Brahmi or Gotu Kola Answer KBG-35

"Nasturtium"
"Aak"
"Mallow"
"Giloy"
"Guduchi"
"Ajwain"
Many answers came in response to KBG-35.
None correct!

Then what is the correct answer?
Answer was in the clue that it is a herbal plant.
We had also given you an option to name it in any language.
The correct answer to Kaun Banega Ghumakkad KBG-35 is:
Brahmi ब्राह्मी (Hindi)
Gotu Kola or Spade Leaf (English)
Mandukaparni (Ayurveda)
Saraswati (Telugu)
Centella Asiatica (Botanical name)

Why did we choose this Plant?
Gotu Kola or Brahmi has known medicinal properties. Our elders knew about the herb and used it for generations. In fact many of the readers confided that they got the answer from their parents or grandparents! 

Readers may refer Ayurtimes, an excellent web resource for more details about this herb. Gotu Kola is helpful in many health conditions some of which are listed below:

• Mental fatigue
• Memory Loss
• Low retention power
• Inability to concentrate
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Insomnia (sleeplessness)
• Convulsions
• Epilepsy

Where does it grow?

It is a wildly growing weed near rice fields and wet places. The pictures for KBG-35 contest were all shot at Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR) in Hyderabad India. Many readers in India confirmed having seen it in the vicinity of rice fields on long drives.

How is the Herb Used?

All parts (especially aerial parts) of Gotu Kola herb are used preparing Gotu Kola powder (Mandukaparni Churna), extract, tablets or capsules. 

Winners

We had close to 300 participants online with more than 30 correct answers. First three correct answers came within five minutes of posting! All three winners once again are women. Come on men folk, faster response next time!

We congratulate the winners and thank all those who took part in KBG-35.

1. Sangeeta Agarwal PhD, Biotechnologist, formerly with DuPont Research Centre in Hyderabad, works with the Department of Biotechnology in New Delhi.
2. Praneetha Mudholkar, Marketing Faculty at VVISM Hyderabad. Loves travelling and meeting people. Past winner of KBG many times.
3. Ratnaja Gogula PhD. Former Professor IBS Hyderabad and former Program Lead, Technology Entrepreneurship Program at Indian School of Business Hyderabad. Creative teacher, painter and nature lover she lives in Hyderabad. A past winner of KBG.

Credits

The idea for KBG-35 to showcase a herb was given by Dr Chitra Shanker who works at IIRR. Being locked down, I couldn't travel to take pictures. She took all the pictures and undertook the research as well. Thanks much Chitra.

Hope we succeeded in alleviating your lockdown boredom to some extent. Thanks for browsing. Stay connected for more KBGs.

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 22nd May 2020

#nature #plants #trees #naturephotography #wildplants #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #KBG #kaunbanegaghumakkad #onlinecontest #powerofobservation #lockdownfunathome #beatthecorona #lockdown #stayhomestaysafe #greenfields #herbalplants #gotukola #brahmi #saraswati #spadeleaf #mandukaparni #centellaasiatica

Corona The Global Threat

So far we knew 'corona' to mean the outer glow around the Sun which could be seen only during a total solar eclipse. Corona also meant a part of the body resembling or likened to a crown.

But today 'Corona' is something which causes panic. Panic not only among people, but companies, industries, societies and even nations at large. Corona virus has impacted the entire planet. States and Countries have declared a state of emergency. Schools and colleges have been shut down. Industrial production has declined. Stock markets are on a downturn. Travel and trade has been adversely affected. Military exercises have been put on hold. 

It originated in China. We will never know whether it is man-made virus or not. But its spread has been faster than initially feared. With reports coming in of infection being passed on to pets like dogs, it becomes a greater threat. There are websites and apps giving a live status on corona virus. There are do's and don'ts. Precautions and precautions. Governments are urging people not to panic yet advising people not to visit public places which are crowded. Dichotomy of sorts.

Corona virus has become a global threat. Threat to entire mankind. Hope the virus subsides as is predicted to. Otherwise, this piece may become its own obituary. We hope it does not.

Corona virus has once again proven that Nature is supreme. And we should not tinker with it. Nature has given a wake up call to the entire mankind. If we don't mend our ways it may be too late. Just too late.

We end with my favourite lines which I have said many times on World Environment Day, "Environment is an asset we have borrowed from our children. We have no right to degrade it.Preserve it".

Thanks for browsing.

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 5th Feb 2020/ Secunderabad

#coronavirus #cv-18 #globalthreat #threattomankind #worldhealth #Nature #ecologicalbalance #livewithnature #nocure #hope #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh

Get Your Hands Dirty

'Get your hands dirty' advised Sumit Ahuja to budding entrepreneurs of Vishwa Vishwani Institute of Systems and Management (VVISM) Hyderabad. Sumit was speaking at the Annual Business Plan Contest 2018 of VVISM held on 2^nd November 2018. 

The Contest had eight finalists who presented their business idea and pitch to an external Jury. These eight Startup ideas which ranged from energy, environment, livelihoods to food sectors are listed below:

1. Stitching Dreams- Empowering rural wome
2. YUMS- Double-decker food truck
3. FITI- Counselling for 10th standard students
4. Casa de Café- Multi-themed cafe
5. Khana Khazana- Chef on call
6. Comida Food- Customised food for medical conditions
7. JSV Bijli- Generating electricity the AI way
8. Bags E-Way- Paper bags supply

These eight finalists had been selected after two rounds of pitches and Business Plan presentations. Total of 29 startup teams vied for the top slots. The whole process was spread over nine weeks of semester load. 

The finalists highlighted five points in their pitch to the Jury:

1. What do they do?
2. How do they do it?
3. Market potential and competition
4. How will the startup be monetized?
5. What is the investment needed?

The Jury comprised of three experienced entrepreneurs- Mr Sumit Ahuja has set up businesses not only in India but also in Japan and Australia. Ms Ishita Raksha and Ms Nidhi Upadhyay have co-founded a Gourmet dessert boutique in Hyderabad. 

The Jury did extensive questioning to each team which added value to the Contest. Pictures for you.

'Bags e-Way’ startup lead by Piyush Agarwal which aims to 

capitalize on Govt’s ban on plastic bags, was adjudged the winner. Team ‘FITI’ which proposed an on-line counselling service for 10^th standard in rural areas, got the runners up prize. 

The Jury were felicitated by Director VVISM.

Each of the Jury members shared their experiences as entrepreneurs. Few of their bites are given below:

The Director reinforced the need for entrepreneurship in our country which was followed up by group photographs.

By now the guests were saturated with pictures. They seemed to say 'bas karo ji' बस करो जी when the following picture was clicked:

The whole event was coordinated by PGDM students as part of the core course Entrepreneurship and Startup Management. Thank you the Class of 2019 for all the excitement! Special 'shabash' शाबाश to the organising team!

Just to recall, the readers may browse the story of the Contest-2017 by clicking the link below:

Can Startup Management be Taught?

We are also giving the links to earlier stories on Startups by Ghumakkad. Please click on any link below to read the full story.

Learning from Failures

How to Identify a Startup Opportunity?

Startup Ecosystem in India

Skateboarding for Startups

Proof of the Pudding- Inspiring Stories of Ghumakkad's Former 

Students-turned-entrepreneurs

We end with Ghumakkad's favourite quotation on entrepreneurs:

Thanks for browsing.

       -  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/3rd Nov 2018

#startups #entrepreneurship #startupindia #businessplan #Bplancontest #vvism #vishwavishwani #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh

You helped Ghumakkad cross 150,000

You made it happen! Each one of you- the readers of Ghumakkad's blog- did it. 

Ghumakkad crosses 150,000 page views. No big deal. Numbers don't matter. But the smiles on your faces, added happiness in your lives and sharing your insights with us-- all of this matters. It gives us joy in the journey of life. Milestones will come and go. But the journey continues. Journey of discovery and learning together.

From a mere picture travelogue started six years ago, your blog now has a broader canvas with 310 posts. Has Ghumakkad kept pace with change- the only constant in life? The answer is yes. We have added 'guest stories' during the past year. Links to some of the guest stories as well as other posts in 12 sections are given below:

• Guest Stories (Hiking in a stream by a 10-year old, Winning the hearts by an Army Officer, Encounter with a Tiger by Koushik Gopinath)
• Travel (Bhutan, Hampi-Saga in Stone, Belgaum, What's new in Goa, Kumbhalgarh-Pride of Mewar, Ranakpur-Marvel in Marble, Taj@Dawn, USA-Casinos, USA-Camping)
• Wildlife (Africa, Sloth Bear, Tigress of Tadoba, Birds of Ranganathittu)
• Environment (Port Blair Flora and fauna, Friendly Munias,Rescuing an injured Bat, Learning from Caterpillars)
• Joy of Giving (College alumni felicitate their gurus, Hand-me-ups from a grandson)
• Learning and teaching (Plants and Leadership, Bringing realism in the classroom, Startup Management, Learning from students, Life beyond an ECG)
• Picturesque Quotes (PQs) (Love All, Play to Learn, Be like a Duck, Love is...)
• Obituaries (Dr Abdul Kalam, Dr PM Bhargava, Elfo our dog)
• Reunions (Navy, College-BITS, Campus BITS Goa)
• Fitness (Guava's Power, Grandpa's Gym, Why Golf, Hiking, Scuba Diving at 65)
• Poems (Ansh enters the Teens, So what if I can not see, Our Little Princess is three)
• Books by Ghumakkad (BITS of Success) 

In today's world of analytics, Ghumakkad can't be left behind. Thanks to Google analytics, here are some stats on our growth, all time favourite stories, audience, access devices and technology.

Once again, our gratitude to each of you for taking us where we are today. So many of you are regular readers of our blog. We would have loved to mention names but the list would go into pages. Kindly accept this as personal acknowledgement of your continued support. If we have brought some cheer in your life, we have succeeded. We would welcome more contributions from readers worldwide. Guest stories are given due credit. Ghumakkad only provides the platform.

From 150,000 to 300,000 and beyond- we will keep climbing with your support. Stay connected.

Thanks for browsing,

    -  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 16th October 2018

#150000pageviews #ghumakkadharsh @ghumakkadhb #travelblog #blogofindia #nature #wildlife #travel #photowalks