta? You could try Griffin- The Artisan Bread Store in Madhapur, which promises to dish out fresh breads of various kinds. Fairly new, this store was the brain child of Mohd. Mujahid, who wanted to give the city a taste of different breads. The store, which is already a hit with the expat crowd in the area, also offers a variety of short eats for gastronomes.

The little bread store-cum-café has an interesting array of baked goodies that are perfect for those long conversations over a cup of coffee. You could take your pick from their cookies, scones, donuts, croissants, muffins, cheesecakes or tarts. Priced at around Rs. 50 each, they hardly burn a hole in your pocket.

The artisan bread store at Madhapur in Hyderabad. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu

Griffin can also be a pit-stop for a quick lunch or casual dinner with its selection of pizzas, sandwiches and pastas. You could choose from their delicious pastas in an array of sauces like arrabiata, pesto, alfredo or a juicy sandwich with some smoked or grilled meat or roasted veggies of your choice. You can’t really get bored with their selection of sandwiches, which are served in different breads each day. “I started this store mainly so I could introduce people to different varieties of breads. The idea behind serving sandwiches in different kinds of breads is to give our clients an idea of the kinds of breads we offer and how they can use them in different ways,” says Mujahid.

You can’t really get bored with their selection of sandwiches, which are served in different breads each day. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu

The café section of this bread store is also a good place to spend an afternoon just reading or browsing the internet with a free wi-fi connection available to patrons. For the coffee lovers there are a variety of coffees to choose from while those watching their weight can pick a salad of their choice.

Griffin also has a bread shelf with different breads like sourdough, ciabatta, bagels and baguettes among others that you can choose from. The breads that are baked in two batches a day are brought in from the Griffin factory in Shamshabad. “We want to keep the products as fresh as possible,” explains Mujahid. The breads like the items on the menu are priced affordably with a whole wheat bread costing as less as Rs.50, while a sourdough could go up to Rs.100 The ciabatta and panini cost around Rs. 30, while a Scottish Bap comes for around Rs. 20.

Griffin – The Artisan Bread Store

Where: Kavuri Hills, Phase-1, Madhapur

When: 7.30 a.m. to 11p.m.

Contact: 040-30512844 ext:454

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Food / by Ranjani Rajendra / Hyderabad – December 12th, 2013

Taking Indian cinema global: Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, AR Rahman tell how

December 14, 2013Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

With divides like mainstream and parallel cinema, single screens and multiplexes, Indian cinema lives under a divide which is a deterrent to its own good, superstar Shah Rukh Khan said here Saturday, even as Amitabh Bachchan felt the need of the hour is to “blend in” to go global.

“Until we don’t inculcate a habit of collaborations, we won’t be able to inch towards global cinema,” Shah Rukh said at the Solutions Summit, a conclave organised by NDTV to celebrate 25 years of its existence.

The actor said it is important to be able to give to the world what it understands, in order to be accepted.

“If you want to be a part of global cinema, you have to tell what you want to tell, show the emotions which you want to show, but you have to put it in the way the world wants to see it,” he added.

Shah Rukh was joined on the panel with veterans like Amitabh Bachchan, Waheeda Rehman and Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman.

Rahman, who has created tunes for international projects like “Slumdog Millionaire” and “127 Hours”, says he finds himself in a situation when different things are expected from him in India and in foreign shores.

“I have been a victim of this. What is considered to be good here, is not good there…I have to switch between the two. However, there are some things which are common as well,” he said.

Amitabh, 71, who made his Hollywood debut with “The Great Gatsby” earlier this year, agreed with the fact that Indian cinema is unique, but added that we need to try and “blend in”.

“It is obvious that our cinema is unique. We need to blend with the west in order to be global,” he said.

Amitabh attributes this to the work of the current generation of actors and filmmakers, who are putting in efforts to make Indian cinema visible to the world.

“Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar are responsible in bringing commercial cinema to where it is now. The way they have marketed it has helped us a lot. I think that was a point when Indian cinema became global,” he added.

source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> Entertainment> Report / Place: New Delhi, Agency:IANS / Saturday – December 14th, 2013

Multifaceted Singer-Actor Kaleem Pasha from Bangalore to release a book on Bob Christo titled ‘Flashback’

December 7, 2013Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economympositiveone@gmail.com

Mumbai :

Bangalore based Kaleem Pasha, the young multifaceted and multi-talented singer, sarod player, actor, poet and Co-writer will release a book titled Flashback… on late actor Bob Christo (bodyguard of actor-filmmaker Sanjay Khan) on June 14th at Crossword, Juhu Mumbai. Bob Christo during his last days was closely associated with Kaleem Pasha, who became a fan of his. Very few may be aware that Bob Christo was a Shaayar… too. The book will highlight never known facts of the late versatile actor known for his bad-man roles.

Kaleem Pasha has rendered songs and acted in Kannada films like Kaviya Kogile, Bangalore Raphrile amongst many others. He is also doing an untitled Kannada film where he is also crooning with Kavita Krishnamurthi. He has even played the lead in a Hindi film titled Saadu Mera Jaadu. Known as the title clone singer and fan of Pankaj Udhas he has bagged 9 awards from India; viz; Tipu Sultan Shahid Anwar award, Rajiv Gandhi Award, Proline India Achievers Society award, Lions Club Award from Delhi, etc. He has even bagged Sheikh Shahid award from Dubai. He has penned and rendered more than five albums on various chapters of life! . Zindagi Ki Dastaan, Zindagi Ek Ehsaas, Zindagi Ek Nashan and others. It may come in as a surprise that Kaleem who was closer to veteran singers like Mannadey, Mohd. Aziz, Anwar and hailing from Ali Akbar Khan gharana is an hotelier by profession too and holds a chain of coffee shop down south. He has even penned a book on poetry A Journey Of Successful Life…

Now he is soon stepping into Mumbai with a new pop album with a fusion of Indian melodies and the style of Mohd. Rafi sahib and it will appease the young and old alike. Welcome aboard ..

source: http://www.radioandmusic.com / RadioandMusic.com / Home> Channels> Indiatelivision / by RnM Team / June 06th, 2011

Tally Solutions ties up with Osmania University

December 4, 2013Business & Economy, Science & Technologympositiveone@gmail.com

Bangalore :

Tally Solutions has tied up with Osmania University to provide vocational training to students through distance education.

As part of the collaboration, students undergoing the programme will be offered a month of training, for which all the learning material will be provided by Tally, according to a company statement.

Further, Osmania University will award them with a certificate on successful completion of the course. The plan is to extend this programme to more number of colleges in and around Hyderabad under Osmania University, the statement added.

Shoaib Ahmed, President, Tally Solutions, said: “We strongly believe that providing the right vocational training will go a long way in addressing the unemployability crisis that the country is facing. Students have to be skilled enough to sustain in this competitive industry.”

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / BusinessLine / Home> Industry> Info-Tech / by The Hindu Bureau / Bangalore – November 20th, 2013

The Turkish connection

November 30, 2013Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Travel & Tourism, Uncategorized, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Indialogue Foundation director Osman Kayaoglu talks about the places to see in Turkey as he holds a traditional Turkish vase./ Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu

As the Turkish Consulate gets ready to set up office in Hyderabad, Neeraja Murthy finds a Turkey-Hyderabad connect

Enter the first floor of Learnium School on Road No. 44, Jubilee Hills and you’ll find a slice of Turkey in Hyderabad. On the walls is a Turkish Corner that displays photographs of ‘Turk folklor’, a Turkish bride, ‘Turk Lokumu’ among other things. Move around and there is a Indo-Turk Corner and photographs of famous Turkish palaces. As we soak in the pictures, we hear the booming voice of Sevim Kayaogolu calling out “Bir, iki, uch, dort… “(one, two, three four… in Turkish). She is teaching a Turkish dance to a group of young girls who are dancing to the beats of Yeni bir dunya, dressed in their traditional Turkish dresses.

Sevim (in the centre) joins a group of girls dancing to the tune of Turkish song ‘Yeni bir dunya’. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu

“The students are presenting this Turkish dance for the Parents Day meeting,” informs Sevim. The school (will be called Iqbalia International School) run by a Trust (which also includes Turkish people) teaches Turkish language art, dance and culture to its students, in addition to its regular CBSE syllabus. Osman Kayaogolu, director of Indialogue Foundation’s second year in Hyderabad, calls the city ‘historical’. “Among the different cities in India, Hyderabad has a beautiful history,” he says and adds, “Turkey and Hyderabad share a lot in common in culture. We have given our daughters here in marriage – Princess Durru Shehvar who married Azam Jah, Princesses Esin and Esra have also come to Hyderabad after marriage.”

Osman talks about the ‘royal’ similarity between the two regions. “The Chowmahalla Palace looks like a replica of Dolmabahche palace, only the former is smaller. It is said that the Chowmahalla was built for Durru Shehvar so that she would feel at home in a place that reminds her of Turkey,” he smiles.

Indialogue Foundation, the Turkish cultural centre acts as a hub for the 15 Turkish families living in Hyderabad. “We get together here during religious ceremonies like Eid and we organise inter-faith seminars, talks, conferences and cultural programmes. We arrange business meetings between Turkish and Indian businessmen and also organise Turkish celebrations.”

Osman says the Turks enjoy their stay in the city. “The climate is nice and we enjoy eating biryani which is like our not-so-spicy Osmani pulao. We have made many friends here and people are affectionate too.”

What baffles Osman however is the way friendly Hyderabadis behave while driving on roads. “During busy traffic, they are not at all friendly and act differently,” he says with a smile. The Turkish women volunteers try to spread their art and culture in the city. Osman and his group of friends also play football every Sunday. “We don’t know about cricket, but now our children are picking up the game in Hyderabad.”

There is also good news for the Turkish families in the city with the Turkish Consulate coming up here. “The Turkish Consulate General Murat Omeroglu is in Hyderabad with his family and the work to establish the Consulate has begun. The process might take six months,” says Osman.

Osman says Turkish people in the city do miss their family and friends back home as well as Turkish food; but they have found a home away from home here.

“Hyderabad is our second home. Merhaba Hydarabad (Salaam Hyderabad),” he signs off.

Short film contest

Indialogue Foundation and Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication, University of Hyderabad had organised a Indialogue Short Film Contest 2013on the theme ‘Peaceful Coexistence” which aimed to foster universally shared values among public .

The contest had two categories – YouTube award and Jury award. Emrah Alpaslan from Saritha Vidya Niketan with his short film titled Dedicated Life won the YouTube award with 2100+ views. Jhilam Chattaraj, from University of Hyderabad with her movie In Search of History was selected for the Jury award.

Both the awards carried a prize money of Rs. 35,000 each.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Neeraja Murthy / November 19th, 2013

Cocoon art in full bloom

November 26, 2013Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green ProductsDr. Fatima Sadatullampositiveone@gmail.com

The recently concluded Krishi Mela in Bangalore had a head-turner. Displaying bouquets of multihued flowers, garlands and greeting cards, all created out of used and damaged cocoons, the Cocoon Craft stall was stunningly attractive. Holding bunches of artificial flowers modelling tulips, dahlia and rhododendron, the stalls were swarmed by many a well-heeled women who were attracted to the novelty of the art.

Cocoon shells, either damaged or discarded from silk reeling units, have traditionally been considered a waste product which are dumped in compost pits for their protein content. But no longer so. They are being turned into art by a growing breed of students pursuing sericulture.

The project to make art out of cocoon shells is the brainchild of Dr Fatima Sadatulla, a teacher in the Department of Sericulture at the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) in Bangalore. Fatima says the idea of using such an unusual material for craftwork came to her by chance. During her days as an undergraduate student at the UAS in the late 1980s, sitting amid cocoons scattered all around her, she would cut a few shells into various shapes, paint them and create artistic motifs for greeting cards. The pastime grew into a hobby, and, still later, began to take shape as an artistic skill.

Having joined the department as a teacher a few years later, she began to train her students into collecting damaged or waste cocoons from granages and cut them into various patterns, chiefly flowers. She began training students of sericulture four years ago under an entrepreneurship scheme. She would collect damaged cocoons from the Central Silk Board office in Madiwala to teach students. She would even train women farmers during her project work in sericulture farms.

The production of this craft has also been undertaken on a larger scale at the College of Sericulture in Chintamani by Vijeyendra who teaches there and was among the early trainees at the UAS. The college has even organised training camps in several villages around Chintamani. He says two NGOs, Aadhar and Swabhimana Sangha in Chintamani and Kolar taluk respectively, have begun producing bouquets and garlands in large quantities and are selling them in shandies in the nearby towns of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Several physically disabled persons too have been trained in the art. The college which received finance from the UAS towards a revolving fund, is now able to generate enough revenue to sustain its activities. Vijeyendra says the bouquets and garlands could have a shelf life of two years. But careful preservation under glass cases can ensure a life span of ten years.

The transformation of cocoon shells into such arts and crafts certainly signals the emergence of a new art form. With districts of Old Mysore being the bastion of silk farming, the new art form has unlimited prospects for expansion.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Spectrum / by M A Siraj / DHNS – November 26th, 2013