Swades : the Entrepreneurial Connection

Inspired from the recently released Bollywood movie “Swades – We, the people”

If one is wondering that this has something to do with the aforementioned movie; then let me assure you that the answer is a clear “No”. Yes, the idea is a culmination of few instances in the movie. Well, we aren’t discussing the movie anyways right!

Jean Jacques Rousseau has aptly said: “Man is born free, yet everywhere he is in chains”. Everyone is born with almost similar physical attributes and biological functionalities, but they are so very distinct from an extraordinary few. I am addressing those “chosen few” who have climbed the ladder of success, of fame & prosperity. What went wrong with their peers, the people who couldn’t get similar accolades? Oh yes, some of them were complacent. But, the rest did aspire to repeat such acts of success; but in vain.

Now, let’s take a detour to the villages, to the parish states where every entity is living to make their both ends meet. They are going astray from being successful, from being an entrepreneur, from being what they want to be. No am not drawing your attention to any socio-economic cause. But, yes am trying to draw an analogy between the people in these villages and people whom you come across everyday say a B-school graduate. Both are so very distinct but yet both are bound with a similar fate: the same “entrepreneurial connection”. Both aspire to do great things in life but are always taken aback by the fear of unknown. You may name this unknown as risk, uncertainly, loss, failure or anything for that matter. At this stage if you want to argue with me saying that the availability of resources to both are very distinct and one cannot generalize such a thing. I must clear my stand, by saying that I do not mean entrepreneurial success of similar nature or form. One in the village may resort to success of a smaller level, but point is he was successful relative to his urban counterpart. And the fact is that this entrepreneurial connection has got nothing to do with the state of being rich or poor, of being educated or not. It’s an unending battle between your mind & your inner-self. And then when you wonder why you didn’t take up that job, that project, that idea, that venture, you know what was stopping you? Indeed, “Man is born entrepreneur, yet everywhere he stops himself from being one”.

Did Anyone Say We Gonna Run Out Of Oil?

Biodiesel is one of the possible candidates to replace fossil fuels as the world's primary transportation energy source. And the good news is that its’ “Renewable”!

It was just yesterday that I drove to my school friend whom I haven’t met for say nearly past 3 years. Pratibha Paliwal is working for the Department of Biotechnology in the M.P. Council of Science & Technology as a Junior Research Fellow, presently too much drawn into this project on Biodiesel. I just had a fair idea about bio-fuel, but a discussion of about an hour or so was enough to make me more knowledgeable. Wow, isn’t it surprising that Biodiesel is renewable!

But, before we ponder on its positives, let’s define what Biodiesel is? Biodiesel is an alternative to petroleum-based diesel fuel made from renewable resources such as vegetable oils, animal fats, or algae. It has very similar combustion properties to petroleum diesel, and can replace it in current uses. However, it is most often used as an additive to petroleum diesel, improving the otherwise low lubricity of pure ultra low sulfur petrodiesel fuel. It is one of the possible candidates to replace fossil fuels as the world's primary transportation energy source.

Now, if you were too anxious to know these answers: It is environment friendly (almost zero emission to global warming), clean burning, requires no engine modifications, perhaps increases engine life, biodegradable and non-toxic, and easy to handle & store. Biodiesel has high cetane and lubricity and readily mixes with diesel. Since, it is a farm-fuel it provides ample employment opportunities in the rural areas. Certainly no fuel is perfect and Biodiesel doesn’t stand as an exception to this. It has certain negatives like: higher gel point, emission of NOx which contributes to smog, etc. But these don’t take any credit away from this wonderful alternative to the fossil fuels.

Imagine what wonders Biodiesel can bring to the economies of the world that are battling out against the rise in global oil prices. Would Biodiesel come as a savior? Well, stupendous research work is going on in the field of Biodiesel, but the greatest issue is of mass scale production and commercialization. Various raw materials are being used to produce commercial Biodiesel: rapeseed, sunflower oil (Italy & France), soybean oil (USA & Brazil), palm oil (Malaysia), linseed, olive oil (Spain), cottonseed oil (Greece), beef tallow (Ireland), lard, used frying oil (Austria), Jatropha (India, Nicaragua South America), Guangi-Pi (China), etc.

If one would like to question its acceptance, rest assured the top automobile majors are promoting Biodiesel (including Volkswagen, DaimlerChrysler), as also Shell, Texaco, ELF & Total. And the end-user just cannot wait for such a thing to commercialize.

Pratibha seems to be working on Jatropha (Jatropha curcus, Ratanjot, wild castor) for commercial extraction of Biodiesel from its’ seeds. The plant seems to be growing in most diverse conditions and also found abundantly. She says this will bring immense employment opportunities in the rural areas, and may be able to bring down the prices of diesel once the commercial production is achieved. Internet search revealed that if 10 million hectares of wasteland is brought under Jatropha cultivation then it can yield 15 million tons of seeds which can provide 4 million tons of oil (needless to mention, 11 million tons of organic manure as a by-product).

Biodiesel is here to stay: commercial Biodiesel Gas stations are on the rise, trains have already started to run on Biodiesel & tremendous amount of research is going on. The only thing that remains to be seen is that: Will the Science Textbooks rewrite diesel as “renewable source of energy” in times to come? It was just yesterday that I drove to my school friend whom I haven’t met for say nearly past 3 years. Pratibha Paliwal is working for the Department of Biotechnology in the M.P. Council of Science & Technology as a Junior Research Fellow, presently too much drawn into this project on Biodiesel. I just had a fair idea about bio-fuel, but a discussion of about an hour or so was enough to make me more knowledgeable. Wow, isn’t it surprising that Biodiesel is renewable!But, before we ponder on its positives, let’s define what Biodiesel is? Biodiesel is an alternative to petroleum-based diesel fuel made from renewable resources such as vegetable oils, animal fats, or algae. It has very similar combustion properties to petroleum diesel, and can replace it in current uses. However, it is most often used as an additive to petroleum diesel, improving the otherwise low lubricity of pure ultra low sulfur petrodiesel fuel. It is one of the possible candidates to replace fossil fuels as the world's primary transportation energy source. Now, if you were too anxious to know these answers: It is environment friendly (almost zero emission to global warming), clean burning, requires no engine modifications, perhaps increases engine life, biodegradable and non-toxic, and easy to handle & store. Biodiesel has high cetane and lubricity and readily mixes with diesel. Since, it is a farm-fuel it provides ample employment opportunities in the rural areas. Certainly no fuel is perfect and Biodiesel doesn’t stand as an exception to this. It has certain negatives like: higher gel point, emission of NOx which contributes to smog, etc. But these don’t take any credit away from this wonderful alternative to the fossil fuels. Imagine what wonders Biodiesel can bring to the economies of the world that are battling out against the rise in global oil prices. Would Biodiesel come as a savior? Well, stupendous research work is going on in the field of Biodiesel, but the greatest issue is of mass scale production and commercialization. Various raw materials are being used to produce commercial Biodiesel: rapeseed, sunflower oil (Italy & France), soybean oil (USA & Brazil), palm oil (Malaysia), linseed, olive oil (Spain), cottonseed oil (Greece), beef tallow (Ireland), lard, used frying oil (Austria), Jatropha (India, Nicaragua South America), Guangi-Pi (China), etc. If one would like to question its acceptance, rest assured the top automobile majors are promoting Biodiesel (including Volkswagen, DaimlerChrysler), as also Shell, Texaco, ELF & Total. And the end-user just cannot wait for such a thing to commercialize. Pratibha seems to be working on Jatropha (Jatropha curcus, Ratanjot, wild castor) for commercial extraction of Biodiesel from its’ seeds. The plant seems to be growing in most diverse conditions and also found abundantly. She says this will bring immense employment opportunities in the rural areas, and may be able to bring down the prices of diesel once the commercial production is achieved. Internet search revealed that if 10 million hectares of wasteland is brought under Jatropha cultivation then it can yield 15 million tons of seeds which can provide 4 million tons of oil (needless to mention, 11 million tons of organic manure as a by-product). Biodiesel is here to stay: commercial Biodiesel Gas stations are on the rise, trains have already started to run on Biodiesel & tremendous amount of research is going on. The only thing that remains to be seen is that: Will the Science Textbooks rewrite diesel as “renewable source of energy” in times to come? It was just yesterday that I drove to my school friend whom I haven’t met for say nearly past 3 years. Pratibha Paliwal is working for the Department of Biotechnology in the M.P. Council of Science & Technology as a Junior Research Fellow, presently too much drawn into this project on Biodiesel. I just had a fair idea about bio-fuel, but a discussion of about an hour or so was enough to make me more knowledgeable. Wow, isn’t it surprising that Biodiesel is renewable!But, before we ponder on its positives, let’s define what Biodiesel is? Biodiesel is an alternative to petroleum-based diesel fuel made from renewable resources such as vegetable oils, animal fats, or algae. It has very similar combustion properties to petroleum diesel, and can replace it in current uses. However, it is most often used as an additive to petroleum diesel, improving the otherwise low lubricity of pure ultra low sulfur petrodiesel fuel. It is one of the possible candidates to replace fossil fuels as the world's primary transportation energy source. Now, if you were too anxious to know these answers: It is environment friendly (almost zero emission to global warming), clean burning, requires no engine modifications, perhaps increases engine life, biodegradable and non-toxic, and easy to handle & store. Biodiesel has high cetane and lubricity and readily mixes with diesel. Since, it is a farm-fuel it provides ample employment opportunities in the rural areas. Certainly no fuel is perfect and Biodiesel doesn’t stand as an exception to this. It has certain negatives like: higher gel point, emission of NOx which contributes to smog, etc. But these don’t take any credit away from this wonderful alternative to the fossil fuels. Imagine what wonders Biodiesel can bring to the economies of the world that are battling out against the rise in global oil prices. Would Biodiesel come as a savior? Well, stupendous research work is going on in the field of Biodiesel, but the greatest issue is of mass scale production and commercialization. Various raw materials are being used to produce commercial Biodiesel: rapeseed, sunflower oil (Italy & France), soybean oil (USA & Brazil), palm oil (Malaysia), linseed, olive oil (Spain), cottonseed oil (Greece), beef tallow (Ireland), lard, used frying oil (Austria), Jatropha (India, Nicaragua South America), Guangi-Pi (China), etc. If one would like to question its acceptance, rest assured the top automobile majors are promoting Biodiesel (including Volkswagen, DaimlerChrysler), as also Shell, Texaco, ELF & Total. And the end-user just cannot wait for such a thing to commercialize. Pratibha seems to be working on Jatropha (Jatropha curcus, Ratanjot, wild castor) for commercial extraction of Biodiesel from its’ seeds. The plant seems to be growing in most diverse conditions and also found abundantly. She says this will bring immense employment opportunities in the rural areas, and may be able to bring down the prices of diesel once the commercial production is achieved. Internet search revealed that if 10 million hectares of wasteland is brought under Jatropha cultivation then it can yield 15 million tons of seeds which can provide 4 million tons of oil (needless to mention, 11 million tons of organic manure as a by-product). Biodiesel is here to stay: commercial Biodiesel Gas stations are on the rise, trains have already started to run on Biodiesel & tremendous amount of research is going on. The only thing that remains to be seen is that: Will the Science Textbooks rewrite diesel as “renewable source of energy” in times to come? It was just yesterday that I drove to my school friend whom I haven’t met for say nearly past 3 years. Pratibha Paliwal is working for the Department of Biotechnology in the M.P. Council of Science & Technology as a Junior Research Fellow, presently too much drawn into this project on Biodiesel. I just had a fair idea about bio-fuel, but a discussion of about an hour or so was enough to make me more knowledgeable. Wow, isn’t it surprising that Biodiesel is renewable!But, before we ponder on its positives, let’s define what Biodiesel is? Biodiesel is an alternative to petroleum-based diesel fuel made from renewable resources such as vegetable oils, animal fats, or algae. It has very similar combustion properties to petroleum diesel, and can replace it in current uses. However, it is most often used as an additive to petroleum diesel, improving the otherwise low lubricity of pure ultra low sulfur petrodiesel fuel. It is one of the possible candidates to replace fossil fuels as the world's primary transportation energy source. Now, if you were too anxious to know these answers: It is environment friendly (almost zero emission to global warming), clean burning, requires no engine modifications, perhaps increases engine life, biodegradable and non-toxic, and easy to handle & store. Biodiesel has high cetane and lubricity and readily mixes with diesel. Since, it is a farm-fuel it provides ample employment opportunities in the rural areas. Certainly no fuel is perfect and Biodiesel doesn’t stand as an exception to this. It has certain negatives like: higher gel point, emission of NOx which contributes to smog, etc. But these don’t take any credit away from this wonderful alternative to the fossil fuels. Imagine what wonders Biodiesel can bring to the economies of the world that are battling out against the rise in global oil prices. Would Biodiesel come as a savior? Well, stupendous research work is going on in the field of Biodiesel, but the greatest issue is of mass scale production and commercialization. Various raw materials are being used to produce commercial Biodiesel: rapeseed, sunflower oil (Italy & France), soybean oil (USA & Brazil), palm oil (Malaysia), linseed, olive oil (Spain), cottonseed oil (Greece), beef tallow (Ireland), lard, used frying oil (Austria), Jatropha (India, Nicaragua South America), Guangi-Pi (China), etc. If one would like to question its acceptance, rest assured the top automobile majors are promoting Biodiesel (including Volkswagen, DaimlerChrysler), as also Shell, Texaco, ELF & Total. And the end-user just cannot wait for such a thing to commercialize. Pratibha seems to be working on Jatropha (Jatropha curcus, Ratanjot, wild castor) for commercial extraction of Biodiesel from its’ seeds. The plant seems to be growing in most diverse conditions and also found abundantly. She says this will bring immense employment opportunities in the rural areas, and may be able to bring down the prices of diesel once the commercial production is achieved. Internet search revealed that if 10 million hectares of wasteland is brought under Jatropha cultivation then it can yield 15 million tons of seeds which can provide 4 million tons of oil (needless to mention, 11 million tons of organic manure as a by-product). Biodiesel is here to stay: commercial Biodiesel Gas stations are on the rise, trains have already started to run on Biodiesel & tremendous amount of research is going on. The only thing that remains to be seen is that: Will the Science Textbooks rewrite diesel as “renewable source of energy” in times to come? It was just yesterday that I drove to my school friend whom I haven’t met for say nearly past 3 years. Pratibha Paliwal is working for the Department of Biotechnology in the M.P. Council of Science & Technology as a Junior Research Fellow, presently too much drawn into this project on Biodiesel. I just had a fair idea about bio-fuel, but a discussion of about an hour or so was enough to make me more knowledgeable. Wow, isn’t it surprising that Biodiesel is renewable!But, before we ponder on its positives, let’s define what Biodiesel is? Biodiesel is an alternative to petroleum-based diesel fuel made from renewable resources such as vegetable oils, animal fats, or algae. It has very similar combustion properties to petroleum diesel, and can replace it in current uses. However, it is most often used as an additive to petroleum diesel, improving the otherwise low lubricity of pure ultra low sulfur petrodiesel fuel. It is one of the possible candidates to replace fossil fuels as the world's primary transportation energy source. Now, if you were too anxious to know these answers: It is environment friendly (almost zero emission to global warming), clean burning, requires no engine modifications, perhaps increases engine life, biodegradable and non-toxic, and easy to handle & store. Biodiesel has high cetane and lubricity and readily mixes with diesel. Since, it is a farm-fuel it provides ample employment opportunities in the rural areas. Certainly no fuel is perfect and Biodiesel doesn’t stand as an exception to this. It has certain negatives like: higher gel point, emission of NOx which contributes to smog, etc. But these don’t take any credit away from this wonderful alternative to the fossil fuels. Imagine what wonders Biodiesel can bring to the economies of the world that are battling out against the rise in global oil prices. Would Biodiesel come as a savior? Well, stupendous research work is going on in the field of Biodiesel, but the greatest issue is of mass scale production and commercialization. Various raw materials are being used to produce commercial Biodiesel: rapeseed, sunflower oil (Italy & France), soybean oil (USA & Brazil), palm oil (Malaysia), linseed, olive oil (Spain), cottonseed oil (Greece), beef tallow (Ireland), lard, used frying oil (Austria), Jatropha (India, Nicaragua South America), Guangi-Pi (China), etc. If one would like to question its acceptance, rest assured the top automobile majors are promoting Biodiesel (including Volkswagen, DaimlerChrysler), as also Shell, Texaco, ELF & Total. And the end-user just cannot wait for such a thing to commercialize. Pratibha seems to be working on Jatropha (Jatropha curcus, Ratanjot, wild castor) for commercial extraction of Biodiesel from its’ seeds. The plant seems to be growing in most diverse conditions and also found abundantly. She says this will bring immense employment opportunities in the rural areas, and may be able to bring down the prices of diesel once the commercial production is achieved. Internet search revealed that if 10 million hectares of wasteland is brought under Jatropha cultivation then it can yield 15 million tons of seeds which can provide 4 million tons of oil (needless to mention, 11 million tons of organic manure as a by-product). Biodiesel is here to stay: commercial Biodiesel Gas stations are on the rise, trains have already started to run on Biodiesel & tremendous amount of research is going on. The only thing that remains to be seen is that: Will the Science Textbooks rewrite diesel as “renewable source of energy” in times to come?

India Shining . . . . . but Outsourcing too !

Certainly the “India shining” slogan is a passé now. But something which has been overlooked in the backdrop of MNCs’ outsourcing to India is perhaps the very own domestic market. The Indian companies are also quick learners and are looking forward to outsourcing their IT infrastructure or services; as a means to cut-cost and concentrate on their core business operations. Indian IT majors heard the alarm bells when the mega giants like IBM, Accenture & EDS forayed into the Indian services market. But little did they do to shift their focus from the lucrative overseas market to the maturing domestic market.

History was made when Accenture struck major deal with Dabur, Hewlett-Packard with Bank of India and Ashok Leyland and IBM & Nokia with Bharti Televentures. The deals would be for a period of say 5-10 years and involves 100s and 1000s of million dollars. This proves that the Indian market has matured and domestic outsourcing provides a huge opportunity for vendors and service providers. But, the Indian IT Majors risk ceding this local opportunity to the global players.

Global research organizations and NASSCOM may be depicting rosy pictures about domestic outsourcing in the Indian context; but the billion dollar question is: how much prepared is the Indian counterpart to capitalize on the “home ground advantage”. Can they really get “On” to challenge IBMs’ “On Demand” model? A modest beginning has been made from the top Indian IT companies but still one fails to understand why they haven’t been able to clinch any such deals ahead of their foreign counterparts.