Wharton’s memorial for Dhirubhai Ambani

What a way to keep the memory of late Dhirubhai Ambani – the man who lived the Reliance dream – alive! The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School (that was founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school ) has named a 300-seater stateof- theart auditorium as the Dhi - Rubhai Ambani Auditorium. This was announced at a ceremony in Philadelphia, where Wharton received a multi-million dollar gift from his son, Anil Ambani, Chairman of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG). On the occasion, Patrick Harker, the Dean of Wharton had this to say about the late Dhirubhai Ambani: “He was a true pioneer in the development of the Indian economy, opening opportunity to thousands of his fellow citizens through his then-innovative public stock offerings. We are honoured to have this outstanding opportunity to pay a lasting tribute to Mr. Ambani, the companies he built and the important role he played in India’s economic growth. We are grateful to his son, Anil, for choosing to remember him in this meaningful way.” Among those who were present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony were Dhirubhai Ambani’s wife Kokilaben and Anil Ambani’s wife Tina Ambani. In 1998, Wharton School had awarded Dhirubhai Ambani the Dean’s Medal in recognition of his work as the Chairman of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL). He was the 24th recipient of this honour. Anil Ambani too, received his MBA from Wharton in 1983. The junior Ambani now serves as a member of the Board of Overseers.

Lord Paul to the rescue, yet again!
In the 1990s, he saved the London Zoo from closing down by giving the zoo a donation of 1 million pounds. Now NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul has donated $500,000 to the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to develop an infant lab suite. Like the London Zoo donation, This one too is in the memory of his daughter Ambika (who tragically died of leukaemia, but she used to love the London Zoo, and Paul couldn’t bear to see the place, his daughter loved so much, close down). The Carnegie Mellon donation was made through the Ambika Paul Foundation. The infant lab suite will design interventions that will help children suffering from developmental disabilities like autism and specific language impairment. The research for this project will primarily focus on understanding how infants achieve cognitive and linguistic milestones. Another show of strength from Lord Swraj Paul – who, in 1996, became a life peer (a member of the House of Lords), and has taken on the title Baron Paul of Marylebone in the City of Westminster.

A new role for the legendary cricketer – Kapil Dev
Former India captain – and one of the greatest cricket all-rounders that the world has ever seen – Kapil Dev is going to head the Executive Board of Zee’s Subhash Chandra-promoted Indian Cricket League (ICL). Former English Captain, Tony Greg, former Australian cricketer (and now commentator) Dean Jones and former Indian wicket-keeper and ex-chief selector, Kiran More, are going to be the other members of the ICL Board. Earlier, Subhash Chandra had remarked while announcing the formation of the ICL that: “It troubles me that the country with more than a billion cricket fans and a million cricket enthusiasts fairs so poorly at the international stage. A new approach must be taken for the sports to grow and prosper in the years ahead.” According to media reports, Kapil Dev is “delighted” to be a part of this League – particularly in this capacity – and he’s said that he would use his vast experience of many years to nurture young talent. “It’s a great pleasure to lead the Executive Board of the ICL, the first Professional League. I will try and utilize my experience of motivating and guiding players, both as a captain and as a coach, to take the young talent to the pinnacle of success,” he told the media.

Bharti’s schools for underprivileged Children
Bharti Foundation – the arm of Bharti Airtel that was established with a vision to help underprivileged children and young people of our country realise their potential – has said that it will open 1,000 primary schools in villages across India. To achieve this, the company has earmarked an investment of Rs.2 billion. The Foundation, at present, is already running 200 primary schools (under the name of Satya Bharti School) in various states of India, including Punjab. Now it wants to take that number to 1,000 schools. The aim of these schools is to help needy children, who drop out of school without completing their formal school education due to family circumstances and poverty. “After five years, about 26 crore children, Between the age of 6-10 years, will be without proper schooling – so it’s absolutely necessary that this step is to be taken,” disclosed Rakesh Bharti Mittal.

Ritz-Carlton to soon check in to India
Recognising the potential in India – with the luxury segment booming and more and more people eager to live in style – the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has decided to check in and make an entry into the Indian market. The luxury hotel chain’s first property is going to be developed in India’s Silicon Valley, that is Bangalore, where business opportunities have been hotting up for a long time now. This hotel will be a 250-room, luxury five-star property and the total project’s cost is estimated to be around $100 million. Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo, the world’s leading design consultant for the hospitality, leisure and entertainment industries, that has worked in over 130 countries and territories across all the six continents, and has designed more of the world’s great hotels and resorts than any other firm on the planet, will be the architect. The leading international interior designer, Peter Silling, will be taking care of the interiors of the proposed hotel. To develop it, Nitesh Estates – the Bangalore-based realtor that is engaged in the development of all the high-end residential apartments, the office buildings, the gated townships and the retail malls – has been roped in. So what different can guests at the Ritz-Carlton Bangalore look forward to? It is too early to say though, but one piece of information is doing rounds, which is that a few of the world’s ultra premium brands will be housed here, among them are Cartier, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, who will all have their own boutiques within the hotel premises.

Vijay Mallya’s new spirits
Finally the wait is over! It’s now confirmed that the King of Good Times, liquor baron Vijay Mallya’s United Spirits has snapped up Scottish whiskey-maker Whyte & Mackay (W&M) for a whopping Rs.48.19 billion. After buying out Shaw Wallace for Rs.13 billion in 2005, and French winemaker Bouvet Ladubay (a subsidiary of Champagne Taittinger) for $20 million last year, Mallya, the Chairman of UB Group is on a high. The company has already informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that it has acquired 100% stake in Whyte and Mackay. “The potential for premium Scotch whiskey in India is enormous and with the acquisition of Whyte and Mackay, we now have a strong portfolio of internationally recognised brands that we will immediately introduce in the Indian market and use our strong distribution muscle fully to our advantage,” said Mallya about the acquisition. W&M has brands like Whyte & Mackay Scotch Whiskey, Highland Malt, Isle of Juara Malt Whiskey, Glayva Liquer and Dalmore Single Highland Malt, John Barr, Mackinlays, Cluny and Claymore in its portfolio. Earlier, W&M had said in a statement: “The business is extremely valuable to us on a standalone basis and we understand why UB group has been so interested in acquiring us, given their additional capability to sell and market our brands in all key growth markets, including India and China.” Here’s to some good Scotch then!

The Taj is fast losing its luster
A parliamentary committee report has revealed that the great monument of love, the Taj Mahal, is losing its sheen due to pollution. The committee, headed by Rajya Sabha MP Sitaram Yechury, has recommended that steps should immediately be taken to stop this decay and that the Taj should be restored to its former glory. “The committee expresses its concern that Taj Mahal, the world-famous monument at Agra is becoming yellowish due to the deposition of Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM),” says the report that was tabled in Parliament. “The deposition of SPM on the shimmering white marble of the Taj Mahal imparts yellow tinge to the marble surface. To restore the pristine glory of the Taj Mahal, as a conservation measure, the clay pack treatment, which is non-corrosive and nonabrasive, is carried out for the removal of the deposits.”

Blackberry’s new platform
Reliance Communications Limited (RCL) is soon going to have Blackberry as one of its handheld devices on offer! With this, Blackberry is going to have a CDMA variant; till now, it was available only with the GSM connections. Currently, only Bharti Airtel and Hutch-Essar offers the wireless e-mail solution facility, so Blackberry sets come with only connections from these two service providers. Look forward to brandishing a Blackberry soon – this time, on a Reliance connection!

Keep running, says Reebok
Running is globally acknowledged as one of the best possible exercises. Almost a tribute to the great activity of running – and keeping fit – leading sports brand, Reebok, recently launched its global movement, ‘Run Easy’, in India. The campaign was flagged off by Subhinder Singh Prem, Managing Director, Reebok India. In a move to encourage consumers to join the global ‘Run Easy’ campaign, 10,000 pairs of shoes will be given away in the first phase. Reebok ‘Run Easy’ Vans, with their expert trainers, will move around popular jogger parks in select cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, demonstrating the spirit of ‘Run Easy’. The trainers will start with warm ups followed by short runs, where in critical aspects like breathing patterns, foot movements etc. would be taught. Running is a sport that is best suited to India. It’s a common man’s sport and the most economical one – all you need is a pair of running shoes, a running track, and you’re on! You don’t have to be a part of any club or sports center and you are not limited by time, you can run any time of the day and anywhere you like. “The Reebok ‘Run Easy’ movement is a unique initiative aiming to redefine people’s perception about running as a sport merely for the fittest. We want to enhance our association with consumers of all levels of athletic ability and want to promote running as everyone’s sport,” said Subhinder Singh, at the launch. The campaign objective is to promote running as a fun sport and leisure, as it doesn’t require athletic qualities for participation. Ready, steady, go!