Mangaluru: Ananth G Pai of Bharath Group passes away

Media Release
July 14, 2019

Mangaluru, Jul 14: Ananth Ganapathi Pai, Executive Director, of Bharath Group of Companies, died of cardiac arrest, on Sunday, July 14, 2019 at Indore, Madhya Pradesh. He was 46.

He was in Indore to attend a business conference and passed away in his hotel room at night. He is survived by his wife Suma Ananth Pai, daughter Anvitha, younger brother Anand G. Pai and two sisters, Roopa V. Nayak and Smt, Rekha D. Kini. He was a grandson of B. Manjunath Pai, Founder of Bharath Group. 

Funeral details will be announced later in view of meeting formalities and transportation of mortal remains to Mangaluru. 

Biography

Ananth Ganapathi Pai was born on April 6, 1973 as the eldest son of our former chairman and managing director B. Ganapathi Pai and Geetha Pai. He did his primary education at Chinmaya Primary School, secondary schooling at Canara High School Main, pre-university studies at St. Aloysius College, Mangalore. Subsequently he pursued BBM at SDM College of Business Management, Mangaluru and acquired an MBA degree from Mangalore University specializing in International Marketing. He had also undergone a certificate programme in Entrepreneurship at Said Business School, Oxford University, UK.

He started his career in Bharath Group of Companies in 1994. He was presently serving as the Executive Director heading marketing and finance departments of Bharath Group which comprises various group companies like Bharath Beedi Works Pvt. Ltd., Bharath Auto Cars Pvt. Ltd. (Dealers for Maruti Suzuki cars), Alakananda Printers Pvt. Ltd. (Bharath Bookmark chain of bookshops), Bharath Printers and Karkala Investments Pvt. Ltd. He was the Director of Bharath Builders and Cineplex Pvt. Ltd (Bharath Big Cinemas multiplex). 

He was an exceptionally gifted financial expert and took keen interest in the stock market. He guided the growth of the group companies with vision and foresight. He was incharge of Strategic Planning and Diversification of the Group, and also handled the investment portfolio. Bharath Builders was his brainchild and he has the credit of pioneering the first modern shopping mall of Mangaluru, namely Bharath Mall at Bejai. It was also one of the first malls to be established in entire South India in 2006.

Ananth Pai was much loved for his soft spoken and gentle personality. He was a good communicator and orator. He had most recently delivered a prestigious presentation during the Oxford Business and Poverty Conference organized by the University of Oxford at the Sheldonian Theatre on May 29, 2019. He spoke on how the prosperity paradox can be used in India as a model to create good jobs for poor rural women. 

Social Responsibility and Leadership 

Ananth Pai had inherited a generous and philanthropic streak and involved himself in charitable, social and cultural spheres. He was a trustee of B. Manjunath Pai Cultural Foundation and Manjunath Damodar Pai Charitable Trust. He was also the Vice President of Sri Bhuvanendra College Trust, Karkala and served as the Chairman of the Governing Council of the college. He was Vice President of Chinmaya High School, Mangalore. He played an active role in the organising committee during the Jeernodhara (renovation) of Sri Venkatramana Temple, Karkala. He had served as the Honorary Secretary of Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mangalore.

Special Interests

During his school days, Ananth Pai was a passionate Boy Scout and was a recipient of prestigious President’s Scout Award for 1989-90from His Excellency Shri R. Venkataraman, President of India. He was good at debating and quiz too. He was an active NSS volunteer in his college days and was elected President of Student Union of SDM College of Management.

Sri Ananth Pai was a passionate hobby radio enthusiast. He was a licenced HAM Radio operator (with call sign VU2PAI) and had earlier served as the President of Mangalore Amateur Radio Club and Member of Governing Council of the Amateur Radio Society of India. He diligently took part in all national and international HAM Radio events and had links with other HAM enthusiasts across the world. He had won the CQ Worldwide Ham Radio Contest for many years during the last 10 years. 

He was a Group Study Exchange (GSE) Scholar and through Rotary International had gone as a Goodwill Ambassador to Connecticut and Massachusetts in United States of America.

He was an avid collector and boasted of one of the largest collection of stamps, coins and currency notes in this region. His other hobbies in included Indian and Western music, auto rallying, trekking and travel. He had attended workshops in disaster management, equity analysis and research.

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News Network
March 19,2024

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Bengaluru, Mar 19: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said that the Congress will split in three months after the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and its impact will be visible on the Siddaramaiah-led state government.

"Due to internal squabbles, the state government will not last long," the BJP leader said.

Talking to reporters on Monday, he said the sitting MP from the Gadag-Haveri constituency, Shivakumar Udasi, has done a lot of development work and implemented the Central government's schemes effectively.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will surely become the PM for the third time. The overall response has been good in the Gadag-Haveri Lok Sabha constituency," the former Karnataka chief minister said.

Asked if he was contesting the election in a half-hearted manner in the Gadag-Haveri seat, Bommai said "such a question does not arise when the party's high command gives instructions".

He said he would respect his opponent and not take anyone lightly. 

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News Network
March 15,2024

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Bengaluru, Mar 15: Work from home to using toilets in malls, residents of India's 'Silicon Valley' Bengaluru are exploring all options to combat the unprecedented water crisis. People across various neighbourhoods have been forced to order food from restaurants and take bath on alternate days due to the water scarcity.

Even those in high-rise apartments equipped with water harvesting systems now find themselves reliant on water tankers for basic needs, leading to stringent usage restrictions.

Eateries are mulling over use of disposable cups, glasses and plates to avoid excess use of water.

Educational institutions are also feeling the pinch. Recently, a coaching centre in the city asked its students to attend classes online due to an 'emergency' for a week. Similarly, a school on Bannerghatta Road was also closed, asking students to attend classes online just like they did during the Covid pandemic.

Residents have come with up new methods to try and conserve water. With temperature rising, it is difficult to avoid a daily shower but they are left with no option but to take bath on alternative days, said Sujatha, a resident of KR Puram.

"What to do? Clean vessels, cook food, wash clothes....so, we have started using paper plates, that way we have cut down on our water usage. And we order food twice a week. We are using the washing machine only once in a week now," she said.

Some others have resorted to visiting a mall to take a shower or use the toilet facilities.

Lakshmi V, an IT professional living in Singasandra, has been requesting her firm to allow WFH option so that she and her family can temporarily shift to her native place in Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu until the situation becomes better.

"If the situation persists, we are thinking of seeking a work from home option. We are planning to move to our native place in Tamil Nadu temporarily till rain arrives here," she said.

Bengaluru primarily gets its water supply from two sources - Cauvery river and groundwater. For most non-drinking uses, recycled water processed by sewage treatment plants is used. With no rain for a while now, the primary sources have been stretched to their limits. Bengaluru needs 2,600-2,800 million litres of water daily, and the current supply is half of what's required. The result is a daily struggle for the city's residents.

The brunt is also being borne by people living in the outskirts of Bengaluru, especially in 110 villages that were merged with the city in 2007.

The crisis has also turned into a political battle between the state's ruling Congress government and the opposition BJP with Lok Sabha just weeks away. While the BJP has held several protests blaming the government, the Congress has accused the BJP-ruled federal government of not providing financial assistance to drought-hit Karnataka.

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News Network
March 16,2024

Mangaluru: In the wake of complaints regarding middlemen menace, sleuths of Lokayukta on Friday, March 15, conducted a raid at the Mangaluru Urban Development Authority. 

The Lokayukta team found unaccounted money and several files, which were not disposed of for a long period.

Lokayukta SP CA Simon said that the Lokayukta has received complaints that middlemen have been interfering in the MUDA office, and files pertaining to the public are not being cleared on time.

A raid that commenced in the evening on March 13, lasted for 18 hours. During the raid, Lokayukta officials found cash in a bag in MUDA office, and also with officials and others. MUDA officials could not inform the source of money found in their office, the SP said.

Further, he said that many people gathered at the MUDA office during the Lokayukta raid, and have raised complaints about the harassment at the urban development authority. “We have gathered evidence for MUDA officials carrying out file disposal processes through brokers on phone calls. The investigation on the MUDA network will be continued,” he said.

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