A chance for Asia to pull out the big guns: India is showing the way by building a fighter jet and taking on Western domination

Much to the delight of the aerospace fraternity in India, the country’s own fighter aircraft — the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas — flew at the three-day Bahrain International Air Show. Perhaps buoyed by its performance and favourable reaction, India’s Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar said on the same day that full-scale production would begin by next year and that other countries have shown interest in the fighter plane.

As far as the Bahrain show is concerned, according to Chairman and Manging Director of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), T. Suvarna Raju, two Limited Series Production (LSP) aircraft took part. The performance covered aerobatic manoeuvres in what is called 8-g pull, vertical loop, slow fly past, and barrel roll in defence parlance. He also pointed out that HAL, which is associated with the design, development and production of Tejas, has set-up a state-of-the-art, environmentally-controlled division in Bengaluru for the production of LCAs and expected to roll-out soon.

However, what is of significance is, participation of this kind brings less-known names to the attention of international customers and media. There is no doubt that for countries facing huge defence manufacturing challenges, it is important that their products — helicopters, trainers, transport and fighter aircraft, and drones of various kinds — must be demonstrated at international air shows to impress upon those who are in need of these products.

The defence sector is completely dominated by Western powers, thanks to their robust manufacturing, research and technology set-ups. Aerospace is a complex area with zero tolerance for the smallest error. While Western countries remain in the forefront, Asia at best could be described as a laggard as it was unable to overcome the investment and technological challenges peculiar to the aerospace sector.

It takes years, even decades, for one product to get accepted in an unforgiving market. Today, although things have improved, these countries are aware that there is still some distance to go to match the skill-sets and R&D set-ups that exist in defence manufacturing in the US or France.

LCA (Tejas) in the skies

According to one estimate, 54 per cent of India’s population is under 30 years and the ratio of the population in the working age group of 15-59 years is likely to be 64 per cent by 2021. India will thus approximately have 25 per cent of the world’s total workforce by 2025.

One needs to exploit this by creating the right opportunities in different sectors — aerospace is one of them.

It is true that for most of developing countries, it is daunting to aggregate the skill requirements of the industry, address the sub-sectors and regional requirements keeping line with international trends and best practices. But whatever the challenges Asia faces, it is welcome sign that countries like India have debuted in a critical segment such as fighter aircraft.

Tejas is a single-engined, lightweight, highly agile, multi-role supersonic fighter. It is a 4.5 generation aircraft with supersonic capability at all altitudes. It is fly-by-wire and has an open architecture computer for avionics and better weapon and combat capability. With advanced avionics, the pilot load is also reduced.

Already, the Sarang helicopter display team of the Indian Air Force — that flies four HAL-produced Dhruv helicopters — has enthralled visitors at different places including Bahrain. HAL Dhruv is suitable for increased payload at higher altitudes and has been developed for the Indian defence Forces. More than 200 helicopters have been produced so far, cumulatively clocking around 142,000 hours of flying.

In future, one hopes there will be more opportunities to showcase new variants of ‘Make in India’ copters.

Considering that for any Asian country, buying a plane or a helicopter from the West comes at a very heavy price, cost-effective fighters and helicopters manufactured in Asia are bound to impress the potential customers. It also means enormous pressure on those involved in the process ... but then that is the nature of the defence business.

The future course would depend on how the aerospace manufacturing ecosphere evolves in Asia and India in particular. One hopes the Bahrain show paves the way for an Asian emergence, at least on a small scale at the international level.

The writer is Chief of Media Communications at Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. The views expressed are his own.

Published in The Gulf News, January 28, 2016.

http://gulfnews.com/business/analysis/a-chance-for-asia-to-pull-out-the-big-guns-1.1660354

HAL MUSEUM UPGRADED, GETS A NEW LOOK

The newly upgraded HAL Heritage Centre and Aerospace Museum, where people can get a feel of flying on both normal planes and fighter jets with motion simulators, is set to be inaugurated on Saturday by Rao Inderjit Singh, the minister of state for defence.

The centre, with 15 types of flying machines on static display, was established on August 30, 2001, in a 10-acre site. The museum houses rare photos from the 1940s and aircraft models that take the visitor on a journey through the heritage of aerospace and aviation industry in India. One can also see a dozen aircraft models and satellite launch vehicles (GSLV, PSLV) giving a glimpse of forays made by the country in space technology.

Visitors will come across facts like HAL produced buses and train coaches in early 50s, and that the black-box of an airplane is actually orange. 


"We have done some fine modifications in view of HAL's platinum jubilee celebrations. These include refurbishing of metal art, murals, water cascade walls, renovation of cafeteria and fish pond", said T Suvarna Raju, CMD, HAL. The museum houses a library on aerospace and traces the development of the industry since 1940. 

The additions include an orchidarium, a herbal garden, a children's play area and sustainability development park. The park has mock-up models of solar power systems, bio-gas plants and hybrid windmill.

Although HAL airport does not operate commercial aircraft anymore, a panoramic view of the landing and take-off of various aircraft and helicopters could still be experienced as chartered and test flights take off and land regularly. The entire stretch of runway could be seen from the dummy air-tower.
There is no weekly holiday for the museum, and it operates from 9 am to 5 pm with an entry fee of Rs 30 per person.


http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/others/HAL-museum-upgraded-gets-a-new-look/articleshow/50143725.cms

Cricket Stadiums in India Must Take Care of Spectators

The day two of the second test match between India and South Africa which was called off due to rain on November 15, 2015, exposed how badly cricket stadiums are run in India and how the gullible spectators are taken for granted. The so called covered stands were leaking all over at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore and to make the matters worse the umbrellas were not allowed. The ‘international standard ground’ was covered in patches leaving out the out-field at rain god’s mercy.  The out-field was muddy and slippery. What happened to the modern methods of covering and soaking? Just tireless manual work does not yield results although in this case play would not have been possible as rain was continuous. There were no announcements on the poor public address system and the only screen placed on one corner of the ground had the line ‘the match delayed due to rain’.  As if no one knew about it.  What people look is out-come of periodical inspections made by umpires.

Patchy covers at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore on November 15, 2015

The occasional voice that came up called upon the spectators to sing nursery rhyme “rain-rain go away”. The stadium in general appeared poorly maintained. Quite a few seats were either dirty or broken.  I do not understand why drinking-water or umbrellas were not allowed inside just because water bottle throwing incidents happened on a rare occasion in the past. Umbrellas are needed whether it is sunny or rainy day while the quality of drinking water provided within the stadium is always a suspect. 

Many spectators, women in particular had to leave their umbrellas, purses, back-packs, cameras outside for which the stadium security refused to take any responsibility. There was no token system to mark the personal belongings – thrown reckless in some corner at the entry points.  The authorities must know that people come from far flung areas, unaware of all kinds of restrictions. This stadium hosts many matches in a year and I am sure must be making a lot of money through ticket sales, advertisements, coaching sessions and so on. I hope, The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which     is one of richest sporting organizations in the world, takes notice of the poor treatment meted out to the cricket loving spectators. If this is the case in Bangalore, situation must be worse elsewhere at other centres in India.

London Pubs: 'Hic' and happening

Can drinking be considered a cultural activity? You will have a better picture of what drinking means if you happen to be in London. Although my visit there was for a short duration, it seemed to me that life in London revolves around its famed pubs that offer frothy drinks and excellent food, fish-and-chips in particular.

Here, in this city of nearly eight million people speaking 300 different languages, I realised that weekend is considered a good time for the working class and their friends to ‘meet up’ at these joints and enjoy themselves. London pubs (most of them) are open on all days till 11.30 pm. “It is not just about weekends; people here enjoy all the time and in all seasons. You can’t be in London and refuse to be a part of its pub culture,” says my friend Babul Mukherjee, who has been a part of this culture for over 10 years now.

What is the most attractive aspect of a typical pub in London? It is classy and boasts of calm surroundings. There are no noisy streets around. And, one thing that is common to all of them is the premium they place on quiet surroundings. Looks and architecture are important to them and therefore every pub strives to look beautiful in its own way, with open spaces, wooden tables and classy furniture. 

You find people — minimum age to purchase alcohol is 18 — enjoying their beer with banger and mash (sausages with potatoes or meat) or with some other dish. Notwithstanding rare fist fights, people here talk about and debate any subject under the sun. 

In fact, most of the adults are said to be regulars who spend a considerable amount of time in the pubs. It is little wonder that families and friends can be seen immersed in conversations inside, while their children play outside.

It is clear that to understand more about English culture, you need to spend more time in a pub. You can even strike a conversation with a total stranger inside any pub and come out with an enriching experience.

There is more to a typical English pub besides being a place that offers thirst-quenching pint, chilled wine and food, especially in summers.

When it comes to service, overseas visitors must know that there is no ‘waiter service’ in these pubs. You buy your ‘stuff’ at the counter. “Perhaps the no-waiter system has been put in place by earlier generations to encourage sociability as the English are generally reserved people. This way, one gets an opportunity to strike conversation when people gather at the counter to place their orders. Pubs must be the only place where a queue is not followed in England and yet people are friendly in allowing others to have their order first,” says a journalist friend Isaac Hamza.

One needs to be calm, and a rushing attitude is not appreciated. “It is actually a home away from home. These pubs offer a cosy and pleasant atmosphere,” feels Mukherjee.

There is no compulsion to tip in these pubs, and most pints cost anything between three and four pounds, and come with instructions to ‘enjoy sensibly’. A pint contains four per cent alcohol. The UK Chief of Medicals recommends everyday limit of three to four units for men and two to three for women.

Although most of the pubs have menus, some pubs display their offers on chalkboards. One can always take the help from the counter to understand what the food varieties mean and contain, and how they taste. You need to be sure, even careful, before ordering dishes such as ‘Toad in the Hole’ or ‘Shepherd Pie’.

The article appears on this Deccan Herald link as well:

 http://www.deccanherald.com/content/509353/hic-happening.html

Am I JEWEL of PR in PSU’s?

This article of mine appeared on the news website. Hope readers do not take it too seriously. 

JEWEL of PR in PSU’s “GOPAL SUTAR” exclusive series of thenewsmanofindia.com

Oct 29th, 2015 | By newsmanindia | Category: Governance News

Gopal Sutar is another big name in PR world who is presently serving as Chief of Media Communications, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) an Aviation & Aerospace sector PSU based in Bengaluru, Karnataka, It is governed under the management of the Indian Ministry of Defence. The government-owned corporation is primarily involved in the operations of the aerospace industry. These include manufacturing and assembly of aircraft, navigation and related communication equipment and airports operation.

Sutar has been an all time performer in the field of PR. He is considered as GEM of PR in PSU world, Sutar heads entire media communication and branding for HAL, he is on job with dedication all through. Previously he associated with ITI Ltd., Saudi Basic Industries Corporation(SABIC), and Reliance-IPCL.

The companies Sutar served include the Corporate Communications Groups of the world’s leading petrochemical company: Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC, for seven years in Saudi Arabia), Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited (IPCL-Reliance for nearly 10 years in India), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL, a blue chip public sector in India for four years), ITI Ltd (India’s first Public Sector Enterprise). I joined India’s is India’s blue chip PSE in aerospace industry, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), as Chief of Media Communications on May 29, 2012.

Interestingly Sutar has also worked for a brief period (two semesters) as Associate Professor (Communications) at Manipal Institute of Communications, Manipal (India); and as a journalist in reputed English newspapers (example: The Times of India).

for feedback on this story write to us at newsmanofindia@gmail.com

http://www.thenewsmanofindia.com/?p=824

Bangalore Beacons Pharma Companies and Job Seekers

Bangalore, the silicon valley of India is known for its talent in Information Technology (IT). The burgeoning city is hub for countless IT and computer professionals. No other profession can match the IT job market in the city and hence the sectors such as Pharma which dominate the Western part of India rarely generate the interest in the city although there are quite a few well-known pharma names that thrive in the Megapolis. These include Biocon, Strides, Arcolab, Micro Labs, Cipla, AstraZeneca India Private Limited, Karnataka Antibiotics and Pharmaceutics Ltd, Himalaya Drug Company and so on.

Like IT power-horse, can Bangalore turn into Pharma powerhouse? Honestly, it appears to be a distant dream but not the impossible dream. It appears difficult because the pharma industry housed in and around Bangalore have some way to go. There is dearth of talent and opportunity. As if to taste these impressions, a Mega Pharma Job Fair was held on September 30, 2015 on the outskirts of the city which to the surprise of some drew an excellent response, thanks largely to Mr. H R Kiran, Secretary, R R Institutions, Bangalore and Prof. Raveendra. R., Head of the Department and Placement Officer at R R College of Pharmacy, Bangalore.

New hopes for Pharma industry in Bangalore?

The success could be gauged from the fact that though it was slightly off-season event, nearly 1000 job aspirants with graduate, master’s, and doctorate qualifications registered at the event. They came from Karnataka, Telengana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and other far off places like Goa, Kerala and Maharastra. According to Prof Raveendra, nearly 400 youngsters received positive response though it would take some time to process the cases. None other than Government departments supported the cause with Mr. D H Shankara Murthy, Chairman, Legislative Council (Karnataka) lighting the lamp. The event was sponsored by PKMET, KAPL, Micro Labs Group Pharma and Remidex pharma. About 30 pharma companies from South of India attended the job fair.

With skilled knowledge base and rising aspirations of pharma companies, young pharma professionals it seems better days are ahead for pharma industry in Bangalore.  Any takers? 

RBI Rate Cut, Will Indians Spend Their Festive Bonuses?

The most of the Indian newspapers went gaga on September 30, 2015 over India’s Central Bank –Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cutting the benchmark repurchase rate by 50 basis point to four and half year low of 6.75 per cent?  The Repo rate is the rate at which the RBI lends money to commercial banks. The Times of India, India’s largest circulated daily came out James-Bond style headline quoting the RBI Governor “MY NAME IS RAGHURAM RAJAN AND I DO WHAT I DO”.  Compare this with a business daily which said “Raghuram Rajan Does” while another screamed “Rajan goes for big-bang cut”.  Many others tried to be as dramatic as possible.

So what is the significance of these positive jibes to people at large?   Why so much is made out of RBI’s decision to cut the benchmark repurchase rate? Has the best time (Ache Din) really arrived for India and the country is all poised to leap-frog? Is India going to over-take China not on population but on the business and economy fronts? Is 21 century going to be India’s as made out to be although 15 precious years are already lost?

But all experts seem to send the common message. The year-end  bonus or the corporate gift which most of the Indians are looking forward to in the coming festive season  must now be spent (in case they get one)  on overpriced white goods (even if prices get reduced as a token of gesture to Mr Rajan), new two-wheelers, cars and what not. Better still if they can invest in one of the highly priced mediocre apartments since the borrowing cost has reduced “substantially”.  Never mind if some of these apartments are costlier than in Singapore or in Dubai or quality is the last thing the buyers get.  The customers must take in stride the over-promises the builders make on amenities like water, roads, electricity and connectivity.

The message is be sympathetic to the real estate players who have shown remarkable resilience by "holding on" though inventories piled up in last two or three years.  Indian builders and real estate agents are lucky that RBI has now come to their rescue. As a consequence,  the general people must now be prepared to get smses, emails and social media messages that would urge them to spend their life-time savings for a better life (of builders).  It is really now up to all aspiring citizens, the home seekers in particular, to bail-out industrialists, travel agents, builders and others struggling to sell their products despite all the marketing gimmicks!

All said and done, there is little doubt that the rate-cut is welcome but can help the economy only to an extent and the rest depends on many other factors including the global situation. The real challenge for the common man is not to fall prey to all these exaggerated predictions of boom times ahead.  But will he or she see through the maddening headlines?

Views expressed are personal. 

Also see:

http://www.arabnews.com/economy/news/814181