Maconza sep 2011 by MAÇON

MACONZA “The Z to A of Entrepreneurship”

September 2011

Teacher’s Day Special

September 2011 Opinion

Editor’s Note Dear Readers Flipkart.com

“ Teaching is the profession that

teaches all other professions.” -Anonymous

Impact of Government on Entrepreneurship

The taste of success is always

sweet, but sit back and you Leading the Way

would realize, that it wouldn't

have been possible without our A Name that Matters :

teachers. In life, everyone is a

Getting Your Venture

teacher. Life, itself, is the great

the Right Name

est teacher . On this special

occasion, we, at Maconza, wish every teacher a Happy Teacher‟s

Women Entrepreneurship:

Day, for without them, we

A Struggling Story of Success

wouldn‟t have grown.

Teachers are entrepreneurs and Being Guardians

entrepreneurs are teachers.

Their stories are lessons for the world.

Cricket: Learning from Dhoni

Happy Reading

Team Maconza

Page|2

Maconza

Macon

The Entrepreneurship Cell

“Macon” means “To Create or to Build”. The objective of launching the cell is to provide the common platform to those who aspire to be an entrepreneur and want to bring change in the society in a different way. These people can come together, express their views, show their passion, share their ideas, and nurture their dreams to see them turning into reality with the help of Macon. Through Macon’s initiative, we try to bring out the entrepreneurial skills and provide with the vital support system that a budding entrepreneur demands. The Vision “MACON is a conglomerate of individuals with a vision, a dream which surely can come true. It is a place for all those who want to create their own path and leave behind the trails of success. The Cell aims at nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit and tremendous energy among individual to a level where they can bring about a positive change in the society…a change that we all aspire for. MACON believes an entrepreneurial mind is a mind of original ideas and aspires to extend all possible support to it’ student and alumni members, in association with it’s strategic partner, NEN, and enable them to realize their dreams.” The Mission “To ignite the spark of entrepreneurship amongst students from IBS and other institutes and provide a common platform for individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit to develop, nurture, share and grow their ideas.” Establishing a new enterprise requires skills that have to be nurtured from a very early stage. The huge potential and skills of management graduate of India needs to be tapped and each and every college has to take up initiatives of creating not just job seekers but also job providers. However motivation and information at the right stage could lead to birth and nurturing of future entrepreneurs at the graduate level. Even for those who do not aim to start an enterprise immediately, the cell will help in providing them the platform to demonstrate their entrepreneurial skills.

Page|2

September 2011 Successful Entrepreneurship Flipkart.com And so began Flip-kart.com, India‟s

How Sachin and Binny Bansal

largest e-retailing site for books

flipped an idea into one of

and electronic gadgets today.

India’s most successful e -

Consumers didn‟t have to go Bookstore hunting for titles anymore.

commerce sites.

And those on a window-shopping spree were sure to get attracted to

By Aditi Ghosh

something of interest or even be

“Should no one come at your call,

tempted to delve into a point-of-

walk alone. Walk alone, walk

purchase buy. After all, a range of a

alone , walk alone ...”

breath-taking

English translation of „Jodi tor daak

million

titles,

clearly spelt out prices, compara-

shune‟ by Rabindranath Tagore.

tive rates and free and efficient

Entrepreneurs see an opportunity

door-step delivery and an easy

when the others see Impossibility.

online pay portal was hard to re-

That‟s how Flipkart founders Sa-

sist.

chin Bansal & Binny Bansal decided to quit their first jobs and explore the potential for e-commerce and e-shopping in India. And so came the idea of India‟s first comparative shopping engine: Flipkart.com. Then came the idea of selling Books through it . Page|3

Maconza “And, when you want something,

had an office, phones etc. So they

all the universe conspires in help-

started with Paypal‟s service. Pay-

ing you to achieve it.”,

pal is a secure and safe setup

-Paulo Coelho

through which buyers can use their

Thus, came the coincident advent

credit or debit card details to pay

of the boom in the Indian mass

online.

market for English racy-reading.

They also had to work closely with

The experimental Indian e-shopper

courier companies across India.

found it much easier now to trust

Then, getting data from suppliers

Flipkart with an online transaction

was another difficulty.

a Rs 100 Chetan Bhagat

All they focused on was, that they‟d

book .That broke the ice. Starters

got in with a conviction of making

felt safer to try Flipkart services for

their idea big.

the Rs 100 payout-and that was the

So with the backing of venture

beginning.

capitalists, and with no room for business

compromise, they remained ada-

model on the ABCD acronym used

mant about maintaining quality.

in e-commerce world, where A is

Costs were not a concern. They de-

Access, B is behaviour C is collec-

pended on the competitive market

tions and D delivery, Flipkart was

to bring the price of the books

posed to deliver a new approach to

down to a good bargain. But, Flip-

book search and book buying.

kart grew to be more

Sachin & Binny faced all the chal-

books. It was the overall experi-

lenges that arise in dealing with a

ence, convenience and delivery ser-

third party. Getting a payment

vices that made flipkart larger than

gateway was a problem unless they

a single book purchase. Flipkart

Measuring

Flipkart‟s

Page|4

than the

September 2011 Successful Entrepreneurship made the experience of buying a

cessories, everything at the best

book more fulfilling.

bargains, under one roof.

Nominated for the prestigious

They‟ve come up with creative ads

Ernst and Young Award 2010 for

and improving operations. They‟re

the best entrepreneur, Flipkart is a

making their presence felt on the

proven success story today.

net making the whole experience of shopping a pleasant, convenient and satisfactory one. And needless to say , they have Venture Capitalists too eager to flush them with money ! The biggest ideas have always been simple and had immense potential because someone believed in them and decided to take that first step. “The

thought of setting up Flipkart.com

And the idea doesn‟t didn‟t wear

came from

out. In fact, it made way for newer

provided by e-commerce companies in general

ideas,

less than satisfactory service

and online book stores in particular. Our

while Sachin Bansal &

business opportunity was to do better than

Binny Bansal are themselves sure

everyone else in the in terms of „service‟. As a

this is just where the story of Flip-

start up company with e-commerce domain,

kart starts.

it also helped that this was a segment where

So, they are adding new product

could get started quickly.”

lines such as movies, music, games

-Sachin Bansal in an interview.

and consoles, smart phones, cam-

(Adapted from www.bookshopblog.com)

eras, computers and computer acPage|5

Maconza

Awareness Impact of Governments on Entrepreneurship people

By Reetoditee Mazumdar

each,

worldwide

and

around 63 million entrepreneurs would hire close to five people or more in the next five years. That means a potential of around 540 million jobs in the next five years alone. The report gives us a inkling of the very real importance of entrepreneurship in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x;s times. Apple, as of September 2010 figures, provides jobs to fortysix thousand employees and

What are the economics of entre-

Wal-Mart, as of 2011 has more

preneurship? Should governments

than two million employees on its

encourage entrepreneurship or

payroll. If tomorrow, Wal-Mart

should they discourage it ? Do en-

were to go under, the impact on the

trepreneurs create enough jobs ?

economy of U.S.A would be enor-

What do the statistics say ? Ac-

mous, to say the least. The GEM

cording to the Global Entrepre-

report recommends that ailing gov-

neurship Model (2010), around 27

ernments worldwide encourage en-

million entrepreneurs worldwide

trepreneurs. The figures and pro-

would be hiring more than twenty

jections are food for thought. Page|6

September 2011 Awareness Ease of doing business in a particu-

small business firm can pay a vari-

lar country is the most important

ety of taxes. So tax reliefs are necessary to encourage young entrepreneurs. Some countries have express tax reliefs. For example, in Australia, there is the Entrepreneur tax offset wherein if the business turnover is less than or equal to seventy-five thousand dollars, the business may get a tax offset of

factor for an entrepreneur. Accord-

twenty-five percent. And in UK,

ing to World Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x;s 2011 rankings,

there is an Entrepreneurâ&#x20AC;&#x;s Tax Re-

Singapore ranks as the number one

lief which allows entrepreneurs to

country on that score. It is followed

pay just ten percent capital gains

by Hong Kong and then New Zea-

tax when selling off a business.

land and United Kingdom and the

Interestingly Hong Kong and Sin-

US at fifth place. The factors on

gapore rank first and second re-

which World Bank evaluates are

spectively in the 2011 Index of Eco-

country include factors such as

nomic Freedom as well. A higher

availability of credit, property reg-

score on economic freedom has im-

istration and taxes and trading

portant connotations for an entre-

across borders. But why are such

preneur. Economic freedom basi-

considerations important ?

cally indicates the degree to which

Let us explore tax laws first. De-

a government imposes constraints

pending on the country and the

on the movement of labour, capital

business structure, the owner of a

and goods. It indicates how much Page|7

Maconza freedom an individual has, to work,

protected and enforced properly, it

produce , consume and invest.

gives entrepreneurs a sense of secu-

Property rights, freedom to do

rity which is again an essential fac-

business, trade freedom and invest-

tor for anyone considering starting

ment freedom and monetary free-

a business in any country. From

dom are some of the factors any

the point of view of an entrepre-

entrepreneur should keep in mind

neur trying to start a business in a

before setting up a business in that

foreign country, the investment

particular country. For example,

and trade freedom indexes of a

monetary freedom implies price

country are also vital. An example

stability and price controls within

could be translation and teaching

a particular country. For example, a

services. The availability of permits

government which does not do

to settle down in another country,

much to control erratic inflation is

to be able to start a business there

not controlling its prices and there-

and earn profits without interfer-

fore entrepreneurs may get a dis-

ence from the foreign government -

torted view of the markets. This is

all these factors should also be un-

potentially harmful because any in-

der consideration.

dividual would first look at the po-

Nationalization of sectors and in-

tential of the market before setting

dustries by government is also a

up a business.

bane to entrepreneurs. Nationaliza-

Another aspect of economic free-

tion leads to a kind of public mo-

dom that is vital to entrepreneurs

nopoly which is not desirable. An

is the protection of property rights,

increase in nationalization reduces

especially intellectual property

scope for entrepreneurial activity

rights. When property rights are

in that sector. In U.K for example, Page|8

September 2011 Awareness healthcare is a completely national-

contracts by tracking disputes re-

ized service. And an example in In-

lated to sales of goods and the time

dia would be railways. Because it

and cost involved from filing suits

is wholly under the control of the

to the resolution and payment. The

government, entrepreneurs cannot

implications of this rank are wide

make a foray into it but it is a sec-

ranging. It may mean that an entre-

tor that is ripe for privatization. An

preneur will have to put in more

example could be taken of the avia-

effort to start a business and at-

tion sector which opened upto pri-

tract investment because the secu-

vate players and service improved

rity of the investor is not assured.

by leaps and bounds.

Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x;s overall rank too needs to

Let us take a closer look at India

improve. In India, Small and Me-

and its rankings and analyze it. Ac-

dium Entreprises (SMEs) already

cording to the World Bank 2011 fig-

contribute to more than 60-70% of

ures, India ranks 134th out of 183

the employment and as per projec-

countries. While it has a compara-

tions, will contribute around 22%

tively good rank in items such as

to the GDP by 2012. . As a develop-

credit availability, investor protec-

ing country and one of the leading

tion and property registration (32,

emerging economies, the Indian

44 and 94 respectively), it ranks on

government needs to create a more

the low scale on factors such as

hospitable environment for entre-

starting a business(165), taxation

preneurs, especially when their

(164) and enforcing contracts(182)

contribution is so vital to the econ-

is considered. The rank of 182 out

omy.

of 183 is certainly of concern. The World Bank defines enforcing of Page|9

Maconza

Opinion Leading the Way

“The very essence of leadership is that

we popularly call „leadership‟.

you have to have vision. You can’t blow

Management gurus and academi-

an uncertain trumpet.”

cians from around the world have

-Theodore M Hesburg

defined „leadership‟ in numerous ways. Perhaps the best and the

By Sujitha

simplest way of describing leadership is to define it as „setting an ex-

What is it that sets entrepreneurs

ample for others to follow‟. Setting

like Bill Gates, Narayan Murthy,

the example means not asking

Azim Premji and JRD Tata apart

someone to do something that you

from the usual flock of entrepre-

would not willingly do. It means

neurs present around the world?

setting a standard of excellence for

Why is it that their success stories

others, while giving them the moti-

continue to inspire millions of peo-

vation and inspiration to follow

ple around the world? A deep

you. This basic definition is more

analysis of these questions will re-

vital to entrepreneurs as compared

veal that people around the world

to managers because a manager has

find these personalities charismatic not because of the wealth they possess but because of the way they connect and influence the lives of the people who work or have worked for them. In a single word, this charisma and ability to influence people around them is what Page|10

September 2011 Opinion the ability to influence only a

fectively communicate with them.

bunch of people but an entrepre-

Employees around the world want

neur has the power to influence all

their leaders to be truthful and re-

the people who are either directly

spect them, regardless of their posi-

or indirectly associated with his

tion in the organization. Perhaps,

business. Perhaps, this is the reason

the easiest way to win the confi-

why Narayan Murthy adopted the tagline “Powered by Intellect. Driven by Values” (coined by Sridhar Marri) as the core principle of Infosys. This tagline is more or less was a reflection of his own ideals which eventually inspired and affected everyone who was ever a part of Infosys. Also, his „simple living and high thinking‟ attitude

dence of one‟s employees is by

made him someone who can be eas-

working really hard and being fully

ily approached and shared new

committed to achieving the vision

ideas with. This is the reason why a

that has been set for the enterprise.

lot of people were happy and proud

This also provides the benefit of

to be working under his able lead-

high employee motivation and

ership.

commitment. Effective communica-

Entrepreneurs can become success-

tion skills are equally important in

ful leaders only if they are able to

entrepreneurial leadership. If em-

build trust and confidence amongst

ployees are confused about the

their employees and are able to ef-

company‟s visions or have no idea Page|11

Maconza about what is expected of them,

panyâ&#x20AC;&#x;s survival and success de-

they fail to deliver their best effort

pends as much on them as it does

in the job they perform. Hence,

on the entrepreneur and the best

providing proper and timely infor-

person to make them realise this

mation is instrumental for the

fact is the entrepreneur himself.

smooth functioning of any enter-

Also, the entrepreneur should sur-

prise.

round himself/herself with capable

Apart from building trust and ef-

people who can perform and super-

fective communication, other nec-

vise the tasks that are necessary to

essary factors for entrepreneurial

run the business. He/she must un-

leadership include seeking self im-

derstand that getting people united

provement possessing the

is different from issuing instruc-

necessary technical skills, accept-

tions about what those people

ing responsibility for actions, tak-

should be doing. Hence, focusing

ing effective decisions and last but

on the bigger picture, they must

not the least being a role model and

ensure that everyone shares a com-

a team player. Of all these factors,

mon vision and this responsibility

the most important is being a team

is something that cannot be effec-

player. Although an entrepreneur is

tively transferred because the vi-

the one who leads his employees

sion must come straight from the

towards the realisation of the en-

top. History can give us ample ex-

terprise goals, it is very important

amples of people like Hitler whose

that instead of working separately,

visions, no matter how dictatorial,

he/she should work with the em-

were inspirational enough to make

ployees. The employees must be

a whole nation follow him.

constantly reminded that the comPage|12

September 2011 Awareness A Name that Matters: Getting Your Venture the Correct Image they tossed a coin to decide What’s a brand? A singular concept or idea that you own inside the mind of the

whether it should be name Hewlett -Packard or Packard-Hewlett. Maggi, named after its

prospect

founder Julious Maggi, al-

-Al Ries

though was taken over by

By Swapnil Tewari

Néstle , its name survived

Does the name „Apple‟ go well with

and now has become a

a tech com-

synonym for noodles amongst In-

pany when

dian families. This portrays the

its competi-

power of a brand name. It sur-

tors

have

passes the product we offer and the

names like IBM, DEC, CINCOM?

cross functionality of industries as

„Apple‟ which is Steve Jobs favour-

well. For a brand name which has

ite fruit, is also a name with a per-

already created a buzz, it‟s a cake-

sonal

and

walk but for new ventures it is very

warmth, and this was

important to name it in an apt way

the inspiration behind

which goes well with the product

the naming of one of the

and leaves an imprint on the mind

biggest

of the consumer.

touch

brand

that

could exist today. When Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard were naming their company,

Page|13

Maconza Now for an entrepreneur it be-

false image in the minds of the con-

comes vital to name his venture

sumers which in turn will affect

right. The factors which should be

the brand name itself.

kept in mind while naming a new

4: Not leading to abbreviation: If

venture are:

a long name is opted, it will take no

1: Short and simple: Yes, your con-

time for people to abbreviate it.

sumer should easily get on with the

People have a tendency that can be

name. It should be short, easy to

observed: in the long run, no one

pronounce and must be retainable

remembers what the long name

once heard. Dell, Sony, Nokia cre-

was and only the abbreviation

ate an easy impact on mind.

strikes the mind while talking

Differentiating:

The

about the product. Companies like

name

should be different from all other

ITC, HP are a few examples.

products in the industry but that

5: Can be connected to all attrib-

simply doesn‟t mean it should be

utes of the product: Although it‟s

very out of box. A customer first

tough for a small and precise name

needs to connect with the brand

to do so but that is where effective

and that demands some point of

advertising and sales promotion

difference between your product

comes in to play. Various jingles

and the others and this should be

and captions can be used along

reflected in your name or at least in

with the product name to define it

its tag-line like Big Bazaar- “Isse

and the value attached with it.

Saur achcha Kahin Nahi”.

6: There may be something which

3: Legal and available: It‟s basic

is creating a fad in the market and

that the name should not be copied

the product is the outcome of it but

from some near product to create a

even then, we should not go ahead Page|14

September 2011 Awareness with a name which is in vogue

the initial stage but later on the

since we must constantly be think-

false hype which is created doesn‟t

ing about the long run product vi-

work anymore if the product fails

ability.

to meet its quality standards.

7: Naming a product out of the

10: Innovation: The creativity in-

blue is also profitable sometimes as

volved in innovating a new product

it creates a mystery- a buzz about

can be exercised to create an inno-

the product and in today‟s com-

vative name for the product. It can

petitive industry when consumer‟s

be a combination of foreign words

brand loyalty is shifting fast; it

with a twist of „desi flavor‟ or mix-

helps in capturing the market.

ing languages or even naming a

Names such as Nike (Greek God-

cloth range after a fruit name.

dess of victory) Google, Yahoo, Firefox are examples which are in no way related to the product that they sell but have a unique brand image. 8: Sometimes, even a mere combination of words will do. It can be a related or an unrelated word. All that matters is to create sync. Firefox, Indesign, Baggit can be some examples. 9: The name or the tagline should not be misleading at any cost because it may attract consumers at Page|14

Maconza Another important feature for a

QUIZ

brand other than the name is its

Quizmaster: Shubhasree Srinivasan

logo. The famous „Google‟ or

Q1) This young person came down to In-

„Apple‟ logo is significantly attached with the brand and can be

dia on a holiday and decided her path

recognized even if the name is ab-

during her stay . Taking her passion all

sent. The logo should compliment

the way she started the organisation

the name of the venture and it becomes more valuable when both

that now helps many kids from the slums

can even substitute each other.

of Mumbai to read - Akanksha .She is

Name matters a lot for a start-up or even an established product but in

also the CEO of the campaign that is

the end it‟s all about how you jus-

conducted partnering one of the fa-

tify the name with the product at-

mous newspaper houses in India. Who

tributes, how well it caters to the

is she?

needs of the consumer and should imprint a strong image in their

Q2) He and his team were pioneers in in-

minds. Just like when someone

venting the process of making milk pow-

says „Apple‟ and the image of tech product comes to your mind which

der and condensed milk from buffalo's

is the finest in its industry and

milk instead of cow's milk. He received

category. Well managed brands

live

the Economic Times corporate excel-

on,-

lence award in 2001. Who is he ?

only bad brand managers die. - George Bull

Answers on page 31. Page|15

September 2011 Women Entrepreneurship Women Entrepreneurs: The Struggling Story of Success When it comes to entrepreneurship, is our society still gender biased in the 21st century?

question of taking their opinion. Rights were never on her desk as with her counterpart. Women

By Abhimanyu Singh Women are changing the face of business today, both literally and figuratively. They are in the forefront of the service sector, the fastest growing sector of the economy. They have instituted innovative systems and schedules. Yet the business world is still a manâ&#x20AC;&#x;s domain.

Entrepreneurial

activity

achieved suffrage on the same

among women continues to attract

terms as men in 1928. The right to

attention world wide. However,

inheritance, property and own

despite obvious gains, women lag

money all came with struggle to

behind men in business ownership

them. They had to be subservient

and economic independence in

to their fathers and husbands.

every continent.

Their occupational choices were

In a patriarchal society, itâ&#x20AC;&#x;s a tough

extremely limited. Starting their

task for her to even express herself.

own business was of no question in

Decisions are imposed upon them,

early nineteenth century.

Page|16

Maconza The hidden entrepreneurial poten-

continues to be. “Women can‟t

tials of women gradually changed

handle money”-is a common view

with the growing sensitivity to

of the society. The myth that

their role and economic status in

women can not engage in produc-

the society. Women have come out

tive employment needs to be dis-

of the confines of their homes and

pelled.

created a mark for themselves in

A strong desire to do something

every

Skill,

positive is an inbuilt quality of

knowledge and adaptability in

women entrepreneurs who are ca-

business are the main reasons for

pable of contributing values to

women to emerge into business

both family

ventures which gives them a right

“Empowering women is a prerequi-

to take decisions, independence

site for creating a good nation,

and money- a room of their own .

when women are empowered, soci-

The transition from homemaker to

ety with stability is assured. Em-

sophisticated businesswomen is

powerment of women is essential

conceivable

field.

and

social

life.

not that easy. The family members and the society are reluctant to

Most women feel they have limitations

stand beside their entrepreneurial

and they are not cut out to hold such

growth. Women‟s family and per-

large businesses. That has to change. It

sonal obligations are sometimes

is heartening to see family businesses

great barriers. The greatest deter-

are encouraging their daughters which

rent to women is that they are

was not so in the past. This is a good

women. Lack of access to capital

sign.

has been the primary obstacle for

-Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

women entrepreneurs and still Page|17

September 2011 Women Entreprenership as their thoughts and value systems

technology was then a new world,

lead to the development of a good

the company lacked assets and (the

family, good society and ultimately

most important) women entrepre-

a good nation,”

neur were still a rarity. Today her

- APJ Abdul Kalam.

company is the biggest pharmaceu-

Alice Walker in „The Color Purple‟,

tical firm in the country.

shows the transition of the female

The glass ceilings have shattered

protagonist from weak, timid and

and women are found indulging in

subservient to a women of sub-

every line of business from Pappad

stance who starts her own venture

to power cables. Ekta Kapoor,

of making pants- a symbol of mas-

Sunita Narain, Neelam Dhawan

culinity, modernity and independ-

and Naina Lal Kidwai are some of

ence. This book showed the strug-

the emerging face of modern India.

gling success story of a dependent

They now survive and succeed in

woman to an independent entre-

this cut throat competition with

preneur.

their hard work, diligence and per-

Entrepreneur Dr. Kiran Mazumdar

severance. A refreshing new ap-

-Shaw, chairman and managing di-

proach to entrepreneurship by

rector of Biocon Ltd, became In-

women emphasizes relative advan-

dia‟s richest woman in 2004. She

tage of women and how they can

found Biocon India with a capital

be leveraged into entrepreneurship.

of Rs 10,000 in her garage in 1978.

This provides solid scientific evi-

The initial operation was to extract

dence that women, on an average,

an enzyme from papaya. Her appli-

take a broader perspective then

cations of loan were turned down

men do, and think contextually and

by banks then-on three counts: bio-

holistically. They also display Page|18

Maconza more mental flexibility, make more

as the economy. Promoting entre-

intuitive and imaginative judg-

preneurship amongst women is

ments , and have greater tendency

certainly a short cut to rapid economic

growth

and development. Let us try

eliminate

all

forms of gender discrimination and thus allow women to be entrepreneurs at par with men. to plan long term. These female

After so many years of research, on

tools are important for female en-

entrepreneurship, many ask whether

trepreneurs.

I have gleaned any ideas on why

A new perspective emphasizes the

some people are winners and others

claim that women don‟t have to

are losers. Can the elements of suc-

replicate men‟s entrepreneurial ex-

cess be identified? I am as puzzled

perience and the masculine mental-

today as the day I started, fifteen

ity of „doing business‟. Women and

years ago.

investors can see feminine traits and talents as source of power with

-Gita Piramal

valuable advantage for entrepre-

(Adapted from the book Business

neurship. Women entrepreneur-

Maharajas by Gita Piramal)

ship is beneficial for women as well Page|19

September 2011 Opinion Full Stops are Essential grim, slowly, they start sharing

Some one to hold our hand..

their views in terms of criticizing By Dhruti Badami

the system, cursing the authorities,

It‟s 9 pm. After having dinner, the

political parties & government, ex-

family members of a typical middle

pressing how powerless a common

class Indian family, sit together to

man is, stating statements like

watch

“India has nothing to give to the

shows...The young boy operating

next generation except corrupted

the remote- flips to MTV; then his

genes in heredity”.. and finally put-

mother comes and tells him to

ting question marks „when would

the

prime

time

switch to some other

system

channel showing her fa-

suddenly a trailer of

vourite serial and then

a new movie on TV

the father comes, take re-

screen captures the

mote from boy and flips

attention of every-

to some news channel.

one and the mem-

Now, all members are

bers start talking

forced

about the movie,

watch

the

change?‟,

„news‟ , in which there is nothing

finding discussion on Shahrukh

new-the same reports on scams,

Khan‟s new hairstyle more interest-

scandals-

ing than the previous discussion.

scam,

Common-

wealth scam, Adarsh scam, Swiss

Everyone in our nation wants the

banking scandals etc. The grinning

system to be changed, wants „ideal‟

expressions of members change to

leaders who would cut the roots of

Page|20

Maconza corruption at grassroots; but they

Anna Hazare – the „Modern Gan-

don‟t ponder over how would it

dhian specimen‟ in white clothing

happen and who would take the

and gandhitopi is giving answer to

initiative. People get rid off their

all corruption woes through lokpal

responsibilities saying that „I am a

bill that will make corrupted cul-

common man, I have no authority,

prits accountable for their deeds.

no power...all I can do is just give a

He is the creator of sustainable vil-

vote‟ And their „question marks‟ on

lage republic model: „Ralegan Sid-

system pause with „commas‟ on

dhi‟, which is itself a live example

their dinner tables only, which are

of possibility of transformation of a

never supposed to end with full

poverty clad village into one of the

stop, but to be continued in next

richest villages of India through

conversation with same question

combined social efforts. When this

marks and no solid solution. But

article is being written, the Lokpal

fortunately, there are still some

Bill is in impasse state, which has

people in India who don‟t want any

immersed Indian people in a strong

more commas & question marks in

unprecedented wave of „Indianness‟

their life and are looking for solid

bringing all together.

solutions to existing problems; one

I did not gift any TOYS OR CHOCOLATES

of them is Anna Hazare- an austere

to my daughter on her 5th birthday yesterday.

73-year-old man, whose virtual ap-

But I promised her that I would take her to

pearance is very much visible

somewhere for which she‟ll feel proud through-

nowadays- through news channels,

out her life. I took her along with me to support

talk

Anna in front of Tihar Jail

shows,

social

gatherings,

Gate. Go out and support.

newspapers, social media, almost

- A Facebook status enlightening the true es-

everywhere.

sence of the movement when Anna was in jail. Page|21

September 2011 Opinion But, here, again a question mark

schools. Some just want to have a

can be posed: “Are we really all to-

feeling of social contribution by at-

gether?”

tending the social gatherings of re-

While some of Hazare‟s supporters

lated cause wearing the t-shirts of

took to the streets, others reacted

„Support Anna!‟ message- and while

on social networks, including Face-

returning from the cause gathering,

book, Twitter, and YouTube in-

many of them even don‟t care to

creasing business of social media.

spare their seats in a local train for

Everyone is trying to get benefit

a senior citizen standing nearby -

from this „social cause contribution‟

holding the rod for support.

and social media is doing this by

An article in a newspaper portrays

launching new games under the

image of Anna Hazare in terms of a

name of Anna Hazare, publishing

„brand‟, who carved out a distinct

funny animations, videos and try-

space in Indian youth‟s minds, spe-

ing to get maximum benefit out of

cially. Possibilities are there that

many of the marketers & advertis-

amused by „Anna‟ factor that they

ers must be finding an opportunity

can be easily attracted. Some

to link „Brand Anna‟ with their

youngsters follow the sites because

product. While marketing people

„Amir Khan‟ is following it or

are locating brand equity in Anna‟s

„Chetan Bhagat‟ is showing his con-

„Gandhi topi‟, people from corpo-

cern through his „Mera Neta Chor

rate sector are stating the initiation

Hai‟ thread. Some youngsters feel

of movement a „bad timing‟ because

exciting for this cause with candles

costs, sluggish growth, increased

in their hands because they are get-

competition and according to

ting a holiday from colleges &

them, Anna‟s movement would fur-

because

youngsters

are

Page|22

Maconza ther complex situations for global

tending to support the cause with-

investors due to uncertainty of po-

out understanding the true essence

litical state of India and that would

of the cause, how would the cause

affect

retain its viability at long run?

their

business.

Some

„intellectual‟ people are satisfied

Because the „seed‟ of such move-

with having a fresh political topic

ments is the „value system of peo-

which is to be discussed with elite

ple‟ and if the integrity of the value

class of people with hot sips of cof-

system is not at all strong, then

fee around a roundtable!

even if the gardener (Anna Hazare)

Anna Hazare is a social entrepre-

gets success in his movement, there

neur, extending his efforts from a

is a very little probability of con-

village model to the whole nation,

tributing a prospective „life‟ to its

enlightening the core concept of

true essence tree, practically. So,

collective efforts for our own wel-

„being guardians‟ of this seed, it is

fare on the base of strong value sys-

As we look ahead into the next century, leaders

tems. It is a person‟s wish to under-

will be those who empower others.

stand the true essence of this move-

-Bill Gates.

ment and determining the true de-

our responsibility to conserve it,

gree of personal contribution to the

nourish it, prospect it further and

movement, it is still not a question

cherish its fruits in future with

of at what extent the mode of this

next generation! Let‟s just give a

movement is right or wrong, but it

break to all „commas‟ & „question

is about with what reason a person

marks‟ of our life, so we can actu-

is joining the cause. Each and eve-

ally build-up strength among us to

ryone joins the cause for his own

put a „real‟ full stop, because full

concerns, but if a person is pre-

stops are essential. Page|23

September 2011 Opinion Cricket: Learning from Dhoni Things entrepreneurs can learn from India’s favorite sport. By Vivek Tiwari Cricket is one thing which every Indian can relate to. It‟s a religion which every Indian is proud to follow. It‟s the only string which unites us all. If you do not agree with it then just remember the world cup night, and think about the moment when Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit that six to win the world cup. Everyone was out of their seats, shouting just one name

tions. Entrepreneur‟s can learn a lot from all this. So let‟s relate certain qualities of an entrepreneur and cricketing moments and see how much we can learn. Mission: Leaders know what their mission is. Dhoni had made a mission of winning the cup and that was not just a week before. The whole mission was on his mind years before the actual preparation started for the tournament. Every player was able to identify with the mission.

“India.” It‟s not just a sport. It‟s a phenome-

Adulturation is quite bad, whether natural or tech-

non. And one can learn different

nology. I think the adulteration of technology

aspects of leadership, team build-

with human intention was the reason why we lost

ing and a lot more from it. There

that wicket. Hopefully, next time it will be tech-

have been certain cricketing mo-

nology or human intention. -M S Dhoni

ments where a player has done something that has inspired na-

Page|24

Maconza Competency: you must be seen by

dravid in his ranks but he has also

your employees and the public as

made sure that a young talent gets

being an expert in your field or an

nurtured well. The likes of kohli,

expert in leadership. If you are not,

ishant have come up well because

it gets very difficult to be respected

he backed them up at crucial times.

or followed by others.

Shane warne is yet another exam-

Dhoni had proved his leadership

ple. He won the inaugural IPL for

quality the very moment he was

the Rajasthan royals just by using

given the captaincy of the Indian

his resources adequately. From

team. In 2007, T20 world cup when

scratches he made a winning ma-

every senior member of the team

chine. That‟s what a true leader can

opted out of the tournament, Dhoni

do.

stood up and gave us a memorable

Risk taking: If an entrepreneur has

moment by winning the cup

the ability of taking such kind of

against arch-rivals Pakistan. And

risks and has the confidence to

from then onwards he has been re-

back himself, he or she will be

spected and followed by everyone.

really successful in their role of

Team building: If you have all the

leading.

skills to be a great leader but if you

Before the 1996 world cup nobody

don‟t have a team, you cannot really

dared to loft the ball in the first 15

go ahead too much. So you need to

overs. But the duo of sanath

have an effective team of experi-

jayasuriya and kaluwithrana bam-

enced and capable individuals who

boozled everyone by just hitting

can fill in any voids.

lofted shots. The duo was one of

Dhoni has been lucky enough to

the major factors in Srilanka‟s win-

have players like Sachin, Yuvraj,

ning run in the World Cup. Page|25

September 2011 Opinion Yet another defining moment was

Sprinting in from a fairly deep

the 2007 T-20 final, last over, dhoni

backward point, Rhodes charged

could have gone with experience of

madly towards the wickets even as

Harbhajan Singh but instead took

Inzamam, who had already run one

the risk of getting in joginder

-third the way down the pitch, des-

Sharma, who eventually dismissed

perately tried to turn back, and

the

dangerous

make his ground.

Misbah ul Haq

to win the cup

throw would have

for India.

done the job, but

Inspiration:

Rhodes went for

Quite often, em-

something

ployees

more spectacular

need

under-arm

far

someone to look

and

up to for direc-

he threw himself

tion,

guidance,

memorable: the

stumps,

and motivation.

both feet off the

The

entrepre-

ground and body

neur needs to be

completely paral-

that

person.

lel to the ground.

Anyone can in-

All three stumps

spire a whole na-

were knocked to

tion by doing something out of the

the ground, Inzamam was margin-

ordinary. Like, for example, what

ally short of the crease, and for a

Jonty Rhodes did in 1992 World

moment, South Africa had Super-

Cup playing against Pakistan.

man in their line-up. Page|26

Maconza Ambition: When the boss is seen as someone who works to attain increasingly higher goals, employees will be impressed and more willing to mirror that behavior. It's a win-win for everyone. During the 1983 World Cup, India was playing against Zimbabwe and they were down and out at 17 for 5 and this was a match that India had to win to enter the semi-finals. Kapil Dev, the Indian captain came in and played the greatest innings in cricketing history by scoring an unbeaten 175. He had an ambition

“ He is a real cool customer. It seems

of winning the cup and he showed

nothing can put him under pressure.

it to others how exactly one must

Whatever the situation, he is always un-

do it.

der control. The best thing about his captaincy is that he backs the newcomer a

Well it‟s just not cricket, from

lot. He makes sure that every player gets

which we can learn all these skills,

enough chance to prove himself. It‟s very

they are actually present every-

important. Much like Dada. Most of the

where. It‟s just that we should have

senior players in the current team

an open mind and curiosity to

started under Dada.”

learn. It‟s all about having the right

-Gautam Gmabhir on M S Dhoni

attitude.

Page|27

September 2011 Artistic Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurs of the Other Mind “To send light into the darkness of men’s hearts-such is the duty of an artist”

than the free flow of thought and creativity. Although, innovation, an essential element of entrepreneurship, could be classified as part of this free flow of thoughts the

-Schumann

imagination about „artistic entre-

By Gayatri Bose

preneurship‟ remains ignored.

“To err is human”. On further in-

Artistic Entrepreneurs are those

trospection, one would find that

who are entrepreneurs of the mind,

much of this „error‟ arises out of the

playing with creativity and art in

most common perceptual fallacy:

the literal sense. As with all entre-

Stereotyping.

This

preneurs, their venture

fallacy

too creates value addi-

arises out of certain

tion to the society.

specific beliefs that

However,

people or a group of

can, in most circum-

people

hold

stances, see, touch or

another

feel the product or ser-

group or community.

vice being provided, the

One such stereotyp-

service provided by an

perceptual

against

may

while

one

ing in an entrepreneur‟s world is

artistic entrepreneur adds another

that entrepreneurs should be re-

dimension to the experience. Apart

stricted to serious business rather

from seeing and emotionally feeling Page|28

Maconza the product or the service, a

Award for short films at the Berlin

thought about the same is also in-

Film Festival in 1967. He went on

fused in the minds of the customer.

to to further direct and produce

This article pays tribute to two of

Gaja Gamini and the critically ac-

the greatest artistic entrepreneurs

claimed and controversial Meenaxi:

of India from the bygone era: M.F

a tale of three cities. In his lifetime,

Hussain,

he was also the recipient of the

the

world

renowned

painter and Prithviraj Kapoor, one

Padma Bhushan and the

of the pioneers of Indian cinema.

Vibhushan awards. However, as a

The Picasso of India, Maqbool Fida

result of various controversies that

Hussain, was often described as

arose out of some of his works, he

dashing and eccentric, dressed in

left India under „self exile‟ spending

tailored suits and carrying with

his remaining life in Qatar. He died

him, his signature paintbrush in a

in London in May 2011 at the age of

long cane. In his early days, he would paint cinema hoardings to earn a livelihood. He won acclaim for his painting „Sunhera Sansaar’ at the annual exhibition of the Bombay Art society in 1947. There was no looking back after that. His first solo exhibition was held at Zurich in 1952 and in 1955, he was awarded the Padma Shri. His first film, „Through the Eyes of a Painter’ was awarded the Golden Bear Page|29

Padma

Sptember 2011

Artistic Entrepreneurship

Prithviraj Kapoor‟s life was far less

thusiasts throng the place till date,

tumuluous than that of M. F. Hus-

to see performances by theatre

sain. Hailing from the Punjab prov-

groups from all around. The organi-

ince in pre-independent India,

zation, today, is managed by his

Prithviraj Kapoor loved theatre

son, Shashi Kapoor. Prithviraj Ka-

since he was a teenager. In 1928, he

poor died in Mumbai in May 1972.

arrived in

The similarity in the

Mumbai

works of both these art-

ists is that their works

started

made the audience think

his career

and explore the realms of

with the

their minds and imagina-

role of an

tion. While the abstract

extra. He

art forms of M.F Hussain

played a

could not be termed as

supporting role in „Alam Ara’ which

obvious, the plays of Prithviraj Ka-

was India‟s first film talkie. How-

poor and the roles played by him,

ever, his most famous

made the audience wonder. For, in

roles till date is that of Emperor

times of mute cinema, who would

Akbar in „Mughal-e-Azam’. His love

have ever believed that one day

for theatre was prevalent through-

voices would be lent to them? In

out as he balanced his life between

the times of black and white cin-

movies and theatre. Prithvi Thea-

ema, who would have

tres, situated in Mumbai remains

colors in motion picture ? Prithviraj

his most significant contribution to

Kapoor spent considerable por-

the world of theater as theatre en-

tions of his savings to make Page|30

imagined

Maconza â&#x20AC;&#x17E;Mughal-e Azamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

thinking out of the box and being

which had only a

courageous could never be ex-

few shots that

plained better.

were

shot

Be bold, express ,and watch the

Eastman Color. Unnoticed

magic that unfurls .

and

admired,

I have come to believe that a great

these pioneers of

teacher is a great artist and that

thought have changed the way we

there are very few as there are any

often think. The obviousness of

other great artists. Teaching might

their contribution might not sound

even be the greatest art since the

like great achievements in anyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x;s

medium is the human mind and

ordinary thought , but the great-

spirit.

ness of their contribution truly lies

- John Steinbeck

yet

in the extra ordinary thought. Building a platform for artists to

Answers

perform their plays and by having a brand image so strong that it acts a

Q1) Shaheen Mistry, Teach for India

natural crowd puller or infusing in

Q2) Vergese Kurien

Indian minds the concept of art films was a possibility that arose

We wish to thank Abhimanyu Singh

out of the innovation of the mind of

(Guest Writer, September 2011),Kunaall

these

entrepreneurs.

Jumani (Guest Editor, September 2011)

In their life, they have set examples

and Saket Jain (Cover Design, August

and left for us many things to learn

2011) for their contribution to Maconza.

artistic

from them. The magic woven by Page|31

Editorial Team Aveena Ghosh

Gayatri Bose

Manohar S

Subhashree Srinivasan

Aditi Ghosh

Dhruti Badami

Govind Saboo

Reetoditee Majumdar

Swapnil Tewari

Sujitha

Vivek Tiwari

Disclaimer The writersâ&#x20AC;&#x; views in the articles have been influenced by various writers and sources. Thus, readers are expected to cross check the facts before relying upon them. Much care has been taken to present the facts without any error. Still, if errors creep in, appropriate feedback will always be welcome. The magazine is NOT MEANT FOR SALE and hence, no part of this magazine should be used without the prior permission of

Macon The Entrepreneurship Cell, IBS Hyderabad

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