April 2022 – Page 3 – Global Records India

** Cigniti Technologies bags $10 million deal

Software quality engineering, testing and consulting services provider Cigniti Technologies on Tuesday said it has bagged a $10 million annual contract value (ACV) deal from one of the largest and oldest financial services and investment firm in the U.S.

The deal, to accelerate the U.S. firm’s digital transformation journey, is one of the largest it has won and has a high growth potential in the coming years, Cigniti said in a release.

The client is a Fortune 500 company with operations in 20 U.S. states and has offices in three continents. Cigniti Technologies CEO Srikanth Chakkilam said the deal is an outcome of deep-rooted expertise encompassing functional, process, business and digital assurance services for large enterprise customers.

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** Five KSRTC staff honoured

The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has honored five staff who have done exemplary work bettering the reputation of the Corporation at a function held in Thiruvananthapuram.

Thomas K.T., driver of Erumeli depot, who was instrumental in rescuing a three-member Gujarati family trapped in a landslide at Pullupara on October 16, 2021, conductor Jayson Joseph, who moved eight buses to a safer location when the Ranni unit was flooded even as his house was also flooded on August 15, 2018, Mahesh P.G., a mechanic at the Ranni unit, who worked with the fire force to save six lives, Aneesh T.P., a driver of the Ernakulam unit who printed and distributed notices in Tamil and English at his own expense to increase the number of passengers after COVID, and Ponnus K. C. the driver of the Erumely unit who tried to rescue the youth who were involved in a road accident on April 21, 2021 during the Erumeli-Palakkad service, were honoured at the function.

** Indian-American Navy veteran appointed Kamala Harris’s defence advisor

In her new role, Ms. Sethi coordinates National Security Advisor documentation across the Office of the Vice President.

Shanti Sethi, a trailblazing Indian-American Navy veteran, has joined US Vice President Kamala Harris’s office as her executive secretary and defence advisor, according to a media report.

Ms. Sethi, the first Indian-American commander of a major US Navy combat ship, recently joined Vice President Harris’ office, Politico news website quoted vice president’s senior advisor Herbie Ziskend as saying.

** English teachers’ forum offers courses for teachers

The English language teachers’ forum RIEMATES has invited applications from teachers to join two courses offered by it to improve their language proficiency.

Director K. Chandran, lecturer in the Department of Education, Mahe, said that the forum was associated with the Regional Institute of English, Bengaluru, which offers Diploma in English Communication (DIEC) and Postgraduate Diploma in English Language Teaching (PGDELT) courses.

The classes are conducted every Sunday at Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School, Thalassery.

** ‘Indianish but not Indian’ describes Mauritius best

From garam masala made with Madagascar spices to fritters stuffed with prawns and béchamel sauce, local meals in Mauritius are familiar yet so exotic

It’s a glorious autumn night in April in Mauritius when a small bus with disco lights and local Sega music drops us off in a village named after piment (chilli, in Mauritian Creole). We are at the house of Ved Bhujun, whose forefathers had set sail from India almost 200 years ago to this blue-green land.

The Bhujun family has retained its Indian heritage, despite a very mixed Creole gene pool now. A temple guards the home’s garden, we are welcomed with lit lamps, and Ved’s son — with the Indian Navy till a few years ago, and now in Mauritius’ anti-narcotics squad — tells me how, when he gets married, he will have not only Indian-style music and dancing but also a “turmeric ceremony”. There is nothing religious about these rituals; they are just vehicles for memories. As is the food. You realise as you taste it, here’s something that is Indianish, but not Indian — spices sans pungency, cultural resonances reshaped into new flavours.

** Gukesh wins La Roda International Open chess title in style

Praggnanandhaa finishes third; Raunak fourth

The country’s youngest Grandmaster D. Gukesh, 15, improved upon his two runner-up finishes in March with a resounding title-triumph in the 48th La Roda International Open chess tournament in Castile-La Mancha, in Spain.

In the ninth and final round, joint overnight leader Gukesh stopped Israel’s Victor Mikhalevski in just 26 moves to finish with eight points.

Earlier, aiming for the runner-up spot, R. Praggnanandhaa did Gukesh a favour by holding the other overnight leader Armenia’s Haik Martirosyan in 37 moves. Martisroyan (7.5 points) finished runner-up and Praggnanandhaa topped a five-way tie for third place at seven points. Raunak Sadhwani was part of those at seven points and took the fourth spot.

** N. Sankar: An innings of understated achievement ends

The chairman of the chemicals-to-shipping Sanmar Group passed away on Sunday

N. Sankar, 76, chairman of the home-grown chemicals-to-shipping conglomerate Sanmar Group, passed away at his residence here on Sunday after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife Chandra, son Vijay Sankar, who is the Deputy Chairman of the $1-billion group, and a daughter Madhurika, who is a venture investor and writer.

The elder of industrialist K.S. Narayanan’s two sons, Sankar obtained a B.Sc.Tech in Chemical Engineering from the AC College of Technology and a master’s degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago.

A third-generation entrepreneur, Sankar started his career as a 21-year-old trainee at the group’s flagship chemicals company, Chemplast, in 1967, when his father was overseeing the business. At 26, he made his first entrepreneurial move by helming the acquisition of a major stake in Industrial Chemicals and Monomers, a carbide manufacturing company.

His stewardship of Chemplast, and the Sanmar Group as a whole, saw the group widen and enlarge its industrial and business footprint significantly. A pioneer in PVC manufacture, Sankar came up with some of the original choices for highly integrated manufacturing processes at various facilities of Chemplast.

** Noted Odia singer, musician Prafulla Kar passes away at 83

Kar’s songs enriched more than 70 Odia films over six decades.

Popular Odia singer and music director Prafulla Kar passed away following breathing difficulties here on Sunday.

He was 83 and is survived by wife and two sons. Kar’s songs enriched more than 70 Odia films over six decades.

Born on February 16, 1939 in Puri, Kar had early exposure to the world of music. His elder brother Khetramohan Kar was an accomplished tabla player and hence musicians and singers used to come to his home frequently. From childhood, he was attracted to music and singing.

** Lt. Gen Manoj Pande appointed next Army Chief

He will take over on April 30 when the incumbent Gen Manoj Naravane is set to retire.

Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Manoj Pande has been appointed as the 29th Chief of Army Staff, becoming the first officer from Corps of Engineers to head the 1.3 million Army.

He will take over on April 30 when the incumbent Gen Manoj Naravane is set to retire.

Appointment is still awaited for the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) which has fallen vacant following the untimely demise of the first country’s CDS Gen Bipin Rawat in a chopper crash in December. Gen Naravane is presently the seniormost and front runner for the post.

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** Scotland’s Indian-origin COVID adviser reveals face mask threat

Devi Sridhar, professor of global public health at Edinburgh University who is on the Scottish government’s coronavirus advisory board, told ‘The Times’ newspaper this weekend that she was sent white powder and a used face mask in the post last year.

“I was extremely shaken and it was probably the hardest part because it was in my real life, not virtual or online,” said Sridhar, who often appears on UK radio and television as an expert commentator on the COVID-19 pandemic.

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