Education Pioneers: Dr R Karthikeyan, Chairman, The Indian Society for Training and Development (ISTD Chennai Chapter) Volume 1, Issue No. 22 / Pages 68 / www.corporatecitizen.in
January 16-31, 2016 / `50
An in-depth interview with Padma Bhushan Jamshyd Godrej, Chairman of the Board of Godrej & Boyce HDFC Bank’s Blood Donation Drive
Dynamic Duo 22 Ritu and Arun Nathani
Intelligent Choice
A look at HDFC Bank’s blood donation campaign Tete-A-tete
Ash Malik, Managing Director, Deutsche Bank AG Loved and Married Too
Prajakta and Vinit Deo on love and commitment
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Amazing learning read
Corporate Citizen is becoming interesting by each issue. The editorial by Dr Col. A Balasubramanian and interviews of industry stalwarts make for amazing learning. I have already gifted one-year subscription to one of my clients, as it would add value to his knowledge and information. - Sochin Dharewal, Hyderabad
Kudos to the charming couple
This is with reference to the cover story `Life is a song’ in the issue of December 16-31, 2015. We have always known Mohapatras as a charming and ever-smiling couple, who goes out of the way to reach out to us. The story behind this Dynamic Duo is class apart. Dilip Mohapatra’s service in the Indian Navy and his subsequent move to the corporate world, and to poetry from there on, is inspiring. It shows us that one can draw lessons in life, no matter what kind of field or industry one is in. The lessons of discipline and commitment to service learnt at the armed forces were smartly replicated in his corporate stint to achieve success there as well. The Mohapatras personify the adage, Behind every successful man, there is a woman. They have brought up three beautiful daughters and created a recipe for a successful marriage. This was my first read of Corporate Citizen and I found the magazine extremely interesting. It has the right mix of subjects that keep the readers engrossed. I’m looking forward to reading more issues of Corporate Citizen. - Girish Padmanabhan, Advisory Software Engineer, IBM India
IntervIew
in Dubai Prof Peter Cappelli at the Asia HRD Awards 2015
Art & Science of Talent on Demand
In today’s uncertain world, managers can’t forecast their business needs accurately. In such a scenario, talent management becomes a problem but Prof Peter Cappelli offers ideas and tools you’ll need, to match the supply of talent to your demand for it—today and tomorrow
I
s finding (and retaining) talent a challenge for your company? If so, you’re not alone. In fact, if recent corporate surveys are any indicators, “skills shortage and talent loss” have been listed among the biggest concerns of the top Indian CEOs for 2016, the year which, they feel, might “just make or break” their businesses. However, while acknowledging it to be an “extraordinary challenge,” they’re also admitting that, so far, they haven’t taken any steps to address this issue. To know how really difficult is the future talent management scenario and what are the solutions, if any, Corporate Citizen spoke to Prof Peter Cappelli, the George W Taylor Professor of Management and director of the Center for Human Resources at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, who is also recognised the world over as an authority on human capital. Having conducted a day-long Masterclass Workshop in Dubai for over 200 delegates at the recently concluded Asia HRD Congress 2015 on Talent on Demand in Asia: Building Capability Quickly, he spoke candidly about why finding, retaining and developing talent is one of the toughest challenges HR leaders face in the New Year. Excerpts:
What is talent in your terminology?
Most people think of talent as something referred for managerial jobs only. But that is not correct. Any positions that are hard to fill or crucial to the growth of an organisation should be counted as talent.
But don’t you think talent is very subjective?
No, it is not. A company says, here is what we need. Here are the kind of things we think we need and that’s what we are interested in. We are not interested in whether you can paint or whether you can do sculpting or stuff like that.
By PradeeP Mathur We are interested in C++ programming; we are interested in your ability to manage people. These are specific things that they need. So, it is not subjective at all. You may talk differently about talent or other aspects of talent, that’s fine, but in the context of business, it has a definite meaning. Every company clearly says here is what we mean by that.
So, what is talent management?
In simple terms, it means, anticipating what your needs for talent are going to be and setting out some plan to make sure that you meet those demands. Getting the right people with the right skills into the right jobs—is the basic people management challenge in any organisation.
But can you really manage talent?
Yes, provided you understand how to explore the economic case for careful talent management. It means taking a sensible decision when you don’t have too much or too little talent and you don’t spend too much on it. So, that’s the challenge and the problem is the uncertainty.
What is that?
See, it’s relatively easy to manage talent if you have complete certainty about your needs. For example, if you could say, in five years from now, I’ll need exactly 100 people with exactly these skills; it’s easy to manage things because you know what you want and how can you get it. But the problem is that in today’s extremely uncertain business environment, you can’t predict anything. You won’t know what your needs would be until five years from now. Today there is no job security and the likelihood of lifetime employment with one company is a thing of the past. Moreover, in open market economies, why would you be investing in talented people who, you know, will soon leave your firm for a competitor? So, the
challenge is how to be adaptable? How to manage this uncertainty? That’s what really the story is all about: How to manage this uncertainty not only in demand but also on the supply side?
What are the changes in the last 20 years?
A generation ago, companies would hire very carefully, keeping in mind your long-term value to the company. But today, they think of you for a short term only. They know you’ll leave them, sooner or later. So, that’s the first thing. Secondly, they would provide you all the fundamental skills you would need for your career going forward in that company. So that is become history.
What do they do now?
They no longer do any talent management. Very few try to plan for internal succession, which means let’s try to anticipate who will fill each of our jobs in ten years from now. But that’s also attempted rarely.
So, where are they going wrong?
Interestingly, while most CEOs acknowledge that finding and retaining talent is becoming a big business challenge for them, yet, to address this concern, most of them are ironically turning to talent management practices that no longer work. As I said earlier, the environment they were tailored to no longer exists. Yet they keep trying those very methods that were practiced in an era when business was very certain, industries were regulated, markets were not very competitive, international competition was practically nil, business demand was very predictable and all talent was internal. But situations have changed now. In today’s uncertain business world, they just can’t forecast their talent needs accurately because there are inevitable leaks in their talent pipeline. Moreover, because of intense competition, there is an obsessive focus also on
Pics: Yusuf Khan
42 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2015
December 16-31, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 43
Corporate Citizen is of high value As soon as I receive your new issue of Corporate Citizen, I read it avariciously and find most of the articles, quite interesting and informative. In this issue (Dec 16-31), the article by Pradeep Mathur on `Art & Science of Talent on Demand’ impressed me considerably. As usual, the editorial by Dr Col. A Balasubramanian, was interesting. Dr Vijay Bhatkar is indeed a great man of highest talent and also a great humanitarian. I had the privilege of being with him on several occasions. His ‘I square IT institute’ has a global reputation. The episode mentioned in it, about apathy of the government is quite interesting but is not surprising because it had happened even to the directors of other management institutes. I am pleasantly surprised to find that our Corporate Citizen magazine is printed and published regularly in time and informs readers like me about the wonderful activities that are taking place in various industrial houses. The quality of photographs, printing and the layout is always excellent. My sincere best wishes in this New Year. Let me extend my best wishes to Dr Col. A Balasubramanian - he has come since long, a diamond in my necklace of students and colleagues. - Dr PC Shejwalkar, 47/16, Erandawane, Off Karve Road, Pune
RING IN THE NEW
Let’s hammer the last nail on the coffin of the year that lies limp inside with its travails and tribulations with its share of tears and cheers all that would fade away sooner or later as it would crumble dust to dust. Let’s stand on the freshly filled grave and clink our glasses to raise a toast to the new dawn and to the new sun on the horizon to usher in new hopes, health, happiness and harmony for one and all and with new aspirations and enthusiasm ring in the new year. - Dilip Mohapatra
Today there is no job security and the likelihood of lifetime employment with one company is a thing of the past. Moreover, in open market economies, why would you be investing in talented people who, you know, will soon leave your firm for a competitor
Military to Management, superb!
I picked up a copy of Corporate Citizen (December 16-31) recently and the first thing that attracted me instantly was the very smart and outstanding get-up of this magazine. The striking photograph of Commodore Dilip Mohapatra and his family on the cover was so nice that it compelled me to read about their ‘Life is a song’. A business magazine would normally interest a person who has been involved in business but, here I was, a retired bureaucrat, thumbing through the pages, wanting to read more of its contents. I found the magazine unputdownable. To begin with, the cover story under the new dynamic series Military To Management titled Commanding Position, was an engrossing read. The format, a brief introduction and a series of questions and answers succeeded in bringing out, in a lucid manner, the transformation of
a disciplined hard-core seaman to a successful and accomplished management professional and finally, the poet who has three books to his credit. Through the excellent quality photographs accompanying the article one gets a glimpse of the ‘family man’ that Dilip is. Coming to “Life is a song” in the Dynamic Duo series - the Nayantara chapter of this accomplished family, it emerges, albeit in a very subtle and refined manner how she, a postgraduate in Physics, became the backbone of the family and, support for the Commodore playing the perfect homemaker. Besides the lead story, ‘cc tadka’ is interesting and with the right temper. So also Citizen Claps. Under Collywood, Billionaire Bhargava pedals to generate electricity was electrifying. - D N Mathur, Former General Manager, Indian Railways
January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 3
dynamic duos 2014-2015
Power couples who inspire What is the secret of getting to the top of the corporate ladder? What does it take to maintain work-family balance? What makes a marriage tick? All this and more told like never before by leading stars of the corporate world
IT takes two to win life
Ace Achievers
Sumeeta and Hari Thalapalli Our friendship gradually grew – it was a good feeling to be with each other. Finally, we were convinced that getting married to each other was the right decision
Uma and Ganesh Natarajan As our relationship grew, I admired his ability to connect with people and was overwhelmed by his courteous manners
awesome alliance
stunning symphony
Amruta and Devendra Fadnavis Due to my hectic political career, I am unable to give any time to my family. Amruta is my emotional anchor and I thank her for being very understanding
Meher and Pheroz Pudumjee Marriage is friendship; love; deep respect for each other; trust between two people; fun doing things together yet having your own space
sporting spirit
star attraction
Uma Chigurupati and C. Krishna Prasad Nature lovers, believing in having healthy lifestyles, passionate about wine making – with these activities we spend time together
Schauna and Bikram Saluja After marriage, things never changed because we had already established a great relationship. So what I felt after marriage is same as what I felt before
sweet success
batchmates forever
Ritu and Mukesh Malhotra There was only one feeling within us all in the family– that we must all work together for our family, our personal relationships and our business relations
Reena and Ajoy Kumar Once you find your partner with similar interests and chemistry is established between the two, you don’t hesitate about getting married
4 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
BLISSFUL BONDING
Bank-ing on each other
Mala and Sanjay Bali There are a few things we are completely alike in, like we both love art and we make the choice to buy one, together. We are both proud of setting up the house together
Nita and Raj Bhambhani We ensure to meet up at 2pm on Sundays and we call it a family meet, where each one of us gets a platform to speak. We also love to go on holidays
arm-in-arm
UNITY IN DIVERSITY
Shibani and Manoj Biswas We have our difference of opinions in life, but what holds us together is the trust we have in each other. The trust is the love and respect we have for each other
Parimal and Pramod Chaudhari Marriage can be treated like a good negotiation: one plods, navigates, wins or loses some rounds and eventually, one hopes, one cumulatively wins
Love equals ma foi
LIVE AND LET LIVE
Latha and K Pandiarajan Ma Foi has kept our marriage going. Husband-wife combo, where both are 24x7 with each other is a rarity. Marriage partnership should be all about mutual inclusiveness
Sujata and Yogi Sriram We not only celebrate our differences, but are also ready to talk about them, in order to maintain a healthy marital relationship. Both the spouses should pursue a hobby
Mutual respect
TERRIFIC TAKE-OFF
Suneeti and Lt Gen AK Singh (Retd) We are both strong in our heads but have compassion in our hearts. Marriage is all about optimising each other’s positivity & dealing with the negativity
Indira and G.V. Krishna Reddy She is more systematic than I am, a great moral support to me for the first 10 years, then in business too. But for her, I wouldn’t have been able to build this empire
VISION MISSION
LIFELONG TRIP
Sujatha and Mohan Rajan Marriage is a lot of give and take. I am very ambitious, aggressive & she has a calm mind and is more stable than me
Anshula and Yuvraj Srivastava One has to allow difference of opinion in a marriage. One has to respect the partner’s opinion. You don’t give up on relationships because of arguments
RIGHT CHEMISTRY
LIFE IS A SONG
Jayati and Saugata Mitra When you get married and spend so many years together, there is always something to learn from each other
Nayantara and Dilip Mohapatra The ART of marriage lies in three words, A for affection, R for respect and T for trust. Commitment and adjustment are very important in marriage January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 5
Contents Dynamic Duo 22
26
Cover story
Intelligent Choice Arun Nathani, CEO and MD of the Cybage Software Pvt. Ltd and his wife Ritu, Managing Trustee, Cybage Khushboo & Cybage Asha and Director, Cybage Software Pvt. Ltd on what makes their marriage work
9
COLLYWOOD
Chatpata Chatter from the Corporate World
14
WAX ELOQUENT
Who said what and why
16
interview
An exclusive with Padma Bhushan Jamshyd Godrej, Chairman of the Board of Godrej & Boyce
22
HDFC Bank’s Blood Donation Drive
Sumant Rampal, Regional Head for Emerging Western Region, Corporate Group & Country Head for Health Finance, HDFC Bank speaks on HDFC Bank’s blood donation campaign
33
MANAGE MONEY
Dr Anil Lamba on Trading on Equity: How to use Fixed-Cost Assets/Funds to Magnify Returns 6 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
Volume 1 Issue No. 22 January 16-31, 2016 www.corporatecitizen.in
22 34
Education Pioneers
An interview with T V Subba Rao, National Vice President Indian Society for Training & Development (ISTD) and Dr R Karthikeyan, Chairman, ISTD (Chennai Chapter)
16
9
39
tête-à-tête
A candid converstaion with Ash Malik, MD, GTO Corporate Technology India and Global Head, Deutsche Bank AG
43
mobile apps
Best Video Streaming Apps for your Smartphone
44
44
loved and married too
Vinit and Prajakta Shetye Deo on love and commitment
46
Star Campus Placement
34
Heman Gangal on his first break
48
48
corporate history
A closer look at the story of Parachute Coconut Oil
50
straight talk
52
Saharsh David, CSR Head Sandvik Asia shares his views on the importance of CSR in the corporate world
39
52
survey
An in-depth survey on India’s Fascination for American Education
55
featherlite
Meet Pranav Dhanawade, super boy of world cricket
56
pearls of wisdom
“From depression to deep happiness” by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
50 January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 7
56 Editor-In-Chief Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian Consulting Editor Vinita Deshmukh
58
62
Assistant Editor Joe Williams Senior Business Writers Mahalakshmi Hariharan Rajesh Rao Senior Sub-Editor Neeraj Varty Writers Delhi Bureau Pradeep Mathur / Sharmila Chand
58
Bengaluru Bureau Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar
bollywood biz
Hits and misses of Bollywood 2015
Pune Bureau Dinesh Kulkarni / Suchismita Pai / Kalyani Sardesai
60
health
Know more about food poisoning
62
travel
Ronak Gupta, co-founder and CEO at Routofy on his favourite destination-Switzerland
64
46
astroturf
Fortune favours the bold & lucky
‘Punctuality, forgotten’ by Dr Ganesh Natarajan, Vice Chairman & CEO at Zensar Technologies
60
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 16-31, 2016
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collywood
People in the news
Wipro elevates Abid Ali Neemuchwala as new CEO India’s third-largest software firm Wipro, appointed Abid Ali Neemuchwala as the new chief executive in place of T K Kurien, who has been elevated as executive vice chairman. Neemuchwala, who joined Wipro as group president and Chief Operating Officer (COO) from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in April last year, will assume his new role from February 1, the company said in a statement. He will also be a member of the board of the company. Kurien, 57, is completing five-year tenure as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) this month. “In his nine months as group president and COO,
Abid has effortlessly assimilated into the culture and ethos of Wipro. The new structure will ensure a smooth transition and will build on the solid foundation we have developed to drive
superior growth and profitability,” chairman Azim Premji said. Kurien will continue to report to Premji and will remain a member of the board until March 31, 2017. Neemuchwala had joined Wipro last year after a long tenure of over 23 years with TCS. “Over the past five years, Wipro has been transforming into a next-generation technology and consulting company with defining differentiators in the marketplace,” said Premji. The changes come as Wipro looks to regain market share. The company makes about three-fourth of its revenue from the US and Europe as firms world over cut outsourcing spending.
Karan Adani, new chief of Adani Ports and SEZ
Karan Adani, son of Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani, has been appointed as the CEO of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ). He will take over the top job from outgoing CEO Sudipta Bhattacharya, who is moving to the US as the CEO for North America, APSEZ, said in a regulatory filing. Karan, who looks after strategic development of Adani Ports across India, has been involved in managing various port operations for the firm since 2009. He aims to build the group’s identity around an integrated logistics business model, backed by his sound understanding of new processes, systems and macroeconomic issues. He is an economics graduate from Purdue University. Bhattacharya, in his new role, will be responsible for driving the significant emerging opportunities between India and the US. Shares of APSEZ were up 0.81 percent to ₹260.60 apiece in the afternoon trade at BSE.
Salman Khan to save black bucks? Of the several messages that were sent to actor Salman Khan on his 50th birthday, one was from the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh inviting the actor to visit the sanctuary and help save endangered animals including black bucks. Khan has been accused of poaching three chinkaras and a black buck in Rajasthan in 1998 while he was shooting for Hum Saath Saath Hain. Though the actor was convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment for poaching the black buck, the Rajasthan High Court had stayed his conviction in 2007. However, earlier this year, the Supreme Court set aside the HC order.
January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 9
collywood Google CEO Sundar Pichai dreamt of becoming a cricketer Google CEO Sundar Pichai said he is a big fan of Barcelona and their Argentine forward Lionel Messi. “I am a big football fan. I follow football more because it is easier to follow there. I am a big Barcelona and Lionel Messi fan,” Pichai told students during his visit to SRCC in New Delhi recently. Pichai, who was born in Chennai, also revealed that he dreamt of being a cricketer and admired the legendary Sunil Gavaskar. “I am a huge football fan. I remember when I was young; I would drive my mom crazy. I would wake up in the middle of the night to watch World Cup soccer. I would watch the Brazilian team in those days. Cricket and football are two sports that I follow. I am a big Barcelona
Starbucks appoints Ghosh as chief
Tata Starbucks, appointed Sumi Ghosh as its new chief executive, replacing Avani Davda who held the job for a little over three years. Davda was one of the first and youngest women leaders in the century-plus old Tata Group to helm one of its companies. Ghosh, who was responsible for Starbucks’ Midwestern US region, has been with the world’s largest coffee chain operator for eight years. The leadership change at Tata Starbucks comes at a time when foods safety regulator FSSAI has asked the
coffee chain not to use certain ingredients in its beverages until they are approved even as its competitor Cafe Coffee Day, armed with funds from its ₹1,150-crore IPO, boosts its presence in the country. Davda, 35, who was picked up by former Tata Global Beverages vice chairman R K Krishna Kumar to build the cafe business, announced her decision to “pursue opportunities outside of the company” in a letter to the chain’s 1,400 employees. Tata Starbucks, was opened its first outlet in October 2012
10 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
and Messi fan. I did dream of being a cricketer like so many Indians. I used to be a huge fan of (Sunil) Gavaskar when he was playing and later, Sachin (Tendulkar) when he played. I always had a dream,” he said. And every Indian, irrespective of their social status, has a cricket tale to tell. Pichai had one too. He had gone to watch the tied Chennai Test of 1986. The 14-year-old had a last-day ticket and was told that the match would end in a draw. But he went anyway and was witness to one of the greatest Tests ever played on Indian soil.
Adnan Sami gets Indian citizenship It was a New Year new beginning for the noted singer Adnan Sami as he became an Indian citizen. He says it’s a New Year gift. Home ministry officials said Sami was granted citizenship. The Indian citizenship was granted after he made a representation to the Home ministry on May 26 requesting for it on humanitarian grounds. “This is the New Year gift for me. I am thankful to the Indian government. I am very happy today,” said Sami, who is of Pakistani origin. Born in Britain and hitherto a Canadian citizen, Sami has been living in India on visa since March 2001. He was last given a visa extension in October 2015, the singer, who became a sensation in the country with hit songs like
‘Kabhi to nazarmilao’ and ‘Lift karaa de’, told the media. Sami, who is known for playing a variety of musical instruments and for his distinct voice, has always maintained that the love he has received from Indian citizens is ‘everything’ for him. “When my first album came out, it wasn’t Bollywood. The love that I received from people was everything and it still is everything for me. After 16 years, it is not just the land where I work, but also my home and my love,” Sami, who has sung in Bollywood movies and even for albums, had said at a conclave here earlier this year. His last Bollywood track was ‘bhar do jholi’, which featured in Salman Khan’s blockbuster ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’.
Atul Sobti takes charge as CMD of BHEL
Pankaj Patel named IIMUdaipur chairman Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Udaipur announced the appointment of Pankaj Patel, Chairman and Managing Director of ZydusCadila as the Chairman of the institute. The Ministry of Human Resources and Development (MHRD), Government of India made the appointment, an official note from the institute stated. Prior to Patel’s appointment, C K Birla, chairman of Hindustan Motors Ltd, had served as the chairman of the institute. Patel holds a master’s degree in Pharma and Pharmaceutical Technology from Gujarat University and a Law degree from University of Mumbai. Known as one of the most successful and innovative Indian pharma entrepreneurs, Patel has been serving as the Senior Vice President of FICCI since December 2015 and President of Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry since 2006.
Atul Sobti assumed charge as chairman and managing director of state-owned power equipment maker Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL). “On his appointment as chairman & managing director of BHEL, Atul Sobti, 56, has assumed charge as CMD of India’s largest Maharatna public sector engineering and manufacturing enterprise,” said a BHEL release. In September 2014, the government had approved the appointment of Sobti as CMD, BHEL, for a period of five years. Prior to this, Sobti was Director on the
Board of BHEL, heading two crucial portfolios of Power and Finance. Earlier, he also held additional charge of the post of director (Engineering, Research and Development). BHEL’s power business has achieved major milestones
including the highestever capacity addition/ synchronisation of 13,452 megawatts (MW) and 11,941 megawatts (MW) in financial years 2013-14 and 2014-15 respectively, the release said. In 2014-15, BHEL exceeded Ministry of Power’s capacity addition target by 19 percent, it said, adding that under his leadership, the trend has continued in the current fiscal (2015-16) and BHEL has already commissioned/ synchronised projects of around 8,000 MW, the highest ever in the first nine months of a financial year.
Ashwin C Muthiah uncovers new ventures
Pulling his grandfather’s ventures out of corporate wilderness, Ashwin C Muthiah, the third-generation top executive in the MA Chidambaram family business, is considering newer ventures like green energy and medical devices, scripting another story of family business revival and diversification. “While we continue to grow and consolidate in our core businesses, we decided emerging opportunities in new areas such as solar energy and cardiology-related medical device technologies should not be missed out on,” said Muthiah. Muthiah, who turned 50 recently, is currently crystallising plans with international consultants. While the fields of solar energy and medical devices have been decided, the model of entry, investments and roadmaps are still under construction. A “conservative” estimate of investments in these would be an “initial” ₹100 crore, with
certainty of future infusions as businesses grow. The corporate strategy, for now, is to be judicious in investments and not lose sight of the core business horizons. “While we are excited about the new ventures, we would be nimble-
footed in entry and executions. We will not go overboard on the investments.” For Muthiah, being prudent with investments comes after a gruelling revival plan. When he had taken over six years back, the group’s debts were upwards of ₹3,000 crore.
January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 11
collywood Yuvraj bats for Yadav’s new venture Flamboyant cricketer Yuvraj Singh’s YouWeCan Ventures has invested an undisclosed amount in Rahul Yadav’s latest venture, Intelligent Interfaces. Yuvraj announced this in his official Facebook page, “Proud to back Rahul Yadav and Intelligent Interfaces in helping the government better with the help of technology”. Nishant Singhal, co-founder and partner at YouWeCan Ventures confirmed Yuvraj’s investment but refused to disclose the amount. “We are in a non-disclosure period. All I can say is, yes we have invested in the company and work has already
begun at Intelligent Interfaces,” he said. Intelligent Interfaces is Yuvraj’s 11th investment through his $10-million seed-stage venture capital fund. Launched by him and Singhal in April, YouWeCan Venture’s previous investments include beauty wellness app Vyomo, online healthcare marketplace Healthians and private jet booking platform JetSetGo. This announcement comes two weeks after Yadav announced that his data analytics company was being backed by Flipkart founders Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal.
DogSpot attracts investment from Ratan Tata Online petcare platform DogSpot has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Ratan Tata, existing investors and new angels. Ronnie Screwala, K Ganesh, India Quotient and five other angels participated in the round. The funds will be used expanding the product range, hiring and expansion. Rana Atheya, Co-founder and CEO, DogSpot.in, said, “The company claims to have delivered over 7,00,000 pet products across the country in 2015. Currently, it does about 60,000 orders on a monthly basis with an average basketsize of ₹1,700. Founded in 2007, DogSpot started e-commerce part of its business in 2011. Besides enabling transactions, it also
promotes pet centric content and events. DogSpot was seed funded by Vikas Saxena, Global CEO of Nimbuzz, Vaibhav Gadodia and others. It also secured about $500,000 led by India Quotient in 2013. With over four million pet dogs, the Indian pet care market is pegged at over $1.22 billion with an annual growth rate of over 35 percent. According to a recently published report, “India Pet Food Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2019”, the pet food market in India is projected to cross $270 million by 2019. There has been a exponential rise in demand for pet food includes the rising number of nuclear families in urban areas and rising per capita disposable income.
12 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh with Rahul Yadav
New MD & CEO for Lakshmi Vilas Bank Lakshmi Vilas Bank has appointed Parthasarathi Mukherjee as the new managing director (MD) and CEO. The bank informed the National Stock Exchange (NSE) that it has received the approval for the appointment of Mukherjee for three years from the date of his taking charge. The post was lying vacant since September 2015 after Rakesh Sharma stepped down as MD to head state-owned lender Canara Bank. Mukherjee was earlier with Axis Bank as Group Executive (Corporate Relationships and International Business). He was with the bank for nearly 21 years. Before that, he worked for the State Bank of India (SBI) for nearly 12 years. Sources said that the bank had received over 150 applications for the post,
but Mukherjee’s experience in handling large corporates and the treasury seemed to have worked in his favour. The bank has reported a 42 percent growth in its net profit to Rs 45 crore for the September quarter this year. The share of net non-performing assets (NPA) to total loans improved to 1.01 percent from 2.78 percent in the corresponding quarter a year ago.
Compiled by Joe Williams; joe78662@gmail.com
January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 13
wax eloquent
is india moving AHEAD to Financial inclusion needs efficiency of the digital back end
“We think it is very beneficial that the way to have really good financial services that include poor people is to have the efficiency of the digital back end. It is the key enabling piece.” Bill Gates, Technologist, Business Leader and Philanthropist Courtesy: www.livemint.com
Cannot be naive about Indian market Even if it is a very small percentage of the Indian population that cares about global information, that small percentage can still be a big market and a profitable one. But we cannot be arrogant or naive about how competitive the Indian market is.
Net neutrality momentum in India
“The India fight is helping shape debates elsewhere. Activists in other countries such as Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia are watching this debate and will seize the momentum created in India.” Pranesh Prakash, Policy Director, Centre for Internet and Society, a Bangalorebased non-profit advocacy group Courtesy: http://www.bloomberg.com/
Norman Pearlstine, VP and chief content officer, Time Inc. Courtesy: The Financial Express
Start-ups should come up in manufacturing, too
“I would like it to keep things simple - be it the tax regime or ease of doing business. There are only 10 companies like Cairn. It is important to recognise them because they can deliver. It is important to motivate them. Like start-ups in technology, start-ups should come up in manufacturing, too. But India still has a public-sector culture. A few things have happened in the private sector but they can happen 100 times more.” Anil Agarwal, Chairman, Vedanta Resources Courtesy: http://www.businessstandard.com/
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Open Artificial Intelligence for all “If complex systems are not open, not open to be used, extended, and learned about, they end up becoming yet another mysterious thing for us, ones that we end up praying to and mythifying. The more open we make Artificial Intelligence (AI), the better.” Vishal Sikka, CEO & MD, Infosys Courtesy: Business Standard
Massive opportunity in India “An estimated 500 million people coming into the workforce over the next 20 years in India, and assuming each one of them spends $1,000 on an average skilling and training themselves for a job. The number is massive.” Vijay Iyer, chief business officer, HCL TalentCare Courtesy: Financial Express
Competing with a competitor “You do not compete against competitors. You compete with market transitions. We use competitors as a way just to keep score. If you are competing with a competitor you are actually looking into your rear-view mirror, and you are seeing what they did a year or two ago.” John Chambers, Executive Chairman, Cisco Courtesy: Economic Times
Build products that support customer’s needs
“You have to be really passionate about the problem you are trying to solve. Don’t skim the surface, go into the deep end. You have to understand the problem of your customer or business partner in relevant context to build products that support their needs.” Ritesh Agarwal, founder, Oyo Rooms Courtesy: Times of India
stay relevant? Create jobcreators, not jobseekers “Financial inclusion is at the core of the government’s focus, which is to create job-creators, not job-seekers.” Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
Take a look at what our corporate leaders have to say about recent trends and their experiences in business world
Forecast 2016 ‘Achche Din’ in job market
“Yes, it’s really starting of ‘Achche Din’ in job market. Manufacturing and engineering sector is heading to create more jobs compare to last few years. Coming year outlook is very optimistic and more positive compared than earlier.” Rajesh Kumar, CEO, MyHiringClub.com Courtesy: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
Courtesy: www.financialexpress.com
2016, an action packed year “The year 2016 is definitely going to be an action packed year with the advent of new innovations in both hardware and software space. Few trends that will emerge and catapult the world to another level will be Digitization, Big data analytics, IoT, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.” S. Rajendran, Chief Market Officer, Acer India Courtesy: http://www.cxotoday.com/
Android India
System of Jugaad We have to understand that the system of jugaad is not something that we need to follow. There are no systems and processes and we cannot have lastminute decisions based on jugaad. RC Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki Courtesy: Times of India
“In 2016, there will be more Android users in India than in US. We are doing many products to bring connectivity. We do this primarily by investigating in Android.”
See Aadhaar as platform for applications
You will have innovation ecosystem around Aadhaar, just like you have for the Internet or GPS. Just like Internet and GPS, where governmentrelated infrastructure ultimately led to the Facebooks and Googles of the world, Aadhaar will lead to a huge number of start-ups in the next 10 years and many of them will become very large.
Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google
Nandan Nilekani, Infosys co-founder and former UIDIA chairman
Courtesy: Economic Times
Courtesy: www.livemint.com
Positive view on Indian economy “India is already the fastest growing large economy and will remain so in FY 2016-17. We have positive views on the economy. The cyclical upturn will continue to be driven by the domestic demand.” Tushar Poddar, chief economist, Goldman Sachs India Courtesy: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
Passage of GST Bill Filmy goals
“I don’t have a goal or a finish line in mind. In the film business, you hope that when we make a film like this, it should do a certain kind of business. Those are not goals, they are business projections, just numbers.” Shah Rukh Khan, Film Actor Courtesy: Indian Express
“GST is an idea which I have no doubt that, if not today, tomorrow it has to be approved, we are just going through the agony prior to the passage of the Bill.” Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister Courtesy: The Hindu
Compiled by Rajesh Rao rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 15
interview Padma Bhushan Jamshyd Godrej
green god of
He’s a billionaire with a mission: to strive for a greener living environment. The chairman of the Godrej conglomerate with businesses across a wide spectrum of goods and services spanning white, brown and consumer goods, core industry accessories and services, Padma Bhushan Jamshyd Godrej epitomises the brand Godrej is known for: trust and dependability. In conversation with Corporate Citizen, he speaks on a wide range of issues including the industry and the philosophies that guide the Godrej Group By Vinita Deshmukh
P
adma Bhushan Jamshyd Godrej is the Chairman of the Board of Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company Limited. A mechanical engineer from Illinois Institute of Technology, USA, his passion for the environment is well acclaimed. Known for his conservation of mangroves in Thane, he is in the Forbes list for being amongst the richest green billionaires of the world, with a net worth of $2.9 billion. At present, he is the chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). The Godrej Group is a leader in home appliances, consumer durables, office equipment, industrial products, consumer products and services. Godrej and Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. manufactures and markets refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, office furniture, home furniture, security equipment for banks (such as safes, strong room doors and bank lockers), commercial establishments and homes, locks and latches, forklift trucks and warehousing equipment, process equipment for chemical, petrochemical, refineries and allied indus-
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tries, precision tools for sheet metal, zinc, aluminium as well as real estate development. He is the President of the World Wide Fund for Nature – India, and the chairperson of the Board of Directors of Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, India Resources Trust and Council on Energy, Environment and Water. Godrej is the chairman of the CII Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre. The Centre is housed in a LEED Platinum demonstration building which is the first green building in India and the greenest building in the world at the time when it was rated. The Green Business Centre is a centre of excellence for green buildings, energy efficiency, energy conservation, non-conventional energy sources, water policy, water conservation. Godrej is an ardent yachting enthusiast and has done extensive cruising along the west coast of India, the Baltic and the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Jamshyd Godrej speaks to Corporate Citizen about various aspects of the corporate world, particularly the manufacturing industry.
Pics: Yusuf Khan
‘‘Business has to be based on making profit, otherwise there is no longevity to a business if it is not viable financially. But that said, the role of business in society is very different. It has to contribute to society; it has to take from the society; it has to give back to society’’
January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 17
interview You are amongst the topmost billionaires of the world but you are so unassuming. How have you achieved this quality which is so rare these days? Do you think that is a prerequisite for success in the corporate world today?
India, the Germany of the East
To attain leadership position in manufacturing, we need to build on our strengths and resolve our weaknesses, said Jamshyd Godrej, in his inaugural speech at a recent CII Manufacturing Summit at Hotel Trident, Mumbai
Most business leaders are quite unassuming. It’s the media which is responsible for making them more visible. So basically you have got to understand the role of business in the society and what it can do, what it cannot do, how it can contribute. A lot of people in the industry have the growth of India at their heart and long before CSR became compulsory in India, industry and industry leaders have been contributing to society’s development. So it’s nothing new, I’d say, but it has been taken to a different level now.
Role of the manufacturing sector This point of increasing the share of manufacture in GDP has been something we have talked about for a very long time. I sometimes wonder whether that’s really relevant for us because we have become a services economy before most developing countries got to that stage. And the question really is that with such a strong services sector what is the role of manufacturing in India? Do we really need to combine the two? The strength of our services sector, combined with the strength of our manufacturing sector, is that really the future? In the past we have explored that.
You are being humble. In your perception; did the upbringing by your parents shape you into such a wonderful gentleman?
It is similar for every generation - the influence of parents, the society and people around them. Lives are shaped on these factors. So for everybody it is the same. I would not say it’s any different for me.
India, as the Germany of the East A couple of years ago, we talked about India becoming the Germany of the East. There are many ideas how we can improve manufacturing. But when we really look at the basics, it comes down to just a few things. We recognise, of course, that infrastructure is critical, but in the same breath I have to say that we have made great strides in infrastructure in the recent past. Innovation and design is something that has also been championed a lot by the CII and the Indian industry has picked up to a very large extent on the strength of how innovation and design can really propel Indian industry. At the end of the day we have to have a really close cooperation among the vast number of different agencies and individuals and people who are involved in manufacturing.
You have been a billionaire but what is more important is that you are passionate about the environment. Did you inherit this passion?
My family has, to a large extent, been keen on green issues and my late uncle Sohrab was also involved with the World Rights Association where saving birds and animals was a very important aspect. So everyone in our family has been very keen and that’s how when the family acquired this land in Mumbai, protecting the natural ecosystem of the mangroves came very naturally. We bought the land for the purpose of industry but a large part of the land was on the Thane Creek, which had the mangroves. Over the last 15 years we have looked after them. We have also planted more mangroves, and now it is one of the healthiest mangroves around. So it’s something of great interest for the family and individuals in the family. And that has basically got translated into the business. That everything we do as business must also be very green, must be energy, efficient, water usage must be very much controlled and managed and the way you contribute to society, to a large extent also should be for environmental well-being. All these are part of being green and most people would prefer to be living and working in a good environment. So we were not just lucky, we were able to do that. We all believe in it very much and that’s how it has moved forward.
Could you tell us something more about the mangroves? The western bank of the Thane Creek is the single
Manufacturing is a complex system As I always like to say, manufacturing is a complex system. It is not like you can rent a floor and start doing the software and export it via the rooftop. It is a lot more complicated. And one of the reasons why services have done so well is because they haven’t that type of complexity. Not that I am belittling services, but I am just saying they do not have the same com-
Today, it is not enough to make products that are reliable, they also have to be visually good. Like the Apple phone. Why does it come at such a huge premium? Not just because of what it can do, but how it looks and the whole ecosystem around it. That is what we have to emulate and if we do that in a very innovative way and refresh products regularly, we can face any competition that comes to India
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plexity as manufacturing has. But we need to understand all the connections and the complexities. In that respect, I must say, the thrust of this government on manufacturing, the thrust this government has placed on easing how business is done and the terms of business are really very good. It will result, I am sure, in the right attitude in the manufacturing sector.
Bridging the gap As you can see from the theme, it is all about how we bridge the gap between the aspiration and the reality. This has been a recurring theme for us over the years. I know that we have some of the finest manufacturing companies based in India which are doing exemplary quality production, with expertise from around the world. We have many strengths. The question is, how do we build on those strengths? It is really important for us to understand where the strengths are, where the areas of improvement are and how we can bridge these gaps. It was quite revealing that in the World Bank Report on ease of doing business in various states, we have once again taken up the issue of state competitiveness. I remember more than 10 years ago when CII took up the issue of state competitiveness, all the states which were at the top five were very happy with the CII and all those who were in the bottom five told CII that they did not know what the World Bank was talking about. That hasn’t changed. But the government has actually engaged with the World Bank to do this report. The World Bank index of the ease of doing business for countries is actually a well-respected indicator. You can always pick holes in it, but from an overall perspective in countries and states within countries, all have to realise that they are in a competitive situation. It’s wonderful for Maharashtra to say that we have attracted the highest investment in
largest mangrove belt in Mumbai. A substantial tract of mangrove land adjoins our Godrej & Boyce township, Pirojshanagar, in Vikhroli, a suburb of Mumbai. A vast area under mangroves has been conserved by the Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Marine Ecology Centre. Well diversified and well protected, these are the last quality mangroves in the city. The vast expanse of these mangroves serves as a second lung of the city after the Sanjay Gandhi National Park which is under immense environmental pressure. The mangrove flora of Pirojshanagar is well diversified. There are 16 species of mangroves and mangrove associates. The faunal composition in
manufacturing and that is correct because it has a long history of industry and manufacturing and it is one of the largest, if not the largest, in manufacturing - so it is bound to attract more. But then the question comes how do you compare with others? So I was quite interested to read the detailed report and I am sure those of you who have read it will see the nuances in that. It is really important for us to talk of the strengths in various states, and the weaknesses. And CII actually came up with a very good idea
‘Manufacturing is a complex system. It is not like you can rent a floor and start doing the software and export it via the rooftop. It is a lot more complicated. And one of the reasons why services have done so well is because they haven’t that type of complexity’ sometime ago which said that, you know, if you look at the best elements of competitiveness and ease of doing business in every state and just identify those and get all the states to actually implement what’s actually happening in various states, we could really raise our rank as a country very quickly. So, the partnership between industry and government, with labour, with global leaders in both import and export, will, to a very large extent make the difference in our ability to make more and also export more.
the area is also equally diverse. Apart from 206 species of birds, 30 species of reptiles, 13 species of crabs, seven species of prawns and 20 species of fish have been identified so far in the area. This wetland acts as an important stopover for over a hundred species of migratory birds including the magnificent flamingos, gulls, terns, avocets and curlews.
Godrej is the most trusted brand for any Indian. Even now when you launched the furniture line I know of people who first went to see them before they went elsewhere. You have built such wonder-
Competitiveness, not protection We are in a situation in the global economy today where commodity prices have come down very significantly. We should recognise that our strength comes from competitiveness. It does not come from protection. So it is very wrong on the part of the industry to ask for protection. The recent increase in safeguard duties on steel is a case in point. We must understand that the more protective we are, we will find that the rest of the world gets more protective. India does not benefit from protection. India benefits essentially from being more competitive and in terms of trade that is really what makes the difference. Germany is a good case in point. Competitiveness comes from many areas, especially from innovation and design, from understanding how partnerships are built and these are the real strengths of manufacturing for any country and the economy. So, while we are talking about some of the problems we face, I would say that we have made a lot of progress. Look at the power situation. We always used to cry about the power situation in the country. Today we read about the coal plants actually backing down on power production. They have enough coal but they do not have enough demand for electricity. So these are the points. They are so easy for India to change the situation from deficit to excess. It can happen only if we can get some of the ideas gelled together and work together. So this is my theme for the manufacturing summit - about partnerships, it’s about understanding the ecosystem, it’s about understanding what makes the difference for competitiveness in an organisation and trying to build on those strengths and minimising the weaknesses - because in the economy you will always find that there are strengths and weaknesses - how we maximise the strengths we have is crucial.
ful trust. Why do you think this trust got built, and how do you see the competition, not only from India but from across the world?
When my grandfather started the business in India, it was based on very idealistic principles. Especially in those days the goods sold in India were all British goods. He wanted to see how Indians could manufacture products and he was confident that we could really better what was available in the country. That is how he started with our first product, locks. Locks and safes (steel cupboards) allowed us to build a reputation of trust because the products were far superior
January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 19
interview to what was available in the market at that time. Also, at that time, they were priced lower than the British goods and that reputation allowed us to build a good brand image. Even today our safes stand apart and are far better than any product from any of our competitors. That in-built trust and quality is present in everything we do, which is why it has got translated into Godrej being a trusted brand. It’s not only the design of the product, but also the way it’s sold and presented, which adds to the value.
we should not be more attuned to the fact that today there are more women who are qualified and who want to work in companies.
That’s true. What is the percentage of women in your companies?
It is very low. We would like to take it to 30% to 50% if we can. But this is an ongoing journey. We have started out.
What is your definition of business? How do you perceive it? If it is not only money, then what is it?
Of course, the business has to be based on making profit, otherwise there is no longevity to a business if it is not viable financially. But that said, the role of business in society is very different. It has to contribute to society; it has to take from the society; it has to give back to
What do you make of the 21st century competition around you? There are so many players…
No matter what the competition is, the consumers, individual or industrial, all want high quality. They all want products and services they can trust. So nothing changes in that respect. Certainly I will try to emulate the competition that comes to India to the extent I can. But as long as we are focused on our mission of being highly quality conscious and bring in innovative products which are constantly evolving, we will continue to win the trust of the people. Today, it is not enough to make products that are reliable, they also have to be visually good. Like the Apple phone. Why does it come at such a huge premium? Not just because of what it can do, but how it looks and the whole ecosystem around it. That is what we have to emulate and if we do that in a very innovative way and refresh products regularly, we can face any competition that comes to India.
Is this ‘refreshing’ being done by your younger generation?
Everyone. Not just the younger generation in the company. They are of course driving a lot of this, especially innovation. But everyone in the company believes strongly that this is what we represent for consumers and we have to do that.
I read somewhere that earlier you used to employ only engineers but now 70 percent are from non-engineering backgrounds. Why this shift?
We need engineers for solving engineering problems. We don’t need engineers for everything that you do in the company, especially when it comes to marketing and innovation. You need more cross-functional ideas which don’t necessarily come from engineers. If you want to be creative and innovative, you have to bring as many perspectives as you can into the equation. So, over the time you may find that only 30% are engineers and 70% are non-engineers. You need a wide ecosystem of different thinking and different approaches; even to have more women in a business is very important because it brings in a different perspective. In any case your 50 percent consumers are women. There is no reason why
‘Every generation will have youngsters who are impatient and want to get higher, which is a very good thing. We must have more of that. The more young people we have who are impatient and want to make a change, better it is. Youngsters are always more idealistic. You have to let them experiment, and part of that experiment is also failure. You must learn to tolerate failure. If somebody fails, it doesn’t mean he or she has lost. It’s just one more step in the journey.
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society. So the whole ecosystem of all the different stakeholders around the business is very important and one has to consider the interests of all stakeholders. You cannot simply say I have only one role which is to make profit and I can forget about everything else. Business has to get involved in everything. We must be involved with government, with consumers, with stakeholders – we all should contribute and learn and that’s the way to grow.
What is the one thing or more than one thing that makes your employees happier in your organisation?
To have a happy employee, there are many equations. Of course salary is very important but also the ecosystem in which you work: How do you contribute? Are you respected? Are you aligned with the company’s values? Do you contribute to the company’s values? Do you uphold those values? Employees will contribute when they think there is a sense of belonging and also that whatever they say or do is appreciated.
Absolutely right! As chairperson of the CII summit what do you think about ‘Make in India’?
It’s not something that is new for the manufacturing industry. But by emphasising on the idea of ‘Make in India’, it brings about change in many other areas. Especially it brings about change in regulation, in the way the government looks at regulation. There are many hurdles for manufacture because it is such a complex system that involves banks, material, land components, integrating them, selling them, you have to deal with many different people, the transportation system, all sorts of things. Manufacturing is complex, and the problems that manufacturers face have to be addressed. So this focus on manufacturing helps to address that system.
But the mood of the consumer is not in favour of ‘Make in India’, especially in the automobile industry. For example, if you want to buy a car, your friends will actually turn around and tell you to buy a Korean, German, Japanese make than an Indian make. So what do you make of this view?
Some of these are perceptions. They are not really based on facts. You have to take perception for what it’s worth, but the problem is when the perception becomes reality. So the most important thing to recognise is that the consumer should have an open mind. The consumer need not go with a closed mind that Indian products will not match up with foreign products. It is only when Indian products begin to delight consumers that this perception will change. Indian manufacturers need to concentrate on quality, design
and utility. There are so many things you have to concentrate on and the more Indian manufacturers do that, better will be their business and the perception of the end consumers.
What do you think of youngsters who have given in to the glamour of an IT career and consider a career in manufacturing as boring?
If youngsters are given a challenge in any area, they are very much for it. When they are young, they want to be challenged; they want to be given huge and difficult goals and that’s what they thrive on. Youngsters should be integrated into the manufacturing stream, given more opportunities and more freedom, more initiative. That’s the way to go.
And CII is working towards that?
Yes! In CII, we have this Young Indians Group for some time now. The point is that young people are very idealistic and they can contribute and so we must harness that. That’s a huge energy that has to be harnessed. CII is trying to influence young people for the development of the country which includes manufacturing.
What do you think about today’s young corporate managers and their impatience in hopping jobs? What is the advice you want to give?
Every generation will have youngsters who are impatient and want to get higher which is a very good thing. We must have more of that. I mean the more we have young people who are impatient and want to make a change, better it is. That is something one has to encourage without doubt. Youngsters are always more idealistic. You have to let them experiment, and part of that experiment is also failure. In the Indian system, failure is not tolerated. You must learn to tolerate failure. If somebody fails, it doesn’t mean he or she has lost. It’s just one more step in the journey. We are not saying you must fail, but if you do fail, it’s not the end of the world. You pick up the pieces and move on. You have to encourage young people to experiment, to take risks. The only thing one has to advise young people is that values are important. This applies to every generation, not just to this generation or the next. Values are important for individuals and society and we have to encourage people to live by incorporating good values.
If you look at the best elements of competitiveness and ease of doing business, in every state and just identify those and get all the states to actually implement, what’s actually happening in various states, we could really raise our rank as a country very quickly Mumbai is the commercial capital of India. You have lived here for decades. What are the changes you find, say, from the of 1960s Mumbai?
Mumbai has grown enormously. When you have growth and so many people, the challenges also become huge. One thing that the government has failed in the growth of Mumbai is to be able to provide housing for everyone. This is a very fundamental issue. If you cannot provide housing at reasonable cost, then the result of this bad policy that the government of Maharashtra and Mumbai have adopted is that today we have such a large percentage of people living in informal housing. There is no dignity of living for those who have to live in slums or travel long distances. The development policy for a city should be based on some fundamental values and one of that is to provide decent housing at a decent price. That is where we have failed. There is so much that can be done today. But it needs a lot of change in government policy and approach.
But the younger generation is accused of being money-minded… You see, the point about money mindedness is not necessarily the collective view. Young people have to be driven by something. They want to be successful, they want to be happy, and there are many ways to be happy. One should not grudge them that they want to make money or get good education, and so on. You should encourage it. But at the same time keep emphasising that good values will be better for them in their lives.
What is the philosophy of life that you live by? And how do you keep yourself fit? My philosophy of life is more about creating your system where everybody is happy and content around you. That you support them as much as you can. That you are more giving than taking. I think these are simple values of life that make everyone stand good. Excess in anything, whether it is in eating or exercise is not a good thing in any case. And about my fitness, I have no secrets. vinita.deshmukh@corporatecitizen.in
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HDFC Bank’s Blood Donation Drive Students donating blood at HDFC Blood Donation camp
Providing Blood for Sustaining Lives Organisers of the largest blood donation drive in the world, this year HDFC Bank conducted one such nationwide camp, wherein 200 corporates and 750 colleges participated at over 2000 centres set up in 930 cities across India. A look at the need and importance of such a humongous social initiative year after year By Rajesh Rao
T
here is no artificial substitute for blood and donating blood is the only way that could help save many lives. India, on the whole, suffers from lack of safe blood that can be used for transfusion purposes. Storage facilities are available only at major hospitals and blood banks, but the need arises in every town and village in the country. Creation of community awareness and providing an avenue to donate blood is therefore very important. Seeing the need for a sustainable and scalable blood donation and collection model that can be applied across locations to achieve optimum reach, HDFC bank undertook the blood donation social initiative. In 2007, they introduced the idea of a oneday nationwide blood donation drive, across all HDFC Bank branches in India. It not only encouraged people to support a single cause but also became a common goal and uniting force across the organisation. Engaging the commu-
22 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
nity as a team proved to be an important success factor in the years that followed. The ninth edition of the annual HDFC Bank Blood Donation Drive was held on Friday, December 11, 2015, at the Sri Balaji Society campus. People from all walks of life, including corporate executives, professors and college students came forward in large numbers to donate blood. Many of HDFC Bank’s top management and employees were among the first donors of the day. Volunteers lined up to donate blood at over 2,000 designated centers in 930 locations across the country. The Bank had tied up with major hospitals and blood banks to provide technical assistance. “As a socially responsible corporate organisation, we wish to do our part to narrow the gap in demand and supply of blood. It is a life-saving resource which has no substitute,” said Bhavesh Zaveri, Country Head, Operations, HDFC Bank. “We thank everyone who has come forward this
Pics: Shantanu Relekar
Dr (Col.) A Balasubramanian along with Sumant Rampal and Suresh Bathani - Senior VP Maharashtra State at HDFC Bank inaugurating blood donation drive at Sri Balaji Society (SBS) campus in Pune
Opening the HDFC blood donation drive at SBS campus
According to the Indian Red Cross Society, a country needs a minimum stock of blood equal to one percent of its population. This means India needs 12 million units of blood, of which the country is able to collect only nine million units
SBS students receive participation certificates for donating blood at HDFC blood donation camp
January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 23
HDFC Bank’s Blood Donation Drive Sumant Rampal, Regional Head for Emerging Western Region, Corporate Group & Country Head for Health Finance, HDFC Bank
It’s more about being Sustainability is a core value at HDFC Bank and their blood donation drive is one of many such initiatives that focus on this values. Sumant Rampal talks to Corporate Citizen about this journey over the years and how it is helping to create a sustainable solution to reduce the shortage of safe blood in India
SBS student donating blood
year and helped us in our mission to maintain safe and stable blood supply,” he added. This year, HDFC Bank reached out to corporates and education institutes, by setting up blood donation camps at their premises. Following the tremendous response from the youth of the nation over the last three years, the bank increased the number of participating colleges this year to 750. Participation from college students in HDFC Bank blood donation has increased from 20,507 in 2012 to 41,304 in 2013 and then to 67,871 in 2014. More than 200 companies participated in the initiative including some of the biggest names of India Inc. In its ninth year, the blood donation campaign is part of HDFC Bank’s overarching social agenda of making a difference to peoples’ lives. The bank started this initiative in 2007 when over 4,000 people volunteered for this cause. Since then the camp has grown in size and stature. In 2014, the bank collected 1,28,642 units of blood from 1,55,599 participants at 1987 collection centres at 913 locations. Engagement with colleges As education institutes represent a great way to increase the donor base, HDFC Bank has tiedup with various colleges and institutes and set up blood donation centres in the campus. These efforts have resulted in greater success of the blood donation drive. The initiative took off in 2012, when 226 colleges participated and 20,507 volunteers donated 16,465 units of blood. In 2015, there is a marked increase in the numbers,
Year
Location
Collection Centres
Unit Collected
14-Dec-07
87
88
4,385
12-Dec-08
184
190
9,362
11-Dec-09
275
318
13,973
10-Dec-10
360
494
25,758
9-Dec-11
521
716
40,839
7-Dec-12
604
1,004
61,611
6-Dec-13
864
1,495
86,774
5-Dec-14
913
1,987
1,28,642
with 750 participating. How it is managed The event is planned on the first or second Friday of December. Reputed blood banks and hospitals are carefully selected as partners. Commercial blood banks are not used. A central support teams at Mumbai coordinates the nationwide event. Recognised by Guinness World Records The HDFC Bank Blood Donation Drive of December 6, 2013 set a Guinness World Records, as the organiser of the “Largest Blood Donation (across multiple venues) in a single day” in the world. The campaign involved 61,902 participants donating blood at 1,115 camps across 709 locations in India. Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) Bank is one of India’s premier banks providing a wide range of financial products and services. Within a relatively short span of time, the bank has emerged as a leading player in retail banking, wholesale banking, and treasury operations, its three principal business segments. As of September 30, 2015, the Bank had a distribution network with 4,227 branches and 11,686 ATMs in 2,501 cities/towns. rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com
24 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
Source: www.hdfcbank.com
HDFC Bank spearheading the initiative of blood donation campaign for last seven years
How did the HDFC Bank blood donation drive start and grew up to such a big social initiative, reaching across the country? It was a vision towards a social cause and Bhavesh Javeri, Head of Operations, HDFC Bank, saw that blood was scarcely available in many parts of India. He decided that he should look at the issue, because as an organisation there are so many people who could provide blood. There was lot of enthusiasm in a big city like Mumbai. People wanted to come out and give their blood. The thought process then got developed on the problem that in the country there are not safe, clear, clean processes to do a blood donation drive. As a bank we strongly believe in these processes, we believe in making sure that things are put in right perspective. Clearing from that one experience, Bhavesh decided to take it on year-on-year basis and the numbers are just growing. Last year we were part of the Guinness Book of Records, because of the pure number of units we collected in one single
humane day. We covered more than 900 cities and we want to make sure and Bhavesh has envisaged that where ever HDFC Bank is, which is today at about 4,300 plus branches across the country, we want to reach out to every single city and conduct our blood donation drive, whether it is a big city like Mumbai or a small tier-5 town or village. And this is purely done by the employees of the organisation. So, there is a lot of love, affection…lot of positivity which come with this whole thing and I think that’s the beauty of the whole programme. CSR off course, comes along with it, but I think it is more about being humane, more about being just there, that’s what it is all about.
Why was blood donation chosen as an initiative for CSR activity among others? We do lot of other CSR activities, blood donation drive is just one of them. It just happens to be that it is a CSR activity. It’s like as I said, genesis of it was just an experience that Bhavesh had of not being able to get the right kind of blood, when he wanted for somebody. And from there he took on the initiative and today he runs it across the country and with him the whole organisation comes, whether it is the managing director, whether it is board of directors, senior management, everybody goes and gives blood today. And the family, the friends, our customers and various people who can just walk in and give blood. So, these camps are organised at various branches of HDFC Bank, we tie-up with education institutions, we tie-up with hospitals, corporates, where we put proper systems and processes and collect blood. Blood has a shelf life of 45 days, so after collecting the blood, it needs an infrastructure to preserve it, what do you do about that? As I said the most important thing for us is to see we have proper process in place for collecting and making sure it gets delivered in the right place. So, we have tie-ups with all these blood banks and I am part of the healthcare financing team of the bank, I run that as a business, where we fund a lot of healthcare service providers, whether these are doctors, hospitals or trusts. Our operation team has gone and done tie-ups with all of them across the country. We make sure that the processes are followed up to the team and the blood is provided to those specific centres, at the right time and then they use it. I am not an expert on the subject, what I know is that the blood is then used in three different forms, which is purely as blood, or stem cell or any of those things. So, that process continues from thereon. Especially in rural areas there is
a problem of sourcing blood and they don’t have access to blood banks. Is HDFC Bank taking any initiative to set up blood banks in rural areas? Today, our branch reach is over 4,300 across the country and 50 percent of them are in the villages, panchayats and semi-urban kind of locations. We are doing lot of these activities, to kind of create awareness on blood donation as a programme and tie up with the local hospitals there and also tie up with these blood banks. I am not aware of the creating a blood bank yet. As of now it is largely of providing the blood to these banks. Who then go out and circulate through various institutes and various requirements, across the country. Are there more efforts on to getting more youth involved in this blood donation drive? The stress is to just tell people that
Sustainability is a core value at HDFC Bank and their blood donation drive is one of many such initiatives that focus on this values. Sustainability is a core value at HDFC Bank this is a healthy thing to do, this is a good thing to do… you will feel more positive, you will feel more energised and you feel good about your own self. That’s the whole concept of it. You do it and by the end of the day you feel this nice good feeling about yourself that you did something good today. The connect is with youth, the elderly, the Richie riches, the government officials, educationists, academicians and everybody. So, it is connects for everybody. It is one of the best initiative to connect people. It is actually transforming your own blood into somebody else at some stage. It is the best way to connect. It is going to bring about the most humane thing, the most wonderful thing, and what can be better than this. We are all talking about digital connection, about social media, WhatsApp, Facebook or whatever, but I feel this is the best way to connect people and that’s the beauty of it. January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 25
Cover Story Dynamic Duo 22
Intelligent
Ritu and Arun Nathani
Choice
Arun Nathani, CEO and MD of the Pune-based Cybage Software Pvt. Ltd., a 5700-plus employee -strong product engineering and IT services company, is the quintessential first-generation entrepreneur— albeit with a difference. His story may well be the stuff of fairy tales, but his vision, far from being fuelled by flights of fancy, rests on the solid edifice of a data-driven approach that promotes objectivity and rationality over all else. Not a man given to extremes of emotion or grandiosity of expression at any time, he nevertheless, makes an exception to admit that his incredible journey ‘would just not have been the same’ without the unstinting support of his spouse of 21 years, the effervescent Ritu... A dentist by profession, a teacher at heart and an enthusiastic educator by choice, Ritu wears many hats with aplomb, including those of Managing Trustee, Cybage Khushboo and Cybage Asha and Director, Cybage Software Pvt. Ltd. With personalities as different as chalk from cheese, their marriage is a testimony to a shared value system that celebrates differences of opinion and respects the unique strengths brought to the table by each partner. It helps that both are united by a shared passion for education and perfection in every endeavour they take up, individually or jointly. This is their story and this is how they tell it:
T
here is never a perfect situation—nor any one trigger to success. (Something he is fond of repeating, and quite often at that!!) And while his achievements are phenomenal by any standards, Arun Nathani is vastly amused at any attempt to pigeonhole his life’s journey in clichés and stereotypes. “It sounds very dramatic to start your story with, I had a dream to start this company. But the truth as it played out, is that my dreams grew step by step with the company. I cannot pin-point any one reason as to how and why things worked out the way they did—and I certainly cannot take all the credit,” he says. It is precisely this humility that Ritu is ‘absolutely crazy’ about… amongst other things.
By Kalyani Sardesai Ask them what makes them tick, and true to form, both name “intelligence” as the deal maker or breaker. Here’s why: “If your partner is intelligent, the journey becomes engaging and fun. There’s a lot to share together. On the other hand, if your spouse is someone whose intelligence levels do not match yours, it is a limiting experience in every way,” explains Arun. That, luckily, is not the case here. “We can talk for hours—about anything and everything, and thank God for that.”
Part destiny, part by design
The Ritu-Arun story was first scripted in the summer of 1984, when Arun’s older sister Geeta
26 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
wed Ritu’s cousin in Ahmedabad. Naturally, all extended members of both families were present on the occasion, including 12-year-old Ritu and 19-year old Arun. “Like most weddings, there was a lot of good -natured leg-pulling and bantering. Arun, then a second year BE student, was a prime target as young men usually are at such dos. Everyone started pestering him to share spicy details about his girlfriend, who, he protested, did not exist,” smiles Ritu. That’s when a cousin of hers stepped in and introduced little Ritu who happened to be around. “I don’t quite think I was quite the girlfriend he was looking for,” she chortles at the memory. “I mean guys of that age are looking for someone
Pics: Yusuf Khan
“If your partner is intelligent, the journey becomes engaging and fun. There’s a lot to share together. On the other hand, if your spouse is someone whose intelligence levels do not match yours, it is a limiting experience in every way” January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 27
Cover Story their own age, not a schoolkid. But he gamely played along...” No one gave the incident much thought, except for Geeta—who kept agonizing over how fine a match Ritu would have made for her brother, had she been a little older. “She said the same thing to me. Like everyone else, she presumed that Arun—as was the norm then—would finish his studies and marry by 23-24. However, as things turned out, he went abroad for his master’s and did not think of marriage until he was 29. By then, I was 22, and things were different,” shares Ritu. It was the summer of ’93—almost ten years since they’d met. By now, a dental student in Loni, Ritu was hardly home, except for the vacations. That’s when her dad threw a googly. “He said to me: get ready; we are leaving for maasi (Geeta’s mother-in-law’s) place. I thought—what a crazy idea to go to Ahmedabad in the peak of summer—but he was insistent. Geeta’s brother was down from the US, he was looking to marry—and dad was keen that I meet him.” Bewildered, Ritu nevertheless played ball, possibly due to a niggling curiosity about Geeta’s brother of whom she had heard so much over so many years. So the Keswanis took the overnight bus to Ahmedabad and Arun graciously came over for dinner that same day. “But I hardly got a moment with him. My dad hijacked the entire meeting, and grilled him all about his life and plans: What! Despite having a green card, Arun didn’t want to settle down in the States? Why was that? What plans did he have...? So on and so forth...” At the end of the evening, when he asked a glum Ritu what she had thought of her prospective suitor, the feisty young lady shot back: “How should I know? You were the one who spent the maximum time with him.” So another meeting was duly arranged, this time at Arun’s home, but the giggling and curious stares of relatives who ‘coincidentally’ dropped by made one-on-one conversation impossible. Third time lucky, as it turned out. Arun took her out for coffee and the two finally got the time and space to speak to each other. “In the hour that we had together, he made me laugh; the conversation flowed naturally and smoothly. That’s when I said to myself: if he can make me laugh like this in such a short time, perhaps we are meant to be together. To be doubly sure, Ritu’s dad wanted the final stamp of approval from his brother- Ritu’s chacha who loved his niece like a daughter. So he called Arun’s dad and said that while Ritu was comfortable with Arun, he would very much like his brother to meet him. Arun’s dad said, no problem, do bring him along for tea... “And this,” interjects Arun, “is the point where
“In the hour that we had together, he made me laugh; the conversation flowed naturally and smoothly. That’s when I said to myself: if he can make me laugh like this in such a short time, perhaps we are meant to be together” two varying versions of the same begin...” even as Ritu protests loudly.
A ‘surprise’ engagement and a wedding
strange thing to happen, as getting a transfer is usually a breeze. So I decided to go to Pune, my hometown,” she says. One thing coincided with the other to make Arun shift as well—instead of making long trips to meet his wife. “Post my return to India, I had become a stock market analyst in Ahmedabad. Things seemed promising. Then, in accordance with Murphy’s Law, the booming market collapsed. And with the crash, my savings dwindled too. I had two choices: beat a hasty retreat to the US or take another shot at settling down
According to Ritu, her dad had been clear in communicating to Arun’s dad that while they felt positively inclined towards the alliance, his brother’s decision was important to them. But instead of walking into a formal tea party with the elders of both families in cautious attendance, the Keswanis were greeted with flowers and a cake screaming ‘congratulations’ and gifts for the bride to be, not to mention a room full of people all set to party. “We were dumbstruck. My dad was worried about his brother’s reaction after making him drive down for eight hours to participate in a decision that was clearly already made, My mother was embarrassed that they had come empty-handed with no gifts or sweets for the groom’s party. As for me, I was wondering over their reaction! Never mind the sweets and the niceties! Or what anyone would think! Had they thought of how I was feeling right now? Honestly, I have never done marijuana, but that hazy, crazy evening was the closest I have come to being in a daze,” says The family, making a happy picture Ritu, rolling her eyes. “See, this is why I say, that this episode has taught me an important m a n in India—where I could be with family,” he says. agement lesson: that if you repeat things often A job interview in Pune made his choice easienough, they become the accepted truth,” says er. “The company was offering me flexi timings, a wry Arun. complimentary lunches, a five-day work week, It so happened that for his part, Arun, ever the a decent pay, and above all, a pool table at the focused and no-nonsense guy, gathered that it reception! Besides, Chetan Shetty, the then CEO was a ‘yes’ from the girl. “With all the positive of Ruksun (at Koregaon Park), was a man who vibes I was getting from her dad and my brother inspired great confidence in his staff. Very rap-in-law, also Ritu’s cousin, I thought why waste idly, Ruksun grew from 10 to 60 engineers and time at all?” he shrugs. we seemed to be on a roll.” “But we did say my chacha would have the last word,” counters Ritu. The seeds of a dream “So? I was marrying you—not your chacha,” is Like other techies of the nineties, Arun had front Arun’s comeback. row seats at the event of the millennium; arguably The summer engagement was followed by a the greatest leap forward since the invention of simple wedding in July ’94 in Ahmedabad. the wheel: the World Wide Web. As things had it, Ritu, who was now ready for With the Internet came the promise of a fuher dental internship, found it hard to get a transture that would change the way global business fer to a dental college in Ahmedabad. “It was a is conducted. “As netizens, we had the advantage
28 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
so I could take the risk,” he elaborates. Next, Cyberage got its first four employees in an office set up in a 3 BHKflat in Salunke Vihar, Pune.
First day—first shock
Even as the employees reported for the first day of work, Arun called up his partner “uncle” to share the good news. He told Arun: “I am no longer interested.” Just like that! “I asked him the reason for the 180-degree turn. He said that because Microsoft was coming up with a browser, the market was going to heat up well beyond our comfort level. I proposed reconsideration on the choice of product to be developed. He politely repeated, “I am no longer interested.” So there he was—stuck with an initial investment, and a business partner who had walked out on the very first day! “Fortunately, I still had reasonable personal savings left after the initial setup expenses; so I decided not to call it a day.”
over a commoner in previewing the future. So if you were the geeky, ambitious type, the timing was opportune to announce your arrival,” says Arun. Back in 1995, Netscape, the star of the browsing world, was the one to watch out for. For any would-be entrepreneur, the ploy was to figure out that special niche—the untapped possibilities in those nascent stages of the Internet. This was the time when the web was expanding at an exponential rate. Websites were mushrooming at the speed of light. However, Internet browsing was an agonising process. “I, for one, was convinced that home users would appreciate an easier way to surf, rather than interact with the grey array of buttons presented by Netscape,” says Arun. “Bingo, I had hit the goldmine (or so I thought)!” He took the plunge. And Cyberage was born (in due course, rechristened to Cybage). Mission? “A pretty basic one: to develop a ‘browser for dummies’ to be sold to a multinational for millions of dollars and to live happily thereafter!” he smiles in retrospect at the early naiveté. “Even on the financial front, things were cosy. I had savings to last a few months, plus a supportive wife and potential financial backup in my brother (Deepak Nathani, now Cybage COO)—
Papa’s girl and Mama’s boy
But somehow, 180 days later, CyberAge Raider was ready to take on the world. Arun handed over the daily company operations to Ritu, went back to the US, and unveiled CyberAge Raider at trade shows and conferences—an expensive but necessary ritual. The product was received very well. ‘We got rave reviews, including the much coveted product of the month’ from PC Magazine. We tied up with a marketing company in the Bay Area to sell the product over the web for $19.95. I started meeting big guys—CompuServe, Yahoo! Netscape, and Infoseek, among others—proudly demonstrating our product and exploring joint venture opportunities. At Netscape, I actually had the good fortune of giving a product demo on Marc Andreessen’s computer. With folks at Yahoo! I had an excited discussion where we cribbed about Netscape guys—how two peers gossip about the third one! Yes sir, everything was proceeding by the book—CyberAge indeed was in the fast lane! We were rocking! The million-dollar dream seemed but a milestone away,” reminisces Arun. Then Microsoft came up with the Internet Explorer. And all hell broke loose. How on earth did one compete with a free browser, for God’s sake? When Netscape couldn’t withstand the heat, what chance did poor CyberAge stand? Arun changed his strategy: they isolated the 3-D components of their browser and made them Internet Explorer and Netscape plug-ins. “And what did we get in return? A “free” link from Microsoft and Netscape sites!” he laughs. But a business needs revenue to sustain, not free links. “Now my only bet was to get some venture capitalist to pump in sizable funds so that we could enhance and launch our product in a big
“It’s fun to deal with children and young adults. As a mother of two, and teacher who has worked with schoolchildren, I feel strongly about the need to expose them to different stimuli that will help in their holistic development” Besides, the team was young, ambitious and willing to work hard. Still, post the initial honeymoon euphoria, they were rudely brought to earth by real life. It was a monumental task, by every standard, to develop a 32-bit browser on a beta version of Windows ’95. Internet connectivity in India was pathetic, to put it mildly. “To give you an essence of our situation: our direct competition was the billion-dollar Netscape that literally had an army of the world’s leading IT professionals headed by whiz-kid Marc Andreessen—the inventor of Mosaic, the world’s first browser! And what did Cyberage have? A team of 4!”
way. Luckily, my brother Deepak stepped in as CyberAge’s new investing partner.” But their troubles were far from over. The market was a tough one to crack. It didn’t take long to figure out that the fearless Raider had been relegated to being a toothless warrior. As dreams began to crumble, a sinking feeling started settling in. “Some sentiments in life can’t be described. How do you explain the feeling when you specially fly to a place in the desperate hope of forging a partnership, and are dismissed from the meeting in a mere ten minutes?” he shares. But a curt one-liner from the US-based giant,
January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 29
Cover Story ››››
C
ybage Software is a product engineering and IT Services company based in Pune with over 5,700 employees and 200-plus clients throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East and APAC. Cybage is a global information technology provider of outsourced software product development and application development and maintenance. The company is focused on developing solutions for Media & Entertainment, Travel and Hospitality, Retail and Distribution, Health Care and Life Sciences, Legal and Telecommunication domains. Cybage is headquartered in Kalyani Nagar, Pune with additional development centres in Pune, Hyderabad and Gandhinagar. Internationally, Cybage has development centres and relationship management offices in the USA, UK, Australia and Japan.
Farallon (now part of Motorola) changed things for them. “Next time you are in the Bay Area, come and see us,” said the mail. Hardly exciting stuff, but still, Arun decided to take that flight from Chicago to San Francisco... Arun made his presentation to Farallon’s CEO and his two senior vice presidents. They seemed impressed; they were looking for an offshore partner, they would get back to him. A few nail-biting days later they made their offer: they were willing to contract out all four of Arun’s engineers if the deal was good enough. A few anxious rounds of negotiation later, the deal was struck! With revenue flowing in, it was time to relocate to a more habitable place—Clover Cascade Bungalows in the serene suburb of Kalyani Nagar. “A year later, my brother Deepak moved back from the US to Pune and made the transition from being an investor to an operational partner,” he says. Though the company was named CyberAge, their domain was www.cybage.com. Reason? Www.cyberage.com was already taken up when the company was incorporated! “Then, as CyberAge grew, it became imperative to reflect a uniform corporate identity where the domain and the company name matched. So, we called up the owner of the Cyberage domain in 1998, the peak of dotcom boom. He directed us to his attorney, who quoted the domain at an exorbitant US $1,00,000. “It was cheaper to go with Cybage,” grins Arun. Amidst all the ups and downs, Ritu stayed invested and interested in his dream. From acting as admin to keeping the home front peaceful, she
“The most important lesson I have imbibed over the years is that no matter how smart, people can never match up to the power of data. Data is objective, unaffected by emotion, and hence reliable” trusted where he was headed. “At the back of my mind, I was always secure in the knowledge that I had married a strong, educated lady with a solid degree and positive attitude,” says Arun.
Cybage Khushboo—spreading the fragrance of education
A first-generation entrepreneurial set-up with zero family backing, Cybage is a living argument in favour of the sheer force of professional training. “Education is the great leveller for any child, irrespective of his/her circumstances,” says Ritu. And Cybage Khushboo—the self-sustaining NGO arm of Cybage (which she is closely involved with) is the personification of this core belief. To explain briefly: Cybage Khushboo mentors, funds and guides deserving candidates through professional courses like engineering, medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, amongst others. “Our focus is primarily deserving kids with over 60 percent in their X and XII and with annu-
30 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
al family income less than ₹2.5 lakh,” elaborates Ritu. Six years and a thousand kids later, Khushboo continues to walk new ground. With an in-house staff of four CSR executives and other Cybagians who help conduct training and development workshops for their protégés through the year— their aim is to ‘mentor one student for each employee’ they have. “That’s big, but achievable,” she points out. Despite the huge role she plays in Arun’s world, Ritu has always been her own person with a strong need to explore her own potential: from dentistry to drama, working as an elocution teacher (after acquiring the prerequisite training!) at two of Pune’s finest schools, St. Mary’s and Primrose—to professional theatre, and from Cybage Asha to Cybage Khushboo, she has done it all. “I am a person who thrives on versatility and all the energy and dynamism that goes with the work I do. But whatever I undertake, I do so with utmost passion,” she says. What’s common in every role is the en-
stant revisions of appraisal methodology. “The appraisal system is designed in such a way that anyone who has worked well over the last order can expect to be rewarded. It’s as simple as that,” says Arun. “The most important lesson I have imbibed over the years is that no matter how smart, people can never match up to the power of data. Data is objective, unaffected by emotion, and hence reliable. Though, of course, it has to be analysed in the relevant context to yield results. This is where the quality of your leadership comes in.” “Similarly, a system-driven approach works better than a person-centric atmosphere, anytime. It makes things impartial, logical, uncluttered, and ultimately positive. Also, it has to be consistently nurtured and stressed upon by the leadership, which in turn has to be nurtured consistently and constantly, in-house,” he explains. “As they say the proof of the pudding lies in the eating,” says Ritu. “The fact that the senior management have stayed on through years and years, does make a strong statement about professionals finding resonance with their leader,” she added.
joyment she derives from interacting with young minds. “It’s fun to deal with children and young adults. As a mother of two, and teacher who has worked with schoolchildren, I feel strongly about the need to expose them to different stimuli that will help in their holistic development,” she smiles.
A strong work ethic—and some fun
“Having gone from strength to strength and taken the ups and downs in its stride, Cybage stands poised, sure and confident—to face whatever challenge that comes its way in the days to come,” says Arun. The fundamentals of its foundation are clear enough: slow and steady progress, transparency, rewarding performance, and eschewing workplace politics. “Sure, every company says precisely the same thing, but we walk the talk,” he stresses. There is also a consistent effort on behalf of the leadership to reiterate not just through Arun’s blog and regular messages ‘From the CEO’s desk..’ the values they hold dear, but also through con-
Leadership, responsibility: Arun’s advice to young corporates
“A person gets to a position due to a combination of various factors—it definitely does not mean he’s the smartest. It sure helps to be aware of this simple truth,” underlines
Arun. Some questions are eternal: How do you best take care of your team? Through delegation or micromanagement? “Too many people rely heavily on delegation—I believe it’s an oversimplification of matters: you can’t outsource a headache, even if you want to!” “That said, everything is situational. You play it by ear—but either ways, the person at the helm of affairs has to own the outcome.” He also prefers to define responsibility as accountability in different zones of your life. Namely, accountability to self, to your family and your professional space. “An interplay of these three dimensions is what makes up your world,” he says. He elaborates further: “Accountability to self means taking care of yourself by committing yourself to healthy lifestyle choices. If you’re not fit and in control of your routine, it will affect
every other aspect of your life.” Then there is accountability to family. “Do you give your loved ones enough time? Are you instrumental in shaping the kind of people your kids are going to be? Some people have a ‘chalta hai’ attitude to this, but in all humility, I don’t agree it’s the right thing to do. Invest time and effort in your loved ones—even if some things are beyond your control.” Finally, there is accountability in your workspace. “It is possible to do justice to this aspect only if you have taken care of the other two aspects of your life that precede and complement your career graph.”
What makes a marriage click?
“I would say, pick and choose the right battles. Not everything is worth an argument. It’s fine to agree to disagree. What certainly isn’t, is converting the relationship into a war zone,” says Ritu. Similarly, it is nice to go with the flow. “One needs to be accommodating and comprising and adjusting towards each other but also maintain your personal identity, which, in turn, will help the partner respect you,” she says. Both are united on one point: do things together by all means, yet carve your niche space. It’s a fine balancing act.
The principles of magnetism
On the surface, both Arun and Ritu could not be more different. He, quiet, self-effacing, to the point, balanced to a fault and logical. She, life of the party, talkative, social, affectionate, emotional. At closer glance, both are united by a strong sense of duty and a need to do their best, be it in their personal life or professional space. “Ritu may not like undertaking a task, but if it is necessary to do it, she will do just that—and to the best of her abilities, irrespective of how she feels,” says Arun. “He is the same,” adds Ritu. “It’s not just work where he is driven to giving his utmost, but also relationships. Take, for instance, my parents. Arun, without a doubt-is the son they never had, going all out to take care of them and ensure their comfort in matters great or small.” He is also the more romantic one, for all his reticence. “Honestly, when it comes to romance on a scale of 10, I would rate a 3, but he would be an 8 or 9,” smiles Ritu. Like their tenth wedding anniversary, which he brought to life with a chef and candlelight dinner, not to forget ten thoughtfully chosen gifts for each year of the marriage. Or the time he surprised her with a convertible on Valentine’s Day—simply because they had seen it months ago, and had liked it-for him! “Arun had vetoed my choice; being the understated guy that he is, he could not, for a moment see himself travelling to work in that particular number,” she grins. She got his point, and let
January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 31
Cover Story it go. So imagine her surprise when she saw it driving into her home—complete with a bouquet of flowers. “It’s not the expense of a gift but the thought that goes into it,” she explains. “Ritu comes across as this super-lively, talkative person. But there is much more depth to her,” says Arun. “Such as her emotional intelligence, her ability to use her medical training whenever the situation warrants, and concern for those around her.” A case in point being the tough time when Arun’s dad was diagnosed with a terminal illness. “She went all out to care for him. Being a qualified medical professional as well, she was the communication channel between the doctors and the rest of the family,” he expresses. It is precisely this order she brings to their family life that Arun cherishes the most. Whether it’s a last minute guest, or a family emergency, Ritu is generally unfazed by the situation. “His schedule is packed. That’s how it is. I do take care of most things, leaving him free to work. I don’t mind; in fact I love the space I get to do things,” she smiles.
No child’s play this...
Like any couple who are also parents, both Arun and Ritu have their take on nurturing the offspring—Misha (19) and Aneesh (16). “Neither of us believes in creating pressure for the kids; that said, it would be hypocritical to say we don’t have our dreams for them, given their potential,” says Ritu. While Misha is pursuing economics in Los Angeles, Aneesh is in Std XI at Symbiosis. Both are academically inclined, apart from being active in extracurricular activities like debates and sports. Ask Aneesh whether he felt the heat at any point, given who his parents are and he articulates his response with care. “It’s not that they create any pressure,” he says. “But both my sister and I know we can’t loiter around and waste time. We have made that choice.” While Ritu spends more time with the kids, considering Arun’s schedules, she calls him the finest brand ambassador for the concept of ‘quality time’. “Let me put it this way: he has done everything demanded of a dad by the kids’s age and requirement. From changing nappies to putting them to bed with a word of encouragement, he has done it all,” she says. “Whatever time he spends with them is impactful and helps us understand their young world,” she adds. One favourite ritual that stands out in memory is the unique bedtime game Arun had devised for the kids. “He would ask each one to first select an alphabet and then come up with a word with that alphabet. If Misha said ‘G’ for Giraffe and Aneesh said ‘B’ for Bat, he would come up with a story that linked both Bat and Giraffe… all three of them enjoyed it a lot,” she narrates fondly.
“A person gets to a position due to a combination of various factors— it definitely does not mean he’s the smartest. it sure helps to be aware of this simple truth” Apart from this, both believe in leading by example—for children learn through observation. So be it Arun working hard on his weekly classical singing—and taking every opportunity to hone his writing, or Ritu’s multifarious engagements with drama, theatre, elocution and now Cybage Khushboo—there’s much to gain simply by watching mom and dad. “We could have taken it easy, but we did not. They see that. Children learn from what they see, not from what they hear. They follow what is evident and not what is told to them,” says Ritu. A certain discipline runs like a continuous thread through their lives. “Even on a holiday, I am not someone who would get up at 11 am and sit around. I am up early, working out,” Arun. The Nathanis are also big on taking vacations twice a year, be it in India or abroad. “Just the four
32 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
of us together is a great way to bond, at the same time experiencing a new culture and way of life. It’s enriching and de-stressing,” says Ritu. Despite the privileges, Misha and Aneesh are not ‘spoilt, rich kids’ stereotype. Here’s why: “I don’t believe in this great show of forcing frugality on kids just to teach them a lesson. If you wish them to learn self-restraint, dignity and humility, be that way yourself and teach by example,” says Arun. Ritu chips in, “Everyone comments as to how well-grounded the kids are, and that is something we value very much. They can pretty much mix with people from all strata of society, and be useful and accommodating. This innate satisfaction of having raised two good kids is, quite frankly, our finest achievement.” kalyanisardesai@gmail.com
manage money Dr Anil Lamba
Trading on Equity:
How to use Fixed-Cost Assets/ Funds to Magnify Returns Continuing our discussion from the previous issue, let’s now try to understand the impact of an increase in sales on profit In Year 1, sales was 100 and profit was 20. Where did this data come from? This information must have been taken from the Profit & Loss Account, which must looked somewhat like this (see table). Profit & Loss Account Expenses Raw Material
Yr 1
Incomes
Yr 1
45
Sales
100
Power
4
Salaries
10
Commission
5
Rent
16 80
Profit
20
100
100
Now, let’s try to answer our question: What would be the profit if sales increased from 100 to 200? When sales double, the raw material consumption will definitely double. The power consumption and cost will also very likely double. Salary cost may remain at the same level or may go up somewhat on account of annual increments or some additional staff, but it will not double. Commission will usually double. Rent would probably remain the same. If you examine the nature of each head of expense, you will discover that some are variable by nature, while others are fixed. That is, some expenses will increase proportionately with an increase in sales while others will not. Let’s write the letter V (for variable) and the letter F (for fixed) against every head. Profit & Loss Account Expenses V Raw Material
Yr 1
Yr 2
Incomes
Yr 1
Yr 2
45
90
Sales
100
200
V Power
4
8
F Salaries
10
10
V Commission
5
10
F Rent
16
16
80 Profit
20 100
100
Now knowing that when sales is 100, cost is 80 and profit is 20, if
you wish to guess the profit on a sale of 200, you would first need to know how the cost of 80 is broken up into variable and fixed costs. Let us consider five different cases, showing the break-up of costs between Variable and Fixed. Year1
Sales
100
Cost
80 F--
Profit
20
Break-up of total cost between variable(V) and fixed (F) Case 1
Case 2
Case 3
Case 4
Case 5
V80 F20
V60 F20
V40 F40
V20 F60
V-F80
Case 1: In this situation, where the entire cost was variable (which is not very likely) when sales double to 200, costs will double to 160 and profit will also double to 40. Case 2: If the composition of the total cost was 60 variable and 20 fixed: sales having doubled to 200, the variable component of 60 will double to 120. However the fixed costs of 20 will remain 20. This makes the total cost 140. The profit of 20 will now grow to 60. Case 3: If the variable component was 40 and fixed 40, then profit will increase to 80. Case 4: If the break-up between variable and fixed was 20:60, the profit would increase to 100. Case 5: If all costs of 80 were fixed by nature (most unlikely), profit would increase from 20 to 120. Impact on Profit as the ratio between VC and FC changes Yr1
Yr 2 Case1
Sales
100
Cost
80
200
Case2
Case3
200
Case4
200
Case5
200
200
V80 160 V60 120 V40
80
V20
40
F--
40
F60
60 F80 80
--
F20 20
F40
V--
--
T Cost
80
160
140
120
100
80
Profit
20
40
60
80
100
120
Now I have a question for you. When do organisations make more profits? Is it when the fixed costs that they bear are less or more? ...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 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 33
education pioneers Indian Society for Training & Development (ISTD)
Shaping Up New Businesses
The Indian Society for Training and Development (ISTD), established in the 1970s advocates the legacy of its founder chairman and management guru—the late Coimbatore Krishnarao Prahalad, fondly known as C K Prahalad. If CKP’s renowned book ‘The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty through Profits’, coauthored by Stuart L Hart, instilled a new wave of business thinking into tapping low-income markets which would in turn trigger prosperity amongst the aspiring poor in the wider world; the objective of ISTD, Chennai Chapter - the 47th unit of the national not-for-profit organisation (NGO) is to bring forth a level playing platform in the learning and development (L&D) sphere for all. Irrespective of ranks or files across corporate houses and industrial sectors, ISTD also aims to leverage entrepreneurial enthusiasm amongst generations X, Y and Z. ISTD’s intentions on developing workplace skills via L&D modules is a step towards creating efficient human resource pools across government, the public and private sectors; also instil professional training values across educational and training institutions and other professional bodies to shape up business domains. Registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, its large membership base includes individuals, corporate houses and institutions. It collaborates with training institutions under the Central and State Government to participate in their programmes. Some have been designed in partnership with the Planning Commission, Bureau of Public Enterprises and the Training Division of Department of Personnel, Government of India. T V Subba Rao, National Vice President (ISTD) and Dr R Karthikeyan, Chairman, ISTD (Chennai Chapter) shared their thoughts and experiences from industry as well as the role they play as members of the Chennai Chapter in bringing forth favourable business outcomes. ISTD’s affiliation with the International Federation of Training and Development Organisations (IFTDO), Geneva and Asian Regional Training and Development Organisations (ARTDO), Manila, is a move to keep an eye on international trends By Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar and Neeraj Varty 34 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
asically, I am a clinical psychologist. I started my career as a trainer, interestingly after my UGC clinical research doctoral work. I started as a trainer because I was not sure what training was all about. I had never seen a training programme, the first-ever training programme I experienced was my own,” said Dr R Karthikeyan, Chairman, ISTD (Chennai Chapter). His was a journey transcending between academia, business and the HR domain. For T V Subba Rao, Vice-President (ISTD, National) and (retd.) President (Operations)
Pics: Chandroo
T V Subba Rao at the ISTD Chennai Chapter Conference
Nippo Batteries; the Chennai Chapter holds a personal moment of pride as he said, “ISTD Chennai has given as many as six national presidents of repute amongst the 42 presidents in office since its inception.” If T V Subba Rao has been successful in rallying around eminent business stalwarts under the ISTD mantle, Dr R Karthikeyan, is all gung-ho on bringing young, talented minds to the fore of ISTD in the near future. Corporate Citizen spoke to them at the recently held first annual conference of ISTD Chennai Chapter on ‘Leadership Insights: From the Chamber of The CEO,’ that attempted to understand CXO expectations from HR and the role L&D plays in building future-ready organisations.
We consider ISTD Chennai as the premier chapter as it was founded by C K Prahalad, its first-ever Chairman, which gives a special distinction to the ISTD Chennai Chapter. Structure-wise, ISTD has four regional Vice-Presidents (VPs)—each region represented by one — T V Subba Rao, Vice-President, ISTD, National January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 35
education pioneers CC: What is the working structure of ISTD as an organisation?
T V Subba Rao: ISTD is an NGO that was started as early as 1970 and has 47 chapters nationwide with representations from thousands of HR professionals, trainers, human resource executives and members. We consider Chennai as the premier chapter as it was founded by C K Prahalad, its first-ever Chairman, which gives a special distinction to the ISTD Chennai Chapter. Structure-wise, ISTD has four regional VicePresidents (VPs)—each region represented by one. Additionally, there are three office bearers —the President, National VP and the Treasurer. We also have an exclusive office managed by a professional as Executive Director who is supported by the Director and few other staff members. For promoting ISTD to professionals, we encourage membership from institutions— both permanent and annual memberships. Likewise, we have life members and corporate members. We also encourage students as associates. We distribute our quarterly magazine, Indian Journal of Training and Development, to all our members to keep abreast of the latest happenings. R Karthikeyan: Initially we started with four chapters and with its 47 chapters across the country; it is now a Govt. of India-recognised body. In fact, ISTD runs an 18-month diploma programme in training and development which is a first-of-its-kind and the only programme that has been recognised by the Govt. of India under the Ministry of HR and is well regarded in the public sector as a good qualification. Those completing the course are eligible to be recruited either as a Training Officer or Training Manager—depending on the organisation that recruits them.
CC: What is ISTD’s contribution to the industry or the government?
T V Subba Rao: ISTD, as a national body is an accredited body of assessors and falls under the Govt. of India’s skill development programme called ‘Modular Employable Skills’. It is meant for school dropouts or people who could not pursue studies in a conventional manner. Study timings are flexible and anyone can upgrade themselves as per their experience or knowledge levels. Under the scheme, there are 632 trades that an individual can enrol for. These courses are specified by the Govt. of India which include number of training hours, etc. As training hours vary from one trade to the other, some might need 500 hours of overall training while another might need 400 hours. On completion of the stipulated training hours, these students now come under the vocational training programme. They now have to fulfil all the criteria under their respective programme.
Once they complete their vocational training, they are now required to be assessed by a third party. This is because as a trainer or training body, you cannot assess. This is where ISTD comes in as a government recognised thirdparty assessing body. R Karthikeyan: One of our major goals is to run the 18-month diploma programme effectively. For this, a participant needs to have at least two years of work experience. The module comprises of contact classes, exams, dissertation, etc. Besides, each of the ISTD chapters has it’s own agenda. We conduct regular monthly programmes in Chennai and get guest speakers from the industry to talk to our members. Participation has seen an increase of almost 100 member participants as against only 30 or 40 in the early days. We work on a number of outreach programmes. What we call CSR today was part of our outreach programmes in the past. We conduct free life skills programmes for schools and other community services too. Besides, we also undertake need-based corporate and public service programmes. There was a huge requirement sometime back for members to know about industrial relations and we conducted three batches of that programme. We also ran a 10-week programme on training and development on training the trainer. Personally, going beyond my role in ISTD; as a trainer, in my 25 years of work experience, I have now helped train some 50,000 participants across 450 organisations and 200 institutions.
CC: Is ISTD affiliated to any international organisation?
T V Subba Rao: ISTD is a member of IFTDO (International Federation of Training and Development Organisations) which is a worldwide network of HR professionals and was founded in 1972 at Geneva, Switzerland. Likewise, it is also a member of ARTDO (Asian Regional Training and Development Organization), Manila. Primarily, ISTD is also recognised under the RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) scheme under the Central Government. For example, we are aware that the construction industry is one of the biggest industries where literacy rates across the sector are negligible amongst semi-skilled labourers. But, these non-literate individuals have lot of experience and skill sets. So under the scheme, we train them to achieve high productivity and tutor them to be better equipped in following and observing prevailing safety norms, etc.
CC: What are future goals for ISTD Chennai?
T V Subba Rao: We are now moving towards PM Modi’s ‘Make in India’ or ‘Skill India’ campaign. To pursue this, we have now formed a
36 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
R Karthikeyan striking a pose for Corporate Citizen
I want to get a lot of young blood into the system like students who are not part of corporate and who need not just belong to this geography. Diversity is very important to give a fresh thought. So, when I talk quantity it does not mean to merely take in more numbers – it is not to take from just one industry group but induce talent from as many group domains as possible which I have already successfully initiated for moving forward with ISTD. - R Karthikeyan, Chairman, ISTD (Chennai Chapter) January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 37
education pioneers
On L&D and Cultural Diversity in the HR Landscape — The Hyundai Chapter CC: As someone from academia into HR services, how different is it to cross-function across two distinct domains of HR and L&D? R Karthikeyan: I did not know the difference between the two when I got in. My ignorance got me in but then I understood that learning is very different. HR has lot of controls, processes and lot of management initiatives, especially in greenfield enterprises. These companies will not look into where you come from – they will only tell you “what to do”. Everyone is on the ‘what’ footing so, no one is looking at what is the experience in greenfield enterprises. I can cite this from my second job opportunity with Hyundai Motors, when they came to Chennai and put up their first shop here and I was their first HR manager. I suddenly saw myself as an HR manager, who had never done anything in HR before this. From being a clinical psychologist with a stint into the training sphere and now as an HR manager I found myself in a different garb. I had to recruit, train, and put up HR systems for a new MNC in South India, which was huge task. The only thing I was aware of my ignorance and I was willing to do everything new and learn from scratch.
CC: Can you share your Hyundai experience in tackling cultural diversity?
R Karthikeyan: Well, the company said they wanted 200 guys by next Monday. So, for me it was how to get those 200 personnel into a greenfield. So, I decided to do a lot of things in an unorthodox manner, especially in picking up technicians in the automotive sector. In a situation where no one knew about car manufacturing, there was no point in asking for technicians into car manufacturing. So, I thought of picking up technicians who are bright, who are eager to learn, who can fit into the culture and most importantly, who are needy about the job. To achieve this, I travelled to 38 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
almost all the potential regions of South India to pick up technicians. I picked them from all the ITIs, polytechnics and regional engineering colleges. I did my first mass-scale hiring across India, which was around 2000 recruits, a very big number in the 1996 which may not be so today. So, I was selecting blue-collar workforce and gradually got involved in selecting levels of senior managers too. These also included hiring function heads, along with my team with a senior VP heading the team. I was instrumental in setting up the entire sales force for Hyundai at Hyundai’s sales department in Delhi during those days. In one instance, I had to take all these people to Korea and had to juggle three different cultures. Here, my L&D experience helped me. One, we had the blue-collar workforce, who could not speak English, or any other language and who only spoke the local language; the other group we had were from North India who were ex-Tata Motors or ex-Maruti Suzuki sales personnel as part of Hyundai’s sales force, who could not speak the local language but Hindi and English quite well; and then the most challenging aspect was to communicate with the expats who were running the show. They could not speak any Indian language, were very poor in their English-speaking skills and could speak only Hánguóyu—the local South Korean dialect. My job here was to integrate all these people and cultures from such diverse backgrounds and take the team forward. So, I devised an orientation programme to get all these diverse groups culturally integrated. Those three to four years proved to be one of the most key takeaway experiences for me. I was with the company till the rollout of the Hyundai Accent car until 2000, when I charted out my own business venture. And, all this happened without even getting enough time to seek other alternatives or planning strategies but here I could blend both, HR skills into L&D and vice versa.
We have student chapters in colleges and I strongly believe in student power. If anything has to happen in this country, the only way out is to reach out to the youth, allow them and empower them. By allowing youth to participate, I mean to say that the senior generation will have to let go of our ego, let go of our need for positions and make young people to position themselves in the right places. — R Karthikeyan, Chairman, ISTD (Chennai Chapter) core group called the ‘Skill Development Board’, which has just been initiated. The idea of the core group is to support activities which will work towards supporting nation building. Since the group was recently framed we have to now gradually commence activities towards this goal. R Karthikeyan: We have just begun our forward journey. As Chairman of the Chennai Chapter, I am barely four-month-old; although I have been a member and office bearer for the past six to seven years. Currently, we have attempted to bring in a lot of youth participation into ISTD from across different spheres—students, faculty members and academicians into the fold. This was not visible earlier. We have around 200 executive members and if you look around our membership pattern, I think we are at an incubation period, waiting to grow. We have student chapters in colleges and I strongly believe in student power. If anything has to happen in this country, the only way out is to reach out to the youth, allow them and empower them. By allowing youth to participate, I mean to say that the senior generation will have to let go of our ego, let go of our need for positions and make young people to position themselves in the right places. Some prominent Chennai colleges such as BG Vaishnav College, Stella Maris College and other renowned colleges are enrolled with our Chennai Chapter.
CC: Do you have any criteria for colleges to enroll with ISTD as associates?
R Karthikeyan: For colleges, while we do not have any parameters as to which college can enrol with our chapter, people in the social work departments are more inclined to do so because a number of faculty from those departments are
also members of ISTD. So, naturally they link and they bring in their students. If the Head of a Department is an active member of ISTD, we have seen that he invariably will bring in his students. People are willing to learn and we need to build libraries, but to attract youngsters we need to have it on cloud mode. We need to get more intellectual capital from the youth brigade. But, if say I will buy you a library where the youngster has to travel some 40 km to access that knowledge, it won’t be effective. Our plan is to go younger in the years to come with new youth build-up within ISTD as much as possible.
CC: Do the various chapters of ISTD collaborate for common or specific programmes nationwide?
R Karthikeyan: Geographically, we look at only Chennai. ISTD programmes are not commercial in nature so we do not compete and are open to ideas and programmes which we can conduct across one state and take it on to other ISTD chapters. We do align and can help other chapters, but right now our focus is to be predominantly active in the Chennai region. Being an NGO, membership is common across the country but you are attached to one chapter and we are attached to the Chennai Chapter. We work on programme that are localised and are cashing in on Chennai’s status as a hub for IT, manufacturing, retail and mind you every part of the outskirts is an industrial locality for us. We have not exploited the full potential of our programmes to all these domains such as SMEs or cottage industries and to locations including rural sectors across Tamil Nadu to tap its full potential. We are still nibbling at the top and ISTD Chennai can do 100 times more than what it can today. sangeetagd2010@gmail.com neeraj.varty@corporatecitizen.com
January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 39
Tete-A-tete Ash Malik,
Managing Director, Deutsche Bank AG
INTEGRITY CANNOT BE COMPROMISED Meet Ash Malik, MD, GTO Corporate Technology India and Global Head Deutsche Bank AG -- A 1989 Kings College London Computer Science graduate, a certified chartered accountant (ACA) from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and an Associate Member of Corporate Treasurers. In his two-decade career, Malik has worn various hats like that of an Assistant Manager, KPMG UK; Monitoring and Investigations officer, UBS Investments Bank, UK; Vice President, JP Morgan Chase, with a lot of cross-functional experience in the organisation from 1996 to 2002. Later on, he joined DB and reached the top of the hierarchy By Pranav Alat In a conversation with Corporate Citizen, Ash Malik spoke at length about the banking sector, his professional and personal life, while also giving tips to the younger generation
Tell us something about your education and your entry into the corporate world.
In the nineties, after graduating in computer science, I took a year off to travel across Europe. Later on, as I wanted to start my own business in delivering software, I realised that besides getting to know how to develop software, a good business background and sound knowledge of how to run a business are needed. Since I lacked both, I decided to get trained and then setting up my own business. So I did my chartered accountancy and spent four years training with KPMG, where I was auditing banks. However, there was a big boom in derivatives then, and the financial sector was exploding. So I too ended up working for banks.
Your career graph seems like that of a person who has moved with the flow, would you elaborate on that?
That’s right, my advice to young students is, keep
your options open all the time. Besides seeking knowledge, your business management knowledge and the technical know-how need to go hand-in-hand. That has helped me a lot in my career. You also need to have multiple skills. You may not be able to be jack of all trades but at least master of more than one.
What advice would you like to give the youngsters? l First thing, you can’t be successful without hard
work. You don’t have to be the best in what you do, but at the end of the day, you need to feel that you’ve given your best. l The second thing is positive attitude. l The intentions and values and beliefs. Whichever corporate you go in, integrity cannot be compromised. l Finally, teamwork is really important. Put the team first, not yourself; the team succeeds, so will you.
What are qualities do you look for when you’re hiring a fresher?
Your attitude, aptitude and adaptability are the key features that we look at when we hire fresh re-
40 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
cruits. If the attitude and temperament are right, technical skills can be taught.
What functions is DB hiring in India at the moment?
We’re looking to recruit candidates in the area of finance, operations, human resource, compliance and risk functions, technology, business analysis and research.
What is your model of leadership at work?
The way I like to work is: l Firstly, wherever I work, I like to make sure that there’s a really clear vision, strategy and work map. l Secondly, everyone I work with understands that. Because, when they understand what we’re trying to do, then they will understand how to fit in that organisation. So, I spend a lot of time in inspiring people to internalise what the vision, strategy and work map is, through various channels—through town halls, management meetings, connect sessions... l Once I give the broad guidance to people, then I empower them. Then they have complete and utter autonomy to execute and run. The only thing I ask is that they meet the standards, the government processes that we need to meet as a bank.
How exactly do you empower your employees? Are there some confidence-building measures?
I adjust myself to the competencies and experience of that leader. If there’s a leader who needs help I’ll provide that. If the leader has a lot of experience and can run the business efficiently and effectively, I let him have a free hand. I’m very flexible. Very rarely do I do micromanagement. Everybody has to be able to experiment, to be able to be able to do their mistakes and not be punished. What’s important is the integrity. As
Pics: Yusuf Khan
“Your attitude, aptitude and adaptability are the key features that we look at when we hire fresh recruits. If the attitude and temperament are right, technical skills can be taught� January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 41
Tete-A-tete
“You cannot be successful without hard work. You don’t have to be the best in what you do, but at the end of the day, you need to feel that you’ve given your best” long as they do it with integrity, mistakes are acceptable and corrections can be done. That’s my personal style... to empower people as much as you can and to keep touch points. I spend most of the time collaborating across the various groups. It’s important for people to be level with each other and share as much possible. Collaboration and mutually sharing credit, is what the culture in an organisation should be. I spend a lot of time building that culture; mentoring people, in the right values, beliefs and the right culture these days.
If the banking sector is healthy, the economy is healthy...
What do you think the next invasive disruption would be, in the banking sector?
This is something that I worry about! From the technology perspective, what would be interesting for me is how, the big data, the visualization and the work flow pieces come together, because they are all part and parcel of the same package. Something has to happen in that region, because lots of technologies work independently, but they haven’t really come together and explored it. I think the ‘big data’, ‘visualization’ piece is going to be massive. That could be the next disruption in banking. Banks don’t use the cloud, they all have their data centres. In theory, the cloud providers can do it cheaper than our own data centres. So, it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the future.
Ash Malik shared his views on how the global turmoil can affect the banking sector
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Tell us about your relaxation mantra.
I love sports. I love playing and watching football. I am a huge MAN-U fan. I am a season ticket holder to this day… probably for the last ten years. I enjoy kick boxing.I do it with my family. I’m actually quite introverted by nature. So, I prefer spending time with my small number of friends and family. I love spending time with my kids and wife. I love reading; the genre varies, leadership, technical, functional, fiction but I’m always reading. I prefer the traditional hard bound books to e-books. Firstly, because they are more relaxing for my eyes, also I enjoy the whole cover thing and holding it, I enjoy that experience. Spending time with the family; even helping my children with their schoolwork is also very relaxing and rejuvenating for me. (Disclaimer: Ash Malik, MD, Deutsche Bank; CIO, Corporate Technology Shared Services & Corporate Technology India has spoken to the magazine in his individual capacity) pranav.alat@yahoo.com 42 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
anking gives us the pulse of the society as a whole—if the banking sector is healthy, then the economy is healthy. If banks are in trouble, then everything is a mess and it gets very stressful for the world as a whole says Malik. Malik spoke about the banking sector, as a whole, while also throwing light on his bank. “Firstly, we’re trying to simplify our businesses—having realised lately that you can’t do everything, with everyone in every country. So you see banks try to consolidate their businesses to the areas and products they deem profitable. This is largely because introducing a new product or location, means introducing complexity and incurring cost. The banks are struggling with their cost basis compared to,” he added. The DB cost-toincome ratio is about 80 per cent, which has to be get it down to between 60-65 per cent to be competitive with other banks. So there is a huge focus on simplification. “We need to be better capitalised. Capitalisation gives you an idea of how strong your balance sheet is. Historically, banks have traded and managed risk. When you have risky assets, it’s very volatile,” said Malik. All banks are trying to reduce their risk-weighted assets and increase their Tier 1 capital, which is the safest capital. “We are trying to change the way the banks are run. The history of DB could make a very interesting case study. DB has become one of the top three investment banks after entering into the business of investment banking in a mere ten years—a feat no other institution
has achieved. We were top three in every market that we chose to be. That is an incredible story,” noted Malik. “We are reducing, flattening some of the governance structures, getting people who are personally accountable. Most banks are going through a similar trajectory, reducing their risk profile, investing heavily to improve their technology,” said Malik. All this is happening now because: a) Regulators – Regulators have become really strict, insisting on lots of transparency and controls; every country across the world is imposing strict regulations; implementing them is making business very costly. b) Digital Technology -- Thanks to the innovations in digital technology, there is a lot of new competition from hitherto unanticipated sections. Suddenly, they can create a bank within a year and they compete for the same clients that we compete for. With the regulators wanting us to be more controlled, stable and predictable, and our end clients expecting better and faster services, we have to deal with various contradictions and conflict. As such, on the macro level, you’ll see a consolidation of the big banks. There’ll be fewer global and universal banks, but a lot of local and regional players. Since the digital world giants like Google and Facebook won’t be getting into banking because of the regulatory functions, things will be better for us in the long run.
Mobile Apps
The best video streaming Apps for your smartphone
If you like watching TV but are a working professional or someone who travels a lot, you might tend to miss out on the latest shows and movies. For those of you with a huge backlog of television you want to catch up on, we have just the thing you need. This edition, Corporate Citizen brings you a list of the best video streaming apps on your smartphone, so that you never have to miss a second of your favourite shows and movies By Neeraj Varty
Netflix
After years of waiting, the world’s biggest internet content service, Netflix, has finally launched in India. Netflix is a fantastic streaming service and one that virtually all other streaming services are compared to. At ₹500 a month, you can choose from over 35,000 movies and hundreds of shows which you can binge watch nonstop. Netflix has the largest online video library in the world, and you an access it on your TV, smartphone or tablet or PC. If you are into quality television content and hate sitting through the incessant ads shown on TV, Netflix should be your destination. Go, get it now!
Hotstar
The Hotstar App from Star India lets you watch the latest movies, TV shows and live sports free of charge, and is available on Android and iOS. Star India owns several television channels across languages and genres, and has broadcast rights for several major sporting tournaments such as the ICC Cricket World Cup, English Premier League, ISL, Hockey India League, among others. Also, it has a lot of content that’s made in India and aired on Star plus. While the online library is nowhere as large as Netflix’s, Hotstar is free and has a lot of appeal for people who are into daily soaps and sports, especially cricket. The fact that it’s free is just the icing on the cake.
Google Play Movies & TV
Google Play Movies & TV is Google’s inhouse video streaming app. With this, you can watch any content that you decide to buy from the Google Play Store. Unfortunately, it’s not a service like Netflix but more of a content purchasing system similar to iTunes. Once purchased, you can use this app to watch them on your Android devices. It comes with material design, chromecast support, and it’s most likely already installed on your device. If you aren’t into binge watching and just like to see an occasional movie, then it makes sense to do a one-time purchase it on the app rather than subscribing to a monthly service. neeraj.varty@corporatecitizen.com
January 16-31, 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
From strength to strength
There’s a saying about wine-and relationshipsacquiring new flavours with time. It’s certainly true in this case. Vinit Deo and Prajakta Shetye Deo on the importance of consistently working at your equation with your spouse- even if you go back together a long way. After all, each day is a new story By Kalyani Sardesai She credits him with giving flight to her dreams; he says she gives him direction. He thrives on taking risks, while she is the timely voice of caution. He believes in thinking out of the box; she excels at being the grounding factor. Little wonder that this symbiosis of complementary energies has helped the young couple take on so many ‘challenges’ (their favourite word!) successfully early on in life. Qualified chartered accountants both, by training - they started their careers and marriage 12 years back, with a dream to do something different with their life. “Both of us are from simple, middle-class Maharashtrian homes. We had a sound education, and were willing to work hard, though,” says Vinit.
Evidently, that was good enough
Vinit is Chairman and MD of Posiview Consulting Partners Pvt Ltd, a first real estate and infrastructure focused investment bank and fi-
nancial advisory company based in Pune and with offices in Mumbai and Goa. All of this came up, since he quit his job in 2005. “It was definitely a risk. We were newly married and had a home loan to repay, but it was now or never,” he reminisces. Prajakta lent him all her support-initially by continuing with her job at HSBC Global Technology, Pune, and eventually by joining the company. Today, even as their second child has grown up a bit, she has rejoined work with Posiview Ventures - a distinct entity under the Posiview umbrella that focuses exclusively on partnering with early stage entrepreneurs and start-ups for mentoring them in building sound business plans and raising the critical seed and venture capital funding for growth. “It is, by and large, an independent unit. I help out only if asked,” says Vinit. It is precisely this mutual respect for each other that has run like a continuous thread all through their
44 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
20-year-old association.
Back to the beginning
They first met as classmates at Pune’s Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce in `95. Disturbed by the 1993 communal riots of Mumbai, Prajakta’s family had decided to move to Pune. With an academic score of 91.5 percent she was a shoo-in to take up any course of her choice, but decided to opt for commerce. Naturally, her name figured on top of the admission list. At second place was the name
Vinit Deo - with an average score of 90.5 percent. And that’s how it all started. “Initially, he was just another geeky guy who I had to beat in the exams,” smiles Prajakta. Bit by bit their association grew. Through a shared circle of friends that hung out together, through the vocational batch that specially started for bright kids, through coaching classes for CA entrance - and so on. Both were bright and popular with a strong presence on campus. While she was impressed with his ability to reach out to people and get things done - be it cultur-
‘‘I really don’t believe romance is about flowers and candlelight dinners. That’s just so trite. Instead, romance is about adding that little bit extra to the ordinary moments’’
The pillars of a marriage l Seize the moment, and make the most of it. Reset priorities with timelife’s like that! l Understand who your spouse is at the core-and go all out to support each other l God lies in the details. So does a loving marriage. Little gestures of thoughtfulness go a long way in making the family unit strong
al meets or projects, he definitely noticed the quiet but determined young girl - with a mind of her own. “What struck me as amazing was that while on the one hand, she was correct and propah and disciplined in her approach, on the other, she also had a fiercely singular ability to demand change, if she had to.” By then, they were a part of each other’s friend circles - with frequent visits to each other’s homes for meals, study sessions and projects. CA exams over, Prajakta was placed with ICICI Bank in Mumbai. Unfortunately, Vinit still had a backlog to clear. “Right up to this point we had been together in every way. But now, I had a job, and Vinit did not. My parents had started looking out for suitable marital alliances for me - as a logical progression of events. But given the tight spot that Vinit was in, how could I tell them about us?”
Vinit and Prajakta with their daughters, Maithilee and Gargi. Below: On their wedding day
l Respect your traditions and family
Not one to give up this easily, Vinit busied himself with clearing the exams - and frequently dropped in at her place as well, further endearing himself to her parents. Eventually, things fell into place and he bagged a fine job at Times of India, Mumbai. Prajakta spoke to her parents - and they were delighted it was Vinit.
Then why take your partner for granted?” avers Prajakta. So be it putting together reading lists - all the better to discuss new authors and genres - and finding another talking point, to planning little surprises for each other, to attending musical concerts and cultural events they both enjoy, the Deos are a team. “I really don’t believe romance is about flowers and candlelight dinners. That’s just so trite. Instead, romance is about adding that little bit extra to the ordinary moments,” shares Vinit. Enthusiastic foodies, both enjoy experimenting with different cuisine, even as Prajakta enjoys cooking up a storm featuring her famous ukadiche modak and puran polis for everyone. Both are culturally proud and spiritual, provided the ritual or
The marital march commences - in earnest
“I would say the first few years of our marriage were rather average given that we knew each other very well. But since then, it has been a process of reverse discovery or figuring out some new facet about each other. Of course, it has to be a conscious decision as well - to keep pushing at the edges of your relationship. You do that for your friends and extended family, right?
practice makes rational sense. “Just because something bears the stamp of tradition, does not mean it is necessarily right. At the same time, we believe that our children ought to know and understand their culture in the deep sense,” says Prajakta. The couple has made a conscious choice that Prajakta takes most of the decisions with regard to their girls - Maithilee (9) and Gargi (6). “But even as I decide the path, he helps me out by helping create newer and more meaningful experiences around the path,” says Prajakta. For instance, buying tickets to a Bharatnatyam concert - so that Maithilee who is learning the dance form gets to enjoy someone’s art as well. Or helping the artistic Gargi with her craft projects. “He’s a hands-on-dad and that helps,” she says. “Even if we disagree with each other over a point, we do not react there and then. Instead, we talk it out when we are alone.” All this involves work, but Vinit is willing to go that extra mile by helping out with the kids and clearing up. “Similarly, investment banking is a high-pressure zone and when he’s working on a complex deal, I understand that he needs to be in a different headspace and I let him take it easy at home. It’s this give and take, without verbalizing it every time, that makes the relationship stronger,” says Prajakta. kalyanisardesai@gmail.com
India’s a k tad overseas legacy CC
The largest religious building in the world is Angkor Wat, a Hindu Temple in Cambodia built in the 12th century. It was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the 12th century in Yasodharapura, the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum.
January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 45
Star Campus Placement and not ‘for’ this subject, even in my second technical interview. While the entire lot, including the seniors at the company, strongly believed that the e-commerce sector will sustain, I had my own reservations about this subject,” says Heman. The selection process was tough, but Heman decided to prepare well and stay positive throughout. “While the first personal interview round was a drill down to all the levels of education right from school to the MBA course, it focused more on Engineering and its application. The second round focused more on my internship project. I was confident and straightforward throughout. I was also well-versed with my internship project and my subjects studied during those two years of MBA,” notes Heman. Heman did his internship at Tata Technologies in Pune. “It was a SAP SD implementation for Fiat India (following Fiat’s joint venture with Tata Motors) which consisted of three months of extensive training with hands-on experience on live SAP servers. I also had an opportunity to visit the Tata Motors plant in Pimpri and got to see the manufacturing of automobile parts up close,” he recalls.
Education and family background
Focus is the key Heman Gangal, a young, bright student, who completed his engineering (B E Computers) from Alard CoE, Pune and his postgraduation from a leading management college, specialising in Information Technology (IT), has come a long way. In a candid conversation with Corporate Citizen, Heman spoke about his journey from the college campus to the corporate world
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By Mahalakshmi Hariharan
oday, Heman is successfully placed in the IT division, Functional Domain Consultant-Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) with Dell India Pvt Ltd. Heman was always inclined towards pursuing a career in the IT sector. While the going was tough, he still managed to achieve it.
Campus placement
“I did feel let down after being rejected from the
previous three companies I sat for; however, I did not lose faith,” reminisces Heman. And when Dell entered the campus for its placements, in the same spirit, Heman gave his best. “There was a group discussion, two technical interviews and one round with the HR team. Interestingly, I was the only one from my group discussion who spoke against the topic given to us—‘Will e-commerce sustain in India?’ I was later asked to explain in detail as to why I was ‘against’
46 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
Heman, who was born and raised in Mumbai, completed his SSC from St. Stanislaus High School, Bandra and HSC from St. Andrew’s Junior College, Bandra in Computer Science and joined the vocational batch. He was keen on specialising in the IT sector right from the beginning. Post his HSC, he completed his Engineering (B.E. Computers) from Alard CoE, Pune. “While I had already made a choice of pursuing my master’s even before joining the industry, I was still undecided over choosing between M. Tech and MBA. My dad helped me draw a comparison table between the two, which made me think about my future career path clearly and take a decision,” recalls Heman. Heman’s father is an entrepreneur, who runs his own financial consultancy in Mumbai, while his mom who is an MA in Economics with Honours, is a homemaker. Heman’s sister has done her BSc Statistics from Mumbai and MBAMarketing from Pune and is currently working in Pune. “My grandfather is my role model. I owe my success to my grandfather’s constant guidance and upbringing, my mother’s practical approach to life and my father’s constant emotional support,” says Heman.
Hobbies
“I love to read. In fact, it was my grandfather who got me into this habit when I was in school. The first book I read was ‘Hardy Boys’ by Franklin W. Dixon. Its timeless plots, endearing characters,
Pic: Yusuf Khan
Heman with his friends
Heman (R) with a senior delegate from Malaysia (C) and classmate, at the Asia HRD Congress Awards 2015 function, in Dubai
and exciting story got me addicted to reading,” reminisces Heman adding, “I remember my grandpa taking me down to the book stalls in Fort and Flora Fountain, in Mumbai, every month and helping me buy as many books I wanted. I consider my collection of almost 500 books as one of my most precious things I ever owned.” Heman also enjoyed reading other books such as The Famous Five series and The Secret Seven series by Enid Blyton. “Even during my lunch in school, I used to quickly finish lunch so that I could spend some time in the library. As I grew up, I continued to read in my leisure time. The last book I read was Deception Point by Dan Brown,” he says. Apart from being a voracious reader, Heman also loved to be part of the event management team in college. “I somehow always enjoyed the thrill and teamwork while preparing for any event,” he notes. Heman also enjoys hosting events, anchoring and swimming.
student managers and come out of the engineering shell that we were so comfortable in. We were also taught the UPSC subjects which would help us in the long run, if we wish to pursue as a career as a government employee and help understand and eradicate the problems in our society,” says Heman. “Interestingly, I was the discipline coordinator of my class, with me being the naughtiest student of the class! I was actively engaged in managing various events in my college. It was a lifetime opportunity for me when I got to be part of the team that went to Dubai to attend the Asia HRD meet, this year. It gave me a lot of global exposure, helped me network with a lot of senior dignitaries from the corporate world and also helped me understand how to manage a global event with delegates from different parts of the world. Apart from work, we also enjoyed visits to Desert Safari, Burj Khalifa, and the Aquarium and the Underwater Zoo at Dubai Mall,” recalls Heman. Talking about the faculty at college, Heman says, “The visiting faculty was of a very high calibre, very knowledgeable and experienced. They gave us insights on how our theoretical knowledge should be applied in the industry. All the trainers were very professional, who guided us on studies and making career decisions. My schedule at college was pretty hectic. I hardly got time for family and personal life. I got habituated to the routine of waking up at 6 am daily and scheduling my work to be done on time, and used to be completely engaged with my studies and college work throughout the day.”
“We got a lot of exposure to a lot of subjects in a very short span of time. The visiting faculty was of a very high calibre, very knowledgeable and experienced. They gave us insights on how our theoretical knowledge should be applied in the industry”
Experience on the campus
“We got a lot of exposure to a lot of subjects in a very short span of time. We not only studied in-depth about our specialisation subjects, but also studied other subjects thoroughly to help us take on any kind of role in the industry. The induction process gave us an opportunity to groom ourselves and become in the real sense
Despite his hectic schedule, Heman managed to make friends at his campus. “I came across a lot of friends, who have been very helpful throughout my journey. These friends made in college will surely last for a lifetime,” he says. Heman’s thoughts on the Indian education sector l A more practical and industry-oriented teaching should be encouraged l Rather than encouraging learning by rote, focus should be more on business case studies and less of theory-based exams
Piece of advice to the juniors
l Prepare for your GD (group discussion) and
aptitude well in advance l Improve your communication skills and vocabulary l Stick to your point and don’t change sides even if you alone and everyone is against your side in the GD l Maintain attendance at college “The day you are waiting for will finally come… What matters more is the process through which you go in pursuit of that achievement and not that day itself…,” he signs off. Mahalakshmi.H@corporatecitizen.in
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tadka
Taking ‘Stock’ India’s two major stock exchanges, Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of India, had a market capitalisation of US$1.71 trillion and US$1.68 trillion, respectively as of Feb 2015, which ranks 11th & 12 largest in the world respectively.
January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 47
corporate history
Parachute
Innovation in a bottle
A closer look at the story of Parachute Coconut Oil, the product that made the most of India’s hair-oiling tradition combine with technology, generating a host of memories. Yup, even in the face of the latest competition By Kalyani Sardesai
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emember the time your mom yelled at you for your “unruly, uncombed hair” and then, irrespective of your gender - sat you down for a hair oiling session? And even as her fingers lovingly stroked your scalp, she made the most of the session not just to exhort you to take better care of your hair, but also to lecture you on life and responsibility? Or that time in boarding school when you simply rubbed coconut oil over your neglected limbs for want of any fancy lotion? Or that moment when you tried to undo the self-inflicted scalp damage caused by the vast range of hair gels/mousse and merciless curling tongs with just some warm coconut oil and revelled in its soothing aroma? Yes, you sure do. For the simple reason that as for generations of Indians, hair care and some ‘me time’ directly translates into a ‘champi’ session with a bottle of Parachute coconut hair oil for company. Just what is it is about this blue bottle with its trademark palm leaf and bold white lettering against a blue backdrop that makes us so nostalgic? Especially since it’s not just a blast from the past, but something that’s very much around?
The narrative, from the beginning
Parachute is the flagship product of the ₹4,000-crore Marico company, with coconut oil holding pride of place across its various segments. The seeds of the Parachute story were sown way back in 1974, but it wasn’t until the eighties that it became hip to use coconut oil from a plastic bottle all year through. All credit for the same goes to Harsh Mariwala, founder of Marico, the man who started at it all. “Building a brand is all about innovation and relentless research,” he has often been quoted as saying. Way back in the ’80s, coconut oil was only sold in tins. But Harsh was keen to try out plastic instead of tins, for it was not just cheaper, but also more attractive and convenient to store on a shelf. However, like in the case of most FMCGs, they had to start with the mandatory market research before launching the oil. To Harsh’s dismay, the initial reports were discouraging. “Our research team said plastic will not work; the rats will get at it. Besides, someone way before us had bottled coconut oil in plastic; since it was
All credit for the same goes to Harsh Mariwala, founder of Marico, the man who started at it all. “Building a brand is all about innovation and relentless research,” he has often been quoted as saying 48 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
Parachute is the flagship product of the `4,000-crore Marico company, with coconut oil holding pride of place across its various segments. The seeds of the Parachute story were sown way back in 1974 not packaged properly, the oil would ooze out,” he said. Naturally, then the rats would have a field day chewing on the plastic-oil combination, thereby converting the whole retail shop into a mess. But Harsh was determined to find a way around it - and he did. Gradually, Team Parachute came up with a unique round shaped bottle that would undoubtedly get the better of the rats. Since it had no edges, the rodents could not get a grip, and the oil was painstakingly packaged to ensure zero spillage. To prove that this method worked indeed, they took pictures of a cage that housed both the bottles and the rats over a few days-but with zero damage to the bottle. Gradually, the marketing team was able to convince traders to give it a shot. Even then, the resistance took well over a decade to break, and for Parachute to make the full transition from tin to plastic. “From zero percent market share, we went on to become market leaders,” said Harsh. “At the end of the day, everything but everything boils down to studying consumer habits, anticipating needs and coming up with a great product.” Another reason why the product sold was that Marico had the courage to venture into a territory where MNCs would not dare: hair oiling. “When I meet people interested in investing in our company, there are several who have no idea what is hair oiling. When, I explain they say it is dying, which is sort of true. But I was pretty sure that it would not die down in India, and we would take advantage of that.”
From strength to strength
Over the years, Marico has brought in a host
of variants under the Parachute umbrella, including Parachute Aromatherapy (all the better to give those snooty beauty parlours a run for their money by using concentrated oils derived from various plants and herbs), Parachute Hair Fall Control (given the mounting proportions of the problem), and Parachute Deep Conditioning with black pepper to keep it warm in those cold winter months. As an interesting aside, the name “Mariwala” means pepperwalla. “But I tell my family that while they are still in the pepper trade, my favourite commodity is coconut and I have become a tel-wala,” he has been quoted as saying. A big milestone was also crossed in 1991, when post the economic liberalisation coconut oil also became eligible for export. (Previously, since it was classified as an essential commodity, Marico could not export to foreign markets.) In the late nineties, Marico set up a manufacturing plant in Bangladesh. Soon they rose to become market leaders with about 70 percent of the market share.
advertising has also kept pace with the changing times
panies (mainly Dabur.) What is especially noteworthy about these ads is that they appeal to both head and heart, and are a winsome depiction of that most Indian practice of oiling your hair and modern-day realities.
Facts and figures
A per the company’s own figues: Marico’s hair oil brands (Parachute Advansed, Nihar Naturals and Hair & Care) grew by 14 percent in volume terms during Q1FY16 over Q1FY15. Marico continues to grow faster than the value added hair oils market of INR ₹5,800 crore (US $ 921 million). During the quarter, the company further strengthened its market leadership by 124 bps to 29 percent volume share (for 12 months ended June 2015) and continues to premiumize with value share gain of 230 bps to 23 percent for the same period. In the days to come, the company will focus on premiumization to drive growth in the category. kalyanisardesai@gmail.com
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tadka
From the mother-daughter ads that showcased Parachute as a bonding ritual to Mrs More who wanted more-in the face of increasing inflation-and found the ‘extra’ factor in a bottle of Parachute to the glamorous Nargis Fakhri upping the ante for Parachute Deep Conditioning, to Deepika Padukone crediting Parachute Advansed for her gorgeous stresses-despite the chaos of a busy movie star’s life and schedules. Additionally, there is also Nihar Amla and Jasmine to give other options to customers-and take on the competition offered by other com-
TB epidemic! India is the country with the highest burden of Tuberculosis, with World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics for 2013 giving an estimated incidence figure of 2.1 million cases of TB for India out of a global incidence of 9 million. It is estimated that about 40 percent of the Indian population is infected with TB bacteria, although the majority have latent rather than active TB.
January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 49
straight talk
Help your ecosystem through CSR Meet Saharsh David, CSR Head of the 165-year-old multinational company, Sandvik Asia, who shared his knowledge and experience on the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the corporate sector. He also threw light on the CSR function in India and around the world, and presented a different theory of the CSR activity, giving a comprehensive idea of the same By Mukul Potdar Importance of CSR activity in the corporate context
CSR activities should be carried out by companies to minimise the negative environmental impact. If you see, every organisation/company does create some or the other business/activity that has a negative impact on the economic, social and environment, as a whole. For instance, a company that deals with iron or water, draws water from nature, thereby creating some negative impact on nature and our environment. Thus, in a bid to nullify this negative impact of our work on the environment, the role of CSR is very important. With the help of CSR, corporates and firms will learn to get more ethical. One should approach CSR as a strategic way to sustainability and eliminate the ill-effects from the society. Quoting an example of the Tatanagar project, David noted that the project has not only worked for the community as a whole, but has also participated in systematic building of the city.
Community Engagement
It is imperative to understand that community social responsibility for the corporate is not to be confined to the idea of doing your bit for the society. The concept of CSR involves a hitherto less considered issue of the negative impact made
on the environment, be in the form of geography, atmosphere, people or the existing system involving all these, and the initiative, planning and the process of converting that into a positive one, or limiting its negative effects to the extent possible. You have to honestly and carefully consider the negative impact your operations are making on the nature. Then the CSR activity on your part should be aimed at turning that negative into a positive one, or make for the losses the processes have incurred. It goes without saying that when you do that in an ethical manner, you consider the true environmental cost that you need to pay, not the superficial, temporary, economical measures. However, the question is, are we ready to follow this way and implement it as well honestly? Also, the approach to CSR activities involving
50 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
the society should be, to work for community as part of community, not as an outsider. It is not that you are handing down something as a benefactor. Whatever activity you are taking up, it should be remembered, is going to help the society, which is the part of the ecosystem in which you company exists. So whatever is good for the ecosystem, it is going to help your company as well, in some way or the other. One can consider such initiatives as improving or enhancing your infrastructure, at large. Your reaching out to the society should be like a bridge, with interaction taking place from both sides, witnessing progress taking place through an opportunity of transportation it provides. Remember, your actions in this regard should be planned and executed in such way that these should get you something worthwhile in return, albeit not in material terms always.
voluntary involvement in such programmes.
CSR is a must in today’s times
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On the personal front, how do you relax and manage work-life balance? Pics: Ahmed Sheikh
What is your take on today’s young generation?
n a conversation with Corporate Citizen, David, an engineer by profession, spoke at length about his professional life, importance of CSR in today’s times, challenges involved, while also lending a piece of advice to today’s young managers.
I think today’s youth have the information and are very well versed with whatever is happening around them, thanks to technology. But they also think that information is everything... According to me, they should understand that just having information does not make you anything. You need to have the wisdom to use that knowledge. Knowledge is a different thing, and the wisdom to utilise that knowledge is a different thing. The decision is never wrong, but the consequences of the decision can be wrong. Consequences are based on your wisdom. So basically it’s up to you.
Tell us about your education and career.
I am currently heading the CSR division for Sandvik Asia. I didn’t exactly start out as a corporate person. In fact, I was a lecturer and an editor for some time. Thereafter, I got into the media industry and later decided to join the corporate world. I was working with a German company, Praja Foundation, but now I am associated with Sandvik Asia.
What is your company’s policy in India?
We don’t have a CSR department as such; but have ‘Sustainability Business’ concept and that is the department I represent. In India, it is called CSR. We ensure that there are no mistakes made in any of the related aspects such as security, financial and so on. We try and ensure that we should be more ethical. We are operating in and around 120 countries and working in different sectors such as mining, construction and engineering. The idea is to reduce this negative impact arising out of the businesses carried out by us.
What is your perspective on CSR and charity?
CSR can involve charity and I am not against charity. All I am trying to say is that you should become more strategic. You need to create a programme that is close to your brand, product and customers and close to your operation.
You mean to say the sustainability of business…
Yes, sustainability of business is important. But the focus should be on how you ensure the minimisation of negative impact. Also, you should be ethical in your work.
Can it be used to curb unethical practices in the field?
Yes. Use it to convert the things in your positive impact. If you are using these things to change negative impact into positive impact then it will support your brand for sustainability.
I play cricket on every Saturday and Sunday. I also like to cook.
What is your message to tomorrow’s managers?
You need to have the wisdom to use that knowledge. Knowledge is a different thing, and the wisdom to utilise that knowledge is a different thing. The decision is never wrong, but the consequences of the decision can be wrong. Consequences are based on your wisdom. So basically it’s up to you So it is all about getting your basics right?
Yes, getting your basics clear, that’s the definition. And it’s not that you’re not good. You can see your organisation is good, but while investing your profit do take a look at other sections of the society as well.
So how do you see changes in the education and corporate culture?
If a society has corruption then instead of a good policy on corruption, you need to go in for anti-corruption, which is a good cause. That correlation is important and that is the CSR. When it comes to corporate, my idea and understanding about education is completely different. Instead of coming up with more business schools, corporates should look at what they can gift to the education system. Are we ensuring that technology is the culture of critical thinking? I think we can do it, but we are not doing it. So instead of donating money we shall do these things to impact the education system positively. If you see, different countries carry out different CSR activities. For instance, in the US, they have
Trust is an important thing and as corporate entities operate in the public domain, trust-building measures and openness is necessary. At the end of the day, it is all about the people and not just about money. People should be given topmost priority. If your people are leaving you, then what’s the point of having money? mukul.potdar777@gmail.com
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Magnificent Maharashtra
Maharashtra is the richest state in India and has GDP of US$220 billion, nearly equal to that of Pakistan or Portugal and accounts for 12 percent of total GDP of India.
January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 51
Survey
India’s fascination for American education Going abroad for higher education has always been the Indian dream, and the USA is arguably the most preferred country to pursue a higher education. Indian corporate honchos like Satya Nadella of Microsoft and Sunder Pichai of Google are inspirations to countless Indians who want to follow in their footsteps. A report released by Education USA, the education statistics network of the US, casts an interesting light on Indian student’s affinity towards western higher education in the academic year 2014-15. Corporate Citizen presents the fascinating findings 52 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
The year 2015 has been one of the best years ever for American universities. According to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which is part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a total of 1.13 million international students were enrolled at nearly 8,979 US schools. This number itself is a substantial 14.18 percent increase in international students when compared to the January 2014 data. This is the largest number of International students in any country, making America the most popular student destination in the world. Break down this number, and the figures become more intriguing. Seventy-six percent of all international students were from Asia. The top 10 countries of citizenship for international students included: China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan,
Top 5 places of origin for International students in the USA Origin
2013/14
2014/15
% Change
China
274,439
304,040
10.8
India
102,673
132,888
29.4
South Korea
68,047
63,710
-6.4
Saudi Arabia
53,919
59,945
11.2
Canada
28,304
27,240
-3.8
China is the country with the maximum students studying in the USA (3,04,040), followed by India (1,32,888). However, Indian students have shown the maximum increase in numbers (29.4 percent) as compared to the previous academic year, making them the fastest-growing student population in America.
Indian students by the numbers Origin
2013/14
2014/15
% Change
Indian Students in U.S.
102,673
132,888
29.4
International Students in U.S.
886,052
974,926
10.0
Five year trend 103895
132888
100270
96754
102673 56653
26845
24706
37964
Students in US
36141
F1 Visa Issuance
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 India is the second leading place of origin accounting for 13.6 percent of the total international student population in the US. The number of students from India increased by 29.4 percent to a record high of 132,888. This is the highest rate of growth for Indian since 1954-55.
Indian student programme breakdown
Mexico and Brazil. Thirty-seven percent of international students studying in the United States, equating to more than 4,00,000 individuals, were enrolled in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) coursework in February. Eighty-six percent of international students pursuing STEM studies were from Asia. Coming to India, we are a nation with one of the largest student populations in the world. Taking a closer look at their education requirements will give us a better idea about the education infrastructure needs we need to build in the country. Especially since India has the second most international student population in the US of any country in the world.
India
2013/14
2014/15
% Change
Undergrad
12,677
16,521
30.3
Graduate
61,058
85,055
39.3
Non-Degree
1,242
1,924
54.9
OPT
27,696
29,388
6.1
2014/15 percentage breakdown of Indian students
The maximum number of Indian OPT students (85,055) have opted for 22% graduate courses compared to any other. However, Non-degree Graduate vocational courses have shown the 64% maximum increase in adoption (54.9 percent) as compared to the Non-Degree previous academic year 2014. 2%
Undergrad 12%
January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 53
Survey
A total of 1.13 million international students were enrolled at nearly 8,979 US schools in the United States, making America the most popular student destination in the world 2014/15 Percentage of indian students by fields of study Undeclared
0.9
Other
3.1
Social Sciences
2.4
Physical/ Life
7.9
Math/ Computer
31.4
Intensive English
0.2
Humanities
0.4
Health Professions* Fine/ Applied Arts
Business/
The sunny states of Texas and California, which are renowned for their technological education, are the most preferred states for Indian students, followed by New York and Illinois, which have universities like Columbia and Chicago Booth, sought after for their excellent postgraduate courses.
Rank
State Name
% of India Total
1.
Texas
13.4
2.
California
11.2
3.
New York
11.2
4.
Illinois
6.6
5.
Massachusetts
5.2
6.
Pennsylvania
4.9
7.
Ohio
4.3
8.
Missouri
3.7
9.
Indiana
3.5
10.
Florida
3.4
Reverse trend
U S students In India five year trend 4583
2013/14
3.6
4377
2012/13
1.4
Engineering* Education
Top 10 host states for Indian students
37.5
4593
2011/12 4345
2010/11
0.4 10.7
*Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) field
Engineering is the most pursued education stream, followed by IT and MBA courses. Interestingly, most Indian students in the medical field are satisfied with the quality of Indian medical education, and few prefer to go abroad for studies. 54 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
2009/10
3884
The number of US students going to India to study for academic credit at their home university in the United States increased by five percent to 4,583. Interestingly, more and more American students are opting to come to India for internships in order to gain academic credit.
Featherlite
Cricket Twitterati What the world had to say about the wounder kid, Pranav Dhanwade after he score 1009 runs
Pranav, super boy of world cricket
Scores tons of runs to break 117-year-old world record set by Collins in England By Joe Williams & Shantanu Relekar
Shaw held the record for the highest score by an Indian batsman in minor cricket when he hit 546 for Rizvi Springfield against St. Francis in the Another Sachin in the making? Harris Shield in 2013-14. Well, time will tell… Today, the Pranav finished his innings entire nation is proud of rickshaw carrying his bat through with an driver’s son, 15-year old Pranav unbeaten 1,009, before his side KC Dhanawade from Mumbai, who Gandhi School declared their inhas smashed his way into the renings 1,465 for three. cord books, by setting a new world “He has got cramps. I don’t know record, blasting an unbeaten 1,009 what to say but I feel proud that my in an innings, during the HT Bhanson has achieved this. dari Cup inter-school Pranav is getting noncricket tournament A look at stop calls from the organised by the Pranav Dhanawade’s media and relatives. Mumbai Cricket innings He has not even had Association (MCA), Runs - 1009* time to talk to his recently. mother. She is keenOp ening the Balls - 323 ly waiting for him to batting for Smt KC Mins - 395 return home,” said his Gandhi School, KalyS/R - 312.38 father Prashant who an, Pranav scored rushed to the venue the mammoth score Sixes - 59 when he heard what which came of just Fours - 129 was unfolding. 323 deliveries against “I played my natthe hapless Arya ural game, I have always been a Gurukul school. The Kalyan boy big-hitter. When I started, I never wreaked havoc as he smashed (4s) thought of breaking the record,” 129 and (6s) 59 en route the world said Pranav. record at the Union Cricket Club When asked about his idol, ground. Pranav said, “Sachin Tendulkar is Pranav’s epic innings means my batting idol. I am also a wicketthat he now holds the record for the keeper so my wicket keeping idol is highest individual score in any form Australia’s Brad Haddin.” of representative cricket; bettering “My teachers helped me a lot AEJ Collins’ 628 not out for Clark’s and now I want to play in the Ranji House against North Town in ClifTrophy,” he added. ton College in 1899 in England. joe78662@gmail.com Previously, Mumbai boy Prithvi
sachin tendulkar@sachin_rt Congrats #PranavDhanawade on being the first ever to score 1000 runs in an innings. Well done and work hard. You need to scale new peaks! Devendra Fadnavis@Dev_Fadnavis What an amazing inning; Incredible... 323 balls & 1009 not out... Congratulations #PranavDhanawade ! Proud of you! Keep striking Sharad Pawar@PawarSpeaks Congratulations to #PranavDhanawade for his spectacular performance in inter-school #cricket Lalit Kumar Modi So proud to see our Indian schoolboy #pranavdhanawade break a 116 yr old record. Proud of the highest score ever 1009 Sanjay Manjrekar@sanjaymanjrekar Have no idea of strength of bowling, match situation, standard of the tournament, but 1009 runs by an individual is just mind boggling. Riteish Deshmukh@Riteishd Congratulations Pranav Dhanawadewhat batsman score in a season u scored in an innings Cricketwallah The next 1000 runs at the next level will be crucial for #PranavDhanawade’s future. And these runs need not all come in one innings! VVS Laxman Well done #PranavDhanawade Unbelievable Never ever thought some one would get 1000 runs in 1 Innings Good luck Mohammad Kaif First man to experience nervous 999!! Well done #PranavDhanawade, you scored almost what complete #SA team did during test series!
January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 55
Pearls of Wisdom
By Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
From depression to deep happiness
Happiness does not come by a talent or skills that you develop. Unless you realise who you are, what the nature of consciousness is through your own introspection, happiness remains a far-fetched reality
O
nce a gentleman came to a doctor complaining that there was something severely wrong with him. He was hurting all over and was very sad but all the tests came out normal. The doctor said, “There is nothing wrong with you. Go to the circus and watch the clown there. He will make you laugh.” The gentleman said, “Doctor, I am that clown.” It is one thing to entertain others and be humorous, but quite another to be happy yourself. Happiness does not come by a talent or skills that you develop. Unless you realise who you are, what the nature of consciousness is through your own introspection, happiness remains a far-fetched reality. The spirit of self-enquiry in the true sense which leads to meditation is absolutely essential in this quest for happiness. The 6th century Indian philosopher and thinker Adi Shankaracharya has said that it is dispassion towards the ephemeral and connection with the eternal that brings true joy. In fact, he goes further and asks, “What joy does detachment not bring?” The word for solitude in Sanskrit is ‘ekant’, meaning ‘the end of loneliness’. Loneliness cannot end by changing company, even if it is more sympathetic and understanding. It can only end when you discover your real nature for yourself. Robin Williams, though he made millions of people laugh, could not end the deep-seated loneliness inside him. This shows clearly that only spiritual solace can take you out of despair and misery. External pomp and show, wealth, admiration and adulation are not helpful in dealing with inner discontent. While alive, he made people laugh and in his death, he gave people a message to lift their eyes above the mundane towards something higher.
56 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
You can bid goodbye to misery by connecting with an altogether different dimension, that I would say is solidified silence, a bolt of bliss and a glimpse of eternity, which is in you as ‘you.’ You simply have to tap into it. There is little use in having a machine which you cannot operate without a manual. Spiritual knowledge is like the manual for life. Just like to drive a car, we have to learn how to operate the steering wheel, the clutch, the brake and so on, to move towards stability of the mind, we must know the basic principles about our life force energy. This is the whole science of pranayama. When our prana or life force keeps fluctuating, our mind also goes up and down through the roller coaster of emotions. One cannot handle the mind from the level of the mind. It is for this reason that although counselling or psychiatry seems to help in the beginning,
Life is a combination of happiness and pain. Pain is inevitable but suffering is optional.Having a broad perspective on life gives you the strength to move forward through painful times it is not able to provide a complete cure in the longer term. Just forcing positive thoughts on oneself is not enough and more often than not leads to a relapse. Medication like anti-depressants also seem to help only in the beginning and eventually make the person dependent on them rather than free him/her from the tendency. This is where knowing the secret of breath can really transform lives. Breathing techniques like Sudarshan Kriya stabilize our life force and consequently the mind. The inner dimension unveiled by the practice of meditation deeply enriches us and its impact slowly spills over to all aspects of life. As prana rises in the body, one starts to feel a transformation as direct experience and not as a forced mental exercise. One starts becoming happier, creative and more in command of their mind and emotions.
Another thing that can be really helpful in coming out of depression is developing an attitude of service. Thinking ‘what can I do for society’, getting involved in a bigger cause shifts the whole focus of life and can take one out of the rut of ‘what about me’. Societies where values of service, sacrifice and community participation are ingrained do not have these issues of depression and suicides. The Sikh community is a great example of this. Life is a combination of happiness and pain. Pain is inevitable but suffering is optional. Having a broad perspective on life gives you the strength to move forward through painful times. Know that you are very much needed in this world. With all its infinite possibilities, this life is a gift for it can become a fountain of joy and happiness not just for oneself but for many others as well. (Courtsey: http://srisriravishankar.org/) January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 57
Bollywood Biz
Hits and misses of Bollywood 2015 The year 2015 is now behind us. It was a year which saw many hits and misses in sports, politics, business and Bollywood was also not an exception. From record setting hits to dismal flops, we saw both ends of the spectrum in Bollywood. As we embark upon a very promising new year for cinema lovers, Corporate Citizen looks back at the biggest box office successes and failures of 2015
Bajrangi Bhaijaan Budget
Box office collection
` 90 crore
` 620 crore
The biggest hit of 2015 was the cross border drama Bajrangi Bhaijaan, cementing Salman Khan’s legacy as a box office heavyweight. The Kabir Khan directed film earned ₚ620 crore in its first weekend release, making it the highest in Bollywoods history. Bajrangi Bhaijaan is the second most profitable movie in Indian history, only trailing PK 58 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
Top 10 Grossers for 2015
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Bajrangi Bhaijaan Prem Ratan Dhan Payo Tanu Weds Manu Returns Bajirao Mastani Dilwale ABCD 2 Baby Welcome back Singh is Bliing Gabbar is back
` 620 crore ` 400 crore ` 243 crore ` 220 crore (Still in theatres) ` 200 crore (Still in theatres)
Tevar
` 105 crore
Budget
Box office collection
` 50 crore
` 39 crore
` 95.50 crore ` 94.8 crore ` 90.25 crore ` 86 crore
Box office collection
` 110 crore
` 440 crore
The second biggest hit of the year was the Sooraj Bharjatya directed Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, which officially made Salman Khan the only Indian actor whose films have crossed ₹500 crore in the domestic market in a year (not including worldwide collections). Prem Ratan Dhan Payo collected ₹40.35 crore net on its opening day and becomes highest opener
Tevar was entirely an Arjun Kapoor vehicle, produced by dad Boney Kapoor, and a remake of the Telugu action flick Okkadu. This led to the miscasting of
Arjun in a role traditionally better suited for an action hero. The bad reviews added to the mess and Tevar quickly became relegated to one of the bigger flops of the year.
Bombay Velvet
Prem Ratan Dhan Payo Budget
Biggest Flops of the Year
of this year by beating the previous first day record of Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Budget
Box office collection
` 120 crore
` 31.8 crore
Made on a colossal budget of ₹120 crore, Bombay Velvet was the most expensive movie made in 2015. It was also the most ambitious movie of director Anurag Kashyap’s career. Despite having an impressive star cast of Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma, as well as a huge promotional campaign, the retro-themed movie failed to impress critics and audiences alike, resulting in the biggest flop of 2015.
Tanu Weds Manu Returns
Broken Horses
Budget
Box office collection
` 39 crore
` 243 crore
Budget
Box office collection
` 67 crore
` 1.90 crore
A sequel to a relatively modest hit Tanu Weds Manu Returns showed that you must never underestimate a film based merely on its star power, and the story eventually reigns supreme. The R Madhavan and Kangana Ranaut starrer was not just the biggest sleeper hit of the year, it was the highest grossing movie until the release of Bajrangi Bhaijaan in July, and remains the third biggest hit of the year. Based on return on investment, it was
just on a modest budget of ₹39 crore, Tanu Weds Manu Returns is the second biggest revenue multiplier of the year, ahead of Prem Ratan Dhan Payo.
Broken Horses is a Vidhu Vinod Chopra produced English remake of the Parinda (1989), Broken Horses was a niche film, which neither attracted audiences internationally nor domestically. Based on return on investment alone, Broken Horses is one of the biggest disasters of all time. January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 59
Health
Food poisoning Facts
Food poisoning occurs when you swallow food or water that contains bacteria, parasites, viruses, or the toxins made by these germs. Most cases are caused by common bacteria such as Staphylococcus or E. coli
F
ood poisoning is defined as any disease of an infectious or toxic nature caused by the consumption of food or drink. The term is most often used to describe the illness, usually diarrhoea and/or vomiting caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites. Causes Food poisoning can affect a person or a group of people who all ate the same food. It is more common after eating at picnics, school cafeterias, large social functions, or restaurants. When germs get into the food, it is called contamination. This can happen in different ways: à Meat or poultry can come into contact with bacteria from the intestines of an animal that is being processed. à Water that is used during growing or shipping can contain animal or human waste. à Food may be handled in an unsafe way during preparation in grocery stores, restaurants, or homes. Food poisoning can occur after eating or drinking: à Any food prepared by someone who does not wash their hands properly à Any food prepared using cooking utensils, cutting boards, and other tools that are not fully cleaned à Dairy products or food containing mayonnaise (such as coleslaw or potato salad) that have been out of the refrigerator for too long à Frozen or refrigerated foods that are not stored at the proper temperature or are not reheated to the right temperature à Raw fish or oysters
à Raw fruits or vegeta-
bles that have not been washed well à Raw vegetables or fruit juices and dairy products (look for the word `pasteurised,’ which means the food has been treated to prevent contamination) à Undercooked meats or eggs à Water from a well or stream, or city or town that has not been treated Many types of germs and toxins may cause food poisoning, including: à Campylobacter enteritis à Cholera à E. coli enteritis à Toxins in spoiled or tainted fish or shellfish à Staphylococcus aureus à Salmonella à Shigella Infants and elderly people are at the greatest risk for food poisoning. You are also at higher risk if: à You have a serious medical condition, such as kidney disease, diabetes, cancer, or HIV and/or AIDS
à You have a weakened immune system. à You travel outside to areas where you are
exposed to germs that cause food poisoning. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should use extra care to avoid food poisoning. Exams and Tests Your healthcare provider will look for signs of food poisoning. These may include pain in the stomach and signs your body has too little fluid (dehydration).
Your health care provider will look for signs of food poisoning. These may include pain in the stomach and signs your body has too little fluid (dehydration). Tests may be done on your stools or the food you have eaten to find out what type of germ is causing your symptoms
60 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
poisoning, your doctor will NOT prescribe antibiotics. You can buy medicines at the drugstore that help slow diarrhea. Ã Do not use these medicines without talking to your health care provider if you have bloody diarrhoea, a fever, or the diarrhoea is severe. Ã Do not give these medicines to children.
Symptoms
Outlook (Prognosis) Most people fully recover from the most common types of food poisoning within 12 - 48 hours. Some types of food poisoning can cause serious complications. Death from food poisoning in people who are otherwise healthy is rare in the United States.
Symptoms from the most common types of food poisoning will often start within 2 - 6 hours of eating the food. That time may be longer or shorter, depending on the cause of the food poisoning.
Possible Complications Dehydration is the most common complication. This can occur from any causes of food poisoning. Less common, but much more serious complications depend on the bacteria that are causing the food poisoning. These may include: à Arthritis à Bleeding problems à Damage to the nervous system à Kidney problems à Swelling or irritation in the tissue around the heart
Possible symptoms include: l Abdominal cramps l Diarrhea (may be bloody) l Fever and chills l Headache l Nausea and vomiting l Weakness (may be serious)
You can drink oral rehydration mixtures to replace fluids and minerals lost through vomiting and diarrhoea Tests may be done on your stools or the food you have eaten to find out what type of germ is causing your symptoms. However, tests may not always find the cause of the diarrhoea. In more serious cases, your healthcare provider may order a sigmoidoscopy. This test uses a thin, hollow tube with a light on the end that is placed in the anus to look for the source of bleeding or infection. Treatment Most of the time, you will get better in a couple of days. The goal is to ease symptoms and make sure your body has the proper amount of fluids. Getting enough fluids and learning what to eat will help keep you comfortable. You may need to: à Manage the diarrhoea à Control nausea and vomiting
à Get plenty of rest
You can drink oral rehydration mixtures to replace fluids and minerals lost through vomiting and diarrhoea. Oral rehydration powder can be purchased from a pharmacy. Be sure to mix the powder in safe water. You can make your own mixture by dissolving ½ teaspoonful each salt and baking soda and 4 tablespoonsful of sugar in 4 ¼ cups (1 litre) water. If you have diarrhoea and are unable to drink or keep down fluids, you may need fluids given through a vein (by IV). This may be more common in young children. If you take diuretics, ask your health care provider if you need to stop taking the diuretic while you have diarrhoea. Never stop or change medicines before talking to your doctor. For the most common causes of food
(This article is sourced from www.nlm.nih. gov/medlineplus. MedlinePlus is the USA’s National Institutes of Health’s Web site. Produced by the National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest medical library, it brings you information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in language you can understand. MedlinePlus offers reliable, up-to-date health information, anytime, anywhere, for free)
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India’s booming tourism About 22.57 million tourists arrived in India in 2015, compared to 19.95 million in 2014. This ranks India as the 38th country in the world in terms of foreign tourist arrivals.
January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 61
Travel
A feast for the senses! Ronak Gupta, co-founder and CEO at Routofy, considers technology his first love and diligently explores all new apps. A graduate from IIT Delhi, he was amongst the 30 students selected from a batch of 800 for the prestigious foreign exchange programme at INSA, Toulouse, France. He has explored more than 15 countries on his travels. He gets his adrenaline rushes through adventure sports, be it rafting in Rishikesh, camping in Kasol or scuba diving at Côte d’Azur in Nice. Here he talks about his hot fav destination Switzerland. By Sharmila Chand
My favourite holiday destination Undoubtedly Switzerland. The country has so much to offer - food and wine, chocolate delicacies, sports & adventure as well as romantic getaways. My excursion there made me appreciate why the destination possesses such popularity and bumped it right at the top of my list. I personally love the various winter sports one can indulge in when holidaying in Switzerland. I visited the country a couple of years ago but I long to go there once again. Even though it’s been a while, the memories are so fresh, it only feels like yesterday. I have plans of revisiting Switzerland in 2016. Why Swiss You could be on a family vacation, an adventure holiday, a food trail or a romantic getaway – Switzerland is a one-stop shop for all. While we have all heard of the amazing natural beauty of the land and even appreciated pictures of the same, its true magnificence only sinks in after
you visit it. It was love at first sight for me. I spent the initial few days of my visit immersing myself in the one-of-their-kind chocolate delights and cuckoo clocks. Once I moved beyond it, I was enthralled by the sublime experiences this land of four languages has to offer. The Roman architecture of Bern and the modern rooftops in Zurich are a constant reminder of how much the country has progressed over the years. A boat ride to Lake Geneva’s southern shore, a train ride to Jungfraujoch and a trip to Mount Titlis gives you an opportunity to experience the hallucinating landscapes of the area. I am a winter sports person and the country had the very best to offer to a fanatic like myself. The winter ski resorts are a true paradise, but my personal favourite was Gstaad. I could ski, go on a winter hiking trail or simply go for a walk; the ambience and winter air of Gstaad never failed to surprise me. What not to miss Switzerland is one of the most exciting
62 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
destinations around the globe. Anyone and everyone who has heard of the place dreams of visiting the destination at least once in their lifetime. And the obsession does not lessen after a single time; I am a testament of how Switzerland can fast become a favourite. The scenic beauty of the country engulfs you from the first moment itself. When I first went there, it was like revisiting the picturesque village paintings we view and draw as kids; it is complete with mountains, a fresh stream, green pastures and an envious villa. It almost feels unfair to pack so much beauty in one country. The biggest highlight for me was the ride to Gstaad in the Swiss Panoromic Express. These train rides are famous and a must-do according to me. The most beautiful corners of the country can be explored through these premium panorama trains. You get sucked into the natural scenery and your awe never really ends. In Gstaad, you can ski your heart out while the valley offers you the best stay, food and shopping. The mountain slopes and hiking trials are a good break if you
Ronak Gupta in his favourite holiday destination--Switzerland ¨ Scuba diving in Cote d’Azur in Nice
get tired of skiing. Anot he r p e rs ona l favourite is dining on the banks of Kapellbrucks Bridge in Lucerne. Now this is a city right out of the storybook images of a Swiss town; lakes and mountains are present in abundance here. And if you do take a trip to this city, you must dine along one of the banks of Kapellbrucks. For anyone who wants to dabble in winter sports, I would definitely vouch for a trip to Engelberg, the gateway to Mount Titllis, where you can indulge yourself in skiing. In fact, pick any destination in the country and you will not be disappointed. Culinary delight I am an enormous foodie and I like to explore the culinary offerings of any destination. Switzerland has many great food outlets, but Hotel Balances stands out as the one place I’d like to revisit. It has great ambience, awesome food and a waterfront location, all of which together make it an exceptional place. Which are the good hotels to stay there? Which is your favourite hotel to stay? Switzerland has many luxurious properties and some of the most beautiful boutique hotels one can choose form, depending on what you want to experience. There are some budget hotels which are equally nice and some hostels for backpackers as well. My personal favourite was Hotel GarniHostatt in Engelberg. Its impeccable service is what incredibly impressed me and
Swiz locals is the tourist-friendly nature and great hospitality that each of them offers. The warmth in the people there is remarkable.
Tips for fellow travellers
Any interesting episode of your holiday over there There are so many memories from my trip but the one that has stayed with me is also the one closest to me. I was extensively travelling through the country and due to constraint of time had to use multi modes of transportation to get from one place to the other. While I was travelling back from Gstaad, I missed my transfer and in turn, missed all further connections. Even though I am an avid traveller, something like this can totally throw you off. It was then that I really conceived the need for an app or service where I could change my travel itinerary in one click. But nevertheless, a local caught my worried look, walked up to me and enquired what had happened and if he could help. He was a true saviour. He actually took the pain of redoing my entire travel planning and I ended up taking a route only locals could suggest.
› Depending on whether you are travelling solo, with family or as a couple, there are some basics that you must remember to do when travelling to Switzerland. › Download an offline map of the cities through Google and translate the page into English. It really comes in handy since language can sometimes be a barrier. › Pack a pair of boots if you are travelling in winter or alternately, a pair of sneakers if travelling in summer. There is nothing like exploring a city on foot, so walk all you can. › Book a multiple transfer card of the premium panaroma train take the golden fast line. it’s truly a ‘gem in the snow’. Any suggestions for destination to improve ? There is nothing really that strikes me as negative about the place, except maybe the language barrier that some tourists could face. It’s an amazing country with amazing people, culture and food to experience. And if you know German, you can actually get a first-hand experience of how locals stay. What can other destinations learn from that place? I think every destination is unique in its own way and has something different to offer. The one key thing that I feel people can learn from
What kind of a traveller are you – planning well or more impulsive? I would consider myself to be a bit of both. I like to plan well but solve the challenges that come while travelling impulsively with my instinct. Planning well has its own set of benefits, but being impulsive in travel can be thrilling. Lastly, what tops your mind when you travel–sightseeing, food, shopping or Like everyone when travelling through any new country, I look for experiences that will last with me for long. I am a sporty guy and thus, adventurous trips attract me more and destinations that have adventure to offer are always at the top of my mind. Having said that, I also believe that adventure can come at any point, even while you’re shopping or sightseeing. chand.sharmila@gmail.com
January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 63
astroturf Aries
Mar 21- April 20 You are redefining yourself- your image and personality. Personal freedom is what you are seeking, The structures you withheld as ‘Rock Solid” in your life, will wither away. You will learn to deal with major changes in your life, and find your own stability. Your beliefs undergo a sea of change in your search or quest.
TAURUS
April 21 - May 20 Last year, as Saturn left your 7th house your love and social life took a fantastic turn. Over the past years it has been severely tested especially in 2013 & 2014. If you have come out unscathed in your relationships then it’s a bond for life. Many of those who succumbed to the pressures should not feel wasted as new opportunities emerge.
GEMINI
May 21 - June 21 Your relationships are being tested and keep getting tested for the entire this we call it as “Stress Tested”. 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. While talking about relationships its not only about the love relationships but also the friends get tested more. Donot rely much on friends.
CANCER
Jun 22 - July 23 Many of the trends that have been happening in the past year still are in effect this 2016. Long term planets are still in play indicating long term projects- things that cannot be done in a year or two are taking time. Career shows instability, however the good news that now it seems to crystalize and
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Fortune favours the bold and the lucky
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 is showing a clear picture what needs to be done so that stability comes in. Your career is taking a new meaning and shape to life.
LEO
July 24 - Aug 23 The year ahead looks happy and successful so learn to enjoy life the way it is. The long-term planets are either in harmony with you or leaving you alone with out any repercussions. Even if there seem to be some obstructions to your plans yet you will achieve your goals easily. The little hiccups occur only when small term planets are transiting which are temporary and not trends for the year. Enjoy your work, be creative.
VIRGO
Aug 24 - Sept 23 Family relationships will remain bitter sweet, but you will know your priorities correctly. The love and social life was active and happy in the last three years, presumably because love goals were more or less achieved. You will learn from your trails, errors and mistakes. For the spouse or your partners this transit shows great financial change and instability. Major interests in the year ahead will be your own self-image, personal pleasure. You will concentrate on finance, family and home,.
64 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
LIBRA
Sept 24 - Oct 22 Last year Jupiter entered Virgo and with it started your multiyear prosperity cycle, which continues for the next couple of years more. On September 2016 Jupiter enters your own sign Libra- a most happy and fortunate transit. It brings in all kind of fun sensual pleasures. Hence you need to be cautious and not over indulge. Longterm planets are in play and they promise long-term projects.
SCORPIO
Oct 23 - Nov 22 Since long term planets means long term projects, so many of the trends are spilling over in 2016 from the previous 2015.Saturn has been in your money house since December 2014, even though money has been trickling in yet with a very tight hand. Often this is because responsibility pours in from different quarters. All that you need to do right is to get reorganized. Pluto the ruler of your horoscope has been in your house and will remain.
SAGITTARIUS
Nov 23 - Dec 22 Saturn in your 1st house is a mixed blessing. On one hand it
shows prosperity, financial opportunities are seeking you out. On the other hand it only dampens your spirit and natural optimism and enthusiasm for life. With this kind of transit one feels older than one’s years. However this feeling brings in maturity and gives good work ethics and also the ability to fulfill and achieve targets in time.
CAPRICORN
Dec 23 - Jan 20 Capricorn by nature is a outer oriented down to earth and practical. The inner life is not that appealing to them. Yet last year and this year you will be involved in strengthening you inner self, you are becoming a much deeper individual. Your taste in reading will become more elevated.
AQUARIUS
Jan 21 - Feb19 Your love life sparkled in 2014 & 2015 but this year it is not so prominent.Having achieved most of your love goals you may now want to move on to the other areas of interests. When Jupiter enters your 9th house on September 10 there will be more foreign travel in your life. This will also be a wonderful aspect for those involved in educational fields.
PISCES
Feb 20 - Mar 20 Major openings for those who are single in 2016, You have entered a beautiful love cycle in August 2015 and the trend continues, in the year ahead. Romance is happening and you should enjoy every moment of this year. For those already in relationships the concentration should be on your career. 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
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January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 65
the last word
Punctuality, forgotten Ganesh Natarajan
Much underrated and given the go-by, habits of punctuality and courtesy are essential values that express respect and help build relationships and mark us as better human beings
T
wo countries I have loved visiting are Myanmar and Vietnam, the first because of its pristine natural beauty and plethora of Buddhist pagodas and the second because of its commitment to national pride and the values that many Vietnamese still hold dear to their heart. One of these values is punctuality. I still recall my first business visit to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in the late nineties to finalise a business partner for APTECH, the company I was leading at that time. We were to address a seminar in one of the cities where we had over 70 confirmed participants. With the seminar scheduled to start at six in the evening, I was beginning to feel truly stressed when at two minutes to the hour, there was not a soul in the room. When I turned to the organisers they just pointed to the clock and sure enough when the clock struck six the door opened and all the confirmed participants trooped in and took their seats and we were off to an on-time session. The next three days saw us visit government offices and potential business partners and in every place if we reached five minutes early, the car driver would drive around the block and deposit us at the door to the office we were visiting at the exact time. The host would be waiting at the door to meet us and it was seen as a sign of disrespect to be even a minute early or late. Compare this to some cities in our country where the term “eightish” could mean any time before nine and I have actually started multi-client corporate seminars with less than 20 percent of the confirmed participants coming on time and quite a few even straggling in an hour or more late.
It’s not that every young person in the country has a problem of being on time; it’s very often the fault of leadership who do not emphasise the fact that coming late for anything shows a lack of courtesy to the host or the organiser of any session. In my own career, I have hardly ever been late for anything and even the fact that some folks senior to me have not shown similar commitment to time, I have never been deterred from staying true to my own value system in this regard. And any person who makes punctuality a habit will find many
It’s very often the fault of leadership who do not emphasise the fact that coming late for anything shows a lack of courtesy to the host or the organiser of any session
66 / Corporate Citizen / January 16-31, 2016
admirers. Two persons who are worth mentioning in this context are our own Prime Minister Narendra Modi and my first Managing Director, Kewal Krishan Nohria. I learnt from the latter the art of setting and completing 15-minute meetings. It ensures that everybody is focused and comes to the point and no time is lost in long preambles or endless discussions when decisions can be taken quickly and the way cleared for the next discussion. A related value that most people think they demonstrate but many actually ignore is the need to be courteous to all. Deference and sometimes obsequious behaviour with people senior to one in the family or the company is all very well, but a truly good human being will never be discourteous to anyone in the vicinity. Our own HR Chief at Zensar, Syed Azfar Hussain is the epitome of courtesy, starting even mails with a “How do you do” and never forgetting to ask even a driver how he is, before commencing discussion about the matter on hand. After all, what gives any of us the right to be
rude or abrupt with any human being, however junior she is or whichever social strata he comes from? It has been truly said that there are two things that can never be taken back, a speeding arrow and the spoken word and it is always prudent to let only words of affection and praise pass through our lips rather than scorn or disapproval which leap to our mind and then to our tongue so often in everyday life! This is one virtue which again some of our senior-most persons possess in abundance. My own boss for 15 years, Harsh Goenka has made it a practice to walk every visitor to the elevator outside his office whatever be the reason for the visit. Other seniors in the industry like Rahul Bajaj, Anand Mahindra and Anu Aga have the grace to never make any person who meets them feel that they are lower in status or any way compared to these well-known and respected leaders of our society. Our Prime Minister himself, in spite of having one of the most punishing schedules that any person on the planet could possibly have, seems to have time for everything when he is at an event. The last time several of us - leaders of NASSCOM - met him, we were sure he would walk around and shake hands and leave, but he spent quality time with us, interacted with each member and willingly stayed on for a cup of tea with us and even joined in the occasional `selfie’. Such commitment to small but essential values is what makes us better human beings, everywhere and every time! Dr Ganesh Natarajan is Vice Chairman & CEO of Zensar Technologies and Chairman of NASSCOM Foundation and Pune City Connect.
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January 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 67
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