N
Chandrababu Naidu - CM
of Andhra Pradesh
He
was born in Naravaripally village of Chittoor district on April
20, 1950. His father, the late Sri N.K. Naidu was an agriculturist
and his mother Smt. Ammanamma is a housewife. After completing
his school education in Chandragiri and graduation at Sri Venkateswara
Arts College, Tirupati, he went on to complete his Masters in
Economics from Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati. It was
whilst he researched for his Ph.D. degree, that he took to politics.
A
keen politician, he served as the Coordinator of the Telugu
Desam Party (TDP), from 1989. The competence with which he effectively
handled the partys role of main opposition in the Assembly
won him wide appreciation from both the party and the public.
As
Finance Minister in the cabinet of the then Chief Minister N.T.Rama
Rao he opined that the Govt could run more effectively and efficiently.
His point of argument being If companies like Infosys,
Satyam, Microsoft, and Reliance can do so well in such a short
period, why cannot a government do well?
The
Chief Minister has a modern outlook to administration. His style
of functioning is more akin to that of a CEO as compared to
a traditional politician. The Chief Minister has a firm conviction
that modern technology should be used in the service of the
common man. Consequently, he has been laying great emphasis
on the use of modern information technology in Governance.
A
man with his head in the clouds and feet on the ground
was how a leading weekly magazine described him. It reflects
his boldness and commitment. The reassuring factor is that he
takes small steps to achieve the big goal that is on his mind.
Visits of Bill Gates and The US President indicate the interest
that is being generated internationally.
He
has achieved what no other Chief Minister has done so far. Successfully
promoting the IT sector, he has gone to the grassroots level
and promoted campaigns like Janmabhoomi that have
benefited people directly.
Fifty
years old and over five years as a Chief Minister, he states
modestly that he has still plenty to do to realise his dream
for his State.
Index
Nirav
Tolia - Penny
for your e-pinions
Nirav Tolia
studied biology and English literature at Stanford University.
After deferring plans to attend Harvard Medical School, he worked
for McKinsey & Co. as a business analyst.
In May of 1996, Nirav joined Yahoo! Inc, where he represented
the company on CNN, NBC, and ABC and worked in the marketing
group on e-commerce properties.
In April of 1999, he left Yahoo! Inc.'s brand marketing
group, where he frequently represented the company on CNN, CNBC
and ABC. 28 year old Nirav is the co-founder of Epinions.com,
an online buyers guide written by and for consumers.
"My goal is to maintain balance, but currently work is taking
precedence. Though I do care very deeply about my job, I appreciate
spending time away from work as well." His first job was during
the summer after fourth grade, when he opened a car wash in
the parking lot of his Dad's office.
e-pinions.com is built around the novel concept of 'Web of Trust',
which consists of a "web" of people who trust each other. Building
your Web of Trust helps the Epinions.com system decide automatically
how useful an opinion, service, or product may be to you. Today,
epinions.com offers over one million reviews and comments and
covers over 150,000 products and services to help you make better
buying decisions. One can earn cash and recognition for writing
opinions.
He was one of the founders of Round Zero, a non-profit organization
attempting to build a community in the Silicon Valley. An intellectual
and social group whose setting is characterized by a relaxed,
collegial atmosphere that encourages the exploration of new
ideas and the formation of new friendships.
"I am living my dream job - I love being an entrepreneur!",
he confesses.
Index