Rahul Gomes Pereira, a student of the Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development has been selected to represent India in the cooking skills category at the 42nd WorldSkills global competition which will be held in Leipzig, Germany in July 2013. Rahul is the sole Indian representative and he will be the torch-bearer for India’s cooking skills.
Rahul, a kitchen management associate will be accompanied by his trainer and mentor, Chef Parvinder Singh Bali. He will be competing to demonstrate the best of his culinary prowess against chefs from 52 other countries. The preliminary rounds of the competition were held across India. Rahul impressed the jury with his expertise and was selected to represent India at the cooking finals, held on March 30 and 31.
WorldSkills gives young talent between the ages of 17 to 22 the opportunity to demonstrate their excellence in skilled professions. Winners are awarded medals and certificates of achievement recognising their skills and abilities in their respective fields.
On Rahul’s achievement, Mohit Nirula, Dean, The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development said, “We are proud that Rahul will be representing India in the cooking skills competition at the WorldSkillss competition. We wish him success and hope that he will demonstrate the best of his learning and skills.”
About the competition:
WorldSkills is a skills competition, jobs and careers event held in a member country every two years. It is a competition for youth from 17 to 22 years to demonstrate their excellence in skilled professions. The competition is promoted and managed by WorldSkills International, formerly known as the International Vocation Training Organization (IVTO). As of September 2008, WorldSkills International has 50 member countries. The 42nd Worldskills International competition will be held in Leipzig from July 2 to July 7.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by Express News Service – Bangalore / May 02nd, 2013
Tuluvas residing in Qatar witnessed the rich cultural heritage their native land come alive with Tulu Koota hosting ‘Tulu Parba-2013’ on Friday April 19 at Al Ghazal Club in Doha.
Guests of honour Tukaram Poojary, Bhaskar Rai Kukkuvalli, Ravi Shetty were honoured with ‘Panchavadyam’ which showcased the rich traditional culture of Tulu Nadu.
The event was compered by Prarthana Shetty who was introduced on stage by cultural secretary Padmashree Shetty. The green signal for the first part of Tulu Parbha-2013 was given with the traditional dance form of Yakshagana Sthreevesha followed by a welcome dance to escort the guests to light the lamp. A Tulu song to welcome the audience then followed. A beautiful diya dance by young talented team of children lit up the stage.
Later, the audience were entertained with one hour of flawless performance of different dance forms depicting different stages and shades of life, which culminated with ‘Janapada Dibbana’, a traditional Tulu procession which involved 30 different characters such as Shoola, Navilu, Bannada Kode, tribal folk, Yakshagana characters, Bhootha Kola, Bonte, Kambula, Kumbara, Moorthe, Korida Katta, Natti Ponjovu, fishermen, Anarkali and Pili Vesha which symbolised the unity in the diversified culture of Tulu Nadu.
During the stage programme, Tulu Koota president Seethram Shetty welcomed the gathering and emphasized that youth must be initiated to learn more about their culture. Tulu Parba-2013 brochure was released by chief guest Nilanshu Dey, chairman of ICBF Advisory Board along with chief editior Prakash Ajila and team. Mementos were presented to pouplar music director Charan Das and Sathish Venkataramana who came all the way from Dubai in support of Tulu Koota Qatar.
Ravi Shetty, past president and main sponosr of the event in his brief introduction of guest of honour Prof Tukaram Poojary (history head of the department, SVS College, Bantwal) highlighted the contribution of Poojary to Tulu culture, Tulu baduku and appreciated his single-handed effort of now famous Rani Abbakka Adyayana Kendra at Bantwal. Past president Divakar Poojary later introduced guest of honour Vidhya Rathna Prof Bhaskara Rai Kukkuvalli (scholar and multi-talented personality from Tulu Nadu) and highlighted his contribution to Kannada and Tulu literature, culture and art and also media service. President and dignitaries on the dias felicitated Prof Poojary, Prof Kukkuvalli and Ravi Shetty with traditional shawla and presented them with mementos.
Thukaram Poojary and Bhaskar Rai Kukkuvalli spoke about the heritage of Tulu culture and praised Tulu Koota Qatar for the hard work in preserving and promoting our rich Tulu culture in this part of the world and also for imparting these values to the younger generation. President and dignitaries also felicitated chief guest Nilanshu Dey and presented him with a memento. Dey in his address appreciated Tulu Koota Qatar’s consistent contribution to the community not only in culture front but also in meeting special needs.
The entire event was compered by energetic and enthusiastic Prarthana Shetty. Guest of honour Bhaskar Rai Kukkuvalli gave a timely and expert narration in original Tulu ridham. On the whole Tulu Parbha 2013.Cultural secretary Padmashree Shetty proposed vote of thanks
Prarthana handed over the dais to culutural secretary Padmashree Roshan Shetty, who has in turn invited Rajshekar Bappal to brief and introduce various artists of the drama. Bappal was the story writer and Director of “Tulu Drama Julie My Darling”, a 75 minute drama with two songs and a complete entertainment combining comedy, love, emotion and a strong message for the society based on the life in the Gulf, beliefs, and values imparted to children and to the society. Charan Das of the ‘Ashok Charan Nite Fame and Tulu films’ led the music of the play.The play was choreographed by Milan Arun who is also a singer and the creative director of the play. The lyrics of the songs were written and sung by Charan Kumar from the ‘Raagdev’ fame in Mangalore. Milaan Arun.The play was lit up and sounds were provided by Pramod. The play brings out the truth behind the myth and prejudices of caste, money and dowry. The main characters of the play were portrayed as: Kuwait Mary – Milan Arun, Dubai Ram -Ramchandra Shetty, Julie (Daughter of Mary) – Akila Rao, Vijay (son of Ram) – Vijay Rai, Broker Benji – Ajay Raj, Thomasa (brother Mary) – Mohan jeppinamogaru, Saudi Mammuni – Mamouni, Vincy (drama actor)-Vincy Lobo, Qatar Rego – Albert Rego, Rego – Della Rego, Hotel supplier – Alron Rego.
Tulu Koota committee members, volunteers worked hard in presenting this exclusive event which was witnessed by Tulu expatriate community members in large numbers. Choreographers and directors for the event were Veena Rao, Milan Arun, Archana Shetty, Rajshekar Bappal, Roopesh Kumar, Chaitali Shetty, Akshaya Shetty. Overall cordination of the cultural event was done by the cultural secretary Padmashree Shetty. Mementos were presented to all the participants. Tea, snacks and dinner were served to the audience.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / Daiji World / Home> Top Stories / by Daijiworld Media Network – Doha / Doha, April 21st, 2013
Charitable donations of wealthy Indian firms is only 0.6-1% of GDP, compared with 2.2% for American companies
Pic: Business Standard
Many believe that Indian businessmen have cash registers for hearts. Their philanthropic contributions are believed to be insignificant in comparison to their wealth. According to the 2012 Forbes list, the wealth of the 100 wealthiest Indians is around $250 billion—13.89 per cent of India’s GDP. But, according to the estimates of a 2010 report of Bain Company, the charitable donations of Indians is only 0.6 per cent to 1 per cent of the GDP, when the charitable contribution of Americans is around 2.2 per cent of the GDP.
But, before one jumps to a conclusion, there is the other side of the story as well. On a program aired on the CNN recently, Ratan Tata, former chairman of Tata Sons, said that of 60-65 per cent of the Industrial proceedings of Tata Sons goes into programmes for education, medical, rural development or eradication of poverty. Only two per cent of the industrial proceedings go to the family.
Tata is the chairman of the Tata Trusts, which is among the largest private sector philanthropic trusts in India.
He is not alone. In February 2013, Azim Premji, the Chairman of Wipro became the first Indian to sign the giving pledge. Premji had also donated $ 2.3 billion to a trust to fund Azim Premji Foundation, an education-oriented non-profit. The giving pledge group was founded by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates in 2010 to urge rich businessmen to donate a significant part of their wealth. With a net worth of $ 16 billion, Azim Premji is the 3rd richest Indian, and the 41st richest person in the world. Premji is also among the world’s top five givers. But, many think of them as an anomaly in a country where businessmen have billion dollar homes.
Gurcharan Das, author and former Procter and Gamble India CEO said philanthropy is a new idea in India when countries like the United States have a culture of philanthropy. “More and more people will donate to charitable causes in the future.” he said.
However, evidence suggests that philanthropy in India is often informal, and far more than suggested by data. Bibek Debroy, an economist, and a research professor at Centre for Policy Research said though Indians do a lot of philanthropy, much of it is to religious institutions, is informal and does not appear in the official records.
Veena Jha’s recently published work, “India Emerging: The Reality Checks” sheds light on the long philanthropic tradition in India. Charitable donations have increased radically in the post-reform period. Studies of ‘The Society for Participatory Research in Asia’ between 2000 and 2002 shows that 53 per cent of the charity in India operates in rural areas and nearly half of it is unregistered.
Some studies suggest that nearly half of Indian households give charity. In India, non-profit activity, especially private nonprofit activity, is much higher than the global average. According to Bain and India’s annual philanthropy report, the private donation to charity had gone up by 50% from 2006 to 2011.
“A part of the philanthropic donations in India is to institutions abroad, like the universities and think-tanks. This is partly for visibility. But, many of them have studied abroad, and feel indebted to their alma mater.” Bibek Debroy said.
In 2010, Anand Mahindra had donated $ 10 million to the Harvard University, and Ratan Tata’s $ 50 million donation to the Harvard Business School in 2010 was the largest international donation in its history. In December 2012, a Delhi-based entrepreneur Sharik Currimbhoy had pledged $12.12 million to Columbia University, and businessman Siddharth Yog had gifted $11 million to the Harvard Business School.
Some economists have proposed an estate tax and corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices to increase the philanthropic contribution in India. While the former was not to the liking of the Finance Ministry, at least in the budget for 2013-14, the latter is there in the Companies Bill, 2012 which is yet to be passed by the Rajya Sabha.
Ajay Shah, a professor at National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP), said an estate tax will help inter-generational class mobility and to reduce the concentration of wealth.
“Incentives do matter. But, I do not see this as a black-and-white issue. It is perfectly possible for a man at the bottom to rise to the top, and I admire people who come from a humble background, but in our country, it is very difficult to do so,” he said.
However, he voiced views against CSR. ” But, CSR is a bad idea because it puts managers in control of the purported charitable objectives of shareholders.” Ajay Shah said.
But, doing charity is intrinsically difficult. Steve Jobs had once said that he is not deeply engaged in philanthropy because there is no measurement system—-It is very hard to measure whether you have succeeded or not.
According to the Bain and India philanthropy report, 80 per cent of the individuals and 90 per cent of the NGOs are satisfied with the efficacy of their philanthropic activities. Many economists think that this is because people often donate for the “feel-good” factor, and prefer to believe that their money goes into the right causes.
Many, like Bill Gates had proposed solutions to this problem which is magnified in India, where philanthropy is informal, and the feedback mechanism weaker. Some proposed solutions include measuring the funding for social causes, the teacher absentee rate, and the extent of corruption.
Gurcharan Das opined that this is not severe problem. “The Gates’ foundation is known for their accountability and their work to counter AIDS in many poor countries, including India. Though it is hard for individuals to do philanthropy, they can pick a good NGO to donate their money to. It only takes a Google search to find out the NGOs that are more accountable.” he said.
But, Nitin Pai, the founder of The Takshashila Institution said because it is difficult to measure the outcome in philanthropy, people often measure the outputs. “Across the world, they tend to focus on impressing the donors, which is not always a good thing. Feedback mechanisms, if not properly designed, can skew the outcome. It is important to realize that this is intrinsically difficult.” he said.
And, charity will never be sufficient. Economist Jagdish Bhagwati once said that an outright redistribution of wealth would only increase the food consumption of the poor by one chapatti a day. Some economists have estimated that sharing the total wealth in developing countries would leave its citizens with a few dollars a day. It is clear that charity will not solve the problem of world poverty.
“Poverty is too big a problem to be solved by charity alone, but that does not undermine the case for charity.”, Ajay Shah said.
source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Companies> Features / by Shanu Athiparambath / New Delhi – April 20th, 2013
Persons with haemophilia made their day under the sun as Manipal Haemophilia Society celebrated World Haemophilia Day at End Point here on Saturday.
SMH Kirmani, former Indian stumper and Malathi Holla, Paralympics silver medallist in discus/shot put and Arjuna award winner made their day as well as that of their families in the event sponsored by Novo Nordisk Haemophilia Foundation and supported by Manipal University.
The Society planned an afternoon of fun and frolic for persons with haemophilia. There was Team Mangalore with their colourful kites of various shapes and sizes adorning the skies and music to go with it. A mass tera-band musical exercise was performed by more than 300 students of various colleges of university for benefit of persons with haemophilia who need regular exercise to keep them fit to prevent episodes of bleeding.
Dr Annamma Kurien, president of Manipal Haemophilia Society, the person behind the show, welcomed the gathering and gave a brief of the work being done by the Society to encourage and give hope to persons with haemophilia. Kirmani acknowledged the importance of getting associated with such a noble cause. He was all praise for Malathi Holla who has conquered challenges from her wheelchair to bring laurels to the country.
Kirmani released a music CD titled ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 1, 2, 3, 4’ which was distributed to all persons with haemophilia. Students of Melaka Manipal Medical College sang a song composed by Dr Kurien.
Malathi awarded scholarships to children with haemophilia in three categories. District surgeon Dr Anand Naik dwelt on efforts made by the government to provide factor VIII and IX to PwH which could remarkably help in fighting the disorder.
Dr H S Ballal, pro-chancellor, Manipal University, said the public-private partnership model can help fight this bleeding disorder.
The formal function was followed by a cricket match between Manipal XI led by Dr Ballal and Haemophilia XI led by Kirmani. Haemophilia XI included children and youngsters with haemophilia and Manipal XI included officials and others of Manipal University.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangalore / by TNN / April 21st, 2013
The Government has decided to provide a financial assistance of Rs. 75,000 or 75% of the airfare for industrialists who wish to participate in the International Trade Fairs to be held during June 2013 at Canada, Paris and South Africa to explore their new markets.
Suresh Kumar Jain, General Secretary, Mysore Industries Association (MIA), has requested all industrialists to make use of this opportunity. A high level delegation led by Visvesvaraya Industrial Trade Centre (VITC) is actively participating in South Africa International Trade Exhibition in association with India Trade Promotion Organisation. 0
Interested may SMS business details to Mob: 98443-00427 to send more information by e-mail, according to a press release.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / April 26th, 2013
