Business Line; a leading business and finance daily; in its January 13, 2012 edition featured Mr. Aravind Nadella’s, Sr. Director Technology, talk on ‘Project Management.’

Addressing the students of Srinivasa Institute of Technology and Management Sciences, he highlighted the different aspects and essentials of project management for a smooth and cost-effective project execution.

Extravagant display of talents, this November, it was time for yet another edition of Ajuba’s annual cultural event. Entering its third successive year, Ajuba culturals saw the inception of its first ever Fashion show, a one of a kind platform for fashion enthusiasts in the company. Ajuba has always seen power packed performances both in terms of fun and work, but the performances put forward this year tremendously raised benchmarks in talent exhibition.

Hosted at Kalaignar Arangam, the event kick-started with enthralling performances from the singers in Ajuba. Soloists Dishani, Leo and Karthik walked away with the winning titles. In the group singing category, Ajuba’s first and veteran band ‘Limited Edition’ (re-christened to suit the time) swept the audience with their riveting performance. Following closely, Ajuba’s contemporary band ‘Mantraaz’ bagged the second place. The event was adjudged by Ujjaiyinee Roy, popular cine singer.

Next up, variety performances lit the stage; spanning instrumentals using kitchen ware, comical plays and mime. But one performance stood apart from the rest for its uniqueness and quality of deliverance. Shadow puppetry; performed on stage by a novice James Vimalraj, drew loud applause from the audience. Indeed, an attempt well executed. Another team cleverly disguised a social message into a hilarious act, bagged the second place. The event was adjudged by Gokul and Murali, famed TV artists.

The third event lined for the evening was Ajuba’s fashion show. Eight teams, clad in Indian ethnic wear, unique in their styling and theme, walked the ramp, nearly setting the stage on fire with their choreography and concept. The winning team conceptualized brides & bridegrooms of India, with each pair putting up an endearing ritual of the exchange of marital vows, unique to the different states in India. Leaving no stones unturned, the team that won the second place, dazzled in all glitter and glory with their Indian family concept. The Fashion show was adjudged by Arun Venkatraman, former Gladrags supermodel and Rishika, also from the modeling fraternity.

Pounding, thumping and swinging in the air, the dance performances by Ajuba’s best dancers were a fitting end to the glamorous evening. Solo dancers Janani, Godwin and Patricia were declared winners for their exhilarating performance. Bala & team with their synchronized moves won the first place, closely followed by Marcus & team who with their deadly moves won the second place and a well coordinated Arockia & team won the third place. The event was adjudged by John Britto, famed choreographer.

After all the stellar performances, the Chief guest for the event, Tony Mira, Group CEO and founder who witnessed the entire show from start to finish congratulated all the participants and winners. On the VIP guest list, Donna Perry, Vice – President , USA Operations, Dr. Ganeshkumar, Director- Operations, Narasimha N K, Director- Finance and Administration, Hema Parikh, Director – Human Resources and Aravind Nadella -  Senior – Director, Engineering cheered the participants from among the audience.

Get to know our CEO better in 60 seconds!

Assertiveness communication is nothing but standing up for your right to be treated fairly. It is expressing your opinion, needs and feelings without ignoring or hurting the opinions, needs and feelings of others.

Sometimes it seems like the hardest thing to do in life is change ourselves! We often times ask, “Why can’t people around me change”! Learning to be assertive can decrease unnecessary stress and anxiety in our lives. It can also help us improve our relationships in our in social as-well-as our work lives so that they are fulfilling.

Assertive communication is considered helpful to others, because you are giving clear information about what you need in order to be satisfied or get the work done. By doing so in a nonthreatening manner, you also give others the opportunity to turn down your request, if your needs conflict with theirs.

Still not sure if Assertive communication is the way to go?  Here are a few tips that would help you be assertive without upsetting others or harming your reputation.

• Learn to Say No
Many of us have difficulty in saying no to others. We feel guilty if we say no when someone asks for a favor. When someone asks you to do something for them, politely say ‘No’. Tell the person you have other responsibilities and though you would like to help, you are simply too busy.

• Respect Others
Disrespect destroys assertiveness. Treat others with the same respect you would like to be treated. Be polite and respectful with whom you speak.

• Stay Factual
Always stick to the facts. It’s easy to base conversation on gossip or even anger. You gain respect and reputation for being honest and factual.

• Never Assume
It’s always easy to assume certain things from the way the person acts or speaks. Unless someone says something specifically, never assume you know what they mean. The more you understand, the better you communicate.

• Compromise
No matter how hard you try, everyone is not going to agree with you. In certain situations, it is better to work with the person to find a compromise the two of you can be happy with.

• Listen
Listen to people’s opinions and questions. Ask questions to clarify when necessary. No one will listen to what you have to say until you involve them in the conversation.

You may have misconceptions about what it means to be assertive. People who are assertive are not pushy. They do no step on the feelings of others to get what they want. Assertiveness is not necessarily easy, but a skill that can be learned.  Developing assertiveness starts with good understanding of who you are and belief in the value you bring!

Tony Mira has an association ranging over the last 30 years with the US healthcare industry. He  founded a physician practice management company in 1979 and grew the company to become one of the largest in the US. The co-founder of Ajuba in 2000, he acquired complete shareholder control through MiraMed’s buying out other stakeholders in 2005. He is a director on the board of MediSens, a healthcare wireless technology company and also is Chairman of the board of ePREOP, a healthcare EMR company. Excerpts from a conversation with Tony Mira CEO, Ajuba Solutions India Pvt Ltd. 

GS: What specific capabilities does America offer?

TM: Efficiency; Availability of expertise; Growing population looking for employment; Growing opportunities to outsource

GS: How does Ajuba Solutions feel about their chosen location in North America?

TM: Michigan – Affected by the economy and the automotive industry, quality of workforce  – motivated and committed, high unemployment rate throughout the state. 
Charlotte – High level of expertise specifically in the areas of finance and healthcare, growing destination with the presence of a large number of companies – migrating their headquarters to the city. It is also an attractive destination for very large US companies.
United states – The country provides tremendous opportunities for entrepreneurs and business men to expand, grow and create new businesses, healthcare is a big part of the US economy and infrastructure. The sector is also rapidly changing and growing. This provides opportunities for entrepreneurs who understand the sector and want to provide services catering to  this sector.

GS: How has this destination helped Ajuba Solutions offer specific advantages?

TM: Healthcare is a huge sector in the US with the presence of a large number of people who understand the healthcare system that is unique across each of the 50 states in the country.  In the next couple of years with the new healthcare regulation, there are going to be 30 million more people having insurance accessing hospitals and doctors. This will put an enormous amount of pressure on the system to avail outsourcing services from companies such as MiraMed who have the expertise in the sector. The healthcare system will look towards companies who will be able to process the claims efficiently from people who have insurance.

GS: What challenges are you facing? If any, what are your barriers to increased investment?

TM: Healthcare regulation has led to changes in the healthcare processes in the country. Companies are not sure as to how the new regulations are going evolve and operate and hence they will have to adapt to the new trends in the healthcare sector. The healthcare system is moving towards the use of electronic medical records (EMR). With more and more EMR and automation happening not only is a lot of sophistication required from the outsourcing companies, hospitals and doctors it also requires a huge amount of investment.   Automation and sophistication of the healthcare sector will make it difficult for companies to survive as it will require enormous amount of technical expertise.There is also a high cost for entry to the sector compared to earlier situations.

GS: What made you chose this destination and how does it stand in comparison to your other locations if any?

TM: Knowledge of the US healthcare system, and the business environment contributed to the decision to chose the United States as the destination. US provides opportunities for outsourcing with a skilled labour force and in-depth technical expertise. Each location has its own advantages. While India offers high quality skilled work force, the US provides the opportunity and the capacity.

GS: Are you planning to hire more people in the region? Also, are you  planning to acquire businesses in the region?

TM: The company is constantly hiring people and opening additional locations. As the industry is moving towards consolidation the company is looking to acquire new businesses in the region.

Navaratri, a festival celebrated with much enthusiasm all over the country, was observed in Ajuba with much splendor from September 28, 2011 to Oct 6, 2011.

In addition to the display of the Golu and the dolls, we opened the floor to employees who wished to sing bhajans to the deities. Our carnatic singers enthusiastically came forward to offer prayers to the goddesses. As they sang prayers the floor sat mesmerized by the melodious voices.

Ayutha pooja, which falls on the ninth day of Navratri, was celebrated across all the facilities in Ajuba. Sweets and special snacks were distributed to all.

Here are some snapshots of the event!

Our employees in Ajuba participated in the interactive session with Capt. Bavicca Bharathi, the youngest commercial license pilot in India, on Thursday, September 22, 2011.

The hour long session included Capt. Bavicca recounting her journey from being a medical aspirant to taking up flying lessons in a remote village, the constant support she received from her mother and the culture shock she experienced as she officially became a part of the piloting fraternity.

She attributed her success to her mother’s support, who also in course of time, took to commercial flying. Capt. Bavicca and her mother became India’s first mother-daughter duo in commercial piloting.

Capt. Bavicca answered the questions put forward by our employees and was quick to bring into picture the fact that nothing is impossible if you dream and persevere to achieve it.

At the end of the session, our employees took with them a sense of pride and the motivation to fly high!

Empowering women involves developing a woman’s ability to be assertive, at a psychological level. Being able to move freely from place to place and to be secure against assault, are the basic rights of a woman. From a very early age, women have been told not to strike or fight back and that someone else will protect them. However, many victims of abuse will testify otherwise. The National Crime Records Bureau records that the highest percentage of crime against women is torture (37.7%) followed by molestation (22.4%), rape (11.8%), kidnapping (8.8%) and immoral traffic (3.7%). 4.6 dowry death and 6.5% eve teasing were recorded. Further details report that in victims of assault 3189 were within ages of 30-50. No age is safe for women and she can be best protected only by herself. Shihan Hussaini is a legendary martial art instructor, 3 times world karate champion, 8th degree black belt expert in Isshinryu karate and has 9 world records to his fame. The women’s forum under the banner of Shakti organized a Self Defense Program conducted by Shihan Hussaini for all the women employees in Ajuba, at the Tidel Auditorium. The workshop trained and educated the participants on awareness, prevention, risk reduction, risk avoidance and self-realization of one’s own physical power. It is often the very normalcy and familiarity of our surrounding that blinds us to the significance of signals that we are about to meet danger. When potentially dangerous situations are recognized, effective response is possible and as a result we become more confident in our everyday activities. Shihan Hussaini repeatedly stressed on the importance of developing the most powerful weapon – our mind and that self-defense becomes lethal through practice. The paradox of self-defense is that the more prepared you are, the less likely you are to need it. The Uniqueness of the program was the simplicity of instructions and the fact that anyone could master the techniques taught regardless of age, physique or fitness level. All that is required is knowledge of brain functioning to counter the rush of adrenaline and cortisone when you are attacked and enable clear motor functioning. The workshop enlightened the participants with the truth that instincts, awareness, prudence and strong will power are each woman’s most powerful defense. Those who took part emerged confident and empowered.

Here are a few tips that will prove useful in times of need.

Upper lip, a power packed thrust to the upper lip with the base of your palm will send your attacker reeling in pain giving you time to escape.

Kick to the plexus, kick with the ball of your foot aiming at the plexus. You are most likely to injure the person’s floating rib.

Thumb lock, when your hand is being grabbed, force your attacker’s thumb in the opposite direction all the way to the back.

Kick to the groin, this self explanatory technique is the most obvious and sure shot defense against assault.

The eye gouge, use your thumbs to push in your attackers eye. This technique results in blinding the person and in certain cases, costing him his life.

The event was covered extensively in newspapers including The Hindu Downtown.

The Hindu Downtown

Every year Onam brings with it joy and enthusiasm, a festival of snake boat race, colorful flower kollams or Pookallams, women, men and children clad in traditional Onam dresses and the special sadya. This year we celebrated the festival by displaying the beautiful pookallams in each facility.

Our employees came forward in putting together the pookallams. Everybody shared the delicious lunch specially prepared for the occasion complete with Payasam.

We wish our readers a very Happy Onam!

August 12, 2011 turned out to be more than just another Friday. Well, let’s say we had a ‘Freedom’ Friday at work. In commemoration of India’s 64th Independence Day, two events were conducted on the floor. Independence in its literal sense denotes freedom. Keeping in mind this concept participants were asked to design and present a mascot that best signified freedom from their perspective.

Our friends got to work on their creative quotient and conceptualized interesting mascots. While one team designed a scholar as the mascot, to highlight India’s progress in education another team chose the tiger as their mascot for freedom. One team impressed the judge with their spectacular presentation on lotus as their mascot while another team moved everybody with their poem on child labor versus education. Spinning wheels, ships, cages, freedom pillar and many more beautiful presentations were on display on the floor. Every mascot created was symbolic of team effort and dedication.

The winning team designed a statuette that seemed to charge its way into freedom in India, lashing away all clutches of slavery and bondage from the British rule. 

The second winning team designed an eagle, for its ability to soar high into the free skies and for its valor, as their mascot. What’s interesting is that we had two teams who chose the eagle as their mascot and it was quite a tough fight for the winning eagle!

The third winning team innovatively designed a Mount Rushmore replica with Indian Political leaders and freedom fighters engraved on it. Special prizes were given away to teams for their creativity.

We are proud of the fact that our friends in Ajuba are talented in the myriad forms of arts. For the ones who have an interest in painting, a painting competition was organized. Called ‘ Palette’ O Four’ participants were asked to paint anything they wanted, related or not to Independence, in four colors only; Blue, Saffron, green and white.
Five best paintings were chosen among the submissions and awarded cash prizes.

Irrespective of whether our teams won or not, everybody took pride in participating in the events and bringing forth their patriotism. It was a brilliant show, a perfect blend of team work and bonding!