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Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Light bulb that got switched on by ‘reality check'
Mahesh Ramamurthy fondly remembers his light bulb moment. An automotive industry veteran for 26 years, he was responsible for sales, marketing, and technology in his previous role at an automotive company. "While demonstrating a physical product virtually in digital 3D, a prospective client asked me to stop and then proceeded to ask more questions about how the 3D presentation was created rather than the product itself," he remembers. That incident inspired him to build a platform where "a customer can create such an experience themselves," he says. That's how SatoriXR, an extended reality startup, was born. Extended reality or XR is an umbrella term encompassing technologies like augmented, mixed, and virtual reality. "SatoriXR was incubated at the IIT Madras Incubation Cell in May 2022," says founder-CEO Ramamurthy. "The inspiration came from the early 3D movies we watched in our childhood." Named after a Zen Buddhist concept, a Satori moment is a moment of sudden clarity, when an idea becomes lucid. "We take the customer from confusion to clarity to conviction — to buy or be trained," says Ramamurthy. Part of SatoriXR's initial funding came from the IIT-M Incubation Cell in the form of "a grant and soft debt," he says, remembering the initial days. "We received a technology grant through Forge, the company was self-sufficient, but to reach international markets, we raised a pre-seed round from private investors," he adds. SatoriXR raised a pre-seed round of $300,000 from international investors in March 2025, and "the funding is being used for product development and to execute our international 'go to market' strategy," adds Ramamurthy. The company is in the middle of its next round of fundraising. "We are actively raising our next round, and an IPO could be in the cards in the future," he adds. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai SatoriXR is proudly local. "Our technology platform is built in India — for the world," says Ramamurthy, adding that the company already has a robust client list. "We already work with the who's who — top OEMs such as Daimler Trucks and Mercedes Benz use our platform and products – and we are expanding to international markets over the next few years and are gaining excellent traction," explains Ramamurthy. The company also has a global presence and is active in the US, EU, and India. "We are executing a GTM (go-to-market) strategy for international markets and are gaining excellent traction, and our target is to serve the likes of the Fortune 500 companies since we already have a few such customers," says Ramamurthy. Like that first presentation where client excitement led to a new startup, SatoriXR is still running on word-of-mouth recommendations. "We have achieved excellent product-market fit and our customers are our biggest marketers," says Ramamurthy. "As our enterprise SAAS platform is being adopted globally, we are on track to be profitable in a year." Currently, the company has a team of around 20 people. The "platform has been built leveraging advanced AI tools," says Ramamurthy. It has AI and augmented reality at its core. "Our research and development team will grow as we explore these areas in depth. As the platform's adoption picks up, we will hire teams to grow our support network and systems," he says.
IOL News
5 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
The leadership crisis is not out there, it's with you
Effective leaders adapt their style to organisational needs, but transformational approaches often share core beliefs: believing in oneself and others, being optimistic, caring genuinely, and knowing thyself. Image: Sunday Independent / Ron AI 'Concentrate on polishing your own lantern so that others may follow its light.' — A common Zen Buddhist principle WHAT kind of teacher do you want to be? What kind of leader do you want to be? We often default to teaching the way we were taught, especially if that model was positive and passionate. The analogy Peter Boonshaft draws between a music teacher and an airplane pilot resonates with me: both must be calm in a storm, act rather than react, assess circumstances swiftly, constantly monitor surroundings, and sometimes respond in ways that seem counterintuitive. Crucially, we must control a powerful entity capable of causing disaster or creating feelings of awesome beauty. It has been said that only three things happen naturally in organisations: friction, confusion, and underperformance. Everything else requires leadership. Surveys consistently show a perceived global leadership crisis. Leadership isn't an innate talent, but an observable, learnable set of skills and abilities. Despite the abundance of modern leadership resources, the core qualities people admire have remained remarkably consistent. Decades ago, surveys identified key leadership traits: thorough job knowledge, fairness, clear thinking under pressure, calmness, genuine interest in personnel, trust, respect, leading by example, encouragement, and maintaining mission focus. It seems these timeless traits are still what people seek in their leaders. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The phrase 'natural born leader' is a misnomer. Effective leaders have typically been exposed to good examples, received mentorship, and actively learned. Anyone can improve by reading widely, seeking training, and gaining experience through observation and simulation. Put yourself in others' shoes and ask, 'What would I do?' To stay relevant, leaders must 'fill their tanks'. As the Zen principle states, polishing your own lantern allows others to follow its light. Rejuvenation — whether through learning, rest, or quiet reflection — is essential. Creative ideas often emerge in stillness. Research identifies two main leadership styles. Transactional leadership works from the outside in, focusing on expectations, roles, and compliance. Transformational leadership works from the inside out, instilling vision, purpose, and encouraging risk-taking and learning. Effective leaders adapt their style to organisational needs, but transformational approaches often share core beliefs: believing in oneself and others, being optimistic, caring genuinely, and knowing thyself. Believing you can positively impact your environment (self-efficacy) is crucial. Optimistic leaders see assets where others see deficits. Caring about others builds the relational trust vital for sustained improvement. Understanding yourself, your emotions and how others perceive you, is linked to effective leadership practices like focus and situational awareness. Developing mental fitness measurably reduces pain points and optimises performance, making it easier to create alignment and movement. For some, it's about being the best leader; for others, maximising organisational performance; for others, a personal path. The common thread is transformation — seeing the world anew to stop creating pain and start creating performance. Mental fitness is one's measurable ability to engage constructively daily, regardless of stressors — the capacity to respond optimally with minimal recovery time. It starts with recognising that the real drivers of results are the hidden habits of our minds — our entrenched perspectives about ourselves, others, and the world. Mental fitness is most transformative when we feel stressed or hindered, becoming 'triggered' and defaulting to suboptimal behaviours. Mental fitness helps avoid pain by allowing us to lead from a position of optimal performance — 'leading lightly'. This involves rapidly applying a set of learned skills, the five 'muscles' of mental fitness, to change perceptions and internal reactions: choosing personal accountability over blame, selecting helpful beliefs over limiting ones, accurately assessing your internal state, holding multiple perspectives instead of binary thinking, and modulating your own physiology when distressed. Applying these skills intentionally changes how we see ourselves and our environment, breaking free from reflexive reactions that limit potential. With practice, we optimise performance and consistently create better leadership results. Developing these muscles makes you feel lighter and more in control, leading yourself and others 'lightly'. Negative interactions soften, and instead of getting triggered, you respond with adaptability and curiosity. Coming to a leadership role with this mindset means understanding that for different results — for yourself, your team, or your organisation — you must change at the root. That change begins with you. * Dr Vusi Shongwe works in the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture in KwaZulu-Natal and writes in his personal capacity. ** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, IOL, or Independent Media. Get the real story on the go: Follow the Sunday Independent on WhatsApp.
The Hindu
13-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
A year after Trump's near-assassination, friends and allies see some signs of a changed man
U.S. President Donald Trump was on stage at the Iowa State Fairgrounds earlier this month, kicking off the country's 250th anniversary celebration, when he heard what sounded like fireworks in the distance. 'Did I hear what I think I heard?' Mr. Trump remarked as he spoke from behind a wall of thick, bulletproof glass. 'Don't worry, it's only fireworks. I hope. Famous last words," he quipped, drawing laughs and cheers. 'You always have to think positive," he went on. "I didn't like that sound, either." The comments, just days before the first anniversary of Trump's near-assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, served as a stark reminder of the lingering impact of the day when a gunman opened fire at a campaign rally, grazing Trump's ear and killing one of his supporters in the crowd. The attack dramatically upended the 2024 campaign and launched a frenzied 10-day stretch that included Mr. Trump's triumphant arrival at the Republican National Convention with a bandaged ear, President Joe Biden's decision to abandon his reelection bid and the elevation of Vice-President Kamala Harris as his successor. One year after coming millimetres from a very different outcome, Mr. Trump, according to friends and aides, is still the same Trump. But they see signs, beyond being on higher alert on stage, that his brush with death did change him in some ways: He is more attentive and more grateful, they say, and speaks openly about how he believes he was saved by God to save the country and serve a second term, making him even more dug in on achieving his far-reaching agenda. 'I think it's always in the back of his mind," said Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a longtime friend and ally who was in close touch with Mr. Trump after the shooting and joined him that night in New Jersey after he was treated at a Pennsylvania hospital. 'He's still a rough and tumble guy, you know. He hasn't become a Zen Buddhist. But I think he is, I'll say this, more appreciative. He's more attentive to his friends," he said, pointing to Mr. Trump sending him a message on his birthday earlier this week. Ms. Graham added: "It's just a miracle he's not dead. He definitely was a man who believed he had a second lease on life." While many who survive traumatic events try to block them from memory, Mr. Trump has instead surrounded himself with memorabilia commemorating one of the darkest episodes in modern political history. He's decorated the White House and his golf clubs with art pieces depicting the moment after the shooting when he stood up, thrust his fist dramatically in the air and chanted, 'Fight, fight, fight!" A painting of the scene now hangs prominently in the foyer of the White House State Floor near the staircase to the president's residence. Earlier this year, he began displaying a bronze sculpture of the tableau in the Oval Office on a side table next to the Resolute Desk. And while he said in his speech at the Republican convention that he would only talk about what had happened once, he often shares the story of how he turned his head at just the right moment to show off his 'all-time favorite chart in history' of southern border crossings that he credits for saving his life. During a press conference in the White House briefing room last month, he acknowledged lingering physical effects from the shooting. 'I get that throbbing feeling every once in a while," he said, gesturing to his ear. 'But you know what, that's OK. This is a dangerous business. What I do is a dangerous business.' Mr. Trump will spend Sunday's anniversary attending the FIFA Club World Cup soccer final in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Mr. Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles, who as his then-campaign chief was with him at the rally, said in a podcast interview released last week that Trump walked away from the shooting believing he had been spared for a reason. 'I would say I think he believes that he was saved. I do. And he would never — even if he thought it before, I don't think he would have admitted it. And he will now," she told 'Pod Force One.' She, too credited divine intervention. The chart, she noted, 'was always the last chart in the rotation. And it was always on the other side. So to have him ask for that chart eight minutes in, and to have it come on the side that is opposite, caused him to look in a different direction and lift his head just a little because it was higher. And that just doesn't happen because it happened. It happened because, I believe, God wanted him to live.' As a result, she said, when Trump says things that 'are perfunctory — every president says 'God bless America' — well, it's more profound with him now, and it's more personal." She also credited the attack with helping change public perceptions of Trump during the campaign. 'For the American public to see a person who was such a fighter as he was that day, I think, as awful and tragic as it might have been, it turned out to be something that showed people his character. And that's helpful," she said. 'You know, I have an obligation to do a good job, I feel, because I was really saved,' Trump told Fox News Friday. 'I owe a lot. And I think — I hope — the reason I was saved was to save our country.' Roger Stone, a longtime friend and informal adviser, noted that Trump has had other brushes with death, including a last-minute decision not to board a helicopter to Atlantic City that crashed in 1989 and another near-assassination two months after Butler when U.S. Secret Service agents spotted a man pointing a rifle through the fence near where Trump was golfing. Stone said he's found the president 'to be more serene and more determined after the attempt on his life' in Butler. 'He told me directly that he believed he was spared by God for the purpose of restoring the nation to greatness, and that he believes deeply that he is protected now by the Lord,' he said. Ralph Reed, chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, agreed. 'I think for people who know the president, it is commonly believed that it changed him. I mean, how could it not? Imagine if you were who he was and if you don't turn your head at that instant," he said. 'He knew he was lucky to be alive.' Given how close Mr. Trump came to a very different outcome, Reed said, 'it's hard not to feel on some level that the hand of providence protected him for some greater purpose. And there are people that I've talked to who said they were confident that he would win for that reason. That there must have been a reason.'
India Today
13-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
How Trump changed a year after near-assassination: Friends, aides share insights
President Donald Trump was on stage at the Iowa State Fairgrounds earlier this month, kicking off the country's 250th anniversary celebration, when he heard what sounded like fireworks in the distance.'Did I hear what I think I heard?' Trump remarked as he spoke from behind a wall of thick, bulletproof glass. 'Don't worry, it's only fireworks. I hope. Famous last words,' he quipped, drawing laughs and always have to think positive,' he went on. 'I didn't like that sound, either.' The comments, just days before the first anniversary of Trump's near-assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, served as a stark reminder of the lingering impact of the day when a gunman opened fire at a campaign rally, grazing Trump's ear and killing one of his supporters in the attack dramatically upended the 2024 campaign and launched a frenzied 10-day stretch that included Trump's triumphant arrival at the Republican National Convention with a bandaged ear, President Joe Biden's decision to abandon his reelection bid and the elevation of Vice President Kamala Harris as his year after coming millimeters from a very different outcome, Trump, according to friends and aides, is still the same Trump. But they see signs, beyond being on higher alert on stage, that his brush with death did change him in some ways: He is more attentive and more grateful, they say, and speaks openly about how he believes he was saved by God to save the country and serve a second term, making him even more dug in on achieving his far-reaching agenda.'I think it's always in the back of his mind,' said Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a longtime friend and ally who was in close touch with Trump after the shooting and joined him that night in New Jersey after he was treated at a Pennsylvania hospital. 'He's still a rough and tumble guy, you know. He hasn't become a Zen Buddhist. But I think he is, I'll say this, more appreciative. He's more attentive to his friends,' he said, pointing to Trump sending him a message on his birthday earlier this added: 'It's just a miracle he's not dead. He definitely was a man who believed he had a second lease on life.'CONSTANT REMINDERSWhile many who survive traumatic events try to block them from memory, Trump has instead surrounded himself with memorabilia commemorating one of the darkest episodes in modern political history. He's decorated the White House and his golf clubs with art pieces depicting the moment after the shooting when he stood up, thrust his fist dramatically in the air and chanted, 'Fight, fight, fight!'A painting of the scene now hangs prominently in the foyer of the White House State Floor near the staircase to the president's residence. Earlier this year, he began displaying a bronze sculpture of the tableau in the Oval Office on a side table next to the Resolute while he said in his speech at the Republican convention that he would only talk about what had happened once, he often shares the story of how he turned his head at just the right moment to show off his 'all-time favorite chart in history' of southern border crossings that he credits for saving his a press conference in the White House briefing room last month, he acknowledged lingering physical effects from the shooting.'I get that throbbing feeling every once in a while,' he said, gesturing to his ear. 'But you know what, that's OK. This is a dangerous business. What I do is a dangerous business.'Trump will spend Sunday's anniversary attending the FIFA Club World Cup soccer final in East Rutherford, New DIVINE INTERVENTIONTrump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles, who as his then-campaign chief was with him at the rally, said in a podcast interview released last week that Trump walked away from the shooting believing he had been spared for a would say I think he believes that he was saved. I do. And he would never — even if he thought it before, I don't think he would have admitted it. And he will now,' she told 'Pod Force One.'She, too credited divine intervention. The chart, she noted, 'was always the last chart in the rotation. And it was always on the other side. So to have him ask for that chart eight minutes in, and to have it come on the side that is opposite, caused him to look in a different direction and lift his head just a little because it was higher. And that just doesn't happen because it happened. It happened because, I believe, God wanted him to live.'As a result, she said, when Trump says things that 'are perfunctory — every president says 'God bless America' — well, it's more profound with him now, and it's more personal.'She also credited the attack with helping change public perceptions of Trump during the campaign.'For the American public to see a person who was such a fighter as he was that day, I think, as awful and tragic as it might have been, it turned out to be something that showed people his character. And that's helpful,' she know, I have an obligation to do a good job, I feel, because I was really saved,' Trump told Fox News Friday. 'I owe a lot. And I think — I hope — the reason I was saved was to save our country.'Roger Stone, a longtime friend and informal adviser, noted that Trump has had other brushes with death, including a last-minute decision not to board a helicopter to Atlantic City that crashed in 1989 and another near-assassination two months after Butler when US Secret Service agents spotted a man pointing a rifle through the fence near where Trump was said he's found the president 'to be more serene and more determined after the attempt on his life' in Butler.'He told me directly that he believed he was spared by God for the purpose of restoring the nation to greatness, and that he believes deeply that he is protected now by the Lord,' he Reed, chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, agreed.'I think for people who know the president, it is commonly believed that it changed him. I mean, how could it not? Imagine if you were who he was and if you don't turn your head at that instant,' he said. 'He knew he was lucky to be alive.'advertisementGiven how close Trump came to a very different outcome, Reed said, 'it's hard not to feel on some level that the hand of providence protected him for some greater purpose. And there are people that I've talked to who said they were confident that he would win for that reason. That there must have been a reason.'- Ends
Time of India
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
A year after Trump's near-assassination, friends and allies see some signs of a changed man
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump was on stage at the Iowa State Fairgrounds earlier this month, kicking off the country's 250th anniversary celebration, when he heard what sounded like fireworks in the distance. "Did I hear what I think I heard?" Trump remarked as he spoke from behind a wall of thick, bulletproof glass. "Don't worry, it's only fireworks. I hope. Famous last words," he quipped, drawing laughs and cheers. "You always have to think positive," he went on. "I didn't like that sound, either." The comments, just days before the first anniversary of Trump's near-assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, served as a stark reminder of the lingering impact of the day when a gunman opened fire at a campaign rally, grazing Trump's ear and killing one of his supporters in the crowd. The attack dramatically upended the 2024 campaign and launched a frenzied 10-day stretch that included Trump's triumphant arrival at the Republican National Convention with a bandaged ear, President Joe Biden's decision to abandon his reelection bid and the elevation of Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor. Live Events One year after coming millimeters from a very different outcome, Trump, according to friends and aides, is still the same Trump. But they see signs, beyond being on higher alert on stage, that his brush with death did change him in some ways: He is more attentive and more grateful, they say, and speaks openly about how he believes he was saved by God to save the country and serve a second term, making him even more dug in on achieving his far-reaching agenda. "I think it's always in the back of his mind," said Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a longtime friend and ally who was in close touch with Trump after the shooting and joined him that night in New Jersey after he was treated at a Pennsylvania hospital. "He's still a rough and tumble guy, you know. He hasn't become a Zen Buddhist. But I think he is, I'll say this, more appreciative. He's more attentive to his friends," he said, pointing to Trump sending him a message on his birthday earlier this week. Graham added: "It's just a miracle he's not dead. He definitely was a man who believed he had a second lease on life." Constant reminders While many who survive traumatic events try to block them from memory, Trump has instead surrounded himself with memorabilia commemorating one of the darkest episodes in modern political history. He's decorated the White House and his golf clubs with art pieces depicting the moment after the shooting when he stood up, thrust his fist dramatically in the air and chanted, "Fight, fight, fight!" A painting of the scene now hangs prominently in the foyer of the White House State Floor near the staircase to the president's residence. Earlier this year, he began displaying a bronze sculpture of the tableau in the Oval Office on a side table next to the Resolute Desk. And while he said in his speech at the Republican convention that he would only talk about what had happened once, he often shares the story of how he turned his head at just the right moment to show off his "all-time favorite chart in history" of southern border crossings that he credits for saving his life. During a press conference in the White House briefing room last month, he acknowledged lingering physical effects from the shooting. "I get that throbbing feeling every once in a while," he said, gesturing to his ear. "But you know what, that's OK. This is a dangerous business. What I do is a dangerous business." Trump will spend Sunday's anniversary attending the FIFA Club World Cup soccer final in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Crediting divine intervention Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles, who as his then-campaign chief was with him at the rally, said in a podcast interview released last week that Trump walked away from the shooting believing he had been spared for a reason. "I would say I think he believes that he was saved. I do. And he would never - even if he thought it before, I don't think he would have admitted it. And he will now," she told "Pod Force One." She, too credited divine intervention. The chart, she noted, "was always the last chart in the rotation. And it was always on the other side. So to have him ask for that chart eight minutes in, and to have it come on the side that is opposite, caused him to look in a different direction and lift his head just a little because it was higher. And that just doesn't happen because it happened. It happened because, I believe, God wanted him to live." As a result, she said, when Trump says things that "are perfunctory - every president says 'God bless America' - well, it's more profound with him now, and it's more personal." She also credited the attack with helping change public perceptions of Trump during the campaign. "For the American public to see a person who was such a fighter as he was that day, I think, as awful and tragic as it might have been, it turned out to be something that showed people his character. And that's helpful," she said. "You know, I have an obligation to do a good job, I feel, because I was really saved," Trump told Fox News Friday. "I owe a lot. And I think - I hope - the reason I was saved was to save our country." Roger Stone , a longtime friend and informal adviser, noted that Trump has had other brushes with death, including a last-minute decision not to board a helicopter to Atlantic City that crashed in 1989 and another near-assassination two months after Butler when U.S. Secret Service agents spotted a man pointing a rifle through the fence near where Trump was golfing. Stone said he's found the president "to be more serene and more determined after the attempt on his life" in Butler. "He told me directly that he believed he was spared by God for the purpose of restoring the nation to greatness, and that he believes deeply that he is protected now by the Lord," he said. Ralph Reed , chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, agreed. "I think for people who know the president, it is commonly believed that it changed him. I mean, how could it not? Imagine if you were who he was and if you don't turn your head at that instant," he said. "He knew he was lucky to be alive." Given how close Trump came to a very different outcome, Reed said, "it's hard not to feel on some level that the hand of providence protected him for some greater purpose. And there are people that I've talked to who said they were confident that he would win for that reason. That there must have been a reason."
