Monday, December 3, 2007

My Tamil Poems-3

கண்களே என் இனியவளை
காணச் செய்ததற்கு நன்றி

காதுகளே அவளின் கிளிப்பேச்சை
கேட்க வைத்தற்கு நன்றி

கால்களே என்னை அவளிடம்
அழைத்துச் சென்றதற்கு நன்றி

கைகளே அவளுக்கு மலர் செண்டு
கொடுத்தற்கு நன்றி

அறிவே உனக்கு மட்டும் என்
நன்றி கிடையாது
ஏனென்றால் நீ அடிக்கடி
'பெண்களை நம்பாதே' என்று
தொல்லை கொடுப்பதால்

_______________________________________


வெற்றியை இலக்காகக் கொண்டு
ஓடுபவர் பலர்

வெற்றி வாகை சூடப்
பிறந்தவர் சிலர்

வெற்றிக் கனியை
தட்டிப் பறிப்பவர் சிலர்

எனது வெற்றியோ
நீ சிந்தும் புன்னகையே

______________________________________

தினமும் காலையில் ஒளி வெள்ளமாய்
உதிக்கும் ஆதவனைப் போல் உதித்த
எனது கவிதை எங்கே ?

குளிர் நாட்டில் ஆதவனை மறைத்த
கார் மேகங்களில் மறைந்து விட்டதா?

பீறிட்டு வெளி வரும் ஊற்றுக்கண் போல்
வெளிவந்த எனது கவிதை எங்கே ?

இங்கு உள்ள வெந்நீர் ஊற்றுக்களின்
வெப்பத்தில் மடிந்து விட்டதா?

கவிதையை எழுதி ஒரு குழந்தயைப்
பெற்ற தாய் போல் மகிழ்ந்தேனே
எங்கே எனது கவிதை?

குழந்தை காணாமல் போய் விட்டது
எனது கவிதை நின்று விட்டது

______________________________________

எங்கிருந்தோ வந்தாய்
என்னைக் கவர்ந்தாய்
என் உளம் புகுந்தாய்
எங்கேயோ மறைந்தாய்
என்னைத் தவிக்கவிட்டு

நீ சொர்க்கத்தில் இருப்பதாக
கூறுகிறார்கள்
நீ இல்லாமல் நரகத்தில்
வாடும் என்னை
எப்போது அழைக்கப் போகிறாய்?

வீரனாக இருந்திருந்தால்
உடன்கட்டை ஏறியிருப்பேன்
உன்னுடன்
கோழையாகப் போனதனால்
வெறும் கட்டையாக வாழ்கிறேன்
_________________________________________________
உன்னைத் தொட்ட தென்றல்
என்னைத் தொடவில்லை


உன்னைத் தீண்டிய கடலலைகள்
என்னைத் தீண்டவில்லை

உன்னை வருடிய இளங் காற்று
என்னை வருடவில்லை

உன் நினைவில் நான்
விண் வெளியில் மிதப்பதால்
------------------------------------------------------------------------
எப்படி உன்னை வருணிப்பேன்?

உன்னை தங்கச் சிலை என்றால்
அயல் நாட்டிற்கு கடத்திவிடுவார்களோ?

உன்னை அலங்காரத் தேர் என்றால்
யாராவது இழுத்துச் சென்றுவிடுவார்களோ?

உன்னை முல்லைக் கொடி என்றால்
உனக்கு வேலி இட்டு விடுவார்களோ?

உன்னை புள்ளி மான் எனறால்
உன்னை வேட்டையாடி விடுவார்களோ?

உன்னை மோனாலிசா என்றால்
சித்திரமாய் தொங்கவிடுவார்களோ?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
உன் நினைவே ஒரு சங்கீதம்
இன்று அந்த சங்கீதத்தில்
ஏன் இத்தனை அபசுரம்?

உன் நினைவே ஒரு கவிதை
இன்று அந்த கவிதையில்
ஏன் இத்தனை பிழைகள்?

உன் நினைவே ஒரு நாடகம்
இன்று அந்த நாடகத்தில்
திரை போடப்பட்டது ஏன்?

உன் நினைவே ஒரு காவியம்
இன்று அந்த காவியம்
சோகக் காவியம் ஆனது ஏன்?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
என்னை பிரிய மாட்டேன் எனறு
நீ விட்ட கண்ணீர் துளிகள்

நீ என்னை விட்டு பிரிந்ததால்
நான் விடும் கண்ணீர் துளிகள்

ஆனந்த கடலில் சங்கமிக்கும்
நாம் இருவரும் இணைந்தால்

----------------------------------------------------------------------
குழியில் விழுந்துவிட்டேன்
நீ சிரிக்கும்போது உன்
கன்னத்தில் விழும் குழியில்

விழியில் விழுந்து விட்டேன்
கவிதைகள் பல சொல்லும்
அழகான உன் விழியில்

பழியில் விழுந்து விட்டேன்
உன் வாழ்க்கையை கெடுத்ததாக
என் மீது நீ போட்ட பழியில்
________________________________________________________

தமிழின் பெருமை

Posted 24th November 2007 at 09:26 AM by Tamildownunder
காளமேகப் புலவர் பசித்த வயிற்றுடன் நாகப்பட்டினம் நகரில் இருந்த
காத்தன் என்பவனின் சத்திரத்துக்குப் போனாராம். ஆனால் அங்கே
மாலை வரை சோறு சமைப்பதற்கான அறிகுறியே தென்படவில்லை.
பசி முற்றியதால் புலவர் அங்கேயே சுருண்டு படுத்து விட்டார். பின்
அடுத்த நாள் காலையில் சோறுண்ண அழைக்கப்பட்ட போது
பின்வருமாறு பாடினாராம்.

"கத்து கடல் சூழ் நாகைக் காத்தன் தன் சத்திரத்தில்
அத்தமிக்கும் போதினிலே அரிசி வரும் அதைக் குத்தி
உலையிலிட ஊரடங்கும் ஓரகப்பை அன்னம்
இலையிலிட வெள்ளி எழும்."

"ஒலிக்கின்ற கடல் சூழ்ந்த நாகையில் காத்தன் என்பவனின்
சத்திரத்தில் மாலை மயங்கும் வேளையில் அரிசி மூட்டைகள்
வரும். அதை குத்தி சமைக்கும் பக்குவத்திற்கு கொண்டு வந்து
அடுப்பில் ஏற்ற இரவு வந்து விடும். சோறாக்கி இலையில் இடும்போது
பொழுது விடிந்து விடும்"

என்று பொருள் தொனிக்க பாடியதைக்
கேட்ட காத்தன் பதறி வந்து பணிந்தான்.
அவர் காளமேகப் புலவர் என்று தெரிந்து மன்னிப்பு வேண்டினான்.
இனி அவ்வண்ணம் நிகழாது என்று உறுதி கொடுத்தான். பாடலை
மாற்றித் தருமாறு கேட்டுக் கொண்டான்.
ஆனால் புலவரோ பாடலை மாற்ற வேண்டிய அவசியமில்லை என்றும் அதன் உட்பொருளைப் புரிந்து கொண்டாலே போதும் என்றும் சொன்னார்.

அதாவது "ஒலிக்கின்ற கடல் சூழ்ந்த நாகையில் காத்தன் என்பவனின்
சத்திரத்தில் உலகில் எங்குமே அரிசி இல்லாமல் அஸ்தமிக்கும் வேளையிலும் அரிசி மூட்டைகள் வரும். அதை குத்தி சமைக்கும் பக்குவத்திற்கு கொண்டு வந்து அடுப்பில் ஏற்றுவதைக் கண்டதுமே ஊராரின் பசி அடங்கி விடும். சோறாக்கி ஒரு கரண்டி அன்னம் இலையில் போட்டதும் விடிவெள்ளியாகிய சுக்கிரன் அதன் வெண்மை நிறம் கண்டு நாணி எழுந்து விடும்" என்றாராம்.

கவியின் திறமைதான் என்னே ! தமிழின் பெருமைதான் என்னே !

Nanri: Vinu
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
நமது கண்ணோடு கண் நோக்கின்
நமக்கு வாய்ச் சொல் எதற்கு?
உன் பெற்றோரின் வசைச் சொல்லும் எதற்கு?

ஊரெங்கும் மழை
தெருவெங்கும் வெள்ளம்
குடிப்பதென்னவோ பிஸ்லேரி

திரையரங்கின் வெளியே மழை
உள்ளே திரையிலும் ஒரே மழை
ஓடிக்கொண்டிருக்கிறது பழைய படம்

பேருந்து நிலையத்தில்
மறைந்தது மலர்த் தோட்டம்
--மகளிர் பேருந்து சென்றவுடன்

பெண்கள் முன்னால்
குனிந்த தலை நிமிர மாட்டான்
-- குட்டை பாவாடையில் பெண்கள்

வேலையில்லாமல் உட்கார்ந்து சாப்பிட்டதில்
தொப்பை போட்டது
வேலை கிடைத்தது-போலீஸாக

வெள்ளம்- தமிழ்நாட்டில் பெருமழை பெய்தால்
வெள்ளம்-கேரளாவில்
சிறுமழை தூறினாலே
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

My Tamil Poems

Posted 22nd November 2007 at 11:21 PM by Tamildownunder
Updated 23rd November 2007 at 08:40 AM by Tamildownunder
நீ இல்லாமல் நான்....

அச்சாணி கழன்ற மாட்டுவண்டி
தண்டவாளம் இல்லாத ரயில்
தரை தடடிய கப்பல்
என்ஜின் இல்லாத பேருந்து
எரிபொருள் இல்லாத ஏவுகணை
பறக்க முடியாத விமானம்

நீ இல்லாமல் நான்.......

வசனம் பேசத்தெரியாத சிவாஜி கணேசன்
வாள் வீசத் தெரியாத எம்ஜியார்
காதலிக்கத் தெரியாத ஜெமினி கணேசன்
ஸ்டைல் பண்ணத் தெரியாத ரஜனி காந்த்
டான்ஸ் ஆடத் தெரியாத கமல ஹாஸன்
நடிக்கத் தெரியாத விக்ரம்
கில்லி அடிக்கத் தெரியாத விஜய்
வரலாறு தெரியாத அஜீத்
ஜில் என்று காதலிக்காத சூர்யா
வம்பு செய்யத் தெரியாத சிம்பு
நகைச்சுவை பண்ணத்தெரியாத விவேக்
கணிணியில் இசை அமைக்கத் தெரியாத ரெஹமான்
வார்த்தை கிடைக்காமல் வதைபடும் வாலி

நீ இல்லாமல் நான்.......

முற்றின வெண்டைக்காய்
சூம்பிய கத்தரிக்காய்
அழுகிய தக்காளி
பழுத்த பாகற்காய்
வெதும்பிய வாழைக்காய்
காரலான சேனைக் கிழங்கு
முளை விட்ட உருளைக் கிழங்கு

நீ இல்லாமல் நான்.......

சிதைந்த ஓவியம்
உடைந்த சிலை
கலைந்த கோலம்
எழுதாத வெள்ளை காகிதம்
அபசுரமான சங்கீதம்

நீ இல்லாமல் நான்.......

சர்க்கரை போடாத காபி
உப்பு இல்லாத உப்புமா
அரை வேக்காட்டுச் சோறு
வேகாத பருப்பு
கருகின தோசை
கல்லு மாதிரியான இட்லி
வெண்டைக்காய் விளக்கெண்ணெய்
சோற்றுக்கற்றாளை சேர்ந்த அவியல்
பத்திய சாப்பாடு
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________--

Between London, Melbourne and Washington - 3

Posted 15th November 2007 at 01:48 PM by Tamildownunder
Hindu religious activities are strong in London. I used to think that the London based Hindus are more religious than Hindus in India. There are about 10 to 12 temples in and around London. The biggest of them is the Lakshmi-Narayan Mandir at Nesden in North London. When I first visited that temple I was awe-struck. They showed a video of how the temple was built. They showed that ~1000 marble stones from Europe were procured and sent to Gujarath and the carvings on them got done. They had numbered the stones and upon their arrival in London about 1000 volunteers built the temple stacking the numbered stones in their order. The temple is one of the big tourist attractions in London and is featured in all the tourist brochures. Almost all the leading personalities in the world have visited the temple like the British Queen, PMs of several countries and others.

Among the other temples, the Ganapathy temple at Wimbledon is very famous. It is said that the statue of Ganapathy appeared on the spot where the temple is there (suambu it is called). This and few other temples like the Kanaka Durgai Amman temple at Ealing, are mostly patronised by Sri Lankan Tamils. In the months of July/August big ther festivals are performed and to witness that people from all over Europe also are coming.



I was lucky to visit all the temples in London due to an activity undertaken by my first landlady a Sri lankan Tamil who is a big devotee of Swami Gyananda Giri and Swami Haridos Giri from Thennangur near Chennai, India. In 2004 beginning the Gyananada Giri Peedam brought out a video cassette of a movie on Purandaradasar. The speciality of the movie is that it was choreographed, directed by Swami Haridos Giri and acted by only girls aged from 5 to 15. This film won the President's award in mid-80's. It is a movie worth seeing. The landlady, Mrs. Rani Kanakanayagam wanted to show the movie to all children and we hired a projector, screen etc., fixed dates and timings at the temples and went and showed. It was a great success and I could visit all temples like the Balaji temple in East Ham, Murugan Temple there also and others. I used to give an introductory speech about the movie.

You can get the details of the film and its availability at http://www.thennangur.com/Purandhara.htm
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Me and IL

Posted 16th November 2007 at 09:21 AM by Tamildownunder
I was lonely so lonely
Lonely with a big L

I surfed the net and found IL
IL with a big I and a big L
(I for interesting and L for lovely)

I got in IL appreciation for my poems
Appreciation with a big A
(A for administrators, A for A-Z members)

I found in IL good company
Company with a big C
(C for Cheeniya, ChitVish and others)

I found friendship beyond genders in IL
Friendship with a big F

I found in IL knowledge in everything
Knowledge with a big K

I found in IL solace through my stories
Solace with a big S

In all, I find life in IL
Life with a big L

Exotic scientific discoveries of our era-1

There have been temendous developments in electronics and communication resulting in the development of affordable Personal Computers (P.C), the Internet and the mobile phones which have changed our lives in the last decade. I am presenting to you some other exotic discoveries which have the potential to make sea changes in our day to day life.

1. Cold Fusion:

On March 23, 1989, Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann in U.S announced their discovery of "cold fusion." It was the most heavily hyped science story of the decade.

What is cold fusion? To understand this we should see what is fusion?. Present nuclear reactors produce energy by a process called 'fission' in which atoms of a heavy element like uranium-235 is split and the balance of mass in split is converted into energy according to Einstein's famous discovery. The fission has problems of high radiactivity emission, radiation release and waste management. Also, it depends on the fuel element of Uranium which has limited supply.

Similar energy production is possible if two light atoms like Hydrogen are allowed to fuse. But, this fusion reaction requires a very high temperature like that of sun. Almost four stories high, framed in steel beams and tangled in pipes, conduits, cables, and coils, the Joint European Torus (JET) claims to be the largest fusion power experiment in the world. Located near Oxford, England, JET is a monument to big science, its donut-shaped containment vessel dwarfing maintenance workers who enter it in protective suits. Here in this gleaming nuclear cauldron, deuterium gas is energized with 7 million amperes and heated to 300 million degrees Celsius - more than 10 times hotter than the center of the sun. Under these extreme conditions atomic nuclei collide and fuse, liberating energy that could provide virtually limitless power. For a few magic seconds in 1997, JET managed to return 60 percent of the energy it consumed, but that's the best it's ever done, and is typical of fusion experiments worldwide. The US Department of Energy has predicted that we'll have to wait another five decades, minimum, before fusion power becomes practical.

Cold fusion experiment showed that nuclear reactions can take place at room temperature. If low-temperature fusion does exist and can be perfected, power generation could be decentralized. Each home could heat itself and produce its own electricity, probably using a form of water as fuel. Even automobiles might be cold fusion powered. Massive generators and ugly power lines could be eliminated, along with imported oil and our contribution to the greenhouse effect. Moreover, according to some experimental data, low-temperature fusion doesn't create significant hazardous radiation or radioactive waste.

But,the awed excitement of Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann quickly evaporated amid accusations of fraud and incompetence. When it was over, Pons and Fleischmann were humiliated by the scientific establishment; their reputations ruined, they fled from their laboratory and dropped out of sight. "Cold fusion" and "hoax" became synonymous in most people's minds, and today, everyone knows that the idea has been discredited.

Or has it? In fact, despite the scandal, laboratories in at least eight countries are still spending millions on cold fusion research. During the past nine years this work has yielded a huge body of evidence, while remaining virtually unknown - because most academic journals adamantly refuse to publish papers on it. At most, the story of cold fusion represents a colossal conspiracy of denial. At least, it is one of the strangest untold stories in 20th-century science.

I had the opportunity to view a video made by a Canadian Television channel on Cold Fusion in which Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann are shown hiding in a basement cellar in France and are working on a small cold fusion flask which can supply electricity to a house perpetually. The enormous commercial interest in the results of this experiment is creating problems for these scientists.
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Exotic scientific discoveries of our era-2

Posted 8th November 2007 at 09:34 AM by Tamildownunder
High Temperature Superconductivity:

When cooled to extremely low temperatures, certain materials experience zero electrical resistance at DC. They conduct current with no heat loss and are called superconductors. Zero electrical resistance logically provides better circuit performance for electronic components. Dr. Josephson from U.K was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for this discovery.

In 1986, a new class of materials called high-temperature superconductors (HTS) was discovered that made the necessary cooling more cost-effective. HTS material was discovered in late 1986 when Müller and Bednorz of IBM's Zurich Lab announced a superconducting oxide at 30 Kelvin (K). In 1987, Paul Chu of the University of Houston announced the discovery of a compound, Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide (YBCO), which became superconducting at 90 K. The next months saw a race for even higher temperatures that produced bismuth compounds (BSCCO) superconductive up to 110K and thallium compounds (TBCCO) superconductive up to 127K.

Superconductors have many different applications, ranging from levitating trains to ultra-efficient power lines. Maglev research in the 1960s in the United States was short-lived. In the 1970s, Germany and Japan began research and after some failures both nations developed mature technologies in the 1990s. However, superconductor related costs remain a barrier to acceptance.

Magnetic levitation transport, or maglev, is a form of transportation that suspends, guides and propels vehicles (especially trains) using electromagnetic force. This method can be faster than wheeled mass transit systems, potentially reaching velocities comparable to turboprop and jet aircraft (900 km/h, 600 mph). The highest recorded speed of a maglev train is 581 km/h (361 mph), achieved in Japan in 2003, which is 4 mph more than the conventional TGV speed record.


Picture shows a maglev train in Japan. Many countries including China, Japna, U.K, U.S.A have many projects to run meglev trains.

Mumbai – Delhi:A maglev line project was presented to the India transportation minister Lalu Prasad by an American company, if approved would serve between the cities of Mumbai and Delhi, the Prime Minister Manmohan singh said that if the line project is succeeded Indian government would build lines between other cities and also between Mumbai centre and Chattrapati Shivaji International Airport.

How a meglev train works:

The "8" figured levitation coils are installed on the sidewalls of the guideway. When the on-board superconducting magnets pass at a high speed about several centimeters below the center of these coils, an electric current is induced within the coils, which then act as electromagnets temporarily. As a result, there are forces which push the superconducting magnet upwards and ones which pull them upwards simultaneously, thereby levitating the Maglev vehicle.

Other applications of superconductivity:

Some experts have suggested that the new superconducting materials could finally make fusion a practical reality.

In the meantime, the weapons laboratories use powerful magnets in research on beam weapons. The U.S Navy has actively explored the possibility of using a combination of superconducting generators and motors in ships to replace gigantic mechanical drive shafts.

With all its mystery, superconductivity has intimate links to esoteric phenomena at the forefront of basic physics. Detectors using superconductors have extraordinary sensitivity to different kinds of radiation, raising the possibility of new kinds of applications from astronomy to the analysis of brain waves.

''There's a tremendous amount of work to be done, but there's also a tremendous potential market out there for people who can bring this technology into commercial practice,'' said Donald K. Stevens, head of basic energy sciences research for the U.S Department of Energy
________________________________________________________________________________________

Exotic scientific discoveries of our era-3

Posted 19th November 2007 at 11:00 AM by Tamildownunder
Updated 19th November 2007 at 11:42 AM by Tamildownunder
Nano-technology:

The world demand for energy is expected to double to 28 terawatts by the year 2050. Compounding the challenge presented by this projection is the growing need to protect our environment by increasing energy efficiency and through the development of “clean” energy sources. These are indeed global challenges, and their resolution is vital to our energy security. Recent reports on Basic Research Needs to Assure a Secure Energy Future and Basic Research Needs for the Hydrogen Economy have recognized that scientific breakthroughs and truly revolutionary developments are demanded. Within this context, nanoscience and nanotechnology present exciting and requisite approaches to addressing these challenges.

An interagency workshop to identify and articulate the relationship of nanoscale science and technology to the U.S's energy future was convened on March 16-18, 2004 in Arlington, Virginia. The meeting was jointly sponsored by the Department of Energy and, through the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, the other member agencies of the Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology Subcommittee of the Committee on Technology, National Science and Technology Council. This report is the outcome of that workshop.

The workshop had 63 invited presenters with 32 from universities, 26 from national laboratories and 5 from industry. This workshop is one in a series intended to provide input from the research community on the next NNI strategic plan, which the NSTC is required to deliver to Congress on the first anniversary of the signing of the 21st Century Nanotechnology R&D Act, Dec. 3, 2003.
At the root of the opportunities provided by nanoscience to impact our energy security is the fact that all the elementary steps of energy conversion (charge transfer, molecular rearrangement, chemical reactions, etc.) take place on the nanoscale. Thus, the development of new nanoscale materials, as well as the methods to characterize, manipulate, and assemble them, creates an entirely new paradigm for developing new and revolutionary energy technologies. The primary outcome of the workshop is the identification of nine research targets in energy-related science and technology in which nanoscience is expected to have the greatest impact:

• Scalable methods to split water with sunlight for hydrogen production
• Highly selective catalysts for clean and energy-efficient manufacturing
• Harvesting of solar energy with 20 percent power efficiency and 100 times lower cost
• Solid-state lighting at 50 percent of the present power consumption
• Super-strong, light-weight materials to improve efficiency of cars, airplanes, etc.
• Reversible hydrogen storage materials operating at ambient temperatures
• Power transmission lines capable of 1 gigawatt transmission
• Low-cost fuel cells, batteries, thermoelectrics, and ultra-capacitors built from nanostructured materials
• Materials synthesis and energy harvesting based on the efficient and selective mechanisms of biology

The report contains descriptions of many examples indicative of outcomes and expected progress in each of these research targets. For successful achievement of these research targets, participants recognized six foundational and vital crosscutting nanoscience research themes:

• Catalysis by nanoscale materials
• Using interfaces to manipulate energy carriers
• Linking structure and function at the nanoscale
• Assembly and architecture of nanoscale structures
• Theory, modeling, and simulation for energy nanoscience
• Scalable synthesis methods

Discovery of carbon nano-tubes:

In 1991, Sumio Iijima of NEC, Japan observed multiwall nanotubes formed in a carbon arc discharge, and two years later, he and Donald Bethune at IBM independently observed single-wall nanotubes – buckytubes. The important observation of these nano-tubes is that their physical and electrical properties are drastically different from materials of the same element in macroscopic scale. The biggest impact of carbon nano-tubes is expected to be in what is called carbon-based electronics as against the present silicon-based electronics. The carbon-based electronics is expected to achive very high packing densities of components in integrated circuits and increase the speed of operation enormously. With silicon both packing densities and speed of operation have reached a saturation.

Nanotechnology gives sensitive read-out heads for compact hard disks:

This year's physics Nobel prize is awarded for the technology that is used to read data on hard disks. It is thanks to this technology that it has been possible to miniaturize hard disks so radically in recent years. Sensitive read-out heads are needed to be able to read data from the compact hard disks used in laptops and some music players, for instance.

In 1988 the Frenchman Albert Fert and the German Peter Grünberg each independently discovered a totally new physical effect – Giant Magnetoresistance or GMR. Very weak magnetic changes give rise to major differences in electrical resistance in a GMR system. A system of this kind is the perfect tool for reading data from hard disks when information registered magnetically has to be converted to electric current. Soon researchers and engineers began work to enable use of the effect in read-out heads. In 1997 the first read-out head based on the GMR effect was launched and this soon became the standard technology. Even the most recent read-out techniques of today are further developments of GMR.

A hard disk stores information, such as music, in the form of microscopically small areas magnetized in different directions. The information is retrieved by a read-out head that scans the disk and registers the magnetic changes. The smaller and more compact the hard disk, the smaller and weaker the individual magnetic areas. More sensitive read-out heads are therefore required if information has to be packed more densely on a hard disk. A read-out head based on the GMR effect can convert very small magnetic changes into differences in electrical resistance and there-fore into changes in the current emitted by the read-out head. The current is the signal from the read-out head and its different strengths represent ones and zeros.

The GMR effect was discovered thanks to new techniques developed during the 1970s to produce very thin layers of different materials. If GMR is to work, structures consisting of layers that are only a few atoms thick have to be produced. For this reason GMR can also be considered one of the first real applications of the promising field of nanotechnology.
____________________________________________________________________________________

Exotic scientific discoveries of our era-4

Posted 27th November 2007 at 07:04 AM by Tamildownunder
Dear ILites,

Those of you who have read my serial story 'Vigyani' will remember the machine I was mentioning that will produce water from air. This Fuel cell is one such machine and once developed and produced in mass numbers it will be a great boon to India in electricity generation and water production in all villages and remote places. The National Institute of Standards and Technology here in U.S where I am working is engaged in the development of these fuel cells.

In 2003, President Bush announced a program called the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative (HFI) during his State of the Union Address. This initiative, supported by legislation in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT 2005) and the Advanced Energy Initiative of 2006, aims to develop hydrogen, fuel cell and infrastructure technologies to make fuel-cell vehicles practical and cost-effective by 2020. The United States has dedicated more than one billion dollars to fuel cell research and development so far.

Sir William Grove invented the first fuel cell in 1839. Grove knew that water could be split into hydrogen and oxygen by sending an electric current through it (a process called electrolysis). He hypothesized that by reversing the procedure you could produce electricity and water. He created a primitive fuel cell and called it a gas voltaic battery. After experimenting with his new invention, Grove proved his hypothesis. Fifty years later, scientists Ludwig Mond and Charles Langer coined the term fuel cell while attempting to build a practical model to produce electricity.

A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, with water and heat as its by-product. As long as fuel is supplied, the fuel cell will continue to generate power. Since the conversion of the fuel to energy takes place via an electrochemical process, not combustion, the process is clean, quiet and highly efficient – two to three times more efficient than fuel burning.

No other energy generation technology offers the combination of benefits that fuel cells do. In addition to low or zero emissions, benefits include high efficiency and reliability, multi-fuel capability, siting flexibility, durability, scalability and ease of maintenance. Fuel cells operate silently, so they reduce noise pollution as well as air pollution and the waste heat from a fuel cell can be used to provide hot water or space heating for a home or office.

The biggest application of fuel cells will be in automobiles reducing the cost, dependence on supply of oil, reducing global warming etc.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Exotic scientific discoveries of our era-5

Time standards and GPS:

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a radionavigation system that is available worldwide. GPS signals are broadcast from a constellation of 24 or more earth orbiting satellites. Because the GPS signals are derived from the atomic frequency standards on board each satellite, they are widely used as a reference for time synchronization and frequency calibration.

Heart of the GPS system is the atomic frequency standards and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) where I am working has developed these standards. Dr. William Philips of NIST won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1996 for his discovery of cold trapping of atoms which have paved the way in the development of these standards. You may ask what is the connection between this standard and GPS. In GPS the image is processed or place is identified by the time difference in signals sent and received to one or more of the 24 satellites. The standards ensure the accuracy of measurement and the resolution of image depends on the accuracy. Present standard is a caesium atomic clock with which a resolution of 10 cm. only is achieved. But, there is a discovery of Strontium based atomic clock which will improve the resolution. Put it in simple terms, imagine you have parked your car in a big car space and forgotten where exactly you have parked, the present GPS cannot help as it cannot resolve the digits in your number plate. But, with strontium clock it would be possible.

When people talk about "a GPS," they usually mean a GPS receiver. In U.S. allmost all cabs are fitted with GPS and many people have installed a GPS receiver in their cars. Recently, when my daughter visited me from Phoenix, she had brought her GPS and with its help she could go around Washington D.C although she had not been driving here before.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is actually a constellation of 27 Earth-orbiting satellites (24 in operation and three extras in case one fails). The U.S. military developed and implemented this satellite network as a military navigation system, but soon opened it up to everybody else.

Each of these 3,000- to 4,000-pound solar-powered satellites circles the globe at about 12,000 miles (19,300 km), making two complete rotations every day. The orbits are arranged so that at any time, anywhere on Earth, there are at least four satellites "visible" in the sky.

A GPS receiver's job is to locate four or more of these satellites, figure out the distance to each, and use this information to deduce its own location. This operation is based on a simple mathematical principle called trilateration.

Imagine you are somewhere in the United States and you are TOTALLY lost -- for whatever reason, you have absolutely no clue where you are. You find a friendly local and ask, "Where am I?" He says, "You are 625 miles from Boise, Idaho."
This is a nice, hard fact, but it is not particularly useful by itself. You could be anywhere on a circle around Boise that has a radius of 625 miles, like this:

You ask somebody else where you are, and she says, "You are 690 miles from Minneapolis, Minnesota." Now you're getting somewhere. If you combine this information with the Boise information, you have two circles that intersect. You now know that you must be at one of these two intersection points, if you are 625 miles from Boise and 690 miles from Minneapolis.

If a third person tells you that you are 615 miles from Tucson, Arizona, you can eliminate one of the possibilities, because the third circle will only intersect with one of these points. You now know exactly where you are -- Denver, Colorado.


This same concept works in three-dimensional space, as well, but you're dealing with spheres instead of circles

Women achievers of India-2

In ' Women achievers of India-2', I am bringing the achievements of women enterprenuers, professionals, scientists etc.

First, I am bringing the excerpts from interviews with somen achievers in the business and professional areas, courtesy Times of India, Mumbai.

PREETHA REDDY

49, MD, Apollo Hospitals Group

As a young girl she was devoted to dancing and was a disciple of Rukmini Arundale at Kalakshetra. A power to reckon with in the organised healthcare business, she got into it quite by accident. Preetha did not join family-owned Apollo Hospitals till 1989 – some 10 years after having stayed home. From Rs 110 crore when she took over, she has steered the business close to Rs 1,000 crore last year. A hands-on person, she attributes her learning to the workplace and takes care to listen and learn from people 'senior' in experience.


Interview:

ME, MYSELF: I was lucky to be born at the right time, at the right place. But I did not let that get into my head. I am where I am today because of my willpower and focus. Healthcare delivery is my vision, but I don't lose focus that I am also running a business.

CHALLENGES: It takes time to build trust. When I started working, the hospital business was purely male-dominated. Bringing any kind of change or a new set of ideas was a tough call for me. I faced great difficulties in bringing a professional approach to healthcare. But I realised earlier in life that winds of change can only be brought about by patience and firmness.

SECRET TIPS: There are no shortcuts to success. Take a complete approach to whatever you do. Learn to prioritise; it makes juggling work and home easier. Moreover, stay committed to your goals and make a difference!

Once you start something, you've to nurture it till the end. Don't predict because there's very little you can do about the future. So, keep delivering till you convince yourself that your future is secure.

I TELL MYSELF: When I visit hospitals, I see so much pain and suffering around me that I tell myself –I don't have the business to feel sad about myself.

MOTIVATING MANTRA: There are millions of others who'd like to be in my shoes. I should count myself lucky that I have the power to bring a change in the world, however miniscule that might be.

KEEP WALKING: Many times I feel like throwing up my hands in the air and giving it all up. But I tell myself, I'll do that only when the time is right and the business is in safe hands. I am not hooked to anything, but at the same time, I won't give up just for the sake of giving up
_______________________________________________________________________________________

SULAJJA FIRODIA MOTWANI

36, MD, Kinetic Engineering

There's something about Sulajja and bikes! It was while zooming down the streets of California in a Ducati that she met her husband, Manish. It was motorcycles again that helped her turn around the fortunes of a worn-out moped manufacturer, Kinetic Engineering. The turning point of her life came when she gave a totally new image to the humble scooter. Stylish and slick, she is as good as her 'kick-ass bikes'. When not doing business, she goes scuba diving or kickboxing. And this MBA from Carnegie Mellon University still loves to test ride her bikes!



Interview Excerpts:

ME, MYSELF: I am just another hardworking professional. My life revolves around my work and family. CHALLENGES I There are misconceptions that as an owner, I can decide when to work and when not to, or perhaps that it is glamorous to be a business tycoon; but in reality, I face the same challenges as others do. One deals with many challenges in general, but not any particular one based on my gender really.

SECRET TIPS: Stay fit. As working women, many priorities and responsibilities demand our attention, energy and time. Have a positive attitude and always wear a smile – the most important accessory for a professional. When at the top, the buck stops at you. When you work for others, you can play the blame game, but when you are heading an organisation, you are responsible for finding solutions to all problems, and that can be nervewracking!

I TELL MYSELF: I must lose a couple of more pounds! (Seriously) I thank God for the opportunities He has given me.

MOTIVATING MANTRA: I think your source of motivation has to be from within and it changes with time. For me, in the beginning, it was my entrepreneurial spirit, which got me going. Later, I loved the fact that I lived by my own choices and wanted to rule the world! I think now, it is all of this and also a large sense of responsibility as a leader that motivates me.

KEEP WALKING: My motto is – tomorrow will be a better day! I grab a nice book or watch a feel-good movie and go to bed. Then I always wake up feeling better the next day. To tell you the truth, there are many challenging days, but one learns to deal with them eventually.
__________________
KALPANA MORPARIA

57, Joint MD, ICICI Bank

A happy married life is what she dreamt of as a little girl. Despite being a bright student, her sole aim in life was to complete matriculation and get on with life with a man by her side. But life had other plans. While studying law, the B.Sc graduate did get married but to her dismay found her husband insisting that she complete her studies. Today, through sheer hard work this once marriage-obsessed young girl is now the Joint MD of India's second-largest bank, and has made it to the 'most powerful women in business' lists of leading publications, including Forbes. Her only regret is not having a management background.


Interview excerpts:

ME, MYSELF: Whatever success I have today would have been mine anyway. Life's a hard taskmaster, but I can beat it at its own game if I am steadfast in my goals.

CHALLENGES: You've got to tune it out. If someone has an issue that I'm a woman, that's their issue. You are an entrepreneur before anything else. Sometimes I get a kick that I sit there in these big strategy sessions and there's a bunch of men and me. It's kind of flattering. I just wish there were more women doing this and it wasn't an anomaly.

SECRET TIPS: You have to be passionate about the product or service you're offering. You also have to make sure it's a product other people either need or really want. Then you have to figure out how to let people know about it. There's a lot of learning and mistakes in anything you do. Make sure you have the foundation built before you build the house. Try to boil down what you're doing to one very simple idea. And ask a lot of questions. That's the nature of being an entrepreneur. It doesn't matter if you come from a farm or if you went to Harvard Business School. The fact is, you don't know anything until you're doing it.

I TELL MYSELF: No position I am in can be attributed to the fact that I am a woman! For the male CEO, do not underestimate the women at work. You never know, when she'll pull the ground beneath your feet!

MOTIVATING MANTRA: At the helm of affairs at the bank, even today, I am proud to say that I've remained the same person. My interaction with colleagues still has that human and emotional touch. Stereotypes are myths. If you are a good entrepreneur, your entrepreneurship will show the way you run your household as a housewife.

KEEP WALKING: I know I am not married to the bank and would have to retire one day, but even then I'll not hang up my boots.
__________________
SWATI PIRAMAL

50, Director, Strategic Alliances and Communications, Nicholas Piramal

In an age when Indian women were cajoled into opting for science in college by over-ambitious parents, Swati was already in the midst of her test tubes and Bunsen burners, dreaming of a biotech empire. She married into one of Mumbai's oldest textile business families. Passionate about research, this geneology-gifted doctor knew that converting a century-old textile business house into healthcare business was a tough call when she and husband, Ajay Piramal, bought Nicholas Laboratories in 1988 for $4 million. But deliver she did. Today with her stamp on every company decision, Nicholas Piramal India has become one of the leading life sciences and pharmaceutical companies in India, with over $350 million turnover.



Interview Excerpts:

ME, MYSELF: My self-esteem, confidence and strong belief in myself have helped me to be where I am today.

CHALLENGES: Sometimes, due to situations, sticking to your conviction and beliefs may be a challenge. You may have bouts of self-doubt, but you have to work to overcome the "I don't know how to do that because I wasn't taught that in school" mentality. You just have to take a deep breath and go beyond that and rely on your personality and strength.

SECRET TIPS: Being at the top is not enough, because you'll soon realise it's so lonely up there. Therefore, it's better if you try and utilise your position to bring a difference to the world. Success is like manna from heaven. It falls on the lap of those who are lucky to seek it out. Don't blame the situation or circumstances you are in. Try and squeeze every bit out of your circumstances and make the most out of it.

MOTIVATING MANTRA: The Upanishad says: "Whatever you dream you have to will, whatever you will is your deed and whatever your deed is your destiny." Dream big and try and find out means and ways to turn it into reality.

KEEP WALKING: Dreams come from within you. So don't stop dreaming
________________________________________________________________________________________
PREETI VYAS GIANNETTI

40, Creative Director & CEO, Vyas Giannetti Creative

It was in 1997 when Preeti started her firm with one computer and one person. At that time she was the only woman boss in the Indian ad world. Ten years later, she's still the queen of the Indian ad world - the only woman CEO who is also the creative head of an ad firm. The brain behind the most expensive advertisement ever made for an Indian company, the commercial for the Aditya Birla Group, the global footprint of the ad tells a lot about its creator. The Economic Times Rankings 2005, placed her at No.7 in the 'creative directors' ranking. Today, her firm has an enviable blue-chip client list with capitalised billings of over $40 million.



Interview Excerpts:

ME, MYSELF: I don't mind working hard, the endgame is more important for me. I am proud that I have dumped my pin-striped pants and have achieved the heights, comfortable with my bejewelled self and chiffon blouses!

CHALLENGES: What's been a challenge for me is to try and not think like a man. I am in a workspace, which is a man's playground and I tend to act like a man. At times, I stop myself short of behaving like them out of fear that I'd be an outcast. I've learnt to overcome that. You just have to take a deep breath and go beyond the gender play and rely on your personality and strength.

SECRET TIPS: We all have the potential within us. It's just a matter of unleashing it. A creative person never has any problems – be it a man or a woman. In my field though, a woman's touch is more appreciated as she has this innate capability of relating to a client's ideas and delivering them.

I TELL MYSELF: There's enough occupying your energy, your space and your objectives to worry about and focus on. I've just never thought of myself as a woman. I think of myself as a businessperson at work.

MOTIVATING MANTRA: My turning point in life came the day I removed my pin-striped suit. The more I thought like a man, the more I messed up things. Now I am much better when it comes to integrating the organisation or my people.

KEEP WALKING: I believe in karma yog. I do things by checking out with my inner self. Once I am happy with what I've done, I surrender it. It relieves me of stress and anxiety and helps me move on to the next project.
__________________
NEELAM DHAWAN

Mid-40s, MD, Microsoft India

Don't be beguiled by her mom's-best-friend look. Just a look at her résumé and those hung-in-theair jaws will refuse to snap into place. HP, IBM, HCL and Microsoft - she's worked for them all! Neelam is a true blue Delhiite. Not only was this business management graduate born and raised in Delhi, she even completed her studies and embarked on her career here. She chucked up a cushy job with HCL's foreign operations in the US and returned to India as she "missed home". This crossword-solving, music lover is not only a pioneering figure in the IT industry but is also counted as one of the world's most powerful women in business.



Interview Excerpts:

ME, MYSELF: I've always thought ahead and outside the box, pushed the envelope, worked sincerely and very hard. I don't think there is any other route to success.

CHALLENGES: No challenges really on account of my being a woman. I have always considered myself a professional first and a woman second, and I think that makes a difference. If you don't ask to be treated differently, you get treated professionally and at par with your male colleagues. I think being an entrepreneur is as challenging for a man as it is for a woman so there are no gender issues.

SECRET TIPS: Always prioritise and never compromise for anything less than the best. People respect you if you "walk the talk " and empathise with them and respect them for their abilities. To be successful you have to be ambitious, have great staying power, risk-taking ability, combined with good organising and management skills. And of course, be self-motivated.

I TELL MYSELF: Let's go out and win them!

MOTIVATING MANTRA: A challenging assignment, which taxes my skills

KEEP WALKING: This too will pass. Tomorrow is another day.
__________________
Jayashree Vaidhyanathan

34 Director, HCL Technologies, Chennai

Director, unit head of business consulting services, HCL Technologies
Even in the brave new wired world, managers are mostly male. But things are changing. The 34-year-old Jayashree Vaidhyanathan, director and unit head of business consulting services at HCL Technologies in Chennai is setting new trends in this otherwise conservative city.



Always at the top of he class, Vaidhyanathan was also a keen debater, excelled at music, essay writing and other cultural pursuits. "From six to 16; those were my musical years," she muses. Her mother, Sundari, is from Thiruvaiyaru and one of her forefathers had started the Thiagaraja Aradana there. It was natural that Vaidhyanathan should learn Carnatic classical music. She was always asked to sing at school functions. After Std 12, she decided to do her graduation in computer science. Her ultimate aim was to get a management degree.

With her engineering degree in hand, Vaidhyanathan joined Visakapatanam Steel Plant as a management trainee in 1992. "I wanted to get at least three years work experience, so that I could get into an Ivy League business school in America, she says." A year later she flew to US to join the Household Finance Corporation; one step closer to her dream.

Soon, she joined Cornell University's management institute, majoring in finance and strategy in 1996. She also completed a chartered financial analyst's course. Her dream of becoming a Wall Street investment banker came true with an offer from CIBC World Markets to join the company as an associate. She was assigned to scout and execute merger and acquisition (M&A) deals and, within six months of joining the company, got her first promotion.

In U.S she met and married Venkatraman, in 1994 and later "We both got our US citizenship, while our son Pranav was a naturalised American," she explains.

It was then that she met HCL Technologies CFO Arun Duggal in London. She sold him her idea that HCL Technologies should get into the business consulting space. He was impressed by her credentials and her plans and, when others in the company also bought into the idea, she was hired.

Jayashree Vaidhyanathan's ultimate personal goal is to make it to the Forbes list of women achievers. If that happens, she will be the first madisar mami to figure in the list.
__________________
Indra Nooyi

Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi can tell you a thing or two about breaking glass ceilings. She let nothing stand in her way to becoming the head of PepsiCo, the fourth-largest food and beverage company in the world. Nooyi is indeed an inspiration to all Indian women, indeed, to all women worldwide.



But her list of achievements doesn?t end at being head of PepsiCo. In 2006, Fortune magazine ranked Nooyi No. 1 in its list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business. The same year, Forbes magazine ranked her the fourth most powerful woman on earth, after Angela Merkel (Chancellor of Germany), Condoleezza Rice (US Secretary of State) and Wu Yi (Vice-Premier of China).

Nooyi certainly wasn?t born with a silver spoon in her mouth. After graduating from Chennai, she went on to acquire degrees from IIM Calcutta and the Yale School of Management. She began her career at Boston Consulting Group, a management consulting firm, and went on to hold senior positions in companies such as Motorola and Asea Brown Boveri. She later joined PepsiCo and swiftly rose through the ranks to become its CEO in August last year.

At PepsiCo, Nooyi was instrumental in spinning off fast-food restaurants KFC and Pizza Hut in 1997 to create a separate company called Yum Brands. She has been also been responsible for charting the way for PepsiCo?s acquisition of Tropicana.
Nooyi has never lost sight of her Indian roots and values. She learnt the hard way that it?s best not to hide what you are when she went for her first interview in an ill-fitting business suit and was turned down for the job. She wore a sari for the next interview and was selected. Today, Nooyi is seen at most Pepsi functions in a sari.
__________________
Radha Ramaswami Basu

Tioga Systems as CEO

Ms. Basu comes to Tioga with 20 years of experience at HP, where she held a variety of senior management positions. In her recent position as general manager of the Electronic Business Software Organization in HP's Computer Business, she was responsible for Internet software products and frameworks that provide E-Business solutions to customers and channel partners worldwide. Ms. Basu left HP in January 1999 to engage in strategic and investment consulting for Internet startup companies.

Ms. Basu holds a bachelor of engineering degree from the University of Madras and a master's degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Southern California. She attended the Stanford Business School Executive Management Program in 1992. Ms. Basu is on the board of directors of SEEC, Inc. (Nasdaq:SEEC), a company that specializes in solutions for e-legacy to e-business migration, and Connectinc.com (Nasdaq:CNKT), an Internet e-commerce company for NetMarketmakers.

Radha Ramaswami Basu combines in her persona so many different strands President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of California-based Support.com, initiator of an organization for helping battered women, wife, mother, sister, aunt, friend, cricket fan and gracious hostess. Above all, that extra element to her personality is her search for the spiritual dimension to life that reveals itself in her trekking and explorations of the mysteries of the great mountains.

The accolades for her achievements bear witness to her business achievements. She is the winner of San Francisco Women on the Web Leader of the Millennium award in 2000, for advancing the number of women on the Internet to nearly half the Internet population, and helping women in technology related fields. This was preceded by the Woman of Achievement Award for leadership and vision in the corporate field in 1995 and the Excelsior Leadership Award in 1997.
__________________
Geetha Viswanathan

"Women are the best managers: of their lives, professional careers and businesses," says a proud Geetha Viswanathan. After two decades in the fashion designing industry, today her venture 'Preyasi' boasts of clients in over 48 countries including a high profile clientele in Chennai city.

Geetha, an alumni of ALT Bangalore, runs 'Preyasi', a leading Chennai based fashion house.

Recently, Geetha's dream of setting up an educational institution providing quality hands-on knowledge on fashion designing has taken shape in the form of the Srijathi Institute of Fashion Technology (SIFT).

So, here's to a woman entrepreneur with substance
_____________________________________________________________________________________-
Sudha Narayanamurthy

Chairperson, INFOSYS

She has an M Tech degree in computer science and was the one who gave the first Rs 10,000 to start her husband's company. She worked for Infosys in its early years and was disappointed when her husband decided that only one of them should be in the firm. "It took me three days to accept his decision," she recalls.



But accept it she did and instead of heading Infosys, Sudha now leads the Infosys Foundation, an organisation she created in 1997 to provide health, education and social rehabilitation for the poor. She has very little contact with the high tech world today. She spends between 15 to 20 days every month travelling to rural areas in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Orissa.

When in Bangalore, Sudha is a housewife. She wakes up between 4:30 and 5:00 am to clean her house, cook and send her 17-year-old son to college before going to the Infosys Foundation office. Discounting expenses on phone bills (the couple's 20-year-old daughter lives abroad) and on trips, books and CDs -- the three passions of the Murthy couple -- she manages the house on a budget of Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 per month. "People ask me if I don't feel bored," she says, "but I don't. I am doing what I really like doing."

A writer and renowned social activist, Sudha Murthy for years have been concentrating on issues such as health care, rehabilitation, rural uplift, education and arts. She has actively participated along with Infosys Foundation in setting up orphanages, girls hostels, students homes, relief shelters and destitute centres in several parts of the country.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

Chairman & Managing Director, Biocon Limited

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw's pioneering efforts in biotechnology have drawn global recognition both for Indian Industry and Biocon. Her unique vision has steered Biocon's transition from an industrial enzymes company to an integrated biopharmaceutical company with strategic research initiatives. Biocon is today recognised as India's pioneering biotech enterprise.


As Chairperson and Mission Leader of CII's National Task Force on Biotechnology she has led several delegations to USA, Canada, UK, etc. to propel India into the global super league of biotech trailblazers. She chairs Karnataka's Vision Group on Biotechnology and also served on the Board of Science Foundation, Ireland. She presently serves on the Advisory Council of the Government’s Department of Biotechnology where she has been instrumental in bringing government, industry and academia together, to chart a clear and progressive growth path for Biotechnology in India. Ms. Shaw is also a Board member of BVGH (Bio-Ventures for Global Health). Most recently, she has been invited to join the Prime Minister’s Council on Trade & Industry in India.

Ms. Shaw is the recipient of several prestigious awards including the 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. Her most cherished awards are however, the PADMASHRI (1989) and PADMA BHUSHAN (2005) presented to her by the President of India, for her pioneering efforts in Industrial Biotechnology.
A successful technocrat of global standing, Ms. Shaw is highly respected in the corporate world. She is a much sought after biotech pioneer who has been referred to as "India's Biotech Queen" by The Economist and "India's mother of invention" by New York Times.

Ms. Shaw received a graduate honours degree in Zoology from Bangalore University (1973) and qualified as a Master Brewer from Ballarat University, Australia (1975). Ms. Shaw also received an honorary Doctorate of Science, from her alma mater, Ballarat University, in recognition of her pre-eminent contributions to the field of Biotechnology. Recently she also received an Honorary Doctorate from the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), in recognition of her outstanding achievements in biotechnology and industrial enzymes.
__________________
Mallika Srinivasan

CEO, TAFE

As CEO of Chennai, India-based Tractors and Farm Equipment (Tafe), Mallika Srinivasan leads a traditional manufacturing business, but she is not a traditional leader. In her two decades as a leader at Tafe, she has transformed the company through innovative products and processes, multiplying revenue by a factor of 30.


In 1986, soon after getting her Wharton degree, she returned to India to take on the challenge of running a dusty, fading part of her family’s business. Her father, industrialist A. Sivasailam, chairman of the Amalgamations Group, wanted to see what she could do with Tafe, then a small part of Amalgamations.

“I had the freedom of choice in a lot of other things, but not in choosing the line of business,” she told the Economic Times. “He believed that I could learn a lot here.”
“Business has a larger purpose … business can operate well only in the social context of educated and healthy people.”Srinivasan knew that India, despite its growth as a powerful industrial and technical services economic force, was still essentially an agricultural nation. But that didn’t mean that Tafe’s tractors had to be so old-fashioned — even farmers wanted newer and more sophisticated equipment.

Srinivasan invested revenue back into research and development. Tafe introduced new models of tractors and other farm equipment almost annually, just as the car companies do. She focused on re-engineering its processes and invested heavily in enterprise resource planning.

And it paid off. Revenues increased from less than US $20 million in 1986 to US $660 million in 2006. Along the way, Srinivasan masterminded the acquisition of a rival company in early 2005. Tafe is now second in market share in India, generating brand loyalty among farmers who crave innovative, technically advanced products.
Srinivasan, whose company runs schools and hospitals in Chennai, also brings a principled and humane view to business. She has made an effort to increase the number of women engineers and workers in her factories, saying that diversity is an essential prerequisite for innovation.

“Profits are important, but only for sustaining a business,” she said in a recent Economic Times profile, when they picked her as 2006 Businesswoman of the Year. “You don’t need to love money to run a business. You have to have a dream to build an institution, to build centres of excellence, to create a great team. Business has a larger purpose … business can operate well only in the social context of educated and healthy people.”
__________________
Naina Lal Kidwai

CEO, HSBC Bank, India

Naina Lal Kidwai (born 1957) was the first Indian woman to graduate from the Harvard Business School. As of 2006, she is the Chief Executive Officer of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation India branches.



Fortune magazine listed Kidwai among the World's Top 50 Corporate Women from 2000 to 2003. According to the Economic Times, she is the first woman to head the operations of a foreign bank in India.

Naina Lal Kidwai is currently the Group General Manager and Country Head of HSBC India. She has been awarded with Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian honours bestowed by the Government of India. The announcement was made by Rashtrapati Bhawan on 26 Jan 2007.

Naina has got the honour for her exemplary work in the promotion of Trade and Industry.
__________________
SHAKUNTALA DEVI

Mathematician

Shakuntala Devi is generally known as a 'Human Computer' because of her extraordinary talents in solving complex mathematical problems without any mechanical aid. She also found her place in the Guinness book of records as a result of her extraordinary talents. Nowadays, apart from solving mathematical problems, she is utilising her amazing talent in the field of astrology.



She was born in 1939 in Bangalore, Karnataka. Manifested with an extraordinary love for numbers at the age of 3, she became an expert in complex mental arithmetic at the age of five. On 18 June 1980, Shakuntala Devi gave the product of two, thirteen digit figures after multiplying them within 28 seconds. Many countries have invited Shakuntala Devi to demonstrate her extraordinary talent. Today, she is acclaimed as an accomplished mathematician.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Schauna Chauhan Saluja

Director, Parle Agro

As director, Parle Agro, she has taken products like Frooti, Appy and N-Joi to the international market. Also the brain behind launching Frooti in Pet bottles, the first beverage to come out in this form. Mantra in life: "Achievement means satisfaction. Perseverance and loyalty to one's work always pay off."

___________________________________________________________________________________
Akhila Srinivasan

Managing Director of Shriram Investments Limited

Akhila Srinivasan is currently the Managing Director of Shriram Investments Limited (a part of Rs. 5000 crore Shri Ram Group), is a prominent business woman of India. She is also associated with several social welfare activities and initiatives. She is the recipient of several awards, including Outstanding Women Professional Award (200-01) instituted by the FICCI.



She is also honorary Dutch Consul in India, and is based in Chennai, South India
___________________________________________________________________________________
Ekta Kapoor

Creative Director, Balaji Telefilms

Since producing her first blockbuster television program at 19, Ekta Kapoor has rewritten the script on TV entertainment for the masses. She has created more than 20 soaps on 10 major Indian networks; a comedy series she created ran for 5 years. The Indian showbiz people watches her every move, and older, more experienced producers are quick to copy any new Kapoor concept.


As creative director of Balaji Telefilms in Mumbai, Kapoor, 27, continues to produce absorbing dramas - whether about an ambitious tycoon or a beautiful but scheming wife or a 70-year-old grandmother looking for a job - that consistently strike a chord with viewers across the subcontinent. Kapoor now hopes to find similar success with audiences in a different medium: the big screen.

Now she is making new records on Big Screen Also.Ekta Kapoor (born June 7, 1975) is the Creative Head of Balaji Telefilms. She is the daughter of Indian actor of yesteryears Jeetendra and sister of Tusshar Kapoor. She has produced a host of television serials based on conflicts in Indian joint families. She is notorious for her idiosyncrancy for naming all of the TV Serials produced by her with names starting from letter "K". This is generally attributed to some sort of superstitious belief
__________________
Jyoti Naik

President of Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad

Everyone enjoys 'rags to riches' stories and everyone likes tales of stupendous success achieved through sheer determination. The story of Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad is all that and much more.



Today, Lijjat is more than just a household name for 'papad' (India's most popular crispy bread). Started with a modest loan of Rs 80, the cooperative now has annual sales exceeding Rs 301 crore (Rs 3.1 billion). What's more stunning than its stupendous success is its striking simplicity.

And perhaps that is the most interesting lesson managers can pick up from Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad. Sticking to its core values for the past forty years, Lijjat has ensured that every process runs smoothly, members earn a comfortable profit, agents get their due share, consumers get the assurance of quality at a good price, and society benefits from its donations to various causes.

Jyoti Naik, is currently the President of Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad. She has been repeatedly been felicitated for her pioneering spirit by different organizations, including the Economic Times

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission of India has conferred the Best Village Industry award on Lijjat Papad from the period 1998-99 to 2000-01.

Jyoti Naik was conferred Businesswomen of the Year (2001-02) for corporate excellence by the Economic Times
__________________
Priya Paul

President, The Park Hotels

Priya Paul, President of The Park Hotels and a Director of the Apeejay Surrendra Group, is among the few 'born to sweet delight', as William Blake would put it. And rightly so, as today she is a part of the hospitality industry where sweetness counts. Despite her tough job, this elegant lady exudes complete calm. "I have been learning yoga and meditation for the past five years from a teacher, Tripta Bhanot," replies the charming lady when questioned about it.


Armed with a bachelor's degree in economics from Wellesley College, USA, she started her career as the Marketing Manager of The Park in 1988. She soon climbed the ladder, being promoted to Acting General Manager and was finally given the chair of Director, Apeejay Surrendra Group, and President, The Park, in 1990.

Does spirituality play an integral part in her professional life? "I stopped the formal training for yoga and meditation six months ago as I realized that spirituality is within you. My spirituality is something very personal and private for me. It's not something that I really want to share… Coming to meditation, it has helped me professionally by enabling me to distance myself from the chaos all around," she replies.

Priya is also Vice-President, the Hotel Association of India, and a founder member of World Travel Tourism Council (Asia chapter). Then, she's a member of the Young President's Organization, a member of the PATA Environment and Eco-tourism Committee and a trustee of India Foundation of the Arts.
__________________
Ms Rajshree Pathy

Chairman and Managing Director, Rajshree Group of companies.

"I rebel against awards for the woman entrepreneur," said Ms Rajshree Pathy, Chairman and Managing Director, Rajshree Group of companies.


When the balance sheet does not provide for gender performance, why should there be an award for a woman entrepreneur.

She said there is no postscript in balance sheet which says the CEO is a woman and therefore eligible for a tax break or some other incentive. What matters is that you play the game and come out a winner, Ms Pathy said.

She was speaking at a function organised by the FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) to honour her with the "Woman of the Year'' award. The previous recipient was Ms Priya Paul, President, Apeejay Surrendra Hotels.
__________________
Ritu Nanda

Leading Insurance Advisor

She is in the Guinness Book of Records for selling 17,000 pension policies in a single day and is the member of elite LIC Chairman's Club for an amazing eight years in a row. That's not all. She figures among the top 1,000 insurance professionals in the world.

Meet Ritu Nanda daughter of Raj Kapoor, wife of Rajan Nanda and aunt of Karishma and Kareena Kapoor. But above all that, a self-made tycoon.

Indeed, more than her family connections, Ritu Nanda would prefer to be known as the country's leading insurance advisor. Besides being an ace agent she is also the CEO of RNIS College of Insurance and Management, Chairman of Escolife IT, a high technology platform created to provide service to the insurance sector worldwide, head of Raksha, a third party administrator that runs services in the health sector, author of best-selling novel Raj Kapoor Speaks and owner of art gallery Rimari. Phew!

"Nothing has come by connections. Everything has been achieved by persistence and my belief that every drop in the ocean counts," says Ritu.

Take for example the RINS College of Insurance and Management that has seen phenomenal growth in the last three years and now has 80 branches countrywide. "Our aim is to develop skilful insurance professionals who can make a mark in a competitive world. We strive to provide a sound knowledge base with emphasis on building strong fundamentals," says Ritu.

How she became a professional is an absorbing story in itself. Fifteen years ago, her home appliance company NikiTasha folded up prematurely. "It was a fantastic concept as the appliances used to run both on gas and electricity. However, we could not continue due to the exploitative tax structure of Haryana where the plant was located. So, I decided to shut it down rather than continue in such an environment."
Being a thoroughbred professional she decided to direct her energy into the insurance sector. Though the idea sounded great to her, those around her were very sceptical. "After all, the perception then was that people who couldn't do anything else in life became insurance agents. And here was Raj Kapoor's daughter and magnate Rajan Nanda's wife all set to sell insurance policies. To say the least, the very idea was outrageous for everyone," reminisces Ritu.
__________________
Zia Mody

AZB & Partners - Mumbai

Zia Mody is a Senior Partner of the Law Firm of AZB & Partners which has its offices in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore in India. Zia Mody did her law at Cambridge University and then went on to do an LLM from Harvard University. Thereafter, she worked with Baker & McKenzie in New York from 1979 to 1983 and was admitted as a member of the New York State Park by examination.


Zia Mody's primary practice consists of M&A, Private Equity, Securities Laws, BPO related work and Litigation. She has practiced in the Indian Courts for over 15 years as Counsel. She has also advised several International and Indian clients in significant M&A transactions.

Zia Mody was selected as one of the 25 most powerful women in Indian business by Business Today, September 2004 and has been selected as one of India's 100 most powerful CEO's by the Economic Times in 2005. She has also been awarded the Business Women of the Year-2003 by the Financial Express in the category of the Best Knowledge Manager.

Apart from her commitment to the legal practice Mrs. Mody is also a committed Baha'i by religion and serves as a member on various Baha'i organizations and Baha'i sponsored NGOs in the field of education and empowerment of rural women.
Mrs. Mody is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Hong Kong
__________________
Simone Tata

Chairman, Trent Ltd.

Simone Tata was born and brought up in Geneva, Switzerland and graduated from Geneva University. Always fond of travelling, she came to India as a tourist in 1953, where she met her future husband, Naval H. Tata. They married in 1955 and she settled down in Bombay permanently.


Simone joined the Board of Lakme Ltd in 1961 and was appointed as the Managing Director in 1964. This was followed by taking over as Chairman of the Board in 1982. From small beginnings, Lakme blossomed to be the leading cosmetic company in India. It also exports to several foreign countries. In 1989, Simone was also appointed as a Director of Tata Industries Ltd, which is Asia's largest private sector group, with over ninety-one companies in various sectors. Like the Wallenbergs in Sweden and Oppenheimers in South Africa, Tata's interest span much of India' economy.

Simone has been responsible for setting up a chain of successful department stores under the brand name of Westside. Starting from one single store in Bangalore in 1998, it now operates sixteen stores located in major cities around India and plans to double its coverage by 2005.

Apart from her business activities, Simone is connected with several social organisations to which she devotes much time.
__________________
SMT. RANJANA KUMAR

Chairman, NABARD

Smt. Ranjana Kumar joined as Probationary Officer in Bank of India on 15.2.1966. She is a gold medalist in B.A. She belongs to Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.



Her achievements:

Banker of the Year 2002 Award by Business Standard in June 2003.
Best Professional Manager Award for the year 2003 from Financial Express
Finance & Banking Award 2003 was conferred by Ladies Wing of Indian Merchants’ Chamber.
Acclaimed by the “Economist”,UK as ‘India’s turn around queen’.

Details of Postings held :
1966 -1995 Held various positions in Bank of India in different States. Chief Instructor Bank’s Trg. College.
1995 – Jan 1999 Chief Executive Officer of Bank of India’s U.S. Operations in United States of America at New York.
April 1999 Executive Director holding concurrent charge as Chairperson of Canara Bank.
2000 Chairperson of Indian Bank.
2003 - Chairperson of National Bank for Agriculture and
Rural Development.
Director, National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) Ltd.
Chairperson, Governing Council, Bankers’ Institute of Rural Development (BIRD), Lucknow
Member, Governing Council, Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Development Banking, Hyderabad.
Honorary Visiting Professor of Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad.
Member, Board of Trustees, Indian School of Microfinance for women, Ahmedabad.
2005 Vigilance Commissioner in Central Vigilance
Commission.
__________________
I am proud to introduce to you a great Indian woman scientist who was the director of National Standards and Technology Institute, U.S.A where I am presently working.

Dr. Aarthi Prabhakar
Ex-Director, National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S.A


Dr. Prabhakar was appointed the tenth Director of NIST by President William Clinton and took office May 28, 1993. Previously, she served for seven years at the Defence Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), of which two years were as the Director of the Microelectronics Technology Office.



As Director of NIST, Dr. Prabhakar manages the primary technology research agency of the Department of Commerce and the only federal laboratory explicitly charged with supporting U.S. industry. With a staff of approximately 3,000, NIST pursues research, measurement, and standardization programs in physics, chemistry, materials, manufacturing engineering, electronics and electrical engineering, building and fire technology, computing and applied mathematics, and computer systems. NIST's mission also includes programs to assist industry in technology development and commercialization including the Advanced Technology Program, which supports industrial research in precompetitive generic technologies; the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which aids the transfer of modern design and production techniques to small and mid-sized manufactoring firms; and the Quality Program, which supports the nationally recognized Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

Dr. Prabhakar spent seven years at the Advanced Research Projects Agency managing research in advanced electronics. Her most recent activity was the creation of the Microelectronics Technology Office with the mission to drive research, development, and demonstration of advanced microelectronics technologies critical for national security, with an emphasis on dual-use technologies. She had strategic responsibility for programs in semiconductor manufacturing technology, including SEMATECH and advanced lithography. The overall manufacturing programs were designed to stimulate and challenge the U.S. semiconductor industry to achieve cost-effective flexible manufacturing capability for high-value-added, differentiated products. Other areas of technology for which she was responsible included next-generation devices in optoelectronics, nanoelectronics, and neural networks as well as flexible manufacturing and multispectral arrays for infrared focal plane arrays. While at ARPA, she worked in close partnership with industry, academia, and other national research laboratories. She managed one of the largest ARPA offices with an annual budget of $300 million and contracts with many companies, including large electronics manufacturers, traditional defense contractors, small and mid-sized technology firms, universities, and other laboratories.

Dr. Prabhakar served as a Congressional Fellow in the Office of Technology Assessment of the U.S. Congress from 1984 to 1986. At OTA, she conducted a study for the House Science, Research and Technology Subcommittee on Microelectronics Research and Development and participated in a study on intellectual property issues entitled Intellectual Property in an Age of Electronics and Information. While at the California Institute of Technology's Department of Applied Physics, she served as a Research Rellow from 1979 to 1984 and as a Teaching Assistant from 1982 to 1984.

Dr. Prabhakar is a member of Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the American Physical Society. She received a Congressional Office of Technology Assessment Science Fellowship as well as a fellowship from the Bell Laboratories Graduate Research Program for Women.
Dr. Prabhakar was born in New Delhi, India. She received her B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Texas Tech University (1979), and her M.S. in Electrical Engineering (1980), and her Ph.D. in Applied Physics (1984) from the California Institute of Technology.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Smitha Sarah Fenn

Jewellary Designer

She looks like the girl-next-door with a smile straight out of a toothpaste advertisement but she designs jewellery for the rich and famous. For 23-year-old Smitha Sarah Fenn, it has been a long journey from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu to Venice in Italy to collect an international award for designing diamond jewellery.
Her creation, the 342-gram choker-necklace of several 5-cent baguettes (rectangular diamonds) has been named as The Great Journey by the Chennai-based Prince Jewellery where she works as a designer.



Not only elegant but it is also a piece that showcases her creativity. Seen on the slender neck of Aishwarya Rai, this choker can be had for a whopping price of Rs. 1.7 million. "The experience in Venice was thrilling. There were 39 jewellers from all over the world who were honoured. While most of them were middle aged and experienced, the three of us from India were pretty young," she says with a smile.

"I felt blessed to be among so many creative persons. I might have won an award but my main aim is to continue my good work and concentrate on innovative designs," she adds. Talking enthusiastically about her design, she explains: ‘’Little diamond pieces, amounting to 61.55 carats in all, are set in many fine bars of 18k white gold, all of which are held by links. The conception of the necklace took about five days and its fabrication took one and a half months." She is grateful to Prince Jewellery, her employers, which did the fabrication being and gave her "the big break in life".
__________________
Shobhana Bhartia

Age 50/ Vice Chairperson & Editorial Director/ HT Media

For Shobhana Bhartia, the year 2007 will go down as one when the many associations that the Vice Chairperson and Editorial Director of HT Media has forged came to fruition.

Mint, a business daily launched in February in association with the Wall Street Journal, is seen to be closing in on the No. 2 spot in its segment with an estimated circulation of 80,000 copies; Fever 104, an FM channel where Richard Branson’s Virgin Radio is the partner, debuted in Mumbai and Bangalore (it’s been in Delhi for 10 months now) this year and has done well for itself. Metro Now, a daily tabloid, launched this February in Delhi in association with former arch-rival Bennett, Coleman & Company, has managed to rack up 1.10 lakh copies in daily sales.
HT’s first quarter numbers were pretty impressive. Revenues were up 33 per cent at Rs 247.90 crore, while the bottom line jumped 212 per cent at Rs 30.6 crore. The stock (HT Media listed in September 2005) has been on a roll since June last year, going from Rs 78 or so to Rs 218 on September 12. The 50-yearold Bhartia, who is married to Shyam Sundar Bhartia, Chairman & Managing Director, Jubilant Organosys, has her hands full otherwise.

The Padma Shri awardee is a Rajya Sabha member and an active industry figure, who until recently was the Chairperson of the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Apparently, her focus now is on the Hindi daily, Hindustan, and HT’s internet initiatives.
Still, rumours keep resurfacing about Bhartia either selling her majority stake or merging with another media heavyweight. The lady never reacts to such rumours, and that only seems to add to her power halo.
______________________________________________________________________________-
Manndhir Rajput

First woman driver



SHE was fascinated with trains during her childhood and desired to drive one in her lifetime. Today 34-year-old Manndhir Rajput drives one with ease. She is the first Indian woman to become an engine driver with the New South Wales Rail Corporation, Australia. Originally from Jalandhar, she immigrated to Australia six years ago after getting married to Sukhminder Singh Rajput from Ludhiana. “After clearing an aptitude test, I underwent rigorous training and was finally on the tracks,” says Manndhir, who enjoys her stint with the Rail Corporation.
__________________
Sharan Apparao

Internationally aclaimed Gallerist




Sharan Apparao is one of India’s leading contemporary art gallerists, producing exhibitions in Delhi, Mumbai and Madras. From her start in 1984, Apparao Gallery has been seen as an important force in the Indian art community. Ms. Apparao has promoted the careers of some of the most important artists in Indian art today.
Associated with contemporary art for close to two decades, Apparao has expanded her activities worldwide to meet the growing needs of Indian artists and the growing community of collectors focusing on the art of the sub-continent. Known for her ability to identify promising talent, Ms. Apparao has nurtured the careers of many young artists. An art historian by training, she has explored the idea of the Indian Diaspora through numerous curated shows and publications.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Puja Nayyar

Perfection is the hallmark of Puja Nayyar. The systematic and planned thinker that she is, Puja constantly efforts to achieve perfection in details and finish.
The label 'Puja Nayyar' was established in the year 1996, and is presently one of India's most known brands, retailing from high-end stores throughout the country. At each season's collection, Puja constantly reinvents her forte' of creating handcrafted textures on varied fabrics. She pays scrupulous attention to fabric construction creating surfaces by painstakingly intricate treatments. She aspires to the creation of a clean and minimal image.



Her ensemble also includes textured ties, scarves, leggings, caps, bags, shoes and other lifestyle products. These represent a congruent blend of styles and elements of contrasting nature: contrasts in terms of fabric, weaves, color, styling and other design details.
In all her work, one can see the continuous search for the girl that exists in her woman. This approach makes her believe in the philosophy of asymmetry yet achieving balance in her thought.
Puja Nayyar studied fashion at NIFT, New Delhi. She had her debut showing in the fall of 1997 and since has shown her collection in Khazana, Taj Mahal hotel, NASSCOM Conference at Oberoi Hotel (Mumbai). She has also created conceptual ensembles for the 'ARJO WIGGINS' paper show at the India Habitat Centre. In November '99. Puja's collection was shown at Sao Paulo, Brazil for the 'India Fashion Show' amongst many more showings.
Puja's collection was also exhibited at Selfridges during the "231/2 days of Bollywood" exhibition in 2002. She was one of the 5 grand winners selected from Asia during the Paris Fashion Week 2003. The collection was highly appreciated at the Mercedes Benz Asia Fashion Week, Singapore early in 2003. Puja sells from prestigious fashion stores in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore and works out of her studio in New Delhi.
__________________
Renu Khator

First Indian chancellor of the University of Houston, U.S


Indian-American academic Renu Khator has been appointed chancellor of the University of Houston system encompassing four universities and two multi-institution teaching centres.

Khator, 52, the first person of Indian origin to take the top post in the Texas state's only metropolitan higher education system, will also be serving as president of the University of Houston (UH). She is expected to take office in January 2008.


Dr. Renu Khator is the Provost and Senior Vice President at the University of South Florida (USF). She was appointed to this position in 2003 after serving as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and as Director of Environmental Science and Policy Program.

The University of South Florida, established in 1956, is the ninth largest university in the United States. With a budget of over $1.6 billion, USF offers 200 degree programs to more than 44,000 students on its four campuses. Dr. Khator is the first female Provost of USF and one of the first Indian Americans to become provost at a comprehensive research university in the country.

Dr. Khator hails from India where she completed her bachelor’s degree in liberal arts. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Purdue University in Political Science with particular training in environmental policy. She has published five books, numerous book chapters and journal articles in leading national and international journals. Her areas of specialization include water policy and the impact of globalization on the environment.

Dr. Khator has received many honors and awards, among them are the 2006 Outstanding American by Choice Award (given by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services for outstanding achievements by a naturalized citizen), the 2007 Hind Rattan Award (Jewel of India Award - given to a non-resident Indian for making outstanding contributions in her/his adoptive land), the 2006 Distinguished Alumnus Award from Purdue University’s College of Liberal Arts, and the 2006 Outstanding Educator Award by the American Foundation for Greek Language and Culture.

Dr. Khator has a long history of community engagement. She serves on several local community boards. She enjoys writing poetry and fiction, several of which have been published. Her philosophy of life: When life gives you lemons and everyone else is busy making lemonade, think about making margaritas!
__________________
RENUKA RAMNATH,

42, CEO, ICICI Venture

Renuka Ramnath has helped shake the private equity landscape of India over the past year or so. Having scripted a blueprint for innovative investment transactions, she has some eight big deals to her credit, including capacity-expansion investments in such firms as Welspun and Samtel, some real estate deals, buyouts and restructuring initiatives.

With $400 million under management, ICICI Venture is big on the investment map of the country. In May this year, its India Advantage Fund raised $240 million, some 50 per cent above the set target. Ramnath is unfazed by this success. "It is not just one fund story," she says, "By making the right investment, nurturing those companies in the right direction, we enjoy trust and credibility with investors."

It helps, of course, that she adds to that credibility. Armed with a BE followed by an MBA from Mumbai's Chetna College, Ramnath began her career with ICICI in the merchant banking division in 1986. When it was spun off into a separate joint venture with JP Morgan, ICICI Securities, she went on to head the corporate finance and equities business. She returned to ICICI in 1997 to set up structured finance business. In 1999, she took a break to do a three month advanced management programme at Harvard. On her return to India, E-commerce was hotting up and Ramnath too wanted to do something different, and she went on to head the e-commerce initiatives of ICICI as managing director of ICICI Eco-net. In early 2001 when Eco-Net merged with ICICI Venture, Ramnath was the CEO of the new outfit. Three years later, at ICICI Venture, Ramnath has managed to take the company with 40 professionals on a different platform to offer win-win solutions.

The key challenge for Ramnath today is creating a healthy platform for private equity. As of now, Ramnath and her team are making investments in broad areas across businesses, as she does not see enough depth to have focused funds for each of the chosen sectors. However, going forward, says Ramnath, "Each of the saplings (business areas) having a potential to be a big banyan tree in the future".
___________________________________________________________________________________
Ms. Tarjani Vakil

ex-Chairman, EXIM Bank

Tarjani Vakil, former Chairperson of the Exim Bank, is one of the distinguished Indian bankers. She is the first woman to head any large bank in India.

Ms. Vakil joined IDBI at its inception in 1965 and worked for 17 years in various departments. Ms. Vakil has been on the Board of Directors of IDBI, LIC, GIC, ECGC, STCI and a number of private sector companies during her long career.

In 1997, she was recognized as one of the top 50 women "to prove her valor" in the business by KPMG Worldwide Business
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Anu Aga

Executive Chair person, Thermax Ltd.,


Anu Aga was born in Bombay, India on 3rd August 1942. She began her industry career in Thermax in 1985 and later was in charge of the Company's human resources function from 1991 to 1996. After her husband Rohinton Aga passed away, the Board appointed her as the Executive Chairperson of the Thermax Group in February 1996, and two years later became non-executive Chairperson.



As chairperson, Anu had facilitated four major turnaround initiatives at Thermax. Reconstitution of the board, shedding of non-core activities, rightsizing of operations and increased focus on the customer. She is also instrumental in driving a high performance culture at Thermax, especially at the senior levels. In October 2004, Anu decided to retire as the chairperson.

Anu has been very active in various national and local associations like Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and was the first woman Chairperson of CII's Western Region. She has written extensively and given talks on the subjects of women empowerment, corporate governance, value-based management and on corporate social responsibility.

She has done her BA in Economics and holds a post graduate degree in medical and psychiatric social work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). She was selected for the Fullbright Scholarship for social workers to study for four months in the U.S.

Anu is keenly involved in the causes of communal harmony and human rights, especially women and children.

She also supports various organizations that promote education, in particular of underprivileged children from slums. With the help of a Mumbai based NGO called Akanksha, 21 centres have been opened in Pune for the slum children. Currently she is involved with several NGOs.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Hema Ravichandar

Ex-Head, HR, INFOSYS
Consultant-Mercer

The numbers are absolutely mindboggling. Today, Infosys Technologies alone employs 32,178 people and the figure shoots up to 36,750 if one includes subsidiaries (read Progen). In FY 2004-05, 14,13,018 job applications were received across the Infosys group of companies, that's over a lakh applications processed every month, and 19,080 offers were made.



As head of HR at Infy, Hema Ravichander has set new benchmarks in HR practices. The sheer volume of recruitments alone validates the statement. And it was not just recruitments that the lady handled at Infosys. As senior VP and group head of HRD, she has been responsible for learning and development, compensation, employee relations, managing diversity, even visas and work permits. And of course, it was history of sorts when Infosys announced ESOPs, the first company in India Inc. to do so.

Fame and success has been synonymous with Hema Ravichandar. In 2005 alone, she has received three awards for her contribution to HR. Her inspiration? Her great grandmother, the consort of the Maharaja of Kochi: "She was a great administrator, a strong believer in the Welfare State concept and a true partner in implementing progressive reforms and measures for women and the weaker sections of society."
__________________
Kiran Desai:

Booker – Prize Winner

Kiran Desai, the daughter of Anita Desai. She has just won the prestigious Man Booker Prize for her novel, The Inheritance of Loss. It carries a hefty sum of 50,000 pounds (more than Rs. 42 lakh). The daughter has won were the mother could not succeed. Anita Desai's novel was short listed for the prize thrice and thrice she had failed to get it.



Kiran walked in the footsteps of her mother. Anita was more interested “in the interior landscape of the mind than in political and social realities”. Writing for her was “an effort to discover, and then to underline, and finally to convey the true significance of things”. Her novels dealt with the “terror of facing, single - handed, the ferocious assaults of existence”. Her characters were those for whom aloneness alone is the natural condition.

Kiran Desai is proud of her mother and admits that she owed a huge debt to her. Her prize - winning novel is “as much hers as it is mine”, Kiran says. “It feels like a family endeavour”. Kiran, who beat five contenders who were in the field, was the unanimous choice of judges and this is said to be a rare occurrence in the history of the Booker Prize. The person who chaired the jury was Hermione Lee, academic and literary critic. She is all praise for the novel. In her opinion, it is a “magnificent novel of humane breadth and wisdom”.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Vedika Bhandarkar

36, Managing Director & Head (Investment Banking) , J.P. Morgan India

If you perceive investment bankers as machinists fuelled by greed, hypocrisy and high risk-you could blame Michael Lewis' Liar's Poker for that imagery perhaps-you obviously haven't met Vedika Bhandarkar. A few minutes into a conversation with the MD & Head of Investment Banking, J.P. Morgan India, are enough to wipe out those vivid images of fat-cat, short-sighted traders dancing in your head.

Bhandarkar has been in financial services for 14 years now, but you don't see too much of her in the media, pontificating about corporate prospects and fiscal well-being. Along with her penchant for the low profile, her candour too is refreshing. For instance, she'll tell you that when she went on maternity leave to deliver her second baby, it was pretty much a tumultuous period for the firm, which was being restructured to become J.P. Morgan Chase. "My fear was: Would I have my job when I returned? Fortunately, my firm surprised me positively."

It's not for nothing that J.P. Morgan surprised Bhandarkar positively. In the past six years, Bhandarkar has earned plenty of laurels for herself and the firm, the most recent and significant one being the $1.1-billion (Rs 5,060-crore) TCS public offering, where J.P. Morgan was the joint bookrunner. You won't find her taking individual credit for such deals, and that's largely because the "star" culture is pretty alien to J.P. Morgan. Yet, when it comes to executing and closing out deals, it's difficult to leave out Bhandarkar. Like, for instance, in ONGC's acquisition of MRPL from the A.V. Birla Group. Right from the outset-when ONGC Chairman Subir Raha called up Bhandarkar and evinced his interest-the odds were tipped against the deal. mrpl's balance sheet was a mess, loaded with $1.5 billion (Rs 6,900 crore) of high-interest debt. Bhandarkar and her team pulled off a minor miracle by convincing the 15 lenders to the project to take an average 25 per cent haircut. Today, MRPL has a comfortable capital structure, a healthy bottomline and a share price that's climbed over five-fold (in the Rs 40 range) since the restructuring.

Does that make Bhandarkar a star in Indian investment banking circles? She'll probably recoil with horror at such a suggestion. "It's a lot of grunt work. It's the visible results that add a touch of glamour-you either raise equity/debt or you don't; an M&A either works or it doesn't." In Bhandarkar's case, it invariably does.

Thanks to Brian Carvalho, Business Today
__________________
Shobhana Bhartia

47, Vice Chairperson, The Hindustan Times Ltd

Bhartia is still making news and if it isn't the headlines, it is still on Page 1.
This time last year, Bhartia was making the news a lot: The Hindustan Times was set to launch a Mumbai edition; she had inked the first foreign direct investment deal in print media by selling a 20 per cent stake in Hindustan Times Media to Henderson Global Investors; and popular opinion was coming around to the view that the newspaper, once considered the parochial voice of Delhi, was good enough to be labelled a national daily (this was no doubt bolstered by its 10 editions).


Today, Bhartia is still making the news, and if it isn't always the headlines, it is still material good enough for a Page 1 anchor. Earlier this year The Hindustan Times challenged the findings of the National Readership Survey 2003 in a much-publicised battle fought in the courts and on the front pages of newspapers. "The reason we challenged the NRS findings was not because there was a minor difference, not because The Times of India came out ahead of us, but because those figures were ridiculous," she says. The Mumbai edition is yet to launch and the lady admits that "the infrastructure is time consuming" and sets 2005 as the deadline. Meanwhile, she has pulled out a series of innovations, some unique, others not so, to retain reader interest: 2-Minute HT, a headlines-only newspaper; Brunch, a large-format magazine that comes with the Sunday paper; HT Premiere, a supplement on movies; and HT Sports, a four-page-pullout upgrade of the newspaper's sports pages. Bhartia is candid enough to admit that the benefits have to kick in. "This kind of product (Brunch) has to catch on. Though reader response has been great, advertisers have still not found a slot for a magazine that comes with a newspaper."

As if that isn't enough, Bhartia, who burned her hands on a failed diversification into television (Home TV) in the 1990s, says, "We may possibly look at the television business, not in the immediate future, but more on a five-year horizon." That leaves her little time to pursue her interests, especially reading (areas of interest include public and international affairs). Still, she is manfully wading through Bill Clinton's 900-page autobiography. "I enjoy my work terribly," says Bhartia. "So, in a sense, I do not feel I am working (at all)."

(Thanks to Shailesh Dobhal, Business India)
__________________
Nina Bhatti

Principle Scientist, HP Labs, U.S

Nina Bhatti is responsible for the creation of leading-edge web, performance and networking technologies at HP Labs, the company's central research organization, and driving the transformation of these technologies into successful commercial products for HP.



Bhatti built and leads Labs' Customer Business Innovation team, which has led to the design and creation of novel mobile technologies for some of HP's largest customers.

Based in Palo Alto, Calif., Bhatti first joined HP in 1996, holding a position in HP Labs as principal investigator for Internet performance research and the invention of Quality of Service (QoS) techniques for web servers to differentiate treatment of traffic based on client classes, application classes or server load. She served in this role until 2000, and then joined Nokia Ventures Organization as senior investigator for wireless Internet technology for next-generation mobile devices.

In 2002, Bhatti returned to HP Labs, and in 2007 she was promoted to principal scientist. Over the last three years, she has led the Customer Business Innovation team to create unique consumer experiences using mobile phones and specially designed imaging technology. She has also done extension research in consumer connection technologies using RFID-based technologies.

Bhatti holds master's and PhD degrees in computer science from the University of Arizona and a bachelor's degree in computer science and pure mathematics from University of California, Berkeley. Additionally, she has published more than 30 different papers and has filed 25 technology patents
__________________
Anupama Arya

Director of Mobera Systems Pvt. Ltd.

Anupama is the co-founder and Director of Mobera Systems Pvt. Ltd.

Prior to founding Mobera Systems, Anupama co-founded a venture-backed company in silicon valley. She was also involved in doing a roll up of IT service companies in the Bay Area.



Before starting on the entrepreneurial career is 2000, Anupama worked in the Software Development and Architecture groups at Lucent Technologies (Wireless Broadband Networks Group) and Synoptics / Bay Networks.

Anupama has taught topics on networking technologies at UC Berkeley and San Jose State Universities.

Anupama is an angel investor and member of the Band of Angels India, and, an advisor to CrossBridge Partners a silicon valley based venture capital firm.

Anupama Arya, was presented with the all India special award for outstanding woman entrepreneur for the year 2006-07 by Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council presented, at a function held at New Delhi, on 24th October 2007.
______________________________________________________________________________________--
Padma Bandopadhyay

First woman Air Marshal


The Indian Air Force (IAF) today got its first woman Air Marshal, with Padmavathy Bandopadhyay taking over as Director General Medical Services (Air) at the Air Headquarters here.



Sixty-year-old Bandhopadhyay, who joined the IAF in 1968, also has to her credit the distinction of being the first woman officer to become an aviation medicine specialist. Prior to taking over as DGMS (Air), she was handling the charge of Additional Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services. Decorated with the Ativisisht Seva Medal and the Visisht Seva Medal, Bandhopadhyay has also been the Air Officer Commanding of Air Force Central Medical Establishment, New Delhi. She was awarded the Visisht Seva Medal for her meritorious service during the 1971 Indo-Pak conflict. A member of the Indian Society of Aerospace Medicines, International Medical Society and New York Academy of Sciences, Bandhopadhyay has also been a member of a research expedition to the Arctic.

In 2002, Padma Bandopadhyay became the first woman officer of the Indian Air Force to be promoted to the rank of Air Vice Marshal. That, however, is not the only first she has against her name in her career of 33 years in the IAF.

Bandhopadhyay, 55, is the first woman Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Society of India and the first Indian woman to have conducted scientific research at the North Pole. As if that's not enough, she is also the first woman officer to have completed the Defence Service Staff College course - in 1978 - and to command the IAF's Central Medical Establishment (CME).

Admitting that women in the armed forces faced a few problems, Bandhopadhyay said such problems were "social issues that were not insurmountable."

"In Indian society, women are either revered or they had treated very badly. They should be treated as equal partners and individuals," she said. And, as for the future, Bandhopadhyay said she would like to repay a debt to society by joining an organisation that helps the visually challenged or the elderly after she retires from service. "I feel for the old and the blind and I would like to do something to help them," she said.

My salutes to a brave lady
_________________________________________________________________________________________________-
Leila Seth

The first woman chief justice to High Court of India

The first woman Chief Justice to the High Court in India, the first woman Judge of the Delhi High Court, the first woman to top the Bar examinations in London: seventy-three-year-old Leila Seth has led a full life.



Leila was born on 20th October 1930 in Lucknow, India. She studied law with her husband and young children in England, and later practiced in Patna, Calcutta and Delhi. Leila is the mother of three remarkable children – the writer Vikram, whose novel A Suitable Boy captivated the world; Zen Buddhist dharmnacharya, Shantum and film-maker, Aradhana. Leila recently authored her memoirs in On Balance.

Retired as Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh in 1992, Leila was appointed in 1995 as the one-member commission to examine the death in custody of Rajan Pillai, and from 1997 to 2000 was a member of the 15th Law Commission of India. She does arbitration work and is involved in human rights activities. She lives in Noida with her husband Premo, son Shantum, daughter-in-law Gitanjali and granddauther Nandini.
__________________
Anjum Anand

Celebirity Chef

It was all headed for this—that an Indian cookbook should one day outsell Harry Potter in Britain.



And it's not just because Indian food has now well and truly 'colonised' the British palate. It's because an Indian woman "with Angelina Jolie-lips, a cutglass accent and glossy hair" (to quote the London Times) has just become Britain's biggest TV celebrity chef. Move over Nigella Lawson, Anjum Anand is the new 'Domestic Goddess'.

Like most successful ideas, Anjum's is really quite simple. And it succeeded first because it came from her, the woman who dropped more than 30 kgs of weight not by gym sweat but through eating Indian curries—or so she claimed in her earlier book, Indian Every Day: Light, Healthy Indian Food, which came out in 2003 and sold 30,000 copies. Follow that up with Indian Food Made Easy, which makes whipping up a curry seem as easy as slapping together a sandwich, and it's not surprising that it has quickly become a bestseller.

Backed by a picture of her own before-and-after transformation to near-catwalk statistics, Anjum was on her way to stardom before she even sat down to write her first recipe. As she takes the mystique out of Indian cooking on her BBC Television show, she also comes across as someone who finds cooking and eating an unabashedly sensual experience, and who, to quote The Guardian, "can ooze sex into a cucumber raita". Today, presenting a food show on TV has so much to do with how you present yourself.

Stints at Café Spice in New York, the Mondrian hotel in Los Angeles and the Park Royal in New Delhi clearly taught her something about cooking, and about presentation of food. But Anjum has brought something else to her food—the idea of Indian food that is very much in tune with the times. Her food has a "genuinely modern feel," says The Times. Of course, there's only so much you can do to food in a pan, to separate the ancient from the modern. And in most of her recipes that comes down to using minimal oil in a non-stick pan, cooking dal and meat slowly for a long time, and vegetables lightly for a short time. Nothing that an Indian home cook does not already know or do; except that Anjum has been able to turn this into a marketing triumph.

(Thanks to Sanjay Suri, Outlook India)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________---
Preethi Nair, London

Fashion Designer/Management Consultat/Award winning writer

Preethi Nair was born in Kerala, Southern India, but raised in London, where she now lives.Following a career as a management consultant, she gave it all up to self-publish her first novel, Gypsy Masala, which received tremendous publicity. She now writes full time.



First she was a singer. Walked everywhere with her microphone hairbrush. Then, she was a fashion designer. Snipped at everything in sight; saris, bed sheets, curtains.... In the late 70's, her Red Doll was the The Fashion Diva, wearing all the latest creations. Then, she became a foreign correspondent. Cutting out the newspaper, modifying only slightly, putting together a newsletter which she posted to her neighbours, threatening them with more products unless they supported her in her endeavour (some would say that nothing has changed that much).

Following a career as management consultant she started writting books. Her first novel Gypsy masala was first published in 2000. In the novel, Evita (real name Molu, but she’s always had a tendency towards the theatrical) is stuck in a 9-to-5 job until she hears the irresistible beat of a drum, summoning her to follow her dream. It takes her to faraway places and people, from remote villages in Kerala to the heart of contemporary London, but the rhythm of change is also to be found closer to home. Some of the comments about her novel are:

‘She is dynamite.’ Bookseller
‘A little gem... a mystical and beautifully lyrical book’ New Woman

Her other novels are 100 shades of white, Colour of love and Kiss the frog.

She has won the Young Achiever prize at London’s annual Asian Women of Achievement Awards.
__________________
Madi Sharma

Award winning enterpruner, U.K


Madi Sharma, is the Managing Director of Original Eastern Foods in Nottingham, U.K. As a single working parent, Madi encourages flexible working so people can cover their elder and childcare responsibilities.



She says: "I find staggered working patterns benefit my business and I see people as my most valuable asset. The people in my company are the ones who hand produce our food products and without exceptional and dedicated staff, I would have no business."

Thirtyseven-year-old Madi Sharma, whose Nottingham food business turns out 14,000 bhajis, naans and samosas every week, was named Entrepreneur of the Year in U.K in 2003. She was the runner-up in the Best Boss in U.K, 2002. She is also a member in several national bodies of U.K
__________________________________________________________________________________
Marisha Malik

Captain, U.S Air Force

Captain Marisha Malik, of Potomac, Maryland, was among the Ten Outstanding Young Americans selected nationally by the United States Junior Chamber (Jaycees).
The TOYA program, established in 1938, is one of the oldest recognition events in America. The Jaycees recognise 10 young men and women who best exemplify the finest attributes of America's youthful achievers.



Earlier award winners include US Presidents John F Kennedy, Richard M Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Bill Clinton , and US Vice-Presidents Nelson Rockefeller, Dan Quayle, Al Gore and Richard Cheney. Also honoured in the past were billionaire Howard Hughes and US Senator Ted Kennedy, Elvis Presley and actors Orson Welles, Christopher Reeve and Shannon Reed.

Captain Malik, 27, is currently the officer in charge of the 18th Aircraft Maintenance Unit at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. She leads teams delivering combat-ready aircraft, equipment and people.

She directs and implements maintenance plans supporting more than 3,000 sorties and 5,000 flying hours annually, and is responsible for the morale, training, discipline, and management of 230 personnel in nine Air Force specialties.

The captain was born of an Indian father and a Burmese mother. She was a student at The Holton-Arms School in Bethesda and graduated in 1998. She obtained her bachelor's degree in criminal justice in 2002 from the University of Arizona and joined the US Air Force as a second lieutenant.

In 2004, she was deployed to the 379th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron in Qatar, where she served as the Assistant OIC of the 335th Expeditionary AMU, producing more than 1,148 combat sorties and delivering 16,000 pounds of munitions. In 2005 she moved to Eielson Air Force Base where she led 87 military and civilian personnel performing maintenance on 43 F-16 and A-10 aircraft. In 2006, she once again deployed, this time to Afghanistan, where she served as the maintenance flight commander for the 451st Air Expeditionary Group.

She has been recognised for significant military and personal achievements. She has received the Air Force Commendation Medal twice, for meritorious service at the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and for outstanding achievement while deployed in Afghanistan, the Air Force Achievement Medal for outstanding achievement while deployed to Qatar; the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award twice; and the National Defense Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

( Thanks to Rediff.com)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________--
Professor Anna Mani

Former Deputy Director General, India Metrological Department

Professor Anna Mani ,a pioneering woman in Indian science, passed away on August 16, 2001. Highly regarded in scientific circles and admired as a woman of great character, she was one of India's early feminists. She transcended the delimited cultural and physical spaces available to her, says ABHA SUR.



As young student Anna worked under Sir C.V.Raman. After she retrired from the Indian metrological service, she continued to work at the Raman Institute in Bangalore as long as she possibly could. She is admired for her scientific achievements internationally and loved for her warmth and laughter; but her most heroic achievements has been her battle in the last few years before her death in 2001 against Parkinson's and a series of strokes.

Over the years, Anna Mani had many associations with the World Meteorological
Organisation (WMO) and the International Association for Meteorology
and Atmospheric Physics (IAMAP). In 1967 she spent three months in the
WMO Secretariat, revising the Guide to Meteorological Instrument and Observing
Practice, while in 1975 she served as a WMO consultant in Egypt, to advise
on the development of a national radiation centre, a radiation station network
and research on radiation. She was an enthusiastic member of several WMO
and IAMAP commissions and working groups and took a leading part in international
comparisons of various meteorological instruments. She was also influential
in the selection of Davos as the World Radiation Centre.

She was awarded K.R. Ramanathan Medal by Indian National Science Academy.

My homages to a great Indian woman scientist.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dr. Indira N. Hinduja

Consultant Gynaecologist & Obstetrician
KEM Hospital, Mumbai


Dr. Indira Hinduja is an M.D. in Gynaecology and Obstetrics and she was awarded the Ph. D. degree for her thesis entitled HUMAN IN VITRO FERTILIZATION AND EMBRYO TRANSFER from the Bombay University when she was a full time practising Obstetrician and Gynaecologist on the clinical faculty of the Seth G.S. Medical College and King Edward Memorial Hospital, Bombay. This significant contribution lies in combining her basic successful surgical skills with those of experimental embryology, endocrinology and cell biology, which led to the first ever, scientifically documented ‘test tube baby’ in the country on 6th August 1986. This creditable achievement has been the result of the collaborated efforts of the KEM Hospital and Institute for Research in Reproduction (ICMR).



She is the pioneer on Gamete Intra Fallopian Transfer (GIFT) technique resulting in the birth of India’s first GIFT baby on 4th January 1988. She is also credited for developing a oocyte donation technique for menopausal and premature ovarian failure patients, giving the country’s first baby out of this technique on 24th January 1991.

She is very active in the field of research and is involved in a number of research projects.

For her outstanding performances, she has been felicitated on many occasions. She is also the recipient of many awards, amongst which Young Indian Award (1987), Outstanding Lady Citizen of Maharashtra State Jaycee Award (1987), Bharat Nirman Award for Talented Ladies (1994), International Women’s Day Award by the Mayor of Bombay (1995; 2000), Life time Achievement Award by Federation of Obstetrics & Gynaecological Society of India (1999) and Dhanvantari Award by The Governor of Maharashtra (2000) are a few.
__________________
KAVITA HURRY
42, Managing Director, ING Vysya Mutual Fund

"Life is about balance," states Kavita Hurry, head of ING Vysya Mutual Fund. She should know. Ensconced on a chaise lounge in her 13th floor apartment in Mumbai's plush downtown residential area, Cuffe Parade, she takes a brief break from a hectic schedule which involved an IPO closing over the weekend, even as she checks on the status of her kids' homework (aged 13 and 10). The balance she speaks of comes through all too clearly, as she reflects on her career that has involved a series of decisions that would help her, well, strike that balance.



This MBA from NM Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, was once sure of a marketing job, that being her academic specialization ("I was really interested in HR though"). She had her first placement offers from a hotel and ad agency. "My parents were not too happy about these industries, and so the moment the offer from the Bank of Credit and Commerce (BCCI) happened, I jumped at it."
After five years of going through various functions in trade finance, retail banking, foreign exchange, among other departments, Hurry landed an opportunity to try her hand at what she had really wanted -- human resource planning, when she got to head the department at the ill-fated BCCI.

When the bank shut operations in India, Hurry had an offer from ANZ Grindlays who was looking for people for line functions, albeit with an HR background. The profile fit Hurry to the T, and the next three years were spent at ANZ Grindlays, largely in a manpower planning role. "I was keen to be in a line function by then, particularly in a business acquisition role and my first opportunity came when a General Manager at ANZ moved to ING and I was offered a job in credit operations. In course of time I figured my skill set was right for private banking." This was 1994. The aftermath of the Harshad Mehta scam was not the best time to start a portfolio management business but "we went ahead and told the regulator we would bring international norms to portfolio management and we actually pioneered private banking then". ING followed up private banking in India with offshore operations in Dubai, London and Singapore. "Offshore private banking was a great way of earning a dollar salary without leaving India," laughs Hurry.

A feat that Hurry considers rather unique in her stint at the helm of ING Vysya Mutual Fund, is the fact that she hasn't spent a single rupee on advertising. Not a single rupee? "Yes that's right," she says, emphatically, adding "I believe that we need to talk to people. Actually make eye contact and talk when we sell our products. I have never been clear about how much bang for the buck advertising really delivers. I have clenched my teeth and decided to do it my way, which means a lot more PR than advertising."

(Thanks to Business Today)
__________________
Gowri Chandrakasan

Director of Grade Scientist (retired) and Hon. Professor, CLRI, Chennai, India

Women constitute nearly half the global population but gaining "equal" status in a society still remains a far-fetched and a cherished dream for them. Gender inequality exists in work, employment, earning, education, health status and decision-making powers. In politics, women's representation in decision-making positions is consistently low.



Along with her scientific career, she synchronized social service to the community for the past 4 decades. Being a member and holding leadership positions in some of the following organizations such as Altrusa International Inc, USA (Past President); Lions Club International (First Lady Lion District Governor, Chennai, 2003-2004); Regional development chair (2005-2006); Family Planning Association of India; University Women Association, Madras (Association Representative 2005-2006); Ladies Organization of FICCI; and Madras Science Association (Secretary and Vice President) and Indian Women Scientist Association, during the last 10 years she carried out several development projects for women and children, particularly the girl child. These programs included, nutrition, hygiene and sanitation, environment, education and health, leadership and self-employment opportunities, networking with Self Health Group women. Published a booklet on health care for women and children. Actively participated as moderator, panelist and speaker in Inida, South Asia, Africa, Middle East Forum Workshop on Leadership Opportunities for Women, Ceylon 2004.

In the area of science, involved in popularization of science and was the principal investigator for a project on "Action Research to bring gender parity in science and technology" and organized the conference on state level consultation on science and technology for women - 'A millennium dialogue'. State government recognized her contributions in the awareness program on Rubella virus and vaccination for adolescent girls and childbearing age group of women. She asserts that she will certainly be an important part of our total effort to increase the status of women.
_______________________________________________________________________________________-

Uma Pemmaraju

Recognized by The Daily News as groundbreaking "up and comer," Uma Pemmaraju first joined the FOX News Channel (FNC) in 1996 as host of the hard news daytime program "FOX News Now." Pemmaraju rejoined FNC in 2003 as a news update anchor and substitute host for various programs. She is currently the Sunday host of FNC's "FOX News Live."

While at FNC, Pemmaraju has anchored "The FOX Report" and secured many interviews with celebrities and newsmakers, including an exclusive with the Dalai Lama. She has also hosted specials for FNC, including "A Special for Young People," which features top newsmakers offering advice on life challenges to young adults. Named one of Spotlight Magazine's "20 Intriguing Women of 1998," Pemmaraju was the first Indian-American anchor to regularly appear on national television.

Prior to joining FNC, Pemmaraju was a news anchor and special correspondent at a CBS affiliate station in Dallas. Previously, she was an anchor and correspondent for WBZ-TV (NBC) in Boston and a producer for the syndicated show, "The Evening Magazine." Aside from her television career, Pemmaraju served as a reporter for the San Antonio Express News and also taught journalism at Emerson College and Harvard University.

Born in India and raised in the United States, Pemmaraju received her degree in political science from Trinity University in Texas. In addition to being coined as "Boston's Best Anchor" in 1996 and 1997 by Boston Magazine, Pemmaraju has received several Emmy awards for her reporting and investigative journalism. Other accolades throughout her career include the Texas AP award for reporting in 2002, the Woman of Achievement award from the Big Sisters Organization of America and the Matrix Award from Women in Communications.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Padmasree Warrior

CTO at Cisco

Warrior, 47, was named Motorola's CTO in 2003 and held numerous positions at the company over her 23 year career including corporate vice president and general manager of Motorola's energy systems group and corporate vice president and chief technology officer for Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector (SPS).



Warrior holds a M.S. degree in chemical engineering from Cornell University and a B.S. degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), New Delhi. In 2007 she was awarded Doctor of Engineering, Honoris Causa from New York's Polytechnic University. Warrior is an external director on the board of Corning Corporation.

Warrior also gave blogging a new high today when she blogged on Cisco's official blogs after her appointment, stating the reasons for joining. "...What are some of the characteristics of solutions driving the next wave of Internet evolution? We already see many precursors for this such as collaboration, Web 2.0, and Always-on Demand. Cisco has been at the forefront of this shift where the network becomes the platform to deliver the next wave of applications and services.

"...I am eager to bring to Cisco my technical expertise, over 20 years of experience in many aspects of the communications industry, a global bent of mind and an energizing leadership style. As we get to know each other, you will also see me as a tireless champion for innovation and inclusion. I enjoy envisioning and creating the future, and leveraging technology leadership for business growth. Expertise, experience, energy - these exemplify my platform for achievement. This Platform Paradigm draws me to Cisco. ...However, I will begin by listening...your comments, please."

____________________________________________________________________________________________


Rita Gunasekaran



Rita Gunasekaran is a partner and chair of the Appellate Practice Group at Haight Brown & Bonesteel, a Los Angeles law firm. Her professional work involves filing briefs and writ petitions arising from complex civil litigation. Before joining her law firm, she worked as a research attorney at the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, in Los Angeles. Ms. Gunasekaran was born in India and received her undergraduate degree and law degree from the University of Madras.



Ms. Gunasekaran is a leader in the field of appellate law. In addition to being a certified specialist in appellate law, she chaired the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Appellate Courts Committee from 1997 to 1999 and was selected as a member of the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers. She has been listed among the top 50 women lawyers and top appellate lawyers of Southern California from 2004 to 2006.

Ms. Gunasekaran also devotes a great deal of her time to volunteer work, primarily in leadership positions. She served as chair of the State Bar's Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE) in 1996; president of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles County from 2001 to 2002; trustee-at-large for the Los Angeles County Bar Association from 2002 to 2004; and officer and board member of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles from 1989 to 1994. She also served on the boards of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center from 2003 to 2006, Public Counsel from 1997 to 2003, and the Center for Civic Education from 2001 to 2002. Among the awards she has received, Ms. Gunasekaran was the first recipient of the National South Asian Bar Trailblazer Award.