A K O H I N O O R G R O U P P U B L I C A T I O N

Flash

Volume 1 l Issue 8 l August 2015

Kohinoor Bags Two Lokmat Awards

This year, the Lokmat Awards function held on 24 July at Taj Lands End saw Kohinoor bagging two awards. Kohinoor Group won the ‘Developer of the Year-Commercial Award’ for Kohinoor Square while Kohinoor Technical Institute (KTI) was awarded the ‘Lokmat National Education Leadership Awards 2015-Best Vocational Training Institute Award’. The award for Kohinoor Square was received by Kohinoor VPs Atul Modak and Sudesh Bhelekar while the KTI award was accepted by CEO & Director of the institute Sameer Joshi.

Kohinoor Technical Institute Holds Grand Kaushal Mela To Give A Boost To PMKVY

Kohinoor Technical Institute (KTI) organized a ‘Kaushal Mela’ (Skill Fair) at Kohinoor Hall in

Prabhadevi, Mumbai, to coincide World Youth Skills Day declared by the United Nations on 15th July. The event was organized to give a boost to the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PMKVY). The ‘Kaushal Mela’ was inaugurated at the auspicious hands of the Honourable Governor of Maharashtra, C Vidyasagar Rao. The occasion was also graced by Mayor of Mumbai Snehal Ambekar, Founder of Kohinoor Manohar Joshi, Kohinoor CMD Unmesh Joshi, KTI CEO & Director Sameer Joshi and captains of the industry.

Speaking on the occasion, Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao observed that skill development will not only insulate India from the adverse impact of a slowdown, but also help the country achieve the goal of financial inclusion and empowerment. The

Contributed by Archana Dhawle, KPCPL (Kohinoor Square Award) KTI Award info from KTI Social Media Posts

Governor pointed out that compared to China which has a skilled workforce of 45 percent, India has only two to three percent of skilled workforce. Pointing out that almost 75 percent of the rural population of India is engaged in casual manual labour in absence of any skills, the Governor said providing skill training to this segment of the population will make them contributors to the economy of the country. He also called for creating a large number of apprenticeship positions in all government and private sector organizations. Observing that India has only 2.5 lakh apprenticeship positions, He said apprenticeship positions will help youths to pick up critical employment skills with a hands-on approach. The

other key message that the Governor drove to the audience was that he found no direct competition to KTI today and said it is well-poised to become the first corporate in the near future to set up a state-of-the-art Skill Development University for Vocational Skills and Training in India.

Kohinoor Founder Manohar Joshi recalled that he had started a Self-Employment and Employment Scheme in Maharashtra when he was Chief Minister of the State. He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking up skill development as a national programme. He went on to add that KTI will replicate the Maharashtra Model of Vocational Skills and Training into other key Indian states. He expressed the confidence that Maharashtra will provide leadership to the nation in skill development.

Kohinoor CMD Unmesh Joshi outlined his vision to the audience by saying that whilst I have the legacy founded by my father, it is the word-of-mouth publicity that is carried out by our brand ambassadors, that is, the students and their parents, the corporate alliances and the industry expertise that is responsible for the confidence of people in KTI. He went on to add that over the next few years, he would like to see ‘Sparsh Kohinoorchaa’ – his long term Vision to see that Kohinoor touches the lives of every household, directly or indirectly, to better their lives.

Organizing the Kaushal Mela was a massive task. The KTI team took up the challenge and reaped the fruits of their labour with the success of the event. The ever helpful Milind Patwardhan (popular as Patwardhan Sir) from the corporate office also pitched in to make the event a grand success.

Contributed by Neel Bhende, KTI

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Flash

The ‘guru’ has been given supreme importance in Indian culture through the ages. In the olden days,

young boys (education was not for girls then) used to be sent to the ‘gurukul’ at a young age where they were accepted as shishyas (disciples) by the guru. They used to stay with the guru in the gurukul leading a life of austerity and discipline, assimilating knowledge till they grew up. They would leave the gurukul only after their guru was satisfied that they had completed their education and were now ready to go into the outside world to put their knowledge to good use.

In those good old days, there were no fees, but guru dakshina. As a humble mark of respect to their guru, the shishyas gave their guru ‘dakshina’ or offering as a mark of respect and gratitude. The guru could ask for anything as dakshina and the shishyas too went to any lengths to fulfil their guru’s wish. In those days, it truly was – The guru’s wish is our command.

Gurukul Simulated In Kohinoor Blossoms On Guru Poornima

Contributed by Sachin Mistry, KET

INCULCATING GOOD VALUES IN FORMATIVE YEARS

Guru Poornima, as the name indicates, falls on the full moon day in the Hindu month of Aashaadha (July-August). It is observed as a sacred tribute to the great sage Maharshi Veda Vyasa who edited the four Hindu Vedas, wrote the 18 Puraanaas, Mahaabharata and the Srimad Bhagavatam. Veda Vyasa even taught Dattatreya, who is regarded as the Guru of Gurus.

Kohinoor Blossoms children celebrated Guru Poornima in a traditional way. A gurukul was simulated in the play area. One of the teachers dressed up like a guru, taught the children to meditate and recite prayers. The guru then narrated an interesting value based story to the children. The session ended with the chanting of followed by an art activity to depict the significance of the Guru being the guiding light. The children proudly carried their art pieces home to show them to their parents.

While most of us are familiar with the story that Eklavya cut off his thumb without the slightest hesitation and gave it to his Guru Dronacharya as guru dakshina, few are aware of the massive effort (Lord) Krishna and his brother Balram took to give their Guru Sandeepan the guru dakshina he and his wife wished for. When asked by the brothers what they wanted as guru dakshina, they told the two shishyas not to ask them as they were sure that they couldn’t get what they most wished for. On being coaxed by Krishna and Balram, they revealed that many years ago, their son had drowned in the sea and what they wanted most as guru dakshina was their lost son. Krishna promised them that their wish would be fulfilled. Krishna and Balram went into the depths of the sea only to discover that their guru’s son had not drowned but had been caught by a demon hiding in the Paanchjanya conch. They found the demon and killed him but could not find the guru’s son. They then went to the God of Death Yama, who told them that here there were only souls, no bodies. They insisted

that they wanted their guru’s son back at any cost as they had to give him to their guru as guru dakshina. Yamraj finally relented. The joy of the parents knew no bounds when Krishna and Balram gave them their most coveted guru dakshina.

Times have changed and the guru-shishya parampara has gradually metamorphosed into the modern mentor-mentee model. The relationship may have undergone a transformation but we all are deeply grateful to and acknowledge the priceless contribution of our mentors in shaping us, making us whatever we are today.

Kohinoor Blossoms recreated the gurukul on Guru Poornima to instil the sense of devotion and respect for their gurus and keep alive our rich Indian tradition. Values instilled at a young impressionable age last for a lifetime shaping the child into a worthy adult, for ‘Child is the Parent of Man...and Woman.’

– Editor-In-Chief

Fashionista 2015, a signature event organized by Kohinoor Technical Institute - KTI Pune Region, was held on 2 August at Mahatma Phule Sanskrutik Bhavan Auditorium, Fatima Nagar, Pune. Five branches of the Pune region participated with style and aplomb in the event – Deccan, Hadapsar, Ahmednagar, Chandan Nagar and NarayangaonAn array of beautifully designed colourful costumes made the show a lively event. All the costumes were designed and stitched by KTI students. There were various themes for the ramp walk by the girls. The themes ranged from a

Contributed by Neel Bhende, KTI

KTI’s Fashionista 2015

peacock colour costume, to a round of evening gowns, ghagras, the colour blue, Barbie Round, Valentine Day Round, Palazzo round etc. Ably compered by faculty member Snehal Kulkarni from Chinchwad branch, a delighted audience of about 600 people was treated to a wonderful show of skills, creativity and talent in the art of fashion designing by the 55 participants, almost all being KTI students. Spurred by the success of Fashionista 2015, KTI Pune Region has decided to make it an annual event

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KBS Professor Dr Ritu Bhattacharya has proved to be ‘Guru Drona’ of Kohinoor

Business School (KBS) by winning the prestigious Guru Drona Award in the field of Education at the 12th Edition of RK Excellence International Awards conferred by the prestigious DRVA Charitable Trust, a part of India’s leading NGO-RK HIV/AIDS Research and Care Centre in Mumbai.

The RK Excellence International Award is conferred on professionals from varied fields who go beyond the call of duty and prove to be role models in their field of work. While good moral character is a basic requirement, self-nomination is not permitted. The candidate has to be nominated by a person of some standing in society. Nominations are received from all parts of India and internationally through international offices of the Trust. After stringent screening on the basis of merit by a team of auditors from Nielson, a list of final nominees is released. The next step is a check by vote from direct beneficiaries of the nominee like students/patients/customers and other stakeholders to evaluate the worthiness of the nominee to win the Excellence Award in the concerned field.

Dr Ritu Bhattacharya emerged as the final winner from a hundred odd nominations of academicians for the Guru Drona Award. The list was trimmed down to 23 academicians after the first screening. Votes were then sought from Dr Ritu Bhattacharya’s students from Mumbai, Pune and also those who are part of her social venture. Although the selection procedure was tough, Dr Ritu Bhattacharya emerged the winner with the

‘Guru Drona’ Of Kohinoor Business School - Dr Ritu Bhattacharya

Contributed by Sachin Mistry, KET

Musings: Although it is 44 years since I passed out of school, the ‘Guru Drona Award’ (named after the great Dronacharya, guru of the Pandavas and Kauravas) has brought to my mind a flood of memories of my school teachers who selflessly and devotedly played the role of ‘Guru Drona’ in my life. Sincerity and devotion to their work was their only concern. One teacher I particularly remember when I was in Std 5, was so devoted, that she not only taught us a new chapter every day but also made sure that each and every student had learnt what was taught the previous day by asking questions on the subject the next day. Defaulters had to stay back with her after school and learn the chapter. She would allow them to go home only after she was satisfied they had learnt it. There was never any deviation from this routine. Being the class teacher, she taught

Bullet News KET EFF-TECH CAFTTT has started a series – IT Tricks and Tips – a

bimonthly initiative to spur everyone in Kohinoor to ‘work smarter’. Contributed by KET Executive-IT Nitin Dixit, this time the Tips were –

Short Cut Keys For Microsoft Outlook qTo switch between navigation pane qOutlook mail shortcuts Corporate HR conducted an online Employee Engagement Survey 2015

for better understanding of employee satisfaction, morale and engagement. The survey was in two parts, an Anonymous Survey and an Open Survey.

Kohinoor Business School (KBS) conducted an Induction Program for the Batch of 2015-17 PGDM and MMS students. Prominent among the KET top management and KBS faculty who addressed the students were KET Chairman-Governing Board CA Sunil Karve, MMS Program Head Dr Bharati Deshpande and PGDM Program Head Prof Sandeep Sawant.

Kohinoor Technical Institute (KTI) is now on social media sites FaceBook, Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube. KTI CEO & Director Sameer Joshi has struck a first in Kohinoor by going live on Twitter.

KTI SRO Training was conducted in the first fortnight of August by Master Trainers Suresh Chellam and Amirali Darvesh. While Suresh Chellam conducted Soft Skills Training for the Student Relationship Officers (SROs), Amirali Darvesh took a session on Functional Skills.

huge turnout of votes in her favour and validation of all her credentials by the jury.

Dr Ritu Bhattacharya has over 20 years of academic and corporate experience. She has served in various senior capacities in the industry and also in top positions as Director of some of the leading educational brands such as Bhartiya Vidyapeeth, Indira Group of Institutes, MGM Group of Institutes. Presently teaching at KBS, she is nurturing thousands

of young minds in their management journey with her insightful, thought provoking, motivational, practical management concepts, sculpting them into capable management professionals. She is renowned as one of the top academicians in the city of Mumbai. The ‘Guru Drona Award’ recently conferred on her has further elevated her status.

most of the subjects, and this applied to all subjects. Her single-minded goal was to make sure that the knowledge she imparted to her students was imbibed by all. That was her guru dakshina.

I distinctly remember I had mistakenly prepared for the wrong subject during one of my exams. I became nervous when the exam paper fell in my hands. To my delight, when I read the questions, I found I knew almost all the questions and happily answered the paper. Even when I was caught unawares, I scored 90 plus in the subject. What I had learnt, was not for the day, but for all days to come. Such is the crucial role a true ‘Guru Drona’ can play in one’s life. She is the biggest ‘Guru Drona’ of my life because the dedication and discipline she inculcated in me became a part of my persona for life

Today, my qualifications have nothing to do with my profession. I owe my livelihood to all my school

teachers who laid such a strong foundation of language and communication skills in me that I was able to pick up the threads 23 years after leaving school when I stepped into the field of corporate communications by accident. When my bank account hitting rock bottom at the end of the month swells moderately on the 7th of each month with my salary, I silently pray for the peace and well-being of my teachers.

All of us sure have our own ‘Guru Drona’. It may be one teacher or more than one teacher. Teacher’s Day is coming next month. Let us remember our great mentors who have been ‘Guru Drona’ in our lives and be grateful to them for their invaluable contribution in making us the individuals we are.

- Editor-In-Chief

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Independence Day Celebrations

Kohinoor Blossoms (KB) celebrated Independence Day with a spirit of patriotism unifying the beauty of the rich heritage of India.

KB children dressed up as famous personalities who have made India proud and in colours of the Indian flag. Senior KG children of Kohinoor Blossoms presented a short skit, which included a speech, a rhyme and a dance. A heart touching poem was recited by a Nursery child saluting the brave Kargil soldiers. The little national leaders, soldiers, farmers and the true patriotic Indians were completely immersed in the patriotic fervour.

Contributed by Sachin Mistry, KET and Jignasa Gala, KB

Kohinoor International School celebrated Independence Day in true patriotic spirit. The Chief Guest for the function was Vice President of Kohinoor Hotels Division Mukund Kamat. The program started with a moving speech – a homage to our motherland - given by a student of Grade 6. This was followed by a patriotic song by the school choir which was a humble tribute to our martyrs who sacrificed their lives so that their fellow countrymen could live with dignity and honour. Students of Grade 5 demonstrated pride for the motherland through their

performances. A lively skit was also presented. The time machine took the audience through the past, present and future spanning a period of a century from the 1950s to 2050. The vision of India for the future is one that all Indians would dream of, depicting technological advancement, agricultural leadership, clean and green cities, and progress in all facets. All the performances reflected hope, belief, conviction and optimism in a bright future for India.

KTI Student Featured In India Business Report On BBC

KTI Panvel Branch student Ketan Sawant was recently featured in India Business Report on BBC Channel. The KTI sequence was part of BBC’s

story on Skill India Mission launched by the Prime Minister of India - Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PMKVY). Ketan Sawant is a farmer’s son but he is not interested in farming. His aim is to acquire technical skills in Kohinoor Contributed by Neel Bhende, KTI

Technical Institute and procure a good job so that he can improve the standard of living for him and his family. The report was telecast on BBC on Sunday 9 August. Go to the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp9O6YmaoJA to see it on YouTube.

A K O H I N O O R G R O U P P U B L I C A T I O N

Flash Volume 1 l Issue 8 l August 2015 5

Published By : Hotel Airport Kohinoor Pvt Ltd, Kohinoor Corporate House, Senapati Bapat Marg, Dadar (West), Mumbai - 400 028 Email : kohinoortimes@kohinoorgroup.co.in Editor-in-Chief : Ullhas B Kulkarni Executive Editor : Makarand Vagaskar Principal Correspondent : Amruta Kokate-Kanade Design : Kohinoor Design Cell.Web : www.kohinoorgroup.co.in For private circulation only. The editors and Kohinoor Group do not necessarily subscribe to personal views expressed in this publication. Copyright © 2015 Hotel Airport Kohinoor Pvt Ltd

The editiorial team heartily thanks all the contributors for this issue. Please keep mailing your contributions and suggestions for Kohinoor Times to kohinoortimes@kohinoorgroup.co.in

Fun@Kohinoor-July 2015Creativity makes people come together and open up, which in turn makes

new ideas and inspiration possible. Kohinoor Design Cell Manager Kishor Sawant hit upon a novel idea for Fun@Kohinoor-July 2015. Decorating our homes is an integral part of the oncoming spate of festivals. Instead of buying expensive pieces from the market, Fun@Kohinoor in July was targeted at exploring one’s own potential.

Kohinoor provided raw material like paper plates, colour pencils etc to the participants who had to create Wall Decorations using them. The response was fabulous with participants coming up with innovative creations. Participants also demonstrated how waste material normally discarded in the dustbin could be used purposefully to create Wall Decorations.The WinnersCorporate Office :

Composed and Compiled by Amruta Kokate KanadeContributed by Rutuja Gadkari, Kohinoor Group

Second Prize – Shrutkirti Joshi

First Prize – Nikam Nagale

First Prize – Avinash Rane

Kohinoor City

First Prize - Santosh Shingare

Second Prize – Avinash Paradkar

Kohinoor Square

Second Prize – Kiran Kambli