V 2, 4th issue all pages for website

CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP VAIJAYANTI JOSHI, PRINCIPAL, INDIAN LAW SOCIETY (ILS) LAW COLLEGE, PUNE Volume 2, Issue No. 4 / Pages 68 / www.corporatecitizen.in

April 16-30, 2016 / `50

LOVED AND MARRIED TOO

Bela Kher and Milind Chitambar

CII - Western Region 2ND EdgeFarm HR Case Study Writing Competition WINNER PRIMARY CATEGORY

DYNAMIC DUO: 28 Caroline and Prince Augustin

Crackling Chemistry

INTERVIEW

Tanaya Mishra, Managing Director Human Resources, Accenture CORPORATE LIFE

The HR ‘bell-curve’ Is it dead or alive?

cover inner

2 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

FEEDBACK A complete business insider We might be living in the digital era; however, certain type of media exposure left in its traditional form is best. The satisfaction of reading comes only when you hold a magazine or a book in your hand. Corporate Citizen manages to accomplish that ‘satisfaction’ level brilliantly. A complete business insider narrating business stories in a way that has never been done before. I highly admire the magazine’s efforts in underlining the human side of businesses as also offering a blend of travel, work-life balance, and health-related stories. Every story showcases the depth of research and attention to minute details.

Moreover, the magazine exemplifies great writing and layout, and as a communications professional, I always have some key takeaway to be brought into practice.

- Padma Sahay Cybage

CC, a fantastic read It was very pleasant to go through the Corporate Citizen magazine and my sincere thanks to the team. I have gone through all the columns as they boosted my interest, as I read along. Each and every subject is presented beautifully and edited with high care. I wish the organisation all the best to grow in a glorious manner.

- S Rajaram Sri Sarvamangala Rajarajeswari Trust

Immensely readable stories In the recent past, we have had the opportunity to read Corporate Citizen and really appreciate the beautifully-told success stories of the young and veterans in the corporate world.

The magazine is inspiring and caters to a wide majority of readers from all walks of life.

- Tanya Thadikaran Micro Labs Ltd

A fresh corporate breeze Corporate Citizen has brought in a fresh breeze from the corporate world. It is not only about money but covers the ‘cool side’ as you rightly describe. The interviews of HR bosses, their approach in the corporate world is something which makes reading interesting. I have read various business magazines and newspapers,

SPIRIT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP This is with reference to the `Dynamic Duo’ story, titled `Bandhan Bonds’ in the issue dated April 1-15. The husband-wife duo, Nilima and Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, sharing the journey traversed by Bandhan and how it metamorphosed from being small microfinance company into a full-fledged bank, was a noteworthy and inspiring story of an entrepreneurial journey. I wish them good luck in their next dream plan to launch Bandhan Bank IPO in three years. The story was a crisp summary of the dynamic couple’s struggle in their endeavour and the logic behind forming the bank. The spirit of entrepreneurship truly comes out of Chandra Shekhar’s earnest and conscientious activity intended to accomplish something worthwhile.

- Prabhu Chatterjee Entrepreneur, Pune

CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP AN EXCLUSIVE WITH FRANK FREESE, CEO, BISHOP’S SCHOOL, PUNE Volume 2, Issue No. 3 / Pages 68 / www.corporatecitizen.in

April 1-15, 2016 / `50

TOP POSITION

Shriram Darbha, Head, Human Resources, Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) TÊTE-À-TÊTE

IIM-B SEMINAR SESSION

EMINENT SPEAKERS SPEAK ON SIMPLIFYING DATA ANALYTICS

Neeraj Basur, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Blue Star Ltd

DYNAMIC DUO: 27 NILIMA AND CHANDRA SHEKHAR GHOSH

Bandhan Bonds LOVED AND MARRIED

Sunita and Ravi on love and commitment

which are all focused on the corporate world, but Corporate Citizen with elements of business and the selection of stories has made the content much different from other business magazines. The Star Campus Placement gives youngsters an insight into the manner in which they (candidates) go through the grind. This helps the youngsters in waiting, to make it to the bigger league. Hats off to CC team for coming up with a new concept in the corporate world.

- Wilson Andrews Event Manager

CC reflects corporate world Well, now that CC is a content-rich, though-provoking magazine, has become an established fact, it looks like your magazine is shedding light on the indigenous models of business, one such being the family business. It made an interesting read that some management institutions of repute are designing courses for this niche business category as mentioned in a couple of interviews under the feature Cradle

of Leadership in the recent issues. Some references from the observations of the top achievers pertaining to the differences that mark regional markets, could be quite useful tips for the new entrants to the panIndia corporate world, besides making it an interesting read. All the best and keep up the good work!

- Rafeeq Gafoor Baig Hyderabad

More socioeconomic stories I was pleasantly surprised to find a periodical that provides truly interesting stories on the Indian corporate scene. However, I was expecting to read something on some of the latest issues like banking crisis thanks to Vijay Mallya, economic impact of the recent unrest in some important cities like Hyderabad and so on. Considering the repercussions in a range of fields, we would like to read about the same in the issues of Corporate Citizen.

- Bappaditya Dey Kolkata April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 3

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‘Sri Balaji Society’ and ‘Sai Balaji Society’

Sometimes, forgiveness can imply weakness

T

here are many quotations on forgiveness. The most popular one perhaps is from the Bible, where Jesus has said “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Or Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quote, “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” Or Alexander Pope who had said, “To err is human, to forgive, divine.” Or the oft -repeated, “Forgive

and forget.”

However, sometimes your magnanimity to forgive is taken as your weakness and you are further trampled by the same person you had pardoned for his misdeeds. They say, if you give a long rope they will hang themselves.

Meaning, if someone is doing wrong or behaving badly, sometimes it is best not to interfere or intervene, for eventually he will come a cropper. I experienced just the opposite – my giving a long rope proved to be counterproductive for me and my not retaliating was seen as my weakness.

I always believe that every human being is an ordinary citizen, notwithstanding whatever powers he may exercise. I also believe that whenever you enter into any activity, confrontation is inevitable; in fact, it is an integral part of life. However, here is a story, which in my opinion, is tantamount to trying to fool the public by impersonating and claiming to be the original one.

This is the story of an institute called the Sai Balaji Society, which has three institutes under its belt – International Institute of Management Studies (IIMS), International Institute of Management & Human Resources Development (IIMHRD) and Sai Balaji International Institute of Management (SBIIMS).

Its Chairman and Founder is Prof. Manish R Mundada who was a former visiting faculty at my Sri Balaji Society and who later decided to create his own educational society, on the lines of my own. The name he gave to it - Sai Balaji Society- is quite similar to my educational society, Sri Balaji Society, which, I am happy to say, has created a credible reputation in the corporate world and is known for top quality management education.

In order to benefit from this readymade credibility and popularity of our brand, Mundada’s Sai Balaji Society went around the country, riding on the credentials of my Sri Balaji Society, by portraying Sai Balaji Society as the original Sri Balaji Society. His objective was to lure innocent applicants who were aiming to seek admission to Sri Balaji Society. I came to know about this when complaints started coming to me but I ignored them. I felt that if the graduate student who is seeking admission is not careful about finding out about the institute, that he or she wants to get into, then I need not bother about the issue.

However, I could remain quiet no more when I started receiving calls from the companies, stating that they are being pestered by too many calls from us for 4 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

recruitment and that I should stop it. One or two companies even called me up and fired me. I was quite surprised at this development. When we investigated into the matter, we found that Sai Balaji Society was indulging in impersonation.

Yet, I decided not to take action. I believed he would rectify his own mistake and so decided to forgive his misdeeds. For, generally, I believe in the ‘forgive and forget’ policy and I am magnanimous to the furthest possible extent.

Then a day came when the business magazine, Business Baron, in its February 2014 issue, featured the Sai Balaji Educational Society. Astonishingly, the photograph of our auditorium packed with students and another one of our students posing in our campus were included as part of that story. When my students noticed it, they complained to me and requested action against that educational society. Even then, I decided to ignore, as any publicity is good publicity. However, the students argued that their identities were being compromised and they would like to be known as Sri Balaji Society students and not Sai Balaji Society students. Agreeing with their point, I sent a message to Prof. Mundada, stating that I would proceed against his educational society.

He replied that he had not supplied the photographs; it was the mistake of the magazine. He also profusely apologised. So, I closed the matter there.

Recently, though, I came to know that his website, (http://iimspune.edu.in) was filled with photographs of our campus infrastructure as well as students, claiming to be that of Sai Balaji Education Society. Shockingly, it also had my video, addressing my students, put up on its homepage. It also contained photographs of groups of our students. I decided not to take it lying down, as I had given him a long enough rope and he seemed to be getting bolder and bolder. (Subsequently, he has, as a precaution, deleted the contents of the website. However, what he did not realise is that we have taken a backup).

My objection was two-fold: One, he was mischievously misguiding students and two, he was allegedly reaching out to the Industry, claiming his educational society as Sri Balaji Society.

I immediately released an advertisement nationally, declaring not to fall for Sai Balaji Society which is impersonating on our name. I also asked our Director (IT), Prof Biju Pillai to petition to the police. In the meanwhile, Mundada filed a counter complaint and sought anticipatory bail. His bail plea was rejected by the District Court but the Bombay High Court has granted him anticipatory bail. More than being angry, I feel sorry for him. I wonder why he should resort to such cheap gimmicks which may ultimately cost him dearly. It pains me to go through all these legal procedures but I was compelled to do so.

When the story was published in Business Baron, he said the magazine had committed the error of using photographs of Sri Balaji Society. Now, in his police complaint, he claims that it is the web designer’s fault. This time,

I am publishing below, the police statement which is self-explanatory Sri Balaji Society Dr. (Col) A. Balasubramanian, President Prof. Biju G. Pillai, Director - IT

12th February, 2016

To, The Hon’ble Police Inspector Wakad Police Station Wakad, Pune Respected Sir, 1. In continuation of the FIR filed on 5th Feb, 2016 (FIR NO 023059) against Sai Balaji Society – by implication, all the trustees of the trust (if at all it is already registered under the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950). We have also submitted supporting documents to substantiate our allegations against the said society/trust for a deliberate and fraudulent attempt to impersonate Sri Balaji Society and to lure, cheat and mislead the potential applicants for admission to the courses offered by them, thereby diverting the prospective students intending to join the courses offered by the Management Institutions of the Sri Balaji Society.

2. Sai Balaji Society had deliberately committed the crime through various dubious means as already reported to you. While we are not in a position to submit a complete dossier on their various misleading activities/acts, which may be your subject matter for investigation, we have submitted a lot of evidence to prove as to how they used their website - sbiims.com - to mislead the public at large and by copying the properties of the website of Sri Balaji Society. These can be put in a nutshell, as under, and this is based on the website of Sai Balaji Society as on 6th February 2016 : (a) Showing the students of our management institutes as if they are from the Management institutes of Sai Balaji Society, (b) Showing the infrastructure such as swimming pool, gymnasium, mess, hostel, auditorium, lawn, ppt hall, temple and so on… as if they belong to the Management Institutes and trust of Sai Balaji Educational Society which in fact are the infrastructure of our Sri Balaji Society. (c) They have not even spared the Founder-President of the Sri Balaji Society – they had published the entire video of Dr (Col) A. Balasubramanian which was telecast by Zee TV, in their website www.sbiims.com to make it appear as if he (Dr (Col) A. Balasubramanian) is from the Sai Balaji Education Society. (d) They have published the video of three classes (Group video of 2013 – 2015 batch), along with the Directors and senior faculty, in their website to mislead and cheat the public, that is, the students, the professors, the classes,

however, we are not giving him the benefit of the doubt. We have filed an FIR against him at the Hinjewadi Police Station and given subsequent statements to strengthen the case.

The FIR states that he has, without seeking prior permission of the appellant, stored, uploaded and published photographs and video of the students, infrastructure, and classes of the appellant’s educational society on their website as that of their own educational institute (www.sbiims.com), with an intent to gain admissions, thus deceiving the educational institute of the appellant.

Therefore, the offences were registered. Prof. Mundada has been booked under: z IPC Sec 419, 420 z Cyber Law Sec 66 (E), 43 (B), 27 z IPC Sec 66 z IPC Sec 419 - Punishment for cheating by impersonation z IPC Sec 420 - Cheating and dishonesty including delivery of property z Cyber Law Sec 66 (E) - Capturing, publishing, or transmitting the image of a private area without any person’s consent or knowledge z Cyber Law Sec 43 (B) - [Penalty and compensation] for damage to computer, computer system, etc - if any person without permission of the

shown as if they belong to the Sai Balaji Educational Society. (e) Sri Balaji Society has appointed a doctor who is on regular visit to look after the medical needs of our students. They have not excluded the doctor as well.

3. In short, all the above stated facts manifestly and deliberately committed acts with ulterior motive to practice deceptive means to mislead the public and gain unfair undue advantage by the unauthorised use of Sri Balaji Society’s name and goodwill thereby constituting to the offence of passing off.

4. After filing the FIR with you on 5th Feb, 2016 we had also included a caution notice in our National advertisement, cautioning the public about the impersonation with fraudulent intention being resorted to by Sai Balaji Educational Society. A copy of the same is attached as Annexure – I. 5. In response to this, Sai Balaji Society has published an advertisement on 11 Feb 2016. I am enclosing a copy of the advertisement released by Sai Balaji Group of Institutes Survey No 54, Nere Dattawadi, Near Hinjewadi IT Park, Pune Tel -020-22919500/555/510 along with this complaint as Annexure - II. I draw your kind attention to the contents published under the ‘caution notice portion of the advertisement’ where they have said that Sri Balaji Society is trying to make ‘false and defamatory’ claims. But we wish to state in this regard that Sri Balaji Society in its own interest has issued a caution notice to the public against misleading advertisement of Sai Balaji Society using the name of Sri Balaji Society.

6. I have also received an email dated 10th February 2016 at 10:16 P.M. from Manish R. Mundada which is an attempt to proclaim innocence on the part of Mr. Manish R. Mundada and also he has put the blame on those who hosted the website. On an earlier occasion too, when the photographs of the auditorium and students of Sri Balaji Society were published with a write up in the Business Baron magazine, February 2014 issue, Mr. Manish R. Mundada has disowned responsibility and blamed the publishers for the mistake that occurred. Therefore even the publishers stand as accomplice in the crime. The copies of the said e-mail and magazine are hereby attached in Annexure III & IV respectively.

7. All the above mentioned photographs are published in our handbook 2013-15 and prospectus 2016-17. A copy of the same is furnished herewith for perusal and to initiate appropriate action as Annexure V & VI respectively.

Yours Sincerely, Prof. Biju G. Pillai Director IT

owner or any other person who is in charge of a computer, computer system or computer network downloads, copies or extracts any data, computer data base or information from such computer, computer system or computer network including information or data held or stored in any removable storage medium z Cyber Law Sec 27 - Offences by Companies z IPC Sec 66 – Description of imprisonment for non-payment of fine.

I reiterate that I continue to believe in the philosophy of ‘To err is human, to forgive, divine.’ I sincerely and categorically state that Sai Balaji Society should exist, grow and flourish but not by fraudulent ways. I am the last person to be vengeful against anyone, not even an enemy. It is said that ‘Imitation is the best form of flattery’, but alas, this case is an alleged attempt of deliberate impersonation and not innocent imitation.

DR (COL.) A. BALASUBRAMANIAN editor-in-chief April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 5

Contents 32

COVER STORY

Dynamic Duo 28

CRACKLING CHEMISTRY An in-depth and insightful interview with Dr Prince Augustin, Executive Vice President - Group Human Capital & Leadership Development at the Mahindra Group and his wife, Caroline, on what makes their marriage work

9

COLLYWOOD

Chatpata Chatter from the Corporate World

13

MANAGE MONEY

Dr Anil Lamba on Marginal costing principles and break-even analysis

14

WAX ELOQUENT

Who said what and why

16

INTERVIEW

An in-depth interview with Tanaya Mishra, Managing Director - Human Resources, Accenture 6 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

Volume 2 Issue No. 4 April 16-30, 2016 www.corporatecitizen.in

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9

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28

20

CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP

An exclusive with Vaijayanti Joshi, Principal, Indian Law Society’s Law College (ILS), Pune

28

CORPORATE LIFE

The HR ‘bell-curve’ - Is it dead or alive?

31

CLAPS & SLAPS

Our bouquets and brickbats for the fortnight!

40

56

CII CASE STUDY

CII - Western Region 2nd EdgeFarm - HR Case Study Writing Competition

49

MOBILE APPS

How to use your mobile phone safely

58

50

LOVED AND MARRIED TOO

31

Bela Kher and Milind Chitambar on love and commitment

52

SURVEY

An in-depth survey on ‘How India’s banking sector can stage a turnaround’ by Ernst & Young

50 April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 7

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

60 56

62

CAMPUS PLACEMENT EXPERIENCE

Aakash Neeraj Mittal, student from Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur) talks about life at the campus and his placement experience

VP - Marketing & Sales M. Paul Anderson

60

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

PEARLS OF WISDOM

‘Difficulties come with a purpose’

by Dada JP Vaswani

62

HEALTH

49

Fortune favours the bold & lucky

Circulation Officer Jaywant Patil +91 9923202560 Creative Direction Kiyan Gupta, The Purple Stroke

66

Graphic Designer Anil Walunj

THE LAST WORD

‘In troubled times, Be Safe, Be Happy’ by Ganesh Natarajan, Chairman of Pune City Connect and NASSCOM Foundation and Vice Chairman of Zensar

Senior Sub-Editor Neeraj Varty

Pune Bureau Dinesh Kulkarni / Suchismita Pai / Kalyani Sardesai

Summer blockbusters to take your children to

ASTROTURF

Senior Business Writers Mahalakshmi Hariharan / Rajesh Rao

Bengaluru Bureau Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar

BOLLYWOOD BIZ

64

Assistant Editor Joe Williams

Writers Delhi Bureau Pradeep Mathur / Sharmila Chand

58

Why am I tired all the time?

Consulting Editor Vinita Deshmukh

66

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 / April 16-30, 2016

On Cover Page Caroline and Prince Augustin Cover Page Pic Yusuf Khan 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

PEOPLEE IN THE NEWS

$100.5 MILLION FOR SUNDAR PICHAI IN 2015 Sundar Pichai, Google Chief Executive Officer received a whopping $100.5 million pay package in the year 2015, according to a filing from parent company Alphabet. This package included $99.8 million in restricted stock that will vest in full by 2017, besides a $6,52,500 salary. The stock award hasn’t previously been disclosed in filings. The former deputy of Google co-founder Larry Page was named to run the search engine unit following the re-organisation into a holding company last year.

Following that promotion, Alphabet in February awarded him restricted shares valued at $199 million, the largest grant ever given to a Google

executive officer whose pay has to be reported in filings. The two grants have brought Pichai’s holdingg of unvested restricted shares to $635 million, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. He also holds unvested stock options valued at $11.6 million. Alphabet typically grants equity awards to executives once every two years, a strategy it has said ‘encourages executives to take a long-term view of the business’. Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt received $8.04 million for 2015, including a $1.25 million salary and $6 million cash bonus.

Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat was awarded $31 million, including $25.1 million in restricted stock.

You can target me, leave my son alone: Mallya Of late, Vijay Mallya has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, appealed to the general public on Twitter to leave his son, Siddharth alone and not target him. The liquor baron, Vijay Mallya who is in the United Kingdom, took to Twitter to ask people not to target his son Siddharth, and not to involve him in the ₹9,000 crore bank loan default case that he is currently fighting. “My son Sid does not deserve all this hatred and abuse. He has had nothing to do with my business. Shower abuse on me if you must but not him. Slam me if you must but not a young man,” Mallya said in a tweet. According to reports, Siddharth has faced a massive backlash on Twitter after Mallya left the country, which led to trolls attacking him with questions about his father’s location and whereabouts. Siddharth had already sent a series of tweets against the abuse that he received.

April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 9

COLLYWOOD

Godfrey Phillips appoints Ruchir Modi as additional director Cigarette maker Godfrey Phillips India said Ruchir Kumar Modi, son of former IPL Chairman Lalit Modi, has been appointed as an additional director of the company. The board of the company has cleared Ruchir’s appointment, effective from March 19, 2016, Godfrey Phillips said in a BSE filing. In November last year, Ruchir had received 2,000 shares in the company, amounting to 0.0038 percent from his father as a gift. As of the quarter ended December 31, 2015, promoter Modi family group owns 43.50 percent stake in the company, while Philip Morris Global Brands Inc owns 25.10 percent stake.

Lalit Modi is currently facing investigation by the Enforcement Directorate over alleged financial irregularities while hosting the IPL tournament.

He is currently residing in the UK.

Tata Steel puts its entire UK business up for sale India’s Tata Steel, Britain’s largest steelmaker, is considering the sale of its entire UK business to stem heavy losses, a move that would draw a line under its almost decade-long foray into Britain. After a marathon board meeting in Mumbai, the Indian steel giant said in a statement that the financial performance of its UK arm had deteriorated substantially in recent months, after years of weak conditions.

Blaming high manufacturing costs, domestic market weakness and increased imports into Europe from countries like China, the company said it saw little change ahead for its UK plants.

Tata said its European arm would now “explore all options for portfolio restructuring, including the potential divestment of Tata Steel UK, in whole or in parts”.

“Given the severity of the funding requirement in the foreseeable

future, the Tata Steel Europe Board will be advised to evaluate and implement the most feasible option in a time-bound manner,” it added. Tata Steel bought Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus in 2007 and has since struggled to turn the giant around in the face of a deteriorating market, slashing costs and thousands of jobs. The company said it remained in talks with the UK government and with investment firm Greybull Capital over the sale of its British long products unit, which makes steel for use in construction. Talks with Greybull were announced last year.

Twitter gets Mahindra Group MD’s attention Twitter not only got Mahindra Group Managing Director Anand Mahindra’s attention, it also got him to shut down a fountain at the company’s Mumbai office.

Twitter user Rohit Talwalkar posted a picture of the fountain at Mahindra Towers recently, suggesting it be shut down given that a large part of Maharashtra struggles with drought and water scarcity. A day later, Mahindra responded to the tweet, promising to shut the fountain down as it

10 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

sends the wrong signal. In his tweet, Mahindra also explained that the fountain only recirculated the water and caused no wastage.

While some twitter users are questioning the decision by mentioning that the fountain could help birds in the summer days to come, others are praising it. Rohit Talwalkar tweeted @ anandmahindra fountain at mahindra towers at time of severe drought in Mah. Guess can be avoided. A day later, Mahindra

responded to the tweet, promising to shut the fountain down as it ‘sends the wrong signal’. @ anandmahindra. Tweeted It’s recirculated water & no wastage.

But you’re right.

BABA RAMDEV— THE NEW FMCG CZAR Anything connected to spirituality in business is a very crucial element. It not only influences people to take the call, but also induces peace, calm and a balanced approach, and if that spirituality turns into hardcore business, things will be on the high. As per the ratings of agency Brickwork, Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurveda is one such which has hit the high. It seems that business is the new moksha, as spiritual and religious gurus of India having millions of dedicated followers are now all set to sell FMCG products in India and become business czars of the new India. Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurveda will soon churn out $1 billion (₹7,000 crore) of revenues and become India’s fifth largest FMCG company after Hindustan Unilever, ITC, Nestlé India and Britannia Industries. Established as a small manufacturing unit in 2007, and having just 200 outlets in 2014, Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved now has 5000+ franchises all over India, and they have just reported revenues of ₹3,267 crore for the 10-month period ending January 2016. This is a

massive jump of 106 percent compared to last year, when they reported revenues of ₹1,587 crore. As per rating agency Brickwork, ‘PAL (Patanjali) has expanded its basket of products tremendously over the last year. Sustaining this with profitable growth requires continuous R&D, enlargement of contract manufacturing and quality control’. It has narrowed their gap with decades old FMCG firms from India like Dabur (₹4,233 crore revenue) , Marico (₹3,903 crore revenue) and Godrej Consumer (₹3,585 crore revenue); and by 2017, it is expecting to become India’s fifth largest FMCG company. In fact, all other Indian FMCG companies are growing at a modest rate of eight percent, while due to aggressive advertisements, low pricing and reach of deep rural belts, Patanjali is growing at a breakneck speed of 100 percent+ year-on-year. Ghee is Patanjali’s best-selling product contributing 35 percent of its sale; while healthcare contributes around 20 percent. They have around 500 products right now, ranging from cosmetic products to Ayurveda capsules.

SAIL brings leadership changes at the top There has been a change in the top deck of management at Steel Authority of India Limited, the country’s largest public sector steel company, with new CEOs taking charge at two of its steel plants.

While Arun Kumar Rath has taken charge as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Durgapur Steel Plant on March 24, 2016, Ashwini Kumar has taken over as CEO, Rourkela Steel Plant. Apart from Rourkela and Durgapur, SAIL also operates integrated steel plants at Bhilai, Bokaro and Burnpur, a stainless steel plant in Salem and an alloy steels plant at Durgapur.

The leadership changes at the top come at a time when SAIL, like many other companies in the steel sector, is facing intense pressure on its margins due to the downturn in the steel market, a problem that has been compounded in the last year and a half due to a surge in cheap imports. Ratings agency CARE recently downgraded the credit rating for SAIL from AAA to AA+ due to subdued financial performance. In the nine-month period (April-December 2015), the company had posted a net loss of ₹2,906 crore against a net profit of ₹1,758 crore in the same period last year. Prior to his appointment as CEO of DSP, Rath was Executive Director (Projects) of IISCO Steel Plant, Burnpur, SAIL. Similarly, before his elevation to the top job at RSP, Ashwini Kumar was the Executive Director (Works) of the plant. A BE in Metallurgy from IIT, Roorkee, the latter had joined Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) of SAIL as a graduate engineer trainee in April 1980.

April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 11

COLLYWOOD SHANKAR GARIGIPARTHY, LLOYD’S COUNTRY HEAD Shankar Garigiparthy was appointed as the country manager for India Lloyd’s, a global player in the insurance and reinsurance market. Shankar will be responsible for market development, representing Lloyd’s in discussions with regulators and building business relationships as Lloyd’s seeks to grow its presence in India. Arun Agarwal, Lloyd’s General Representative in India, will continue in his role providing expert guidance and counsel to Lloyd’s. Garigipathy brings over

23 years’ experience in financial services to the role and was most recently Regional Compliance Manager for Lloyd’s based in Singapore. Prior to this, Shankar was Director of Insurance Supervision at Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority, where he set up the regulatory framework for insurance companies in the QFC. In his early career, he worked for Lloyd’s in London in roles including Senior Regulatory Officer and Capital Relationships Manager. “I am very

pleased to have the opportunity to lead Lloyd’s in India and to return to my home country at such an exciting time in the growth story of both India and Lloyd’s,” said Garigiparthy about his new post.

Commenting on Garigipathy’s role Kent Chaplin, Lloyd’s Head of Asia Pacific, said, “Shankar has been instrumental in helping Lloyd’s to grow in the Asia-Pacific region and I am delighted he will become Lloyd’s Country Manager in India. His in-depth knowledge of Lloyd’s and the insurance industry will be an invaluable asset as we seek to grow Lloyd’s business in India.”

Genpact appoints CeCe Morken of Intuit to its Board of Directors Genpact Limited, a global leader in digitally-powered business process management and services, announced the appointment of CeCe Morken of Intuit to its Board of Directors, with immediate effect. “We are honoured to have CeCe join the Genpact Board. Given CeCe’s experience in finance and accounting, new digital technologies and customer centricity, her contributions will be highly valuable as we continue to partner with Genpact’s clients on their digital transformation journeys. The Board is looking forward to her insights,” said Robert Scott, Chairman of the Board, Genpact. Morken serves as executive vice president and general manager of the ProConnect Group at Intuit. In this role, she leads the team responsible for working directly with the accountants who use Proseries,

Lacerte, Intuit Tax Online, Canada ProTax, and related solutions to prepare clients’ taxes. Before taking this position in 2013, she led Intuit Financial Services, the business unit that provided digital

12 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

banking solutions for banks and credit unions. Prior to joining Intuit in 2002, Morken was responsible for sales of all products and professional services at WebTone Technologies. She also served as senior vice president for retail lending with Fortis, and spent 15 years in a variety of positions with John H Hartland Co. Morken is a graduate of North Dakota State University, with majors in economics and business administration, and attended the University of Chicago Booth’s executive development programme. “CeCe is a recognised leader in design thinking methodologies which focus on driving impact for the end customer.

“I am extremely excited to add someone of CeCe’s calibre and background to our Board,” said NV ‘Tiger’ Tyagarajan, president and CEO, Genpact.

Pfizer appoints Sridhar as Managing Director Pfizer India, appointed S Sridhar as their company’s managing director, for a term of five years. The appointment will be subject to approval of the company’s shareholders at the annual general meeting, a company statement said.

Sridhar is a chartered accountant by profession with over 20 years of experience. He has served as Pfizer Chief Financial Officer for a period of seven years, and was appointed as ED. He has also concurrently led the company’s distribution function for three years, and is at present heading Pfizer’s anti-infective, cardiovascular and ophthalmology business. Aijaz Tobaccowalla, the erstwhile Pfizer India head, was offered a new global role with US-based Pfizer Inc, last year. At Pfizer, Sridhar has led a number of strategic initiatives that have significantly expanded the company’s business footprint in the country.

Compiled by Joe Williams joe78662@gmail.com

MANAGE MONEY DR ANIL LAMBA

Marginal costing principles and break-even analysis Apply Marginal Costing principles to understand your business better, and to take financially intelligent decisions

I

n the previous article we saw how to work out break-even points and how bottom line is always impacted to the extent of contribution.

We had also seen the case of Rita, who manufactures and sells tables. On sale of 100 tables her cost per table works out to ₹200, and at a selling price of ₹250, she makes a profit of ₹50 per table (see table). She has given empowered her sales team to reduce the selling price at their discretion, so long as they don’t sell at a loss. (

Per Unit

100 Tables

250

Sales

25,000

100

Variable Cost

10,000

100

Fixed Cost

10,000

200

(-) Total Cost

20,000

50

= Profit

5,000

(All in ₹) Can Rita sell below cost and still make a profit?

Armed with these instructions, Neil, one of Rita’s salespeople, quotes a price of ₹250 to a potential customer.

The competitor offers a similar table to the potential customer at ₹240.

Neil reduces his price to ₹230.

However, the competitor responds by lowering the price further to ₹215.

When Neil quotes ₹205, the competitor brings the price down to ₹200!

In this situation, what would you advise Neil to do?

Should he reduce his price even lower or let the competitor take the order?

Now let’s assume that at this stage the potential buyer intervenes and says that their budget is only ₹150.

Neil has to decide whether he should accept the business at a price of ₹150 or reject it.

Rita has empowered the salespeople to reduce the price if need be, but under no circumstances to accept orders at a loss.

You will recall that in the early part of this book I defined financial management as the ability on the part of every person in the organisation to understand the impact of their actions on the organization’s bottom line, so that they make all those actions that strengthen the bottom line, and avoid those that hurt it.

Neil needs to be able to understand the impact of the decision to accept the order at a price of ₹150 on the organisation’s profit.

If it will increase the profits he should obviously say “yes”.

If not, he must say, “no”.

What was the profit that Rita’s company was making when it was selling 100 tables?

If you look at the chart, you’ll see that it was making a profit of ₹5,000.

This happened because the organisation was selling tables for ₹250, which it made at a cost of ₹200.

It made a profit of ₹50 per table.

Having sold 100 tables at a profit of ₹50 each, the organisation’s profit was ₹5,000.

Now the 101st table is sold at ₹150.

We know that each table costs the organisation ₹200.

On this table it appears to have made a loss of ₹50.

Since the profit on 100 tables is ₹5,000, and the loss on the 101st table is ₹50, therefore the profit on 101 tables should be ₹4,950 (that is ₹5,000 – ₹50).

Let us see if this is the correct answer.

Per Unit

100 Tables

101 Tables

250

Sales

25,000

25,150

100

Variable Cost

10,000

10,100

100

Fixed Cost

10,000

10,000

200

(-) Total Cost

20,000

20,100

50

= Profit

5,000

5,050

(All in ₹) The profit on selling 101 tables has increased to ₹5,050, and not fallen to ₹4,950.

Far from making a loss of ₹50, the organisation has actually made a profit of ₹50.

A table that cost ₹200 has been sold at ₹150, and a profit has been made on the transaction!

How is this possible? (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 April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 13

WAX ELOQUENT

MAKING THINGS BETTER AND India’s economic expansion

“Obviously there are some who find that difficult to digest and come up with imaginative and fanciful ideas to belittle that achievement. The fact is that India’s economic success is the hard-won result of prudence, sound policy and effective management.”

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

Courtesy: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

Way forward for business families and their progeny “It is also important for the new generation of business leaders to learn the ropes of business by beginning somewhere in the bottom or the middle, and climbing up the ladder gradually. They shouldn’t be made managing directors of companies as soon as they graduate from college. Make them sweat to earn it.”

Haigreve Khaitan, senior partner, Khaitan & Co

India has informed middle class

“India has a much more informed middle class, which has longer legs in the grand scheme of things. We think that there’s a lot of growth opportunity for India because of this, and it’s only moving upwards. It’s a great opportunity—we are aiming to make India one of our top three markets.”

Glen Pushelberg, Cofounder, Yabu Pushelberg Courtesy: Economic Times

Courtesy: forbesindia.com

Digitally transformed world

“Every organisation depends on applications for everything they do today, whether you’re at a local retail store, a hotel, a branch bank or a multinational corporation. If applications don’t work, employees can’t work, collaboration doesn’t happen, products don’t get shipped on time, customers can’t be served, transactions can’t complete, and therefore business is lost.”

Nagendra Venkaswamy, Vice President, Riverbed India and SAARC Courtesy: http://www.computerworld. in/

14 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

Techie’s memorable journey “Starting my company from my bedroom and making it global has been a memorable experience. But every day it only feels like you have just started. There is so much more to learn and do. As an entrepreneur, I have learnt that the most important assets of a company are its people and culture. Without having this done right you can just be another run-of-the-mill business.”

Shalin Jain, founder, Happyfox Courtesy: http://yourstory.com/2014/03/shalin-jain-happyfox/

Difference between Vijay Mallya and Air India “What is the difference between Vijay Mallya who lost `10,000 crore and Air India which lost `30,000 crore? Bank money is lost (in case of KFA) and public taxpayer’s money is lost (in AI’s case).”

TV Mohandas Pai, former Chief Financial Officer and HR Head, Infosys Courtesy: http://www.businesstoday.in/

Off-balance sheet solutions “If you have leverage on your balance sheet and are trying to lighten the balance sheet, if a bank can come up with off-balance sheet solutions, then that becomes attractive for corporates.”

Ravneet Gill, CEO (India), Deutsche Bank Courtesy: http://www.financialexpress.com/

Biggest responsibility of a leader

“The biggest responsibility of a leader is putting the right people on the right job and empowering them with the ability to make independent decisions…

Each manager in our organisation is an entrepreneur in his or her own way because everyone is constantly focused towards making things better and quicker.”

Azhar Iqubal, Cofounder, Inshorts Courtesy: Economic Times

QUICKER

Take a look at what our corporate leaders have to say about recent trends and their experiences in business world Innovation exists everywhere “The Indian dream is alive. It is insulting to the ecosystem that the sector is characterised lazily as simply models that imitate western businesses. Dig a little deeper and innovation exists everywhere.

Execution in India is tougher than Silicon Valley (USA) or Roundabout (UK).”

Frankie Brown, head of e-commerce for India, Investec Courtesy: Economic Times

I know the value of everything Moving forward in eliminating corruption

“Corruption dissuades people from investment, it adds to the cost of investment, and I think it is an important milestone where India seems to be moving forward (in eliminating corruption).”

Arun Jaitley, finance minister

Courtesy: http://economictimes. indiatimes.com/

“I grew up very comfortably, but when I saw a lot of money for the first time, I became cautious. Two things happen when you see a lot of money—you either splurge or become overly cautious. I became the latter. Others may know the price of everything; I know the value of everything.”

John Abraham, actor-producer Courtesy: Livemint

Innovate in India for India “Nowhere in Internet history has a country added five to six million users every month as India is doing through smartphones. I stay awake at night thinking of how to innovate in India for India. We are trying to make it as easy as buying something new. Instead of the Western ‘we’ll connect you and you go figure the rest’ approach to classifieds, we Indianised it.”

Pranay Chulet, co-founder and CEO, Quikr

Reason driving investors “We are a funnel for them. They see the possibility of a billiondollar company emerging.

So they are approaching local institutions in India to provide insights.”

Apoorv Ranjan Sharma, co-founder, Catalyst (has been receiving a lot of interest from investor groups in Dubai) Courtesy: Times of India

Courtesy: http://www.livemint.com/

Fashion doesn’t need a ‘Bollywood face’ to work

Dynamic ownership of business

“Our family finds that the dynamic ownership of a diversified business with a spirit of entrepreneurship, built on a tradition of integrity, discipline, humility, community service, hard work and fun, to be the most meaningful activity.”

Karan Paul, chairman, Apeejay Surrendra Group of Companies Source: www.livemint.com

“Celebrities are a vehicle to communicate the brand message. We are mindful of the celebrities we collaborate with, mindful of their reach, aura and the value that they will add to the brand. Having said that, I don’t think that fashion cannot work without a Bollywood face.”

Anita Dongre, fashion designer

Courtesy: http://www.business-standard.com/

You have to have tolerance “For me, eradicating poverty from the country and creating jobs are the top priorities. India is importing gold, fertiliser, potash, oil and gas but we have all of this here. There is so much copper in India, but it is being imported. But then, ours is a developing nation and you have to have tolerance here because the economy is opening up.”

Anil Agarwal, chairman, Vedanta Group

Kind of investment India is attracting “While we have the Make in India programme, the days of putting up a textile factory and hiring 10,000 people are gone. What is actually happening is—yes, you attract investments and foreign direct investment but it goes into highly automated facilities.”

Stuart P. Milne, group general manager and chief executive, HSBC India

Courtesy: http://www.livemint.com/

Courtesy: Financial Express

Compiled by Rajesh Rao rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 15

INTERVIEW

Adopt and Adapt to Build a Career

TANAYA MISHRA from Cuttack, Odisha, dreamt of making her career in the HR field, when human resource, 20 years back was a lesser-known management practice. But with her sheer grit and determination, today she has made her way to the top. In her 20-year career path she has headed the HR department of big companies like SBI Life Insurance, Group M, Shoppers Stop Ltd, ACC Concrete Ltd, JSW and is currently working as Managing Director, Human Resources at Accenture. Tanaya says that she wanted to do something meaningful in her life and just kept pushing herself to achieve it. The most important aspect she says is about building relationships and networks, understanding one’s environment and about how genuine you are. She talks to Corporate Citizen about her work and life experiences, and her aspiration that has kept her going

BY RAJESH RAO

Tell us about your education, and how you got into the HR field.

My foundation was built in a convent school in Cuttack, Odisha, where we had disciplined Sisters and Mother Superiors. Life was a breeze till ICSE and then one realised the harsh reality of not being cocooned, and competition. I was a topper in the 12th board and stood third in the state, in graduation too I was one of the top rankers with an Honours and distinction. My education then took me to the prestigious Delhi School of Economics but with health issues I came back to complete my Post-Graduation in Personnel Management and a degree in Law. But then it was never enough if you belonged to a family of professors and so I completed my PhD in Manpower Planning in steel industry and did my research in SAIL (RSP). Coming from a typical Oriya Brahmin family, it was not appropriate for a girl like me to go out and pursue a career on my own, but I was determined. I initially started practising as a lawyer, as I had a licence. However, I didn’t pursue it because building a career as a lawyer would mean taking a long time to establish oneself and I wanted something that was more definitive in career progression. Then I made up my mind to take the wholehearted plunge into the magnificent world of Human Resources.

How did you build your career path in the HR field?

Taking the challenge: I started my HR career after marriage, with Oman Consultants, in 16 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

Bengaluru, as an HR consultant. Within a year we moved to Mumbai and I took up my first corporate HR assignment in 1996, in a start-up company called Clubnet. My first assignment as the HR Head, was to build a team from scratch.

Here I was faced with two choices… throw up my hands in despair as I really had no experience or take up the challenge and give it my 100%. I decided to go with the latter. Some of it was fun, innovative and some of it was learning on the job. At times it was humiliating but the trick was to grit your teeth and have a go at it, looking at innovative ways to come up with solutions and collaborating with colleagues. Sometimes it was also about weighing opportunities that come your way.

Similar roles as HR Head: Subsequent job offers also came with similar roles as HR Head.

Every time I chose the ones, which helped me learn the basics. A year later I got a break as a deputy manager in Stock Holding Corporation of India Ltd. In the three years here, I met some of my best buddies and my professional life was all about learning. In the next assignment I moved to DHL Worldwide, where I learnt more of the fundamentals and best HR practices, all thanks to Hermie who was our HR Head those days.

Opportunity to head SBI Life knocked on my door again and I plunged into the assignment as its third employee from the private sector employee and helped set up the human and policy framework and those were really early days of insurance.

Sometimes you don’t just fit in: In professional life sometimes you make wrong choices not because the organisation is not good but sometimes you don’t just fit in and don’t understand the culture as well the need of the organisation and this is what happened to me as I took on a new role for a reputed media company that had merged three entities, as its HR Director.

But I also learnt that when you know it’s not for you, you must move and move quickly because the environment can bog you down.

FirstSource: I moved to FirstSource. This was a great place to work, with good people, some excellent practices and a fun workplace. I had wonderful bosses and some great colleagues and the good news is that the bonds were so strong that we still continue to be good buddies and are very much in touch. Being with a BPO outfit for quite a while I got a bit restless as nothing much was happening professionally, hence decided to move on.

Shoppers Stop Ltd: I joined as HR Head at Shoppers Stop Ltd. I saw transformation and team spirit here. My CEO, popularly called, Govind Boss was an epitome of what a guru should be, patient and humble, always guiding, his enthusiasm and emotion for the business was infectious. The team spirit that he instilled in the entire management committee meetings was phenomenal, like the thrill of sale and good numbers and depression when sales were not alright. This was about an

PICS: AHMED SHEIKH

For a small-town person like me to achieve success in the corporate world, I had to just keep pushing myself to achieve what I wanted to be April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 17

INTERVIEW Indian company that wanted genuinely to offer the best to all its stakeholders. This company spoke of CSR way before it was recognised in the way that one understands it today, this company got in people from the lower strata and transformed them to be great leaders through the Baby Kangaroo programme that went on to head flagship stores worth crores. A company that genuinely cared for its people and its customers.

Stint with ACC Concrete Ltd: Then came my stint with ACC Concrete Ltd, with Holcim as the Chief People Officer. This was year 2008, a year of downturns and downsizing. A tough assignment that tested my mettle as a HR Head but again this was about working for and with an exemplary leader like Hans Fuchs and another great HR leader, Hans Mileants and a fantastic team, some of whom continue to work there. The assignment was challenging and threw many tough situations but I think these tough ones bring the best in you and shape you to be a better professional. I enjoyed this stint completely which ranged from right-sizing, handling unions, ensuring that the talent pipeline was robust, succession planning, ensuring growth and productivity, building the business and life was on a roll.

JSW Group: But all good things come to an end, when I was offered a global assignment in Switzerland my father suddenly took ill and I made a personal choice of staying back to look after him and my mother. Careers sometimes have to take a backseat as life is a roller coaster and you just don’t know where you are headed.

So, I decided that now I would do my duty as a daughter and be close to my parents in India. I left ACC and joined the JSW Group as its Senior Vice President with a promise that I would head it in the years to come. With this switch came changes in leadership style, understanding the “how” and “why” of adapting to an Indian conglomerate. It was not easy at all. The working style was different, the culture, hierarchy. But for professionals, it’s about understanding the nuances and making sense of it and working at it and using it to your advantage, it’s about putting

Today, the corporate world recognises gender diversity and inclusion. Every organisation is wanting its young mothers to come back, ensuring they build crèches, work from home facilities, mentoring the young mothers, part-time work and so on your best foot forward.

Accenture: After almost four years with JSW, a friendly conversation with my colleague led me to join Accenture, as Managing Director – Human resources. A privilege and a pleasure to be working in one of the best global companies where you give and get respect, where the company believes in high potential delivered, about working with brilliant and wonderful people.

For a small-town person like me to achieve success in the corporate world, I had to just keep pushing myself to achieve what I wanted to be.

I knew that if you have the aspiration, you will grow and even impossible says I’m possible.

Coming from a small town and making it in HR field, what were the challenges you faced as a woman?

It was extremely challenging. One has to adopt and adapt, because every environment is challenging but I never thought that the task at hand was ever impossible for me. At times there were tough situations that I had to handle and unions was one of them. But the strategy is to be cool-headed and think through situations and plan proactively. You have to be open in your mind and if you think you can achieve the objective then you can. But never be proud, just feel good about the fact that God gave you that ability and capacity to do it.

I use to be the only lady in the entire management team especially in manufacturing set-ups.

Sometimes there would be a room full of over thousand people and I would be the only lady.

However, I never felt awkward. You have to un-

derstand what you have to achieve, what your targets are and then it becomes quite simple.

There have been many challenging times as well as politics that you have to deal with and you can’t wish it away. But at the same time you can’t live in an ivory tower either. It is part of being aware and working around it but not being part of it. I have faced many difficult scenarios while working but never compromised on my values. I have decided to walk away from companies, rather than put up with something that I don’t like.

What were the challenges you faced as an HR Head and how did you come out of it?

There are many such instances. One such was getting a plant which was closed riddled with Union issues to open again. It was a challenge because of the plant location, which was surrounded by villages where the former workers lived. They just would not allow us to operate, unless we give them huge amounts of money and we were completely against this. When we initially started our operations after a lot of negotiations and several rounds of discussion, the women-folk lay down en masse in front of the transit mixers and in another instance gheraoed the IR Manager. I had to hire special security, get armoured vehicles for people to enter the plant, had to hire medical vans in case there were dire consequences.

Sometimes things didn’t go right. But you have got to understand ways to resolve it and try your best. If despite efforts things don’t work out right then you need to drop it and at other times you just have to sink your teeth and get it done. There will always be situations which are very demand-

----- SUCCESS TIPS FOR HR ASPIR ANTS ----You must understand that in your circle of influence, first look at your family, find out who are those who inspire you, encourage you and stand by you. For me, it was my mother. Then you have to find your circle of influence among your friends—who are the ones helping you, who are the ones giving you essential tips. Then find your social circle in the corporate world or wherever you work. Today you have social media like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn—use it to find your circles and build your networks.

18 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

I was also a small-town girl, but I wanted to do something in my life and set my dreams to achieve it then. You have to understand your own aspirations and be very clear with your goals and focus on achieving them. You can’t stop and have to aim higher each time. If you stop or slow down, everything else stops. It’s about what you aspire for and being realistic about it. It’s about what your goals are and how you pursue them. And your own strategy for achieving them.

In the HR field today there are so many opportunities. With the right attitude and hard work, the world is yours. For me, the initial steps were difficult. There were times when I had gone for 15 interviews and didn’t get through anywhere.

The irony was that I went to the very same companies to head the HR function, some of them being Shoppers Stop, JSW. I wanted to work with Accenture one day and today I work with them. So, it’s uncanny, and the power of the Universe and Law of attraction works.

Since last five years my parents have been with me. My mother has been a big help and complete blessing. My father was director, technical education in Odisha and my mother was a professor at Ravenshaw College, where Subhash Chandra Bose studied. I draw a lot of inspiration from my parents.

How do you balance your work-family life?

If you have recently watched the interview of Indra Nooyi you will realise that we women use our extended families to garner support. When my twin boys were born, my husband had a Friday off and I had the weekends off. We had our entourage of maids, without whose help we would have not survived. We brought up our children on our own, with the help of these angel maids.

The three days was very good for us to be with the children and bring them up. I tried to take assignments which were close to home, so I could leave late and come early. It’s been challenging but fun. My boys have been very cooperative. Initially they were introverts but now I am proud to see them blossom into young boys with values. My husband was extremely supportive and that’s how I was able to play an active role in many associations like NHRDN, BCCI, EFI, CII and so on. ing, but you just have to put your best foot forward and also ensure you invest in relationship building, learn the art of influencing and understanding your environment.

What changes you see in the HR practices today from what it was 20 years back?

Earlier, it was not so dynamic. People didn’t know what exactly Human Resources management was. Now it is a proper science, there is a laid-out path. Today there are more challenges because the workforce is changing, dynamics are changing.

What you did yesterday will probably not work today, so you have got to keep learning and doing innovative things. You have to constantly reinvent yourself. Change is the only constant.

Working with MNCs, was there any conflict of ideas while operating in Indian environment?

Principles and ways of working in India are different from what applies to the working pattern in Europe, Australia, US or Mexico. Corporates have learned to adapt to the environment that they are present in. However, the core is usually the same as well as the way they run their operations. Every organisation has a culture that it wants to build.

Most MNCs have a very professional workforce and a proactive culture. For them people are their brand ambassadors and they give utmost respect to their people.

How has your education in Law helped you in your HR career?

As a citizen of this country, legal knowledge al-

ways helps as you are aware of your rights. If you are working with people, knowledge of law helps in taking decisions where you are able to protect your company and its employees. However, one has to be in constant touch to keep abreast of the changes in sections to the legal system.

Tell us about your family and married life.

We got married in 1995, and ours was an arranged marriage. I am from Cuttack and my husband, Siddharth, is from Berhampur. Despite my father getting worried that no one would ever marry a tomboy like me I did manage to get a partner. My adorable twin boys were born in 1998. They are 17 years’ old now and studying in the 11 standard.

My boys are very protective of their mother. They are black belt in tae kwon do and gold and silver medallists. They are true gamers and love gaming. I keep pushing them into studies so they tell me that if I had allowed them they had probably earned millions in gaming.

My husband has been supportive and he has been there with me all through. So, every time I am away, I know my husband or my mom will be there to look after the family and its emotional needs. I guess our Indian marriage works because you take each other unconditionally, in spite of all the faults. A mechanical engineer, Siddharth did his post-graduation in Product Design from National Institute of Design (NID). He started out working as a freelance designer, later on joined Hawkins Cookers Ltd and subsequently headed their Product Design function. Recently, he has started his own business after spending a few years in independent design consulting.

For a working woman, returning back to work after pregnancy is very difficult. Are companies doing anything to make it easier for such mothers to come back to work?

A number of corporates today are ensuring that they give special privileges to the new mothers. Accenture gives 9 months maternity leave.

During my time, that was not the case and most corporates went by the Maternity Benefit Act and what it prescribed, which was 3 months. Today, the corporate world recognises gender diversity and inclusion. Every organisation is wanting its young mothers to come back and ensuring that they take steps like building crèches, work from home facilities, mentoring the young mothers, part time work and so on.

How did you get into dancing, music and sports?

I got into dancing quite by accident. One day while I waited for my elder sibling, as she was senior and her classes got over later. I decided to use the time to pluck berries from the bushes and eat them and my mother happened to catch me in the act. She decided to put me in dancing classes instead, and that’s how I got a Nrutyabhushan while still at school. Dancing taught me determination. My sisters learnt classical music and I accompanied them and in the bargain learnt it too.

Basketball was a passion and I loved the game.

Sheer dedication and practice got me a place in the national team. I was also the best cadet for my state in National Cadet Corps (NCC). rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 19

CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP Pics: Yusuf Khan

20 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

VAIJAYANTI JOSHI, Principal, ILS Law College, Pune

LEGAL LEGACY I was very fortunate that my father was the second principal of the college. I was around three to four years’ old and would often visit this campus. So the entire administrative staff which was recruited during my father’s tenure continued working when I joined as a principal

When the country’s most prestigious law school, the Indian Law Society’s Law College, commonly known as ILS Law College, Pune, was established—way back in 1924, legal education did not assume the significance or prestige that it has today. For someone to think of legal education on a priority basis and invest huge funds in it at that point of time was a remarkable initiative. It took a visionary zeal on the part of the Society to foresee the significance of law in the days to come, understand the role of regulation and freedom at a time when we were taking baby steps towards democracy—the bedrock of which is the rule of law. Thus, the genesis of ILS: to establish a framework for legal education and facilitate the functioning of the rule of law—with good judges, good lawyers, and good administrators. Consistently figuring among the top ten law colleges in India, this 90-year-old scholastic legacy has produced a galaxy of luminaries adorning high positions in legal and other fields. Principal Vaijayanti Joshi, who has been heading ILS Law College for the last 22 years since 1993, has also been a student and teacher of the same college. She talks to Corporate Citizen about the illustrious history of the college, the challenges and achievements, the relentless effort that went into bringing quality legal education to the masses and why the college stands tall as a premier law school in the country

BY RAJESH RAO

April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 21

CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP Q: What does it take to carry forward a prestigious scholastic legacy?

When you become the head of an institution with such a huge reputation, the burden and responsibilities on your shoulders are multifold. Before I joined as the principal, the ILS Law College had 70 years of history and built the reputation of being a leader in legal education. Sustaining this reputation, not letting it be harmed at any point of time was a real challenge. It is very natural that everybody would like to compare you with the earlier principals and the work done by all the predecessors. That being so, you have to watch out for people’s reaction because they keep comparing you with others in the past. But I was very fortunate that my father was the second principal of the college. I was around three to four years old and would often visit this campus. So the entire administrative staff which was recruited during my father’s tenure continued working when I joined as a principal. I was familiar with how the office functioned, as a student. I worked as a parttime and full-time teacher. So, the whole staff was familiar with me, I was familiar with them.

Many times a new principal faces the challenge of getting accepted—that kind of challenge was not there for me at all. I was an insider and my long association with the college made them comfortable with me. My predecessor was Dr Kelawala, and prior to him Dr SP Sathe was the principal. When I came here as a student, Dr Sathe was my teacher and he was my father’s student. When I became the principal, Dr Sathe was always there to help me, but in spite of that, the challenge that I have to manage and lead a renowned institution like ILS was always there. I have to concentrate on achieving excellence in three key areas, i.e. academic excellence, administrative excellence and aesthetic excellence.

Q: What was the idea behind setting up one of the biggest libraries of law books at ILS Law College?

The ILS library is one of the biggest libraries of law books in India. We have recently constructed two more library halls of the same size. Today, the library occupies three and a half floors of the building. It has around 60,000 bound volumes of books. It is equipped with modern technology and is Wi-Fi connected.

The library has a very precious collection of books—especially of the law reports. Right from the first law report till today, the library has the entire collection. There are law reports of the All India Reporter (AIR), Supreme Court, High Court. We have American law reports and the court of King’s Bench and 22 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

Queens Bench reports from England. Prior to the introduction of the judicial system, the British had brought in judicial administration.

So, at each district and taluka level they used to have a cadre of judicial hierarchy and then we also had Sadr Diwani and Faujdari Adalats. So, law reports of these adalats are also available in the library. There are many international and national law journals. There are books on intellectual property, human rights, corporate law, and all modern laws, etc. Besides law books, we also have books on social sciences, English and Marathi literature. The whole idea of developing such a big library is that a lawyer has to be very well read, whether it is social science or literature. It helps prospective lawyers learn to express themselves effectively.

Q: Tell us about your journey with the ILS Law College, as a student, teacher and now as a principal.

I got interested in law since my schooldays.

I always had a penchant for law and the

The ILS library is one of the biggest libraries of law books in India.

We have recently constructed two more library halls of the same size. Today, the library occupies three and a half floors of the building

reason for it is was that my uncle was a lawyer practising in the Pune courts and my father, GV Pandit, was the second principal of this college. My parents are from Pune and my parental house is in Narayan Peth. Probably because of both of them, and the atmosphere in my family, where the topic of law figured so often, I imbibed a fascination for it. I did my schooling from Ahilyadevi High School in Shaniwar Peth, Pune. I completed my matriculation in 1971, which was Standard XI at that point of time. Then I did my BA degree (with Sanskrit and English) from Fergusson College (1971-1975). After that I joined ILS Law College (from 1975-1978) and did my LLB (Bachelor) and my LLM (Masters) from 1978-1980. After my LLM, I joined ILS Law College as a part-time teacher. Coming to law college was a very natural choice for me, but there was no compulsion. I had a flair for law and I got interested in it. I also practiced in the Pune court for a few years, and simultaneously taught here. In 1986, I became a full-time

teacher. I used to teach Mohammeddan Law, Family Law, and Administrative Law. In June 1993, I took on the role of principal at ILS Law College. So, I have completed all the stages of being a student, a teacher and now a principal, here in ILS Law College.

Q: What were the changes brought in legal education after you became the principal?

Generally, people were of the opinion that rejects of all disciplines opted for the law course.

Students were not talented, they come to this course as a part-time course, they did not devote much time to studies, and believed one can study law without attending classes—that

ILS LAW COLLEGE HISTORY AND MISSION

T

he Indian Law Society (ILS) is the parent body of the ILS Law College. The Society was started in 1923 and established its law college in June, 1924. The very purpose of establishing the ILS was to impart legal education on a scientific basis. That being the mandate, starting the law college was the first priority. At that point of time, there was only one government law college in Bombay which catered to the whole of Bombay state, up to Karachi in Pakistan. The Law College Poona, as it was called then, was initially started in the amphitheatre of Deccan Education Society’s Fergusson College in Pune. In 1924, the Law College Poona was affiliated to Bombay University. Then in 1948, when University of Pune (now known as Savitribai Phule Pune University) was founded, ILS Law College got affiliated to it.

In 1934, the land where the present day ILS Law College campus is, was acquired. The main Saraswati building and other college buildings were completed in 1936. The design of the Saraswati building looks like a yogi sitting in a dhyanmudra position at the foot of a hill, with the hill in the background. The Saraswati building houses the library and all the offices of the teachers. Along with Saraswati there are the boys’ and girls’ hostels, which were also started in 1936.

Then came the gymkhana pavilion and gymnasium.

In 1951, the Laxmi building was constructed. Except the Laxmi building, the rest of the campus, including the boys’ hostel came up till 1936. Right in the beginning facilities like the cricket ground, gymkhana, swimming pool, along with other all sports facilities were provided at the campus. In 1936 the law college got shifted to this new campus from Fergusson College amphitheatre,.

During the acquisition process of the campus land from the private owners, the then founder principal of ILS Law College, Late Nanasaheb Gharpure, who was also an eminent lawyer, felt there could be issues regarding the title of the property. So he requested the Governor of Bombay to acquire the land for them. The State of Bombay acquired this

land and ILS paid the consideration for the property and then the title to the 195 acres of land was transferred to the Society. A major portion of the land is occupied by the ILS hill, and the remaining plain land is where all the buildings are situated.

The great personalities who formed ILS in 1923 foresaw the importance of having a law college. All the founder members of the Society were lawyers.

Justice Narayanrao Chandavarkar of the Bombay High Court was the president of ILS. HC Coyajee, who was practising at Bombay High Court was the vicepresident, and Nanasaheb Gharpure, a renowned practising lawyer of Hindu Law, became the founder principal of the college. Along with him were Rao Bahadur PB Shingne and AG Sathaye, and these five persons came together and established ILS, with the mandate that they will start a law college.

The motto of ILS is “Dharme sarvam prathistithum” which means everything is centred in law and law is the foundation of the universe. Its dedicated service to legal education was acknowledged by various institutions from time to time – 1. Institutional excellence award conferred on the ILS Law College by the Society of Indian Law Firms and Madhav Menon Institute of Legal Advocacy Training, 2013 2. Special acknowledgment by the Bar Council of India during its golden jubilee celebrations at New Delhi 3. By Ford Foundation by establishing a Professor’s Chair during its golden jubilee celebrations 4. Award of A+ grade by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in 2004 (As told by Vaijayanti Joshi)

kind of perception was always there. When I became the principal, India was changing in terms of economic policies, and globalisation was gradually setting in. The economy was opening up and law education was beginning to take importance. There was a clear indication that law and legal education was going to change over a period of time.

Admissions on a merit basis Till 1995 admissions at law colleges used to be done at the admission counter. Students would come and deposit their application and fees, and admissions were done. If you had passed your BA even with 40 percent marks, you were eligible for admission. Gradually students coming to law college were not just pass-class but they were first class, and some even with distinction at the graduation level. These students started complaining that they were being rejected and students with only 40-50 percent marks were getting admissions. Then we started thinking that we should change the admission process. Gradually, over a period of time, we started giving admissions on the basis of merit. So, the profile of the student began to change. Students were opting for law as their first choice, and not as rejects of other disciplines. It was a big change for us because the moment you get students who are brilliant and want to take up law as a career of choice, your entire support system in legal education and the way you deliver legal education has to change. In 1993-94, I was new as a principal and it was about maintaining the status quo, April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 23

CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP but from 1995, we really took up to changing the way we imparted legal education. You will be surprised that one girl admitted to the five-year law course, got 100 percent marks in 12th and admissions had closed at 95 percent marks.

Restricting student intake In the beginning there was no restriction on the number of students in the college. Our Laxmi Building had classrooms which can accommodate 200 students. Then gradually, University of Pune gave directives that we have divisions of 100 students at a time. Subsequently, the Bar Council of India and University of Pune reduced the number to 80 students.

Now the council says you should have not more than 60 students in one class. So, from 200 to 60—that much of change has happened as far as the student strength per division is concerned.

Today our overall strength is restricted to 1600 students. In 1995, when the college started getting grant-in-aid from the state of Maharashtra, the state regulated the numbers saying the college will have 20 divisions of 80 students each.

Five-year law course introduced Till 1984, we only had three-year law courses, after graduation.

Then the Bar Council introduced the five-year law course after the 12th exam. We use to admit only one division of the five-year law course then and now you see that course is more popular than the three-year law course. Today we have 15 divisions of the five- year law course and five divisions of the three-year law course.

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Sudan, Kenya and even sometimes from the US, UK, and Australia.

Q: Can you take us through the courses presently available at ILS Law College?

Presently we have the five-year Bachelor of Law (LLB) course after 12th, where we admit 240 students which goes the full five years. The second is the three-year course (LLB) after graduation. Then we have the two-year postgraduate Master of Law (LLM) course. These courses are all affiliated to the Savitribai Phule Pune University. In addition we have some diploma courses affiliated to the University - Labour Law and Labour Welfare and Taxation Law. There are also other diploma courses prescribed by the Bar Council which the college runs, to supplement the curriculum. ILS has developed other diploma programmes, offered to our own students, in Corporate Law, Medical Jurisprudence and Forensic Science, Human Rights, Competition Law, Cyber Laws and Information Technology.

These courses are not presently part of the LLB curriculum. Students opt ILS has developed for these programmes which are complemenprogrammes that are complementary to the tary to the regular LLB course.

regular LLB course, in Corporate Law, Medical Jurisprudence & Forensic Science, Human Rights, Competition Law, Cyber Laws & Information Technology

Getting foreign students Admissions of foreign students are routed through the University of Pune. We get foreign students from countries like Nepal, 24 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

Q: Being one of the top-ten law institutions in the country, how do you see competition from other law colleges?

If you look at the list of the top ten law institutions in the country, only four-five institutions are constantly in the first-ten list, and the remaining four-five institutes keep on changing. Definitely there is competition. One must understand that legal education is in big demand, because it’s not only for those who want to be lawyers in the conventional sense, wearing a black coat

and appearing in the court. The lawyer has also become negotiator, advisor, and counsellor. As MNCs are coming to India and big law firms are setting up shop, these legal advisors are in huge demand because they advise international clients on mergers, acquisitions and so on.

When you liberalise or regulate, you require to work in a legal framework at all points of time. So, as many good law schools can come up, they are welcome. I will never say let others be out of competition and we alone remain in existence. The opportunity is so huge that even if many more good law schools come up, we need them. What is important is that it should not be only a centre for profiteering.

Q: How does ILS Law College address this competition?

Being an affiliated law college, we operate under many constraints. We are a law college affiliated to a university, under the grant-inaid pattern of the state. So, the Bar Council of India is our master, the state of Maharashtra is our master, Savitribai Phule Pune University is our master, even the management is our master and so our college is answerable to so many authorities.

Continuous support of ILS The Indian Law Society are our masters and I am not saying it in a bad sense, because they have always been very supportive. Without the support of ILS, the college would not have run for such a long time. The college came under grant-in-aid pattern only in 1995, till then we used to admit students and manage our finances. When the university started regulating the fees our hands were tied, as far as charging of fees was concerned. We were bound by university rules to pay this or that scale to the teachers, non-teaching staff, etc. And during all these difficult financial conditions, the Society always supported us, because the law college was the only unit of ILS for a very long time and therefore it always took effort to see that the college maintained its standard and imparted good quality legal education.

Supplementary courses and activities We can’t change our curriculum unless the board of studies in the University decides to change it. So what we do is, we offer supplementary courses for those who are interested. That is how we keep on adding, else we would have been stuck with those seven-eight subjects. Maintaining quality is definitely a challenge we have to take into account, and offer what best we can provide. When SS Pune University announces its results, all the ten toppers are from the ILS Law College. It is an indicator of how we maintain quality. If you look at the activities we take up for students,

Photo source: ILS Law College

Proud moments from history of ILS Law College NOTABLE ALUMNI OF ILS LAW COLLEGE CHIEF JUSTICE

z Justice PB Gajendragadkar (1924 batch) z Justice ES Venkataramiah (1940 batch) z Justice YV Chandrachud (1942 batch)

POLITICIANS

z Yeshwantrao Chavan (first chief minister of

Maharashtra) z Vilasrao Deshmukh (two-time chief minister

of Maharashtra and a minister in the Manmohan Singh Cabinet) z Shushil Kumar Shinde (former Union Home Minister) z SM Joshi (freedom fighter, Member of Parliament, and leader of Sanyukta Maharashtra Samiti) z Nanasheb Gore (Socialist leader) z Gopinath Munde (former deputy chief minister, Maharashtra) z Vandana Chavan (former Mayor of Pune and presently nominated member of the Rajya Sabha) z Mohan Dharia (Padma Vibhushan, former Union minister, social worker) z Agatha Sangma (youngest minister in the last government) z Muhammed Hamdulla Sayeed (youngest parliamentarian of 15th Lok Sabha)

ACADEMICIANS z GV Pandit

z Prof. SP Sathe z Prof. AT Markose z Sathya Narayan z Jaya Sagade z Nilima Bhadbhade

We W e can’t change our curriculum unless the board of studies in the University decides to change it. So we offer supplementary courses. That is how we keep on adding...

April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 25

CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP it is of a very wide range. We have moot-court competitions, trial advocacy competitions, judgment writing competitions, writing alternate judgment competitions, Constitution Olympiads, parliamentary debates, legal-aid programmes, Women’s Studies Centres, and many others.

Internship programmes During vacations when students go to their natives places, they like to intern, for example, with the Law Commission of India or the Human Rights Commission, we recommend them for these internship programmes. They are also sent to private companies like Tata, Mahindra or other law firms, to work on various projects.

Placement cell We have a placement cell, but my observation is that the best legal talent we have in the college prefers to go into independent practice in the courts of law. But there are also many good students who don’t have the inclination for court practice and join law firms, multinational companies, banks or insurance companies.

For placement at ILS Law College, students have to appear for an examination we conduct.

Only those who pass in the examination and qualify are enrolled in the placement cell.

Then we have programmes for skill training and domain knowledge revision. Then the placement in-charge and some volunteers prepare a brochure of all these students and send them to companies who come to us. Our placement activity is not limited to a single month, companies come to us throughout the year. Besides, private law firms, media and entertainment companies, NGOs also come to us to pick talent.

Q: What is the strategy used to maintain the top position and bring out the best talent constantly?

The strategy we use is ‘Do our best in every activity of the college’ and provide socially-relevant and professionally-desired legal education. This may be in classroom teaching, moot-courts, organising various competitions etc.—we try to give the maximum to the students so that when they get out of this college, they can handle any situation, whether they are in litigation, in a law firm or in politics.

Their mental frame should be such that howsoever difficult the situation is, they should be able to handle it. To have that kind of approach among your students, there cannot be any compromise. You have to have good faculty, excellent library, a congenial atmosphere and a very disciplined atmosphere. You also have to see that the students interact with each other, because they come from across the country, 26 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

We try to give the maximum to the students so that when they get out of this college, they can handle any situation, whether they are in litigation, in a law firm or in politics

from various strata of society. The more they mingle with each other, their give-and-take between them also improves. Working in a team, getting accommodated with other students, accommodating other people, all these attitudes are required to be developed. So we consciously design activities that encourage maximum interaction. You can’t be the best only because of one factor. You have to be best on all counts.

Q: How do you bring together the 90 years of ILS Law College legacy onto one platform?

We don’t have a registered alumni association, as many colleges have. Their entire functional

hierarchy is different and we don’t have that kind of structure at all. What we do is that on the 25th of December every year, we send general invites to all alumni. Between1951 to 1972, the college passed through a very bad phase, financially. At that point of time the college was required to stop many of these activities. And then the number of teachers at the college was also very small to manage such associations. However, very recently we have created a database of all our alumni and we propose to have a proper alumni association.

There are very big names, as I have mentioned earlier, and they regularly participate in our activities and lend financial support.

Q: What are the new trends you see among new law aspirants and their will to succeed?

Students today are very brilliant. The only thing I find is that the span of their interest has shrunk drastically. They have very short-lived interest in a subject, they expect results very fast, and don’t have the patience to wait. Suppose I am a student and I participate in an activity and one single participation does not help me to excel immediately, I have to take effort again for the second time, third or may be fourth time, to be familiar with the subject. That requires patience and time, but they are not willing to give that. The trend is to take up a job through placement, but within one or two months, they feel that it is not their cup of tea. Then they get into law practice and there too they expect very fast results. Today they focus more on certain specialisations and don’t want to be in general streams. In the past, the majority of students chose to be general practitioners and specialists were very few. Today, it is the reverse.

Q: Why do very few law students want to get into practice at the grass-roots level?

Today, the most popular area of specialisation is Corporate Law. Students look for jobs in multinational companies, where there is more opportunity and more pay. The majority of them are not at all interested in practicing at the district or mofussil courts at village or taluka levels. Of the entire litigation in India, only 5-10 percent cases go to the High Court or Supreme Court, whereas 90 percent of the people seek justice at the grass-roots level in the district courts. If good students are not willing to go to district courts, the cause of justice will suffer. The reason for this bias is that students feel practising at the lower judiciary level is not challenging or glamorous. Ultimately, you also have certain perceptions about the delivery of justice and the way the courtrooms are presented. So, the courtrooms in the High Court are bound to be more attractive than at the district

and mofussil levels. There you are required to talk to the client one-to-one, go into the records of evidence, cross-examine, and that is a very challenging job, but somehow students have lost interest in that kind of practice. Probably the other reason is that it is not that paying. Thirdly, they are not interested in this elaborate procedural requirement of litigation. And fourthly, they feel that years together nothing happens in the lower courts. A case is filed and thereafter for six-seven years nothing happens. This is the delay due to which our legal system is suffering.

Students don’t like to go to the lower courts and that is a very dangerous trend.

had got used to that kind of provision and bringing them into this discipline was a very big challenge. In the beginning we implemented a zero attendance policy, where students with no attendance were not allowed to appear at the examination. Then we implemented compulsory 20 percent attendance, then 25 percent, and gradually over a period of time, we succeeded in bringing it to 75 percent. It was a struggle, not easy. Students filed petitions in the Bombay High Court, challenging our attendance requirement. We faced political agitation, protests from student organisations.

Parents cursed us because we did not Students today are very allow their wards to Q: How is brilliant. Only, the span appear for the exams and they would lose having legal of their interest has an academic year. acumen shrunk drastically. They Pressure was high beneficial in from all fronts. But we other fields? have very short-lived succeeded in bringing Having a legal interest in a subject, that policy, and it acumen is beneficial they expect results very in has improved the parwherever you are. fast, and don’t have the ticipation of students As a common man, in various college if you know law, you patience to wait… activities. Today we get a different kind have 1,600 students, of insight to look of whom nearly 1,000 into your problem. participate in the Our dealings with moot-court activity, other people also get where earlier we used better. Whether it is to have about 10 students attending. It has benthe media or a multinational company, law efited the student, that was the purpose. regulates everywhere. When you have a legal background, you know your position in law.

If at all you go to the court of law, you have Developing new programmes some sense of what is going to happen. Your In 1995, we put up a proposal for funds to interaction with other people and the way to the Ford Foundation in Delhi, to enhance the look at life are also better guided. quality of legal education. We wanted to bring in many academic changes within ILS. But because of our system constraints, we had been Q: What is the biggest challenge unable to do so. The Ford Foundation gave us you faced as a principal, and how a grant of 2,50,000 dollars (nearly ₹1 crore at did you overcome it? that time) in 1996. We designed programmes to We wanted to change the perception of people uplift the facilities at the college, improved the at large and especially students, that Law was capabilities of teachers, improved our library a part-time course and need not be taken collection, and designed a new curriculum. We seriously. The status of the legal profession and started nearly 13 diploma courses in various legal education was at stake and it was directly areas of law which were not part of the curricconnected with serious classroom teaching and ulum. ILS gives the certificates and the college learning experience. So the presence of students teachers upgrade the programme. in the classroom was absolutely necessary.

Implementing compulsory classroom attendance We devoted nearly 10 years to making classroom attendance compulsory for students. We observed that poor classroom attendance also demoralised teachers. We decided that we had to bring in seriousness among the students, to elevate the status of the course and the standard of ILS Law College. For nearly 80 years, classroom attendance was not compulsory. Students

Next step: ILS Law University Only two weeks back we got permission from the Pune University to have a PhD centre at ILS Law College. So, today the college can offer undergraduate and postgraduate education, as well as PhD. So, if we want to convert ILS into a university, the set-up is now complete. The next step is to convert ILS Law College into ILS Law University. rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 27

CORPORATE LIFE

THE HR ‘BELL-CURVE’

IS IT DEAD OR ALIVE? Whether you are a top, average or a bottom performer, is a question that almost every employee dreads in the run-up to the much awaited appraisal trip and its aftermath. Companies are gradually switching their ‘appraisal’ gears in favour of new inclusive assessment tools such as feedback-based performance systems, or absolute rating that takes cognisance of employee-employer dialogue in assessing an employee’s performance.

This means that the much in use ‘bellcurve’ strategy has almost reached its nemesis as many companies say they no longer resort to force-bracket individuals into performance categories.

Also, the trend for yearly appraisals is slowly being replaced by ‘checkpoint’ reviews where employees are subjected to multiple yearly appraisals, as against a single annual review.

Others have since implemented more inclusive evaluation processes that are supposedly friendlier in tone and help to empower employees at all levels in their assessments. One of the pitfalls of the ‘bell-curve’ system was documented in a Harvard Business Review (HBR) article in 2012 that attributed Microsoft’s ‘lost decade’ to the rigidly implemented the bell-curve that encouraged engineers and developers, but also led them to compete with each other rather than work in collaboration. In an informal dipstick survey, Corporate Citizen attempts to unfurl the viability of the ‘bell-curve’

By Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar

I

28 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

have never been a fan of the bell-curve.

If there is a bell, there’s always ‘noise’.

It is not about the bell-curve, it is all about how you engage people. Why do you need a bell-curve? Why aren’t you putting learning as the focal point rather than performance as the point? When you put performance as the central point, then it becomes a bell-curve. When you put learning as the central point, performance becomes a sub-product of learning. But then

how do you reward people? Well, it’s a different ballgame altogether. You’ll have to move away from a task-based reward system to a team-based system. That’s what we are trying to do in terms of aligning our business. If you reward the team by moving away from a taskbased reward system to a team-based system, it helps. When you put an individual task, it always becomes a selfish goal. Then you don’t put the organisation before you. When there is a complex customer problem, and we work

If you reward the team by moving away from a task-based reward system to a team-based system, it helps. When you put an individual task, it always becomes a selfish goal. Then you don’t put the organisation before you. When there is a complex customer problem, and we work as a team and the entire team gets a reward VINODH CHELAMBATHODI, Chief Human Resource Officer at Intellect Design Arena Limited

Role of HR in Today’s World’, the ‘bell-curve’ is far from redundant in the entire performance evaluation process. “While there are companies who have moved away from it to try and implement other methods, there are those that still swear by the bell-curve.

To draw a parallel from the fashion apparel industry—some of the trends of Short Kurtis or Anakarlis (for women) or bandhgala or, Nehru’ jackets (for men) had been shelved for several decades before making a comeback again in the last few years.”

Aparna explained that there was a lot of criticism for the bell-curve; hence everyone wanted to try out alternate evaluation methods. “Few companies have jumped onto the bandwagon after internal alignment on the alternate method. However, please note that there is a science and art involved in the Performance Appraisal & Evaluation process.

The current day Performance management processes followed in organisations of which bell-curve was a part had both the Science & Art parts to it. Moving away from this method since it did not agree with those who fell on the bottom (lower end) of the curve, can be a populist stand. Needless to say, we must keep improvising and reviewing processes based on employee feedback so that they remain dynamic,” said Aparna.

Wave of disengagement It was quite a big wave of a change since 2013 in corporate appraisal mechanism when bigwigs, the likes of Accenture, CISCO and online retailers like Flipkart, Yepme and cab aggregator Ola joined the tribe of companies such as Microsoft Services, Google, Adobe, and KPMG to gradually discard the bell-curve and similar methods deployed for annual performance appraisals. Companies like

“Bell-curve is merely a representation of learning curve for employees and to view it the workplace evil only poses question mark on our own conditioning and value systems” ARTI RAGHAVA, Director of Human Resources at JW Marriott Hotel, Bengaluru

as a team and the entire team gets a reward, then we are on the right track, says Vinodh Chelambathodi, Chief Human Resource Officer at Intellect Design Arena Limited (a Polaris Group company).

However, the notion on the viability of the bell-curve continues to engage enough debates and mixed feelings amongst HR circles.

When it comes to embracing the bell-curve mechanism, sector-specific HR functions do make the call in favour of employee engagement—with or without the bell-curve ‘aura’.

For Arti Raghava, Director of Human Resources at JW Marriott Hotel, Bengaluru, despite the recent trends of prominent corporate players moving away from ‘bell-curve’; it still holds good for the hospitality industry in India. “The merits for redundancy of the bellcurve and usefulness enjoy equal merits when you look at the foundation of both systems.

The undeniable reality in current scenario of pegging an employee’s performance in comparison to another one is embedded in our conditioning. It starts early in our life from when we are learning to walk and its impact on parents is evident in all generations including millennia’s,” she said.

For Aparna Sharma, Senior HR Leader, Independent Director on the Board of T S Alloys Ltd. and a author of ‘Reality Bytes -The April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 29

CORPORATE LIFE

While there are companies who have moved away from it to try and implement other methods, there are those that still swear by the bell-curve.

To draw a parallel from the fashion apparel industry - some of the trends of short kurtis or anakarlis (for women) or bandhgala or Nehru’ jackets (for men) APARNA SHARMA, Senior HR Leader, Independent Director on the Board of T S Alloys Ltd.

Juniper and Kelly Services abandoned the bell-curve much before the others did. For Accenture, the idea was to build on their ongoing real-time feedback mechanisms which were seen as a positive step for its employees; around 30 percent (2015) of whom were based out of India. In fact, GE, the pioneer of the bell-curve momentum in HR circles too has gradually transitioned to more moderate mechanisms in assessing their employees.

The surge continued in 2015, as Infosys too slowly moved away from the bell-curve by bringing in more flexibility amongst managers in assessing their teams but, retained their ratings system.

Sectors bell‘ing’ the curve “The ‘bell-curve’ is still considered a key parameter to design a company’s compensation and benefit approach as well as identify key development areas and providing career opportunities. The utility stretches further in shaping succession planning strategies to elevate organisation’s human capital management efforts and capabilities. This utility is of great advantage to human resources when the performance management is given its due credit and performed with the utmost sincerity. A meaningful and well-structured performance management is significant in driving a company’s talent management strategies and aligning it with overall business 30 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

success,” explained Arti Raghava.

Hospitality industry “The bell-curve still carries a lot of weight in our industry as it aids to address many complex decisions with regards to the organisation’s talent management strategies as mentioned before including succession planning. Human work behaviour is very dynamic and ‘bell-curve’ performance approach has been delivering sustainable support in successfully achieving our business goals and managing the human capital assets. Though, ‘bell-curve’ system has been receiving much criticism in recent times, it truthfully and sincerely projects our most basic human needs of finding a way to categorise front-runners and followers. If this system deserves to be redundant then the first step has to be look at societal norms and conditioning our children from early age to promote a non-rating approach and non-competitive environment for everything they go through from childhood to finding admission in top schools and finding employment in top companies,” said Arti. According to Arti, the hospital-

ity industry represents many intangible performance goals for employees and many are very challenging to translate into a boxed approach of appraisals. The ‘bell-curve’ therefore is a true fit in the hospitality industry as it helps line managers to really appreciate those employees, who excel in comparison to average performers. “This is most noteworthy usefulness of ‘bell-curve’ in face of imbedded complexities of rating human behaviour at work functioning at different motivational level though performing in similar environments”, Arti said.

While the debate rages on whether to completely axe the bell-curve, Aparna’s remedy to the bell-curve syndrome is that, “Alternate (appraisal) processes which are/will be followed are more subjective and fluid and have to stand the test of time and a few appraisal cycles before the final verdict is in their favour.

The moot point is that organisations need to follow the Performance Management Process with an ongoing feedback and assessment mechanism for it to get embedded into the organisational culture”. sangeetagd2010@gmail.com

CLAPS & SLAPS

Corporate Citizen claps for ‘Teacher Truancy Terminator’, Manoj Mishra, a district education officer in Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, who is fighting one of the biggest obstacles of absenteeism amongst teachers in India. India represents one of the largest primary school systems in the world.

Corporate Citizen slaps Hyderabad-based IVRCL Infrastructures & Projects Limited and its officials who described the collapse of the elevated highway that was under-construction in Kolkata’s congested Burrabazar, Howrah area, as ‘an act of God’ over which they had just no control.

Mishra’s arrival in Deoria in 2014 was fraught with the challenge of 40 percent of its district teachers being absent on any given day from its 2,700 schools. Mishra has now took on the challenge and has affirmed that teacher attendance has soared to above 90 percent, and this is about the best that can be expected when sickness and personal matters are considered. A study led by Karthik Muralidharan, from the University of California, San Diego states that teacher truancy run as high as 46 percent in some states while nearly 24 percent of rural Indian teachers were absent during random visits.

Chronicled as a ‘New Age hero’ in local newspapers, Mishra is revered by the old as well as the young. But, for the 42 year-old education ‘messiah’ in Mishra, this journey was roughed up by goons and political cronies of truant teachers as he decided to levy harsh punishments and refused to get bullied by threats. Teachers have not only threatened to kill Mishra, but have harassed him by turning his desk upside down and protested against him outside his very own office. Ministers and legislators also demanded him to ease up. But, the young man responded by packing his own loaded pistol, hiring private security guards and setting up CCTV in his office and did not get bogged down by such negative pressures. Just like an investigating officer, he unfolded scams where teachers filled primary school vacancies through fraudulent methods, and some who did even not attend school for over six months or even lived in distant cities like Mumbai, yet drew their teacher’s salary in UP. He then began a crusade to check the ‘hand in glove’ cover-ups with support from almost everyone except the defaulters and their allies. He not only raided schools each month but also set up a tollfree number to report truant teachers by painting the numbers on every school wall.

The company has been constructing the flyover since 2009 on Vivekananda Road in Kolkata, and has continued to dub the calamity as an “accident”. Calamity or accident, the episode has claimed 25 lives and brought shivers across 100s of survivors around one of Kolkata’s crowded Ganesh Talkies area. Although the West Bengal government deployed close to 500 people from various rescue capacities along with the Army and the National Disaster Response Force, the work of these good Samaritans cannot wash away the sins of company officials. It’s a shame as K. Panduranga Rao, Group Head (HR & Admin), IVRCL, said, “It’s nothing but a God’s act. So far in 27 years we have constructed several number of bridges... such thing (collapse) never happened.” IVRCL legal head too is reported as saying, “We are surprised and extremely shocked. We are there to cooperate with investigation, but investigation takes time.” The Kolkata Police has registered a case against the construction firm under Sections 304, 308 and 407 of the IPC and sealed the local office of company. To add more fuel to fire, the “calamity” or the lack of construction precision or sheer negligence—has unfurled a political mayhem once again in political circles on the issue. As 10 IVRCL officials have been detained, the political slugfest saw the opposition accusing the West Bengal CM, Mamata Banerjee’s government of callousness. It is alleged that IVRCL was blacklisted since 2011 by central agencies and other state governments, and has become the ‘bitter pill’ that the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has to swallow as they did nothing to disband the company from continuing with the said flyover project. Trinamool Congress and the BJP continued to jibe with each other as Union Minister M A Naqvi accused the state government of ‘criminal negligence’ in relief work, which the TMC described as ‘cheap politics’. The CPM claimed the CM had pushed IVRCL to hasten the project, so it could be completed before the upcoming Assembly polls.

April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 31

COVER STORY Dynamic Duo: 28

CAROLINE AND PRINCE AUGUSTIN

Crackling Chemistry Dr Prince Augustin, Executive Vice President - Group Human Capital & Leadership Development at the Mahindra Group, a post-graduate MBA in Human Resources from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management in Pune, who also holds a graduate degree in Law, specialising in Labour Law from the Government Law College, Mumbai and a Doctorate in Management from BITS Mesra, Ranchi, has over three decades of experience in the field of Human Resources. Prince has been associated with leading companies such as the Associated Cement Companies Limited and Castrol India Ltd, in the past, before joining the Mahindra Group in August 2003. He is intelligent, affable and completely down-to-earth. Dr Prince and his wife Caroline, an academician, now into social service, make for a vibrant couple. As different as they are as chalk and cheese, their chemistry is evident. They complement each other’s strengths and support in each other’s struggles, and show by example what a good marriage is all about. Caroline, fondly known as Carol, former teacher and school principal, is warm, soft-spoken and cheerful. Their home is beautifully done up by Carol. Her aesthetic sense reflects in the paintings and sketches and visual appeal. In an in-depth and insightful interview with Corporate Citizen, Prince and Caroline take us through their early days of marriage, struggles, challenges, journey of life, bringing up children and so on. Read on…

By Mahalakshmi Hariharan ‘The proposal’ Says Carol, “It was an arranged marriage. A friend of mine who happened to be Prince’s cousin took the initiative to get us together.”

While Prince is not from Mumbai, Carol is born and brought up in the financial capital. The couple first met in 1986. “Though we met in 1986, at that point in time, he wasn’t ready to get married due to family commitments, so the proposal just fizzled out. But after three years, in 1989, once again the proposal came by. I was still unmarried then and things moved ahead (laughs). My mother somehow had this intuition that he is the one for me. Well, was Prince ready to tie the knot then? “Yes, I was. I was planning to settle down so decided to go ahead,” says Prince.

Journey of being together Today, it’s 26 years since this charming couple got married. Well, it was all destiny. They were destined to be with each other.

What was their experience like? Says Carol, “Not an easy one. It’s been a roller coaster ride, with ups and downs, highs and lows, exciting and not-so-exciting moments in our relationship. Sometimes he is unpredictable. Initially I found it quite challenging, but then I decided to take it one step at a time and move ahead… and I survived… (laughs).”

The couple courted each other for six months after the engagement before they tied the knot, when they would occasionally meet up for movies or lunch/dinner (remember, there were

32 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

no malls then). “We couldn’t afford a car, so we often used public transport. He did have a twowheeler, but I wasn’t too comfortable with it. So we would travel by cabs or autos.”

Relocating to Mumbai Recalls Prince, “Mumbai was definitely not the place I wanted to settle down. Life is not easy here. It’s crowded. I used to live with my aunt then, despite having company accommodation.

At that point in time, I thought of moving out of Mumbai but my career brought me here.”

There was an incident after which he decided to stay back. “There was a time when I was so fed up of Mumbai that I decided to move out of the city, to join another large organisation in

PICS: YUSUF KHAN

‘The mindset in families, organisations and society has to be different because every generation creates a new mindset.

This is the generation of freedom and passion; earlier it was commitment and living life, and before that it was all about making life’ AprilApril 16-30, 16-30, 20162016 / Corporate / Corporate Citizen Citizen / 33/ 33

COVER STORY a different city, and boarded the train at CST. But then, something struck me… I thought to myself… What would I do in a remote location... away from the comfort of family? Immediately, I got down at Dadar station and came back to my aunt’s place,” laughs Prince.

“Later I started working with ACC Ltd. After six to eight months I went to join the Jamul plant in Madhya Pradesh, near Bhilai. We had the best cement plant then. After a year and a half, I got transferred back to the corporate office. Initially, travelling in Mumbai was quite painful and tedious. But then Mumbai has a way of catching up to you. You make friends, have a social circle and then life becomes better,” adds Prince.

“When you start your career, life is difficult.

You don’t have a vehicle, you do everything on your own… you are an individual contributor but after a period of four to five years, when you do have people helping you, people working for you, things become different. You can then plan the way ahead. As you grow higher, your responsibilities increase and you grow,” says Prince.

Complementing each other Talking about some of the qualities that the couple admire about each other, says Prince, “What I like about my better half is that she is a much organised person. She knows how to prioritise things. Since the time we got married, given my

‘I am not too social in nature so I am not on Facebook or Twitter or any of the social media platforms. I feel my life is very personal and I am quite happy with the number of friends I have… and I don’t really feel like going out and making more friends or trying to connect with people I’ve not been in touch with’ — Carol 34 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

tight work schedule, I’ve never had to look into things besides work. When I reach work, I tend to forget home and when I am home, I forget work. She knows how to effectively manage the home and children.” Carol notes, “Prince is an organised person as far as work is concerned. So I organise things at home. Wherever I find there are shortcomings from his end, I try to bridge the gap.”

Says Carol, “He is headstrong and stands up for people. We complement each other with our diverse strengths. The trust and faith that we have in each other is immense. What I like about him is that he has a mind of his own. He is very upright. I completely support and admire this quality of his. He will stand for justice and fight hard. But yes, sometimes he also fights at the wrong places, for the wrong kind of people (laughs). He is also very committed to whatever he takes up.”

“She is very accommodative and helps me think. I have a philosophy---if anyone comes to me for help, I should find a way to help them.

Though she does feel that I go overboard, I actually don’t… I feel since God has helped me, I have reached a particular position and level and have what I wanted, I should share what I have.

One common thing we have is that we are both religious. I also don’t have to worry about what happens at home. She will take good care of all the minute details. I do consider myself blessed,” th says Prince. say Sidelines to work “I like l to watch movies – all kinds. I draw lessons from them and often use them in my less conversation, my work, and while I facilitate con programmes. I also use many scenes from movpro ies, conversations, stories, themes to convey a message and ensure better understanding,” says mes Prince who is also an avid traveller. “I have been Prin to most m parts of the world, mostly as part of my work. I also like photography and try my hand work at it sometimes,” adds Prince. Carol adds, “He likes photography but has never had the time to focus fo on it and develop the skill. Maybe after retirement he could look at it. I recall… about retire 15 years ye back, he had bought a good camera and was kkeen on developing photography as a hobby couldn’t pursue it.” but co When asked about Carol’s favourite pastime, Wh laughs, saying, “I am not a movie buff. For she la movies, is probably a way of him, watching w unwinding. It may not be a language that he follows… he can even watch a Bangla or Bhojpuri movie. I prefer to go for a movie only after reading the review and being convinced that it will interest me.”

She adds, “I prefer a short movie, not more than 1.5 hours. I don’t like to sit for too long to watch a movie. Also, because I was a teacher, I was always on the move. Even at home, I keep

Prince along with Anand Mahindra, Chairman - Mahindra Group (L) and Rajeev Dubey, Group President (HR & Corporate Services) & CEO (After-Market Sector) (second from left) receiving the Aon Hewitt Award for M&M being acknowledged as Top Tenth company globally for leaders to work for

walking around. I am fond of live shows, theatre plays and live musical performances. I like to attend these performances often… but yes, he doesn’t come along.”

Social life While Prince has a very active social life, Carol prefers to have a small circle of friends - her childhood friends with whom she’s still in touch, a few of her college friends, and colleagues of all age groups, even much older than her, but on the same wavelength as her.

It’s different for Prince. Besides staying in touch with his childhood friends, friends from college and ex-colleagues, Prince travels extensively where he meets a lot of people, and likes to be in touch with them as well. He also has friends in politics and in social service. “I am well networked and well connected and tend to make friends easily.” On that Carol says, “He goes out of his way to make friends.

Relationships mean a lot to him. He actively participates in family functions and celebrations too, both in and outside Mumbai and sincerely makes it a point to be there.”

She has a different outlook. “I don’t find the need to expand my social circle, I am quite content with myself. Even if I have to go for a movie, I can go alone. I can go seeing places on my own,” says Carol. “I like to visit the Jehangir Art Gallery (which he is not aware of) and go to Delhi Darbar and have my biryani there. I still remember once when he had called, I told him that I just had biryani at Delhi Darbar and was visiting the Jehangir Art Gallery. He wondered what interested

me there,” she laughs aloud, adding that these are some of the differences in their interests and she is happy doing it alone. “I don’t really need a friend or my spouse to come along,” says she.

Social media is a tool Prince is quite social media-savvy, and active on Facebook and Twitter. “I do stay in touch with people also because I have to ensure that our company brand has been positioned appropriately. I take care to see the kind of communication that happens, and the way the message reaches the people. I am not very Twitter savvy but I am active on Facebook,” he says.

Says Carol, “I am not too social in nature so I am not on Facebook or Twitter or any of the social media platforms. I feel my life is very personal and I am quite happy with the number of friends I have… and I don’t really feel like going out and making more friends or trying to connect with people I’ve not been in touch with. I am in a limited number of WhatsApp groups with like-minded friends.”

Carol’s career path “I was never career-oriented. I was always fond of kids. At one stage, I also wanted to do Home Science. But later I decided to take up teaching so that I could manage home as well. I also wanted to have a weekly off (Thursday) in addition to a Sunday, along with the two month-break that we get. I was never keen on taking up a corporate job. By taking up teaching as a career, I was able to manage both ends pretty well.”

Carol worked with Our Lady of Perpetual Succour High School (OLPS School) in Chembur, Mumbai for 25 years. “Frankly, not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would work for so long. After completing my Bachelor in Education (B.Ed.), I went on to teach in a residential school in Mount Abu, along with two of my batchmates, for about two semesters. On coming back I joined OLPS… and well, like they say, the rest is history (laughs).”

Carol was promoted as principal of the school in 2007, when she was just 43 years old. She was the youngest principal of the institution. While Carol was not keen on taking up the post of the Principal, the encouragement of Prince and his

‘When you start your career, life is difficult. You don’t have a vehicle, you do everything on your own… you are an individual contributor but after a period of four to five years, when you do have people helping you, people working for you, things become different’ — prince April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 35

COVER STORY

FAMILY BONDING: Dr Prince with wife, Carol and children, Jonathan and Juanita

mother helped Carol take up the challenge “My mother-in-law had visualised me as the principal ten years even before I took over as one. She used to be very proud of me.” Carol opted for VRS (Voluntary Retirement Scheme) in 2013. “The school management was not keen on leaving me as I still had nine years to officially retire at 58.”

Challenges as a principal “Since I had no administrative experience whatsoever, I was a bit apprehensive taking up this position. I had supportive managers (the priests) for support. Being an aided school, it had some kind of Government control. We also had some demands from the Government. I had to connect with education department officials, face their demands for admissions and recruitment of staff, as well as handle complaints from parents on various issues. So from being a teacher where I only had to teach, suddenly I was accountable for over 3,000 children, and about 100 staff members,” recalls Carol.

36 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

Balancing both ends “When I took over as the principal, our son had just finished school and daughter had finished her second standard.” Prince and Carol have two children, Jonathan, born in 1991, and Juanita, born in 1998. “My mom-in-law was a huge support. There were many tasks which I would do at home, taken over by her so that I didn’t have to worry about them. She made sure I didn’t have anything to attend to when I came home from work. Once I became the principal, there were many responsibilities. As a teacher, I would generally be home by 1.30 pm, but after taking over as the principal, I used to work long hours. I had to wait after school hours for meetings with staff, with education officials, so my mom-in-law had to look after the children at home. By the time I decided to take voluntary retirement, my son had grown up and could take care of himself,” says Carol.

Children’s growing-up days Says Carol, “Our children are like others, of the present generation. Extremely tech-savvy and

brand conscious, while I am technologically challenged (laughs).”

Prince follows, “I couldn’t spend much time with my children when they were very young, as my job entailed a lot of travelling. My mother took very good care of them then. But I like what they like… watching movies, visiting places and so on.”

He adds, “My children are very different from each other. Jonathan is more fun-loving and happy-go-lucky, he takes life as it comes. He wants to be a filmmaker. Juanita is serious, studious and committed. She wants to be a lawyer.

They have been given a lot of freedom.”

Carol chips in, “Yes, while they have the freedom, and we support them in what they want to do, there are restrictions too. I am a disciplinarian. It is not entirely true that Prince did not spend time with them, because when Jonathan was small, Prince would take him cycling, or a drive post-dinner. He would even take our son to watch the buffaloes at the ‘tabela’ after getting back home in the evening. But when Juanita was small, he didn’t have much time, he was re-

ally caught up with work. He had climbed up the corporate ladder then, so was busy. Also, Juanita was not interested in these kind of things.”

She adds, “He started connecting with them only when he could talk to them, especially with Jonathan, as he grew up… and then they would have a man-to-man conversation. He couldn’t indulge in baby talk, or pampering… he is not that type. So he couldn’t connect with them when they were small. I would take them out for their swimming lessons and other activities. You won’t believe, Juanita visited Juhu beach only when she was in the eighth or ninth standard.

She was more exposed to the beaches abroad.

She started travelling when she was just four months old. I still remember, Jonathan would hit the beach, play in the mud and get dirty, but Juanita didn’t like doing anything of that sort.

Even as children, they never fought with each other. Given the age difference -- almost eight years -- he would carry her around like a child till the time she was in the third standard. She would always say ‘chetta chetta, carry me’ (chetta is ‘elder brother’ in Malayalam). He would call her his baby.”

Interestingly, Juanita is more attached to her mother. “Generally you find the daughter more attached to the father, but here it is not (laughs).

But they are both attached to me. I connect well with them.”

Who calls the shots at home?

“Carol,” says Prince, smiling. “Of course, I do consult him,” smiles Carol. “There are times when I have to take a call on certain things and he is not around. But when I goof up…I had it,” laughs Carol. “Now he is mellowing down, not mellowed down, but trying to mellow down…”

When asked about Prince’s nature, whether he is short-tempered, he says, “I am not short-tempered.” Counters Carol, “He does have a temper.”

“He is a perfectionist where work is concerned… he is very demanding,” says Carol.

“When I plan something, it has to happen, come what may,” says Prince.

“Well that’s the case at work as well as home,” notes Carol. “If he decides to do something, it has to be done,” laughs Carol.

Youngsters then and now “There is a huge difference. In those days, come what may, children were more respectful and they knew that they needed a teacher. Today, they feel they don’t need a teacher, maybe because of technology. Their relationship with their parents has also changed in a big way. I have had parents of students coming over, complaining about the attitude of their children. I could understand their anguish. With so many years of experience with children and observing them from close quarters, I could sense if the child was going through an emotional trauma or is there

CHILDREN SPEAK

J

onathan, Prince’s elder son, who is into filmmaking, is coming up with his first movie -- The Lift Boy. Says Jonathan, “I didn’t attend any kind of film school as such. I finished my HSC from St Xavier’s College, Mumbai and went to the UK to do my Bachelors in Advertising and Marketing, Masters in Advertising and worked there for a while.”

He adds, “The Lift Boy will be my first feature film. It’s a two-hour film on the lift boy. There are eleven main characters who will all be chosen from Mumbai itself.

I am interviewing a few casting directors as of now. Once that part is done, we will pass the cast and then start working on the movie.”

The movie is projected to release on the 27 December, 2016. Jonathan and Juanita are both closer to mom than dad.

S

ays Juanita, who aspires to be a lawyer, “Well, I’m closer to mom.

I was very close to my paternal grandma while I was growing.”

Juanita is doing her IB at ACS International Singapore, and from there hopes to move to pursue her education at UK. Talking about the difference in education system in India and Singapore, she says, “Education is far more competitive in Singapore than here in India. You actually have to be completely thorough with your basic concepts there. Here it is more about books and theory while there it is more practical.”

any other issue that the parents are not aware of or they needed professional help. In a sense, when I was the principal, I could reach out to a number of students,” says Carol.

Climbing up the corporate ladder “My work timings are quite crazy. The only holiday I take is during Christmas. I work 14-15 hours a day. We work five days a week, but there’s always some work on Saturday. During Christmas, I make it a point to take an off for 1012 days and take my family out,” says Prince.

On that Carol notes, “Well, that’s mandatory leave (laughs). There was a time when we all had vacations at the same time so we would plan a holiday together.”

“We’ve been taking vacations abroad, the last five or six years. Earlier, they were more in India,” adds Prince.

Prince has been associated with the Mahindra Group since the past 14 years and it has been a good innings. “While the company grew, I also grew. My roles kept changing to more strategic ones. I always wanted my ideas to get implemented. People have been very supportive. It’s a people’s organisation, much diversified, so you can experiment in a very big way… even if you fail, you don’t have to fear. You can quickly learn and ensure you don’t repeat it. We are particular about the people we hire, I have worked with very good bosses and colleagues. I started working in 1984 and today it’s been over three decades. My first ten years were in Industrial Relations, the next ten years were all about change and transformation and in the last ten years I’ve been into planning, conceptualising and bringing about change. When you grow with the organisation, the emotional connect also grows.”

Travelling for leisure or work “We got our first car soon after we got married.

We got a second-hand Fiat then, taking a company loan. But trust me, it was not easy using the vehicle then. Today, you can’t go anywhere without a vehicle.” recalls Prince.

Carol adds, “He loves to drive. When we go long distance, Prince is at the wheel and the driver sits behind. Prince enjoys driving.”

“In the 1990s when we got our first car, we would only drive in the city. Initially for the first few years, your salary is barely sufficient to keep the home fires burning. After a few years when you climb up the corporate ladder, as your remuneration increases, you can afford a better-quality life,” says Prince. He adds, “I even drive down to Kerala while Carol takes a flight.

She doesn’t like to travel by road. So we meet in Kerala and go around (smiles). It takes just one and a half days and I take my driver along, my brother also joins me. We take turns at driving.

The companies I worked for had guest houses everywhere so we would often stop at the guest April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 37

COVER STORY house and spend the night there. I don’t drive after 8 pm. Since travelling is my hobby, I ensure that I see most of the places. As part of my work, I travel a lot… but that’s for official work. At times Carol joins me. Carol has travelled and seen most parts of the world. I have seen most parts of the world, but mostly in conference rooms, airports, universities, highways and wherever I travel (laughs). I have never seen much of the countries, per

se, except for Switzerland which was a trip for work-cum-leisure, in 1999. That was our first international holiday. Subsequently we started travelling frequently. I travel almost 15 days in a month.”

Carol adds, “Now that I am free, I join him for short trips. When he is busy with work, I go out on my own. So we have covered most of the continents, except for South America and Antarctica. I have categorically told him that before he retires, we need to go to South America.”

‘Patience, commitment and tolerance are extremely essential for any marriage to work.

Marriage is about making an effort. But sadly, today’s youngsters lack most of the qualities needed for marriage to work’ — Carol

People’s person – Prince “I have been a people’s person right from my school days,” says Prince.

Agrees Carol, “HR is the right field for him.”

Adds Prince, “I wanted to be a lawyer, so I completed my Law but then it takes long to establish oneself as a lawyer, so I didn’t opt for Law as a career. But I still feel I could have done well in Law.” “I completely agree with that bit because my mother-in-law, his brother and Prince are born lawyers, you cannot win an argument with them.

So I wasn’t surprised when my daughter said she wanted to take up Law. My brother-in-law’s daughter is also pursuing Law,” smiles Carol.

Sharing work stories with Carol “Not always. He does, sometimes,” says Carol.

“I don’t mix work and personal life. I keep them separate. When I leave home, I forget home and when I leave work, I switch off,” notes Prince.

“Yeah… he gets so engrossed with his work once he steps out of home, he even forgets if someone’s sick at home. But, when my mother-in-law was quite unwell, towards the end, it started affecting him and he found it difficult to focus on his work,” says Carol.

38 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

How to make a marriage work “I feel today’s youngsters are too selfish and selfcentred. Their tolerance level is ‘zero’. Patience, commitment and tolerance are extremely essential for any marriage to work. Marriage is about making an effort. But sadly, today’s youngsters lack most of the qualities needed for marriage to work. They should understand that there is a divine power to guide them. Seek that help… everything will fall in place. The problem of religious intolerance is because of selfishness and rigidness,” says Carol.

According to Prince, youngsters lead a very different life today. “They have a lot of freedom, and their parents provide them everything. They don’t need to take up a job. They can follow their passion. They are influenced by the media in a big way, positively or negatively. They have got very self-centred, they don’t want to compromise. Their parents have had a tough life and are doing quite well for themselves today. So they provide their children a better life than they had.

In my case, I didn’t get to choose my career, I happened to choose a role which took me to my destiny.”

Adds Prince, “And if things don’t go their way, they jump on to something else. Keeping them engaged with a particular set of thoughts is not easy. But if you can get their passion, their commitment, they do much better work. Today the world is connected and you need to be tech savvy. At my workplace, when I get youngsters to work with me, I get them to research, and give them a lot of freedom and space but ensure that there’s no monotony. They don’t like monotonous jobs today. They like challenges.”

“Yes, but challenges on their own terms and conditions,” laughs Carol.

“So the mindset in families, organisations and society has to be different because every generation creates a new mindset. This is the generation of freedom and passion; earlier it was commitment and living life, and before that it was all about making life. The world is changing. Technology has made life very comfortable.

Travel is comfortable, you aren’t exposed to the rigours of the weather. I remember my grandfather would work in the fields, without tractors, under the scorching heat of the sun. They had no diet restrictions and no comforts, but still had a very rich life, unlike today, where it is more stressful, and the environment is more polluted.

I can recall my childhood days and the joy I felt in going to my native place and being with my grandfather. But today, when I go to my village, I start feeling hot, only because we have got conditioned to this way of life,” says Prince.

Live-in relationships?

“No, I don’t believe in live-in relationships.

Marriage has some kind of sanctity attached to it. Our faith teaches us that marriage is a sacra-

ment,” says Carol, promptly.

Adds Prince, “The world has changed. Each one has the freedom to choose his/her life. I have a set of thoughts which match hers. We believe in the divine power and blessings of God. God has been very kind to us. I had nothing when I started, but today I have everything that I wanted. A lot of people have not been so fortunate…”

“But that has kept us grounded and developed the attitude of gratitude in us,” says Carol.

“Live-in relationships are something I don’t believe in. You never keep coins with you… but always keep the big notes. For me, marriage is like a big note and live-in relationships are like coins. One can decide for oneself, whether you want to deal with loose coins or deal with the big notes. Today youngsters are not ready for commitment and prefer live-in relationships as a way of expressing their freedom, with no strings attached, no bonds with each other. As values change, the meaning of life also changes,” says Prince.

Being fit, mind and body Says Prince, “Earlier, I wasn’t so health-conscious. If you want a healthy mind, you ought to follow a healthy lifestyle. Youngsters today are very health-conscious, but they don’t check the kind of food they eat. I ensure that I have time to hit the gym, go for a walk, read. Reading is also part of my work. I cannot be in this role if I don’t read. I have always loved to read since my childhood days. I liked to read different kinds of books. By the time I was in the fifth standard, I had read all books by Enid Blyton, and by the time I was in the tenth standard, I had finished reading all the series by James Hadley Chase. If you are not contemporary, you get outdated. So I ensure that I upskill myself. A year ago, I got my doctorate and now I am getting certified as an international coach. So I constantly look for new ways of challenging myself. I realised much later that health was something I ought to have focused on, much earlier.”

Carol says, “Yes, I am quite health-conscious, but have a weakness for sweets. I don’t have a lot of fried foods. I am very particular about what is cooked at home. I prefer organic foods. Though we are non-vegetarians, there is more vegetarian food cooked at home, more vegetables and fruits in the diet.”

Celebrating togetherness “I would say that it is only now that we are coming closer. During the last six years of my career as principal, work was hectic and there were many challenging moments both at home and the institution. At that time, Prince stood by me.

I used to be highly stressed those days. But now I have time for myself, time for introspection and I am taking life as it comes. So now it’s one day

at a time. When I am not stressed, I have more time to listen and to share,” says Carol.

“Am I right?” Carol questions Prince, laughing.

“Yes… during our early days together, we were both caught up with work.

Her work wasn’t very hectic but was stressful. She had to manage both home and school. My career was taking off, and I was very career-conscious. I don’t know if both the partners can pursue their careers at the same pace. It is not a very easy thing to do. One has to support the other,” says Prince.

Philosophy of life In this era when people in the corporate world are busy backstabbing each other, Prince says, “I have two to three philosophies in life – I will never backstab a person. Whatever I have to say, I will say straight on the face. It may not be very palatable, but that’s the way I am. I was never diplomatic but of late I have become diplomatic.

Even if there is politics, I will never be part of it. I say what I think is right. If I am wrong, I will change. You should stand for what you feel, and cannot be different to different people because then you don’t have an identity of your own.”

Says Carol, “Be honest, truthful and never give up your values, come what may. Stand for your rights and stick to it despite the challenges.”

She adds, “Being honest, respectful and reaching out to the needy are values we have grown up with. However, Prince goes a little overboard, and people do take advantage of him. When I sense that, I caution him. It’s not always true that people need help, sometimes they also take advantage of your niceness and generosity. Even with the children, I tell him not to indulge them. He has always got the children whatever they have demanded. I don’t do it.

So when it comes to asking for money or any gadget, they connect with the father because he

‘You never keep coins with you… but always keep the big notes.

For me, marriage is like a big note and live-in relationships are like coins. One can decide for oneself, whether you want to deal with loose coins or deal with the big notes’ — Prince never says no. I would like them to know the value of money. I am more practical while he is more emotional.”

Carol’s future plans “I am keen on getting into the area of social service. I have recently prepared a presentation on the subject of child sexual abuse. There isn’t much awareness in the society on this subject. I want more and more parents to know about this issue so that they can caution their children. So I have plans to take up this subject and work on it,” she signs off.

Mahalakshmi.H@corporatecitizen.in April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 39

CII CASE STUDY-1

COMPOSTWALI OF THE DAILY DUMP BY NAME OF THE AUTHOR: Prof. Jean Saldanha, IBS Business School, Gurgaon NAME OF THE CO-AUTHOR: Ms. Hempriya Banga, IBS Business School, Gurgaon

CII - Western Region 2ND EdgeFarmHR Case Study Writing Competition WINNER PRIMARY CATEGORY

Author: Prof. Jean Saldanha

An HR consultant and trainer, and Adjunct Professor for Organisational Behaviour, Human Resource Management at IBS Business School, Gurgaon, Jean teaches Industrial Relations, Leadership and Change Management and Strategic HRM. Jean has worked with Tata Share Registry, Britannia Industries, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation in various roles, largely in the Marketing and Personnel and Industrial Relations functions. She worked with HCL Technologies as Associate General Manager, in learning and development and as a consultant with American Express where she provided L&D consultancy.Jean is holds a Certificate in Change Management from ATD, USA, (formerly ASTD), is a certified ATD Master Trainer and holds a PF 16 certification. She holds a diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations, from Xavier Institute, Mumbai and a Master’s in HRM.

Co-Author: Ms. Hempriya Banga

An IT professional with a B. Tech in Computer Engineering, Hempriya has done a PGPM in Marketing and Business Analytics from IBS Business School, Gurgaon. She has 1.5 years work experience with Infosys Ltd., where she won a “Star of the Month award” in 2013. She has recently joined Newgen Technologies where she is responsible for product management and marketing of IT products.She has been recognized as an outstanding performer in the PGPM program at IBS with overall CGPA of 10. She was awarded a Gold Medal for excellence in the Summer Internship Program’2015 at IBS Gurgaon for marketing initiatives and content strategy for CRM at Jabong. She participates in animal welfare initiatives and loves adventure and exploring new places.

A Catalyst for Transformation and Cultural Change “It is inspirational, it is a movement. Customers call and say “We’d like to join your movement” and I say, “It’s not my movement, it’s all ours”.

“We’ve shown how fun it can be; we’ve enabled our partners to say, “This is what I can do”; people feel ownership; it builds a sense of community. I feel that that’s the contribution that’s most fulfilling for me and my team at The Daily Dump”.

- Poonam Bir Kasturi, CEO and founder of The Daily Dump 40 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

CII CASE STUDY-1

INTRODUCTION Poonam Bir Kasturi was awarded the 2015 India Social Entrepreneur of the year award by The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship in partnership with Jubilant Bhartia Foundation in November 2015 in New Delhi, in the presence of Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy of India. In 2014, she was awarded the Namma Bengaluru Social Entrepreneurship award. These are just two in a string of several honours and awards that she has received since 2007.

Poonam, founder and CEO of The Daily Dump, a small but rapidly growing private limited company, was based in Bangalore, a city once known as the Garden City of India, which had more recently been referred to as Garbage City1.

All over the country, the colossal problem of garbage continued to “pile” up. Estimated solid waste generation in the country was around 1.43 lakh tonnes per day, with Maharashtra generating the maximum per day at 26,820 tonnes2. As suggested by Ganeshwaran and Deepa Shri3, inadequate disposal practices lead to problems that will impair human and animal health and result in economic, environmental and biological losses. In Bangalore, in 2014, garbage dumping in village Mandur continued under a prohibitory order under Sec 144 of the CPC, with police protection, as villagers protested at their villages being destroyed with garbage4. Policy and implementation had so far proved wholly inadequate. In 2015, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India, drafted Waste Management Rules, 2015 and invited comments on the same5.

Corporate Citizen, the Exclusive Magazine Partner of the event, will publish the series of top Case Studies, one by one

In this backdrop, the Daily Dump was an organization that gave hope as it had found a workable solution to a part of the problem: dealing with organic waste and thereby reducing the quantum of garbage that often made other recyclable garbage unusable. More importantly, the Daily Dump created from the recycling process, “Black Gold”, or pure compost which could be easily used in kitchen gardens, reducing dependence on inorganic fertilizer.

The driving philosophy of The Daily Dump was, “Everyone can clean up India.”

The resource team, headed by Poonam Bir Kasturi, also known as the “Compostwali” achieved transformational progress in changing the way people thought about their garbage and in helping them establish a comfort level in handling their garbage.

This was by connecting directly with end users, driving the process of composting through rigorous training and follow up communication. According to Osman-Gani and Jacobs6, in the process of institutionalisation of organisational change, communication and training play more significant roles than other change management strategies. Poonam’s view was that their communication had to be light, inspiring and fun.

The organisation developed, across the country, a team of inspired dealers and franchisees who reached out to communities, educated them and drove the sale of a product that had scalability and scope to solve a macro level problem. Poonam, trained as an industrial designer, said that design, used well, can help you see whole systems.

The Daily Dump is a transformational organization that is a change mover for society and has driven mind set change in an area which no one likes – waste.

BACKGROUND The daughter of a designer, Poonam was deeply impacted by her father’s love for India and his mindset of finding solutions to immediate problems through design. Michael Fullan says, “Leadership is not mobilizing others to solve problems we already know how to solve but helping them to confront problems that have not yet been addressed successfully.”7 Poonam’s education in design was at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad where her first project was about waste in a city. After graduating, she set up a craft based design company called Industree with two partners. Five years later, she moved on to set up a proprietorship called Playnspeak, designing home products. She was a founding faculty member of the Shristi School of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore and worked there for twelve years, creating the curriculum, designing the pedagogy of the school and driving the vision.

Around the year 2005, even while she played a key role at the Shristi School of Art, Design and Technology, Poonam began to explore solutions to a problem that she could see growing out of control around her – the mountains of garbage being transported, at a huge expense, to landfills, causing long term damage on several counts.

Her garden became her first laboratory and for six years she operated The Daily Dump at home, with the co-operation and support of her family. Intense research drove her to find a solution to the exploding volumes of garbage as the city’s population grew rapidly. Poonam talked to citizens, environmentalists, recyclers, government officials and people involved in R&D and understood that the solution had to be different for each segment; a one size fits all approach would not work.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/it-was-filth-and-stench-all-the-way-in-bangalore/article3749382.ece, Jan 11 2016 timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Maharashtra-tops-in-solid-wste-generation/articleshow/46801657.cms, as of Apr 4, 2015, accessed on Jan 15, 2016 Pa. Ganeshwaran and S. Deepa Shri, A solid waste management in Coimbatore city, arpn Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, AUGUST 2015, VOL. 10, NO. 14, p.6180 4 http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/bangalore-fresh-row-police-protection-provided-for-garbage-disposal, June 4, 2014, accessed on Jan 15, 2016 5 http://envfor.nic.in/content/draft-waste-management-rules-2015-comments, Jan 15, 2016 6 AAhad M. Osman-Gani, Nanyang Technological University and Ronald L. Jacobs, The Ohio State University, Institutionalization of Organizational Change: A Study of HRD Interventions in Singaporean, US, Japanese, and German Companies, http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED492211,Jan 15, 2016 7 Fullan, Micheal and Arlette C. Ballew. Leading in a Culture of Change. San Francisco,CA: Jossey-Bass,2004,2 1 2 3

April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 41

CII CASE STUDY-1 As concerned citizens across the country are working towards building increased awareness of the danger of careless handling of waste, some alternative initiatives in this area, driving individual and community waste solutions are Ecobin14, Sudh Labh15, and Sahaas16. Some communities have experimented and come out with low cost models, which handle the domestic wet waste of a hundred families

Poonam said that analysis of typical Indian household waste was found to be 60% wet and 40% dry as compared to studies of Western households which typically yielded 30% wet waste.

SEEKING A SOLUTION Initial research made it abundantly clear that the cause of stink in domestic garbage was the wet component. Once segregated, dry garbage was largely free of odour. The key lay, therefore, in segregating wet and dry waste8. If segregated from wet domestic waste, dry garbage comprising plastic, paper, metal etc. could easily be recycled, whereas, unsegregated, it remained a part of the large putrid mess that went into landfills along with the wet garbage of a household. That left no scope at all for recycling of paper, plastic and metal. (Ref. Exhibit No. 8). With an investment of Rs. 2 lakhs in 2005, Poonam began her research and experimentation to find a composting solution which could address the wet waste at unit level.

She began with the “Kambha”9, a 3 pot vertical stack aerobic composter, made entirely of clay, with holes for aeration. A fragrant organic lemon spray helped reduce odour and an organic accelerator powder expedited the degradation of domestic waste. She later developed an organic remix powder, which completely eliminated the need to stir.

By the year 2016, she had a range of nine categories of products ranging from dry leaf composters to large modular units for wet waste, suited to apartment complexes, called Aaga10. Each Aaga was capable of dealing with 20 kg of wet waste each per day.

The leaf composter dealt with leaves and grass, which were not malodorous but presented a problem with disposal due to high volume. In cities where people had gardens and urban farms, leaves were often burnt causing air pollution or filled into plastic bags, adding more plastic into the system. The National Green Tribunal issued strict orders in 2015 that no garbage, leaves, plastic or metal waste were to be burnt in the National Capital Region as

pollution had reached alarming levels11.

CHALLENGES IN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT When the stack composter or “kambha” was designed, experts and scientists whom Poonam consulted found fault with the design.

Maggots, which were integral to the degradation process, were coming out of every gap and crawling around. This certainly was not a model that would work with households, particularly in urban areas where children often have an aversion to small and harmless insects, let alone maggots. Often, the clay lid would break, as cats or monkeys tried to get at the garbage.

In apartments, there was limited space for storage and therefore more hesitation to acquire the product, even if there was awareness and inclination. Hence, the product had to suit small balconies. Size, odour, speed of composting, presence of vermin were some of the issues that Poonam had to keep working on.

As Deutz, Neighbour and McGuire pointed out, “Eco design is difficult to argue against in principle, but in practice it is challenging to achieve. There is the issue of prioritising the issues of concern.”12

ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF COMPOSTING One of the most basic methods of composting is using a pit in the ground, which is commonly followed if space is available. Another method is the use of Bokashi13, which is anaerobic. Large pulverisers and bio gas plants are also used to degrade waste.

As concerned citizens across the country are working towards building increased awareness of the danger of careless handling of waste, some alternative initiatives in this area, driving individual and community waste solutions are Ecobin14, Sudh Labh15, and Sahaas16.

Some communities have experimented and come out with low cost models, which handle the domestic wet waste of a hundred families17.

THE PLAN UNFOLDED One aspect of wisdom that Poonam had picked up with her studies in design was not to jump into business too fast. After six years of running The Daily Dump as a proprietorship, Poonam felt ready to take a leap into becoming a business venture and was very clear that it had to break even immediately. Any surplus was put to use for research purposes while sales took care of expenses including salary to staff.

To support the effort of segregation, it was important that the dry waste be channelized as well. By engaging with dry waste recyclers, or “kabadiwalas”, a partnership in the form of www.recycleguru. in ensured that even hazardous dry waste had a proper channel for disposal.

Based on her earlier experience of working in the craft sector, Poonam had a strong inclination to provide a solution that would use terracotta so as to provide a livelihood, preserve culture and retain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXD-Km3zStc (Jan 12 2016); Segregating wet and dry waste https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7IM5sWl9GY (Jan 14, 2016) Use of the “Kambha” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecyfpJrzMzY Jan 12 2016; Use of the “Aaga” 11 http://www.livemint.com/Politics/1tQ1qQlR4qKexXG3IFdsGP/NGT-bans-burning-of-waste-in-Delhi-NCR.html, April 29, 2015, accessed on Jan 12 2016 12 Pauline Deutz,1* Gareth Neighbour2 and Michael McGuire2, 1 Department of Geography, University of Hull, Hull, UK, 2 Department of Engineering, University of Hull, Hull, UK, Integrating Sustainable Waste Management into Product Design: Sustainability as a Functional Requirement, Sustainable Development 18, 2010, p. 229 – 239 13 http://www.thealternative.in/lifestyle/composting-with-vani-murthy-bokashi,%20/Jan%2014,%202016, Jan 12, 2016 14 www.myecobin.in, Jan 12 2016 15 www.sudh-labh.in, Jan 12, 2016 16 http://saahas.org/, Jan 12 2016 17 http://savitahiremath.com/2014/11/26/community-composting-method-5-sudh-labh-means-low-investment-rs-6-15-monthly-outgo-per-home-for-100-units/, Jan 12, 2016 8 9

10

42 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

CII CASE STUDY-1 In an economy that is increasingly being driven by sale of chemical products, Poonam’s focus was on trying to gain back natural wisdom that seemed to be getting dissipated with increased urban upbringing of children. One step was to market natural products like ritha19, the soap nut, which washed clothes clean, organically and was even found safe to be used in a washing machine to wash valuable silk saris

a way of life for potters across the country. Six potter communities were engaged, in Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Gujarat.

Through the increased business based on orders placed with them

by The Daily Dump, youth in these communities were able to see a future in their craft18. One potter in Palamner, Andhra Pradesh, was able to revive his potter community, build a team of 15 potters, put up multiple sheds and buy half an acre of land with his increased income.

His life and community were transformed.

THE PRODUCT RANGE Being committed to rigorous and continuous research led to a new product being created every eighteen months or so. By 2016, The Daily Dump, had on display in its store, a range of over nine types of products, some targeted at composting, some at segregation and others at reduction in the use of chemicals where natural alternatives were available. (Ref. Exhibit 1).

In an economy that is increasingly being driven by sale of chemical products, Poonam’s focus was on trying to gain back natural wisdom that seemed to be getting dissipated with increased urban upbringing of children. One step was to market natural products like ritha19, the soap nut, which washed clothes clean, organically and was even found safe to be used in a washing machine to wash valuable silk saris. Additional value –add products thus found themselves on the shelves of The Daily Dump.

Product design kept in mind practical needs of users. Rakes, sieves and gloves were provided as a part of the kit to ensure no delay in composting activity.

Children’s books, particularly activity books on subjects like “What happens when a cow eats” were published, to ensure that young minds could be moulded to think positively about waste.

Colour coded segregation stands and bags with compartments made it easy for households to sort dry waste into easily resalable lots.

EXHIBIT NO 1: PRODUCT RANGE PRODUCTS  Terracotta Composters Leave-it Pot, Kambha 3 and 4 Tiered, Nano Kambha etc  Aaga Community Composter Large scale for group composting  Leaf & Flower Composters Steel Mesh leaf composter with pot , Pepal Leaf composter, etc  Remix Range Deluxe, Trio, Store, Lemon Grass refill etc  Accessories Short Rake, Microbes, Spray can, etc 18

19

http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/daily-dump-making- wealthwaste_1210347.html (Jan 4 2016); how to make wealth from waste, supporting livelihood http://www.dailydump.org/what_are_soap_nuts; Jan 13, 2016

 Harmless Home Products  Books Magic Gamla Pot, The Ouch and Moo Books  Sorting Products 4 Bag metal stand, Square Plastic Bins, etc  Awareness Products  Parts / Breakage Replacement Source: Poonam Bir Kasturi

RUNNING THE BUSINESS The Daily Dump sold directly to individuals and bulk customers, across the counter as well as online. Evangelists were enrolled as business partners in Bangalore as well as in other cities and given products for a discounted price, allowing a 30% margin on the sale price and a 30% margin for the potter. As potters in different parts of the country were located in villages, a load of 100 to 120 khambas was sent out in a lot to partners who used basements, terraces or rented godowns to store the load. Detailed MIS was maintained for tracking sale and usage of the product.

FUNDING Starting with Rs. 2 lakhs from her personal savings, Poonam managed research and operations entirely with sales from the product.

In 2011, she encouraged a team member, Anupama Muralidharan, to participate in a Leadership Development program, under the auspices of the Dasra Foundation ( www.dasra.org ) an organisation that connects philanthropists and new businesses. Anupama won a peer group business plan competition; the outcome was an offer of funding to The Daily Dump, totalling Rs. 25 lakhs, by two investors.

On accepting this funding, the organisation was converted into a private limited company, with investment as per Exhibit no.2.

EXHIBIT NO 2: SOURCES OF FUNDING 1. Poonam Bir Kasturi

Rs. 5 lakhs

Equity

2. KL Felicitas Foundation (“KLF”)

Rs. 20 lakhs

Debt convertible debentures

3. Ankur Advisory Services LLP (“Ankur Advisory”)

Rs. 5 lakhs

Debt convertible debentures

Source: Ms. Poonam Bir Kasturi

The organisation became more formalised but the passion was still evident in the fact that around 50% of employees were users of the product, prior to being hired. The newly constituted Board had

April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 43

CII CASE STUDY-1 It was imperative that a detailed plan be drawn up, for training of housekeeping staff prior to installation of the Aaga, after engaging with the Residents’ Associations. By December 2015, there were over 275 Aaga installed, each with a capacity to deal with the wet waste of 25 homes.

To ensure that final goals were realised, The Daily Dump provided support in the form of Annual Maintenance Contracts with monthly or weekly visits. Consultations were done with government bodies to promote the use of the Aaga, expert workshops were held and sessions were conducted to educate the general public

people from different streams, bringing in diverse experience and views (Exhibit No. 3).

EXHIBIT NO. 3: BOARD OF THE DAILY DUMP Ms Poonam Bir Kasturi (NID)

CEO & Founder, Design, Operations, Education

Mr. Chandrashekar Hariharan

MD & Founder: Zed Buildings Ecology , Green Buildings

Mr. Arjun Dey

IT, Strategic Inputs

Dr Anand Kasturi (IIT, IIM)

Executive Coach with extensive experience in Customer Service

Ms Ritu Verma, IIM, Ph.d INSEAD

Representative of investors , KLF Financial and Strategic inputs Source: Ms. Poonam Bir Kasturi

The funding enabled The Daily Dump to move out from Poonam’s garden to the well designed office premises it occupies today. Rs. 10 lakhs was spent on creating the dye for the Aaga and the rest went towards streamlining operations. The capital infusion drove the organisation to rapid growth as depicted in Exhibit no. 4.

population in apartment complexes, the need for engagement of residents in segregation was critical. In some cases, residents lost interest when they found that after their laborious segregation, the cleaning staff took all the garbage and put it in a single bin.

It was imperative that a detailed plan be drawn up, for training of housekeeping staff prior to installation of the Aaga, after engaging with the Residents’ Associations.

By December 2015, there were over 275 Aaga installed, each with a capacity to deal with the wet waste of 25 homes.

To ensure that final goals were realised, The Daily Dump provided support in the form of Annual Maintenance Contracts with monthly or weekly visits. Consultations were done with government bodies to promote the use of the Aaga, expert workshops were held and sessions were conducted to educate the general public.

The Daily Dump had 45 partners in 12 cities in India at the end of 2015. They were evangelists who, inspired by Poonam’s vision and product, took up partnerships and drove them with passion, conducting awareness seminars in their cities with follow up support.

EXHIBIT NO. 5 ORGANISATION STRUCTURE OF THE DAILY DUMP

EXHIBIT NO. 4: FINANCIAL POSITION FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS Year

Revenue (Rs.)

Profit/(Loss) (Rs.)

2013

2686251

(128000)

2014

7810118

(839584)

2015

12151775

593061 Source: Ms. Poonam Bir Kasturi

As of December 2015, Poonam had, available to her, a line of credit of Rs. 25 lakhs from the Indian Bank, under the MSME scheme for Women Entrepreneurs, which she planned to utilise in 2016.

Source: Mrs. Poonam Bir Kasturi

SCALING UP

DRIVING CULTURAL CHANGE

As a number of independent homes gave way to high rise apartments, Poonam realised that scalability of composting would come only with the Aaga. However, given the diversity of the

Indian society had a history of waste matter being the responsibility of someone else; keeping waste in one’s home or dealing with it oneself was unthinkable. Children were brought

44 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

CII CASE STUDY-1 up to believe that waste was ugly.

Workshops were conducted specifically for children and a mini model of the khamba was creating to encourage them to compost with small items, e.g. banana peels and delight in the process of creating compost. Kiosks at science fairs and appointment of children as “Waste Police” in residential complexes further helped build awareness and create excitement in children about the prospect of being able to save the earth. Gardening workshops, run by The Daily Dump, to demonstrate use of the compost, encouraged children to overcome their fears of bugs and crawling insects, while developing tactile delight in working with soil and connecting with the earth, a natural joy of which urban children are often deprived.

Poonam had no formal training in change management but read extensively on the subject and thought about how things worked; about what triggered change in her. She realised that one of the strengths of her product was its acceptability, it did not attract derision; there was value associated with it. Most importantly, it was simple. The change she wanted was to inculcate a belief and a habit; she did not want a happening, an event or a trend.

Poonam was clear that the collateral should be quirky and humorous. This was well reflected by the website of the organisation, www.dailydump.org. Some of the films created around the organisation reflected these qualities20. She was very clear that taking the moral high ground was not the way forward. Hard line activism was not an option either.

Resistance to the use of the product came in different forms. Some objected to having to deal with their waste while they paid taxes to the government; they insisted that it was the responsibility of the government. Others declared that it was not their job; they had their own cut out as they were educated for a purpose. Some vegetarians protested that since non vegetarian waste had been put into the composter, they would not use it in their gardens; in other cases, members of some communities highlighted that allowing maggots to grow and then die was not in keeping with their religious views; yet others professed that their caste did not allow them to soil their hands with waste. Within the household, if a daughter in law tried composting, a mother in law objected and so on. If a whole family was in agreement, the domestic help refused to co-operate.

Interaction with government found a disconnect with policy makers. Unit level solutions were not found to be valid and relied upon as there was no proven case of solutions being successful at unit level.

Poonam realised that she was not in the composting business as much as she was in the business of changing mindsets. Getting people to be comfortable dealing with their own domestic waste, stirring the waste for quicker degradation, feeling the compost between their fingers and feeling proud of the effort and the result, all these were critical to the success of the initiative.

Poonam’s outlook was not one of selling on a large scale and then having people neglect and “dump” their purchases in the corner of a garage. People needed to evolve as composters who undertook this activity with pride and a connect to the earth, with a sense of preserving the earth. A change in outlook and habits was critical to the success of this mission. It had to become a way of life.

Workshops were conducted specifically for children and a mini model of the khamba was creating to encourage them to compost with small items, e.g. banana peels and delight in the process of creating compost. Kiosks at science fairs and appointment of children as “Waste Police” in residential complexes further helped build awareness and create excitement in children about the prospect of being able to save the earth. Gardening workshops, run by The Daily Dump, to demonstrate use of the compost, encouraged children to overcome their fears of bugs and crawling insects

Edgar Schein stated that culture was a pattern of shared basic assumptions that was learned by a group as it as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration that had worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to these problems21.

As Poonam defined the culture of The Daily Dump, through a process of exploration, she drove the need to perceive, think and feel differently among those her organisation came in contact with: children perceived bugs differently; homemakers thought positively about their garbage, housekeeping staff developed pride in a process that was otherwise mundane, partners discovered the power of their convictions and actions.

All employees of the organisation were treated as equals and encouraged to make suggestions, irrespective of the task they handled.

Given the nature of the business and the Indian mindset on status, this was a major statement of the core values of The Daily Dump.

Every second day an engagement activity was held; there were film screenings, followed by discussions. Employees at all levels shared their to-do lists at the morning meetings, ensuring that they stayed connected on core priorities; they conducted classes during which they worked directly with wet garbage and conveyed with pride that they were a set of game changers for Indian society.

Itika Gupta22, Operations Manager and head of Customer Support said, “Poonam is obsessed with perfection; she pushes each one to be a leader, to be a better person. She promised to teach me design, shared material and gave me a window to the world of design. She is constantly retraining, reiterating and driving employees to learn.

Each employee is encouraged to think of himself or herself as a designer, to be unbiased and to develop a solution oriented approach.

She is a constant inspiration.”

One of Poonam’s core philosophies was that there could be no talking down and preaching in the entire initiative; each potential user had to understand his or her own role in participating in this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGBv8TjCgAw; accessed Jan 14, 2016; Compost and be a better person with Daily Dump Schein Edgar H., Organisation Culture and Leadership, Jossey Bass, San Francisco, 2004 Chapter 1, 38 22 Itika Gupta, B.E. (Elec), M.A. Liberal Arts, Young India Fellow, spent five years working in sanitation with the Bill Gates Foundation prior to joining The Daily Dump as Operations Manager 20 21

April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 45

CII CASE STUDY-1 A proud user of the product typically showed visitors to his house the khamba with pride as he explained its functionality. There were many clones in Bangalore and other cities as well. In a world of patents and copyrights, Poonam proved that she was an entrepreneur with a difference.

She had no objections to the clones that copied the kambha and marketed it for commercial success; her mission was to make every Indian take responsibility for the garbage generated around him. This outlook, after investing several years in research, deeply embodied the culture of The Daily Dump. Through the composting venture, a new community emerged: kambha users who had never gardened before. Faced with a free supply of compost, they suddenly found themselves interested in gardening. Poonam realised that promoting organic gardening should probably be the next step for her organisation

exercise, derive the joy and satisfaction of having contributed to the preservation process and most importantly, have fun while doing it.

A proud user of the product typically showed visitors to his house the khamba with pride as he explained its functionality.

There were many clones in Bangalore and other cities as well. In a world of patents and copyrights, Poonam proved that she was an entrepreneur with a difference. She had no objections to the clones that copied the kambha and marketed it for commercial success; her mission was to make every Indian take responsibility for the garbage generated around him. This outlook, after investing several years in research, deeply embodied the culture of The Daily Dump.

Through the composting venture, a new community emerged: kambha users who had never gardened before. Faced with a free supply of compost, they suddenly found themselves interested in gardening. Poonam realised that promoting organic gardening should probably be the next step for her organisation.

had as many gifts as he needed to present for the next few months.

These were indicators that it was no longer about a product; a lifestyle shift had happened.

EXHIBIT NO. 6: HONOUR AND AWARDS Achievement Award Nominee

INDEX Award

2007

Winner

Better Interior Magazine Winner of Green Product of the Year

2008

Nominee

TATA NEN Hottest StartUps

2008

Winner

Star Entrepreneur Award by International India Innovation

International India Innovation

2009

Finalist

Sankalp Award in Emerging Category

Sankalp Social Enterprise

2009

Winner

TED India Fellow

2009

Winner

16 Inventions that boost Habitats, Humanity, Health and Happiness

2009

Winner

Helsinki Lab's Case Study on Thinking Big, Starting Small

2010

SIGNS OF VICTORY Poonam began to get recognised at various forums and won several awards for her unique offering. (Exhibit No. 6). Signs of accomplishment came in strange forms. In a traditional home, when an elderly woman passed away, family members, typically, may have had expectations of a legacy of jewellery. News reached Poonam that one elderly committed crusader had willed her “kambha” to her neighbour.

Increasingly, there was feedback from new customers that they had been introduced to the product when they had visited a composting family and were shown the wonderful results. Users shared how, through taking responsibility for their waste, and making their own compost, they felt evolved. Some shared how the experience of giving back to Mother Earth was so overwhelming that it had converted them from reckless consumers to frugal, minimalistic people, always conscious of their carbon footprint.

Jayawanth, a customer, posted on the website, “Thank you very much for your commitment to such a fundamental cause - should be the hallmark of any civilization and for delivering the lecture and demonstrating the product”23. This post was a deep appreciation of Poonam’s role and a powerful reminder that we create and drive our civilization.

Another customer visited the office of The Daily Dump periodically and drove away with as many pieces as his car could hold, so that he

46 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

Name of the Year of Organization Achievement

http://www.dailydump.org/customers_speak, Jan 13 2016

23

CII CASE STUDY-1 Launch of National School Sanitation Project at Vigyan Bhavan

Featured

Kambha; with Mr Aamir Khan and Mr Kapil Sibal

Winner

LeapVault Green Change Leadership Award

2010

Winner

TimberLand Unsung Hero Eco-Warrior Award

2010

Finalist

Sankalp Award in Health, Water and Sanitation

2011

Featured

Report on Innovation, “ India Innovates”

Winner

“Honorable Mention” in the Green Dot Awards

Winner

Amazing Indians - Urban Crusaders Award

Times Now TV

2013

Appreciation

Saluted for her small actions making a big difference

HUL Do Gooder’s initiative

2013

Winner

H R Prathiba award

Rotary Downtown

2013

Winner

Namma Bengaluru - Social Entrepreuner Award

Finalist

Parivartan Sustainability Trailblazer of the Year

Participant

Runwaytosuccess Competition

CII

2010

2011

2012

Namma Bengaluru Foundation

2014

2014

Lufthansa

2014

Source: Mrs. Poonam Bir Kasturi

STEPS FORWARD From 2006 onwards, turnover doubled every year. Annual Maintenance Contracts were found to be very useful to ensure that dropout rate of new customers was kept to the minimum.

As of December 2015, around 25000 families and 30 commercial establishments were using products of The Daily

The Daily Dump Office, which, Poonam says, was the world’s first Waste Shop, had exhibits to attract even the most disinterested passerby.

There were displays of the various products, interspersed with charts and samples of degradation processes of items like plastic, highlighting that while the main effort was to degrade kitchen waste, the end result was prevention of huge quantities of plastic and other waste from getting into the soil. One of Poonam’s key philosophies about making it fun and engaging for young minds, was embodied in the design of the office cum shop, with the use of colour to create a cheerful ambience

Dump for composting, thereby keeping around 20 tonnes of wet waste away from landfills daily. This was a mere drop in the ocean.

Poonam’s view was that the government could play a role through incentivising composting particularly for large societies, either as rewards or tax concessions.

Poonam’s focus remained on design and research for newer solutions. Employees at every level were motivated to think from a design perspective and regularly make suggestions. Each employee had a research responsibility; progress was made by iterating with design as the core philosophy. Every eighteen months or so, a new product emerged. As Udai Pareek stated, “Innovation should become a part of the regular organisational functioning. Then it gets institutionalised.”24

INSTITUTIONALISING CULTURE THROUGH OFFICE DESIGN Pareek said, “Culture is reflected in the artifacts- rituals, design of space, furniture and ways of dealing with various phenomena”.

The Daily Dump Office, which, Poonam says, was the world’s first Waste Shop, had exhibits to attract even the most disinterested passerby. There were displays of the various products, interspersed with charts and samples of degradation processes of items like plastic, highlighting that while the main effort was to degrade kitchen waste, the end result was prevention of huge quantities of plastic and other waste from getting into the soil.

One of Poonam’s key philosophies about making it fun and engaging for young minds, was embodied in the design of the office cum shop, with the use of colour to create a cheerful ambience. Quite regularly, children’s birthday parties were held in the shop and take home gifts from the parties were items from the repertoire, such as mini composters. Posters and recycling models to educate visitors adorned the walls creating curiosity and attracting visitors to read and examine.

(Udai Pareek, Organisation Culture and climate, Chpt 7, Organisational Culture, Pg 209 &122, ICFAI University Press)

24

April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 47

CII CASE STUDY-1 EXHIBIT NO. 7 SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVES TO CREATE LESS WASTE

As Poonam introspected on the tenth anniversary, she was deeply grateful that she had enjoyed the journey so far, and had managed to spread the idea so wide. She envisaged an increased role of government as composting was a powerful solution to the menacing problem of waste disposal, with no cost whatsoever to government.

Even while she questioned herself and others about whether it was enough and what else she could do, she realised that solutions needed to be provided through prototyping and incentivisation to achieve a complete remedy. At a macro level, an option would be to engage with construction companies, particularly those promoting themselves as “green”, to incorporate a wet waste management system at the time of designing the structure. For eco-design to be effective, sustainable waste management must be established as a functional requirement in the design process.

The dilemma of scaling up, the risks involved and the strengthening of the organisation to drive and sustain growth needed to be addressed.

A robust model for expansion needed to be examined. Fresh sources of funding had to be identified and pursued to drive expansion.

CONCLUSION Source:Display at the office of The Daily Dump

EXHIBIT NO. 8 DISPLAY ON HOW SEGREGATED PLASTIC CAN BE REUSED

Poonam was a contestant in the program, “Runway to Success”, sponsored by Lufthansa, aired on the television channel ET Now, on July 20, 201525. In the presence of eminent co-jurist Mr. G.V. Prasad, Co Chairman and CEO of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Ms. Nandini Vaidynathan, a renowned business expert and CMD of CARMa Venture Services said to Poonam, “You have brought a thought leadership component to business. There is an evangelical quality about your business. Not many businesses can claim that.”

This, in essence, sums up the transformational business run by Poonam Bir Kasturi.

SUGGESTED READING:

Source: Office display at The Daily Dump

PLAN FOR THE FUTURE As this unique transformational business celebrated its tenth year of existence in 2016, plans were to grow to revenue of 10 crores.

Promoting organic gardening, in the next two years, through use of the compost as well as sale of organic seeds and increased buy back of the compost created through the AAGA were on the cards. The Daily Dump had invested in purchasing one acre of land in Palamner, Andhra Pradesh, where one of the potters was located, to develop a pottery industry with necessary machines. An expert was hired to apply new technology into the pottery creation at all four locations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxtUMuaoTsw&list=PL6fnOW-Mtx8cFumd1C3qqRwEfZNeRdy7h, ET Now: Runway to Success; Jan 14, 2016

25

48 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

 http://www.kotterinternational.com/the-8-step-process-forleading-change  Pareek Udai, Organisational Culture and Climate, ICFAI University Press, 2007. Print.  Fullan, Micheal and Arlette C. Ballew. Leading in a Culture of Change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2004. Print.  Schein Edgar H., Organisation Culture and Leadership, San Francisco, CA; Jossey-Bass, 2004.Print  Mourier Pierre and Smith Martin, Change Management: Conquering Organizational Change, Mumbai; Jaico Publishing House, 2006. Print

DISCLAIMER:

The views expressed in the published CASE STUDIES belong to the Author / Co-Author (s) of the respective case studies, and not necessarily those of CII’s.

The copyright of these case studies, however, belong to CII. Reproduction, in any matter, without prior permission from CII is expressly prohibited.

NOTE: CII has given exclusive permission to CORPORATE CITIZEN to publish the CASE STUDY only, in full, and without any changes / modifications.

Reproduction in parts is not allowed.

For further information, please contact: Snehada Fatterpekar, Executive – Human Resources & Industrial Relations, CII Western Region, Email: f.snehada@cii.in

MOBILE APPS

How to use your mobile phone safely CHECK USER GUIDE FOR SAR INFORMATION

As of today, there are more phones than people in India. At least onethird of these are smartphones.

Everyone knows the advantages of carrying phones, but did you know that there is a major flip side?

Mobile phones emit radio-frequency radiations which doctors say can cause cancer. But you needn’t panic just yet. Corporate Citizen brings you the following tips to use your mobile phone in order to keep you and your family safe

By Neeraj Varty

MOBILE PHONES ARE TESTED FOR SAR COMPLIANCE AGAINST HEAD AND BODY

Always use a hands-free headset or the speakerphone setting when talking on your cell phone. Some researchers say a wired headset, especially a 'hollow tube' headset you can special-order—which will be labelled as such and uses hollow tubes rather than wires to conduct sound—is the best. But even a Bluetooth wireless headset will reduce your radio-frequency radiation exposure by several thousand-fold.

Keep the phone off your body. Carry your phone in a purse or bag with the antenna (back of the phone) pointed away from you, not in your pocket. When you’re talking on it (with a headset or on speakerphone) put it on a table in front of you. Just a few inches can substantially reduce your radiation exposure.

Text instead of talking. Holding your cell phone away from your head to send text messages exposes you to less radiation than talking on it without a headset.

Turn it off. Phones only emit radio-frequency radiation when they’re searching for or receiving a signal, so a phone that’s off or in 'airplane mode' is safe. It’s recommended to turn off your phone before going to bed every night.

Replace cordless phones with corded models. Cordless phones can emit as

much radiation as cell phones.

Use a low-radiation cell phone. Cell phone retailers are required to display the specific absorbency rate (SAR), or the amount of radiation a phone causes your body to absorb.

A SAR value of less than 2.0 is legally required, but a rating of less than 1.0 is much preferred.

Make sure you check your phone’s user manual to get the accurate value. But no matter how low the SAR of your phone is, it’s still important to keep the phone away from your head and body whenever possible.

Keep your cell phone, cordless phone, and Wi-Fi modem away from your head.

All three will expose you to radio-frequency radiation, so banish all three from the bedroom or, at least, keep them away from your head and body. If you must have wireless Internet, turn off your router when you’re not using it, especially at night—a power strip with a timer can help.

Keep your phone fully charged. When a cell phone’s signal strength is weak or blocked, it has to work harder—and consequently emits more radiation.

Be wary of devices that claim to block EMF exposure. A Google search yielded 236,000 results for 'EMF protection,' most of which were sites selling 'protective' devices ranging from pendants and crystals to microchips and herbal remedies. Most experts agree that many are based on pseudo-science and there’s no evidence that they work. Some “EMF shields” for your phone can actually increase the amount of radiation that it emits, since they block the signal and the phone has to work harder.

Don’t give cell phones to young children as toys or pacifiers. If you occasionally let your small tot play angry birds on your cell phone, put it into 'airplane mode' so it won’t search for a signal—which means it won’t emit radiations.

Take care with older children. Children are more susceptible to potential harm from radio-frequency radiations than adults. If you give your children a cell phone for safety reasons, also give them a headset and encourage them to text or use the speakerphone instead of putting the phone close to their heads. neeraj.varty@corporatecitizen.com April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 49

LOVED & MARRIED TOO

The

balancing

It is not often these days that a college romance fructifies into a wedlock. Corporate Citizen unlocks the story of love that has culminated into marriage, for we believe in the stability of a relationship and family unit.

We bring to you real-life romances that got sealed in marriage

factor

Software couple Bela Kher and Milind Chitambar on how their marriage is a winning combination of opposite personalities—and a shared value system; and how being employed with the same organisation has actually worked out in their favour

By Kalyani Sardesai

R

elationship—and management gurus will have you know that working together is not a great idea for a married couple. Double the stress, double the chances of stepping on each other’s toes, and just about half the space.

Ah, but that’s theory.

In practice, things can and do work out well.

It just depends on the individuals involved. Ask Bela Kher (40) and Milind Chitambar (41).

Married for over 16 years — and employed with Capgemini (for even longer)—their partnership both at the work and home front has worked out well, thanks.

“Being employed with the same organisation can be a boon, provided you are reasonable about it. It helps you understand each other’s stress and issues; at the same time, it is possible to share a quick meal or chat over a pressing matter,” says Bela, a delivery manager with Capgemini. “It also helps to have an extended group of friends and work associates who form an important part of your environment.”

That said, they work on different projects and do not directly work with/associate with each other, adds Milind, a Director with the company. “It’s a careful balance, but it’s not difficult,” he points out.

Pic: Yusuf Khan

How it all started While Bela is a BE (Electronics) from Pune’s COEP, Milind completed his BE in Computer Science from Government College of Engineering (Aurangabad.) Both met in the US in 1999 while on deputation for a project. “I was attracted to her simplicity and her smile,” shares Milind. “She does not talk a lot, but is sincere and committed to whatever she takes up.”

As far as Bela was concerned, she liked him for his friendliness and open-mindedness. “I had heard of him while in Pune, but had actually never got around to knowing him. As we got talking, we realised we shared a lot in common, besides our similar education and family back-

50 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

grounds. Both of us, for example, enjoy sports and music. So we had a lot to talk about.”

Interestingly, Milind is also conversant with astrology; however, he denies to the day that his decision to marry Bela had anything to do with the stars. “He says he did not consult the charts,” she smiles.

A year after, they returned to India to formalise their nuptials. “Here’s where both sets of parents finally met each other,” says Milind.

“While they were curious, they left our choice of partner entirely to us, because they trusted our judgment and the fact that we were old enough to decide. Besides, thanks to the similarities in education and cultural backgrounds (both are Maharashtrians), there wasn’t much to object in the first place.”

The couple returned to the US for the next few years, before finally returning to India in 2004.

Pillars of a marriage “Those early days we spent with each other laid the foundation of our relationship,” reminisces Milind. “In the absence of family and friends we grew to depend on each other. In my case, I am grateful for her calming presence in my life, and that she helped me channelise my energies in a more focused manner.

I would highly recommend this investment of time to each and every couple as the initial days of your marriage set the tone for the rest

of your life.

Sure, careers are important, but it is crucial to know each other as well. It is entirely possible to achieve this in the IT world, with one partner taking on a more challenging job profile, even as the other takes on a less demanding one. But simultaneously taking on high-stress assignments is not a great idea.”

For her part, Bela says the shared itinerary of common hobbies—is very comforting. “We listen to old Hindi songs, catch late night movies and stay up talking late,” she says.

Another favourite pastime is visiting amusement parks. “We did a lot of this in the US. The scarier the ride, the better,” she grins. “Be it roller-coasters or the House of Horrors, we simply thrive on the adrenaline pumping experience.

Luckily our son has also inherited this complete lack of fear from us.”

Another boon is the support system the couple enjoy from their parents. “Thanks to my inlaws’ presence our son Tanish (now 11) never had to be put in day care. Besides, his parents are very encouraging of my dreams, and I really appreciate it.”

Parenting is another area of teamwork. “I tend to be the stricter parent, while he is easiergoing,” says Bela. “For me, it is important to lay down a structure and discipline vis-à-vis his studies and other activities. On the other hand, Milind tends to focus on exposing him to different stimuli like sports and good films that assist his overall personality growth. Of course, I too, enjoy reading books with Tanish and playing an

The mantras of a happy marriage z Give each other sufficient time z Know each other well z If you work in the same organisation, keep a sufficient distance and autonomy in your work profiles. A related group of friends, on the other hand, can be a great advantage in your favour z Do not carry work pressures home z Parenting is a shared responsibility

In a corporate world “While I personally have nothing against couples that choose to live in, it was never an option for us,” says Bela. “We rooted for family, and the stability provided by a married family life and that has held us in good stead.”

Even as Milind does concede that the corporate world can be tricky territory indeed. “One hears of affairs happening at the work place, simply because of the number of hours you put in. Also, earlier on, women were not financially stable, and hung on to relationships out of lack of choice. These days, however, everyone seems to have too many choices. The key, once again, is

“Both of us believe that all a kid really needs is love,” says Milind. “While Bela is particular about his studies, neither of us believe in pressurising the child. Let him take up what he loves and enjoys.” occasional board game.”

“Both of us believe that all a kid really needs is love, “says Milind.

“While Bela is particular about his studies, neither of us believe in pressurising the child. Let him take up what he loves and enjoys.”

Quality time as family includes vacations that give them time to unwind, swim and relax. “Honestly, I don’t see the point of hectic and chock-a-block tours,” says Bela.

So who apologises in case of fights and disagreements ? “It all depends on the situation,” says Bela. “Whoever is responsible tends to accept the onus.”

correcting the balance, reworking priorities and spending more time with family.”

Personally, he gives all credit to their middle-class upbringing for inculcating a basic “integrity” towards every aspect of their life.

“We value our work and relationships, and take nothing for granted,” he says. “Also, it has taught us patience even in the face of tough professional experiences.”

A lot of young IT professionals find themselves in big cities sans family as the grounding factor.

“But even in such cases, families and parents can stay in touch with the youngsters. A phone call or two, on a daily basis makes all the difference in the world. At the end of the day, the choices a person makes, boils down to whether or not they feel loved and valued. If they do, they would automatically think twice about making decisions that are likely to let down those who trust them.” kalyanisardesai@gmail.com April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 51

#EY SURVEY

How India’s banking sector can stage a turnaround

The banking and financial sector is one of the most resilient sectors of business services – but it isn’t bulletproof. Recent news around the rising ‘Non-Performing Assets’ (NPAs) and instances of bribery and corruption has brought to the fore the maladies of the banking sector in India, which is facing its worst-ever crisis yet. What lies at the core of this crisis? And what can financial institutes do to turn it around? Reputed global professional services firm Ernst & Young attempts to answer the burning questions by unmasking India’s NPA issues in a bare-it-all survey. Corporate Citizen brings you their findings. By Neeraj Varty

T

he risks for banks in India have skyrocketed over the last few years. Mounting bad loans in the banking sector have been the focus of media headlines, which directly reflects the financial health of the institutions. According to data released by the RBI (the graph on the text page), there has been a sharp rise

52 April 5 / Corporate Citizen / A p il 16-30, 2016 pr

in the quantum of NPAs reported by banks.

This is not only affecting their balance sheets (higher provisions), but perhaps impacting the economy as well.

According to the RBI, as of March 2016, there are 7,129 defaulting loan accounts, having a total debt of ₹70,540 crore.

What is more worrying is the fact that the lion’s share of the loans classified as wilful

defaulter accounts is on the balance sheet of public sector banks (PSBs)—₹57,795 crore from 6,251 accounts. State Bank of India tops the list of lenders with largest share of wilful defaulter loans—₹12,091 crore from 1,034 accounts, followed by Punjab National Bank which has wilful defaulter loans worth ₹9,445 crore and Central Bank of India with ₹3,574 crore loans from 639 accounts.

72%

15%

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The mood of the financial experts is not upbeat about the NPA situation. Over 72 percent of the respondents feel that this is just the tip of the iceberg

High-value loans have gone bad, in spite of large banks either being part of the multiple lending arrangements or under a consortium. So the question remains, is the rise in NPAs due to internal lapses in due diligence at banks or are complexities of business making it difficult to detect issues/any wrongdoings by the borrowers at an early stage? The survey respondents have stated that these are a result of both internal and external factors.

Restructuring – solution or compounding the problem?

Aggregate debt - INR in crores

Analysis of corporates approaching CDR 5,00,000

647

cases

4,00,000 3,00,000 2,00,000

Banks have been reeling under pressure due to the rising number of defaults affecting their bottom line. As a result, they are looking at Corporate Debt Restructuring (CDR) to streamline their loans. Through this process, banks agree to restructure the loan to a lesser amount while taking a hit, with the hopes that at least some of the money can be realised. Data available from CDR India shows a steep increase, 187 percent in number of cases referred to CDR (from 225 to 647), whereas in terms of amount it is more than 370 percent during the period 2008-09 to 2014-15.

225

cases

1,00,000 0

2008-09

2014-15 (upto Dec’14)

CDR cell - Progress Report as on 31 Dec 2014 (since inception) | Total: 647 cases

Aggregate debt - INR in crores

5,00,000 4,00,000 3,00,000

520

cases (only 15% of the cases have exited sucessfully)

2,00,000 1,00,000

5

cases

0 Total cases approved

Cases under consideration of CDR EG

122

cases Cases rejected before admission or approval

It’s not as if restructuring has made the situation any better.

As per media reports, around 40 percent of the loans restructured between 2011 and 2014 turned bad, raising alarms over the cases being put up for the restructuring process.

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April pril 16 p 16-30, 30, 2016 2016 6 / Corporate Citize Citizen en / 53

#EY SURVEY

87%

64%

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54%

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y

According to experts, wrong borrower selection, herd mentality of the bankers and lure of high real estate returns have driven the borrowers to fund illiquid/long gestation acquisitions through shortterm bank funds, leading to collapse of the system.

Not obtaining adequate tangible collateral security at the time of giving large loans is now coming back to bite the banking sector.

72% NPA crisis in India is set to worsen

Current environment

A separate dedicated team for account monitoring would assist in early identification of irregularities, if any, and focus on immediate remedial measures

72% Misuse of restructuring norms

87% Diversion of funds to unrelated business/ fraud

64% Lapses in the initial borrower due diligence (pre-sanction)

Root causes 43%

Change in political/ regulatory environment leading to business loss

56% Technology and data analytics lg a\]fla^q j]\ Ă&#x2013;Y_k' ]Yjdq warning signals

86%

Remedial measures

In conclusion, the corresponding graph represents the current NPA environment as well as the remedies for the banking sector to beat this crisis.

Need for a mechanism to identify hidden NPAs

68% Developing internal skill sets on credit assessment/ evaluation

91% Use of forensic audit to ascertain intent of the borrower

54 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

A slow but steady outlook RBI and the Ministry of Finance are now taking steps to mitigate the risks around the NPA bubble. The emphasis is more on proactively managing the account and identifying the early warning signals before it turns bad. Survey respondents highlighted the following key areas where investments would be made in the next year as part of their proactive strategies around managing NPAs

What’s the solution?

An overwhelming number of persons surveyed feel that in its current form, restructuring is being blatantly taken advantage of by borrowers.

Data analytics

56% Technology and data analytics

Data analytics is a valuable component to effectively conduct periodic reviews and audit. Analytics provides an insight into process anomalies, trends and risk indicators through the extraction and analysis of transactional data.

Effective background checks

56% Independent borrower background checks

Past history—earlier defaults, excise/ income tax raids and/or negative information about the borrower should be adequately disclosed to the sanctioning committee of banks. Apart from discussion with the borrower, surprise site visits should be undertaken, especially in case of high value loans.

Skill upgradation

68%

Credit teams/analysts need to undergo periodic training to upgrade their skills; scoring models, industry benchmarks and credit evaluation sheets Enhancing internal should be updated regularly.

skill sets on credit assessment/evaluation

Dedicated team to monitor accounts

47%

Formulating a separate team for monitoring of accounts

A separate dedicated team for account monitoring would assist in early identification of irregularities, if any, and focus on immediate remedial measures.

Market intelligence

25% Market intelligence

Public domain searches and market intelligence can assist banks to gather additional information around the borrower and its business operations, where indicators for suspicious activities exist. The new RBI guidelines have also emphasised on collecting independent information through market intelligence/public domain/ Registrar of Companies/defaulter list as a part of the pre-sanction process.

72%

19%

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According to bankers, when an independent body is doing the audit, the real fact shall surface and the decision shall be more correct. About 91 percent of the bankers stated that forensic audits should be made mandatory prior to restructuring of loans. Further, 54 percent of the respondents believed that forensic audit would help in weeding out “willful defaulters” from genuine borrowers and thereby reduce recovery costs/efforts. Additionally, 46 percent said that forensic audits would assist in rational decision-making for restructuring (early identification of diversion of funds/ fraud). neeraj.varty@corporatecitizen.com April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 55

CAMPUS PLACEMENT EXPERIENCE

IITian offers ‘himself’ on Flipkart Meet the genius, Aakash Neeraj Mittal from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur), who applied for the position of an Associate Product Manager at Flipkart by creating his CV that mimicked a product listing page, on Flipkart. After his CV went viral on the social media platform, he received a lot of job offers from various companies. He is studying each one of them and plans to opt for the best one. Aakash is studying in the fifth year of undergraduate studies at IIT Kharagpur. He is also the author of the novel, It Wasn’t Her Fault. Corporate Citizen talks to this young, vibrant and dynamic gentleman on his life at the campus, faculty, on the book he penned and tips to juniors to succeed

By Mahalakshmi Hariharan How did this idea of putting up your resume on Flipkart, for a job come up?

During the campus placement which happened in December, Flipkart came to our campus with this profile. They were offering ₹27,60,200 as a salary which was one of the highest packages for a domestic placement. They were going to choose two to three students out of the 1500 who were to apply. I knew that if I went through the traditional way, I would not make it to the interviews, since my competition was with best of the minds of the country. So, I thought of doing something different. What I did was, I designed their layout on Photoshop and showed myself as a product. I made a CV that resembled a product page from the e-commerce site.

They wanted someone creative and who could think out-of-the-box, so I showed them my creative side in this way.

Tell us about your campus placement experience.

I got two jobs from the campus - one was in an analytics firm called Affine Analytics and the other was in an e-commerce start-up called Voylla Fashion. I got placed on day 14. In the 56 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

IITs, December, ITs Ts placements plac acem emen ents ts start sta t rt from m 1 Dece cember ber which whi hich h is called as day one. Till December 14, more than 1000 students had got a job and I was not even getting a call for an interview, the reason being my low Cumulative Grade Points Average (CGPA). I realised during the placements that CGPA has become a criteria to judge the capability of a candidate.

Anyway, on day 14, these two companies came in and conducted an aptitude test. I had prepared a lot for these tests so it was quite easy for me to crack them. We later went through group discussion rounds, followed by three interviews of approximately one and half hours each, where they were asking puzzles, questions from probability and statistics, case studies and usual HR questions.

How was your life at the campus? Tell us about your experience on the campus with studies, extracurricular activities, college faculty and so on. How hectic was your schedule?

I am going to miss IIT Kharagpur a lot, once I am out on a different journey. IIT-KGP taught me a lot of things. One of the best things I learnt here is how to cope up with failure. I was a top-

perr throughout coming pe p throug h ugh hout ut my my school sc o llife. ifee Butt aft aft fter eer com mingg to IIT, within the first six months, I tasted failure. When the first semester results were out, I was in the bottom ten, reason being the life at IIT Kharagpur. IIT is a place where you meet so many different people and get to learn something new from each one of them. Apart from that, the resources which we get here, I don’t think we can have them in any other college.

They all help you in finding your real passion and then you start doing things which you haven’t done before. I realised that my passion was not engineering. I found my interest in creative things. Somehow I came across a heart touching story and started penning it down and after three years I got successful in creating a novel.

The academic schedules at IIT Kharagpur is not all that hectic. For the first three years, I had classes for 25 hours in a week, from Monday to Friday. In the fourth and fifth year, we usually had 10-12 hours of classes in a week. So, we did get a lot of time to do several other activities. In my case, I spent all my time in writing. It took me three years to pen down my book. I am specialising in Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture. I did my internship in a company called Radius Infratel

Aakash with his friends

Private Limited. I was a finance intern where I did a project on Working Capital Management.

Tell us about your faculty at IIT Kharagpur.

Faculties at IIT Kharagpur are world-class. In terms of knowledge, they are excellent – though in my case, I was not a good student for my professors since I was not academically sound.

After my book got published, things definitely changed for me. They never expected that I would write a book and now since I have, they are really proud on me. I remember I went to the head of my department to gift my book and he said to me – “I always used to scold you for your poor academic performance because I thought you are not doing justice to your capabilities and the resources which you are using here at IIT Kharagpur but now you have made me proud. I am really glad that you found your passion and have done a marvellous job.”

I have tried to connect the readers with the plight of a rape survivor so that we can change the persistent inclination of society to blame the victim.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Your education history and family.

I am currently a final year student at IIT Kharagpur, majoring in the department of Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture. It’s a five-year dual degree course, B Tech. plus M Tech. I was born in Moradabad, UP and currently live in New Delhi. I completed my 12th from Kalka Public School, New Delhi and my 10th from KCM Senior Secondary School.

We are three in the family - me, my mother and my elder sister. I lost my father five years back when I was in class 12th. My sister is a school teacher while my mom is self-employed.

After my resume went viral on social media, I received lot of offers. I am studying them and will choose the best one.

Storytelling is something which I am really passionate about

You’ve authored a book—’It wasn’t her fault’…tell us about it.

“It Wasn’t Her Fault” is based on a true story about a girl who was raped at the age of 15. It’s a story of two friends, Kavya and Aahan, and how the traumatic incident of rape shook their lives. The book explores the trials and tribulations of the victim as well as her best friend, who battles between the role he needs to play as a friend in her life and the immense love he is unable to express for her until it’s too late.

The book condemns the social stigmas attached with rape survivors and the culture of ostracizing and shunning them. I strongly believe that if we want to evolve as a society, we need to step into the shoes of the victim and only then, we can understand the pain a rape victims goes through. So, with this book, I have tried to do the same thing.

Tell us about your hobbies.

Reading, writing, playing chess and poker and collecting obsolete currency.

What are your future plans?

After my resume went viral on social media, I received lot of offers. I am currently studying each one of them and will choose the best one.

That apart, a lot of people from the corporate world have messaged me. They have appreciated my thinking and asked me to start something of my own. I am now working on one idea. If I get successful in this, I will open my own company.

Storytelling is something which I am really passionate about, and so I will continue doing that.

Looking for a story that can inspire people. The day I get it, I will start penning it down.

Aakash’s resume at the Flipkart website template

What is that one piece of advice you would like to give your juniors?

• Grades are important. They make your life easier. But, if by chance, you score poor marks, don’t be disheartened. There are lot of ways in which you can show what you are capable of.

In last one month, I have received 14 job offers.

Three months back, I didn’t receive a single call for any job interview and now companies are willing to offer me positions for marketing and product designer roles.

• Always go in the field of your interest. In the long run, you will get lot of success in that.

This is what my father said to me one day Make your life such that if later one day you sit and tell someone about your life, it is worth listening to.

Mahalakshmi.H@corporatecitizen.in

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tadka

Water crisis One in nine people worldwide do not have access to safe and clean drinking water. In developing countries like India, as much as 80 percent of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions.

April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 57

BOLLYWOOD BIZ

SUMMER BLOCKBUSTERS to take your children to Summer temperatures are soaring across India, and it’s time for the annual vacation break for kids. For those looking to beat the heat, this is the perfect time to take your children to the movies.

This issue, Corporate Citizen presents the best upcoming movies which will strike a chord with children and adults alike this summer vacation By Neeraj Varty

M

ovie studios are well aware that children are the biggest influencers when it comes to watching movies. Which is why they bring out the big guns during the summer, one of the most bountiful periods for cinemas. No expense is spared in creating spectacular blockbusters accompanied by a blitzkrieg of marketing to get moviegoers in the theatres. These may be children’s movies, but making them appeal to children is no child’s play!

Production budget $145 million

KUNG FU PANDA 3 RELEASING APRIL 1ST Kung Fu Panda 3 is Dreamworks studios third instalment in the story of Po, the food-loving Panda who becomes a Kung Fu master against all odds.

This movie is not just hilarious; the tale of an underdog eventually getting over his comeuppance is equally inspiring. Watch it for the goofy humour and breathtaking action sequences, which are guaranteed to take your breath away, no matter your age.

58 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

Production budget $400 million (including marketing expenses)

BATMAN VS SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE IN THEATRES Superhero movies have always been a hit with kids, and Superman and Batman have always been on the top of that list. However, this is the first time that both these iconic characters are battling it out on the big screen. The movie is a visual extravaganza this is sure to connect with children and younger adults. Just a week into its run and the movie has already become the sixth highest grossing movie of all time. Don’t miss it for the world.

No expense is spared in creating spectacular blockbusters accompanied by a blitzkrieg of marketing to get moviegoers in the theatres. These may be children’s movies, but making them appeal to children is no child’s play!

Production budget $100 million

THE JUNGLE BOOK IN THEATRES For people who grew up watching Doordarshan in the 90s, The Jungle Book will always bring a tinge of nostalgia. After what feels like an eternity, Disney is bringing the iconic character to the big screen in the form of a live action adaptation this summer.

This is the opportunity for a whole new generation of children to meet Mowgly, possible one of the greatest literary characters in modern history. This is the first Disney live action adaptation to be set in India and having an Indian lead character, which just makes it more irresistible. Take everyone from your kids to your parents for this movie.

The Jungle Book is a timeless story and will be loved by everybody.

ZOOTOPIA

Production budget $150 million

IN THEATRES This is something we Indians have learnt from the Panchatantra ages ago – Talking animals make for great stories. Disney knows this all too well, and Zootopia is the perfect example of how Disney plays to its strengths. Zootopia is a city of anthropomorphic animals, where a rookie bunny cop and a cynical con artist fox must work together to uncover a conspiracy. The movie is colourful and peppered with humour which is great for kids, as well as has an intelligent plot narrative which will appeal to adults of all ages. The movie is already a certified hit worldwide, having grossed over $500 million in its run. Make sure you don’t miss this one. neeraj.varty@corporatecitizen.com April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 59

PEARLS OF WISDOM

By Dada JP Vaswani

Difficulties come with a purpose Every one of us, poor or rich, frail or strong, disabled or fully able, ill or healthy, has the atmic shakti - the inner strength, which, when awakened, can help us face every obstacle, meet every challenge and overcome every difficulty. Successful men and women have used this inner strength and achieved great heights

T

he highway of life hardly gives anyone a smooth ride, although we are all apt to imagine that others have it easy. If truth were to be told, the journey of life is beset by obstacles, difficulties and challenges. There is none here who can say his life has been a joy ride, without bumps, without ups and downs.

Difficulties and misfortunes too, come with a purpose. For whatever happens, there is a reason! There is a hidden meaning, a meaning of mercy in all that happens to us. All incidents, events and accidents happen according to a

60 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

divinely ordained plan. If we make mistakes and are forced to pay a heavy price for them, this too has a learning purpose. Problems and challenges are thrown our way by the Divine Power to test our inner strength; to help us grow in spirit, and discover the true meaning of life.

Perhaps we are not aware, that within every one of us there is a source of spiritual strength, which, when tapped, can move mountains.

Every one of us, poor or rich, frail or strong, disabled or fully able, ill or healthy, has the atmic shakti, the inner strength which when awakened can help us face every obstacle, meet every challenge and overcome every difficulty.

Successful men and women have used this inner strength and achieved great heights.

Consider the well-known and well-loved story of Helen Keller. For her and her parents, her disabilities must have been unbearable burdens, severe handicaps, as they used to be called in those days! But Helen Keller discovered her purpose in life with great struggle and perseverance, with the help and support of her parents and teachers. At the age of 24, she graduated from Radcliffe, becoming the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. She went on to become a world-famous speaker and author. She is remembered today as an advocate for people

We are sure to find several challenges in life - physical, emotional and spiritual. They will always be there in the battlefield. We have to fight the battle; with faith in God fight has dwindled. I only want one favour from you. Please tell me a place where there are no problems to solve, no obstacles to overcome, no difficulties to be faced. I would like to go there and settle down for life. Do you know of any such place?” Mr Peale replied, “As a matter of fact, I do know of one such place.” “Please, tell me where it is,” said the friend. “I want to go there.” “The graveyard, just round the corner,” came the quick reply. “I know several people who have gone to dwell there permanently, and none of them has had any complaints so far.”

How many volunteers do you think will offer to go to this tension-free location?

When we are in the business of actually living life, we are sure to find that it poses several challenges, physical, emotional and spiritual.

Challenges are bound up with life. They will always be there in the battlefield that is life.

We have to fight the battle; with faith in God. Struggle is the true manifestation of life. A life without struggle would be like the dead. Such a life is only worth writing in an obituary in the newspaper.

In my opinion, struggles are not at all bad for us. Every struggle helps us to grow in the strength of the spirit and to rise above the superficialities of material life. I will even go so far as to say that struggles strengthen our moral muscles and open the door to spiritual life for us. with disabilities, amid numerous other causes including women’s rights, anti-war protests and socialism. In 1915, she co-founded the Helen Keller International organisation. In 1920, she helped to establish the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). In every way possible, she made her life productive, focused and deeply useful to others. Her life gives all of us this vital message: “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched; they must be felt with the heart”.

Yes, life may be for some of us, a heavy burden that is difficult to bear; life can be a rough ride, hurting at every turn of events; life can be

a load of misery and we can crumble under its weight easily. But equally, life has a balancing force, a built-in-support, that we must make use of. This is what I have described as your inner strength, spiritual shakti, which you can tap from within to break the negative barriers and open up the vast vistas, the new horizon of opportunities that life has to offer you.

At times, the miseries of life may overwhelm us! The famous inspirational writer, Norman Vincent Peale, tells us about a friend of his who came to him utterly defeated and depressed in life. “I’ve had enough of New York, Norman,” he said to the writer. “I’m fed up and my will to

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tadka

Did you know?

Everyone knows that the Indian Premiere League is extremely popular in India. But did you know that in 2015, the IPL season contributed `0.5 billion (US$7.4 million) to the GDP of Indian economy.

April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 61

HEALTH

WH A I TI ALL TIM

FEELING EXHAUSTED IS SO COMMON THAT IT HAS ITS OWN ACRONYM, TATT, WHICH STANDS FOR ‘TIRED ALL THE TIME’

D

r Rupal Shah, a GP in south London, says tiredness is one of the most common complaints she sees in her surgery. “I see loads and loads of patients who complain of feeling exhausted, even though they’re sleeping well. Often it’s been going on for several months.”

At any given time, one in five people feels unusually tired, and one in 10 have prolonged fatigue, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Women tend to feel tired more often than men. “It’s unusual to find anything physically wrong. Most of the time, fatigue is linked with mood and the accumulation of lots of little stresses in life,” says Dr Shah.

Dr Shah says she routinely takes a blood test from patients complaining of tiredness to rule out a medical cause, such as anaemia or an underactive thyroid gland.

“There’s more chance of a medical reason for tiredness if there are other symptoms as well, such as heavy periods, weight loss, a change in 62 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

bowel habits, hair loss, extreme thirst and so on.”

If you want to work out how you became tired in the first place, it can help to think about: z Parts of your life, such as work and family, that might be particularly tiring z Any events that may have triggered your tiredness, such as a bereavement or relationship break-up.

Physical causes of tiredness There are lots of health complaints that can make you feel tired. Not just the well-recognised ones like anaemia and thyroid problems, but also more surprising ailments, such as diabetes, food intolerance and a sleeping disorder called sleep apnoea.

Being overweight or underweight can cause tiredness. That’s because your body has to work harder than normal to do everyday activities.

If you’re underweight, you have less muscle strength, and you may feel tired more quickly.

Pregnancy, especially in the first 12 weeks, can also sap your energy.

Psychological causes of tiredness Psychological tiredness is far more common than tiredness that’s caused by a physical problem.

One key reason is anxiety, which can cause insomnia and, in turn, lead to persistent fatigue.

A survey by the Mental Health Foundation found that nearly a third of the population are severely sleep-deprived, often because of job and money worries. The Foundation’s report, Sleep Matters, suggests a link between insomnia and low energy levels.

The worries and strains of daily life can be exhausting—even positive events, such as moving house or getting married. Emotional shock, such as bad news, bereavement or the break-up of a relationship, can make you feel drained.

Mental health problems such as depression or anxiety can make you feel more tired. They can also prevent you from getting a proper night’s sleep.

SELF-HELP TIPS TO FIGHT FATIGUE Many cases of unexplained tiredness are due to stress, not enough sleep, poor diet and other lifestyle factors. Use these self-help tips to restore your energy levels.

DRINK MORE WATER FOR BETTER ENERGY

ity. Start with a small amount of exercise.

Build up your physical activity gradually over weeks and months until you reach the recommended goal of two-and-a-half hours of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, such as cycling or fast walking, every week.

Sometimes you feel tired simply because ause you’re mildly dehyhydrated. A glass of water will do thee trick, especially after exercise.

REDUCE STRESS TO BOOST ENERGY

CUT OUT CAFFEINE

SLEEP WELL

The Royal College of Psychiatrists recommends that anyone feeling tired should cut out caffeine. It says the best way to do this is to gradually stop having all caffeine drinks (this includes coffee, tea and cola drinks) over a three-week period. Try to stay off caffeine completely for a month to see if you feel less tired without it. You may find that not consuming caffeine gives you headaches. If this happens, cut down more slowly on the amount of caffeine that you drink.

Stress uses up a lot of energy. Try to introduce relaxing activities into your day. This could be working out at the gym, or a gentler option, such as listening to music, reading or spending time with friends. Whatever relaxes you will improve your energy.

It sounds obvious, but two-thirds of us suffer from sleep problems, and many people don’t get the sleep they need to stay alert through the day. The Royal College of Psychiatrists advises going to bed and getting up in the morning at the same time every day; avoid naps through the day, and have a hot bath before bed (as hot as you can bear without scalding you) for at least 20 minutes.

EAT OFTEN TO BEAT TIREDNESS

Lifestyle causes of tiredness Tiredness can often be attributed to lifestyle factors, such as drinking too much alcohol, or having a bad diet. If you drink alcohol in the evening, it tends to wake you in the middle of the night. If you drink a lot regularly, it can make you feel depressed and affect your sleep.

“I’m always surprised to find how often patients who complain of tiredness are drinking far too much,” says Dr Shah.

If you have a disturbed sleep pattern – for instance, if you work in night shifts, sleep in the day or look after young children – it can be difficult to get a good night’s sleep, and you’ll feel tired during the day.

How to tackle tiredness It may be common to feel tired all the time, but it isn’t normal. If you’re worried, see your doctor for advice and reassurance. “We can rule out anything serious,” says Dr Shah. “Just knowing there’s nothing wrong can be reassuring in itself.”

A good way to keep up your energy through the day is to eat regular meals and healthy snacks every three to four hours, rather than a large meal less often.

LOSE WEIGHT TO GAIN ENERGY

If your body is carrying excess weight, it can be exhausting. It also puts extra strain on your heart, which can make you tired. Lose weight and you’ll feel much more energetic.

Apart from eating healthily, the best way to lose weight is to be more active and do more exercise.

PERK UP WITH EXERCISE

You might feel el too tired to exercise, butt regular exercise cise will make you feel el less tired in the long ong run, and you’ll have more energy. Even a single 15-minute walk can give you an energy boost, and the benefits increase with more frequent physical activ-

TALKING THERAPY BEATS FATIGUE

There’s some evidence that talking therapies such as counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) might help to fight fatigue. See your GP for a referral for talking treatment on the NHS or for advice on seeing a private therapist.

DRINK LESS ALCOHOL

Although a few glasses of wine in the evening helps you fall asleep, you sleep less deeply after drinking alcohol. The next day you’ll be tired, even if you sleep a full eight hours. Cut down on alcohol before bedtime.

You’ll get a better night’s rest and have more energy. The NHS recommends that men and women should not regularly drink more than an 14 units a week, which is equivalent to six pintss of average strength beer er or 10 small glasses of low ow strength wine.

(The article has been sourced from http:// www.nhs.uk/) April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 63

ASTROTURF ARIES

SAGITTARIUS

Mar 21- April 20

Pay attention to your professional side. You can now enjoy doing what you feel like doing without having the need to adapt to others. Following your own inner voice and doing what makes you happy and gives satisfaction will actually benefit those around you. Love and romance remains in abundance more so because the dust of lunar eclipse is settling down. While doing and going about your daily routines you attract love. Your children will be a source of happiness.

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

expands.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 20

You would be in your personal high, you will feel powerful and project success. This is the right time for you to create your personal space and happiness. You will experience enhanced extrasensory perception and a super active dream life. Career opportunities will come to you naturally and effortlessly. Health and energy will remain good. Financial windfalls and opportunities to make money.

GEMINI May 21 - June 21 Implementing your thoughts now will be much in comparison to what it was. Your love life looks much stressed out. Resolve all your doubts fearlessly before accepting or signing on the dotted line. Health and energy remain good.

CANCER

Jun 22 - July 23

Keep your focus on the real essential things and let go off trivia. Believe in the quality rather than the quantity. Finances will remain good. Do not be impulsive and negative, don’t make any hasty purchases. You have aspects of office romance. .

LEO

July 24 - Aug 23

You can heave a sigh of relief as the month ahead heralds happiness and success. Health right now looks excellent. You will feel and project optimism, nothing will get you down. However behind the scenes much retrograde activity is also happening, so exercise patience and calmness. Foreign lands beckon you so you could experience travel opportunities, very lucrative period for those who are involved in any kind of intellect or educational matters. There will be professional achievements such as, promotions and remunerations are expected

VIRGO

Aug 24 - Sept 23

This is a wonderful time for detox and weight loss regimes. This period is perfect for getting rid off the extraneous non essential things in your life. Favours projects of personal transformation and reinvention. Your partner will be doing brilliantly well financially and he or she could be generous in showering love over you. This period much better to start. Be calm as there could be delays. . You may feel settled emotionally since the past six months. Now is the time to translate into outer success.

64 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

LIBRA

Independence needs to now change into interdependence as you should start considering the needs of others parallel to your own. Your good comes through others and not necessarily from your personal abilities or personal initiative. .

CAPRICORN

Dec 23 - Jan 20

You will experience many career changes. There is financial favour from the authorities. Job seekers have good fortune. Good time to start your projects but as mentioned earlier the first two months of the year were much better.

Sept 24 - Oct 22

Lot of changes are happening.

Your love life will be complicated but basically happy. You are personally more popular than usual. Your parents or parent figures will enjoy social bliss. This is a good period to reassess the love life and to see where you want to go in the future. However it is not advisable during this period to make any kind of important decisions either positive or negative.

Keep your focus on the important things. Your financial planet begins a multi month retrograde period. Purchases and financial decisions need to be considered.

SCORPIO

Oct 23 - Nov 22

Job seekers will get plenty opportunities for a job or career change.

They may not be what they project so do your home work before accepting. Health remains good.

The social life looks very successful. It’s a career month, you must ensure that you work towards culminating it into a successful experience. You will gravitate towards people who are above your status and aspire being in their shoes.

You will interact with those who give a boost to your career. Time resolves all issues. .

AQUARIUS

Jan 21 - Feb19

You are bound to feel comfortable in whatever you do. Take care of your communication let not the excitement of talking over whelm you. Good period for those who indulge in holistic therapies.

Health needs monitoring. Love looks happy and contended.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20 You have entered the peak of your financial year. Prosperity starts to happen, your financial intuition always good is even better now. There would be job opportunities happening too. If you are already employed there would be opportunities to expand in the existing scene or you may land a better job. The family remains supportive of your plans.

This shows that money is high on your priorities. Your professional reputation boosts earnings.

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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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April 16-30, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 65

THE LAST WORD

In troubled times, Be Safe, Be Happy Ganesh Natarajan

Life today is a matter of choices; if we take as much precaution as feasible and yet have the ability to take some risks in the quest of new experiences, it can still be very much worth living

A

few months ago a young woman was returning home through a narrow passage in Melbourne and was killed. Just recently, a young man disappeared in the aftermath of the Brussels bombings. Both had just called their families and would have hardly had an inkling of the terrible fate that was in store for them that day. Both were employed

by IT firms from India, doing their bit to fly the India flag in foreign countries and build a better future for their families, their firms and their country. What a tragic end!

These are troubled times we live in and hardly a day passes without stories of violence smeared over the pages of newspapers and screaming at us from the TV channels. In such times, it is all but impossible to be completely secure, given the extreme callousness and disregard for their own end that suicide bombers and their ilk are displaying. However, there are still some basic precautions that all of us must take and it would be good if all of us who have some influence over employees, children and any significant others must exhort them to follow some simple safeguards, particularly when they travel to foreign lands.

There are some obvious ones—the avoidance of flamboyant behaviour, utmost respect for local customs and culture and yes, in high-risk countries or even in the relatively safer cities of the West, avoid late night forays to places where an altercation could easily result in physical violence. In spite of 30 years of global travel, I still carry my passport with me most of the time and avoid flashing too much money in public places—a sure shot following of the old maxim ‘better to be safe than sorry’! When violent incidents are reported even from parts of UK

Singing along at Mohenjodaro

and USA, we all realise the need to exercise caution.

Of course there are times when we all let our guard down and throw caution to the winds. One such time was a few years ago when I was invited by the CII to lead an Aman ki Asha delegation to Pakistan. These were years before business and conference jaunts to Pakistan had become commonplace and it was a surprise for me when a dozen CEOs and spouses signed up for the trip to Karachi, Lahore and Mohenjodaro. The day before we

There are some obvious ones— the avoidance of flamboyant behaviour, utmost respect for local customs and culture and yes, in high-risk countries or even in the relatively safer cities of the West, avoid late night forays

66 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2016

left we were given strict instructions to stay within the confines of secure hotels always and avoid interactions with media or any outside folks in the cities we would travel to. I recall calling my counterpart on the other side, industrialist Amin Hashwani and receiving assurances that all these instructions would be followed and got on to the PIA flight in Mumbai with some trepidation but also relief after this particular conversation.

The fun began when we got through Karachi airport with some difficulty and stepped outside to be confronted by a battery of TV cameras and journalists and a beaming host Amin. He had chosen to disregard all those last minute requests and later that evening after our first meeting with our Pakistan CEO counterparts, one of the seven women in our delegation made matters worse by asking about shopping in Karachi. Within an hour, Amin’s wife Faria was escorting all of us on a late night jaunt, getting shops opened in the Karachi streets and showing us the famous Pakistan hospitality that we all hear about.

The next four days must rank among the most exciting trips I have done and all in a very positive

sense. Karachi was full of shopping and gastronomical delights, Lahore left us spellbound with its beauty and the grandeur of the main mosque and Mohenjodaro lived up to the promise that had made us request to have it on the itinerary. We sang with local kids on the steps of Mohanjodaro, received a wonderful carpet from our Lahore host Nadeem and made good friends for life – Humayun Bashir, Head of IBM Pakistan, Jehan Ara, president of the Pakistan Software Association, Beena Sarwar and the team of Jang Newspapers and a galaxy of extremely bright software professionals and students in Karachi and Lahore, many of whom we are in regular touch with to this day! But then, a lot of work was happening

by Amin’s tireless team in the background to ensure that we only got to see the best of Pakistan on that trip. And we certainly did have a blast, as a member of our group offered us a wisecrack once we had safely boarded the flight back!

The message in the Pakistan story is simple—one can keep getting panic attacks about safety and choose to stay at home but there are awesome experiences you could miss by just choosing to be ultra-safe. Life today is a matter of choices and if we take as much precaution as feasible and yet have the ability to take some risks in the quest of new experiences and building new networks around the world, it can still be very much worth living!

Dr Ganesh Natarajan is Founder of 5F World, a platform for start-ups, skills and social transformation. He is also Vice Chairman of Zensar Technologies and Chairman of NASSCOM Foundation and Pune City Connect.

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