Vande Mataram – Play Review

Flag adopted by the Indian National Congress in 1931. First hoisted on 1931-10-31 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Let me take you back to the year, 1942”, thus begins the play, taking the audience back to August 8, 1942, the day when Gandhi launched the “Quit India” movement, against the British.  Based on real events, the story of Keezhariyur Bomb Case in Malabar, Kerala is adapted for stage by brilliant playwright and director, Sujit Saraf and produced by Gopi Rangan.

 

India, in 1942, was a diverse nation, divided by languages, dialects, caste, class, religion, and loyalties, and divided by the lack of infrastructure, in the analog age.  India’s struggle to rid itself of the colonialism has to be as complex and multifaceted, as its people.  It is even a marvel that Gandhiji managed to unite the nation and helped achieve India’s independence, spearheading the struggle under the banner of non-violence.  But there were various rebel groups and leaders, with their own brand of nationalism, their own value system, their own worldview, and their own interest in future independence of India, that resulted in multitude of little struggles.  Some of these ended in small scale violence, only to ignite a sizeable imperialistic response, some puttered and fizzled out, some joined forces with others, and eventually most gave their support to Gadhi’s non-violent struggle for independence.

 

The characters of this play, tell the story of one group of Indian rebels, in the 1940s, in the backward state of Bihar (at the time), and the superb cast makes them truly memorable.  Led by a Colorado trained professor, brilliantly played by Salil Singh, a small group of rebels discuss the plan to shake up the Brits, with some strategic bomb blasts.  Sujit Saraf, in the role of a renegade Congressman, is equally superb, as he straddles the issue between allegiance to Gandhi’s perspectives and participation in the Professor’s activist stance.  Mukund Marathe and Amol Deshmane, in the role of two brothers at odds with each other, coming together to finance the rebel project, are also fantastic.  Their participation in the project, heals their earlier wounds and they are both in agreement that that their businesses not suffer any harm on account of their participation in this project.  Surender Singh, also fantastic, in the role of the restaurantor, provides the space for the project.  Soumya Chakravorty, plays the role of Banwari, recruited to build and detonate the bombs.  Banwari refuses to work alongside Muslims, he is in equal measure prejudiced, fanatic, stupid, and a victim of his circumstances, who looses his land to land owners but feels compelled to do something, against injustice.  Chakravorty is absolutely brilliant in this role.

 

This group of individuals could not be more different, in terms of their interests and affiliations, their cynicism, idealism, and ambition, and are coming together and uniting in one cause, independence of the nation.  Will this group, so flimsily connected, stay true to the cause and hold together or will it fall apart by betrayal, stupidity, or other self-interests?  Irrespective of whether they will succeed or fail, this is a fantastic play about human endeavors to be free, at the very basic level.  It is a play that brings out the complexity inherent in the task of nation building.  Saraf moved the story to Bihar (from the real life incident, that took place in Kerala), so that it can be produced in Hindi.  Eventual language is a beautiful mix of Hindi, Bhojpuri, and Marwari.  Excellent set design is by Siva Kollipara.  Vineeta Singh and crew have done great job in set building.  Sowmya Ballakur has provided supertitles, so the play can be enjoyed by non-Hindi speaking audience members as well.   And once again, I will say the entire cast is brilliant and the acting is flawless.

 

Vande Mataram is playing to sold out audiences.  Book your tickets early.  For registration, go to www.naatak.com .

Impact of Emerging Healthcare Changes on Medical Device Industry

Hospital (Photo credit: José Goulão)

Reenita Das, Partner, Healthcare and Life Sciences at Frost and Sullivan, talked about worldwide transformation that is happening in healthcare, and its impact on medical device industry, at www.bio2devicegroup.org event.

What is taking place right now is a massive global remix, with merging of disciplines, cross pollination of ideas, technology, and applications.  With the shifting of the boundaries, a new world is emerging, said Das.  The business model is shifting from one size fits all, provider centric, procedure based, capitated model to personalized, patient centric, bundled, value based approach to healthcare.  Unlike previously fragmented approach, hospitals and payors will increasingly look at more decentralized, community based, integrated approach to treating diseases where the focus will be on preventing diseases, not on treatment of diseases, said Das.  This is a new reality where hospital will not be the first, but the last option, in disease management.

Currently, 80% of dollars are going into treating 20% of the population, over the age of 65.  There is a shift under way to move cost of dollars from end stage to “at risk” patients and that will be a bitter pill to digest for companies that are reaping profits from treatment of chronic diseases.  As the focus grows on moving away from treatment, after the disease progression, to moving towards earlier prediction with an aim to improve the quality of life, the medical device industry will be impacted with shift in dollars.  In order to improve the quality of life, it is important to have earlier screening with better prediction of susceptibility to certain diseases, so as to begin preventive treatment earlier.  Dollars will move away from medical devices that focus on treatment to those that focus on monitoring, diagnosis, and prediction.  In 2012, 60% of healthcare dollars were spent on treatment of diseases and only 19% went into diagnosis.  Das said, in 2025, only 35% of the dollars are expected to go towards treatment, while 27% will go towards diagnosis, 22% towards prediction, and 16% in monitoring of disease progression.  Das’s advice, “don’t compete in the treatment space, it is becoming smaller.”                   

As Asia emerges as a major focus for healthcare spending, there will also be a greater focus on holistic way of treating diseases.  Between 2010 and 2020, healthcare expenses in the US will be $3922 billion.  But spending more money does not translate into better healthcare and there will be increasing pressure to spend less.  Simultaneously, there will be growth in healthcare spending in Asia, with $1446 billion of healthcare expenses in China, $331 billion in India, $31 billion in Vietnam and so on.  Asian hospital brands will become global brands, in the next ten years and emerging markets will also become very competitive, with increasing interest in “reverse innovation”, where cutting edge cost effective innovations in developing countries, will be then brought to US and other Western markets.  Between 2010 and 2020, Asia is likely to grow 150%, said Das.

Developing countries are emerging as meccas for cost effective healthcare.  Additionally, they are making better and more widespread care available to indigenous populations.  China, for instance, has eliminated the definition of poverty, as it has eliminated poverty.  By 2020, China expects 100% healthcare coverage for all Chinese people.  BRIC represents 2.9% or 40% of world’s population.  These and other emerging group of nations will likely influence innovation, choice, and spending on healthcare.

Business process change will emerge as one of the biggest challenges in healthcare.  What was once a payment is now a cost, what was once a cost is now a potential savings.  Data will emerge as the holy grail, as everything becomes data driven.  There will be focus on data integration and democratization of data.  There will be an emphasis on risk sharing and focus on mobility and security of information.  Patient engagement is a challenge that will have to be addressed, to close the integration gap.  Currently, majority of the patient portals provide secure access to medical records, and ability to schedule appointments, refill prescriptions, and so on.  However, there has been little success in achieving behavior modification, individualized outreach, efficient platforms to enable search and access of relevant information, efficient platforms for social media interactions, efficient platforms for mHealth applications and so on.  So lot of work needs to be done.

How will the changes impact how medical technologies are evaluated and purchased?  With increasing cost pressures, there will be a shift in payments based on quality plus cost and focus on value over volume and procedure based reimbursement.  This will bring new challenges with respect to new pricing models, cost of adoption, impact on workflow, integration of information, and slower adoption of new technologies.  Decisions will be increasingly made by committees of finance people, in addition to the clinicians.  As purchase decisions move away from clinicians to hospital administrators and products increasingly become commoditized, US will shift from being exporter to importer of medical technologies.  The new realities will make it imperative that companies fail fast.

Where are IT solutions are failing to reach the holy grail, in the realm of data?  There is lot of data being generated and there are also predictive analytics.  However, data integration is lagging behind.  Currently, data is provided in separate solutions.  Additionally, the predictive analytics are not translating into action.  So although the technology has arrived and applications are available, solutions are not there.  There will also likely be fewer employer contracted health plans as more employers like Sears and Olive Garden choose to offer cash for plans or money to pay for healthcare.  This trend goes along with the fact that one size does not fit all and there has to be personalization of healthcare coverage.

There is also more cross industry convergence between healthcare and other industries like automotive, information technology, energy and so on.  The top five technology trends are 1) Interoperability that can bring new technologies capable of integrating medical devices into a connected platform to enhance functionality and minimize errors; 2) Multifunctional; 3) Capable of Big Data integration to enhance functionality for diagnostic and treatment devices; 4) Low-Cost; and 5) Nanotechnology that provides benefits biocompatibility, and functionally at an unparalleled scale and is better able to influence diseases at a cellular level.  Das predicted, there will be growth in the areas of structural heart, robot assisted technologies, infection control, home health care, and neurological devices.

Finally, just as you accumulate miles for travel, customers will accumulate miles for better health.  As healthcare become increasing data driven and there is increased use of analytics to define care pathways, there will be incentives for patient engagement, greater use of remote health monitoring and mobile apps, and new care models will emerge based on collaboration, information exchange, awareness, and achieving health outcomes, particularly in case of chronic diseases.

Das’s comprehensive informative presentations generated many questions and was followed by Q&A.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh ——- Book Review

Fuchsia (Photo credit: pchgorman)

Freesia (Photo credit: philipbouchard)

Broom Cytisus, Fuchsia, Freesia, Elder, Dogwoood Cornus, and fragrant Citrus Sinesis would be my flowers of choice, if I were to get married again.  But that is only based on Victoria’s Dictionary of Flowers and you would have to read “The Language of Flowers” to decipher what that means.  Flowers, like words, carry meanings.  Diffenbaugh describes elsewhere about the origin of the language of flowers.  “The Victorian language of flowers began with the publication of Le Language des Fleurs, written by Charlotte de Latour and printed in Paris in 1819. To create the book–which was a list of flowers and their meanings–de Latour gathered references to flower symbolism throughout poetry, ancient mythology and even medicine. The book spawned the science known as floriography, and between 1830 and 1880, hundreds of similar floral dictionaries were printed in Europe and America.”

Red Osier Dogwood, Cornus stolonifera (Photo credit: manual crank)

The Language of Flowers is a (red carnation) heart breaking story of a young girl, Victoria, who has been so unloved, that she constantly makes a choice to be unlovable.  Trapped in the foster care system, she chooses not connect or engage with her foster parents, is constantly rejected or given back, and by the time she turns eighteen, she has lived in almost 40 group homes and foster homes.  At age eighteen, she is emancipated.  Emancipation translates into being dropped out of the system, into nothingness, without money, means to live, support system, or resources.  During her time in the foster care system, she had met a woman, Elizabeth, who was a loving and kind foster mother.  When Victoria cut down her beautiful cactus and presented Elizabeth with the spindly needles, Elizabeth taught her the meaning of cactus, “ardent love”.  When Victoria described that she presumed that cactus represented “hate” and that she hated the world in general, Elizabeth told her, what she was looking for was common thistle.

While all through her childhood, Victoria was deemed unlearnable and unlovable, while words escape her and she chooses to mostly disengage from the world, she finds comfort and solace in the language of flowers.  She manages to find work with a florist, and when a man asks her for flowers for his sulky grand-daughter, Victoria suggests white roses and lily of the valley, saying that these represent “return to happiness”.  Pleased with the interpretation and the effects the flowers create, he returns a few days later, looking for flowers for his wife, who is lacking the earlier passion and zest she had for life.  Victoria gives him a bouquet of tendrils of periwinkle that stand for “tender recollections”, tightly wrapped around the base of the mums, representing “truth”.  “The effect was like fireworks, dizzying and grand”.  Victoria’s clientele grows.

Will she find her kind foster mother Elizabeth and the appropriate flowers to do right by her, seek Elizabeth’s forgiveness, and make amends?  Victoria also meets a kind loving man and has a baby.  How can she be a mother and nurture another being with love and patience, when she cannot connect with the world?  Thus far, Victoria has found a niche, but still mostly exists on the periphery of the society, unable to connect fully.  I wish there were flowers for self-expression.  Honest self-expression is my passion and I would choose these for myself.  Self-expression would set her free, and I would choose them for Victoria.  Diffenbaugh says elsewhere, “the truth is that love—like moss—is self-contained.  It draws neither from our past nor our future; it is separate even from those we love.  It projects out but stays whole within itself and does not attach.  When we look at love this way it is possible to see that we are all capable of loving our children, deeply and completely, regardless of our past or our circumstances.”  Will Victoria get to that truth? Will she find the language for “reconciliation” with her past and open the door for future happiness and “maternal love” that may not be perfect but it may be deep love that grows, free from anything holding it back?

English: A closeup shot of moss on a rock in Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, Canada. Sony Alpha A100 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You won’t want to put the book down, until you find the answers, in the words of the flowers.

Wild With Happy — Play Review

Deeply personal, hysterically funny, also sad, full of wit and humor, the play “Wild With Happy”, by nationally acclaimed, OBIE award-winning and Tony award-nominated, actor and playwright, Colman Domingo, opened at TheatreWorks, at the Mountain View Center for Performing Arts.  Domingo is a gifted actor and has previously played in various well known productions, including “The Scottsboro Boys” –
http://bit.ly/KIBadN
.  In “Wild With Happy”, he plays alongside Sharon Washington, who is superb in her duel role, and was nominated for an Outstanding Lead Actress, Lucille Lortel Award, for her performance as “Adelaide/ Aunt Glo.

English: American actor Colman Domingo at the premiere of “Dreamgirls” in december 2006 at the Gotham Hall in New York taken by Maurice McRae. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Gil (Domingo) in his early forties, has returned from NYC, to his home in Philly, to make arrangements for the funeral of his mother, whom he calls “Adelaide”, to the disapproval of his “Aunt Glo” (both roles played by Washington).  He continues to have conversations with his mother, now dead, as he also remembers the earlier times he spent with her, like the time when she decided to join a church and told him, it was to “get us some Jesus”.  His mother says, “you are just like me, probably more me than me”.  (Isn’t that how it always turns out?)  She wants to call Oprah on his behalf, has dreams for him, and believes in magic and fairy tales.  She advises, he let go of the past and be open to love, even as he insists, he is a middle aged grown man with $80K in student loans that has yet to be paid back, and magic does not happen in real life.

Aunt Glo, mother’s twin, is a feisty, energetic, zany woman, who gulps down pills to manage her blood pressure, and insists that they have a funeral befitting the tradition, even as she is cleaning out her sister’s closet, for her shoes, dresses, scarves and jackets.  Gil prefers a quiet end to mark his mother’s passing away, and questions the need for ceremony.  Aunt Glo insists that “tradition has to be maintained”, “because that is what our people do”, “because we are common people”, and that after the limo, hearse, and procession, there should be a reception, so as to not “get talked about afterwards”.  She stands her ground, insisting that while her sister was nearing the end of her life, she was the one taking care of her “onliest sister”, as Gil who was pursuing his career in theater, was “missing in acting”.

Gil, meanwhile, discusses the funeral arrangements with the funeral director, Terry (superbly played by Richards Prioleau), who tries to sell the best package, while Gil insists that he is looking for “best on a budget”.  To great consternation of his Aunt Glo, Gil settles on cremation, and drives with the urn, with his friend Mo (Duane Boutte), followed in hot pursuit by his Aunt and Terry.  Gil and Mo have some conflict along the way, but finally they all end up in Florida, in Disney’s MagicKingdom, in the Cinderella Suite.  And magic happens as they make peace.  Even as Gil realizes he cannot escape from grief, that “grief becomes part of you that never goes away”, he also understands, “love is a story that never ends”, and he must “shake some fairy dust and keep on believing”.  And acknowledging that love is a journey, Aunt Glo also concedes that “love is not a box of cherries, nor a bowl of chocolates,” but is a “trip down the winding lane”.  Finally, Gil is not running away from, or running towards, not escaping neither chasing, anything.  “I want to just sit”, he says.

Director, Danny Scheie has done a fantastic job.  Great kudos to Scenic Designer, Erik Flatmo, Stage Manger, Karen Szpaller, and Assistant Stage Manager, Emily Anderson Wolf.  Absolutely loved the beautiful set of Cinderella suite that briefly seems to transport the audience to the magicality symbolized by Disney.  Great kudos to Casting Director Leslie Martinson, for excellent casting.  And Costume Designer, Brandin Baron did a splendid job in bringing out the personalities of Adelaide and Aunt Glo, as well as other characters.

The dialogues are funny, they make you laugh; they also made me cry.  I absolutely loved Sharon Washington who plays both distinct roles and a brief Cinderella role, with aplomb.  I highly recommend this brilliant performance and pick it as not-to-miss play of this season, in South Bay Area, CA.  For tickets, go to www.theatreworks.org .

Reefer Madness – The Musical —— Play Review

“Creeping like a communist, it’s knocking at our doors
Turning all our children into hooligans and whore”

ReeferMadness 12 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Originally released as “Tell Your Children”, Reefer Madness is a 1936 anti-cannabis moralistic propaganda film that depicts, through a series of melodramatic events, the effects of cannabis.  It was so over the top and ridiculous that it made a great cult topic for originally unintended subject.  The film became an item of unintentional comedy among advocates of legalizing marijuana and cannabis policy reform.  The musical satire had a challenge to make it even more ridiculous.

The musical, currently playing in San Jose, is based on a book by Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney, with music by Dan Studney.  Giulio Perrone, Michael Palumbo, Stephen Massott, Lydia Lyons, and Jean Cardinale deserve major kudos for fantastic set, lighting, stage, and costumes design.  And hilarious lyrics by Kevin Murphy, steal the show.

“someone’s got to dare to take a stand
Can’t ignore any more, it could be your son or daughter
With a deadly stick of reefer in their hand!
They’re heading straight for
Reefer Madness! Reefer Madness! Reefer Madness! Reefer Madness!”

As high school students are lured by pushers to try marijuana and one unintentional puff gets them addicted, their lives go on a downward spiral.  It starts with giggles and a pretty woman walks the stage with a board that says “reefer makes you giggle for no good reason.”  But the decent into madness continues, as Mae and Jack  (superbly played by Allison F. Rich and Gabriel Grilli), lure high school students.  Mae however, prefers to sell to customers her own age but is not able to contradict or leave Jack, who is controlling and abusive, because it’s “the stuff” that makes her stay.  Ralph (Will Springhorn Jr. and) and Sally (Jill Miller) help sell cannabis to young students, and they get Jimmy Lane (Barnaby James), a young college student with a sharp mind and in love with a young woman, get hooked on cannabis.  Story of Jimmy’s decent into madness, and later of his girlfriend, Mary (Courtney Hatcher), who comes to the “cannabis headquarters”,  looking for Jimmy, is a tale of manslaughter, suicide, attempted rape, murder, electric chair, and finally redemption, by Jesus himself.

As the ridiculous story unfolds, despite the divine call, “Just say no to the marijuana! (Listen to Jesus, Jimmy!)”, Jimmy refuses to listen.  The warnings are uncanny, from relatively benign to extreme, “reefer gives you potty mouth”; “reefer makes you a pathological liar”; “reefer kills poor old men”; “reefer makes you sell your babies”;” and more.  Finally, destined to go to hell, from his electric chair, Jimmy appeals to Jesus, “if you save me, I will heed the words you gave me” only to be reminded by Jesus (Gabriel Grilli), “You didn’t (Listen to Jesus, Jimmy) It’s too late for absolution, I’m just here to watch the execution”.  But all’s well that ends well and there comes a last minute, Presidential pardon, forgiveness by Jesus, and the play ends with these lyrics.

“Now you’ve learned the truth about the menace dark and dread
Take a stance or there’s a chance that God may strike you dead
For putting up with Reefer madness!  Reefer madness!

This satirical comedy is certain to throw you in uproars of laughter at how far the society can go and whip up the frenzy, in the name of righteousness.  Reefer Madness is currently playing at The Stage in San Jose www.thestage.org .

Spacebar – a Broadway Play by Kyle Sugarman —- Play Review

Spacebar – a Broadway Play by Kyle Sugarman

Kudos, City Lights, for bringing Spacebar by Kyle Sugarman, on stage.  Jeremy Helgeson is absolutely superb, as Kyle Sugarman, a 16 year old with aspiration of becoming a Broadway playwright.   The playwright Michael Mitnick, is graduate of the Yale School of Drama.  Perhaps in Spacebar, there is some touch of autobiography?

Kyle Sugarman’s dad (played by brilliant Jeff Kramer), delivers a monologue, in the opening scene, that is irreverent, shocking, and hysterically funny.  In one short speech, he delivers non-sugar coated reality of events to his four year old, that one hopes, is beyond a child’s level of comprehension.  As the play progresses, it becomes apparent that everything the child (who is now a young man) aspires for and becomes, is perhaps triggered by those events.  There is a deeply touching, just tragic enough to constantly tug at your heart strings kind of undertone, to the play, that is otherwise quite funny.                                                                                                              

In a cover letter addressed to Broadway, Sugarman explains his script and as he reads the letter aloud, the script plays out beside him.  Captain Iditarod (played by Jeff Kramer), attired in lighted space suit, owns a bar in outer space, several thousand years into the future, and he serves FutureBeer to his friend, Mortimer Pip (played by Kieth C. Marshall), who engages in no-holds bar profanities.  Suddenly, there on the edge of black hole, lands another space vessel and descends beautiful Esmerelda Happenstance (Morgan Voellger), with her Playboy, millionaire fiancée (George Psarras).  (The cast in this play is excellent and loved both Voellger and Psarras.)  Amidst all the comedy of events, there is a short tragic saga of Captain Iditarod’s long lost daughter and how he plans to find her.

When Sugarman does not receive the response he desired, from Broadway, at the insistence of his girl friend, also superbly played by Adrienne Walters, he escapes to New York, to personally make a case about his play, to Broadway.  But there is more.  Kyle not only wants his play produced on Broadway but he wants it heralded by a big bill board, precisely on the corner of 46^th and Broadway.  Precisely why?  Didn’t I say, there is a tragic undertone, in this part comedy, part drama, part futuristic production?  As Kyle Sugarman says, “Spacebar is the story of humanity.  Spacebar is not about the space key on a computer keyboard.”

Executive Artistic Director Lisa Mallette, Associate Artistic Director, Kit Wilder, Technical Director Ron Gasparinetti, and Stage Manager, Michelle Marko deserve big kudos for beautiful stage design and lighting.  Costumes by Erin Haney and lighting by Nick Kumamoto, brilliantly complement the futuristic theme.

Spacebar is playing at City Lights Theater, in San Jose.  For more information and tickets, go to www.cltc.org .

JOBS – June, 2013

For the opportunities below, please send resume at wd_darshana at hotmail dot com.  Please indicate in the email how closely the job description matches your background and identify gaps, if any.  Also, indicate your current compensation and compensation expectations.

Job Search (Photo credit: Tax Credits)

Pharmacologist with Large Animal Survival Surgery Experience: San Jose, CA

A dynamic company, founded by a veteran leader, involved in the development of drug-device combination products for treating chronic diseases, has an opening for a Biologist. This is once in a lifetime kind of an opportunity to work on exciting technology with game changing potential. The candidate must have hands-on research experience including in vivo experience esp with large animal models during their doctoral and post-doctoral training period. The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D. in Physiology/Pharmacology or any other related Biology discipline or a DVM with research experience. The individual is expected to have a breadth of experience in both in vitro and in vivo biological research supporting various drug/ device development programs across multiple therapeutic areas including CNS, oncology, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.  The individual will support and work with external institutions including CROs and academic institutions especially for conducting in vivo studies in small as well as large animals. Additionally the individual will set up and run a variety of routine in vitro research paradigms in house as needed such as isolated tissue and cell-based assays as well as quantitative assays for small molecules, peptides and proteins using techniques such as FTIR, HPLC, and immunoassay. The individual will work with a multidisciplinary team of experts and provide biology support with minimal supervision on various ongoing projects.

Machine Learning Specialist – San Francisco, CA

Revenue generating, remote health monitoring company, located in San Francisco, CA, tracking heart rate, sleep patterns and more has an immediate opening for a Machine Learning Specialist.

Requirements: Minimum 5 years experience in creating high-performance classifiers, preferably working on biological data.  Deep knowledge, skills and experience in machine learning techniques, in particular for processing large databases of biological information. Should be proficient and able to design, operate and validate intelligent systems from scratch. Excellent written, verbal and teamwork skills. Highly preferred: Relevant bio experience, such as working with biological signal databases; Experience in engineering for consumer devices/services; and Python expertise.

Responsibilities: Lead the development of algorithms based on the signals from our advanced multi-sensing device, both in real time and on databases of saved sensor data; Work on top secret projects pertaining to future product offerings; Work closely science and devices teams to integrate the work into our consumer products.

Technical Account Manager

Charleston (SC), Columbia (SC), Pittsburgh (PA), Philadelphia (PA), Raleigh (NC), Charlotte (NC), Washington DC

This position is a combination of account executive and systems engineer.  So an engineer, project engineer, program engineer who wants to do consulting or someone who is currently a sales consultant that is technical is the key. They will have 30 accounts to care for and farm from for additional business.  A typical sales person is not a good fit because they are not technical enough.  There is not going to be a systems engineer to support this role so the Technical AM is the one to take of that function. Consultants may be a good fit.  A good techy sales person maybe (someone who came in through the sales side but ended up very technical in cloud security) might be considered.

Responsibilities

• Provide product and technical support for assigned accounts
• Identify and develop potential new business opportunities
• Convey customer requirements to Product Management, Marketing and Engineering teams
• Provide functional and technical support to customers
• Respond to customer questions on technical and business related issues
• Deliver high-level and detailed sales presentations
• Responsible for attending conferences, seminars, etc

Qualifications

• Ideal candidate must be self-motivated with strong knowledge in security space:  Vulnerability Management, Policy Compliance , Intrusion Detection Systems IDS, Intrusion Prevention Systems IPS, Network Scanners, PCI, Policy Compliance and Audit Tools, other enterprise security solutions
• Knowledge in variety of Federal Regulatory Compliance issues a plus:  HIPAA, GLBA, Sarbanes Oxley SOX, etc
• Organized and analytical, able to eliminate sales obstacles through creative and adaptive approaches
• 5 + years relevant experience
• Bachelors degree or equivalent experience
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Able to travel throughout sales territory

Salary Range – $110K-$120K + upto 60K commission + benefits + stock options

IT Account Executive / Sales Representative

• Location: Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Summary - Responsible for the overall relationship between the Company and its Customers, managing all facets of the business relationship and marshaling the Company resources necessary to achieve a high degree of customer satisfaction. Responsible for constantly seeking new customers and expanding the business relationship with existing customers. Responsible for uncovering, qualifying, defining, proposing and closing new sales orders in line with the Company’s business objectives and within profitability guidelines established by the Company.  Responsible for achieving assigned sales quota.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities - 75% Performs sales activities for an assigned geographic area or product/service line to achieve or exceed assigned revenue objectives.
- Contacts and visits prospective customers to determine needs.
- Creates and performs sales presentations to match company’s products/services with identified needs.
- Sells products/services through face-to-face contact.
- Remains knowledgeable of company’s products/services to facilitate sales efforts.
- Maintains sales records and prepares sales reports as required.
- Responsible for extremely complex and difficult to close sales.

25% Maintains regular contact with customers to ensure satisfaction.
- Maintains a regular schedule of contact via phone/on-site visits.
- Alerts client to new or improved products/services.
- Develops and maintains relationships with clients.
- Relays client feedback to product development staff.

Prerequisites
Education:  Bachelor’s degree
Experience:
6+ years experience in Solution Sales in the IT Industry. Technology focus experience is very helpful in the Unified Communications, DataCenter, Security and Wireless fields. Knowledge of Company Products, Cisco and Dell are encouraged as well as sales in Professional Services and Remote Managed Services.

Gratitude Journal —– May-2013

Today when we are all expressing our deep gratitude to the veterans who stay on the front lines so we can all be safe and secure and our values preserved, I am also taking to heart the advice given by these two articles posted on www.projecteve.com .

http://www.projecteve.com/in-gratitude/

http://www.projecteve.com/why-being-grateful-isnt-enough/

“Lawn sculpture” of a woman, framed against the Eden Project biomes. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1)       The first article asks us to identify and be grateful to ourselves.  I am thankful to myself for having the will power to hit the gym daily, for having the courage to initiate the endings when needed (based on Sara Lawrence Lightfoot’s “Endings that set us free”), for having the courage to not waste my gift of expression and (albeit respectfully) express myself on this blog, for being persistent but more importantly optimistic in my steadfast belief in face of all adversities that if I am happy today then tomorrow will always be better because it will add one more happy memory (after all life is about creating a string of happy memories), and for having enormous love in my heart for my children, for family and friends that allows me to appreciate their uniqueness, forgive the faults, and share life and life’s rich rewards in this journey on earth.

2)       Second article asks us to identify “why” we are grateful to others.  I am grateful to my mother for her being there for us in every possible way to take on life’s blows, so that my siblings and I were shielded and our dreams were preserved and came to fruition; everything we became and we have, we owe to her and my late father.  I am grateful to my children for who they are, for the generosity of their hearts in forgiving the flaws in parenting, for their deep love, for their friendship, for their humor and wit, for their support, encouragement and just filling my life and my heart with love. I am grateful for my friends for so much – and though I am quite clear about the contributions of each of them, it is enormous to list here.  Some have been there at the right time with the right type of support; some have been there during celebrations making each of them memorable; some have shared views and perspectives, forging a deep bond; some have disagreed with views and perspectives, thus expanding horizons; and so much much more.  Together, friends have woven the life’s journey into a rich tapestry of colors and hues that reflect their individuality and that has made life infinitely more exciting and adventurous.

Hope my sharing inspires you to do your gratitude journal today.  Will love your comments.

Noor – Empress of the Mughals ———- Play Review

Noor Jahan, 20^th wife of powerful Mughal Emperor Jahangir, was a brilliant administrator, ambitious politician, knowledgeable economist, and enthusiastic patron of culture and arts.  Her complex and challenging character would be hard to portray easily, on screen or on live theater.  She wielded tremendous political and economical power, at a time in history, when women mostly stayed hidden behind lattice walls and purdah.  The play Noor, currently playing at locations in San Francisco and San Jose in Bay Area, is an attempt to tell this complex story, and is based on a book by Feisal Alkazi, also directed by Alkazi.  Alkazi’s 35 year old career as a director includes 200 plays, 32 films, and 2 TV series and he is Founder Director of the theater group Ruchika, and actively involved with several NGOs.   This play is his first attempt as a playwright.  The play is produced by Vinita Sud Belani.  Belani is the Founding Artistic Director of enActe Arts Inc., a new theater company with a mission to bring quality Asian theater and stories to mainstream audiences and to provide new and upcoming actors with a platform to develop and showcase their talent.  Belani has an impressive background.  She has held titles of Director and CEO and after rising to top corporate job as VP of Business Development at Sogeti Groupe Cap Gemini, she transitioned to doing theater full time.  Belani has acted in twenty seven plays and two movies to date.  Belani effortlessly blends the diversity of cultures, and the impressive cast of Noor includes a group of actors from Iran, Iraq, Peru, and India.

Nur Jahan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Story of Mehrunissa, later known as Noor Jahan (after her husband Jahangir decreed this title on her that means Light of the Universe), and the historical events impacting the Mughal reign, do not lend themselves to easy narration.  The play attempted to do too much and I felt it did not do due justice to the story of Noor or the Mughal reign.  The play begins with narration of Akbar nudging towards his death, and ends with a poignant scene of Shah Jahan’s beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal’s death, during her 14^th pregnancy.  I would have much rather seen a stronger focus on Noor with stage featuring a Jarokha where Jahangir received audiences and later Noor Jahan accompanied him.  This was remarkable, for a royal woman to sit beside her husband and receive audiences, issue orders, oversee administration of jagirs, accompany her husband on hunting trips, and have silver coins printed with her face on them.  Noor also consolidated her powers and got the emperor to cast special favors on her family, including arranging marriage between her niece Arjumand (later known as Mumtaz Mahal) and Jahangir’s oldest son Khurram, later known as Shah Jahan.  When Shah Jahan seemed to be slipping from her grip, Noor later arranged for her daughter Ladli, from her previous marriage, to marry Shah Jahan’s younger son, Shahryar.  In attempting to tell a broader history and encompass a wider cast of complex characters, in this play, not enough justice was done to the character of Noor.

Additionally, the Mughal rein during this time in history was at its zenith of territorial expanse and glory, ruling over more than 150 million subjects, nearly 1/4^th of the world’s population, with a combined GDP of over $90 billion.  It was a golden age of architecture, arts, and trade.  I would have liked to see the stage reflect some of the glory (featuring a throne and court, or jarokha, or royal gardens where romances occurred, or the vibrant market where Jahangir first saw Mehrunissa), rather than dying Akbar’s or abused (by her first husband) Mehrunissa’s, or tragically dying Mumtaz Mahal’s bed.  Nevertheless, enActe Arts has a grand vision and it has taken a bold step to bring this play with tremendous complexity of characters and events, on stage.  This is truly praiseworthy and I will eagerly look forward to new and coming productions, from this company.

The complex blend of cast was interesting.  Sanjiv Desai did a fabulous job in the role of eunuch, from whose lens the story is told.  Cezar Espinoza, even in his short role as young eunuch, played his role beautifully.  Deergha Sahni, in the role of Arjumand and later Mumtaz Mahal, was awesome and could have carried the play, under a different title.  Vidhya Subramanian, in her role as Mehrunissa, showed superb command over her role, and Aditya Thakur, in the role of Asaf Khan, was excellent.  Belani and Subramanian share the role of Noor, playing her on alternate shows.  I will very much look forward to seeing Belani on stage, in future performances.

Noor is playing at theaters in San Francisco and San Jose in May and June, 2013.  Get your tickets early because it is expected to play to sold out audiences.  After all who does not like to hear a story of beauty, romance, power, ambition, greed, and intrigue?

JOBS – May, 2013

For the opportunities below, please send resume at wd_darshana at hotmail dot com.  Please indicate in the email how closely the job description matches your background and identify gaps, if any.  Also, indicate your current compensation and compensation expectations.

Pharmacologist with Large Animal Survival Surgery Experience: San Jose, CA

A dynamic company, found by a veteran leader, involved in the development of drug-device combination products for treating chronic diseases, has an opening for a Biologist with large animals in-vivo experience.  This is once in a lifetime kind of an opportunity to work on exciting technology with game changing potential.

The candidate must have hands-on in vivo survial surgical research experience working with large animal models during their doctoral and post-doctoral training period.  A Ph.D. in Physiology/Pharmacology or any other related Biology discipline or a DVM working for either a mid-sized CRO or industry could be a good fit.  The individual is expected to have a breadth of experience in in-vitro and in-vivo biological research supporting various drug/ device development programs across multiple therapeutic areas including CNS, oncology, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. ed CRO or industry could be a good fit.  A DVM working in an animal clinic would not be a good fit because research experience is required. Candidates describing in vivo experience in their resume with mainly small animals such as mice and rats would not be ideal either.

The applicant will support and work with external institutions including CROs and academic institutions especially for conducting in vivo studies in small as well as large animals. Additionally the applicant will set up and run a variety of routine in vitro research paradigms as needed such as isolated tissue and cell-based assays as well as quantitative assays for small molecules, peptides and proteins using techniques such as FTIR, HPLC, and immunoassay. The applicant will work with a multidisciplinary team of experts and provide biology support with minimal supervision on various ongoing projects. The position requires a strong background in cell biology, chemistry, biochemistry, immunology, physiology or a related area. Position, salary and benefits are commensurate with experience.

Machine Learning Specialist – San Francisco, CA

Revenue generating, remote health monitoring company, located in San Francisco, CA, tracking heart rate, sleep patterns and more has an immediate opening for a Machine Learning Specialist.

Requirements: Minimum 5 years experience in creating high-performance classifiers, preferably working on biological data.  Deep knowledge, skills and experience in machine learning techniques, in particular for processing large databases of biological information. Should be proficient and able to design, operate and validate intelligent systems from scratch. Excellent written, verbal and teamwork skills. Highly preferred: Relevant bio experience, such as working with biological signal databases; Experience in engineering for consumer devices/services; and Python expertise.

Responsibilities: Lead the development of algorithms based on the signals from our advanced multi-sensing device, both in real time and on databases of saved sensor data; Work on top secret projects pertaining to future product offerings; Work closely science and devices teams to integrate the work into our consumer products.

Python Programmer – Sunnyvale, CA

A contract engineering company has an immediate need for Programmer with Python expertise for about 40 hours of work.  An existing test program written in Python collects data and prints it.  The data needs to be written to an Access database residing in another computer on a network.  The company is looking for someone to make this change.  The right person needs to be experienced with Python and understand how to write data to a database from Python.  The author of the original program is available for assistance.

Analog Design Engineer –  Sunnyvale, CA

A Contract Engineering company located in Sunnyvale, CA has an immediate part-time contract opportunity for Analog Design Engineer, that is likely to become permanent in 3-6 months. Minimum 10 years of experience with analog circuit design, including amplifiers, ADCs, power supplies, and sensor signal conditioning is required. Also required, experience with digital design and ability to work with digital engineers to develop successful integrated products. Experience with signal integrity and/or RF design a plus.

The person must work well on a team, have good communication skills, and be able to adjust quickly in a fast paced environment where many designs are done simultaneously. This is a challenging and rewarding opportunity for the right person.

I Need You on the Job Every Day – NARA – 534704 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)