Kiran Bedi

"I'm here to do my best for the day" - Kiran Bedi

Inspirational true life stories are tagged as favorite celebrities for decades. One such well known celebrity around the globe who is recognized for her courage, welfare strategies and tag line 'I Dare' is Kiran Bedi. She dreamt and worked for a better world and she achieved it. Read all about the inspirational icon who has always worn a smile in the battle of life.

Early Life
Kiran Bedi born on 9th June 1949 in Amritsar, as the second of the four daughters to her parents, Prakash Lal Peshawaria and Prem Lata Peshawaria. She completed her schooling and graduation in Arts from her native place itself. She earned a master's degree the following year in Political science from Punjab University. The ardent learner with active service in the Indian Police also acquired a law degree (LLB) from Delhi University. She was also awarded a Ph.D. in 1993 in Social Sciences by the Department of Social Sciences, the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi.

As a child born in a well to do family, Kiran was aware of how special her life was compared to the majority of Indian children. Her parents sacrificed a great deal, so that their daughters could go to the best schools, learn sports, and be exceptional in the male dominated country.

As a teenager Kiran Bedi won Asian women's lawn tennis champion. Recollecting her childhood she sates in one of her interviews, "I came from a sports background where I was the only girl traveling with a batch of 20 boys." After few years she was recognized as the first woman to join the Indian Police service in 1972.

Her Marital Life
Kiran Bedi was determined to choose her own life partner at an early age, as the bitter shades of marital relationship of her elder sister always bid a nightmare to the term called marriage. Shashi her elder sister was a girl next door who dreamt of leading a normal life like any other girl. Sashi got engaged to a Canada-based Indian heart specialist while she was pursuing her Master's degree. The marriage was a disaster as the doctor was already engaged to someone else in Canada. But Shashi could not fight for her marriage but had to succumb to the doctors interest (like bribe) and stay with him for life in an unknown land. This bitter experience increased Kiran's determination to make her own way in her own country.

Kiran Bedi's first serious relationship did not work for long. The basic reasons was that she was strongly career oriented, while he wanted her career to be secondary to his. The second issue was that he wanted a traditional marriage that included a dowry. The brave heart lady was not willing to be domesticated, so she decided to end the relationship. She then met Brij Bedi at the Amritsar tennis courts who shared same interests, beliefs and goals. He was nine years elder to her. They married in 1972 in the most unique marriage ceremony of the yesteryears. Neither of them believed in religious ceremonies, or an expensive marriage ritual. Therefore they went to the Shiva temple and prayed, going around the temple seven times. Then they organized a joint reception paid from their combined earnings.

When Kiran and Brij Bedi learnt that their carers needed special attention both of them decided to lead a separate life by remaining soul companions. Both of them took delight in leading a life that reciprocates growth of an individual. When a far they took the delight in expressing their loneliness, unhappiness, and distance in the form of poetry. This kind of marital arrangement is unconventional in India even till this date. With both parental and marital support, Kiran strived to make a difference around her.

Kiran and Brij had a daughter, Saina, three years after Kiran started her career in the Indian Police Service (IPS). Saina is also involved in community service. She along with her husband Ruzbeh N. Bharucha, (a journalist by profession) produce short films and documentaries.

Her Career
When asked in an interview why did she choose career in Police she promptly replied, " For me policing is not punitive. It always stood for social welfare. But tough welfare. Where I could command welfare, I could demand welfare, and I could produce welfare."

Kiran Bedi began her career as a lecturer in Political Science (1970 -72). She left the post soon after she got selected for the Indian Police Service in the year 1972. In the police service she served in a number of different and challenging assignments that range from Traffic Commissioner of New Delhi, Deputy Inspector General of Police in insurgency prone Mizoram, Advisor to the Lieutanent Governor of Chandigarh, Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau and also on a United Nationsdeputation.

Kiran Bedi did not fear anybody. For her the law was the same for all, be it the President of India or any commoner. It is said that she once towed the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi car for parking violation who was on tour of United States.

Kiran Bedi also influenced other areas like control of narcotics, traffic management and VIP security. During her transfer to Tihar Jail as the Inspector General of Prison she worked relentlessly to give jailed convicts a new lease of life through meditation and spiritualism. She initiated a number of measures in prison management some of them are yoga, vipassana meditation, and redressing of complaints by prisoners. Her humane and fearless approach has contributed greatly to innumerable innovative policing and prison reforms.

Kiran Bedi has set up two major voluntary organizations called Navjyoti and India Vision Foundation with the objectives of improving the condition of the drug addicts and the downtrodden. Her organization has been applauded from far and wide. It was also awarded 'Serge Soitiroff Memorial Award' for drug abuse prevention by the United Nations. She has recently been appointed as Director General of India's Bureau of Police Research and Development. Earlier, she was Police Advisor in the United Nations peacekeeping department, and has also been honored with the UN medal for outstanding service.

Her Awards

• President's Gallantry Award (1979)
• Women of the Year Award (1980)
• Asia Region Award for Drug Prevention and Control (1991)
• Magsaysay Award (1994) for Government Service (also called the Asian Nobel Prize)
• Mahila Shiromani Award (1995)
• Father Machismo Humanitarian Award (1995)
• Lion of the Year (1995)
• Joseph Beuys Award (1997)
• Pride of India (1999)
• Mother Teresa Memorial National Award for Social Justice (2005)
  Source
  http://living.oneindia.in/celebrity/other-celebrities/kiran-bedi2

Dr. B. V. Raman (1912-1998)

Dr. B. V. Raman (1912-1998)
Founder-Editor (1936-1998) : The Astrological Magazine
Founder-President : Indian Council of Astrological Sciences

Dr. Raman spent his whole life in the study of relations between cosmic and terrestrial phenomena. He was able to demonstrate by his writings and predictions made through The Astrological Magazine and other media that the astrological theory of cosmic influences affecting human life is essentially correct. Through a number of books, lectures and research papers, Dr. Raman influenced the educated public and made them astrology-conscious. His special fields of research were Hindu astronomy, astro-psychology, weather and political forecasts, disease diagnosis, natural calamities, management and other areas in relation to celestial phenomena.

Dr. Raman travelled round the world several times representing India at the Astrological Congress held at Cambridge, England and the International Astrology Conference at New York. He delivered innumerable lectures in Germany, England, France, Italy, Austria, Holland, Canada, Japan and the United States of America, addressing universities, medical associations and educational and cultural institutions on different aspects of astrology, Hindu astronomy, philosophy and Indian culture.

Dr. Raman was the first to deliver a lecture Relevance of Astrology in Modern Times in 1970 at the United Nations, New York, which evoked much interest in diplomatic circles. He said that Astrology was a science and not mere mumbo jumbo.

Dr. Raman presided over several important conferences at both national and international levels. He delivered the keynote address at the First International Symposium on Vedic Astrology in October 1994 at San Rafael, California, U.S.A. when he was honoured with the Life-time Achievement Award for his services to the cause of astrology. He was conferred the Man of the Year 1995 award by the Centenarian Trust, Madras, formed in the memory of the Kanchi Paramacharya, in February 1996. He was the inaugural speaker and chief guest at the National Conference on Disaster and Technology held at Manipal on 25-9-1998.

Dr. Raman received an honorary Ph.D. from the Pythagorean University in 1947. In the same year, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, London and a member of the Royal Asiatic Society. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Literature by the Akhila Bharateeya Samskrita Sammelana in 1968 and the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters by the Kumaon University (U.P.) in June 1976. Dr. Raman holds a string of titles such as Abhinava Varahamihira, Jyotisha Bhanu, Jyotisha Vignana Marthanda, Jyotisha Ratna, Abhinava Bhaskara, Jyotisha Bhooshana etc. conferred on him by various organisations.

Dr. B.V. Raman was born in a village near Bangalore in 1912 and had his early education in a village school. He completed his collegiate studies in Science at Central College, Bangalore. During the period of his studies in the University, he also specialised in homeopathy and obtained a Diploma.

Dr. Raman restarted The Astrological Magazine in 1936 and was its editor for over 62 years. In fact, this is a unique case of one single individual editing a monthly uninterruptedly for over 62 years and rightly merits a place in the Guinesses Book of Records. It is now run by his daughter Smt. Gayatri Devi Vasudev and his son Mr. B. Niranjan Babu.

The Astrological Magazine, held to be the only journal of its type in Asia, has earned an international reputation as a great exponent of Indian culture in general and astrology in particular. Its views are held in esteem by the educated public. Dr. Raman made, through the columns of The Astrological Magazine and through his publications, several outstanding predictions about world events such as the Second World War, its course and termination; fates of Hitler, Mussolini, Hirohito and other world celebrities; Indian Independence, the tragic assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and other notable events such as the Chinese Invasion of India, Pandit Nehrus death, Khruschevs fall, Johnsons election, Nixons election and fall, Indo-Pakistan conflicts, West Asian Wars, fall of the Shah of Iran, Vietnam War, the declaration of Emergency in India, the assassination of the Bangladesh President, death of the Soviet leader Brezhnev, assassination of Indira Gandhi, the scams involving Narasimha Rao, the 1996 elections and the formation of the Indian government made up of representatives of almost all parties, not to speak of earthquakes and other natural disasters with amazing accuracy.

Dr. Raman founded an all India body, the Indian Council of Astrological Sciences (Regd.) in 1984 to regulate the study and practise of astrology in the country with Chapters in Bangalore, Madras, Delhi, Kanpur, Trivandrum, Patna and other cities. As Founder President, he enthused and inspired the intelligentsia to take up the study of astrology as a serious pursuit. Countless students dawn from different academic and professional backgrounds are now being taught astrology according to a two-tier syllabus producing a crop of enlightened and systemmatically trained astrology students.In 1992, Dr. Raman, on a vist to the United States of America to deliver the keynote address of the First International Symposium on Vedic Astrology held at San Rafael, California, mooted the idea of a national body to organise the study of Indian astrology in the States. The American Council of Vedic Astrology was founded under Dr. Raman's blessings by a group of Americans and this has led to countless people in that country taking to the study of Indian astrology. Dr. Raman was the first to give a rational exposition of astrology in his book Planetary Influences on Human Affairs defending his claim by statistical data refuting the arguments of its critics.

Dr. Raman was never a professional astrologer but yet was consulted and his guidance sought by scientists, political leaders, saints, medical doctors, industrialists and heads of governments and people from all strata of life. His visitors were drawn from all walks of life.

He was assisted in his activities by his devoted wife Mrs. Rajeswari Raman, who takes keen interest not only in astrology but also in the study of Yoga, especially in its application to women. Mrs. Rajeswari Raman is a practical exponent of Hatha Yoga and is the Director of Sri Surya Prakash Institute of Yoga for Women. She visited Europe and America, in 1970, in 1981 and 1992 and delivered talks on Yoga, Indian Womanhood etc., before various womens associations and cultural organisations.

Dr. Ramans recreations included lawn tennis and gardening.A teetotaller of the strictest order, his daily routine until the last day included Sandhyavandana and Gayatri Japa both in the morning and the evening, Yoga and Pranayama and a long walk in the evening. He followed the teachings of Lord Krishna as given in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita and this was evident in everything he said or did in his life. He was an institution unto himself. A man of great simplicity and sincerity, he had a kind word for everyone he came across, no matter whoever it was. He was a classic example of the ideal of the Rishi of ancient India in modern world, with his exemplary life of simple living and high thinking. It would not be an exaggeration to say there will not be another like him. His loss to the world of astrology and ancient Indian ideals is irreparable.

Dr. Raman's efforts in propagating Indian astrology across the globe are unrivalled. In his passing away, the world of astrology is plunged in darkness. But we hope and pray the momentum Dr. Raman has given the wave of Indian astrology will continue to gather greater and greater strength until the world recognizes its relevance to modern times and acknowledges its unique position in the hierarchy of sciences.

Dr Kalpana Chawla

Dr Kalpana Chawla American Mission Specialist Astronaut. Born 1 July 1961. Died 1 February 2003. Engineer. Perished in Columbia shuttle disintegration during re-entry.

Personal: Female, Married. Born in Karnal, India. Perished in Columbia shuttle disintegration during re-entry. PhD

Astronaut Career

Astronaut Group: NASA Group 15 - 1995. Deceased Entered space service: 9 December 1994. Left space service: 1 February 2003. Number of Flights: 2.00. Total Time: 31.63 days.

Chawla's family were refugees from Pakistan who settled in Karnal after partition in 1947. She perished with the rest of the crew of the shuttle Columbia on 1 February 2003. NASA Official Biography

NAME: Kalpana Chawla (Ph.D.)

NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA:

Born in Karnal, India. Date and month of birth unknown. Dr. Chawla enjoys flying, hiking, back-packing, and reading. She holds Certificated Flight Instructor's license and Commercial Pilot's licenses for single- and multi-engine land airplanes and single-engine seaplanes, instrument rating, and Private Glider. She enjoys flying aerobatics and tail-wheel airplanes.

EDUCATION:

Graduated from Tagore School, Karnal, India, in 1976. Bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College, India, 1982. Master of science degree in aerospace engineering from University of Texas, 1984. Doctorate of philosophy in aerospace engineering from University of Colorado, 1988.

EXPERIENCE:

Dr. Chawla was hired by MCAT Institute, San Jose, California, as a Research Scientist to support research in the area of powered lift at NASA Ames Research Center, California, in 1988. She was responsible for simulation and analysis of flow physics pertaining to the operation of powered lift aircraft such as the Harrier in ground effect. She modeled and numerically simulated configurations that include important components of realistic powered lift aircraft, both in hover and landing mode, using Navier-Stokes solvers on Cray YMP. Following completion of this project she supported research in mapping of flow solvers to parallel computers such as the Intel iPSC-860, the Intel Paragon, and the TMC CM-2, and testing of these solvers by carrying out powered lift computations. In 1993 Dr. Chawla joined Overset Methods Inc., Los Altos, California, as Vice President and Research Scientist to form a team with other researchers specializing in simulation of moving multiple body problems. She was responsible for development and implementation of efficient techniques to perform aerodynamic optimization. Results of various projects that Dr. Chawla participated in are documented in technical conference papers and Journals.

NASA EXPERIENCE:

Selected by NASA in December 1994, Dr. Chawla reported to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995. After completing a year of training and evaluation, she was assigned to work technical issues for the Astronaut Office EVA/Robotics and Computer Branches. Dr. Chawla will serve as a mission specialist on the crew of the fourth U.S. Microgravity Payload flight scheduled for an November 1997 launch on board Columbia on mission STS-87.

Source:
http://www.astronautix.com/astros/chawla.htm

Few Great People of India

All of us have seen many presentations floating around about eminent people like Aryabhatta, Chankya, Srinivasa Ramanujam etc.

While we are very proud of the great deeds our ancestors have achieved, we believe we should also recognise the present day greats who have contributed in this century and/or contributing today.

Below is a list of few such great personalities. This list is not comprehensive, many more can be added. A few people might not agree with a few names in the list. But this is a small effort by three of us to compile this list of people who are in today's India.
Any feedback is most welcome. Please direct it to psycraj@gmail.com
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Cheers
Raj

Tulsi Tanti

Tulsi Tanti - Suzlon Energy Ltd

Chairman of Suzlon Energy Ltd, Ranks among top 10 richest men of India.

Tulsi Tanti is the Chairman of Suzlon Energy Ltd, a company dealing in wind energy. He is one of those first time entrepreneurs who saw potential in an inchoate idea, ventured into it, and made it big. Today, he ranks among top 10 richest men of India.

A commerce graduate and a diploma holder in mechanical engineering, Tulsi Tanti originally hails from Gujarat and is presently based in Pune, Maharashtra. Tulsi Tanti was earlier into textiles. He started his textile business in Gujarat. But he found that the prospects stunted due to infrastructural bottlenecks. The biggest of them all was the cost and unavailability of power, which formed a high proportion of operating expenses of textile industry.

In 1990, Tulsi Tanti invested in two windmills and realized its huge potential. In 1995, he formed Suzlon and gradually quit textiles. Suzlon Energy is the sixth largest wind energy company in the world and the largest in Asia. It is presently building what will be among the world's largest wind parks of its kind at 1,000 MW capacity.

Suzlon is currently concentrating on global expansion drive. It recently acquired Hansen Transmissions, a Belgian maker of wind-turbine gearboxes. Suzlon is also building a rotor-blade factory in Minnesota and has invested $60m in a factory in Tianjin, China. Tulsi Tanti is poised to make India a wind-power export hub.

Subhash Chandra

Subhash Chandra - Zee TV

Founder of Zee TV, India's first private TV channel

Subhash Chandra is the founder of Zee TV, India's first private TV channel. This onetime rice trader from Hissar, Haryana has today transformed into a media baron and his other interests include packaging, theme parks, lotteries and cinema multiplexes.

Subhash Chandra launched Zee Telefilms Limited in October 1992 as a content supplier for Zee TV - India's first Hindi satellite channel. Subash Chandra was the first in India who sought to harness the huge business potential of satellite television channels. Before the launch of Zee TV viewers in India were under the firm grip of Doordarshan, the state-controlled terrestrial network. It was Subhash Chandra's vision that helped give birth to the satellite TV industry in India and inspired others to follow suit.

After the launch of Zee TV, he commenced Siticable operations in 1995 and also started a joint venture with News Corp. In 1995, he launched two new channels, Zee News and Zee Cinema. In 2000, Zee TV became the first cable company in India to launch Internet over Cable services. In 2003, Zee TV became the first service provider in India to launch Direct to Home (DTH) services. In a short span of time Zee TV has become a big media and has give tough competition to international media moghuls such as Rupert Murdoch.

Subhash Chandra's meteoric rise in the past decade is somewhat similar to the rise of Dhirubhai Ambani in 1980s and 1990s.

--
Cheers
Raj

Lalit Suri

Lalit Suri - Bharat Hotels

Achievement: Chairman of the Bharat Hotels chain and the single largest hotel owner.

Lalit Suri can be called as the uncrowned hotel king of India. He is the Chairman of the Bharat Hotels chain and is the single-largest hotel owner with over 1600 rooms. Bharat Hotels chain comprises seven hotels which include the flagship InterContinental The Grand in Delhi, and six Grand hotels in Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Srinagar, Udaipur and Khajuraho.

Lalit Suri is an alumnus of St Columbus and Sri Ram College of Commerce, New Delhi. He represented both his school and college in swimming and athletics at the state level. Lalit Suri was trained as an automobile engineer and started his career manufacturing vehicle bodies. He commissioned his first hotel in Delhi in 1988. Since then there has been no looking back.

In the last few years Bharat Hotels has invested Rs 500 crore on its properties in Mumbai and Goa. In addition, the group has spent Rs 42 crore on a 30-year lease on the former Bangalore Ashok, and a further Rs 40 crore on renovations. Lalit Suri is currently on an expansion mode. Sites for hotels have been identified and negotiated in Amritsar, Ahmedabad and Jaipur, while search is on for the right locations in Chennai and Hyderabad. In the first phase hotels will be constructed in Amritsar, Ahmedabad, and Jaipur adding 400-600 rooms to the Grand chain, while the next phase in Chennai, and Hyderabad) will take the tally up by another 500 five-star deluxe rooms.

Apart from a successful businessman, Lalit Suri is also an avid traveler and an art lover. Presently, he is also a Rajya Sabha MP.

K.P. Singh

K.P. Singh - DLF Group

Born: August 15, 1931
Achievement: Chairman of DLF Group; Recipient of the 'Delhi Ratna' Award for his valuable contribution to Delhi

K.P. Singh is the Chairman of DLF Group and can be christened as the real estate baron of India. DLF has a strong leadership presence in Indian real estate industry and the company is credited with developing the modern township of Gurgaon.

K.P. Singh (Kushal Pal Singh) was born on August 15, 1931 at Bulandshahar in Uttar Pradesh. After graduating in Science from Meerut College, he went to UK to study Aeronautical Engineering. While pursuing engineering in UK, K.P. Singh was selected to the prestigious Indian Army, by British Officers Services Selection Board, UK. He joined the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun and was later on commissioned into The Deccan Horse-a renowned cavalry regiment of The Indian Army.

In 1960, K.P. Singh joined American Universal Electric Company, a joint venture between Universal Electric Company of Owosso, Michigan and his family. Thereafter, K.P. Singh promoted another company, i.e. Willard India Limited in collaboration with ESB inc of Philadelphia for manufacturing automatic and industrial batteries in India and became its Managing Director.

In 1979, K.P. Singh joined DLF Universal Limited. When American Universal Company merged with DLF Universal Limited, K.P. Singh became the Managing Director of the new company. K.P. Singh had the vision to buy land in Gurgaon, which was then a barren village on the outskirts of Delhi. He had the foresight to saw the untapped potential of the place and today Gurgaon is one of the real-estate hotspots of the country. Presently, DLF has 100 million square feet under development in residential, commercial and retail projects all over the country.

Kushal Pal Singh also held a number of professional positions in India. He was the President of the ASSOCHAM (Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India) and the PHD Chambers of Commerce & Industry. K.P. Singh is also the recipient of the 'Delhi Ratna' Award for his valuable contribution to Delhi.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw-Biocon Ltd

Born: March 23, 1953
Achievement: Chairman & Managing Director of Biocon Ltd; Felicitated with Padmashri (1989) and Padma Bhushan (2005).

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw is the Chairman & Managing Director of Biocon Ltd, India's biggest biotechnology company. In 2004, she became India's richest woman.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw was born on March 23, 1953 in Bangalore. She had her schooling at Bishop Cotton Girls School and Mount Carmel College at Bangalore. After doing completing her B.Sc. in Zoology from Bangalore University in 1973, she went to Ballarat University in Melbourne, Australia and qualified as a master brewer.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw started her professional career as trainee brewer in Carlton & United Beverages in 1974. In 1978, she joined as Trainee Manager with Biocon Biochemicals Limited in Ireland. In the same year, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw founded Biocon India in collaboration with Biocon Biochemicals Limited, with a capital of Rs.10,000. She initially faced many problems regarding funds for her business. Banks were hesitant to give loan to her as biotechnology was a totally new field at that point of time and she was a woman entrepreneur, which was a rare phenomenon.

Biocon's initial operation was to extract an enzyme from papaya. Under Kiran Mazumdar Shaw's stewardship Biocon transformed from an industrial enzymes company to an integrated biopharmaceutical company with strategic research initiatives. Today, Biocon is recognised as India's pioneering biotech enterprise. In 2004, Biocon came up with an IPO and the issue was over-subscribed by over 30 times. Post-IPO, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw held close to 40% of the stock of the company and was regarded as India's richest woman with an estimated worth of Rs. 2,100 crore.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw is the recipient of several prestigious awards. These include ET Businesswoman of the Year, Best Woman Entrepreneur, Model Employer, Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Life Sciences & Healthcare, Leading Exporter, Outstanding Citizen, Technology Pioneer, etc. Government of India also felicitated her with Padmashri (1989) and Padma Bhushan (2005).

B.M. Munjal

B.M. Munjal - Hero Group

Chairman of the Hero Group; Honored with Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2001

B.M. Munjal (Brij Mohan Lall Munjal) is the Chairman of the Hero Group. He is a first generation entrepreneur who started very small and through sheer hard work and perseverance made it to the top. Today, Hero Group is the largest manufacturer of two-wheelers in the world and Brij Mohan Lal Munjal is the man widely credited with its success.

B.M. Munjal's journey began in 1944 at the age of 20. Brij Mohanlall along with his three brothers, Dayanand (32), Satyanand (27) and Om Prakash (16) moved from his birthplace Kamalia in Pakistan to Amritsar. The brothers started supplying components to the local bicycle business. After partition in 1947, the family was forced to move to Ludhiana. The town of Ludhiana was already a major hub of the Indian bicycle business and an important textile center. The Munjals slowly spread their bicycle component distribution network in other parts of the country and became one of India's largest bicycle parts suppliers. In 1952 Munjals made a shift from supplying to manufacturing. They started manufacturing handlebars, front forks and chains.

In 1956, the Punjab state government announced the issue of twelve new industrial licenses to make bicycles in Ludhiana. The Munjal brothers cashed on this opportunity. Helped by the Punjab government financing of Rs 600,000 to supplement their own limited capital resources, the Munjals set up Hero Cycles. Hero Cycles was registered as a 'large-scale industrial unit' and it initially produced 7,500 units per year.

Soon Hero Cycles started giving well-established players such as Raleigh, Hind Cycles, and Atlas Cycles a run for their money. The hero cycle was comparatively cheaper and was sturdy and reliable. It gave the customers value for their money.

In January 1984, Japan's Honda, the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles, elicited interest in collaborating with the Hero Group to manufacture motor cycles in India. An agreement was signed and on 13 April 1985, the first Hero Honda motorbike was rolled out. Today, the company is the largest manufacturer of motorcycles in the world.

For his outstanding contribution to the success of Hero Group, B.M. Munjal was honored with Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2001.

Bhai Mohan Singh

Bhai Mohan Singh - Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd

Born: December 30, 1917
Achievement: Founder of pharmaceutical giant Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd; Awarded with Padma Shri

Bhai Mohan Singh can be called as the doyen of pharmaceutical industry in India. He is the founder of pharmaceutical giant Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd.

Bhai Mohan Singh was born on December 30, 1917 in Rawalpindi district. His father Bhai Gyan Chand was a Hindu and his mother Sunder Dai was a Sikh. Bhai Mohan Singh began his business career in the construction business during the Second World War. His firm bagged a contract to build roads in the North East. After Partition, he left Rawalpindi and settled down in New Delhi.

Bhai Mohan Singh started business as a moneylender. Ranbaxy was started by his cousins Ranjit Singh and Gurbax Singh. Ranbaxy's name was a fusion of Ranjit and Gurbax's names. They were distributors for A. Shionogi, a Japanese pharmaceutical company manufacturing vitamins and anti-TB drugs. When Ranbaxy defaulted on a loan, Bhai Mohan Singh bought the company on August 1, 1952, for Rs 2.5 lakh.

Bhai Mohan Singh collaborated with Italian pharma company Lapetit Spa and later on bought it. Bhai Mohan Singh made his mark in the pharmaceuticals industry in the late 1960s when he launched his first superbrand, Calmpose.

Calmpose was an imitation of Roche's valium. But Roche had not patented it in India. In early 1970s when Indian adopted a regime of process patents in the Bhai Mohan Singh quickly realised that one could make any product in the world through reverse engineering. He established an R&D facility at Mohali and launched one blockbuster pill after the other, such as Roscillin, Cifran etc.

Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd went public in 1973. At this time Bhai Mohan Singh introduced his eldest son Parvinder Singh in the company, who later on became the company's Managing Director in 1982. Bhai Mohan Singh also co-founded Max India with his youngest son, Analjit Singh.

With liberalisation differences arose between Bhai Mohan Singh and Parvinder Singh over the expansion and professionalisation strategy of Ranbaxy. Subsequently, in 1999 in a boardroom coup of sorts Bhai Mohan Singh was forced to bow down and Parvider took over the company. This broke Bhai Mohan Singh's spirit and he retired from active company affairs. He died on March 27, 2006.

Bhai Mohan Singh was a former vice president of the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and was awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution in civic matters. For his contribution to the industrial development of Punjab, the Punjab Goverment had named an Industrial Township near Ropar after Bhai Mohan Singh.

Karsanbhai Patel

Karsanbhai Patel Success Story - Nirma

Dr. Karsanbhai Khodidas Patel (b. 1945, Ruppur, Mehsana, Gujarat) is an Indian industrialist, founder of the Rs. 2500 crore (USD 500 mn) Nirma group with major interests in detergents, soaps and cosmetics. In 2005 Forbes listed his net worth as USD $640 million. He has interests in education, and founded a leading engineering college, the Nirma Institute of Technology. He is sometimes referred to as Dr. K.K. Patel.

Man behind the hugely successful brand, Nirma.

Karsanbhai Patel is the man behind the hugely successful brand, Nirma. His' is a legendary rags to riches journey during which he shattered established business theories and rewrote new ones.

Karsanbhai Khodidas Patel (K.K. Patel) came from a humble farmer family from Mehsana, Gujarat. He worked as Lab Assistant in the Geology and Mining Department of the Government of Gujarat. In 1969, at the age of 25, Karsan Bhai Patel started a small-scale enterprise. He offered a quality detergent powder, using indigenous technology, at a third of the prevailing price, without compromising on the product. Karsanbhai named the detergent powder Nirma after daughter Nirupama.

At that time domestic detergent market was limited only to premium segment and was dominated by MNCs. Karsanbhai Patel started door-to-door selling of Nirma and priced it at Rs. 3 per kg. The next available cheapest brand in the market at that time was Rs.13 per kg. Nirma revolutionized the whole detergent powder segment and in a short span of time created an entirely new market segment in the domestic detergent sector market. It gave the bigger established brands a run for their money and soon occupied the top market share. To add to all this, Nirma was made of an innovative formulation, which global detergent giants were later on compelled to emulate, it was phosphate free and hence environment friendly, and the process of manufacturing was labour intensive, which offered large scale employment.

Karsanbhai notched up one success after another. After establishing its leadership in economy-priced detergents, Nirma foray into the premium brand segment, in cakes and detergents was equally successful. It built up a 30% market share in the premium detergent segment and achieved a greater than 20% share in the premium soaps market.

Karsanbhai Patel has won many accolades on his way to success. The Federation of Association of Small Scale Industries of India, New Delhi, awarded him with the 'Udyog Ratna'. The Gujarat Chamber of Commerce felicitated him as an 'Outstanding Industrialist of the Eighties'. The Govt. of India twice appointed him Chairman of the Development Council for Oils, Soaps & Detergents.

Shantanu Prakash

Shantanu Prakash,Educomp Solutions

Shantanu Prakash

MD, Educomp Solutions

1988: Son of a SAIL employee in Rourkela, "where no one had any money", cracks IIM- Ahmedabad
1990: Set up a brick-and-mortar education company in partnership with a college friend
1994: Sets up Educomp with two employees and a scraped-together capital of Rs 100,000
Now: Along with wife Anjlee, controls 60 per cent of Educomp, whose market capitalisation stands at Rs 4,115 crore or Rs 41.15 billion. (The first venture, which the friend kept, has shut down)

In 1994, Shantanu Prakash, the managing director of Educomp Solutions, was back to the proverbial square one. He had parted ways with a college friend, who kept the brick-and-mortar education business they had started together after Indian Institute of Ahmedabad in 1988. Joining IIM-A was the culmination of a journey that took Prakash out of Rourkela to Delhi Public School, Mathura Road, and then to the famous Sri Ram College of Commerce in Delhi University.

erhaps because his own path was paved by education, Prakash was convinced that future success lay in helping to educate others. Information technology was a new thing at that time. Prakash, who saw himself as a pioneer, an evangelist and something of a romantic, admits to fantasising about the potential of e-learning and digital education.

"There are 100 million kids out of school in India. What can we do about them? The non-profit and charitable concept has destroyed education in India. What Educomp is doing in education is like private healthcare and making it affordable as well as profitable," says Prakash.

The beginning was tentative. With Rs 100,000 in capital and two employees, he set up Educomp and set up the computer lab at Stuart School, Cuttack. The students had to pay Rs 30 a month for using it. "It was not easy. Schools are difficult to change. To get in and set up the lab was a huge challenge," he recounts.

Today, Educomp has 1,500 employees, 10 offices, a fully-owned subsidiary in the US, a recently acquired company in Singapore and 3.6 million students on its rolls. It is the first listed educational company of the country. Its attrition rate is only 3 per cent. "It is easy to become passionate about education, rather than making colas. That is a huge component that keeps people here," he says.

The next is back to where it began, setting up 100 schools across the country, brick and mortar stuff.

K N Memani, who began many years ago as an employee at S R Batliboi, at that time a small firm in Kolkata, and retired as the chairman and CEO of Ernst & Young India, says there are many who have the potential to be successful and know what to do.

But it is the fear of failure that thwarts most of them. "Luck, timing and decision making are all important, as is a wholesome perspective. But, in the end, you have to have to courage and fearlessness."

"I have an unshakeable belief that I have a larger purpose in life - to change the world through education"

Lakshaman Dass Mittal

Lakshaman Dass Mittal

Chairman, Sonalika Group, and Consul General, Republic of Macedonia

Age: 75
1962: Makes a wheat thresher with the help of local blacksmiths in Hoshiarpur
1963: The family goes bankrupt
1970: The net worth of three generations of Mittals - clothes included - touches Rs 100,000
Now: Owns the Rs 3,000 crore (Rs 30 billion) Sonalika Group, whose tractor plant is certified by Washington-based Environment Protection Agency

Some 44 years ago, Lakshaman Dass Mittal stood lamenting before his friend from the Ludhiana Agriculture University. "Achchha faida hua teri dosti ka (nice reward I have reaped for being your friend)." The Mittal family, which had been led by the young Lakshaman Dass into putting all its money, and that borrowed from friends and relatives, in making wheat threshers, had just gone bankrupt.

The machines, returned by the farmers, had been assembled by local blacksmiths who had copied the rice thresher at the university. Mittal's father was a foodgrain and seed dealer who made his money by sharing in the produce of the farmers.

ince it took up to two months to separate the grain from the chaff using bullocks, the harvested crop was susceptible to the vagaries of the weather. When storm or rain destroyed it, the young Mittal would hear his father sob through the night. The solution lay in quicker threshing, which could only be done by a machine, of which there was none.

The university friend, reeling under the charge, managed to identify the problem. The blacksmiths had installed straight cutters on the machine, not curved, as they should have been. Mittal persuaded more money out of family and friends and made the threshers all over again.

This time, they took off. Success bred more adventure in the form of forays into other farm implements. In 1970, three generations of the Mittals danced with joy when they sat down to count their wealth, clothes thrown in, and found it to have touched Rs 100,000.

The inevitable extension to making tractors happened in 1996 and, recently, the group launched a multi-utility passenger carrier, in collaboration of MG Rover of the UK. "I have seen the worst in life. As a child I had weak eyesight, but could not afford spectacles. So, I sat as close to the blackboard in class as possible. Often, the teachers would rebuke me," says Mittal. Today, a large monitor on his desk shows the goings-on in various parts of the office.

"Once I applied for dealership of Maruti Udyog but was rejected. Today, I give out dealerships"

Sudip Dutta

Sudip Dutta,Ess Dee Aluminium

Sudip Dutta

CMD, Ess Dee Aluminium Age: 35
1989: Comes to Mumbai to earn a living and joins a pouch making company for Rs 15 a day
1990: Watches his first film in a theatre
1991: Persuades the owners of the foil company, who had lost interest, to sell it to him for deferred payments
Now: Owns 65 per cent of Ess Dee, whose name is the phonetic form of his initials and whose market capitalisation is Rs 1,413 crore (Rs 14.13 billion)

Meeting Sudip Dutta, the chairman and managing director of Ess Dee Aluminium, can be a surreal experience. Here he was, on a typically wet monsoon evening in Mumbai, sitting at a corner table in Copper Chimney, a restaurant that draws the reasonably well-heeled.

His Toyota Prado was parked outside, while a Mitsubishi Pajero, a Mercedes Benz and a fourth car he could not recall were at home. Clad in a tailored suit, he looked well groomed, and well fed. But when he spoke, it was of pantha bhat, which is the previous days fermented rice, flavoured with salt, chopped onions and pickles. It is something the poor in the eastern states survive on.

Sipping Chivas Regal, Dutta said: "Often, our family would have pantha bhat for breakfast, and we didnt know where the next meal would come from." That was 1988, in Durgapur. His father, a former army man, had just died.

Preparing for his higher secondary examinations, all Dutta knew was that Mumbai was the land of opportunity. Finally, the day the practical exams ended, Dutta bought the ticket. "I have everything now. But there is one thing I know. You can control everything but hunger. If you are hungry, you have to do something about it."

As India has gone through various phases of growing up - turbulent, traumatic, fascinating and full of opportunities - people have come from everywhere and nowhere to script success stories. Dutta is part of a small group that has risen above its middle or lower middle class moorings, without legacy or capital, many of them without enough education, to spawn modern, but as yet unsung, fairy tales.

When Dutta came to Mumbai at the age of 17, he joined a company that made pouches to package medicines on a salary of Rs 15 a day. He packed medicines, loaded them on trucks and was also the delivery boy. He wouldn't go home for weeks and slept in the factory.

Opportunity knocked in 1991, after two years of toil, when the company's owners wanted to sell it. By that time Dutta had accumulated Rs 16,000 through savings and Diwali bonuses. The cost of the pouch making machine was Rs 250,000. He offered to take charge of the company. As payment, he would give the owners all the profit after paying workers salaries and keeping Rs 5,000 for himself every month. In two years, he had settled the debt.

In 1994, he managed to get distributorship from Indal, which supplied the basic aluminium foil. The first printing unit was bought in 1997. Sometime later, Dutta noticed that Hindalco, which had acquired Indal, was losing interest in foils. That was the time to integrate backwards and start aluminium foil rolling.

The initial public offer of his company was floated last year, during which Dutta admits to an inability to sleep until he heard that the qualified institutional portion had been subscribed 52 times. The first television interview, preceded by frenzied smoking, made him a nervous wreck.

Today, Dutta betrays a touch of pride when he says that of his 700 employees, at least 450 are MBAs, engineers or chartered accountants. "Education only teaches you how to respect people," he says.

"If you give me a balance sheet, I will not be able to discuss the schedules, but will tell you what the problem with the company is"

Ram Chandra Agarwal

Ram Chandra Agarwal, CMD, Vishal Retail

Age: 42
1985: Joins a rolling shutter company at Rs 300 a month
1986: Opens his garment shop, all 50 sq ft of it, rented at Rs 1,200 a month, in Lal Bazar Street, Kolkata
1989-90: Organises discount sales of MNC clothing brands
Now: Vishal Retail, of which he owns 65 per cent, occupies 1.35 million sq ft and is increasing it to 8-10 million sq ft "in a short period"
"Extraordinary work can be done by ordinary people if they have the passion and a good leader"

Ram Chandra Agarwal, CMD of Vishal Retail, cannot recall the name of the company he joined for his first job. He only remembers that it was into rolling shutters and paid him Rs 300 a month. In a year, he was fed up. His father's small business of "suiting and shirting" beckoned - his two elder brothers had already joined it - but it was not big enough to accommodate the youngest sons dreams.

He opened his own shop of readymade clothes, Vishal Garments, in Kolkatas Lal Bazar Street, occupying 50 sq ft rented at Rs 1,200 a month. The big jump came in 1989-90, with the frenzied response to his discount sale of MNC brands like Pepe. With this came the enlightenment that salvation lay in discount retail.

The first showroom came up in 1995-96 in Tiger Cinema, Dharamtalla, over 5,000 sq ft. Following the principle of competitive pricing, it had up to 300 people queuing up to get in at the time of Durga Puja. Soon, Kolkata was not big enough.

Agarwal moved to Delhi in 2001 and opened a showroom in Rajouri, charging 15-20 per cent less than the competition. By this time he had travelled across Europe and became convinced of the efficacy of the hypermarket system. His first came up four years ago on the outskirts of Delhi. "Garments alone were not enough. I wanted a big role in retail."

Agarwal, who enrolled for a five-year law course at Surendranath College, only to drop out after three, reels off the numbers with panache. In the four years to 2007, Vishal has grown at a compounded annual growth rate of 86 per cent while the profit after tax has grown at a CAGR of 166 per cent. "Education helps, but you cannot teach hard work, leadership or quick decision-making."

Vishal Retails initial public offer, in June this year, was subscribed 70 times, and ended at Rs 750 a share on its stock market debut in July, against the issue price of Rs 270. Agarwals target is to be among the top three retailers in the country. For now, his Ford Endeavor, which he uses for the 10-minute drive from home to office, has nearly as much space as Vishal Garment, 9, Lal Bazar Street, Kolkata.

Naushad

Naushad ( Musician)

Regarded as one of the greatest music composers of Indian cinema, Naushad's was literally a journey from the footpath to the recording studios.

Born Naushad Ali on Christmas day in 1919, he spent several nights on the footpath after moving to Mumbai in the late 1930s to try his luck as a musician. The composer, who hailed from Lucknow, had cried when his film Baiju Bawra was premiered at Mumbai's Broadway theatre. When the late producer Vijay Bhat asked him why he was crying, Naushad told him he was sleeping on the footpath opposite the theatre when he had dreamt of seeing his music brought to life here. 'It took me 16 long years to cross that footpath,' he had said.

After studying under Ustad Ghurbat Ali, Ustad Yusuf Ali and Ustad Babban Saheb, Naushad repaired harmoniums and composed for amateur theatricals before coming to Mumbai. Since childhood, he was an avid listener of the live orchestras accompanying silent films. Parental pressure to wean him away from music compelled the future maestro to run away to Mumbai in search of his dream.

He assisted Khemchand Prakash, whom he considered his teacher for a few years, and got his first break with Prem Nagar (1940). However, he was first noticed with Sharda (1942), where a 13-year old Suraiya did the playback for heroine Mehtab. Rattan (1944) took Naushad to the top and enabled him to charge Rs 25,000 a film in those days.

Prasoon Mukherjee

Prasoon Mukherjee

At 42, non-resident Indian (NRI) restaurateur Prasoon Mukherjee has everything that money can buy.

A booming business spanning six countries, a jet set lifestyle and unbridled fame that sees him rub shoulders with presidents and prime ministers Mukherjee's life is an inspiring Indian success story.

But the yarns of this rags-to-riches story were spun more than two decades ago in the by-lanes of a Central Kolkata neighbourhood where a strapping young boy, fresh out of high school, had dared to dream big.

The dream has taken Mukherjee to many continents, seen him franchise across Asia about two-dozen casual dining restaurants of the US-based group Outback Steakhouse and liaison between governments for bilateral deals.

"But the beginning was not at all easy," reminisces Mukherjee, who started by doing a course in hotel management from a premier institute here in 1981.

"It was difficult for my father to provide the Rs 1,600 fee every quarter for the four-year hotel management course. But eventually I did go through with it," Mukherjee, who is now based in Indonesia, said.

Once out of the Institute of Hotel Management, he landed a job with the indian tourisam Development Corporation (ITDC), where he worked his way up from a trainee to be a food and beverages manager.

After 10 years in ITDC, he was sent by the company to the US for an advanced course in hotel management.

"On my return, I was to become the general manager in one of the ITDC hotels, but I was ignored by a partisan management," said the suave restaurateur, his eyes glimmering behind a pair of brown square monochrome spectacles as he recalled the discrimination.

But on hindsight, that single incident emerged as a blessing in disguise as a hurt Mukherjee then got in touch with an acquaintance in Singapore and he soon found himself working as a kitchen manager in a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur.

"Within six months, I was made the regional manager of the TGI Friday group's Malaysia operations and I had to supervise the functioning of 11 restaurants," said Mukherjee, taking calls on his mobile phone intermittently as he spoke.

In 1994, he became South East Asia's director (operation) of TGIF (Thank God It's Friday) and was posted in Singapore. But soon enough Mukherjee quit this cushy job and shifted base to Jakarta where he took up a job with one of Indonesia's biggest corporates � the $ 25 billion Salim Group, where he worked till 1999.

"In this company, apart from my salary I received annually received two per cent of the company's shares as part my whole package. In five years the share value was $ 11 million," he said.

Mukherjee, who by then had begun dreaming of starting off on his own, sold half of his shares and with a capital of $ 5.5 million left for Los Angeles, where he was first introduced to the Outback Steakhouse chain, arguably one of the world's best casual dinning restaurant groups.

Once at Outback Steakhouse, Mukherjee knew what he wanted to do in life. He had to become a restaurateur.

"It took me three gruelling days of parleys to convince the Outback management in Atlanta to let me open franchises in South Asia. First, they weren't interested in expanding their operations in Asia. Second, they weren't convinced about my financial health.

"In 2000 I opened my first Outback Steakhouse franchise in Singapore."

Since then, he has opened 21 other Outback restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Manila and Jakarta.

"But, my biggest regret is that my father, who was the only soul to encourage me to go abroad leaving the ITDC job, couldn't see me start my own business. He died a few days after I had signed the Outback deal, but I hadn't been able to inform him," said Mukherjee.

Mukherjee, the franchise holder for all of Asia barring Japan and Korea, is opening three more Outback restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Bangkok by December.

Outback Steakhouse's Asia operation, barring those in Japan and North and South Korea, reports a turnover of $ 20 million.

Mukherjee's India plans too are in the offing. Outback president Tim Ganon was in Delhi in January to "study" the market, and Mukherjee said the chain's founder was "happy with the situation". He, however, did not specify when Outback could open an outlet in India.

Besides his entrepreneurial skills, Mukherjee is active in the diplomatic circles and he is liaisoning between the Indonesian and Bangladesh governments on a road building deal.

He is in a delegation being led by Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri to Bangladesh on June 21 to formalise the deal that will see an 80-km road being built to connect Dhaka with Khulna.

Mukherjee, whose immediate aim in life is to "open 100 Outback Steakhouse outlets", said his mother, who died of diabetes, was the principal inspiration in his life in whose memory he wants to build a charity diabetes hospital in Kolkata.

Suhas Gopinath

World's Youngest CEO - Suhas Gopinath - Globals Inc.

Bangalore boy Suhas Gopinath launched Globals Inc at 14. Today, his firm is a 60-member strong with all of them aged 17 to 22 years.

It was Catch-22 with a heartbreaking twist. Even before the first faint stubble had darkened his chin, Suhas Gopinath bagged a major outsourcing project that many others would have given their right hand for. But only to be told that the law said he was too young to sign on the dotted line.

That's the story of this 17-year-old Bangalore boy wanting to be another Bill Gates. He had launched his own firm at the ripe old age of 14 years. Today, his firm, Globals Inc, is 60-member strong with representatives in the US, the UK, Canada and India—all of them aged 17 to 22 years. None of the members have had any formal computer education. Incidentally, Globals' young CEO had originally wanted to be a veterinarian, until he was in Class IX and the cyber bug bit him.

''I had no knowledge of the Internet. But when I was browsing the Internet in a cyber cafe I stumbled on a source code of a web site. I was fascinated and thought long and hard. I soon launched my own website, http://www.coolhindustan.com/,'' says Gopinath, fingering his navy blue blazer and battling a pronounced stammer, at the Bangalore IT.COM 2003 venue. That had happened when he had still not crossed 14 years.

A week later, recognition came when Network Solutions Inc, owned by Nasdaq-listed New York-based Verisign Inc gave him the certificate of a professional web developer. He was invited to Network Solutions headquarters and even asked to maintain their web site. Now hold your breath: ''I declined because I was not interested in serving a US company.''

Gopinath says it was the attachment to his family and the ambition to start his own organisation that brought him back to India.

Having passed Class XII in computer science, his veterinarian dream has faded off, but he loves spending his free time with Bushy, his pet dog. ''I don't have girlfriends,'' the tiny CEO tells you with a straight face. Globals Inc took shape initially with only four members, and Network Solutions helped him to incorporate the company in the US. ''I was told that in India, you need to pay sales tax and also have an infrastructure before you can register a firm. But all our members work from home or from a cyber cafe,'' he says.

Gopinath's company is into web-based and software solutions, mobile and e-commerce solutions—besides making web sites for corporates, advertisers and educational institutions. But Gopinath doesn't get carried away with the pricing part. ''We even have a client in Frankfurt for whom we made a corporate website. In the last two years, we have been able to generate a revenue of Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000. We charge only Rs 200-Rs 300 for making a website,'' he says.

Gopinath had never thought of himself and his team as being far too young in their highly competitive domain, until a Singapore-based business process outsourcing (BPO) company, SingT Inc, approached them. ''They wanted to outsource their projects to us. Everything fell into place, until the moment I found that the law wouldn't allow me to sign the contract because I was not 18 yet.''

Not that it has been too much of a dampener. He is now waiting to have the necessary infrastructure in place so that he can incorporate his company in India. ''At any cost, ours will be a purely Indian company.''

Not just that. Globals Inc has approached the University of Michigan for building a message board that can be a forum for students. ''We also approached the Karnataka Government for projects, but they said the Government projects are given out only to big companies. But we too will be a CMM Level 5 company soon,'' says a confident Gopinath, straightening his blazer.

Gopinath has already put the management structure in place. There is a chief operating officer, chief information officer, chief technology officer and vice-president (Human Resources)—all teenagers. But with only a modest Rs 40,000 revenue to be shared among the members yet, the firm has not yet thought of a chief financial officer. ''Members who use cyber cafes are given some extra money to cover that charges,'' adds Gopinath.

The boy CEO has now applied to Stanford University and is eagerly waiting for the result. But he has not let go his entrepreneurial spirit. ''If I get into Stanford, I will get business from the US too,'' he enthuses. His ambition is to found another Microsoft. ''Initially, when my mom used to scold me, I used to give her Bill Gates's example. He is my role model.''

Joining Globals Inc is simple, provided you are in the 17-22 year age group. ''The membership is free of cost. Once you fill up the form and enter your skill set, we will assign a project. And you become a part of our family,'' he says.

For, this 17-year-old believes that academic skill sets are not the end. ''We need more of personal skill sets to achieve goals,'' he quips sagely.

Lessons from Suhas Gopinath:

Youngsters must work together sans barriers. When I went to Islamabad, I delivered a lecture to 1,000 students. Other speakers were 40-45 years old, and I was 20. The students were so responsive; there were no barriers between us at all.

Never be arrogant and never underestimate anyone. I was nervous before delivering my first lecture at IIM Ahmedabad the students were older to me. But they listened to me patiently and had no ego hassles. I had a misconceptions about them. I even asked them for suggestions to improve the organization and my managerial skills.

Be humble. When I met Bill Gates some years ago and we spoke for a few minutes, I never expected him to be so humble. He said, I started my company at 20, you started yours at 14, I should be afraid of you!

Be involved and sincere. When I met the president, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, it was because my visa application had been rejected and I had to go to the Young Leaders conference in Islamabad. I felt like I was speaking to my teacher; not the president. He said that he would look into the flaws in our education system, and that we must start a single-window entrepreneurship cell.

Be considerate. The president also said that we should have a school management system by which an SMS would go to parents if their child bunked school. He said that this would be more advisable than have the teacher call out to the defaulter and embarrass him / her in front of everyone.

E. Sarathbabu

E. Sarathbabu - A crorepati who lives in a hut!

His story is an inspiration for millions. A self-made entrepreneur, his mission is to help the poor through job creation. E Sarathbabu hit the headlines after he rejected several high profile job offers from various MNCs after he passed out of IIM, Ahmedabad two years ago.

He instead started a catering business of his own, inspired by his mother who once sold idlis on the pavements of Chennai, worked as an ayah in an Anganvadi to educate him and his siblings. As a child, he also sold idlis in the slum where he lived. "We talk about India shining and India growing, but we should ensure that people do not die of hunger. We can be a developed country but we should not leave the poor people behind. I am worried for them because I know what hunger is and I still remember the days I was hungry," says Sarathbabu.

In August 2006, Sarathbabu's entrepreneurial dream came true with Foodking. He had no personal ambition but wanted to buy a house and a car for his mother. He has bought a car but is yet to buy a house for his mother. The "foodking" still lives in the same hut in Madipakkam in Chennai. Today, Foodking has six units and 200 employees, and the turnover of the company is Rs.32 lakh a month. But it has not been a bed of roses for Sarathbabu. After struggling and making losses in the first year, he managed a turnaround in 2007.

How has his experience as a 'Foodking' been in the last two years? Sarathbabu shares the trial and tribulations of an exciting and challenging job in an interview with Shobha Warrier.

A tough beginning
As I am a first generation entrepreneur, the first year was very challenging. I had a loan of Rs 20 lakh by the end of first year. I had no experience in handling people in business, and it was difficult to identify the right people. Though I made losses in the first year, not even once did I regret my decision of not accepting the offers from MNCs and starting an enterprise of my own. I looked at my losses as a learning experience. I was confident that I would be successful one day.

Learning Lessons:

• Entrepreneurship is needed to uplift the poor. It is not easy to be an entrepreneur, especially a first generation entrepreneur.


• There will be lots of challenges in the beginning but you should learn to look for the light at the end of the tunnel.


• Never give up even if there are hurdles. There are many who give up within a week.


• You need determination and a tough mind to cross the initial hurdles.

Few Great Personalities of INDIA - Release - 1

All of us have seen many presentations floating around about eminent people like Aryabhatta, Chankya, Srinivasa Ramanujam etc.

While we are very proud of the great deeds our ancestors have achieved, we believe we should also recognise the present day greats who have contributed in this century and/or contributing today.

Below is a list of few such great personalities. This list is not comprehensive, many more can be added. A few people might not agree with a few names in the list. But this is a small effort by three of us to compile this list of people who are in today's India.

Any feedback is most welcome. Please direct it to psycraj@gmail.com
--
Cheers
Raj

Sam Hormusji Framji "Sam Bahadur" Jamshedji Manekshaw

Sam Hormusji Framji "Sam Bahadur" Jamshedji Manekshaw
Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji "Sam Bahadur" Jamshedji Manekshaw MC (April 3, 1914 – June 27, 2008)was an Indian Army officer. In a long career spanning nearly four decades, Manekshaw rose to be the 8th chief of staff of the Indian Army in 1969 and under his command, Indian forces concluded a victorious campaign during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
Sam Manekshaw was the first of only two Indian military officers to hold the highest rank of field marshal of the Indian Army (the other being Field Marshal K M Cariappa). His distinguished military career spanned four decades and through five wars, including World War II.
Early life and education
Manekshaw was born in Amritsar, Punjab to Parsi parents Hormuzji Manekshaw, a doctor, and his wife Heerabai whom immigrated to the Punjab from the small town of Valsad on the Gujarat coast. After completing his schooling in Amritsar and Sherwood College (Nainital), he asked his father to send him to college abroad to study medicine, when his father refused, in an act of rebellion, applied to join the IMA and as a result became part of the first batch of 40 cadets at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun on 1 October 1932. He graduated from the IMA in December 1934 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Indian Army. He held several regimental assignments and was first attached to the Royal Scots and later to the 4/12 Frontier Force Regiment.
Military career
Manekshaw's military career spanned four decades, from the British era and World War II, to the three wars against China and Pakistan after India's independence in 1947.
World War II
During World War II, Manekshaw saw action in the Burma campaign on Sittang River as a captain with the 4/12 Frontier Force Regiment, and has the rare distinction of being honoured for his bravery on the battle front itself. During World War II, he was commanding his battalion's 'A' Company in a counter-attack against the invading Japanese Army in Burma. Despite suffering 50% casualties the company achieved its objective, Pagoda Hill, which was a key position on the left of the Sittang bridgehead. After capturing the hill, he was hit by a burst of LMG bullets and was severely wounded in the stomach. Major General D.T. Cowan spotted Manekshaw holding on to life and was aware of his valour in face of stiff resistance from the Japanese. Fearing the worst, Major General Cowan quickly pinned his own Military Cross (MC) ribbon to Manekshaw saying, "A dead person cannot be awarded a Military Cross." The offical recommendation for the MC states that the success of the attack "was largely due to the excellent leadership and bearing of Captain Manekshaw". The award was made official with the publication of the notification in a supplement to the London Gazette of 21 April 1942 (dated 23 April 1942).
Fighting on the Burma front against the Japanese in 1942, Manekshaw was almost pronounced dead when brought to Rangoon hospital with nine bullets in the lung, liver and kidneys. The military surgeon was reluctant to operate seeing the hopeless condition even though Manekshaw was barely conscious. The surgeon asked what had happened to him. Sam replied: "I was kicked by a donkey." The surgeon decided that if a soldier could have such a sense of humour at that critical hour, he must operate to save him. Manekshaw survived and rose to become India's eighth army chief.
Higher Commands and Offices
Having recovered from those near-fatal wounds in Burma, Manekshaw went for a course at Staff College, Quetta and later also served there as an instructor before being sent to join 12 Frontier Force Rifles in Burma under General (later Field Marshal) Slim's 14th Army. He was once again involved in a fierce battle with the Japanese, and was wounded for a second time. Towards the close of World War II, Manekshaw was sent as staff officer to General Daisy in Indo-China where, after the Japanese surrender, he helped rehabilitate over 10,000 POWs. He, then, went on a six-month lecture tour to Australia in 1946, and after his return served as a first grade staff officer in the Military Operations Directorate.
Manekshaw showed acumen for planning and administration while handling the issues related to Partition in 1947, and later put to use his battle skills during the 1947-48 Jammu & Kashmir Operations. After command of an Infantry Brigade, he was posted as the commandant of the Infantry School and also became the colonel of 8 Gorkha Rifles (which became his new regimental home, since his original parent regiment The 12th Frontier Force Regiment went on to join the new Pakistan Army at partition ) and 61 Cavalry. He commanded a division in Jammu & Kashmir and a corps in the North East, with a tenure as commandant of Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in between. As GOC-in-C Eastern Command, he handled the tricky problem of insurgency in Nagaland and the grateful nation honoured him with a Padma Bhushan in 1968.

Manekshaw with Lt General Sartaj Singh, GOC 15 Corps, shares a joke with a jawan.
Army Chief: The War of 1971
Manekshaw became the 8th chief of army staff when he succeeded General Kumaramangalam on 7 June 1969. His years of military experience were soon put to the test as thousands of refugees from the erstwhile East Pakistan started crossing over to India as a result of its conflict with West Pakistan. The volatile situation erupted into a full-scale war in December 1971.
During this Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Manekshaw showed uncommon ability to motivate the forces, coupling it with a mature war strategy. The war ended with Pakistan's unconditional surrender, and the formation of Bangladesh. More than 45,000 Pakistani soldiers and 45,000 civilian personnel were taken as POWs. He masterminded the rout of the Pakistan Army in one of the quickest victories in recent military history. This led to the Shimla Agreement which opened the door to the creation of the nation of Bangladesh as separate from Pakistan.
Honour and Retirement
For his distinguished service to the country, the then President of India (V. V. Giri) awarded him a Padma Vibhushan in 1972 and conferred upon him the rank of Field Marshal on 1 January 1973. Manekshaw became the first of the only two Indian Army Generals to be awarded this prestigious rank; the other being the late Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa. Manekshaw moved out of active service a fortnight later on 15 January 1973 after completing nearly four decades of military service, and settled down with his wife Silloo in Coonoor, the civilian town next to Wellington Military Cantonment where he had served as Commandant of the Defence Services Staff College.
Following his time in active service in the Indian Army, Manekshaw successfully served on the board of directors for numerous companies, and was Chairman of 3-5 of them as well.
Death
He died of complications from pneumonia at the Military Hospital in Wellington, Tamil Nadu on 0030 hours, June 27, 2008 at the age of 94.
He was laid to rest in Ootacamund, Tamil Nadu, with military honours, adjacent to his wife's grave. He is survived by his two daughters and three grandchildren.
Reportedly, his last words were "I'm okay!"