Rajesh Ravi Menon

On this Teachers’ Day, I look back with gratitude at a journey shaped by many remarkable teachers, mentors and people who believed in me at different stages of my life. From my earliest lessons at St. Joseph’s Junior School, Calicut, through St. Joseph’s High School, Calicut, every teacher contributed to the foundation on which I continued to build. My journey then took me to Besant Arundale Senior Secondary School and Kalakshetra, where education went beyond textbooks and exposed me to discipline, culture, creativity and the arts. At Zamorin’s Guruvayoorappan College, through my Pre-Degree and B.Sc. Physics, I learned to question, analyse and understand the world with a more scientific outlook. My time at NIIT, pursuing the Honours Diploma in Systems Management, opened another window into technology and systems thinking at a time when the digital world was beginning to transform careers. Later, my MBA journey at KK Institute of Management, Bangalore, and my M.Phil. studies at Alagappa Institute of Management further shaped my understanding of management, business, people and leadership. But education has never been limited to classrooms or degrees. Throughout my professional career, I have been fortunate to meet seniors, colleagues, clients, friends and mentors who became teachers in their own way. Some taught me through guidance, some through opportunity, some through challenges, and others simply through the example they set. My deepest gratitude goes to my parents, who were my first teachers and whose values remain the foundation of everything I have learned and achieved. I am equally grateful for the teachers and mentors within my family, particularly my KPG Uncle, whose visionary contribution to education through NPS Bangalore has always been a source of inspiration. His commitment to building institutions and shaping generations reminds me of the extraordinary difference one educator’s vision can make. Looking back, I realise that a career is never shaped by one qualification, one institution or one individual. It is shaped by hundreds of lessons, conversations, corrections, encouragements, opportunities and examples accumulated over a lifetime. Today, I remember all those teachers — from my childhood classrooms to my professional life — including many whose names I may not be able to mention individually, but whose lessons remain with me. To every teacher, mentor, senior and family member who helped shape the person and professional I am today — Thank You. Whatever we achieve in life carries a little piece of every teacher who once believed that we could achieve more. Happy Teachers’ Day! 🙏 #TeachersDay #HappyTeachersDay #Gratitude #Teachers #Mentors #Education #LearningForLife #MyJourney #Leadership #StJosephsCalicut #Kalakshetra #ZamorinsGuruvayoorappanCollege #NIIT #NPSBangalore

As a parent, one of the questions I have always considered important is not simply “What should my children study?” but “What kind of career will allow them to use their strengths and build a future they genuinely enjoy?” I have personally seen the value of Harrison Assessments in helping my children understand themselves better and bring greater clarity to their career direction. What I particularly valued was the conversation it created between us as parents and our children. Instead of approaching career decisions based only on qualifications, popular career choices or our own expectations as parents, we were able to discuss their individual strengths, preferences, aspirations and the kind of roles that could suit them. Those conversations helped us guide rather than decide for them—and helped them take greater ownership of their career choices. Having experienced its value within my own family, I believe assessments like Harrison can be particularly useful for graduates who are at that crucial stage of asking, “I have my degree—what should I do next?” Sometimes, the best support we can give our children is not to choose their path for them, but to help them understand themselves well enough to choose it confidently. Having seen its value personally, I felt it was worth making Harrison Assessments more accessible through bluarrows to students, graduates and families navigating similar career decisions. #HarrisonAssessments #GraduateCareers #CareerGuidance #CareerPlanning #Parenting #FutureReady #bluarrows

The GCC's AI investments send a clear message: Sovereign AI = Compute + Data + Governance. Billions are being invested into chips, hyperscale data centers, and AI platforms. But sovereign AI cannot exist if the underlying data layer remains fragmented, inaccessible, or controlled outside national boundaries. A sovereign AI stack needs: ✅ Sovereign Compute ✅ Sovereign Models ✅ Sovereign Data Infrastructure OriginChain Data Backbone - OCDB provides the data foundation for that third pillar, enabling organizations and governments to unlock trusted, governed, and provenance-backed data for AI systems while maintaining ownership and control. The conversation is rapidly shifting from "Who owns the GPUs?" to "Who owns the intelligence?" Thanks Giorgio Torre Rajesh Ravi Menon Abhilash Ramachandran Bharath Kumar S originchain.ai #AIInfrastructure #SovereignAI #DataEconomy #OCDB #OriginChain #DigitalSovereignty #GCCTech #AIArchitects #AgenticAI #GCC

How an Internship in 1995 Shaped My Career In 1995, during my MBA internship with The Express Publications (Madurai) Limited, I was given an assignment that became an important turning point in my professional journey. Following the acquisition of Sterling Publications, I was asked to study the market acceptance and positioning of two magazines — Biznet, focused on the growing IT sector, and Gentleman, aimed at the corporate male audience. Based out of Bangalore, I collected and analysed feedback from more than 300 respondents and presented my findings to the management team. For Biznet, my study suggested that readers were looking for more than technology news. They wanted to understand industry developments, business outcomes, emerging concepts such as object-oriented programming and RDBMS, the strategies of Indian IT companies, and how India could participate in the global technology market. For Gentleman, the opportunity was different. The magazine needed to reflect the broader personality of the corporate professional — not just his career, but also his passions, hobbies, sports, leisure and lifestyle. The most rewarding part came after my presentation. I was selected to spend a few days at the Bangalore office, supporting marketing and circulation. That opportunity eventually led to my joining the organisation as a regular employee, with my posting in Coimbatore. Looking back, that internship taught me lessons that remained relevant throughout my career: • Research before making assumptions. • Listen carefully to the customer. • Convert data into meaningful insights. • Understand the business behind the product. • Present your ideas with clarity and confidence. • Treat every assignment, however small, as an opportunity to prove yourself. To young students and aspiring professionals, my message is simple: Do not look at an internship merely as a requirement for completing your course. Approach it as your first opportunity to solve a real business problem. Be curious. Ask questions. Go beyond what is expected. Meet people across functions. Understand customers. Volunteer for responsibilities. And most importantly, take ownership of your work. You may enter an organisation as an intern, but your attitude, curiosity and contribution can open doors you never anticipated. My internship in 1995 began with a research assignment involving 300 respondents. It ended by giving me the opportunity to begin my professional career. Every opportunity has the potential to become a turning point. Make yours count. I should acknowledge some names who made me through IE Bangalore, Rajib Sarkar Brand Manager, Jacob Mathew Sir - GM Marketing, Varadarajan Sir - Chief Manager Circulation, Sankar Nair Sir - Bangalore IE Manager and Karuna Badgi. #Internship #CareerJourney #MBA #YoungProfessionals #CareerDevelopment #MarketResearch #Marketing #ConsumerInsights #LearningByDoing #ProfessionalGrowth #FutureLeaders #CareerAdvice The New Indian Express

80 words that will change Bharath’s Football Grass Root Aspirations. Join IKF Leadership. 🙏

The LuLu Exchange Kabayan Basketball League 2nd Edition is here—bringing the UAE’s Filipino basketball community together for thrilling action, free passes, and exciting fan experiences, in association with Dubai Sports Council and organised by bluarrows. Join the prelims on 1st, 2nd & 8th August 2026 at Dubai Sports World, and the Grand Finale on 9th August 2026 at Shabab Al Ahli Indoor Stadium. #LuLuExchange #KabayanBasketballLeague #DubaiSportsCouncil #bluarrows #FilipinoCommunity #BasketballUAE #DubaiSportsWorld #KabayanInUAE #UAEEvents #BasketballFans