Do your best today Friends, I would like to share with you a great message given by my teacher from Kalidasa's Shakuntalam 2000 years ago. Look to this day! For it is life, the very life of life. In its brief course Lie all the verities and realities of your existence; The bliss of growth The glory of action Splendor of achievement, For yesterday is but a dream And tomorrow is only a vision, But today well lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness And tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well, therefore to this day! Such is the salutation to the dawn. Every day is very important in a student's life. If you do the best today, you will harvest the best. Next, you should also build confidence. When I was in the 5th standard, many of us used to get less than 40 marks in mathematics. My maths teacher evolved a method of teaching and creation of confidence for the whole class. He conducted a class and gave us an exercise of 10 problems. In that exercise, more than 90% of the class including me, got 100 out of 100. That day onwards our mathematics performance improved. Only after a few years we realized that our teacher injected confidence in us, to feel that "I can do it". To succeed in life each of you has to cultivate the confidence that "I can do it", then the nation will build the confidence that "we can do it".
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NOVEMBER 28, 2007
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Climbing to the top demands strength, whether it is to the top of Mount Everest or to the top of your career.
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IT’S POSSIBLE
16,400 LIVES SAVED EMRI becomes a life-line for thousands By Anantha Krishnan M
THE STORY SO FAR
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hat better human service can one do than saving lives? Well, that's exactly what Hyderabad-based Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI) has been doing for the last two years. And, as this piece goes on to the web, EMRI has so far saved 16,400 lives and still counting. Thanks to the vision of Mr B. Ramalinga Raju, founder and Chairman of Satyam Computers and Mr Venkat Changavalli, CEO, EMRI, today the movement has become a life-line for thousands of accident victims. This Emergency Response Service operates via a toll-free number 108. "EMRI is a non-profit organization and has the distinction of being India's largest provider of free pre-hospital care under the public-private partnership mode. We are currently operating in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat and are all set to expand nationally very soon," Mr Venkat Changavalli told billion beats. "The process of Sense, Reach and Care is a novel approach to rapidly provide pre-hospital care to those in need. Technology and empathy form the cornerstone of the service," Mr Venkat said. Technology enables the caller to access the toll-free number unhindered and also provides information regarding the location of the caller and the field ambulance to
Ramalinga Raju
Venkat Changavalli
optimize response time. "It is the empathy that the ambulance crew and the staff including medical personnel at the call centre exhibit that translates into a rush of joy every day after successful completion of a call," he added. HOW IT WORKS?
z Emergency victim/helper dials 108. z Sense: Communication Officer (CO) collects facts, Dispatch Officer (DO) scopes emergency and assigns strategically located vehicle (ambulance/police/fire) z Reach: Vehicle(s) reach the site within short notice.
JOIN THE PARTY Have a success story to share? An inspiration that can be imbibed? We welcome short contributions from you along with a passport-size photo, complete name, mailing address and phone number. Write in at
billionbeats@gmail.com
THIS IS A 3-PAGE ISSUE
z Saved 16,400 lives z Received 5,84,000 emergency calls out of 7.8 million calls z 95% calls answered in two rings z Types of emergencies (Medical: 94%, Police: 5%; Fire: 1%) z Types of Medical emergencies: Injuries - 34%, Pregnancy - 17%, Suicide/Poisoning - 6% Cardiac 4%, Respiratory - 3%, Stroke - 5%, Animal Bite - 3 z Average time taken to reach hospital from the time of call - 38 minutes z Care: Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) provides prehospital care while transporting patient/victim to appropriate hospital for stabilization. z Emergency Response Centre Physician (ERCP) supports CO, DO, EMT, patient and hospital admission. EMRI swears by its values which are: involving people, applying knowledge and making things happen. Its vision: To provide leadership and to respond to one million calls a day, and to save one million lives a year nationally by 2010. All this, meeting global standards in Emergency Management and Research and Training. Team billion beats will bring you updates on this noble mission. Visit http://www.emri.in for more details.
Dr Kalam interacts with over a lakh of youngsters during ‘Lead India 2020 Movement’ at Karim Nagar in Andhra Pradesh on November 14. The new e-paper billion beats was also launched on the occasion.
INDIA OF MY DREAMS
I want a corruption-free India was shocked to find India ranked 88th in the list of ICorruption least corrupt countries (according to the TI 2005 Perceptions Index which surveyed 159
countries published in ManoramaYearbook 2007). Corruption, which is no less than a social evil like Sati, has no place in the India of My Dreams. And to make this dream a reality, corruption has to be removed soon. Although it looks quite tough, I believe that this can be achieved with the help of youth. One important step towards removing corruption is the new Political Science (Class XI and X) syllabus of NCERT and I am glad that this will ensure at least a corruption-free future workforce. Further, corrupt people must be exposed, which has been done beautifully in the above mentioned textbooks. Shaumik Daityari, Class 10, Delhi Public School, Duliajan, Assam India of My Dreams is open to schoolchildren. Shoot off your thoughts along with a passport-size photograph to: billionbeats@gmail.com
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NOVEMBER 28, 2007
Spreading Bangalore sunshine in Salzburg By Vinaya Hegde ornings in Bangalore are a lovely mix of M lacy wisps of fog, hot filter coffee and RJ Vasanthi Hariprakash of Radio City 91.1 FM
wishing you an exuberant Good Morning on her breakfast show Good Morning, Bangalore. Bangalore's Sunshine Girl (yes, that's what she's been dubbed for cheering up the city every morning) will be spreading some of this sunshine in Salzburg, Austria in the first week of December: She is the only Indian among the 50-odd young achievers chosen from across the globe for the 'Salzburg Young Global Leaders’ Summit' which aims "to envision how the world should look by 2030". "I am grateful to journalist Sakuntala Narasimhan for mentoring me for the seminar. I am both humbled and thrilled… I will hopefully make India proud," says Vasanthi. Vasanthi, who was a mainstream journalist (Chief Sub-Editor with the Indian Express Group, Bangalore) strayed into the world of radio quite by accident. She walked into the Radio City studios as a guest: as the Bangalore co-ordinator of the Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI), she was being interviewed on World Press Freedom Day. Not long after that, she found herself on the other side of the mike, so to speak, in the same studios! A short stint at freelance RJ-ing at AIR helped. Among her fans is Mr N. R. Narayana Murthy, Chief Mentor, Infosys. Says Mr Murthy: "I listen to her shows whenever I can. I observe that even on a busy primetime radio show, she has created spaces to introduce topics of relevance such as consumer issues, women's health issues and social concerns such as opportunities to care for underprivileged children. I notice that she has a genuine desire to make a difference to the he moon has always trigT gered a feeling of awe and evoked a sense of curiosity
among people all over the world, particularly Indians. In April 2008, it will not be the same moonrise over India. At night, when the people of this country look at the sky and observe our closest satellite, it will be with a sense of pride; the reason — India will hopefully be on the moon joining the US and Russia. An Indian orbiter will be flying around the moon at an altitude of 100 km above the lunar surface, and what more a 29-kg instrument known as the moon impact probe — an idea suggested by former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam —would have landed on the moon. India's much awaited maiden voyage to the moon, designated as 'Chandrayaan-1', was announced by former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee during his independence day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15 2003, and was given the green signal by the government in November 2003. In Sanskrit 'Chandrayaan' means moon craft. The man who has been entrusted with the challenging task of taking India to the moon is very humble person, Mylaswamy Annadurai. The mission is slated for lift off either on April 9 or April 23, 2008 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. During launch, the distance between the earth and the moon will be three lakh km. The flying
D A R L I I N G O N A I R S ET T O S T O R M Y O U N G G LO B A L L E A D E R S ’ M E ET
Vasanthi, adjudged best english RJ in India, works for Radio City 91.1 FM.
world around her. She has the power to mould the opinion of over 2 million listeners through her radio show. Her unique style of anchoring has helped her connect one-to-one with the cosmopolitan crowd of Bangalore and has lent dignity to the show." It was therefore no surprise when she won the latest award for Radio Excellence given
I listen to Vasanthi’s shows whenever I can. I notice that she has a genuine desire to make a difference to the world around her. She has the power to mould the opinion of over 2 million listeners through her radio show. N.R. Narayana Murthy, Chief Mentor, Infosys
by the India Radio Forum as the best English RJ in the entire country. She was also among the four RJs chosen by her organization for a study tour in London to study best practices in the UK radio world. With being constantly told she's the best in the profession, how does she guard against a sense of déjà vu, of having been there, done that, of feeling, 'I've achieved it all… now what?' Vasanthi quickly waves this thought away with a "Oh no! I am constantly critical of myself. And I am constantly competing against myself since I don't measure myself against anyone. That way, there is no room for complacency." Like her namesake Basanti of Sholay, Vasanthi is a chatterbox. But is she ever at a loss for words? "Oh yes," she says. "When there's admiration on air. When a listener gushes over you, you really don't know what to say without sounding conceited or cold…" What is the source of her (by now legendary!) energy? "Simple: I love what I do. I get a thrill out of it every single day." Considering that a day has only 24 hours, how does she cope with an early morning show, home life and a hectic social life? "My mother Vaidehi, husband Hariprakash and 10-year-old son Aniruddh Kaushik take care of the home front," she grins. "The rest is easy. And all the technology around has made life easier." Where does she see herself a few years from now? Vasanthi is philosophic. "I had never dreamt that I would come this far. And I don't know where the Power Above will take me. All I know is that there is Someone up above there, holding my hand, showing me the way." Amen. Vasanthi can be contacted at
vasanthih@myradiocity.com
MOON WALK S PA C E TA L K By Srinivas Laxman Space Talk will be a regular feature capturing success stories from the skies. Aimed at creating awareness on our space programmes amongst youngsters, you can make this column interactive and update yourselves on the latest happenings out there. time between the earth and the moon will be about a fortnight. During take-off the weight of the spacecraft will be 1304 kg and the rocket will be an upgraded version of the highly-proven four-stage Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. Critics of the prestigious moon mission repeatedly ask why a poor country like India should go to the moon when Russia, the US and Europe have already landed on the lunar surface. The answer is that 'Chandrayaan-1', will carry out scientific studies on those areas which have so far not been examined either by the US or Russia. If it succeeds it is sure to be rated as one of the greatest scientific achievements of India, making every true Indian proud of this nation. The primary role of 'Chandrayaan-1', is scientific study of the moon with the help of 11 instruments —six from abroad and five from India. Of
the six foreign payloads, two are from NASA, three from the European Space Agency and one from Bulgaria. The mission will attempt to locate water and identify Helium-3, which if mined and brought to earth, can provide electricity for several years. The data from the lunar orbiter will be first relayed to the newlyestablished Deep Space Network, off the Bangalore-Mysore highway in a tiny village called Byalalu. From here it will be transmitted to ISRO's telemetry, tracking and command centre at Bangalore. The scientific data will be given for analysis to the Indian Space Science Data Centre which is located at the command centre. According to the Indian Space Research Organisation, the Rs 386-crore project will provide a lot of opportunities to the younger generation as it will give a strong thrust to basic science and also encourage young-
sters to get involved in fundamental research. Those participating in the moon mission will find it intellectually rewarding. In the US, during the Apollo lunar mission between 1969 and 1972, students' scores in maths and physics shot up and many took up science courses. This is what the government of India hopes to achieve through the Indian moon mission. The Indian lunar programme is expected to provide an impetus for more ambitious planetary explorations. On November 16, an Indian mission to Mars was incorporated into ISRO's 11th plan. ISRO officials say that India just cannot afford to lag behind in the race to the moon, considering that Japan and China have already launched lunar missions. In fact by 2020, both of them hope to embark on a manned mission. ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair, has been quoted as saying that the space agency will initiate feasibility about a human landing on the moon by India towards the end of 2008. 'Chandrayaan-1' will be followed by 'Chandrayaan-2', in 2011-2012. This will carry a rover which is to be jointly developed by India and Russia. The writer is a Special Correspondent with The Times of India, Mumbai and is the author of the book Dr Abdul Kalam: Dreams to Reality. You can reach him at: moonmission.srinivas@gmail.com
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I think Dr Kalam's brain is becoming younger as his body is getting older! I like his innovative ideas which inspire young Indians to think and act in positively. I hope billion beats will imprint the positive image of our great country on young Indian brains unlike other news papers. - Dr. K. Prahlad Rao As an idea this epaper is fantastic. In terms of implementation, I think there is a lot that needs to be done. Internet penetration in our country, especially broadband is very low. So this epaper is not going to reach millions who should be reading it, especially if this is to be a vehicle to help bridge the urbanrural divide. You have to find ways to deliver physical copies to a majority. Secondly, language is key. Even as an epaper, there is merit in translating it into other languages. A network (social, physical, educational) has to be created that will ensure that this publication reaches the relevant audiences. Sure, all this will cost and you might have to seek sponsorships. - Milind I am thoroughly impressed with billion beats. I am a Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon. I was the Former Head and Additional Professor of the Department of Paediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children which is the largest children's hospital in South East Asia. Now I am the Head of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at K J Hospital Research and Postgraduate Centre, Chennai. Reading through billion beats, I was filled with hopes for a better India. My only regret is that I am not in my schooldays. Yet I have the satisfaction that I belong to the era of an India soon after its independence, its great men, its tribulations and sorrows and, its growth in spite of all. It is intensely gladdening to see that we have a leader again who can harness the magnificent power of the youth of India. Do we also have a role in this onward march? - Dr P S Sreemathi Today's youth spend a lot of their time on social networking sites. May I suggest that you upgrade your site with blogs, wikis and chat. This will be a great platform for youth to interact on issues of national importance. Please program your software to "auto-e-mail" the e-paper to all MPs and MLAs. - Dr. Shankara Prasad billion beats was the best gift for the young generation on Nov 14. I wish it would reach each and every youngster, cutting across caste, creed and geographical boundaries. But I am sorry for those who don't have Net facility. - Ila Sengupta I suggest you ask school and college principals to make billion beats a compulsory read in their institutions. Jai Hind. - Varun Yadav I thought true newspapers are just a mirage of mind. Fake, impossible and hard to find. But after I read billion beats I tend to believe that heart exists in real and beats in me. My deep regards for the one who has given such a noble thought and evolved India's first youth motivating newspaper. - Amrita Nawal Awesome e-paper! I hope it expands to more than one page and a complementary copy is delivered to all our MPs and MLAs (and it be made sure that they read it!) - Saurav Ghoshal When Dr Kalam's tenure as President of India came to an end I was very upset as I felt my connectivity with a great visionary had come to an end. With billion beats it feels like the flow of blood which had stopped has started again. - Rita Som It's a great idea. But please make sure it's circulated to grass-roots level as well. Let real India read it. It can be a vital tool for making India a world power by 2020. - Himanshu Jagga Live for oneself, one's neighbourhood and for the whole country, and see how we lead the world. - Archana Schoolkids who are exposed to the internet, should be guided to acquire useful knowledge instead of simply browsing the Net and playing games. I hope billion beats will help. - K.Sairam It is indeed great to have a newspaper bereft of any ugly and unpleasant news. Could you add a 'subscribe' suffix to it so that the paper automatically lands in the mailbox if we subscribe? - Prashant Sonwaney
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Billion Beats A nation of billion brilliance, Beats in unison for a want. Desire to guide and be guided, Desire to flourish, and, be cherished. “Dream India”, summoned the voice, “Dare to dream”, is now your choice. Dreams are latent visions, of today… Let’s awaken dreams, for tomorrow. May your dreams be your vision, May your vision be your mission, May your mission remain your vision. May your vision inspire your reason. Billion beats nurtures the vision, Annunciating unsung heroes is the mission. Chronicle to read and comprehend, Comprehend to inspire and be inspired.
Deepa Govind hails from Chennai and is a Virtual Assistant.
This will give a proper platform to youth to utilize their talents as well as to realize dreams. It is good that you have not given any place for politics, crime and negative stories. - Hridayananda Gogoi My suggestion is to circulate hard copies of billion beats to villages in India. India's villages should have a taste of these success stories and be inspired by them. Then we can see Vision 2020 very soon. - Vijay Kumar Duvvada I am a student of BE III year of Instrumentation Engg from the Institute of Technology & Management, Gwalior. I am very happy to see such an e-paper in our motherland with so much of motivation and dedication for us youth. India is country of vast richness of culture and tradition. We have also produced so many science wonders as well, for example Eka, the super computer developed by the Tata group, which is the fastest in Asia and fourth fastest in the whole world. But India and some of the parts of India are defamed. This not because of any outsider, rather this is due to us only. How can we expect any outsider to respect our motherland if we do not respect it? No outsider will make this country developed; it is our pious duty to make this country developed and prosperous. - Rishu Anand
This sketch was emailed to us by Vasantha Hosabettu, a freelance caricaturist. Contributions from artists on non-political subjects of national interest are welcome.
NOVEMBER 28, 2007
GREAT RESPONSE TO E-PAPER
Salam India, we heard your billion beats... By Anantha Krishnan M & V. Ponraj
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ne email every minute. Every mail packed with thoughts on taking India forward. From the time billion beats went live on www.abdulkalam.com it has been an avalanche of email to our ID: billionbeats@gmail.com. To be honest to lakhs of our readers online, we are still struggling to find a mechanism to sift through all the emails. So, what did India write? Well, India wrote with delight, pain, happiness, disappointment and hope. And, we at billion beats are keen to latch on to your hopes and take this mission forward. While we are overwhelmed by the response that we received in the last two weeks, it’s also a huge responsibility thrust upon us. A responsibility to be part of your dreams. Your voice. Your hope. Finally, we all head towards the same destination -- a developed and self-sufficient nation that celebrates the success of every Indian. An email urged team billion beats to mail copies to politicians so that they become aware of what’s happening in the country. But then, our aim is not to take on the system or its administrators. We are and we shall remain a platform that will portray the billion faces of India. Their strengths and success stories will be the fodder for billion beats. Through this initiative we aim to create networks between people. We will make people talk and meet. We will make people react and express. We will make people contribute tirelessly to make India a power to reckon with. It’s a huge challenge. But fear not the challenge, as challenge often gifts failure and failure often gives birth to seeds of success. And, success seals strength. Through strength you grow, and when you grow the Nation moves. Ever since billion beats hit the web, a cross-section of Indians who have excelled in various fields have got in touch asking us how they can join this new initiative. It’s virtually impossible for us to reply to all. At the same time we are keen to hold the bold billion together. It will be a good idea to form network groups of scientists, students, IT professionals, engineers, teachers, agriculturists, musicians, journalists, artists, performing artistes, sports stars and the like. You can use billion beats to give shape to this idea. Once specific network groups are formed, we could think of Plan-B. Hope you all have taken note of the catchline of billion beats. The catchline is: It’s Possible. It’s your paper. And, YOU take the call. (billionbeats@gmail.com)
billion beats is designed and uplinked to www.abdulkalam.com from Bangalore every fortnight. Chief Editor Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, National Affairs Editor Anantha Krishnan M, Content Editor V. Ponraj, Copy Curator Vinaya Hegde, Data Coordinator Neelima V, Creative DesignV. Jayaprakash, Stills Robert, INSPIRATION The Bold Billion