Screening camp for total hip replacement surgery

MANGALORE: Hip replacement and Knee Replacement Surgeries relieves pain and improves movement of particular parts of the body.

The aim of these treatments is to give painless mobile movement of the body parts, says Dr Surendra Kamath, In-charge of the Orthopaedic Department in KMC Attavar.

“Osteoarthritis is perhaps the most common cause for hip replacement surgery,” he said and added that abnormalities of hip joint, alcoholism, hip fractures, dislocations of hip, and long-term cortisone treatment for other diseases are causes behind Osteoarthrities.

The symptoms of a degenerative hip joint usually begin as a pain on the affected hip when lifting something. The degeneration will lead to a reduction in the mobility of the affected hip.

Bone spurs will usually develop which will limit the movement of the hip joint. Finally, as the condition worsens, the pain may keep the patient awake at night.

Assistant Professor in Orthopaedic Department Dr K R Kamath explained that in case of knee replacement, the cause is also Osteoarthritis and could occur with no previous injury to the knee joint.

KMC Hospitals Chief Operating Officer (COO) Dr Sunil Deshpande said the hospital would organise a special screening camp for Total Hip Replacement Surgery and Total Knee Replacement Surgery at KMC Hospitals from June 27 to July 1 between 10 am to 4 pm.

The consultation will be free of cost he said and added that Dr Surendra Kamath, Dr Ramachandra Kamath and Dr Amarnath Savur will examine patients on Camp days. For more information one can contact 0824-2445858 Extn.[5203].

Traders oppose new tax proposals

KOCHI: Merchants will oppose the tax proposals that violate the basic principles of VAT, said K. Venkatesh Pai, general secretary of the Ernakulam Merchants Union. He welcomed the proposal to introduce lottery scheme to encourage billing in transaction, but cautioned against any extra burden on merchants.

The tax exemption offered to silk saris should not be a temporary measure, he said. In the case of gold, the Government should have continued to impose the 1 per cent tax while taking steps to curb tax evasion.

He welcomed the move for allocating the extra amount collected through VAT for merchants' welfare fund, but doubted whether the target set by the Government would be realistic. He also hailed the move to form district-level bodies to sort out merchants' problems.

Mr.Pai opposed the proposal to collect tax for iron and steel items by bringing them under the purview of the Kerala entry tax rules. He urged the Government to withdraw the move to fix tax collection targets under various tax authority offices.

Cochin Chamber of Commerce & Industry president N. Sreekumar welcomed the exemption granted to the planters other than companies from agricultural tax. The annual cess to be introduced in rubber plantation needs to be addressed carefully.

Poet Sardessai cremated

JUNE 23 - The body of versatile writer and poet, Dr Manoharai Sardessai, was on Friday afternoon consigned to flames at the St Inez crematorium in the presence of eminent poets and writers, politicians and leading lights from various walks of life.
The funeral pyre was lit by Dr Sardessai’s elder son Sunil accompanied by his younger brother Umesh in the presence of a large number of admirers.
Chandrakant Keni, Pundalik Naik, Hema Naik, pop singer Remo Fernandes, Suresh Amonkar, Sudha Amonkar, Mayor Tony Rodrigues, councilor Yatin Parekh, Town and Country Planning Minister Babush Monserrate and Opposition leader Manohar Parrikar were among those present at the funeral.
Earlier, in the morning dignitaries and fans visited the 81-year-old literateur’s apartment in St Inez, here, to have a last glimpse of the body and console the family.
Chief Minister Pratapsing Rane has expressed profound grief over the demise of Dr Sardessai and said that void had been caused in the intellectual activity in the state.
Bal Bhavan chairperson Vijayadevi Rane also offerred condolences to the bereaved family.

The Gods must be Konkani

Ganapatipule

State Maharashtra

Distance 390 km S of Mumbai

Journey Time By road 8 hrs By rail 7 hrs plus road 1 hr

Location By the Arabian Sea on the southern Konkan coast, 43 km from Ratnagiri

Route NH17 from Panvel to Nivli via Kolad, Chiplun and Sangameshwar; SH106 and district road to Ganapatipule

With the affable god Ganpati, lotus in one hand and astride his trusty mouse, having descended to this beach with his army of gana (soldiers) and lent his name to the sand dunes (pule), heaven has arrived at its best address yet, now known as Ganapatipule. Dressed in his dhoti and janao, this original beach boy appeared here 400 years ago in the Swayambhu (self-originated) Temple. Both beach and temple have ever since been flooded by devotees and ocean-lovers throughout the year, particularly during the month of Bhadrapad when Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with band-baaja and flying gulal on the beach. And if the gods or the surf aren’t reason enough to make you want to get to Ganapatipule, maybe the hapus (Alphonso) mango will be!

For those who want to get under the skin of this state, Ganapatipule is an unexpected starting point to discover the landscape, art, culture and history of Maharashtra.

See and do

Arrive at the beach down the winding road from Ratnagiri and you are right by the Swayambhu Ganpati Temple, one of the paschim dwar devtas (west-coast gods). The swayambhoomi (self-created) Ganpati is very popular with the Konkani people, who crowd it especially on Angar Ki Chaturvethi, which is held every six months on a Tuesday.

Walk out of the temple and you’re on the beach, watching a village cricket match played out in a stupendous location, right by the water. Small shacks sell coconut water (no hard drinks allowed). If the romance of its setting weren’t enough, the beach is also sparsely populated and on long weekends, it is said that tourists outnumber the locals.

The waters are safe for swimming, plus there is a lifeguard here, but about three or four accidents do occur each year when people unaccustomed to the sea try swimming during low tide.

Water sports

In a bid to build on its status as a resort, MTDC has developed a water sports centre, complete with kayaks, water scooters, boats and life-jackets, on offer from October to May. The rides are pretty reasonably priced (Rs 30 per person for a four-minute spin on a water scooter; Rs 25 per person (minimum four) for a spin in the motor boat; Rs 20 per person for a kayak ride or paddle boat.

Shopping

The best thing that you can take back from the Konkan are its fruits. Dongre’s in Ganapatipule’s main market is a good option for Konkani ingredients. A recommended buy is kokum sherbet, a sweet and sour drink with a mesmerising pink colour. There are all kinds of sweets but their specialities are besan and coconut laddoos. They even have dinka-che-laddoo, made with edible gum! This is a holy town and assorted pilgrim-ware is available in the row of shops outside the Swayambhu Temple to help you worship with a full offering.

Where to eat

The best option in Ganapatipule is to walk to Kelkars, a local khanaval just outside the MTDC compound. Many such khanavals have lately sprung up in Ganapatipule, and they offer a genuine taste of Konkani vegetarian cooking with its typical flavours of coconut, coriander, lime and goda-masala (a spice blend). Their speciality is modak, a rice, coconut and jaggery sweet, offered as naivedyam to Ganpati. You can also go to the beach outside the temple where a number of stalls serve snacks, including bhajias and polis. In the summer there are always petis (cartons) of mangoes and throughout the year there is kokum, aam papad and phanas (jackfruit).

Help Me Konkanis!!!

I have updated the section Help Me Konkanis!!

Institute for Systems Biology: Baliga Group

Dr. Nitin Baliga
Ph.D., Microbiology
University of Massachusetts at Amherst
M.Sc., Marine Biotechnology
Goa University, India

Dr. Baliga is particularly interested in crafting systems level approaches to understand how organisms mount responses to complexes changes in their environment. He holds an undergraduate degree in Microbiology from Ruia College, India and a M.Sc. In Marine Biotechnology from Goa University, India. Dr. Baliga conducted his doctoral studies in Microbiology at University of Massachusetts at Amherst and his postdoctoral studies in systems biology with Dr. Leroy Hood at ISB. During his predoctoral studies, he won two competitive awards from the government. Of India: the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Fellowship, and a fellowship from the Department of Biotechnology.

Current research in Dr. Baliga's laboratory is geared towards elucidating complete sets of genetic circuits in Halobacterium NRC-1 that specify its robust behavior in an ever-changing hypersaline (saturated salt) environment. Dr. Baliga's research involves scientists of varied expertise in diverse areas such as environmental molecular microbiology, structural biology and computational biology.

Dr. Baliga has also made significant contributions to improving biology education in high schools throughout the greater Seattle area. His primary goal is to develop mind stimulating inquiry modules that teach high school students novel concepts in biology such as systems biology. Research in Dr. Baliga's laboratory is supported by research grants from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, the NASA and Department of Energy.

Areas of Research

Baliga Laboratory Research
Overview: All organisms have a remarkable capacity to process complex changes and adjust behavior to best suit their environment. The cascade of events from sensing an environmental change and triggering a response constitute many layers of intricate information processing pathways such as signal transduction, pre- and post-transcriptional regulation, post-translation regulation, and allosteric modulation of enzyme function. Information is propagated in a controlled manner through all of these complex layers to effect a systemic change in cell behavior. Therefore, a systems approach is necessary to fully understand the how these complex processes operate.

In a systems approach, the various cellular networks are perturbed by changing environmental conditions or directly perturbing the network by removing genes or modifying their function. One can then measure consequences of these changes as they reverberate throughout the cellular networks. Some changes that can be measured using current technologies include mRNA levels, protein abundance, protein-protein interactions, protein-DNA interactions, protein modifications and metabolite concentrations. The ultimate goal is to process all these measurements to formulate mathematical models that recapitulate all previous observations and predict new behavior in face of novel environmental perturbations.

The Baliga laboratory is using simple prokaryotic model organisms such as Halobacterium NRC-1 to delineate the entire systems approach necessary for mathematically modeling cellular behavior at a mechanistic level. Their long term vision is to use predictive mathematical models for gene regulatory networks to engineer designer circuits for a variety of biotechnological applications such as environmental clean up. Because quality of the deciphered network depends on quality of measurements of inputs, outputs and intracellular changes that occur during an environmental response, the Baliga laboratory has adopted an array of cutting-edge tools and technologies. These tools and technologies span laboratory and computational approaches including cell culturing, measurement of interactions among proteins and between proteins and DNA, data management, integration, mathematical analysis, and visualization. For example, cell culturing is conducted in a controlled environment using an environmental chemostat or in a sun box which can deliver defined doses of radiation. Cell sorting strategies are used to isolate cells of similar characteristics such as size and DNA content. High density DNA arrays are used to measure mRNA levels and transcription factor binding sites (ChIP-chip). In collaboration with Dr. Carl Hansen's laboratory of the University of British Columbia, they are also developing microfluidics strategies for monitoring cell behavior in a controlled microenvironment.

Tools routinely used in the Baliga group include an in-frame chromosomal gene replacement strategy, protein expression systems for over-expression and epitope tagging of candidate proteins, a high density expression microarray for measuring mRNA level changes, a whole genome high density array for monitoring protein-DNA interactions using ChIP-chip, and ICAT- and iTRAQ-based proteomic technologies for measuring protein levels and protein-protein interactions. The Baliga laboratory also develops data management and visualization software to analyze complex systems biology datasets that result from these high-throughput inquiry strategies.

Ongoing projects in Dr. Baliga's group include:

• Study of cellular responses to extreme environmental factors
• Transcription Regulatory Networks
• Development of Gaggle and data standards schema Software solutions for systems biology data standardization, integration, and seamless exploration.
• Regulatory network inference.

For more information on Dr. Baliga's research visit http://halo.systemsbiology.net

Key collaborations within ISB:

Leroy Hood, Jeff Ranish, Ruedi Aebersold, Ger Van Den Engh, Carl Hansen

Key collaborations outside ISB:

Carl Johnson, Jocelyn DiRuggiero, Raafat El-Geweley

Awards received:

• Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Junior Research Fellowship for graduate research in India. Awarded by the Central Government of India. 1994-1996.
• Department of Biotechnology (DBT) scholarship for graduate study in Biotechnology. Awarded by the Central Government of India. 1992-1994.
• Diploma in Systems Management, National Institute for Information Technology, Bombay, India. 1991.

Canara Bank employees to strike work on Thursday

Canara Bank employees all over the country would strike work on Thursday, protesting the “humiliating” treatment meted out to them on the occasion of the bank’s centenary year celebrations.

In a statement, Canara Bank Staff Union president M.R. Shenoy said that the year-long centenary celebrations have gone without involving the employees, though they were lavishly praised by the chairman in the media.

In the diamond jubilee year, the employees were given additional increments and bonus. But this time the interest rate on provident fund was cut down to 7.5 per cent -the lowest in the industry, he said. Shenoy said that recruitment was stopped, which resulted in increased workload on the employees.

He further said that the bank dishonored the government guidelines on absorbing part-time employees and seniority was not considered in promotions.

How Infosys plans to fight the war for talent

T.V. Mohandas Pai’s position is not an enviable one. The head of HR at Infosys has one of the toughest challenges among all honchos at the Bangalore-based IT leader: finding the talent needed to support the company’s ambitious growth plans.

The IT sector is on a hiring spree, targeting an intake of 3 lakh this year. Of this, Infosys alone will absorb one-twelfth, and the pace is unlikely to slow down.

“The leading IT players will do their hiring this year but the bigger challenge will come next year. The market is getting tighter,” says Pai.

Even fulfilling the current year’s targets will be an achievement, since Infosys has set out to hire 25,000 people in 2005-06, upping its head count, IT and BPO taken together, by virtually 50 per cent in a single year— and this at a time when other firms are also on a recruitment spree.

This is how Infosys plans to achieve the numbers: It offered jobs to 6,500 youngsters last year to join this year. Progeon, the BPO arm, is on course to hire 6,000 during the year.

“That leaves us another 12,500 to recruit in the rest of the year, which we will manage,” adds Pai. The first quarter target of 8,000 is being achieved. Hiring will take place all over the country. And Infosys is doing something new— hiring 750 BSc mainstream science graduates for the parent firm.

But in order to avoid losing its cost advantages, it is not going overboard on the package it is offering to freshers. It is paying no more than last year’s rates, plus inflation. This year fresh recruits are being offered Rs 2.7 lakh per year, compared to Rs 2.4 lakh last year.

Pai is not losing sleep over the possibility of the Indian IT leaders pricing themselves out. He is confident that their productivity gains will enable them to keep ahead of rising costs. But he certainly worries about the overall skills scenario confronting the organised sector.

The supply-demand situation is just about balanced this year. The country will produce 3 million graduates, of whom around half are good enough for the organised sector. It will thus end up recruiting the 1.5 million it needs, which is exactly what is recruitable. This explains why Pai uses words like “tight” and “challenging”.

“The best of IT can pay more without getting affected. We can manage but what happens to the rest of the organised sector?” asks Pai. He is worried because there are both vacancies and new positions to be filled for the economy as a whole.

Over the next 10 years 30 per cent of the present work force will retire. In the services sector the situation is particularly bad. A quarter of the million people who work for the financial services sector, for example, will retire over the next five years.

And if the economy doubles in size over the next 10 years, as it will if it keeps growing at 7 per cent per annum, the organised sector workforce too will have to double over the next decade, and replacements found for those who retire.

There is only one solution, argues Pai: “We need to sharply accelerate our higher education capacity so that we can double our output of graduates in the next five years.”

Infosys has announced that it will recruit the top 20 per cent of students from engineering departments of colleges and rely on a selection process involving a series of tests and interviews. With ‘catch ‘em young’being the firm’s slogan, it has taken initiatives to expand the available talent pool by working with education regulators and academia in India and abroad.

The company’s ‘Campus Connect’initiative aims to improve the industry-readiness of students while they pursue a regular education. In the last fiscal, Infosys partnered 250 colleges in India and four universities in China and helped 188 faculty members with specialised courseware.

If you catch ‘em young you mus train them right. To ensure availability of skills in line with needs, Infosys has set up an extensive training infrastructure. Competencies required are identified and developed along multiple dimensions: technology, domain, leadership, management.

New employees undergo training for 14.5 weeks before being deployed on engagements. The firm has established a ‘global education centre’(GEC) in Mysore to train 4,500 employees simultaneously.

To manage with a young workforce Infosys has a programme to upgrade the skills of its staff across the board.

Last fiscal, the firm launched a ‘competency certification programme’aimed at certifying its employees in various industry domains, technologies and project management processes. The certifications are mandatory for the future growth of employees.

The attention to skill development has enabled Infosys to become ‘a role-based’organisation, cutting the number of levels from 15 to seven.

Infosys’HR practices have been assessed at Level 5 of the ‘people capability maturity model’(PCMM), thus putting it at the forefront of the battle for skill development.

Tiatrists demand equal status to Roman script

Konkani tiatr artistes have approached the government seeking recognition of Konkani in Roman script as the official language on par with Devanagri script.
A delegation led by renowned playwright and director Prince Jacob called on Town & Country Planning Minister Babush Monserrate on Wednesday and urged him to take the matter to the logical conclusion.
It explained to the minister that injustice has been done to users of Roman script when the Goa Daman and Diu Official Language Bill was passed in 1987.
Menino de Bandar, Felcy, John D’Silva, Mario Menezes, Wilson Mazarelho, Anthony Rodrigues, Xavier and Mark de Araujo were among the prominent members of the delegation.
Prince Jacob told Herald that the minister has assured to pursue the matter for bringing an amendment to the Goa Daman and Diu Official Language Act in the forthcoming assembly session.
Sources said Monserrate told them that he would take up the issue with the Chief Minister Pratapsing Rane soon.
Konkani was made the official language but the recognition was only for Konkani written in Devanagri script, they said. As Konkani in Roman script has kept the language alive and that literature in the Roman script is helping the promotion of the language, it should enjoy equal status with Devanagri script, they stated. Tiatrists have played a major role in preserving and promoting Konkani, they added.
Jacob said without Roman script, the uniqueness of Konkani and Goan culture will suffer. Section 2 (c) of the Act should be suitably amended so that Roman script also enjoys equal status with Devanagri script, he said
For the last one year, there is an ongoing movement for recognition of Konkani in Roman script and Dalgado Konkani Academy and Thomas Stephen Kendra have spearheaded the demand.

Writers, poets condole death of Manoharrai Sardessai

Several Konkani writers, poets and thinkers condoled the death of Dr Manoharrai Sardessai and recalled his contribution to strengthen the Konkani movement, inspiring poems during the historic Opinion Poll and vast literature for children.

The Chief Minister, Mr Pratapsing Rane expressed profound grief over the sad demise of Goa’s well-known writer, Dr Manoharrai Sardessai.

“The death of the great man of letters has caused a void in the intellectual activity in the state,” Mr Rane said.

Condoling the death of Dr Sardessai, Mr Rane said that the departed writer was an intellectual giant, who could mould the highest thoughts in simple language.

Mr Rane said he read Dr Sardessai’s literary works, particularly the poems, and was always impressed by his literary style.

The president of Goa Konkani Academy, Mr Pundalik Nayak said that everyone in the Konkani movement was deeply hurt with the passing away of Manoharbab.

The departed poet had worked to unite both major communities — Hindus and Christians through his literature, he added.

Mr Nayak further said that late Dr Sardessai published his collection of poems ‘Zaio-Zuio’ in both Devnagri and Roman script so that both the communities could understand those.

“If anyone wants to see Goa’s nature, it can be seen in late Dr Sardessai’s poems,” he said.

Besides, Mr Nayak said late Dr Sardessai was favourite of children as the departed poet was becoming friendly with the children in the children’s programmes.

“Late Dr Sardessai’s poems and other forms of literature will give inspiration to future generations” he observed.

Sahitya Academy Award winner poet, Mr Prakash Padgaonkar said, “Late Manoharbab has done a historic work in the development of Konkani language as the departed poet had started work, when there was nothing on the Konkani front and gave a direction to the new generation.”

Late Dr Manoharbab’s literature would give inspiration to new generations, Mr Padgaonkar said.

Another Sahitya Academy’s award winning poet and freedom fighter, Mr Naguesh Karmali said late Dr Manoharbab’s personality was unique in many ways and was versatile poet.

“Dr Manoharbab’s poetry was like flowing river,” Mr Karmali said and added “late Manoharbab was one architect after Xenoi Goembab and created a ‘shilp’ for Konkani renaissance.”

Internationally acclaimed Goan pop singer, Remo Fernandes said that he came more close to late Dr Sardessai at the time when the Alliance Francaise de Goa was formed.

“While working with Alliance I realised how genius Dr Sardessai was, besides his simplicity was most inspiring things.”

Mr Fernandes said the late Dr Sardessai had a style of coining pun simultaneously in Konkani, English, Portuguese, and French on the same topic.

Konkani writer, Mr Udai Bhembre said,“With passing away of Dr Manoharbab the Konkani movement has lost a leader, who had no enemies at all.”

“Late Dr Manoharbab is our topmost poet along with Bakibab Borkar and he was instrumental in starting Konkani associations in colleges in Mumbai, trying to spread the movement among the students during 1950s,” Mr Bhembre said.

“Dr Manoharrai headed various Konkani institutions like Konkani Bhasha Mandal, when the times were difficult for Konkani, yet he was a person of such a nature that he could organise people and take movement forward,” Mr Bhembre said.

A well-known Konkani story writer and Sahitya Academy Award winner, Mr Damodar Mauzo said late Dr Sardessai brought laurels to Konkani movement in Goa, but unfortunately “we the Goans have failed to honour him with his due.”

Changing with the times

A caterpillar metamorphasises to become a beautiful butterfly. Similarly, Plethico Pharmaceuticals has evolved from a generic marketing company to a herbal and nutraceutical company with an international presence.

These are not the best of times for small pharma, and yet this good news. Sounds like a paradox, but it isn't. With Indian pharma making strides abroad, its time for the small companies to come out of the cocoon and evolve into a much stronger competition to the Indian mammoths. And one such company is Plethico Pharmaceuticals, which has revamped its business processes to keep pace with the changing scenario in the Indian pharma industry.

Reworking the strategy

Plethico started off in 1963 under the name of Plazma Laboratories for marketing generic drugs. They launched drugs like Doxycycline (Minicycline) and Cotrimoxazole (Timizole) in the Indian market.

The company established its presence with several major brands like RezQ, Reziz, Koxi, Monto 3, Monto 4, Recofast, Recofast Plus, Amloz, Amloz AT, Cebect and Cebect TZ, in segments like anti-malarials, anti-tubercular, cough and cold, cardiac and anti-microbials. This company was later renamed Plethico Pharmaceuticals in line with its motto which is 'pledged- to-ethics'.

"In 1998, after India signed TRIPS/ GATT treaty, it was perceived by management that in order to have a long standing and profitable business model, it is best suited that the company works on a non-infringing business model for robust growth, both in topline and in bottom line and steer clear of the infringing model," says Sanjay Pai, the Chief Financial Officer, Plethico Pharmaceuticals.

And going in this direction, the company lined up the viable options which was Contract Research and Manufacturing (CRAMS) foray into herbal formulations, nutraceutical formulations and OTC products.

"On going through the financials of the company, you will note that the company has actually built-up on this vision and has gained in the process," says Pai. Contract manufacturing or toll manufacturing operations (CMTM) is more of a stop gap kind of a working which is pending upgradation of the company's Kalaria unit situated in Indore to match UKMHRA standards. Once approved, the capacity of Kalaria unit will be ear marked for regulated markets and the CM TM business of Manglia in Indore unit will be transferred to the upcoming Jammu unit, which will have excise and sales tax benefits. These are essential for domestic companies to keep costs under control.

Heading for the herbal space

The international nutraceutical market, which is currently the domain of US and German firms is pegged at $500 billion. These players largely import herbs from India and China and sell final branded products, mostly food supplements and sports supplements. Plethico made a foray in this segment based on their belief, 'why not use the home grown herbs' and compete with the world leaders.

"We are focussing on herbals & nutraceuticals for a simple reason that they are commercially viable and make business sense and are vastly untapped. So a company tapping the herbal and nutraceutical segment faster will be able to create a niche of it's own," Pai observes.

Earlier, Plethico had prescription products predominantly in the segments like anti-tuberculosis, anti-malarial, cough and cold segment; which are not very lucrative segments to be in. Also, this segment is highly controlled and price sensitive. Going forward, the management perceived that this may not be self sustaining model and it was felt that perhaps an exit from this segment and return in future in a different therapeutic segment would perhaps help the business. Hence, the company exited from the Indian prescription market and sold its domestic ethicals business to a company called Shreya Lifesciences in 2003. In that same year, the company launched its OTC division with the introduction of the company' flagship product "Coach's Formula", a branded protein health drink, which is doing well in CIS countries, Asia and Africa, apart from India.

Changing with the times

A caterpillar metamorphasises to become a beautiful butterfly. Similarly, Plethico Pharmaceuticals has evolved from a generic marketing company to a herbal and nutraceutical company with an international presence.

These are not the best of times for small pharma, and yet this good news. Sounds like a paradox, but it isn't. With Indian pharma making strides abroad, its time for the small companies to come out of the cocoon and evolve into a much stronger competition to the Indian mammoths. And one such company is Plethico Pharmaceuticals, which has revamped its business processes to keep pace with the changing scenario in the Indian pharma industry.

Reworking the strategy

Plethico started off in 1963 under the name of Plazma Laboratories for marketing generic drugs. They launched drugs like Doxycycline (Minicycline) and Cotrimoxazole (Timizole) in the Indian market.

The company established its presence with several major brands like RezQ, Reziz, Koxi, Monto 3, Monto 4, Recofast, Recofast Plus, Amloz, Amloz AT, Cebect and Cebect TZ, in segments like anti-malarials, anti-tubercular, cough and cold, cardiac and anti-microbials. This company was later renamed Plethico Pharmaceuticals in line with its motto which is 'pledged- to-ethics'.

"In 1998, after India signed TRIPS/ GATT treaty, it was perceived by management that in order to have a long standing and profitable business model, it is best suited that the company works on a non-infringing business model for robust growth, both in topline and in bottom line and steer clear of the infringing model," says Sanjay Pai, the Chief Financial Officer, Plethico Pharmaceuticals.

And going in this direction, the company lined up the viable options which was Contract Research and Manufacturing (CRAMS) foray into herbal formulations, nutraceutical formulations and OTC products.

"On going through the financials of the company, you will note that the company has actually built-up on this vision and has gained in the process," says Pai. Contract manufacturing or toll manufacturing operations (CMTM) is more of a stop gap kind of a working which is pending upgradation of the company's Kalaria unit situated in Indore to match UKMHRA standards. Once approved, the capacity of Kalaria unit will be ear marked for regulated markets and the CM TM business of Manglia in Indore unit will be transferred to the upcoming Jammu unit, which will have excise and sales tax benefits. These are essential for domestic companies to keep costs under control.

Heading for the herbal space

The international nutraceutical market, which is currently the domain of US and German firms is pegged at $500 billion. These players largely import herbs from India and China and sell final branded products, mostly food supplements and sports supplements. Plethico made a foray in this segment based on their belief, 'why not use the home grown herbs' and compete with the world leaders.

"We are focussing on herbals & nutraceuticals for a simple reason that they are commercially viable and make business sense and are vastly untapped. So a company tapping the herbal and nutraceutical segment faster will be able to create a niche of it's own," Pai observes.

Earlier, Plethico had prescription products predominantly in the segments like anti-tuberculosis, anti-malarial, cough and cold segment; which are not very lucrative segments to be in. Also, this segment is highly controlled and price sensitive. Going forward, the management perceived that this may not be self sustaining model and it was felt that perhaps an exit from this segment and return in future in a different therapeutic segment would perhaps help the business. Hence, the company exited from the Indian prescription market and sold its domestic ethicals business to a company called Shreya Lifesciences in 2003. In that same year, the company launched its OTC division with the introduction of the company' flagship product "Coach's Formula", a branded protein health drink, which is doing well in CIS countries, Asia and Africa, apart from India.

Pervasive follows Apple out of India

Pervasive Software, a U.S. vendor of data infrastructure software, this week announced it closed down its software development subsidiary in Bangalore, India, citing complexity of management of the operation, and increasing employee cost and turnover.

Industry analysts expect a number of other small software development or services operations in India of multinationals to either close down or get transferred to an Indian supplier.

A number of foreign companies have set up operations in India which do not have the optimum size required to realize the savings of doing work offshore in India, said Siddharth Pai, a partner at sourcing consultancy firm, Technology Partners International (TPI) in Houston, Texas.

Unless a company is doing work that is highly skilled or highly differentiated in India, it needs to have at least a 1000-person operation in India as the fixed costs for such an operation are high, he added.

Companies setting up offshore software development or services operations in India also miscalculate the amount of management bandwidth and effort required to make it work to their expectations, according to Pai. There are currently about 385 development and services subsidiaries of multinational companies in India, and while there are some that are very large, there are many that are too small to be viable, he added.

The move by Pervasive came in the wake of a similar decision by Apple which shut down recently its month-old support center in Bangalore, which had 30 staff. “We have re-evaluated our plans and have decided to put our planned support center growth in other countries,” said Steve Dowling, a spokesman for Apple in Cupertino, Calif. earlier this month.

In a statement this week, Pervasive quoted its president and chief executive officer John Farr as saying that while the potential cost savings of an offshore development operation can be mathematically compelling, the company found that the complexity of managing such an operation, and the increasing costs of labor, employee turnover, training, and facilities in a hot market such as Bangalore make it challenging to ultimately realize those savings. Pervasive had about 50 staff in India.

Pervasive announced earlier this week hiring plans in its software development and technical support groups at the company headquarters in Austin, Texas. The company will however continue to outsource to Indian company Aztec Software & Technology Services in Bangalore.

The moves by Apple and Pervasive to opt out of their offshore operations in India do not however reflect an overall trend. Other foreign companies are expanding at a fast pace in the country. French IT services company Capgemini S.A. said earlier this month that India would be the hub for its offshore delivery of services, while IBM announced US$6 billion in new investments in India over the next three years, mainly to expand its offshore services operations in the country.

Eminent Konkani poet, Manoharrai Sardessai dead

The celebrated Konkani poet, popularly known as ‘Lok-Kavi’, Dr Manoharrai Laxmanrao Sardessai passed away in a city hospital after a brief illness late tonight. He was 81 and is survived by wife, Ms Pramilabai Sardessai, two sons, Sunil and Umesh and a married daughter Ms Maya.

All family members of the veteran Konkani poet were beside him when the end came in, family sources said. Funeral procession will leave his residence at Vanarai Apartment, St Inez for St Inez crematorium tomorrow at 12 noon.

Hailing from Savoi Verem village, Dr Sardessai, son of Konkani and Marathi author, late Laxmanrao Sardessai, was born in Panaji in 1925. He pursued his education in Goa, Mumbai and Paris. Dr Sardessai did his doctorate in French with distinction at Paris University. He stood first in MA examination (French and Marathi) from the Bombay University. He worked as a French lecturer in Wilson College and Ruparel College in Mumbai. He also taught French at Chowgule College, Margao and the Centre of Post-Graduate Instruction and Research of Bombay University. He was also head of French department at the Goa University.

He leaves behind vast oeuvre in Konkani. A recipient of the Sahitya Academy award for his collection of poems ‘Pissolim’ (1980), Dr Sardessai was honoured with Sahitya Sharada Puraskar of the state government for lifetime achievement. He bagged Kala Academy’s award for his collection of poems ‘Zaio-Zuio’. Besides, Dr Sardessai had other literary awards to his credit.

Dr Sardessai presided over the 8th All-India Konkani Conference held in Margao in 1962. He edited Konkani Bhasha Mandal’s magazine ‘Saad’, and for some years also edited ‘Novem Goem’. He was president of the Konkani Bhasha Mandal for three years.

Dr Sardessai had been at the vanguard of the Konkani movement for the last six decades. He vehemently fought for recognition of the Sahitya Academy to Konkani and later to make it as an official language of the state. Dr Sardessai also played a prominent role in the historic Opinion Poll of 1967.

The nursery rhyme ‘Hadvotall Bebo, Shetamerer Ubo’ is on the tip of the tongue of every child who has studied Konkani, while another poem ‘Hi Lokshai’ is a sarcastic comment on present-day political system.

His literary works include Aiz Dholar Padli Badi, Goeam Tujea Moga Khatir, Jaipunyabhu Jai Bharata and Bebyache Kazar, Zaio-Zuio, Pissolim, Bhangrachi Kurad, Mankuli Geetam, Manohar Geetam and God God Geetam.

His other works include Aamchi Bhas Aamkam Jai, Shenoi Goembab, Sahitya Suvad, Jaducho Kombo, Vivekanand and Devachim Utaram.

Dr Sardessai also wrote plays namely Smuggler and Birad Badallem. His English work An Anthology of Modern Konkani Poems is also well known.

Dr Sardessai penned songs for Konkani films like Jeevit Aamchem Ashem and Shitu

Leading the green brigade

Vithal Kamat, CMD, Kamat Hotels India, feels that initiating eco-conscious hospitality has helped the hotel build a brand equity that has become an industry benchmark

From humble beginnings, Kamat Hotels India (KHI) has carved a niche for itself in the Indian hospitality industry with environmentally sensitive hotels. Its increasing brand equity has made the Kamat name synonymous with value for money.

It all started with a small restaurant that became so successful that it led to the birth of Kamat Plaza Hotel. In September 1995, the hotel's management decided to upgrade and reopen its property as a five-star hotel. Thus was born The Orchid, Asia's first eco-friendly five-star hotel. To capture the pulse of the ever-growing number of Indians domiciled abroad - all with a keen appetite for Indian food, particularly Udipi cuisine, the group expanded its restaurant businesses to Belgium, Dubai, Tokyo, Singapore, United Kingdom, New York and Boston.

The game plan

Vithal Kamat reveals his strategy, "Marketing is one of the most important aspects of the hospitality industry followed closely by positioning. We came up with the concept of a green hotel brand that was environmentally sensitive, right from brick to paper."

Research has shown that a large percentage of international travellers patronise green hotels. In an effort to position this brand, the group tied up with an international firm, HVS Eco Services of HVS International, New York. It was hired to undertake specific environmental programmes, designed to lower operating costs and increase revenues as well as evaluate the hotel's environmental performance in various areas.

Kamat exclaims, "The Orchid received the prestigious Ecotel certification, which is the hallmark of environmentally conscious hotels, becoming the first one in Asia to obtain the coveted certification." He says that the group's prime strategy has been to enhance the guest experience while setting new standards in environmental responsibility and conservation of natural resources as well as educating and motivating staff and cultivating community relationships.

Spinning off Concept Hospitality Limited (CHL) in 1996 as a management company proved to be a visionary step by the organisation. Today CHL offers services in the areas of consultancy, hotel management and marketing while facilitating growth of other green hotels in Asia. Kamat says, "Positioning a new hotel in the market is very important. With sky-rocketing developmental costs, it has become mandatory to implement innovative marketing ideas. It is equally important to understand that development itself is a long process and as such the hotel industry has a long gestation period. To partly fund these projects, some of them are designed for multiple use in which a certain percentage of the hotel rooms are pre-sold, so that owners have some amount of capital."

Along the way, CHL entered into an MoU with HVS Eco Services to facilitate growth of ecotels in Asia, particularly India. Through this alliance CHL was to operate the certification and market the brand. Besides The Orchid in Mumbai, other hotels like Uppal's Orchid, Rodas, Lotus Suites, Ceebros and properties belonging to Jungle Lodges & Resorts have also been certified as ecotels.

On the horizon

Capitalising on the growing trends in budget hotels, KHI is the third Indian hotel company to venture into the mid-market budget segment. It will soon unveil its new no-frills hotel brand ‘Kamfotel’ in the country, starting with a property in Maharashtra. "Rooms at Kamfotels will be priced very strategically, ranging from Rs 1,200 in secondary markets to Rs 2,000 in a metro," Kamat reveals.

Also on the anvil are its expansion plans within the country and internationally. After Mumbai, Delhi and Goa, the group is actively seeking partnerships and business opportunities in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Bangalore and Pune. On the international front, the Orchid brand will be making its presence felt in Qatar and South Africa by the end of 2006. Commenting on this Kamat says, "We are looking at projects in the UK, USA and the Middle East markets."

Kamat believes…

He feels that tourism in India is certainly looking up. "With the government taking active interest in the industry today, efforts to improve our infrastructure will certainly go a long way in boosting tourism and hospitality in the country. I personally believe that the government has certainly opened up to this possibility and is seeing potential in our sector," he says.

He adds, "It is clear that in keeping with the many predictions that industry gurus are making, the mid-market budget hotel segment is here to stay. Considering the increasing frequency of travel - business or leisure - in this segment, the market offers enormous business potential and is expected to grow manifold in the years to come."

Roman script Konkani gets Parrikar’s backing

Leader of the Opposition Manohar Parrikar has said that he is not opposed to bestowing due recognition for Konkani in Roman script when the script is being used by a large section of the population.
Incidentally, both Parrikar and Industries Minister, Luizinho Faleiro raised the question of dangers posed to Goan identity and the need to protect Goa and Goan culture.
“Definitely, we will have to do something to the demand for recognition of Roman script for Konkani language. I am all for it when nearly 3-4 lakh people use it”, Parrikar said at a function at the release of Ulhas Buyao’s new music album “Original Treasure” and the re-release of “Roop Tujem Laita Pixem” at the hands of Industrialist Srinivas Dempo at Kersarwal Garden Retreat.
He, however, called for forming an apolitical platform in support of Roman Script, saying “otherwise the issue will be unnecessarily politicised in this election year”.
While paying tributes to Ulhas Buyao for his contribution to the Opinion Poll struggle, Parrikar said the time has now come to introspect over the threat for Goan identity in the changing scenario. “Goans will have to do a thinking on the question, whether Hindus, Christians and Muslim”, he said.
Saying that Goans have never fought on religious lines, Parrikar said he was shocked at the communal violence let loose in Curchorem early this year. “Goans are capable enough to find a solution to protect the state’s identity”, he added.
Industries Minister, Luizinho Faleiro later gave an open call to leave aside political differences and join hands to launch another struggle to protect Goa’s identity and culture. “Today, Goa’s identity has been lost by nearly 45 per cent. There’s a need for everyone to realise the scenario and join the struggle to protect our identity”, he added.
Earlier, Parish Priest of Mandur Church, Fr Conceicao Silva and Ulhas Buyao called for giving due recognition for Konkani in Roman script. “Roman script has not got due place in Goa. There’s a large section of people who read in Roman script”, he said and referred to the printing of 68000 copies of the Holy Bible in Roman script, of which 40,000 copies has been sold before printing.
Fr Silva also made a forceful plea to honour Father of Opinion Poll Dr Jack Sequeira with a befitting monument.
Industrialist Srinivas Dempo and Fr Pratap Naik also spoke.

Konkani Short Stories And Poems Of The Century

Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy has initiated a unique project to publish two books containing the selected short stories and poems of a century (1900-2000) written in any script in Konkani (Devanagari, Romi, Kannada, Malayalam and Urdu script.)

The book will be published in Kannada script and it is expected to be 800-1000 pages. Well known writer, columnist Valley Quadras has been appointed to Edit the short stories. Well known poet Melvyn Rodrigues has been appointed to Edit the poems.

Each writer will be given 5 copies of the book as royalty. Those who wish to be part of the book may contact before 31st August 2006.

Arch Pharma, Sibra sign pact

Mumbai-based Arch Pharmalabs announced the signing of a co-marketing agreement with Sibra Pharmaceuticals here for sale of anti-retro viral (ARV) drugs. Under the pact, Arch Pharmalabs will market the range of Sibra's ARVs exclusively both for Indian and global markets. In a press release, Ajit Kamath, chairman and managing director, said Arch Pharmalabs would actively seek more such agreements to expand its offerings across therapeutic segments.

Abharan Jewellers Launch Coral Celebration

Abharan, one of the leading jewellery stores, is offering a range of Coral collection along with gold combination to the jewellery aficionados in Bangalore. This offer is a celebration in corals and gold, and is presented in a complete range of premium coral embedded gold sets, exquisitely designed bracelets, rings, pendants, ear rings among others. Available in colors from pinkish red to a deep blood red, coral jewellery is sure to catch your eye.

The coral is a mysterious gem with magical powers attributed to it. The Indians believe wearing a Coral will ward off the negative effects from the Mangal Graha. Coral powder and ash is used in making Ayurvedic medicines. The Tibetans also carve Buddha's, Prayer Beads and charms from this gem - the red firestone will help protect them from evil.

“Coral jewellery is very typical to the coastal belt and since Abhraran’s roots are in Udupi S.Canara, We have an exceptionally large variety of jewellery studded with corals. We can proudly say that the best quality red corals are demanded by the people of South Canara primarily because the Mangalasutra (Kasthali) consists of 12 large barrel shaped Corals which is flaunted by all married ladies Also another tradition is S.Canara is to adorn baby’s with a coral and gold gold chain so that the power of the gem is rubbed on to the baby.

Keeping the tradition of Corals if mind, We at Abharan decided to launch a collection of coral jewellery by adding a contemporary touch to it. In our collection one can find Necklaces, Bangles, Chains, and Rings in particular because now there is a huge demand for rings considering the belief of people in astrology increasing.” Says The MD Pratap Kamath.

Abharan strongly believes that by selling jewellery, we are selling fashions and to compliment this the designers at Abharan are working to create a new collection for every season.

A brief info on the Jeweller

A consultant and a gemologist, from the Gemological Institute of America, New York, Mr Pratap Kamath, says, “ The color of coral can add a dash of zest to every outfit for every occasion. Natural red corals, Black Corals, Blue corals and White corals are among the most expensive. Red corals are more easily available than the others.”

Designers from Aabharan have let their imagination run riot and corals have been given a dash of color to their designs.

Sri.Sadanand Kamath founded Abharan in the year 1935 in the temple town of Udupi, Karnataka. Abharan’s first branch outside. Udupi was in Rajajinagar, Bangalore in the year 1983. Another showroom was opened on residency cross road in the year 1985. Abharan has now consolidated to one big showroom opposite ISKON in Rajajinagar.

Tips on Care of coral jewelry

Do not get taken in by cheap coral jewelry, as it would mean cheap imitations. High quality corals are expensive. Corals will get damaged if immersed in water for too long. The water may also dull the polish of the coral making it look lackluster and unattractive.

-- Ensure that coral jewelry is stored separately in pouches so that they do not get scratched.

-- If any of the corals are loose, visit the jeweler and fix them immediately.

-- Restring corals in necklaces professionally.

-- Refrain from using harsh cosmetics or sprays along with coral jewelry as they can damage the gemstones.

-- Clean coral jewelry with a soft damp cloth.

Red coral jewelry

Red corals or Corallium Japonicum have been around for centuries. They are highly treasured gemstones and red coral jewelry is extremely popular. Red coral jewelry is most popular since the hardness and beautiful hue of the red coral holds everyone in its spell.

Rich red corals are found in the Mediterranean coast as well as the Gulf of Naples near Genoa. Oxblood red is one of the most valued in red coral jewelry. Red coral jewelry is said to be associated with the planet Mars and said to cool the fiery natures in people born under its influence.

Contact:

Aabharan Jewellers.
Mr. Radhakrishna.
Address 192, Mahalaxmi Layout,
West Of Chord Road,
opp, ISKCON,
Bangalore- 560086
Tel no:23598600,

Konkani from 6th std likely

The Karnataka Konkani Sahithya Parishath has planned to introduce Konkani as an optional language from sixth standard in the state.

The syllabus and study material for the course has been prepared in association with the Directorate of text books. The Kannada translation of the same has been submitted to the government for approval.

However, plans are on to introduce Konkani on an experimental basis from the current academic year in 30 schools of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts. A committee comprising of Konkani writers has been constituted to campaign for the cause. On June 28, one day training programme has been organised at Mangalore for Konkani teachers.

However, Academy will bear the expenses related to printing and distribution of text books, remuneration and training for teachers.

Higher Primary schools which are keen to introduce Konkani are requested to furnish the name of the teacher who will be assigned with the responsibility and list of interested students to Karnataka Konkani Sahithya Parishath, City Municipal Corporation building, Lalbagh, Mangalore, 575003 within June 20, a release from the academy informed.

Konkani stories to be telecast on DD I

Two stories written by renowned Konkani writers —Pundalik Narayan Naik and Damodar Mauzo have been selected for telefilms which will be telecasted on the national channel DD -1 in the popular television series Aur Ek Kahani. The original Konkani story Bhonvor of Pundalik Naik is titled Parikrama in Hindi and will be telecasted on DD -1 channel on June 19 at 10.10 p.m. The duration will be of 1 hour. Raju Parsekar has directed the Parikrama and Raghuvir Shekhavat has written screenplay for it..

Manju Singh of Video Eye, the producer of the serial Aur Ek Kahani has produced for Doordarshan Pundalik Naik’s Parikrama and Damodar Mauzo’s Nakabandhi the screenplay from his original Konkani story Khilli.
Viewers earlier appreciated the serial Ek Kahani during 1980-1990. During this period, Damodar Mauzo’s story Manouti (original Konkani story Angvonn) was telecasted. Afterwards the same “Ek Kahani serial began under the title Aur Ek Kahani- on DD -1. The best regional stories are selected and the telefilms are made on these stories. Scenes for both Konkani stories has been shot in Goa.

Kamath Becomes President Of Business Development

Wockhardt Hospital's Anil Kamath, previously Senior Vice President, Hospital Business Development has now been elevated to President of the same division. Now, Kamath's role will include all corporate functions for the hospitals business: finance, supply chain, information technology, and all managed hospital projects business. Kamath has worked with Wockhardt in two phases. One was from 1976-1984 and the second one started from 1998. “I want to take Wockhardt Hospital all over India. We have our business plan ready for the next years,” he tells.

India Growth Story Far From Over: K.V.Kamath

The India growth story is still in a nascent stage and has a long way to go, K V Kamath, chairman and managing director said, while delivering the S S Nadkarni memorial lecture at `The India Equity Show` organized by myiris.com in association with ICICI Direct.

Kamath`s optimistic words may have encouraged the rising confidence of the India Inc which is already growing at a brisk 8% plus rate. Kamath felt this growth could well be stepped up to 12% in the next few years if all the engines of growth kept pace with the aspirations of a young India.

The economic growth cycle in the likes of Japan in the Seventies lasted at least 20 years. China has seen a growth story which has progressed nearly 22-23 years. In that context, the India story is only 6-7 years old and hence has a long way to go, Kamath pointed out.

There was a word of caution from Kamath as well. He spoke about the challenges that existed. The big challenges according to him were the infrastructural bottlenecks that still exist. He, however, felt this could be tackled with the right mix of public-private partnership.

Kamath built the edifice of growth on the sizeable influence of the knowledge economy. ``From the humble beginning in the early nineties, India`s knowledge industry is clearly growing into a global powerhouse and driving economic growth, `` he said. He attributed the phenomenon of knowledge and technology to the resurgence of the Indian manufacturing industry which seemed stifled and out of breadth in the late eighties largely due to faulty policies.

Going forward, the ICICI bank supremo felt that the next engine of growth would emerge from rural India. The rise of technology, connectivity and ability to do business in a remote manner would drive Indian industries and enterprises to rural India which probably will deliver the biggest market ever to emerge in the history of independent India.

Divest Luizinho of education portfolio

Lambasting the state government for recent “blunders” in the education field, Opposition Leader Manohar Parrikar demanded that Education Minister Luizinho Faleiro be stripped of education portfolio.
Making scathing remarks against Faleiro, he said, BJP will not put up with “erroneous decisions” of the education minister “which will affect future of the coming generation”.
While focal point of Parrikar’s critisizm of Faleiro was about English texts introduced for Ist standard Marathi and Konkani schools (introduced this year) and late arrival of text books, he was also critical about other decisions of the educations minister.
He said, chapters of English texts of standard I and III of vernacular schools are tough for students who are beginning to learn English. Lessons are so complicated that even 400 teachers of primary schools will have difficulty in following those lessons.
He said, NCERT books are good, in response to a question if he is against introduction of NCERT syllabus in the State.
He is not against NCERT books but English text for standard I and III of Marathi and English schools as not suitable. Complicated English text books for Marathi and Konkani primary schools will hamper student’s interest, but said, BJP will not let it happen.
Amendment: Parrikar charged that Government’s decision to do away with mandatory requirement of maintaining one kilometer distance between two schools has ulterior motive.
The changes in Goa Daman and Diu Education Act were effected to favour one particular school in Chief Minister Pratapsing Rane’s constituency, he alleged adding that Poriem Bhumika School was granted permission even as another primary school exist within the radius of one kilometer. The school was illegally granted permission last year, he further alleged.
He said, Sarva Shiksha Abiyan which government talks so much about, require student be made to study in his mother tongue. Instead, the government is promoting English medium schools, he said.

Konkani Lessons to be Taught on in 3 Districts

The Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy has initiated the process of imparting Konkani lessons on a trial basis to VII standard students in 30 schools in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts. It is part of an informal attempt to teach Konkani to students outside the constraints of the formally approved syllabus.

An academy press release said the process had already started. A publicity committee had been set up for the purpose, and a workshop had been organised for teachers of Konkani language here on June 28, it said.

The academy will take the lead in training teachers, printing and supplying textbooks and providing remuneration to teachers. It has requested managements and headmasters of higher primary schools in the three districts to provide details of students in sixth/seventh standards who are interested in learning Konkani, and also the names of those who will be able to teach it, on or before June 20.

The details are to be sent to the academy, Mangalore City Corporation Building, Lalbagh, Mangalore - 575 003.

The academy had been working with the aim of introducing Konkani language as an optional subject for sixth standard students from this academic year. The Directorate of State Research Education and Training, Bangalore, had prepared textbooks for the purpose, the release added.

The Government had set up a nine-member committee to scrutinize the textbooks and submit a report.

More women for Gen-Next Infy

BANGALORE: The 25th annual general meeting(AGM) of the country’s second largest IT exporter — Infosys Technologies — was different and special in many ways.

While it was held against the backdrop of the company crossing the $2 billion revenue mark, it in a sense marked the end of an era, being the last one to be helmed by NR Naryana Murthy as its chairman and chief mentor.

It also saw emotional scenes with very grateful investors plying the iconoic Infosys chief with gifts and lavish praise for taking the company to such great heights. Murthy for his part, used his speech to seek gender diversity at the top in corporates, by saying: ”I would like more women leaders to shape the future of Infosys.”

And referring to the top management changes which the company witnessed recently (with V Balakrishnan becoming the CFO), he said of T V Mohandas Pai: ”Infosys was fortunate to have him as CFO through a critical growth phase.”

Later at a media interaction, Murthy said that India needed to utilise the power of women to make progress and face head-on various challenges. To a specific query on whether the company was looking at having more women directors, Murthy said that the initial move had been made.

MIT students develop low cost water purifier

MANIPAL: Civil engineering students of Manipal Institute of Technology have developed a low cost filter to purify water.

The filter developed by the students as part of their project under MAHE-Philips BOP programme, is designed using locally available materials such as coconut shell, charcoal, sand and pebbles to remove the excess iron from water and make it fit for drinking and other domestic purposes.

"In well water, iron is usually found in its ferrous state. The water is clear when freshly drawn, but once exposed to air, the iron will oxidize it. It will be seen as red discolouration of water and forms insoluble rust particles.

Percentage of excess iron in well water of Udupi taluk is high ranging from 10.5 to 23.34 mg/litre against the Indian Standards Institution’s limitation of 0.3 to 1.0 mg/litre. With this concern, we decided to develop this filter," said Dr Narayan Shenoy, professor, Civil Engineering Department, MIT, Manipal.

The filter consists of three units- aeration, activated carbon and sand. These units are assembled inside a drum of about three feet height and eight inch diameter of non-corrosive material.

The drum consists of metallic mesh fixed in the bottom just six inches above the outlet. Sand unit placed above the mesh consists of three inch thick layer of pebbles and its size varies from 2.36 mm to 40 mm at the bottom followed by 3 inches of coarse sand of grade I (size

Sand is the main component of the purifying system, which has the highest iron removal capacity among all the three units. "It strains out suspended matter and other impurities," Shenoy said.

Above the sand layer there is a six-inch layer of activated carbon. This is obtained by burning coconut shells, which is later, treated with calcium carbonate solution. The obtained carbon is crushed to 5 mm size and is washed thoroughly. This layer is provided to remove undesirable odour, taste, turbidity etc.

Water enters the filter from an overhead tank to the aeration unit and gets uniformly sprinkled over the activated carbon unit. "The main objective of providing the aeration unit is to remove the iron load on the filter. Its inclusion aids in increasing the iron removal capacity of the filter, uniformly distributing water over the filter and decreasing the maintenance required for the filter.

Water, from the activated carbon unit, moves to the sand unit. In each unit, varying degree of iron removal is affected, as well as general purification", Shenoy added.

The total fabrication cost of the filter is around Rs 2,000. The Rotary Club, Udupi-Manipal has taken the initiative to transfer this technology to rural areas.