Category Archives: Business & Economy

Green Mela begins at Green Hotel in city

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

Artisans from across India have set up stalls in the mela Green Mela to be held bimonthly from December

GreenMelaBF17oct2014

Mysore :

A three-day organic products fair ‘Green Mela,’ organised by The Green Hotel on Hunsur Road began at its premises here yesterday.

The mela was inaugurated by Prof.U.N.Ravikumar, who is well-known in the field of conserving lakes, rain water harvesting and sustainable development.

Speaking to SOM, Prof.Ravikumar said “If rural India has to go on a greener path, urban Indians should lead the path by showing them non-wasteful consumption methods.”

General Manager of the Hotel Mithun said, “I am thrilled by the overwhelming response by the public who are thronging the mela.” He also said that artisans from across India have set up their stalls in the mela and from December onwards the Green Hotel will conduct Green Mela bimonthly.

The products which are on display and for sale at the mela include Avocado pickles, Bamboo pens, Bamboo lamp shades, Coir pots, Natural ice-creams, Organic coffee powder from Madikeri, various types of handmade soaps, Pashmina Shawls, Silk Scarves, Singing Bowls, drumstick tambli – a special drink from coastal region which is said to have medicinal values, Audio CD’s of the songs of Adivasis from Adivasi Munnetra Sangam, Gudlur, Tamil Nadu and other items.

The major attraction at the mela is the Pottery workshop in which public can try and experience making pottery using natural clay. The pottery workshop has programmes like ‘Make your own diya’ and ‘Make your own Ganesha.’

Different varieties of organic authentic teas imported from United Kingdom are also available at the mela which include Peppermint tea, Night time tea – an organic oat flower, lavender and limeflower tea for peaceful sleep, Vanilla chai and others.

There is a very special kind of tea at the Mela called ‘Love Tea’ , which has a tagline ‘a tea to warm your heart’. It is made from organic roses, chamomile and lavender.

The mela is open for public from 11 am to 8 pm daily and will conclude on Oct. 12.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home>General  News / Saturday,  October 11th, 2014

Social entrepreneur Will Poole interacts with Myra students

Business & Economy, World Opinion

PooleBF15oct2014

Mysore :

Gandhi Jayanthi was celebrated at MYRA School of Business, Yelwal, in a befitting manner with a special Interactive Session and discussion with Will Poole, a Social Entrepreneur recently.

Will Poole, a Brown University graduate in Computer Science who Co-founded the Unitus Seed Fund (Bangalore & Seattle) in 2012 with the mission of accelerating BOP start-ups, conducted an interactive session on ‘5 ways to open a VC’s wallet and 3 ways to snap it shut’.

Will Poole inspired the young minds at MYRA to think about becoming social entrepreneurs and starting enterprises that serve the underprivileged. “5 ways to open a VC’s wallet and 3 ways to snap it shut” with a captivating title fired the people’s imagination and attracted a huge audience.

Will Poole showcased how Unitus works towards achieving sustainable and scalable impact that the world needs today. Impact investing, in general, and Unitus in particular, places financial returns on par with, if not above, social impact. However, impact investors differ with the way they approach it – “Finance First” or “Social Impact First”.

It was clear from his talk that entrepreneurs with an unrealistic or overly complex business plan; who lack a team approach and have a disproportionate focus on valuation versus fundamentals are not in his pipeline.

Later the audience shared their views on which Business ideas were great, whose business model was better, and which entrepreneur was more passionate.

The audience comprised BEML officers, Panchayat members from Mydanahalli village, Trustees, governing members, faculty, staff and students of MYRA school.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home>General  News / Thursday , October 09th, 2014

Bangalore’s Gateway Hotel turns 25 on October 10

Business & Economy, Records, All, Uncategorized

Bangalore :

The Gateway Hotel on Residency Road in Bangalore, an iconic hotel located in the heart of the city, turned 25 on October 10.

Catering to the needs of the ‘urban nomad’, the hotel is designed with a ‘green’ theme keeping with the changing trends. As a part of its silver jubilee anniversary celebrations, the hotel has lined up various interactive events and activities for the next 25 days. Ranging from eye-catching rare images of the hotel in the archival corridor to retro music tributes, from classical dance performances to an interactive workshop on movies, the Gateway Hotel celebrates the true essence of the city of Bangalore. Guests will also be treated to an extensive culinary journey featuring the 25 years special celebration menu crafted by Chef Naren Thimmaih which pays ode to the city of Bangalore.

Speaking on the milestone, Prabhat Verma, COO, The Gateway Hotels and Resorts said, “The Gateway Hotels and Resorts are full service upscale hotels and resorts in the South Asia offering consistent, quick and crisp service for travelers seeking contemporary experiences. From 1989 to today, the hotel has gone through a host of changes while remaining true to the spirit of the brand Gateway by delivering the brand promise of welcome perfection.

“As an iconic landmark in the cultural hub of the city, it is a property which has grown along with Bangalore, playing host to numerous dignitaries, film thespians and artists. Needless to say, we remain grateful to the support we have received from our guests and patrons and look forward to a brighter future,” said Albert Rebello, general manager, The Gateway Hotel.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Bangalore / by Saswati Mukherjee, TNN / October 10th, 2014

How RK Narayan created Malgudi out of his Mysore

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Leaders, Records, All, Uncategorized

Mysore :

It seems a tale out of RK Narayan’s fictional world. When an activist trying to promote voting in Mysore’s Yadavgiri went to the legendary novelist’s bungalow, he wasn’t sure of the likely response. As the writer emerged from his two-storey house, he asked the activist the reason for his visit. The activist, who had seen Narayan while growing up in the locality, asked him whether he had enrolled himself as a voter. The writer, who had just completed his term at the Rajya Sabha, explained to him the politics of politics.

Narayan told the activist he was proud of the Indian democracy, but was sore about the way it was handled. “The writer told me people hardly have any choices,” the activist, who didn’t want to be identified, recollected. “I was afraid of approaching him as we in the neighborhood knew he didn’t like to be disturbed. But he talked to me at length about the Indian political system and offered me a cup of coffee,” he told TOI.

The novelist, who popularized Indian writing in English and is admired by many well-known authors such as Alexander McCall Smith, was often reclusive, says KC Belliappa, former vice-chancellor of the Rajiv Gandhi University in Arunachal Pradesh. But he loved to walk around in Mysore, when he would talk to ordinary people.

“I remember my guru C D Narasimhaiah telling me that Narayan looks for his characters while walking on the roads. That’s what Narayan had confided in him once,” Belliappa, who taught English literature at the University of Mysore, explained. Narayan was close to a handful of people; CDN, a celebrated literary critic, was one of them.

Narayan’s favourite haunt was Sayyaji Rao Road just across the Mysore Palace. “I’ve heard that he liked to walk on Dhanvantri Road besides Yadavgiri and Vonti Koppal, which might have fed his imagination when he created the fictional town of Malgudi, where most of his stories are set. ,” says the English professor.

“Like Thomas Hardy who set his fiction in the semi-fictional region of Wessex, Narayan’s Malgudi was extremely well-conceived,” the retired V-C explains. The novelist situated many of his works in Mysore, where he built a home in 1952.

Delectable Tribute

Nagaraj Rajgopal, who has named his restaurant in Mysore after RK Narayan’s fictional town, offered a sweet discount on Friday to celebrate the writer’s 108th birth anniversary. “As a child, I was inspired by Narayan’s characters. When I conceived this project, I thought of designing it with the Malgudi motif,” explains Nagaraj Rajgopal.

***************

Renovation after talks

The bungalow in Yadavgiri where Narayan lived will be renovated soon. The bungalow, partially pulled down in September 2011, has been declared a heritage monument. “We’ve approached Narayan’s family about the renovation and work will start soon,” heritage commissioner C G Betsurmath told TOI. He said they would take over the property and start work after further talks with the family.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bangalore / by H M Aravind / October 11th, 2014

We’ve inspired many startups, Kris Gopalakrishnan says

Business & Economy, Leaders, Science & Technology

Kris-GopalakrishnanBF13oct2014

Leaving Infosys was something we have been preparing ourselves for many months. So I got into it in a programmed manner. But I will miss the whole life revolving around Infosys.

We were all very close and I can best demonstrate that with this anecdote. Last week, I went to visit a friend in hospital, and Murthy and Shibu came in exactly at the same time. We hadn’t planned it at all.

I had lots of memorable moments in the company. The most memorable was when I was CEO and growth came back strongly in 2011. It had gone down to around 5% (during recession) and many had begun to ask if it was the end of the Indian IT services industry. But when growth returned, it felt good to say ‘it’s not over’.

Another unforgettable moment was in the mid-1980s, when we created a ‘store and forward’ solution for telegrams in India, which was used by the department of telecom. I was in charge of the project. Till then, telegrams involved sending text information in Morse code and somebody translating that into English. Ours was a hardware-software solution that involved keying in the text into a computer, like an email, sending it to an electronic switch that would route it to the right destination.

But the customer was only one – DoT. We didn’t see a large market and we felt it was not our cup of tea. So we sold it to a small Bangalore company around 1989-90. But the project was interesting because we had written the entire software and operating system. I don’t know, but this may have been the solution that was used till telegrams were discontinued last year.

I had the privilege of representing the entire global business as head of the Business Action for Sustainable Development at the Rio Earth Summit in 2012. I was the co-chair of the World Economic Forum early this year. Infosys, with the rest of the Indian IT industry, has transformed the image of India around the world, transformed the image of Indian professionals, creating huge opportunities for them. IT services account for 25% of India’s exports, 6% of its GDP. About 10% of Bangalore’s population is directly employed in IT, and many more indirectly.

I’m sure we have inspired many startups. I will continue to focus on that space. We have already started a Startup Village in Kochi and Vizag. We will start one in Kozhikode later this month.

I’ve been putting money into brain research. There are two big reasons for that. One is that India has a large ageing population, and for a poor country, old-age issues like dementia and Alzheimer’s will present a huge challenge. Solutions found outside India will not be affordable. We need to find them here.

The second is that the next disruption in computing will come from our understanding of the brain. It’s called brain-inspired computing. The current model of writing software may not extrapolate, because it will require too much of maintenance. Nobody programmes the brain, yet it keeps learning. India shouldn’t miss the emerging age of brain-inspired computing.

(As told to Sujit John)

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bangalore / by Kris Gopalakrishnan, TNN / October 13th, 2014

This farmer earns Rs. 22 lakh a year from 2.1 acres of land

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All

H. Sadananda grows 30 varieties of crop and even breeds dogs

Profitable venture: Innovative drive and constant experimentation with multi-cropping methods have helped H. Sadananda of Tapasihalli in Doddaballapur taluk to reap a rich harvest. / The Hindu
Profitable venture: Innovative drive and constant experimentation with multi-cropping methods have helped H. Sadananda of Tapasihalli in Doddaballapur taluk to reap a rich harvest. / The Hindu

Bangalore :

At a time when there is a strong perception that farming is not a profitable venture, this farmer from Tapasihalli in Doddaballapur taluk has created waves by earning a profit of about Rs. 22 lakh a year from merely 2.1 acres of land.

It is his innovative drive and constant experimentation with multi-cropping methods that have helped 51-year-old H. Sadananda to reap a rich harvest.

He cultivates nearly 30 varieties of crop on his land, including tomato and areca on half an acre each which yield him Rs. 2 lakh and Rs. 50,000 respectively.

Ginger is cultivated along with areca in the plantation, and it yields him about Rs. 70,000 a year. Mr. Sadananda has also made space in his areca plantation for rearing 250 Giriraja hens which he sells every three months to earn about Rs. 1 lakh a year. The poultry droppings are valuable manure for the areca plantation while agricultural waste is used as feed for the birds.

He has planted about 2,000 rose cuttings on three-fourth of an acre, which fetches him about Rs. 4 lakh a year, and has set up a greenhouse on one-fourth of an acre for cultivating capsicum and high-quality rose alternatively. Capsicum, cultivated for about six months, yields him about Rs. 5.4 lakh while the rose variety that replaces capsicum for the next six months gets him about Rs. 2.5 lakh a year. A small vegetable garden, a fish-rearing pond, coconut and jackfruit trees on the periphery of his land, in addition to coffee plants, papaya, sapota and lime trees also find a place. His cows produce 80 to 100 litres of milk a day.

Manure

Manure comes from vermicompost and the slurry from a gobar gas plant. A tiny pond is filled with azolla plants which is a good cow feed.

Mr. Sadananda, who depends on borewell for irrigation, has installed drip irrigation system for the entire land at a cost of Rs. 50,000 (excluding subsidy). “Drip irrigation allows me to irrigate my entire land even with four hours of three-phase power,” he says. Besides, it prevents weeds and also saves him about Rs. 400 a day in labour costs.

Interestingly, he also breeds Rottweiler and Great Dane breeds of dogs to earn Rs. 1.2 lakh a year.

He has been honoured with prestigious awards by the Union Ministry of Agriculture. Several agricultural scientists, farmers and VIPs from India and abroad visit his farm.

Innovative ideas

Mr. Sadananda says that his farm income increased after he adopted innovative ideas provided by the Department of Biotechnology’s Bio-Resource Complex project taken up in his village. He can be contacted on 9342022146.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by B.S. Satish Kumar / April 19th, 2010

College girl launches e-waste venture in Hubli

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Science & Technology
Local administrations in India have neglected e-waste disposal and Vijayalaxmi Patil, a student of Deshpande Center for Social Entrepreneurship in Hubli, launched her own firm, e-vision.
Local administrations in India have neglected e-waste disposal and Vijayalaxmi Patil, a student of Deshpande Center for Social Entrepreneurship in Hubli, launched her own firm, e-vision.

Hubli :

A Master of Social Entrepreneurship (MSE) student has taken the initiative of collecting electronic waste from shops and households to prevent environmental hazards which arises when it’s burnt or unscientifically disposed.

Local administrations in India have neglected e-waste disposal and Vijayalaxmi Patil, a student of Deshpande Center for Social Entrepreneurship in Hubli, launched her own firm, e-vision. Her classmates Prasanna Hegde, Jitin Sunny and Sandesh R have joined her in it.

Vijayalaxmi told TOI she was worried about proper disposal of scrap like TVs, old CDs and wires which had accumulated at home. “I browsed the web and learnt that it’s a serious concern. I was disappointed to know that no administration has done anything in this regard in North Karnataka. Finally, I started e-vision with the support of my friends,” she said.

Prasanna Hegde said when they visited electronic shops, owners encouraged them. “It was difficult to convey some people as they thought we earned a lot from their e-waste,” he said.

Jitin, who knows how to asses the value of old electronic gadgets, said people aware about e-waste have been donating voluntarily.

Sandesh R said they’ve been given authorization by 4R Recycling, a company in Bangalore, to collect e-scraps and send them for recycling. “Jindal Aluminium of Bangalore is our client to provide e-waste,” he said.

Sumangala Lingaraj Angadi, a homemaker who gave about 70kg of e-waste, appreciated the students’ move. “I was clueless about disposal of TV, mixer, etc and I didn’t want to throw it in landfills,” she added.

Vijayalaxmi said her team has collected about 700kg of e-waste in the past 2 months. “We want to have a recycling unit in Hubli by next year. We also want to involve traditional scrap pickers,” she said.

Vijayalaxmi appealed to citizens to join hands in her venture. She can be reached at: and 8867323134.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hubli / by Sangamesh Menasinakai, TNN / September 28th, 2014

Dasara milking contest

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All

Bangalore cow bags first place, yields 30.9 kgs milk

CowBF05oct2014

Mysore :

Bangalore cow bagged the first place in the cow milking competition organised by the Raitha Dasara Sub- Committee as part of Dasara festivities held at J.K. Grounds in city yesterday.

The cows were milked twice, once in the morning and once in the evening and the measurements were totalled in which Lakshman Hogebandi of Bangalore emerged as winner.

Results: Lakshman Hogebandi of Bangalore won the first place by milking a total of 30 Kgs and 900 grams. Second place was bagged by Jagadish of Mysore who milked 30 Kgs and 300 grams. Third place was bagged by Satish of Naganahalli, who milked 28 Kgs and 800 grams and the fourth place went to Bangalore resident Byanna Lohit Yadav, who milked 26 Kgs and 850 grams.

Prizes were given away by Co-operation Minister H.S. Mahadevaprasad in the presence of ZP President Dr. Pushpa Amarnath, Corporator D. Nagabhushan, Jt. Director of the Dept. of Animal Husbandry Venkatesh, Dr. Shashidhar and others.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General  News / Monday,  September 29th,  2014

Global demand for humble charakas

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Records, All, World Opinion

Bangalore-based company is the only in Karnataka to obtain permission to make the miniature models

The 145 Gandhi Jayanthi will be special for 6,500 children of Sri Vani Education Centre in Rajaji Nagar, as they will receive a miniature model of a charaka (spinning wheel).

Bangalore-based Swadesh Enterprises, the only company in Karnataka to obtain permission from Khadi Bhandar Sabarmati in Gujarat to make miniature models, has taken the responsibility of handling this big order.

Swadesh Enterprises started as a small venture by Sri Charan Bhaskarachar three years ago. It now employs 25 workers crafting six models of charakas at a unit at Banavara in Chikmagalur district. The charakas are gifted as mementos in India and abroad.

“We receive orders from Indian consulates across the globe. Recently, we received a huge order from the consulate in Peru,” says Mr. Sri Charan.

Miniature models crafted by him were presented to United States President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who visited India recently.

What made Mr. Sri Charan, a documentary film maker, switch over to making miniature model of charakas? A native of Bhadravathi, he was influenced by Gandhian ideals as his father Khadhi Bhaskarachar was a staunch follower of the Father of the Nation.

Once he needed a charaka for a documentary. It was after much difficulty that he got one made. It was then that he decided to switch to making charakas. Initially, he crafted every component with wood. But this made spinning difficult. Then he opted for a steel spindle. Everyone, including officials of Khadi Gramodyoga, appreciated his model. To meet the increasing demand, he established Swadesh Enterprises. “Now I make over 3,000 pieces a month,” he says.

The charaka has become a most sought-after memento at public functions. “While a micro model costs Rs. 500, a bigger one crafted with teak will cost Rs. 5,000. Some demand charakas fitted in hand-crafted boxes, which costs a bit more,” he says.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bangalore / by Muralidhara Khajane / Bangalore – October 02nd, 2014

Country’s First Electric Bus Launched in Bangalore

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Records, All, Science & Technology, Travel
BMTC launched an electric bus at Shantinagar Bus Station on Thursday; Right: A view of the interiors | Sudhakara Jain
BMTC launched an electric bus at Shantinagar Bus Station on Thursday; Right: A view of the interiors | Sudhakara Jain

The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) introduced the country’s first electric zero-emission bus in the city on Thursday.

Although the bus has been in Bangalore for over a month now, it was officially launched by Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy after getting the required permissions from the Transport Department.

The bus will run on a trial basis for the next three months. During this time, it will operate along various routes, beginning with one from Majestic to Kadugodi that is likely to cost `80.

Plans are also afoot to run the bus along the airport routes. The charging point for the bus is at the Volvo depot at Majestic.

“We will study whether the bus is economical and if it can function efficiently in the city. When the battery is fully charged (six hours), the bus can run for about 250 km, which is ideal for BMTC. However, this needs to be tested. We also need to see how it fares on various roads in the city and which routes are best suited to operate the bus,” said BMTC managing director Anjum Parvez.

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that though the bus is expensive, it is likely to be a good deal as a long-term investment.

“The bus costs about `2.7 crore and this is expensive. But this is one bus in the entire country. Once the demand for the bus goes up and more people express interest in purchasing it, the rates are likely to come down. Moreover, the research and development wings of various bus manufacturers are working on this and it is some only time before the initial cost of the bus is reduced,” he said.

When asked if the state government would be willing to share the cost or offer subsidies, Reddy said, “We will consider various options if the bus is found to be suitable for the city. At present, it is on a three-month trial and following this, a decision will be taken on whether or not to purchase the bus,” he said. He added that what was important was that pollution levels would be brought down by using electric buses, hybrid or CNG-operated buses. The bus, manufactured by Build Your Dreams (BYD), was brought to India by Utopia Pvt Ltd. At least 5,000 such buses are operational in countries such as the United States, Netherlands, Switzerland and some European countries.

GOING GREEN

Zero emission

No oil required

Costs Rs 2.7 crore (Volvo Rs 88 lakh)

Fare from Majestic to Kadugodi – Rs 80

Runs for 250 km with 6 hours of charging

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by Express News Service- Bangalore / February 28th, 2014