INNOVATION – Page 45 – Take off with Natarajan

Home Made Ventilator For Saving Their Son…..

February 9, 2013NatarajanLeave a comment

Wang Lanqin (L) compressing a PVC resuscitator pump to help her son Fu Xuepeng, so he can breathe and live on in their home in Taizhou, east China’s Zhejiang province. Source: AFP

WANG Lanqin sits by her child’s bed, her coarse hands gripping a plastic ventilator she pumped by hand for years to keep her injured son alive.

Wang and her husband Fu Minzu took turns for years pumping the device to help their son Fu Xuepeng breathe, as they could not afford the fees for him to be cared for in hospital after he was paralysed in a motorbike crash.

The couple’s hands became deformed from two years of pumping the device thousands of times a day, media reports said, but their load was lightened after they built a primitive mechanical ventilator with help from relatives.

Pictures show the rusty, oil-flecked machine, which incorporates a plastic milk bottle, standing on wooden tables held in place with slabs of rock and connected by tube to their son, who lies in bed wearing a red hat to protect him from the cold.

Even after building the machine, to avoid paying expensive electricity bills the couple kept up their hand-pumping routine during the day, as well as providing round the clock care for their son, who is paralysed but conscious.

After they were widely circulated in Chinese media, the images prompted a flurry of donations to the couple who are from a village in Huangyan district in the eastern province of Zhejiang.

These included cash and a modern ventilator sent by a Beijing company.

China has vastly expanded health insurance schemes in rural areas over the last decade, but payouts are still low, leaving severely or chronically ill patients dependent on family members to pay their medical bills.

The couple “never think of giving up, not for one second,” Fu Minzu told the China Daily newspaper. “No parents would give up on their child as long as there is a slight chance of living.”

source:::::news.com.au and input from my cousin

Natarajan

” Strange ” Plane at Melbourne Airport !!!!

February 4, 2013February 4, 2013NatarajanLeave a comment

The new ‘plane’ at Melbourne Airport is the centrepiece of a state-of-the-art training facility dubbed the Learning Academy Hot Fire Training Ground.

If you’ve visited Melbourne Airport in the past few months and wondered why an enormous, rust-coloured plane is sitting outside on the tarmac, wonder no more.

It’s not an art installation. It’s a full-sized mock-up aircraft fuselage that from mid-March will be laid with gaslines and set alight – like a giant barbecue – for use in aviation rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) training.

The structure – which is the centrepiece of a state-of-the-art training facility dubbed the Learning Academy Hot Fire Training Ground – will be quite the spectacle when alight and probably quite disturbing for those unaware that it isn’t an actual plane. A spokesman for Airservices Australia, however (the government-owned corporation that provides ARFF services at 21 of Australia’s airports), said passengers “shouldn’t be alarmed by smoke or flames from the training facility.”

“Airservices will take into account fire bans and existing wind conditions during the testing of the hot-fire training facility,” he said.

Although this isn’t the first aircraft mock-up that’s been used for training purposes in Australia, Airservices said it’s certainly the largest in the southern hemisphere, and possibly the world. At over 56 metres long, 10 metres high and 29 metres wide, it’s almost three times the length of existing aircraft mock-ups currently in use in Australia.

The structure is basically a mash-up of replicated sections of aircraft including the Airbus A380, Boeing 767 and DC10 aircraft, to train crews in fighting fires on different types of aircrafts and to allow multiple training scenarios to happen at the same time. It is the first time Airservices has developed a mock-up that includes the A380.

“This facility now gives us the ability to train firefighters in responding to the largest aircraft that will land in Australian airports,” the Airservices Australia spokesman said.

Depending on training requirements, the aircraft mock-up can also be lit at different levels, creating wheel fires, engine fires or complete aircraft fuselage fires. The centre of the aircraft will also have drums filled with fuel to replicate fires inside a plane.

Although it won’t be used to train cabin crew as it isn’t equipped with escape slides, the interior is set up like a real aircraft, complete with seating and overhead compartments.

Unfortunately for those who have been admiring the rustic burnt orange hue of the structure as they fly into Melbourne Airport, the plane will be turning black once it starts burning.

source:::::brisbane times.com

Natarajan

Success Stories of TOP 10 Young Entrepreneurs !!!!

February 2, 2013NatarajanLeave a comment

source:::: silicon india net…

Natarajan

Entrepreneurship has no bar on age, but nevertheless you get surprised to see some youngsters making it big as entrepreneurs. In the age where these youngsters could have simply did the usual things like high school, college, hangout joints, video games or bike rides, they went ahead and founded companies, gave seminars, wrote books, and became inspiring figures for all aspiring entrepreneurs irrespective of age. Read on to know top 10 young entrepreneur success stories— their struggles and triumphs, as compiled by JuniorBiz.

#10 Syed Balkhi, 21

Syed Balkhi used to get online at three o’clock in the morning to trade stones for a game called Neopets.

When he was 12, his cousin pointed out that he could do the same thing with domain names – all while pulling in a handsome profit. Soon he was developing websites, designing them, and running a paid domain name directory.

Along with a handful of college friends (Amanda Roberts, David Pegg, and Mohammed Karim), Syed has started a successful web service company called Uzzz Productions. His blog for WordPress beginners, WPBeginner, has been up since July 2009 and already attracts an incredible 145,000 unique visitors each month.

#9 Farrhad Acidwalla, 18

His first step at entrepreneurship started with his borrowing $10 from his parents to buy his first domain name. He began building a web community devoted to aviation and aero-modeling. The website was a success; he sold it for a lot more money than his initial investment, and moved on with other similar ventures. Each took his achievement to another level and the appreciations left him humble. This motivated him to offer his work under the name of his company.

Farrhad has launched Rockstah Media, a cutting-edge company devoted to web development, marketing, advertisement, and branding. It is just over a year old but it has clients and a full fledged team of developers, designers and market strategists spread across the globe.

As the CEO and founder, Farrhad is behind the wheels of the company taking care of the clients and guiding the creative team to success.

#8 King Sidharth, 20

King Sidharth is a multitalented youngster. He is a speaker, author, magazine publisher.

As an 11-year-old growing up in Northern India, King Sidharth and a few friends began organizing events and competitions for other children. They would make tickets and charge an entry fee, then award little prizes to whoever won. Sidharth’s first business was a big success.

Seven years later, King Sidharth got graduated from high school and he has already made a name for himself as one of India’s top young entrepreneurs. His primary work is in website development and design (see websites like MeditationRocks.us).

King is also a speaker on topics of entrepreneurship and spirituality. He calls himself the Outlaw Entrepreneur, because he refuses to follow a given pattern and says he’s going to reinvent the wheel. His vision of the wheel is unique.

#7 Arjun Rai, 20

Arjun Rai caught the entrepreneurial bug at the age of seven, selling knickknacks that he found around the house. Young Arjun set up shop to sell leftover wildflower necklaces after a wedding. He and a cousin put up a banner at his grandmother’s front gate, asking 25 cents.

TV shows like ‘The Oprah Show’ and ‘The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch’ inspired Arjun to take entrepreneurship to the next level. During the summer of 2009, he got a LinkedIn account (under the name Aaron Ray) and started connecting with other ambitious entrepreneurs, hoping to learn as much as possible about the art of entrepreneurship and business.

In 2010, Arjun became the COO of a quickly growing onlineadvertising company, but he soon set out to follow his own,unique vision. That vision is a brand-new venture called odysseyAds.

#6 Sabirul Islam, 21

Sabirul Islam grew up in a crime-ridden borough of London, England. His eyes were opened to entrepreneurship by his cousin, who offered Sabirul a job at the age of 13. But when Sabirul was fired a few weeks later, he decided to take matters into his own hands. At 14, he gathered six of his friends and started Veyron Technology, a website design company. Sabirul made his first $1000 within the first two weeks.

In January of 2008, at age 17, Sabirul self-published his first book “The World at Your Feet”. It offers young people guidance and encouragement to turn their entrepreneurial vision into reality. The book sold 60,000 copies. Sabirul has also launched a board game (‘Teen-Trepreneur’), become a globe-trotting public speaker (over 600 speaking engagements), and started his own publishing company for aspiring teen authors.

#5 Adora Svitak, 14

Adora started writing when she was four years old. She hasn’t stopped since. At six, Adora received a laptop computer from her mother, on which she quickly amassed a collection of hundreds of short stories and hundreds of thousands of words – typing at 70 words per minute.

At the age of seven, Adora achieved her dream of becoming a published author with the release of Flying Fingers: Master the Tools of Learning Through the Joy of Writing. The book featured several of Adora’s short stories, along with her writing tips, typing tips, and advice from her mother. At age 11, Adora published a second book, Dancing Fingers, with her older sister, Adrianna.

Adora at the age of 12 has transformed her writing success into speaking and teaching success. She has spoken at over 400 schools and presented at the annual TED conference. She has been featured on Good Morning America and on CNN.

#4 Savannah Britt, 17

Savannah Britt was a published poet by the age of eight. By nine, she was hired as a paid reviewer of children’s books for The Kitchen Table News – a New Jersey newspaper with a readership of 70,000. But when that newspaper went under, Savannah was left unemployed at the tender age of 11.

She bootstraps herself and started her own publication – a magazine called Girlpez – making her the youngest magazine publisher in the world. The magazine features coverage of events, like concerts and fashion shows, along with interviews from the likes of Shwayze, Kevin Rudolf, and Dawn from Dannity Kane.

#3 Philip Hartman, 17

Philip Hartman became an entrepreneur when he was eight-years-old. That’s when he started building slingshots that shot both BB’s and arrows.

When he was a home-schooled high school senior at the age of fifteen, Philip spent most of his time cultivating two somewhat more advanced entrepreneurial ventures. One was a new system for fusing optical fibers that is cheaper, more efficient, and more dependable – an invention for which Philip won the 2008 Young Inventor of the Year award.

The other was called Steam Viper. It was a device that emits steam onto a windshield and is capable of defrosting a frost-covered windshield in about 15 seconds.

#2 Alex Fraiser, 18

In January 2009, at the age of 15, Alex Fraiser used his web design know-how to start Blogussion.com, a blog about blogging. As the year went on, Blogussion thrived – bursting not just with insightful articles but also with an ever-growing, increasingly enthusiastic community of subscribers.

In January 2010, Alex and his business partner, 24-year-old Seth Waite, launched their first product – a web theme modeled after Blogussion’s unique style – to immediate success. With an Alexa ranking under 20,000.

#1 Mark Bao, 19

Mark Bao had his first encounter with entrepreneurship in the fifth grade. He used Visual Basic 6.0 to write a simple computer application that managed his homework assignments and helped him write school papers. Then he copied the program onto floppy discs and sold them to his friends.

His first start-up came in his first year of high school. Debateware.com was an event management system for debate organizations. Eventually, Mark and his business partner sold it to the largest debate organization in the United States.

Mark at the age of 17, a high school senior, launched 11 web-based companies (and sold three of them) along with three non-profit foundations.

Say ‘Cheese’….Your Face is Now on A Stamp!!!!!

January 29, 2013NatarajanLeave a comment

This is the latest in a series of measures India Post has taken to survive in a world of instant messaging, where a letter by post is a thing of the past.

CHENNAI: Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru are among the greats whose portraits are used as stamps by India Post. Now, your picture could also be a stamp on the letter you send to your dear one. India Post will introduce “the facility of converting personal photographs as legally valid stamps” in Chennai in a couple of weeks.

The personalised stamp will have two parts – the currency part and the photograph – detachable from each other. You can choose these backgrounds: zodiac signs, flowers, Taj Mahal, Panchatantra tales, trains, wildlife and aeroplanes. You may submit your photograph or get photographed at the post office for no extra cost. You get a set of 12 stamps of 5 denomination for 300, but only after police verification that may take one week.

This is the latest in a series of measures India Post has taken to survive in a world of instant messaging, where a letter by post is a thing of the past. This scheme, called ‘My stamp’, allows photographs to be printed on a five-rupee stamp.

The concept, which has been popular in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, was launched in the country during the World Philatelic Exhibition in 2011 in Delhi. ‘My stamp’ was introduced in Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, but not many know about it. In Chennai, select post offices will offer the facility in a fortnight.

While the idea of one’s own photograph as stamp has excited many, some feel it would take away the sanctity of a postal stamp.

“A stamp is something like legal tender. I think this move may take away that identity,” said S Ulaganathan, a shopkeeper who sends money orders to his home in Tirunelveli every month.

But the younger lot is happy. “It would be fun having my stamp on the cover of my birthday invite,” said 16-year-old R Vinay, who has never posted “snail mail”.

It is people like Vinay that India Post is targeting.

“The internet has taken away from people the habit of writing letters. We hope ‘My stamp’ will bring youngsters back to us,” said an India Post official.

“I would like to send a love letter with my stamp on the cover,” said a college student. His friend cautioned him: “But what if her dad receives the letter?”

In a land of political cut-outs and graffiti, ‘My stamp’ may find takers in political parties to send party communique with the leader’s stamp on the cover. Those planning to gain commercial mileage, however, may be put off as India Post has clarified that only individuals, not businesses can make use of the ‘My stamp’ scheme.

source::: Times Of India..

Natarajan

Soon, A Car that Runs on Air !!!

January 24, 2013NatarajanLeave a comment

If you have ever grimaced at your never ending petrol bill and dreamed of a car that runs on fresh air, your prayers are about to be answered.

French car giant PSA Peugeot Citroen believes that it can put an air- powered vehicle on the road by 2016, the Daily Mail reported.
Its scientists say it will knock 45 percent off fuel bills for an average motorist, and when driving in towns and cities costs could be slashed by as much as 80 percent because the car will be running on air for four-fifths of the time.
The system works by using a normal internal combustion engine, special hydraulics and an adapted gearbox along with compressed air cylinders that store and release energy. This enables it to run on petrol or air, or a combination of the two.
Air power would be used solely for city use, automatically activated below 43mph and available for ’60 to 80 percent of the time in city driving’. By 2020, the cars could be achieving an average of 117 miles a gallon, the company predicts.
The air compression system can re-use all the energy normally lost when slowing down and braking. The motor and a pump are in the engine bay, fed by a compressed air tank underneath the car, running parallel to the exhaust.
The revolutionary new ‘Hybrid Air’ engine system – the first to combine petrol with compressed air – is a breakthrough for hybrid cars because expensive batteries will no longer be needed.
Cars fitted with Hybrid Air will be about 1,000 pounds cheaper to buy than current hybrid models.
For more than two years, 100 elite scientists and engineers have been working on the air-powered car in top-secret conditions at Peugeot’s research and development centre at Velizy, just south of Paris.
Hybrid Air is the centrepiece of Peugeot chief executive Philippe Varin’s efforts to restore the fortunes of the historic car maker.
The revolutionary system will be able to be installed on any normal family car without altering its external shape or size or reducing the boot size, provided the spare wheel is not stored there.
From the outside, an air-powered car will look identical to a conventional car.

source::::::yahoo news

Natarajan

Gadgets Likely to Be Launched in 2013 !!!!!

January 20, 2013NatarajanLeave a comment

2013 is going to be one of the most exciting and competitive year, as giant companies like Amazon, Google and Apple will launch new products that targets individual consumers. Here is a list of some most awaited gadgets of the year compiled by Business Insider.

Natarajan

Apple TV

We used to hear about Apple’s revolutionary TV during Steve Jobs era. After months of speculation, CEO Tim Cook said in an interview with NBC’S Brian Williams that the company has an area of interest on the segment of television market. According to the reports, Apple is searching for flat-screen panels within the 46 to 55 inch range, while on the other hand Wall Street Journal reports that suppliers of electronic consumer goods have commenced testing the top-secret-product. A couple of features like Siri integration, iCloud support, and iDevice compatibility are being publicized.

Toshiba 84-inch “Quad Full” HDTV

We have already seen the High Quality 4K TVs from SONY and LG, now Toshiba will be joining this field with its 84-inch “Quad Full HD” 4K TV Set. The device is powered by the manufacturer’s CEVE Engine and provides a gigantic 3840*2160 resolution. Pricing and details of this device is not available till now.

Amazon Smartphone

The boomy and continuous success of Amazon’s e-reader and tablet divisions opened the path for this retail online giant to come in the cell phone market. Rumors came from the Taiwan Economic News that Amazon gave a deal to Foxconn to manufacture its first ever Smartphone. According to the same report, the device will run on the Android platform and will carry a consumer-friendly price tag. The report also says a second generation Kindle Fire HD tablet is also in the production pipeline.

Apple Bluetooth Watch

Big companies like Microsoft and Sony had unsuccessful attempts at the smart watch market. It’s Apple’s turn now. iPod Nano was the smallest ever device with a screen designed by Apple, and it has a 1.55-inch display and 24-hour battery life. This device doesn’t have video playback, but it became a widely known gadgetwhen third-party companies discovered it could double as a wrist watch. That was when Apple decided to enter into this area. According to reports, we may see an iWatch this year.

Google Touch Chromebooks

First set of notebooks from Google were not well received. After the arrival of Samsung Chromebook, which enchanted the users, it appears like the company is ready to launch its own line of 13-inch touch based machines which will hit the markets in early half of 2013. According to the Commercial Times, around 20 million units are already being put into production process.

Google Glass

The amazing product of Google, Google Glass, a “wearable computing system” got Best Invention of 2012 Awards and people became cognizant of its embellished and increased real world capabilities. Google Glass Project is a program by Google’s R & D team to develop an augmented reality head-mounted display (HMD). This product would display info like Smartphone hands-free and could interact with the Internet via natural language voice commands. Google’s Android is used in the glasses as Operating System. This gadget includes features like video chatting, accessible maps, internet viewing, photo capture and sharing.

source:::::siliconindianet.

From Garage To Global Top Companies Today…

January 19, 2013NatarajanLeave a comment

These are among world biggest business entities which every entrepreneur dreams about. Most of us have an idea that to set up business, venture capitalists, big-money consultants and a beautiful office are must. Here we sum up few companies which started in a small garage and today are among top companies in the world listed by getentrepreneurial.com.

source::::::siliconindia net..

Natarajan

Harley Davidson

It all started when two childhood friends William Harley and Arthur Davidson were fascinated towards a motor bike from a Milwaukee garage. They began to work upon the motor bike but realized that the engine was very much underperforming. They decided to build an engine on their own and that was the historic moment when Harley Davidson invented their first motor bike. Today Harley Davidson is among the best motor bike brand company in the world.

Dell

While attending the University of Texas in 1984, Michael Dell established the company as PCs Limited. The way to the success that Dell now enjoys started with an idea and only $1,000 investment. Initial operations of Dell’s company executed from Dell’s dorm room, until he resolute to leave college to run his company full time basis. In 1985, the company generated the first computer of its own design, and by 1988 had an IPO that treasured the company at nearly $80 million.

Amazon

Amazon.com is at present the largest online book selling company. Jeff Bezos initially commenced the business in his garage. It started with marketing books through internet and skyrocketed as an online corporation that sells a varied list of products such as computers and other electronic items. Though the firm has undergone two legal suits but still continues to rise high and maintain the position to be the “world’s largest bookstore”.

. HP

In 1939, two electrical engineering Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard, graduates from Stanford, established an electronics manufacturing company in a one-car garage in Palo Alto,
With a total investment of $538, the duo founded the Hewlett-Packard Company, famously called HP. They commenced with developing a few electronic devices and later come into the PC market in 1966. Till date, Hewlett Packard is best known not only for its first-rated electronics and distinctive company culture -“The HP Way”, but also for its corporate social accountability in retrieving billions of pounds of electronics, toner and ink cartridges.

Google

On September 7, 1998, a company opened its door in Menlo Park, CA. The door came with a remote control, as it was connected to the garage of a friend who sublet space to the new corporation’s staff of three, which is how Google Inc. was commenced. Today Google is a colloquial term also often used as a common verb in our daily life. Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin moved out of the dorm, officially included the Google name, and ended raising $1 million from a few investors.

For the five months Google worked out of Wojcicki’s garage, Page and Brin exchanged between trifling with their search engine’s now famous algorithm, soaking in the hot tub, and raiding the refrigerator for midnight snacks, a custom that may have stimulated Google’s free-food policy for all its employees.

Apple

Nearly all remember the sight in Forest Gump when he explains that he never has to be troubled about money again because of his investment in the fruit company called “Apple.” This is the scenario with all most all the investors of Apple Inc. Apple commenced in the garage of a young man called Steve Wozniack. Wozniack and his long time friend Steve Jobs were very mush interested to build a computer on their own.

In 1976; both approached a local electronics store to see if they would be interested in buying a personal computer that Wozniack had built. The next very moment they got an order of 50 computers. Though both Wozniack and Steve were out of cash, but then managed to convince few electronic dealers to deal on a credit basis. Apple has established to be the company that creates the industry standard time and time again. The journey from the garage of Steve Wozniack to being ranked 103 on the Fortune 500, Apple persists to grow more and more.

A Dry Bath Gel…Invented By a Student…

January 16, 2013NatarajanLeave a comment

AN invention that could save not only water but also the lives of millions of people who do not have access to clean water for bath ….

Ludwick Marishane was still in high school when he thought of DryBath, a gel that does all the work of a bath without the need for water.

Within six months, the teenager had devised the formula for the gel.

Within a year, he had written up a 40-page business plan, applied for a patent and launched his startup, called Headbody Industries.

The product idea sounds simple: You slap on the germ-killing lotion and then you don’t need to take a bath.

For people with indoor plumbing this sounds like cool camping gear. But for 2.5 billion people worldwide who do not have access to clean water, DryBath is more of a life-saver than a tool of convenience.

The Global Student Entrepreneur Awards Program, an international competition that recognizes high school, undergraduate, and graduate students who own a business, thought so, too. In 2011, four years after Marishane hatched the idea for his ground-breaking product, he won the organization’s Global Student Entrepreneur of the Year award, along with $10,000 in cash to finance his startup.

Marishane, who was studying at the University of Cape Town at the time, beat out 1,600 other student nominees from around the world.

Despite its life-saving benefits, DryBath was initially inspired by Marishane’s friend who was too lazy to take a bath. The story goes that one day Marishane and some buddies were laying out in the sun when a friend turned to him and said: “Why doesn’t someone invent something that you can put on your skin and then you don’t have to bathe?” the young entrepreneur revealed in a TEDTalk.

That’s when the light bulb went off.

Marishane, who at the time lived in the rural province of Limpopo, had limited resources. So he did most of his research on Google and Wikipedia using only his Internet-connected cell phone.

In poor communities, like Marishane’s native Africa, the gel will protect people who often die from easily treatable diseases caused by bacteria that thrive in stagnant water. This water is transferred onto the skin, and get into either the gut (causing diarrhea for example), or into an orifice like the eye (causing trachoma, an eye infection that can cause blindness). In wealthier areas, the gel can be applied in a pinch when someone doesn’t have time to rinse. The cleansing lotion conserves water in both scenarios.

Based on his knowledge from living in poor communities, Marishane made the decision to sell DryBath in individual packets, rather than in bulk. In Africa, a person “doesn’t buy a box of cigarettes, they buy one cigarette each day, even though it’s more expensive,” he explained.

Headboy Industries Inc.

DryBath is sold in individual packets. One packet equals one bath.

DryBath packets sell for 50 cents in developing countries and can be purchased for $1.50 by corporate customers like airlines or hotels. Marishane expects economies of scale to drive down the cost for packets sold in poor communities.

DryBath is not yet available to individual consumers, but will soon be sold online, according to company’s website.

Your Bank in Your Pocket !!!!

January 14, 2013NatarajanLeave a comment

SaiKumar Jayanty in THE HINDU ….

The older generation would recall the monthly visit to the local bank branch, standing in a queue to draw cash and stopping by the manager’s office for a quick chat, perhaps even a cup of coffee. In those unhurried days, banking was almost a part of social life. A customer’s relationship with the local bank had all the elements of friendship — proximity, trust, intimacy and personal rapport. Today, with the explosion in the number of customers and the rapid pace of life, banking products and services are so commoditised that it doesn’t matter where one banks. Besides, customers are smarter and more aware to make decisions without the guidance of bank managers.

Yet, despite achieving near utility status and changing beyond recognition, customers still aspire for those traditional values of the local bank — trust, relationship and personalised service.

In the coming future, my bet is that the mobile phone will be the world’s local bank. That’s because, when it comes to convenience, establishing a cordial, personalised relationship with customers, and understanding the context of a transaction, mobile banking is hard to beat.

CONVENIENCE

Let’s start with convenience. Earlier, convenience meant proximity, a branch that was just a short walk away. However, for modern day customers, convenience means nothing less than ubiquitous banking, available at all times, everywhere. With subscriptions touching six billion, or 86 per cent worldwide penetration (over 70 per cent in India), no device is as pervasive as the mobile phone. Consequently, no channel is as ubiquitous as mobile banking. What’s more, thanks to technologies such as Mobile Remote Deposit Capture and mobile video conferencing, this channel can provide the intimacy of branch banking services.

While traditional local banking was limited to pure banking, the mobile phone can add services such as payment and commerce. Nearly three decades after credit cards revolutionised payments and shopping behaviour, signalling the end of cash and cheques, the mobile phone is poised to do the same, except that this time around, plastic is at the receiving end. Mobile payments and commerce will scale $1 trillion globally in three years, according to an Ovum study.

CORDIALITY

The days of warm hospitality may be behind us, yet, banking can reclaim lost intimacy in other ways. As an instrument that enriches lifestyles and not just banking transactions, the mobile phone is privy to more customer insight than any other banking channel. This window got bigger when Internet-enabled smartphones provided connectivity to social networks. Now, the mobile phone not only provides insights about an individual, but also the social groups the customer belongs to.

Through this information, banks can cultivate a deeply personal understanding of their customers and invest that knowledge to create extremely personalised and relevant products, services and offerings. With the help of analytics, banks can distil information gathered by the mobile channel to not only create offerings targeted to individual needs, but also go a step further to predict future demands and fulfil them proactively. Personalisation is to mobile local banking what cordiality was to its traditional form.

In the days of traditional banking, banks knew little besides what their customers told them. The arrival of solutions such as core banking and CRM (customer relationship management) systems provide bank staff a 360-degree view of customers, including the history of their transactions with the bank, which would serve as a context for the current interaction. What’s more, features such as location tracking or social networking mean that banks are never separated from their customers.

Provided privacy issues are adequately addressed, such a situation is beneficial to banks as well as the customers.

Today, mobile banking is on the innovation agenda of every bank. Banks value the mobile phone for many reasons: it is cost-effective, it helps generate revenue, it has unparalleled reach, and is a rich source of consumer insight. So it is natural that banks look at the cellphone not just as a mainstream channel, but the mainstream channel of the future. But this is like missing the forest for the trees. The mobile phone is not only capable of becoming the most important banking channel, it has every chance of morphing into the local bank of the future.

(The author is lead product manager, Infosys Finacle)

Keywords: Banking, Mobile technology, Internet banking, Neighbourhood branch

Great Ancient Indians…

January 11, 2013NatarajanLeave a comment

ARYABHATT
(476 CE)
MASTER ASTRONOMER AND MATHEMATICIAN

Born in 476 CE in Kusumpur (Bihar), Aryabhatt’s intellectual brilliance remapped the boundaries of mathematics and astronomy. In 499 CE, at the age of 23, he wrote a text on astronomy and an unparallel treatise on mathematics called ‘Aryabhatiyam.’ He formulated the process of calculating the motion of planets and the time of eclipses. Aryabhatt was the first to proclaim that the earth is round, it rotates on its axis, orbits the sun and is suspended in space – 1000 years before Copernicus published his heliocentric theory. He is also acknowledged for calculating p (Pi) to four decimal places: 3.1416 and the sine table in trigonometry. Centuries later, in 825 CE, the Arab mathematician, Mohammed Ibna Musa credited the value of Pi to the Indians, ‘This value has been given by the Hindus.’ And above all, his most spectacular contribution was the concept of zero without which modern computer technology would have been non-existent. Aryabhatt was a colossus in the field of mathematics.

BHASKARACHARYA II
(1114-1183 CE)

GENIUS IN ALGEBRA
Born in the obscure village of Vijjadit (Jalgaon) in Maharastra, Bhaskaracharya’s work in Algebra, Arithmetic and Geometry catapulted him to fame and immortality. His renowned mathematical works called ‘Lilavati’ and ‘Bijaganita’ are considered to be unparalled and a memorial to his profound intelligence. Its translation in several languages of the world bear testimony to its eminence. In his treatise ‘Siddhant Shiromani’ he writes on planetary positions, eclipses, cosmography, mathematical techniques and astronomical equipment. In the ‘Surya Siddhant’ he makes a note on the force of gravity: ‘Objects fall on earth due to a force of attraction by the earth. Therefore, the earth, planets, constellations, moon, and sun are held in orbit due to this attraction.’ Bhaskaracharya was the first to discover gravity, 500 years before Sir Isaac Newton. He was the champion among mathematicians of ancient and medieval India. His works fired the imagination of Persian and European scholars, who through research on his works earned fame and popularity.

ACHARYA KANAD
(600 BCE)

FOUNDER OF ATOMIC THEORY
As the founder of ‘Vaisheshik Darshan’- one of six principal philosophies of India – Acharya Kanad was a genius in philosophy. He is believed to have been born in Prabhas Kshetra near Dwarika in Gujarat. He was the pioneer expounder of realism, law of causation and the atomic theory. He has classified all the objects of creation into nine elements, namely: earth, water, light, wind, ether, time, space, mind and soul. He says, ‘Every object of creation is made of atoms which in turn connect with each other to form molecules.’ His statement ushered in the Atomic Theory for the first time ever in the world, nearly 2500 years before John Dalton. Kanad has also described the dimension and motion of atoms and their chemical reactions with each other. The eminent historian, T.N. Colebrook, has said, ‘Compared to the scientists of Europe, Kanad and other Indian scientists were the global masters of this field.’

NAGARJUNA
(100 CE)

WIZARD OF CHEMICAL SCIENCE
He was an extraordinary wizard of science born in the nondescript village of Baluka in Madhya Pradesh. His dedicated research for twelve years produced maiden discoveries and inventions in the faculties of chemistry and metallurgy. Textual masterpieces like ‘Ras Ratnakar,’ ‘Rashrudaya’ and ‘Rasendramangal’ are his renowned contributions to the science of chemistry. Where the medieval alchemists of England failed, Nagarjuna had discovered the alchemy of transmuting base metals into gold. As the author of medical books like ‘Arogyamanjari’ and ‘Yogasar,’ he also made significant contributions to the field of curative medicine. Because of his profound scholarliness and versatile knowledge, he was appointed as Chancellor of the famous University of Nalanda. Nagarjuna’s milestone discoveries impress and astonish the scientists of today.

ACHARYA CHARAK
(600 BCE)

FATHER OF MEDICINE
Acharya Charak has been crowned as the Father of Medicine. His renowned work, the ‘Charak Samhita’, is considered as an encyclopedia of Ayurveda. His principles, diagoneses, and cures retain their potency and truth even after a couple of millennia. When the science of anatomy was confused with different theories in Europe, Acharya Charak revealed through his innate genius and enquiries the facts on human anatomy, embryology, pharmacology, blood circulation and diseases like diabetes, tuberculosis, heart disease, etc. In the ‘Charak Samhita’ he has described the medicinal qualities and functions of 100,000 herbal plants. He has emphasized the influence of diet and activity on mind and body. He has proved the correlation of spirituality and physical health contributed greatly to diagnostic and curative sciences. He has also prescribed and ethical charter for medical practitioners two centuries prior to the Hippocratic oath. Through his genius and intuition, Acharya Charak made landmark contributions to Ayurvedal. He forever remains etched in the annals of history as one of the greatest and noblest of rishi-scientists.

ACHARYA SUSHRUT
(600 BCE)

FATHER OF PLASTIC SURGERY
A genius who has been glowingly recognized in the annals of medical science. Born to sage Vishwamitra, Acharya Sudhrut details the first ever surgery procedures in ‘Sushrut Samhita,’ a unique encyclopedia of surgery. He is venerated as the father of plastic surgery and the science of anesthesia. When surgery was in its infancy in Europe, Sushrut was performing Rhinoplasty (restoration of a damaged nose) and other challenging operations. In the ‘Sushrut Samhita,’ he prescribes treatment for twelve types of fractures and six types of dislocations. His details on human embryology are simply amazing. Sushrut used 125 types of surgical instruments including scalpels, lancets, needles, Cathers and rectal speculums; mostly designed from the jaws of animals and birds. He has also described a number of stitching methods; the use of horse’s hair as thread and fibers of bark. In the ‘Sushrut Samhita,’ and fibers of bark. In the ‘Sushrut Samhita,’ he details 300 types of operations. The ancient Indians were the pioneers in amputation, caesarian and cranial surgeries. Acharya Sushrut was a giant in the arena of medical science.

VARAHAMIHIR
(499-587 CE)

EMINENT ASTROLOGER AND ASTRONOMERA
renowned astrologer and astronomer who was honored with a special decoration and status as one of the nine gems in the court of King Vikramaditya in Avanti (Ujjain). Varahamihir’s book ‘panchsiddhant’ holds a prominent place in the realm of astronomy. He notes that the moon and planets are lustrous not because of their own light but due to sunlight. In the ‘Bruhad Samhita’ and ‘Bruhad Jatak,’ he has revealed his discoveries in the domains of geography, constellation, science, botany and animal science. In his treatise on botanical science, Varamihir presents cures for various diseases afflicting plants and trees. The rishi-scientist survives through his unique contributions to the science of astrology and astronomy.

ACHARYA PATANJALI
(200 BCE)

FATHER OF YOGA
The Science of Yoga is one of several unique contributions of India to the world. It seeks to discover and realize the ultimate Reality through yogic practices. Acharya Patanjali, the founder, hailed from the district of Gonda (Ganara) in Uttar Pradesh. He prescribed the control of prana (life breath) as the means to control the body, mind and soul. This subsequently rewards one with good health and inner happiness. Acharya Patanjali’s 84 yogic postures effectively enhance the efficiency of the respiratory, circulatory, nervous, digestive and endocrine systems and many other organs of the body. Yoga has eight limbs where Acharya Patanjali shows the attainment of the ultimate bliss of God in samadhi through the disciplines of: yam, niyam, asan, pranayam, pratyahar, dhyan and dharna. The Science of Yoga has gained popularity because of its scientific approach and benefits. Yoga also holds the honored place as one of six philosophies in the Indian philosophical system. Acharya Patanjali will forever be remembered and revered as a pioneer in the science of self-discipline, happiness and self-realization.

ACHARYA BHARADWAJ
(800 BCE)

PIONEER OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY
Acharya Bharadwaj had a hermitage in the holy city of Prayag and was an ordent apostle of Ayurveda and mechanical sciences. He authored the ‘Yantra Sarvasva’ which includes astonishing and outstanding discoveries in aviation science, space science and flying machines. He has described three categories of flying machines: 1.) One that flies on earth from one place to another. 2.) One that travels from one planet to another. 3.) And One that travels from one universe to another. His designs and descriptions have impressed and amazed aviation engineers of today. His brilliance in aviation technology is further reflected through techniques described by him:
1.) Profound Secret: The technique to make a flying machine invisible through the application of sunlight and wind force.
2.) Living Secret: The technique to make an invisible space machine visible through the application of electrical force.
3.) Secret of Eavesdropping: The technique to listen to a conversation in another plane.
4.) Visual Secrets: The technique to see what’s happening inside another plane.
Through his innovative and brilliant discoveries, Acharya Bharadwaj has been recognized as the pioneer of aviation technology.

ACHARYA KAPIL
(3000 BCE)

FATHER OF COSMOLOGY
Celebrated as the founder of Sankhya philosophy, Acharya Kapil is believed to have been born in 3000 BCE to the illustrious sage Kardam and Devhuti. He gifted the world with the Sankhya School of Thought. His pioneering work threw light on the nature and principles of the ultimate Soul (Purusha), primal matter (Prakruti) and creation. His concept of transformation of energy and profound commentaries on atma, non-atma and the subtle elements of the cosmos places him in an elite class of master achievers – incomparable to the discoveries of other cosmologists. On his assertion that Prakruti, with the inspiration of Purusha, is the mother of cosmic creation and all energies, he contributed a new chapter in the science of cosmology. Because of his extrasensory observations and revelations on the secrets of creation, he is recognized and saluted as the Father of Cosmology.

source:::::input from a friend of mine…
Natarajan