The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : `Indians have an edge over the Chinese'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 12, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

`Indians have an edge over the Chinese'

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, JAN. 11. Indians stood a better chance of making the most of the emerging business opportunities in China by learning Chinese, said M. Arunachalam, an entrepreneur hailing from Tamil Nadu, who has made it big in Hong Kong.

"There are a lot of opportunities... we will perform better by learning Chinese," Mr. Arunachalam said at a function organised here on Monday to felicitate him on receiving the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award for 2005.

Stating that Indians enjoyed a competitive edge over the Chinese due to their knowledge of English, he expressed the confidence that India would perform better in business in the years ahead. The award — he is one of the 11 recipients this year — was significant, he said and added that "there is nothing greater than getting an award from your motherland."

Earlier, led by the former Supreme Court judge, S. Mohan, business associates, friends and relatives felicitated Mr. Arunachalam. They traced his growth from the time he worked in the Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) to his spearheading the A.R. International Group of Companies in Hong Kong and the Subiksha Spinners Group of Industries in Tiruchi.

Mr. Justice Mohan said that the country was indebted to non-resident Indians such as Mr. Arunachalam, who brought fame and glory to it. The Exnora International founder and a former colleague of Mr. Arunachalam in IOB, M.B. Nirmal, attributed his achievements to hard work and determination.

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