Award for Rego, Kharvi, Saldanha

The Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy has decided to confer its honorary award for 2004 on Gladys Rego for literature, Felix Saldanha for arts and Narayana Kharvi for folk art. The award in respective categories will be presented to them at a function to be held at Kumar Gandharva Rangamandir in Belgaum on July 9.

Relax norms

In a press release issued here on Wednesday, the academy said that it used to give away honorary and book awards to five persons each in the past. However, the State Government has decreased the number of awards from five to three each in the respective categories. The academy has urged the Government to relax norms pertaining to the presentation of book award. The revised norms state that there should be a minimum of 10 publications in each category under the book award. The academy has said that it is difficult to find so many publications in each category in Konkani and the award will be announced once the Government announces new guidelines.

Canara Bank completes 100 yrs

A financial institution, which started as ‘Canara Hindu Permanent Fund’ by Ammembal Subba Rao Pai, has completed 100 years in banking services. Today known as Canara Bank, started its operations on July 1, 1906 with a 2000 shares of Rs 50 each. Over these 100 years, Canara Bank has grown to have total deposits of nearly Rs 100,000 crore with 2512 branches with profits of Rs 1,110 crore.

From a small beginning, Canara Bank has grown into one of the largest banks in India with a wide branch network and client base. Acquisitions of small banks such as Bank of Kerala, Pangal Nayak Bank, have also enabled the bank to achieve growth.

Some disturbing statistics on education

By Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy [Pratham Trustee]

It is unfortunate that when we have far more serious problems with government schools, we are engrossed on the emotional and political problem of English being introduced in those schools. Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy, one of the Trustees of Pratham Mysore, an NGO which is striving to bring several slum kids into the educational fold through its innovative projects, the recent launch of Mobile Library being one among them, presents some disturbing statistics on education in this brief article. He also hopes that there would be a debate to improve the standard of education in government schools to end the divide between the rich and poor.

It is a well-known fact that the number of primary government schools has gone down in Mysore. What is not appreciated is the large percentage drop of 25 per cent in enrollment in those schools when the overall drop is just 11 per cent.

The poor would also like to send their children to the private unaided schools where the student/teacher ratio is often very high (because of high turn-over and part-timers, statistics on teachers for unaided for 2004-2005 is not comparable to government schools) and English is usually the medium of instruction. Even teachers of govern-ment schools send their children to private schools. The reason often given is the medium of instruction being English. Though that may be one of the reasons, there are other reasons too.

The teachers in government schools are paid three to five times more than the teachers in private schools on average, have better qualification, are better trained and have access to more resources. Despite these advantages, why are the students in government schools doing poorly?

A survey conducted by Pratham last year has revealed that about 10 per cent of children attending government primary schools can read word level, 14 per cent at alphabet level and a shocking 13 per cent cannot read at all. We need to be agitated equally or more on the subject of why the teachers in government schools are not held accountable for such poor state of affairs. If only the government schools are better managed, there will be no mushrooming of profit-oriented so-called “convent” schools in Mysore.

The above table also reveals another shocking reality. The drop-out rate for government primary schools is about 60 per cent whereas it is only about 20 per cent in 2004-2005 for private schools. There is one silver lining in that there are more students in government high schools last year than in 2000-2001.

Let us hope that we can now start a debate on what should be done to improve the standard of education in government schools so that we can close the glaring educational divide between the poor and the rich.

Nalini Nayak shortlisted for Nobel Peace Prize

When the Nobel Committee picks this year’s winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, chances are that one of the many Keralite woman shortlisted may walk away with it.

The names of nine Keralites, along with 82 others from various parts of the country, figure on a list of 1,000 nominees whose names have been jointly proposed for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

The 1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize Project was initiated by a member of the Swiss Parliament, Gabi Vermot. The list recognises and celebrates the contribution of women from all walks of life who are working for peace and justice in their communities. This is the first time that such a list with so many names will be forwarded to the Nobel Committee.

The nominees who hail from Kerala are CK Janu, Leelakumari Amma, Sister Elizabeth Edattukaran, Nalini Nayak, Dr Lakshmi Sahgal, Mallika Sarabhai, Mrinalini Sarbahai, T.K. Omana and Beena Sebastian.

Before Nalini Nayak stepped in, small fishworkers were among the most unorganised groups in Kerala. She helped them set up cooperatives and organise themselves into a registered trade union. She founded the Kerala chapter of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) and helped set up a program for community organization.

Microsoft takes Express route to budding developers

With the upcoming launch of SQL Server 2005 and Visual Studio 2005, due in November, Microsoft thinks it has a pretty compelling message for database products and development tools from the small business to the enterprise. But Raj Pai, C# group program manager at Microsoft, said the company is missing part of the audience with its lineup -- and that audience is the all- important next generation of coders and database administrators.

"We don't have a good answer for the hobbyist, for the guy who wants to build a Web site with some dynamic functionality, the kid who wants to learn how to write code, the professional who wants to build a quick office application that makes her more productive," Pai said.

To solve that problem, the software giant has introduced what it is calling Express editions of the Visual Studio programming languages, and of SQL Server. Those products will be available as free downloads, and will be optimized for running on the average desktop, supporting 1 CPU, 1 GB of RAM and in the case of SQL Server, 4 GB of data. While some features of the standard edition have been turned off, such as the ability to easily write code for supported mobile devices, Pai said the focus with the products is on keeping the download small, and the functionality intact.

"Most SKUs are under 50 MB, and support 90 to 95 per cent of what the average professional developer would want to do," Pai said.

Of course, to get the additional five or ten per cent of functionality, a user of an Express product must upgrade to the full Visual Studio suite of development tools. Projects built in Express can be deployed using any of the full editions of Visual Studio, but are limited to using a single development language due to the nature of the product. The Express editions are single- language offerings -- in Visual Basic, C#, C++, J# and Web Developer editions -- whereas the Standard and Professional versions of Visual Studio support any and all of those languages.

On the database side, Roger Wolter, SQL group program manager at Microsoft, described the Express version of SQL as primarily a client database, although it can be run on the server for a small Web site, he noted.

Wolter sees three target audiences for SQL Express: with users of Visual Studio Web Developer Express users who need a database to manage their Web applicants; with hobbyists and professional looking to build applications, either client/server or Web; and most interestingly, with independent software vendors, who will be able to use SQL Express as an embedded client data store, complete with reporting services.

The products are available now for download in beta form at http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/express/ , and include a version of the company's MSDN Library that is focused on information for learning developers.

Kharvis want Kannada script for Konkani

MANGALORE: The minority Konkani-speaking Kharvi community has expressed reservation about the call to use Devanagari script for Konkani.

The General Secretary of the Akhila Karnataka Konkana Kharvi Mahajana Sangha, Ramachandra Kharvi, told that the Kannada script is being used to convey Konkani as effectively as Malayalam and Devanagari, and the joint council of Konkani leaders recently gave its verdict that Kannada should continue to be the script of Konakani as Kannadigas used it for effective communication of Konkani in the past. Insisting that Konkani should be written in Devanagari is nothing but imposing new standards on Konkani-speaking people, he said. Mr. Kharvi said imposition of a particular script will only cause a division among Konkani-speaking people. Welcoming the recommendation by the council of senior Konkani scholars in Mangalore, Mr. Kharvi said many bilingual Kannadigas like to read Konkani in Kannada script.

Shimoga may get medical college in 2006-07

State Government named its six medical colleges in their city names. Government had formed a governing council for each of these medical colleges, revealed honorary president of Shimoga District Development Forum Dr K A Ashok Pai.In this direction, Medical college sanctioned in Shimoga is named as Shimoga Institute of Medical Science. Like this, it allotted names to every college, he said.President for each Governing Council is the Medical Education Minister and District In-charge Minister is Vice-president. Concerned college Principal is the member-secretary.Governing Council will meet at places where medical colleges are established. In Shimoga Governing Council meeting will be held on July 16.
PRINCIPAL RETIRED: Government appointed Principals to each of these colleges. But Shimoga Medical College Principal Dr Balakrishna is retired. It is still uncertain whether the government continue him on contract or appoint another person. In other colleges, all the principals have rejected the posts for different reasons.STAFF PROBLEM: New college faces a staff shortage. While the government invited applications for 118 posts in pre-clinical division. Only 30 persons responded. Hardly, two among them were eligible to head the departments.To start a medical college, teaching staff must be there in pre-clinical, anatomy and other departments. But none is ready to come to these posts at a salary offered by the Government. In private colleges, they get not less than Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000.So the government allowed the governing Council to pay 50 per cent more than the usual salary. But even 50 per cent more than the prescribed salary does not exceed Rs 40,000, pointed out Dr Ashok Pai.
NO LOCAL REPRESENTATION: He alleged that the local representation was not given on Governing Council. He demanded that the IMA representatives and Vedike office bearers should be taken on the Council.
STREET FIGHT UNNECESSARY: Vedike also opined that there was no need to come to the streets to demand for Government Medical College.When the facts are very clear and when Government is also unable to get medical college from the current year itself all must put their effort to get the college from next academic year, Vedike opined.Dr Ashok Pai said, ‘‘If a building with 4000 sq ft is ready to accommodate classrooms, Shimoga may get Medical College by 2006-07.’’ It is necessary to pressurise the Government in this regard, he added. Mahendrappa, N Gopinath and others were present in the press meeting.

Punitive liabilities for data theft, loss — BPOs faced with higher insurance premiums

COMPANIES keen on outsourcing business processes, especially, banking and insurance companies are trying to include punitive financial liabilities on service providers for data theft or loss.
This could lead to higher costs and risks for service providers. With no claim experience to go by, insurers are quoting stiff premiums for providing insurance cover against such contingencies.
"A majority of the mega deals we are advising on now, all with an offshore component including, two large ones to Indian vendors, include such punitive liability clauses in the contracts where, depending on the deal size the liability could be two-three times the deal size or up to $250 million to $350 million," said Mr Siddharth Pai, Partner and Managing Director of TPI India.
TPI is an outsourcing advisory with a primary focus on deals larger than $50 million For a BPO outfit, although the deal size from a bank could be worth $10 million involving say, credit card processing, the potential liability for data theft could be well over $300 million.
The outsourcing financial institutions are trying to introduce unlimited liability clauses on service providers, Mr Pai said. While vendors are not prepared for such contractual clauses, what it boils down to is that they will have to agree to third party financial institutions providing guarantees for the liability amount.
"These are not asset-based bank guarantees but a form of insurance where the vendor pays a significantly higher premium, simply because these types of liabilities are too new to have an actuarial history," he said, adding that while such punitive clauses are the trend now, it remained to be seen how the contracts would evolve in the long term. These guarantees or insurance are evolving simply because there is no way even a run on the service provider's assets will cover the liability of the outsourcing company if there is data theft or information loss, he said.
Negotiations are still going on and the requirement for third party financial guarantees and punitive liabilities in contracts is a new phenomenon, Mr Pai said. Most major outsourcing contracts have a cap on liability insurance and although there are companies seeking to enforce punitive liability clauses, there are no Tier I and Tier II vendors who will take up contracts under such cases, said Mr Pradeep Mukherjee, Managing Director, neoIT, an outsourcing advisory. "The customer is getting rewards from outsourcing and should take on some of the risks as well." Nasscom says contracts have had strong financial liability clauses in the past but that it would not advice members on their commercial choices. "Our role will be in talking to the Government, banks and insurers to see what kind of cover can be provided and discuss on what will be the best way to deal with the requirements, although this is not a widespread phenomenon yet," Mr Kiran Karnik, President, Nasscom, told Business Line.

Script for Konkani

R. Venkatraman, the former President of India, advocated the use of Roman script for all Indian languages. His noble vision was unity of script and National Integration. It would also facilitate the learning of Indian languages. Take the case of a person who wants to learn Tamil, but is unfamiliar with its script. It would be next to impossible for a non Tamilian to learn Tamil. First of all one has to master the script and then the language. A person who is familiar with the universally widely used Roman Script would learn Tamil or for that matter any Indian language if it is taught in Roman script. In this age of Internet and information technology, where the whole world has been reduced to a global village, the Roman script is gaining wide acceptability world-wide. It is a simple linear script and is computer and user friendly. Turkey, Swahili in Africa and the Indo-China region states have all resorted to the use of Roman script for their languages. The Chinese, Japanese, Punjabi, Sindhi and Kashmiri are using Roman script for e-mail correspondence. Therefore it becomes easier for any tourist visiting Malaysia or Vietnam, to read the sign boards and his destinations, though in the local languages but written in Roman Script. Take the case of India where there are hundreds of languages and dialects written in various scripts, wouldn't an Indian traveling from North to South find it easier to travel if all the sign boards were written in the Roman script? The Indian Army uses Hindi, written in the Roman script to instruct its recruits. As the army recruits come from diverse regions speaking different languages, can anybody dare to call the Indian Army or President R. Venkatraman, antinational or divisive? Have both the Indian Army and the former President deviated from the cultural mainstream of India? or become less patriotic? Is our nationalism dependent on the script we use for a particular language? Ever since the Dalgado Konknni Akademi was established to unite and motivate the sidelined Konkani writers, readers and speakers of books written in Roman script and enthusiasts, who sacrificed their life for the cause of Konkani, but denied any benefits. Loud noises are heard from self proclaimed defendants of Konkani, they accuse the efficient bearers of the DKA as divisive elements and antinational. They also label them as activists alienated from the cultural mainstream of India. By the way, where is the unity amongst the Konkani forces? Why are lakhs of rupees spent on Konkani by the Government used by only a few? A coterie of script fundamentalists whose only aim is to share the booty amongst themselves. Though the language bill was passed in the year 1987, Konkani as the official language remains only on paper. The bill has never been implemented and never will. Majority of government schools and private schools run by the majority community continue to promote Marathi and not Konkani. The Antruzi dialect Konkani that is foisted on the unwilling public has not found wide acceptability. Only a small percentage of Goans speak and use Antruzi Konkani dialect which is spoken by Saraswats, whereas the majority abhors the use of Antruzi as they feel it is not their language. The Antruzi Konkani can and will only survive with the government support. If the government financial support is withdrawn, the written Antruzi will die a natural death and it only will remain as a spoken dialect on lips of these small percentage of Goans. At present it is mainly kept alive by government grants. In Goa there is more readership and support for written Marathi than Konkani written in Devanagari script. The most of the religious rituals of the majority community are held in Marathi and not in Antruzi Konkani dialect. This itself proves that the majority community does not support or encourage Antruzi Konkani dialect in religious, cultural and educational fields. Take the case of Roman script Konkani, which uses the Bardesi dialect. Ninety eight percent of Goans understand this form of Konkani. Literature in this variant existed right from the sixteenth century. The Tiatrs that uses this Bardesi Konkani is highly successful and today its turn over is in multi crores. Hundreds of cassettes of Kantaram are released every year. VCD'S of Tiatrs are flooding the market by the hundreds and are bought by the people over the counter. Vavraddeancho Ixtt weekly and monthly magazines are sold by the thousands by paper vendors. Novels written in Roman script sell like hot cakes the moment they are released. Religious hymns, Bible readings, masses and other religious literature and church bulletins are in the Bardesi version Konkani. This shade of Konkani is sought to be suppressed and eliminated by the Devanagari fanatics. They have succeeded to a great extent in denying government support to the people's Konkani and vociferously oppose any government grants or efforts to revive the Roman script Konkani literature. Are these people really supporting the real cause of Konkani? or are they the true enemies from within? The Bardesi version of Konkani continues to survive and thrive, without any Government support. Had there been Government grants to the people's Konkani, one can imagine to what extent it would have flourished and prospered. The myth that Konkani can only be expressed well, in Devanagari script, has been shattered by the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy. A Statuary Government Body. The KKSA recently adopted on 30th May 2005 the Kannada script as the official script for Konkani in Karnataka. Children in Karnataka will learn Konkani in Kannada script and in the dialect that is universally acceptable to all. Why are Goans who used Roman script Konkani for centuries willing to kill the goose that lays golden eggs and adopt an archaic, three tier cumbersome Devanagari script? Are the Goans ready to transform a Tiatr into a Natak? a Kantar into a Bhavgeet, a Mando into a natyageet? or a Dekhni into a Dhalo? Why can't both the Bardesi Konkani and the Antruzi Konkani co-exist and bloom independently and side by side? Take the case of the omni present English where there are several versions. For example: The Queen English, the American, the Australian, the Afro-American and the Indian Hinglish. No one version claims superiority or works to subdue and obliterate the other. It is predicted that Indian Hinglish will dominate the world in the years to come. The church schools should switch over to the Roman script Bardesi Konkani with immediate effect. The minority schools have a right to teach their children in the script of their own, under article 29(1) of the Constitution of India "Any section of the citizens residing in the territory of India or any part thereof having a distinct language or culture of its own shall have the right to conserve the same." Let us avail of this fundamental right to teach Konkani in Roman script to our students from the next academic year onwards. The students would find it easier to understand and grasp the subject, when they find the Konkani with which they are familiar is in their books. It is a well Known fact that the Devanagari fanatics do not teach their own children in Konkani. Die hard so called Konkani pundits educate their children in Marathi and English Medium. So far whom is the Devanagari Konkani meant for? Only for the minorities and to a handful of majority community? The Devanagari Antruzi Konkani pundits find it economically wise to learn Marathi. Employment opportunities are easily available to them in the Marathi print Media, Marathi folk art, nataks and bhajans. Why should only church schools continue to use the unwanted Antruzi dialect? Isn't the alternative Bardesi Konkani more appealing and profitable? Or are the church schools unwilling to experiment. Though it was argued that government jobs would go to those who learn Konkani in Devanagari script, statistics available with the writer speaks otherwise. No catholic has been given a government job purely on the basis of Konkani. Take the recent postal recruitment case. The vacancies were put into cold storage, moment the postal department made the knowledge of Konkani mandatory. What is the use then opting for Konkani at the S.S.C, H.S.S.C. and degree level when you are unsure of getting Government jobs?Political leaders who galvanized the masses, during the Konkani agitation are back in power. Konkani lovers were stabbed in the back by the adoption of the Antruzi dialect in Devanagari script, thereby alienating true Konkani lovers. It is not too late to undo the damage done. Let the Goa Konkani Academy be headed by representatives of both the communities in rotation. Let the Kala academy revive the literary awards and all other schemes which are available to Konkani in Devanagari script, to Konkani written in Roman script as well. Let also the Kala Academy subsidize the hall booking charges for Konkani Tiatrs. Let a Roman script Konkani wing be established in the Kala Academy to look after the interests of Tiatrs, Kantaram, Mandos, Dulpods and other genuinely Goan art forms. Let also travel grants be given to Roman script writers as they are at present given to Antruzi and Marathi writers. Recently adopted resolution in the Government Assembly during the BJP regime may be put to effective use by releasing government grants to the Dalgado Konkani Academy, which is a Registered Society under the Societies' Registration Act XXI of 1860, set up to look after the interests of Konkani in Roman script. The Directorate of art and culture could also be revitalized and reorganized. Presently it favours culture and art forms of the majority community. The funds earmarked could be judiciously and equitably utilized by also encouraging upcoming Tiatr artists. Tiatr could be promoted at the national and international level. Government should sponsor Tiatr groups and Mando groups to put up shows in different States of India. The Catholic community has been emotionally blackmailed in the name of Konkani over the years. They have received no tangible benefits in return. Whereas, the Devanagari activists enjoy Government support and occupy positions and jobs at the expense of Roman script supporters. They conveniently switch their allegiance and loyalties to Marathi and Konkani as and when it suits them. Now the time has come to demand our pound of flesh. We have waited for twenty long years, and to wait for even more years will be foolish and self defeating. Roman script Konkani is our Konkani. Therefore it is not shameful to patronize it and demand what we rightfully deserve. The Congress Government which treats the catholic community as its rightful vote bank should deliver and deliver now. It is time to watch your promises with actions, for actions speak louder than words. Nelson Lopes R. Venkatraman, the former President of India, advocated the use of Roman script for all Indian languages. His noble vision was unity of script and National Integration. It would also facilitate the learning of Indian languages. Take the case of a person who wants to learn Tamil, but is unfamiliar with its script. It would be next to impossible for a non Tamilian to learn Tamil. First of all one has to master the script and then the language. A person who is familiar with the universally widely used Roman Script would learn Tamil or for that matter any Indian language if it is taught in Roman script. In this age of Internet and information technology, where the whole world has been reduced to a global village, the Roman script is gaining wide acceptability world-wide. It is a simple linear script and is computer and user friendly. Turkey, Swahili in Africa and the Indo-China region states have all resorted to the use of Roman script for their languages. The Chinese, Japanese, Punjabi, Sindhi and Kashmiri are using Roman script for e-mail correspondence. Therefore it becomes easier for any tourist visiting Malaysia or Vietnam, to read the sign boards and his destinations, though in the local languages but written in Roman Script. Take the case of India where there are hundreds of languages and dialects written in various scripts, wouldn't an Indian traveling from North to South find it easier to travel if all the sign boards were written in the Roman script? The Indian Army uses Hindi, written in the Roman script to instruct its recruits. As the army recruits come from diverse regions speaking different languages, can anybody dare to call the Indian Army or President R. Venkatraman, antinational or divisive? Have both the Indian Army and the former President deviated from the cultural mainstream of India? or become less patriotic? Is our nationalism dependent on the script we use for a particular language? Ever since the Dalgado Konknni Akademi was established to unite and motivate the sidelined Konkani writers, readers and speakers of books written in Roman script and enthusiasts, who sacrificed their life for the cause of Konkani, but denied any benefits. Loud noises are heard from self proclaimed defendants of Konkani, they accuse the efficient bearers of the DKA as divisive elements and antinational. They also label them as activists alienated from the cultural mainstream of India. By the way, where is the unity amongst the Konkani forces? Why are lakhs of rupees spent on Konkani by the Government used by only a few? A coterie of script fundamentalists whose only aim is to share the booty amongst themselves. Though the language bill was passed in the year 1987, Konkani as the official language remains only on paper. The bill has never been implemented and never will. Majority of government schools and private schools run by the majority community continue to promote Marathi and not Konkani. The Antruzi dialect Konkani that is foisted on the unwilling public has not found wide acceptability. Only a small percentage of Goans speak and use Antruzi Konkani dialect which is spoken by Saraswats, whereas the majority abhors the use of Antruzi as they feel it is not their language. The Antruzi Konkani can and will only survive with the government support. If the government financial support is withdrawn, the written Antruzi will die a natural death and it only will remain as a spoken dialect on lips of these small percentage of Goans. At present it is mainly kept alive by government grants. In Goa there is more readership and support for written Marathi than Konkani written in Devanagari script. The most of the religious rituals of the majority community are held in Marathi and not in Antruzi Konkani dialect. This itself proves that the majority community does not support or encourage Antruzi Konkani dialect in religious, cultural and educational fields. Take the case of Roman script Konkani, which uses the Bardesi dialect. Ninety eight percent of Goans understand this form of Konkani. Literature in this variant existed right from the sixteenth century. The Tiatrs that uses this Bardesi Konkani is highly successful and today its turn over is in multi crores. Hundreds of cassettes of Kantaram are released every year. VCD'S of Tiatrs are flooding the market by the hundreds and are bought by the people over the counter. Vavraddeancho Ixtt weekly and monthly magazines are sold by the thousands by paper vendors. Novels written in Roman script sell like hot cakes the moment they are released. Religious hymns, Bible readings, masses and other religious literature and church bulletins are in the Bardesi version Konkani. This shade of Konkani is sought to be suppressed and eliminated by the Devanagari fanatics. They have succeeded to a great extent in denying government support to the people's Konkani and vociferously oppose any government grants or efforts to revive the Roman script Konkani literature. Are these people really supporting the real cause of Konkani? or are they the true enemies from within? The Bardesi version of Konkani continues to survive and thrive, without any Government support. Had there been Government grants to the people's Konkani, one can imagine to what extent it would have flourished and prospered. The myth that Konkani can only be expressed well, in Devanagari script, has been shattered by the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy. A Statuary Government Body. The KKSA recently adopted on 30th May 2005 the Kannada script as the official script for Konkani in Karnataka. Children in Karnataka will learn Konkani in Kannada script and in the dialect that is universally acceptable to all. Why are Goans who used Roman script Konkani for centuries willing to kill the goose that lays golden eggs and adopt an archaic, three tier cumbersome Devanagari script? Are the Goans ready to transform a Tiatr into a Natak? a Kantar into a Bhavgeet, a Mando into a natyageet? or a Dekhni into a Dhalo? Why can't both the Bardesi Konkani and the Antruzi Konkani co-exist and bloom independently and side by side? Take the case of the omni present English where there are several versions. For example: The Queen English, the American, the Australian, the Afro-American and the Indian Hinglish. No one version claims superiority or works to subdue and obliterate the other. It is predicted that Indian Hinglish will dominate the world in the years to come. The church schools should switch over to the Roman script Bardesi Konkani with immediate effect. The minority schools have a right to teach their children in the script of their own, under article 29(1) of the Constitution of India "Any section of the citizens residing in the territory of India or any part thereof having a distinct language or culture of its own shall have the right to conserve the same." Let us avail of this fundamental right to teach Konkani in Roman script to our students from the next academic year onwards. The students would find it easier to understand and grasp the subject, when they find the Konkani with which they are familiar is in their books. It is a well Known fact that the Devanagari fanatics do not teach their own children in Konkani. Die hard so called Konkani pundits educate their children in Marathi and English Medium. So far whom is the Devanagari Konkani meant for? Only for the minorities and to a handful of majority community? The Devanagari Antruzi Konkani pundits find it economically wise to learn Marathi. Employment opportunities are easily available to them in the Marathi print Media, Marathi folk art, nataks and bhajans. Why should only church schools continue to use the unwanted Antruzi dialect? Isn't the alternative Bardesi Konkani more appealing and profitable? Or are the church schools unwilling to experiment. Though it was argued that government jobs would go to those who learn Konkani in Devanagari script, statistics available with the writer speaks otherwise. No catholic has been given a government job purely on the basis of Konkani. Take the recent postal recruitment case. The vacancies were put into cold storage, moment the postal department made the knowledge of Konkani mandatory. What is the use then opting for Konkani at the S.S.C, H.S.S.C. and degree level when you are unsure of getting Government jobs?Political leaders who galvanized the masses, during the Konkani agitation are back in power. Konkani lovers were stabbed in the back by the adoption of the Antruzi dialect in Devanagari script, thereby alienating true Konkani lovers. It is not too late to undo the damage done. Let the Goa Konkani Academy be headed by representatives of both the communities in rotation. Let the Kala academy revive the literary awards and all other schemes which are available to Konkani in Devanagari script, to Konkani written in Roman script as well. Let also the Kala Academy subsidize the hall booking charges for Konkani Tiatrs. Let a Roman script Konkani wing be established in the Kala Academy to look after the interests of Tiatrs, Kantaram, Mandos, Dulpods and other genuinely Goan art forms. Let also travel grants be given to Roman script writers as they are at present given to Antruzi and Marathi writers. Recently adopted resolution in the Government Assembly during the BJP regime may be put to effective use by releasing government grants to the Dalgado Konkani Academy, which is a Registered Society under the Societies' Registration Act XXI of 1860, set up to look after the interests of Konkani in Roman script. The Directorate of art and culture could also be revitalized and reorganized. Presently it favours culture and art forms of the majority community. The funds earmarked could be judiciously and equitably utilized by also encouraging upcoming Tiatr artists. Tiatr could be promoted at the national and international level. Government should sponsor Tiatr groups and Mando groups to put up shows in different States of India. The Catholic community has been emotionally blackmailed in the name of Konkani over the years. They have received no tangible benefits in return. Whereas, the Devanagari activists enjoy Government support and occupy positions and jobs at the expense of Roman script supporters. They conveniently switch their allegiance and loyalties to Marathi and Konkani as and when it suits them. Now the time has come to demand our pound of flesh. We have waited for twenty long years, and to wait for even more years will be foolish and self defeating. Roman script Konkani is our Konkani. Therefore it is not shameful to patronize it and demand what we rightfully deserve. The Congress Government which treats the catholic community as its rightful vote bank should deliver and deliver now. It is time to watch your promises with actions, for actions speak louder than words.

Opinions differ over choice of script for Konkani books

The Konkani Sahitya Academy has started the process of arriving at a consensus among Konkani-speaking people on the script to be used

MANGALORE: The issue of adopting a script for Konkani textbooks to be brought out by the Department of State Education Research and Training (DSERT) is under debate as opinions vary over the choice of Kannada and Nagari script.

The Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy, headed by its Chairman, Eric Ozario, chose to revive the issue of teaching Konkani in schools and set about the process of forging consensus among Konkani-speaking communities on the script to be used.

A majority opinion was in favour of Kannada script and the academy accordingly sent its recommendations to DSERT.

This effort received a setback when the Karnataka State Konkani Linguistic Minority Educational Institutions' Association rejected the use of Kannada script and demanded that Nagari script be used instead. The association said it used both scripts to teach Konkani in schools run by it up to fifth standard and wanted Nagari to be the official script in textbooks.

Joining this debate here on Monday, the Konkani Writers' Forum, Karnataka, criticised the stand taken by the association. Extending its support to the decision of the academy to use Kannada script, Edward L. Nazareth, its secretary, said the view taken by the association on the script would derail the process of introducing Konkani as an optional subject in schools in the State.

Dr. Nazareth said the move to teach a language using two scripts was impractical and would not only confuse the students but also their parents. Noting that a majority of Konkani-speaking communities in the state are well versed in Kannada, he said all stakeholders would have to make extra efforts to learn Nagari script.

Criticising the few facts presented by the association in its defence of Nagari script, Dr. Nazareth said this was not borne out of their love for Nagari script but out of opposition to Kannada. Terming this as detrimental for the development of Konkani, he said it could spoil the harmonious relationship between Kannada and Konkani.

Book by Kishan Shenoi

Digital Signal Processing In Telecommunications

Buy at http://www.phptr.com/title/0130967513

Book Description

As digital signal processing parts become more easily available (and cheaper), more and more engineers are being forced to use them when doing design work. Although several excellent books cover the theory and rigorous mathematics of DSP, few—if any—have focused on the practical aspects of doing design work in DSP. This volume provides not only a solid introduction to communications theory and digital signal processing, but also provides practical information on DSP as it applies to telecommunications. KEY TOPICS: Discusses communications theory, mathematics, and notation; introduces the concepts, tools, and shortcomings of DSP; provides solved mathematical examples and computer program listings for implementing the algorithms; and devotes an entire section to applications of DSP in telecommunications—echo cancellation, transmultiplexers, voice-compression, and waveform generation. MARKET: For design engineers in the field of communications, engineers in the fields of defense and bio-electronics, and engineering managers.

Speak Konkani, Teach Konkani programme at 10 locations in Mumbai

Maharashtra Konkan Association Mumbai has organised a KONKNNI ULËY KONKNNI XIKËY (Speak Konkani, Teach Konkani) programme at 10 various locations of a metropolitan city of Mumbai in order encourage people to communicate in Konkani and also to teach them to read and write in Konkani using Roman script. Rev. Dr. Pratap Naik director of Thomas Stephen's Konkani Kendr, Goa along with his team will be the main resource person for this entire programme.

This programme will be held between 25-June-2005 to 3-July-2005 at 10 different locations of Mumbai. The inauguration of the programme will be held on 25-June-2005 at Nirmala Mata Convent Hall, Near Manikpur St. Michaels church, Vasai West on 25 June 2005 at 6.30 pm. Total number of 1000 Konkani people of different geographical area are expected to be get trained during this entire programme.

Most of the languages in India have about five to seven basic vowels excluding long vowels and diphthongs. But Konkani language has 16 basic vowels excluding equal number of long vowels and lots of diphthongs. Different types of nasal vowels is the specialty and greatness of Konkani language. Hence it is very difficult to represent Konkani language as it is pronounced, using any of the existing script in India.

But Thomas Stephen Konkani Kendr Goa has formulated a new Orthography for writing Konkani in Roman script by modifying the existing Roman script orthography used by Goan Christians. This script is so simple that Konkani can be written by representing exact sounds using the normal computer keyboard keys. This script is the result of their research of number of years after consulting the prominent writers and linguists in Goa, Mangalore and Mumbai. Now as the script has taken its final shape it will be taught to the people in different regions of the entire Konkani world. Mumbai is the first city where this script will be taught for the first time.

Since Konkani doesn't have its own script, no script was mentioned while including it in the 8th schedule of the Indian constitution. Though Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Akademy has recognised Kannada script for teaching Konkani in schools, it may be only useful to the Konkani's of Karnataka region. Similarly though Konkani is taught using Devnagiri script in Goa it may be used only till national level. But Roman script for Konkani has a very bright future as it could be effectively implemented at the global level. Since vast number of Konkani people living outside Goa or Karnataka do not have the habit of reading magazines/newspapers/books in Devnagiri or Kannada script but they only use the periodicals of Roman script this script is very much suitable for all Konkani people living in India and abroad.

We will be also launching a website very soon to teach this new script to the global world. Konkani periodicals in Kannada script have already obliged to publish a regular column to teach this new method of writing Konkani in Roman script. For Goans it is very easy to adopt this script as they already have the habit of reading Konkani in Roman script. Hence this is a very constructive methodology to promote Konkani to the new generation even outside Goa and Karnataka.

Dell Woos the Market

Dell, the computer manufacturer has shed some light on its strategies to woo the market.

Dinesh Pai, general manager, Dell India, said, "We started from being no. 8 in the market when we went direct in 2000. Today, Dell is at No. 4 according to IDC in terms of total value of shipment. We have also seen a 15.8% year-on-year growth for PC unit shipment."

"At the Asia Pacific level, India is the third market after China and Japan in terms of size. So we will continue focusing and developing ourselves in this market," said Pai.

According to the company their major benefit is their direct business model where no unnecessary people or processes get between you and your supplier. "We focus on the customer and offer "best value technology" to all our customers across the globe," said Pai.

The company claims its success has not been because of the price point at which it competes but because of the value delivered. Also the build-to-order model allows Dell to maintain little or no inventory, resulting in our ability to introduce the latest relevant technology.

"Enhancing the customer experience is very important to us. Customers can get quotes over the phone or via the web and place orders on the spot. Their hardware is built next day and shipped direct, arriving usually within 7 to 15 business days," said Pai.

When it comes to after sales service the company can fix more than 75% of technical problems over the phone and have engineers all around the country to provide field service when required.

In India, the Laptop to Desktop shipments ratio is 1:30 in contrast to a market such as Japan where the same ratio is 1:1. According to the company Laptops are typically 2.5 times the cost of a desktop of similar configurations.

"This is an entry barrier for an individual considering the purchase of a Computer. However over a period of time, this gap has come down substantially as a result of better technology in laptop components such as the LCDs, processors etc," he added.

"Dell because of its direct model is able to offer to the customers the latest in technology at the most competitive prices. Currently we offer Inspiron, our laptop line for the home and small business user, starting at Rs 47,000," said Pai.

Handful shine through at Pimpri-Chinchwad & Khadki

UNLIKE in the past, big guns in the academic field in Pimpri-Chinchwad and Khadki have failed to hit the target this year. Only a handful of English-medium schools have managed to deliver cent per cent SSC results.

Leading from the front is Vidyaniketan School, Chinchwad, whose student Madhavi Patil made it onto the SSC merit list. Madhavi’s 92.13 per cent makes her 19th overall. She is also the topper among the English-medium schools. A total of 105 students appeared for the exam, of which 36 scored distinctions.

St Andrew’s School, Chinchwad, maintained its track record — Mahima Kini topped the list with 86.13 per cent, followed by Neha Chavan with 81.86 per cent and Pradnya Dhatra with 81.93 per cent.

Konkani Text Book Preparation Committee Expanded

Three more members have been appointed to the Konkani textbook preparation committee. V V Shenoy of Belgaum, Pundalik Marathe of Udupi and Mangesh Bhat of Vittal have been included in the committee. With this the total number of members has gone up to 10.

A committee was constituted to prepare textbooks in Konkani, which will be included in the school curriculum from next academic year. Konakni will be taught as an optional language from 6 standard onwards. The textbooks are being prepared under the direction and guidance of DSERT.

Aventis Pharma Limited

The 49^th AGM of Aventis Pharma Limited was held at Y.B. Chavhan Auditorium on 22^nd June 2005, which was presided by the chairman Mr. Vijay Mallaya. The key highlights are: Aventis Pharma at present is the 2^nd largest pharma company and 7^th largest MNC in India with a market share of 3.2%.

Aventis Pharma’s capacity utilization at its manufacturing plants stood at 75-78% in 2004 and has plans for incurring a capex of Rs165mn in F12/06.

Out of the total turnover of Aventis Pharma, that stood at Rs7.4bn in F12/04, one-third came from third party manufacturing, another one-third from the company’s own manufacturing facilities and the balance from the imports done by the company.

Aventis Pharma’s PAT stood at Rs1.5bn in F12/04 which grew by 51% with a growth of 12.8% in its net sales. On account of this the company declared a dividend at the rate of 160% in F12/04.

Aventis Pharma’s domestic portfolio of 12 brands comes under the DPCO representing 36% of domestic sales, which stood at Rs5.3bn in F12/04.

Exports of the company that stood at Rs2.04bn grew by 31% on the back of the 41% growth in its sourcing of products like ‘Daonil’ from parent company Aventis.

The products that are driving the growth of Aventis Pharma are Clexane (28%), Targocid (26%), Amaryl (16%), Frisium (13%) and Cardace (12%).

Aventis Pharma continues with the production of ‘Taxotere’ a product that has been produced by Rhone & Poulence India. (In December 2000 Rhone & Poulence India had sold its stake to Hoechst Marion Russel (HMR), which was later renamed as Aventis Pharma). Taxotere been a main product under the oncology portfolio of Aventis Pharma has posted a growth of 39% in F12/04.

Third party manufacturing been undertaken by Aventis Pharma is not killing the SSI units as the manufacturing is undertaken at the plants owned by Aventis Pharma itself with the company making the payment to SSIs as per the pre-arranged agreements.

Aventis Pharma, which has a 49% stake in the JV that it went into in 2004 with the US based company Chiron Behring Vaccines Private Ltd. (CBVPL), is manufacturing Rabipur, an anti-rabies vaccine. Aventis Pharma had received Rs24.5mn ad dividend from CBVPL in F12/04.

A de-growth of 7% in the Indian pharma industry on account of VAT during the first quarter results of 2005, has left Aventis Pharma sales unaffected. This is a good sign for the company as it expects to post a good financial results for year ended December 2006.

ISA appoints new president

Has announced the appointment of Poornima Shenoy as its new President.

BANGALORE: India Semiconductor Association (ISA), the semiconductor industry body today announced the appointment of Poornima Shenoy as its new President.

A full-fledged secretariat is in the process of being set up at the Association's head office in Bangalore, said a statement from the association.

Poornima brings to the job two decades of relevant and rich experience as an entrepreneur and marketing professional. She was instrumental in setting up Nasscom's first office in South India. And moves to ISA from the Manipal Education & Medical Group.

Announcing the appointment, Rajendra Kumar Khare, Chairman, ISA, said, “India is on its way to becoming a preferred hub for creation of advanced semiconductor products and a significant semiconductor manufacturing base which inturn opens the doors for large scale electronics manufacturing and value-added software opportunities.

This is sure to transform the domestic semiconductor industry into a significant driver for India's economic growth in the coming decade. “

Established in November 2004, ISA has attracted members from both domestic and international semiconductor/service companies, EDA companies, Semiconductor IP/embedded, s/w/TAPP service providers, academia and venture capitalists. It seeks to establish India as the preferred global hub for excellence in creation of semiconductor products through technology leadership.

Monster declares results of 2nd quarter HR panel

Monster India, (www.monsterindia.com), part of Monster, the leading global online careers network, today announced the results of its second quarter HR Panel.
The Monster HR panel was set up in November 2004 with a prime focus on bringing together the HR community’s collective experience to gauge and foresee trends in the recruitment market.
The Monster HR panel revealed that, "Relevant experience” is the most important attribute while interviewing candidates for Senior and middle management positions and scores over attributes viz., domain expertise, cultural / team fit, growth potential, educational qualifications and the credibility of the previous employer."
For entry level positions, however, employers prefer to look at educational qualifications, followed by cultural / team fit and growth potential of the candidates. Positive attitude and high energy are the most critical soft skills.
Dhruv Shenoy, VP, Marketing, Monster Asia, said, “During our Panel, the HR community made its preference clear: when they are looking for experienced professionals, they move those with the most relevant experience to the top of their list. With today’s competitive pressures, we are hearing more and more from companies that new hires must be able to hit the ground running.”

Poornima Shenoy appointed ISA chief

Poornima Shenoy, head of marketing and strategy of Manipal Education and Medical Group, has been appointed the full time president of the India Semiconductor Association (ISA). Shenoy will start in July, an ISA statement said here on Thursday.

“Semiconductor chip design and ultimately fabrication will be the next big thing coming out of India,” Shenoy told Business Standard. ISA, which was set up here by “an extraordinarily proactive group of CEOs”, had set in motion several initiatives, she said.

Viral fever spreads its wings

KOCHI: Amidst heavy rains, Ernakulam is feeling the heat of viral fever as this monsoon disease has reportedly affected some 600-odd persons. Both government and private hospitals are witnessing a steady inflow of patients with viral fever.

With severe fever comes headache and body pain, and it affects both children and adults. Even though this fever is self-limited and harmless, it can lead to a variety of complications in some people.

Since this viral fever is contagious it can also result in the whole household coming down with fever within days.

�This time the fever is really severe. In some cases, the temperature has even gone up to 104 degree. Usually the fever passes in two or three days time, but now more persons are being afflicted by secondary infections like chest congestion and throat problems,� says pediatrician Dr S Sachidananda Kamath.

Doctors advise rest to tide over the fever attack as fatigue is one of the main problems faced by the patients. And parents should ensure that fever-hit children take sufficient food and water to keep them hydrated and nourished.

�Since Ernakulam is prone to complicated fever-related diseases, we are not taking any risks. We prescribe antibiotics if there is any indication of other symptoms,� says Dr K N Omana, superintendent of general hospital.

Health authorities are taking all measures to control the spreading of the disease. Unlike the past couple of years, not many cases of leptospirosis and dengue fever have been reported from the district so far.

But many fear that more diseases will sprout once the rains abate and water stagnate, especially with garbage lying around.

Wordsmith forced to take a break!

M.V. Kamath, who is recovering from a silent heart attack, is longing to get back to his 15 columns a week!

It has been 24 years since Madhav Vithal Kamath retired as Editor of the Illustrated Weekly of India. And for the first time since then, he is actually on a much deserved and long awaited break. Having survived a silent heart attack three weeks ago and now on medication to clear a blockage, M. V. Kamath is recovering at a friend's residence in Malabar Hill.Kamath, who turns 84 this September, is actually enjoying this rest. "It happened so suddenly," he said. I was walking to the bank and the post office near my residence and started feeling uneasy. Looking back I don't know how I managed to walk home. I called a friend and later that day went to see my doctor. He took one look at me and said I need to be hospitalised immediately." Kamath spent the next ten days at Breach Candy Hospital, of which five were in the ICU. "A few years ago, I had three blockages cleared, while two were fine, one was not so. But thankfully there was no surgery done. The blockages are getting cleared through medication. But more than the medication, the doctors have advised me to rest and de-stress myself. Come to think of it, I was stressed and now feel much better."

This only means a temporary hold on the 15 columns Kamath writes for various publications all over India. But it's not just the columns he is abstaining from. There's a biography on Nani Palkivala that is due for release in January next year and updates on the history of five national banks, books that have been previously written by Kamath.After 60 years in journalism, Kamath is without doubt of the oldest professionals. But still he remains faithful to his 50 year-old Olivetti that has never let him down. "I bought the typewriter in London in 1955 and it still is in excellent condition. Once when I thought it would give way I asked around for the same model. The late M. R. Pai had one and he happily gave it me. That aside I also have a Remington, but no computer. And yes, after all these years, I am still a two-finger typist."Perhaps this break has given him time to reflect on how he began his profession and how much it has changed since. At the Free Press Journal as a junior reporter taking home a salary of a mere Rs. 100! Three years later, he was the editor and from there it was no looking back. He has fond memories of his colleagues at the Free Press, though very few of them are still alive. Of course there was the late Behram Contractor, Anantrao Kannangi, R. K. Laxman, M. K. B. Nair and Bal Thackeray who he simply calls Bal. And yes the young, very young Dom Moraes who started his cricket writing with the paper.Journalism has changed much since then and although Kamath no longer lectures (or rather shares his experiences as he puts it), he says that if there is anything you can't compete with it is experience. "I and very few left have see history and change not just in India, but all over he world. And writing and talking about those experience is what makes the difference," he laughed and said.

Mangalore: Opinions differ over choice of script for Konkani books

The Konkani Sahitya Academy has started the process of arriving at a consensus among Konkani-speaking people on the script to be used

MANGALORE: The issue of adopting a script for Konkani textbooks to be brought out by the Department of State Education Research and Training (DSERT) is under debate as opinions vary over the choice of Kannada and Nagari script.

The Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy, headed by its Chairman, Eric Ozario, chose to revive the issue of teaching Konkani in schools and set about the process of forging consensus among Konkani-speaking communities on the script to be used.

A majority opinion was in favour of Kannada script and the academy accordingly sent its recommendations to DSERT.

This effort received a setback when the Karnataka State Konkani Linguistic Minority Educational Institutions' Association rejected the use of Kannada script and demanded that Nagari script be used instead. The association said it used both scripts to teach Konkani in schools run by it up to fifth standard and wanted Nagari to be the official script in textbooks.

Joining this debate here on Monday, the Konkani Writers' Forum, Karnataka, criticised the stand taken by the association. Extending its support to the decision of the academy to use Kannada script, Edward L. Nazareth, its secretary, said the view taken by the association on the script would derail the process of introducing Konkani as an optional subject in schools in the State.

Dr. Nazareth said the move to teach a language using two scripts was impractical and would not only confuse the students but also their parents. Noting that a majority of Konkani-speaking communities in the state are well versed in Kannada, he said all stakeholders would have to make extra efforts to learn Nagari script.

Criticising the few facts presented by the association in its defence of Nagari script, Dr. Nazareth said this was not borne out of their love for Nagari script but out of opposition to Kannada. Terming this as detrimental for the development of Konkani, he said it could spoil the harmonious relationship between Kannada and Konkani.

Mudra appoints Kalpana Bansal as LLC head

LLC is Mudra's HR response to the need to identify, nurture and grow talent and was set up two years back when Mr Madhukar Kamath took over the group's leadership.

On Ms Bansal's appointment, Mr Kamath, Managing Director & CEO, said: "At Mudra we put our people first. It is great to have Kalpana on board as she is a critical addition to our senior management team. With our people focus, the LLC function is central to our plans in the future."

Ms Bansal joins Mudra from Watson Wyatt, one of the world's largest HR consulting firms.

As a senior consultant, she has handled a very large portfolio of clients and has been exposed to multi-faceted assignments.

Ms Bansal has worked with IMRB, Star TV and Tata-Unisys. She brings valuable experience in organisational development, training and competency mapping.

Eight-month-old Apoorva with weak heart gets rare cure at AIMS

KOCHI: Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) has added another first to its credit by giving a new lease of life to an eight-month-old baby after supporting its circulation and respiratory systems for over two days using state-of-the-art machinery.

The baby, Apoorva Parte of Mumbai, underwent a complex open-heart surgery on June 1 to repair a hole in her heart. After an uneventful operation she was transferred to the ICU in a stable condition.

But 12 hours later she developed severe heart failure and a near cardiac arrest on two occasions, the cause of which was unclear.

After all resuscitative measures failed, the only hope for this child was mechanical circulatory support by a technique called Extra Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO). And in two days her condition came back to normal and she was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday.

“We have been reading a lot about such cases, but using the machine required a lot of practice. However, when our team worked together we could make it a success,” said Dr Suresh G Rao, who led the pediatric and congenital heart surgical team.

Though this modality of support is fairly commonplace in the West, the prohibitive cost of materials, maintenance of support, dearth of trained personnel and non-availability of hardware suitable for a small baby have been preventing its widespread use in India.

A few centres in Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore have earlier attempted to salvage patients after cardiac surgery with this technique, but in vain.

What made Apoorva’s case unique is that it was for the first time that a baby weighing below 5-kg has had its heart and lungs artificially supported for more than two days, followed by full recovery.

This form of support is most gratifying in reversible ventricular dysfunctions as it can save lives. It involves close co-ordination among cardiology, cardiac surgical, anaesthesia and perfusion teams.

Education tourism

PUNE: Going abroad for higher studies was always high on the agenda for Indians. Now, with higher disposable incomes, the level of 'higher' education has been coming down for parents.

Targeting the under grad is The Princeton Review which helps students prepare for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), necessary for admission into US colleges. The Sara Beattie Institute, headquartered in Hong Kong and handling the Asia Pac region, has now opened a centre in Pune.

Pune, positioned as an educational destination itself, is in the process of offering a lower cost alternative for studying for examinations like SAT. The fees are Rs 18,000 for a month's course and course ware.

There are a large number of institutes offering coaching for the SAT. However, from March 05, the SAT has changed and now includes an essay and a multiple choice test. This has apparently reduced the number of institutes in the city offering coaching here.

"The next SAT test is on Ocotber 8 and we expect at least 20 of our students to take it," said Sharmila pai, associate director, educational services, The Princeton Review.

She added that they have been receiving inquiries from international young students wanting to attend coaching classes in India.

"We have two inquiries from relatives of students in London and Dubai for students who will come to India during their vacations and take the class here. After all, this is much lower cost," Pai pointed out.

Rose gold jewellery

KOCHI: Kerala's first collection of rose gold is now available at A Geeri Pai, Broadway, Kochi. The collection comprises earrings, pendants, necklaces, bracelets, bangles and rings, which are studded with diamonds set in rose gold.

Rose Gold is forged out of 22 karat gold, using a special process, which gives the gold a pinkish tint and an unusual glow. Rose gold diamond jewellery is extremely popular all over the world and has been well received in the Indian metros as well.

Geeri Pai is the only dealer of De Beers exclusive brand of solitaires and Arisia. The company also undertakes customised orders, both for rose gold and ordinary collections.

Konkani Utsav to be telecast

MANGALORE - OCN, a local cable TV network, will telecast the inaugural and valedictory programme of "Konkani Utsav" on Thursday at 9.30 p.m. The programme was organised as part of the decennial celebrations of the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy last month.

Nayak takes charge as chairman of LVB

Ramakant Madhav Nayak has taken charge as the new chairman and CEO of the Karur-based Lakshmi Vilas Bank Ltd (LVB).

Nayak, who was previously MD and CEO of Lord Krishna Bank, assumed duty at LVB yesterday, a bank statement said here.

Nayak started his banking career with Bank of India in 1966 and moved over to Bank of Maharashtra in October 1971. He served there till December 2002, rising to the level of general manager, it said.

Use Kannada script for Konkani: Writers

MANGALORE: The row over scripts intensified with Karnataka Konkani Writers Forum (KKWF) insisting on Kannada as the script for Konkani.

�For over 125 years Konkani has grown along with Kannada and the growth should be sustained in future too,� KKWF general secretary Edward L Nazareth told reporters here on Monday.

Karnataka State Konkani Linguistic Minority Educational Institutions� Association last week had rejected Konkani Sahitya Academy�s decision to teach Konkani in Kannada script.

Dismissing justifications on Devanagari script for Konkani, Nazareth said under no circumstances should Konkani be taught in Devanagari script and the government�s textbook committee, directorate of state for education, research and training (DSERT), should not succumb to pressures on framing Konkani textbooks in Devanagari script.

The Association is only interested in setting roadblocks to initiatives on teaching Konkani in Kannada.

�The forum has only 20 to 25 and not 60 educational institutions as they have claimed,� he said and added: �Just because one of their members was not accommodated, they have been opposing Konkani Academy�s efforts to teach Konkani in Kannada.�

Among three scripts, Roman, Kannada and Devanagari, Kannada is the most popular and has highest readership. Challenging the protagonists of Devanagari script for Kannada to show one Konkani daily in Devanagari script in the state, Nazareth said the only daily in Goa had a circulation of 300 copies.

Money calls: Prabhu, Shenoi

Suresh Prabhu, HDFC Bank: The G-Sec market has eased considerably, with the market having largely factored in the expected oil price hike and announcement of the next auction. Some positives are expected in today's trade, as most of the factors are favorable. No major fall in yields is expected. The 10-year bond is expected to trade in the 6.90-6.94% range.

Mohan Shenoi, Kotak Mahindra Bank: The rupee is likely to remain rangebound today, trading within the Rs 43.65-43.75 range. Money market action will be largely concentrated in the bond market due to the rise in crude prices and the possibility of fuel price hike. However, the forward premia, which had fallen earlier, may inch back slightly.

New stem cell transplant is gentler

Ryan Patrick, 8, knows a lot about trains. But he doesn’t talk much about his health. He has a rare immune disease that has left him with diabetes and life-threatening allergies.

Patrick's allergies include wheat, rye, barley, soy, eggs, legumes, apples and fish. Kids in his condition are lucky to live past 5, so his parents took a gamble on a treatment that could save his life.

Pediatric oncologist Shalini Shenoy and her colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are studying a new kind of stem cell transplant.

Patients typically get radiation and chemo so they won’t reject the transplant. But toxic doses can cause brain damage and infertility.

"There are numerous organs that can be affected," Shenoy said.

The drug Campath (alemtuzumab) helps prevent rejection and is usually given at the time of stem cell transplant. Now, Shenoy gives it three weeks before. That eliminates the need for radiation and lowers the dose of required chemo.

"If you told me 10 years or 15 years ago that a transplant could be done without a lot of chemotherapy or radiation, I would have said, 'Oh, you’ve got be kidding me,'" Shenoy said.

Most patients who undergo stem cell transplant coupled with the early Campath treatment recover immune function about one year later with no major infections.

Patrick had the transplant and now eats food that could have killed him before.

"It’s like we woke up and we found out the last eight-and-a-half years were a horrible, horrible nightmare," said his mother, Amy. "Now, it’s morning."

This type of stem cell transplant shows promise for metabolic disorders, some genetic disorders, and even sickle cell disease. Shenoy says its use for fighting cancer that requires a transplant is possible too but has not been tried yet.

There are risks for infection with this procedure, and patients need to be closely monitored. Six centers are involved in the research.

Jain Group to start engineering college

BANGALORE: The Jain Group of Institutions is all set to start an engineering college near Kanakapura Road by September 2005. Built on 36 acres of land, the college will offer engineering courses in Computer Science, Information Science, Electronics and Communication and Mechanics.

Jain Group of Institutions chairman R. Chenraj Jain told reporters at a function organised to felicitate college toppers here on Friday, that the college will have the best infrastructure facilities. Among 1,138 students who appeared for the II PUC examination, 102 students secured more than 90 percent with 967 obtaining first class.

Manoj M. Shenoy who secured 580 marks out of 600 topped the State. The gold medalist in Physics and Chemistry Pranab Kashyap secured 41st rank in IIT JEE and VIII rank in AIEE examination.

The K factor in Reliance settlement

Saturday’s settlement deal between the Ambani brothers may not have been possible if it wasn’t for KV Kamath, chairman of ICICI Bank and another trusted friend and merchant banker, Nimesh Kampani, chairman, JM Morgan Stanley.

Mr Kamath came into the picture following a request from Dhirubhai Ambani’s widow Kokilaben at Dhirubhai’s birth anniversary celebrations in December last year. What made Mr Kamath acceptable to both Anil and Mukesh Ambani was that he continued to remain completely neutral in the period when the spat between the two brothers became public.

Both Ambani brothers had met with Mr Kamath during the period when the tussle for control came out into the open. However, Mr Kamath persistently refused to play messenger or take sides. Ultimately, it was this neutrality that led to his valuation being the basis of settlement among the brothers.

Mr Kamath had a four point agenda; get the brothers to talk, do a proper valuation of group companies, create a fair division, and ensure that a settlement does not come at a cost to shareholders or create legal hassles. But Mr Kamath’s role did not end there.

After identifying who would control which company, there was the complex issue of structuring a deal to establish ownership. Structuring of complex deals was nothing new to Mr Kamath. Under his leadership, ICICI has been through a spate of mergers, desubsidarisations and a reverse merger. The bank has also experience in distancing a subsidiary from the parent through the trust route. Hence for this complex restructuring exercise there was no one as experienced as Mr Kamath.

Mr Kamath’s relationship with the Ambani family began in the early ’70s when Dhirubai Ambani sought a term loan from ICICI Bank for expanding manufacturing facilities. At that time the loan was cleared by Mr Kamath, who was a young dealing officer in the Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India, as it was known then.

The relationship evolved further as Reliance expanded and ICICI and Mr Kamath advised Reliance on structuring its various convertible issues in the 80’s. Mr Kamath has, on several occasions, publicly stated his admiration for the late Dhirubhai Ambani and his ability to make orbital changes. In fact, those in the financial sector often draw similarities between ICICI Bank and Reliance - the ability of both to raise large capital and scale up operations to new levels. Mr Ambani on his part did not forget those who had faith in him during his years of struggle.

While Mr Kamath was the lender of choice, the other financial figure closely associated with the Ambani saga is Nimish Kampani. The Ambani brothers have chosen Nimesh Kampani to do the valuation for the entire Reliance group for arriving at a proper division of assets. Mr Kampani had done the valuation in a month, creating a platform for the settlement.

Mr Kampani aided the late Dhirubhai in rewriting the rules of the Indian capital markets over two decades ago, when he started the equity cult in India. His association with Reliance group dates back to 1977 when RIL came out with a public issue. Since then, Mr Kampani has been involved in almost every issue of Reliance. The relationship strengthened when Morgan Stanley managed RILs maiden gross depository receipts issue in the early 90’s.

Mr Kampani shares a good relationship with both Mukesh as well as Anil. This could be the reason why after the merger of Reliance Petroleum with RIL, Mr Kampani was made one of the trustees of the trust which controlled RIL shares in RPL. The relationship was further cemented with the acquisition of BSES — where JM was the lead manager for the open offer.

The Pais of Manipal and Syndicate Bank, the Ambanis� Karnataka connections dating back to the 1960s, have welcomed the resolution of the dispute between the two Ambani brothers.

Ramdas M Pai, chairman Manipal Education and Medical Group, said: �I am very happy for the Ambani family. With the intervention of mother Kokilaben, the issue has been settled amicably. Both the brothers are dynamic leaders in their own right and, together they will take the Reliance brand to greater heights.�

N Kantha Kumar, chairman and managing director of Syndicate Bank said, �I believe the two brothers will lead their respective companies as done by their father. It is a good thing to happen to the leading industrial house, especially when the economy is booming.�

As for the future of the brothers� relationship with Syndicate Bank, he said, �As Reliance Industries is now cash rich, the company has no commitments.�

But this was not always so. On arrival from East Africa, it was to Manipal-based Syndicate Bank that Dhirubhai Ambani went for a loan to start his business in India. Then the bank was privately held and T R Pai, who was the top bank honcho, after hearing Ambani out for 15 minutes, instructed the general manager of the bank to give him Rs 10 lakh instead of the Rs 8 lakh he had asked for.

A similar story was enacted in November 1977, when Dhirubhai wanted to go public with RIL. Despite help from Pai, Ambani had a hard time raising funds, eventually relying on family and friends. Syndicate Bank was made the lead bankers to the issue and the rest is history.

Later, for the merger of Reliance Industries and Reliance Petro, State Bank of Mysore led the consortium and Syndicate Bank was joint lead manager.

Mangalore: Script row hots up; Konkani association plumps for Nagari

Sahitya Akademi recognises Konkani in Nagari script as independent language

Konkani textbooks with Kannada and Nagari scripts used in 60-odd schools

Language finds a place in the Eighth Schedule of Constitution

Attempts on to prepare a standard textbook in Konkani

MANGALORE: The Karnataka State Konkani Linguistic Minority Educational Institutions' Association has rejected an initiative by the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy to bring out textbooks for students desiring to study Konkani as an optional subject in schools in Karnataka from sixth standard, in Kannada. It has demanded that Nagari script be used in official textbooks.

Addressing presspersons here on Friday, secretary of the association, K. Mohan Pai, said the association is using textbooks with Kannada and Nagari scripts in 60-odd schools administered by it in Karnataka for students studying in first to fifth standards. While this is an initiative of the association, official textbooks should confirm to constitutional norms, he said.

Noting that Article 29 (1) of the Constitution allows any section of citizens residing in India or any part thereof, having a distinct language, script or culture of its own to conserve it, he said in case of Konkani, Nagari has assumed status of distinct script for various reasons. The Kendra Sahitya Akademi has recognised Konkani in Nagari script as an independent language, he said.

Konkani written in Nagari script is official language of Goa, he said and added Konkani finds a place in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Noting that Nagari is the constitutionally recognised script of Konkani, he said this perhaps explains why Konkani in Nagari script is used on Indian currency notes to indicate their denominations.

Stating that attempts to prepare a standard textbook in Konkani have been going on for the past decade, he said the association along with the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy and with help of Central Institute of Indian Languages has conducted workshops and training programmes in this regard. A textbook already developed by the association has been given to the Academy.

Dr. Pai said in anticipation of continuing the process and to evolve a consensus in the matter, the association attended a meeting arranged by the Academy here on May 15. The association has given its stand favouring Nagari script at the meeting, he said and added the Academy asked few of its members to join the expert committee set up by the Academy to prepare textbooks.

The Academy all along has favoured Nagari script and has even passed resolutions to this effect. The move to build a consensus in this regard is not needed at this stage, he said and added the association has informed the Department of State Education Research and Training (DSERT), which has to bring out the official textbook, of its opposition to Kannada script.

Asked if the DSERT accepts recommendations of the Academy in this regard, he said association will explore avenues open to it under the Constitution. "We will knock on the doors of the Constitution and seek solutions available to the issue as per the Constitution," he said and urged the State Government to ensure that Konkani is taught in Nagari script.

He noted that if the DSERT decides to accept the association's model of teaching Konkani in both Kannada and Nagari script, the issue will be placed before its members to decide. He said no other script apart from Nagari should be used in official textbooks.

Canara High School in Mangalore goes hi-tech

MANGALORE: When the 1,000-odd students studying in classes six to ten at Canara High School Main, Dongerkery, elect their school pupil leader and assistant school pupil leader here on Saturday, they will create history. These students will probably be the first batch of students in the State to elect their leaders through electronic voting or e-poll.

The move by the Election Commission of India to introduce electronic voting machines for the general elections in the country is the catalyst that spurred the headmaster of the school, S. Umesh Mallya, to think of a similar system for his school elections.

Explaining the system here on Thursday, Mr. Mallya said e-poll is a simple application that enables elections to be held using computers. E-poll is a stand-alone application, which is designed using Visual Basic 6.0 to provide graphic user interface and Microsoft Access. This in-house application can be modified and used elsewhere, he said.

Complimenting Ujwal Mallya, Harusha Shenoy and Venkatesh Pandit, alumni of Canara institutions, presently doing their final year BCA in SDM College of Business Management here, for developing the system, Mr. Mallya said its main features are its simple user interface, paperless voting, quick announcement of results and elimination of invalid votes.

Students sign on a nominal roll and enter a `booth' where a computer is kept. They have to click against the name (photograph incorporated alongside) of the student whom they want to elect leader and repeat the process for the election of the assistant leader. A beep indicates that the vote has been cast. The screen then becomes inactive for 30 seconds.

Since there will be six such `booths,' the election process can be completed in 80 minutes. Teachers will then access the database and compile the results, which will then be tabulated and the final results declared. If we have a local area network, this process will be instantaneous, Mr. Mallya said.

System to be upgraded

The school has plans to upgrade the system. Students will be given smart cards and they can vote in designated booths set up outside the school. Since the school has students coming from Udupi and other places, this system will enable them to vote in case they are unable to come to the school on the day of voting, he said.

Prof C N R Rao gets Chevalier award

Bangalore - Prof C N R Rao, Linus Pauling Research Professor, has been conferred with the title 'Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur' (Knight of the Legion of Honour) by France, the highest civilian award given by that government.

The award will be presented to him shortly, according to the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, of which he is the honorary president.

Meanwhile, Prof Rao was also named the 'Chemistry Pioneer of 2005' by the American Institute of Chemists, a statement from the centre said today. (Agencies)

Script Conflict - KLMEIA Opposes Kannada Script for Konkani in School

The Karnataka State Konkani Linguistic Minority Educational Institutions' Association, Manglaore (DK district) has opposed the decision of the State Konkani Academy to use Kannada script in Konkani textbooks. Disclosing this at a press meet here on Friday, association secretary Mohan Pai said that the decision goes against the Eight Schedule of the constitution, which recognises the language in Devnagri script. Inaddition to this, the Kendra Sahitya Academy has recognised Konkani in Devnagri script as an independent language. While the association along with the academy and the help of the Central Institute of Indian Languages has already developed a text book in devnagri, the State Konkani Academy's decision is a "breach of our faith and utter disregard of our contribution to the development of the language", alleged Pai. The association had made clear its stand on the script at the meeting arranged by the academy on May 15, which fell on deaf years, he said.

Konkani, an Indo Aryan language directly derived from Prakrith, is an offshoot of Sanskrit language and was originally written in Devnagri script. This has been recognised by the constitution and the same script has been used even in the currency notes, explained Pai.

He further added that the association which represents more than 60 education institutions founded and managed by the Konkani speakers in the twin districts will comply with the academy only if two language approach is adopted in the text books till standard V and Devnagri script is used from standard VI onwards. Failing this, Pai said the 60 institutions will not use the text book in Kannada script in its institutes for teaching Konkani. The association will be compelled to adopt consitutional methods if the academy progresses with its decision to implement Konkani in Kannada script, Pai said.
He further explained that the writing of Angelus Francis Xavier Maffei and Luis Mascarenhas make it clear that the original script of Konkani is Devnagri.

The association also urged the state government to ensure that Devnagri script is used while introducing Konkani as an optional language in schools of Karnataka.

Association president Mohan Nayak, secretary Arvind Acharya and retired headmistress of the Nalanda Vidyalaya Indira Jodmutt were also present at the press meet.