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ACADEMY
BVDU, Pune, accredited with A grade by NAAC

PUNE
MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2011

Become an animation pro at DSK Supinfocom institute

Inaugurated by president Patil, it is the first institute that offers international course in video game design
DNA Correspondent

Campus CONNECT
RBMA Bass Camp. Joining the bands will be musicians, Jivraj Singh (Pink Noise, SkinneyAlley) and Jeet Gupta (Mohan-Veena player). This unique amalgamation of music, RBMA Home Grown, will be held in Pune on December 9 starting 8 pm at One Lounge featuring Jalebee Cartel (Arjun Vagale) and B.L.O.T. The RBMA is a platform where up-and-coming singers, musicians, producers, and DJs get opportunity to learn from industry professionals.

Indias first institute that offers a full fledged international course in animation, video game and industrial design, DSK Supinfocom International Campus, was formally inaugurated by president Pratibha Patil on December 2. A joint venture between DSK Group of Companies and the Chamber of Commerce & Industries Grand Hainaut, France, the institute offers full time five-year professional courses in animation and industrial design and four-year course in video game design. According to DSK Group chairman and MD, DS Kulkarni, Through DSK Supinfocom, we have sown the seeds for creating not only fabulous professionals but indeed world-class entrepreneurs in the most exciting new age careers like animation, video game design and industrial design. Students who opt for these courses will be given professional training in two parts; foundation course (2 years) and advanced course (3 years). The course fee per year in animation and industrial design is Rs5 lakh whereas for video game design it is Rs4.5 lakh. The charges for the hostel on the campus for students are Rs1 lakh per annum. The most important aspect that makes this institute stand out is that it gives an opportu-

NGOs organise rally to mark World Aids Day in city

Shivajirao Kadam, BVDU vice chancellor, during a press conference held in city recently

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has awarded A grade to Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University (BVDU), Pune. At a press conference held at Pride Hotel on December 2, BVDU vice chancellor, Shivajirao Kadam, said that after discussing and reviewing the assessment report at the NAAC meeting held on November 30, BVDU was awarded A grade, with score of 3.16 out of 4 marks. He said that among the 132 deemed universities in India, BVDU is one of the biggest and largest having 29 branches in various disciplines, over 252 programmes, three self-financed research institutes, 11 faculty teams, 8 campuses, 110 overseas collaborations and 36 patents registered till now. He said that as per the suggestions of NAAC, BVDU should increase its health science research components, build an NRI hostel and provide more consultancy. Out of the 36 patents they have, Kadam said that 28 are domestic and 8 are international, largely in the fields of pharmacy and engineering.

Volunteers from CYDA and other city-based NGOs during the rally held on December 1

To raise awareness about HIV/AIDS on World Aids Day, which was celebrated on December 1, volunteers from Centre for Youth Development & Activities (CYDA), Pune, and other NGOs participated in an awareness rally and marched through the streets of Pune. Using banners, posters and shouting slogans, the purpose of the rally was to fight social discrimination of people affected with HIV. Volunteers from CYDA and other city NGOs, along with community girls from Phulenagar, Dapodi and Morwadi took part in the rally starting from Shaniwar Wada and ending at BJ Medical College ground.

Seminar on visual effects RBMA tour offers platform to used in Bollywood movies budding musicians To showcase the role of animation and visual
President Pratibha Patil (right) with DS Kulkarni during the inauguration of DSK Supinfocom International Campus on Friday Sanket Deshpande DNA

According to him, the present batch of the three courses comprises 339 students, whereas 660 students have already taken admission for the DS Kulkarni, DSK Group, chairman and MD next year course. The inauguration ceremonity to Indian students to re- al standards without crossing ny on December 2 was folceive education of internation- borders, Kulkarni said. lowed by a three-day fest

Through DSK Supinfocom, we have sown the seeds for creating world-class entrepreneurs in animation and industrial design

called Supinfomania, which was held on December 2- 4. Over 25,000 students from all over the world participated in the fest. The final day of the fest saw a live performance by music directors Shankar, Eshaan and Loy.

Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) is back with a brand new platform, Red Bull Music Academy Home Grown. Bringing together artistes to some of the best clubs in the country, the RBMA Home Grown national tour will go to 9 cities across India, including Pune, as Jalebee Cartel and B.L.O.T take centre stage from New Delhi to Kochi. The two bands, known for Indias most innovative music, are graduates from the Red Bull Music Academy Bass Camp, which was held in Mumbai in March. This 2011 batch will give the audience a taste of everything they have learnt from the

effects (VFX) in making of Bollywood blockbusters, BIG AIMS (Animation Infotainment & Media School), is organising a seminar across 5 cities in India, including Pune. The seminar Making of Bollywood blockbuster Singham & Bodyguard will held on December 6 from 10.30 am onwards at Symbiosis Auditorium, Senapati Bapat Road. Head of computer graphics department, Films Division at Pixion, Viral Thakkar, will address aspiring animation and VFX artists. Those interested can register for free at any BIG AIMS centre or on www.bigaims.in. (Compiled by Rajesh Rao)

Insurance industry seeks intelligent, agile employees

Rajendra Ghag MUMBAI

City girl gets a chance of a lifetime

Schoolgirl Phadkule went on a student exchange programme to New Zealand and stayed with 5 host families
Rajesh Rao

The last few years have been very dynamic for the life insurance industry, which has continued to show growth trajectory and attracting investments. The private players have invested in increased distribution network, including in agents, bank partnerships and other referral arrangements. Life insurance penetration has grown multiple times, leading to a greater scope for careers in this segment. Rajendra Ghag, executive vice-president, human resources and administration, HDFC Life, shares that job prospects in the Indian life insurance look promising. As most of the top rung players have already established their base, hiring will mostly be selective, particularly in the managerial and senior level positions; replacement trend is expected to continue in the front line sales. If the slew of regulations, which are in the offing and are likely to open up several new avenues, are passed, recruitment may receive a significant momentum since players would be augmenting their foothold to manage expansions resulting out of such changes. Explaining the qualities

and abilities that this industry seeks from job aspirants, he points out that the industry is very dynamic. The ultimate challenge to growth is the ability to get the right people with the right attitude. I must admit that there is an immense gap between demand and supply of skilled talent in the life insurance industry. As I keep saying we need people who are intellectually intelligent and agile, Ghag said. The additional attributes required are speed and accuracy. The candidates need to be resilient and patient to be able to handle pressure. The industry would be looking at individuals who are vibrant full of energy and are raring to go. However, all these are definitely accompanied by appropriate compensation structure, rewards

and recognition programmes; and learning and growth opportunities for the aspirants. For this industry, hiring a candidate with good communication skills is critical, especially at the sales-level as they are the ones who meet up with clients/customers and discuss and help them with their financial planning. According to Ghag, aspirants should be very sure of the position they are applying for. They should be aware of what the profile entails and the requirements of the job description. They should have a vision for their career and should be able to see the bigger picture. Applying for a particular post or job profile should be an informed and dear choice for the aspirant rather than just a stepping stone.

Travelling to a foreign country and living with a new family sounds an exciting and a rare opportunity. A city schoolgirl was lucky to temporarily taste new life. She described her recent student exchange experience to New Zealand (NZ), which was extremely emotional, culturally enriching and academically rewarding. Chandana Phadkule from St Clares Girls High School, Pune, went on a student exchange programme to Baradene College of Auckland in New Zealand during her last schooling years. Phadkule, who just passed her Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination in June with 90.37%, said, It was a life changing and transformational learning experience. I have come back becoming a very different, self-motivated, humble and a much more confident person than before. Serving as an ambassador of India, my interest in history and geography subjects made me able to provide a meaningful insight of our culture. Baradene College was founded over hundred years ago by nuns who also practised in India and were involved with St Clares School in Pune. In 2010, Baradene College offered a scholarship

I found the classrooms extremely neat and clean filled with beautiful charts made by students. Each classroom was equipped with projectors, TV sets, touch sensitive smart boards and other gadgets
Chandana Phadkule, student

Chandana Phadkule in New Zealand with co-students from Baradene College

to St Clares Girls High School student and Phadkule was selected as she met the criteria of being a top humanities student in her final years. During her six-week stay in NZ, starting from April 29 to June 5, Phadkule undertook a full academic programme, wore Baradene uniform and participated in a wide range of extra-curricular activities. I found the classrooms extremely neat and clean filled with beautiful charts and crafts solely made by the students. Each classroom was equipped with projectors, TV

sets, touch sensitive smart boards and other gadgets. The teachers too were interactive and shared a very special bond with students, said Phadkule. She learnt about two new subjects, media and religion, as part of her academic programme at Baradene. According to Phadkules observation, most of the students at Baradene were really weak in Mathematics. What shocked me the most was to know that from a very young age, students were allowed to use calculators in their classes and ex-

aminations. I guess their dislike for the subject is mainly due to their casual use of calculators, she added. Phadkule camped with five host families during her stay in NZ, giving her a weeks time to integrate with each family. Trying to embrace every aspect of their life including their homes, food and beautiful environment surprised me. While meeting new people, I found they werent formal but genuinely polite. As the programme also included the exchange of culture and language, in her last week

at Baradene, Phadkule was asked to give a presentation on difference in lifestyles in India and New Zealand. She spoke about the differences in living, population, culture, school education and diversity of India. A trained classical dancer, Phadkule also impressed the students and nuns with a 10minute Bharatnatyam dance performance and several other Indian modern dances. Principal of Baradene College, Sandy Pasley, in her acknowledgment letter appreciated Phadkules exceptional desire and ability to adapt and become involved in the school activities. The students and families, Pasley stated, were able to get a wider perspective of India.

MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER THROWS LIGHT ON CHANGING DEMANDS OF THE INDUSTRY

Mgmt has picked up concepts from Indian culture

Q&A
S Ranganathan
An alumnus of Oxford Brookes University, UK and a certified accountant from the UK, professor S Ranganathan was heading the department of business administration in African, Middle East and Indian universities. He hails from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu and is actively involved in training, development and research in management, commerce, law and education. He regularly conducts faculty development programmes and is a motivational speaker. He spoke to Rajesh Rao on various aspects of management education in the country.
How important is placement for B-Schools or is it just a gimmick?

Emerging trends in management are inclined towards leadership and developing business models with vision and quality
S Ranganathan, director, JSPMs Kautilya Institute of Management and Research

schools definitely prepare students for the same.

What is the relevance of research in the field of management and yet retaining traditional Indian practices?

and technology.
What are the emerging trends in management?

become more local language-based. The underprivileged class has become more vulnerable to skills that are western-based. Also, most of the present employment is westernbased, like IT and BPOs, where interpersonal communication plays an important role. It is a challenge for Bschools to prepare the participants to such an extent. As the director of a management school, I do emphasise on such types of training for freshers so that they can be employed.
What is your opinion about management education in India?

It is not a marketing gimmick. Management schools prepare participants through various programmes like teaching about conceptual domain, personality development and sharpen problem solving skills. Obviously, it is a challenge to meet the changing demands of the industry and commerce and hence management

There is no such thing called traditional values and practices when in comes to research in the field of management. There are many concepts in modern management that have been taken from the Indian culture like family business. Research in this area is gaining momentum across different management schools. Dabbawalahs of Mumbai have become a buzz word in supply chain management. May be we can say that tradition and cultural values have become more visible more because of globalisation

Emerging trends in management are more inclined towards authentic leadership, innovative marketing, social entrepreneurship and marketing, developing business models with vision and quality. These trends are to be supplemented by adequate manpower and hence educators have started developing curriculum in these areas.
Why dont B-schools give importance to development of soft skills, which is crucial for employment?

It is wrong to say that B-schools are not giving importance to soft skills. Over the years, education in India has-

After working as a professor in foreign universities, I do not find any difference in the student community around the world. But what makes the difference is the exposure that the faculties around the globe get. But with the introduction of career advancement scheme of the UGC and AICTE, it has become necessary for lecturers in management schools to take up applied research, consulting and publishing. May be in the next few years, the faculties will be able to align themselves with the emerging trends.