www.advantagekarnataka.in

November - December 2017 Vol 3 | Issue 4

Sparkling Diamond Jubilee for Vidhana Soudha

Karnataka - BavariaStrong Partnership

In Association with

Price: Rs. 60 /-

ADVANTAGE KARNATAKA

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To Connect OEMs / Large Companies to relevant MSMEs through focused match-making

To facilitate Buyer-Seller Meet, B2B meetings, B2G meetings and provide a platform for OEMs &enhance their supplier base

To provide opportunity to the participating companies to explore the investment opportunities in Karnatakain terms of project approvals or MOUs

Automobiles, Auto Components & Electric Vehicles

Precision, Machine Tools & 3D Printing

Defence, Aerospace & Public Sector Units

Agriculture & Food Processing

Electronics System Design & Manufacturing (ESDM)

Bio Technology, Life Sciences and Bio Medical

Textile and Apparels

Manufacturing start-ups

Exhibition Invitation

Objectives

Focus Sector

Send in your expression of intrest to: Mr. Solomon Pushparaj, Deputy Director, CII

solomon@cii.in 080 – 4288 9595

http://investkarnataka.co.in/vdis2017/REGISTERREGISTER

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Dr. C.G. Krishnadas Nair

Dr. D. S. Ashwath IAS (Retd)

Shri. Ivan Nigli Ex. MLA

Maj Neil Castelino (Retd)

Sunny JeromeManaging Editor

Preethi MAssociate Editor

EDITORIAL

Karnataka: Glorious Past; Shining Present; Brilliant Future

Edited, Printed & Published by Sunny Jerome, Managing Editor, ADVANTAGE KARNATAKA,Aerosun Media Pvt. Ltd., B-2, SAPPHIRE, 1st, Block, 3rd Cross, Prakruthi Township, Babusapalya, Kalyan Nagar Post, Bangalore - 560043.

Printed at Rashtrotthana Mudranalaya, 19/1, K.G. Nagar, Bangalore - 19.

Karnataka enjoys a unique position in India as it hosts all leading firms dealing with the latest as well as future technologies, while at the same time holding fast to the State’s rich cultural

and linguistic traditions. Long before IT and BT emerged, Karnataka was a happening place

for business and industries. Its hoary past embellished by the rule of several powerful monarchies brought traders from all over the world to this land. Later, the State was among the first to embrace industrialisation and modernisation. The scientific temper sparked by eminent visionaries inspired people and led the Governments of the time to establish advanced technological and industrial institutions in the State.

A positive impact on the State all this had was development of local industry and business, which thrived, helped by positive Government policy initiatives. IT and BT industries sprouted from such a favourable environment.

The present Government under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also has contributed significantly to the growth of industry and business in the State. The Karnataka Industrial Policy, Startup Policy, Aerospace Policy etc. are some examples.

From the industry side, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has been effectively bringing entrepreneurs together and interacting with the Government to make things easier for all stakeholders involved. Advantage Karnataka, a niche magazine celebrating the uniqueness and distinct features of the State that make it an outstanding destination for investment, is now partnering with CII for promoting the State’s investor-friendly policy backed by a progressive Government.

Advantage Karnataka will now be a regular publication highlighting the contributions of industries to the State, achievements of players in the sector, issues affecting them and several related topics. It is dedicated to promoting the emerging vistas of development and growth and will showcase the proactive policies of Karnataka for realizing the dream of phenomenal transformation. Advantage Karnataka profiles the prime movers, trendsetters and trail-blazing initiatives in various sectors.

However, the focus of the publication is not confined to industry alone. Developments in art, culture, tourism, environment and life of common people too will make the pages of Advantage Karnataka a forum of discussions aimed at taking the State to greater heights in all these spheres.

A magazine showcasing the latest news updates and events of Karnataka

For Publishing Articles & AdvertisementsEditor, ADVANTAGE KARNATAKA,Aerosun Media Pvt. Ltd., B-2, SAPPHIRE, 1st, Block, 3rd Street, 2nd Cross, Prakruthi Town ship, Babusapalya, Kalyan Nagar Post, Bangalore. Tel : 080 25604055.Cell: + 91 94490 61925, 94805 51925.Email : info@advantagekarnataka.inwww. advantagekarnataka.in

ContentSparkling Diamond Jubilee for Vidhana Soudha

KARNATAKA’S i4 POLICY: An Algorithm to Become World’s Top IT Hotspot

Industries: Karnataka Climbs to the Top

Karnataka Woos Industries with Vendor Summit

VOLVO: Trailblazer in India’s Transport Sector

CII Holds Several Events on GST

CII, US Lawmakers Hold Effective Round Table

Nestle Chief Addresses CEO Forum

KSRTC Breaks Collection Record

Bavaria: Where Business Booms

Dissolving Borders with Carnatic Music

Niramai: For Hassle-free, Safe Breast Screening

Kodava Hockey Festival Scores Several ‘Goals’

Darshan Stands Tall,in Reel & Real Life

Auto Expo 2018: Preparations in Top Gear

Bengaluru Can’t Wait for Metro’s Next Phase

Dasara: A Vibrant & Colourful Tradition

ADMS 4.0 a Grand Success

Yi: Making India Better

Coorg Beckons with Green Hills, Coffee

Karnataka’s 61 ‘Gems’

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www.advantagekarnataka.in

November - December 2017 Vol 3 | Issue 4

Sparkling Diamond Jubilee for Vidhana Soudha

Karnataka - BavariaStrong Partnership

In Association with In Association with

Editorial Adisory Board

ADVANTAGE KARNATAKA

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Vidhana Soudha, the iconic seat of Karnataka legislature in Bengaluru, has celebrated

its diamond jubilee. President Ram Nath Kovind addressed the Joint Session of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council on the 60th anniversary of the Vidhana Soudha. Kovind spoke on the historical monument and its significant role in the state’s history.

The foundation stone for the building was laid by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on July 13, 1951.

After the unification of Karnataka, Bangalore became the centre of Karnataka and a need was felt for a structure which could make the city the administrative capital of the state. Vidhana Soudha thus came into being. It soon became a symbol of Karnataka.

Around 5,000 labourers, 1,500 chisellers, masons and wood carvers worked for almost five years (1951-1956) to complete the structure that

is spread over 60 acres in the heart of Bengaluru. “Almost all the unskilled workers deployed in its construction were convicts, who were given their freedom on its completion,” according to official information provided by the state government.

The construction of the entire structure cost around Rs1.84 crore. The structure was inspired by multiple styles of architecture, including Dravidian, Indo-Islamic and British styles, and was built largely with Bangalore Granite, Magadi Pink and Turvekere Black stones excavated from areas around Bengaluru.

It was always meant to represent the people. It was this sentiment that

inspired the words ‘Government’s work is God’s work’ etched in bold at the entrance of the building. Over the years, Vidhana Soudha also became a symbol representing democracy as against the monarchy that existed earlier.

The state has since constructed Vikas Soudha (next to the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru) and the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha building in Belagavi district, among some mini-Vidhana Soudhas in other districts to represent administrative seats of power.

A documentary on the building and the history of the legislature was released and various other cultural programmes were held to celebrate the diamond jubilee of the heritage structure.In his address, the President remembered Tipu Sultan and said, “Tipu Sultan died a heroic death fighting the British. He was also a pioneer in the development and use of Mysore rockets in warfare.”

Sparkling Diamond Jubilee for Vidhana Soudha

Chief Minister Shri Siddaramaiah receiving President of India Sri Ram Nath Kovind at HAL Airport. Shri Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala, Governor of Karnataka ,Shri H N Ananthakumar, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers also seen.

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Karnataka is the fourth largest technology cluster in the world and progressing towards being

World’s No: 1 technology cluster riding on its i4 (IT, ITeS, Innovation & Incentives) Policy 2013 and India’s First Multi-Sector start-up aimed at creating a globally competitive start-up ecosystem.

Karnataka’s unique advantages have been a focal point, driving and catalysing growth in the IT, ITeS, BPM service sectors. It offers an ideal ecosystem of Talent, Infrastructure and thriving Innovation Cluster-driven by a pioneering proactive policy environment with consistency in excellence. Add to this world’s major IT companies attracting the best talent pool, premier R&D institutions catalysing growth in emerging technologies and a flourishing start-up environment driven by the spirit of entrepreneurship. The 360-degree gamut thus comes to a full cycle driving the growth in the sector across segment to stay top notch; even

with the latest trending e-commerce.

ADVANTAGES OF KARNATAKAKarnataka is a global leader in IT-

BPM sourcing services sector with the revenue expected to grow to USD 90 billion by 2020. It has a CAGR of 24% and has been witnessing sustained high growth. Karnataka is expected to be the largest IT cluster globally by 2020, employing two million people as against the current one million - the highest number of IT professionals in the world.

It is also well placed with 3,500 IT/ITeS companies including 750 multinationals companies providing 10,00,000 Direct and another whopping 30,00,000 Indirect employment in the state. The large talent pool coupled with 400+ R&D institutions ensure it to be the ideal destination.

Well-developed infrastructure coupled with new investments of USD 1,271 million, 47 Special Economic Zones (SEZ) are fuelling further growth of IT/ITeS sector First Multi-Sector start-up policy in the country aiming towards a globally competitive start-up ecosystem and Karnataka i4 policy to strengthen leadership position globally and move beyond Bangalore and create Karnataka as a global investment destination for IT –BPM sector

TRACK RECORD Karnataka’s list of credentials is

well embedded in its many titles like Silicon Valley of India, Knowledge Capital, Startup Hub or The Innovation Cluster. However, the statistic record is

impeccable too. Karnataka is the largest software

exporter of India contributing 1/3 of total exports. Software Technology Park of India-registered units with an export of USD 19 Billion in 2014-15 constitutes 60% of IT-BPM & Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) exports from the State. It has 80% of Fortune 500 companies nearly 400 of them have outsourcing operations here and it houses 50% of world’s SEI CMM level-5 certified companies.

With 30% share in the country with over 4,000 start-up companies in Bangalore with an average valuation of USD 3.3 Million and 14,000 investors, Karnataka is a Startup Hub. The State has 0.1 million skilled engineers and PhDs graduating annually with a million employed in the sector directly. Karnataka is ranked No. 1 by Mercer as the best place to work for expatriates and No. 2 by Compass in global startup eco-system growth.

It truly is the knowledge hub with 400+ R&D centres, 3rd largest engineering colleges over 200 of them, 20+ Universities, 200+ Polytechnics and 300+ Industrial Training Centres. Premier research and academic institutes such as NAL, ISRO, IISc, IIM-B, JNCASR, IIIT-B, DRDO, NIT, NLSUI etc. are located in Karnataka. The State has ICT Skills Development Society (ICTSDS), dedicated for skill development in partnership with industry stakeholders.

A FRONTLINE STATEKarnataka is the first State to

announce a focused policy on start-ups,

KARNATAKA’S i4 POLICYAn Algorithm to Become World’s Top IT Hotspot

Karnataka offers an ideal ecosystem of Talent, Infrastructure and thriving Innovation, cluster-driven by a pioneering proactive policy environment with consistency in excellence, for Information Technology industry to

conquer the world

addressing the need for technology in manufacturing and allied sectors. The policy mandates various initiatives including developing ‘First Startup Warehouse’ in the country under the partnership of GoK/KBITS with NASSCOM with a goal to create 20,000 technology based start-ups, including 6,000 product start-ups, by 2020.

The policy also advocates creating a New Age Incubation Network (NAIN) with academic institutions, who will be assisted to establish an incubation facility and for funding of entrepreneurship projects in colleges with a focus on the generation of 25 Innovative Technology solutions with social relevance. It warrants establishing a Startup Cell, facilitating handholding of new ventures started by young people along with a Rs. 2,000 crore ‘Fund of Funds’ initiative to fund early stage startup ventures.

Karnataka’s i4 (IT, ITeS, Innovation & Incentives) Policy 2014 aims to leverage the State’s leadership position in IT to create many transformational e-governance projects and strengthen

its leadership position as the global IT capital. It offers a ‘Single Window Clearance Agency’ from ‘Handshake’ to ‘Inauguration’ with concessional power tariff and exemption from stamp duty and many more value additions to make it a lucrative venture.

The policy looks to move beyond Bangalore as incentives are being offered to facilitate investments in Tier 2/3 cities across Karnataka. It offers Employment Linked Incentivization of Land Allotment (E-LILA) outside Bangalore Urban and Rural Districts’ limits to ensure a wide geographic coverage. The policy extends exemption of IT/ITeS/Knowledge/Startup companies from the applicability of Karnataka Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Rules, 1946 with Essential Services & Re-imbursement of PF/ESI and added benefits of Skill Development Policy & Corpus and Default Loan Guarantee Scheme. All this, in an effort to realise ‘Brand Bangalore 3.0’ and ‘Bangalore First Fund’ for creating the highest quality entrepreneurial ecosystem in the

world.

FACILITATIONOther initiatives of Karnataka to boost

IT include the following.IT Investment Region (ITIR) near

Bangalore International Airport is expected to bring in USD 20 billion, create 1.2 million direct jobs and 2.8 million indirect jobs. Government will invest in startup incubators on PPP mode. Common infrastructure facilities on PPP mode in emerging technologies such as cloud computing, IoT, Big data analytics, etc.

At Vasanthnarsapura, 200 acres land in Phase III and 500 acres land in Phase IV on NH 4 – 100 km from Bangalore Airport – set apart for the purpose. Land spread over 200 acres available at Sira near Tumkuru NIMZ on NH 4 (120 km from Bangalore Airport). A total of 921 acres of land is available in the newly developed clusters across the state, including Dakshina Kannada district, Mangalore and Hubbali.

Shri. Priyank KhargeIT, BT & Tourism Minister of Karnataka

ADVANTAGE KARNATAKA

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Could you list the major landmarks in the industrial growth of Karnataka during the last five years?

First of all we received some very prestigious projects. We came out with a new policy i.e. Karnataka Industrial Policy 2014-2019. If you go through the policy, you will find that care has been taken in building infrastructure, creating employment and generating investments. As on today, we stand number one in the country as per the statistics and information published by the Commerce and Industries Department, Government of India.

The biggest concern in this country has been employment generation. Though there is a desire at the national level to create two crores jobs per year, it did not happen. Contrary to this, at the national level the employment generation rate is negative. However, in Karnataka, in our policy 2014-2019 we had envisaged that we would create an employment of 15 lakhs by 31-03-2019. We will almost reach more than 14 lakhs by the end of March 2018 and more than 5.79 lakh jobs are in the pipeline. We have attracted some good projects also like Asian Paints, Havells, Shell, SAP, Oracle, TVS and many others.

The Karnataka Government is conducting the Vendor Development and Investor Summit at Bengaluru in November. What are the focus areas of the event?

The small and medium industries are the backbone of the Indian economy and also the manufacturing sector. This is the sector which generates large employment. So to encourage them, we are holding the Vendor Development and Investor Summit between the MSMEs and the OEMs. This is also an investor meet for MSMEs in order to encourage them, to help them in coming closer to the OEMs. And in the process, they may get business.

This is an investors meet for SMEs and MSMEs. We have conducted seven road shows in various parts of the country. All the major players will participate in the exhibition along with these MSMEs at the Vendor Meet. There are seven sessions, including on- Aerospace, Textiles, Food processing, Automobiles, Biotechnology including Pharma. So, with this event, we are confident that we’ll help the MSMEs to get good business and to ultimately generate employment also.

Karnataka is the IT hub of India, hosting over 400 R&D

Industries: Karnataka Climbs to the Top

As per the statistics and information published by the Commerce and Industries Department, Government of India, Karnataka stands number one in the country regarding building infrastructure, creating employment and generating investments, says R V Deshpande, Minister for Medium and Heavy Industries, Karnataka.He says the biggest concern in this country has been employment generation. Though there is a desire at the national level to create two crores jobs per year, it did not happen. At the national level the employment generation rate is negative. However, in Karnataka, the Government has succeeded in almost achieving the target.In an interview to Advantage Karnataka, the Minister says, to promote industries, incubation centres have already been started and the Government is trying to increase the industrial growth in different ways. “We are trying to build the infrastructure, warehouses, incubation centres, intelligent startups, funding them and in the IT space also a boom is here and an efficient infrastructure has been built by the private industry itself,” he says.

centres. Could you explain the plans made by the Government to make conditions more favourable for IT companies, including startups, to function in the State?

We are the first state in the country to introduce a Startup Policy. When we brought the policy, no state or even the Central Government had a startup policy. This is a very unique policy. We have involved all the stakeholders and we have bought them in this policy. It is not that the startups in only IT, BT are only encouraged. Any area, it may be Aerospace, it may be Manufacturing, it may be Tourism, Agriculture, all the sectors get support. There’s a council which is headed by the Chief Minister himself with industrialists and startups as members. We created funds and all the work of supporting startups has started.

Karnataka has shown the way for other states regarding ease of doing business. What is your assessment of the implementation of this policy?

The ease of doing business started in Karnataka in 2002 wherein we enacted the Karnataka Industries (Facilitation) Act. Today also, we are working on that. Everyday, every moment, we all have to bring reforms and ease of doing business is important. I have been telling the industries, Industries and Commerce Department, Govt. of India that it is good to have everything is online. However, more than this, what is important is how comfortable is the investor, how supportive is the government, what is the infrastructure provided, how quick the decisions have been taken.

Karnataka being home to one of the biggest technology clusters in the world, what steps has the Government taken to support this trend?

Karnataka is a technological capital. It is an innovation capital, it is a knowledge capital. More than 400 R&D

companies are doing research here. As per the latest report, in the entire world, Karnataka stands at the 19th position as the most important destination for technology. In Silicon Valley, we are known as the ambitious capital. We are also known as the startup capital. So we have created an ecosystem to support this, the biggest advantage in Bangalore, Karnataka is the rich human resource, the climate and an industry friendly government. So, to support this, incubation centres have already been started and we are trying to increase the industrial growth in different ways. We are trying to build the infrastructure, warehouses, incubation centres, intelligent startups, funding them and the in IT space also a boom is here and an efficient infrastructure has been built by the private industry itself. Regarding infrastructure, Metro Phase One has been completed and the second phase work has started. Then there is a 2A Phase which we have provided money through innovative funding. Then we have announced the third phase also. Suburban trains have started service which will help the industries as it will connect with nearby areas. At the International Airport, the work for the second runway has started. The second terminal will be built soon, the approval for it is pending clearance from the regulator. Then flights have been launched under Udan scheme to Mysore, Vidyanagar and soon will start to Bidar and to Belgaum, Hubli, Mangalore.The new Belgaum airport is also inaugurated and Hubli is waiting for inauguration and in Kalburghi airport work is going on.

Karnataka Industrial Policy 2014-19 includes proposals to support investments in Tier-2 cities. Could you explain the

Shri. R V Deshpande, Minister for Medium and Heavy Industries, Karnataka

with Shri D V Prasad, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries and Commerce.

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progress so far? The biggest problem today is that

everybody wants to start industries within the cities or near the airport. So we have adopted a policy to see that the industries are dispersed from major cities to far off places. This mainly to ease the burden on Bangalore city. IT is trying to be in city. But manufacturing sector, we are not allowing in the city. More than that, we are trying to see that manufacturing industries, aerospace industries, all these move slightly away from the city to make the city livable. Three-tier cities are concentrated, by

building infrastructure there, creating good industrial estates, it may be Dharwad, it may be Hubli, it may be Belgaum, it may be Kolar, it may be Vemgal, it may be Narsapura, Mysore, Nanjangud, Mangalore, all these we have released sufficient funds also, for improvement under KIDB iand KSSIC.

Now that Assembly elections are near, what will be your approach to the electorate?

The major thrust will be on our achievements. Whatever we promised in the manifesto, 95% we have implemented.

Out of the 165 commitments we made in our manifesto of 2013 elections, already 150 have been implemented. We are going to the people to take their blessings with the progress we have achieved in this period, which has been for common good. We have not just promised, but implemented whatever was promised. We are confident that the people of the state will bless us. As far as social justice is concerned, we have done an excellent job, we have some very good schemes in education, healthcare, power derivation for the poor and needy from all sectors of the society.

R V Deshpande, Karnataka Minister for Medium and Large Industries, said the the event would provide opportunities to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to showcase their capabilities to various original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

To champion the national cause of furthering the contribution of manufacturing to the GDP, the

Government of Karnataka in partnership with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is organising the Vendor Development & Investors Summit on November 23 and 24, 2017 at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), Bengaluru.

Karnataka Minister for Medium and Large Industries R V Deshpande said the the event would provide opportunities to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to showcase their capabilities to various original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

Besides buyer-seller meets, B2B meetings, B2G meetings, the event would facilitate opportunities for companies to explore the investment opportunities in the State. Main focus will be on areas on are: aerospace and defence equipment, automobile, biotech, agriculture, textile and innovation and start-ups.

An exhibition would also be organised and sector-specific sessions would be held covering policy interventions, strategies for enhancing ecosystem, road map for future growth.

As a run up to the event, the State Government has organised road shows in major cities such as Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, and Jamshedpur.

District road shows across the State have been organised in association with Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA) in order to mobilise representation of MSMEs from across the State and across all sectors and sections, Mr. Deshpande said.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is the event partner of the summit and Ernst&Young is the knowledge partner.

Manufacturing sector has been recognised as the main engine for economic growth and creation of wealth. Vendor Development & Investors Summit programme announced by Government of Karnataka, with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) as the national partner, is one of the major decisions to promote manufacturing sector in India.

CII has been at the forefront of the Manufacturing Agenda, by working closely with the government to facilitate growth, enhance efficacy, competitiveness and generate business

Karnataka Woos Industrieswith Vendor Summit

opportunities for both local and foreign investors, thus helping the vision turn into a reality: by 2022, manufacturing, as a sector, shall contribute to one quarter of the GDP.

PSUs and the large OEM units require various parts, components, accessories and services. Vendor development programmes provide a platform for bridging the gap between the requirements of large units and production capabilities of MSMEs. To bridge the gap, there is need to have mutual understanding between MSMEs and large-scale enterprises by way of partnership among them to create an ecosystem for the state-of-art-production capabilities.

The Government of Karnataka, through the Vendor Development & Investment Summit, envisages to create a large exhibition area for Public Sector Units and large OEM units to display the products and components, and identify vendors of their choice in terms of production capacity and quality standards. Additionally, this program will also help MSMEs to understand the need of PSUs and the large OEMs, evaluate their capabilities and expand the scope and

scale of business. Identified focus sectors:

• Agriculture & Food Processing andMachinery

• Automobiles, Auto components &Electric Vehicles

• Bio Technology, Life Sciences and BioMedical

• Defence&Aerospace• Electronics System Design &

Manufacturing (ESDM)• Engineering and Precession Tools & 3D

Printing• MachineTools&3DPrinting• Manufacturingstartups• PSUs/SPSUs• TextileandApparels

The following are the objectives of the Vendor Development and Investment Summit:• To bring together MSMEs and CPSUs,

SPSUs and Large-scale Enterprises for giving marketing support to MSMEs

• To provide opportunities to MSMEs toshowcase their capabilities to various

CPSUs, SPSUs and Large Scale Enterprises• ToenableCPSUs,SPSUsandLargeScale

Enterprises to identify suitable vendors among the MSME sectors

• To provide common platform forbusiness as well as selling organisations to interact with each other with a view to identifying emerging demands of the buyer organisations while simultaneously providing an opportunity for displaying the capabilities of MSME entrepreneurs and their industrial ventures

• To provide opportunity to theparticipating companies to explore the investment opportunities in the State government in terms of project approvals or MOUs

• Organisinganexhibitionfordisplaytheproducts of MSMEs, CPSUs. SPSUs and Large Scale Enterprises

• To facilitate Buyer-Seller Meets, B2Bmeetings, B2G meetings

• To organise relevant Seminars/Sessionsfrom an awareness / learning standpoint.

The renewed focus of Government of India on invigorating the country’s manufacturing sector

through the ‘Make in India’ initiative has had a tremendous positive impact on the investment climate of the country. As a result, FDI inflows have been touching record levels, crossing the USD 50 billion

mark for the first time ever during 2015-16, and reaching USD 60 billion in 2016-17.

The Indian Government has planned targeted outreach activities for priority countries, including Sweden, to promote India as the Number One investment destination. Sweden’s interest in India as an investment destination is evident from

the participation of their Prime Ministerial delegation during the ‘Make in India Week 2016’ held in Mumbai. Swedish and Indian companies across various sectors have discovered complementarities, creating opportunities for expanding target markets and for technology collaborations.

Sweden’s Thumbs Up to ‘Make in India’

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Volvo made a big impact on Indian roads with its buses. The company’s other vehicles and equipment also are now grabbing eyeballs. Could you give us an overview of the sales in India so far?

At the outset, I am grateful to thousands of our customers and millions of users who have adopted Volvo brand as the most preferred one, given its uniquely strong value proposition and personality that it embodies. While we do not specifically comment on sales numbers for a particular market as such, I can certainly say that we remain the leading player in most segments we operate as Volvo Group in India. Our trucks have an over 65% share in the segments catering to high-performance mining tippers and over dimensional cargo (ODC). The Volvo Buses, both in city and long-distance, have the same leading position in long-distance luxury coaches as well as low-entry city buses. The Volvo Construction Equipment (VCE), which continues to witness high double digit growth since 2016, is likely to have a record year in 2017. VCE has a good share across compaction equipment, hydraulic excavators, pavers and wheel loaders. Our Volvo Penta engines solutions serve the important marine and captive power generation sectors.

Having said that, more important than the numbers and the market shares that we command, we are delighted that we are actively contributing in the segments that are driving progress through contemporary mobility solutions and infrastructure development which, we believe, will define the future of transport and infrastructure industry. We seek a future where more can be done with fewer vehicles on the roads and highways.

For India, it’s critical that the logistics efficiencies in the transport become substantially better so that we have less wastage in the transport system, which will substantially help reduce fuel consumed, emissions and congestion. Just in terms of financial savings alone, efficient logistics savings can be as high as 5% of our GDP which, at current levels, can be in excess of USD 100 billion annually. With a combination of GST, inter-state check posts being dismantled, the increasing pace of road construction and dedicated freight corridors (DFC), we believe this will bring together the opportunity to deploy more and more high-performance vehicles which will help move more people and goods with fewer vehicles – and that implies less time, less fuel used and reduced overall emissions.

Trailblazer in India’s Transport Sector

When Volvo, the Swedish company which is the world’s biggest bus

manufacturer, arrived in India, the country learnt what luxurious bus travel was all about. Since then, Volvo has been synonymous with

comfort as far as the Indian traveller is concerned. Other Volvo vehicles

like trucks too have made their mark in the country, especially in the industrial and mining sectors.

Today, India is a home base for Volvo Group, and the company

not only ‘Makes in India’, but also ‘Designs’, ‘Processes’ and ‘Sells’ in India and ‘Exports’ out of India.

The Volvo Group is closely entwined with India’s national priorities,

namely Infrastructure Development, to keep pace with the phenomenon

of rapid Urbanisation, with due care for Environment, Safety and Human Skills’ Development, says Kamal Bali, Managing Director of

Volvo India, who is also Chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry’s

Karnataka State Council in an interview with Advantage Karnataka

Kamal Bali: Cruising along a Glittering Path

of Success

Kamal Bali, 58, joined the Volvo Group in India in April 2014, as Managing Director and a

Board member of the company. With an illustrious career spanning over three decades, predominantly in the automotive industry, Kamal has worked for well-known Indian brands and established multinational corporations in India. He has had an insightful experience in the functional areas of sales, marketing and supply chain, before taking over P&L responsibilities in the year 2002.

An engineering graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and an alumnus of St. Joseph’s Academy Dehradun, Kamal began his professional career as a management trainee with the Eicher Group in 1981. Prior to spearheading the Volvo Group in India, Kamal was working as President & CEO of Singapore Technologies (STK) in India, establishing the brand LeeBoy.

Kamal has accumulated precious cross-functional knowledge, is respected for his values-based leadership and professionalism with strong ethos.

Kamal is a thought leader and a speaker at various national and international forums. Currently, he also holds the following positions: Chairman of CII Karnataka; Chairman designate of Swedish Chamber of Commerce in India; Industry Advisory Executive Panel (IAEP) member of CIMA, London; Member of Karnataka Government Vision Group (Industry); Board Member of Xavier Institute of Management (XIMB), Bhubaneswar; Member of the Joint Board of Directors of Xavier Emlyon Global School of Business (XEMGSB).

Presently heading the Volvo Group India Private Limited (VIPL), a fully owned by AB Volvo Group of Sweden, Kamal is set to make a bigger impact on the industrial sector of India and also bring about positive changes in the lives of people in the country. VIPL has manufacturing facilities in Bangalore, with offerings of Volvo Trucks, Buses, Construction Equipment and Engines, most of which are used by the general public. The Volvo Group also has a very successful JV with Eicher Group.

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At the other end of the spectrum, in cities, there is this need to move people away from personal vehicles to public transport to reduce congestion and local emissions. Here we see ourselves playing a key role in making public transportation the No. 1 choice for citizens.

Among Volvo’s buses, which model sells the most in India? Also tell us about the biggest customers.

Volvo 8400 LE is our city bus for public transportation, which is now present across 35 cities. Amongst our large customers here is BMTC with around 800 city buses from Volvo. Having said that, we have a fleet operating across almost the major STUs in India.

When it comes to long-haul, we have the Volvo 9400 Multi-axle buses – a segment once again established by Volvo Group – which has grown significantly. Today, you can find Volvo buses operating across most highways in the country and is part of the fleet of every key private and STU operations around the country. In Karnataka, KSRTC happens to be our largest customer with close to 400 Volvo Luxury Coaches.

In either case, Volvo Group has facilitated both STUs and private operators to build their own brands focussed on providing enhanced, safe and improved quality of mobility to their passengers. With all humility, I would like to mention that in the last decade, the change that we have witnessed in the bus industry has been largely spearheaded by the Volvo Group in India.

With our buses, we do play an important role in the national urbanisation agenda. We have now also set the road ahead towards electro-mobility with delivery of the first Volvo Hybrids in India to Navi Mumbai, which not only save on emissions up to 50%, but also reduce fuel consumption by almost 35%, which is significant for our nation.

Volvo trucks are well-known for their huge carrying capacity. Could you give us details about truck models that are in biggest demand in the country? Which States in India purchase the most number of Volvo trucks?

The Volvo Tipper trucks and the Volvo ODC tractor-trailers are the product solutions, among the key segments for Volvo Trucks in India. The truck which we typically sell in the mining

segment is the Volvo FMX series. Our mining trucks are of course concentrated in large numbers across mining belts (spanning states like Chattisgarh, Western UP, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, Maharashtra’s Vidharbha, Telengana and other such pockets) in the country.

One of the Volvo FMX models was adjudged the most Innovative product of the year at the Apollo CV Awards 2016. These trucks play a crucial role in mining - primarily in the Coal Mining segment where the active population on field enables almost half of the country’s thermal coal production. This range in the Volvo FMX series is today considered one of the most robust and versatile, offering excellent fuel efficiency and are able to operate in deep mines with delivery efficiencies that no other truck can match. Consider, for instance, the case of our customer in Dhanbad who has achieved over 14,000 hours of engines running in less than 24 months of operations.

This implies that the Volvo FMX trucks are running 20+ hours a day on an average. This is the testimony to our truck’s reliability, uptime, performance ability and robustness. Such a record cannot take place without our support network which today consists of over 200 touch points across the country. This enables the customer to adopt efficient practices at their end – in terms of prompt maintenance, driver management/switching and truck logistics planning. It shows that when the circumstances are right, Indian customers will choose the best in order to deliver the highest productivity. One can actually benchmark these operations amongst the best in the world when it comes to performance levels.

In the other segment of Heavy Haulage Over-dimension cargo (ODC) movement, Volvo Trucks FM and FH series stand out in terms of the significant contribution they have delivered over the last two decades. All the heavy cargo (sometimes indivisible ones of more than 2,200 tonnes…) necessarily move on Hydraulic Trailers pulled by the Volvo FM and FH Pullers. Be it the inhospitable terrains of a Hydel Power plant transformer movement to critical cargoes for the other core industries like Cement, Petrochemical… all the reputed transporters repose their faith in the Volvo Trucks technology and after-sales support for their on-ground performance.

Several car models of Volvo are seen on Indian roads now. Could you give us an insight into Volvo’s car business in the country?

We, at Volvo Group, are really pleased to see the continuous increase in popularity and growth of Volvo cars in India. However, as you probably know, Volvo Cars is managed and owned by a separate legal entity called Volvo Auto (part of Volvo Cars Corporation), though we are both proud to share the same iconic Volvo brand with great values and heritage.

Construction equipment is a major constituent of Volvo’s product portfolio. Could you give us details on the

equipment witnessing major offtake in the country and the customers?

Volvo CE would actually end this year with one of its strongest performance in the country. The major offtake is 20 Ton class Excavator mostly for Road Segment & Quarry. This is followed by Compaction machines, Motor Graders and Pavers, thanks to the high level of activity in road construction. We have strong footprint in mining and we are holding the very good market share of over 60% in 50 Ton class machines. While we do not share individual sales numbers, I can say that Volvo is the leading global construction equipment brand in the Indian market. We have a long history here and an extensive dealer network. Ours is the only major brand with presence in the three major user segments of general construction, road building and mining. We are the leading supplier of higher capacity excavators in this country.

With Volvo Construction Equipment and our Mining Trucks, we are entwined with India’s focus on infrastructure and road development – helping build our country’s infrastructure quicker and with better quality. Take the instance of the new runway at Kempegowda Airport in Bangalore, which included Volvo Construction Equipment – this runway was completed at a record pace with support from 18 Volvo machines.

Volvo is a major player in the Industrial Power and Marine Power sector. How has the Indian market responded to the company’s products for this segment?

The response is very good in the segments we operate in. Volvo Penta is recognised as a premier solution and with a very attractive total cost of operations proposition amongst our customers. It is also a brand that is associated with innovative products that are highly fuel-efficient and friendly to the operator. Volvo Penta in India is today among the preferred suppliers to the Navy in the patrol boat segments, that guard our borders as well as in the upcoming leisure segment. Additionally, Volvo Penta finds strong favour in inland waterway applications such as ferries and barges and this is a segment which is gaining increased focus at the national level, for another mode of mobility into the near future.

Share with us some details about Volvo’s future expansion plans in India; regarding new plants, products and introduction of new models of vehicles?

Let me start by saying that we completely believe in the India story and also glad that India is, at this juncture, going through an unprecedented socio-economic transformation, through bold structural reforms. This bodes well for the nation’s future. The upcoming opportunities, especially in infrastructure, logistics, waterways and urban mobility, together with alternate fuels and electro-mobility, are going to be game changing in nature. In India, the opportunities are so huge, diverse and multi-faceted that all tools in the box would be required to be used in a good and innovative way. This means electric hybrids & electro-mobility, complete multi-modal urban mobility systems, alternate bio fuels (and fuels using country’s coal reserves with clean technologies), will come to play.

As I mentioned earlier, we do not share specific numbers and projections into the future. However, if you look back at our presence and contribution that we made in our segments, you will agree that we are a serial investor in India and have been adding capacity and new products regularly over the years, besides partnering with Eicher Group for a very successful JV, in the name and style of VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV). Today, we have factories across Volvo Trucks, Volvo Buses, Volvo CE besides the factories with our JV and the global medium-duty hub for 5 & 8 Litre engines at Pithampur. We are already producing Euro VI engine in India and exporting, just as we are exporting ‘Made in India’ Volvo Buses and Construction Equipment.

We are today a 1,000 people strong team of engineers engaged in global & local product design & development activities. Another 1,500 employees are supporting the global organisation in terms of various processes and services, out of Bangalore. We will continue to expand in the future and you will surely hear more from us. Overall, we employ nearly 3,500 people directly in Volvo Group India and over 10,000 people through our JV. The indirect employment and entrepreneurship is much larger and we are glad that we are being able to contribute to nation building in our own way.

Today, India is a home base for Volvo Group, and we not only Make in India, we “Design” in India, we “Process” in India, we “Sell” in India and we “Export” out of India.

Volvo Group is closely entwined with India’s national priorities, namely Infrastructure Development to keep pace with the phenomenon of rapid Urbanisation, with due care for Environment, Safety and Human Skills’ Development. We will continue to pursue our mission most passionately and responsibly.

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CII Karnataka has represented to the Government and recommended inputs on Goods and Services Tax (GST) at various meetings. Representations have been made

at both state and national level.Some among the representations are: At Karnataka GST

Advisory Committee meeting; At the Office of the Chief Commissioner of Central Excise regarding the Combined Regional Advisory Committee Meeting; At the Interactive session conducted by Revenue Secretary on ‘GST Migration & Implications’; Submission of recommendations on GST rates to both the Central and State Governments; and sharing inputs of the industry with the GST Council.

A session on ‘GST – Transition to GST Implementation’ was conducted at Hotel Royal Orchid, Old Airport Road, Bengaluru.

To encourage industry to be proactive in managing their GST compliance, CII conducted a two-day extensive training programme in Bengaluru to provide valuable insights into GST and transitional provisions to understand the GST Law and its impact across industry sectors. Technical sessions were conducted on: Overview of GST Law, Rules And Supply; Compliances under GST; Transitional Provisions; IGST- Place of

Supply of Goods; Time of Supply; Input Tax Credit; IGST- Place of Supply of Services Import/Export of Goods of Services; Anti – Profiteering Law and Provisions; GST Impact Study on various Business functions.

CII supported the Governor of the US State of Colorado Mr. John Hickenlooper during

his maiden visit to India. The visit was part of an effort to expand two-way trade and investment. The Governor was accompanied by a delegation of Colorado cabinet members, leaders from the private sector including officials from Deloitte, Western Union, etc., educational partners from the University of Colorado and the University of

Denver; and representatives from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.

The delegation was in Bangalore to take part in a two-day Round Table Conference conducted by CII at Hotel Taj West End. The objective of the Round Table was to create new relationships with companies from both the regions in efforts to develop unique economic opportunities between Colorado and India.

Additionally, the delegation conducted one-to-one meetings with four companies in the sector of Information Technology.The delegation was interested in learning more about your companies’ plans for international growth and collaboration. The trade representatives were looking for opportunities to expand their markets and share with Indian companies the unique advantages available in the state of Colorado.

CII Holds Several Events on GST

CII Region conducted Session on The Implication of Goods & Services Tax (GST) on International Trade on 13 October at Hotel Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, Bangalore

Colorado Governor’s Visit to Expand Trade

CII Karnataka hosted the US Congressional delegation led by Congressman Lamar

Smith, Chairman - Science, Space, and Technology Committee over breakfast at Hotel Taj West End, Bangalore. The Science, Space and Technology Committee covers initiatives and Projects on Environmental Protection Agency, NASA, the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The nine-member delegation comprising Dana Rohrabacher, Mo Brooks, Thomas Massie, Ami Bera, Brian Babin, Barbara Comstock, Mark Sanford and Darren Soto discussed the possible areas of cooperation and investment opportunities available in the two largest democracies of the world.

The industry round table, moderated by Mr. Kamal Bali, Chairman, CII Karnataka State Council and President, Volvo India Pvt Ltd. and Ms. Debarati Sen, Managing Director - 3M India focused on the

technological capabilities of India Inc., the rise of innovation and entrepreneurship in India and ways of reaching out to the startup ecosystem in the United States. They also held discussions on areas of collaboration that the US and India can pursue, issues faced and ways in which businesses can help chart a path for deeper engagement.

Aerospace, defence and cyber security sectors were the focus areas of the discussion. It started off by acknowledging India’s excellence in its lunar mission and other space technologies that help in the remote sensing of data. The Congressmen opined that the future lies in exploring the new avenues for transportation, especially in the sub-orbital space, clearing the space debris and creating a defence system for Earth.

At this juncture, Mr Kamal Bali, mentioned that skilling the workforce through internship programmes lasting three to five years and collaborating with the leading companies and universities from both the countries is the way

forward. Here, similar programmes with Japan and Australia were cited as examples.

Representative from the VC community, Mr V Ganapathy of Axilor Ventures, said that the Indian patent system and the Intellectual Property protection system are quite robust and that there is no need for concern. However, the gap lies in the angel investment where the appetite is close to 100 times the current funding capability.

Companies such as Wipro and Infosys that pioneered technology consulting in India said that the United States is the largest contributor of their business revenue and that it’s time these companies created jobs in the United States.

Talking about the immigration of skilled labour, Mr. Sudip Singh, Senior Vice President, Head, Global Services and Engineering Services said that the United States contributes to 62% of the revenue of Infosys. The company is in the process of creating 10,000 jobs in the four newly

CII, US Lawmakers Hold Effective Round Table

Moderated by Mr. Kamal Bali, Chairman, CII Karnataka State Council and President, Volvo India Pvt Ltd. and Ms. Debarati Sen, Managing Director - 3M India, the round table meeting with

US Congressional delegation led by Lamar Smith, Chairman - Science, Space, and Technology Committee, focused on the technological capabilities of India Inc., the rise of innovation and

entrepreneurship in India and ways of reaching out to the startup ecosystem in the United States

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created centres in United States, or in other words investing from where the company has gained.

Addressing the concern on how to “train the talent,” the Congressmen stated that the best way to train the talent is to be involved in community training programmes by interfacing with the local authorities.

Mr. Mark Sanford of South Carolina said that there is a choice to make between democratic but chaotic India and autocratic but predicable China. Business outcomes are less possible but more predicable in the latter’s case. Though India is perceived differently than what it was five years ago, with lot of specific programmes being initiated by government primarily in the sphere of cyber security and energy transition, the perception

still remains that in India corruption exists in the business ecosystems.

Summing up the topics covered by US Congressional delegation led by Congressman Lamar Smith, Kamal Bali said, “Working on Public Private Partnership and incorporation of companies, building sustainable solutions in the aerospace, defence and cyber security is the best way to build an ecosystem of cooperation.”

But before calling it a day, Lamar Smith requested the gathering to throw light on the day after tomorrow. He enquired about the impact of ‘Artificial Intelligence’ on the workforce and also a document on ‘Ease of doing businesses’.

KSRTC is continuing its record-breaking run and making Karnataka proud with every trip

it makes in the State and outside. Among the latest achievements of the State Road Transport Corporation is having recorded its highest daily revenue collection of Rs. 13.46 crore on October 3, 2017. It is the highest-ever daily revenue in the history of KSRTC. In addition to this, KSRTC earned extra revenue of Rs.130.03 crore from April 2017 to October 3, 2017 when compared to the same period last year.Credit for this goes to all the officers and staff of the Corporation who put in their untiring efforts.

Another honour that has come KSRTC’s way is for the first time ever, it has won the runner-up position in International Road Transport Union Bus Excellence Award-2017. An International jury embodying excellence in mobility evaluated the innovative projects.

Malta Public Transport is the 2017 winner of the IRU Bus Excellence Award. Mwasalat Oman and Karnataka SRTC are tied at the runner-up position.

For the convenience of passengers too, KSRTC has implemented several

measures. They include construction of toilets, urinals and other basic amenities at 151 bus stations in its jurisdiction of 16 divisions.

KSRTC has proposed to entrust the work of maintenance of toilets and bus station premises to Sulabh International. Initially, the Corporation has decided to entrust bus stations in Bangalore Central Division, Ramanagar and Mandya Divisions to Sulabh International, which is a social service non-commercial organisation having expertise in the fields of sanitation and housekeeping.

In another decision, KPIT Limited has been appointed as the agency for providing in-bus entertainment and Wi-Fi services in all buses of KSRTC, NWKRTC and NEKRTC. Free Wi-Fi facility will be provided 24x7 to passengers in buses. The agency has been allowed to generate revenue from advertisements and will pay a licence fee of Rs.1.24 crore per annum to KSRTC.

Presently, this facility is offered in 50 buses on pilot basis and it will be available in all buses within three months.

In another passenger-friendly initiative, KSRTC has reintroduced the supply of 500 ml packaged drinking water to the in

its premium services - Airavat Club class, Airavat Diamond Class, Airavat, AC sleeper and Flybus.

In yet another first of its kind and scale among the State Road Transport Undertakings of the country, KSRTC is establishing pure drinking water plants at Taluk Bus Stations in association with Bharat Petroleum Corporations Limited (BPCL).

The aims are, to provide safe and hygienic drinking water for commuters, to provide pure water at lowest possible price, prevent commuters from intake of impure water, ensure the minimum use of plastic used for packaged mineral water, provide clean and safe environment and reduction in the environmental pollution due to plastic bottle usage. This ensures sustainable operation of these water purification units. This provides access to the safe and affordable drinking water to the bus travellers and the general public at bus stations.

Passengers have to pay Rs.1 per one litre and the facility will be available 24x7. By March 2018, the proposed bus stations will be ready with this facility.

KSRTC Breaks Collection Record

The Road Transport Corporation has also won the runner-up position in International Road Transport Union Bus Excellence Award-2017; It is turning more customer-friendly with maintenance contract for toilets, providing safe drinking water

Nestle Chief Addresses CEO Forum

A meeting of the CEO Forum was held recently. The Speaker for the session was Mr. Suresh

Narayanan, Chairman & Managing Director, Nestle India Ltd. He addressed the CEOs on the theme ‘Captain in a Crisis…. Lessons in Leadership’ at the event held at Hotel Vivanta by Taj, M G Road, Bengaluru.

Narayanan has over 30 years of rich and exhaustive experience in the FMCG industry and has held senior management and top leadership roles in leading global companies. He is on the Board of Directors of Nestlé India Limited since August, 2015. Narayanan was Chairman and CEO of Nestlé Philippines prior to joining Nestlé India in 2015. He is also the Chairman of Corporate Governance and

Social Responsibility Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company.

Narayanan was Managing Director of Nestlé Singapore Pte. Ltd., from 2008 to 2010. During his term the overall business in Singapore witnessed sustained growth amidst the economic downturn. He was awarded the ‘Medal of Commendation’ by the Government of Singapore in 2010, for excellence in employee relations during this challenging period. He moved to Nestlé Egypt as Chairman and CEO and Head of NEAR, where his initiatives resulted in significant business growth and investments despite the turbulence and volatility faced by the region at this time.

Narayanan, in his address, focused on the Cult Brand Status which Maggie

continues to enjoy in the market. He stressed on ‘Ring in Confidence’ concept, defined as: Unite, Embrace Opportunity, Engage, Communicate, Credibility & Confidence, Face Reality.

Some of the lessons in leadership imparted by Narayanan are: There is an opportunity in adversity; Don’t be afraid of uncertainties; Teamwork and achievement will drive credibility; Always strive for ‘Can do’ rather than ‘Will try’; People are in the centre of everything you do; Volatality - Keep the Plan B ready; Never lose your winning spirit; Keep your eyes on reality; Constantly communicate, not less…but more; Keep to your values, be humble, listen and stay connected.. above all be human.

Launch of KSRTC Scania Airavat Diamond class inter-state bus service from Bengaluru to Alleppey (Kerala) and Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh). Transport Minister H M Revanna, AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka K C Venugopal M P and KSRTC Managing Director Sri.S.R.Umashankar are seen.

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Bavaria, the largest State of Germany is one of the most powerful economies in Europe with a gross domestic product

(GDP) of € 568 billion Euro (2016). The per-capita GDP of € 43.092 is significantly higher than the German or European average (as of 2016). Bavaria is Europe’s 7th largest economy and the most dynamic amongst the European markets with the highest purchasing power in the world. The state also acts as a gateway to the large South East and East European markets with its 500 million consumers. Bavaria is a place where international companies converge and meet to shape the sustainable energy and mobility future, where factories are smart and technology driven, innovative, new and profitable value propositions

are being created. Almost one quarter of German DAX companies

located in Bavaria with internationally renowned enterprises, including BMW, Siemens, Audi, Allianz, Infineon, Puma AG, Adidas AG, MAN and many more headquartered in Bavaria.

Bavaria is well-known for its automobile prowess, innovation, life sciences and also for its excellent infrastructure, well-educated human resources besides acting as a hub for the European Market. The Key technologies which are most important to Bavaria lie in the sectors of Aerospace & Satellite Navigation, Automotive Industry, Biotechnology, Chemical Industry, Electrical Engineering & Electronics, Energy Technology, Environmental Technology, Financial Services, Information

Dr. G Parameshwara, Home Minister of Karnataka and Mr. Joachim Herrmann, Bavarian Minister of Interior, for Building and Transport signing the Joint Declaration of Intent for the intensification of police cooperation in Munich on 20 June 2016.

Dr. G Parameshwara, Home Minister of Karnataka and Mr. Joachim Herrmann, Bavarian Minister of Interior, for Building and Transport exchanging the signed Joint Declaration of Intent for the intensification of police cooperation in Munich on 20 June 2016.

Where Business BoomsThe German state and Karnataka are collaborating in projects in the areas of Trade & Investment, ICT, BT, Engineering, manufacturing R&D, Environmental Services, Waste Management, Advance Material Transport, Education and Tourism.

Dr. G. Parameshwara, Home Minister of Govt. of Karnataka in Bavaria led an official police delegation to Bavaria in June 2016.

Technology, Logistics, Mechanical Engineering Industry, Mechatronics, Media, Medical Technology, Nanotechnology, New Materials and Photonics.

Bavaria is home not only to many major global conglomerates, but also has a very strong base of small and medium sized industries, trade and the services sector. With Munich as its capital, other major cities of Bavaria viz., Regensburg, Ingolstadt, Wurzburg, Greater Nuremberg and Augsburg are all centres providing high-tech services.

The service sector takes pride of place in Bavaria. The Free State ranks right at the top in the insurance sector, and second in the banking sector, in Germany. Bavaria is also the top tourist destination.

Bavarian State Government has introduced a new initiative “Digital Bavaria” aiming to transform the State into one of the world’s leading digital economies by 2020. The City of Munich offers ideal conditions for a successful digitalisation of the economy.

Recognising the huge potential for strong business and development links between the two regions, the Karnataka State Government and the Government of the State of Bavaria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2007, represented by the then Honourable Chief Minister of Karnataka Shri H D Kumaraswamy and the Honourable Minister

President of Bavaria, Dr. Edmund Stoiber for enhancing State-to-State co-operation in the fields of commerce, industry, technology, research, infrastructure, tourism and other related areas.

Several positive developments have taken place so far in the political side like establishing their Consulate, opening of Indo Bavarian Science Centre BayInd in Bangalore, MoU between various Indian and Bavarian Universities consortium represented by Hof University of Applied Sciences, cooperation in the security level between Karnataka and Bavaria and many more.

Ever since the opening of the Bavarian State Office in Bangalore in 2001, mutual co-operation and support have increased significantly which led to several exchanges of high level delegations from Government and Industry from both the States which has resulted in signing many fruitful agreements thereby further strengthened the bilateral co-operation to greater heights.

Owing to these efforts, many Indian companies have made Bavaria their home. Around 90 Indian companies have set up their offices in various cities of Bavaria and around 18 companies from Karnataka have their operations there. Infosys, ITC InfoTech, QUEST and Wipro are some among them.

Also a significant number of Bavarian companies like Siemens Information Systems Ltd, Adidas, Kluber Lubrication

India Pvt. Ltd, Infineon Technologies, Rohde & Schwarz India Pvt. Ltd, Auma India Pvt. Ltd, Hawe Hydraulics Pvt. Ltd, TUV Suddeutschland India Pvt. Ltd and several other German companies have their business units in the State of Karnataka.

The State of Bavaria India Office, Invest in Bavaria is a Special Division within the Department of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Media, Energy and Technology. This business promotion agency is the central, single-stop point of contact within the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs for all companies interested in setting up and expanding business units in Bavaria. Its services are individually tailored, free and confidential.

For detailsMr. John Kottayil,Executive Director, Invest in Bavaria – IndiaOffice, Prestige Meridian 2, 12th floor,Unit 1201, 30 MG Road, Bangalore – 560 001.Email: john.kottayil@invest-in-bavaria.inTelephone: +91-80-4096 5025 / 4124 7682Fax: +91-80- 4096 5027Website: www.invest-in-bavaria.in

Bavaria

Audi Mobiltechnikum Panorama- photo

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Dissolving Borderswith Carnatic Music

Do we have to live in a Dead Poets Society? We sing in the shower -- not to win an award. And we text our loved ones -- not to proudly cross an item on the to-do list. Singing, dancing, writing for love is neither cute nor cool. It’s just a constant reminder to ourselves. We do so to tap into the life within and outside.Medicine, law, business, engineering, to quote from the Dead Poets Society, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. In this special issue, we thought it’d be a good idea to sing happy birthday to Karnataka. A tune from the United States, attributed to Patty and Mildred J. Hill, diffused borders. May we request our readers to join us sing a song? “Happy birthday to Karnataka! May God bless you!” Known to us as the raga Sankarabharanam, best heard on violin when played by Apoorva Krishna — the most promising classical musician from our state who moved back to India from the United States to pursue music. We start off by wishing both Karnataka and Carnatic music the best. So Apoorva, like the happy birthday song in the raga Sankarabharanam, your compositions are here to melt hearts and dissolve borders? Tell us more about the work you do.

Apoorva Krishna

more appealing to the masses because of cinema and entertainment. It is generally in a free flowing style which is quite easy to enjoy and may not go into deeper levels of complexities. Carnatic music needs more discipline to understand, learn and practise due to its structural framework in the Raga (Melodic) and Tala (Rhythmic) bedrock of the Indian Classical Music System. The key difference is that Carnatic Classical Music Stream has a definite framework. However, this rule does not limit the creativity (or Manodharma) for improvisation, within the contours of its framework. In fact, there are infinite possibilities in the Manodharma aspects of Carnatic music that help to bring out freshness and innovation, left only to the imagination of the composers and

performing musicians. Do you envision an open place where

Carnatic musicians come and perform just to engage with non-Carnatic crowd? Do you see yourself taking the plunge?

We can spread Carnatic music by beginning to explore ways and means to popularise it outside the regular sabha platforms that are available to us as of today. Other than performing at temples or music festivals, Carnatic music has not come alive in different settings. I believe, Carnatic musicians should take ownership and responsibility to take Carnatic music to the people. How they do it should be left to them.

How often do you perform with artistes from other genres in the city?

How has been your experience? Do you appreciate concerts and artistes from other genres? Do you personally attend any of them?

When I performed with Shankar Mahadevan Sir at the Bengaluru Ganesh Utsav, I played along for a popular music number. However, the segway to it was more exhilarating for me, as the Sindhu Bhairavi raga followed by ‘thanam’ was a grand build up to the number. It was all impromptu and was truly an amazing experience for me that I could pull it off too, live on stage. I got appreciation from live audience as well as the clip that went viral on Facebook. I also found my recent five week workshop in Berklee College of Music, Boston, bringing me an experience of a lifetime. I have the opportunity to collaborate with jazz and western musicians and together, we performed at a Bulgarian Music Festival Series and my collaboration found now meaning and I made a bunch of global musician friends for life. I can appreciate world music much better now and am equipped to take our Carnatic Music with equal pride to collaborate seamlessly in such situations.

What are the plans for yourself and your music for the next 5 - 10 years?

In five to ten years, I wish to make definite progress to showcase and demonstrate that Carnatic music can be a truly viable alternative for stress relief by showcasing its power on the minds and bodies that need soothing sounds and balms through music.

Why Bahudari? And what’s Bahudari all about?

A couple of years ago, I thought of having a musical ensemble to collaborate with young artistes from my peer group. Bahudari means many ways and I feel it is great to celebrate music in many ways, which is why this name was picked. The idea is to share Carnatic music in all possible ways like demos, workshops, outreach programmes and performances.

It is such a delight to see youngsters like you shine on like crazy diamonds. Share with our readers all about your music and collaborations in the near future?

Thank you. In July 2017, TARISIO, an international auction house for string-based musical instruments, recognised our creative music with their Young Artiste

Grant Program. The Bahudari composition was picked as one of the top three among many genres and applicants over the world in the classical music stream. Our team of three, myself supported by my percussion artistes Vinod Shyam on the Mridangam

and Sunaad Anoor on the Khanjira from Bengaluru consider it as a mark of the celebration of Carnatic Music and as a testimony to our Indian Classical Music System by the global musical fraternity. The jury comprised senior musical luminaries including Kim Kashkashian, Grammy Award-winning soloist; Martin Engstroem, Founder & Executive Director of Verbier Festival; and Quatuor Ebene, France’s genre-defying ensemble.

We are deeply humbled by this

achievement and are simultaneously even more excited to take up the task of making our Carnatic music reach out to the rural areas in India and global audience even more. We wish to achieve this by also leveraging and harnessing the available power of technology in today’s world such the Internet and Social Media. Through outreach programmes and creative musical extravaganzas, we wish to celebrate music beyond borders or boundaries.

What is your opinion about popular music, and what in your opinion are the fundamental differences with respect to Carnatic?

Musical genres are many. Popular music like pop, film or folk music is

The 19th BPM Strategy Summit held in Bangalore has set a goal of $ 50-55 billion revenue for the BPM

(Business Process Management) industry in the country by 2025. The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), analysing the current state of the industry, said India remains the largest BPM base in the world with a revenue of close to $30bn and an employee strength of 1.2 million in FY 2017.

Overcoming the earlier phase of a slower growth, the Indian BPM industry has more

than 35% of share in global sourcing and 38% in the employable graduate pool, and is witnessing a revenue growth of 1.7X. Revenues for India’s BPM sector are projected to increase from $30bn in FY17 to $50-55bn by 2025. NASSCOM also projected that digital streams will account for 60-70% of the BPM service providers’ revenue by 2025, overtaking traditional streams, with advanced technology solutions and intelligent automation driving much of this growth.

“The BPM industry is going from strength to strength, embracing the change as it

emphasizes on customer experience, service and innovation and setting the trends across the globe. In this era of changing expectations, hybrid growth driven by higher order thinking and digital assistance will drive dynamic shifts towards new geographies, verticals and markets,” said Mr. Raman Roy, Chairman, NASSCOM.

The summit highlighted the dramatic technological shift in the BPM industry towards digital strategy, which is witnessing an ever-increasing adoption of robotic process automation, advanced analytics and digital assistance.

BPM Industry Sets Target of $ 50-55 bn by 2025

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from the thermal images of the patients and creates a statistical decision model for accurate diagnosis of new patients.

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death for women. In this context, what prospects due you see for breast cancer detection systems, especially Niramai?

Yes, breast cancer is the largest cancer killer in women today. However, the silver lining is that breast cancer is possibly the only cancer that can be completely cured

and the patient can live a happy normal life after treatment, if the abnormality is detected early. Currently there is a huge gap in screening solutions. Techniques like mammography are not affordable, not accessible and not applicable to all women. There is a clear opportunity to create novel affordable diagnostic solutions for detecting early stage malignancy. Niramai is one such solution that is portable, affordable and simple to use. It looks for abnormal tissue activities and detects malignancies at very early

stages of tumour formation. Early diagnosis increases the survival rates as well as reduces the treatment cost and side effects due to treatment.

Ideally, from what age women should start undergoing Niramai procedure and how frequently?

All women above 20 years are advised to undergo Niramai screening and repeat it every two years. Women over 40 years and girls whose mothers have had a breast cancer incidence should repeat the thermal scan every year.

Tell us about the patents secured by Niramai and also the awards won so far ?

Niramai solution has resulted in three granted US patents and seven more patent applications pending grant in USPTO. These patents cover the novel elements of the Thermalytix solution.

Niramai has also been recognized as one of the top 100 innovations in Karnataka by ‘Elevate100’ programme, ‘Top 10 cool AI start-ups in Asia’ , ‘Top 50 Innovations’ from Smart CEO Forum, ‘Top 30 innovations in Tech30’, ‘Top 2 Innovations’ by GrowthEnabler theTalk Series and ‘Startup of the Week’ by Tracxn.

Could you reveal how the market has responded to the software? What strategies are being adopted to popularise Niramai?

Diagnostic centres who are not able to afford a mammography machine and those who own a mammography equipment but are seeing low uptake from women, are very interested in partnering with Niramai to provide this new way of screening for breast cancer.

We have received very good response from working women who have used Niramai screening at our corporate camps as well. Word of mouth is playing a major role. We had one instance where we started a camp with just 8 registered participants, but had to extend the camp to accommodate 4 times more women wanting to do the screening based on feedback from their co-workers. They like the simplicity of the test and that this screening is done in a very privacy-aware manner.

Geetha Manjunatha, CEO, and Nidhi Mathur (COO) with Niramai team.

Niramai’s novel breast cancer screening solution is attracting the attention of medical fraternity as well as general public. Could you explain the procedure employed in this method?

Niramai has developed a novel solution to detect early stage breast cancer in a completely safe, non-invasive and privacy aware manner. Our solution is low-cost, portable and can be operated by even a low-skilled person.

The screening procedure is very simple. The lady is made to sit on a chair about three feet away from a thermal sensing device. The thermal sensing device accurately captures the temperature distribution on her chest in five different angles – called thermal images. Niramai software analyzes these thermal images, generates a report of her breast health and also identifies any early-stage malignancies.

Traditionally, Mammography was being resorted to for detecting breast

cancer. What are the advantages of Niramai over Mammography?

Mammography is a popular method of breast screening and diagnosis and has the ability to detect small tumours. However, it has certain limitations. For example, it does not work on women under 45 years of age. It uses X-rays for screening, raising safety concerns and the procedure itself requires breast compression and hence is very painful to the lady.

Niramai solution works for women of all age groups. It does not use X-rays or ionization for the screening procedure. It just measures the temperature of the chest. This enables safe regular screening for high risk patients without no side-effects. Unlike mammography, it is not painful. It is non-contact, non-invasive and in fact, no one touches or even

sees the patient during the screening procedure.

We see Niramai Solution as a complementary modality to Mammography. It can be used as an additional screening test on women to improve diagnostic accuracy and to address the clear gap in screening younger women.

Could you give us some insight into the technology behind Niramai?

Niramai has pioneered a new technique for breast cancer screening, that we call as Thermalytix® . Thermalytix is a computer-aided diagnostic solution based on a novel fusion of machine learning and advanced thermal imaging. Tumour cells grow aggressively, exhibit higher metabolism and higher blood flow to the region. This results in a temperature increase near the tumour and creates a certain heat pattern around the tumour as well.

Niramai solution extracts over 50+ novel spatio-thermal clinically-relevant patterns

Niramai: For Hassle-free,Safe Breast Screening

Mammography, the popular method of breast screening and diagnosis, has certain limitations - it does not work on women under 45 years of age; uses

X-rays for screening, raising safety concerns; and the procedure itself requires breast compression and hence is very painful to the lady. Now, Bangalore-based Niramai Health Analytix has come up with a software solution that works for women of all age groups. It does not use X-rays or ionization for the screening procedure and just measures the temperature of the chest. This enables safe regular screening for high risk patients without no side-

effects. Unlike mammography, it is not painful. Geetha Manjunatha, CEO, who co-founded Niramai along with Nidhi Mathur (COO) explains to Advantage

Karnataka the procedure and its benefits for women.

ADVANTAGE KARNATAKA

30 31

Hockey, as a popular sport, enjoys little support in many parts of the country, but in Coorg, it is in the blood of the Kodavas, the local people. The district of Coorg or Kodagu

is considered the cradle of Indian hockey. More than 50 Kodavas have represented India in international hockey tournaments, out of which seven have also participated in the Olympics. They include B P Govinda, M P Ganesh, M M Somaiya and C S Poonacha.

Kodavas’ passion for hockey is so intense that more than 200 families participate in an annual hockey festival, recognised as one of the largest field hockey tournaments in the world. The festival has been referred to in the Guinness Book of Records and the Limca Book of Records.

The festival, which was started in 1997, has been going strong for two decades now. It is open only to members of the Kodava community and matches are played between the members of different clans. The clan name precedes the individual’s name and carries a unique identity. Kodavas from all over the world reach Kodagu to participate in the festival. It is estimated that the month-long tournament will have almost 50,000-60,000 people attending.

The hockey matches are played to packed galleries. “By the semifinal, these matches see almost 8,000-10,000 people congregating at the grounds,” said Sandhya Kumar, a Bengaluru-based, national award-winning filmmaker, who made ‘Hockey In My Blood’, a documentary on the festival. ‘Hockey in my Blood’ narrates the tale of the 2013 edition of the tournament, which was called the Madanda Cup (as it was organised by Madanda family). As many as 225 teams participated in 2013.

The tournament sees the participation of players from all fields of work. The documentary narrates tales of professionals who have left their IT jobs in Bangalore just to play in the tournament. Coorg is 273 km from Bangalore, with sparse connectivity. Yet the sheer

Kodava Hockey Festival Scores Several ‘Goals’

Kodagu district in Karnataka plays host to a unique festival every year, in which over 200 hockey teams representing various Kodava clans compete for the trophy. The festival, which was started in 1997, saw the participation of a whopping 306 teams in its 2017 edition. The festival serves as a family get-together for the Kodavas, who reach the venue from around the world to play and watch the matches and renew ties with kith and kin.

passion for Hockey in the region manages to pull off such a huge turnout every year for the tournament. ‘Hockey in my Blood’ gives us a brief glimpse of that passion.

The Kodava hockey festival is the brainchild of Pandanda Kuttappa and his brother Pandanda Kashi Ponnappa. Pandanda Kuttappa was a first-division hockey referee and an ex-employee of State Bank of India. He conceived the idea of creating a platform in which the different Kodava families can get together. Realising the passion of hockey in Kodagu, he felt a festival involving the sport would be a good event to bring Kodavas together.

The money required for the inaugural tournament was provided by Pandanda Kuttappa and Pandanda Kashi Ponnappa. Pandanda Kashi Ponnappa was a hockey player who represented Mysuru University.

The response was very good and the first tournament held at Karada called Pandanda Cup attracted around 60 families. Some rules were framed which included that all the team members must belong to the same clan and participate in full hockey attire. Even women could be a part of the team and it was left to the woman to decide whether she wants to represent the father's family or that of the husband's.

After the inaugural tournament, the Kodava Hockey Academy was started to oversee and have the final say in all matters related to the future tournaments. Each subsequent tournament has been organised annually by a different Kodava family and the name of the family given as the name of the tournament. The organising family is mainly responsible for arranging the finances and infrastructure needed for the festival. The cost is recovered from the sponsors and raffle tickets. Kodava families which participate in the tournament also

share a part of the expenses.The response to the tournament has grown

with every passing year. The opening and closing ceremonies are held with pomp and splendour and various dances and martial arts of Kodavas are demonstrated. The tournament is inaugurated by a guest by doing a pass-back of the hockey ball using a silver hockey stick. Stalls set up around the venue do brisk business because of the big crowds that come to view the matches.

In 2017, the Biddatanda Cup was held at Napoklu in which a record 306 teams took part. The Chendanda team won the trophy while Paradanda was the runners’ up.

The Kodava Hockey Namme, or the annual family hockey festival, held every summer, soon after the coffee season, is indeed a spectacle that should not be missed. Women dressed stylishly, men who keenly follow each match and children enjoying themselves on the sidelines all make the venue an ideal location for family get-togethers and reunions. Food, drink or entertainment is never in short supply - pork, rum, music and dance flows in abundance. All of Kodagu comes together during this season and the normal discourse revolving around coffee and politics is set aside for discussing hockey.

Nestled in the Western Ghats, in the south-west corner of Karnataka and bordered by Kerala on one side, the Kodagu district is the heartland of Indian hockey. Despite a hectic routine, the average young Kodava planter manages to squeeze in a game of hockey at the local ground nearly every day. And for the young men working outside of Coorg there are the matches organised by the local Kodava samaja.

Karnataka Gets First

Woman Police Chief

The State Government has for the first time appointed a woman

to head the entire police force in Karnataka. Neelamani N Raju, a 1983 batch IPS officer, has taken over as the new Director General and Inspector General of Police after former state police chief Rupak Kumar Dutta demitted office on superannuation.

Raju she said that the new post means a lot of responsibility considering that state election is just round the corner. “I will carry this responsibility with a great sense of humility and commitment,” she said.

She said that women in general avoid going to police stations and her priority would be to make the stations more women-friendly. The government has undertaken schemes for women officers and constables but still a lot of work needs to be done, she added. “I would like to see police become more friendly to everybody and women in particular so that they are not afraid to come to the police station,” she said.

On police becoming more sensitive while dealing with crimes against women, she said, “I am sure they are done properly but sometimes things are not as good as one would like them to be.” However, she claimed that such cases are few in Karnataka.

ADVANTAGE KARNATAKA

32 33

At six feet, three inches, Darshan is the tallest star not only in Kannada but also in South Indian

film industry. The versatile actor presented another proud moment for Karnataka and Kannada film industry when he was honoured by the British Parliament for his outstanding contribution to Kannada cinema, the State’s art and culture and for being an excellent entertainer. The Challenging Star is the first south Indian actor to receive this special honour.

The previous recipients of this honour given by the British Parliament House include Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai. This event was organised by UK Karnataka Business Chamber, which is striving to promote artistic and cultural relationships between United Kingdom and Karnataka. “It’s a great honour and privilege to host you at the House of Commons. We’ve decided to felicitate you, for the hard efforts you’ve put in through your movies to promote Karnataka’s art and culture,” said Veerendra Sharma, a British MP, in a letter. This is a double treat for Darshan, who has seen good business at the box office with his latest movie ‘Tarak’.

Darshan Thoogudeepa, who was called Hemanth Kumar before entering films, was born on February 16, 1977 at Ponnampet, Kodagu in Karnataka to actor Thoogudeepa Srinivas and Meena. ‘Thoogudeepa’ is a 1966 Kannada film in which Srinivas acted and gained fame following which the sobriquet stuck. His father often played the roles of villains and was well-known in Kannada cinema industry. Still, Darshan never had it easy since his father was reluctant towards Darshan’s entry into films. Against his father’s wishes, Darshan enrolled in ‘Ninasam’, a theatre training institute in Shimoga, prior to his father’s death in 1995.

Darshan has a sister, Divya, and a younger brother, Dinakar, a film director, screenwriter and producer, running the production house, Thoogudeepa Productions. As a child, Darshan had his primary and secondary education at Mysuru.

After graduating from Ninasam, Darshan

worked as a light-boy in various films, before entering mainstream filmmaking as an assistant cameraman to veteran cinematographer B C Gowrishankar. Then he was recognised by director S Narayan, who offered him a role in his television serial. Narayan subsequently gave Darshan a supporting role in his 1997 film ‘Mahabharata’. Darshan consecutively was featured in films like ‘Devara Maga’ (2000) as the son of Ambareesh, ‘Ellara Mane Dosenoo’ (2000), ‘Bhoothayyana Makkalu’ (2000) and ‘Mr. Harishchandra’ (2001) mostly in supporting roles. During this time, he played minor roles in television soaps also.

Darshan’s big break came in films came in 2000 with ‘Majestic’, directed by P N Satya and released in 2001, in which he played the role of Daasa, an innocent youth-turned-underworld don, for the first time. The film was a huge success at the box office. He then appeared in films such as ‘Kitti’, ‘Ninagoskara’ and ‘Neenandre Ishta’, and ‘Daasa’ produced by Ramesh Yadav. He also starred in Prem’s directorial debut, the 2003 action film ‘Kariya’. The film was declared as one of the blockbusters of 2003. His next ventures saw the actor portraying diverse roles of a budding musician in ‘Laali Haadu’, a journalist in ‘Lankesh Patrike’ and a blind poor man in ‘Namma Preethiya Ramu.’

In 2004, he starred in ‘Kalasipalya’ directed by Om Prakash Rao and in P N Satya’s ‘Daasa’, both of which were massive hits. In 2005, Darshan acted in three more commercially successful films – ‘Annavru’, ‘Shashtri’ produced by his close friend Anaji Nagaraj and ‘Ayya’. He acted again in Anaji Nagaraj’s ‘Swamy’ (2005).

In 2008, ‘Gaja’ gave him a bigger break and became commercially successful. The movie helped him establish a niche for himself as a well-built, rustic yet sophisticated young man among the masses. It also brought him a mass following pan Karnataka and Darshan became the most highly paid, sought after hero in Sandalwood. After ‘Gaja’,

Darshan Stands Tall,in Reel & Real Life

Actor Darshan Thoogudeepa presented another proud moment for Karnataka and Kannada film industry when he was honoured by the British Parliament for his outstanding contribution to Kannada cinema, Karnataka’s art and culture and for being an excellent entertainer.

he starred in ‘Indra’ (2008), ‘Arjun’ (2008), ‘Navagraha’ (2008), ‘Yodha’ (2009) and ‘Abhay’ (2009).

In 2010, he acted as cop disguised as a rogue in ‘Porki’ which was a remake of 2009 Telugu blockbuster ‘Pokiri’. His next movie was ‘Shourya’ (2010). Darshan’s next releases were ‘Boss’ (2011) and ‘Prince’ (2011). Next came the action drama ‘Saarathi’, which was the biggest blockbuster in his career. His 2012 release was ‘Chingari.’ Soon, he played the role of the protagonist in the historical movie ‘Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna’ and got his maiden Karnataka State Film Award and Filmfare Award for best actor.

In 2013, Darshan had two major releases, ‘Bulbul’ and ‘Brindavana’, both of which were much anticipated and declared as blockbusters. However, his 2014 film ‘Ambareesha’ received mixed response though it was commercially successful. In ‘Mr. Airavata’, he played the role of a police

officer. In ‘Viraat’, his first release of 2016, Darshan played a businessman wanting to provide a solution to the issue of irregular power supply by taking up a thermal power project, and gets pitted against an opportunist Surendra Singh (played P Ravi Shankar). Darshan’s next film ‘Jaggu Dada’ saw him play a gangster, and received largely negative reviews from critics.

Darshan’s first film of 2017 was ‘Chakravarthy’, before his latest hit, ‘Tarak’.

Darshan married his relative Vijayalakshmi, who was then a student in Chemical Engineering, in 2000 at Dharmasthala Temple. They have a son, Vineesh. Darshan runs his own private mini zoo near Mysuru and his other passions are cars and bikes.

Controversies too have been part of Darshan’s personal life. In September 2011, his wife complained to the police accusing him of domestic violence. He was subsequently arrested and spent 14 days

in judicial custody at Parappana Agrahara. However, the issue was later settled out of court and a happy compromise was reached following the intervention of industry veterans like Ambareesh, Jaggesh and others. Darshan issued a public apology to his fans for the controversy. Though the entire episode was expected to dent Darshan’s image, his immediate release ‘Saarathi’ became a big hit.

After tasting success in his acting career, in 2006, Darshan ventured into film production too. He established his own production house ‘Thoogudeepa Productions’ and its first film was ‘Jothe Jotheyali’ starring Prem, Ramya and Darshan in a special appearance. The film was a commercial hit. In 2013, his family established a distribution company, Thoogudeepa Distributors. ‘Bulbul’ (2013), produced under the home banner, became the first movie to be distributed and several others followed.

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ADVANTAGE KARNATAKA

34 35

The 2018 edition of Delhi Auto Expo – the biggest event of the automotive industry in India – will be held during February 9-14 at India Expo Mart in Greater Noida. The Components

Show as part of the event will be held at the Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from February 8-11. The joint inauguration of Auto Expo 2018 will be held on February 8.

The upcoming event will have one additional day, the extension being done following the rising interest and increasing footfalls of the visitors and is intended to give them a world-class experience. Auto Expo - the Motor Show and Components Show - jointly organised by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), has been successfully establishing itself as a key Global Auto Show in Asia-Pacific. The Auto Expo mirrors the rapid growth of the Indian automotive industry and has developed into a platform for the automotive industry to exhibit its prowess in manufacturing, R&D, and in future mobility concepts and designs.

Apart from regular attractions like vintage cars, supercars etc., a particularly unique initiative this time is the creation of special zones for visitors such as Innovation Zone, Destination Zone, Smart Mobility Zone and Competition Zone.

International carmakers had showcased some of their exciting new cars at the last Delhi Auto Expo. Besides new cars, automakers had also displayed several future concept cars that are yet to enter into production. The Auto Expo 2018 will play host to some of the

Auto Expo 2018Preparations in Top Gear

Auto Expo 2018 - the Motor Show and Components Show - jointly organised by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) will be held in Greater Noida and Pragati Maidan in February 2018

highly-anticipated models slated for launch in the country over the next two years. While automakers will introduce new concepts that will take some time before getting into production line, some makers will make prominent announcements regarding new models from their global line-up.

Carmakers have already started their preparations to make the 14th edition of the event a big one. Here is a peep into the new upcoming cars expected to be showcased at Auto Expo 2018.

New Maruti SwiftIndia’s largest carmaker will officially

launch this product at Auto Expo 2018. It is based on Suzuki’s new generation platform that also underpins the Baleno hatchback. The vehicle has received comprehensive design upgrades. It is claimed to be 120 kg lighter and more fuel efficient than the outgoing model. The hatchback will continue to feature the existing engine line-up – 84 bhp, 1.2-litre K-Series petrol and 74 bhp, 1.3-litre MJD diesel. Expected price is Rs. 5.5 – Rs. 9 lakh.

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara (7 Seater)After receiving excellent response for

Vitara Brezza, Maruti is now planning to launch a new seven-seater SUV in India. Likely to be called Grand Vitara, the new SUV will share platform from the smaller sibling. Maruti might also launch the global Suzuki Grand Vitara SUV. It is also expected to feature a 2.0-litre Multijet diesel engine that also powers the Jeep Compass. Expected price: Rs. 12 lakh – Rs. 16 lakh

All New Maruti HatchbackMaruti’s new small hatchback will be

positioned alongside the Alto range. This new Maruti small car will directly rival the Renault Kwid that has hampered the Alto’s sales. Expected price: Rs 3.5 lakh – Rs 5 lakh. Engine: 1.0L K-Series Petrol.

New Maruti Jimny (2018 Gypsy)It is expected that this model could

be launched as next generation Gypsy. Additionally, India will also serve as global production hub for this rugged SUV. It is based on Suzuki’s new ladder frame chassis.

Hyundai Carlino Compact SUVLikely to be developed on the Grand i10

platform, the new Carlino compact SUV will be among the new upcoming cars at Auto Expo 2018. First unveiled at the 2016 Delhi Auto Expo as concept, the Carlino will be Hyundai’s first car in the sub-4 metre SUV space. It will rival the Maruti Vitara Brezza and the Ford EcoSport. Expected price: Rs 7.5 lakh to Rs 11 lakh.

Hyundai i20 faceliftThe South Korean automaker had

launched the 2017 Elite i20 hatchback with feature upgrades. Interestingly, Hyundai has already started testing the facelifted i20 hatchback, which has been spotted on the roads of Chennai. The updated model will share centre stage with other Hyundai cars at Auto expo 2018. Expected price: Rs. 5.5 lakh to Rs. 9 lakh.

Tata X451The all-new Tata X451 premium hatchback

will rival the Maruti Baleno, VW Polo and Hyundai Elite i20. It is likely to make its debut at the 2018 Delhi Auto Expo as pre-production concept, while the launch could take place in the second half of 2018. The hatchback is expected to share its engine specs with the Nexon SUV. Expected price: Rs 5 lakh – Rs 8 lakh.

Tata Q501 The Tata Q501 7-seater premium SUV will

be the highlight among the new upcoming cars at Auto Expo 2018. Codenamed Q501, the SUV will be based on the Land Rover Discovery Sport family. Expected price: Rs 30 – Rs 35 lakh.

Mahindra XUV AeroWhile the concept car was showcased at the

2016 Delhi Auto Show, the company could showcase the near production model at the 2018 event. The homegrown UV maker has already confirmed that the XUV Aero coupe-like SUV will enter into production in late 2018 or early 2019. It will be powered by a 210 bhp, 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine. Expected price: Rs 20 – Rs 25 lakh.

Mahindra KUV100 faceliftThe homegrown automaker is planning

to launch the updated version of its smallest SUV – KUV100. The small SUV currently features aggressive styling with lots of curves and creases. The next model is expected to get a neat design with minor changes to headlamps, tailgate and bumpers. The cabin is likely to get better quality material and fit and finish.

ADVANTAGE KARNATAKA

36 37

Bengaluru Can’t Wait for Metro’s Next Phase

Namma Metro of Bengaluru is being built in phases. Currently, the entire portion

of Phase 1 has been completed and is in operation. With rising demand from commuters and a burgeoning vehicle population turning the congestion on its roads worse every day, Bengaluru’s wait for Metro’s next phase, which offers a viable, alternative mode of transportation, is getting desperate.

The Karnataka Government accorded approval on January 4, 2011 for preparation of the detailed project report (DPR) for Phase 2 by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC). The high power committee (HPC), in July 2011, gave in-principle clearance to proceed with Phase 2. The Karnataka Government gave its nod to Phase 2 of the Namma Metro project on January 3, 2012. Phase 2 was cleared by the expenditure finance committee (EFC) in August 2013.

The Union Cabinet announced that it had approved plans for phase 2 on January 30, 2014. The estimated total

cost for Phase 2 is around Rs. 26,405 crore. This is at the 2011–12 price level, which it is set to escalate at 5 per cent every year with increasing cost of inputs. The Union Government will share that part of cost escalation due to increase in Central levies, while the Karnataka State and the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL), a joint venture of the Government of India and the Government of Karnataka, which built Phase 1 and is operating the Namma Metro, have to bear any other escalation.

Metro’s JourneyThe first 6.7-kilometre, six-station

stretch (Reach 1) of the ‘Purple Line’ between Baiyappanahalli and Mahatma Gandhi Road opened on October 20, 2011, and was the inaugural section of the Namma Metro. The second 6.4-km, also a six-station stretch (Reach 2) of the Purple Line between Mysore Road and Magadi Road opened on November 16, 2015. The first underground

Namma Metro has been envisaged as a solution to Bengaluru’s ever-worsening traffic woes. ‘Advantage Karnataka’ takes a look at the Metro’s journey so far and the road ahead

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section of South India, a 4.8-km stretch from Cubbon Park to Bengaluru City (KSR) Railway Station opened on April 29, 2016, thereby completing the entire 18.22 km Purple Line stretch of the Metro network. The first 9.9-kilometre, 10-station stretch (Reach 3/3A) of the Green Line opened March 1, 2014. The stretch connected Sampige Road to Peenya Industry. The second 2.5-kilometre, 3-station stretch (Reach 3B) of the Green Line, operating between Peenya Industry and Nagasandra, opened May 1, 2015. The last stretch connecting Sampige Road to Yelachenahalli was inaugurated on June 17, 2017 thereby completing the entire Phase 1.

The Green Line is the second line of the Metro and it connects Nagasandra in the north to Yelachenahalli in the south, covering a distance of 24.2 km and serving 24 stations. It is partly elevated and partly underground, with one station at grade. The southern section of the line, beyond Majestic, was thrown open to the public for commercial operations on June 18, 2017. It was inaugurated by Shri. Pranab Mukherjee on June 17, 2017.

Phase 1 comprises two lines spanning a length of 42.30 km, of which about 8.82 km is underground and about 33.48 km is elevated. There are 40 stations in Phase I, of which eight stations are underground, one at grade and 32 are elevated.

Phase 2 spans a length of 72.095 km – 13.79 km underground, 0.48 km at grade and 57.825 km elevated, and adds 61 stations to the network, of which 12 are

underground. This phase includes the extension of the two Phase 1 corridors, as well as the construction of two new lines. The south-end of the Green Line will be extended from Yelachenahalli to Anjanapura Township along the Kanakapura Road and the north-end from Hesarghatta Cross to Bangalore International Exhibition Center (BIEC) on Tumkur Road (NH-4). The east-end of the Purple Line will be extended from Baiyappanahalli to Whitefield and the west-end from Mysore Road to Kengeri. A new 18.82 km long fully elevated R V Road – Bommasandra line will be constructed under Phase 2. The second new line is the 21.25 km Gottigere–Nagawara line. The line is mostly underground (13.79 km), but also has a 6.98 km elevated and 0.48 km at-grade sections. There are 18 stations on the line, of which 12 are underground and 6 are elevated. Unlike Phase 1 of the project, all stations in Phase 2 will have parking facilities.

The Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) is responsible for acquiring land for the Phase 2. A total of 102.02 hectares (252 acres) of land is required for Phase 2 (including Phase 2A) of the project.

In September 2016, Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister of Karnataka, announced that a new 17 km line connecting Silk Board with K R Puram would be included in Phase 2 of the project (categorized as Phase 2A). The line will be called the Outer Ring Road Metro (ORR Metro) and

is proposed to have 13 stations – Silk Board, 14th Main Road in HSR Layout, Agara, Iblur Junction, Bellandur, RMZ Ecospace, New Horizon College, Rainbow Hospital, Kadubeesanahalli, Marathahalli, Doddanekundi, Mahadevapura and K R Puram. It is estimated to cost Rs. 4,202 crore. The cost will be shared equally by the Centre and the State Government. The BMRC hopes to procure up to Rs. 2,000 crore in funding from private companies whose offices are located along the Outer Ring Road. The ORR Metro will have interchange stations with the extended Purple Line at K R Puram and with the proposed R V Road – Bommasandra line at Silk Board.

The BMRCL prepared the detailed project report on the proposed line, and submitted the DPR to the State Government on October 28, 2016. Phase 2A was approved by the State Cabinet on March 1, 2017.

Phase 2 consists of extensions for all four reaches of the metro and three new lines.

The Indian Institute of Science has prepared the design for the extension of Reach 1. The BMRCL spent Rs. ₹107 crore to acquire 57 properties for the extension of Reach 2. An estimated 313 heritage trees are planned to be cut down to build Phase 2. On February 28, 2015, the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah set December 2020 as the deadline to complete Phase 2. In March 2017, the Karnataka Government postponed the deadline to 2022.

BMRCL plans to construct the 21.25-km Gottigere-Nagawara in five packages. Tunnelling and construction of the underground stations will be taken up in four packages, while the elevated viaduct and stations will make up the remaining package. The total cost of the line is estimated to be Rs.11,014 crore. The elevated section is estimated to cost Rs. 575.52 crore.

Airport LineThere was a proposal to build a 33-km

line known as Bangalore High-Speed Rail Link, from MG Road to Bengaluru International Airport (BIA), at a cost of Rs. 5,767 crore. Previously, there was plan for an independent body, but later it was decided that BMRCL will manage this project. It was later decided to build the airport link as a regular Metro line.

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Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi at an event to dedicate the Bidar - Kalaburagi New Railway Line to the Nation, at Bidar Railway Station, in Karnataka on October 29, 2017. The Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation, Shri D.V. Sadananda Gowda, the Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Ananth Kumar, Shri R V Deshpande, Minister for Medium and Heavy Industries, Karnataka and Former Chief Minister Shri B S Yediyurappa also seen.

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The colourful and grand Mysuru Dasara has been accorded the rightful place in the cultural and

religious landscape of Karnataka as the State Festival. It is a 10-day celebration during Navaratri, which falls during the months of September and October.

Dasara is celebrated on Vijayadashami, the last day of the Navaratri festival and is the tenth day in the Hindu calendar month of ‘Ashwin.’ Dasara, Navratri and Vijayadashami celebrate the victory of good over evil. It was the day in the Hindu legends when Goddess Chamundeshwari (Durga) killed the demon Mahishasura.

Mahishasura is the demon whose slaying by the Goddess gave the city the name Mysuru. The Mysuru tradition celebrates the warriors and the State fighting for the good during this festival, ritually worshipping and displaying the state sword, weapons, elephants and horses along with the Goddess as well as the Rama avatar of Vishnu. The ceremonies and a grand procession are traditionally presided over by the King of Mysuru.

The city of Mysuru has a long tradition of celebrating the Dasara festival with grandeur and pomp. The festival completed its 400th anniversary in 2010, while there is evidence of the celebrations even during the rule of the kings of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th century. During that time, it was called ‘Mahanavami’ and the festivities are shown in the relief artwork of the outer wall of the Hazara Rama Temple of Hampi.

Italian traveller Niccolò de’ Conti has described the festival’s intensity and importance as a grand religious and martial event with royal support in the 15th century. The event revered Durga as the warrior goddess. The celebrations hosted athletic competitions, singing and dancing, fireworks, a military parade and charitable

activities.After the fall of Vijayanagar to the Deccan

Sultanates, the celebrations ceased. However, later, when the Wadiyars of Mysuru formed a kingdom in the southern parts of the Vijayanagara Empire, they revived and continued the Mahanavami (Dasara) celebration. This tradition was started by Raja Wadiyar I (1578-1617) in 1610 at Srirangapatna.

The festivities include a special ‘durbar’ (royal assembly). It was during the reign of Krishnaraja Wadiyar III in 1805 that the king started the tradition of having a special ‘durbar’ in the Mysore Palace during Dasara; which was attended by members of the royal family, special invitees, officials and the masses. After the death of Srikanta Wadiyar in December 2013, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar is the present titular head of the Mysuru Royal Family – the former ruling Wadiyar dynasty.

The ninth day of Dasara, called ‘Mahanavami’, is also an auspicious day on which the royal sword is worshipped and taken on a procession involving elephants, camels and horses.

The main attraction of the ten-day Dasara festival is the Mysuru Palace which is illuminated daily with nearly 100,000 light bulbs from 7 pm to 10 pm. Various cultural and religious programmes highlighting the dance, music and culture of Karnataka are performed in front of the illuminated palace.

On Vijayadashami, the traditional Dasara procession (locally known as ‘Jumboo Savari’) is taken out along the streets of Mysore city. The main attraction of this procession is the idol of the Goddess Chamundeshwari (Durga) which is placed on a golden ‘mantapa’ on top of a decorated elephant. This idol is worshipped by the royal couple and other invitees before it is taken around in the procession.

Colourful tableaux, dance groups, music bands, decorated elephants, horses and camels form a part of the procession which starts from the Mysuru Palace and culminates at a place called ‘Bannimantap’ where the ‘banni’ tree (Prosopis spicigera) is worshipped.

According to a legend in the Mahabharata, ‘banni’ tree was used by the Pandavas to hide their weapons during their one-year period of ‘Agnatavasa’ (living life incognito). Before wars, the kings traditionally worshipped this tree to help them emerge victorious.

The Dasara festivities culminate on the night of Vijayadashami with an event held in the grounds at Bannimantap called ‘Panjina Kavayatthu’ (torchlight parade).

Another major attraction during festival is the Dasara exhibition which is held in the exhibition grounds opposite the Mysuru Palace. The exhibition was started by the Maharaja of Mysore Chamaraja Wadiyar X in 1880 with the aim of introducing timely developments to the people of Mysuru. The task of holding the exhibition is now entrusted with the Karnataka Exhibition Authority (KEA). This exhibition starts during Dasara and goes on till December. Various stalls which sell items like clothes, plastic items, kitchenware, cosmetics and eatables are set up and they attract a significant number of people. A play area containing attractions like a Ferris wheel is also arranged. Various Government agencies set up stalls to highlight their achievements and projects they have taken up.

On all the 10 days of Dasara, various music and dance concerts are held in auditoriums around Mysuru. Musicians and dance groups from all over India are invited to perform. Another attraction is the ‘Kusti Spardhe’ (wrestling) which attracts wrestlers from all over the country.

DasaraA Vibrant & Colourful Tradition

Italian traveller Niccolò de’ Conti has described the Mysuru Dasara’s importance as a grand religious and martial event with royal support in the 15th century. The event revered

Durga as the warrior goddess. The celebrations, wrote Conti, hosted athletic competitions, singing and dancing, fireworks, a military parade and charitable activities. Even after centuries, Mysuru still witnesses a similar magnificent spectacle every

year during Navaratri

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The fourth edition of Aerospace and Defence Manufacturing Show (ADMS – 2017) was a grand

success with the active participation of 55 companies, 62 well-displayed stalls being set up and 680 esteemed delegates making the venue, HAL Convention Centre, Old Airport Road, Bengaluru, an ideal platform for meeting and sharing the capabilities and expectations of Indian industries, updating technologies and exploring opportunities in the ever-evolving Defence and Aerospace arena.

Representatives from Indian Air Force, DRDO, HAL, BEL, other Defence PSUs, Defence and Civil Aviation Ministry, private Industry, state governments, certifying authorities and others interacted during the event and shared ideas and thoughts

as well as discussed ways to work together to create a vibrant Aerospace and Defence manufacturing industry in India.

Organised by Aeromag, the Aerospace and Defence magazine, in association with Society of Indian Aerospace Technologies & Industries (SIATI), the event assumed added significance against the background of the country’s increasing focus on indigenising Aerospace and Defence manufacturing through programmes like ‘Make in India’.

ADMS 2017 witnessed top-notch presentations by key officials in the country’s Aerospace and Defence sector as well as leading Industry figures, focused panel discussions and an exhibition by stakeholders, including HAL, where the latest technology was displayed.

Air Marshal Sanjay Sharma, Air Officer-in-Charge Maintenance (AOM), Air Head Quarters, Indian Air Force, addressing the inaugural session of ADMS 2017 called for indigenisation of aerospace and defence manufacturing. “We need to progressively reduce dependence on foreign manufacturers and develop the required capabilities ourselves,” he said.

Shri. Rajeev Kumar, CEO, Accessories Complex – HAL; Dr. M Annadurai, Director, ISAC; and Dr. C G Krishnadas Nair, President, SIATI also spoke.

Shri. Sunny Jerome, Managing Editor, Aeromag, delivered the welcome address and Wg Cdr. Venugopal Menon (Retd) SEO, SIATI proposed the vote of thanks at the inaugural function.

ADMS 4.0 a Grand Success

Air Marshal Sanjay Sharma, Air Officer-in-Charge Maintenance (AOM), Air Head Quarters, Indian Air Force, inaugurating the ADMS 2017.Dr. M Annadurai, Director, ISAC ,Shri. Rajeev Kumar, CEO, Accessories Complex – HAL; Shri. Sunny Jerome, Managing Editor, Aeromag, Dr. C G Krishnadas Nair, President, SIATI also seen.

With 55 companies, 62 stalls and 680 delegates actively taking part, the Aerospace and Defence Manufacturing Show 2017 witnessed sharing of ideas and thoughts as well as discussions on ways to work together to create a

vibrant Aerospace and Defence manufacturing industry in India

Air Marshal Sanjay Sharma, Dr. M Annadurai, Shri. Rajeev Kumar, CEO, Accessories Complex – HAL visiting the ADMS 2017 exhibition.

Yi (Young Indians) is a dynamic organisation that brings together and harnesses the power of the

nation’s youth to channelize their efforts and energy towards becoming ‘The Voice of Young India.” Started in 1996 as the young business committee of CII and becoming an independent organisation in December 2002, Yi’s work is divided primarily into three groups: Youth Leadership; Nation Building; Thought Leadership.

An integral part of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Yi focuses on nation building and individual development. Being a part of Yi entails a mix of learning, giving back to society, retreats, students and farmers, grassroots engagement, international exposure and networking with peers. Yi is one of the Founding members of the G20 Young Entrepreneur Alliance. The Commonwealth-Asia Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs (CAAYE) is a network of young entrepreneurs supporting them. Yi is a founding member of CAAYE.

In Bengaluru, Yi held a social experiment to commemorate World Environment Day, flash mob and street plays to motivate Bengalureans and also visited Forum Mall to support the cause of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Every time we read about a child who has been abused, we have an urge to act, but over time this intention fizzles away, until the next gory act recurs. WHO in 2002 estimated that 73 million boys and 150 million girls under the age

of 18 had experienced various forms of sexual violence. Every fifth child in India is thought to face critical forms of Child Abuse. 40% of India’s children are susceptible to threats (being homeless, trafficking, crime etc.) In 95% of cases of child abuse, the perpetrator is known to the child.

One of Young Indians Bengaluru’s key projects is ‘Masoom’ which looks at eliminating child sexual abuse through improved awareness among stakeholders. Yi has embarked on an ambitious project to run a year-long campaign of one-minute videos to educate and eliminate Child Sexual Abuse (CSA), ‘Yi Project 1 M’.

The stakeholders who play a role in preventing abuse are children, parents, teachers, police & judiciary and lay citizens. ‘Masoom’ looks at various means of eliminating child sexual abuse. This is intended through educating 25,000 rural children on CSA; Conducting workshops for 200 teachers on CSA; Initiate ‘Leher’ a campaign where one-minute video on CSA would be released every week for a year.

Yi Bengaluru also partnered with Bangalore Poetry Festival and also commemorated National Organ Donation Day. It organised an event in the city which witnessed city’s top hospitals come together to spread awareness on organ donation and inspire one million Indians to Gift An Organ. Sankara Eye Hospital, Fortis Hospital, Columbia Asia, Apollo Hospitals, Sankara World Hospital and Manipal Hospitals participated in the event.

YiMaking India Better

Started in 1996 as the young business committee of CII and becoming an independent organisation in December 2002, Yi regularly conducts socially-relevant programmes in Bengaluru like those against child abuse and others promoting organ donation. Advantage Karnataka takes a look

Flash Mob , 2 Street Plays & a Social Experiment to commemorate World Environment Day

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Though the first transplant was performed in 1954, we continue to be plagues with myths, which prevents saving over 5,00,000 Indians who lose their lives due to lack of organ donation and transplant.

A panel discussion with expert transplant surgeons explored why India’s organ donation rate in 2016 stood at an abysmal 0.8 persons per million population compared to Spain’s 36 per million. Lack of awareness, myths and expertise among doctors to harvest organs were attributed. Most families are distraught during the event of a death and are unable to think about the concept of Organ Donation. Grief Counsellors in hospitals and an implied consent that would enable organs to be harvested based on the wishes of the departed could help overcome this.

“’Gift An Organ’, is one of the key projects of Young Indians (Yi) to give the much needed impetus to create awareness on organ donation across the country. While great work is carried out by individual organisations, it is important for us to collaborate and we are overwhelmed with the support we have received today. We hope to inspire a Million Indians to

pledge and Gift An Organ”, said Dr Kaushik Murali, Chair, Young Indians – CII, Bengaluru & President – Sankara Eye Foundation, India.

International dance star Lourd Vijay, who underwent a kidney transplant, flagged off the ‘Spreading Hope Foundation Drive’.

Young Indians Bengaluru was also proud to be a part of the felicitation function held by CII Southern Region for Indian Cricketers Veda Krishnamurthy and Rajeshwari Gayakwad. Mr. Vikram Kirloskar, Chairman, CII Southern Region was the special invitee.

It was inspiring to know how family support was there for both cricketers to follow their dreams. Parents need to support children in their early life if they need to take up sports seriously as children not only lack resources but also knowledge. The players endorsed Yi’s projects Masoom and Gift An Organ.

Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Laureate, launched the one-minute film making competition against Child Sexual Abuse organized by Yi- Bengaluru.

“Yi Bengaluru through Masoom has taught 1.5 lakh children on safe-unsafe touch. We trained 600+ teachers.

However, we realised that Child Abuse cannot be prevented by knee-jerk initiatives. A continuous stream of knowledge is needed for all stake holders. There is also a dearth of video material that is socially relevant to India. This made us think what if we could release an one minute video every week for a year. That resulted in Leher,” shared Dr Kaushik Murali, Chair, Young Indians CII Bengaluru.

Laeeq Ali, Co-chair, Young Indians CII Bengaluru Chapter said: “Thirty million urban children and many more across rural India have access to a mobile. With 43% of them using the Internet, creating a short video that could easily be shared was the most logical way to educate children and other stakeholders about child abuse. We now invite filmmakers who will take on the challenge to compete and make the best one-minute film. These would be released one a week and would eventually be a repository for all NGOs, parents, teachers and schools who wish to use this medium to educate stakeholders.”

Filmmakers would not only have the satisfaction of helping prevent child abuse, but would also benefit from cash prizes, recognition at Big Bang Awards,

“Yi Project 1 Minute for Masoom” – Eliminating Child Abuse. THE MOTHER OF ALL CREATIVE COLLABORATIONS

Masoom workshop for School Teachers

Yi Bengaluru partnered with Bangalore Poetry Festival

Bengaluru and stand a chance to feature at film festivals.

“It is up to us to make India safe again. Through Bharat Yatra, my resolve has strengthened to end abuse of our children. I congratulate Young Indians who have through their Masoom initiative impacted lakhs of children across India. This initiative of Leher of Young Indians Bengaluru would play an important role in increasing awareness and I look forward to being there when the best films are recognised next year with the award,” said Kailash Satyarthi.

Various partners of Young Indians – District Child Protection Unit, Bangalore, Faith Foundation, Storywallahs, Mukta

Initiative, Sankara Eye Hospital, Origami Creative and Ad Club Bangalore were honoured.

More information on www.yibangalore.com/leher or write to yibangalore@cii.in

Yi Partnered with Sankara Eye Foundation on Make Vision Count for this World Sight Day

Yi Bengaluru thanks Sankara Eye Foundation, India & the superstars who obliged with their message to say Make Vision Count for this World Sight Day.

Have you pledged yet? No? log onto www.giftanorgan.org

These videos can be seen on our timeline on Facebook or on the links below.

Puneeth Rajkumar - https://youtu.be/KI_0aS7XkiY

Poile - https://youtu.be/G_78Ln9pNRQAnand - https://youtu.be/i2NFfYA8l-0Vikram - https://youtu.be/i_XoZEKUxs8Shweta Mohan - https://youtu.

be/J_0dLHxaQjgBaggy - https://youtu.be/2GzGiGf9FnU

CII – Young Indians, Bengaluru commemorates National Organ Donation Day

CII – Yi Felicitation of Indian Women Cricketers

Minute to prevent Child Sexual Abuse – Young Indians – Leher, launched by Kailash Satyarthi.

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KARNATAKA DESTINATIONS

Coorg Beckons withGreen Hills, Coffee

Coorg, attached to the Kodagu administrative

district in Karnataka, is a well-known

hill station famous for its coffee

plantations. It has a long stretch of

Western Ghats as is south-western border, which has

influenced the local climate

A tour to Coorg, one of the top hill station destinations in India, takes one to

several popular tourist attractions, including Talakaveri, Bhagamandala, Nisargadhama, Abbey Falls, Dubare, Nagarahole National Park, Iruppu Falls and the Tibetan Buddhist Golden Temple.

Coorg is attached to the Kodagu administrative district in Karnataka having a long stretch of Western Ghats as is south-western border. Rich in natural resources, Coorg is home to several plantations producing a number of spices as well as coffee seeds.

Coorg is 260 km from Bengaluru and takes about six hours to reach by bus. Karnataka State Road Transport buses as well as private carriers conduct regular services. There is no direct rail link to the spot; Mysore, 120 km away, being the nearest railway station. Coorg has no airports of its own and

the closest, Mangalore International Airport, is at a distance of 160 km.

Coorg is located in the Western Ghats and is a part of the Tropics and thus the weather here is Tropical Monsoon Climate. Winter in Coorg is chilly, but quite pleasant. The average high temperature during the winter is around 20°C with lows averaging around 15°C. However, during the months of December through February, the temperatures have been known to fall as low as 8 to 10°C.

During the summertime, the temperatures generally go as high as 35°C and drop to a low of 20 to 15°C in the evenings and nights. During the months of April and May, the entire town of Coorg is full with the stimulating aroma of coffee blossoms from the March blossom shower.

Monsoons, however, are the forerunner to splendid greenery. The onset of the monsoon season is in June, when the entire town blooms with

all of its vivaciousness and vehemence. Between the months of June and August, Coorg is blessed with some heavy rainfall that leaves the weather humid, wet and cool. The average annual rainfall in the town is between 2,500 and 3,500 mm. The beauty of the seasonal waterfalls of Coorg is best experienced during the months between July and September. Monsoon is also the season for the adventurous people as this is the season in which river rafting is in full swing.

For a trip in the summertime, visitors should dress in light cotton clothing. Tourists who schedule their visit closer to the winter months should come with woollen apparel.

AttractionsAmong the attractions in the area

is Talakaveri, where the River Kaveri originates and a temple on the riverbank here is dedicated to Lord Brahma. It is one of only two temples dedicated to Brahma in India and Southeast Asia.

Bhagamandala is situated at the confluence of two rivers, the Kaveri and the Kannika. A third river, the Sujyothi, is said to join from underground, and hence this spot is called the Triveni Sangama. Iruppu Falls is a sacred Kodagu Hindu spot in South Kodagu in the Brahmagiri hill range. The Lakshmana Tirtha River, with the waterfalls, flows nearby and has a Rameshwara temple on its banks. It is said that this sacred river was created when Laxmana, prince of Ayodhya and younger brother of Lord Rama, shot an arrow into a nearby hill, the Brahmagiri hill. Other attractions in the area are Chelavara falls and Thadiandamol peak. Nagarahole, a national park and wildlife resort, is also a favourite among visitors.

Madikeri is the capital of Kodagu district and Raja’s Seat park is popular with tourists here. Kootu Poley dam is another attraction.

Omkareshwara Temple is a striking temple built in the Indo-Sarcenic style situated in the area. A legend is associated with the temple, built by Lingarajendra II in 1820. The king put to death a pious Brahmin who dared to protest against his misdeeds. The spirit of the dead man began to plague the king day and night. On the advice of wise men, the king built this temple and installed a Shivalinga procured from Kashi.

St. Mark’s Church is located within the Mercara Fort and was raised in 1859 by the officers and men of the East India Company. The building was funded by the Government of Madras, and placed under the Church of England in India, Diocese of Madras. The Church was closed after India gained Independence, and taken over by the Government of Karnataka in 1971. The building now houses the Madikeri Fort Museum, managed by the Karnataka State Archaeological Department.

Many visitors reach Dubare, an elephant-capturing and training camp of the Forest Department at the edge of Dubare forest; on the bank of the river Kaveri along the Kushalanagara – Siddapura road. Nisargadhama is a manmade island and picnic spot near Kushalnagara, formed by the river Kaveri. The Tibetan Buddhist Golden Temple is at Bylakuppe near Kushalnagara, in the Tibetan refugee settlement.

The scenic Abbey Falls is situated 5 km from Madikeri. Mallalli falls is 25 km from Somawarapet, downhill of the Pushpagiri hills. Mandalapatti is 28 km from Madikeri.

Kote Betta temple and Kote Abbey falls are some of the tourist attractions in North Kodagu.

Coorg is rich in wildlife and has three wildlife sanctuaries and one national park: the Brahmagiri, Talakaveri, and Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuaries, and the Nagarhole National Park, also known as the Rajiv Gandhi National Park.

Coorg’s fauna includes the Asian elephant, tiger, leopard, dhole, gaur, wild boar, and several species of deer. Kodagu also hosts a wide variety of birds; around

300 species have been sighted and reported over the years.

Local Info‘Kodava Takk’ is the spoken language

native to Coorg. ‘Are Bhashe’, a dialect of Tulu and Kannada which is native to Sulya in Dakshina Kannada, has a significant number of speakers in Kodagu district. However, both use the Kannada script for literature.

Besides Kodava speakers, the other large communities that now reside in Kodagu district are Kodagu Gowdas and Muslims. The main hunter-gatherer forest dwellers of Kodagu are the Kudiya, the Yerava (also called Adia) and the Kuruba. There are also families of the Brahmin community, most of whom were brought here for the purpose of offering rituals at various temples. Less frequent are Tulu speakers Billavas, Mogaveeras, Bunts and Gowda Saraswat Brahmins.

Coorg is home to many communities with diverse ethnic origins, with the dominant Kodavas being the main ethnic group. Despite the native Kodavas forming only one-fifth of the total population of the district as most of them have moved to the cities, like Bengaluru and Mysore, and even abroad, they are however still the largest group in Coorg. The Kodavas own their farms, growing paddy in the fields, pepper, areca, coconut, cardamom, coffee and other crops in their hill orchards and woods. Guns and swords are essential for their religion as ritual cult objects and they hold rights to carry light arms.

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1. Known as Mysore till then, the state changed its name to Karnataka in 1973. Some references suggest that this is derived from Karnata, which is what the area was originally referred to as.

2. It is the only state that is a home to both Carnatic and Hindustani traditions. Purandaradasa, was one of the main pillars of Carnatic classic music. And Northern Karnataka proudly boasts of Hindustani classical stalwarts such as Sawai Gandharva, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Gangubai Hangal and Mallikarjun Mansur.

3. Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate, penned by poet Kuvempu, is the state song for

Karnataka.4. Thanks to the beautiful language,

Kannada, the state of Karnataka has eight number of Jnanapith Award winners for literature, second only to 10 for Hindi.

5. Much before the mutiny against the British, Kittur Rani Chennamma took on the foreigners, about three decades before Laxmi Bai.

6. Mysore Sandal. The name says it all. Sandalwood is Karnataka’s state tree.

7. The Gandaberunda is the state emblem of Karnataka. This two-headed bird is known to have magical powers, capable of dealing with the ultimate forces of

destruction. 8. Vijayanagara Empire has been the

most prosperous empire in the Indian civilisation. There is not even a single walk of life that hasn’t flourished during its rein. Hampi was the second most populated city in the world.

9. The Indian Roller is the state bird. This species of bird is colourful and non-migratory.

10. Lotus is the state flower of Karnataka, a state faithfully representing the idea of India.

11. The majestic Asian Elephant is the state animal. They are abundant in Kodagu district.

12.The exotic Yakshagana is the official state dance form.

13. While it’s known that Kannada is the official language of the state, there are several others such as Tulu, Konkani, Havyaka, Kodava and Beary that are spoken here.

14.Jog Falls is India’s second largest plunge waterfalls in the country.

15. The stupendous Gomateshwara statue is the world’s largest monolith statue. Period.

16.The largest raw silk production units are in Karnataka. Mysore silk sarees are known the world over.

17. Talking of silk, Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha in Hubballi is the only unit authorised to manufacture Indian flags.

18.The Mysore Paints and Varnish Ltd. is the only firm manufacturing the indelible blank ink that all of us flaunt during the voting time.

19.The Mysuru Palace, built by Krishnarajendra Wadiyar, is the most popular tourist hotspot in South India, second to Taj Mahal in the country.

20. Gol Gumbaz is the second largest pre-dome in the word. It was built in the memory of Adil Shah.

21. M. V. Gopalaswamy built the first private radio station in India, He set it up in Karnataka in 1935.

22. The parallel film movement was started by Girish Kasaravalli in Karnataka. His films won several national awards.

23. Dr Rajkumar, the legendary actor from the state, won the National Award as the best Playback singer.

24. The famous jingle by the Idea Cellular Company that took the nation by a storm was composed by the music

maestro Illaiyaraaja for Maniratnam’s first film: ‘Pallavi Anupallavi’.

25.The maestro began his career as an assistant music director to noted music director G. K. Venkatesh.

26. Rajnikanth.26 ‘Ondu Muttina Kathe’ holds the

distinction of being the first-ever Indian film to have been majorly shot underwater.

27.On the outskirts of Bangalore, Ramanagara was where Gabbar Singh chose for the hideout.

28. S.S. Kishan once held the world record as the youngest filmmaker. He was eleven when he made ‘C/O Footpath.’

29.Cricket: Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Stuart Binny, K L Rahul, Manish Pandey, Vinay Kumar and Robin Uthappa hail from this state.

30. everal players from Kodagu represented the country in the sport of hockey.

31. Prakash Padukone was the first to put India on international map in the field of Badminton.

32. The Basavangudi Aquatic Centre in Bengaluru trained several Olympian swimmers from the country.

33. The ideal food, Idli, has its root in the scriptures from the state dating back 10th century AD.

34.Its variation RavvaIdli was an experimental accident during the WW II. It is now a delicacy.

35.Many argue that Masala Dosa originated in Karnataka.

36. Bisibele bath can singularly mapped to the state.

37 Ragi Mudde is healthy and humble a meal eaten across the state.

38. Sir M Vishwesvaraya, the polyglot, was the diwan of the Mysore.

39. The state homes several heritage sites such as: Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal. Not to forget Hampi.

40.The walk-through aviary in Karanji Lake in Mysuru at the Butterfly Park is worth a mention.

41. It is said that Bengaluru not Delhi was more on the mind of former president of the United States, Barack Obama. It was because of the number of jobs across the world that the city was bagging.

42. Did you know that Malgudi is the fusion of Malleswaram and Basavanagudi?

43. Shivasamudra, the hydroelectric plant, gave electricity to the city, making it one of the first to enjoy the form of energy.

44. Opposite to the famous MTR, Lalbagh, Bengaluru’s botanical garden has one of the oldest rock formations on earth, which dates back 3,000 million years old.

45. Visit Oriental Research Institute in Mysuru - one of the oldest libraries in India. Look out for the oldest surviving manuscript of Chanakya’s Arthashastra.

46. Don’t forget to make a trip to the Mysuru Zoo, one of the oldest in India and home to over 150 species of animals.

47. During Tipu Sultan’s rule, in the 1780s, it was in Mysuru that the first metal-cylinder and iron-cased rocket artillery were created.

48. Kannada, as some references suggest, dates back to as many as 2,000 years ago.

49. The Bhoota Kola dance form is native to Mangaluru. Read more about it.

50. Pankaj Advani, the famous name in cue sports in recent times, is from our city.

51. The state has the highest tiger population in the country.

52. Bababudan brought the first coffee beans to Karnataka, subsequently making the state one of the biggest

Karnataka’s 61 ‘Gems’

On this Rajyotsava day, if you strugged with the paradox of choice: whether to start the day with Thyagaraja or Bach, to pick Purandaradasa or Pink Floyd to play in the car — on the radio, and the purest form; and whether to indulge on ‘Bisibele bath’ and Burger for lunch; whether to spend the afternoon lying supine amongst woods in the centre of the city, while the Sun shimmers the grace, as though a brilliant artist as skilled as God, smears paint on the canvas

of life or to ditch the beautiful weather and pitch to a Venture Capitalist at Starbucks, for he’s looking out for the next big Unicorn; whether to escape into the best of nightclubs — filled

with low lighting and excessively loud music; or to drive away from the noise without knowing which beautiful landscape is calling you, then be rest assured you couldn’t ask for any better.

You just had to choose love, for all is well that ends well in the state of Karnataka. And behind its wellbeing is the ever-welcoming Kanndaiga. As the state turned 61, we collected 61 facts about

Karnataka that you may want to cherish and celebrate. Know more. Love more.

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November - December 2017 Vol 3 | Issue 4

Sparkling Diamond Jubilee for Vidhana Soudha

Karnataka - BavariaStrong Partnership

In Association with

coffee exporters from India. 53. Vijayapura in Karnataka is popularly

referred to as the city of five rivers with many rivers and streams criss-crossing through it. Including Krishna, Bhima and Doni rivers.

54. The Siddhis are an ethnic group that are predominantly found in Karnataka. They are of African origin and have facial features like them. However, they are as Indian as anyone else in India.

55 Karnataka, given its topography, is said to be one of the states with the most number of waterfalls in India.

56. Kukke Subramanya in Karnataka attracts a large number of devotees, several of them visit it to cure their ‘sarpadosha.’

57. The Channapatna toy industry has so much demand that they are exporting more products to Europe and the United States and keeping less for the local

market. 58. Kolar used to have one of the largest

gold mines in India. 59. Bengaluru is the city in India with the

maximum number of temples, mosques, churches and gurdwaras.

60. Freedom Park in the city once functioned as the central jail.

61. Freedom Park was once a jail. So is Cubbon Park.

ADVANTAGE KARNATAKA

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RNI REG. NO:KARENG/2014/57767