Volume 4 Issue No. 10 Pages 68 www.corporatecitizen.in / August 1-15, 2018 / `50
Corporate stalwart
Taking Stock Ashishkumar Chauhan, MD & CEO, Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)
MINDMINE SUMMIT
To make India’s workforce of tomorrow future-ready
INTERVIEW
h Namb tis ia Sa
td) (re
Padma Bhushan awardee, Lt. Gen. Satish Nambiar (retd) on relevance of training in the Armed Forces to corporate management & love bond with wife Indira
r
Graceful living
Lt. G en
dynamic duo: 75
Dr Sajeev Nair, Senior VP-Learning & Development & Head-Manufacturing, Reliance Industries Ltd
LOVED & MARRIED Too
Prajakta and Anand Gupta-their common vision for work and marriage
SURVEY
PwC’s 21st Annual CEO Survey
2 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
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Inspiring Talk
Loved & Married Too
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Mindmine Summit
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expert views and speak through your featured articles, I find it very trustworthy, clear and succinct. Corporate Citizen has a perfect mix of features, regular columns and news on a wide range of business-related topics. You maintain a right balance, keeping the second
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Editor-in-Chief’s Choice / Tania Luna and Jordan Cohen
Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian
How to mentor someone who doesn’t know what his career goals should be
T
ell me about your career goals.” How often have you said this to a person you’re managing or mentoring, only to get a blank stare in return? Perhaps the person confides that they don’t know what their goals should be, or even whether there are opportunities to advance at your company. How do you begin to provide support? Career dissatisfaction is a growing challenge in today’s world. The results of CEB’s 2015 employee survey capture the problem well: 70% of employees surveyed (across many industries) reported being dissatisfied with career opportunities at their company—a disturbing figure given that it is one of the biggest drivers of engagement and retention. At the same time, 75% of organisations said they expected
4 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
to face a shortage of necessary skills and knowledge among their employees. So, on the one hand, employees feel they can’t advance fast enough, and on the other, companies believe employees are growing too slowly. How can such a blatant and dangerous contradiction exist? And what can we do about it? Before offering solutions, we’d like to propose a radical diagnosis: The problem lies not in a lack of career opportunities, but rather in the very concept of a career. We are suffering from the career myth—a delusional belief in the outdated idea of linear career progression. Consider the etymology of the word ‘career.’ It comes from the 16th-century word for ‘road’. When we envision a career, we imagine a direct path with a final destination. And not long ago, this concept was
useful. Career growth meant attaining incremental increases in prestige and compensation. You could look at the past and use it as a gauge of the future— taking the steps that others took to get to where they got. This vision of career growth no longer matches reality. We no longer need to be good at predicting the future; we now have to succeed when the future is unpredictable. We have to abandon the career myth and create a new framework for personal and professional growth. Let’s return to the employee who needs direction and feels stuck and confused about their career. If you can’t point them toward a reassuring career ladder, what can you do to support their growth and increase their impact on the company? Here are some of the steps we’re taking at Weight Watchers to help employees move beyond the career myth: First, we tell employees that it is fine and even preferable not to have a concrete career path in mind. Being overly attached to a specific path can turn into a career trap—blinding us to nonlinear opportunities for growth. We recently launched biannual growth conversations between managers and employees. Rather than job titles, employees discuss experiences, responsibilities, and lifestyle changes they might want. Good questions to ask: What problems excite you? or What strengths can you build on? or What types of work do you want to do less of and more of? or What would you do differently if you quit your career? Focus on transferable skills. We train our managers to help their direct reports develop transferable skills. These are skills that increase employability because they can be applied to a variety of roles and situations now and in the future (for example, communication, self-management, writing, public speaking). Rather than investing in one path, we tell employees, they should diversify their career capital. To provide some direction, we also want managers to advertise the skills that are most wanted on the team. Good questions to ask: Of the skills we’re looking to grow on the team or in the company, which interest you most? or What skills would help you gain more influence in your current role? or What skill gaps are standing in your way or holding you back? Create milestones. One of the perks of an oldschool career is the title progression that delineates advancement. As organisations become flatter, and
growth nonlinear, we have to put extra effort into making milestones that mark progress. One way we’ve done this is to create badges that demarcate growth. For example, when managers receive training, they receive a certificate. To get their next badge, they must complete an advanced programme. A badge system can demarcate skills, knowledge, and achievements—creating a portfolio of accomplishments rather than a traditional résumé. Another milestone solution we’ve implemented is a quarterly conversation focused on tracking goals employees set for themselves, aligned with company-wide priorities. Next, we’ll develop more visible recognition platforms so that employees can celebrate their accomplishments and share their knowledge. Good questions to ask: What do you want to achieve next? How will you know you’ve achieved it? Let’s gamify this goal. What’s level 1? How about level 2? What do you want to name this next milestone, or, how might you share what you’ve learned? Encourage small experiments. The growing complexity and unpredictability of work means we need to run many small experiments to discover what suits us best. To fuel a spirit of experimentation, we’ve launched opportunities for employees across the world to get training in topics they are curious to explore. We’re also helping managers encourage experiments among their reports and equipping them with skills to give clear, actionable feedback on their reports’ progress. Good questions to ask: What areas of the business intrigue you? How might you design a short experiment to test your interest level? Who might you want to collaborate with, or, what have you discovered about yourself from your past experiments? The scary thing about accepting the career myth is acknowledging that you don’t know what comes next. The wonderful thing about it is realising that every experience you’ve collected thus far has merit. Every job you’ve held and every relationship you’ve forged is a kind of key that can unlock a future opportunity. The keys don’t have to make sense together. There doesn’t need to be a clear, linear narrative to explain how you got from A to B. And if your employees still worry that they don’t have a clear path in mind, lean on the wisdom of Lewis Carroll: “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”
The problem lies not in a lack of career opportunities, but rather in the very concept of a career. We are suffering from the career myth—a delusional belief in the outdated idea of linear career progression
(This article was originally published in the Harvard Business Review. The authors: Tania Luna is a partner at the leadership training company LifeLabs Learning. She is a psychology researcher, TED speaker, and co-author of the book ‘Surprise: Embrace the Unpredictable and Engineer the Unexpected’. Jordan Cohen is Vice President, People – U.S. at Weight Watchers International. He is an expert on knowledge worker productivity.) https://hbr.org/2018/07/how-to-mentor-someonewho-doesnt-know-what-their-career-goals-should-be August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 5
Contents 20 Cover story
Dynamic Duo 75
Graceful
Living h Namb tis ia Sa
r td) (re
Lt. G en
Padma Bhushan Lt. Gen. Satish Nambiar (retd) on the wholesomeness of armed forces training and management and the bond of love he shares with his wife Indira
9 COLLYWOOD Chatpata Chatter from the Corporate World 14 WAX ELOQUENT Who said what and why? 6 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
Volume 4 Issue No. 10 August 1-15, 2018 www.corporatecitizen.in
16 EXPERT VIEW The falling Indian rupee poses major challenges, but how this can be taken as an opportunity to boost our economy
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28 MINDMINE SUMMIT Panel discussion on the need to revamp our education sector to make India’s workforce of tomorrow future-ready 34 CORPORATE STALWART Ashishkumar Chauhan, MD & CEO, Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) talks on the Indian financial market, modern financial derivatives in India, and how he created several path-breaking frameworks in the financial markets
46 LOVED & MARRIED TOO Entrepreneurs Prajakta Natekar Gupta and Anand Gupta on how their common vision applies to work and their married life 48 CAMPUS PLACEMENT Arjun R on his campus placement experience and why life for him is all about exploring new things
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42 INTERVIEW Dr Sajeev Nair, Senior VPLearning and Development, and Head-Manufacturing, Reliance Industries Ltd
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50 HEALTH The role of sleep in health and an insight into various sleep medications 54 SURVEY 21st Annual CEO survey— insights into the mind of a CEO
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contents
Editor-In-Chief Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian Consulting Editor Vinita Deshmukh vinita.corporatecitizen@gmail.com Assistant Editor & Senior Business Writer Rajesh Rao rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com Senior Sub-Editor Neeraj Varty neeraj.varty07@gmail.com
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Writers Delhi Bureau Pradeep Mathur mathurpradeep1@gmail.com/ Sharmila Chand chand.sharmila@gmail.com
58 BOLLYWOOD BIZ The best global shows on Netflix 60 MOBILE APPS The best phones with underscreen fingerprint sensors 66 THE LAST WORD Why football is the most followed sport in the world
Bengaluru Bureau Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar sangeetagd2010@gmail.com
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Pune Bureau Joe Williams / Kalyani Sardesai / Namrata Gulati Sapra Marketing Manager Delhi: Mohamed Rizwan riz.mohamed@hotmail.com Manager-Circulation circulations@corporatecitizen.in West : Jaywant Patil, +91 9923202560 North : Hemant Gupta, +91 9582210930 South : Asaithambi G, +91 9941555389 Creative Direction Sumeet Gupta, www.thepurplestroke.com
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Graphic Designer Shantanu Relekar On Cover Page Indira and Lt. Gen. Nambiar (retd) Cover Page Pic Yusuf Khan Website / Online Subscription www.corporatecitizen.in For Advertising, Marketing & Subscription queries Email: circulations@corporatecitizen.in (Corporate Citizen does not accept responsibility for returning unsolicited manuscripts and photographs. All unsolicited material should be accompanied by self-addressed envelopes and sufficient postage.) Tel. (020) 67117601/9
collywood
People in the news
Five more years as Chairman for Mukesh Ambani Sixteen years and still going strong. Shareholders of Reliance Industries entrusted their hopes and approved giving Mukesh Ambani another five years as the chairman and Managing Director of the company. This decision was taken during the company’s 41st Annual General Meeting held in Mumbai recently. Ambani, 61, has been on the board of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) since 1977 and was elevated as Chairman of the company after the death of his father and group patriarch Dhirubhai Ambani in July 2002. Of the votes polled, 98.5 per cent were in favour of the resolution while 1.48 voted against it. According to the resolution, Ambani will be paid an annual salary of ₹4.17 crore and ₹59 lakh of perquisites and allowances. Retirement benefits are
Zomato hires Gupta as CEO
not included in the overall ceiling of remuneration. He will also be entitled to receive bonus based on net profits and “expenses incurred for travelling, boarding and lodging, including for spouse and attendant(s) during business trips and provision of car(s) for use on company’s business and communication expenses at residence shall be reimbursed at actuals and not considered as perquisites,” it said. Also, “the expenses, as may be borne by the company for providing security to Shri. Mukesh D Ambani and his family members shall not be considered as perquisites and accordingly, not to be included for the purpose of computation of the overall ceiling of remuneration,” the resolution, which was carried at the AGM, said.
Bandhan’s Ghosh gets RBI nod for new term Bandhan Bank, the newest private sector lender, announced that it has received RBI approval for the re-appointment of current MD and CEO, Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, for a three-year term. “RBI vide letter (July 4, 2018), has accorded its approval for the re-appointment of Chandra Shekhar Ghosh as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the bank for a period of three years,” the bank said in a regulatory filing. The Kolkata-headquartered private sector lender commenced its banking operations on August 23, 2015, and it is the first
bank to be set up in the eastern part of India since independence. Ghosh is the founder of the bank, and has 37 years of experience in the microfinance industry. The bank forayed into the stock market during 2017-18, raising ₹4,473 crore through an initial public offer (IPO).
Gurgaon-based firm Zomato has brought on board former MakeMyTrip executive Mohit Gupta as the CEO of its food delivery business and in the process has strengthened its senior management and leadership teams. Gupta, who was formerly COO Online at the online travel portal, will be responsible for leading the growth and P&L (profit and loss) of Zomato’s food delivery business, a spokesperson for Zomato said. Gupta will report to Zomato’s Founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal. Food delivery has been one of the most crucial areas of growth for Zomato with the vertical contributing about 30% of the overall revenues as of FY18. Currently, Mohit, who was the co-founder of Runnr, heads global business for Zomato’s food ordering and delivery platform and will be responsible for building the firm’s logistics stack within that business. Earlier, the firm brought on board former GE executive Sameer Maheshwary as its CFO. The company which has seen changes on the top deck of the firm is increasingly looking to strengthen its core teams and leadership to accelerate the growth of its business which saw the company hiring Rohithari Rajan to lead its global advertising P&L even as former global advertising sales head Gaurav Gupta moved up the ladder taking on the mantle of COO at the firm.
August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 9
collywood P&G India elevates Srinivas
Srinivas PM has been elevated as the P&G India HR head for India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The position was lying vacant since Sonali Roychowdhury moved base to Singapore. She is now Head, Supply Chain and HR for the Asia-Pacific region. Before taking up the new assignment, Srinivas was based out of Jakarta and was Business Organisation Strategy Director at P&G Indonesia. He was based out of Jakarta for the last five years. Before moving to Jakarta, Srinivas was supply chain HR head for India. It was a strategic corporate HR role, wherein he led a team of 25 HR professionals who managed 470 managers, 2,000 P&G workforce and 3,000 contract workers across five sites. Srinivas has been with P&G for 18 years, in various capacities. He started as a management trainee in 2000 and climbed up the rungs. An electronic engineer from Nagpur University, Srinivas, who has an MBA degree from Symbiosis, dabbled in sales and marketing for seven months before switching over to HR. At P&G he worked out of several geographies outside India which includes Australia, Singapore and China. Srinivas will report to Madhusudhan Gopalan, MD, P&G India.
Zuckerberg is 3rd richest person Facebook’s co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has now become the world’s third richest person. Zuckerberg has dethroned Warren Buffett to register the spot under his name. Zuckerberg now is trailing behind Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Microsoft’s Bill Gates. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Zuckerberg’s wealth expanded over soaring of around 2.4 per cent in Facebook’s share. Interestingly, this is the first time ever that the world’s top three richest men are from the world of technology. Zuckerberg, 34, is now worth $81.6 billion, about $373 million more than Buffett, the 87-year-old chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Earlier, on May 14, Mark Zuckerberg celebrated his 34th birthday. He became the youngest billionaire in the world at the age of 23 in 2008. He was ranked 785 on the World’s Billionaires list. He was approached by several companies with job offers (including AOL and Microsoft) before he even graduated from high school, but Zuckerberg turned them all down and decided to go to Harvard University. He eventually dropped out of Harvard University to devote himself full-time to Facebook. In July 2011, he became the most followed user on Google’s social network Google+, surpassing its cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
ICICI gets Chaturvedi as chairman The board of ICICI Bank has appointed former IAS officer Girish Chandra Chaturvedi as its new non-executive chairman to succeed incumbent M K Sharma, as it sets about addressing issues related to allegations of quid pro quo, non-adherence to the code of conduct and conflict of interest involving its CEO and managing director, Chanda Kochhar. Chaturvedi, a 1977-batch officer who retired as petroleum secretary in year 2013, will succeed Sharma who retired recently. The move marks a significant change in one of India’s top private banks which, even before it converted decades ago from a development financial institution into a bank, had financial services professionals heading the board such as N. Vaghul and later K. V. Kamath. The appointment
10 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
of an experienced former bureaucrat who has been on the boards of state-owned banks and worked in the banking and insurance division of the finance ministry is being viewed as a move to sort out governance issues and allay concerns of investors and regulators. The appointment is for a period of three years and is subject to RBI and shareholder approvals, the bank said in a stock exchange filing. “The board is extremely pleased with this development and believes that Chaturvedi will provide maturity and sagacity to the deliberations of the board. This would also ensure a seamless and smooth transition of leadership at the board and would address stakeholder concerns in this behalf,” a statement issued by the bank said.
Thyssenkrupp CEO Hiesinger steps down Horlicks gets Dwarakanath on board Well-known senior in HR, Patnam Dwarakanath, comes on board as the non-executive chairman and nominee director of Horlicks, which functions under the global healthcare brand, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). “We would like to inform you that ‘Horlicks Limited’ has nominated Patnam Dwarakanath as nominee director and non-executive chairman of the company,” said a release issued by the company, while stating the exit of Zubair Ahmed, who stepped down as
and consumer goods industries, in the core functional areas of legal, employee relations, management development, leadership development and HR management. In 2006, he retired as director, human resource, GSK. He has been a non-executive director of the company since his retirement, and also a member of GSK’s international HR team. During his tenure, GSK was recognised as one of the top five best employers in India for people-related practices for several years. He
nominee director and non-executive chairman recently. In his forty years of association with GSK, Dwarakanath mentored several young professionals and nurtured the workforce with his rich experience across functions, in his four decades of experience in engineering, chemical, pharma
has won numerous awards for his contribution to the field of human resources, which includes ‘Pathfinders Award’ by the National Human Resource Development Network, ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by Asia’s Best Employer Brand Award, and ‘Chairman’s Award’ by the Max India Group.
It looks like the historic deal to merge its steelmaking business with Tata Steel did not go well with Thyssenkrupp’s chief executive Heinrich Hiesinger, with him putting in his papers days after the 200year conglomerate signed the deal. Hiesinger took the reins of the company in 2011, with the promise of making major asset sales and cultural reforms to transform the group. The biggest move was to get out of steelmaking and focus instead on the manufacture and servicing of industrial goods, including elevators, submarines and vehicle components. He had come under heavy criticism, as shareholders expressed frustration with the pace of change. Cevian, the Swedish activist fund that has become the group’s second-largest shareholder, and Elliott, which has this year built up a small stake, both criticised the management for failing to improve margins in its core business and delivering poor shareholder returns. The merger with Tata had wide support among shareholders until the final stages, when it became clearer that Thyssenkrupp’s steel business was improving, creating a perceived value gap between it and Tata. When the merger was signed last week, labour unions unanimously supported the deal, but two members on the capital side of the supervisory board voted against it, and one abstained. In a release issued, Hiesinger defended his tenure as chief executive. “Today Thyssenkrupp is a completely different company regarding culture, values and performance,” he said. “The joint venture of our steel activities with Tata is the next significant step to turn Thyssenkrupp into a strong industrial company. We can be proud of what we achieved until now.” August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 11
collywood Barnes & Noble sacks CEO
Barnes & Noble’s CEO Demos Parneros paid for his wrongdoings as this international bookstore chain fired him for unspecified violations of company policy. Parneros will not be paid severance and will be removed from the board immediately. The company has said that the board was advised by a law firm in the decision to fire Parneros. The company did not announce a reason for the firing. It specified that the CEO wasn’t asked to leave because of any disagreement about “financial reporting, policies or practices or any potential fraud relating thereto.” The company also reaffirmed its profit guidance for the current fiscal year, saying that it would begin looking for a new CEO. In the meantime, a leadership group, including the chief financial officer, will handle the
Prasad assumes charge as SAIL CMD CEO’s duties. Fifty-six-yearold Parneros has been with the company as COO since 2016, after a career at Staples, the office supply chain. He became CEO in 2017. The company operates 630 stores in the US and has 23,000 employees. Barnes & Noble was one of the first traditional retailers to be hampered by digital competition, most notably from Amazon, and has struggled with declining foot traffic, shrinking sales and store closures. As CEO, Parneros brought in new executives and introduced several new initiatives intended to increase store traffic and sales, including a Barnes & Noble Book Club.
Triton Communications ropes in Jyotsna Parikh Jyostna Parikh joins Triton Communications which was incorporated in 1991 by Ali Merchant and Munawar Syed, which has over 20 years of track record of enduring client relationships based on some great work for some great brands. Over the years, the creative fire-power of Triton has helped deliver several iconic campaigns for clients like Moov, Aquaguard, Set-Wet, Fortune, NECC and a host of others. Commenting on the appointment, Ullas Chopra, NCD, Triton Communication said, “Triton has made some great wins in the recent past with Ambuja Cements and SAMCO. The work is being noticed and appreciated and we are building on the momentum with Jyotsna coming on board. She has the talent, the work and the maturity that I am sure will help us make even more of a creative impact 12 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
going forward. We have big plans and she is a big part of them.” Ali Merchant, Managing Director, Triton Communications, went on to add, “We are really happy that Jyotsna has joined us. With her experience we are looking forward to some really great creative work that will make our clients’ brands even more famous.” Jyotsna moves from Oglivy, Mumbai. In a career spanning over 17 years, Jyotsna has spent all of it at Ogilvy, Mumbai, and has been responsible for some memorable campaigns on Star Plus, Castrol, Huggies and Home Centre among others. Her work on ‘Gurdeep Singh and Daughters’ for Star Plus and ‘Hathipaon mukt Bharat’ for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has won several accolades. “Triton has a great mix of truly Indian brands and is all set to start a new chapter of creativity. It’s a fantastic opportunity to be at its helm and take it to the next level,” said Jyotsna on her new assignment.
Senior bureaucrat Saraswati Prasad has taken over the additional charge as chairman and managing director of steel PSU SAIL, according to the company sources. “Saraswati Prasad, Special Secretary and Financial Advisor, Ministry of Steel, has
taken over the additional charge of the post of Chairman and MD of SAIL, according to a BSE filing. Prasad succeeds P K Singh who retired recently. “PESB (Public Enterprises Selection Board) recommended the following name (Anil Kumar Chaudhary) for the post of Chairman, Steel Authority of India Ltd,” according to the government headhunter. Chaudhary is the director, finance of the country’s largest steel-maker SAIL. Besides Chaudhary, other candidates who were interviewed by the public enterprises’ selection board were Moil Director Tanmaya Kumar Pattnaik, SAIL Executive Director Alok Sahay, SAIL Director (Commercial) Soma Mondal and Central Electronics Ltd Chairman and Managing Director Nalin Shinghal, PESB had said. Compiled by Joe Williams joe78662@gmail.com
wax eloquent
What India Needs...
Take a look at what our corporate leaders have to say about recent trends and their experiences in the business world
Bullet trains will cater only to the elite
Digitisation is at the centre
“The last decade, it has been frankly chasing cost savings. How do I keep the lights on? Now the world has changed, all the economies we are in, are growing. Digitisation is at the centre of how do we serve clients.” George Schindler, President and CEO, CGI
Courtesy: https://tech.economictimes. indiatimes.com
“Bullet trains will cater only to the elite community. It is highly expensive and beyond the reach of ordinary people. What India needs is a modern, clean, safe and fast rail system. Delhi Metro has set a standard and triggered a metro revolution in the country. Results are there to see. Today there are 13 metros under construction. Within 20 years, Delhi Metro has reached a size of 260 km and is the fastestgrowing metro in the world. I also feel really proud of the work culture of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).” E Sreedharan, former Delhi Metro chief Courtesy: https://m.hindustantimes.com
A strategy that I always use “I have a life vision, which is the foundation and reference point for every decision I make, whether it is career, relationships, lifestyle or anything else. When making a decision I simply evaluate my choices based on this vision.” Sanjay Gupta,
VP and India Country Manager, NXP Semiconductors Country: http://bwpeople.businessworld.in
In my next avatar… What should define us?
“A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. So is an institution. And if introspection is where we have to begin, we might as well begin there. Perhaps, we can hope and endeavour that in the future, it is not our finality, but really the infallibility that should define us.” Justice Ranjan Gogoi Courtesy: Indian Express
14 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
“May be in my next avatar when I come back I would like to be the chief economic advisor to the central government and chief economic advisor to all the state governments. I hope I build up enough karma to be able to enjoy that in my next avatar.” Arvind Subramanian, former Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India
Courtesy: Indian Express
Secret sauce for success “Hard work, humility and simplicity coupled with a positive attitude can take you places. There is no substitute for hard work. And no matter how successful you are, it’s important to remain grounded. Stay relevant, learn new skills, and do things with utmost sincerity and discipline. I am where I am because of my desire to learn new things and get out of my comfort zone.” Jasjit Kang, EVP and MD, Alight Solutions, India Courtesy: https://www.hindustantimes.com
We see the future as an electrified one
“We see the future as an electrified one. It’s actually quite a good situation in India. We have heard the government go out and say, by 2030, we want to be fully electrified. Their intentions are clear and, more importantly, they are in line with ours. We are all-in on electric and so is India.” Charles Frump, Managing Director, Volvo Car India
Courtesy: https://www.autox.com
Optimistic India will build a vibrant education ecosystem
“China has been able to attract its top scholars to the country and has built a vibrant education ecosystem. That is why their universities are ranked in the global top-100. China has done it primarily through government intervention. The way things move in India, we would be probably slow, but we will do a good job eventually. We are batting for this.” Vineet Gupta, founder and trustee, Ashoka University, Sonipat, Haryana
Co-working, first choice of millennials
It is time corporate houses invest in other sports “There has to be lot more corporate support in sports outside of cricket. Lot more investment needs to come into Olympic sport. The second point is about governance, I think sports governance is something which needs to change in this country. Good governance needs to come in. That change will only happen when that change is mandated. People don’t like change, people like to be where they are.” Abhinav Bindra, Olympic gold medallist shooter Courtesy: http://www.dnaindia.com
“Today’s workforce is high on the concept of shared economy and opting for co-working spaces saves 15-30 per cent of the costs that go into realty and technological backup. Millennials have varied attitudes and ever-changing lifestyle needs. Beyond the regular, co-working caters to millennials’ need of a fitness-oriented lifestyle.” Sudeep Singh, co-founder
Courtesy: https://www.financialexpress.com
and chief evangelist, GoWork
India is about more learning
Courtesy: https://bizztor.com
“What strikes you is the size, diversity and friendliness in the country, which is also the world’s youngest. We have been in Germany for over 40 years, and it is a very established operation. India is new and a very exciting and challenging market. In contrast to Germany, where people are a lot mature, in India, the openness of people to move and create a new life strikes you. The traffic, of course, is a disaster here.” Peter Betzel, CEO, Ikea India https://economictimes.indiatimes.com
Beauty both outside and inside
“Those who think beauty queens walk the ramp and the tiara automatically sits on their head are living in a fantasy world. It requires hard work and perseverance. Beauty might be in-born but it is of utmost importance to polish the beauty both outside as well as inside.” Dr Hemamalini Lakshman, ‘Mrs. India Uni-
verse’ Queen at the Dazzles Mrs. India Universe Beauty Pageant held in Colombo, Sri Lanka Courtesy: https://starofmysore.com
Machine work has little value without human connection “Math, science and data analytics will still have a huge role to play, but as machines do more of that work, it will have little value without the human connection of creativity, emotion, judgment, and relationships. However, preparing the workforce to succeed in the era of man and machine will require companies and individuals to commit to reskilling programmes and retraining employees, which is what we’ve been doing.” Tiger Tyagarajan, CEO, Genpact
Courtesy: https://www.moneycontrol.com
Nothing is going to stop us “As women, we will continue to work as long as we choose to work and whether or not, industry gives us the opportunities—we will create them if we have to. But nothing is going to stop us.” Dia Mirza, actor
Courtesy: https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com
Human emotion is what all films run on
“Human emotion is what all films run on, irrespective of language and culture. Family is a very peculiar unit. In a family, there are people not related by blood, for example a husband and a wife.” Anjali Menon, film director and screenwriter
Courtesy: https://www.google.co.in
Compiled by Rajesh Rao rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 15
Expert View
We need to lift the falling rupee by S K Jha
(IRS (retd) and former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax)
The falling Indian rupee poses major challenges, but these can be taken as an opportunity to buoy it up and boost our economy. We have all the indications of a strong economy, we have to take a grip on them and take due measures
T
he good news is that India is a fastgrowing major economy but the bad news is that the Indian rupee is falling. The rupee was at its lowest against the US Dollar recently and it is still in the critical zone. This is really disappointing as it will have a serious impact on our national economy. Why this sudden fall of the rupee? The reasons are many, and many of them are external, though we cannot say that we are not at fault. First, it is the spiralling hike in the price of crude oil in the international market where 70% of our oil requirement is met from imports. The oil companies want more of the US dollar to finance imports and this creates a situation of more demand for it than its availability. This leads to price rise of the US currency as against the value of the Indian rupee.
External factors
Second, the sanctions against Iran by US will mean that we cannot import oil from friendly Iran at a softer agreed rate. The US declared that no country should import oil from Iran and that the import from Iran should be just zero by November 2018, or else the importing country will have to face adverse consequences. In this situation, India will face a serious problem as Iran meets onethird of our oil imports. We will have to go to the open market and also contact other countries at short notice and this may mean that our purchase of oil will be at a higher price. We will need more US dollars than what we had planned to have in advance for the oil purchase and thus create an increased demand, affecting the value of our rupee. Third, the trade war between the US and China is engulfing the entire world. There is a lot of uncertainty and fear in the world trade and the same affects the currencies of countries. The US and China have already started the war with each announcing increased import tariffs .The US has threatened that gradually the entire Chinese export to US which is US$500 billion will be covered if the situation of adverse trade balance with China is not settled. Fourth, there is a sharp decline in Foreign 16 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
Portfolio Investment (FPI), while on the contrary there is a quick selling and exodus of FPI funds from India. This sudden change of attitude of FPI is creating pressure on the Indian rupee, as more foreign currencies are going out, particularly the dollar.
Fifth, in recent times, we have not been doing very good on our exports front. Our balance of trade is deeply adverse. Our huge import bill is understandable due to the huge oil import, but exports have to be at least close to imports, if not exceeding it. This means that more foreign
exchange is going out than coming in. In recent days, due to the American policy, our software export, which is our flag-bearer, has been suffering. There has also been some gradual decline in job offers from outside the country due to changing policies in many countries, particularly the Middle East, thus slowing the pace of inward foreign remittance. Sixth, the recent RBI policy to increase the repo-rate has also affected the situation. Many foreign investors have taken out their money which has impacted our money market. What is the effect of the fall in the value of the rupee? The effect is bad for the economy but at the same time something good is also involved. Starting first, with the bad impact, this will make our imports more expensive. We have to give more foreign exchange now for our purchase. Our foreign exchange saving will thus be affected. Since our imports are more than our
exports, the net result will be a serious impact on our economy.
Costlier imports
Secondly, the imported goods will become costlier for both manufacturers and consumers. The common people will be hard hit as this will increase the selling price of petroleum products. Rising price of crude oil coupled with the falling value of the rupee will transform into a double-edged sword for our people. Third, the resulting outcome from the situation will be higher inflation which will be cancerous for our economy as a whole, and growth in particular. Revenue deficit and fiscal deficit
may increase. Because of the inflationary situation there will be a delay in investment in our infrastructure and in the expansion of the existing manufacturing units, thus affecting job creation. Fourth, students going abroad will have to spend more. Foreign travel for any purpose like going for medical treatment or holiday or even for business will become more expensive. Fifth, foreign investors will not like to invest in India considering it as a country with unstable currency and the world rating agencies may reduce our ranking. Even domestic entrepreneurs may take their investment to more financially stable countries.
‘India is a bright spot in the world. It is the fastest growing major economy. The temporary spell of the falling Indian Rupee should not dishearten us as our country has a very bright future. The challenge of the falling Indian rupee may be taken as an opportunity to further strengthen our economy’
Cascading effect
Summing up, the falling Indian rupee will have an adverse cascading effect on our economy as it will have a vicious triggering effect for free fall. The silver lining will be our export sector. The export market will get a boost as our goods and services will be more competitive in the international market. However, the net result will be bad as our imports are much higher than exports. Can the problem of the falling value of the rupee be solved? The answer is both yes and no. Starting with ‘no’, first. Since the main reasons like rising crude oil price internationally and the trade war between US and China are external, we may not have much to deal with to resolve the issue. Yet we can do a lot to help the worsening situation. First, as a stop-gap measure, the RBI can intervene and start controlling the situation by selling the dollar for a limited period when the problem is at the peak. We have a robust reserve of US dollars, 406 billion as of today and we can take a small liberty in this respect without hurting us much. Second step, if the steep fall of the rupee is not controlled, then the RBI can go for issuing NRI Bonds. This has been done with success in the past and we can do it again. The success of NRI Bonds will mean collection of dollars for our kitty and this swelling kitty will stop the rupee from falling. As a long-term measure, we have to promote the ease of doing business in our country so that more foreign
August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 17
Expert View of payments in the international trade arena. Our software engineers have made a name for themselves and our endeavour should be to capture the software market in new areas. We should try to promote our manpower export so that we keep on getting more inward foreign exchange remittances.
The onus is on us
‘The falling Indian rupee will have an adverse cascading effect on our economy as it will have a vicious triggering effect for free fall. The silver lining will be our export sector. The export market will get a boost as our goods and services will be more competitive in the international market. However, the net result will be bad as our imports are much higher than exports’ investment comes into the country. The problem can be solved only when we have a good flow of incoming foreign exchange to kill the pain from outgoing foreign exchange. We also have to give incentives to our domestic industry so as to show the world that we have a thriving economy and not an unstable one. A good showcasing is a must to attract more foreign capital. This may also stop capital from flying away from India as our domestic entrepreneurs will then be encouraged to do business in India. Our capital market should be nurtured so as to attract more FPI. As a long term measure, the concept of 'Make in India' is very good. The policy of the government should be such that big international players come to our country for mutual benefit. We can easily do that as we have cheaper labour and a huge domestic market, a democratic set-up and a robust judicial system. The opening of the world’s biggest factory of smartphones by Samsung recently at Noida is just one good example in this direction. We have to go on pursuing more such ventures. 18 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
A bright spot in the world
India is a bright spot in the world. It is the fastest-growing major economy. The temporary spell of the falling Indian rupee should not dishearten us as our country has a very bright future. The challenge of the falling Indian rupee may be taken as an opportunity to further strengthen our economy. All the indications of a strong economy are present. We have to just sharpen them. We are a big market ourselves and our production is mainly linked to our own consumption and hence external reasons can never deter us. The only disappointing thing is that we have to depend on others for our oil needs. There was a time after our 1998 nuclear test that sanctions were imposed against us by many countries including the US, but we not only survived but became stronger economically. Despite these sanctions, our GDP growth went beyond 8% in just a few years after 1998. We have the inherent strength. The weakening of the Indian rupee is just an opportunity to boost our exports. Our objective should be to go for a positive balance
We should not mistake that the strengthening of the Indian rupee can only be done by the RBI or the central government. We all have to play our role. The fall is also caused by the world’s perception of us, in addition to the direct reasons discussed earlier. This perception is created by economic indicators and these indicators are the net result of how we are running our business and creating wealth in the country. Business is mainly in the private sector with only some in the public sector. We in the private sector should show to the world that we are doing business in the best possible manner. Government undertakings should have a healthy competition with the private sector to do more and for better results. The recent happenings of sizable bad loans at banks, particularly public sector banks, is a negative sign for the world. Indians settled abroad should work as patriotic Indians and serve as brand ambassadors of the rising new India. Our intelligentsia should contribute by writing columns about the good things of our economy so as to attract foreign money to India. We all have a stake in contributing to a healthier economy and we must play a positive role wherever we are. CC
tadka
Why we can’t recall books? Can you recall the plot and names of the major characters of the last novel you read? If not, you’re not alone. It’s true for most of us, though it wasn’t so for legends like Socrates or Swami Vivekananda who had a photographic memory and who were against writing down things because it weakened memory. So, what has gone wrong with us? Jared Horvath, Melbourne University researcher, says it’s happening because now we’ve Google, which makes remembering such stuff pointless. “We’ve become overly reliant on our recognition memory, the one that remembers where some information is stored—book, CD, online—rather than our recall memory.” So, “not only do we consume books and movies less mindfully, we’re also bingeing on them,” Jared explains in an article in The Atlantic.
R.O. No. : 96/IPR/Pub/Dis/18-19
Department of Information & Public Relations Government of Sikkim
The lake which is highly revered by the Sikkimese is a favorite amongst the tourists.
It is about a 2 hr drive from the state capital Gangtok and falls on the road to the Nathula Pass bordering China.
is a glacial lake in East Sikkim adorned with landscapes of alpine forests rich in biodiversity.
Tsomgo Lake
Dated: 18.07.2018
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Cover story
Dy n a m ic Duo : I n d ira a n d Lt. G en . S at is h N a m b ia r (ret d )
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Breaking Barriers A Vir Chakra and Padma Bhushan awardee Lt. Gen. Satish Nambiar (retd) takes you on his tenacious journey in the Armed Forces. He also speaks about Army’s wonderfully holistic way of "breaking you in" from the civilian mode of thinking and making you physically and mentally tough as well as bringing about a change in the mindset By Vinita Deshmukh & Kalyani Sardesai
Tall, fit and immaculately turned out, as you would expect a fauji couple to be, Lt. Gen. Satish Nambiar and his better half, Indira, are nevertheless, a surprise in more ways than one. Not only do their looks belie their age (he is in the early eighties and she is in the mid-seventies), but their views are disarmingly modern and "with it" so to speak. At the same time, a conversation with them is a throwback to the magic of the yesteryear when people stood for causes that went beyond themselves. To a time when certain "sacrifices" were not viewed as such, but something that you simply did without a fuss and got on with it. A Vir Chakra and Padma Bhushan awardee to boot, Lt. Gen. Nambiar is someone who has enjoyed a glorious career both as a serving officer and after. Commissioned on December 15th, 1957 from the Indian Military Academy, Dehra Dun, into the 20th Battalion of the Maratha Light Infantry, he saw active service in the country’s North-Western and North-Eastern theatres, including counter-insurgency operations, and in the Indo-Pakistan conflicts on the sub-continent: in 1965 in the Sialkot Sector and; in 1971 in the Eastern theatre (Bangladesh). Awarded the Vir Chakra for bravery in battle with the 1 st Battalion The Maratha Light Infantry (Jangi Paltan) during the Indo-Pak conflict in 1971, he is also the recipient of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 1991 for distinguished service of a very high order and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 1994 for distinguished service of an exceptional order. 20 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
Armed with a Master’s degree in Defence Studies from the University of Madras, Lt Gen. Nambiar has been actively engaged since retirement in the study and analysis of UN peacekeeping operations, national security matters, including defence strategy, and international relations. He has also authored chapters in international publications on national security aspects, peace operations, international intervention, and “just war and genocide’’. In 2009, in recognition of his sustained efforts in the study and analysis of ‘National Security Affairs’, he was conferred the Padma Bhushan. Amidst all this, he has been ably partnered by his wife, the quiet and self-effacing Indira, who believes love is all about support—not just for one's partner but all that he stands for. Elegant, accepting and tolerant, she has been the perfect foil to this dynamic officer. Despite having met in the ‘shaadi ka mandap’ and not one moment before, this matrimonial bond of 48 years is based on a winsome blend of the old and new. This is their journey and this is how they share it.
Corporate Citizen: Gen. Nambiar, tell us something about your early years. How did you come to join the Indian Army?
Gen. Nambiar: I was born in Mumbai in 1936 into a family belonging to the Nair community, a warrior clan in Kerala.. However, I am a bit of a pseudo, in that my childhood was spent largely in Mumbai. My father was in the services, and
Pics: Yusuf Khan
The military leadership, I must stress, is different from that which manages a company. While managing a company, if it goes broke, it can be revived. But in battle if you lose, you’ve lost lives and your ground. No second chances there’’ August August1-15, 1-15,2018 2018// Corporate CorporateCitizen Citizen // 21 21
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1.From top left - As a Gentleman Cadet at the Indian Military Academy in 1956. 2. With PM Indira Gandhi: March 1972.
9. With Prime Minister Narasimha Rao on Republic Day 1992.
3.As a young officer in 20th Battalion, The Maratha Light Infantry: 1958 4.Pinning UN medal on members of the Argentinian contingent: October 1992.
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➎ 5. Being greeted by PM Indira Gandhi: March 1972 6. Taking the surrender of the Jamalpur garrison: 11th December 1971. ➏
22 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
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Cover story ➐ 7. In the National Cadet Corps at St Xavier’s College Bombay: 1954
8. The two of us, daughter Rekha and son Rajesh: March 1975
that meant we lived out of our state. While I did my first three years of schooling in Pune’s St. Vincent’s High School in the early nineteen forties, the rest of my education was in Mumbai (St Mary’s High School and St Xavier’s College). While in college, I was part of the NCC, and my instructors just happened to be from the 20th Maratha Light Infantry and that was how and why I later opted for the Marathas (laughs). At that age, a chap really doesn’t have much of a clue about what he is doing, but things worked out just fine. Anyway, the interaction with the instructors impressed upon me that the army might be a fine career choice. In those days, one had the choice of joining the NDA after school or enrol as a direct entry to the Indian Military Academy after your Intermediate. I chose the latter.
How much of a departure from civil life was the army training?
Oh, naturally, there was a complete departure. The army has a wonderfully holistic way of “breaking you in” from the civilian mode of thinking. There is an accent on both physical and mental toughness, as well as bringing about a change in the mindset. As a civilian, punctuality is a pipe dream; you tend to take things casually. The same holds true for jawans—raw young fellows of 16 and above are put through the same rigorous training in order to break them out of the mould of civil life. In the armed forces, everything has a time, and every person, his role. The drills that the Army, Navy and Air Force are shown practicing are not just for show, you know. They are supposed to inculcate discipline in every way. Part of the mechanism is meant to teach you to obey instinctively, and respond to the exact requirement of that day. It
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Our political leadership has by and large had very little knowledge about the army. Post-independence, for example, there was little understanding about the security of India because it had been looked after by the British. This is most unlike the West, where most leaders had seen war, including Charles de Gaulle of France and Mao of China. Ditto with Russia” 10. Receiving the Vir Chakra from President VV Giri: March 1972 11. Receiving the Padma Bhushan from President Pratibha Patil: 2009.
may seem like a mechanical way of doing things, but that’s not true really—you have to use your initiative and imagination in various situations. When a superior officer gives a command, the subordinate is supposed to obey—and for a reason. At the same time, the senior has to know what he is doing because his every decision has an impact on his men. All this training is to bring home the fact that in war, it’s all or nothing. That there are no runners up; you win or you lose.
Do you think today’s cadets of the National Defence Academy are not physically equipped for rigorous training and what do you think of the intrusion of technology into their lives ? Your take on the matter…
There are two or three dimensions to this. I, for one, I am not one for the loosening of the rigours—particularly when they have proven themselves in terms of output. Discipline is one of the key pillars of the academy and that ought not to change. Of course, there are times when people overdo things and that should not happen. Even ragging within limits—and with the right spirit, with an eye to bringing out a person’s potential—is not a bad thing. The academy, it must be borne in mind, is trying to create leaders who will be able to sustain the direst circumstances. This leadership, I must stress, is different from that which manages a company. While managing a company, if it goes broke, it can be revived. But in battle if you lose, you’ve lost lives and your ground. No second chances there. August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 23
Cover story An officer is not only responsible for the outcome, but also for the well-being of his subordinates. And when you are demanding that level of subordination from your men, your decision making has to be bang on. That said, I don’t think it’s completely possible to do away with technology. So instead of fighting the battle to get rid of it, perhaps we ought to be asking how best we can use it and how we can strike the right balance. Yes, there will be instances when technology will be dangerous. Like a regiment on patrol in an area that is seeing live action. Even a single mobile possessed by a jawan can give the position away. So, this is one of the serious challenges that commanders face. Conversely again, I don’t buy into the maxim that future wars will be won or lost by technology; war will always be won by the mind. Human nature is at the root of this—it has the capacity for good and it has the capacity for great violence as well. People kill for the sake of it, and that is that. We are inherently aggressive creatures unlike the rest of the animal kingdom (laughs). So at least as far as the military goes, I don’t think technology can ever replace leadership. While technology will certainly change the nature of warfare, military leadership will be a big determinant of the outcome.
What, according to you, are the lessons that corporate leadership can imbibe from the army?
Well, there are very many. But if I had to name a few, they would include a) Professionalism b) Integrity and loyalty—not just upwards but also downwards. Your team must always be secure in the knowledge that you will stand by them, no matter what. c) Overcoming the fear of loss and failure is the key to success, both in
In the armed forces, everything has a time, and every person, his role. The drills that the Army, Navy and Air Force are shown practicing are not just for show. They are supposed to inculcate discipline in every way. Part of the mechanism is meant to teach you to obey instinctively, and respond to the exact requirement of that day” the corporate arena as well as on the battle-field. Keeping your fears in check is crucial to bringing out your best. d) Consultative leadership: This style of leadership takes into account different viewpoints and contrary feedback. It is largely helpful, because it helps you form an accurate, well-rounded view of the situation on hand. e) A sense of humour: Now this is a bit of tricky terrain, for humour can be both situational and subjective. But even in the toughest circumstances, if you can retain the ability to make a well-timed joke that mocks at human frailty, it goes a long way in diffusing tensions. f) Accepting responsibility for failure and giving credit to your team for success. That innate sense of grace, to my mind, is the hallmark of a true leader, both in the army as well as in the corporate world. A good leader accepts responsibility for inadequacies and attributes strengths to team mates. g) Last but never the least, it is sincerity of purpose that differentiates the best from the rest. Whatever you do,; do it with singular focus; make it the purpose of your life for that period.
Do you feel the armed forces are respected by civilians, bureaucracy and political leadership? 24 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
Well, the civilians and general public at large have always respected the men in uniform. It gives us the strength to carry on. However, our political leadership has by and large had very little knowledge about the army. Post-independence, for example, there was little understanding about the security of India because it had been looked after by the British. This is most unlike the West, where most leaders had seen war, including Charles de Gaulle of France and Mao of China. Ditto with Russia. In fact, I happened to read this article the other day that said as many as 34 out of 45 Presidents of the US had seen live combat. Now that’s a large number and explains the leadership’s understanding of the significance of the armed forces. We have never had conscription in India, just volunteers. The compulsion to sign up was not there. Thus, this lack of knowledge has led to a mistrust of the military. Add to that the happenings in our immediate neighbourhood as in Pakistan and Burma for example and briefly in Bangladesh where military dictatorships had assumed charge. This led to a completely unfounded fear of `what if something similar happens here.’ Even today, by and large, it’s sad to say that India’s political leadership has made little effort to understand the army. There were a few exceptions of course, like Indira Gandhi and Narasimha Rao. Of course, I must add that I am only talking from my personal experience. But then there is the civilian bureaucracy, including the police that has placed itself between the army and the leadership. This is because, by and large, the armed forces are a highly respected lot. Unlike the civilian bureaucracy and the police,, the forces have a clear-cut charter that does not involve them doing the bidding of the politicians.
What do you think of our foreign policy vis-à-vis our neighbours?
As member of an Indian Army Training Team in Baghdad, Iraq: 1979.
With George Clooney at a dinner in New Delhi: 2005.
Receiving UN Secretary General Kofi Annan at the United Service Institution of India in 2000; also in the picture is Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sushil Kumar.
We have been, by and large, so obsessed with Pakistan that we tend to forget that in the days to come it is China that is going to be our greatest rival in the neighbourhood. Having said that, we have this tendency to equate ourselves with China in terms of size, strength and clout. Now this is wrong and misleading, for while China may be highest on our list of rivals, the fact is that for the Chinese we are not topmost of their priority list. They have a lot to deal with—the US, Japan, Russia, and possibly even Vietnam, being higher up than India. This is because China has disputes with many countries, not just India. We must use this to our advantage. With regard to Pakistan, let’s be realistic. This was a country formed on an anti-India agenda. Worse, the two-nation theory that gave them the reason for their existence ‘India for Hindus and Pakistan for Muslims’ was conclusively debunked in 1971 with the formation of Bangladesh, thanks to the basic cultural and political incompatibility with the Bengalis of East Bengal. So, India helped break that country up. Why, I myself was amidst the august company to have entered Dacca (Dhaka) on December 16,
As Military Adviser, High Commission of India: 1984. With former US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance in Sarajevo: May 1992.
With Vice President Hamid Ansari at the release of the book titled “For the Honour of India – A History of Indian Peacekeeping”: May 2009.
First Force Commander and Head of Mission of the UN Peacekeeping Forces in the former Yugoslavia: 3rd March 1992 to 2nd March 1993.
1971 along with my men. The result was the largest public surrender and largest taking of prisoners of war—93,000 of them, a humiliating event for any professional army. Given that the local populace was fed on stories of how one Pakistani could take on at least ten Indians, this was just too bitter a pill to swallow. And that deep sense of hurt, the desire for revenge has remained since.
What’s your take on China’s relationship with Pakistan?
That’s not strictly true. While China certainly has clout there, it’s not right to rate the Pakistanis so low. It is important to be fair in the assessment of one’s adversary in order to arrive at an accurate estimate. In order to understand the link between China and Pakistan, one must go back to the seventies when Pakistan brought China back into the international environment once again, by acting as a go-between between Kissinger and them. This is something China has never forgotten and has been an all-weather friend for Pakistan. It will not let Pakistan down easily, come what may. They may not directly intervene in case of an Indo-Pak conflict but they will certainly put a lot of pressure on us.
With Param Vir Chakra awardees at the United Service Institution of India: 2004.
So these factors must be properly understood when dealing with both Pakistan and China. A similar equation exists between Pakistan and the US. The Americans will never completely dump Pakistan, no matter what Trump says now. There are many sections in American society that are strongly pro-Pakistan.
The army seems to be on call everywhere, be it dealing with natural disasters or insurgency. Your take...
When it comes to floods and natural disasters, of course, you are happy to be of service. Besides, the army is supposed to give assistance to the civil administration in case of breakdown of law and order. The first instance of dealing with insurgency was in Nagaland. It is not a nice feeling of a great job dealing with your own countrymen. As a young man, I have chased rebel groups and I know the feeling. You are at a severe disadvantage as compared to dealing with outsiders. Having said that, if the government feels we must be called in as an instrument of last resort, great. But it’s a shame when they use the army as the first resort ; that does not speak well of the leadership. August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 25
Cover story
Graceful
Living Brought together for the first time at the marriage mandap, Indira and Lt. Gen. Nambiar (retd) have had a long innings of togetherness, lived with grace and mutual understanding, committed to each other and the armed forces calling. As Indira so succinctly points out, it’s all about faith, tolerance and a little bit of patience
Corporate Citizen: You both seem to have had a long and wonderful marriage. Could you tell us how you met?
indira: Truth be told, we met in the mandap, quite literally at that (laughs). The thing is he did not get a leave and so we could only meet on the day of the ceremony. However, you must remember that the year was 1970, when one pretty much did as one was told. It was an arranged marriage, through and through, and we trusted our parents to do the right thing by us. Having had an elder sister who was senior to me by 15 years and married into the Air Force, I sort of knew what marriage to a defence officer would entail.
So what are the qualities you admire in each other? in: I soon discovered that he was very much like my father —a very great and truthful man. I really respect that about him, as well as his absolute commitment to everything he takes on; the fact that he gives his best to the task on hand. gen. n: Oh, I admire her on so many counts. First and foremost, her complete frankness is amazing. I may have been irritated on occasion by her sheer honest brutality, but I know I can always count on her for the right feedback. Secondly, she has always been very committed to my work and the causes that were dear to me. Thirdly, she helped me look after my men by taking care of their wives. Last but not the least, she largely brought up our children by herself, considering that I was away most of the time. What’s more, she brought them up well.
don’t produce them, you are out of a job. In the armed forces, there is still hope that you can get away with it (laughs).
What was your reaction when your son decided he wanted to join the army?
in: Complete non-interference and total support. We have always believed in letting children follow their own heart. Give children the right moral values, and have faith in their Your son too chose a career in the armed ability to take their own decisions and do the right thing— forces. This is a pleasant surprise given the Wedding on 3 rd May 1970 at that’s what we have always practised. fact that many forces’ children choose other Kadalayi Temple, Kannur careers… gen. n: One fine day, after graduation he told me he wanted to join the army. I was thrilled. It seemed like the natural thing to do; he had gen. n: First of all, I would like to address the misconception that more observed army life from the outset and seen what it entailed. He loved sports youngsters in my time wanted to sign up (laughs). That’s not true. Even back and the outdoors. It seemed like the natural choice. However, it isn’t right to in the fifties when I completed my school and college, the brighter chaps saythat the force’s children don’t follow in their father’s footsteps. Mine did— always opted for the corporate world as there was more money. Everyone and he was the seventh second-generation officer on the rolls to have joined knew there was none in the army (laughs). So that continues even today, even his father’s battalion. This was a big deal considering the total strength of the though I do concede that yes, there are way more options in civil life today battalion. He was commissioned in 1996 and is a colonel now. that are attractive to youngsters. That said, the pay and the remuneration in the armed forces are much better than what they were in my time. And plus, there’s greater quality of life, greater camaraderie that are very rewarding in How different was it to be an officer in your own time their own way. This is not to suggest that things are easier in the corporate than in your son’s time? world. Why, it’s a relentless rat race and it’s directly linked to results. If you gen. n: Well, one must understand and accept the fact that times and so26 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
with every lady, including the younger ones. They must feel comfortable to speak to you.
Which, according to you, was your best posting?
in: Oh, all of them—for the simple reason that it’s not the place but the people who help make a place memorable. I must mention here that we’ve had a wonderful innings in the army, thanks to the good and supportive people around us, both seniors and juniors. Both of us have been really lucky that way. We had a really good time everywhere. Plus, I made it a point to know each and every wife, no matter how junior. I always kept an open home—there was always something happening at my place, some party or something we were practising on. There was a great camaraderie and bonhomie. Anyone could come up to me with their problems at any time. In fact, just the other day, I was at the hospital and a young woman came up and said hello. We were meeting after a long time. It was a really nice feeling.
What keeps a marriage going according to you?
in: Faith and tolerance—and a willingness to understand the other person. In my case, I didn’t know him at all. Each day was like a new episode on the Discovery channel (laughs) but one took the time and effort to make it work. The one reason why relationships don’t last these days is the lack of patience. With patience, you can conquer a lot together, without it, the going gets tough.
Your take on parenting.
in: It’s a pretty simple one, really. Give children the sense of security to be able to come and talk to you on every topic. Even if they commit murder,
In my case, I didn’t know him at all. Each day was like a new episode on the Discovery channel (laughs) but one took the time and effort to make it work. The one reason why relationships don’t last these days is the lack of patience. With patience, you can conquer a lot together” - Indira Nambiar cio-cultural demographics are ever-changing. Thus, the demands on his generation are way more than what they were on mine. In my time, the men were less educated, largely from the rural areas and more accepting of their seniors’ orders. In his time too, they are disciplined and committed—provided they are convinced that their officer is doing the right thing and is making the right choice for them. This is a more discerning and intelligent lot, they know their rights and privileges, and there’s no wishing it away. The demands on leadership always get more and more stringent, and well, that’s how it goes. So while unlike my days when a chap would help you sweep the floor if you asked him to, he won’t do such a thing today. But the point is you shouldn’t be asking him to. The good news is that our officers have always proved more than equal to the challenge.
How did you cope as an army wife? What was your role and its scope?
in: Well, we ladies had a role to play in various set ups like the Ladies Club, the AWWA and so on. Empowering the jawans’ wives by teaching them skills like embroidery, knitting, etc., were part of the deal. However, things have changed now. The women are pretty educated and aware and so things have to be made a little more interesting and more in sync with their needs. I always believed in keeping a friendly and open line of communication
they must be able to tell us as parents. I believe this transparency and communication has worked with both my children—my army officer son as well as my daughter who is an interior designer.
Do you feel it is easier being an army wife today?
in: Well, technology like emails and mobile phones has certainly made life easier as compared to our time. I remember as a young wife waiting for letters that would come at once, in a stack. Then you had to sort them out date-wise and read them (laughs). So yes, I tell my daughter-in-law that they are much luckier than us in that regard.
Last but not the least, do share your personal philosophy on life and living.
gen. n: Be grateful for God’s blessings and all that you have. Don’t complain about what couldn’t be; instead, celebrate what is. Most important of all, don’t ill-wish anyone. in: To that, I would add: be flexible enough to find sustenance and happiness in every circumstance. As an army family, we have lived in every accommodation, ranging from the luxurious to the austere. Be thankful, be accepting and be graceful. vinitapune@gmail.com kalyani.sardesai@gmail.com August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 27
Mindmine Summit
How To Reimagine Given the sheer size of her 480 million-plus workforce, can India be the driving force behind a global skill-based economy? An in-depth debate By Pradeep Mathur
I
ndia is projected to have 962 million people in the working age group by 2030, which would then be the highest in the world. Given the potential of its current and future demographic dividend, India too has significant advantages. However, this dividend could soon turn into a liability if right skills and education are not imparted to its population. As the world faces a significant talent shortage across sectors, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also keeps stressing the need to revamp our education sector to make India’s workforce of tomorrow future-ready with right skills and an entrepreneurial spirit. Though a lot of effort has been made under the Skill India Mission in the last four years, is it enough to face the
28 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
challenges of tomorrow? Perhaps not, because currently the government spends less than 1.5 per cent of India’s GDP on the education sector, which is hugely insufficient given the scale of the task at hand. It is estimated that about 30-60 per cent of skills needed in the future do not exist within the workforce today. So what’s the solution? How do we reimagine learning in India? How do we redesign and implement a programme that can revamp India’s largely antiquated education system? These were some of the questions addressed by an eminent panel in one of the most intellectually-stimulating sessions of the Hero Enterprise’s Mindmine Summit 2018 held recently in New Delhi. The three stalwarts who brain
Learning In India? stormed these issues included Dharmendra Pradhan (DDP), Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship; Saurabh Srivastava (SS), Co-founder, Indian Angel Network; and Prof. Errol D’Souza (ED) , Director of IIM Ahmedabad. This hourlong and jam-packed session was anchored by CNBC’s wellknown news presenter, Syna Dehnugara. Corporate Citizen takes you through this highly volatile discussion which critically analysed all aspects of the Modi Government’s most-ambitious Skill Development Mission. Edited excerpts:
disk. I wondered why this child, who has never seen a floppy disk, had to answer such a question. I was quite alarmed so I asked the-15 year-old to share her CS textbook with me. I thought it’ll have something on Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Learning (ML) and such other cutting-edge technologies that we’ve in our smartphones and which deeply impact our lives. But I was disappointed and that left me thinking that not only do we need to reimagine higher education and skills, we also need to reimagine what we’re doing with our primary education and on that note, I want to ask you:
Syna Dehnugara: I’ve two nieces, one in Std V and another in Std X. I help them off and on with their studies. Recently, while preparing for her Computer Science (CS) test, the younger one approached me with her study material which contained some very rudimentary stuff like what is a floppy
What does reimagination of education mean to you? You’re someone who has seen many industry cycles and know that questions are being raised about employability of our graduates for not having the right skills in IT and other sectors. (From left to right) Prof Errol D'Souza, Syna Dehnugara, Dharmendra Pradhan and Saurabh Srivastva
August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 29
Mindmine Summit So, if you’ve to reimagine, what would that one thing be? Saurabh Srivastava: The first thing is, we need to reimagine in any case because two-thirds of our population is under-35 and in another ten years, we’ll have a billion working population. For us, it’s very important that it becomes an asset and not a liability. So far, we haven’t done a great job at any level—whether it’s primary, secondary or even higher education. We don’t have universities which rank among the top 100 in the world. Then there is this issue of employability. A lot of our universities are still teaching stuff that the British used, to create ‘babus.’ So, there is lack of alignment between what we’re teaching and where the jobs are available. This mismatch in itself makes us reimagine the challenge we’ve before us which is also an opportunity; more so, because 60% of jobs as we know them today will disappear in the next decade. There’ll be a new set of jobs in the market. So, there is a chance for us to reset what we’re teaching, how we’re teaching and how we’re leveraging technology because this disruption will happen not only for us but in all the countries in the world. When I was growing up, the only source of knowledge was the books that I had and what the teacher told me but for today’s kids, source of knowledge is everywhere. So you’ve got to question, what should the teacher’s role be? What should they teach, because the kids are picking up things from everywhere. Should they be teaching them the tools and methods to learn, or tell them specifically what to cram at every stage? Then there is technology intervention and I just want to tell you how mobile internet technology, based on AI, has simply revolutionised education in a very backward district Banka in Bihar. Working with IIT Delhi, this district has launched a simple Unnayan programme, 'Mera Mobile, Mera Vidyalaya', which ensures quality educational content in their language on students’ mobile phones in multiple forms—print, audio and video—from experts around the world. The best part was: even if a student wasn’t able to attend her classes, she remained in touch with her teachers because Eckovation was an interactive platform, where kids can ask teachers to clear their confusions any time. It also monitored on how they’re doing at an individual level. They could not only learn but also take tests at their own pace. Syna: In that case, what happened to students’
classroom attendance? It must have dropped drastically and how did they do in exams? SS: (smiles) On the contrary, attendance had gone up from 15 to 77% in just a couple of months. Same was true about their performance and marks which too had gone up from 26 to 77%. Class X students did exceedingly well in their board exams. Incidentally, they’ve also done geo-tracking, so they can figure out specific locations in the district where kids were not doing well and find out what the issues were. Teachers were also feeling extremely empowered because they loved the fact that the kids were happily interacting on this platform to get their confusions cleared. So, to my mind, this is the future. Syna: If the Banka experiment is so good, it shouldn’t become an Island. Can we scale it up? There is some very alarming statistics which says, by 2030, India will have the largest working age population globally every year. We’re going to add 20 million working Indians every year in our workforce and, out of these 20 million, employers may not find a majority of them to be employable because their skills will not be up to the mark. Studies suggest that 30 to 60% of the skills required are just not taught in our schools and colleges. So, to have a dent on these numbers, we’ll need to replicate the Banka experiment. But can we scale it up and link it to developing higher skills just as you do it at one particular institute in Ahmedabad, run by ONGC, to expand into others as well? Dharmendra Pradhan: With the help of technology, we can do it. Why not? I don’t think there is any problem in scaling up the Banka experiment. Today we’ve things like WhatsApp, Facebook and digital communication which have great reach and they’re market-driven. If we all, policy -makers and stake holders including the government, NGOs and parents, decide that we need to put it on digital platform for better results, we can. We can use both, our conventional curriculum and digital platforms and technology to scale up the Bihar model. We can also take inspiration from other private sector initiatives like the educational models developed by Azim Premji Foundation since last one-and-a-half decade. The way digital penetration and use of internet technology is increasing even in rural India, I don’t see any problem in replicating the Banka or such other emerging experiments on a national level.
Dharmendra Pradhan
We are looking into industrial revolution 4.0 and the way things are moving with big automation, Internet of Things (IOT), Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Learning, we’re trying to move fast into new areas. Reason is: Existing job roles will soon vanish and we just can’t imagine the new roles that will emerge. Hence we’re trying to focus on five areas-long-term training, long-term skilling, short-term skilling, recognition of the prior learning and apprenticeship-so that one can fast get into either formal or informal job sectors or become an entrepreneur himself" 30 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
Intelligence and Virtual Learning, we’re trying to move fast into new areas. Reason is: existing job roles will soon vanish and we just can’t imagine the new roles that will emerge. Hence we’re trying to focus on five areas—long-term training, long-term skilling, short-term skilling, recognition of the prior learning and apprenticeship—so that one can fast get into either formal or informal job sectors or become an entrepreneur himself. Thus, putting this five-fold focused strategy into operation and bringing all skilling initiatives under a single umbrella is one of the policy initiatives of our ministry in the last four years.
Syna: But Sir, tell us about the effectiveness of the National Skill India Mission in the last four years. DDP: It being his pet project, PM Narendra Modi created a new vertical by forming this Ministry for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. That doesn’t mean in previous years there was no concept of skilling in the ecosystem. But it was the importance he attached to speed and scale it up that made the difference. Till now 22 ministries are giving budgetary allocations for skilling in their domain areas. All the state governments are also spending huge amounts in their skilling ecosystem. Private sector, industry and philanthropic organisations—all are today spending money in this campaign. That’s because there was a challenge; till he took over, only 2.3% of our workforce had undergone formal skill training as compared to 68% in the UK, 75% in Germany, 52% in USA, 80% in Japan and 96% in South Korea. So, PM Modi decided to immediately focus on scaling up skill training efforts to meet the demands of corporate employers and drive economic growth. Result is: millions have been trained under this programme in the last four years but that’s not enough. So, we’re now busy in creating and strengthening a uniform pattern in the skilling ecosystem throughout India with proper online assessments being done by experts. We are looking into industrial revolution 4.0 and the way things are moving with big automation, Internet of Things (IOT), Artificial
Syna: Now I want to ask you, Prof. D’Souza, what are your thoughts on this coming together to consciously create jobs for the future? Don’t you think, in spite of the initiatives taken, the problem lies elsewhere? My eight-year-old is still learning about floppy discs and my 15-year-old has no idea what Artificial Intelligence is all about. Prof. Errol D’Souza: Actually my worry is that in this information age, we’re getting more literate, but less educated at the same time. A big factor in education is the ability to integrate the knowledge across the disciplines and the ability to make a judgement call. These are not things that you can learn through the digital platform. For this, you do need a teacher. You do need someone who can take you through the steps of reasoning the logic which is important in a particular discipline. Those are the aspects that we seem to be forgetting. Most education is, in a sense, teaching students how to do convergent thinking, find the right answer. It’s almost like doing multiple choices. There are these four possibilities, tell me, what’s the right answer? But the future is not about that. The future is really about divergent thinking. It’s about being creative. It’s about trying to think in a different format altogether. It’s about taking ideas, playing with them, creating a new environment, looking at multiple logics and system’s thinking because even if everyone is a specialist in his own area, you still need people who are able to integrate across disciplines. We’re not thinking about these aspects which I think are very important in going forward. These are issues which will plague us 10-15 years down the line. You do need people who are able to be culturally agile. People who can do integrative thinking and yet who are firmly rooted in a discipline that they are trained in and so they know how to think rationally and logically. This is not going to happen by providing more digital platforms and so the soft part of this, I think, is hugely missing. Ten years later, if we still have a Mindmine Summit, we’ll be saying, what did we do wrong? Syna: So, you think digital technology is not the answer. It is actually fundamentally rethinking what we are teaching our children, not just how we are teaching it. So what should be the interventions at the primary education level, at the higher education level and as far as skills are concerned for jobs? I’m not talking about the kind of work you do at IIM Ahmedabad where working with the absolute top-tier of India, you give them the wings to really fly. ED: A lot of learning is going to be flip learning because there is a power in technology. The power is: the basic August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 31
Mindmine Summit
knowledge is going to be made available to large masses which is not easy to do and that’s what Saurabh has indicated. He said that lot of the education he got earlier was from just the books provided to him. Today knowledge is available on lots of platforms and much more easily accessible. But that makes the job of teaching that much more difficult. It means that kids can come in, having read something about a discipline, and thus make you spend time in doing problem-solving. That’s where the practice part of it comes in. That makes teacher’s part more difficult. We keep thinking of bringing kids to the school which is important even today, possibly only one third of kids who enter first standard, get through to the fifth standard. But, at the same time, same absenteeism rate is there for teachers as 25% of teachers in the last three months in any given school have been absent. This is government data. So, you’ve got to bring both in and that’s not going to be an easy task unless you provide a vision about what it is that the education system is all about? You give them hope for a future and that’s where, when you talk of skilling debate at a tertiary level, I see that the industry has
When I was growing up, the only source of knowledge was the books that I had and what the teacher told me but for today’s kids, source of knowledge is everywhere. So you’ve to question, what should the teacher’s role be? What should they teach because the kids are picking up things from everywhere? Should they be teaching them the tools and methods to learn or tell them specifically what to cram at every stage?" 32 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
Saurabh Srivastva
to play a role. The education system can take you up to a level—the skills per se required in a particular industry is best known to that industry and you can see that in the software industry. The top software firms today are skilling people in software and they say, we’ll hire some of them. The rest can go even to our competitors. So, that’s the way to go. Syna: How involved has the industry been? Apart from CSR initiatives, what more would you like the industry to do as far as their involvement in the skill development institutes are concerned? DDP: (smiles) There are two roles. One, they’ve to measure the demand for their respective industry. Unless we know the quantum of demand, how can we take steps to meet it? Demand has to be met on the ground: in the floor of the service industry, agricultural industry, in the marketplace and so on. Today what’s happening is, though millions of people are getting trained and skilled, we’ve not been able to link them up to the demand index of the country. Demands are not linked to skills which, in turn, are not linked to the Union and State budgets and private sector spending. We don’t know what the industry’s emerging job trends are. There is a missing link and the industry has a role to list out what are the job roles they need. Secondly, they need to help us in providing jobs to those who’ve been trained by our skill councils. So, we need a very strong partnership with the industry. One more suggestion, rather than making skilling a CSR initiative, they should make it part of their investment plan. If we want to have a double-digit economy, we must have quality manpower. But this will happen only when the industry increases its investment in this
Prof Errol D'Souza
The future is really about divergent thinking. It’s about being creative. It’s about trying to think in a different format altogether. It’s about taking ideas, playing with them, creating a new environment, looking at multiple logics and system’s thinking because even if everyone is a specialist in his own area, you still need people who are able to integrate across disciplines. We’re not thinking about these aspects which I think are very important in going forward. These are issues which will plague us 10-15 years down the line"
sector along with the government and the society helps in making it a movement. SS: I just want to add to what the minister has been saying and why it is extremely important for the industry to get seriously involved in this mission. I’ll give you an example from the software industry. In the early years, when we founded NASSCOM, there was only one degree in computer science, called B Tech in Computer Science, given out by the IITs. We barely had 100 students graduating a year. Now, how could you build an industry out of that? So, we got together with some IIM Ahmedabad professors, did two to three days of brain-storming and worked out a new degree called MCA which everybody adapted because it was a degree that the industry needed. Today, if you look at it, within our own IT industry and NASSCOM, we’ve created a whole new Future Skills Program because 60% of the millions of our people need to be re-skilled. It has gotten to a point where recently, when the PM was in London, the UK Government asked us to actually put it to work in their country. I had done it in my own software company by having a programme with IIT Delhi where we define what we need and they get us the candidates. We guarantee them employment if they finish that programme. So, it’s very important for the industry to get involved. But there is one more issue and it’s between skilling and education. Since a vast majority of our population needs to have jobs, they need to have the right skills and so we must have an architecture in place which is doing both. I don’t think so far our architecture has had that much focus on skills. It has been more on: Do you have a degree or not? Syna: Some experts also advocate bringing new technologies and augmented reality into our classrooms but can technology be the messiah if we’ve to reimagine learning? ED: That is definitely a very important tool but don’t forget that in that augmented reality you have actually programmed out what the person should experience. True education, however, is actually stepping beyond that, at least at a tertiary level. Even at the primary level, it’s important for
students to be exposed to larger phenomenon. It’ll happen if they go out and have industry visits and listen to learned speakers coming in their schools like you’re having it here. That’s extremely important. SS: Technology is an enabler. It allows you to simplify, amplify, multiply, accelerate the velocity, the distribution, the coverage as you can use artificial intelligence to learn things you can feed back into the system. You can analyse the data to figure out how fast somebody is learning. But, at the end of the day, the intellect is still needed, so you still need quality teachers to explain it but our challenge is: we don’t have enough of them. Technology is the only way to take the best of what we’ve got to as many people as we can. That’s why it’s critical. Syna: Mr Pradhan, what are your thoughts? DDP: I agree with Prof. D’Souza. Education and skilling are two different things. Education gives you empowerment, ethics and knowledge; skilling gives you employability to earn your livelihood. Both are not contradictory to each other. Yes, there are challenges in conventional education system. How do you update your teachers? To do so, you certainly need technology. But for basic education, technology is not an answer. It’s a man-to-man relationship. At primary level, the role of your teacher matters. One word of his in early days will inspire you all your life. That’s the magic and it’s not contradictory to the art of technology which gives you a big jump and new idea in a short time. So schooling and skilling are not contradictory, actually both complement each other. mathurpradeep1@gmail.com
CC
tadka
Kylie Jenner, world’s youngest self-made billionaire The world's youngest self-made billionaire may soon be Kylie Jenner. Forbes said the social media star is on track to become "the youngest-ever self-made billionaire”. Kylie Jenner, 20, is the youngest person on the Forbes list of America’s Richest SelfMade Women, released recently, with an estimated net worth of $900 million. Over the next year, Jenner is expected to become the youngest self-made billionaire ever. That's a title previously held by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in 1987 at age 31 and by Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg in 2008 at age 23.
August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 33
Corporate Stalwart
Ashishkumar Chauhan, India’s financial derivatives wizard is the MD & CEO of Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and one of the founders of the National Stock Exchange (NSE). In an exclusive interview to Corporate Citizen, he speaks on the amazing growth of our technosavvy stock exchanges, the bright financial future of our country and insight into prospects of our economy By Vinita Deshmukh
34 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
Pics: Tushar Mane
After the Harshad Mehta scam, the government decided to step up, as, because of want of automation, brokers were controlling the Stock Exchange and acting against interest of investors
August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 35
Corporate Stalwart How did you start your career at Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI)?
Ashishkumar Chauhan is the MD & CEO of BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange), the first stock exchange of Asia. He is one of the founders of India's National Stock Exchange (NSE) where he worked from 1992 to 2000. He is best known as the father of modern financial derivatives in India due to his work at NSE. He was instrumental in setting up India's first fully automated screen based trading system and first commercial satellite communications network. He also created several path-breaking frameworks including Nifty index and NSE certifications in financial markets. He has also worked as the President and Chief Information Officer of Reliance Group and was also the CEO of the cricket team, Mumbai Indians,in its formative years. He also handled additional responsibilities as the Head, Corporate Communications for Reliance Group from 2005 – 2006. He joined the BSE as Deputy CEO in 2009 and was appointed as CEO in 2012. He is credited with reviving BSE including making it the fastest Exchange in the World with less than 6 microseconds response time, introduction of Mobile Trading for the first time in India, stateof-the-art online real-time surveillance system, introduction of several market-leading products like SME, Currencies, Mutual Funds, Corporate Bonds distribution, Offer for Sale, Offer to Buy and so on. He was also instrumental in setting up India's First international exchange `India International Exchange’ in January 2017 at Gandhinagar, Gift City. He has successfully completed the IPO of BSE which was pending for over 10 years. BSE IPO was oversubscribed 51 times with close to 12 lakh applications in January 2017. 36 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
The 1980s and 1990s were some exciting times. I learnt of portfolio analysis and finances and was quite well versed in them. When I joined IDBI in 1991, as Project Finance Officer, the finance department did the main function of IDBI. My responsibility was to largely do the loan sanction work of power projects as well as some electronic projects. I was fortunate enough to visit several power plants and electronic factories across the country. Being an engineer, I could relate to them. My earliest learning experience was to type out communication/correspondence by myself– this, despite having stenographers as they just wouldn’t work. So I had to work overtime and also do my own filing. Then I had to give overtime to peons, because I worked late. Being techno-savvy, I could work on computerised spread sheets and make online changes very rapidly. I had the reputation of being the most knowledgeable person in the department which helped me to get selected for the National Stock Exchange (NSC). As my colleagues and I had an understanding of finance, many of us started dealing in stocks and of course invested a lot of money, despite not having our own money. As the prices moved down, we ended up losing a lot of money, which was a big shock to us. The finance, in reality, hit me differently as we had no idea of such ups and downs. So it was shocking. Then we had to work hard for the next one year to repay the debts. It was a tough time. Of course my salary increased after confirmation of my job, from ₹3,000 to ₹7,000 so I could pay off the debts faster. Nonetheless, it was an eye-opener on how the Indian Stock Market works.
Tell us about your tenure at the National Stock Exchange (NSE).
Sometimes, it is sheer serendipity and things just fall in place. The success of NSE was purely by accident. It was a large experiment which became so successful that well known stock exchanges in the world became automated after NSC. It was a trend-setter. After the Harshad Mehta scam, the government decided to step up a new action. It came to a conclusion that because of want of automation, brokers are controlling the exchange and acting against the interest of investors. So the government decided to set up a new model stock exchange. It directed the IDBI which was the apex development bank those days to create a model. There were five people who had already had some experience in stock markets who were selected, but one of them dropped out. I was just new into the organisation, about a-year-old, so I was selected in his place. I guess
they considered me due to my experience in the field of mechanical engineering and IT and moreover my knowledge of making spreadsheets. The trust that technology will work was in itself a great support and confidence booster. However, it required a lot of information and most of my learning came from reading books and experimenting, rather than anyone teaching me. People had not set up such large projects before. We relied on our common sense and innovation. I served the NSC until the year 2000. I set up the initial technology, network, screen-based reading, Nifty Index, listings, derivatives, equities and, margining on daily basis. I was the only Gujarati in the team, which helped, as those days the notices were in Gujarati. Also, whatever I had learnt in B.Tech helped me. My work involved
taking the data and feeding it into the computer. Those days computers were quite a new thing and my laboratory having had the latest computers, I learnt how to do real-time computing.
How did you break from NSC and switch to Reliance?
In the year 2000, there was a good demand for technology. Post -Y2K- there was a lot of e-commerce activity. That inspired me to start my own e-commerce venture. Before that I was trying to get a job in the World Bank. As my family was in the USA, there was pressure on me to move there. I applied for a job in World Bank and was called for an interview. However, while I was in Washington, I got a call from Reliance, offering to fund me for my enterprise. So I decided that if I did not get the World Bank
offer, I would think about taking the Reliance job. The World Bank job did not materialise. That's when I started my own venture called exchangenet.com. It provided b2b commerce engine for different businesses. We started exchanges for steel, paper and petrochemicals. In 2001, e-commerce industry slumped. That's when Reliance also stopped funding. So the team which was with me started working for other projects of Reliance which is now known as Reliance Communications. So we were recruited as employees for that project. And many of us had exposure into transaction processing and telecom. Later, I was made the head of IT for Reliance Communications and soon after for Reliance Industries. I also ran Public Relations for Reliance for some time. I was also given the additional responsibility of heading
Mumbai Indians, when the IPL team came into the picture
How was your role in administering Mumbai Indians different from others?
My will to work on any job brought in many job offers with varied backgrounds and I was open to work with no hesitation. So at the last moment if there was any troubleshooting to be done I was called to salvage the situation. So that's how I handled most of the opportunities that came my way. I do not look at any work as a predefined activity. The Mumbai Indians Cricket Team was handed over to me just three days before the tournament. I not only had to manage the cricket team but look after the ticket sales, security, food, the cleanliness, advertisements, merchandise and so on. I was the boss of every department but I had to also worry about the money
Sometimes, things just fall into place. The success of NSE was purely by accident. It was a large experiment which became so successful that wellknown stock exchanges in the world became automated after NSC. It was a trend-setter being spent and collected. It was more like a new business and so there were new challenges.
What is your advice to young corporate managers?
Till the time you have aspirations, you'll get new work. If you don't get additional work, you'll stagnate. So, take any work that comes your way and pursue it with your heart. If any mundane work comes your way, do it to the best of your ability and you are bound to do it well. And when you do it well, take pride in your work. The biggest issue with most of the youngsters is that they consider their work as their job and so don't want to take pride in it. I have sold IPL tickets on the roads and have been caught by police calling it black marketing. As a CEO, how will you make your team successful? You have to try to maximise your revenue. If someone says, after doing IIT, launching NSC with 3,000 people reporting to me, that selling tickets is not your job, then you are missing out a new experience. I learnt a lot by just selling tickets. The matches could be either at Wankhede or DY Patil Stadium. So, printing different August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 37
Corporate Stalwart tickets every time, looking after the needs of the crowd as they have expectations after paying for the tickets, looking after the exits; controlling an emergency situation and so on was a great experience. For the crowd, we made it an experience on the lines of a movie theatre. For this, you have to do a lot of innovation. Besides providing better facilities, our aim was to make it attractive especially for women to watch the matches. We wanted to make it a family experience and achieved that too. For that, your bosses have to have faith in you that you'll handle the situation. At the same time, you have to respect their expertise and also take everyone along and move forward. How to spend less money and create more buzz was also one of our main objectives.
Now BSE is so strong. So what is it that you put in it, over and above the NSE?
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When BSE was corporatised, it was searching for a technology firm, because NSE had it. So if they had a stock broker-related technology firm, they would be able to compete better. The firm which we had set up had become large enough. We were to sell it out (my wife owned most of the shares), but when the BSE decided to buy it, they put a condition that I had to work with them for at least a year. So I came to BSE as a deputy CEO. Then I came and settled down well so I finally was there for more than eight years. Any business or exchange has to figure out what role it has to play in the society. And BSE has been an investment exchange. It has the backing of technology. We had to work on lot of areas.
Is there a competition between BSE and NSE?
Any business has an element of competition. But being regulators, a large part of our job involves cooperation. So everyday you've to touch base on various manipulations that are happening in the day-to-day operations; on when to start the market and when to close it; discuss together on holidays and margins and so on. Therefore, almost 95% of the work is about cooperation and 5% is about competition. Competition creates controversy and people think that we are always fighting. But largely, behind the scenes, it’s mostly cooperation.
You recently mentioned that the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud is just to create fear-mongering... Can you elaborate?
That question was asked to me recently at my talk in MIT, USA. The question was whether Indian banking system is on the verge of collapse because of the PNB scandal and if so, when will it collapse? I answered that the scale of the scandal is small vis-à-vis the size of the Indian banking system. Giving an example, I explained 38 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
Till the time you have aspirations, you’ll get new work. If you don’t get additional work, you’ll stagnate. So, take any work that comes your way and pursue it with your heart...and you are bound to do it well - Ashishkumar Chauhan to young corporate managers to them that if you have some money in your pocket which gets picked, do you become bankrupt? At the same time the person who picks the pocket needs to be caught and brought to justice and your money has to be recovered. Similarly, the person who dupes the Indian banking system will be caught and brought to justice. But that does not mean that the whole industry will collapse just because of some few thousand-crore rupee scam. In our minds this is a large amount. Our Indian banking system is worth one lakh crore rupees. In a year, with 12% interest per annum, the system receives an interest of 12 lakh crore rupees per annum and one lakh crore rupees, monthly, and in three days it will recover ₹1,000 crore just by interest; keeping aside the principal. On the other side, if the bank is paying you 4% of savings and charges 12%, that means it charges 8% extra. So they are also assuming that even if one of 12 borrowers default, they will be okay.
You mentioned that Nirav Modi scam was avoidable. Could you elaborate?
The Harshad Mehta scam was a broking scam. And to some extent a banking scam and so reforms were required in the banking system also. Banks also participated in the portfolio management scheme. There were loopholes. But the broking system got such a bad name, it got completely cleaned up. These years saw tremendous progress in regulations related to stock market. But the same years did not see many changes in the banking system. To some extent even the way the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) was run, was causing a hurdle in the ways in which the banks could recover the money. It was being delayed and banks were helpless. So, if these acts could have been cleaned up, the banking industry would have been reformed. Recently, we did the needful and I think we have now done a
good job, so things should look up. Demonetisation, bankruptcy code and GST norms have strengthened the hands of the banks to recover that money. And if we had done this long back, we wouldn't have got into the pile of back debts. Nirav Modi is a very small case compared to the back debt the system is presently saddled with, but even that is not large enough for the entire banking system to collapse. The Indian banking system is the most robust. Once the backlog is cleaned the situation will become easy. And the benefits will be passed on to the consumers.
In the long run will GST and demonetisation help?
These reforms are very difficult to achieve so-
cially and are also hard in terms of implementation. They are some of the deepest reforms the Indian society has ever undertaken. Both have been implemented reasonably well. It will give you good benefits in the long run. The way I look at it, as India is becoming a capital of soft infrastructure of the world. No country has what we have. People are looking up to us. We are not aware of our progress though. We are still thinking that we have done a bad job. Once the society understands that it’s difficult to evade taxes, the tax compliance becomes better;, corruption comes down. There are many benefits which are collateral to this. We have not yet understood it.
I
How many hours do you work?
I start my work by 7-7:30 am and go home by 10.30-11 pm. When in Mumbai, I travel within India also about two to three days a week. I take early flights, come back late; it’s an uncertain schedule, which takes a toll on me. Thus, I'm not that healthy; I am diabetic. Even if I try to manage the work-life balance, it doesn't work so. I enjoy my work so I try to give more time to my work. My wife is able to handle the rest. She is a doctor so she understands. We have one son in Std X. If he has a vacation, my wife takes a leave and they come along with me for conferences.
What is your philosophy in life?
Nirav Modi is a very small case compared to the back debt the system is presently saddled with, but even that is not large enough for the entire banking system to collapse. The Indian banking system is the most robust. Once the backlog is cleaned the situation will become easy
Not to take myself seriously and not to believe in my own bluff. Be sincere, help others. Work for the society.
Advice to Indians...
Life has many colours, India has many opportunities. In the next 40 years, the world will create wealth that it has never created so far. Most of it will be created by young people. India is a technology-oriented country with lot of young people. So most of the money will be made by Indians. Everyone has a chance to contribute. We can either feel bad about the situation around us or rather work hard or create new skills. The time in the future will be very exciting. vinitapune@gmail.com August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 39
Corporate Stalwart
Shaping the Future
Money makes the world go round, according to a popular adage, and no one knows more about money than the MD and CEO of the prestigious Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), Ashishkumar Chauhan. His knowledge about finance is outmatched only by his eloquence of speech. At a Sydenham college event where he was the keynote speaker, Ashish wowed the audience with his brilliant insights into the key to achieve success in life. Corporate Citizen brings you the excerpts By Neeraj Varty
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Learning from humble beginnings
There are these books I liked a lot as a child. They are by renowned management guru Ram Charan, and they are called Know How and Execution. He is one of the world’s highest paid consultants. He stays in New York, and is the guru to most Fortune 100 and 500 CEOs across the world. The tragedy is that not many people know about him. Some of the top Indian business houses pay him huge money for a consultation. Despite his current stature, he has come from very humble beginnings. He is the son of a shoemaker, a mochi, from Agra. He is not ashamed of his origin, as he says, “I learned most of management that I practise now, because I sat in my father’s shop to repair shoes. He figured out how the cash flow works; how seasonality works, because of this, during monsoon, you don’t get clients as a cobbler. So you have to plan and keep some money beforehand.” Those are the things, small little things that can make you big if you understand life as it comes. I want to touch upon this because Ram Charan is one of the greatest heroes in modern India, and most people don’t even know about him.
Dealing with change
When I was young, I was always told that change is the only constant. The last 2728 years of my career have taught me that not only is change the only constant, change is accelerating. So what has happened in my lifetime will happen faster in 40 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
yours. In India, we don’t talk about change and so we don’t know how to deal with it. We must teach the youth how to handle change, how to anticipate change and how to create an effective response to these changes. Once we do that we will be adequately prepared. Today we are bombarded with news from all sources—TV, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Most of it is irrelevant news, which I call noise. You have a lot of noise and a sliver of relevant news hidden in that noise. One must learn to filter out the noise and get to the important information. Most people who have made money, who have come up to a good position in life, including me, have done so by accident. We have been lucky. It is not because of our wisdom that good things happened. We were simply in the right place at the right time. Since the beginning of civilisation when man invented fire, if someone came up with new technology, the elite class of humans captured that technology, mastered it and controlled the non-elites.
My first job was with IDBI. My first experience at this job is that all of us went on a strike for three to four months. For once, it was fun to be on strike and still get a salary. We were just young boys who had just joined. At that time, IDBI had ordered 1,000 computers, and everyone said that our jobs were going to go away. And now after 27 years, you realise that the computers are here everywhere and they have changed our lives forever. One single technology, known as IT, has changed the perception of the world. It has also changed the perception of India. Thirty years back, when I used to go abroad, India was perceived as the land of the snake charmers. Today if you go there the news is about the American jobs are taken away by India. So the world has changed its perception about India in the last 25-30 years. Indians have also changed their perceptions about India in the last 30 years.
India—then and now
When we were young, a person who could speak English well was considered intelligent. We used to think arey bachpan se hi English bolta hai. Ev-
will be. So you need to have that mindset. When we grew up, we had to learn for 25 years, and then earn for the next 50 years. Now, you have to learn continuously. People who don’t learn will remain behind, because, things are going to change very fast. You have to unlearn many things, and learn newer things.
The future
eryone spoke in their mother tongues then. Even I studied in a Gujarati-medium school till Class XII. The inferiority complex Indians had due to lack of exposure is now totally gone. We may still be a poor country lacking infrastructure, but we are still more confident and more intelligent than many foreigners. In the last 30 years, one single technology changed India, the world, and the world’s perception about India. The next 40 years are going to witness even faster changes. If you give the new generation a mobile, they ace it in minutes. The next 30-40 years will come out with at least 20 such similar transformational technologies. And those technologies will change the world, When you play chess, you play a move and the opponent plays the next move, but when Vishwanathan Anand plays, he plans 13 moves ahead. In life too, we should always plan several moves ahead. India is a very young country, and a very tech-savvy one at that. In the next 40 years, 70% of the jobs will be such that we won’t have thought of today. We don’t know what those jobs
The next 40 years will create tremendous wealth. In the next 50 years we will add close to 300-350 trillion dollars in wealth. Most of this wealth will come out of the newer technologies, and it is the youth who will learn these technologies. At age 50 it is difficult for me to learn. The youth are still open to learning. The curiosity hasn’t yet been beaten out of them. Be humble, but be curious. Even if you are not humble it is fine. Survival is about being curious. Otherwise, you may walk, but you may be a zombie. India has a great chance to make it big. In the 1750s when the British were taking over, India had population of 20% of the world, and GDP of 25%. When the British left in 1947, India had a population of 16%, but GDP of just 2%. We went from 25% to 2%, and now we are close to 4% of world GDP. We are around 2.5 trillion dollars today. We can basically go to 25 trillion dollars in your lifetime. That is the crux of it. If you work hard, you work diligently, and you constantly learn, you can create wealth for everyone. Wealth in the hands of only a few people doesn’t benefit humanity. You need to learn from the past, but the future is even more important. And if you can’t capture the future, then basically we as a society have no hope. We have come this far in the last 35 years. You will have to go even farther for your benefit and the benefit of the society.
If you have to create billions of dollars in wealth, you have to put in billions of dollars in investment. But newer technologies will allow you to put in a very little money, and lot of brains
Non-linearity
The last thing I would like to speak about is non-linearity. I don’t know if you have been taught about non-linearity, but it is a very interesting framework. Class 5 students are given an example, i.e. if 100 workers can build a house in 2 months, then 200 workers can build that same house in half a month. This is an example of linearity. If you have to create billions of dollars in wealth, you have to put in billions of dollars in investment. But newer technologies will allow you to put in a very little money, and lot of brains. It has happened to Mark Zuckerberg, it has happened to Sergei Brin, even to Nandan Nilekani and Narayana Murthy. There are the role models in front of you who are prime examples of non-linearity. Being an employee without stock options is being in linearity. When you are an entrepreneur, or an employee with stock options, then you are playing for non-linearity. It’s your choice what you want to aim for. neeraj.varty07@gmail.com August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 41
Interview
A Work for
Art! Pics: Ahmed Shiekh
Working with big names in the corporate world like Reliance, Shell and others, Dr Sajeev Nair possesses a wide, three-decade-long experience which has enhanced his knowledge and skills. Adding another feather to his cap, he holds a PhD in Engineering Science from University of Petroleum Energy Studies (UPES). Currently he is the Senior Vice President – Learning and Development, and Head, Manufacturing at Reliance Industries Limited. Sajeev has spent most of his career working on the offshore oil and gas projects. However, there is another side to Sajeev, every time the spotlight hits him, this charismatic theatre artiste enters a different world. Every role played, be it theatre or the responsibilities of the corporate world, Sajeev has proved his worth. He has acted in over 500 plays while directed and produced many as well. A strong driving force while implementing robust competency mapping, Sajeev is a consolidation of accurate industrial knowledge and top-notch interpersonal skills. In a tête-à-tête with Corporate Citizen, Sajeev spoke extensively about his love for theatre, his different roles in the corporate world and much more… By Ekta Katti
42 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
Your stint in the corporate world has been enthralling. Could you walk us through your career so far? The three decades of experience have been enriching. With a great education background, I was fortunate enough to start my career as a lecturer at Universal College of Engineering, back home. The challenges there made me well versed with several facets of electrical engineering. Later, I moved on to the job profile of a maintenance engineer. I got sufficient experience in installation, commissioning and testing of various types of electrical equipment and mechanical tools for the automobile production. A pivotal shift came when I joined hands with Shell. I started working with them as a senior trainer and development coordinator. I was responsible for training and competence development programme. Growth was inevitable! I also worked as a senior trainer, advisor, mentor and coach for an effective training and competence management. That uplifted my knowledge and skills. Currently, I am serving as the Senior Vice President Learning and Development GMS, Reliance. While heading the manufacturing, and learning and development, I was successful in establishing a world-class academy, at par with international training management systems. How has working with an organisation like the Shell been? Shell is indeed one of the largest companies when it comes to this sector. With more than three lakh employees under its umbrella, this international organisation has got business entities all over the world. It gave me Research has an opportunity to work at shown that offshore platforms, islands learning is most and deep sea too. That in itself is a thought-provok- effective when ing role. Shell has been the performed in the biggest learning platform context of actual for me. work. Many Going up the hierarchy at Shell, I was responsible organisations for the operation training report that an d i mp l e m e nt at i on 85-90% of a plan for the whole LNG ter mina l op erat ions. person’s job C om i n g w it h s om e knowledge of the procedures for is achieved competency assessment on the job system for the Shell Gas and Power in Hazira, was one of my biggest achievements. Owing to my theatre background, I was able to maintain the staff quite efficiently and was responsible for recruitment through baseline assessment and professional interview techniques.
Dr Sajeev Nair in a theatre performance
With a strong hold on offshore projects, what made you to get back home? I believe in soaking up as much experience as possible before coming back to my country. Being a true Indian, I have August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 43
Interview strong roots. Having worked most of the time out of the country, I wanted to settle back home for obvious reasons. With my family here, I wanted to live with them after gaining all the knowledge. Even when I was working abroad, I used to visit them once in two months without fail. It’s all about gaining the right experience while the sun still shines. How is the Four Box model beneficial for learning? Four Box theory is the most basic of all. However, for me, it’s more of a blended learning, which means how a person can learn. The Four Box Model has four components—self-learning (e-modules, books, publications), internal and outsourced programmes (classroom, virtual), coaching or mentoring and participation in the conference, and workshops. Research has shown that learning is most effective when performed in the context of actual work. In addition, many organisations report that 85-90% of a person’s job knowledge is achieved on the job and only 10-15% is gained in formal training events. What is your approach while implementing a robust competency assessment and assurance system? What are the risks involved in implementing it? To start with the risks, sometimes, the organisation might not have anything on their name. So, the first step of competence assurance is the need to develop job competence profiles at different levels. That in itself is the biggest challenge. People apt for developing competency profile are the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) or Skill Pull Experts (SPEs). These are stalwarts with several years of experience in that domain. A group of SPEs or SMEs have to discuss and identify the different kinds of competency maps. In fact, competency is required for different job roles within the same job family itself. This cluster is called competency catalogue. From this catalogue, we can pull out a profile for each job role. For each job competency, there would be proof points of knowledge, awareness, skill, behaviour and others which form the core of it. Apart from that, the catalogue is used for competency-based recruitment. If you have that catalogue, it is the best yardstick for hiring people from the organisation. Simply put, it’s nothing but a form or job description. In short, it is one of the most time-consuming processes. We had implemented the same process in Reliance, just four years ago. We have rolled out and the assessment has already started. With that, we can identify gaps. This assures that the position and personal profile will be similar. And gaps will be identified by blender learning. The risk involved here is to create the person’s profile efficiently. A slight mistake could land the employee in a different job. Frankly, I have just been hearing about competency mapping since long, it was all theory. And it 44 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
was just recently that it was implemented by big corporations. The reason for its delayed implementation is because of the accidents involved with it. Is there any pressure while hiring or retaining talent? There are other parameters like politics or nepotism that could affect the hiring process. Unfortunately, this is seen only in our country. A person who is true to their job would overcome these hurdles to hire the right candidate rather than crumbling under pressure of politics. Incidentally, I faced the same issue several times in my career. I owe a lot to my work; hence politics and other petty things won’t hold me back. What are the industry expectations from the freshers? Competency mapping is basically an amalgamation of knowledge, skill and mostly importantly, their interpersonal talent and behaviour. The employee might have flawless occupational skills, but if they lack in being a team player or interacting with
Competency is the key to success! Curiosity leads to creativity. What’s appealing is a man of his stature to patiently ignite the inquisitiveness of the young minds during a session at a management institute in Pune. Dr Sajeev Nair, Senior Vice President and Head GMS Learning and Development of Reliance Industries Limited, graced his presence at the institute recently. Instead of a oneway communication, Sajeev rather opted for guiding and enlightening the students by the means of an interactive session. The auditorium packed with brainy students were eager to soak themselves in Sajeev’s astonishing experience. He spoke widely about the student development programme and blended learning methods in the industries. The reason behind focusing on the organisational learning was clear as it plays a pivotal role in the growth of an employee. As regards the student’s
transition from studying in a college to working in the industry, Sajeev stressed how blended learning is beneficial to get them acclimatised. Blended learning in an education programme that combines traditional classroom methods with online digital media. This hybrid teaching methodology consists of basic components like self-learning, classroom activities facilitated by trainers, online learning and on-the-job learning. The detailed explanation of blended learning with suitable cases studies broadened the student’s horizons. As he led the session with brilliant illustrations, he explained that a person cannot ride a cycle just by gathering all the information from digital media. The person has to be on the field and get the on-hand experience. Explaining the ‘70-20-10 per cent rule of learning’, he said, “An employee can climb up the
other employees, it is not good. Utmost importance has to be given to their behaviour. Industry is looking for employees who are dynamic, synergy-oriented, competent and with excellent communication skills. The behaviour aspect can be measured against several parameters. The HR is so efficient that even during the first meet, they would understand the person’s comportment. The candidate could be a know-it-all but being down-to-earth and taking your team along are the basic requirements. Your career as a theatre artiste has been scintillating. How has it shaped you as a person? Is there a correlation between the theatre and the corporate world? Theatre has simply transformed my life. It has taught me values which otherwise are very hard to learn. Respect for your surroundings, patience and much more. It provided me with the necessary skills to help me develop me personally and professionally. The moment I hit the stage as an actor, my stage fright was gone. The same way at work, I am quite open about my views. Communicating with my employees has always been my plus point. Theatre has become the outlet for my emotions. That has made me more of a calm and composed person at work. It has taught me ethics beyond moral values. I have channelised my energy into playing different roles on- and offstage. The themes of my plays general-
ladder with 70 per cent of knowledge which is gathered on the job or field training. Twenty per cent comprises of coaching and training. While just 10 per cent of learning happens via digital media.” Further explaining the work-related competencies. He feels it is best gained through experiences on the job and simulations. He asked a simple question: can a pilot fly a plane by merely attending training? “Aviation industry has a very robust training and competency assurance
Theatre has simply transformed my life. It has taught me values which otherwise are very hard to learn. Respect for your surroundings, patience and much more. Theatre has indeed changed me as a human being
and certification programme and they use methods like—CPT (Cockpit Procedure Trainer), FTD (Flight Training Device), desktop trainees, co-piloting and so on. Certification means to assure the competencies,” he explained. When the transformation from being a student to an employee is complete, what takes the front seat is the employee’s behaviour. Incidently, interpersonal communication at work comprises as one of the components of competency mapping. “The freshers need to understand that even if they are well versed with the industry, what will earn them the brownie points is a proper behaviour at work. An employee should always be a team player and should have the ability to take his team forward with him,” he explained. Learning about the 6M’s of management was quite enriching for the students. They include— man, machine, material, method, minutes and money. The 6M method is widely used in cause and effect analysis and proved to be effective.
ly revolve around choreography, moral, social themes, drama, history and solo dances. The correlation is quite evident. Playing different roles has helped me take more responsibility in the corporate world. Theatre has indeed changed me as a human being. How were you introduced to the world of theatre? Born and raised in Trivandrum, my grandparents and forefathers were an ardent fan of art. Their teachings blossomed my love for theatre. As a kid, I started showing traits that spoke volumes about my acting skills. I grew up as an artiste due to the blessings of my guru. It is as if that being an artiste is in my DNA. I was hardly 12-year-old when I first saw a play which revolved around Lord Shiva. The stage, lights and acting were quite gripping. As I entered college, Guru Gopinath, my pundit, polished my skills as an artiste. The way his teachings moulded me, is a testament to the person that I am now. Guru Gopinath holds a very special place in my heart. Over the years, I have played several roles and directed numerous plays. Every child is an artist, the deal is how to remain an artist when one grows up. Even now, I make it a point to act. It makes me feel connected to my roots. Your play Hunter has garnered several laurels. Could you throw some light on that? I am elated that my play Hunter has touched many hearts. The play revolves around the fact that if we don’t respect our surroundings, the consequences would be dire. I have single-handedly managed to write, direct and act in this play. Moreover, I also took care of the lights and music. The experience has been life-changing. Hunter has been performed umpteen times so far. The last time when the play was performed in Pune, it was jam-packed. How is the current scenario of theatre in India? Personally, I feel people are misunderstanding the essence of theatre. The true objective of theatre is staying true to our roots. We need to come up with more plays which speak about our rich heritage and culture. ektaakatti@gmail.com
CC
tadka
Job Scope in Robotics Upbeat in India Job postings in the Robotics technology sector grew 191 % with around 186 % increase in the number of people looking for work opportunities in this sector in India between May 2015 and May 2018. Maharashtra has witnessed most robotics jobs opening in India followed by Karnataka and Telangana.
August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 45
Loved & Married too It is not often these days that a college romance fructifies into a wedlock. Corporate Citizen unlocks the story of love that has culminated into marriage, for we believe in the stability of a relationship and family unit. We bring to you real-life romances that got sealed in marriage
By Kalyani Sardesai
C
ologne is not just the name of the spa they own and run. It also happens to be the name of the place where Anand first resolved to marry the pretty and intriguing girl who was part of the student exchange programme organised by their respective colleges for those pursuing German as a language. “The year was 1998. We were in Cologne, Germany; that was part of the tour amongst other places,” reminisces Anand. “I happened to like Prajakta so much that I promptly told my friend that I would end up marrying her.” It would be several years and many milestones before the dream became a reality, but marry they did. Despite the difference in socio cultural backgrounds and parental reservations, the duo proved in deed that love, the kind that’s based on a sound understanding of each other, does triumph over odds.
Back to the beginning
Though scripted on the college campus, it wasn’t your typical campus romance. It was, instead, the kind that went from one level to the next, gradually, steadily but eventually. Prajakta Natekar was a student of Pune’s Fergusson College while Anand Gupta, a late arrival to Pune, was pursuing what was left of the academic year at MMCA, the commerce college adjacent to the Fergusson Campus. “Being part of the small group of students who had taken up German, it was inevitable that we would meet. Also, we had common friends so there were plenty of instances that brought us together. And then the trip to Germany happened, where we really interacted with each other,” narrates Prajakta. Still, it was simply a case of a rock-solid friendship-nothing more. “Both of us were busy studying and preparing for our respective careers so everything else was secondary.” While Prajakta went on to do an MA in German, Anand completed his MBA (Finance) from the University of Cardiff, Wales, the UK.
Entrepreneurs Prajakta Natekar Gupta and Anand Gupta are bonded by a common vision that applies as much to work as it does to their married life. “A couple need to be friends before all else,” they say even as their dream project and spa Cologne makes new strides in the health and wellness segment
The fragrance of friendship 46 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
Still, there was much to like about one another, in spite of the cultural disparity. She’s a Maharashtrian from an armed forces background while he comes from Samastipur, Bihar. “While I was brought up to get along with people from different socio cultural backgrounds, in those days there were still some fixed notions about those from Bihar,” she says. However, to her delight, despite coming from a traditional and affluent set-up (his family owns a business in Bihar), Anand was a far cry from the stereotypical spoilt brat one would have expected. On the contrary, he was thoughtful, polite and very mindful of relaChildren tionships. “All of this was a big plus for me,” Anahita and says Prajakta. Agastya On his part, Anand says he fell for her “beauty, honesty and simplicity. Unlike other girls I knew, there were no airs about her.” So one fine day six years after they met, the question just presented itself. “There was no formal proposal as such,” says Prajakta. “We happened to be sitting on the terrace of his Pune house enjoying a cup of coffee by ourselves. It was then that we decided to marry. It seemed like the most natural and logical thing to do considering how close we were.” Nevertheless, there were Prajakta’s parents to be convinced even though Anand’s parents were fine with the match. “I think, typicalinto his Pune home along with ly speaking, girl’s parents do tend Anand’s younger brother and sisto get protective when it comes to ter. “Those early years taught me Make friends their daughter. My dad was very a lot about adjustment and getwith each other. ting along with people who have concerned as to how I would adEverything else just in their home given that I had a different way of doing things,” falls into place she says. been brought up in a very cosmopolitan home,” says Prajakta. But Still the fact that she had lived Respect each she had the support of her elder and worked by herself at Robert other’s space brother who prevailed upon their Bosch, Bengaluru equipped her parents to let the alliance happen. for the responsibilities that came Celebrate What followed was a surpriswith marriage, including cooking differences ingly delightful and unwittingly and running a home. hilarious meeting between both Despite the multiple demands Pursue a families. “His parents came over that come with managing a home common dream. and career, Anand says they were to our place with a common friend, Mayur, in tow. Everyone sure to give each other due space. gelled beautifully and the con“Respect your spouse and all that versation seemed to flow. There was coffee the person stands for. It isn’t necessary at all to and snacks, and some more conversation, still do everything together. If you enjoy different no one would pop the question. It was as if no pursuits and varying interests, you must be sure one wanted to acknowledge the elephant in the to do just that and go out with your friends,” room. What’s more, his parents would have left he says. just like that had not Mayur and my brother Fights are inevitable but letting them fester taken matters in their hand and bluntly asked is not. “In the early years, one tended to make everyone to come to the point,” Prajakta laughs an issue of small things. But as you go on you over the memory. realise not everything needs a reaction,” says And so the duo were finally wed in January Prajakta. “The peace of the house is most 2007 amidst much fanfare and revelry. important.” And no, different socio cultural backgrounds The building blocks of a marriage are not such a big deal after all. “Even if you marry within the same community there are Post-marriage, Anand and Prajakta moved
Respect your spouse and all that the person stands for. It isn’t necessary at all to do everything together. If you enjoy different pursuits and varying interests, you must be sure to do just that”
The Mantras of a Marriage
adjustments to be made. Your attitude defines everything,” she says. Parenting is another arena of teamwork-but even here they complement each other well. With two young kids-son Agastya (seven years and five months) and daughter Anahita (three years), life is busy but happy and both parents are conscious of approaching parenthood in their own way. “Prajakta, being the product of a fauji home is a stickler for discipline and good academic grades. I am much more relaxed that way. So we are the typical ‘good cop’ and’ bad cop’ in a way,” says Anand. “Balance is the key to every parenting decision, “says Prajakta. “I came from a very strict home, while his was way moreeasy going, so we wish to adapt a golden mean.”
Spa-times ahead
While both Anand and Prajakta were comfortably settled in their corporate careers, they had a shared fondness for health and wellness that translated into visiting spas each chance they got. “People these days are more stressed out than before. So spas including massages and assorted body and skin therapies are not only a fine way of unwinding but also have multiple health benefits,” shares Prajakta. Thus, even as Anand, the product of a business home, was keen to start something of his own, setting up a spa seemed a good idea. “On a 2009 trip abroad, we had a chance to observe the finest spas in Thailand and Switzerland,” says Anand. On return, the couple charted out a plan, consulted experts and eventually took the plunge. By this time, Prajakta had also put in her papers at work, interested in looking at career options beyond the 9 am to 5 pm set-up. On January 1, 2011 they announced the launch of their spa along with the birth of their son. Over the last seven and a half years, both Anand and Prajakta have worked night and day to take the spa from strength to strength. Starting off with their flagship branch in Koregaon Park, they have started two more in Bhosalenagar and Baner. “From the outset we have been extremely particular about quality. There’s no compromise there,” says Anand. Prajakta even took up a course to train her own therapists in-house. While weekends are reserved for the kids, the duo say their own quality time consists of working together. “Pursuing a common goal is an experience in itself,” rounds off Prajakta. kalyani.sardesai@gmail.com August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 47
Campus Placement
A
s a kid he was playful, playing with the smallest of gadgets, toys, household appliances, so everyone at home thought he would end up being an engineer. As it turned out, Arjun R from Trichy went beyond. He emerged as an associate consultant with Infosys, after an MBA from one of the well-known colleges in Pune. From Trichy (Thiruchirapalli) he moved to Coimbatore to do his B.E. in Electronics and Communications at Sri Krishna College of Technology (SKCT). As a brilliant science student, he always wondered at the way science helped human beings to achieve incredible things and even go beyond exploring the unknown. He fell in love with Physics and that drew his interest towards astronomy and cosmology which became his hobby. Sometimes as a child, he dreamt of being a pilot. Arjun takes us through his placement, where, he said his fears were not about getting selected but about getting picked up by the right company. It was success at the third attempt for Arjun: he had failed to make the cut with Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) and Amazon. Then came the Infosys calling which he made with ease, although that was not wholly because of his technical leanings. He thinks his hobby helped him earn his place. But he cautions his juniors who are entering the rigid competitive corporate world to do all their homework before taking any call.
His school and college…
His hobby helped him succeed!
For Arjun R, life is all about exploring new things, be it people, places or practices. He is of the opinion that one should be open to everything without being rigid, let everything flow through, and it’s up to one to accept or reject By Joe Williams 48 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
Arjun did his schooling from Mahatma Gandhi Centenary School, a CBSE-based school in the peaceful city of Trichy in Tamil Nadu which seemed easy because of his parents. But he made sure that they were repaid by giving them a good report card. Being the first kid of the joint family, there were many to pamper him. One of his greatest childhood and school memories that he still cherishes is the walks along the banks of River Cauvery with his grandparents. “My favourite teacher was Mary. She was my English teacher and used to be very strict. However, her knowledge and authority over the language, and passion to teach inspired me a lot,” says Arjun. The real taste of life came when he moved to Coimbatore for his graduation in Electronics and Communication from Sri Krishna College of Technology (SKTC). It was a new experience for Arjun as he had to fetch all that he needed himself. It was a blessing in disguise as it gave him new openings to explore and to get exposure to the world outside his family. “College days at Coimbatore taught me a lot as it was a new place and the best was the exposure which I got. Being from a middle-class family it also taught me to manage expenses with a very limited budget,” recalls Arjun.
Arjun with his pet dog
Arjun having a blast with friends
“You can be the richest person in the world, owning every single thing, but you can never be a person who has knowledge about everything” His final classroom sessions at the Balaji Institute of Modern Management (BIMM) in Pune, opened the flood gates for him to scout new avenues. This college, which worked for 365 days without a break, working on Saturdays and Sundays, opened a new leaf in the mindset of the students. “This concept helped me a lot in my job while students from other institutes were struggling,” says Arjun. This round-theyear work helped the students to prepare for the worst. “This was one thing that we from this prestigious college were trained to be prepared for, to pull up one’s socks and handle any stressful and difficult situation in our journey ahead,” said Arjun. The college moulded students with rigorous test schedules and training in the midst of co—curricular activities. “I ended up being a council member (Academics coordinator) which groomed me to handle events successfully and also prepare for exams and placements”.
Placement blues...
After two placement failures at HUL and Amazon, Infosys came with just one round of technical interview and the next round was salary negotiation with the HR. “An interesting part that I would like to share here is that, although it was a technical interview, the interviewer was more interested in astronomy and cosmology, which was my hobby. I ended up explaining about the big moon with a complete orbital diagram and about the science behind it. That impressed the person, as he said, “Although your technical answers were not satisfactory, the hobby-related answers were great’.” And he recalls Bala Sir’s statement, ‘We (in college) feed you more with
knowledge about subject matter, so that you will be capable to cater to what the companies demand from you’. “Here the fear was more about which company and which profile one will get. Thankfully, I got into one of the best sought-after companies in India.”
Success story…
“I credit my success to my parents who taught me all the pains of running a middle-class family while providing quality education. Also, credit goes to all my teachers right from my school days who played their roles so well that I am proud to be one of their students.”
Happiest moment…
“The happiest moment in my life was the placement day, as I had taken an education loan going against the advice of my family. It was all because I wanted to stand on my own, without depending on them.
of questions. Hesitating would only lead to assumptions which might never give better outcomes. • Be the first one to take an initiative, it helps in getting noticed and thereby boosts one’s confidence. • Work on inspiring people than just being inspired. • Cultivate some hobbies, it helps to relax your mind and body and you will have something to speak about at interviews. • Get out of your comfort zone and do something different frequently. • Outperform yourself to bring the best out of you. • Never be afraid of failures. joe78662@gmail.com
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tadka
What life is all about...
For Arjun, life is all about exploring new things, be it people, places or practices. He is of the opinion that one has to be open to everything without being rigid. Let everything flow through and its one’s own decision as to which one to accept or reject. “By everything I mean knowledge. You can be the richest person in the world, owning every single thing, but you can never be a person who has knowledge about everything.”
Tricks of the trade…
• Question everything, even if it is the silliest
Indian services sector upbeat Indian services sector regained an expansion mode zone in March, helped by the flow of new work, encouraging companies to hire at the fastest pace in seven years. The seasonally-adjusted Nikkei India Services Business Activity Index rose to 50.3 in March from 47.8 in February; a reading of over 50 on this survey-based index indicates expansion and below that contraction.
August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 49
Health
Natural herbs and vitamins
for Sleep
The role of sleep in health has been recognised since the earliest times. Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion over various sleep medications. An insight… By Dr Panchajanya ‘Panch’ Paul, MD
T
he role of sleep in health was recognised since the earliest times. Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion over sleep products and supplements. Although there are various sleep medications in the market, it is best to use them as the last resort for their highly addictive potential and long-term side effects. The four commonly used sleep supplements are Magnesium, Melatonin, Tryptophan/5HTP, and GABA. For many patients, these can be too strong or less effective. Fortunately, there are numerous herbal products along with vitamins and minerals available for sleep. Valerian Root: Ancient healing traditions like the Indian (Ayurveda), Chinese and Greek mention several herbs to help with sleep. Common among them (that have stood the test of time) are Valerian root, Passion flower, Lemon balm and Chamomile. Valerian increases the level of GABA in the brain. It can bring a sense of calm, relaxation and promote deep sleep at night. However, valerian can cause side effects like nausea, headaches, unrest and dizziness. Some people may react very strongly to valerian like Xanax and valium, and develop hangover the next day, and a reduction in cognition. It is advisable not to drive or operate heavy machinery after taking valerian. Typical dose for insomnia is around 500 mg one hour before sleep. Other essential herbs: Passion flower is another relaxing herb and is used in combination with Valerian root in many sleep-aid formulations. It also helps with anxiety and relaxation. Lemon balm, is another ancient herb that works through the GABA. It has a soothing effect on 50 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
the brain. It also improves memory along with sleep. Lemon balm essential oil is also used in aromatherapy. Chamomile is consumed as a tea to help with sleep. In addition, chamomile tea can also help in reducing inflammation, improving digestion, and relieving sore throat. Amino acids Glycine and Theanine: There are two amino acids that can bring rapid sleep onset. One is Glycine of animal source, and the other is Theanine derived from tea. Glycine is an amino acid produced by the body, and is an inhibitory neurotransmitter like GABA. It dilates the blood vessels, reduces the core body temperature, and prepares the body for sleep.
Glycine also helps in day time wakefulness and reduces fatigue. Chief dietary sources of glycine are high-protein foods like eggs and red meat. When taken as supplement, typical dosage is 1one to 3 gram one hour before sleep. Theanine is derived as an extract of tea. It is present in both black and green tea. Although tea is stimulating as it contains caffeine, theanine has a calming and sedative effect. Theanine also works if sleep problems are caused due to restless leg syndrome at night. The advantage of theanine is its rapid onset of action. It works by reducing anxiety and promotes sleep within 30 minutes of intake. Typical dose of theanine is 100 to 200 mg before bedtime.
Inositol: It is a B-vitamin that boosts the action of serotonin and has a natural calming effect over the body. It is useful if your sleep problems are due to anxiety and obsessive thoughts. A double blinded study found inositol as effective as fluvoxamine in reducing panic attacks and anxiety in patients. It is available in both powder and tablet form. Powder form is preferred as you can go up on the dose. It is very safe and the dose ranges from 1 gram to 18 gram per day. The dose for insomnia is about 2 gram at night two hours before sleep. It is easily tolerated without side effects. Its effects are potentiated by taking it with choline or choline-rich food like egg yolk and animal fat. In addition to brain function, inositol also helps with acne, menstrual problems, and metabolic problems. However, inositol takes some time to work, and you may have to take it at least a month before noticing its benefits. B vitamins: Several B vitamins help in the regulation of sleep mainly by acting through the trypto-
phan-serotonin pathway. Niacin (B3) is mostly known for the disease pellagra caused by its deficiency which can cause dementia, dermatitis, diarrhea, insomnia and general weakness. Niacin is needed for every cell of the body. The exact way how niacin causes insomnia is unknown. Theoretically, we know that more than ninety percent of the tryptophan in the diet is used to make niacin. Thus, an adequate level of niacin in the body will free up more tryptophan for the serotonin and melatonin production. Another B vitamin called pyridoxine (B6) is needed in the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin. Women taking oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy may secrete more tryptophan metabolites in their urine and become deficient in B6. Supplementation with vitamin B6 can mitigate some of these problems. Vitamin B12, B9 (folate) and B6 deficiency can also cause restless leg syndrome leading to sleep problems. Since vitamin B is water soluble, there is less risk of side effects. I it may be a good idea to take a vitamin B supplement
Iron: Many people move their legs at night. This causes sleep problems for them as well as their partners. The medical term for it is Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). Iron deficiency is a common cause for RLS. Its a good idea to check your iron levels if you move too much in the bed at night. Low iron levels can be treated by eating iron-rich food like red meat, liver, eggs, and chicken. Most vegetarian sources are poor in iron, an addition of iron supplements will help. Also, remember to take adequate amounts of vitamin C as found in citrus fruits like orange and lemon juice to increase the iron absorption. Ayurveda: The most studied herbs for mental ailments and insomnia are Ashwagandha, Brahmi, and Sankhapushpi. Ashwagandha, also called Withania somnifera reduces chronic stress by decreasing the blood cortisol or the stress hormone level. Ashwagandha is an energising herb, which reduces anxiety, and relaxes the mind for sleep. Shankhapushpi is another brain rejuvenation herb which improves blood
Ancient healing traditions like the Indian (Ayurveda), Chinese and Greek mention several herbs to help with sleep. Common among them are Valerian root, Passion flower, Lemon balm and Chamomile containing all the vitamin B types along with vitamin C for general well-being. Vitamin D: The sunshine vitamin is a hormone that plays a vital role in immunity, cancer prevention, depression, bone health. Low levels of vitamin D are associated with increased sickness. Vitamin D supplementation in the morning can help with sleep. Vitamin D supplementation in the morning along with melatonin at night helps in the regulation of the circadian rhythm. Vitamin D levels are easier to check, and your primary care doctor can order it for you. Generally, levels over 60 ng/ml is recommended. Based on your level, consider taking Vitamin D3 at a dose of 1000 IU to 5000 IU in the morning. However, whenever you take vitamin D doses more than 1000 IU, always add Vitamin K2 200 mcg along with it to prevent calcium deposition in the blood vessels. Probiotics: The healthy bacteria in our gut produce serotonin which is helpful in sleep. Without this tryptophan (which is the raw material for serotonin) cannot be converted into serotonin. If you have chronic constipation, chronic diarrhea or irregular bowel movement, you may have too many bad bacteria in your gut. Taking probiotic supplements can raise the level of good bacteria. You can also get probiotics from fermented food like yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, and kimchi.
circulation and helps with insomnia. Brahmi, also called Bacopa, is a memory booster. Legend has it that the ancient seers used Brahmi to memorise all the Vedic knowledge which was orally transmitted over the generations. Brahmi is a brain tonic, which promotes healthy nerve function. It can also act as a tranquilizer and aid in sleep. *Dr Panch Paul, MD, ABIHM, ABPN, FAPA – is an American Board Certified – child, adolescent. and Adult psychiatrist. Call 7704541252 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Paul. (This article was originally published in nripulse.com)
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tadka Meghalaya’s Jaintia Hills house world’s tallest monolith
Situated about 65 km from the state’s capital Shillong exists our own ‘Stonehenge’ – Nartiang Monoliths housed in the Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya, believed to be the tallest in the world and erected during 1500 AD. and 1835 AD. Nartiang village has an important place in the history of Meghalaya and is home to the tallest monolith in the cluster, Moo Iong Syiem which is eight metres long. The place, according to locals, was the summer resort of the Jaintia kings of the 17th century.
August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 51
Department of Information & Public Relations Government of Sikkim
The People’s Leader
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leading Sikkim towards becoming an exemplar
he himalayan state Sikkim is a model state worthy of emulation. Making headways in terms of excellent governance and pro-people policies, majority of the State’s development is credited to the stewardship of the Chief Minister Pawan Chamling who has guided the state on the path to progress since 1994. This year, the Chief Minister Shri Pawan Chamling set the record of being the longest serving Chief Minister in the country. Doing so, he has created a benchmark in the Indian Union with five successive terms of governance chronicling conquests and triumphs for the State. Of the many landmarks the state has shaped under his governance, the declaration of Sikkim as the country’s first organic farming state in 2016 can be regarded as the most consequential one. This declaration has put
RO.No. 95/IPR/PUB/DIS/18-19
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Department of Informa Governmen
Advertorial Feature
Shri Narendra Modi
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Sikkim is a state where the environment is protected and at the same time it is scaling new heights of development
Sikkim on the world map of healthy living and lifestyle. Sikkim’s model of governance has found many enthusiasts eager to learn from it and replicate it. The One World Grand Prix Award and the announcement of the Chief Minister, Shri Pawan Chamling as the Ambassador of an Organic Himalaya are testimony to the magnanimity of his endeavors. Sikkim stamped another milestone in 2016 when the Khangchendzonga National Park of the state was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site on Mixed Criteria owing to its natural and cultural wealth and significance. This achievement has been very well deserved for the state, which, under the counsel of the Chief Minister has accorded highest priority to nature and its conservation. Sustainable Development is truly the way forward in the State. Bounty of mother nature, rich and diverse heritage and culture, spiritual retreats and adventure tourism has resulted in lakhs of tourists pouring in to the State every tourist season. Sikkim is rapidly progressing towards becoming a paradigm of how much a small region can progress and make a mark in the world’s largest democracy.
RO.No. 95/IPR/PUB/DIS/18-19
ation & Public Relations nt of Sikkim
Dated: 18.07.2018
Dated: 18.07.2018
Survey
CEOs are Gung-ho about Growth The world is experiencing geopolitical uncertainty, political turmoil and a wave of protectionism. Despite this, CEOs globally are feeling surprisingly optimistic about growth prospects as well as the overall business environment worldwide. Global professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers conducted its 21st annual CEO survey to give us an insight into the mind of a CEO. Corporate Citizen brings you the results Compiled by Neeraj Varty
54 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 55
Survey A majority of CEOs believe global economic growth will ‘improve’ over the next 12 months Q Do you believe global economic growth will improve, stay the same, or decline over the next 12 months? This year saw the highest-ever jump to the highest-ever level of CEO optimism regarding global growth prospects over the next 12 months. For the first time since 2012, the majority of CEOs surveyed believe global economic growth will ‘improve’. In fact, the percentage of CEOs predicting ‘improved’ growth doubled from last year. This record level of optimism holds fast across every region from North America and Latin America to Western Europe, Central & Eastern Europe (CEE), Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
CEOs are more cautiously confident in their own growth prospects in 2018, except in North America 54 52
53% North America
50 48 46 Latin America (45%) Asia-Pacific (44%)
44 42
Global (42%)
40
CEE (40%)
38
Western Europe (38%)
36 34
Middle East (33%)
32 30 28
Africa (26%)
26 2017
2018
Q How confident are you about your organisation’s prospects for revenue growth over the next 12 months? 2017 will almost certainly turn out to be the best year the global economy has seen since 2010. This rising tide is not just an overall macroeconomic phenomenon, it is balanced across regions. Most of the world’s major economies are experiencing positive growth in contrast to the situation just a few years ago. Even the UK economy, while slowing this past year, has not yet been severely impacted by Brexit. No wonder then that CEOs globally are confident in their growth prospects. 56 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
The US remains the top spot for global investment, while India moves into the top 5 Q Which three countries, excluding the country in which you are based, do you consider most important for your organisation’s overall growth prospects over the next 12 months? While the US maintains its spot as the best country for global investment, India is no slouch either. It has jumped up one place from the 6th position in 2017 to the 5th position in 2018. China still leads India in the subcontinent at 2nd position.
2017
2018
1
43%
17%
3
07%
6
07%
7
20%
Germany
UK
08%
5
33%
China
Germany
15%
4
46%
US
China
33%
2
US
15%
UK
Japan
India
India
Japan
Brazil
09% 08% 07%
France
When it comes to confidence about their own three-year prospects, CEOs are more cautious 51% 49%
50%
49%
51%
51% 49%
49%
47% 46% 44% 42%
42%
43%
46%
46%
44%
Somewhat confident 46%
44%
42%
42%
41%
Very confident
34%
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
When CEOs were asked about their own organisation’s growth over the next three years, the bandwagon slows down. While still generally confident, more CEOs say they are ‘somewhat confident’ rather than ‘very confident’. In fact, all regions—North America included — report flat to diminished levels of ‘very confident’ in their own longer-term prospects. Particularly restrained are CEOs in the Middle East and Central & Eastern Europe, where ‘very confident’ responses reach near-record lows, down 33% and 26%, respectively, from last year. Typically, CEOs report more confidence in the longer term than in the immediate future. The last time we saw ‘somewhat confident’ levels above ‘very confident’ levels was in 2009, when confidence, in general, took a nosedive in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. neeraj.varty07@gmail.com August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 57
Bollywood Biz
The Best Global Shows on
Netflix Netflix is the undisputed leader of the video streaming market worldwide. Boasting of over 1.25 crore subscribers, its 2018 budget for original programming itself is over $12 billion. As India (at long last) gets faster internet, video streaming has finally taken off. Netflix too realises the potential of global programming. That’s why it has specially created shows for different countries in their own languages, which are also resonating with a global audience. This edition, we look at the best global shows on Netflix By Neeraj Varty
Narcos (Columbia)
The drama depicts the 1980’s Medellin cocaine cartel in Columbia run by the biggest drug lord in world history, Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura) and the efforts of DEA agents Steve Murphy (Boyd Holbrook) and Javier Peña (Pedro Pascal) to capture Escobar. Using real footage from the time, including that of the real Escobar, the makers have fashioned a fascinating portrait of the tide of corruption that swept from South America to the US. Narcos is a monstrous hit and it highlighted the appeal of the show set in their native language to a global audience if the content is excellent. 58 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
Sacred Games (India)
Sacred Games is Netflix’s first foray into the Indian market. Adapted from Vikram Chandra's 928-page tome and shot in both English and Hindi, it chronicles the meteoric rise of Ganesh Gaitonde (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a mob boss with delusions of grandeur, operating out of a Mumbai ghetto called Gopalmath. His paths intersect with Sartaj Singh (Saif Ali Khan), a cop whose righteousness is at conflict with the questionable moralities of the police force. The performances of both Khan and Siddiqui are exceptional, and the drama currently holds a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 100%, which is incredible. This show in itself is worth the price of a Netflix subscription.
The Break (Belgium) Dark (Germany)
Netflix’s first original German series, is marketed as a Sci-Fi thriller, but that undersells its legitimacy as a haunting and deeply watchable series. The dramatically foggy and dimly-lit scenery sets the ominous tone for Dark’s supernaturalism, tied to the degradation and bleakness of the intertwined characters. The grim atmosphere and crisp editing makes this one of the most compelling shows to watch on Netflix.
This French-language drama will feel familiar to anyone who's spent time watching mystery police procedurals like The Killing, CSI, or The Missing. The story of a cynical detective (Yoann Blanc) returning to his hometown and stumbling into the murder of a young African football player sounds formulaic, but it is extremely well executed. All the essential elements are here: mist-filled visuals, a potential political conspiracy, and a mentally unstable protagonist. But the killer performances, clever writing, and cultural specifics make it worth the binge. neeraj.varty07@gmail.com
August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 59
Mobile apps
Oppo Find X
The oppo Find X is a thing of beauty. It comes with a moving slider-like section that houses all three (dual rear, and one-front) camera modules of the device. The slider also hides a facial recognition scanner in the pop-up. The swivel mechanism of the Find X enables it to go almost bezel-less with a screen to body ratio of 93.8 per cent. For looks alone, the Find X is worth buying.
Vivo X20 Plus UD
The Vivo X20 Plus UD has the distinction of being the first commercial phone to include the under-display fingerprint sensor. It has a 6.43-inch FHD+ display (18:9) and is powered by Snapdragon 660 processor paired with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage. You will find two cameras on the rear (12MP+5MP) and a 12MP selfie camera on the front. As this is the first phone with on-screen fingerprint display, owning it is like owning a piece of history.
The Best Phones with Under-Display Fingerprint sensors
In the race to minimise screen bezels, phones are getting rid of the fingerprint sensor on the front and replacing it with an under-screen sensor. This saves a lot of precious screen estate on the phone, in addition to making the phone look extremely stylish. This edition, we look at the best phones with under-screen fingerprint sensors By Neeraj Varty Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition
The Xiaomi Mi 8 explorer edition is the Xiaomi flagship for 2018 that comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor and a 3D Face Unlock mechanism. The handset also has a transparent see-through back. The phone is quite similar to iPhone X when it comes to design. Hardware specs include 6.21-inch AMOLED display, Snapdragon 845 octa-core processor, 8GB RAM, Android Oreo-based software and a 3000mAh battery.
Huawei Porsche Design Mate RS
Huawei also launched a no-holds-barred luxury edition, the Huawei Porsche design Mate RS. Apart from the triple rear cameras, the Mate RS includes dual curved edge display and dual fingerprint sensor. Apart from the capacitive sensor on the rear, the phone also accommodates the Synaptics in-display fingerprint sensor under the OLED display. If your phone is on the table, you don’t have to pick it up to access the fingerprint reader on the back. Having an on-screen fingerprint reader is good but having both on-screen and rear fingerprint readers are much better. 60 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
Claps & Slaps Corporate Citizen Claps for engineers of Pune-based Kirloskar Brothers Limited (KBL), for playing a very crucial and significant role in the latest rescue mission of 12 Thai boys and their football coach at the cave in Tham Luang Mae Sai in Thailand
Corporate Citizen slaps the fact that the judiciary and the apex court have been compelled to step in for preserving the enchanting legacy of one of the world’s Seven wonder’s–the Taj Mahal.
Following recommendation from the Indian Embassy in Thailand, KBL, one of India’s leading pump manufacturers, pressed into service its expertise and offered the technical know-how and advice on dewatering and pumping techniques that were involved in the entire rescue operation. Experts at the forefront at the Thai cave rescue operation from KBL’s global offices comprised of KBL (India), KBTL (Thailand) and SPP Pumps (UK). Prasad Kulkarni from Sangli district in Maharashtra and engineer Shyam Shukla from Pune constituted the 7-member team that was rallied by Kirloskar Brothers
Limited. In fact, the two engineers were the only Indians who helped out with the rescue operation. Other KBL’s multinational team that visited Thailand included Philip Delaney from the UK, along with Remko Vleesch Dubois and Adisorn Jindapun from Thailand. Part of the KBL rescue mission offered ground support to allocate four specialised high capacity Autoprime (patented) dewatering pumps, which were kept ready at the Kirloskarwadi plant to be airlifted to Thailand for the rescue operation. “Our work was to remove water from the cave, which has sharp 90° turns. The incessant rainfall posed a huge problem as the water level just couldn’t recede. The generator-based power supply was erratic. So, we had to use smaller pumps,” said Kulkarni, who heads the production design team at Kirloskar. “The cave is in a 20-sq km hill, which was dark and damp. Its topography is such that even scuba divers could not help at times,” said Kulkarni. “The only option in such a scenario was to deploy pumps” Post the mission, KBL said, “As the mission has seen countries and experts from around the world coming together to ensure all the boys and coach come out safely. As an Indian company, it gives us a great sense of satisfaction to be given the opportunity to be able to join and contribute in this rescue mission.” The experts were on site at the cave in Tham Luang since July 5th, Kirloskar was the only team tasked with dewatering operations. In the past too, KBL has had the privilege of partnering with the Royal Government of Thailand on some projects. Three cheers!
The Supreme Court (SC) has condemned the manner in which this world heritage site is ‘not been preserved’. The apex court has been monitoring the preservation of the pristine monument for the past 31 years and has expressed ‘deep anguish over the apathy’ of the Centre, the UP government and other authorities towards their inadequacy in preserving this epic monument. The SC has now given an ultimatum to the government to “either restore the pristine beauty of the Taj or demolish it...” The ‘mausoleum of love’ now faces a SC court order to the federal government to furnish full details of the steps being taken and action required for protecting it. India’s top court has condemned the federal government for a second time within weeks for their lethargic approach in taking steps to protect the Taj. One of the judges justified on their hearing call that, “Government officials appeared to be helpless after an environmental lawyer argued that pollution and insect dung were discolouring the 17th-century building.” According to the government attorney “Experts were assessing air pollution levels in and around the mausoleum and will give their report within four months.” The SC noted that the authorities were allowing expansion of industrial units in the vicinity of Taj Mahal which is one of the many reasons for the rising pollution. The court has called upon the Chairman of Taj Trapezium Zone and Commissioner of Agra to explain mushrooming of industrial units in the area, a violation of the SC restrain that prevents authorities from allowing establishment of industrial units. It has also barred cutting of trees without SC’s permission in the Taj Trapezium Zone—a 10,400 sq km area covering five districts of Agra. The court has now set a new hearing date by July-end. Taj is as surreal as any other world wonders, all it needs is a social and political will to respect ‘Incredible India’ and its sights and sounds — action it now! (Compiled by Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar) August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 61
Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian
From The Mobile
SAFED R I V I N G TIPS... WHEN IT IS RAINING! GOOD VISION IN A DOWNPOUR: How to achieve good vision while driving during a heavy downpour. We are not sure, why it is so effective; just try this method when it rains heavily. A police friend who had experienced and confirmed it told this method. It is useful even while driving at night. Most of the motorists would turn windshield wipers on ‘HIGH’ or on the ‘FASTEST SPEED’ during heavy downpour, yet the visibility in front of the windshield is still bad. In the event that you face such a situation, just put on your ‘SUNGLASSES’ and miracles! All of a sudden, your visibility in front of your windshield is perfectly clear, as if there is no rain. Make sure you always have a pair of SUNGLASSES in your car. You are not only helping yourself to drive safely with good vision, but also might save your friend’s life by giving him this idea. Try it yourself and share it with your friends. Amazingly, you will still see the drops on the windshield, but not the sheet of rain falling. You will also see where the rain bounces off the road. Wearing sunglasses works to eliminate the ‘blindness’ from passing cars, or the ‘kick up’ if you are following a car in the rain. They ought to teach this little tip in driver’s training. It really does work.
62 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
This is a good warning. I wonder how many people knew about this. Another good tip: A 36-year-old woman had an accident several weeks ago. It was raining, though not excessively when her car suddenly began to hydroplane and literally flew through the air. She was not seriously injured but quite stunned at the sudden occurrence. When she explained to the police officer what had happened, he told her something that every driver should know: NEVER-EVER ‘DRIVE’ IN THE RAIN WITH YOUR CRUISE CONTROL ON.’: She however, thought she was being cautious by setting the cruise control and maintaining a safe, consistent speed in the rain. However, the police officer told her that if the cruise control were on, your car would in fact begin to hydroplane. When the tires lose contact with the road, your car will automatically accelerate to a higher rate of speed, making you take off like an aeroplane. She told the officer that was exactly what had occurred. The officer said, “This warning should be listed, on the driver’s seat sunvisor” NEVER USE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE ROAD IS WET OR ICY: Along with the airbag warning, we tell our teenagers to set the cruise control and drive at a safe speed but, we don’t tell them to use the cruise control only when the road is dry. The only person the accident victim found who knew this, (besides the officer), was a man who had a similar accident, totalled his car and sustained severe injuries. NOTE: Some vehicles (like the Toyota Sienna Limited XLE) will not allow you to set the cruise control when your windshield wipers are on. Even if you send this to 15 people and only one of them does not know about it, it is still worth it. You may have saved a life.
Dilbert’s one-liners
There are three types of dreamers 1. You dream during your sleep and faintly remember when you wake up. 2. Daydreaming: You have ambitious plans. You think of the success or satisfaction when you realise that dream; but simply sleep over it. 3. Dream consciously. Sit on that, lose sleep on that, plan on that... do everything possible on that dream until you realise the dream. Then have satisfaction of achieving it, multiply your self-confidence and then go for still higher-level dreams. All high level performers are dreamers of type three. DREAM – DELIVER – GET DELIGHTED!
1. I say no to alcohol, it just does not listen. 2. A friend in need is a pest indeed. 3. Marriage is one of the chief causes of divorce. 4. Work is fine if it doesn’t take too much of your time. 5. When everything comes in your way, you are in the wrong lane. 6. The light at the end of the tunnel may be an incoming train. 7. Born free, taxed to death. 8. Everyone has a photographic memory; some just do not have film. 9. Life is unsure; always eat your dessert first. 10. Smile, it makes people wonder what you are thinking. 11. If you keep your feet firmly on the ground, you will have trouble putting on your pants. 12. It is not hard to meet expenses, they are everywhere. 13. I love being a writer, what I cannot stand is the paperwork. 14. A printer consists of three main parts: the case, the jammed paper tray and the blinking red light. 15. The person who invented the first wheel was an idiot. The person who invented the other three, he was a genius. 16. The trouble with being punctual is that no one is there to appreciate it.
21. It’s not the fall that kills you. It is the sudden stop at the end. 22. I couldn’t repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder. 23. Hot glass looks same as cold glass. — Cunino’s Law of Burnt Fingers 24. The cigarette does the smoking ,you are just the sucker. 25. Someday is not a day of the week. 26. Whenever I find the key to success, someone changes the lock. 27. To err is human; to forgive is not a company policy. 28. The road to success is always under construction.
17. In a country of free speech, why are there phone bills?
29. Alcohol doesn’t solve any problems, but if you think again, neither does milk.
18. If you cannot change your mind, are you sure, you have one?
30. In order to get a loan, you first need to prove that you don’t need it.
19. Beat the 5 o’clock rush, leave work at noon!
And the best!
20. If you can’t convince them, confuse them.
31. All the desirable things in life are either illegal, expensive, fattening or married to someone else!
I asked the leaf whether it was frightened because it was autumn and the other leaves were falling. The leaf told me, “No. During the whole spring and summer, I was completely alive. I worked hard to help nourish the tree, and now much of me is in the tree. I am not limited by this form. I am also the whole tree, and when I go back to the soil, I will continue to nourish the tree. So I don’t worry at all. As I leave this branch and float to the ground, I will wave to the tree and tell her, ‘I will see you again very soon.’” That day there was a wind blowing and, after a while, I saw the leaf leave the branch and float down to the soil, dancing joyfully, because as it floated it saw itself already there in the tree. It was so happy. I bowed my head, knowing that I have a lot to learn from the leaf. —Thich Nhat Hanh
August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 63
astroturf have to maintain an equilibrium. Career success—pay rises, promotions, honours, etc. could de—stabilize the home environment. In many cases, career advancement is causing a move — this could be the cause for a lot of the stress.
Aries
March 21 - April 20
Many of you are involved in health issues this month, but with vitality so good that probably involve preventative health regimes or exercise. When you are happy it is easy to eat right and exercise right. No stress or struggle involved, things fall into place.
(www.dollymanghat.com)
Fortune favours the bold and the lucky
other.
TAURUS
Your attitude is your altitude, says Dolly Manghat, our renowned Astrological expert and believes she helps people create their own prophecies rather than live predictions
April 21 - May 20
Joy itself is the healing agent this month (your Health Planet is joining the party of planets in your 5th House). Many a Taurean will get pregnant or give birth this period (and in the year ahead). Most will be more involved with children in other ways, too. Now you have a special knack for getting on with them, as you are as much of a child as they are—and thus relate well.
GEMINI
May 21 - June 21
This is not a month to be playing games with your health, Gemini. Health needs to be watched all year, but especially so in the coming month, from the 22nd onwards. About 70% to 80% of the planets are in stressful alignment with you, so be serious now. Success, this month, is not measured in cash, deals or romantic conquests. Just getting through with your health and sanity intact is a major victory. You can do it.
CANCER
June 22 - July 23
You are taking a new (and much better) attitude to health. Virgo is the sign of health and the presence of your Health Planet in this Sign is very positive. You will be on top of things and give more attention to this area. Your Health Planet in your 3rd House (late in the month) suggests that health can be enhanced through a better diet and more attention paid to
your intestines, lungs, arms and shoulders.
LEO
July 24 - Aug 23
Two Houses are unusually powerful this month, your 1st House and your 2nd. Thus this is a month for fulfilling sensual desires, sprucing up your image and pampering yourself a bit. The power in your Money House after the 22nd ensures that you will have the resources to pay for this. This month is unusually prosperous. Jupiter, the planet of wealth and abundance, makes an important move into your Money House on the 27th.
VIRGO
Aug 24 - Sept 23
Health and self-esteem are much improved. You are in a position to change conditions to your liking. Most of you will pursue a course of self-fulfilment during this period—and you deserve it. Only remember the kickback that comes at the job or at home. You can have life on your terms now, but you have to work a little harder for it.
LIBRA
Sept 24 - Oct 22
Health is much improved this month, but continue to work
64 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
smarter and not harder. Very important that you recognise your physical limits and stay within them. Health is enhanced through more attention to your feet, ankles and sexual organs. Sexuality should be kept in balance and not overdone one way or the other. Practise safe sex. Disharmony with friends or in a love relationship can unduly impact your health. Do your best to keep the harmony.
SCORPIO
Oct 23 - Nov 22
Resolve any doubts. The same is true for new health regimes, medicines, miracle cures, diets, etc. Things are not what they seem: get more facts. Try to rest and relax more until the 23rd. Pace yourself, focus on essentials and delegate more. After the 23rd, your health and vitality are greatly improved. Continue to enhance your health by paying more attention to the feet.
SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 22
Though overall this is a happy and unusually successful month, you must give priority to your health. If you stay healthy, you’ll be able to enjoy all these blessings. Definitely pace yourself after the 22nd. Family life and emotional passions get stormy again and you
CAPRICORN
Dec 23 - Jan 20
Though things have slowed down, your popularity has not abated. Your social magnetism will be strongest from the 1st to the 12th and from the 27th to the 31st, as the Moon waxes. Health is excellent this month, especially after the 23rd. Enhance health through the right diet and by paying more attention to your intestines.
AQUARIUS
Jan 21 - Feb19
Success comes by gaining the cooperation and good graces of others. Your way is probably not the best way now, not even for you. Other people have perspectives which you need to see and appreciate. Health is good, but rest and relax more until the 23rd. Health regimes seem much less interesting than they have been — you would rather focus on your career and your love life.
PISCES
Feb 20 - Mar 20
Health should be watched after the 23rd. Health is enhanced through paying more attention to your heart, intestines and kidneys. Be patient in finances, as the Money Planet, Mars, is retrograde all month. Study all important purchases, investments or deals more thoroughly. This is a month for perfecting and improving your financial plans, products or services. Address: 143, St Patrick’s Town, Gate# 3, Hadapsar IE, Pune-411 013. Tel.: 020-26872677 / 020-32905748 Email: connect@dollymanghat.com/ info.dollymanghat@gmail.com
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CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP
PROF. SUDHIR K SOPORY, VICE CHANCELLOR, JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY (JNU) Volume 1, Issue No. 21 / Pages 68 / www.corporatecitizen.in
January 1-15, 2016 / `50
CORPORATE CULTURE
Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank on women in leadership and gender diversity
INTERVIEW
An in-depth interview with Vishal Parekh, Marketing Director India with Kingston Technology and Rajeev Bhadauria, Director, Group HR, at Jindal Steel & Power
Dynamic Duo 21 MEERA SHANKAR AND AJAY SHANKAR
UNFLINCHING SUPPORT
August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 65
the last word
Ganesh Natarajan
World Cup Conquests It is truly a matter of pride and pleasure that a soccer league is taking shape and India’s own football captain is able to fill a stadium when needed, but the ardent fan still waits for the day when India will play against one of their favourite Latin American teams in a World Cup Final
I
magine the excitement in a crowded pub just outside London when England were playing Argentina in a prestige game in the 1990 World Cup. Fans of great World Cup moments will recall the infamous Maradona “Hand of God” goal in a previous edition of the tournament followed by another truly superb goal which had put paid to England’s hopes in that tournament. The entire pub was waiting, praying and willing to cheer England’s revenge win and here I was, a fervent Argentina and Maradona fan, silently hoping for another win. It happened, the goal was scored by Argentina and almost involuntarily a whoop of delight emanated from my lips. A stunned silence laced with hostility met my delight and the brave bartender quickly rushed to my side and said, “Come mate, I will take you out through the back door, else your life is in danger.” This was a World Cup that carried less excitement largely due to the elimination of the exciting Latin American teams before the semis but the exuberance in countries like Japan, Croatia and of course England who almost did a “bring it home” act showed why this is still the most followed sport in the world! Many scenes this year brought back memories of great moments from World Cups starting from 1970 when I, a teenager growing up in Ranchi, learnt
the joys of World Cup football for the first time. That famous Brazil win fashioned by the legendary Pele was followed by the artistry of the flying Dutchman Johann Cruyff who broke all our hearts when Germany beat the Netherlands in the 1974 final. I was in college still glued to a radio station when Mario Kempes stole hearts and the Cup for Argentina. At that point my loyalties moved firmly to Argentina and the Maradona exploits and bravado through the eighties made this team my firm favourite for two decades till my
The game of football is a highly emotionally charged one
played in South Africa. Watching games with clients and finally lining up with a friend to watch the England-Algeria game in the Cape Town stadium was truly an experience to cherish and the fact that Wayne Rooney’s feet seemed to be made of lead in that game and England played out a soulless, scoreless draw did not diminish my passion for the game and this particular tournament in any way. The fun of being in a World Cup city is the excitement that pervades the whole country and the city at that time. Checking out Paul the octopus and his inThere is an old cliché that credible predictions in South consuming more “all the world loves a win- Africa, liquids in a week than one ner” and at one level, one would normally consider in a year and just bonding with could surmise that every the fans everywhere is what Indian loves winners too makes the life of a soccer fan truly worth living. preference for process and scienWhat is it about sport in gentific planning moved my support eral and soccer in particular that to the German team. brings on tides of special emotion in so many of us? As a kid growing A recent stay in Germany that up in the East of India, I was concoincided with the Cup schedule was memorable because of the joy sumed by the Mohan Bagan-East of being in a nation whose team Bengal-Mohammedan Sporting I supported and when a famous rivalry and bliss was getting to victory was being celebrated in watch a game in one of the old the main square of Berlin, I was Calcutta stadia. Then and even there dancing into the wee hours now, the drama and passion bewith the fans. And one of the most fore and during any major tournamemorable weeks in my World ment in the city could not be surCup schedule was undoubtedly passed by any cricket tournament being in Johannesburg and Cape in the country. While some of us Town when the tournament was may scoff at half the city wearing
66 / Corporate Citizen / August 1-15, 2018
Brazilian yellow while the other half dons the Argentine blue and white, deep down lies the need to support a gallant side that can win much of the time and strikes a chord in the highly emotional and passionate citizen of Kolkata and football fans elsewhere too. There is an old cliché that “all the world loves a winner” and at one level, one could surmise that every Indian loves winners too and while the Tendulkars, Gangulys, Dhonis and Kohlis may have given us lots to cheer for cricket and the occasional win of a Nehwal, Sindhu or Batra gives us some pleasure, we still want to live and die for the winner in the biggest of all sports. It is truly a matter of pride and pleasure that a soccer league is taking shape and India’s own football captain is able to fill a stadium when needed, but the ardent fan still waits for the day when India will play against one of their favourite Latin American teams in a World Cup Final. And as parents, we need to encourage our kids too to get off those mobile and video games and follow a real sport. It brings out the best in us, washes out the worst in us and truly makes us global citizens. And as far as this Cup goes, the best team finally did win! Dr Ganesh Natarajan is Chairman of 5F World, Pune City Connect and Social Venture Partners, India.
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August 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 67
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