Latest news with #Epigram
Indian Express
04-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Indie dogs have been around since…
They're everywhere — lounging in the sun, following schoolchildren, tailing street vendors, or curled up by a tea stall. The Indian street dog, affectionately known as the Indie, is one of the most overlooked animals, yet a much intricate part of our history than any Western breeds, having been found in Mohenjo-daro, too. But recently, a unique initiative set out to change that. The Rotary Club of Bombay launched a two-minute awareness film on the plight of Indies, with actor Pooja Bhatt lending her voice to the project. Produced by Nabeel Abbas, Founder and CEO of Epigram, and scripted by Anushree Kandalkar, the short film was a heartfelt appeal to acknowledge the Indie as more than just a street survivor. Ramesh Narayan, who conceived the project, shares: 'Looking around, you will see the Indie on every street. They are as hardy and caring as any breed dog, but they face the daily challenges of scrounging for food and facing extreme heat and the monsoons. It is heart-rending. So I thought we must begin building the Indie brand. More so at a time when everything Indian is now being looked up to. Let's take pride in our homegrown breed… Indies are old, have been around since Mohenjo-daro.' Indeed, a pariah-type dog skull was found at the ancient site of Mohenjo-daro, and similar canines appear in Bhimbetka's prehistoric rock art. The Indie dog was also featured in National Geographic's Search for the First Dog, standing proudly alongside ancient breeds like Israel's Canaan Dog and Australia's Dingo. Don't shop! Adopt an Indie. — Ramesh Narayan (@rameshnarayan) June 4, 2025 Dr Milind Hatekar, Veterinary Surgeon at Pet Aid Pune and Founder of the Asian Foundation of Veterinary Orthopedics and Neurology (AFVON), explained that 'it's a myth that Indie dogs are better than other breeds.' He says: 'In real sense, they have problems of allergies due to a lot of inbreeding. And they may have temperament issues since these dogs like to move and run around freely — and once restricted in flats and confined places, they will have temperament issues.' This doesn't mean Indies shouldn't be adopted — just that they require the same level of care, love and understanding as any other breed. 'They need equal care as compared to non-hairy breeds of dogs. Since they have a genetic pool supporting the weather in India, they do well in summers,' adds Dr Hatekar.
New Paper
21-05-2025
- Business
- New Paper
Epigram Books becomes non-profit Epigram Literary Foundation
Home-grown publisher Epigram Books has restructured to become Epigram Literary Foundation, a non-profit entity that it hopes could help it convince more donors to loosen their purse strings. The public company limited by guarantee, or CLG, was incorporated with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) on May 1. This is the latest bid by Epigram to keep operations sustainable, after it collaborated with seven other Singapore indie booksellers to launch online bookstore A CLG differs from a private limited company, where maximising profit for shareholders is the goal of the company. For a CLG, any surplus is meant to be reinvested into the organisation, and they are generally seen to be more credible, requiring approval from Acra that it is serving some public or national interest - in this case, the promotion of the arts. Founder Edmund Wee, 72, said he had been pondering the move for over a year, but had always been told by lawyers that the restructuring would be difficult until he received the right advice. Profits have always been meagre, and he has not paid himself a dividend in the 14 years he has run Epigram - so not much would change in that respect, he told The Straits Times. A CLG, if it encourages businesses aligned with its mission to contribute - possibly as part of their corporate social responsibility programmes - could create an endowment so that it generates significant enough money interest to aid cash flow. Mr Wee said: "Publishing is getting harder and harder, and I can't borrow from the bank any more now that I'm past 70. I cannot go around to ask for $50,000 or $60,000 every year. I'm hoping for a bigger lump sum." To bolster Epigram Literary Foundation's credibility and set donors' minds at ease, he has enlisted nine dignitaries to sit on an advisory council. They are former diplomats Tommy Koh and Kishore Mahbubani; historian Wang Gungwu; former chief economist of GIC Yeoh Lam Keong; special research adviser at the Institute of Policy Studies Arun Mahizhnan; Mr Robert Tomlin, vice-chairman of the Asian arm of investment firm Lepercq de Neuflize; Dr Hong Hai, emeritus professor of business at Nanyang Technological University; former chairman of The Substation and consultant in philanthropy Chew Keng Chuan; and author Meira Chand. Mr Wee said: "I'm hoping that they will give the non-profit more standing so that when I go see companies, they are more willing to donate. I had the choice to drastically reduce the outfit so Epigram publishes only three or four books a year, but I didn't want to do that. There's nobody in the ecosystem now publishing Singapore fiction like us. I find that terrible." Epigram Books hosts the annual Epigram Fiction Books Prize, which awards the winner a $25,000 cash prize and a publishing contract. Three other finalists each receive $5,000 and a publishing contract. It is the richest pot dedicated to unpublished literary manuscripts in Singapore. Mr Wee said he is also working with partners to start a regional book prize for Asean, with a long-term launch date for probably 2027 or later. In theory, the change to a CLG structure should not affect the salaries of its 13 full-time and two part-time employees, but this will depend on how much can be raised, he added. Epigram is Singapore's largest independent book publisher, publishing upwards of 50 titles a year. Notable titles in its stable include the Eisner-award winning The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (2015) by Sonny Liew, Jeremy Tiang's State Of Emergency (2017) and Meihan Boey's The Formidable Miss Cassidy (2021). All three have secured releases in countries outside Singapore, boosting the Republic's global literary footprint.
Straits Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Epigram Books becomes non-profit Epigram Literary Foundation, sets up expert advisory panel
SINGAPORE – Homegrown publisher Epigram Books has restructured to become Epigram Literary Foundation, a non-profit entity that it hopes could help it convince more donors to loosen their purse strings. The public company limited by guarantee, or CLG, was incorporated with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) on May 1. This is the latest bid by Epigram to keep operations sustainable, after it collaborated with seven other Singapore indie booksellers to launch online bookstore A CLG differs from a private limited company where maximising profit for shareholders is the avowed goal of the company. Any surplus is meant to be reinvested into the organisation, and they are generally seen to be more credible, requiring approval from Acra that it is serving some public or national interest, in this case the promotion of the arts. Founder Edmund Wee said he had been pondering the move for over a year, but had always been told by lawyers that the restructuring would be difficult until he received the 'right advice'. Profits have always been meagre, and he has not paid himself a dividend in the 14 years he has run Epigram – so not much would change in that respect, he told The Straits Times. A CLG, if it encourages businesses aligned with its mission to contribute – possibly as part of their corporate social responsibility programmes – could create an endowment so that it generates significant enough money interest to aid cash flow. Mr Wee, 72, said: 'Publishing is getting harder and harder and I can't borrow from the bank anymore now that I'm past 70. I cannot go around to ask for $50,000 or $60,000 every year. I'm hoping for a bigger lump sum.' To bolster Epigram Literary Foundation's credibility and set donors' minds at ease, he has enlisted nine dignitaries to sit on an advisory council. They are former diplomats Tommy Koh and Kishore Mahbubani; historian Wang Gungwu; former chief economist of GIC Yeoh Lam Keong; special research adviser at the Institute of Policy Studies Arun Mahizhnan; vice-chairman of the Asian arm of investment firm Lepercq de Neuflize, Mr Robert Tomlin; Dr Hong Hai, emeritus professor of business at the Nanyang Technological University; former chairman of The Substation and consultant in philanthropy Chew Keng Chuan; and author Meira Chand. Mr Wee said: 'I'm hoping that they will give the non-profit more standing so that when I go see companies, they are more willing to donate. I had the choice to drastically reduce the outfit so Epigram publishes only three or four books a year, but I didn't want to do that – there's nobody in the ecosystem now publishing Singapore fiction like us. I find that terrible.' Epigram Books hosts the annual Epigram Fiction Books Prize, which awards the winner a $25,000 cash prize and a publishing contract. Three other finalists also each receive $5,000 and a publishing contract. It is the richest pot dedicated to unpublished literary manuscripts in Singapore. Mr Wee said he is also currently working with partners to start a regional book prize for Asean, with a long-term launch date for probably 2027 or later. In theory, the change to a CLG structure should not affect the salaries of its 13 full-time and two part-time employees, but this 'will depend a lot on how much funds can be raised', he added. Epigram is Singapore's largest independent book publisher, publishing upwards of 50 titles a year. Notable titles in its stable include the Eisner-award winning The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (2015) by Sonny Liew, Jeremy Tiang's State Of Emergency (2017) and Meihan Boey's The Formidable Miss Cassidy (2021). All three have secured releases in countries outside Singapore, boosting the Republic's global literary footprint. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
