4 1 0 2 1 Q Fundamatics Anniversary issue Q1 2014 We don't have to go out of the way to save environment... Sustainable Solutions for Sustainable Environment Systems Sustainable Technology, Plant & Solutions for Machinery Sustainable for producing Environment Environment Industrial Friendly Biotech Products Biofuel including Bionutrients, Livestock Nutrition and Biochemicals Critical Process Equipment & Systems for Hygienic Water & Applications Wastewater Treatment Plants We don't have to go out of the way to save environment... At PRAJ, we have dedicated ourselves to developing environment-friendly solutions. With over 500 references in more than 60 countries, PRAJ has one of the largest resource base to to support the cause of environment. At the state-of-the-art R&D facility, Praj Matrix-The Innovation Centre, PRAJ is evolving technology solutions that will provide new avenues for a sustainable future. PRAJ INDUSTRIES LIMITED Pune, India E : [email protected] W : www.praj.net 1 Q 2 0 1 4 Quarterly magazine of The IIT Bombay Alumni Association Contents From the Beehive 1 Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation Queenbee 3 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ajit RAngnekar 4 Changing the Status Quo: On Innovation and 6 Entrepreneurship in India HemAnt KanAkiA AAP, BAAP & PAAP Grumblebee 10 Enterprising the Chaat bunkumbee 12 Bringing History Home bumblebee 15 National Salt Satyagraha Memorial at Dandi & Dandi 16 Marchers’ Sculptures Workshop at IIT Bombay PRof. kiRti tRivedi List of 80 Marchers who participated in the Dandi 19 March, 1930 A Fistful of Salt Ali bAbA 29 Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Climate Change: 32 Opportunities in India RAgHu muRtugudde Innovation? Begin with Governance of our 36 Educational Institutions SudHeendra kulkarni Skype is illegal in some Countries RuStom KangA 39 Toide wa – doko desu ka :Inspired by the amazing 40 talking toilets that have evolved in Japan RuStom KangA Out of the Closet bAkul deSAi 42 A HaRD Interview with Minister Pallam Raju bAkul deSAi 43 The Equator Question … And Why It’s So Interesting beHeRuz SetHnA 50 Of Prompt Peters and Late Latifs, and of Regretful 55 Robins and Ignorant Ibrahims Lazybee Unmaking Jugaad: In Conversation with Jamshyd 65 Godrej Stumblebee The Encounter TranSlAted by S d PAndit 69 Innovating is Not a Luxury Option S muralidharan 72 The Planet of the Gods SAtiSH HAttiAngAdi 77 Empowerment in a Landscape of Lights Humblebee 81 The Politickle Pickle: The Greatness of Simplicity, 88 Exactitude, and Lightness Queenbee Time to Encash it: The Skills Opportunity RevAtHi KastuRi 90 The Genesis of Bijli Bachao AbHiSHek Jain 95 An Uncommon story of a Common man turned 98 Innovator bumblebee Housing Story AdvitiyA SharmA 101 Cool...essence v. kRiSHnAn 104 Four Days of Golden Jubilee - Class of 1963 Shanti MahajAn 107 Mahendra Singh RiSHi mohan SAnwAl 109 On Art, Science and Engineering of toPo or toPPo at 111 IIT Bombay SudHiR SharmA Innovation in Cheating noSeybee 114 All the Statistics I Need to Know, I Learned in an 118 Indian Village RAvi UpadHye Supporting a Culture of Innovation at IIT Bombay- AbHi, SHRo & tHe legAcy 120 Class of 2002 Legacy Project PRoject volunteeR teAm Creative Bees at Fundamatics 123 From the Beehive Life at 2 and prove your skepticism wrong. It was exactly 2 years ago in December And then we saw the joy erupt on your fac- 2011 that Fundamatics was born. Miraculous- es when we eventually turned out winners. At ly, to say the least. This was a baby that would the beehive, we are constantly in a soul search- have been stillborn, attempted to be delivered ing mode. Our exploration into the deepest barely a couple of months after conception. recesses of our mind tells us that the secret Anyway, after a series of flukes, fits and starts, of our success is YOU. We started an alumni we presented a 200-page issue to you. You all magazine in a fit of a mad moment and did loved it and lapped it up and life at the beehive not have the time to lock ourselves within has never been the same since then. We moved the confines of guiding principles, model, from one issue to another in a never ending statement of purpose, core philosophy and the stream. We grew, we evolved, we transformed like. We wanted to elicit your participation to and moved in a direction you steered us into. help us evolve. After all, we are dealing with Thanks to your continuous patronage, we very eminent alumni who have a history of grabbed 3 coveted national ICE awards after running mega and global corporations across just 6 issues under our belt. the world. If the best minds on the planet As you hold this 9th issue in your hands, contribute material for our magazine and go one as fat as the inaugural issue, one that’s one step further to guide us, mould us, and touted as our bumper anniversary issue, it’s encourage us, can we go wrong? but natural for all the bees to reminiscence So far, every issue of Fundamatics has and ponder over what got us here. Many of been centered around a theme and the theme you have confessed to us privately that while this time is on Innovation & Entrepreneur- you applauded our efforts publicly, you were ship. We feel that Fundamatics is an innova- internally skeptical about whether we would tive idea of the IITB alumni community. It survive beyond a couple of issues. One of you is an enterprise that runs on the cooperative was candid enough to mention that you felt principle and despite heavy pressures, pitfalls that we were a comet that was shining now, and occasional setbacks, it is still profitable, but would disappear without a trace. Yet, you notwithstanding its baby phase. How could humoured us. Gave us articles, brought in sub- we think of any other theme to celebrate our scribers, and solicited advertisements for us birthday? to egg us on. Spoke words of encouragement As you scroll the pages, you will see that while crossing your fingers and privately pray- we have dispensed with our regular back-page, ing that we would live up to your expectations the thank you section, in this issue. That’s 1 because we believe that all of you viz. our have interesting anecdotal stories from entre- CARS (contributors, advertisers, readers, and preneurs, poems, trivia, and some attempt subscribers) need to be thanked here, right at (both successful and unsuccessful) at humour the top. Treat this as an editorial-thank you in order to bring about a balance. Do not miss combo. And do read the most thought pro- the fascinating stories about IITB’s participa- voking content from our galaxy of extremely tion in commemorating the memory of the eminent souls that we have lined up here. In a historical Salt March at Dandi, buttressed by rare and an exclusive interview, HRD Minis- an informative column by Ali Baba. ter Pallam Raju bares his heart and mind to Thanks again and keep us buzzing. speak on wide ranging issues concerning IIT Jumblebee. and IITBAA. Czar of manufacturingJam- shyd Godrej, ISB Dean Ajit Rangnekar, Skill Development Diva Revathi Kasturi, Alumnus Hemant Kanakia, columnists Sudheendra Kulkarni, Beheruz Sethna, Ali Contractor— they’re all there with full guns blazing. We 2 FUNDOO FUNDAES ON INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP Engineering Entrepreneurship and Innovation eaders might question the wisdom of and daring to dream of building something our decision to dedicate the theme of of their own. This is a gigantic socio-cultural Rthe annual special issue of Fundamat- change that bodes well for our country. In ics 2014 on the theme of Innovation and this issue we would like to look through time Entrepreneurship given the fact that there is a space and across disciplines to focus on India’s surfeit of writing on Innovation and Entrepre- innovation frontiers, and on unique insights neurship available to readers today. on entrepreneurship that can both guide and Our decision had less to do with the fact inspire our readers. that IIT Bombay alumni have amongst its Scattered across the pages of this issue are ranks many successful entrepreneurs and unique insights to pique your curiosity and innovators and more to do with a sincere encourage conversations and debate, and also belief that a better understanding of the inspiring life stories that enable us to investi- nature, process and practice of innovation and gate whether innovation and entrepreneurship entrepreneurship is a key factor in economic manifest themselves differently across different development and that this is a crucial area sectors and disciplines. The larger aim is as that can fuel sustainable growth mechanisms always to inspire the next generation of en- in the foreseeable future for developing econo- trepreneurs and innovators who would draw mies like India. sustenance form these narratives and script Today, the nation is undoubtedly in an era transformative stories in their own lives. of dual realities, at one end there is rapidly Queenbee progressing science and technology, growing economies, and changing lifestyles and at the other, accessing such basic amenities as food, health, education, and livelihood is still a challenge for millions. A unique but undetected phenomenon in the past couple of decades among Indians has been a consistent unleashing of an entre- preneurial movement like never before. Be it serial entrepreneurship in the Silicon Valley or setting up plants and factories in India these are people who bucked the trend deciding to ignore the lure of cushy jobs with fat salaries 3 FUNDOO FUNDAES ON INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ajit RAngnekAR he IIT Bombay alumni network con- getting a great idea, or in perfecting the idea stitutes arguably the cream of talent in that they already have.