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CONTENTS
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SEP 2021
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EDITORIAL
Gp Capt R Vijayakumar (Retd), VSM
Welcome to the Special Issue!
R
aising the bar! Consistently ranked number one in the
tradition of heroism, sacrifice and fortitude. MMA is indeed
country, MMA is where intellectual vigour, engaging
blessed to honour the Victory Torch commemorating the Golden
commitment to meet the aspirations of our members
Jubilee of the 1971 War. An inspiring and engaging conversation
happen. As a result, participants at our programmes have
with 1971 War Veterans, led by Lt Gen A Arun, YSM, SM, VSM,
transformational experience and become empowered, impactful
GOC, Dakshin Bharat Area on Leadership Lessons is published
management professionals. It is vital to remain psychologically
in this Special Issue. Click to view the video.
strong and stay united in our shared sense of purpose. On Friday, 03rd September 2021, we present to you for the first time in the history of MMA the hybrid 65th AGM (digital & physical). Execution strength, partnership with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and a committed team are helping the transition to a more digitally evolved work environment at MMA. We are privileged to launch the special issue of Digital Business Mandate
National Monetisation Pipeline ﴾NMP﴿ The Rs.6 trillion National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) unveiled by the Finance Minister recently has captured everybody’s attention. It is understood that NMP will help the authorities ease fiscal constraints during difficult times and free up the balance sheet for more greenfield infrastructure projects.
during the AGM. Asset monetisation is a great initiative if executed
Victory Torch The soldiers of the Indian armed forces with their values of
properly‐‐and that is always a big “if”.
unity, honour and courage have time and again lived up to their BUSINESS MANDATE
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5 SEP 2021
It makes sense to extract value from underutilized public assets,
Peninsula Foundation organised an interesting event on the
which were allowed to idle for too long, but its success will depend
theme “The Future of Drones in India: Threats, Operations and
on fine details of implementation. When considering longterm
National Capabilities" on 10th August 2021. The article on the
relationships, identifying good investors is more important than
special event is published in this issue. Click to read.
getting the highest price. Asset monetisation is a great initiative if executed properlyand that is always a big “if”. I personally
On the China Front China’s rise to economic super power surely ranks amongst
believe, it has a better change now.
the most extraordinary stories in history. Today, China is a land Tokyo Olympics
of superlatives. Lately, however, China has become as much a
The shining performance of India’s sportspersons in Tokyo, many of whom overcame significant odds, shows that there is no
source of concern as it flexes its muscle in a bitter territorial dispute with India and among its neighbours.
dearth of talent in India. However, to identify, groom and nurture
In this context, MMA in partnership with KAS, C3S and
promising prospects for worldbeating athletes will require a
CCCS organized a conclave on the theme “Dealing with China
concerted effort, investment and cooperation among all key
Strategic, Political and Economic Dimensions" to analyse what
stakeholders. The sporting entities in India have a legacy of
has changed postGalwan and examine the options for India and
fiefdom, opaqueness and a lack of compliance which has even
liberal democracies to deal with China’s expansionist agenda. A
resulted in ban from the international agencies. India can draw
galaxy of outstanding leaders shared their thoughtprovoking
lessons from the turnaround models of other nations. For
perspectives. We are delighted to present an article on the event
instance, UK Sport, which spent as much as India’s, increased
in this issue. Click to read.
the UK’s medal count and finished overall fourth in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Blue Economy Blue Economy is considered a vital framework to address economic, social, environmental challenges and opportunities
For India to be a global drone hub, we would
within one umbrella. KAS in partnership with TERI, FICCI and
need policy stability.
MMA organized a dialogue series on “Blue Economy – India’s Pathways to a Sustainable, Secure and Resilient Economy.” I am happy to share the video of recording of the interesting and thought provoking dialogue. Click to view.
The Drone Rules The Civil Aviation Ministry recently notified its liberalized
CSR in India
Drone Rules 2021. We now have a lighter, touch regulatory
The Company’s Act mandated 2% of profit to be contributed
regime that should encourage UAV usage for both commercial
towards CSR by Corporates. CSR investment in India has evolved
and state initiatives. For India to be a global drone hub, we would
from being only compliancefocused to a more strategic impact
need policy stability. The liberalized rules suggest that the Indian
first approach, going beyond CSR regulations and standards. This
airspace will be kept under close watch for any suspicious
form of strategic CSR leads to greater value creations for
movement.
communities as well as greater buy–in from companies who now
In this context, MMA in partnership with KAS and The 6
SEP 2021
see the benefit of CSR on their businesses as well.
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Kabul in the 2001s to a regime that draws sustenance from Pakistan in 2021, India is suddenly looking at an uneasy The role of data is becoming increasingly critical
relationship with Afghanistan again. Thus in many ways the
in the social impact ecosystem to design and
changed reality in Kabul will leave behind ripples that will surface
scale the most relevant and impactful initiatives.
at international fora for many years to come. In this context an interesting panel discussion by eminent thought leaders was
In this context, MMA in association with Sattva, KAS and
organised by MMA in partnership with KAS and ORF on 02
Dhwani Foundation organized the “Tamilnadu CSR Summit September 2021 on the theme “Afghanistan Under Taliban: What Forging Partnerships & Impact Pathways” on 30 August 2021. does it mean for India & the world.” Click to watch the video. During the event, the Tamilnadu CSR Report was launched by the Hon. Finance Minister of Tamilnadu Dr Palanivel Thiaga Rajan. The data driven report has been put together by our partners and highlights the pattern of CSR and development
The Good Economy... The good news is that despite rising oil prices and high inflation, India’s economic performance looks brighter than most emerging markets. But this can’t be taken for granted. Effective
indicators in Tamilnadu over the last six years. The role of data is becoming increasingly critical in the social impact ecosystem to design and scale the most relevant and impactful initiatives. I am delighted to share with you the
pandemic containment measures and speedy vaccination will be the key to ensure that the economic momentum for growth sustains. Let me know what you think about everything that’s
Tamilnadu CSR Report for your perusal. Click to read. The summit was also addressed by some of the finest speakers from the corporate sector, who are investing in
happening at MMA. You may contact me at ed@mmachennai.org. Stay safe, stay healthy. Happy reading!
Tamilnadu, representatives from the government, academia and the social sector. The Fall of Kabul The fall of Kabul puts India at a severe disadvantage. Is India better prepared for Taliban 2.0? From a friendly government in
•EDITOR •Gp Capt R Vijayakumar ﴾Retd﴿, VSM •READERSHIP OUTREACH •Gp Capt Dr R Venkataraman ﴾Retd﴿ •Sundar R •Vakeeswari M •DESIGN •D Rajaram, Tayub Refai
MADRAS MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION Management Center, New No.240 Pathari Road ﴾Off Anna Salai﴿, Chennai 600 006 Ph:044‐2829 1133 Email:mma@mmachennai.org | mandate@mmachennai.org www.facebook.com/mmachennai
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A
Peter
nonstate actors such as terrorist
He added that as the resident
Rimmele, any nation that
groups,” Mr Peter Rimmele cautioned
representative of the KASIndia office,
shuts its eyes to this
and stressed the need for development
a foundation that works tirelessly for
technology would undoubtedly find
of defence technologies for the safety,
peace,
itself unable to compete militarily with
security and protection of the civil
throughout the world, it is essential to
nations that are heavily invested in this
population and the nations. He also
remain realistic about the dangers that
technology. He related it to the recently
advocated international, multilateral
both countries could pose to the entire
concluded war between Armenia and
agreements on the availability of drone
IndoPacific region at large, and to avoid
Azerbaijan, the first in modern warfare
parts, and regulations concerning their
underestimating them.
to be won almost entirely by the
sale to mitigate such dangers.
ccording
to
Mr
prosperity
and
security
Air Marshal M Matheswaran (Retd)
strength of drones. Armenia, which
He pointed out that both India’s
AVSM VM PhD, Chairman & President,
fought with conventional systems, was
eastern and western neighbours have
The Peninsula Foundation, Chennai in
resoundingly defeated by Azerbaijan,
access to drones; China has even
his opening remarks spoke about a
which relied to a great extent on drones.
reached US standards with its CH4 and
study done by US Air Force in 1995 and
CH5 drones. Turkey and Pakistan are
released in 1996 titled, ‘Air Force 2025.’
moving towards closer alliance. Given
This study predicted that other
such circumstances India’s investment
nations could catch up with the military
in
strength of the US with air power. The
Need for Agreements “The low cost and easy accessibility of drones pose a disquieting danger, as they could fall into the wrong hands of
such
technologies
appears
mandatory. BUSINESS MANDATE
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threats from air and about drones. It
the Sri Lankan army and Al Qaeda’s
Western Air Command, spoke about
highlighted the need for a Global
crashing of planes into the twin towers
India’s operational preparedness and
Information System and integration of
of World Trade Centre and other targets
the global aspects. He pointed out that
all drones through a dedicated network
in the 9/11 attack.
nonstate actors have been the biggest
and generation of 24 x 7 information
He did not agree with the
beneficiaries of drone technology.
flow. The predictions of the US Air
contention that when the drone attack
Different kinds of payloads can be
Force have indeed come true.
happened in Jammu, India was caught
delivered even in micro UAVs, he said
napping. He said that India is as
and added that an impact fuse had been
prepared as any evil thinker can think of
used in the Jammu drone attack. He
and that we have offensive capabilities.
listed that drones are used by three
He opined that offence is the best form
categories of people:
of defence. He led the conversation with
•
State actors
the panellists and moderated the
•
Nonstate actors with the implicit
Evolution of Air Power Air Marshal S Varthaman (Retd) PVSM AVSM VM VSM, Distinguished Fellow of TPF and former AOCinC of Eastern Air Command, traced the history of the usage of air power ever since the Wright brothers took to the sky in 1903 and spoke of its deployment from the World War I to the Gulf War,
discussions, chipping in with his expert views and comments.
backing of states •
Nonstate
actors
acting
independently. Drones and Non‐State Actors
According to him, the second group
its use by terrorists like the Liberation
Air Marshal B Suresh (Retd) PVSM
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) against
is the most dangerous as they get access
AVSM VM, Former AOCinC of
to technology. Listing out various global
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drone attacks, he pointed out that in most of the attacks, the targets were static. Mobile, underground and camouflaged targets are different and difficult to attack. He listed out weather, altitude and
Manned–Unmanned Teaming ﴾MUM‐T﴿ will play a big role in the fighter pilot environment in the future and India must get on board MUM‐T so that it is not left behind. ~ Group Captain M J Augustine Vinod ﴾Retd﴿
terrain as the challenges in deployment of drones. He discussed the different technologies now used in drones. Swarm Technology, though not widely used, is seriously considered by our
and said that there is a wide scope of
referred to a Goldman Sachs report on
playing with the images and interpreting
the same subject.
the data generated by a drone.
defence team, he said and added that for
He dealt with the challenges of
offensive use, drones must have
detection of drones which is essential to
penetration,
counter security threats and listed three
range
and
survival
ways in which drones can be detected
capabilities. There have been cases of drones used for recreation causing havoc. The regulatory framework for commercial and
recreational
drones
during
peacetime is not adequate. It needs to
using drone radar, intercepting data link between
drones
(electronic
triangulation) and using acoustics. He reckoned that acoustics showed greater promise than the other two.
be updated and put in place, he
He said that a defensive system
remarked and said that all drones must
against drones is a very costly affair. He
be registered and geofencing made
batted for retaliating any drone attack
mandatory.
with a much powerful drone attack. He also suggested that India must have a
Detection of Drones
drone command and it must fit with the
Group Captain M J Augustine Vinod (Retd), Director, AutoMicrOUS, explained about a successful demo project carried out by his firm for the Indian Air Force, by launching a swarm of 11 drones with autonomous mode using AI and Machine Learning, at Pokhran range, at 50 degree C, as part of
Meher
Baba
Swarm
Drone
competition. Data link forms the
overall theatre command. He also said that Manned– Unmanned Teaming (MUMT) will play a big role in the fighter pilot environment in the future and that India must get on board MUMT so that it is not left behind. There are lots of opportunities for deployment of drones in civilian use and especially in the construction industry, he said and
backbone of swarm drones, he explained BUSINESS MANDATE
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Need for Robust Design Prof P M Soundar Rajan, NIAS, Bangalore and Former Director, DARE, DRDO, spoke about his work on drones during his stint at the DRDO and the importance shielding.
of He
electromagnetic
brought
out
the
limitations in the current generation of drones and stressed the need for a robust design. He covered the communication,
navigation
and
surveillance aspects of drones. He stated that communication in drones is data linked and very easily jammable.
Having
a
robust
communication system is expensive and civil drones may not be able to afford that cost, he said. He added that for the current drones, the internet will be the core of operation. He pointed out that the GPS system used to control navigation of drones is highly vulnerable. According to him, visionbased navigation is a promising development.
He
recommended
certification of dual use drones. 15 SEP 2021
will increase the cost of drones and
...the 2014 notification banning civilian drones was a dampener in
customers will not be ready to pay for it,
developing national capabilities in drones and set us back by at least
which in turn, will lead to development
five years.
of a clandestine market.
~ Mr Sai Pattabiraman Threats and Opportunities Mr Abhishek Jain, Vice President
Focus on Manpower
aviation minister has announced is a
Wing
Commander
Devasahayam
(Retd),
David
welcome step.
Pune, said that the fuselage of the drone
Operations
Director, Cyient Solutions & Systems,
Strategic Partnerships, Zeusnumerix, is not that important. It can be easily
National Capability
Hyderabad, highlighted the issue of
Mr Sai Pattabiraman MD, Zuppa
manpower required to operate drones
Geo Navigation, Chennai, talked about
and their knowledge and skill sets.
the national capability in drone
“They must be familiar with the
technology and the steps to be taken to
technology, knowledge of operating
achieve dominance in this domain.
systems, and understanding of the air
According to him, the 2014
situation both from a military and civil
notification banning civilian drones was
perspective. This is an area that merits
a dampener in developing national
consideration,” he said.
capabilities in drones and set us back by
According to him, miniaturisation
at least five years. This led to
and improvement in the payload quality
proliferation of illegal smuggling of
need to be looked at. Meteorology is
Chinese drones, he lamented. Though the
another focus area especially when we
regulation was removed in August 2018,
operate in high terrain areas. He
there are still grey areas, he said.
made even from 3D printing but it is the electronics and the source code of the autopilot that are critical to a drone. He also explained why drones are an excellent option for enemies of India. He listed out design flaws, ad hoc and temporary arrangements and lack of solid research, enemy capabilities, laziness, obsolescence and lack of vision as India’s key threats. He recommended that sufficient time frame must be given for designing and making drones. Abhishek stressed that India needs to focus
on
miniaturised
indigenous motors,
autopilots, battery
pointed out that the knowledge base in
He explained how the automobile
development and its optimisation and
terms of meteorology for an operator
sector can be used to benchmark drone
propeller manufacturing. According to
should be of a very high order.
industry and brought out the similarities
him, swarming drones should not be
Commenting on the drone regulation,
between the two in cost, ownership and
made mandatory everywhere and
he remarked that unless we make things
distribution. He also noted that
Kamikaze loitering munitions should be
friendly for people to fly drones, we will
miniature cameras and sensors for
developed before armed drones.
not be able to make much progress.
drones are developed based on their
“Drone regulations must be made by the
application in mobile phones. On
operators and with the help of air force
certification of drones, he opined that
personnel,
military
drawing
on
their
application
drones
need
experience,” he said and added that the
certification but it is not advisable to
drone regulation which the present civil
make it mandatory for civilian drones. It
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He listed out India’s enthusiastic manpower and the availability of schemes to fund the manpower as positive aspects. “We need a national UAV road map and we need to fund it. We cannot miss this bus,” he appealed.
engines to power large drones. These
that there has to be sufficient industry
engines can also be used in many areas,
demand to absorb the supply chain. If we
other than drones.
build the na onal capability and the
Air Marshal B Suresh: Even during earlier
industry, then rest of the things will fall in
mes, we had large benign drones. But the We discussed small and miniature drones. What about the need for making large drones like the Searcher and Heron which can loiter over an area for 3 to 4 days with an eye that does not
Air Force lost such drones in hos le
Air Marshal Matheswaran: China has 120
environments. So for large drones, I
satellites
advocate one‐way drones. We have
(Intelligence,
offensive capabili es but we need to
Reconnaissance). Going into the brain of
develop capability to pinpoint the author
the drone, the chip is the most important.
of an a ack on us.
The ba le between US and China is on the
blink?
Prof P M Soundar Rajan: There are two approaches to making drones: the aircra angle and the other one, the RC (Radio
place.
dedicated
to
ISR
alone
Surveillance
and
technology front. China heavily depends on Can you elaborate about the national UAV roadmap and funding?
other na ons for its semiconduc ng chips. They have plans to make at least 50% of these in China between 2030 and 2035.
Controlled) toy approach. For large drones,
Abhishek Jain: Motor development has
India is completely dependent on imported
DRDO has been going with the aircra
been a problem area. Most of the smaller
chips and we need to focus on the chips.
approach. DRDO may not have been highly
drones need sophis cated and reliable
successful here, but they have vast
motors. For defence systems, we require
exper se. We can even convert unreliable
high performance motors. I believe that the
aircra s into drones using autopilot, for
brain of a drone has to be indigenously
one way missions.
developed.
India can also make large drones like the
Sai Pa abiraman: We have very good
Searcher with the support of private
indigenously developed auto‐pilots with
enterprises. We have data link and flight
our own patented technology. We have
control technologies. DRDO lost out to
used them for UGVs, boats and tractors. I
Searchers only because of the sensors. The
agree that we need to develop motors and
users found the sensors in Searcher drones
ba eries for drones in India. There are
more useful than those in the DRDO‐
incen ves for making in India, electronics
developed drones. So we are now focussing
and related products. Electronics supply
on developing smart sensors in India.
chain has today shi ed from system level
Cer fica on of drones has been a main issue as it involves cost. We are now familiar with our requirements and this too can be addressed. Abhishek Jain: We need to invest in IC
to component level. In the future, it will
Air Marshal Varthaman: Manufacturing chips requires huge investment and rare earth minerals. Sai Pa abiraman: We need investors. Unfortunately, most Private Equity investors are ready to fund APP based developments that will give quick returns, say less than six months. They shy away from investments in the manufacturing sector. We developed autopilot in 2015 and got our funding from TIFAC from the Department of Science and Technology. Ge ng funds for expansion became impossible. We also need large volumes to a ract funding.
shi from component to raw material level.
Air Marshal B Suresh: As a user of drone
This is a reason why we are able to get
components, I have an observa on. The
today sensors, processors and chips at a
product support ecosystem in India has
fairly low cost. This will evolve as the
been a big issue. It needs to be greatly
industry evolves. But what is important is
improved.
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M
r Peter Rimmele, Resident
societies is to be vigilant and to combat
Commodore R Seshadri Vasan, Director,
Representative to India,
China’s illiberal threats by exposing
Chennai Centre for China Studies, drew
KAS,
the
them,” he said and noted that media and
the attention of the audience to Prime
introductory remarks in which he
counterintelligence have a big role to
Minister Modi’s Independence Day
brought out the grave dangers that
play
CCP’s
speech about the need to counter
China is posing to the rest of the world
disinformation war and influence
terrorism and expansionism, the latter
and more so, to the democratically
campaign.
alluding to China’s strongarm tactics.
delivered
in
debunking
the
governed nations, by flouting all rules
India, he said, has a major role to
India, he said, has sent strong
of the game, in its march to become an
play in countering China as it shares a
signals to its adversaries by its active
economic superpower, and coercing
long border with China. He was
participation in QUAD, resilient supply
other nations that dare to question its
optimistic that liberal democracies have
chain initiatives, vaccine diplomacy and
practices.
the necessary tools to deal with the
its IndoPacific approach. According to
He pointed out that China also
China challenge. However, he felt that
Commodore Vasan, decoupling with
poses a political challenge to global good
they have to strengthen the instruments
China is a gradual process and it cannot
governance. He highlighted the need for
and be conscious of the enormity of the
happen overnight. While China has
liberal democracies to recognise the
challenge.
come out with many white papers on its defence policies, India has been
scale of threat posed by China and to counter it. “The best countermeasure available to our liberal and open
Need for White Papers In
his
Opening
floundering in coming out with such Remarks,
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papers on its security objectives, he 21 SEP 2021
regretted. He remarked that the
stated that April 2020 was an inflection
Though China has pulled its troops
negative impression about China among
point in IndoChina relations. By using
from some places in the LehLadakh
liberal democracies has increased
force, China gave three signals:
area, the Chinese threats at the border
phenomenally and China may do a
•
To establish China as a preeminent
are far from being over. Asymmetry
power.
between India and China in economy,
To knowingly violate many Indo
military power and technology has
enjoys a big favour from its natural
China
increased a lot, he said and ascribed this
geography but wondered if it was
ensuring peace between the two
making the right use of the geographical
countries.
course correction, which will have global implications. He observed that India
factors, to become a dominant player. GDP Growth Should be Our Mantra Ambassador Gautham Bambawale
•
•
agreements
aimed
at
to China’s dominance. He recommended that India needs
China will determine its boundary
to focus on maintaining 8% GDP growth
by
yearonyear for the next 20 to 25 years
force
and
not
through
negotiations.
to bridge the GDP gap. To achieve this, he suggested that India must speed up its reforms process in three major areas, namely
moving
away
from
Though China has pulled its troops from some places in the Leh‐
micromanagement
Ladakh area, the Chinese threats at the border are far from being
reducing the number of public
over. Asymmetry between India and China in economy, military
enterprises and checking the erosion of
power and technology has increased a lot...
the process of the rule of law so that all
of
economy,
companies will have a levelplaying field, irrespective of their relationship 22
SEP 2021
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with the government of the day. Such a reform process, Bambawale
India must actively engage with friendly countries and the countries
argued, will free up the Indian
with which China is engaging, focus on innovation and R&D, increase
individuals and enable them to perform
its risk taking approach and have a long‐term view.
to the best of their abilities and enterprise. Through their efforts, India can easily achieve 8 to 9% GDP growth per annum, he said. Different Groups; Different Strategies Lt Gen SL Narasimhan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, Member of the National Security Advisory Board, spoke about how China deals with different groups of countries using different strategies for each group. South Asia: It initially started with Covid diplomacy to Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan and extended it to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Apart from Covid diplomacy, it relies on plurilateral meetings, visits, OBOR (One Belt, One
a Five Point initiative on achieving security and stability in the Middle East. The five points are advocating mutual respect, upholding equity and justice,
ASEAN: China and ASEAN have a
fostering
Sea); it also plays on differences and increased dependency of the countries on China.
with Covid diplomacy and now they are covering other aspects as well. West Asia: When Mr Wang Yi visited Saudi on March 21, he proposed
and health silk roads •
By setting global standards in 5G and Internet standards.
security
and
Though there is a hue and cry for decoupling from China and there is a lot
EU (European Union): China is
of talk about companies trying to exit
focusing on Central and East European
China, the ground reality, in numbers,
nations
Europe.
is quite contrary to this. During the first
Acquisition of technology companies
quarter of this year, China’s GDP has
and controlling of ports is the strategy
increased sharply, unemployment rate
followed.
has come down, forex reserves and trade
and
Western
USA: By developing bipartisan
surplus have gone up substantially,
views, increasing assets in the supply
compared to the corresponding period
chain and by trade.
of the previous year. This is an eye
Russia: China has developed closer
opener and we need to take note of this.
relations with Russia. As both are
India must actively engage with
termed revisionist powers, they have
friendly countries and the countries with
come together.
which China is engaging, focus on innovation and R&D, increase its risk
Spreading Wings of Influence
C + C5 (China + Central Asian Republic). The initial meetings started
collective
accelerating development cooperation.
closer relationship. It works based on a CoC (Code of Conduct for South China
Through OBOR, digital silk road
achieving nonproliferation, jointly
Road) and making its presence in the internal affairs.
•
China increases its global influence
taking approach and have a longterm view.
through various ways: •
By acquiring commercial interests in global ports and terminals.
•
By occupying positions of influence in the United Nations. BUSINESS MANDATE
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China’s Priorities Mr Santhosh Pai, Partner, Link Legal, gave an overview of the driving forces of China’s Xi era, its external 23 SEP 2021
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and Swiggy where the Chinese have While India does not have big money to back our unicorns, China
investments. He suggested that India must focus
rushes to fund them, he observed and gave the examples of Paytm, Zomato and Swiggy where the Chinese have investments.
on
manufacturing,
modernising
agriculture using AI, improving the startup ecosystem and investing massively in infrastructure. He opined that these will reduce the economic gap A qualitative look into the China
between India and China. He also
India bilateral trade trend.
welcomed Prime Minister Modi’s
The strategic intent in the Chinese
announcement in the Independence Day
doing away with the PoliticsEconomics
investment strategies in India and
speech that the government will invest
divide and data emerging as a power
its neighbourhood.
about 15Bn USD in infrastructure
The economic options available to
projects.
forces and domestic prioritiespolitical,
•
economic and strategic. Personalisation of power, centralization of institutions,
differentiator have marked the Xiera. The private industry has been cut to size
•
•
India.
in China.
Mr Pankaj Madan, DeputyHead, India Office & HeadProgrammes, KAS, in his concluding remarks, summed up
Dual circulation, threechild policy
Though the IndoChina bilateral
and avoiding the middle income trap
trade has steadily increased over the
have become China’s top domestic
past five to six years, there has been a
He was of the opinion that the
priorities. The trust that nations had in
massive trade deficit in favour of China.
Afghan crisis will have a major impact
“There is scope for both India and
on India. He said that the world has at
China to focus on areas of trade that will
last woken up to China’s designs of
be really beneficial to both the
placing its people in key positions in
countries,” he said. For instance, China
multilateral platforms to subvert the
imports agricultural products heavily.
systems and institutions to its
India has vast export potential in this
advantage.
China has decreased while the risks of dealing with it have increased. Due to this, the global supply chains are trying to move away from China towards intermediates. To counter the China challenge, we need not just a ‘wholeof government’ approach but a unified ‘wholeofcountry’ approach.
category. However, India has been unable to crack the Chinese market.
the views shared by all the panellists.
He quoted Chinese philosopher Hu Shih who said that India conquered
According to Mr Rajaram, China is
China culturally for twenty centuries
concentrating on the east and south
without sending a soldier across the
Muthukrishnan,
parts of India where innovation is
border. Mr Pankaj appealed that India
Director, Voice Snap Services Pvt Ltd.,
happening and the startup ecosystem is
must follow the ‘wholeofcountry’
spoke about the economic challenges
thriving. While India does not have big
approach as advocated in the panel
India currently faces in dealing with
money to back our unicorns, China
discussions, and leverage its culture to
China. He dealt with three broad areas:
rushes to fund them, he observed and
take on the China challenge and spread
gave the examples of Paytm, Zomato
its influence.
Qualitative Aspects of Dealing with China Mr
Rajaram
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25 SEP 2021
great negotiator? Are we losing the
is s ll evolving and we do not know who
plot?
will come to power. China will prefer a
Gautam Bambawale: A number of countries
neutral, if not a favourable, government.
have pointed to Sri Lanka about the pi alls
They also have a proxy in Pakistan through
of the deal with China but we can only take
which it can influence the Taliban. A year
the horse to the water. We cannot force it
and half‐ago, China asked Afghanistan to
How should India react to China’s grand
to drink. If Sri Lanka wants to take more
join the China‐Pakistan economic corridor.
strategy?
debts from China, there is very li le others
Chinese are wise people and they may not
can do about it. India is working closely
put their boots on the ground.
with Japan in doing projects in Sri Lanka
India adopted a two‐pronged approach‐‐to
and other third world countries. In a similar
develop the infrastructure by par cipa ng
manner, we should also work with Germany
in projects and to develop the capability
and other countries across the world.
and capacity of the Afghan forces and the
Gautam Bambawale: Analysts of China suggest that India should be doing what China is doing. I don’t agree with this view because India is a very different country with a different polity, different economy
na on. Though there is a temporary
and different society. The key to our success is to make it easy to do business in India. To
How does the leadership of the EU
counter China’s grand strategy, we need to
counter the challenges posed by China
look inwards and get our GDP moving at 8
to western nations?
to 10% per annum over an extended period of me.
Peter Rimmele: The EU tries to combine their strength and come out with a common view of things but the foreign
setback, I don’t think that the Indians have lost the goodwill of the Afghans.
How significant is PM Modi’s Presidential address at the UN Security Council meeting on maritime security and what message has this conveyed to
How has India fared in chairing the UN
policy is decided by each na on and it is not
Security Council during its turn on
outsourced to the EU. It is difficult to arrive
rotation basis?
at a common point of view among member
Lt Gen SL Narasimhan: We have been
states. Of course, all of them, to a more or
insis ng on the rule of law, freedom of
lesser degree, will fear the influence of
naviga on and freedom of over‐flight
China, especially those who are part of
through the sea. To that extent, the Prime
China’s OBOR ini a ve. The EU considers
Minister’s message has gone across very
China as a very important trading partner
well. QUAD countries also can help in
and at the same me, a systemic rival too.
exer ng pressure on China.
Gautam Bambawale: I was extremely impressed by the UN Security Council mee ng chaired by India in August 2021 on the issue of mari me security. India has done extremely well and if it u lises the opportuni es in future also when we will
China?
Should we engage with China at all,
be chairing the UN Security Council, we can
given their games of deceits?
stamp our place amongst the comity of
Will the Afghan developments be
na ons.
exploited by China? What should India
Lt Gen SL Narasimhan: We cannot wish
do to counter this?
away our neighbours. They are there
Sri Lanka has given access to China to
Lt Gen SL Narasimhan: We need to wait and
because of geography. In the Asian region,
develop its port. What makes China a
watch as to how the situa on develops. It
both India and China are vying for strategic
26
SEP 2021
space. We can engage with our neighbours BUSINESS MANDATE
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provided the prerequisite of peace along
countries to a ract FDI. India has to have
to build to scale in view of our systemic
LAC exists.
its own strategy and we cannot replicate
problems. We can get economies of scale
In a climate of distrust, how can we
China’s. We are s ll in the early stages of
which leads to cheaper costs.
bring China back to the table and
this journey and I see a lot of posi ves.
restore diplomatic relations?
China also adopts a predatory pricing policy to clean up compe
on and to dominate
Lt Gen SL Narasimhan: We have to go back
Between Indian and Chinese companies,
later. The speed at which China launches its
to 1986 when a military standoff took place
which are more compliant?
products in the market is also very high. Our
between India and China in the Sumdorong
Santhosh Pai: Compliance is a func on of
Chu valley. It took us seven years to resolve
enforcement. It depends on the na ons
that issue and get back to normalcy. We
rather than the companies. Indian
need to persevere in what we want to do.
enforcement is extremely lax. In China,
We have given a clear message that on
enforcement comes with a huge force and,
territorial sovereignty and integrity, there
therefore, compliance becomes a ‘must.’
will not be any compromise.
judicial,
environmental
and
other
ecosystems hold us back, unlike China. We need to have more skilled manpower, produce at scale and operate with speed. If we do that, we can replace our Chinese imports gradually. We are already working in this direc on and over the next 5 years, we may replace many Chinese imports.
Will Germany be a major player in Is democracy a weakness for India since China has shown what it can achieve with autocracy?
global security?
What will happen to the future of Hong
Peter Rimmele: Germany par cipates in
Kong and how will the rest of the world
interna onal missions as this is allowed
Lt Gen SL Narasimhan: This discourse has
be affected by the developments there?
under the cons tu on. But on its own, it
gained currency in recent years as China is
Has the one nation, two systems
will not put its boots on the ground.
spreading the message that they can
concept failed there?
Frankly, they do not have the capacity to do
handle things be er (for example, Covid
so. A er World War II, investment in the
management) with the system they have.
defence forces was not a priority for
On the other hand, countries like the US
Germany. However, Germany will exert its
and UK have progressed very well with
influence by staying relevant in various
democracy. So this is a dichotomy.
interna onal fora. Germany sent a ship to
Democracy is not at all a weakness as
the Indo‐Pacific to send a message that it
ci zens enjoy freedom.
will do something to defend a global, rules‐ based order.
Has India failed to capitalise economically on the anti-China backlash?
Rajaram Muthukrishnan: Poli cally, the concept of one country, two systems has ended in Hong Kong. Its poli cal future is under the control of China. Hong Kong’s economic value for China is increasing and it will con nue to be so. There is a systemic change in its economic power houses. Chinese MNCs have replaced mul na onal and European companies. China will route some of their investments through Hong
What stops India from manufacturing
Kong’s open borders. Over a 30 year period,
cheaper products to take on China?
the economic value addi on of Hong Kong
Santhosh Pai: China has built its economy
Rajaram Muthukrishnan: China’s approach
over a period of 30 years. Also, it follows a
towards manufacturing is to work on skill,
mul tude of strategies for different
scale and speed. We do not have the ability BUSINESS MANDATE
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to China and to the world will come down. But at the moment, Hong Kong will con nue to be relevant. 27 SEP 2021
28
SEP 2021
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A
Excerpts from Lt Gen A Arun’s Speech:
t 4.55 pm, the Victory Flame
the field of Management and its streak
carried by the Flame Officer
of bagging 11 best management
marched into the MMA
association awards from AIMA. He
secession and the next day, the Indian
auditorium to the tune of Vijay Bharat
thanked Lt Gen A Arun for giving MMA
Prime
played by the army band led by Subedar
a rare privilege to host this event.
acknowledged the secession. What
Ganesan. It was received by Lt Gen A
Lt Gen A Arun, in his opening
Arun YSM, SM, VSM, General Officer
remarks, said that 1971 was a milestone
Commanding, Dakshin Bharat Area,
in modern military history. “Never
and escorted to the stage by Lt Gen A
before in the history of modern warfare,
Arun
Ravichandran
had so many people surrendered with
Purushothaman, Chairman of MMA.
all their arms and ammunition to so few.
Two 1971 war veterans Rear Admiral
They surrendered to a superior fighting
Ramsagar (Retd) AVSM, VrC, NM and
force.
and
Mr
Col A Krishnaswami (Retd) VrC, VSM were escorted to the stage amidst thunderous applause and introduced. Mr Ravichandran Purushothaman delivered the welcome address in which
East
Pakistan
Minister,
had Indira
declared Gandhi,
followed was the unleashing of atrocities on the population of East Bengal that triggered an influx of refugees into India’s bordering states. This created a huge problem. War clouds were looming on the horizon. On 3 December 1971, Pakistan Air Force launched air strikes on our
It is the Indian citizens and the Indian soldiers, sailors and airmen who made this possible,” he said. He then explained the background of the 1971 war that started on 23 December 1971.
western airfields. The Taj Mahal built with marbles had to be camouflaged and it had never happened in its history. It had to be done as marble glows in moonlight. The Indian Air Force flew over 6000 sorties. The Indian Navy
he highlighted MMA’s contribution to BUSINESS MANDATE
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29 SEP 2021
operated both in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. The fighting covered a
These days we talk of the difficulties of a two‐front war. We had done
distance of 1794 kms.
it before in 1971 and we will do it again should the need arise. In the
These days we talk of the difficulties of a twofront war. We had done it before in 1971 and we will do it again
13 days of the bloody war, we lost 3,843 people. 9,851 were injured badly and many others sustained minor injuries. On the enemy side, over 9,000 were killed and 25,000 were apparently injured.
should the need arise. In the 13 days of the bloody war, we lost 3,843 people. 9,851 were injured badly and many
action
evacuation
us due to his health condition and 354
others sustained minor injuries. On the
impossible. We liberated the entire area
Vir Chakrastwo recipients of which are
enemy side, over 9,000 were killed and
of modern Bangladesh. Within Pakistan,
Rear Admiral Ramsagar and Colonel
25,000 were apparently injured.
we had captured over 15,000 sqkms. A
Krishnaswamy.
On 16 December 1971, there was a surrender of 93,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen with weapons, ammunition, rockets, aircrafts and ships. Rear Admiral Ramsagar and his team’s action alone was responsible for the capture of six large merchant shipping vessels. His 30
SEP 2021
made
that
year later, in an extremely gracious act and keeping in trend with our culture,
The Torch and the Sand
we returned them. The Government
This year, we are celebrating 50
awarded 4 Param Vir Chakras–the
years of the victory over Pakistan in the
highest wartime gallantry award, 36
1971 war. This is also the celebration of
Maha Vir Chakrasone of them to a
India’s efforts in creating a fledgling
resident of Chennai who could not join
nation in Bangladesh. To mark 2021 as
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Lt Gen A Arun YSM, SM, VSM, General Officer Commanding, Dakshin Bharat Area
The torch we have here in MMA is the one that has moved in the southern direction. Its intention is to go to the homes of each of our war heroes and collect a bit of soil from their houses. All the soil collected in packets from the houses of our courageous war veterans will be mixed and used to fertilise the soil in the National War Museum in Delhi. We hope the air flowing through it will inspire millions of our youngsters...
‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ (golden victory
is my proud mandate to carry this torch
set up roadblocks and ambush a convoy
year), on 16 December 2020, our
to prestigious institutions such as
of Pakistani forces that was supposed to
Honourable Prime Minister lit four
MMA.
come on that route. It was an
‘victory flame’ torches from the eternal flame in the National War Museum in Delhi. Each torch moved in a direction –North, South, East and West. The torch we have here in MMA is the one that has moved in the southern direction. Its intention is to go to the homes of each of our war heroes and collect a bit of soil from their houses. All the soil collected in packets from the houses of our courageous war veterans will be mixed and used to fertilise the soil in the National War Museum in
extraordinarily difficult job. One person The Two Decorated Veterans They both joined the National Defence Academy (NDA) at the same time. They are course mates. Rear Admiral Ramsagar got three medals. He was commissioned in 1959. He took part in the 65 and 71 wars. He is a naval aviator. He took off from INS Vikrant. The most difficult form of flying is flying from a floating airstrip. He endangered himself by flying close to sea level and dropped depth charges. His entire team was awarded Vir Chakra during the war.
volunteered to do that job and it was Colonel Krishnaswamy. An entire contingent of Pakistani army personnel were engaged in the ambush. The fire fight continued till 3 in the afternoon. Colonel Krishnaswamy moved from trench to trench and exhorted his men to continue fighting. Consequently, at 4 o'clock in the evening, when the count was taken, a total of 7 officers and 118 other ranks of Pakistanis were dead. He had just about 80 men for the job. His son, grandson
Delhi. We hope the air flowing through
Colonel Krishnaswamy is also a
and nephew are all in the Indian Navy.
it will inspire millions of our youngsters
triple awardee. He was a foot soldier like
That is Colonel Krishnaswamy, the
who will have to make our nation safe
me, an infantry man. He was asked to go
proud son of Chennai.
and proud tomorrow. In the interim, it
behind enemy lines into Bangladesh to BUSINESS MANDATE
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31 SEP 2021
Fireside Chat with the War Veterans
L
t Gen A Arun led a fireside chat with the two war veterans
Colonel Krishnaswamy: I was born in Tirunelveli. My father served
and took them down memory lane from their early days
in Delhi in AIR and we moved to Delhi. I joined St Stephens College
and ramping up the pitch steadily to their ac on days in the
there. In the first year, I got through in NDA, Khadakwasla, when it
war.
was just set up. My college Principal discouraged me but I was
What motivated them to join the defence forces?
adamant to join the army. We were the first batch in NDA.
Rear Admiral Ramsagar: My eldest brother‐in‐law was a Brigadier. The next one was a Lieutenant Colonel with 17 Madras Regiment.
If the clock were to be rewound, would they still join the armed forces?
My brother was a Lieutenant Colonel with the ar llery. So, I wanted
Both Rear Admiral Ramsagar and Colonel Krishnaswamy replied an
to join the Navy as a pilot. I cleared the exams and became a pilot
empha c ‘Of course, Yes’ with a childlike enthusiasm and a spark
from the aircra carrier. I was also a flying instructor. I joined IIT
in their eyes. Colonel Krishnaswamy added that his wife was ready
but le it and joined the NDA.
to marry him if he were to be reborn and join the army.
The Action Sequence:
Excerpts from Colonel Krishnaswamy’s narration
B
efore the war, we were spread
dropped there to choke the Pakistanis.
all over. I was a Major in the
But we did not know about this
army stationed in the eastern
operation and luckily, we could avert
sector and we had to move to the
getting in their crossfire. I saw a couple
Bhutan border. Because of the refugee
of parachutes and realised it must be
problem in that area, we sensed that
Indian forces. I knew Colonel Pannu, a
something was wrong.
paratrooper who was my instructor in
Luckily, the northern border opened up. It was the shortest route from Shillong to Dhaka. Our brigade
my senior command course. I called out his name out of sheer confidence and intuition and it saved us the day.
was asked to go in this axis. We crossed
On 12 December 1971, our further
Brahmaputra river on boats very
march was halted as the bridge over
smoothly and without any hindrance,
Durand had been blown up. Our brigade
thanks to the backup cover provided by
commander asked another battalion
our Air Force.
commander if he would be ready to proceed further with his battalion.
‘Pannu Sahb’ and the Great Escape After crossing the river, we started walking towards Tangail which is
While he expressed some reservations on the preparedness and risk involved in the operations, I volunteered.
famous for sarees. In Tangail, we came across our paratroopers who had been 32
SEP 2021
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Through River, Slush and Rice Fields
radio. He requested me to spare my If I am alive today, it is largely because of the support given by Captain Heera who hails from Tamil Nadu. He later became Chairman of Aavin. Our ambush was highly successful. The Pakistanis surrendered at 3 pm.
radio. It was a risk I had to take but he promised me excellent fire support. I gave him my radio. Captain Heera did a wonderful job of attacking the large contingent of enemy troops that walked
There were 80 of us. We walked 5
walk on the roads, not to leave behind
into our trap. If I am alive today, it is
kms in the Durand river stealthily, using
any foot marks. It was two at midnight
largely because of the support given by
deception tactics, protecting our
and we were at our target place. We dug
Captain Heera who hails from Tamil
ammunition and carrying everything on
trenches and were ready with our
Nadu. He later became Chairman of
our back for over three days. There was
machine guns. With the help of some
Aavin. Our ambush was highly
a Chinese ammunition factory in
locals, we put up some temporary
successful. The Pakistanis surrendered
Gazipur. My job was to prevent enemy
obstructions and confused the enemy.
at 3 pm. 118 Pakistan soldiers died in the ambush. While the Pakistani officers
vehicles taking ammunition and moving out of the factory. We were to lay an
Captain Heera and the Radio
were reluctant to bury their dead men
ambush, delay them and engage with
An artillery unit led by Captain
honourably, we stepped in, dug trenches
them. We marched through slush and
Heera joined us at 4 am. He was
for them and buried them honourably.
rice fields. We spread our rain coats to
completely drenched and had lost his
I cremated two of my dead comrades.
The Action Sequence:
Excerpts from Rear Admiral Ramsagar’s narration
Sri Lanka. Vikrant was Pakistan’s
I
n 1971, I had given up my job as a senior pilot in the carrier and took command of fighter planes in Goa.
biggest target. Had Vikrant not sailed from Bombay, it would have been sunk by Pakistan’s French submarine.
At that time, INS Vikrant was in the dry
Later on, it was moved to Vizag. As
docks and it was nonoperational.
the Vizag port did not have the facility
Repair work was going on in the boiler
to house Vikrant, the carrier was
of Vikrant. By May 71, one boiler was
stationed outside Vizag port. In the
made ready.
meanwhile, Pak sent its submarine to attack Vikrant in Madras. Not finding
Vikrant Moves and Eludes Pak Admiral Krishnan was at that time
the carrier, it moved to Vizag. Not knowing
that
Vizag
could
not
CinC of Eastern Naval Command. He
accommodate Vikrant, it planted many
was a very brilliant officer hailing from
mines in the port of Vizag, one of which
Madurai, Tamil Nadu. He suggested to
accidently exploded and destroyed the
the Chief of Naval Staff to move Vikrant
Pak submarine. Thus moving Vikrant
from Bombay to the south side. So they
had been a very clever and strategic
moved the carrier gently to Madras via
move on our part.
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33 SEP 2021
When the Hawks started pounding them, all the six vessels raised white flags and surrendered. We diverted them
to
Diamond
Harbour,
Calcutta.
By November, Vikrant was ready in
again and bomb the fleet. We set off in
loaded troops. I attacked them with
all respects. Admiral Krishnan moved it
two aircrafts at 2 am and each dropped
depth charges, flying at a very low
to Andaman Islands to a wellprotected
three depth charges. As they were
altitude. The gun boat attacked me with
place and we were waiting for clearance.
merchant vessels, they split the
a sequence of eight bullets. One of them
Pakistan started the provocation and
formation and sped away to the
missed my thigh very narrowly but they
our commander gave us the orders.
harbour. By morning, our Hawks
pierced and damaged my aircraft. I lost
Vikrant sailed at high speed and the first
returning from sorties were diverted to
my hydraulics but luckily my engine was
attack on Dhaka was done using Hawks
attack the vessels. When the Hawks
running.
which operate in daylight. We stopped
started pounding them, all the six
all vessels coming in that direction. At
vessels
night, we bombed Chittagong airfield
surrendered. We diverted them to
As I returned to attack the gun boat,
and the areas around.
Diamond Harbour, Calcutta. That was
I saw that one of the bombs had fallen
the end of the escape plan for
on the boat. Scared by the sight of a
Pakistanis.
large bomb sitting in front of them, they
Six Large Vessels
raised
white
flags
and
On the fourth day of the war, during our operations, I spotted 6 merchant
No to Net Landing
broke the formation and tried to beach Gun Boat and Three Catamarans
the vessels. I managed to fly back to
naval vessels lined up in an array. I
I was also tasked to look for a
Vikrant which was 90 kms away using
knew they were kept there for
nuclear carrier in the China Sea. So I
just a manual compass and landed at 9
evacuating Pak army men. Each could
took another sortie and flew at 21000
pm, declining the offer of a net to
take 20,000 soldiers. I fired one rocket
feet without any oxygen support. I
prevent my overrun. A net would have
on each of them. A gun boat fired at me.
detected none and happily reported it to
saved me but damaged the aircraft
I flew back to Vikrant by 8 pm as I had
HQ. On day 10 of the war, I did another
completely. With all my experience in
run out of my ammunition and reported
sortie and spotted a gun boat towing
flying, I could do a perfect night landing,
about the fleet that was kept ready for
three catamarans moving towards
coordinating with the Vikrant team
evacuation purposes. I was asked to go
Dhaka, each capable of carrying 1000
through VHF.
34
SEP 2021
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The Management Lessons
L
Mementoes...
t Gen A Arun exhorted the audience to give a standing ova on to the two decorated war veterans whose narra on of the ac on sequence in their own words gave goosebumps to all who were
tuned in to their speeches. Lt Gen A Arun culled out management lessons from the veterans’ talks that corporate professionals can make use of.
MMA presented a memento to Lt Gen A
• Leaders must have the ability to take risks and mi gate the
Arun. Mementoes were also presented to
consequences arising out of ac ons. If leaders cannot take calculated
war veterans Col Ganesan VSM, Col Durai
risks, they are neither leaders nor managers.
Ashok Nath, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph
• We must realise the difference between how things are taught and
Varghese, Flight Lieutenant S Somu and
how they are executed. We need to take the essence of learning and
three veer naris‐ Thirumathi Kasthuri
build on it with the effects of the environment.
Sambandam, Thirumathi Grace Sebas an,
• We must appreciate the significance of decep on and stealth‐‐be it in the boardroom or the ba lefield.
wife of late Sebas an and Thirumathi Chinnakulthai wife of late Sepoy Thalapaka y.
• We must honour the veterans and the dead. Everybody in an organisa on must be honoured for their contribu on. It is the parts that make a whole.
On behalf of the Indian Army and Dakshin Bharat area, GOC Lt Gen A Arun handed over a crest to Mr Ravi Purushothaman, the
• An organisa on needs people who have a high degree of perseverance, tenacity and courage.
President of MMA for MMA’s outstanding contribu on. He also gave away a medal to
• Leaders must understand the need for foresight, planning, training
Gp Captain R Vijayakumar (Retd) VSM,
and have the ability to look at con ngencies and think through the
Execu ve Director of MMA in recogni on
clu er.
of his outstanding contribu on and
• We strive on the strength of our team. Team power comes from
dedica on to duty. Gp Captain R Vijayakumar proposed a vote
camaraderie. We must do our jobs with passion.
of thanks. Gp Captain R Venkatraman (Retd), General Manager, MMA compered the proceedings. A er the na onal anthem, the victory flame was escorted out of the hall by the flame officer. The event concluded with the army band playing to the tune of Sare Jahan Se Accha.
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35 SEP 2021
36
SEP 2021
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I
t is an honour and privilege for me
causation or the pathogenesis. Unless
bit higher for women than men.) This is
to be addressing you all on the
we understand that, it's not possible to
thanks to the advances in medicines
occasion of the Fifth Giridhar
find treatment. For instance, there is a
including immunisation and the power
Memorial lecture. Giridhar, in his short
huge amount of ongoing research on
of vaccines. Vaccination, probably one
life, was an inspiration to many of us,
neurological diseases including multiple
of the greatest discoveries of the 20th
both young and old. He had an
sclerosis. It is one of the most difficult
century, has saved millions of lives,
insatiable curiosity and desire to learn
areas in medicine and it is difficult to
especially that of children.
about different aspects of life, starting
understand how it starts, what happens
from when he was a school child. He had
and what the risk factors are. Many
a fantastic ability to master different
things are multifactorial. They could
topics and made a mark in so many
involve
areas. This is an occasion to celebrate
environmental risk factors.
the life of this wonderful person. Many Things Unknown There are many things that are beyond anybody's control and there are still a lot of diseases for which we do not have a complete understanding of the
both
genetics
and
Diseases like dementia could be increasing globally as lifespan increases, including in India. It's good that our lifespan has increased from 33 years when we got independence to almost 70 years today when we celebrate the 75th Independence Day. (Life span is a little BUSINESS MANDATE
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Prevention Is Better Than Cure When we talk about longevity, it's a question of living a life that is free of disease and having a good quality of life. When we discuss a disease, we at once talk about medical care, hospitals, diagnosis and treatment. We think and do much less about prevention and promotion of good health and well being. Prevention is very much part of our traditional systems of medicine. 37 SEP 2021
Ayurveda, for example, has a very
pandemic definitely has had major
used in addition to allopathy but as
holistic approach to health. It is not only
impacts on all aspects of our life. We
alternatives, as the name suggests and
about treating diseases but also
have to work doubly hard to get to the
there are different systems.
promoting health and living a healthy
SDGs.
There are also herbal supplements
life. The whole concept of life includes a healthy diet and practising good habits like exercising and doing yoga and staying away from habits which are harmful to health like consuming tobacco and alcohol. The concept of wellbeing includes not only physical health but also mental and spiritual health. Each of us has some potential but that can only be achieved if the environment is right.
Many Branches of Medicine There are many areas of traditional systems of medicine like Siddha, Unani, Homeopathy and Naturopathy in the Indian system. There are also the Chinese traditional systems of medicine. The complementary medicines are those which are used along with the standard treatment of allopathy. In diseases like cancer or other incurable diseases, they can be used to improve the patient’s quality of life. They can give some relief
or dietary supplements. In Indian tradition, we use things like turmeric, ginger, tulsi and pepper which have medicinal properties. Many of these are now available either as home remedies or in the form of capsules, syrup, etc. Ashwagandha is another example. They are not regulated by the Drug Regulator of India as they are sold as dietary supplements. You can walk into a shop and buy them and take it yourself. Beware of Interactions
Promoting good health and well
from the side effects of cancer
being is part of the WHO’s agenda. It is
We must remember that they are
medicines, improve appetite, give relief
also a central part of the UN Sustainable
not entirely harmless. If you are taking
from pain or give better sleep. The
Development Goals 2030 (SDGs). We
other medicines, there may be drug
alternate systems of medicine are not
interactions. Some herbal dietary
are less than nine years away and the 38
SEP 2021
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supplements were very popular in the US. It was later found that they had an
As far as WHO is concerned, the traditional medicines of proven
interaction with cancer drugs and they
quality, safety and efficacy contribute to the goal of ensuring that
lowered the blood levels of those drugs.
everybody has access to care.
So, if you are taking many medicines, doctors need to know what all you take, so that they can look into these drug interactions. Then we have energy therapy, Reiki
goal of universal health coverage and
advocacy.
that they can be provided in essential
The discussions are at an advanced
health service packages.
and other forms of healing touch and massage therapies and acupuncture. We have therapies which try to change our mind and body nexus and train our mind to do certain things like cognitive behavioral therapy, hypnosis and meditation. Safety, Quality and Efficacy As far as WHO is concerned, the traditional medicines of proven quality, safety and efficacy contribute to the goal of ensuring that everybody has access to care.
The
alternative
and
complementary medicines are often used more widely by people in many parts of the world than allopathic medicines because they are closer to home, accessible, affordable and also culturally more acceptable and therefore it makes them quite attractive. So for
stage and I hope that very soon this
Every country has a planning
Center for Traditional Medicines will be
process. The policymaking has to be
inaugurated in India. It will be not only
based on data and evidence. We need a
for India but also for all the 194 member
system to regulate these types of
states in the WHO.
therapies, practitioners, products and
There have been surveys done by
practices. We need trained people who
WHO periodically. The last survey was
can practice these forms of medicine.
done around 2016 and there was a
The products and processes must be
report published in 2019 on the
quality assured.
traditional
and
complementary
medicines, in which 88% of the Centre for Traditional Medicines We encourage a lot of research and
countries have said that they use traditional
and
complementary
innovation in this area. Recently, the
medicines; 98 countries have formal
Director General of WHO and our
policies, laws, regulations and programs
Honourable Prime Minister Shri
for traditional medicine. Some countries
Narendra Modi had a conversation and
have included these medicines in their
decided to set up a Global Centre for
essential medicines list.
Traditional Medicines in India. The Centre will have three focus areas, namely:
Pandemic and Comorbidities The pandemic obviously has made
available
us aware of the gaps and challenges in
encouraging countries to consider and
knowledge and providing policy
our health system. But one of the
include traditional medicines into their
inputs.
findings has been that people with non
To promote highquality research in
communicable diseases like diabetes,
the areas of traditional and
hypertension or underlying kidney,
complementary medicines
neurological and cardiovascular diseases
Training, capacity building and
have been at a much higher risk of
the last many years, WHO has been
national health systems.
•
•
We believe that traditional and complementary systems of medicine can make a significant contribution to the
•
Synthesizing
the
BUSINESS MANDATE
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39 SEP 2021
has been set up in that way. Some people can change while some are not able to change their
We need cycle roads, more
lifestyles. It requires both personal effort at an individual level and
greenery, more parks and more open
behavior change.
spaces. We need affordable, nutritious food. How many people can afford fruits and vegetables to be taken in quantities
getting the infection and also of getting
factors, genetic factors and modifiable
that are healthy? I am very happy to see
seriously ill when they get Covid19.
lifestyle factors. By doing the right
in
This has become very clear through the
things, we can keep postponing the
announcements that millets will now be
surveys that have been done in India
onset of these diseases. Regular
included in the public distribution
including the survey done by ICMR on
exercise, a healthy, nutritious and
system. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister
noncommunicable diseases.
balanced diet, keeping body weight
and the Health Minister are physical
under control, taking less of sugar and
fitness conscious people. The Health
salt are vital to good health.
Minister Mr. Ma. Subramanian is
Lack of Awareness The National Family Health Survey has found that 25 to 30% of young adult Indians in the age group of 20 to 45 have diabetes or hypertension or both. The majority of these people are either not aware that they have these or are not on treatment which means that their diabetes and hypertension are not under control. This is the biggest risk factor in India because untreated hypertension and diabetes affect many different organs of the bodythe heart, kidneys, eyes, brain and nerves.
Mental health is also very important.
We
should
not
underestimate the impact of mental stress in bringing on some of these lifestyle diseases. Some people can change while some are not able to change their lifestyles. It requires both
Tamil
Nadu
budget
apparently a marathon runner. I hope that with this kind of leadership, we will see promotion of physical activities because Tamil Nadu is, unfortunately, becoming the diabetes capital of the world. That is not a welcome distinction.
personal effort at an individual level and
The global pandemic has doubled
behavior change. For somebody who is
people’s burden. Here the role of
a smoker, giving up smoking is not easy
Ayurveda, yoga and our traditional
and the individual may need help. The
knowledge on food eating habits and
health system has to provide that
diets can be significant. Much of it has
support.
changed. I remember when we were young, we ate only homemade food.
We need to make people aware that these are treatable and preventable
the
Policy Level Interventions
What our children eat today is different.
conditions. People should get their
There are some policy level changes
blood pressure and blood sugar checked
needed too. For example, we must make
allopathy and complementary and
regularly. They need to be on treatment
it easier for people to walk and to cycle
alternative systems of medicine as
if their levels are high.
rather than use the car. One of the
competing, we should think of them as
things I enjoy about living in Geneva is
an integrated system. Both have their
the fact that I can cycle and walk
places. There are many diseases and
everywhere or take a bus. I don't need a
ailments for which there is no treatment
We should also do things to prevent people from getting hypertension and diabetes at a young age. There are risk
car and I don't own a car. The system 40
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Rather
than
thinking
about
available in allopathy and for which, more of a symptomatic treatment is given. That is where the traditional systems come in.
It is not the length of life but the quality of life which is really very critical. That brings me back to Giridhar because his length of life was very short. But he was able to do and achieve many things and
Technology and Assistive Devices
give back to society.
Because of the increasing lifespan, there will be more diseases as we age that will require support. We need rehabilitation,
palliation
and
physiotherapy. We also need support services as well as assistive devices. There is a lot of technology that is available for people who cannot see or hear but access to such technologies is very limited. Dr. Sujatha at IIT Madras has developed special wheelchairs that can make wheelchairdependent people to not just sit on it but also to stand. As a pediatrician, I have cared for children with
muscular
dystrophy
and
neurological diseases which put them in a very difficult situation early in life. While they are paralysed, they are mentally alert and can go to school and
Quality Is What Matters
our country are dependent on government health services.
productive
So when we think about health and
members of society, if we are able to give
health systems, we must think all the
It is not the length of life but the
them assistive devices that they need.
way from promotion of health,
quality of life which is really very
prevention
diagnosis
critical. That brings me back to Giridhar
treatment,
because his length of life was very short.
management of pain, rehabilitation,
But he was able to do and achieve many
palliation and endoflife care.
things and give back to society. He has
college
and
become
There is a huge gap globally in the need and availability of assistive devices, mainly spectacles, hearing aids, canes and wheelchairs. We take simple things
management
of
disease, and
like that for granted but if we don't have
We need a workforce that is trained
left a mark in all of us. So what
access to them when there is a need,
to provide these services. We need
everybody should strive to achieve is the
then it completely changes our life.
products and devices and, of course, the
quality of life.
financing as a large number of people in BUSINESS MANDATE
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41 SEP 2021
We now have nuclear families which do not have access to the wisdom from a joint family about alternative medicines.
One should go by whatever the approved
At the drop of a hat, people rush to a medical practitioner
regimen is‐‐which is basically two doses of the
or check online. How can we educate them?
same vaccine at intervals recommended by the
Dr Sowmya: Yes, most people now get their informa on from
government. In some cases, if the second dose
Dr.Google and decide what is to be done. Doctors too find it
is not available, you may give the other one.
difficult nowadays to counsel their pa ents. We need behavior
What is clear is it doesn't cause any harm but
change.
whether it is as good as or better than the two
We need to promote complementary medicine and living a healthy
doses of the same batch, we don't know yet.
life. It should be supported by a combina on of government policies‐‐not just policies in the health sector but in other sectors also. When I talk about cycling, walking, greenery in our ci es or
one combina on, which is AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine (Covishield in India), followed by mRNA vaccines, the results are good.
promo ng sports in schools and colleges, many departments must Without data, it is very hard to say whether it is good or not at this
come together. It is what we call ‘health in all policies.’
point of me. One should go by whatever the approved regimen The quality of air that we breathe is unfortunately becoming one of the major factors for many health issues. 90% of people living in ci es across the world are not breathing air mee ng the WHO standards. Some of the most polluted ci es are in India.
is‐‐which is basically two doses of the same vaccine at intervals recommended by the government. In some cases, if the second dose is not available, you may give the other one. What is clear is it doesn't cause any harm but whether it is as good as or be er
The home remedies may be dying out now amidst infodemic‐‐an
than the two doses of the same batch, we don't know yet. People
overload of informa on. We have to go for tried and tested
should not experiment on their own. They should wait for the
products. We need innova on in this area and it has to be followed
research and guidelines and then the government policy.
up with very rigorous research to get data and evidence. The Chinese have done that effec vely with their tradi onal medicine. They conducted large randomised, clinical trials which showed that certain products are useful. We need to do that in India.
What is your advice to the younger generation on maintaining good health, especially since WFH is becoming the norm?
In the first few months of the pandemic in 2020, it was an
What is your take on cocktails of Covid vaccines?
extremely stressful me for us in the WHO. We worked for very
This is an area where there is s ll a lot of research going on but
long hours and could not get much sleep at night. I found that
we have very li le data as yet. From the data we have, for only
doing 20 minutes of yoga in the morning, making sure that I took
42
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on me healthy meals‐‐home‐cooked, with a lot of salads, vegetables and fruits; and having a long 45 minutes walk in the evening really relieved my stress. That was the only way I could sleep at night. Some people would like to do medita on before going to bed at night. Some like to listen to music.
dance or watching a film. It has to take the mind away from work. Work culture also needs to respect this. Many offices are now realising that pu ng pressure on people to work for 24 hours is not the way for produc vity. Produc vity can be enhanced when people have a balance in life. We have to pursue our hobbies.
With WFH, the work life and home life have all merged into one. People are constantly with a device. This is not very healthy. We have to give ourselves a break. Our brains need me to recharge and we should not be connected to devices all the me.
Though we are missing physical social interac ons, online meets have become a good subs tute and we are able to reach more people. There are many zoom family calls, zoom classmates and alumni meets happening in the last two years.
Young people must be off devices when they go outdoors. They must do some exercise or do something relaxing. It could be music,
Everybody's mental health has been affected, especially young people who are finishing school or college. They are anxious about the insecuri es in their life. We have to recognise that.
One should go by whatever the approved regimen is‐‐which is basically two doses of the
Unfortunately, it is a gap in our health systems that we don't have good mental support available as much as we have for physical.
same vaccine at intervals recommended by the
While we may not be able to necessarily produce more and more
government. In some cases, if the second dose
psychiatrists, there are other ways of providing mental health
is not available, you may give the other one.
support, and one of them is reaching out to your friends and family
What is clear is it doesn't cause any harm but
members to say hello, making sure to check up on people if they
whether it is as good as or better than the two
are okay and encourage people to talk about their stress and strain
doses of the same batch, we don't know yet.
when they feel depressed. The best way is to talk about it and get help.
BUSINESS MANDATE
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43 SEP 2021
44
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T
he
single
story
creates
stereotypes, and the problem
I’m not good enough or I'm not good at
believe it to be true. Sometimes, there is
mathematics.”
a lack of compassion. We don't care
with stereotypes is not that
There are little folders in our
they are untrue but that they are
minds, which we keep accessing, like we
incomplete. They make one story
do when we read books. We keep
become the only story.” Nigerian
accessing the same books, the same
author Chimamanda Adichie.
games or the same clothes. It is the same
The Single Story Folders We all have a single story in our mind which creates stereotypes and which we believe to be the truth. It does not occur to us to explore it and look at its other facets. The problem with single stories and stereotypes is that they do not give the whole picture. Our minds are filled with these single stories. These little single stories that we have, create our inner dialogues like, “I'm too fat;
thing with the single stories in our minds.
enough to understand what it is like to be in another person’s shoes. We may lack empathy. Sometimes, it is because of a lack of courage. We don't really want to move out of our comfort zone. Your Personal Brand Products are physical. We are all
Chimamanda Adichie, in her TED
productsproducts of marriage, of
Talk, says that when she came to the US
parents, of education, of career and of
from Nigeria, they asked her, “What
circumstances. We are products of
tribal music do you listen to? How come
something which force us to perform or
you speak English so well?” Even from
act certain roles, but that is not all of
India when we go abroad, people ask us
who we are. There is far more to us than
how we speak English so well. The
just this product. Brands stir emotions.
reason we operate from the single
We are all brands. Each one of us is
stories is because of a lack of knowledge
unique, completely authentic and
about something and therefore we BUSINESS MANDATE
fountainhead of excellence
45 SEP 2021
different from each other. Each of us
listen, acknowledge and understand our
stirs an emotion in a completely
inner dialogue?
Part of being emotionally resilient or finding inner peace is not to operate
different way. Somebody may be helping
Otto Scharmer talks about 4 levels
just from the conscious mind but to
people to feel calm, some may help
of listening in conversations. We can
become completely aware of the
people feel inspired and some may help
apply his theory to a conversation that
conversation
people feel energised.
we have with ourselves. He says that all
subconscious mind and then taking
Each of us stirs an emotion and it is
of our little stories come from different
conscious decisions. There are so many
that emotion that is remembered. If we
times in our life. Some of them leave us
messages going into our mind in a day.
think back to our school, we may
feeling so good. That is great. Some of
Some of it, we get rid of and some of it,
remember a teacher. It is the emotion
them come from our past or our
as we sleep, get sorted into a filing
that they have evoked that helps us to
subconscious mind, which is far more
system.
remember them. It could be fear or joy
powerful than the conscious mind.
going
on
in
the
All of us have a unique filing
or anything. In that same way, our inner
As part of our upbringing, we have
system. The way I arrange clothes in my
dialogue constantly stirs up an emotion.
learnt how to be mature enough,
cupboard is very different from how you
operate from our conscious mind and
do. It does not make anybody right or
make conscious decisions. Because, that
wrong, but we create these little folders
is the semblance of somebody who is in
in our mind and we file our single stories
charge and in control of themselves. But
into these folders. We have a folder
the fact is, the subconscious mind is
called Me, Success, Marriage, Career,
huge and overpowering and has the
Religion, Finance, Authority etc. We
loudest conversations.
have folders on everything. We keep
Understanding the Dialogues Emotions create little stories in the little folders in our mind, which make us operate in different ways, react to different situations and respond in different ways. How do we understand, 46
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The Three Loud Voices Some of the noisiest conversations that go on in our minds are from our three voices: • Voice of Judgment • Voice of Cynicism • Voice of Fear Voices of judgment come from regret, resentment and replay… ‘I should be like this, but unfortunately, I'm not like this.’ We have conversations from voices of cynicism with which we feeding these folders and all our inner
marriage is about having a husband or
get emotional. (Eg: It's all their fault; it
dialogues are based on the content of
spouse who is taller than me or earns
is not my fault; I'm helpless.’) The voice
these folders.
more than me. But that may not happen.
of fear comes from our worries. These
I have to look at my inner dialogue, look
three voices are having constant
at the folders and keep reevaluating
dialogue and conversations with us. Our
them, without judgment.
whole purpose of having an inner
Reframing the Dialogues Very rarely, do we go back and re examine the folders. You may have a folder that says, ‘success means coming first.’ That is fabulous and it worked through school and college and it helped you to get a fabulous job. When you reach midmanagement, you can't keep coming first. The inner dialogue of ‘success means coming first,’ may now make you become riskaverse. You may become a micromanager, as your fear of failure becomes huge. So somewhere
While the positive inner dialogues are great, the negative ones bother us.
judgment, cynicism and fear.
We have conversations with ourselves
These voices are not always bad.
about the past which may cause regret
For instance, it is good to have a voice of
like, ‘I wish I had done that, I wish I had
fear when you see a lion or a snake that
studied this, I wish I had taken that job
makes you run.
opportunity.’ We keep replaying that we are not treated fairly. A lot of our inner dialogue comes from regret, resentment and replay from the past.
along the way, you need to relook at the
We also have conversations that
dialogue that is going on inside, look at
evolve from the present like ‘I am an
the folder and reframe, as it is not going
introvert; I don't look good; my hair is
to work for you in the future. You can
too thin, my feet are too big and so on.’
reframe it to say that success means
We start looking at ourselves. Just as in
having an opinion that is respected or
that single story, we get into a tunnel
sought after.
vision and do not get to see the rest of
I may have a folder that says
dialogue is to recognize the voice of
the story that is around us. BUSINESS MANDATE
fountainhead of excellence
Taming the Three Voices Overcoming the voice of judgement: It is really about saying, ‘Can I show curiosity for my internal folders? Can I inquire about myself? What are my triggers? What are my single stories? Do they need to stay? Can I explore different ways of reframing my ideas of success?’ My mom always tells me, “Eat some more.” That's her way of saying, ‘I love 47 SEP 2021
you.’ So I had this single story that moms cook well and feed their children.’ I cook well, but I don't like to cook. Does that make me a bad mother? No, I had to reframe. I had to look hard at this conversation and explore. I did not sit in judgment on myself, on whether I am being a good mother or not or a good parent. It does not matter whether it's male, female or anybody. This is applicable to everybody. Overcoming the voice of cynicism: We can overcome this with
are feeling and to be able to be quiet in
with the 3Cs namely, curiosity,
pure compassion. How often do we
that voice of cynicism.
compassion and courage. This is easier said than done.
acknowledge our feelings? I had a young
Overcoming the voice of fear:
lady who came to me and said she was
It requires courage to step into the
Then explore your mental folders
having
some
future. You don't know about that. But
and about what is stored in them about
relationships. During the course of
it's about saying, ‘Look, this belief or
marriage, career, parenting, authorities,
conversation, we came to the fact that
single story is not working for me. I
collaboration and networking. Explore
she was feeling jealous of certain people
need to change it. I need to think about
those folders and beliefs. The first time
and felt very bad about it.
how I feel and how I leave people
I did a session on beliefs, participants
feeling.’ If you're nervous, you're going
from a certain organization said that
to leave people feeling nervous.
women don’t get to network as much as
problems
with
Why is it so difficult for us to just acknowledge how we feel? I told her,
men do. “But that's a folder, a belief,” I
“You're feeling jealous. That's fine. It
So it's really important to be able to
doesn't make you an evil person. It's
recognize our voice of judgment, explore
okay to feel jealous. It's not going to be
it and understand it; recognize our voice
We often hear people saying, “I feel
there for the rest of your life. When you
cynicism, have compassion for it and
miserable because my colleague got a
acknowledge your feelings, it goes away
acknowledge it; and recognize that voice
promotion, but at least I still have a job.”
much faster. Its toxicity leaves you.”
of fear and say, ‘I'd like to reframe and
We keep excusing and pushing the
Sometimes it's okay to say, ‘this is
move ahead and this is how I want to
emotions down. We don't listen to our
how I feel,’ and that's fine, because we
feel.’ This, in effect, is that inner
inner dialogue. Instead, we say, “No,
have to replenish that energy of
dialogue.
you're too loud. I don't want to hear you,
acceptance. No car can run on zero fuel
Emotions are the loudest part of
and if we are going to be strong, we
our inner dialogue. It comes from these
must replenish our energy. A lot of that
voices of fear, cynicism and judgment.
comes from just acknowledging how you
What we need to do is to tackle them
48
SEP 2021
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said.
because at least I've got something else.” Unfortunately, that doesn't work because the buzz becomes louder and more toxic. Instead, show curiosity.
Look at yourself and say, “Today, I am the best that I can be, with the knowledge and wisdom I have now. Tomorrow or in ten minutes, I will be somebody different. But today I am fabulous.” We repent throughout our life saying that we have not reached our full potential. What is this full potential and who knows about this? We have a folder about this that stops us celebrating from who we are.
Explore where this feeling comes from?
much about courage and sacrifice. Every
no longer worried about not coming first
What little single story started this?
Mother's Day, we see on Facebook,
always.
Have compassion.
Twitter and LinkedIn, tons of posts about ‘how my mother sacrificed herself.’
Celebrate Who You Are We always think about how we need to fix our weaknesses and improve ourselves. We just do not acknowledge and celebrate what fabulous people we are and what brought us here. Look at yourself and say, “Today, I am the best that I can be, with the knowledge and wisdom I have now. Tomorrow or in ten minutes, I will be somebody different. But today I am fabulous.” We repent throughout our life saying that we have not reached our full potential. What is this full potential and who knows about this? We have a folder about this that stops us celebrating from who we are. Nurture yourself. Look after yourself. Listen to your inner dialogue, be comfortable with that and explore the inner dialogue.
Do mothers want to be remembered for all the sacrifice, as somebody who could have lived a better or fuller life or do they want to be remembered for what they gave us, what they were, who they were and for their outcomes and the results of what they did? Think about it from the positives, from the results and then work towards getting it. So your inner dialogue should always be: ‘What do I want as a
Give yourself the freedom to ask. Recently, someone in my team was really stressed out for quite some time. She said, “I need help. I need a bigger team.” Within two weeks it was done. The only thing that had not happened was that she had not asked and it didn't occur to us either. The minute she asked, she got it. So sometimes, you just need to ask, not necessarily for yourself but for others too.
result? How do I want to feel as a result of
Learn to say no. Our single stories
that? What is the purpose of what I want
don't allow us to say no, because we have
to do? Why do I want to reframe my single
this image of the perfect employee, perfect
story?”
child or the perfect parent. We give energy
Reframe what doesn't work for you anymore. When you reframe, reframe it to something that the conscious mind will believe. For example, when you reframe what success means to you, you can say, ‘I bring a lot of value and experience to the
Focus on Outcomes
Ask, say ‘no’
to others without replenishing ourselves. People will remember how you made them feel more so than what you say to them. Listen to your inner dialogue and inspire You.
table.’ Then you will start working on how
I firmly believe that we all are
to make that value and experience
valuable. We secondguess ourselves so
relevant to the people around you. You are BUSINESS MANDATE
fountainhead of excellence
Ms Supriya Padmanabhan supriya.padmanabhan@mypersona.in 49 SEP 2021
The Gita for a Global World Mr Rohit Chopra, Associate Professor of Communication, Santa Clara University, California, the author of the book was in conversation with Mr J Krishnan, Founder, UniMity Solutions.
G
roup Captain R Vijayakumar (Retd)
VSM,
Executive
Director of MMA initiated the
online discussions and introduced the speakers and elaunched the book, The Gita
for
a
global
world.’
Mr
Mahalingam, Honorary Treasurer, MMA delivered the welcome address. Mr J Krishnan led the discussion with Mr Rohit Chopra. The Bhagavad Gita is a Hindu scripture that is part of the epic Mahabharata war. Marked by flux, our increasingly incomprehensible global world presents considerable ethical, political and social challenges. Mr J Krishnan asked, “Could the Gita, for all its philosophical abstraction, serve as an introduction to navigating this space of capitalist modernity? What can it tell us about global warming and violence, inequality and suffering, pandemics and the savage oppression of vulnerable groups?” Mr Krishnan narrated a story of a young man who was asked by his grandfather to carry water from a river, in a basket full of holes. The water got 50
SEP 2021
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drained in no time and he went back to
that is what I mean by crisis
mean when Gita asks one to do one’s work
the river many times. Frustrated, he
globalisation,” Rohit elaborated. He also
and not expect any reward for the
asked his grandpa the significance of his
felt that more than the invisible virus that
outcome? It brings out the epistemic
assignment. He explained to his
caused the pandemic, problems caused
humility in humans, said Rohit. He noted
grandson, “You have not carried me any
by the people themselves are more. At
that the world cannot be made a better
water but the basket is cleaned inside out.
such crisis, we should try to help
place merely by regulations. “In Europe,
In the same way, if you read Bhagavad
everyone. We look at a special treatment
for instance, use of biomass for power
Gita, you will be cleaned inside out,
for ‘us’ and neglect ‘others,’ he lamented
generation, which is an ecofriendly
though you may not remember anything
and requested people to practise ethical
source of fuel, led to community in
like the basket with holes did not hold any
actions, by which, they will take decisions
another part being affected by saw dust
water in it.”
fully aware of the consequences, with a
coming from the bio mass.” He also
Rohit explained about the state of
broader, selfless outlook. Gita espouses
brought out the power of ‘yoga’ in work
flux in the world and how Gita addresses
us to take action but with a people first
which is nothing but discipline.
it. He coined a word ‘crisis globalisation’
approach, he said. He clarified the
Group Captain R Vijayakumar
to explain the state of globalisation. He
difference between inaction and non
anchored a Q&A session with Mr Rohit
said that thanks to the pandemic, people
action. Gita denounces inaction which is
Chopra after which he proposed the vote
are looking at restricting supply chains
taking no action. But nonaction means
of thanks. MMA presented emementos
within a national boundary. ‘This will last
choosing not to act, after analysing the
to the speakers and also made
for some time and we will restore status
pros and cons. This can be a better option
arrangements to distribute 200 face
quo later. This cycle of ebb and flow or
in a given situation. Rohit also pointed
masks and 100 mini sanitisers to the
retreat from globalisation and interaction
out the context and setting in which
local community to educate them on
will happen more frequently in future and
Bhagavad Gita was narrated. Everything
Covid appropriate behaviour.
we do is outcome driven. What does it BUSINESS MANDATE
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What are we trying to do to make our Chennai city a smart city?
as it is. In the south of Chennai we have the Perungudi garbage dumping yard, where garbage is converted to biomining legacy. We have started to convert this into manure. We have a Special Secretary (Environment) who is taking care of this. We have established six units to convert garbage accumulated over the last 30 yearsa height of 10 to 20 feet above ground. Garbage will be taken to industrial units being set up there, and sieved, to separate plastic and other materials which can be used. The segregated plastic will be compressed into blocks and sent to cement factories in Ariyalur. We have a tie up with Dalmiya Cements. The compressed plastic will be
Mr Gagandeep Singh Bedi Commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation
burnt in the cement factory boilers under Pollution Control Board norms, into energy. The tyre and tin waste will be
T
recycled. he first point I want to touch upon is that our Chennai should look clean and green. The most important aspect in this regard is that our city should
be free of garbage. All over the world, garbage is converted to either manure or energy. But we dump garbage and leave it
What remains is the inert earth. This will be dumped in lowlying places, under pollution control norms. Our aim is that within the next two to three years, the Perungudi dumping yard should have flat lands without garbage. Our next move will be to convert that into green and clean units.
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We want to replicate this in the Kodungaiyur dumping
within the next four to five years itself.
yard too, which has accumulated waste of 30 to 40 years. We
The trees that we plant should not be exotic varieties but
are working on a detailed project report (DPR) to convert all
indigenous trees that can stand ground even if cyclones and
that garbage into useful manure in the coming three to four
other storms cross the city. The trees should grow at least 6
years. This is the first and foremost step that Chennai
feet high and above. More than money, it is the care that
Corporation is trying in order to make our city a Smart City.
matters and definitely our citizens can take better care in greening up their city rather than the Chennai Corporation,
Planting Trees The second point is making Chennai green. Chennai has green lungs in places like Adyar and Raj Bhavan areas but we generally feel that we should grow more trees in Chennai. It is our firm conviction that the city corporation alone
which can take care of the big ticket infrastructure projects like roads, bridges and storm water drains where we spend thousands of crores. Beautification of Chennai
can never succeed in this mission. What we have been insisting
The third point is that we should make our city beautiful.
upon is that we should have the involvement of the Resident
I am very passionate about the fact that we should all be proud
Welfare Associations (RWAs) in cleaning, and greening up of
of our city. Singara Chennai 2.0 (Beautiful Chennai) is the pet
Chennai. RWAs can plant trees in their own campuses or in
project of TN government and our Honorable Chief Minister.
all the roads leading to their campuses.
When we land up in Chennai and come out of the railway
With their own internal money, they can buy saplings,
station or airport, we wish our city were as beautiful as any
plant them, guard them properly from cattle, and water them.
other city in Europe and America or perhaps even like our
If this becomes a citizens' movement, Chennai will become
sister cities of the South like Hyderabad and Bangalore. Why
greener, right before our own eyes, not after 20 years, but
can't Chennai be as beautiful as the best in the world? Now
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we find posters put up everywhere on all public places, road dividers, etc. We had a meeting in this regard to make Chennai a posterfree city. We got wholehearted support from the government.
Any effort is incomplete without citizens' participation. I strongly believe that a roadside median can be better developed by the industry
We want to see green roadsides, beautiful fountains on the way, flowers and trees along the medians and all public
or educational institution in the neighbourhood than by the City Corporation.
places looking good. Now on the walls of the public buildings, we are putting up pictures of Tamil Nadu art and culture, planting Bougainvillea and Tacoma trees and other plants along the medians and coming up with a lot of fountains. We are trying to beautify the bridge underpasses too.
perfection but we shall surely strive towards it. What is important is that citizens should give feedback on the
Any effort is incomplete without citizens' participation. I
shortcomings of the corporation.
strongly believe that a roadside median can be better developed by the industry or educational institution in the neighbourhood than by the City Corporation.
Revamping Water Bodies The next point is about the need to maintain our water bodies. There are a number of water bodies within Chennai
Usage of Data
city which need to be improved and beautified. When I was
The fourth aspect is usage of data. I agree that the City
Secretary of Fisheries, we initiated the improvement of
Corporation has to become a role model for transparency, and
Chetpet lake which had green water all over. Now it has
we are looking into a number of aspects.
become a beautiful sight for the citizens.
We are trying to make all our tendering process online,
Under the Smart City funds, we are planning to improve
so that there is hardly any intervention of vested interests in
a number of other water bodies in the city, including the
the bidding process. The government is committed to this. We
Villivakkam lake, which is going to be a big star attraction for
want to ensure many services in the hands of the citizens
the citizens. Many other small ponds and lakes within the city
through Namma Chennai mobile app. They can go to the app,
which enhance the groundwater level need renovation. We
click the zone, ward and street and find out how many workers
have to desilt them, lay beautiful pathways all around the
are supposed to come and how many have turned up for the
bunds, so morning walkers can use them, and provide trees
day, how many battery operated vehicles are there, which
on both sides of walkways and open gyms. We have already
roads are being laid in the vicinity and so on.
put up more than 20 such places across the city. In all such
We now issue birth and death certificates online. We are
cases, we want the citizens to come forward and participate.
also trying to make the process of building plan approval, within 30 days of submission through an online process. We
Last Journey but not the Least
have partially rolled this out. We shall monitor the process at
The last point is the beautification of the city's crematoria.
my/deputy commissioners' level. If citizens face problems,
It may look a little unglamorous but I wish to point out that
they can call 1913 and we will take action. The intention is
the last journey of a human being has to be peaceful, not only
definitely there to bring in transparency. We may not have
for the departed but also their relatives. We are striving to
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ensure that all the crematoria of the city are clean, beautiful and green. A number of organizations are also participating along with the corporation to beautify the crematoria. More than a corporation engineer, a committed organization, an industry or other stakeholders can put their heart and soul into such programmes. If there is demand for one crematorium on a day, citizens who are in need, can check and
We need to sensibly and smartly use technology‐ ‐right from data to Internet of Things, Machine Learning, AI, 3D printing and so on. We are a very resilient society. We will come up with solutions and we will definitely prevail.
book another available crematorium which will also be clean and beautiful. I started from garbage and ended with crematorium. If citizens participate in all these efforts of garbage removal, planting of trees, beautification of the city, cleaning of water bodies, giving feedback on data management and services to the corporation and beautification of the crematoria, we can make our Chennai city, a smart city indeed!
up to Pongal and our kutcheri (concert) culture, the Kanchipuram silk sarees and of course the Madras Management Association. We have a list of famous lawyers and leaders who adorned Chennai and Indialike Kamaraj, Annadurai, R Venkatraman, C Rajagopalachari and others. Our city is green. We are a very conservative community and we love classical arts. We are sensitive, artistic, able, have
What are we going to do about climate change?
leadership qualities, quiet and harmonious and like to live our lives peacefully. This is a wonderful combination which can strike a beautiful balance for us. We do have problems. We are always short of water because we are in a rainshadowed area and we depend on the rains in the Western Ghats before it flows into the Bay of Bengal. Our lakes and waterways have to be really efficient to catch all the rain water and give it to us for a year. Over the years, many lakes have disappeared or been encroached upon. Some of them have been filled with garbage. Many things have happened midway like the Varda
Ms Sheila Sri Prakash
cyclone and December 2015 floods. We have challenges from
Founder & Chief Architect, Shilpa Architects Planners Designers
W
climate change. Our sea level is slowly rising. What are we going to do about climate change? We need to sensibly and smartly use technologyright
e are proud of many things in ChennaiThe
from data to Internet of Things, Machine Learning, AI, 3D
Madras Terrace, the aroma of the Chennai
printing and so on. We are a very resilient society. We will
coffee, the Madras University, the wonderful
come up with solutions and we will definitely prevail.
music season that starts in December after Dashara and goes 56
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What should we do to tackle these is‐ sues?
In 2019, Chennai was one of the districts in the State which was declared as a hydrological drought district. What should we do to tackle all these?
Dr Jayanthi Murali
the next stage, planting shrubs and trees. Ensuring
Special Secretary ﴾Environment, Climate Change﴿, Tamil Nadu Forest Department
that the bunds don’t break off during flooding. Abroad, they have a drain channel system called ‘bioswale.’
O
ut of 33 mega cities all over the world, Chennai is
• Taking care of mangroves; mapping fragile
the most vulnerable of all. 21 cities are in the low
ecosystems so that they are not used for any other
lying coastal areas and Chennai is one of them. By
purpose.
2050, 90% of the coastal cities will be hit by the sea level rise.
• Ensuring
Regulatory
Zone
2019
notifications are complied with.
The IPCC’s sixth assessment report AR6 has reinforced the worst fears of climate change. We are also prone to lightning
Coastal
• Planting trees along the ECR and also greening of sand dunes along ECR
strikes, cyclones, heavy rainfalls, earthquakes and, therefore,
• Scientific mapping of all the wetlands in the city. The
risks of tsunami.
slope, drainage and hydrology are the main factors
We have the maximum number of twowheelers, which
for the wetland. When you do dredging, you should
leads to pollution and later to climate change in the long run.
know which side the slope is. Then you will know
In 2019, Chennai was one of the districts in the State which
which side the water will come through, so you can
was declared as a hydrological drought district. What should we do to tackle all these? Here is a suggested list:
store in the wetland. • Identifying high elevation areas and moving people
• Planting of indigenous fruit bearing species.
in low lying areas prior to floods and keeping them
• Having a green barrier with bamboo.
there for at least 15 days with all arrangements.
• Having kitchen gardens over the roof.
• Constructing permeable pavements and recharge
• Introducing mobile nurseries and providing seeds and solutions to the citizens.
pits • Improving the storm water drain construction with
• Proponents of big projects like a mall or a big
improved methods, keeping an eye on climate
building must insist on growing trees as part of the
change.
project. This condition should be linked to
• Having a climate resilience plan for Chennai.
clearances.
• Mapping should be based on GIS and MIS.
• Growing grass first as bunds for the waterways. In BUSINESS MANDATE
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• Installing digital information boards in Chennai that
In advanced cities like Barcelona, London or Paris, when
can provide useful information about the ecological
we walk around, we don't worry about how many IOT devices
requirements, pollution levels, etc to inform and
are present nor are we scared of any system. We just walk
motivate the public.
around with our children, enjoy the coffee shops, clean air and
• Using evidencebased technology
the public transport. Smartness of a city is not just about
• Considering 5 year maintenance in water body
technology alone. It is about quality of life, especially for the
restoration and other projects.
poor. Climate change and lack of resilience will impact them
• CSR funding of greening projects
more than any one of us. As a city, we are a team and we have
Anna University has a firstofitskind climate studio.
to do something about it.
This collects global data and will use them for generating local
We have to think in terms of shortterm, mediumterm
data and early warning systems. Adaptation is a shortterm
and longterm. We have a tendency to think too long term that
process. Mitigation is longterm. Preparedness to Disaster,
things don’t take off and so frustration builds up.
Response and Recovery is the process.
We need to build the morale of the city. We can do certain
Lastly, I would like to applaud the Tamil Nadu
things as building blocks and scale them up. If we think about
government for launching the Tamil Nadu Climate Change
London and Paris and compare them to Chennai, we have one
Mission, Green Tamil Nadu Mission and Tamil Nadu Wetland
pedestrian plaza as against 10 pedestrian plazas there. We
Mission. This is the first time that a state in India has launched
have a parking management system in certain places. They
a Climate Change session.
have it everywhere. We have Metro Rail for 30 kilometers. They probably have for 300 kilometers. The question is not only how you build strategic building blocks but how you can
Smartness is about quality
scale. We need to start doing things on the ground which are not zillion dollar projects. It can be simple ones like beautifying the underpasses. The stretch from Tidel Park to Madya Kailash, right in October, will be one of the most beautiful places in Chennai with walking trails, cycle tracks, amphitheaters and so on. If we can do that for 2 kilometers, we can do it for a hundred kilometers. When we talked of fixing the water bodies in Chennai four
Mr Raj Cherubal Chief Executive Officer, Chennai Smart City Ltd ﴾CSCL﴿
or five years ago, people laughed at us. They thought it was only about Cooum. There are thousands of water bodies in
I
Chennai. Last April, we won the smart city award for fixing t is an inspiring thought that what we do in Chennai resonates across the world. We have an amazing opportunity to set examples to the world and also learn
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water bodies in the country. We have restored 210 Water bodies and about 50 to 60 temple tanks. They should be some kind of a world record. This is why we got the award last year. Villivakkam lake will soon be one of the amazing water bodies
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of the country, if not in the world. It was a pure sewage dump a year ago. Two weeks ago, I counted 30 Pelicans landing in that water. If we can fix that, we can fix any lake or water body.
People used to be worried that we were going to cut down all the trees in the name of a plaza. But actually the number of trees have gone up. All our projects, instead of being simple, can become
The Times Square in Chennai In advanced countries, they say: Pay less attention to cars and more attention to people. Inspired by the New York Times Square, we implemented the T.Nagar
more complex like you would expect from an advanced city, with layers and layers of infrastructure and facilities built in.
Pedestrian Plaza. Initially people were wondering what it was all about. Today, it is one of the very wellreceived
important is that it happened because of the positive
projects. We can replicate that in 10 or 15 places and in
impression about Chennai and the work done by various
different styles. It is not with cut and paste but based on
agencies like Corporation, Metro Water, MTC and so on.
the local conditions.
They have seen the potential in Chennai.
A glamorous plaza must have storm water drains and
Consultants for projects must come out with clear
ducting so that we don't keep digging up the road over
ways of execution and detailed Bill of Quantities. That is
and over again. People used to be worried that we were
what the government projects need. I request all of you to
going to cut down all the trees in the name of a plaza. But
come and visit our Command and Control Center. We
actually the number of trees have gone up. All our
have big screens like in a James Bond movie, big graphics
projects, instead of being simple, can become more
and all. It is a cloudbased system with a bunch of IOT
complex like you would expect from an advanced city, devices. It can tell which subway is flooding, who is not with layers and layers of infrastructure and facilities built in.
wearing a helmet or which garbage bin is overflowing. 80:20 Principle
Parking management system is critical to controlling
Without stakeholder engagement, nothing happens.
the growth of cars on the road. We have cycle sharing. It's
We need to think in terms of the 80:20 Pareto Principle.
a very difficult project but Chennai actually has it. It
We have limited time, energy and people. Using big data,
needs to be promoted.
analytics and artificial intelligence, we must identify the
We have the building blocks in our hands and if we
20% of effort that we need to put in to get that 80%
don't use them, we have to blame ourselves. To put it in a
result. So, for example, if tomorrow it is going to rain, can
positive way, we have come a long way. It is time we
you tell the Corporation Commissioner which are the
started getting together and building bigger pictures.
hundred locations that are going to be flooded, which means today, we can do something about it?
Chennai and World Bank
Instead of doing adhoc projects, we need to put
Our Honorable Finance Minister announced that Chennai will be a city partner with the World Bank, which means huge amounts of investment will be coming to
systems and layers in place so that average engineers, average officials and average citizens can do extraordinary things.
Chennai and Tamil Nadu government. But what is BUSINESS MANDATE
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