By Diana Rohini LaVigne / Special to India-West 

Berkeley, California—The Berkeley Asian Business Conference 2010 held Saturday at the Haas School of Business focused on the shift of the global center of gravity towards Asia. With several panels throughout the day, the conference was standing room only at many of the panel and keynote programs.

Keynote Lim Siong Guan, Group President for the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, spoke about Asian trends.  “One trend is sure. Asia is reemerging and I encourage you to take advantage of the opportunities that Asia offers.”  He spoke about the opportunities coming from three elements; rapid urbanization, the aging population in Asia, and the rapid growth of high-net worth individuals. Suggesting that everyone looking to tap these three markets, Guan feels strongly about the need for a ‘living lab’ in Asia before tapping them.

The India Forum was a highlight of the day featuring four highly successful Indian visionaries as panelists and focused on the paradigm shift of India from outsourcing to innovation.

Moderator Seth Freeman, the CEO for EM Capital Management and has been working in the Indian market for the past six years, started off talking about some of the more notable Indian innovations including Tata’s Nano and Reva, the new electric car.

Working on several projects including a mobile to mobile free service, Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia discussed the challenges of launching his new mobile venture in India due to legislative challenges but seemed optimistic about the future opportunities in India.

So where is the global innovation moving? Vivek Wadhwa, UC Berkley Visiting Scholar and Senior Research Associate at Harvard Law School, believed in the pharmaceutical industry that most of the innovation was happening in India. Wadhwa said,” There is a perception that innovation in India is only in traditional industries like technology, but many industries have their innovation and their R&D labs in India.”

He is seeing a lot of real start-ups, not just mom and pop shops, in India these days. “The magnitude of what is happening in India blows my mind,” said Wadhwa.

This begged the question about the lack of venture capital money going towards true start-ups in India and not just more mature mid-sized companies. Kanwal Rekhi, Managing Director at Inventus Capital and a founding father of TiE, offered, “Indian entrepreneurs don’t like to part with equity and can last longer than most companies without funding as they really understand how to bootstrap a company.”

Wadhwa noted that 9 out of 10 companies start with funds from family and friends, not venture capital.  Most companies only look towards venture capital funding when they want to take their company to the next level according to him.

India still presents many challenges for new and multinational companies but it seems corruption is not a major obstacle according to panelists. Panelist Dr. Prabhakant Sinha, Founder of ZS Associates, said, “Well, you don’t go to a vegetarian restaurant to order chicken. Which is to say that international companies are somewhat removed from the corruption cycle.  Locals don’t ask the multinationals to pay up.” He stated Infosys as one example of a multinational operating effectively in India without the burden of corruption knocking at their door.

But there are still challenges. For example, piracy still prevails in India. “In India, people think of software as coming for free and you pay only for hardware. This attitude must change in India.” Bhatia told the audience at the Asia Business conference.

Even with all the funding, Kanwal warned attendees that being an entrepreneur is really hard and told an example of a 40-year old man exclaiming he wanted to be an entrepreneur, and people responding with “What? Are you crazy?” Everyone seems to gives the entrepreneur a hard time in the beginning and throughout the process but when someone makes it big, everyone suddenly claims that they know you’d make it all along says Kanwal.

Whereas veteran entrepreneur Bhatia felt it was important to be in-country in order to build products for their desired market.  “You can’t just use a U.S. product or concept and put it in India and expect success. You must first adapt it to the emerging growth market specifically.” Bhatia said. He thinks students need emerging market experience to survive in today’s marketplace.

Wadhwa also hinted at the benefits of living in country. “You can’t solve some issues without living or spending significant time in India.  Silicon Valley is too focused on the next Facebook application, not true innovation.” Said Wadhwa.

The conference offered a variety of panels throughout the day-long program but did lack a strong Indian voice outside the India forum or Technology panel. Panels like Clean Technology, Consumer, Global Operations, and Finance had little representation for India despite India’s great influence in these areas.  Also under-represented were women at the conference with only one female speaker out of thirty-four speakers overall. But despite the lack of balance in these areas, the business conference presented plenty of up-to-date information that helped professionals and students alike to better understand the Asian market and opportunities.

By Diana Rohini LaVigne / Special to India-West

San Jose, Calif.—To a packed house at the California Theater in San Jose, the North American premiere of Semshook delighted film lovers at the 20^th anniversary of the Cinequest Film Festival 2010 which kicked off last week.  Indian soap star and upcoming host of “India’s Got Talent”, Roshni Chopra made an appearance to support her husband, Siddharth Anand Kumar who directed the film about one man’s journey in search of truth.

The film started us off in the intimate world of Tensin, an Indian-resident with Tibetan roots.  Being tired of not knowing who is really was, this young man sets off on a journey that ultimately turns into a journey towards himself.  His daily trials and mishaps, that lead him towards a stronger self awareness, range from being mugged, being forced to work at a petrol station to pay a debt, and spending time with a hippie-like drug induced group of guys who seemed to be without any care in the world.

During his main journey towards to Tibet which he believed held the truth for him, he met his Indian step mother and half-brother who his father ran off with in his own attempt to become more Indian and therefore less confused about his ethnic divide of being an Indian resident yet ethnically Tibetan.  His father left behind his most treasured possession before his death years prior to Tensin’s arrival; a photo of the Dali Lama.  Tensin becomes more determined to get to where he calls home, Tibet at all costs.  He is looking for freedom and the truth and after a near fatal motorcycle accident, almost starving to death and losing every possession he owned; he is arrested after crossing into China.  The soldiers torture him and ridicule him for desiring freedom. They claim they have freedom but Tensin becomes aware that freedom and truth has been with him all along.  The self realization allows him to be free, but this happens just before he meets a tragic turn of events.

The film’s cinematography was well executed and the locations around the Himalayas were exquisite on the big screen. Although some of the film’s themes seemed, at times, too repetitive, Semshook may have a wider audience given the abstract concept and underlying messaging might be less obvious to feature-film-only lovers. The director Kumar, writer Satyajeet Gazmer, and Producer Francisco Leria all stressed the importance of this film is in raising awareness for Tibetans living in India that don’t have full rights as citizens.

“Indians know very little about Tibet,” said Kumar. This is why he wanted to be involved with this film.

He added, “Tibetans have not been fully integrated into the Indian community. Life for Tibetans is very different than others.” He said there is nothing he knows of being done to change the attitudes. He couldn’t emphasis enough how important it is for as many people to see Semshook as possible.  They are in touch with many organizations including the Students to Free Tibet and are actively looking for champions to show the film and promote further discussion around its topic.
If you want more information on the film, visit them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Semshook/149184638462. For more information on the film festival, visit www.cinequest.org. 

By Diana Rohini LaVigne / Special to India-West

(Palo Alto, Calif.)—The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (ICC) held its 14^th annual awards banquet this past Saturday at Palo Alto’s Crowne Plaza Cabana Hotel to honor four Indo-Americans. Over 300 attendees joined the ICC leadership for an evening of authentic Indian cuisine by India Gate restaurant, a Bhangra dance performance, and a keynote speech by Clearstone Venture Director, Vish Mishra.

Mishra humbly took the stage, noting the company he was keeping that evening was notable and kept him wondering if he was at par with other special guests and speakers.  But his words about the Indian-American community didn’t fail to grab the attention of guests and commanded laughter off and on throughout the talk.  He reminded people how successful the community continued to be and noted that the 2.5 million Indian-Americans had both the highest income and the highest level of education compared to any other ethnic group in America. 

“We have kids that are smart, but not just in math and science. But also in art and music and more,” noted Mishra. Other community traits he mentioned included that the community tended to avoid sports where they can get really hurt; that if hurt, community members baby their selves excessively; they don’t bother others except for their very own families and friends; and that the community doesn’t depend on government handouts.

His professional advice was to find a role model and become a ‘student’ of that person. Figure out how to be like that person. Before ending the keynote speech, Mishra said, “ (If you want to build a good relationship with someone), you should offer them something of value and not ask for anything in return. You will do well if you do this.  Build the relationship first and be genuine in your offer and this approach to be successful.”

Banquet special guests included ICC President, Kishore Kripalani; Deputy Consul General, Kumar Tuhin; Palo Alto Mayor, Patrick Burt; and Los Altos Hills Mayor, Dean Warshawsky. Past president and banquet chair, Sucheta Kapuria handled much of the speaking and introductions.

Awards presented included:

Bipin Shah for Outstanding Community Service

Professor Thomas Kailath for Outstanding Professional Achievement

Shalini Saxena for Outstanding Contribution to Arts and Humanities

Late Krishan Kumar Batra, Ph. D. for Lifetime Achievement

By Diana Rohini LaVigne / Special to India-West

San Jose, Calif.—The South Asian Heart Center (SAHC) held its 2^nd annual gala “Scarlet Night” this past Saturday evening at the San Jose Convention Center which drew a crowd of over 700 attendees and raised $115,000.  The money raised goes towards supporting SAHC’s educational outreach, participant screening and individualized prevention planning and follow-up.  

Proceeds came from ticket sales, sponsorships, a silent auction, raffle, grants from 14 corporations, and over 700 individuals.  This year’s donations were double the amount of last year which was the first year it hosted the fundraiser.

Dressed to the nines, guests were treated to a cocktail reception; silent auction featuring high end items like a hand carved coconut splitter and a specialty wine collection; and a plethora of healthy Hors d’oeuvres. Guests had plenty of time to mingle at the reception prior to the formal speaking program in the main hall.

The gala committee held a highly organized and timely event that set the tone for a professional yet enjoyable evening. Sheetal Singhal and Sujatha Suresh, Co-Chairs and Executive Committee for SAHC’s gala, worked hard to achieve a successful fundraiser but also to produce an event that dazzled attendees. Their efforts paid off.

Featuring a healthy buffet dinner, heart jumping dance performances by Project Pulse and Sangeet Group, comedic relief by stand up comedian Nitin Kant and music by DJ Salim, SAHC did an excellent job creating a healthy environment to spread the word for their cause.

Special guest speakers for the evening included clinical professor of medicine for U.C. Davis and congressional candidate, Dr. Ami Beri who focused on the importance of health, not politics during his keynote.

According to SAHC’s executive director Ashish Mathur, The South Asian Heart Center started in 2006 as an initiative of the El Camino Hospital and in four years has become the leader in screening and coaching South Asians to reduce their risk of heart disease.  The Center has made presentations on metabolic syndrome at several conferences including the American College of Cardiology.  They hope to be recognized as a Center of Excellence and to extend their impact on the global South Asian population by providing ubiquitous access to heart disease assessment, launching high-touch primary prevention services through partnerships, and publishing research findings based on three years of metabolic, genetic, and behavioral trend data, and on the impact of the Center’s programs.

It is their aggressive ambitions that garnered SAHC commendations from the City of San Jose and County of Santa Clara for its efforts in trying to raise awareness for heart disease in the South Asian community. These commendations were formally presented at the gala.

“…they (South Asians) have to get more aware. Because a lot of South Asians are vegetarians, non drinkers and are slim, so they think they have no issue. And that is the ideal candidate to be having a heart attack,” said Meenu Mehta, who credits SAHC with saving her life and is an active advocate for their cause, to India-West.

Although most of the evening was purely social or focused on fundraising, SAHC allocated time to explain more about heart disease, its symptoms and how to get screened. If you are interested in a screening, please visit SAHC’s website at:  www.southasianheartcenter.org/getscreened.   

By Diana Rohini LaVigne / Special to India-West

On Sunday, guests and students producers were treated to a private reception at the Danville Village Theatre to acknowledge their work on a bicycle safety film. The Annual Street Smarts "Be Reel!" Video Contest encourages middle school students from throughout the San Ramon Valley to create 60-second public service announcement videos about traffic safety.  Ten videos were selected as finalists.

Finalists included: The Evil Rash Bikers produced and directed by Nitisha Baronia, Manasa Gujju, and Parushi Sharma, The Dream Bike produced and directed by Anvinash Jois, and Bicycle Distractions produced and directed by Liya Khan, Alexandra Yamada, Yumma Azizuddin and Madison Henry. Student director and producer, Danielle Morelan of Danville accepted the winning prize for the video Bicycle Safety: Dangerous Distractions.

The talented students used both humor and ‘scared straight’ techniques to convey that distractions while bike riding can be very dangerous. While some students were assigned to make the video via their school teachers, others spoke about their interest in film making or doing something creative.

Street Smarts was created in 2004 following the tragic deaths of three San Ramon Valley children in two separate traffic-related accidents. The San Ramon Valley community came together to create the Street Smarts program to educate the public about traffic safety.

In its first year, the Street Smarts Program launched efforts targeted to the elementary school population through a Poster Contest. The program expanded in 2005 to reach middle school students and in 2007, high school students. This video competition started in 2006. The mission of Street Smarts is to get citizens thinking about and working on traffic safety issues.  For more information on Street Smarts or their competition, please visit them online at www.street-smarts.com.

By Diana Rohini LaVigne / Special to India-West

(San Jose, Calif.) – Last week, the Indian Business and Professional Women’s(IBPW) 0rganization hosted its annual conference featuring a male keynote speaker for the first time in their history.  Keynote Dr. Marty Nemko, host of a career talk show on KGO-am and career coach, didn’t disappoint the audience by suggesting both some valuable and some highly controversial ways which women can stand out from the crowd.

Nemko provided a helpful 3-page handout of career advice complied from all his past keynote speeches and spent his time at the microphone going into details on key topics from the handout.

“Understand that the most important commodity these days, when everyone is working at least 60 hours, is time,” said Nemko. He offered suggestions on how to get the most out of every minute by evaluating how you spend your time closely.  “Do you really need to go to your distant cousin’s wedding in New York this weekend?” he quipped.

Although some of his advice seemed popular, other advice didn’t gain the primarily all-female audience’s support. “People with children shouldn’t expect any special provisions at work. There is a reason there is something called a ‘Mommy Track’,” Nemko offered.   IBPW Executive Director, Deepka Lalwani challenged him briefly at the end of his talk about his notions around advancement and women with children. The room grew silent during parts of his speech but it created lively debate and discussion following his talk. 

After a short break for snacks, the conference hosted a panel discussion called “Overcoming Setbacks and Regaining Happiness” featuring Kalpana Shyam, Rennu Dhillion, Sonu Ratra and Dhaya Lakshminarayanan.  This panel was uplifting and panelists spoke about the need to stay positive, understanding the role setbacks have in one’s life and how to expect the unexpected.

Talking about her first marriage and its ill-fated outcome, Dhillion was straightforward about her setbacks. “All the setbacks in my life were worth it,” said Dhillion, an award winning small business owner of Genuis Kids. “Today, I’m so proud of turning those (setbacks) around.”

But it was Shyam that stole the show by striking a serious cord with the women in the room.  Diagnosed with stage two breast cancer recently, she spoke about the need to take care of yourself first and foremost.  She has been leaning on friends at work to keep her position stable while she undergoes treatment for her cancer. Wrapped in a head scarf apparently used to cover her loss of hair, audience members couldn’t help but face her story head on.  She was bold in telling her story without any tears and explained how missing one monogram could be a fatal mistake.  She was upbeat and no doubt inspired women to schedule their exam in the near future. 

The final panel called “Leading in the Current Environment” was moderated by Dilip Saraf and included panelists Inderpreet Sawhuey and Shachi Patel.  Saraf gave a superb recap of the panelists’ topics by saying, “Success is overrated. Failure is underrated.”  He spoke about how failure can be just as rewarding as success and how we learn only from failure. Just after this brief panel discussion, the conference ended with round table discussions with the IBPW conference speakers.  It was there that the value of networking was apparent.  Women from around the Bay area connected with one another on work and personal issues and business card exchanging was a non-stop activity till the last audience members left the conference.

By Diana Rohini LaVigne / Special to India-West

(San Mateo, Calif.) May 22, 2011—Sunnyvale resident Nirav Patel’s invention was featured in one of the world’s most prestigious grassroots invention showcases, Maker Faire, this past weekend in San Mateo, Calif.

“I created a way to interface a Microsoft Kinect (system) to a RepRap Mendel 3D printer to quickly capture 3D models of people and print them out as well as to have gestural control (over) the 3D printer,” said Patel to India-West. “Creating 3D models is a project that has been done before, but was mostly un-documented and was not released to the public.  I felt the need to create a version of it that was publicly available.”

Patel, who was born in Connecticut with family roots in Gujarat, said he enjoys working on innovative projects and is in the process of developing some virtual reality related projects; but nothing that is public yet. Armed with a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon, he enjoys spending time reading science fiction and watching old movies for inspiration.  Patel, a software development engineer at a Bay Area based Fortune 500 Company, attributes his education for developing his interest in working on complex projects.

Maker Faire, having launched in 2006 in San Mateo, attracts top-notch celebrities such as this year’s television royalty, Dirty Jobs’ Mike Rowe and Myth Busters' Adam Savage. Savage spoke about talk about inspiration and innovation while Rowe, whose own website mikeroweWORKS.com promotes hard work, dropped in for an impromptu chat with makers and fabricators from around the country.  Maker Faire is also very kid-friendly by design with numerous kids’ stations and DIY zones around the faire grounds. Getting kids excited about science and technology and meeting fellow inventors seemed to be the over-reaching initiative of this two-day showcase.

For contact information of Nirav Patel and some of his older inventions, please see his website at http://eclecti.cc. For Maker Faire information, visit www.makerfaire.com.