SINCE 2007 | NOT FOR SALEVOL 2 | ISSUE NO. 9 | FEBRUARY 28, 2017

TM

�The writer is a former journalist and currentlyworking with a multi-national bank.

OOn the midnight ofDecember 31, 2016,when thousands of

people had gathered at thefamous M G Road ofBengaluru to welcome theNew Year, rumours of massmolestation spread like wild-fire. In the next couple of days,

anger erupted across the country and a barrage ofposts flooded the social sites. Bengaluru wasshamed again, twice within a week, after reports ofmolestation came from Kamanahalli and KG Halliareas too. Though the police failed to find any cluesin the M G Road incident, and the KG Halli caseturned out to be a fake one, damage had alreadybeen done! Bengaluru had lost its safe-city tag inthe first week of 2017. Netizens started comparingthe situation in Bengaluru to that of Delhi and localresidents started fearing for the safety of their girlchild like never before.

But when the entire world was busy slammingthe incident on the Web, here was a man inBengaluru, who was silently working on his mis-sion to protect and empower women.

Meet Chakradhari Rowe, who feels every womanshould be strong enough both physically and men-tally to combat any sort of challenges and fears inlife. He trains several individual women andgroups of women how to tackle any criminalattempt on them. He, however, does not rely toomuch on kung fu, karate or other martial arts andsays that most of the battles are won in the mind. “Ifwomen are psychologically strong, the risk of theirgetting robbed of their dignity becomes slim,” hesays.

The iron man of Bengaluru teaches women sever-al gestures which they could use as deterrence inthe first place. If these don’t work, he adviseswomen to wear the attitude of ‘forget me not’ than‘touch me not’. His dream is to build a generation

that is both mentally and physically strong.“We live in troubled times and it is critical, espe-

cially for women, to prepare themselves for anyemergency. It was with this intention in mind thatwe started a group called Armour India, whichteaches women to stay alert and safe 24X7,” saysRowe.

He got his mind sharpened in Israel, which isknown all over the world for its defence strategies.With a very different outlook towards life, thoughtprocess and strong determination, he is an epitomeof a passionate man. Rowe claims he is the first manfrom India to have completed ISA training success-fully from some of the sharpest minds of the Israelidefence force. He was trained in close protectionand counter-terrorism which is considered to beone of the toughest and most intensive trainingregimes in the world. The physical and psychologi-cal rigours of the training were intense, which pre-

pared him to face the worst in the battlefield.Training in VIP protection, counter-terrorism, plan-ning security and profiling crime scenes has givenhim strong resilience and mental power which heaims to put to better use.

Skip Armour, a tactical skill development arm ofSkip-India, was started to spread awareness of tac-tical reasoning, security etc. Its motto was tostrengthen people, which will in turn strengthennational security. Armoured Spirit is a wing of SkipArmour, which gives personal security training towomen. Rowe and his small team of volunteerstrain women on how to deal with and deter crimi-nals psychologically.

“Reactions and debates flow after every sexualassault or molestation incident but people forget itin a few days. The solution to the crimes againstwomen is, however, very simple and mostly lies inthe mind. Simple acts of deterrence and use of com-mon sense and intuition can help you come outunscathed from the worst of situations,” Rowe says.

“Your enemy is weaker than you most of the time.Alertness and faith in oneself are critical,” he adds.

He also cautions against too much reliability ongadgets or pepper spray for self-protection. “If pep-per is used in a wrong direction of the wind, theuser herself may turn a victim of it. It can evenprove fatal,” he adds.

He also wants all women to be aware of IPC 100,which allows them to kill somebody in self-defence.

About rising crimes against women, Rowe says:“Society needs to teach women to fight, rather thansuffer. Once the women learn to fight back anddefend themselves, there shall be a significant dipin crimes against women.”

His four-hour training programme teaches theparticipants strategies and ways to develop alert-ness and fighting capabilities, which can comehandy in times of distress. billionbeats

NAARI SHAKTI: Training womento counter terror, Israeli-styleSociety needs to teach women to fight, rather than suffer. The day womenlearn to fight back and defend themselves, there shall be a significant dip

in crimes against them, Chakradhari Rowe tells Ramya Pradeep.

By Anupama Jaiswal

IIwant to walk. Iknow I will. I wishto win a medal for

India at Paralympics.With a little supportfrom everyone, I willwalk again,” saysAnanth Rao, withmisty eyes.Billion Beats was at Ananth Rao’s housein Mysuru recently to offer a contribu-tion from Inspired Indian Foundation forhis treatment. The 26-year-old is para-lyzed after an accident in September2010.Ananth, a promising gymnast, mistimeda somersault during a practice sessionand landed on the head, shattering hisspine at the cervical part (C-6 & C-7).

Billion Beats was inspired to seeAnanth’s story after a video of his wassent to the team by Indian Air Force(IAF) Garuds."I didn't know what happened and I feltlike I’m on death bed. I lost all hope andthought my life is over,” says Ananth

who has won more than 100 medals atstate level and five medals at nationallevel.Today, with the help of HCGFoundation, Ananth Rao received mes-enchymal stem cells which has given aray of hope.Now, he is able to eat, read, write anddoes some basic movements.Born to autorickshaw driver Babu Raoand homemaker Lakshmi Bai, Ananthnow wants to get back to the sport at theearliest.“I am dreaming of the day getting backto action. I want to represent India. Iknow I will and that’s the only mission Ihave in life now,” says Ananth.His caring wife Chandraprabha, anAyurvedic therapist, says she is inspiredby Ananth’s passion for life. billionbeats

‘I’ll walk one day & win a medal for India’

� Report continued on Page 2ANANTH RAO

“I am dreaming of theday when I get backto action. I want torepresent India.

I know I will. It’s theonly mission I havein life now,” saysAnanth Rao

2 FEB 28, 2017 ‘ bb-pinned | Is there an inspiring story that needs to be told? Get in touch withus on billionbeats@gmail.com & our team will take up the mission soon!

billion beats is an e-paper published by Dr A P J Abdul Kalam International Foundation headquartered in Rameswaram. It is edited, designed and uplinked by a team from Inspired Indian Foundation (www.inspiredindianfoundation.org), Bengaluru. billion beats will hit the web every month and you are free to use the con-tent by giving due credit to the publication. THE TEAM | Mentor: A P J M Maraikayar | Editorial Advisors from House of Kalam: Dr Naseema Maraikayar, A P J M Jainullabudeen, G K Moinudeen, A P J M J Sheik Saleem, A P J M J Sheik Dawood, A P J M S Nagoor Roja | Editor: Dr Anantha Krishnan M |

| National Coordinator (Billion Beats): Anupama Jaiswal | Student Coordinator (Billion Beats): Aditi Patwardhan | Desk: Vyasa, Anil R. Nair, Ramya Pradeep, Ashitha | Design: Anup | Email: billionbeats@gmail.com | Twitter: @HouseOfKalam | FB: https://www.facebook.com/BillionBeatsOfficial/

Rapid strides in carinfotainment segmentBy Gulaam Khwaja Moinudeen

CCa rinfo -t a i n -

ment indus-try has comea long way.About 15-20years ago,choosing car

e n t e r t a i n -ment used to be nothing short ofa ritual. Some buyers even paidvisits to specialists with theirbrand new cars to furnish withentertainment systems.

The change of technology fromcompact discs to DVD to storage-based cards has changed enter-tainment systems in cars. Now itis also essential to combine thesystem with information regard-ing driving directions throughmaps, sensors showing variousdata including tire pressure, fuellevels and even details of driverattention and whether he needsrest.

This change has put many spe-cialised enterprises, whichthrived on car entertainment, outof business. Datsun Go providesspace for connecting your ipodor iphone and use it as the info-tainment system.

This brings us to the trend of‘bring-your-own-device’ for carinfotainment. This is one exam-ple of how technology and userpreference changes the businessin the long run. billionbeats

� The writer is grand nephew of GuruKalam and a trustee of Dr A PJ Abdul

Kalam International Foundation.

TECH TRENDS

Ananth Raoneeds yourhelp to chasehis dreams

� Continued from Page 1“He is my hero in every sense. I ampraying to God that he achieves allhis dreams very soon,” saysChandraprabha.Ananth has spent almost Rs 30 lakhso far on medicine and his treatmentwith the help of well-wishers. Buthis fight ahead to recovery demandsmore attention emotionally andfinancially. With his basic computerknowledge, he is now looking for anonline job as a graphic designer tomake both ends meet.I love designing. I am hoping to getsome assignments so that I can workfrom home,” says Ananth.During a Facebook Live from hishome, thousands of people offeredhim help."I have always been positive andnever allowed any obstacles to slowme down towards my mission. Ineed the blessings from all of you,”says Ananth. He can be contacted at+91 97415 60492. billionbeats

DOODLE DELIGHT ANUPAMA JAISWAL

By Shivendra Urs

FFor many of us, when the muchevasive hope arrives in darkness,we do not even feel it. But for

visually-impaired Manjunatha.C, hopehad nothing to do with a rare feat heachieved, armed with only his grit anddetermination. A PhD scholar inPolitical Science, Manjunatha received

his doctorate from the hands of His Holiness the 14thDalai Lama at the University of Mysore during the 97thconvocation which was held in December 2016.

Born to Chandrachari and Susheelamma, both dailywage labourers, living in Kathikyathanahalli village,Tumkur district, Manjunatha witnessed hardship rightfrom his childhood, but it was his perseverance that madehim an achiever. After completing his Masters of Arts inPolitical Science from the University of Mysore,he attended a PhD viva-voce of Dr.Krishna RHombal, who is also visually challenged.“Attending the viva-voce of Dr.KrishnaHombal was a turning point in my life.It inspired me to pursue my PhD. Ifelt that if he could do it, I couldtoo,” he says. His study focused onthe Student movement inKarnataka- A study of AkhilaBharatiya VidhyarthiParishat(ABVP) from 1990 to 2014.

On the support he received from hisfamily, Manjunatha says that it was thestrong moral support from his familywhich helped him to pursue his studiesand dreams. “Even though we faced financialconstraints, they encouraged me,” he mentions andadds that he received financial help and moral supportfrom various people. “Dr.Tulasimala, Professor of thedepartment of Economics, Manasagangotri, Dr.C.KPuttaswamy, Assistant Professor, department ofCommunication and Journalism, Mysore University, Dr.Murali, Mr. Eshwar Bhat, Mr. E.C Nagaraj, Ex-Syndicatemember, Mysore University and Mr.Kranti Manju ofMandya supported me throughout,” he informs.

Manjunatha’s PhD journey wasn’t a smooth ride as onewould expect, given that he’s a visually-impaired person.He faced many roadblocks. On the one hand there was nospecial treatment or concession that came his way, his PhDwas not awarded on time though it was completed.

“I never received a stipend or any sort of fee concessionfrom the University. I was treated like anyone else. I hadcompleted my PhD and submitted it in 2014 but I had towait till 2016,” he says and adds that in his frustration, hewrote to the then HRD minister to intervene. In theprocess he ruffled a few feathers and rubbed people thewrong way, but he never really was concerned about the

consequences as he believed he wasright.“I have always been vocal about issues

that need focus. I once protested against theexorbitant CET admission fee structure for which

I was slapped with 8 false cases including section 425 ofthe IPC which means causing damage to public property,though it was a peaceful protest,” he reveals.

Manjunatha’s letter to the then HRD minister led to somemuch needed reforms for women and the physically hand-icapped who pursue their PhD. They now get an extra yearto complete their PhD. And now, the University of Mysoredoes not charge any fee for physically handicapped candi-dates who pursue their PhD from the University.

Today, Manjunatha works as a guest lecturer of PoliticalScience at the Maharani’s college in Mysore. He has alsoregistered a trust by the name ‘Shrushti Foundation’,which focuses on education, research and skill develop-ment of college students and those who have dropped outfrom their 10th standard.

He aims to establish a research institute to fuel innova-tion. He wishes to create knowledge and enlighten youngminds by imparting education. billionbeats

In darkness he saw his callingto chase his doctoral dreams

Manjunatha receiving his Ph.D inPolitical Science from His Holiness Dalai

Lama during the convocation heldat Mysore University recently.

�The writer is a software professional &National Coordinator for Billion Beats.

� The writer is a gold medalist from University of Mysore. His docu-mentary film on Swachh Bharath titled ‘Swachh Mysuru’ was

screened at the 7th National Film Festival held at Kolkata recently.