CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP Dr C N Rawal, Principal, Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce (BMCC), Pune Volume 2, Issue No. 23 / Pages 68 / www.corporatecitizen.in
HR Talk
MVS Murthy, VP and Chief People Officer of NFDIL & BBD (Future Group), on motivating employees
February 16-28, 2017 / `50
Loved & Married Too
Olympian shooter Dr Heena Sidhu, on her fabulous life journey with her husband and coach, Ronak Pandit
Passion
K. Madhavan, Managing Director, Peps Industries Pvt Ltd, on his hobbies
Admira l(
ingh aS dr
) Madhve td n re
Dynamic Duo: 47 Admiral (retd) Madhvendra Singh and Kaumudi Kumari
‘Serve’ with love
2 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
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Guest Talk / Anna Hazare
Youth is India’s power
W
hen I was with the Army in 1965, there was a war between India and Pakistan. The enemy launched air attacks on us and all my colleagues were martyred in Khemkaran. I survived. A bullet ripped through my vehicle. I suffered a wound, as the splinter of the bullet pierced my body—that was all. When I saw that all my colleagues had been martyred and only I escaped, I thought there was some divine will behind it. I was 25-year-old then. I had read a book of Swami Vivekananda and I understood the meaning of life. I realised that life is meant for service. I told myself that along with my colleagues, I too had been martyred and this is my re-birth. I decided that I shall devote this life for service to my village, my nation and my society.
I am extremely happy owning nothing
I did not come from a well-off family. If I had got married, I would have needed to give time to
earn my bread and butter. That would not have allowed me to devote myself in the service of my village, my society and my nation, as I intended. Therefore, I resolved that I would never get married, for the sake of my village, my society and my nation. Today, I am 80 years of age and it is 45 years since I last visited my home. I don’t even know the names of my brother’s children. I have adopted and implemented schemes of crores of rupees and I have no bank balance. I have been honoured with the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan by the President of India as well as received international awards from other countries including America and South Korea. Cash awards are channelised for serving the needy, distressed, and poor. I do not keep anything for myself. I live in a temple. I do not even know where my bank passbook is. Will anyone believe it? I have only a bed to sleep on and a plate to eat my food. But the joy that I get, even a millionaire or a billionaire will never get that kind of joy. I am extremely happy.
I have hopes in the youth
I look at the youth of the country with great
hope and I firmly believe that only the youth will build this nation. Management students visit Ralegan Siddhi to see how we do grassroot level management. We were visited by eight lakh people over 12 years. Five people have done their PhD based on our work-such is the vastness of our work.
Entire country is my family
Although I decided for myself at the age of 25 that I would never get married, this does not apply to others. Do get married. Have your own family. Give birth to one or two children. But do not restrict yourself to your small family, extend it. Anna Hazare did not get married but his family is no small family. The entire country became my family. There are woes in small families, within the four walls of the house. Why is it so? Because ‘I, me, myself ’ takes over within the four walls. We keep on thinking this is mine and that is mine till the last breath. We have come empty handed and we are going to depart from this world empty handed. Everybody will not be able to be like me. To remain a bachelor and work is not that easy. It
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 3
Guest Talk / Anna Hazare is very difficult. Therefore, one should go on extending his family. There is happiness in an extended family. So I tell people, don’t copy me. Get married, have a family, only extend your family. That’s all.
Remember those who sacrificed for the nation
I have the strong belief that if you all resolve and rise, it will not take much time to build India into a powerful nation. My message to you is remember those who laid down their lives for us from 1857 to 1947. We must remember the heroes who sacrificed themselves. Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were about to be hanged.
a wrestler by smoking cigarettes? Have you ever heard of anyone who drank alcohol or chewed gutka and became a wrestler? No—you would only suffer from TB or cancer. Then why do people behave this way? What does one get out of such addiction? It ruins money, it ruins one’s body and it ruins the society. I tour many villages and see drunkards walk and onlookers say, “look how that drunkard is swaying.” If such is the ill fame that addiction brings to us, why do people waste their money and ruin their body? The reason is they never understand the meaning of life—who am I, what have I come for, what is my duty? They never think about life. Their motto is eat, drink and make merry
as at the end we are going to die. We are born as human beings and if we only eat, drink and make merry what would be the difference between animals and us humans? Human life has a purpose—God has gifted us with knowledge, intellect and strength to think who we are, from where we come, what is our duty, where do we go....
Building companies also means building a nation
There were 40 liquor shops in our village. Today, for the last 20 years, no shop sells liquor, beedis, cigarettes, or gutkha. This too is a type of management. What was management from Gandhiji’s point of view? He said if you want to change the nation, change the villages first. The nation will not change unless the villages change. Building companies also means building a nation. The work you do will be important to increase production in the country. But while increasing production in the country, one must think about social aspects too.
Five things necessary in life
Dr (Col) A Balasubramanian, Editor-in-Chief, Corporate Citizen & President, Sri Balaji Society with Anna Hazare
They could see death staring at them and still they were raising slogans ‘Inquilab Zindabad’, ‘Vande Mataram’, and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. And they told the British, hang us not only in this life but also for the next life. They did such supreme sacrifice for our freedom, therefore we have attained freedom. We must remember them. We must cherish the memories of those sacrifices in our hearts. Over 60,000 jawans retire every year. If every year only 60 jawans undertake the work of transforming a village, the entire country will change.
Human life has a purpose
When I see students standing at paan stalls, smoking cigarettes and letting out rings of smoke, I feel hurt. The youth have to build the nation, but what are these youth doing? Have you ever heard or read of someone who became
Do get married. Have your own family. Give birth to one or two children. But do not restrict yourself to your small family, extend it. Anna Hazare did not get married but his family is no small family. The entire country became my family. There are woes in small families, within the four walls of the house
4 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
Clean behaviour, clean thoughts, spotlessly clean lifestyle, doing sacrifice in life and having strength to counter violence are crucial. A blot on your character will deprive you of your sleep, making your nights restless due to your concern that others should not come to know of your secret. Those who have blots on their character are well aware of their doings and they get restless towards the evening—they cannot sleep. They have to take sleeping pills. They may live in air conditioned rooms but if they need to take sleeping pills, how can they be happy, how they can find any satisfaction? I have only a bed to sleep on and a plate to eat in, but I forced six corrupt cabinet ministers to retire. Why could I do that? Because I have lived a spotless life. Six corrupt cabinet ministers had to pack their bags and go home, 400 corrupt officers were forced to go home. Did you see what happened in Delhi? The entire nation stood up. The Right to Information Act was promulgated. Now when I tour across the country, people come to me saying we are benefiting because of the RTI. When they tell me that, I feel happy that the poor and helpless are benefiting by the RTI. You become an officer, do everything to achieve your goals, but live for the nation. There is no example in the country where the birth anniversary of a millionaire is celebrated.
Remember those who laid down their lives for us from 1857 to 1947. We must remember the heroes who sacrificed themselves. Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were about to be hanged. They could see death staring at them and still they were raising slogans ‘Inquilab Zindabad’, ‘Vande Mataram’, and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. And they told the British, hang us not only in this life but also for the next life But people celebrate the birth anniversary of Gandhiji, Mahatma Phule, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev. What does this teach us? What is the lesson we learn from this? Be it a millionaire or a billionaire, those who live for themselves die. Those who live for their village, country and society live on. This has been the history of this country.. Maintain a clean lifestyle. There should be some sacrifice in life. Somebody has to do sacrifice for the betterment of the society, for the betterment of the country. Many people think, “Why should I sacrifice myself for the nation? I have a bungalow to live, a car to move about. Why should I bury myself under the ground?” Seeds which think why should I bury myself under the ground and refuse to get buried under the ground are the ones which perish. Seeds which do not get buried under the ground, get crushed in the flour mill. They are reduced to flour and perish. We would also perish like that if we do not sacrifice. So have clean behaviour, have clean thoughts, maintain a spotlessly clean lifestyle, sacrifice in life and have the strength to tolerate violence. If one criticises you, do not retaliate.
Do not waste this life
I have seen thousands of youth like you who found their inspiration in me. This is my own experience. We have been fortunate to have been born as human beings. We must utilise it properly. Do not waste this life. Now you are going to be on your career path and have a future ahead of you. Sometimes money maddens men and money is the mother of all evil. We can see
it, though not at all places. So all that I ask you is to reflect on this. It is not right to give knowledge to one who is starving. We teach wisdom to starving people in our country. During the election period, people listen with empty stomachs but those giving speeches from the dais are not concerned.
Happiness is within you
Happiness cannot be found outside you. One finds happiness within. Service to humanity makes one happy. The more we do service to humanity, mankind, the more happiness we find. I have no sadness in my life. Happiness is within ourselves but we seek it outside us. Saints have said if you want happiness, make others happy. The more we make others happy, the happier we would be. I am experiencing it in my own life. I am immersed in happiness. When do you feel sad? You feel sad if you
have any expectations. The message of Gita is ‘Karmanyewadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachan’. Do your karma, don’t expect any fruits out of it and you will not be sad. If one goes against you, says something against you, don’t feel sad. I have been fighting for the last 30 years. I was jailed thrice. I said let it be. I found happiness there. What’s the big thing? You get two meals a day and breakfast in jail too. Jai Hind! (Anna Hazare is an internationally acclaimed social crusader and reformer. He was at the helm of India’s anti-corruption movement in 2012 and before that, transformed Ralegan Siddhi into an ideal village. This piece is an excerpt from his recently delivered speech at the convocation ceremony of Balaji Institute of Modern Management (BIMM) of Sri Balaji Society)
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 5
Contents 20
Cover story
Dynamic Duo 47
‘Serve’ with
love
Admiral (Retd) Madhvendra Singh, former Chief of Naval Staff, Indian Navy who now owns a heritage hotel in Jaipur, Rajasthan, and his wife Kaumudi Kumari talk about their shared belief in operating through well established systems 09 COLLYWOOD
Chatpata Chatter from the Corporate World 13 MANAGE MONEY
What an entrepreneur should do to run a sustainable business... 14 WAX ELOQUENT Who said what and why... 6 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
Volume 2 Issue No. 23 February 16-28, 2017 www.corporatecitizen.in
16 THE TAX MAN COMETH Who needs to fear and who need not in the wake of demonetisation 18 interview Shukla Bose, founder and CEO of Parikrma Humanity Foundation, on overall development of underprivileged children through education and sports 28 HR TALK MVS Murthy, VP and Chief People Officer of NFDIL & BB D (Future Group), on how to motivate employees 30 Cradle of Leadership Dr C N Rawal, Principal of Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce (BMCC), Pune on BMCC’s legacy and future plans 36 TO THE POINT In depth interview with Chandan Chattaraj, President HR (India & Global), U Flex Industries
14
28
30
36
38 WOMEN POWER Addresses by successful women achievers at “WomeNation: Power of Us” summit of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)-Indian Women Network (IWN)
38
44 pASSION K Madhavan, MD, Peps Industries Pvt Ltd, on his hobbies
50
46 LOVED AND MARRIED TOO Two times Olympian Shooter, Dr Heena Sidhu’s fabulous life journey with her husband and coach Ronak Pandit 50 CAMPUS PLACEMENT Anoma Damle shares her experience of campus placement
44
46 February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 7
Editor-In-Chief Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian Consulting Editor Vinita Deshmukh Assistant Editor Prasannakumar Keskar
58 52 SURVEY Oxfam Report 2017 gives an insight into disparity in income distribution around the world
Senior Sub-Editors Neeraj Varty Writers Delhi Bureau Pradeep Mathur / Sharmila Chand Bengaluru Bureau Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar
56 health The dangers of smoking and benefits of quitting it
Pune Bureau Joe Williams /Suchismita Pai / Kalyani Sardesai / Namrata Gulati Sapra
58 PEARLS OF WISDOM Swami Chaitanya Keerti on how perfectionism is a neurotic idea 60 BOLLYWOOD BIZ Corporate Citizen brings you the best Bollywood comedies
Senior Business Writer Rajesh Rao
60
62
62 mobile apps The best Audiobook apps 66 LAST WORD Organisations need to think out-of-the-box and employ new age tools to manage and motivate millennials - by Ganesh Natarajan
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 / February 16-28, 2017
Manager Circulation Mansha Viradia +91 9765387072 North : Hemant Gupta +91 9582210930 South : Asaithambi G +91 9941555389 Circulation Officer Jaywant Patil +91 9923202560 Creative Direction Kiyan Gupta, The Purple Stroke Graphic Designer Shantanu Relekar On Cover Page Kaumudi Kumari and Admiral (retd) Madhvendra Singh Cover page pic Arvind Sharma Photographers Yusuf Khan Website / Online Subscription www.corporatecitizen.in For Advertising, Marketing & Subscription queries Email: circulations@corporatecitizen.in (Corporate Citizen does not accept responsibility for returning unsolicited manuscripts and photographs. All unsolicited material should be accompanied by self-addressed envelopes and sufficient postage) Tel. (020) 69000677 / 69000672
collywood
People in the news
Shake up in top TCS cadre
SBI chief cautious on cashless economy Despite some positive outcome, State Bank of India chief Arundhati Bhattacharya took a cautious stance on India transitioning into a cashless economy. This, despite SBI witnessing a boom in the adoption of its tech-enabled services post demonetisation, where it downloaded 70,000 to 80,000 times daily on its wallet, as opposed to a feeble 6,000-7,000 a day before demonetisation, and transactions at their Point of Sale (POS) touchpoints rocketed from `95 crores to `450 crores a day. At the Wharton India Economic Forum held in Mumbai recently, the SBI chief stated, “Whether demonetisation came prematurely, only history will tell. While it has indeed given a huge push to the digital economy, I don’t really believe that India can be a cashless society. I always say that we will be a ‘less-cash’ economy - that is a more reasonable goal to work towards. In a cashless transaction that requires less human intervention, the cost advantage must be transferred to the consumer. However, we are at a stage where we haven’t been able to completely jettison the manual and usher in the digital. Hence, the cost advantage of the latter is cancelled out by the cost disadvantage of the former, thus giving rise to a great hindrance in the path to a complete digital economy and cashlessness,” explained Arundhati. Considering the level of digital awareness in rural areas, if we try to push the digital economy too fast, too quickly, the abuses will then also become prevalent, she warned.
Vikram Pawah new president of BMW Group India Vikram Pawah will take charge as the president of BMW Group India, with effect from March 1 this year. The 45 year-old Pawah will take over from Frank Schloeder, who will assume a new position at BMW Group headquarters in Germany. Pawah has over two-decade experience in the automotive and non-automotive industry after his previous experience with Honda cars in India and Australia and as Managing Director of Harley-Davidson India. This move will see Schloeder, acting President, BMW Group India return to BMW Group Headquarters in Germany, where he will assume the position of Head of Business Steering-Luxury Class.
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, CEO of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the largest private sector employer in the country, is now named chairman of Tata Sons Ltd, the Tata group’s holding company. Rajesh Gopinathan was named as TCS’s new MD and CEO, after Chandrasekaran got elevated. Also making the cut above is N Ganapathy Subramaniam who will be the president and Chief Operating Officer. Subramaniam, who is currently President (TCS Financial Solutions), has also been appointed as a director on the board of TCS. Previously serving as the Chief Financial Officer at TCS, Gopinathan has been with TCS since 2001. He was appointed as CFO in February 2013. He has also worked with Tata Industries. He played a key role in helping TCS becoming a USD 16.5 billion global company with over 371,000 employees. An electrical and electronics engineer from REC in Trichy (now NIT, Trichy), Gopinathan graduated in 1994, before pursuing his Post-Graduate Diploma in Management from IIM, Ahmedabad.
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 9
collywood Kalyan Krishnamurthy, Flipkart CEO Shalini Adhaar new business HR head at Cargill Shalini Adhaar will now be the business HR-Head of Cargill. She brings in a rich experience in the sector, having worked with brands such as Reckitt Benckiser and Nestle earlier. A pass out from Xavier Institute of Social Service in 1999, she ventured into the corporate world making her first appearance with Tata Cummins as Manager-HR before making headway into Bhartia Cutler Hammer as the section head, OD & Training. Post that, she worked with Nestle for two years as consultant HR, before moving to Airtel as Head-Talent Management & Talent Development for Airtel’s enterprise services in 2006. In July 2008, Adhaar re-entered the FMCG space joining Reckitt Benckiser as the capability building and organisation effectiveness head for its South Asia market. With over 17 years of experience across industries, Adhaar makes for a seasoned executive for the role at Cargill.
It has just been one year as CEO of Flipkart for co-founder Binny Bansal as he hands over charge to Kalyan Krishnamurthy. The former Tiger Global executive, Krishnamurthy has been spearheading restructuring at the company. Krishnamurthy, 44, branded the ‘turnaround man’ at the e-commerce firm, who had been heading critical functions like commerce, advertising and products will now be designated as the chief executive of the Bengaluru-based firm. Bansal will be the group CEO, in a newly formed role. Krishnamurthy, Ananth Narayanan, CEO of Myntra-Jabong combine and Sameer Nigam, PhonePe CEO, will all report to Bansal. While Bansal steered Flipkart, Krishnamurthy, who rejoined the company as head of category management in June last year, saw his role expand extensively over the past six months. Known for being acutely media shy but possessing great execution skills, Krishnamurthy, a close aide of Tiger Global’s Lee Fixel, will now add engineering and supply chain to his portfolio. He will get full control
of the profit and loss at the company. Ravi Garikapati, head of engineering and Nitin Seth, the newly appointed COO will be reporting to him. Saikiran Krishnamurthy who was heading Ekart will now join Bansal’s team. The Flipkart Group is in the process of hiring a group CFO and general counsel.
Amazon India’s top guns step down Top guns leaving companies for greener pastures is making the rounds at Amazon India, as two of their senior executives, Kinjal Choudhary , director and head of HR, and Projesh Kundu, director operations-Amazon Logistics, have left the company. This move has made way for Steve Walter, HR head of Asia-Pacific operations to take on Choudhary’s role. It has been just over two years since Chaudhary joined Amazon India from PepsiCo in 2014, while Kundu’s association has been since the company’s entry into the country. Kinjal Choudhary and Projesh Kundu have moved on to pursue opportunities outside the company . With the growth of Amazon India, the company is in the process of adding people and resources across multiple roles and locations to support its rapid and immense business ramp up, according to sources. Prior to Amazon India, Kundu had stints in Kellogg India, ITC and Britannia, while Choudhary had worked with ITC, HUL and ITC Infotech.
10 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
US ambassador to India Richard Verma presents Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan with an award of appreciation for his invaluable contribution to the US-India Partnership on Tuberculosis
Coming together for a good cause In what could be called coming together for a good cause, US Ambassador to India Richard R Verma and legendary Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan were together for a Live Video Chat on Facebook, dedicating their talk to the important issue of tuberculosis (TB) with their fans and followers. Going live from Mumbai, the two talked about the US Embassy’s collaboration with Bachchan for ending TB in India, US-India partnership, among others. Verma thanked Bachchan “For his dedication to
support the cause and for sharing his story as a TB survivor to reduce the stigma associated with TB.” Sharing his views the Indian legend of B-town said, “Together we can save more lives and remove the burden this disease places on families, communities, corporations, and India.” Before the live chat, the US ambassador also presented an award to Big B on behalf of the US embassy in recognition of his efforts and support to the US-India partnership for the TB-free India campaign.
Yes Bank CEO becomes billionaire Rana Kapoor, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Yes Bank Ltd, has become a billionaire as shares in the lender jumped 16.4%. This escalation made the Yes Bank Ltd shares the best-performing stock among India’s banks. According to the analysts, investors find the Mumbaibased bank attractive because of its low bad-loan ratio and robust return on equity. The gross bad-loan ratio of India’s banking industry jumped to a 14-year high of 9.1% in the recent months, according to the Reserve Bank of India’s recent Financial Stability Report. As a result, their profits were squeezed. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Rana Kapoor’s net worth has lifted to $1 billion.
Adidas, Kohli to part ways
Adidas, the German sportswear brand seems to have ‘declared’ its three-year innings with Virat Kohli, as it has not renewed its endorsement contract with the Indian cricket captain though Kohli has been on top of his game. Kohli signed a deal worth `30 crore with Adidas in 2014. The deal was up for renewal last month, company sources said, adding that Adidas will continue its association with cricket. “It was an amicable decision made by both parties,” said sources on anonymity condition. “The association with Kohli has added a lot of value and helped strengthen the brand in the past few years,“ according to sources. Meanwhile, Adidas will continue to support cricket through its assets like Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and many other next-gen athletes. “We will also continue to drive our key categories such as running, football, training with even more focus and investment,” said Adidas India spokesperson about the future of the brand which has been actively involved in different sports in the country. Kohli endorses over 16 brands. Smartphone maker Gionee recently signed him on. Other brands he endorses include Swiss luxury watchmaker Tissot, men’s ethnic clothing brand Manyavar, Punjab National Bank, MRF Tyres, Colgate’s SuperFlexi Toothbrush and real estate developer Nitesh Estates. February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 11
collywood Ramesh Nair now JLL India head, Puri quits Chief operating officer Ramesh Nair will take over as chairman and country head of JLL India, the country’s largest property advisory firm, as Anuj Puri decided to quit to start his own real estate venture. Ramesh Nair will be responsible for overall direction, strategy and growth of JLL’s India business, taking charge from March 1 this year. Nair joined JLL in 1999, has risen swiftly through the leadership ranks and has been a member of the India Leadership Council since its inception in 2008. Nair will report to Asia Pacific CEO Anthony Couse. Puri had joined JLL in 2007 when his company Trammell Crow Meghraj (TCM) merged with the Indian arm of global real estate firm JLL. This formidable partnership gave rise to the largest real estate services company on the Indian subcontinent. “It’s been an incredible 10 years at JLL, but now is the
BEL kicks up Bagdalkar as HR director
time to step back and reflect before moving in a new direction,” said Puri, who has been in the real estate business for over two decades. Talking about his stint with JLL, Puri said, “I have done to the level that I could bring it within the company (JLL) and I thought from here onwards it needed different skill-sets to take it to the next level.” He went on to add, “Going forward, the business requires a more technology-focused, younger person to be able to drive, and that’s where Ramesh was the right fit”.
94 yr old is India’s highest paid CEO
Dharampal Gulati, the 94-year-old man with a turban who can be seen promoting masala brand MDH on television commercials is India’s highest paid consumer product CEO. Gulati, who is a fifth grade school dropout, took home more than `21 crore as salary last fiscal. This amount is higher than the salaries of Adi Godrej and Vivek Gambhir of Godrej Consumer, Sanjiv Mehta of Hindustan Unilever, or ITC’s YC Deveshwar. The Mahashian Di Hatti company, better known as MDH, where he holds 80% stake, saw a 15% jump in revenues to reach `924 crore and a 24% increase in net profit which is at `213 crore. Gulati diligently makes his daily round of factories, markets and dealers including on Sundays. “My motivation to work is being sincere in product quality sold at affordable prices. And nearly 90% of my salary goes to charity in my personal capacity,” said the newspaper reports quoting the second-generation entrepreneur who joined MDH nearly 60 years ago. The corporate journey started with Gulati’s father Chuni Lal starting as a small shop in Sialkot, Pakistan, way back in 1919. Gulati moved to a shop in Karol Bagh in Delhi after partition. Today the company is a `1500 crore empire with 15 factories supplying 1000 dealers in India and which runs the masala company, about 20 schools and a hospital. 12 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), a Navratna PSU under the Ministry of Defence, has promoted R N Bagdalkar to the post of HR director. Bagdalkar was executive director. An old hand in BEL with a stint of more than 33 years, Bagdalkar joined the company after completing his engineering in electronics and communication. He was at BEL-EMD Hyderabad as a part of the core team. He completed his PG diploma in computer systems in 1987 from the Institute of Public Enterprise, Hyderabad. He spent 27 years in Hyderabad working on D&E, testing, system integration & installation, and commissioning of electronic warfare (EW) systems. Then he went on to head the state-of-the-art Intelligence Electronic Warfare Project for the Indian Navy. During his stint at Hyderabad, Bagdalkar and his D&E team successfully completed various projects for the Indian Navy, Indian Army as well as for exports. He played pivotal role in initiating a number of inhouse technology development modules, which will be the basic building blocks for futuristic EW systems. He became general manager-technology planning at the BEL corporate office in July 2012. Under his leadership, the Bengaluru unit of BEL achieved stupendous growth as its turnover reached the `550 crore mark and revenue to `1 crore per employee. Compiled by Joe Williams joe78662@gmail.com
manage money Dr Anil Lamba
Finance management mistakes by rookie startups What an entrepreneur should do to run a sustainable business... In India, startups have become the new trend, the dream of most engineering and business management graduates, and even of many drop-outs. Year 2015 saw several being set up every day in every conceivable field. The year 2016, however, witnessed a reverse trend. Not only there had been a fall in the number of new startups springing up, but many of them are shutting shops. Also, the decrease in the inflow of funds had resulted in some minnows merging with older and larger ventures. For every startup that succeeds, there are many hundreds and thousands that fail despite being highly innovative and well funded. The reasons are many, but most are related to financial mismanagement. If budding entrepreneurs paid half as much attention to the financial aspect of their business idea, as that given to the technological, marketing, valuation and fund-raising aspects, the chances of survival and success would be far greater. Here is a short list of what an entrepreneur should do to run a sustainable business...
Be clear about the revenue model
Much thought goes into the 'idea' that has captured the entrepreneur's imagination and not enough attention is paid to the financials and the revenue modelling. Without a clear idea of how and from where the revenues are going to be generated, the venture would be a non-starter. Businesses cannot be run for long on investors’ money alone. It is okay during the gestation period, but soon the business must generate enough revenues to at least meet the operational costs.
Generate Profits and not Sales
In those cases where there is an understanding of the revenues, the entire focus is on increasing top lines. Entrepreneurs must never forget that the business of running a business is not to generate sales but to make profit. Selling is a means towards achieving an end, and the end is
to make a decent, a healthy profit. If your role models are the Flipkarts and the Ubers of this world, with all energies concentrated on generating volumes while making cash losses per order/ride, you must also understand that you need to have very deep pockets to continue doing that for any length of time. Chances are pretty strong that the business will go belly up well before a white knight investor comes along to invest his millions impressed by the sales volume. While drawing up the business plan, there should be complete clarity on how the business is going to make profits.
Always remember that successful businesses stand on two pillars: 1) The ability to generate profit, and 2) The ability to effectively manage cash flow.
Working capital is very essential
While evaluating the funds that a start up needs, it is relatively easy to understand the amount of fixed capital required. But often the working capital requirement is not clearly understood. Consequently, many such ventures are starved of the working capital for sustaining the operations on a day-to-day basis. Among those businesses that close down due to shortage of funds, a large percentage do so due to a shortage of working capital.
Working capital is required:
Pay attention to the cash flows
1. For purchasing materials and maintaining inventories (in case of organisations engaged in manufacturing/trading). 2. To meet day-to-day operational expenses. 3. And where goods and services are sold on credit, working capital is required to invest in your customers too.
One of the first lessons that an entrepreneur learns is that there is no connection between the profit that a business earns and the bank balance that it has. In fact, if there is a connection, it is inverse. The higher the profit, the lower the bank balance. (This article is too short for me to elaborate further, but take my word for it right now). Where is the money? Is a question that perpetually haunts an entrepreneur. Accountants tell you that the business is making impressive sales and profits, but where is the money! Why can’t you see it in the bank? Well, you are making profit precisely because you money has been deployed. If you started hoarding it in the bank it would be a matter of time before you would stop making profit too. There is no pleasure in making profit if, at the end of the month, you don’t have the money to pay salaries.
It is suicidal to use short-term funds for long-term purposes
Startups must take great pains to ensure that only long-term funds are used for long-term purposes and short-term funds are used for short-term purposes. Never ever use short-term funds for long-term purposes. It would be suicidal to do so. If start-ups pay heed to the finance management aspect of their business it will go a long way towards sustaining their venture and making it a success. (to be continued) Dr Anil Lamba is a practising chartered accountant, financial literacy activist and an international corporate trainer. He is the author of the bestselling book ‘Romancing the Balance Sheet’. He can be contacted at anil@lamconschool.com
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 13
wax eloquent
India-engine of global Growth
Take a look at what our corporate leaders have to say about recent trends and their experiences in the business world
paradigm shift
Remove debt and Air India will beat everyone hallow
“My biggest threat is debt, not jet. Remove that, and we will beat everyone hallow. There is too much competition. You can only try to fly the aircraft more and fill seats as much as possible.”
“We are seen as the engine of global growth. It is our vision and mission to bring a paradigm shift in the ways of our polity and economy. We are bringing a shift from relationshipbased government to system-based government, from discretionary administration to policy-based administration, from random interference to technological intervention, from favouritism to level playing field, from informal economy to formal economy.” Narendra Modi, prime minister, Courtesy: Economic Times
Ashwani Lohani, chairman, Air India
Courtesy: http://economictimes.indiatimes. com/
Grassroot innovators “The problems with which we learn to live for so long are being solved by the not-so-educated lot. Our grassroot innovators are solving issues, which even large corporations have ignored or given up on. A windmill innovation in eastern India may not be of interest to a large corporation. But, what it teaches us is important. It teaches us how to be frugal in using available resources.”
Anil Kumar Gupta, Professor, Centre for Management in Agriculture, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
Courtesy: http://mediaindia.eu/
Do it now Bringing the Ayurveda revolution
“We offered high-quality products at lower prices and people’s confidence fuelled our success. Our target is to keep doubling [the sales] and reach $15bn by 2020. We are dedicated to bringing the Ayurveda revolution to each and every person.”
“Why wait for a New Year to make a resolution— personally or professionally. If there is a need to resolve something, do it now, immediately or tomorrow. Why wait for a year to make up your mind for it? And, no, I do not keep any resolutions. If there is a desire for something that I feel needs to be done, I shall do it, why wait till 2018 or 19 or 20.” Amitabh Bachchan, actor
Courtesy: http://www.business-standard.com
India’s soft power a potent tool
Acharya Balkrishna, MD,
“If you want to be a superpower, soft power should be one of your potent tools. We receive 6,000 foreign students and they should become our own constituencies when they finish their education and go back. The ICCR is consciously nurturing the idea.”
Courtesy: http://www.just-food.com/
Cultural Relations (ICCR)
Patanjali Ayurved
14 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
Amarendra Khatua, Director General of the Indian Council for
Courtesy: http://www.business-standard.com/
I have a moving office
“If I am at the school, then everything moves there. If it’s IPL season, then all the work happens from the stadium or the place where the cricketers are staying. If I am at the hospital, then all my meetings happen there. I don’t really have one fixed place that I operate out of.” Nita Ambani, chairperson, Reliance Foundation Courtesy: https://yourstory.com
US-India cooperation
“I think the India relationship will likely fair pretty well. Trump has business ties in India and that matters to him. Further, the business community likes a strong US-India relationship and he will be responsive to them. The trends of history are towards much closer US-India cooperation and he can’t undo those trends. Nor will he be inclined to.” David Rothkopf, foreign
One big advice
Social media—an amazing cockpit for any CEO
“Social media is one of the most under-rated business tools in my opinion. It’s an amazing cockpit for any CEO. I can narrate any number of stories how it has helped me to reach out to customers, dealers, protesting workers and even security guards. It’s an effective culture builder for any corporation.” Anand Mahindra, CMD, Mahindra Group
Abhijit Avasti,
Courtesy: Times of India
policy expert and CEO and Editor of portal FP.com
“One big advice that I can give anybody is that if you do not have the stomach to take twists and turns every single day of your life then you should not enter the start-up world. Just enjoy what you are currently doing if you do not want a googly thrown at you every day.” founder, Sideways Consulting Courtesy: Financial Express
Courtesy: http://www.thehindu.com
Businessmen are...who can give growth to the economy I am a very strong believer that it is the businessmen who can create jobs. It is the business people who can give growth to the economy. The business people will help ascertain where the projects are struck and of those ministries where the files are doing the rounds. The prime minister should hold at least once a month, for even half an hour, a meeting with his team to clear up on the spot, those long-pending projects. India will become heaven.” GP Hinduja, co-chairman, Hinduja Group Courtesy: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
Impact of a fit leader
“One has to establish professional and personal credibility with the team one leads. Being fit and providing the positive explicit and implicit motivation helps in establishing a connect with the team in a domain that transcends the purely professional, which is so important in building teams that succeed.” Rajat Malhotra, COO, IFM (West Asia), Jones Lang LaSalle
Courtesy: Mint
Everything comes with an expiry date “Everything comes with an expiry date—including jobs, relationships, food, fashion, music and movies. To stay “relevant” will be a bigger challenge. Employers too, must recognise youth may not look for fancy designations or conform to a traditional hierarchy. They want to get the job done quickly and be rewarded suitably.” Devendra Chawla,
group president, food, FMCG, brands, Future Group Courtesy: Economic Times
Primary movers and shakers “If you take any organisation, it’s a very small number of people, say 3%, who drive, the way it thinks and behaves. They are the primary movers and shakers, giving both character and shape to the organisation. Shouldn’t we then be focusing on their unique needs, so that they in turn are able to responsibly lead and impact others?” Anand David, founder, Manford
Courtesy: Times of India
See the humour in things
“There’s lot of stress in the world. You don’t want to add to it. If you’re really worked up all the time, sometimes you fail to see the humour in things. I’m glad I can still appreciate humour in the little slices of life.” T Gangadhar, MD, EC
South Asia Courtesy: Economic Times
Compiled by Rajesh Rao rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 15
The Tax Man Cometh-27
Who need to fear, who don’t
by S K Jha
(IRS (retd) and former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax)
While demonetisation has brought some fear in its wake, honest citizens need not worry. But wrong-doers are not safe, the net tightening with tax and other enforcement agencies getting quite adept at identifying and nabbing them, aided by better technology infrastructure and an awakened public will wanting to cleanse the system
Unlike the regular tax desk which is manned by a tax officer whose job is to levy tax on you, this desk is manned by a non-serving tax officer who wishes to share his experience of 35 years in the tax department, while, discussing tax provisions. It is advantageous to know how the tax department thinks and acts when, as said by Benjamin Franklin, “In this world nothing is certain except death and taxes”
T
he Indian economy has just come out of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and is now recuperating. The economy had to undergo a serious surgical process to free it from the ills of black money, corruption counterfeit notes and terrorist activities. Hopefully, the economy will stand taller and healthier in a few weeks, or maximum in a few months. The success or failure of the process undertaken will be debated by economists and also by the people at large. But one thing which does not merit debate is the inconvenience caused to the people.
What next?
In the initial weeks, there was a fear psychosis as to what would come next. Fortunately, the time has passed and nothing bad has come. Yes, real things are coming and there are many in the pipeline for people who try to sabotage the scheme. Every day, we read news about income tax raids and arrests by the CBI and ED (Enforcement Directorate). Actions have been initiated against some bank officers too, who had become conduits for money laundering. The number of raids is increasing, and the seizure of cash alone amounted to more than `300 crores by the 50th day of demonetisation, and the concealed income detected is about `3500 crores. The raids are hitting the bull’s eye. People are seeing the success ratio of almost 100%, when at the same time the number of searches have also gone exceptionally high. The reasons for the success of the income tax department and the enforcement agencies are twofold. One is the technical upgrade, and the other is improved information gathering system. There is a computer enabled link between banks and the income tax department by which,
when cash is deposited in bank accounts, an alert is triggered at the Income Tax computer centre, identifying the assessee as per his or her PAN. Such links also exist between the banks and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Departments of Revenue of the Government of India, who also caters to the RBI. KYC bank account holders depositing cash are immediately identified. In case of non KYC bank accounts, the FIU and RBI come to know about such accounts where cash has been deposited. All Jan Dhan Yojana bank accounts, zero balance bank accounts and dormant bank accounts where cash has been deposited post demonetisation can be identified. From November 12, 2016, a new feature has been added to the e-filing portal for tax returns as per which a person can see the details of cash deposited in his bank accounts. The tax department can use that information in tax assessment if the source of cash cannot be explained and the amount is more than `2.50 lakhs. There will always be the possibility of levy of tax and penalty u/s 69A of the Act which may go up to 77% of the amount deposited if the case is taken up for scrutiny. Hopefully, the tax department does not create problems for smaller offenders and goes for the big fish. As per the media reports, the government will be going all out to catch those who used bank accounts of poor people to launder black money. Bank accounts of poor people identified with the help of technology will be investigated to locate the kingpins, and due tax and penalty will be collected, along with giving out punishment given under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Benami Property Act.
Credible information
Like a military action, credible intelligence plays important role in the successful operation by tax and other enforcement agencies. The success rate of the operation depends upon the quality of information, as selection of targets for raid depends on it. The Income Tax department and other enforcement agencies have an infrastructure and intelligence gathering network for collecting and analysing information against tax evaders and other economic crimes. Professional informants give information in exchange for tax free cash
16 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
rewards amounting to 10% of the tax collected through that information. They have their own infrastructure and also spend money to purchase information from the market. Information also comes from disgruntled employees, jealous neighbours and disputing family members. Business associates and partners in business also become very credible sources of information when they develop differences. Post demonetisation, another very satisfying development has taken place which has led to many successful search actions. According to media reports, many are coming forward to give information out of a patriotic feeling. They want the black sheep to be punished to make India free from black money. Many have directly given information to the highest office in the country where a senior officer analysed the information and passed it on to the concerned enforcement agencies. The department of Revenue of the Government of India has issued an e-mail address for directly giving information with full assurance that the identity of the informant will be kept secret. The headlines on big search actions are a result of such public-private-participation. Private people are getting in touch with public servants to make our country and economy cleaner. The concerned officials are also charged up and they are working long hours to punish the culprits who tried to sabotage the cleaning process of the economy.
All banked cash not white
Black money deposited in banks does not become white just because it is banked. With technology support, intelligence gathered and the hard work of people in the enforcement departments, a demarcation will be made between accounted money and black money in bank accounts. Tax and penalty on black money will amount to 75% to 85% of the black money deposited, and it will be a big revenue gain. Happiness of depositors of black money will be temporary. It is believed that notices are ready in big deposit cases. People who can explain the source of cash deposited have no need to worry. I am reminded of an incident prior to demonetisation when a very senior bureaucrat friend of mine called me up for help against alleged harassment
People who can explain the genesis of the source of cash deposited have no need to worry. There is no sin in having cash, but one should be able to account for it. Cash does not have colour, it is the bearer of the cash who gives it a colour, either black or white by a taxman. He told me that he issued a cheque for the purchase of his house, and still the taxman did not believe that he spent white money. On being questioned, he told me that he had a good bank balance, as he had deposited cash in the bank and everything was accounted for. He could be saved when he could explain that the cash came from the sale proceeds of his agricultural land in his remote village. There is no sin in having cash, but one should be able to account for it. Cash does not have colour, but the bearer of the cash gives it a colour, either black or white. Every incident leaves behind something to learn from, and so has demonetisation. I observed that the middle class with some cash savings was in panic. The poor had not enough cash, or it was within the permitted limit of `2.50 lakhs, so they were not worried. It was like the saying by John Bunyan: “He that is down fears no fall.� The rich had many consultants and market operators to help. They feared some pecuniary loss, but were not panicky as they have immense wealth in India and outside to fall back upon. Some panicked because the cash we had exceeded the permitted limit, and it was our savings over years which was getting wiped out. It is normal to have money in cash for the marriage of a daughter, against unforeseen medical problems and for the higher education of our children. The sudden proclamation of the death of our savings was shocking.
Life could not be lived again to accumulate that much of savings for many of us, particularly the elderly. The real reason for fear was that the accumulated cash could not be explained as per the norms of accounting to the satisfaction of taxmen. I believe that many have deposited the cash and are now worried about getting a notice from the Income Tax office. There is a lesson here for us to avoid such a situation in the future, following the adage that prevention is better than cure.
How did it come?
For the present situation where there is a likelihood of getting a notice from the income tax office, it is advisable to concentrate on the sources from which the cash has come, and prepare a flow chart of receipts and outgoings over two to three years. Examine the surplus. Any such surplus will help you to explain the cash deposited, or at least a part of it. One should also try to gather credible evidence in support of cash receipts on occasions like birthdays, religious functions during the year, with logical reasons for not depositing them in the bank. Such exercises will help if the deposit is not excessive. The most important lesson is to change our habit of dealing with cash. People say it is difficult to change old habits, but we have to change ourselves to avoid future shocks like this. We should go for transactions through banks for
our receipts and expenses. This will ensure our bank passbook becomes our cash book and we can answer any query from the taxman, even if our case is taken up for scrutiny. Cash saving at home should be less, kept only for emergencies, and it should be directly linked with our cash withdrawals. Medical expenses, marriage expenses or any such expenditures should, to the maximum extent, be done through banking channels. Debit/credit cards should be used along with cashless wallets.
Good banking habits
Many people do not use cards or net banking due to the fear of cybercrime. In my opinion due precaution must be taken, but now the time has come for plastic money. We can use those bank accounts where we keep less cash for net banking or debit cards, so as to insulate us from the fear of loss due to cyber-crimes. The banking habit will also compel us to invest accumulated money in our bank accounts for better capital appreciation and higher earning of income, say in the capital market and in mutual funds. Thus a good banking habit will be the first step towards wealth creation out of fully accounted income. Transactions through banking channels will force us to pay proper tax and hence we will have money that is all white. There will be no reason for any fear of notice from the tax department.
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 17
interview
Fanning a sporting Parikrma Humanity Foundation—an NGO that runs English-medium schools for underprivileged children in Bengaluru is bringing on football frenzy, interspersed with CEO ‘footie’ display along with ‘equality in education’. Established in 2003, it ignites hope among children from four orphanages across 70 slums. Echoing on level playing competencies is Shukla Bose, founder and CEO of Parikrma, who, having abandoned her highflying corporate career, is thriving to break the vicious cycle of poverty among slum kids by educating them. With an objective of creating equal opportunities for these children, the NGO provides education via English medium CBSE schools and also endeavours to support their overall development through sports like football, taekwondo and athletics. When Parikrma realised that their football team was not being invited to mainstream inter-school tournaments, it created a school level tournament and invited even those schools that had never ever invited them in prestigious inter-school meets. The result speaks aloud. The 6th edition of U-16 boy’s Football Tournament of the ‘Parikrma Champions League’, 2016 saw 16 teams; 13 of Bengaluru’s best Under-16 teams, a team from Kerala and two from Goa battling for the cup. Parikrma shared a slice of the ‘footie’ frenzy and corporate bearings on the recently concluded championship and the ethos behind the event... By Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar 18 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
“C
an you believe that we have young people from the slums doing their Bachelors in Hotel Management? It has taken us 13 years to change their quality of life and give them the confidence to compete on equal terms”, says Shukla Bose, founder and CEO of Parikrma. Currently about 41 children from Parikrma are in various colleges pursuing engineering, medicine, hotel management, art, science, nursing and commerce. And competing they definitely are on and off another playing turf that syncs sports within academia. “While we are proud to present the 6th edition of Parikrma Champions League, Parikrma also believes that sports play a significant role in the all- round development of children in schools. Today, the field of sports is offering attractive career options as well. The fact that we have been running this highly successful and popular football tournament for six years goes to show our interest and support for the game of football.”
The ‘Equality Cup’ Renders Hope
Parikrma U12 girls football team Winners of Parikrma Equality Cup 2016 Parikrma U16 Boys Team 2016
league The NGO, in its belief that ‘no child slips through the cracks’, whether it be academic excellence or not, have formulated a program called the ‘Parikrma Genome’, where they use sports, art and music to build self-esteem and confidence. This helps children to integrate with the mainstream. A way has been to include children from the slums by bringing in ‘sports into communities’ concept. “We look at sports not just as a co-curricular activity but have integrated it into the curriculum because we believe that sports is a way of life. Through sports, we drive social messages like gender equality and social equality. We also recognise sports as a very good career option for children who have the talent and it need not always necessarily be in the pursuit of university education. We also use sports as therapy for vulnerable children by giving them a purpose in life. The success of the football league stands such that not just Bangalore but, many school across the country mark their calendars for participating in the event.”
Parikrma constituted its Parikrma Champions League ‘Equality Cup’ with the main objective of creating an environment of fairness and transparency while also bringing in professional rendering of the sports. They have modelled the concept to provide an equal platform of this sporting encounter at the international, mainstream and also for schools run by the Government, to pitch for the cup. “We take pledges from coaches to teach their children to play with dignity and honesty. We are the only tournament that has a bone verification test to ensure there is no misrepresentation of age in the tournament. We also have spotters from Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA), Bangalore District Football Association (BDFA) and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to come and scout for talent to play in the national and even the junior World Cup. As regards the tournament, “Every year, we field United Parikrma Team (footballers across our four schools) and they do fight for the ‘Equality Cup’. We have a very good football program headed by AFC (Asian Football Confederation) certified coaches and our team have many a times been the champion in tournaments. However, we have yet to win the Parikrma Champions League trophy ourselves and this goes to show the level of our games.” For Parikrma, girls share equal priority on field too. “We at Parikrma are all for the inclusion of girls in football. In fact, we even have our own Under-12 girl’s football team who recently took part in the Vibgyor Inter School football championship and became the Champions. We would love to have an ‘Equality Cup’ just for our girls but we do face a few difficulties in finding the same level of participation from other schools; at the same time to be able to partner with corporates who would support this cause does become a challenge. But, this does not stop us from ensuring that girls do get to participate in the Parikrma Champions League and for the last three years, we have had a Parikrma mixed match and this year one of our students, Spurti (Grade 7, Parikrma) even scored a goal. We are the only school to have a mixed team so far and we really hope that someday with the support of the other schools, we are able to transform from a girl’s exhibition match to a Parikrma Champions League for girls,” said Shukla Bose.
es over the year and invite only those schools that have made the mark. In the past, our football coaching program was only confined to Parikrma students but from the year 2016, we have signed a three year contract under the ‘Coaches across Continents’ programme wherein we will be training coaches and players across schools to create social impacts through football. ‘Coaches across Continents’, is a global leader in the sport for social impact movement and their aim is to bring about social change through football. Under the programme five coaches from across the globe will be conducting a five day training workshop for Parikrma’s coaches and coaches from other schools across Bangalore on how to take sports into communities and improve the quality of life in the respective communities, while also enhancing their career plans.
Aligning the Corporate World
The scale of the tournament is run as a professional league tournament, which requires Parikrma to care of all out- station players as well; looking into their travel and hospitality. “We take care of all schools for the three days of the tournament. We also seek corporate sponsors who want to encourage grassroots football and who believe equally in the level of the tournament.” This year, the tournament moved a notch higher as Parikrma introduced a CEO exhibition match on the final day. Spotters identified the most skilled players from across the 16 teams to form a ‘Parikrma All-Star’ team that took on CEOs of Bangaluru’s leading corporate companies in a 20-minute exhibition match. “Getting corporates to get out of their boardroom and come to the field is a way of inculcating a sense of leadership and management training through sports.” Participating in the exhibition match this year were Pradipta Banerji, Vice President of Human Resources at CGI India and South East Asia, Pradip Dutt, Managing Director of Synopsys India, Mike Holland, Chief Executive Officer of Embassy Office Parks and Georg Graf, Freudenberg Group Regional Representative in India , along with Dhruv Nagarkatti, CEO, LeapStart (Fitkids) and Sanjay Dora, Chief Operating Officer, Group Hubs at ANZ. With 11 of Parikrma students having played at the state levels, they also had one student, Bhanu Prakash who was selected to go for the Nationals in Delhi and another child Guru, who was invited to Argentina for a football coaching camp. With nationally certified coaches headed by Ravi Babu, Benedict, Sarvana, Gopal and Shiva, Parikrma steadies its course on and off the playing field. sangeetagd2010@gmail.com
“Through sports we drive many social messages. We also recognise sports as a very good career option for children who have the talent”
Vying for ‘The Cup’
A lot goes behind making the ‘Equality Cup’, worth coveting for. “We work closely with BDFA and KSFA and monitor school performanc-
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 19
Cover story
Admira l(
ingh aS dr
) Madhve td n re
Dynamic Duo: 47
Admiral (retd) Madhvendra Singh and Kaumudi Kumari
‘Serve’ with
love
No job is too small, no responsibility too insignificant for Admiral (Retd) Madhvendra Singh, former Chief of Naval Staff, Indian Navy, and now entrepreneur as well as a ‘friend, philosopher and guide’ to guests at his heritage hotel in Jaipur, Rajasthan. He believes in operating through well oiled systems, be it managing an entire naval force under his command, or a group of guests looking for rest and relaxation-a sentiment that is fully endorsed and supported by his wife, Kaumudi Kumari By Vinita Deshmukh
Admiral (Retd) Madhvendra Singh was Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy from 29th December 2001 until his retirement from service on 31st July 2004, at the close of 41 years of service. He was also the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee from 2002 to 2004. He won several awards early in his naval career and chose to specialise in Gunnery. He subsequently attended courses at Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Tamil Nadu and the National Defence College in New Delhi, as well as abroad at institutions such as the Royal Military College of Science at Shrivenham, United Kingdom and the Naval War College at Newport, USA. Apart from his numerous staff appointments, Singh commanded INS Viraat, INS Ranvir and INS Talwar, which are an aircraft carrier, a guided missile destroyer and a guided-missile frigate, respectively. He also commanded the Naval Academy at Kochi. Active service operations in which Singh was involved include the 1961 actions in Goa, and in both the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistan wars. His later operations included the 1987 Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka and acting as commander of the Western Maritime Theatre during the Kargil War of 1999 and as the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) during Operation Parakram. 20 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
Pics: Arvind Sharma
“In the Navy you have a very disciplined staff, so whatever you say gets done; in the civil street whatever you say may not get done and therefore you have to be on your feet more often, to ensure things get done� February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 21
Cover story Singh has been awarded both the Param Vishist Seva Medal and the Ati Vishist Seva Medal for his distinguished service. Ever since his retirement in 2004, he has taken up the role of an entrepreneur in the hospitality industry. Having turned his ancestral heritage house into the Devi Niketan Heritage Hotel in Jaipur, he has reversed his role from being served by his staff when he was at the helm of the Indian Navy, to serving his guests in his 14 room hotel with a smile, concern, humility and with great enthusiasm. It is pertinent to begin this interview with a few reviews on the Trip Advisor website, where guests narrate their experience at Admiral (Retd) Madhvendra Singh’s popular heritage hotel in Jaipur, Devi Niketan. It reflects the intense personal interest taken by the former Chief of Naval Staff in making his guests feel comfortable staying at his hotel, making it feel much like a second home. “About 30 minutes after we landed in the morning we got a call from the Admiral welcoming us to Jaipur. Once we got there the hotel staff and the Admiral were so helpful. Admiral Singh sat down with us and helped us plan the next few days. I was unfortunately a bit sick and the staff was very helpful to get some medication from a store nearby. I felt safe and relaxed as I mainly rested in the evenings. The rooms are extremely spacious and
As the Chief of Naval Staff, you were the boss of the entire fleet of the Indian Navy and you had an entire fleet at command. Post retirement, you chose a second career for yourself by becoming an entrepreneur in the hospitality industry, which requires you to be at the command of others and serve them, necessarily with a smile. How did you make this admirable change?
Admiral (Retd) Madhvendra Singh: Everybody has various roles to play in life. When you are a child, you have the role of a sibling; or a child of your parents. After I got married, I have a role as a husband, and so on. When I was serving in the Indian Navy, I had the role of the Chief of Naval Staff. Now, I am no longer the Chief of Naval Staff, so that role no longer exists and is forgotten, though all that I learnt in the Navy is not forgotten. Now I have a new role as the owner and manager of a hotel. Hence, it was an easy transition as far as I am concerned. I have always kept my feet on the ground and therefore I didn’t find it difficult to change over to the new role. The days have gone when everyone said ‘Sir’ to me; now I say ‘Sir’ to my guests.
You have explained the transition so easily; does it have something to do with your upbringing?
| At Navy House on the Navy Day 2003
} Holiday in Rajasthan in December 2003
Greeting a Sailor on board the Submarine Sindhuvir
} Receiving the Trophy from Admiral Pereira when `Talwar’ was adjudged The Best All Round Ship in 1980
very clean while the staff are always on call. On the last day the Admiral surprised me and put up a Canada flag in the breakfast area. It made me miss home but at the same time I was so pleased that a Canadian flag was present and made me feel very special. I would highly recommend this place for any domestic or international traveller given the excellent service and amazing location.” “This has been my 4th time stay at Devi Niketan with a high school group from the United States and it would be difficult to find a more welcoming place anywhere. From the moment we arrived, the staff and especially the Admiral were very attentive to our needs and it served as a great place for rest and relaxation on an otherwise very hectic travel schedule. Thank you for a great stay and I look forward to staying with you again.” “Run by the ex Chief of Indian Navy, this place is managed like a warship, offering the best in hospitality, comfort, relaxed atmosphere, all served with the most enthusiastic and generous host possible, the Admiral himself. Feels like home since it is a home, staff are home trained and treat guests as family members. The garden in the front and back and the poolside chairs offer relaxing atmosphere in the sun on a winter day. It couldn’t be better located to any part of the city. This is my place of choice every time I visit Jaipur.” 22 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
Kaumudi Kumari Singh: See, you have to accept that once you are not in that position, you are just not there. So, you have to do something new. I think, both of us have been able to keep our feet on the ground and not let the position or the perks in the Navy go to our heads. Initially, we did miss the perks of the Navy, but when you don’t have it, you don’t have it. That’s it. Admiral (Retd) Singh: Fortunately, thanks to my parents I inherited this property so I was able to run a hotel. Therefore, we did not have to adapt to many lifestyle changes. We continued the same sort of lifestyle except that we missed the Navy.
In the Navy, you were used to interacting with a staff that is so disciplined and well mannered; now, you are dealing with staff who are civilians, so how do you cope with this?
There is definitely a difference—after all in the Navy you have a very disciplined staff, so whatever you say gets done; in the civil street whatever you say may not get done and therefore you have to be on your feet more often, to ensure things get done. I have trained my hotel staff, but you know the old story—when the cat is away, the mice are at play. So, even Kumu takes the rounds of the hotel and she sees things with a different eye. So, while
“I am totally against the concept of total retirement wherein you do nothing. You’ve got to keep yourself occupied even after you retire. If you do nothing, you grow old” management is about trusting people, monitoring is essential and both of us do it with a different eye and focus that complement each other.
What made you start your second innings after retirement and why did you choose to run a hotel?
I am totally against the concept of total retirement wherein you do nothing immediately after retirement. You’ve got to keep yourself occupied even after you retire. If you do nothing, you grow old. I saw that in my father. So long as he was working, he was a young man; within two years of just sitting at home, after retirement, he grew old. So I think both men and women need some occupation as long as they are fit. Another reason } Exchanging Souvenirs during his visit to France
What changes did you have to make to convert your heritage house into a hotel?
I took the opportunity of my daughter’s marriage to get it renovated, so that it could fit the bill of a hotel. While the basic structure remained the same, I modernised all the bathrooms and reorganised the rooms as this house was built as a joint family accommodation. Each bedroom was huge and like a suite, with dressing room and storerooms. I kept the rooms large enough, but in the centre of the building I left lot of open area, so people can relax and enjoy themselves. I could have added a few more rooms but I didn’t, in order to give space to my guests. And of course, I fitted all the necessary systems—telecommunications, television, air conditioning. This took about ten months to complete.
What is your job profile like, as manager of a hotel?
When I decided to start this hotel, everybody said, get a manager. So I said look, if I have to learn the job, I must manage it myself to begin with. The moment you get a manager, you learn nothing and also I would have to keep an eye on him. The more the employees you have, the more supervision you have to do. So, I said I will continue as a manager. Then, } Admiral (retd) Madhvendra Singh’s Visit to France
Driving a T 72 Tank at Jaisalmer
} Admiral (retd) Madhvendra Singh being piped on board
was, being in command appointments for many years in the later part of my service, I was certainly not going to work for somebody else. I had to be my own boss even if it was a small jhopdi. Also, I was fortunate to inherit this property, but to be honest, I couldn’t maintain it on my pension, so the property had to earn a little bit on its own. Another reason I joined the Navy is to see the world; now the world is coming to me. That is another reason—when you are retired, you need to meet people. I like to meet people and it is very interesting and educative talking to guests from all parts of the world. By the way, hospitality is something which comes naturally to naval officers and to a Rajasthani. By and large we like to be good hosts. I think any officer from the Armed Forces will fit in very well into the hospitality industry, where he is his own boss. The other big advantage of being your own boss is that you run it at your own pace. At this age I don’t want to be too busy. Any hotelier will tell you that 65 to 80 per cent occupancy is required for being profitable. By keeping running costs low, I break even at 25%; if I have 30-35% I am contented and very happy. The other reason is, I don’t want very high occupancy all the time, as it gives me no time to attend to the guests. If the whole place is full, how will I talk to you.
} At dinner at Cherbourg during their visit to France
somebody asked me what else I did. I said, I do whatever is necessary. Once, I also stood in for the cook—what is there in making omelettes? Then, my Navy friend said, are you also the cleaning man? I said, yes, I teach them how to do cleanship. You see, unfortunately we have this caste consciousness—when the workers come, they refuse to clean the toilets. I explained to them that in the Navy we have no caste or religion—we are Indian. On-board the submarine, everybody cleans the toilet. I make them put on their gloves and teach them to clean it. You have heard the term, ‘shipshape’ that comes from the Navy. There is no difference between running a ship and running a hotel, except marketing. Otherwise, just as you keep your ship clean and look after the troops, you keep the hotel clean and shipshape and look after the troops—my employees and my guests. Just as there are different systems in the ship like the electrical system, air-conditioning system, water system, Wi-Fi system etc, you have different systems in the hotel—they have to be well maintained, including the sewage system. Naval officers are never shy of working with their hands, because the Navy teaches you dignity of labour. So, every three months my staff opens all the sewage manholes and I have them cleaned, that is why you will never find a single cockroach here. You may find cockroaches in February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 23
Cover story unhappy about mosquitoes and said he is checking out. I said, “By all means Sir, check out—it is your privilege.” He asked for the bill and I said, “You are unhappy, I don’t charge you”. He felt sheepish as he walked out.
Was it your childhood dream to get into the Armed Forces?
Definitely, I knew that I wanted to join the armed forces because of the military tradition in the family. Actually, at the age of 11, I did appear for the entrance test of the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC). Our Sainik Schools are modelled on the RIMC. I got through, but my father said no, you are too young. Later, he even offered to send me to the USA to become an engineer or a doctor—those were the only two preferred professions at that time—but I insisted on joining the National Defence Academy (NDA).
Coming from a well to do family, how did you undergo the rigours at NDA?
Firstly, our family didn’t have a luxurious life style. We were all brought up as middle class people in an army environment. Besides, I was in boarding schools at Mayo College, Welham Boys School, Dehradun and St Xaviers Jaipur. So, one was quite prepared for a tough life in NDA.
What is it that the NDA taught you?
Basically, NDA training is rigorous and the fact is that they try and toughen you mentally and physically through academic and physical training. You then realise that you are capable of much more than you think, and that is the aim of NDA training—to make you realise your full potential and to strive for excellence.
“Unfortunately for a variety of reasons, which I will not go into here, the politicians and the bureaucracy have tried to bring down the armed forces and that message goes down the line” five star hotels but not in my hotel, because they all come from the sewage line which is cleaned and disinfected every three months.
How did you advertise about your hotel, when you launched it in 2008?
I made a website and then people started coming over. In the first two years, it did very well—in fact, we made good profit. Thereafter, we depend on our guests to pass the word around. Then of course, tourism died after 2010 because foreign tourists were not coming and there was a lot of competition due to many new hotels coming up. And like I said, I am content and happy with the number of guests we are getting, so I do not have to do any aggressive marketing.
So do you do all the groceries too?
My wife does the two most difficult things—one is the laundry and the other is the kitchen. Groceries are bought by the staff.
What about your customers? Have you had any problems with any of the guests?
By and large, my philosophy is to give my guests more than they expect, so they don’t complain. People come from all over the world, besides other parts of India—and Indian guests are not bad at all. Guests don’t know Jaipur. So, I also play the role of a tourist guide in Jaipur. My wife says I am the best guide because I am so proud of our city and I take that compliment seriously. I also help out if my guest needs something, like a doctor’s help. So basically all guests want to be taken care of. I have never had problems with any guest so far, except for one, about eight years back, over a silly thing. He complained of mosquitoes in his room. I said, “Sir, you left the door open, I told you not to do so, particularly during evening hours.” So, he was very 24 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
What made you choose the navy?
When I had joined the NDA, my father was in the army and at that point of time, along with him were 23 relatives who were serving either in the army or about to join. So, I felt that I must do something different. Also, since my father was already a General then, had I opted for the army and done well, everybody would have said, “Yeh to general ka beta hain”, he has to do well. So, I didn’t want to live under my father’s shadow, therefore, I didn’t join the army. That left me with the option of the Navy or the Air Force. I was hesitant to put my life in the hands of a flying machine that I didn’t understand. I felt unsafe, quite wrongly, but that was the impression in my young mind, so frankly I cannot say that I joined the navy because I loved the sea or had salt in my veins. I selected the Navy by a process of elimination.
You are an expert in Gunnery. What does that mean?
There are various specialisations in the Indian Navy like a torpedo specialist or a navigator. Those who man the guns belong to the Gunnery Branch. And we gunners are very proud of the fact that our role is crucial—we believe the whole Navy exists to ensure that the gun reaches the right place at the right time. If your ship is not at the right place at the right time to fire those guns, then you need not be there. Guns are required for sea to sink ships and destroy aircraft and on land to support the Army. Everyone in the Navy, though, jokes about us.
Why so?
Because we talk very loudly—my wife too complains about the same. There is so much noise in the gun turret that you need to speak loudly, to be heard. So, they keep joking that all gunners are deaf, but that they are conveniently deaf—when they want to hear they can hear some conversation, they do.
You have fought the 1965 and 1971 wars; tell us about it.
In the 1965 war, I was on a ship in the Nicobar Islands taking cadets for deployment to Malaysia. Suddenly, that evening, war broke out. So, we thought
we would be recalled, but we got no orders so we continued on our course. When we could see the shore of Malayasia we were ordered to return to Nicobar and thereafter we were patrolling the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. In the 1971 war, again my ship was being refitted, but it was not ready, so we were told to carry out duties in the war room. If you are not on board a ship the best place to be in war is a war room. Because you are directing the war, you are aware of everything that is happening. For example, on the night of 3rd December there was a lot of tension in the war room because we all knew that an attack on Karachi was going on but there was no news because there was radio silence. If ships break radio silence, the enemy immediately knows their position and can take counter-measures. Finally at about 11:30 pm or thereabouts the code signal came, ‘ANGAR’ which meant, ‘mission accomplished’. The Karachi attack was completed successfully. So that was where I was in 1971.
a variety of reasons, which I will not go into here, the politicians and the bureaucracy have tried to bring down the Armed Forces and that message goes down the line. Kaumudi Singh: We do feel it when we see the difference, as to how other countries treat their Armed Force officers and how ours does. We used to say that earlier we never had money but we had respect, but now we don’t have that also.
These days, youngsters are drawn to corporate jobs. What would you say to a youngster to inspire him to join the Armed Forces and why?
Well, I would say, there is no better service then the Armed Forces, as it gives you adequate remuneration with the best quality of life. Even when we are posted in field stations, our families are well looked after when we are away. To the corporate world I would say, don’t forget the Armed Forces as our young-
How loyal and passionate are today’s youngsters who join the Armed Forces?
They are as loyal and passionate about the Navy as we were. Our training ensures that these qualities are developed and are ingrained into our officers. And that is why even today, the casualty rate of officers vis-à-vis the jawans is much higher in the Indian Armed Forces than other Armed Forces because our officers lead from the front.
They say that in a society, when something deteriorates it reflects everywhere. What is the reason why youngsters who pursue careers in the Armed Forces continue to be of a different mettle?
Where the Armed Forces score is in our training methods. I am sure you are aware of the fact that it is not the best youngsters who opt for a career in the Armed Forces—that is the universal trend in all democracies. In all democracies, by and large, most youngsters do not prefer to go into the Armed Forces. In all dictatorships, yes they do, for a number of reasons. I will not go into that. So, where we score in the Armed Forces is that we take the average guy and, over a period of time, convert a civilian gentleman into a highly motivated leader. It doesn’t happen overnight—it takes a few years, from the time he joins NDA.
With technology coming into warfare, do you still look for a youngster with physical prowess?
“To the corporate world I would say, don’t forget the armed forces as our youngsters, guarding our terrain, ensure peace and stability, thus making it possible for the country to prosper”
There is no doubt that war today is fought with technology too, so we have introduced B Tech degree at NDA, which was not available earlier. However, that does not detract from the fact that the warrior has to be physically fit; technology can take you so far, but no further. Particularly in the army, he has to be very physically fit. But whichever wing he may choose, we still lay tremendous importance to physical fitness.
So there is no compromise in physical fitness?
No, no, not at all, in fact if you are more than 10% overweight you are warned and advised to reduce. If you don’t, you may not be promoted. Every year we have a medical examination to check your fitness. So, you can’t have a paunch; you have to be physically fit.
The Armed Forces gives so much to the society in times of war as well as during peacetime. Do you think civilians are indifferent to it?
More than the people, it is the politician who is indifferent and everything starts from the top. If politicians and governments give due respect to the Armed Forces, that message would travel down. Unfortunately for
sters, guarding our borders, ensure peace, security and stability, thus making it possible for the country to prosper and for you to prosper. If there is no peace, security and no stability, the country is subjugated and nobody prospers.
What is your take on Rajasthan tourism?
Basically Rajasthan was the first state to promote tourism. This propelled erstwhile royal families in Rajasthan to go in for what is called heritage tourism because we had inherited good properties but could not maintain them with our limited resources. So, this gave us a way to convert our havelis and palaces into hotels and museums, and that sustained the family, and more importantly, it gave employment to a lot of people. It is not just those of us who are working in the hotels who get employment, it is the taxi driver, it is the restaurant man, it is the tour guide, the shopkeeper who prosper. So tourism generates a whole lot of employment opportunities. February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 25
Cover story
Dynamic Duo: 47
Admiral (retd) Madhvendra Singh and Kaumudi Kumari Admira l(
ingh aS dr
) Madhve td n e r
Mutual Respect Respect for each other and giving space to each other are the key elements in keeping a marriage together forever, says this contented couple...
H
He is an extrovert, loves to make friends in a jiffy with strangers (read hotel guests) and is a walking encyclopaedia on Jaipur. From being addressed with a ‘Yes Sir’ in his capacity as the then Chief of the Indian Navy, he has cheerfully turned over to now address his guests as ‘Sir’. In sharp contrast with his extrovert nature, his charming and stately wife, Kaumudi Kumari, is an introvert and prefers to keep to herself. However, what is common between them is that together they run Devi Niketan, their family home converted into a dignified and homely heritage hotel in Jaipur, where they lead a post retirement life. As the First Lady of the Indian Navy, when Admiral (Retd) Madhvendra Singh was the Naval Chief, she has been to several countries along with her husband on official visits. She has been at the helm of the Naval Wives Welfare Association, which does commendable work for the naval fraternity. They neither ‘dated’ nor ‘courted’, those being little known terms then, rarely employed to choose your life partner. No wonder
then, that the first time they saw each other was shortly before their engagement. Ever since, they have been together in harmony, for over four decades. So, what is that binds a marriage together? Says Admiral (Retd) Singh, “No two people can be the same, so the first thing is to respect each other’s differences. That is important in any marriage. Then you must give space, she has to do her own thing, I have to do mine. She doesn’t like outdoor work, so I do not insist that she come with me. If these two aspects are taken care of, then your life
26 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
together remains cemented even after the initial phase of romance.’’ Adds Kaumudi, “Yes, I also agree with him, but would also like to add that one should not be impatient in a marriage, and should not expect too much out of it. This applies particularly to youngsters, who have to give time for their marriage.’’ What, according to them is the value they instilled in their children while bringing them up? Says Admiral (Retd) Singh, “Basically, as far the children are concerned I am very clear—our first responsibility is to teach them the right values
“No two people can be the same, so the first thing is to respect each other’s differences. That is important in any marriage. Then you must give space, she has to do her own thing, I have to do mine” point out if I’ve done something wrong-who else will tell me, but my wife. She keeps me on track and, for example, she will not allow me to drink and drive.’’ What do their children do? Says Kaumudi, “Our son is in the HSBC Bank as a Managing Director and Head of Documentary Trade Product Management. Our daughter has done a PhD in Criminology and Criminal justice. She is now Vice President of Online Education at Columbia College, USA.’’ What is their philosophy of life? States Admiral (Retd) Singh, “Firstly, work hard and play hard, that is my philosophy. Enjoy your work and at the same time enjoy your hobbies—for me it is any outdoor activity. These days my favourite pastime is growing trees. In the past few years I must have planted 3000-4000 trees in the farm outside, and this has attracted so many birds. A plot that had no trees has been turned green. Thirdly, be content and don’t worry.” Adds Kaumudi, “One should also be considerate and compassionate. What is lacking on the roads is that people are not considerate to anybody.’’ Admiral Singh leaves us with a Rajasthani poem about happiness, saying he has them all and is happy and content. The poem is worth noting: which we cherish, to give them good health by feeding them properly and ensuring they are not undernourished. And of course, the third main responsibility is education, so if you give them good values, education, good health and don’t spoil them too much, they will grow into good and confident individuals. These days, parents spoil their kids with a lot of money.’’ Adds Kaumudi, “I would agree with him and would also like to add that parents should teach by example—they cannot say one thing to the child and then not follow it themselves. Indulging and
spoiling children is very prevalent these days. One of the prime reasons being, both parents are working and therefore they have a lot of money, and one way they show their love and affection is by giving them money, which can be counterproductive.” What is it that she admires most in her husband? “He is a kind man, which he exhibits by giving me space and allowing me to do my thing.’’ And what does he admire about her? Says he, “Actually, she is a lady of great character and she is my best critic—she will never hesitate to
“Pratham sukh nirogi kaya Dujo sukh gahr me thodi si maya Thijo sukh naari chartitra wani Putra putri agyakaari” Roughly translated, it means, ‘The first source of happiness is good health, The second in a little bit of desire; The third, in a woman of character (not a beautiful woman, not a rich woman) (And) from obedient children.’ vinitapune@gmail.com
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 27
Interview Pics: Ahmed Shiekh
‘Embrace Change’ MVS Murthy is a 24-year veteran of the Human Resources (HR) vertical. He has worked in several companies in diverse roles and honed his craft to perfection. Such is his thirst for knowledge, that he is currently pursuing his PhD in Human Capital Management. Currently the VP and Chief People Officer of NFDIL & BBD (Future Group), he is also on the executive board of nuFuture Digital (India) Ltd. In conversation with Corporate Citizen , he spoke in detail about his career, his views on Indian education system and how to motivate employees By Shantanu Relekar
Please take us through your career and educational background.
I started my career in sales and marketing. I started with pharmaceutical and set out on my journey with sales and marketing. Then I followed it with vigour in training and development and finally in HR. In terms of qualifications, I am a Science graduate with specialisation in HR and postgraduate diploma in Management from Symbiosis. That’s where I have been and I am now pursuing my PhD in HR Analytics.
What are the challenges that you came across in your role?
I think from the day I entered into this profile to what I am today, thanks to the various 28 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
“One or two years in an organisation is too early to analyse whether you have had enough or given enough. I suggest, do not hop or change job unnecessarily”
challenges it has bought on the table for me, I had to evolve partly due to the external factors and partly due to the desire to change internal desires. I think it's a good mixture of evolution that happened to me through the external and internal forces.
How would you guide MBA students and freshers?
That's what I have been focusing upon. I share three sutras or my beliefs with the MBA students and freshers. They are−try to 'be humble', 'be dedicated' and at the same time 'embrace change'. Always anticipate and look for change on a continuous bases rather than getting hit by a change.
What do you think about the current education system in India?
Honestly I don't have a deep insight on the current education system. However, the way I see it is, what goes out in the process of manufacturing is seen from the end product. So if I see the end product today, I think they are well in form. They are familiar with what’s happening in the external world. In terms of attitude, there’s a lot of change to try new things, experiment with new things. So, what went behind this behaviour is definitely the educational system and changing education system which brought in this positive change in the outlook of students.
What are the qualities you see in a candidate while recruiting?
As I mentioned a little while ago, firstly, the ability to take up those challenges. It’s not just talking about it but showing them in terms of actions and attitude. Secondly, I think it is important for them to completely understand and support their point of view or their educational background where they come from. So, more than theoretical, it is more of practical knowledge I would anticipate.
What was the turning point in your life, professionally and personally?
There were two major shifts which happened with me. One is that I went out of comfort zone of Sales into HR through training and development. That was a major shift which happened to me. Secondly, there was the industry shift. From Pharma, to which I said I belong, this is where I am, to IT and retail world. Therefore, I think these are the two major shifts that happened to me and both of them have brought right dividends for me. I definitely say that.
What is your ideal way of relaxation?
I basically unwind. Back at home, I spend time with my kids watching television togeth-
“I share three sutras or my beliefs with the MBA students and freshers. They are−try to ‘be humble’, ‘be dedicated’ and at the same time ‘embrace change’ ” er, playing with them or going on a long drive together. Maybe that’s my way of unwinding. And I love to share all my experiences with my wife and get her point of view, insights and suggestions too. Of course, I would like to mention that I love to play violin whenever I get some time. That’s my way of relaxation.
How do you ensure your employee gives his best?
According to me, many organisations fail in defining what is expected from their employee. Unfortunately, the performance management system is visible only at the end of the performance year. But if you have proper mechanism of defining what is expecting from the individual, and secondly if you don’t leave him alone—support him with the right guidance, even a simple coaching could help. You don’t have to unnecessarily spend huge budgets on training and development. A simple coaching could help person achieve his targets, his objective and eventually perform for the organisation. And to keep him/her always motivated, either enhance the roles and responsibilities or encourage to take up something new, thereby you will always see to it that new benchmarks are created.
How do you see the new trend of job-hopping, which is very frequently done by freshers today?
That’s definitely not a good thing to happen,
but you know anything and everything which changes around you will have pros and cons. I could regard this as one of those shortcomings of change which is happening around. I guess this will sustain over a period of time and get into a more stable mode. Therefore, I am anxiously waiting for that to happen. One or two years in an organisation is too early to analyse whether you have had enough or given enough. I suggest, do not change jobs unnecessarily. There should be clear outcomes from a change with respect to role, position, exposure etc. and other (remuneration, work level, benefits) will follow. shantanu.relekar94@gmail.com CC
tadka Highest retail of gold Over 4 tonnes of gold worth over Rs 1,250 crore were sold in the first two days after the announcement of demonetisation of rupees 500 and 1000 currency notes on 8 November, 2016, as per a recent survey conducted by the Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence (DGCEI). Officials claim it is probably the highest retail sales of the precious metal on any given day.
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 29
Cradle of Leadership Dr C N Rawal, Principal, Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce
Commerce the is
Commerce is the lifeline of a country’s economy, and the Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce (BMCC) is perhaps the biggest testament to this statement. Established in Pune in 1943, its history mirrors the radical transformation of modern independent India-roots deep in rich cultural heritage and branches welcoming the winds of the future. BMCC’s founders played a crucial part in the fight for Indian independence, and even today, the college’s eminent alumni plays a huge role in shaping not just India’s economic landscape, but also the political and social arenas. The most remarkable characteristic about BMCC, however, is not its storied legacy, but its ability to constantly innovate on its education delivery techniques while never losing sight of the altruistic objectives of its revolutionary founders. Corporate Citizen sits down for a chat with Dr C N Rawal, Principal of BMCC, to understand its glorious legacy, its unconventional methods of education, and its bright plan for the future... By Neeraj Varty
highway
BMCC was established in 1943. Tell us about the formation about the college in the backdrop of pre-independent India.
BMCC's parent body is the Deccan Education Society, which was formed by freedom fighters such as Lokmanya Tilak, Vishnu Krishna Chiplunkar, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, and Mahadev Ballal Namjoshi. When the society began its work in the primary, secondary, and higher education sector, the educational infrastructure in Maharashtra was in its nascent stages, and there was an acute need for a college to catering to students interested in commerce. With that sole objective, BMCC was established in 1943. The work towards establishment of the institute started in 1942, keeping in mind the requirement of the growing Indian industry and their manpower needs at that period.
Was there any rival college of commerce in Pune at that time?
There wasn't a single commerce college in the city or even around Pune for that matter. This was pre-independent India, and there was a college only in Mumbai at that time. Apart from that, there were no commerce colleges in India to speak of. Pune used to come under the Bombay Jurisdiction at that time. The Government of Bombay notified in the gazette on 27th May 1943 that an approval was given to commence the commerce college, and work was immediately started. Initially, there was no building for the college, and it was decided to start the college in the Fergusson college campus, which is again another prestigious college started by the Deccan Education Society. In the early days, the lectures were conducted in the amphitheatre of Fergusson College, and that continued for five to six years. Gradually, the main building of BMCC was constructed, which stands to this very day.
30 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
Fortunately in those days, we had many prestigious people coming to the campus to share their experiences. Many faculties came all the way from Mumbai to conduct lectures.
How many students were in the first batch of the college?
There were about 250 applications for the first batch, and out of them 150 were shortlisted. The shortlisting tradition started from the very beginning of the college, and it continues even today (laughs).
Professor D G Karve, the former Deputy Governor of the RBI was the first Principal of BMCC. What is the legacy he as well as the founders left behind for future generations of students?
We are very fortunate to have legends in the field of economics and banking to have graced our halls. D G Karve was our first Principal and he laid the foundation stone of BMCC. It was his decision about how the college would operate then and for years to come. Whatever plans he and the founders laid, whatever structures they established, they are still in place. I am very happy to share that even after Karve, the subsequent Principals too have left their mark and their legacy on the fabric of the college.
BMCC had a cutoff rate of 91% for the current academic year. What makes BMCC such a sought out destination for commerce students all over Maharashtra?
One of the reasons is that BMCC does not limit teaching just to its classrooms. Being a commerce college, we believe that the students should get hands on experience. When we talk about commerce and management, there are
Pics: Yusuf Khan
“BMCC has won ‘The best college award’ under SaVITRIBAI PHULE Pune University. We also have received a special recognition from the UGC as ‘College with potential for excellence’. For three consecutive terms, BMCC has been receiving this recognition” February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 31
Cradle of Leadership
some concepts, such as planning, co-ordination, scheduling, reporting, and budgeting, which are inculcated in both classroom teachings as well as outside. BMCC conducts between 100-150 activities per year, like Astitva and Troika. We started Astitva with only 30 students, and last year over 1600 students from different colleges participated. We have marketing fests. We have several programmes where we invite speakers from different walks of life, and the best part is that these activities are planned, organised and executed by students. We also insist that the students manage the finances, as well as make a surplus on the budget. The surplus is then given to NGO's of the students’ choice. This is nothing but a type of small business structure in which they are playing different roles, which would later benefit them greatly in life. Raising money from the market isn't easy, but the students have been doing just that. We try to inculcate responsibility, innovation and a CSR in the students through these activities. We have more than 150 students every year in the cultural department. One full building with the hall has been given to them 24/7. In Pune, there are around 30 competitions and outside Pune there are more than 12 competitions, so more than 45 competitions take place every year. In all these competitions, our students participate. This is the way in which we are able to attract all types of students. We believe in integrated human development. We give a lot of exposure to sports students. Whatever is required, whether teaching, whether evaluation assistance, or even requesting the University to arrange their examination separately, we provide all the assistance to sports students, which is why BMCC is their top choice.
The college has produced several luminaries like Sharad Pawar and Cyrus
BMCC has given a lot of importance to sports. Physical Training is compulsory. If you fail PT you won’t be promoted to the next class. Health is wealth, and we believe sports are really important to maintain it
Poonawalla. Tell us about them and other famous alumni.
There is a big list of the alumni, who have contributed to the economic, sports and social development of the country. To name a few, Sharad Pawar is also our alumni. Ram Naik is the present Governor of Uttar Pradesh; he placed a big role in the central ministry when he was the Railways and Petroleum minister. Arun Gujrathi was a speaker in Maharashra. This is just pertaining to Politics, In civil services, there are several more, Not just that, In Bollywood, we have luminaries such as Mohan Joshi, Ameya Wagh, and many others. Also, like you mentioned, Cyrus Poonawalla is known the world over for his work in the Serum institute.
32 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
What are the facilities you offer to students?
The total area of the college is 12 acres. In this area, we keep adding new infrastructure ahead of time to meet the needs of our students. Recently, we have added a girls’ hostel, which can accommodate nearly 210 students. It is a unique girls hostel in Pune. It is completely self-contained, which includes a canteen and solar panels. We organise over 15 programmes a year for them. It is not just a hostel; we want to groom them completely for their future. We provide medical checkups for them regularly. We hold lectures for them on subjects that matter to them the most, for example—use of mobile phones, etc. We also organise Yoga classes for them. Our library is in a heritage building. It was inaugurated in 1973. It is stocked with over 1 lakh books. We have online books and journals besides the hard copies. We have a well-equipped BBA building, from where we operate BBA, BCA, BBM IB and MCA courses. These are self-financing courses. They are designed to satisfy the interests of the industry and service sector. The main building in which we are currently sitting is the very first building built on the campus and it too is a heritage building. We have renovated it recently, making it state of the art while retaining its legacy façade This year we are starting the construction of the new gents’ hostel to replace the old one.
The college has a beautiful three acre ground. Sports are also a part of the induction process for students. How
important do you think sports are for the well-being of the students?
BMCC has given a lot of importance to sports. In BMCC, for junior college students, PT is compulsory. If you fail PT you won't be promoted to the next class. Health is wealth, and we believe sports are really important to maintain it. We have given several prizes for sports. We arrange special lectures for students. We conduct separate examinations for them. If necessary, we even request the University to conduct their exams separately. There are many sportsmen produced by the college. Nitin Kirtane, Amol Wakalkar, Ajay Shirke and recently Ankita Raina, Shivani Shetty and Aishwarya Pingale, to name a few.
BMCC is affiliated with the Savitribai Phule Pune University (Pune University). Do you think Autonomy for educational institutes is desirable or you think its best avoided?
If you look at the syllabus of the Pune University, definitely it is satisfying the requirements of their stakeholders. However, there are some limitations. Every college has its own requirements as per the type of students it has. In BMCC, the cut off is over 90%. Naturally, the students are advanced learners. Their expectations are ever increasing. They like to correlate their expectations with the industry requirements. That is why there are some constraints. For example, we are using manual accounting in the syllabus, but the industry has moved to software packages like Tally for the same. Also, mergers, acquisitions, changes in financial laws, etc., happen in real time and it is
necessary to incorporate these changes in the syllabus to prepare students for the industry. I am happy to say that BMCC College has decided to go for autonomy. We have already submitted an application to the University, and the University has given an NOC. By the end of the month, we will submit our proposal to UGC, and from academic year 2017, BMCC will be an autonomous institute. We have built a brand new accounting laboratory, which will be inaugurated in January 2017.
B Com is the flagship course of BMCC. How are the placements like for the course as well as the other courses you offer?
As far as the composition of the students is concerned, 30% of students are interested in making a career in culture or sports. Out of the remaining 70%, 20% are interested to pursue professional courses like CA and CFAI. The question remains about the remaining 50%. Out of them, 10-15% wish to pursue their own or family owned businesses. For the remaining students, we have a placement cell, which takes a keen interest in the students. We conduct classes on how to prepare resumes, how to appear for interviews, and aim to prepare them for requirements of the companies. We invite companies for placements in the campus. In the last couple of years, around 6070% students are placed. There are times when some students turn down lucrative jobs because they feel that even though the offer was lucrative, the job profile would be monotonous. This is how far thinking students have become.
In recent years, do you think BBA and MBA are getting more popular than B Com and M Com?
No. Although BBA and MBA are gaining popularity, if you look at Pune University, you will find that the BBA and MBA courses are offered in very few institutes. In Pune, there are about four to five centres, along with our college, which come under that umbrella. BBA and MBA are specialised courses whereas the scope for B.Com is much broader. B Com is the Highway, and BBA is the service road. If you do B Com sincerely you get the opportunity to study more than 20 subjects in three years. It even covers BBA topics like HR, Marketing, Finance, Costing and Auditing. You also get an opportunity to learn two languages, including one foreign one. We offer French and German as options. This combination is very useful and there are tremendous opportunities. You become suitable in any sector, as commerce is essential wherever you go. Finance is the backbone of every industry.
The college publishes magazines like Thinktrack and Arthavyavhar. Do you believe in liberalisation of media or do you believe in some degree of censorship?
We have three regular publications in BMCC. Besides that, we also have three in-house publications in English, Hindi and Marathi. We give plenty of opportunities for our students to come forward and express their views, opinions and experiences related to the market. Independence of thoughts is very important. All are publica-
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 33
Cradle of Leadership tions are taken care by the students. Right from the design of the magazines to the selection of the content and photographs, it is all handled by the students. They have complete autonomy over the publishing process. Since the last four years, we have been winning awards and prizes of the Savitribai Phule Pune University.
The college has won many prestigious awards. Tell us about some of them.
BMCC has won 'The best college award' under Pune University. We also have received a special recognition from the UGC as 'College with potential for excellence'. For three consecutive terms, BMCC has been receiving this recognition. My proposal for 2015-2020 has been approved, and we have received financial assistance from UGC to the tune of `1.5 crore.
BMCC has adopted a village called Urawade. What have you done so far for the cause?
Urawade is a village in a very interior part of
Pune district. Since the last six years, we have been working there. We have a very close tie up with the villagers, and we regularly host programmes there, educating them about the new schemes introduced by the government, creating awareness about the need for education, and conducting their medical checkups. Many students from the village are interested in going for higher education. Counselling and support is provided to them. We have students from over 22 countries. Interacting with villagers gives them exposure to life in rural India, which they otherwise would not get.
During your tenure as Principal, what new initiatives were launched?
I have started Astitva in 2010, an event to celebrate Indian ethnicity and heritage, and it kicked off with only around 30 students and since then it has blossomed beyond my wildest imagination. Last year, the participation of students was 1600. I mentioned earlier about the successful construction of the new ladies hostel, which
34 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
can now accommodate over 210 girl students. I also took the initiative of renovating all the legacy buildings, including heritage ones, to make them state of the art. We have expanded our digital library by adding a large number of e-journals, e-books and volumes of articles. We have also started a UGC networking centre, whereby 20 additional computers have been installed with free internet access for students. We have also constructed a 3rd and 4th floor of the DB building. One of the technology initiatives I have overseen is the equipping of all classrooms with LCDs, and we have started installing smart boards in almost a dozen classrooms. Smart boards are interactive whiteboards which can display content as well as allow teachers and students to interact with it. In addition to the above, we have started a special research journal called Brihan. Brihan is devoted to a special purpose every year. Last year, the topic was Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. We are organising visits for students to different service organisations, like RBI, SEBI, BSE etc.
Recently, some of our students went on a three country tour of Europe for industrial exposure.
Do you have any collaboration with foreign Universities?
Our two collaborations are in the pipeline. One is with the Arizona State University, which is nearly finalised. I will soon be making a trip there to seal the tie-up. The other universities we are in talks with are in Italy and Germany.
Do you feel there is a dearth of quality teachers in India, and what can be done to attract more students to academia?
The education system of any country decides the future of that country. Education has to be the priority, but unfortunately the ground reality is quite different. When I was a student, teachers used to come into the profession by choice. We were very fortunate to have good teachers. Nowadays, people are coming into the teaching profession not by choice, but because they couldn't get through elsewhere. That is the
Proud AlumNi of BMCC Political Arena:
¶ Sharad Pawar : (Former Agricultural Minister, GOI ) ¶ Ram Naik : (Governor,Uttar Pradesh & Former Railway Minister, GOI) ¶ Arun Gujrathi : (Former State Assembly Speaker ) ¶ Girish Bapat : (Cabinet Minister, Government of Maharashtra)
Industry/Professional Service: ¶ Dr Cyrus Poonawala ¶ Dr Venugopal Dhut ¶ Arunbhai Doshi
Government services, Education & Social Worker:
¶ Srikant Bapat (Ex Police Commissioner, Mumbai) ¶ Sudha Kothari (Social Worker) ¶ Shantilal Muthha
Sports:
¶ Nitin Kirtane ¶Nandan Bal ¶ Sunil Gudge ¶ Manoj Pingale ¶ Gaurav Natekar
Film, Media & Communication: ¶ Dilip Padgaonkar ¶ Dr Deepak Tilak ¶ Sunandan Lele
major difference today. Inculcating values has also become tougher now than it used to be. There is a need for talented, positive youngsters to look at academia seriously.
Is this somewhere due to the perception that teachers are underpaid?
Those days have gone. Nowadays, teachers are not underpaid. Let me be very frank. When I started my career, the salary was only `1,700. Now, my young teaching staff who are just joining are drawing `40,000 easily, which is a very good amount to begin with. There are also career advancement schemes, and once you complete your PhD, you will be given four additional increments. If you complete MPhil, two additional increments are given. For performing teachers, the sky is the limit. It is important for youngsters and positive people to come into teaching. That is very important. Working alone is easy, but working with a group of students with varied backgrounds is difficult.
How do you find the millennials different from previous generations when it comes to learning, especially with the exposure to technology?
In our generation, we never used to question our teachers. What they told us would be the gospel. We also didn't have the resources to fact check what our teachers told us in real time. On the other hand, my students are so smart, they have their mobiles in their hands in the classroom, and the moment I quote the figures for a certain company for a certain year, they will come up to me after my lecture and say that "Sir, whatever you taught us is correct, but those were yesterday’s figures. Today's figure has been updated to this." Millennials have access to information. They are tech-savvy. They are smart, and they aren’t afraid to question teachers. They are very vocal and open. They come forward and raise all the relevant questions. Asking the right questions and keeping up with the time and technology is very important. This is the online generation. Many a times, they have better data than us. My experience with youngsters has always been good. Take them in confidence, assign them work, give them full freedom, and they will use their innovation and creativity to the hilt. Youngsters are the best performers, but you need to give them respect. You must not disrespect their diverse views.
How did you get into academics? Is this something you have always wanted to do?
No. I hail from an interior part of Maharashtra, a small village on the border of Ratnagiri anRaigad districts. After completion of my SSC, I was interested in going for ITI, which in those days was offered only in Panvel in Navi Mumbai.
My experience with youngsters has always been good. Take them in confidence, give them full freedom, and they will use their innovation and creativity to the hilt I was shortlisted for the Motor Mechanic Trade course, but unfortunately, I could not make the final cut. At that point, I decided to go for higher education. With that in mind, I moved to Pune, as Pune has been an educational hub in Maharashtra for decades. I did B Com, M Com and M Phil. I also did MA in economics, followed by LLB. After that I did PhD.
From which institutes did you complete your education?
I have been a student of almost all the colleges in Pune. I did my B Com from Yashwantrao Mohite (YM) College, M Com from Garware College of Commerce, M Phil from BMCC, MA from SP College, LLB from ILS Law College.
When and how did you decide to be a teacher?
I got an offer to become a teacher, and I started my teaching career in Pimpri College. This was a short stint of six months. Then I began teaching at HV Desai College. There I started as a single faculty and expanded gradually as the college got into other educational streams. I gained much experience in these roles. Since 2009, I have been the Principal of BMCC.
What is the best thing about being in the teaching profession?
Teaching is the only profession which creates all other professions. Teaching is the only field where you have the ability to influence the thoughts and hearts of so many youngsters. Only a teacher can inculcate lifelong learning skills among them. If you do your job well, students will remember you throughout their life. In my opinion, it's the noblest profession.
What is your philosophy of life?
As a teacher, my motto is 'Nurturing young minds for inclusive and sustainable growth'. My life's motto is to become a good teacher in the minds and hearts of my students. neeraj.vart07@gmail.com
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 35
to the point
Private-public model for education Chandan Chattaraj, President-HR (India & Global), U Flex Industries, on how gender sensitivity is both contextual and cultural, and how educating youth-with a view to turning out employable talent-needs to be a joint endeavour between the government, society and private sector By Kalyani Sardesai There is a view held by most employers that colleges are not really turning out employable graduates. Would you agree?
Well, yes and no! While there is a good chance that a sizable chunk of a particular sample would be unemployable, the numbers and ratios would vary with different groups—in other words it would be unfair to tar everyone with the same brush. After all, we are still a country where some of the finest students who are picked up the nation's premier engineering institutes and make a wonderful contribution to society later on are from small towns, and very difficult circumstances. As far as ownership of the issue goes, it's not fair to pick on professional colleges, be they engineering or management—education starts at the school level and it has to correspond with the growing needs of society and business. Perhaps, a private-public model for education would work best.
Recently there was a little clip circulating on the net. The backdrop was that of a couple of older US citizens expressing concern that the younger generation lacked basic life skills like cooking, cleaning and keeping accounts. Doesn't this hold true even in India?
I would not like to compare education systems in India to the US—everything is vastly different. We are hugely competitive—everything is marks driven. So yes, while we do have young adults lacking basic skills such as cooking or changing a tire. Industry is witnessing huge influx of talent from small towns who are doing such a great job with their lives. Having said that, yes we do need to teach our youth these basic survival skills that go beyond the classroom. 36 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
There is much talk about gender diversity and increasing woman inclusion in the workforce. Yet we find that few women make it to key posts-and are also lacking in sheer numbers. What, according to you, needs to be done? We have come a distance but much more needs to be done. Especially in an Indian context, successful women at the top will not happen by accident. There needs to be a structure, force and approach to that intent. Take, for instance, the move to give women six months maternity leave; I wish industry had taken the decision by itself—but if it's happening by law, so be it. At least there is a conversation happening to that effect. Having said that, gender equity is not something companies can foist top—down; it needs to start from that most basic of all social units—the family. Typically the geographies where female welfare is a top priority are societies where they are mindful of their girls at every level.
What is the effort made by your organisation, U Flex, keeping its multiple operations in mind?
When we talk of gender sensitivity considering the peculiar life roles played by women—we need to take into account the cultures the female work force is coming from. U-flex operates in Dubai, India, Poland, Egypt and the US. All of these are different cultures where equity and sensitivity mean different things. For instance, in some countries women can work in plants; and that's a different ball-game altogether. We have to recognise that different cultures have different needs and accordingly make changes, be it with regard to hours of work from home or other needs, including security. In India, for example, flexi-packaging is the way to go.
“Successful women at the top will not happen by accident. There needs to be a structure, force and approach to that intent” What qualities does U Flex look for in the youth that it gives jobs to? Also what advice would you give to aspiring young corporate professionals? Humility and humanness. These two qualities are absolutely the deal-clincher for me! They work every time and anytime and give the youth the leeway to learn and grow. At the same time, I would like young people to be grounded and approachable. Also, it is a good idea to read, much beyond the college curriculum. Information is key in today's context. Above all, keep your patience, even when things don't work out the way you would want them to.
What would you call the turning points in your life and career?
Well, there have been so many, the process of learning never stops. My life is a mix of circumstances plus certain deliberate choices. But still, if I had to pick one it would have to be the point at which I was picked up by Tata Steel on campus. I was a small-town student from Dhanbad, Jharkhand and suddenly I was a part of the world of commerce and industry!
Your take on the perpetual work-life balance.
I have very radical thoughts on the subject. Choose to do what you enjoy—and it won't feel like work! Having said that, companies also need to do their bit. Employee engagement programs to address stress are one thing. But hiring the right people for the joy is essential. If we can manage that, the challenges become much easier. Personally, I am a cricket buff and follow and play the game whenever possible. Apart from this I am a diehard dog-lover and look forward to being received by my pets every day. kalyanisardesai@gmail.com
CC
tadka
Salty Fact The word “salary” comes from the Latin word for salt because the Roman Legions were sometimes paid in salt, which was quite literally worth its weight in gold. This is because during roman times, salt was the most demanded commodity in the world.
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 37
woman power
38 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
From StartupS to Success These are women who have found voice within themselves and ventured into uncharted spaces. Undeterred by hurdles they came out unscathed and progressed in their entrepreneurial journey. They are the harbingers of progress who dared to break conventional barriers. In growth they are dreaming, doing, daring and succeeding. In a world nowadays they are on their own. It’s also amazing that they have built entrepreneurship models on a unique need gap, which cleverly only they recognised and identified. Celebrating women who have achieved success as entrepreneurs, the power panel session at the recent summit “WomeNation: Power of Us”, an initiative of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)-Indian Women Network (IWN), at Hotel Trident, in Mumbai, featured a rich discussion. It was addressed by panellist, Susieben Shah, Past Chairperson, Maharashtra State Commission for Women and Founder, Priyadarshini Taxi, Kainaz Messman, Founder, Theobroma Foods, Falguni Nayar, CEO, Nykaa, Mini Menon, Cofounder and Editor, Indy Network, moderated by Sangeeta Singh, Partner, Sanguine Consultants. Corporate Citizen brings to you the rich discussion and motivational addresses by these successful Indian women achievers By Rajesh Rao Why did you become entrepreneurs, when you could have had and you did have the safety and comfort of a successful corporate job?
Pics: Yusuf Khan
Shah: I come from a social and political background. We run a charitable trust called “Stree Shakti Kendra”, where lots of young women, came to me and said that I need to do something for them. These are the women who come from a family whose income is less than rupees ten thousand, per year. They came to me and said that they want to do some work. Young girls—nothing wrong in making pickles, papads and candles, but they wanted to do something different. So, I started training them to drive, but believe me no one would employ them. Women
drivers—obvious remark was that they are bad drivers. But, I believed in them—I believe in stree shakti and I believe in their commitment. They are the strength of Priyadarshini Taxi, today we have 50 of them on road. Each of my women is an entrepreneur and economically independent. When a woman starts earning, she sets the way for better family, better income, better education, and better health. So, I think economic independence increases your social prestige in the family, your world in the family. That said, I thought that Priyadarshini will be need of the hour. All of my women do their best-earn 20 thousand rupees and have become an important part of the society. Economic independence was the driving force.
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 39
Women Power Messman: I grew up in a family which was largely dominated by women. My mother didn’t need to work—we came from a well-to-do family. But, my mother always insisted on working, not to earn money as she had enough of it—but to create a space for herself in the family, as a earning person. Before and after school, she encouraged us to work with her. We saw both our parents working very hard. My family is very enterprising, they encouraged me to chase my own dreams—to start business but to start business for the right reasons. Food is a very big part of my life and it always has been. My mother was in the food business and it is something that I grew up with. Most people want to start dream business but don’t want to put money themselves, want to work whenever and how much they want, and do not want to be answerable to anybody. But, the truth for entrepreneurs is that you have to work harder, longer and do jobs you wish you could delegate to someone else. Everything becomes your responsibility. These are the things my family inculcated in us, right from my childhood. I would tell any woman wanting to start their own business, to understand that you do have rights to do whatever you want, but they come with strings attached. Nayar: I came from a business family, but I chose to be in the corporate world. Initially in my career, for many years I was a consultant, investment banker, stockbroker and I loved it. It was not that I didn’t like it or was fed-up of it—I loved every minute of it. But, somewhere I had in my mind that I want to be an entrepreneur. As an investment banker I met lot of entrepreneurs and I saw them chasing their dreams of creating big studio in India or chain of multiplexes in India. No one believed in them, but they kept going and created value. So, similarly I was looking for my passion and I did believe that multi-brand retail marketing is the way to go—unlike single brand stores pushing their brand and pushing their products. I had the experience of working in US at Sephora International, chain of cosmetics stores, and wanted to bring that to India. I had this plan in mind that when I start my own busi-
ness, it should be when I turn 50. That was the finishing line—decided this was the time I have to start my business. So, around 2012, I decided to give it a start. All of us bankers have what we call, too many handcuffs, too many stock options—it was a hard decision. However, I really needed this and decided I should get started. I also came across the digital world, ecommerce, power of technology and decided to embrace that and do it in a different way compared to what people were used to doing. I was so thank-
business news is 0.3 percent, English movies is 0.2 per cent. We are having a great time, doing some great content, but when we actually looked at it, we realised that we have lot of standards in market, we are not really doing anything for the need-gap that India has and we are not serving the audience at all. Everywhere I went, people kept talking about the need for change and I thought why not try and be that change. Try and do something that really makes a difference in people’s life. And
“All class should participate in public life, in whatever capacity, in whatever ideology. I am a firm believer—in the corporation election there is fifty per cent reservation for women” -Susieben Shah ful that I did that, because today this ability to do multiple things and ready to service every customer, all that comes from the digital technology and ability to scale much higher than what you had earlier thought. Menon: One thing different with me is that I don’t have any family connection in entrepreneurship. My father was in army. The reason I became an entrepreneur, was very simple—I have been a journalist for about 18 years, helped launch three channels and it was out of frustration that I became an entrepreneur. I believed that content is a major thing in a country like India, which is going through such amazing changes and not being able to put out content that you want to see or not having access to content you want to see, it’s really a disappointing thing. Why I became so frustrated? We have over 500 news channels in India and in that the English news business makes the maximum noise. Talking about its share, it is about 0.27 percent of viewership—
“Creativity has to blend with what your audience wants. If it is right for customers, it is right for your business. That balance has to be brought in when you are doing business” -Kainaz Messman 40 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
I was really blessed to be at the right time and right place, because today’s digital platforms offer you the opportunities like never before. So, I don’t need to be from the business background, to be able to create something new and exciting. I need to have a clear sense of what I wanted to do and focus on what I want to do. I realised that I need to make my next 20 years of my life as an entrepreneur. That was a very important decision for me—as I was leaving the comfort of a great job. It’s been a very short journey but every day I learn something I didn’t know. I just touched a humbling idea of being an entrepreneur, where you have to take out lot of learning and there are many more hats.
A good idea must fill a need gap. How do you identify and address the need gap?
Menon: Anybody who has done any business in India will tell you that India is not the 1.2 billion market that you are looking at. India is multiple markets. We are going to create media product for numbers and numbers is going to be the matrix I am engaged with. What we are going to do is create content, which is commoditised, which is at the lowest common denominator. If you see the frenzied discussion during evening time on TV, it is very oriented towards getting the maximum viewership and I think that matrix is wrong. India is a market with many verticals. For example, we are doing India’s first global platform for history and culture. Because, when you are looking at history and culture, what is happening is, we are losing large chunks of what we have of knowledge, of monuments and of everything.
Shah: All class should participate in public life, in whatever capacity, in whatever ideology—I am a firm believer. In the corporation election there is 50 per cent reservation for women. The way Modi government is going, 33 per cent of women are bound to come in parliament—when people like you and me educated women take charge, trust me, the country will change and its direction will change. Believe in yourself, join the public life.
If we take innovation as the central theme for entrepreneurship, can you tell us how you used this inspiration into your entrepreneurial journey?
Nayar: I have to admit that I started my business, like I said it to be a multi-brand retailer for beauty products—although I was not aware of the power of the digital world. But, as I got into it and I realised, it was amazing. On the digital media side, I discovered the power of key. If a customer has visited our website, even if we haven’t managed to convince them to buy, we can track them through the cookies and keep showing them the ads that are very personalised. The cost of acquiring a customer comes down substantially. So, within a short span of three years, Nykaa is plying six million visitors a month to our website. And out of that almost 70-75 percent they come through various mediums. So the brand recognition of Nykaa in the last three years is unprecedented. Innovation in digital marketing was a big learning for me. Similarly, also the power of technology—like 50 per cent of our sales comes through the app. May be a lot of people are not aware of the power of an app. You can just touch it, click it, and most likely it will take you to our website. There is a lot of talk about branding and building a brand in the old world, but there would be a big distance between creating the brand and experiencing the product and the consumption would be many steps away. But online, you are literally one step away from the product and one step away from the cart. So, there are so many innovative approaches emerging from technology and digital world. There is lot of clutter and noise taken out of the system and right product, companies and brands are being shown to you. In many ways, viewers are finding online search very rewarding, because of lot of technological aspects working behind. So, it’s been a big learning of innovation side, for me.
Do you believe your model of leadership and your attributes has helped you in your business?
Messman: In any entrepreneurial venture the role of women is important for clients. Yes there are certain framework for each of this stream, but there are reasons for that framework. And I think, understanding those reasons behind
A renowned social and political activist—she is also an author. A lawyer by qualification, she was much respected and feared chairperson of Maharahtra State Commission for Women. She is deeply involved in several initiatives for women, from counselling, to health, sports, safety, and empowerment. She also runs an initiative called “Ignore no more”, a forum to build awareness and action against violence against women. She also started the Priyadarshini taxi pavilion, which meant to hire women taxi drivers and providing a safe transportation for women. The uncrowned chocolate queen. Kainaz has gone ahead and made Mumbai, a chocolate capital. She made chocolate and desserts, a stupendous business opportunity. She is also one of the fortunate ones, who realised as a young child that she would make a career in food and went about just pursuing that dream. She founded Theobroma over 12 years ago and today they have more than 12 stores spread across Mumbai, credited for making the most delectable desserts. Kainaz has done her post-graduation in hotel management and catering technology. She is the CEO and founder of Nykaa, the one-stop ecommerce shop for beauty and wellness products. Falguni is a IIM-A graduate and is one of the most respected and successful investment bankers in India. She got all education she wanted, without getting intimidated by the fact that investment banking is a man’s world and went to become one of the most successful investment banker. She then used her experience in investment banking, to create something out of nothing and Nykaa was born. Falguni also sits on several company boards. A great CII supporter, Mini is also a journalist, focusing on political, economic and business news. She has won many awards and has been judged as one of the most influential women in Indian market, in advertising and media. She is an international beauty queen, who believes that like any product, media too needs to have a sense of purpose. As a founder of Indy network, she keeps asking herself, what purpose are we serving. She is driven to serve the nation and make a difference through her work.
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 41
Women Power the framework, makes it easier to be compliant. However, in the hospitality industry things are changing very rapidly, because of sudden outburst of food and beverage industry. The rules and regulations have been changing rapidly and very frequently. So, keeping up with it has been a challenge. But, at the same time holding on to your creativity is important. The rules are arbitrary, but it is still the framework that we still have to comply. Anyway, working or doing business in India involves permissions, bureaucracy, and bribes, but you still have to come out of it as unscathed as possible. Being in business it is important to convert your passion into your job and get paid for it. It’s also important in business as an entrepreneur to be financially astute. Passion is very important and I have been lucky that I was able to convert my passion into my job, but having said that it’s also important that your business turns into profit. I cannot just sit on my business and say this is my passion, I like making only French dessert, so I am going to just stick to that and it doesn’t matter what my customers think. Creativity has to blend with what your audience wants. If it is right for customers, it is right for your business. That balance has to be brought in when you are doing business, with your passion against your doing-business sense and also compliance with what law wants. That’s very essential otherwise you will just get lost of trying to make up for everything that you are doing wrong, in terms of going against the law. It’s very important to know the law, understand the law, fit into it as much as you can.
What are some of the hurdles you faced in setting up your entrepreneurial venture?
Shah: I think there are far less hurdles faced by a woman entrepreneur per say than in a corporate job. I am a firm believer and I have seen it in my experience as chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women. There are instances when women aspire to grow and then she reaches out for support, that’s when she suffers sexual harassment and harassment at workplace. As long as she is nurse, very good, but the day she desires to be top of the nursing department, she is
in trouble. As long as she is a manager in the corporate world its good, but the minute she aspires to be a director, her problem begins. Therefore, I believe that as an entrepreneur there are far less hurdles faced than a corporate woman. To all of us who are here and we are despite and in spite of the government. The government has startup, standup and special funds for women—try to apply for one. How easy is it for women to get the funds? It’s not easy for a woman to churn out a lakh of rupees. When the percentage of women owning property is less than one per cent, how is she going
“I was fortunate to have born in a family where girls were treated at par with boys and I never believed that there are any constraints for thinking or dreaming of anything” -Falguni Nayar 42 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
to get 25 lakhs for business. For a woman, to generate collateral for 25 lakhs, again she will have to go to the men of the family, friend’s family—how can she become an entrepreneur. Therefore women should take whatever help she gets. When I started Priyadarshini, I celebrated my birthdays and anniversaries and if someone would ask, what is that you want, I would ask for the down payment to buy a car. That is how I gathered my first 15 lakhs. So, today we despite or in spite of being women, we are all-women enterprise with over 100 women working together, doing a great job, driving best of cars. So, I have broken two myths, that women are bad drivers and if more than five women get together, they can’t stay together. Menon: Media industry in India is so young, we are still experimenting. My first report as reporter—I was straight out of college—I supposed to go to Nizamuddin area in Delhi, to find out what people there were talking about Babri Masjid demolition. I was a young girl, who was going deep into the city and asking very tough questions. But, I never thought I was a woman—my cameraperson was after a time a bit uncomfort-
“The feeling that women can’t do this or can’t do that, they are all actually false—women can do anything and everything. It’s really about how much we can shake the comfort zone that we are in.” -Mini Menon to dream, pursue our dreams and do what it takes to pursue our dreams—then it will be very empowering thing. Because very often women are afraid to dream—whatever the gain could be, do not let it get constrained by circumstances. We have equal right to dream it and make it happen. Even when I started my own business, lot of people said “Are you sure” or “It may sound like a midlife crisis” and I said why. Actually, it was my daughter, who said that pursue it like a journey.
Do you all struggled to build gender diversity in your organisations?
able but I was like going on. That’s the training we get in media. You have been to the remotes corners of India reporting, you never think yourself as a woman or a man—gender didn’t really matter. So, whatever inhibitions you have it’s in your mind. The feeling that women can’t do this or can’t do that, they are all actually false—women can do anything and everything. It’s really about how much we can shake the comfort zone that we are in. What Oprah Winfrey has said has been my motto for life—you live once, live your best life and you can’t compromise with yourself.
How do you handle your own work, life and family balance?
Nayar: I was fortunate to have born in a family where girls were treated at par with boys and I never believed that there are any constraints for thinking or dreaming of anything. As I started working, I would see that lot of women are not ready to imbue, they are afraid of commitment to work and they hesitate. I feel women are very afraid to ask for their share of family wealth for their business. Lot of these constraints are there in women’s minds and all I can say and also believe that we only have one life. We should be allowed
Messman: It’s not without any hurdles—I think it’s the mind-set and culture that you create in the area that you work in. It’s not that we haven’t had issues. When there is an environment where issues are discussed, they are handled with right care and it’s not just brushed under the carpet. If we had any issues we haven’t addressed, we not only talk to the person committing sexual fault or whatever it is, but also to the entire staff in general—you have to understand that—at least in my field the staff I deal with in the kitchens—people come from different strata of society. Rather than treating them with disdain, it is about educating them, talking to them, and mentoring them. That’s really how we have tackled as a company and made the environment more easy for women to work in. Ultimately, what has to happen is that women and men have to work side-by-side and create an environment for themselves. Nayar: Though our business is beauty, there is lot of diversity as we get men also to work for us. We do have equal number of men and women working for us, so it is equally balanced. While we have lot of talented women in our team and many of them are very committed, I find that there are 2-3 skill-sets they lack. What I find is that women don’t like to negotiate and every time there is a negotiation, they do all the work and they want a male boss to go and negotiate. I keep telling the women staff to learn the art of negotiation. The other thing is that they are also afraid of business networking. They work very hard in the office, but when time comes to go and build some relationship to help in the long run, they are not
ready to go, they feel shy. So, some of these skills are very important for the overall development and success. Against that there are many skills that women have like creativity and commitment. Menon: I believe in gender neutrality. My biggest challenge is getting people committed on this kind of subject, men or women. I think for our psyche our education system has not kept pace. It’s really sad and I feel youngsters to come out and have a look for the depth and width of knowledge. That is the biggest challenge. I just sent a young architecture student to Badami in Karnataka, to do a story on the monuments over there and I actually spent sleepless nights because I was so concerned about her safety, as she was going all alone. I think we need to really address the safety of women. It’s not the fact that women can’t work, but it’s really sad that their safety concern is getting worse. It wasn’t so bad when I was reporting. Shah: Women should empower themselves. There are exceptions for women—we have protection against domestic violence, we have sexual harassment act, there are various provisions for women under the IPC, we have independent succession act, we are equal partners in our husbands and fathers properties. We must all empower ourselves, know our rights and it’s only then we will be able to fight for them. rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com
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India, Good Ground for Expats
India has the highest ratio of expats on international assignment and expats living in India are the 3rd largest paid community in the world. An HSBC survey stated that the average salary of foreigners living in India was $145,057, in a poll of almost 27,000 expats in 100 countries. India attracts more expat entrepreneurs than Asia Pacific. 11% of expats India moved to set up a business as against 5% across Asia Pacific.
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 43
passion K. Madhavan
Managing Director, Peps Industries Pvt Ltd
Mastering leisure and life
For K Madhavan, Managing Director, Peps Industries Pvt Ltd, buoying up his ante on 'Great Sleep Stores' across India, he definitely knows the key to ‘stress busting’. Being at the helms of Coimbatore-based inner spring mattress manufacturing company, Peps Industries Pvt Ltd, he has been associated with building mattresses for over 30 years and his links with the ‘Peps’ brand has taken the concept of healthy sleep beyond mere mattresses and pillows. Peps Industries, which began operations in 2010, has close to 56% market share in the spring mattresses segment. Plans are to extend its lines to bed sheets, fitting sheet to absorb sweat, duvets and large-scale quilts panels et al. It is estimated that the company produces close to over two lakh mattresses annually and operates three plants, including the prime unit at Coimbatore. The company has recently developed an app that calculates what pressure points the mattress should take in a scientific manner as part of good ‘sleep’ technology. He realised that with India’s workforce becoming a part of the global community and economy, the demands of a modern 24/7 life would generate fatigue and burnout in the long run. And since then, he has steered to promote Peps as a brand that could go beyond bedding and accessories to become an entire ‘Sleep Solutions Company’. As with corporate branding and strategy, he speaks of his hobbies as his commitment for a good life. So, when not testing mattresses on beds, Mr Madhavan is tending to his garden, playing tennis or creating artwork on canvas; besides running his corporate life By Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar 44 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
K
Madhavan had envisaged the perils of a 24/7 work-life society, way back in 2007, and whipped up a strategy to defatigue a nation that would be clamouring for a restful ‘slumber’. As for him, his fatigue is taken care of either by tending to his garden, volleying on tennis court or brushing up strokes on canvas. “Playing tennis and visiting my garden are part of my every day routine. So, I make sure I spend at least 1.5 hours a day with these passions of mine,” said Madhavan.
Green Fingers Drive the Blues Away
Gardening was a passion which Madhavan had picked up way back in the 1980s when he worked alongside his father in Bangaluru. “As a young boy, my father would take me to the fields and explain in detail how gardening
As a young boy, my father would take me to the fields and explain in detail how gardening works. I fondly remember, he would make me carry buckets of water to each and every plant since there were no hoses in those days dearly. But, that is something I have no idea how I picked it up as no one in my family does it,” he says. However, his hobbies remain part of his inner space not to be shared much with those outside his domain. “I don’t generally even share my hobbies with others, as I consider it a personal experience,” he reveals.
Nurturing Art
works. I fondly remember, he would make me carry buckets of water to each and every plant since there were no hoses in those days.” An ardent gardener, Madhavan says, “I enjoy gardening the most, as it makes me feel like I am one with nature. The feeling of nature all around me arouses in me a feeling of sublime satisfaction. Also, it is an excellent stress remover. Back then, Bangaluru was much more spacious as well. For someone with green fingers, it is unique to find equal passion in enjoying a robust sport like tennis; as also wield a paintbrush with equal ease and eagerness. Each of my hobbies is a major stress buster. I play tennis early in the morning as well as in the evening. It helps me find my focus and blur out everything else around me.”
Hobbies in Hand
Tennis for Madhavan is a relatively new passion, but no less invigorating. “When my elder son
was about four years, I wanted to enroll him for a sport and we chanced upon tennis. Since I had a membership at a club that had a tennis court, I thought it would be good to use it, as it helped me get off my desk and break the monotony of my day. Painting is a hobby I consider
“I have developed this habit, wherein, every time I visit a foreign country and I spend time in the art galleries there, attend events and try to meet the artists myself. I believe paintings give a new dimension to things and even have a collection of paintings myself. Currently, I am working on a Kerala mural painting myself.” His hobbies, especially painting have helped him imbibe a deep sense of creativity within himself. In fact, his artistic bent enables him to involve in the creative storyboard for his ‘Peps’ advert campaigns. “At work, I actively participate in building the creative for the Peps advertisements and promotional activities.” At times, he attempts to establish connect with his employees via his artwork. “I sometimes share my paintings with the employees as I think it can help us connect on a deeper level.” He derives a sense of pride when his family compliments him for his artwork. “When guests come over to my house, my family takes great pride in showing them my paintings. And, they always seem amused at how I am able to juggle my work and passions at the same time. This makes me feel happy as it reminds me that I am not wasting the precious time that I have been given in this world-that I have mastered the secret of time management.” sangeetagd2010@gmail.com
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 45
Loved & Married too
Heena Sidhu proudly displays her medal and equally proud, her husband and coach Ronak Pandit stands by her
46 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
It is not often these days that a college romance fructifies into 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
Straight to the point:
Hearing it from
Heena
Two times Olympian, and the first Indian pistol shooter to be ranked World Number 1 by the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF), Dr Heena Sidhu is a sportswoman of staggering achievements. A dentist by training and shooter by instinct-she wears her formidable honors lightly and gracefully. Here she is talking about the many dichotomies of her life and career: A sportswoman who believed she didn’t have what it took to excel at any sport, but went onto become the first Indian shooter to appear on the ISSF magazine cover; a studious little girl who wasn’t content scoring high at school and became a dentist, and a persona who bears the emotional pressure of a super-competitive sport with as cool head as possible. And while she’s at it-she has a lot to say about husband and coach Ronak Pandit (a reputed shooter himself) who has been a part of her fabulous journey, all the way. “It’s a fine balance between one’s personal and professional life, but we are friends, and we manage,” she shares. “It helps that he comes from the same sport”
S
By Kalyani Sardesai
he is one of those whose husband partners her at work, apart from being her spouse at home. Ask her if she's living out the 'nightmare' of many women who would not want to work with their husbands in the interests of world peace, and ace shooter Heena Sidhu laughs out aloud But then, what follows is a response as honest as it gets. No, she says, the main challenge is not the ego hassles that arise with it, or having a spouse who's calling the shots, given the nature of the coach-student equation. "It's about managing to have a personal life with your coach, who also happens to be your spouse," she says. "It's a fine line to walk, and not always easy, because what happens in the shooting range does tend to come back home." But she's grateful for his support, and the fact that
they belong to the same sport. "He understands me and my challenges, great and small. Yes, little conflicts do arise but that's ok," she says fondly. "For instance, when my gun needs to be fixed or reset, he simply takes over and asks me to sit back, as it's his job as my coach to keep the weapon shipshape. I grumble, because it's my pistol at the end of the day, and I know exactly how to customise it to my precise requirements," she grins. But then she understands his point of view too. "I mean being a shooter himself, I guess there must be moments when he feels: O! Let me have that gun. I can do better myself," she says. So, amidst the chaos of being newly married and the rough and tumble of never ending tournaments, there must be moments when she feels like shooting him? She laughs-but shakes her head. "No. As professional shooters, we aim at the target. Not at peoFebruary 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 47
Loved & Married too Heena at a glance 27-year-old Heena Sidhu is the first Indian Pistol shooter to be Ranked World No.1 by ISSF in 2014. She is also the first Indian Pistol shooter to have won a Gold medal in the 2013 ISSF World Cup Finals -Pistol in 10 metre air pistol event. She thus became the third Indian shooter after Anjali Bhagwat (2003) and Gagan Narang (2008) to win a Gold medal in a Rifle/Pistol World Cup Finals. Heena Sidhu is also the first Indian shooter who has appeared on the ISSF magazine's cover page for the first time ever since the National Rifle Association of India was formed on 17 Apr 1951. Growing up in a Punjabi home in Ludhiana, she is married to award winning shooter Ronak Pandit since 2013 and currently lives in Mumbai.
Heena Sidhu in action in shooting range
ple.... Never, ever at people," she says emphatically. (If that's not a statement on using power responsibly-what is?) For his part, Ronak-having been through the pace of competition-realizes only too well, the importance of having her relax and keep a clear head. After all, before he started his own shooting centre, he was a silver medalist at the Asian games-not to forget equipped with the understanding that comes with being the son of Arjuna awardee and ace shooter Ashok Pandit. In 2003, Ronak was conferred the Shiv Chhatrapati Krida Puraskar by the Government
of Maharashtra for his excellence in sports, and though he went to win many a tournament, he wanted to give back. And what better way than to teach? Ronak first started his new role as a coach in 2008 and today his students (including Heena) have excelled on various fora. (A dozen medals at the national and state shooting championships to be sure, apart from Heena's achievements.) Both husband and wife are firm about approaching the sport with utmost discipline and fortitude. "The Olympics are the biggest platform there is for any sportsperson. And the one reason it
Heena Sidhu and contingent of Indian sportspersons with Prime Minister Narendra Modi
48 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
ribute t n o c e peopl trainer, y n a “So m urney: my and jo h to my trainer, coac also l menta erapist. I am rt on th e physio find an exp one to e to trying hanics, som nd and c ta biome e how to s ctive fe m show the most ef n point i way� le possib is so is that we attach our emotions to it. When I go out there to compete, be it in London or Rio-I carry the expectations of a billion people with me. I know that how I perform out there will reflect on my people. The important thing, therefore, is to disengage yourself from all emotion and just do what you are supposed to," says Heena. By the way, it's Dr Heena Sidhu-few people know that she's a qualified dentist, and how her life has been as much a journey into the unknown-as it has been about the very visible and much-known path of success.
On how it all started
Growing up in a typical Punjabi Indian family
in Ludhiana-which nevertheless-allowed her a liberal upbringing, Heena grew up in a happy little home. In those days, she was the academically inclined little scholar, and her brother, the accomplished cricketer who went out on tournaments and came back with shining cups for his efforts. "To my mind that was so much more exciting than scoring 90 per cent in the exams," she smiles. Keen to prove her mettle-she tried her hand at different sports, including shot put, tennis and swimming. "And I was hopeless at all of them. After failing to make a mark in any of them, I despaired of doing well at any, given I was physically quite weak. My parents, for their part, looked on in silence-never stopping me from trying anything out, but knowing for sure that this was simply to keep up with my sibling," she says. Somewhere along the way, she developed a passion for guns. Her uncle was a licensed gun trader who dealt in, and customised various guns for customers. "I was fascinated by them, and wanted to try my hand shooting with all of them. I'd even offer to repair them and get to know all about them," she smiles at the memory. But it was in the year of her Xth boards that she really got serious about shooting. "I'd be studying close to 14 hours a day. Shooting with various guns was an excellent way to relax, and that's how it all began," she says. "I did not see it as a sport though. At that age, guns were all about power," she grins. But she was a natural shot, and driven by a compelling passion to do well, the rest is history. Even so, she says, she trained really hard, working on both her mental and physical fitness.
off in the months leading up to the main event. There's a sound logic behind this phenomenon. No matter how much you decide not to let distractions get in, they do... "Take for instance, this friend of mine, who messaged me after the Olympics, questioning me as to my whereabouts. He asked me as to what he ought to do about the long Facebook post he had already composed for me-but could not put up. Honestly, I did not know what to say to him. It's not as if he
Beautiful moments to cherish for lifetime : the pretty couple at their wedding
'A supportive family can take you far'
Heena insists that her struggle was greatly eased by growing up in a home where both she and her brother were free to pursue their goals. "So, to that extent, the pressure, if any way was sub-surface. My parents were and are pretty open that way," she says. Talking of delicious ironies, she's the accomplished sportsperson today, and her brother a dedicated academic, almost nearly making it to the coveted tech-school MIT.
On the importance of keeping one's cool
"Like everyone else, I saw the movie on boxer Mary Kom too. I know Mary well enough, and I'd like to point out that unlike what is shown in the movie, high emotion is not what takes an athlete places," she smiles. But every athlete spends years working on their sport, and thus, it is only natural to keep thinking of how it's all going to pan out on D-Day. "Keeping cool at all times is imperative. We have mental trainers to help us to keep our anxieties and conflicts in check," she says. "Every now and then, you read in the papers about how an X athlete has his or her phone switched
Passion for shooting strengthen the bonds between Heena Sidhu and Ronak Pandit
wanted to put me down in anyway, or discourage me-no. It's just that he did not understand. He's not a sportsperson himself; he's just someone I shared a bench with in dental college and honestly, beyond a point one cannot communicate what one actually goes through standing in the range," she expresses. .
On her mantras for success
"Three things are essential. The first is having a plan; it is absolutely basic, so you know from what point you started to where you are headed. From A to B to C to Z, I try to cover all ground. I do this keeping mind the various things that could happen in a day-I could be sick, I could miss my bus, or simply not be at my best. Secondly, it is important for a sportsperson to surround himself or herself with experts. As
the saying goes: "If you're the smartest person in the room, chances are that you are in the wrong room." I totally believe that. So many people contribute to my journey: my trainer, mental trainer, coach and physiotherapist. I am also trying to find an expert voice on biomechanics; someone to show me how to stand and point in the most effective possible way. Thirdly, taking regular breaks is the key to avoid burnout. I know people who just don't do that; training non-stop, weeks on end. The result? Injuries galore-plus they start resenting the sport. This would not happen, if only they took a break and returned refresh. So many times, I see people on the range who want to break, but push themselves simply because others are continuing. This is wrong. Each individual has a different tipping point; and the trick is to know when to take a break, before you actually take a break. That to my mind is the crux of being a sportsperson."
One message for all powerful women
"I feel the most powerful message, which I can give from my experience is that you need to follow your own dreams. I was lucky enough to start shooting. Had I followed what my parents expected of me, I would have been a dentist, but honestly, I don't think I would have been happy with that. Realise your own strengths and weaknesses, and follow your own heart. Do the same for your kids. Let them take their own decisions; stumble a bit on their own. Don't prescribe to preset notions of what your child ought to do, for each one evolves at their own pace. Lastly, it is my firm belief that empowering and educating women means empowering and educating the next generation." kalyanisardesai@gmail.com
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 49
Campus Placement
Learn from
mistakes
Anoma Damle, student of a city college, succeeded in bagging not one but two coveted placements and decided to opt for Subex, but not before she made mistakes in an earlier placement process. Work to make interactions fruitful, and be prepared to change your approach if it fails, says Anoma Damle... By Joe Williams
F
ailures are not setbacks but challenges, is what Anoma Damle believes. Amending her approach when it did not take off well with her placement with HCL, her changed approach made her the first student from a city college to strike it with two campus placements. This Delhi-based student who did her MBA at a local college was picked up by Idea Cellular as well as by Subex. While she was selected as a telecom consultant in the first, she preferred the second, for the Corporate Relations team. Anoma did her schooling from Amity International School, Delhi, and also took part in the Model United Nations conference during school days and won the award of ‘best delegate’. She was also the president of ISTE (Indian Society of Technical Education) during her engineering course. Corporate Citizen caught up with her to find out about her journey in academics and her new venture in the corporate world.
On the placement process
“My placement process was a complete roller coaster ride. My journey with Subex did not start on the day of the process, but even much before. It all started when Dr Dimple Saini, our Corporate Relations director, asked me to coordinate with Subex’s Chief People Officer Mohan Sitharam who was visiting our college for the first time, during my tenure as an MBA student here. It was under the guidance and constant support of Dimple ma’am that I had started preparing in a way that interactions turn out to be fruitful. And finally, the interaction did prove a success, as Subex visited our campus for hiring. I remember the day I had gone to receive Mohan 50 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
Sitharam from the hotel to the college for his lecture. On his way to the college he asked me, what was that one thing I did really well apart from my MBA. ‘I like to participate in debates and I can convey things well,’ was my reply. ‘Can you see the honeycomb there on the road? Say something about it in a way that I feel convinced,’ was Sitharam’s query. And I had replied, ‘Sir all our lives we have been wishing for books and teachings from gurus to know the
Anoma with her friends
Anoma with her family
When I had faced rejection the first time, my self-confidence went low, and the fear of rejection loomed large. But the very next day I mustered up courage and wrote down on paper what mistakes I had made. I started working even harder for the next process” important lessons of life, but if we look closely, nature teaches us everything. Bees work together as a team their entire life to collect the sweet nectar, teaching us that it’s teamwork that pays at the end, and also no honey comb is built in a day. We must have patience as we put our effort, as it will pay off one day.’ ‘I really like the way you made the pitch,’ he had said. And when Subex came for the campus process I was really confident due to my earlier interaction and knew exactly what the organisation wanted and thus nailed it on the final day.”
On placement jitters …
“I would be dishonest if I said I didn’t have any. When I had faced rejection the first time, from HCL, my self confidence went low, and the fear of rejection loomed large. But the very next day I mustered up courage and wrote down on paper what mistakes I had made. I started working even harder for the next process and in no time at all I cracked Idea Cellular, and exactly a week after that I got my second offer from Subex. Everybody will have fear during placement. The important thing to remember is to always make your fear work for you and not against you.”
On her new journey…
“I make sure I prepare for whatever is required and plan to take up challenges and work as a team, which will make a big difference.”
Six tricks for a successful placement ¿
Always be updated on the current issues and their impact on the business
On her success…
“I credit my success first to my parents who have put in effort to nurture me. Also since my both my parents were working, it was my grandfather (Shivcharan) who never missed even a single parent teacher meeting or the competitions I participated in, be it my debates, symposia or sports events in my entire academic career. He has been my backbone and I must not miss mentioning the efforts and sacrifice he made for me. My teachers, especially Bala Sir, my corporate relations director Dr Dimple Saini and my friends Ankita, Arindam, Surbhi, Munmoon and Nandani who never left me alone during my tough times.”
¿
Your presence of mind counts a lot during interviews so make sure you are relaxed ¿
Take rejections positively and prepare better for the next process ¿
Be a believer of your dreams ¿
Try to be active in extracurricular activities as well, along with your studies ¿
Respect your teachers and peers as they are your biggest motivators
On her family…
“My father (D B Damle) is a doctor by profession and is also the Director of IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University), while my mother (Pragya) works with the Delhi Police and is right now taking care of the domestic violence cell for women. Aalvee Damle, my younger sister, is currently at NIFT and pursuing her designing, and brother, Samyak is appearing for his XII board exams this year.” Joe78662@gmail.com
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India preferred market despite demonetisation disruption India continues to be the preferred market within Asia, despite disruptions caused by recent demonetisation drive, as the economy is in transition towards greater formalisation, lesser corruption, better infrastructure and improved governance—says the recent Japanese brokerage, Nomura report.
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 51
#Oxfam Report 2017
Eight men own the same wealth as the poorest half of the world
Wealth creation has never been as high as it is now. The problem is, wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few, while the rest of the world’s population languishes in abject poverty. Oxfam, an international confederation of charitable organizations focused on the alleviation of global poverty, has come out with a scathing report on income distribution around the world. Corporate Citizen brings you the results of the survey
It
has been four years since the World Economic Forum identified rising economic inequality as a major threat to social stability, and three years since the World Bank twinned its goal for ending poverty with the need for shared prosperity. Since then, and despite world leaders signing up to a global goal to reduce inequality, the gap between the rich and the rest has widened. As US President Obama told the UN General Assembly in his departing speech in September 2016: -A world where 1% of humanity controls as much wealth as the bottom 99% will never be stable. Despite these efforts, the global inequality crisis has gone completely out of hand. Consider these statistics. Since 2015, the richest 1% has owned more wealth than the rest of the planet put together. Eight men now own the same amount of wealth as the poorest half of the world. Over the next 20 years, 500 people will hand over $2.1 trillion to their heirs – a sum larger than the GDP of India, a country of 1.3 billion people. In Vietnam, the country’s richest man earns more in a day than the poorest person earns in 10 years. Left unchecked, growing inequality threatens to pull our societies apart. It increases crime and insecurity, and undermines the fight to end poverty.
52 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 53
#Oxfam Report 2017
Growth of Poverty Hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of poverty in recent decades, an achievement of which the world should be proud. Yet one in nine people still go to bed hungry. In the diagram, the orange line represents collective financial growth, and the blue line represents individual income growth. The incomes of the poorest 10% of people increased by $65 between 1988 and 2011, equivalent to less than $3 extra a year, while the incomes of the richest 1% increased 182 times as much, by $11,800. Oxfam’s research has revealed that over the last 25 years, the top 1% has gained more income than the bottom 50% put together, and almost half (46%) of total income growth went to the richest 10%. This is important because the poorest 10% of the global population still live below the extreme poverty line of $1.90 a day.
Growth of global incomes by decile, 1988–2011
absolute income growth per capita (US$ 2005 PPP)
% income growth per capita„
Wealth distribution highly uneven In January 2014, Oxfam calculated that just 85 people had the same amount of wealth as the bottom half of humanity. This year they found that the wealth of the bottom 50% of the global population was lower than previously estimated, and it takes just eight individuals to equal their total wealth holdings. In other words, just eight men own the same wealth as the poorest half of the world. There is more debt in the very poorest group and fewer assets in the 30–50% percentiles of the global population. Last year it was estimated that the cumulative share of wealth of the poorest 50% was 0.7%; this year it is 0.2%.
Share of wealth across the poorest 50% of the global population 70% of people in the bottom 50% live in low-income countries. The total net debt of the bottom 50% of the global population is also just 0.4% of overall global wealth, or $1.1 trillion. If you ignore the net debt, the wealth of the bottom 50% is $1.5 trillion. It still takes just 56 of the wealthiest individuals to equal the wealth of this group. Share of wealth across the poorest 50% of the global population
Poorest 10%
2
3
4
5
Poorest 50%
2015 calculations
-0.3
0.1
0.1
0.3
0.5
0.7
2015 UPDATED
-0.4
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.2
2016 data
-0.4
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.2
54 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
The growing wage gap Within the labour share, wage disparities have been growing. Wages in low-skill sectors in particular have been falling behind productivity in emerging economies and stagnating in many rich countries, while wages at the top continue to grow. The CEO of India’s top information firm earns 416 times the salary of a typical employee. In developed economies, greater wage inequality has been the single most important driver of income inequality, while among countries where inequality has fallen, the trend was frequently driven by strong growth in real wages at the bottom. In the case of Brazil, between 2001 and 2012 real wages of the bottom 10% increased more than those of the top 10%, thanks to progressive minimum-wage policies. In many developing countries where wage
disparities are growing, the pay gap between workers with different skills and education levels is a key driver of inequality. Highly skilled workers with more education see their incomes rise, while low-skilled workers see their wages reduced. This gap accounts for 25–35% of income inequality in Asia. Wage workers in Nepal earned just $73 per month in 2008, followed by $119 in Pakistan (2013) and $121 in Cambodia (2012). Due to the low wage levels, the latter two countries are also among those with the highest incidence of working poverty worldwide. In Denmark, an employee flipping burgers for Burger King earns $20 an hour. A US employee in the same company, but denied the bargaining opportunity enjoyed by her Danish colleague, gets just $8.90. India, it is less than $0.50 an hour.
Women remain worse off There are significant gender differences when it comes to the winners and losers of the growing income gap, with women more likely to find themselves in the bottom half of the income distribution. Worldwide, the chances for women to participate in the labour market remain almost 27% points lower than those for men. In the Middle East and North Africa, just one-quarter of women participate in the labour force, and in South Asia one-third do, compared with three-quarters
of men in these regions. Once in the labour market, women are more likely than men to be in jobs not protected by labour legislation. In formal jobs, women consistently earn less than men. The 2016 edition of World Economic Forums annual report on the gender gap finds that the gap in economic participation has in fact got wider in the last year, and estimates that it will take 170 years for women to be paid the same as men.
% of women in the top 10% income group
% of women in the top 1% income group
Share of unpaid care work done by women (latest year)
Spain 2010
33%
22%
63%
Denmark 2013
31%
16%
57%
Canada 2013
30%
22%
61%
New Zealand 2013
29%
19%
65%
Italy 2014
29%
20%
75%
UK 2013
28%
18%
65%
Australia 2012
25%
22%
64%
Norway 2013
22%
14%
57%
The role of multinational companies in driving the inequality crisis Businesses are bigger than ever. In terms of revenue, 69 of the 100 biggest entities are now corporations, not countries. The world’s 10 biggest corporations-a list that includes Walmart, Shell and Apple-have a combined revenue greater than the government revenue of 180 poorest countries combined, in a list which includes Ireland, Indonesia, Israel, Colombia, Greece, South Africa, Iraq and Vietnam.
Apple minimizes material and labour costs to maximize its profits (Apple iPhone 2010)112
Apple profits Other profits Cost of Raw Material Cost of Labour
neeraj.varty07@gmail.com February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 55
Health
Beware,
Women
Smokers
oking and young women sm rls gi ge lle co of r be m g can have The increase in the nu alth concern. Smokin he ic bl pu of r te at of women. m cigarettes is a d reproductive health an l ra ne ge e th on .. ts detrimental effec benefits of quitting it. d an g in ok sm of s er Read on for the dang
Some of the effects of tobacco smoke on the female reproductive system include: Reduced fertility Menstrual cycle irregularities, absence of menstruation and menstrual cramps Menopause reached one or two years earlier Increased risk of cancer of the cervix and vulva and If the smoker is aged over 35 years and taking the oral contraceptive pill, the risk of stroke and heart attack increases.
Reduced fertility
Smoking is associated with an increased risk of infertility, for both women attempting to become pregnant for the first time (primary infertility) and women who have previously been pregnant (secondary infertility). Women who smoke also have a poorer response to in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Smokers have an increased risk for ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage. Ectopic pregnancy occurs when the fertilised eggs implants and begins to grow outside the uterus, usually
56 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
in the fallopian tube. The embryo needs to be surgically removed and the damaged tube needs to be repaired or removed.
Menstrual cycle irregularities, absence of menstruation and menstrual cramps Smokers may experience more menstrual cramps and discomfort than non-smokers. Some studies suggest that smoking may be associated with a greater likelihood of menstrual irregularity. Smokers also tend to have a shorter menstru-
al cycle than non-smokers.
Menopause reached one or two years earlier
Women who smoke reach menopause approximately two years earlier than non-smoking women and may experience more menopausal symptoms, including hot flushes, sweats and insomnia. Postmenopausal women who smoke also tend to have lower bone density and therefore have a higher risk of getting a hip fracture compared to women who have never smoked.
“A ltho ugh you may be fee ling disa ppo inte d, you shou ld take prid e in wha t you hav e ach ieve d. Eve ry day you spen t smo ke- free mad e you r body hea lthie r and help ed to brea k you r hab it” cigarette, despite the cravings, the habit, the pressure and your own emotional reasons.
Common warning signs
You think ‘Just one would be OK’ or ‘It’d be great to smoke just one a month or one a week’. But why weren't you smoking just one a week before you quit? Because, tobacco is extremely addictive. That's why you had to work hard to quit. Don't let nicotine control you again! You're really missing smoking and question whether quitting is worth the effort. Quitting can be really tough, but you can get through it. Find other ways to treat yourself and keep doing things that you enjoy every day. You take puffs of other people's cigarettes but excuse it as ‘not really smoking'. It's only a matter of time before you find yourself buying a pack. Ask your friends and family not to give you cigarettes.
If you have a cigarette
Don't let one cigarette lead you back into full-time smoking. Think of how long you have gone without a cigarette and tell yourself ‘I am determined to quit. I have only slipped up once. In the past, I would have smoked 15 a day. I can get back on track and give it up’.
If you go back to regular smoking
The risk of early menopause increases with the more cigarettes your smoke. Quitting smoking will reduce the risk of early menopause.
Increased risk of cancer of the cervix and vulval
Women who smoke are at double the risk of suffering cervical cancer compared to women who have never smoked. The risk remains considering other risk factors for cervical cancer like infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV), a likely factor in most cases. The
risk of developing cervical cancer increases the longer you smoke and more cigarettes you smoke. Smoking is also associated with increased risk of cancer of the vulva. While vulval cancer is rare, around 40% of cases in Australia are thought to be caused by smoking.
Identifying warning signs and overcoming setbacks
Having ‘just one’ is the way that most people go back to regular smoking. Quitting means resisting the urge to smoke even one
Don't despair. Plan another date to quit as soon as possible. Most people who have quit smoking for good have made several serious attempts. It may take you a while to learn to be a non-smoker. Although you may be feeling disappointed, you should take pride in what you have achieved. Every day you spent smoke-free made your body healthier and helped to break your habit and weaken your addiction. Keeping your good habits will help weaken your addiction for your next attempt. If you have made your home and car smoke-free,
keep them that way. Try to delay your first cigarette of the day with a new morning routine, for example, have a shower and breakfast first.
Benefits of quitting
You will feel the benefits of quitting straight away as your body repairs itself. Depending on the number of cigarettes you smoke, typical benefits of stopping are: After 12 hours almost all of the nicotine is out of your system After 24 hours the level of carbon monoxide in your blood has dropped dramatically. You now have more oxygen in your bloodstream After five days most nicotine by-products have gone Within days your sense of taste and smell improves Within a month your blood pressure returns to its normal level and your immune system begins to show signs of recovery Within two months your lungs will no longer be producing extra phlegm caused by smoking After 12 months your increased risk of dying from heart disease is half that of a continuing smoker Stopping smoking reduces the incidence and progression of lung disease including chronic bronchitis and emphysema After 10 years of stopping your risk of lung cancer is less than half that of a continuing smoker and continues to decline (provided the disease is not already present) After 15 years, the risk of heart attack and stroke is almost as much as a person who has never smoked. Quitting smoking can be a most difficult, yet rewarding things a person can do. Most smokers say they would like to quit, and may have tried at least once. Some are successful the first time, but many other people try a number of times before they finally give up for good. (This article is sourced from http:// www.quitnow.gov.au/)
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 57
Pearls of Wisdom
58 58 // Corporate CorporateCitizen Citizen // February February16-28, 16-28,2017 2017
The Rigidity of
Perfection
By Swami Chaitanya Keerti
Perfectionism is a neurotic idea. An intelligent person will understand that life is an adventure, a constant exploration. Perfectionists take life as a puzzle and look for solutions. But for the wise, life is a mystery to be lived with a sense of wonder
R
ecently I read a story: ‘My name is Paul and I am a recovering perfectionist. I am also recovering from depression. The two are connected. I had been trying to do too much, too well, trying to please too many people, expecting too much of myself for too long, putting too much pressure on myself, creating too much stress. That’s a lot of “too much” for one person. My self-esteem took a battering, I stopped looking forward to anything and I felt like I was useless and hopeless.’ And he goes on with his story. This is not the story of Paul alone. The world is full of such Pauls. They are going neurotic with such desires of being perfectionists and end up in the ditch of depression. What is the solution? The wise tell us that the world is perfect as it is. You cannot ask for more. But some people are never satisfied. They want to improve things. They are so obsessed with their idea of perfection that they would improve upon God’s creation too. Their obsession drives others crazy. Here’s an interesting anecdote: A king passing through a small town saw what he took to be indications of amazing marksmanship. On trees, barns and fences there were many archery boards, each with a bullet hole in the bulls’ eye. He could not believe his eyes. It was almost a miracle of achievement. He himself was a good marksman and had known many great marksmen in his life, but never seen anything like this. He wanted to meet the expert. He turned out to be a madman. ‘This is sensational! How in the world do you do it?’ he asked the madman. ‘I am a good shooter too, but cannot match your skill. Please tell me!’ ‘Easy as pie!’ said the madman, laughing uproariously. ‘I shoot first and draw the circles in later!’ Osho tells us not to be perfectionists. He says that perfectionism is the root cause of all neurosis. Unless humanity gets rid of the very idea of perfection, it will never ever be sane. The very idea of perfection has driven the whole of mankind to a state of utter madness. To think in terms of perfection means that you are thinking in terms of ideology, goals, values, should, should nots… you have a certain pattern to fulfil, else you feel immensely guilty. And the pattern is bound to be such that you cannot achieve it. If you do achieve it, then it
will not be of much value to your ego! Perfectionism is a neurotic idea. An intelligent person will understand that life is an adventure, a constant exploration. That is its very joy! Perfection means a full stop. Perfection means ultimate death. There is no way to go beyond it. Perfectionists take life as a puzzle and look for solutions. But for the wise, life is a mystery to be lived with a sense of wonder. You should be perfectly and acutely aware of the difference between a mystery and a problem. A problem is something created by the mind but a mystery is something which is already there. A problem has some ugliness in it, like a disease. A mystery on the other hand, is beautiful. With a problem, fights arise. Something is wrong and you have to put it right; something is missing and you must supply the missing link. With a mystery, there is no question of a fight. The moon arises in the night — that is not a problem, it is a mystery. You live with it. You dance with it. You sing with it. Or you can be silent with it. Mystery surrounds you. Perfection is a neurotic idea; not Intensity In a real moment of intense determination, great strength is generated and a man can pass from the world into truth; by determination one can awaken from the dream to the truth... When there is only one desire left inside you and your total being supports that one, it is intensity… Intensity means creating a centre in yourself. When all the arrow are coming towards the centre, when all the fragments are joined together, integration arises. Becoming centred, concentrated inwards, that is the meaning of intensity. In moments of danger when all your thoughts disappear, the crowd will become one. In that moment, you will be one single individual, indivisible. You will be an undivided, single unity. Facing death has generated an intensity. Even love can evoke a similar intensity. All else becomes irrelevant, peripheral. When such intensity arises in meditation, it brings you to the ultimate. You arrive home. (Swami Chaitanya Keerti is associated with Osho World Foundation, New Delhi. He is the editor of monthly magazine Osho World. This article is an excerpt from his book, “Mindfulness: The Master Key”)
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 59
Bollywood Biz
The Best
d o o w y l l o B Comedies Comedy is perhaps the most popular cinematic genre. Making people laugh, however, is not as easy as it seems. There are dozens of comedy films that release every year, but only a handful over the years can be called classics. This edition, Corporate Citizen presents the best Bollwood comedies of all time By Neeraj Varty
Andaaz Apna Apna
Andaaz Apna Apna is Bollywood comedy at its best. Everything about this classic comedy hit the right note. From the pairing of Aamir Khan and Salman Khan to the iconic villains Teja and Crime Master Gogo, Andaaz Apna Apna is a laugh riot all the way. The 90s was a decade of slapstick comedy, but apart from Andaaz Apna Apna, not many others were memorable, which is why the genre has nearly died. It is a testament to the movie’s popularity that even today, over two decades after the movie released, people are still clamouring for a sequel. These movies can be watched on YouTube, as well as on most of the streaming services like Amazon Prime, Netflix and Hotstar. 60 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
Munnabhai MBBS Munnabhai MBBS is not just one of the funniest movies of all time; it also was a turning point for all the cast and crew involved. Actor Sanjay Dutt completely reinvented his on screen persona from the anti-hero character he portrayed in the 90s to the lovable goofy character he plays as Munnabhai, and it gave his sagging career a new lease of life. The movie also introduced us to Boman Irani as Dr Astana, which is till today one of his most memorable roles. And lastly, the movie was directed by first time director Raju Hirani, who has since gone on to become the most successful director in Indian history, with hits like Lage Raho Munnabhai, 3 Idiots, and PK. But don’t watch it for these reasons. Watch Munnabhai MBBS because in a decade of clichéd comedy, Munnabhai MBBS was that rare gem-a genuinely funny movie which balances drama with comedy in a perfect blend, and makes you want to revisit the movie again and again.
Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro
Starring stalwarts of Indian cinema like Pankaj Kapoor and the recently departed Om Puri, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro is a classic Bollywood comedy which doesn’t insult its audiences intelligence. This satire based on corruption and bureaucracy will leave you in splits, while simultaneously delivering a powerful message against the rampant corruption in Indian politics. Released in 1983, this movie is way ahead of its time. Watch it for stellar acting and for it being India’s earliest instance of a black comedy.
Golmaal
Rohit Shetty may have directed three Golmaal movies (with a fourth one in the works), but it is the original Golmaal starring Amol Palekar and Utpal Dutt which makes our list. This 1979 classic is a comedy of errors with a hilarious ensemble cast and rib tickling quips. Director Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s rendition of a subtle, complex love story involving the Indian middle class has stood the test of time, and is as enjoyable today as it was when it released nearly four decades ago in 1979. These movies can be watched on Youtube, as well as on most of the streaming services like Amazon Prime, Netflix and Hotstar neeraj.varty07@gmail.com February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 61
Mobile Apps
Audible
Audible is a veteran powerhouse in the audiobooks field, with more than 1,50,000 titles in its library. Audible's audiobook player offers solid playback features, with chapter navigation, bookmarks, a sleep mode, variable playback speed and multitasking support for background playback and downloading. The prices of audiobooks are the same or cheaper than physical books, so you will be saving money by using Audible. Audiobooks are released on the same day as the launch dates of their physical counterparts, so you don’t need to wait for your favourite book to be available in audio format. The best part is that Audible is owned by Amazon, so you get top notch quality and integration with Amazon’s other services when you subscribe to audible. You can try the service for free for first 30 days and a free audiobook is yours to own, and if you like the service, stick with it for `300 a month. By subscribing, you don’t have to pay for individual audiobooks. In a way Audible is the 'Netflix of Audiobooks'.
Now listen to your
Favorite Books Few pleasures in life are as good as leaning back in an armchair reading a good book. However, in today’s hectic life, it has become extremely difficult to find time for reading. That is the main reason that audiobooks have become so popular. Audiobooks are the easiest way for us to take literature anywhere we want to go, letting us listen to the latest bestseller while on a long drive, devour a non-fiction piece while doing the dishes, or even listen to the latest selfhelp hit or celebrity biography during a daily workout. This edition, Corporate Citizen brings you the best audiobook apps for your smartphone and tablet
Downpour
Downpour is an audiobook store and subscription service with a rapidly expanding catalog (the service adds thousands of new titles every month) including many free audiobooks, both for sale and to rent. You have the option to download your audiobooks as mp3s, or as chaptered .m4b files, and you can listen to them on any device where you have the Downpour app installed (Android, iOS, and Windows Phone are supported, as well as tablets like the Nook and Kindle) or you have web access to the site. Your place is automatically saved and synced across devices, and you can download, replay, or listen to your audiobooks as much as you like. You'll find tons of great books at steep discounts, including new releases and New York Times bestsellers.
By Neeraj Varty
GraphicAudio
GraphicAudio is an audiobook publishing service with a tagline that says it all – “A movie in your mind”. The GraphicAudio format includes a full cast of actors, narration, sound effects and cinematic music. The production value and editing is comparable to Hollywood movie studios, and you actually feel that you are not just listening to your favourite book, you are completely immersed in that world. At the moment, GraphicAudio has published over 900 action-adventure titles and 40 series in the fantasy, science fiction, post-apocalyptic, comic and western genres. Although the collection isn’t as vast as Audible, yet, it is still vast and the company is expanding titles with every passing day. Prices of audiobooks on GraphicAudio are again similar to their physical counterparts. neeraj.varty07@gmail.com 62 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
Claps & Slaps Corporate Citizen claps for the recommendations by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on its committees’ directive to bring all taxi services, including aggregators, within a regulatory framework
Corporate Citizen slaps on the inefficiency demonstrated by airlines in India to ‘clear their own crap’ mid-air and on their handling of human excreta on board flights after take-offs
This will mean cheaper travel for consumers and reduced number of cars on the road. This move promotes urban mobility while reducing dependence on personal vehicles by improving access to public transport system. “Parking for taxis will be reserved in at least 20 per cent of all public parking lots, free of cost—and to compensate for the loss of revenue, prices of the remaining spots could be raised by 25 per cent or more.” The policy provides for bike sharing, e-rickshaws and two-wheeler sharing too. While the move creates reliable alternatives to car ownership, it also aims at curbing pollution and congestion. While sharing of seats by aggregator taxi companies has been given the green light, individual states have been asked to place an appropriate cap on the duty hours of drivers. App based taxi aggregators will have to get their apps validated from Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification or any other agency authorised by the Ministry of Electronic and Information. Aggregators will have to firewall personal data of the passengers. Aggregators must have physical presence in the states of operations and set up grievance redressal mechanisms as well as emergency response centres. Their app should also have adequate safety features like sharing of ride details and express consent of passengers for seat sharing etc. Violation of rules will be penalised according to the law. The catalysis of the comprehensive taxi policy was fuelled when a large number of taxis registered under All India Tourist Permits (AITP) and with aggregator companies were found to be flouting clean fuel norms in Delhi. There was also no effective accountability framework for the aggregator companies. Now, the state governments will remove current restrictions on permits for taxis. This will enable city taxis, AITP taxis and aggregators to provide point-to-point services. In return, all taxi services will have to adhere to local fuel quality requirements. For instance, in Delhi and the NCR, all taxis will have to ply on CNG. A range of demand-supply based dynamic pricing will be allowed. The Ministry recommends maximum tariff up to three to four times the minimum rate, allowing the states fix the rates accordingly. Global surveys show that aggregator transport services can bring down car ownership rates and facilitate clean and green environment as is seen in the 2016 survey by the American Public Transportation Association for seven cities in USA-where about 20 per cent of respondents have postponed buying a car and 18 per cent have decided not to purchase a car, while 21 per cent have sold one and did not replace it.
While airlines are required to store human waste in specialised ‘on board’ tanks, occasional leaks are warranted at times. Doing it regularly flouts aviation rules that mandate emptying the waste in aircraft tanks once the plane lands. But, in several incidents, leaks resulted in excrement being dropped on residential areas. Incidents of occasional mid-air lavatory leaks can be averted if strict norms are followed. Sources in aviation circles claim that “the on board tanks are rarely emptied in mid-air unless there is a ‘rare emergency’ like emptying of fuel tanks”. The issue came into focus when a retired army officer, Lt Gen Satwant Singh Dahiya, called for action against airlines, who he alleged were frequently dropping human excreta on the terrace of his house near Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in New Delhi. He alleged that the “walls and floors” of the terrace were “splattered with large patches of excreta dumped by aircrafts”. Frozen human waste often forms around the overflow outlets of aeroplane toilets, and falls to earth. These remains or ‘blue ice’ is formed due to the chemicals added to aircraft toilets to reduce the odour and to break down the waste. Though ‘blue ice’ falls are rare, they are not a new phenomenon and aviation laws provide for its safe disposal. With the increase in the number of flights, the recent uproar has pushed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) introduce `50,000 (£600) fine on any airline that fails to store excreta on board to dispose it off after landing. On Lt Gen Dahiya’s petition, the NGT has ordered that “Aircraft, on landing, shall be subjected to surprise inspections to see that human waste tanks are not empty...” The tribunal has also asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to issue circular instructing all ground handling services and airlines to ensure that they do not release human waste from tanks while landing or anywhere near the IGI Airport terminals. Though it could not be conclusively proved that the waste came from flying aircraft in this case; the NGT said it was “surprised” to note the stand taken by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) that on analysis of the samples taken from the petitioner’s house could not establish that it was a result of blue ice droppings. It ordered that the DGCA shall submit a quarterly report with the NGT on this matter. While it remains untenable as to ‘whose poo is it anyways’, the new NGT directive will nevertheless help check defaulting airlines who regularly hail ‘blue ice’ from the skies! (Compiled by Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar) February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 63
astroturf Aries
Mar 21- April 20 Ensure that in your zest to be independent you don’t rough shod others. You may excel in any kind of outdoor sports and activities. Progress happens. The solar eclipse indicates awareness and you may want to make some important changes in your life. You may change your values or thought process.
TAURUS
April 21 - May 20 Though over all your health will remain good yet paying attention now lays foundations for the year ahead. You are still at your career peak and much progress can be made. Your house, cars or equipment may require repairs or replacements. You will need to make important changes in your home and family relationships.
GEMINI
May 21 - June 21 Your career needs focus and concentration. The solar eclipse affects your career planet. There could be disruptions but there will be progress and opportunities. Health remains good. This is a time of financial “course correction”. Technical equipment like cars, laptops, behave erratically and may need repairs or replacement.
CANCER
Jun 22 - July 23 Great improvement is seen in your health after the 18th. Career becomes more important. You need to take some positive actions here. The two eclipses impact your finances in a healthy way. The solar eclipse impacts your travel, educational plans and finances. Avoid foreign travel and pay more attention to your immediate surroundings.
CAPRICORN
(www.dollymanghat.com)
Fortune favours the bold and the lucky
Your attitude is your altitude, says Dolly Manghat, our renowned Astrological expert and believes she helps people create their own prophecies rather than live predictions
LEO
July 24 - Aug 23 The eclipse affect you more strongly so to take it easy. Redefine your personality. Pay attention to the needs of your health. You could find yourself dealing with issues that require a completely new overhaul or change, doing away with the old. Be careful of elderly or sick. Change in investments, strategies and plans are the call of the month.
VIRGO
Aug 24 - Sept 23 The organisations you believe in or working for, will undergo major shake ups. Your hightech equipment will be more vulnerable. You need to reduce your schedule from 18th onwards. The eclipse will test relationships. Changes are seen even in the area of your career or jobs. From 18th onwards there is a love and social peak for you.
LIBRA
Sept 24 - Oct 22 You may rethink and introspect before taking on a new direction in your love life and personal affairs. The solar eclipse occurs
64 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
in your 6th house of health and work, and it impacts Neptune. So there can be health scares or job changes.
SCORPIO
Oct 23 - Nov 22 A very good period to start new projects launching new ventures or products now. On the 18th you enter one of your yearly personal pleasures peaks. Don’t get involved in daredevil stunts or break any athletic records. You may contemplate a job change or change completely your career path. The solar eclipse brings harmonious aspects to you. The eclipse impacts children. Make sure they remain out of harm’s way. side effect.
SAGITTARIUS
Nov 23 - Dec 22 If single, love could be found at a very different place in different scenarios. You may find romance with people involved in your finances. Material wealth becomes a romantic turn on. There will be dramatic change of educational plans. The solar eclipse implies and urges you to slow down your pace especially from 18th onwards. Take a realistic approach. Care of elders should be of paramount importance.
Dec 23 - Jan 20 This is a great period for you for attracting outside investors to your projects. Your partner or spouse will be supportive. Your spouse or partner will make important financial changes. Old unresolved grievances can surface that need to be dealt with. Be more patient with your loved ones. The solar eclipse affects your 3rd house of communications so take care of your electrical equipment.
AQUARIUS
Jan 21 - Feb19 Enjoy life as it comes and make the most of this socially engaging period. It is also good for getting your personality redefined. There might be shake ups at job and the work place. Take care of your health. The solar eclipse will test the love life and professional life. Things or situations will get a chance to get resolved now. This forces the course corrections in your finances. Health remains good and self-esteem rises soars. .
PISCES
Feb 20 - Mar 20 You should be making the changes wherever needed, if you haven’t still started then do it now. Health is excellent but you need to reduce your schedule. Since the solar eclipse impacts health and work, remember to change the situations around. Your love planet Mercury is moving head on, singles will find love and those in a relationship find the bonds strengthening.
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 1-15, 2016 / `50
CORPORATE CULTURE
Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank on women in leadership and gender diversity
INTERVIEW
An in-depth interview with Vishal Parekh, Marketing Director India with Kingston Technology and Rajeev Bhadauria, Director, Group HR, at Jindal Steel & Power
Dynamic Duo 21 MEERA SHANKAR AND AJAY SHANKAR
UNFLINCHING SUPPORT
February 16-28, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 65
the last word
Ganesh Natarajan
Managing and Motivating Millennials
readiness in terms of skills. She will also sense the relative skill levels of others in her skill group and will be suggested small courses and videos, games and other learning artefacts that will accelerate her journey. As she starts her voyage of exploration and learning and gets immersive experiences through virtual reality and augmented reality, the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence will enable the Smart Bot to adapt the learning tools and content served up to Aditi to suit her individual preferences and learning style. Learning portals like Skills Alpha become the bridge between the expectations of the millennial and the skills needed by the organisation and enable the power of choice to the learner. Clever use of technology will ensure that the crossover from organisation designed content to curated learning experiences from the vast ocean of content on the internet is seamless and all the skills data will be pushed back into the LMS, PMS and HRMS. To this journey of systems of engagement riding on new systems of insight without disturbing the prevalent systems of record, new features like volunteering and peer support credits, mentoring and coaching on demand can be added to suit the needs of organisation. The world of learning is being transformed by technology and organisations that do not embrace these innovations for their millennials-and soon for all employees - could well be left behind!
“The world of learning is being transformed by technology and organisations that do not embrace these innovations for their millennials−and soon for all employees− could well be left behind!”
first job. No wonder then that in many services firms, the attrition in the first year of joining can be as high as double the average attrition. The reality is that most Human Resource (HR) processes and systems were designed in a previous era and fall woefully fall short of millennial expectations. The acquisition process fails because talent comes in with low patience and average expiry dates of not more than a couple of years. The engagement process built around training and some event driven motivation attempts falls short of exciting young folks and the learning and development processes with a predictable set of classroom and e-learning interventions fall flat too. The systems in use-HR Management ERPs, Learning Management Systems and Performance Management Systems are designed for the average but loyal employee and have nowhere near the flexibility and adaptiveness sought by the millennials. Fortunately, new digital technologies and new thinking on motivation and employee delight are providing the push and the pull to create new and exciting employee journeys. In tomorrow’s world, the 24 year old millennial (let’s call her Aditi) will get her own personalised dashboard on her computer or smart phone when she settles into the company, with a Smart Bot who will become her digital friend through her voyage of discovery and learning. How does the partnership of the Smart Bot and Aditi evolve? First, Aditi will see the alternative career paths for her over the next two to three years in the organisation and get a sense of her
66 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2017
Printed and published by Suresh Chandra Padhy on behalf of Sri Balaji Society. Editor: Suresh Chandra Padhy. Published from : 925/5, Mujumdar Apt, F.C. Road, Pune - 411004, Maharashtra. Printed at Magna Graphics (I) Ltd., 101-C&D Govt. Industrial Estate, Hindustan Naka, Kandivali (W), Mumbai - 400067.
After a charmed life at home, school and college, millennials are not happy being ‘just another brick in the wall’, doing ‘unexciting’ work. Organisations need to think out-of-thebox, employ new age tools to fire their imagination and challenge their mettle to transform them into a charged-up force
A
sk anybody what you think of the twenty-some yearold youngster you know in your family and a wave of positive feeling runs through the mind. Ask what you think of the recent entrants to an organisation and the adjectives suddenly change. Irresponsible, Impatient, Entitled and sometimes Lazy are some of the top ten words that came up in a recent nation-wide study by our investee company Skills Alpha about millennials in the workplace. Why is there such a difference between the bright kid at home and the sullen adult in the office? And in a world where more than half of the employees and entrepreneurs were born after 1985? Isn’t it time we did something about enabling them to be more productive and happy participants in the work environment? To understand the real issues, one needs to understand the process of growing up for young folk from middle and upper class fam-
ilies. Typically, from single child families or at best having one sibling, today’s youth have grown up pampered and well cared for, with access to the best of technologies and multiple distractions. Their attention span is low and the need to balance work and life and be part of something missionary is critical to their thinking process. They come through school and college education with their ego and individuality intact and enter large organisations in a group of hundred or thousands of fresh recruits. Suddenly the world falls apart. “All in all, you’re just another brick in the wall” is the refrain that goes through their heads as they get bundled for induction and training, deal with impatient and extremely busy first-time managers, realise that the work is not as exciting as they had expected it to be and it’s going to be a long time before they are able to get noticed. This leads to low esteem, a sense of alienation from the workplace and sometimes early attrition from the
Dr. Ganesh Natarajan is Chairman of 5F World, Pune City Connect & Social Venture Partners, Pune.