Category Archives: Inspiration / Positive News and Features

Story of growth: Business woman emerges out of sick firm

Business & Economy, Inspiration / Positive News and Features
Padmasree Gunnala (Photo: DC)
Padmasree Gunnala (Photo: DC)

Hyderabad:

For the success of a business, a good management is as important as the product itself. Several people have made fortune just by reviving companies that have fallen sick due to inefficient management. Padmasree Gunn-ala belongs to this creed.

Padmasree, a young home maker who was a lawyer by education, found reviving a sick company more interesting and challenging. “In 2005, I was planning to start a business as I was always interested in entrepreneurship. My friend suggested me to start a unit in ancillary sector. He had an experience in that sector. So we partnered to buy a sick company and revived it to be known as Mudra Flexible Printers and Laminators,” she told this newspaper.

Mudra operates in the roto-packaging industry, which manufactures food-grade packaging products. Its specialty lies in catering to all kinds of flexible packaging material in multi-colour printing and laminations.

The partners, however, later found that acquiring a sick company will have its own share of hiccups. And Padmasree was very quick to realise that getting a bank loan for a sick company was very difficult.

“So we pooled in about `6 lakh for working capital as no bank was forthcoming to help us. The same was the case with customers. It took pretty long time for us to convince customers to give us orders as they were unsure about our business continuity,” she recalled.

A well-trained karata, Padmasree had to endure testing time when her factory was gutted in a fire accident. “I don’t whether I can call it a turning point or not; but the fire accident that gutted my factory has strengthen my resolve to succeed and it showed my customers’ faith in me.”

Mudra, which started off with 18 clients, claims a fairly strong customer base of 700 companies, comprising varied spectrum starting from MSMEs to MNCs. The customers spread across sectors like food and FMCG, pharmaceuticals, agro industries, bio-technology, cement, automobiles, distilleries and many more – both in India and abroad.

Though successful in business, Padmasree rues about the fact that her work-life balance was skewed towards business and as a result, she could not focus on the upbringing of her son, who is now pursuing engineering course. “I feel woman entrepreneurs must focus on this aspect also.”

Padmasree was among the chosen few to be a part of the Golman Sachs 10,000 Women’s program-me along with Indian School of Business (ISB).

Ask her about her success mantra and she is quick to respond saying, “hard work.” She explains that there is no other alternative for hard work, quality and customer satisfaction. Mudra saw the growth from being a small scale enterprise to a medium scale enterprise and now, Padmasree, only dreams of Mudra to flourish with a better annual turnover every year.

(In association with jobsdialog.com of TMI e2E Academy)

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Business> Latest / DC–jobsdialog.com / June 24th, 2014

Blade runner

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

Manish Pandey, an amputee, bagged two medals for India at the Tunisia Grand Prix

Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey

When Manish Pandey lost his right leg in a train accident in 2011, little did he think that he’d one day be competing in the international sports circuit. But the 22-year-old is doing just that. Manish, who represents Hyderabad, bagged two medals for India in his maiden appearance on the international circuit at the IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Tunisia.

Manish, who now has his sights set on the Asian Paralympics to be held in South Korea in October, qualified to compete in the T-44 category and went on to bag the silver medal in the 200 meter sprint on June 16 and bronze in the 100 meter two days later. “This was my first international competition and I’m happy with the results. It has helped me qualify for the Asian Paralympics to be held in October,” he says.

Four years back when Manish was returning home after writing an exam, he got pushed out of the train. “I remember it was the World Cup finals that day and I wanted to watch the match so I chose to go by local train to reach earlier. It was crowded and I accidentally got pushed out of the train, which ran over my leg. However, I didn’t want this to stop me. I had always actively participated in sports. So I began to focus on creating a career in sports,” he says.

But with no clue about how to go about things, Manish went to Bangalore in 2012 for trials where he met Ratan Singh, a member of the Paralympics Committee. “He shared tips with me and told me that while I had the talent, I needed a blade to be able to run. However, this prosthetic costs around Rs. 3 or 4 lakh. Finally, towards the end of 2013 I was approached by Mohana Gandhi of Dakshin Rehab; he offered to help me. Ever since, I have been in the city, practising and representing it in competitions,” says Manish.

While he is supported by the foundation, he says that there is no government funding for them. “For the Tunisia Paralympics I needed Rs. 1.5 lakh and I borrowed from family and friends to be able to participate. Dakshin Rehab also supported me. This lack of funding also means that I cannot afford to have anybody to monitor my training or diet. I take tips from peers and by watching athletes by like Oscar Pistorius and Usain Bolt,” he says, adding that he trains for two hours every morning in the gym and another two hours at the stadium every evening.

Manish, who hopes to bag a gold at the 2016 Paralympics, says that he hopes to find a sponsor. Until then the athlete, who has made Hyderabad his home, says, “It is the perfect place for me. I busy with practice. My parents continue to live in Chhattisgarh, but I have some cousins here so I feel quite at home.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / June 28th, 2014

Hyderabad girl tops UPSC in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh

Education, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All
Picture used for representational purpose. (Photo: jharkhandstatenews.com)
Picture used for representational purpose. (Photo: jharkhandstatenews.com)

Hyderabad:

Hyderabad girl Krithika Jyotsna Mishra bagged the 30th rank and topped the Union Public Service Commission civil services exam, 2013, in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. She bagged the 30th rank among 1,122 persons selected this year by the UPSC for IAS, IPS, IFS and other Central services. Thirty-five other candidates from the two states have made it to the big league this year.

Following Kritika is S. Krishna Aditya, who bagged the 99th rank to become one of the two from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to make it to the top 100. Kona Vamsi Krishna bagged 103rd rank while Siva Prakash Devaraju came 114th in the civil services exam. E. Saicharan Tejaswi was ranked 124th while Ravali Priya G. came 161st. This is also the first UPSC result after the change in the pattern of examination.

Gopal Krishna, director, Brain Tree, said, “The changed pattern favours students with a humanities background. Though most of students are from engineering background they have performed very well.”

Krithika is the daughter of IFS officer and former principal chief conservator of forests for Telangana S.B.L. Mishra. Her brother Kartikeya Mishra is the CMD of CPDCL North Zone.

Senior IAS officer Hiralal Samariya’s son, Peeyush Samariya, qualified for the civil services with 165th rank. He had earlier qualified for IRS and is currently Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Education / DC Correspondent / June 13th, 2014

Telangana Teen Youngest Girl to Conquer Mount Everest

Amazing Feats, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sports

New Delhi :

A 13-year-old girl from Telangana scaled Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world, to become the youngest girl in the world to achieve the feat. She was accompanied by a 17-year-old boy from the same state.

The duo during their departure left from Andhra Pradesh, but returned to the new state of Telangana.

Malavath Poorna, daughter of agricultural labourers from Telangana’s Nizamabad district, is a Class X student in a government-run social welfare school.

“Each step was dangerous… climbing steep rocks, braving cold waves blowing at the speed of 40 km per hour at minus 40 degree temperature, it was tough, but I did not want to be called a coward,” Poorna said. “ It was a great experience. When I reached the top of the mountain, I cried and placed the Indian flag. I prayed and thanked all,” she said.

Sharing her experience, she said when she reached the height of 7,300 metres, she had to return to the base camp at 5,400 meters as the climatic conditions did not permit them to go further. She started on her mission again and was first to reach the top on May 25 at 6 am. “I saw the mighty mountains and morning sunlight all around,” a smiling Poorna said. During her climb, the sight of six dead bodies scared her.

“It was then that I remembered the ten commandments of my school, my parents and my trainers. I got my strength back and the courage to complete my mission,” she said.

When asked about her next mission, she said it was to be an IPS officer. On this mission, along with Poorna, was S Anand Kumar, a Class IX student, the son of a cycle mechanic from the Khammam district. Anand’s mother works as a labourer.

“It was a difficult task and the school had chosen us for the mission as we were selected from a group of a 150 students,” he said. He said that they had been trekking and was being trained for last seven months for the mission. They had been taken to various places like Ladakh and other Himalayan ranges before setting for Mount Everest.

“During the expedition, we were trekking from morning to evening and acclimatization was really difficult. I am really proud as I have climbed the Mount Everest,” he said. The teenagers’ inspiration is IPS officer R S Praveen Kumar, who as secretary of the AP Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society, was the force behind making this happen.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Nation / by Sumit Kumar Singh / June 06th, 2014