Category Archives: Nri’s / Pio’s

NATS vows to nurture Telugu children in US into world leaders

Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Leaders, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, World Opinion
North America Telugu Society president Gangadhar Desu talking to The Hindu in Vijayawada on Tuesday. / Photo. Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar / The Hindu
North America Telugu Society president Gangadhar Desu talking to The Hindu in Vijayawada on Tuesday. / Photo. Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar / The Hindu

We are bringing out a series of books in English on Telugu people, culture, says its president

There is no dearth of role models for them. Telugu children living in North America have success stories like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Global coordinator of Lead India 2020 Hari Krishna Eppanapally, elected representatives like Upendra J.Chivukula, deputy speaker of New Jersey Assembly and Katragadda Aruna Miller, member of the Maryland House of Delegates, to look up to.

And lucky for them there is the North America Telugu Society (NATS) to nurture them into ‘world leaders’. The society has taken up career assistance programmes for Telugu youth.

NATS is now inviting not only successful Telugus, but successful Indians, to deliver talks. The society is also bringing out a series of books in English on Telugu people, their culture and history to take the initiative forward.

The person behind the initiative is none other than the Vijayawada-born Gangadhar Desu, the CEO of Neighbour Care chain of pharmacy stores who has been elected president of NATS for the next two years. Mr. Gangadhar did his schooling in SKPPV Hindu High School, One Town, and intermediate in K.B.N.College. He did his B.Pharma in Manipal College of Pharmacy and M.Pharma in Long Island, New York. “Satya Nadella is a couple of years senior to me,” he said recalling life on the campus.

Starting his career as a pharmacist Mr. Gangadhar, with a licence to work in any of the North Eastern States of the United States became the head of the Mergers and Acquisitions of Eckerds pharmacy in a short time. He then quit and started his own chain of pharmacy stores.

Diverse cultures

“The Telugu children here are exposed to diverse cultures, but it will be difficult for them to be world leaders unless they learn about their own roots,” Mr. Gangadhar said. The society took over 400 teachers from Andhra Pradesh to the United States to train children in various performance arts last year.

Mr. Gangadhar has high hopes for the Indian children of North America. “Five per cent of the Fortune 500 companies are run by Indians today. This will increase to 10 per cent by 2020. Indians were doing extremely well in politics too.

The Hindu Indians are being wooed by both the Republicans and the Democrats. Tulasi Gabbard of Samoan origin made news when she took oath on the Bhagvad Gita. Tulasi, who grew up in a multi-cultural, multi-religious household is a practising Hindu and yet another role model for the children, Mr. Gangadhar said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Special Correspondent / Vijayawada – March 13th, 2014

Abdul Hai takes a trip down memory lane

Nri's / Pio's, Sports

 

PIONEERING FEAT: Mohammed Abdul Hai entered the record books in 1973-74 as the first century-make in Deodhar Trophy. / The Hindu Photo Archives
PIONEERING FEAT: Mohammed Abdul Hai entered the record books in 1973-74 as the first century-make in Deodhar Trophy. / The Hindu Photo Archives

Mohammed Abdul Hai became the country’s first century-maker in the earliest avatar of abridged cricket, introduced through the Deodhar Trophy in 1973-74.

“The first doctor to play for India was my dream, but that was not to be,” the general physician settled in Michigan sighed wistfully, when reminiscing with The Hindu.

“There was a fairly large turnout at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium for the 1974-75 quarterfinal in Chennai,” continued Hai. For taking on North Zone was a star-studded South, led by S. Venkatraghavan.

Legends lined up were M.A.K. Pataudi, G.R. Viswanath, Abid Ali, Jayantilal Kenia and E.A.S. Prasanna, all of them Test players, three of whom were Hai’s Hyderabad Ranji teammates.

A consistent scorer in the event’s opening edition a year before and having played for Brondesbury CC alongside Mike Gatting in the Middlesex league, Hai felt equipped for the 60-overs-a-side challenge. With one opener gone for no score, the stylish southpaw walked in and began scoring at a brisk pace.

“Raj Singh Dungarpur’s eyes widened with amazement at what was then an astonishing rate — four runs an over — as also on South ‘amassing’ 248 for nine,” Hai recalled, his endeavour ending at 101, castled by Madan Lal.

Hai also played in Prof. D.B. Deodhar’s benefit match in Pune, the patriarch’s hometown.

He was offered an opportunity to play in/for Pakistan by Asif Iqbal, a senior at Hyderabad’s Nizam College.

The college’s alumni includes two India captains — Ghulam Ahmed and Mohd. Azharuddin — Test players M.L. Jaisimha, Abbas Ali Baig and Jayantilal Kenia besides Habeeb Ahmed, who led the Indian Starlets to the aforementioned nation.

“A decade after the Deodhar Trophy began, India clinched the Prudential World Cup in 1983, thus making the nation a cricket super power,” noted Prof. A. Prasanna Kumar, a Fulbright Fellow, sports columnist and author.

“If the sport’s reign was divided into eras, the 1970s belonged to Sunil Gavaskar, the ’80s to Kapil Dev, the ’90s to Sachin Tendulkar and thereon to M.S. Dhoni. Much credit is due to the limited-over version named after the Grand Old Man,” added Prasanna Kumar, who was a commentator during Visakhapatnam’s first One-Day International between New Zealand and India in 1988.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sports / by A. Joseph / Visakhapatnam – March 22nd, 2014

Hyderabad boy Satya Nadella set to become Microsoft CEO

Business & Economy, Leaders, Nri's / Pio's, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Nadella learnt technology at Microsoft, leadership at Begumpet school.

The third CEO in Microsoft’s 38-year-old history after Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer could be an India-born, two media reports said on Friday, citing sources familiar with the processes of selecting the new leader at the Redmond-based company.

If he is the chosen one, as Bloomberg was the first to report, Satya Nadella , a 22-year Microsoft veteran with leading roles in the Office and Bing search engine teams, will become the most powerful Indian-origin tech executive in the world.

Bloomberg also reported that the board was considering replacing Chairman Bill Gates with Microsoft’s lead Independent Director John Thompson.

People who know him well both professionally and personally say apart from his technological wizadry, what has struck them about Nadella is that he is a great team person. “Satya is extraordinarily humble and a great human being; so almost anybody who knows him has nice things to say about him. That is in contrast to many leaders today who have ‘sharp elbows’,” says Ravi Venkatesan, former chairman of Microsoft India.

The 46-year-old Nadella has not forgotten his roots and is connected deeply to Hyderabad where his parents (his father is a retired IAS officer) live. He and his wife did their schooling at the Hyderabad Public School in Begumpet and visit the city every year. In an earlier interview to an Indian publication, Nadella had talked about the leadership lessons he first learnt while playing for his school cricket team. Once when the team captain saw Nadella bowling quite ordinarily, he himself stepped in to give the team a much-needed breakthrough, and again threw the ball back to Nadella to bowl the next over.

“I will never forget that. What made him do that? Is this what they call leadership? These are the kind of questions I have since reflected on as I approach many of the things I do today leading teams,” Nadella had said.

Nadella, who has an engineering degree in electronics and communication from Manipal Institute of Technology, moved to the US where he earned a master of science degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin. He is also an MBA from the University of Chicago. He worked at Sun Microsystems before joining Microsoft in 1992. During these nearly 22 years, Nadella has held several positions, including senior VP of R&D for the online services division and VP of the Microsoft business division.

“He is one of the sharpest guys you will meet; he is very technical and very empathetic. He understands an exterior opinion which works in his favour as he is ready to learn from others,” says one of Nadella’s friends, requesting anonymity.

It is probably Nadella’s performance at the company that led to him being appointed as the head of one of the most key segments of the company — cloud and enterprise. According to several sources, Nadella was responsible for bringing the company’s database, Windows server and developer tools, to its Azure cloud.

Under his leadership, Microsoft’s cloud services’ revenue rose to $20.3 billion in June 2013 from $16.6 billion when he took over in 2011.

“He is an extremely well-rounded person; he has worked in the application business; he has worked in the Bing search business, led the server and tool business, and now he is in charge of all online and cloud engineering. More importantly, he is a strong technical person which is a good thing to lead a company like Microsoft,” says Venkatesan whose first engagement with Nadella happened when the latter was heading the Microsoft business division.

“Microsoft’s offerings have touched an entire generation of Indians, and it would be a moment of great pride for us to see an Indian take over such a prestigious post,” says Ravi Gururaj, chairman of Indian IT industry body Nasscom’s product council.

“I am sure it is his performance and delivery at the company that has brought him this far, and we wish him well.”

Microsoft is currently at a crucial point, as the company is moving away from its roots as a software-focused firm and moving towards hardware and internet-based services.

Experts say Nadella would certainly represent a conservative choice for Microsoft. He is a sharp, persuasive individual and can inject fresh life into Microsoft. But others say Nadella will not be the radical agent of change or the inspirational visionary that some investors and outsiders have been hoping for.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Companies> News / by Itika Sharma Punit & Bibhu Ranjan Mishra / Bangalore – February 01st, 2014

Satya Nadella: Hyderabad’s eagle takes flight

Business & Economy, Leaders, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Hyderabad Public School. Located on Begumpet Road in Hyderabad, this is the school Satya Nadella, the newly appointed CEO of Microsoft, attended. The school’s emblem is an eagle and it prods its students to think of themselves as eagles and aim to soar high.

By winning the top job at IT behemoth Microsoft, Nadella has more than lived up to the school’s expectations. Nadella’s parents, who live in Hyderabad now, though palpably happy, did not wish to comment on the achievement. His father B. N. Yugandhar, a retired civil servant, confined himself to a “thank you.”

Those who have known the family attribute a lot of Nadella’s success to his upbringing. He grew up in an environment grounded in reality. C. Parthasarathy, Chairman, Karvy Consultants, who knows the family well, says: “This is really a proud moment, which is what all will say. But what is remarkable about this family is its high level of integrity, intellect and belief in hard work.”

“He has grown up in an environment where these attributes would have been re-emphasised from time to time,” adds Parthasarathy. “I think that helped him in his career. Parthasarthy is also closely associated with Hyderabad Public School and has been on its governing board.

Officials at Microsoft India were tight-lipped about the development. But they will all listen avidly when Nadella makes his address to Microsoft employees later today.

source: http://www.indiatoday.intoday.in / IndiaToday.in / Home> Business> India / by E. Kumar Sharma, New Delhi / February 04th, 2014

Satya Nadella: 8 things you should know

Business & Economy, Leaders, Nri's / Pio's, Science & Technology, World Opinion

New Delhi :

Technology giant Microsoft is reportedly all set to to name India-born top executive Satya Nadella as new chief executive officer, capping the five-month search for present CEO Steve Ballmer’s replacement. Given below are some interesting facts you should know about Satya Nadella:

(Microsoft is likely to name…)
(Microsoft is likely to name…)

1. Hyderabad-born Satya Nadella, 47, attended Hyderabad Public School in Begumpet before getting a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communication from the Manipal University.

2. After moving to the US, Nadella earned Master of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. He also completed Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago.

3. Nadella has been with Microsoft since 1992. During his long tenure with the company, he also held a key responsibility at Bing, and although Bing has never been Microsoft’s crown jewel, Nadella helped it grow.

4. Nadella has played a key role in bringing some of Microsoft’s most popular technologies, like its database, Windows server and developer tools, to the cloud, called Azure.

5. Nadella also helped Microsoft bring a cloud version of Microsoft Office to the cloud, Office 365. Microsoft says Office 365 one of its fastest growing products ever.

6. Prior to Microsoft, Nadella worked at Sun Microsystems, now owned by Oracle.

7. Nadella, if he emerges as the chosen one, would be only the third CEO in Microsoft’s 38-year history after Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer.

8. The appointment would be a significant achievement for Nadella, who would join a proud circle of India-origin executives helming top global companies.

(With inputs from IANS, PTI)

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Tech> Tech News> Computer Science / TNN / January 31st, 2014

On a mission to restore vision

Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Nri's / Pio's, Science & Technology
The visually-impaired children from Chittoor district at Gowthami Eye Institute in Rajahmundry. / Photo: S. Rambabu / The Hindu
The visually-impaired children from Chittoor district at Gowthami Eye Institute in Rajahmundry. / Photo: S. Rambabu / The Hindu

Rajahmundry-based Gowthami Eye Institute with the help of North America Telugu Association has undertaken surgeries to restore eyesight to children identified by the RVM under ‘Çhinnari Choopu’

A ten-year-old boy became totally blind as he was taken to a quack who administered some poisonous herb in the eyes for treating some ailment. But the surprising factor is that the father who took him to the quack was not an illiterate but a Central Government employee who could have taken the child to a doctor instead.

There are hundreds of parents, especially in the rural areas, who are dependent on quacks for treatment ignorant of the resultant consequences. Villagers of Gudipalli, Putturu, Gudikothuru, Santhipuram and Nimmanapalli mandals in Chittoor district continue to believe in this kind of treatment and as a result the eyesight of more than 150 children from these mandals was affected. However a ray of hope came in the form of North America Telugu Association (NATA) which has taken up the mission of restoring their eyesight with the help of the Rajahmundry-based Gowthami Eye Institute.

It was under the Rajiv Vidya Mission (RVM) the district administration had taken up ‘Chinnari Choopu’ programme in three phases. In the first two phases, the RVM took up massive campaign to identify children with eye defects with the help of Inclusive Education Resource Teachers (IERTs).

RVM’s initiative

After a detailed survey seven thousand children below 18-years of age were given spectacles by Raghavachari, Ophthalmologist, Government Hospital, Chittoor. Former project officer of RVM Maheswara Reddy took the onus of implementing the two phases and the programme was later consolidated by the ent project officer Lakshmidevi. However, IER Teachers M. Kumar, Sattarwada in Puttoor mandal and M. Ramaiah of Gudipalli took all the children from their native villages and travelled about 500 kilometers to reach Rajahmundry with the support of their district coordinator Krishna Mohan Reddy and his assistant Lavanya.

The USA- based Dr. VK. Raju, who is the founder chairman of Gowthami Eye Institute, visits India twice in year. He came to know about the RVM’s ‘Chinnari Choopu’ programme and asked his team head Dr. Madhavi and executive director P. Madhu to undertake surgeries for all the 74 children. His initiative is getting able support from NATA.

About 16 children all below 14 years and from below poverty line (BPL) families reached Rajahmundry’s Gowthami Eye Institute on Sunday, where they would be operated upon in next three days. In the first batch 17 children got operated out of 74 children who were referred by Ruia Hospital, Tirupati.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by BVS  Bhaskar / Rajahmundry – January 30th, 2014

Millennium trauma centre inaugurated in government hospital

Nri's / Pio's, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimham inaugurated the massive five-storeyed Millennium trauma centre in the 1100-bedded government Hospital premises here.

The trauma centre has been named the ‘Podili Prasad Guntur Medical College Alumni of North America (GMC ANA) Millennium Super Specialty Trauma Centre’.

The new block houses the trauma care centre and the proposed super specialty wing for economy bypass surgeries and liver transparent surgeries for which the hospital currently does not have sophisticated equipment or trained super specialist doctors.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> PTI Stories> National> News / by Press Trust of India / Guntur (AP), January 17th, 2014

15-day-long NATA Seva Days to Conclude Tomorrow

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Nri's / Pio's, World Opinion
North America Telugu Association president Sanjeeva T Reddy (left), secretary Ramasurya Reddy and chairman-PR Mahesh Bigala (right) preparing notes before addressing press in Hyderabad on Friday | NEERAJ MURALI
North America Telugu Association president Sanjeeva T Reddy (left), secretary Ramasurya Reddy and chairman-PR Mahesh Bigala (right) preparing notes before addressing press in Hyderabad on Friday | NEERAJ MURALI

The 15-day-long Seva Days of North American Telugu Association (NATA) will culminate with cultural programmes, award of scholarships to students and presentation of lifetime achievement awards at Ravindra Bharati here on Sunday.

A business seminar will also be held in collaboration with Telugu Entrepreneurs Association (TEA).

Justice R Subash reddy of the High Court  will present lifetime achievement award to Maxi Vision group founder Dr Kasu Prasad Reddy and NATA eexcellency award to filmmaker Sekhar Kammula. Assembly chief whip Gandra Venkatramana Reddy will be the guest of honour.

Scholarships to 117 Intermediate students of government colleges, five students from each district, will be presented by justice Dr Y Bhaskar Rao, Lokayukta, Karnataka. Each student will be given a scholarship of Rs 10,000.

Seva Days is an initiative of NATA whereby they lend services to people in the state.  NATA president Sanjeeva T Reddy told reporters that the association had built water plants in Nalgonda, Nellore, Tirupati, Nizamabad and other districts, taken up six projects of clean and green graveyards in Nellore district and organised eye camps in five districts of the state.

“Through screening, optical wear is provided to children and we identified some more who need surgeries which will be performed in three months,” he said.

The association has spent more than `2 crore on its programmes. Its next convention in the USA in July next.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service – Hyderabad / December 28th, 2013

Hyderabad-born is Texas secretary of state

Nri's / Pio's, World Opinion

Hyderabad -born attorney Nandita Venkateswaran Berry has been appointed the Secretary of State for Texas, making her the first person of Indian origin to hold the third top executive job in the southern state.

Announcing the appointment of Berry, 45, Governor Rick Perry called the Houston-based attorney one of the most accomplished in the state. She steps into the office Jan 7.

As the 109th Texas Secretary of State, Berry would also become the state’s chief elections officer; the governor’s liaison on border and Mexican affairs and Texas’ chief protocol officer for state and international matters.

Her office also serves as the formal repository for official and business records; publishes government rules and regulations, keeps the state seal and attests to the governor’s signature on official documents.

Berry has been on the board of several institutions including the Houston Zoo, the South Asian Chamber of Commerce, the Houston Area Women’s Centre, and the Community Family Centre of Houston.

“Nandita Berry personifies what is possible through hard work and dedication in the State of Texas,” Perry said in a release.

“Arriving from India at the age of 21 with nothing but $200 to her name, she worked diligently to earn her law degree and has since become one of the most accomplished attorneys in the state.

“Her work ethic, intelligence and wide array of experiences will serve her capably in her new duties as Secretary of State, and I look forward to working with her to keep Texas the best place in the country to live, work and raise a family.”

“I am truly humbled to follow in the footsteps of Stephen F. Austin, Texas’ first Secretary of State,” Berry said.

“Like him, I came to Texas in search of a better life and the limitless opportunities to be found across our great state. Every day, I see Austin’s pioneering spirit alive in Texas, and this great honour proves once again Texas is the land of opportunity, both in the private sector and public service.”

Born in Hyderabad in 1968, Berry is married to controversial radio talk-show host and former Houston city councilman Michael Berry, a conservative with Tea Party links boasting close to 85,000 Facebook followers.

She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mt. Carmel College, Bangalore. After coming to the US, Berry got another bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Houston.

She got her law degree from the University of Houston Law Centre in 1995, and was admitted to the Texas bar the same year.

Currently, she is a senior counsel with the law firm of Locke Lord LLP, where she practices corporate and securities law as in-house counsel for El Paso Corporation, one of North America’s largest independent natural gas producers.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> News-IANS> Diaspora / IANS / Washington, December 21st, 2013

US futsal team gets Hyderabadi touch

Nri's / Pio's, Sports
Saathvik Reddy
Saathvik Reddy

Twelve-year-old Saathvik Reddy, representing the US in the World Futsal Championship to be held at Madrid in December, hails from the city

Twelve-year-old Saathvik Reddy hails from the twin cities but is now representing the United States donning the super famous No. 10 jersey. But, it is for the World Futsal Championship to be held in Madrid (Spain) this December.

Futsal is just like soccer but played on a smaller (mostly hard court field) and comprises five players with one of them being a goalkeeper and with unlimited substitutions. It is quite a remarkable achievement for the boy whose parents are settled in the US.

Saathvik represents the ‘Legends’ which incidentally is the same team which the youngster had played for in the US National Championship and had finished runners-up. “We are all honoured to represent the US on the world stage as this is once in a lifetime opportunity presented by the Soccer World Cup Federation. It is a dream has come true for the San Jose Legends under-12 team this year,” exclaimed Saathvik in a communication from the US.

“It is a great opportunity for youngsters like me to compete against the best and get a perspective as to where we stand in the presence of renowned coaches,” says Saathvik, all excited to showcase his skills in front of the best coaches from other countries. “This is a great moment of joy and pride for all of us. We are already into encouraging Saathvik to raise his own funds for this trip which would cost $4,000 for each player,” say the proud parents. “We are very happy as it is not easy for a youngster from India to reach this stage,” says Sisupal Reddy, Saathvik’s grandfather, a maintenance engineer at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium here.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by V.V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – September 19th, 2013