Sunday, December 9, 2012

"Flame" by Nelofar Curimbhoy : Biography of Shahnaz Husain

I compiled information and used to deliver my lectures on Entrepreneurs of India to my students with examples.  There are enough number of successful entrepreneurs in different fields over the decades in both the genders.  In particular women entrepreneurs have achieved laudable success against all odds.  One of them, in fact, a leading and most popular woman entrepreneur is Shahnaz Husain with her herbal products as a beautician.  Only after reading this book by her own daughter Nelofar, I came to know so many facts about this wonderful lady who shot to fame as World's Best Entrepreneur from India.  More interesting fact is that she belonged to the conservative muslim family from Hyderabad and went to Luck on her marriage at the age of sixteen years.

She became a mother at seventeen and a grand mother in her thirties too.  She had to discontinue her studies but her father was keen on her continuing studies including, if possible, in Cambridge.  One interesting feature I read in the book is all the strong support she received from three men in her life - father, husband and son.  After a few years of married life, she shifted to Delhi where she started her ventures to earn extra income and a profession of her own.  Next move to Tehran seem to have given her family a different opportunity to expand her business internationally.    Besides the three men, she also had the support from her daughter Nelofar who continues to standby her even today.  

Friday, December 7, 2012

Chowdari and Patnaik / Sistakaranam?

I belong to Sistakaranam / Patnaik community (caste) from Kotabommali in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh but lived in Hyderabad / Bangalore / Mumbai and now Manipal. I don't have the title in my name / records. Strangely, the surname Chowdari seem to be misleading many of my colleagues and friends with a different community identity. You know, I can't help it. I like to network with as many friends and young Patnaik members as possible for strengthening our community. I have been sending friendship requests in Face Book to many 'Patnaiks' and others too.  Friendship is my passion and networking is my profession.  I love to be in touch with as many friends as possible and share pleasantries with all my well-wishers.

I have now friends from my school, college, work places like Andhra Bank, SBI, Vysya Bank, Wonder Granites, Alliance Business School and TAPMI.  Now that I spent about a decade in TAPMI (of course with a three years break between 2006 and 2009), I have both friends in my colleagues and alumni besides current students.  I registered for my PhD work with AIMA New Delhi but could not move forward for some personal reasons. But I got a few friends from this group too.  Only recently I also started extending my hand of friendship with some relatives in Patnaik community, not because of any ambition of contesting an election but to stretch love and affection and exchange pleasantries.  Today, I have 1,622 friends in my FB page.  

Otherwise, professionally I have a page in www.scribd.com where I have uploaded 60 plus articles and power point presentations which were seen by over 2 lac visitors.  Each of these files or papers have been seen / read or downloaded by a significant number of individuals, which I am proud of.  I am also in linkedin, orkut, google+, and many virtual platforms including uploading some clippings in youtube.  All this is possible on account of intense passion to extend friendship and leverage on the technology available.  Only last month, in a recent  Hyderabad trip I could meet two of my childhood school mates of 1959 to recall those young and innocent days.

Monday, December 3, 2012

ATMs in India cross 1 lac

ATMs in India cross 1 lac

It is very interesting and exciting to know that the number of ATMs in India have crossed the six digit mark in October 2012, with over 60% share by branches of State Bank Group.  This is a special achievement during the 25th year of ATMs (1987-2012) in India.  I still have the passionate feeling to write an exhaustive article on this topic.  Let me see...........