Starting with caution, they emerge victorious

Business & Economy, Science & Technology
Success story:The LED manufacturing unit of the start-up Semilon Technologies Pvt. Ltd. at Peroorkada.
Success story:The LED manufacturing unit of the start-up Semilon Technologies Pvt. Ltd. at Peroorkada.

Start-up by five youths makes turnover of Rs.1 crore in 2014-15

While several start-ups have been launched in the State in the past few years, not many have been able to break even and go on to register profits.

The feeling of uncertainty could easily have dissuaded a group of five youths from floating their start-up company soon after graduating from a self-financing college at Karakulam in 2010. But, pooling in the caution deposits they received from the college, they launched their endeavour, which primarily focused on supplying LED lights.

“Despite many odds, we were confident of tapping the potential of such a venture though LED lights were not in vogue then as they are now,” says Jino V. Manohar, one of the founders of the company. Amal Raj, Arul Raj, Shahab Ellias Iqbal and A.K. Surjith are the other members of the group.

Their decision turned out to be a masterstroke with their company, Semilon Technologies Pvt. Ltd. at Peroorkada, witnessing a turnover of Rs.1 crore during the 2014-15 fiscal. The company has a workforce of 12 people at present.

Their journey has been far from smooth. However, the company has gone on to bag the commendation award from the Kerala State Energy Management Centre in 2012 for manufacturing energy-efficient equipment.

Diversification

After establishing themselves in the market, they ventured into lighting design services in 2014. “Lighting design is an important component in architecture and has become increasingly popular over the years. There are several takers for planning the specifics of lighting equipment while designing the interiors and exteriors of a building right from its planning stage,” Mr. Manohar says.

Besides having commenced a solar power plant division, the group also diversified to create a R&D consulting division. They were recently empanelled as one of the few channel partners by the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to implement solar power plants.

e-crop

The R&D division had recently developed ‘e-crop’ for the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI) at Sreekaryam.

The device is equipped with multiple sensors for various purposes, including assessing soil parameters, solar radiation and predicting crop yield.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Staff Reporter / Thiruvananthapuram – July 06th, 2016

‘India’s medical wisdom ignored’

Leaders, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Thiruvananthapuram:

“India is rich in ancient wisdom, and there’s a lot to learn from our own country, before you look towards the West for knowledge.”

These words by medical scientist and former vice-chancellor of Manipal University Dr B M Hegde were not to create confusion in the minds of budding physicians and medical scientists, but to enlighten them on the ethics of modern medicine and to warn them about the ‘murky business behind western science’.

He was delivering a talk as the part of the lecture series organized by Santhigiri Research Foundation, Santhigiri ashram on Monday.

Always a strong critic of ‘monopoly of western medicine’ and a visiting faculty at many universities in the country and abroad, Dr Hegde was candid on how the governments jeopardized the health system to protect the interests of powerful corporations.

“We have all been brainwashed into following western science through false campaigns. Western medical science is all about making money. Now, the Indian wisdom, including the practice of yoga, is being commercialized by the west,” he said.

“Unfortunately, we are inclined to condemn anything that’s Indian, including Ayurveda, Siddha and Yunani. Instead of going for a morning walk in the nature barefoot, which can rejuvenate our body and mind and keep us healthy, we have fallen for jogging shoes being aggressively marketed by the corporate world,” Dr Hegde said, quoting from books from the western world, including ‘Science for Sale’ by David Lewis and ‘Blinded by Science’ by Mathew Silverstone.

“There’s no freedom of health in the US, where it’s mandatory for a child to have 56 vaccines in the first year, when we all know that breast milk is the best vaccine for a child,” he said.

A recipient of both Dr B C Roy award and Padma Bhushan, Dr Hegde was also critical about the ‘wrong priorities’ of various governments and universities while initiating scientific researches. “We come across many science research journals which are of no use to anyone, while there’s a dearth of studies which actually would be useful to mankind,” he added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Thiruvananthapuram / TNN / July 05th, 2016