Cognizant to Acquire Digital Experience and Marketing Expert Netcentric

Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Netcentric, a leading provider of digital experience and marketing solutions for some of the world's most recognised brands, and a leading independent Adobe partner in Europe.

Netcentric's digital marketing teams in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany, as well as regional delivery centers in Barcelona and Bucharest, will enhance Cognizant's ability to deliver business critical digital experience solutions for clients in Europe and around the world. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2017, subject to satisfaction of closing conditions, including German regulatory review. Financial details were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Zurich, Netcentric works with leading brands such as Allianz, Mercedes-Benz, Miles & More, Raiffeisen, Swisscom and UBS, helping them personalise and deliver engaging digital experiences to customers. At the close of the acquisition, approximately 380 digital marketing specialists from Netcentric will join the Cognizant Digital Business practice, which addresses clients' needs to redefine business models, innovate products, deepen market intelligence and enhance digital experiences to drive growth and efficiencies in their businesses.

"The rapid growth of our business is driven by clients who understand that flourishing with the new digital economy requires merging marketing and digital concepts powered by more flexible IT that is delivered globally," said Elian Kool, CEO, Netcentric. "By joining forces with Cognizant, we will be able to integrate marketing, technology, analytics and AI to help clients provide personalised experiences across multiple channels and enable their digital transformation."

"We are excited about the Netcentric acquisition as it underscores our commitment to our clients across Europe and enhances our portfolio of digital capabilities in the interactive and digital marketing space," said Gajen Kandiah, President, Cognizant Digital Business. "It also further extends our Adobe Experience Cloud presence for the global brands we serve. We continue to expand on the digital marketing and experience skills our clients demand, and round out our ability to deliver these services to the market at scale."

About Netcentric
Netcentric, a leading service provider, transforms customer experiences for the world's top brands by unleashing the full potential of the Adobe Experience Cloud. We support clients throughout the entire process chain - from consulting and development through to marketing operations - helping them execute their digital strategy. Our leadership in the industry is rooted in our expertise in integrating the Adobe Experience Cloud technology to build scalable, bespoke and future proof solutions. By bridging the gap between marketing and technology, clients are able to drive automation to maximise their digital marketing performance. www.netcentric.biz, follow us @NetcentricHQ

About Cognizant 
Cognizant (NASDAQ-100: CTSH) is one of the world's leading professional services companies, transforming clients' business, operating and technology models for the digital era. Our unique industry-based, consultative approach helps clients envision, build and run more innovative and efficient businesses. Headquartered in the U.S., Cognizant is ranked 205 on the Fortune 500 and is consistently listed among the most admired companies in the world.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes statements which may constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the accuracy of which are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. These statements include, but are not limited to, express or implied forward-looking statements relating to the anticipated closing of the acquisition of Netcentric by Cognizant and expectations regarding the impact of such acquisition on the business and prospects of Cognizant and Netcentric. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied include general economic conditions, changes in the regulatory environment, including with respect to immigration and taxes, and the other factors discussed in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Cognizant undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities law.

Flipkart eyes more acquisitions, in talks with Swiggy, UrbanClap, UrbanLadder

Armed with over $4 billion in cash, India’s most valuable start-up Flipkart Ltd is planning more start-up investments and acquisitions as it seeks to widen its slender lead over Amazon India and diversify its business.

Flipkart has held talks to invest in food-delivery app Swiggy, services firm UrbanClap, furniture retailer UrbanLadder and some start-ups in insurance and wealth management, said three people familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Mint had reported on 15 October that Flipkart was in talks to buy a large minority stake in Bookmyshow in a deal that may value the ticketing platform at $500-700 million.

The talks with the companies mentioned above haven’t yet materialized into deals.

Flipkart’s merger and acquisition (M&A) approach marks a shift from its strategy of 2014-15, when it sought to build a venture capital-like portfolio by investing prolifically. In those two years, Flipkart invested in or bought more than a dozen companies, including fashion retailer Myntra, trucking marketplace Blackbuck and advertising tech start-up AdIquity. Many of these were financial investments rather than deals that would boost the company’s business.


Now, Flipkart is only seeking large, strategic deals that will directly help its business, the three people cited above said, requesting anonymity.

Recent regulatory filings also confirm the shift in Flipkart’s approach towards mergers and acquisitions. According to filings with the corporate affairs ministry in September, Flipkart increased its reserves for financing acquisitions and significant investments to roughly Rs8,000 crore (over $1.2 billion) from earlier levels of Rs3,000 crore.

Flipkart didn’t respond to an email seeking comment. UrbanClap and Swiggy also did not respond to requests for comment. UrbanLadder said no deal with Flipkart is in the works currently.

This year, Flipkart has raised nearly $3 billion in fresh capital from SoftBank Group Corp., Tencent Holdings, eBay Inc. and Microsoft Corp. In August, Flipkart said it has more than $4 billion in cash.


Flipkart is India’s most acquisitive internet firm. Since starting out in 2007, it has bought or invested in over 20 companies. Its largest acquisition was that of Myntra for more than $330 million in May 2014. Earlier this year, Flipkart also tried to buy struggling smaller rival Snapdeal (Jasper Infotech Pvt. Ltd) for nearly $1 billion in stock but the deal collapsed in August because of differences over valuation and deal structure, among other things.

Flipkart is battling Amazon for supremacy in India’s $15 billion e-commerce market, which has seen a sharp slowdown in growth since the start of 2016.

Given this slowdown, Flipkart should seek deals to boost sales, analysts say. The company’s payments platform PhonePe is locked in a fight with another SoftBank-backed firm, Paytm, and Amazon Pay in the fast-growing consumer payments business.

Flipkart is also expanding into newer businesses. The company is working on offering insurance and wealth management products. To launch this business, it has considered buying a stake in fintech start-ups, the people cited above said.

“Flipkart’s new M&A approach is similar to what the large Chinese internet companies and ventures have done in China over much of the past decade—buy out smaller rivals and pick up strategic stakes in other large internet start-ups. Flipkart is trying to do two things—firstly, they are ensuring that they reach a size and scale from which they can’t be toppled by even deep-pocketed rivals such as Amazon. Secondly, they are essentially not missing the bus and protecting themselves from disruption,” said one of the people cited earlier.

(Courtesy : Livemint)

Bharti Airtel Acquires Tata Group's Telecom Business for Free

Tata Teleservices Limited (TTSL) has entered a merger deal with Bharti Airtel on Thursday. The acquisition is subject to requisite regulatory approvals.

Bharti Airtel may have to pay the unpaid spectrum liability of Tata Teleservices Ltd to DoT. As part of the deal, Bharti Airtel will merge consumer mobile businesses (CMB) of Tata Teleservices Limited and Tata Teleservices Maharashtra. The acquisition is being done on a debt-free and cash-free basis.

Consumer Mobile Business (CMB) of TTSL and TTML will be acquired by Bharti Airtel in 19 circles. Bharti Airtel wants to lead the digital revolution in India by offering world-class and affordable telecom services. Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Airtel has ensured seamless integration between two telcos.

The acquisition will strengthen Airtel’s market position. Tata customers will soon be shifted to the Airtel network. In several key areas, Airtel’s will give stiff competition to other telecoms after Tata customers are switched to Airtel’s network. Tata customers will be able to enjoy India’s widest and fastest voice & data network.

According to Mittal, an acquisition of the additional spectrum makes an attractive business proposition. The telecom will create substantial long-term value for shareholders through this acquisition. On Tata’s side, this is the optimal and best-suited choice for the company. Tata Group has not only made the right choice for its shareholders but to also customers using Tata network.

Goldman Sachs India Securities is facilitating the merger transaction. Airtel will also acquire Tata’s fiber-optic network as part of this acquisition. Tata Group is likely to shift most of TTLS employees to Airtel. The company hasn’t announced any update on layoffs and exit plan which was revealed earlier this week.

Courtesy : Techgig

Facebook Launches a Blood Donation Initiative Through its Platform

The social networking giant, Facebook has unveiled a new feature to increase blood donations in India. The new feature is part of company’s new initiative towards the social cause.

Facebook has observed that Indian users are already using the platform to connect with donors. The company has partnered with non-profit organizations to ensure the widespread of the initiative. Facebook wants to increase the awareness of blood donation in India through this initiative.

The social network is citing the shortage of safe blood through this initiative. The company is addressing both donors and beneficiaries side of the market. Donors can sign up on the platform, specify their blood group while the social network will take care of connecting the donors with those in need. Facebook is trying to create the ecosystem of donors, non-profit organizations, and health industry experts.

In the official blog post, Facebook’s product manager Hema Budaraju writes, “We hope this new feature helps people come together in ways that weren't possible before. By raising awareness and growing the number of blood donors in India, we want to make it easier for people and organizations to give and receive blood.”

The company will roll out the feature for users in India on October 1st. The date is celebrated as National Blood Donor Day. Users can sign up for the feature and display this donor status on their public profile. The feature will be limited to Facebook web and Android app in the initial phase.

Courtesy : Techgig

India to send 3 lakh youth to Japan for on-job training

India will send three lakh youth to Japan for on-job training for 3-5 years as part of the government's skill development programme, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said here today.

Japan will bear the financial cost of the skill training of Indian technical interns.

The Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister said the Union Cabinet has approved signing of Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between India and Japan on the 'Technical Intern Training Program (TITP)'.

The MoC, he said, is expected to be signed during his three-day visit to Tokyo starting October 16.

"TITP is an ambitious program to send Three Lakh Indian technical interns to Japan for on the job training for a period of three to five yrs," Pradhan said in a tweet.

He said the youth will sent for training in the next three years with Japanese financial assistance.

"Each skilled youth going there will have a tenure of 3-5 years. These youth will work in the Japanese ecosystem and get employment opportunities there along with accommodation facility," the minister said.

About 50,000 of them may also get jobs in Japan, he added.

The selection of the youth will be done in a transparent manner according to Japanese requirements.

"When these youth return from Japan they will contribute to our industry as well," the minister said.

An official release said the MoC is expected to pave the way for bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the area of skill development.

Courtesy : Techgig

The World's Best Employers 2017

Some companies offer employees free gourmet meals. Others boast sleep pods and paid paternity leave.

It’s perks like these that help a company top the list of Forbes’ first-ever Global 2000 list of the World’s Best Employers.

With 72,000 employees, Google parent company Alphabet GOOGL +1.84% took the top spot, as employees cited approval with the company’s image, working conditions and diversity. For the past year, Alphabet saw $98.9 billion in sales, $19.3 billion in profit, $178.6 billion in assets and a market cap of $622.9 billion.

Alphabet, as well as second place Microsoft MSFT +0.17% and third place Japan Exchange Group , was ranked high for it’s outstanding attractiveness for employees.

Employers from the United States dominate the list, with 157 of the top 500 hailing from the U.S. In the top 10 alone, six employers are U.S. based: Alphabet, Microsoft, Apple, Noble Energy, Williams and IBM.

Second-place Microsoft also came in third this year on Forbes’ list of the world’s largest tech companies.The company saw $89 billion in sales, $21.2 billion in profit, assets of $241 billion and a $573.7 billion market value this year.

Founded in 1959, Japan Exchange Group came in as the third-best employer, with $337 billion in assets and a market cap of $9.7 billion. It was one of 22 companies in the investment-services industry that made the list.

However, the regional-banks industry was the most represented as a top employer. U.S.-based Northern Trust NTRS +0.48% ranked 12th, followed by Thailand’s Kasikornbank at 16th and the Philippines’ BDO Unibank at 23rd.

More than 36,000 global recommendations were analyzed by Statista to create the World’s Best Employers list. Employees were asked to rate their own employer and the likelihood they would recommend the company to a friend or family member. They were also asked to recommend other employers they admired.

This list is based on Forbes’ 2017 Global 2000 rankings, which featured public companies from 58 countries that together accounted for $35.3 trillion in revenue.

Courtesy : Forbes

Karnataka Government To Commit $6.1 Mn For An Artificial Intelligence And Data Science Hub

The Centre Of Excellence Is Expected To Create 35,000 Jobs For AI And Data Science Professionals In The State

In a bid to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence and data science related technologies, the Karnataka government is looking to invest $6.1 Mn (INR 40 Cr) for the construction of a state-of-the-art tech hub.

In an official statement issued by the state government, industry body NASSCOM was named the centre’s programme and implementation partner.

Commenting on the development, the state’s Minister of Information Technology, Biotechnology & Tourism, Priyank Kharge, said, “Karnataka has led the IT revolution in India and has always been at the forefront in areas of science and IT. Our government has played a substantial role in developing a robust startup entrepreneurial ecosystem through its startup policies, startup warehouses executed by NASSCOM and with financial aid wherever required. This Centre of Excellence is the logical next step required to provide the right fillip to areas of data science and artificial intelligence and give a head start to not just the state, but India as a destination to develop global product solutions.”

Courtesy : INC42

New Employee Details to be filled Online from October: EPFO

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) announced yesterday that employers will have to fill in the details of their new employees online October 1 onwards, says a news report .

The move will effectively halt the process of manually filing Form-9, which was a declaration by the employee taking up employment.

A senior official, sharing the development, stated that the present process of manually filing of Form-9 will no longer be available from October 1, 2017. The report states that the step was taken “in the wake of rapid computerisation in EPFO as an initiative towards Electronic Paper Free Organisation.” The physical submission of Form-9 can be done away with, as the employee master roll (containing details like name, gender, date of birth, date of joining, father’s/spouse’s name, Aadhar number and bank account details) is already available in the system, the official explained.

He further added that this step will help in settling claims electronically, will reduce employers’ burden and paperwork and is also a step towards better e-governance. EPFO plans to go completely paperless and provide all EPFO services online by next year August.

Courtesy : Peoplematters

WhatsApp may soon allow you to withdraw sent messages

Have you faced a situation when you sent a message to someone by mistake on WhatsApp and then regretted? Instant messaging services can be tricky – while they allow you to express yourself freely and instantly, they can also lead to embarrassment. Well, you need not worry anymore. A new WhatsApp feature might now let you recall an uncomfortable message. The popular messaging app is rumoured to soon roll out the much-anticipated ‘delete for everyone’ feature, for both the Android and iOS platforms.

According to tweets by WABetaInfo, a fan site that tests new WhatsApp features, the instant messaging service, which has over 1.2 billion monthly active users, is finally testing this feature and will remotely enable it soon.

What is this feature all about?

Technically, the new 'Delete for Everyone' feature will let users ‘unsend’ messages. You will have five minutes from the time when you sent the message to delete it – only if the message is not opened.

At present, WhatsApp, available in 50 languages, including 10 Indian, shows a single tick when the message is sent successfully and a double tick when it is delivered. This might change soon with this new WhatsApp feature, reportedly under testing.

Salient features

The ‘delete for everyone’ feature will help revoke or ‘unsend’ messages sent incorrectly to an individual as well as group chat.

Just like Gmail’s ‘undo send’ feature, which gives you 10 seconds to recall a message, this feature will allow you to ‘unsend’ not only texts, but also images, videos, GIFs, documents, quoted messages, and even status replies, within a five-minute window.

Limitations of this feature

The messages that have already been sent more than five minutes earlier, cannot be recalled. Also, the five-minute window does not apply if the message has been read by the receiver during this period. Another issue is that though the message will be removed, some data will still be retained, reports suggest. The receiver of the message might still get a notification reading “This message was deleted.”

According to a DailyMail report, this ‘delete for everyone’ feature, originally called 'Recall', was first seen in April in a Beta version of the app. The feature was included in the code for version 2.17.30 of the app, but WhatsApp has still to enable it.

WhatsApp is one of the largest messaging apps with. It is available in more than 50 different languages around the world and in 10 Indian languages.

Courtesy : business-standard

New Move By WhatsApp : WhatsApp for Business

WhatsApp for Business: Can it redefine organizational communication?

WhatsApp recently launched its new service, christened ‘WhatsApp for Business’, and aimed at simplifying businesses’ interactions with customers.

It has started off by giving verified green badges to select business accounts, in a bid to accentuate the credibility of the businesses on the messaging app. The feature is an offshoot of its parent company Facebook, which already has a blue badge for verified business pages. KLM is the first airline and one of the first few companies to have a verified business account.

With the help of WhatsApp’s enterprise solution, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines now offers its customers (all over the world) the facilities of booking confirmation, flight status updates, check-in notification, boarding pass, and asking questions in as many as ten different languages on WhatsApp. In India too, the roll out has started with BookMyShow sending confirmations for ticket bookings on WhatsApp, and Ola and OYO also reportedly in talks to integrate their applications with the chat platform.

While the WhatsApp for Business application may initially be used primarily for customer services, marketing, and customer communication purposes, the platform has the potential to be extensively leveraged for internal team communication as well. 

Several HR technology applications exist already in the market, which are focused on employee engagement and/or team communication. However, none of them enjoys as far-reaching and dominant a presence into the user’s lives, as WhatsApp. Virtually every employee is well conversant with the functioning of WhatsApp and uses it seamlessly to interact with dozens of people, on a daily basis. Therefore, if WhatsApp for Business can design a mechanism for reaching out to employees, gauging their happiness quotient and identifying their pain points, it could help organizations stay in touch with the pulse of their workforce, and also generate ideas for enhancing their productivity.         

WhatsApp, on its official blog has said that it wants to apply what it has learned by helping people connect with each other, to help people connect with businesses that are important to them. Drawing from the two aforementioned aspects, and viewing them from an organizational perspective, WhatsApp could be well served if it can establish a formal platform that allows businesses to connect and engage with the people that are most important to them: their employees.

Courtesy : Peoplematters

Automation to eat away one third of low skill jobs by 2022

Almost one-third of 'low-skilled' jobs, about 7 lakh, will be lost on account of automation in Indian IT by 2022 says US-based research firm HfS Research.

However, the report also predicts the number of 'medium-skilled' and 'high-skilled' jobs to go up by 1 lakh and 1.9 lakh, respectively. Worldwide, HfS Research said that by 2022, the IT industry would see a net decrease of 7.5% in headcount with countries like the US, UK and India taking a hit.

The report shows a marginal uptake of IT jobs in Philippines.

The research firm cites the aggressive uptake of RPA (Robotic Process Automation) and AI as the primary reasons for the reduction in headcount. It adds that RPA is merely accelerating the elimination of rote jobs while increasing the need of high-skilled jobs by 57%.

While “companies are taking time to build the impact of RPA into service contracts ... Time is on our side to manage the transition and train staff for the future,“ the report said.“The next fives years we can manage, it's the five after that when the impact on labor becomes much more challenging.“

The firm has increased the predicted low-skilled job loss numbers from 6.4 lakh at the end of 2021 in a report published last year to 7 lakhs by 2022 in the latest report. In this scenario, the report predicts that 20% of the total workforce needs to be re-skilled to be employable.

Courtesy :CIO.ECONOMICTIMES.INDIATIMES

Johnson & Johnson India extends paternity leave to eight weeks

Johnson & Johnson India has augmented its paternity leave policy to eight weeks of paid leave during the first year of birth or adoption, as per a company release. The company has already been offering 26 weeks of maternity leaves to new mothers for the last six years, well before the latest Maternity Benefit Amendment Act kicked in.

While there is currently no provision on paternity leave for employees in the private sector as per the Indian Labour law, Johnson & Johnson India will offer eight weeks of paternity leave in accordance with the company’s new ‘Global Parental Leave’ approach.

Read more : Peoplematters

Quikr acquires Babajob to expand its position in blue collar jobs

Online classifieds portal Quikr India Pvt. Ltd has acquired job listing company Babajob Services Pvt. Ltd in an attempt to strengthen its position in the blue collar jobs segment.

“This will combine the two largest Indian aspiring job players—Babajob and QuikrJobs—into one entity, a tool to help everyone in India get a better job. The Babajob board, Vir (Vir Kashyap, co-founder and chief operating officer) and I decided that joining forces with Quikr represented our best option for scaling Babajob’s mission—providing better jobs for everyone by helping employers digitally hire aspiring workers,” Sean Blagsvedt, co-founder and chief executive officer at Babajob, said in an email.

Blagsvedt said that QuikrJobs, the classifieds company’s job listing service, is already profitable and the combined entity of Babajob and QuikrJobs will become the largest platform for blue collar job seekers.

The companies did not divulge details of the deal. Blagsvedt and Kashyap will quit the company following the acquisition.

Babajob will continue to operate as a separate entity, said a Quikr spokesperson.


Babajob, founded in 2007 by Blagsvedt, Kashyap and Ira Weise, has raised at least $10 million in multiple funding rounds. Its investors include SEEK Ltd, a global online employment company, GrayGhost Ventures and Khosla Impact. According to Blagsvedt, 8.5 million verified job seekers sought jobs from more than five lakh employers on Babajob.

“We innovated and scaled telephony, chat and mobile solutions to connect multilingual job seekers and employers. We defined a category and perhaps most importantly, showed the market that there was a need and business opportunity to build a job site for everyone, even those with little education, knowledge of computers or command of English,” Blagsvedt said in the email.

Babajob’s nearest competitor, Asaanjobs Pvt. Ltd, has raised about $6.5 million from Aspada Advisors, Inventus Capital and IDG ventures. The online recruitment sector also witnessed some closures with companies such as TalentPad and WhistleTalk shutting shop, citing lack of scalability.

For Quikr, which has been on an acquisition spree in the last 18 months, this is the second acquisition in the jobs segment. In July last year, the company had acquired IDG Ventures-backed online job listing platform Hiree (Abhiman Technologies Pvt. Ltd) for an undisclosed amount.

Over the past two years, Quikr has been diversifying into new businesses to boost sales. The company is pushing into five new business segments—automobiles, real estate, jobs, services and customer-to-customer sales.

Having raised about $346 million from Kinnevik AB, Tiger Global, Steadview Capital Management, Matrix Partners India and others since inception in 2008, Quikr has been an active buyer of smaller rivals, especially in the real estate and home services segments, as it looks to bolster fledgling revenues.

Since January last year, Quikr has bought nine companies: Commonfloor, its most expensive purchase yet for about $120 million and Grabhouse in the real estate segment; Stayglad, Zapluk, Salosa and Zimmber in beauty and home services segment; Babajob and Hiree in online recruitment; and Stepni in the automobile segment.

Housing Development Finance Corp. Ltd (HDFC) is in talks with Quikr to sell its brokerage business HDFC Realty and its digital business HDFC Red in an all-stock deal for about Rs350-400 crore, Mint reported on 27 April.

Quikr clocked net sales of Rs41 crore in the year ended 31 March 2016, against Rs25 crore the year before. Its loss surged to Rs534 crore from Rs450 crore in the same period, according to regulatory filings.

Originally Posted in Livemint

From begging on Chennai streets to studying at Cambridge – Jayavel’s journey is pure inspiration

Jayavel has become the talk of the town among the street dwellers of Chennai. While his family begs for a living, the 22-year-old has got a chance to study advanced automobile engineering at Cambridge University.

After crop failure in the 1980s, Jayavel’s farming family shifted from Nellore to Chennai in search of a living. Eventually, the family started begging in the streets of the burgeoning city. “We used to sleep on the pavement. If it would rain, we would try to find other shelter in any nearby shop until the cops came and chased us out of there,” Jayavel told India Today in an interview.

After his father's death, Jayavel's mother fell subject to alcoholism. Most of his earnings were spent on alcohol. Things, however, started to look up when Jayavel met Uma Muthuraman.

Uma, along with her husband Muthuraman, stepped up to help Jayavel. She and her husband were planning to make a video story on them by the name of 'Pavement Flower'. "My people actually didn't like them. We even tried to hurt them as we had so many people approaching us under the pretext of helping. But they only used our name to get government funds," Jayavel recalls.

However, since Uma and Muthuraman's desire to help them was genuine, their attitude soon softened. Jayavel, in 1999, was offered a proper education through their NGO, Suyam Charitable Trust.

After excelling in his 12th grade exams, Jayavel cleared Cambridge University's entrance examination. He has been offered a seat at Glendwr University in Wales to study 'Performance Car Enhancement Technology Engineering'.

For Jayavel, higher education is just a stepping stone to help accomplish his larger dreams. After finishing his studies, Jayavel plans to help running the NGO and transform the lives of many more street children in the years to come.

You can read the rest of the story at https://yourstory.com/2016/09/jayavel-chennai/