Brilliant cross over
A sense of accomplishment suffuses Chennai-based Dinesh Victor, managing director of the SIP Academy India Pvt Ltd, when he watches nine and ten-year-old students rattling off answers to complex addition and subtraction problems within seconds. Victor promoted SIP Academy which offers the Abacus and Brain Gym programmes to develop latent mathematical skills of children aged six-12 years, in 2002. During the past four years, the company has trained 35,000 children in over 300 learning centres across 17 states countrywide, and is well on the way to creating child prodigies with razor sharp intellects.
"By integrating Brain Gym exercises with Abacus training we aspire to maximise children’s learning potential and catalyse whole brain development. Abacus training integrates the functions of the left and right brain during the early years and improves inherent learning skills. The courses we offer not only improve math skills but also develop listening, concentration, memory and visualisation skills of children. Initially they use the Abacus for calculation but gradually learn to visualise the tool and do mental calculations using deft finger movements," says Victor, an engineering graduate of IIT-Bombay and IIM-Ahmedabad who, after a four-year stint with Godrej Soaps and another four years with Grindlays Bank, crossed over to education. Impressed by the Abacus learning concept promoted by Kelvin Thamm who founded the SIP Academy in Indonesia and Malaysia and which is now active in over seven countries tutoring 150,000 students, Victor signed an agreement with SIP Academy SDN BHD, Malaysia and set up its Indian affiliate in Chennai four years ago
Currently SIP Academy, India, offers four well-researched learning programmes — Abacus (ancient Chinese method with value additions) and Brain Gym (a set of exercises designed by Dr. Paul Dennison of Edu-K, USA); AMAL (Accelerated Mental Learning using Abacus and Brain Gym for children aged four-six); Global Art (an art programme that develops creativity) and Learning Box (a phonics programme from the UK). Of these Abacus and Brain Gym are the most popular and are taught at eight levels, each of three-four months duration. Course fees includes a registration fee of Rs.825 and a quarterly tuition fee of Rs.1,350, for each level. Classes are held only on weekends.
The academy also hosts regional, national and international competitions for children to showcase their skills. It held its first national competition in Andhra Pradesh on November 11 this year in which 4,000 children from 17 states exhibited dazzling Abacus and Brain Gym inspired mental prowess.
SIP India operates through the franchise business model and each state has a trained area partner and learning centre franchisees. Women entre-preneurs are specially encouraged to become franchisees. "We rely on our franchisees to influence children positively and contribute to the growth of SIP India. Future plans include expansion by creating and distributing world class products and additional programmes to enrich the potential of children. We aim at inculcating life skills and confidence in children so they optimise their learning capabilities," says Victor.
Wind beneath your wings!
Hemalatha Raghupathi (Chennai)
Fast-track VC
It’s perhaps the fastest academic project execution record of all time. The Chanakya National Law University (CNLU) Patna took less than two months time from conception to admitting its first batch of students. This meant not only converting the political will of the state government into reality but arranging for basic infrastructure, premises, preparation of prospectus and curriculum, inviting applications for admission, conducting an all-India entrance test, announcing its results, admission, selection of faculty and commencement of the maiden session.By common consensus the credit for getting CNLU, a national university, up and running in record time should be given to Prof. A. Lakshminath, former registrar and dean, NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad who was hand-picked by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar for this assignment. In mid-2005 Lakshminath had visited Patna to present a vision document on a proposed law university in the state at the invitation of the then governor Buta Singh. Quite obviously he made a good presentation which impressed Samata party president Nitish Kumar, then in the opposition.
Subsequently when Kumar was sworn in as chief minister of Bihar following the defeat of former chief minister Laloo Prasad Yadav in the assembly election of November 2005, among his first priorities was revival of the CNLU project proposal. "This June, I received a call from Patna that the chief minister wanted to discuss the possibility of implementing the CNLU proposal. Since I respected him for his honesty and integrity, I accepted the challenge," says Lakshminath. Two months later, CNLU was formally inaugurated at the A.M. Sinha Institute of Social Studies in Patna with the admission of its first batch of 80 students. CNLU will move to its own new campus in Meethapur where 20 acres have been allotted, 24 months hence. The inaugural function on August 14 attracted a distinguished gathering including the chief minister, governor, chief justice of the Patna high court and an impressive gathering of other dignitaries from across the country.
"I was moved by the appeal of the chief minister who said that the long neglected people of Bihar would be forever grateful for the execution of this project. CNLU has been assured of all government support and full autonomy," says Lakshminath.
Under the state government’s ordinance establishing CNLU, Lakshminath has been appointed vice- chancellor for a period of five years, that is when the university’s first batch of BA, LLB students will graduate.
God speed!
Arun Srivastav (Patna)
Research partnerships missionary
With its industrious and talented pool of young English-speaking graduates, India is emerging as the largest outsourcing hub of the world. First it was medical transcription, followed by legal transcription, customer service, banking processes, stock market analyses, legal reporting, business writing etc. Today outsourcing is a 12-billion dollar industry in India employing over 450,000 graduates countrywide. To this already impressive list, add high-end scientific and technological research. A three-member high-profile delegation of Victoria-based Deakin University led by Prof. Peter Hodgson recently concluded a whirlwind five-day tour of India to formalise research, student and faculty exchange agreements with IIT-Bombay, IIT-Kanpur and Bangalore’s PES Institute of Technology and R.V. College of Engineering.
"This is my sixth visit and with every visit my confidence about India transforming into a major centre of research is reinforced. With your huge pool of highly talented, hard-working, scientifically oriented and English literate youth, the future is bright. Through outsourcing we can cut costs by nearly 20 percent and as a result undertake more research assignments. Deakin University is a research intensive institution with considerable expertise in research and technology projects and processes which we plan to bring to India through these agreements," says Hodgson, who was one of 25 resear-chers named a Federation Fellow by the Australian government in 2004, and has published over 200 research papers.
The agreements signed with IIT-Bombay and IIT-Kanpur are for research, faculty and student exchange, while those signed with PESIT and RVCE are for student and faculty exchange. "We want Indian students to come to Australia for short-term internships during which they will be given industry orientation and training in research methodologies, particularly in the areas of nanotechnology and biotech," says Hodgson, who also leads Deakin University’s advanced materials processing and performance (AMPP) research team.
A former researcher at BHP Research, Australia, Hodgson signed up with Deakin University in 1996 and during the past decade has nearly quadrupled the research income of the varsity by signing research projects and partnerships with industry.
Looking to the future, Hodgson has ambitious plans to set up a dedicated Deakin Research Institute in India which will aim to reduce the gap between Indian industry and academia. "Our research teams have been visiting India for the past year to study the feasibility of establishing a research campus here. By mid-2007 we will make a decision whether to set up an independent research centre or collaborate with a partner. And by early 2008 we hope to establish and start our research centre by recruiting 100 postgraduates. We want to engage with Indian industry and bring them closer to academia," he says.
Power to your elbow!
Srinidhi Raghavendra (Bangalore)
Tribal welfare champion
Over the past quarter century Vitthal Govind Lad has acquired cult status as a missionary of education and rehabilitation among tribal folk in rural districts adjoining Mumbai. Lad’s conversion to a champion of displaced tribals began in 1982 while visiting Kelti Para village in Mumbai’s Goregaon district where he discovered that while every tabela (cattle shed) in the state government promoted Aarey Milk Colony had electricity, clean water and decent shelter, citizens in contiguous villages had none of these facilities. "Animals were living in far better conditions than humans in the village," recalls Lad. "It was this pathetic scenario which inspired me to work for the welfare of neglected tribals." To become an effective people’s champion, Lad enrolled for a diploma programme in social work at Mumbai’s Nirmala Niketan College of Social Work in 1982. Duly qualified, he began his missionary work in 1983 on the peripheries of Aarey Milk Colony where a group of tribals had been displaced by the government’s dairy milk project without a modicum of the compensation and facilities promised. Since then this initiative has bloomed into a full-fledged movement working for the betterment of tribals in various districts. In 1992 Jaag was registered as an NGO with Lad as its founder trustee. Today Jaag (‘Awake’) has nine trustees and operates in districts around Mumbai, including the Borivili National Park, Gorai, Madh Island and Film City.
Currently Jaag is intensively involved with the education and health of tribals and helping them eke out a livelihood. "With the support of NGOs like Concern India Foundation and CRY we have started balwadis (crèches), where children enroll at the age of two-and-a-half," says Lad. "From there we facilitate their enrollment in neighbouring municipal schools. For children in hamlets far removed from government schools, we run non-formal education programmes and get them to join school in class IV, when they are old enough to commute," he says.
This go-getting NGO’s other activities include teacher training, educating parents on the need of education for their children, conducting regular health check-ups for tribals and training programmes for midwives. Additionally it helps tribals develop skills for alternate forms of livelihood apart from berry picking, fishing and gathering forest produce. "We are training tribals to become electricians and drivers while also promoting their traditional Warli art in cities. It’s been a long struggle, but we have awakened suburban Mumbai’s tribals to their potential," says Lad.
Right on, brother!
Gaver Chatterjee
(Mumbai)
Culture visionary
The distinguishing feature of India is its living, breathing, rich and varied culture. However since it hasn’t been repackaged for contemporary times, there’s a danger of the young MTV generation ignoring it. This is why Sanjeev Bhargava promoted the Delhi-based Seher, an NGO engaged in reviving and popularising India’s classical heritage in 1990. Following the unexpected demise of his father, a film distributor shortly after he graduated from St. Stephens College, young Bhargava took over the family business. But from commercial cinema he switched over to art cinema and started distributing parallel films such as Masoom, Aakrosh and more recently Shekhar Kapoor’s Elizabeth. "My interest in the arts was aroused as a student at Modern School where I was active in theatre," he recalls. He studied music at Gandharava Mahavidyalaya and was influenced by celebrated vocalists and exponents of Hindustani classical music including Kumar Gandharv and Prof. Vinay Chandra Maudgalaya, who was his inspiration for Seher.
Seher’s philosophy has three pillars — let the best in Indian culture reach as many people as possible; move away from confining auditoria to open spaces, and get younger people and international audiences interested. Today Seher is not only a popular platform for budding artists in India who send their profiles, CDs, DVDs for participation, but also for performing artistes from Pakistan from where it receives regular requests for performances in India. "Sports, culture and the arts unite people. The qawwali, an art born in Delhi and perfected at Ajmer Sharif, is performed more by Pakistani artistes than us," he says.
Currently Bhargava is organising a painting exhibition titled ‘Art Unites’ in which selected artists from SAARC nations will paint at an exotic location for about a week before the forthcoming SAARC summit. Bhargava is also promoting a series of evening concerts — Classical India — at Delhi’s Ashoka hotel, during tourist season. Moreover Seher has repackaged Indian classical dances and started an annual festival, Ananya, which showcases top artistes at Delhi’s Red Fort.
On the pattern of Central park in New York and Hyde Park in London, Bhargava has idealistic dreams of taking India’s classical art heritage to new heights in open spaces, to "highlight our monuments and parks through cultural events". "I like flirting with failure and will continue to innovate to take my work forward and bring out the best in our ethos and culture," he says.
The force be with you!
Autar Nehru
(Delhi)