ITBHUGlobal.org: The Chronicle

We have a number of news to report in this issue.

We are pleased to state that govt. has finally announced the conversion of IT-BHU into an IIT. This ends our 35 year old struggle to get an IIT status. We congratulate to everyone, including our HRD Ministry, govt., our VC Dr. Panjab Singh and our Director, Prof. S. N. Upadhyay for their efforts to make it possible. We hope that the process of conversion will be completed within a year. This issue contains several articles about this news.

There is another landmark judgment from our Supreme Court, which has approved govt. plan to introduce OBC quota for students in undergraduate courses at premier institutes including BHU. Our institute will also have to follow the ruling and admit 54% more students over a period of 3 years. This will need building more infrastructures, hiring of faculty, etc.

As usual, we are publishing complete details of IT-BHU convocation in this issue, including complete list students who received degrees. The issue also announces the formation of our umbrella alumni organization, called IT-BHU Global Alumni Association.

On a sad note, we are reporting demise of two of students, Anil Kumar and Rahul Singh; and our alumnus, Arun Mani.

We need more news. Please send us news, events, articles, information, etc, at: chronicle [AT] itbhuglobal.org. Please indicate your branch/year and college (if other than IT-BHU).

For specific information, contact Yogesh Upadhyaya at: Yogesh.Upadhyay [AT] CHE77.itbhuglobal.org

Or Anshuman Singh at: Anshuman.Singh [AT] EEE98.itbhuglobal.org

Thanking you, 
The Chronicle Team

The recent news (announced on Friday, 28 March, 2008) about the government’s decision to set up a total of 8 new IITs during 11^th Five-Year Plan (March 2007 – February 2012) and convert our institute into an IIT has spread like a wild fire. The students and faculty at our campus have overcome with joy and they are awaiting a bright future. The news has also brought cheers to our alumni, administration and to our University. 

The Chronicle shares joy with our community. We have planned to celebrate the event with special articles about the news and process for conversion into an IIT. We are publishing several articles to cover the issue. This includes ‘FAQ ‘and ‘What Next’ to give more details about the IIT process. There are articles on “Why IIT” and “published media”.  

We have also listed major newspapers which carried the news. More news and discussion can be found on our parent website at www.itbhuglobal.org.

(By: Yogesh K Upadhyaya) 

The recent govt. announcement to convert our institute into an IIT has filled our hearts with joy. It has also created anxiety about the issue. The Chronicle has contacted the authorities to get the idea about the IIT news and process. We hope our readers will find it useful. 

Please note that the information given here is correct at the time of publishing. It may change over a period of months.

______________ 

Q-1: What does the govt. announcement say? 

The announcement (made on Friday, March 28, 2008) says that govt. plans to convert IT-BHU into an IIT. It is the only institute selected this time for conversion based on the criteria of its long-time association with IIT-JEE exam and quality of standard comparable to IITs. 

It says: 

“In addition, it is also proposed to convert the Institute of Technology of the Banaras Hindu University   into an IIT.  Admission to this Institute is already based on the IIT – Joint Entrance Examination.” 

Q-2: Is the news real? 

Yes, the news is real and there is no doubt about it. In the past, we used to get similar news (about our institute being selected for upgrade), but they were published by few newspapers, showing some sort of possibility. This time the news was carried over by all the major news media. It was also published by govt. Press Information Bureau: 

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=36955 

The above news was announced by our HRD Minister Shri Arjun Singh in a press conference. He also added that the list of IITs is approved by our Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. 

Our alumni association has independently verified the news with HRD Ministry, our Vice Chancellor and our Director. 

Q-3: What will be new name of our institute after conversion? 

After completion of all formalities and approval, our institute shall be called “IIT-BHU, Varanasi”. This is to reflect the emotional attachment to our University and our desire to continue collaborating with other faculties (Science, Medical, Management, Law, Agriculture, etc.), as stated by our VC during teleconference with a group of our alumni. 

Q-4: Will it be an IIT? 

It will be exactly same as other IITs. It will have same funding, same brand image. Except that it will be still a part of BHU. It will have financial, academic and administrative autonomy similar to IITs. It will be part of league of all established and new IITs. It will have exactly same standard of curriculum, same pay scale for faculty, even same logo as that of IITs.  

Q-5: What about administration? 

The institute shall have the same mode of governance as that of IITs, including the post of Director and Registrar. However, the Chairman of the Board of IIT-BHU shall always be the Vice-Chancellor of the University, while in other IITs he is an outside person nominated by the government. Govt. has already stated that new IITs (including ours) will have administrative structure somewhat different than the existing IITs. 

This is because we have emotional ties with our university since the inception of our college in 1919. It is unthinkable that our university can be separated from its only engineering college.  

Q-6: What will be the conversion process? 

The conversion of our institute into an IIT is a complex political process, involving incorporating it into the IIT Act and also modifying BHU Act. More details is provided in a separate article “IIT-BHU announced, what next?” 

Q-7: How long the conversion will take? 

As per our information, it will start very soon and it will be over very quickly. As a first step, a bill to support new IITs shall be introduced in the coming monsoon session of the parliament (July-August). 

The entire process may take less than a year (according to our VC). This is because general national election is planned for May 2009; and any change in the new govt. at center may change the plan for new IITs.  

If everything goes as per the plan, our institute may become an IIT before the end of next academic year (June 2008-April 2009). In that case, students graduating in 2009 will get an IIT-BHU certificate. 

Till that time, we shall continue to be known as IT-BHU. 

Q-8: Any obstacles or concerns about conversion process? 

Since the plan is already approved by the central govt. and the cabinet, we do not see any problems during conversion process. However, we have to watch out for the milestones such as parliament modifies IIT Act.  

We also have to wait for approval of separation of our faculty from the university by the BHU Executive Council and modification of BHU Act by the parliament. This rule is also applicable for conversion of Institute of medical Sciences-BHU to AIIMS, which is already announced by central govt.

(http://www.itbhuglobal.org/chronicle/archives/2007/05/#001681) 

Q-9: What are the benefits of becoming an IIT? 

Benefits of becoming an IIT are too much to list. Please refer to our special article “Why we opted for an IIT status?” 

Q-10: What about govt. funding? 

With becoming an IIT, we will receive more govt. funding. To begin with, we will start receiving annual funding from the central govt. immediately, from the next academic year (June 2008-April 2009). Currently our institute receives about Rs. 50 crores /yr. From next academic year, it will be at par with other IITs. IITs receive Rs. 110 crores/year on average, apart from Rs. 30-50 crores/yr as research funding. 

Besides, we shall also receive funds to improve our infrastructure. The amount is to be decided, but it will be generous. 
 

This is question being asked by the overwhelming majority of our community who supports conversion, as well as a small group of minorities who feels that IT-BHU had its own brand image. Let us outline the advantages of becoming an IIT: 

a) More govt. funding:

One immediate benefit of becoming an IIT is the increase in govt. support and funding. Our annual funding of Rs. 50 crores /year will increase to IIT level (average of Rs. 110 crores/yr) starting from next academic year (June 2008-April 2009). We will also receive about Rs. 30-50 crores of research grants per year, just like other IITs. 

We will also receive generous amount of funding to improve our aging infrastructure. The amount is yet to be finalized. It will help improve our hostels, staff quarters, departments, labs, workshop, lecture halls, libraries, facilities, computer center, internet connectivity, etc.  

b) Attracting students:

The academic standard of our college was always at par with IITs. With the official recognition, we will receive more number of students with better IIT-JEE ranks. With more hostels, departments, etc. in place due to planned infrastructure improvement, we can accommodate more students. Currently, we admit about 600 undergraduate (B. Tech) and 200 M. Tech students each year.  

c) Attracting faculty:

Currently we have about 280 strong faculty on our campus. We also have very good faculty to student ratio of 1:7, compared to IITs, which have ratios ranging from 1:8 to 1:10.  With increased funding due to coming IIT status, we can hire more faculties. For the past two years, we have kept on hold a plan to hire 110 more teachers.  

With IIT status and brand name, we will be able to attract the faculty as we need. The existing and new faculty will receive IIT pay-scales, which is higher than current UGC (University Grant Commission) pay-scales. Also, the lowest faculty position in an IIT scheme is that of Assistant Professor (compared to lecturer position in current UGC scheme), giving further advantage to teaching staff. 

d) Attracting campus jobs:

Our college already enjoys perfect placement for campus jobs. For the past several years, our TPO (Training and Placement Office) has been able to attract diverge companies for campus interview and provided placement to ALL the students who opted for it. For undergraduates, there is on average two offers per student.  

After becoming an IIT, we will see many companies making bee-line to our campus with higher pay-package. We shall then be able to attract diverse and global companies in finance, banking, management, cutting-edge research, etc. We will also witness some direct overseas posting for our graduates. 

e) Better brand image and recognition:

With acquiring IIT status, our public image will vastly improve. With the blessing of our parliament, we shall become INI (Institutes of National Importance) and shall receive special govt. funding and support. With becoming a part of IIT league, our prestige will enhance further nationally as well as internationally. This will help our students to get training/internship/study abroad. 

f) Improving ranking:

With IIT tag, our magazine ranking will improve. In last year’s rankings by 3 national magazines, we came within top 10 in two of the magazines. Now we will try to come within top 5 or even among top 3 engineering colleges. 

With so many IITs (now16 including all announced) coming up and as some of the NITs are also improving their rankings, it would have been difficult for us without IIT tag to come even among top 20 colleges. This would have affected our public image, quality of admitted students, job placement, etc. 
 

This is the first question that comes into the mind of our community after hearing of news. Sine our institute will be converted into an IIT, the govt. steps required are somewhat different than those for brand-new IITs.  

Based on the past conversion of Roorkie University to IIT-Roorkie in 2002, we can learn about the possible steps. We have learnt from our authority that the entire process may take less than a year. If we apply business model of project management, we can assume the following chart with % progress of completion: 

Step # Step         % complete

1  Govt. announce its plan for conversion of IT-BHU into an IIT   20%

2. Govt. modifies IIT Act, 1963 in the parliament     50%

3. BHU Executive Council approves separation of IT from BHU   60%

4. Govt. modifies BHU Act, 1915 in parliament     80%

5. Govt. notifies the institute and university to go ahead for IIT status  80%

6. University and institute complete administrative formalities, inform govt.  85%

7. Govt. announces in parliament about IIT-BHU and sends final notifications

     to university, institute, IIT board and state govt.      90%

8. A notice is published in govt. gazette Extraordinary.    95%

9. The institute starts functioning as an IIT.      100%

Our struggle for getting an IIT status and due recognition was helped by several people, including our alumni as well as other noted writers, who helped create mass awareness about this sensitive issue. These well-informed and well-documented articles in national news media helped form informed opinion among decision makers, noted faculty of reputed technical institutes and common mass alike. Several of these articles have been considered as classic articles and found well acceptance and used as reference for Google Search, used as citations, posted on Wikipedia and debated across the country. 

a) Articles by Yogesh K Upadhyaya (Chemical 1977) in Rediff.com 

1) The making of new IITs, March 23, 2005

http://www.rediff.com/money/2005/mar/23iit.htm 

2) New IITs: A long Journey ahead, May 25, 2005

http://us.rediff.com/money/2005/may/25iit.htm 

3) The march of the new IITs, August 18, 2005

http://in.rediff.com/money/2005/aug/18guest.htm 

4) New IITs: A report card, December 27, 2005

http://rediff.co.in/money/2005/dec/27iit.htm 

5) The IIT story: IIESTs, 3 new IITs on way, September 28, 2006

http://in.rediff.com/money/2006/sep/28iit.htm 

b) Article by Yogesh Upadhyaya and Arvind Gupta (Electronics 1992) 

India's top 20 engineering colleges, June 28, 2005

http://www.rediff.com/money/2005/jun/28spec.htm 

c) Article by Sanjay Dani (Computer Science 1987) 

IT-BHU: A seat at the IIT table?, May 23, 2005

http://www.rediff.com/money/2005/may/23iit1.htm 

d) Article by S. S. Vasan, Rhodes Scholar 

IIT-Varanasi: a pipe-dream? April 04, 2005

http://www.hinduonnet.com/edu/2005/04/04/stories/2005040400141000.htm 

e) Article by Chitta Baral, owner of http://newiits.blogspot.com/ 

For IIT upgrade, an alternative roadmap, July 11, 2006

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/8266.html

We are sad to announce the untimely death of our student, Mr. Anil Kumar (2^nd year M. Tech.) on Saturday 5^th April, 2008, due to heart problem. He was suffering from chest pain for past two days and he was taken to Sir Sunder Lal Hospital (SSL) on the BHU campus, where he breathed his last. We all share the grief with his family. May his soul rest in peace.

 We received the following information from Arpit Sharma, 1^st year M. Tech.

Sir,

Mr. Anil Kumar, student of M. Tech. 2^nd year, School of Biomedical Engineering departed us on Saturday, 5^th April 2008. Mr. Anil Kumar, a master of Microcontrollers, was born on 20^th July, 1982 in Lakhimpur Kheri, UP. He was second child and only brother among three sisters. He was a man of practical knowledge; who was working on Microcontroller based ‘Heart Lung Machine with Bubble Detection’. If he could have completed his project then it could have saved life of many cardiac patients. His passage is not only a loss to his Family, friends, and department, Institute or University but also to humanity. His dream was to become an IES officer, to serve this nation. In his last voyage his friends received a microcontroller from his pocket through which he was going to give the final touch to his project.

His parents were informed after his passage. They reached Varanasi at 1 AM on 7^th April. They were given the body in presence of Proctor Prof. S. K. Singh, Coordinator Prof. A. K. Ray, Mr. Neeraj Sharma (lecturer), Prof. S. K. Shrivastava (Hostel Coordinator), Warden Vivekanand Hostel and friends. They wished to take the body to their home town so BHU provided a van for it. They leaved the university at 3 AM and reached at about 12 noon.

Dr. S. K. Rai his supervisor is distressed on this news. He says I was waiting for his project to complete, so that it could have been proved as a commercial biomedical device to benefit many dying souls.

Mr. Neeraj Sharma his teacher says he was a calm guy and used to concern about his job.

Mr. Gaurav Goel his classmate says that Late Anil Kumar was of very cooperative nature. He used to assist him in his project and his expectation was that his project would have been completed through his valuable help. He was having a sound knowledge of electronic hardware.

Mr. Dilip Upadhyaya his roommate with tears says he was affable. He used to follow his routine hardly and we are missing him a lot in all of our work.

I also miss him as a good senior. He promised me to teach about microcontrollers, but nature did not accept this.

Thanking you

Yours Faith fully

Arpit Sharma

M. Tech. 1^st Year
School of Biomedical Engineering

IT BHU

Below please find a letter received from Arpit Sharma, 1^st year M. Tech. student, who explains the hours before Anil Kumar died. Please note that views expressed are his own views and chronicle merely publishes it. Sir Sunder Lal Hospital is a part of Institute of Medical Sciences-BHU and it caters to a large population of eastern UP and western Bihar.

____________________________

Sub: Death of our student and friend, Mr. Anil Kumar

Sir,                                                                           

We are sad to inform you that; Mr. Anil Kumar, M. Tech 2^nd year student of School of Biomedical Engineering is no more with us. On Saturday morning, he went to Health center at 11:30 AM and consulted doctor on duty about his chest pain. He was suffering from it since last two nights. Doctor referred him to Chest OPD of Sir Sunder Lal Hospital. He started to go to SSL Hospital on his cycle. Feeling more painful condition, he called his friends near Broacha Hostel. Friends took him to chest OPD - SSL, from there he was referred to Coronary Care Unit on 4^th floor. The lift was not working properly.  After half an hour a doctor visited him in CCU till that time his condition became further worse. Doctor finally reported about blockage in arteries. Finally he departed us at 1:20PM.

I wish to state that no ambulance facility is available. Critical patients have to arrange their own vehicle as only Cycles and Rickshaw facility is available for most of the students.

Such deaths could be avoided if proper concern is given to patients. Doctors not only heal patients pathologically but also psychologically.

Along with it I also advise students to discuss about their health to room mates, friends, teachers and parents. They should inform warden, teachers in case of chronic diseases. It is painful to hear that this year our institute has suffered several deaths of students and staff. I also request please ride your bikes safely within control so that next case of accident should not arise, as of Rahul Singh (B. Tech. Meta 2^nd yr).

Yours Faithfully,

Arpit Sharma

M. Tech. 1^st year,

School of Biomedical Engineering,

IT- BHU.

Email: sharma.arp@gmail.com

We are sad to announce the untimely death of our alumnus, Mr. Arun Mani (Metallurgy 1984) on 7^th April, 2008, due to Cancer of the colon. We all share the grief with his family. May his soul rest in peace. 

We received the following information from Balaji Narsimhan (Chemical 1984) 

This is to inform about the passing away of Mr. Arun Mani (Metallurgy 1984) in Chennai.

He died of Cancer of the colon. 

He was in pains for more than a year ever since his first surgery in 2006. He had been fighting hard and the doctors were really amazed at the lease of life he got extended due to is will power.

He is leaving behind wife and two sons (one in Final year of school and another in engineering college).

 Pray - his soul rest in peace. 

Balaji Narsimhan (Chemical 1984)

Email: balajifrombhu@yahoo.com

________________________________________________________

1) My condolences to the family. May God give them strength. Arun was one of the wittiest persons I have come across. I have very vivid memories of squash games with him. 

Adieu Friend. May your soul rest in Peace. 

Vivek Chopra (Mechanical 1985)

Email: vikkstud71@yahoo.com

___________________

2)

2)  I did meet Arun while at Gangtok 2 years back. He seemed to be in good health. This news comes as a shock. Hope his family gets the strength to go through this trying time. 

Sharad Nayak (Chemical 1985)

Sharad.Nayak@shell.com 
_________________________ 
 
3) I have fond memories of Arun. His passing away saddens us all . May Ishwar grant peace, affection & strength to his family. 

Anshumali Tandon (Chemical 1985)

Email: anshumalitandon@gmail.com

______________________ 

4) I remember Arun Mani very well since we made good friends during ragging days at Morvi.  My condolences to his family and friends. This is sad news for me as well. 

Rajiv Hukku (Electronics 1983)

Email: rajiv.hukku@gmail.com

______________________________ 

5) I remember Arun Mani well. He used to either be in Morvi or spend a lot of time at Morvi. If memory serves me right he was into cricket as well  

 I remember him well

May his soul rest in peace 

Vish Narayanan (Electrical 1983)

Email: vish.narayanan@gmail.com

________________________ 

6) I am saddened to hear about Arun Mani's demise. My memories about Arun Mani are mostly from the cricket grounds - a solid & stylish opening batsman with well groomed technique. As a person, he was generally cool and laid back, with his Calcutta upbringing adding to his sophistication.  

May his soul rest in peace. 

Vasudevan Raghavan (Mechanical 1983)

Email: vasu_erfolg@yahoo.com

We are sad to announce the untimely death of our student, Mr. Rahul Singh (B. Tech. 2^nd year Metallurgical Engineering) on 28 February, 2008, due to motorbike accident. He died on the spot. We all share the grief with his family. May his soul rest in peace. 
 

Sir,

Mr. Rahul Singh, student of B. Tech. 2^nd year, Metallurgical Engineering departed us on 28 February, 2008.

Rahul was from Bhilai. He was an active member at Technex 08. Some people went to celebrate the success of Technex 08 to JHV Cinema for a movie outing. When they were returning (28 Feb 2008, 01:30 am IST), unfortunately Rahul was left behind and he was trying to catch up. All of them were on bikes but Rahul was alone riding the bike. He was not a frequent rider so could not save himself from a truck at the crossing and collided sideways with full velocity with the diesel tank of the truck. He expired on the spot. A condolence meeting was held by the Institute Director and students paid their condolences in big amounts. He left many students weeping because of his socially well behaved nature. 

Here is the Orkut profile link of Rahul. It is still there on Orkut.

http://www.orkut.com/Profile.aspx?uid=13811764893905650288

I also request everyone to please ride your bikes safely within control so that next case of accident should not arise. 

Yours Faithfully,

Praharsh Sharma

Part II Electronics, IT-BHU.IT- BHU.

Email: praharshsharmaster@gmail.com

We are familiar with internet scams which clog our email box daily. Typically it involves an email from a remote African country from an unknown well-wisher.  He will claim that his uncle has left $20 million in the bank account, but to get money, he needs $20,000 urgently from us, and then he will split his uncle’s fortune with us. The logic of such sending such emails is simple: by sending out thousands of emails daily, at least few gullible people will respond. 

The same thing was experienced recently by few of our alumni. They received a real-looking email, supposed to be from a faculty member (name withheld) who was ‘stranded’ in Malaysia, and was badly in need of some money to get out of the situation. Many believed the e-mail as it was the first time they were requested for help by a ‘faculty’ and felt it was their duty to bail him out. Luckily, one of the alumni contacted the professor, on whose name the email was written. The professor was shocked to hear this, and everyone was relieved to know that it was just a internet scam, operating from other country. 

We alert everyone who receives such fraud emails in future, to first contact the concerned person (on whose behalf the email is written) and verify the fact. Below please find the cleverly drafted email received by several of our alumni. 

Hello,  

How are you doing today? I am sorry I didn't inform you about my traveling to Malaysia for a program called "Empowering Youth to Fight Racism, HIV/AIDS, Poverty and Lack of Education. The program is taking place in three major countries in Asia, which are Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. It has been a very sad and bad moment for me; the present condition that I found myself is very hard for me to explain.

I am really stranded in Malaysia because I forgot my little bag in the Taxi where my money, passport, documents and other valuable things were kept on my way to the Hotel am staying, I am facing a hard time here because I have no money on me. I now owe a hotel bill of $1,400 and they wanted me to pay the bill soon or else they will have to seize my bag and hand me over to the Hotel Management. I need this help from you urgently to help me back home, I need you to help me with the hotel bill and I will also need $1,800 to feed and help myself back home. So please can you help me with a sum of $3,200 to sort out my problems here? I need this help so much and on time because i am in a terrible and tight situation here, I don't even have money to feed myself for a day which means i had been starving, so please understand how urgent I need your help.  

I am sending you this e-mail from the city Library, I will appreciate what so ever you can afford to send me for now and I promise to pay back your money as soon as I return home. So please let me know on time so that I can forward to you the details of one of the hotel manager you need to transfer the money to me through Money Gram or Western Union. 

Hope to hear from you soon. The embassy here have already promised to give me a covering traveling papers that I will need to have my way back home, all I need right now is the money to settle up the bills and leave.

 Thanks and get back to me soon. 

Regards, 

 Prof.xxxx

Department of xxxxxx Engineering

Institute of Technology

Banaras Hindu University

Varanasi 221 005, INDIA

http://green.info-please.co.uk/20080322_%E2%80%98industrial-development-should-be-environment-friendly%E2%80%99.html

‘Industrial development should be environment-friendly’

By admin • Mar 22nd, 2008 • Category: Environmental Policy, Featured, Global Warming

Secretary of Department of Science, Central Government, T Ramaswamy on Thursday urged citizens not to destroy the environment at the cost of industrial development.”Industrial development is essential for the progress of the country, but it should be environment-friendly,” said Ramaswamy.

Ramaswamy was delivering the keynote address at the inauguration of ‘Indo-Italian conference on Green and Clean Environment’ arranged by Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT). “It is necessary to produce different materials to fulfill the needs of human beings. But in the process, we interfere with the environment cycle, the repercussions of which will be seen afterwards,” he said.

“The concept of mega cities has become popular, but it is destroying jungles. It is better if we step cautiously towards progress,” said Mohan Dharia, chairman of Vanrai.

Salvatore Daniele, University of Venice, Italy, T Chakrabarti, director, National Environmental Engineering Institution (NEERI), Nagpur, S N Upadhay, director, Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Dr. Deole, Deputy Director, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, were present on the occasion. V D Karad, founder-director, MIT, welcomed the guests.

http://www.hindu.com/rp/2008/02/01/stories/2008020150120400.htm 

The Magic of HOME Food

IN this era of fast paced lifestyles and booming corporate culture, time becomes a premium commodity. Hectic schedules and impossible deadlines force people to depend on hotels, cafeterias and catering centres for daily food.

The trend is all the more prevalent amongst thousands of youngsters who have migrated to the city due to professional reasons. Almost every segment of the corporate spectrum including BPOs, IT firms and other organizations are teeming with young professionals who hail from other places but have made Hyderabad their home.

Depending on commercial sources for daily food becomes more of a necessity for most of such working professionals. The one basic need that becomes a luxury for many is home cooked food. ezeemeal comes across a whiff of fresh air to all those people missing home and craving for home cooked vegetarian food straight out of mom’s kitchen.

Three young professionals from varied backgrounds with flourishing careers realized the need to infuse the home food element into Hyderabad’s catering scenario and the result is ezeemeal express meals. The start-up company that specializes in whipping up delicious meals and delivering them at door-steps is now a craze amongst the city’s professionals what with the catering house’s specialty being home food.

Praveen, Satish and Shivaji are the three young entrepreneurs who innovated the concept of giving working professionals access to home cooked food. Talking about ezeemeal’s functionality, Praveen says “Home food is our forte. Our chefs are trained to dish out food that taste’s straight out of a typical home kitchen and reminiscent of mom’s cooking.

All of us have this craving for home food as it’s the mother or the lady of the house who cooks food in a typical household. A lot of care, attention and of course, affection go into the making of home food. Hence the distinct taste stays with us forever.

And home cooked food is mostly healthy as it is prepared in hygienic surroundings. We at ezeemeal believe in replicating the magic of home food in the most hygienic conditions.” True to his words, regular customers of ezeemeal vouch for its homely taste and top quality.

“We take personal care in the minutest of things including sourcing of vegetables and ingredients, cooking methodologies and delivery time which is express in nature. We use an algorithm that we have developed ourselves to facilitate quick and on time delivery. This has not only helped us in delivering with efficiency but also has positioned our business as a very scalable one. We also have our regular clients over for a detour of our kitchen periodically. We want them to see for themselves the high standards we maintain in our kitchen. Be it the procedures or the staff or the ingredients, we ensure that high quality standards are set and adhered to.

We also maintain online accounts of all our customers which can be modified by themselves which is first of its kind” adds Shivaji. ezeemeal offers a real value addition to its clients as the menu suggests.

One typical meal consists of rotis, rice and two vegetarian curries, mostly north-indian and curd or raitha along with dessert on special days.

The menu changes everyday in order to avoid monotony and commenting on the same, Satish says “Every ezeemeal should be a unique experience and we ensure the same. All our dishes are laced with that unmistakable, incomparable aroma that’s so unique to food lovingly dished out by mom. And yes our express delivery of lunch and dinner enhances the whole experience as food is delivered dot on time every single day.

The cost is also a crucial factor as it is surprisingly low and affordable.” A host of clients especially corporate clientele are enjoying the whole experience called ezeemeal and the popularity is soaring by the day.

If you too want a true taste of authentic home food replete with unending varieties and value additions, then dial 9396666669, 9396666939 or visit www.ezeemeal.com

http://www.nvp.com/news/nvppressDrill.aspx?prID=151 

NVP Press Release

Former Motorola Vice President Mohan Kumar Joins NVP India as Executive Director

NVP India Expands Presence by Opening New Office in Bangalore

Bangalore, March 27, 2008:  Norwest Venture Partners (NVP), a global technology venture capital firm, today announced that Mohan Kumar has joined NVP India as Executive Director. Kumar brings to NVP India more than 21 years of extensive operational, technology and investment experience, having worked at Motorola and Texas Instruments in various senior positions and personally investing in technology start-up companies. Kumar will be based in NVP India’s new Bangalore office, and will focus on technology investments in India.

As Corporate Vice President of Mobile Devices Software at Motorola, Kumar was instrumental in creating mobile platform middleware, user interface technology and applications across 3GSM, CDMA & WiFi / WiMax mobile phones. Prior to serving in multiple senior roles at Motorola, Kumar helped set up Texas Instruments’ business unit in Bangalore. Kumar has also been an angel investor and is active in helping start-up companies in the areas of mobile solutions, content and applications, namely Allgo Systems, Azingo, Quantum, SpaceTime and Mitoken.

“Kumar’s domain expertise in the mobile technology and software development sectors will be of tremendous value to NVP India. His knowledge and understanding of these areas of technology is extremely relevant to our existing portfolio companies, and will help us seek exciting new opportunities and entrepreneurs in whom we will continue to invest in India,” said Promod Haque, managing partner at NVP.

Haque further notes, “As we are all aware, India is the fastest growing mobile market in the world, and the country’s rapidly growing middle class spending power offers tremendous investment opportunities. We at NVP strongly believe that next-generation technologies are beginning to be developed in India and that the early adopters of such technologies will be from the sub-continent. Because of this, NVP India will aggressively hire more senior investment professionals in the coming months, and will continue to invest in promising new businesses to capitalize on this rapid growth. We look forward to Mohan’s presence in Bangalore, and we know he will contribute greatly to the growth of NVP India.”

NVP India launched its Mumbai office headquarters in 2007, and today expands the firm’s presence in India with the opening of its new office in Bangalore. NVP India has made several direct investments in such companies as Adventity, Persistent Systems, Sulekha.com and Yatra. In addition, NVP has also invested in more than 20 “hybrid” or “cross-border” portfolio companies (companies that are headquartered in the U.S, but have a significant presence in India) including AmberPoint, Cast Iron Systems, CollabNet, LifeSize Communications, Open-Silicon, Sonoa Systems, Veveo, Virtela Communications, and Yipes (acquired by Reliance/Flag Telecom in 2007 for $300 million).

“NVP has emerged as a leading venture capital firm in India and globally because of its track record in supporting and nurturing leading companies and developing budding entrepreneurs,” notes Kumar. He further adds, “The firm’s strong commitment and fundamentals have inspired me to join the team in India. Having previously guided start-up companies, I understand the process of how to help them scale. In addition, my experience at global companies like Motorola and Texas Instruments will enable me add value to new and existing NVP portfolio companies on the technical and business development fronts. I look forward to helping build next-generation companies with NVP in the years ahead.”

Having worked in various Vice President roles at Motorola, Kumar was instrumental in setting up design centers in Asia and Europe. He was responsible for Software and Telecom Products in the ASIAPAC region with annual revenues of more than US$2 billion. During his tenure there, Kumar was responsible for the design centers achieving the highest quality level in software engineering (SEI Level 5), the first organization in the world to obtain this quality level. He also built strong relationships with VAS providers in ASIAPAC, and helped them develop various premium paid services. Kumar also successfully developed and launched mobile phone models for the European/ASIAN market.

Prior to Motorola, Kumar worked with Texas Instruments as a technical architect on DSP Technologies and helped set up Texas Instruments’ business unit in Bangalore.

Kumar holds a B.Tech degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Institute of Technology, Benares, India. Later he took part in the Leadership/Management Program at the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago.

Additional link:

Chronicle Interview: http://www.itbhuglobal.org/chronicle/archives/2006/10/#001426

http://www.marionstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080304/NEWS01/803040329

Gee honors two at Marion Campus 
By KURT MOORE  
The Marion Star

The Marion Star/Kurt Moore

 (Ohio State University President Gordon Gee, center, presents the Ohio State Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching to psychology professor Tracy Tylka, right, and mathematics professor Bishun Pandey, left, on Monday at Morrill Hall. ) 

MARION - Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee presented the Ohio State Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching to two Ohio State University at Marion faculty members during his visit to the Marion Campus on Monday.

Psychology professor Tracy Tylka and mathematics professor Bishun Pandey are among this year's 10 recipients of the award, presented annually to honor faculty members for superior teaching. Marion faculty have received the award 14 times, more than any other of Ohio State's four regional campuses, OSUM director of communications Wayne Rowe said. 
 
 

Recipients are nominated by present and former students and colleagues and are chosen by a committee of alumni, students and faculty.

They receive a cash award of $3,000 and a $1,200 increase in their base salaries. They are also inducted into the university's Academy of Teaching.

Gee presented the award to Tylka during a Monday morning psychology class, interrupting the class as he walked in with a contingent of staff including Ohio State University Alumni Association President Archie Griffin.

Gee announced he had two awards as he turned to Pandey, who is also the associate dean of Marion's regional campus and was among the staff present when Tylka made the award.

"One of your students said you could teach a brick mathematics," said Gee.

Tylka thanked colleagues, faculty, staff and students.

"I really think it's an interaction between their efforts and my motivation to be the best teacher and researcher I can be," she said.

Pandey, who has taught on both the Marion campus and at OSUM's Delaware Center, also said he was honored.

"I like my students," he said. "I feel that I work for them."

Tylka is the third OSUM psychology professor to win the award and joins two-time winner Dan Christie and three-time winner Terry Pettijohn.

Other recipients include Spanish and comparative studies professor Franklin Proaño, English professors Anne Bower, David Citino, Scott DeWitt and Stuart Lishan, art history teacher Tim McNiven, geology professor Teresa Mensing and history professor Vladimir Steffel.

http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14632645

Indian American bags global laser display award

Sunday, 30 March, 2008, 11:50

Kolkata: Colorado-based India born animation and laser artist Manick Sorcar beat 99 contenders worldwide to bag the prestigious International Laser Display Association (ILDA) 2007 Artistic Award for his entry "Reflection" in the category for best laser photography.

ILDA's awards for artistic and technical excellence is the industry's equivalent to Hollywood's Oscars and the organisers each year honour companies from around the world for artistic and technological achievement.   

"I am extremely happy having made (it) for the second time," Manick, son of legendary Indian magician late P C Sorcar, told IANS on Sunday from Denver, the capital of Colorado State.

On March 27, the ILDA officially announced a list of the 2007 artistic award winners in their annual international laser display competition. Manick's company LaserLight Magic won the ILDA 2007 Artistic-Award for their entry "Reflection".  

"Reflection is a scene from my forthcoming stage production. This was also my first entry in laser photography category," said Manick, who shot into fame in the early 1990s for his first animation mixed with live action "Deepa & Rupa: A Fairy Tale From India", which won the Gold Plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival.  

Manick, an engineer by profession, is the first Indian-American to receive the prestigious ILDA Artistic-award twice.

There were a total of 100 entries from 21 companies from around the world. The international panel of judges unanimously selected Manick Sorcar's "Reflection" for the first place. The second place went to Laser Entertainment Srl of Italy, and third to Lightwave International of the US.  

The trophy will be handed to Manick on September 10 at the 2008 ILDA Conference and Gala Award Ceremony on board the Carnival Imagination, cruising the Eastern Caribbean between September 8 and 13.  

Earlier, Manick received an ILDA Artistic Award for his "Enlightenment of Buddha", which won the ILDA 2005 Artistic Award at Rimini, Italy. In 2004 his "Dancing with My Soul" was a finalist for ILDA Artistic Award - both of those were for best use of laser on stage with live action.  

"Enlightenment of Buddha" was an extravaganza of dance, drama, magic in combination with various forms of intelligent lighting, life-size laser-animation and three dimensional laser effects in space.  

His other films, also based on fables from India, received recognition by winning a series of prestigious awards at various international film festivals.  

Recognised as cultural bridges between the East and West, his animation films are popular at the elementary schools as well as at the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) TV stations, where they have been telecast on New Year's Day in Colorado for the last 14 years in a row.  

Manick is the author of several lighting design texts that are taught at universities and has a full-time job as the CEO and president of Sorcar Engineering Inc, which did the lighting designs for Denver International Airport, sport centres in Japan, Colorado Convention Centre, and palaces for Saudi princes.  

By night, he is an artist and animator. 

Additional links:

1) Biography of P. C. (Manick) Sorcar

http://www.manicksorcar.com/biography.php 

2) Contact: manick@manicksorcar.com 

Manick Sorcar

Manick Sorcar Productions/

LaserLight Magic

5400 Ward Road, Bldg. III, Ste. L-80

Arvada, CO 80002, USA

www.manicksorcar.com

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/mech/about/news/item/research-exchange-with-india

Research Exchange with India

Dr Tom Joyce wins RAE award to fund biotribology project

Dr Tom Joyce has been awarded a ‘Research Exchange with India – Major Award’ by the Royal Academy of Engineering.  This prestigious project will allow Dr A P Harsha, a reader in Mechanical Engineering at Banaras Hindu University in India, to travel from his home university to the Centre for Rehabilitation and Engineering Studies (CREST) and to undertake a year long research project entitled ‘the development and validation of novel lubricants to be used in the testing of biomaterials employed in total joint replacements’.  The project, which is due to commence in June 2008, will be under the supervision of Dr Joyce and will take place in the CREST biotribology research laboratory. 

For further information contact t.j.joyce@ncl.ac.uk.

Published on: 20th March 2008

Additional link:

Info and biography of Dr. A. P. Harsha on http://www.itbhu.ac.in/mec/faculty.shtml

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/BHU-doctor-gets-national-patent-for-hip-bone-fracture-surgery/293999/

Express news service

Posted online: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 at 03:37:10
Varanasi, April 7 Anil Kumar Rai, a senior orthopedic surgeon from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), who developed and designed “Bi-Centric Hip Device” to offer flawless surgical cure to patients of Hip Bone fracture, has been awarded a national patent 216800(125/Del/1999) for the invention on March 24.

BHU Vice-Chancellor Panjab Singh named the device as ‘BHU Hip Device’ on Monday. Rai, a Reader at Department of orthopedics in the Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS-BHU), has worked at different hospitals in the UK before joining BHU. He developed the Hip Device after 10 years of hard work, along with Dr A Bhattacharya and M D Tyagi — from the Institute of Technology.

“Patients of intra-capsular fracture neck femur (hip bone fracture), especially aged between 60 to 80 years, have either been treated by unipolar prosthesis or THR. In at least 50 per cent of such cases, these treatments do not deliver desired results,” Rai told mediapersons on Monday. The purely indigenous device will be a boon for patients of hip bone (neck femur)

fracture. According to sources, unipolar arthoplasty is a treatment best suited for those aged above 80 and has the life expectancy of less than two years.

THR on other hand, is an expensive surgery where the cost varies between Rs 1.5 to 1.8 lakh. “Even a successful THR cannot enable people to sit as well as squat with equal élan, which is the most common problem here,” said Rai.

In such a scenario, the best possible surgical treatment for neck femur fracture is bipolar prosthesis. Owing to unavailability of suitable bipolar prosthesis, patients in India have either relied on unipolar option or THR, with the latter performed by surgeons specialized in THR at a well-equipped hospital.

Over two decades ago, one Dr Talwarkar had designed a bipolar prosthesis, but could not gain much popularity in the country due to technical flaws, such as large head, diameter, very high collar angle and lack of positive eccentricity. ‘BHU Hip Device’ is the most economical treatment of hip bone fractures which involves a cost of Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 (Rs 5,000 cost of device plus Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 as cost of surgery), which is 22 times less in terms of cost-life benefit even in worst case condition as compared to THR,” Rai said. He added that the device besides being best suitable for patients between 60 and 80 years and young patients, who cannot afford expensive THR, also entails early post operative recovery, besides facilitating sitting and squatting.

Besides, the novel device can be implanted without any specialised orthopedic surgical skills or equipments and creates much less wear of human ball-socket hip joint.

Since 2000, the device has been successfully implanted in over 300 patients aged between 23 and 84 at BHU hospital and hospitals of Allahabad, Pratapgarh, Faizabad, Sultanpur, Azamgarh and Meerut and five year follow up of the patients suggests that the implanted device made from ultra-high molecular weight polythene can successfully function for more than 14 years. “The Molecular design of the device facilitates very economical (Rs 2,500) re-implant after its useful period is over”, explained Rai, who now aspires to get a global patent for the device, being produced by a Gujarat based company.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200804010940.htm

Tuesday, April 1, 2008: 0940 Hrs

Indian-origin scientist gets prestigious meteorology award

Washington (PTI): A distinguished Indian-origin scientist has been awarded the prestigious International Meteorological Organization (IMO) Prize for his research on climate change and predictability.

Dr Jagadish Shukla, Professor, George Mason University, was awarded the highest honour to be bestowed by the Executive Council of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a UN agency, at a ceremony at the US National Academy of Sciences in Washington DC.

The award is in recognition of "his research on monsoons and coupled ocean-land-atmosphere interactions establishing a scientific basis for predictability of climate in the midst of chaotic weather, leading to the introduction of routine operational dynamical seasonal prediction.

The honour is also in consideration of his contributions "to fostering international cooperation in weather and climate research by developing and leading numerous international research programmes and creating new institutions worldwide for improving weather and climate research and the betterment of global society."

Dr Alexander Bedritsky, President of the WMO presented the prestigious award to Shukla.

The Indian Ambassador to the United States Ronen Sen and Administrator of Oceans Atmosphere and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Vice Admiral (Retd) Conrad Lautenbacher also spoke on the occasion.

In his congratulatory message read out on the occasion, Union Minister of Science and Technology Kapil Sibal announced that the Government of India has decided to designate Shukla as the Chairman of an International Advisory Panel on Meteorology and Climate.

Additional link:

http://www.itbhuglobal.org/chronicle/archives/2007/07/#001781

http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/09/stories/2008030953150300.htm

Sunday, Mar 09, 2008

BHU alumni meet today

Varanasi: Thousands of old students, including dignitaries, are expected to participate in the Banaras Hindu University’s alumni meet being organised on Sunday.

Vice-Chancellor Panjab Singh said here on Friday that the meet will be inaugurated by former Union Minister Bhishma Narayan Singh.

He said the meet would be attended by several prominent alumni including Powergrid Corporation Chairman and MD R. P. Singh and Magsaysay award winner Sandeep Panday.

(Chronicle note: Prof. R. Balasubramaniam is Professor at IIT-Kanpur Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, and alumnus if IT-BHU, Metallurgy 1984.)

His homepage: home.iitk.ac.in/~bala/

http://www.exoticindiaart.com/book/details/IDK189/

The Saga of Indian Cannons

IDK189

 by R. Balasubramaniam  
Hardcover (Edition: 2008)

Preface

One of the main aims of our research into Indian’s rich metallurgical past is to excite the young readers about the exalted status of India’s metallurgical knowledge in ancient and medieval times. A related aim was to inform the eager and interested non-Indian readers about the wonders of Indian metallurgical skill. Some of the less-known wonders of Indian metallurgical skill are large bronze cannons and forge welded iron cannons, available all across the Indian subcontinent in different historical locations. The surviving massive vintage bronze cannons attest to the engineering expertise of the Indian metal casters. The forge welded iron cannons of India are the real undiscovered gems of Indian Blacksmith’s skill. A large collection of vintage Indian cannons is presented in this book, several for the first time. Many of them in neglected condition in remote forts all across the Indian subcontinent. They are mute witnesses to the glorious heights attained by the Indian metal caster and blacksmiths before the advent of mechanization and large scale industrial production of metals.

Additional link:

Chronicle interview: http://www.itbhuglobal.org/chronicle/archives/2007/11/#002004

www.zeenews.com/articles.asp

Lucknow, March 30: Despite hundreds of crores of rupees being spent to clean the Ganga, the lifeline of North India, pollution levels in the river have reached septic levels at certain points with dissolved oxygen dropping to alarmingly low levels.  

  "In Varanasi alone, the 7km stretch from upstream Assi Ghat to Varuna Sangam, pollution has reached septic levels and we have data to prove this point," hydraulic expert and Professor Vir Bhadra Misra said.  
 
Misra said that the samples tested by the laboratories set up under the `Clean Ganga Campaign` of the Sankat Mochan Foundation, of which he is the head, show that the river is dirty in the upstream Assi Ghat area and by the time it reaches Varuna Sangam, it attains septic levels.  
 
"We had set up these labs along the river ever since it was claimed by the authorities that the water in the river has been cleaned following the Ganga action plan," the former Civil Engineering Department head at the Banaras Hindu University said.  
 
Misra, who was recently honoured by the Council of Science and Technology with Vigyan Ratna award, said he had formulated a plan for the Varanasi Nagar Nigam way back in 1995 to clean the river using low cost gravitational force method to stop inflow of domestic sewage into the river.  
 
Sewage inflow is one of the main causes for pollution. The project was aimed at not only stopping the inflow of sewage into the river from the banks but also to treat it in a manner so as to make it fit for reuse. 

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200804101123.htm

Apex Court upholds 27 pc quota for OBCs

New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court upheld the law providing 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in Central educational institutions.

A five-judge Constitution bench of the apex court upholds the Central act in an unanimous verdict.

The act does not violate the basic structure of the Constitution, the supreme court said.

The bench favoured the exclusion of creamy layer among the OBCs from the benefit of quota.

On quota in private un-aided institutions, the four judges left the issue open, while one judge held that it would be violative of the basic structure of the Constitution.

With this judgement, the apex court's interim order of March 29, 2007 staying the implementation of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006 is lifted.

The court said that the 93rd Constitutional Amendment Act, which was the basis of the law providing 27 per cent reservation in aided institutions, is not violative of the basic structure of the Constitution.

All the judges favoured periodic revision on the implementation of the 27 per cent quota for the OBCs

The court held that the delegation of power to the Centre to determine OBCs is valid.

The court said that the parameter applied for identifying the creamy layer among the OBCs for jobs