Bangalore, November 7. Infosys Science Foundation (ISF) announced winners of the Infosys Prize 2019 in six categories — engineering and computer sciences, humanities, life sciences, mathematical sciences, physical sciences and social sciences. The prize for each category awardee is a pure gold medal, a citation and a prize purse of US$100,000 (Rs.72 lakh) this year.

A panel of accomplished jurors comprising renowned scholars and professors selected the winners of Infosys Prize 2019 from 196 nominations from around the world.

Winners of the Infosys Prize 2019 in the six categories are: Sunita Sarawagi of IIT-Bombay for engineering and computer science; Manu V. Devadevan, assistant professor, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi for humanities; Manjula Reddy, chief scientist, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad for life sciences; Siddhartha Mishra, professor, department of mathematics, ETH Zürich for mathematical sciences; G. Mugesh, professor, department of inorganic and physical chemistry, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore for physical science; and Prof. Anand Pandian of the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, USA, for social sciences.

Band-It Season 3 winners

Mumbai, November 19. The G-Minor band of the Gopalan International School, Bangalore, was adjudged the winner of Band-It Season 3 music festival grand finale of the Furtados School of Music held on November 16 in Mumbai. Unsatisfied Musicians (Oberoi International School, Mumbai) was adjudged runner up. The festival received a record number of entries across categories including band competition, solo vocals, solo instrumental, choir/group singing and beatboxing from across the country. The grand finale was judged by a jury comprising India’s original boy band, A Band of Boys.

“Music is regaining popularity in India, not just as a profession but also for its positive impact on mental health. More and more schools are adding music to their curriculum to give students a chance to unleash their creativity,” said Dharini Upadhyaya, co-founder of the Mumbai-based Furtados School of Music (estb.2011). Added Tanuja Gomes, co-founder and CEO: “Our objective is to promote music education and the talent of our young population. We pride ourselves on the talent we discover every year.”

Manipal-SFL agreement

Mumbai, November 26. The Manipal Global Academy of BFSI (banking & financial services and insurance), a division of Manipal Global Education Services Pvt. Ltd (MaGE), signed an agreement with the Chennai-based Sundaram Finance Ltd (SFL) to jointly conduct a 12-month learning programme to develop the skills of SFL employees. The programme, commencing in February next year, will train over 100 SFL professionals to strengthen their functional knowledge and negotiation skills, and improve productivity.

“This tie-up with SFL will enable us to bridge the skills gap of SFL professionals engaged in mutual funds, housing finance, general insurance, IT, BPO and retail distribution businesses of the company. Our programme has been fine tuned to suit their niche requirements,” said Robin Bhowmik, chief business officer, Manipal Global Academy of BFSI.

Firstcry.com acquires Oi Playschools

Hyderabad, November 26. Hyderabad’s LoEstro Advisors (LLP), exclusive financial advisor to Oi Playschools (Oi Ps), an initiative of the Hyderabad-based People Combine Group, facilitated the sale of 55 Oi Playschools to the Pune-based Brain Bees Solution Pvt. Ltd which markets baby products through its online platform Firstcry.com.

“LoEstro Advisors was instrumental in conducting a transaction process that maximised value for the company’s shareholders. Our students and employees will benefit from the experience of Brain Bees in pre-primary education. LoEstro’s advice throughout the process resulted in a successful outcome for all parties involved,” comments Naga Prasad Tummula, chairman of the People Combine Group.

Adds Rakesh Gupta, managing director of LoEstro Advisors: “We were honoured to represent the owners of Oi Playschools in this process. Our experience in the education sector enabled us to pair Oi Ps with a strong partner that’s committed to growing and investing in Oi Ps’ future.”

Smaaash-Lego tie-up

Mumbai, November 9. Smaaash Entertainment Pvt. Ltd (estb.2012), a company which has established 26 virtual reality gaming and entertainment centres in 13 cities countrywide, introduced its first STEAM i.e, STEM plus art education product for 6-16 year-old children in collaboration with Lego Group, Denmark, at its Mumbai centre. Children visiting Smaaash centres will now be able to learn scientific concepts and understand the working of real time gaming machines before proceeding to build them with Lego kits in their classrooms.

“We have always focused towards holistic, 360 degree development of children. Smaaash gaming centres are designed to introduce children to robotics and artificial intelligence. Our motto is: ‘Learn the art of achieving STEM at Smaaash’ and we want to do that through Smaaash Edutainment,” says Kaizad Bajina, chief operating officer, Smaaash Edutainment.