cheerful attitude – Page 48 – Take off with Natarajan

” When You Smile to the World, The World Smiles Back…” !!!

August 14, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

We all laugh, and because of so many different things – some of us like subtle humor, others prefer crude jokes, visual humor, mishaps and other types of humor. Laughter is not just a human thing, some primates also laugh (and probably at our expense). Babies laugh an average 300-400 times a day and adults laugh about 15-20 times a day. Laughing has been proven to be beneficial to our health, both physical and mental, but is it also contagious? Watch what happens when this man starts laughing for no reason at all! Try not to laugh as well…

When you smile to the world, the world smiles back’
Laughing Buddha

“Piece of Advice and Tips for a Better Life From a Grandma ….”Choose Happiness , Not Wealth…

August 14, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

1. Accept things with love and understanding

No matter where you are, or what you’re doing, always believe that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Never expect, assume, or demand. Do the best you can to control your circumstances, and learn to accept that you can’t always control everything. Once you’ve done all that is in your power, if it’s meant to happen – it will.

2. Life CAN be simple

Even though you often feel like life is too complicated, it can always be simple. All you need to do is focus on one thing at a time. You don’t have to do it all, and you don’t have to do it right now. Be present, be active, do the best that you can. Whatever you put into life – life will hand you back, with interest.

3. Don’t change for other people

Make people accept you the way you are, or don’t accept you at all. Always say what you really think, even if it’s not the popular opinion. When you’re true to yourself, you add beauty to the world – beauty that was missing. You should stay in line, just make sure it’s YOUR line.

4. You’re not who you were – and that’s okay

You’ve been through a lot in life. You’ve studied, been hurt, and changed. Every day we learn something new which changes us in some way or another. Sometimes we realize we’re not who we used to be, but that’s perfectly normal. Everybody changes. In your life, people will point out the changes, and all you need to do is tell them “Of course I’ve changed, and so have you. Everybody changes.”

5. Everything that happens is for the best

Be it significant or otherwise, joyous or sad, anything that happens will end up being in your favor. Everything that happens to us builds us and helps us grow. Life will take you places, show you things, heal you and make you into a better person. Don’t be afraid to try or even to fail, in the end, everything is just a small part of life’s larger plan to turn you into whom you’re supposed to be.

6. Choose happiness, not wealth

Many people live their lives believing that money will make them happy, but the pursuit of wealth is devoid of meaning. Every choice you make, be sure to consider your happiness, not your bank account. In this way, when you’ve reached old age, you’ll know the true value of things, not their monetary value. In the end, you’ll understand that the best things in life are things that money can’t buy – love and friendship.

7. Decide to be positive

One of the most important things you should understand about life is that if you’re not happy, it is not the circumstances that are to blame, but your decision to be unhappy. Every time life places obstacles in your path, give life a big grin, accept the obstacle’s existence and overcome it with joy. Make the decision to be happy, stand by your decisions and do whatever is in your power to keep them. This is the true secret to happiness.

8. Give the people you love your full attention

We can get used to being surrounded by loved ones and start taking them for granted. When you ask someone close to you how they are, don’t accept an “okay”, look into their eyes and ask them about their day, and how they feel. If you feel that you only have friends that remember you when they need something, don’t worry, be happy that you’re a source of light and hope for them.

9. Learn to set a loved one free

At times, we need to set a loved one free to allow them to grow and evolve. Every little sprout must leave the greenhouse and be planted in a larger pot to grow to its full size and bloom. It is not what you do for your loved ones that will help them grow, but rather what you taught them and how they use that knowledge.

10. Sometimes, you need to leave people behind

Sadly, not all our friends help us become better people. In some cases, friends can keep us stunted, not out of malice, but because they want to keep you down at their level. Learn to tell when this happens and stick only to friends that help you grow, lift you up, and inspire you to be who you really are.

11. Some things you only understand when you’re older

In the end, people will judge you according to your actions, that’s why instead of trying to impress and please everyone, follow your heart and do what you want to do, without fear. Remember that it’s better to remember something and say “I can’t believe I did it!” rather than “I wish I did it…”

12. Stop looking for a happy ending

We humans tend to search for some happy ending in whatever happens to us. We want a sense of closure and completion, but sometimes it’s simply not how life is. If you feel like you’ve been searching for that happy ending for too long, you may need to, instead, search for a new beginning. Never be afraid to leave everything and start anew, you still have time, no matter what your age may be. Aspire to make the most out of whatever time you have on this planet.

Source….www.ba-bamail.com

Natarajan

” My Dream is to Fly the 747 Oneday…” Says Capt. Indu Nair…

August 14, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

In our Special Independence Day series, Rediff.com looks at India through the lives of her people.

Today: Captain Indu Nair, who joined a private airline after her tenure as a pilot in the Indian Air Force ended five years ago. From the second batch of women pilots in the IAF, she flew during the Kargil conflict.

As a commercial airline pilot, one of her best experiences, she says, is taking off with an all woman crew!

It is no longer unusual for passengers to have a lady pilot fly them to their destinations. I have been a pilot for 20 years and it has been a lovely journey. My dream, however, is to fly the Boeing 747!

India has many women pilots now. There are days when both the pilots in the cockpit and the cabin crew — are all women. It is a superb feeling to have an all women crew.

I served the Indian Air Force as a pilot for 15 years and became a commercial pilot when my career ended since I was on a short service commission.

There was a time in school I wanted to be an air hostess, but my sister superior counseled me against it. I then started looking at the civil services but was always fascinated by the uniform and that’s how I joined the IAF.

I was among the earliest batch of women officers. A male bastion till then, I think it took longer for the male officers to adapt to us that us to them.

At the time of the Kargil conflict, two of us women officers were called by our senior officer and told that while the male officers would fly for the Kargil operation, the two of us would be assigned ground duties.

We came out of his office and went back in again to tell him that we are trained pilots like the men and we can do the same. We were told that it would be hard, we would have to sleep in the airplane, use common toilets as the men and be in difficult terrain. We told him we were ready and we were giving flying duties during the Kargil conflict.

We flew in ammunition and supplies; on the way back we carried the bodies of our martyred soldiers.

Ferrying the bodies of young men who had died defending our country was one of the toughest things I have done.

It was tragic. It left me numb.

Indu Nair was from the second batch of lady pilots to join the Indian Air Force. Photograph: Kind courtesy, Indu Nair.

When I was in the Indian Air Force, I flew the AN-32 — a rugged but forgiving Russian aircraft. You needed physical strength to operate the AN-32.

I now fly the ATR, a delicate machine.

Before a take-off, I take a walk about of the airplane and do the external checks. I often pat my aircraft and in my mind tell her to take us to our destination safely.

Safety is of paramount importance. As captain of the aircraft, I am responsible for the safety of the passengers and the aircraft.

I have seen sunrise and sunset, up in the sky, from the windows of my cockpit. I was telling my copilot just the other day how privileged we are to see nature in all its glory.

We have also seen how fickle nature can be, and how bad weather disrupts flying schedules. In all these years of flying, I have realised that a pilot has to respect the weather and follow the flying manual to a T.

I remember once on a flight, passengers got into an argument with the cabin crew when the flight was diverted because of poor visibility. They kept saying that if they can see the air strip from the window, why couldn’t the pilot!

When we landed at the airport we were diverted to, the first officer and me as the captain, had to explain to the irate passengers that if the air traffic control tells us that we cannot land, we just cannot!

An AN-32, the Russian-made aircraft she flew in the IAF. Photograph: Kind courtesy, Indu Nair.

My usual schedule is 6 days of flying, followed by two days of rest.

I have to report at the dispatch room at the airport before the flight. We get written regulations; a medical and breath analyser test is done.

In the cockpit, I am in charge as the captain. The first officer and me discuss the flight, make the necessary announcements and steer the aircraft to the destination.

After a flight, we complete the necessary paperwork, go back to the dispatch room and then leave for home.

What I sometimes miss is having a regular 9 to 5 schedule, but such is the nature of my profession that this is not possible.

IMAGE: Her last sortie as a wing commander in the IAF. Photograph: Kind courtesy Indu Nair.

My children are used to seeing mummy as a pilot and my older child is showing some interest in following in my footsteps. Once I am home, I cook, spend time with the family and get early to bed. On my days off, I catch up on household affairs — I like going and buying vegetables.

My husband laughs that I am better in the cockpit than in the driving seat of a car — but driving on city roads is no longer a pleasant experience.

The thing that I don’t enjoy too much about being away as a pilot is eating hotel food over days. How much airline and hotel food can you eat, after all!

So often, passengers on my regular routes have told me that once they hear I am in the cockpit, they know it would be smooth landing.

Women pilots are not an unusual sight and people, especially, girls look at us with pride.

More and more women every year are taking the commerical pilot’s license. And over the year, women have proved to be efficient pilots. It is there for everyone to see.

Out of 5,100 pilots in India, 600 are women, according to the ministry of civil aviation.

A pilot with Jet Airways for the last five years, Captain Indu Nair will join another domestic airline next week. She lives in Mumbai with her husband, a former Indian Air Force officer, and two daughters.

She spoke to Archana Masih/Rediff.com

Source….www.rediff.com

natarajan

Joke of the Day…A Trip to Rome…!!!

August 13, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

A man walked in to a Barber Shop for his regular haircut. As he snips away, the barber asks “What’s up?”

The man proceeds to explain he’s taking a vacation to Rome. “ROME?!” says the barber, “Why would you want to go there? It’s a crowded dirty city full of mafiosos! You’d be crazy to go to Rome! So how ya getting there?” “We’re taking TWA” the man replies.

“TWA?!” yells the barber. “They’re a terrible airline. Their planes are old, their flight attendants are ugly and they’re always late! So where you staying in Rome?” The man says “We’ll be at the downtown International Marriot.” “That DUMP?!” says the barber. “That’s the worst hotel in the city! The rooms are small, the service is surly and slow and they’re overpriced! So whatcha doing when you get there?” The man says “We’re going to go see the Vatican and hope to see the Pope.”

“HA! That’s rich!” laughs the barber. “You and a million other people trying to see him. He’ll look the size of an ant. Boy, good luck on THIS trip. You’re going to need it!”

A month later, the man comes in for his regular haircut.

The barber says, “Well, how did that trip to Rome turn out? Bet TWA gave you the worst flight of your life!” “No, quite the opposite” explained the man. “Not only were we on time in one of their brand new planes, but it was full and they bumped us up to first class. The food and wine were wonderful, and I had a beautiful 28 year old flight attendent who waited on me hand and foot!”

“Hmmm,” says the barber , “Well, I bet the hotel was just like I described.”

“No, quite the opposite! They just finished a $25 million remodeling. Its the finest hotel in Rome, now. They were overbooked, so they apologized and gave us the Presidential suite for no extra charge!”

“Well,” the barber mumbles, “I KNOW you didn’t get to see the Pope!”

Actually, we were quite lucky. As we toured the Vatican, a Swiss guard tapped me on the shoulder and explained the Pope likes to personally meet some of the visitors, and if I’d be so kind as to step into this private room and wait, the Pope would personally greet me. Sure enough, after 5 minutes the Pope walked through the door and shook my hand. I knelt down as he spoke a few words to me.”

Impressed, the barber pleads, “Tell me, please! What did he say?”

“He just said: Where did you get that awfulhaircut?‘”

Source….www.ba-bamail.com

Natarajan

The Weekend Agriculturist… Meet Harish Srinivasan and his friends…

August 13, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Tired of weekend parties, discotheques and pubs? Have aimless visits to the mall and the latest movies lost their charm?

Are you looking for something more meaningful? Something fun and challenging as well?

Then this weekend, join Harish Srinivasan and his friends at a farm near Chennai.

Like thousands of youngsters in the city, Harish has a regular job during weekdays.

But his weekends are anything but regular.

This 29-year-old is the founder of The Weekend Agriculturist, an informal group of enthusiastic youngsters, who offer free labour to small and marginal farmers on weekends.

“My plan is simple: offer free labour to the farmers, who cannot afford to hire help.

“I started a Facebook page outlining my mission and vision for the group. That was about three years ago. Today our group has nearly 5000 volunteers from all walks of life — IT professionals, doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs, social activists and students,” says Harish.

J Satish Kumar, SEO Associate, CoreLead Interactive, Chennai, is part of the core group of volunteers.

“We may have been born and brought up in the city, but agriculture is in our genes,” he points out.

“Go back a few generations and most of us will find that our ancestors were farmers. All of us have a deep connection with the land and we probably just need to be reminded about it.”

Satish was invited to an event organised by The Weekend Agriculturist (TWA) 18 months ago “and since then I have been completely hooked.”

The teams assist with everything from preparing the soil, planting the seed, transplanting, weeding and harvesting.

“Whatever help they require, we provide. In the process, we learn so much. There is nothing like first-hand experience to understand the problems that plague our farmers,” Satish says.

For founder Harish Srinivasan it all started after reading MoondramUlagaPor (Third World War), a novel by Tamil poet and lyricist Vairamuthu.

“Though I have no agricultural background, the plight of our farmers has always moved me. But it was only after reading MoondramUlagaPor that I was actually jolted into doing something.

“The book described in painful detail the untold sufferings of our farmers. I knew that I had to do something.

“Blaming the politicians and debating endlessly about who is responsible, while we go about our lives in the city, content with buying our food from the supermarket, was not going to solve the problem,” says the 29-year-old who is senior consultant at Virtusa India Pvt Ltd in Chennai.

“It is ironic that farmers, who provide our food, have to go hungry,” Harish points out. “Isn’t it a national shame that they believe their only solution is suicide?

“Farmers, who for generations have depended on agriculture for their survival, today encourage their children to find other employment.

“How much longer are we going to wait? No superhero is going to come save them.”

Harish acknowledges that it was not easy to convince farmers that they were serious.

But persistence and sincerity paid off.

“We convinced some of the big, more educated farmers, who took us in and taught us some of the basics. We went back week after week until they realised that we really had their best interests at heart.”

They spend their own money for travel and usually spend the night in open terraces, schools or small hostels.

The core group of volunteers is between the ages of 20-30, but there are older volunteers and some bring their families as well.

T R Sarathy, 45, lives in the small village of Alathur, in Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu. He belongs to a family of farmers. Six years ago, he gave up farming and ventured into brick making, which, he says, is much more profitable.

“Until about six years ago, farming was all we knew. For generations our family survived growing seasonal crops, but it was becoming harder every year.

“When a few villagers ventured into brick making, I too gave up farming,” says Sarathy who is a huge support to Harish and his team. He scouts the nearby farms to find out who needs help.

He says most of the farmers have small farms and cannot afford the Rs 250-300 that the labourers demand.

They grow rice, vegetable and also some flowers like roses and kanakambaram (an orange flower that women put on their hair).

Harish lets him know in advance when the group will be coming. He identifies the farmers who need help most.

They groups are of 10-20 and they work for two days from 6:30 in the morning to about 4 in the evening, doing whatever needs to be done.

“I was forced to give up farming, but today I am happy that at least I am helping my brothers survive,” Sarathy says.

Prachi Ghatwal, 25, from Goa, a mobile app developer at Creative Capsule India Pvt Limited was an active part of TWA before she went back to her hometown.

“When I was in Chennai, I used to travel with the other volunteers to the farms. Most of the farms are family owned and can barely afford any extra manpower. They are grateful for any kind of help and it is hugely satisfying seeing your work make some difference to their lives.”

She now helps with registrations and provides some technical support. “We are working on a mobile app that will facilitate better and easy registration of volunteers for the various events planned by TWA,” she says.

The group not only offers free services, they also bring in consultants, who offer expert advice and provide solutions based on the individual needs of each farmer.

The consultants educate the farmer on how to improve the quality and yield of crops. They work on sustainability and increasing growth and profitability.

They are also trying to make them adopt the traditional, healthier practices of farming.

“Our work is not over with just the weekend; we are constantly exploring new avenues to help the farmers,” says Satish.

“For the last 30-40 years, our farmers have relied on chemical fertilisers and pesticides to boost crop production without understanding its long-term effects. Most of the food on our table today is loaded with toxins.

“We are teaching the farmers the benefits of going organic, but it is not an easy task. A few have agreed to go organic on a small patch of their land.”

Volunteers are also taught how to grow their own organic vegetables.

“Vegetables like brinjal, chilly, or tomatoes can be grown very easily. I myself harvest about three or four kilos of brinjal every month in my garden. Growing your own food is a totally exhilarating experience,” Satish claims.

The volunteers are encouraged to buy produce from the farmers.

“These poor farmers sell their produce to middlemen, who buy for as low as Rs 5-6 per kg and sell for Rs 40-50 in the city. We are currently working to get corporates interested in building a direct link between the farmers and consumers, to help farmers get a better rate for their produce,” says Harish.

TWA has been in operation for three years and Harish is happy with the results.

“Today, we are appreciated for our work. Occasionally youngsters from Coonoor, Erode and Bangalore join us. There are plans to encourage such groups in other cities too.”

He says farmers too are encouraged at getting the help. “Our desire to help them is a huge motivation for them. They are happy to know that somebody cares.”

Source….Saraswathi in http://www.rediff.com

Natarajan

” With Rs 20 lakh, he built a Rs 350-cr business”….Meet Md. Gyasuddin….

August 12, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

‘I found my motivation in the fast emerging mobile market.’

‘Nokia’s biggest mistake lay in its stubbornness to change.’

‘It’s important to understand the pulse of the people.’

“To succeed in life, you need to be a dreamer and need to follow that dream with passion, hard work and dedication,” said Md Gyasuddin, managing director of Hitech Mobiles.

He observed this simple rule of life and today he is the owner of Rs 350-crore (Rs 3.5-billion) business.

Starting with a capital of Rs 20 lakh (Rs 2 million), it has been a long journey for him.

“At times, it seemed I was being unreasonable and foolish but never gave up,” he said.

After graduation, Gyasuddin started a small mobile import unit in Kolkata in 2002.

But he had a wider vision — that of creating a mobile brand of his own.

After tutoring himself on the intricate details of the trade, Gyasuddin set up his own company — Hitech Mobiles in 2008.

Over the years, the company grew steadily and is now selling almost 2 million mobile handsets a year.

It is ranked 8th among the Indian handset makers.

Recently, the company set up its assembling unit in at Merrill Logistics Park in Sankrail, Howrah.

In a candid conversation with Indrani Roy/Rediff.com, Gyasuddin talked about how he built his company, what plans he has for it, the new assembling unit among other things.

What led to the idea of launching a new brand?

From an early age, I was fascinated by mobile phones and always wanted to deal in them.

After graduation, there was tremendous pressure on me to start earning. I came from a lower-middle-class family and my father was a government employee.

There was a crunch of cash all the time. But I was unwilling to take up any ordinary job that came my way and wanted to start a business.

I wanted to import mobile handsets. As a student, I had saved some money and with that took a short trip to Hong Kong to understand the nuances of mobile handsets’ business.

On my return, I started an import unit in Kolkata in 2002. I used to import handsets made by Nokia, Samsung etc and would sell them in the local market.

What was your motivation?

I found my motivation in the fast-emerging mobile market.

Though I was only out of college I knew that the mobile market had huge opportunities and it would soon undergo a thorough transformation.

I thought if I ventured into this market now, I could build a secure future.

The road must have been tough for you. What difficulties did you face in setting up this business?

Most difficult part of my journey was accumulating funds for the business. I took loan from the bank and also from friends and relatives for starting the import unit.

With an initial capital of Rs 20 lakh (Rs 2 million), I started building the mobile import unit.

The next hurdle was manpower. It was extremely difficult to get skilled workers to run the import unit. Unable to gather enough expert hands to run the business, I hired some freshers and took the responsibility of training them myself. My import unit started giving me good returns from 2004.

This is when I started dreaming of launching a mobile brand. My dreams bore fruit in 2008. Starting with a single unit in Kolkata, Hitech now has 20 branch offices all over India — it’s a wonderful feeling!

There are so many mobile brands, foreign and Indian, in the market. Why do you think people buy Hitech? What is its unique selling proposition?

We have consciously tried to keep prices of our mobile handsets within affordable limits. The price ranges between Rs 2,000 and Rs 8,000. Recently, we launched a mobile handset that costs Rs 599 only. We are sure it will be a major hit among the first-time buyers.

Also, we take pride in our highly professional after-sales service units, numbering 350, spread across India. We believe in our customers’ brand loyalty and ensure that they never get a chance to complain.

Which countries do you export your products to at present?

We mainly export our products to Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan at the moment. But we do plan to reach out to other countries soon.

Who is your target group?

Mobiles that we make are meant for younger generation between 18 and 30 years of age. Our mobiles are meant for those who want maximum features at minimum prices. We cater mainly to those who have been initiated on to the world of smart phones.

Hitech is ranked 8th among Indian mobile handset makers. How do you plan to beat your competitors?

As I said before, no other mobile handset maker but us can offer so many features at such affordable prices. Besides, our research and development team is constantly experimenting with new ideas to make our products unique.

At present, 30-40 per cent of our revenue is accrued from the sales of smartphones and the rest from the sales of conventional handsets. I hope it will take us a few more years to reverse the trend.

During a media interaction you had said that you learnt a lot from what happened to Nokia. Could you please elaborate?

I think Nokia’s biggest mistake lay in its stubbornness to change. Nokia never took its competitors seriously and it stuck to its Symbian operating system. But as India moved on to smart phones with the advent of 3G, people opted for Android, which was the cheaper option.

Samsung and Google grabbed this opportunity and soon Nokia found itself getting irrelevant. We saw in Nokia’s case a great business lesson.

Hence, we have vowed to ourselves to keep surveying the market and keep adapting ourselves to the changing needs of time.

Why did you venture into accessories’ production?

Soon after launching Hitech, we discovered that the modern market was crazy about mobile accessories. A new product was hitting the stores almost on a daily basis. We also noticed that the prices of these accessories were too high.

Hence, we thought of manufacturing accessories that will be user-friendly as well as affordable. Over the last few years, Hitech’s accessories have been a major hit. In fact, our accessories’ sales alone have added as much as Rs 150 crore (Rs 1.5 billion) to the revenues.

Tell us about your new assembling unit in Howrah.

The main motto of Hitech is to produce multi-featured mobiles at reasonable prices. The assembling unit will work towards this end. This 24,000-square foot unit set up at a cost of Rs 15-20 crore (Rs 150-200 million) will employ more than 200 people. The unit will house 11 machines, 4 assembly lines, one quality testing line and one packaging line.

We are collaborating with our Chinese partners, Shenzhen Yiheyuan Technology Company Limited, for mobiles and Shenzhen Hi-Tech Electronic Industrial Co. Ltd for accessories.

In tune with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ theme, we intend to make high quality handsets that will be smart enough to compete with any of the global brands.

It’s often said that West Bengal has a very poor industrial prospects. Even then, why did you choose this state to set up your assembling unit?

I think it’s unfair to be negative about anything without trying out all the possibilities. Since I am born and brought up in this city, I have always felt I should give something back to Kolkata. Besides, starting a business in Kolkata or in any part of Bengal has its advantages. Here labour comes cheap and as there are not many factories, there is less competition.

Hitech does brisk business in mostly non-metro cities. Have you intentionally avoided expanding your business in the metros? If so why?

Business response from non-metros so far has been enormous. In fact, these are the places where we get maximum number of buyers.

However, we do have plans for expanding in the metros. We are waiting for the goods and services tax to be implemented.

For, it will be a lot easier for us to chalk out an expansion plan when we have a unified tax regime.

What are your plans for expansion?

Talks are on to start business in Sri Lanka and some African countries. Our sales and marketing teams are very dynamic and they are constantly exploring opportunities so that our business can grow.

Having tasted such amazing success, what would be your message to budding entrepreneurs?

There are three pillars of success — hard work, honesty and perseverance.

Moreover, it’s important to understand the pulse of the people. One should always be aware of the market demand. If one sees a spark somewhere, one must stoke it.

An opportunity does not always come knocking. One often needs to convert a feeble chance into a huge opportunity.

Indrani Roy / Rediff.com in Kolkata Photographs courtesy: Hitech Mobiles

source….www.rediff.com

NatarajanWith Rs 20 lakh, he built a Rs 350-cr business

Image of the Day…” Good Morning from ISS…”

August 12, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly), currently on a year-long mission on the International Space Station, took this photograph of a sunrise and posted it to social media on Aug. 10, 2015. Kelly wrote, “#GoodMorning to those in the western #USA. Looks like there’s a lot going on down there. #YearInSpace”

The space station and its crew orbit Earth from an altitude of 220 miles, traveling at a speed of approximately 17,500 miles per hour. Because the station completes each trip around the globe in about 92 minutes, the crew experiences 16 sunrises and sunsets each day.

Image Credit: NASA

Source….www.nasa.gov

Natarajan

Sundar Pichai and the world of Indian CEOs….

August 11, 2015August 11, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

It is not every day that one of the world’s largest technology companies announces a new CEO.

So when Google announced that Sundar Pichai was taking the reins on Monday, his promotion gained thousands of column inches worldwide – not least of all in his native India. The Hindu newspaper called the news “a bonus for people of Indian-origin world over“. The Times of India hailed the “quiet yet thoughtful” man from Chennai (Madras). But his ascent is far from unique. In fact, it is becoming ever more common for major international companies to have an Indian-born CEO. One study, by the University of Southern New Hampshire, says that Indian managers are more successful because of “a paradoxical blend of genuine personal humility and intense professional will”. Whatever the model is, it seems to be working. Mr Pichai is the latest, and the most high-profile, Indian-born CEO. You can read more about him here – but here are five more Indian-born CEOs who are making waves.

Satya Nadella – Microsoft

Mr Nadella, 47, who was named the head of Microsoft in February last year, was one of the first to tweet his congratulations to Mr Pichai on Monday. On his first day in the job, the father-of-three sent an email to all staff, calling it “a very humbling day for me“. “I am… defined by my curiosity and thirst for learning,” he told staff. “I buy more books than I can finish. I sign up for more online courses than I can complete. “I fundamentally believe that if you are not learning new things, you stop doing great and useful things.” Born in Hyderabad, he joined the company in 1992 and was previously in charge of Microsoft’s Cloud OS service, which powers products such as Bing, Skype and Xbox Live. Microsoft’s man at the top

Ajay Banga – Mastercard

After working for Nestle, then PepsiCo, Mr Banga – who is from Pune – took over as CEO of the credit card company in July 2010. He began his career with Nestle in 1981. In a speech in April to his alma mater, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), he outlined what he called the “grand plan” he had at the start of his career. “Get with somebody good. Get with somebody global. Do something that interested me. That’s it. So, don’t stress if you haven’t got a detailed plan for your life. Anyone can have a good idea or plan; what makes it great is execution.” He also outlined six main lessons for good leadership:

a sense of urgency
a sense of balance
the courage to take thoughtful risks
be competitively paranoid
develop a global view
do well and do good

Indira Nooyi – PepsiCo

Named the third most powerful woman in business by Fortune magazine last year, Ms Nooyi was, like Sundar Pichai, born in Chennai. She was named CEO of PepsiCo in 2006, having joined the company in 1994. The company she presides over is a food and drinks giant: some of the brands owned by PepsiCo include Starbucks, Muller, Frito-Lay and Tropicana. The company says 22 of its brands are each worth more than $1bn (£640m). “In my case, I benefited because I grew up outside of the United States,” Ms Nooyi said in an interview in March. “I understand exactly how the world works, and I could see the world through the eyes of people from outside the United States.”

Ivan Menezes – Diageo

Mr Menezes, from Pune, is another IIM graduate. He took over as head of the British drinks giant Diageo in July 2013. Like Ajay Banga, he began his career with Nestle in 1981. Among the brands the company owns are Guinness, Johnnie Walker whisky, Smirnoff vodka and Captain Morgan rum. One of his biggest moves as CEO was to buy a majority stake in India’s United Spirits company, though that deal has since provided Diageo with a number of headaches.

Shantanu Narayen – Adobe Systems

Mr Narayen, from Hyderabad, has run the software firm since December 2007. He began his career with Apple. “There’s an Indian community that’s vibrant and thriving,” he said of Silicon Valley in an interview in February. “We attribute a lot of that to the importance of education that we all grew up with.” In the interview, he said Hyderabad’s schools – modelled on the British public school system – helped his progression, as did having a foreigner’s appreciation of the opportunity the US had given him. Source…www.bbc.com Natarajan

” The Rise and Rise of Sundar Pichai….”

August 11, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Pichai Sundararajan aka Sundar Pichai. Photo: Kamal Narang The Hindu

“Super excited about his progress and dedication to the company,” says Google co-founder Larry Page.

Google’s announcement on Monday that it would be subsumed within a new parent company called Alphabet had a bonus for people of Indian-origin world over: the company’s head of Products and Engineering, Chennai-born Pichai Sundararajan, was anointed the CEO of the new, “slimmed down” Google.

Underscoring his confidence in the man known as Sundar Pichai (43), Google boss Larry Page said of the restructuring in the company he co-founded with Sergey Brin, “A key part of this is Sundar Pichai.”

Mr. Pichai, who is a graduate of IIT Kharagpur and Stanford University, had “really stepped up since October of last year, when he took on product and engineering responsibility for our Internet businesses,” Mr. Page said in a blog post, adding that he and Mr. Brin were “super excited about his progress and dedication to the company.”

They may well have reason to feel fortunate that Mr. Pichai is the man to head their $66-billion revenue, $16-billion profit, company– by most accounts he combines a deep passion for engineering excellence with a rare managerial quality of attracting the best talent into the teams he works with.

Mr. Pichai started at Google in 2004, where he was known as a “low-key manager” who worked on the Google toolbar and then led the launch of the market-beating Chrome browser in 2008.

Following this his rise through the ranks of Google took on an increasingly meteoric tenor, and soon he became Vice President, then Senior Vice President, and ultimately was charged with supervising all Google apps including Gmail and Google Drive and finally given control of Android itself.

His promotion to Product Chief in October 2014 literally made him Mr. Page’s second-in-command with oversight of day-to-day operations for all of Google’s major products including maps, search, and advertising.

Some of Mr. Pichai’s colleagues describe him in the media as a skilled diplomat, including Caesar Sengupta, a Google Vice President who has worked with Mr. Pichai for eight years, and said to Bloomberg News, “I would challenge you to find anyone at Google who doesn’t like Sundar or who thinks Sundar is a jerk.”

Nowhere was Mr. Pichai’s easy blending of techno-diplomatic competence evident than in early 2014, when the fracas between Samsung and Google was reaching fever pitch, at the time over Samsung’s Magazine UX interface for its tablets, which Google felt may have been deliberately underselling Google services such as its Play apps store.

According to reports “Defusing the situation fell to Sundar Pichai, the tactful, tactical new chief of Google’s Android division. Pichai set up a series of meetings with J.K. Shin, CEO of Samsung Mobile Communications, [where] they held ‘frank conversations’ about the companies’ intertwined fates [and a] fragile peace was forged.”

Since then, Samsung has apparently agreed to scale back Magazine UX, and the two corporations have announced a broad patent cross-licensing arrangement to implement which they “now work together more closely on user experience than we ever have before,” according to Mr. Pichai.

Another apparent talent of Google’s new CEO – his thinking seems to be ahead of the curve. Although Mr. Pichai trained in metallurgy and materials science at IIT Kharagpur, and Stanford and did an MBA at Wharton, he was already deeply immersed in the world of electronics.

According to one of his college professors Mr. Pichai “was doing work in the field of electronics at a time when no separate course on electronics existed in our curriculum.”

The Google founders no doubt recognised that Mr. Pichai was a man on an evangelical-type mission for pushing the boundaries of technology.

Mr. Pichai most eloquently outlined this mission when he said, “For me, it matters that we drive technology as an equalising force, as an enabler for everyone around the world. Which is why I do want Google to see, push, and invest more in making sure computing is more accessible, connectivity is more accessible.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated Mr. Pichai on his appointment as Google CEO.

Source….Narayan Lakshman in http://www.the hindu.com

Natarajan

A Mini Punjab in Tamilnadu….

August 11, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Workers from Punjab at Akal farm in Vallanthai village. Photo: S. James..The Hindu

Hard working farmers from Punjab are greening dry tracts in the interiors of Ramnad district.

Ropar in Punjab or Ramnad in Tamil Nadu, it no longer makes a difference to Jaspal, Harpal, Gagandeep and Rajendra Singh. Wearing colourful turbans, long white shirts and pyjamas they are out in the fields doing what they love — tilling the land.

“If you love nature and understand the interconnectedness of life, you can do farming anywhere,” says the youngest in the group, Jaspal, in chaste Punjabi.

The sun shines bright in Vallandhai village in Kamuthi taluk of Ramnad district. The farmers, with smiles on their sun-tanned faces, move around pulling out bunches of groundnuts. A lady in salwar-suit walks into the fields with a thermos of chilled lassi (butter milk) and the men take a break.

The group of Punjabis have beautifully blended into the sun-blistered landscape of one of the driest districts in south Tamil Nadu and shown the locals how a farmer’s faith and hard work can yield amazing results.

Till about a decade ago the land here was covered with thorny bushes (kaattu karuvelam) and abandoned by the locals. Today, a big iron gate welcomes you into the area now called the ‘Akal Farm’ that boasts of lush green orchards and sustainable green farms. It has not only become the talking point in the district but also a model example of cultivation showcased to tourists, agriculturists and visitors.

With apt knowledge, experience and some experimentation, about two-dozen farmers from Moga and Sangrur districts in Punjab are now successfully growing mangoes, water melons, papaya, guava, cucumber, pumpkin, amla, carrot, ladies finger, oranges, sapota and custard apple. “We are gradually acquiring more land and increasing our farm produce,” says the soft-spoken Darshan Singh, one of the two group leaders-cum-supervisor who can speak a smattering of Tamil and was invited by the District Collector last month to address local administration staff and farmers from the region.

“It was my first attempt at public speaking and I felt humbled,” says Darshan Singh, “to share tips because I know every farmer anywhere shares a special relationship with the real food.” “I managed to convey my points as I was asked to motivate the people who had rejected the same land for farming,” he adds.

“Sab rab di meherbani hain (everything is God’s grace),” says Darshan Singh, who feels the yield is not yet as high as desired. But we all are happy to have turned the infertile and fallow lands into lush green orchards and fields, he adds.

It all began when Darshan Singh and his friend, Manmohan Singh, left behind their families and chose to travel more than 3,000 kms to this backward belt seven years ago. They followed the suggestion of a retired agriculture officer to explore cultivation in the arid lands of south Tamil Nadu.

“We migrated for farming beyond our home State lured by the cheap land that was in short supply back home,” says Sarabjeet Singh, another senior member in the group. “We were discouraged by the locals who were always grudging against the long dry spells. But we did not mind experimenting because the land was being sold at a throwaway price – Rs.10,000 per acre,” he adds.

The friends pooled in money and jointly bought 300 acres. They also took a house on rent in nearby Virudhunagar and travelled everyday to the hamlet. It took three years to clear the land, dig two dozen borewells, instal drip irrigation and make it ready for plantation.

“We toiled round-the-clock as cleaners, gardeners, farmers, night guards…initially the locals were hostile to us,” says Darshan Singh, “but everybody’s hard work and patience is bearing fruits now.”

“The results took time but we did not lose hope,” asserts Sarabjeet Singh.

Life has taken a new turn inside this mini-Punjab in Vallandhai. The Akal farm now encompasses 600 acres and also has a neatly fenced campus with small cottages, dormitory, a common kitchen, dining area and meditation room. “We no longer feel we live outside Punjab,” says Darshan Singh.

The farmers and their families celebrate Lohri, holi, baisakhi, rakhi, teej and diwali. The women cook the daily dal-chawal and roti-subzi together and even feed the visitors. They also join in pongal and Tamil new year celebrations with their local friends. “The villagers have become friendly now,” says Darshan Singh.

In fact with the Punjabi farmers setting a trend, some local farmers have joined them as workers in the Akal Farm. Some have even returned to them offering to buy the green fields at a higher rate.

A retired Village Administration Officer, Syed Segana, has been with them for the past six years helping in administrative work and translations. “I am trying to teach them Tamil,” he smiles, “but our friendship is beyond language, food and boundaries now.” “Nature and greenery binds us together and it does not matter where we belong to and where we stay and work,” he adds.

The Akal Farm yields

Amla and guava on 40 acres each, mixed dry fruits like cashew nuts and almonds on five acres, papaya on 10 acres. The farmers have planted 5,000 mango trees on 80 acres besides coconut and timber-value trees on 10 acres each and an assortment of other fruits and vegetables. They also cultivate inter-crop and this season harvested 15 tonnes of pumpkin, five tonnes of cucumber and 20 tonnes of water melon on a daily basis.

Source…..Soma Basu in http://www.thehindu.com

Natarajan