Techie builds air-car! Refuses commercialization

Kanak Gogoi, a 12th passed entrepreneur from Guwahati, has over a dozen innovations, from gravity-operated bicycle to a car which can run on air. But he regrets the government's negligence towards scientific innovations, and refuses to commercialize any of his creations.Gogoi said, "Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) offered to build a fully furnished lab for me in Guwahati. The Chief Minister had granted me about 1.6 acres of land in 2007, but the file is still lying untouched at the local administrative office."

Talking about slow moving files, another of Gogoi's invention is the speed breaker that can generate electricity simply when vehicles pass over it. Gogoi explains that a ramp under the speed breaker would absorb the static energy produced by the sheer mass of the vehicle and convert it into kinetic energy. This is, in turn, transferred into electricity and stored in a battery cell. A vehicle weighing one tonne can create electricity equivalent to one kilowatt.

When Gogoi started the journey, he had two options; pay up his children's school fees or spend the money for his scientific innovations. He opted for the latter. In the past 13 years, he has spent Rs.1.5 crore (Rs.15 million) of his own money to satisfy his scientific and engineering curiosities, but steadfastly refuses to commercialize any of them and blames the government for not promoting scientific innovations, although only a few years ago he was making a hand-to-mouth existence.Felicitated by the President of India last week for his achievements, 47-year old Gogoi is a celebrity in Guwahati's scientific and engineering circles. He has developed his penchant for creating extraordinary things from ordinary materials used for day-to-day activities during his younger days.

Among his innovations are a solar hybrid car, whose 320 watt battery is charged by solar panels and is powered by a 100cc engine. Another car that Gogoi made from integration of motorcycle and Maruti 800 engines, runs on air energy powered by a hand glider and can reach a maximum speed of 120 km per hour.

Gogoi, however, has not bothered to apply for intellectual property rights (IPR) for any of his innovations, although they have cost Rs.1.5 crore of his own money. "When anybody talks about things like IPR or patents, it is generally assumed that the person must be a Ph.D or DLitt. Who will think of an undergraduate as a genuine and worthy innovator? Besides, paperwork of the kind that is required for patent filing has always been an anathema for me," said Gogoi.

In fact it is the National Innovation Foundation, headed by noted scientist Raghunath A Mashelkar that applied for a patent on Gogoi's behalf for his gravity operated cycle, which converts gravitational force released by pedaling of the cycle into kinetic energy.

"I have a successful real estate business, which affords me the luxury of having enough spare money and spare time to concentrate on my engineering activities. I don't expect and nor do I wish for any monetary returns," said Gogoi, who had refused an invitation from a North Carolina-based organization to shift to their campus with a daily stipend of $1,000.

Companies plan retention bonuses for employees

Since the habit of hiring is making a return, companies across the spectrum such as chemicals business player SRF, auto ancillaries major Sona Koyo Steering, engineering firm Samsung Engineering, IT firm Perot Systems, Adobe, Nitco Tiles and a Mumbai-based finance company, have planned surprise packages for their employees including retention bonuses to check attrition.

MD of $200 Million firm steals Blackberry

Managing Director of a $208 million firm was arrested at the IGI Airport for stealing the Blackberry phone of another passenger on November 2nd. Sanjay Somany, the Managing Director of Hindustan National Glass and Industries allegedly picked up the phone of N K Puri at the security check point and carried it with him to Chennai. According to Times of India, he was identified by the CISF using CCTV footage after Puri lodged complaint with them.

Puri, who was to catch IC 688 to Mumbai, registered a complaint with the CISF that his phone was missing. After searching for it, the security agency decided to check the CCTV footage of the area, through which they identified a man wearing overalls and coat, picking up Puri's phone from the tray at the security check point and proceeding to board a flight to Chennai IC 429.

They then got in touch with the airline and managed to get phone numbers of as many passengers as possible who were on that flight. Initially, the crew confirmed that a man with such a description was on their flight and based on his seat number, were able to identify him as Somany, said an official.

In the evening, during the exercise of calling up passengers to confirm the identity of the accused, CISF chanced to talk to a passenger, who said that not only did he recognize the accused, but that he was also sitting with him at the Chennai airport at that time, waiting to board their flight IC 539 back to Delhi. The CISF at Chennai airport were immediately informed who kept a tight watch on Somany. However, probably getting a hint that he was being watched, just before their flight landed in Delhi, he chucked the phone in the aircraft's toilet.Somany was nabbed as soon as he disembarked, and on interrogation denied having picked up the phone. Only when he was confronted with the CCTV evidence, did he confess his act and reveal the location of the phone.

India's Financial Crisis Has Ended - RBI

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has in effect called the end of the financial crisis in India, and is the third central bank to do so, after Australia and Israel.

The Australian Central Bank on 6 October 2009 became the first G7 monetary authority to raise its interest rates, which was a positive sign for both Australia and the world. It raised its rates to 3.25%, with the possibility of a further 50 bps raise next week. Back in August, Israel raised rates from 0.5% to 0.75%, and there are signs Norway and South Korea are set to do the same.

The RBI has not raised interest rates. Since it has kept rates higher than any other developed economy (the key lending rate or repo rate currently stands at 4.75%) it doesn't need to make a drastic change there. The consensus is that it definitely will by April next year, with a 50% chance of a move this year, according to an economist survey.

Instead what the RBI is doing is tightening some of the extraordinary measures it had put in place in response to the credit crunch. A special facility to provide liquidity (ie money) to financial firms is being withdrawn, as private funds move back and inflows of FDI and FII into the market. It has raised commerical real estate rates, worried that a new bubble is building up.
Significantly the RBI also tightening some of the capital requirements it has for Indian banks. It is raising the 'statutory liquidity ratio', the amount of money that a bank needs to keep in cash, gold or government bonds, to 25%, up from 24%.

Wasim Akram’s wife dies in Chennai

Wasim Akram’s wife,Huma Akram dies in Chennai...

She was in the intensive care unit (ICU) since then and died Sunday without regaining consciousness. With her the chopper left from India around 1pm to lahore...

Dr P B Salim takes charge as Kannur Collector

Dr P B Salim, Collector of Kozhikode, took additional charge as the Collector of Kannur on Saturday following the directive of the Central Election Commission to shift the incumbent V K Balakrishnan from the post.

കമ്മ്യൂണിസ്റ്റ്‌ പാര്‍ട്ടിയുടെ മനുഷ്യ ചങ്ങല

കമ്മ്യൂണിസ്റ്റ്‌ പാര്‍ട്ടിയുടെ മനുഷ്യ ചങ്ങല കണ്ടായിരുന്നോ ? നമ്മള്‍ പൊതു ജനങ്ങള്‍ കാണേണ്ട ഒരു കാഴ്ച തന്നെ ആയിരുന്നു അത്റെ.

എത്രപേരുടെ സമയം നഷ്ടപെടിതികൊണ്ടേ റോഡ്‌ ബ്ലോക്ക്‌ ചെയ്തെ ആണേ ഈ അട്ടഹാസം എന്നേ നമ്മള്‍ ഓര്‍ക്കണം.ഇതിനേ നമുക്കേ പ്രതികരിക്കനവുമോ ?

Jobs,Salary hikes are back again

After months of an economic slowdown, corporate India has started hiring again. While layoffs and salary cuts may not be the order of the day anymore, employers continue to be cautious.

The latest data with job portal naukri.com shows that hiring activity has picked up 13 per cent in the first half of September and it is in double digits for the first time since last year. While some sectors like FMCG and healthcare are hiring in big numbers, others like IT,real estate, retail, media, advertising and exports still need to catch up.

പോള്‍ വധ കേസ്

അങ്ങനെ പോള്‍ വധ കേസ് ഒരു പരുവത്തില്‍ എത്തി കേട്ടോ!! നമ്മുടെ അഭ്യന്ധര മന്ത്രി ആഗ്രഹിച്ചത്‌ പോലെ തന്നെ എല്ലാം നടക്കുനുണ്ടേ.സ് കത്തി പോലീസ് പറഞ്ജ് ചെയ്ച്ചതല്ല കേട്ടോ.അതുപോലെ ഓം പ്രകശും,പുത്തം പാലം രാജേഷും കുട്ടകാരല്ല.

ഇത്തരം തരാം താഴ്‌ന്ന രീതിയില്‍ നമ്മള്‍ പൊതു ജനങളെ മണ്ടന്മാരാക്കി കോണ്ടേ അന്നെഷേണം പൂര്‍ത്തിയാക്കിയ പോലീസ് ഫോര്‍സിനും പോലീസ് മേധാവിക്കും എന്ന്ടെ അഭിവാദ്യങ്ങള്‍.കാക്കയ്ക്കീ തന്കുഞ്ഞേ പോന്കുഞ്ഞേ എന്നെ പറയുന്ന പോലെ തന്‍റെ മോനെ വിട്ടു കൊടുക്കാന്‍ അയല്‍കെ പറ്റില്ല.

എന്തൊരു ജെനാധിപത്യം ??

Abaya case..?

After sixteen years of attempts,now it has been found that nun named abhaya has been murdered ...............

the godman confessed under narco-analysis, ie. truth serum, that abhaya happened upon him and another nun in a "compromising position". thereupon he hit her on the head with a blunt instrument. when she fell down unconscious, he thought she was dead. so he dumped her in a well, where she drowned......

Even thought the narco-analysis cd has been visualised..in a channnel!! our judiciary itself is having an opinion that will this be digestible for our community ??

My personal opinion will be to drop this case,as it will be the most respectable was to memorize this nun...................................
Have your comments!!!!