V 2, 1st issue all pages for website by Corporate Citizen

CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP DR R SESHA IYER, PROFESSOR AND ADVISOR TO THE DEAN, SPJIMR March 1-15, 2016 / `50

DYNAMIC DUO: 25 VIDHYA AND C S RAGHAVAN

Starry Sojourn Corporate Debate

Affirmative Action for an Equitable Society

AMIC DYN SE ES RI

Volume 2, Issue No. 1 / Pages 68 / www.corporatecitizen.in

Capt. C S Raghavan

FROM SNOWY SIACHEN TO SAVVY CORPORATE Interview

Pramod Sadarjoshi, Senior Director - HCM Strategy & Transformation, Asia Pacific, Oracle India Pvt. Ltd Karen Ong, Director & Master Trainer, SMR HR Group

cover inner

2 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

FEEDBACK Congratulations Congratulations on bringing out such a wonderful magazine. I thoroughly enjoy reading CC and love reading various topics you cover, especially the Cradle of Leadership and Cover Story. - Arundhati Sitokey

Please get the CC on stands It’s been a year I have been reading the Corporate Citizen, and I have seen it improve with every issue. I remember the first issue, which did have some errors and the contents were, at least, not to my liking, but the latest issue (February 1) has changed in leaps and bounds. Hats off to the entire team. The contents are so different and to my liking that I eagerly await for the next issue. The content is perfect, it is so different and very outstanding. I wonder why CC is not available on the stands, I am sure people would grab it. Please ensure that it is easily available on stands. Congratulations, on completing one year. Keep up the good work. - Ikram Khan Definitely a cool side of business! I go through many business magazines, but Corporate Citizen is definitely different and rightly so, as mentioned on cover page gives us the cool side of business. There are no hard-hitting, negative or controversial stories. The stories such as Loved & Married, Military to Management, the interviews to name a few, stand apart from the content of the other magazines. Keep it up and wish the CC team all the best for completing one year. - Shyam Kothari

CHANDA KOCHHAR’S STORY IS TOUCHING Every issue of Corporate Citizen brings out the personal profile of business leaders. It was very heartening to read and get to know how Chanda Kochhar, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at ICICI Bank, has created a role model for women trying to develop their leadership. Chanda Kochhar is also a thought leader. She has rightly said that if we increase the participation of women in the economy, we will see that our GDP will grow substantially. She has thrown light on the problems of women employees at the lower level of jobs, particularly working in the semi-urban organisations. Corporate Citizen truly reflects the developments in the corporate world and has now established its own brand name. Your ability to cover so many interesting articles in Corporate Citizen, is worth knowing about. I have arranged a discussion programme for my students and colleagues on the role Corporate Citizen is playing in the business world. Congratulations. - Dr PC Shejwalkar

More on corporate gizmos

CC, really different magazine

The magazine has a very pleasing layout and is not cluttered. A few changes like introducing a page on corporate-focused gizmos and luxury brands, would enhance it and appeal to corporate honchos. Would suggest that you place the case study after the interviews of CEOs and company profiles. Also have space for young entrepreneurs/ start-ups. I must say the photographs in the magazine are very good. - Ruchi Banthiya

It has been quite a while, since I have read a magazine like Corporate Citizen, which is very different and cannot be expressed in words. One has to read it to find the difference. I wonder why nobody thought of coming out with such a magazine till now. It is truly new and fresh. From the editorial which is entirely different from other magazines to the column The Last Word makes a very good read. Hats off to the editorial team and all others involved in coming up with this magazine. Thanks to Dr (Col.) A Balasubramanian to have taken this initiative. Keep it up Sir, your magazine is really different. - Anthony Francis

Layout, content to perfection I happened to read your cover story ‘Military to Management’ which appeared in your magazine ‘Corporate Citizen’ (December 16-31, 2015). Commodore DK Mohapatra is one of the brilliant officers who served in the Indian Navy. He is fondly known as ‘management guru’ in the Naval circles. The Commodore has highlighted some of the very pertinent aspects of military and civil life, in his response, to your correctly-worded questions. Also, I am sure this article of yours would help the men in uniform to settle well in the civil world after retirement. The layout, content, articulation, presentation, formatting, etc., has impressed me greatly, and I am sure it would profoundly impact the reader. - Rear Admiral GV Ravindran (Retd)

Wonderful reading Today, there are plenty of business magazines all over, but Corporate Citizen has the one thing that other business magazines completely lack - the human element. The magazine goes beyond annual reports and market valuations, and introduces readers to the know more about the success stories of towering corporate leaders, thereby giving an insight into their lives. Well done, team...keep up the great job! - Devesh Patel March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 3

ING M OW

z CASE STUDY: 23 TRU M

BE GOOD TO THE UNGRATEFUL

ecurity is one of the main concerns in any educational institution, particularly in hostels. As Rector of Symbiosis International Hostel, I had observed that the security personnel there were callous and lethargic. The proverbial final straw on the camel’s back was when a gentleman audaciously walked through the security at the gate, without being stopped and entered the common room of the hostel where students were watching television. He coolly walked towards the TV and before the students could realise what was happening, he picked it up and pushed away the students who got up to snatch it from him. He then carried the TV on his head and walked out of the gate. Seems incredible but he was a thief who committed the crime in a smooth sailing manner. Therefore, Dr Mujumdar asked me to change the security guards, lock, stock and barrel! Around the same time, an army Subedar came to me, searching for a job as a security supervisor. Happy that he had an army background and would work with sincerity, honesty and tenacity, I asked him his salary expectations. He replied, “Sir, ₹1,500 would be fine.” I decided to be generous, as I had instantly thought of a business strategy with him. I said, “If you are ready to work with me, I will ensure that you earn ₹15,000 per month.” I suggested to him that a lot of ex-servicemen were in search of jobs and that, he should bring them under one umbrella. We would then start a Pune Ex-servicemen Assistance Forum (PEAF) and register it with the appropriate authorities. I also told him, “you being a Maharashtrian, look out for all ex-servicemen in Pune who are in search of jobs. You will get a commission which will exceed your expectations of ₹1,500 salary per month. Besides Symbiosis, we can have security guard contracts at other campuses and buildings. Till such time your income does not exceed

4 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

₹15,000, you need not share anything with me, but once you exceed that amount, the surplus should be shared by both of us, being partners in the business.” The division of work was simple—mine was the brain work and his was the field work. I also suggested that he should employ additional staff for PEAF. He brought in his brother-in-law and many others into the company fold. As I was preoccupied with students and hostel affairs, I completely depended on him to run a fair business, as I trusted him wholeheartedly. A time came when the surplus amount crossed ₹ one lakh, but he used to give me a mere ₹5,000 or ₹6,000 per month. I got to know of this much later. During this time, he wanted to buy a small, one-bedroom flat, for which he asked me financial help. I magnanimously gave him ₹50,000, unaware that he had been stabbing me in the back. Over and above this small apartment, with the surplus money which he never disclosed to me, he had also bought a three-bedroom flat. A situation arose when I had to suddenly leave Symbiosis and I was searching for a place to stay, for myself. This business partner of mine told me that he could spare me his one-room flat, provided I pay a rent of ₹1,000 per month. I had no choice but to agree. I thought he would lend a helping hand in my time of need, just as I had done in his hour of need. I believe a true friend should be like your two hands, involuntarily and in a jiffy, holding your lungi if it is slipping. But alas, he decided to treat me as a tenant. That was when I started to check the accounts and realised the fraud that he had played on me. I was wondering how to tackle this stab-in-my-back issue as I was also guilty of not having checked the financials in this partnership deal. So, I thought in one corner of my heart, that I was paying the price for my lethargy. Blind faith is not right and yet I indulged in it.

As I was preoccupied with students and hostel affairs, I completely depended on him to run a fair business, as I trusted him wholeheartedly. A time came when the surplus amount crossed `1 lakh, but he used to give me a mere `5,000 or `6,000 per month. I got to know of this much later I decided to accost him. It did not help as he did not bother to respond. He took advantage of the fact that I had no documentary proof. The partnership deed was not done in a thoroughly legal manner, so he used that against me. One day I told him, “From my side, everything was done on faith. Okay, you have earned and have become the owner of two flats. You think I am finished, but I shall prove you wrong. You will see me standing tall in the city very soon but that time you will not be my partner. You are going to cry for losing your good friend. If I can ensure that a person who wanted a (salary of) ₹1,500 got ₹15,000, I could make you earn ₹15 lakh too. But you ditched me. I have no anger against you, but there is no love either.” Time passed by and one day he came to me for the admission of his daughter. I helped him by giving her a full scholarship. Today, the elder daughter is doing a full-time MBA programme at our institute. Then he brought his sister’s daughter. She too received the fee waiver. I learnt that his brother-in-law had died suddenly. Despite all the hard feelings I had for him, I visited their house, gave a good amount of money and took complete responsibility for his children’s education at Agrasen High School. You may ask, why did I decide to continue to be magnanimous? For, I believe that the best way to punish a person who has stabbed you in your back is to do good to him. Also, there is another lesson to be learnt here. Keep your documents intact, and, never have blind faith in anyone, not even your best friend.

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

Contents 34 EW

AMIC DYN SE ES RI

COVER STORY

FROM SNOWY SIACHEN TO SAVVY CORPORATE Meet Capt C S Raghavan, Country Head HR at Mahindra & Mahindra Co. Ltd, who takes us through both his career innings, the first being in the Indian Army

Also...

DYNAMIC DUO: 25

STARRY SOJOURN An in-depth interview with Capt. Raghavan and his wife, Vidhya, on what makes their marriage work

COLLYWOOD

Chatpata Chatter from the Corporate World

MANAGE MONEY

Dr Anil Lamba on Marginal Costing Principles & Break-Even Analysis

WAX ELOQUENT

Who said what and why 6 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

Volume 2 Issue No. 1 March 1-15, 2016 www.corporatecitizen.in

CORPORATE DEBATE

Leading corporates debate on the Affirmative Action for an Equitable Society

TÊTE-À-TÊTE

A candid conversation with Pramod Sadarjoshi, Senior Director — HCM Strategy & Transformation, Asia Pacific, Oracle India Pvt. Ltd

09 20

INTERVIEW

An interview with Karen Ong, Director & Master Trainer, SMR HR Group

UNION BUDGET

A step-by-step guide on how Union Budget is formulated

CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP

An in-depth interview with Dr R Sesha Iyer, Former Director, Professor and Advisor to the Dean, S. P. Jain Institute of Management & Research Business School (SPJIMR)

THE TAX MAN COMETH-10

Choice is ours, column on capital gains by S K Jha {IRS (retd) and former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax)}

BEYOND MONEY

Meet the owners of Mantra4Change, a Bengalurubased non-profit organisation that attempts to transform public schools and low-cost private schools for empowering underprivileged children in acquiring quality education

CORPORATE HISTORY

Life’s looking good for LG

SURVEY

An in-depth survey on India dia – The World’s Newest Investor’s tor’s Paradise by Ernst & Youngg March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 7

56 Editor-In-Chief Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian Consulting Editor Vinita Deshmukh Assistant Editor Joe Williams

STAR CAMPUS PLACEMENT

Drishti Setia on her first break into the corporate world

Senior Business Writers Mahalakshmi Hariharan Rajesh Rao

BOLLYWOOD BIZ

Bollywood and the Biopic

PEARLS OF WISDOM

Writers Delhi Bureau Pradeep Mathur / Sharmila Chand

‘Appreciation costs us nothing’ by Dada JP Vaswani

Bengaluru Bureau Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar

HEALTH

Pune Bureau Dinesh Kulkarni / Suchismita Pai / Kalyani Sardesai

Know the Zika Virus

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

MOBILE APPS

Five best calendar Apps

CLAPS & SLAPS

Our bouquets and brickbats for the fortnight!

BEYOND THE BOTTOMLINE

Internships? Now it is Externships!

FEATHERLITE

What India had to tweet on the 10 brave hearts who lost their lives, in the Siachen Glacier

Senior Sub-Editor Neeraj Varty

THE LAST WORD

Lighthouses of Hope by Dr Ganesh Natarajan, Chairman of Pune City Connect and NASSCOM Foundation and Vice Chairman of Zensar

BE A CORPORATE CITIZEN

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

Circulation Officer Jaywant Patil +91 9923202560 Creative Direction Kiyan Gupta, The Purple Stroke Graphic Designer Anil Walunj On Cover Page Vidhya & C S Raghavan with daughter Yuktha Photographers Yusuf Khan, Shantanu Relekar Website / Online Subscription www.corporatecitizen.in For Advertising, Marketing & Subscription queries Email: circulations@corporatecitizen.in (Corporate Citizen does not accept responsibility for returning unsolicited manuscripts and photographs. All unsolicited material should be accompanied by self-addressed envelopes and sufficient postage) Tel. (020) 69000677 / 69000672

COLLYWOOD

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

Google CEO Sundar Pichai, highest-paid executive Google Inc’s Sundar Pichai is one of the highest-paid executives of a publicly traded company this year after parent Alphabet Inc. awarded him restricted stock worth about $199 million. Pichai, who is Google’s chief executive officer, received 273,328 Class C shares on 3 February that will vest in quarterly increments through 2019 if he remains on the job, according to a filing from the Mountain View, California-based company. Pichai, the former deputy of Google co-founder Larry Page, was named to run the search engine unit following the reorganisation into holding company Alphabet last year. The award is the biggest ever given to a Google executive officer whose equity

grants have to be reported in filings, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It is Pichai’s first award since taking over the company’s highest-grossing unit. Alphabet also awarded $42.8 million in restricted stock to Diane Greene, a co-founder and former CEO of software maker VMware Inc., who’s led Google’s cloud business since November. Greene received equity worth $148 million last year after Google acquired tech company Bebop Technologies Inc., which she founded. Chief financial officer Ruth Porat, who joined from Morgan Stanley last year, received equity worth $38.3 million that will vest under the same conditions as Pichai’s award, a filing shows.

Patekar’s NAAM plays the good samaritan Eighty-five family members of farmers who ended their lives due to crop failure were beneficiaries, thanks to Bollywood Actor Nana Patekar’s NGO Naam Foundation that donated to the tune of ₹12.75 lakh. A cheque of ₹15,000 each was handed over to the family members of 85 farmers who ended their lives due to crop failure and debt burden. “My husband ended his life unable to bear the huge debt and I now have the responsibility of looking after my in-laws and a daughter with no proper means of income,” said Sujata Bachchav, a young widow from Malegaon, whom Patekar assured monetary help. Patekar, the noted Hindi and Marathi actor urged people to help such families by contributing for the education of their children and

assisting them through various means. He informed that NAAM has started a medical card facility under which free medical services will be rendered to those who hold NAAM medical card. Patekar urged hospitals to come forward and contribute to the

cause. Meanwhile, MVP Samaj’s Dr Vasantrao Pawar Medical College & Hospital expressed its willingness to help by giving free medical aid to the beneficiaries. Speaking on future plans of the foundation, Patekar said a programme of deepening of 350

km of river in the state will be undertaken and many big projects are in the offing for farmers to overcome the crisis caused due to natural calamities. Marathi actor Makarand Anaspure, who is also associated with the foundation, was also present at the function.

March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 9

COLLYWOOD

Chief product officer Saksena relinquishes Zomato’s post

Giannandrea takes charge of GOOGL.OQ Amit Singhal, the longtime chief of its Internet search business, will leave the company and be replaced by the head of the technology giant’s artificial intelligence business, according to Google parent Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.OQ). John Giannandrea, currently a vice president of engineering, will replace Singhal, a 15-year Google veteran. “Search is stronger than ever, and will only get better in the hands of an outstanding set of senior leaders who are already running the show day-to-day,” Singhal wrote in a blog post. The appointment of Giannandrea, who joined Google

in 2010, underlines es the growing importance Silicon on Valley is attaching to artificial intelligence technology. Giannandrea nandrea led Google’s machinee learning efforts, applying the technology nology to products such as image recognition for Google photos search and the smart reply ply for Google Inbox. “Machine intelligence is crucial to our Search earch vision of building a trulyy intelligent assistant that connects nects our users to information ion and actions in thee real world,” Google gle said in an emailed d statement.

Ratan Tata invests in B2B marketplace Moglix

Moglix, an e-commerce company specialising in B2B procurement of industrial products, announced an undisclosed investment in the company by Ratan Tata. This seven-month-old (August 2015), founded by Rahul Garg, a former Google employee, Moglix focuses on technologically disrupting the

B2B Industrial products space for suppliers and buyers across the globe. Moglix recently raised Pre-Series A funding from Accel Partners and Jungle Ventures. The funds are being used to enhance the technology platform, build a deep supplier base as well as increase marketing spends across

10 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

Asia. The company aspires on bringing technology and manufacturing together to drive transparency, efficiency and scale for manufacturing companies within India, making them globally competitive and enabling an efficient use of technology. “We are extremely pleased to have an icon of Indian manufacturing as our advisor. Tata’s contribution to the manufacturing sector has been inspirational and we look forward to his guidance as we steer the company towards transforming the buying and selling process for manufacturers in the country,” said Rahul Garg.

Zomato Media Pvt. Ltd’s chief product officer Tanmay Saksena has abruptly left India’s largest food discovery and ordering platform, highlighting investor pressure on food delivery websites to improve their financial metrics. Saksena’s departure comes barely a year after he joined Zomato, one of India’s most valuable start-ups, having spent four years at Disney Social Games as vice-president (studio operations), based in Palo Alto, California. He was promoted last month as chief product officer, having earlier served as the global business head for the company’s food-ordering business. “Tanmay was one of our best people, and we are sad to see him go. We wish him luck for all his future endeavours,” a Zomato spokesperson said, and went on to add, “Saksena had headed Zomato’s online food-ordering operations until the end of October, when the company’s co-founder Pankaj Chaddah assumed the role. This isn’t the only abrupt departure in recent months at Zomato, which has struggled to retain top management executives. In July last year, ex-Facebook Inc.executive Namita Gupta quit Zomato within a year of joining the firm as chief product officer from Silicon Valley. Chief financial officer Umesh Hora quit in November to join CarDekho.com. Chief marketing officer Rameet Arora quit the company in January 2015, barely six months after joining from McDonalds Corp’s India operations. Food tech start-ups have been struggling to scale their businesses, making wary investors pile pressure on start-ups to reduce cash burn on discounts and overhead costs. The pressure has been trickling down the management ranks.

Facebook India’s managing director Kirthiga Reddy to step down Facebook India’s managing director Kirthiga Reddy is to step down from her post. In a Facebook post, Reddy says she will exit in six-12 months and go back to the US. “When my family relocated to India, we knew that we would move back to the US someday. It’s a bittersweet moment to share that the return time frame is coming up in the next six-12 months. Our two daughters start high school and middle school this coming year - which serves as a natural transition point to make this move back,” Reddy told a section of the media. She also describes her future plans in the post and says she has ‘begun to explore new opportunities at Facebook back at Menlo Park’. “Over the last six years, starting as the first employee for Facebook in India, I have had the privilege to be part of our amazing growth journey,” said Reddy. She ends her post saying, “I’m grateful to have two countries to call home, have had this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and look forward to the next one, and have the opportunity to partner with each of you.” Reddy’s stepping down comes a day after

Mukesh Bansal, Ankit Nagori bid farewell to Flipkart

Facebook shut down ‘Free Basics’ in India following an order by telecom regulator Trai barring

operators from charging discriminatory rates for Internet access based on content.

Justice Waghela sworn in as new Chief Justice of the Bombay HC Justice Dhirendra Hiralal Waghela was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court by Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao. At the swearing in ceremony held at the Darbar Hall of Raj Bhavan, Chief Secretary Swadheen Kshatriya read out the warrant of appointment of Justice D H Waghela as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court on transfer from Orissa High Court, issued by the President. Justice

Waghela was serving as the Chief Justice of Orissa High Court prior to his transfer to the Bombay High Court. He succeeds Justice Mohit Shah, who retired. Justice Vijaya K Tahilramani was serving as Acting Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. Justice Waghela comes from a family of artists and artisans. He graduated in commerce from Rajkot and also attended his family business for five years. He stood first from

Saurashtra University in General LLB as well as in Special LLB in 1974 and 1975, respectively. He took his master’s degree in law in 1976-77. Justice Waghela started his own practice in 1978. He practised in the Labour and Industrial courts. In 1999, he was called to the bench and assumed his office as Additional Judge of the High Court of Gujarat on September 17, 1999. He was elevated as the Chief Justice, High Court of Karnataka in March 2013. He was transferred as the Chief Justice of Orissa High Court on June 4, 2015.

Mukesh Bansal, Flipkart’s head of commerce and founder of Myntra, called it quits. Joing the quit gang was Ankit Nagori, the chief business officer at Flipkart. These were the after effect of Binny Bansal, co-founder being made chief executive officer and Sachin Bansal elevated to the role of executive chairman. While Mukesh will continue with Flipkart for the next few weeks, Nagori will be transitioning his role to Binny over the next quarter. Mukesh Bansal had joined Flipkart when it acquired his fashion portal Myntra in May 2014 for an estimated ₹2,000 crore. Mukesh spearheaded Myntra even after the buyout and had said recently that the company would turn profitable by 2017, by slashing discounts. In FY15, Myntra, by some estimates, reported a loss of ₹740 crore on revenues of ₹758 crore, with the margin of loss rising to 98 percent. Myntra appointed McKinsey director Ananth Narayanan as its CEO in July last year. Flipkart’s losses in FY15 were close to ₹2,000 crore, this includes Flipkart Internet and Flipkart India. Mukesh Bansal said he was taking a break of three-six months after which he would start a venture of his own.

March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 11

COLLYWOOD First SRK, now Vijay Mallya buys Caribbean Premier League team

Vijay Mallya, the owner of IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore has purchased a Caribbean Premier League team, Barbados Tridents. Mallya becomes the second IPL owner to have a team in the CPL following Kolkata Knight Riders’ owner Shah Rukh Khan who bought the Trinidad and Tobago. The deal was finalised the night before the player draft that took place and was agreed upon following meetings between Mallya and high-level Barbados government officials. “We worked out various scenarios, projected financial numbers and it all looks very good, provided the league grows at the pace we all hope it does. But initially we came to

the conclusion that it was necessary to approach the government of Barbados,” said Mallya while talking to the media after the development. “I made a presentation to the government and I was absolutely overwhelmed by the support expressed by the Prime Minister himself,” said Mallya.“I didn’t jump into the CPL in a rush. I was busy concentrating on building my IPL franchise and I knew that CPL would have some teething problems in the first couple of years. When I was convinced that the CPL was in a proper growth mode here in the Caribbean I decided to take a good, hard look. I was told that the Barbados franchise was available which was great news for me personally.” While the other IPL owners at the CPL have opted for a change in name, with the Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel rebranded as the Trinbago Knight Riders in an attempt to create brand synergy between the two sides, Mallya is not convinced that is the way for his newly acquired team. For now, there will be no massive changes to the staff either. Mallya says that there was not enough time to make radical changes and the side has been a success so doesn’t feel the need to shake things up. “We have got this deal done late last night. So I obviously had to go with the previous staff. I know Robin Singh, he lives in India. I know Kieron Pollard, the captain. They have done well in the last three editions. If there is no reason to change why change?” With Pollard and Shoaib Malik also in the team the Tridents have a strong side that should have a good season on the field.

R Sridhar, ITC’s new HR head ITC has appointed R Sridhar as the new head of human resources, continuing the process of appointing second-generation executives to key positions that the conglomerate kicked off three months ago ITC’s executive director for FMCG business Sanjiv Puri, considered among the favourites for the chairman’s post after YC Deveshwar retires next year, took charge of the 12 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

company’s paper, paperboard and packaging business early this year (January 22). An ITC spokesperson confirmed the changes. Sridhar joined ITC in 1982 after his MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur. He completed his fellow programme from the institute. He has handled HR assignments in the cigarette business. An analyst said, one of Sridhar’s key roles will be to nurture young talent.

Tata Teleservices CFO Harish Abichandani resigns Harish Abichandani ended his stint from the key position as Chief Financial Officer with the Tata Teleservices (from February 10, 2016). According to the telecom operator, Harish Abichandani has resigned as Chief Financial Officer (Key Managerial Personnel), and the same was noted by the Audit Committee and Board of Directors of the Company in their respective meetings held February 4, 2016. The announcement came after the company posted financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2015. The company registered a net loss of ₹79.6 crore vs ₹155.7 crore QoQ. Total income of the company declined 0.6 percent to ₹742 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 vs ₹747 crore for the quarter ended September 30, 2015 while other income was reported at ₹11.1 crore vs ₹25 crore. Compiled by Joe Williams joe78662@gmail.com

MANAGE MONEY DR ANIL LAMBA

Marginal Costing Principles & Break-Even Analysis Apply Marginal Costing principles to understand your business better, and to take financially intelligent decisions

or any organization, the usual method of calculating profit is by making a Profit & Loss Account, which lists out the incomes on one side and the numerous items of expense on the other. As we saw in the previous issues, when we examine the various heads of expense we find that they can all be classified, by nature, as either Variable Costs (VC) or Fixed Costs (FC). Some of the expenses, however, would be partially variable and partially fixed. These must be segregated, and the variable component added to the VC and the fixed component to the FC. We then see that profit becomes a function of Sales less the sum of Variable Cost and Fixed Cost. If you deduct only the Variable Cost from Sales, what you get is called Contribution. And Contribution less Fixed Cost is equal to Profit.

Understanding Contribution We now have a comprehensive and more meaningful formula for profit: Sales Variable Cost Contribution Fixed Cost Profit / (Loss) Let’s now try to understand this concept in practical terms. Imagine that Rita has set up a small furniture-manufacturing business. The main product of this organization is tables. What would be the most obvious variable cost in the manufacture of wooden furniture? Yes, raw material, which in this case is wood. Let’s say Rita consumes wood worth 100 in the manufacture of one table. Now let’s think of an example of Rita’s fixed cost. Say rent. Rita pays a rent of 10,000 per month. Whether she makes one table or ten, the rent will remain 10,000 (till, with an increase in the volume of tables, she feels the need to rent additional space). If Rita was to make just one table, what would it cost her? The cost of raw material is 100, and since she makes only one table, the entire fixed cost of 10,000 would have to be absorbed by the single table. Rita’s cost of manufacturing one table would be 10,100. And if Rita wishes to make a profit she would have to sell her table for more than 10,100. Rita, of course, realizes that fixing the selling price is not in her control. Selling price is decided by the market, taking competitors’ pricing strategies into consideration. If her competitors are selling similar tables for, say, 250, she is also going to have to price her table at not more than 250.

What would be the bottom line if Rita makes and sells just one table at a selling price of 250? Quantity

Sales

250

(-) Variable Cost

100

= Contribution

150

(-) Fixed Cost

10,000

= Profit / Loss

9,850

At this point of time her business appears to be making a loss of 9,850. Since she does not wish to make a loss, she comes to you for advice. What would you advice her? You would doubtless suggest that she increase the number of tables produced and sold. Heeding your advice, Rita now doubles production to two tables. Let’s see how this will affect the bottom line. Quantity Sales

250

500

(-) Variable Cost

100

200

= Contribution

150

300

(-) Fixed Cost

10,000

= Profit / Loss

9,850

9,700

The loss has now reduced to 9,700. She then makes the third table, and the loss further drops to 9,550. Quantity

Sales

250

500

750

2,500

(-) Variable Cost

100

200

300

1,000

= Contribution

150

300

450

1,500

(-) Fixed Cost

10,000

= Profit / Loss

9,850

9,700

9,550

8,500

When Rita makes 10 tables, her loss is reduced to 8,500. Rita begins to wonder when her business will break even. ...to be continued

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

WAX ELOQUENT

DEVELOPMENT THROUGH Entrepreneurship is all about deferred gratification

“We look for entrepreneurs who demonstrate three attributes—competence, character and commitment. We want these entrepreneurs to be able to express the differentiated business value of their idea in a simple sentence, not a complex sentence and not a compound sentence. For us old-timers, entrepreneurship is all about deferred gratification—that means hard work, sacrifice, being away from loved ones, taking a small salary, austerity, all in the hope that tomorrow it will bring a fortune. Such a mind-set requires a good value system.” NR Narayana Murthy, Infosys co-founder and start-ups investor

Courtesy: Times of India

Think about larger and smaller innovations “Innovation does not always have to be one big step. Innovation is also the step changes that you make every day to improve your products, services and how you can deliver better value.” Chanda Kochhar, managing director and chief executive, ICICI Bank Courtesy: www.livemint.com

HR manager focus on an HR technology model

“When it comes to technology, HR managers should keep it simple. Simplicity implies greater attention to employee experience and logical data analysis. HR manager should focus on an HR technology model that includes intuitive Web interfaces offering website-like experiences. Simplicity does not, however, mean lack of depth—it implies good design and a purposeful use of technology.” Nishchae Suri, partner and head, people and change advisory, KPMG Courtesy: www.livemint.com

14 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

Advice to entrepreneurs

“We entrepreneurs write our business plans in poetry but execute them in prose. This transition is hard but if you convert a high-energy start-up into a structured institution too early, you take away its birthright. But too late you take away its destiny. My suggestion is work with people smarter than you and get a board that protects you from yourself.” Manish Sabharwal, co-founder and chairman, TeamLease Courtesy: Times of India

Problem-solving “In the corporate sector, you take problems and keep narrowing them down till you make them small and fix them. In government, you keep expanding and wonder how you solve them.” S Ramadorai, chairman, National Skill Development Corporation Courtesy: Financial Express

Reverse mentoring - putting onus on millennials “The power of mentoring and reverse mentoring is an essential cog in the learning wheel of a senior executive. This has been a win-win situation where senior executives become well-informed and young employees get a wider exposure through interactions.” DP Singh, vice-president and HR head-India / South Asia, IBM Courtesy: Business Standard

Angel investing a science and an art “It requires instincts to pick winners both in terms of business ideas and people. Some ideas are nebulous, but you have to find the real value behind the nebulousness and make something out of it.” Rajesh Swahney, founder, GSF Accelerator and Angel Investor Courtesy: Times of India

There is momentum

“With such a complex and diverse country and 1.2 billion or more people, change is not easy, so I have this huge respect for the work being done. The seeds have been planted and the plants are starting to grow. It will take some time but there is momentum.” Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever Courtesy: http://economictimes. indiatimes.com/

DEMOCRACY

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

Finding people who understand business and technology My biggest learning experience is that the art of being able to communicate to a technology person what the business person wants. For the technology person to understand that without loss in translation, and revert back with a product that is expected is a nightmare. If you can find a team of people who understand business and technology, you must pay them the moon.

Businesses have a choice to be selfless “There is a choice before businesses, to bring in selflessness and solve people’s problems, though there is no law mandating this. There is also scope for the business world to address the problem they had left behind.” Muhammad Yunus, Nobel laureate & founder, Grameen Bank, Bangladesh, said in an interview, when he was in India attending Deshpande Foundation’s annual Development event in Hubballi. Courtesy: Business Standard

Have many quick wins to get Digital India going “The way to get this (Digital India) really going is to have many quick wins early because what happens with such ambitious programmes is that many smart folk spend a lot of time trying to solve the hardest problems and not delivering early wins.” Safra A. Catz, co-chief executive officer, Oracle Corp Courtesy: www.livemint.com

Rajiv Lall, MD & CEO, IDFC Bank Courtesy: www.livemint.com

Innovation in general causes disruption “Whenever you have a big technology change, there are always voices about the disruption it may cause… forget about technology, innovation in general causes disruption and that is the role of innovation in a sense or a byproduct of innovation.” Francisco D’Souza, CEO, Cognizant Courtesy: Economic Times

In a democracy, development is slower but stable

“Development through democracy is the biggest challenge today because in the heat of the moment people call for becoming some kind of an autocratic society. In a democracy, development may be slower but it is stable.” Ravi Shankar Prasad, IT Minister

Digital banking experiences

Courtesy: www.financialexpress.com

“When a customer starts using digital banking extensively, the savings account balances go up. Hence, there is a link between offering good-quality digital banking experiences and higher balance in savings account.” Shanti Ekambaram, President, consumer banking, Kotak Mahindra Bank Courtesy: www.livemint.com

It is good that the Chinese are here “It is good that the Chinese are here. We see them as potential future acquirers of our portfolio companies. Whether an (Indian) company will win, a US company will win, or a China-backed Indian company will win is yet to be seen.” TC Meenakshisundaram, managing director, IDG Ventures India Courtesy: Economic Times

Local economy is improving “There are so many countries and it is not a great global environment. We should instead focus on what is happening to India. Now because of problems outside India, Indian stock markets may correct for some period but since the local economy is improving, I would look upon this as a great opportunity to position myself.”

Bollywood sells dreams like no one does

“They (Hollywood) came to India. All of them, Fox, Disney and when they came to India. I met them and told them things work differently in Bollywood. We are a proud film making nation. Bollywood sells dreams like no one does.” Karan Johar, filmmaker

Courtesy: http://www.businessstandard.com/

Prashant Jain, HDFC AMC Courtesy: Economic Times

Compiled by Rajesh Rao rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 15

CORPORATE DEBATE

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION FOR AN EQUITABLE SOCIETY

With job reservation politics for socially backward communities in private sector getting hotter by the day, Corporate India seems to reject it, but commits itself to Affirmative Action (AA) for an equitable society. Corporate Citizen explores what thought leaders of Corporate India have to say By Pradeep Mathur

DILIP KUMAR Head-CSR, Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd

DR NIDHI S SABHARWAL Associate Professor, National University of Educational Planning and Administration, New Delhi

AMIT KAUSHIK Practice Head, Education & Skill Development, IPE Global Ltd

H N SAHAY Director, Amity Humanity Foundation

KARTIKEYA BHARAT RAM Chairman, CII panel on Affirmative Action & Dy MD SRF Ltd

MILIND KAMBLE Chairman, Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

CHANDRABHAN PRASAD Mentor, DICCI

DR SUDHIR KAPUR Chairman, CII panel on CSR & MD & CEO, Country Strategy

s there any connection between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Sab ka Saath, Sab ka Vikaas and Corporate India’s resolve to redouble its efforts for the socioeconomic development of the marginalised sections of our society? It seems, obviously, not, but curiously, yes. As more and more political parties are demanding quota in private sector for socially backward communities because of shrinking job opportunities in the public sector, it appears that more and more thought leaders of India’s corporate world are realising the importance of the PM’s agenda of inclusiveness and equitable growth. Having already rejected such castebased job reservation demands in the private domain, it looks like the private sector is in no

16 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

mood to let the forces arguing a counter view succeed, by going wholeheartedly for voluntary Affirmative Action (AA) in their own corporate agenda. No wonder, this resolve for AA was expressed in full measure when they met at a recent Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) -led conference on the topic ‘Bridging the Gap: Fostering Growth through Education and Entrepreneurship’ in New Delhi. Attended by over 200 HR Heads, CEOs and business leaders, the day-long event witnessed a series of panel discussions on topics related to AA. While appreciating the sentiments behind the government’s intention of ensuring social equity, the heads of India Inc at the conference insisted that there would be a loss of competitiveness if the quota system was thrust upon

the private sector. “Only through creating a conducive environment to foster voluntary support for AA and advancing competitiveness in the companies, can more jobs be created for the underprivileged,” said Kartikeya Bharat Ram, Chairman, CII Committee on AA and Dy MD, SRF Ltd. Sharing success stories of member firms, he said that several companies are now implementing policies and systems to diversify their social base for the deprived sections. In this exercise, he welcomed the positive role of Punebased Dalit Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) in promoting Dalit entrepreneurs reach out to industry for support and engagement. He also narrated how CII’s initiatives in the last couple of decades have picked up pace

PICS: AJIT RANHOTRA & DR VIVEK ARORA

From left: Sudhir Sinha, Advisor CSR & Sustainability, PricewaterhouseCoopers India; Pooran Pandey, Executive Director, UN Global Compact Network; Dr Bhaskar Chatterjee, Director General & CEO, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, IMT, Manesar, Haryana; Dr Sudhir Reddy, Director, SRF Foundation; Sunil Joseph Nalapalli, Head, Affirmative Action, Tata Consultancy Services

“While most corporates are still thinking as to how and why they should go for AA, companies of the Tata Group have already made a huge difference to the lives of countless people from the SC/ST communities through their various CSR initiatives focused on women’s empowerment and AA” - Dilip Kumar, Head-CSR, Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd as Corporate India is now actively promoting Dalit entrepreneurship through AA initiatives. Setting the context of the conference in its historical perspective, Soumitro Chakravarty, CEO, Innovation Financial Advisors Pvt Ltd, said, “though the concept of AA was born in the ’70s in the USA, we have adopted it herebecause it brings an enduring national purpose and equal opportunities for all Indians without discrimination of caste, creed, gender or ability.” Referring to PM Modi’s most ambitious flagship project ‘Start-up India, Stand-up India’, he claimed, India was all set to become

Affirmative Action—TCS-Style

ata Group’s premier IT company, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), doesn’t believe in compromising on merit in its HR policies. It doesn’t offer any quota for students from the SC, ST and OBC categories. Yet every year, it corners a considerable chunk of very bright engineering students from these socially backward categories. How do they do it? What is their secret? Sunil Joseph Nalapalli, Head Affirmative Action, TCS, talked about a pan-India initiative of his company, launched about two years ago, for the SC/ST students of rural engineering colleges located in India’s most backward districts, as per the Niti Ayog data. Explaining why they pick up only engineering college students, he said, “All 3,40,000 employees of the TCS are engineers. So, we obviously feel more comfortable with them. These are colleges where nobody goes for campus placements. They are in the remotest parts of India.” He pointed out that to help their students compete with general category candidates from India’s best engineering colleges who appear for their recruitment test, they have devised an 18-month-long course, after lot of research. It’s a 192hour course, spread over three semesters. Talking about its course content, Nalapalli said, “Besides teaching logical reasoning, data interpretation and other important components of our aptitude test, we also prepare them for their personality interview and give them lots of practice papers.” The students are also provided practical training

on soft skills and at the end put through the TCS recruitment procedure. Giving background of the rural engineering college, Sunil pointed out, “This was a college where no corporate had ever gone. They didn’t have any placement whatsoever. When we first went to discuss about our initiative, the principal spoke to me about a student who had won the gold medal of the university last year, yet they were not able to place this girl simply because they didn’t had any network and companies never came to their campus.” Sunil said that this year, they have expanded their initiative to around 27 colleges and signed MOUs across the country, in multiple states. He added that they also had an initiative for the BPO arm of their business. “So far, we have trained 38,000 graduates in 174 locations. Out of which, 3,000 of them are in TCS alone. Recently, we tracked their performance, attrition figures and such other matrix of the last four years. What we found was that their attrition is 8 percent less than that of the TCS attrition,” he said. The TCS initiative is handled by their staff members and not outsourced to anyone. Staffers prepare the course material. “Everybody knows that attrition rate in an industry like ours is 12 to 15 percent but students who join TCS through this pipeline do not want to go anywhere else. They really value our training and values,” said Nalapalli. To sum it up, Sunil added that it has become so much a part of TCS growth story that it is attracting the mind space of even their customers, especially in America, who want to study the model. March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 17

CORPORATE DEBATE

India Inc’s AA initiatives Affirmative Action (AA) is generally equated with the government’s policy of reservation in India. Though AA has not been a new concept in India but, in 2013, under the New Companies Act, a new form of AA was envisaged under the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) whereby it was mandated that any company having a net worth of ₹500 crore or more or a net profit of ₹5 crore or more has to necessarily spend at least 2 percent of its net profits of the last three years on some CSR activities. Since then, many top Indian corporate houses are seriously engaged in CSR activities in various ways. RELIANCE INDUSTRIES Its CSR activities include ‘Project Drishti’ initiated to bring back the eyesight of visually challenged Indians from the economically weaker sections; running a medical facility centre and providing free health check-ups; building schools at the site for the children of the ‘project-affected families’ and the children of the villages around the sites, to name a few. WIPRO Their CSR initiatives centre on major projects in education, ecology and community care where they work with about 60 organisations at different levels. ONGC CSR projects emphasise on higher education, grant of scholarship and aid to deserving young pupils of less-privileged sections of society, facilities for constructing schools, etc. SAIL Focus areas include environmental conservation, health and medical care, education, women upliftment and providing drinking water. COCA-COLA Initiated a programme for the empowerment of five million women entrepreneurs across the Coca-Cola value chain by 2020. MAHINDRA & MAHINDRA Launched a unique kind of ESOPs (Employee Social Options) in order to enable Mahindra employees to involve themselves in socially responsible activities. AMITY FOUNDATION Runs two programmes—Amitasha and Atulasha—for underprivileged children. While Amitasha offers free education to about 1,000 poor SC/ST girls in the age group of 5-18 in five schools in Delhi, Atulasha offers the same to the underprivileged boys. 18 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

GLAXOSMITHKLINE PHARMACEUTICALS CSR programmes primarily focus on health, medical check-up and treatment, health camps and health awareness programmes in tribal areas. It also donates money, medicines and equipment to non-profit organisations that work towards improving health and education in the backward communities. BAJAJ ELECTRICALS Social work in areas such as education, rural development and environment. TATA POWER DELHI DISTRIBUTION LIMITED AA initiatives rest on the pillars of several programmes in education sector. One such offers reference books, stationary, school bags and career counseling to SC/ST students of 46 senior secondary government schools. Other activities include its Skill India programme, women literacy programme and installation of RO plants in schools. BHEL & INDIAN AIRLINES Focus on disaster management and have adopted 56 villages having nearly 80,000 inhabitants. AMBUJA CEMENTS Runs a Swachhata Doot initiative by which it prepares messengers who continuously work on creating awareness for cleanliness. It also supports 31 primary and 16 middle schools in Himachal Pradesh.

“Since government alone cannot uplift the downtrodden of our society, it is imperative that the Corporate India engages itself with PM’s agenda of inclusiveness and equitable growth” Shivendra Tomar, MD, IFCI Venture Capital Funds

“According to National Sample Survey data, most SC/ST youth come from wage labour households and almost 88% are literate but they lack employable skills. So, here is an opportunity for Corporate India to intervene and involve them in driving the growth of the nation” - Dr Nidhi S Sabharwal, Associate Professor, National University of Educational Planning and Administration the ‘entrepreneurial capital of the world’ in the next few years and hence it was necessary that Corporate India must transform itself quickly. Though efforts made by companies of the Tata Group and a few others in giving opportunities to candidates from socially backward communities are encouraging, Soumitro pointed out, “the best of the Corporate India is yet to come.” Bhaskar Chatterjee, Director General and CEO, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs and one of the architects who brought the concept of CSR in the new Companies Act, began by asking the fundamental questions: Why is a company created? Why should a corporate be

From left: Sanjiv Dangi, Coordinator DICCI & MD, Dangi Associates; Shivendra Tomar, MD, IFCI Venture Capital Funds; Dr Bimal Arora, Chairperson, Centre for Responsible Business, New Delhi; Vijay Rai, President & CEO, PowerCon; Ramesh Rao, GM, National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation

socially responsible? Why should it go for AA? After all, he said, the very purpose of the creation of a company is to earn profits and to maximise the wealth of its shareholders, then why should it be held accountable for AA, which is primarily the government’s responsibility under its commitment to providing social justice to those at the bottom of the pyramid? Chatterjee answered, “This is because today’s situation is vastly different from what it was 50-60 years back. Today the primary realisation of industry—not just in India but across the globe—is that businesses cannot succeed in a society that fails.” Taking his argument further, he said, “Today, the one parameter universally accepted is GDP growth. No matter how good country’s GDP numbers are, if societal tensions lead to the very self-destruction of society, all of the GDP growth numbers will fly out of the window and the country will be emasculated across all sectors.” The role of Indian industry in promoting AA through CSR is extremely critical to the way India evolves, said Chatterjee. Lot of action, he said, is expected on the ground from the 11 lakh registered companies, “Our effort is to create enabling environment for their CSR spending. Now, the finest thinkers of the companies, sitting in their boardrooms, have to apply their minds and devise strategies as to how best can they take AA and help the poor and the marginalised by advancing the

inclusive growth agenda of our visionary prime minister.” However, disagreeing with Chatterjee’s excessive optimism about AA and CSR, Milind Kamble, Chairman, Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI), said that though CSR spending of corporates in 2015 is

“Skill India report says there exists serious gaps between what the industry demands and what we teach in our schools. So, we need to bridge this gap by aligning education with skills. PM Modi has already taken several initiatives in this direction. Now, it is the duty of the corporate houses to do their bit because by doing so, they will ultimately be helping none but themselves” Amit Kaushik, Practice Head, Education & Skill Development, IPE Global Ltd

yet to be known and analysed, “fact of the matter is that most big companies are increasing their social engagements because it also helps in building up their image which gets a boost by being valued positively in the market.” Nevertheless, Kamble appreciated the renewed activism of Indian industry for AA while, at the same time, revealed that some companies have also opened their own NGOs for this purpose so that they could manage their losses by manipulating their CSR spending in the account books. Recalling how the India Inc supported about 500 SC/ST entrepreneurs in a big way in 2006 by aligning them in one go with different CII member companies as their suppliers and vendors, he regretted that not much of AA of “that magnitude” has taken place in the last nine years. “It is time Corporate India repeat that story and come forward in big numbers to genuinely help and encourage Dalit entrepreneurs as part of their CSR activity. The Dalit community now needs true business leaders of its own. We’ve got so many in political arena but none in business. We don’t want to be takers only. We want to be givers too,” appealed Kamble. Development is possible only through inclusiveness, but the big question remains: Will the CII-led companies repeat the miracle of 2006 and fulfil the PM’s vision of inclusiveness in its truest sense in 2016? mathurpradeep1@gmail.com March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 19

TÊTE-À-TÊTE

PICS: YUSUF KHAN

Stoic as a Sufi Pramod Sadarjoshi, Senior Director - HCM Strategy & Transformation, Asia Pacific, Oracle India Pvt. Ltd has straddled the world of HR, training and talent management across industries, across countries, across cultures, and has played ‘guru’ to top CEOs and CXOs. But, there is another side to him—he is a Sufi poetry aficionado. What attracts him to Sufi poetry, and what higher ‘notes’ does he learn from it? By Vinay Sethi

hen you listen to Mr Pramod Sadarjoshi expounding the salient features of Sufi poetry, it takes a while to realise that this is no expert on literature but the Senior Director, HCM, Strategy & Transformation, Asia Pacific, Oracle India Pvt. Ltd. that you are talking to. What does Sufi poetry have that fascinates this man so much? The answer, “The ability of Sufi poetry to strike a balance between one’s higher aspirations

20 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

and the continuous struggle with the world and also with oneself – that hallmark of Sufi poetry makes me want to listen to more and more of it.” Struggling and surviving. Surviving and then succeeding. These two steps together form the sequence of events that have led Pramod to the position he now holds. The man, an expert in HR & Training, and a specialist in Talent Acquisition, who has coached more than 25 top-ranking CEOs, worked with top-notch companies all over the world and been through a period of

struggle not only in India but across the world, is now at a point that makes him look back with satisfaction but not complacence. He has contributed towards industry-academia synergy by being a teaching faculty member and an adviser at leading B-schools and technology institutions like IIMs, IITs and other premier institutes. Pramod is a registered Executive Coach at the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad. He is also a speaker at various industry forums and seminars. Pramod has demonstrated introspective and diagnostic capabilities, coupled with a high-impact communication prowess and an effective blend of content and connect, of structured exercises and unstructured experiential facilitation. His forte of deep thought-leadership coupled with ethical values ensures least invasive, yet deep-dive transformation for individuals and enterprises. Pramod is a thorough professional, a team-player with result-orientation, trust, credibility and a positive attitude empowering organisations by empowering people. Pramod holds within his persona not just the heaviness of human existence tied with tools for survival and success, but also the sagacity of Sufi poetry to give the process of human struggle the right touch of philosophic stoicism.

Excerpts of a candid conversation with him:

Tell us something about yourself and your journey to the top. Creating and adding value to people and organizations is my forte. I have generated organizational growth, effectiveness and leadership interventions - systems-driven, metrics-based, business-centric, potential / performance optimization - resulting in tangible results. My key accomplishments have been in domains of Business-HR synergies, Change Management, OD interventions, HR systems, Leadership Development, coaching interventions, having coached approximately 25 CEOs and about 60 CXO level executives. On PMS I have trained approximately 14,000 employees. I have been into Talent Management, spanning sectors as diversified as Banking, IT, ITES, engineering, electronics, and pharmaceuticals to name a few. I have been part of companies in India, US, Europe and the Middle-east. I have partnered with CEOs and CXOs, on interventions involving applications of MBTI, DISC, TKI, assessment centres, competency-mapping, gap-analysis, PCMM etc., at organisations like JP Morgan Chase Services, Microsoft, Citibank, CSC, Cognizant, HDFC Bank, HSBC-OIB and Siemens. As you can see, my adaptability is reflected through diverse cultures and ecosystems.

What are the factors that have seen a sea-change in circumstances with reference to the way professionals are now being hired?

When we speak of ‘talent acquisition’ what do we search for? How do we convey it to the potential candidate that s/he should have these qualities/skills/talents/virtues? The days of applying standard parameters are long gone. The basic qualifications required remain the same. You don’t have to look at potential candidates with an eye on whether their performance will be consistent over the next few years. Instead, you have to have an eye for the cluster or group of qualities that can make this person perform with exceptional grip over his/her actions, leading to terrific results. When I am in charge of coaching/training, I make sure that my ‘students’ are aware of what is expected of them. Thinking ‘out of the box’ is also becoming passé and one has to develop a totally different method of thinking and acting so that one can definitely perform beyond the expectations of one’s superiors and also peers. However, as of now, no particular pattern can be used to gauge the performance potential of an individual. ‘Gut-feeling’ gains predominance, and has served me quite well in judging how an individual or team will perform. Once again, formalities cannot be dispensed with.

‘Gone are the days when salaries and incentives ruled the roost. Today’s employee can join/ quit a company for the oddest of reasons. It is for the employer to gauge the talent in an employee and make conditions conducive to retain him/her’

When I began, there were very few companies that laid stress on training to retain. Most of these companies’ top managements held the view that a good salary plus incentives was enough to make the employee want to continue virtually forever in his/her present job. At that time, the growth of these companies led to a loyalty factor that has been present since the Industrial Revolution. With IT growth came the VUCA factor, and it, with great speed and intensity, infected other industries too. For the uninitiated, VUCA is an acronym for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. These factors became predominant in the world markets because there was no way for an international regulatory body to have control over any one or all these negative factors taken together. These words also become existent realities when people fail to consider politico-historical-economic situations and developments.

What kind of places do you think will become crucibles to foster such qualities?

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that educational institutions such as Balaji’s can definitely create conditions conducive to the generation, sustenance, maintenance and development of such qualities. Faculty, campus management, infrastructure, adherence to curricula, and the necessary stress on integrated syllabi are essential if we are to produce more and more Murthys and Premjis. Additionally, it is vital that the faculty constantly impresses upon the students that life in real situations may not be in consonance with life on the campus.

How should a job-ready individual in today’s competitive market ready himself for an interview? How should he prepare for the worst and hope for the best? One of the biggest pitfalls in any interview is the interviewee considering that s/he is the fittest candidate. This mindset must change. Not that one should give up at the very beginning. The ability to accept that there are others too is essential. Secondly, where talent is concerned, no matter what the world does, talent will surface. It is a matter of time. In today’s competitive world, one needs to possess that cutting edge

so that one can get into the groove, so to speak. The interviewee must also realize that s/he has to contribute to the potential employer and only then think in terms of salary and incentives.

How do you view attrition? What steps should an employer take to reduce its occurrence? As stated earlier, gone are the days when salaries and incentives ruled the roost. Today’s employee can join/quit a company for the oddest of reasons. It is for the employer to gauge the talent in an employee and make conditions conducive to retain him/her. Another image that has to be broken is that a talented individual is necessarily unhappy. A talented person who is happy can instead take the company to still higher levels. It is these kinds of employees that an employer must keep an eye on, for there is a possibility of these employees being most vulnerable to ambush marketing.

Finally, how can success be measured and retained? How does one hope to constantly retain that flavour of well-being as an employee, and as an individual? It is not in that one moment of achievement but in the collection of a number of moments towards a goal that one can relate to success. First, has the individual/company set a goal? If not, then why is it in existence in its present form? Secondly, we have to realize that it is not only in the ‘what/why’ but in the ‘how’ that real satisfaction and pleasure is derived. On their wedding night, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor (having remarried each other after a number of divorces on both sides) bid adieu to their guests and went to their bedroom. Elizabeth grew impatient when Richard took time to come to bed. Slightly uppity, Elizabeth asked, “Don’t you know what you have to do?” “I certainly do,” replied Richard, and continued, “but I’m figuring out a way to do it better this time so that there is greater pleasure and satisfaction for the both of us.” vinset19@gmail.com

tadka

India - the last home of the great cats! India is the only country in the world in the present day which is home to the lion, tiger and the leopard. All other countries in the world have one or at the maximum two of these species, and even those are severely endangered.

March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 21

INTERVIEW

BORING TO BRAVO

IN DUBAI Director Karen Ong, ner, & Master Trai up SMR HR Gro D R H a si A e at th Awards 2015

Proven Presentation Tactics Attention spans are getting shorter than ever these days. Here are some tips from KAREN ONG, Director & Master Trainer at SMR HR Group, on how to hook your audience in ten minutes or less

By Pradeep Mathur

aren Ong is Director & Master Trainer at Malaysia’s SMR HR Group, a leading corporate training company with a big presence in the GCC countries where it offers services in sectors like education, technology and human resources. Prior to SMR Group, Karen worked at a top Fortune 100 company based in Singapore. She has been conducting trainer workshops for participants ranging from senior managers and educators to young, fresh graduates. Her sessions have been held in 13 countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Japan, Brunei and some major countries of the Middle East. Her training approach is fully learner-centric and engagement-focused. Being one of the key speakers at the recently, held Asian HRD Congress 2015 in Dubai, Karen delighted her audience with her talk on ‘Creating Engaging Learner Experience’ through her highly personable and interactive style of delivery. In her presentation, she pointed out that engaging today’s audience during a training session is pretty challenging. The average attention span of a learner lasts “about three minutes only” before they feel the impulse to begin a new activity. She said that recent studies have shown that if you manage to engage past that threshold, the average adult listens effectively for only about 15-20 minutes before his/her mind begins to wander. Survey results, she added, also show that as many as 91 percent of business professionals admitted to ‘daydreaming, using their mobile devices for texting, checking emails and Whatsapp messages and 39 percent confessed to simply dozing off ’. In all such circumstances, the responsibility of audience engagement ‘always lies with the

22 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

speaker’ and hence ‘you only have a few minutes to pique the interest of your audience’. Corporate Citizen spoke to this accredited master trainer who is “passionate about helping corporate people perform better” and got some tips on how to engage and captivate your audience. Excerpts: Why did you become a professional trainer, and how do you conduct your sessions? I always knew that I’m good at teaching people how to do well on stage and make a presentation. So, I first did a diploma in management from the UK and then I became both an Accredited and Master Training Professional from ILM, UK. I’m a Certified Instructor in Frontline Leadership (Zengar-Miller/Achieve Global) from the USA, and I’ve followed it up by successfully completing my Certificate in Training & Development (CITD) from the Chartered Institute of Personal Development (CIPD), UK. But I evolved gradually as a trainer over the last two decades. It’s been over 20 years in the making. I leverage on my 20 years of experience in facilitating workshops as I’ve an innate ability to relate to people from different cultures and levels to deliver an authentic learning experience which is high-content and high-engagement.

Why is it that the attention span of most people is getting increasingly shorter during business conferences? It is happening because today there are too many distractions. Besides that, many a time, they are also distressed or preoccupied with challenges at the workplace. Sometimes, they’re more interested in a message on email or WhatsApp or Facebook or Twitter than what you have to say. How big is the challenge of audience engagement in today’s uncertain global economic climate? Being a trainer myself with so many years of experience, I know it’s always a very big challenge to get the attention of your audience every time you take the stage. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a short session at a small boardroom meeting or a longer one at a big conference in a large auditorium. You’ve to compete against dozens of distractions. And, if you fail to connect with your audience, chances are that you may lose your big client/ investor on some new business opportunity. It’s important that you prepare and deliver an engaging presentation. So, the critical factor is: How do you get them to pay attention to you continuously throughout the presentation?

I use minimum text, more pictures and keep it short because if you go on for too long, it becomes boring for the audience

PICS: YUSUF KHAN

‘The current generation of young people born in the technology era is fully addicted to their mobile phones and that’s a lot of distraction’ March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 23

Tell stories that your audience can relate to. I try to pep up my session with anecdotes and use lots of stories because stories are very visual and when anything is visual, they remember it What if the audience comprise of young people? Then it becomes even more challenging because the current generation of young people born in the technology era is fully addicted to their mobile phones and that’s a lot of distraction. Though they claim they can do multitasking which doesn’t work. There are always some of them who don’t seem to be listening. There are three things that I always focus on at the workshops. Number one, how do I grab the attention and what should I do to keep the attention through out the whole of my presentation? Number two, how do I get them to participate with me because a one-way presentation is one of the worst possible ways of transferring knowledge from one person to another. Number three, how do I make sure that they imbibe and apply the information and strategies they learn, at their workplace. So what do you do to translate these objectives into action to keep audience attention intact? Over the years, I’ve presented countless times to all types of people—investors, employees, students, customers and board members—and I’ve learned that there are five tactics that always work for me in keeping the audience engaged. 24 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

n Make your session interesting: If you want them to pay attention to what you are saying, make sure that it is fun. People remember things when they had a happy (or sad) moment because that is when they get emotionally engaged. So, as a learning facilitator, if you can harness that emotional engagement, you’ve got it. Audience are basically interested in knowing three things: What value do I get out of this? How ready am I to learn this? And, what is in it for me? If you’re able to address these three concerns, you’ll enhance the engagement in the class room. But you’ve to make sure that learning is relaxed and enjoyable and the environment is non-threatening so that people feel free to ask questions. This is something you must encourage and appreciate. It should be interactive. It should involve them. We must have variety as well because learners have different working styles. So, I don’t want to pack it into just a lecture because a lecture is not training. So, I include all the other activities and make sure that my presentation is short, brief but powerful. o Tell a story: Tell stories that your audience can relate to. I try to pep up my session with anecdotes and use lots of stories because stories are very visual and when anything is visual, they remember it. But I make sure that the stories are such that they are completely relatable. This way

they associate the principle and the concept that go with it. I advocate this especially for technical training because otherwise it’s very dry. It is driven by theory and people cannot remember theory because it very abstract. So, I advocate telling a story and the response is amazing. p Use humour: This, however, doesn’t mean telling jokes. Unless you’re a professional, telling jokes can be slightly risky. Rather, use humour in telling your stories. Bring humour to your own mistakes, and your audience will instantly relate to your experience. q Speak less than the time allotted: When I begin, I generally say, “I know I have 20 minutes but I’ll talk for only ten minutes and then let’s discuss what I’ve said. This way, the audience feel, “OK, I can listen for ten minutes.” Plus, they feel happy not to have to listen to as long as they expected. Also, I emphasise key words and make sure that I do not speak in the same tone throughout the presentation. Plus, I use numbers and emphasise them. For example, “There are three strategies to solve this. Number one this, number two this, and number three this.” Every time I say a number, it re-engages my audience’ attention and that helps their brains to listen. r Ask questions: I also ask questions to make it as interactive as possible and use lots of pictures because they can’t remember text if they can’t see it properly. And, if you read out this text, then it becomes very, very dry. So, I use minimum text, more pictures and keep it short because if you go on for too long, it becomes boring for the audience. So, I try to be myself and be natural. That’s my strategy and it always works in establishing instant rapport with my audience. mathurpradeep1@gmail.com

UNION BUDGET

A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE ON HOW UNION BUDGET IS FORMULATED The budget process in India, like in most other countries, comprises four distinct phases. n Budget formulation: the preparation of estimates of expenditure and receipts for the ensuing financial year (FY); o Budget enactment: approval of the proposed Budget by the Legislature through the enactment of Finance Bill and Appropriation Bill; p Budget execution: enforcement of the provisions in the Finance Act and Appropriation Act by the government—collection of receipts and making disbursements for various services as approved by the Legislature; and q Legislative review of budget implementation: audits of government’s financial operations on behalf of the Legislature.

Process starts In the Union government, there is a budget division in the department of economic affairs under the Ministry of Finance. This division starts the process of formulation of the next FY’s Union Budget in the months of August–September every year. To start the process, the budget division issues an annual budget circular around the last week of August or the first fortnight of September every year. This annual budget circular contains detailed instructions for the Union government departments relating to the form and content of the statement of budget estimates (BE) to be prepared by them.

Estimates, revised estimates (RE) and actuals The ministries are required to provide three different kinds of figures relating to their expenditures and receipts during this process of budget preparation—BE, RE and actuals. For instance, in the case of budget preparation in the second half of the calendar year 2011, the Union government would prepare the budget for 2012-13 during the time period of September 2011 to February 2012. The approval of Parliament would be sought for the estimated receipts/expenditures for 2012-13, which would be called BE. Also, the Union government, in its budget for 2012-13, would also present RE or the ongoing FY 2011-12. The government would not seek approval from Parliament of RE of 2011-12; but, these RE would allow the government to reallocate its funds among various ministries based on the implementation of the budget for 2011-12 during the

ILLUSTRATION BY TARIQUE AZIZ LASKAR

To start the process, the budget division issues an annual budget circular around the last week of August or the first fortnight of September every year

first six months of FY 201112. Ministries would also report their actual receipts and expenditures for the previous FY 2010-11. Union Budget for 2012-13 would have the BE for 2012-13, RE for 2011-12, & actual expenditures and receipts of 2010-11.

Planning Commission’s (PC) role The ministries would provide BE for plan expenditure for BE for the next FY, only after they have discussed their respective plan schemes with the Central PC. The PC depends on the finance ministry to first arrive at the size of the gross budgetary support, which would be provided in the budget for the next annual plan of the Union government. In principle, the size of each annual plan should be derived from the approved size of the overall Five-Year Plan (12th Five-Year Plan, 2012-13 to 2016-17, in the present instance). The size of the gross budgetary support for an annual plan also depends on the expected availability of funds with the finance ministry for next FY.

Call to reduce deficit In the past few years, the finance ministry has been vociferously arguing for reduction of fiscal deficit and revenue deficit of the Union government, citing the targets set by the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act and its rules. Presently, the aspirations of the PC and Union government ministries with regard to spending face the legal hurdle of this Act, which has made it mandatory for the Union government to show the revenue deficit as nil and the fiscal deficit as less than 3% of GDP, so the new borrowing in a FY can’t exceed 3% of the country’s GDP for that year.

Final stages During the final stage of budget preparation, the revenue-earning ministries of the Union government provide the estimates for their revenue receipts in the current FY (RE) and next FY(BE) to the finance ministry. More attention is paid to finalisation of the estimated receipts in January. With an idea about the total requirement of resources to meet expenses in the next FY, the finance ministry focuses on the revenue receipts for the next FY. The finance minister (FM) examines the budget proposals prepared by the ministry and makes changes, if needed. The FM then consults the PM, also briefs the Union Cabinet. In case of conflict between any ministry and the finance ministry, the matter is supposed to be resolved by the Cabinet. The budget division consolidates all figures to be presented in the budget and prepares the final budget documents. The National Informatics Centre (NIC) helps the budget division in the process of consolidation of the budget data, which is fully computerised. The FM then takes the permission of the President of India for presenting the Union budget to Parliament. As per the Constitution, the Union budget is to be presented in the Lok Sabha on such a day as the president may direct. By convention, Union budget has been presented in Lok Sabha by the FM on the last working day of the month of February each year. The FM makes a speech while introducing the budget. The annual financial statement is laid on the table of Rajya Sabha only after the FM concludes his budget speech in Lok Sabha. The budget documents are made available to the members of Parliament after the finance bill has been introduced in Lok Sabha, and the House has been adjourned for the day. (Courtesy: http://www.downtoearth.org.in/) March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 25

CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP DR R SESHA IYER, Former Director, Professor and Advisor to the Dean, S. P. Jain Institute of Management & Research Business School (SPJIMR)

Blend of Western Efficiency and Eastern Ethos Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR) is one of the premier business schools in the country, and is consistently recognised as one of the top 10 business schools in India. The Institute has been ranked fourth in the latest B-school rankings released by the Business Today magazine. SPJIMR disaffiliated from the then Bombay University in 1991 to have freedom in course curriculum, pedagogic innovations and building pioneering programmes in socially undermanaged sectors, marking the beginning of a journey to achieve its mandate of offering a unique innovative and distinct path in management education. The Institute has an enviable track record of recognising the needs of society, especially the undermanaged sectors. Corporate Citizen met up with Dr R Sesha Iyer, former Director, Professor and Advisor to the Dean, SPJIMR; an intellectual, down-to-earth, and affable gentleman, who took us in and out of SPJIMR, throwing light on its different courses, curriculum, students, and also the history of this prestigious institution. Read on… BY MAHALAKSHMI HARIHARAN Take us through the history of this prestigious institution. S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR) is a unit of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, our parent society which is a public trust founded in 1938 by the late Kulapati Munshi with the blessings of Mahatma Gandhi and the active support of several eminent leaders like Sardar Patel, Dr Rajendra Prasad, Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, Shri C Rajagopalachari, Dr S Radhakrishnan, among others. The objective was to take the Indian culture and Eastern ethos to the world. They started cultural centres and education for Sanskrit in schools and colleges. At present, the Bhavan has more than 300 institutions in India and abroad. SPJIMR is on the Bhavan’s campus (Andheri), Mumbai, which is one of the many centres, with a school, two engineering colleges, a college for streams such as Arts, Science and Commerce, 26 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

a Shiva temple, our management Institute (SPJIMR), a yoga centre and a nursery. All of these are spread across 45 acres of our campus. How and when did S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research decide to go autonomous? Initially, SPJIMR was one among the three management institutes in Mumbai, all affiliated to the University of Mumbai. In 1985, Dr M L Shrikant, former Hon. Dean, SPJIMR, who held senior positions in various organisations was approached by the Bhavan to take up the management of SPJIMR. Dr Shrikant, a DBA from the Harvard Business School, among many other qualifications, accepted the position and served as Honorary Dean of SPJIMR. He believed that the university system was a hindrance to rapid change, and took the decision of disaffiliating SPJIMR from University of

Mumbai. At that time, it was a bold step because your own independent entity could survive only if you had your own brand name. You could take this step only if you had the conviction and the confidence that you could make a change and build a brand of your own. This was when C. Subramaniam was the President of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and S. Ramakrishnan was Secretary, Director General. Subsequently, the PGDM autonomous programme was approved by AICTE, under the HRD ministry. Since 1991, the initiatives taken by Dr Shrikant placed SPJIMR on a trajectory of growth and made it what it is today. What are the changes brought about by Dr Shrikant at SPJIMR? It is amazing to see the way Dr Shrikant has built this institution. In the beginning, he brought in a lot of material from professors of leading

PICS: YUSUF KHAN

Our flagship programme, PGDM is the regular two-year, full-time residential post-graduate diploma in management programme for students with an experience of zero to four years and with core values and an attitude to serve.We also have the PGPM programme for managers with five years of work experience March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 27

CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP institutions like Harvard, Wharton and Stanford, who had taught him. The method of simulation teaching, case study, were similar to those taught at globally renowned schools. But for developing socially sensitive, socially responsible, ethical leadership, he started a number of initiatives rooted in the Indian value system. There was a judicious synthesis of Western efficiency and Eastern ethos. Simultaneously, he understood the value of recruiting highly experienced corporate professionals, along with a qualified, research-oriented PhDs. He would train the corporate leaders to become great professors as well. When I joined here, I remember, 50 percent of the faculty here were from various industry houses and they were good teachers as well. What are the essentials for any management education? In any management education, one part is knowledge, the other is skill and third is attitude. The management in the West contributed a lot in knowledge and skill, theories and frameworks and so on. Most of the management books are from authors from the US, so different skills such as negotiation, analytical, mathematical modelling and pedagogical methods like case studies were brought in. But, as Harvard Professor Dr Srikant

Datar has pointed out, much more needs to be done in the attitude aspect of education. During the economic crises, it was proved that something was lacking in the attitude development in the business education. Post the economic crises, Dr Datar who conducted seminars at IIMs and other leading management institutions in India, explaining what management institutions should do, found that our then Hon. Dean Dr M L Shrikant had already initiated similar practices at SPJIMR, like our focus towards attitude building. Management education has a role to play in nurturing future leaders who will have an impact on society. At SPJIMR, the leadership development is based on self-development and core values. Take us through the courses at SPJIMR in detail. We have different programmes, each targeted in influencing practice in sectors which have significant role to play in the Indian economy and the society. Our flagship programme, PGDM is the regular two-year, full-time residential postgraduate diploma in management programme for students with an experience of zero to four years and with core values and an attitude to serve. We also have the PGPM programme for

We receive about 17,000 applications every year for the 240 seats for Indian nationals and are permitted to take 15 percent above this as foreign nationals, which includes Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs). We get to know about the candidate by looking at the personal details they send in and through the interviews we conduct, ensuring the finest get through 28 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

managers with five years of work experience. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a 15-month residential programme, from where they move on to take up positions with greater responsibilities. It helps them accelerate career growth; it also helps the organisation as they get a lateral entry of experienced people, leveraging their previous experience. The third programme is the Family Managed Business Programme (FMB). SPJIMR is a pioneer in the field of family-managed business. The programme is meant for children of owners of businesses which have been around for long and are ready to notch up their operations to the next orbit. They are from diverse businesses from across India. The course is designed such that the participants can continue to work with their parents/owners/mentors. They attend class for a week each month, where managerial inputs are given and the remaining three weeks they put this learning to application in their businesses. They also go through a lot of practical projects. This innovative pedagogy has made SPJIMR one of the leading institutions in the niche of familymanaged businesses. Tell us about your other courses and international accreditations. Another pioneering programme is the Post Graduate Executive Management Programme (PGEMP), a collaborative executive management programme. We have collaborated with about 30-35 companies. The companies select potential leaders who have/are working in the company for three or five years or even more and send them to us. We interview the candidates sent to us and choose the best. In a group of 50 people, there may be students from five to six companies. Here we carry out case studies and a lot of theories along with a lot of peer learning, which is very effective. There could be candidates from companies like L&T, BPCL or SBI who come together, thereby making the case studies even more effective. Here we admit 50 students who come to the college for nine days, every three months. Our PGDM and PGPM programmes are approved by AICTE. Rest of the courses are our own programmes but they have got international accreditation like from the Association of MBAs (AMBA), UK. Another programme that we have is the Post Graduate Programme in Development Management (PGP-DM), exclusively for the development sector. In a country like India, NGOs play an important role and the CSR activity to help NGOs is growing. Their relevance and importance is very high. If you want to reach every corner of India, it is important to spread out through NGOs; one cannot do it from a central agency. Therefore, we thought that we should give managerial inputs, and yes there is high potential for this development sector to

scale up and improve efficiency. We have a Global Management Programme to enhance global connectivity and also carry out short-term programmes like Grow Your Business (GYB) and Start Your Business (SYB) to promote entrepreneurship. Today, the opportunities for entrepreneurship, especially social entrepreneurship is very high. There is another programme in Project Management which is applicable to projects as well as organisations. Tell us about the work culture at SPJIMR. Our faculty enjoy freedom at work. Apart from teaching, undertaking research work and conducting management development programmes, a majority of the faculty have a role in administration and institution building. So, if Dr Shrikant, with his vision, was able to take SPJIMR to new heights, it was because of his ability to delegate, creating a sense of ownership and inspiring them to contribute. This way we all contributed in building this institution. Creating a culture of collaboration, self-accountability, freedom has always been the norm here. Today, we have about 45 core faculty members, 12 adjunct faculty members and a good number of visiting faculty. About 10 percent of the core faculty are taken from reputed institutions from abroad. How many applications do you get? What is the criteria and eligibility for students to get into SPJIMR? Can you give a brief of the admission process? Our PGDM programme is at par with some of the best in the country. Under the AICTE approval, our framework and eligibility criteria are in line with the framework of the regulatory body. We receive about 17,000 applications every year for the 240 seats for Indian nationals and are permitted to take 15 per cent above this as foreign nationals, which includes Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs). Along with their academic performance, relevant work experience, students’ versatility we look at their attitude, mindset, humility, communication, accommodativeness, flexibility and so on. We get to know about the candidate by looking at the personal details they send in and through the interviews we conduct, ensuring that the finest get through. In many national and global competitions, our students win, competing with students from leading management institutes. Recruiting companies too have positive feedback for our students, their excellence and service-oriented attitude. In terms of eligibility, every student should have scored a minimum of 85 percentile in CAT/ XAT and 650 in GMAT. There’s an experience criteria too: like for PGPM, a minimum of five years of work experience is needed. Admission is

‘Abhyudaya’ programme carried out at the institute

Students at the cafeteria

completely on merit and there’s no quota system for anybody. The gender diversity at SPJIMR, is good with around 40 percent of the participants being girls. As one of the leading management institutes in the country, how do you see the competition from IIMs and others? We are not competing with anyone as such. We believe that we should continue to strive towards excellence and contribute where we can. Competition is only in terms of whether we can be better. We feel a sense of satisfaction when someone tells us that our ranking has improved. When companies tell us that our students are good, we are happy. If our students are getting the same package as those from leading IIMs and others, we are happy. Even in terms of teaching, someone speaks well about our teaching style, we are happy. There is no competition as a threat to our survival. We do compete to excel in our areas of work.

How about you’re funding requirements? Does the Government fund you? We’ve been a self-financed institution and generate adequate funds. We get reasonable fees from PGDM and PGPM courses to meet all kinds of expenditure, so there’s no deficit. Also, with our other programme like Executive Management Programme, Family Managed Business Programme and Management Development Programmes, we have generated a surplus and have generated a corpus as well. GMAC wanted to fund our programme called ‘Abhyudaya’ where our PGDM students mentor underprivileged schoolchildren and help them out. So, there we received funding from GMAC. In some of the research that we are undertaking in corporate social responsibility, we received funding from the foundation of CSR. However, these kinds of funding are in the form of awards of recognition, otherwise SPJIMR doesn’t need financial funding from any March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 29

CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP outside agency. We are a non-profit institution, part of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

and work on projects for three weeks, in the area of specialisation, in these schools.

Tell us about your International Students Exchange programmes. There are two kinds of international exchange programmes—one is the ‘Exchange’ programme and other is Global Fast Track (GFT). We have a tie-up or an MOU with about 30 global institutions, mostly in Europe and the USA, and 35-40 students go every year as part of the Exchange programme. We also run a Global Fast Track (GFT) for students of PGDM (and a similar one for PGPM) for all participants. Under this, we sign agreements with leading international B-schools like Purdue University (Krannert School of Management), Cornell University (Johnson School of Management), Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper School of Business) and Darden School of Business (University of Virginia). In this programme, the participants learn advanced courses, carry out industry visits

Take us through the internship programme. All management students generally do an internship (corporate training) on completion of the first year. But our students in PGDM, after the first year, go to work for six weeks with an NGO. The benefit here is that we can give some managerial inputs to the NGO; many a time some NGOs are so creative that our students learn a lot from them. Students learn decision making in unstructured environments. They are also sensitised to how the people live in different parts of India. Take us through the Leadership Development Programmes at SPJIMR. Leadership Development at SPJIMR is based on self-development and includes some distinctive initiatives.

Students at the Library: Quick look at what’s happening around the world

Students at the campus

30 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

The first is the Development of Corporate Citizenship (DOCC), under which the participants undertake their rural internship after the first year. Then there is the ‘Science of Spirituality,’ which was earlier delivered by Sri Swami Viditatmananda, a disciple of Sri Swami Dayananda Saraswati, but later on Dr Shrikant, himself took up the course and developed it. This course has been designed to provide students an opportunity to reflect deeply on the way they look at their life, the world and their role in society to be a net contributor. The third programme is called the PG Lab— Personal Growth Laboratory. The participants, within the first two months of college travel to Lonavala for four days, and undertake exercises to help them know themselves better and know their teams better. They move from “me” to “we”. Another important programme is the Assessment & Development of Managerial & Administrative Potential or ADMAP, where the students learn administration through active participation. ‘Abhyudaya’ is a project where we mentor underprivileged children from schools. It is a unique pedagogic innovation which aims to address issues of urban poverty and foster social responsibility and character building among B-school students through ‘experiential learning’. Started in 2008, this project was conceptualised and guided by the Dr M L Shrikant. These Leadership Development programmes are our jewels and help us build and shape attitudes, or the ‘being’ aspect of management education. These non-classroom programmes enable our students to stand out and serve while delivering superior business performance at the same time. How are the placements and packages at SPJIMR? Our average packages are in the range of `17-18 lakh per annum. We’ve always had 100 percent placements as participants usually get more than one offer each. But we are more interested in the profiles our students are offered. Our students are very selective on the profile. Placements are offered only for the PGDM and PGPM programmes. We have found, for PGPM that on an average, there is a 60 percent increase on their earlier salary in the placement package. In the case of PGDM, the average packages have been consistently rising. When I joined in 2006, the average package was about `6-7 lakh, but this year, it was `17-18 lakh. We are one of the few institutes that submit the placement report for auditing to CRISIL. Only recently, we announced another outstanding season of placements for the PGDM class of 2016. This year witnessed 89 companies hiring 226 management graduates from the PGDM class of 2016. The average salary

Our average packages are in the range of `17-18 lakh per annum. We’ve always had 100 percent placements as participants usually get more than one offer each. But we are more interested in the profiles our students are offered. Our students are very selective on the profile. Placements are offered only for the PGDM and PGPM programmes increased to `19.3 lakh, from `18.2 lakh last year. The highest salary offered on campus also spiked by 25 percent to `37 lakh per annum. 82 percent of the students received offers of `15 lakh or more, with a median salary of `17.38 lakh. How do you see the trend of youngsters today? I feel we learn many things from the youngsters of today. They are well informed and have their

own views on a lot of things. There are many youngsters who are genuine, goodnatured and humble. Today, youngsters want more freedom. They want to explore, learn themselves, rather than sitting in the class. That way, we should adjust and talk in their language. Elders do learn from youngsters these days. What is your vision for the Institute? I joined SPJIMR as a professor in 2006 and became

the Director in 2007. Dr Shrikant was the Dean, and Chairman of the Andheri campus. I was actively involved with him in contributing to the Institute, right from getting the programmes implemented, getting people on board, and students along with getting AICTE approvals. In 2015, after I retired, we were fortunate to have a new Dean, Dr Ranjan Banerjee, and he has conducted a series of meetings with all stakeholders—faculty, governing body, alumni— and a shared vision has been evolved. Many new initiatives like research seminars to faculty by professors from London School of Business and reputed US schools, new course on Design thinking, enhancing corporate connect are on the way. The vision is being socialised by the Dean to various stakeholders, including in alumni meetings across the globe. Our vision is to be India’s most innovative and socially responsive school of management. We offer a unique blend of classroom and nonclassroom methods of education. We are world leaders in non-classroom education. Our mission is to Influence Practice and promote Value-based Growth. Our students will recognise, understand, and uphold the social relevance of business decisions, including within the underserved sections of society. We uphold this mission because we recognise our twin roles—as a responsible member of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and as a responsive member of Indian society at large—and look at ourselves in a wider context as a ‘Beyond MBA’ institution. Business organisations have a very large role and impact on the society. They not only offer goods and services but also influence your lifestyle. If corporates are to contribute to society at large, we should touch those future leaders who are soon going to occupy senior positions in industry. We at SPJIMR put the participants on a path of self-development and core value building. Tell us something about your career background and personal life. I did my B.E. Mechanical from Kerala in 1969 and topped the University. I could have got an opportunity to go abroad, but I took up a job close by. I worked in HMT for 12 years and two years in Cochin refinery. I completed my PhD in Operations Management and my M.Tech in Production Engineering, ICWA. In 1985. I came to Mumbai where I met the Father Agnel leadership at Bandra and helped them start an engineering college. I worked with them for 22 years, simultaneously holding many positions in the University of Mumbai and then joined SPJIMR in 2006. Today I am 69. My wife recently retired from the AG’s office. I have two children. My son works in the US, at Phoenix, Arizona, and my daughter works in the UAE. Mahalakshmi.H@corporatecitizen.in March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 31

THE TAX MAN COMETH-10

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

CHOICE IS OURS

The stock exchange and a healthy capital market help the country and investors. They give strength to our economy but at times they are misused by greedy and self-serving people who have weakened the system. They have invented several ways to feed their greed but eroded the country’s financial health

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”

ark Goulston said, “Human beings invent just as many ways to sabotage their lives as to improve them.” This is really true. We set up factories for producing medicine to cure us from diseases but the same factories are also used by some to produce dreaded drugs which ruin our lives. This contradiction in our lives and society is for everyone to see. The state creates institutions and passes laws for the robust financial growth of our economy but these very institutions and laws are misused by some to evade tax and channelise their black money. The stock exchange and a healthy capital market help the country and investors. They give strength to our economy but at times they are misused by greedy and self-serving people who have weakened the system. They have invented several ways to feed their greed but eroded the country’s financial health. I proceed to discuss some of the ways of misuse.

Penny stock laundering Long-term capital gains on the sale of shares are tax-free. This means that if shares are held for a year or more and then sold, the profit so arising will not attract tax as per the provision in the Income-Tax Act. This provision in the Income-Tax Act was incorporated to attract more investment into our capital market to boost the economy. However, this well-intended provision has been misused by some for money laundering. There are groups of operators in the money market who collect together and open shop to convert black money into white against a commission. They first float ‘paper companies’ without any asset. The shareholders of these companies are small people who basically lend their names for very small monetary gains. The value of these shares, to begin with, is negligible, hence they are called ‘penny stock’. The person who wants to convert his black 32 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

money into white contacts the operators, and purchases the penny stock at negligible prevailing prices. This purchase is made officially against accounted payment. The purchaser of these penny stocks keeps them for a year. During this period, the group of operators actively transacts in those shares among themselves. The cyclic transaction within the group creates a situation where there is more demand than supply of these penny stocks, thus increasing their market price. When the price of these shares has peaked, the initial purchaser sells his stock to one of the operators or his nominee. The ‘buyer’ makes an official payment against this sale, for which cash was earlier collected from the payee. The black money thus goes and in its place comes official white money which is tax-free. The cost of conversion of black money into white is some commission paid to the operators. In the past few months SEBI has acted against some operators and they have been debarred from playing in the capital market. These operators had laundered money to the tune of ₹6,000 crore.

Dividend-fleece The Income-Tax Act treats dividend income as tax-free. Using this provision, another modus operandi adopted for tax avoidance is ‘dividend stripping’. This entails purchase of shares just before a dividend is paid and selling them soon after. The investor involved in the dividend stripping has a double advantage. First, he gets tax-free income in the form of dividend and second, he gets short-term capital loss, which he uses to reduce other taxable income by setting off the short-term capital loss against the gross income from other sources. Usually, the value of a share is higher just before dividend-payout, and goes down after it is paid. The investor thus purchases a dividend paying share at a higher price and sells the dividend-paid share at a lower price. The transaction results in loss and since the investor has kept the share for a small duration of a few months, it is a

short-term capital loss, which, as per Income-Tax Act, can be set off against Other Income. In fact, the investor does not lose at all in the transaction. Firstly, the ‘loss’ is compensated by an almost equal amount of dividend. Besides, using the provisions under the Income Tax-Act, he also computes the short-term capital loss in his books to reduce tax liabilities under his Other Income. Provisions have been enacted in the Income-Tax Act to eradicate the evil of dividend stripping, but some wilful evaders manage to use this modus operandi with the help of market operators and promoters of companies.

‘Participatory’ fraud One instrument which is being used to channelize black money is the ‘Participatory Note’ (PN). Participatory notes are instruments issued by registered Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) to overseas investors who wish to invest in Indian stock markets without registering themselves with the market regulators. This instrument was created with the noble intention of giving a boost to the capital market. It was perceived that there were many overseas investors who wanted to invest in India but at the same time wanted to avoid the bureaucratic hassles that it entailed. PN was perceived as an ideal instrument to cater to the needs of such overseas investors. Now it transpires that this well-intended instrument is being misused to rotate and channelise black money. Since the identity of the PN holder is never known as it is never disclosed by FIIs, the PN route is used by some of our people who have black money kept outside India to invest in India. They invest in the capital market in India for some time and take back their money after earning profit on it. Thus our stock market gets manipulated by the huge amount of black money coming through PN. The market is pulled up and pulled down with this huge money which always remains ‘hot money’. The manipulators with undisclosed iden-

Long-term capital gains on the sale of shares are tax-free. This, provision was incorporated to attract more investment into our capital market to boost the economy. However, this well-intended provision has been misused by some for money laundering tity play havoc in the capital market at the cost of true retail investors who suffer due to the swings in the market, brought about by this ‘hot money’. The government is aware of this problem but finds it difficult to scrap this instrument. The fear is that it will hit the capital market as even genuine overseas investors will stop investing in the Indian capital market.

Double taxation avoidance Countries including India enter into Double Taxation Avoidance Treaties with other countries on a bilateral basis. These treaties have assumed importance due to the global nature of income-earning activities. A person may be a resident of one country while he may be deriving income in another country and in this situation, there is a possibility that the same income may be taxed twice, based on the residence of the person and also based on the accrual of income. Double Taxation Avoidance Treaties between two countries are meant to offer help and clarification in such situations with the prime objective being to avoid double taxation of the same income. It is apparent that these treaties have a noble intention to help taxpayers. But the fact of the matter is that some taxpayers have misused these treaties to avoid tax, which is their primary intention. They

arrange their affairs in such a way that they are not taxed in India, but taxed in those countries where there is a lower rate of taxation or no taxation. To illustrate the point, the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement between India and Mauritius is of immense importance. There is a clause in this Agreement, as per which, if a resident person of Mauritius derives any income on the sale of asset in India, then such income will be taxable in Mauritius and not in India. But as per the provision of Mauritius income tax rules, capital gain is not taxable in Mauritius. Hence if a person, including any legal entity, is resident in Mauritius, then income derived by such a person in India in the form of capital gain becomes tax-free. This situation has been misused so much that the island country of Mauritius which has a population of just 1.3 million, and which earns income normally from sugarcane farming and tourism, has turned out to be India’s largest contributor of foreign direct investment. In FY 2012-13, 44 percent of our FDI came from Mauritius and in earlier years too a similar proportion of the FDI came from Mauritius. In FY 2014-15, the proportion went down to 24%, but it still retains its position of highest contributor to our FDI. The bottom line is that overseas investors who want to invest in India open a small office in Mauritius to prove

that they are residents of Mauritius. Their income earned on the sale of asset acquired in India out of investment routed through Mauritius becomes tax-free and due tax to India is lost. This route has also been used by Indians with black money abroad. Money from India first goes out and then it comes back to India through the Mauritius route to again go out after earning tax-free income in India. This process of channelising black money is known as ‘round-tripping’ and this is very popular in India. This is another example of how a well-intended law is commonly misused, harming our revenue collection.

Which road do you take? It has been my personal experience that persons who misuse institutions and laws may gain in the short term but suffer in the long term. The stock market and capital market were misused by Harshad Mehta and he lost everything before his death. The only thing that remained with him was a bad name. The same capital market made Warren Buffet one of the richest men in the world as he used the system rightly. It is common knowledge that the richest men in the world became rich by deriving the rightful advantage from the system and not by ruining it. The choice is ours— which road we choose in our financial journey. March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 33

AMIC DYN SE

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COVER STORY

FROM SNOWY SIACHEN TO SAVVY CORPORATE Capt. C S Raghavan is the Country Head HR at Mahindra & Mahindra Co. Ltd. But this is his second career, the first being in the Indian Army, where he also conquered the icy glaciers of Siachen, the highest battleground of the world. In the corporate world too, he has broken new ground, carving out a new niche as ace Dealer HR. What took him to scale the Siachen, and what challenges him in a hitherto unexplored corporate domain? BY VINITA DESHMUKH

apt. C S Raghavan (Sundara Raghavan Chakravarthy) is currently the Country Head HR at Mahindra & Mahindra Co Ltd. for Automobile Channel Partner Retail Sales & Service. He has also been a Senior Business Partner – HR, taking care of after-sales and service of automobile channel retail. Earlier, he worked in the same automobile retail domain as Business Partner HR at TVS Motor Company. His foray into the corporate sector was as Regional Manager, Human Capital (Recruitment & Generalist) at Future Generali India Life Insurance Co. Pvt. Ltd, serving there from December 2008 to February 2010. He served in the Indian Army, after joining in 2003 as a Gentleman Cadet at the Officers Training Academy, Chennai, for a little over five years. His role in the army, besides that of a commissioned officer, was of a Human Resource Manag34 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

er and Administrator (Tech & Non-tech), technically called ‘Officer Commanding and Adjutant’. He spoke to Corporate Citizen about his childhood ambitions, the challenges that motivated him in the army as well as in the corporate world, and the transition from a military to a management role:

Was it your childhood dream to get into the army? No, my childhood dream was to become a cosmonaut/astronaut. I was born to Tamil Brahmin parents (father Parthasarathy and mother Rangam). I come from a very humble background, and my sister Priya (alias Jaisri) and I were brought up thus. My forefathers for the last four generations worked in the Indian Railways. I was born in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, also the birth place of legendary singer Kishore Kumar. During my school years, our family lived in Bhusawal in Maharashtra. My ambition was to be an astronaut. I had cleared all the DAMT National Mathematics

Olympiad levels. During my school days my mentor and teacher Mr Swaminathan Iyer, gave me the right guidance on the kind of books I should read to enhance my knowledge in this area. He also ensured that I cycled eight kilometres, thrice a week to the Railway library and read six newspapers to keep myself updated. I learnt Russian and was also a keen sky gazer, gazing at night from a cliff near the railway quarters, looking over River Tapti. I recorded on tape the full international space station launch sequel as I was an avid follower of news and updates on space explorations. I did clear the required preliminary composite examination of the ESA (European Space Agency) which I had applied for, asking for the application form by aerogram. But the eligibility norms required you to be a French or European citizen. For post-graduation and astronaut training at the Johnson Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) it then cost around ₹21 lakh. All I could garner from sponsors was only seven lakh rupees. I finally opted for graduation from Pune University

‘I initially went on a deputation to the 9 Sikh Light Infantry. I was warned that I wouldn’t survive there for too long in the company of Punjabis who enjoyed the very things I stayed away from—swear words and non-vegetarian food! I took this as a challenge and thus joined the 9 Sikh Light Infantry. I was really fortunate to join it because it has produced the maximum number of Army Generals, including Gen. VP Malik’ March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 35

COVER STORY How did you find life at OTA?

Captain C S Raghavan - as a young Army officer

I lived there (Siachen) for 112 days, that too, without any kind of casualty in the total team that I had with me.The actual tenure to be spent at that post is 45 days, but I spent 112 days. I remember, there was a 20-day period of snow blindness, where all you could see was the white of the snow and nothing else.We also survived an avalanche in Physics, did my Physics graduation special project in Nuclear Astrophysics form IUCAA with support from the eminent astrophysicist, Prof Jayant Narlikar. At the Space Science department, the HOD, Prof Tillu advised me to pursue a government office job as space science research would cost more than my ability, and government funding was scarce. By the way, I am the youngest geographer to have published a paper in Urban Geography at the age of 18 at Bhopal Barkatullah University (Urban Geography at the IIG Congress) representing Pune University. But my main motivation remained to explore space in person and to become an astronaut.

Your graduation thesis was in Nuclear Astrophysics... When I came to Pune, I initially joined Fergusson College but after 10 days, decided to leave as I was not accustomed to so much socialising. I wanted a place where I could concentrate on my studies and prove myself, which took me to SP College. During those days, I used to wake up at 4 am, go to a newspaper vendor, read the 36 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

newspaper for free, and then tie the newspaper bundles for him. I tried to get maximum knowledge or input, whichever way possible. It helped me help a lot of people. For example, I suggested to my hostel-mate Ashish Tawade to become a pilot since he was very good at mathematics. Today, he, with this input and with his own efforts is a fighter jet pilot in the Indian Air Force. My other friend Sujit Bangar, whom I suggested he join the civil services, is an IAS officer with the Department of Finance. So my inputs were going in the right direction, helping people guiding their career. It was my friend Siddharth Vijay Seshan, a Major in the Indian Army who inspired me to join the Army. At that time I was awaiting the results of both the exams -- the Indian Civil Service and the Army. I had decided to take up the first one that came my way. I got selected for both, the OTA (Officers Training Academy), Chennai and the IMA (Indian Military Academy), Dehradun, but I chose the OTA. I was the first in my family to join the defence services. I served in the Indian Army with Infantry and Corps of EME.

Life at OTA was very rigorous. Initially, unaccustomed to such harsh physical rigour and discipline, you felt you were being treated badly! They give you an initial two weeks to decide whether to continue or not. Two factors helped me go through the initial period: first, the very need for me to become an officer. Second, the comfortable salary I could earn as a government employee. After that, in September 2002, I got posted to the Sikh Light Infantry regiment, a tad dramatically. While at the OTA, my company commander asked me what I wanted to become in the army. I replied, “I don’t know which particular corps to join as such. I simply want to become an army officer, that’s all.” On learning that I was a Physics graduate with distinction, he said that he would ensure that I got into the EME (Electronics and Mechanical Engineers) My commander, Rakesh Sharma also assured me that he would see to it that I got into the EME. I initially went on a deputation to the 9 Sikh Light Infantry. I was warned that I wouldn’t survive there for too long in the company of Punjabis who enjoyed the very things I stayed away from—swear words and non-vegetarian food! I took this as a challenge and thus joined the 9 Sikh Light Infantry. I was really fortunate to join it because it has produced the maximum number of Army Generals, including Gen. VP Malik. My battalion was posted to Sri Ganganagar, on the Rajasthan border. From there, we were posted to Kargil, post the Kargil War. Even our convoy was bombarded at that time. We still kept on moving. From there, I, with my assigned group, moved along to Siachen acclimatisation training where we had six months of rigorous training. Though it was more strenuous than the OTA, by then I had developed a liking for life in the defence forces. And as a young bachelor, I enjoyed the hardship. So moving to Siachen with 9 Sikh LI became a great opportunity. Any Siachen tenure comes once in 15 to 20 years in an officer’s career, and comes with quality points that help his career.

Tell us more about your Siachen posting… At one of the evening dinners at the officers’ mess, our Commanding Officer Col. DP Pandey asked, “Who will go for the winter tenure to Tiger LP where the last Battalion had two Officers martyred and one Officer with HACO barely survived?” There was pindrop-silence. I volunteered to go to Tiger LP (listening post) in Siachen—the farthest, world’s highest and coldest and severest battle place on earth—which was appreciated by Col. Pandey. During the preparatory Sainik Sammelan, our CO asked the jawans, who they would like to go with—either myself or the other two officers. About 300 hands raised for me. When he asked them why, some jawans said I did not admonish them with swear words, that I valued them as persons, that they would

love to go with me because they knew I would save them. That made me feel really proud. Sixty of them were selected and they came with me as the first team to climb Siachen and take over from the previous battalion. I am an ICE CRAFT Trainer (this training enables you to teach people how to climb ice walls and pass crevices), a yoga trainer and a strict follower of land and weather prevention rules, which helped me get through the Siachen tenure in the

peak of winter with no casualty. We travelled 117 km on foot on ice to reach there. It used to take 26 to 32 days to reach that height, which we accomplished within 16 days—that’s a record. I did nothing special to achieve this feat, except deciding amongst ourselves that we would have smaller halts than longer ones, considering the extreme winter cold. With longer halts, there were more chances of frostbite, while marching would help retain heat in the body. We were al-

Being future-ready in the army means you are ready for any kind of alarming situation or war, for which we keep on doing these battle drills, re-checking of things.These drills and rechecks are not there in corporate life. Here it is taken as an expertise - if somebody knows it, only he knows it, I don’t need to know it

ready fully trained. Besides, there is a saying, ‘the more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war’. So we used to walk 14 kms of uphill climb daily, from 12,000 ft to 18,600 ft at Khardung-la top, with 21-kg packs on our backs. Eventually we reached the destination, Tiger LP, at 21,500 ft above sea level, temperatures between -40° to -60°. And I have a personal record, for which I got a commendation. I lived there for 112 days, that too, without any kind of casualty in the total team that I had with me. The actual tenure to be spent at that post is 45 days, but I spent 112 days. I remember, there was a 20-day period of snow blindness, where all you could see was the white of the snow and nothing else. We also survived an avalanche. I want to put this 20 days’ experience into a book, which will give an insight into life in Siachen. When we had to pick barrels from three kilometres down the post, my jawans really slogged hard doing that. And to cater for them, I had nothing except canned food items like beans, baked beans, chicken, dry fruits like pistachios, almonds, cashews, chocolates, tinned spinach and atta and other stuff from which I myself used to make jalebis and samosas—since I am a good cook. I also used to teach them yoga. All these helped us survive at these temperatures. And definitely, sticking to place- and winter-specific mandatory precautions also helped. As for supplies, you have to go to the dropping zone, fetch them and come back to your tent. Our Indian tents are of the worst quality. We had to dig 16 ft below to retrieve the 1984 Russian tents which were there earlier.

And after this harsh tenure… Post this tenure, I picked up the duty of adjutant, who basically looks after the discipline of the battalion and supports the colonel of the regiment. It is like the post of ADC—aide-de-camp, in the army. In corporate life, it can be described as the role of an executive assistant, where you help employees grow to become future leaders in your organisation. At the Chandigarh air base, ₹35 crore worth of items are shipped every month to Siachen, to supply to the three battalions posted there. Col. DP Pandey exhorted me to get an extension in order to grow to a Lt. General in the Infantry. I rejected the idea because I wanted to further my career in the EME and pursue my BE in the College of Military Engineering, Pune, and try for a three-year deputation to the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation). The aim was to join an expedition to Antarctica -- to achieve my dream of becoming a man in outer space.

Tell us about your HR expertise during your tenure in the Army... Life in the Army, was mighty friendly - Vidhya

I was shifted to Balapur Garrison, near Shopian, which is the bastion of the militant group March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 37

Dr Abdul Kalam was humility personified - C S Raghavan

The role, ‘Dealer HR - Channel Partner HR’ is meant for designing an HR framework, managing the Dealership HR model and standardising people management and having organisational SOPs in place. I am the sole person today in India in this role. I did it in the two-wheeler sector with TVS and now I am doing it in the four-wheeler sector with Mahindra Lashkar-e-Taiba. I participated in two counterinsurgency operations during my five-month tenure there. I wish to translate these experiences too into a book on HR. There I was given a battalion with EME which was considered a ‘punishment posting’ with its so-called unruly troops, comprising many seniors risen from the ranks, not the usual specially trained personnel for such positions. I willingly went there.

Turning punishment posting into productive posting? On the morning that I took charge, I met them and asked them what they wanted from me. They kept quiet. Then one sardar jawan got up and said, “Sir, it is 11 months since I got leave, I want 10-days’ leave.” I said, granted. Immediately, another one stood up and protested that this man’s absence would hamper his work. I asked whether he would be able to manage the work of his colleague during his absence. He 38 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

said yes, but he would need additional help for an hour and a half every day. I said I would help him. Since I was trained technically, I could help in such a situation. Then a generator mechanic said there were two generators on the field for power back-up in an emergency, such as power disruption by terrorists. He said one was lying non-functional since the past three months. “In the military, even a minute is a big thing! How come you are sitting here for three months?” I asked. He said though he had joined this cadre, he was actually only a clerk and not a technician. After joining, he had learnt only half of the generator mechanic’s job, so did not go for the repairs along with the convoy. After much prodding, he said he didn’t know how to remove the piston and put the rings. I immediately assigned him to learn, over the next eight hours. The next morning, he joined the convoy and repaired the generator. One night I found a havildar drunk and dozing off in his trench, on night duty. JCOs under

me urged that I punish him hard. I asked them to take the havildar to the barracks, tie him up with his rifle to his belt with a chain and lock it. They demurred that such an un-soldierly thing was not done. I said do this now at night and let’s see what happens in the day. The next morning, the havildar, on waking up and being told that it was done on my orders and that it was also my order not to punish him, came running to me. He accepted his mistake and promised he would not drink when on night duty. He changed after that night. He also said he had eight jawans who had not gone on leave for the past 18 months, so he would send four on leave for Diwali and the rest four after these had rejoined duty. Along with the other soldiers he would handle the full technical service requirements of the brigade. I said, are you serious, will you be able to keep your word? Yes, he said, and ensured, as a good havildar, that all his 20 people availed leave within 30 days without compromising on the duty requirement of the unit.

Your approach to efficient administration is indeed unique… Such thinking has come to me through my traditional Brahmin way of upbringing and teachings put in a simple way in the Thirukurals (voice of Saint Thiruvalluvar) who lived during third century BC — how a person can live throughout his lifetime as a good human being. The translations of Thirukurals are available in English as well. There is one kural that says, ‘The word is the same, it depends on the way it comes

COVER STORY through a person’s mouth and the way it is perceived by the listening person’. This one saying has helped me become a good listener. Thirukural also talks about the 5Ps which we follow as principles of marketing today, prescribed in 3 B.C. itself!

After five years, why did you decide to quit the army? I wanted to continue. However, after a few years, my wife felt I should have a career elsewhere, in order to pay more attention to my family. My mother’s health too began to fail. The suggestion also came from two of my previous colonels. Col. DP Pandey used to tell me that either I should be in the Sikh LI or move out! Col. Nair, during my first interaction, had told me, “Son, you are best suited for the outside world.” So these were some inputs that helped me take the decision. This step fortunately helped me to be with my mother for eight more months. That was the only time I spent with her. When anybody came to our house and enquired about me, she would innocently say her son was an officer in the Army, Navy and Air Force! And this, despite her being a graduate, an MA and a teacher. She was happy with the fact that her son was an officer, no other details mattered. And should somebody ask how come she sent her only son to the armed forces, her answer would be, “My son has told me that now I am not only a mother but Mother India also!” That way she lived up to her aspirations. I could fulfil her small wishes like taking her out in a car driven by her son, an aeroplane flight with the family, and getting back her gold bangle which had been mortgaged when I joined the army. As Defence officers with merit ranking, you have the opportunity to pursue executive management programmes in the top 20 management institutions in India. It is a six-month program for military officers and helps them to transit into corporate life, giving a good insight into the corporate thought process and management details. I was the placement officer for the NMIMS defence officer batch 2008-09. As a team, we were able to achieve 60 percent placement before the end of the course, despite it being at the peak of the economic recession. Dr MC Agarwal, the HR Professor at NMIMS insisted that I continue with a career in HR, looking at my people skills. I joined Future Generali for their northbound requirement as Regional HR, and later became their zonal campus recruitment head. Being in the insurance sector, there were a variety of things to handle, like fake insurance cases or recovery of money, etc. All these helped me learn how things can be set up, and we grew from a small entity to a big one in our region, growing to eight branches within six months.

How did you apply the techniques you practised in the army to in the corporate sector? When we say military technique, it usually means a structured and standardised process that is followed in the entire organisation. The corporate sector is still an unorganised one in VUCA. There are no set rules, as in the army. It was clear in my mind that I was going from a structured and organised set-up to an unorganised one, with its own pros and cons. I had seen as well as experienced how an organised world works. So the benchmark was already with me, which I would replicate in my organisation wherever appropriate. Tidiness, uniformity, cleanliness, hygiene— these were some areas where I applied military techniques in my corporate jobs. Defence Service Regulations have SOPs (standard operating procedures) on how to align each work order in the military organisation. Let me take you to the first SSB before joining, which we confront after the CDSE written test. We have Group Task Officers (GTOs) who assess the physical and visible traits of officers. These GTOs and some eight or nine psychologists sit along with the SSB Centre Commanding Officer

to interview and select the officers in those fourfive days. In civil life, such a selection process is known as the competency-based interview or CBI model. It is actually based on the theory by C G Jung, the German psychologist. According to him, out of 100 military officers, you need, not more than 12 intellectuals, 48 with average IQ, and the rest can all be below-average, so that they meet the requirement throughout their life cycle to live happily in their roles and military organisation structure. They also conduct a psychology test on a 106 traits-check. Even a single trait is not compromised. I have adapted these learnings of the military and many more from my exposure to a military lifetime, while understanding the training interventions needed for individuals to grow as efficient leaders and managers in the corporate world.

As you have dealt with youngsters in the army as well as in the corporate world, what difference do you find, in terms of personality and attitude? In terms of personality and attitude, youngsters in the military are the same as their counterpart

A public procession for the newlyweds, military style

In getting the dealers to get standardised, they have to opt for a people-centric approach rather than the money-minded mindset they typically have. Like my jawans, who, despite their minimum education and modest monthly salary of `10,000-15,000, are happy with their proud role in the army. My job is to bring the dealers to that level, in this ecosystem March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 39

COVER STORY in the corporate sector when they join. Military Officers change to the organisation culture because of the rigour. Secondly, they are already given a goal, and they have no choice but to accomplish it. In the armed forces, you enter a more standardised organisation where things are already set. You go there to make it more proficient, or maintain it. On the other hand, in the corporate sector, people join day in and day out to disrupt whatever is already there; we don’t want a sanitised approach. Every time we expect something new -- you have to be innovative. This is the gap between the military youngster and a corporate youngster. A phrase that separates military youngsters from their corporate counterparts is ‘esprit de corps’, meaning, ‘I belong to this organisation’. That is the mindset of a youngster in the military, whereas, the mindset of a youngster in the corporate is ‘zero-percent loyalty’, ‘I don’t belong here, I only work here’. There is another way to describe this difference - there I worked more for the organisation, here I work more as an individual. Finally, in the army I cannot work without a team. I am always known for my team and I am cherished as a team player. Here I don’t always need to work in a team.

So how did you manage to adjust to the corporate world? One positive which I had, compared to many military officers, is that I have seen civil life in and out. But people who go straight after NDA, when they come out as senior commissioned officers, say at the age of 50 for a second career, find it very difficult because the hierarchy and position they had there, is different here. If I don’t become humble, I cannot work in corporate life.

How do you compare work-life balance in the corporate and the army? Military life actually is a very balanced life. Worklife balance is very high there. You do work 24×7, but you get time for yourself - the work is distributed. If I am an officer, there are 20 more officers in the garrison, in the same building. There is also difference in the way the work is shared or distributed. If you are responsible for functional activities, you will be the manager, handling HR, sales, maintenance, marketing, everything. And

Vidhya gave up her corporate career to become an Army wife

you will have people - Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) - reporting to you from each work structure. On the other hand, in the corporate, for every function, there is a different departmental head in the rank of officer who is more a subject matter expert than leader. Secondly, the aspect of security is of utmost concern. To maintain the security of that garrison, each officer from each battalion is prescribed a day’s work as a garrison field officer. He works those nights 24×7, the rest of the nights he can get at least six hours of good sleep. And in the evening during playtime, we ensure that jawans also come and burn calories so they continue to remain fit, future-ready. For us, future-ready means you are ready for any kind of alarming situation or war, for which we keep on doing these battle drills, re-checking of things. These drills and rechecks are not there in corporate life. Here it is taken as an expertise: somebody knows it, only he knows it, I don’t need to know it.

Are you happy being in the corporate? And though you are making an effort to bring in all those systems here, has it helped? Change is taking place, but it varies from company to company because it involves change of mindset as well. In value-driven companies, i.e. where people are valued more, your acceptance for standardising will be higher. Like TVS where I served, our acceptance was very high. After

A phrase that separates military youngsters from their corporate counterparts is ‘esprit de corps’, meaning, ‘I belong to this organisation’. That is the mindset of a youngster in the military, whereas, the mindset of a youngster in the corporate is ‘zero-percent loyalty,’ ‘I don’t belong here, I only work here’ 40 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

I joined, they took in eight more officers. Secondly, even at TVS, I detected a sense of being daunted by having to work under an army man. So to clear that gap, I had to release HR weekend mailers describing the valour displayed and the kind of exposure an army officer or a jawan gets during his professional life and career. Then they started valuing you more. When I joined, I was told, I only had five to six years of military service. But in those six years, the exposure we have is equivalent to 15 to 20 years in the corporate world. These are some gaps we need to bridge. Unless and until you are open to explain it, people won’t know it. For example, during my interaction with the Chief Sales and Marketing Officer while being recruited for this unique job role of Dealer HR, I was told that being an army officer, I did not have any experience in sales and marketing. “Sir, I have lived a sales and marketing life, in terms of vendor management and other things,” I said. “Fine, but you can’t sell,” he said. “No,” I said, “I am a better seller than you too,” I said. He got furious. “I have a 35 years’ career in sales, so how can you say that?” he said. I asked him, “have you sold a man to sell his own life?” “I have never done that,” he said. I said, “But I have done that. Now cars and all these things are non-living things. I definitely can sell these non-living things or two-wheelers with TVS.” Later on, he opened up, saying that he himself had a Sainik School background.

How did you choose something other than security when you decided to work in the corporate sector? I had that option too. For an infantryman, becoming a security officer would be a compara-

tively comfortable job, supervising people under you, checking whether they are following the SOPs or not. But there are people who want to utilise their potential and skills gained in the armed forces, to grow and flourish on challenges in a different domain in their second career.

Tell us about your novel designation ‘Dealer HR’ at TVS & Mahindra… The role, ‘Dealer HR – Channel Partner HR’ is meant for designing an HR framework, managing the Dealership HR model and standardising people management and having organisational SOPs in place. I am the sole person today in India in this role. I did it in the two-wheeler sector with TVS and now I am doing it in the four-wheeler sector with Mahindra. This Dealer HR role has existed in the US and western countries since the last century. It is now being brought here, now that the automobile sector is going through the transition that the western world went through during the 1970s.

What do you do? What is the meaning of ‘HR for dealers’? Dealerships are channel partners who support with the retailing and servicing of vehicles in

When we say military technique, it usually means a structured and standardised process that is followed in the entire organisation. The corporate sector is still an unorganised one in VUCA. There are no set rules, as in the army their earmarked operational territories. In the American context, dealers were carefully selected, trained, placed and successful dealerships blossomed and the same models were replicated. For example, Walmart, where you could get standardised service. So standardisation was done before, and replication came after. In India, it is a reverse phenomenon, replication followed by standardisation. Dealers were selected based on their business potential and influence in the local market, proximity to powerful political figures, and of course their financial position. While it helped establish a countrywide network of dealerships and showrooms, standardisation in terms of parameters of service and values followed later. In my role as Dealer HR, I am doing exactly that. Establishing dealership organisation and manpower capability development and a manage-

How Army Officers are Industry-Ready Apart from being Quality Administrators, Educators, Motivators and Human Resource Managers, Army Officers have industry-ready experience for which they are most suited for

ment framework. Earlier, factors such as knowledge level, quality level, etc. were not checked, all these dealerships are being groomed and standardised in this next phase of expansion. That is my intervention with respect to the HR policy, structure, process, putting the right people in place, getting them into the recruitment cycle, etc. When TVS called me for an interview, the first question I asked them was, “How many HR people do you have?” They said they had 48. I asked them why none of them took up this role. They were afraid of the risk it could bring to their career, I was told. And that clicked as my opportunity. In getting the dealers to get standardised, they have to opt for a people-centric approach rather than the money-minded mindset they typically have. Like my jawans, who, despite their minimum education, despite the modest monthly salary of ₹10,000-15,000, are happy with their proud role in the army. My job is to bring them to that level in this ecosystem.

Has this improved sales? Yes, it is improving, and we have restructured the dealership organisation in line with future requirements of a retail and service business cycle. Much has been accomplished, but a few more years of intervention are required. Then sustaining the same will be the next call. What I have achieved in the last three and a half years at Mahindra is that now there is clarity in dealership employee information, and senior management can get all information up to the last dealership employee, sitting in one place. Also, the digital medium has been established with the support of the Mahindra IT team, so we can now have cost and time saving virtual classrooms and e-learning modules. The next year’s cycle will help us see further benefits we can give to the business to improve their productivity with big data coming from these interventions of people management and capability building at Dealerships. The Mahindra Automobile Division has achieved measurable monetary and time benefit with these interventions.

Army Service Corps

Facilities Management / Logistics / Supply Chain / Liaisoning / PRO

Army Ordnance Corps

Facilities Management / Logistics / Supply Chain / Parts Manufacturing

Corps of EME

Automobile / Oil & Natural Gas Industries / Auto Parts & Component / Vendor Management / Vehicle and Engineering Equipment Manufacturing / Aftermarket

Corps of Engineers

Automobile / Construction / Oil & Natural Gas Industries / Auto Parts & Component / Vendor Management / Vehicle and Engineering Equipment Manufacturing / Aftermarket

Infantry

Sales and Marketing (any product range) / Infrastructure Management & Maintenance / Facilities Management / Supply Chain Management / Liaisoning / PRO

Military Police

Industrial Hygiene and Safety / Manufacturing and large infrastructure locations / Traffic Management

Artillery

Sales and Marketing (any product range) / Infrastructure Management & Maintenance / Facilities Management/ Heavy Engineering and Manufacturing industries / Steel and Metal industries

Armoured / Tank Regiment

Sales and Marketing (any product range) / Infrastructure Management & Maintenance / Facilities Management/ Heavy Engineering and Manufacturing industries / Steel and Metal industries

Army Education Corps (AEC)

Education Sector / Training and Development

How many hours do you work in the corporate world?

Army Medical Corps

CMOs and Specialists for Hospitals and Diagnostic Clinic Management

Corps of Signals

Information Technology Sector / e-Commerce / Electronics and Electrical industries / Automobile parts manufacturing

On an average, 13 to 14 hours every day, six days a week. Although I find it very difficult to get long leave, I make sure I spend quality time with my wife and daughter. vinita.deshmukh@corporatecitizen.in March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 41

COVER STORY Dynamic Duo: 25

VIDHYA & RAGHAVAN

Starry Sojourn After her first dramatic welcome into married life, Vidhya, wife of Capt. C S Raghavan found Army life enjoyable. Her decisions on giving up her job, turning homemaker, or going back to work were pragmatic and practical. At the root of it all, you need to be happy, she says By Vinita Deshmukh

magine this situation: You are newly married and are whisked off by your husband’s colleagues to an unknown place. They conspire to keep you in isolation for three days. What do you do? Vidhya Raghavan kept her cool and found a way to contact her hubby on the first day itself. Vidhya, a seventh-generation lawyer, specialising in Intellectual Property Rights and Corporate Law, hails from a noted family of freedom fighters from Chennai. She married Capt. C S Raghavan on June 13, 2008. At that point of time, he was still serving in the Army and was posted at Amritsar. Narrating the incident, she states, “After our marriage, we went to Amritsar by train. Army officers came to receive us. They had nicely decorated the recovery truck to pick us up. They made us exchange garlands in the crowded Amritsar station, showering flowers, clapping and wishing us well. They took us around Amritsar Cantonment in that decorated vehicle, singing songs. Then we were taken to the Unit’s temple and made to sweep the temple floor, saying it was customary to do so. Apparently, my husband, the adjutant at that time, had made other newly wedded officers do such tasks.” Then the officers separated them and took Vidhya to another Cantonment, 20 km away near the Wagah border, saying there was a puja at the Commanding Officer’s house. Says Vidhya, “I did not know a single word of Hindi, being from Chennai. I had left my phone with Raghavan while sweeping the temple floor, so we could not communicate with each other.” The officers had planned to keep them apart for two-three days. Vidhya got very worried. Says she, “I did not eat anything the whole day. Then luckily when a staff of the officers’ mess came there, I asked for his phone. Since the request was from a lady, he could not refuse. I called Raghavan and told him the location, and he came down. These little instances were a way of welcoming newlyweds into the Army family. Looking back, I realise it is the army’s way of preparing you for an army way of life.” Reminiscing on the reason behind the prank, 42 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

‘A’ FOR ‘ANDROMEDA’ Five-year-old Yuktha, daughter of Vidhya and C S Raghavan, is already a star. Her deep interest in astronomy has stunned her parents. Says Vidhya, “My daughter is only five-and-a-half and reveals signs of higher IQ. She has started showing interest in everything very early, even in subjects like astronomy and palaeontology. She started reciting the periodic table when she was just three. When other children start learning ‘A’ for ‘apple’, she was saying ‘A’ for ‘Andromeda’, which I never taught her. We had some books on astronomy which she started browsing, and was so inquisitive, she used to ask questions about it. Fortunately, she had good mentors like Dr JV Narlikar and

Arvind Paranjpye of IUCAA. She reads a lot of books and attends sky-watching sessions. She started speaking by six months and was fluent by nine months. “When she began reading early for her age, I started consulting people with experience in bringing up gifted children like her. By three, she would tell me things in astronomy I never knew. By age four, she started observing the stars and planets using a telescope. Initially, we did not realise she was different, or gifted. I then researched to find out more about such kids. I enrolled her into a two-year distant learning EGPY curriculum for gifted children by Stanford University. She is currently working on a fiction based book on astronomy for kids.”

she says, “When one of the officers, Capt. Yogendra Deshmukh came from Hyderabad with his new bride, Sampada, Raghavan played a prank, sharing a letter with him from the Rashtriya Rifles headquarters, about his posting. This meant he had to be away from his wife for two years. This made them cry a lot, so this was payback time for them.” When did she meet Raghavan? Says Vidhya, “In 2006, through a common friend, now Major Srikanth, my schoolmate and an officer junior to Raghavan. But I was not ready for it yet. We started talking to each other once in a while. In 2007, he reached me through Orkut, the then popular social networking site, wishing me a ‘Happy Teachers’ Day’.” Vidhya soon came to know of his courage and ability. Says she, “I always wanted to get married to a person who was a high achiever. I was overawed by Raghavan’s Siachen experience, where he lived for 112 days, at a height of 21,500 ft. above sea level, with temperatures between -400 and -600. Then we met in Ahmedabad, with our parents’ consent. I was there on official work, he came from Amritsar to meet me. I conveyed my assent to my parents and that’s how it happened. I found him extraordinary.’’ Says Raghavan, “The first time I saw her in a photograph in a Saree, she seemed to carry herself well. She had all the attributes of a lady, that is what I liked most about her.” He adds fondly, “I like her words of caution on any office activity I share with her. Her selfless dedication, perfection in action and an eye for detail is admirable.” After a brief stint in the District Court, Vidhya

By four, she started observing stars and planets using telescope. Initially, we did not realise she was different, or gifted. I then researched to find out more about such kids. I enrolled her into a two-year distant learning EGPY curriculum for gifted children by Stanford University worked for a year in a corporate office, but gave it up after marriage. How did she manage the switchover? Says Vidhya, “It was not difficult, but it was totally different and I enjoyed it very much. Being with Army officers’ wives and a part of the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) is like being with family.”

Vidhya’s take on various issues On marriage: Pre-marriage and post-marriage stages are never the same. Earlier, it is all romantic talk, sweet music, but after getting married, it’s about your daily chores, bills to pay, expenses to meet, planning for the future, which truly get to the pressure-cooker stage. The only thing that binds you together is when you accept the other person with all his/her faults, rights and wrongs. Instead of saying, try to adjust, let’s say try to understand the other person -- see from the other person’s perspective. Sit and talk about it openly. On keeping abreast with work: After getting married, I continued working in Chennai for a year and then moved with my husband. After our

daughter was born, I took a sabbatical to spend time with my baby. I do miss work, but I keep myself updated. It is a year now since my daughter joined full-time school, and only when she gets comfortable with her routine can I go back to my regular work. Advice to young women: It all depends on one condition: you should be happy internally. There is no point saying you are sacrificing for somebody. If you want to look after your child, your family, it’s fine. Similarly, if you want to pursue your career, or support your family out of your own desire, that too is fine. You need to make your choice. On Raghavan’s nature: He is simple, honest and never shows off or speaks about what he does. We are opposites -- I am talkative, he doesn’t speak at all. When it comes to looking after the baby or doing household chores, Raghavan is there -helping in the kitchen, getting me time to study, just anything. Her philosophy of life: My philosophy is to enjoy life to the fullest. When I see people in my family happy, it makes me happy. vinita.deshmukh@corporatecitizen.in March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 43

BEYOND MONEY

Mantra4Change

A scholastic model for underprivileged students

The complex path for equitable education for all children between ages six-14 via the Right to Education Act (RTE) of 2010, did prove a silver lining as conscientious citizens and non-governmental organisations too embarked on parallel proposals to bring in quality education amongst less-privileged students and first-time learners. However, is this spirit tangible enough for fixing the colossal disparities in content and quality in our educational framework? In questioning the anomalies in the current educational system, while also exploring the possibility of CSR in education, six youthful minds shaped up MANTRA Social Services in 2013. Mantra4Change is a Bengaluru-based non-profit organisation that attempts to transform public schools and low-cost private schools for empowering underprivileged children in acquiring quality education By Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar

Bridging the educational gap - Youthful Mantra (L - R) Medha Krishnan, Bammidi Seshadri, Khusboo Avasthi, Santosh More and Anoop Erakkil

“The question is not whether the system is failing but rather, what model of delivery or implementation has the best chances of success in empowering students in the context of such schools (in underprivileged localities),” remarked Santosh More, co-founder, MANTRA Social Services. What began in 2013 as a one-year pilot run in one of the low-income private schools in Bengaluru has shaped up under Mantra’s current key project, STEP that is operational across seven under-resourced schools, including three government — aided and four private schools in Bengaluru. “Our intent is to create proof-points for quality, irrespective of the socioeconomic conditions or past struggles of the schools we engage with. This, in turn is expected to help us in scaling up our model of intervention targeting 44 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

under-served schools”, said Santosh. The team aims to create scalable learning curves across 80 schools, 2,000 teachers and 30,000 students in the next five years. Mantra’s belief seems to be speaking for itself as it has been stepped up by none other than S D Shibulal, former CEO and co-founder of Infosys and Kumari Shibulal by way of funding support recently.

‘Mantra’ of Transformation The six-member team co-founded by Rishi Singhal, a technology enthusiast and a software architect, Khushboo Avasthi, a TISS alumni and Santosh More, a mechanical engineer with experiences with NGOs -‘Teach for India’ and ‘Janagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy’ is supported in its endeavour by team members, Charag Krishnan, an ex-CSR coordinator with

BPCL, Anoop Erakkil, an ex-‘Teach for India’ fellow who previously collaborated with Isha Vidhya rural schools and educational consultant, Medha Krishnan. Santosh explained that schools serving students from less-privileged localities are the ones often stuck in a cycle of poor performance and under-achievement. Although the system, supported by various policies and interventions initiated both by the government as well as non-governmental agencies, strive to address the gaps in quality and equity in education, the key is in a sustainable model that works in sync with the school community, rather than through policy measures that are often imposed upon these schools. The team takes a comprehensive approach in transforming schools by physically being present

at these schools. Through this approach, Mantra’s involvement with key stakeholders (including government authorities) engages them as the pivotal point for development and implementation of any school transformational programme. “During our engagement, the team attempts to mobilise monetary and non-monetary help from external organisations. For instance, we have set up computer labs and libraries with such help in three of our partner schools in the current academic year”, added Santosh. “Our project is supported by donations Grass-roots engagement with Mantra4Change from HNIs (high net-worth individuals) and foundations like Infosys Foundation,” he added. While targeted funding is via donations, the team envisages to gradually charge private schools a small amount for running a part or, the complete STEP initiative serviced by Mantra in their premises. education in under-resourced schools for chilFor Team Mantra, ‘their volunteers are not dren from underprivileged communities. It is paid, not because they are worthless, but bedesigned to empower all four key stakeholders cause they are priceless’, as is the underlying in any school, viz the administrators, teachers, belief. They rely a lot on youngsters such as students and the community. Mitisha Dodderi and Prakhar Saxena, third “We work as part of the school team over year engineering students, who, when they are the entire two-year period for implementation not busy decoding computer logic and science, of STEP by conducting sessions with the school teach mathematics to the students of grade 10th leadership, through teacher training sessions at Mantra’s partner schools. and classroom interventions for better learning outcomes and also work towards community engagement”. Bridging the Learning Curve Santosh noted that as ‘Teach for India’ felWith a target group, essentially first-generalows, the exposure gained on the existing school tion learners, Mantra has chalked out the STEP system showed them that it was not enough to (School Transformation and Empowerment merely make an impact in the classroom but to Project) initiative to bridge the learning curve. also try and change the face of education in the STEP is a two-year holistic intervention procountry. “Schools are like any other organisation, gramme that bids to improve the quality of whose performance depends on multiple factors. Hence to improve the quality of education that a school provides, a holistic approach is needed. STEP is a culmination of our efforts. The model will keep evolving as we grow and expand to multiple schools.”

Shaping young minds

‘We need to conduct assessments that give us talking and reflection points with the school head. If the school head is willing to engage with us for next two years, based on the findings of need analysis, we go ahead with that school’ out developmental goals. ‘We need to conduct assessments that give us talking and reflection points with the school head. If the school head is willing to engage with us for next two years, based on the findings of need analysis, we go ahead with that school’. The STEP initiative is thereby a holistic approach that differs from similar initiatives by other organisations in the school education domain. While some organisations primarily cater to oneoff initiatives of either improving English language skills or technology based interventions, teacher training modules or leadership skills development, Mantra’s perspective is to pool in resources from all stakeholders for bringing in the larger shared vision of quality education. Mantra4Change model and its partnership with organisations - BEETF (Bangalore Effective Education Task Force) and the STIR initiative, a global teacher-led movement for improving children’s learning in developing countries, could perhaps lay the much-needed foundation for students in under-served communities in India. sangeetagd2010@gmail.com

Unique Mantra

Mantra4Change - Founders (L-R) Santosh More, Khushboo Avasthi & Rishi Singhal

Under Mantra’s guidance, the choice of school is based on the key entry parameters of location and fee structure. For urban Bengaluru, school fees charged should be below ₹1,000 for semi-private schools or a fully aided government school. A detailed analysis of a school is based on various parameters, including teaching, learning effectiveness, learning outcomes, competencies of school head and other rubrics are brought into play that comprises of 10-day-long scheduled assessments, adding another week of data compilation and analysis that ultimately help to chart

tadka

This is the original ‘teddy bear’ The much-loved teddy bear is named after the late US President Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt, who loved bears and once refused to shoot a bear on a hunting trip!

March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 45

CORPORATE HISTORY

midst the rough and tumble of the worldwide economic crisis, LG Electronics India recently went ahead and launched two new ad campaigns. While the first, ‘No rubbing, no scrubbing’ campaign announced the launch of LG”s first automatic washing machine equipped with the ‘jet spray’ technology, the second, is the ‘Thank you’ corporate campaign to thank customers for voting LG as India’s No.1 trusted brand. Stating that it was a proud moment for them, Niladri Datta, Head, Corporate Marketing said, “it is truly inspiring when your customers’ place their full faith in you. Hence, this campaign to thank them for their support.” Not bad at all for a company that started almost 70 years ago in another South Asian Country--South Korea. Since then, LG or “Life’s Good” with its emphasis on technology and tomorrow has resonated with thousands world-wide.

Life’s looking Good for

With the Brand Trust Report, 2015 Trust Research Advisory crowning it India’s numero uno trusted brand, here’s taking a closer look at the journey of an MNC that started almost 70 years ago in Korea, but found enthusiastic takers worldwide By Kalyani Sardesai

How it all started LG Corporation (formerly Lucky Goldstar) is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation, born in 1947. In 1952, Lak-Hui (pronounced ‘Lucky’, currently, LG Chem) became the first Korean company to get into plastic business. As the company expanded its base, it set up Goldstar Co. Ltd (currently, LG Electronics Inc.) in 1958. Both companies Lucky and Goldstar merged and formed Lucky Goldstar. In 1995, to compete better in the West, the Lucky-Goldstar Corporation was renamed ‘LG’. The company also associates the letters LG with the company’s tagline ‘Life’s Good’. Since 2009, LG has owned the domain name ‘LG.com’. In a nutshell LG Corporation is a holding company that operates worldwide through more than 30 companies in the electronics, chemical, and telecom fields. LG Electronics India Pvt. Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of LG Electronics, South Korea was established in 1997. It is one of the most competitive brands in consumer electronics, home appliances, IT hardware and mobile communications space. In a short span, LG has earned the reputation of being a premium brand and the LOGO to watch out for. Interestingly enough, LGEIL’s manufacturing unit at Greater Noida is one of the most eco-friendly units among all LG manufacturing plants in the world. The second Greenfield facility is at Ranjangaon, Pune with the the capacity to manufacture LED TVs, air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators, and monitors. Decoding the LOGO Without a doubt, the LG logo is one of the most 46 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

easily recognizable ones ever, and is a must-study for anyone interested in how brands are built and sustained. Sophisticated, simple and utterly meaningful, each component of the logo stands for a core value. While the overall design suggests fast growth and expansion, the One eye in the logo stands for its numero uno position and standing as well as focus on excellence. The space on the upper right hand depicts the company’s reputation as the leading authority in the fields of creative thinking, innovation and adaptability. Similarly, the use of red stands for passion, while grey stands for technology and reliability. The capital letters L and G are positioned inside a circle to center their ideals in the best spirit of humanity. “Global, tomorrow, energy and technology” are some of the other buzzwords that the corpo-

ration focuses on. There are two versions of the logo: corporate logo and 3D logo. The updated 3D logo retains the heritage and equity of the corporate logo, while aligning with our new positioning. It was redrawn to strengthen the visual impact of our symbol mark and help communicate their attributes. While LG Electronics India had a turnover of ₹18,500 crore in 2014, figures were slated to grow to ₹23,500 crore in 2015 and the company launched as many as 86 new products in the consumer durables section last year. Their mobile phones and flat screen TV sets especially contributed to the performance. In keeping with its ‘tomorrow-centric’ image the ad campaign “No Rubbing, No Scrubbing…” – for LG’s first twin-tub automatic washing machine gained momentum.

Innovative marketing strategies, keeping local mores in mind, as well as heavy duty research to come up with innovative technologies in the consumer electronics and home appliance segment worked.

The last few years have consistently seen consumer sentiment on a positive upswing. The pricing and genuine quality of the products, the spiffy and smart advertising that is slick and tothe-point coupled with continuous upgradation of product ranges have all worked in its favour The ad shows how this new product with its jet spray, will give perfectly-rinsed clothes, free from stains, with ease. In keeping with the company philosophy, the technology also cuts back on energy by a whopper of a 40 percent. The rise and rise of LG on desi shores Even as it came to India in 1997, the biggest challenge was building a brand image. While home

grown players like Onida and Videocon had a steady fan base, Japanese biggies like Sony, Akai and Panasonic had brand equity on their side. With a failed TV set adding to their woes, right at the outset, the group reworked its strategy. And boy, did it work! For starters, they hired local professionals, and took on competitors with better pricing-always a good idea in price-conscious India.

Summing up the success story The last few years have consistently seen consumer sentiment on a positive upswing. The pricing and genuine quality of the products, the spiffy and smart advertising that is slick and to-thepoint, coupled with continuous upgradation of product ranges have all worked in its favour. Focusing mainly on the premium and midrange smartphone categories, LG launched 30 new models in the smartphone category by December 2015. Apart from this, the company generously spends on marketing as well as Research & Development, as evinced by the â&#x201A;š1,000 crore investment it divided equally between the two last year; thereby maintaining the perfect balance between showmanship and substance. Similarly, the company is also looking at sponsoring the hugely popular Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket in 2016. With as high as 35 percent of its sales coming from its TV sets, the company is looking at further growth in this segment. MD Soon Kwan was quoted as saying that with more and more consumers asking for bigger screens, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The 42 inch plus segment will get bigger by the day and the contribution of the segment would be as much as 45 percent of the overall category for the TV market in India.â&#x20AC;? And whatever 2016 unfolds, this is not a brand to sit on its laurels. kalyanisardesai@gmail.com March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 47

EY ATTRACTIVENESS SURVEY

India – The World’s Newest Investor’s Paradise The Indian economy is on an upswing. India has become the fastest growing economy in 2015, and global investors are quick to take notice. Government initiatives like Make in India and 100 Smart Cities have sweetened the pot. So how attractive exactly is India as an economic destination? To answer that question, leading global professional services firm Ernst & Young (EY) have conducted an in-depth survey of global investors to accurately gauge India’s economic appeal internationally. Corporate Citizen brings you the findings. By Neeraj Varty At a time when the global economy is slowing, India is going great guns. The pro-investment initiatives taken by the Modi government are paying dividends. In 2015, India has become the most attractive destination in the world. Three out of five global investors surveyed are planning to invest in India, if they have not already done so, and the other rest are cautiously optimistic about investing in the future.

INDIA LEADS THE WAY A leading 32 percent of the investors ranked India as the most attractive market this year, while 60 percent placed the country among the top three investment destinations 32%

India China

15%

Southeast Asia

NO. 1 FDI DESTINATION India emerged as the number one FDI destination in the world during the first half of 2015. With FDI capital inflows of US$30.8b, India has outpaced all other economies, moving up to the premier position from being in the fifth spot during the corresponding period of the previous year.

Highlights 1H15

2014

680

FDI projects

US$25b

FDI investment

37%

rise in projects

32%

rise in investment

+135%

FDI capital

highest ever FDI capital per project

145,000 total jobs created by FDI

39%

additional jobs

+221%

FDI capital increase in manufacturing

Source: fDi Markets, May 2015 and September 2015

48 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

27%

10%

Latin America

Middle East

Western Europe

Northern Africa

21% 18% 17% 12% 11%

Central Eastern Europe

Sub-Saharan Africa

Japan

Russia

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

First mention Total mentions Source: EY’s 2015 India attractiveness survey (total respondents: 505)

38%

North America

Can’t say

47%

12%

Brazil

US$91m

60%

10%

MANUFACTURING IS THE MOST ATTRACTIVE SECTOR FOR INVESTORS FDI capital (share) 2.6

2.85

15.1

23.1

Strategic Retail

45.5

37.0

Manufacturing

“India emerged as the number one FDI destination in the world during the first half of 2015. With FDI capital inflows of US$30.8 bn, India has outpaced all other economies, moving up to the premier position from being in the fifth spot during the corresponding period of the previous year”

Services 36.8

MAKE IN INDIA PROGRAMME: POSITIVE FOR MANUFACTURING

37.1

Source: fDi Markets, May 2015.

What is the nature of the business activity you are planning in India? (Open-ended question — multiple responses)

62%

42% Services

Fifty-five percent of the survey’s respondents were aware of the Make in India programme and 69 percent of those who are aware of the initiative are likely to invest in manufacturing in the next five years.

21% Sales and marketing

Manufacturing Source: EY’s 2015 India attractiveness survey (total respondents: 265 with overseas expansion plans, who are considering entering or increasing existing operations in India over the next year).

Manufacturing has regained its share in FDI capital flows in 2014, amounting to approximately 46 percent. Investors are most optimistic about the sector, with 62 percent of those interested to expand or enter India over the next year, saying that they plan manufacturing activities

71%

awareness among established respondents

55%

Total awareness

69% among those who are aware of of the program are likely to invest in eYfm^Y[lmjaf_ af l`] f]pl Ôn] q]Yjk

INDIA IN 2020: A PROMISING OUTLOOK Investors see India speeding up pace toward becoming one of the world’s top destinations for manufacturing, as well as a regional hub for operations How do you see India in 2020?

2015

2014

Among the top three growing economies in the world

37%

29%

Among the world’s leading three destinations for manufacturing

35%

24%

A regional and global hub for operations

21%

March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 49

EY ATTRACTIVENESS SURVEY

ENCOURAGING FOREIGN INVESTMENT The government is encouraging FDIs in essential PSUs. It has introduced significant reforms to streamline the investment process, as well as increased the investment ceilings

Construction

Defense

Insurance

100%

FDI h]jeall]\ mf\]j Yf automatic route af [gfkljm[lagf \]n]dghe]fl • Eafaeme Öggj Yj]Y j]\m[]\ ^jge 50,000sqm lg

20,000sqm

• Eafaeme [YhalYd j]imaj]e]fl j]\m[]\ ^jge US$10m lg US$5m • J]dYp]\ ]pal jmd]k$ o`]j]af l`] ?gn]jfe]fl `Yk j]egn]\ l`] l`j]]%q]Yj dg[c%af h]jag\ j]klja[lagf

Up to 49% stake allowed, subject to government approval mh ^jge *. ! • Af\aYf kaf_d] gof]jk`ah g^ [gfljgddaf_ 51% fg dgf_]j j]imaj]\ • Dg[c%af h]jag\ g^ l`j]] q]Yjk gf ]imalq ljYfk^]j j]egn]\ • =imalq `gd\af_ _j]Yl]j l`Yf 49% h]jeall]\ ^gj ËklYl]%g^%l`]%Yjl l][`fgdg_qÌ gf ;YZaf]l ;geeall]] gf K][mjalq ;;K! YhhjgnYd

>gj]a_f gof]jk`ah []adaf_ jYak]\ lg 49%$ ^jge 26%

• 9mlgeYla[ lja__]j g^ `a_`]j ><A daeal af l`] h]fkagf k][lgj$ Yk l`] [dYmk] mf\]j l`] H]fkagf >mf\ J]_mdYlgjq Yf\ <]n]dghe]fl 9ml`gjalq 9[l H>J<9! klahmdYl]k Y kaeadYj ^gj]a_f afn]kle]fl daeal ^gj l`] h]fkagf k][lgj Yk ^gj l`] afkmjYf[] k][lgj

Railways 100%

ownership allowed under an automatic investment regime for:

• ;gfkljm[lagf$ gh]jYlagf Yf\ eYafl]fYf[] g^ kmZmjZYf [gjja\gj hjgb][lk — hmZda[%hjanYl] hYjlf]jk`ah HHH! • @a_`%kh]]\ ljYaf hjgb][lk Yf\ \]\a[Yl]\ ^j]a_`l daf]k • Jgddaf_ klg[c$ dg[geglan] gj [gY[`]k eYfm^Y[lmjaf_ Yf\ eYafl]fYf[] • =d][ljaÕ[Ylagf Yf\ ka_fYdaf_ kqkl]ek

Potential implications

• EYkk jYha\ ljYfkhgjl kqkl]ek

• :ggkl daima\alq af \]Zl%dY\]f k][lgj • 9lljY[l ^mf\k af Y^^gj\YZd] `gmkaf_ k][lgj

• >Y[adalYl] l][`fgdg_q ljYfk^]j Yf\ j]\m[] `]Ynq Zmj\]f g^ aehgjlk

INDIA’S TOP-FIVE FDI DESTINATIONS The technology hub of India attracted more than 45 percent of the investments in the TMT sector (electronic components, and software and IT services), as the Government offers 50 percent capital subsidy on R&D units. Industrials (diversified) are picking up pace: foreign investors initiated six industrials projects worth US$236m in 2015, up from just one in the previous year.

NO. 1 - BENGALURU

9.4%

2.4b

67% FDI capital in US$b Manufacturing

• @]dh eg\]jfar] Yf\ ]phYf\ jYadoYq hjgb][lk • :ggkl af^jYkljm[lmj] Yf\ bgZ [j]Ylagf • =f[gmjY_] HHHk

Kgmj[]k2 <AHH$ ?gn]jfe]fl g^ Af\aY&

• 9[[]kk lg ^mf\k ^gj [Yk`%kljYaf]\ afkmjYf[] Õjek ^jge gn]jk]Yk hYjlf]jk

28%

Business implications Retail

Strategic

50 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

3% Services

NO. 2 - MUMBAI

NO. 3 - DELHI - NCR

The financial capital of India received the most interest in the financial services sector, with 14 projects, worth US$734m, in 2014. The UAE was the top investor in the financial services sector, while the US is investing in the TMT sector

In 2014, FDI in the Delhi-NCR region slipped to US$15b, from US$23b in 2013. The FDI landscape in the region is dominated by infrastructure investments, as the NCR region (nearby area to the capital city) continues to witness a high urbanisation rate. Also, as the region hosts a vast talent pool, it is the hub of various MNCs, particularly in the business services domain

bai

2.1b

8.6%

68%

11%

-NCR

1.5b

45%

13%

30%

18%

NO. 4 - HYDERABAD The city received the highest number of projects in the past five years, worth US$1.4b. Most of the investment was directed toward the financial services and consumer products sectors, with life sciences picking up. After the split of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad became the joint capital of the two states and is, therefore, receiving special focus

erabad 5.4%

1.4b

43%

36%

10%

11%

NO. 5 - PUNE Pune attracted smaller projects â&#x20AC;&#x201D; most of them toward the TMT sector. In terms of FDI capital, automotive was the most attractive sector.

1.3b

Pune 5.3%

30%

63%

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

STAR CAMPUS PLACEMENT

Keep the focus on Today, Drishti Setia, a young, bright student from a leading management institute, is placed with a leading conglomerate of the country. She talks to Corporate Citizen on her first break into the corporate world. Read on… By Mahalakshmi Hariharan

rishti Setia, who completed her post-graduation specialising in the marketing stream is today placed in the marketing division of the Vedanta Group with a fat package coupled with all kinds of incentives, perks and benefits.

Campus Placement “Being an active member of the Corporate Relations Team (CRT), I was allowed to take two campus offers. Since the beginning, like most of us, I was quite anxious of getting placed soon. I started to sit for almost all the company interviews that fitted my profile and specialisation and got placed with one of the most reputed companies, with the finest of profiles—Evalueserve as a Business Analyst,” says Drishti. While everything seemed good, right from the profile, the place of posting and the organisation, the only thing that bothered Drishti was the package offered. However, she decided not to fret about it, as she got to know about the quick growth with the company and decided to go ahead. “Some of my friends were pretty sure of me taking the highest offer from the campus, well before the placement season even started off. However, after a few days, when the leading Vedanta Group entered the campus, I decided to sit for the interview process and see how it goes. The Vedanta Group is famously known for the filtering its interview process. This time it were 60 percent throughout, with no backlogs, no gaps between the educational degrees, open for any location and so on,” said Drishti. Drishti felt anxious the night, before the day of the interview, but decided to give her best. “The interview process started off with a Group Discussion, followed by a Personal Interview round. I was so determined that it came to me as a piece of cake. The going was smooth. I got through to the company, along with two of my other batchmates,” she added.

Life at the campus “My experience on the campus has been wonderful. From day one, my college has encouraged me to do well and I 52 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

Drishti (R) with her cousin Drishti with her friends

“The interview process started off with a Group Discussion, followed by a Personal Interview round. I was so determined that it came to me as a piece of cake. The going was smooth. I got through to the company, along with two of my other batchmates” seriously owe a lot to them. Right from being one of the toppers at the induction process, to being one of the star students to be successfully placed in 2014-16, there’s a lot to talk about,” says Drishti. Drishti completely owes her success to her faculty members, who helped her throughout. “Along with studies, I would also be part of various other extracurricular activities at my college. I have actively participated in every event during my college days. I have also hosted convocation ceremonies, farewell parties and participated at the cultural fest of the college, where I performed duet singing and danced,” recalls Drishti. “That apart, I have also been an active member of the CRT team. Taking up this responsibility, taught me how to be patient, how to work for the others and help them with their goals, how to work as a team—in short, it worked as a mock drill for the upcoming corporate life,” she adds. The schedule was pretty hectic but was totally worth it as students were getting ready or being groomed to be part of the corporate world. Students studied for all 365 days at college. “While it was stressful, my friends were always with me. I did manage to make a few reliable friends who will stay by my side forever,” says Drishti. Drishti’s internship programme of two months also helped her a lot. “I worked as an intern with the Panasonic in New Delhi. We would actively conduct a lot of research there to complete our report. This project helped me gain an insight into how a company works,” she noted.

Family background and education history Drishti hails from Bathinda, Punjab. She did her schooling till SSC from St Joseph’s Convent and HSC from St Mary’s Convent, Bathinda. Later, she joined Rayat and Bahra College of Engineering and IT to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Technology. “I somehow thought that my education was still incomplete and hence decided to pursue my post-graduation,” reminisces Drishti. Drishti’s father, Rajinder Setia is an entrepreneur who

runs a C&F Agent service for Coromandel Fertilizers Ltd, while her mother, Anita Setia is a homemaker. Her elder brother, Menal, who is also an entrepreneur, runs a business for two other insecticides firms. He recently tied the knot, a month ago. “My family is my biggest strength as everyone in my family respects my decisions. My father is my role model. I have always admired the way he has maintained a worklife balance and the way he handles everything smoothly. I completely adore him. He is a perfectionist,” says Drishti with a smile.

Hobbies Drishti is a passionate traveller, who is also into reading, singing and culinary activities. “I have been away from home for almost eight years now and have discovered new things that interest me. It has also made me independent. I enjoy being on my own and discovering my true self.”

Piece of Advice to juniors • Keep your calm; don’t worry much about getting placed. It will eventually happen • Work hard and try and grab as much practical knowledge as possible. Just being a bookworm will not help • Learn as much as you can from your faculty members Mahalakshmi.H@corporatecitizen.in

tadka

Richest selfie in the world They say a picture paints a thousand words - this one is priceless. The people in this selfie - Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger have a combined net worth of $140 billion, making it the richest selfie in the world.

March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 53

BOLLYWOOD BIZ

Bollywood and the Biopic In the world of cinema, the biopic has always been a fascinating genre. Chronicling the lives and achievements of great men and women, biopics can be not just the source of inspiration, but also certified box office gold if done correctly. Corporate Citizen brings you the biggest and most significant biopics in Bollywood history By Neeraj Varty

his month, we saw the release of Neerja, the story of the brave purser of Pan Am Flight 73, who lost her life while trying to save passengers from terrorists, which is off to a great start (₹25 crore in the first weekend). You might wonder how the biopic genre became so popular in Bollywood. It’s to the credit of these significant biopics which have touched our hearts and set the box office on fire and in the process revitalised the genre.

Box Office

`104 CRORE Box Office

MARY KOM When Mary Kom was announced, nobody thought a movie based on a female boxer and directed by a north eastern first time director would amount to much. As it turns out, they were all wrong. Mary Kom, made on shoestring budget of ₹15 crore only, grossed over ₹104 crore at the box office, and heralded an era where women centered biopics (earlier considered a risky investment) began to be looked at with the respect they deserve. Mary Kom was a victory for multiple causes - The commercial viability of biopics, the box office pull of female starrers, as well as the mainstream acceptance of serious films on the same level as commercial masala movies. 54 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

BHAAG MILKHA BHAAG Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is the story of India’s Flying Sikh Milkha Singh, and his journey to the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. This is a movie made on a measly budget of ₹30 crore with a lead role which was turned down by many stars like Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Kumar and Abhishek Bachchan before finally being accepted by Farhan Akhtar. The movie went on to be a phenomenal blockbuster with a ₹164 crore gross, demonstrating that it is not the star or the budget, but the inspirational story which brings the audience to the theatres.

`164 CRORE

Box Office

`600 CRORE (adjusted for inflation)

GANDHI

PAAN SINGH TOMAR

Box Office

Paan Singh Tomar is the tragic story of the eponymous athlete turned `39 dacoit, which highlighted India’s apathy and the chronic neglect of its CRORE sports heroes. Starring Irrfan Khan, this movie made on a mere ₹4 crore budget won hearts in India and internationally, where it swept film festivals wherever it went and earned ₹39 crore. Paan Singh Tomar is the perfect example of power of substance over style, and a testament to the box office pull of the genre

Although this is not a Bollywood movie, the story of Gandhi, the movie is as inspirational as Mahatma Gandhi the person. This movie was a labour of love for Sir Richard Attenborough, who spent over 20 years trying to get this movie made. No producer was willing to back this ambitious project as they were concerned about its box office viability. Sir Attenborough made his life’s mission to have this story told, and finally he managed to do it (with $10 million in funds coming from the Indian government, as well as a large cast from FTII, most of who worked for free). Gandhi became a box office spectacular, and became one of the first movies based on an Indian to be a hit in the west, earning ₹600 crore worldwide. The movie was nominated for 11 Oscars, and won 8 of them, including best actor for Anglo-Indian actor Ben Kingsley. After the success of Gandhi, even Hollywood could not deny the commercial viability of biopics, and today there are countless Hollywood Biopics that are released each year. neeraj.varty@corporatecitizen.com

tadka

Petroleum facts India is one of the largest importers of petroleum. Net oil import dependency rose from 43 percent in 1990 to an estimated 71 percent in 2013, which is a huge cause of concern for India’ import-export balance.

March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 55

PEARLS OF WISDOM

By Dada JP Vaswani

Appreciation costs us nothing Silent gratitude is not of much use to anyone. Therefore, learn to express your appreciation

he American philosopher William James, tells us: “The deepest principle of human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” “Human relationships thrive on caring, sharing and mutual appreciation,” the Wise One remarked. “We rely on our loved ones, our friends and those closest to us, for moral support and encouragement, don’t we?”

“The amazing thing is that appreciation costs us nothing,” I added. “It requires hardly any effort. A smile, a warm gesture, a word of 56 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

praise is all it takes; and yet we are so reluctant to offer it to others.” Is it not true that all of us feel happy when we are appreciated? In this, as in other things, what we send comes back to us. For life is like a boomerang: what we are, what we do, comes back to us. When we give our best to the world, when we send out warmth, love and appreciation—it all comes back to us. Of a great English poet, I read that he never spoke a word of appreciation to his wife. As long as she lived, he criticised her and found fault in everything that she did. Suddenly, the wife died. The poet was grief-sticken. He

was ashamed that he failed to write poems in appreciation of her, when she had been alive. “If only I had known,” he lamented. “If only I had known… ” Truly it has been said, life is too short to be small. Let us not be small-minded. Let us be generous with praise, appreciation and encouragement. There was a distinguished American surgeon who was also kind-hearted and generous. His heart was touched by the little crippled boy at the street corner, from whom he bought his daily newspaper. He was always smiling and cheerful. The surgeon decided to

“I have operated on VIPs and multimillionaires who have paid a fortune to be treated by me. But nothing has moved me so much, given me greater happiness than the words of appreciation uttered by that young lad” the anesthetist got ready to put him to sleep. The little boy raised his head and said in a soft, clear voice, “Doctor, I think you are a truly wonderful person. I pray that God may bless you for your kindness to me.” The doctor’s eyes were filled with tears as he whispered, “Thank you, my boy!” The operation was successful. When the students surrounded the surgeon for a question-answer session outside the theatre, he said to them, “I have operated on VIPs and multimillionaires who have paid a fortune to be treated by me. But nothing has moved me so much, given me greater happiness than the words of appreciation uttered by that young lad.” Appreciate others! Every day we are witness to acts of loving kindness offered to us. Let us not dismiss them as small or trivial. They deserve to be appreciated! Silent gratitude is not of much use to anyone. Therefore, learn to express your appreciation. Express your appreciation in words and deeds. This will make your life fresh and interesting!

operate him and help him walk and run and play like other boys of his age. He made arrangements with the local medical school for the boy’s surgery. The hospital attached to the medical school offered all its facilities free for the operation—if the medical students would be allowed to witness the operation and learn from the great surgeon. The surgeon explained to the boy what he planned to do and the boy agreed happily. He thought that it would be wonderful if young medical students learnt from the surgeon—for they would be able to help many more crippled children like him.

The day of surgery dawned. The boy was wheeled in the operation theatre and placed on the operating table before the surgeon and his assistants. A little away from the group, behind glass partitions, students were seated in rows as in a theatre to witness the procedure on closedcircuit TV. The doctor began by talking about the boy’s condition and the procedure he was about to follow. When the preliminary talk was over, he turned to the little boy who lay on the table, a little anxious, a little afraid and a little excited. “Now Johnny, we are going to set your leg right,” he said to the boy kindly, as

tadka

Royal treatment Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore, had ordered a customised Rolls Royce to shield his servants from the sun. Crafted in 1911, the car went under the hammer in August 2011 and fetched over £4,00,000.

March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 57

HEALTH

Know the Zika Virus Travellers should stay informed about Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases and consult their local health or travel authorities if they are concerned. To protect against the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases, everyone should avoid being bitten by mosquitoes

Where does Zika virus occur? Zika virus occurs in tropical areas with large mosquito populations, and is known to circulate in Africa, the Americas, Southern Asia and Western Pacific. Zika virus was discovered in 1947, but for many years only sporadic human cases were detected in Africa and Southern Asia. In 2007, the first documented outbreak of Zika virus disease occurred in the Pacific. Since 2013, cases and outbreaks of the disease have been reported from the Western Pacific, the Americas and Africa. Given the expansion of environments where mosquitoes can live and breed, facilitated by urbanisation and globalisation, there is potential for major urban epidemics of Zika virus disease to occur globally.

How do people catch Zika virus?

58 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

People catch Zika virus by being bitten by an infected Aedes mosquitoâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the same type of mosquito that spreads dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.

How does Aedes mosquito reproduce? Only female mosquitoes bite; they are intermittent feeders and prefer to bite more than one person. Once the female mosquito is fully fed, it needs to rest three days before it lays eggs. The eggs can survive up to one year without water. Once water is available, and small quantities of standing water are sufficient, the eggs develop into larvae and then the adult mosquitoes. Mosquitoes get infected from people with the virus.

Where can the Aedes mosquito survive? There are two types of Aedes mosquito capable of

transmitting the Zika virus. In most cases, Zika spreads through the Aedes aegypti mosquito in tropical and subtropical regions. The Aedes aegypti mosquito does not survive in cooler climate temperatures. The Aedes albopictus mosquito can also transmit the virus. This mosquito can hibernate and survive cooler temperature regions.

Can the Aedes mosquito travel from country to country and region to region? The Aedes mosquito is a weak flyer; it cannot fly more than 400 metres. But it may inadvertently be transported by humans from one place to another (e.g. in the back of the car, plants). If it can survive the temperature climate of the destination, it may theoretically be capable of reproducing itself there and introduce Zika virus to new areas.

What are the symptoms of Zika virus disease? Zika virus usually causes mild illness; with symptoms appearing a few days after a person is bitten by an infected mosquito. Most people with Zika virus disease will get a slight fever and rash. Others may also get conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, and feel tired. The symptoms usually finish in two to seven days.

What might be the potential complications of Zika virus? Because no large outbreaks of Zika virus were recorded before 2007, little is currently known about the complications of the disease. During the first outbreak of Zika from 2013—14 in French Polynesia, which also coincided with an ongoing outbreak of dengue, national health authorities reported an unusual increase in Guillain-Barré syndrome. Retrospective investigations into this effect are ongoing, including the potential role of Zika virus and other possible factors. A similar observation of increased Guillain-Barré syndrome was also made in 2015 in the context of the first Zika virus outbreak in Brazil. In 2015, local health authorities in Brazil also observed an increase in babies born with microcephaly at the same time of an outbreak of Zika virus. Health authorities and agencies are now investigating the potential connection between microcephaly and Zika virus, in addition to other possible causes. However more investigation and research is needed before we will be able to better understand any possible link. Guillain-Barré syndrome is a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks part of the nervous system. It can be caused by a number of viruses and can affect people of any age. Exactly what triggers the syndrome is not known. The main symptoms include muscular weakness and tingling in the arms and legs. Severe complications can occur if the respiratory muscles are affected, requiring hospitalisation. Most people affected by Guillain-Barré syndrome will recover, although some may continue to experience effects such as weakness.

Should pregnant women be concerned about Zika? Health authorities are currently investigating a potential link between Zika virus in pregnant women and microcephaly in their babies. Until more is known, women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should take extra care to protect themselves from mosquito bites. If you are pregnant and suspect that you may have Zika virus disease, consult your doctor for close monitoring during your pregnancy.

What is microcephaly? Microcephaly is a rare condition where a baby

WHAT IS WHO DOING? WHO is working with countries to: x Define and prioritise research into Zika virus disease by convening experts and partners. x Enhance surveillance of Zika virus and potential complications. x Strengthen capacity in risk communication to help countries meet their commitments under the International Health Regulations.

What can I do to protect myself? The best protection from Zika virus is preventing mosquito bites. Preventing mosquito bites will protect people from Zika virus, as well as other diseases that are transmitted by mosquitoes such as dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. This can be done by using insect repellent; wearing clothes (preferably light-coloured) that cover as much of the body as possible; using physical barriers such as screens, closed doors and windows; and sleeping under mosquito nets. It is also important to empty, clean or cover containers that can hold even small amounts of water such as buckets, flower pots or tyres, so that places where mosquitoes can breed are removed.

How is Zika virus disease treated?

x Provide training on clinical management, diagnosis and vector control including through a number of WHO Collaborating Centres.

The symptoms of Zika virus disease can be treated with common pain and fever medicines, rest and plenty of water. If symptoms worsen, people should seek medical advice. There is currently no cure or vaccine for the disease itself.

x Strengthen the capacity of laboratories to detect the virus.

Should I avoid travelling to areas where Zika virus is occurring?

x Support health authorities to implement vector control strategies aimed at reducing Aedes mosquito populations such as providing larvicide to treat standing water sites that cannot be treated in other ways, such as cleaning, emptying, and covering them. x Prepare recommendations for clinical care and follow-up of people with Zika virus, in collaboration with experts and other health agencies. (Information courtesy: WHO www.who.int)

has an abnormally small head. This is due to abnormal brain development of the baby in the womb or during infancy. Babies and children with microcephaly often have challenges with their brain development as they grow older. Microcephaly can be caused by a variety of environmental and genetic factors such as down syndrome; exposure to drugs, alcohol or other toxins in the womb; and rubella infection during pregnancy.

How is Zika virus disease diagnosed? For most people diagnosed with Zika virus disease, diagnosis is based on their symptoms and recent history (e.g. mosquito bites, or travel to an area where Zika virus is known to be present). A laboratory can confirm the diagnosis by blood tests.

Travellers should stay informed about Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases and consult their local health or travel authorities if they are concerned. To protect against Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases, everyone should avoid being bitten by mosquitoes by taking the measures described above. Women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should follow this advice, and may also consult their local health authorities if travelling to an area with an ongoing Zika virus outbreak. Based on available evidence, WHO is not recommending any travel or trade restrictions related to Zika virus disease. As a precautionary measure, some national governments have made public health and travel recommendations to their own populations, based on their assessments of the available evidence and local risk factors. (Information courtesy: WHO www.who.int)

tadka

India’s health expenditure Indians are spending more each year on healthcare. Total healthcare spending in India is projected to rise at an annual rate of over 12 percent, from an estimated $96.3 billion in 2013 to $195.7 billion in 2018.

March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 59

MOBILE APPS

FIVE BEST CALENDAR APPS FOR ANDROID A good calendar app is an invaluable assistant, helping you to be efficient and informed about your professional and personal engagements 24x7. While the Google Calendar has shown much improvement over the years, the stock calendar app just doesn’t suffice our need sometimes. This issue, Corporate Citizen explores Play Store’s five of the most beautifully designed and feature-packed apps By Nupur Chaube

UPTO

The UpTo Calendar not only lets you schedule your tasks and appointments; it also lets you track your likes and interests on calendar. Interesting right? You can follow and be reminded of your favorite sports team and their upcoming matches. You can also share these events with friends and family on social networks. That’s why this minimalistic calendar app has made the list!

CAL

Cal is the sister app of the Any.do app, making it a complete productivity offering from the Any.do team. You can sync tasks Any.do to do list app or create them from Cal. The views are displayed with themed pictures, which gives the app a gorgeous look. When you open Cal, it opens the Daily view - you are shown a list of your tasks, meetings, and appointments of the day in a chronological order. This layout is easy and more effective than the plain hourly blocks of time other calendars display. However, Cal doesn’t have a weekly view and the monthly view seems very crowded, especially if you sync it with multiple calendars. But Cal makes up by providing a lot more features like navigation-based features, sync with Amazon and Uber, and an impressive widget.

WAVE JORTE

Jorte is one of the most popular calendar alternatives, because of its extremely customizable UI. Jorte has its own cloud service, Jorte Cloud, that allows you to sync calendars across various devices. There’s also a Jorte Store from where you can purchase themes, icons, and fonts for your calendar. 60 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

Wave is a beautiful and minimalist in design calendar app that supports a variety of views. From agendas, lists to daily, weekly and monthly views, you can switch between the views at ease to have the overview you want. All the tasks such as creation of events, tasks, recurring tasks, and pushing notifications to wearables are simple and intuitive, making the app a success.

SUNRISE

Sunrise, the free calendar app by Microsoft, is the #1 calendar app because of its clean UI and powerful features. Sunrise syncs with Google Calendar, iCloud and Exchange for appointments and meetings; and with the apps Evernote, Facebook, Foursquare, Todoist, TripIt, and Trello to sync your todos and events. When you launch Sunrise, it shows you the upcoming events for the week. Sunrise automatically categorizes your events as well, based on the keywords. For example, the keyword class in your to-do assigns an academic cap icon to it. Sunrise also has Meet, an app within the app designed to schedule meetings on the go. Meet is a keyboard utility that provides you the list of available time slots in your calendar without exiting the app you’re in. Sunrise supports natural language input for creating events. Which means, start entering or saying what you’d like to add and Sunrise can create the event for you. For example, you can say something like “Dinner with Rene tomorrow at 9pm”. Sunrise adds it to your calendar accordingly. Other features that you will like: • Background Syncing • Location tagging with Foursquare • Time-zone support • Setting up reminders

CLAPS & SLAPS Corporate Citizen claps for Mysuru for being voted as the cleanest city in India Mysuru’s emergence as a clean city has truly elevated its position as a popular tourism destination. Known for its historical and cultural importance, nearly 70,000 foreign and 20 lakh Indian tourists visit Mysuru annually for the city’s royal heritage and yoga. Mysuru, a city in the southern state of Karnataka, is followed in the cleanest cities list by the northern city of Chandigarh, Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu, and the India’s notoriously polluted capital, New Delhi. However, this accolade for Mysuru among 476 evaluated cities in India comes as no great surprise to locals since high standards of cleanliness have been nurtured for generations by the visionary Wodeyar dynasty which governed the region till 1947. It were the Wodeyars who have inculcated people on how to keep the city clean. Adherence to the principles of city planning laid down by the Wodeyar kings has helped Mysuru avoid many of the pitfalls encountered by major cities. The Wodeyars, who had travelled widely through much of the developed world, brought to Mysuru modern ideas that made it one of the best planned cities in the country nearly 150 years ago. A gradual growth in population (14 lakh at present) and an adherence to the principles of city planning laid down by the Wodeyar kings has helped Mysuru avoid many of the pitfalls encountered by major cities. Nearly 150 years ago, the kings of Mysore created the Vani Vilas Water Works, a drinking water supply system that pumps water from the Cauvery River to the city. They also created universities, colleges and a school that provided modern education to the people of Mysuru. A culture of democratic participation was also started by the Wodeyars through the creation of Praja Pratinidhi Sabhas where cleanliness of the local environment was an area of key focus. Mysuru was one of the earliest cities to have door-to-door garbage collection. Instead of one centralised market where waste piles up, Mysuru has had four markets since the days of the Wodeyars. This has ensured more efficient waste disposal in the city. The Wodeyars’ decision to set aside 900 acres for a sewage treatment plant has helped subsequent civic administrators handle the problem of Mysuru’s sewage disposal. The sewage plant created in 1994 is today also an important source of cattle fodder.

Corporate Citizen slaps the irresponsible attitude of the forest authorities for having built a cage for the leopard, with its bars so far apart that it could walk out Shocking! In a recent incident in Bengaluru, a 45-kg feline squeezed out of the slim bars of an iron cage at the Bannerghatta Zoo in Bengaluru city. The leopard mauled five people after going on a rampage at a school in Bengaluru, after it escaped from a zoo and was put in a cage with bars so far apart it could just walk out. Sad that the forest authorities didn’t even have CCTV cameras in place. The chief wildlife warden of the State, Ravi Ralph said that officials are worried it may have sneaked into a neighbouring national park, which covers 500 acres. “About 50 officials divided into six teams have been scouring for the leopard in and around the zoo and trying to trace where it has escaped by following its pug (paw) marks,” Ralph said, and went on to add that an inquiry was already underway to find out how the leopard managed to escape from captivity. The shocking incident took place in the Vibgyor International School in Kundalahalli in Bengaluru. The leopard was caught and caged after being trapped in a room with one tranquilliser shot through a wire-meshed ventilator in an operation that lasted nearly four hours. And this too, a good 10 hours after the big cat rampaged through the school, attacking several people including a scientist and a forestry employee. The leopard that went on a rampage at the school and mauled three people, then escaped from its enclosure. The nearly 100-pound, male leopard jumped over the fences at the Bengaluru’s Bannerghatta Zoo, according to a witness account. There were no surveillance cameras at the zoo to capture the moment when the leopard fled. Security video footage showed the leopard prowling the empty hallways of School, chasing people throughout the school grounds, and biting and clawing terrified victims. Three people were mauled and the injured were taken to the hospital for treatment. Earlier, the leopard hit the headlines after photos in Bengaluru showed the animal prowling around a closed school and trying to maul forestry officials, a wildlife activist and others who came too close. About 1,500 leopards are estimated to live in the state of Karnataka, but they rarely strayed far into urban areas. But conflicts between animals and people are becoming more common as animals lose their habitats. March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 61

BEYOND THE BOTTOMLINE

he experience gap. These days a mere degree is no guarantee of getting the kind of work you wish to do. Even to get a foot in the door, your work experience counts. Fresh college graduates bridge that experience gap somewhat though internships that they participate in while at college. Internships are a valuable and accepted way for students to get their experience in the real business world. Historically, academia and practitioners in the corporate world are often not in tandem. Business honchos are sceptical about the real-world capabilities of raw college graduates with no work experience. Fresh graduates search for the answers to messy real business problems in the pristine pages of books and classrooms. Professors teaching them too acknowledge that there is a gap in what the academic world teaches and the real world demands. The problem, however, is partly in that those who teach are also in some ways cocooned in their academic worlds, with no everyday work experience. Termed the ‘rigourrelevance’ gap, now more and more academies are trying to bridge it so that both sides can benefit. “Science and practice will not be worse for their collaboration. On the contrary, to some degree they will be different, by virtue of their mutual enrichment” ‘Bridging the rigour relevance gap in management research: it is already happening! Journal of Management Studies, (Hodgkinson and Rousseau, 2009, Hodgkinson, G. P. and Rousseau, D. M. (2009). So how does a teacher keep in touch with the real world and the very real problems that she must teach the students to deal with? A Harvard professor has come up with an idea she calls externship. Similar to an internship which involves students going and working briefly in an organisation that they hope to build a career with,

Internships? Now it is

EXTERNSHIPS!

Similar to the internships that give college students a glimpse of the real business world, ‘externships’ help those who teach them get a flavour of the real-world they are getting them ready for By Suchismita Pai

the professor takes a break from his teaching and works with the industry he is trying to prepare his students for. For the duration of the set period, they are no different from any employee who might work at that business. The idea is for a professor/ teacher to go and work in a real world so that they can have a better handle on what the problems are and how they can teach their students to solve those issues. Traditional teaching, research and learning and business have not been in sync with each other. While this changed somewhat with

The idea is for a professor/teacher to go and work in a real world so that they can have a better handle on what the problems are and how they can teach their students to solve those issues 62 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

the idea of consulting academies for specific problems, it still did not give the teachers the whole picture as they were still the outsiders, looking in. Student internships give those in college a glimpse into what the work world needs, but since it is the teachers who set direction and address problems that the students might encounter, the gap still exists. Educational institutions often provide an environment that does not penalise you for experimentation and encourages research. But to get an accurate finding, it cannot be conducted in a vacuum. Real business issues like a demotivated workforce or recession in another country that has global impacts cannot be replicated in a university environment. Cultural values differ from country to country and come into play in today’s globalised world

but are less relevant in universities. Today industry cannot afford the training cycles that it could have traditionally, as technology and human need is evolving much quicker than ever before. In such an environment, the rigour relevance gap might mean the difference between swimming and sinking for fresh graduates joining the workforce. So teachers who train them cannot afford to slip up. Externships bring freshness both to the industry and to the classrooms where future leaders are prepared. Maybe it is time that industry opens up to more academes and gives them an open honest look at how employees function. It is good for teachers to step out of the hallowed halls of learning and walk in the shoes their students have to fit into. It is time for externships! paisuchi@gmail.com

FEATHERLITE

Tribute to brave hearts

Ten brave hearts lost their lives, in the Siachen Glacier which is noted to be worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest and inhospitable battlefield. All the jawans were from the 19th battalion of the Madras Regiment of the Indian Army. Hanumanthappa was lone survivor in this avalanche. It was the effort of the rescue team and the two canines who found Hanumanthappa alive after six days of the mishap, by the post-disaster avalanche rescue operations by the Indian Arm. His health was critical but survival news gave a chance to family members to celebrate his news of survival. His familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s celebration was short-lived as he eventually died at the army hospital due to multiple organ failure. Here is what the country had to say (tweet) about the brave hearts the rescue team and the two canines. @AmitShah: I join millions of countrymen to extend my condolences to bravehearts. Nation will never forget their sacrifice.

@rkapoor1969: #Madras Regiment.The ten Brave Hearts Martyred in #Siachen Avalanche Mishap.

Tributes were paid to the nine Siachen brave hearts, who were buried alive in an onslaught of avalanche, at the Palam Airport, New Delhi

@chalasanigopikr: Indian brave hearts. Salute to brave soldiers who died in siachin glacier by snow avalanche Jai amar jawan

@laluprasadrjd: What a soliders are made of showed to the world. Salute & respect to valiant sons of India. My deepest prayers for all the family members @PankajAdvani247: Really sad to hear about # brave hearts RIP. Our soldiers are our true heroes. #selfless #fearless #courageous #Martyrs

@indiaXI: Unfortunate & sad news to wake up with, salute and #respect to the brave hearts who lost their lives for nation in Siachen Avalanche RIP

Dot and Misha were the two canines who played a vital role in finding the soldiers buried under the 35-foot avalanche. Here is Misha on a mission

@sachin: Especially those who serve in these extreme conditions. RIP @narendravarma49: My homage to all those brave hearts who were buried under avalanche in Siachen. Let soul of these great sons of Ma Bharti rest in peace. 10 good men. Guarding us as we slept..and now buried in snow. We must never forget our debt to those who watch over us. @Dev_Fadnavis: Maharashtra salutes the ten brave hearts for their patriotic spirit. They are truly an inspiration. May their souls rest in peace. Jai Hind! @PrakashJavdekar: #brave hearts showed us all what soldiers are made of. My salute to the brave hearts. Condolences to his families. RIP

@LambaAlka: Really so sad, these brave-hearts caught in avalanche while patrolling in hard whether. Salute to the martyrs. @sardesairajdeep: Salute to each and everyone involved in the rescue operation in Siachen. A nation prays tonight for Lance Naik #Hanumanthappa @SuryaSadasivan: Two committed #dogs Dot & Misha helped soldiers rescue #LanceNaikhanumanthappa lone survivor of #Siachen avalanche #dogsofwar #IndianArmy March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 63

ASTROTURF ARIES

SAGITTARIUS

Mar 21- April 20

You are in tremendous luck as the planetary movement is surging forward with full force. Good times time for starting or launching new projects. For everyone the month ahead will be eventful. Its important that you do not try any new aggressive during this period. You will discover new meanings of life in general.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 20

The month ahead looks happy, peaceful and successful. This period indicates good health & abundant energy. You will have the energy to meet your targets. Career remains happy and you will doing well projecting success wherever you go. Romance is generally status quo and not your particular interest. Patience is necessary at this time deliberately try to be calm.

GEMINI May 21 - June 21 You could expect a hectic and fast paced life this month. You will be expanding in your work and making good progress overall. Advancement in your career is foreseen. Major shake ups are seen in your company or the company you work for. Fortunately these shake ups work in your favor especially if you have been focusing on your career and the work you do.

CANCER

Jun 22 - July 23

You will succeed in whatever aspects of life you want to learn about. Even though there could be educational disruptions which in actually are just changes for the better. Relax take it easy, do not panic with the changes for as the dust settles down. Take a break from daily routine.

Nov 23 - Dec 22

(www.dollymangat.com)

FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BOLD AND THE LUCKY

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

LEO

July 24 - Aug 23

Your spouses or partners will flourish. They would be in the midst of their financial peak. Generosity would be extended towards you. Your libido will be stronger than usual so its the perfect time to size down your debts. Make room for new things to come into your life. Prepare yourself for the two major eclipses this month, which are guaranteed to create turmoil in your turmoil in the world and to the people around you. Your dreams could be fearful or dreaming about people who do not exist now, you need not fear just try to understand death on a deeper level. Cosmic gives chances to redefine yourselfyour image and concept.

VIRGO

Aug 24 - Sept 23

Be cautious about your health. So take it nice and easy rest and relax at intermittent breaks. Let go off the trivial things in your life and focus on what is important in life. Social life will become active new relationships are formed. The strong ones survive all kind of upheaval where as the weak succumb to pressures. Singles may decide to marry and married couples undergo a test. There will be dramatic financial changes. .

64 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

LIBRA

Sept 24 - Oct 22

Be prepared for a very busy and eventful month ahead. This and next month perhaps is going to be the busiest time of the year. In spite of all the drama you will prosper. There will be expansion of earnings and financial good fortune, it also shows an excellent financial intuition. There could be job changes or changes in your work scenario. If you are the one who employs people then it indicates employee turnover and instability in the work force. There are likely to be major changes in your health regime too. Drive carefully as high tech equipment gets tested and might have to replaced or repaired. Be patient with circumstances.

SCORPIO

Oct 23 - Nov 22

Think about others over your own interests. Let others have their own way as long as it isn’t destructive. This affects those who are younger and depend upon you for any kind of emotional or financial support. You may need to deal with them with patience and a calm approach. Try keep them away from doing anything adventurous. Financial changes will occur make adjustments wherever necessary and important.

The new day the new cycle is being born. Emotional wellness and inner harmony should be your main concern now. Those around you or connected with will undergo a dramatic kind of change within themselves and may also seem temperamental. Important financial changes will happen, all in all it is a very dynamic period.

CAPRICORN

Dec 23 - Jan 20

Short term financial goals will be achieved and your interest shifts to the intellectual realm. Students do well and sales and marketing people meet their targets. Be patient and spending time at home is advisable. Elders in your family may fall sick or need attention.

AQUARIUS

Jan 21 - Feb19

Things have been going easy for you this year so far, so its time to have a few challenges. Important financial changes need to be implemented. There can be communication failures and glitches. Shakeups are expected in your working place.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20 A happy but an eventful kind of month. It shows the need to redefine yourself your personality your image and your self concept. You could experience major career changes and shake ups in your company or industry. Job changes are likely. . Overall health remains good. Just take it easy and rest relax more.

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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

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March 1-15, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 65

THE LAST WORD

Lighthouses of Hope Ganesh Natarajan

here are many initiatives that the city of Pune will see in the next few months, thanks to the Smart City initiative and the overall atmosphere of collaboration created by the corporate sector and the willingness of many corporate citizens to work shoulder to shoulder with the municipal corporation, civil society and academic institutions for the betterment of the city and its citizens. One such initiative that has the potential to be truly transformative is the initiative called Lighthouses. Half a dozen such Lighthouses are expected to dot the landscape of the city in 2016. So, what can the youth expect when they visit one of the Lighthouses? How will it change their lives? Let us meet Santosh, a bright 16-year-old boy living in the slum community near the airport with his parents. In his free time, Santosh enjoys visiting the neighborhood garage and working with cars. His mother dreams of him pursuing higher studies, and perhaps working in an office someday, while his father advises him to take up a government job once he completes his studies. Santosh, however, knows the urgency of earning more money and is thinking of getting work as a data entry operator or else be a watchman like his father. A few days back, Santosh had heard his friend Pramod speaking about the neighbourhood’s “Lighthouse” centre where he had enrolled a few months back. Santosh is pleasantly surprised to notice that his shy friend has become more confident, and seems excited about his trips to this centre. He has even decided that he would like to pursue his higher studies in science. This change in his friend intrigues Santosh, and he decides to accompany Pramod to the

An array of courses at the Lighthouses, at the Skills University, ranging from mobile repair to tailoring, nursing, IT, Liberal Arts and other employable programmes will enhance the future of thousands of youngsters

LEVEL 1: Developing “Agency” We are all familiar with the concept of going to an ‘agency’ for achieving certain outcomes. The concept of having ‘Agency’ within oneself refers to the capacity of an individual to drive outcomes as per his/her requirements. It is not about a physical agency, but just the inner capacity of a person to be an agent for fulfilment of their own needs and thus be able to determine their own future! Unfortunately, most youth, like Santosh, do not have a clear vision of their future in the first place. Santosh will have his agency awakened through his interaction with guides who will awaken the real desire in him to work to work towards a better life.

LEVEL 2: Developing Human Capacities Santosh will work with other youth such as himself, on ‘action projects’. Action projects are real life projects which will enable him to start developing human capacities through experience. For example, he may take up a project to clean the lane in which his house stands. In executing this project, Santosh will learn to negotiate with others, influence behaviour change and experience leadership.

LEVEL 3: Counselling and Apprenticeship Santosh will meet a counsellor who will try to discover along with Santosh, what is the livelihood that would enable Santosh to operate at his full potential. For example, Santosh may use his innate skills to the optimum, by becoming a car mechanic and perhaps in time could own his own garage. The counsellor and Santosh will look for an overlap between Santosh’s passion, talent, intelligence, life situation and job opportunities. If Santosh likes, he can choose to work under a volunteer as an apprentice in a car repair shop to explore whether he really likes it. If not, Santosh can explore other opportunities that will help unlock his actual passion. These opportunities may require him to study further, in which case the next step would be in academics.

Lighthouse. As Santosh walked in, he was welcomed by the Lighthouse coordinator, seated just within the entrance. The Lighthouse looked spacious, neat, clean and smart. There were study cubicles with computers and headphones. There was a large room where

66 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016

LEVEL 4: Skilling/Entrepreneurial/Academic Programmes This is where there will be an array of courses for Santosh and thousands of others at the Pune Lighthouses, ranging from mobile repair to tailoring, nursing, IT and other employable programmes and even Liberal Arts kind of courses such as music or design. Several of the vocational programmes at the Skills University award a Bachelor of Vocation degree at the end of the course. All this will be made possible through facilities of the Corporation and through CSR funding channelled by Pune City Connect towards the good of the city. This model, when made successful in Pune, can be replicated by cities and states to transform the country. A great future can await Indian youth!

several other youths like him were laughing and talking with the Lighthouse facilitators, in what appeared to be a training session. Still other youth were having oneto-one conversations with mentors. There was also a prominent kiosk named ‘Individual Social Responsibility’ and a screen asking users

to register... This is the beginning of Santosh’s journey to a successful life which plays out in four levels. Dr Ganesh Natarajan is Chairman of Pune City Connect and NASSCOM Foundation and Vice Chairman of Zensar.

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Corporate Citizen, Krishna Homes Housing Society, Flat No 2 & 4, Bulk land No 4, Near Iskcon Mandir, Sector 29, Ravet, Akurdi, Pune 412101. Tel. (020) 69000673-7. 68 / Corporate Citizen / March 1-15, 2016