The Publication wing of Public Relations Council of India released its first professional book “Communication Perspectives” on 21st Oct 2020 at the Century club in the midst of B.R.Lakshman Rao, the renowned Author, who inaugurated the publication wing. Shri. Shivayogi C. Kalasad, IAS, Managing Director , KSRTC released the first copy in the presence of esteemed Media persons and. Dr. K. R. Venugopal, Vice Chancelor, Bangalore University presided the function.
This book has been mainly brought out to highlight the immense literary knowledge and practical case studies available in the Indian PR sector and henceforth reducing our dependency on Foreign Source and material.
Speaking at the function Mr B.R. Lakshman Rao said “PRCI is imparting knowledge in an informative society. Literature is also a form of communication and PRCI can join hands by stretching its activities”.
Shri. Shivayogi C. Kalasad, IAS, Managing Director, KSRTC said “ Information overload has led to unnecessary trends, which has to be tackled with sensible Communication and PRCI has a big role to make it meaningful”. Dissemination of right information at right time and responsible information is the need of the day, that’s where the role PR comes in.
Mr. M. B. Jayaram, Chairman, Emeritus, PRCI said “It’s yet another milestone in the history of PRCI and our publications are going to be a reference material for future learning in the domain of Public Relations’’.
S. Narendra, the Editor- in – Chief remarked “PRCI has begun a new journey in to the key area of publishing books and let this initiative continue successfully”.
Dr Venugopal said “PR Industry is changing rapidly and we hope diversity in communication with ethics and standardized writing will continue to be the crux of Education”.
G.N.Mohan , the Associate Editor and publisher of the book remarked “In the globalisation era technological advances has led to more concentrated informative society. But mere information is not knowledge. So PRCI through such publications can impart knowledge in an informative society.”
Dr. Latha.T.S , Chairperson, Bangalore Chapter, was the spokesperson of the entire event.
The function was attended by elite PR practitioners, Press and general public
● Assured buyback of INR 85,000* for the Ather 450X at the end of 3 years
● Also improves purchase-enabling & ownership solutions for the Ather 450X
● Price of the Ather 450 Plus slashed
Bengaluru, 20th October 2020: Ather Energy is introducing a first-of-its-kind program in the EV category in India, an ‘Assured Buyback’ program for the Ather 450X. Ather Energy is guaranteeing a buyback for the Ather 450X at INR 85,000*, at the end of 3 years.
One of India’s few “Make in India” EV manufacturers, Ather Energy has built its own li-ion battery packs and an overall robust platform in the Ather 450 product line. The reliability of the product line has been tested since 2018 in Bengaluru & later in Chennai, and on seeing the high consistency in performance, Ather Energy has launched a unique buyback plan. The high reliability of the product will ensure that the scooters will command a strong value in the resale market, as witnessed by existing owners of Ather 450.
The buyback program is another bold move from Ather Energy, in it’s endeavor to accelerate EV adoption in the country. With initiatives like Ather Grid, EV focussed experience centres and a highly engaged owner Forum, Ather Energy has gone much beyond building just scooters.
Aside from the new buyback program, Ather Energy has also improved some of the purchase enabling solutions for the launch of Ather 450X. Post the success of the lease model in Bengaluru and Chennai, Ather Energy will be extending the same for the Ather 450X across all cities. The model allows the customers to access a fully loaded Ather 450X at a lower price point & a nominal monthly fee. In the current economic context, this might be significant for a segment of customers who are unwilling to opt for a full purchase.
To reduce the overall cost of ownership of the Ather 450X, Bengaluru consumers can exchange their old petrol ICE 2-wheeler and others can opt for low interest rate loans from multiple partners that Ather Energy has tie-ups with. Ather Energy has also reduced the ex-showroom price of the Ather 450 Plus model, which can now be purchased at INR 139,990.
Ather’s subscription plans have also been revised and made more flexible in order to match the usage of the consumer. The plans now offer 4 independent packs that the customer can choose from based on their usage, now starting at INR 125 per month. These include Ather Connect Lite (for all basic connected features), Ather Connect Pro, Ather Service Lite (periodic maintenance, RSA &labour) and Ather Service Pro (premium service experience). Meanwhile, charging at public charging points, Ather Grid, will be free until March 2021.
Quote by Tarun Mehta, Co-founder & CEO, Ather Energy: “Our faith in our product line has allowed us to create innovative solutions to make the switch to electric, easier – whether it is purchase or ownership. We believe Ather Energy’s electric scooters are going to have a fantastic value for years and will keep improving with new features which we will roll out as over the air upgrades. And to strengthen that assurance we are announcing a resale guarantee.”
*For details and terms of the Assured Buyback Program, please visit www.atherenergy.com
Earth Tatva is an invention by Shashank Nimkar, of National Institute of Design; Ahmedabad
Earth Tatva is made under zero-waste manufacturing process, adhering to the principles of circular economy; and supports United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 12
Central Glass & Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI) has reported Earth Tatva to be 35% stronger than traditional ceramics
New Delhi, September 22, 2020
The industrial revolution heralded an era of technological progress, giving rise to many innovations that have contributed to world today being a global marketplace. Through large scale manufacturing, the present system has not only brought material comfort unimaginable to previous generations, but also made technology accessible and affordable.
However, the current manufacturing process, which relies on raw materials that cannot be reused, and leads to a lot of waste; is not sustainable for either businesses, or the environment.
Waste and pollution are by products of decisions taken the design stage.
This year’s Indian national James Dyson Award winner Shashank Nimkar, from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad; has attempted solve this problem with his invention – Earth Tatva.
Earth Tatva is inspired by the concept of circular economy, where waste is seen as a design flaw, and the focus is on developing mono-material that can be recycled for multiple production cycles under closed-loop zero-waste manufacturing.
The Earth Tatva is a unique material composition that reduces mining for natural resources by up to 60% through recycling of post-industrial fired ceramic waste. This unique material composition is made under zero-waste manufacturing process, adhering to the principles of circular economy; also supporting United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 12) of ensuring sustainable and responsible consumption and production patterns.
For Earth Tatva, Shashank procures the pulverized form of post-industrial ceramic rejects called ‘grog’, from the surrounding production cluster, which forms the major portion of the raw material (between 60% – 70%), and virgin clay. This virgin clay acts as a natural binder that helps in giving shape to the grog. As clay naturally converts to ceramics after the firing process, this essentially is like working with a mono-material, which is a huge advantage while upcycling or recycling a material. Using casting method, called ‘slip-casting’, this material can then be mould into any shape and size. The high proportion of grog means that the composition has a quicker drying cycle increasing its production yield, and also uses lesser energy to fire. It matures at 1120 °C where virgin materials matures at 1220 °C.
The Central Glass & Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI), a national research institute under Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India (Ministry of Science and Technology), has reported Earth Tatva to be 35% stronger than traditional ceramics; and hence doing more and better with less.
27 year old Shashank says, “I have always been fascinated by the idea of turning waste into a valuable resource. While working on design solutions, I often wonder what happens to the products & materials at their end of life. On this project, I kept asking myself how I can add shared value from the inside & not just from a functional or aesthetic point of view. That is how the idea of a universal material was conceived against making a product. Since day one, the aim was to make a closed-loop material that can be incorporated in a zero-waste manufacturing process.”
“One ancient material that has been used by mankind in a linear operation is clay. Archeology has shown us that ceramics don’t biodegrade for centuries. Earth Tatva is a unique material composition that turns post-industrial ceramic waste into a universal reusable material.”
Winning the national leg of the James Dyson Award will inject £2,000 (approx. INR190,000) into the Earth Tatva project.
A member of the external jury, Mr Srijan Pal Singh, CEO and Co-Founder of Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam Centre, a non-profit organization, said: “The human mind has unparalleled capacity to solve critical challenges. Some of the most innovative products around us were made in some of the most critical times. Hence it is of great value to give platforms for innovations to be showcased and supported – that is what the James Dyson Award provides. When I carefully went through all the entries, I found it very encouraging that the participants thought compassionately and solution centric focusing on how their idea can independently and sustainability improve human life.”
Previously, Shashank and Earth Tatva has also received numerous other accolades. It was recognized as circular economy pioneer by Ellen MacArthur Foundation, London, it has received the REX Karmaveer Chakra Award, and was adjudicated as the winner for Sustainability by Design, Indus University. Earth Tatva was also one of the finalists at TIP Summit, Abu Dhabi; and at the Green Product Awards, Munich.
Shashank is currently working towards converting the Earth Tatva project into a start-up, and has received numerous inquiries from various individuals and production units about this innovation. “These tableware products are in demand with the environmentally-conscious hospitality businesses. The businesses who want to serve their guests while operating on a low carbon footprint and the ones serving organic food items have shown interest to use these recycled ceramic wares. I am also in talks with designers and architects known for their sustainable and unique approach towards their work who have shown interest to use this material for their projects,” he said.
This year, The James Dyson Awards India received 241 entries, out of which 93 entries were shortlisted basis their adherence to the submission parameters, and shared with the submission parameters, and shared with the members og Jury
The Runners Up
For runners-up, there was a tie between the team from Indian Institute of Technology Madras (Chennai); that submitted their invention Cube; and the team from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad; for their entry Drishti.
Cube
Problem: Unfortunately, around 285 million people globally and 40 million people in India have either a partial; or a complete visual impairment. Absence of a compact, all-in-one device for blind useful for both navigation and faster communication (major issues) because of low field of view (while using a single camera) and slow response of current systems (Orcam) pushed the team from IIT madras to understand the detailed requirements of the visually challenged, and work towards a solution.
Solution: CUBE is a compact assistive device that fits into a smartphone port to help the blind self-navigate through space, recognise people and objects with the help on an additional camera, as well as type, learn & read braille with tiny refreshable braille cells.
Team Members: Sundar Raman P, Adil Mohammed, Shivam Maheshwari, Andrea Elizabeth Biju Pictures here: https://we.tl/t-HGU0W3LmU5
Drishti.
Problem: The monetary transaction is heavily vision dependent, and something that is often taken for granted. But for the visually impaired, this simple task of the transaction of money is not so straightforward, and which is where the team from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad tries to find a solution and allow them to perform this task with ease.
Solution: Drishti is a product, designed to empower the visually challenged to identify the Indian currency note on their own. Through the combination of the width of the template to the height of the template, a person can identify any one of the 12 notes that are currently in current circulation.
To view all the entries to James Dyson Award 2020, you can click here.
James Dyson Award
The competition is open to student inventors with the ability and ambition to solve the problems of tomorrow. Winning solutions are selected by Sir James Dyson and show ingenuity, iterative development and commercial viability. With students from 27 markets and regions now competing, the award is set to welcome new approaches to a broader range of global issues than ever before.
Since the competition first opened fifteen years ago, the iconic inventor has already contributed over £1m to championing boundary-breaking concepts. To help finalists to develop their novel idea, each year the International winner is awarded £30,000, and National winners in each participating region receive £2,000. Unlike other competitions, participants are given full autonomy over their intellectual property. New for 2020, Sir James has introduced another international prize: the Sustainability winner, who will also receive £30,000 in prize money.
The James Dyson Award forms part of a wider commitment by Sir James Dyson, to demonstrate the power of engineers to change the world. The Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology, the James Dyson Foundation and James Dyson Award embody a vision to empower aspiring engineers, encouraging them to apply their theoretical knowledge and discover new ways to improve lives through technology and design engineering.
The New Guinness World Record for Most Diamonds Set in One Ring is achieved by Kotti Srikanth, Owner of The Diamond Store by Chandubhai (A unit of Hallmark Jewellers)
Total 7,801 natural diamonds used in one ring
Bengaluru, 19th October, 2020: The New Guinness World Record for Most Diamonds Set in One Ring is achieved by Kotti Srikanth, Owner of The Diamond Store by Chandubhai (A unit of Hallmark Jewellers) in Hyderabad. A total of 7,801 natural diamonds have been used in curating the ring named ‘The Divine – 7801 Brahma Vajra Kamalam’. The Ring has been unveiled today at their store. This is the first Guinness World Record in Jewellery achieved in South India.
The name of the ring is inspired from Brahma Kamalam, a rare Flower found in the Himalayas which is considered sacred and also has medicinal properties. Diamond is called as Vajra in Sanskrit and Telugu. The flower was chosen as design of The Divine Ring as it is a common offering for worship in the most natural and purest form. The ring was conceptualized in September 2018 and it took about 11 months of dedicated artistic effort and craftsmanship for its completion. It has a total of six layers, out of which five layers have eight petals each and the sixth layer has six petals with three pollens in the centre.
The submission to Guinness World Records was done in August 2019. After several rounds of verification and evidence exchange, in September 2020, the Guinness World Records awarded the “Most Diamonds Set in One Ring.” The Guinness World Records authority were clear that the diamonds used must be Conflict Free Natural Diamonds. Given the legacy, that was not a big challenge and all proofs were submitted right from the Mine to the Ring.
The creator of the Ring, Mr Kotti Srikanth says, “I am very honoured and thankful to the Guinness World Records for recognizing my passion to create unique pieces of art in jewellery. It gives me immense pleasure to get awarded at the global level for the masterpiece that I created. This is a big milestone for us. We wish to share this success by auctioning the ring to patrons.”
Kotti Srikanth is an expert jewellery designer with Diploma in Manual designing, Diploma in Computer Aided Jewellery Design from Indian Institute of Jewellery, Mumbai, an MBA from Osmania University, he is also a Certified Diamond Graduate from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). He attributes his love for Jewellery to his father, Mr. Chandraprakash, under whom he has worked and learned the nuances of the trade.
The incidence of early menopause has increased by 5-10% in recent years
Bengaluru / October 17, 2020 – Unnecessary hysterectomies being performed on young women in the country are leading to early onset of menopause and osteoporosis at a very early age, said Dr. Vidya V Bhat, the well-known Laparoscopic Surgeon and Fertility Specialist who is the Medical Director of RadhaKrishna Multispecialty Hospital, Bengaluru, in the run-up to the World Osteoporosis Day.
An alarming number of women today, especially in rural communities, are undergoing hysterectomy. They are getting their uterus removed surgically even in cases where the organ can be saved by opting for other medical options. Hysterectomy has in fact become the second most common surgery in women today in India after caesarean delivery. A significant number of hysterectomies done in the country are unnecessary and even unethical, said Dr. Vidya Bhat.
Dr. Vidya Bhat added: “In India, 6% of all women aged 30-49 years have undergone hysterectomy. While in Karnataka, the figure is 5.4%, in Andhra Pradesh, it is as high as 16.6%. Women, mostly from poor socio-economic backgrounds, are often coaxed into hysterectomy with the fear of cancer. In many instances, it is inappropriately recommended as the first line of treatment for minor gynaecological issues. Women without a uterus age faster. Their ovarian reserve declines and they experience early onset of menopause and symptoms of osteoporosis at an early age. Many alternative methods of treatment to hysterectomy today exist, including oral remedies, hormonal injections for excessive menstrual bleeding, and removal of just the fibroid and not the entire uterus. So women should avoid going for hysterectomy as far as possible.”
Dr. Vidya Bhat said: “The incidence of early menopause has increased by 5-10% in recent years due to causes like early hysterectomy, the fad of crash dieting, smoking, juvenile diabetes, etc. The average age of women at natural menopause is 51, but it can start earlier or later. A few women start menopause as young as 40 years, while others as late as 60 years. Women who smoke tend to have menopause a few years earlier than non-smokers. Early menopause can cause hot flushes, repeated urinary tract infections, cardiac disease, early ageing and osteoporosis. It can also lead to mental disturbances like depression, loneliness, and irritability. I recently saw a 26-year-old patient with early menopause who had undergone hysterectomy for white discharge.”
Talking about osteoporosis, Dr Vidya Bhat said that it is a condition characterized by a decrease in the density of bones. The bones become abnormally porous and compressible, much like a sponge. This in turn leads to fragile bones and frequent fractures.
Dr. Vidya Bhat said: Osteoporosis affects 200 million women worldwide. It is a silent disease that shows no symptoms in early stages. Worldwide, osteoporosis causes more than 8.9 million fractures every year, resulting in an osteoporotic fracture every 3 seconds. About 1 in every 3 women above 50 years of age will experience osteoporotic fractures in areas like spine, hips, ribs or wrists. The peak incidence of osteoporosis in the west is 70-80 years, compared to 50-60 years for India. Osteoporosis is three times more common among women than men, as they have low peak bone mass, go through hormonal changes at menopause and live longer than men.”
Dr. Vidya Bhat said that many of the factors leading to osteoporosis are preventable, such as cigarette smoking, chronic low body weight, estrogen deficiency, low intake of calcium or vitamin D, inadequate physical activity (bones need stress to maintain themselves), inadequate exposure to sunlight and recurrent falls due to slipping on the floor, etc.
The ongoing lockdown has negatively impacted osteoporosis patients due to an increase in intake of junk food, smoking and alcohol, weight gain due to physical inactivity, excessive stress and anxiety, and reduce exposure to sun due to staying indoors, Dr Vidya Bhat added.
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