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A.R. Rahman gets two Grammy nominations for 'Slumdog...'

Music maestro A.R. Rahman has been nominated for two Grammy awards for the film "Slumdog Millionaire".

The Mozart of Madras, as Rahman is fondly called, has been nominated in the best soundtrack for motion pictures, television or other visual media category for the film, and in the best song for motion picture, television and other visual media category for "Jai ho", said the official Grammy website.

Written by lyricist Gulzar, "Jai ho" has been sung by Sukhvinder Singh, Tanvi Shah, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Vijay Prakash and Rahman himself.

Nominated for the first time at the Grammy's, Rahman won two Oscars for "Slumdog Millionaire" and the best original score award at the 2009 Golden Globe Award.

The 52th edition of the Annual Grammy Awards will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Jan 31 next year.

BSNL partners British Telecom for conferencing solutions

State-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has tied up with Britain's BT Group Plc for offering audio and web conferencing solutions to its customers, the company said Wednesday.

The partnership with BT, formerly British Telecom, will enable BSNL to offer the latest conferencing technologies to its customers.

"This partnership enables our customers to collaborate easily with their domestic and international users, partners and vendors, wherever they are in the world," BSNL chairman and managing director Kuldeep Goyal said in a statement.

"It also helps our customers manage and reduce costs, improve productivity and create a greener environment."

BT operates in about 170 countries.

It's B-school time for Indian ambassadors

Guess who is getting lessons from the premier Indian School of Business (ISB)? Indian ambassadors who are learning "economic diplomacy" to promote their country abroad.

With the country growing as a global power, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has roped in the ISB to teach the top diplomats how to promote "brand India" in the countries where they are posted.

"We have already trained 30-35 ambassadors, high commissioners and other top officials under the Indian Foreign Service after being contacted by the external affairs ministry," Deepak Chandra, associate dean of the ISB, told IANS.

"We will train another batch of such top officials next month. This time also the number will be 30 or more. What they are learning in short is economic diplomacy," said Chandra, who was in Delhi on an official visit.

ISB, a premier management school based in Hyderabad, was contacted by the MEA earlier this year.

"India is a growing global power. The economic interest of the country is growing. What these officials are learning is contextualising Indian interest in their country of posting," Chandra said.

"By aligning the economic situation of their posted country with that of India's need, they can help the country's brand image," he said, adding that qualified and capable people are key to promoting brand India across the world.

Chandra said among other things the envoys have been taught about India's future and its relationship with countries vis-a-vis economic growth. "Let me give one example, we have taught them India-China relations from this perspective."

"As educationists, we now understand that they (government) have recognised they need such kind of education. This is a great move forward."

The authorities said while the already completed course was for a duration of two weeks, the upcoming batch would study for around 10 days next month. However, they did not divulge the details of the course fee or the countries where these top officials are posted.

"These are part of our agreement with the government and details cannot be given," Chandra added.

Besides these foreign service officials, the central government has engaged the ISB for training Indian Police Service (IPS) officials too.

"We are working with IPS officials at three levels - probation level, superintendent level with around 10 years of experience and at the additional director general of police level. So far we have trained over 100 such officials in total," said Chandra, who is also a member of the ISB's management council.

Jaypee launches residential project

aypee Greens, a division of diversified infrastructure and industrial group Jaiprakash Associates, Thursday announced the launch of a residential project at the Jaypee Greens Sports City in Gautam Budh Nagar near here.

The project, Lake District, is spread over 200 acres and offers a range of options, with apartments starting from 850 square feet for a two-bedroom unit to 2,100 square feet for a four-bedroom apartment.

The project is scheduled to be completed within three years from the date of commencement of construction work, the company said in a statement.

"At Jaypee Greens, it has been our constant endeavour to develop state of the art projects to cater to every individual," said Jaypee group director Rita Dixit.

Lake District, designed by London-headquartered architects WATG, is a part of the 2,500-acre Jaypee Greens Sports City launched Nov 7, which will have sports facilities like motor race track, go-karting facility and stadiums.

ISB launches executive MBA for Rs.2.5 mn

Senior industry executives looking to "broaden their perspective" and "leadership qualities" can now do so at the premier Indian School of Business -- by paying a whopping Rs.2.5 million for a 60-day course spread over 15 months.

"We are launching the executive MBA (EMBA) for senior executives with 10 to 25 years of experience. The course will be world class and the fee is Rs.2.5 million plus travel expenses," Ajit Rangnekar, dean of the Hyderabad-based ISB announced here Thursday.

The classes will be held for six days every one and half months. Thus, this part-time EMBA will spread over a period of 15 months. Rangnekar claimed the course is first of its kind in the country.

During the 15-month period, students will spend one week each in the campus of Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Kellogg School of Management -- two premier management institutions in the world.

"Consistent feedback from industry leaders have revealed the need for developing a leadership pipeline, and this has been the driving force for us to create the ambitious programme. I am confident that it will break new ground in management education in India," said Deepak Chandra, associate dean of ISB.

"The course has been developed by incorporating EMBA best practices in Kellogg and Wharton. Senior faculties of Wharton, Kellogg and ISB will teach these senior executives," he added.

Asked if the course fee is too high, Rangnekar said: "We don't think it is expensive. We believe, we give it in a throwaway price. Internationally such courses are very expensive."

"See, a senior executive won't have to take leave. So, he or she will continue to earn the salary while pursuing the course. Six days of class in every six weeks won't be problem for such senior executives," he added.

Sanjay Singh, head of this EMBA programme, said they are looking for a batch of 60 students from the coming academic session. "The batch size will be 60. We are also open to foreigners joining the course."

HCL ties up with Sahara Petroleum

IT services provider HCL Technologies will offer enterprise resource planning solutions to the Middle East-based Sahara Petroleum Services, the company said Thursday.

With the implementation of the software, Sahara Petroleum hopes to integrate its business processes and standardise systems and controls.

"Being a highly diversified group, we have embarked on this project in order to have a seamless integration across all companies and points of presence for financial consolidation, better control and standardised human resource processes," Sahara Petroleum chief executive Hesham Fouad said.

Added Kevin Graybill, global head of the oil and gas business of HCL Axon: "We look forward to extending our expertise, thought leadership to enable Sahara Petroleum gain competitive edge in its marketplace."