Reports of financial turmoil in MSCB lead to panic among co-operative housing societies

Some co-operative housing societies are worried over reports about the financial mess in Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank Ltd (MSCB), and they have started to withdraw they money from the bank or are considering doing so soon.
Yesterday, Moneylife had reported that MSCB, the nodal bank for all co-operative banks in the state, is in deep financial trouble due to its suspicious loan distribution to some of its favoured co-operative banks and some loss-making sugar co-operative factories.

Nagesh N Kini, chartered accountant and secretary of Mahim Co-operative Housing Society, told Moneylife, "We have moved our money from the bank, because if something happens to this bank, at the most, you'll get Rs 1 lakh deposit insurance cover and that too doesn't come easily. It's advisable for people to move the money from there to stronger co-operative banks or public sector banks."

The apex co-operative bank has been found to have misreported facts and has been given a 'D' grade for the financial year 2009-10 by its auditors, Joshi Nair and Associates. The bank has shown deposits of Rs21,500 crore and a net profit of Rs2.83 crore. However, according to the audit report, the bank has suffered a loss of Rs1,070 crore, mainly due to non-performing assets (NPA). As per the provisional figures for FY10 provided on the bank's website, NPAs are 20.9%. While converting the same into net NPAs, the bank has shown the figure at 7.7%. A majority of the directors of MSCB belong to Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party and many of the others belong to some of the other mainstream parties.

Vinod Sampat, advocate and founder, Vinod C Sampat and Co, said that the profit claimed by MSCB was nothing but "window dressing." He said, "Co-operative banks are not following proper laws and it is not run on a professional basis. There is lack of accountability and they are surviving because of monopoly and patronage of the co-operative department. No one likes to invest in a co-operative bank, but they are forced to do so under the statutory rules. There is a lot of political interference also. It is full of double-standards."

Mr Sampat was critical of the NPAs reported by the bank. "Anything becoming an NPA is a clear example of the casual approach of the bankers. In one day, the account will not become an NPA. There has to be continuous defaults for an account to become an NPA," he said. "When an amount is not being paid, why should there be political patronage? One of the basic reasons for NPAs is inefficiency and political patronage."

Mr Kini's Mahim Co-operative Housing Society is among the oldest in central Mumbai, and as MSCB was the only bank available to them when the society was set up, they opened an account with the bank. According to Mr Kini there are thousands of housing societies in Maharashtra that have their money locked up in MSCB. "Earlier, according to co-operative laws, you had to put your money in a co-operative bank only. But, now one has the choice of banking with a stronger co-operative bank, such as Saraswat Bank, or with any of the public sector banks."

SS Pai, advocate, S.S. Pai & Co., however, called for a "middle path" approach to resolve the crisis. "We have to go to the root cause of the problem and see whether we can have a middle path, so that there will be no political revenge. In future, if they are diverting funds to sugar co-operatives, we should stop them. Now, we should see that the bank survives after taking strong action. Maybe the Reserve Bank of India should call them and tell them to improve, and take stern action as the last resort."

Mr Pai pointed out that the sugarcane industry should be modernised. "If the bank survives, then also the industry survives. Otherwise, what will happen is that if the bank goes into trouble, small depositors will lose their money. So let there be no political revenge and let us have the best possible solution," he said.

On the NPAs reported by the bank, Mr Pai said that the focus should be on development and not entirely on NPAs. "Admitted, NPAs are high. But we are a developing country. Money in a stock exchange and money in the corpus of a bank are like lockers. They don't lose anything unless someone is using that money in an improper way. More than NPAs, we should think of development and look forward. Chinese banks have so much NPAs but they have moved forward. We should take precautions and move forward."

Mumbai-based consumer activist, Achintya Mukherjee, has called for awareness regarding the crisis in the Maharashtra apex co-operative bank. "Many consumers are not aware of this as many leading newspapers have not even carried the news," he said.

Kini, Bolisetti consolidate in JK Tyre racing

Ajay Kini of Wallace Sports and Sailesh Bolisetti of RAD Racing consolidated their positions at the top of the Formula LGB and Super Saloons class at the end of the fourth round of the JK Tyre National Racing Championship Sunday.

Kini, who finished second in the first race Saturday, came third today behind the experienced Amerya Walavalkar (TVS Girling) and Ravikumar Deepak (Mars Racing) in the second Formula Swift race that was stopped due to rain after six laps.

Bolisetti from Vizag extended his dominance with a double in the Super Saloon class despite handling issues, especially in the second outing this morning in wet conditions.

His car, prepared by veteran and former champion Radha Selvarajan had a set up for wet going, but the race was eventually run on a drying track. Yet, Bolisetti had enough pace to keep his challengers at an arm's length to win comfortably.

The Formula Rolon races witnessed close battles with Saran Vikram (Mars Racing) winning the first time out, but falling away in the next due to mechanical problems.

His nearest competitor, Sarosh Hataria (Meco Racing) had a miserable outing in the first race when he spun after the gear fell into neutral at Turn-4 and he finished down the order. But in the second run, he passed the stricken Vikram's car to win.

With two more rounds to be run, Vikram heads the championship with 33 points followed by Hataria and Vishnu Prasad (Amaron Pro Racing) at 29 points each.

The wet track resulted in pile-up of cars in several races leading to delays in the schedule, but fortunately, none of the drivers involved suffered any injury.

The results:

Formula LGB Swift (Race 2, 6 laps): Ameya Walavalkar (TVS Girling) 1 (13mins, 07.748secs); Ravikumar Deepak (Mars Racing) 2 (13:17.720); Ajay Kini (Wallace Sports) 3 (13:27.203).

Formula Rolon (Race 1, 10 laps): Saran Vikram (Mars Racing) 1 (19:00.479); Nikhil Kashyap (Amaron Pro Racing) 2 (19:18.575); Vishnu Prasad (Amaron Pro Racing) 3 (19:23.072). Race 2 (10 laps): Sarosh Hataria (Meco Racing) 1 (19:09.658); Chittesh Mandody (Mohite's Racing) 2 (19:14.287); Vishnu Prasad (Amaron Racing) 3 (19:51.671).

Polo Cup (Race 1, 12 laps): Sailesh Bolisetti 1 (25:25.172); Vikash Anand (RAD Racing) 2 (25:35.536); Parth Ghorpade (Meco Motorsports) 3 (25:36.609). Race 2 (12 laps): Parth Ghorpade (Meco Motorsports) 1 (25:13.862); Mohd Fahad Kutty (Game Over) 2 (25:18.214); Imran Majid (Game Over) 3 (25:26.826).

Touring Cars - Super Saloons (Race 2, 7 laps): Sailesh Bolisetti (RAD Racing) 1 (15:03.557); Raj Virudhan (Prime Racing) 2 (15:10.440); Mohammad Fahad Kutty (Game Over) 3 (15:20.296).

Touring Cars - Junior Cup: (Race 1, 9 laps): B Balavijay (Moto Rev India) 1 (20:26.907); Dilijit Singh (Meco Motorsports) 2 (20:27.411); Mhir Dharkar (Game Over) 3 (18:41.300, +1 lap). Race 2 (7 laps): B Balavijay 1 (16:47.597); Diljith Singh 2 (16:49.929); Vignesh Devarajan (Pvt) 3 (16:53.427).

email through SMS service launched in India

yDuniya Networks has announced the launch of a service which will allow mobile users to send emails, save and retrieve personal information and share contact details just by sending an SMS and without having access to the Internet.

Currently available for Airtel subscribers in Karnataka, the service will be expanded nationally and to other telecom operators soon, the Bangalore-based startup founder and chairman Jagdish Kini said.

The SMS-based application also supports interactive group messaging and allows files to be sent to email addresses. Commonly-used files such as brochures can be stored on the company’s server and data up to one megabyte can be sent to email addresses using the SMS shortcode 53695.

“There is a digital divide between mobile users and web users. This service is a way to bridge this divide,” Kini said.

MyDuniya also has a platform for enterprises and web portals to allow access to customers through the mobile phone. The company says the platform supports two-way interactions and can be leveraged to provide personalised information.

“The goal of the service is consumer convenience and the mobile market is our biggest market. We have launched our initial service on the SMS platform considering that SMS is the most widely used non-voice service” CEO Ganapathy Subramanian said.

E-mail without GPRS/Internet through SMS

One can now send e-mail without GPRS/Internet through SMS. The consumer applications were launched by Bangalore-based MyDuniya Networks Private Limited, a player in "beyond voice" applications for the mobile consumers.

All that a user has to do is send an SMS to 53695 and then can send an e-mail, save and retrieve personal information, send a file to an e-mail address, share and access contact information and can participate in interactive group messaging.

Currently, these services are operational with Airtel (SMS to 53695) in Karnataka and would be expanded with national coverage shortly, the company's Founder and Chairman, Jagadish Kini, and CEO K Ganapathy Subramanian, said.

They said the company is in dialogue with other operators for integration in near future. Subscribers other than Airtel, need to send SMS to 99801-53695 to avail services.

The company said it empowers an entry level mobile user with services throgh SMS without the need for GPRS/Internet that spare the trouble of reaching out to a compter.

"MyDuniya platform brings processing power of the web and reach of the mobile to provide simple and useful applications", Kini said.

Subramanian noted that SMS is the most widely used non-voice service. "Our services are designed with consumer choice, convenience and usability as focal points", he said.

MyDuniya is also facilitating enterprises and web portals by providing them a channel to reach out to their mobile consumers. The platform supports two-way interactions and can be leveraged for a variety of customised services, it was stated.

Times-sponsored speller knocked out of national spelling bee

Until one second from now, you probably couldn't spell "deuterocanonical" either.

That word - a seven syllable Latin-rooted doozie referring to Biblical books not contained in the Hebrew canon - stumped local spelling champion Keertan R. Kini, 14, on Thursday, ending his run as the Times-sponsored speller in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C.

Kini, of Schererville, beat many of the hundreds of spellers in the contest to enter the quarterfinals before he misspelled the word on stage. Kini, a Kahler Middle School eighth-grader, was characteristically professional about his loss Thursday. He said he was happy to advance further this year than he did in last year's national bee. But he said he will be haunted by "what-ifs."

"It's a let down. It's a little bit of a relief," he said.

"Most of all it's just something that I have to deal with."

Kini and his father planned to stay for the rest of contest, Kini said. He hoped Thursday for a victory from one of the other Indiana spellers. He said they seem like "pretty nice people."

Kini said he made some friends in two years at the bee. He might like to work for the bee later, as some bee alumni do. He learned from the bee, he said.

"It taught me a lot about how much motivation can play a role in how well you do," he said.

New head of Miami Children's Hospital plans expansions while battling added $2 million monthly bond interest cost

Staff members don't ask for your name and billing information more than once at a hotel — why should they at a hospital? asks Narendra Kini, new president and CEO of the Miami Children's Hospital. Dr. Kini plans to focus on running Children's like a business, with a focus on customer — or patient — service and with the needs of his young clientele and their families in mind.
He'll need business savvy to navigate some hospital challenges: government funding cuts, a crumbling bond market and scarce workforce housing. But Dr. Kini is lobbying legislators, meeting with potential donors and planning program strategies he thinks will keep the hospital on top.
A pediatric emergency physician by training, Dr. Kini joined Miami Children's in January after serving as executive vice president for clinical and physician services at Trinity Health, the fourth largest Catholic health system in the U.S. He was interviewed in his Miami Children's office by Miami Today staff writer Risa Polansky.

Namma Angadi opens in Manipal

Namma Angadi, a three day exhibition cum sale of rural handicrafts was inaugurated here by Manipal University Director Student Affairs Dr Pushpa Kini at Manipal University premises on Friday.

The event is the initiative of the students of Manipal Institute of Communication in association with DigiGO and Namma Angadi.

Delivering the presidential remarks on the occasion, veteran journalist and Honorary Director for MIC Dr M V Kamath opined that annihilation of these traditional crafts and culture from the mainstream in rural India has shunned all viable employment opportunities paving way for naxalite corridors right from Himalayan region to Dakshina Kannada district.

Contrasting todays political leaders and their ideologies to the great thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi and Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya, he said lack of interest and vision among the leaders in building secular rural India has given birth to violence and added it is essential to own Indian identity rather than state wise identity.

Speaking on the occasion, MIC Director Dr Boroshiva Dasguptha said social responsibility should be imbibed among students along with objective perception.

"Emergence of machines in the rural areas has resulted in disappearance of hand made rural crafts exactly opposite to Gandhijis wishes to sustain all these traditional arts in post independent India," said Shivanad Shetty of Namma Bhoomi.

Jagdish Kini joins Obopay

Obopay Mobile Technology India today announced appointing Jagdish Kini as their Executive Advisor.

On his joining Obopay Mobile Technology India, Kini said "I am always excited to introduce new technologies and uses of technologies that benefit society. Obopay, I feel addresses the environment in a 360 degree view revolutionising all aspects of a transaction, and will therefore change the way we will transact and bank in the future. "

According to Aditya Menon, Executive Director Obopay Mobile Technology, India, "We are glad to have Jagdish on board with us. We are sure his global knowledge and work experience will help us to set new benchmark standards in mobile payment services. His experience and leadership will be immensely valuable for our company and partners to leverage. In this explosive market place, we are fortunate to have an Industry Leader who has experienced triple digit growth in the organizations that he has helped to build".

Jagdish had been in past responsible for positioning Brand Airtel as a superior mobile service provider in Karnataka and in the southern region.

He has three decades of experience in various sectors like Finance, Telecom and FMCG. He has worked in diverse roles such as sales, marketing, finance and customer service. Jagdish has worked in various countries across France, UK and Dubai and brings in international knowledge and expertise to the table. Mr. Kini had been associated with companies like Siemens, L'Oreal, Proctor and Gamble.

Obopay Mobile Technology, India is a two-year-old US-headquartered P2P payment and remittance service provider.

Journalism standards deteriorating - M V Kamath

"Absence of objectivity, honesty and revolution in technology has swept off ethical standards practiced in journalism," said veteran journalist and Honorary Director of MIC Dr M V Kamath.

Delivering the inaugural address at the one-day workshop on Journalism jointly organised by Rotary Club of Kota, Udupi District Journalist Association and Kohinoor Printers of Bangalore at Viveka Pre University College in Kota on Saturday, he alleged that editors and reporters seriously lack sense of values.

Stating that money has superseded principles and that values don't matter any more in the field, he said "purchase of news columns is a common phenomenon today."

He urged journalists to go in depth on any relevant subject before penning it down. One should think to know facts and extensive reading may prove beneficial, he added.

Expressing concern over the quality of journalism practiced today, Mr Kamath said that journalism standards are completely deteriorating, as evident from the recent Tehelka scandal.

President of Brahmavar Rotary Club Sathish Shetty presided over the function. Udupi Journalist Association President A Dinesh Kini, Art Critic A Eshwaraih and President of Brahmavar Working Journalist Association Prabhakar Shetty were present on the occasion.

Coca-Cola's 'Minute Maid' spreading wings in India -kini

Soft drink giant Coca-Cola's Minute Maid Pulpy Orange drink is doing good business in three southern states since its launch in March and is poised to slowly enter other markets across the country.

Minute Maid, a leading juice and juice drink brand from the US firm now available in 60 countries, was launched in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu March 21.

'We are in the process of launching Minute Maid in a phased manner. It is also now available across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh,' Venkatesh Kini, the Coca-Cola India Vice President (Marketing), told IANS.

'Our intention is to go national. However, we will not be able to comment on the timing of Minute Maid's expansion to other parts of India yet,' he said.

'Minute Maid has crossed the one million sales mark in the three (southern) states. Also the price point of Rs.25 is the lowest entry point for any orange based juice drink,' said Kini.

'With our mango drink Maaza already India's largest selling juice drink brand, we expect Minute Maid to further extend Coca-Cola's leadership in the juice drink segment.'

According to beverage industry experts, the volume of the Indian juice market is pegged at 500 million cases.

Of this, 10 percent (50 million cases) forms the packaged juice segment. Eighty-five percent of this constitutes mango-based juices, nectars and drinks.

Coca-Cola has invested more than $1 billion in its Indian operations, emerging as one of the country's top international investors. The company's business operations engage approximately 150,000 people in India, it said.

Bala Mandir training centre gets extension building

SUPPORT TO POOR STUDENTS: T. V. Kini, former general manager, Larsen and Toubro, inaugurating an extension building of the Bala Mandir-P.H. Mortensen Industrial Training Centre in Chennai on Wednesday. C .R. Ramakrishnan, former JMD, ECC (right); Lars Odd Pettersen, chairman, Braade Stiftung, Denmark (second from right); and Maya Gaitonde, honorary general secretary, Bala Mandir Kamaraj Trust (left), are in the picture.


CHENNAI: The Bala Mandir-P.H. Mortensen Industrial Training Centre now has an extension building, which will enable poor students of the Mandir to get basic training in carpentry.

The centre was been built with the help of L&T ECC.

The extension building was inaugurated on Wednesday by T.V. Kini, former general manager, Larsen and Toubro.

A. Ramakrishna, former president and deputy managing director, Larsen and Toubro, said P.H. Mortensen, one of the legendary visionaries behind L&T, was a carpenter by profession and showed a keen interest in the activities of Bala Mandir since 1962. Over the years, the Braade Stiftung Trust, set up by him, was a major support for Bala Mandir’s service initiatives.

The students of the industrial training centre came from poor families in semi-urban and rural areas and were being provided training free of cost, besides sponsorship of educational expenses, Maya Gaitonde, honorary general secretary, Bala Mandir Kamaraj Trust, said.

This year, the eighth batch of carpentry students and the sixth batch of electrical trainees would take their examinations. Bala Mandir’s selfless service to the poor students need to be appreciated and encouraged and L&T was happy to support the cause through various donations, K.V. Rangaswami, former president and deputy managing director, L&T, said,

V. Sethuram, president of Bala Mandir Kamaraj Trust, and Lars Odd Pettersen, chairman of Braade Stiftung, Denmark, were present.

‘We are not bothered about controversies’- Kini

Venkatesh Kini, VP- marketing, Coca-Cola India loves cars and is a serious travel buff. At 44, Kini is the father of two and loves playing tennis and squash. Ask him about his favourite author and pat comes the reply-Thomas Friedman. An IIM Ahmedabad graduate Kini joined The Coca-Cola Company in India in 1998 as the senior brand manager for the Lemon Lime Category, where he was instrumental in the successful launch of Sprite. In October 1999, Venkatesh accepted the role of global brand manager in Atlanta working on new products.

He has over 17 years of marketing, sales & general management experience. His last assignment was as VP, Sprite and Flavours Brand Business Unit in Coca-Cola North America, which he held since September 2005. During that time, he led the development of breakthrough advertising and graphics redesign for the Sprite relaunch. He also led the successful national rollout of Vault and the business plan for Sprite and Flavours for 2007.

Managing a cola brand, especially in India, is a tough job. How do you deal with the challenges?


We market a great product, and it is unfortunate that some well meaning but misinformed people target us. If you ask me whether we would want controversies, I would say no. And if you ask me if we are bothered about controversies, I would say no to that as well.

But according to reports, Coke is not doing well here. Why aren’t people drinking it in India?

(Smiles). According to our numbers, Coke is doing well. I assure you that there has been growth though we can’t divulge the numbers yet. In fact, compared to 2004-2005 there has been a strategic shift in 2006-07, wherein Coca-Cola India has stepped up its investments into the cola category. Instore marketing is also a big feature in our plans for the year.

Instilling brand loyalty in consumers is a tough job for cola companies since it’s an impulse buy. How do you plan to do that for your brands?

In India the task is not creating brand loyalty at present. Loyalty is necessary but not sufficient. India has the lowest per capita consumption in the world. So the need of the hour is to expand the packaged ready-to-drink beverage market. Innovative instore marketing incites the consumer to opt for our brands


Minutemaid Pulpy Orange is touted to be a huge success for your company. Is there anything new that you are planning to do with the brand?

Yes, Minutemaid Pulpy Orange has been a huge success for us. In fact, before launching it here we had identified a gap in the market. There was no ready to drink beverage that was light and at the same time, had fruit pulp in it. Even our ad campaigns that said, ‘Where is the pulp’ emphasised the fact. Maaza was there but people drank it more for taste than refreshment. So, our unique packaging of 400 ml and price clicked well with consumers. After the South we have turned our attention to the North now, and only recently the brand was launched in Ludhiana. And Haryana and Himachal Pradesh will follow.

If it is doing so well then why are you going so slow with the launches?

We have understood the value of focussing on a particular market. The launches are a result of a phased roll out. We study the behaviour of a particular market. Even in China where it was launched before India, you will still not find the brand available all across the country. And there is also a very interesting trend that we noticed after launching Minutemaid Pulpy Orange in the South. The sales of Maaza rose with the sales of Minutemaid Pulpy Orange! That’s a classic example of one brand expanding the market and another benefiting from it.

A few days ago Coca-Cola COO Muhtar Kent said that he was hoping that India emerge as the third largest market for Coke in the long term? How is Coca Cola going to achieve it?

India is already the world’s third largest beverage market in volumes. Transformation is happening rapidly with Indians adopting global trends and the economy growing. And like I said earlier, we are trying to expand the market.

Coca Cola’s Georgia brand has not done well when you pushed it as a mass offering. What’s the strategy now?

We are pushing Georgia Gold as a premium offering by tying up with retailers like McDonalds and others. Its retail price will be decided according to the retail ambience in which it will be served. Other than one or two existing brands, this concept is new in India. So market creation will take some time.

What is the biggest challenge you faced in your career?

When for the first time I left the country for Atlanta I faced a culture shock. I realised that I couldn’t apply what I had learnt in India. The market was different in every way. But what held me in good stead are the various diverse cultures existing in India itself.

Tell us something about your life in the IIM.

It was long back but it was the first time I was exposed to the world of business. The people I met were amazing. And if given a chance, I would go through the two years of grilling again.

Coca-Cola plans manufacturing unit in Punjab - Kini

Coca-Cola is planning to set up a manufacturing facility in Punjab, as the company launches its fruit brand Minute Maid, in the states of Punjab , Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

The Company has chalked out plans to establish a manufacturing unit in Punjab to cater to the Northern market. Venkatesh Kini, vice president, marketing, Coca-Cola India told, "This fruit juice manufacturing would be the first in the Northern region. We have not yet decided the exact location where it would be set up but talks are on with the Punjab government for the approval of the project. We expect that the unit would catalyse an investment of about Rs 50-100 crore. Moreover, keeping in mind the growth potential of the Northern market, we might start manufacturing from multiple locations. At present we are importing the product from China, where the juice, was launched last year. But soon we would be manufacturing it in India." Minute Maid is bottled at Coca-Cola's bottling unit in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh.

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Adding further Kini said "The juice is imported from Brazil and the orange pulp from Florida. We recently launched the Pulpy Orange drink in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in February. After selling it successfully in the Southern market we are now targeting the Northern region.

In the last ten years, the company has invested over Rs 4,000 crore in India. With the planned investment of about Rs 1,000 crore lined up over the next few years for India, Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages plans to expand the bottling facilities also."

Minute Maid brand was first launched in 1945 and has a rich 62 year old history. Wheras the company has launched only the Pulpy Orange in the market, it is exploring the option of brining another100 odd products under the Minute Maid brand to India as well.

"As part of the same process, over the next two months, Minute Maid Pulpy Orange would be retailed across 20,000 outlets in these states. Since only 10% of the total juice market is packaged, there is a huge scope of tapping this market. And eventually the consumer will start shifting to the packaged form of fruit drinks," said Kini.

Written test weeds out Dyer speller in D.C.

Keertan Kini may be a master speller. But one very big, very rare word was too much for the Schererville kid to handle during the preliminary round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

The fatal word: bewusstseinslage. It's so obscure it's not even available at dictionary.com.

Bewusstseinslage was on the 25-word written test each of the 286 contestants had to take during the preliminary round. Only 107 kids made the cut to the quarterfinals.

The 13-year-old seventh-grader at Dyer's Kahler Middle School said he was disappointed that he didn't advance. But then he considered just how hard the test was.

"To be one of the top 286, that's a pretty big accomplishment," Kini said.

And he's still eligible to participate next year and plans to -- although he'll be taking a much needed spelling-study break in the summer.

Kini wasn't the only 13-year-old seventh-grader from Northwest Indiana to compete in the bee. Michigan City's Erik Allten Troske, a student at Barker Middle School, also competed and was eliminated in the preliminary round.

Troske said bewusstseinslage also gave him trouble. He missed the cut to the next round by just one point but said he still enjoyed the experience.

"I could tell everyone's pretty nervous, but if you get the word right you feel good about it," he said of the event.

Troske's had a few busy weeks in Washington. Not only did he participate in the National Spelling Bee, but he also represented Indiana in the National Geographic Bee on May 23.

Troske's mother, Joy Troske, said her son was already planning on coming back next year.

Wednesday, his father, Paul Troske, said he was very proud of his son, even though he didn't advance in the spelling bee.

"The main thing is he had a good time and met some new people," Paul Troske said.

Udupi lad shines with rank after rank

It's raining ranks for Dileep R Kini. This brilliant teenager from Udupi has bagged 42nd rank in IIT-JEE-2007, 4th rank in the State in AIEEE, again 4th in Manipal University entrance test and 108th in CET.

A student of MGM PU College in Udupi, Dileep has proved his academic talent much before. He has qualified in Indian National Chemistry Olympiad-2007. He attended the orientation camp at Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education in Mumbai and is entitled to HBSCE (TIFR) National Merit Award for Olympiad.

Dileep has qualified in the Karnataka Regional Mathematical Olympiad in 2006 and 2007 securing 3rd place. He is also a recipient of the prestigious "Kishore Vygyanik Protsahan Yojana" (KVPY) fellowship.

Apart from academics, Dileep in interested in music, European soccer and F1 racing. He completed his schooling at Little Rock Indian School in Brahmavar. He is the son of Bailur Raghunath Kini, a biomedical engineer, and Prof Kusuma Kini, HoD of Physics in MGM college.