SITUATION 1

You are walking on the road and suddenly a car stops, few men grab you and try to pull you in….

If they grab your hands

• Do not get into a push-pull situation as they would be stronger than you and could overpower you.
• Bend down a bit and stand on your side with your legs little wider apart so that they would take more time to pull you in. Do not face them or away from them where you are most likely to lose balance.
• Use your other hand to grab your own fist and push your elbow towards him, twisting your hand.
• After you are free, you can hit him on his face with a closed fist.

If they hold your clothes or purse

• Use your knuckles (like you are knocking on the door) to hit the palm of the person.
• Do not try to hold on to your duppata or purse if they grab it, let go of them and run away.

If they hold you close

• Hit the groin if your arms are caught up.
• Stomp his feet.

SITUATION 2

If the men have managed to bundle you into the car and pin you down…

• Always try rolling to your side so that you will be in a position to kick the culprits.
• Keep kicking and try to crawl out of the other side of the door.
• Use the seat inside the car as the tool to lie down and kick hard repeatedly while look for things like pen, rolled-up magazines or anything hard inside the car that can be used as a jabbing tool.
• Aim for the driver’s eyes or try twisting his head or pressing his nose so that he could stop/slow down the vehicle.

SITUATION 3
When you are walking on a busy street and two men try to grope you.

• Always keep your purse or bag closer to your chest while walking through a crowded street.
• If you manage to catch the person, always shout and scream, but do not hurl abuses at him or slap him else it would just create a scene and you might end up in a worst situation.
• If he is in front of you and you can see a hand approaching, you can immediately use your palm to push against his neck’s cervical esophagus area, which is very soft, which can choke up the person.

SITUATION 4
You are traveling in an auto rickshaw in a secluded stretch and suddenly the auto-rickshaw stops and two men barge in.

• If two men are trying to get in, immediately start kicking one of the person’s knees or groin. Use your hands to jab the other person’s eyes or throat. Use your palm to hit his chin.
• If the auto-driver grabs you from his seat then roll to the side and use your legs to kick his face.
• If they have a weapon, and are asking for money, give them what they want. Do not abuse them and do not plead, beg or cry. Put up a confident front, but don’t try to threaten them.
• Try to isolate these guys and then plan your escape by attacking one of them.

SITUATION 5
You are the last passenger traveling in your call center cab. The driver suddenly stops and pounces on you.

• If the driver grabs you from his seat, then use your legs to kick his face. There is enough space in the backseat of the car for you to lie down and kick with much force. Scream loudly as you are hitting him.
• Lie down on the side which will prevent him from jumping on you.
• If he grabs you, use your legs to kick his groin or knees
• If he’s managed to get on top of you, use your hands to jab his eyes or throat.
• Avoid sleeping in the car. A driver would notice that and would use it one day against you. Avoid calling or talking too much about your personal life — first you are giving away too much information about your life and he might assume few things about you which might not be true and secondly, while talking on phone you are not aware of your surroundings.

SITUATION 6
You are working late in the office and there isn’t a soul around. Suddenly somebody creeps up on you…

• Scream as loud as possible. If he clamps your mouth shut, use your strength to pull the hand down by leaning onto his hand with your body weight.
• Bite hard.
• Bend down slightly so that you can stamp on his feet with the heels of your shoes and then run.
• If he tries to grab you by the waist then or smother you from behind, bend down slightly so that he cannot lift you easily.
• Stomp hard on this feet and then hit him on the groin. When folds up in pain, use your elbows to hit hard on his chin.
• Use any tools you might have like pen, keys or umbrella to hit him in his eyes, throat or ribs. Scream and shout seeking attention from others.

SITUATION 7
You see your friend being dragged into the car by three men…

• Do not try to grab your friend’s hand which would only prevent her from fighting back. Instead attack the guy. Go for his eyes, throat, thumb and groin areas. Do not hurl abuses or try to slap.
• Try to concentrate on the facial features of the attacker like scar, the shape of his moustache and eyes brows. Write down the car number. Avoid crying or panicking as that would erase or cloud your memory. Call the cops.

Remember this…
Dr B L Gangadhar, HOD, Psychiatry, NIMHAMS and krav-maga instructor Frank J ‘Wolf’ say:

• When you are being attacked, scream and create a scene to attract attention.
• Instead of screaming ‘help, help’ scream, ‘rape, rape’. The latter invokes more sympathy of the bystanders.
• If someone grabs you, you can’t (possibly) beat them with strength, but you can do it by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker between the elbow and armpit or the upper inner thigh.
• After the initial hit, always go for the groin.
• When the guy puts his hands on you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure.
• Take a crash course in self-defence, martial arts or boxing. Carry pepper spray.

Profile of a rapist
When women are attacked they face moderate or high levels of involuntary paralysis during the assault, as it happens suddenly. It is violent and very stressful to her, thus shutting her mind down. “To some of the assailants, this action acts as an acknowledgment of consent from the woman,” says Ottilie Anban Kumar, Psychological Counsellor, Life Coach and Motivational Speaker. Assailants can generally be grouped into following categories:

POWER ASSERTIVE
Around 44 per cent of all accused are in this category, where they will use a weapon to ensure the victim’s co-operation.

ANGER/REVENGE
Here perpetrator is actually out to punish women as they hate women in general. Around 30 per cent of them belong to this category.

CRIME-RELATED
This is done in conjunction with another crime such as burglary, robbery or kidnapping. Around 10 per cent.

DANGEROUS MOTIVE
The most vicious type, this type of culprits want the victim to be hurt or killed after rape. Fortunately, only five per cent fall into this category.

“Krav Maga is a form of self-defence that deals with realistic scenarios where there are no rules. It deals with prevention from threat, psychological buildup to empowerment, verbal self-defence, soft and hard tactical defence against eve-teasing, groping, molestation and rape. It is an instant realisation and reaction to an action or attack,” says Frank J Wolf, instructor, Israeli Krav Maga Self-Defence in Richmond Town. Wolf is the only Krav Maga instructor in Bangalore.

According to Wolf, this art of close combat was developed by Imi Lichtenfeld, a trained boxer and wrestler in Bratislava in order to help protect the local Jewish community during the German military invasion.

Krav Maga trains one to be ready for any lethal situation regardless of age, size, strength and fitness. “The common attack targets in Krav Maga are chin, groin, throat, eyes jaw and knee. If you are attacked from the back and choked, you will not waste time resisting, instead when pushed back you’ll raise your foot to attack his groin,” he continues.

Krav Maga is popular because there are no esoteric martial art techniques that are put to use. Instinctive punches and kicks used in natural self-defence are polished. Krav Maga is an excellent fitness routine and helps in building stamina, confidence and helps to burn those extra calories. Many law enforcement agencies and intelligence agencies like the FBI have adopted it.

The Bangalore chapter of Krav Maga has trained around 300 people —among them men, women and children. For Kunga Uuangyal, 28, who is a student at the Krav Maga Academy of Self Defence, this art of close combat has pushed him beyond his limits, both physical and psychological.

“Learning this art form for more than two and a half years has been a huge help in building confidence. I now know how to react to situations that need quick thinking and action,” says Kunga.

“The fitness routine followed in Krav Maga is very intense. The workouts and exercises could be strenuous for a girl but constant resistant practice has equipped me with techniques to defend myself and I’m not scared of walking alone on the roads,” says Urvashi Raizada, 18, another student.

Stephanie Steiger, mother of a five-year-old is amazed to see drastic changes in her daughter Sanara’s attitude. “She is confident, she enjoys it and is ready to startle all the big boys with her defence moves,” says Steiger.

Frank J, who conducts Krav Maga classes in Richmond Town, offered a different perspective. He usually delivers a five minute talk on how to deal with bullet wounds and shrapnel gashes, and also attempts to include a session by a doctor every two-three months. “Today, the war isn’t happening on the borders. If a car bomb goes off at a mall and your family’s injured, what do you do?” he asked. All of it may be rather grim talk for a city in which a pint is considered more a measure of beer than of blood, but, as Chatterjee said, “Everyone must know what to do in an emergency.”

There are many sobriquets our fair city has earned itself over the years – Bean Town, Garden City, Pub Capital and Silicon City. A rather strange one may soon join the list, going by a meeting of determined committee members of Nightingales Lifesaving Services on a Saturday evening. The group resolutely switched off the first match of the Indian Premier League between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians to thrash out marketing strategies which would make Bangalore the Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation capital of India.

BV Murali Mohan, the project’s co-ordinator, and a pulmonologist and physician at Narayana Hrudayalaya, said, “It takes six minutes for the brain to die once the heart stops in the event of a cardiac arrest. Administering CPR helps to restart the heart, pump blood and keep the brain alive till emergency medical services get there, which would definitely take longer than six minutes in Bangalore.”

Mohan cited the case of New Zealand tailender Ewan Chatfield to illustrate how an accident could happen to anyone, not just the elderly. In a match against England in 1974-75, Chatfield was seriously injured by a short delivery by Peter Lever. It took quick action in the form of a heart massage and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation by England’s physiotherapist Bernard Thomas to save his life. “One of our main challenges is to convince youngsters that they need to know CPR, because it could save someone’s life,” Mohan explained.

Another proponent of the importance of Basic Life Support courses is Somnath Chatterjee, a consultant at the intensive care unit at Manipal Hospital. “An emergency is what it is,” he stated firmly. “It could happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere.” Like at NLS, the BLS programme at Manipal Hospital (which includes CPR training) is carried out for corporates and groups comprising about 20-30 people, say from a particular housing colony. The classes are a mix of theory and practicals on mannequins, at the end of which a certificate is given to students who can confidently carry out the procedure.

Aysha H, a project engineer with the Quality, Safety and Technology department at Sobha Developers, attended the Manipal Hospital session in August 2008. “There are lots of accidents at construction sites,” she said. “We felt just auditing safety shouldn’t be our job, we should know how to have control over situations.”

R Jayachandran, a physical fitness instructor at Fitness First, joined the NLS programme in April this year, out of curiosity. He said, “There are so many accidents that happen in Indira Nagar and the outskirts. This way, I can at least try to save someone’s life.”

At Solace, a 20,000-sq-ft gym in Calcutta, members can choose from yoga, body balancing, Krav Maga and salsa.

Is it a gym? Or a dance studio? Or is it a spa? Or salon? Well, it’s all these and more. Welcome to the exciting world of new-age gyms that are springing up across India.

Fitness centres, once upon a time, were places where you worked out and walked out. Now they are turning into holistic wellness centres, where members are totally spoilt for choice.

Leading the change are international chains like Fitness First, True Fitness and Celebrity Fitness, which have set up shop here, hoping to turn India into a fitness zone. Others like F. Chisel, a gym-plus-spa set up by fashion channel FTV, too are redefining the concept of gyms.

These new temples of fitness have more high-tech exercise machines than ever before — for every imaginable body part. There are private exercise rooms for celebrity guests, and group exercise studios too. And you can chart your way through an exhaustive menu of workouts ranging from famed yoga guru Bikram Choudhary’s Hot Yoga — yes, he of the Madonna and Sharon Stone following — to Les Mills workouts like BodyPump and BodyJam.

There’s more. Wet areas or saunas now look more like spas than utilitarian gyms. And some gyms even have full-fledged spas as an integral part of their services. They’re also revving up service standards by bringing in internationally certified trainers and offering personalised training. They want to offer a complete lifestyle — that means swank interiors with juice bars, cafeterias and recreation lounges.

“We offer the best in yoga, fitness, spa and beauty treatments,” says Nicholas Kraal, assistant business development manager, True Fitness. The Singapore chain’s first centre in India, launched in Mumbai recently, includes a gym, the first Hot Yoga centre in India and its True Spa. By March, it will take a snip at a new business and open Hakim’s Aalim Hair Lounge.

Or take F. Chisel, a partnership between FTV and fitness consultant Satya Sinha, which is spreading the fitness gospel in Bangalore and Delhi. “Ours is a lifestyle product. We want to combine everything under one roof,” says managing director Sinha.

Adds Sanjay Mani, head, licensing and merchandising, FTV Channel: “As a lifestyle channel, F. Chisel was a natural transition for us. Our approach is pretty holistic. We want to cater to the hard-working urban youngster, who also loves to take care of his or her body.”

Indeed, actor Milind Soman, who just opened his gym, Breathe, in South Delhi feels, “The way we work-out has changed. People are constantly looking for new ways of working out.”

Fit to lead

The push in the new direction is being led by a clutch of international chains that have set up shop in India, bringing with them, the latest in international gym trends.

So, you have Fitness First India which exists in 17 countries and which has already opened four centres and plans to add three more over the next eight months. “The indicators were right to start our chain here,” says Vikram Aditya Bhatia, managing director, Fitness First India.

Putting in a range of facilities can be expensive, so you have gyms like True Fitness planning to spend Rs 40 crore in India and which is looking at moving to Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore. And Celebrity Fitness’ managing director Steve Franklin says he wants to take international-standard gyms to small-town India.

And yes, size matters. True Fitness’ Mumbai centre is spread over two floors — or 60,000sq ft — of an Andheri mall. Celebrity First’s Gurgaon centre too occupies a huge 38,000sq ft.

So what are the five things to look out for in these new age gyms? Read on.

An exhaustive menu

Walk into True Fitness’ Mumbai centre and you’ll see two large expanses on either side of the reception packed with exercise equipment. There are over 250 machines including 140 cardio machines like cross-trainers and cardio-wave machines (which simulate the skiing motion) and 110 Signature Series resistance machines for different body parts. On one side is a beginner’s station where 10 machines are laid out in a circuit for the chest, back, abs, arms, shoulders and legs. At the far end is a spinning studio and just outside it True Fitness even has 22 cardio-wave machines set in a circle for a high-intensity group workout.

That’s not all. Further down are two private training rooms for celebrity clients. Each has a treadmill, cardio wave and Power Plate machine. Plus, there’s a new cable-based machine, Kinesis, for pulley-based workouts of the upper and lower body and legs.

Then, there’s a 2,500-sq-ft group exercise studio. A floor below is a 2,800-sq-ft women’s workout room, and a Bikram Yoga centre, which has a 2,800-sq-ft heated room for group classes and a smaller one for private lessons.

Move over to Celebrity First in Delhi and Gurgaon and here the activity chart reads like a menu card. With over 150 group classes a week from yoga to spinning, you can literally hop from one class to another all day. Again, there are separate yoga and personal training studios. “The idea is to make workouts fun,” says Franklin.

It’s the same at Fitness First, which first introduced Les Mills formats like RPM (spinning) and BodyPump (a group weights class) in India.

Now, others like True Fitness are offering these too. Its members too can choose from over 100 group classes a week including Bikram Yoga. “The response to our Bikram Yoga classes has been fantastic,” says Rowena Ooi, who has moved here from Choudhary’s Australia centre.

A 90-minute Bikram Yoga class entails 26 asanas done at 43°C. “There are a lot of benefits of exercising under heated conditions. It improves the immune system, breaks down fat faster and releases more toxins too,” says Ooi.

At Solace, a 20,000-sq-ft gym in Calcutta, members can choose from yoga, body balancing, Krav Maga and salsa.

The new gyms are bringing in the latest machines too. Amatraa Spa has two Advanced Human Performance Studios with high-tech VibroGym machines. Unlike Power Plate, which has a single motor and so doesn’t vibrate the entire body, the VibroGym has two motors for whole body vibration. “The VibryoGym is used by ultra-busy people as you expend more energy in a shorter time,” says Shilpi Tandon, a trainer here.

Tailor-made and personal too

These facilities are backed by world-class service and personalised care. At Fitness First, it starts even before you join. Members undergo several tests and consultations first. The gym assesses their fitness on five parameters: resting heart rate, body composition, flexibility, lung capacity and blood pressure. It accordingly prescribes an exercise regimen.

On joining, there’s a structured assessment programme. At least 15 of the gym’s 25 instructors are always on call. And every member gets two free personal training sessions. “We’re raising the standard and delivering it with consistency,” says Jeremy Cheong, head of fitness, who has relocated from Fitness First’s Malaysia centre.

True Fitness too offers personalised training. Under its basic membership package (Rs 50,000 per annum excluding Bikram Yoga), members get 12 free personal training sessions. There are 48 free sessions under the Rs 5 lakh package (for a couple, for five years).

Celebrity Fitness’s Rapid Result Training personalised workout is based on five elements: aerobic exercise, resistance training, diet, professional assistance and correct protein and vitamin intake. “We follow these elements strictly to ensure maximum results in the shortest time,” says Franklin.

World-class trainers

The new gyms are ensuring they have the best qualified trainers too. For instance, 50 per cent of Fitness First’s instructors have undergone the Les Mills training programme.

“We fly in master trainers from Dubai and Philippines for training, and keep investing in such things to ensure quality,” says Cheong.

Celebrity Fitness puts its level one Rapid Results trainers alone through six weeks’intensive training. And it has got instructors from Malaysia like Kris Malhotra, who takes the spinning class.

True Fitness too brought a four-member team from Thailand to train its local trainers. Its current fitness manager is from Malaysia too.

And at Breathe, Soman and his partner Rahul Dev have handpicked instructors certified by the American College of Sports Medicine. “The more fit the instructors, the more enthusiastic they are,” says Soman.

Wet and cool

At Amatraa gym, you feel like a VVIP whenever you enter the wet room. For as you sit in the sauna or Jacuzzi, an attendant waits on you offering herbal tea, fresh lime sodas and fruits. The gym has one wet area for women and two for men, stocked with specially-made Amatraa body scrubs and oils.

Meanwhile, F. Chisel, True Fitness and Solace have full-fledged spas. F. Chisel offers varied treatments like Javanese, Balinese and hot stone massages, and hydro treatments too. It has eight luxurious treatment rooms manned by international therapists.

True Fitness’s True Spa has nine massage and two facial rooms. The two VIP massage rooms have Jacuzzis for hydrobath treatments in chocolate or milk. Again, there are various treatments like the Balinese deep tissue massage and Royal Sports massage.

F. Chisel’s Delhi centre even offers body sculpting and makeovers. It has an in-house team of nutritionists and beauty therapists. “We’re committed to transforming the total image of our clients,” says Sinha.

Even older players like Gold’s Gym are beefing up their offering. Its Calcutta outlet has two 900-sq-ft wet areas for men and women, where it offers spa treatments. It has a swanky juice bar too.

Lounge about

The 1,400-sq-ft lounge at Celebrity Fitness could well house your neighbourhood gym. But it’s not just a large space — it has all the features of a pub with its swank décor, psychedelic lights and pulsating music. Plus it has a fresh juice bar. “We’re creating a club atmosphere. You hear the music and immediately feel like dancing. We want people to feel energised here,” says Franklin.

The members’ lounge at Amatraa too resembles a plush bar with leather-and-wood interiors, and a juice bar. “We keep investing on the upkeep as we have high-profile members,” says Amatraa’s Vandana Uberoi.

Meanwhile, Fitness First too has a member’s lounge with coffee machines. It even plans to start a DVD library. True Fitness has a live DJ on the exercise floor and it will open a cafeteria soon. And Solace has a juice bar-cum-lounge.

Clearly, then, the new gyms are ensuring that their members get the best in fitness and that they have a good time exercising too.

Additional inputs by Aarti Dua and Tania Bhattacharya;
Photographs by Jagan Negi, Rupinder Sharma, Rashbehari Das, Gajanan Dudhalkar

Source: The Telegraph

It’s never too late to learn a how to defend yourself — after all, the streets aren’t getting any safer

You could be petite or small-built, but never underestimate what your body can actually do. And that goes even for the women. The world isn’t getting any safer and one of the best ways to protect oneself is to learn a form of art that will come handy when you’re in trouble. From judo, karate, kick-boxing, kalari — there are plenty of options. Even a form that has its roots far away in Israel like Krav Maga is fast-gaining popularity in Bangalore.

Krav Maga enables you to defend yourself without having to use a weapon.

Frank, a certified instruction, has been training 200 people and most of his students are women. “It is important for women to learn this more than the men as they can defend themselves better during a blind-attack situation as they kick and punch their way through the brawl. This form of martial art also instills confidence and improves a person’s body language,” he says.

Many women have secured themselves from the fear of being attacked and harassed by kicking and punching away in Krav Maga style. Frank has been trained by Vicky Kapoor, chief instructor, Krav Maga, India, who has also trained Abhay Deol for his upcoming film.

“My tryst with Krav Maga began while I was living alone in Delhi, since it was an unsafe city. It was when I met a few army officers who told me about this martial art that I developed a passion towards it and finally turned into my profession,” says Frank.

There is no specific criterion required to learn Krav Maga and Frank says, “There is no strength factor involved in this form.  Krav Maga does not mean getting into a fight. Instead, it works as a stress buster that helps you get away from it.”

If there is one martial arts that does not require perfect fitness, upper body strength, and ability to learn complex nitty gritties, it is Krav Maga. The Israeli based technique is useful under a sudden violent attack and stressful attack when our minds shut down. Krav maga is a practical and tactical system that teaches how to prevent, deal and overcome all kinds of violent attacks” says Frank J., senior instructor of the Hyderabad institute in Abids.

On its suitability to youngsters, Frank says that its techniques are easy to learn and retain and help improves fitness while training. Also KM is performed naturally and intuitively using body reflexes so it can be learned in a lesser time than other combat techniques. The technique that originated in Israel is growing in popularity in India, especially among the youth. “We have more than 12 centers around India, cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai etc. What strategies the instructors following to popularize the techniques amongst youngster in Hyderabad? In 2008 Mr. Vickram (Vicky) Kapoor Director and Chief Instructor of Krav Maga has organized a series of workshops in Hyderabad to a select group of individuals and corporate staff members. Now I am regularly coming to Hyderabad to teach Krav Maga in a simple training center in Sujata High School, Chapel Roads in Abids. We will introduce Krav Maga in others locations of Hyderabad soon says Frank, the senior instructor.

Krav Maga adapts to the fitness level of the beginner. The learner also understands that since the tactics & techniques are based on reflex actions, its easy for his/her to learn and retain under pressure of the assault. Lastly the modern methodology of training Krav Maga breaks away from the usually boring monotonous method of conventional martial arts or fitness training program as it incorporates a lot of games & drills along with realistic scenarios which gives the student a feel of the real thing and once he uses the techniques to get out of the problem, he learns to appreciate and respect the techniques of and it helps him/her to grow confident.

What is unique about Krav Maga? The techniques lends itself to modern pattern of training, incorporating of games along with drills, realistic scenario based training, techniques adaptable to fitness level, inculcating open mindedness in upgrading itself as well as teaching methods.

Elaborate on the technicalities involved and tactics
fighters need to employ during self-defence? Frank says “The idea is to survive & escape. We are not there to prove who is better or exact revenge. Every techniques is based on this idea. There are no ground rules. So anything goes, from throwing mud into his eyes, smiling and talking to him to await a better opportunity to defend, biting his arm or poking his eyes etc…”

Says one of his trainee, “Nearly every technique of Krav Maga starts and ends with hitting the vital & venerable target areas like groin, chin, knees etc. if the blow is taken under surprise, we are trained to respond with 5-8 blows aiming to these vital spots within few seconds and escaping from the location to avoid further attacks.” In mounting organized and calculated attacks, Krav Maga is helpful to a great extent in physically and psychologically hurting the assaulter. An assaulter plans or observe his attacker prior to the attack. He
will stands where he will give maximum surprise element in his attack.
He is not looking to fight his opponent hence he will use maximum
violence to overcome the victim or use a weapon as a threat factor to
shock the victim into submission. And he will use any unfair method
like having multiple attackers to stabbing or shooting to get to what
he requires.

To combat this level of threat, the defender practices these attacks
under carefully controlled and organized attacks to give maximum
exposure to the realist attacks as safely possible in training. Under
these real-time attacks, the students learns to appreciate the
battle-tested and practical techniques of Krav Maga which over-powers the assaulter physically and psychologically damage ten folds.

How useful do women (esp. employees working in night shifts needing to travel in the night) find learning Krav Maga? Many women still think that they required the same or more upper-body
strength as a man who will attack them in order to defend themselves.
Second they are so psychologically traumatized by the concept of
assault that they freeze in fear during any attack. Krav Maga uses
natural strength of women hips and empowers them to defends against
any stand-up and ground assaults. Plus to overcome the fear of
attacks, it uses realistic scenarios training drills to build the
confidence of the women and show them that they can defend against
most of the assaults with practice and techniques of Krav Maga.

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/

Vasanthi Hariprakash, Neha Kidwai
Saturday, January 10, 2009, (Bangalore)

A private company in Bangalore is now offering training for ordinary citizens to combat terror. The trainers say that special skills and techniques, imported all the way from Israel, are being used.

They are being trained to dodge a grenade and escape capture by a terrorist. When it’s down to the basics in a terrorist attack, people will know what to do.

“The reason why I have joined here is I had got attacked on the street once and that had diminished my confidence. I was very scared to walk on the streets of Bangalore and just after two-three classes here, my confidence soared back to normal,” said Liana Emanuel, a software engineer.

“On the street, no one is going to shout grenade and throw grenade. If you hear an explosion, get on the floor as a natural instinct and protect yourself. Later if it is only a firecracker, it doesn’t matter,” said Rahul Vekapalli, another software professional.

It is a self-defence course offered by a private company in Bangalore for Rs 2900. They have a tie-up with Israel’s International Krav Maga federation, which offers training in defence tactics and fighting skills to military and police personnel there.

“People felt a lot scared after 26/11 attacks, they don’t know how to vent their frustration. Here they know how to release it. They come here, fight, they enjoy, they are laughing, and when they go back, they are relaxed,” said Frank, trainer.

Women have been enthusiastic learners. They feel that not only will this help them fight terror, they will also be better equipped to deal with eve-teasers.

A private company in Bangalore is now offering training for ordinary citizens to combat terror. The trainers say that special skills and techniques, imported all the way from Israel, are being used. They are being trained to dodge a grenade and escape capture by a terrorist. When it’s down to the basics in a terrorist attack, people will know what to do.

Source: NDTV

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/