Warren Buffet comes second in Forbes’  Rich list in the US and is one the most admired and followed investor, guru in the US. Berkshire’s worth has fallen down by $10.9 billion in the last three months of the fiscal year. This is only the second time that the company had a decline ever since Warren Buffet started Berkshire in 1965. The first time being in the year 2001. Buffet predicted to his shareholders that the economy would be in dire straights all through the year 2009 and possibly well beyond that.

Despite the current recession he is still optimistic that the economic structure in place would recover due to the American resilience. He feels that America’s best days still lay ahead of this current recession.

Berkshire is heavily dependent on the revenue it generates from insurance which also includes Geico Corporation, nevertheless it also operates in businesses like real estate, paint, underwear, ice cream and other such like businesses which are more than 70 in number.

One of the mistakes that Mr. Buffet has made was buying the oil company ConocoPhilips. This was the time when the oil prices were at their highest levels. This investment has cost Berkshire a tune of several billion dollars. Besides this he lost $244 million investment in shares of a couple of Irish Banks. Apart from these two complications, the company has been adversely affected due to losses on derivatives contract tied to the stock market.

Berkshire’s assets without the liabilities has fallen down from $120 billion to $109 billion dollars from 2007 ending till date.

Tech companies such as Microsoft, Oracle and IBM has argued in the favor of increasing the cap on the H1 B visa limit which is now poised at 65,000. It is interesting to note that the cap limit for the year 2009 has already been reached. An incredible 123,000 applications has been received in the first two days of opening for the 2008-2009 fiscal year. Apart from these stipulated 65,000 H1 B visas, 20,000 visas are reserved for the “advanced degree” students, typically the MS students take a large part of these applications.

Meanwhile the US has arrested 11 for H1 B visa fraud perpetrated by the Vision Systems Group. Sources within the goverment believe that this is just the tip of the iceberg and that fraud like this is being commited by a large number of fake companies forging fake experiences for the employees leading to displacement of highly skilled Americans.

Slum Dog Millionaire is raking millions of dollars world wide and is supposed to make Indians proud having got so many awards.

What is shocking is that this movie is in the top 34 movies of all time in IMDB! This is definitely one of the most inconsistent movies that I have ever seen.

The only reason why this movie is a hit is because it exaggerates incredible things. This is definitely a very unrealistic movie. The thing with Americans is that, like all out going individuals, they too want to see and experience exotic and new events in their life. Now, the India that is depicted in the movie is totally not true and yet it is easy for foreigners to believe that this how India is at this moment.

Take for example the Movie Borat. This extremely disgusting and supposedly humorous movie made lots of money in the US. The lead in the movie is from Kazakhstan a country about 99% in the world does not know where it is located in the map. So the lead in the movie goes about saying stuff about Kazakhstan and is portrayed as a sexist, homophobic and antisemitic. There are too many implied ridicules about Kazakhs. The point is that this makes a believable parody and it blatantly denigrates Kazakhstan. The thing is that since nobody knows where Kazakhstan is there will be no end to the amount of fiction that you can create. I wonder if the lead in the movie Borat was depicted as hailing from New Zealand, or Australia or England, it would have the same impact on the American audiences. Here also the selling point is the exoticness of Kazakhstan which got the approval from the Americans.

No wonder wikipedia says this about Borat:

“Despite a limited initial release in the United States, the satire was a critical and commercial success. Cohen won the 2007 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor: Musical or Comedy, as Borat, while the film was nominated for Best Motion Picture in the same category.^[2] Borat was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 79th Academy Awards.”

No wonder Slum Dog is getting the same reception as well. This misrepresentation of reality so endeared the movie to the Americans that they went blind to the faults glaring out from the movie.

This movie is not only inconsistent but also illogical. For example an answer for the show, “Who wants to be a millionaire” is Benjamin Franklin. And yet a child beggar in the slums of Mumbai who is blind knows Benjamin Franklin on the dollar note. Of all the possibilities, imagine the odds of a beggar knowing that!

Anil Kapoor is shown being concerned that a Slum Dog gets away with so much money. Why does he even care. He acts as if he has to give the money out of his own pocket! He is just an anchor and has got nothing to lose even if Slum Dog wins or loses and yet he misleads Jamal into picking the wrong answer.

Jamal loves the girl of his dreams, that is fine. Yet somehow, even after the girl sleeps with his own brother he still cherishes her!

If you see the top movies in IMDB the most noticeable feature present is consistency in characterization. His brother is shown to be selfish, cunning and sick in the beginning. Yet, he turns a new leaf suddenly and decides to take his own life for the sake of his brothers’ girl friend.

And Jamal himself, he is shown to be very street smart and determined as shown in one scene where he wades through a pile of human crap just to get an autograph from Big B Mr Amitabh Bhachan. Yet, he suddenly turns innocent and falters through every question in the contest.

Inspite of all these glaring holes in the weak script, just because it is getting the lime light in the US many Indians continue to chant that this is as an excellent movie. No wonder then, when the famous Swami Vivekananda was questioned why he went to the US to preach Hinduism when he could have done so in India itself, he replied that it would create a reaction back at home. No wonder then that when his greatness was acknowledged in the Parliament of Religions, immediately he was hailed as a Supreme teacher back in India.

Similarly, when Rabindranath Tagore composed Gitanjali, he was not appreciated by fellow Indians and yet when he won the prestigious Nobel Prize for Literature immediately guests started pouring in saying that his poetry was beautiful. Rabindranath Tagore gave them a piece of his mind to them at that time!

We are exactly like Jamal and his cohorts in the movie who become very happy when they are treated with lots of food and fun by the beggar mafia don. Jamal says, “He must be a saint!”.  In the same way Danny Boyle and his mates are treating India to the BAFTA awards or so on and we are becoming happy not understanding that all that is really happening is that shit load of money is being made by them for depicting India’s poverty in an unrealistic way.

Americans are shown as being nice who even give away 100$ after getting their car stolen. This is narcissism at its best.

If there is any Indian who thinks that this movie has not shown India in a poor light then consider these statements made by people from other countries taken from various forums:

After watching this does anybody want to go to india?

Not even for a visit. People call it a “poverty tour.” Although it does highlight the “new India,” it does largely depict India as a terrible place to live–with corrupt cops, and criminals that blind children for profit.

Another viewer opines:

The fact of the matter is nobody in their right mind would want to go to India after how it is shown in Slumdog Millionaire.

The other two posters are Indians who are trying to have their cake and eat it at the same time. They are saying to us that this film is just a fiction and thus its OK to set it in slums etc and misrepresent here and there. We are saying that this IS going to create a bad image of India. Just like Temple of Doom did. You and many have confirmed that.

They just don’t know how media works. It doesn’t make a difference if it is fiction or non-fiction, the selection of details has an influence on the viewer.

It is not surprising that this movie is a low budget one and I can wager a Million dollars if I have them, that this movie could have been shot in just 30 days. There is absolutely no substance in this movie.

One final million dollar question that still lingers is WHY? WHY DID JAMAL NOT WALK AWAY WITH THE MONEY WHEN HE ALREADY WON SO MANY MILLIONS. Its not as if he is a well educated youth who can try and get away with luck. He is an uneducated smart ass. When there was no logical reason to continue and risk losing everything, WHY did he do it? Surely he would not have expected to get the remaining questions mysteriously right. Even with ALL the LUCK that unrealistically helped him get this far in the show!

If this movie ACTUALLY WINS an OSCAR for the best picture, be sure that for the first time in the American movie history a totally unworthy movie has been awarded one of the most coveted award that often times is denied to the best of the best.

And one last point: The way Salim was portrayed towards the ending of the movie is highly reminiscent of scenes from “The City of God.” How original is that?

However AR Rehman’s score is commendable and deserves an Oscar!

After watching this, does anyone else just not want to go to India?

After watching this, does anyone else

A week ago, I wrote on my personal blog, a rather incendiary article according to some, on Gujarat’s Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The article was titled “When a mass murderer can become India’s Prime Minister”.And about four days back I wrote another article on this website again criticizing Mr. Modi’s human rights record. Of course the article did cause us some degree of trouble. No doubt the website page visits went up for a few hours but apparently so did the anger of a few of our readers.

Now we all know Mr. Modi is quite a revered figure in many parts of Gujarat and in India. So it was only obvious the article would cause an uproar among a few. So after a few hours we took down the page silently. But people started emailing us and left comments telling us the page was no longer available and it should be made available. We debated among ourselves and decided it was important to protect the freedom of speech and expression. But we also realized we should try and give a balanced view instead of presenting just one side of the story… that is his commendable economic feats or his terrible human rights record.

So we beg our readers’ forgiveness for taking down the article. The article that you now see is an amalgamation of two articles. We hope our readers will appreciate our effort in trying to present a neutral point of view. After reading the article, the reader is welcome to form his or her own opinion on Mr. Modi. We also welcome comments from the public (especially since this article has generated so much controversy for our website) and you you may post your comments in the comment section or email us.

Main article

My whole point of argument is how are we going to judge Mr. Modi? Will we judge him because of the spectacular growth and business development Gujarat has seen in recent years? Will we judge him from the numerous accolades he has received from the top businessment of the country? Or are we going to judge this man because of his past actions as Chief Minister of Gujarat, especially the year 2002?Mr. Modi has been accused by almost all Human Rights watchgroups (including the Human Rights Commission of India) for having flared the communal riots in Gujarat (2002) and there is ample proof of it. He has taken part in “ethnic cleansing” resulting in the displacement of thousands of Muslim families in Gujarat.

What Mr. Modi reminds me is of Hitler. Yes, another mass murder who got away with genocide and still remained in awe of his soldiers and countrymen for quite a few years. There is no doubt that Mr. Modi receives widespread support in Gujarat and in other states. And that is the sad irony of the country. That we are willing to forget the crimes against humanity he committed and are so forgiving that we are letting him write his political career on a fresh leaf. How forgiving are we to the thousands of petty thieves and one time murderers languishing in our sordid jails?

Mr. Modi has the blood of innocent people on his hands. And he cannot wash them away by redeeming himself and performing as an “efficient Chief Minister”. What is even more disturbing is educated, worldy businessmen like Mr. Mittal and Mr. Ambani have vehemently supported Mr. Modi. The simple fact is endorsing Mr. Modi endorses that man’s past actions and thus callously accepting that it is all right for men, women and children to be persecuted because they belong to a different faith. I expected better of our business elites.

So praise him as much as you may but he remains a mass murderer at large and that our system (both political and legal) has failed to do anything about it. Our governance has also failed us Indians and the trust that our Muslim brothers and sisters keep in us that as Indians we are all protected. If true enterprise and business can be built on even a single aota of goodness and morality, then I assure you that Mr. Modi and his businessmen can never be successful in the long run.

Transparency is something  India is not familiar with. All our lives we are used to not being explained the actual happenings taking place behind the scenes in corporate India. In politics this is a perennial problem. But now it is very shocking and disheartening to know that today is the BLACK DAY for indian software market. “SATYAM” pursued the path of untruth for the past two years where in the founders admitted giving inflated balance sheets much to the chagrin of the investors. The stock market plunged down by 84%. This speaks volumes of the future of the SATYAM company whose future is precariously poised.

Dubbed “India’s Enron” , SATYAM was abandoned by fund managers last december when the founders tried to invest in two of their property companies. In a time where global recession is rampant, the SATYAM brothers should have known that every move of theirs will be clearly scrutinized. Opacity might have worked in the past but it seems to have spelt doom for SATYAM.

B.Ramalinga Raju founded SATYAM computers in 1987. It is an IT company listed in the New York Stock Exchange and Euronext.

The company employs around 52,000 employees from around the world. It has offices in India, US, UK, UAE and many other countries.

With so many people being directly affected by SATYAM, one wonders how these employees will carry on with their lives at this critical period where new hires are a rarity with many premium companies laying off in huge margins.

 In January 31st, 2007 the Tata Group pulled off one of the biggest acquisitions in Indian corporate history. The Corus Group, an Anglo-Dutch steel and aluminum conglomerate was taken over by the Tata Sons against an astounding £6.7 billion at the rate of 608 pence per share against a Brazilian steel company that had bid 603 pence.” Ratan Tata is regarded as the doyen of the new era of business enterprises in the Indian mainland. The 21st century has at last, it is said, a true patron by whom the Indians can dream of a world contest by virtue of intelligence, entrepreneurship and perseverance. Of the very little information about Ratan Tata in the public domain, it is well known that he had a troubled childhood. Ratan Tata was born into an old Parsi family of Bombay, the first child of Soonoo & Naval Hormusji Tata. His parents separated in the mid-1940s, when he was about seven and his younger brother Jimmy was five. His mother moved out and both Ratan and his brother were raised by their grandmother Lady Navajbai. During college, Ratan joined Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity (One of the oldest social fraternity of the United Statesfounded at Yale in 1845 ).In 1962, after graduating from Cornell University with a degree in Architecture and Structural engineering, Ratan joined the family business. Ratan turned down a job offer from IBM, following the advice of J.R.D Tata, and entered the family business. He was sent to Jamshedpur to work at Tata Steel. In true Tata fashion, there he worked on the floor along with other blue-collar employees, shovelling limestone and handling the blast furnaces. In 1971, he was appointed director-in-charge of The National Radio & Electronics Company (NELCO), a company that was in dire financial difficulty, no one; perhaps his best wisher even thought of its success. But Ratan realizing the potential that Nelco provided with an innate prudence that hi-tech was the way to go in the future; he lost no time and convinced J.R.D. Tata for further investment. Though J.R.D. was reluctant initially but the successes of Nelco proved the credence and aplomb of Ratan. This mindset of adopting risks towards the escalation of business gained a new stronghold when in 1991 the legendary J.R.D. Tata was replaced by Ratan epitomizing not only the change of the old guard but also a definite alteration of the shibboleth self-content of the erstwhile generations. By the time JRD passed away in December 1993, it was clear that Ratan Tata’s vision for consolidating group companies under the Tata Sons banner had the patriarch’s stamp of approval. As India’s second round of economic liberalisation got underway, the Tatas’ holding company gradually increased its shareholding in group companies like Tisco (now Tata Steel), Telco (now Tata Motors), Tata Chemicals and Tata Tea. Under him Tata Consultancy Services went public and Tata Motors was listed in the New York Stock Exchange. In 1998, Tata Motors came up with Tata Indica, the first truly Indian car. The car was the brainchild of Ratan Tata.

His aggressive approach towards business was best revealed when on January 31st, 2007 the Tata Group pulled off one of the biggest acquisitions in Indian corporate history. The Corus Group, an AngloDutch steel and aluminum conglomerate was taken over by the Tata Sons against an astounding £6.7 billion at the rate of 608 pence per share against a Brazilian steel company that had bid 603 pence. The merger created the sixth largest steel producing entity in the world and at once made Ratan Tata an immortal figure in the history of Indian corporate business culture. Another feather of success got attached with this man when he presented the latest Tata fourwheeler model Tata Elegante at Geneva on March 6, 2007. This model was appreciated by all the global dealers of four-wheelers. In the meeting he told the press about his Singursmall-car plant. According to him, manufacture is going to start there soon and the first small car costing around Rs 1 lakh is going to be launched by the middle of 2008. With the Tatas growing from Rs 13,000 crore group in 1993 to Rs 1.5 lakh crore following the acquisition of Corus, all eyes are now on the reclusive Ratan Tata. The US-educated bachelor lives alone with his two German Shepherds in an apartment in downtown Mumbai. He is known to slip into the front seat alongside his driver to and from work. He is the man who was instrumental in the setting up of the Tata Foundation, the progenitor of multitude of social causes that include the rural, universal health development, eradication of water scarcity and others. Known to guard his privacy jealously, Ratan Tata has been spotted at Parsi fire temples on festival days. He is known to be a supporter of the traditional Parsi way of life and is believed to have funded the religious education of community youngsters. However Tata’s publicists do not comment on this aspect of his life and the only bits of information trickle out from community members. He has a passion for homecooked food and is known to indulge deeply in art collection. Along the way, the trained pilot who still takes to the skies on his own aircraft has picked up a number of awards like the Padma Bhushan and Forbes Asia’s Businessman of the Year award. He serves in senior capacities in various organisations in India and he is a member of the Prime Minister’s Council on Trade and Industry. In March 2006 he was honoured by Cornell University as the 26th Robert S. Hatfield Fellow in Economic Education, considered the highest honor the university awards to distinguished individuals from the corporate sector. From being solely linked to the success of the Indian economy, the Tata Group under Ratan Tata is looking at other destinations. Even troubled destinations like Sudan and Iran are on Tata’s radar. Having taken birth in a family that has earned its fame in the history of indigenous entrepreneurship, whose ample evidences are scattered through the length and breadth of India he has done justice to his legacy, which has been proved eloquently in the later years. The Tata Titans 1. Jamsetji Tata: The founder of the Tata Group began with a textile mill in central India in the 1870s.His powerful vision inspired the steel and power industries in India.

2. Sir Dorab Tata: Through his endeavours in setting up Tata Steel and Tata Power, this elder son of Jamsetji Tata was instrumental in transforming his father’s grand vision into reality. 3. Sir Ratan Tata: A philanthropist all his life, he created a trust fund for “the advancement of learning and for the relief of human suffering and other works of public utility”. 4. JRD Tata: The late chairman of the Tata Group pioneered civil aviation on the subcontinent in 1932 by launching the airline now known as Air India. 5. Naval Tata: Naval Tata’s myriad contributions in the fields of business, sports administration and labour relations symbolised all that is best in the Tata spirit of giving back to society

Can you imagine a man with absolutely no money whatsoever going on to establish an empire worth over $525 million?

Well that is exactly what Mr. Raunaq Singh did. This is the true story of a man who came to India as a refugee after the Partition of India and started selling steel tubes, first on a bicycle and later from a small shop in Kolkata. Mr. Singh was an industrialist who took an early lead and built an empire from scratch.

That was a time when he could afford only a single paise a day for his meals, yet 40 years later he would go on to employ over 9,000 candidates directly and another 20,000 indirectly.

Mr. Raunaq Singh laid the foundation of his tyre manufacturing empire about 40 years ago and set the stage for India to become a major tyre producer. As a doyen of the business community in northern India as well as due to his expertise in the automotive sector, the Government decided to appoint him as the first chairman of Maruti Limited. He has also held senior positions in the Exim Bank, Export Credit Guarantee Corporation and the Indo-German Consultative Group.

Raunaq Singh’s corporate journey from Lahore to New Delhi, first as a steel tube merchant, then as a steel tubes manufacturer and finally as the founder of Apollo Tyres, has been the stuff of corporate folklore.

He started his corporate journey without a pedigree, higher education or money, essential ingredients for success in corporate India, making it possible for ordinary folks to dream big. He was among the first post-partition breed of businessmen who came to India after the creation of Pakistan with nothing to fall on.

Born on August 16,1922, at Daska in Pakistan, Raunaq Singh learnt the elementary lessons of business skills while being employed as a salesman of a steel pipes merchant in Lahore earning Rs 8 a month — a princely amount in those times. The seeds of entrepreneurship were planted when Raunaq Singh cashed in on an opportunity thrown up by the dearth of waterpipes in the areas around Lahore. The profits he, thus , earned were ploughed back in the form of setting up his own business in steel pipes.

ACHIEVEMENTS:

• He was president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), Punjab and Haryana Chamber, Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association and the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO).
• He was chairman of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, Engineering Export Promotion Council and various joint business councils.
• He was also a member of the executive board of the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce for three years.
• The Apollo group of companies includes Bharat Gears, Raunaq International, Raunaq Automotive Components and Menarini Raunaq Pharma and has over 9,000 employees.

His son Kanwar Onkar Singh took over as the chairman of the Apollo Tyres when Mr. Raunaq Singh became chairman emeritus of the group.

Raunaq Singh died on September 30, 2002.

On that day, India lost a charismatic first generation entrepreneur.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

” When I thought of starting a company, I felt India needed 100 people like Narayana Murthy and Ambani. If 100 such people support 2 lakh people each, imagine how many Indians get supported. Entrepreneurship is needed to uplift the poor. It is not easy to be an entrepreneur, especially a first generation entrepreneur. There will be lots of challenges in the beginning but you should learn to look for the light at the end of the tunnel. Never give up even if there are hurdles. There are many who give up within a week. You need determination and a tough mind to cross the initial hurdles.” E.Sarathbabu

E. SarathBabu is not the typical IIM Ahmedabad student you read about in the newspapers. He did not take the easy path to earn mega bucks in spite of being offered plum jobs from top companies. Instead he chose, like a true entrepreneur, to carve out his own path to success. So he started FOODKING.

His mother worked as an ayah in an Anganvadi to educate him and his siblings. Later he went on to complete his higher education in the prestigious BITS Pilani and IIM Ahmedabad.

In the beginning, he took a loan of Rs 20 lakh and started Foodking in August 2006. Initially the losses were poised at Rs 2000 a day. The cafeteria’s he set up initially did not work according to plan and he soon came to the conviction that only by selling in large volumes that any profit could be made.

In 2006 IIM A alumni meet, he hoped to bag a contract but could not.

In march 2007 he got an offer to start a unit at BITS, Pilani. This contract proved profitable. Spurred with this initial profit and with the money that he borrowed from his IIM A friends, he wanted to move ahead. He got BITS Goa contract which was to be his biggest break. He had to cater to over 1300 students and the sales peaked at 65,000 Rs per day.

Then he got an opportunity to serve at SRM deemed college which boasts of over 17,000 students!

Right now he has a turn around of Rs 3.5 crore per annum. By next year he hope to increase it to Rs 20 crores.

At present he has BITS hyderabad in his hands and it all set to be operational by July 2008. So the future does look rosy to this Foodking.

http://www.rediff.com/money/2006/aug/31spec.htm

Virgin has launched its Virgin Mobile brand in India targeting the Indian youth, in a franchisee agreement with Tata Tele services. Virgin will launch its service in 50 cities, expanding to more than 1000 cities by the end of the year. Virgin Mobile estimates that there are about 22 crore plus youth mobile subscribers in India. Virgin the newest player in Indian Industry has rattled the competitors and surprised the consumers with a simple yet revolutionary idea. The idea is Virgin will give its customers 10 paise for every minute of incoming call they receive.

 Virgin’s CEO Richard Branson looks very confident that Virgin Brand can penetrate deeper into the Indian market and can create new waves in Indian mobile market especially targeting the Indian youth. Virgin has partnered with Tata Telecom services in India keeping its rates for out going calls in line with those of competitors. But the point of interest and discussion is about the incoming scheme, which gives the customer, 10 paise per minute. That means if you chat with your girl friend for 30 minutes then you will get 3 Rs for that incoming call duration of 30 minutes.

Virgin is now concentrating on CDMA services and also trying to expand its market by moving into GSM and post paid, where Virgin will get an older age group as well. Virgin is now mainly trying to create a Brand recall as it is the latest entrant into an already over crowded market. Though it is trying to move into GSM, it may be a difficult task for Virgin as recently 9 more companies like Unitech developers, Datacom, Syam Telecom etc., got the license to enter the completely filled GSM Networking. Virgin feels it is essential to move into GSM, as now a days customers prefer GSM to CDMA.The reason behind this is basing on the companies’ offers a customer can choose the required service from selected operator through GSM only. Besides these discussions Virgin has a flaw. That is the service scheme is across service providers and not just from Virgin to Virgin. So the incentive to acquire a Virgin number will be low. The main income source for a mobile is out going, but here in this case the complete concentration is on incoming calls. This will, therefore not reflect on the out going calls made on Virgin.

   

Let me justify the title first…TULSI TANTI is the man who started India’s biggest Wind Power Energy business SUZLON ENERGY, a 10 Billion USD company.He is now in the Top 10 richest indians (Forbes list # 390).

AT PRESENT :

Tulsi Tanti,49, is now the chairman and Managing Director of SUZLON ENERGY, which was started in 1995 as a small wind farm with a mere 20 people. And now there are about 13000 employees operated in 21 countries.Suzlon is now the world’s fifth largest wind energy company worth 10.5 % market share.Mr.Tulsi has 29% share and his siblings,a total, about 41%. The statastics are astounding with a 108% growth in 2007 financial year ending.But the most successfull step was aquistion of REpower systems a German company which made all its competitors realise the calibre of SUZLON ENERGY (previously in 2006 it aquired Hansen Transmissions, Belgium, world’s second largest wind turbine gear box maker ).

IN THE PAST:

But the story how it all happened is quite interesting.Mr. Tulsi Tanti was in textile business before he plunged into this wind energy feild. The business was running quite good but he was not happy with the electricity bills he used to get. So then he powered his textile business with two small capacity wind turbine generators. Many considered it as a wothless step as the immediate cost of it was more than his textile business. But Mr.Tulsi could forsee the potential the feild has.The driving forces as said by him are are the soaring fuel and power prices that drove him to the unconventional step that did hit the Bull’s Eye.

THE OTHER SIDE :

He was chosen as one of the “HEROES OF THE ENVIRONMENT” by the TIME Magzine in 2006. As an environmentalist he always spoke of conserving Natural resources. He says “If Indians start consuming power like the Americans, the world will run out of resources. Either you stop India from developing, or you find some alternate solution.”He is a man with a mission to place India in the TOP and SAFE place in the Future. He says “I could have a mansion and afford to leave the lights on all day long if I wanted. But it’s not about saving money anymore for me. I just want to do what I can to fix the problem.”

A. Venkateswara Rao is the founder of Southern Travels Pvt. Ltd. This company has the unique distinction of delivering more than 34 years of service to the Tourism Sector in India. Mr. Venkateswara Rao hails from a middle-class family located at Prasangulapad near Ongole, Prakasam District, Andhra Pradesh. In his school life he faced many problems because of the remoteness of his village. There were no proper traveling facilities to travel from his village to school. He used to walk 15Kms a day to complete his schooling. But these adverse circumstances did not disturb his determination and zeal to reach the goal in the least. It was his dream to become an I.A.S officer. For this he worked hard and achieved 1st Class in M.A. Economics. Later he went to Delhi and wrote the IAS examination.
He worked with National Council of Applied Economics Research, New Delhi ( NCAER) and the Union Ministry of Commerce, New Delhi. After taking VRS in 1971, he started Travel Services and procured train tickets and arranged Tourist buses for customers to travel to nearby places like Agra, Hardwar, etc. The services offered by his company were not expensive. The business environment was congenial to him as the major part of his customers were from middle-class employees. He understood the prominence and the potential of New Delhi by observing the thousands of tourists coming from Southern States to New Delh. He wanted to capitalize this opportunity. Moreover there was no proper guidance for the tourists coming from southern states. Then he came up with an idea of starting a Hotel. For that purpose, in 1978, he purchased a building with the thought of converting it into a Hotel along with purchasing 50 Buses and Cars.
Many Bankers came forward to invest money for contructing the rooms and to purchase cars. This resulted in a 90 Room Complex “Hotel Southern” at Karol Bagh, New Delhi. They kept in mind the best interests of the customers and worked hard to provide adequate facilities for them. Because of this, they attained an unbeatable lead in the tourism sector in the next three decades. The only thing on their agenda was the need to serve the customers in the most efficient and economical way. Southern Travels employed young boys from Southern States adept in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam at the respective travel counters to avoid communication gaps. This increased the customers as they felt good about the personal attention and the efficient service. They also started serving good South Indian food.These efforts culminated with a National Tourism Award from Ministry of Tourism, Government of India as the BEST DOMESTIC TOUR OPERATOR in the country.

A.V.Rao is still not satisfied. He is in the process of constructing a 3 Star Hotel before the Commonwealth Games in Delhi and Nagpur. They are planning to start an Institute in the near future to train technical competent individuals for the hospitality industry. Apart from these they are also offering an honorarium to the merit students every year irrespective of caste / economic status in Delhi and in Andhra Pradesh.

It is quite inspiring to see a single person A. V.Rao holding some of the prestigious positions in the Tourism, Banking and Religious Trusts.

1. Chairman, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation, A Govt. Undertaking,
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
2. Member, Tourism Promotion Council, Government of Andhra Pradesh.
3. Member of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Board, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh
4. Director, Vysya Bank Limited, Bangalore.
5. Member of Central Board of Film Censors.
6. Chairman, Sri Venkateswara College, New Delhi

20. When the going gets tough -- Boyzone/Billy Ocean

I like the version by Boyzone a little bit better. This song is very catchy and the lyrics have a message. If you find something difficult to do, remember:

“When the going gets tough, The tough get going”

Commit yourself to your dream.

“I’m gonna put this dream in motion
Never let nothing stand in my way”

19. I get knocked down Chumbawamba-Tubthumping

This song is packed with tremendous energy. In fact listening to this number makes one jump up and dance. Definitely this is the most upbeat songs in the list.

These two lines make my day any time:

“I get knocked down, but I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down
I get knocked down, but I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down”

Unfortunately there is a weird woman who sings weird lines in the song. Only because of that this song is placed low on this list. Hope you enjoy this song as much as do.

18. Life is what you make it-Hannah Montana

This is a really cool song with a deep message to all. The lyrics are simply gold. Yet, because this song was sung by a teenage girl with really no deep conviction in the message that she gives, makes this song at #14 in our list. Because this song is a bit deep, one has to listen to the lyrics carefully to get motivated.

“Don’t let no small frustration
Ever bring you down
No no no no
Just take a situation
And turn it all around

With a new attitude everything can change
Make it how you want it to be
Stayin’ mad, why do that?
Give yourself a break
Laugh about it and you’ll seeLife’s what you make it
So let’s make it rock “

17. All Star- Shrek

“Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me
I ain’t the sharpest tool in the shed”

People who do not have the willingness to pursue their own dreams put others down by demoralizing them.

DONT LET THESE NEGATIVE PEOPLE AFFECT YOU

“You’ll never know if you don’t go
You’ll never shine if you don’t glow”

17. Tim Armstrong -- Into Action [Ft Skye Sweetnam]

Let’s get moving into action
Let’s get moving into action
If you last too slow, no satisfaction
That’s something out there, there’s an attraction
If you hesitate now, that’s a subtraction
So let’s get moving, go into action”The lyrics say it all. Enough of discussion and speculation. Lets get INTO ACTION!

15. If you want to sing out, sing out -- Cat Stevens

Did you watch the movie “American Beauty?” In that movie, the protagonist gives up a high paying pressure cooker of a job and starts flipping hamburgers at a local restaurant. The only reason he does so is because he finds this job less demanding and more satisfying. He always enjoyed flippin’ burgers when he was a kid. Why not now?

Who says that a perfect life is one that comes after you graduate from a big college and take up a million dollar paying job. Who says that the only way to be happy is to go about in fancy cars and dine in expensive Hotels?

There are a million ways in which to live your life and no single way of life is better than any other.

Well that is the theme of this song.

“Well, if you want to sing out, sing out
And if you want to be free, be free
‘Cause there’s a million things to be”

Do what ever you want buddy. There is no shame in pursuing your dreams. The dream may be big or it may be small. But what matters most is that it is the dream that YOU want.

“And if you want to live high, live high
And if you want to live low, live low
‘Cause there’s a million ways to go”

14. Danger Zone -- Top Gun/Kenny Logins

Top gun was THE movie to be watched in the 80′s This was a big break for Tom Cruise. It is amazing to see the movie now and still be excited about it. This movie has everything. Girls, cool Bikes and best of all MiGs, the F-14s. Tom Cruise is in his element in this movie. In the movie, Tom plays the “Maverick” taking risks to accomplish seemingly impossible stuff. In a way Tom Cruise typifies an Entrepreneur.

An Entrepreneur is also some one who does not stick to conventions. He is a wild child, a vanguard, a Maverick. He does not do what others blindly follow. He trusts himself and goes for the kill. He knows that nature has gifted him with special faculties which others are not endowed with. To the people around him, he may be seen as capricious, whimsical and eccentric or even hot headed, but the entrepreneur knows only the DANGER ZONE. An entrepreneur always takes the road less traveled.

” You’ll never know what you can do
Until you get it up as high as you can go
Out along the edges
Always where I burn to be
The further on the edge
The hotter the intensity
Highway to the Danger Zone ”

13. You’re the best- Karate Kid/Joe Esposito

The lyrics really say it all. I will post the lyrics in the entirety here, because I feel that not a single word of it was used in vain.

“ Try to be best
‘Cause you’re only a man
And a man’s gotta learn to take itTry to believe
Though the going gets rough
That you gotta hang tough to make itHistory repeats itself
Try and you’ll succeedNever doubt that you’re the one
And you can have your dreams!You’re the best!
Around!
Nothing’s gonna ever keep you down
You’re the Best!
Around!
Nothing’s gonna ever keep you down
You’re the Best!
Around!
Nothing’s gonna ever keep you dow-ow-ow-ow-ownFight ‘til the end
Cause your life will depend
On the strength that you have inside youAh you gotta be proud
starin’ out in the cloud
When the odds in the game defy youTry your best to win them all
and one day time will tell
when you’re the one that’s standing there
you’ll reach the final bell! “

12. Day Dream Believer -- The Monkees

This is an old song, from the 60′s. Even though the song is old, it is quite fresh and simple. This number reminds me of The Beatles, but some how, I feel this song is as good as some of the best Beatles tracks around.

When you are down and out and just listen to this number and you will surely be cheered right up. Especially if you are an entrepreneur, a Day Dream Believer or a wild goose chaser.

Some of the best parts of the lyrics which I liked:

” Oh, and our good times starts and end
Without dollar one to spend.
But how much, baby, do we really need? “

and

” Cheer up, sleepy jean.
Oh, what can it mean.
To a daydream believer
And a homecoming queen.“

11. Mad Mission -- Patty Griffin -- Kiwi Version

“ It’s a mad mission
Under difficult conditions
not everybody makes it
To the loving cup
It’s a mad mission
But I got the ambition
Mad, mad mission
sign me up “

Just check out the Kiwi version of this song here:

It is very touching.

10. Rain drops keep fallin’ on my head -- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid- Hal David and Burt Bacharach

For those of us to whom this is more than just a song, but an actual attitude towards life. All ye who eke out a living enduring the monotonous humdrum of daily life. All ye masses who forgot what it is to be carefree and full of spirit like Ol’ Butch and Sundance. Yea!those who believe in fighting the blues cos ” it won’t be long before happiness stands up to greet…” Touted as the most optimistic and happy song of the century…..I dedicate this song to the eternal optimist that is inside every one of us…..

AND REMEMBER……

(Butch) Don’t ever hit your mother with a shovel, it leaves a dull impression on her mind…..
(Etta Place/Katharine Ross)Do you know what you are doing???(Butch) Theoretically enjoy!!!

P.S: This is a comment by made by one of the youtube member on the movie:”No one can set out to make a film with this kind of magic. Just can’t be forced or remade with the same magic. One of those very few films where it just happened. ”

9. My Life -- Billy Joel

You can skip the first one minute of this song. But, what then follows is sure to inspire you to live a good clean independent life.The meaning of the song is best summarized by Blacksabbath84:He’s pretty much just saying that other people need to leave him alone, and in exchange he’ll leave them alone--”I don’t need you to worry for me ’cause I’m alright”, “go ahead with your own life, leave me alone”, “you can speak your mind but not on my time”--and stop trying to force their beliefs, values, etc. on him.

8. Green Day -- Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Whether it is a startup you are planning to come up with or something which all and sundry generally avoid doing, then the path which you have to take is a long and lonely path, one where the only companion you have is your own shadow.

“ I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don’t know where it goes
But it’s home to me and I walk aloneI walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
and I’m the only one and I walk alone.”

7. I believe I can Fly -- R.Kelly

This is a very inspiring song by R. Kelly. This was written for the movie SpaceJam. There is nothing that is impossible to a hardworking and persevering soul.

“If I can see it, then I can do it
If I just believe it, there’s nothing to it”

Whatever it is that you believe, that you will achieve!

“I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away
I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door
I believe I can fly“

6. Unwritten -- Natasha Beddingfield

Nobody knows whats going to happen to them next. Everybody’s life is “unwritten.”

So,

“ Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten, yeah “

Trust your self and work out your inner ambitions in the world outside.

5. Jonny Lang -- Anything’s Possible“

Johnny you won’t be nothing unless you do what you’re told”,
Study medicine or study law,
And please put away the guitar,
The best you’ll ever be is a local star at the local bar,”

This was what he had been told in the days of old.

But,

“I went and did it anyway,
Family helping all the way,
Now I’m here today,
5 records later,
So you can hear me say,….…..you can succeed,
It might not be easy,
But anything’s possible, “

4. Hungry Heart -- Wild Striker

This is shown at the beginning of an anime series and it covers the journey of a wild and talented dark horse, Kanō Kyōsuke, as he tries to realize his full potential and make it big in the world of football.

The lyrics for this song is not english but still there is so much energy and vibrancy to this song that you cannot feel unmoved.

In the beginning he had a lot of interest and passion for the game. But as time passed, he lot the initial zeal.

“ My weak and youthful dreams were almost destroyed,They remained as I had envisioned them long ago “

He meets a girl who rekindles his passion for the game.

“Before I realized it, my heart was on fire”

Now he is firmly focussed on the present moment. He wants to work hard and get away from a dream world into reality.

” Yes, over time, I came into grip with reality.”

He sets his eyes on a stage in the distant future, where national level games would be played. Now, he wonders, what version of himself at that point in future would be there in that stadium? Would he be a beaten man, sighing over lost opportunities or would he be a highly talented and hard working player scoring goals for his team?

“There’s a stage that glimmers with blue lightI have taken my first step towards it. What kind of me will be waiting there? “

3. Hearts on fire -- Rocky -- John Cafferty

Here you can see Rocky training hard to reach his goal. How many of us are doing THAT, doing which takes us nearer to our goal?

“ Heart’s on fire, strong desire, rages deep within
Heart’s on fire, fever’s risin’, high “

This is truely one of the most inspiring songs. If nothing else, at least watching this video would make you go to the gym for the next few days!

2. It’s my life -- Bon Jovi

The basic theme of this song is that this life which you are living is YOURS. Don’t live a fake life trying to please those around you. Find the thing you love and do it. Do whatever you want!This is YOUR life, take control of it! This life is very short. Even before you finish blinking your eyes, you will be old, dead and gone. You might as well as try and do the things you love. Do it YOUR way. That is the only way to truly live. It’s now or never.

Take no crap from nobody, you are the ruler of your fate. You are your own boss. DON’T LET OTHERS DICTATE YOUR LIFE FOR YOU!This is one of the best songs around. Claim your lost individuality by trying to live the words of this song!

1. Never Give up on a dream -- Rod Stewart

Please take time to watch this video. This video is sure to touch you and change you forever. Just watching this video is sure to overwhelm you tears.This video is a tribute to Terry Fox.

Terry’s spirit is something that is made of the stuff of legends. He was truly a great man and the few years that he lived brought nothing but joy and blessing to all.Terry was very passionate about sports. He was not tall like the bigger kids around him. But what he lacked in height he more than made up by the sheer capacity of his determination. He was good in cross country running and also in swimming.

Unfortunately, when Terry was only 18 years old when he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and forced to have his right leg amputated 15 centimetres (six inches) above the knee in 1977.

Marathon of Hope:

Instead feeling down, disheartened and hopeless, Terry started working on his new prosthetic leg. Though his family wept, he felt blessed on having beaten cancer. (He thought he had.)

Terry Fox had a dream. And the dream was to collect one dollar from every Canadian by running across Canada and then use this money for research in a bid to cure or arrest cancer.

Fox sent letters to various companies soliciting their sponsorship. The final sentence of his letter was: “…I’m not saying that this will initiate any kind of definitive answer or cure to cancer, but I believe in miracles. I have to.”

With dogged determination that was characteristic of him, Terry started his marathon in the fall of 1979. When the news of Terry spread across Canada like wildfire, funds started pouring in. He met the Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. He helped kick start a CFL game between Ottawa and Saskatchewan, kicking the opening ball. There were many other interesting events along the run.

Terry was half way cross the journey when he said he felt as if he’d caught a cold. Doctors said that cancer had invaded his lungs. So, Terry arranged a press conference and told reporters he had to go home. He had run 3,339 miles (5,376 km).

Terry’s health gradually worsened and by June 28, 1981 Terry Fox died, with his family beside him. By then, Terry Fox had raised $24.17 million, equaling Canada’s population of 24.1 million at the time. This was the dream for which he set about in the beginning.

“How many people do something they really believe in? I just wish people would realize that anything’s possible if you try. Dreams are made if people try.” …..Terry Fox

Apart from the Terry Fox video, even the lyrics of the song are very beautiful and inspiring.

NOTE
Guys, I wanted my entire post in my own words but i think the statements made by Suhas Gopinath are worth left as they are said. Because those simple lines will inspire you better.
AT THE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE, BANGLORE
Suhas was at the gates , on his way to the auditorium to attend the seminar on ‘The Education System in India’ when a security person did not allow him to enter as he was very young and didn’t have an ID. He said to Suhas that it was a seminar, only for CEOs .”I don’t have my ID card but here are the visiting cards of the people I know“, suhas said.
Just a few calls and he was in , not in the audience but on the dais.

SUHAS GOPINATH TILL 14

He was born in Banglore and had a dream of becoming a veterinary doctor. But when his elder brother once showed him the world of internet, his fascination started. He was enthralled by the power of the internet, web, email and all. Within a year, he had taught himself how to create and design a website, HTML, ASP and all other related software that he could lay his hands on. He was a ‘good’ student at academics till then but became an average student when he started exploring his new found world in cyber cafes. And that was when he started COOLHINDUSTAN.COM along with his friends (He abandoned that project when it was hacked and the logo was changed to coolpakistan.com). To start that he needed money but his parents refused to invest . He then wrote to Network Solutions headquartered in California, and they readily agreed and offered him a job and would also have paid for his education in US. But all he said was NO. He wanted to do the stuff for his own company rather than for other’s.
HE WAS 14 WHEN HE MADE THAT CHOICE… perhaps that was when he became an entrepreneur.

AFTER 14

He became the youngest Indian to start a company, when he found GLOBALS INC., at California, in USA (because one has to be 18 yrs to start a business in India), at the age of 14 in 2000. Its an MNC with offices in more than 11 countries that offers quality solutions to web, mobile, multimedia, e-commerce etc. He had even started a branch in Karachi, Pakistan (Initially our government opposed the idea but he convinced them that GLOBALS inc., was an US based firm and not of Indian origin ). The company expanded from 4 people to 400. In 2005, a Houston Investment firm approached him and offered 1 Billion $ for a majority stake. The answer was NO and he said “Why should I sell my baby?”

SUHAS at Present

He is now completing his bachelor’s degree in Information Science in Banglore. And he has already applied for a course in artificial intelligence at Stanford University (and hopes to see his icon Bill Gates).

Once asked to give a message to would-be entrepreneurs, he replied “I don’t think that I am mature enough to advise others, but if you have it in you, go for it. One should also make time to enjoy other things in life. With work, you get too busy to even repent”.

FUNNY FACTS
A few years ago ……

• He buys a car but wouldn’t drive because he had no license.
• He, as a CEO, successfully accomplishes a deal but wouldn’t sign the contract !!
• He even grew his Mustache to camouflage his student looks.

At present, the average age of the employees in his company is around 21. The senior most employee is 26 yrs old with the youngest being 12 yrs, (Obviously they will not allow the youngest to do a full time job, abiding by the Child labor Act) who does web designing for them.
Suhas says
“Enterprise is more important than high academic qualifications”