When Naga Kataru first joined Google, he never knew that he is going to
create such a wonder for Google by being the pioneer of much known
Google Alerts. Getting into the company was not easy for him but Google
saw a spark in him and selected him as the 40th employee in the 110
employees Google. Kataru who was brilliant right from the start of his
school. He grew up in Gampalagudem, a farming village in the southern
Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. His father, the school’s principal, was
determined to make his son attain a college education. So Kataru
graduated with a college degree in computer science and engineering and
then enrolled at the Indian Institute of Technology, in one of the
country’s best computer science programs.
Image courtesy : vikatan.com |
When the idea of Google Alerts
flashed into his mind, he faced tough resistance from his colleagues to
implement it. When he presented the idea in front of his manager, the
idea was discarded. “My manager didn’t like it,” said Kataru. “He said
Google makes money when people come to us. If we set alerts, then we’re
losing money because we’re sending people away from Google.” Kataru
didn’t give up and presented the idea directly to Sergery Brin and Larry
Page with a prototype and a simple user interface. There begun the
journey of Google Alerts with billions of users. Kataru has three
patents listed for Google Alerts. Working for Google for 8 years, Kataru
felt uneasy and was eager to move with something else. Kataru left
Google and jumped into completely new territories — documentary short
films and improv theater. He applied to and was accepted into a
directing program at Second City, the world-famous improv group, whose
alumni include Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Kataru’s thirst for education
didn’t end here and his career took a new sharp turn when he took to
farming.
Image courtesy : turner |
In 2008, he bought a 320-acre farm in Modesto, California. “I
thought I would sell it after five years,” said Kataru. But the farm
laid a deep emphasis on his heart and reminded him of his life in India.
“I missed the way the fruits and flowers smelled differently in India,”
he said. So he insisted on converting it into a profit generating
almond farm instead of selling the money-losing farm. Naga had no idea
of farming and that’s where his education stepped in. He taught himself
and started generating revenues from the farm. Today the farm is
employing 8 employees and generating a revenue of $ 2.5 million annually
not only by growing almonds but by growing apricots as well. Kataru is
all set to make farming technology driven.
To achieve this target he is
pursuing two degrees at Stanford — an MBA and an MS in Environment &
Resources and preparing himself for the challenges ahead. “It’s ironic
that even though there are farms just 90 miles outside of Silicon
Valley, technology hasn’t been used much to improve processes and crop
yields,” he said. “As a technologist, I think I can do something about
it.”
source:thelogicalindian.com
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