Martial art techniques ranging from Jujitsu, Taekwondo and the novel Krav Maga ruled the roost on the second day of Vitalsport.

There was then Krav Maga, something you might have heard of if you have followed singer Jennifer Lopez closely. Closer home, Abhay Deol is learning it for his next movie.

Dressed in fatigues of a soldier is Frank, Bangalore’s Krav Maga practitioner. Krav Maga is a system of self defence created by Israeli military and combines the various forms of martial arts. It is highly dynamic and street oriented. “There is nothing fancy. Instead, Krav Maga teaches you how to enhance your energy and protect yourselves and those around you,” he says.

It is also very situational. “The training we give depends on the situation you are under,” says Frank. So while some of his clients require him to train employees on how to escape from a building on fire, there are MNC companies who want him to train employees on anti-terrorist drills.

“There is a lot of demand for them and in these workshops, I give people basic information such as how to duck when a hand grenade is thrown at you, what to do when a car bomb explodes, and even when to cry or not to cry in front of a terrorist!”

With a self-defence technique to handle every possible danger you can think of, Krav Maga, Frank elaborates, is more about instilling confidence in the person. Tactical and martial arts are only a small part of it. It is about combining science, psychology and physical strength to protect yourself.

With even schools facing security threats, Frank also conducts workshops at schools , training kids in things such as identifying a bad guy in the crowd. With around 200 students learning the art from him, Krav Maga has definitely come here to stay.

6th, Jan, 2009

By Asit Jolly

Chandigarh

Recently “handicapped” by a High Court order significantly scaling down the number of security men and vehicles deployed to protect top politicians and bureaucrats, the Punjab police is now seeking to better its anti-terrorist skills by re-training its commandos in advanced martial arts and equipping them with state of-the-art Swiss weaponry.

Police commandos on Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s elaborate, 1,000-man security detail in Chandigarh as well as others at the Punjab Armed Police Academy at Jalandhar were recently shown live demonstrations of Krav Maga — a Czechoslovakian-Israeli unarmed combat technique currently employed by special forces across the world.

Staged over 10 days by experts from the Israeli Krav Maga Federation (India), the demonstrations were a precursor exercise to identify physically and emotionally suited personnel to undertake advanced courses in the technique supervised by Israeli instructors.

“The idea is to arm our men with specialised skills that could prove far more efficient than pistols and AK-47s in the protection of VIPs,” said a senior police officer. He admitted that with their present level of training and fitness, many of Punjab police commandos constituted more of a threat than any security to the people they are supposed to protect.

“There is always the possibility that motivated intruders could snatch a PSO’s weapon and use it on the protectee in a crowd or other close protection situations,” the officer said. Vicky Kapoor, the man who runs IKMF-India, insists “unarmed combat skills are the only solution on the street.” According to him, state police forces and other security agencies in India have been “overly focused” on procuring weapons. “Yes, a good weapon is important but even more critical is the man behind that weapon,” he said, adding, “As soon as we have a formal request, IKMF will commence an advanced Krav Maga course for a hand-picked group of Punjab police commandos.”

Source: Deccan Chronicles

The terror attacks in Mumbai have sparked new fears, and new business opportunities, in India’s outsourcing capital.

By Saritha Rai – GlobalPost

India — During the week, Anoop Ramakrishnan, 25, an engineer in a Bangalore-based outsourcing firm, provides technical support for telecom networks in Canada and Europe. On the weekends, Ramakrishnan joins a dozen others learning to dodge a flying grenade during a terror attack, to escape a shootout and to block a punch from a street mugger.

Bangalore, a throbbing Indian city with 8 million residents, is known as the world’s hub for outsourcing. On its streets, the names of General Electric, Microsoft, Yahoo and Google adorn tall, gleaming buildings. In its far-flung suburbs, engineers and back-office agents toil in endless 24-hour cycles for companies such as AOL and Citibank.

Now, Bangalore’s profile as a global outsourcing center is making it vulnerable. Six top outsourcing companies in the city received multiple emailed terror threats in the last few weeks. India’s intelligence agencies have warned that outsourcing companies could be the terrorists’ next target after Mumbai.

Bangalore’s army of young Indian technology workers is naturally nervous.

Like Ramakrishnan, dozens of techies are flocking to a self-defense course in an Israeli combat technique called Krav Maga. “The Mumbai attack victims were helpless,” said Ramakrishnan, clad in black sweat pants, a T-shirt and protective gear for the lesson. “I want to be well-prepared.”

After a grueling two-hour combat session consisting of jumping, pummeling, rolling on the floor, kicking and throwing punches at imagined opponents, Ramakrishnan wiped off the sweat streaming down his face. The course was tough, he admitted, but “the real world is tougher.”

Fellow trainee Mrinal Khamboj, 30, an employee at the Indian unit of Oracle Corporation, said the practical, no-holds barred tactics would serve him well in any hand-to-hand combat situations. He had never faced any sticky situation so far. “The one time I almost got caught in a fight, I ran away because I’m a marathon runner,” he confessed.

Many outsourcing companies, including Khamboj’s employer, have sprawling, lush campuses and modern buildings with glass facades where vigilance comes in the form of metal detectors, camera surveillance and even physical frisking of employees and visitors. Some campuses have electric fencing around their perimeter.

But all this is hardly foolproof, for instance, against a suicide attack.

Morever, the world outside these establishments is a different place. The companies’ buildings and campuses abut crowded neighborhoods. Overworked and underpaid policemen patrol these neighborhoods carrying nothing more than a thin stick of bamboo, a lathi, to enforce the law.

Admitting the meagerness of the security arrangements, the chief minister of Karnataka state, where Bangalore is located, has repeatedly petitioned the federal government to set up an anti-terror commando force in the city.

For many like Shyamanta Phukan, a dimunitive 25-year-old software engineer with Alcatel, the security is simply not good enough. “A Mumbai can happen anywhere,” he said. Last weekend, Phukan signed up for his first Krav Maga lesson.

Meanwhile, Bangalore’s outsourcing companies are stepping up security. Some are providing employees with GPS-tracked vehicles and setting up command centers to kick in moments after a terror attack. Campus guest houses are stocked with essential supplies. In many ways, Bangalore’s technology companies are doing the best they can.

Still, Krav Maga trainer JW Frank has been inundated with inquiries from anxious employee techies ever since November’s terror attacks in Mumbai. “People want to be better prepared to protect themselves, their family and their community,” Frank said. Two or three new students are signing up for the lessons every weekend.

Ashish Puri, a manager at Cisco Systems India, enrolled for the classes some months ago when he felt that war had landed at his doorstep. Neither the police nor the army commandos could be counted upon to take care of every situation, Puri said, and the training made him confident about tackling critical situations. “It changes the equation between the attackers and me,” he said.

In recent weeks Ramakrishnan, the telecom engineer, has learned many tricks at the self-defense course — how to have a low profile during an attack, how to fall to the ground and roll off to a corner in a shootout, and what to do during a bomb explosion.

He does not know about facing off with terrorists. But Ramakrishnan is confident that he is well-equipped to handle at least two of Bangalore’s lesser evils – muggings and road rage.

Source: http://www.globalpost.com/

Hit back at the times of terror

Times of India, Bangalore Times Newspaper

The Israeli army’s self-defence tactics for civilians are a fave among IT professionals

Did you watch helplessly as goons mugged you and took off with your valuables? Frustrated that you didn’t know what to do as you were pinned to the ground? How about learning to fight back? Well, a bunch of city-based professionals have done just that and what’s more, they are even equipping themselves with skills required during a terror situation. It is Krav Maga — Hebrew for contact combat — the Israeli military’s effective, easy-to-learn system of unarmed self-defence and combat tactics that has caught their fancy.

“Krav Maga training is about recreating realistic scenarios and relying on the instinctive reactions of human reflexes. It calls for mental agility, attitude and confidence, enhancing the natural strengths of your mind and body. There are no rules in this form of fighting, so striking the groin, eyes, or other vulnerable parts of the body is the key,” says JW Frank, an international Krav Maga instructor.

And his clientele, says Frank, is predominantly young software professionals seeking defence modules against mugging — the single largest crime affecting this community. Pramod Vyasarao, project manager at an IT firm, who’s been training for just over a year, says the combat form has given him a new sense of confidence. “Unlike normal martial arts that take years to master, Krav Maga is very practical and easy to learn. I know I can tackle an attacker and prevent injuries if he has a knife or gun,” he says. Pramod adds that his training has equipped him to deal with terror situations. “There are evacuation drills, do’s and don’ts for hostage situations, gunfire and explosions. For example, we’re told that if an explosion happens nearby, to run away from it, close our ears and keep our mouths open to avoid injuries to the eardrum due to pressure,” he adds.

The anti-terror module, adds Frank, is currently the hot fave among his clients. “They don’t want to be caught unawares and vulnerable when an attack happens,” he says. Women opting for a training module are still few and far between, says Frank. “Women believe that Krav Maga relies on strength and think that may work as a disadvantage for them. But that’s not the case as the combat techniques rely on tactics and mental agility,” explains Frank, adding that there are gender-specific moves. And those women who come in often ask for modules against eve-teasing. Says software professional Laina Emmanuel, who’s been training on and off in Krav Maga since last September, “I enrolled for self defence classes after I was attacked by eve-teasers on the old Airport Road once. Though I managed to fend them off by slapping one of them, the incident scared me. I have since been learning how best to defend myself in such a situation,” she says. prathibha.joy@timesgroup.com

By Asit Jolly

Chandigarh

Jan. 5: The Punjab police is now seeking to better its anti-terrorist skills by re-training its commandos in advanced martial arts and equipping them with state-of-the-art weaponry.

Police commandos on chief minister Parkash Singh Badal’s 1,000-man security detail in Chandigarh, as well as others at the Punjab Armed Police academy at Jalandhar, were recently given live demonstrations of Krav Maga, a Czechoslovakian-Israeli unarmed combat technique employed by special forces across the world.

Staged by experts from the International Krav Maga Federation (India), the demonstrations were a precursor to identifying physically and emotionally suited personnel to undertake advanced courses supervised by Israeli instructors.

“The idea is to arm our men with specialised skills that could prove far more efficient than pistols and AK-47s in the protection of VIPs,” said a senior police officer. He admitted that many Punjab police commandos constituted more of a threat than any security to the people they are supposed to protect. “There is always the possibility that motivated intruders could snatch a PSO’s weapon and use it on the protectee in crowds or other close-protection situations,” the officer said.

Mr Vicky Kapoor, who runs IKMF-India, insists “unarmed combat skills are the only solution on the street”. “Yes, a good weapon is important but even more critical is the man behind that weapon,” he said.

“As soon as we have a formal request, IKMF will commence an advanced Krav Maga course for a hand-picked group of Punjab police commandos,” Mr Kapoor said.

The police department has also initiated the process to acquire state-of-the-art weapons from a leading European vendor. Though still a very closely guarded secret, sources tell this newspaper the CM’s security detail could soon be brandishing new machine pistols and sniper rifles.

Bangalore IT Pros train in Israeli Survival Techniques

SOFTWARE PROFESSIONALS like Anoop Ramakrishnan, 24, and many others in the tech industry here are picking up new survival skills – not to endure the economic gloom, but to survive a terror attack or a hostage crisis.

Following the recent terror attacks, techies are queuing up to be trained in anti-terror and hostage survival techniques being imparted as part of Krav Maga, an Israeli school of self-defence and combat tactics. They are being taught how to hold their nerve during a terror attack, ensure minimum injury, how to escape a fire, and avoid being trapped in a stampede during evacuation.

Said Anoop, software professional at Sasken Communications: “We are here to learn to minimize casualties through the concept of muscle memory that is how not to panic but train our muscles to move quickly and save ourselves during an attack.” He has been urging colleagues and friends to take these lessons too. Ditto with Ashish Puri, of Cisco Systems, who is also taking the training. “I have persuaded seven eight colleagues to join these workshops,” he said.

Frank JW, the instructor and in-charge of Bangalore chapter of International Krav Maga Federation, said: “I am currently training 75 people in Bangalore. Most are from the IT industry” Frank said the training sessions are not intended to make “everyone a Superman” but to teach techniques that can come handy – like lying flat on the floor to escape bullets.

Author: srikanth.r@hindustantimes.com

Companies could be the next ‘trophy targets’ of terrorists. Those that don’t rush to build adequate cover, whatever the cost, may not live to regret it

Corporate India has just realised how vulnerable it really is. And it is terrified. “If we pool in our resources,” says Mazumdar-Shaw, “such a force can get common training from an international training agency from Germany or Israel.” “In Israel, it is compulsory for all buildings to have bomb shelters,” says Vicky Kapoor, a security expert who trains special forces and heads the Indian Krav Maga Foundation. “How many Indian companies can claim to have one?” Counter-terrorism has not been a priority so far. Now it is. Corporate India has just realised how vulnerable it really is. And it is terrified.

Team OLB

When terror bared its fangs in Mumbai, it triggered an emotion that corporate honchos rarely experience—raw fear. Less than 48 hours after the first murderous shot was fired in Colaba, seven directors on the board of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), led by Chairman and Managing Director RS Sharma, were sitting in a hastily convened meeting at the company’s Bandra office. The presence of a few senior officials of the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard made it seem like a war room, not a board room. ONGC directors feared for hundreds of its offshore installations spanning across nearly 10,000 square feet into the Arabian Sea—basically, process platforms such as Mumbai High, rigs, wells and individual exploration sites. Mumbai High has a full-fledged defence system—coast guard to patrol the seas; surveillance by the Air Force; even an in-house radar (thousands of fishing vessels ply the seas there). “Even this is not enough,” says BC Nayak, the Executive Director responsible for security at the Rs 60,137 crore corporation.

Attacks could come by way of air, land and sea. There are no armed guards at the offshore installations because of the presence of huge quantities of inflammable material. Then, there are a number of unmanned wells in the sea that can be used by terrorists as hideouts to launch an attack. In short, Mumbai High could easily have been a sitting target for the terrorists, en route to their assault. A strike there would have been spectacular for the terrorists and incalculably costly for ONGC and the nation.

Nayak did much of the talking at that meeting. Never before had he had so much to say in a board meeting. He made many recommendations to spruce up security. He then put in an urgent request to the Ministry of Defence for more cover in the offshore area.

All shook up

Elsewhere in the city, CEOs had already reached for the panic button. “In the last 24 hours, I have talked with board members of 40 companies,” says Raghu Raman, CEO of Mumbai-based Mahindra Special Services Group, a subsidiary of the $6.7 billion Mahindra Group that provides security-related services to corporates such as the Aditya Birla Group, British Telecom, Citibank and Mahindra & Mahindra. “They wanted to know what they can do to secure themselves.” The Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association (IDMA), which represents the $14 billion pharmaceutical industry, has called an emergency meeting on December 19 to develop counter-terrorism strategies. “It would be disastrous if terrorists find a way into our companies or production lines,” says BN Singh, President, IDMA.

The paranoia spread like wildfire beyond Mumbai, even into cities like Bangalore. Are These Buildings Safe?

Cuffe Parade in South Mumbai is just one cluster where several companies are headquartered. The following offices are some that are located in the buildings seen in the picture:

• Axis Bank
• Bharat Shell
• Council For Leather Exports
• Dena Bank
• Engineering Export Promotion Council
• Export-Import Bank of India
• Federation of Indian Export Organisation
• Forbes Infotainment
• Hawkins Cookers
• IDBI Bank
• IDBI Gilts
• Indian Institute Of Banking & Finance
• ICAI
• Mafatlal Enterprises
• Manugraph India
• Maratha Sahakari Bank
• Mecklai Financial & Commercial Services
• MVIRDC World Trade Centre
• Nuclear Power Corp. of India
• OTC Exchange of India
• Oriental Bank of Commerce
• Rama Newsprint & Papers
• SBI Capital Markets
• SBI Securities
• Shapoorji Pallonji Power
• Standard Industries
• Stanrose Mafatlal Lubechem
• Taj President
• Tata Consultancy Services

CEOs began speculating about the worst possible scenarios, unimagined ever before. “If 20 guys arrive with AK-47s and move into the shop floor, there will be mayhem,” says Shekar Viswanathan, whole-time director of Toyota Kirloskar Motor. Its car plant in Bidadi has 2,560 employees. “We can’t make any assumptions that the corporate sector will not be hit (by terrorists). Currently, we are checking all employees’ cars at the gate for explosives, etc.” Bangalore’s well-oiled corporate networks are in full flow. Prominent figures like Biocon Chairman and Managing Director Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Infosys’ Director-Human Resources TV Mohandas Pai and Ficci President Rajeev Chandrashekar are in touch and are exploring the possibility of creating an anti-terrorist force—a veritable private army. “If we pool in our resources,” says Mazumdar-Shaw, “such a force can get common training from an international training agency from Germany or Israel.” CEOs are fast learning the combat language. (‘You have to stay one step ahead’- Alan Orlob, Marriott International)

In New Delhi, Nasscom, the $64 billion Indian IT services and business process outsourcing (BPO) industry’s representative body, immediately started work on evolving a roadmap to address counter-terrorism. “We have been talking to members, have met as an industry at the executive council level and are now meeting across cities,” says Vice-President Sangeeta Gupta. “Counter-terrorism has not been a priority so far.”

Now it is. Corporate India has just realised how vulnerable it really is. And it is terrified.

It has never had such a close encounter with terror, at least not since 1993, when bomb blasts shook the length of, what was then called, Bombay. When terrorists stormed the Taj Mahal and the Oberoi-Trident hotels last month, Yes Bank Non-Executive Chairman Ashok Kapur was felled, the entire board of Unilever was trapped for a few tense hours, and several CEOs heard the sound of bullets whiz past them for the first time in their lives. A few businessmen saw the terrorists face-to-face, and fortunately lived to tell the tale. Yesterday, none of these shots were specifically aimed at them. But tomorrow, they may be deliberately targeted.

We can put together a corpus that will support measures local authorities need to take for better security Pramod Bhasin, CEO, Genpact

Terrorists are growing in intelligence and sophistication, and have access to greater resources—both cash and weapons. Simultaneously, governments are building better security at public places—airports, embassies, government offices, etc. And as terrorists search for new and vulnerable ‘trophy targets’, companies and business establishments could soon come in their line of sight. The current state of corporate security—a few bored-looking unarmed guards, mock checks on visitors and a few surveillance cameras with cobwebs on them—is totally unprepared for the next strike.

Grenade in the boardroom

Rude shocks are sometimes good for business. The war-like violence in south Every city needs a crisis management centre to coordinate with agencies that combat terrorism Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, CMD, Biocon

Mumbai—guns reverberating through the night, grenades exploding, choppers hovering menacingly close to the buildings, fires raging and truckloads of soldiers—all in the heart of the city’s business centre, has yanked managements out of their old notions of security. Without this shock, companies would have been unwilling to give up many outdated ideas and embrace the new, advanced mindset needed to counter terrorism. “This attack is unprecedented and unsettling,” says Infosys’ Pai. “There is a definite need to re-look security, both at a national and corporate level.”

Earlier, company security meant hiring an ex-service man who would also double up as the facilities manager. “They can make your company very secure, it’s just that you can’t do business anymore,” says Bob Hayes. Managing Director, Securities Executive Council (SEC), a Washington DC-based organisation for security and risk professionals that develops research-based solutions to help companies evolve security programmes. Slightly evolved companies may appoint a security agency, a flourishing business these days. But corporate security needs specialised skills. “It is more useful to provide an overall secure environment without creating a panic situation,” says Mahindra SSG’s Raman. “Companies have to bring security into their DNA, and this can only be done through human re-engineering.”

Many senior executives were trapped for many hours. Some like Tata Sons Executive Director Alan Rosling (in picture) spent a lot of time on ground zero, anxious to know the fate of those held hostage inside
The spotlight is now on the need for a chief security officer (CSO). “Companies need a CSO in a powerful position,” says Nitin Bhatt, Partner, Advisory Services, Ernst & Young. If there was one learning American companies absorbed after 9/11, it was the role of a chief security officer. In India though, this is a glaring gap in the security apparatus of even large corporates. Only about 10-20% of companies in the so-called vigilant BPOs and banking and financial services sectors have CSOs, says a consultant who wished to remain anonymous. But even they don’t have enough authority or access to the CEO.

Typically, such CSOs reports to the CFO. That is perhaps not the best model. But exceptions are rare. “I report directly to Anand Mahindra, and there is a briefing with the top management every month,” declares Raman. Abroad, though that is the norm. “I have personally seen CEOs extensively engaging in security discussions in European companies,” says Navita Srikant, Partner & National Leader, Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services, Ernst & Young. “That sets the right tone.”

It is important that the CSO has a dotted line relationship with the CEO. Equally For many CEOs, Mumbai is their den and the Taj Mahal Hotels their lair, Never had they imagined that it could be stormed and almost destroyed. Nothing could have driven home the need for security better
important is that the board needs to make security a routine agenda, including assessing the cost of security and its impact on profit margins. None of that happens now. Says Hayes: “The process that your companies (in India) need to go through is risk and threat assessment, develop a mitigation strategy, align the strategy with the rest of the business partners, provide the security options that you can choose from—guards, electronic surveillance, etc—and then calculate the cost to do that and manage the residual risk.” Also, it is not enough to have all of this on paper. Much of it would need to be tested, monitored and perhaps re-drafted all over again many times till it is near perfect.

It’s time to redefine the role of security. “All these years, security was considered as a support function,” rues Ravindra Kishore Sinha, CMD of Security and Intelligence Services (SIS), which provides security solutions. “Now, managements have realised that security is an important mainline function just as marketing or finance.” SIS claims it has about 3,000 clients, 35,000 employees and revenues of Rs 1,600 crore. (Read R K Sinha interview: Government will have to trust private security agencies)

Finally, counter-terrorism has to be embedded into every business process. Entry and exit of employees is one example. “Background checks on employees will become more stringent,” says Infosys’ Pai. But there is more to it. Private airlines have retrenched hundreds of employees at all levels in the past few months. Have they considered the possibility that former staffers—jobless, disgruntled and broke—could be a source of vital inside information on airports or even a probable source of unauthorised entry into them? Post-employment or post-layoff follow-ups are unheard of in India. (Read The Power of Practice)

Many such basic fears are now beginning to gnaw at CEOs. The IDMA, for instance, Security costs are going to eat into already declining profit margins. But companies can’t cut corners. It is better to be safe than sorry

is worried about even basics such as ensuring that harmful ingredients don’t enter the drug production line at the raw material procurement stage. It would seem elementary that most pharmaceutical companies would have attended to this as a matter of process, rather than as a security issue that needs to be addressed now. Or take the instance of Toyota-Kirloskar, which has 50 expatriates on its rolls but beefs up security arrangements only when overseas visitors travel to the company’s premises. “That should begin now for all our key personnel. We have very little in place,” admits Vishawanathan.

“In Israel, it is compulsory for all buildings to have bomb shelters,” says Vicky Kapoor, a security expert who trains special forces and heads the Indian Krav Maga Foundation. “How many Indian companies can claim to have one?” Perhaps none, except one—Reliance Industries. It has a bunker at its Jamnagar refinery (capacity of 33 million tonnes per year) that can withstand a nuclear attack. “It is big enough to host key individuals. Critical parts of the plant can be controlled from there,” says a source who has worked closely with the company for many years. “It is nothing like you have ever seen before.” Not all companies need to build nuclear shelters, but there are several small counter-terrorism measures they need to integrate into every corporate activity.

The price of safety

This attack is unprecedented and unsettling. We need to re-look both national and corporate security TV Mohandas Pai,
Director­-HR, Infosys

“If you had done a poll with CEOs two weeks before the attacks and asked them two questions: one, is security a board issue? Nine out of 10 would have said, yes,” guesses Raman. “Then, ask them the second question: what is the biggest hurdle to security? Nine out of 10 would have said the budget.” When IT services and consulting firm Capgemini India deputes employees on assignments to the Middle-East, it puts them through a three-hour programme imparted by its security partner, International SOS. It trains staffers on how to react in emergencies, including terror attacks. The cost: Rs 1 lakh per head. That’s how expensive even basic security resources can be. “You can’t measure the cost. It is compulsory,” says Pramod Bhasin, CEO of Gurgaon-based BPO firm Genpact. Alkem Laboratories, a Rs 1,200 crore pharma company that currently spends a few lakh on security, expects spends to increase anywhere by Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 20 crore depending on the steps it decides to take now. “Security costs may go up to 0.5-2% of sales,” says managing director, BN Singh. That will eat into its net profit margin of about 8%.

The IT-BPO industry, possibly among the highest spenders on security in terms of It will be disastrous if terrorists find a way into our production lines. Security costs may go up to 0.5-2% of sales BN Singh,
President, Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association

disaster recovery plans and business continuity, apart from data and information security, doesn’t yet have an estimate on how much it would incur in additional costs for physical security.

Also, given the fact that such costs would need to be woven into the business plan of the company, firms would need to factor in the impact on profitability over a long term, perhaps a 8-10 year period. Slowdown or not, this is one area where companies can no longer cut corners on.

We encourage large companies to help mentor smaller businesses in the area of security planning Erin Streeter, Director, Ready, Department of Homeland Security, US “Our security budget is in crores…and this (the Mumbai attacks) will increase it further,” says Biocon’s Mazumdar-Shaw. “Though the actual numbers and percentage would vary from company to company, many MNCs are set to double their security allocation in 2008-09),” adds SIS’s Sinha, who works with firms like Coca-Cola and Volvo.

Another lesson from the post-9/11 environment is working effectively and So far, security was a support function. Now, managements realise that it is mainline like marketing or finance Ravindra Kishore Sinha, CMD, Security and Intelligence Services proactively with government agencies. “This has been a very serious wake-up call. Every city needs to have a crisis management centre, which would coordinate with security agencies that are involved in carrying out operations of combating terrorism,” says Mazumdar-Shaw. Most companies realise they cannot counter terrorism on their own, and having armed guards is not the easy and simple answer. “We’re prepared to put together a corpus that will support any measures that the local authorities need to take to ensure better security,” says Genpact’s Bhasin.

More than a fortnight after the last of the crazed gunmen was eliminated at the Taj Mahal Hotel, CEOs are still outraged at what happened in Mumbai, a city they consider to be their den. But they are also afraid that companies could be the next target. That fear is not such a bad thing. It will ensure that companies build their defenses, whatever be the cost. Fast.

(With inputs from Snigdha Sengupta, Ashish Gupta, Kunal N Talgeri, Sebastian PT, Rajiv Bhuva, Sudipto Dey and Dhruv Rathi)

Source : http://business.outlookindia.com/

Amrita Gupta finds out how one of the city’s self-defence coaches is training citizens to tackle the threat of terrorism.

Ashish Puri, an employee at Cisco, is pragmatic about surviving a terror attack. “In a situation involving terrorists, regular self-defence skills won’t help, because the basic premise that the opponent will be afraid of getting hurt or losing his life becomes irrelevant,” he said. “It’s definitely not the time to be bold. Instead we need to be practical: look for exit routes, notice opportunities, know how to react.”

To equip himself with the tools needed to remain practical, Puri, like several other Bangaloreans, has turned to Krav Maga, the Israeli system of self-defence and combat tactics. “Unfortunately now, problems aren’t only at the borders, they’re happening in our cities too, so civilians have to rally together,” he said, adding that large corporations should seriously consider corporate workshops on surviving terror attacks.

“We realised regular citizens need to be equipped against the very real threat of terrorism,” said Frank (he goes by only a first name), who heads the Bangalore chapter of the International Krav Maga Federation, and has been teaching people the self-defence method for five years now. While the IKMF, headquartered in Delhi, is responsible for instructing military Special Forces and law enforcement agencies, Frank is conducting a series of Basic Anti-Terror and Hostage Survival workshops to prepare people for terrorist attacks.

“The problem is that people think ‘It’ll never happen to us’,” he explained. “Incidents in other cities are still news, the deaths are still statistics. But why wait for something to happen before getting mobilised?” Post-Mumbai’s terrorist attacks, as dissection and analysis come in strong from every quarter and SMS warnings and mails do the rounds, people in the city are clamouring for less conversation and more action.

Venkatesh Rammohan, a Krav Maga practitioner agreed that now, more than ever, “we have to ask ourselves how we can help”. “We can’t just blame the system, point fingers at the government and not enable ourselves,” added Frank. “Sure, training needs to be upgraded, weapons need to be invested in, security needs to be pumped up, but we need to do as much as possible to take responsibility for our own lives.” Rammohan agreed that courses like the one by Frank are a starting point, and that people must realise what their options are. “How we respond can help control the situation or make it worse,” he explained. “Also, it’s important in times like these to become mentally tougher. When there are factions aiming to create fear, we need to get together, not cower down,” he said.

Frank’s workshop aims to prepare people so they react well under pressure. In a crisis situation, a person’s reaction is either to freeze or panic, explained the trainer. The session will begin with an awareness talk, with an introduction to “the tools of terrorism” and a talk about the motives of terrorists. “To have a solution, first we need to understand the problem,” explained Frank. His next point of focus is on survival and rescue tips for different scenarios. The session will address the procedures for evacuation, negotiation techniques and crowd control. “These may seem to be common-sense measures,” added Frank, but preparation is key, as “[being] tied up or at gunpoint, you won’t have a lot of options.” There will also be talks on things for people to remember, in the event they end up as witnesses.

Frank emphasised that the modules caution against trying to take the law into your own hands. “It would be stupidity to try to be a hero,” he said. “The aim is to prepare people so they can become more helpful, not make situations worse with some kind of vigilante behaviour,” he added. Among other things, Frank will teach people techniques on how to ensure minimum injury to themselves and others – “how to fall, where to hide, what to do in case of a fire, a stampede, a hostage takeover, an explosion – and basic first-aid and emergency care, “which can mean the difference between life and death”.

No matter how often people do a fire drill that doesn’t make them fire-fighters, added Frank. The point of the drill is that if a fire breaks out they won’t panic, and that they will know what to do. “People must always remember that terrorists are highly trained, and they aren’t afraid to kill. To provoke them, or try to disarm them, should be left to the military forces.” The trainer was adamant that civilians need to be proactive and learn how to deal with situations correctly, “because it’s not going to go away”. Apart from instructions for a worst-case scenario, the workshop will also deal with how to be more alert during everyday activities. “If there’s an unclaimed object, people should know to raise an alarm, and if something seems unusual they shouldn’t ignore it,” explained Frank.

“We can’t prevent terrorist attacks but we can be prepared for them,” said Anoop Ramakrishnan, one of the enrollees at the workshop. “Ultimately, a prepared approach can bring down the number of casualties,” he said.

Source : Time Out Bengaluru ISSUE 12 Friday, December 26, 2008

Leena Mudbidri | TNN

Fighting Back

First introduced in New Delhi five years ago, Krav Maga teaches Israeli self-defence skills against armed street attacks and muggings, home assaults, car thefts and attacks.

It was introduced in Bangalore last year and over 75 citizens have enrolled for the course.

Anti-terror training capsule, designed by New Delhi-based Vicky Kapoor, director and chief instructor of International Krav Maga Federation, India, is the first of its kind in India.

Bangalore: “Grenade!” shouted Frank, and the bunch of techies, a restaurateur and a homemaker jumped to the ground for cover and rolled over, shielding their bodies away from the impending blast. Thankfully, it was a mock drill and the grenade was only a tennis ball during a session on anti-terror training and hostage takeover survival skills introduced in city last week.

These Bangaloreans learning the techniques of Krav Maga, an Israeli military form of self-defence, in Richmond Town, prepare to cope with real crises. “As civilians, we cannot get into a hand-to-hand combat with armed terrorists. The least we can do is learn to survive with presence of mind, and use some formal training to save our skin,” says Frank, instructor and in-charge of the Bangalore chapter, International Krav Maga Federation.

“For example, if you are in a restaurant and an armed terrorist walks in and starts shooting randomly, your chances of survival are more if you throw yourself to the ground and roll away from the centre of the incident, instead of running and exposing your body to the gunman,” he says. The hostage-takeover survival module teaches you how to avoid confrontation with the captor if you are taken hostage, and how to behave and, yes, even talk to them.

“If I’m ever in such a situation, I know how to come out of it because my reflexes are faster, my level of alertness is higher and the techniques I’ve learnt are practical,” says Ashish Puri, product manager, Cisco Systems. Omer Basith, a restaurateur, & a Krav Maga trainee for the past one year believes in being prepared. “Who thought terrorist could come right to our doorsteps? Now, its up to us to learn to handle the situation as civilians.”

But Frank cautions, “But better leave the real fighting to the experts!” This group has its own mascot, a crow which has a bird’s eye view of the training on the rooftop. They call him ‘Crow Maga’.

“Hi all, here we have complied down some basic yet important points which should be given out to everybody regarding Anti-Terror & Hostage Survival. Kindly, print the notice pamphlet given here and paste it around your office, restaurants, hotels, bus stops or any other places or people who might read it. Or you can email it to your friends. Hope this helps.

Vicky Kapoor”

Hostage Takeover:

Lock the door, turn off the lights, grab the phone & get down on the floor. Hide wallet & identification. Stay in bathroom, away from door & windows.

Grenade Attack:

Watch its landing, if its not rolling, run & jump away with your head pointing away. Overlap your legs, close them & close eyes along with ears with hands.

Containers / Car bomb:

Do not rush to the window to see what happened. Seek cover against a secondary explosion. Get on floor & stay away from cars & containers.

Public Transportation Bomb:

Raise alarm if you find backpacks, luggage, or packages in or around your seat. The “safest” place to sit is the rear of a train or bus. Avoid busy hours.

Suicide Bomber:

Terrorist may display nervousness, profuse sweating, constant scanning for fear of being discovered, a distance stare or even appear to be under the influence of a drugs to numb his or her natural sensibilities. Of course visual indicators will be things such as a person wearing bulky clothing that conceals the device, clothing that is buttoned or zipped up tight, clutching onto or nervously handling something in hand or pocket (like a detonating trigger or mobile phone), or a disguise that doesn’t look quite right (perhaps a military or police uniform that is not worn correctly).

Rescue Attempt during Hostage Crisis:

Get under desks, behind chairs, or behind any large object that provides protection. Avoid being near doors, windows. Do not move, you might be handcuffed, searched, and possibly gagged and/or blindfolded until everyone is positively identified. Cooperate fully with them, write down everything you can remember: guard location, weapons & explosives description / placement, or any other info that might help rescue forces.

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