DAILY HEADLINES,27/04/07

1. IIM admissions get Govt. green signal.
2. India's economy is now worth $1 Trillion.
3. "Order CBI probe into Gujrat killings",Centre urges apex court.
4. Court issues warrant against Shilpa Shetty and Richard Gere.
5. Indian steel tycoon,Lakshmi Mittal acquires Kazakh firm for $980 mn.
6. 3 LET terrorists arrested in Delhi.
7. Bachchan's Tirupati visit to be probed.

Know our Constitution

Dear All,

This is a special contribution from my intellectual partner Sanjay Mohanty.To know more about him log on to www.abaxio.blogspot.com .He also is a quiz master and a career consultant.This is going to be helpful for school students.

1. The longest written constitution of any independent nation in the world,belong to which nation?(Answer:-India)
2. What are the first words of the preamble of Indian constitution?( Answer:- "We, the people" - It signifies that power is ultimately vested in the hands of the people of India.)
3. How many schedules are there in Indian constitution?(Answer:- 12)
4. Schedules can be added to the constitution by amendment. True or False.(Answer:-True)
5. How many articles are there in Indian constitution?(Answer:-404 )
6. What are the number of fundamental rights and fundamental duties in the constitution?(Answer:-Six and Ten respectively)
7. By which ammendment, the right to property was deleted from the fundamental rights list of the constitution?(Answer:-44th ammendment)
8. The words "liberty","equality" and "fraternity" were the inspiration of which historical event?(Answer:-French Revolution)
9. Which ammendment added the words "Socialist","secular","democratic","republic" words in the Indian constitution?(Answer:-42nd ammendment)
10. Which ammendment is called "the mini constitution"?(Answer:-42nd ammendment)
11. When was the Indian constitution adopted?(Answer:-26th Nov,1949)
12. When was the Indian constitution enforced?(Answer:-26th Jan,1950)
13. Who was the chairman of the drafting committee of the Indian constitution?(Answer:-Dr.B.R.Ambedkar)
14. Emergency Provision u/a 356 of Indian constitution is adapted from which constitution?(Answer:-Weimar constitution,Germany)

Warm regards,

Manas Nayak

Know this president

1.He was the first popularly elected president in Russian history.He was endorser of "Shock Therapy" program to transform communist economy to a capitalist economy.Identify the person?

Answer:- Boris Yeltsin, he was president of Russian Federation during the period of 1991-99.Died on 23rd April,2007 at age 76.

DAILY HEADLINES,25/04/07

1. RBI eases home loan interest.


2. No disclosures of exam script under RTI:CIC


3. Emami's bio-diesel unit to be set up in Haldia.


4. Vedanta acquires 71% stake in Sesa Goa.


5. SL enters world cup final for second time.


6. Govt.to decide on IIM's admission.


7. Afzal case:Prez waiting for opinion of legislative wing.

A BOOK REVIEW OF BREAK FREE

A BOOK REVIEW OF BREAK FREE
----------------------------------------
Dear All,

Recently I was going through this book "BREAK FREE" by Debashis Chatterjee,the famous Organisational Behaviour professor at IIM-L.This is a must for any management student,business managers and management thinkers.The preface on Manjunath who lost his life fighting against the oil mafias brought tears into my eyes.

The first chapter talks about how the author learnt about leadership from a kolkata slum girl.Moral:-'Leaders liberate themselves and others from suffering'.

The statement of Edmund Hillary is used to explain the DNA of leadership lucidly.It goes like this,'Mount Everest has a real problem.It can't grow anymore,whereas I can'.This is what leadership is all about.True leaders exercise the choice to grow beyond the fear and hopelessness of their circumstances.

The second chapter talks about dating yourself and how original ideas paves your way to success.Third emphasing on 'a desire for success is not about making a career but about making a difference in the social arena'.

The fourth chapter is my favourate.It talks about how the sprit of team members can be rekindled at workplace/organisations as a whole."First simplify rules,Second amplify ownership and the third,multiply leaders to fill every role".

The fifth one talks about Chatterjee's three pronged formula of "Form,Focus and Flow".Each chapter encompasses each and every aspect of thought leadership,change management with examples which are personal,regional,national and global.

The Sanak Mishra case study about Rourkela Steel Plant is unique and a must read.Overall, a great book that I come across in recent times on leadership.

Definitely the knowledge acquired is enormous,enriching and gave an upthrust to my learning curve.

Warm regards,
Manas Nayak
Mr.Bay Leaf

The Great American Massacre or The massacre of the April month

Questions:-

1. 'Invent the future' is the tag line used by this university.Their students say that "We are the Hokies,We will prevail".Identify the University?


2. He hailed from Karatadipalayam of Gobichettipalayam Taluk in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.He was an alumnus of PSG College of Technology ,Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and Purdue University.A professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering recently lost his life in a tragic shoot out in his university?Identify the person?


3. Identify the female in the picture?She had obtained an undergraduate degree from the Rizvi School of Architecture in her home state of Mumbai, India, and was pursuing a masters degree in architecture at Virginia Tech.
4. "On the first day of a British literature class last year,students went around and introduced themselves.When it was his turn,he didn't speak.On the sign-in sheet where everyone else had written their names,this person had written a question mark".In his hate letter he mentioned that"you caused me to do this".He was a quiet,sullen,loner but he was responsible for a recent bloodbath at Virginia tech Univ.Who is he?He was born in which nation?

Answers:-

1. Virginia University
2. G V Loganathan
3. Minal Panchal
4. Cho Seung-hui.He killed 32 people in Virginia tech university recently on 16th April,2007.He was born in South-Korea.

KWIZ PAKODAH- HIT IT OR HEAT IT

KWIZ PAKODAH- HIT IT OR HEAT IT

· This country refuses to fully pay its debts to the United Nations yet reserves its right to veto United Nations resolutions?

· This is the only G7 country to have voted against the creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 1998?

· This is the only Western country which allows the death penalty to be applied to children?

· ---------------------Answer:-United States Of America-------------------------------------

· 8 out of the 10 golds that India secured at the 15th Asian Games, Doha, 2006 work for this organisation.

· This company has featured in the 2006 list of Fortune Global 500 companies at position 402.

· It contributes 77% of India's crude oil production and 81 % of India's natural gas production. It is the highest profit making corporation in India.

· ----------------------- Answer:-ONGC----------------------------------------------------

· Rated among the World's Best Big Companies, Asia's 'Fab 50' and the World's Most Reputable Companies by Forbes magazine, among India's Most Respected Companies by BusinessWorld and among India's Most Valuable Companies by Business Today, it ranks third in pre-tax profit among India's private sector corporations.

· Mangaldeep, Aim, VAX Lit wax matches, Expressions greeting card belong to this Indian company.

· Y C Deveswar is the chairman of this company.Well known for its E-Chaupal project.

· ----------------------------------Answer:-ITC--------------------------------------------

· A Harvard graduate politician who is an MP from Sivaganga constitution of Tamilnadu.

· He is also an eminent lawyer.He represented the bankrupt American energy gaint Enron, as a senior lawyer in India, and is again set to revive its Dhabol power project.
· Together with present Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Deputy Chairman of India’s Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia is a part of what the Indian financial press calls India’s economic ‘dream team’.
-----------------------------------------------Answer:-P.Chidambaram-------------------

ARCELOR-MITTAL ISSUE

ARCELOR-MITTAL ISSUE

One of the most controversial business deals ever- the acquisition of Arcelor Steel by Mittal Steel led to the creation of Arcelor-Mittal, the largest steel maker in the world.

1. Background (before the deal)
Mittal Steel- the largest producer of steel in terms of volume. Despite the fact that Mittal steel is based in Netherlands, it is perceived that the company is non-European because its CEO Lakshmi Mittal is Indian.

Arcelor- Headquartered in Luxembourg, the merger of three steel companies- Aceralia, Arbed and Usinor led to the creation of Arcelor. In 2005, Arcelor had revenues of 32 billion Euros.

2. The original bid
In January 2006, Mittal Steel launched a $22.7 billion offer to Arcelor’s shareholders. The deal was split between Mittal Shares (75 percent) and cash (25 percent). Under the offer, Arcelor shareholders would have received 4 Mittal Steel shares and 35 euros for every 5 Arcelor shares they held. (Ultimately the power to buy or sell the shares rests with the shareholder and the company management can at best advice its shareholders whether to accept or reject the bid)

3. Consolidation in the steel industry- inevitable:
The steel industry is highly fragmented, the top 5 manufacturers in the steel industry account for less than 25 percent of the market (to put that in perspective, the corresponding figure for the automotive industry is 73 percent). LN Mittal believes that the consolidation will end with three of four major companies dominating the industry around 2010.

Bigger steel manufacturers have better bargaining powers against customers (such as as auto manufacturers) and against suppliers (iron ore).

Consolidation helps in comapnies improving their sourcing of raw materials; access to more markets, better utilization, more flexibility in production scheduling and better efficiency.

4. The Controversy
Arcelor Management: The management believed that Arcelor itself would have been doing the acquisitions and not the other way around. The management was extremely hostile to Mittal Steel’s bid from the beginning. Arcelor repeatedly played the patriotic card in order for shareholders to reject the bid. The CEO of Arcelor dismissed Mittal Steel as a “company of Indians” and unworthy of taking over a European company. (all this despite the fact that most industry analysts and investment banks pointing out that the deal was in Arcelor‘s best interests)

European Governments:
The French government (despite not being a shareholder) was against the deal because of worries over its 28000 Arcelor employees. Despite repeated assurances from Mittal that the deal would not lead to layoffs the government of France was never convinced. The government of Luxembourg (a stakeholder) was against the deal as well for a variety of reasons. The European Union approved of the Mittal-Arcelor deal.

5. Moves by Arcelor to counter the bid by Mittal:
Declaration of Dividend: On February 16, Arcelor declared a dividend of 1.2 Euros, which was 85 percent higher than the previous dividend in 2004. This was seen as an attempt by the company to convince shareholders that the situation under the current management was extremely positive. Many analysts accused the company of “creative” accounting.

The Russian Angle: In an attempt to thwart the offer from Mittal Steel, Arcelor released a 13 billion Euro merger plan with Severstal, a Russian company. This merger would have made the new Severstal-Arcelor entity too big for Mittal Steel to buy. Despite the merger plan being fraught with loopholes, the Arcelor management tried to convince shareholders that this was the best deal for them. The shareholders however rejected the merger with not one shareholder voting in favour of the merger.

6. Role of Guy Dolle (then CEO of Arcelor)
Mr. Dolle’s reaction to the Mittal bid led to widespread criticism of his actions. Analysts believe that Guy Dolle had issues with the personality of LN Mittal.
As the controversy panned out, Dolle raised several issues including the management of Mittal (Aditya Mittal, son of LN Mittal is on the board). Dolle also raised a number of issues about the safety record of Mittal and also repeatedly pointed out that Arcelor was absolute key to Europe’s economic health.
Guy Dolle is not a part of the new Arcelor-Mittal organization.

7)The stance of the Indian Government

Most Indians were of the opinion that the deal was not getting pushed through because of Lakshmi Mittal’s nationality.

The Indian government raised the issue at several forums especially through commerce minister Kamal Nath. It was also alleged that India had threatened not to ratify a taxation accord with Luxembourg due to the latter’s opposition to the deal.

The irony is that LN Mittal himself felt that there was no case of “racism” here as Mittal Steel was a European company and NOT an Indian one.

8. End Result
The deal was finally clinched when the shareholders of Arcelor agreed to Mittal Steel’s offer ending the transaction that had dragged on for months.
Mittal had to however considerably sweeten the initial offer. Under severe pressure to counteract the Arcelor- Severstal merger, Mittal had to raise its valuation of Arcelor to $32.9 billion. The Mittal family holds 43 percent of the combined group. The combined company holds 10 percent of the global market for steel. The consolidation phase is well and truly underway .

Regards,

Manas Nayak

SINGUR ISSUE IN BRIEF

Singur issue
---------------------
1. The protests in West Bengal against the Government's decision to acquire farmland for the Tata Motors small car factory should be seen in a broader perspective and not in isolation. In Bangalore, the phenomenal growth of the IT sector, real estate boom, the setting up of international airport, etc., have led to thousands of farmers selling their land to make quick gains. The land where farmers grew mango, grapes, tomatoes, greens, and foodgrains such as ragi has become a residential or commercial site. The city's thick green cover has given way to a concrete jungle. It is time all right thinking people helped in ending the menace of using agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes. Otherwise, soon we will be exporting software solutions and importing foodgrains.

2. The Singur issue has come at a time when West Bengal is struggling hard to overcome the image of an investor-unfriendly State mired in labour problems. It bagged the dream project after competing with other States. Apart from providing jobs directly and indirectly to many, the project will contribute to the exchequer. The Trinamool Congress is opposing it only to gain political mileage.

3. All parties have the same policy on Special Economic Zones. While at the Centre, the CPI (M) is opposing SEZs, in West Bengal it is seeking to implement the concept in Singur. The Trinamool Congress is opposed to the project with the BJP, which has always supported SEZs, and the Congress, which is for more and more SEZs, supporting it. It is clear that it is not policy but politics that matters.

Forbes Billionaire List-The top 40 Indians

Dear All,

Just putting the recent Forbes Billionaire List-The top 40 Indians who are listed in it.

1 Lakshmi Mittal
Age: 55Net Worth: $ 20.0 billionHometown: LondonMarried, 2 Children
Oversees world's largest steel company, $22 billion (2004 sales) Mittal Steel. His personal stake: 87.4%. Double-digit drop in U.S. and European steel prices led to 64% fall in third-quarter profits; for past 9 months down only 13%. Recently bought Ukraine's largest steelmaker in a televised auction.

2 Azim Premji
Age: 60Net Worth: $ 11.0 billionHometown: BangaloreMarried, 2 Children
Owns 82% of New York-listed Wipro, India's third-largest software exporter. Lost a few key executives this year, including vice chairman Vivek Paul.

3 Mukesh Ambani
Age: 48Net Worth: $ 7.0 billionHometown: MumbaiMarried, 3 Children
Feud with brother Anil ended this June after their mother brokered a settlement, which is awaiting court approval. Mukesh will maintain control of $16 billion (sales) Reliance Industries, the petrochemicals major whose stock is up more than 40% since the announcement.

4 Anil Ambani
Age: 46Net Worth: $ 5.5 billionHometown: MumbaiMarried, 2 Children
After split with brother, Anil now runs newly christened Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Enterprises group, offshoot of Reliance empire, with interests in telecom, energy and financial services. Has been making high-profile acquisitions, mainly in entertainment and insurance.

5 Kushal Pal Singh
Age: 74Net Worth: $ 5.0 billionHometown: DelhiMarried, 3 Children
Former army officer turned property baron. Joined father-in-law's Delhi Land & Finance in 1971. Built Gurgaon, his showpiece township on outskirts of Delhi, by acquiring chunks of land from farmers. Today DLF group, run by son Rajiv, with daughter Pia overseeing retail projects, is India's biggest real estate developer.

6 Sunil Mittal
Age: 48
Net Worth: $ 4.9 billionHometown: DelhiMarried, 3 Children
In 10 years built his Bharti group into India's largest mobile phone operator, with 14 million customers. Vodafone bought a 10% stake in Bharti Televenture, his joint venture with Singtel, for $1.5 billion in October. Now partnering with Axa in a new insurance venture.

7 Kumar Birla
Age: 38Net Worth: $ 4.4 billionHometown: MumbaiMarried, 3 Children
Fourth-generation head of $7.6 billion (sales) Aditya Birla group, a commodities powerhouse named after his late father. Announced merger of his fertilizer, finance and textile companies to create Aditya Birla Nuvo.

8 Tulsi Tanti
Age: 47Net Worth: $ 3.7 billionHometown: PuneMarried, 2 Children
Faced with escalating power costs, this former textile producer moved into wind energy a decade ago, eventually building Asia's largest wind farm. In October listed his Suzlon Energy, in which he and 3 siblings own 70%. Expanding into the U.S., China and Australia.

9 Pallonji Mistry
Age: 76Net Worth: $ 3.3 billionHometown: MumbaiMarried, 4 Children
Secretive construction magnate is biggest shareholder in Tata Sons, a holding company that has a big stake in India's largest software company, Tata Consultancy Services. Also owns direct selling outfit Eureka Forbes, the subject of a Harvard case study.

10 Anurag Dikshit
Age: NANet Worth: $ 3.1 billionHometown: NA
Owns 30.4% of Internet casino company PartyGaming, which went public in London in June. Earned degree in computer science and engineering from Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi. In 1998, at age 25, began working with the then 1-year-old company. Eventually wrote the betting software that enabled gamblers around the world to play one another in poker. Today manages the Gibraltar company's operations.

11 Shiv Nadar
Age: 60Net Worth: $ 3.0 billionHometown: DelhiMarried, One Child
Founded and runs $2.5 billion (sales) infotech group HCL, with operations in 15 countries. A leading employer in Northern Ireland, where it has an offshore center with 2,500 people. Customers include Boeing, IBM and Autodesk; has new venture with Japan's NEC.

12 Shashi & Ravi Ruia
Age: 62Net Worth: $ 2.7 billionHometown: MumbaiMarried, 2 Children
Benefiting from India's economic boom, the brothers' Essar group is paying off debt and looking to expand its main businesses in steel, shipping, power and oil & gas. Bets in telecom have paid off handsomely; their 33% stake in mobile company Hutchison Essar, which plans to list, is worth at least $2 billion.

13 Adi Godrej
Age: 63Net Worth: $ 2.3 billionHometown: MumbaiMarried, 3 Children
His $1.3 billion (sales) Godrej group makes consumer products, including soaps, hair dyes, cooking oil and office furniture. Recently bought a British toiletries and cosmetics brand and UAE poultry company. Family's biggest asset is its landholdings in Mumbai.

14 Anil Agarwal
Age: 52Net Worth: $ 2.1 billionHometown: LondonMarried, 2 Children
Built London-listed Vedanta Resources by acquiring state-owned mining, metal assets in India. Has copper mines in Zambia and Australia. In a top management reshuffle, Agarwal moved to executive chairman; his brother became deputy executive chairman.

15 Dilip Shanghvi
Age: 50Net Worth: $ 2.0 billionHometown: MumbaiMarried, 2 Children
Low-profile Shanghvi derives fortune from 72% stake in Sun Pharmaceuticals, a company he founded in 1983. Expanded Sun in part through acquisitions. Recently purchased manufacturing sites in Hungary and the U.S. in order to tap overseas generics markets.

16 Naresh Goyal
Age: 56Net Worth: $ 1.9 billionHometown: MumbaiMarried, 2 Children
Former airline agent started operating Jet Airways in 1993. Now India's biggest domestic airline, Jet successfully went public this year; launched international flights to London, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur; and placed a $2.5 billion order for 30 new planes. Wife, Anita, heads sales and marketing.

17 Indu Jain
Age: NANet Worth: $ 1.7 billionHometown: Delhi
Matriarch of privately owned Bennett, Coleman & Co., India's largest and most powerful media house, run by sons Samir and Vineet. The family's flagship holding, The Times of India, is the world's largest circulated English daily newspaper, selling more than 3.1 million copies a day. The company also has joint ventures with the BBC and Reuters.

18 Venugopal Dhoot
Age: 52Net Worth: $ 1.6 billionHometown: MumbaiMarried, 2 Children
Son of a wealthy farmer, snatched one of India's first licenses to make color TVs. Videocon, the $2.5 billion (sales) group that he and his family control, now makes everything from washing machines to VCRs to MP3 players. Recently bought a color picture tube business from France's Thomson and a refrigerator unit from Sweden's Electrolux. Also has lucrative interests in oil exploration. Brother Rajkumar is a member of Parliament.

19 Malvinder & Shivinder Singh
Age: NANet Worth: $ 1.6 billionHometown: Delhi
Brothers inherited family's Ranbaxy Laboratories, now a $1.2 billion (sales) pharmaceutical firm. Company's profits and stock have taken a hit this year, but brothers' private holdings are up. Malvinder is president of Ranbaxy's pharma business. Younger sibling Shivinder runs Fortis, the family's hospital chain, which bought one of India's leading cardiac institutes.

20 Rahul Bajaj
Age: 67Net Worth: $ 1.5 billionHometown: PuneMarried, 2 Children
After years of bickering with younger brother Shishir, agreed to split up family fortune. Rahul will keep control of $1.4 billion (sales) Bajaj Auto, which he ran for almost 4 decades; its stock doubled in the past year. Sons Rajiv and Sanjiv now manage daily operations.

21 Jindal family
Age: NANet Worth: $ 1.4 billionHometown: Delhi, Mumbai
Family patriarch, Om Prakash Jindal, died in a helicopter crash in March. Sons Prithvi, Sajjan, Ratan and Navin are now restructuring and divvying up the tangled steel-and-power empire their father founded. This separation, agreed upon during their father's lifetime, seems amicable.

22 Baba Kalyani
Age: 56Net Worth: $ 1.2 billionHometown: PuneMarried, One Child
MIT engineer heads family's $1.5 billion (sales) Kalyani group. In addition to a stake worth $630 million in Bharat Forge, Asia's largest forging manufacturer, the family's holdings include stakes in BF Utilities—the financial services and windmill divisions that were spun off from Bharat Forge—Kalyani Steels and Automotive Axles.

23 Brijmohan Lall Munjal
Age: 83Net Worth: $ 1.2 billionHometown: DelhiMarried, 4 Children
Started out making bicycle parts. Now his Hero group, run by his 3 sons, has a 50% share of India's motorcycle market and continues to benefit from a long-standing partnership with Honda in India; Hero Honda's stock zoomed 86% in the past year.

24 Yusuf Hamied
Age: 69Net Worth: $ 1.2 billionHometown: MumbaiMarried
With brother, runs generics producer Cipla, whose stock is up more than 50% since last year. Edged out GlaxoSmithkline as India's largest pharmaceutical firm. Hamied was awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors.

25 Vivek Burman
Age: 64Net Worth: $ 1.1 billionHometown: DelhiMarried, 2 Children
With his family, owns 77% of Dabur, a maker of herbal products whose stock has nearly doubled this year. Family also has interests in pharma, insurance, banking and financial services. Recently bought stake in a tractor company.

26 N R Narayana Murthy
Age: 59 Net Worth: $ 1.1 billionHometown: BangaloreMarried, 2 Children
One of India's most respected business leaders, Murthy cofounded and chairs software firm Infosys Technologies. He is an IT adviser to several Asian countries. Stung by a former prime minister's unsubstantiated allegations of land-grabbing by Infosys, Murthy recently resigned from honorary post as chairman of state-owned Bangalore International Airport.

27 Uday Kotak
Age: 46Net Worth: $ 1.0 billionHometown: MumbaiMarried, 2 Children
Spurned his family's trading business for financial services. Today his Kotak Mahindra Bank serves 1.5 million customers and has offices in New York, London, Dubai and Mauritius. Has partnerships with Goldman Sachs and Old Mutual. A personal investment in cellular operator Hutchison Essar has soared lately.

28 Vijay Mallya
Age: 49Net Worth: $ 950 millionHometown: BangaloreMarried, 2 Children
Liquor tycoon who is dubbed the "king of good times" has never had it so good. After 20-year wait bought out archrival Shaw Wallace. Also bagged Scottish & Newcastle as a partner in beer. Consolidating liquor empire into newly named United Spirits. Plans to take his Kingfisher Airlines, launched in May and named after his bestselling beer, public.

29 Subhash Chandra
Age: 55Net Worth: $ 900 millionHometown: MumbaiMarried, 2 Children
Pioneering media baron is credited with launching India's satellite television revolution. But his Zee TV has lost its prime-time domination to competitors like Sony and Star. Recently launched Daily News & Analysis, a newspaper in Mumbai. Other holdings in theme parks, packaging, lotteries and cinema multiplexes.

30 Vikrant Bhargava
Age: 33Net Worth: $ 870 millionHometown: NA
Former credit officer owns 8.6% of Gibraltar-based Internet casino outfit PartyGaming, which went public in London in June. Earned degree in electrical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi. Joined gaming group in 2000 as marketing head and helped create early buzz by staging online poker tournament with a $1 million prize.

31 Habil Khorakiwala
Age: 63Net Worth: $ 800 millionHometown: MumbaiMarried, 3 Children
Runs pharmaceutical firm Wockhardt, which gets more than half of its $288 million in sales from the U.S. and Europe. Has new ventures in Mexico, South Africa and Brazil. Owns a hospital chain.

32 Ajay Piramal
Age: 50Net Worth: $ 765 millionHometown: MumbaiMarried, 2 Children
Inherited fading textile empire at age 28. Built pharma group Nicholas Piramal through well-timed acquisitions. Teaming with Sweden's AstraZeneca in contract manufacturing. Turned over family's smaller businesses in retailing, textiles and real estate to sister-in-law and nephews this year, amid speculation of an acrimonious family split.

33 Nandan Nilekani
Age: 50Net Worth: $ 740 millionHometown: BangaloreMarried, 2 Children
Infosys cofounder and chief executive. His family donated $22 million this year to a charity founded by his wife that focuses on water issues, such as purification, rainwater harvesting and getting supplies to the poor.

34 Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Age: 52Net Worth: $ 710 millionHometown: BangaloreMarried
Started out making industrial enzymes in her garage. Today she is chairman of biopharmaceutical firm Biocon; currently developing a nasal insulin spray and cancer drugs with American and Cuban partners. Owns 65% of the company with her Scottish husband and Biocon's vice chairman, John Shaw.

35 S Gopalakrishnan
Age: 51Net Worth: $ 700 millionHometown: BangaloreMarried, One Child
Infosys cofounder and chief operating officer. Big donor to his alma mater, the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai.

36 B Ramalinga Raju
Age: 50Net Worth: $ 670 millionHometown: HyderabadMarried, 2 Children
Expanded out of family construction business in 1987 to start Satyam Computer, which he runs. Bought U.K. consulting firm Citisoft for $35 million earlier this year, then sold his Nasdaq-listed Internet venture Sify to a Silicon Valley venture capitalist for $63 million.

37 Narendra Patni
Age: 63Net Worth: $ 650 millionHometown: Boston, MumbaiMarried, 2 Children
Founded Patni Computer Systems with his two brothers in 1978. Known as the place where Infosys cofounders began their careers. The company went public last year and just listed on the NYSE.

38 Karsanbhai Patel
Age: 61Net Worth: $ 640 millionHometown: AhmedabadMarried, 3 Children
India's detergent king; his Nirma brand is India's biggest, ahead of Unilever and P&G. It has used same radio spot to promote Nirma for 35 years. Acquired a money losing medical supplies company.

39 Jaiprakash Gaur
Age: 75Net Worth: $ 600 millionHometown: Delhi Married, 5 Children
Patriarch of Jaypee group, a construction and power conglomerate. Now building an expressway from Delhi to Agra, site of the famous Taj Mahal. Other businesses include hotels, golf courses, cement.

40 Narotam Sekhsaria
Age: 56Net Worth: $ 590 millionHometown: Mumbai Married, 2 Children
With his brother-in-law, founded and controls cement producer Gujarat Ambuja. Swiss cement giant Holcim recently paid $800 million to acquire stakes in 2 affiliated companies of Ambuja.

Warm regards,

Manas Nayak

THE STRATEGIST QUIZ-BUSINESS STANDARD-17/04/07

1. Which Indian FMCG company has adapted a strategy called Total Football Management this year?

(MARICO),When Johan Cruyff led the Dutch team to the runner-up position in the 1974 FIFA World Cup, he was often found in unexpected places. Officially he played center forward, but in the middle of a game he would suddenly switch roles. He would move to the defense while somebody else took his position. It was a system called Total Football, which required the whole team to have multiple skills. Succeeding at Total Football calls for versatility that is rarely available to most teams, but Cruyff was in a class by him self. In the 1974 World Cup, he was voted player of the tournament.
2. What is the term used when an individual is replaced by an electronic device (video camera, PC or robot) because he can't be physically present at a meeting? It was coined by Sun Microsystems?

(porta-person)
3. A multinational company plans to introduce the world's most expensive designer shoes that will cost up to Rs.60k a pair. This range of shoes introduced in November last year is branded after a non-vegetarian’s delight and currently has an MRP of 20k a pair. Name the company and the collection?

(Reebok India, Fish Fry collection designed by Manish Arora)
4. This person worked as a research director at a future’s and options trading house in Chicago. He was nominated for the best beard awards in UK.The impact of his creation in the internet era were such that Time magazine listed him among the 100 most influential people in the world. Identify him.

(Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia.He also runs a charitable organization called Wikimedia foundation)
5. This world famous handcrafted suit goes through 185 steps before it is ready for sale. It gets its name from the Croatian island,famous as a golf and polo gateways frequented by aristrocrats in the 1920’s and 1930’s.It dressed the actor who took over as the fifth James Bond too. Name it.

(Brioni)
6. Which was the first company to launch “chota packs” targeted at the urban lower middle class and the rural middle class.

(Rasna)
7. Name the first retail company to be listed on the BSE.At one point of time, Bal Gangadhar Tilak was also on this company’s board?

(The Bombay store)It was established as Bombay swadeshi co-operative stores Ltd in 1905.It was listed on the BSE in 1963.In 1995,it got its present name.
8. Which bank incorporated in 1907 in India was first known as “The Bank”. It was renamed after being nationalized in 1969.

(The Chennai based Indian Bank)
9. What was the name of the world’s first in-flight magazine?Also name the airline that launched it.

(Clipper Magazine, introduced by Pan-Am Airlines)
10. Which company is picking athletes from 12 countries, including India, to be its brand ambassadors for the 2008 Olympic Games? The selection criteria will ensure that the athletes are tech savvy?

(Lenovo.The selection criteria will include the athlete’s interest in technology and how his or her training permits the use of technology.

"The New Sunday Express"-"Literary Quiz"

Dear All,

Please find the "The New Sunday Express"-"Literary Quiz" questions and their answers dated 22nd April,2007.

QUESTIONS:-

1. Which novel by Kurt Vonnegut was influenced by the bombing of Dresden during WW-2?
2. Which author wrote a series of novels set in Italy and featuring the detective Aurelio Zen?
3. Whose much-awaited history of contemporary India, India After Gandhi,will be released next month?
4. Which bestselling author is continuing the Bourne series originally created by Robert Ludlum?
5. Whose first published work was the poem Venus and Adonis?

ANSWERS:-

1. Slaughter House-Five
2. Michael Dibdin
3. Ramachandra Guha
4. Eric Vad Lustbater
5. Shakespeare

Warm regards,

Manas Nayak

DAILY HEADLINES, 13/04/06

1. Agni-III test fired successfully.


2. Bhubaneswar turns 59.


3. Polling for second phase begins in UP.


4. IIMs admissions defered till 21st April.


5. Chattisgarh bans CPI(Maoist) and five nauxlite groups.


6. Sonia's public rally at porbandar halts,security steped out.


7. India,Azerbhaizan to set up commission to boost co-operation.


8. Indian railways to launch Kurkure Expresses this summer.

Knickname of eminent cricketers

1. Punter is Australian captain Ricky Ponting.He earned the name due to his liking for a flutter.
2. Virgil is Michael Vaughan because of his likeness to a character from the Thunderbirds children’s show.
3. Pigeon is McGrath. Courtesy his South Wales teammates, he has got this name due to the bird’s legs.
4. Gilchrist is known as churchy.
5. Bret Lee is known as Oswald.
6. Mathew Hayden, with his dedication to physical fitness, is known as Hulk and unit.
7. Michael Clarke has always been referred to as pup for his youthful looks on his debut in 2003 as a raw 22-year-old.
8. Brad Hodge is Dodgeball.
9. Brad Hogg is the postman, in reference to his former job.
10. Ian Bell who has been called Boyband as well as Shermanator.
11. Andrew Flintoff has been superfred, Mr.Infredible, but more recently Fredalo after his now-infamous late-night trip in pedalo in the early stages of the world cup.
12. Monty Panesar is Parmesan Tony, an anagram of his own name.
    Among the New Zealanders, batsman Peter Fulton is called Two-Metre Peter. At 6ft 8inches,Fulton is believed to be one of the tallest cricketers.

SOURCE:-The New Indian Express

LITERARY QUIZ-The New Sunday Express

Dear All,



Please find the "The New Sunday Express"-"Literary Quiz" questions and their answers dated 8th April,2007.


Questions & Answers:-

1.Which author once said that his best story was one consisting of only six words:For sale:baby shoes,never worn?

Ans:-Ernest Hemingway

2.Whose biography is titled"Daughter of the East"?

Ans:-Benazir Bhutto

3.What is common to the lifestyle of authorsJD Salinger and Thomas Pynchon?

Ans:-Both are infamous for their reclusive lifestyle

4.Why were designers Jason Cockroft and Mary Grandpre in the news recently?

Ans:-They are respective jacket designers for British and American editions of Harry Potter And the deathly Hallows.

5.What phrase in the English language has originated from Linus in the peanuts cartoon strip?

Ans:-Security Blanket

DAILY HEADLINES,08/04/07

1. Bangladesh rips apart South Africa.


2. Pranab Mukherjee hurt in road mishap,stable.


3. Indian players' contract scrapped,ads capped,match fees cut.


4. Admissions to IIMs,top schools frozen.


5. Gelatin filled car explodes in Tamil Nadu,14 die.


6. SBI not to hike rate for existing borrowers.


7. Ravi Shastri interim coach cum manager of Indian cricket team for the Bangladesh tour.Robin appointed as fielding coach whereas Venkateshprasad will take care of bowling.

DAILY HEADLINES, 05/04/07

1. Chappell retires hurt.


2. Next SAARC summit to be held in Maldives.


3. Mahindra Renault to launch"Logan" in May.


4. No revision of GRE test:ETS.


5. Lankans beat England by 2 runs in a nail biting finish:WC.


6. Duties on imported cement lifted.


7. Asia's richest woman,Nina Wang dies.

A QUIZ ON CYBER CRIME

QUESTIONS:-

1. Which virus is named after a cherry and caffeine soft drink popular with programmers?
2. How are cyber-security consultants,with hacking skills,known in net-lingo?
3. Which virus globally spread infected documents from the Ministry of External Affairs?
4. Why is De Guzman infamous?
5. Which Indian teenager wrote a book on "Ethical Hacking"?
6. Which bank was hit by a St Petersburg-based criminal in the biggest ever cyberfraud?
7. Who was the first hacker to be put on the FBI "Most Wanted" list?
8. What is the difference between a "bug",a "virus" and a "worm"?

ANSWERS:-

1. Code Red
2. White Hats
3. Sircam
4. Creator of Love Bug Virus
5. Ankit Fadia
6. Citibank
7. Kevin Metnick
8. A bug is an unintended malfunction.A Virus is any malicious programme.A worm replicates itself.

DAILY HEADLINES, 02/04/07

1. Vishwanathan Anand is world's no.1 chess player.
2. Biggest mkt crash in 2 wks, Sensex tanks 600 points.
3. NRI to make use of RTI act.
4. SAARC car rally reaches Delhi.
5. Atleast 23 killed in Pakistan avalanche.
6. Tsunami hits Solomon islands.
7. Lankans thrash West Indies.
8. Rang De Basanti and Lage Raho Munnabhai took away all the big awards at Zee Cine Awards function in Malaysia.

DAILY HEADLINES, 01/04/07

1. Pakistan cricket board suspends player's contracts.


2. "Dhanush" test fired,Pakistan test fires 'ABDALI' successfully.


3. TATA Power buys 30% stake in 2 Indonesian coal mines.


4. Right to acquire property is constitutional,says Supreme Court.


5. Congress Leader Jan Mohd.Kakroo shot dead in kashmir by terrorist.


6. Alert in Tripura post Bangladesh Bird-Flu news.