MAM
Ogilvy & Bajaj Platina ComforTec 110 offer ‘Aaram Rath’ Rides at Kumbh 2019
MUMBAI: Taking the proposition of ‘Jhatka Mana Hai’ , Bajaj has introduced the ‘Platina ComforTec 110 Aaram Rath’ at the 2019 edition of Kumbh Mela, the largest human congregation in the world. Organised in collaboration with Ogilvy, the ‘Aaram Rath’ is offering free ride services to the elderly and disabled pilgrims. At its core, the activity was designed to increase brand love.
All Bajaj Platinas were retrofitted with custom-designed backrests that support the pillion on the back as well as the side for added feeling of safety. Engineering of this backrest was done keeping the one-sided seating especially suited for sari-clad women.
Bajaj Auto vice president Narayan Sundararaman said, "With the new Bajaj Platina Comfortec 110, our focus has been to deliver the most comfortable ride experience in the category. No doubt that the motorcycle has much better power, acceleration, pick-up and braking. But a Platina stands for comfort. When we encountered this opportunity, we were clear that this activity will bring relief to people in need of help to reach the ghats, and that Platina is the right vehicle of choice for it. From there on, we worked on retro-fitting a secure two-sided back rest specially made for the audience. We are thrilled that this activity has been so well received. I can only imagine the countless blessings we have gathered along the way."
Ogilvy India (West) office leader VR Rajesh noted, "It is not often that we get an opportunity of this scale and this nature. Kumbh Mela attracts people of myriad backgrounds and geographies. The locales and crowds make it very difficult for devotees to access different parts of the Kumbh city and the ghats. This is the challenge that excites us the most. Amongst all our brands, we picked Bajaj Platina as the perfect fit for the application. In our concrete jungles, Bajaj's Platina transports millions daily. All done in supreme comfort. In our latest film 'Jhatka Mana Hai' we made Platina the protagonist that is positioned to increase brand love for Bajaj. At Kumbh, Platina is the only two-wheeler that is saving the effort of navigating distances and crowds for thousands of needy. This is a perfect fit that will pave the way for many more such applications."
Along the route allotted (Phaphamau Bus Stand to Naagvasuki Temple, Prayagraj) from where the Platina rider who is fondly called the ‘Aaram Rath Saarthi’ would ferry the old pilgrims and ride them safely to the Sangam Nose (confluence of the 3 sacred rivers) or the bathing ghats for a dip and also ride them back to the spot from where they were picked-up i.e bus stop on the outskirts of Kumbh which connects the whole of Prayagraj to the Kumbh City.
The authorities at Kumbh gave a green signal to this activity and were all praise offering their complete support and co-operation.
Brands
Tessolve lands a semiconductor veteran to drive its next big push
Ravi Kumar Chirugudu, who started his career at ISRO and has spent 35 years building chips and companies, joins the Bengaluru-based firm as president and chief operating officer
BENGALURU: Tessolve has never been shy about its ambitions. The Bengaluru-based engineering services firm already counts 18 of the world’s top 20 semiconductor companies among its clients, employs more than 3,500 engineers across 12 countries, and last year pocketed a $150m investment from TPG. Now it has hired the executive it believes can turn those assets into something bigger. Ravi Kumar Chirugudu, a 35-year semiconductor veteran who once built satellite payloads for ISRO and has since scaled engineering organisations across three continents, joins as president and chief operating officer, effective immediately.
THE MAN AND THE MANDATE
The appointment is, by any measure, a serious hire. Ravi Kumar Chirugudu comes to Tessolve after senior leadership stints at HCL Technologies, Altran and Wipro, where he managed large profit-and-loss portfolios and oversaw cross-regional teams. Over the course of his career, he has been instrumental in bringing more than 1,000 new products to market across the high-tech, energy and manufacturing verticals. Before the private sector claimed him, he began his working life as a scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation, contributing to research and development in charge-coupled device technology and satellite payloads, a foundation that shaped everything that followed.
In his new role, he will lead Tessolve’s global growth strategy: expanding its engineering capabilities, deepening customer relationships and accelerating innovation across semiconductor and high-performance computing domains. The brief is broad, but the context is specific. Tessolve operates in the $550 billion global semiconductor market, and its recent moves, the acquisition of Germany’s Dream Chip Technologies and the TPG funding round, have sharpened both its reach and its expectations.
Srini Chinamilli, co-founder and chief executive of Tessolve, is characteristically direct about why Ravi Kumar Chirugudu was the choice:
“As we scale our global semiconductor and system engineering capabilities, Ravi’s appointment marks an important step forward. As global semiconductor demand continues to accelerate across industries, it is creating significant opportunities across the semiconductor lifecycle, from design, packaging, validation and systems integration. Ravi’s deep knowledge and leadership in this ecosystem brings the right mix of industry expertise, customer connect and execution capability, which will play a key role in strengthening our position as a trusted global engineering partner and reinforcing our market leadership.”
THE NEW ARRIVAL SPEAKS
Ravi Kumar Chirugudu, for his part, frames the move in terms of timing and culture, two factors that veteran executives tend to weigh as heavily as title or compensation:
“I am happy to join Tessolve at a time when the industry is rapidly evolving towards more complex, AI-driven systems. What stands out to me is its strong people-first culture and its commitment to bringing value to its customers. The strength of its global team, combined with its deep expertise in semiconductor innovation and next-generation product engineering, creates a solid foundation to build differentiated, scalable solutions. I look forward to working closely with the team to drive strategic growth and strengthen its role in shaping the global semiconductor ecosystem.”
The reference to AI-driven systems is not incidental. The semiconductor industry is in the midst of a structural reshaping, driven by the insatiable compute demands of artificial intelligence. For engineering services firms like Tessolve, which offers end-to-end capabilities from silicon design to packaged parts and invests in high-performance computing, high-speed interfaces, photonics and 5G, the moment is both an opportunity and a test. The company says it is well positioned to capture the next wave of industry growth. Ravi Kumar Chirugudu is now the person who has to prove it.
He came in from outer space, literally, and spent three decades learning how the semiconductor industry works from the inside out. Now Tessolve is betting that accumulated knowledge can help it cross the next frontier. In the $550 billion global chip market, the gap between ambition and execution is measured in engineering hours and leadership quality. Tessolve has just gone shopping for both.
