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Showing posts from August, 2010

Mass Communication Institute proposed in Kerala

Government of India has proposed a Mass Communication Institute in Kerala and it seems 10 acres of land earlier allotted for the purpose is already under Kerala Governement's posession in Kottayam . Indian Institute of Mass Communication [IIMC] is a national institute for training, teaching and research in mass communication. It augur's well to have an IIMC at Kottayam, identified as the literary base of Kerala. It would be a proud moment for every Keralites, particularly people predominant in national Media, Advertising and Public Relations industry.

Musli Power Kerala IPL team might become a reality

If everything goes well for Kunnath Pharmaceuticals and Musli Power, we might see Musli Power on Indian Cricket Team jersey and before that it will be Musli Power sponsoring Kerala IPL [Indian Premier League] team. For now, Musli Power is a leading sponsor of various sports events and teams in India and abroad.  Musli Power is the title sponsor of cricket team Wayamba Elevens of Sri Lanka at the Champions League T20 in South Africa and an Indian football club, Churchill Brothers Sports Club . Musli Power was one among the seven sponsors of Hockey World Cup 2010 broadcasted on Ten Sports and among seven sponsors of Kerala's Nehru Trophy Boat Race 2009 . It is also reported that Musli Power is the health power licensee of Common Wealth Games 2010 . None of the deal values are announced in public domain. Musli Power from Kunnath Pharmaceuticals is an over the counter aphrodisiac product claiming to cure infertility and impotency. As per a report in Tehelka , Musli Power is giving

Gold loan business minting money for investors

Muthoot Finance Ltd [MFIN] raised Rs 43 crore from Kotak India Private Equity Fund. The deal valued  MFIN, the largest gold loan company according to ICRA, at around Rs 3,925 crore. Baring Private Equity Partners India and Matrix Partners India had infused Rs.157 crore in MFIN last month. Kerala is home to many large scale gold loan companies in India - Muthoot Finance [MFIN], Muthoot Pappachan, Mini Muthoot, Manappuram and Kosamattam. All Muthoot names are from a single family with separate business run by brothers and cousins. Muthoot boasts a tradition of 123 years. Among this Manappuram is the most aggressive in marketing using regional and national film stars in their campaigns. Lately Sequoia Capital exited Manappuram General Finance & Leasing with 5x returns . As such the business model of these NBFCs are not lucid. Also, almost all banks worth their name in India is offering gold loans at their branches questioning the sustainability of these NBFCs.

Innovation Varsity in Kerala

As per this report in Hindu,  Kochi is among 14 places across the country identified by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) for setting up a world class innovation university.  These universities will be self-sustainable, not-for-profit legal entity with surplus revenue invested for the growth and development of the university, functioning privately, independently and separately under its own 'board of governors' in a chosen subject or theme. Kerala is different where good cannot happen so easily even if it is bestowed. Read this follow-up story.

Varkeys Supermarket: Is end nearby?

Varkeys Bakery and Supermarket went out of stock for more than two weeks. Customers were returned saying there are some supplier issues which have been sorted out. According to media reports , Varkeys is facing liquidity crunch. Varkeys is reported to have 59 stores across Kerala in different formats generating Rs.180 crore in turnover. Varkeys is now looking for PE funds , which would be slightly difficult to come by as they have failed in an earlier attempt and there are cases of Subhiksha and Vishal Retail winding up or looking for fund infusion. Varkeys is the pioneer in organised retail in Kerala and is known for quality of products they sell but utmost professionalism was always missing. It is widely believed that rapid expansion has brought Varkeys in to this soup. Competition also is hardening with new organised players coming every now and then which includes Margin Free, Reliance and Big Bazaar. There are also neighbourhood stores morphing in to supermarket, as they are adap

13 reported incidents of ragging last year

According to this news in Mint , there were 13 reported incidents of ragging in Kerala in the academic year 2009-'10. Nationally there was 164 reported cases and Kerala ranks fourth after Uttar Pradesh (26), Andhra Pradesh (18) and Tamil Nadu (14). There was 19 deaths across nation due to ragging. Ragging, banned in India, is prevalent in almost all undergraduate campuses across India. Kerala is not different with ragging in many forms. Most of them would be really funny which everyone would enjoy for their whole life. But some go to extreme levels of cruelty, which should be stopped by any means. Proactive college administration can always manage ragging inside their campus.

Kerala, after K. M. Mathew

K. M. Mathew, Chief Editor of the iconic Malayalam  newspaper Malayala Manorama passed away yesterday. Malayala Manorama became a media conglomerate under his stewardship. His astuteness is widely recognized as also his humility and professionalism. He made his opinions loud, his friendships known and his dislikes expressed. Huge strata of middle class and high income family rallied behind him. They considered him and his publications as a natural companion and a family friend. Communists opposed and they stood alone! From today, many things in Kerala would be marked as 'after K. M. Mathew'. Kerala politics, politics and fighting in Christian community, Elections, Economy, Education, Communal equations, values, language and culture - he had an influence on every Malayali. We will not realize his influence in our life till we closely analyze everything around us. In 56 years, his paper grew to become the largest read regional language newspaper in India and fourth largest read