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Early to rise…
Warren Buffet invested in his first share at eleven. Looking for an exclamation mark? He feels he started too late! Now carry on. The face behind Facebook was really young, as was the Google guy. Michael Dell, Bill Gates, the list of the restless who started young is actually endless. We too try finding our parallel IT guys in the city, come back complacent, confident, rather conceited. Sameer Jain, CEO, Net Solutions, went ahead and founded his company at 28. Did it ever feel a little too soon? "No, I think I started pretty late," declares the active head, CII's Young Indians Chandigarh Chapter, as a matter of fact. "In the IT industry, as it is there's a young crowd involved, rather 31-32 is considered slightly on the elder side." So, gone are the days of salt and pepper bearded men sitting across the high table or thinking of starting their own ventures? "A lot has changed over the years, earlier when we would talk of starting a company, it would be in manufacturing units or ventures requiring a significant amount of capital. But now, with technology, everything's turned 360 degrees," says Pancham Prashar, 31, director, Cueblocks Technologies. The guy himself began his own venture around four years ago. He says, "We provide 35 big and small services and I handle the sales and marketing operations, apart from a few common areas dealt with by all of us." Did we tell you, he, at just 31, is the eldest among founders! Sneh Lata, 32, director, Connoisseur Infotech Pvt Ltd, adds, "That's the way it should be, start young and you have energy, enthusiasm. Though experience does matter but so does exposure and these guys have it in full measure, with everything just a click away." Agrees Parul Pandey, director, People Factor Pvt Ltd, "We are now tapping the entrepreneurial people, it's more to do with the risk-aking streak, now they come all experimental plus there's so much of support." She first founded her company in 2005 and no; it wasn't difficult convincing people. She says, "Rather now, when I look at bigger responsibilities and larger roles, they comparatively hunt for grey hair." So, age wasn't a deal, nor was dealing with clients abroad. Shares Pancham, "I never faced any of these problems and I was dealing with foreign clients in the IT industry and most of them were as it is young." What of after hours? Religiously considered a sacrosanct zone. So, do the young risk-taking entrepreneurs get to do stuff normal responsibilities wouldn't otherwise let them? Says Pancham, "When we began, we decided not to burn ourselves. All of us try to leave office by around seven and don't subscribe to the 14-hour work culture typical of the IT industry. We have a playstation in our office and such sort of fun things." And yes, he's been into yoga and martial arts for years now. While Sneh Lata shares, "It's all about time management. But even then I would say, at times, balancing does become difficult. At times, I feel I'm missing out on a few things I could have easily done in other circumstances." Don't get it wrong, there's no regret. As Parul, says, "Earlier, I would hate it if anybody called me on Saturday, but when on your own, you're not accountable. So, there's work flexibility but no segregation between office and leisure time. She adds, "Plus when you start your own company, you're ready to get called anytime." Like we said, high risk, high returns. manpriya@tribunemail.com
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More than words
Think, act, solve. If thoughts can change world, then Wordzmun '09 will easily qualify as the launchpad for that change. Grave matters that demand grey matters, issues that circle UN discussion forums being discussed by teenagers. Human rights, ethno-nationalist and separatist terrorism, piracy in Gulf of Aden, status of LGBT community and situation in Pakistan take importance over fashion, Facebook and frivolous film talks.
The three-day event organised by Wordz, a debating society and a student initiative simulates the UN model of functioning. With over 200 participants playing the role of delegates from 99 countries, it offers an experience to become a part of the change at global level. "We are a three-year old organisation, recognised by the UN Information Centre and this is the second time that we have organised this conference. Our aim is to enable students to participate in global issues, develop diplomatic and logical skills and think globally," says Atin Batra, secretary general of Wordz. He adds that it's an effort to change the attitude, and once out of that conference hall, you are confident, passionate, mature and a changed individual. "We try to break the moulds when it comes to perspectives. Like, a person who is a staunch supporter of the LGBT community spoke against it playing the role of a Russian delegate," he shares an example. Global citizens on local platform, Wordzmun has segregation of committees, nothing less than the original; UN format, with a General Assembly, Crisis Committee board, Security council and Human rights council. Issues are raised, arguments and suggestions made, resolutions passed. And if you think it ends here, then they have an official press too- ECHO, that publishes the annual reports of the conference. Apart from those participating, it also has an online portal for its volunteers outside the country. "We have over 218 members outside India across five countries and they are active participants through our websites and online discussion forum,' Atin says. And what's next? "We are hoping to expand our reach, but at our own pace," he says. nehawalia@tribunemail.com |
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Nature’s own
Blue Ocean Academy, one of the leading fashion design institutes of Manipur has taken up the challenge to encourage and promote youth in the field of dress designing and modelling. The traditional-cum-handloom fashion show "Yenning" meaning "Living with Nature' provided a platform for young designers and models, to display their talents. It provided a platform to twenty-two young aspiring models and designers to flaunt their own creations. "After they complete their certificate course, we promote the designers and models of the institute by organizing a fashion parade. We also provide a platform to make-up artist, beauticians as well," said S.K. Singh, managing director, Blue Ocean "It is a focused collection. We are showcasing traditional Manipuri costumes which also have modern designs," said W. P. Singh, model. Spicing up the show, children walked down the ramp displaying the unique culture and tradition of the state. —ANI
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Four to go
It's fashion that's affordable and it's coming to Jaipur, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata soon with the Fashion Yatra, an exhibition showcasing accessories, couture and pret clothing lines.
"The whole idea of this exhibition is to bring affordable fashion to the doorsteps of people. We promote the idea that fashion is for everyone," Fashion Yatra's organiser Kamini Saraf said. In its fifth year, the exhibition is held every year before the beginning of major festivals. "People start shopping before festivals and weddings. Hence this time of the year is perfect for our exhibition. We promote young designers and they get a platform to showcase their talent," Saraf said. "This young and budding talent pool offers exciting creative stuff to people and our customers like the innovation that comes at affordable prices," she added. Fashion Yatra started in Hyderabad and after it was a huge hit there, the organisers added Chennai to the list and this year they have added Jaipur and Kolkata. "We didn't want to move to major cities like Delhi or Mumbai because you need to have a name in the fashion circle before you enter that territory. The idea is to slowly and steadily make a mark and enter big cities," Saraf said. Fashion Yatra in Jaipur will be inaugurated by Diya Kumari and the participants in the ethnic fashion segment include labels like Rewaz, Divija, Ritu's creations, Zebaish, Prisha, Laachesis, Bonbibi, Afshan Khan, Aiyana, Bhavna, Burgundy Blue and Color Fab. Apart from normal pret wear, the exhibition will also have bridal collections, bags, shoes, jewellery, kids' wear and home décor items. The exhibition will be held in Jaipur Aug 12-13, Hyderabad Aug 27, Chennai Sep 21-22 and in Kolkata Oct 5.
— IANS |
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Status symbol
Coining tricky status message is an art, and who doesn’t want people to wonder and revert with compliments sometimes—even brickbats. For some, these messages say a thing or two about an individual’s state of mind. It could be targeted at someone in particular or could be holding back some secret between groups of friends. Whatever, status messages make for interesting reading. We decode some funny, weird, confusing, secretive writings on the wall. Deejay Goapu of Elements band feels that women make good friends, and so says his status message—The best friends I have are women—starting from my MUM! For Daylon Dcruz, working with a private bank, changing the status of messages is a must do job. This is creativity personified,” he laughs. “I don’t believe in personalised messages. The ones I write are funny to the core and are very situational.” We believe. For, his status a few days back was—Bin phere hum tere Rakhi Sawant. After the drama queen chose Elesh in the drama of all times Rakhi Ka Swayambar, the writing on the wall changed overnight— What did Rakhi Sawant say after spending time with Elesh? Canada Dry P. On the other hand, communications-in-charge, Bodhi Satya Basu Thakur thought the best way to impress his wife was to coin a message that she wouldn’t stop praising. It reads—My wife is my Aladdin’s chiragJ. Just love her! Says Damini Syal, yet another communication professional, “I love to read status messages, and I must say most people leave amazing one liners. It reflects their personality, they also give a slight idea about what’s happening with them.” Damini finds extracts from poetry books, famous Bollywood dialogues, songs, jokes pretty interesting. “I remember some interesting status messages like Jab main chhotta baccha tha badi sharart karta tha..ab mai bada baccha hu chotti sharat karta hun…or papa da paisa puttra aish kar ley. Some messages are representative of a fresh incident that has happened or is happening in someone’s life. Like –I lost my cell phone, does anyone have my ex-girl’s number?’ or, I am suffering from Badamerial, Killer party at the office, Going to the mountains, Goa rocks, Love Aaj Kal, Gaddi ayi gaddi ayi, rakhi hai bachaoo, tere dar par aye increment laga dey….. Adds Manmohan, “Sometimes these messages say it all. They describe everything. However, I refrain from any kind of personal messages targeted at someone. Now, what does my status message says – Hey, there’s a butterfly on my shoulder. jasmine@tribunemail.com
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LE(A)D on
Amitpal Singh Grewal
The term LED stands for Light Emitting Diode and as you may well know LEDs are used in many of our devices at present. However, in terms of the current line of LED TVs, the actual LEDs are used for the backlight of the TV only and not the TV display itself. If you consider that current TV technology uses CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps), there is no doubt that an LED backlight is a more efficient form of backlight. However, the important point here is that the LED televisions display is actually LCD (Liquid Crystal Display); it is the backlight only that is made up of LEDs. So, there are two major technologies at use here, LCD for the display and LED for the backlight. It means a more advanced form of LCD TV. When you compare this technology to a true LED display TV. Displays such as OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) will self illuminate, utilising an internal thin layer of LED for its display only. The fact that the ‘LED TV’ term has been used to describe a type of LCD TV is a good move made by Samsung probably for marketing. LCD TVs with LED backlights
Now that we have clearly understood that this is LCD TV with an LED backlight, let’s look at how this new range of TV improves on current TV technology such as plasma and standard LCD. Picture quality: Quite simply, the picture quality has been improved over standard LCD and Plasma, because the range of colors have increased. The use of LED as a light source instead of traditional lamps provides a higher contrast ratio because LEDs produces blacker blacks and white’s whites, this is the key to achieve quality images on screen. Environment: LED technology consumes less power than current backlight TV technology, making a saving on your energy bills. Slimmer models: Since no provision for a conventional light source is required, LED TVs can be made ultra thin, this makes for a thin, sleek, more attractive model. If you are looking in the market for a TV now and want a picture quality in advance of current standard LCD and Plasma ranges on the market, then you should go with an LED TV and if you are in no hurry to purchase a television at this present time and require a TV with technology that will keep up with cutting edge, in terms of LED technology, OLED TV is the real deal. Laser TV is another option to explore. Both are emerging technologies and require patience as they find their place in the market with the correct size screens for your home. The bottom-line is to understand the technology so that you can’t be fooled. amitpalsinghgrewal@hotmail.com |
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Celebs connected
Ever left comments on celebrity blogs and got a response? Celeb talk
Anirudh Dave, actor Teere Sang Big response
Nikhil, journalist Connecting people
Dj Surya
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AB...See of blogging
“I have written a number of times to Amitabh Bachchan and also got response on the same. It is sweet that he takes time to write in. He almost reads it religiously without miss. I was ecstatic when I saw the response for the first time. He always leaves some encouraging words for me.”— Kajal, student of IGNOU “Big B makes it a point to call write back to fans who have blogged on his blog. I write to him often and this has become a regular affair. I share so much with him and in return he writes encouraging words that helps me going.” — Vikrim, general physician
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Haute pick
World’s first digital camera with Projector: Brightness*4: Up to 10 lumens; Image size: 5 to 40 in; Throw distance: Approximately 26 cm to 2 m (10 in to 6 ft 6 in); Endurance (battery life)*5: Approximately 1 hour; Resolution (output): VGA equivalent Projector stand and wireless remote control supplied A variety of slideshow effects enhance the fun of the Five advanced image stabilizing features*2 include ISO 6400*3, Lens shift VR image stabilisation, Electronic VR image stabilisation, Motion detection, and best shot selector 12.1 effective megapixels for high-resolution images 5x zoom Nikkor lens 2.7-in. high-resolution LCD monitor Smart portrait system with skin softening Scene auto selector provides quick, carefree picture-taking in a variety of situations Subject tracking for automatic tracking Quick retouch for the best balance of contrast and saturation D-lighting adds detail and optimizes exposure to rescue underexposed images |
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work Bamboo boom Satish Narula Who does not know about a bamboo? It finds use in many things of daily use, right from construction material to musical instruments. It has tremendous commercial value and is also used in the farms for soil conservation. Not many people know that its leaves are used in hilly areas as fodder in the period of dearth. And due to large number of species available some of them being very ornamental, it has also caught the fancy of landscapists and amateur gardeners. It has now become almost an essential element in any good garden. Bamboo belongs to the grass family and the range of variety varies from grass like thin and short plants to giant species that grow to 40 meters height. Its increasing popularity with the gardeners can also be attributed to its very fast growth. There are bamboo species that can grow a few feet in a month. You can virtually ‘hear’ the bamboo grow. The texture and colour range is also very wide. There are jet-black to deep green, almost black bamboos in contrast to deep yellow with light green stripes and vice versa. These yellow or green striped bamboos are most popular with the gardeners due to their immense ornamental value. These are planted in groups in the garden. Such bamboo grooves, however suit to the large lawns. But those with limited space should not get disheartened, as there are dwarf species too. Such species are also used for making hedges or to create screens. Bamboo forms excellent screen and you can see one such planting on outer Dakshin Marg along the city highway. In fact in these changed times, the highway authority should also use such plants on highways that pass through cities or near any IT industry that needs sound barrier or screening from dust. The giant species are used by farmers, especially where their land falls near a seasonal or perennial water stream. For those who live in flats planting bamboo comes very handy. Besides being ornamental, it can withstand the weather onslaught very well. It can also stand the water stress especially when the surface is covered with moss grass etceteras. One of the very ornamental species of bamboo is Buddha’s Belly bamboo, also called pitcher plant. It is so called because the internodes of this species are too close to each other giving the impression of a pitcher lying one above the other. Bamboo is an essential component of a Japanese style garden as it provides serenity to the place. In such gardens, even railing, screens, roofs, shelters and gates are raised by bamboo. The section of giant bamboo species is also used for carrying water in a trickle form from far off places. Bamboo sections that are dug in the soil support such channels again. Bamboo is propagated by way of sectional cuttings with nodes during rainy season. It is also planted by division of rhizomes that run underground to give rise to new a bamboo above ground. This is done in June-July. satishnarula@yahoo.co.in
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It is fun to work online. However, one reason why I log on everyday to check something that is wacky, tricky, funny, weird, serious and interesting—the status messages with interesting graphics,” says Manmohan Jalta, image executive, Chavi Image. “Some people have all the time in the world to create status messages. Nevertheless, it is lot of fun to read them.”
Things were as it is complicated whenever there was a question of buying a television, and now after the launch of the new LED LCD and OLED TVs making a decision to choose one out of the whole lot has become even more complicated. So, this article might just help in making a decision, as well as understanding the technology where you’re actually spending your hard-earned money on.
“First, I should think of starting my own blog. I blog but I have never written anything to celebrities. In fact, I wonder whether they have time to do all this. Nevertheless, I would certainly want to write and share my views with the celebs and see what they have to say. It would be nice to write in to either Aamir Khan, Shahrukh Khan or Amitabh Bachchan.
I wrote a story about celebrities for which Amitabh Bachchan wrote back telling how much he appreciated the effort. I am glad he read it and found time to even respond back. It’s good that celebrities can now share their views with fans and people who write about them. Blogging has brought in a personal touch in the fan and celebrity relationship. 
Honestly, I would rather check my own blog and accounts. Not that I don’t find them authentic. I am just too busy with either work or hooked on to my own blog and accounts. I am more interested in knowing what are the comments that people have left for me. We keep reading about celebrities pretty often. I feel I should connect to people who genuinely take time out to check my blog.