People, places and products

Gururaj Deshpande
Innovation Accelerator

He's best known as the founder of successful tech start-ups Sycamore and Cascade — the first had hit $50 billion in market cap during the Internet boom. But now, serial entrepreneur Gururaj "Desh" Deshpande, 59, will soon don a new hat. His newest role is as the Co-Chair of the United States National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Deshpande, brother-in-law of Infosys Technologies Chairman N.R. Narayana Murthy, plans to focus on re-establishing the US's prime position in innovation and research. "Innovation and the jobs and new businesses it creates are the drivers of renewed economic growth for the US," he says.

— Rahul Sachitanand

A.C. Mahajan
Mahajan's Quick Fix

Too often, customers using Canara Bank ATMs in Bangalore are likely to find them out of order. But if you are an investor in the bank's scrip, you will find the bank's finances are in fine fettle. Thanks in large part to the bank's Chairman and Managing Director A.C. Mahajan, who has scripted an impressive turnaround story. The bank has reported a stunning 82.5 per cent rise in its net profits in the April-June 2010 quarter.

When Mahajan, 60, took over the bank's reins in July 2008, its business was just about Rs 266,000 crore and net profit for the just ended quarter was Rs 123 crore. This year's first quarter numbers tell a different story: The annual business has touched Rs 412,000 crore and the quarter's net profit is Rs 1,013 crore. Mahajan is even confident of "reaching the Rs 500,000 crore mark in turnover this fiscal". The challenge for Canara Bank will be to continue with its stellar performance from August 1 after his retirement.

— K.R.Balasubramanyam

Amrita Puri
Daughter in Tinseltown

Her father is an ace banker, but Amrita Puri has her eyes firmly set on Bollywood. The daughter of banker Aditya Puri, MD of HDFC Bank, is trying her luck in acting after stints in theatre and modelling. She is debuting in a romantic comedy, Aisha, starring Abhay Deol and Sonam Kapoor.

Produced by Anil Kapoor, the movie is an adaptation of Jane Austen's popular novel Emma, and Amrita, 26, is playing the second lead. Puri senior did have apprehensions initially, but Amrita's keenness on a career in movies convinced him. "Bollywood is not an easy profession (to get into) and also not a practical one," she says. But she is ready to give it her best shot.

— Anand Adhikari

Microsoft XBOX 360 with motion detector
Full-motion Gaming

Not a new product by any means, the Xbox 360 is already four years old, but boy, has Microsoft given the game console a makeover. It is smaller, sleeker and we're told that it is also a lot less noisier and has integrated Wi-Fi connectivity. The big news, though, is 'Kinect', Microsoft's answer to the Nintendo Wii. The Kinect system is a motion detector which does not need to wear wires or carry a remote.

Instead, Kinect will detect your motion and transfer them into the game. Prices for the console start at Rs 16,990, though a model with similar specs costs just $199 in the United States (Rs 9,000 approx.). We would advise buyers to wait for the Kinect-equipped consoles that start shipping by the year-end.

— Kushan Mitra

Istanbul, Turkey
A Melting Pot

September is the best time to visit Istanbul, the capital of Turkey and of four empires of history. The world's only city straddling two continents, Istanbul is a melting pot of architecture and cultures. So what was the largest cathedral in Europe for over a thousand years became a mosque when the Ottoman Turks captured the city in 1453.

But it also has one of the most modern transport systems. Feast on the food, from kebabs to vegetables and pastry. Places to visit: the Hagia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace (where you need to buy a separate ticket to visit the harem) and the Blue Mosque.

— Somnath Dasgupta