My Science School

           Chandramohan, the chairman and managing director of Hatsun Agro Products started off his small ice cream business in Chennai. It was the 1970s. A 21-year old Chandramohan migrated to Chennai in the hope of making money. Along with two friends, he started making ice candies and sold it in pushcarts.

           When he started, he was one among 4000 such small-scale businessmen. But, Chandramohan was one among the lucky. He began making sound profit soon, thanks to his clever strategies. Arun Ice cream soon became popular among college students. Later, he introduced the brand in rural areas.

           With his success in ice creams, Chandramohan began to branch out to other dairy products like ghee and curd, and the result was Hatsun Agro Products that came into being in 1986. Over 4000 farmers are associated with it and the company shares Amul’s approach towards them. Today, Hatsun is the largest private sector dairy company in India.

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          Manal was once on a trip to Burma. During one of his rides, he saw a villager pacifying an excited elephant by feeding some roots. The roots were obtained from the plant, Rauwolfia serpentina. He was wondering about the calming power of the roots even when he returned to India. A restless Manal sought scientific explanation for the effect of the plant’s root.

          Once he understood the science behind the roots, he worked to commercialize it. But, funding was a huge problem. Manal’s supportive mother gave him her bangles to sell and thus, Himalaya was born. This happened in 1930. He began with a hand-operated, tablet-compressing machine.

          His hard work paid off; he came out with Serpina, the world’s first anti-hypertensive drug. Since then, Himalaya focused on producing Ayurveda-based, pharmaceutical-grade herbal medicine. They laid emphasis on research and the company now offers its products in over 90 countries including India, USA, South Africa and other countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Himalaya also produces health care products under the name Himalaya Herbal Healthcare.

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          Amul prompted India’s White Revolution and the brain behind this was Dr. Varghese Kurien, the milkman of India. He organized a system in which the farmers were directly connected to the market and consumers. This was achieved by eliminating the middlemen who stayed in business linking the both ends. The middlemen who used to obtain much of the money, leaving the farmers poor.

          Kurien devised ‘Operation Flood’, one of the world’s biggest dairy development programme. It allowed the farmers to own their produce. It also ensured that the price of milk did not vary according to different seasons. The idea of farmers owning the brand created a sense of ownership and, in turn, responsibility for the product’s quality. Kurien’s efforts reaped success in Gujarat and his model was adopted across the country. Today, we have state federations running their own diary brands- Nandini in Karnataka, Verka in Punjab, Milma in Kerala, Saras in Rajasthan and Mahananda in Maharashtra.

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The glow-in-the-dark mushroom Neonothopanus gardneri is one of the biggest and brightest of glowing fungi. The Brazilian forest fungi put on a light show to attract insects that will spread their spores, thereby helping the fungus colonize new habitats. The fungi’s glow follows a daily rhythm, lighting up only when it’s dark, presumably helping them to save energy.

The scientists said they are interested in identifying the genes responsible for the bioluminescence in fungi and exploring their interaction with the circadian clock that controls them. They are also using infrared cameras to watch the interaction between Neonothopanus gardneri and arthropods, especially larger ones, more closely.

“The findings are not only cool, they are also important in understanding how mushrooms are dispersed in the environment,” the scientists said.

“That’s key because fungi such as Neonothopanus gardneri play an important role in the forest ecosystem.”

 

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          The story dates back to 1946. Polson Dairy, a locally owned dairy in Gujarat became a source of trouble as they started procuring milk from farmers at very low prices to sell in Mumbai. They had obtained the rights from the government to do so. A group of angered farmers led by Tribhuvandas K. Patel approached Sardar Vallabhai Patel with complaints. Their strikes resulted in the establishment of Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union to collect and process milk.

          Dr. Varghese Kurien changed the way the cooperative functioned. He joined the cooperative after returning from Michigan State University. Kurien’s friend H.M. Dalaya developed a method for making skimmed milk powder from buffalo milk. This was the first of its kind in the world. Kurien helped in commercializing the new milk powder that became a competitor of established brands. The first modern dairy was set up in Anand and was known as Amul- Anand Milk Union Limited. Amul grew and their product line expanded to include canned milk, butter, cheese, bread spreads and ice creams. Amul is now a strong presence in more than 50 countries.

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          Britannia began in 1892 in a small house in Kolkata. A group of British businessmen started making biscuits with an initial investment of 295 rupees. Five years later, two brothers known as the Guptas took over the operations.

          In 1918, C.H. Holmes, an English businessman teamed up with the Guptas. Business prospered after Holmes joined and six years later, a leading British biscuit maker known as Peek, Frean & Co. acquired Britannia. It was in 1978 that they decided to go public. This decision established Britannia as an Indian company as 60 per cent of shares began to be held by Indians.

           Britannia is one of the oldest Indian companies that sells biscuits, bread, rusk and dairy products in more than 60 countries. Britannia is accredited with several firsts in the biscuit industry. It is the first biscuit maker in India to mechanize production. In fact, Britannia is the first one to use gas ovens east of the Suez Canal. Tiger, Nutri-choice, Good day, 50-50, Treat, Pure Magic, Milk Bikis, Bourbon, Nice Time and Little Hearts belong to the house of Britannia.

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          When Dr. Khwaja Abdul Hamied founded The Chemical, Industrial & Pharmaceutical Laboratories in 1935, it aimed at making medicines affordable for all, thereby making India self-reliant in healthcare. Now known as Cipla, what Dr. Hamied had begun has become a multinational company that is one among the largest manufacturers of generic pharmaceutical formulations.

          Cipla provides medicines for a range of acute and chronic illness including communicable, non-communicable, common and rare diseases. They are categorized under 65 labels of different dosages. Cipla focuses primarily on developing medicines for respiratory disease, cardiovascular disorders, arthritis, diabetes, weight control and depression.

          The development of antiretrovirals for the treatment of HIV is one of Cipla’s notable achievements. It is now one of the world’s leading manufacturers of antiretrovirals (ARV). They also supply these medicines at a comparatively lower cost.

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           The Royal Enfield Bullet is not just a bike, but a passionate emotion for most bike lovers. First produced in 1901, Bullet is the oldest motorcycle brand in the world still in production. Though the British company that first produced the Bullet shut down in the 1970s, these bikes are still made in India.

          Royal Enfield first appeared in India in the late 1940s, but this link became strong in 1955. The Indian army was looking for a powerful, high capacity and reliable vehicle for patrolling the borders. No other bike matched their purpose as Royal Enfield did. The Indian Army ordered 800 units of 350 cc Bullets. This was the reason why the Redditch Company partnered with Madras Motors. Later, the Madras Motors began independent production of these bikes which continued in India even when Royal Enfield closed down in its homeland. It is headquartered in Chennai and still makes bikes that are essentially similar to the 1960s models.

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          Wipro is now known as an integrated corporation that has its brands in different realms including software, consumer care, healthcare, lighting and infrastructure technology. Wipro’s presence can be seen everywhere; from cooking Oil and soaps to healthcare instruments and IT consulting. But, when M.H. Premji started his business in 1945, he only sold vanaspati under the name Western India Vegetable Products Ltd.

          When India gained independence, Premji set up a vegetable oil mill in Maharashtra and not much later, the company went public. After his father’s untimely death, Azim Premji took over the charge of the company. Wipro’s development journey started there. Azim Premji worked hard to professionalize, diversify and expand his father’s business.

          In the mid-1970s, the company branched out to produce soaps, toiletries, and baby care products. Around the same time, India’s computer industry began to develop. The government offices were in need of technological assistance. Premji saw this as a business opportunity and quickly set up an electronics unit. By 1984, Wipro began producing software. Today, Wipro offers high-tech services such as global IT consulting, and e-business integration to its clients.

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          Most of us have grown up eating Parle-G biscuits. This rectangular glucose biscuit is older than India’s independence. It was in 1929 that Mohan Dayal from the Chauhan family decided to start a confectionery business. He purchased an old factory at Vile Parle in Mumbai and renovated it.

          In those days, biscuits were rare in India and were a privilege of the elite class. Most of the biscuits were imported and therefore expensive; the common man could not afford them.

          The Swadeshi Movement that promoted the production and use of Indian goods was gaining momentum around the same time. Deeply influenced by this philosophy, Mohan Dayal decided to make Indian biscuits that could be afforded by the poor.

          He started making glucose biscuits known as Parle Gluco for the masses in India and it soon became popular. The biscuit also had a place in the list of favourites of British-Indian army soldiers during World War II. It is a true Indian biscuit, made in India by the makers in India for the people in India.

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          Remember Frooti and Parle-G? No Indian would need any introduction to these products. They come from the house of Parle, an Indian food company.

          20-20, Magix, Melody, Mango Bite, Poppins, Monaco, Krack Jack, Appy and many others too are produced by Parle. Owned by the Chauhan family, the company started in 1929.

          The founding members learnt the skills of confectionery making from Germany. Their equipment too were German. Parle started with orange candy and other toffees and later branched out to making biscuits.

          Parle-G was a grand success that made Parle a household name. Today, Parle owns a dominant share of the Indian biscuit market.

          Parle split into three separate units that used the original name- Parle Products, Parle Agro and Parle Bisleri.

          The three together produce a range of items that include biscuits, toffees and beverages.

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         The story of Reliance is one from rags to riches. Dhirubhai Ambani was born into a lower-middle class family in Gujarat. His parents could not afford his education. So, Dhirubhai left home for the British Colony of Aden in search of work. He began his career as a clerk, pumping gas at a service station and later worked as a marketing manager.

          In 1958, he returned to India to start a business of his own. He began with exports, primarily spices and fabrics. He lived in a slum in Mumbai back then. He was not late to realize the potential of the rising textile industry and his business focus shifted to textile yarns. With the launch of the fabric brand Vimal, he achieved success and by 1966, Dhirubhai Ambani founded the Reliance Commercial Corporation.

          What Ambani started grew to be one of India’s largest private-sector companies with holdings in financial services, petroleum refining, communications, retailing and power. Dhirubhai passed on the business to his sons, Mukesh and Anil Ambani. A split between the two resulted in a business divide in 2006.

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           In 1857, Shiv Narayan Birla, started cotton trading in Pilani, Rajasthan. The enterprise grew, expanded and came to be known as Aditya-Birla Group, a multinational conglomerate with a presence in over 36 countries, managed by the fourth-generation Birlas.

          GD Birla, who took over the company, diversified the business. Birla’s business concerns include non-ferrous metals, cement, textiles, chemicals, agri-business, carbon black, mining, wind power, insulators, telecommunications, financial services, retail and trading solutions. The management of the company by Aditya Vikram Birla changed the face of the Birla Group.

          In 1969, he started Birla’s first overseas venture- Indo-Thai Synthetics Co. Ltd. It was followed by the setting up of 19 overseas companies in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Egypt. Today, almost 50 per cent of the company’s revenue comes from its overseas operations. Their major subsidiaries include Grasim, the world’s leading producer of viscose staple fibre, Hindalco, that produces aluminum and copper; Ultra Tech Cement, Pantaloons and Planet Fashion.

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Box-patterned geckos have evolved a unique skin that actively repels water droplets. A network of tiny hairs cover the lizard’s dome shaped scales, trapping air and forcing water to bead up in droplets. As a result, droplets sometimes collide, and when that happens, changes in the surface area result in a release of kinetic energy that self-propels the droplets right off the lizard’s body. Scientists hypothesize that this ‘gekovescense’ developed as a method of self-cleaning and to prevent water-hungry microbes from feasting on a gecko’s skin.

The team identified not one but several mechanisms responsible for clearing gecko skin of water. Like a waterproof lotus leaf, the gecko skin’s structure encourages small dewdrops to aggregate together, preventing water from evenly distributing all over the surface. As more water comes together, the droplets grow. When the drops reach a large enough size, they begin to interact with forces such as wind and gravity, while being simultaneously repelled by the hydrophobic gecko spines. A water droplet measuring about 2 millimeters across, for example, would be feeling the repulsive power of about 100,000 skin spines. Eventually the external processes win, and the droplet is propelled off the skin. 

Geckos, it seems, may not only aid in bio-inspired adhesive design, but also in potential self-drying surfaces. Perhaps every window of the future will be embedded with its own synthetic gecko skin, banning condensation before it can even form. 

 

 

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The true purpose of eyelashes? Controlling airflow around the eye. Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology measured lash length and eye width in 22 preserved mammals ranging in size from hedgehogs to giraffes. In all species, lash length was about one-third eye width, suggesting they had evolved to be a particular size relative to the eye. The researchers made artificial eyes, attaching synthetic lashes to small water-filled aluminium caps and monitoring the “eyes” water loss and particle deposition by 50%, as they trap a protective layer of air on top of the eye. Lashes that are too long no longer trap air and instead funnel airflow onto the eye, likely increasing evaporation and particle deposition.

 

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