Category Archives: World Opinion

AppDynamics founder Jyoti Bansal to open research centre in Bengaluru for his startup incubator

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

San Francisco :

Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur Jyoti Bansal, an IIT-Delhi graduate who sold his company AppDynamics to Cisco for $3.7 billion earlier this year has floated a startup incubator BIG Labs which will research ideas and spin off a select few into full fledged companies. Bansal is committing $50 million to his new venture and is also setting up an R&D centre for BIG Labs in Bengaluru, he told TOI in an exclusive interaction.

The first company to come out of BIG Labs is Harness, a delivery-as-a-service platform leveraging artificial intelligence which has received $20 million in Series A funding led by Menlo Ventures and BIG Labs. Bansal, will head the company as its CEO along with co-founder Rishi Singh, a former DevOps platform architect at Apple, who is the CTO.

“After selling AppDynamics I could have opted to be a passive investor in companies but that didn’t appeal to me. I like to build companies. With BIG Labs, the aim is to build multiple billion dollar companies along with co-founders, what you call parallel entrepreneurship,” Bansal, 38, told TOI at the BIG Labs office situated in San Francisco’s Financial District.
While Bansal himself pocketed about $500 million from the sale of AppDynamics, he said as many as 350 employees (out of the 1100 workforce) at his nine-year-old firm scooped up $1 million and more emphasizing the role played by ESOPs in distributing wealth. Building startups is very hard, you have to let employees reap the rewards when liquidity events happen. If you want to build a successful and sustainable company, as founders one has to make all of the employees, shareholders and draw up a mission together, he said.

Having already invested in two Indian startups Leadsquared and Funds Tiger, Bansal said he will look to back more local founders in his personal capacity going forward, along with holding mentoring sessions with the local community there on his forthcoming India trip. As for Indian startups, Bansal said he wants to get more involved with them but has found it difficult to get the real picture of the ecosystem being in the Valley.

“There is still a lot of noise in India. Some companies don’t seem like they are real businesses and may not have a path to getting there,” he said.

Bansal wants to help bring about the natural convergence between India and Silicon Valley especially in B2B businesses where his expertise lie. “I would love to share my experiences on how to build a sales force. Selling products globally is a hard skill but as important, if not more, than just building a product,” Bansal said. Because of companies like Flipkart, Indian talent has been able to gain experience around product development but that’s not the case when it comes to selling products in global markets. This is where I can help along with talking about how to build your startup’s culture, which is another important issue.

AppDynamics, which develops application performance management solutions, had raised $250 million from the likes of Lightspeed Venture Partners, Goldman Sachs, Kleiner Perkins, among others, and was slated to go public before the last minute decision to sell to Cisco was finalised. “I’m a big believer in IPOs as it brings transparency and the right business rigour despite having to produce quarterly results and targets publicly. We decided to accept Cisco’s acquisition call as it was better for all shareholders coming at a higher price compared to what the company was being valued in its IPO. This was a far better outcome for everyone including the employees,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Startups> People / by Samidha Sharma / TNN / October 25th, 2017

Mangalore University VC elected as Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry

Education, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

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Mangaluru :

K Byrappa, Vice-Chancellor, Mangalore University has been elected as Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), London, UK. This is a prestigious fellowship awarded through election in recognition of academic contribution to the field of Chemistry.

Byrappa is the first academician from Mangalore University to receive this honour from the Royal Society of Chemistry, London.

A renowned researcher and academician, Byrappa has been honoured with many fellowships. Earlier in April, Byrappa was elected as the Fellow of the Asia Pacific Academy of Materials, in the annual meeting held in Japan. In the same meeting he was also elected as the Secretary General of Asia Pacific Academy of Materials.

Byrappa is the first Indian to become the Secretary General of the Asia Pacific Academy of Materials.

During January, Prime Minister honoured Byrappa with Sir C V Raman birth centenary Gold Medal in recognition of his contribution to science and technology in India. He is the second Kannadiga to get this honour after C N R Rao.

In 2010, Byrappa was elected as a Fellow of the World Academy of Ceramics, in the biennial convention held in Italy. He was the 4th Indian to get that honour.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Mangalore News / by Jaideep Shenoy / TNN / September 28th, 2017

Karnataka boys shine at skills contest

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Bengaluru :

A Kiran Sudhakar from Karnataka bagged bronze for prototype modelling and his state-mates Anant Kumar and Varun Gowda got medallions for excellence in mechatronics category at the 44th World Skills competition, which concluded in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

Team India created history by winning a silver, a bronze and nine medallions of excellence at the global competition. This is India’s best performance ever since it started participating in these competitions in 2007. The Indian team was competing with candidates from 59 other World Skills member-countries. Mohit Dudeja from Delhiwon a silver in patisserie and confectionery trade/skill. He also won the best of nation award for the highest marks among the Indian contingent .

The Indians won medallions of excellence in skills like brick-laying, restaurant service, automobile technology, jewellery, graphic design technology, mobile robotics, beauty therapy and car painting.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / TNN / October 21st, 2017

UK parliament to honour Kannada actor Darshan

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion
In a letter to the actor, Veerendra Sharma, British MP, said, 'It's a great honour and privilege to host you at the House of Commons, on October 19. We've decided to felicitate you, for the hard efforts you've put in through your movies to promote Karnataka's art and culture.'
In a letter to the actor, Veerendra Sharma, British MP, said, ‘It’s a great honour and privilege to host you at the House of Commons, on October 19. We’ve decided to felicitate you, for the hard efforts you’ve put in through your movies to promote Karnataka’s art and culture.’

Popular Kannada actor Darshan Tugudeepa has been invited by the United Kingdom Parliament to receive an honour on October 19, for his contributions to Karnataka’s art and culture through his movies. Darshan is the first South Indian and fourth Indian actor to receive the honour.

The actor, who is busy shooting for his upcoming film ‘Kurukshetra’ in Hyderabad, will fly to London on Wednesday and will return on October 26. The event has been organised by the Karnataka Business Chamber, London.

In a letter to the actor, Veerendra Sharma, British MP, said, “It’s a great honour and privilege to host you at the House of Commons, on October 19. We’ve decided to felicitate you, for the hard efforts you’ve put in through your movies to promote Karnataka’s art and culture.”

Sharma was on a visit to Karnataka recently. He was greatly influenced by the state’s art and culture. During his visit, he came in contact with Manjunath Vishwakarma, who briefed him about Darshan and his contributions.

On September 16, 2016, Bollywood star Salman Khan received the Global Diversity Award at Britain’s House of Commons.

Darshan initially worked in trivial roles in a few films and television shows. He later made his debut in a lead role in in the film Majestic in 2001. He has since then starred in many commercial and art films.

It may be recalled that Darshan was accused of assaulting and threatening his wife, Vijayalaxmi, with a revolver in 2011. The actor had spent 14 days in judicial custody after his wife compalined about domestic violence. It was later settled out of court.

The actor has failed to give a hit in the last two years. Darshan’s much-awaited movies Ambaressha (2014), Jaggu Dada (2016) and Chakravarthy (2017) flopped at the box office. He bounced back with his latest flick ‘Tarak,’ which has received good response from the audience.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Entertainment / by Jagadish Angadi, Bengaluru / DH News Service / October 18th, 2017

Ancient Tibetan manuscripts may be shifted from Dharamsala to Ramanagara

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion
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Highlights

  1. The Centre for Tibetan Studies will be located at the 3.8-acre Dalai Lama Institute for Higher Education near Ramanagara
  2. The present location, where these ancient and priceless Buddhist manuscripts are kept, falls within the notorious sub-Himalayan zone 5
  3. ___________________________________

Concerned over the safety of nearly 80,000 ancient Buddhist manuscripts and artefacts, the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA), one of the most important libraries and institutions of Tibetan works in the world, will set up its first preservation centre near Bengaluru. The main LTWA is in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.

The Centre for Tibetan Studies will be located at the 3.8-acre Dalai Lama Institute for Higher Education near Ramanagara on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway.

“We’re worried about the safety and security of the invaluable manuscripts housed in LTWA, Dharamsala. The present location, where these ancient and priceless Buddhist manuscripts are kept, falls within the notorious sub-Himalayan zone 5 which is considered the highest risk belt for earthquake in the seismic hazard zoning map of India. In the long run, it may be dangerous to keep so many priceless manuscripts in one place,” LTWA director Geshe Lhakdor told TOI.

Further, he said, the climatic conditions at Dharamsala have proven extremely detrimental to the collection. “Due to high levels of humidity, Dharamsala receives very heavy rainfall which stretches for several months. We need a better environment to store and preserve these manuscripts. What better place than Bengaluru which has technological advantages too to preserve these ancient manuscripts ” he said.

Lhakdor said the drawing for the proposed centre near Bengaluru is ready. “The project requires huge funding. We are looking at philanthropists, who can give us funds for preserving these ancient manuscripts. These are priceless collections and we cannot afford to lose them at any cost,” he added.

Priceless collection

Founded by the 14th Dalai Lama on June 11, 1970, the LTWA houses ancient manuscripts and artefacts relocated from Tibet in 1959. The manuscripts relate to Tibet’s history, politics, culture and art. The library has more than 80,000 manuscripts, books and documents, over 600 Thankhas, statues and other artefacts of Buddhist heritage, apart from thousands of photographs. “The main aim of the library is to preserve, promote and foster the culture and identity of Tibet. We want to share the collective knowledge and wisdom with the world,” Lakhdor said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / by Seetha Lakshmi, TNN / October 20th, 2017

Rajalakshmi is India’s entry for Miss Wheelchair World 2017 pageant

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Dentist Rajalakshmi had to take the wheelchair after she met with an accident

In a world where people with disability have to often compromise their goals, 31-year-old Rajalakshmi S.J. from Bengaluru fought all odds and kept her priorities straight.

She is all set to represent India at Miss Wheelchair World 2017 pageant to be held in Poland.

A dentist by profession, Ms. Rajalakshmi had to take the wheelchair after she met with an accident 10 years ago, and let her life to mould in a different direction.

“It was a whole new body, it was a whole new world around me,” she recollects. Instead of losing herself, she pursued her interests in psychology and fashion and eventually she won 2014 Miss Wheelchair India.

She is also the chairperson of her organisation S.J. Foundation, which works for the causes of the disabled.

Now Ms. Rajalakshmi is all set for the pageant and has been preparing herself with proper diet, and workout and most importantly fuelling her confidence with the support of her loved ones.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Bengaluru (Karnataka) / September 27th, 2017

Nobel boost to Bengaluru’s link to LIGO

Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion
Elated lot A team from Bengaluru-based International Centre for Theoretical Sciences has been deciphering data from Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory. | Photo Credit: By Special Arrangement
Elated lot A team from Bengaluru-based International Centre for Theoretical Sciences has been deciphering data from Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory. | Photo Credit: By Special Arrangement

City scientists play significant role in project pioneered by this year’s Nobel laureates

As Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne take the stage later this year to accept the Nobel Prize for Physics, they will be standing on the shoulders of hundreds of collaborators from across the world, who collectively made it possible to sense gravitational waves that “shook the world” in 2016.

Of these, more than 35 scientists from India, including a team of seven from Bengaluru-based International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS), played a significant role in understanding and deciphering the data from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), an international collaboration pioneered by the three Nobel laureates.

At Hessarghatta, the seven-member team — led by Parameswaran Ajith from ICTS — works on modelling the sources of gravitational waves, among others; their LIGO Tier-3 grid computing centre tests Einstein’s famous Theory of Relativity with the data thrown up by the detectors in the U.S. and Europe. “The laureates associate themselves with the LIGO/Virgo collaboration rather than their individual academic institutions. They have even said the award would be received on behalf of the collaborators. It’s heartening to see this,” says Dr. Ajith.

The team, after all, finds a place amongst the thousand authors, including the three laureates, of the paper ‘Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger’, which announced the experimental proof of gravitational waves in 2016.

India and LIGO

Indian scientists have a long, often unacknowledged presence in the fledgling field. For instance, the works of C. V. Vishveshwara, who died in the city earlier this year, in the 1970s continues to remain highly relevant.

And, it is perhaps these initial forays that has seen India do better in this field of research than others. “A few decades ago, it was just two of us in gravitational waves,” says Bala Iyer, chairperson of IndIGO (Indian Initiative in Gravitational-wave Observations) consortium and also associated with ICTS. “Now, there is a community of over 200 and we are struggling to keep up with the interest.”

With the ₹1,500-crore Indian LIGO detector expected to be operational by 2024, India is expected to play a key role in utilising the discovery that many scientists say is bigger than X-ray or microwave radiation that gave unparalleled views of the universe.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Mohit M. Rao / Bengaluru – October 05th, 2017

Gauri Lankesh honoured with Anna Politkovskaya Award

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion
Gauri Lankesh
Gauri Lankesh

Journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead by unknown assailants on September 5, has been posthumously accorded with the prestigious Anna Politkovskaya Award, instituted by Reach All Women (RAW) in War.

RAW, in a statement, said that it was honoured to award the annual Anna Politkovskaya Award for women human rights defenders from war and conflict zones jointly to Gauri Lankesh posthumously, and to a brave Pakistani activist Gulalai Ismaial, who similarly is fighting against Islamic extremism. Ms. Ismail has faced the death threats for speaking out against the Taliban in north-west Pakistan.

Gauri is the 12th woman to receive this prestigious award. Nominations Committee members have observed that they were deeply moved by Gauri and Gulalai’s bravery and dedication to peace and human rights. The citation reads: Gauri Lankesh was a major figure in India, critic of right-wing Hindu extremism, campaigner for women’s rights, fiercely opposed to the caste system, campaigning for rights of Dalits and so on.

With mixed feelings, Kavitha Lankesh, Gauri’s sister, told media persons here on Thursday that the Anna Politkovskaya Award was a morale booster for people who want to write and continue to fight against injustice. It was an honour not only for the members of Gauri’s family, but also to “huge family” that loved Gauri for her commitment to the cause of secular ideals, justice, equality and women rights. “In fact, the award honours what Gauri stood for throughout her life… that ‘you cannot silence me’,” said a teary-eyed Ms. Kavitha.

The announcement of the award was an emotional one, as Gauri’s brother Indrajit Lankesh, mother Indira Lankesh and close friend M.S. Ashadevi struggled to find words to express their feelings on RAW honouring Gauri with this international award.

Gauri was awarded with Periyar Award posthumously by the Thinkers Forum on September 17 in Bengaluru.

Anna Politkovskaya, a Russian journalist was killed in 2006 in Moscow for her courage to speak out on behalf of the suffering of the civilians in the war in Chechnya. “It is not by coincidence that Gauri’s work, her personality and the way she was killed for her work reminded us so much of the way Anna lived and died for the truth,” said members of nominations committee.

To mark the anniversary of Anna Politkovskaya’s murder on October 7, 2006 and to honour Anna and the women like in the world, RAW in War annually presents the award to a female human rights defender from conflict zone.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – October 05th, 2017

C.N.R Rao chosen for international honour for materials research

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The Bharat Ratna awardee is the first Asian to be chosen for the prestigious Von Hippel Award

Eminent scientist, Professor C.N.R Rao, has become the first Asian to be chosen for the prestigious Von Hippel Award for his immense contribution in materials research.

The award is the US-based Materials Research Society’s (MRS) highest honour.

It recognises “those qualities most prized by materials scientists and engineers – brilliance and originality of intellect, combined with vision that transcends the boundaries of conventional scientific disciplines,” according to the MRS.

The award citation noted Mr. Rao’s immense work on novel functional materials, including nanomaterials (having particles of nanoscale dimensions), graphene (the strongest and thinnest material) and 2D materials, superconductivity, and colossal magnetoresistance (change in electrical resistance of a material in a magnetic field).

The award will be presented in Boston on November 29, during an MRS meeting, according to a release issued by the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research here of which Mr. Rao, a Bharat Ratna awardee, is the founder president.

The award includes a cash prize, trophy and a diploma.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Science / by PTI / Bengaluru – September 23rd, 2017

Bengaluru gets new Boeing engineering centre

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New Delhi :

Union minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha inaugurated Boeing’s additional new facility at the Boeing India Engineering and Technology Center (BIETC) in Bengaluru on Friday. This facility will enable Boeing to focus on state-of-the-art technology areas such as data analytics, internet-of-things, avionics, aerospace design, manufacturing, testing and research, to support Boeing products and systems. The centre also includes laboratories for research to support next-gen innovations in aerospace.

“Boeing’s commitment to growth of capability and capacity in the Indian aerospace sector is commendable. I congratulate the team on this brand new addition to the Boeing India Engineering and Technology Centre and am proud that Boeing is leveraging India’s engineering talent and its expertise for some of the most advanced aerospace products in the world, and developing complex solutions for the world,” said Jayant Sinha.

This expansion comes soon after Boeing opened its engineering centre in January 2017. “As a source for innovative and cutting-edge engineering, India offers us tremendous growth potential. This is a winning formula for India and our own global growth strategy for improved productivity, enhanced engineering efficiency and cost advantage, while focusing on quality,” said Pratyush Kumar, president of Boeing India.

Recently Boeing announced a partnership with aviation ministry and Air India Engineering Services Ltd (AIESL) to develop an aircraft maintenance engineers accelerated apprenticeship program. The key objective of the program is to improve the employability of AMEs through training and hands-on experience with actual aircraft.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> India News / by Saurabh Sinha / TNN / September 22nd, 2017