Conquering new horizons by Rai Umraopati Ray

Srinivas Venkatraghavan is the only cricketer to have played over 50 test matches and umpired in more than 100 cricket internationals

Member of the famous Indian spin quartet that teased and tormented batsmen all around the world for well over a decade, this “rare cricketing talent” has been a player, captain, coach, manager, administrator, writer, commentator, umpire and match referee. Sir Garfield Sobers said that he was the “most difficult bowler to score off.”
This is Srinivas Venkatraghavan for you — the only cricketer in the world to have played over 50 test matches and umpired in more than 100 international cricket matches.
An accurate and penetrative off spinner in his time, Venkatrag-havan continues to seek newer challenges. Players swear by his fitness levels and one can see why — the international career of this great sportsman lasted from February 1965 to September 1983, one of the longest for an Indian player!
A mechanical engineer by education, Venkat as he is popularly called, runs his own consultancy outfit that takes up the better part of the day. And at 63 he is still raring to go. “Think young, it’s all in the mind,” he asserts adding that “sportsmen’s careers are short-lived you have to plan your life ahead.” However, this does not mean that he is missing out on the fun. Pursuing hobbies like playing golf and tennis as well as socialising with friends and family, a one-hour yoga session and brisk walks are what he says keep him physically agile and mentally sharp. Not to speak of his association with cricket — where his soul is.
Director of Umpires in the BCCI (Board of Cricket Control in India), Venkat is part of various programmes that the Board undertakes. “Due to my technical know-how, cricket bodies (read ICC and BCCI) request that I be on board for their various development initiatives,” says this match referee for IPL-2.
It was because of his love and knowledge of the game that Venkat forayed into the world of umpiring after having tried his hand as an administrator in the game for a while. As he says, “There’s no better place to watch cricket!” A perfectionist at heart, Venkat’s determination to do well in anything he undertakes has earned him a great deal of respect in the international as well as domestic cricket arena. Even today, after achieving so much, Venkat feels that “success in itself is a continuous journey and life is what you make it out to be. So it is necessary to set goals and be single-minded about achieving them.”

Attracting international talent BY RAI UMRAOPATI RAY

The University of British Columbia (UBC) is one of Canada’s largest and most prestigious public research and teaching institutions. UBC is consistently ranked amongst the world’s 40 best universities and offers more than 50,000 students a range of innovative undergraduate, graduate and professional programmes, says Professor Craig Evan Klafter, Associate Vice-President International. Excerpts from an interview to Deccan Chronicle.

Why are you so keen to attract overseas students to your university?
Most of the great advances in human knowledge have come by applying different perspectives to inquiry. International students bring a diversity of perspective to a classroom, laboratory and more generally to research. International students introduce our students to a wide-range of cultures, which enhances their understanding of the world and helps them to become effective global citizens.

International students end up paying differential fees — far higher than fees paid by Canadian students. What are your views on this?
The province of British Columbia heavily subsidises the cost of education provided by The University of British Columbia to Canadian students. This subsidy is contributed by Canadian residents through tax payments. It would not be fair to Canadian taxpayers to have them subsidise the cost of education of foreign students. The higher cost charged to international students is thus the unsubsidised cost of obtaining a UBC education.

Please throw some light on the scholarships available to international students
The University of British Columbia awarded more than CAN$3 million in scholarships to international students this year. These scholarships ranged from entrance awards to full scholarships. Some scholarships are granted solely on the basis of academic merit and no application is required. Other awards, most notably our International Leaders of Tomorrow scholarships and our International Student Humanitarian Awards require a separate application.

Any new initiatives in education as far as India is concerned?
UBC has research and exchange agreements with IIT-Delhi, IIM-Ahmedabad, and the University of Delhi. We prefer to focus on enhancing relationships with current university partners rather than develop too many new
partnerships.

What the election means to the average property seeker BY RAI UMRAOPATI RAY

Indian home buyers believe that a Congress-led government would be most sensitive to the housing needs of the ordinary Indian

By Rai Umraopati Ray

The last few years in government has bought the Congress some favour amongst property buyers, as the party narrowly skims ahead of the BJP in a survey conducted by makaan.com between 22nd to 30th April 2009. According to the results, 37 per cent of the respondents gave the Congress-led UPA the thumbs up when it came to housing needs. About 34 per cent said that a BJP-led coalition would do a better job with the housing segment. Nearly 25 per cent of the respondents were non-committal and felt that none of the above coalitions would do any good to the sector and four per cent thought that a Third Front-led coalition would give the real estate sector a boost.
When this data is broken up city wise, it throws up some interesting insights. For instance, in Kolkata, despite having the Third Front as a majority party for almost two decades, 45 per cent of the respondents felt that a Congress-led alliance would be the right choice for the Indian realty sector. Echoing sentiments that have been prevailing in the national capital over the last few years, the Congress beats the BJP by a 5 per cent margin, garnering 40 per cent of the affirmative vote amongst Delhi respondents. Mumbai sounds a warning bell to the BJP — despite the upheavals and discontent against the Congress-led state government, Mumbaikars still have a soft corner for the Congress when it comes to housing reforms with 35 per cent voting in favour of the UPA. While Ahmedabad with 51 per cent respondents is more hopeful that a BJP-led coalition would boost the realty sector, Bengaluru and Pune follow Ahmedabad with 42 and 37 per cent of the respondents voting for the BJP respectively. About 33 per cent of Mumbaikars seem to be indifferent to either of the above parties at the centre.
Interestingly, the survey says that property seekers are upbeat about the fact that property prices would fall further after the elections, however most seem to think that a BJP-led government would mean a steeper fall in prices. “Prices could come down if the BJP resumes power and could shoot up if the Congress remains at the centre,” feel survey takers. In anticipation of the forthcoming government taking steps to improve the realty sector, property buyers at present are taking a more cautious approach. Fifty one per cent of the survey takers are willing to hold back their realty purchases until a new government comes into power. A sizeable population (40 per cent) are ready for immediate investment and 9 per cent of the total respondents were undecided. City-wise breakups reveal that 57 per cent of the property seekers in Hyderabad were willing to hold back their property purchase till the elections were over. Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Delhi follow Hyderabad with 54, 52 and 51 per cent waiting on the sidelines respectively. Property seekers in Kolkata were more decisive as 48 per cent of the property seekers in Kolkata seemed ready for immediate investments.
When given a choice Indian property buyers said that lower interests on home loans should become the top priority for an incoming government as 40 per cent of the respondents’ felt that the government must bring down interest rates on home loans to around 5-7 per cent per year, in order to spur property sales. Twenty eight per cent of home seekers felt that the new government should boost affordable housing and 19 per cent felt that the right to property should be made a fundamental right. Another 13 per cent believed that income tax exemption on the payment of home loan interest should increase from 1.5 lakh to 3 lakh.
The survey points out that affordable housing has emerged the need of the hour with the majority of property seekers looking at affordable homes. About 36 per cent of the respondents felt that the government should exempt all homes costing under Rs 30 lakh from registration fees, 30 per cent believed that land should be provided at subsidised rates. Another 19 per cent suggested that the development of satellite cities as viable residential options would help boost the segment and 15 per cent felt that the government should put a five year lock-in period to promote end user sales.
Since buyers from lower and mid level income groups flood the Indian property market today, makaan.com analysed the demographics of these respondents. While the lower income group preferred the Congress-led coalition, the mid level income group favoured the BJP. A majority of members from the income group of Rs 7 to 25 lakh pa., showed a clear leaning towards the BJP, while those from a lower income group (less than Rs 7 lakh pa) showed a preference towards the Congress-led coalition.

Under Attack!!! by RAI UMRAOPATI RAY

The unregulated prawn seed cultivation in Sunderbans is indiscriminately disturbing the ecological balance of this Global Biosphere Reserve

Increasing human habitation, rising sea level due to global warming, erosion by seawater, allegedly decreasing tiger population, recurrent floods causing the water resources to become saline etc., are some of the known problems that have been affecting Sunderbans at large. However, the unregulated prawn seed cultivation in the largest stretch of mangrove forest in the world between India and Bangladesh is indiscriminately disturbing the ecological balance of this Global Biosphere Reserve and hence needs urgent attention.
Despite several initiatives and awareness campaigns from the state government and various NGOs, the problem is far from being controlled or even minimised. Over fishing in the region without adhering to any laws, contamination of water from industrial wastes, big fishing vessels that are allowed, lack of will or regulation on part of bordering countries as far as maintaining the biosphere is concerned are destroying this fragile eco system at rapid space.
A large chunk of the population in the region depends upon fishing as their main source of livelihood. Most of the fisher folk go for bagda (tiger) spawns as such seedlings have huge demand in places like East and Southeast Asian countries. However, to fish them out, they use superfine nets that trap all kinds of species of fishes, which are not thrown back into the water, thus diminishing the fish diversity immensely. The practice is on for almost two decades and the effect can be seen now.
Informs Joydip Kundu, an active environmentalist who runs the Royal Bengal Tiger Bachao campaign in the region, "Because of the prawn seed fishing, which is carelessly executed by the most of the fisher folk, the fishlings are perishing along with the associate species. The villagers mostly use mosquito nets, which are restricted. And few of them usually tread into restricted areas for fishing where it is strictly banned."
In fact, this correspondent on his trip to Sunderbans himself spotted groups of fishermen fishing in restricted areas of the Tiger Reserve. Not only they were using banned long fishing nets, they parked their boats and were on the ground which is also strictly prohibited in the tiger areas. This may be a far fetched imagination but the possibility of tiger poaching cannot be completely ruled out in such situations especially, when a tiger carcass was reportedly found few weeks back and three forest officials were transferred as per the reports.
There is no doubt that the overall situation has reached to alarming levels. As per the villagers, spawns or prawn seedlings are also diminishing and they are now the worst sufferers. "There has been a decrease in catch of various fishes over the years as some of them are feared to be extinct. We do not earn much from fishing these days as trawl nets are banned within 22 kilometres of the coastline, while foreign trawllers are merrily fishing with no restrictions", says Bara Thakur, a local resident. To bring home his point, he asks, "Why has the government allowed bigger vessels from big contractors (corporate houses) and nearby states to operate in the region? They fish out all shrimps using mosquito nets and we are blamed for the menace. Also, men from other land (foreign fishermen especially the Thai ones as popularly called by the villagers) uses very long nets against the tide without any restrictions. They sometimes even destroy our nets."
Overall, the ground zero situation in this unique ecosystem is bad. Several reports and researches have concluded that the species diversity is depreciating at alarming rates. There is no doubt that the state government is concerned and trying hard as is evident from the regular patrolling exercise as well through eco development committees at large but special problem needs special attention and plan. The conservation of Sunderbans as a whole (mangroves, tigers and other elements of this ecosystem) is very important as it is not only the question of few thousand probable environmental refugees or dwindling tiger population or picturesque mangroves but for the protection of large part of West Bengal from devastating cyclones and wind storms.
We need to have an inclusive plan without keeping in mind any vested interests at the earliest and also to ensure its effective implementation to save our natural heritage.

Moolah Rouge BY RAI UMRAOPATI RAY

This story can be of any young person with dreams in the eyes and determination in the heart to achieve something in life

New India has new dreams. And they are not only happy with making castles in the air but are confident enough to fulfil and achieve those in their lifetimes. Factor this.
Circa 1991: a young man of not even 20 comes to the national capital to do his graduation from one of the premier universities of the country — Delhi University. Ambitious, confident and with dreams in his eyes, he starts his eventful journey of life away from his small town of Sivan in Bihar. A die hard fan of Chanakya and his niti, he believes in growing step by step consolidating your base. But never loosing the sight of your goal and the exuberance and perseverance to pursue it.
April 2009: the same young man is CEO of his own real estate company, floated in partnership. The company is expected to do business of around Rs 400 crores. Its group companies specialises in conceptualising, formulating designing and executing various real estate projects including townships, group housings, corporate buildings, IT parks, bio-tech parks, knowledge parks, medi-city, sports city, hotels and cultural parks. It has recently announced booking for its affordable housing project with apartments available for as little as Rs 5.5 lakh.
On the professional front he is quite satisfied with his growth. From being a modest research professional, who used to earn Rs 75 per hour in IMRB, International, a market research company to a high profile real estate investor and finally an owner of a company, his professional life of about a decade and a half has been quite eventful and exciting. He credits his stupendous success to his belief in Chanakyaniti and his acute business acumen to nose out right business opportunities at the right time. He says, one needs “all four direction thinking — in and out” to have a right perspective of any situation in life. Moreover, fortunately, Indian economy is in the midst of high growth rate period and thus is offering immense opportunities to everybody. The country is more vibrant, fast and is conscious and aware of the benefits of economic development. “It is a very exciting phase of our economy”. His vision is to list his company and make it a Rs 5000-crores group with in a decade.
Talking about his personal life, this Aquarius/Pisces cusp is a dutiful husband. But the status he most adores is that of a proud father as he yearns to be in the company of his two ‘lovely’ kids. Along with the enthusiastic entrepreneur, his family is quite thrilled to welcome their new machine — the BMW-7 series. Not a typical globetrotter, the young man’s favourite holiday destination is Mauritius, though he likes to travel in India. Based in Gurgaon, the family enjoys their Sundays wholeheartedly and often sneaks out to weekend getaways for some merriment.
You may wonder, we have not yet disclosed the name of the person and his company as he feels this story can be of any young person with dreams in the eyes and determination in the heart to achieve something in life in this new India capable of dreaming big.
Though, it would be unfair to him and his achievements if we do not, he is none other than Bhim Yadav, the CEO of Falcon Realty Services, a known name in the realty arena of Delhi-NCR.

Moolah Rouge By RAI UMRAOPATI RAY

Subramaniam shall like to be known for his works and hard working nature

"I would like to retire at the age of 40 years and start fresh especially following my philanthropy instincts to open up a chain of primary level schools", shockingly reveals H. Subramaniam, Vice-President and one of the partners of EA (EverythingAbout) Water Private Limited who is yet to celebrate his 35th birthday coming this March (on 6th).

To peep into his professional world, starting early in life, an engineer and a management graduate from a reputed management institute, Subramaniam brings over 12 years of experience in the Indian water industry and has a reputed company that has a turnover of Rs 500 million, which was started just eight years ago with a seed capital of Rs 50 million. He has represented the Indian water industry at numerous international conferences and events and is working closely with the government at different fronts in an effort to regularise the water sector.

Right from the start, the young entrepreneur always followed his heart. For instance, he joined the water sector, which had few takers at that time. After working for about two years each in reputed international companies like the ICI and Pentair Corporation, he went ahead along with other four like minded persons started the company, EA Water, in 2000, the year that was marked by the dotcom burst. But Subramaniam saw "huge opportunities" even then and they went ahead with their popular website,
eawater.com, "a comprehensive website on water" as he describes it. Though to be on the "safer side" (financially) in the market, they simultaneously initiated their publication division. Later, they added the consulting, events and recruitment divisions to search newer opportunities. Today the company has over 250 people with 12 offices and is a name to reckon with in the sector. However, the workaholic founder is happy and proud of listing the pioneering initiatives that the company has involved into over the years — whether it is launching the first website on water in India or starting a first magazine in the country dedicated to water sector. "We are today India's only knowledge and marketing solutions provider in water and have worked with over 20 international companies," he passionately informs.

Describing his day to day life as work filled yet exciting, so much so, that Subramaniam has not gone on any personal holidays for last eight years. His wife usually accompanies him on official trips and they manage sometime to relax and rejuvenate on such 'official excursion' as he puts it. His favourite city or country is Singapore, as he likes the organised culture of the 'Lion City'. Known to people as a simple fun loving person, this Delhitie's favourite sport is cricket; describes Ipod as his indulgence and likes lazing around on Sundays at home with family and friends.

The Piscean's unfulfilled desire is to explore and acquire new skill sets like cooking, learning a musical instrument and writing few books. However, these acquisitions have been out on hold until his early retirement and the current focus is to make his company reach the 100 crore figure mark and that too latest by 2010. It seems that Subramaniam presently lives to be known for his hard working nature and absolute commitment.

REDUCING ENERGY REQUIREMENTS BY RAI UMRAOPATI RAY

It is economically possible to reduce the energy use in buildings, from 40 to 10 per cent through technology, lifestyle changes and design.

What is so unique about your project — Green Spaces?
GreenSpaces is a notified IT/ITeS Special Economic Zone in Faridabad. The main objective of the project is to deliver the world’s most energy-efficient commercial building measured by achieving the highest number of points, worldwide, in USGBC LEED 3.0 certification. By demonstrating the reduction in the energy used at GreenSpaces without compromising on international standards in a commercial building of this size, we wanted to prove that ‘Green is Green’ and hence sustainable and this model can be repeated in other geographies. For instance, generating 1 MW of PV power, using as much feasible power from renewable sources would result in reduced collective carbon dioxide emissions that would in turn reduce the impact on global warming and thus help the environment. Carbon footprints at work will be minimised and the building is slated to have one of the healthiest and most fun working environments in any commercial building in India.

What do you mean by APP?
The Asia — Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (APP) is an international non-treaty Government to Government agreement among seven countries — Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and the United States of America, working towards energy security, air pollution reduction and climate change to promote sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction.Flagship means projects and activities that collec tively exemplify (illustrate and demonstrate) the vision and objectives of the ‘Partnership’. The activities of the project, GreenSpaces are likely to be used to publicise the actions and goals of the ‘Partnership’. These may include site visits by ministers and media.

What was the idea behind a project of this magnitude?

As our contribution to the challenge of global warming, we wanted to develop a sustainable, high performance building that reduces energy requirements by 75 per cent in comparison to a usual A-grade commercial building. Our construction will change the behaviour of developers as we will also show that ‘Green is Green’ and that it is profitable to go green. The experience will be meaningful for society as it will help demonstrate that it is economically possible to reduce the energy use in buildings, from 40 to 10 per cent through technology, lifestyle changes and design, even in an underdeveloped country.

What is the business model for this project? What is the total investment?

Investment has gone into design, technology of the future and getting the best minds to work on the project collectively as a team. The business model is to reduce OPEX (operating expenditure), increase the productivity levels of people working in the facility, improve their health and reduce their personal carbon footprints. GreenSpaces will also reduce attrition as it will be a fun place to work in as it has a hotel, shopping, medical polyclinic, food courts, entertainment areas, health club and spas etc. Under SEZ status, buildings are not permitted to be sold and so they have to be leased.

Do you think that the present slowdown in the commercial real estate market would adversely affect the project’s prospects?

Yes, generally. But at the same time it has reduced the chances of any cost over-run and hence it is attractive to build now.

Why do you think realtors would go for cleaner technologies, goods and services keeping in mind the exorbitant costs involved?

Developers would benefit if CAPEX (capital expenditure) reduces OPEX as buildings are to be leased under SEZ status. The payback is shorter than people are led to believe. Clients or tenants benefit from reduced attrition and 14-20 per cent higher productivity.

Food for thought BY RAI UMRAOPATI RAY

This year may continue to be challenging for realtors and developers of all scales and sizes Builders need to look at “forward” costing methods, construction and making a reasonable profit

Players in the real estate sector are hoping for a quick turnaround. But a lot of groundwork needs to be done on the part of everyone concerned. Here are some sound bytes from industry veterans on the way forward, the issues that need to be tackled and the plans that need to be put in place…
Navin M Raheja, MD, Raheja Developers: ‘Housing for all’ should be targeted at low and moderate-income households under the public-private-people’s partnership (PPPP) mechanism. Along with it the developer community should look at technologies and construction processes which must include employing unskilled labour, reducing time, waste and cost. Developers should work on a model which is not only for the wealthy few in the developing world, but appeals to the poor and the emerging middle-income consumer. Single window and online clearance of projects, incentives on developing smaller housing units, population density norms, slum rehabilitation, standard environmental clearances, mandatory water recycling, energy conservation and tax benefits to developers are some steps, if taken, which would change the dynamics of the sector towards sustainable growth.
Arup Roy Choudhury, CMD, National Buildings Constructions Corporation (NBCC) Ltd: Both builders and developers should aim to set up housing projects that ensure that people of all incomes have a habitat to live. The thrust should be on one house per family and procedures should be put in place so that speculators and hoarders are not able to capture this reasonably priced housing segment. Basically, it is the ‘will’ that is required — the ‘way’ can always be found. The current situation can be corrected by the people associated with this industry taking a balanced view as well as the government coming out with some sort of regulation in the laws both in terms of the Urban Land Housing Act and Taxation so that land required for housing will be handled separately. Builders and developers also need to look at “forward” costing methods i.e. the cost of land, construction and reasonable profits and they should not fall prey to speculators, traders and brokers who create market inflation. Builders/ developers have to start thinking of developing the market with a reasonable rate of return —15-20 per cent IRR, instead of what most of them charge today — 100 per cent or more returns, thus creating an imbalance in the sector and confusing genuine buyers.
Pradeep Jain, Chairman, Parsvnath Developers Ltd: The slowdown is a temporary phenomena as India is a developing country and has a lot of unexplored prospects. The fact remains that any industry or business faces some temporary turbulence. The future of the real estate sector in India is extremely healthy. Since, the sector has already felt the heat of soaring inflation, rising input costs along with other related materials used in the construction industry, we look forward to see these input costs controlled. We are thankful to the government who intervened in order to curb soaring inflation though its monetary measures. There has been an increase in prices which has compelled buyers to sacrifice a big home for a smaller one. At our end we are also trying to minimise costs by delivering projects before their stipulated time. In order to turn the scenario around and to make the sector more affordable for customers, effective steps should be taken by the government like according industry status to the sector.
Suryavir Singh, Head, Infrastructure and Housing, Sahara Prime City Limited: The spiralling effect of the current slowdown in the economy has affected the real estate industry as well. However, strategic shifts towards end user driven markets — Tier II, Tier III cities, affordable housing, reassessment of pricing strategies and a volume based business approach would go a long way in the overall betterment of the sector. The aspirations and expectations of the population have to be matched in housing and infrastructure needs. India requires huge investments in urban development as it embarks to improve civic amenities and the quality of life. As urban India’s population reaches 400 million, there is a need to review and balance housing requirements for different segments instead of reaching a situation where there is an oversupply in a particular segment and deficiency in another. Optimum measures for eco sensitive developments considering the cost-benefit analysis have to be incorporated in the planning. The formulation of regulatory mechanisms is an urgent necessity. Institutionalisation in the financial structuring of real estate investment is long overdue.
Ashish Puravankara, Director, Puravankara Projects: Tough governmental policies have to be simplified, sanctions have to be fast forwarded and developers should be provided with improved infrastructural support. I do not say it is a slowdown, instead I would say it is a temporary drift, because people have adopted a wait and watch policy to plan their purchases appropriately. There are millions of first time house buyers with a desire to own their dream homes.
Prakash Gurbaxani, CEO, QVC Realty: Leading developers have really been focusing on premium properties in the last few years due to the high demand in this segment. There is still a sustained demand for such properties. However, developers are now realising that there is a large market for affordable homes in India. Many developers have shifted focus to this segment in recent times and the next few years should see a large supply of good quality affordable housing for the common man. However, land prices are still soaring and this combined with the rise in the cost of construction is putting pressure on developer margins. Lack of quality infrastructure is another issue that developers have to constantly deal with.

Miles to sail before I sleep... By RAI UMRAOPATI RAY

Globetrotter, entrepreneur and workaholic, Gulu Lalvani lives life kingsize

The widely acclaimed Hollywood movie ‘The curious case of Benjamin Button’ is not only unique in its adaptation but also has a subtle message — life is a beautiful gift that has little to do with age. And for those of us who look beyond the here and now, age is just another number that takes one’s experience graph a little higher…
Living life to the full and blessed with an indomitable spirit and a never-say-die attitude is telecom tycoon Gulu Lalvani. Globetrotter, entrepreneur and workaholic Lalvani believes in doing everything himself despite his luxurious and lavish lifestyle. But as he says, all he has today has been achieved through sheer hard work, perseverance and dedication.
Born in Karachi to a Sindhi business family, Lalvani completed his education in Mumbai. Binatone was his first venture — a foray that was undertaken while he was still doing a business management course in the UK.
Named after his sister Bina (Ramani), Binatone has grown from a small family business to the world’s second-largest manufacturer of digital cordless phones (worth £450 million). Today, however, Lalvani is gradually handing over the reins of the company to his son Dino and seems content to spend more and more time in Phuket, Thailand.
“I am an avid sailor and love to travel around the world. In fact, my current marina venture (Royal Phuket Marina) in Thailand was conceived when I sailed to Amanpuri — on the west coast of Phuket — in the early 1990s. My love for sailing combined with everything the city offered — sunny weather, subtle tides and warm people made me decide to built one of the world’s premier luxury lifestyle marinas and yachting havens here,” says Lalvani who admits that the idea behind the marina was to keep himself occupied! But as he says, “The more I got into the project, the more I discovered that it was going to be a dream run.”
Apart from sailing, golfing and cars this perfect Sindhi host takes great pleasure in entertaining friends and family. A brief relationship with Princess Diana — which according to reports was only to spite her beau, Dr Hasnat Khan — and the glitzy, week-long wedding of his daughter to Cadbury heir, Joe Cadbury in Phuket were events that brought Lalvani onto centre stage. And though he’s still firmly in the spotlight, Lalvani hasn’t stopped craving for more. He wants to develop a marina in India … “I would love to bring the concept of a ‘luxury lifestyle marina’ to my country which has a long and beautiful shoreline — provided the government supports it,” he says candidly.
Obviously this tycoon’s motto is: Yeh dil mange more!

Health is wealth BY RAI UMRAOPATI RAY

When was the last time you paid your doctor a visit for a routine health check up? Laments Dr. SP Byotra, Chairperson, Department of Medicine, Ganga Ram Hospital Delhi, "While regular health check ups are mostly mandatory in the West, sadly even the educated are ignorant of the importance of health check ups."

Every year, a substantial number of people lose their lives because they have illnesses that are already in the last stages when they finally get round to seeking medical aid. A yearly or half-yearly visit to the doctor should therefore become a regular part of our lives. Informs Byotra, "A health check up is nothing more than a complete physical examination by your doctor and includes certain tests depending upon your age, health history, and current symptoms if any. Today, almost every hospital has health packages as per your

requirement."

Here are some common health tests that should be undertaken...

15 to 25 years old: A complete physical examination at least once a year. Depending upon your symptoms and doctor’s advice — test for anaemia and obesity. Have a whole lipid profile done as well as a test for blood sugar (those having family history). The functioning of the eyes, ears, teeth and gums should be monitored.

25 to 39 years old: A complete physical examination at least once a year. Tests should be for cholesterol, blood sugar, lipid profile, kidney functions and obesity. Tests for this age group and onwards mostly depend upon clinical judgement and are thus tailor made. For instance, a woman having a stomach problem will be advised to go for an ultrasound.

40 to 50 years old: A complete physical examination at least once a year and in some cases half yearly. Blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, blood sugar, lipid profile, kidney functions, obesity and urine tests are advised to monitor various bodily functions. Tests like a pap smear to detect uterine and cervical cancers are recommended for women above 40 and over. Other tests like a mammography, ultrasound, thyroid functions, calcium level and bone mineral density can also be asked for by your doctor. Some cancer marker tests are also advised if required like a CAE for colon cancer and a CA125 for ovarian cancer. The functioning of the eyes, ears, teeth and gums should be monitored.

50 years and above: This is a very important age group when a complete body check up should be done yearly and in some cases more frequently. General tests include a complete blood haemo-gram, liver and kidney function test, HBA1C (sugar control indicator), lipid profile, sugar levels, ECG, X-rays, TMT, echocardiography, PSA test (prostrate cancer), cancer marker tests, diabetes and GTT etc. Since the health history of every individual is different, tests are advised according to a person’s particular needs.

Green LOBBY - Cleaning the Yamuna BY RAI UMRAOPATI RAY

India is probably one of the few countries in the world where a city’s riverfront is not given much importance. A prominent example is none other than the river Yamuna. Reduced to a filthy canal, the once proud river is one of the most polluted water resources in the country. Tonnes of sewage is dumped into the Yamuna and despite the Supreme Court’s persistent monitoring for over a decade and billions of rupees spent, the situation is far from what is expected or desired.

With the Coliform content in the Yamuna in Delhi being as high as it should be in raw sewage, the river is practically a useless water body.

Experts feel that planners are spending money without understanding the connection between sewage and its disposal and river pollution, which are some of the main reasons for the failure of previous plans. But, all is not lost. The Delhi Government is determined to clean the river. Says Sheila Dixit, Chief Minister of Delhi, “We had a study done by Engineers India Limited and this is now being re-examined by APCO so that we are sure of what plans will be initiated.” The Rs 1,500-crore mega-project, recently announced by the Lieutenant Governor is ready for implementation. The project will ensure that the sewage from various drains that flows directly into the Yamuna, is diverted to special treatment plants where the water will be treated first and only then allowed to reach the river.

“We are using interceptors all over Delhi so that the sludgewhich goes into the Yamuna is stopped and cleared. We hope by this method we can keep the river clean.” The Chief Minister conceded that “it is a long-term project and it is not possible to complete it by the Commonwealth Games 2010 unless a miracle happens.” However, along with the government’s efforts we need some collective responsibility taken by the people of Delhi.

It’s all a matter of the right advice...By RAI UMRAOPATI RAY

Almost all of us at some point in time are confused as to which career to opt for or what profession we are really interested in. Some of us have listened to our parents or relatives, others have gone by instinct. And yet some of us have consulted a new set of professional — the career counsellor.

Career counsellors are trained to help you make the right choices about your career goals and they can help you make a plan to achieve these goals. Judging and understanding your aspirations, temperament and abilities, they suggest a choice of fields that is guaranteed to suit you. Traditionally, career counsellors were those who advised high school and college students. However, over the years, the profile of a career counsellor has changed and they are not limited to not just advising students about what courses or career paths to take but also help those looking for jobs to make themselves more marketable and presentable. In this era of globalisation and with the growth of the Indian economy and education sector the role and responsibility of a career counsellor has grown manifold. In fact because of the nature of the profession and its huge demand, the National Career Development Association has put together a list of skills that career counsellors should have.

Says renowned career counsellor, Dr.

CB Paul Chellakumar, Group Chairman, Campus Abroad, “This is a profession with lots of responsibility and it requires you to have the quality of patience. There is an urgent need for good career coun- sellors all over the country People today are looking for counsellors who have specific skills and attributes. They must have an understanding of your skills in order to effectively help you.” The remuneration is good and as you gain experience and establish yourself it gets even better. So, how do you become a career counsellor? The prerequisite is graduation. A degree in Psychology or Education will of course give you that edge over others in the field. It goes without saying that you should be abreast of the courses and programmes offered by different institutes and varsities nationally and internationally, know the career options after each stream, know the best places for various courses and so on.

If you want to be armed with a degree then you can do a Master’s degree in counselling—aprogramme accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counselling and Related Educational Programmes (CACREP). There are a few specialty certifications in career counseling as well which will give you a good understanding and perspective of the career.

Job options are also available on several websites that cater to advising students online.

Interested? Then, what are you waiting for?

Up, up and away! BY RAI UMRAOPATI RAY

The Indian education sector is moving full steam ahead despite the global slowdown

Recession or no recession, the education sector in India is grow- ing at a phenomenal pace with universities and institutes looking for greener pastures in different cities across the country. And what’s more — Indian universities are going international and foreign varsities are tying up with their counterparts in India. In short, the Indian education segment has never witnessed such rapid movement either nationally or internationally.

Says K.V. Iyer, Head, ICFAI International Division, “Yes, we do have plans to go international in terms of opening campuses. We are planning to initiate our Global MBA programme in Australia, UK and Switzerland at our campuses. Our target is to have 25 international campuses by 2015.” Adds Atul Chauhan, Amity University Chancellor, “Our university will be setting up three campuses abroad in locations like Dubai, Singapore and the United States.” Amongst the others who have joined the bandwagon to establish new campuses are the Indian Institute of Management (IMT), the Indian Institute of Planning and (IIPM). Says Dr. Anwar Ali, Director of IMT, Ghaziabad, “Singapore is an option for us along with Australia and even the US but nothing has been decided as yet. We are keen to expand our international presence.” Says Professor Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM, “We have been planning to go international for quite a while.

However we have been delayed due to various reasons including our India expansion plans. We are hoping to open five campuses in Singapore, London, United Arab Emirates, Brussels and Australia over the next one year.” But what about the financial meltdown, the capital crunch? Says Professor Chaudhuri, “The slowdown is our reason for expansion. Every threat provides an opportunity.” Chauhan says that the “education sector is an ever-evolving field needed by every society and country.

People do not stop leaning.

In fact, many professionals who are affected by the slowdown are upgrading their skills by pursuing various courses.” Most universities and institutes are initiating their flagship programmes showing confidence in the quality of their course content.

So, while ICFAI is introducing their Global MBA programme — relevant in the current economic recession, IIPM will go ahead with their planning and entrepreneurship courses that lead to additional MBA and BBA degrees.

Another positive development is that a number of renowned foreign institutions are tying up with or looking at partnerships with the Indian varsities in order to start their courses on Indian soil.

For instance, the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto has launched the Schulich India MBA in collaboration with the S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR) in Mumbai.

The Indian Education sector is certainly going places!