Date:01/06/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/06/01/stories/2006060120930300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Be flexible while pursuing a career, students told

A GALAXY of speakers from industry, government, research and the academic world spent two days at Dayanand Sagar Institutions' Open House 2006. The Centre for Life Sciences was crowded with students and parents.

R.M. Vasagam, former Vice-Chancellor of Anna University, inaugurated the event, which was presided over By D. Hemachandra Sagar, Chairman, Dyananda Sagar Institutions, Bangalore.

The former Editor of Business World and Business India Dilip Thakore narrated instances of career changes he made during three decades, each one being different than the other and yet proved to be successful.

An individual's readiness to change careers at any age is desirable and rewarding, he said.

R. Vidyasagar, Director, HR, Philips Innovation Campus, spoke of the need for passion for anything that one chooses to do. Life is a continuous process of learning and unlearning. This means one should identify a career, choose a mentor and set certain standards for oneself, build professional integrity and relationships with a lot of hard work.

NID Centre

National Institute of Design has opened its research and development centre here, the first campus outside Ahmedabad. The institute wants to meet the growing demand for more innovation and new ideas among designers in Bangalore.

According to institute chairman Ajay K. Dua, there is need for innovative "e-designs" as traditional designing may not help survival in the growing competitive world. The research and development centre is becoming a platform for design research, exploring user-centric aspects, cognitive ergonomics, visual culture, brands and graphics, materials and processes, methodologies and approaches. The Union departments of Industrial Policy and Promotion and Communication and Information Technology are supporting the institute.

College Day

Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology celebrated its College Day. Director of Technical Education K. Basavaraju was the chief guest. He asked the students to move from wage employment to a self-employment system. The college magazine, Brindavana-2006 was released on the occasion. Cash awards and gold medals were presented to student achievers.

Botanical Society

The Botanical Society of Bangalore University held its valedictory function. Principal Secretary to the Government, Department of Health and Family Welfare Usha Ganesh spoke to students about the career opportunities available for M.Sc. Botany graduates and the advantages of taking up research in this field.

She said India would be among the top three countries along with China and the U.S. in overall development as highlighted at a recent meeting of the World Bank. This threw up many opportunities for young graduates and researchers.

K. SATYAMURTY