Mr. Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao - Chairman, GMR Group Founder

G M Rao, a mechanical engineer, is the founder and Chairman of GMR Group, a Bangalore based global Infrastructure major. The Group is well diversified and professionally managed with focus on business verticals of Airports, Energy, Highways and Urban Infrastructure including SEZs.

Early Days:

Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao was born on December 14, 1950 in a small town of Rajam in the Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh. He failed his 10th class examination, due to which his father asked him to leave his studies altogether, and instead assist him in the family business. But after two years he asked his mother to let him join school, once again. He completed his engineering. He landed a job in the Public Works Department on the Vamsadhara Project. He resigned his job and started out with Rs 300,000, one truck and two acres of land -- his share in the division of the family assets. In 1978, he set up a jute mill and went on to set up around 28 agro-based ventures - jute mill, rice mill, brewery etc. In 1985, he became the largest shareholder of the country's leading private sector Vysya Bank. When some senior executives left, Rao began to run the bank. With his visionary approach he was able to successfully transform it into a modern technology driven and hugely successful financial enterprise.

Read more:
http://sparks.wisdomjobs.com/43-mr-grandhi-mallikarjuna-rao.html

"Vidya daan sarva sreshtha daan aahe. (Donation towards education is the greatest donation.)" - Professor Sandeep Desai

MUMBAI: As the train leaves Churchgate station, a deep voice announces in chaste Marathi, "Vidya daan sarva sreshtha daan aahe. (Donation towards education is the greatest donation.)" Standing amid the crush of commuters in the humid second-class compartment, a middle-aged man with a rucksack follows up his opening aphorism with a one-minute speech on how a small donation from commuters could help rescue the poor from the scourge of illiteracy. He proceeds to deliver the same speech in fluent English and Hindi and then extends his donation box.

Professor Sandeep Desai has been following this unusual routine for the last five months. Every morning, he boards a Churchgate-bound train from Goregaon and does the gruelling commute back and forth between the two stations to collect donations for his half-constructed school at Nanar village in Ratnagiri district. "I do this for six hours daily," says the former engineer who used to teach at the S P Jain Institute of Management and Research.

Read More:

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-09-26/mumbai/28223966_1_commuters-donation-poor-kids

How M S Oberoi became India's greatest hotelier

The Oberoi Group, founded in 1934, owns and manages thirty hotels and five luxury cruisers across six countries under the 'Oberoi' & 'Trident' brands. The activities of the Group include airline catering, management of restaurants and airport bars, travel and tour services, car rental, project management and corporate air charters.

M S Oberoi: I was born on August 15, 1900 in a small village, Bhaun in district Jhelum, which now forms a part of Pakistan. The story of my life has been, in many ways, a dramatic one -- full of difficulties and hardships, in earlier days and later a spectacular rise to the position I now hold.

But this was not achieved without incessant toil and a daily fight against tremendous odds. Yet it was a challenge to prove myself. When I look back to those days, as I sometimes do, in moments of leisure, I am thankful that I was able to accept this challenge and make good.

These reflections also make me feel humble for I realise it was with God's help that I achieved what the world calls 'success.'

My father, Shri A S Oberoi was a contractor in Peshawar, who died when I was only six months old. The family consisted of my mother and myself. My earlier days were spent in the little village of my birth. I began my education at the village school. Later, I was sent to the nearby town of Rawalpindi and enrolled in the DAV school from where I matriculated.

After this I went to Lahore [ Images ] to join college and passed my Intermediate Examination. My studies were cut short as our already meagre finances began to dwindle. This was a moment of anxiety in my life as I realised that my qualifications would not get me a job.

However, at the suggestion of a friend, I went to Amritsar [ Images ], stayed with him and took a course in shorthand and typing.

There was still no job for me on the horizon and I decided to get back to my village, where it would be easier to live than in a big city. There followed a point of waiting and frustration. My uncle helped me to get a job in the Lahore Shoe Factory. My work was to supervise the manufacture and sale of shoes.

Read more:

http://www.rediff.com/money/2005/oct/21bspec.htm

Ms. Jyothi Reddy - CEO of Keys Software Solutions

At the age of just 16, She married because of her family financial position. By the age of eighteen, she became mother of two girls. She worked for Rs. 5 per day. But today she is the CEO of Keys software solutions in USA.

Early Life and Education:-She was born in Narasimhula Gudem in Hanumakonda mandal, Warangal District as eldest of four children to a common peasant who has lost his employment during emergency. His father was joined in Army but could not continue because of his attachment with the family.As it was very difficult for the family to meet the both the ends, he was forced to join Jyothi Reddy BALASADAN, a government orphanage at Hanumakonda as amother less child.From 5th class to 10th class Jyothi Reddy stayed in orphanage by having solitary life away from home.She passed 10th class with good marks bt could not continue her education.At the age of just 16 they performed her marriage with Mr. SangiReddy.and at 18, she became mother of two girls.

Career:- It was very difficult for her to provide even basic needs to her family.So she started working as agriculture labour for Rs. 5 per day.She worked from 1986 to 89 on field.in 1989,Nehru Yuvak Kendra (NYK) started a night school in the village to teach the basic education for adults.She was the only educated girl in village so they appointed her as the volunteer to educate the adults after giving some training. It fetched her Rupees 150 per month.Her hard work and dedication impressed the Inspection authorities  and they  appointed her Mandal Prerak of Hanumakonda.
 

Read more:

http://www.matpal.com/2012/02/ms-jyothi-reddy-ceo-of-keys-software.html

Jaithirth Rao Founder of MphasiS

He built a corporate career.

Then he built a company.

Now he's sold it and moved on. This is his story in short.

Jaitirth Rao, or Jerry as he is better known, does not mix emotions with entrepreneurship and it is his philosophy in life.

Early Days

Jaithirth was born in Bangalore, Karnataka, has done his BSc Chemistry. His dad was working with the Government and so he was keen that Jerry should go into the IAS. As Jerry was just 19 years old, he was not allowed to sit for the IAS.

Two years later, Jerry joined First National Citibank (later known as Citibank) through campus placement. He went to Beirut for training and even sent the forms for the IAS but eventually decided to stay on in a corporate career as Citibank was a good company. It was a heady place in those days, it had great ambitions.

Citibank was then the second largest bank in the world and it was internationalizing its management staff. From a purely 'American' bank it was becoming more multi-cultural. So it was a good time to be there.

He came back from Beirut, worked for 2-3 years in India, and then went to the Middle East. Then he wanted to quit corporate life altogether and decided to go into academics.

In 1979 Jerry enrolled in the University of Chicago to do a PhD. Two years later he realized he wasn't cut out for that kind of life and abandoned the PhD halfway.

He rejoined Citibank, but this time in New York, and then South America. In 1984, a good friend Rana Talwar persuaded Jerry to come back to India and set up Citibank's retail and consumer business. Jerry says "It was within the umbrella of a large corporation but it was very entrepreneurial. Very unusual. We were writing on a blank canvas so it was quite an interesting time. There was no consumerism, no retail at the time. We introduced ATMs in India, for example. Even though the technology was 20 years old, it was revolutionary for India back then."

Read more:
http://sparks.wisdomjobs.com/29-jaithirth-rao.html

Shantanu Prakash Founder of Educomp

Shantanu was from a regular middle class upbringing. He went into business while doing his BCom. The entrepreneurial streak continued after the MBA from IIM Ahmedabad. His company Educomp is today the leading provider of digital content for schools across India.

Early Days

Shantanu Prakash was born in Rourkela, a small town with only one notable feature - the steel plant. Dad in SAIL, mom a school teacher, an upbringing no different from thousands of steel town kids in the 1970s. After class 10, the family shifted to Delhi and he enrolled in DPS, a "shiny, big city school." A reasonably good student, Shantanu joined Shri Ram College of Commerce. And that's when it first became evident, 'this guy is different.'

Shantanu recalls "Whenever my dad used to travel, he used to buy me books. In fact, I don't remember getting any presents except books. I used to read voraciously. And probably that unlocked something in the mind. "Big thinking, big horizon and so on"

When his dad retired and wanted to come and settle down in Delhi, he found that he didn't have enough money to buy even a DDA flat. So somewhere at the back of his mind he thought that if "I need to make money, then working in a job is probably not going to do it for me."

Shantanu Prakash grew up in an 'absolutely typical middle class background'. But he knew entrepreneurship was his calling, early in life. He founded a company while still in college and started another one right after graduating from IIM Ahmedabad.

Read more:
http://sparks.wisdomjobs.com/30-shantanu-prakash.html

Ashank Desai Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Mastek Ltd

He is one among the very few people who had the vision to see the future and growth scope of the IT industry. He dreamt about floating a software company when we did not have proper telephone connection.

In the early 80's, much before IT was a buzzword, Ashank Desai set up Mastek along with a couple of friends. Mastek was the first company to focus on India as a market and is today one of the top 15 IT companies in the country. Mastek may not be the biggest Indian IT company in terms of size or scale, but it is certainly one with a lesson for many an entrepreneur wanting to start a company with his college buddies. More than friends getting together though, it is friends staying together for 25 years that is intriguing. Because partnerships which endure are such a rare thing in today's world!

Many a dream is born on an IIM campus, only to die out when faced with the real world. However Ashank, Ketan and Sundar kept that dream alive and made it happen. What's more they did this in an era when it took, on average, 15 years to get a telephone connection. And you could start an IT company, but forget about owning a PC. In fact, the 'PC' was not even in the market, technically speaking.

But life in the Doordarshan era was kinder and gentler. There was less pressure to perform, and leeway to make some mistakes. The team was young and flexible, and figured out a way. And they had patience, which is another commodity in short supply today!

Read more:

http://sparks.wisdomjobs.com/28-ashank-desai.html

Deep Kalra Founder & Chief Executive Officer (2000-till date), MakeMyTrip

At one time, we were scouting from different sources for booking tickets, accommodation, reservations and planning for a trip on the whole. Now, we can get all these at a click of a button. Thanks to Deep Kalra for making it happen through makemytrip.com.

The founder, the ever inspiring entrepreneur—Deep Kalra.

Early Days

Deep Kalra is from Delhi. His grandfather was into dry fruit business in Chandni Chowk. But his father was far away from that business. He believed in ideas of his own which inherited to his son- Deep Kalra.

Struggle for the Spark

Out of campus, Deep Kalra joined ABN AMRO. After a year or so he realized ‘Banking is not his cup of tea!’ There was the seed of a thought - it would be fun to do something of your own. But it remained a thought. After three years in banking and exploring various options in marketing, Deep Kalra chose to do something ‘crazy’.

He joined AMF Bowling, which pioneered the concept of bowling alleys in India. AMF had no operations in INDIA, so the job was in essence entrepreneurial. “India knew billiards, India didn't know pool. And India didn't know ten pin bowling, at all. The more he studied it, it's got to do well here!” AMF did set up a couple of hundred bowling alleys but bowling never quite became the “storm of the moment” that Deep Kalra wanted it to be. And there was a reason for it. The cost of real estate in India (even in 1995!) was just too high. Plus, the idea was probably ahead of its time as there were no malls and multiplexes.

Deep Kalra spent four years with AMF, and “really, really tried very hard to make it happen.” Although Deep Kalra worked for AMF as an employee, it was entrepreneurial for two reasons. The fixed salary component was low, it was based around bonuses and how much equipment you sold. 

Read more:

http://sparks.wisdomjobs.com/27-deep-kalra.html

Mukesh Ambani ranked 5th best CEO in the world

Mukesh Ambani, who heads India's most valuable company Reliance Industries, has been ranked among top five best performing CEOs in the world by the prestigious Harvard Business Review.

Ambani, the only Indian to feature among top 50 CEOs, is in the same league as Steve Jobs of Apple, Yun Jong-Yong of Samsung Electronics, Russian energy firm Gazprom's Alexey Miller and John Chambers of Cisco Systems.

He is also ranked number two among the top 10 emerging market CEOs with Miller at the top.

K V Kamath of ICICI Bank is the other Indian in the list of Top 10 Emerging Market CEOs. He is ranked at number 9.

The Harvard Business Review said it ranked CEOs of large public traded companies in a study conducted over 2000 CEOs worldwide. The entire group represented 48 nationalities and companies based in 33 countries.

It put Ambani in the list of "up-through-the-ranks leaders" along with the Samsung boss.

Read More:

http://profit.ndtv.com/2009/12/18134507/Mukesh-Ambani-ranked-5th-best.html

 

 

A Better India, A Better World

N R Narayana Murthy's new book

Being purged of his ‘confused Leftist’ title and turning ‘into a determined compassionate capitalist’ through personal experience. In his characteristically smooth, lucid style, N.R. Narayana Murthy brings forth the stark realities that almost 300 million Indians still face: Hunger, illiteracy and disease. In the world’s largest democracy, with super malls and international food chains, the disparity in income levels is glaring. 

Through this book — a collection of 38 of his speeches made across the world — Murthy shows how values and good leadership can effectively bridge this demographic gap: “The only solution to the problem of poverty is to create jobs with good disposable incomes.” He believes entrepreneurs who convert ideas into jobs and wealth can help augment this process with help from the government. “Progress is based on dreams and requires change. Change requires learning. Education is about learning to learn,” he advises young graduates.

The speeches are divided into various topics like values, national issues, education, leadership challenges, corporate and public governance, corporate social responsibility and philanthropy, entrepreneurship, globalisation — and his baby, Infosys. It is a must-read for entrepreneurs who believe in creating new wealth legally and ethically, for anyone driven to improve the conditions in the country. Inspirational and aspiration-invoking, the book strives to infuse the same enthusiasm and set of values in its readers. 

By: Sumana Guha Ray/ Forbes India
(Guha Ray is principal correspondent, Entrepreneur)
A Better India, A Better World; by N.R. Narayana Murthy; Allen Lane; 336 pages; Rs. 499 (hardback)
Reference: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/lifestyle/a-better-indiaa-better-worldby-nr-narayana-murthy_429971.html

Dr. Anji Reddy K of Reddy labs

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. (Reddy's), founded in 1984 by Dr. K. Anji Reddy, has become India’s biggest pharmaceuticals company. Reddy had worked in the publicly-owned Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Reddy's manufactures and markets a wide range of pharmaceuticals in India and overseas. The company more than 190 medications ready for patients to take, 60 active pharmaceutical ingredients, for drug manufacture, diagnostic kits, critical care and biotechnology products.

Reddy’s began as a supplier to Indian drug manufacturers, but it soon started exporting to other less-regulated markets – that had the advantage of not spend time and money on a manufacturing plant that that would gain approval from a drug licensing body such as the US’s Food and Drug Administration. Much of Reddy’s early success came in those unregulated markets, where process patents – not product patents – are recognized. With that money in the bank, the company could reverse engineer patented drugs from more developed countries and sell them royalty-free in India and Russia.

By the early 1990s, the expanded scale and profitability from these unregulated markets enabled the company to begin focusing on getting approval from drug regulators for their formulations and bulk drug manufacturing plants in moredeveloped economies. This allowed their movement into regulated markets such as the US and Europe.

By 2007, Reddy’s had six FDA-plants producing active pharmaceutical ingredients in India and seven FDA-inspected and ISO 9001 (quality) and [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO 14001 (environmental management) certified plants making patient-ready medications – five of them in India and two in the UK.

Revenue $1.5 Billion (MAY2007)
Net income $216 Million (MAY2007)
Employees 7,525

Anil Ambani

Anil Ambani (born June 4, 1959) is an Indian businessman. As of March 2007, he has a net-worth of US$ 18.2 billion, making him the 18th richest person in the world. His was the world's fastest-growing multi-billion-dollar fortune in percentage terms as his wealth tripled in 1 year.

Ambani is chairman of Reliance Capital, Reliance Communications and Chairman & Managing Director, Reliance Energy, and was formerly Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited. His personal stake in Reliance Communications is 66%.

Reliance group is India's largest business house, founded by Anil's late father Dhirubhai Ambani (1938-2002). His mother is Kokilaben Ambani. He is married with Tina Ambani(Munim) who was a well known Indian Actress in early 80's, and blessed with two sons: Jai Anmol and Jai Anshul.

The total investors' wealth in the four Anil Ambani Group firms -- Reliance Communications (RCOM), Reliance Capital (RCL), Reliance Energy (REL) and Reliance Natural Resources Ltd (RNRL) has reached 1,42,384 crore rupees, while total promoter holding is estimated at about Rs 87,000 crore. Anil's wealth comes mostly from his over 65 per cent stake in RCOM, which has a market cap of about Rs 1,03,000 crore. He also has over 50 per cent in RCL (market cap of Rs 24,000 crore), 35 per cent in REL (market cap of Rs 12,700 crore) and close to 54 per cent in RNRL, which has a market cap of about Rs 2,600 crore.

Ambani holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Bombay and an MBA degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Currently, he serves as a member of the Wharton Board of Overseers.

Ambani joined Reliance in 1983 as Co-Chief Executive Officer and is credited with having pioneered many financial innovations in the Indian capital markets. For example, he led India's first forays into overseas capital markets with international public offerings of global depositary receipts, convertibles and bonds. He directed Reliance in its efforts to raise, since 1991, around US$2 billion from overseas financial markets; with a 100-year Yankee bond issue in January 1997 being the high point. After which people regarded him as a Financial Wizard. He has steered the Reliance Group to its current status as India's leading textiles, petroleum,petrochemicals, power, and telecom company.

Anil was the member of Uttar Pradesh Development Council (This council has now been scrapped by Behen Maywati) He is also the Chairman of Board of Governors of DA-IICT, Gandhinagar and a member of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He is member of the Board of Governors, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

He is also a member of the Central Advisory Committee, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission. In June 2004, Anil was elected as an Independent Member of the Rajya Sabha - Upper House, Parliament of India with the support of the Samajwadi Party. In March 2006, he resigned. Recently after his brother Mukesh Ambani he also has his name in the books of Trillionares.

His biggest prize from the filmdom though is considered to be his friendship with Amitabh Bacchan, yesteryear superstar. His another achievement is considered to be the takeover of Adlabs, the movie production to distribution to multiplex company that owns Mumbai's only dome theatre.

He drives a Range Rover and is known to be a fast car person.

Compiled by Raj, Ramesh & Ravi.

Amartya Sen

Economist

Amartya Kumar Sen, son of Amita Sen and Ashutosh Sen, was born on 3rd November 1933 at Shantiniketan, West Bengal. He received his initial education at Shantiniketan and then Presidency College, Calcutta. He was exposed early on to the plight of the poor. As a 10-year old child, during the Bengal famine, he was shocked to see people dying of hunger on the streets of Calcutta yards away from shops stocked with food. Three years later in Dhaka a Muslim labourer was killed in communal riots outside his house. The traumatic incidents directed Sen to a relentless study of the economic mechanism underlying famines and poverty.

Amartya Sen joined Trinity College, Cambridge in 1953. He became the youngest chairman of the Department of Economics, Jadavpur University, at the age of 23. Between 1956-1998 he was Professor of Economics at various Universities in India and abroad.

Sen's contributions on welfare economics and definition of poverty in relation to development have offered a new philosophy and an alternative way to solid economic development. He was of the opinion that the World Bank system of ranking countries according to the GNP and saving rates was not enough and he helped to create the United Nations Human Development Index which has now become the most authoritative international source of welfare comparisons between countries. Some of his works include ' Choice of Techniques', ' Collective Choice and Social Welfare', 'Poverty and Famines', ' Development as Freedom' etc.

Sen is the sixth Indian to get the Nobel and the first Asian winner of the Economics Prize. Some of the honours to his credit are 'Indira Gandhi Gold Medal Award' of the Asiatic Society (1994), 'Nobel prize for Economics' (1998) for his work on ' The poorest people in Society', 'Eisenhower Medal' from USA (2000), 'Honorary Companion of Honour' from UK (2000). He also received 'Bharat Ratna', the highest civilian award in India. He has been honored with Honorary D.Litt degrees and fellowships of a large number of Indian and Foreign Universities and Institutes of repute. Now living in Cambride, Massachusetts with his third wife, an economic historian Emma Rothschild, this genius has spent a lifetime fighting poverty with analysis rather than activism.

Compiled by Raj, Ramesh & Ravi.

Amar Bose

Born: 1929
Achievements: Founded Bose Corporation in 1929; Invented the 901(R) Direct/Reflecting(R) speaker system - one of the first stereo loudspeakers to utilize the space around them instead of reproducing sound as if in a vacuum; featured in 2006 Forbes Billionaires list.

Amar Bose is the founder of Bose Corporation and is known for his pioneering work in the field of acoustics. Bose speakers are world-famous for giving high-end performance despite their modest size.

Amar Gopal Bose was born in 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father Nani Gopal Bose was a revolutionary freedom fighter who emigrated from Calcutta to escape British prosecution. Amar Bose was interested in electronics right from his childhood and used to make small electrical toys to supplement his family's income.

He did his schooling Abington Senior High School and graduated with a BS in Electrical Engineering from MIT in the early 1950s. He also completed his Ph.D. from MIT.

While doing graduation from MIT in 1950s, Amar Bose purchased a new stereo system. But he was disappointed with the performance of the speakers. Despite their impressive technical specifications, the speakers failed to reproduce the realism of a live performance. This led Bose to start working on stereo speaker. He aimed to design a speaker that would emulate the concert hall experience in the home. Amar Bose's early patents won him great respect within the industry. But Bose needed capital to do further research and begin production. Amar Bose received financial support from MIT professor Y. W. Lee and in 1964 he founded Bose Corporation.

In 1968, Amar Bose invented the 901(R) Direct/Reflecting(R) speaker system. They were one of the first stereo loudspeakers to utilize the space around them instead of reproducing sound as if in a vacuum. Bose's 901(R) speakers remained an industry benchmark for 25 years. Amar Bose also captured the car stereo market, with systems that transformed the on-the-road listening experience.

Today, Amar Bose has over two-dozen patents to his name. His products can be found in Olympics stadiums, the Sistine Chapel, NASA Space Shuttle, and the Japanese National Theatre. Amar Bose was also a professor of electrical engineering at MIT for many years until he retired in 2000.

Amar Bose featured on the 2006 Forbes Billionaires list with a personal wealth of $1.2 billion.

Compiled by Raj, Ramesh & Ravi.

Aditya Birla

The Aditya Birla Group is a multinational corporation based in India and operations in 20 countries including Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Philippines, Egypt, Canada, Australia, China, USA, UK, Germany, Hungary, Brazil, Italy, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Malaysia and Korea.

A US$ 24 billion conglomerate, with a market capitalisation of US$ 23 billion. Over 50 per cent of its revenues flow from its operations across the world Aditya Birla is organised into various subsidiaries that operate across different sectors. Among these are viscose staple fibre, non-ferrous metals, cement, viscose filament yarn, branded apparel, carbon black, chemicals, fertilizers, sponge iron, insulators, financial services, telecom, BPO and IT services.

Aditya Birla Group holds a 98.3% stake in IDEA cellular, a leading telecom operator in India. The Aditya Birla group operates in the textiles industry of India. Its subsidiary, Indian Rayon, is a major producer of textile fabric as well as the brand licensee of Louis Phillip, Van Heusen and Allen Solly in India Hindalco Industries Ltd of the Aditya Birla group has agreed to buy US-based aluminum sheet maker Novelis Inc in an all-cash deal worth $6 billion (around Rs 26,500 crore).

The Birla family is one of the foremost business houses in India. Their businesses vary from petrochemicals and textiles to automobiles and Infocomm. The founder of the Birla Group was Baldeo Das Birla, a member of the successful Marwari community from the westerly state of Rajasthan. He moved to Calcutta to set up the family business during the late nineteenth century, and with it established close ties to the freedom movement of the time. The Birla's are known for their work and support of the nation during the freedom struggle, and the family were close friends of Mahatma Gandhi.

Even today, the Birla name is considered synonymous with wealth, dignity and power in India.

Compiled by Raj, Ramesh & Ravi.

Adi Godrej

Adi Godrej is one of the icons of Indian Industry. He is the chairman of Godrej Group. .Adi Godrej was born in a business family. His father's name was Burjorji Godrej and his mother's name was Jai Godrej. More than a century age, the Godrej's were into manufacturing locks and vegetablebased soaps.

The Godrej products were among the first indigenously manufactured products to displace entrenched foreign brands. Adi Godrej left India at the age of 17 to enroll at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Though he planned to study mechanical engineering but he later on switched to management.

After his return to India, Adi Godrej joined the family business. He modernized and systematized management structures and implemented process improvements. Adi Godrej took the Godrej Group to great height during controlled economy era.

After the liberalization process, Adi Godrej restructured company's policies to meet the challenges of globalisation. In the early 2000s, the Group completed a 10-year restructuring process through which each business became a stand-alone company with a CEO/COO from outside the Godrej family.

Under Adi Godrej's leadership, the group is also involved in philanthropic activities. Godrej is major supporter of the World Wildlife Fund in India, it has developed a green business campus in the Vikhroli township of Mumbai, which includes a 150-acre mangrove forest and a school for the children of company employees.

Compiled by Raj, Ramesh & Ravi.

Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

From Compilation by Raj, Ramesh & Ravi

Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabhudin Adbul Kalam, the twelfth President of India, is rightfully termed as the father of India's missile technology. He was born to parents Jainulabdeen Marakayar and Ashiamma on 15th October, 1931, at Dhanushkodi in Rameshwaram district, Tamil Nadu. Dr. Kalam as an eminent Aeronautical Engineer, contributed for the development of India’s first Satellite launch vehicle SLV-3 and the missiles like the Trishul, Agni, Pritvi etc.

He did his secondary education at Schwartz High School in Ramanathapuram, B.Sc. at St. Joseph's College(1950), Tiruchi, and DMIT in Aeronautical Engineering at the MIT, Madras during 1954-57. After passing out as a graduate aeronautical engineer, Kalam joined Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bangalore as a trainee and later joined as a technical assistant in the Directorate of Technical Development and Production of the Ministry of Defence.

In the 1960's Kalam joined the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at Thumba in Kerala. He played a major role in the centre's evolution to a key hub of space research in India, helping to develop the country's first indigenous satellite-launch vehicle.

During 1963-82, he served the ISRO in various capacities. In 1982, he rejoined DRDO as Director, and conceived the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) for five indigenous missiles. Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has established an Advanced Technology Research Centre, called 'Research Centre Imarat' to undertake development in futuristic missile technology areas. He also served as the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Defence minister and later the Government of India. After retiring from the post Dr. Kalam joined Annamalai University till he became the President in January 2002.

He is a member of Indian National Academy of Sciences, Astronautical Society of India and many other professional bodies. Dr. APJ abdul Kalam has been awarded Padma Bhushan in 1981, Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and India's Highest civilian Award 'The Bharat Ratna' in 1997. Other prestigious awards include Dr.Biren Roy Space Award, Om Prakash Basin Award for Science and Technology, National Nehru Award, Arya Bhatta Award etc. Dr. Kalam was conferred with the degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc. Honoris-causa) by twenty eight universities.

Dr. Kalam, a bachelor is a connoisseur of classical Carnatic music. He plays veena in his leisure. He writes poetry in Tamil, his mother tongue. Seventeen of his poems were translated into English and published in 1994 as a book entitled 'My Journey'. He reads the Quran and the Bhagavad Gita with equal devotion.

He is also the Author of the books 'India 2020 : A vision for the New Millennium'(1998 with YS Rajan), 'Wings of Fire : an Autobiography' and 'Ignited Minds – unleashing the power within India'. Totally dedicated to the nation, Dr. Abdul Kalam's vision is to transform India into a developed nation by the year 2020 through hard work and perseverance. He holds a first world dream for the third world nation.

Alexander - The Great!!!

Shared by Adilakshmi Kattamuru through MPowerBusinessExcellenceClub Yahoo Group.

There is very instructive incident involving the life of Alexander, the great Greek king. Alexander, after conquering many kingdoms, was returning home. On the way, he fell ill and it took him to his death bed. With death staring him in his face, Alexander realized how his conquests, his great army, his sharp sword and all his wealth were of no consequence.
He now longed to reach home to see his mother's face and bid her his last adieu. But, he had to accept the fact that his sinking health would not permit him to reach his distant homeland. So, the mighty conqueror lay prostrate and pale, helplessly waiting to breathe his last. He called his generals and said, "I will depart from this world soon,I have three wishes, please carry them out without fail." With tears flowing down their cheeks, the generals agreed to abide by their king's last wishes.
"My first desire is that," said Alexander, "My physicians alone must carry my coffin." After a pause, he continued, "Secondly, I desire that when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard be strewn with gold, silver and precious stones which I have collected in my treasury. "The king felt exhausted after saying this. He took a minute's rest and continued. "My third and last wish is that both my hands be kept dangling out of my coffin."The people who had gathered there wondered at the king's strange wishes. But no one dare bring the question to their lips. Alexander's favorite general kissed his hand and pressed them to his heart. "O king, we assure you that your wishes will all be fulfilled. But tell us why do you make such strange wishes?"
At this Alexander took a deep breath and said: "I would like the world to know of the three lessons I have just learnt. I want my physicians to carry my coffin because people should realize that no doctor can really cure any body. They are powerless and cannot save a person from the clutches of death. So let not people take life for granted.
The second wish of strewing gold, silver and other riches on the way to the graveyard is to tell People that not even a fraction of gold will come with me. I spent all my life earning riches but cannot take anything with me. Let people realize that it is a sheer waste of time to chase wealth.
And about my third wish of having my hands dangling out of the coffin, I wish people to know that I came empty handed into this world and empty handed I go out of this world."
Alexander's last words: "Bury my body, do not build any monument, keep my hands outside so that the world knows the person who won the world had nothing in his hands when dying"
With these words, the king closed his eyes. Soon he let death conquer him and breathed his last. . . . .

Science of Heights

Shared by Mr. Srinivasan Iyer (CEO - MPower Business Facilitators Limited)

*The following concerns a question in a physics degree exam at the University of Copenhagen:

"Describe how to determine the height of a skyscraper using a barometer."

One student replied:

"You tie a long piece of string to the neck of the barometer, then lower the barometer from the roof of the skyscraper to the ground. The length of the string plus the length of the barometer will equal the height of the building."

This highly original answer so incensed the examiner that the student was failed.

The student appealed on the grounds that his answer was indisputably correct, and the university appointed an independent arbiter to decide the case.

The arbiter judged that the answer was indeed correct, but did not display any noticeable knowledge of physics. To resolve the problem it was decided to call the student in and allow him six minutes in which to provide a verbal answer which showed at least a minimal familiarity the basic principles of physics.

For five minutes the student sat in silence, forehead creased in thought.

The arbiter reminded him that time was running out, to which the student replied that he had several extremely relevant answers, but couldn't make up his mind which to use. On being advised to hurry up the student replied as follows:

1. "Firstly, you could take the barometer up to the roof of the skyscraper, drop it over the edge, and measure the time it takes to reach the ground. The height of the building can then be worked out from the formula H = 0.5g x t squared. But bad luck on the barometer."

2. "Or if the sun is shining you could measure the height of the barometer, then set it on end and measure the length of its shadow. Then you measure the length of the skyscraper's shadow, and thereafter it is a simple matter of proportional arithmetic to work out the height of the skyscraper."

3. "But if you wanted to be highly scientific about it, you could tie a short piece of string to the barometer and swing it like a pendulum, first at ground level and then on the roof of the skyscraper. The height is worked out by the difference in the gravitational restoring force T = 2 pi sq root (l / g)."

4. "Or if the skyscraper has an outside emergency staircase, it would be easier to walk up it and mark off the height of the skyscraper in barometer lengths, then add them up."

5. "If you merely wanted to be boring and orthodox about it, of course, you could use the barometer to measure the air pressure on the roof of the skyscraper and on the ground, and convert the difference in millibars into feet to give the height of the building."

6. "But since we are constantly being exhorted to exercise independence of mind and apply scientific methods, undoubtedly the best way would be to knock on the janitor's door and say to him, 'If you would like a nice new barometer, I will give you this one if you tell me the height of this skyscraper'. "

The student was Niels Bohr, the only person from Denmark to win the Nobel prize for Physics.

Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.

In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.

Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.

"We told them so.""Crazy men and their crazy dreams.""It`s foolish to chase wild visions."

Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.

He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.

It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.

He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.

For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.

Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.

Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realized with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.

Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.