Category Archives: Business & Economy

Hubballi optometrist gets UK fellowship

Business & Economy, Education, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Hubballi :

Kunal Shah , 35, a BS optometry graduate from BITS, Pilani-Sankara Nethralaya, and CEO of Hubballi-based startup Eyesavers has got a fellowship from the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA). He is the fourth India optometrist to receive the BCLA fellowship. Professor James Wolffsohn of Aston University honoured Shah in Pune recently.

Expressing joy on receiving the fete, Kunal told TOI that the adoption of technology has been instrumental in getting the fellowship.

“Our startup, floated two years ago, has been the first in India to adopt I-profiler technology by Zeiss and Visio Office Plus by Essilor from France which can calculate the position of eyes in front of the lenses at a precision of 1/10th mm at a click of a button. Now, 4-5 other optometrists have borrowed these technologies in India,” he said.

Kunal’s father Prakash Shah, who is also involved in optical business for the past five decades, said that he was worried when Kunal wanted to invest Rs 20 lakh on I-profiler and Rs 8.50 lakh on Visio Office Plus. “Now I am convinced by his innovations. Though we have Hubli Opticals since 1953, he floated separate brand at his own risk,” he said.

Kunal is offering free service using Visio Office Plus technology to avoid fitting errors. . “Usually, we don’t consider the size of nose, eyes and forehead while suggesting a frame for patients. This technology considers whether the wearer of the glass is head-mover or eye-mover while preparing the perfect frame,” he claimed.

Kunal is the only optometrist in North Karnataka to provide cosmetic eye to fill self-confidence among people who have only one eye by birth.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hubballi / by Sangamesh Menasinakai, TNN / June 10th, 2015

Young fashion designer carves niche for herself

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

Hubballi :

The demise of her grandfather last week was a big personal loss for this 23-year-old. “Though girls are supposed to get married early in the Marwadi community, my grandfather Ramvilas Mahajan, who passed away last week, used to encourage me to achieve my goal,” recalls a teary eyed Shruti Mahajan.

Shruti, who claims to be the first fashion designer-entrepreneur of Hubballi, featured in Kerala Fashion League-2015 where she met James Ferreira, one of the leading fashion designers in the country and founder of James Ferreira designer label. The event was held in Ernakulam last month.

Speaking to TOI, Shruti said that it was amazing to meet icons of Indian fashion designing industry about whom she had read in textbooks. “It was an occasion to meet designers like Aslam Khan, Sanjana. Tamil actress Kalyani was the showstopper for my designs,” she says.

Shruti completed BSc in fashion and apparels from Vogue Institute of Fashion Technology, Bengaluru, in 2014. She floated Conch Designs Studio in June 2014 and had been creating awareness on fashion design in tier-II cities like Hubballi.

“In the beginning, it was very difficult to convince people about fashion design. I patiently convinced them by saying: ‘give me any kind of girl or woman, irrespective of physical fitness, fairness and complexion, I will make her beautiful’,” she says.

Waseem Bahadur, proprietor of an event management company in Hubballi, says that Shruti has the sense of painting and craftwork which shows in her designs. “She is the lone fashion designer in Hubballi who has taken fashion designing as an entrepreneurial venture. She upholds Indian culture and tradition in clothing and also meets the requirement of young generation by designing Indo-Western and Western designs,” he adds.

Shruti has provided employment to five skilled artisans from Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad. She received the “Best Costume Award’ in a show organized by Ramesh Dembla for the promotion of “Desi Boys”. She has also exhibited her designs in events like Metro Life Fashion Show, War of Designers, corporate fashion show organized by Infosys in Mysuru.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hubballi / by Sangamesh Menasinakai, TNN / June 10th, 2015

Malnad farmers take to ginger cultivation in a big way

Business & Economy, Nature
While the total area under ginger cultivationwas 2,000 acres in 2008, it has now increased to 16,000 acres.
While the total area under ginger cultivationwas 2,000 acres in 2008, it has now increased to 16,000 acres.

Poor returns from paddy and maize cultivation seem to be pushing farmers to grow ginger in the Malnad region.

While the total area under ginger cultivation was 2,000 acres in 2008, it has now spread to 16,000 acres.

Narendrappa, a farmer from Choradi village, has been cultivating ginger in his three-acre land for the last two years. He said the profit from paddy and maize was less than Rs. 25,000 an acre. With ginger, it was around Rs. 1 lakh with an average yield of 100 quintals and at a modest Rs. 2,000 per quintal, he said.

Earlier, farmers at Ripponpet, Choradi, Esur, and surrounding villages used to rent their land to farmers from Kerala for ginger cultivation. On realising that it was lucrative, they have started cultivating the crop on their own from the past three years.

But not all farmers have profited. Suresh, a marginal farmer from Kalukoppa village, incurred loss as the ginger crop in his two-acre land got infected by fungal wilt last year.

There are also serious environmental concerns about such large-scale ginger cultivation. The soil drenching method is used to control bacterial and fungal wilt and farmers use heavy dose of pesticide in some parts of Malnad region to control the disease.

Owing to excessive use of chemical fertilizer and pesticides for ginger cultivation, the soil turns barren, as shown by scientific studies.

Nagarajappa Adivappar, scientist with Krishi Vignana Kendra of the University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga, told The Hindu that soil fertility gets affected with sequential cultivation of ginger for more than two years. A few farmers indiscriminately use chemical inputs to enhance yield.

They have to use chemical inputs judiciously and go for crop rotation, he said.

Experts express serious environmental concerns over large-scale ginger cultivation

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Veerendra P.M. / Shivamogga – June 12th,  2015

Here’s where you can Turn Trash to Cash

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment
There’s an alternative to the raddiwala. You can sell garbage at Kasa Market
There’s an alternative to the raddiwala. You can sell garbage at Kasa Market

Silk Road : 

Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s Kasa Market, where citizens can sell dry waste, hasn’t caught on in a big way.

Located under the flyover near Silk Board, the market is a joint project by the BBMP and Nirmal Enviro Solutions, and was inaugurated last December.

BBMP sources cite the lack of segregation as one of the reasons for the market not having become popular.

“Out of the 4,000 tonnes of waste generated in the city every day, at least 40 per cent is likely to be dry waste. As segregation at source is not happening, the Kasa Market doesn’t receive as much dry waste as it should,” an official said.

TrashBF02jun2015

Sayed Afsar, from Kasa Market, said 25 trucks bring about two tonnes of dry waste a day. “So the market receives 60 to 62 tonnes of dry waste each month. This has been constant over the past six months,” he said.

The dry waste collected at the market is segregated into plastic, cartons and boxes, glass, alcohol bottles, rubber, newspapers and food foil.

“After that the segregated dry waste is given to the recycling factories on Mysore Road — Master Enterprises and Ganapati Bottles,” he said.

The centre doesn’t buy clothes or e-waste. “We accept these items, but don’t pay for them. As for electronic devices, they are taken apart and metals like copper and silver foil are extracted from them,” he added.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Renee McLeod / June 02nd, 2015

Hubballi youngster plans online platform to sell paintings

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

Hubballi :

Rarely do you come across a young painter who is also a business administrator. Priya Ostwal, 22, is one such person.

Being the daughter of Gautam Ostwal, CEO of Ostwal Group and president of The Indus Entrepreneurs, Hubballi chapter, Priyal could have easily led a luxurious life. But she has chosen to become an incubatee of Sandbox Startup of Hubballi to nurture her firm Art Street. It is not easy to sell painting in tier-2 cities like Hubballi, but Priyal she is committed to working hard to get value paintings — not only her own, but also that of other artists.

Priyal is planning to launch www.artstreetinternational.com, an e-commerce website, in a month to help artists from across the world upload and sell their paintings. “This website is aimed at helping poor artists. Artists from smaller cities and rural areas don’t get opportunities to sell their paintings. There is still a myth in semi-urban and rural India that painting is just a hobby that cannot bring financial value. I also had the same opinion five years ago before turning my passion into profession,” she says.

Priyal wants to promote artists from the North Karnataka region. She has approached about 200 artists, taking consent to upload their works.

Sharing her business plan, Priyal says there will be a theme every month. “They (artists) have to make paintings on the said theme. Apart from the theme, artists can upload any paintings of their choice. At the other end, buyers will also be given an option of customizing their orders. They can approach us via email, describing their idea and requirement and even insist on a particular artist’s works,” she explains.

Priyal’s tryst with painting started even before she joined nursery classes. “She was drawing some sketches on the wall and floor whenever she used to get pencil, wax crayons or sketch pens,” recalls her mother Manju.

Priyal, is pursuing MBA from Sikkim Manipal University. She has been successful in getting a one-year collaboration with The Gateway Hotel, Hubballi, to display her paintings.

Hotel manager Dharmesh Kariyappa says customers have appreciated Priyal’s paintings. “Considering visitors’ response, we are thinking of expanding the display in the hotel’s corridor,” he says.

Her paintings have found place in a Chennai art gallery and been exhibited at about 10 exhibitions in various cities of the nation.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hubballi / by Sangamesh Menasinakai, TNN / May 28th, 2015

SPI among top 100 fastest growing Pvt. Cos in Atlanta

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Receives Atlanta Business Chronicle Pacesetter Award-2015

SPIbf29may2015

Mysuru :

Software Paradigms International Group, (SPI) was honoured as one of the fastest growing private companies in Atlanta, Georgia, at the Atlanta Business Chronicle Pacesetter Awards ceremony held recently at the Georgia World Congress Centre.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle Pacesetter Award publishes the list of top 100 fastest growing privately held companies in Atlanta, Georgia. This year’s Pacesetter event saw participation of over 500 attendees.

“SPI is a technology provider of choice for Retailers worldwide. The firm’s growth has been driven by changes in the Retail industry particularly the rapid adoption of online and mobile channels by shoppers. SPI’s expertise in multi-channel planning and analytics as well as supplier management have helped our retail clients come out ahead in creating a world class experience for their customers across channels,” said Sid Mookerji, Global CEO, SPI

The 100 Pacesetter companies were announced in their index ranking order from 100 to 1. Top 5 companies included 1-800-COURIER, Castle Medical, SalesLoft, Ely Concrete Construction, and Priority Payment Systems. SPI ranked 44th in the top 100.

This is the second Pacesetter award for SPI.

Caroline Dunn, Head of Marketing, SPI, received the award on behalf of SPI.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Saturday – May 23rd, 2015

‘B V Pundit An Ethical Businessman’

Business & Economy, Leaders

Bengaluru :

Usha Prasad, B V Pundit’s granddaughter-in-law, remembers the Ayurveda scholar fondly. She says, “Though I was raised in Kolkata, I was brought up on Nanjangud Tooth Powder. I never used toothpaste in my life.”

B V Pundit was associated with the Ayurveda College in Mysuru. He started Sadvaidyashala, which is celebrating its 100th year, in Nanjangud. Since then, Sadvaidyashala has become synonymous with effective Ayurveda products.

The tooth powder is well-known in Karnataka and outside the State, so much so that the Nanjangud train to Mysuru was called the Tooth Powder Express. The tooth powder is made from paddy husk ash.

Seema Rao, a singer in Bengaluru, finds the company’s Srikara Amodini cough drops soothing when nursing a sore throat. She says, “I learn music and those little pellets soothe my throat and take care of my voice.”

Shankar Prasad, B V Pundit’s grandson, says, “My grandpa was ethical in all his dealings. He was a businessman, but he was a man of integrity and dealt honestly in every business deal.”  B V Pundit was born on February 23, 1887 in Nanjangud.

Pundit used to take the early morning train to Mysuru so he could buy all he needed to make his medicines and then kept his medicines in a small room, which he had rented. He took the evening train back to  Nanjangud. Around 1918, the demand for these medicines increased as Sadvaidyashala’s Kasturi helped people stay healthy during the influenza epidemic in India after the first World War.

Pundit and his family were much liked by people of Nanjangud. He had 12 children – four girls and eight boys. “Sadvaidyashala has completed 100 years and the grandsons and their children are waiting to pass their grandfather’s legacy to future generations,” says grandson and chairman of the company, Dr B V Srikantan.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Papiya Bhattacharya /May 25th, 2015

New Team for MDSSIA

Business & Economy
MDSSIA office-bearers (sitting from left) M. Abhishek, Hon. Treasurer; A.S. Satish, President; C.M. Subramanian, Hon. Secretary and N.D. Nagaraje Urs, Hon. Joint Secretary; (standing from left) Committee Members: Lingaraj, Mohd. Ghouse, H.D. Raghavendra, P. Kumar and N.H. Jayantha.
MDSSIA office-bearers (sitting from left) M. Abhishek, Hon. Treasurer; A.S. Satish, President; C.M. Subramanian, Hon. Secretary and N.D. Nagaraje Urs, Hon. Joint Secretary; (standing from left) Committee Members: Lingaraj, Mohd. Ghouse, H.D. Raghavendra, P. Kumar and N.H. Jayantha.

Mysuru :

A.S. Satish, President, Mysore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), has been elected as the President of Mysore District Small Scale Industries Association (MDSSIA). The other office-bearers are: Suryanarayana – Vice-President, C.M. Subramanian – Hon. Secretary, N.D. Nagaraje Urs – Joint Secretary and M. Abhishek – Treasurer. The Managing Committee members are: H.N. Nagaraj, Mohd. Ghouse, H.D. Raghavendra, N.H. Jayantha, Lingaraju, P. Kumar and Nagesh.

MDSSIA, started in 1964 by a group of young entrepreneurs, is the only apex body in Mysore District for Small Scale Industries. Many programmes including seminars, exhibitions and interaction with various Government Departments regarding the problems faced by SSIs have been planned.

Micro and SSIs, who are not members of this Association, may enroll as members.

For details, contact Secretary C.M. Subramanian on Mob: 88808-88853.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / April 28th, 2015

Bike ambulances launched; air ambulances by year end

Business & Economy, Records, All, Travel
View of Bike Ambulance First Response Unit (FRU) inaugurated by the Health Minister U.T. Khader in Bangalore on Tuesday. Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P. / The Hindu
View of Bike Ambulance First Response Unit (FRU) inaugurated by the Health Minister U.T. Khader in Bangalore on Tuesday. Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P. / The Hindu

Two companies had evinced interest in taking up the air ambulance project in the State, the Minister said.

The much-awaited two-wheeler ambulances will hit the streets in the State from Wednesday. Health Minister U.T. Khader, who launched 30 first responder bike ambulances in the city on Tuesday, said his department was working at introducing air ambulances in the State by this year end.

Two companies had evinced interest in taking up the air ambulance project in the State, the Minister said.

Terming the bike ambulance project as a “platinum ten minutes” trauma care initiative, Mr Khader said the bikes will be flagged off by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday.

Aimed at reducing deaths due to road accidents, the platinum trauma care initiative is useful for negotiating heavy traffic in urban areas where it will be difficult for four-wheeler ambulances to reach the accident spot at the earliest.

Of the 30, 21 will be stationed at strategic locations in the city and one each in the districts of Mysore, Mangaluru, Kalaburgi, Belagavi, Hubballi-Dharwad, Davangere, Tumkuru, Vijayapura and Shivamogga.

The initiative will be implemented through GVK-EMRI, the organisation that is running the 108 Arogya Kavacha ambulance service. The bike ambulance rider will be a trained paramedic who has a driving licence. “The paramedic will reach the spot in ten minutes and give first aid and start resuscitation measures to save the victim till the four-wheeler ambulance arrives,” he said.

Each bike ambulance will carry 40 medical items including stethoscope, pulse oxymeter, bandages and IV normal saline apart from 53 basic drugs. The government has spent nearly Rs 2 lakh on each of the bike ambulances.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Afshan Yasmeen /Bengaluru – April 14th, 2015

As darkness looms, weavers spin success story

Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

Hubballi :

At Vishwanath Kenchi’s handloom unit at Gajendragad in Gadag district, the steady clacks of the looms belie all expectations. At a time when the handloom sector appears to be losing the fight to power looms, the 43-year-old has taken 75 weavers under his wing to ensure that their livelihood isn’t affected by the winds of change.
Kenchi’s organization – Adishakti Kaimagga Nekarara Sahakari Sangh Niyamita – which boasts of a flat structure, has been receiving a steady stream of orders since its inception as a self-help group in 2007. In the cooperative society’s success story lies a potential model for the handloom sector’s revival.

The climb to self-sustenance, though, wasn’t smooth. Kenchi found himself without work in 2007 when a cash-strapped Karnataka Handloom Development Corporation (KHDC) stopped giving him assignments. Hundreds of weavers were left in the lurch and were forced to migrate at the time.
But even in the face of such hardship, Kenchi decided to stick to his ‘family profession’. Work orders were few and far between, but he drew courage and solace from his handloom. Soon, a few others joined his self-help group.

During a visit to Heggodu in January 2008, Kenchi was inspired by theatre director and activist Prasanna, who has, time and again, taken up the cudgels for handloom weavers. Prasanna helped him and other weavers land more orders.

Things soon began to look up. “To meeting the growing demand, we had to buy another loom,” says Kenchi, who had to drop out of school after Class 3.

The Gajendragad resident was also egged on by the Deshpande Foundation in Hubballi. The NGO conferred on him the Navodyami Award in 2011. “Apart from the cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, it helped him get a bank loan of Rs 5 lakh.”

The loan was used to buy 3,634 sqft of land in Gajendragad to help the weavers expand their business.

Shrikant Chuncha, an employee of the sangh, credits the flat structure of the organization for the success of its business model. “As all employees are also members of the sangh, we get profit dividends, besides our wages, at the end of a year,” he explains.

Shadimbi Shantagiri, another employee, says members are paid Rs 17 per metre. “We weave about 10 m per day. Some of us manage to go up to 20 m.”
Another worker, Drakshayani Ashapur, 50, says flexible working hours between 6am and 6pm help a number of women find part-time JOBS.

Gururaj, Kenchi’s son, says the sangh has 251 members and 75 members-cum-employees. “We plan to create about 1,000 JOBS here by 2020. We produce saris, and clothes for shirts and coats.”

Orders come from Charaka, a women’s cooperative society specializing in natural dyes and handloom weaving founded by Prasanna, KHDC and other organizations from across the state, he says.

The sangh has prepared a proposal, seeking 6-7 acres of land from the department of handloom and textile. “We provide insurance cover to weavers and scholarships to their children with the help of government schemes,” says Gururaj.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hubballi / by Sangamesh Mena Sinakai, TNN / April 10th, 2015