Interview Manoj Gupta, VP-HR, Columbia Asia Hospitals
Contemporary Management Thoughts Volume 4, Issue No. 22 / Pages 68
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February 16-28, 2019 / `50
SURVEY The 20 19 Dig Market ital in Strateg g ies Survey
Tête-à-tête
Achal Paul,
resh Reg e Su ( l.
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Dynamic Duo 83
From Olive to Green
Vaiju and Lt. Col. Suresh Rege (Retd.), executive director, Mailhem Ikos Environment, on his incredible journey in the Indian Army to an environmental entrepreneur
Founder Director, BUZZ Communications
Panel discussion
What does it takes to be a leader? Loved & Married TOO
Sayali Bhilare and Shrikant Mundhe
on why encouraging each other is essential
2 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 67
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Interesting to read about people and stories in the corporate sector
Design-Content should evolve together I have been an avid reader of Corporate
Volume 4, Issue No. 20 / Pages 68 / www.corporatecitizen.in
January 16-31, 2019 / `50
rakesh an a re
(retd.)
You will remember our meeting at the WomeNation event of CII-IWN where I had presented my research on Women Leaders. Recently I received some copies of the December issue of Corporate Citizen, where you have covered our research for CII extensively. I am writing to thank you for giving the publicity to this piece of work. It is muchneeded information for the younger generation. The magazine is beautifully produced and your coverage of our research is really good. As an ex-academician, I enjoy writing and researching management subjects and writing my opinions. — Aneeta Madhok, Managing Director, Open Spaces Consulting
Corporate Citizen magazine, I tête-à-tête Leena DeshpanDe, think has come out of its evolving aVp-hR anD heaD-CsR, BhaRat FoRge LtD process and recently has been featuring most relevant pieces on inTerview PaneL discussion Abhimanyu Singh everything and all other interesting VP-HR, Olam “Digital disruption and how it affects surveY things in between. Especially industries” KPMG when it comes to interactions with International Loved & Future of HR Married Too global study corporate leaders and coverage of Kuldeep Vishwani and Bipasha corporate events, CC has rumble Niyogi-romance grounded in a entries. Especially I have mighty solid friendship interest in the photographs you DynamiC Duo 81 feature. However, I feel what you need is awesome online support, which will flow in when you will have a super active website—it should move away from the printversion look. Special thanks for Commodore Rakesh Anand (retd.), presently, CMD, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd, on his your awesome ‘Dynamic Duo’ tenure in the Indian Navy, in the corporate environment and life with his wife, Seema feature, which I feel are more of lifestyle pieces—adventurous and priceless write-ups that are very informative and innovative. To name one, the recently published ‘Dynamic Duo’ on Commodore Rakesh Anand, CMD, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. and wife, Seema, (Issue 20, dated 16-31 January, 2019) was elegant and enchanting—they share their journey with elaborate words. Kudos to CC writers, who painstakingly take efforts to write new and creative stuff. nd
Much-needed information for the younger generation
Informative and innovative
Commo do
It was good to see the Corporate Citizen magazine for the first time when the spotlight on me was published in the December 2018 issue. It was quite interesting to read up about people and stories in the corporate sector, which I was normally not very aware of other than people I meet or featured in mainstream news. A particular highlight in this issue about ‘What Successful Women Leaders Do’ gave me a good insight about situations or circumstances and the statistics that women have to undergo to be in the top in the corporate sector and felt good to know that I was not alone struggling. — Sonali Rudra, Senior Principal Research Scientist, TCG Life Sciences, Kolkata
Building Ships of Success
— Divya Chaudhry, Project Lead
Citizen. I have seen several series making their debuts like ‘Military to Management’, ‘Cradle of Leadership’ and ‘Bollywood Biz’ eventually make way for new series which replaced them. This adds freshness to the magazine which I appreciate. However, I have rarely seen the
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Editor-in-Chief’s Choice / SA Aiyar
Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian
China’s aiming for college excellence, India for quotas
T
en years ago, India was seen as a potential superpower, capable of combating the rise of China. Today, China has risen so fast that it challenges the techno-military might of the US. India is too far behind
to matter. The main reason is India’s dismal educational system, producing unemployable college graduates and schoolchildren close to functional illiteracy. The latest Annual Status of Education Report reveals that barely 50% of children in Class 5 and 73% in Class 8 can read a Class 2 text. Only 44% of Class 8 children can do simple division. How can such a country become a superpower? Ten years ago, China was still exporting mainly labour-intensive items made in factories employing thousands of workers at low wages. India at the time
4 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
had emerged as a formidable exporter of computer software, ahead of China in this high-tech area. It had also risen fast as a world-class exporter of generic drugs, small cars and refined petroleum products. Today, China has not just surged ahead of India but created hi-tech world champions, such as Huawei in 5G telecom, and BYD in batteries. China is the world’s largest producer of solar cells, aluminium and steel. India meanwhile has not produced a single global champion or become a global power in a single new field in the last decade. Its eminence in generic drugs has been eroded by growing dependence on Chinese active drug ingredients. India’s software industry is struggling. As columnist Gurcharan Das has pointed out, China’s success owes much to its emphasis on meritocracy. Its high-quality educational system has driven relent-
lessly to catch up with the West, and now produces world-class academic output. China overtook the US in the number of published academic papers in 2016, though it lags well behind in quality. China’s R&D spending is 2.1% of GDP, less than the US’s but higher than Europe’s average. India’s R&D spending has stagnated at around 0.65% of GDP for two decades. It lacks not just money but quality scientists for research. BJP-leaning scientists at the recent Indian Science Congress claimed India had test-tube babies in the Mahabharata era (hence 100 Kauravas), and aircraft in the Ramayana era. One scientist rejected the theories of Einstein and Hawking, instead proposing “Modi waves”, for which he wanted to get a Nobel Prize. If this is the direction in which politics pushes science, India has no future. In China, local bodies hire teachers on three-year contracts and sack them if their performance is poor. But in India, we have an army of unsackable teachers who do not teach half the time. A million teaching posts lie vacant and unfilled, with state governments preferring to spend money on freebies and projects yielding kickbacks. Desperate poor people are switching their children from free government schools to costly private schools, even though the latter frequently have unqualified staff. Cheating in exams is rife. When the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh enacted a tough anti-copying law in 1993, Mulayam Yadav became the only politician to lead a pro-cheating agitation. He argued that without cheating the backward castes would fail to compete with Brahmins! He abolished the anti-copying law on coming to power in 1994. Whither excellence?
Narendra Modi has promised six new Indian IITs and seven IIMs. Alas, this will just create a thin upper crust, whose members will mostly end up with jobs abroad. It cannot remotely compensate for the lack of skills and productivity in the vast majority of Indians beneath this upper crust. China has decent colleges in almost all provinces. President Xi is determined to become world No 1 in technology and economic clout, and so aims to raise university teaching and research standards consistently. Deng Xiaoping decreed decades ago that China must send tens of thousands of students abroad every year, ignoring worries about a brain drain, convinced that many would return to enrich the country with world-class human capital. In 2008, China launched a Thousand Talents scheme to woo back top-quality overseas academics with world-class facilities and salaries. This has greatly boosted human capital and buttressed China’s hi-tech capabilities. By contrast, the higher educational debate in India is dominated by the provision of quotas for sundry castes. State after state has moved in this direction, and the latest constitutional amendment aims at a new 10% quota in private as well as government colleges. No political party attaches any priority to merit or excellence. We have a lobby for every caste, but none for excellence. In such a milieu, excellence will wither while quotas proliferate. (DISCLAIMER: Views expressed above are the author’s own) This article was orignally published by Times of India Link: (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/ Swaminomics/chinas-aiming-for-college-excellence-india-for-quotas/)
Narendra Modi has promised six new Indian IITs and seven IIMs. Alas, this will just create a thin upper crust, whose members will mostly end up with jobs abroad. It cannot remotely compensate for the lack of skills and productivity in the vast majority of Indians beneath this upper crust
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 5
Contents Cover Story
Dynamic Duo: 83
From Olive to Green
Vaiju and Lt. Col. Suresh Rege (Retd.), executive director, Mailhem Ikos Environment, talk on their incredible journey in the Indian Army to environmental entrepreneur—share many lessons they learnt as they traversed assorted terrains and the values they hold dear as a couple 9 COLLYWOOD Chatpata Chatter from the Corporate World
26 PANEL DISCUSSION A riveting session on what it takes to be a leader and are leaders born or created? 30 INTERVIEW Manoj Gupta, VP-HR, Columbia Asia Hospitals, on what it takes to leading, developing and executing human resource strategies
h Rege res (R Su
18
6 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
d.) et
16 EXPERT VIEW It is time to uncover the misuse of the corporate ‘veil’ that protects company shareholders from its liabilities and obligations
Lt. Co l.
14 WAX ELOQUENT Who said what and why
Volume 4 Issue No. 22 February 16-28, 2019 www.corporatecitizen.in
36 SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR Social entrepreneur’s willingness to step up and help create more courageous cultures with one’s wealth 38 Tête-à-Tête Achal Paul, Founder Director, BUZZ Communications, explains why for PR to survive, it’s important to keep the pot boiling
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40 CASE STUDY Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd. - How its clearly articulated ER framework handles employee relations in a fair and firm manner
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42 INTERVIEW Author and director of PILF, Manjiri Prabhu, on current book publishing scene and tips to overcome the writer’s block
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44 MY FIRST BOSS Rajan Garg, Finance Controller, Formica Group, remembers his first boss, in showing him the importance of balancing work and home life
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45 BOOK REVIEW ‘Daughters of Legacy’ an insightful new book by Rinku Paul and Puja Singhal 46 ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Sarbani Bhatia, alumna of BITS-Pilani, talks on how the institute enhanced her personality and shaped up her career
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48 LOVED & MARRIED TOO Sayali Bhilare and Shrikant Mundhe on their life together and encouragement they get from each other 50 CAMPUS PLACEMENT Sheefali Gupta, on her campus placement and transformation from being an introvert to a confident and determined woman
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contents
Contemporary Management Thoughts
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
52
Senior Sub-Editor Neeraj Varty neeraj.varty07@gmail.com
52 SURVEY The 2019 Digital Marketing Strategies Survey, on what is exactly essential for digital marketers to be successful 56 HEALTH Curators give a glimpse of the sporting event ‘Corporate Fitness Challenge League’ and the concept of corporate fitness 58 PEARLS OF WISDOM Why managing time is vital and route to success
Sub Editor Vineet Kapshikar Creative Direction Sumeet Gupta, www.thepurplestroke.com Graphic Designer Shantanu Relekar
56
Kolkata Bureau Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar sangeetagd2010@gmail.com Pune Bureau Joe Williams / Kalyani Sardesai / Namrata Gulati Sapra
60 MOBILE APPS The best apps for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections
Advertising and Marketing Manager Delhi: Mohamed Rizwan riz.mohamed@hotmail.com
61 UNSUNG HEROES A sexagenarian’s interest in athletics 66 LAST WORD Kolkata rediscovering its title as the City of Joy
Chennai: Anil Kumar Menon anil.menon@corporatecitizen.in
61
Be A Corporate Citizen
How do you like this issue of Corporate Citizen Contemporary Management Thoughts? Send in your views, news, suggestions and contributions to corporatecitizenwriters@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you! 8 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
Writers Delhi Bureau Orchie Bandopadhyay archiebanerjee@gmail.com/ Sharmila Chand chand.sharmila@gmail.com
Manager-Circulation circulations@corporatecitizen.in West : Jaywant Patil, +91 9923202560 North : Hemant Gupta, +91 9582210930 South : Asaithambi G, +91 9941555389 On Cover Page Vaiju and Lt. Col. Suresh Rege (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
Vodafone’s Siddharth Banerjee joins Facebook
Biopic on Infosys, Narayana Murthy
Former HUL hand, Siddharth Banerjee has joined Facebook as Director - Global Sales Organisation. Prior to this, he was associated with Vodafone as EVP Marketing. In his new role, he will be responsible for partnering with businesses in order to achieve strong business outcomes by leading verticals, agency relationships and solution teams for Facebook India. He is currently part of the leadership team of Facebook India. Banerjee has over 19 years of experience in marketing and sales and joined Vodafone in 2015 after working for 12 years with Hindustan Unilever. Prior to joining HUL in 2003, he worked with General Mills and Reckitt Benckiser as Regional Sales Manager for two years.
Welspun creates leadership pipeline With organisations introducing various initiatives and programmes to upskill their workforces, the Welspun Group has come up with the second edition of its group leadership programme (GLP), which focuses on producing the next level of leaders. The programme nurtures top leadership from the Group, across all businesses and focuses on building new leadership capabilities for tomorrow and using them effectively to ensure a positive business impact. “We have ensured that at every point there are knowledge nuggets embedded in the programme through peer-to-peer learning and by using e-learning modules. These will ensure that participants
continuously refresh their knowledge of the topics, unlike the one-time instructor-led session of the previous batch of GLP 1.0,” says Bidisha Banerjee, Chief Learning Officer, Welspun Group. Rajesh Padmanabhan, Director and Group CHRO, Welspun Group also adds his views to the newly-launched leadership learning programme — “GLP 2.0 is a signature programme to empower our leaders and take them on a custom-built learning journey. This readies them to deal with situations more steadily and with tenacity. They evolve and mature progressively and allow their learning to cascade into their respective teams, making it a winning group.”
Filmmaker Sanjay Tripathy is working on the script of a biopic on Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, according to media reports. Tripathy approached Murthy for the film eight months ago, an executive associated with the project told Mint. “...after much deliberation, Murthy approved the project,” the source said, adding that Murthy’s only request was that the facts should not be distorted. A 30-page script has been sent to Murthy and once it is finalised, location scouting and casting will begin, the publication said. It is not clear which phase of Murthy’s life will be covered by the biopic. Murthy set up Infosys in Pune at the age of 35 along with six other software professionals. He served as the company’s CEO from 1981 to 2002.
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 9
collywood Pallav Singh hops off Ola ride
Pallav Singh, one of the founding members of Softbank-backed Ola, has resigned from the company. Pallav had taken on the role of interim COO of the homegrown ridehailing firm since May 2018, when Vishal Kaul had moved on from the company. A junior of Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati at IIT-Bombay, Singh was the fourth employee hired by the Ola co-found-
ers. He along with Pranay Jivrajka, another IIT-Bombay graduate, was among the first set of employees who came on board the taxi-hailing platform when it started. Singh and Jivrajka, who is currently heading Foodpanda as its CEO, have both held several posts at the company over the years. Through 2017-2018, Ola witnessed a constant churn with high-profile exits, including Chief People Officer Susheel Balakrishnan, Senior Vice President for Growth, Saikiran Krishnamurthy, and Corporate President for New Initiatives, Joy Bandekar.
How Jeff Bezos’ $137 billion divorce affects Amazon
Pity the poor billionaire whose world order is crumbling faster than an Amazon delivery ever since his divorce from his wife of 25 years was announced. With tabloids going wild on the couple’s massive fortune of $137 billion and on Bezos’ reported racy texts to his girlfriend, the news of world’s richest person and Amazon.com Inc founder and Chief Executive, Jeff Bezos, seeking a divorce from his wife MacKenzie Bezos has shocked one and all. The reason behind the split is Jeff ’s secret affair with Lauren Sanchez – former Good Day L.A. co-host and the wife of Hollywood’s talent agent Patrick Whitesell. The divorce came as a surprise given that Bezos had on several occasions contributed his success to his wife’s support. But now Jeff Bezos perhaps feels a new and unsettling emotion as he stands to watch his soon-to-be ex-wife Mackenzie Bezos walk away with as much as $96 billion. The divorce may earn MacKenzie her own title as the richest woman in the world. The divorce is expected to result in one of the most notable settlements in history, and likely the biggest, since Bezos runs one of the world’s most valuable companies. And will Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos’ divorce have an impact on Amazon’s ownership and create new challenges for the company? Yes, as nearly all of Bezo’s wealth comes from his 16 per cent ownership in Amazon, a company valued at about $800 billion. Bezos personally owns ‘The Washington Post’, which he purchased for $250 million in 2013. The couple’s properties include two homes in Beverly Hills; two homes in Medina, Washington; the largest home in Washington, DC; and a Texas ranch, according to ‘The Wall Street Journal’. At this early point, it’s hard to say what may change for Amazon’s ownership. Since there’s no prenuptial agreement, the world’s biggest individual fortune may be split in half and Bezos may lose direct control of half his Amazon stake. That could result in MacKenzie pushing for changes at the company or requesting a seat on Amazon’s board.
WTTCII picks DLF CEO, Talwar as Chairman; SpiceJet CMD, Ajay Singh as VC World Travel & Tourism Council, India Initiative (WTTCII) announced that it has appointed DLF CEO, Rajeev Talwar as its Chairman and Spicejet CMD, Ajay Singh as Vice Chairman. A council statement said: “Rajeev Talwar, CEO, DLF has
10 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
been appointed as Chairman of WTTCII for the year 2019.” Talwar is also the Chairman of NAREDCO and President of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Soon after his appointment, Talwar made three major demands to boost tour-
Bajaj Auto launches new brand identity
iKeva to open 15 new co-working centres Hyderabad-based co-working space startup, iKeva, announced that it has raised an undisclosed amount from Meenakshi Group to set up 15 new centres in the next 12 months and strengthen its robust back end processes and technology. Monika Misra, Co-founder and General Manager, iKeva, said the fresh infusion of funds would help them speed up business expansion this year, and foray into new fast-growing cities. The five-year-old co-working space provider runs eight centres across five major metro cities Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurugram, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Two new centres are set to open in Hyderabad in the next three months, according to a statement by the company. According to CBRE, the co-working / shared office industry in India has shown a yearly growth of 23 per cent since 2013 and by 2025, 40 per cent of the overall workforce is predicted ism in India. “Firstly, Airline Turbine Fuel must be included under GST. Secondly, 28 per cent GST on hotel rooms is hurting – GST should be pegged at five per cent for rooms of transaction values of up to `5,000 and 12 per cent for transaction values of `5,001-15,000 along with ITC,” Talwar said. Thirdly, there should be a tourism board to handle the marketing of ‘Incredible India’, he said. “A tourism board with inclusion of public and private
to work from co-working spaces. iKeva’s revenues recorded an increase of 40 per cent in the last fiscal and the target is to double this growth. “As a strategic investor, iKeva’s business model and the sustained growth achieved over the years, combined with a focus to tap into lucrative millennial-driven sharing economy hold great promise,” said Mahesh Katragadda, Director of Meenakshi Group. iKeva’s co-working spaces range from 10,000 - 15,000 sq. ft., and offer a bevy of services and amenities including flexible fully furnished workspaces, high-speed internet, professional team, reprographics and high end IT. The seat prices start from ₹4,000 under flexible plans and start from ₹8,500 for a dedicated desk space. stakeholders will make brand India successful.” Ajay Singh said, “Our travel and tourism industry has enormous potential but it faces numerous challenges, of which the most critical is lack of appropriate infrastructure.” He said the launch of several branding and marketing initiatives by the government such as Incredible India 2.0 and e-Tourist Visa on Arrival for 163 countries have provided a focused impetus to growth.
Bajaj Auto released its new identity as “The World’s Favourite Indian” to announce its transition from a domestic scooter maker to a global motorcycle powerhouse in 17 years. Head honchos at Bajaj revealed that the brand has been making its presence felt worldwide; even dominating the motorcycle market in some countries. Fourty per cent of the company’s revenue is coming from international markets. It has earned $13 billion of forex in the last 10 years and hit a milestone of two million units of international sales in 2018. With 15 million motorcycles sold in over 70 countries, Bajaj Auto says that they have set a benchmark for the ‘Make in India’ vision of the government. Commenting on the occasion, Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director said, “Our international performance is validation of our strategy of focus and differentiation. Our unwavering commitment towards building the best motorcycles in the world through design, technology, quality and customer satisfaction have made us a truly global brand. Bajaj brand is not only The World’s Favourite Indian, but also perhaps the most illustrious ambassador for Make in India initiative of the Indian government.” He further added, “In only 17 years since the launch of Pulsar, we have become the third-largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world, ahead of several Japanese and European brands that have been around for much longer. In any market around the world, when people think of motorcycles, they should think of Bajaj. That would help us achieve our vision of being a Global Motorcycle Specialist.” The new brand identity would be communicated through a marketing campaign featuring TV, outdoor, print and digital media. The retail showrooms of Bajaj Auto motorcycles and commercial vehicles will also undergo a transformation with new signage and branding in line with the message of The World’s Favourite Indian. February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 11
collywood LIC completes acquisition of controlling stake in IDBI Bank With the completion of the acquisition of a 51 per cent stake, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) became the majority shareholder of IDBI Bank, according to a regulatory filing by the state-run lender. IDBI Bank, in a statement issued, said LIC completed the acquisition of a 51 per cent controlling stake in the lender. As such, the bank’s board approved the reclassification of LIC as promoters of IDBI Bank. The deal is “envisaged as a win-win situation for both IDBI Bank and LIC with an opportunity to create enormous value for shareholders, customers and employees of both entities through mutual synergies,” the statement added. Following the completion of the acquisition, the national insurer will have five representatives on the bank’s board, while the government will have two. Further,
to ensure continuity at the top, LIC will persist with the bank’s present top management till such time as the latter’s board approves the appointment of a new MD and CEO and DMDs on the board after following the due process. In terms of LIC’s letter dated January 18, 2019, the board of IDBI Bank approved the continuation of office of Rakesh Sharma, K. P. Nair and G. M. Yadwadkar as Directors and as MD and CEO and DMDs respectively of IDBI Bank till such time as the board approves appointment of a new MD and CEO and DMDs on the board of IDBI Bank after following the due process. Further, IDBI Bank’s board also approved the appointment of Rajesh Kandwal, Director and CEO of LICHFL Care Homes Ltd, as an Additional Director and LIC’s Nominee Director on the board of the Bank. The immediate challenge for LIC will be to ensure that the debt-ridden bank, which reported eighth consecutive quarterly losses, has adequate capital.
Byju’s buys US-based playful learning system Osmo for $120 mn Online tutoring start up Byju’s announced it has acquired US-based Osmo, the award-winning playful learning system for creating healthy screen time experiences for $120 million. This is the Bengaluru-based startup’s first-ever purchase of a US company. Osmo brings physical toys into the digital world through augmented reality and its proprietary reflective artificial intelligence, thereby fusing physical play with digital engagement. In other words, it allows any object like pen and paper, blocks or toys to interact with an iPad, iPhone or Amazon Fire camera. Tangible Play Inc. - the business behind the Osmo brand was founded in 2013 by Pramod Sharma and Jerome Scholler. Byju’s said in a statement that it intends to tap Osmo’s physical-to-digital technology and content to expand and enhance its current offering. “With this acquisition, we are expanding into a new age demographic and entering the world of younger kids (age group 3-8). Our partnership with Osmo will help kids acquire a love for learning at an early 12 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
age by introducing ‘play-based learning’. Overall, the partnership aims at fostering a love for learning through cutting-edge tech and a new approach to edutainment-based learning,” said the company’s founder and CEO Byju Raveendran. Pramod Sharma, Osmo’s CEO and co-founder and his core team will continue to remain at Osmo’s helm. “Osmo was started for parents looking for a way to combine physical, hands-on play with the power of digital platforms to foster a love of learning,” said Sharma. “Finding a visionary education company like Byju’s opened an exciting opportunity to work together to carry forward our mission across all primary school grade levels on a global scale. We are excited about what we can accomplish together,” he added.
Amarinder Butalia named managing partner of Ogilvy Delhi NCR Ogilvy has announced the elevation of Amarinder Butalia to the position of Managing Partner, Ogilvy Delhi NCR. Amarinder has over 22 years of experience in the business and has been with Ogilvy for the last six years, in Mumbai and Gurugram, donning many hats. She has led multiple business relationships across Cadbury, Star, Sprite, KFC, GSK, BMW. Her brands have won multiple Effies both in India and the Asia Pacific. Kapil Arora, President, Ogilvy North said, “Amarinder is a true blue Ogilvy brand custodian and client partner. Over the years, she has displayed time and again, her ability to embrace change, shepherd great work and nurture long-term client relationships. Her new role is a key component of Ogilvy Gurugram’s Next Chapter strategy and I’m confident that we have a leader in Amarinder who will help consistently deliver on our credo to Make Brands Matter.” On her elevation, Amarinder said, “I am excited about the new role and look forward to help grow the Ogilvy Gurugram offering for a brave new world, with creativity at its heart. I am also keen to foster a workplace culture that is open, transparent, diverse and inclusive – values that have always been at the heart of Ogilvy.” Compiled by Orchie Bandopadhyay archiebanerjee@gmail.com
Expert Opinion
Sunita Narain
Director General of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and the Editor of Down To Earth magazine. She is an environmentalist who pushes for changes in policies, practices and mindsets
Breathless silence The inconvenient truth is that when there is a public health emergency in Delhi, only the poor are asked to sacrifice
L
ast fortnight, I had explained how, in spite of all the drastic measures taken, including a ban on construction; coal usage in the industry; truck entry into the city; and more, air pollution in my city was still at emergency levels. I reiterate that small and timid steps will not work. As I write this, air quality has slightly improved. For the moment it seems the worst of the winter-onset-Diwali-crop burning period could be behind us. But the fact is that this does not mean that air quality will not once again decline in the coming months. It is now clear that the region’s own sources of pollution are greatly responsible for the poor air quality we have seen in the past few weeks. Crop burning is exacerbating this situation, not creating it. According to the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the contribution of crop burning to the region’s pollution stress peaked on November 5, when it went up to 33 per cent. After that, because of the direction of wind, the contribution has ranged between 5-14 per cent. There is no doubt that these emissions from crop residue burning are coming at a time when there was accumulated load, and very adverse weather tipped us over the edge into severe pollution. But it is also clear that even if we eliminate crop burning in the coming months, weather conditions will only get more adverse. The cold will increase, which will add to inversion and
not allow dispersion; moisture will increase, which will trap the pollutants. And in case we have prolonged periods of poor wind and low ventilation index (that measures dispersion), then we could be back again in the severe and severe plus category. As I explained earlier, we have adopted a smog alert system, the Graded Response Action Plan, which allows for strict action to be taken when
Latest emission inventory has shown that vehicles contribute 40 per cent of the pollution in the city pollution peaks. It is an emergency plan, not a substitute for an action plan which works to reduce pollution altogether. This winter, the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA), of which I am a member, directed for the closure of all construction activity; all industrial activity (other than those based on natural gas); all brick kilns, stone-crushers and hotmix plants. In the days post-Diwali, it also asked for truck entry into Delhi to be stopped— all to combat the worst of pollution. And these measures helped to reduce the pollution levels. However, it was also clear that the city could not have continued to impose these restrictions beyond 12-13 days, even as pollution levels did not go down below the severe catego-
ry. The fact is that these are economic activities and shutting them down creates huge livelihood challenges for the very poor, daily labourers in the city. The poor in our cities suffer the most because of air pollution as their work requires them to do strenuous activity in the polluted air. By bringing in these measures, which were essential to battle the pollution emergency, we had hit them twice as they also lost their livelihood sources. Trucks cannot be held at the border of the city indefinitely. It was clear that emergency measures cannot be as a proxy for our inaction on long-term emission reduction. So, the question was what more could be done. This is when EPCA’s chairperson suggested that there should also be a restriction on the plying of private vehicles in the city. He said this because the latest emission inventory has shown that vehicles contribute 40 per cent of the pollution in the city. Also, private diesel vehicles add substantially to both NOx and PM emissions and are deadly toxic. The sticker scheme to identify vehicles based on age and fuel type has not yet been implemented and he suggested that the only option was to either ban all private vehicles (without the identification of petrol or diesel), other than CNG and/or restriction on plying by number plate (odd-even). Suddenly there was outrage. It was no longer about pollution—deadly and hazardous for our health. No, it was against the very idea of “touching” the private car. There is no doubt that restricting cars without adequate public transport will be a nightmare. But governments do nothing to upgrade our system of the commute. When there is a public health emergency, why should only the poor be asked to sacrifice? In my extremely polluted city where I continue to work and fight, there is silence on this question. It is an inconvenient truth. (This article was first published in the 1-15th December issue of Down To Earth under the headline ‘Breathless silence’) (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/air/ breathless-silence-62209)
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 13
wax eloquent
Signs of Growth
A look at what our corporate leaders have to say about recent trends and their experiences in the business world
Building success Strategy to take right decision
“I always know my decision when both my heart and head are in sync. It means when what I think about something and what I feel about it are aligned then it’s the right decision for me.” Pallavi Jha,
MD & Chairperson, Dale Carnegie, India
“Five giants have dominated the journey of the domestic IT industry. These are FC Kohli of TCS; Azim Premji of Wipro; NR Narayana Murthy, Nandan Nilekani of Infosys; and N Chandrasekaran of TCS. Each one built upon the success of the other, and yet admired each other’s work.” TV Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Manipal Global Education and former Director of Infosys Courtesy: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com
Courtesy: http://www.businessworld.in
Life is not an app
Making recruitment easier
“India has one of the largest networks in higher education, and has a population of 500 million between the ages of 5-24. So this sector of the population needs better education, better skilling, which should therefore land them better opportunities. However, currently that is not the case. The number of graduates getting placed is five times lesser than the number of people graduating annually in India.”
“It’s not something that you can just put on your phone and then handle it. It’s like life. Life is not an app. Today, we think that technology provides answers to everything. It does not provide answers to life. It does not provide answers to what will be the future of work. So, in trying to attempt to find those answers, I think, lies the work of businesses, governments and the ILO itself.”
Alwyn Didar Singh, former secretary-general, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry Courtesy: https://thewire.in/labour/didar-singh-interview-future-of-work-india
The biggest positive of working in India “The biggest positive of working in India is the multitude of opportunities that we have in front of us. In a developing economy that we have been over the past two decades and will continue to be for quite some time from now, new opportunities are opening up every day resulting in newer career avenues, which were unheard of in the past. This keeps our jobs interesting.” Mohua Sengupta, EVP & Global Head of Services, 3i Infotech Courtesy: https://www.indiatoday.in
The thing I’m most proud of Twitter
Pranjal Goswami, co-
“It’s a net positive that everyone has more potential to have a voice. Because it benefits those who traditionally didn’t the most. The thing I’m most proud of Twitter for is that it has been a vehicle for historically marginalised groups to share their story.”
Courtesy: https://www.thenewsminute.com
Courtesy: https://www.rollingstone.com
founder, Superset
14 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
Jack Dorsey, CEO, Twitter
Facilitating interaction
“I would not look at science, technology and innovation as a linearity. The integration and interactions between what are the problems that need a solution and what are the solutions in search of a problem, where does discovery take you, and how does that integrate with the problems and solutions, are exciting. And facilitating that interaction is what all government missions are about.” K VijayRaghavan,
principal scientific advisor, Government of India
Courtesy: Hindustan Times
Roadmap for Indian startups
“Startups must go global from the start and not later as the delay means they are late and other global guys have already taken the market. Also, going global is critical not so much for the market as much as for the knowledge.” JF Gauthier, founder,
Genome
Courtesy: Economic Times
Investing in ideas
I’ve always believed in India
“It’s a tremendous honour to receive the Padma Bhushan award. I’ve always believed in India and it’s been incredible seeing the transition the country has made from slow follower to fast innovator. I’m lucky to be part of this incredible success story. I’ve always been bullish on India, but the last five years have been exceptional. India’s startup ecosystem is showing great signs of growth. John Chambers, Former Cisco chairman and head, US-India Strategic Partnership Forum Courtesy: https://www.indiawest.com
“There are very few stock market tech firms and we wanted to invest in ideas. India still has very dismal numbers when it comes to stock market participants. Just about 70 lakh active accounts in a country with a population of more than 1 billion. So it’s not about returns, just ideas that get people excited about the market.” Nithin Kamath, cofounder, Zerodha
No predictable impact of elections on markets
Hiring intelligently
“When I started Moglix in 2015, mediocrity was not an option. I was convinced about building India’s largest and fastest growing B2B commerce company and thus, hiring the right talent was a must. My focus was to find candidates who are self-motivated, come from a reputed institute, have prior experience in technology/ manufacturing and are willing to learn and scale-up while developing out of the box offerings for the manufacturing sector.” Rahul Garg, Founder & CEO,
Moglix
Courtesy: https://www.entrepreneur.com/ article/326964#
Courtesy: Times of India
“Investors worry a lot about elections. There is no predictable impact of elections on markets. Even if you can forecast elections, you can’t forecast reaction of markets and we have seen that in the past. As an investor, there is no point trying to predict or trying to invest based on your views of the elections and it’s a waste of time. What you can do best is reduce risk relative to the benchmark.”
Bill Maldonado, Global CIO, equities, HSBC Global Asset Management Courtesy: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com
We cannot wish away the volatility “Given that it’s going to be an election year, we cannot wish away the volatility. Since 1991 all the governments in power, post-elections have carried forward the economic reform agenda, albeit at a different pace. Since 1999, the coalition (strong) government which has completed a full term, has added very little uncertainty to the markets. Thrust on infrastructure (roads, power, ports, airports, telecom) has been a core agenda of all the past governments.” Chocka-lingam Narayanan, head-research (equities), BNP
Paribas Asset Management India
Courtesy: http://www.mydigitalfc.com
Keeping a very lean cost stack
“There is no business which always goes up, so stick to core fundamentals irrespective of the timing. Keeping a very lean cost stack is always advantages in case of startups. Our philosophy was instead of hiring 100 people with average skills and average pay, hire highly talented individuals by paying a premium and keeping your rolls short. Another decision was to have an all-digital marketing approach to keep costs low.” Abhishek Soni, co-founder and CEO, Upwards Fintech Courtesy: Times of India
Opportunity we are going after
“Financial transactions are typically in the last quadrant when it comes to adoption intent and complexity. There is lack of trust. They need assistance in getting on-boarded on to digital platforms and that is the opportunity that we are going after.” Saket Agarwal,
Global CEO, Spice Money Courtesy: https://wire19.com
Compiled by Rajesh Rao rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 15
Expert View
When the corporate ‘veil’ becomes a ‘mask’ by S K Jha
(IRS (retd) and former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax)
“V
The corporate ‘veil’ that protects company shareholders from its liabilities and obligations is being misused to cover up many an activity, mostly nefarious, as is evidenced by a number of scams in the recent past. It is time to lift this ‘mask’ and uncover the truth
irtue has a veil, vice a mask,” said Victor Hugo. These days, the respectable ‘veil’ is seen, in many cases, competing with the ‘mask’. There is a legal concept of ‘corporate veil’ for companies, which has been in place for a long time. It separates the personality of a company from the personalities of its shareholders, and protects them from being personally liable for the company’s debts and other obligations. Historically, the House of Lords of the U.K. was the first to uphold this concept in the case of Solomon vs Solomon Ltd. and later this was also upheld by the courts in India. As per the Companies Act, the liability of shareholders is limited to the quantum of their shareholding stake in the company. A company in itself is an artificial person created by law and it has its own legal personality. Thus, the principle of corporate veil is already enshrined in the Companies Act.
Men behind the mask
The distinction between a company and its shareholders, provided by the corporate veil, is seen to be blurring, as we see companies getting caught in fraudulent activities. While a company is a separate legal entity, the fact remains that it can act through human agents which compose it. The façade of a corporate personality has to be demolished at times, to see as to who are the human agents who propel the company through illegal activities. This gives rise to the concept of ‘lifting of the corporate veil’. The phenomenal rise in the number of shell companies these days and also frauds committed by companies on banks and investors have led to the lifting of the corporate veil by investigating agencies and also by the courts. Aggressive tax avoidance measures have also necessitated tax officers to peep through the corporate veil so as to detect the actual beneficiaries. Some recent economic legislations have incorporated the spirit of lifting of the corporate veil while there are also provisions in the old laws based on this principle.
Keep out defaulters
One very successful recent legislation is In-
solvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016. It paves the way for the much needed reforms while focussing on creditor driven insolvency resolution of corporates and other entities. The essence of the legislation is to identify the promoters and the connected persons of the defaulter company and make them ineligible to bid to get back the company facing the IBC code proceedings for defaults in servicing its creditors. The promoters will lose the company in quick time stipulated under the IBC. There will be no safety veil, as IBC lifts the basic corporate veil. The apex court in the case connected with
16 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
Essar Steel has not only upheld the validity of the law but has been identifying the connected bidder Numetal Ltd. as ineligible, since as one of its shareholders, Rewant Ruia, is the son of Ravi Ruia, who happened to be the promoter of Essar Steel. Comments have also been passed in respect of the other bidder, Arcelor Mittal Ltd. whose ineligibility has been linked with NPA companies Uttam Galva Steel Ltd. and KSS Petron Ltd. to which the bidder company was connected. In another case under the IBC, the apex court held the Jaiprakash Group liable for fraud. Jaiprakash Associated Ltd. (JAL) was asked to deposit
money in the court for the buyers of JIL. The apex court dismissed the plea of limited liability of JIL. It is a disturbing phenomenon that the corporate veil is yielding place to the corporate mask to hide things deliberately and wilfully. In the last two years, more than 2.75 lakh companies have been struck off for various reasons. Only 66% of the companies have been seen to be active doing some business. Many are just paper companies, not filing returns and hundreds of them working from just one room.
Nefarious ends
Why the corporate mask? The reasons are many,
‘The façade of a corporate personality has to be demolished at times, to see as to who are the human agents who propel the company through illegal activities’ depending upon the intention and the scheme of things of the promoters indulging in such nefarious work. Some of these reasons can be to hide the identity of the actual owner or to do money laundering or to finance illegal activities like smuggling and drug trade or even shady tax avoidance planning. The one thing which is obvious is that in all such cases, the intention is never good, and it is done to hide wrongful activities behind the corporate name.
Who owns Ladywalk?
To understand the need for a corporate or some such legal mask, let us take the case of the ‘Lady-
walk’ mansion of Vijay Mallya in the suburbs of London where he lives these days after running away from India. This mansion is in the village of Tewin in Hertfordshire, just over one-hour drive north of London. The mansion was bought from the father of British Formula One champion, Lewis Hamilton by a company with offshore links for more than `100 crores ($15 million). The official documents list the owner of the mansion as a limited liability partnership called Ladywalk LLP. It has two members, including a company called Continental Administration Services, which is registered in St. Kitts and Nevis, a tax haven country in the Caribbean. A loan to finance the property purchase in July 2015 was made by a private bank in Switzerland. Official papers name the borrower as Ladywalk Investments, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, another tax-haven. The point to be noted is that Vijay Mallya is in possession of the mansion spread over 30 acres but the documents indicate that the owner is some legal entity supported by the maze of transactions spread over from one tax haven to another and the human agents behind the legal person being in the dark. Creating a legal mask is a specialised job, as the purpose is to hide the de facto owner. The Panama papers indicated that there are highly efficient legal eagles for this purpose, having connections all over the world with some really rich and powerful people as their clients. In many cases, enthusiastic tax-avoidance planning also becomes the cause of hiding behind the corporate mask. To understand this, let us take the case of the much discussed Mauritius route of investments in India. Black money goes abroad and then it comes in the name of some paper company with an address in Mauritius. By doing so, there used to be no capital gains tax in India, and when the investment was sold, a very small tax was paid in Mauritius and in the whole process the actual owner of the black money remained unknown. This was tax planning by round–tripping. However, now changes have been brought in the DTAA between India and Mauritius to curb this practice.
The Kochhar trip
Recently, there was a news item that the once celebrated banker, Chanda Kochhar and her husband have been booked by the CBI for alleged bribe given by Dhoot of Videocon. The said alleged bribe was given by a chain of events involving companies so as to hide the actual bribe-giving or bribe-taking behind corporate transactions or the corporate mask, to be specific. The chain started in December 2008, when Deepak Kochhar (husband of Chanda Kochhar) and Dhoot were appointed directors of Nu-power Renewables (NRL). In January 2009, Dhoot resigned and allotted nearly 20 lakh
securities to Deepak Kochhar. Chanda Kochhar took over as MD and CEO of ICICI bank in May 2009 and Deepak Kochhar’s securities were transferred to Deepak Kochhar’s company, Supreme Energy. Next, loans were disbursed by the bank to Videocon on 26 August 2009 and on 7 September 2009 allegedly by bypassing regulations. On 8 September 2009, a sum of `64 crores was transferred by Dhoot to NRL. Thereafter, more loans were granted by the bank between June 2009 and October 2011. Facts, as appearing in the newspapers, show that bribe was allegedly passed on through corporate transactions so as to appear as commercial dealings between two private persons. The alleged bribe was hidden behind these transactions. Many bank scams are taking place these days by creating shady companies for the purpose. While Nirav Mody was enjoying the status of an elite jeweller, a scam was taking place as money from Punjab National Bank, Fort, Mumbai was being passed on to fictitious companies opened by Nirav Mody in Hong Kong. The fictitious paper companies were used as tools to cheat the bank and a bank officer was an accomplice in the deal. Today, we have NPAs of about `10 lakh crores and a sizable proportion of that sum is in the name of parties who also do not have any asset, meaning thereby, that such companies have been deliberately used to siphon off bank money.
New disclosure norms
After seeing the massive rise in the incidents of economic fraud using corporate names, the government is in the process of bringing in appropriate rules. As per media reports, the government is almost ready with rules to lift the corporate veil around multi-layered companies. Shareholders and companies with over 10% stake in a firm will have to disclose the ultimate beneficiaries of the shares, especially overseas owners. It is believed that rules are being framed to provide separate norms for companies with beneficial owners being Indian firms and those with overseas entities. The idea is to find out the ultimate beneficiary and to prevent benami holding. It is believed that the rules under the making will propose one-step reporting in the case of foreign shareholding, the ultimate beneficiary located in any jurisdiction will have to be disclosed. So, if a Mauritius-based company, whose parent is based in, say the Cayman Islands, has invested in an Indian entity, it will have to go to the ultimate beneficiary, who may be located in the US or the UK. The burden will be on such a company to locate the ultimate beneficiary. In the case of discretionary trusts holding shares, the details of trustees may have to be given. The moneymaking process has, in many cases, become an unethical game, supported by a web of companies, which require to be pierced.
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 17
Lt C o
Vaiju & Lt. Col. Suresh Rege (Retd.)
sh Reg ure e( lS
td) Re
C o v e r S t o r y / --- Dynamic Duo: 83
From Olive to Green:
An
Incredible n r u o j From a successful career as an officer in the Mechanised Infantry of the Indian army to an even more illustrious one as an environmental entrepreneur, Lt. Col. Suresh Rege (Retd.) has traversed an assorted terrain with characteristic aplomb. And even as we speak of his many achievements the one thing that stands out is how this military man successfully transplanted years of training to a (then) relatively unexplored arena of waste management — namely the myriad possibilities of the biogas plant in making the best of liquid and solid waste. Sure, we may be talking of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan today, but 22 years ago, it was a story much different from what it is today: the awareness levels about biogas technology were lower and the corporate will to give it a shot even less so. With patience, perseverance and planning, Suresh Rege not only educated those around, but also converted the same into a successful and sustainable business with industrial clients from all walks of life. With over 350 plants in the country, his labour of love, Mailhem Ikos Environment Pvt. Ltd. continues to go from strength to strength. The philosophy is as sophisticated as it is simple: the disposal of waste at its source in a manner that is innovative, cost effective, efficient and through a solution that is a one-stop shop. His better half, the very gracious Vaiju Rege has ably seen him and their sons through thick and thin. This Dynamic Duo has so many stories and so many lessons to share...
By Vinita Deshmukh and Kalyani Sardesai
18 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
Pics: Yusuf Khan
y e n Making the best of waste and being eco-friendly is new age talk. These days everyone talks about the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to have cleanliness around us, but in the early 90s there was nothing as such -lt. col. suresh rege February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 19
Cover Story Corporate Citizen: What made you choose the NDA and Army as your profession?
Lt. Col. Suresh Rege: It has much to do with my family background. My father, Major Jaywant Rege was a Second World War veteran. He was from the Baroda State Forces and fought the Second World War in Burma. 2nd Baroda Battalion was then converted to 20 Maratha Light Infantry of the Indian Army. My growing up years were steeped in the memories of military life. You could pretty much say that I had blinkers on and saw little beyond the army. When I told my dad, he said, Suresh, you have to work hard if you wish to become an officer. NDA is best because you join very young. One day jokingly he asked me, “Suresh, what if you don’t become an officer?” I didn’t know what to say, I said, “So what, I will join as a Sepoy.” That was the level of determination that I had to join the army.
How did you find the training at the NDA?
Today things have changed because academics are important. In our days, if you were a good sportsman everybody thought you had the makings of an excellent officer. But today as the armed forces get technically advanced, the NDA is emphasising technical education. In our time if you played well, no one said anything to you, and that included the professors: As long as you scored a winning goal or scored those extra runs, what more could you want? (Laughs). But there was logic to this belief. A sportsman typically embodies the fighting spirit so important in an officer. He has discipline, commitment and strength to command his men in every situation. Besides, I got the blue and blazer in cricket early on, and everyone was appreciative.
Surely, you’d like to comment on the hardships and toughness of the NDA schedule?
best. I got my promotions on schedule. But when I was approved for next rank of Colonel, I decided to do something different. Twenty years is a long time. I said, let me try it out on the other side. I was confident of myself, because having done well in the army, I said why not.
You must have seen some openings.
No, nothing, that is the beauty of it. People do not believe it when I tell them so but the fact remains that I left with my head held high and on my own terms.
One fine day you said this is it?
No, it was something that I had discussed, but both my parents and seniors were upset. General Nambiar, was then Colonel of the Regiment of Mechanised Infantry. Mrs Nambiar said, “Suresh, what are you talking about? You are calling it quits; you of all people cannot.” My father was upset for he felt I could have taken over the same battalion in due course. I said, I have decided. What I was going to do next, I had no idea. But I had decided. Fortunately, I had a house, a pension and a working wife who was a teacher. So yes, I could take that chance.
How old were you at that time? I was 40.
What did your family say?
When I told them that I wanted to do something on my own, my father, as would be expected of the older generation was sceptical. He said to me, Why do you want to do business, it is not in our blood. That hit me hard, and after a week or so, I called my dad over to tell him something. Since I was going to start something new it was important to have him on my side. I said to him that I was all set to go on a dialysis to get a businessman’s blood, in order to be able to do business. He saw my point and gave me his blessings.
As long as you could make a convincing goal or score those extra runs, what more could you want? But there was logic to this belief. A sportsman typically embodies the fighting spirit so important in an officer. He has discipline, commitment and strength to command his men in every situation-lt. col. suresh rege
Hardships are there; they’re always thereprobably because we came from an army background, we knew what to expect. My father was strict and disciplined; there was no question of not getting up early in the morning. As his sons, we had no choice but to get up at 6 am and train with him. Having been brought up that way it wasn’t tough for me. But things are tougher for those from a pure civilian background. The discipline, the punishments when you upset a senior, the relentless stress on physical fitness and mental strength-one has to go through an arc of development. But in the end, it’s completely worth it.
How many years were you in the army and what made you change careers?
I was in the army for 20 years, from ‘69 to ‘90 and enjoyed a fantastic career in the army’s Mechanised Infantry. I recall those years with great fondness, for they were the best of my life; I played cricket for the services, played hockey, did all the right courses under the guidance of seniors like General Nambiar who incidentally was a young officer when my father was Second in Command. Naturally we shared a close bond. So when he said, Suresh, only sports won’t do, you have to be sent on the courses, I listened. I did well on the courses, had some very good postings, everything in the army was the 20 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
How did you get into biogas?
Making the best of waste and being eco -friendly is new age talk. These days everyone talks about the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to have cleanliness around us, but in the early 90s there was nothing as such. I had a friend who had some ideas about putting waste to good use. But no one wanted to get into it, it was an unchartered territory. Everybody wants to take up a business that is tried and tested. What I was getting into was unheard of. I met a technical guy who promised to help if needed. He said, Suresh you will make a go of it. This is what you call decision making and army training. I saw the potential and said, why not? Then the question arose as to how much money I could put in. That was a bit of a concern, for one was not born with a silver spoon. It was my pension and I had an earning wife working with Muktanagan, so I took the plunge.
Tell us how you went from gobar gas to biogas.
Initially, there was only talk of the gobar gas plant, with cow dung and all that. We didn’t want to do that, we wanted to do it from food waste. I was worried that someone would copy our design. So to make the biogas I got 12 people to do 12 different components and the 13th chap to assemble it. Nobody knew what it was. Today, I do not bother because we are a brand name. But at that time we were worried about copy cats. We then approached Bajaj and told
them we wanted their kitchen waste. They said, we are not here for your R&D, we want something tested and tried. I needed 20-25 kgs, but there was no way to get that kind of waste in-house. So I thought of approaching the army. I went back to the Commandant and said that I needed help. I told him that I wanted the leftover food from the canteens and would pay for it. He asked me what I would do with it. I said, ‘I have brought this for trial, gas will come out of this and then I will make tea from food waste.’ He promptly said, go ahead. That’s how we started doing it. We started at Mechanised Infantry, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. There have been ups and downs in the business, but we have never looked back.
What is the name of the company and how did it come to be ?
I came out of uniform. When people call you at 2 pm and then ask you to wait…that means they have no value for your time. It used to upset me and I would leave. But when I left, I used to leave a chit, saying, I waited for you and left. That didn’t make any difference to them, they were pretty thick-skinned. This is what used to hurt me, I used to keep telling people, what for, why? And so on. But I learnt my lessons early.
So you adapted to these changed circumstances?
Yes, I adapted. But it wasn’t easy. I still remember one instance where despite working for two huge companies, we were living from hand to mouth. Nevertheless, we made sure that our people got their payments. The army taught us to take care of the junior-most employees, even if there is shortage. We have stuck to that ethos. But not everyone thought like us, not even our regular clients. They used to tell me, Colonel you have done a wonderful job, finishing work before Diwali, and all that. I thought we would get a cheque, so I could keep my boys happy. But they would come up with an excuse saying, ‘Our SAP system is not working.’ What can you do, you cannot yell at them. Thus one of my first lessons was that if you wanted to be an entrepreneur, you needed to have a dog in the house. Now one may ask: what is the relation between keeping a dog and wanting to be an entrepreneur? When the big guys don’t give you money and you are irritated and angry, you can neither yell at them nor your spouse at home, because it’s not fair on her. But when you have a dog, it does not know or care what mood you are in and is simply glad to see you and greets and licks you with its customary unconditional love and enthusiasm. Thus your mood improves, and your near and dear ones are saved from your wrath.
When I told them that I wanted to do something on my own, my father, as would be expected of the older generation was sceptical. He said to me, Why do you want to do business, it is not in our blood. That hit me hard, and after a week or so, I called my dad over to tell him something. I said to him that I was all set to go on a dialysis to get a businessman’s blood in order to be able to do business. He saw my point and gave me his blessings-lt. col. suresh rege
Around that time, I came across a magazine from the Mechanised centre named Sarath. I liked the name, it meant drive. So I said: I have enough of it all right, and it is fitting to call my first company Sarath Enterprises. Everything else moved from there. In 1995, when I started getting the orders, the big guns didn’t like proprietary companies, so we founded a private limited company. So we were wondering what to name a private limited company. It was interesting that someone gave us the word MAILHEM. In Sanskrit ‘MAIL’ Means WASTE and ‘HEM’ Means GOLD. Thus we got into the Business of converting WASTE TO GOLD. The advantage was that such a different sounding name would generate much curiosity. Besides, Mailhem sounds a bit German. Germany was the best in renewable energy those days, now I can proudly say that Germany is looking at us for innovative solutions.
So you are doing these biogas plants for industrial houses?
For industries and for everyone else, including housing complexes too where you have a minimum of 100 kg of waste per day. We started like that. All the industries, used to give their waste to the piggery. If the piggery chap did not pick it up, it used to stink. This is how I started and today I have all the big clients and there is competition amongst them to have best model from us. The strategy was always to target the top people, as anything to do with the environment has to come top down in order to succeed. And so with patience and fortitude, we went from strength to strength. Two decades on, we are the only company that has band width to treat 100 kg to hundreds of tons of waste per day. This is unique.
Tell us about your experience interacting with industrialists and the industry.
As an army man some experiences were difficult, because you have certain values, certain ethics that matter to you. But gradually one learns that when in Rome do as the Romans do. Without changing or hurting the ethics I held dear, I learnt to adapt. These people had no value for time. This is the saddest thing I felt when
What are the lessons that corporate management must take from the army?
First thing, discipline. It is a very critical thing and one must expect it of oneself as well as one’s subordinates and colleagues. Stick to your word and keep time. Respect others’ time, and when they don’t respect yours, don’t tolerate it. Second is the need for quick decision making. Because today in the corporate, what we want is a decision. The Army taught us, if we didn’t take a decision, we would all be dead in war. Left or right, decide where to go and follow it through. The third thing, as we say in the army: no matter what, never give up. Never say die. The fourth thing that I find unrealistic and amusing is that they seem to dislike difficulties in business. But try as you might, difficulties do come up and the best thing you can do is face them with your chin up. For example, we had an accident in one of our plants with a high speed rotating blade where the lid just flew off. When I got the call: my first reaction was: did anybody get hurt? When informed in the negative, I said good. Keeping calm and staying positive are what we are taught as young officers. Besides, if my team has a problem they are free to call at any hour; that’s the kind of confidence they have. February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 21
C o v e r S t o r y / --- Dynamic Duo: 83 Vaiju & Lt. Col. Suresh Rege (Retd.)
multiple roles r a l u g h sin t i a f The old saying goes: Behind every successful man, there is a woman. If Vaijju Rege, in a manner unique to fauji wives, were to tweak the truism, it would read: Next to and in sync with every successful man, there is a strong woman who keeps the faith in him as well as the values they hold dear as a couple. Not only has she played multiple roles in his life as a wife, mother and life partner, but she has also seen him through two radically different careers: as a military man and an entrepreneur. In short, she has been both, a wife and the wind beneath his wings. In fact, the very fact that she was a working woman gave him the confidence to take on the ups and downs of entrepreneurship even with a young family. In a world of impatience, arrogance and intolerance, hers is a message of certain old-world values that are classic and timeless in their relevance. It takes a lot to keep a marriage - patience being the starting point. This is her journey and this is how she narrates it. What’s more, her husband clearly admires her...
By Vinita Deshmukh and Kalyani Sardesai Both of you have had a long and happy marriage and a successful life in more ways than one, despite not having lived together for long periods. Tell us a bit about your journey together. How did you meet?
Lt. Col. Suresh Rege: I knew her for close to four and a half years
before we got married. She was in Fergusson Hostel. I was a Second Lieutenant, a young officer commissioned just before the war. A friend of mine had a niece in the hostel and that was an excuse to visit the hostel. That’s when I saw her and that’s how it all happened. I don’t know who took whose wickets but we ended up together. (Smiles.)
22 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
Vaiju Rege: We met at the famous Hotel Vaishali. My friend’s uncle had come to see her; so we took permission to go out and see him and that’s how we met. He was on a short leave but had to leave in some time. He came back after the war. I didn’t know anything about him.
So, it was not love at first sight for you? Vaiju Rege: Not for me.
When did you meet him next?
Vaiju Rege: We first met in January 1971. We started corresponding, and we told our parents we liked each other. Both sets of parents wanted us to wait till I finished my graduation. We waited and then we got married in 1975.
Sir, tell us about your wife.
Suresh Rege: She has been great. When I got married, we were in
Pathankot and from ’82 onwards, when my kids were growing up, I realised that I wanted them to have better schooling. So she came to my parents to Pune and from the first standard to the last year of school they have been there. She lived separately for eight years; it was a sacrifice for both of us, but it was worth it, for the children did well.
What do you appreciate most about her?
Suresh Rege: She has been a great support which has been a blessing throughout. Even when I was away, the kids were looked after, and the way she has brought them up is admirable. And not only that, when my parents were here, they considered her closer to them than my sisters, which speaks volumes about her. She has looked after my parents in their old age and it hasn’t been easy. We have three sons. The elder one is 42, and then there are the two who are identical twins. Sameer, Gautam and Abhijeet. Sameer is the eldest one. Gautam and Abhijeet
She has been a great support which has been a blessing throughout. Even when I was away, the kids were looked after, and the way she has brought them up is admirable. And not only that, when my parents were here, they considered her closer to them than my sisters, which speaks volumes about her-Lt. Col. suresh rege February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 23
Cover Story
Parents are trying to impose their incomplete ambitions on the child, which is strictly avoidable. When I see a face-off between my son and my grandchild, I tell my son, let him play. Every chap cannot be a Tendulkar. We may want it that way, but it won’t necessarily happen that way. Just let him enjoy the game and the process of growing up-Lt. Col. Suresh Rege are the twins. Sameer was born in Delhi, because her dad was doing an NDC course as a Brigadier and the younger ones were born in Kolkata where her father was posted. In the house, she had no support, no daughter and four male brats, namely three sons and me. She still managed!
As for you, ma’am, what do you admire about him? How was it to live without him? And you have taken great care of your in-laws which is a rare occurrence these days.
Vaiju Rege: What I admire about him is that he
has a logical thought process. The way he can convince you of the importance of doing something is really nice. When I came and settled down here, my in-laws were very supportive of me and my small kids. But my father-in-law said, while you and your children are most welcome in the house, I don’t want your luggage. So my husband used to carry his luggage wherever he was posted. I stayed in Model Colony with them. In 1990, we constructed our present home and shifted there. They didn’t keep well, so it made sense for them to live with us. Besides, Suresh had just started his business and he was passionate about it. So I said to myself, I can look after this side, while he can take care of the other. My in-laws were also happy with us. We were very compatible. I got along very well with them. My children also got a good moral grounding. I also learnt many things from my in-laws, especially, from my father-in-law.
Were you ok with him suddenly putting up his papers? Vaiju Rege: I had to be. (smiles.)
What does it take to keep a marriage over and above the romance?
Vaiju Rege: Lots of understanding and lot of tolerance. You cannot say
that I am always right - you must listen to the other person’s point of view as well. What’s more, no matter what the cost, there should be peace in the house. My only prayer to God was to be united as a family. Besides, I believe in being fair and not choosing one member over the other.
24 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
Today for instance, I have five grandchildren. When they come, they say, who do you like the best? I say, you cannot ask me to say that I like him more or I like her more. It is like a hand, all five fingers are attached to my hand. All the five fingers are precious to me!
You were teaching?
Vaiju Rege: I was teaching since 1985, and I retired in 1997. When the children were young I needed to look after them; so for the first ten years of my married life, from 1975-1985, I didn’t do anything except look after them. When they started to go to school, I had the whole day to myself. That’s when I did my B. Ed., and then I got my first job.
What do you think about child upbringing?
Vaiju Rege: As a mother, bringing up a child is very difficult, it is even tougher than the pangs of child birth. Nurturing them, bringing them up with the right moral values is critical.
Have you been a strict parent ?
Vaiju Rege: When required, yes. When my elder son was in junior col-
lege, he wanted to go to an overnight picnic with his friends, a group that included both boys and girls. I asked him: where are you going to stay? He had no answer. All he knew was they were going to Mahabaleshwar. Apparently all his friends - the girls had convinced their parents to let them go as Sameer was going. I didn’t much care for the arrangement, it seemed problematic. If something went wrong there they would blame my son Sameer. I didn’t let him go and he was very angry with me. I had to take certain decisions that felt right at that point in time. Maybe I was wrong, I don’t know. But today, now that the boys have kids themselves, I guess they understand why mother did the things she did.
What is your take on parenting children in the era of technology at a time when there seems to be an overdose of technology like WhatsApp and smartphones?
Vaiju Rege: I admit parents don’t have it easy these days. Luckily we had it easier. Suresh Rege: I think parents are try-
ing to impose their incomplete ambitions on the child, which is strictly avoidable. When I see a face-off between my son and my grandchild, I tell my son, let him play. Every chap cannot be a Tendulkar. We may want it that way, but it won’t necessarily happen that way. Just let him enjoy the game and the process of growing up. These kids play a lot. Winning and losing happen all the time. The other day, just before a competition I told my granddaughter, If you win it it’s fine; if you lose you have to go up to the winner and say congratulations. As parents, don’t upbraid the kid for not having won; it’s not possible to win everything in life. This is not the way, it’s unrealistic; by measuring everything through the lens of victory or failure, you are finishing the kid there and there. There is life beyond both. If you must compete, you have to learn to lose. Accepting defeat with grace is an important part of growing up too. These young generation parents, they seem to want the impossible: how can each child be a topper?
Vaiju Rege: You should not compare your children with someone else’s
because all are unique. Never put them down. Their self-esteem should be left intact no matter what the parent expects and believes in.
What is your philosophy at work ?
Suresh Rege: Well, I have always felt strongly about the environment and waste management is an important aspect of that. To that end, my philosophy of waste management is very simple. Disposal of waste must happen at its source of generation. If my house is creating waste, it should be disposed of there itself; if not there itself, at least in the society, or in the ward. For example, why should the entire ward of Aundh
A Happy Family: (L-R back row) Sons - Sameer, Abhijit, Suresh (Lt. Col. - father) and Gautam. (Second row) Daughters-in-law, Yogita, Zlata, (Vaiju mother-in-law) and Vaibhavi. Grandkids, Vijay, Sahil and Swara
When I came and settled down here, my in-laws were very supportive of me and my small kids. But my father-in-law said, while you and your children are most welcome in the house, I don’t want your luggage. So my husband used to carry his luggage wherever he was posted. I stayed in Model Colony with them-Vaiju Rege carry the waste over 30 kilometres to Urli Devachi? It does not make sense. What’s more, seeing is believing. Today, we confidently tell people, go and see the plant. In Nashik, every second and fourth Saturday, any local or visitor can go and visit the plant.
And your personal philosophy?
Suresh Rege: Enjoy life. Once back from work I watch TV for sports and news. It helps me unwind. I don’t brood over things when they go wrong: over-thinking does not help; what are you going to achieve anyway? If something has happened, I may take a decision for better or for worse, but carrying on thinking about it is not going to make any difference. It will simply prolong the misery. My father also said, Suresh, life is meant to be enjoyed one way or the other. Everybody’s enjoyment is different, but togetherness as a family at the end of the day matters greatly. Vaiju Rege: I believe simply in being happy at the moment.
vinitapune@gmail.com, kalyanisardesai@gmail.com
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 25
Panel Discussion
Are leaders born It is said that leaders can either make or break an organisation. Leaders motivate the team and guide them to the path of success. He or she possesses the combination of personality and skills that makes others want to follow the leader's direction. In this dynamic business world, how should leaders cope up with the VUCA environment, what it takes to be a leader, what are the traits that are necessary to become a leader in this new age corporate world, these were the topics discussed at the recently concluded panel discussion at Balaji Institute of Management and Human Resource Development (BIMHRD), Pune. The theme of the discussion was, ‘Art and Science of Developing Leaders’. The panellist for this riveting session were SK Dutt (moderator) Sr. Advisor, United Nations' UNCTAD-Empretec Programme for India; President & Head - Leadership & HR Practice, First Equals Global; Prasad Kulkarni, Vice President – Human Resources, Accelya; Parthsarthi Mishra, CHRM, Tata Steel and Amit Das, CHRO, Times Group. Corporate Citizen brings you the excerpts
Behavioural science believes that leaders can be made. It is true that there are some processes you can put in place, which is the science, wherein, one can have some hands-on experience while working and the organisation can provide the employee with mentoring
Pics: Yusuf Khan
prasad kulkarni
26 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
or created? Today, at any given point of time, the organisation has to deal with multi-generational talent with shrinking business lifecycle and managing virtual business lifecycle has become a challenge and that’s where the leadership of today has to step in Amit das
By Vineet Kapshikar S K Dutt: Share us your thoughts on the topic of discussion, and give us a glimpse of what you advice in terms of the way ahead.
Amit Das: The fundamental question that we should ask ourselves is why some leaders are successful, whereas, others tend to struggle. I think that every human being is born with some core values and traits which are biologically inherent and as one grows up, we also develop certain traits and competencies and that can be modified from time to time depending upon the situation that one is in. I believe that beyond the art and the science of leadership, there is a spiritual part of leadership as well, so from my experience I find that the art of leadership is all about managing from the heart - human emotions, creativity, human relationship and gut instinct by which one drives various actions at workplace in an organisation. The science part of the leadership is all about observations, experimentation with the various elements of business ecosystem, which can be either social, political, technology, economical or even employment development as well. The third element is the spiritual part of the leadership that’s the soul of the leadership. If the art part is managing from the heart, the science is managing from the mind, then the spiritual part of leadership is managing from the soul. So there are three distinctive elements associated with each one of this parts. With the art part, I would say the humility i.e. managing yourself; the science part, is the inquisitiveness - more of asking and finding about others, it is managing others and the last part is about empathy i.e. managing your soul and empathy, which acts as a bridge between the heart and the mind. The topic, ‘Art and Science of Developing Leaders’ is about today’s leadership and how we manage leadership with emerging situations where there are a lot of disruptive technologies coming into picture. There is advent of millennials, they are digital natives unlike me, who is a digital migrant. Millennials are born with technology. VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex Ambiguous Business Environment) has become a new novel today, as workplace is getting flooded with millennials, and as brick and mortar workplace is getting transformed into virtual entities, we find that millennials are coming up with mindset - aspiration and workplace clarities, which are very different from the earlier generations. Therefore, today at any given point of time, the organisation has to deal with multi-generational talent with shrinking business lifecycle and managing virtual business lifecycle has become a challenge and that’s where the leadership of today has to step in. If you look at what is happening in the business work culture today, with the advent of February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 27
Panel Discussion technology, the fast changing employment demography who are expecting demanding things here and now, they are constantly looking for peer validation, they are constantly looking for something which is immediate. That being said, an organisation has to adequately respond to the demands of new age workforce and that is where we are going to embrace technology to meet with their demands and also to capture the needs of this new age workforce at the right time before they get disengaged. So I think, today, we need to create a talent ecosystem in an organisation where the leadership have to take ownership. The whole concept of leadership has evolved in a period of time. Until the early 2000, we have found that leader as a hero model was celebrated in leadership. We have example of Jack Welch, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, they were all respected and resolved for their leadership thinking and the impact that they created, not only in their organisation but globally across sectors because of global phenomena which happened whether there is dotcom burst or there is global financial meltdown or even disgraceful conducts by disgraceful leaders. Organisations started reducing their dependency on individual leaders and that’s when the next model of leadership, which we call adaptive leadership came and took place. Today’s leaders, is no longer a hero followed by rest of the organisation. Today’s leader is more like a conductor in a large orchestra, where he has to coordinate the various musicians and various musical instruments in a manner that will create a harmonious musical outcome. The leader need not be an expert in a certain field or the conductor need not be an expert in any particular musical instrument but the leadership competency of the conductor depends on how well he coordinates everybody, how well he can complement the people or the skillsets of various musical players and instruments to create that harmonious outcome which creates enterprise value on a business. I think that is the new role of a leader. Prasad Kulkarni: I do agree what Amit said regarding traits, values and compassion, these values will be needed in order to continue while we move from the old model of leadership to the new model of leadership, which are required for the new age. We have to align on the technology part, as I am working on the technology front for the past 20 years so I can relate to it. There are a couple of things that I would like to add.
SK DUTT: Throw some light on, are leaders made or are leaders born.
Prasad Kulkarni: Behavioural science believes that leaders can be made. It is true that there are some processes you can put in place, which is the science, as Amit had pointed, wherein one can
Traits, values and compassion, these values will be needed in order to continue while we move from the old model of leadership to the new model of leadership, which are required for the new age prasad kulkarni have some hands-on experience while working and the organisation can provide the employee with mentoring. You can provide typical education, but there needs to be some spark in the employee because it can drive the employee but if that employee is not inclined and if that employee is not well passionate himself, I don’t think that will really work. Education qualification will take that person up to a certain level in his or her career and beyond that level, he or she cannot progress. The reason is that if there is no passion, if there is no ambition, if there is no creativity or quality of thinking, I don’t think whatever we do, it will not work.
SK DUTT: Amit, what are the elements while executing strategies that can make things work with the definitive prediction of impact and success?
Amit: At Times Group as an organisation, being in HR, at times we focus too much on the process, it can be a process of leadership development or it can be a process of development management and we tend to romance with it. But what we miss is, we don’t think why we are doing this, at the end of the day, in any business enterprise, we do it to meet certain business imperatives and objectives. Unless there is an appetite which we can create amongst the business to get into any people process, be it leadership
28 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
development or employee engagement, those type of interventions or any change management process is bound to fail. Therefore, too much emphasis with this process at times is at tremendous fault at any business enterprise. Hence, we need to start by keeping the aim and goal in the mind, saying why we are doing this. What are the types of business imperatives that we are going to fulfil through this? Today, we know that any change we drive has to come either from some pain that we are experiencing from the existing state or the some gain we foresee which will come following certain process. Unless there is some pain or gain, no change management can be successful. As human resource leaders, we first need to understand what the pain that we are going through is. Understanding the current state of being is the first step. The second step is dreaming about the future which will alleviate this pain or which will help to come out of this painful existence and making the organisation aspire for the future state of gain. The third step is about defining the future state and it has to happen through a co-creation process by taking all the stakeholders into the process, who will be part of the journey and be impacted of this change. Fourth part is the deployment part. How effectively you can execute the strategy that you have decided. So that is the journey that we need to go through and that is in my mind, a simplistic way of managing any change. On top of it, today we are talking about technology, I find that digital migrants like my generation are too concerned about this type of disruptive technology coming to the workplace. Will it erode the kind of job roles that you have in the organisation or will it link to mass scale unemployment but when I interact with youngsters who have moved into an organisation 5-10 years ago, I find extreme excitement in their
(L-R) Prasad Kulkarni, Amit Das, Parthsarthi Mishra
Today’s leader is more like a conductor in a large orchestra, where he has to coordinate the various musicians and various musical instruments in a manner that will create a harmonious musical outcome Amit Das minds. The millennials are extremely excited to the possibilities that is shown in this new age technology world. We need to do is know the linear prediction of future and build multiple scenarios of what the future workplace will look like and accordingly, we have to have those meaningful conversations within the organisation, with your stakeholders, employees and be as open as possible with the options you can have for the different multiple scenarios that you are talking about or what we can envisage for ourselves. And based on that we need to develop and we need to invest into the right kind of future capabilities that we need to build for the organisation to future proof it from any kind of business adversity we can think of. Future skills are very different from the skills we are known to develop as part of our leadership development given in the past. All of us are aware of the 70-20-10 model for development. Seventy per cent through job, twenty per cent through cross process business exposure, leadership shadowing and so on, the ten per cent is when you are learning through classroom. But tomorrow, we need to develop new age skills like empathy, adaptability, tolerance to ambiguity, managing uncertainty, creativity, along with appreciation of technology at the same time, some design thinking mindset as well. Tomorrow, as organisations are at different
levels of digital maturity journey, some are at emerging stage, some are at developing stage, some are at developed stage, it all depends on how well they have been able to integrate various forms of technological platform for example, SMAC (Social Mobile Analytics and Cloud) so depending on that we have assessed the digital maturity of the organisation, depending on that, we have to work on various leadership development interventions that we are talking about.
SK DUTT: What Tata as a global organisation is doing in terms of aligning with the future and at the same time developing leaders in the context of the centre of creative leadership insights?
Parthsarthi Mishra: There are many things that we are practising in our company. I have recently been associated with the Tata Group, I joined Tata Steel for the Kalinganagar project. Somehow they had in their mind that this is the leader who could bring in some changes in Tata Steel because after the failure in Singur in setting up Tata Motors and after the failure in the Gopalpur project, Kalinganagar was also shaky, they were about to wind it up. That was the time when I was approached by the Tata Steel Board, so I joined it. There are many things we have done in Tata Steel. I will tell from my personal experience, when I joined the Kalinganagar Plant for the first time, the very first day, I was told by the manager that the production is at a standstill, if you can speak with the locals and ask them why are they on a strike. There were 300 young boys, who were on strike, and they had gathered in a room. I entered into the room without knowing who are they, they are the local tribals and non-tribals. A young person coming from an MNC background coming to a small place and talking to tribals, so I said, 'gentlemen, what is the issue? I said I am here to help you out'. They all went out of the room and
A leader needs to be very brave and bold, you cannot be a coward and you need to be truthful. I always believe in the principle promise what you can do and do what you can promise Parthsarthi Mishra locked me from outside and said if you are not going to give us job before this evening we are not going to release you. A leader needs to be very brave and bold, you cannot be a coward and you need to be truthful. I have had handled a large crowd of 20,000 people who had hundreds of demands but I stood there and faced them. I always believe in the principle "Promise what you can do and do what you promise". That is the culture we at Tata Steel follow. Be brave and tell upfront what is to be told. vineetkapshikar@gmail.com
CC
tadka Los Angeles now 3rd largest international growth market for Indians Los Angeles witnessed 5.1% growth with 1,30,000 Indian travellers visiting the city in 2018, becoming the third largest international growth market. India is an important and rapidly growing market for Los Angeles and Indian traveller trends and demands have inspired added efforts to tap the tremendous potential it offers, Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board said in a release issued here.
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 29
iNTERVIEW
Winning Combination of
HR and IT Mind Passionate about mentoring talent and developing empowered teams to deliver extraordinary results, Manoj Gupta, VP-HR, Columbia Asia Hospitals, is a senior human resource professional having two decades of rich, hands-on global level experience of working in various fields from startups to large Indian and MNC companies. A versatile leader, Manoj speaks to Corporate Citizen, on what it takes to leading, developing and executing human resource strategies and related subjects like talent management, change management, learning and development By Rajesh Rao Growing years
I belong to Madhya Pradesh (MP) state—my father was in government service and would get transferred frequently within MP and newly formed Chhattisgarh state. I did my schooling in probably all the major cities in MP and Chhattisgarh. My growing years actually helped me in learning one of the most important aspects of meeting different people, connecting with them, and being yourself when you are with the strangers. Every two-three years when I was in a different school, I had to start all over again—making me realise the fact that you are going to lose some of your friends. That was basically one of the good learning process, as I grew—I faced different people and different social settings. It was critical for me to connect with everybody I came across my life. I have travelled across, have interacted with people from diverse background and culture and mixed with people from different walks of like. It has helped me in becoming a passionate people leader, who can interact and deal with humans across culture and regions.
Always had inclination towards HR
After my schooling, I did my graduation from Bhopal, followed by an MBA. I always had this inclination towards the HR field, as I was always fascinated by meeting different people and understanding them. It is interesting to know and understand, how human beings behave and react to different situations. HR function is diverse and challenging, as you will be integral in creating a positive and motivating work environment, where staff morale is high and production is optimal-balancing the needs of employees and your organisation. Which means that as an HR pro30 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
fessional, you’re in a position to make a real, palpable difference. But finally, it is about people, which always attracted me.
My initial career days
After completing my MBA, I started my career as a management trainee. I was asked to set up a new branch in Indore (my hometown), as a branch manager. So, my career journey started with setting up something entirely new, right from going out and doing the recruitment and training. Basically, the role was more of a branch head, but my major work started with the HR function. Later, I was fortunate to work with various organisations and leaders, who helped me learn and grow. The journey of my career has been exciting and rewarding. I've gained from rich and varied HR experiences in regional and corporate HR setting with taut employee engagement and productivity focus. Like, setting up business-focused People Systems from scratch in a corporate environment and partnering with functional leaders with multi-locational employee segments in a Branch/Business Unit stint and firing up the imaginations and energies in a startup.
Moving into SAP HR consulting
In one of my previous organisations, we were implementing a software for HR and there I experienced the magic of IT and HR amalgamation, which can do wonders for the function. I realised that it seems to be an interesting space. That time the internet was just finding its feet in India, and we had to figure it out how to get into digital space. When we were implementing the software, I realised that I had a quality of being a consultant and why not use my knowledge and look into something
called SAP. First time I heard the word SAP and through the help of my friends, I learnt about SAP and moved into SAP HR consulting. That’s how I got into the IT space. I was basically a business consultant for SAP-HR and my role was more to understand business, see how processes can be automated and make them more efficient and effective. These stints and assignments helped me, in various facets of management and delivery.
The best learning curve
I spent a few years into IT space doing lot of consulting for companies like L&T Infotech, Atos Origin, Birla Technologies and then Mahindra Consulting, between 2001 to 2004. I worked with various good assignments, understanding the various HR processes and it was actually one of the best learning curve for me. It was when I got the opportunity to talk to the heads of HR and various HR Minds. While in Birla Group, I went to Thailand for SAP-HR implementation assignment, which helped me understand and learn, how an Indian company in the international market operates and how are the local HR cultures, policies and practices.
Into core HR
Pics: Yusuf Khan
Before my IT consulting roles, I worked in HR roles for couple of organisations, where I learnt the HR processes. After my consulting roles, I got an opportunity to work with Colgate Palmolive, in 2004. Colgate Palmolive was setting up their IT captive centre and I was asked to lead. My role was to set up the category-kind of build the whole practice. I not only built the team, but also lead the process. After that I moved into a different role—I was part of the Asia Division Team, in HR operations. I was fortunate to get the opportunity with this great organisation and learnt about the best HR practices with some of best HR minds, where I learnt a lot. Very recently I joined Columbia
It is not necessary that we say goodbye to traditional HR practices. HR function needs to be more proactive and agile, and needs to lay the path for business, and not merely fill the cracks after the business has gone ahead February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 31
iNTERVIEW
Asia Hospitals, as Vice President-Human Resources. Columbia Asia, where I am working currently, is one of the best names in the healthcare space and I am proud to be part of this company. This organisation, in a limited time frame, gave me opportunity to work on complex and interesting assignments, and also I am happy to make positive contributions towards employee engagement.
In your close to 20+ years of career journey, you have worked across industries like IT, FMCG and now healthcare. Were there any challenges of working in different organisational cultures and how did you overcome them?
Whenever we move from one organisation to another organisation or one team to other team,
it is always a change that we have to go through. In some cases it is a big cultural change, because each organisation has their own culture and processes. But, I look back to my childhood days, when I had to move to different cities and be part of different schools and different friends. That actually helped me in being myself and ready to adopt to any kind of change—acclimatising myself with the changing environment. Most important is that you should be aware of who you are and your strengths. There are challenges but it is always better to understand the culture of the organisation—every individual is different so it sometimes takes time. We need to learn to unlearn and be open to learning things in new sector or organisation. I guess, it is equally important for any organisation to support and make a new employee, comfortable and allow him/her to settle down in new role. I am fortunate to have found this support in all
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organisations I worked with and it has helped me in my transition.
You are a combination of an IT mind and one who understands the daily challenges of the HR world. How does that help you in keeping pace with the changing HR function?
By virtue of working in IT space, it has helped me to be much more analytical in my approach and decision-making process. HR is about people who have aspiration and desire, who want to perform to their best and contribute to the success of the organisation. The role of HR is to make them understand their strengths and how their strength can be can be utilised by organisation. With an IT mind, you can make your tasks more structured and time-bound. We can have complex tasks broken down in simple and
changes and they have to be aware of what is happening around them. It is exactly becoming like an IT industry—technology you are using today is becoming redundant after a year or two. Today we are talking about AI, tomorrow we don’t know what it will change to. To proactively engage with the employees, one has to understand the kind of talent that you are going to get. When I say, it has become important for any HR person to be aware of the external world, I mean they have to be aware of what kind of courses are being created at the university level, to know the new talent demands that are going to come into the job market. Fortunately, today’s generation is smart, are knowledgeable and have access to lot of information—they are challenging traditional and old style of working standards followed by organisations. Understanding them and engaging them has become very critical for us.
HR function is diverse and challenging-you will be integral in creating a positive and motivating work environment, where staff morale is high and production is optimal-balancing the needs of employees and organisation
smaller tasks. HR is a challenging function—a decade back, HR was considered to be a job of recruiting and training people, but today it is very much part of the business. Organisations are looking at the HR function to really contribute to the top line as well as to the bottom line. You have to help the organisation get the best out of talent and make those talent deliver their best. IT experience helps you understand the data and its nuances, without losing the basic work of the HR function.
How do you see HR practice in the near future? Is it time to say goodbye to traditional HR practice?
The nature of work has changed dramatically in the past decade, shaped by factors that include a brutal recession, technological advances and a new generation of workers with very different
ideas of what employment should look like. A decade ago, the top future challenges were succession planning and providing leaders with the skills needed to be successful. Today, employers say that the increasing competition for skilled workers is a top concern. As a result, the workplace is much more employee-focused and individualised. That is pushing employers, among other things, to provide flexible schedules to people with family obligations or give tuition to help entry-level workers so that they can get a new job, somewhere else. It is not necessary that we have to say goodbye to traditional HR practices. However, HR function needs to be more proactive and agile. I passionately believe that HR needs to lay the path for business, and not merely fill the cracks after the business has gone ahead. We can’t lay the road if we’re not out there-finding out what’s happening in technology, what’s happening to people, and what is happening to jobs and employment. We need to be ahead of the curve, and see the trends that will affect the business and our people.
Will AI kind of shrink HR department, as it will take over much of its work?
It might, but eventually you will still need HR people to run the show, because you are still dealing with human beings. It is not an easy thing to deal with human beings, because each individual come with their own aspirations and desire and HR needs to find balance with that aspiration and organisation growth. Tomorrow’s generation will not only have to compete with colleagues and their own friends, but also with robots. Today, technology has taken over many things and has helped us in improving a lot of processes. It is going to be interesting because tomorrow’s generation needs to be much more agile and flexible, to adopt various
On how technology will affect HR function, I would say the only thing important is how we are going to leverage technology in getting the work done in a faster and efficient way. HR needs to be more proactive than any other function, because of the kind of competition we are getting into, the way macroeconomics is changing the world, which is much more connected compared to what it was a decade back. We cannot ignore the fact that we are now in the world, which is very closely connected. My strong advice is to embrace technology, as it will not only help the function be more agile and effective, but it will help HR people, to help the organisation, drive growth with better tools helping them take fact-based decisions.
You had a long stint of over 14 years with Colgate Palmolive. Tell us about your learning CC
tadka
World’s largest solar plant to come up in Ladakh Adding glory to its breathtaking landscapes, Ladakh is all set to make a huge mark in the world of sustainable energy. SECI (Solar Energy Corporation of India) - under the renewable energy ministry - is promoting the solar plant projects in J&K on scale matching the grandeur of their locations - 5,000 MW for the Ladakh unit and 2,500 MW for Kargil. The mega-project will not just provide electricity for the region, but will also focus on preserving glaciers and reduce 12,750 tonnes of carbon emissions every year.
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 33
iNTERVIEW
The paradox of high unemployment and a war for talent continues. We don’t have a jobs crisis in the world, we have a skills crisis. I also tend to believe that worldwide educational institutions are out of sync with employer needs. Students don’t perceive that traditional education methods drive job skills experience and progressive growth in that long period.
Colgate Palmolive is one of the best companies to work for-it is a 200 hundred year old company in the world and around 80 years in India. I feel fortunate to be part of this organisation for such a good part of my career, when I grew personally and professionally. I got many opportunities of working on challenging and complex assignments in global environment. The company had some of the finest minds in HR space, who guided and coached me. Lot of learnings came from working with those people and understanding how they handled and managed particular situation or particular challenge. They are the biggest learnings for me. It has also given me a great learning that you can run a business with integrity and ethics and still be number one in your industry. The focus on cross-functional trainings, movements, and allowing you to be innovative, helped me a lot.
What is your advice to young minds who wonder how long to stay in a job?
It is important for young people to understand that there is always a chance that your aspirations and companies objectives may not match—it is always better to do a detailed study before you jump into something. My advice has always been that you should give time to the organisation to understand it and as well make the organisation understand you and your work—one or two year time, I feel is too short. You need to weigh your options carefully
before deciding to jump to another company, and know your objective and what is that you are looking for.
How do we deal with millennials and their work styles?
Millennials are creating a change in how work gets done, as they work more in teams and use more technology. Their social mindset, however, is also a significant factor. One of the characteristics of millennials, besides the fact that they are masters of digital communication, is that they are primed to do well by doing good. Almost 70 per cent say that giving back and being civically engaged are their highest priorities. Coupled with the socially minded millennial comes their desire to be creative. Millennials have grown up in a time where information has become available instantly. Through a Google or Wikipedia search, answers to even quite complicated questions can be found. As such, millennials have developed into a group that wants to work on new and tough problems, and ones that require creative solutions.
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The millennial employee is interested in feedback on his or her performance. But traditional semi-annual reviews are too infrequent for millennials. They want to know that they’ve done a good job, and they want to know now. Millennials, are in a hurry and want instant results, but then they have access to a lot of information, compared to a generation before. The only thing I feel missing is someone guiding them in knowing what is right and wrong information. Today there is whole lot of information at their fingertips. Millennials need a different kind of engagement, because they are the people who are pushing the envelope in the corporates—they are saying that you give us a task, give us a deadline and we will deliver it, but don’t sit on our head and monitor us on a day-to-day basis. There is no doubt HR has a significance challenge to tackle a different employee group. I think rather than changing your HR processes, it is good to engage millennials creatively and make them more inclusive in decision-making process. In my experience, I have seen millennials being a bit flexible and understanding what is required. Even, organi-
in terms of talent management, it is a simple philosophy—channelize their energy in the right direction. Give them the right coaching and make them understand what is required. Fostering a culture of continuous learning, creating a quality employee experience, equal opportunity for growth and reward, is equally imprtant. Talent management comprises of many things—kind of work you are giving it to them, are they being mentored and coached and so on.
Are companies moving from a generalist role for HR to more specialist role?
Lot of companies are getting into very specialised roles for HR. On one side you need specialists to handle your talent acquisition, compensation and be aware of what is required for that. HR generalist role cannot be ignored and we need them, to understand what people want. A specialised role is a very silo role for me. I believe that HR has to go out to the employees on a regular basis, understand what is happening and proactively engage with them. Hence the HR generalist role cannot fade away. Most of the companies are moving to a specialist role for HR and every HR functions will have a specialist role as well, but HR generalist role is critical. From career perspective, I think, it is better to start as generalist and than decide whether one would want to pursue a specialist role.
What do you look for while hiring talent? sations have to get used to millennial’s style of working, because the organisation also need young blood and innovative thoughts within the system. In my opinion, one has to ensure that their energy is channelized in the right direction, giving them the right objective, coaching and path.
With increasing attrition rate, talent acquisition and retention has become a big challenge. How do you as an HR overcome these issue of talent management?
We have many professional colleges in India, that are churning out huge number of employable youth every year, and as an HR person I have to find the best out of those huge numbers, to come and work for me. The more reasons they have to join an organisation, probably organisations have much more desire to get the best on the board. Getting the right person and choosing the best amongst available talent is becoming a big challenge for HR people. Sometimes your decision might go wrong, but
There are competencies one looks for like their functional requirement in terms of what is their knowledge and skills and then comes leadership qualities. Important is their attitude in acquiring knowledge and giving their best. No harm in standing up and saying I failed. Positive attitude is the mantra that most of the HR people look for. I can impart training and upgrade your skills, but if you don’t have the right attitude, if you don’t have the mindset and the energy to go out and deliver something, it can be a hindrance to your growth. Qualities, I look for are Passion, long term potential, putting skills into action, team player, and responsiveness.
Do you find a gap between what academia delivers and what the industry demands?
The paradox of high unemployment and a war for talent continues. I think, we don't have a jobs crisis in the world, we have a skills crisis. I also tend to believe that worldwide educational institutions are out of sync with employer needs. Students don't perceive that traditional education methods drive job skills. Sometimes, industries also become unrealistic in their expectation of getting ready made em-
ployee and don’t want to invest in talent development. I see some changes, because most of the institutes are updating on the future trends. Now there are many big institutes that have partnered with corporate, to understand what is required and they are developing curriculum with this partnership. It also boils down to every individual—what is that they have learnt and how they are gaining experience. Today’s generation with kind of access to knowledge and exposure to technology, are more ready to take on the corporate challenge.
Does working with a startup give one a challenging start to a career?
Startup culture is good, but if you see around, there are more examples of failures than success stories. If you want to take the challenge of working in an unstructured environment, in timelines of your own—there is no doubt startup gives a very good exposure. In startup environment, you are working on everything and are not focused on only one aspect of business. Startup environment is surely pushing the envelop in the talent market. They are creating jobs roles, which are challenging and satisfying for bright talent.
How do you maintain work-life balance?
To keep it simple, you have to decide, what are your priorities. There are certain moments when you know that family is the priority. I don’t make my life very complicated, I try to keep it very simple. For me, few mantras to maintain work-life balance is learn to prioritise, stay organized, find “Me” time, get social with friends and families, learn to say ‘No’, develop a hobby, be active and stay healthy. rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com
CC
tadka
India’s richest 1% get richer by 39% in 2018 Indian billionaires saw their fortunes swell by ` 2,200 crore a day last year, with the top 1 per cent of the country’s richest getting richer by 39 per cent as against just 3 per cent increase in wealth for the bottom half of the population, an Oxfam study said. The study further said that 13.6 crore Indians, who make up the poorest 10 per cent of the country, continued to remain in debt since 2004.
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 35
Social Entrepreneur
“Learn, Earn and Return”
For India-born American businessman, investor and philanthropist Vinod Gupta, leadership is not about titles, it’s about the willingness to step up and help create more courageous cultures with one’s wealth. Helping marginalised women and girls fearlessly reap the benefits of education provided to them, and breaking cycles of poverty is Gupta’s vision of a perfect world where giving back to society is the norm
Vinod Gupta, Founder, Vinod Gupta Charitable Foundation (VGCF)
By Orchie Bandopadhyay
Hillary Clinton Nursing School Stimulation Lab
I
ndia-born American businessman and CEO of the $750 million Everest Group LLC, USA and philanthropist Vinod Gupta’s enduring legacy of philanthropy is rooted in the core principle of: with education comes wealth, and with wealth comes responsibility. Simply put in his words: ‘Learn, Earn and Return.’ A strong and determined father served as his primary source of inspiration, and knowing it’s every father’s dream to have a son follow his vision, Gupta lived up to his father Dr GL Gupta’s vision of giving girls in rural areas access to quality education so that they can achieve their potential and be economically independent and socially secure. The IIT-Kharagpur alumni, who was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as Flying Officer in the engineering unit, formed the Vinod Gupta Charitable Foundation (VGCF) in 1997 with a determination to break the chain of poverty and provide the necessary support and quality education for marginalised girls and women in a conservative society to seek positions in the workforce and in their communities. So it was in Rampur Maniharan, his native village near Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, where he established Shrimati Ram Rati Women’s
Activity area for children in Bill Clinton School
Polytechnic in 2000 with emphasis on vocational education and skill development to increase self-employment opportunities. The polytechnic subsequently was upgraded to Ramrati Institute of Technology in 2012. An overwhelming response from villagers encouraged the Foundation to establish other institutes, though the local administration team had to overcome challenges initially, such as making the villagers understand the meaning of women empowerment through education. “The local residents were not ready to send their daughters for skill development courses such as fashion designing, textile designing etc. Transportation was another hurdle as the only local means of transport was the bullock cart. The school started providing buses for girls to commute, and things were simpler,” says Ashutosh Dayal Sharma, Chairman, Vinod Gupta Charitable Foundation and the son of former President of India, Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma. And soon enough came into being the Ramrati Education Complex (REC) comprising Ramrati Institute of Technology, Bill Clinton School, Hillary Clinton Nursing School, Hillary Clinton Institute of Paramedical Sciences and Hillary Clinton Women’s Centre. At present, there are 141 employees working with VGCF, and now the
36 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
Foundation is expanding its team and generating more employment in the village. Former US President Bill Clinton visited Rampur Maniharan in 2001 to lay the foundation stone of William Jefferson Clinton Science & Technology Centre constructed and run by VGCF. Gupta’s several initiatives have committed millions of dollars to philanthropic projects designed to address social problems, with a special focus on solutions driven by research and education. For instance, he gave $2 million to the Vinod Gupta School of Management in IIT-Kharagpur; donated $1 million for the Ramrati Education Complex; spearheaded the Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law, under the IIT umbrella, which is creating waves across India with its unique programme; donated $2 million to establish a curriculum for small business management at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. He has also donated an additional $500,000 to the university to set up a scholarship fund for mi-
(L-R) Ashutosh Dayal Sharma, Former US President, Bill Clinton and Vinod Gupta
“In the Bill Clinton School, girls are given 50% concession on tuition fee besides free bicycles to commute to school. Bill was the first to commence the smart board classes in rural areas” Hillary Clinton nority students who want to enter its science Nursing School or engineering schools. Food Court In the Bill Clinton School, girls are given 50% concession on tuition fee besides free bicycles to commute to school. It was the first school to commence the smart board classes in rural areas. “The objective of providing education through smart board is to motivate the students and to make them understand their syllabus in a better way,” says a staff member of Bill Clinton School. VGCF is also in the process of building a state-of-the-art science centre at the Bill Clinton her own, one in which she gets married into and School for which an investment of `7 crore has one that she builds and this moves the nation on already been made. “It is Mr Gupta’s dream projthe path to progress. ect,” says Ashutosh Sharma. Impressed by his outstanding and innovative Varsha, an alumna from the first batch at Hilwork in philanthropy, the former US President lary Clinton Nursing School too, follows Gupta’s appointed Gupta to serve as a trustee of the John principles. Her life is an inspirational story of F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in resilience, perseverance and breaking down barWashington, D.C., nomriers to achieve success. inated him to be the US Bill Clinton School - Classroom To complete her GNM consul general to Ber(General Nursing and muda as well as nomiMidwifery) course at the nated him to be the US nursing school, she travambassador to Fiji. elled a distance of 45 km Gupta who has never everyday from Shamli forgotten his roots— to Rampur Maniharan. his native village where She attributes her success he grew up had neither to determination, hard electricity nor roads—inspires a culture of giving work and the Hillary Clinton Nursing School. through his leadership, providing a model for the “Hillary Clinton Nursing School is one of the best next generation of philanthropists. schools in Saharanpur for nursing. I want to thank He believes that educating a girl is educating the foundation for making me capable enough to a family. If the life of one girl changes through get a well-paying job in one of the reputed governeducation—she changes three families. One of ment hospitals of Meerut. That moment really was
life-changing for me,” says Varsha. Varsha is not only a proud mother of two loving children but also an economically independent woman who supports her family. She too wants to give back to the society and seeks to debunk many of the misconceptions society holds about women like her coming from conservative rural backgrounds. Rakshika, an alumna of Hillary Clinton Nursing School, had to pedal two km from her village Guharki to the nearest bus stop and then take a bus for the next 13 km to reach the Nursing School. “I continued this up and down 30-km gruelling routine for three years as I was keen on pursuing a medical career. My focus was to get a campus placement and YES, I have achieved the same. I didn't have to struggle as I got a campus placement even before my results were out and I joined JP Hospital in Noida.” She adds that Hillary Clinton Nursing School has established simulation labs to provide knowledge to students. With the use of high-end equipment in the lab, students learn and practice, which gives them access to apprenticeships and assists with finding jobs in hospitals. Pointing out that education plays a critical role in Women's Economic Empowerment, Sharma, says, “It actually takes the centre stage, but for long, most women especially in the rural areas have been denied this right and have been subjected to very degrading practices and responsibilities. Education empowers girls to achieve more in their social, career, economic and family lives. We encourage families to send the girls to school by giving various incentives, to fulfil the noble objective of providing education in rural India.” Sharma adds that the aim of the Foundation is to make Hillary Clinton Nursing School one of the top ten nursing schools in India. Ramrati Education Complex has a strength of 1509 students, Bill Clinton School has a student strength of 1152, of which 589 are girls. Hillary Clinton Nursing School has a strength of 357 students out of which 320 are girls. archiebanerjee@gmail.com CC
tadka
India top shrimp exporter to US
India to remain the largest exporter to United States of America (USA) for four years on the trot. The major producing economies which India has piped are Indonesia, Thailand and Ecuador. US is the largest market for India.
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 37
Tête-à-tête
The Art of Public Relations
Achal Paul, Founder Director, BUZZ Communications explains that in PR ‘if any brand has to survive, it’s important to keep the pot boiling By Orchie Bandopadhyay
After more than 30 years in communications, what is the most important thing that you have learned about brands and brand marketing? A brand is an identifying logo to distinguish from others. It needs to be respected and taken care of. In today’s scenario, one is bombarded with multiple brand messages through different mediums viz. print, online news portals, social media platforms and
electronic. As a result, it becomes important to ensure that the brand’s value is retained by being visible on all the relevant platforms so that the brand is in the top of mind awareness of its target audiences. You have been associated with high profile events involving the visits of global leaders like former President Bill Clinton, Akio Toyoda, Chairman,
38 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan and so on, what’s your most memorable experience? Getting associated with the visits of global celebrities like former President Bill Clinton (two times) and Akio Toyoda, Chairman, Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan, were certainly high points of my career. Such high profile visits involve the utmost planning so that there are no hiccups. I’m proud to say, they were im-
plemented with utmost care and in the most professional manner. As you’re aware, Clinton is one of the best speakers in the world, very impressive and charming, too. I had the privilege of travelling and interacting with him face-to-face. His presence was charismatic with amazing memory as when I met him during the second visit he greeted me with my name. As regards, Toyoda’s visit here planning was of most critical nature. He was precise and very well informed with a vision to take his company to a different level. Both visits were successfully implemented to client satisfaction. How important is language in communications? Can it be reduced only to the written word or does visual language also play a role with the transformation to digital? Language plays a very significant role in any form of communication. It is the basic medium on which communication relies upon. Language enables us to convey information, thoughts and feelings, which is essential for successful communication. As for the written word or visual language, I believe they both go hand in hand with the transformation to digital. Both forms have a set role and both are crucial for effective communication. But, as they say a visual is worth a thousand words, so it is also true that a visual can be equally persuading and can suffice if it is strong enough. I dare say during my advertising days, I have experienced in various advertising campaigns which were visually dominated and very less of text, yet was found result oriented by ensuring reaching the message to its core target audiences. How have corporate communications changed over the years since you founded BUZZ Communications? How important are Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and co.? Well, your question has the answer! In today’s scenario social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter are extremely important. Digital media has emerged as an excellent tool for corporate communications in the past few years. BUZZ helps its clients from diverse industries to satisfy the exigencies via its digital PR model, blogging and comprehensive leverage of smartphone space. But at the same time, traditional print media cannot be ruled out completely. So, we have to keep working very judiciously across all platforms simultaneously. What has been your experience with the social media in creating brand awareness?
Like I said, social media is turning out to be a very effective communication tool these days. It can be helpful in creating brand awareness and can work as both reminder media and add to announcement value. What is the most important component in the brand marketing strategy of corporate houses? What is that one thing that they now seek when they hire a PR consulting firm? Every corporate house of repute has its corpcomm team in place. Their main KRA is to take care of the brand for which brand marketing strategy has to be charted out. By virtue of this, corporate houses keep the brand alive and create a lasting impression for brand recall. Each corporate house has its own set of parameters as per their requirements and each
houses are not taking CSR seriously with exceptions, which are always there. Majority of the corporates consider CSR as a burden than ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’. Whatever little they do, more out of compulsion, they go gaga about it. Do you think corporate communications will become even more important in the future? If yes, why? Yes, the need for effective corporate communications will only grow by the day, as I truly believe that communications are a vital tool for every organisation, or corporation for that matter. I personally feel, down the line, corporate communication is going to be even more of a necessity than now. With so much competition in the market and with the advancement in the field of digital media, it would be essential for
“Social media is turning out to be a very effective communication tool these days. It can be helpful in creating brand awareness and can work as both reminder media and add to announcement value” parameter is given its due weightage viz. Understanding of the industry, strategic plan to leverage in the media, outreach plan (pan India or overseas), media contacts and a track record preferably of the same industry. What is your strategy to safeguard your corporate clients’ reputation and that of its protagonists? Our foremost strategy to safeguard our corporate clients’ reputation and that of its protagonists is to be proactive rather than reactive and follow a strategically planned route. Keep both plan B and crisis communication plan for any contingency. You are a trustee of Dr. Kiran Bedi’s India Vision Foundation (IVF) and you offer this not-for-profit communications support. How is the communication strategy different from what you offer to profit-making corporates? As a communication professional, there is no major difference in the approach towards the communication strategy of India Vision Foundation. BUZZ’s Strategic PR inputs remain the same as to any other Client/NGOs. However, the only difference is that the professional PR services offered to IVF are pro bono! What steps are corporates taking to report on their CSR activities? To be frank, unfortunately, mostly corporate
corporates to put across their message loud and clear across platforms to survive in the industry. In PR they say ‘if you have to survive, it’s important to keep the pot boiling!’ Where do you see corporate communications ten years from now? Corporate communications have a great scope as it is probably going to be even more of a necessity in the near future. This could be credited to the ever-growing need of corporates to have a presence across all platforms and to keep the brand alive with its value intact. For this, communications is key and might become even more vital to surviving ten years down the line. What do you personally prefer for your daily dose of news - a finished printed magazine or an iPad? I feel like both of them hold a charm of their own. In today’s scenario, technology has made things simple, like reading a news article, even simpler with means like tablets or smart phones. When I’m on the go, I prefer to stay up-to-date with what’s going on in the world with the help of my ipad/smartphone, where I get news alerts of the industry of my interest. It’s a quick, convenient and easy way to get updated. But at the same time, I also like flipping through the news in daily newspapers and magazines as I have mentioned before that traditional media would go hand in hand. archiebanerjee@gmail.com
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 39
CII case study-4
PRaCtICes IN
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BOuR t La
Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages
s INdu tRIaL ReL
B
es t
Private Limited
The Coca Cola Confrontation in Nashik
N atIO
s - CONtRa C
Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages (HCCB) has a clearly articulated ER framework to handle employee relations in a fair and firm manner.
Nature of dispute or confrontation Nashik location had a 20 plus years aged plant with two antiquated slow speed filling lines producing beverages. HCCBPL has decided to close the plant operations due to dwindling market demand with respect to beverages bottled in returnable glasses, which eventually led to financial
support. The second wage settlement signed in the year 2015 under an micable situation after a prolonged discussion with benefits at par with permanent workmen of the company. However, the management decision to suspend the plant and offer of VRS and transfer was not accepted by the CITU union. They were very aggressive about these 15 con-
ER Framework Collective Bargaining Agreements
• Justice to “Win - Win” Approach • Embed productivity to improve productivity and flexibility in operations • Implement the CBA in all respects by letter and spirit
Contract Labour Management
• Reduction of Contract Labour - Core areas of operation & Phased Automation • Payment of fair wages and benefits - Above minimum wages in most locations • Build inclusive work culture - Extend similar benefits vis a vis perm. employees
Communication and Engagement
• Regular monthly meetings with the unions and Quarterly open house meetings. • Drive employee involvement and engagement through various committees - Works committee. • TPM, Safety and Canteen etc.
Conflict Resolution
• Early identification of Potential Issues through logging in IR diary • Formal Grievance Redressal Management - ReachUs committee. TPM, Safety and Canteen etc.
Compliance & Human Rights
• Improve compliances line of sight through Internal audits and Global HRP audits • Internal Assessors Capability Building Programmes • Inquire workplace rights issues and implement corrective action
unviability, since the plant load factor fell below 50% utilisation. While permanent staff and workmen were opting to either VRS or moving to new locations, there were 15 contractual workmen were engaged over 15 years, were not keen on relocating themselves. These contract workmen joined Nashik workers Union affiliated to CITU and claimed permanency at an earlier occasion. In the course of time, they were trained in forklift and paid fair wages, while deployed as forklift operators. The contractor has signed two wage settlements with CITU union for these workers extending wages hike and benefits as per terms of settlements. The first settlement signed after industrial unrest led to a work stoppage by these contract workers, where permanent workmen also lent their 40 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
Ensuring congenial work atmosphere Wages • CL unions collectively bargain the wages with the contractors and we honor such settlements • In absence of unions for CL, pay minimum wages • Ensure contractors pay through bank transfer and remit the statutory payments in time Welfare Benefits • Common Canteen for CL and prem. employees including managers • Uniform liveries, safety equipment to all employees • Medical examinations Meetings with Unions • Productive discussions on business trend and hear union request on monthly basis • Collective Bargaining agreements of all our plants due up to H1 of 2018 done • Sign four years period settlement • Business unviability made us to close seven plants; we ensured all employees in either deployed in other plants or availed VRS in 2016-18
tractual workmen and claimed that these are deemed to be permanent operators of HCCBPL and should be made permanent with HCCBPL services and be transferred to other HCCBPL with equivalent benefits as permanent workmen as a precondition for any resolution. We had a series of meetings to negotiate with the Union and contract workmen to find an amicable resolution. HCCBPL considering good relations with CITU union, and facilitate these workmen for finding jobs outside HCCBPL had paid 12 months wages during closure period of the factory from Jan17 to Dec17. Dr. D L Karad, General Secretary of Nashik Workers Union and President of CPM party was very aggressive on the permanency claim and wanted the issue to remain open for a long-term
and continue negotiating with the company. He also presented these issue in all India Coca Cola Union national forum. Union also referred the case to the Labour Commissioner and the conciliation meetings were conducted. After several discussion when the union found to be adamant on this, we, along with the contractor spoke to the contract workmen directly and convinced them for settlement. The discussion with the workmen was fruitful and settled all cases before the Assistant Labour Commissioner Office, Nashik, with an settlement compensation ` 2.15 Lacs each, which is little above the 30 days retrenchment compensation and gratuity of half months for every completed year of service. The mode of the resolution was dialogue with the Union, Workmen and conciliation meetings held at Assistant Labour Commissioner, Nashik.
Settlement made with benefits derived
a) Permanency claim was given off by the CL. b) Dropped demand for settlement amount equivalent VRS amount same as permanent workmen of the plant. c) Dropped the demand of claimed service tenure of 15 yrs. average each CL. This was settled average service period @ 8 yrs. during the course of conciliation. d) Legitimate amount of `2.15 paid to each workmen through the contractor. Conclusion: Though it costs the organisation a little more than statutorily payable, we have gone ahead and done it to ensure the contract workers leave their claim satisfied with a fair settlement amount.
Hindustan Unilever Ltd.
Progressive Contract Labour Management Guide @ HUL We as an organisation believe in ‘Sustainable Employment’ which we adhere to in letter and spirit. Contract Labour is no different when it comes about adhering to the 'Sustainable Employment Model' while we engage contract labour we ensure the following:
• 100% ‘Compliances’ to the Contract Labour Regulation and Abolition Act. • Adequate & Safe 'Working Conditions'. • Working Hours' as defined in the law. • ‘No discrimination’ of any nature with utmost importance to ‘Human Rights’. • ‘Payment of Wages’ and all other statuary compensation/benefits to be OTIF with rigorous governance system.
Contract labour categories and ground rules for factories
Category 1: Core Jobs (Manufacturing, packaging, line operations and line quality etc.) Contract Labour employment in Category 1 (core jobs) is not allowed. Category 2: Non-Core activities (GHK, Canteen, Facility management, Fabrication etc.) Contract Labour employment in Category 2 (Non-Core) is allowed only with approval from ER Head - South Asia. Category 3: One Time Activity / Projects (One-time project, civil work, AMC based works) Contract Labour employment in Category 3 (Non-Core but perennial activities) is allowed only with approval from Category HR Head. For each of the above category, we have clearly defined sub-categories on the basis of various jobs being performed in the factory so as to ensure correct mapping of contract labour. An entire deck on Contract Labour Management including the detailed categorisation is part of ER Induction; ER Bootcamp for new HR professionals and also for the ‘Frontline Development Programme’ being conducted for the line team.
Commitment
Contract Labour % (except One-time Projects) can’t exceed 30% of total manpower for any factory on any given day. February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 41
Pics: Pune International Literary Festival
Interview
Of words, fests and for
love
reading!
After a resounding success of the recently concluded Pune International Literary Festival (PILF), seasoned author and director of PILF, Manjiri Prabhu throws some light on its success, current book publishing scene, her upcoming novels, a few tips to overcome the writer’s block and much more By Ekta Katti
Give us a brief background about the Pune International Literary Festival. PILF began with a view to celebrate the words in all forms, to create a bridge between readers and authors. The essence of PILF is also to give the authors and creative personalities a platform to showcase their talent. The first year (2013) itself, PILF brought more than 120 speakers and a bouquet of 80 plus interesting sessions to the Punekars. Since then, the plethora of sessions panelled by several talented authors have revolutionsed the way reading and writing is pursued in our country. Over the years, how has PILF blossomed? Very well indeed! From a rocky first trial-error year to a full-blown, established festival of creative energy, it has had a splendid journey. The growing footfall of the audience every year is a clear indication of this. And it will only get better from here.
The PILF has featured some of the best authors and publishers. Do you think it has made an impact on the young minds to pick up reading as a hobby and writing as a profession? Definitely. There are so many inspiring speakers that take part in the festival and share their experiences, it certainly helps the aspiring authors. PILF inspires young With Benjamin minds in more than one way. Glahn of Salzburg Along with the usual discusGlobal Seminar sions and workshops, it has competitions for publishing manuscripts as well as opportunities for debut authors to promote their books There are so many Literary Festivals in India that sometimes it looks difficult to survive this rat race. What does
42 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
it take to sustain and to be a part of this competition? PILF is a festival with a heart. A genuine approach with the right attitude will do wonders for any festival. In my mind, a literature festival has to create an apt platform for writers and creative professionals who can produce new readers and audience. It has to be aspirational and inspirational. There has to be a definite takeaway for the audience. A fest would lose its relevance when its focus shifts from the literary world to something more commercial. All said and done, which also plays a major role in surviving and putting up a good show is a decent amount of funds. It takes a lot of courage and hard work to put up
With Maneka Gandhi
With Anupam Kher
With Asha Parekh
With Sashi Tharoor
an event like PILF. Give us a glimpse of what it takes to put up an event like this. Indians love reading and some are even wellversed with the content. Hence, we ought to be thorough while curating such an event. It takes months and months of hard work to get things on track. Selecting the panel, deciding on sessions, thousands of emails exchanged, back and forth, scheduling and rescheduling and more rescheduling. Finding funds also takes up a huge chunk of our time. Our work even includes booking tickets, hotel, cars, etc. Let’s just say the work is never-ending. But then when things fall in place and we end up with a super-hit event, all the hard work seems worthwhile. Being a seasoned author, you are quite aware of the book publishing scenario in our country. Please explain to us the current trend. The quality of book publishing has evolved since the time I wrote my first novel in the year 1994. Then, the publishing scene for mainstream writing was pretty bleak. So much so that, when I wrote the Cosmic Clues and The Astral Alibi, no Indian publisher was ready to publish my mystery novels. Luckily, it was just the Random House, USA that published them. Since then to now, the publishing scene has really changed. With technology and other emerging trends, publishing has become a lot easier. More and more new authors are emerging, old authors are experimenting with different genres and subjects, and publishers are encouraging celebrities to write their own stories as well. However, I still have mixed feelings about the current trend in the field. On one hand we have many debut authors and on the other hand, I feel that books are hardly being read. Also, more and more celebrities are writing books, again taking away the attention of readers from novels to celebrity status. So more published books, but less reading. With this, the question still remains. How many are reading? What are you currently working on?
Curating a novel or book is a work of art and passion which requires deep involvement. As each book for me is a labour of love, I end up cherishing the journey. Generally, I would take around six months to pen down a book” Do enlighten us about your published novels. After receiving an overwhelming response to my previous destination thriller novels, I have decided to focus on this genre. Currently, I am working on my next novel of the same type. Also, my first mystery book for children called At Malabar Cottage will be out soon. One of the earlier destination thriller novels which did well on the charts is The Trail Of Four. The plot revolves around an investigative journalist set in the backdrops of Salzburg, Austria and mystery unfolds in 48 hours. Confined in the milieu of Sweden, my second destination thriller Voice Of The Runes talks about Magdalena Lindberg’s haunting love story. The gripping psychological mystery unwinds in just 36 hours. A little-known fact, the book is her first-person narration and as a writer, I tell and live my story through her. I have also come out with the first book in a dystopian trilogy titled Revolt Of The Lamebren - a futuristic reality with a definite message - there is no option for love and compassion if we wish to survive as a human race. What goes on behind the scenes of writing a book? Curating a novel or book is a work of art and passion which requires deep involvement. As each book for me is a labour of love, I end up cherishing the journey. Generally, I would take around six months to pen down a book. Sometimes, this period may vary when there is a of lot research involved. From the time the idea of a book strikes, I am consumed with the story, characters, plot and the way it should unfold. And until it is done, I cannot rest easy. However, the end product which is an amalgamation of hard work and sweat is simply stunning. When it comes to authors the concept of the writer’s block is not new. So, what’s your cure for it? And what inspires you to keep writing such great books?
With Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar
When your goal in life is clear, none of the hindrances have the ability to stop you. One is taken by surprise when the writer’s block hits them. But, there’s always a way out. And when you have your muse on your side, the writer’s block is gone within no time. As for me, my inherent love for writing keeps me going. The only constant thing in mind is writing. I know that I have to write, and I make sure that I delivery it. There is no other explanation for this growing unrest in me. Every single time an idea crops up, in no time I would have already orchestrated the novel in my head. What works best for me during the writer’s block is, I take long walks, connect with nature, play with my dogs, watch films and listen to music to tide away this non-productive period. Do Indian authors get to enjoy the Freedom of Speech? Authors play a crucial role in building a society and perhaps their viewpoint too. Hence, the writers have a certain kind of responsibility. Their penned down books or articles makes a huge impact on the world. Which is why the authors need to voice their opinion with the utmost precision and care. Sometimes, when their writing crosses certain boundaries that’s when objections could arise. But yes, of late, writers seem to be targeted and that is unfortunate. Any advice for the budding authors? Write from the heart, write if you believe in what you are writing and write till you can lay claim on your work. ektaakatti@gmail.com
CC
tadka
Receding Falls Seven miles! That is how far the Niagara Falls has receded approximately over the past 10,000 years due to erosion at its base. Niagara Falls is the collective name for three waterfalls that straddle the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York.
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 43
My First Boss
Setting the example of work-life balance Kailash Gupta showed me the importance of balancing work and home life. He maintained this commitment even when things got hectic... Rajan Garg,
I
Finance Controller, Formica Group
had worked with Kailash Gupta in two of my previous jobs as executive accounts in 2006 in Tata Teleservices where he was Manager Finance and as General Manager – Finance in Thomas Cook during 2008 to 2011 where he was VP Finance in Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. Both the jobs were based out of Mumbai, and the time we spent working together for different projects in different companies made me understand why his management techniques are so effective; I’ve seen them change people’s behaviour—including my own. Working in big corporate houses has its own charm as the jobs come with purpose, flexibility and above all, the opportunity for impact but managing rapport with seniors is equally tough and the cornerstone of a successful career. Kailash helped me master it at the start of my career. He groomed me in corporate communications and how to be a team player in a big team. His management Kailash Gupta approach helped me take up bigger responsibilities over a period of time. One of the projects he helped me pursue was in Thomas Cook Mauritius. There were internal issues in Mauritius and a relevant position fell vacant after a sudden employee exit. He encouraged me to take up the challenge and I was deputed to Thomas Cook Mauritius in 2012. I ended up spending four successful years in Mauritius. He encouraged me to acquire new skills, and would nominate me many a time for training sessions, including one at IIM Indore. The training I received back then still help me in my current role.
He groomed me in corporate communications and how to be a team player in a big team. His management approach helped me take up bigger responsibilities over a period of time — Rajan Garg
Rajan Garg
As corporate life can get very hectic at times, he encouraged me to maintain work-life balance. He helped me see the big picture and prioritise the competing demands on me and my time. Here, I will relate an anecdote that best describes Kailash. I had planned to take off for a vacation to Goa along with some office colleagues. However, on the day we were to leave something urgent came up at work and I nearly cancelled my vacation. When Kailash came to know of my holiday cancellation plans, he immediately asked me to go for the holiday and took charge himself. This gesture touched me to the core and I really appreciate and admire him as my boss. (As told to Orchie bandopadhyay)
44 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
CC
tadka
India sees fastest app download growth India’s mobile internet economy is on fire. The country saw the fastest growth in app downloads among major countries between 2016 and 2018, led by a surge in food delivery and finance. It also saw the fastest growth in the hours spent on videostreaming apps. The latest annual data from App Annie, an independent agency that collates data on apps, shows downloads in India (across Android and iOS) growing by 165% in this period.
book review
Daughters of Legacy, Up Close
An insightful new book by Rinku Paul and Puja Singhal on how a generation of women is redefining corporate India. It also sheds light on how privilege comes with its own baggage By Kalyani Sardesai
“A
painter who can read a balance sheet,” is how Manasi Kirloskar, executive director and CEO, Kirloskar Systems Ltd is described in the book. And even as the young scion looks out at the reader with her customary clear gaze she is candid enough to admit that while she is hugely privileged to inherit a large business, a single mistake could cost her dear. Then there’s the dynamic Meher Pudumjee, chairperson of Thermax, who despite her decades in the public eye, admits that legacies can sometimes feel a burden.
Earning their stripes with guts and gumption
Twelve women. Twelve chapters. Manasi Kirloskar. Meher Pudumjee. Ashni Biyani. Nadia Chauhan. Tara Singh Vachani. Devita Saraf. Bhairavi Jani. Lavanya Nalli. Priti Surekha. Divya Modi Tongya. Amruda Nair. Sonica Malhotra. Privileged and pressurised by turn-in a nutshell, the quintessence of the contradictions of their existence. And thus, through the eyes of these successful women who grew up with strong business lineages, the reader learns and understands how individual agency can both drive and be driven by legacy. Besides, if you are a woman who has come into a position of power through a position of privilege-the work you got to put in to gain professional ground and win trust is formidable. In the words of Nadia Chauhan, joint MD and CMO, Parle Agro, “It was the value system that was so deeply ingrained in us that when we joint work, it wasn’t as heiresses, but as one amongst in many employees.” Even as Ashni Biyani, Director, Future Consumer Ltd. says she does not really consider this as a legacy business in the second leg of the journey she has been more a co-creator than a legacy bearer.
While Sonica Malhotra, Joint MD, MBD Group will have you know: “Man or Woman, there is no shortcut to being a successful entrepreneur. It is all about demonstrating the courage to lead, working hard to make it happen and having the humility to acknowledge that success is the contribution of many people.” The issue is that people expect a woman to be softer. But Amruda Nair, Aiana Hotels and Resorts has a different take. “In an organisation, if you are in a leadership position, often times you only step in when there is a problem and sometimes that needs a more direct and forceful approach and you have to be ready to that regardless of gender roles.”
Strengths of the book
Lucidly written but with an elegant turn of the phrase, the book is absorbing and interesting not just for the twists and turns that pave the path of privilege but also for each individual’s manner of making her place in the sun. Sufficiently in depth without being unreasonably long, each chapter provides the reader with a clear snapshot of the person and professional in question. A handwritten note by a parent at the end of every chapter adds an endearing tone to each one’s journey. No strangers to the vicissitudes of the corporate world, the authors Rinku Paul (a certified life coach) and writer-entrepreneur Puja Singhal are at ease with the subject on hand as is evident from the individuals showcased: chosen from a wide cross-section in terms of scale of business, roles and hierarchy, these women have not only kept the legacies alive but also gone on to carve a niche for themselves as individuals beyond their famous last names. Take for instance the case of Manasi Kirloskar. A graduate in fine arts from the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, Manasi’s maiden project was an
Author
Rinku Paul and Puja Singhal Title
Daughters of Legacy Publisher
Penguin books Pages
248 Price
`299
opportunity to prove her mettle both as an artist and as a businesswoman. “Young and inexperienced, with the Kirloskar last name to boot, I was conscious of the fact that I had a lot of prejudices stacked against me. I was, therefore, overly careful to cross-check every single detail from multiple sources,” she shares. This was in 2013 when as chairperson of Sakra World Hospital her mother, Geetanjali, had given Manasi the charge of designing a greenfield project that they were launching in partnership with Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Secom Medical Systems. She not only went through the paces but with a mother as a boss, things were that much tougher, for mommy was a hard taskmaster. But she successfully completed the challenge as was evident from the admiring faces at the launch. And from there on started her own journey... As has been the case with each of these strong, individualistic women. Daughters of legacy as well the mothers of change?
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 45
Alumni Spotlight-10 Sarbani Bhatia, alumna, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani
Sustaining the Digital Media Wave The desire to achieve perfection in everything since her early years laid the foundation for a strong academic base. For Sarbani Bhatia, Sr Vice President , IT, Dainik Jagran, her residential education at Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani; apart from imparting technical education, also enhanced her personality in terms of communication skills, problem-solving approach, psychological resilience, empathy, compassion and overall confidence. She believes that competencies around people skills, emotional intelligence, empathy, agility and toughness in the face of adversity have played a considerable role in shaping up her career
“I
By Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar am immensely proud of my Alma Mater, BITS Pilani and cannot imagine having gone to any other institute for my higher education. The years spent there were some of the best years of my life. I grew as a person as it trained me to adapt and live in harmony and perfect understanding with people from diverse culture and communities, economic strata and backgrounds. I developed some of the strongest and deepest bonds of friendship that have lasted a lifetime”, said Sarbani Bhatia, Sr Vice President, IT, Dainik Jagran. She attributes competencies around people skills, emotional intelligence, empathy, agility and toughness in the face of adversity which played a considerable role in shaping up her career. “In my later years, over the course of my journey in life and my career, I found these attributes to be hugely valuable in making friends and influencing people. I would never succeed in my job which entails designing systems, providing solutions, implementing automated processes and developing teams with a purely vanilla technology background. I owe what I am today to BITS and to my high Schools - Notre Dame Academy and St. Joseph’s Convent, Patna,” adds Sarbani.
Stepping on Stones
Her association with the Jagran Group started in the early 1990s when computerisation was at its nascent stages. While Sarbani’s greater efforts were more to-
wards overcoming odds and challenges rather than playing on her core skills, her entire journey of building up the information infrastructure of the group strengthened with robust systems and processes. “There is little doubt, however, that my strengths of inter-personal and communication skills, empathy, intuition, visualisation and co-ordination abilities helped me win over a set of the most disgruntled, resistant, insecure and least
46 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
tech-savvy users. I have been fortunate to have witnessed the exponential organic and inorganic growth of the group and state that technology has played a key role in facilitating and enabling the evolution and expansion”, said Sarbani. She takes pride in the organisation’s current and best digital processes. “Practices which helps in creating business values through operational excellence, effective controls and monitoring as
well as a group of satisfied, contented and constantly demanding users. Many of the transformative technological initiatives undertaken by my team have been widely acclaimed and applauded with prestigious awards and accolades”, adds Sarbani. “Looking back in retrospect, I find it very satisfying and fulfilling. To begin with, we had to change the entire mindset and corporate culture,” said Sarbani. She retrospect’s that IT works closely with business leaders for ideation, innovation and design digital initiatives to cater to their dynamic requirements, and to integrate technology seamlessly with business. “One of the outstanding projects which I am particularly proud of is creation of an Enterprise Portal, JConnect 360 which was created as not only as a Collaboration Suite but also a secure, dynamic, self-service, intuitive and responsive platform with a single sign-on gateway for all information, instructions, announcements as well as paperless requisitions, approval workflows and dashboards”, said Sarbani.
Academic Landscape in India
Pros: “The education landscape in India has really evolved in the last two decades. Education in India is still very affordable and provides a strong theoretical base, which is adequate for employability and undertaking research work. The medium of instruction in higher education institutes is English, unlike some countries like China, Japan or Spain, which equips one for transactions across the globe. Above all, it provides a platform for interaction with individuals from diverse culture ,communities and backgrounds, thereby strengthening soft skills, tolerance and respect towards humanity in general. The islands of excellence, namely the premier institutes of the country equip an individual to take up any challenging role anywhere across the globe”, adds Sarbani. Cons: “Generally speaking, the institutes in India do not encourage out-of-the-box creative thinking. With too much emphasis on examination scores, students get caught up in the mindless rat race towards textbook learning and attaining high marks rather than the development of analytical and innovative skills. The deficiency of trained faculty as well as poor quality of teachers due to poor pay scales create a huge void in the educational system. The lack of information technology systems, library infrastructure, inadequately equipped research labs are other challenges”, said Sarbani. Resolve: “The industry–university partnership and collaboration need to be fostered in order to generate better employability among the students. Educational institutions need to be a centre for ‘knowledge creation’ rather than one-sided ‘knowledge dissemination’. It is for these reasons that not a single education insti-
tute has featured in the top 200 world university rankings”, adds Sarbani.
IT Sector
“The IT sector is poised at an interesting juncture as most businesses are undergoing a profound transformation, in terms of their business model, strategies, operations and competencies. They are moving away from the traditional ways of working and legacy systems to adopt modern and technology–oriented systems and processes. In the field of IT, Digital Transformation is the most commonly used buzzwords these days. Emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT), Augmented Reality(AR), Virtual Reality(VR), Big Data Analytics have become the key growth drivers. They bring value to the table, reduce the time to market and lower cost and effort effectively. The proliferation of data, its availability and usage add further dimensions; not just batch data but real-time data which is related to the market, competitors, consumers and the supply chain. It is difficult to manage the right offering at the right time without really understanding the customer. That’s where digital intelligence comes into play. Digi-
Availability of alternate data sources and abundance of data content has led to a decline in public faith in media and Sarbani sees this as an obvious challenge in the media’s quest to remain perceived as a trustworthy and reliable source of information. “While widespread digital transformation has opened up new vistas of opportunity for companies, it has also done the same for cyber attacks. So, businesses should, in turn, exploit the potential of digital to improve their ability to protect content and detect attacks”, said Sarbani.
Media Wave and IT
Sarbani’s observation is that the M&E (media and entertainment) is currently dealing with one of the most disruptive phases of transformation. “The digital revolution has created an entirely new landscape and eco-system for the industry, whether it is content management and its consumption or the quest for finding sustainable sources of revenue generation in the midst of the growing hunger for rich and personalised content,” adds Sarbani.
New Media and Consumerism
She explains that with the M&E rapidly transitioning towards a direct-to-consumer approach, the competition is heating up in the television arena. “Video-on-demand is dominating the M&E sector. Globally, people are asking for streaming video through over-thetop (OTT) services rather than the traditional cable or satellite TV. This evolving video landscape requires studios and distribution networks to work out new strategies to cash in on the explosion of video-on-demand. Studios which have been able to ride the wave of this rapidly changing scenario are those which have produced great content deliverable across multiple platforms aimed at innovative offerings”, adds Sarbani. “Consumers not only have far more content, but also they have a wide choice of platforms and devices to choose from. The quality of content coupled with the ease and comfort of the experience of consuming the content is what determines the brand and platform to which the consumer will be drawn to. Development of habit-forming brands which can lead to a loyal, repetitive fan-base is absolutely necessary for a steady flow of revenue”, said Sarbani.
The intersection of the very high demand for personalised content, empowerment of the consumer to switch loyalties towards a more delightful channel, changing business models, and the emergence of new technologies is creating havoc in the media sector” tal Intelligence helps us to transform digital data into real-time, actionable, customer-centric insights”, Sarbani adds.
Data Hygiene
“Data or content should have been gathered independently and not aggregated or reproduced. Credibility is further enhanced if the media organisation is transparent about the priorities and approach involved in data collection and analysis as well as the strength and limitation of the data, which makes the data completely and universally available to all consumers. Internally too, the statistical methods involved in the compilation of data should be constantly reviewed and assessed within the media organisation”, Sarbani adds.
M&E Stakes
“To sum up, the M&E industry is poised to enter a very interesting phase which is hugely digital, direct-to-consumer, fan-centric and versatile,” said Sarbani. sangeetagd2010@gmail.com
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 47
loved & married too It is not often these days that a college romance fructifies into wedlock. Corporate Citizen unlocks the story of love that has culminated into marriage, for we believe in the stability of a relationship and family unit. We bring to you real-life romances that got sealed in marriage
g n i t r o p s o s A love Sportswoman turned entrepreneur Sayali Bhilare is suitably encouraged by her significant half Shrikant Mundhe in her quest to source and make organic veggies and fruit available through her newly minted venture Organic Healthy Valley - a set up that promotes pesticide-free food at affordable rates at a fair fee for the farmer-sans middlemen. At the heart of this unique business is a firm belief in clean and healthy eating that can only be expected from a former pro tennis player and a pro cricketer (which Sayali and Shrikant happen to be) By Kalyani Sardesai
S
ome relationships are built on ground-most specifically the sports ground. She used to be a pro tennis player, while he continues to be a professional cricketer who plays the Ranji trophy and the IPL respectively. Naturally, training hard every single day was a given and that’s how this young college going
couple met at Pune’s famous, Deccan Gymkhana, quite the hub of the city’s sporting talent. Though they saw each other every single day, the duo was too busy to even talk to each other. “But then we met again through common friends and realised we had a special connect,” says Sayali. The mutual passion for sports had a lot to
48 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
do with. “As a sportsperson, you have to live a certain way and dedicate certain hours to your passion. It is hard work and sweat, and sometimes tears and disappointment. What’s more you have to get up and fight it out no matter what the challenge,” they say. Thus it sure helped to have a boyfriend/girlfriend why the other didn’t wish to party at the
end of the day and needed some alone time as well. “The pressures of professional sport are hard for a non-sportsperson to understand or handle. But Shrikant and I not only understood each other well but also we gave each other due space,” she elaborates. “We understood where the other was coming from and respected each other’s competitive spirit and focus.” While this is what they had in common, the differences in their respective personalities were the kind that took the relationship forward. “I am friendly and talkative, plus I tend to flare up soon. He, on the other hand, speaks little and is very patient,” says Sayali. Love blossomed-and eventually culminated in marriage two years back. And the families couldn’t have been happier. (Both sportspersons and fellow Maharashtrians to boot.) “From the outset, I took mom into confidence. Dad was a bit taken aback when I told
A marriage is about both shared dreams and happy moments
“Pressures of professional sport are hard for a non-sportsperson to understand or handle. But Shrikant and I not only understood each other well but also we gave each other due space. We understood where the other was coming from and respected each other’s competitive spirit and focus”—Sayali him about Shrikant, but once he met him, he was glad of my choice,” she shares.
The building blocks of marriage
As things stand, the couple is busy with their respective ventures. Sayali, who has recently turned entrepreneur with Organic Healthy Valley-which is a logical milestone in her interest in both healthy eating and eco-friendly farming. “It all started a few years ago when my dad, a structural designer by profession bought some land in Mahabaleshwar and starting farming. The interest in farming grew-and since as a sportsperson I am a firm believer in healthy food, food that is sustainable both personally and environmentally, this seemed like a good prospect,” she says. (It also made sense considering she holds a Masters Degree in Marketing Management.) “So what we do is quite simply this: we source organic food from the farmers growing it and make it available sans a middleman. Right through the year, irrespective of the market fluctuations, the farmer is assured of a certain price,” she says. “Organic food is a serious trend that seems to be gaining momentum rapidly. And it is something that anyone invested in their health ought to try out given that fad diets rarely work-only clean, green and whole grain food minus pesticides and excessive refinement are the way ahead.”
The mantras of a marriage
Looking ahead with a purpose
• Trust • Shared passions • Supporting each other’s dreams
quite some time and so know each other quite well,” he says. “Friendship is always a good thing for any marriage.”
Bringing up baby (but not just now)
Kids are on the anvil-eventually. At 28 and 30, both Sayali and Shrikant have careers to focus on and work to do. “When the kid • Giving each comes, I want him to be equally other due space On his part, Shrikant is the invested in his/her upbringing. It’s quintessential proud and supportnot just a mother’s outlook,” says ive husband. “Be it tennis or her Sayali. new venture, I believe that she will make a sucThus, right now is not the appropriate time. cess of anything she undertakes,” he says. “We want them when we can do them complete Life is hectic but happy even as Shrikant tours justice and not just have them for the sake of extensively for his cricket and Sayali works tohaving them. Parenting is serious responsibiliwards cementing the business. Thus, quality ty,” rounds off Shrikant. time together consists of watching movies, And so, as of now, it’s all about cricket and checking out new restaurants that serve fresh business as usual. and healthy cuisine that happens to taste good kalyanisardesai@gmail.com too (a must for these health freaks) and maybe even just sitting at home doing nothing. “Post marriage that happens quite a lot,” grins ShriCC kant. “You don’t actually have to be going somewhere to be spending time together. Bonding over good old fashioned Maharashtrian food is a stress buster too.” Like every couple, they do fight-but then conflict management is key. “I am the impatient one, and sometimes I do tend to bring work pressures home and maybe take it all out Although it may not seem that glamorous, on him. But he is patient and positive-and only the mesentery, newly discovered bodily takes offence occasionally,” she smiles. organ, has many functions. The mesen“The important thing is for one person to tery is actually an organ which connects keep the peace. When both lose it simultaneour intestines to our inner abdominal wall and is responsible for coordinating our imously matters only escalate,” says Shrikant. mune system to defend us from diseases. At the end of the day, both root for trust It also keeps our intestines in place when and mutual respect to keep it working. “Not we walk around. to forget the fact that we have dated for
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The mesentery (new human organ)
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 49
Campus Placement
Living life
Queen size!
Having set the right foot in the corporate world, a free-spirited Sheefali Gupta, who is currently placed with Vistaprint, Ahmedabad as a learning specialist – HR, talks about her transformation from being an introvert to a confident, sassy and determined woman
By Ekta Katti
H
ighly educated, dedicated, learning specialist, voracious reader, eloquent writer, gracious Bharatnatyam dancer, swimmer and an excellent public speaker - these are just a few of the feathers that Sheefali Gupta’s vibrant hat is adorned with. Her persona is positive and buoyant, chiefly because she is high on life, something that her generation lacks. She takes each day at a time and makes sure to deliver her best without thinking about the outcome. Her world revolves around her family and friends and she possesses the zeal to transform her work into worship. This is Sheefali in a nutshell - a hustler in the true sense.
The ice breaker
Some people possess the ability to be confident and outspoken, while others just have to come out of the cocoon and their charm can handle the rest. Born in Uttar Pradesh and raised in Pune, Sheefali always believed that education is the pathway to success. And it is this path that came in like a breath of fresh air in her life and altered her persona. Taking admission in the best B-School in the country was the turning point in her life. “Who knew that a ten-minute presentation conducted by me along with Abha Bukharia would change my life forever? It was the first time that I had got the chance to present my work in front of more than a thousand people. Nervous? Yes, I sure was! But after the superhit presentation on Balaji Telefilms, I was declared the speaker of the year by some of the most eminent corporate personalities. The 360-degree transformation after this induction presentation gave me the metamorphosis of life,” smiles Sheefali. Touted as one of the top-notch MBA colleges, for Sheefali her college was her Hogwarts where every door opened the casket of magic. Along with soaking herself in all the education and knowledge imparted by the talented professors, she also learnt that to build any sort of a relationship takes courage, hard work and patience. “My college taught me that relationships aren’t built
“The most important thing is to understand our own personality. We need to accept what we are. Improving ourselves doesn’t mean that we are bad now; it means we have to keep growing”
50 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
overnight. It becomes fine as time passes, just like the classiest wine. It requires people to overcome their insecurities and work hard to heal their wounds. What possibly helped me gather myself and work towards success was the bond that I shared with Rishabh Bharaj, Shubham Dangi and Vinay Kabra,” explains an emotional Sheefali.
A voracious writer
The thing about Sheefali that makes her stand out in a crowd is her zeal for life and her assiduousness. Her will to take life as it comes is the reason why she is always content. For instance, give her a book to read; instead of finding reasons not to go through it, she will not only finish reading it in a jiffy but she will also make plans to be a classy writer. This for you is Sheefali! It is hard to believe that the then teen, Sheefali religiously went through most of the Shakespeare novels and decided to paint the world through beautifully penned words. “I was handed a Shakespeare novel during my school days. And since then there was no turning back when it came to writing. Most of the times, my writing was appreciated. My written scripts for college and school functions earned great applause,” she says. Her writings depict the harsh reality of life. One of her passages, The Unsaid Virgin, is a hard-hitting truth that shouts out for male evolution rather than female to change the rape scenario of our country. Her picturesque ode, Seasons of Leaf, talks about how to turn a new page in life. Every letter, every word, every para of every story written is so beautifully knit by her that it will certainly force you to ponder on the facts of life.
Far away from home
Life may sometimes put you in the spotlight where reality becomes obscure and your decision-making power takes a back seat. Raised in Pune under the immense love and care of her mother, Sheefali wanted her career to take off from the city. “After completing my PG, my only wish was to work only in Pune. That’s because my family means the world to me. Growing up, my mother did everything to support me. And leaving her to work in any other city was not acceptable to me,” she says. But her life went off course when she got placed with a company outside Pune. “The day a fresher gets placed is the day that always remains closest to her heart. But the same was not for me. Getting placed in Ahmedabad, so far away from my mother got me crying instead of being elated. I was sure I would turn down the offer,” says a teary-eyed Sheefali. However, when you are surrounded by people who are positive and optimistic, you are bound to take the right decision. Sheefali’s mother helped her clear the air and persuaded her to take up this opportunity. “My mother and my friend, Rishabh, have a great
Sheefali being felicitated during her convocation What pushed Sheefali to work towards success was the bond she shared with a few of her close college friends
‘My mother and my friend, Rishabh, have a great convincing power. From not wanting to take up the job to now being one of the best learning specialists at Vistaprint, Ahmedabad, life has taught me to trust the universe. This was destined to happen. And now, I am quite happy and settled with this great company’ convincing power. From not wanting to take up the job to now being one of the best learning specialists at Vistaprint, Ahmedabad, life has taught me to trust the universe. This was destined to happen. And now, I am quite happy and settled with this great company,” she smiles. She took her time to settle in the new environment, but her focus remained the same - to excel at everything. Having joined Vistaprint in November last year, Sheefali now imparts nontechnical training to the employees there. So, what’s the best part of being placed? We ask. And pat comes the reply, “Apart from the professional experience, the joy of buying gifts for my family and friends from my first salary will always top the list of things that make me the happiest person on earth.”
Sheefali with her mother, Usha and brother Karan
stages over the next few years. I remember how my first pair of ghunghroos was made by my grandfather. It simply brings back great memories,” says Sheefali about her love for dancing. Call it her stubbornness to learn any form of art, it’s actually her inquisitiveness that makes her master that art. Swimming happened to her by fluke. “The giant swimming pool near our house was always alluring. It was my naanu who took me and my brother to the pool back in 2002. It was extremely fascinating to see it. After a bit of training, I outdid myself and swam in the pool which was almost 20 feet deep. It was quite an achievement for me,” she smiles. ektaakatti@gmail.com
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An all-rounder
An artist is someone who is always true in every sense. And Sheefali resonates with all the qualities of a genuine artist. Be it her passion for writing, or her immense love for Bharatnatyam and swimming. Each art she picks up, she makes sure she acquires all the virtues it has to offer. “Bharatnatyam actually made me realise my flexibility and adaptability. It also brought me closer to music. Bharatnatyam happened in 2003 as an unanticipated love. There was a Bharatnatyam teacher in my society and from there it went through many
Bengalureans take most personal, car loans The highest personal loan ticket sizes are in Bengaluru, at ` 47 lakh, followed by Mumbai (` 40 lakh), Delhi (` 26 lakh) and Kolkata (` 30 lakh), as per data from BankBazaar. In the average ticket size of personal loans taken, Mumbai (` 2.79 lakh) was ahead of Bengaluru (` 2.66 lakh) and Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata.
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 51
Survey
The Evolution of A few years ago digital marketing was just a new and different way to market. But within just the past few years, the importance of digital marketing has become something else. It’s become an integral part of what a business is to its customers as more and more people get access to the internet. So what exactly is essential for digital marketers to be successful in 2019? To help you answer this question, Ascend2 fielded the 2019 Digital Marketing Strategies Survey. Corporate Citizen brings you the results Compiled By Neeraj Varty
Success of strategy
Nearly half (47%) of marketing influencers describe the success of a digital marketing strategy as very successful (or best-in-class when compared to competitors) at achieving top priorities, while approximately the same number (49%) consider it somewhat successful.
Not successful 4%
Somewhat successful 49%
Very successful (best-in-class) 47%
52 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
Digital Marketing
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 53
Survey Top strategic priorities
Increasing sales prospects or leads, and acquiring more customers, will be top priorities for marketing influencers (64% and 55% respectively) in 2019. This emphasises the importance of marketing’s support of and alignment with the sales process.
Increasing sales prospects/leads
64%
Increasing customer acquisition
55%
Increasing customer engegement
49%
Improving brand awareness
39%
Improving result measurability
30%
Increasing website traffic
25%
Improving web user experience
19%
Challenging barriers to success
Engaging customers online and measuring digital marketing results are challenging barriers to success for 49% and 47% of marketing influencers respectively. The sales-related goal of increasing customer acquisition is also a barrier to success for marketers.
Increasing customer engagement
49%
Improving result measurability
47%
Increasing customer acquistion
46%
Increasing sales prospects/leads
40%
Improving web user experience
27%
Increasing website traffic
22%
Improving brand awareness
22%
54 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
How budget is changing
With a total of 88% of marketing influencers planning to increase the digital marketing budget to some extent in 2019, the message is clear-companies are standing behind digital marketing.
24%
64%
Budget will increase significantly
Budget will increase marginally
10%
2%
Budget will Budget will decrease decrease marginally significantly
Priorities versus barriers
Analysing the importance of top strategic priorities in comparison to the most challenging barriers to success provides a valuable perspective for developing. Strategic Priorities
Success Barriers
64% Increasing sales prospects leads
40% 55%
Increasing customer acquisition
46% 49%
Increasing customer engegement
49% 39%
Improving brand awareness
22% 30%
Improving result measurability
47% 25%
Increasing website traffic
22% 19%
Improving web user experience
27%
neeraj.varty07@gmail.com February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 55
Health
Corporate Fitness League - Kolkata
A ‘Fitness’ League of Its Own
Corporate fitness has lately witnessed an upsurge in collective enthusiasm across cities from employees and their organisations to stay fit. This new wave has transcended beyond closed doors into mega sporting events. The recently concluded "The Fitness Premier League-Corporate Edition" (Corporate Fitness Challenge League), curated in Kolkata had enthusiastic takers. Corporate Citizen captures a glimpse of the event and on the concept with its curator Chinmoy Roy, Fitness and Strength trainer and former Coach at BCCI; along with runners-up, Sujoy Mukherjee, Principal Consultant-Advisory Services, PwC India and contestant Shromona Bose, Operations Head, IT, TCS By Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar
C
orporate executives do pound the treadmill or take a leisurely stroll to nourish their health. However, this is a miniscule of the gamut. Although a lot of IT companies have installed workplace gyms, keeping the wellness of employees in mind, most of them gather dust for lack of footfalls”, said Chinmoy Roy, Kolkata-based fitness and strength trainer and former BCCI coach. He speaks from his experiences on the apathy amongst employees for on-going fitness as a way of life; this, despite available equipment and encouragement provided by their
employers. The month-long sporting event saw Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) India, HSBC, Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services, Concentrix, Jet Airways vying for the winners’ trophy. “It was mighty competitive in the grand finale. The winner’s trophy went to Tata Steel. PwC were the runners-up and Tata Consultancy bagged the third place,” he said. The event garnered support from sports personalities-Arun Lal, Jose Ramirez Barreto, Wriddhiman Saha, Sambaran Banerjee, Soumyadip Roy, Poulomi Ghatak, Shyam Thapa et.al. The Fitness Premier League – Corporate
56 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
Edition is an offshoot of the Club Fitness Hunt that brings together participants from various elite social clubs across the city. Sulalit Biswas, CEO and Founder, Asia Sports Arena, a sports management company along with appropriate sponsors provided the much need thrust to take this event forward. The Modus Operandi To fuel up the conceived idea, the ‘Corporate Fitness Challenge League’, a team of Chinmoy’s trainers lay siege at their designated corporate houses and held short workshops on health and fitness. “The workshops were on managing metabolic issues like diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol and joint pain. Post the workshop they would conduct fitness tests based on very simple and easy exercises such as push-ups and jumping jacks for every employee to take a plunge," said Chinmoy. The workshops concluded by selecting the fittest male and female employees based on their test scores. The selected duo would then team up to represent their company in the grand finale. “On an average, 30 employees took part from each corporate in the prelims. In the second edition of the league (2018), we had 16 corporate houses as against 10 in the previous year of the corporate fitness challenge,” he added. The Endeavour The grand finale comprised of a running and strength and endurance section. “In the running section, each of the selected corporate pairs -one male and a female had to run a dis-
Sujoy: Our organisation emphasises a lot on health and wellness initiatives. We have a fairly huge and modern gym with equipment and facilities. A dedicated trainer comes in daily to guide us on the right kind of posture and exercises. Apart from this, our HR and Business Services team too conduct various monthly health and wellness initiatives. Shromona: These days corporate houses are coming forward and taking the initiatives for employees to keep fit.
tance of 10 metres from opposite ends carrying a small hoop. While they crossed each other, they had to exchange the hoop from one person to the other within 30 seconds. In the strength section, they had to rotate and throw a swiss ball (55 cm diameter) for 45 seconds. The male had to stand with his female colleague at a distance of 10 metres apart. The summation of the two exercise points determined the winning scores for the participants,” Chinmoy said. Motivating Factor On what kept the participating teams and corporate executives on their toes for the event and on their overall health and wellness, Chinmoy said, “One could see the exuberance of the employees during the month-long preliminary round-the teams were trained hard.” Feedback from participants pinpointed on their realisation that fitness training could be fun and that fitness could bring recognition and rewards. “To achieve that recognition, they had been training at least five days a week. Participants said that once they entered the office with their trophies, their colleagues would go berserk; their bosses flashed their pictures on their websites, and many felt that this yearly competition would definitely motivate them to stay in shape.” From the Victory Stand Sujoy Mukherjee, Principal Consultant – Advisory Services PwC India and Shromona Bose, Operations Head, IT at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
Shromona Bose - Operations Head, IT TCS
How can employees make time for personal fitness? Sujoy: Most of us work to tight timelines and because the nature of our work does not permit us to miss our deadlines, having a gym at our own office is undoubtedly a boon. We, therefore, do not have to additionally dedicate time to visit
“I believe people who love being fit and live a healthy lifestyle can always take out time to exercise for at least half an hour. If that doesn’t work out they can always take a step forward and start running every day for half an hour”-Shromona Bose be a very important aspect of one’s life. No matter how busy we are or professionally occupied in our lives When my co-workers call me “the fittest guy in our office,” I get motivated and always try to remain fit and healthy so that my mental and physical co-ordinates always work well. Shromona: Yes, it did. Physical and mental fitness play very important roles in our lives and people who are both, physically and mentally fit are less prone to medical conditions as well. I’ve always been a fitness enthusiast. It always feels great and it’s also fun to participate in such competitions.
Your views on the concept of a Corporate Fitness League Sujoy Mukherjee: I became aware of the Corporate Fitness Hunt concept in 2017 when I worked-out under Chinmoy Roy and was completely impressed by the idea. Initially, I thought that engaging corpoRunners-up - Sujoy mukherjee -Principal Consultant Advisory rates in such an initiative would Did you enjoy the exercisServices - PwC India be challenging, considering es in the competition? their time constraints, willingSujoy: Honestly, I had never done such unique and brilliant exercises in the ness and availability. I think, convincing 20-odd past and would definitely want to continue docorporates to participate in a large-scale fitness initiative, conducting fitness workshops at their ing them in the office to remain fit and healthy. facilities and enriching people with such great Last year I could not qualify due to a small marfitness knowledge is a unique initiative. gin but this year I secretly vowed that there will Shromona Bose: The Corporate Fitness Chalbe no stopping me and I will make sure to bring the cup for PwC. lenge is truly an amazing concept. Being fit and staying healthy is of utmost importance. It moShromona: Yes, I did, and think such exercise tivates you to come forward and do something regimes can help employees improve their physifor yourself too. cal strength, stamina, and general wellbeing. Has training for competition made any difference to your attitude on fitness? Do Corporate houses emphasise on aspects that keep employees fit? Sujoy: I always feel that physical fitness should
a gym and train ourselves. Shromona: I believe people who love being fit and live a healthy lifestyle can always take out time to exercise for at least half an hour. If that doesn’t work out they can always take a step forward and start running every day for half an hour. I’m sure they can do this much at least. How did your colleagues react to your victory? Sujoy: My colleagues and internal Sports Council Committee Chief, were highly overwhelmed and happy about our victory and encouraged others to participate in such initiatives in the future. The trophy occupies a deserving position in the Awards and Accolades section in our office. Shromona: They all were quite excited, and it really feels great to motivate people to do something good for themselves. sangeetagd2010@gmail.comw
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India 3rd largest tourism economy
India will become the third largest travel and tourism economy, from the current seventh, by 2028 in terms of direct and total GDP, according to a report by World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 57
Pearls of Wisdom
By Dada JP Vaswani
Time management is the route to success
For success, happiness, contentment and prosperity-managing time is vital. It’s how you treat your time and how you develop organisational skills that will determine your life Early to bed, early to rise
Getting up early in the morning is truly a bonus. Not only does it help you to get more work done during the day but also it also sets the tone and pace of your whole day. When this early start is invigorated by your personal appointment with God, you will truly find your day transformed! Start early! Spend your earliest working hours in silent prayer or meditation. Give time to your parents/spouse/children. Get to work before time. Organise your desk. Check your schedule for the day. Hand your day over to God’s care and begin your work. You will be amazed by what you can achieve!
Organise your life in day-tight compartments
Draw a circle to represent a 24-hour period. Into this circle, chalk out all the work that you think you can achieve, conveniently, comfortably, without stress. Forget all the rest. It will have to wait for tomorrow. True, there may be a lot of work that you have to do. But there is a limit to what you can accomplish today. Therefore, put a cap on it! When the day is over, plan for the next 24 hours.
Set your priorities
Ask yourself what is important for you and for your work. Devote time to those activities. It is very important to eliminate non-essentials
from your life-activities which are neither important nor useful.
Don’t force yourself to hurry
“The truly wise ones, are never in a rush to do their work,” says the poet, Subrahmanya Bharati. “They work slowly, silently, like the seed that sprouts into life.” Isn’t that an amazing image-the seed that sprouts into new life! You cannot put it on Fast – Forward mode; nor can you put it in slow motion. When you hurry, you cannot keep your mind calm and focused. Modern lifestyle, culture and work force us to hurry, hurry, all the time! Of course, we need to be quick and efficient in all that we do-but hurry is wasteful!
Do one thing at a time
Don’t fritter away your energies attempting to do too many things-chances are, that you will not do justice to any one of them. • Don’t talk on the phone while you are writing a report.
Ask yourself what is important for you and for your work. Devote time to those activities. It is very important to eliminate non-essentials from your life
58 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
• Don’t read while you are eating. • Don’t SMS when someone is talking to you. • Don’t talk on the cellphone when you are driving! You are jeopardising your life and others’ lives! When you do too many things at a time, the vital power of your mind is scattered, and your mind is distracted, and your work will not be the best that you can do!
How can you optimise your time?
Reduce clutter! Keep your workspace clean and well laid out. Reduce clutter! Clear your mind too, of all the accumulated clutter of negative feelings, needless information and useless thoughts. Therefore, avoid distractions. You don’t have to check your e-mail every fifteen minutes.
Learn to delegate
You are not indispensable to every task that needs to be done. Trust your colleagues and subordinates: delegate work to them. Identify, plan and review. Identify your long-term and shortterm goals. Plan your work and then work your plan. Review your activities every day, to see what you have lapsed from your schedule. “Take time to live because life has so much to give!” proclaims a poster, which depicts a little girl, strolling happily in a beautiful garden, clutching a bunch of flowers. Do you take time to live or are you simply filling your time with work?
Social Initiative
Now there’s a way to offset food wasted at weddings
I
Redirecting wasted food to the needy through such initiatives could usher in a change By Meenakshi Sushma
ing the number of guests to reduce the wastage. ndia hosts approximately 2.5 crore wed“This will not make a big difference,” says Jain. dings every year and currently we are in Redirecting the unserved or wasted food to the peak wedding season (November to the needy through such initiatives could ushFebruary),” says Srishti Jain co-founder of er in a change. Feeding India’s initiative ‘Meals Feeding India, a non-profit that collects food with love’, designed especially for weddings, has from donors and distributes it at their centres helped feed about two million people till date. in more than 45 cities. They are also picking up food from comic Since weddings have become a platform to and actor Kapil Sharma’s display the social status, Media reports state wedding on December 12, people spend lavishly on grand weddings, and as a that at weddings, a vast 2018. “If Supreme Court’s suggestions are impleresult, a lot of food ends variety of dishes are mented, people could feel up wasted. “Approximately 10-15 per cent of the food served and it is beyond that their choices are being But, a sustainable is wasted, with a minithe per person eating curbed. and smart decision would mum of around 30-50 kg and maximum going up to capacity, which in turn be to divert the food to the 800 kg. This can be used to leads to food wastage needy,” Jain adds. Media reports state that serve around 100-200 peoat weddings, a vast variety of dishes are served ple on an average, and a maximum of 2,000and it is beyond the per person eating capacity, 4,000 people,” says Jain. which in turn leads to food wastage. The Supreme Court has been contemplating on ways to reduce the food and water wastage This is just the scenario at Indian weddings. during weddings. It has recommended restrictSince there are no concrete statistics on the food
wastage from homes and hotels, there is a need to address the wastage from these sources as well. One prominent and growing solution to this problem is the community fridge, being used in urban cities. (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/food/ now-there-s-a-way-to-offset-food-wasted-atweddings-62466)
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Top four states account for 58.7% of $69 billion overseas remittances
India received $69 billion of remittances that it received last year, according to a study by the RBI. Of the total $69 billion in 2017, about 58.7% was received by Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. After Kerala, Maharashtra had the largest chunk of remittances at 16.7% (11.52 billion), followed by Karnataka. 15% ($10.35 billion).
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 59
Mobile apps
The Best Election Apps
The 2019 Lok Sabha elections are around the corner. As a responsible voter, it is advisable to be up to date with the latest political and policy developments and the work done by your elected representatives. With just months to go before the general elections, Corporate Citizen brings you the best apps for the Lok Sabha elections By Neeraj Varty
cVIGIL
The Election Commission has launched an Android-based app, which allows voters to send geotagged videos and photos of any violations that take place during elections, including distribution of money or gifts by political parties or even hate speeches being made while canvassing. The app is known as ‘cVIGIL’, which stands for “citizens’ vigil”, was tested on a pilot basis during the Bengaluru polls last year. Launching the app, chief election commissioner OP Rawat said the poll panel was bringing out this tool as there have been instances when vested interests have misled surveillance teams.
Twitter is where the latest political developments and people’s immediate response to it can be felt. Almost all politicians have an account on twitter, and the platform is known to be ahead of traditional media when it comes to breaking news. If you are a political junkie, Twitter is a must-have app on your smartphone.
India Politics
If you don’t support a particular party but have an interest in the Indian politics, then India Politics is an ideal app for you. The software presents election related updates in a categorised format. You can choose to receive news for selected states, parties or leaders. Right from the app, you can track the tweets and Facebook posts from different parties and their leaders.
Neta App
The app aims to foster political accountability and transparency among leaders. Inspired by the US’ approval system, the app seeks to let users rate their MLAs and MPs. It is also being viewed as an instrument to gauge voter sentiment across constituencies in the country. To ensure participation, the app requires a combination of mediums like the app itself, IVR calls, SMS and even offline activation leveraging ASHA and anganwadi workers to collate data on evolving political inclinations. The platform, in its beta version, has already registered over 1.5 crore verified voters rating and reviewing their local leaders across 543 parliamentary constituencies and 4,120 assembly constituencies over the last eight months. neeraj.varty07@gmail.com
60 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
Unsung Heroes - 18
A Sexagenarian on the tracks
Age is not coming in her way to prevent her from running, because her grit and determination are taking her forward
“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.” —Sophia Loren These days when it’s not easy for people to get out for a morning walk, can you imagine a 68-year-young lady out on the track, not walking but running. Age is not coming in her way to prevent her from running, because her grit and determination are taking her forward. Meet Manjushree Banerjee from Kolkata. She had never stepped on a running track till she was 60, but there’s no stopping her since. In the past eight years, the retired Chemistry teacher has won many medals at various championships and even made it to the World Masters for veteran runners.
“I took part for the fun of it but ended up competing against several runners who had come prepared with spiked shoes and proper gear. I came second in both the 100 and 200 meters and many veteran athletes told me to take up running seriously” She accidentally discovered her interest in Athletics a few months before her retirement from Ramjoy Seal Shishu Pathsala in north Kolkata. Her track-and-field debut happened
during a district athletics tournament in North 24-Parganas in February 2005, where she had gone as a spectator. In an attempt to make the tournament interesting by adding something new, the organisers appealed to the spectators to come forward and participate in the tournament. “I took part for the fun of it but ended up competing against several runners who had come prepared with spiked shoes and proper gear. I came second in both the 100 and 200 meters and many veteran athletes told me to take up running seriously,” said Banerjee. It has been years since she participated in any race. Way back in 1968, when she was doing M.Sc. from Kalyani University, she participated in the 100 metres race casually. She didn’t have her sportswear, so she borrowed her roommate’s salwar kurta. Surprisingly, she came first, but that was the end of it because she didn’t pursue it any further. More than four decades later, her modest two-room house on Bidhan Sarani shines with medals and certificates, all won over the past eight years. She started practising in Hedua and then graduated to “spiked shoes” at Deshbandhu Park. She participated in the state meet at Yuva Bharati Kridangan and won in 200 metres and 400 metres. “That opened the gates of possibilities for me,” said Manjushree with a smile. At the SAI complex, she started from the “ABC of athletics” and requested Coach Kartik Nath to teach her the very basics — jogging and stretching. In May 2006, she participated in the All India Masters Athletics Championships and won gold in 100 metres and 200 metres. Though officially retired by then, Banerjee still had to go to school, either filling in for vacancies or correcting Madhyamik and Higher Secondary papers. However, she took all that in her stride and kept running. Starting in 2006, she’s participated in the Asia Masters Athletic Championship thrice and also travelled to Italy and California for the World Masters Athletic Championships. Banerjee shows no signs of slowing down, winning one gold and three silver medals in the Annual (Open) Championships 2013 in Sri Lanka. The one thing that can slow down this 68-year-old sprinter is lack of sponsorship. “I try to arrange for funds but it’s difficult,” she said. Banerjee can give up on a few tournaments but she cannot give up hope. Her parting shot? “Winning medals is like an addiction now.” (The above story is featured in “Real Inspiring Stories” ISBN 978-81-8430-290-5 by Maj. Pradeep Khare (pradeepkhare2011@gmail. com). It is published by Prabhat Publications, New Delhi.)
February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 61
Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian
From The Mobile
You are what you think In the movie Taare Zameen Par, the art teacher tells the rude and cursing father of the dyslexic kid about the Solomon Islands. In those islands, the tribal don’t cut down a tree. They surround the tree and curse it for hours every day. Within a few weeks, the tree dries up and dies. Many of us might find that example too difficult to believe. How can intangible and invisible thoughts and words kill a tree! Well, if you get to read Bruce H. Lipton’s ‘The Biology of Belief’, you won’t only believe in the Solomon Islands story, but would also think a dozen times before saying something demoralising to yourself and the people you love. In this book, Lipton tells in detail about the power of the conscious and subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is million times more powerful than the conscious mind, and decides most of the things in our lives according to the beliefs it has. Many times we fail to change an unpleasant habit despite our willpower and consistent efforts. It’s because the habit has been so strongly programmed in our subconscious mind that the efforts made by our conscious mind hardly make any difference. Conscious Mind is just a shadow of our Unconscious Mind. So, when the tribals of the Solomon Islands curse a tree, they are actually installing negative and harmful beliefs in the tree’s emotion (yes, trees do have emotions too).
62 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2018
Within few days, those negative emotions becomes a belief and eventually changes the molecular architecture of the tree and kills it from inside. 2500 years ago, when the Buddha said ‘You are what you think’, he was not articulating a random philosophical theory. Actually, he was telling a scientific fact which is now proved correct by Quantum Physics and Molecular Biology. The book has a special chapter on ‘Conscious Parenting’ where it talks about the beneficial and harmful effects of what parents say to their children. If you are a parent and you keep cursing your child in the name of constructive criticism, you are installing beliefs in their mind which will keep harming them forever. But if you keep appreciating them in a sincere way, you are installing beliefs in their mind which will help them entire life. And also be careful of what you keep saying to yourself. Repetition of words and thoughts is the best way to install a belief in your subconscious mind. If you keep saying you are a loser, don’t be surprised if you become one within a few months or years. And if you have friends who keep saying such things to you, there is no harm in saying a quick goodbye to them. May be you value the friendship a lot. But you must value yourself a little more. So accept all as they are. Love all unconditionally.
Hilarious Laws Law of equality:
Law of Encounters:
Law of Queue:
Law of Biomechanics:
Law of Telephone:
Theatre Rule:
Law of Mechanical Repair:
Law of Coffee:
The time taken by the wife, when she says I’ll get ready in five minutes, is exactly equal to the time taken by husband when he says ‘I’ll call you in five minutes’! If you change queues, the one you have left will start to move faster than the one you were in. When you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy tone. After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch.
Law of the Workshop:
The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don’t want to be seen with. The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach. People with the seats at the farthest from the entry arrive last. As soon as you sit down for a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last, until the coffee is cold.
Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.
Law of Proposal:
Bath Theorem:
Law of Getting Late:
Law of the Result:
Law of Exam:
When the body is immersed in water, the telephone rings. When you try to prove to someone that a machine won’t work, it will.
After you accept a proposal, you will get a better one. When you reach early for something, it will never start on time. If you didn’t read a page which is of least importance, the first question will be from that page only.
Seenagers I just discovered my age group! I am a Seenager (senior teenager) I have everything that I wanted as a teenager, only 50 years later. I don’t have to go to school or work. I get an allowance every month. I have my own pad, I don’t have a curfew, I have a driver’s license and my own car. I have IDs that get me into bars and the wine store. Life is good! You’ll feel much more intelligent after reading this, if you are a Seenager.
Brains of older people are slow, because they know so much. People do not decline mentally with age; it just takes them longer to recall facts, because they have more information in their brains. Scientists believe, this also makes you hard of hearing, as it puts physical pressure on your inner ear. Also, older people often go to another room to get something and when they get there, they stand there wondering what they came for. It is not a mem-
ory problem; it is nature’s way of making older people do more exercise. Cheers! Oh by the way, as the year progresses, please take special care of yourself and avoid injuries, because spare parts for old models are no longer in stock, as most of us are the 40s, 50s and 60s models. The warranty period is long over and the expiry date is due soon. Caution is better than a fixing. Have to remind yourselves, “We are a limited edition”.
(Articles published in this ‘From the Mobile’ page are WhatsApp forwards. Corporate Citizen does not independently vouch for their authenticity. It’s a fun page. Enjoy!) February 16-28, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 63
Claps & Slaps Corporate Citizen Claps for the students of Space Kidz India, a space education firm in Chennai as they become the proud makers of the world’s lightest satellite – the Kalamsat-V2
This satellite designed and built by these students weighs 1.26 kg, which is less than the weight of a wooden chair! The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the Kalamsat and an imaging military satellite, Microsat-R, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, which also marked the 46th flight of ISRO’s workhorse-the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) – a four-stage rocket and for this launch weighs about 260 tonnes. It is not the first time that Indian students have contributed to space missions. Nine other satellites have been made by Indian students in the past. K Sivan, Chief of ISRO, said that Kalamsat is equipped to serve as a communications satellite for ham radio transmission, a type of wireless communication used for non-commercial activities by amateurs. The satellite is being launched by ISRO’s PSLV. ISRO will for the first time reuse a stage of the rocket to launch the satellite. In traditional launches, various segments are discarded during an ascent and fuel is also removed. The first three segments in traditional launches would normally drop back to earth. The 4th and final stage uses liquid propellants, and therefore can be stopped and restarted several times to get a spacecraft into the right orbit. The fourth stage can take the Kalamsat satellite into a height of 277 km (172 miles) above the earth. “Why waste such a valuable resource? We decided to convert (the fourth stage) into an experimental orbital platform to conduct small experiments in space,” said K Sivan. The PSLV rocket costs upwards of $28m (£21m). So, in this mission, the last stage of the rocket will be “moved to a higher circular orbit” from where the Kalamsat-V2 is expected to beam down its signals. “This is the first time that ISRO is conducting such an experiment to reclaim a dead rocket stage and to keep it alive,” K Sivan said. ISRO has received seven applications from students for doing experiments in space. “Based on requirements from students, we will launch more such PSLV rockets this year so as to enable students to perform tests in space. This facility will be free for all students,” Sivan said. 64 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
Corporate Citizen slaps for anti-helmet activists who are fighting against the national helmet law, made mandatory since January 1, 2019 More precisely, the Pune-based ‘Helmet Sakti Virodhi Kruti Samiti’, recently held an elaborate public ceremony that symbolised ‘last rites’ bestowed to a motorcycle helmet. The protest was against recent episodes of police enforcement based on the mandatory ‘helmet law’ wherein the police had handed out 9,500 tickets for not wearing a helmet during that period of time. Although the helmet rule (Section 129) of the Motor Vehicle Act, was introduced in 1988, it was not enforced until now. A group of politicians and activists too protested and organised a two-wheeler rally whilst submitting a letter to the effect to the Commissioner of Police, Pune. “The use of helmet should not be made mandatory but keep it as a personal choice. There are many cases of people suffering from medical
issues after using helmets. Hence, it is my opinion that this issue should be kept open to the public,” said Anil Shirole, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Pune Member of Parliament (MP). Other reason for not wearing helmets is that Pune city traffic rarely exceeds 20 mph and therefore it does not pose a threat to head injuries at low speeds. Other not so scientific reasons being helmets are believed to cause increased spinal injuries and even hair loss. While but very rarely, the extra weight of a helmet on the head might cause additional injuries; the ‘antihelmet’ propaganda definitely under-rides the possibility of lives saved by wearing them. Hair loss claim might be true if a loose helmet constantly rubs against the scalp, which can be avoided by a properly fitted one. Also, the incidences of two-wheeler accidents across the country have now prompted the transport ministry to form a committee for guidance on making lighter helmets. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) will ensure that checks are in place for ISI helmets. Lighter helmets have been suggested to suit Indian road conditions and the proposal is for these to weigh around 1.2kg instead of 1.5kg. Fingers crossed for lighter helmets to strengthen road safety!
(Compiled by Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar)
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February 16-28, 2019 / Corporate Citizen / 65
the last word
Ganesh Natarajan
Spotting the Royal Bengal Tiger! The city of Kolkata truly is rediscovering its title as the City of Joy-there is a sense of resurgence everywhere that is visible and encouraging
E
very trip back to East India makes me wonder why I left it in the late seventies to study and work in other parts of the country and the world. The city of Kolkata truly is rediscovering its title as the City of Joy with spanking new infrastructure and a new sense of discipline and confidence pervading all communities and the city. Its no longer small parts of the city dominated by the Bengali “bhadralok” and the Tamilian settlers in South Kolkata or the Marwari millionaires densely populating the “Burra Bazaar’ lanes in the North. From Behala to New Town there is a sense of resurgence everywhere that is visible and encouraging. A Social Venture Partners meeting in the heart of the city, a friend’s daughter’s wedding on the outskirts and some fabulous Bengali meals ending with “Mishti Doi and Notungud Sondesh” over a weekend had lulled me into a sense of comfort that all was truly well in the city of my early childhood but then eight of us (four engineering classmates with spouses) decided to take a five hour bus and boat ride to the Sunderban Tiger Reserve, in search of the Royal Bengal Tiger and more important to get some camaraderie and downtime in what is truly one of the last unspoilt parts of our fabulous country. The extremely hospitable Waxpol resort built by my old friends, Rekha and Pravir Garg, is
try, the vote banks of the political a place I would highly recommend parties will need to be placated and the sylvan mangroves through anew and we can expect the usual which boats meander and the salurush of promised freebies of the brious climate and landscape can subsidy or direct transfer variety. truly transport one to a new world. There is no doubt that the secret The one disturbing element was to who will form the next Governthe livelihood levels in this part of ment continues to lie in the heartour country which is so much belands of the country and not in the low the life that many of us lead in tweeting and blogging intelligenbig cities like Pune, Mumbai, Deltsia to which many of us belong, hi and Bengaluru. The boatman, who have a large share of voice but tourist guide and help at the resort probably very little relevance in were delighted with gratuities in the choice of the next set of leadtwo digits and a group of Adivaers. Travelling around the country si singers and dancers bussed in makes me feel there is no sense of from two hours performed their certainty which way the votes will hearts out in the evening and were delighted when we gave them a fairly decent sum of money from our side. It’s not just the tribals or A thought did strike me the local folk in Bengal that while our Million but truly all settlers Jobs Mission at Social Venture Partners India of the city who show aims to get the urban genuine warmth and poor to salary levels in friendship-a disapthe ten thousand per month range, hundreds pearing quality in many of millions of people in parts of the country the rural and remote parts of our country swing, which is clearly both a chalwould be happy to get a steady lenge and an opportunity for the income which is a fraction of this political strategists on all sides of number. Equity surely has differthe spectrum. ent shades of meaning in India as Who comes to power in Delhi indeed it has in every part of the may be uncertain but one leader world! who is sure to rule the roost for As we move into an election many more years (should we say spring and summer and the battle decades) is the Real Bengal Tiger, of the ballot assumes overwhelmMamta Banerjee. On the ride from ing proportions all over the coun-
66 / Corporate Citizen / February 16-28, 2019
Kolkata to the point where we alighted our boat to the Sunderbans, there was not a post or poster which did not carry a picture of the lady and often either the local TMC politician or her chosen heir Abhishek. A complete absence of any other political face from the entire landscape seemed to point to a veritable monopoly of mindshare and eyeball and decibel share that Didi now enjoys. A remarkable tale of leadership and while this writer has no axe to grind in Bengal, my two meetings with Didi over the past few years and the remarkable changes in Kolkata and its surrounds show that here is one tale of political success that shows no sign of wear and tear. At least not as yet. Finally, a few thoughts on the people of the East. It’s not just the tribals or the local folk in Bengal but truly all settlers of the city who show genuine warmth and friendship-a disappearing quality in many parts of the country. People take you into their homes and hearts and are always willing to go the extra mile in their desire to make you feel welcome. Here is a big shout out to my friends in the city of Kolkata-may your tribe of people with big hearts and genuine affection continue to thrive. We need that in India! Dr. Ganesh Natarajan is Chairman of 5F World, Pune City Connect and Social Venture Partners, India.
Printed and published by Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian on behalf of Sri Balaji Society. Editor: Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian. Published from : 925/5, Mujumdar Apt, F.C. Road, Pune - 411004, Maharashtra. Printed at Magna Graphics (I) Ltd., 101-C&D Govt. Industrial Estate, Hindustan Naka, Kandivali (W), Mumbai - 400067.