21st issue all pages for website by Corporate Citizen

CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP

PROF. SUDHIR K SOPORY, VICE CHANCELLOR, JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY (JNU) Volume 1, Issue No. 21 / Pages 68 / www.corporatecitizen.in

January 1-15, 2016 / `50

CORPORATE CULTURE

Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank on women in leadership and gender diversity

INTERVIEW

An in-depth interview with Vishal Parekh, Marketing Director India with Kingston Technology and Rajeev Bhadauria, Director, Group HR, at Jindal Steel & Power

Dynamic Duo 21 MEERA SHANKAR AND AJAY SHANKAR

UNFLINCHING SUPPORT

cover inner

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BIMM

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2 / Corporate Citizen / January 1-15, 2016

BITM

BALAJI INSTITUTE OF TELECOM MANAGEMENT

BIIB

BALAJI INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

BIMHRD BALAJI INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT & HRD

—An interesting read

I enjoy reading your magazine. You cover a variety of topics and provide knowledge, insights as well as analysis, which makes it an interesting read. Good job and all the very best. Prashant Ranade, Vice Chairman, Syntel

CC magazine - A must-read for B-school faculty and students Firstly, let me congratulate you on bringing such a wonderful fortnightly related to corporate life. It is so pleasing to read through all the articles. I am immensely satisfied with the various columns and interviews, especially Cradle of Leadership. The Chicago Booth School of Business story, Tete-A-Tete with Anjali Byce of SKF, in the issue no.18, made good reading. I totally agree with the statement “Building corporate culture is posssible only by putting people first.” Overall, the magazine content and presentation is very good and I recommend business schools to subscribe to CC. It is a must-read for their faculty and students. Prof. Martin L Bhoompag MBA, PGDCP (PhD) Associate Professor of Business Management

It’s a must-read magazine for college students, general public Recently, I happened to come across this wonderful magazine. Its tagline ‘the cool side of business’, seems to be a classic understatement, given its range of insights into—decision making, leading teams, building up a business, dealing with multiple issues, an inside view of responsibilities and challenges of a high-profile job, from corporate, government institutions, even the armed forces, innovative steps and initiatives. The interviews present the hardearned wisdom gained from experience. In fact, I think it’s a must-read not only for the people from the corporate sector, but college students, and general readers as well. Adv. V S Apte, Tax Consultant, CE & ST

Featuring a variety of corporate sectors is CC’s USP When I picked a copy of Corporate Citizen Magazine, I was expecting a glossy magazine replete with corporate gossip and small talk on corporate issues. But I was really in for a happy surprise as the magazine was full of immensely readable stories, focusing on what does it take to be a corporate leader and how do they face trying situations and come out

FEEDBACK

CORPORATE HISTORY

Growing up with BATA Despite the real competition from online stores and fancy foreign players, Bata continues to be India’s favourite walking partner. In fact, the 2015 Brand Trust Report says it is the “most trusted brand” in the footwear category. Read on to find out more... By Kalyani Sardesai

or a shoe brand that is the embodiment of all things fine and desi—namely affordability, value for money, footwear for the entire family—here’s the most delicious irony of all. For Bata—India’s choice—for decades now—was not born in India. It is instead, part of the MNC Bata Shoe Organisation (BSO), a family owned global footwear and fashion accessory manufacturer and retailer with acting headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. Organised into three business units: Bata Europe, based in Italy; Bata Emerging Market (Asia, Pacific, Africa and Latin America), based in Singapore, and Bata Protective (worldwide B2B operations), based in the Netherlands, the organisation has a retail presence in over 70 countries and production facilities in 26 countries. But that does not take away even a bit from its

India association which is a saga in itself. It is very much the shoe brand that has walked the Indian middle class from the pre-independence to post independence era and the pre-internet era to the post-internet era.

Here’s finding out just why. Bata Shoe Company Private India was incorporated as a small company of the BSO at Kolkata in 1932. Initially just a small component of the parent company, it went from strength to strength. In 1973, it changed its name to Bata India Limited. Today, Bata India is the largest company for the BSO and the second largest in terms of revenues. With over 1200 stores across the country, it is the second highest revenue grosser for the parent company. The 4 Pillars: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. If Product, Price, Place and Promotion are the

44 / Corporate Citizen / October 16-31, 2015

BATA SUCCESS STORY...A GOOD READ I am very happy to read the success story of Bata in the Corporate Citizen issue, dated October 16-31, written by Kalyani Sardesai. I am proud of the Bata brand, since my childhood. I have always been using Bata shoes and chappals, as I am satisfied with the production quality of Bata.What attracts me to their store is the excellent professional approach to their customers. I have been quoting the name of Thomas Bata (who built the shoe company) in my lectures on entrepreneurship for the MBA students. I am interested in knowing if there is any biography or autobiography, available on Thomas Bata. Our MBA students will be interested in carrying out a survey of customers satisfaction in the city. One of my students doing doctoral research, is interested in writing a thesis on the success story of Bata. - Dr PC Shejwalkar, 47/16, Erandawane, Off Karve Road, Pune

with flying colours. The variety of corporate fields it tackles is also commendable. But its USP seems to be its holistic approach towards lessons in leadership and management through the interviews of achievers from corporate, academic and the defence field. MC Shinde, Pune

credit to get a ringside view of the industry with a human touch with inspiring stories, sharp observations, along with explaining the complexity of the issues involved. UP Vaidya, Pune

Magazine for all who want to join the corporate world

Business magazines are a dime a dozen, but Corporate Citizen has that one thing other business magazines lack, the human element. Corporate Citizen goes beyond annual reports and market valuations, it introduces us to the people who breathe life into these institutions, it gives us an insight into their lives, their lessons. And for that, I am eternally grateful. Amit Joshi, Director at Deshmukh & Joshi Chartered Accountants, Mumbai

These days, most youngsters are looking for a corporate career. It would be helpful to provide an inside view of this dizzyingly vast sector. There are myriad issues with sociocultural, gender/political/attitudinal differences in our country, especially in a fiercely competitive corporate. Maintaining balance between reality and idealism, values and practical solutions, success and price to pay for it is not easy. It is to Corporate Citizen’s

A business magazine which gives a human element

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 3

ING M OW

z CASE STUDY: 20 TRU M

My Romance with NHRDN, Pune

y lifestyle in the initial years of my academic career comprised waking up early at 5 am and going for a run for an hour or so at the Gokhale Ground. After that, I went as visiting faculty to Symbiosis Law School from 7:30 am to 9 am. The honorarium being `75 per hour, which was sufficient for my bar expenditure. Along with this, I used to get a pension of `2,000 per month. Thus, my economic and social status had changed, thanks to the training which I got from the Army and the opportunity given to me by Symbiosis. The Gokhale Ground also gave me a good friend – eminent political leader and educationist, Dr Patangrao Kadam of Bharati Vidyapeeth. I learnt a lot from him. He too used to come for a morning walk at 5 am, escorted by two policemen. I had never met him before. So, one day I asked him, “Who are you Sir? And why are these policemen with you?’’ He replied, “I am Kadam.” Pat came my reply, “Woh Patagrao Kadam toh nahi hai, Bharati Vidyapeeth ke?’’ He said, “Ha, ha, wohi Patangrao Kadam hai, magar tum kaun ho?’’ I replied, “I am Professor Bala from Symbiosis.’’ “Okay, so you are the man who is making so much hungama there?” he said smilingly and after his walking hour, he invited me to his home for a cup of tea. Thereafter, the tea meeting became a

routine affair for us. He was a powerful Congress minister, aspiring for the position of Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Otherwise, I am an introvert – I generally don’t interact with people – my hobby has always been reading and being with the students. How to make the HR the best in the country, is a question which used to always haunt me. I introduced a system whereby students were required to be on-the-job training for six hours every day and thereafter join the classes, which then carried on till late in the night. I had also organised a seminar for two days on the theme ‘HRD – what they preach and practice’ which was inaugurated by Mr T N Seshan, the then Chief Election Commissioner of India and the keynote address was by Dr T V Rao. Other dignitaries included Mr Arun Firodia, Mr Manob Bose, Mr V P Nathan, Mr Arun Wakhlu, Mr P M Kumar and many other top-ranking corporate leaders, whose names I am unable to recollect at this stage. Mr Yeshwant Mudaliar, who was the Founder President of National HRDN and the then head of HR in Sandvik Asia Ltd, was one of the delegates. He was actively involved with the NHRD network in Pune. He reached out to me, to start a student wing of NHRDN. Mr Mudaliar was a humble, simple man and a symbol of humility. He had been a marketing man for his entire career and took the mantle of being the HR head, in the last leg of his career. Therefore, he was an excellent marketing man, besides being a great

The NHRD Network was gaining so much ground that the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had to change the nomenclature of the Union Education Ministry to the Ministry of HRD. We too decided to start the student wing of the NHRDN 4 / Corporate Citizen / January 1-15, 2016

HR professional. Though in his 80s, he was still teaching HRD to my students. Those were the nascent years of the NHRD. Great visionaries like Dr T V Rao and Dr Udai Pareek established this new human resource system in the corporate world. Dr T V Rao is regarded as “The Father of Indian HRD”. A new Human Resource Development system emerged in India in 1974 with Dr T V Rao and Dr Udai Pareek heading the movement. It was started as a ‘Review Exercise of the Performance Appraisal System’ for Larsen & Toubro by the duo from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) which resulted in the development of a new function – The Human Resources Development. Dr Rao and Dr Pareek were instrumental in setting up the HRD Department for L&T and making it the first company in this part of the world to have a fully dedicated HRD Department. However, I personally feel that the HRD movement in the true sense took birth in TISCO Jamshedpur when Russi Mody used to lead TISCO. But where was the address of the NHRD movement? Though Dr T V Rao was from IIM Ahmedabad, he could not perhaps get the required support and here is where the XLRI grabbed the opportunity and provided not only the space but also all the other logistic support. The NHRD movement spread like wildfire and many companies just added ‘D’ to start the HRD Department. Those were the days when a lot of labour strikes were taking place and productivity had hit the rock bottom. HRD was considered as a response system to overcome such unrest and conflicts. The Pune Chapter of NHRD was very active in those days, although the city had only three management institutes. Now, there are nearly a 100 of them. Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM) and the Institute of Management Development and Research (IMDR)

were the two prominent ones. I was the HOD of SIBM for a few years before I conceived the idea of the first, exclusive management institute in the country “for defence personnel and their dependents’’ with the sole aim of creating a research centre and helping rehabilitation of ex-servicemen and their children. That model inspired the Armed Forces to start many more colleges all over the country for the defence personnel and their dependants. When I say I was HOD in SIBM, one should not think of an array of staff – it was a one-man army, but the chair was comfortable as my predecessor, Prof. M S Pillai had brought a lot of reputation to the chair. Compared to him, I was nowhere but as a student of his I was familiar with his style of functioning, philosophy and the importance of HR. I just tried to follow his footsteps but added the ‘military discipline’ bit to it. ‘Military discipline’ and ‘managerial fervour’ were my forte. The NHRD Network was gaining so much ground that the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had to change the nomenclature of the Union Education Ministry to the Ministry of HRD. We too decided to start the student wing of the NHRDN and to make every student as paid member, which was accomplished. To make it a memorable event, I decided to have the student wing inaugurated at the hands of the then Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Mr Manohar Joshi or the then Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Gopinath Munde. The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance had come to power for the first time in Maharashtra. On the date of oath taking ceremony, I was there, standing in the Secretariat, trying to meet the Chief Minister or the Deputy Chief Minister. I was fortunate to be the first person to enter Mr Munde’s office, after he took over as the Deputy Chief Minister, with a request letter to inaugurate the Student Wing of NHRDN. It was the then IG Police, A V Krishnan, who pointed out that the Deputy Chief Minister should make his first visit to SIMS. Gopinath Munde graciously accepted my invitation and later on, we became good friends. Whenever he used to visit Pune, whether he was in power or not, he used to exchange pleasantries with me. When he reached the institute, I had already organised a felicitation of my beloved leader, Dr S B Mujumdar at his hands. And then he inaugurated the student wing and gave a talk. But, an NHRD Journal was not coming to us, as promised and we were wondering what to do. Dr T V Rao and Dr Udai Pareek were too big for me and so I could not reach out to them. Mr Yeshwant Mudaliar was also a busy person or was unavailable. Having paid the subscription, the students were harassing me for the journal. Finally, I was told to reach out to XLRI. From there too, the

Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian with the then Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Gopinath Munde who inaugurated the student wing of NHRDN at SIMS

response was lukewarm. These issues made me realise that NHRDN did not have a permanent address. After this, I wrote an emotional letter to Dr T V Rao, who invited me to Hyderabad. If my memory serves me right, he took me to a land of about four acres and showed me that an academy of HRD will be built on that land and the NHRDN headquarters will be established there. With all humility, I told him that I would also contribute my might for the construction of the building. By now, I had become active in Pune as I introduced a system of a weekend address, by the HRD professionals in my institute. But my question about an address for the Pune Chapter of NHRDN remained unanswered. I thought, why should I not be instrumental in solving the problem rather than being the problem? I came out with a suggestion to the Pune Chapter of the NHRDN that they should either buy some space or at least rent a permanent office for which, I, in my capacity as Director, SIMS would like to contribute concretely. I proposed, “Let us organise a convention of HR Professionals. I will get lot of students as student delegates, for a good amount of fee. You can get me industry delegates.” The proposal, as I had envisaged was accepted. So, a committee was formed with Arun Wakhlu (who rarely attended the meetings), Yeshwant Mudaliar, Col. Pathak and Kiran Gandhi of Thermax. All the meetings were held at the Thermax House and great progress was made. NHRDN Pune reached out extensively to prospective delegates. We all were truly excited that this project that would see a permanent office for NHRDN, Pune. One of the meetings was attended by Mrs Anu Aga, the then Chairperson of Thermax and a veteran NHRD activist herself. We very proudly told

her about our efforts for raising funds through a convention for a permanent office space for NHRDN, Pune. Our proposal was instantly shot down by her, who raised the question: “Why do you need a separate place? You can always meet here at the Thermax House. Don’t think about money; with money comes politics. Politics will bring in problems which will finally destroy all the good work that you are doing in NHRDN.” With those strong words from her, everything went for a toss. Finally, only my students were there to attend the NHRD meet, organised by us. However, I am an old-timer and I continue to feel that an office brings in a feeling of identity, although one could also argue that in this world of technology, you can be in a mobile office, anywhere. I raised the same question of an office with the present President of NHRDN, Pune Chapter recently. I even volunteered to rent out a space permanently for NHRDN in any place in Pune. What’s more, when I went to Hyderabad, I happened to meet Mr Ravikant Reddy who is the President of the NHRDN there, to extend my helping hand for construction of a building for the Hyderabad NHRDN Chapter. ‘D’ denotes knowledge, skill and attitude. NHRDN, for me, is an excellent educational entity. No wonder, as an educationist and family member, I continue in my quest to seek permanent arrangements for the NHRDN, as I am passionately involved with it.

DR (COL.) A. BALASUBRAMANIAN editor-in-chief January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 5

Contents Dynamic Duo 21

COVER STORY

Unflinching Support

An in-depth and insightful interview with diplomat Meera Shankar and senior civil servant Ajay Shankar on what does it take to be a successful diplomat or bureaucrat and what goes into the making of a successful marriage despite chasing parallel professional paths even across the seven seas

COLLYWOOD

Chatpata Chatter from the Corporate World

MANAGE MONEY

Dr Anil Lamba on Trading on Equity: How to use Fixed-Cost Assets/Funds to Magnify Returns

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS 2016

New Year Resolutions 2016 by the corporate world

INTERVIEW

An in-depth interview with Vishal Parekh, Marketing Director - India with Kingston Technology 6 / Corporate Citizen / January 1-15, 2016

Volume 1 Issue No. 21 January 1-15, 2016 www.corporatecitizen.in

CORPORATE CULTURE

Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank speaks on women in leadership, gender diversity and safety and security of women employees at ICICI Bank

CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP

Prof. Sudhir K Sopory, Vice Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)

CLIMATE TALKS

If only the polar bear could speak

TÊTE-À-TÊTE

A candid conversation with Rajeev Bhadauria, Director, Group HR, at Jindal Steel and Power

THE TAX MAN COMETH-7

Bollywood stars cry foul by S K Jha {IRS (retd) and former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax}

LOVED & MARRIED TOO

Ritesh and Heena Ranjan Thakur on love and commitment

STAR CAMPUS PLACEMENT

Atul Tiwari on his first break in the corporate world

SURVEY

An in-depth survey conducted by PriceWaterHouseCoopers across key industry sectors, on India’s economy which is set to increase by ten times over the next two decades.

PEARLS OF WISDOM

Power of ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’ by Pope Francis

BOLLYWOOD BIZ

Startups backed by Bollywood Stars

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 7

Editor-In-Chief Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian

HEALTH

Not a wink of sleep--how prolonged insomnia can interfere with daytime function, concentration, and memory

Senior Sub-Editor Neeraj Varty

TRAVEL

Writers Delhi Bureau Pradeep Mathur / Sharmila Chand

New York...The city that never sleeps

MOBILE APPS

CLAPS & SLAPS

Bengaluru Bureau Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar Pune Bureau Dinesh Kulkarni / Suchismita Pai / Kalyani Sardesai Circulation Officer Jaywant Patil +91 9923202560

Our bouquets and brickbats for the fortnight!

ASTROTURF

What is in store for you in 2016!

FEATHERLITE

Tweets from the Corporate World!

Assistant Editor Joe Williams Senior Business Writers Mahalakshmi Hariharan Rajesh Rao

Best Apps to fulfil your New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Resolutions!

Consulting Editor Vinita Deshmukh

THE LAST WORD

Company =Vision+Hard work by Dr Ganesh Natarajan, Vice Chairman & CEO at Zensar Technologies

BE A CORPORATE CITIZEN

How do you like this issue of Corporate Citizen - The Cool Side of Business? Send in your views, news, suggestions and contributions to corporatecitizenwriters@gmail.com We would love to hear from you! 8 / Corporate Citizen / January 1-15, 2016

Manager Circulation Mansha Viradia +91 9765387072 North : Hemant Gupta +91 9582210930 South : Asaithambi G +91 9941555389 Creative Direction Kiyan Gupta, The Purple Stroke Graphic Designer Anil Walunj On Cover Page Ajay and Meera Shankar Photographers Yusuf Khan, Shantanu Relekar Website / Online Subscription www.corporatecitizen.in For Advertising, Marketing & Subscription queries Email: circulations@corporatecitizen.in (Corporate Citizen does not accept responsibility for returning unsolicited manuscripts and photographs. All unsolicited material should be accompanied by self-addressed envelopes and sufficient postage) Tel. (020) 69000677 / 69000672

COLLYWOOD

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

Shah Rukh tops 2015 Forbes India Celebrity list The year 2015, has been the best year for Shah Rukh Khan in terms of financial success as this is the highest any celebrity has ever made in the four years. After making it at No. 3 last year, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan acquired the No. 1 position in the 2015 Forbes India Celebrity 100 list, the top earner too—a whopping ₹ 257.5 crore. At No. 2 is Salman Khan with ₹202.75 crore, followed by megastar Amitabh Bachchan who earned ₹112.00 crore this 2015. Indian cricket ODI captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni maintained his position at No. 4 from last year. Aamir Khan made it to the top five for the first time with ₹104.25 crore, thanks to the mega hit, ‘PK’. Akshay Kumar is at No. 6, while actors Deepika Padukone

and Hrithik Roshan came in at 9 and 10. Actresses Alia Bhatt and Madhuri Dixit have moved up the list compared to last year, the reason being brand endorsement revenue and their fame quotient, despite no movie revenue. In terms of fame, Amitabh Bachchan still reigns at the top of the list with approximately 17.5 million followers on Twitter, the highest-ever for any celebrity on the list. This year’s list has 14 debutants, among them cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, at number 31. Filmmaker SS Rajamouli and actor Prabhas make it to the list due to the monster hit ‘Baahubali’. There were more dropouts this year though—nine celebs including Sanjay Leela Bhansali, A R Murugadoss and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. RANK

NAME

EARNINGS (IN `CRORE)

MONEY RANK

FAME RANK

SHAH RUKH KHAN

257.5

SALMAN KHAN

202.75

AMITABH BACHCHAN

112

MS DHONI

119.33

AAMIR KHAN

104.25

AKSHAY KUMAR

127.83

VIRAT KOHLI

104.78

SACHIN TENDULKAR

DEEPIKA PADUKONE

HRITHIK ROSHAN

74.5

(Sources Forbes India)

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 9

ESPN ELEVATES RAMESH KUMAR AS VP

US varsity declares scholarship named after Dr APJ Kalam Indian students planning to pursue PhD from the University of South Florida will be eligible for a new scholarship from the next academic year. The university has announced a postgraduate annual scholarship worth about one crore rupees in the name of former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam. The scholarship is meant for Indian students enrolling for PhD courses in specific fields of science and engineering. It will be effective from the academic year 2016-17. The recipients will obtain a fee waiver for four years,

which will be a total of $84,500. University of South Florida’s Vice Provost, and System Associate Vice President for Global Academic Programs, Roger Brindley,

wrote a letter to Ponraj Vellaichamy, the Scientific Advisor to APJ Abdul Kalam. The students will also receive a stipend worth $18,000 every year. He added that the former president was a respected visitor at the university in 2012, where he gave a talk on green energy and sustainability. Ponraj said that there could not be a more fitting tribute to Dr Kalam by a foreign university. It proves that Dr Kalam had gone beyond boundaries to provide knowledge to people across the world.

Kaher Kazem to head General Motors’ India unit Kaher Kazem has been appointed President and Managing Director of General Motors India, replacing Arvind Saxena, who is retiring, according to a company announcement. Kazem, who moved to India from Uzbekistan recently and is Chief Operating Officer, will take over his new role on January 1, 2016. “As 10 / Corporate Citizen / January 1-15, 2016

we commit to our business in India, a clear focus on excellence and execution will be critical to our winning in this important market. Over the next five years, we aim to grow our business in India, launch 10 new vehicles and establish our Talegaon operations as an export hub for emerging markets,” the company said.”

In their comeback bid in collaboration with Sony, sports broadcaster ESPN, announced elevation of head of ESPNcricinfo and ESPN India Ramesh Kumar as Vice President, Head of ESPN India and South Asia. Kumar, in his new role, will oversee day-to-day operations of ESPN’s multimedia future in India and help drive the strategic growth of ESPN in India and the subcontinent. It includes oversight of ESPN’s leading digital properties including ESPNcricinfo, ESPN FC and the forthcoming local edition of multisport ESPN site and app in India, an ESPN statement said. He will report to Russell Wolff, Executive Vice President, ESPN International and will continue to be part of ESPN’s regional Asia-Pacific leadership team, working for Mike Morrison, Vice President, ESPN Asia Pacific. In another change, Sambit Bal, an editor of ESPNcricinfo, has been elevated as Editor-in-Chief, ESPN India/South Asia.

COLLYWOOD Google’s Rajan Anandan to join IDFC Bank board Newly launched private sector IDFC Bank has appointed Internet company Google’s Rajan Anandan as an independent director on the bank’s board, subject to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and shareholders’ approval. Anandan is Vice President and Managing Director of Google in Southeast Asia and India. He will be the ninth director on IDFC’s bank’s board. “Rajan

brings to the bank a valuable perspective on the virtual world and energises our ability to innovate. His appointment not only strengthens our board’s breadth of expertise, it also adds depth to our understanding of the digital space,” Rajiv Lall, MD & CEO, IDFC Bank said. Anandan who holds a BSc degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an MSc from Stanford University, has been with Google since 2011 when he joined from Microsoft. He was also Executive Assistant to Dell Chairman Michael Dell. “Anandan’s guidance will be useful as IDFC Bank is set to offer a service proposition that is anchored in technology,” the bank said. IDFC Bank started operations on October 1, 2015, with 23 branches across India, after receiving the RBI nod last year.

ABB India names Sanjeev Sharma the MD Power and automation technology firm ABB India has named Sanjeev Sharma as its Managing Director. He will take over from Bazmi Husain, who has been named by the ABB Group as its Global Chief Technology Officer. Prior to this appointment, Sharma was global managing director for ABB’s low voltage systems business unit and was based in Malaysia. He started his career working for ABB in India and has also worked in Germany and Switzerland. “Sanjeev brings over 25 years of experience in ABB in diverse roles across various locations and

functions, where he has most notably been responsible for running a successful global business unit,” said ABB India Chairman Frank Duggan. “ABB has a manufacturing presence in India for more than half a century. Now with the exciting developments in the country be it in renewables, manufacturing in India or smart cities, ABB India is poised for many more milestones. So I am looking forward to take ABB forward and to support the development in the country, especially around uncoupling growing carbon emissions from a growing economy,” Sharma said.

ANGELA MERKEL NAMED TIME’S ‘PERSON OF THE YEAR’ German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been named Time’s Person of the Year’, for her leadership on everything from Syrian refugees to the Greek debt crisis. “Leaders are tested only when people don’t want to follow. For asking more of her country than most politicians would dare, for standing firm against tyranny as well as expedience and for providing steadfast moral leadership in a world where it is in short supply, Angela Merkel is ‘Time’s Person of the Year’ Time editor Nancy Gibbs wrote. Merkel, 61, is just the fourth woman since 1927 to be chosen and the first since opposition leader Corazon C. Aquino of the Philippines in 1986. She is the first German since Willy Brandt, the West German Chancellor named in 1970. “I’m sure the chancellor will regard this as an encouragement for her political work, for a good future for Germany as well as for Europe,” Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert Seibert said. January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 11

`1 crore salary annually for Flipkart employees!

Suresh Balakrishna quits IPG, joins WPP’s Kinetic India Suresh Balakrishna, CEO of the IPG Mediabrands agency BPN (Brand Programming Network), has resigned to join WPP’s outof-home agency Kinetic India as CEO South Asia and the Middle-East with effect from January 2016. Balakrishna also led media agency Initiative’s non-global accounts as well as Rapport, the out-of-home agency of the group. At Kinetic, he will report directly to Global CEO Mauricio Sabogal.

Shashi Sinha, CEO - India, IPG Mediabrands said, “I am sorry to see Suresh go. He’s been a great asset to the company and an excellent professional.” Commenting on his exit, Balakrishna said, “I have had four very exciting and fulfilling years in IPG. I am looking forward to my new role. WPP is the world’s largest advertising group and Kinetic is India’s largest OOH company, so taking an established company to

greater heights in the South Asia and the Middle-East region will be a challenge which I am looking forward to.” Balakrishna, who has donned many hats in media and advertising, has been with IPG since January 2012.

Oberoi Group’s Kapil Chopra new WTTCII Chairman The World Travel & Tourism urism Council, India Initiative (WTTCII) II) announced recently the appointment nt of Oberoi Group President Kapil Chopra as its Chairman for 2016. Chopra, opra, who served as the Vice Chairman man of WTTCII for 2015, takes over from Manav Thadani, Chairman, man, HVS, South Asia. It further said id Air India Chairman & Managing Director Ashwani Lohani has been en appointed as the Vice Chairman off WTTCII for 2016. On the new assignment, nment, Chopra said, “Tourism growth in n India has been the slowest in threee years and is only four percent growth wth over last year’s. One of the most important mportant interventions needed at this moment is the revival, recasting and d relaunching the ‘Incredible India Campaign mpaign 2.0’.” He added, “The E-Tourist st Visa on Arrival (ETVoA) scheme, e, currently extended to 113 countries, es, must be communicated effectively ively to consumers... as awareness ss continues to be low.” According to Lohani, one of the primary needs of tourism is easy access to a destination. ion. “Tourism and aviation must be integral egral to make India an accessible, e, affordable destination,” Lohani added. ded.

Flipkart Internet, the consumer-facing arm of the ecommerce giant, had over 23 employees who took home more than ₹1 crore as annual salary last year— the same as consumer conglomerate ITC—highlighting how New Age firms are paying to attract talent, especially at the senior level. Flipkart Internet’s employee benefit expenses swelled threefold to ₹476 crore, according to its filing with the Registrar of Companies. Mekin Maheshwari, as Chief People Officer, drew ₹18.73 crore in annually during 2014-15. That’s more than the salaries of top chief executives such as Hindustan Unilever’s Sanjiv Mehta and ITC Chairman YC Deveshwar. The data is only for Flipkart Internet and excludes other group firms such as wholesaler Flipkart India and Flipkart Logistics. Experts said the remuneration figures could rise if other group companies are included. The high salaries indicate that e-commerce companies have a small pool of talent to draw from and need to pay well to attract and retain talent in a business that’s considered riskier than established companies. Compiled by Joe Williams joe78662@gmail.com

12 / Corporate Citizen / January 1-15, 2016

MANAGE MONEY DR ANIL LAMBA

Trading on Equity:

How to use Fixed-Cost Assets/ Funds to Magnify Returns In the previous issue we had started discussing the reasons why B was earning more than A, despite both being identical to each other. I had explained the two reasons for this. Today let’s discuss the third reason. THE THIRD REASON To understand the third reason, you need to first understand a very important concept in Finance called the leverage effect. Most CEOs, managing directors and senior managers of an organisation are usually aware, sometimes on an online basis, of their sales turnover figures, or the top line. But the black hole is the bottom line. I have known owners and CEOs who are so much in the dark that they would not know whether the organisation has made a profit or a loss unless the accountant completes the accounting process and prepares a Profit & Loss Account. I find this dependence on accounting and clerical staff alarming. I have often wondered what would happen if the accountant, or for that matter the typist, was to erroneously type a zero or two more or less. Would the CEO, so dependent on clerks and typists, base all subsequent decisions on the data so provided? In my opinion,responsible business heads must have tools and techniques at their disposal with the help of which, merely by looking at the top line, they can gauge the bottom line with a fair degree of accuracy. In this chapter and the next, let me show you some such techniques. For this, I must explain the concept of leverage, and in the process, give you the third reason why B makes more profit. How to look at the top line and understand the bottom line? Suppose your sales turnover last year was 100 and your profit was 20. This year, you are monitoring your top line, and you are aware that your sales is 200. Can you guess the profit made this year? Year 1

Year 2

Sales

100

200

Profit

There are only three possibilities. The profit can be 40, or it can be less than 40, or more than 40. Which, according to you, is more likely? If the turnover has doubled, do you expect the profit to double? Or will it be less than double? Or more than double? If you estimated profit to be more than 40, I would agree. If sales doubled but profits less-than-doubled, in my opinion, some heads should roll. Somebody has been bungling up badly! If you agree that when sales of 100 in year 1 doubles to 200 in year 2, then profit will more than double to beyond 40, let me ask a question. How much more than 40 can the profit be? Can profit in the second year increase to 60? Or 80? Or 100?

Or even 120? Yes, all of these ARE possible. Year 1

Year 2 Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

Option5

Sales

100

200

Profit

100

120

Of the five options shown, two are remote possibilities, while the other three are realistic. In year two, profit growing to 40 (option 1) is as unlikely–though theoretically possible–as to 120 (option 5). The reality will lie somewhere in between. Let me explain. The logic is actually very simple. When sales is 100 and profit is 20, what this means is that the cost is 80. Now when sales double to 200, when can profit of 20 double to 40? Only when the cost of 80 also doubles to 160. Option 1

Year 1

Year 2

Sales

100

200

Cost

160

Profit

How likely is this? Not very. As you can imagine, not all costs are going to double. Certain heads of expense like raw material consumption and commission on sales may well double. But there are many other expenses that would either remain the same or increase only marginally. Since costs will less-than-double, profits will more-than-double. The other extreme we are considering is of the profit increasing to 120. The sales have increased from 100 to 200. The profit of 20 can increase to 120 only when the costs of 80 remain 80. Option 5

Year 1

Year 2

Sales

100

200

Cost

Profit

120

This is also not likely to happen. All costs cannot remain the same. This shows us that these two options, while possible, are highly unlikely. ...to be continued

Dr Anil Lamba is a corporate trainer of international repute on finance management. His clients comprise several hundred large and medium sized corporations across different countries of the world. He is the author of the bestselling book-Romancing the Balance Sheet. He can be contacted at anil@lamconschool.com January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 13

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS 2016

Resolu

Staying focused “I turned 50 earlier this year, so perhaps the best resolution that applies to me is not a “new” one, rather sustaining all the good “old” ones. In other words, I continue to carry my zest and balance of life on all three key fronts—business, family and personal. I believe coming up with new resolutions every year sure sounds like fun, but that’s all there is to it—a light-humoured amusement value. The only credible resolution is not to lose focus on habits that I already have a handle on. I feel if there is something new that I indeed should start pursuing, then the only right date to start pursuing it is ’today’, and not any exciting calendar date.” Arun Nathani, CEO and MD, Cybage Software Pvt Ltd

Intensifying skill development “Firstly, I would like to give a definite shape to a new initiative at MCCIA, a technology transfer cell, which will help to transfer technology from the various laboratories to commercial platform. This would help many industrial units, entrepreneurs and encourage researchers to engage vigorously in further research. I would also like to intensify the skill development initiative at MCCIA. I will also get more involved in the research of Industrial Maharashtra.” Anant Sardeshmukh, Director General, Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA)

“Fitness” will be my mantra “My New Year’s resolution for 2016 is the same as my resolution for each passed year—to focus on fitness. I start off with determination, which wanes as the year goes by. Hopefully this year’s the charm.” Chetan Bhagat, Author, Screenwriter and Television Personality 14 / Corporate Citizen / January 1-15, 2016

Striking a work-life balance “Well, 2015 has been a very busy year for me and I sadly couldn’t devote time to my family. My resolution for 2016 would be to sincerely maintain a work-life balance and spend quality time with my family.” NS Venkatesh, Executive Director at IDBI Bank

Focus on becoming a better human being “I would stay focused on new adaptive learning during the year, particularly in new technology domain such as Smart Enterprise, Digital Transformation to improve my understanding of macro parameters impacting global GDP growth rate and for India, contribute to the society and profession through my association with HIA/CII/ICAI/Smart City Forum/CFO Institute, maintain and improve physical and mental fitness devoting more time for yoga, pranayama and spiritual journey, achieve reasonable progress on learning classical music and continue to focus on becoming a better human being every day!” Anil Patwardhan, Sr VP & Head CF&G – KPIT Technologies Ltd, President – Hinjewadi Industries Association (HIA), Member, CII Pune Finance Panel

olutions for

Devoting time to social work “I personally don’t believe in the concept of New Year and resolutions. I am working on a life plan and have compartments for professional, social and hobbies. My social work focus is digital literacy amongst masses (especially rural youth). My new year will begin with an event for the visually challenged children. I plan to undertake programmes and projects on books, lectures, counselling and mentoring in 2016. I plan to mentor three start-ups. Special children will also find an area in my sets of priorities. Being a Rotarian, I will find more avenues to connect with the deprived class.” Deepak Shikarpur, IT Entrepreneur, Writer and Counsellor

Compiled by Mahalakshmi Hariharan & Rajesh Rao

Focusing on social service

Family will be my priority

“My resolution is to invest more time in the service of society. Personally, invest more time and work with underprivileged rural, women and the marginalised. To use my network to drive more awareness and action through CSR. And of course, invest more time for writing fiction and non-fiction. My book on psychology in English should take shape this year... To focus on organisation transformation and leadership development pipeline. Planning to use big data and analytics in consulting services. Looking at expansion plans from South to the East and document our success stories; which has been long pending.” Dr R Karthikeyan, Chairman ISTD Chennai Chapter and Director of Gemba Management Consulting Private Ltd, Chennai

“On the personal front, family is really important, so I will be figuring out more ways to spend more time with my boys, Kanay and Kian. Last few years have been really hectic, so now I don’t want to miss this magical time in my kids lives.” Rishabh Parakh (CA), Founder and Chief Gardener of Money Plant Consultancy

To work for the betterment of the nation “In 2016, on the personal side, my fitness mantra would be to stretch my running circuit to 10 km from 6 km in one go. On the other side, for the betterment of the nation, I will support the initiatives of the Modi Government like Clean and Green India. I will encourage my employees to actively participate in the Swachh Bharat movement and also come up with carpooling facilities, since I am in Noida where the pollution levels have touched the peak. Gaurav Chauhan, Managing Director, Radio Design India

Striking the right balance “My resolution for 2016 is to reinvent myself for the next journey of life. This calls for bringing transformational changes in routine by working only with clearly defined business priorities to innovate and disrupt. Delegate more, to build a team of leaders and successors. Create more frequent ‘Silence Zones’ for ‘Chair Thinker and Writer’ and start authoring the second book. Strike a balance with more frequent holidays to spend quality time with family and travel.” Prashant Pansare, MD and CEO, Inteliment Technologies (India) Pvt Ltd January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 15

INTERVIEW VISHAL PAREKH,

MARKETING DIRECTOR - INDIA, KINGSTON TECHNOLOGY

BRANDING AND MARKETING REFLECT A COMPANY’S CULTURE AND VISION 16 / Corporate Citizen / January 1-15, 2016

Meet corporate stalwart, VISHAL PAREKH, Marketing Director - India at Kingston Technology who shares his views on the marketing sector that has grown highly competitive in today’s times

So when you’re looking at that, you’re trying to sustain yourself, you get into the pressure and try to work out all the possible options. But in that, if you forget your core values and strength, things will start to collapse. For us in Kingston, no matter what pressure we had, we did not move away from our core values and never tried doing things beyond our limits.

By Chaitraly Deshmukh

While Kingston is trying to create its benchmark, who are your target audience?

In a conversation with Corporate Citizen, Parekh shared his views on various subjects such as his company prospects, his field of work, Gen Y, while also touching upon the course of his personal life. Tell us something about yourself. I have been in the marketing field for almost seventeen years now, after I completed my post-graduation in marketing from Chetana’s Institute of Management and Research (CIMR), Mumbai. I worked in various domains, starting with retail at Pantaloons, then moved on to work with Lintas ad agency. While working with brands such as Surf Excel Matic, I figured out that though you may have the ideas, you are not allowed to propagate them because your dependency on the client. I then moved on to a local company which was into videography and photography software, the only Indian company which developed this kind of software in India, where the challenge was to build up the entire sales and marketing team. I started working for them as a marketing manager for India and gradually the firm grew up to become an international-level marketing firm. As a firm, its network grew all over the globe, having a chain of international distributors. In the next round, I worked with Kingston, thereby making a long journey from retail to photography-videography to gaming and now to commodity and product. I have been for eight years with Kingston now and I guess I am passionate about this brand.

Due to competition, companies are continuously trying to launch new and improved products—is this fierce competiton affecting all the companies in the market? It is getting into a domain where it’s the same thing when you study about the product life cycle. If you don’t have a backup plan, you will end up doing a lot of things because of the pressure. In earlier days it was okay not to grow and be where you are, because there was nobody to catch up with you. But today, the market scenario is different, the world is different. Products have changed from being limited to local brands, to global brands looking at India as the next big market. After China, India has the potential to become the biggest market.

In India, anybody who consumes data is our target audience. When I say this, probably he or she might not be the buyer but they are definitely my consumer or an influence. For example, a kid going to school in fourth standard, has his projects and if he is using a laptop, he is my consumer. An elevator operator or a security guard at the gate, if they are using phone to listen to music, they are my consumers. While creating benchmarks I’m not sure if you’re aware but Kingston globally owns about 52% of the market share and that’s the kind of market share we have. We are here for last four to five years and its growing. We have come up with a multi-functional product called MLWG2, it is a power bank with a Wi-Fi router, Wi-Fi booster, memory card reader and pen-drive reader.

Has marketing become easier due to the advent of social networking sites and word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM)? I would strongly disagree to this. That’s because what you’re talking about is that more or various media vehicles are available to you, but that doesn’t make marketing easier. It makes marketing all the more difficult. If I have to market Kingston, earlier it was very simple: I had limited options of print, hoardings, TV and radio. But now I also have Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Hike, WeChat, and so on. Where I spend my money is the bigger challenge, and would the

spending give me better returns, is what everybody in marketing is thinking about. If Facebook had been so easy, you wouldn’t see much happening in the other domains or the other media. Look at the digital world, the banners you have and the e-commerce websites. Look at how Amazon and Snapdeal are trying to get into the marketing space. It seems like they are almost killing each other to acquire customers. The marketing game has grown much bigger and equally more difficult, because we don’t know what will work. When you say it is easier for someone to talk about a brand on social media and create awareness, it is equally risky. One wrong move, earlier you could have managed to control but now it goes viral and in two minutes millions of people know about it. Look at what happened with the recent Volkswagen’s emission crisis—how much time the news took to reach the users in India, when it was still not officially announced. That’s how it is and that’s how tricky marketing is getting and it’s definitely not easy.

Can you tell us about company’s business plans for expansion? When we started, we were a team of three people, now we are about fifteen and maybe another year or so we should be crossing twenty. So far, there is only one office in India. So that’s how the culture of Kingston has been. We don’t really have many offices, we don’t have huge teams and if we look at the numbers, we are about a $6-billion company across the globe, with business presence in more than 120 countries. The revenue generation per employee is quite high.

What is your view on today’s generation who like to start their own business? I suggest that one has to start with working under an experienced mentor, because you as the buyer or seller, not been exposed to the real world. When you are doing something on your own you are taking decisions based on what you have

“WHEN YOU SAY IT IS EASIER FOR SOMEONE TO TALK ABOUT A BRAND ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND CREATE AWARENESS, IT IS EQUALLY RISKY. ONE WRONG MOVE, EARLIER YOU COULD HAVE MANAGED TO CONTROL BUT NOW IT GOES VIRAL AND IN TWO MINUTES MILLIONS OF PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT IT” January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 17

INTERVIEW learnt, but you are not exposed to the realities of life. A very simple example—when I studied marketing it was very simple: if you had to launch a brand, you have to get in to segmentation, get into positioning, define your audience, define your market span and launch your product. But now, it’s really not that simple because you really don’t know which media might like it or what is your market. How will you segment the demographics in the country, as every state in India is different from eah other. It is different for every city. Mumbai city’s demographic is different from Pune or Nagpur. Even the behaviour of the consumer is different in these cities. For example, in Mumbai, people don’t really care about money, it is just about getting it done faster. In Delhi or Noida, consumers would spend two or three hours driving to market to save ridiculously small amount of money. If you move to south, they do not care about time or money, what they care about is quality. So in south, you have to give the best-quality product and you can’t afford to give something that is second-grade just to make it cheaper. So, if you don’t know all these facts, you are bound to fail. You don’t get to know all this while you are studying because you don’t get exposed to the practical life. So at least two years you should be working to gain experience, before you plan to manage your own business. I choose to be only in marketing for ten years and then I started doing little bit of sales, a little bit of operations, finance, which is why I have reached a position where I can now manage the whole of India operations. I came to know all of that because I gave that much time to gain experience. But, when you are looking at managing your own business, you need to learn all of it and not just marketing. You expect it can happen within a short period of time and that’s where the things start getting tough. You realise that it can’t be mastered and you need to give time to your brain and mind to specialize in something.

How was your experience, working with a household FMCG brand like ‘Surf Excel’ and then moving to computer-related memory product? It was interesting because while in Lintas, I worked with products like Excel Matic and then I worked for Maruti Auto launch. I have worked for Bombay Dyeing and AIG Insurance. So, I have been exposed to numerous industries. I realized that in marketing, though the products change, the basics are the same. The more you try out new things, the more it helps your brain go beyond the obvious. So, it’s not limiting yourself to working with certain products and certain brands. Today, by God’s grace, I can get into any product or any service. I can market a small-time business, like a home-based business, to something like a brand which is planning to come down to India and establish itself in India.

“UPGRADING THE PRODUCT WITH THE TIME” Vishal Parekh on the various facets of marketing and branding strategies in companies and how the strategies reflect the vision and company culture in today’s times. Read on...

ishal Parekh, a strong believer in Relationship Management, has successfully developed a complete a distribution network and channel. He has conceptualized and managed roadshows across 300 cities in a calendar year with an objective to educate customer. Currently, he is working as a Marketing Director - India with the world’s number one memory product brand, Kingston Technology, on a profile that covers all the aspects of marketing. Parekh is fast achieving new heights and boasts of building Kingston as a brand in India in the last eight years. He is now taking the brand to a newer and higher level. He has worked as product in-charge in the domestic product company and slowly moved into the corporate world. Having more than 17 years of experience in marketing. He was associated with Surf Excel Company, Zapak Digital Entertainment Limited, Reliance ADA Group and now, for more than eight years, he has been working with Kingston Technology. Parekh’s marketing profile has helped him exploit his potential to the fullest and bag the Best Marketing Campaign Award for the Year 2007 as well as the Best Marketing Concept Award for the Year 2010 and 2011. With the complete repositioning of Kingston in India, the challenges were many and he claims, “I am glad to see the new positioning being accepted by the Indian audience and this has moulded me too with the smart edge.” He recently delivered a lecture to students of a leading management institute, on the topic ‘Upgrading the product with the time’. BRANDING: Branding has evolved in the past two decades where it is not just about positioning the product or a brand.

18 / Corporate Citizen / January 1-15, 2016

In my marketing strategies, I make an effort not to follow trends blindly. I’d rather set the trends myself A brand used by a person defines his status and personality. The branding and marketing strategy is also a reflection of the company’s culture and vision. There is no singular branding strategy I believe in. However, there is one belief that I stay true to in every situation and that is to create your own path. I have learned to believe in myself and trust my instincts. Sure there will be times when following your instincts

might not give you a 100 percent success rate, but these moments will only help you learn and mature in a fast-changing industry. COMPANY CULTURE AND VISION: In my marketing strategies, I make an effort not to follow trends blindly. I’d rather set the trends myself. However, if I had to pick a specific philosophy or ideology, it would be to honour relationships and trust. TIPS TO BUDDING MANAGEMENT STUDENTS: In sales, if you can sell the product and services to your closest friends and you can sell it to the world. When we look at the new generation, there is this rush to do a lot of things and in this rush they forget that they cannot do everything at one go. It’s like before running you have to start walking and before walking, you need to start crawling. You just can’t stand up and run. You will fall you will get hurt and more importantly, you are in a company that’s going to damage the company itself. So just have patience. I would not say that don’t get aggressive, aggression is needed but then it has to be a well-channelized and welldirected aggression. You can’t be doing things just because you need to do it and you think it is right. You need to expand your horizon and thought process a little bit and see the implications of it and then decide. Especially, for the marketing guys, the easiest way to work is to place yourself as the customer and then think whether the particular strategy or particular route excites you to try out the product and services of the company and if it does not excite you, don’t go with it. Chances are that it won’t excite many people. So as a consumer when you are you are not excited, you can’t really expect other people to be excited about it. For sales, a very clear and easy message is, if you can sell the product and services to your closest friends, you can sell it to anyone in the world.

While addressing students, you mentioned that during your MBA course you were not familiar with the tech world as it was just a beginning. Was this an issue later on? A very difficult proposition. Even today myself and my batchmates, we feel that today’s generation has a lot of advantage. We felt that if we don’t keep ourselves on the move, we will probably be left out. A challenge that me and my generation were exposed to is the Internet. While we were studying, Internet is something we really need to cope up with. The world we were exposed to was only information in the print form and then there was always the limitation of the institute to have a certain number of books. So whatever you can read is what you

stick to your point and wait for the right time to talk to your boss or your super boss or the head of the company and tell them that this is what is going on. I believe in three things—first, try to change the environment you are working in if it is bad. If you can’t change the environment yourself, then adapt to the environment. If the office you are working in still doesn’t suit you, change the company; move on, get into something that relates to you. It is not that every brand or every company would be good for you just because others like it. That is not how it works.

Tell us something about your family. I live in a joint family with my grandparents and parents and have an eight-year-old child who

“WE ARE ABOUT A $6-BILLION COMPANY ACROSS THE GLOBE, WITH BUSINESS PRESENCE IN MORE THAN 120 COUNTRIES. THE REVENUE GENERATION PER EMPLOYEE IS QUITE HIGH. SO FAR THERE IS ONLY ONE OFFICE IN INDIA. WE DON’T REALLY HAVE MANY OFFICES, WE DON’T HAVE HUGE TEAMS“ are exposed to. Today, even if you don’t read, you’re exposed to multiple brands. I don’t need to tell my son how to switch on a laptop. When we were studying, we had a session on how to operate a mouse—it was that difficult for us. Today I am living in a world where as a marketing head I need to think not just about talking to this generation but I also have to think about what tools I need to use and majority of them are digital. So, we have digital marketing, e-tail and as simple as WhatsApp marketing. These are the things which have changed and I believe if we had not been looking at this into detail, we would have been left out.

How should one deal with office politics at workplace? I would not say move on or stay with it, as it’s again more about how you interpret things. If you decide to move on, you will have to let go. On things you can’t let go, you have to take a stand. If you think, no, I am okay to let my boss take away the credit all the time, you are always going to be hurt. Are you so strong like a Mahatma that you can let go of things. You can’t because that’s the world you are living in. So, you will have to

is reasonably average in studies, just like me. I was never a brilliant student so I never expect something great in studies from my child. My wife teaches in a school and is a Kathak dancer.

What is your idea of relaxation? How do you de-stress? I love to play outdoor games with my kid. Once I am home, I switch off my office work completely. When I come back from office my brain just stops working in office mode and I think that’s something that everyone needs to get into. We have successfully managed the Kingston India team to get off work after 6.30 pm in the evening. The office shuts at 6.30 pm. After that until and unless there is a real emergency nobody even calls or messages. We see to it that mails won’t be sent and messages won’t be replied to, after work. We work five days a week. As far as stress is concerned, it’s really difficult because stress is different everyday; I think it’s more personal. At times, just going out for a walk, listening to music, just lying around and doing nothing helps. Most of the time, just spending time with my kid has helped. That’s the time when you really don’t think about anything else. chaitraly@gmail.com

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 19

CORPORATE CULTURE

Kochhar: Create a meritoriented, gender-neutral environment Chanda Kochhar, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at ICICI Bank Limited is widely recognized for her role in shaping the retail banking sector in India and for her leadership at the ICICI Group. She is also known for her contribution to various forums across India and overseas. She was conferred with the Padma Bhushan, one of the India’s highest civilian honours, in 2011. Kochhar began her career with ICICI Limited in 1984 and was elevated to the Board of Directors of ICICI Bank in 2001. She was instrumental in establishing ICICI Bank during the 1990s, and subsequently headed the infrastructure finance and corporate banking business. In 2000, she took on the challenge of building the nascent banking business, with strong focus on technology, innovation, process reengineering and expansion of distribution and scale. The bank achieved a leadership position during 2006-2007. Kochhar successfully led the bank’s corporate and international banking business during a period of heighted activity and global expansion by Indian companies. From 2007 to 2009, she was the Joint Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer, which was a critical period of rapid change in the global financial landscape. She was later elevated as Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Bank and is now responsible for the bank’s diverse operations in India and overseas. She also chairs the boards of the bank’s principal subsidiaries. Kochhar is currently the President of the International Monetary Conference, an organisation that annually brings together the chief executives of approximately 70 of the world’s largest financial institutions from 30 countries, along with officials from government institutions. She is also the Deputy Chairperson of the Indian Banks Association. She is on the boards of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, National Institute of Securities Markets and Institute of International Finance. She has been a member of the Prime Minister’s Council on Trade and High-Level Committee on financing infrastructure. She was also co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in 2001. As a chief guest at the eighth HR Summit, hosted by CII Western Region, recently in Mumbai, Kochhar took a closer look on the topic of ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ in India and shared her perspective in her address. By Shantanu Relekar 20 / Corporate Citizen / January 1-15, 2016

GENDER DIVERSITY Happy to see more men in the audience than expected, to hear the discussion on gender diversity, Kochhar explained that the topic is much more than gender. “It is also about different social backgrounds, abilities and age groups as well. The way India is moving and more young people are coming in the age group, one cannot think about diversity without considering age group factor,” she said. Kochhar noted that gender diversity is a very important topic for a lot of economic reasons. She said, “If we increase the participation of women in the economy, we will see that our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will grow up substantially. Recent statistics shows that women contribute 17 per cent of the GDP in India. However, if you look at the global average, women seem to contribute

CII 8th HR Summit 2015 - Chief Guest, Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank releasing the Mckinsey Global Institute Report - The Power of Parity - Advancing Women’s Equality In India, in Mumbai

much more to the global GDPs. So, India has to cover a big distance in terms of getting women to participate in economic activity, if we are to take up GDP of the country. Today, women form the 50 percent of the population and for a growing country like India, can we afford to ignore 50 percent of this potential workforce and the talent that is available? For the country to move forward somebody has to set-up their role agenda.” The third thing she added was that diversity of any kind makes the decision making more competent in any company. Kochhar pointed out that to have all types of diversities including the gender diversity, ensures decisions are comprehensive and wholesome, as they are looked at from many different perspectives. As 50 per cent of consumers also comprise of women, she said, “It is important we

If we increase the participation of women in the economy, we will see that our GDP will grow up substantially. Recent statistics shows that women contribute 17 percent of the GDP in India. However, if you look at the global average, women seem to contribute much more to the global GDPs have as much diversity in our decision making, while we create our product and services best suited for our consumers.”

WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP Taking stock of corporate India’s growth in the

last 30 years, Kochhar said that India has moved a long way. “When I started my career there were very few companies which we could even aspire to join as women because there were many companies where we were not even welcomed. Today, India has evolved a lot from that stage.

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 21

CORPORATE CULTURE Today, we have woman CEO’s in India across various sectors, with banking sector setting an example of its own standard.” Kochhar gave examples of how women are seen in leading positions across FMCG, pharmaceuticals, IT, consulting and various other companies, spanning across public and private sectors. She spoke about how they are taking up leadership roles in the government sector, whether its top diplomats or positions in finance, taxation regulatory bodies and so on. “Though these are signs of progress, we have to ensure the changes are deep enough and women workforce working in corporate India,

AWARDS 2015 x Ms. Chanda Kochhar featured in Fortune India’s list of Most Powerful Women in Business x ICICI Bank won awards in the categories of ‘Use of Technology for Fraud Prevention and NPA Management’ among large banks and ‘Evangelising Technology Adoption’ among large banks at the IDRBT Banking Technology Excellence Awards 2015

proportionately represents them as part of the population. I believe that a percentage of job ready women, who are not joining the organised sector, are joining the so-called unorganised workforce or in some way productively involved and not sitting quietly,” she said. Meanwhile, talking about woman empowerment, Kochhar is of the view that it’s more about their social empowerment, status in the society and their ability to participate. She says, “Even in rural areas women are getting more independent; women are wanting to get their identity and participation in the workforce. But, that’s only one part of the story, we have to do lot more in increasing the literacy rate among rural women.” For the country to move forward and become a world leader, she stressed that it is not the job of only one segment of the society, but the entire eco-system has to work to make it happen. Which include the government, education system, corporate, society and women themselves. She added that the government is taking various initiatives to support women’s aspirations and protect them from gender bias.

x Ms. Chanda Kochhar was conferred with the 2015 Asia Game Changers Award x ICICI Bank won the award of ‘Top Borrowers in Asia - India’ at 2015 Fixed Income Research Poll in a poll conducted by FinanceAsia magazine x ICICI Bank won ‘Best Private Sector Bank’ under ‘Global Business’ category at the ‘Dun & Bradstreet Banking Awards 2015’ x Ms. Chanda Kochhar featured in the list of ‘Time 100 Most Influential People, 2015’ x Ms. Chanda Kochhar featured in Forbes Asia Magazine’s 2015 list of Asia’s 50 Power Businesswomen and in the list of CNBC TV18’s top 15 Indian Business Icons x ICICI Bank won a total of seven awards at the ‘National Award for Excellence in Energy Management 2015’ organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

WOMEN AND EDUCATION Coming to education, Kochhar pointed out that as we keep moving up the education ladder, the percentage of women involvement starts dropping. She said, “We need to recognise education as a very important factor. We have to make sure that girls get education, for them to participate in the economy in some form or the other. If you have an educated woman, she would ensure that her daughter gets education, create her career and so on. The multiplying impact of getting young girls educated is tremendous and we have to recognise that as a country.” She also said that we do everything to bring down the ratio of girl dropouts in schools and colleges, that there is proper hygiene, toilets in schools, toilets that are working and clean, and that basic hygiene is encouraged and discussed in school and does not become a taboo. As we move on to colleges, Kochhar insisted that we have to change the social mindset again that girls are more fit for the marketing stream than sciences. “Now this is again not to undermine the importance sciences, but it is more to say that we need to take this biases from our mind, I think girls are equally capable and intelligent to pursue any stream which they like to pursue. It should be their choice as to what they are interested in,” she said. The MBA entrance exams, Kochhar said, are so quantitative-oriented that it keeps out more and more women from joining the MBA classes. She insisted on making them more all-rounded, to see more participation of women in these courses.

IMPORTANCE OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING AT ICICI BANK

Women have to believe they can have a career and a family life. They have to decide that they can do both and then should back it up with their commitment. They have to give their job what it takes, in terms of working for hours, in terms of travel or whatever. It’s not just about working hard at the workplace but it’s all about deciding to work hard in life. They will be able to manage both work and family, only with hard work and determination

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On the importance of imparting vocational training to young girls, Kochhar talked about how ICICI Bank has taken a big initiative of imparting vocational training among girls by setting up skill development centres across India. She said, “Almost 25,000 youth that we have trained every year, 40 per cent of them are young girls that come from remote villages.” At ICICI Bank, she said, more than thirty percent of hiring is of young girls and this is without having any quota system. At ICICI Manipal Academy which is their talent pipeline for hiring entry level managing roles, she said the proportion of girls joining is about thirty five percent. “It is important for corporates to take a conscious effort to ensure that they pick people on merit and there are enough number of women coming there. But, of course, once you have taken in women it’s also important to create an environment that allows women to grow and in my view, the most important ingredient of that environment is to create a merit-oriented genderneutral environment,” said Kochhar. She further added that we just ensure all women get responsibilities, positions, jobs, that they are capable of and based on their performance. “Not with the biases that women cannot do this job or women will not be able to manage family life and work together; if we keep merit-oriented gender-neutral environment that just allows women to flourish and grow in an organisation,” she said. Corporates do need to recognise the needs of women employees at different stages of her life. More than often, women decide to drop-out once they start their family. “It is important for organisations to make the work environment as conducive as possible. We have a lots of policies for women colleagues whether it is much longer maternity leave, whether its child care leave whether its fertility leave and so on. At this time it becomes very important to ensure that women do not fall off from the working population at that stage,” she said.

WE CARE—SAFETY AND SECURITY OF WOMEN EMPLOYEES AT ICICI BANK Talking about the safety and security of working women, Kochhar said that it is a very important issue that India is presently facing. She talked about the mobile app ‘I-Travel Safe’ that ICICI has created for its women employees. “It is an application, which creates a robust security ecosystem for women and ensures their security. We have dedicated that App to India and want to make it available for any company that wants to take,” she said. About the social change in the mind set, Kochhar said that we see more acceptance of women to have their identity, for women to

We have a lots of policies for women colleagues, whether it is longer maternity leave, whether it is child care leave, whether it is fertility leave and so on. At that time it becomes very important to ensure that women do not fall off from the working population at that stage participate in the economic lifecycle and to create a life that is more productive. In this context, she said that it is a new trend that is emerging in India, which will have transformational impact on how we can treat gender diversity and economic activity. “That is the new digital India, creating different opportunities and reshaping our society. Digital India has made information and social, economical connectivity available to all, including women. That just opens up lots of opportunities to women to be able to manage their careers in different phases. These opportunities are leading to so called cottage entrepreneurship that’s enabling more and more women to participate in the workforce and become a productive employee,” she said. In her final statement, Kochhar said that none of the initiatives will help unless women themselves decide, they want all this to work. She stressed that women have to believe in their capabilities; they have to believe that they are as good to do job as good to pursue career as any other male in their family or their organisation. The belief in their capabilities, she said has to come from themselves. “Women have to believe they can have a career and a family life. They have to decide that they can do both and then should back it up with their commitment. They have to give their job what it takes, in terms of working for hours, in terms of travel or whatever. It’s not just about working hard at the work-place but

it’s all about deciding to work hard in life. They will be able to manage both work and family, only with hard work, determination and time management. India does not have an organised support system but what India has is a lot of family and social support system, which does not exist in any other country,” she added. Kochhar ended her address saying that we should keep moving forward and set a benchmark for others to follow. India, as a country, as a society, sets many benchmarks which the world follows. shantanu.relekar94@gmail.com (With inputs from Rajesh Rao)

tadka

Make in India – the ground reality In the six months following the launch of the ‘Make in India’ campaign in September last year, foreign direct investments (FDI) into India has surged by 56%. “India received $21.2 billion in inflows overall during the five-month period, against $13.5 billion in the same period last year.

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 23

“Much credit goes to its first Vice Chancellor, G Parthasarathi, a quintessential intellectual and diplomat, whose vision is reflected in JNU’s basic intellectual structure and all its academic programmes. He encouraged its culture of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary studies” Prof. Sudhir K Sopory, Vice Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)

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CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP - - / / JAWA HA R L A L N E H RU U N I V E R S I T Y / / - -

Interdisciplinary approach The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was established with the mandate that it should not be ‘just another university’ with conventional academic streams, but be a font of new thought, constantly bring in new areas of study and research, unbridled by segmentation, and be accessible to students from all strata of society. The University has fulfilled the mandate through its seamless approach to academics, the pursuit of excellence —it is graded among the topmost universities by both NAAC and India Today—and has come to be known for its openness of thought and attitude—even bordering on the radical, among both students and faculty. Long associated with the University, its present Vice Chancellor Prof. Sudhir K Sopory traces the path of the JNU through the years, underpinned by the unique philosophy of its working, as he takes it forward BY PRADEEP MATHUR

he National Assessment and Accreditation Council awarded Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) 3.9 out of 4, the highest grade. India Today ranked it second among the central universities. Located over 1000 acres of a rocky part of South Delhi, its lush green campus touches the northernmost reaches of the Aravalli Hills. JNU, an example of the new red-brick universities built in the mid-20th century, is known for its great collection of books in its nine-storey library. The home page of the JNU website quotes Jawaharlal Nehru thus: “A University stands for humanism. For tolerance, for reason, for the adventure of ideas and for the search of truth. It stands for the onward march of the human race towards ever higher objectives. If the Universities discharge their duties adequately, then it is well with the Nation and the People.” The Bill for the establishment of Jawaharlal Nehru University was placed in the Rajya Sabha on September 1, 1965 by the then Education Minister, Mr M.C. Chagla. During the discussion that followed, MP Bhupesh Gupta voiced the opinion that this should not be yet another university. New faculties should be created, including scientific socialism, and that this university should foster noble ideas and provide accessibility to students from the weaker sections of society. The JNU Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on 16th November 1966 and the JNU Act came into force on April 22, 1969. The University has been located, since 1976,

on a campus that is spread over approximately 1000 acres on the Aravalli range in New Delhi, which is now a green and open area, dotted by academic buildings, hostels, and residences for faculty and staff. The University has over 7,300 students who come from all parts of the country and abroad, and from all sections of society. There are over 500 faculty members in addition to administrative staff who, along with the students, live on the campus and interact and mingle with each other, irrespective of social or professional status. The living ambience and social milieu of the campus is also reflected in an integrated, interdisciplinary approach in teaching and research. There is freedom to define and design course content or start new courses. Research themes evolve with new developments in the area and the interface between different areas of study. Everyone at the university competes with himself/herself to excel in his/her own field of research. JNU is academically and socially a vibrant place where all have space to express their views. The ten schools and four special centres of the university produce high-quality research publications, books, working papers and M.Phil and PhD theses. JNU alumni occupy important positions in academics, government, the private

sector. Recently, JNU was ranked top university in the country by the NAAC. JNU has produced many distinguished leaders in various fields. Some prominent personalities include Ali Zeidan (Prime Minister of Libya), P Sainath (journalist), Muzaffar Alam (George V. Bobrinsky Professor of History, University of Chicago, US), Abhijit Banerjee (Ford Foundation Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US), Baburam Bhattarai (former PM of Nepal), Prakash Karat (former General Secretary, CPI-M politburo), Lalit Mansingh (Dean of Foreign Service Institute, Delhi); Digvijay Singh (former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs), DP Tripathi (NCP’s Member of Rajya Sabha), Nirmala Sitharaman (Minister of State - Independent Charge for Commerce & Industry and Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs and Rajya Sabha member), Sitaram Yechuri (General Secretary, CPI-M), Yogendra Yadav (ex-leader of Aam Aadmi Party), Ajit Seth (former Cabinet Secretary), S Jaishankar (Foreign Secretary), to name just a few. Its Vice-Chancellor Professor Sudhir K Sopory does not need any introduction. He has been associated with JNU for over the last four decades and has contributed to its well-being at different levels. A distinguished scientist, he is recognised

‘The collegiality and interdisciplinarity, along with semester system, which was developed here, made it a unique institution’

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 25

CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP the world over as an authority on plant molecular biology with over 220 research publications, 13 edited books and over 50 chapters in books. Winner of several awards including the Padma Shri, the CSIR Bhatnagar Award, Chakravarty Award, Birbal Sahni Award and Godnev Award Lecture of Belarus Academy of Sciences, to mention just a few, Prof. Sopory has travelled widely and participated in numerous national and international conferences. An avid researcher and acclaimed teacher, he has a visionary approach and clear understanding of JNU’s open culture, which has often turned controversial. He will retire soon, but his tenure will be remembered as an eventful one. In a candid interview with Corporate Citizen, the Vice Chancellor speaks on a wide range of issues. Excerpts:

We believe it clears all confusion as your creativity often requires interdisciplinary knowledge and we’ve been able to sustain this thinking quite successfully’

With the School of Life Sciences (SLS), established in 1970, India’s first, the idea was not to have separate departments of botany/ zoology/biochemistry/micro-biology but to have an integrated school to look at things in totality and accordingly select people with that perspective. The same was true for the School of Physical Sciences where you’re taught interdisciplinary areas interfacing physics, chemistry and mathematics. All such boundaries were broken for the first time in this country. That intellect — that new line of thinking — really brought research to a different level.

What makes JNU the best university in India? When JNU was started, one key component of its Act was that it doesn’t have to be like any other university. That was the idea with which it began. The second aim was that it will meet the social demands of the society, giving fair representation to people from different backgrounds, have enough space for students from lower-income backgrounds and mechanisms to support them in every possible way. The next element was its interdisciplinary approach. For instance, its founders didn’t believe in classical segregation of departments such as botany/zoology/physics/ chemistry/economics, and so on.

JNU library

Computer Lab at JNU

How did that happen? Much credit for this goes to its first Vice Chancellor, G Parthasarathi, a quintessential intellectual and diplomat, whose vision is reflected in JNU’s basic intellectual structure and all its academic programmes. He encouraged its culture of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary studies. Taking advantage of certain provisions of its Act, he picked up the best minds of the country for faculty, something that is not possible today because you’ve to go through a specific system. That’s how we had stalwarts from different areas: in history we had Prof. Sarvepalli Gopal, son of former President Radhakrishnan, and Prof. Bipin Chandra; in economics, Prof. Amit Bhaduri and such other notable scholars. They created the School of Social Sciences, Centre for Economic Policy and Centre for Social Systems. Mind you, it’s not the Sociology department. The same is the case with the Centre of Political Studies. As for the School of International Studies (SIS), it owes its lasting debt only to Mr. Parthasarathi.

But didn’t SIS precede JNU? Yes, it is JNU’s oldest school. It was created in 1955, and merged with the JNU in 1970 after dropping the prefix “Indian” from its name. It was actually a think tank of the government at that time. It attracts the best minds from all over

‘School of Languages’ department at JNU campus

for its MA Politics (International Studies) course. Its M.Phil/PhD programme is also very competitive as it offers the best faculty for understanding the changing dynamics of international relations. They look at global politics in totality and there are different centres—European, South Asian, American and so on—which offer area/region specific studies from different perspectives. I’ve asked them to start another MA programme and they will be starting it from the next session.

What is the story behind the ten schools of JNU, each with several centres? The basic thought behind each one of them was to follow an interdisciplinary approach.

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But won’t such interdisciplinary studies cause conceptual confusion? On the contrary, we believe it clears all confusion as your creativity often requires interdisciplinary knowledge and we’ve been able to sustain this thinking quite successfully. But the University of Hyderabad that was created immediately after JNU, and which also had its SLS, failed to sustain this methodology. Over the years, they had to separate it into individual departments of plant sciences, zoology, botany and the rest. Incidentally, we also have a unique sharing concept by which if we’ve some equipment, we keep it at one place so that we share it with everybody. So, the collegiality and interdisciplinarity, along with se-

mester system, which was developed here, made it a unique institution. Many of these things like internal examination system and trusting the faculty were revolutionary concepts at that time. The architect of all this thinking was, of course, our first VC, Mr. Parthasarathi. When SLS started, I was among the first few faculty members then, and when new ideas like neurobiology came up, we said, we should start neurobiology. So, thanks to him, freedom to start new areas, new syllabi, and even new teaching programmes was there for all—be it the School of Biotechnology/School of Computer and Systems Sciences/School of Environmental Sciences/ School of Languages/

within transdisciplinary clusters. So, this interaction is not just interdisciplinary or within the social sciences but now social science people talk to pure science people. I’ve also created a forum for mutual learning where students from across different fields sit in the library every Saturday and discuss a topic. I try to attend them as VC, because that way I can encourage them.

How serious is the faculty crunch at JNU? In JNU, we’ve been able to fill up more than 200 faculty members in the last three years. Many of them came from abroad with good degrees from the best institutions like Caltech and MIT.

politics, semiotics, gender and cultural studies, apart from being able to integrate the study of one art form with others. The three streams of study offered at the school are Visual Studies, Theatre & Performance Studies and Cinema Studies. How are these different from the courses taught at the FTII, Pune? Our courses are research-based but we don’t make films, whereas FTII gives practical training in film making. Here students study film appreciation from a critical angle with history and other issues on a global scale. How good is your School of Languages, Literature & Culture? This is the only school that offers undergraduate courses at several centres. It is unique because it offers studies of different languages, right from the undergraduate to PhD level. Besides offering language courses in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Persian and other such languages, it also helps SIS because if you want to be an expert on the politics of an area, you must know its language and culture. In fact, we have recently started teaching many other languages too like Pushto, Hebrew, Latin, Bahasa Indonesia, Italian, Portuguese, Mongolian and such others. I also brought faculty members to teach one of the African languages. So we’re expanding on this base— Greek is being taught as an additional language. So is Turkish. Most of our students get jobs in MNCs where they need language experts. Only a few days back we started a Centre for Indian Languages too. Though at present, it offers programmes in English, Hindi, Urdu, Tamil and Bangla, very soon we’re going to start the Kannada Chair. The Government of Karnataka has given the money for it. Other languages are in the pipeline.

Studying hard: JNU students

What was the major challenge you faced when you joined here? JNU students at the campus

School of Arts & Aesthetics or the rest.

People say, JNU also has a very informal style of teaching… That’s correct. It’s a very important component of JNU’s culture because here you also learn outside the classrooms. We don’t restrict learning to one -hour classes. Students are encouraged to have free interaction with the faculty and then there is also a tradition of after-dinner talks in hostels, where they invite somebody for a talk. So students of science will listen to what is happening in political science or other social sciences and vice versa. The idea is to have an overall development of the mind. After I joined, I encouraged dialogue

JNU students enjoyng a lunch break

Some also joined from Japan and Germany while others came from within the country but with valuable experience. So, I would say, most of our faculty is of a very high level.

What are the new courses you’ve introduced at JNU? At the School of Arts and Aesthetics, which has come up recently, we’ve started three new MA courses in the theoretical and critical study of cinematic, visual and performing arts. It’s probably the only school in the country where these disciplines are offered in one integrated programme that allows students to understand the individual arts in the broader context of history, sociology,

After I returned to JNU, modernisation was a major challenge. It became my first priority. We started with online admissions. We made student registration of students a one-window clearance. The selection procedure for admissions too has gone online. We conduct entrance exams in 70 places in the country. More than 1,00,000 students apply and we take only 1,500 to 1,800 students, incorporating the government’s reservation policy. We have gone paperless with e-office functioning, so there is a lot of transparency in the system. If a faculty is on leave, the information comes to me on my mobile. If there is an urgent file to be attended to, it’ll come on my mobile immediately, everything is linked.

Though JNU is acknowledged as the best in India, why is it not in the top 100 in the world? JNU has now made it to the top 100 in Asia and

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 27

CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP BRICS countries but we’re struggling when it comes to Europe and America. However, some of our departments have made it to the top 100 in their list as well. This year, it was our Centre for the Study of Social Systems. Last year the Geography and English departments made it. Every year one or two departments and centres have been coming in the top 100 rankings but yes, in the totality of things, we are still struggling. Maybe not having an undergraduate programme goes against us, and that we don’t have many foreign faculty and students. Our industry linkages and the generation of money from industrial resources is also very weak. Different rankings have different parameters and for each parameter, they give certain marks. They also have a column for perception. We don’t get marks for certain things because we don’t have them. However, we can beat all American universities if they consider parameters of input and output costs — how much money is invested in our Indian universities and how much our output — probably we’ll show a better performance than any American university. Their spending and per capita cost per student is much, much higher. Also, our policy of social inclusion is not counted at all. We take students from all social and regional backgrounds. It takes great effort to bring them on a par with others. Many top universities do not have such policies. We have physically challenged students doing PhD. Recently, I handed over a doctorate degree to one such student whose lower limbs were of no use and his speech was slurred. Despite that, he completed his doctorate at JNU. We don’t get any marks on these social components, yet we compete with the best in the world.

Why is there a perception that research done at JNU doesn’t reflect too well in international journals? Research work that come out of science schools get published in some of the big international journals. Based on the H-index, the Department of Science & Technology has increased our funding — on the basis of our citations and publications. In the arts stream, if someone works on cinema studies, there are very few journals of that nature. In economics, there are good journals but for the kind of research done here on subjects like the caste system, or inclusion-exclusion, there are no journals of that rank. Plus, the kind of books we publish don’t attract any citation. There is no mechanism by which you can rate whether a book has made an impact or not. Most of our social science international study groups publish a lot of books but they’re not counted. Articles do appear in some of the best journals but compared to science journals they are not codified in terms of impact and other such parameters.

You’ve seen the world’s best research institu-

Prof. Sudhir K Sopory

tions. How do you compare them with ours? At individual laboratory level, our facilities are at par. The research work done even in JNU or the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) or many of the CSIR labs is of a very high quality. But it’s also a question of numbers. A small place like New York may have 90 different places where research in an area happens, whereas we may not have it at 90 places throughout India. Moreover, the efficiency with which they work at the front end of research is admirable. Some of the laboratories here are catching up but we have to think of novel ways to make the best contribution possible. Our students who go from our institutions are the real contributors even in the US, Germany, etc. So, the difference lies in the environment, the support system and the funding they get there. Although the government has increased funding in Science & Technology, considering the size of our country, it’s still very, very low.

What are the infrastructural demands of the university? Infrastructure requires money but our budget has remained as it was in the 11th Plan. There has been no increase. A lot of money goes on requirements for electricity, water and general maintenance, but despite that we have been able to get a ‘university of potential excellence’ ranking from the UGC which gave us around Rs 60 crore for research work for four years. We have a very advanced instrumentation facility on the campus which is not only used by JNU faculty and students but even by students from outside institutes. That’s functional 24 hours. From that perspective, our facilities are good. We have put in a lot of effort into our library which is probably the best, with all the resources available to anybody, anywhere, any time. Search data and everything else is available. Our researches are digitized. About 22,000 theses that JNU publishes are digitised and on our website. As for other instruments and equipment, we have the best,

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and procure more from our research grants, not UGC grants.

Where do grants come for the faculty? Every faculty has his own research grants which come from various sources like the Department of Biotechnology, Department of Science & Technology, Department of Atomic Energy and the Council for Scientific & Industrial Research. We also get some international grants. We also have recognition for most of our departments from the UGC, from the Department of Advanced Recognition of Centres for Excellence. With government funding, we’ve also started a disaster research programme recently for the Ministry of Home Affairs. We get money from all these sources, but infrastructure is lacking in terms of maintenance of buildings and hostels, the creation of new housing for faculty, new hostels for students. We don’t get funds for this. In fact, under this Plan, I thought about building a hostel with the funding, but we are awaiting permission from the Ministry of Environment.

What about industry linkages? Industry linkages with our university systems are very weak. The industry doesn’t know what’s happening in our educational institutions and we do not have any idea about what the industry wants.

How can the two be linked? We need to organise joint workshops. Also, we can put up a website at the UGC where we can post what we have. The industry can look at this site and show their interest. We need mentors who support originality, new thinking and who can tell us where we can link with the industry. Otherwise most of our research would remain in publications and at the laboratory level.

Why can’t industry leaders come closer to our universities? This is being tested. President Pranab Mukherjee

is very keen on this idea. Many seminars have been held, but unless industry leaders have a stake in our research, things won’t move and investments won’t come. The government has started the Department of Biotechnology where industry-academia joint research projects are now being supported even if it’s a concept they want to test. The government gives incentives to the industry by which they get loans at very low interest rates. Research grants will also be given to universities. So the government will fund both partners. These are also supported by the CSIR.

Why is there no campus placement for JNU students? Earlier, there used to be placement cells in different schools, not at the university level. Our School of Computer Sciences has a placement cell where people would come and students would get jobs. The same is true for the School of Languages. My broader idea is that we must empower our students with all the knowledge and skills, and I’m sure they can compete. When I came, I found many students who came from different backgrounds having problems with language. So, we started a Language Empowerment Cell where people could learn how to speak and write and the right way of academic writing. It helped them with soft skills like English-speaking. Then there was a demand from some North-East students that they wanted to learn Hindi, so we started that. Some students wanted help in Sanskrit, because they wanted to go to East Asian countries to study scriptures there. We have a Centre for Philosophy where we started a master’s programme. There were 600 applications for ten places. This year we started the Sanskrit programme. Twenty students joined, to get a working knowledge of the language and get a peep into Sanskrit literature. We started the Mathematics Computation Empowerment cell so that students can develop analytical ability. I feel if you give them the best access and empow-

er them with knowledge in their own and other domains, they ought to be able to compete. We need not ensure jobs for everybody. They should compete in the world outside.

IAS-wallas, we have an extra hall, called Dholpur House, where they come and sit and through mutual discussions learn how to crack the civil service exams.

What are the three key challenges you see for your successor? One is to sustain our academic excellence in each field. Second, all faculty members and students to give their best. It’s not that the university can’t be run by the excellence of 70 percent while 30 percent don’t function. It has to be 100 percent. That’s a challenge. Every faculty, every student must perform to the best of his/her ability. The purpose for which you are here—to get the best teaching and best research—nothing short of that should be your goal. Third, I want sustained and continued effort to upgrade our infrastructure in terms of facilities for all students and faculty: personal facilities like good housing and other ame-

How good are JNU students in terms of employability? JNU students land up in different places. Some of them go into the bureaucracy—the IAS, etc. Many from the language department get jobs in MNCs for their foreign language expertise. Some join educational institutions. Many form their own NGOs and go to villages to help in critical areas. Some opt for government organisations. A few also join politics. Many from the science stream go abroad for post-doctoral fellowship. But they also come back.

What’s your take on programmes like Make in India? If there are some leads, then we can take them forward, but IITs are much better equipped for this task than us as they have great industry linkages. Our potential is of a different kind. JNU is more involved with research in social sciences than with high-end scientific and technical research.

‘The difference lies in the environment, the support system and the funding they get there. Although the government has increased funding in Science & Technology, considering the size of our country, it’s still very low’

What are your thoughts on skill development? Skill development is the buzzword these days because our industry says the products of our education system are non-employable. But those jobs are meant for polytechnics/ITIs who provide low-level skill development. Higher education institutions like JNU have been created to bring out leaders in their own fields. So, for us, it means providing intellectual capital to the country.

What is the message students carry from JNU?

nities, and academic facilities so there is no cause for excuse that I couldn’t give my best because of this or that. We love to live on excuses but those bottlenecks need to be removed from the system.

Why is it that a lot of students who come here only opt for the civil services? Not many. We have a trend that quite a few of them, especially those in the master’s programme or early M.Phil programme, want to go for IAS, etc., because here the atmosphere is such that they get exposed to discussions in different areas. But then these people come into our national system, so nothing wrong with that. After all, people who have to get into the IAS, IPS, IFS, etc. must come from our universities. You can’t pick them up from the streets. If some JNU-ites go into IAS every year, it’s good for the country. The best part of JNU is that our library is open 24 hours. So, you can see students sitting and reading till late night. But for those who do extra reading, like the

In terms of academic programmes, it provides opportunity for students for their overall development in their own field. They get the best exposure to the subject through the best faculty in the best courses. What we sometimes call aberrations in the university, are but realities outside. Also, JNU is a place where people come even from the lowest strata of society; we support these economically weaker students. Of course, they will have to live with the image of the university— perceived by some as anti-national—which is totally baseless because a JNU-ite looks from both angles. I was recently told by a Vice Chancellor that many people appear for their interviews, but they end up taking students only from JNU. In the bureaucracy, they say with pride that this person is from JNU. But in other circles, it may not be the same. They will have to live with this fact. This university has a lot to offer for nation building, producing leaders in different areas. I hope we will be able to sustain this culture of JNU. mathurpradeep1@gmail.com

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 29

Many a romance has bloomed in Mussoorie and so did ours. We decided to get married in 1975

30 / Corporate Citizen / January 1-15, 2016

COVER STORY /dynamic duo 21 /// Meera Shankar and ajay shankar/

Unflinching support What does it take to be a successful diplomat or bureaucrat? What heady challenge does one find in these roles? What goes into the making of a successful marriage despite chasing parallel professional paths even across the seven seas? What higher calling motivates and propels one to serve in the civil services? This time’s dynamic duo, diplomat Meera and senior civil servant Ajay Shankar have the answers BY VINITA DESHMUKH

Meera Shankar

joined the Indian Foreign Service in July 1973 and had an illustrious career spanning 38 years. She has extensive experience on South Asia, USA, Europe, security and economic issues. She served as Director in the Prime Minister’s Office from 1985 to 1991, working on foreign policy and security matters. She was then posted to Washington DC and served as Minister (Commerce) from 1991 to 1995. Thereafter, she headed the Indian Council for Cultural Relations overseeing India’s cultural diplomacy. Subsequently, in the Ministry of External Affairs, she headed two important divisions dealing with the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and relations with Nepal and Bhutan. As Additional Secretary, she held the responsibility for the United Nations and International Security. She served as Ambassador to Germany from 2005 to 2009 and her last assignment was as Ambassador of India to the US from 2009 to 2011. She is presently appointed as Non-Executive Independent Director on the Board of ITC Ltd and is also on the Board of Pidilite Industries Ltd. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Alfred Herrhausen Society, the not-for-profit international think tank of the Deutsche Bank and the Governing Body of IRADE, a Delhi-based think tank focusing on energy, environment and gender issues.

Ajay Shankar

joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1973. He has a Master’s in Political Science from Allahabad University and a Master’s in Economics from Georgetown University, Washington DC. He taught Political Science at Allahabad University. He has rich experience in industrial policy and promotion, the energy sector and urban management and development. As Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion in the Commerce and Industry Ministry, he played a critical role in putting together various stimulus packages and policy decisions to improve the competitiveness of the Indian industrial sector. As Principal Adviser in the Planning Commission, he looked after the water, sanitation and environment and forest sectors. As Joint Secretary/Additional/Special Secretary in the Ministry of Power, he played a key role in the preparation and enactment of the Electricity Act, 2003, the rules and policies under the Act and conceived the national programme, the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana, for completing rural electrification. He also served as CEO, Greater NOIDA Industrial Development Authority, as Secretary to the Lt. Governor of Delhi for over five years, and Chairman, Kanpur Development Authority. After retirement he was a Distinguished Fellow with TERI and a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington. He has served on the Board of IDBI, EXIM Bank, NTPC, NHPC, PFC, REC and Tata Global Beverages Ltd., and as Chairman of the Damodar Valley Corporation. He has been a member of Committees on reform of public sector undertakings, electricity distribution and resources for the power sector for the 10th Plan, besides being associated with the design of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. He is currently chairing the Expert Committee on pre-investment approvals set up by Government and is also advising the Railways on their PPP set-up.

Corporate Citizen spoke to both of them to get an insight into their respective dynamic assignments and how they held each other’s hands to facilitate each other’s success January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 31

COVER STORY

MEERA SHANKAR

EPITOME OF DIGNITY

MEERA SHANKAR’S TRYST WITH USA

Was it your childhood dream to join the civil services? I can’t say that I was so focused when I was young. In school, I wanted to be an athlete as I used to run the 100/200-metre races, do high jumps and play basketball. Later I wanted to be a writer, so I can’t say I was that focused. By the time I finished college and was pursuing my Master’s from St John’s College in Agra, I thought, maybe I could pursue the civil services. Subsequently, that became my career choice. My father was in business, but was always very supportive of his daughters working. He used to say, “It is my job to give you a good education. Then you have to stand on your own feet.”

Meera Shankar with Gary Locke and Anand Sharma, former Commerce Minister

Why did you prefer the Indian Foreign Service? I joined the IFS because I was interested in international relations and world affairs. I felt this would be an interesting career, because you get to see different places and different cultures and also have the ability to contribute to your country’s national goals through your work as a diplomat.

You were the Ambassador to the USA, the second woman after Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit. How did it feel to get such a posting? I was the first professional woman diplomat to be posted as Ambassador to the USA and the second after Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, who was a political appointee. I was the Ambassador to Germany, when I got the posting to the US. I was both excited and a little nervous because it’s a huge responsibility.

You were from the 1973 batch, so how did you meet Mr Ajay Shankar? We met in the academy in Mussoorie when we were under training, after we passed our civil services exam. That’s a great place for young couples. Many a romance has bloomed in Mussoorie and so did ours. We decided to get married in 1975, despite the difficulty of him being in the Administrative Service and me in the Foreign Service. There was quite a bit of advice to me in particular, that now that I was married, I should think of settling down, which meant give up my career. I thought, let’s see, I am sure we can make it work. Thankfully, we have been able to make it work.

What did you like about Mr Ajay Shankar? We have many common interests—literature,

With Hillary Clinton, former United States Secretary of State

With US President Barack Obama

reading, music, theatre, walking, interest in development issues and in the world around us. I think I was attracted by his intellect. He is deeply intellectual and a very kind person.

How did you both keep your marriage going despite your international postings? In those days, the Foreign Service used to be very competitive and very difficult to get into. Only the top twenty or so got into it because the number of vacancies were so few. Even though Ajay could have chosen the Foreign Service on the basis of his performance, he had opted for the Administrative Service. We adjusted in the sense that Ajay took leave, sometimes without pay, and I also opted to be in Delhi for long periods. It was a great experience and a very hard slog. The Government too was very facilitative. They did allow Ajay to take leave and come with me. Once he took study leave and did his Master’s in Economics, from Georgetown University. When I was Ambassador to the USA,

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he had retired, so he joined me. While I was in Germany, he was Secretary here in Delhi. We met whenever he had to go to Geneva or Vienna on work, then he would always spend the weekend in Germany.

Tell us about your tenure in the Prime Minister’s Office. I was a junior officer, a Director, but still there was an enormous amount of work, and long hours. The great thing was I got to work with Rajiv Gandhi, VP Singh, Chandrashekar and Narasimha Rao, and each had their strong points, their own way of looking at things and working. It meant that you had to prepare the information and briefings in a way that that particular prime minister preferred. The unique aspect was that you got a 360-degree view of policy and an opportunity to contribute across the spectrum. Otherwise, at that level you dealt with a limited area, like South Asia or East Europe. That was quite exciting for somebody that

Energy Secretary, Hazel O’Leary; Treasury Secretary, Robert Rubin who was also National Economic advisor to President Bill Clinton, visited India during that time. We also set up the India-US Commercial Alliance, which had ten CEOs from either side and they would meet with the commerce ministers every year, to brief them on their issues and get Government attention to put in place policies which would facilitate trade and business. Later on this was upgraded to the summit level, so the CEO forum now reports to the Prime Minister and the President. I think it was the first time our trade expanded, investment from the US began to increase and many of the key companies began looking at India with renewed interest. It was a good time to be heading the Commerce wing, in the Embassy. The Embassy had different wings like political, defence, commercial and economic. When you are Ambassador you oversee all of it. As Ambassador I had the satisfaction of seeing the India-US strategic dialogue take off, completing the agreement on reprocessing of nuclear material, expanding defence cooperation and achieving liberalisation of US Export Controls on High Technology for India. For the first time the US declared support for India’s Permanent Membership of the UN Security Council in President Obama’s address to Parliament in November, 2010.

With Geetanjali Bhushan, Founder, Solstrat Solutions, also an attorney and government relations professional With Gary Locke, US Secretary of Commerce

With Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister of India

How was life in the US as a diplomat?

With Meira Kumar, first woman speaker of Lok Sabha

young. About my tenure with these four prime ministers, each one was fulfilling in a different way. These were tenures when I worked the hardest. On one occasion I worked 36 hours without a break.

Tell us about your stints in the US. The first one was as Minister heading the commercial and trade wing in the Indian Embassy from 1991 to 1995, I was given a year’s extension. That was a good time because the economic re-

forms had just happened in India in July 1991 and I went in September 1991 to Washington. I had a story to tell and because of the changes that were taking place in India there were new possibilities for trade and business. We were able to generate quite a lot of attention and interest in India. For instance, the US named India one of the ten big emerging markets worldwide and for the first time, all the key economic secretaries—which is the equivalent of their ministers— visited India. Commerce Secretary, Ron Brown;

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When I first went to the US as Minister of Commerce, there weren’t that many women visible in the US administration. The second time, Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State and she had been preceded by many women

===========================

As a diplomat you are constantly engaged in building up the relationship, resolving isues and creating opportunities, particularly while dealing with business and economic cooperation between India and the US. That is a huge challenge. You have to be very outgoing. You have to reach out to different constituencies, connect with Business and try to interest them and find ways to address their issues, connect with the U.S. Congress, connect with the media and think tanks, and connect with the Government to get problems resolved. Also, when you are living in the US you are trying to understand and adjust to that society. When I first went to the US as Minister (Commerce), there weren’t that many women visible in the US administration or even in business. The second time when I went as Ambassador, things had changed. Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State and she had been preceded by many women in the field of foreign policy, including Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice and now, Susan Rice. In 1991, you would only see men in grey suits by and large, but by this time there were many women visible in the boardrooms, in business and in the administration. The US as a society appreciates merit and if they think you have something to say or contribute, they pay attention, irrespective of whether you are a woman or man. But still it’s a challenge, for instance a woman has still to find acceptance as President of the US.

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 33

COVER STORY You have a daughter. How did you manage to bring her up? I had her when I was a little older, which was nine years after we got married, because initially we were too busy with our careers. By then I was ready to have a child and that’s important. You must have the mental attitude that you want the child. We managed by supporting each other. I was fortunate also that my mother came to live with me in Delhi. I took maternity leave. During my pregnancy I was working with Indira Gandhi’s Special Envoy to Sri Lanka, G Parthasarathy. I had a very busy time and he was a hard taskmaster. I was working till the last minute. I took leave after the doctor said I could deliver at any time. However, I was called back the next morning as there was a debate in Parliament and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was going to respond to it. She had raised certain questions and wanted answers to the queries she had raised. So I was called to the Foreign Secretary’s office and told to prepare the answers to these questions. Then Mr Parthasarathy said I should go and sit through the debate too. He stated jocularly that, the Parliament was air-conditioned, and the baby born in Parliament would get some special privileges! So I went to Parliament and sat through the debate on Sri Lanka. Many of the MPs from Tamil Nadu were thundering away on the issue. The debate finished at about 7:30 pm and my labour pains started at about 9:30 pm and then I was rushed to the hospital. I never had any trouble during my pregnancy. I was too busy to know how it went by.

When did you resume work after the birth of your daughter? I resumed work three months after, but not full time, as I got a three-month overlap with somebody. In a sense I was working part-time at that stage. After my six months off work, Ajay took leave for a few months and my mother was also staying with us. That was a big help. I never had any worry. Even when I did some hectic assignments in the Prime Minister’s Office or elsewhere, I was always perfectly secure that my daughter, was in good hands. When I went to the US as Minister, (Commerce), Ajay took leave and did a Master’s in Economics in Georgetown University, because my mother could not come with me for the first year. He would be at home with my daughter in the afternoon and evening.

With such a tight work schedule, how did you both help your daughter in her upbringing? She really was a very gentle child; also, somebody who was very conscious of not throwing her weight around. I don’t think we had to instil it in her, maybe she imbibed it unconsciously, but she has been a very gentle and polite child always. When she was passing out of elementary school in Washington at the end of class five, the

=========================== You have to be very outgoing, because you have to make contact with a large number of new people each time you are posted to a new country. You have to have the ability to communicate, because you have to persuade people and you have to convey your nation’s position in a persuasive manner

=========================== students have a fun vote on, the student most likely to become the President of the United States, the student most likely to join Hollywood, the student most likely to be in the national football team, and so on. They voted my daughter as the student most likely to win the Nobel Peace prize.

What qualities does it take to make an IFS officer? You have to be very observant, because you have to constantly take in what you are seeing and analyse it, assess and send your assessment back to the Government. You have to be objective, because your reports must always be honest. If, for some reason, you do not convey an accurate picture, your Government can get misleading assessments and therefore take wrong policies. You have to be very outgoing, because you have to make contact with a large number of new people and gain their trust each time you are posted to a new country.You have to be able to understand the perspective of the country you are posted in. You have to have the ability to communicate, because you have to persuade people and you have to convey your nation’s position in a persuasive manner. You must be patient and

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discreet. Premature disclosure can sometimes thwart agreement on sensitive issues. You must also have the ability to adjust, because you are constantly changing from one country to another. Public speaking is a big part of your work. But say you are dealing with a small South Asian neighbouring country where India looms very large in the public imagination. Then you have to temper your public role and be more discreet, because you don’t want to appear dominating. You have to adjust to different circumstances and sometimes, you even have to work in hostile environments. For instance, our diplomats who work in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal or Sri Lanka have faced a lot of difficulties on occasion and sometimes had to be provided special security when they had internal challenges in these countries.

You have lived in different cultures, have they influenced you in any way? If you look at the German and Indian approach to an issue, the German approach is to create systems. They spend a lot of time planning in great detail, anticipating different contingencies. They create excellent systems which function very smoothly. But if something goes wrong in

that system, they have difficulty changing course suddenly and being flexible. Indians are atrocious at creating systems and that is a huge institutional weakness, and that’s why they have to rely on individual ingenuity. Which is why the quality of our administration tends to be uneven. If you have a good officer, then the administration functions well. When his/her replacement is not good, suddenly you see a big dip. That is because we have not been able to systematise to the extent we should.

What influence did Mr Ajay Shankar have on you, as a career person, in terms of being a diplomat, and professionally? The fact that he was there in Washington when I was posted there, was a huge help. He was very cool about it, because in those days it was not so common to have the wife working and the husband on leave. Now you do see it. When people asked Ajay about it, he answered that he had all the privileges of diplomatic life without any of the responsibility! However, we keep our work apart. Of course, we discuss general national issues and developments, but by and large we have kept our careers apart.

What is the secret of a successful marriage? Firstly, both sides have to be willing to make it work. If only one side makes the adjustment, it

becomes difficult. If the wife expects that only the husband will make the adjustment, that won’t work and if the husband expects that the wife should make all the adjustment, that also won’t work. It has to be mutually supportive and both must have the willingness to put the marriage above their careers at some stage, because if you want to pursue your career without seeing how it impinges on the marriage, then at some stage the marriage may become weak. We always felt that it is important for us to try to stay together and if it means that Ajay makes the adjustment or I make the adjustment, we will do it to stay together. As it happened, we were fortunate enough to have good and challenging assignments while also managing to stay together, most of the time. Friendship and respect, both are extremely important. Romance is very heady, but for a marriage to sustain beyond romance, you need to be friends.

30 is unmatched. It is unfortunate that increasingly the quality of our administrative system is becoming fragile with many pulls and pressures. So as a Government servant you also have to have the ability to withstand pressure and be able to do what is right. When I finished my education there were few opportunities in the private sector. Government was the main employer. Today there are so many opportunities. Still I would say that while we need bright people in the private sector, we also need bright people in Government. If all the bright people choose to stay away from the Government, you will get a third-rate Government. In every sector, especially in India, the Government still looms very large. In terms of infrastructure, in terms of services, we are still not at a stage where our social and economic development is mature. It is Government policy and investment that will drive or hold back the process.

Where is your daughter now?

You said the Government gives a lot of opportunities, but youngsters barely know that. Has the Government failed to spread awareness about the opportunities?

My daughter and her British husband met while they were in Oxford and they were together for quite some time before they decided to get married. They took long to make up their minds, but once they made up their minds, they got married very thoroughly—once in India the Hindu way and once in the UK in a church wedding!

What is your philosophy of life that you live by? Firstly, don’t harm anyone and try to do good for the larger society. Commit to something beyond yourself and beyond your family, which is larger than yourself.

Why do you think bright youngsters should be taking Government jobs? Because the kind of responsibility and the kind of opportunity that you have in Government is unmatched. At the end of the day, you have to feel that you have contributed something to society and the Government gives you unparalleled opportunity to do that. Don’t join the Government if you want to become wealthy. Don’t join if you want to use your position for personal gain. But do join the Government if you want a truly challenging assignment. If you are a district magistrate or a diplomat overseas or a police officer, the kind of responsibility you have at the age of

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Friendship and respect, both are extremely important. Romance is very heady, but for a marriage to sustain beyond romance, you need to be friends — Meera Shankar

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By opportunities I mean, first of all there is huge responsibility. Secondly, the very diverse fields in which you can work. For instance, as a diplomat, I was involved with strategic issues when I was Additional Secretary, UN and International Security; the nuclear negotiations with Pakistan, the CBM agreement that we signed with them on Pre-Notification of Ballistic Missile Flight Tests. I have done cultural work as Director General of the ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations). I have done economic work as Minister, (Commerce) in the Indian Embassy in the US. So, the variety of work that you get to do, plus the enormous challenge of development. If you are in a developed nation, the challenge in Government would perhaps be far less. But in a society where so much remains to be done, even if you succeed 30 percent of the time, you have done enormous good. The number of people you affect would be so huge. In a developing country in particular, you need good people in Government. Of course, young people should follow their talent and inclination, be it sports, sciences, arts, business or Government and employment will primarily have to be driven by the private sector.

Now that you are in India, do you miss the action? Not really. There are different phases in life and as per Indian tradition it is said that in the first phase you are a Brahmachari or student, the next phase you are a Grahastha or householder, then you are in Vanaprastha or hermitage, and finally Sannyasa or renunciation. You have to accept that there are different phases of life and be alert and active in different ways. January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 35

COVER STORY

Ajay Shankar with Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister of India

AJAY SHANKAR

Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a powerhouse Did you dream of getting into civil services? Ajay: I grew up in Allahabad, which, when I was growing up, was a great place. I went to school and university there. Initially, I thought I would be a physicist as I was a National Science Talent scholar, but after I graduated in Science, I came to the conclusion that if I wanted to be a first-rate physicist, I needed to go to the USA. On second thoughts, I felt I should get into public service. This then made me do a Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Political Science, after which I taught the subject in the Allahabad University for two years and then gave my civil service examination. I finally decided upon a civil

service career, not so much for prestige and power, but genuine desire for public service. When I joined the Government, India was at the stage of its development and evolution where there were many opportunities to do things that made a real difference. It remains so even today.

Did you fulfil your aspirations to do public good during your tenure? I often had the good fortune of being in the right place at the right time. I was lucky to spend about seven years in the Power Ministry, from 1999 to 2007. I was associated with the Electricity Act of 2003 from the day it was

36 / Corporate Citizen / January 1-15, 2016

thought of, to the day it was enacted and finally notified along with its Rules and policies. It was one of the major reform legislations of the NDA Government. It provided for the establishment of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission and the State Electricity Regulatory Commissions, rationalisation of electricity tariffs, transparent policies regarding subsidies, promotion of renewable energy and competition. The law as it emerged was very progressive, and got a lot of appreciation across the world. It created the enabling regulatory framework for the emergence of a competitive industry structure with increasing private sector participation.

=========================== I was again fortunate that, while in the Power Ministry, I was able to work on the massive programme for completing rural electrification. When we began looking at the issue seriously around the year 2000, roughly 1,25,000 villages in the poorest parts of India— Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal,Odisha and Assam—did not have access to electricity. We were able to launch a national programme under which over one lakh villages have been electrified and household access to electricity in India has moved up dramatically from about 56% in 2001 to about 78% now. The Government is now aiming to complete the work of electrification by providing full, uninterrupted access to electricity to all in the next few years.

‘Make in India’ is neither a mission nor an aspiration—it is an urgent necessity for India. As we are set to be the world’s most populous country by 2028, our social stability will depend on its success — Ajay Shankar

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You were also involved in the Solar Energy mission. Tell us more. The National Solar Mission was launched in January, 2010. The Mission set the ambitious target of 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022 and aimed at reducing the cost of solar power in the country through long-term policy with, large-scale deployment goals and increasing domestic production and value addition. The objective was to achieve grid tariff parity. I was again fortunate to be part of an expert group which worked out the details for Phase I of the National Solar Mission. The contribution I was able to make was to argue successfully that we needed a competitive industry structure and should go for tariff-based bidding for solar power plants. This would push prices down. Five years down the road, we have been more successful than I thought we would be. Tariffs have come down dramatically and are near grid parity. India is now scaling up its solar program manifold with confidence.

You have seen both sectors—the Government and the Industry. Is there a harmonious relation between both? What are your observations? Before the 1991 economic reforms, there was a huge gap. There were adversarial perceptions about corporate India in the Government. I recall a senior civil servant telling me with great pride that he would make industry leaders wait routinely before he met them in office. Since those days we have moved a long way. Now we are working together and it’s been a transformative journey. But working together in a very pragmatic way on details and on the fine print of policies and programmes is the next stage we have to evolve to. That partnership is beginning to happen, but we need a lot more of it if we have to succeed with Make in India. The role model I have for this is Germany. There all stakeholders—industry, finance and government leaders—are able to have

Meera and Ajay Shankar with former US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton and a guest

pragmatic discussions without taking public adversarial positions and arrive at decisions that serve Germany well. We need to take India towards that direction. People in Government and business can work well together. It is not a problem. In India, people from different backgrounds can come and work together. Indians can go anywhere in the world and work well. What we do need is a greater internalisation of the reality that India’s success has to be achieved through the private sector, which has to create jobs, which has to innovate and which, with the right set of policies would also give us inclusive growth and more equality.

What do you think of Make in India? Make in India is a necessity. We have to succeed, and the Government is committed

politically for its success. Now it is for the different wings of the Government, industry leaders and civil society to work together pragmatically, to put together a finely-tuned granular policy and regulatory framework and programmes which will really allow us to achieve our potential, which is enormous. Make in India (MII) is neither a mission nor an aspiration—it is an urgent necessity for India. As we are set to be the world’s most populous country before 2030, our social stability will depend on the success of Make in India, considering its potential to generate jobs, especially for those at the bottom of the pyramid. We are already the third or fourth largest market for various products, but we need to concentrate more on creating value in India for both the domestic as well as global markets. It is the only way to generate

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 37

public-private partnership to drive innovation and technology development. More than that, the most important thing is that we need to create the ecosystem for start-ups and incubation.

We are very fine with intellectual talent but when it comes to actual productivity, we lack. Has it something to do with the Indian mindset? That’s not true. If you recall the old days, people would get imported products and when they went out of order, somebody with some jugaad would set it right. So it’s not that innovation was not there. We have had a stratified and hierarchical society, with a social divide between those who worked with their hands and those who worked with their minds. The two have to work together.

You were at the helm of the transformation of Greater Noida… I was lucky to be the CEO of Greater Noida way back in 1995, when it was in its infancy. We were fortunate that we were able to get FDI of about 1-2 billion dollars in two years in those days in manufacturing. We got the first large Japanese investment with the Honda car plant. We got investment from LG and Daewoo Motors. During that period we got more FDI than most states in India, including the frontrunners. Greater Noida had the advantage of being close to Delhi, but what we provided was good infrastructure, private distribution of electricity and expressway connectivity with Delhi, which now has been extended to Agra. employment for the large pool of young people joining the labour force every year.

What about outdated labour laws? Labour laws need to change to incentivise investments in labour intensive manufacturing. The fact is that industry is reluctant to put up plants which employ 50,000 to 1,00,000 workers. With the easing of regulations and approval processes, setting up of four labour codes in place of 44 labour laws, support to start-ups, and other pro-industry policy measures, more investment should flow into labour intensive sectors where we have been lagging behind. I believe we could achieve our target of generating 100 million jobs in the coming decade if we could generate a national consensus and move quickly with the necessary changes. It is estimated that 100 million manufacturing jobs will move out of China due to higher wages in conventional sectors like garments. We need to build a strategy and create a friendly ecosystem for labour intensive large factories so as to capture at least 50% of these jobs.

How do you compare our progress with China? The Chinese have achieved enormous success. Seen as the factory of the world, they have practically got rid of poverty, their per capita income is many times ahead of ours. We have to think how we can get rid of poverty, how we create a better life for our people, be good to the environment, have more inclusive growth and more social harmony. Instead of comparing ourselves with China, we need to look at where we are and where we need to go and how quickly we can get there. With 8-10% growth rate, successs in employment-intensive economic activity and creating thereby 100 million jobs, we would have a prosperous society with a good life for our people. At that point of time, where China is would not be very relevant.

What does it take for innovation to make a mark in India? Innovation will be the key to surviving and being successful in this century. Firms are beginning to see that. What we need is better

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Would you advise youngsters to go into the IAS or the corporate sector? My advice will be to respect one’s inclinations and have a realistic assessment of one’s capabilities and then choose what is best. One can be an entrepreneur, artist, writer, designer, join the Government or corporate sector or teach. The good thing about India today is that all these openings offer a fairly decent standard of living and enormous opportunities to do good things and derive satisfaction and a sense of fulfilment.

What do you think about today’s young managers and government officers? What is your advice for them? Work together to make India great. India has the potential of being a great nation. We have all the talent and ability and everything right. All that we need is to work together as a team. Youngsters have great confidence, energy and ambition. They could do with a lot more selfdiscipline and hard work. vinita.deshmukh@corporatecitizen.in

CLIMATE TALKS

IF ONLY THE POLAR BEAR COULD SPEAK

It also has a glaring untruth written all over it – there is no recognition of the historical responsibility for pollution. So, at the very best, the world has sketched itself a new text on which to pin future hopes and expect early disappointments By Chitra Subramaniam-Duella

he very talented Swiss artist Chapatte’s 2006 cartoon to mark the start of the international climate talks in Nairobi in November 2006 could well have been repeated for the recently concluded climate talks in Paris. Nobody is quite sure what was achieved but everyone is relieved the talk did not crash. All the right words are in. The treaty talks of finance and adaptation, damage and loss, stocktaking, technology, emission reduction and market mechanisms, but the sum of the parts has led to more confusion and suspicion, not confidence. The good news is that the world now has a freshly minted climate change deal where 196 countries have agreed to keep the rise of global temperature well below 2 degrees by the turn of the century. The Iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris lit up with 1.5 degrees spangled across. Leaders also agreed to ensure that their countries would peak their emissions swiftly so that collectively they could ensure that net greenhouse gas emissions would return to zero. The less good news is that the world is no more close to saving itself from the disastrous effects of climate change than it was two weeks ago because the 31-page treaty is low on specifics. For example, it speaks of rolling out $100 billion, 2020 onwards, but fails to mention what, why and

above all, who should pay. It also has a glaring untruth written all over it – there is no recognition of the historical responsibility for pollution. So, at the very best, the world has sketched itself a new text on which to pin future hopes and expect early disappointments. At worst, the marathon talks that lasted for two weeks showed bad blood, dishonesty and pressure tactics profiling once again that lack of trust and good faith is the bane of multilateral negotiations and diplomacy. What is the immediate takeaway for India? There are those who believe that as long as fossil fuels remain the cheapest form of energy, they

What is the immediate takeaway for India? There are those who believe that as long as fossil fuels remain the cheapest form of energy, they will be used and for now, coal is India’s best option

will be used and for now, coal is India’s best option. But another, more interesting scenario has also emerged from the way many say India strategically and politically prevented the talks from collapsing. How much of that is true, the future will tell, but New Delhi is within grasping distance of the benefits of swiftly moving away from carbon emissions by playing large domestic market potential and ambition to grow at double digits. Show us the money and we will show you the market is an interesting spot to be. Paris was supposed to end fragility - fragility of poor people, the world’s forest and water resources and food supply chains. Developing countries looked to finance and resources to mitigate damage and adapt to new technologies, so as to not repeat the errors of rich nations. But here’s the flaw - one report predicts that 50 percent of economic growth between 2010 and 2015 will come from some 440 cities in emerging markets – China, India and Africa. What will be the role of clean technology in their trajectories and how can they access, finance or develop this? The climate treaty is weak on specifics and has no road map – hence it is not a reliable ally. Developing countries also hoped Paris would address rising sea levels, soaring temperatures and increasing pressure on land and water, among other issues. Instead they returned with a text which says the damage to climate “…does not involve or provide a basis for any liability or compensation.” What this means is that developing countries, will have to scrounge around for their right to assistance in unhealthy competition and suspicion. The other problem profiled in Paris was science and what role it was to play to influence policy makers, industrialists, civil society and lawmakers. While 2 degrees was bandied about months before the final negotiations, a straight cause and effect relationship between carbon emissions and future global warming remains elusive. What next? All is not lost. There is now a superstructure available to the world to work on. As climate change continues to worsen and affects millions of lives, it is people who will now be demanding action of their governments. The pollution in Delhi and the floods in Chennai and the resultant public anger is where hope lies. Voters will increasingly force governments to come up with solutions in the true spirit of democracy and transparency. As for the United Nations whose treaty it is - the most important question it needs to answer as it turns 70 is – if the comity of nations cannot come to a common understanding about what are human rights, how can it give itself the power to police the worlds resources? If only the polar bear could speak and the world’s poor would be heard, what would they say? Chitra Subramanian-Duella is an internationally acclaimed journalist and Editor-In-Chief of wwthenewsminute.in (Courtsey: www.thenewsminute.in)

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 39

TÊTE-À-TÊTE Speaking on the Dynamic Business Environment, Rajeev Bhadauria stressed on the technology and the characteristics of the human mind. He says, “Going back to the human history, there is discovery of fire, wheel and after that the computer that has changed things over the years. Due to these developments, especially the third one, in the last one decade, things have happened which never happened in the past.” Referring to these developments, he stressed the need to understand the change that is happening. To explain the changes, he termed today’s youth as ‘Internet natives’ and 40-plus people as ‘Internet migrants’ and pointed out the fundamental difference between the generations. VUCA TIMES: Going further, clarifying the terminology of driving force in today’s dynamic environment, Bhadauria said, “Today in the ‘VUCA’ (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) world, continual change is the driver. So that’s where your creative mind comes into the play and therefore ‘Golden rule in business is there is no golden rule’, rings true.” “Building upon that, you need to have a long-term vision and short activities to achieve that long-term target in this dynamic environment,” he added. In the world of digitalization, the parameters are changing frequently. Earlier, the things were happening and you could respond to them step by step; now in this digital age, this being the dynamic business world, things are happening together and as such, complexity and magnitude of change are becoming unmanageable. LEFT BRAIN V/S RIGHT BRAIN: In the management of business in this unprecedented environment, he underlined the use of technology, saying, “Left part of our brain is exact replica of technology. Therefore things can be done or managed through technology. However, human mind can never be replaced and artificial intelligence will remain only close to the real and will never be the real. That’s why the right part of your brain is not available in any man-made thing. How you develop right-side brain is the challenge… Design Thinking Process is an essential tool to deal with the environment. You should go through design thinking process. Every person who makes innovation is a design thinker. There were Galileo and Newton, who had a different view and they got the benefit of the knowledge and their past, but never got burdened by the past. So, when I say design thinking, it is the approach—the urge to do something new. You cannot keep doing same thing over and expect a different result. So develop your right side of the brain and design thinking part of your mind and use the wisdom. Develop your design thinking power that is in your right part of your brain and that is the answer to the changing environment. BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY: Businesses have changed over the years, because of the overskill of technology. In the last 15 years, technology

In Business, there is no Golden Rule

The golden rule in business is, there is no golden rule — these are the words of Rajeev Bhadauria, Director, Group HR, at Jindal Steel & Power, one of the leading corporate managers in India. A strong endorser of the process of design thinking of an individual, he believes that the simplicity and holistic approach in business with creativity, humanity and technology make complex things simple. Recently, he shared his knowledge and expertise, with Corporate Citizen, on the subject of Dynamic Business Environment and related topics By Mukul Potdar is getting redundant every moment; the earlier world of probability has today become a world of possibilities. Sharing an experience and referring to an example, he noted, Navin Jain is an Indian, living in the Bay Area and has started a company called the ‘Moon Express’. He has had some start-ups and today is a billionaire. Once Navin said, “I will land on the moon on October 26, 2016.” So it looks like he will be the first individual to land on moon. So the message is to manage the dynamic business environment and Navin Jain is also not an exception. This is the world where your conventional thinking processes need to be revisited. In a candid conversation with Corporate Citizen, Rajeev Bhadauria, Post Graduate in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations from the Power Management Institute, NTPC, besides LLB from Allahabad University, spoke about his career, challenges and other aspects of life while also taking us through his personal life.

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Take us through your education and career. I started my career with NTPC, later joined Reliance Infrastructure in 1995 as the Head of Corporate HR and Reliance-ADA Group. It was a great experience. Since the last four years, I am associated with the Jindal Steel and Power, where I am working at different verticals—primarily mines, steel, power and now also looking after construction technology. What are the challenges you faced in recent past? The business challenges are coming out from the impact of excess of technology. The business driver is a continual change and when it happens, you need to have a very different state of competency to match. There is need to develop competency for which you need to think differently, and developing yourself, being more sensitive to the observation and developing wisdom rather than just limiting yourself with the knowledge. Knowledge is available free of cost to everybody, but it’s up to an individual on how he executes it. In fact,

the future that is right; responding rather than reacting and responding within the reaction time is the alternative to the way we think. That is the change that’s there. Do you see simplicity as the tool to manage things? Absolutely. We need to understand that the art and science of managing complexity is simplicity, the right crux of wisdom is in simplicity. Do you see this process as liquidity of creativity? Yes, well said. It is available in liquid format. So liquid is what can be used as cash. How do you see today’s youngsters? Today’s youngsters are digital natives and knowledge is available to them, but what they need to do now is to convert it into useful wisdom. So it is data to information and knowledge to wisdom. That’s why the wisdom is needed to be directed. When the maturity and understanding increases, they will be better managers and wealth creators in the future. Do you think we need to change the mindset? Yes, why do we think there is a constraint? Well, every constraint has a potential to improve. Like I said earlier, either you act as a victim or you play a player that is what I call it.

you do have the same knowledge, but it is up to you to apply it differently, or not, and do different things, differently. How has the role of an HR professional changed over the years? I do not agree. People have misconnected the role of an HR professional. I feel, the role of an HR, is firstly as analytic to business; secondly, as an an intervention specialist who looks into a problem, addressing, understanding and working for a solution to the root cause. The third role is that of a manager of change. It’s just not about providing services. The services are a part of it, but you have to manage the change. You have to keep creating policies, processes and systems. This will help you to adapt a brave, modified change, and bring in agility in the system and people. Thus, it is a very comprehensive role. Last but not the least, the fourth role of an HR is in the evaluated zone of performance and potential. So at every given point in time, you are an aid to the business. An HR contributes to creating values and felic-

You have spoken about following a holistic approach, so how do you see CSR activities in companies? Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) should not be pursued as something different in business. In our organisation, we devote about six percent of the profit to carry out CSR activities. Look, carrying out CSR activities is not a burden. As I told you, social equity helps in getting financial equity. You will not succeed in life, if you don’t do this. It is part of the business. There are three parts to business—customers, society and employees. It is a social equity and they are part of your industrialisation and a healthy industrialisation.

“Left part of our brain is exact replica of technology. Therefore the things can be done or managed through technology. However, human mind can never be replaced and artificial intelligence will remain only close to the real and will never be the real” itates the creation of culture where people have the competency, innovation in this kind of higher order. In such a culture, people get inspired rather than requiring external processes for motivation. A role of an HR professional is very different now. People must have considered the activities of an HR department as the role of HR, but it is different that these activities. So understanding

Lastly, how do you manage your work and personal life? Well, as I said, I play a player. I work seven days a week so I have to find the time. It is very relevant that my organisation is in a situation where I have to work and work means I am available physically, emotionally, spiritually. I keep promoting and encouraging people, going to worksites, I enjoy being with them. The rest all is balance. I think you should enjoy your work. The concept is that the work itself should be an enjoyment and the modern day concept of work is far from leisure. But that can’t be kept away from work. I find it and I practise it and my family has also got used to it and enjoy it. mukul.potdar777@gmail.com

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 41

THE TAX MAN COMETH-7

BY S K JHA (IRS (retd) and former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax)

BOLLYWOOD STARS CRY FOUL

Unlike the regular tax desk which is manned by a tax officer whose job is to levy tax on you, this desk is manned by a non-serving tax officer who wishes to share his experience of 35 years in the Income Tax department, while discussing tax provisions. It is advantageous to know how the tax department thinks and acts, as said by Benjamin Franklin, “In this world nothing is certain except death and taxes”

here is nothing wrong in making money. Somerset Maugham had said, “Money is like a sixth sense and you cannot make use of the other five without it.” But the intrinsic factor in making money is payment of tax. Income tax is the levy of tax on income earned by a person during the preceding financial year. Tax is collected out of the income when the same has already reached the pocket of the person unlike in the case of indirect tax where tax is levied on goods and services. The meaning of the word ‘person’ is inclusive, and besides individuals, it also includes Hindu Undivided Family, Firm, Association of Persons, Body of Individuals, Company and artificial juridical person but it is individuals who comprise more than 80 percent of the taxpayers. It cannot be denied that people do not feel very happy to part with their income to pay tax and for this reason, human conduct and behaviour come into play in the process of tax collection. To illustrate this point, I go to mention two situations I faced when I was in the income-tax department. It was some years back when I was entrusted with the responsibility of looking into the complaints received against famous personalities of Bollywood. The complaints were duly verified by me and 20 cases of leading actors, actresses, direc-

tors and producers were segregated, where credible evidence of tax evasion was prima facie found. It was decided to conduct raids against them. The search action was launched simultaneously against all of them at the appointed time on the appointed day. Services of about 400 taxmen were requisitioned for searching 60 premises belonging to those 20 personalities. There was a buzz in the city and media people had descended on our office in Mumbai to find out the names of our targeted persons. I was coordinating the massive search operation sitting in the control room in our main office. The search parties spread in the different parts of the city were reporting to me that they had reached the premises of the search and had started the search operation. At this point, I suddenly got disturbed by a call. The leader of the search party at the residence of one of the topmost heroines gave a frantic call that the search operation was not getting started despite his best efforts. He reported that the actress had become hysterical on seeing the search

The complaints were duly verified by me and 20 cases of leading actors, actresses, directors and producers were segregated, where credible evidence of tax evasion was prima facie found. It was decided to conduct raids against them. The search action was launched simultaneously against all of them...

42 / Corporate Citizen / January 1-15, 2016

The issue of income tax has become an emotional affair: the urge to hide income and evade tax, the fear of getting caught, the bogey of the tax man, the ego-high of being a top tax payer, or even getting tax-searched!

party and was physically coming in the way, obstructing the search party in her house. The actress was a national icon and it was necessary to calm her down before starting the operation. Her behaviour was understandable as she was young and had achieved stardom with her hard work. She was in no mood to see the taxmen taking away her wealth. It was a difficult proposition for me to solve, sitting in the control room, which was 20 km away from the place of search. However, I could solve the problem relying upon the principles of psychology and behavioural response. I asked the team leader to make her talk to me. She complied with our request and came on the line. I tried to inflate her ego and told her that she was selected as target of search as she was the topmost heroine. I also gave the names of two other top heroines who were being searched simultaneously. I explained to her that if she was not searched when top actresses and actors were being searched, then it would lead to public perception that she was not in the topmost bracket. She understood that she was the topmost and that her competitors would gain in public perception if she was not searched when they were searched. The next day newspaper headlines put her in the list of top heroines who were raided. The loss of money was offset by the boost given by the media reporting. I faced a similar situation again that day at the end of the day’s operation. The team leader at the residence of a top actor reported that the search had resulted in the detection of a huge amount of cash and valuables. The hero lost his cool when he found that the search party was successful in discovering the hidden bundles of cash and gold biscuits from under the false ceiling of his bungalow. He started hurling abuses and threats on the members of the search party. He and his people started physically obstructing the process of making seizures of cash and valuables. Like in the case of the actress, I talked to him on the phone and gave the names of his competitors who were also subjected to search that day and informed him how cooperative they were despite big seizures being made from their places. The actor understood my point that the media would adversely

The hero lost his cool when he found that the search party was successful in discovering the hidden bundles of cash and gold biscuits from under the false ceiling of his bungalow

report the incident and his image as a hero would suffer. I succeeded again.

search is an extreme action but even in the normal scheme of tax collection, psychological factors come to play. The income-tax department has schemes like the ‘Samman’ scheme at the national and state levels where the highest taxpayers in different categories are felicitated. The purpose is to induce competition for higher tax payment. The highest taxpayers are also given liberal treatment in the tax assessment process. The online filing of tax returns, their speedy processing and giving refunds within four months are steps in this direction. There is also a scheme for providing assistance in filing returns through authorised return preparers for a specified token fee. Further, to reduce interface of the taxpayers with tax officers only one percent of returns filed are selected for scrutiny. The selection is done through computer-assisted system based on third-party information and intelligence input. Recently, there is direction that taxpayers can file replies to the queries online even in the scrutiny assessments. These steps are designed to reduce the pain of taxpayers. Income-tax is a major source of income for the country, which is used for development and

welfare work. The Income-Tax Act is a tool for the collection of tax but it also bears the imprint of social responsibility. The charitable purposes defined in the Income-Tax Act includes: relief to the poor, education, yoga, medical relief, preservation of the environment, preservation of monuments or places of historical or artistic importance. The Act motivates people to enter the field of social work as it provides full deduction for payment to specified projects. Special deductions have been provided to persons against projects started in the backward area. To promote agriculture, income from agricultural activities has been kept free. To promote science and research, special deductions have been provided for donors. The purpose for listing these items is to show that the Income-Tax Act has a heart. It is not only economics but it is also social science. It is not good for our country if our people are alienated from income-tax. Historically, a phobia has been created about it. The perception has been that going to the income-tax department will mean facing harassment and corruption. I remember seeing a film where the hero says that friendship with a taxman will mean rearing a black cat. In my opinion, the fear is not real and it is just the fear of the unknown. I advise my readers to be conversant with at least the basics of income-tax

and visit the tax office whenever there is any opportunity. The fear of the unknown will disappear. I recollect an incident as a young officer when I was the assessing officer for Mumbai’s legal professionals. It was a routine scrutiny assessment of the legal luminary, the late Nani Palkhivala, who was then our Indian Ambassador to the U.S. It was a pleasant surprise for me to see him personally coming to my office along with his chartered accountant. I respectfully asked him, “Sir, why have you personally come?” He replied, “Just to know my income-tax officer and to give respect to this chair.” His reply must be considered as guidance to taxpayers. His book on income-tax is ultimate, and many pundits rely on his commentary. The total income of the Central Government is about ₹13 lakh crores against which expenditure is about ₹19 lakh crores. If we have to go for development and make our country a superpower, then we have to increase both our income and expenditure and reduce fiscal deficit. The major component of our income is direct tax which is about ₹6 lakh crores. To increase this component of our income we have to increase our tax base, which is very narrow at the moment. The unfounded fear of the income-tax department keeps a large section of potential taxpayers away from the tax net. Should we not all resolve to increase our tax net?

tadka

Fast food Capital? India is on its way to being the fast food capital of the world. India’s quick-service restaurant chains business is expected to grow eight-fold to $5.6 b by 2020 from $720 m in 2011, which would make it the biggest fast food market in the world.

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 43

LOVED & MARRIED TOO

It is not often these days that a college romance fructifies into a wedlock. Corporate Citizen unlocks the story of love that has culminated into marriage, for we believe in the stability of a relationship and family unit. We bring to you real-life romances that got sealed in marriage

At 27 and 30 respectively, Ritesh and Heena Ranjan Thakur, invest their marriage and relationship with an understanding well beyond their years

y l e v i t r o p p u S yours By Kalyani Sardesai

arried for a little over a year and a half, Ritesh and Heena, fill the gaps in each other’s lives and routines with quiet dexterity. Irrespective of what time the other returns due to the crazy corporate hours, the spouse who’s been home that day—will be ready with a hot meal, a smile and a patient ear. If one of them has to travel overseas, the other will take care of all the arrangements—so that all the traveller has to do is pick up the bag, and proceed in peace. Not for them the tedium of arguing over each other’s hectic schedules or a litany of complaints of having to manage alone for a little while: just acceptance and synchrony. “My job profile as manager with Viraj Profiles Ltd has me travelling for as many as 10 to 12 days a month. The time we get together is precious and welcome. So even if I have come home at 3 am, she’s game to go out for a drive and a coffee,” smiles Ritesh. “Sometimes it gets crazier. We could drive down to Lonavala if the mood strikes us.” (The couple is based in Mum-

bai currently. Heena works as a Business Analyst with JP Morgan.) It is precisely this camaraderie that makes the partnership a joy and never minds the cultural differences. (He’s a Hindu Rajput from Jamshedpur, while she’s a Sindhi from Kanpur.) While Ritesh completed his MBA in Marketing and IT from a renowned college in the city, Heena is MBA Finance from Dr Gaur Hari Singhania Institute of Management. Both met as management trainees at Tata Steel, Mumbai, where Ritesh who’s a batch senior, was placed as Heena’s mentor. “We are both workaholics and focused about achieving whatever we undertake. A deadline is a deadline, no matter what,” says Heena. This

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shared ethic brought them closer and slowly, the relationship grew. On his part, he greatly appreciates her bluntness and purity of heart, her childlike manner and love of life. On hers, she is completely gung-ho over his “deep sense of loyalty, not just towards relationships but every other aspect of life”. Besides, he is patient, understanding a great listener. Even so, formalities had to be worked through. “Though I adored her, I told her that marriage would happen only if both sets of parents gave us their wholehearted blessings,” shares Ritesh. While her parents were open to the idea, Ritesh’s dad had his reservations over the difference in cultural backgrounds. “With patience and per-

severance, after about a year and a half, he finally consented to meeting Heena’s family. With one caveat though: I was not supposed to be home when the meeting happened.” When he returned home at 10 pm, nervous and curious as well—to his amazement, both families were giggling, joking and bonding together as if they were long-lost friends. “I fled to my room; a little taken aback. Heena’s laughter was the loudest of all… she also seemed to be talking the most… huh!! Just what was happening around here?” He texted her— asking her to take it easy as it was only the first meeting with his folks. She texted back: but it has been this way all evening!! “Apparently, just a few minutes into the meeting, my parents had accepted Heena as a daughter-in-law and gifted her jewellery,” says Ritesh wonderingly. Post a fun-filled, traditional wedding in February 2014, the couple is based in Mumbai. Though both keep tough hours, it helps greatly that Ritesh is a house-proud husband who helps out with both the chores. “We have to be realistic. Life these days is tough; careers are demanding. If after working for about ten hours a day, you expect your wife to cook elaborate meals and keep a wonderful home to boot—you’re being unreasonable. Help her out. Take care of her, especially if she’s coming home later than you that day,” says Ritesh. “These little things go a

The ingredients for a happy marriage z Communication z Doing little things

for each other; showing the other person that s/he is important to you z Accepting each other’s work demands z Sharing burdens and joys z Respect and trust

“Marry only when you are ready. Understand that you have the responsibility not just of your spouse but two families. Relationships take work and understanding,” says Ritesh long way in strengthening your bond.” While Heena adds that she “feels blessed to have a partner who helps out in every way.” Both enjoy movies, restaurants—being committed and enthusiastic foodies—and travel. “I travel the world over, and bring home food and wine, which we both enjoy. These days we are both into experimenting with different cuisines,” he smiles. An episode that stands out in memory is his first date with Heena—for which he gifted her with a bottle of vintage from Spain. “She did not drink, and instead of taking it home for her family—she actually sold it to the Food and Beverages guy at the hotel where we were having our meal. They paid her quite well for it,” he says wryly. But she did not stop there. She actually bought stationery and candy with it and distributed it to kids on the road. “I did not know how to react… expect to say: well, she’s different!!!” he says, amazed. In retrospect, though, that obviously did not deter him!! “If two people think and act the same way, where’s the fun?” he counters.

And Ritesh’s proved a rock-solid support besides the happy days as well. Heena’s dad’s untimely demise, within months post their wedding totally devastated Heena and her brother as they were very close to their dad. “Ritesh took over everything. He was such a pillar of strength to our mother that people wondered whether he was the son or son-in-law. From taking care of the arrangements to consoling us, he did it all without complaint. Despite his busy schedule, he did not open his laptop for a fortnight; he gave us all his time and attention. It was then that I understood that I had married a man with a deep sense of familial responsibility,” says Heena. Naturally, the episode has brought them closer. On a lighter note, who’s the more romantic one? “I would say it’s me,” he says. “But while I am the one who takes efforts over birthdays and anniversaries, she infuses her care and commitment into making ordinary moments special… from giving me a flower to cooking a special meal for no reason at all, she is a giver.” Given the backdrop of corporate life and its

fly-by-night relationships, what do they believe makes a relationship work? “It’s all about balance,” says Heena. “That, and respect for your spouse. If you have that, any situation will work. My husband supports me in matters big and small—and that is a huge plus.” Ritesh offers his take. “Marry only when you are ready. Understand that you have the responsibility not just of your spouse but two families. Relationships take work and understanding. Also transparency and communication are the bedrock of every marriage,” he says. kalyanisardesai@gmail.com

tadka

Black Days for India India ranks third in a line-up of countries with money hidden abroad. And how much, exactly? USD 94.76 billion (or Rs 6 lakh crore) was hidden abroad in 2012.

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 45

STAR CAMPUS PLACEMENT

“Discipline is in my blood” Getting the right push is critical for anyone starting their career. The right institute, teachers, friends and family can transform a young student into a remarkable corporate leader. This is the story of Atul Tiwari, who has travelled the globe, built a stellar corporate career and steadily climbed to the apex of his craft. Corporate Citizen brings you the fascinating conversation with the young maverick from the HR fraternity By Neeraj Varty Take us through your career. I have been working for the past ten years. Being a 2004-06 batch student of a leading B-school in India, I got placed at Hexaware technologies from the campus, with a package of ₹5 lakh, back in 2004. The role offered to me was pretty good with an option of being placed in Mumbai or Chennai. I was glad that I got posted in Mumbai. I worked with them for three and a half years. Travelling across the globe in that role, I got a lot of exposure with MNCs, and implemented PeopleSoft HR for their geographies. I travelled across 18 APAC (Asia-Pacific) countries. Then I moved to IBM and was posted in Gurgaon. From there, I went to Switzerland, because one of our clients there was Credit Suisse. I stayed there for four months. It was extremely luxurious. I then moved to the US, in Minneapolis, one of the coldest cities in the country. I also travelled to Mexico and Canada and implemented HR strategies there. Around this time, I was getting married, and I came back to India. I got through PriceWaterHouseCoopers in Gurgaon. I moved into a purely HR consulting role, which was my first experience with Indian customers. I consulted for both the private and government sectors. Around this time, PeopleStrong, which I would say is the first HR outsourcing firm in India, offered me a role as head HR. I expanded myself as I like to experiment. How different is HRO (Human Resource Outsourcing) from traditional HR? HRO is entirely different from traditional HR. Sometimes, companies outsource their entire HR function to third parties. That is what we do. It is a 360-degree solution. In the US, there

I have learnt that the ship of positivity can pass through a sea of negativity as long as it doesn’t let the negativity enter it. If you have self-confidence, you will always succeed

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are about 35 registered HRO companies. In India, there are barely any. We are the biggest RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) in India. We also undertake HR-shared services. From recruitment to discharge, we handle everything. We also do compliance functions as per labour laws. We also process payroll for over 1,50,000 customers. We also have our own technologies, our software which are up to global standards. We have over 150 people working on software. How did you choose the HR domain? My father was in defence forces, so I applied for a defence campus in Pune. I also applied for a campus in Kolkata. During this time, I saw the ad for a leading management institute in Pune. It was run by our director Col. Balasubramanian, who hails from an illustrious army background. I applied to the admission centre in Hyderabad. I was impressed by the student co-ordinators there. I saw discipline, determination and dedication. I was shortlisted, and interviewed by our Director himself. I expressed interest in the institute, and specifically asked for HR for two reasons. 1) I am an engineer with specialization in mining. I always linked HR to recruitment. I also had an interest in psychology, and HR has its roots in psychology. 2) On the philosophical side, as a miner, I learnt how to extract precious metals from the earth’s crust, which is similar to what an HR does, who identifies talent in the rough. I got selected, and decided to join. At the same time, I got the clearance from the prestigious defence campus I had applied for. Unsure which road to take, I decided to take a risk and joined my current institute. And I must say, it was the best decision I could take. The institute shaped me in a big way—a complete change of personality and outlook. I attended the workshops, especially for HR. The first workshop for HR was on psychology. The sessions were very interactive. Our Director himself took sessions, which I was very keen on to attend. I also got great industry exposure. Top industry leaders for various companies came to the institute and imparted their knowledge, which was priceless. Another thing that now has seeped into my blood is discipline, which I learnt from the institute. It is now part of my psyche. Our Director’s story is also a source of inspiration to me. I have learnt that the ship of positivity can pass through a sea of negativity as long as it doesn’t let the negativity enter it. If you have self-confidence and a positive outlook, you will always succeed in life. These are just some of the things which I learnt from my institute and transformed my life forever. How did you meet your wife? It was an arranged marriage. I was in the US and she was working in ADS in India. My dad was

Atul with his group of close friends

A miner extracts precious metals from the earth’s crust, similar to what an HR does, who identifies talent in the rough Atul Tiwari with his family

in the Air Force, and her brother was in DRDO. There they met, and the alliance came about. I first saw her over the webcam, and we used to chat online, and November17th was the first day I saw her in person. On November 29th I got engaged and on December 8th, we got married. Now, we have two lovely sons, Samyak, the elder and Atharva, the younger. How many hours do you work in a day? Earlier I used to work to live, rather than live to work. I used to work from not more than six to seven hours. But once I got into PeopleStrong, the ground level work was a lot more. I work around eight to ten hours, because I have a lot to learn. Even then, I make it a point to maintain work-life balance, and I spend weekends with family. I have had a great journey. I feel I have tried a lot of different roles in HR, and to get the position of Head HR is only seven years is no easy task. Both you and your wife work. How do you manage? I am fortunate to have parents who are devot-

ed to their grandchildren, so my wife and I can work without any worries. I am forever grateful to them for that. Fortunately, even my wife has a great equation with my parents, so it’s really a great family. What does it take to make a marriage work? I would say, as for any aspect of life, there is a difference between a leader and others. There are certain aspects of leaders which are universal—having patience, believing in yourself, respecting elders, building capacity, and giving time to family. Marriage requires time and patience. Turbulence is natural, but eventually it settles down. You have to be patient. Especially for men, it is their responsibility to take care of the girl who has left her family and come into yours, at least till she settles down. Individuality is also very important. I am a vegetarian Brahmin. My wife used to eat eggs, due to medical reasons. However, after marriage, she decided on her own not to have eggs any more. It was her own choice. neeraj.varty@corporatecitizen.com

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 47

SURVEY

CAN INDIA TAKE THE WINNING LEAP?

Young India wants change. In its seventh decade of independence, India stands on the cusp of a major change: a transformation that could lead to unprecedented economic and human growth. Over the past two decades, India’s gross domestic product (GDP) has risen by more than US$1tr, giving the middle class unprecedented purchasing power. In fact, India’s economy is set to increase by ten times over the next two decades. PriceWaterHouseCoopers, the world’s largest professional services network, set out to understand what it would take for India to achieve this target, conducted a survey across key industry sectors such as education, healthcare, agriculture, financial services, power, manufacturing, retail, urbanisation, digital and physical connectivity. Corporate Citizen presents the fascinating findings of the survey. Can India take the winning leap? BY NEERAJ VARTY

India’s population is steadily growing. The nation needs to create 10-12m jobs every year in the coming decades to provide quality of life for its growing population. Young Indians, particularly members of the emerging middle and the middle class, are demanding change, thanks to ever-greater access to the internet and mobile connectivity. At the current rate of growth, A nine percent GDP growth rate with a per capita income rising from US$1,500 to just under US$7,000 per year will boost quality of life for more than 1.25bn citizens. This would be the largest national development effort any democracy has ever attempted. Reaching this goal will call for a concerted effort—from businesses, entrepreneurs, investors, and government leaders. It will also require new solutions PWC collectively term the Winning Leap, which focuses on the role that corporations and entrepreneurs must play in helping to deliver this growth. Let’s look at some of the growth as well as problem areas in India’s path as it sets to fulfill its destiny as a global heavyweight. 48 / Corporate Citizen / January 1-15, 2016

BUILDING A $10 TRILLION ECONOMY

If India continues on its present growth course, it could have a US$5.6 trillion economy in 20 years. To create a US$10 trillion economy, India will need to accelerate its growth to nine percent CAGR over the next 20 years.

SOLVING PROBLEMS ACROSS SECTORS

Achieving the winning leap means finding solutions to some of India’s most persistent problems. As the country transforms, these must become vectors of growth, not weights slowing the country’s rise. January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 49

SURVEY A YOUNG COUNTRY WITH RISING EXPECTATIONS India is a young country; nearly 65 percent of its population is younger than 35. It has an opportunity to drive economic growth on the back of its rising workingage population (those aged 15-64). However, India risks squandering this demographic opportunity if it cannot create quality employment opportunities at scale and train its growing workforce to excel in those jobs. With greater access to information and growing aspirations among the nation’s youth, the quality of employment that India provides will prove as crucial as the quantity.

CAN INDIA REACH ITS POTENTIAL? Out of 1,500 responses, the majority of the study participants were younger than 30, and women constituted 28 percent of respondents. A large majority of participants stated that India could reach developed-country status in less than 20 years by adopting nonlinear solutions. The participants felt that human development should be the key focus area for India, and that infrastructure, education, and healthcare will constitute the nation’s biggest challenges. They identified corruption, regulations, and lack of a forward-thinking mind-set as the biggest roadblocks to surmounting those challenges. They cited India’s demographic dividend and entrepreneurial spirit as the country’s greatest strengths.

of respondents believe india needs out of the box thinking/ non-linear solutions

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CREATING NEW CAPABILITIES FIVE KEY THEMES FOR THE CORPORATE SECTOR To lead the winning leap, companies will have to address five key themes requiring new capabilities

A nine percent GDP growth rate with a per capita income rising from US$1,500 to just under US$7,000 per year will boost quality of life for more than 1.25bn citizens. This would be the largest national development effort any democracy has ever attempted. Reaching this goal will call for a concerted effort, from businesses, entrepreneurs, investors, and government leaders TEN VECTORS OF GROWTH

neeraj.varty@corporatecitizen.com January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 51

PEARLS OF WISDOM

By Pope Francis

Power of ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’ We must be uncompromising in teaching gratitude and recognition. A person who does not know how to thank others is one who has forgotten the language of God

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lease, thank you and sorry,’ are words that open up the road to a good family life. They are words that stem from a ‘good education.’ They are simple, but not so easy to put into practice. However, they “contain a great strength: the strength to safeguard the home, through many difficulties and trials; rather if they are lacking, gradually cracks appear that may even make it collapse.” We normally understand them as good manners. Okay, a well-educated person asks for permission, says thanks or apologises when wrong. Okay, manners are very important. A great bishop, St. Francis de Sales used to say that ‘good manners are halfway to holiness.’ However, be careful; down through history we

have seen how a formalism of good manners can become a mask that hides an aridity of the soul and a neglect of others. It is said: Good manners hide bad habits. Not even religion is immune from this risk, of slipping into a formal compliance with spiritual worldliness. The devil tempts Jesus in a show of good manners – he is a real gentleman, a knight - and cites Scripture, speaks like a theologian. His style seems correct, but his intention is to divert from the truth of God’s love. Instead, we mean good manners in real terms, where the style of good relations is firmly rooted in a love of good and respect of the other. The family lives off this finesse of loving. The first word ‘please’. When we take the effort to kindly ask for something that maybe we think is our due, we are really safeguarding the

‘Please, thank you and sorry,’ are words that open up the road to a good family life. They are words that stem from a ‘good education.’ They are simple, but not so easy to put into practice.

convivial spirit of married and family life. The ability to enter the life of the other, even when it is part of our lives, requires the delicacy of a non-invasive approach, which renews confidence and respect. Confidence, in short, does not authorize us to take everything for granted. And, the more intimate and profound love is, the more it demands respect for freedom and the ability to wait for the other to open the door of his or her heart. “The second word is ‘thanks.’ Sometimes it occurs to me that we are becoming a society of bad manners and bad words, as if they were a sign of emancipation. Kindness and the ability to thank are seen as a sign of weakness, sometimes they even arouse suspicion. This trend should be opposed in the womb of the same family. We must be uncompromising on teaching gratitude, recognition: human dignity and social justice both to pass here. If family life neglects this style, then even social life will lose it.” “The third word is ‘sorry’. It is a difficult word, certainly, yet so necessary. When it is lacking, small cracks widen - even unintentionally - to become deep trenches. It is not by chance that in the prayer Jesus taught us, the Our Father, which summarizes all the key questions for our lives, we find this expression: Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us”. Recognition of having erred, and willingness to give back what has been taken away - respect, honesty, love – makes us worthy of forgiveness. This stops infection. If we are unable to apologize, it means that we are unable to forgive. In a home where apologies are lacking lacks air, and the waters become stagnant. So many wounds of suffering, so many tears in families begin with the loss of this precious word: I’m sorry.’’ “People often argue in a marriage ... ‘dishes may even fly’ eh !, but I give my advice: never end a day without making peace. Listen well: A wife and husband have a fight? Children argue with their parents? It is a bad argument? This is not good. But it is not the problem: the problem is that this feeling is present the next day. So if you have quarrelled never end the day without re-establishing peace in the family. And how do I make peace? Get down on my knees? No! Only a small gesture, a little thing. And bring family harmony back, eh! Just a caress! Without words. But never end the day in the family without making peace. Do you understand this? It is not easy, eh! But you have to do it. And with that life will be more beautiful”. “These three key words of the family are simple words, and perhaps at first make us smile. But when we forget them, there’s nothing to laugh about, right? Our manners, perhaps, we neglect them too much. May the Lord help us to put them back to the right place, in our hearts, in our homes, and even in our civil society.”

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 53

BOLLYWOOD BIZ

START-UPS BACKED BY BOLLYWOOD STARS

Everybody is jumping on the start-up bandwagon, and Bollywood stars are no exception. Startups hold tremendous potential and Tinseltown celebrities are quick to zoom in on the diamonds in the rough. Corporate Citizen brings you a list of promising startups (some of them are established companies today) backed by the who’s who of Bollywood BY NEERAJ VARTY

KARISMA KAPOOR

AMITABH BACHCHAN

Starting with the actresses, they aren’t lagging behind their male co-stars one bit. Karisma Kapoor is the single largest individual shareholder in Babyoye.com, the e-commerce store for baby products, owned by Nest Childcare Services Pvt. Ltd. Karisma has 26 percent stake in the company whose other investors include Accel Partners and Tiger Global. Company’s founders—Arunima Singhdeo and Sanjay Nadkarni, however, continue to own a majority stake in their start-up. Earlier in 2015, Mahindra Group bought Babyoye.com for an undisclosed amount. While we don’t know the exact amount, the revenue of the company touched `30 crore last year. Therefore, It can be safe to say that Karisma Kapoor made a sweet profit on her initial investment.

Justdial had signed Amitabh Bachchan as its brand ambassador at the fag end of 2010. Instead of monetary payment, he opted for a stake in the company. He was given 62,000odd shares at a price of `10 each and he was roped in for a period of three years. Later, when Justdial went for an IPO, those shares were valued at `3.83 cr. Those same shares have shot up to more than `10 cr early this year. AB Sr also invested in cloud storage and sharing soultions start-up Ziddu, based in Singapore. The star’s investment in the venture was $2.50 lakh. Judging by the 1.2 billion page views on the company’s website, as well as 300 million visitors in just a month’s time, the legendary actor seemed to have made the right move.

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SHILPA SHETTY Buying in wholesale always gives us a better price, doesn’t it? The bulk of purchase allows the suppliers to give a discount. GroupHomeBuyers is a company launched by HDIL which applies the same concept to buying homes. GroupHomeBuyers claims to make bulk investing in real estate more affordable and eventually profitable. People show interest in a property, once a minimum ceiling is reached, it triggers a discount. The company is backed by Shilpa Shetty (details on shareholding are not known), along with her husband Raj Kundra. Altough the exact stake is not known, it is presumed to be of a high amount, as Shilpa will also be acting as the brand ambassador of the company. neeraj.varty@corporatecitizen.com

SALMAN KHAN Today, Yatra has come far from its humble roots. But for the seven-year-old -old travel operator backed by the American can venture capitalists Norwest Venture Partners and Intel Capital, roping in Salman Khan, who has a knack of minting inting crores of rupees from all of his movies, es, was a real coup. Salman has a 5 percent ent stake in Yatra.com, which is an ad-fororequity deal. Simply put, ad-for-equityy clause entails promoting and marketing ing the brand, in exchange for equity shares. ares. According to Economic Times, Yatra.com a.com is valued at `3,500 crore (which makes kes Salman’s stake worth `175 crore) and d going strong, so he can certainly lookk for windfall gains in the future.

tadka

India drinks 1/2 of the world’s whisky It might be hard to believe for the planet: however whisky consumption in India is lower than many other countries—about half of the world’s whisky consumption happens in India which is around about 1.2 million litres.

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 55 Jan

HEALTH

nsomnia is defined as difficulty initiating, or maintaining sleep at least three nights per week, in addition to complaints of sleep-related daytime impairment. It’s the most common sleep disorder, affecting up to 10 percent of adults. Sufficient and restful sleep is a human necessity. The average adult needs slightly more than eight hours of sleep a day. But only 35 percent of American adults consistently get this amount of rest.

Sleep Disturbances: z Difficulty falling asleep at night z Waking too early in the morning z Waking frequently throughout the night z Sleep that is chronically non-restorative or

poor insomnia may stem from a disruption of the body’s circadian rhythm, an internal clock that governs the timing of hormone production, sleep, body temperature, and other functions. While occasional restless nights are normal, prolonged insomnia can interfere with daytime function, concentration, and memory. Insomnia increases the risk of substance abuse, motor vehicle accidents, headaches, and depression. Recent surveys indicate that 50 percent of people suffer from sleep difficulties, and 20 to 36 percent of them struggle with such difficulties for at least once year. Other studies show that one person out of three in the United States has insomnia. But only 20 percent tell their health care providers about it.

Not a wink of

Signs and Symptoms Signs of insomnia may include: z Not feeling refreshed after sleep z Inability to sleep despite being tired z Daytime drowsiness, fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and impaired ability to perform normal activities z Anxiety as bedtime approaches z Tension headaches

What leads to insomnia z Substance abuse - Consuming excessive

amounts of caffeine, alcohol, recreational drugs, or certain prescription medications, such as stimulants can disrupt natural sleep-wake cycles. Smoking can cause restlessness and quitting smoking may also cause temporary insomnia. z Disruption of circadian rhythms - Shift work, travel across time zones, or vision loss can impair the body’s natural clock. Circadian rhythms are regulated, in part, by release of a hormone called melatonin from the brain. As individuals age, less melatonin is available for use by the body. z Menopause - Between 30 to 40 percent of menopausal women experience insomnia. This may be due to hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, or fluctuations in hormone levels. z Hormonal changes during menstrual cycle Insomnia may occur during menstruation. Sleep

While occasional restless nights are normal, prolonged insomnia can interfere with daytime function, concentration, and memory. Know about it and know how to overcome it improves mid-cycle with ovulation. z Advanced age - Biological changes associated with aging, underlying medical conditions, and side effects from medications all contribute to insomnia. z Medical conditions - Gastroesophageal reflux (return of stomach contents into the esophagus), fibromyalgia, other chronic pain syndromes, heart disease, arthritis, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea (difficulty breathing during sleep) may prevent you from settling into a restorative sleep. z Psychiatric and neurologic conditions - Anxiety, depression, manic depressive disorder, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, restless legs syndrome, and post-traumatic stress disorder are associated with insomnia. z Partners who snore - Unpredictable noises can prevent you from falling asleep or cause you to

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wake up in the middle of the night.

Risk Factors The following factors may increase an individual’s risk for insomnia: z Age - the elderly are more prone to insomnia z Gender - women are more likely to have insomnia than men z Stressful or traumatic event z Night shift or changing work schedule z Travel across time zones z Substance abuse z Asthma - bronchodilators occasionally cause insomnia z Excessive computer work z Depression z Sedentary lifestyle

Diagnosis

Insomnia increases the risk of substance abuse, motor vehicle accidents, headaches, and depression. Recent surveys indicate that 50 percent of people suffer from sleep difficulties, and 20 to 36 per cent of them struggle with such difficulties for at least once year yoga, meditation, or deep relaxation. Early treatment of insomnia may also help prevent psychiatric disorders, such as depression.

Treatment The preferred treatments for people with chronic insomnia are lifestyle changes and behavioural approaches that establish healthy sleeping habits.

Lifestyle

sleep Clinical history (including all current medication and recreational drug use) and physical exam are usually sufficient to make the diagnosis. Polysomnography, an overnight sleep study, can be helpful to rule out other types of sleep disorders, such as breathing-related sleeping disorder.

Preventive Care The following lifestyle changes can help prevent insomnia: z Exercising regularly—best when done before dinner. Exercise should not be done too close to bedtime because it can cause restlessness. z Avoiding caffeine, especially after noon, and nicotine. z Getting regular exposure to late afternoon sun. This helps stimulate the release of melatonin to regulate circadian rhythm. z Practising stress reduction techniques, such as

The following strategies may help treat the condition: z Maintain a consistent sleeping and waking time. z Establish the bedroom as a place for sleep and sexual activity only, not for reading, watching television, or working. z Avoid naps, especially in the evening. z Take a hot bath about two hours before bedtime. z Keep the bedroom cool, well ventilated, quiet, and dark. z Avoid looking at the clock—this promotes anxiety and obsession about time. z Avoid fluids just before bedtime. z Avoid exercising just before bedtime. z Avoid television just before bedtime. z Avoid caffeine in the later hours of the day. z Eat a carbohydrate snack, such as cereal or crackers, just before bedtime. z Move to another room with dim lighting if sleep does not occur after spending 15 to 20 minutes in bed.

Nutrition and Dietary Supplements Following these nutritional tips may help reduce symptoms: z Eliminate all potential food allergens, including dairy, wheat (gluten), soy, corn, preservatives, and food additives. Your health care provider may want to test for food sensitivities. z Eat more antioxidant-rich foods (such as green leafy vegetables) and fruits (such as blueberries, pomegranates, and cherries). z Avoid refined foods, such as white bread, pasta, and sugar. z Eat lean meats, cold-water fish, or beans for protein. z Avoid coffee and other stimulants, alcohol, and tobacco. z Drink six to eight glasses of filtered water daily. z Exercise 30 minutes daily, five days a week.

Aim to finish exercising by about 7 pm, as exercising after dinner may lead to insomnia. z Foods rich in carbohydrates and low in protein and fat may boost the production of serotonin and melatonin, brain chemicals that are associated with sleep. A carbohydrate snack of granola, unsweetened cereals, or crackers with milk before bed may help. The following dietary supplements may also be helpful in promoting sleep: z A multivitamin daily, containing the antioxidant vitamins A, C, E, vitamin B complex, and trace minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, zinc, and selenium. z Omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish oil, one to two capsules or one tbsp. oil one to three times daily, to help decrease inflammation and help with mental balance. Fish oil supplements can increase the blood-thinning effect of many medications, so it’s important to speak with your doctor before taking supplements. z 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), 50 mg, two to three times daily, for mood stabilization and sleep improvement. See below for serious cautions and contraindications. z L-theanine, 200 mg, 1 to 3 times daily, for nervous system support. z Melatonin, 1 to 3 mg one hour before bedtime, for sleep and immune protection. Ask your health care provider about potential prescription interactions. z Drink a glass of tart cherry juice each day. Studies have shown that tart cherry juice can increase melatonin levels and lead to more and better sleep. (Excerpted from University of Maryland, Medical centre website: https://umm.edu)

tadka The bird which flaps its wings fastest Hummingbirds are New World birds that constitute the family, Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. A hummingbird flaps its wings up to 90 times in one second or over 5,000 times a minute. Their weight is less than a penny.

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 57

TRAVEL Travelling to New York with Gulnar Virk, Director, HashTag Marketing

NEW YORK the city that never sleeps Meet Gulnar Virk, Director, HashTag Marketing, who graduated from Amity University, Noida, BBA –Finance, and later completed her post graduation from IBS Hyderabad, MBA – Marketing. From creating an image of a brand, to managing it with strategic services – Gulnar offers a marketing platform to each of her clients for not only their immediate growth but an unforgettable sustenance strategy that is required in today’s fast moving economy. Here, she talks about her favourite travels spot, New York By Sharmila Chand

traveller by luck, a philanthropist by hobby, a writer by chance, a dancer by passion but most importantly a Brand Consultant by professionGulnar Virk-Director of Hashtag Marketing graduated from Amity University, Noida, BBA–Finance and did her post graduation from IBS Hyderabad, MBA – Marketing. With her bags full of “Theoretical Knowledge,” Gulnar Virk finally discovers her true calling! It was simple – take the theory to practical grounds and enjoy the drama of events that unfold with exclusive cross-branding tie-ups that bring mutual companies on a lucrative platform. From creating an image of a brand, to managing it with strategic services – Gulnar offers a marketing platform to each of her clients for not only their immediate growth but an unforgettable sustenance strategy that is required in today’s fast moving economy. “My endeavour is to expand

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(Left) Gulnar Virk at the Fifth Avenue (top) Empire State Building

one’s horizons by offering strategic services of unmatched quality to my clients at competitive prices to carve an exclusive space in the competitive market. I think branding is a journey and not a destination”, says Gulnar Virk. Having been associated with projects that have created history in the country is only the beginning for this enthusiast!

Here she talks about her favourite holiday destination a lot more…. Which is your favourite holiday destination? Why? My favourite holiday destination

would be New York. Apart from the obvious; shopping, the vibes of the city, easy accessibility, and innumerable entertainment options are pointers that make you never want to leave. It’s the city that never sleeps. When did you visit last? I was there last month for my birthday and it was the best birthday I’ve had. What do you like about the place? New York is one of the most exciting cities in the world. It is often called “the city that never sleeps.” In fact, Times Square at

Central Park

for that place? Explore, Explore, Explore. New York is discovery from the minute you step in and the best thing is to spend your life living as a local and not a tourist. According to you how can that destination be improved? There is nothing that I would want to change about my dream destination. It’s absolutely perfect. What can other destinations learn from that place? I think mobility, cleanliness and the restaurants, pubs and cafes that are around in every block in this dream city. The variety offered is global in nature and that is hard to find in a place.

There are so many historic places to explore in New York. I would highly recommend visiting the Empire State Building but viewing it from the Rockefeller Centre will give one the best view of not only the city but also the Empire State Building down. It’s full of bustling people and promises you an environment full of energy like no other in the world.

midnight seems more vibrant and active than most other cities at noon. New York has many tourist attractions like the Statue of Liberty, the United Nations headquarters, the Empire State building and over 300 museums. It is renowned for its wide variety of entertainments including the world famous Broadway theaters. There are over 30,000 restaurants in New York City plus countless bars and clubs. If you like big cities and lots of excitement, the Big Apple is a great place to visit. There are always people walking down the street, music, lights, it seems like nothing ever shuts

Tell us what do you recommend to see and do? There are so many historic places to explore in New York. I would highly recommend visiting the Empire State Building but viewing it from the Rockefeller Centre will give one the best view of not only the city but also the Empire State Building. Central Park is a must; there is no place that lets you soak in the concrete jungle the way this park does in the heart of the city. Times Square & Broadway is a dream come true with its bustling activities and lights that are an attraction in itself. The Brooklyn Bridge is a great tourist point as well for vacation pictures. National September 11 Memorial & Museum is simply breath-taking. The work the country has put in to preserve the ruins and honor all those lives that were lost.

Which restaurants you like to visit over there? Why? New York City spoils you with gazillion choices when it comes to food. Apart from the street food as hot dogs and halal chicken rice that I never could get enough of my favorite restaurants and cafes are Buddakan, Balthazar, Alta, Russ & Daughters, Beyond Sushi, Top Hops and the list goes on. The Loeb Boat House at Central Park is also a favorite one. Which are the good hotels to stay there? Which is your favourite hotel to stay? Hampton Inn, Times Square, Marriott Marquis, Le Soleil, New York Hilton, Mid town, Dream Mid town are great options basis location and service. However, my favourite is Dream Midtown. Impeccable service and the best location one can find in Manhattan. A minute’s walk and one can find themselves in Central Park and Times Square. Tips you can give to fellow travelers

Any interesting episode of your holiday over there which you can share with our Columbus Circle readers? There were so many but what was truly special were the lounging walks in Central Park. In today’s fast moving world and skyscrapers all around, one finds it difficult to be in nature unless one travels especially to the beaches or hills. But in the heart of this city one is surrounded with the most beautiful parks and lakes that one can enjoy the city life at the same time go for a stroll when you want some peace and quiet. What kind of a traveler are you – planning well or more impulsive? I plan in advance but go with the flow when I reach my destination. Spontaneity is the order of the day for me in every holiday and the endeavor is to experience each place as a local instead of a tourist. Lastly, what tops your mind when you travel – sightseeing, food, shopping or …… I think it varies with every trip. There is so much to explore when one travels, and each destination has something different to offer. chand.sharmila@gmail.com

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 59

MOBILE APPS

xBest Apps to fulfil your

New Year’s Resolutions!

With the New Year right around the corner, now is the time most people vow to follow their New Year’s resolutions. As everyone knows, that’s a lot easier said than done. Luckily, there are apps which can help you to stick to your New Year’s Resolution… for real this time! We have brought you the best apps to ensure your New Year’s goals are met…Corporate Citizen’s unique way of wishing you a very Happy New year! By Neeraj Varty

If you want to get in shape:

If you want to eat smarter:

FOODUCATE

If you want to make a budget (Spending Less):

If you have resolved to learn a new language:

This is perhaps the most made New Year’s Resolution of all time. However, If you want to spice up your gym routines but can’t afford a personal trainer, Nike+ Training Club can help fill in the gaps. The app provides dozens of detailed workouts from trainers and athletes who show you exactly what to do in detailed video tutorials. The app helps users set and reach fitness goals by allowing you to customise workouts to fit your needs.

Whether you’re trying to lose weight or simply want a more balanced diet, healthy eating is a solid goal for anyone. But nutritionists know this is often easier said than done, as it’s not always easy to figure out which foods are actually good for you. Fooducate scans nutrition labels and ingredient lists and alerts users when there’s MSG, added sugars, preservatives and other ingredients that may make you think twice about buying. The app assigns a letter grade to each item and provides healthier alternatives to help you achieve your goals. Fooducate is a mustdownload this New Year.

Vowing to save money next year is a popular resolution. There’s no shortage of apps to help you manage your money, but we like Level because of its simplicity and beautiful design. Connect your existing banking and credit card apps and the app automatically detects your monthly income and bills to help you create a budget you can actually stick to. The app breaks down exactly how much you can spend each day, week and month while staying on plan and racks your spending across different categories like food and transportation so you can figure out just where your cash is going.

It’s never too late to learn a new language, and this New Year is as good a time as any. Duolingo goes a long way towards achieving those goals. The app offers a range of short, easily digestible, lessons in nine different languages and even lets you target the areas you want to improve most like speaking or reading comprehension. Download this app, and make 2016 the year you finally learn French, Spanish or even Japanese!

NIKE+TRAINING CLUB

60 / Corporate Citizen / January 1-15, 2016

Level

DUOLINGO

neeraj.varty@corporatecitizen.com

CLAPS & SLAPS

Corporate Citizen claps for Bharti Enterprises who has come out with first-of-its-kind mission - a corporate initiative to provide legal assistance, aid and awareness and literacy to underprivileged undertrials across the country by paying the bail and surety amounts in exceptional cases. We completely admire Bharti Airtel for its corporate initiative, where it will provide an annual grant of ₹10 crore on an ongoing basis. Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, will take a voluntary cut of ₹5 crore from his annual salary towards this cause, according to Bharti Group. Several leading lawyers from across the country have extended their support to the initiative and will provide pro bono services. Top law firm AZB & Partners and EY will also provide pro bono legal, administrative and governance support respectively. This move will be solely focused on District Courts where criminal cases are initiated. It is estimated that there are over 2,80,000 undertrials in approximately 1,387 jails in India constituting nearly 68 percent of the total prisoner population. This proportion is amongst the world’s ten worst. Many of these undertrials have been in custody for periods longer than the prison term, had they had been convicted. Most of these undertrials suffer in jails simply because of their ignorance of the law and their rights to liberty, their inability to pay the meagre amounts required for bails and bonds and lack of persons to stand surety. “Yes, my personal experience during visits to Patiala court for my case is the trigger for launching the legal aid service…I could get the best legal minds, but what about those who cannot afford it? It has been in working for a couple of years. I built on the idea and today here it is,” said Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, announcing Nyaya Bharti, a CSR initiative to provide legal aid to the poor. Nyaya Bharti will help underprivileged undertrials languishing in jails across the country for minor offences. The company will give them legal and financial assistance and also create awareness. For this CSR initiative, a ₹10 crore annual corpus has been created, Mittal said, adding he will contribute ₹5 crore from his salary every year towards the project. He drew a salary of ₹27.17 crore in 2014-15.

Corporate Citizen slaps the indifference of the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI), the national governing body for cricket in India, to have left Imran Shaikh, a member of the winning team of the World Cup, for the deaf and mute, to fend for himself. Imran, an all-rounder in the side, now sells kachoris to earn his living. It is truly heartwrenching to see the plight of Imran Shaikh, all-rounder of the Indian cricket team, who was a member of the World Cup for deaf and mute. Today, Imran is well-known at the Old Padra Road, in Baroda, not because he played this gentleman’s game, but for his kachoris. The sad thing about this cricketer is that after dominating the 22-yard pitch for many years, he has been left to fend for himself by none other than the world’s richest cricket board, the BCCI. He along with his wife is forced to sell ‘moong kachori’ at a roadside stall on the Old Padra Road. Imran started selling kachoris a week ago to make ends meet. “Cricket is my passion and I want to keep playing. But my financial condition is not good enough to support my family,” he was quoted (in sign language) in one of the newspapers recently and went on to say, “Playing deaf and mute cricket matches doesn’t earn me much money. So I started a nutritious kachori stall with the help of my wife Roza for earning extra income. I also got a temporary job in Gujarat Refinery, thanks to my coach Nitendra Singh.” Imran started playing cricket at the age of 15, watching the game on television. Coached by Nitendra Singh, he started playing at Bhutadi zampa ground, and was soon abserved into the Gujarat side and made it to the national team two years later. He scored 70 runs against Nepal, 60 against New Zealand and then scored a match-winning 62 against Pakistan in 2005 World Cup semifinals. Imran scored a valuable 40-run knock and bagged three wickets in the final against England to help India win the World Cup. He last led the Indian deaf and mute team in the Asia Cup T20 tournament in April this year. Sadly, years ago, he wasn’t picked up for U-19 tourney in BCA, as he is deaf and mute. January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 61

ASTROTURF ARIES

Mar 21- April 20

Dramatic changes in one’s attitude, behavior thus changing your own circumstances around you. You will keep making changes around you and they will be dramatic. You will redefine yourself, your image and personality. A deal is likely to be struck, bringing major changes in your life. Changes in career both personal and in the profession you pursue. There will be a boost in your career, even though you will be travelling a lot this year too, but it will be more related to business not so much for pleasure. Love will surround you and marriages or serious commited relationships are likely. Even though you have the freedom to do what you like, yet you need to pay more attention to your professional needs. Focus on your money matters and all should be well. Opportunities from foreign sources or lands can be expected. Be prepared for changes in your industry, changes in the hierarchy of your company changes in government resolutions that affect you. A chance of you changing your career path looks imminent too. Love would be uncomplicated and crystal clear for you. This year you need to define yourself after five years of personal freedom now is the time combine your freedom with a committed kind of relationship. Wealth remains a strong focus and factor.

www.dollymangat.com

Your attitude is your altitude, says Dolly Mangat, our renowned Astrological Expert and believes she helps people create their own prophecies rather than live predictions

WHAT’S IN STORE FOR YOU IN 2016

TAURUS

April 21 - May 20

Many of those who succumbed to the pressures should not feel wasted as new opportunities emerge. Many of you will opt for studies in spiritualism or the study of the metaphysical world. Its production time both personally and professionally. You have to deliberately focus your energies on quality rather than quantity. Your paths to greatest fulfillment this year should be family, children health and work. Those wanting to start a family are in a very good fertile period. Good period if you are planning to buy property or expensive items for your house. You will be happy with your earnings and remain contended. Over all this is a prosperous year. Lucky breaks can be seized and you will be to use them to your advantage. This is a fortunate year for you as you would easily be able to manifest your dreams. You need to focus on balancing fantasies do not carry these energies away. Be cautious in your love attractions, gentleness and practicality will pay off in the long run. You will like being attracted to those from whom you can learn something the mentor types. People who you can share like-minded philosophical beliefs will last longer with you. Good sexual chemistry only lasts a year its philosophical harmony that can lasts forever.

GEMINI May 21 - June 21 The good and strong relationships will survive but the flawed ones will succumb under pressure. This will give you enough reason to either stay put in a relationship or move on. Build acquaintances before you make friends. This will be a fun period in life when you can explore the delights of life. Career will take on a more meaningful turn than just earning money or achieving fame. Pay attention to your family and home affairs. Get your monthly check ups done and do not neglect niggling issues. You may buy and sell your properties at a good price. There could be travelling to foreign countries and also a move to a larger comfortable abode. Buying of expensive items for your comfort is viable. This year you could be making inroads into your own psychological

62 / Corporate Citizen / January 1-15, 2016

progress. You could reveal the wealth you possess in your subconscious mind. You will experience a stable kind of a year, as basic contentment with status quo is comprehended. The final quarter of the year will be more prosperous than the first three quarters. Trust your intuitions and listen to your heart while making small wise investments. You may tend to magnify all your problems, just remember that there is nothing that will destroy romance faster than destructive criticism. You need to avoid this attitude of criticism under all circumstances.

CANCER

Jun 22 - July 23

Your career will take a new meaning and shape to life. This is a brilliant time for you to pursue mystical traditions of your culture. You will buy expensive items for your own comfort. Your greatest interests in the year ahead are communication and intellectual interests. Keep your moods positive and constructive and avoid depression like a plague. Home and family life is always important for the Cancerian it’s the very meaning of life itself, its purpose and motive for living. You may move into a more luxurious home or renovate your abode and bring in comforts. Those of you who are in a childbearing age will be fertile or you may also think of adopting a child. You will be coming out of two wonderful financial years, and accept the fact that you are in a more comfortable position than ever before. Important financial goals are achieved this year. You need to disassociate yourself from social life if you need to be a success and achieve your goals and targets. Some old relationships need to be sorted and killed. Learn to move on for your emotional health is directly related to physical health.

LEO

July 24 - Aug 23

The year ahead looks happy and successful so learn to enjoy life the way it is. Learn to enjoy your work make it pleasurable, and use your creativity, presence of mind judiciously. Always ensure to take second opinions. The year ahead is prosperous. This is a good period for those who are in the education field, students, teachers, writers and journalists. It indicates progress, success and good fortune. Paths of greatest fulfillment would be finance and communication and intellectual interests. You would be encountering lucky financial breaks. You will earn in more ways than one you will also be enjoying your work immensely. You will also get ample opportunities to enjoy your wealth as you earn freely and spend freely. Be prepared for ups and downs.

VIRGO

Aug 24 - Sept 23

Life will be smooth and good so you need to watch out so that you do not over indulge in anything. The love and social life will become less active. Presumably because love goals were more or less achieved. Many of you were married or entered serious relationships. Hence this year the love life is less active. It is a fertile period so you could expand your family. It indicates spending money on the home and family and earnings from them as well. Will be restless but you should do what you feel is correct and not bow down to the rigidity of others. A year of prosperity and financial growth since the financial horizons are much expanded. You will project the image of wealth and prosperity. You could expect earnings from real estates, food business, hotel industries and anything to do with the raw material that builds up homes.

LIBRA

Sept 24 - Oct 22

Your most important interests in the year ahead are personal makeover and image building. Focus on communications and intellectual pursuits, home and family, and spirituality. Your paths of greatest fulfillment will be spirituality and later body, image and pleasures. Good period to invest in home repairs. Parents need to be carefullly looked after. Earnings will increase financial opportunities increase, benefits from your investments on cards. Family support remains good all year around. Take initiatives step-bystep methodical approach to build it for long term. Surprises in your love life have been taxing and risky. Marriage is not advisable this year, as commitments will wither away.

SCORPIO

Oct 23 - Nov 22

Good year for all who are involved in education, marketing or travelling. Prosperity through a variety of means. Your most important interests this year are finance; communication & and intellectual interests. You may find yourself out of harmony with the family. If you plan to relocate then doing it this year is not a good idea. Your innovative mind creates some wonderful inventions, which can be profitable. The financial planet shows contacts with rich friends and higher ups. They support you directly or indirectly through providing opportunities for you. There should have been promotions and pay rises. You will seem to be content with the way your life is going. Siblings and parents parent figures could have a good time and socializing could easily happen.

Your most active social period will be from April 19th to May 24th. This is a spiritual perspective on wealth.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov 23 - Dec 22

Your emotional life will become more refined, as your emotional sensitivities become stronger. Even people around you will show an inclination towards spiritualism. You will be on top of your game and above everyone in your world. This can be a very successful year indeed. Your paths of greatest fulfillment will be career friends and group activities. Your focus on the career will put you at odds with the family and especially with a parent or parent figure. Be more careful while dealing with loved ones. Financial opportunities come to you and not just opportunities but you also have the intelligence to grab them and make money. You will keep oscillating between status prestige or more money. Personal appearance and overall demeanor will play a huge role in your success. Many years romance takes a back seat. There will be very few complications in love but correctable. Like last year you need to make a conscious effort to project love and warmth to others. Current relationships seem to go backwards instead of forward and there will be more glitches in social matters than usual. The best way to deal with this is to use the retrograde periods to review the love life and see where improvements can be made.

CAPRICORN

Dec 23 - Jan 20

Your challenge is to maintain some semblance of emotional harmony in the midst of all turmoil. Meditation will be a big help here. There would be foreign travel in your life. There is much success elevation and recognition happening in your career. Your areas of greatest interests are your image and personal pleasure, communications and intellectual interests, higher education and travel. You could be into renovations of your abode and space. The good news here is that things are less turbulent this year than they have been. Many of you will face this dilemma with the family. The needs of the family are good financial motivators. It also indicates that you will earn money from home office or home based business. It shows that family and family connections are important. Career will be more important than mere money, and there is logic to this, career success tends to lead to more money. A desire to be financially independent a need to be in control of your own financial destiny. This aspect is not so good for partnerships or joint ventures. It also shows affinity for start ups & new business. If you work for others you could think of starting your own projects.

AQUARIUS

Jan 21 - Feb19

Your love life has sparkled in the past but, this year it is not so prominent. This year will be a wonderful aspect for those involved in educational fields as there is success seen in whatever you do. Your beliefs will undergo a metamorphic change. Your paths of greatest fulfillment will be personal transformation, philosophy higher education and foreign travel. Health will remain good. This is s stable kind of year and you cannot expect any major changes happening. You will have greater freedom in the home affairs and family but not that much interest. Your siblings and children will want to be free and enjoy their own space. Your children will do well. You need to understand the trends of your finance and apply spiritual laws of prosperity. You will enjoy money that comes from unexpected places and ways. You can be a recipient of a trust fund or be appointed to some administrative post in an estate. Money could also come in from insurance payments or tax refunds.Romance does not seem a big issue this year.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20 Major openings for those who are single, as you enter a beautiful love cycle. Work hard and maneuver your way to success. Good news for students or those connected with education. There is success in anything to do with intellectual work. Your paths to greatest fulfillment this year will be love and romance and finance. You may think of renovating your house but hold on for the time being. Consolidate your finances before taking any major decisions. You would have landed into their dream jobs in the past two years and seem satisfied. Earnings can happen at anytime and from any place. This is the time to attain mental clarity in finances. Whatever your actual career is your real mission this year is to be there for your family & friends. Singles will romance their way to the alter and those who are married need to concentrate on consolidating their marriage through their career. You will be involved with influential people who can help you career wise, people who can enhance your status. Love and social opportunities happen at the usual places weddings parties, gatherings, they can also happen at work place.

Address: 143, St Patrick’s Town, Gate# 3, Hadapsar IE, Pune-411 013. Tel.: 020-26872677 / 020-32905748 Email: connect@dollymanghat.com/ info. dollymanghat@gmail.com

January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 63

FEATHERLITE

#2016careerwish

TWITTERATI

As 2015 draws to a close, everyone would like to improve on themselves and do good things in the years to come. Here are some tweets by those who wish to share their feelings and what they want their career or life to be in the year 2016 Nachiketa Soni @ NachiketaSoni I wish i can come out of my comfort zone, want to trek, hike, walk & want to spend time with nature as I can

iya @rimsriya This year i’m going to embellish my CV with many certificate courses that run consummately with my concept of work

Wasim Mondal @ imwasimmondal I want to learn something which can be profitable for all

Novemberschild @ romspeaks The perfect blend of career and personal fulfillment

Akshay @ Akshay456Akshay Its time for being brilliant, time to learn something incredible for a better future Riya @rimsriya Appreciate @simplilearn to make people think about their goals and take them seriously Glitter Queen @ sugandhadixit I have so many brilliant ideas. I’m sure with the right diection, I’ll know how to make them happen Kammayuriya!!!:) @ kamleshneema I would like to go in a organization that’s committed to helping you stay fit and well The Samanth Shelar @ SamanthShelar This year may everyone’s wish come true CHARUSAT University@ thecharusat Don’t create resolutions to please others. Make a resolution for yourself!

Shrinivas Bhivaskar @ ShriBhivaskar Wish is to grab that golden opportunity and never let go. Riya @rimsriya Is to be in a position to be able to tell my boss that what he’s saying or doing may not be right. Nachiketa Soni @ NachiketaSoni I’m a heritage walker & explorer, I want to organize walks to let ppl know what our culture is all about. Rohit Neema @ rohitneema3 No more blindly working, My wish is to know more! I want to expand my knowledge in my chosen field now. Lakshmi @Phantom_ Delight I would love to do a formal certification course in counselling, so I can guide my team all through life. £Naatak Company£@ ReenaRose I want to achieve a name and fame for the work I do.

64 / Corporate Citizen / January 1-15, 2016

LAUGH ALOUD › A business woman named Cindy was in the airport VIP lounge on her way to Los Angeles. While in the VIP lounge, she noticed Donald Trump sitting on the sofa enjoying a brandy. As luck would have it, Cindy was meeting with a very important client who was running somewhat late. Being a bold business woman, Cindy decided to go ahead and approach Mr. Trump, and introduced herself. Much to her surprise Mr. Trump turned out to be very nice. Encouraged by this she explained to the real estate mogul that she was about to close a very important business deal and that she would be very grateful if he could say a quick “Hello Cindy” to her when she was with her client. Mr. Trump consented to do just that. Ten minutes later while Cindy was speaking with her client, she felt a rap on her shoulder. It was Donald Trump. Cindy turned about and looked at him as Trump said. “Hi Cindy, what’s going on?” To which Cindy glibly replied, “Not now, Donald, can’t you see I’m in a meeting!”

BATS IN THE BELFRY (A TRUE STORY)

› During my first presentation to a University audience, I may have expected butterflies. But what I ended up with was very unexpected indeed. The presentation regarding lowering medical costs was going well: the room was full, the audience was engaged, the stories were funny, and I was right on schedule. Who would have thought that such a small event can disrupt everything? Then, you may have heard that when you make plans sometimes God laughs. Suddenly, a piercing scream from the audience disrupted my flow. Next, many participants stood up and began running from the room. Normally, my speeches elicit emotions but this was the first (and hopefully last) mass exodus. A small, silent intruder had joined the audience—it was a bat! The bat was swooping around the room, diving and terrifying the audience. Being the only person at the front of the room made me feel particularly vulnerable, and every loop of the bat’s escapade ended up coming directly at me. After much discomfort I ended up ducking (what’s a braver word than hiding?) under the speaker’s table until the bat hid behind a bulletin board. He kindly stayed there and allowed me to finish my speech, with assurance from the University that the bat would be safely taken outdoors. Looking back, I’m glad that I speak on health care and wellness, rather than leadership! - Scott Foster President, Wellco

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January 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 65

THE LAST WORD

COMPANY = VISION + HARD WORK Ganesh Natarajan

A leader must build value, people and processes but also surgically eliminate waste for the good of the firm

t’s a lovely Pune winter evening as I write this year-end message for all readers of this magazine. It reminds me of another winter evening in February 2001 when I stepped off a plane from Mumbai straight into my first everybody meeting (EBM) at the old Zensar campus in Pune. As the new CEO, my words were heard – with interest, curiosity and some skepticism - because the organisation was small and in a bit of a mess at that time. But, looking back, that was to be the beginning of a great period for the company! During the last 15 years, many of us have worked shoulder to shoulder to build a truly successful global company. Zensar has grown in revenues, profits and employee strength 10 times and more while the market capitalisation and shareholder value have zoomed 20 times. When I hear managers, associates and even family members talk with pride and occasionally tears in their eyes about how their lives have been touched by Zensar, it gives me more joy than all the awards Zensar has won and the praise we have received from analysts, press, customers and shareholders. And it’s been a team effort with some amazing folks who were part of my early team and successive management councils at the company and every Zensarian who contributed to this incredible growth story. I am delighted that Sage Publications is doing a full book on our success story which will be available in January. After the book on TCS, this is the first full book on the success story of any IT company. At Zensar, however, the winds of change are blowing again and 2016 will see a new CEO and Managing Director of Zensar. The culture of the company is so strong that he

Ganesh Natrajan with Nitin Parab

will undoubtedly get the same love and support the people have always given me so freely to ensure that the next phase of Zensar is even more successful than what we have already achieved. What is that makes a company an institution that continues to succeed beyond one CEO or leader, however successful he or she may be and continue to build value for customers, employees and shareholders? The vision for the company has to go way beyond the current year or even the tenure of the incumbent leaders. The values too should be able to stand the test of time. For instance, the Zensar values of Customer Centricity, Commitment to People and Community and Continuous Innovation and Excellence will be valid through the year 2020 and maybe much longer. The commitment to people and community is probably one of the most significant because organisations and leaders must believe that there is a CEO lurking in every ambitious person in the organisation and that capability needs to be built along with a large heart willing to do our best for all constituents and

66 / Corporate Citizen / January 1-15, 2016

The vision for the company has to go way beyond the current year or even the tenure of the incumbent leaders. The values too should be able to stand the test of time attain the triple bottom line of profits, people and planet. Which leads to one of the most significant aspects of good leadership in every sector – Government, Academia , Social and of course the Corporate environment. That aspect is succession planning and no amount of planning and deliberation is too much in this area. Succession planning helps the organisation to insulate its successful progress from unanticipated or unfortunate departures. For instance, five years ago at Zensar, just before we started our amazing run of 20% plus compounded annual growth rate in the period 2000 to 2015, our top team consisting of CFO Bala, overseas

leaders Vivek, Sushma and Nitin and India leaders Prameela and Ajay had committed ourselves to success and the organisation had committed to their success. While one person left and went on to become CEO of a smaller IT firm, the others have contributed through the period through rough and great times for their businesses or functional areas and shown that a team that is trusted and trusts each other can make magic happen in any industry. What else contributes to institution building? I am always reminded of the story one hears about Michelangelo and his approach to creating the perfect sculpture. The vision of the end product would already be in his eye and all he had to do was chip away at the unnecessary material to reveal perfection. Obviously, there was a lot more skill and artistry that made the great man who he was, but one lesson all corporate leaders can take is to be unafraid of discarding or cutting out people, processes or products that are not pulling their weight to achieve the vision of the firm. A leader must build value, people and processes but also surgically eliminate waste for the good of the firm. Organisation building is a tough job and institution building even tougher. Having been part of the team that built three institutions over the last 30 years – NIIT, APTECH and now Zensar, I have the real satisfaction of having seen little buds flower and add value – to our people, our customers, our shareholders, to the nation and parts of the world we chose to serve. Let there be many more! Dr Ganesh Natarajan is Vice Chairman & CEO of Zensar Technologies and Chairman of NASSCOM Foundation and Pune City Connect.

Printed and published by Suresh Chandra Padhy on behalf of Sri Balaji Society. Editor: Suresh Chandra Padhy. Published from : 925/5, Mujumdar Apt, F.C. Road, Pune - 411004, Maharashtra. Printed at Magna Graphics (I) Ltd., 101-C&D Govt. Industrial Estate, Hindustan Naka, Kandivali (W), Mumbai - 400067.

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