JGU held its Seventh Convocation Ceremony and Founder’s Day celebrations at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on 7 August 2018. Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, Hon’ble Vice President of India, was the Chief Guest. The event was also attended by Professor Kaptan Singh Solanki, Hon’ble Governor of Haryana; Ms. Justice Gita Mittal, Hon’ble Acting Chief Justice, High Court of Delhi; and Mr. Naveen Jindal, Founding Chancellor, JGU. More than 550 students from the Law, Business, International Affairs, Government & Public Policy and Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools were conferred degrees at the glittering ceremony.

Read the full story : http://bweducation.businessworld.in/article/Education-Will-Be-The-Key-Driver-Of-India-s-Transformation-To-Prosperity-Vice-President/13-08-2018-157760/

JGU released its Strategic Vision 2029 on the occasion of the Seventh Convocation Ceremony and Founder’s Day celebrations held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on 7 August 2018.

Strategic Vision 2029 lays out a broad vision for JGU’s next decade based on our founding vision, values and commitments. The document outlines ten guiding principles that have characterised our institution building efforts over the past decade and will remain a foundation for our growth over the next decade. These ten principles will form the basis of our five pillars to achieve this vision. The five pillars relate to teaching and learning; research capacities and outcomes; sustainable institutional growth; public service; and collaborations and capacity building efforts, and are framed into objectives and priorities for the next 10 years. The objectives and priorities form the framework for our actions and goals for the coming decade.

The release of Strategic Vision 2029 in August 2018 was preceded by a working draft which was framed based on inputs collected from various consultations and interactions over three years, the many internal and public documents JGU has produced in the past, and in particular, an extensive long-term planning process that was undertaken by all Schools, Institutes and Departments of JGU in 2017.

The Strategic Vision 2029 document is a key public document that will enable JGU to create a shared vision for its future. It is also aimed at bringing together the University’s many stakeholders, including parents, alumni, potential students and faculty, national and international partners, and a growing community of institutional supporters in India and across the world, to identify with a shared vision for JGU’s future.

Read Strategic Vision 2029: http://www.jgu.edu.in/sites/default/files/strategic_report.pdf

JGU has appointed 51 new faculty members as the Fall 2018 semester began. JGU now has over 330 faculty members across its eight schools and institutes. JGU has sustained the process of hiring faculty members who have outstanding educational qualifications, global orientation, stellar publication record, relevant work experience, including in the world of practice and those individuals who have a strong commitment to institution building.

Nearly 70% of faculty members at JGU have international qualifications from the leading universities of the world. Further, 17% of our full time faculty members are international coming from 26 different countries/regions including Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, Hong Kong, Iceland, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Korea, Syria, United Kingdom, Ukraine and United States of America. A full list of new faculty members is listed below.

In addition, JGU also made new appointments to the Office of Career Services and the Jindal Global Law School. 

Office of Career Services

Dr. Asim Talukdar was appointed as the Director, Office of Career Services. Dr. Talukdar is an Associate Professor of Management Practice and Vice Dean (Career Development) at Jindal Global Business School (JGBS).

Dr.  Talukdar joined JGU in July 2016. He holds a B.Sc. (Hons.) degree from Calcutta University; PG Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta and FPM from XLRI Jamshedpur. Prior to joining JGBS, he worked as a visiting professor at IMT Ghaziabad and taught courses in Organisation Development & HRM. He has published research papers in reputed international journals. Dr. Talukdar was conferred with the award of distinguished scholar by Academy of Global Business Advancement, USA in 2012.

Dr. Talukdar comes with around 35 years 0f industry experience in the area of Human Resource Management. He has worked with leading organizations like NIIT Ltd., HT Media, Maruti Suzuki, Whirlpool India, PepsiCo India, Britannia Industries and BOC India Ltd. 

Jindal Global Law School

Dr. S.G. Sreejith was appointed as the Vice Dean of Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) at JGU. In this capacity, Dr. Sreejith will be responsible for all aspects of administration at JGLS. 

Dr. Sreejith is an Associate Professor, Associate Dean (Academic Affairs), and Executive Director, Centre for International Legal Studies at JGLS.

Dr.  Sreejith joined JGU in July 2015. He holds a LL.D. from the University of Lapland, Finland; M.Phil. from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, M.B.L. & LL.B. both from the University of Kerala. Prior to joining JGLS, he has worked with reputed institutions like Arctic Centre; the University of Lapland; the National University of Advanced Legal Studies; and the University of Kerala. 

Dr. Sreejith is a distinguished scholar, an outstanding teacher, an able administrator and a prolific researcher. He is the author of “Transcending Jurisprudence: A Critique of the Architectonics of International Law” (Lapland: Lapland University Press, 2010). He has also published in reputed journals such as the Third World Quarterly, San Diego International Law Journal, California Western International Law Journal, Journal of Space Law, Journal of Air Law and Commerce, San Joaquin Agricultural Law Review, Air and Space Law, Indian Journal of International Law, to name a few. He serves on the editorial board of the Indian Journal of International Law (Springer). His areas of interests are public international law, heterodox approaches to international legal thought, and air and space law. 

Over the past two months, several new offices, and functions were established at JGU. These coincide with a crucial institution building phase in JGU’s nine-year history and are aimed towards improved governance and achieving institutional excellence. 

New Academic Block (T4)

Keeping in view of the expansion of schools and students at JGU, a new academic block T4 has been constructed to meet the growing need of classrooms, faculty offices, dining area, including the expansion of the kitchen. 

• Classrooms and Labs for JSAA Students:

T4 is hosting the first batch of students from the Jindal School of Art & Architecture (JSAA). It will have two Classrooms, Art Design Studios, Fabrication & Construction Labs and Digital Labs. The school is in its first year with an interesting group of global faculty with expertise in architecture, sociology, anthropology, engineering, urban studies, art history, art and other interlinked areas. 

• Faculty Offices :

The new facility has office space, which will accommodate 43 faculty members. 

•  Dining Hall and Kitchen :

The new dining area at T4 will accommodate over 400 students in addition to our existing capacity of dining halls located at T1 & T3. We will also have a new state of the art kitchen facility in T4 with a capacity to cook for more than 7,000 people at a time.

In addition to the kitchen and dining area expansions, we have also installed new equipment at the kitchen, which will ensure consistency in the food quality and also enhance the overall efficiency of kitchen operations. 

New Equipment at Gymnasium

The entire strength section of gymnasium has been rejuvenated with an array of world class machines. These new machines are ergonomically designed and works more effectively on the targeted muscle of the body. 

New Student Housing (SH-8)

A new student housing block (SH-8) with a capacity to accommodate 1,200 students has been constructed and is being readied. It will be the largest student housing block on campus and consists of 3 sub blocks viz. A, B & C. All three sub-blocks will have common rooms and reading rooms. 

New Offices  

• Office of Student Life & Cultural Engagement

This office has been created with the objective of creating a vibrant cultural environment on campus that will enable the students to experience campus life in all its forms and manifestations, beyond the academic engagement that we offer through our courses and lectures in the schools of JGU.

This office will endeavour to create an enabling and enriching environment on campus through a variety of activities that would include theatre, art, music, dance, art exhibitions, artistic performances, comedy shows and many other initiatives. JGU is much more than an institution of educational excellence; it is a space where a wide range of creative ideas, talents and interests come together and the aim of this office is to provide space for this creativity to grow and flourish. 

• Office of Rankings, Benchmarking and Institutional Transformation (ORBIT)

The Office of Rankings, Benchmarking and Institutional Transformation will work towards institutional excellence at JGU and its constituent schools to achieve the best ranking amongst World Class Universities. ORBIT will familarise itself with ranking parameters and factors considered for deciding these ranking orders. It will focus on the top three ranking agencies with highest reputation: (a) Times Higher Education Rankings, (b) QS Rankings and (c) Academic Ranking of World Universities. It will also be engaging with Indian rankings organisations. ORBIT will work closely with the Deans and other faculty members for the rankings of the individual schools and towards building the overall reputation of the University.

JGU celebrated India’s 72^nd Independence Day on the University campus. The chief guest at the event was Mr. H.E. Mr. Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro, Ambassador of Indonesia to India, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia and the Guest of Honour was Ms. Fientje Maritje Suebu Deputy Chief of Mission Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia.

Jindal Centre for Israel Studies (JCIS) at Jindal School of International Affairs (JSIA) in collaboration with Shalem College, Jerusalem, Israel, organised a three-week English Immersion Programme from 25 July- 16 August, 2018 on the JGU campus. 

In his opening address to the students and accompanying faculty members from Shalem College, JGU Vice Chancellor, Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar responded to the question – Why study English in India? He stated that the English language forms a unique type of intervention in India. While the presence of the English language in India is a result of its colonial encounter, it is also the official language of communication in a country where several different languages are spoken and used. This programme offered students the opportunity to understand the social context in which the language is embedded and came to be spoken in the Indian subcontinent.

The programme’s unique interdisciplinary approach allowed students to study subjects related to Art, Politics, History and Law in addition to language courses. It also exposed students to cultures and practices found within the Indian subcontinent academically and practically through field trips to Agra, Jatwara – Sonepat, Old Delhi and parts of New Delhi.

JCIS also organised several workshops in collaboration with the University’s Performing Arts Society, Theatre Society, Literary and Fine Arts Society, and JGU Book Club where students from both institutions were able to facilitate the development of better language skills through fun-filled activities while also engaging on important contemporary issues. In the closing ceremony, the dance and music society organised a cultural evening to celebrate India’s 72^nd year of independence on 15 August. 

About JCIS:

The Jindal Centre for Israel Studies (JCIS) was established in 2012 at the Jindal School of International Affairs. The Centre engages MA students in the study of modern Israel. JCIS has fostered institutional networks and exchange on Israel Studies with the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies, Brandeis University, USA and Tel Aviv University, Israel. JCIS aims to carry out research on race, ethnicity and conflict; Jewish Identity, bilateral relations between India and Israel, the American-Jewish Diaspora and Israel as well as on Europe and Israel. It intends to build a research colloquium of scholars pertaining to modern Israeli politics, culture, society, and economy and the betterment of Israeli-Arab relations (including Israeli-Palestinian relations). It welcomes students to write MA dissertations on Israel Studies. JCIS currently offers three elective courses in the Jindal School of International Affairs (JSIA) and the Jindal Global Law School (JGLS). 

The Jindal Centre for Social Innovation + Entrepreneurship (JSiE) signed an agreement with the Tibetan Government-in-exile to become the official incubation partner and create an incubator for past, present and future Tibetan entrepreneurs across India. The Tibetan community-in-exile is considered one of the most successful refugee communities in the world. It is situated in the rapidly growing economy of India. However, Tibetan entrepreneurs have found it difficult to expand their businesses outside local settlement communities and unemployment rates remain stubbornly high. The Tibetan government-in-exile has recognised the need for change and is dedicated to catalysing an entrepreneurial culture within the Tibetan community. Since 2015, JSiE, in association with the Central Tibetan Administration, has hosted early-stage start-up entrepreneurs from the Tibetan community on the JGU campus for five-week residential pre-incubation training programmes. 

About JSiE:

The Jindal Centre for Social Innovation + Entrepreneurship (JSiE) is an award-winning social impact Centre at JGU. In addition to research and the development of digital learning opportunities, JSiE offers guidance and resources to JGU students with entrepreneurial aspirations. JSiE’s Startup Academy program offers sessions on business model development and mentorship to JGU students with an enterprise idea. These are offered during the semester, in addition to students’ classes.

Learn more about JSiE at: http://www.jsie.in

As part of an institutional academic collaboration, a delegation from the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University visited JGU on 30 July 2018 to explore new opportunities. A team of six faculty members and 28 students from the School visited the Jindal Global Business School.

The delegation from the Kelley School of Business included Mr. Joshua Edward Perry, Assistant Professor, Business, Law & Ethics; Mr. Alexandre Barsi-Lopes, Clinical Associate Professor, Information Systems; Mr. Lukas David Leftwich, Director, Undergraduate Program; Mr. Michael Joseph Grubb, Academic Advisor; Ms. Christine Andrea Burns and Ms. Tia Lynn Trueblood, Assistant Director, International Programs.

Jindal Global Business School (JGBS) organised a CEO Round Table on ‘Infrastructure Management Challenges and Opportunities’ on 21 August 2018 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The round table included senior industry leaders as panellists including Mr. Vivek Gautam, Chief Operating Officer, Tata Projects Limited; Mr. Ravi Jonnalagadda, GMR Infrastructure; Mr. Ajai Gupta, Managing Director, JCL Infra Limited; Mr. Suryansh Jain, Director, Arvind Techno Engineers Private Limited; and Mr. Anshuman Sharma, Director, Project Planning, Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited.

Mr. Anshuman Sharma began the panel discussion by introducing the government’s perspective on infrastructure management. He shared that the coming years will witness huge investments in the sector, across both railways and roads, with the aim to expand the reach and upgrade the technology. While building infrastructure is a challenge, he said that managing infrastructure required much greater effort. He emphasised that the sector would offer a range of opportunities for management graduates. As a senior leader in one of the biggest infrastructure firms in India, Mr. Vivek Gautam shared that the sector promises immense opportunities for tomorrow’s management professionals. However, it would need people who can bring in new thinking and who are driven to achieve more. For instance, renewable energy has a lot of potential but would need innovative solutions. He advised students to focus on acquiring knowledge during the first ten years of their career.

Mr. Ajai Gupta stressed on the need to address issues of corruption, cleanliness, and law and order associated with managing infrastructure. Urging the students to focus on gaining knowledge and not just information, he encouraged them to become leaders who inspire through action and not just words.

In a speech laced with humour, Mr. Ravi Jonnalagadda brought out what the huge opportunities in the infrastructure sector could mean for young graduates. He focussed on the importance of developing the qualities of ownership, humility, and teamwork in order to succeed in this sector.

Presenting the evolution of the PPP model in India, Mr. Suryansh Jain observed that post 2014 things have again started looking up for the infrastructure sector in the country. He pointed out that land acquisition, financing, and changes in geo-technical data are the most challenging areas in executing projects. But the welcome change, according to him, is the sense of urgency to finish projects on the part of the government and which bodes well for the sector.

The Jindal Center for Visual Arts (JCVA) in association with the Center for Environment, Sustainability and Human Development (CESH), organised a first-of-its-kind art exhibition on the JGU campus between August 8 and 17, 2018. The exhibition comprised a delectable set of CON-structs by Arun Kumar H.G., a Gurgaon-based artist whose work has featured in numerous national and international exhibitions around the world since the early ‘90s.

The final day of the exhibition brought the artist to a ‘Walk The Talk’, reflecting on contemporary environmental crises of urban livelihood. The meet also featured Dr. Kathleen L Wyma, Professor of Contemporary Global, Modern and South Asian Art History at the University of Hong Kong, to reflect on role of visual art as a medium of environmental activism.

“I am a tree. Look at my twigs…like veins, like arteries…carrying life back and forth…”, the Walk begun as the artist pointed at one of the human shapes, installed near the Global Adda on the JGU campus, made of broken twigs and trunks, “They run like blood vessels all across me to connect me with the earth beneath; an earth that is but vanishing rapidly.”

The narrative melded art with history, history with folklore, folklore with science, science with philosophy, philosophy with society, society with environment, environment with art, in a delicate harmony that underlines the essence of liberal arts education as a whole.

“This body of work centers on nature”, the artist emphasised, “and how it could be viewed through an artist’s lens. Through these life forms I contemplate on the confluence of negative externalities associated with urban sprawl that beset nature’s harmony.”

Though organised under the aegis of the Jindal School of Liberal Arts & Humanities (JSLH), the exhibits attracted admirers from across JGU schools. It was indeed as, Dr. Achia Anzi, Assistant Professor, JSLH and Founder of the Jindal Center of Visual Arts, said later, “This was the first time JGU hosted a real-life art exhibition on such a grand scale, and it was highly gratifying to note the level of response even when the semester was in full swing”.

Reflecting on art as a medium of environmental activism, the artist said, “Here, I’ve crafted different art forms. But if you chose to view it for their physical shapes only, your appreciation will limit itself to outer manifestations. But notice: I’ve intentionally left them in halves”, as he points at the wooden elephant with half torso, “This is where art meets environment. That missing half reminds me of what’s been lost of nature due to our unsustainable material CON-sumption. So basically, in an attempt to earn a better livelihood, we are CON-stantly CON-ning ourselves.”

In a career spanning over more than two decades, artist Arun Kumar’s work has garnered appreciation from critics all over the world that includes various cities in India, US, France, Australia, Denmark, Belgium, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and many more. This was the first time the artist was visiting JGU with his work.

Continuing on his enunciation, he pointed at the black Rhino, a pitch-dark motif carved of charred wood, “On the outside, it is an art form. But then, there is an inner story. First, half the treasure is already eaten out. And whatever’s still left of nature, I mean the elephant, our consumptive behavior is burning out.” 

As the crowd began to grow in size and diversity, he explained how visual art could be a powerful medium to inculcate the sense of camaraderie: between human and human, as well as human and nature.

He smiled when asked about the reason to choose nature as his subject,

“How can I not feel responsible for what is happening to my place? To my people? Having a peasant origin, agrarian livelihood has been the core tenet of my work all along. But now, engulfed by environmental crises, brought upon us by our technocratic ideals of development, nature and her losses have become a defining force of my art.”

With that smile he turns it back to the crowd
“Is that not an artist’s duty? To observe things around and CON-struct shapes, forms, colors to evoke images that transcend their physical bounds and make you see the obvious in new light? Help us realize where we are falling short?” 

 “Look at that bird”, he points to a massive avian shape on the far end, “I saw a documentary once which showed that many avian species are becoming extinct due to ingestion of plastic waste…it was shocking…bags, bottle-caps and whatnots. This shape tells me how the birds are losing their sky every day. They still may have wings but can no longer lift themselves up from ground. Their lungs are filled with our craps”.

But why CON-structs?
“As I said earlier, I feel there’s a self-conning going on with our never-ending material need and irreparable damage to nature’s basket” the artist explained, “But then, its also that the raw material for these came from the CON-struction sites. Urban waste; wood mainly, trunks, twigs, packing cases, paper pulps, all that has been wasted to make room for metro. From my home to workplace, I picked them up, and later re-shaped them in studio. The idea was, to use the discarded material itself to create a sense of ethos”.

The programme ended with the artist’s insightful remark, “As students and faculty of liberal arts and humanities, which itself is a confluence of so many different disciplines, you are perhaps the ones to rightly comprehend the confluence of factors that aggravate nature’s tragedy. And how, through all, our sense of atheism meanders like a river to say it all without saying much at all”.

The Jindal Initiative on Research in IP and Competition (JIRICO) organised a conference on “Innovation for Shared Prosperity: GR[IP] On Balanced Policymaking” on 21 August 2018.

An edited book by Dr. Ashish Bharadwaj, Vishwas H. Devaiah, and Indranath Gupta, titled “Multi-dimensional Approaches Towards New Technology: Insights on Innovation, Patents and Competition” was also released at Magnolia Hall, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on August 20, 2018. Apart from the above, JIRICO also organised a seminar talk by Ms. Suzanne Rab, Barrister, Serle Court Chambers, London on the JGU campus on 23 August 2018. In addition, JIRICO released its brief for the month July, 2108. 

• 4^th International Conference on Innovation for Shared Prosperity: GR[IP] On Balanced Policymaking

JIRICO organised a conference on “Innovation for Shared Prosperity: GR[IP] On Balanced Policymaking” at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on August 20, 2018. The panel discussion broadly focused on the following themes: National Digital Communications Policy, 2018; Effective policymaking in IT, telecom & broadcasting sectors; Promotion of local manufacturing in innovative markets; Role of innovation & IP to drive ‘Make in India’ initiative; and Empowering start-ups to enable innovation-led growth.

The panel included Mr. N. Sivasailam, IAS, Special Secretary, Dept. of Telecom; Chandrima Sinha, VP, Invest India, Nat. Investment Promotion Agency; Mahesh Uppal, Director, ComFirst India; Parag Kar, Vice President, Qualcomm India; Sushil K. Satpute, Director, Dept. of Industrial Policy & Promotion; Vipin Tyagi, Exec. Director, Centre for Development of Telematics; A.K. Garg, Director (IPR), Ministry of Electronics & IT; and Sunil Kumar Singhal, Advisor, TRAI

• Book Launch

A new book titled “Multi-dimensional Approaches Towards New Technology: Insights on Innovation, Patents and Competition” was released by Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor, JGU and Shri Amarendra Khatua Former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, during a conference on “Innovation for Shared Prosperity: Gr[IP] On Balanced Policymaking” at the India Habitat Centre on 21 August 2018. The book is edited by Ashish Bharadwaj, Vishwas H. Devaiah, Indranath Gupta. 

• Seminar

JIRICO organised a seminar talk on “The GDPR: Privacy in an International Context and Impacts on the Education Sector” and “Global Antitrust Risk Management: Exploring EU, UK and International Experience on Risk Management in Competition Investigations” on August 23, 2018 at the JGU campus.

The seminar was chaired by Ms. Suzanne Rab, barrister at Serle Court Chambers, London, UK. Ms. Rab has wide experience of EU law and competition law matters combining cartel regulation, commercial practices, IP exploitation, merger control, public procurement and State aid.

The General Data Protection Regulation or (“GDPR”) brings about important changes to the EU regime for the handling of personal data with effect from 25 May 2018. It creates one of the strictest regulatory regimes in the area of data privacy in the world. 

JIRICO Released its policy brief for the month of July, 2018

JIRICO’s key focus areas of research are highlighted in the monthly, JIRICO Brief. The latest issue is available at :

July Issue: https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/jgu-dev/JIRICO+BRIEF_July_2018_16th_August_FNL.pdf

Dr. Galina Rousseva-Sokolova receives World Hindi Award 

Dr. Galina Rousseva-Sokolova, Associate Professor, Liberal Arts & Humanities was awarded the World Hindi Award at the 11^th World Hindi Conference held in Mauritius on August 18-20 2018. The event was hosted by the Ministry of External Affairs and attended by Ms. Leela Devi Dookhun, Education Minister, Mauritius and Ms. Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External Affairs, India. The World Hindi Conference aims to promote Hindi language to ensure the progressive use of it. 

Dr. Meenakshi Tomar wins Dr. Indira Parikh 50 Women in Education Leaders Award   

Dr. Meenakshi Tomar, Assistant Professor, Jindal Global Business School was facilitated with the prestigious Dr. Indira Parikh 50 Women in Education Leaders Award at the World Education Congress 2018. The award recognises her outstanding contribution for education in the field of communication. The award was conferred by Dr. Indira Parikh at a ceremony held at the Taj Lands’ End, Mumbai on 5th July 2018.

Dr. Tomar was also selected as a runner-up for the Ramaswamy P Aiyar Young Teacher Award of the for Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS). She was felicitated at the 30th AIMS Annual Management Education Convention held in Bangalore.

Yuvraj Lamba, a student of Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) won a Bronze Medal in Trap shooting (mixed team category) at the 10th International Junior Shotgun Cup, Finland.

In addition, he also bagged three Gold Medals in Trap shooting in the Junior and Senior categories at the Haryana State Shooting Championships 2018. 

1. Vice President of India emphasises need for greater opportunities for girls and women

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/provide-ample-opportunities-to-girl-child-to-excel-naidu/articleshow/65318731.cms

2. Dr. Jessica Field, Assistant Professor, JSIA speaks to GlacierHub on the Himalayan ecosystems

https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2018/08/07/war-natural-disasters-indian-military/

3. Dr. Priya Kanungo Associate Professor, JSLH interviews photographer Aditya Arya about Kulwant Roy’s long-lost frames of the Indian freedom struggle

https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/freedom-in-black-and-white/article24694495.ece