IIM-Udaipur launches course on digital enterprise management
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Small global cos on India hiring spree
Host of product firms have moved tech teams here to leverage cost arbitrage in last 8 months
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It is not just large banks and IT firms that are tapping into India’s technology talent pool. Over the past year or so, a growing number of small American and European product companies have started moving technology development work to India, as they face a battle for talent competing with large companies in their home markets.
Software as a Service (SaaS) firm Quolum, which started operations earlier this year, has hired three people in India out of its four-member tech team.
“Over the last seven to eight months, we have seen a lot of product companies move tech teams to India to leverage the cost arbitrage. These companies have proven business models and find it easy to attract talent by paying 1.3-1.5 times the prevailing salaries in India,” said Joseph Devasia, MD, Antal India, an executive recruitment firm.
Paying a marginally higher salary is not an issue for foreign firms as it is still one-fifth of what they would have to pay in their home markets. Ridecell, which provides amobility platform for shared vehicles, has a 50-member team in Pune.
“Having a tech office in India gives us the strategic advantage to address the huge market potential in India and the growing mobility markets across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Additionally, India is the hub for world-class tech talent, so it made complete sense for us to set up a technology office here,” said Samyak Pandya, VP of business operations and finance, Ridecell.
There has been a spike in the number of small tech companies looking at India, said Gaurav Chattur, managing director-Asia Pacific, Catenon Group, a search firm that helps global firms recruit people for their India operations. “The US and European countries are inherently short on tech talent. The visa norms in these countries are also a challenge, which is why even early-stage firms are considering India,” he said.
A recent study by Cornell University found that foreign-born PhD students in the US were more likely to opt to work at a large tech firm over a startup or smaller product firm, simply because of visa issues.
Smaller firms typically do not have the resources to help procure an H-1B visa — essential for a non-US citizen to work in the US. As a result, many of the smaller firms are struggling to find the right talent locally. With large IT services firms also increasing hiring locally in the US, the talent supply pipeline has been choked for product firms.
Very often, these companies have been started by Indians, or have Indians on the core team. In these cases, the choice of where to set up the India operations depends on where the founder has a personal connection.
Switzerland-headquartered Loylogic started out by outsourcing its technology work, but when it decided to move it in-house for IP and knowledge management reasons, India was an obvious choice.
“India (and Pune) has a mature IT industry with access to large resource pool. There is still cost arbitrage compared to European salaries,” said Piyush Khandelwal, Chief Operations Officer, Loylogic Technologies India.
There may be challenges around getting people to work for an unknown entity, but often the lure of doing differentiated work and a higher paycheck are incentives enough.
Share
It is not just large banks and IT firms that are tapping into India’s technology talent pool. Over the past year or so, a growing number of small American and European product companies have started moving technology development work to India, as they face a battle for talent competing with large companies in their home markets.
Software as a Service (SaaS) firm Quolum, which started operations earlier this year, has hired three people in India out of its four-member tech team.
“Over the last seven to eight months, we have seen a lot of product companies move tech teams to India to leverage the cost arbitrage. These companies have proven business models and find it easy to attract talent by paying 1.3-1.5 times the prevailing salaries in India,” said Joseph Devasia, MD, Antal India, an executive recruitment firm.
Paying a marginally higher salary is not an issue for foreign firms as it is still one-fifth of what they would have to pay in their home markets. Ridecell, which provides amobility platform for shared vehicles, has a 50-member team in Pune.
“Having a tech office in India gives us the strategic advantage to address the huge market potential in India and the growing mobility markets across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Additionally, India is the hub for world-class tech talent, so it made complete sense for us to set up a technology office here,” said Samyak Pandya, VP of business operations and finance, Ridecell.
There has been a spike in the number of small tech companies looking at India, said Gaurav Chattur, managing director-Asia Pacific, Catenon Group, a search firm that helps global firms recruit people for their India operations. “The US and European countries are inherently short on tech talent. The visa norms in these countries are also a challenge, which is why even early-stage firms are considering India,” he said.
A recent study by Cornell University found that foreign-born PhD students in the US were more likely to opt to work at a large tech firm over a startup or smaller product firm, simply because of visa issues.
Smaller firms typically do not have the resources to help procure an H-1B visa — essential for a non-US citizen to work in the US. As a result, many of the smaller firms are struggling to find the right talent locally. With large IT services firms also increasing hiring locally in the US, the talent supply pipeline has been choked for product firms.
Very often, these companies have been started by Indians, or have Indians on the core team. In these cases, the choice of where to set up the India operations depends on where the founder has a personal connection.
Switzerland-headquartered Loylogic started out by outsourcing its technology work, but when it decided to move it in-house for IP and knowledge management reasons, India was an obvious choice.
“India (and Pune) has a mature IT industry with access to large resource pool. There is still cost arbitrage compared to European salaries,” said Piyush Khandelwal, Chief Operations Officer, Loylogic Technologies India.
There may be challenges around getting people to work for an unknown entity, but often the lure of doing differentiated work and a higher paycheck are incentives enough.
From Tamil Nadu’s fields to space: Isro chief K Sivan’s journey
From tilling the family fields with his father in a remote Tamil Nadu village to heading the prestigious Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Bengaluru and launching India’s ambitious moon mission, Chandrayaan 2, K Sivan has come a long way.
Despite his family’s modest means, Sivan, now 62, pursued his studies, attending his classes and also helping his father in the fields.
He studied at a village government school in the Tamil medium, and did his BSc in mathematics from ST Hindu College in Kanyakumari district. Throughout his early student years, his wardrobe was minimalist (he used to wear a dhoti) and he would walk barefoot. The first time he wore slippers was in engineering college.
Even after all these years, Sivan remains a man of simple needs.
“He still wears plain clothes, even though he is quite fond of wearing white-coloured clothes,” said a colleague and friend of his, who did not wish to be named.
“Same goes for his eating habits. He is the ISRO chairman but during all our project meetings you will find him sitting with the rest of the team members and enjoying a meal of dal-chawal, rasam, papad and curd. He prefers south Indian cuisine,” said the colleague.
Sivan graduated from Madras Institute of Technology in aeronautical engineering in 1980, after which he pursued aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in 1982. He also has a PhD in aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
Sivan joined ISRO in 1982 in its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) project and has contributed immensely towards end-to-end mission planning, mission design, mission integration and analysis for all the launch vehicle programmes. He is the chief mission architect for 104 satellites launched in a single mission of the PSLV (PSLV C37).
“He is a perfectionist, and doesn’t accept substandard work. Even the presentations need to be perfect; even if he finds a minor error in a presentation before it’s to be presented, he cancels the meeting until the corrections are made. Behind his benign appearance is a tough taskmaster. He is a workaholic and also expects his team to put in their 100%,” the colleague said.
Sivan evolved a cost-effective strategy for the 2014 launch of the Mangalyaan Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) using the PSLV. In addition to this, he is the primary developer of 6D trajectory simulation software SITARA which is used for mission planning of ISRO launch vehicles. Sivan is also the primary developer of Day of Launch – a wind biasing strategy for launch vehicles that has enabled all-weather launches.
He is the chief architect of ISRO’s space transportation and technology roadmap for meeting future requirements as well as augmenting existing capabilities in a phased manner.
During his career at ISRO, he has held many responsibilities -- group director, mission simulations and synthesis group; project director, reusable launch vehicle—technology demonstration programme; and chief controller, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre that he later also headed.
As part of his innovative approach to making space technologies useful in day-today life, Sivan also has had discussions with the medical fraternity for development of medical devices in key areas.
The proposals for development of advanced microprocessor controlled artificial limb and artificial heart pump called Left Ventricle Assist Device has now been taken up in association with industry partners for prototype development as well as field trials.
Despite his family’s modest means, Sivan, now 62, pursued his studies, attending his classes and also helping his father in the fields.
He studied at a village government school in the Tamil medium, and did his BSc in mathematics from ST Hindu College in Kanyakumari district. Throughout his early student years, his wardrobe was minimalist (he used to wear a dhoti) and he would walk barefoot. The first time he wore slippers was in engineering college.
Even after all these years, Sivan remains a man of simple needs.
“He still wears plain clothes, even though he is quite fond of wearing white-coloured clothes,” said a colleague and friend of his, who did not wish to be named.
“Same goes for his eating habits. He is the ISRO chairman but during all our project meetings you will find him sitting with the rest of the team members and enjoying a meal of dal-chawal, rasam, papad and curd. He prefers south Indian cuisine,” said the colleague.
Sivan graduated from Madras Institute of Technology in aeronautical engineering in 1980, after which he pursued aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in 1982. He also has a PhD in aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
Sivan joined ISRO in 1982 in its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) project and has contributed immensely towards end-to-end mission planning, mission design, mission integration and analysis for all the launch vehicle programmes. He is the chief mission architect for 104 satellites launched in a single mission of the PSLV (PSLV C37).
“He is a perfectionist, and doesn’t accept substandard work. Even the presentations need to be perfect; even if he finds a minor error in a presentation before it’s to be presented, he cancels the meeting until the corrections are made. Behind his benign appearance is a tough taskmaster. He is a workaholic and also expects his team to put in their 100%,” the colleague said.
Sivan evolved a cost-effective strategy for the 2014 launch of the Mangalyaan Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) using the PSLV. In addition to this, he is the primary developer of 6D trajectory simulation software SITARA which is used for mission planning of ISRO launch vehicles. Sivan is also the primary developer of Day of Launch – a wind biasing strategy for launch vehicles that has enabled all-weather launches.
He is the chief architect of ISRO’s space transportation and technology roadmap for meeting future requirements as well as augmenting existing capabilities in a phased manner.
During his career at ISRO, he has held many responsibilities -- group director, mission simulations and synthesis group; project director, reusable launch vehicle—technology demonstration programme; and chief controller, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre that he later also headed.
As part of his innovative approach to making space technologies useful in day-today life, Sivan also has had discussions with the medical fraternity for development of medical devices in key areas.
The proposals for development of advanced microprocessor controlled artificial limb and artificial heart pump called Left Ventricle Assist Device has now been taken up in association with industry partners for prototype development as well as field trials.
India's cyber security chief highlights security risks of 5G, IoT
NCSC Lt General Rajesh Pant said the government has to take decision on Huawei
By PTI September 06, 2019 22:05 IST
By PTI September 06, 2019 22:05 IST
(Representational image) An antenna for the 5G mobile network service is pictured in Etoy, western Switzerland | AFP
Security is a big issue in 5G and the decision around participation of Chinese telecom gear major Huawei should be taken after proper consideration, the country's top cyber security officer said on Friday.
National Cyber Security Coordinator Lt General (Dr) Rajesh Pant also said that 5G will not be limited to telecom networks but will have an impact across all sectors.
Meanwhile, Huawei said security and privacy are its highest priority and the company strictly adheres to all local laws and regulations.
"Government has to decide on it (participation of Huawei). We can tell you from technology aspect. Thereafter, its economics and political part will be seen. Security is an issue, there is no doubt in it. 5G is not just a pure telecom network. It has many things that are connected to our lifestyle," Pant told reporters on the sidelines of CII Telecom Convergence Summit.
He was responding to a question on the views of his office over the participation of Huawei in 5G trials in India.
Pant said that 5G technology will be connected to the internet of things (IoT) that will be installed in homes and industrial IoT will be operational in electric vehicles, healthcare systems, agriculture and drones, among others.
"If someone wants to add malware in system, it will not only disturb telecom network but it can also disrupt health system, agriculture, industry. It is a big security issue. In this, we will have to take decision only after proper consideration. There has been no decision on it as of now," Pant said.
"We will have to see our national interest," he added.
The US has banned Huawei's 5G technology, saying the company's systems could be manipulated by Beijing to spy on other countries and disrupt critical communications.
When contacted, Huawei said it hopes the Indian government makes an "independent and informed decision" that provides a level playing field for all players for the country and not based on country of origin or speculative allegations lacking evidence.
Huawei India CEO Jay Chen said, "It is well known that Huawei is closely working with all governments, including the Indian Government on 5G technology, solutions and security issues. Beyond that, it is to be noted that Huawei has stepped up to advocate to the industry to sign the no backdoor' agreement with the Indian Government to secure network security. We share the same opinion as the Indian Government that network security is important and it depends upon the joint efforts of all stakeholders."
Huawei said it has subjected itself to the strictest reviews and screening by regulators and customers.
The company's 30-years of operational track record across 170 countries is proof of the security of its networks, it added.
Security is a big issue in 5G and the decision around participation of Chinese telecom gear major Huawei should be taken after proper consideration, the country's top cyber security officer said on Friday.
National Cyber Security Coordinator Lt General (Dr) Rajesh Pant also said that 5G will not be limited to telecom networks but will have an impact across all sectors.
Meanwhile, Huawei said security and privacy are its highest priority and the company strictly adheres to all local laws and regulations.
"Government has to decide on it (participation of Huawei). We can tell you from technology aspect. Thereafter, its economics and political part will be seen. Security is an issue, there is no doubt in it. 5G is not just a pure telecom network. It has many things that are connected to our lifestyle," Pant told reporters on the sidelines of CII Telecom Convergence Summit.
He was responding to a question on the views of his office over the participation of Huawei in 5G trials in India.
Pant said that 5G technology will be connected to the internet of things (IoT) that will be installed in homes and industrial IoT will be operational in electric vehicles, healthcare systems, agriculture and drones, among others.
"If someone wants to add malware in system, it will not only disturb telecom network but it can also disrupt health system, agriculture, industry. It is a big security issue. In this, we will have to take decision only after proper consideration. There has been no decision on it as of now," Pant said.
"We will have to see our national interest," he added.
The US has banned Huawei's 5G technology, saying the company's systems could be manipulated by Beijing to spy on other countries and disrupt critical communications.
When contacted, Huawei said it hopes the Indian government makes an "independent and informed decision" that provides a level playing field for all players for the country and not based on country of origin or speculative allegations lacking evidence.
Huawei India CEO Jay Chen said, "It is well known that Huawei is closely working with all governments, including the Indian Government on 5G technology, solutions and security issues. Beyond that, it is to be noted that Huawei has stepped up to advocate to the industry to sign the no backdoor' agreement with the Indian Government to secure network security. We share the same opinion as the Indian Government that network security is important and it depends upon the joint efforts of all stakeholders."
Huawei said it has subjected itself to the strictest reviews and screening by regulators and customers.
The company's 30-years of operational track record across 170 countries is proof of the security of its networks, it added.
Source: https://www.theweek.in/news/biz-tech/2019/09/06/indias-cyber-security-chief-highlights-security-risks-of-5g-iot.html (Accessed on September 11, 2019)
Monday, September 9, 2019
Saturday, September 7, 2019
UK-born Indian teens bring out Ramayana audiobook
English narrative translated into Hindi, Telugu
At a time when teenagers are busy aping the western culture and almost ignoring the Indian epics, two British-born Indian descent teenagers stand out for not just trying to propagate the values espoused by the Ramayana but also their work now licensed by the British Airways.
The London-based brothers, Shreyas Pulle and Ayur Pulle, have created a one-hour audiobook “Ramayana: An Ancient Indian Epic” that introduces the compelling epic to non-Indians and also gives the Indian listeners a refreshing perspective.
It all started when Ayur’s Jewish dominated school in London asked him to perform in an Indian play in which he played the character of Hanuman. Ramayana’s characters struck him and coming from a traditional Indian family the growing interest was natural, reveals Ayur’s mother Neelima Penumarthy.
Flawless narration
His elder brother Shreyas then teamed up to create a simplified version of the complex classic and decided to go the audio way to reach out to people. The simple language added with flawless narration and smooth adoption of the characters makes it further interesting, even for those newly introduced to Ramayana.
The audiobook gained popularity in British circles and was judged one of the best in its segment. To their delight, the British Airways has licensed it to place it on its in-flight entertainment until 2028.
The English narrative is now translated into Hindi with the help of Hindi teacher and students at the Kendriya Vidyalaya, Uppal and also to Telugu by the maternal grandmother of the brothers.
Ms. Neelima explains that the Hindi version of the audiobook has been recorded with six students from 10th and 12th class of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Uppal No 1 where she studied.
A socially conscious Neelima is now making an effort to rope in visually challenged students to bring out the Telugu audiobook involving three students from the Devnar School for the Blind, Begumpet. “Braile version of the book is given to them and the visually challenged students have done a wonderful work. It should be out in a few days,” she says.
The narration of the epic by the blind students is challenging as they have to visualise something they have not seen. “Some of them have such mellifluous voice and their narration has made a difference,” she said.
Neelima, who runs a company, ‘Puranas’, that connects culture through stories has also produced a 15-minute puppet show based on the audiobook. It was performed in several schools in London and last year it was performed at the Diwali celebrations sponsored by Mayor of London at Trafalgar Square. “We will be doing the same this year as well,” she adds.
Friday, September 6, 2019
Damaged by floods in Sangli, library’s mission to save 75,000 books: Staff, students, 6 hair dryers
The biggest concern remains the manuscripts — nearly 300 had been digitised recently, but the computer that stored the records was washed away.
Written by Ajay Jadhav |Sangli |Updated: September 6, 2019 8:30:22 am
At the Sangli District Nagar Vachnalaya, one of the oldest public libraries. (Express photo by Pavan Khengre)
GROUPS OF students in shifts, staff, well-wishers — and three heaters plus six hair dryers.
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For nearly a fortnight now, this combination has been hard at work at the Sangli Nagar Vachanalaya to save whatever is possible from the thousands of books and rare manuscripts damaged in the recent floods in southwestern Maharashtra.
The 150-year-old three-storey facility, with 2,500 members, is one of the oldest public libraries in the country. It houses over 1.8 lakh books and documents, including over 600 rare manuscripts from 400 years ago. Of these, officials estimate that nearly 75,000 books and at least 100 manuscripts were damaged in the floods that submerged parts of Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur in August.
“Most of the books were on the ground floor to enable easy access. We tried to save them as the water started entering, but had to finally leave to save our own lives,” says librarian Surekha Naik.
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Today, many of the damaged books are beyond repair. Some have also started showing signs of fungal growth. The others have been spread on the floor across the building, from the staircase to the passage and the cultural hall. Naik is among the six fulltime staff busy arranging the books to dry under the ceiling fans. Then, there are the hair dryers. “We gave priority to the manuscripts and began to dry them with a hair dryer as there was no other way. We had one dryer at the beginning. Our appeal to members resulted in five more being used. They are effective,” says Naik. The library is also using three heaters, two of them donated by members. “We were also fortunate to get additional hands from Pune and Sangli colleges. Three teams of ten students each came down and stayed with us for two days in rotation to help us prepare a list of damaged books,” she says.
The biggest concern remains the manuscripts — nearly 300 had been digitised recently, but the computer that stored the records was washed away. “Fortunately, the person who had carried out the digitisation had saved another copy,” says Naik.
“I have gone through about 10,000 manuscripts in libraries across the state but those in Sangli Vachanalaya were in the best condition,” says Priyanka Mujumdar, who digitised the manuscripts in Sangli under the National Mission for Manuscripts of the Centre.
”The manuscripts relate to ancient texts, including the Vedas, Puranas, Dharmashastra, Ayurveda, Jyotishshastra, etc. It would require a miracle to save them now, considering that the paper and ink were so old,” says Mujumdar, who is a post-graduate in Sanskrit and diploma-holder in Manuscripts.
At the library, staff say financial assistance is required to replace damaged furniture and computers. Once operations resume, possibly within the next six months, the library also plans to prepare a list of books lost and issue an appeal for copies to be donated.
”We are also reaching out to experts for preservation of the books. We will take the help of social organisations to fund our efforts,” says Atul Gijre, secretary of the governing body of Sangli Vachanalaya.
According to Ujjwala Londhe, district library officer, 17 public libraries in Sangli were affected by the floods, with three small libraries getting completely damaged. The district library office has estimated a loss of Rs 63.7 lakh, including Rs 39.95 lakh in Sangli Vachanalaya alone.
Written by Ajay Jadhav |Sangli |Updated: September 6, 2019 8:30:22 am
At the Sangli District Nagar Vachnalaya, one of the oldest public libraries. (Express photo by Pavan Khengre)GROUPS OF students in shifts, staff, well-wishers — and three heaters plus six hair dryers.
Advertising
For nearly a fortnight now, this combination has been hard at work at the Sangli Nagar Vachanalaya to save whatever is possible from the thousands of books and rare manuscripts damaged in the recent floods in southwestern Maharashtra.
The 150-year-old three-storey facility, with 2,500 members, is one of the oldest public libraries in the country. It houses over 1.8 lakh books and documents, including over 600 rare manuscripts from 400 years ago. Of these, officials estimate that nearly 75,000 books and at least 100 manuscripts were damaged in the floods that submerged parts of Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur in August.
“Most of the books were on the ground floor to enable easy access. We tried to save them as the water started entering, but had to finally leave to save our own lives,” says librarian Surekha Naik.
Advertising
Today, many of the damaged books are beyond repair. Some have also started showing signs of fungal growth. The others have been spread on the floor across the building, from the staircase to the passage and the cultural hall. Naik is among the six fulltime staff busy arranging the books to dry under the ceiling fans. Then, there are the hair dryers. “We gave priority to the manuscripts and began to dry them with a hair dryer as there was no other way. We had one dryer at the beginning. Our appeal to members resulted in five more being used. They are effective,” says Naik. The library is also using three heaters, two of them donated by members. “We were also fortunate to get additional hands from Pune and Sangli colleges. Three teams of ten students each came down and stayed with us for two days in rotation to help us prepare a list of damaged books,” she says.
The biggest concern remains the manuscripts — nearly 300 had been digitised recently, but the computer that stored the records was washed away. “Fortunately, the person who had carried out the digitisation had saved another copy,” says Naik.
“I have gone through about 10,000 manuscripts in libraries across the state but those in Sangli Vachanalaya were in the best condition,” says Priyanka Mujumdar, who digitised the manuscripts in Sangli under the National Mission for Manuscripts of the Centre.
”The manuscripts relate to ancient texts, including the Vedas, Puranas, Dharmashastra, Ayurveda, Jyotishshastra, etc. It would require a miracle to save them now, considering that the paper and ink were so old,” says Mujumdar, who is a post-graduate in Sanskrit and diploma-holder in Manuscripts.
At the library, staff say financial assistance is required to replace damaged furniture and computers. Once operations resume, possibly within the next six months, the library also plans to prepare a list of books lost and issue an appeal for copies to be donated.
”We are also reaching out to experts for preservation of the books. We will take the help of social organisations to fund our efforts,” says Atul Gijre, secretary of the governing body of Sangli Vachanalaya.
According to Ujjwala Londhe, district library officer, 17 public libraries in Sangli were affected by the floods, with three small libraries getting completely damaged. The district library office has estimated a loss of Rs 63.7 lakh, including Rs 39.95 lakh in Sangli Vachanalaya alone.
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