Corporate Citizen Magazine - Volume3 - Issue 2

CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP A S Ansari, Vice Principal, Daly College, Indore Volume 3, Issue No. 02 / Pages 68 / www.corporatecitizen.in

April 1-15, 2017 / `50

Interview

Pilla Koteshwar Rao, Senior Manager, Accenture US Military To Management

Sreekumar Narayanan, former IAF Flight Lieutenant and now Managing Partner of Xpertisehub Risk Management Services LLP Loved & Married Too

Abhishek and Aditi Kapoor of Aarkay Foods Survey

Monster Employment Index 2017

Dynamic Duo: 49

Travelling in tandem

Nawabzada Omer Bin Jung, Executive Director, Hospitality, Prestige Group and his wife Anjum Razack, Managing Director, Morph Design Company (MDC)

2 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 67

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68 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

Guest Talk Dr Subramaniam Swamy

Adverse impact of

Demonetisation, Still Rectifiable

In

2014 Elections, the then candidate for Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, had asked the party to set up a committee on strategic action for the elections. I was selected as the chairman. We had recommended, amongst the many measures for fighting black money-demonetisation of a part of the currency. Two and a half years later or more, demonetisation was taken as a strategic objective. And the Prime Minister on the night of 8th November 2016, announced that by midnight, `500 note and `1000 notes will become, what he called ‘useless pieces of paper’.

A successful policy has four components.

The objective, the priority or the priorities, the strategy to achieve those objectives according to those priorities and, the necessary machinery and resources to execute that strategy. Demonetisation of `1000 and `500 notes was a strategy to eliminate the black money. How much it has affected black money is one of the questions we are asking today and I answer that. But let me say that demonetisation is a small part of the strategy for eliminating black money. For

eliminating black money, we have to actually take many other kind of measures.

This demonetisation was focused on the stock of black money held by people-which is unaccounted money generated by avoiding paying taxes by false accounting, by under invoicing and over invoicing exports and imports, by deliberately undervaluing the value of a property so that you don't have to pay the tax at a valuation. So there are many ways by which you avoid paying taxes, and that avoidance of tax is actually an evasion and that amount is black money. It's

also used to elicit illegal operations, purchases and sale of narcotics, prostitution, spending in elections and bribing of voters. Therefore, black money is quantum of money which is not disclosed to anybody and it is placed in secret transaction, where the giver and taker participate in it.

Now what happens, when I have back money, and I go in a taxi and the taxi fare is paid by me out of that black money in my pocket? The taxi driver has legitimately earned that money. So the black money in my pocket suddenly becomes white money in his pocket. Therefore, the black

A successful policy has four components. The objective, the priority or the priorities, the strategy to achieve those objectives according to those priorities and, the necessary machinery and resources to execute that strategy. Demonetisation of `1000 and `500 notes was a strategy to eliminate the black money. How much it has affected black money is one of the questions we are asking today April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 3

Guest Talk money is sometimes black, sometimes white, depending on how it is used.

Black money within a country is not a stock, per say. And that is why we measure black money in terms of transactions. What proportion of the total transactions in the country is outside the auditing system or accounting system?

It is roughly estimated that 40 per cent of our GDP, which represents the net transaction in the country in a year is black.

So to tackle that, you need various instruments. The most efficient instrument is to change the economic system so that you do not have an incentive to avoid paying taxes. For instance, in 1991, when Narsimha Rao, and before that Chandra Shekhar, were Prime Ministers, and I held a ministerial ranked position in both, as senior most minister, this problem of black money was tackled by simplifying the system.

We abolished quota and licenses.

The worst part is that my committee in 2014, had recommended that once we demonetise, which we are in favour of, we must be sure that the compensating increase in the currency of other denomination is already in place. We had recommended six times more `100 notes than before and estimated that it would take about two years to print that. A new `200 note also to be brought into circulation. All of the same size, not smaller size-otherwise there would have been problem to fit them in ATMs, like there is now for `2000. So, first of all, what turns out is, demonetisation, did not have such preparation.

The Prime Minister, on 7th November, by letter through his office, had informed the Reserve Bank saying he proposes to do this and we want immediate action to he initiated. Two senior secretaries of Finance Ministry were members of the Board. So to say that the Finance Ministry was not in the loop, isn't correct. The Board ought to have told the Prime Minister that we have not printed extra notes of `100. We were planning to bring out `2000 note anyway. They perhaps did not say it was going to be of smaller size and there would be a problem of fitting it in the ATMs. Instead, they told the Prime Minister to go ahead. ‘We will move into it and people will be thrilled etc.’ And that lack of preparation is the only reason why this desirable measure has not worked the way we wanted it to work.

Demonetisation was supposed to eliminate black money. Has it eliminated black money?

To some extent! We have put the terrorists out of action, because they were dealing with counterfeit notes. The reason Pakistan could easily counterfeit notes is that India does not produce its own currency paper. We import it from abroad. And, the former Finance Minister gave the contract to a company called De La Rue in London to print currency paper which would 4 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

The Board ought to have told the Prime Minister that we have not printed any extra notes of `100. We were planning to bring out `2000 note anyway. They perhaps did not say it was going to be a smaller size and had a problem of fitting it in the ATMs. Instead, they told the Prime Minister of course go ahead, we will move into it and people will be thrilled

be then be placed in Nashik Press and other presses to print notes. Our agencies like the RAW, IB, CBI opposed this saying De La Rue also prints currency for Pakistan. It would be easy for Pakistan to give money to that private company and get Indian currency paper, which they can then print in their country and make it very difficult to detect counterfeit currency.

Now suddenly this currency had become illegal and so, after November 8, there has not been stone throwing in Kashmir. But that's not good enough; we want to eliminate black money, has it been eliminated? At least 10 per cent, 20 per cent eliminated? I asked my friends in the Reserve Bank, how much currency has come back? People were putting money and getting new notes. It turns out that almost 100 per cent of the old currency has come back. How can 100 per cent come back?

What had happened is that, because there was no currency, if I had `10,000 in black money and I gave a tout or a corrupt bank manager 25 per cent of that, which comes to `2,500, he gave me the remaining `7,500 in the form of new notes of

`2000 and `500 which have now come. So, previously I had `10,000 and now I have `7,500. It is black because it's unaccounted. But it is in new notes. And the bank officer and the tout have become richer by `2,500. All that has happened after demonetisation is that the amount of black money in the Indian economy is still the same, except that bank officers and touts have become richer by getting 25 per cent. The black money holder had new black money notes but at 75 per cent of what he had before. Only a redistribution of the money has taken place. So also, now it turns out that the terrorists in Kashmir too have used this route. They lost 25 per cent of their money in the process, but got in place of their counterfeit note the genuine Indian notes for 75 per cent of the total amount they had, initially.

Therefore I'll have to say, this present demonetisation has not worked. It has not achieved its objective. But that doesn't mean that the present demonetisation is a bad measure. It was badly planned in the sense there was no planning. Every ministry normally has to have a contingency plan even if you have not been asked.

When in 2014, it was decided that we will fight black money and one of the measures will be demonetisation, the Finance Ministry ought to have prepared a contingency plan. But it did not prepare the contingency plan. I don't know the reasons why.

So, why is it this important for us to fight black money in the first place? I had, in fact, suggested after seeing the long queues that why we don’t do this that anybody, who has cash of any amount, can deposit it in his bank account. No questions asked. But 25 per cent of that will be taken by the government. You can withdraw 25 per cent in cash in the form of new notes. And you leave 50 per cent you in the bank as fixed deposit for five years at two per cent interest. The proposal was sent to Finance Ministry. What came out was that the government would take 50 per cent, not 25 per cent. And 25 per cent would be put in fixed deposit at zero per cent interest and 25 per cent you can withdraw. Nobody came forward.

Who is going to give 50 per cent to the government when the tout is giving you for 25 per cent?

Somebody said this is legitimate. I said it is not

legitimate in the sense that I have to put my name in the register-the future government can track me and chase me. So everybody will be insecure.

Therefore, we will continue to give the money to bank’s corrupt official and the tout for 25 per cent. And the remaining 75 per cent is now in brand new notes, no fixed deposit, nothing.

Even today, we can retrieve the situation. The damage done today is not so much. You stood in a line and you were harassed. You timed it such, that it coincided with the wedding season and hurt a lot of people in arranging marriages.

But it was the collateral damage of that moveunprepared move.

For example, Bihar migrant workers used to come every year to Punjab. They were paid in cash. There was no cash to pay, therefore they went back home. They are sitting at home in Bihar, discontented. Same happened in Tamil Nadu. Lots of Biharis go there in the rice season, but they have all come back. One truck owner told me, “I have cut down the number of trucks I'm sending by 50 per cent because each driver has to be given money for eating food in dhaba,

Indians respond very well to crisis. I think we should have one crisis, every 10 years. So that we benefit. So this is nothing very bad for us that we can’t recover. There are many changes that are necessary because of the approach; those who are not responsible for making the contingency plan, they should be punished. Who they are, it’s the Prime Minister who has to decide. But to think the idea was necessary

for paying for the petrol and perhaps a bribe here or there. I don't have cash or small currency. I couldn't say here is `2000, go eat in a dhaba and get me change. No dhaba would give him change.

Because he himself doesn't have it.”

Small and medium industry, which relied heavily on daily wage workers had to shut down. This kind of damage is done. There is real estate sector, which was literally running on black money, without any alternative arrangement. It has come down to 30 per cent.

Automobile purchases, which large number of people used to buy with cash, although illegal, had boosted up the automobile industry. That has also slumped. So, it has done a huge damaging effect in the economy. But I repeat again, it is rectifiable. India has seen many a crisis and come out much stronger.

Today we are a much stronger economy because of the crisis. I think, Indians respond very well to crisis. I think we should have one crisis, every ten years so that we benefit. So, this is nothing very bad for us that we can't recover.

There are many changes that are necessary because of the approach. Those who are responsible for making the contingency plan, should be punished. Who they are? It's for the Prime Minister to decide. But to think the idea was necessary. The time was about right, but we did not do it. Let me say, this is a small measure to fight black money.

(The author is an economist and member of Rajya Sabha.This is an excerpt from Dr Subrmaniam Swamy’s speech on `Impact of Demonetisation’ at MIT, Manipal in February 2017 and are purely his personal opinion) April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 5

Contents 22

Cover story

Dynamic Duo 49

Travelling in Tandem Nawabzada Omer Bin Jung, Executive Director, Hospitality, Prestige Group and his wife Anjum Razack, Managing Director, Morph Design Company (MDC) on how they raise the level of living in the Prestige Group’s apartments and resorts

09 COLLYWOOD

Chatpata Chatter from the Corporate World 13 MANAGE MONEY

What is income tax? Should we pay income tax?

14 WAX ELOQUENT Who said what and why...

6 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

Volume 3 Issue No. 02 April 1-15, 2017 www.corporatecitizen.in

16 THE TAX MAN COMETH How the tax department and other agencies are going after wrong doers 18 interview Pilla Koteshwar Rao, Senior Manager, Accenture US on his career journey and success 30 The attacker’s advantage Fascinating discussion at CII Marketing Conference on how attacker’s advantage is crucial to business success

14

42

34 Cradle of Leadership A S Ansari, Vice Principal, Daly College, Indore on how the 146-year-old institution meant for the sons of the Indian princes is today moulding India’s future 42 MILITARY TO MANAGEMENT A detailed interview with Sreekumar Narayanan, former IAF Flight Lieutenant and Managing Partner of Xpertisehub Risk Management Services LLP

34

46

46 HAPPINESS QUOTIENT Vinamra Pandiya, Founder CEO, Qtrove.com tells why Spain is his favourite holiday destination 48 CAMPUS PLACEMENT Sanchita Sen shares her experience of campus placement

16

50 LOVED AND MARRIED TOO Abhishek and Aditi Kapoor of Aarkay Foods tell why running a family business is both a blessing and a challenge for them 52 SURVEY Monster Employment Index 2017 shows 11 per cent rise in online recruitment in January 2017 as against the previous month

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48

50 April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 7

contents

58 Editor-In-Chief Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian Consulting Editor Vinita Deshmukh Assistant Editor Prasannakumar Keskar Senior Business Writer Rajesh Rao Senior Sub-Editor Neeraj Varty Writers Delhi Bureau Pradeep Mathur / Sharmila Chand

56 health Fitness is a stress relieving option, says Jitendra Joshi, CEO, SportzConsult

Bengaluru Bureau Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar Pune Bureau Joe Williams / Suchismita Pai / Kalyani Sardesai / Namrata Gulati Sapra

58 PEARLS OF WISDOM Svagito Liebermeister, a wellacclaimed family counsellor says good that parents are not perfect

62

60 BOLLYWOOD BIZ Indian origin actors at the Oscars

Circulation Officer Jaywant Patil +91 9923202560

62 mobile apps The best smartphones launched at Mobile World Congress 2017 66 LAST WORD Give the millennial the freedom of their own time and space and the results will be astounding-by Ganesh Natarajan

Manager Circulation Mansha Viradia +91 9765387072 North : Hemant Gupta +91 9582210930 South : Asaithambi G +91 9941555389

Creative Direction Kiyan Gupta, The Purple Stroke Graphic Designer Shantanu Relekar

60

Be A Corporate Citizen

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Send in your views, news, suggestions and contributions to corporatecitizenwriters@gmail.com.

We would love to hear from you!

8 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

On Cover Page Anjum and Nawabzada Omer Bin Jung Cover page pic Sanjay MD Photographer 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

All the rich men China based research firm Hurun’s Global Rich List report which was published recently says that since demonetisation, India has lost 11 billionaires. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd (global rank: 28) continues to be at the top the list with his fortune of `175, 400 crore. S P Hinduja, the Chairman of Hinduja group (global rank: 74) is at second position with a net worth of `101,000 crore, followed by Dilip Shanghvi, founder of Sun Pharmaceuticals (global rank: 74). The list shows 22% drop in Shangvi‘s `99, 000 crore wealth following 18% drop in Sun Pharma shares.

Construction giant and largest individual shareholder in Tata Sons Ltd Pallonji Mistry (global rank: 97) stands at the fourth position in India with his `82,700 crore and Lakshmi N Mittal, chairman of Arcelor Mittal is at fifth position with `81,800 crore (global rank: 97). Industrialist cum philanthropist Shiv Nadar, (global rank: 97) is at sixth number with a net worth of `81, 200 crore, followed by vaccine billionaire Cyrus S

India can develop a space station: Kiran Kumar

Poonawalla (global rank: 106) with his personal fortune of `75,400 crore. The `66,300 crore wealth of Wipro’s Azim Premji (global rank: 134) who is at the eightth position in India shows 26 per cent increase from the last year. He is followed by Uday Kotak (global rank: 134), the only individual from the banking sector in the list.

With 132 individuals from the Hurun India Global List 2017, Mumbai is the capital for India’s super rich with 42 billionaires, followed by Delhi (21) and Ahmedabad (9). Hurun’s Global Rich List for 2016 has ranked a total of 2,188 billionaires from 68 countries, adding 99 to last year’s list.

Kanishka Raina, new Talent leader of IBM India, South Asia Kanisha Raina has become the new Talent leader for IBM India and South Asia. The HR veteran with 10 years of rich experience in IT and Finance industries will be exploring new areas of talent management and engagement that the company needs in her new role. Kanishka has previously held varied eminent positions in IBM including Global Talent Partner – Research and the position of communication and learning specialist. She has been on the list of “Top 100 HR Influencers to be followed on Twitter worldwide” and “Top 100 HR Professionals on Social in India”.

India has the capability to develop a space station, provided a long-term approach and an ambitious planning is done, said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman A S Kiran Kumar.

His comment follows ISRO’s display of technological prowess recently, when they launched 104 satellites in a single mission. “We have all the capabilities to set up a space station. The day the country takes the decision, we will ‘ok’ the project. Just draw a policy and provide us necessary funds and time,” Kumar said while speaking on the foundation day ceremony of the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), in Indore recently. “We still talk about what would be the immediate benefits of a manned space mission. That is why the country hasn’t made up its mind about when to invest in a space station,” he said. Kumar said ISRO was also mulling tying up with the industry to enhance the country’s satellite launching capability.

April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 9

collywood Chugh is Times Internet CPO

Flipkart, Microsoft sign partnership deal

Two experienced and corporate leaders Rattan Chugh and Vivek Pandey will strengthen the leadership of Times Internet. With over 25 years of experience, Chugh, who held the role of Executive Vice President & Head of Global HR Shared Services at Standard Chartered Bank will now be at the forefront of people strategy at Times Internet. The former country head for Fidelity Investments in India also founded Cornerstone Portfolio Services.

He held the position of executive vice president–head of Global HR Shared Services at Standard Chartered Bank for over two years before joining Times Internet, where he was responsible for providing leadership and strategic direction to the multi-location teams in Chennai, Bengaluru and Tianjin. “At this critical juncture in our trajectory, where we are set out to make Times Internet stronger than ever before. I am pleased to welcome Rattan and Vivek into the leadership team,” said Gautam Sinha, CEO, Times Internet.

Microsoft and India’s largest e-commerce marketplace Flipkart have come together to battle out with Google, Amazon and IBM for cloud supremacy in the country. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that Flipkart will be adopting Microsoft Azure as its exclusive public cloud platform in an event in Bengaluru. In a statement, Flipkart stated that Microsoft Azure will add a layer of advanced cloud technologies and analytics to its existing data centres. The company also plans to leverage artificial intelligence, machine learning and analytics capabilities in Azure, such as Cortana Intelligence Suite and Power BI, to optimise its data for innovative merchandising, advertising, marketing and customer service. Talking about the venture, Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft, said, “At Microsoft, we aim to empower every Indian and every Indian organisation with technology and the key to this is forging strategic partnerships

with innovative companies like Flipkart.” While reacting to the move, Binny Bansal, co-founder and group CEO of Flipkart, said, “Given Microsoft’s strong reputation in cloud computing, coupled with scale and reliability, this partnership allows us to leverage our combined strength and knowledge of technology, e-commerce and markets to make online shopping more relevant and enriching for customers. Microsoft had launched its local data centres that offer Azure cloud services in India in September 2015 while IBM is also spending millions to advertise its Softlayer cloud.

Rival Amazon, which is the dominant player in the public cloud market, had also set up its first cloud computing data centre in Mumbai in June 2016 and in an interview to ET, Amazon Internet Services India head Bikram Bedi had said India has potential to be one of the largest businesses for Amazon Web Services (AWS) globally.

Deepak to represent India at WTO J S Deepak, Telecom Secretary has been designated as India’s permanent representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Deepak will take over his new assignment from June 1, 2017, and till then will be Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Department of Commerce in the Ministry of Commerce and Industries with immediate effect. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued the order recently. Deepak, a 1982-batch IAS of UP cadre, was the Additional

10 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce, handled WTO and other international agencies. The government is expected to name a new secretary for the Telecom as also for other ministries like Tribal Affairs and Tourism, following Deepak’s transfer from the ministry. In another move, the Secretary, Culture, N K Sinha has been given the additional charge of Secretary, Tourism and Secretary, Social Justice and Empowerment, while G Latha Krishna Rao has been given additional charge of Secretary, Tribal Affairs.

Rashi Anand, KPIT’s new Director-HR Rashi Anand, who has a rich experience in diverse sectors including IT, Manufacturing and Pharma, is the new Director-HR of KPIT. Rashi Anand, who was the Deputy General Manager–HR at Lupin, recently took charge of her new office. In her role as Director-HR, she will be dealing with organisational interventions.

During her stint with the Lupin as Deputy General Manager-Human Resources, Rashi Anand was heading Organisation Development and Capability Building along with Business Partner function at Lupin’s Research Park since June 2015. An MBTI Certified Professional and a DDI Certified Professional on Targeted Selection, she was the winner of the “Future HR Leaders - Are You In The List Awards 2013”, hosted by People Matters and DDI. She has worked with Infosys and Morarjee Textiles Ltd too in the past.

Honda acquires land for new plant Looking at the potential of India and the commitment to the market, Honda Cars India has acquired land in Gujarat to expand its venture in the country. Honda Cars has acquired 380 acres to set up a new assembly line, although its two existing plants are running at half the installed capacity of 2.40 lakh units, as its sales fell over 25 per cent last year. Honda has an assembly line each in Greater Noida near Delhi and Tapukura in Rajasthan with a combined capacity of 2.40 lakh units. But in 2016, its sales plunged to 1,58,658, a steep 25.3 per cent decline from 2015 level when it had sold 2,12,372 units. “We have just completed acquisition of around 400 acres, to be precise 380 acres, at Vithalapur in Gujarat, though we have no immediate plans to set up a plant there. We have bought the land so that as and when we finalise the third plant, we have the land ready,” said CEO Yoichiro Ueno. He said this is done as they are confident of the long-term potential of India and are committed to this market.

With GDP clipping at 7 per cent, there isn’t any reason to be otherwise, and they want to participate in this growth story. According to sources,

the cost of the land is around `1000 crore. Honda Cars India Director and Senior Vice-President Raman Kumar Sharma stated that excluding this latest investment, the company has pumped `8000 crore into the country since its entry in the 1990s. Vithalapur is about 80 km northwest of Ahmedabad, where Honda’s two-wheeler subsidiary Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India runs the world’s largest scooters-only plant with a 1.2 million annual capacity, opened last February.

Kohli strikes century deal, joins the elite club

Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli has become the first Indian sportsperson to sign a `100-crore endorsement deal with a single brand Puma. Kohli struck an eight-year deal with sports lifestyle brand Puma worth about `100 crore, and in the process, joins the elite group of the likes of Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, and footballers Thierry Henry and Oliver Giroud, among others, as a global ambassador for the brand. This deal (eight years) with Puma should take care of Kohli’s career as an Indian cricketer, which involves a fixed payment and royalty depending on the brand’s business performance. The cricketer who has a number of records under his belt in the game will work with the German company to launch a signature line of sports lifestyle products with a special logo and brand identity. The bulk of the endorsement deal, estimated between `12 to `14 crore annually, is locked up in fixed payout. Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni have been in the `100-crore club through multi-year contracts with sports and talent management agencies, but for Kohli it is a single brand which brings over `100 crore.

April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 11

collywood Achar joins Max Bupa as CHR Sriharsha Achar, Chief People Officer, Apollo Munich Health Insurance has called it quits. He joins Max Bupa Health Insurance as the Director & CHRO, according to sources close to the development. Achar, an engineering graduate, completed his master’s in industrial engineering from Goa University and a PGDBMA in business management from the Goa Institute of Management, post which he pursued a Ph D in human resources management at Canterbury University. His first assignment was with First Ring India as the Director-HR and then worked with America Online for two years before moving to Xchanging in 2006. In July 2008, he joined vKarma as the Chief

Chandan out of Suzlon, heads for Greaves

Human Resources Officer. Achar joined Apollo Munich as the Chief People Officer in 2009 and has played a pivotal role in the growth of the company since then. Recalling his eight-year stint, Achar in an email addressed to his colleagues stated, “After the exciting, challenging and very eventful time at

Apollo Munich, I announce my departure from AMHI to you. My almost eight years with AMHI have been more than rewarding and enriching.” With a vast experience across industries, Achar, 52, is a much sought after and seasoned HR professional, who will now make for a great fit for Max Bupa.

Ramakrishnan named TCS CFO The Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is in the process of boosting its employees as V Ramakrishnan who joined TCS in the year 1999 is now the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Ramakrishnan (Ramki, as he is fondly addressed) takes over from Rajesh Gopinathan who has been promoted as the CEO. Before this new role, Ramki served as the Finance Head of TCS North America for seven years. Ramki closely partnered the business in the rapid growth of TCS’ operations in the region. Most recently he has been responsible for the financial controllership of TCS subsidiaries and branches globally and various merger and acquisition integration initiatives. “I am grateful to the TCS Board and humbled by the trust and confidence placed in me. As we pivot to lead in a digital world, the role of finance becomes even more strategic and I look forward to working closely with Rajesh and the TCS team in our journey to sustain and enhance stakeholder value,” said V Ramakrishnan. Ramki, a graduate in commerce from Loyola College Chennai, is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, the Institute of Company Secretaries of India and the Institute of Cost Accountants of India.

12 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

Ganesh Chandan president and CHRO of Suzlon has taken a break after about 17 months with the company and moved on to the manufacturing sector with Greaves Cotton as CHRO. The engineer turned HR professional is now a part of Greaves Cotton, a major player in automobile and industrial engines, farm equipment and the auxiliary power business. “The company has some ambitious plans and I am excited to be a part of the growth and transformation story as a member of the leadership team,” said the IIT Bombay alumni. Chandan completed his Masters from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). Post his PG degree, Chandan started his career with Titan Industries. With over 20 years of experience, Chandan has worked across sectors, with a large part of his career-around 10 years-at Oracle in various roles. For five years, he headed HR for Oracle Financial Services, based out of New York. Before joining Suzlon, he was the CHRO & Head-Administration at Avantha ERGO Life Insurance and prior to that he headed HR at the power and infrastructure division of Avantha Group.

Compiled by Joe Williams joe78662@gmail.com

manage money Dr Anil Lamba

Tax Prudence

We keep paying the government in a variety of ways. Yet another way in which we pay is when it is a percentage of our income. Then the tax is called income tax. The critical word to be understood is ‘Income’. Unless you know what is income you will not be able to work out the income tax payable

What is income tax? Why do we pay taxes? Should we pay income-tax?

Let me try and answer some such questions today.

loans, and gifts (in some cases) and inheritances. It does not matter whether it is earned or unearned, legal or illegal, received or accrued.

What is income tax?

Should we pay income tax?

A straightforward interpretation would be that it is a tax on income. So to understand income tax, we need to understand these two words-tax and income.

What is tax and what is income?

What is a tax, any tax? A tax is a levy, it is a statutory, mandatory payment made to the government. And therefore what is income tax? When the amount to be paid is a percentage of the income, it is called income tax.

When we pay to the government a percentage of the value of goods manufactured, it is called Excise Duty. When it is a percentage of goods entering into the country, it is called Customs Duty. When it is a percentage of the value of goods entering a city-Octroi. When it is a percentage of the value of goods sold-VAT. Percentage of the value of services rendered Service Tax. We keep paying the government in a variety of ways. Yet another way in which we pay is when it is a percentage of our income. Then the tax is called income tax. The critical word to be understood is ‘Income’. Unless you know what is income you will not be able to work out the income tax payable.

So, what is income? Income from the point of view of Income Tax. The amount which needs to be declared in the Income Tax Return. People have a number of misconceptions when it comes to defining income.

One response is that income is everything that comes in-all the receipts of money. But this is too broad a definition. Many receipts do not constitute income. For example, a loan taken from a bank brings money in but is obviously not ‘income’. Also inheritances are not considered ‘income’. Nor are gifts, under certain circumstances.

Another reaction is that income refers to earnings. But unearned receipts, such as winnings from lottery or lucky draws, are also income subject to income tax.

So ‘income’ is something broader than mere earnings and not as broad as to cover all receipts. Yet another misconception is that legal earnings are ‘income’ and illegally obtained money is not.

The truth is that ‘income’ for the purposes of income tax covers almost all the money coming in, barring a few specific exceptions like

It doesn’t matter how much it may hurt people to pay taxes, whenever I ask this question, invariably the answer is ‘Of course, we should pay.’

What really hurts people is not so much the paying as the misuse of the money paid, or when it goes to line the pockets of unscrupulous and corrupt government officials. If people were sure that the taxes paid will actually be used for the purpose for which they were collected, more people would pay happily.

Why do we pay taxes?

Taxes are obviously paid so that governments can raise the resources to pay for the various facilities provided for us but which none of us can provide for ourselves individually.

Even if I don't go into complicated theories of taxation and take some blatant examples of services and amenities that the government provides-roads, street lighting, police, the army-all of which are of a nature that is neither possible nor affordable for citizens of a country to obtain on their own. I mean, if the government asks each individual to build a road for say a hundred metres outside their respective houses, a majority of us will not be able to afford it. But how many miles and miles of roads do we use? We use postal services. We use the railways (which so far in India is in government hands). The police is there to protect us. Without the army guarding our borders we probably could be slaves to some marauding and ambitious rogue nation.

So the logic of income tax (as other taxes)-is that all of us use the facilities and hence all of us must pay.

The problem of income tax-is that all of us use the facilities, but all of us don’t pay.

Not only that all of us don’t pay, but all of us can’t pay. And why can’t all of us pay? This is because a large percentage of our population lives below what is known as the Poverty Line. (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 April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 13

wax eloquent

Development takes centre stage Take a look at what our corporate leaders have to say about recent trends and their experiences in the business world

Come together as a global community

“Our greatest opportunities are now global… our greatest challenges also need global responses. Progress now requires humanity coming together not just as cities or nations, but also as a global community.”

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and co-founder, Facebook

Beginning of innovation in India

“India is the only country with a billion biometrics and by 2024-25 will be the only country with a billion smartphones. Biometrics, smartphone and universal payment interface, all three combined will drive change in a very big way. These three together will actually make India one of the most disruptive societies and everything in India will get transacted through the mobile telephone. By 2025, India will make, debit card, credit card, ATMs and cash machines all irrelevant. Everything will happen through biometrics and therefore this is the beginning of innovation in India.”

Courtesy: Financial Express

Amitabh Kant, CEO, National Institution for Transforming India (NITI), Courtesy: : http://indiagbnews.com

Skills required for the future “The Indian IT industry can only advance into the digital economy era if it is prepared to let go of the manual offshore models that gave rise to its original growth. Future economies will not compete on the basis of accessing cheaper and cheaper labour. It’s time now to infuse our universities and corporates with the skills required for the future: cognitive engineers, data scientists, autonomic specialists, and creative developers of a new user experience.”

Chetan Dube, Maths professor-turned entrepreneur and founder IPsoft, Courtesy: Mint

Talk development

“PM Narendra Modi has brought development to the centre stage of Indian politics. Political parties, which survived on caste and religious identities in the past, are now being forced to talk development. Voters are smart today, they will reward performing governments and punish the non-performing ones.”

Porinju Veliyath,

MD & portfolio manager, Equity Intelligence India Courtesy: Business Standard

14 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

Keen to encourage entrepreneurship “I have been keen to encourage entrepreneurship and back compelling business ideas. The excitement of being part of a journey right from the start is unparalleled.”

Sachin Tendulkar, former cricketer Courtesy: http://www.huffingtonpost.in

Beauty is transient “Beauty is transient and changes with time. I have always extended beyond a singular dimension. I haven’t been just a model, actor or title winner. The course I charted out for my career made me multi-dimensional and gave me opportunities to represent India on many global platforms.”

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, model, actor and Miss World 1994

Courtesy:http://www.femina.in/celebs/indian/ever-queen-aishwarya-rai-bachchan-37647-4.html

Advice for unicorns in India

“Ultimately, creation of anything new is persistence. It’s being able to stick with it and not swing with the moves.

Having a real technology agenda, investing in the right areas, getting the maximum leverage, being smart about the partnerships you form, that’s what I would look at.”

Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft,

Courtesy: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

The golden rule of investing

Should not-for-profit organisation make profit?

“To me, a not-for-profit organisation doesn’t mean it shouldn’t make a profit. It means you shouldn’t distribute the profit to its shareholders or to those who contributed to its funding. That’s all it means. But if you really want an organisation to have a big impact, the organisation has to scale. And you can’t scale only on injections of philanthropic money every year—there has to be enough internal surplus.”

Sanjeev Bikhchandani,

founder, Naukri.com Courtesy: Mint

India- bright spot in today’s global economy

“The reforms India is targeting are profound. India is the bright spot in today’s global economy and it is visible in the country’s performance and more so in the aspirations of the people here. What India has done will be studied (by other countries).

There hasn’t been such demonetisation in a country so big” Kristalina Ivanova Georgieva-Kinova,

CEO, World Bank

“India no longer remains a story to be discovered, it has already been discovered. The golden rule of investing is, never ask ‘what and when to buy’ but just ask ‘what to buy’ and ‘for how long to buy’ and always use corrections to buy for the long-term term.

Madhu Kela,

Chief Investment Strategist, Reliance Capital

Courtesy: http://www.moneycontrol.com

Courtesy: http://www.hindustantimes.com

Fast in adapting the change “If you are a young country, young population and if you want to go out drinking, shopping, watching a movie, you are not going to stop it just because instead of cash, now you have to use your cards. We have adjusted and over the last 15 years I have seen that Indians are resistant to change but the moment change is thrusted upon them, they are very fast in adapting the change.”

Sunil Singhania, chief investment officer, equity, Reliance Mutual Fund

Courtesy: Mint

Automating recruiting process “Over the next five years, we are going to bear witness to artificial intelligence becoming an important part of the recruiting process. There are a number of innovative companies that are creating solutions that better engage job seekers and prospective employees, all without the need for human interaction or oversight.”

Clear exposure

“Sponsorship of the Indian cricket team is arguably the most attractive commercial opportunity available to companies and brands anywhere in world sport today.

India plays the most matches in a year of any nation.”

Rahul Johri, CEO, BCCI Courtesy: Economic Times

Adam Robinson, Co-founder and CEO, Hireology and Author of “The Best Team Wins”

Courtesy: : Business Standard

You have to be tough and diligent in any business “Being a model is a little tough in general as there is a lot of competition, but I welcome the challenge since you have to be tough and diligent in any business. Being Indian actually helped me stand out from the crowd, and people have been very kind to me and always very interested in learning more about my cultural background. I don’t recall being placed lower than others - rather, I started embracing my Indian look and culture even more.”

Bhumika Arora, supermodel,

Courtesy: :http://www.pinkvilla.com

Indian-American diaspora in the US is now maturing

“We know that the Indian-American diaspora in the US is now maturing. Now there are enough of us and we have progressed enough that we are starting to see people in leadership positions.

That’s an exciting thing for our community in the US and abroad.”

Ajit Pai, chairman, US Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Courtesy: Economic Times

Compiled by Rajesh Rao rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com

April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 15

The Tax Man Cometh-30

Weathering the Buffeting Winds

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.Wrong-doers though 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

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”

I

was sitting and pondering over the happenings around us, and how they will affect our country and particularly, our economy. Each happening has a message for us and for our policy planners. The important happenings in the recent past really affect all of us which I take up one by one for their impact on us.

‘Shell’ discoveries

The first on my list is the process of demonetisation, which hit us on November 8, 2016. Post demonetisation, the concerned government departments analysed banking transactions and came to a shocking conclusion that of the about 15 lakh registered companies in the country, almost 40 per cent are ‘shell’ companies, which means bogus companies. They are not created to conduct any business, but to help companies belonging to dishonest groups to evade tax and launder money. It is like our planetary system. If the main company is equated with the sun, its planets and their satellites can be equated with shell companies. Just like many planetary systems which remain undiscovered in our galaxy, we have many undetected groups of shell companies around the dishonest main companies.

The government has discovered that these shell companies used to deposit demonetised `500 and `1000 notes. These shell companies were also not filing their statutory annual returns with the Registrar of Companies. Concerned departments have now started cleaning the corporate world by annihilating these shell companies.

The number of companies will go down by 40 per cent, but the residual will be good, as only genuine companies will stay.

The demonetisation decision was taken by the government to curb black money and cor16 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15 , 2017

ruption, which in the first stage was triggered by too much cash. Less cash economy is the new mantra. Our budget for FY 2017-18 has some proposals to implement the policy of a less cash economy and they are a sequel to the process of demonetisation. There is a proposal to insert a new section 269 ST in the Income Tax Act with effect from April 1, 2017. This section says that no person shall receive an amount of rupees three lakh or more: a) In aggregate from a person in a day b) In respect of a single transaction or c) In respect of transactions relating to an event or occasion from a person otherwise than by an account payee cheque or account payee bank draft or use of electronic clearing system through a bank account.

Violation of this provision will attract penalty of equal amount of transaction under a new section 271 DA of the Act.

Curative moves

In addition, there are proposed amendments to Section 80 G, 35AD, 40ACB and 44 AD. Deduction under section 80G will not be allowed if donations exceeding `10,000 in cash. The limit of cash expenditure was `20,000 under section 40 A (b) has been reduced to `10,000. A similar consequential amendment is to Section 35 AD fixing the limit of capital expenditure in cash.

Section 44 AD deals with presumed income of business up to `2 crore. Proposed amendment to it says that the presumed income will be 6% in place of 8%, if the turnover is based on digital payments. These are curative legislations for a less cash economy. The proposed amendment to Section 13A of the Income Tax Act, restricting individual cash donations to `2000 against the earlier position of `20,000 for political parties is another effort to restrict cash in the economy.

Trump tornado

Another big event that happened was Donald Trump won the US presidentship. His win was a big surprise. His campaign promises was America First. He took oath of office on January 20 and he has been repeating it. His main objective is to bring back jobs to the US for the US people.

Companies doing outsourcing will be punished with higher taxes. There will be strict rules for immigration. Getting cheaper workforce under H1B Visa will be discouraged. H1B visa rules have already undergone some changes. There is genuine reason for us to feel concerned. US is our most important business partner. Our software export, which constitutes the major part of export, is mainly US specific. This sector is worried.

Many of our companies are outsourced by US companies. Donald Trump has made his intention clear, that he will reduce the rates of taxation for companies in the US. If this happens, it will be difficult for us to attract FDI from there and the big plan of Make In India will suffer. Things will change if Trump changes his course in time to come or create safeguards for friendly countries like India. But, as of today, the worries are there. The import of this situation is to make India stronger in domestic market. We should also try to go to those international markets where we have not gone so far or not too deep. We should follow the old saying, that all eggs should not be put in one basket. Mukesh Ambani has said that India will emerge stronger due to the worries of the coming of Trump as US President. This is really possible. Other related problem is the safety and career prospects of about three million Indians and NRIs in the US. Dreadful hate killing of a young technocrat at Kansas is really disturbing.

Brexit is other event upsetting global trade and India cannot be isolated from it. Britain has voted to come out of the European Union. Self-centred protectionism has been preferred over trade.

The EU which has also been an important trade partner of India has become weaker due to it.

We have to think afresh on its trade strategy with Britain which is eager to have separate exclusive ties with us. India was amongst the first countries which the new British Prime Minister Theresa May visited. The challenge thrown by Brexit can be converted into good opportunity. We may be in the process of entering a new trade agreement.

Oil worries

For the last two and half years, India has been fortunate, as crude oil price in the international market had drastically fallen down. India has

‘Since the OPEC decision, the rise in price has been more than 20% and this has been felt by us.

Our import cost is going up and our savings for the desired investment in infrastructure is drying up. This will have a bad impact on our economy and even our so far controlled inflation may go up’ a huge requirement of oil and depends on import mainly, as our production is small. Lower price of oil would mean lesser import cost and more savings for us. Government has been using this savings in investment in the infrastructure, particularly in the construction of roads. This investment out of the windfall savings is important, as in recent years the private sector was not investing much. This situation has been changing in recent months. The world oil price was low as oil producing countries were producing more oil than the consumption, resulting into a glut. Recently OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) decided to cut the production, which resulted in oil price rise. The price rise has been more than 20 per cent. Resultant, our import cost is going up and savings for the desired investment in infrastructure are drying up. This will have a bad impact on our economy and even the inflation may go up. The RBI has considered this factor and avoided interest rate cuts so far.

Global headwinds

Happenings in our country as well as elsewhere impact us and our economy. Today, we live in a global world. We are not a stand-alone economy, though blessed with a good consumer base.

We require foreign exchange to import goods, we do not produce or produce inadequately.

Foreign exchange will come from our exports, which depend on demand from other countries.

This is related to the financial health and policy of these countries. In recent years, our export has been suffering as many rich countries are not doing good financially, and hence have reduced their imports. The sentiment of global business will suffer if rich countries like the US stop outsourcing and work with the intent of protectionism. The policy of protectionism will ultimately prove to be short-sighted with no benefit to anyone. Today, countries prosper due to the symbiotic relationship. To illustrate this, our skilled workforce go all over the world and contribute to the development of the countries where they work and send remittance back home. Some big companies in the US today are headed by Indians, who work with full zeal to make America still more developed and prosperous. At the same time, India receives more than USD 30 million as remittance, which is the highest remittance coming to any country.

Thus, India prospers along with the countries where our people work. Despite the occupational hazards of living in a globalised world, where some bad things happening somewhere

can affect us, I still feel that India will keep growing. Just remember the international financial crisis of 2008 when many well-known banks became bankrupt. There was panic world over, but India was unaffected. Its GDP growth continued to remain on target. India’s big population constitutes a big self-grown market and this helps India in creating a strong demand and supply chain. India underwent a phase of upheaval when the process of demonetisation was introduced. Economists all over said our GDP would fall drastically due to demonetisation.

But the Q3 result for the demonetisation period beats all, with our GDP standing at 7 per cent.

We continue to remain the fastest growing major economy as for this period, the GDP growth rate for China was 6.8 per cent. The happenings around us within the country and outside the country will have a shadow on us. But to keep growing, we have to remain healthy from inside. We have to keep growing economically as we have a mammoth task of providing jobs to crores of unemployed and bring 30 per cent of our population out of the poverty line. We have to provide education and health care services to 125 crore people. And last and not the least, we have to generate enough resources to keep our country safe from some bad neighbours.

April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 17

We can always go and work for anyone, but to run your own business involves lot of risks. It means you don’t get your monthly salary, you have to earn that salary running the business

18 18 / / Corporate CorporateCitizen Citizen / / April April1-15, 1-15,2017 2017

Interview

Work where your true passion is He embarked on his career journey with a sales management job in a pharma company, then decided he had enough of sales and travelling and went on to do an MBA in marketing and joined international marketing in IT industry, in the US. Looking for an entrepreneurial stint, Pilla Koteshwar Rao, thereafter started his own management consulting company in the US. In continuation of his passion for entrepreneurship, he then decided returning to the corporate world, and is now working as a senior manager at Accenture US, a global IT company. Rao says it is important to have an end goal in mind—which he always had and was successful. He talks to Corporate Citizen about his career journey and how he accomplished his desired aim

T

By Rajesh Rao

Pics: Shantanu Relekar

Tell us about your career journey till now.

I am from Secunderabad city, but my native place is Vizag, in Andhra Pradesh. My father was in the army, so we moved all over India and finally settled in Secunderabad. When I was a graduate and looking for a job, I didn’t know what career path to chose. I just wanted a job and got an opportunity in a pharmaceutical company. I started my career in 1994, with a company called Monozyne, in Hyderabad. I joined as a trainee and within a year I excelled—was a star performer for five consecutive times—a big achievement for me. Then in 1996, I joined a company called Speciality Ranbaxy, an MNC company in Hyderabad, as a manager and went on to become the regional

head for south. I had the responsibility of the entire sales of south, including Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Thereafter, felt I had enough of sales and travelling and wanted to get into marketing. That is when I decided to join a management school.

I appeared for the Common Admission Test (CAT) of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM). But, for my MBA I chose the opportunity to take admission into Indian Institute of Modern Management (IIMM), Sri Balaji Society Agrasen Maharaj Campus, in Pune (IIMM) has been renamed as Balaji Institute of Modern Management (BIMM). My brother was from IIMM and he said it’s a good opportunity—here you are not only learning from books, but also get lot of real-time experience. Books, you can April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 19

Interview

We Indians are respected for our management skills and our working nature. They really respect us because of our knowledge and how we carry ourselves. On an average we are among the top two per cent in the US for earning the top salaries

read anyway, but real-time experience is from where you really learn—that’s what influenced me and I chose to come to Pune.

After my MBA from IIMM, I got couple of good opportunities to work with some of the pharma companies and my previous company was also asking me to come back and join them.

Having enough of pharma field and sales role, I wanted to get into international IT sales and marketing. I ended up with a company called Infotech Enterprises, in Hyderabad. From Infotech I moved to a company called Rapid Eye, Fujitsu, in Pune, where I got an opportunity to work and move to the US. While in US, I worked for seven years with Rapid Eye and then started my own management consulting and enterprise resource planning company. In continuation of my passion for entrepreneurship, I also decided returning to the corporate world. I am now working as a senior manager at Accenture US, a global IT company.

What is more preferable between working for someone and owning your own business?

If you are working in a company you follow some protocols. But, if you own a company, you know the pains and that helped me lot in my learning. Now working with Accenture, everybody here has to be responsible, as if they 20 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

are running their own business. The fundamentals are that we need to be business operators, in the sense though we execute client projects, we do as if it is our own company. My entrepreneur skills are helping me to run my projects very successfully.

Tell us about your entrepreneurial journey and what it has taught you?

It has been over 13 years, since I started my entrepreneurial journey. I still run my company as co-partner. The entrepreneurial experience has taught me how to be more responsible. How to ramp down or ramp up your resources. Budgeting and controlling are few things I learn’t from my risk taking ability. We can always go and work for anyone, but to run your own business involves lot of risks. It means you don’t get your monthly salary, you have to earn that salary running the business.

Moving to US for work, how did you manage fitting in a new work environment and culture?

Going from India to the US, didn’t matter much because I have always lived in a multicultural background. As my father was in army, we moved around a lot and lived in different social settings across India. Learning about the culture is very important. Even before I went to

US, I was always interacting and working with the clients there, which helped me a lot later on.

Moving to US was just a geographical change.

After you go there, you get to learn about how to present yourself, some of the good etiquette, and how to work in teams. In the US whether it is easy or difficult for newcomer is all based on how good you network. Integrity is very important and what you promise you have to deliver. So, I knew what I was delivering and what I was promising.

What tips will you give to first-timers going abroad to work?

Understand the client, understand the business you are getting into, what your strengths are and what is the area you want to play. Understanding the client is very important—if the client is asking for apple and you are giving an orange, that will not do—you will not be able to work with the client. So, if a client wants an apple you have to give an apple.

How should management freshers prepare themselves for the right career path?

The management students will be getting into the corporate culture—getting into the right role and right career is very important. They have to prepare themselves, as if they are pre-

Advice to students

⦿ Have an end goal and work hard Important is to have an end goal in mind. These are the few important years which will make or break your career. The more you work hard now, you will do well the rest of your life. Work hard not only in academics, but also build yourself as an overall manager. Prepare how to present yourself in front of audience or senior managers.

That would give you an edge during placement and group discussions. ⦿ Be collaborative Do not shy away from sharing knowledge with your fellow student or across. Prepare yourselves and update with the latest trends.

Don’t think of just working for others, be an entrepreneur. It is good to work for few years with some good companies to understand their work culture and how corporate life works. ⦿ What we look for in management trainees?

Number one is the attitude—you should have the right attitude to do anything. You should not be ashamed of working hard. Anything that comes your way, take it as an opportunity to showcase yourself—learn from it and excel in it. What we look in freshers is, how flexible they are, can they fit into the team or the organisation. You should always have the right attitude, team spirit, work in team with right etiquettes and always be willing to learn. ⦿ Excel in MS tools Excel yourself in Microsoft tools like Excel, Word and PowerPoint. Once you graduate, make sure that you are hands-on and experienced with these tools. Once you are committed into the corporate, your manager or supervisor will give you some opportunity to work on these tools—at that time you will not have the luxury of learning it. ⦿ Play on your strengths If someone gives you an opportunity, try to be honest to that opportunity and give your hundred percent. Make sure that you play on your strengths. If you don’t know anything, you should be upfront telling that you don’t know and would like to learn to do it, but don’t shy away from it. On the other hand if you know it, do the job and do not take it easy. First time you do it right, these opportunities will keep coming to you and you will start to build your network.

Also, take to mentorship or stewardship— coach your juniors, network with your seniors and alumni, it would take you a long way.

paring for a war, not only in terms of acquiring academic knowledge, but also in terms of learning about what career they want to choose. They cannot be very casual about it. So, as in a war you cannot make mistakes, there is no scope.

Your first two years as students are very important—understand the tools that is required to be successful in the corporate world.

Nowadays, every youngster aspires to become an entrepreneur. What’s your advice for them while choosing between working for others and running your own business?

They should work for at least few months or few years and then get into starting their own business. But, if they have cultivated the entrepreneurial skills during their management programme, they can start it right away. There is no right or wrong time to start your own entrepre-

and not be as bad as it is today. Country will become clean, there is going to be equalisation and rationalisation in the government.

Will the Donald Trump agenda on immigration, foreign policy, and job creation affect Indians working there?

Trump’s agenda is to create more jobs in the US than to outsource. He says we will create jobs, we will manufacture in the US—may be it is expensive but they are trying to do that.

But, Indians working there right now are not going to be much impacted, other than those who are on visas. For example, during my days the green card would come in after six or seven years, but now people can’t even think about the green card. They will be on visas H1B or L1 visas as long as they can but they will never be given green cards. Earlier it was quick, you were getting green card, becoming US citizen—now

Understand the client, understand the business you are getting into, what your strengths are and what is the area you want to play. Understanding the client is very important—if the client is asking for apple and you are giving an orange, that will not do neurial journey. Ideally I would say they should work for at least two–three years. Work experience will teach them how to present themselves, how to interact with the client, what is the client mind-set and all those things.

You have been now working and staying in the US for last 13 years. Are there any issues that Indians face as foreign workers, concerning skill levels, job growth and competition?

We Indians are respected for our management skills and our working nature. I fly in and out of US every week and meet so many people. They really respect us because of our knowledge and how we carry ourselves. They not only know us that we are from IT—there are lot of Indians who are doctors or engineers in the US. On an average we are among the top two per cent in the US for earning the top salaries. Our average salary is $ 1,00,000 a year, whereas for American an average salary will be like $ 36,000 a year— we are earning two-three times more. We Indians are doing pretty good in the US. How do Indians settled in US see the recent developments like demonetisation happening in India?

We welcome that move, it’s a good move. There is pain, but going forward corruption will go out

with Trump coming in there is lot of scrutiny.

My personal view is that outsourcing will cut down—right now we are the largest consumers of H1B quota, but that will come down drastically. Trump, would like to see as many jobs created in the US. He is trying to consolidate the US employment and put some restrictions on outsourcing. rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com

CC

tadka

Cyber-bullying, a concern for Indian school kids Over 35 per cent of school going children have experienced their account being hacked while 15.74 per cent shared that they have received inappropriate messages, said Telenor India WebWise survey. On being bullied online, around 15% complained, while 10.41 per cent faced humiliation through picture/video that was uploaded on internet. While majority of the children were willing to approach their parents, over 76 per cent were not aware of Child Helpline.

April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 21

Cover Story Cover Story

Dynamic Duo: 49 /

Anjum and Omer Bin Jung Pics: Sanjay MD

Anjum is a self-confessed foodie, and loves cooking. In fact, she recalls, it was this love and talent that led to her meeting Omer at the restaurant: “I used to bake a lot, and market my cakes and pastries to earn my pocket money, to spend on music and clothes�

Travelling 22 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

A He is a descendant of the royal families of Bhopal, Pataudi and the Paigahs of Hyderabad, she is the sister of the tycoons who run one of Bengaluru’s biggest realty companies. They have now joined hands to raise the level of living in the Prestige Group’s apartments and resorts-she designs and executes the interiors, while he has set up and runs the group’s hospitality vertical

BY SEKHAR SESHAN

in tandem

April April1-15, 1-15,2017 2017// Corporate CorporateCitizen Citizen // 23 23

Cover Story Nawabzada Omer Bin Jung and Anjum Razack met on a blind date.

Well, not exactly a blind date, they say: “Actually, we were set up!” says Anjum, and Omer agrees. “But she picked me up!” he adds, with a twinkle in his eye. He is being literal: “I had no car, and used to roam around in buses and auto-rickshaws when I was working with Wipro.”

So this young woman whom he had never met came to his office and gave him a lift.

Recalling the incidents of more than a decade ago, husband and wife keep bickering good-naturedly and correcting each other over details.

The story that emerges is that a friend of Anjum’s said she wanted to meet her-at Casa Piccola, a restaurant to which Anjum used to supply cakes she baked. “And will you please pick up this guy Omer on the way?

I want to meet him too,” she said. So an unsuspecting Anjum drove an equally unsuspecting Omer to the restaurant, where they sat and waited for the friend. When some time passed and she didn’t appear, they realised what had happened.

Was it love at first sight? “I don’t know if it was love, but I knew immediately that this was the guy I was going to marry!” she says. “My mother had always told me: ‘You should know what kind of boy you should bring home to meet me!’-and that afternoon I told her I had met the right man.”

Omer, for his part, “Enjoyed being the hunted, for a change”. They didn’t meet, or talk, for a month; but one day-just before Valentine’s Day, Anjum remembers-she and her friend were driving somewhere, when they spotted Omer walking. “We stopped, said ‘Hi!’ and gave him a lift.”

Things didn’t take very long after that. “My family doesn’t have the time for trivia!” Anjum explains. “I told my mother as soon as I got home that I had met the boy I was going to marry. I mean, we were two eligible young people in the same town. He was not of our caste of traditional business people, which was actually a plus point in his favour! Our families met, and I went through the various shredders his family put me through, then picked up the pieces-and we got engaged, then married in the next eight months.”

“We were two eligible young people in the same town. He was not of our caste of traditional business people, which was actually a plus point in his favour!

Our families met, and I went through the various shredders his family put me through, then picked up the pieces−and we got engaged, then married in the next eight months.” − Anjum 24 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

A few months before the marriage, they went to see Omer’s grandmother: “That was the first time I took a break from work,” she says.

“Morph was still a one-person company, with only a set of carpenters to supervise. When we came back, I was broke, and went straight back to work. Side by side, I set up home and pottered around there, too.”

Anjum, the sister of the Razack brothers who run Bengaluru-based construction major Prestige group, is an entrepreneur in her own right: she set up Morph Design Company (MDC), which she runs as its Managing Director. Omer, who heads Prestige’s recent diversification into the hospitality business, comes from a long line of rulers-from the Paigahs of Hyderabad on his father’s side to a royal pedigree on his mother’s. “I have an interesting and diverse lineage. My maternal grandmother was the ruler of Bhopal with its matriarchal system. She married the Nawab of Pataudi, which was a much smaller kingdom, but both became our family’s houses. My father’s people were Prime Ministers to the Nizam of Hyderabad.” The Paigahs are a family of the senior aristocracy of the erstwhile Hyderabad State, with each of them maintaining his own court, individual palaces and a standing army of 3,000 or 4,000 soldiers.

Anjum, on the other hand, was what she calls ‘a one-woman army’ in a male-dominated business when she joined her brothers in 1993 and set up MDC. That ‘one-woman army’ has grown in 23 years to a `200-crore, 30-member team; but she continues to work hands-on with every project. “They are a bunch of kids-we are a young, growing office,” she says. “Besides, I love what I do-and I always put in 100 per cent into any assignment, because you always get only what you put in.

I am also an obsessive perfectionist and would never deliver to a client what I wouldn’t live in myself.”

She had found, when she finished school, that she was in a ‘strange situation’ with not too many career options for a girl of her background-a Kutchi Memon in a typical business family, but one whose father had believed in education for his daughter as well as his three sons. “My parents have always been very aspirational for all their four children,” she explains. “We were all given education, encouraged to travel and grow-all against the norm in our community.” So after her B Com, she did a course in interiors with paint manufacturer Jenson & Nicholson.

She then got a job with an interior designer in the early 1990s before

joining the family business. “I jumped into the ocean headlong, without even knowing how to swim!” she says. “It was only the challenge that kept me going.”

MDC, which she established soon after that plunge, not only creates all the interiors in the Prestige Group’s developments, but also offers consultation, comprehensive planning and end-to-end design solutions for a range of other select clients for both their existing structures and new projects. She is also rightfully proud of the fact that her brothers Irfan Razack, Chairman and Managing Director of the `4,700-crore Prestige Group, and Rezwan Razack, who is Joint MD, never gave her any special privileges in business. “Even though we are a very close-knit family,” she says. “Morph is my very own, Prestige is my client. I charge design and project management fees, and for the furniture and other material I supply from either my own manufacturing units or those from whom I source them.” She does, however, describe working with family as putting her ‘between a rock and a hard place’ very often.

“My big idea was to reach out to the discerning interior design market, be it luxury or aspirational, and provide my clients with a lifestyle

“I went to boarding school at Sanawar, then Hindu College in Delhi and the London School of Economics. When I came back to India, I decided to move to Bengaluru instead of Hyderabad−it was a new city as compared to Hyderabad, and I could do anything here with its own level of decadence! Besides, my elder brother was here too” − Omer that they would enjoy,” is how Anjum how explains the way she approaches her work. “I wanted to introduce discerning customers to living spaces that represent and reflect their individual taste and stay relevant through changing times.” Designing an interior space, she points out, presupposes that “A design metaphor will reveal itself in every object, colour, finish and patina”. Obviously, when the idea finds expression and rhythm in such detail, the natural outcome would be a space made distinctive by its very uniqueness.

“That,” she adds, “is why I do not just stop at designing the experience of an interior space, but also construct or create most of the objects that shape the design.”

“Good taste in interiors has come of age.

The challenge lies in the fact that often, the notion of interior design stops at the placement of attractive objects in a well-designed room. While that is a mandate we can serve with ease, we challenge ourselves to give our customers much more. This we do by shaping their experience of interior space, through manipulation of spatial volume, as well as April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 25

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surface treatment. So, while apartments today are predicated on the optimal use of space and uniformity, our challenge is to create a unique interior space in a structurally similar landscape,” she says.

“We have also integrated backward to create a super-large vertical, with project management, sourcing and a trading company-and now even furniture manufacturing. We create 90 per cent of all the furniture that is provided in any Prestige construction.”

From its beginnings as an in-house interior design subdivision, Morph has morphed into a fully integrated interior design firm that executes and handles projects for external clientele, too. It provides a one-point solution from design, creating a portfolio of work across apartments, villas, clubhouses, spas, resorts and hotels. Hotels, resorts or serviced apartments. “All of these need to be addressed very differently from one another,” Anjum explains. Along the way, the company has worked with globally renowned architecture firms like Dileonardo, Woods Bagot, HBA, MAP and SRSS, and executed projects as large as 2.5 million sq ft (nearly a quarter million sq m). “We have also won a lot of awards, in different areas of our work. My brothers look at me differently now!” she adds.

Describing herself as an entrepreneur at heart, not satisfied with interior design alone, Anjum says this is why she vertically integrated the manufacturing process by setting up state-of-the-art in-house factories over two decades ago, to cater to the different design sensibilities of cus26 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

tomers, from traditional, classic to the more contemporary, experimental and eclectic. “Our products are also designed to give our clients great value for money across the entire product spectrum,” she adds.

“From a process perspective, everything from concept, drawings, prototyping, to the final production of each and every piece of furniture that we use in our projects is backward integrated,” she explains. “Our external dependence is minimal and allows us to achieve unmatched quality giving us the ability to create truly bespoke interiors, where each detail is created by us. Having control over customisation and production, we ensure that our design process is a constantly evolving and dynamic one.”

“The journey has been tough-but a good tough!” Anjum smiles.

“The biggest chip on my shoulder is that I didn’t go to design school.

But I love working, and I have been loyal to my work.” She did, however, take a course in designing at Cornell University. “I firmly believe that you must always start from the back operations to be strong. There was a sad lack of originality and quality in the market-that’s why I started my furniture business with visits to China, Italy, Germany, Austria and Burma, getting the best rates at which I could import what I needed for each project.”

With this bottom-up organisational design approach, Anjum has been responsible for business development, strategic planning, diversification, and project management along with all other key executive

T “Some things are non-negotiable!

For instance, no phones are allowed at meal time. The kids get a platform to talk to each other and us, about things that would otherwise get buried in their busy lives. There are some ground rules, and they stick to them” - Omer functions. Her work is inspired by a diverse set of influences, both traditional and contemporary, and she references the Deco and Nouveau period styles as being particularly impactful. Firmly believing in the importance of constant evolution for prolonged success, she doesn’t hesitate to incorporate innovative materials into her projects, work with young artists and experiment with all aspects of execution.

“My two new factories involve a huge investment, which means I will probably be able to break even only two or three years,” says the businesswoman, now 49. “The state-of-the-art factories have been conceived with a lot of mechanisation-manufacturing wooden joineries, handcrafted furniture, modular furniture, wardrobes, windows and kitchen assemblies. MDC also has a unit which specialises in developing soft furnishings.” Today, Anjum can proudly claim that she has nurtured MDC into one of the country’s most respected décor studios with globally recognised clientele and numerous national and international awards to its credit.

Talking of challenges, Anjum says the biggest one has always been the debate between functionality and design and how to marry them:

“The aspirational customers have a relatively limited budget and want products that are aesthetically pleasing, have longevity and are easy to maintain. We have strived to address the needs of this particular segment and are happy to say that we have managed to achieve it to a very large extent.”

The other challenge, she says, is to provide aesthetic designs to any area. “Everyone deserves appealing spaces, regardless of its size,” she says. “We, at Morph Design Company, excel in providing just that.”

Pointing out that the business also involves effectively executing two opposing areas of demand: the high-volume kitchen and wardrobe assemblies on one side, and the need for personalised and exclusive products that cater to the individual versus the mainstream on the other, she credits the nature of these challenges is what keeps her and her team striving for excellence.

Anjum is a self-confessed foodie, and loves cooking. In fact, it was this love and talent that led to her meeting Omer at the restaurant: “I used to bake a lot, and market my cakes and pastries to earn my pocket money, to spend on music and clothes,” she says. “Casa Piccola was one of my biggest customers. And so, when my friend Goga suggested meeting her there, I didn’t think it was at all strange.”

She also reads voraciously and loves to travel-collecting art and antiques from the places she visits. Her husband shares her interests-and so they pack their bags and heads off to different locales in India and abroad. The couple began with a two-week honeymoon in Africa; and because he loves surprising her, he recently took her on a road trip from Budapest to Prague via Vienna-“He made me drive!” she mock-complains-so that he could treat her to a four-hour meal at a three-star Michelin restaurant on the way.

Nawabzada Omer Bin Jung, formally designated Executive Director, Hospitality-Prestige Group, is also the Founding Managing Director of Prestige Leisure Resorts (P) Ltd. With three decades of experience in hospitality, he is currently spearheading the Group’s foray into hospitality. “I went to boarding school at Sanawar, then Hindu College in Delhi (where he was a gold medallist in his BA, Anjum intercedes) and the London School of Economics,” he says. “When I came back to India, I decided to move to Bengaluru instead of Hyderabad-it was a new city as compared to Hyderabad, and I could do anything here with its own level of decadence! Besides, my elder brother was here too.”

After a couple of years in the finance department of Wipro, he joined his brother who has a resort in Bandipur. “Actually, it was a just a Club House; now it has been converted into the Northwest County resort,” he explains. In 1997, three years after he married Anjum, he floated the idea of helping his brothers-in-law take their construction business into resorts.

“There has been no looking back since then,” he says. “We also have food courts in malls, we run franchises for Subway, Falafal and others… it’s a good mix.”

Adds his Begum: “It wasn’t an asset class at all – it was Omer’s brainchild.” He explains that because the business was totally in real estate, it had no assets on its balance sheet because all its projects were sold.

“Assets are always good to have,” he says. “That’s where the discussion started. And we began to become more asset heavy.”

And so, having established Prestige Leisure Resorts, Omer now aims to set up international spas, city hotels, resorts and food courts all over India in the coming years. He is amply qualified: besides his gold-medal BA and his post-graduate Diploma in Business Studies from LSE, he also has a post-graduate Master’s Degree in Business Administration April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 27

Cover Story with a specialisation in Marketing, as well as a Certification in Strategic Management by Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, US. At Prestige, Omer has been instrumental in conceptualising and tying up with Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts, Singapore, for one of Bengaluru’s most beautiful spa resorts the world-class Angsana Oasis Spa & Resort; the Angsana Oasis City Spas at UB City; Hilton International for the Conrad, Bengaluru; Oakwood Asia Pacific for the Oakwood Premier Serviced Residences at UB City and the Oakwood Residences-Forum Value Mall, Whitefield as well as the 3.4-hectare Sheraton Grand Whitefield Hotel and Convention Center in the group’s Shantiniketan project; the JW Marriott Hotel in Prestige Golfshire below the Nandi Hills and the 23-storey Conrad Hotel overlooking the Ulsoor Lake. He is also the brain behind the Transit food lounge at The Forum, Koramangala.

“We have introduced some of the most reputed international brands in the world to South India, such as the Hilton Group and Marriott International for hotels; the Banyan Tree for resorts: our Angsana Oasis Spa & Resort is managed by Banyan Tree Hotel & Resorts, Singapore.

We also have the Oakwood Premier Prestige Serviced Residences in our landmark development, UB City, as well as in Whitefield,” he points out.

We launched our hotel, ‘The Aloft’, in Prestige Cessna Business Park in 2014 in association with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.”

Anjum also shares some of the secrets for her success: “To excel in any field, one needs to be a team player. Managing people and ensuring employee and customer satisfaction is an integral part of being a success. We are a service-oriented industry and it is our team’s talent that decides the success of our work. Therefore, it is very important to ensure that your team is motivated and happy. Finally, it is crucial to have indepth knowledge of both the industry and the products, which is only possible if you have a genuine passion for your work, as only then will you constantly strive towards perfecting your art.” Apart from this, it is paramount to believe in yourself, your abilities and objectives and have the right conviction. Life is full of complexities. Keeping things simple and using a straightforward approach helps unravel intricacies.

Her role models are her father Razack Sattar, an enterprising entrepreneur who started Prestige Fashions way back in 1956; and after his passing, her three elder brothers Irfan, Rezwan and Noaman have been her mentors, propelling her to success. “They have inspired me to keep pushing myself to achieve greater heights and are a source of constant motivation for me,” she explains. She too wants to carry on this culture of helping others: “I want to create a platform for young interior, product and furniture designers whom I will launch and mentor, to help hone their skills and realise their dreams,” she concludes.

The Jungs’ daughter Zara was born in 1999, and their son Ayaan five years later. “Kids never worried me, I enjoy them at all ages,” Omer says.

And Anjum gives him ‘100 per cent for being an outstanding father’, saying: “He handles the children so well. Till date, he puts Ayaan to bed every night. He also takes his just-into-his-teens son on a fishing and hunting trip for two weeks every year.”

How did they manage everything: work, which is often 24x7, parenting-which is 24x7-and getting away for holidays? “We have a very good support system in the family,” Anjum says. “My mother has always been a big help, even though she was looking after my father who fell sick in 1995 soon after our marriage, and never recovered till he passed away in 2004. But I too never thought of multi-tasking-handling work, kids and home-as a problem. Of course, we had good staff: our maid and driver are very devoted to the family.”

Both of them are religious, and practise their faith: “We pray, fast, and go for Haj,” Omer says. Adds Anjum: “My mother was very pragmatic in her approach to Islam, though my father was more ritualistic.” According to Omer, their prayers are more for thankfulness than to ask for something. “We are so blessed,” he points out. “We have been to Arabia

A “To excel in any field, one needs to be a team player. Managing people and ensuring employee and customer satisfaction is an integral part of being a success. We are a service-oriented industry and it is our team’s talent that decides the success of our work” - Anjum 28 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

a few times. So yes, we practise-but at the same time, we question.” Says Anjum, simply: “I like the balance.”

And the children are, fortunately, not yet growing away from their parents: Zara has her own life, but is at the same time totally plugged into the concept of family. “Some things are non-negotiable!” says Omer. “For instance, no phones are allowed at meal time. The kids get a platform to talk to each other and us, about things that would otherwise get buried in their busy lives. There are some ground rules, and they stick to them.” They are not totally happy going away on their own, but can still manage independently all over the place. Zara, for example, went to Oxford on her own for a summer course, Anjum points out.

“She organised her own travel, and did very well there too-she came first in her class.”

All four of them spend a lot of time together as a family, even on holidays. “We don’t need to go out and mingle, we are very content by ourselves,” she says. “Three holidays every year are a must. We go away for the summer, Dussehra and Christmas vacations.”

Last year, Ayaan came up with a surprising question: “Why must we always fly abroad? Why don’t we take a holiday in India?” Says Omer:

“Both of us had found it very difficult earlier to wrap ourselves around a holiday in India. But after my son asked this question, we decided to go to Rajasthan-it was fun. We like our luxuries-but besides the Michelin restaurants, we also like to eat local food in different places. For example, we had a great meal of daal-bhaat at a truck stop in Rajasthan.” They didn’t of course, exactly rough it out in the desert: his royal connections ensured that they had the best hospitality in the local palaces. “India is brilliant!” Anjum says.

“Even though both of us are busy, we like to invest time in the kids as well as for ourselves together,” Omer says. “Of course, there is always a trade-off, in terms of earning less than we could if we concentrated only on our work or business. The question of what has priority in our lives keeps changing. But health, time with the children, family time, religion-they all take precedence.”

In addition to all this, Omer manages to find time to play cricket-coming as he does from a cricketing family-and golf, besides his angling and hunting which again is a throwback to his family’s traditions. “He is a ‘renowned shot’!” Anjum says with obvious pride. That, he explains, is a qualification that enables him to participate in national

E

“We have introduced some of the most reputed international brands in the world to South India, such as the Hilton Group and Marriott International for hotels; the Banyan Tree for resorts: our Angsana Oasis Spa & Resort is managed by Banyan Tree Hotel & Resorts, Singapore” — Omer

shooting championships. He is also interested in football, and took his son to watch Manchester United play a home match on Boxing Day last year: “There must always be an element of surprise in what I do,” he grins. “I had planned the itinerary for that trip with a gap of one day, which the rest of the family were clued in that they didn’t even notice!

That was the day I just took off with Ayaan for the match.”

How have they found the much-vaunted “entrepreneur-friendly” systems introduced by the government, especially that of Karnataka where they operate? “Well,” starts Omer, “When we started the hospitality business, we needed a total of 29 licences… But today,” he pauses dramatically, and adds: “We need 29 licences, still. The licence raj has not gone away, it is only that we have learned to handle it more gracefully. The pain is still there. But we had the luxury of assets like easy access to loans and, our families.”

Anjum’s story is slightly different. “I started as a woman entrepreneur,” she explains. “That angle worked for me.” She still loves to cook; and, Omer says, “People love to be invited to our home for a meal.”

“We never have the time to get bored,” Anjum says. “We’ve practically grown up together, through our 23-year marriage. Both of us are the same age, so that’s almost half our lives. We have so many things in common; like, we were reading the same translation of the Quran, or The Little Prince, at the same time-but we are still as different as chalk and cheese. Of course, his stupid sense of humour sometimes irritates me, but…” To which her husband grins. And she adds: “I promise you, I wouldn’t want to grow older with anyone else but Omer.” sekharseshan@gmail.com April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 29

CII Marketing Conference

The Attacker’s Advantage Business is a lot like war. The attacker has the advantage over his competition. A business can move fast and innovate, or fall by the wayside as its competition races ahead. How attacker’s advantage is crucial to business success, was the topic at the centre of a fascinating discussion at the CII Marketing Conference titled “The end of Marketing as we knew it” at the Conrad in Pune. Corporate Citizen brings you the riveting discussion

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By Neeraj varty

o the victor belong the spoils. In business too, the early bird gets the worms. In today’s intensely competitive business environment, businesses that attacks through innovation, disruption and marketing have an edge over their competition. How exactly does attacker’s advantage work, though? And is it really as simple as it sounds. Attempting to answer these and many more questions, Dr Bhaskar Das, Chairman, CII Marketing Conference 2016 and President, Chief Growth & Innovation Officer, Zee Unimedia Ltd, acts as a moderator while conducting a thought provoking session with Shubhodip Pal, Chief Operating Officer Yu Televentures–Micromax, and Sumeet Narang, Vice President–Marketing Bajaj Auto Ltd. Following are the excerpts.

Attacking is about the attitude, more than anything else. Two companies that perfectly exemplify an attacker’s mindset are Micromax and Bajaj Auto. In your (Shubhodip's) career, have you seen many examples of the attackers mindset?

Shubhodip Pal Attacker's advantage seems like a simple concept, but it has a lot of nuances to it. It could be the first mover's advantage where a company gets the advantage by being the first to act amongst the competition, or it could be a combination of many other factors. As a marketer, I have had the opportunity to work with

30 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

many brands. I started my career with Samsung, and spent over 11 years there. The discipline the Koreans have in the marketplace is phenomenal. I then worked in banking at ABN Amro, which is a Dutch company. After that, I joined HP, which is an American company. Even HP reinvented themselves in the face of competition from Dell. They came up with an innovative campaign titled 'The computer is personal again', and that's where computers changed from a Business to Business (B2B) model to a Business to Consumer (B2C) model. It was a huge shift in the perception of PCs in the eyes of consumers and the effects can be felt even today. In my current avatar at Micromax, I can vouch for our attacker’s advantage. Business decisions which take 6-8 days for other companies are taken in 6-8 mins at Micromax. We call it a nimble organisation. We always focused on Samsung and Apple, the market leaders. If you really want to be on top, then you need to compete with the companies at the top. Instead of investing a lot of money in factories, we outsourced the manufacturing components to Original Equipment Manufacturers, helping us keep costs in check while ensuring high quality.

Our detractors may say that we are distributors and not manufacturers, but we don't care, as long as we are selling 3.5-4 million phones a month. One thing to note is that what you think as your core competency cannot be taken as your strength, as some other company may

waltz in, take your core competency, and use it to their advantage.

You need to have guts to experiment fast, which Micromax has. Legacy companies like Nokia and Samsung didn't think Micromax would last, but the company has shown meteoric growth. It can be credited to the founders. Founder's mentality is very important to be successful at attacker's advantage. The success of Bajaj is also a testament to that fact. Sumeet Narang, what are your experiences with attacker's advantage?

Sumeet Narang I spent a fair part of my career outside the technology led business, in FMCG.

If you look at that business over the last 50 years, I don't think any new competitor would have come into the market. From a distance it might appear that for products like Gillette and Oral B (which are some of the brands I have worked on over the years), you needn't be an attacker.

One big difference is that even though the environment isn’t changing, you have to change the environment if you want to survive. All these products were in a way category creators. Look at Gillette. In a market where for years people were using `1 blade, you want to sell a blade costing `100. That is creating a category, and you can't do that without an attacker's mindset.

You just have to question and challenge every

paradigm and every rulebook. I think if you are creating categories like that, you have to be an attacker. The mindset of going to market with new ideas and that too with speed is crucial.

I had worked for a brief period with Coca Cola at the height of the Cola wars in India, and that was one place where I learnt that your cost of not doing something could be a lot more than doing something wrong. This was an important lesson I learnt. Something has to be done and it has to be done right now. Procrastination is death. In the Indian marketing scenario, the Cola wars kicked off a new chapter of never before seen marketing, and it all focused on the attacker's mindset.

One often talks about differentiation, which is usually not easy in FMCG, where most of the products are quite similar. However, displaying an attacker's mindset in FMCG can make all the difference something which, Patanjali Ayurved is doing. In categories, which have been around for decades, Patanjali is doing a great job of differentiating itself. Coming to technology industries, the time to market has reduced not just to days, but sometimes to mere hours. If you don't have an attacker's mindset in technology, you shouldn't even be there. When you talk about changing environments, rising upstarts, etc, it is happening all across the industry, but the most prominent companies affected are April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 31

CII Marketing Conference the ones backed by, developed, or supported by technology. That's what I feel, in my current role at Bajaj auto, that there is a fair amalgamation of technology, but there are products where technology cannot change products overnight.

The attacker's mindset is about finding a meaningful differentiation in the category you want to go after. Just because there are categories that you want to enter, and you enter them, doesn’t make it an attacker's mindset. Most times, you would see that companies are in the red in these categories. But if are able to observe, create and communicate the differentiation in your product, that's where you will succeed.

If you attack and win, is that a sustainable competitive advantage?

Shubhodip The way the competition reacts is a major factor. A lot of people think that disruption, a hallmark of an attacking mindset, is a short-term phenomenon. I disagree. Disruption is strategically thought and maneuvered in a way which has long-term ramifications. I will share an experience. A Micromax founder walked into a kitchen and saw a cook changing SIM cards on his phone. This was a time when people juggled multiple SIM cards on their phones using one SIM for calling, another for their internet data, one for international calling, etc. However, there were no dual SIM phones despite the obviPics: Ravindra Joshi

Even though the environment isn’t changing, you have to change the environment if you want to survive. The mindset of going to market with new ideas and that too with speed is crucial —Sumeet Narang 32 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

ous need for them. That's how the inception of dual SIM came about, and it was a big disruption in the marketplace. It took us some weeks to introduce dual SIM phones. It took Samsung a year and Nokia a year and a half to bring out their first dual SIM phones. This is disruption that has long-term effects. Answering Bhaskar's question, yes, it is sustainable, but there should be a roadmap for disruption. It has to be used in a way which you think is right and not as a knee jerk reaction. If a competitor drops the price, many others do the same, but is it sustainable?

No, it isn't. Attacking for the sake of attacking will get you nowhere. Only when it is a part of a well thought strategy does attacker's mindset succeed.

Sumeet The short answer to your question is that it is sustainable only for a short period of time.

These are VUCA times, and things keep changing. You need a continuous pipeline of such disruptions, some of which you can plan and predict, and some which you might not be able to.

As management, it is extremely important how hands-on they are if they want to have an attacker's mindset and they want to grab an opportunity when it comes up. Hands-on to the extent of having an ear to the ground, understanding what the situation is instinctively, and that's a major differentiator, which I saw first-hand when I had

my short stint in Samsung. I can completely understand the success of that company. Decisions can happen very fast, provided the decision maker is in the room. If he or she isn't, then discussion can go on forever without any result. We created a disruption in the market a few months back when we launched a new bike called Bajaj V. V is a bike where we used some metal from INS Vikrant in its construction. I call it a disruption because the form of the bike was different, and on one side when the entire bike industry was trying to make commuter bikes look sportier, we went into a more neo-classical design style. Where competitors were giving their bikes an international appeal, we went the route of giving the bike a more nationalistic and patriotic feel. It is a very complex decision. You are talking of branding, metallurgy and differentiation all at once. It only took me all of two conversations and the decision was made.

The decision maker is just one WhatsApp message away at Bajaj. A month down the line, the metal had already been bought and production was underway. That is an attacker's mindset.

Had it been any other global conglomerate, there would probably have been a project team, a task force looking at pros and cons, and a period of about 18 months to get an approval on the idea.

I have nothing against these companies. In fact, I spent most of my career in them. However, in

Shubhodip Failure is a joy for me. Especially at Micromax, I got into the entrepreneurial frame of mind. There are over 30 phone launches a year at Micromax. Like a parent, I would want every product to succeed. However, there will inevitably be some, which would fail. You can't help it, but you shouldn't let it keep you down. The journey changed when we changed the paradigm of screen size. We launched the Canvas 2, which was a 5-inch phone, an enormous screen size at that time. People said Indians would never take a large screened phone.

Against all odds, the phone was a huge success.

Bolstered by the success, we launched the Canvas HD phone, which was an upgraded canvas 2 with a better HD display. Unfortunately, it failed. Consumers could not understand the difference between standard definition displays and HD displays at that time. Today almost all the phones have HD screens. It is all about the timing. We sold 4 million Canvas 2 phones but could hardly sell 10,000 Canvas HDs. But we took it in our stride. We then launched Canvas Music with JBL earphones bundled in, which was a big hit. There is one lesson I learnt from the Koreans when I was at Samsung. It goes something like this - First Mistake, No problem. Second mistake, you go home and don't come back. That's what I follow. You lose some, and you win some. The key is to win more than you lose. large organisations, the decision maker is usually not part of the task force. Being a lot more handson and having the decision maker be a part of the discussion makes all the difference.

Have you experienced failure and if so, how do you feel?

Sumeet You are obviously going to experience failures. And when you fail it feels horrible.

There will also be times when you win. That's life. In the context of the attacker's advantage mindset, I agree with Shubhodip. You have to move on. You can't go back and perfect everything that failed. You can't afford to be emotionally attached to every product.

There is one lesson I learnt from the Koreans when I was at Samsung. It goes something like this—First Mistake, No problem.

Second mistake, you go home and don't come back. That's what I follow. You lose some, and you win some. The key is to win more than you lose —Shubhodip Pal Is learning from failure encouraged only in founder led companies or even in multi-national companies?

Sumeet I think it is more encouraged in places like Samsung and Bajaj Auto. What I have seen in my FMCG stints is that because the market can be predicted to an extent, there would always be a plan B and a plan C ready, if Plan A doesn’t work. Despite that, when you are launching a new product, no one can predict what would happen. Last year we launched six bikes. This is an industry where the mortality rate of new launches is very high as there are many options people can choose from. There were two premium versions of the Pulsar we launched last year. One was Pulsar Race Sport (RS) which was great for track racing and the other was Pulsar Adventure Sport (AS), which was an outdoor adventure bike. The RS did and continues to do very well. The AS did very well in the beginning, and then it failed. We could spend hundreds of hours dissecting why it failed, or we can use the same resources in improving future products. Time is of great importance when it comes to attacker's advantage, and one must be judicious with its application. neeraj.varty07@gmail.com April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 33

Cradle of Leadership A S Ansari, Vice Principal, Daly College, Indore

Pics: Vishal Bhatia

Daly College:

Where modernity blends with tradition...

The Daly College in Indore is a 146-year-old institution that has a glorious history of being established during the British Raj. The sprawling campus is a striking sight given its stately architecture which can put modern architecture to shame. The co-ed residential cum day boarding school has garnered a reputation at national and international level to emerge as one of the top schools of India. A S Ansari, Vice Principal, Daly College, Indore has made unparalleled contribution to the esteemed school both as an English teacher and Officiating Principal.

He looks back in nostalgia at the years spent at the school and its achievements that are growing by the day...

By Namrata Gulati Sapra 34 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

Please take us on a history tour of the Daly College.

In 1870, General Sir Henry Daly, who was the representative of the Governor General in Central India and Resident at the Court of the Holkars-the rulers of Indore, evolved a unique concept and established a school for the sons of the Indian princes. This, it was felt, would help bridge the cultural gap between the Indian princes and the British to their mutual advantage.

In 1940, showing great vision, the board of governors decided to prepare students for a modern and free India. The Daly College came together with a few other institutions and started what is known as the Indian Public Schools Conference (IPSC). Its doors were thrown open to

admissions on merit, regardless of caste or creed. Ever since then, the Daly College has grown in strength and reputation and now offers the most modern of education in a heritage setting. It has now become a member of the Round Square (International Conference). The school also became a co-educational residential in 1997, in response to the desire of parents to give an equally good education to their sons and daughters.

In 1998, under the Headship of Dr Prasad, the Daly College Business School was established in partnership with De Montfort University, Leicester, England. Students can pursue undergraduate studies in Business Management at DCBS. The course is known as BMBS or Bachelor in Management (Business Studies).

April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 35

Cradle of Leadership What makes the Daly College a name to reckon with in the world of education?

Daly College (DC) is one of India’s most respected boarding schools and our alumni have contributed significantly to India’s development. It’s a school which combines tradition and modernity, offers a rigorous academic curriculum, generous sports facilities, excellent pastoral care and well-developed student support systems. DC offers excellent holistic education and is committed to producing citizens of the world.

DC has been ranked as India’s best school in all categories of internationalism, for infrastructure and for sports management too. DC has been ranked the best day cum boarding school in India for the past few years.

How important is it for the Daly College to provide international exposure to its students? In this regard, please tell us more about GALES and Round Square.

Global Alliance of Leading-Edge Schools (GALES), an organisation from 25-plus countries, has only one Indian partner, Daly College. It is for the very first time that GALES decided to shift the venue of its bi-annual summit for October 2014 from Raffles Institution, Singapore to DC, Indore.

The Daly College is proud to be a global member of the Round Square. RS is a nonprofit charity organisation registered in the UK. It is a worldwide association of almost 150 schools in five continents. As members of the Round Square, children go all over India and abroad to mix, work and compete with children from other schools and cultures. At the same time, ample exchanges between teachers and students take place with schools abroad and students attend international conferences as well as service camps. Round Square schools are founded on a philosophy which embraces a series of six pillars or precepts which can be summed up in the word ‘IDEALS’. They are Internationalism, Democracy, Environment, Adventure, Leadership and Service. Students at Round Square schools make a commitment to addressing each of these pillars through exchanges, work projects, community service and adventure AFS, another international organisation, is one of the world’s largest community-based volunteer organisations. The essence of any AFS program is stay and study in a different cultural setting. Daly College sends its students for AFS exchanges for short-term and year-long programs. It greatly promotes intercultural learning.

How actively involved are the students of Daly College in arts and culture? Does Daly have clubs dedicated to honing these talents?

36 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

Patrons of the Daly College since 1882...

1.Mittal Library-A section 2.Aircraft received from the Indian Air Force 3.E library of Daly College 4.Daly College Business School 5. Fitness Centre ( Squash Courts)

Some of the most famous names in history and present times have served as patrons to the Daly College... l HE Lord Willington,

Viceroy of India l HE Lord Linlithgow,

Viceroy of India l HE Field Marshal, Lord

Wavell, Viceroy of India l HE Admiral of the

Fleet, Lord Mountbatten, Viceroy of India l HH Maharaja Sir

George Jivaji Rao Scindia of Gwalior l HH Maharajadhiraj

Yeshwant Rao Holkar of Indore l HH Maharajadhiraj

Martand Singh of Rewa l HH Maharaja Madhav

Rao Scindia of Gwalior l HH Maharani Usha

Devi Holkar of Indore l HH Maharajadhiraj

Pushpendra Singh Ju Deo of Rewa l Raja Digvijaya Singh

of Raghogarh l Shri Mukesh Dhirubhai

Ambani l HH Maharaja

Jyotiraditya Scindia of Gwalior

A state-of-art hobby centre (CTDC) caters to the creative talent of the students. It has facilities for Fine Arts, Sculpture, Pottery, Ceramics, Graphics, Woodcraft, Electronics, Photography, Bamboo Craft, Needlework amongst still arts and Music, Band, Dance and Dramatics in performing arts. The school has won All India IPSC Championships of Dance, Music, Drama, Debates, Fine Arts, Quizzes etc. The school organises various co-curricular activities. The school has very active literary societies in English and Hindi. Debates, Declamation, Elocution, Essay Competitions, Group Discussions and Poetry Recitation are some of the activities which are organised by these societies. Children are involved in the publication of a magazine, newsletter and its supplements.

30 Clubs are offered to students like Cooking in Chef ’s of DC, Baking, Film Appreciation, Robotics, Economics Forum, Debating, MUNs, Art Appreciation, Art Positive, Mathemagic, Green Club and Nature Club, Scientific Society, Historical Society, Bridging The Gap, Dramatics, Quizzing, Cooking, Baking, Creative Writing, Adventure Club, IAYP, SSL, Economists, Motor Mechanics, Photography, Electronics, Readers’ Club, Electrical, Brand Imaging and DClan Film Appreciation, New Music, Psychology, Parallel to Technology and Femina.

“There is a temple and a mosque in the premises, but attendance is voluntary and open to all communities. The Daly College believes in absolute Secularism and respects all religions. Temple means ‘House of Gods’, as the name suggests, it is the place of silence, meditation, etc. The temple of Daly College was built in the Malwa style”

sports are concerned? Tell us about the obstacle course as part of this training.

As far as the facilities are concerned, there is a tennis academy which utilises four of the nine courts. There are eight squash courts, nine basketball courts, two volleyball, badminton and table tennis courts, a skating rink, a gymnasium and a chess hall. The two cricket grounds are of Ranji Trophy standard. That said, there are two soccer pitches, two hockey pitches, an athletic complex with a 400m track, cross country, three swimming pools including a 50m pool, a 25 lane indoor shooting range, an outdoor shooting range and an obstacle course. There are a total of seven sports pavilions. The oldest Pavilion is the Scindia Cricket Pavilion built in 1910 and described by the sports correspondent of the London Times as the best in India during the MCC tour of 1933.

The Bolia Fund and the Vikram-Rajadhyaksh Fund sponsor overseas coaches. The Central India squash is held regularly at DC and the school hosts a tennis academy. Other games include football, volleyball, table tennis, karate, aerobics, gymnastics, skating, athletics, swimming, water polo and shooting. There are 49 physical training coaches assisting the students in various disciplines.

Girls are emerging with strong teams in the sports of cricket, hockey, squash, basketball, athletics, swimming, football and shooting. Yoga is also offered. There are 40 Physical Training teachers and coaches assisting the students in various disciplines.

There are excellent facilities for Obstacle Course in shape of wall climbing, rope obstacle and walking on the wooden bars.

Tell us about the many achievements of the young sportspersons from the Daly College.

The school is well recognised for its high sports standard especially in Hockey, Football, Squash, Basketball and Shooting. Approximately 150 girls and boys participate each year at the national level and close to 10 at the international level.

In the last twelve months, two girl students and a boy student have shot for India while one girl student of the DC played Tennis and is in the Top Hundred in the World in U 18. At the same time, two girl students and a boy student have represented India in Football and one girl in Indoor Hockey.

One of our girl students is participating at the international level in Horse Riding, Show Jumping. In the Equestrian Premier League in her second league, she finished with a silver medal.

The school is thus well known and enjoys a brilliant reputation for being home to some budding sports talents.

What facilities does Daly boast of as far as physical training and

What steps are being taken towards the upkeep of Scindia Cricket Pavilion? Where does it stand today vis-a-vis other pavilions of the current times?

As mentioned before, the Scindia Cricket Pavilion is the oldest one at the DC, founded in 1910. There is an ongoing Quarterly Programme to maintain the Scindia Cricket Pavilion and to keep the ground in good shape. It involves refurbishing, repairing of the pavilion as well as watering and rolling of the pitch and the ground. A total renovation on plan is also on the anvil.

The students seem to be taking a keen interest in social causes. Tell us about their most celebrated success stories in this aspect.

Community Service programs are being offered to the students generously:  Eye Camps: Eye Camp is organised by our school in collaboration with a school from France where the eyes of people are tested, with the help of doctors, spectacles distributed and referred to eye hospital if need arises for a cataract operation.  Washroom Projects: Keeping in mind the basic sanitary requirements in schools, the students conducted surveys of the schools to find the less advantaged schools to identify which need washrooms on priority basis.

April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 37

Cradle of Leadership “Our student club ‘Bridging the Gap’ has done good work in the home for the hearing impaired and also in an orphanage and have provided drinking water facility for the visually handicapped. The students also donated to the unfortunate in Uttarkashi and have selected recipient schools in Indore for 152 chairs and 162 tables” Thus the decision of ‘Girls’ Washroom Project’ was undertaken by the Daly College. The DC students’ community has completed twin washrooms for girls in 14 underprivileged schools in and around Indore so far.  De Montfort University, Leicester, UK has also partnered and given support for the same project (SQUARE MILE).  Cancer care Foundation: Students have participated in a survey about tobacco habits. They have conducted computer classes for the staff of Cancer Foundation and prepared a wall painting for the institute so as to add colour with positive energy and hope for life.

6.Woodcraft Centre 7.Trophy Display 8.Craft Technology Design Centre ( CTDC) 9.Durbar Hall 10.Woodcraft Centre 11.Mittal Library- Reading Centre

Tell us about the work that ‘Bridging the Gap’ is doing.

The club basically aims at bridging the gap between two stakeholders.

For example, students visited the City Prison and talked to prisoners and their problems, just to empathise with them.

They also visited old age homes and came back with more sensitivity and emotions.

One of our student clubs ‘Bridging the Gap’ has done good work in the home for the hearing impaired and also in an orphanage and have provided drinking water facility for the visually handicapped.

The students also donated to the unfortunate in Uttarkashi and have selected recipient schools in Indore for 152 chairs and 162 tables. Our students have painted the classroom walls of school for the hearing impaired.

How passionate are students about the cause of environment conservation?

Making children aware of social responsibilities and sensitising them to their environment are important priorities. A Nature Club and Green Club, both primarily student-driven bodies, organise a number of activities during the year including awareness drives, voluntary work and fundraising. The Daly College has built the Mukesh Jhaveri Green Centre in the school which is committed to environment protection and sensitising the community to the need of sustainable future, aiming to conduct eco-friendly processes in every way including organic farming, paper recycling, etc. DC is also a natural habitat for Peacocks. Karuna International, Chennai conferred DC as the Natural National Bird Sanctuary Institute of India in 2012.

It is amazing that the college has both a temple and a mosque in the college premises! Tell us about the relevance of that.

Yes, there is a temple and a mosque in the premises but attendance is vol38 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

untary and open to all communities. The Daly College believes in absolute Secularism and respects all religions. Temple means ‘House of Gods’, as the name suggests, it is the place of silence, meditation, etc. The temple of Daly College was built in the Malwa style. The temple is open every day in the morning as well as in the evening. On festivals and special occasions, functions are organised in the temple.

Muslim students and teachers come to the mosque to perform the holy prayers on a daily basis. On every Friday, almost the entire Muslim community of the campus assembles at the mosque to offer special prayers.

The Daly College takes pride in and understand the importance of making students understand the importance of all religions and be tolerant towards them.

Tell us about the Craft Technology Design Centre.

A state of art hobby centre (CTDC) caters to the creative talent of the students. It has facilities for Fine Arts, Sculpture, Pottery, Ceramics, Graphics, Woodcraft, Electronics, Photography, Bamboo Craft, Needlework amongst

ings and for receiving dignitaries visiting the institution.

How does Daly College guide its students on the right career path?

Career counselling is the answer to that question. The career counselling cell arranges talks by eminent subject experts and counsellors, primarily for classes IX-XII. Seminars are organised with follow-up programmes. Aptitude testing is also offered and students are familiarised with opportunities for higher studies in a fast-changing world.

Many of the students of Daly are studying abroad. Which country seems to be the most popular among them and what subjects do they mostly opt for?

Famous alumni of Daly College...

The alumni of the Daly College hold prestigious posts in various fields around not just the country, but also across the globe.

Here are some names that have put Daly College on the world map...

still arts and Music, Band, Dance and Dramatics in performing arts.

The Dalians have been winning prizes in Performing Arts in IPSC competitions. They have been champions in dances like: Choreography, Folk Dance and Western Dance Competitions as well as Classical Dance. They were the winners of a Festival in Dance—UDBHAV. It is an International dance festival organised by Udbhav Sports and Cultural Association, Gwalior. The competition has participants from India and foreign countries.

DC stood first in national category and was selected for Shanghai Tourism Festival to China where Dalians gave a spectacular performance and stole the show!

The Daly College was placed 1st in 16 out of a total of 42 events at the IPSC all India Cultural Festival, with 780 students participating from 23 schools The first ranks were obtained in Indian Orchestra, Western Orchestra, Classical Vocal Solo, Classical Solo Dance, English Skit, Choreography, and other competitions.

The Durbar Hall is the main assembly hall situated at the centre of the building. What makes the hall so special?

The Durbar Hall possesses the valuable portraits of all the original chief patrons of DC. It also houses the relics of the former kingdoms of Jhabuas and the Marathas as well as some original trophies donated by eminent personalities and units are kept there. It is also used for important meet-

l Mahima Gupta

(Nuclear Scientist) l Dr Amrita Tiwari

(Nuclear Scientist) l Prof. Prabhat Patnaik

(JNU) l Prof. Dinyar Godrej

(Oxford) l Raj Singh Dungarpur

(Cricket) l Hanumant Singh

(Cricket) l Nawabzada Shahryar

Muhammad Khan (Foreign Secretary & Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board) l Dheeraj Bora (ISRO

Scientist)

USA is the most popular destination. Students go to study Engineering, Business Management, Economics, Design and Fashion. They are studying in some of the topmost universities like, UC Berkeley, University of Massachusetts Amherst, UCLA, Cornell, University of Washington, University of Michigan, University of Southern California and many more. In UK, they are in London School of Economics, University of Arts London, UCL, Westminster and others.

LaSalle and NUS in Singapore, Monash in Australia and University of Waterloo, McGill and UBC in Canada.

Tell us about CIE in the Daly College.

Daly College is also a centre for conducting Cambridge lnternational Examination (CIE) since 2010 and a section of students switch over to this system from class Vl. CIE programmes and qualifications at The Daly College lead seamlessly from grade VI to grade XII. It provides globally recognised qualifications including Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge International AS and A level that opens doors for learners.

Tell us about the strength of students in various streams offered in Class XI and XII.

The CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) is our regular Board. There are four streams: Medical, Engineering, Commerce and Humanities. Majority of the students opt for Commerce. Next is Science, followed by Humanities and Medicine. As per the CIE, the students are not bound to follow the stream. They can take up subjects of their choice which they have an interest in.

Tell us about the Old Dalians’ Association.

Old Dalians' Association (ODA) is the alumni association of The Daly College (DC), Indore.

DC is one of the most coveted public schools April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 39

Cradle of Leadership of India, having a great history of its own. The ODA is a devotedly active organisation with an objective of helping each of its members through networking and to make a contribution to their alma mater's betterment.

It has strength of over 4,100 members across the globe, which includes professionals, businesspersons, industrialists, sports-persons, artists, politicians, social workers, etc. from the most elite strata of the society. Each year, at least, a hundred members are added to the ODA fraternity as they pass out from DC after their Class XII examinations.

thinking and confident individuals with leadership and communication skills who are socially, emotionally and spiritually secure.

And finally, this will help us to create global citizens with strong, values, who are environmentally and socially conscious and who have the ability to constantly drive and benefit from change. The school's motto"Gyanamev Shakti" or "Knowledge is power"-sums up the schools philosophy extremely well.

Tell us about the academic achievements of the Daly College.

My achievement has primarily been as an English teacher to the students.

I would say that I have been able to achieve a lot in the classroom. Here, I would add kids have been working very hard with me over the last three decades. Consequently, the results have been highly satisfying.

I take pride in sharing that I have been very successful as a house master because kids keep coming back to me even now when they are married and have their own kids studying at the Daly! But what is the most special about my association with the Daly is forming a precious bond with my students and nurturing a relationship based on mutual love and respect.

More recently, I have been able to achieve very good results in the cultural sphere. In 2003, the Daly College began participating in the national cultural festival and there has been no looking back ever since!

However, pre-2003, we had never really discovered this amazing facet of ourselves. Once we did, we realised that we are an exceptionally strong co-ed school wherein the boys as well as girls get together on the stage to achieve together handsomely. In the last 13 to 14 years, we have only grown from strength to strength in the arena of the visual or performing arts. The Daly College has been performing outstandingly to say the least and I feel joyous and content to have been a part of this school as the Vice Principal and the officiating Principal (until April 1, 2017). Until last year, I was the Dean of the cultural affairs in the Daly College.

In the CBSE Class XII exams, an average of seven students with 84 per cent are awarded CBSE Merit Certificates. Besides, 100 per cent marks in Economics, Maths and Fine Arts is a rare academic feat achieved by the Daly College. Besides, 25 CBSE Class X students were awarded with Merit Certificates for securing an outstanding 10 CGPA. DC is known for producing excellent CIE-IGCSE results. In fact, the school has even produced one national subject topper. Excellent AS and A level results is our forte. The list does not stop here either. Our students have been world toppers in various subjects as History. There has been a world topper from our school in ICT. And in subjects such as Mathematics, English, Geography and ICT, DC has produced country topper.

Tell us about your contribution to the Daly College as its Vice Principal/Officiating Principal.

“In the CBSE Class XII exams, an average of seven students with 84 per cent are awarded CBSE Merit Certificates. Besides, 100 per cent marks in Economics, Maths and Fine Arts is a rare academic feat achieved by the Daly College. Besides, 25 CBSE Class X students were awarded with Merit Certificates for securing an outstanding 10 CGPA ”

What is the intake of students like in the Daly College? What percentage of this strength is from outside of Indore?

Around 70 per cent of the students are inducted from Indore whereas the remaining 30 per cent are from outside of Indore including some of them from the Gulf, Poland, Singapore etc. Within India, students are primarily from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Kanpur, and many more Indian states.

What are the three most important factors that make Daly a topnotch school?

Daly College has evolved as a popular, strong and happening co-ed public school. Its emphasis is on internationalism. Its enviable infrastructure of sports and other facilities and its uncanny ability to mingle modernism with traditions make it a unique institution in the world.

What activities do you like to pursue in your free time?

What is the vision and mission of the Daly College?

What message would you like to give out to the Dalians?

The Daly College aspires to foster a democratic environment that encourages lifelong participation in the acquisition of knowledge and is supportive, innovative and demanding of excellence, combining the best of traditions with modernity. The ambition is to develop well-rounded, independent 40 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

One of my favourite hobbies is writing. I am extremely fond of reading too.

I also enjoy listening to good music. I love playing the sport of cricket. I have coached the school cricket team for as many as 10 years.

My message to the students of the Daly College is this—“Work hard with determination, observe the quality of time management and believe me, tomorrow is yours!” namratagulati8@gmail.com

Claps & Slaps Corporate Citizen Claps for the record-breaking feat by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for successful launch of 104 satellites on a single rocket breaking its’ own record of 37 satellites in June 2014 A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) blasted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh on February 15 with three satellites from India and 101 nano satellites (nanosats) from five other countries-US, Netherlands, Israel, Kazakhstan and Switzerland.

The PSLV has become India and ISRO’s tried and tested plough horse for satellite launches. Its capability to achieve complex missions was proven during the Mars mission. According to Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, Senior Fellow & Head of the Nuclear & Space Policy Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi, “ISRO’s achievements are noteworthy despite working on shoestring budgets.” She acknowledged, “ISRO’s missions have far-reaching impact from commercial and national security perspective.” She said India is known for its affordable yet credible missions. The recent missions illustrate India’s attractiveness as a partner in the commercial sector for satellite launches and strengthens India’s credibility in global governance stature. The proposed launch of the GSAT-9 (South Asia Sat) follows a three year old directive by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The GSAT-9 is to provide a range of communication and broadcasting services to neighbouring countries. Besides, by mid-April 2017, ISRO plans to embark on India’s first developmental flight and the most powerful launch vehicle built so far-the GSLV Mark-III. This massive rocket weighs one and a half times its predecessor, the GSLV, and will be able to carry communication satellites that are heavier. In fact, it was just two days after the 104-satellite launch, the final ground test of the Mark-III’s cryogenic stage was successfully completed at the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu. Some scientists believe that while traditionally, India used its space assets for economic and developmental applications, India in the new world cannot ignore security-related aspects against the current backdrop of regional and global developments.

Although India’s INSAT (Indian remote sensing (IRS)) satellites-the Cartosat and Resourcesat series are good examples of technology demonstrations that enable socio-economic and developmental needs, they believe that there is a need for a central holistic space policy. But, for now, ISRO scientists’ beliefs relies much more than reaching for the ‘stars’ and ‘the moon’, and continues in its countdowns for more calculated space research technology and space missions in the near future.

Corporate Citizen Slaps the undocumented and unpaid status of work done by Indian women in our national statistical data Over 51 per cent of work done by women in India is unpaid for and not accounted in national statistics, with some estimates even putting this ratio at 85-92 per cent, according to a report by a high-level panel of the UN Secretary General. It also states that in India, 120 million women (around 95 per cent of them in paid work) work informally.

The report calls for greater partnership of government, business and civil society to meet the Sustainable Development Agenda (SDG) by 2030. “Hundreds of millions of women work informally without social and labour protection. Expanding opportunities for women in formal work is integral to realising the SDGs (sustainable development goals),” says the global report ‘Leave No One Behind’. The report calls for intensive action to remove systemic constraints like adverse social norms, gaps in legal protection, failure to recognise unpaid work and gender gaps in digital access. A McKinsey report had earlier noted that if women are made equal in the labour force, India’s GDP would go up by 60 per cent and the world GDP by 20 per cent. The report said legal protection of informal workers was key to protecting women and increasing their participation, as this kind of work was associated with the absence of written contracts and lack of rights. It termed entrepreneurship as ‘critical’ to realising the 2030 SDG agenda and observed that firms owned by women were more likely to be micro or small in size and informal in nature. “Women own about one-third of micro firms (fewer than 10 employees), one-third of all small firms (10–49 employees) and one-fifth of medium-size firms in developing countries (50–250 employees). The panel also said that while there is ‘enormous promise’ in digital financial solutions, there are wide gender gaps in accessing technology, especially among the poor. The report compared that globally, some 2.3 billion women do not have any internet access and more than 1.7 billion do not own a mobile phone.” Across developing countries, less than 23 per women in comparison to men have access to the internet,” it added. The UN, on its part, announced that it was rolling out a flagship initiative by partnering with governments and businesses to give procurement support for products being made by women, especially in textiles and garments. Here’s wishing that a trickle of such global initiatives finds recourse for womenfolk in ‘digitalised’ and new-age India.

(Compiled by Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar) April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 41

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‘risk-aware’ to be ‘responsecapable’ From war planning and strategising to firewalling businesses against risks from security and fraud related issues, there are parallels to draw and lessons to transfer, says former IAF Flight Lieutenant and now Managing Partner of Xpertisehub Risk Management Services LLP, Sreekumar Narayanan

By Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar

42 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

A

childhood tryst with radio magazine features on Voice of America (VOA) was enough to set off a ‘flight of fancy’ into the world of aeronautics and aerospace for Sreekumar Narayanan, Managing Partner, Xpertisehub Risk Management Services LLP. His childhood curiosity led him to send a few sensible questions to VOA magazine that won him a colourful collection of coffee-table books on ‘Apollo Expeditions to the Moon’ and magazine editions of ‘Scientific American’. While this aroused his first curiosity and the latent desire to become either an aeronautical or an aerospace engineer, it also enabled him in later years to combine a course and a job, landing him in the Short Service Commission (SSC) of the Indian Air Force (IAF). While planes and cars are the first pipedreams of most youngsters, Narayanan’s calling for the ‘blue skies’ took off as an SSC Engineering Officer with the IAF. With strategic IAF ‘Guided Weapons’ training on war planning and preparation, his understanding of the fundamental principles of military and war waging capabilities early on in his career helped pave his corporate roles too. In fact, building on the warfront strategy of deciding a ‘right-time’ for ‘call-to-action’, he had ample grit to move away from the forces to embark on his corporate journey. The journey of a Pilot Officer (IAF) from 1987 to his final posting as Flight Lieutenant (1991) to VP and Head-Global Command Centre (Reliance) and to his current role as Managing Partner with Xpertisehub is a long leap forward. Narayanan shared his transition from the IAF to his venture as corporate risk management strategist-enabling companies to firewall themselves from business related frauds. He also spoke on corporate security solutions largely linked to violations of assets, information, reputation and operations, on new age app-driven security solutions and on Corporate Governance, Risks and Compliance (GRCs).

Bugle Calls

Other than the VOA magazine, what else triggered your desire for aeronautics?

It is scientifically validated that early personality orientations are influenced by ‘nature and nurture’. However, my family had more science, engineers, lawyers and doctors as professionals and not people in business entrepreneurship or defence combat roles. Hence, there was a clear proclivity towards engineering and science in my early years, given that my father, C N Sreedharan too was a Math professor at Manipal Institute of Technology for close to 35 years.

But my adolescent years in the 1970s and 1980s was much influenced by the AM Radio, the most modern piece of equipment (in semi-urban India), which I exploited to the hilt. From BBC news to Russian pop music on Radio Moscow, topical news from FEBA Radio Seychelles to the Jazz Hour by Willis Conover on VOA, one was free to board and fly flights of imagination across continents in search of what one heard on the AM Radio. Of course, published editions on the future of spacecraft and aircraft did trigger my first curiosity and desire to become an aeronautical or aerospace engineer.

Did any family member encourage you to join the IAF? No, in fact, some dissuaded me from joining and agreed only when I told them that it would be a short-servicecommission (or SSC Officer) stint in the IAF. Awareness of a career in the Indian Defence Forces was comparatively less in South India those days, compared to what it is today.

How did you build your background to join the SSC, IAF? Post my Mechanical Engineering degree at MIT Manipal, I pursued my desire with an Aeronautical Engineering course through an IAF advertisement that combined good job prospects too. The IAF advertisement for SSC Engineering Officers seemed to fit the bill and I applied and was selected for the # 4SCC Commissioning course under the Air Force Selection Board (AFSB), Dehradun. The initial six months of the Aeronautical Engg. (Mechanical) course was conducted at the Air Force Technical College (AFTC), Bengaluru. We were then drafted into either Missiles stream (Guided Weapons or Air Defence) or Aircraft stream. As

SSC Officers, we were sent to Barrackpore, West Bengal for the ‘Guided Weapons’ course which lasted another six to seven months. After the course, we got posted to Operational Squadrons in the western sector in the Missiles stream (Air Defence Units). My final years from 1991 to 1993 were serviced as Flight Lieutenant, AF Station Surya Lanka (Guided Weapons Firing Range-GWFR) for IAF and some AD battalions of the Army and Navy (mainly new guided weapon acquisitions, missile systems testing and acceptance). I also performed additional roles of Adjutant, Admin Officer and Security Provost.

“By moving away from the brick and mortar enterprise model, there will be more dependency on security as regards protection from theft, violations and regulatory breaches in the digital world“ Do share your learning and corporate parallels of warfare tactics It was a fascinating experience learning the fundamental principles of military and war waging capabilities early in my career and it certainly influenced my thoughts and career goals. The military experience itself was limited to six years but its influence will always be profound. The concept of layered defence, war planning and annual exercises, new weapons testing, tactical formations and strategic depth, camouflage and concealment when deployed in frontline or combat areas were all new knowledge beyond the purview of civil life. Also, air defence doctrines, such as forward base strike formations, battle reserves and rapid mobilisation to the frontline, close air support to the infantry and armoured divisions of the army and how achieving air superiority alApril 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 43

Military to Management ters the equation of an advancing ground force - made me think about the many principles of the battlefield that can be ported to life in business.

Despite your specialisation in aerospace engineering, why did you step out of the IAF? My certifications have been primarily gained within the IAF, Ministry of Defence and I am not industry certified.

My six-year stint and its varied training experiences also encouraged me not to step out of IAF. However, towards the end of the sixth year, I did get an option to convert to the aircraft stream (from the missiles stream) and a further compulsory service of another 14 years in permanent commission before being eligible for pension (SSC is not eligible for pension but has full ex-serviceman status). But with few operational stations in the southern part of India and given my family circumstances then, I could not see myself posted to AF stations located mainly in the North, North West and North East India. The other compelling reason was to test new waters as most of my engineering classmates with dual MBA degrees had new and interesting stories to narrate on new products, markets, business models, revenue models and also on work place diversity; many who managed to go overseas too. This led me to look seriously at the corporate sector and try out new career choices.

Finding ‘corporate’ missiles

Why did you choose to embark into company risk management?

The military teaches us that in our natural state we must be ‘risk-aware’ and constantly develop our ‘response-capabilities’. This also includes developing of a new product or innovate (when an earlier used method or device becomes ineffectual); acquire new knowledge, certification or practice in order to fulfil a higher order demand, identify and assess what factors are limiting our performance, delivery or rewards, etc.

With these tinkering thoughts and the idea to venture anew, I decided to ‘risk’ it out with solution driven ideas.

How easy or difficult was the transition into the corporate sector?

Knowledge-skills-abilities of Defence do not find immediate currency or convertibility in civil life and industry. Those days before IT developed the way it stands today, many an experience of an IAF personnel could not be ported quickly into civilian career pursuits.

Hence, there was a period where we found common denominators and worked our way around the ‘gaps’ which defence personnel often faced then. Today, the transition and resettlement are better structured and organised. Also, the ‘culture and skill shock’ for retired or released personnel is not very pronounced as even defence forces have borrowed many good ideas of Key Responsibility Areas (KRAs) or Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and performance metrics from the civilian industry.

44 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

How did you make the transition to the corporate world?

Leadership and motivational skills come naturally to defence officers. That is the ‘essential sauce’ to succeed in a culturally diverse and relatively harsh field environment that we operate in. So, the natural calling was something to do with security, administration or HRD. A chance meeting with a like-minded entrepreneur in Calicut, Kerala got us to start a first-of-its-kind HRD Centre called MASTERS training centre that offers small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and mid-sized companies leadership and problem-solving skills while also imparting new inspirational ideas in business management. It was well received and we carved out an enviable space for ourselves. However, our expansion plans in Dubai went awry and we faced the first challenge of business expansion. The fall-back option then was to embark on the next skill-set latent to all defence officers-that of Security, Safety and Risk Management which I could find in the UAE and then Muscat (Oman) before I set out to Bengaluru in the area of Business Development in Security Systems.

Firewalling risks

How impactful is security risk management in the digital era?

For companies into risk management, it is an idea whose day will come-chiefly, due to the 100-year old institution called ‘Business Organisation’ that is slowly outliving its meaning in a digitally connected era. Job roles are fungible and with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation taking away many jobs that are repetitive or involve basic cognitive functions, there may be no organisations or jobs at all as we understand today. There will only be business problems seeking security expertise. Are the youth in India ready for this reality of tomorrow? By moving away from the brick and mortar enterprise model, there will be more dependency on security as regards protection from theft, violations and regulatory breaches in the digital world. Understand that while safety essentially deals with life and limb, security is largely linked to assets, information, reputation, operations. Safety involves people issues and security entails protecting both people and assets.

What problems do companies need to identify even before they approach you?

Most organisations do not have a working risk assessment document and they tend to be more reactive than proactive.

When there are life safety situations or events such as loss of assets or information, they tend to look for some solution and that is when they approach companies like us who are into risk management consulting. The trigger point is either some security incident or breach of life safety issues. Theft, work place harassment and fraud are some of the primary triggers when companies look out for risk management consulting.

Can you give a sector wise breakup of the industries that approach you?

Close to 25% are IT/ITES/BPO related, FMCG and Food Beverage (FB), put together account for 35%, around 30% queries are divided between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare and the remaining 20-25% come from SMEs. Can you brief us on the variation of risk assessment in each of the sectors that you service?

In the SME sector, the factors associated with risk are rather difficult to handle. They have security events that cause disruptions and loss events, yet they would not like to engage or be involved in such an environment (risk assessment and aversion) as they still don’t know about the takeaways or values derived from risk management which is always an uphill task. They often approach us as a last resort to tackle their problems.

In pharmaceuticals, despite 30% of our business coming from the pharma sector, this number is a bit skewed as it does not show some of the risk issues, as most companies are concerned with field sales and HR. Consequently, we had a number of instances where there were a lot of HR and sales force issues which we were asked to investigate. Some of the evils here are misreporting of sales figures.

Pharma sale is a high-pressure job; they have numbers to report and we find that the sales force tends to get into a lot of disagreement with their managers. This calls for human risks, which are much wider and greater in this sector because of the large sales force and the pressure to perform.

framework. We are also channel partners and are working towards a GRC software. Typically, if a company has access to GRC platforms, they can pull out concerns pertaining to supply chain, HR, operations or in building infrastructure, and report on those non-compliance violations by checking the repository on the app or platform. When they do not have the competency to get an outcome from the platform, they would then ask for tactical investigations. We then send our investigators who give them the desired outcome. Issues could vary from being people or infrastructure related, or those pertaining to technological issues, breaches related to security, engineering issues, or issues related to either compliance , ethics or regulatory. In all these aspects, at the first level they can get solutions from the GRC platform, but where they do not get the desired outcome to close the case, they come to experts like us.

“It is private companies who are initially hesitant to look at scientific risk assessment methodologies and on Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) tools and frameworks. They do so when a regulatory reporting mandates that they develop such capability or if they already had a lossevent which has affected their brand reputation and it has now become imperative for them to modernise risk assessment audits”

Do government agencies too approach you?

Yes, government agencies and public corporations have approached us and we have assisted them in two areas-Digital Investigative Forensics course program and tools to gather Risk Intelligence from Open Source Networks. It is private companies who are initially hesitant to look at scientific risk assessment methodologies and on Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) tools and frameworks. They do so when regulatory reporting mandates that they develop such capability or if they have already had a lossevent which has affected their brand reputation which makes it imperative for them to modernise risk assessment audits.

How effective are app driven security solutions?

Every mid to large organisation works under the GRC

How do you view the impact of whistle blowing in organisations?

With India being in a good stead as regards the RTI Act, whistle blowing has become popular in large corporate houses. Organisations largely do not have the means and mechanisms to allow employees to report violations or breaches.

However, sexual harassment is well known, but there are a lot of smaller issues that do not come up front. Nowadays, in large corporations, there is a whistle blower’s line which gives access to a chairman’s /MDs email ID, where any employee can write about any particular issue. The system actually classifies the grievance into HR, work place ethics, employee contract issue, building of safety issue, etc. As a security compliance provider, we always advice companies to ‘over report’ than ‘under report’ violations and breaches. It is better if people report more.

Signing Off

What should defence personnel re-learn as they embark on a corporate life?

Understand that deliverables are differentwhere one contributes to national security, territorial integrity and social harmony, the roles change to delivering value to a set of internal and external stakeholders. Most defence means and tactics of accomplishing them are still relevant but if there is no appreciation of the “changed context” in civilian life, it will be a recipe for failure. Operating principles of military or defence do not apply to civil life.

Your advice to armed personnel who would like to switch their careers into corporate life?

I would recommend regular industry-scan, business reading, uptake of concepts and lexicon of business and industry.

Develop more revenue orientation than operational orientation and understand what drives business and numbers.

In short, from mobilising troops and material, understand what it entails to deliver goods and services to the market and closely understand what is ‘customer orientation’ or why customer is your raison d étre. sangeetagd2010@gmail.com April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 45

Happiness Quotient

Spain

Of golden sand and heritage sites Vinamra Pandiya-CEO & Founder, Qtrove.com is all praise for Spain, and recommends the country for its golden beaches, pleasurable sights, heritage and food

By Sharmila Chand

V

inamra Pandiya is a chemical engineer and software coder by chance and entrepreneur by choice. He is the CEO and founder of Qtrove.com, an online marketplace for handcrafted and non-mass produced items from small entrepreneurs across the country. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Varanasi and joined Infosys in 2004. After a couple of years with the software giant, Vinamra started India's first online meal ordering service, Mom’s Kitchen, in 2006.

Post a successful three-year journey with Mom’s Kitchen, Vinamra joined TastyKhana in 2009 as board member and chief operating officer, and scaled the startup to new heights.

Currently, besides running Qtrove, he is an advisor to a couple of startups like SweetsInABox and SpiderG where he mentors and advises the teams and helps in strategy, business development, and expansion.

Vinamra has also authored a couple of articles on NextBigWhat on the startup scenario in India and the mistakes to avoid. His interests include travel, business quizzing, reading business books and watching CID.

Your favourite holiday destination… In India, it is Udaipur and abroad I absolutely loved Spain.

When did you last visit? Udaipur, I visited in July 2016 and Spain was in August 2014.

What did you like about the place? I loved Spain for its artistic heritage, glorious golden sand beaches, beautiful churches, UNESCO heritage 46 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

sites, monasteries, impressive monuments and of course the food. I did a road trip from Madrid to Barcelona with my wife, covering the country from south to east.

My favourite city in Spain is Granada also known as the land of thousand castles, which is located at the base of Sierra Nevada Mountains which explains the beautiful views the city offers. The Alambhra, Basilica San Juan De Dios (opulently decorated church), Monasterio de la Cartuja (monastery church) etc., were a site to behold. The city is full of cafes and Tapas where we enjoyed lip-smacking food. We relished the gazpacho and paella the most. The weather too was fantastic so we really loved our walks around the city just marvelling at the city’s landscape and beauty. Also the people in Spain are very hospitable and welcoming which added to the whole charm of our holiday experience.

Tell us the highlights of the destination, what should not be missed, what do you recommend to see and do? There are so many. We visited eight cities and each city offered something. I will try to put some must-visit places: Toledo was one place we absolutely loved. It is a two-hour drive from Madrid and once served as the Spanish capital. The city thrived with three cultures, Christianity, Judaism and Islam and if you see the place even today, it offers the same old world charm. We walked through the medieval streets and couldn’t stop admiring the gorgeous synagogue, mosque and cathedral so peacefully co-existing with each other. It is now declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. Another must see place is the Alhambra in Granada. It is half palace and half fort and is now a World Heritage site.

Camp Nou, Barcelona is the largest football stadium in Spain by capacity and is home to FC Barcelona since years now. You can take a tour of the museum inside the stadium, the dressing room of the players, their

pressroom and so on and so forth. All this while enjoying the Barca anthem.

The Museo del Baile Flamenco, Seville is a superb venue to catch Seville’s best flamenco show.

Which restaurants did you like to visit there? Why? Again, there were so, so many. There were some amazing places that served the traditional paella, a superb rice dish with chicken, chorizo, mussels and prawns. Most restaurants in Valencia served delicious paella, which we relished.

Which are the good hotels to stay there? Which is your favourite hotel to stay? Europe, as you know, is very good for backpacking, budget trips, etc., so Spain too has innumerable options depending on your budget. Since our trip was a bit more exotic as it was in celebration of my wife’s birthday, we chose some of the star properties to stay.

Three tips you can give to fellow travellers for that place? It is so easy to find a good place these days through online search, friends, etc. I looked through reviews and booked hotels for us. There is so much information these days. Travellers should spend some time reading and make the best pick.

According to you, how can that destination be improved? Maybe more people should speak English. That would make the life of travellers a bit easier.

What kind of traveller are you – a good planner, or more impulsive? Well, we are more of the impulsive kind. We never book through travel agents and avail tour packages. We book our hotels independently and then keep exploring. That’s the best way to travel, isn’t it?

What tops your mind when you travel – sightseeing, food or shopping? Sightseeing and food. Both, my wife and I are not big shopping freaks, but yes, we love buying mementos like fridge magnets, post cards, etc. Of course, she does stop by in some odd shops if she likes something, but we do not waste much time on that. chand.sharmila@gmail.com

~ The panorama of Toledo Skyline | Spanish delicacy paella

Camp Nou, Barcelona

April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 47

F Passion Campus Placement

Foodie, as she labels herself (although she does not look one), Sanchita Sen has made the cut into the corporate world, hitting the bull’s eye. Sanchita is of the opinion that it is passion that makes one a true professional. Coming from the rich rice cultivation state Chhattisgarh and the city known for the steel plant and railway coach manufacturing unit located in it, Bhilai, she passed out of one of the prominent colleges in the city to step into the world of corporates. She goes down memory lane from her home in Bhilai, one of the bigger districts in India with a predominantly tribal population and an enigma to many a traveller, where she did her college education.

It’s all about

Coming from the city of steel plant, Bhilai, Sanchita Sen has made it to Nilon, an FMCG company, riding on her passion

From the rice bowl of India to Oxford of the East

Sanchita finished her graduation and made her move out of the cosy comforts of her home into the world of living all by herself in Pune. Coming from a town also famous for both simple and intricate crafts which is a delightful fusion of both the antique and the contemporary, Bhilai, to the education hub, Pune, better known as the Oxford of the East, and of late also an IT centre, Sanchita got admission in one of the well-known management schools in Pune. “I did my schooling from Krishna Public School followed by graduation from St Thomas College.”

Pune diary begins

It was June 27, in the year 2015 when she started her Pune diary.

It was early in the morning when Sanchita and her father arrived in Pune. And they headed straight to the college where she had got her admission, her first step towards fulfilling her dream. “It was tough, being the first time I was out of the house, but staying alone far away from my home town, and that too in a place in which everything was new to me -the people, surroundings, the culture, attitudes, everything was so weird and new to me,” said Sanchita. Her father used to visit her every day for the three days he stayed in Pune, but the real test started thereafter. “My dad and 48 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

By Joe Williams

I had lunch together, and that was the time I did feel why the hell did I take this call,” said Sanchita. She even told her father, “I want to take back my word and want to come home with you.” However, her dad consoled her and kept on saying, “It was you who took the call and you are backing out now? That is not done at least by you, and what will you answer all the people who were against your coming here?”

Those sentences hit me hard and I held on with a heavy heart and bid goodbye to my daddy.”

Sanchita began the second innings of her life in a different way and more importantly fulfilling her dream of achieving something nobody back home in her place hadan MBA. The college environment made things easier for her. “The friendly attitude around the college campus especially by seniors changed me entirely,” says Sanchita. In the classroom, the teaching staff made things beautiful and she would be the first to enter the class and the last to leave. “I fell in love with the classroom, and the teachers were not teachers, but more of friends, I would share with them what I felt were difficulties, they were all forthcoming to help and show me the way,” said Sanchita.

“And the two years flew away and I feel as if I just joined the college,” she adds, recalling her days in the college. Being at this college was just not for academics but most importantly learning what is life all about and that made a big difference for me.”

Father turned Godfather

For many, the father is strict, especially when it has to do with a daughter. However, it was not the case with Sanchita. Her father is more a buddy to her than daddy.

There was a lot of opposition when she wanted to go out of the house to pursue her education (MBA).

Her father turned Godfather, and was her inspiration, and that made her feel more strong. “My idol, backbone, supporter and my best buddy is my dad who is a businessman and vice president of the Medical Association of Chhattisgarh. “There was a lot of opposition when I wanted to go out

Sanchita Sen with her parents

of the house to pursue my MBA. Everyone was against me going to Pune, but my father left it to me to take the call. I was given the freedom to do whatever I wanted. And I had to prove him right, which I did,” said Sanchita, whose mother is a housewife, and her younger sister, doing her schooling back in her home town.

The cool interview room

Like any student, getting into the

If you love your job, then you don’t feel the burden of work, as your profession becomes your passion

interview room for placement was no difficult for Sanchita. But doing her homework before the D-day made her feel different from many others.

It was the HR interview with Nilon, an FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) company. She made it to round-two in the first attempt. She made sure that she knew all about the company, what goods they were into and where they stood in the market at large.

Luckily, she was interviewed on these very lines by the interviewer room. And to some extent, the interviewer was also surprised, as Sanchita knew many things much before she could step into the company.

“I was obviously ecstatic when I got selected by Nilon, it feels proud to enter the fourth largest sector of the Indian economy which is esti-

mated to grow from US$ 30 million to US $74 million by 2018,” said Sanchita who has set off on her first step forward in fulfilling her dream.

“Getting into a company which covers a good chunk in a crowded market in the country is very good for a fresher,” said Sanchita who claims to be a foodie, with cooking her hobby.

who have made the best out of the way the things have turned out When you change the way you look at things, things you look at,change You don’t behave based on what has happened to you, you behave based on what you feel has happened to you.

Joe78662@gmail.com

Mumbai a k the richest d ta city of India CC

Points to ponder:

If you love your job , then you don’t feel the burden of work, as your profession becomes your passion What matters is how you want to take things and accept them.

I follow this rule to live life and overcome my stress Events have no meaning; you give meaning to the events Things turn out best for those

Mumbai is the richest Indian city with 46,000 millionaires and 28 billionaires, and a total wealth of $820 billion, a recent New World Wealth report said. Delhi (23,000 millionaires, 18 billionaires) is in second place and Bengaluru (7,700 millionaires, 8 billionaires) in third, followed

by Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Chennai and Gurugram.

April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 49

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

Running a family business may seem like a matter of privilege, but this young corporate couple would like to underline that it's both—a blessing and a challenge. Abhishek and Aditi Kapoor are able to take it in their stride, given the solid foundation of their relationship.

Two little boys-four-year old Armaan and two and a half year old Arjun complete the picture

the business

of togetherness

L

By Kalyani Sardesai

Life is both hectic and happy for the Kapoors, even as they rush from one packed schedule to another-taking care of two little boys-aged four and two and a half respectively, running the family business-Aarkay Foods and simultaneously keeping abreast of the many social functions of an extended joint family in Ahmedabad. It would sometimes seem that 24 hours in a day are not enough, but then as Aditi points out: “Everything is doable if you have each other's support to put your best foot forward. Accept each other, ignore little irritants and concentrate on the bigger picture.”

Back to the beginning

Their story dates back to 2005-2007 whilst pursuing their MBA in international business at BIIB, Pune. Outgoing, dynamic students both, Aditi and Abhishek were on the Placement As50 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

sistance Team and had lots to share: common friends, joint tasks and responsibilities. She was president of the students' council, while he was on the editorial team. Gradually they began to hang out together, and found the conversation flowed easily and well: They were both Punjabis and each one’s nature complemented the others’.

“He is very friendly and outgoing, absolutely great company to be with. I am the quieter one.

It worked well for us,” says Aditi.

Abhishek appreciated the hard-working young girl with a very rooted value system. “I really respect that in her. Besides, when you get to know each other over a period of two years, as opposed to an arranged marriage, you understand the person for what they are,” he says.

From sharing meals whenever their classes allowed them to visiting the local gurudwara together to helping each other out with little errands, the relationship progressed to the next logical level-talking marriage.

“A year down the line, he was like ‘Aren't we more than friends?’ While I agreed with him, we nevertheless decided to take more time, and see how our equation worked in the ‘real’ world...” shares Aditi.

In sometime, both passed out of college. While Aditi was placed with Avalon Research in Mumbai, Abhishek moved back to the family business in Ahmedabad. “This was the acid test of our relationship, so to speak. But he proved to be a great pal, very understanding and supportive. I knew then that we were onto a good thing,” she says. Both families agreed-shared (Punjabi roots helped!) and the duo were finally wed by the end of 2008. Post marriage, Aditi moved to Ahmedabad, working two years as a strategy manager in an engineering firm before joining the family business.

The nitty gritties of a marriage

“I would say the secret of a rewarding partner-

The pillars of a marriage l

Letting the other person be, not trying to change them l

Supporting each others' dreams l

Taking little vacations at regular intervals l

Retiring the ego-as far as possible

ship is to let go of one's ego. Let the other person be, don't try to change them. In my case, I have been very lucky because both my husband and mother-in-law have been hugely supportive,” says Aditi. “Neither of them wanted me to give up working post my pregnancies. Having been a working woman herself, recently retired, his mother would keep telling me not to make the mistake of losing contact with the career front... and would help out all she could.”

Even so, she took a short break of 2.5 months and 8 months respectively after each of her boys were born. “I tried working part-time in the family business, but it really is a relentless, 24 X 7 affair. I had to get back to work full-time,” she says.

each other in front of them. When she's angry with the boys, I keep out of it and don't make the mistake of supporting them over her. Let them understand that her authority as a parent is unquestionable,” he stresses. “Also, either of us is a ‘good cop’ or ‘bad cop’ for the moment; it is never a good idea for both parents to be shouting at the same time. Instead, if one parent is angry, all the more reason for the other parent to be patiently listening to little problems!”

Amidst the rough and tumble of daily sched-

Balancing home and work

As of today, Aditi (33) is GM, Aarkay Foods, while Abhishek (34) is a Director. Established in 1982, Aarkay Foods is a leading manufacturer of Natural Food Ingredients and Additives supplying to leading Food Manufacturing companies in India and more than 20 countries in the Global Market. While the early operations began with Natural Food Colours as the main product line,

“My mantra for married life is simple enough: walk away from conflict before it escalates and talk problems through before you retire for the day; never go to bed angry” — Abhishek today the product portfolio consists of an assortment of Cheese & Dairy Powders, Fruit & Vegetable Powders, Flavour Enhancers, Speciality and Functional Ingredients and a bigger portfolio of Natural Food Colours.

“On one hand, it's a blessing to be working for the business, due to the flexi timings. On the other hand, I have to report to Abhishek and he's a really strict boss ! He does not accept excuses or shortcuts, nor can I get away with lapses simply because I am his wife,” she says.

“Right now, the boys are very young. However, all the credit goes to Aditi in balancing both the home and office front,” says Abhishek. “For my part, I wanted her to carve her own niche professionally and help out with the boys when I can.”

And, he insists, he helps with the housework too, though Aditi denies it vociferously! Both agree that it is a tough call, managing home and work-given the fact no matter what, you do tend to bring work and its associated problems home.

"But when we are around the boys, we make it a point to attend to them, completely," says Aditi

Bringing up babies

“They are that stage where the reservoirs of energy and masti are relentless,” says Abhishek. “And we have to be united as a team to take on all that parenthood entails. For starters, we never correct

ules, this is one family that loves to travel. “We are both travel buffs and make it a point to take little vacations together with the kids,” says Aditi. “People would say it's tough, but that's only a mindset. In fact, both our kids are comfortable with travelling in cars and flying on planes, and are by and large, non-fussy, happy travelling companions,” she grins.

A recent family vacation was at the Desert Festival of Kutch where the elder boy-Armaan’s eagerness to ride a camel all by himself reassured the couple of the confident and exploratory values that they want to instil in their children.

Togetherness is like this...

“My mantra for married life is simple enough: walk away from conflict before it escalates and talk problems through before you retire for the day; never go to bed angry!” smiles Abhishek.

“Tolerance and a non-judgmental attitude are valuable qualities to have; appreciate your partner for who they are!” Little moments add to the joys of a relationship and every now and then, they enjoy a meal or coffee just by themselves. “A family business is an all-encompassing responsibility. You are never really off duty. But when you have a support system like mine, all dreams are possible,” rounds off Aditi. kalyanisardesai@gmail.com April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 51

Monster Employment Index Survey

2017

a good year for Job Seekers

The year 2017 has started on a good note for job seekers. Most of the skilled job seekers in the country are recruited online, and the online recruitment statistics look very promising. Monster India, one of India’s leading online career and recruitment companies, has published the Monster Employment Index 2017 with a view to shed a light on the current status of online recruitments in India.

Corporate Citizen brings you the findings 52 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

D

emonetisation had led to concern for job seekers in all sectors regarding the availability of jobs in 2017. Fortunately, these fears now appear to be unfounded. Online recruitment activities for January 2017 continued to exceed the corresponding period a year-ago at the same rate as in December 2016up by 11 per cent, according to the Monster Employment Index.

In the month of January, Banking/ Financial Services and Insurance led the long-term chart with a 54 per cent growth as against 40 per cent in December 2016. The sector is undergoing a massive change fueled by an increased focus on better customer services and the movement towards

providing digital services owing to demonetisation.

Motivated by the digitisation in the sector, in January, education ranked second among industries led the charts at 39 per cent despite moderation in the pace of growth. In December 2016, the sector led the charts with 52 per cent growth.

Metros exhibited a relatively stable annual growth trend with Delhi-NCR (up 14 per cent), Mumbai (up 10 per cent), and Chennai (up three per cent) between December 2016 and January 2017. Coimbatore moved up the growth ladder in January to 20 per cent from a 14 per cent y-o-y growth in December 2016. This was closely followed by Ahmedabad (up 17 per cent) and Kolkata (up 15 per cent) in January.

April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 53

Year-on-Year Comparison Of Job Growth

Monster Employment Index India Results For The Past 18 Months Aug 15

Sep 15

Oct 15

Nov 15

Dec 15

Jan 16

Feb 16

Mar 16

Apr 16

May 16

Jun 16

Jul 16

Aug 16

Sep 16

Oct 16

Nov 16

Dec 16

Jan Y-O-Y 17

208

223

230

220

231

229

239

252

244

242

237

243

244

246

249

240

257

254 11%

Online recruitment activities for January 2017 are up by 11 per cent from January 2016. Demonetisation hasn’t affected hiring at all, and recruitment activities in November (the month most badly hit by demonetisation) are still up from the corresponding period in 2015.

Industry Trends Year-on-Year Top growth industries

Lowest growth industries

Year-on-Year Growth

Jan 16

Jan 17

% Growth Y-O-Y

Banking/Financial Services Insurance

177

273

54%

Education

159

221

39%

Media & Entertainment

199

260

31%

Agro based industries

132

169

Government/PSU/ Defence

95

121

54 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

Year-on-Year Growth

Jan 16

Jan 17

% Growth Y-O-Y

Shipping/Marine

108

114

6%

Garments/Textiles/ Leather/Gems and Jewellery

150

157

5%

Import/Export

116

116

0%

28%

Real Estate

168

155

-8%

27%

Production and Manufacturing

165

138

-16%

Monster Employment Index Survey Of the 27 industry sectors monitored by the Index online recruitment activity exceeded the year-ago level in 24 industries.  Banking/ Financial Services, Insurance (up 54 per cent) led all monitored industry sectors in long-term growth. The annual growth momentum in the sector has risen progressively in the past months. The year-on-year growth rate in October, November and December 2016 was 26 per cent, 28 per cent and 40 per cent respectively. There has been an 11 per cent growth in e-recruitment activity between October 2016 and January 2017. The sector also recorded a seven per cent growth in monthly hiring activity, the steepest among all sectors.  Education ranked second in the long-term growth chart registering a 39 per cent growth in online hiring activity. The year-on-year growth rate eased 13 points between December 2016 and January 2017.

This is also the lowest growth recorded since December 2015. At the same time, e-recruitment in the sector eased two per cent below the three-month level.  E-recruitment activity in Real Estate continued to demonstrate a declining trend. The Year-on-Year growth rate eased further by five points from a negative three per cent in December 2016 to a negative eight per cent in January 2017. On a month-on-month basis the sector recorded a five per cent decline and slipped below the three-month and six-month level by six per cent and eight per cent respectively.

 Advertising, Market Research, Public Relations (up 11 per cent); and Retail (up 16 per cent) recorded double-digit growth on the year following low levels since July 2016. Month-on-Month there was no growth in hiring in Advertising, Market Research and Public Relations (PR) while hiring activity plunged two per cent in the Retail sector.  E-hiring in Manufacturing and Commerce remained down and sluggish. Production and Manufacturing (down 16 per cent) saw the steepest decline among all monitored industry sectors as the annual growth momentum eased further from a negative nine per cent in December 2016. Logistic, Courier/ Freight/ Transportation (up seven per cent) exhibited a positive but diminishing growth trend; down from 10 per cent in November and eight per cent in December 2016. In the related Automotive/Ancillaries/Tyres sector, nevertheless, the Year-onYear growth paced up from six per cent in December 2016 to 14 per cent in January 2017.  E-Commerce: Online recruitment activity in e-commerce stumbled further; the year-on-year growth rate eased from three per cent in December 2016 to a negative three per cent in January 2017. The sector recorded a decreasing demand trend on all other parameters as well.

E-recruitment eased six per cent and nine per cent below the threemonth and six-month level. Month-on-Month, there has been a four per cent decline in hiring activity.

Geographic Year-on-Year Trends E-recruitment activity exceeded the year-ago level in 12 of the 13 cities monitored by the Index.  Coimbatore (up 20 per cent) moved up the growth ladder to lead all monitored cities by the way of long term growth. The year-on-year growth momentum improved by six points between December 2016 (14 per cent) and January 2017. Nevertheless, all other parameters suggest slowdown in the pace of hiring in the recent months; month-on-month (down two per cent), three-month (down six per cent) and six-month (down two per cent).  Ahmedabad (up 17 per cent) and Kolkata (up 15 per cent) were next in the rung. The Year-on-Year growth rate advanced one point between December 2016 and January 2017 in Ahmedabad while Kolkata witnessed a two point reduction. Both cities charted fewer opportunities on the month; down by two per cent respectively.  Year-on-Year, e-recruitment activity in Bengaluru continued to slide.

The growth rate eased from 10 per cent in December 2016 to five per cent in January 2017. This is the first single-digit growth and also the lowest recorded since March 2015. Month-on-month, there has been a three per cent decline in online hiring in the city. At the same time, demand slipped seven per cent and three per cent below the threemonth and six-month level respectively.

 Delhi-NCR (up 14 per cent); Mumbai (up 10 per cent); and Chennai (up three per cent) exhibited relatively stable annual growth trend between December 2016 and January 2017.  Kochi (up three per cent) and Baroda (up two per cent) registered

positive growth on the year this month following low levels in December 2016. Online hiring activity in Chandigarh, on the other hand, matched the corresponding period a year-ago Compiled By Neeraj Varty

Top Growth Cities Year-on-Year Growth

Jan 16

Jan 17

% Growth Y-O-Y

Coimbatore

202

243

20%

Ahmedabad

241

282

17%

Kolkata

208

240

15%

Delhi-NCR

213

242

14%

Pune

237

263

11%

Geographic year-over-year Trends Year-over-year Growth

Jan 16

Jan 17

% Growth Y-O-Y

Bengaluru

304

319

5%

Chennai

221

228

3%

Kochi

254

262

3%

Baroda

212

217

2%

Chandigarh

253

252

0%

April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 55

Corporate Health

Fitness busts stress

The lifespan of people has increased because of advances in medical science, but instances of early aging have also increased. because of advances in medical science

By Joe Williams

T

he lifespan of people has increased because of advances in medical science, but instances of early aging have also increased. People in their late 20s, 30s and 40s are facing many lifestyle diseases like obesity, blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems etc., which were earlier considered to affect only people above 50 years of age. Technology has made things easy, but it has also made us lazy and non-functional. Simple tasks like walking and climbing stairs, which are natural movements of the human body have now become forms of exercise.

And it is here SportzConsult comes in. A sports management company that vows to make sports a lifestyle choice has taken up as its mission to offer fitness as a stress relieving option for the corporate executive. “It is a stress buster, a fitness culture is a must for the corporate executive,” says Jitendra Joshi, 56 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

Co-founder and Director of SportzConsult, talking to Corporate Citizen.

Healthier employees

Embracing fitness as a lifestyle choice pays off in numerous ways, says Jitu as he is fondly addressed. Fit employees are less likely to get sick. A person who is physically fit is generally more resistant to disease than a person who is not fit. Reduced absenteeism and reduced health care expenditures are the result of a fit employee base. “We have fitness programmes like cycling clubs and we are associated with Edelweiss in Mumbai besides other corporates,” he says.

“Encouraging fitness demonstrates a concern for the employee's well-being, and it pays off,” says the entrepreneur and sportsman at heart.

Joshi founded SportzConsult in 2008, with the mission to inspire individuals to make sport a part of daily life and to make India a ‘sporty’

nation. “It helps build positive harmony and more importantly, a positive outlook, which energises employees to come out with the best,” he opines.

An engineering student from Mumbai, Joshi feels that a fit employee will stay true to his goals. And most importantly it will help him stay less stressed.

One of the many benefits of regular exercise is increased and sustained energy. This energy allows employees to stay focused on the task at hand, bringing the best of them to each task.

“A fit and healthy individual tends to have a high level of self-confidence because he would have proven to himself that he can accomplish what it takes to obtain a level of physical fitness.

This self-confidence empowers the employee to challenge himself, and strive for higher levels of achievement in the workplace,” says Joshi who is also a guest lecturer at IIMA and Mudra.

There are many positives of a fit employee, he/she tends to be a good leader, has better attitude and is balanced, both mentally and physically which is a big boon to the company.

Lifestyle choice

What is it that makes SportzConsult different from others? “We are there to make sports a part

target groups-from school kids, corporates, to the rural masses. Some of their prominent recent programs include the Coca-Cola Cup (football), the Indian Schools & College Basketball Leagues.

The next big job in hand for SportzConsult is the Under 17 Football World Cup to be held in India.

We need to play more

Talking about changing the sporting fabric of India, Joshi who did his MBA from Clemson University, USA says, “Changing the sporting fabric of the country is long-term process. It is imperative that we work at the bottom of the pyramid-at the grassroots-and get more people to play. Changing the mindset/behaviour from ‘sports is distraction/waste of time’ to ‘sports is healthy’ / ‘sports is essential for the allround development of the child and adult’ is a must if we are to change the sporting fabric of

“Changing the mindset/behaviour from ‘sports is distraction/ waste of time’ to ‘sports is healthy’ / ‘sports is essential for the all-round development of the child and adult’ is a must if we are to change the sporting fabric of India. We have to change our habits and make sports a part of our daily or weekly lifestyle” of people’s lifestyle. All aspects of our decision making revolve around the central idea of making more people play, have fun and experience the magic of sports and remain fit. The unyielding belief in the power of sports at the grassroots level as the sustainable, though tedious, answer to making India a sporty nation drives all our team members every day. We have been able to make grassroots sports a viable investment vehicle for corporates by creating and delivering highly experiential and innovative large scale grassroots programs across the country,” says Joshi.

The company has executed sports and fitness programs across the country involving various

India. We have to change our habits and make sports a part of our daily or weekly lifestyle. We also need more playgrounds at a closer vicinity for kids and adults to play. Of course, we need good sporting facilities for conducting events at all levels. Very importantly, we need to figure out how we can get kids to take up sports early. Most kids in Brazil have already played 10000 hours of football by the time they are 13. In India, most kids start taking sports seriously after 12 or 13.

It’s too late to shine at the world level. Also, we need kids to play all round the year. Most of the kids today play for four to five months in a year.

Most of the tournaments are between October

and January. If we want to do well, our kids need to play throughout the year.”

Talking on what India lacks in making world champions, Joshi feels that good quality coaches at all levels-not just at the international levelare needed, paying attention to all aspects of an athlete’s development-skill, technique, fitness, state of mind. Role models are needed, which will lead more kids to take up the sport. Saina and Sindhu have created a mini-revolution in the country, many young girls have taken up badminton, he points out.

SportzConsult at the grassroot

SportzConsult have been very active in providing support to the different sports federations in the country. “We support federations in developing and managing their grassroots programs, particularly school contact programs as well as work with them to deliver small and large grassroots programs of our own or of our clients. We also support federations in getting sponsorship for some of their initiatives,” he says.

Jitu and his men are doing their best to keep sports active by organising events in and around Maharashtra.

“We worked with Lokmat to conceptualise and organize the Lokmat Grameen Khel. We are working with companies to create more such programs. A noteworthy program that we do is a rigorous 14 day self defence program for girls comprising of skills from martial arts, taekwondo, judo, etc. Working for the government of Rajasthan as well as the government of Gujarat, we trained 1.5 lakh and 2.5 lakh girls respectively, reaching all state districts and more than 100 talukas each in Rajasthan and Gujarat. These programs bring home our central promise of adding value to the Indian sporting ecosystem,” he adds.

“At the end of the day sports plays a vital role in assuring that an individual is fit. It is an excellent way to stay fit,” signs off Jitendra.

Joe78662@gmail.com

CC

tadka

Creating entrepreneur Infosys and Wipro are the original glimmer twins of the Indian software services space that have fostered entrepreneurs who went on to found 867 and 685 companies to date, as per data from start-up and venture capital tracker Tracxn. Flipkart’s employees have left the company to found 177 start-ups. The other companies that follow are Snapdeal (78 startups), Naukri (72), Paytm (69), InMobi (60), Myntra (51), Zomato (52), Ola (49), MakeMyTrip (42), among others in the list.

April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 57

Pearls of Wisdom

Relationship with our fathers In a way it is good that parents are not perfect, but rather are ordinary. It is good that they have their limits. If you had ideal parents, then you would get stuck and you would have no possibility for growth, says Svagito Liebermeister, a well-acclaimed family counsellor Can you talk about the relationship with our fathers?

The father is the second most important person in our lives.

Let’s look at the essential meaning of a mother and a father: The mother gives us life. So the mother, in essence, is supportive and nurturing. When you look at it, mothers usually always support the child. But the father is not always supportive. He is often experienced as a little hard, because the father represents the world and the world is not always supportive.

When you are born, the mother continuously gives. Even before that, in the mother’s belly, you are always supported. But the moment you come out of mother’s belly and you enter the world, trouble starts. You are confronted with the world; first comes the bright light and then you are disconnected from the naval cord. So now you are facing challenges. The world is actually a challenge.

The father in a way represents that challenge. And that is a good thing. He is preparing the child for the world. Both are needed in order to grow; we need support and we need challenge. If you are only supported, you remain basically incapable. You remain crippled. And if you are only challenged, you collapse. So we need the right proportion of both. We need some support and we need some challenge. And, in a way, you could say that the mother and father represent that.

Of course, I am speaking in an archetypical sense. In each real case, it may be a little different, because the real father also supports and the actual mother also challenges. I am talking about a life principle when I say that the motherly energy is supportive and the fatherly energy is challenging. That means that the love of a mother and the love of a father are essentially different. Because many people misunderstand that principle there is much complaining about the father: “My father is not there for me!

He is always out of the house!” What are they saying? They are complaining that their father is not like their mother. A mother is a mother and a father is a father. The father has to be out of the house, because his love is shown, for example, by making money and supporting the family financially. His love for the family means he must be out of the house.

What if the father is working all the time and he is never home?

I was speaking generally. The love of a father is that he looks 58 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

after the welfare of his family by creating money and that is an expression of his love. But there are situations where men are not able to support their families. There are also situations where a mother cannot support or nurture the child. This has to be looked at individually; the situation must be viewed in individual families.

There are always some limitations on how much parents can support a child, because the mother also was born into a family and the father also was born into a family. So they also carry something, a trauma for example, for their own family, which permits them to be available to a child in only a limited way.

Individual situations are never ideal. No mother is an ideal mother and no father is an ideal father.

In a way it is good that parents are not perfect, but rather are ordinary. It is good that they have their limits. If you had ideal parents, then you would get stuck and you would have no possibility for growth. One cannot leave ‘good’ parents; one gets stuck with them. But parents who are not so good, who are imperfect, well, it is easier to leave them, separate and create a life of your own.

So parents have limitations, because they are ordinary people and that is what a child has to learn. When a child grows up, he has to learn that his/her parents are ordinary people.

They are not like God. In the beginning, when children are small, you can see it, they look up to their parents and the parents represent God to them. Slowly the child learns that his parents are not so perfect; they have their own ‘defects’; they have their own problems. And there is some disillusionment in going through this part of growing up; this is normal. We have to learn to see and respect our parents as they are, as ordinary people and we have to love them like that, as ordinary people with all their limitations. They could not give us everything, but what they gave us is the most important thing. They gave us life. There is always something missing and we have to search for this in our own life and learn to receive things also from other people. This is part of growth.

If I am not at peace with my father, how does that affect my love relationships with other men?

The first thing to understand is that the father is the first man you meet in your life and when you cannot love your father

you cannot really love any other man. A father is always a representative of all other men, just as a mother is a representative of all women.

If you are not at peace with your father, one possibility is that you still expect or want something from him. That will keep you tied to him, in a state of hope, and will prevent you from really coming close to any other man. Hope is a dangerous state, a miserable state, and as we know, hopes never get fulfilled! So one remains stuck and cannot move forward in life.

One may actually look for a man in order get from him what one could not get or still misses from one’s father. This is bound to be a very frustrating experience. Because, for our unconscious mind, no man can be a match for our own father; every man will fall short and never will live up to comparisons with one’s own father. So, on one side, we search for a man, for the ‘right’ man, of course! And who is the ‘right’ man? The one who can be the ‘better’ father! And, on the other side, we will believe, unconsciously, that this man is not as good as our father. Then we will, at some point, do everything to get rid of him. Then the search continues without ever coming to a completion, because no man can really ever replace one’s own father.

In a way it is good that parents are not perfect, but rather are ordinary. It is good that they have their limits. If you had ideal parents, then you would get stuck and you would have no possibility for growth.

(Excerpts from an interview with Svagito Liebermeister, which appeared in Oshonews.com. Liebermeister has studied a wide range of therapeutic approaches. In 1995, he began to include Family Constellation in his work, studying with its founder, Bert Hellinger, and since 2000 he leads his own training programs which he takes to Europe, Asia, Central America and other parts of the world. He is the author of Roots of Love which describes this fascinating approach to therapy. His website is family-constellation.net. This is the link to the original article: http://www.oshonews.com/2011/05/12/ relating-to-our-fathers/)

When a child grows up, he has to learn that his/her parents are ordinary people. They are not like God. In the beginning, when children are small, you can see it, they look up to their parents and the parents represent God to them. Slowly the child learns that his parents are not so perfect; they have their own ‘defects’; they have their own problems April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 59

Bollywood biz

Indian Origin Actors discovered at the

Oscars

Most Indian actors would give an arm and a leg for a Hollywood break. For most Bollywood actors, the ultimate sign of global recognition is the Oscars. It is considered the peak of their career.

However, some Indian actors are virtually unknown until they make their presence felt at the Academy Awards. It is the Oscars that they owe their careers to. This edition, Corporate Citizen brings you the Indian origin actors discovered at the Oscars. By Neeraj Varty

freida pinto Frieda Pinto, a student of St Xavier’s College Mumbai, took part in many amateur plays.

She even auditioned for roles in Bollywood movies, but without much luck. Like Dev Patel, it was her role in Slumdog Millionaire which propelled her to superstardom, and Frieda has been on a roll since. She has acted in several big budget Hollywood films like Rise of the Planet of the Apes, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Girl Rising. Her voice will also feature in the 2018 sequel to the blockbuster hit Jungle Book. Her Bollywood debut hasn’t yet happened, but Frieda has said that she would love to do a Hindi film in the future.

60 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

Dev Patel Dev Patel is now a known name across the world. His first film Slumdog Millionaire not only made him a household name, especially in India, the movie also bagged the Oscar for Best Film in 2009. Ever since, Dev Patel has made a career of playing an Indian on screen, most notably in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and the 2017 Oscar nominated film Lion.

Slumdog Millionaire was an indie film on a small budget, and would have slipped by unnoticed, had it not attracted Oscar buzz. It is safe to say that Dev Patel owes his career to the Oscars.

Suraj Sharma

Sunny pawar

Suraj Sharma gained International stardom after bagging the role of ‘PI’ Patel in the 2012 film Life of PI. He went through several rounds of auditions to land the role, and hasn’t looked back since. Life of PI was met with universal critical acclaim, and it went on to win four academy awards that year. Suraj then went on to star in the Million Dollar Arm and Homeland. This year, he will make his Bollywood debut in the Anushka Sharma starrer Phillauri. Few Bollywood actors manage to transition successfully to Hollywood.

Suraj has done the opposite.

Eight year old Sunny Pawar took the world by storm by his performance in the 2017 Oscar-nominated film Lion. Sunny managed to wow the entire world with his performance and garnered rave reviews from fans and critics alike. In fact, at the star studded Oscar ceremony attended by Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone, the Indian that attracted the most attention was Sunny. In the midst of all the name and fame across the globe, the little star kid is said to be geared up for his next international project with Richa Chadha for the movie Love Sonia which is slated to be released this year. The cast also includes some other big names from both Hollywood and Bollywood comprising Frieda Pinto, Demi Moore, Manoj Bajpai, Anupam Kher, Rajkummar Rao and Sai Tamhankar.

April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 61

Mobile Apps

LG launches the new G6 with edge-toedge display `49,000 approx The LG G6 is the best looking flagship to be introduced so far this year. The G6, which runs on LG’s new 6.0 UI, built on Android, will come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor and will draw power from a 3,300 mAh battery. But what is interesting is that LG has somehow managed to pack in a 5.7-inch FullVision display in a 5.2-inch body. The smartphone will come with a dual rear camera setup with 13-megapixel wide-angle and standard lenses. The front shooter will also support wide-angle photography up to 100-degrees. The phone is dust and water resistant.

The Best Smartphones Launched at Mobile World Congress 2017

The Mobile World Congress (MWC) is the world’s largest gathering for the mobile industry, and it takes place every year in at Barcelona. MWC is the place where some of the most awaited smartphones of the year are announced, and this year is no different. This edition, Corporate Citizen brings you the most exciting mobile devices launched recently at MWC 2017

By Neeraj Varty

Nokia 3310

Price – `3,499

The iconic Nokia 3310, often humorously regarded as the world’s most indestructible phone, has been rebooted by the company. The original’s small 84 x 84 monochrome display has been replaced by a larger and sharper 320 x 240 colour screen, and Nokia has also included a very basic 2-megapixel camera and LED flash around the back.

Samsung Galaxy Book convertible Price not announced

Samsung introduced its Samsung Galaxy Book two-in-one, which will come with a 12-inch Super AMOLED FHD (2160x1440) display, and a 7th Gen Intel Core i5 Dual Core 3.1GHz processor. The device will use two RAM and storage combinations -- 4GB+128GB SSD / 8GB+256GB SSD with expandable storage up to 256GB via a microSD card. In terms of optics, the Galaxy Book will come with a 13-megapixel autofocus rear camera and a 5-megapixel front shooter. The Galaxy Book will also support fast charging. The unit ships with keyboard and S-Pen in the box, as part of the standard package.

62 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

Moto G5 and G5 Plus `4,000 approx

Lenovo-owned Motorola launched two new smartphones -- the Moto G5 and G5 Plus -- at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at a starting price of $299 . In terms of specifications, the Moto G5 and G5 Plus will come in a metal body design. While the G5 will come with a 5-inch display, the G5 Plus will come with a 5.2-inch display. While users can choose from 2GB, 3GB and 4GB RAM units, storage options will vary from 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions. In terms of optics, the G5 Plus features a 12-megapixel camera with dual autofocus pixels. The G5 Plus will sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor with 2.0 GHz octacore CPU and 650 MHz Adreno 506 GPU. The G5 Plus will draw power from a 3000 mAh battery. On the other hand, the smaller Moto G5 comes with a 2,800 mAh battery, along with 13MP rear camera.

Corporate Grin

What your blood group says of you

INTERESTING FACTS ✱ No words in the English language rhyme with ‘month’, ‘orange’, ‘silver’ or ‘purple’.

that is still pronounced the same way when the last four letters are removed.

✱ “Hungry” and “Angry” are the only words in the English language that end with- ‘-gry’.

✱ ‘Dammit I’m mad’ is the same spelt backwards.

✱ The number 4 is the only number that has the same number of letters in it-FOUR. ✱ Did you know the word ‘Underground’ is the only word that begins and ends with the letters-‘-und’. ✱ The word ‘Uncopyrightable’ is the only 15-letter word that can be spelled without repeating any letter. ✱ The word ‘Typewriter’ is the longest word that can be typed using only the top row of a keyboard.

Your blood group also speaks about you A(+) : Good leadership A(-) : Hardworking B(+) : Can sacrifice for others, very ambitious and tolerance B(-) : Non-flexible, selfish and sadistic O(+) : Born to help O(-) : Narrow minded AB(+) : Very difficult to understand AB(-) : Sharp and intelligent What is your blood group?

Try...it...share this fantastic information.

What’s your type and how common is it?

Most Common Blood Types O+ 1 in 3 37.4% A+ 1 in 3 35.7% B+ 1 in 12 8.5% AB+ 1 in 29 3.4% O1 in 15 6.6% A1 in 16 6.3% B1 in 67 1.5% AB- 1 in 167 0.6% Rarest Compatible Blood Types O- can receive OO+ can receive O+ and OA- can receive A- and OA+ can receive A+, A-, O+, and OB- can receive B- and OB+ can receive B+, B-, O+, and OAB- can receive AB-, B-, A-, and O-

✱ Did you know the sentence ‘The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog’ uses every letter in the English alphabets? ✱ The word ‘Rhythm’ is the longest word without a vowel. ✱ ‘Dreamt’ is the only word that ends in-‘-mt’. ✱ Did you know there are only 3 sets of letters on a keyboard which are in alphabetical order-‘F G H’, ‘J K L’, ‘O P’. ✱ ‘Queue’-The word ‘queue’ is the only word in the English language

✱ ‘Set’ of all the words in the English language, the word ‘set’ has the most definitions. ✱ ‘Bookkeeper’ and ‘Bookkeeping’ are only words in English language with three consecutive double letters. ✱ The least used letter in the alphabet is ‘Q’. ✱ The most commonly used word in English conversation is ‘I’. ✱ The dot on top of the letter ‘i’ is called a tittle. ✱ There are only four words in the English language, which end in ‘dous’, they are-hazardous, horrendous, stupendous and tremendous. ✱ The oldest word in the English language is ‘town’. ✱ The word ‘Strengths’ is the longest word in the English language with just one vowel. ✱ The past tense for the English word ‘dare’ is ‘durst’. ✱ The first English dictionary was written in 1755.

April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 63

astroturf You are still in a damn good period and in your personal pleasure peak until the 19th. It is time for you to let go off your cares and worries.

Aries

Mar 21- April 20 Greatest days: 5, 6, 14, 15 Hectic days: 3, 4, 10, 11 Honey days: 4, 10, 11, 12 Money days: 4, 10, 11, 12, 13 Profession days: 5, 6, 15 The month of April is a harbinger of good news, as health looks good. Your magnetism is high.

Many nice things are bound to happen when you attract the good all round you. You might feel as opportunities are slipping by, but rest assured they will return soon.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 20 Greatest days: 7, 8 Hectic days: 5, 6, 12, 13 Honey days: 4, 7, 8, 12, 13 Money days: 1, 7, 8, 10, 11 Profession days: 5, 6, 15 You continue to gain clarity on your goals until the 15th. This is important, as when Venus moves forward. On the 15th, you will be entering your period of personal power, you will be able to make the changes you have been long planning for.

GEMINI

May 21 - June 21 Greatest days: 1, 10, 11 Hectic days: 7, 8, 14, 15 Honey days: 1, 4, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 Money days: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 15 Profession days: 3, 4, 12, 13 Love remains complicated as two love planets in your chart, Venus and Jupiter are both retrogrades.

Venus has been retrograde since March 4th while Jupiter went retrograde on the February 6th.

CANCER

Jun 22 - July 23 Greatest days: 3, 4, 12, 13 Hectic days: 10, 11 Honey days: 4, 5, 6, 12, 13, 15 Money days: 1, 5, 6,10, 11,15 Profession days: 7, 8

(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 Continue to pay attention to your health. Last month on the 20th, you entered one of your most vulnerable health periods of your year. Abnormal aches are most likely to be happening because of lower energy. The solution is to get enough rest.

LEO

July 24 - Aug 23 Greatest days: 5, 6, 14, 15 Hectic days: 12, 13 Honey days: 4, 5, 6, 12, 13, 15 Money days: 1, 7, 8, 10, 11 Profession days: 4, 12, 13 Continue to strive for clarity in business and career affairs. By 15th, when Venus starts to move forward, you achieve clarity and when the Sun crosses mid heaven on the 19th you will be ready to act in a powerful way.

VIRGO

Aug 24 - Sept 23 Greatest days: 7, 8 Hectic days: 1, 14, 15 Honey days: 3, 4, 12, 13 Money days: 1, 4, 10, 11, 12, 13 Profession days: 1, 7, 8 The two planets involved in your finances – Jupiter who occupies your money house and Venus your actual financial planet are both retrograde this month. Prosperity is happening albeit in a complicated manner.

64 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

LIBRA

Sept 24 - Oct 22 Greatest days: 1, 10, 11 Hectic days: 3, 4, 1 Honey days: 4, 7, 8, 12, 13 Money days: 1, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13 Profession days: 3, 4, 5, 6, 15 Last month you were impulsive in love and you realised the repercussions too, so now having learnt your lessons it’s wise to be cautious. Venus the ruler of your horoscope will spend most of the month in Pisces making you wise.

SCORPIO

Oct 23 - Nov 22 Greatest days: 3, 4, 12, 13 Hectic days: 5, 6 Honey days: 4, 12, 13 Money days: 1, 10, 11, 14, 15 Profession days: 5, 6, 15 Love life sees an improvement this month. Venus retrogrades back into Pisces on the 2nd and spends most of the month there and so there is more harmony with the beloved.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov 23 - Dec 22 Greatest days: 5, 6, 14, 15 Hectic days: 1, 7, 8 Honey days: 1, 4, 7, 8, 12, 13 Money days: 1, 5, 6, 10, 11, 15 Profession days: 7, 8

CAPRICORN

Dec 23 - Jan 20 Greatest days: 7, 8 Hectic days: 3, 4, 10, 11 Honey days: 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 13, 15 Money days: 1, 5, 6, 10, 11, 15 Profession days: 4, 10, 11, 12, 13 A hectic active month is indicated as you witness lot many changes going on in life. Health remains delicate, but improves after the 19th. In the meantime, try to schedule in more rest periods, as your health planet Mercury is retrograde from the 9th onwards.

AQUARIUS

Jan 21 - Feb19 Greatest days: 1, 10, 11 Hectic days: 5, 6, 12, 13 Honey days: 4, 5, 6, 12, 13, 15 Money days: 1, 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 13 Profession days: 7, 8, 12, 13 You are approaching the midnight magical hour of your year.

By 19th you will be in it. Career success is happening as a side effect, even though it’s not a main focus now. The focus will be on personal affairs.

PISCES

Feb 20 - Mar 20 Greatest days: 3, 4, 12, 13 Hectic days: 1, 7, 8, 14, 15 Honey days: 4, 7, 8, 12, 13 Money days: 1, 7, 8, 10, 11 Profession days: 1, 10, 11, 14, 15 Venus retrogrades back into your sign on the 2nd and spends until the 28th there. This is basically a happy transit, she enhances the physical appearance.

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

April 1-15, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 65

the last word

Ganesh Natarajan

What do millennials really want?

Our research shows that people below the age of thirtyfive, the classical category we call millennials are quite happy to be just left alone and do what they really want to do rather than being cajoled, coaxed or coerced to do what somebody else in the family wants them to do

I

had the privilege in January and February to present some thought provoking research done by our company, Skills Alpha on the art and science of motivating millennials in organisations. The IMA, led by Adit Jain and Radha Ahluwalia and possibly one of the most engaging forums for CEOs CFOs and CHROs in the country hosted three workshops with over a hundred HR heads in Mumbai Delhi and Bengaluru to discuss the research and agree on methods to keep young recruits motivated and engaged. Some fascinating insights have emerged, which is now finding its way into the skilling platforms we are building for key customers in India and abroad.

There are flaws in the approach that most of us over the age of forty or fifty take when we address the new needs of the millennials. The refrain is always “when I was your age” extolling the virtues of hard work with no distractions, loyalty to family and one’s first employers and respect for seniority and authority. And with a few exceptions, most parents of teenagers and new job entrants have a tendency to live out their own unfulfilled ambitions through their children. Many wellmeaning and well-off parents are happy to write or at least enhance the college admission essays of their kids and willing to put them on flights to the US (Trump willing) for college and even high school to

Ganesh Natarajan, with his daughter Dr Karuna Ganesh and wife Uma

worked in India most of our lives and specialised in IT and education, it would have been impossible for us to advise Karuna on the career path she chose. But by letting her follow her heart and choose a path that get them out of the rat race of comwould enable very little supervision petitive education in our country. by us, we have been proud to see her And after doing all this, should blossom and achieve whatever sucthey not, they feel, be entitled to feel aggrieved if their children want cess she has in her field. to deviate from the parental script Lest any reader treat this as a serand strike out on their own path of mon on how to bring up children learning and discovery? today, let me haste to add that there is no magic formula for showing Our research shows that people young people the path to below the age of 35-the success. Each millennial is millennials are quite happy “Our research shows that unique and her life experito be just left alone and do people below the age of ences and level of ambition what they really want to do thirty-five, the category we would be completely difrather than being cajoled, ferent from others. At Skills coaxed or coerced to do call millennials are quite Alpha, we recognise this as what somebody else in the happy to be just left alone an imperative to build sensfamily wants them to do. and do what they really ing and adaptable learning In fact, most elders today want to do rather than being environments to suit the aswould happily praise their cajoled, coaxed or coerced pirations and learning style own millennial children, of individuals. Use of Smart nephews, nieces and to do what somebody else in Bots, deep learning, analytics grandchildren for their the family wants them to do“ as well as adaptive and cogbright spirit of questioning nitive technologies to customise and multitude of interests but be dream to become a Physician Scicareer management and skill recunwilling to tolerate this in the entist in one of the top hospitals in ommendations enable the unique office. We tend to forget that most the world, Karuna chose to excel needs. Similarly, at home and office millennials have been brought up in academics and extra-curricular we must celebrate the unique charin single child or small nuclear pursuits and got into the IB proacteristics of the new generation families, reasonable pampered and gram at the United World College and millennial job seekers. Give indulged in their growing up. They in the US. With admissions in MIT, them the freedom of their own time have been encouraged to have a Yale Princeton and Cambridge, she and space, provide them the tools wide circle of friends, question the chose to do a MB PhD at Camto customise the inputs they receive status quo in school and college and bridge UK, went back to the US to in their academic and corporate encontinually expand their interests do a Post Doc in Harvard Medical vironment, and the results will be and have a variety of experiences. and then did a Fellowship at Memoastounding. Give them a chance!

All this leads them to develop a rial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center very YOLO view of life (You Only in New York where she recently acLive Once) and when they enter the cepted a full-time appointment as a Dr. Ganesh Natarajan is Chairman work environment, to seek a strong physician scientist. Given our own of 5F World, Pune City Connect & work-life balance and continue backgrounds of having studied and Social Venture Partners, Pune.

66 / Corporate Citizen / April 1-15, 2017

to pursue multiple interests and possibly career options.

The experience that my wife Uma and I have had with our own millennial, our daughter Karuna bears out the value of giving the youth of today ample independence and being supportive rather than judgmental of their life and work decisions. Karuna grew up in Pondicherry, Nashik, Delhi and Pune and completed her ICSE from the Maneckji Cooper School in Mumbai. Deciding to pursue a

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