People

A powerful testament

Author and philanthropist Sudha Murty, 73, has been appointed to the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of the Indian Parliament, by President Droupadi Murmu, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last fortnight. 'Sudha Ji's contributions to various fields, including social work, philanthropy, and education, have been significant and inspiring.'

I wish her a fruitful Parliamentary tenure,” Modi said in a post on X. Murty’s nomination announcement came on International Women’s Day with the prime minister calling her presence in the Upper house ‘a powerful testament’ to the empowerment of women in India. The President nominates 12 members to Parliament’s Upper house, on the basis of their contributions towards arts,

literature, sciences and social services. Murty, who is married to Narayana Murthy, the billionaire co-founder of Infosys, is an educator and philanthropist herself, and was a recipient of India’s third-highest civilian award

– the Padma Bhushan – for her social work last year. She started her career as an engineer. She is also the former chairperson of the Infosys Foundation. murty said she was pleasantly surprised by the announcement and ‘doubly thrilled’ to be honoured on the Women’s Day.

Pen against climate crisis

Kolkata-born author Amitav Ghosh has been awarded the prestigious Erasmus Prize 2024 for his passionate contribution to the theme ‘imagining the unthinkable’ for bringing forth the global crisis of climate change through the written word. author of the bestsellers such as The Nutmeg’s Curse, The Hungry Tide and The Great Derangement, among others, Ghosh, 67, was awarded the prize by the Netherland’s Praemium Erasmianum Foundation. “Ghosh has delved deeply into the question of how to do justice to this existential threat that defies our imagination. his work offers a remedy by making an uncertain future palpable through compelling stories about the past,” the foundation said in a statement. he also wields his pen to show that the climate crisis is a cultural issue that results from a dearth of the imagination, it added. according to the foundation’s website, the Erasmus Prize is a distinction for persons or institutions that have made an exceptional contribution to culture or scholarship, in Europe and beyond. The Prize consists of a sum of €150,000 and adornments designed by Bruno Ninaber van Eyben. The patron of the foundation presents the prize during a ceremony that usually takes place at the royal Palace in amsterdam. “I am delighted and hugely honoured! It’s an incredible privilege to follow in the footsteps of legends like @Trevornoah, A.S. Byatt and Barbara Ehrenreich,” Ghosh posted on his X handle after the announcement.

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Ageneration of the Mamballys family in Kerala’s Tellicherry (now Thalassery), Renuka Bala has embarked on taking the family tradition of baking pan-India, offering the bakery’s biscuits and cakes online. “I am working to refine the supply-chain issue, maintaining the family’s tradition of baking without preservatives and enabling the product reach the end customer,” says Bala, who has relocated from Vadodara to take the reins of mambally’s royal Biscuit Factory set up by her great-grandfather in 1880. The founder, Mambally Bapu, had mastered the art of biscuit making in Burma (now Myanmar) and returned to establish one of the pioneering bakeries in the country. he made history when he baked India’s first recorded cake – the plum cake that led to Thalassery’s unofficial title of ‘land of three CS – cakes, cricket and circus’. mambally’s biscuits and cakes even reached Indian troops stationed in Egypt and the middle East during the First and Second World Wars. “We are committed to ensuring that our ingredients are of the finest quality and we bake using traditional techniques in coconut-shell-fired ovens, as my family has always done,” says Bala. “These greatly enhance the flavour and at the same time are environmentally sustainable.” While the wood-fired products have retained the age-old ingredients and use the minimum preservatives, the biscuits are odd-shaped as they are handmade. Bala is still fine-tuning the packaging to ensure that her products don’t break or crumble in transit. “I want people all over India to savour the fine taste enjoyed today by most of our customers in Kerala,” she adds.

Empowering women

It was rare once upon a time. But women leaders are a dime a dozen in the modern business world. Some make a big splash, while a few, however, serve quietly. V. L. Indira Dutt sports a serene countenance. Not for nothing, she has been the President of andhra chambers of commerce since 2012. In existence for over nine decades, andhra chambers, perhaps, is the only regional chamber in the country to have offices across three states – Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. Dutt believes that empowerment is the key to the emancipation of a woman. She was the first Indian to become chairperson, Saarc chamber Women Entrepreneur council (ScWEc), and was largely instrumental in the andhra chamber setting up a women’s forum. She heads the KcP group, one of the oldest industrial enterprises in Chennai. The over 80-yearold $250 million group has interests in cement, heavy engineering, power, hospitality and the like. Dutt reveals a sense of deep concern for farmers especially in the drought-prone andhra Pradesh districts. Should we not ensure that the farmers don’t suffer? Why can’t farm inputs be provided at affordable prices to them? The president of Andhra chamber is convinced that the government should – more than anything else – ensure the availability of key farm inputs and items of day-today needs at affordable price. make-in-India is laudable. But the question for her is: at what cost do we make in India? Well, Dutt has a point. her queries cannot be wished away.

Hyundai Motor India (HML) announced the conclusion f the Samarth championship – a five-match International Bilateral Blind men’s T20 cricket Series, under its ‘Samarth by JHyundai’ initiative. Organised by Hyundai motor India Foundation’s (HMLF) NGO partner, ‘Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled’, in partnership with the ‘cricket association for the Blind in India’, the five-match series witnessed some unforgettable moments, with the Indian men’s Blind cricket Team defeating the Sri Lankan men’s Blind cricket Team. “hyundai motor India had launched the ‘Samarth by Hyundai’ initiative last year. and, we shall continue to prioritise India’s development,” said Un Soo Kim, MD & CEO, HML. “Our goal remains to support the differently abled individuals, fostering a more compassionate society through our social endeavours.”

Holistic wellness

The pandemic provided insights which inspired Ronita Roy Ghosh to set up the Jikoni Foundation in a bid to address the growing disparity between modern dietary habits and indigenous culinary practices. “I observed a significant divide emerging between our people, particularly the younger generation, and our rich food culture,” says Ghosh, who works with her NGO to revitalise India’s traditional food practices. The aim, she explains, is to bridge the gap between contemporary living and traditional nutritional values. her experiences of working among those affected chairperson, Saarc chamber Women Entrepreneur council (ScWEc), and was largely instrumental in the andhra chamber setting up a women’s forum. She heads the KCP group, one of the oldest industrial enterprises in Chennai. The over 80-yearold

$250 million group has interests in cement, heavy engineering, power, hospitality and the like. Dutt reveals a sense of deep concern for farmers especially in the drought-prone Andhra Pradesh districts. Should we not ensure that the farmers don’t suffer? Why can’t farm inputs be provided at affordable prices to them? The president of andhra chamber

make-in-India is laudable. But the question for her is: at what cost do we make in India? Well, Dutt has a point. her queries cannot be wished away. u is convinced that the government should – more than anything else – ensure the availability of key farm inputs and items of day-today needs at affordable price. by the second wave of covid19 in 2021 gave her a sound footing on which to work to improve their nutrition, says Ghosh, a fervent advocate for holistic wellness. along the way, with a firm belief in fostering transformation through nutrition security and inclusion, she also launched a social business venture, The Indian Turmeric co., which introduced a preparation mix of a household drink, “Doodh-haldi” – described as the ‘golden latte’ – which blends ancient ayurvedic wisdom with modern packaging. This endeavour, she points Out, not only promotes indigenous ingredients but also encapsulates the ethos of universal happiness and well-being, as encapsulated in the Sanskrit phrase “sarva bhavantu sukhinaha. (universal well-being and happiness)”. Emphasising the importance of integrating social business initiatives within the non-profit sector to cut dependency on donor funding, Ghosh stresses that non-profits must explore the possibilities of social business to foster susta