15th issue all pages for website

Cradle of Leadership: Dr Nagesh Rao, President & Director, MICA New Series: The Tax Man cometh www.corporatecitizen.in

Volume 1, Issue No. 15 / Pages 68 / October 1-15, 2015 / `50

Dynamic Duo 15

Lt Gen AK Singh (Retd) and Suneeti

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Beginn in

Mutual Respect

Lt Gen AK Singh (Retd) Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lt Governor of Puducherry

Epitome Of Governance Loved and Married too

Anindita and Vinod Dangi on lifelong commitment

Interview

Shashank Jagirdar, Director - HR at DHL

CII’s prize winning Case Studies-8 Concluding the series

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2 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

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From the desk of Editor-In-Chief

T

his happened a few years ago. It was the season of frenzied campaigning by political parties, across the country, for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

The civil war between Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) and Sri Lankan army was at its peak. By then, LTTE had eliminated fellow militant groups to emerge as the sole representative for the Sri Lankan army. It is alleged that Mrs Indira Gandhi was the one who secretly supported the LTTE, trained them in various camps in Tamil Nadu, equipped them with weapons and made them fit for war. They became so powerful that they ruled a part of Sri Lanka, almost as an independent country with their own currency, radio, taxation system, judiciary and so on. They brutally killed eminent leaders. The political parties of Tamil Nadu supported the various militant groups openly. MGR supported LTTE. Karunanidhi supported EPRLF. The civil war in Sri Lanka forced thousands of Tamils to

cross over to Tamil Nadu and that had caused lot of tension there.

When Rajiv Gandhi came to power, he decided to bring peace in Sri Lanka, forced LTTE to sign peace agreement and had sent Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to Sri Lanka. Problems cropped up and IPKF was forced to fight LTTE. Sri Lankans were enjoying this fun. Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in May 1991 by the (LTTE) in Tamil Nadu. Even so, there was lot of sympathy amongst the Tamilians of Sri Lanka. J Jayalalithaa, the unchallengeable leader of AIADMK took a nationalistic view and was anti – militancy.

In those days, there was an air of animosity against Sri Lankan Army Personnel in Tamil Nadu and this was expressed in many ways. For example, some Sri Lankan officers were doing a course in the premier Defence Services Staff College in Wellington but politicians across party lines, vehemently protested. This forced the Sri Lankan officers to return to their country. I also distinctly recall, when the October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 3

From the desk of Editor-In-Chief

Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) returned to India, the then Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi refused to receive them and publicly used uncomplimentary words about the Indian Army. The political forces in South India were thus dead against Sri Lanka although a silent majority (people) found that LTTE should not have a place and should not be supported as they assassinated former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Most of the politicians from Tamil Nadu wanted India to attack Sri Lanka to liberate Tamil Eelam, i.e. to create a separate state for the Tamils in Sri Lanka. They quoted the example of Bangladesh as justification for their demand. They forgot the fact that we too have Border States, militancy, demand for separation and we are a part of International laws.

One fine morning, I was aghast to read a news report in a leading Tamil Daily that a military truck was attacked in Madhukarai area, in Coimbatore District by members of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) political party. Their contention was that the truck was carrying weapons for the Sri Lankan Army. It was a false allegation.

V.Gopalaswami, who founded a new party, MDMK - a splinter group of DMK - was a compulsive abuser with excellent oratory skills. When the trucks were attacked, he used abusive language against the Indian Army. As an Ex-Serviceman, that set my blood boiling. I expected someone to take on V. Gopalaswami (who later changed his name to Vaiko). I was keenly reading newspapers, to see if there are any reactions to Vaiko’s inflammatory utterances against Defence Personnel. However, no one condemned Vaiko. I, as an individual standing alone, was enraged but feeling helpless and frustrated.

I said to myself that Vaiko should not be allowed to go unchallenged, and election time was the opportune moment to hit back.

Probably, he got more and more aggressive, keeping the emotions of the voters in mind, who he thought, loved his tirade against the Army. He projected himself as the saviour of Tamils, but the buzz in the Bazaar was that he was allegedly on the payroll of LTTE. I suddenly got a bright idea. Why shouldn’t I myself do something in my individual capacity? Why should I wait for someone else to pick up the gauntlet? I called my HR students and explained the situation. Simultaneously, I was observing their faces to read their responses. I saw that they were equally agitated.

Then I asked, “Are you keen to learn the behaviour of the people in a remote area of Tamil Nadu during the election process?” They 4 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

As we were moving to Virudunagar in a chartered bus, we were pleasantly surprised to know that Ma Foi’s Founder, K. Pandiarajan was contesting the election and was pitted against Congress, DMK and AIADMK. Pandiarajan represented the DMDK, founded by actor turned politician Vijyakanth happily jumped at the offer. One student said that it would be the greatest adventure training and exclaimed impatiently, “When are we going?”

All of them were North Indian students with a whitish complexion and the place

where we were planning to go was the hottest one – the Virudunagar constituency, where Vaiko was contesting for the MP seat. The strategy was to meet the ‘Lion’ in his den, and try and defeat him by canvassing against him, as I was afraid that he would get more vicious

against the Armed Forces if he gets elected to the Parliament. Vaiko was a paper tiger; all he did was make inflammatory speeches, while on ground zero, Tamilians were fighting with their might on Sri Lankan soil. If Vaiko or any other politician was really interested in the welfare of Tamilians, they could have crossed the Indian Ocean and reached Sri Lanka, which is just a couple of hours by sea. The least they could have done was to march to Delhi and stand firm like Anna Hazare, to show their support. However, it was clear that they wanted to politicise the issue; no one wanted to do anything constructive about it.

After a long time, I put on my Army uniform and led my troops - all 120 of them - out of which 100 were female warriors (girl students). As we were moving to Virudunagar in a chartered bus, we were pleasantly surprised to know that Ma Foi’s Founder, K. Pandiarajan was contesting the election and was pitted against Congress, DMK and AIADMK. Pandiarajan represented a new party – the DMDK - founded by actor turned politician Vijyakanth.

Pandiarajan, a product of XLRI and a highly successful entrepreneur is known for simplicity, humility and his quiet contribution to the society through various philanthropic activities. His humble background and scholarly outlook are adored by the people of his town. He is a rare person. He is one amongst very few people who joined politics to genuinely serve the people. Otherwise as an MD of an internationally acclaimed company he had no reason to join politics.

As Paul Coelho, in his book, `The Alchemist’ has stated, ``when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it,” -it almost seemed as if I was chosen by the Almighty to contribute my bit to voluntarily support Pandiarajan, who is known in Tamil Nadu as a Good Samaritan and philanthropist.

When I landed at his house with my troops, he was shocked as well as pleasantly surprised. I told him “Sir, I have come here to campaign against Vaiko as I consider him, antiNational. Since he is your rival, naturally we have to campaign for you.’’

I narrated to Pandiarajan, our strategy. I told him that I would organise street corner meetings while my students would go on street processions and rallies. He smiled.

We began our campaign the very next day.

I began to address street corner meetings, exposing Vaiko, with a vehement and challenging tone. We caught the attention of the media. More than me, it is my students

Why shouldn’t I myself do something in my individual capacity? Why should I wait for someone else to pick up the gauntlet? I believe, each one of us must contribute our bit to our society in a way that is possible for us by taking up an issue that is close to our hearts. who caught media’s attention. The local media and channels repeatedly covered them. Looking at the whitish complexioned youngsters, the local newspapers commented that – it seems like Americans have come to campaign for Pandiarajan. The students went on cycle rallies to every nook and corner of the streets and lanes, besides visiting door to door. The two lines which I taught them were “Vaikoorudrohi” (Vaiko is a traitor) and “Vote for Murusu” (Drums) – which was Pandiarajan’s party symbol.

The students were very excitedly engaged and were thoroughly enjoying every bit of their action, although they were not in a position to converse with the locals, as the villagers were well-versed only in the local language. Every villager though was yearning to spend time with the students as they were in awe of these `foreign looking’ youngsters.

The attention which these students got from the media and TV channels triggered off participation by students of other local colleges, who too converged on streets to campaign for Pandiarajan in the Virudunagar constituency.

Support for Pandiarajan, was increasing day by day. The tyrant Vaiko was definitely losing ground from his own constituency, which was our objective. However, DMK too was losing ground.

Mu. Ka. Azhagiri, the elder son of the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M.Karunanidhi, was in charge of the constituency. Seeing all this hullabaloo taking place in the media, Azhagiri landed in Virudunagar, and was put up in a hotel which was next to mine. He summoned the Collector and the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) and demanded to know who the young `foreigners’ were. He asked them to take stern action against them. The Collector met me at midnight, in my hotel room. He questioned me about my presence and that of the students. He bluntly told me, ``listen, you are directly attacking Vaiko in abusive language.

We have the audio recordings of all your speeches with us. You are causing tension in the area. Your students have not come here to learn, but to campaign, so tomorrow at 10 am, we will arrest you, knowing the purpose for which you are here. I am leaving now. I hope you have got the message.’’

Of course I envisioned that arrest is imminent. I immediately called the crisis managing committee of students for a meeting.

The students were so deeply involved with the campaign that they were quite excited about their getting arrested too, but I couldn’t have agreed with them. So I said, let us see the sunrise and sunset in Kanyakumari. As we had a hired bus with us, we moved at midnight and reached the Kanyakumari seashore to witness the sunrise.

I believe, the patriotism of this country can be seen in these kind of situations. The students were spending heavily on this mission but were happy that they were doing it to defeat an anti-national leader, a person who was allegedly on the payroll of the LTTE. The incident also gave an opportunity for us to stand by a corporate leader who was contesting the election. Pandiarajan was neither told that we were going there, nor was he informed about our departure. We came, we did our job and we left. The election results proved that we had achieved our mission as Vaiko lost the election with miserable margins. DMK too lost the election. Pandiarajan got the highest number of votes amongst his party men in the election, but unfortunately lost. The Congress, which seemed nowhere, won the election quietly.

Since then, Vaiko has never won any election except for a Panchayat election in which his brother won from his own village.

I believe, each one of us must contribute our bit to our society in a way that is possible for us by taking up an issue that is close to our hearts. I urge the readers to put the following philosophy in practice in their daily lives: `One tree can start a forest; one smile can begin a friendship; one hand can lift a soul; one word can frame the goal; one candle can wipe out darkness; one laugh can conquer gloom; one hope can raise our spirits; one touch can show you care; one ACTION can make a difference........ Be any ONE of that today.’

Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian editor-in-chief October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 5

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Contents Cover story

Epitome of Governance

An interview with Lt Gen A K Singh (Retd), a stalwart Army officer and now at the highest helm of a civilian post as Administrator/Lt. Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as well as Puducherry. He shares his recipe of success and life’s lessons learnt from the Army he served for over three decades Also...

36

Dynamic Duo 15

Mutual Respect Lt Gen A K Singh (Retd) and his wife, Suneeti, on what makes their marriage work

09

MANAGE MONEY

Dr Anil Lamba on Good Financial Management - Rule 2

10

WAX ELOQUENT

Who said what and why

12

COLLYWOOD

Chatpata Chatter from the Corporate World 6 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

Volume 1 Issue No. 15 October 1-15, 2015 www.corporatecitizen.in

16

DHL INTERVIEW

An interview with Shashank Jagirdar, Director-HR at DHL, on his career in the supply chain industry and his idea of relaxation

17

20

DEBATE

Dress Code: Formal or Informal: What does this move spell for the corporate sector?

20

NHRD DELHI CHAPTER

A panel discussion by eminent personalities from the corporate world on Performance Management System (PMS)

54

12

24

CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP

An in-depth interview with Dr. Nagesh Rao, President & Director, MICA, Ahmedabad

38

CII CASE STUDY-VIII

CII’s prize winning Case Studies- VIII, on Samskritiki: Sustaining Art & Culture of Odisha

46

24

SURVEY

India’s Philanthropy Report on how rise in the number of high net worth individuals, has led to more charity in India

16

50

Loved and Married too-5

Anindita and Vinod Dangi on love and commitment, on how they let go off minor quibbles in favour of the bigger picture

52

STAR CAMPUS PLACEMENT-7

Neel Sanjay Paratkar on his first break

54

THE TAX MAN COMETH

SK Jha, I.R.S (retd) and former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax on the Big Fat Weddings Tell Tales

46

17 October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 7

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

56

Consulting Editor Vinita Deshmukh Assistant Editor Joe Williams

52 56

58

Bangalore Bureau Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar

Beat Suicide, it is the most foolish thing

58

BOLLYWOOD BIZ

A look at the swankiest vanity vans of the Bollywood MOBILE APPS

Say Hello to the Newest iPhone and iPad

63

50

FEATHERLITE

Tweets from the corporate world

61

64

Our bouquets and brickbats for the fortnight!

Fortune favours the bold & lucky

CLAPS & SLAPS

62

HEALTH

Reduce Screen,Time and Get Active

Senior Sub-Editor Neeraj Varty Writers Delhi Bureau Pradeep Mathur Anuradha Shukla

PEARLS OF WISDOM

60

Senior Business Writers Mahalakshmi Hariharan Rajesh Rao

ASTROTURF

66

THE LAST WORD

In search of work life balance

by Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, Vice Chairman & CEO of Zensar

Be A Corporate Citizen

How do you like this issue of Corporate Citizen - The Cool Side of Business?

Send in your views, news, suggestions and contributions to corporatecitizenwriters@gmail.com We would love to hear from you!

8 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

Pune Bureau Suchismita Pai Kalyani Sardesai Circulation Officer Jaywant Patil +91 9923202560 Manager Circulation Mansha Viradia +91 9765387072 North : Hemant Gupta +91 9582210930 South : Asaithambi G +91 9941555389 Design & Art Direction Kiyan Gupta, The Purple Stroke Graphic Designer Anil Walunj Photographers Yusuf Khan / Ahmed Sheikh/ Shantanu Relekar Website www.corporatecitizen.in For Advertising and Marketing queries Email: MANSHA.VIRADIA@corporatecitizen.in (Corporate Citizen does not accept responsibility for returning unsolicited manuscripts and photographs. All unsolicited material should be accompanied by self-addressed envelopes and sufficient postage) Tel. (020) 69000677 / 69000672

manage money In the previous issue we discussed how to read a Balance Sheet

By Dr Anil Lamba

Good Financial Management – Rule 2 In the previous issue I had explained the relevance of a key accounting ratio called the Current Ratio, which is the ratio of Current assets to Current Liabilities, which should be around 2:1.

Balance Sheet a

Balance Sheet b

Balance Sheet c

Liabilities

Liabilities

Liabilities

CL

Assets

20 CA

20

CL

Current Ration CA:CL=1:1

Assets

10 CA

20

Current Ration CA:CL=2:1

CL

30 CA

20

Current Ration CA:CL=1:1.5

Balance Sheet B Assets

STS 10 STU 20

Cash Debtors Inventory

Healthy organisations

Assets

Of the three Balance Sheets, A, B & C, shown here, B has desired Current Ratio of 2:1 Now the question arises, is it possible for even B to get into trouble despite having the perfect Current Ratio?

B’s Current Ratio is as per the norm of healthy companies.

However in certain situations B can also develop cash-flow problems.

B’s short-term liabilities are 10 and its short-term assets are 20.

As we have seen, short-term assets consist of cash, debtors and inventory.

In financial jargon, cash and debtors are called liquid current assets (or quick assets).

Inventory is called a non-liquid current asset.

For B to be able to meet its current liabilities on time, you can see that it should possess an equal amount, or more, of liquid current assets.

This brings me to another key ratio, the Quick Ratio (also called the Acid-Test Ratio).

If you break up current assets into those that are liquid and those that are not, the ratio of liquid current assets (LCA) to current liabilities (CL) is called the Quick Ratio.

Liabilities

of financial insolvency.

What are the lessons that we can learn from this example?

The lessons gleaned from understanding Rule II can be summed up as follows:

Quick Assets or Liquid CA Non Liquid CA

Healthy companies will ensure that the Quick Ratio is always maintained at a minimum of 1:1.

So B, in order to remain in a position to meet all its current commitments, must ensure that it possesses a minimum of 10 in the form of liquid current assets, that is, in the form of cash plus debtors.

This also means that it can maintain a maximum inventory of 10.

If B’s inventory is higher than 10, it will mean that, though it has a good Current Ratio, it is still incapable of meeting its short-term commitments.

To sum up: Healthy organisations must maintain a Current Ratio of about 2:1 and a Quick Ratio of a minimum of 1:1.

If the Current Ratio falls below 2:1, it may not be an immediate cause for alarm.

But for the Quick Ratio to fall below 1:1 is a very serious matter, and if corrective measures are not urgently taken, it can lead to situations

Should use long-term funds for long-term purposes and short-term funds for shortterm purposes.

May use, or rather should use, some long-term funds for short-term purposes.

But should NEVER use short-term funds for long-term purposes.

Healthy companies must maintain a Current Ratio of about 2:1 a Liquid Ratio of minimum 1:1 EXAMPLE OF A BALANCE SHEET DETAILING DIFFERENT ITEMS UNDER THE SIX MAIN HEADS Balance Sheet Liabilities

Assets

SHARE CAPITAL

FIXED ASSETS

Authorised Capital Issued Capital Subscribed Capital Paid-up Capital

Buildings, Plant & Machinery, Furniture & Fixtures, Vehicles

RESERVES & SURPLUS General Reserve Capital Reserve Asset Replacement Reserve Dividend Equalisation Reserve Profit & Loss Account LONG-TERM LOANS SECURED: Debentures Loan from Financial Institutions Bank Borrowings Other loans UNSECURED Public Deposits Inter-Corporation Deposits Commercial Paper Interest Free Sales-Tax Loan CURRENT LIABILITIES

CURRENT ASSETS

Bills Payables Deposits from Dealers Interest Accrued PROVISIONS: Proposed Dividends Provisions for Retirement & Other Employee Benefits

Inventories Debtors Cash & Bank Balances

...to be continued Dr Anil Lamba is a corporate trainer of international repute on finance management. He has several hundred large & medium sized corporations, as his clients, across the globe. He is the author of the bestselling book Romancing the Balance Sheet. He can be contacted at anil@lamconschool.com October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 9

wax eloquent

move from being job seekers Making It Happen In India Holistically

“...I don’t like to talk about how much money I have, or how much I made. I am not complaining about my investments in India. Let us leave it at that. I may see myself returning back to India at some stage if Modi starts doing things, or if the markets go down a lot—some stage can even be a long time away, but not at the moment. If Modi made the currency convertible, if he made the markets open to outsiders, then I would have to be back in India again...”

Jim Rogers, Commodities trading guru and hedge fund manager Courtesy: http://www.livemint.com

“Determination and passion are important but not enough to drive a complex machinery like the modern economy…

They need to be backed up with data, analysis and strategic thinking... “India is one of the brightest spots in this firmament (protracted global growth slowdown since 2008)…It is expected that India will top the world’s growth rates table of major economies this year…This has not happened before...”

Kaushik Basu, Chief Economist, World Bank Courtesy: http://www.thehindu.com

“Make in India is great, but ‘make it happen in India’ is even greater.

Make it happen in India is more than manufacturing. It’s about training, about education, about societal development and automation and engineering.”

Joe Kaeser, Chief Executive, Siemens AG Courtesy: The Economic Times

“New things are coming up in India...more and more different kind of content player coming out, and the market is big enough market. India is a key market for us. With regulatory, we will continue to expand with the growth in India.”

Gary B. Smith, CEO, Ciena, fiber-optic networking equipment maker.

Courtesy: The Economic Times “It (GST) is massive. It has to happen...Lets move on and do not spend time on that. Five percent of the people are discussing and 95 per cent have pre consensus.”

Juvencio Maeztu CEO, IKEA India Courtesy: The Economic Times

“...It is mentioned here Make in India, I’d like to add Quality in India.”

Osamu Suzuki, Chairman and CEO, Suzuki Motor Corporation

Courtesy: The Indian Express

“Ours is not an export-oriented economy like China. We better improve on our policies to be able to grow in the next 5-10 years.”

Mukesh Aghi, Chairman and CEO, Steria (India)

“Let India not just become CEO producing country to serve foreign giants. While appreciating and saluting their talents showing an extraordinary brilliance and acumen to take charge of the world giants, a simple question should be asked to them, how does their meteoric raise help their motherland except inspiring young generation to aspire for greater goal... .”

Tarun Vijay, MP (BJP) 10 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

Courtesy: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Courtesy: http://www.soprasteria.com

“If you look at where the jobs come from, India has a large number of people; the question should be asked where are the jobs going to come from for all these young people?

The answer is that 70-90 percent of the new jobs will be created by small and emerging and mid-sized companies, not big giant global companies. It is important to recognise this because sometimes, only the big companies have voice in policy discussions, and they are not actually the ones who create jobs at the end of the day.”

Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO Courtesy: http://gadgets.ndtv.com

to job creators

Take a look at what corporate leaders, have to say, about recent trends and their experiences in the biz world

Fragmented Distribution and Poor Packaging is Loss Making for Indian Fresh Produce

“India is becoming a big monster that will absorb a lot of product in the next five years. I am expecting 15-18 percent annual growth in fresh produce imports in the next few years and I am not being too optimistic. The supply chains are getting better, and the cold chain and logistics is improving.

But it is in the export arena where India underperforms dramatically. India accounts for two-thirds of world production of fresh produce, but the country is one of the smallest exporters.”

Stepping Up and Down

Tarun Arora, Director Finance Operations, IG International, India Courtesy: http://www.joc.com

Building Open-Minded Mentality for Start-up success “Everybody wants to emulate and aspire to be Silicon Valley, which is a Mecca for start-ups. Most of the innovations happen in Silicon Valley and they make it big because it is a state of mind. But in South East Asia, people are very protective of their ideas. They would not do anything unless a non-disclosure agreement is signed.”

Prashant Parekh, CEO, Spinta Global Accelerator (US) Courtesy: http://www.businessinsider.in

Economic Gender Benders

“For example, we have estimates that, if the number of female workers were to increase to the same level as the number of men, GDP in the United States would expand by five percent, by nine per cent in Japan, and by 27 percent in India...”

Christine Lagarde, IMF Chief Courtesy: http://www.businesstoday.in

“We want to help youth move from being job seekers to job creators and create an ecosystem of such enterprises in rural areas. You could call it start-up villages...Each startup may need around ₹ two-three lakh initially. Once there is a buy-in for the idea, money will come...”

Kris Gopalakrishnan, Co Founder, Infosys Courtesy: The Economic Times

Enabling Growth Parity and Software Patent Norms

“My job here is done.

I never believed in making tall promises and not fulfilling them.

I told them I will redesign the logo and I have done that. I hope every person who has ever been associated with Google will be proud today.”

Pichai Sundararajan, (Sundar Pichai), CEO, Google Courtesy: http://www.fakingnews. firstpost.com

The 5G Promise

“By 2020, mobile Internet connectivity in India will stand at 100 percent and half of this will be on 3G and 4G. However, the next level of innovation will come with 5G.” Hans Vestberg, President and CEO, Ericsson Courtesy: The Indian Express

“More digital work could move to India, but there is a gap in the design capabilities. That is still being done mostly onshore. So we are building out a design and user capability practice in India.”

Paul Nannetti, Global Sales and Portfolio Director at Capgemini Group Courtesy: The Economic Times

Coaching Leadership Skills “Can you think of having a top class tennis player without a coach? Increasingly organisations are realising that coaching is an important tool to keep senior leadership mentally, emotionally and intellectually engaged.”

Sanjay Gupta, former MD and CEO of American Express Courtesy: The Economic Times

Compiled by Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 11

collywood

People in the news

Kumar Mangalam Birla buys Jatia House Jatia House, Malabar Hill, Mumbai has a new owner as Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla who has bought the coveted mansion for ₹425 crore. This mansion was owned by Arun M Jatia and Shyam M Jatia, sons of industrialist MP Jatia. This deal is one of the most expensive real estate transactions in Mumbai, valued at nearly ₹ 1.5 lakh per square foot. This 2926 squaremetre Jatia House on 38 Gibbs Road, with a built-up area of at least 28,000 square feet, was bought by industrialist MP Jatia in 1971 from Meher Cawasji Vakeel. The Jatia family moved to India from Myammar in 1964 after the political coup in the country. Jatia House has Burma teak wood interiors, numerous gardens and offers a sea view. The property is owned by Chem Mach Pvt Ltd. Pudumjee Paper Mills, the flagship company of M P Jatia Group of companies is now headed by Arun M Jatia and the family. The proceeds of the sale of Jatia House will be divided between Arun and Shyam Jatia, said sources.

12 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

Baba Ramdev launches Atta Noodles

To make an impact, following the downfall of Maggi-noodles in India, Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev, launched his Patanjali group’s new brand of noodles made out of wheat named ‘Atta Noodles’, recently. At the holy city in Uttarakhand, Ramdev said the noodles will not have any maida (flour) and they will provide a healthy alternative to Maggi for children. The yoga guru said that the noodles were completely safe and healthy for consumption, and he was promoting swadeshi products because they were natural and caused no harm. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had clamped a nationwide ban in June on sale, production and stocking of Maggi, a popular snack in the country. It has been alleged that Maggi contained more-than-permissible levels of lead and high quantities of monosodium glutamate (MSG). Besides Baba Ramdev, the Punjab government has also decided to manufacture instant noodles.

Author Jhumpa Lahiri awarded

Wipro ropes in TCS’ Dave Chopra as VP Wipro has roped in yet another top executive from TCS, Dave Chopra as vice president of its global infrastructure business. India’s third-largest software exporter confirmed the development. It may be recalled that, it has been some, months after it poached Tata Consultancy Services veteran Abid Ali Neemuchwala as its operations chief. Wipro has confirmed that Dave Chopra is the vice-president of the company, and will be responsible for driving strategy, marketing and business development for GIS. Infrastructure services business contributes nearly $2 billion, or about ₹13,200 crore, of annual revenues to the Bengaluru-based IT major. Chopra previously served as global head of strategy for infrastructure services at TCS and spent nearly 15 years at the country’s top software exporter.

Saina climbs endorsement charts Indian badminton sensation and world number 1, Saina Nehwal has caught the eyes of the endorsement game, inching closer to cricketing icons MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. Soon after she was crowned the women’s world number one badminton player, Nehwal signed a ₹12-crore, a three-year sponsorship-cumendorsement deal with financial services group Edelweiss, according to sources. A Rupees four crore a year, this is next only to what top playing cricketers like Dhoni and Kohli earn from such deals. According to market estimates, Dhoni is paid ₹ 8-10 crore a year per brand while Kohli gets ₹ 6-7 crore. The terms of the deal for Saina will sport the EdelweissBSE -1.69 percent logo on the front of her shirt at all domestic and international tournaments she takes part, besides being their brand ambassador. Saina, recently was earning ₹ five-seven crore a year from around 10 endorsement deals with brands such as Herbalife, Star Sports, Godrej No Marks, Emami, Sahara, Indian Overseas Bank, Iodex and Commune Builder. The deal with Edelweiss replaces a similar three-year deal Nehwal had with Sahara for around ₹ two crore annually.

Mukesh Ambani likely to exit Navi Mumbai SEZ Mukesh Ambani, the Reliance Industries chief could exit the Navi Mumbai special economic zone (SEZ), as the project has failed to take off in the past 11 years, despite extensions by the Maharashtra government.

The SEZ’s promoter, Jai Corp (owned by Ambani’s close confidant Anand Jain), has blamed the global financial crisis and the withdrawal of fiscal incentives by the Centre for the project turning unviable.

According to a source, Ambani, an investor in the SEZ project in his personal capacity, is evaluating

offers from a few investors seeking to develop it as an industrial park. The Maharashtra government has already allowed part of the SEZ to be converted into an industrial area and the valuation exercise for the SEZ, spread across 2,140 hectares in Navi Mumbai, is underway. Announcement on this is expected soon.

As demand for an industrial park isn’t likely to be high, considering the current industrial situation in the country, the valuation will be based on prevailing land prices in the area.

Jhumpa Lahiri was among the 20 other distinguished persons at a White House ceremony. What kept her apart from the rest was she was the lone Indian-American author to receive the award at the White House. It was President Barack Obama who presented the 2014 National Medals of Arts and Humanities to Pulitzer Prize winning to her. Citing that it was his crew, the president said, “I always do good with writers and scientists”. Picking up one of the best quotes of Emily Dickinson, president stated, “One of our great poets, Emily Dickinson, once said that `the truth is so rare, it is delightful to tell it. We are honouring them with the award not only because they`ve shared rare truths, often about their own experience, but because they`ve told rare truths about the common experiences that we have as as human beings,” Obama said. Lahiri`s novel “The Lowland” was among the other books he took with him while vacations.

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 13

collywood Shotgun biography tells like it is

He came, he saw, he conquered. With his inimitable dialogue delivery, his unconventional looks and persona..his choice of roles and unapologetic confidence. In conversation with journalist and film writer Bharati Pradhan, who is also working with him on his soon to be released biography at the 3rd Pune International Literary Festival, noted movie star and Loksabha MP Shatrughan Sinha promises the book will be a memorable one for sheer honesty.

The book will not just chronicle his remarkable journey from a small town aspirant from Bihar to becoming one of Bollywood’s iconic actors; it will touch upon lesser known aspects of his life as well as his political career. “ The idea of writing this book, amongst other things, is to tell the youth that it is entirely possible for a rank outsider, with zero family connections in either the movie world or in the tough world of politics to succeed--without compromising on their core beliefs,” said, Shotgun’, as he is fondly known. “It is one mantra of success I repeat even to my children,” he quipped.

TN to expand Amma salt outside The brand Amma would soon see a panIndia expansion, with the Tamil Nadu goverment’s Tamil Nadu Salt Corporation (TNSC) planning to launch sales of Amma salt all over India. According to state government’s policy note for the year 201516, the sale of Amma salt will be launched in Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh shortly. “TNSC is planning to distribute Amma salt in packings of five kg and 25 kg to benefit the bulk users like hospitals, hotels and hostels,” it said.

TNSC has been distributing crystal iodised salt at the selling price of ₹ 3.50 per kg, which is the cheapest price in India through the public distribution system. The corporation has launched four varieties of Amma salt refined free flow iodised salt, double fortified salt, low sodium salt and crystal iodised salt in open market at affordable prices.

L&T to clear top deck after Venkataramanan’s exit As incumbent K Venkataramanan retires, Larsen & Toubro will restructure its top deck as part of its succession plan and will do away with the position of ‘Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer’ in its current

form, according to their chairman AM Naik. Know to have groomed executives from within the company for leadership roles and SN Subrahmanyan, board member and senior executive vice president (infrastructure and construction),

14 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

is seen leading the race for the top spot, of this $15-billion company.

But people in the know said that the succession plan, would be announced in October, may see appointment of Chief Executive

Officers for different businesses who would report directly to Naik.

Things could change going by the previous reports of this company.

A new leadership was to come up in the year 2012, when the then chairman and managing director Naik was scheduled to retire, but the company surprised everyone by splitting the post and giving Naik an extension of another five years.

Naik continued to be the chairman while Venkataramanan was then appointed as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director.

Yadav set to raise $15m for new biz Ratan Tata joins IDG Ventures India as a mentor Indian e-commerce and former Housing CEO Rahul Yadav is to raise $15 million from entrepreneurs for his new venture, a data analytics cum data viewing company, which will be integrated with 3D viewing and virtual reality format. The required funds, Yadav has picked up a few entrepreneurs for whom he has genuine respect for. He is yet to get any of them, but some of the entrepreneurs, are ready to back his idea. Among the entrepreneurs investing in the 26-year-old’s new venture are Vijay Sekhar Sharma of Paytm and Sachin Bansal of Flipkart. RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani also met Yadav and is

learnt to be interested in his new project. Yadav posted on Facebook that he was meeting Ambani, whom he considers to be his hero. After a series of controversies, investors of Housing.com had fired Yadav. Yadav has been controversy’s favourite child in the rising e-commerce industry in the country, which started with his public spat with Sequoia investors. It was later followed by giving up his shares of Housing, coupled with asking fellow CEOs of Ola and Zomato to donate half of their shares to employees of their respective companies.

Tina Ambani graces Jha takes USKF award ceremony over as CMD NTPC Ratan Tata has joined the advisory board of venture capital firm IDG Ventures India as a senior advisor, third such move by Tata Sons' chairman emeritus this year.

IDG Ventures, which holds stakes in e-tailer Flipkart and online travel portal Yatra, has offices in Delhi and Bengaluru.

Tata will be advising IDG Ventures India and portfolio entrepreneurs on its overall business strategy and growth, global expansion, team building and leadership. He will also be a special invitee, on selective basis, in portfolio company board meetings on strategic matters, said a statement. The venture capital firm, which completes ninth year of operations in India, has backed 50 companies from its funds committing over ₹ 1,000 crore in the Indian early stage technology venture capital market. Other portfolio companies include Lenskart, Zivame, Vserv, Manthan, Perfint, NestAway, Hiree, and Uniphore.

Tina Ambani, known for her involvement in a number of charity, arts, and talent endeavours, graced the USK Foundation’s (USKF) award ceremony here recently. The Bollywood-turned philanthropist, Tina along with actor Helen and Pratibha Patil, the former President of India were among the other present at the function hosted by USK Fpundation. Founded by Smita Kakade, the USK Foundation (USKF) focuses on women empowerment as it’s core objective.

USKF is committed to work relentlessly for the cause of women from all strata of society, for protecting their constitutional and legal entitlements, as well as discover opportunities to grow. Step Towards a Better World, read the emblem as they set off to award women who have achieved in breaking new bearers, and Tina applauded their mission and wished them all the best in their venture. Since its inception, the foundation has accomplished the following, on elder abuse. The awards function was attended by over 2000 guests and invitees saw the most notable contributors to various fields of theatre, films, sports, arts, social work, business being felicitated and the guest list was a witness to some heartwarming and immensely motivating speeches by the dignitaries.

Anil Kumar Jha, Director (Technical), National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) took over as the additional charge of the post of the Chairman & Managing Director, NTPC. Jha (aged 58 years), is a graduate in Mechanical Engineering from BIT Sindri, Ranchi University and has done LL.B. from Delhi University. He joined NTPC in 1977 as Executive Trainee (2nd Batch). He was directly associated with the NTPC’s flagship Project, Singrauli (5x200 MW) as part of erection team. He has rich and varied experience of 38 years in NTPC in all the areas of Power Project, Design & Engineering, Project Planning & Monitoring and Project Construction & Management. He joined NTPC Board in July’2012 as Director.

For Renewable portfolio of NTPC, he has responsibility for policy advocacy, business development, Project contracting and Engineering.

Compiled by Joe Williams joe78662@gmail.com

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 15

Interview

“Delivering the best!”

DHL is a household name in India and in many places around the globe, and a name which has become synonymous with reliability. Which is why when we had a chance to have a chat with Shashank Jagirdar, the Director - HR at DHL, we were all too pleased to grab the opportunity. Corporate Citizen brings you a heartfelt conversation with Jagirdar on his career, the supply chain industry and his idea of relaxation

By Neeraj Varty Your corporate career has been nothing short of stellar. What has been the best moment of your professional life thus far?

I would say that my current job has some of the best moments in my career. I am at the helm of affairs at DHL, where I head a team of 40 people, and we collectively take care of 7,500 employees. In DHL, handling the HR function is in our DNA. It is a great place to work and I am having the time of my life here.

DHL is in the supply chain industry. Despite being an integral function, supply chain often comes across as not very appealing or glamorous as a career choice to youngsters.

Is that perception changing?

It definitely is changing. In fact, most of the students we hire are in management trainee spots, and the career elevation path is clearly chalked out. This has led to a huge surge in interest amongst students all over India to work with DHL. Students are given the opportunity to directly join middle management, and they are all too eager to grab it. The supply chain industry is gaining momentum and it is going to be one of the top industries which students opt for in the near future. However, this is a very challenging industry. You have to spend more time in warehouses than in air conditioned offices. It is a customer driven industry and the benchmark is set very high.

In the supply chain industry, there is zero margin for error. How do you keep employees motivated in such a challenging environment?

We conduct constant training programmes to prepare employees for every possible scenario. We have continuous employee engagement activities. All the festivals are celebrated in a big way. We even celebrate an ‘animal day’ as a part of our CSR activities, where we help clean animals on farms and provide them food. Such inclusive activities keep the employees motivated and happy.

How do you strike the balance between work and family?

This is a good question. Earlier on in my career, I struggled to maintain this balance. Now, I usually keep my weekends free for my family. On Saturdays I may visit MBA campuses to share my experiences with students as I love teaching, but Sundays are always reserved for my family.

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The supply chain industry is gaining momentum and it is going to be one of the top industries which students will choose to opt for in the near future

What is your idea of relaxation?

I read books, I love to see movies. I have a farmhouse which I visit occasionally, where I have a small farm. I try to farm there whenever I can. It is extremely soothing.

There is a waterfall and a small lake on the property, where I love to sit and relax.

Do you feel that the current educational system in India provides adequate training required for the supply chain industry, or is some fine tuning needed?

The current education is not geared towards any particular stream. There is a lack of practical application in many streams. There is a difference between theory and practical work, and that gap needs to be bridged. Especially in the logistics field, most students haven’t actually ever visited warehouses before they start on their career. We are now working with universities and colleges country-wide to develop an integrated course for the supply chain industry.

In our industry, the maximum need is for workers and then for management. We need something along the lines of a six-month course designed for workers, and a oneyear or two-year course designed for management.

Any parting words for students waiting in the wings to start their career?

Yes. I would advise them to read a lot. Read books, surf the web, etc., and gain as much knowledge as you can about the industry. Knowledge is never wasted. Also, once they get their first job, I would advise students to spend the first few years just trying to learn the maximum they can from their job. This acumen will become priceless for them as they move up in their professional spheres. neeraj.varty@corporatecitizen.com

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tadka

Election mania India holds the record for the most candidates for a single constituency - 1,032 candidates stood for the Modakurichi assembly seat in the Tamil Nadu state elections in 1996. All but two of the candidates lost their deposit, and 88 candidates did not get a single vote.

Pics: yusuf khan

In the Supply Chain Industry, you have to spend more time in warehouses than in air conditioned offices. It is a customer driven industry and the benchmark is set very high October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 17

Debate

DressFormal codeor Informal?

The corporate world stood up and took notice when technology giant Infosys, in a groundbreaking move, did away with the formal dress code for its employees.

Employees can now wear T-shirts and jeans all week long, as opposed to one day a week in most other technology companies, or none at all as is the norm in other corporate sectors. Most employees were ecstatic, as their repeated requests finally yielded this result. But what does this move spell for the future of the formal dress code? Will the effect of this move be felt across the IT sector (and even spill over to other verticals), or will this just remain a one-off exception to the norm?

Corporate Citizen reached out to corporates to get their views on the subject

By Neeraj Varty

18 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

Vishal Sikka

Mark Zuckerberg

CEO -Infosys, in a mail to employees

Founder and CEO of Facebook

“You can now flaunt your smart business casuals all week long! Your favourite pair of jeans teamed with that T-shirt you love can now be worn every day, going forward. This was a change that many of you had voiced and requested on various platforms, so we are really excited that it is official now! We believe that each of you is empowered to make the right decision and dress in a way that will make Infosys proud.”

“I basically wear just a T-shirt and jeans to work. I really want to clear my life so that I have to make as few decisions as possible about anything except how to best serve this community. I feel like I’m not doing my job if I spend any of my energy on things that are silly or frivolous about my life, like dressing up for work, so that way I can dedicate all of my energy towards just building the best products and services.”

Rohit Sandal

Shripal Gandhi

“We’ve been thinking of instituting a relaxation in our dress code for some time now. Employees need to feel comfortable in what they’re wearing in order to be at their most productive. This change is part of our recent brand transformation, — ‘Never Stand Still’ — to deepen our engagement with millennials in India. Lenovo trusts its employees to be appropriately attired within the parameters of business casuals. No longer will ties and formal suits be advocated, but we won’t encourage shorts and flip-flops either. It’s a good idea to put employees through group sessions before instituting such changes to help them understand the nuances of business casuals and to help define what works and what doesn’t. Sloppiness in attire, if allowed to creep in, can affect the mood at the workplace.”

“I believe in that in today’s fast paced tech world, performance outranks appearance, and Infosys has understood that. Organisations cannot be rigid anymore. They have to learn to be liberal. What matters most is that employees feel like they belong to the organisation and they are made to feel comfortable. In the technology sector, people often work long hours for days on end. They shouldn’t be additionally burdened by dress codes. A happy employee translates into better performance and growth for the company. It is in everyone’s best interest to encourage an informal dress code at work.”

Director- HR, Lenovo India.

CEO, Swipe Telecom

Richard Branson

CEO, Virgin Atlantic Airlines and Virgin Telecommunications “I have always hated ties, maybe because I’ve never seen the point. They are uncomfortable and serve no useful purpose. Suits and ties in an office are just another type of uniform, but have no role in an arena where uniforms no longer serve any useful purpose. At one time they probably showed that the wearer was. Now, however, in an individualised, interconnected culture, your achievements speak for themselves.

The suit and tie is an anachronism.”

Amit Sharma

CEO, Entelligentsia “We have always had an informal dress code at our office. Informal dress codes have always been the norm in Silicon Valley, where all the major tech corporations are located. I believe that the last thing an employee should be worried about is whether his tie matches his shirt colour. I can understand sales and marketing people being required to have a formal dress code, as they have to meet clients on a regular basis. Techies don’t have the same requirement. It is completely unnecessary for them to have a formal dress code at work.’

neeraj.varty@corporatecitizen.com

Elevators a k tad without doors!

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In Germany there are elevators with no doors that never stop.

The riders must be ready to hop on at the right time or risk being guillotined by the lifts.

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 19

NHRD Delhi Chapter

Re-imagining performance appraisals

Although, Performance Management Systems are an integral part of HR Management, it needs to be reinvented to remain relevant to today’s complex realities. At the National Human Resource Development Network’s Third Human Capital Conclave 2015, a spirited session chaired by GP Rao, Management Advisor, GPR Consulting, brought out the different facets of this debate. In his quintessential humour-filled style, Rao drew the audience into a vociferous debate. What followed was a five-way discussion, with equal participation from Rao, the three panel members, and the audience. The panellists were Aman Attree, Group Head, Corporate HR, Hindustan Powerprojects Pvt. Ltd., Sandeep Tyagi, Director HR, Samsung, and JS Kaushal, Director Personnel, CWC Ltd. The riveting discussion provided a balanced view of the entire problem and brought out realistic solutions that can help company leaders, HR managers, as well as employees. Read on to understand the significant themes that emerged from the session.

By Priyanshi Mathur

P

erformance Management System (PMS) is the methodology followed by organisations to improve employee effectiveness in accomplishing organisational goals and missions. It is an integral part of human resource management, as it helps employees understand what is expected of them, develop skills and competencies in accordance with their role, receive feedback on their performance, get opportunity to see their contribution and how it affects the larger picture, and get commensurate incentives for their performance.

PMS has been a popular tool with organisations but in recent times, it has been under attack for not providing any value to the employee-management relationship. Most Indian employees feel that PMS cannot distinguish superior performance.

This perception impacts employee engagement as well as the overall performance of the company. The importance of PMS stirs a vigorous debate in HR circles. The process of designing a fair and transparent system that benefits both the company and employees is a hard task to achieve, they all feel.

G P Rao (GP)

Management Advisor, GPR Consulting A Deloitte study says that 75 percent of business leaders feel PMS is very important, and 89 percent feel that it is currently not up to the mark. On the other hand, it also said that 80 percent youngsters want feedback, coaching, development, and not discussions on rating or increment. This is where PMS needs to change. We want to re-imagine performance appraisal and performance management systems. The survey also said that 89 percent of organisations recently changed their PMS, or are planning to change it in the next 18 months. Do you think a change is required in PMS, and have you changed or are planning to change your PMS in the coming months?

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Aman Attree (AA)

Group Head, Corporate HR, Hindustan Power projects Pvt. Ltd. Traditional PMS believed in putting people in boxes. But with changing behavioural patterns, employees are seen as HR customers. And as HR, we need to align ourselves to their expectations. I believe in the upcoming change.

Sandeep Tyagi (ST)

Director HR, Samsung We have changed already. Industry is changing very fast and we are ahead of that change.

J S Kaushal (JS)

Director Personnel, CWC Ltd Change is required, no doubt. In the early 80s, a two page format was followed. Then came the goal setting format, emergence of KPA’s and then PMS went online. I’m from a PSU, so government came up with stringent guidelines for us a few years back. In fact, things will further change. We should aim for individual development rather than an individual rating system.

GP: Let us presume that everybody wants change. But it doesn’t mean that PMS is not required. The way of conducting performance review will change.

Agile goal setting is the need of the hour. Which means, collaborative goal setting with room for modification and stretch targets, and on-going review in case of early set-back rather than a once-a-year system. What do you think, how can we solidify the goal setting process?

AA: Goals have to be designed in line with the reason, vision and value system of the organisation.

Value also needs to be based on the individual. As HR, we must define our goal system so that a person can understand it easily and translate the experiences into real lessons. If you start goal setting in a proper manner, review that goal every three months, and leave no ambiguity in how it can and should be achieved, then the individual as well as the company will benefit immensely.

ST: Yeah, goal setting now is being done in a very objective manner. Clearly measurable goals are being set. If they are not clearly measurable, then they have

no relevance. This has become particularly relevant now because everywhere goals are being set on IT platforms, through software where goals and their objective measurement formulae are set.

If you make very generalistic and subjective goals, they cannot be captured by the system. So, goals are completely formula and number driven now, and have become a part of SAP. Data is directly downloaded from SAP and the result is very obvious.

And, it’s completely objective now.

JS: SMART goal setting -specific, measurable, achievable, realisable, time-bound has been there for a while now. But IOC had done a very good thing in goal-setting. They specified that the same goals would be set across different positions in the organisation. Otherwise what was happening was that everybody had a different set of goals and they did not match at all. The differences in goals affected rating and performance. So roles were identified and goals were attached to those roles. Even weightages were fixed, and they were the same for people with the same role. Then the performance rating began to make sense. This was an

innovative approach that has paid off well at IOC, and I wanted to introduce it here as well.

Audience Member 1: We are setting goals on organisational as well as strategic business unit level. A 15-year old unit and a oneyear old unit will obviously have different goals. One is moving from a gestation period to regular production, another is working on operational efficiency from regular production to lean manufacturing.

So we differentiate the goal setting from the competition point of view. From a strategic point of view, improvement in the topline, decreasing the cost to reach attainment of the bottom-line should be the goal of the goal setting process.

GP: Performance review or

performance feedback is seen as extremely important. It should be strength management, not weakness management; it should be development management, not evaluation management. Do you think any changes are required in the performance feedback process?

JS: Feedback is important.

In IOC, a separate session on feedback is mandatory. The appraisal officer or controller sits with the appraisee and tells him his achievements as well as failings, what he could have achieved, and what he should do better. A structured discussion follows for 15-20 minutes. This process gives positive results.

The employee’s grievances come down when they know how their superiors evaluated their work,

‘If you start goal setting in a proper manner, review that goal every three months, and leave no ambiguity in how it can and should be achieved, then the individual as well as the company will benefit immensely.’

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 21

NHRD Delhi Chapter and discuss what could have been done differently for a better rating.

It helps them plan for the future.

GP: Actually I’ve worked in the public sector, and they were more concerned about getting the form filled up, and getting it signed by the individual and superior.

What should be the contents of the form and how to discuss them were challenges. But now the challenge is not to discuss ratings, but discussing strengths, roles, development of the individual the dialogue is the challenge.

AA: Feedback is a critical aspect in the entire process. And people generally struggle with the process of giving feedback. When an employee comes to know the reasoning, bosses don’t spend time explaining ratings. In fact, they generally attribute it to the HR! But the role of HR is to create uniform platforms, not to give individual ratings! Feedback is the lifeline for an employee. Otherwise he or she will be disheartened and will be disengaged with the organisation. Nowadays, youngsters don’t just come seeking feedback, but also ask the boss what he can do for them. So, managers must be trained to give and take feedback properly.

ST: During appraisals, the things we measure are the ones that have already happened. So it’s like giving a judgement by evaluating past performance. The change in the new feedback system is that we are now going to plan for the future. It’s an opportunity that must be well utilised. You can set the direction, you can set your expectation and you can also match the expectation of the subordinate. Feedback will now be conducted on a monthly or weekly basis. When people are working hard, they want to know how to perform better. They also want appreciation, and a proper direction. So, feedback must be used in a constructive manner.

Audience Member 2: We have stopped giving feedback to associates. We are talking about

feed-forward. What it means is continuous discussions, no need to wait for a quarter or a half-yearly period to have a formal discussion.

You should engage with your manager on a regular basis. And, rather than feedback, it needs to play to your strengths and talk about feed-forward.

Audience Member 3: We had identified that feedback which is being given from seniors to subordinates is important. So, we have designed a Balanced Scorecard so that they should be aligned to the organisation goals, how to put feedback in a concrete manner and what are the competencies to be discussed.

Audience Member 4: What are the systems of measurement you have put in place so as to ensure that the feedback exercise is just not a formality, but is done rigorously? Also, how to ensure that employees also get an opportunity to give feedback to supervisors?

JS: A structured system ensures these issues are taken care of. In IOC, we had a 360 degree PMS. Everybody, including seniors, juniors and peers, appraised everyone else. And it was transparent, so that people get an actual understanding of their standing. So if structuring is done thoroughly, the feedback exercise can actually add value.

GP: Sir Aap teeno ek experience bataiye jisme aapne badhiya se performance review discussion kara ya karwaya (share an experience where you handled a great performance review discussion)?

And after that did performance improve?

JS: I’ll tell you a very specific case. An individual working in Mathura was rated below average.

He sent me an SMS. “Mera kusoor kya hai” (what is my fault)? That is the problem of HR people, report kisi ne likhi hai, kusoor aapne batana hai (the report has been written by someone else, the reasoning will have to be

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‘The bell curve has its advantages.

High performers are treated separately, and are paid more, and it serves them well. Average performers aspire to come in the top 10 percent category. But the disadvantage is that those who come below 10 percent think that they are deprived of something they were eligible for.’

done by you)! Then I talked to his general manager, and then we called him and spoke to him at length. The next year his report came out much better, he even got promoted. Had there not been positive feedback, he would have left the company long back. As an HR I felt good when, due to our counselling, he got promoted.

AA: Transparency is the foundation of PMS, but many times it’s hard to execute that.

For example, if there are two individuals - one is a Director and the other is Sr. Vice President Finance, then despite their excellent performances, they will find it difficult to communicate feedback to each other. In such a case, HR has to play the role of a mediator or a counsellor. They have to ensure that things don’t remain hidden.

GP: In my view, if the Learning and Development (L&D) Mechanism is not robust, then feedback loses its importance.

What do you all think? Is there any change required in the L&D set up?

AA: I will go a step further. We don’t just need learning and development, we need coaching and mentoring. It can be made available through iPads or through networking sessions, but they are required.

ST: In my company, Samsung, development is very, very closely related with the performance appraisal cycle. There are different programs for high potential, different programs for succession planning, and different programs for leadership development. So, people are put into those programs based on their potential to take them up.

These courses could be based in India or abroad. For leadership development, which is a longterm plan, the development journey is planned on a very long term holistic objective. So that’s how development is linked to appraisals.

JS: Yes, it gets linked. Because when you’ll write that this person is good in these things, this person is not good in this, then naturally

some line of action is decided, and some courses are designed. It happens in organisations, you’ll have discussions, you’ll give feedback. Something emerges and then you get into that development report and give him some training or something.

GP: L&D role doesn’t start after the PMS cycle. In my view, L&D has a great role even at the beginning of the cycle. Which means how to set goals, how to conduct performance review discussion, how to give feedback, how to receive feedback. It is very important to prepare people for playing their roles in the PMS. Audience Member 5: What is the difference between high performer and potential performer?

ST: High performer in a field like sales, is someone exceeding his targets month on month. But take the case of someone who is a branch manager, and a position opens up for a regional manager level. Now whether this person has the competencies to take up the regional manager’s position or not, that depends on his potential.

So whether he can translate to the next level or to the next to next level, that is potential.

Audience Member 6: I am from Citibank, and right from the goal setting process, to giving feedback, and doing a development conversation, we do a proper workshop with all managers across the company at every stage. We also have it clearly linked with our training wherein we develop an individual development plan after the year ends, and it goes on throughout the year. It is reviewed multiple times, and accordingly all our training actions are directly linked to this. I just wanted to share that.

GP: In your organisations, do you do Individual Development Plans (IDPs)? Who is responsible for this? Number three, how do you ensure that they are successful?

ST: Yeah, Samsung has a very robust system of IDPs for each and every employee. A successful IDP excites the employee because the quality of programs is such that the benefits are substantially higher. We have a global manager course which is done at Samsung headquarters, which is so sought after that we have many nominations coming because we invite faculty from some of the best training agencies across the world.

Audience Member 7: As an entrepreneur, I feel many times that the scales are skewed when I’m negotiating with an employee.

The employee is promised a fixed salary per month, and only then are the performance targets discussed. Is there a way PMS can be changed to benefit entrepreneurs?

ST: Indian industries are more aligned towards the fixed compensation structure. Some companies are getting into the 80/20 model, where 80 is fixed and 20 is variable, a few aggressive companies go as far as the 60/40 model. I was working for a Chinese multinational a few years back, and they had a 30/70 model!

That was one very big reason for driving the sales globally.

GP: What about the bell curve?

Will it survive or should it come to an end?

AA: The bell curve is still applicable in large organisations with a 10000 strong workforce.

But when the company is smaller, or the team size is small, it loses relevance. Bell curve also puts barriers between where people can improve. Ratings need to be aligned with employee expectations. The bell curve disappoints a large section of employees.

ST: The necessity of the bell curve comes into play when you are allocated certain budgets. So say, your compensation budget is 12 percent. How do you fit yourself into that budget while being equitable and fair? The bell

curve is then used so that you can distribute the budgets fairly, and also save, because otherwise for any multinational, your heads are on the chopping blocks if you exceed your budgets. But some tinkering with the bell curve is important too.

JS: In PSU’s, the bell curve has become important after 2007.

Earlier there were not so many instructions from the government and different companies had different policies. But since the government mandated following the bell curve, it has defined that only 10-15 percent can be outstanding, others are average, and 10 percent should not be paid any incentive. We’ve tried explaining to the government about the issues with this approach, but they have not agreed so far.

The bell curve has its advantages. High performers are treated separately, and are paid more, and it serves them

People don’t require too many jargons to assess somebody. People want instant results. So we need to define a process which is very simple.

ST: Initially we had annual appraisals, then we came to biannual, then quarterly. The most aggressive organisations that are growing very fast globally are now into monthly system of appraisals.

People are ranked on a monthly basis. These results are published and employees can see their performance month on month.

JS: Sometimes authorities have to intervene in case justice is not done. That is what I can add.

GP: I think a day will come when we will not do any annual performance ratings, we will not do any annual increments.

Compensation will get reviewed, and corrected based on the market, based on the individual, based on the team. It will be

‘The employees’ grievances come down when they know how their superiors evaluated their work, and discuss what could have been done differently for a better rating.

It helps them plan for the future’ well. The bell curve brought performance related pay first time into PSUs. The recognition it brings to performance is good, but managing it is tricky as well.

GP: I feel in any organisation, it’s important to be able to differentiate between high performers, normal performers and non-performers. The bell curve puts people on a relative scale. But the moment it is linked with increments, promotions, benefits, or other issues, it becomes a challenge.

GP: Final comments for the changes required in PMS? AA: I think in today’s scenario, what is required is innovation in the PMS system. Then after innovation, we require simplicity.

a negotiation. Performance management will only be used for agile goal setting, performance review discussion, L&D, coaching, enabling role change, and job rotation.

To conclude, PMS does need to be relooked at, and if you’ve not done so, you should do it soon. However, it is likely to remain an integral part of HR, businesses and organisations.

Agile goal setting, constructive positive feedback system, enabling managers to do coaching and mentoring, and investing in L&D are going to be strong trends. Tweak the system based on the principles of objectivity, transparency, robustness, clarity, and fairness. priyanshimathur@gmail.com

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 23

Cradle of Leadership

Dr. Nagesh Rao, President & Director, MICA

The school

of IDEAS

Today, MICA, formerly known as Mudra Institute of Communication, Ahmedabad, is the only residential institute in the country and perhaps in the Asia-Pacific region, dedicated to creating leadership in Strategic Marketing and Communication.

Recently, the institute rebranded itself with a new logo while still retaining its vision to create leadership in Strategic Marketing & Communication, as also its tagline- ‘The school of Ideas’. Established in 1991, at the outskirts of Ahmedabad, MICA offers a wide range of AICTE approved academic programmes in communication with specialisations in Marketing Research, Digital Communication Management, Social Change Leadership, Brand Management, Media Management and Advertising Management, and a Fellow Programme in Management- Communications, a doctoral level programme that encourages both fundamental and applied research in the communication domain, with offerings in the sub-areas of Communication and Media, Communication and Marketing, Communication and Culture, and Communication and Social Change. Corporate Citizen met up with Dr. Nagesh Rao, President & Director, MICA, an intellect, who completely thinks out-of-the-box. Dr. Rao’s scholarly interests are in the areas of intercultural communication, global leadership and health communication. After completing his doctoral work in intercultural communication from the Michigan State University in 1994, Dr. Rao taught at several U.S. universities, including University of Maryland, Ohio University and University of New Mexico. Before joining MICA, he was Professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A). By Mahalakshmi Hariharan 24 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

Pics: Tanveer Rahman

MICA is one of the most reputed institutions in the field of in field of strategic marketing and communication in India. Take us through the history of this institution.

MICA was started by Mr. AG Krishnamurthy, who was the head of Mudra Communications, based out of Ahmedabad. In the mid to late eighties, he realised that there were no institutes or colleges creating leaders for the advertising industry in India, though there were some MBA schools in Mass Communication and journalism. In 1991, his dream and vision translated into MICA. In the first three years, they were running short term programmes in the city. From 1994 onwards, post-graduate programmes in communication commenced, with a focus on management where the students joined the advertising industry as leaders.

ten years completely focussed on advertising, account management and client servicing. In early 2000, Atul Tandan as the Director of MICA, from Hindustan Lever, who brought in focus on marketing and brand management. So MICA focussed on marketing and brand management in addition to advertising and communication in the next eight to nine years. Two years ago, we were the first management institution to offer a second year specialisation in DCM, which has the whole spectrum, right from data analytics to market research, consumer insights, campaigns and so on. When I took over in 2012, I saw there was this worry amongst MBA students about how much money are they going to make after two years, which was perfectly fine. But I said, we will have to equally think of the planet and people, while also thinking about profit. So we decided to make the triple bottomline of people, planet and profit, kind of a way of life in campus and infuse it in our curriculum. We introduced a specialisation this year in ‘social change leadership’ for students who would want to work for a small or large NGO like UNICEF, or SEWA, or get into the Corporate Social Responsibility wing of companies and do CSR work. We realised that small NGOs had the champions but did not know how to manage projects. Large NGOs have the project management in place, but have forgotten the passion. So connecting the passion and project management with the whole spectrum of other activities motivated us to do it. Simultaneously, about five years ago, we started a doctoral programme in communication. If MICA has to be an institute of national and international repute, scholarship and research is the key. The third programme is Crafting Creative Communication (CCC), which started ten years ago as a six-month programme and initially focussed on students who wanted to become copywriters or art directors in advertising agencies. Two years ago, we made it a one-year programme. With this, besides copywriters and art directors, you could also become a creative in a digital agency or in a bank or some other area. We also realise that the online space, is important for working executives and for others who want to keep upgrading their skills for professional development. We have four one-year programmes in the online space, targeting mid-level executives from market research to advertising. So our programmes are a combination of residential and online. We also run MDP programmes/workshops throughout the year, which could be a three or five-day programme on marketing, general management, healthcare and hospital management, focussing on how to be effective communicators.

How has the curriculum changed since then?

There were three phases to MICA—the first

Who would you say are your competitors?

(Laughs) Well, because we are so niche in some ways, I don’t know if there’s an institute

‘Leaders, today or tomorrow, have to be equally good in their left and right brain capacities. As I joke, he/she should be able to crunch numbers and write poetry equally well’ just like ours but there seems to be an overlap with Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication (SIMC) in terms of marketing, brand management programmes and so on.

Broadly if you take marketing only, then we are in competition with the IIMs and other management institutes. If you take the creative side, like the CCC programmes, we have design schools in the country where one part of what they do would be communication design. Thus there are some overlap areas. But there’s nobody doing what we are -- combining management, strategic marketing and communication.

Interestingly, even when I travel across the world, I don’t see programmes like ours. Institutes do offer programmes specifically in communication, management, creativity design, and mass communication and so on but not like we do.

Tell us about your placements today. Is it that only advertising companies are approaching you? Or are companies from the FMCG space also coming in?

Well, we’ve seen a big change in the last five years. Initially when MICA started, of course, there were only advertising companies coming over. Sadly the pay scales of the advertising agencies couldn’t match student expectations.

But today, advertising agencies account for less than five per cent of our placements. Out of 160 students, 70 per cent are in brand management.

So there are brand management roles in FMCG companies and companies that are pressed for brand management. For example, we’ve had Tata Motors and banks come not for corporate communication roles but for brand management roles. Now about 30 to 40 per cent of our placements are in the digital space. So it’s a combination of Google, Amazon, Cognizant and smaller digital agencies, coming for student placements. I see the trend going up, in terms of more placements happening.

How different are your courses from those of your competitors? What makes you stand out from the rest?

One, right from the beginning, thanks to our history, because the idea was to create leaders in the advertising space, there’s always been a strong focus of what I call the right brain and left brain classes… we have a set of classes in communications and creativity in the first year,

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 25

Cradle of Leadership as we also have classes in finance, economics and so on. Leaders, today or tomorrow, have to be equally good in their left and right brain capacities. As I joke, he/she should be able to crunch numbers and write poetry equally well. So our classes are set up in a way where there’s this integrated perspective of saying that while I am going to work on working on excel sheets, crunch numbers but at the same time, it is equally important that I am able to frame a problem, ideate, think out-of-the-box, which is why when a MICAn looks at a case study, he/she will look at it differently as against someone who is coming from a traditional B-school. Secondly, the experience on campus plays a huge role on who they become. All 360 students stay on the campus and we’ve always had a very open and liberal campus where the hostels are close to each other, there are no restrictions on the timings, there is a lot of social interaction between the students. Right from the beginning, over 50 per cent of our students are females, which is not true for most business schools. If you take all that plus a whole lot of co-curricular activities, a strong theatre group, strong focus on sports, and their interest in pursuing their own interests, it makes them different. All this starts right from our admission process.

What are the changes that you brought in after you took over in 2012?

I was in the US for a long time and I had found MICA a director driven institute, in that the head of the institute played a key role in recruitment, decision making and so on. So at one level, I spent the first couple of years making MICA a purpose-driven institute-- if I leave tomorrow, the purpose, process and procedures should still be in place and should be transparent for people

MICA Auditorium

have an interview process and a group exercise, all to see whether he/she has the left and right brain capacity, can they be on the edge, holistic, can they think out-of-the-box, and so on. So in some ways, they have to look at things differently even before they come in. Then we have the curriculum and the campus experience, which creates the ‘MICAn’ at the end of it. After which they follow their passion and what they are good at, which I simply love. Selection is completely merit based, we have no control. There is an increase of 20 per cent of non-engineering students this year. We think it is a better idea to have a mix of both engineers and non-engineers, So, very consciously, about two years ago, we started to pitch to non-engineering schools who are into commerce, arts and other streams, to let them know more about MICA.

‘In the US, even in MICA, students aren’t challenging the teacher but the idea. In India, if you challenge the idea, it amounts to challenging the professor’ to understand them, in terms of faculty, structure and so on. It took some time because they were not used to it but now of course everyone says, ‘wow, we now have a policy and system in place where there is a goal and how to get there today.’

Take us through the admission process.

Students give the Common Admission Test (CAT) and one of those other exams which the AICTE wants them to go through. We do have about 60 per cent students who are engineers, but I would say these are those who never wanted to be engineers in the first place. Next in the process, they take the MICAT exam. The MICAT exam is more to check their holistic and creative ability so we want to see how they analyse and view issues differently. Then we

On an average, how many applications do you get and how many qualify?

We get around 6000-8000 applications a year, for the PG only, out of which we take 160 students, every year. For the CCC programme, we get about 250-300 applications, out of which we take 24 students. For the Doctoral programme, we get about 100 applications, and we take five. So it is pretty competitive.

Take us through the quality of your students, their backgrounds. How are they different from the other B-school students?

For the PGP programme, the students who come in tend to be analytically very capable because of the engineering background they come from, but they also seem to have a very creative side

26 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

because of MICA and its culture. Depending on whom you talk to, some may say some MICAns are somewhat arrogant, but I would say they are very open, direct, forthright and straightforward or highly opinionated. The thing is that we want them to be questioning and challenging things happening in the campus and classes. The culture and ethos at MICA is such that any student or anybody can walk into my office. Hence the students are also like that, open and opinionated, which I like. It is important to challenge things around you. I also think the gender mix makes a lot of difference. It is important to have both masculine and feminine abilities in terms of what we do. Also, the students already know MICA well, even before coming in, thanks to social media. They already have a sense of the culture at MICA even before they join us. So it sets an expectation right away. For a lot of them it is a very important transformational experience in terms of their identity. They may have come from a relatively sheltered life and suddenly they are discovering themselves. At the end of two years, they have a sense of who they are. The CCC students are here for a year while the PhD students are here for at least three years. They all work very hard, party hard… that’s part of the sentiment here. There’s an equal amount of seriousness and fun.

Are you only taking in students with prior work experience instead of freshers? Is there a shift in the selection procedure?

It’s not compulsory, but we see a trend where 60-70 percent of students who come in have a two-year work experience. So the average work experience tends to be about 1.3 years. About 30 per cent are freshers. We have not formalised the prior work experience criteria as a rule as such, but for me I do see value in the combination of freshers with those having some prior work

‘I spent the first couple of years making MICA a purpose-driven institute-- saying if I leave tomorrow, the purpose, process and procedures should still be in place, and should be transparent for people to understand them, in terms of faculty, structure and so on’

a digital advisory board, so the top companies come in, and the students opting for the course in the last two years are growing. Students who specialise in DCM course have to do a live project with their own idea, and make a pitch to a venture capitalist. Out of them, only one or two continue the project and stay with it, most of them join digital companies like Google or Amazon. We have about 15 MICA incubates working outside MICA on projects. We have youngsters working on an entrepreneurship project in the digital space, where we give them small seed money, mentors, resources like computers, so they work for about 2-3 years and take the seedling to a level where they are able to pitch it to an angel investor. Once they pitch to an angel investor, they are out on their own. Not just incubators, we are also building up a small entrepreneurship kind of classroom where people want to start their own venture.

‘Chhota Canteen’ at MICA

Open Air Theatre at MICA Campus

experience. It helps interactive learning. A youngster who is about 19-20 years old would bring in a fresh perspective as against someone who has about three-four years work experience.

The conversations in the classroom between them is also different. But there’s no formal rule in MICA on whether he/she should have prior work experience or should be a complete fresher.

What kind of roles have the PhD students and the CCC students got into?

We’ve had eight students who successfully completed their doctoral course and bagged academic roles as assistant professors in leading institutions like SIMC, and are doing very well.

Out of the CCC batch, 95-99 per cent of students get into advertising agencies as copywriters, art directors, to start off with. I know of this young 27 year-old guy, working in the US as a financial analyst, who gave up his plush job and came to MICA to do the one-year CCC programme because he wanted to be a copywriter. Well, it takes guts to do something like this. CCC students get placed primarily in advertising firms.

Are a lot of students opting for the Digital Communication Management (DCM) programme?

About 30 students today want to specialise in this area, in the second year. Digital marketing is a hot topic today, and we have some youngsters doing work in that area. We do have traditional marketing and accounting classes but we don’t have enough teachers coming forward to teach this subject. If you see, a lot of them want to get into a start-up or into digital. I thought two years ago all 160 students would take up digital.

The reason for just 20-30 students opting for it is because they are hedging their bets and finding out if we can get the quality of people to come forward and teach so that they can get good jobs. As we have seen that happening in the last two years, slowly these numbers will increase. Also, in MICA, if you specialise in brand management, you can still take most of the digital classes. So even though you specialise in brand management, there are students who are getting jobs in the digital space because they have taken the digital classes too. But we do have

What are the changes you bought in with the students at MICA? With the students, I put in much more academic rigor. There was a sense that we were much more a ‘party school’ and a ‘happy school’ and that we had moved away from the importance of academics. So I really pushed academics as an agenda across all programmes for the students.

To be honest, there was a lot of resistance and pushback saying ‘we need not change’. If you ask the students they will say that the director is making it so difficult by focussing on academics all the time, but the ones who have graduated and come back, whether after one or two years, thank me. They realise that it’s not just about their first job. If they have a strong foundation here, academically with co-curriculars, they benefit from it. The other change was bringing about the digital programme and social change programme for the PGP students. For the Fellowship Programme in Management, we are increasing the level of rigor, quality, and placements, and on CCC, moving away slowly from advertising to ideation to creativity.

We also do a lot in the area of leadership and scholarship, like giving funds to faculty to conduct research, giving them significant amount of monies to travel domestically and internationally for their conferences, each year, providing research and support for their work to be translated into journals and publications and books. While this is a long term process, we are building equity in that particular direction.

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 27

Cradle of Leadership ‘They have 2200 departments of communication in the US, where you can study public speaking, interpersonal communication, organisational communication, cross-cultural communication, health communication and so on.

For me that reflects the fact that we are far behind’ How is your bonding with the students?

We have good interaction and connection with the students. Some part of it is because of the push I gave to academics, when they saw me as a ‘villain’ for some time (laughs). Some change that happened is because my wife and family used to live in Ahmedabad and very consciously we moved into the campus. So now I am able to connect with them walking around, and there’s a different level of interaction that is helping.

Tell us something about your faculty.

We are a small group, very dedicated team and extremely diverse. One part of the faculty takes care of finance, economics and operations. Then we have a marketing area and communications area, where we begin getting into more “right brain” things and then we have faculty for designing courses which is completely “right brain”. So again, I often joke saying I have faculty from an extremely left brain to an extremely right brain. Because not all of us come from the same side, we sometimes do have tough conversations.

We do have disagreements. I am convinced that the most interesting and creative ideas come out when we have people from diverse backgrounds coming together. There may be different perspectives during recruitment and hiring. Recruiting and keeping good faculty is a challenge. Today, we have 22 full time faculty, seven adjunct faculty who come, maybe for a week, every month, teaching and consulting.

Guest or visiting faculty are about 100, from the industry, who come for maybe two or three days or a week. We hope to have eight more fulltime faculty members this year, across divisions, maybe some in the digital, social change, general management, economics and marketing area and data analytics.

How about your funding requirements?

Does the government support you?

Since we are a private institution, the government does not support us. In the first five years of starting the institute, Mudra Communications supported us, but since then we’ve been self-

sufficient. We’ve been able to manage our finances well.

Do you plan to have more branches?

Not at the moment. MICA decided to focus on high quality with presence nationally and internationally rather than having branch campus/es in different places. As one of our Board member jokes---‘There’s just one Harvard University, in just one place, Boston, Massachusetts.’ Similarly, we are only in Ahmedabad, at least for now. But our work should have an impact nationally and internationally.

We’ve heard stories that branching out to different locations could dilute your brand. It is also extremely difficult to get good faculty.

Do you carry out international exchange programmes where you send your students?

Yes, but not much. Actively there are about three to four schools where our students go to…in fact we should be at a higher number but we do have a number of MOUs with different universities.

But we are pushing active international exchange programmes for students to get more exposure to the communications field.

Tell us about the packages?

In 2012, when I joined, the average package was between Rs 8.5-9 lakh. Today, we are at an average of around Rs 12 lakh. A big chunk would be in the marketing and brand management space.

Today there is a race between brand management and the digital space. Digital may take over soon, in terms of recruitment. If you look at our placements, it is from a very marketing corporate context. From a business perspective, our placements have always been 100 per cent from the day one, and our average salaries have gone up significantly over the last 20 years. Even in the last three years, average salaries have gone

28 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

up by 30 per cent and 99.9 per cent roles are in the corporate context. So if the students are going to L’Oreal, P & G, Google, they are all getting into corporate roles. From a B-School perspective too, we’ve done well and continue to do well.

We are not a traditional B-School but we have a PG in Management, Communication. We are a B-School as much as a Communications school.

MICAns are young bright sparks who completely think out of the box. They are a lot into various activities like art, jewellery designing, coming up with online learning websites or start-up ventures. How does the institute encourage this young blood?

In fact I don’t even have to do much, it’s already there. But if someone wants to do something, like three years ago three students came ahead and said they wanted to have a music band but didn’t have enough equipment, we got guitar, a room and other equipment for them. There is this wall on the campus called the “Chhota Wall,” which is entirely their space, to express themselves on whatever they are going through.

Independently, they have some amazing things to create like artwork, music, lights and so on. It’s part of the MICA ethos & culture. So I push them academically and on the creative side as well.

Take us through your alumni.

Among our alumni, those who went into advertising roles in the mid 1990’s are all CEOs and holding top positions today. Most of the MICAns hold top positions (CMO & CEO levels in marketing division) in Leo Burnett, Ogilvy & Mather and other media firms as well. In companies like Tata Beverages and Starbucks, top two or three positions are all MICAns. In the last five to eight years, a lot of MICAns have joined companies like L’Oreal and P & G. Independent of that, some of them have gone ahead to do what they are passionate about. For instance, Anil

Srinivasan, PGP 2003-04, classical pianist, who gave up his corporate job, is today using Music to teach Math in Tamil Nadu, only for Government school children. There’s Evam, an entertainment entrepreneurship formed by ex-students of MICA, who have an extensive background of theatre craft and film behind them, and have come together in Chennai to start this venture. A lot of them are also into market research because we have strong focus on market research and data analytics. So advertising agencies, market research, data analytics, entrepreneurship are some of the areas MICAns get into.

MICA has undergone a rebranding exercise a year ago. There was a shift from the name ‘Mudra Institute of Communications’, to an industry-neutral “MICA” where the vision is ‘To Create Leadership in Strategic Marketing and Communication’. Take us through this rebranding exercise.

The whole process has been going since a while because of the B-School and C-School subject.

But in 2013, the Governing Council here said that this is something we must talk about. Also that if you ask people outside MICA, very few people know what the abbreviation stands for. Some may say Mudra Institute of Communication and Advertising, some may say Mass Communication Institute and so on. As we were rebranding, we thought that everybody needs to know us as MICA. In our work, we are not just localised to Ahmedabad only. We started in Ahmedabad, but that is not our affiliation. We have a national and international affiliation in what we do. We have global aspirations in MICA. We knew it’s going to take nearly five years for people to know MICA as MICA, just like ITC Ltd or IBM did it. So we were very conscious of our choice. Our overall focus will be on leadership in strategic marketing and communication as we want to create strategic leaders. We also changed the logo. The spiraling triangles encapsulate our growth journey while retaining our distinct identity. The colour red symbolises strength, passion, commitment and dedication. The lines in the logo go to say that we are not fixed, we move around. The campus too went through a complete change. So all our flags, names, boards changed. We are completely done with the rebranding exercise.

How do you see the field of Communications that has evolved in the last few years, in the Indian context?

I would say India is still very nascent, not the communication industry as such, but the role of communication in what we do professionally.

While it has improved a little bit, we are still way behind. For example, there are 2200 departments of communication in the US, where you can study public speaking, interpersonal communication, organisational communication,

health communication and so on. When I was at IIM-A, this student once told me that the ‘cream’ of the students would get into finance, followed by marketing, operations. The last option would be “communications”. So that’s the kind of importance given by students to this field. He also added, in the same breath, that when recruiters come, the top three things they look for, and no matter what job, it is “communication”. That’s the kind of irony in India, where people are beginning to understand the value of communication but are unwilling to put resources there. Ideally, we should have hundreds of programmes in schools and colleges focusing in communication. For me, communication is first strategy and then skill. I will first think what I am going to say, broadly, and then say it. So in the Indian context, we need to do a lot more in the communications field.

What do you think as the future of digital communications space?

I think it’s here, it is going to impact us in a big way, but one must remember that only 50 per cent of the world has access to digital resources, whether it is the internet or the web. Half of the world, even today, does not have access even to electricity, computer, web or any other digital resource. So we are only talking about its impact to about 40-50 per cent of the countrywide.

a Masters in Communications and when he talked about what he was doing, I was fascinated.

I thought, here’s the field which is so important in what we do, personally and professionally.

Of course, in India, we don’t and didn’t have communication programmes like interpersonal communication, organisational communication and so on. We just have mass communication.

So in 1987, I jumped ships, went to do a small programme in Masters in Communication in Mississippi, became a Teaching Assistant and that’s how it all started. Later, I did my Doctoral in Intercultural Communication from Michigan State University. For 23 years I was in the US, teaching across universities. In 2010, my wife and I decided to come back to India since my mom was unwell. Luckily, my wife found a job here and I joined IIM-A. My daughters are 11 and 9, so I think this is an exciting time to be in India.

How was your experience teaching in the US? In the US, in the academic context, because US is very independent and self-driven, the working style and process is very different from India.

For example, a student in India, before asking a question may think twice, or have some hesitation before going ahead with the question because there’s a teacher in front of him. However, in the

‘For me, communication is first strategy and then skill. I will first think what I am going to say, broadly, and then say it. So in the Indian context, we need to do a lot more in the communications field’ So whether you are in Government, health or Marketing, the role of digital is only increasing…but we are all scurrying because the digital field is growing so rapidly and we are not able to catch up in terms of learning. From the media space if you see the digital spends, it’s still not humongous but it is growing. Will we come to a point when print and television advertising is going to die? Not yet. In India, we are growing at a phenomenal rate, thanks to the mobile platform. Countries like the US and parts of Europe have gone through this stage by stage but India took a massive leap as our mobile/ smartphone penetration is increasing and is set to increase to an extent to which access to digital resource is going to dramatically increase.

Tell us about your education and career.

I grew up in a middle class Brahmin family in Madras, originally from Bangalore. I did my B.Com from Vivekananda College, and worked for few companies. I was doing my part-time MBA at Loyola College and working as well. At one point in time, I thought what is this corporate world all about? Fortunately, a cousin of mine came down from the US in 1986 who was doing

US, even in MICA, students don’t question the teacher, but are challenging the idea. In India, if you challenge the idea, it amounts to challenging the professor.

What is your vision for this institute?

My Vision is that by 2020, anywhere in the world, anyone looking at strategic marketing and communication, as a student, professor, recruiter, policy maker—we should be in the top five of their list. In the Indian context, we are doing pretty well. There are lots of people who know us well, but there are also people who do not know MICA. So how do we go about doing it?

People wanting to collaborate with us, students wanting to come to do the complete two-year programme and not just as a foreign exchange student, the type of scholarship we create, the type of placements we have nationally and internationally…currently its mostly national, so we want a top-of-mind response saying if I were to go abroad in the next five years, and I mention MICA, he/she should say, ‘wow, so you are from MICA, the marketing and communication school in India’—that’s what I want.

Mahalakshmi.H@corporatecitizen.in

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 29

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Lt Gen A K Singh (retd), now Lt Governor Andaman and Nicobar and Puducherry

Epitome of Governance

After a long and distinguished service in the Armed Forces, Lt Gen A K Singh (Retd) has been appointed as Administrator/Lt Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He took over as the 11th Lieutenant Governor of the A&N Islands on 08 July 2013. He was concurrently appointed Lt Governor of Puducherry with effect from 17 July 2014.

Lt Gen A K Singh, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, Lt Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Ex-General Officer Commanding in Chief, Southern Command, alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), was commissioned into one of the oldest Regiments, the 7th Light Cavalry on 17 June 1973. He has the unique distinction of being the only officer to be trained both in Russia and NATO, at the height of the Cold War. He has an M.Sc. and M.Phil. in Defence Studies in addition to his military qualifications, and is currently enrolled for a PhD. A top rank General of the Indian Army, he was an outstanding and bold Tank Commander from being a Young Officer with T 55 Tanks to General Officer Commanding with latest T-90 Tanks. The General has commanded the 7th Cavalry, a T-90 Tank Brigade, an Armoured Division and the most powerful Strike 1 (Corps). Till January 2013, he headed the largest Command, the Southern Army, covering ten states and four Union Territories and 40 percent of India’s landmass.

Corporate Citizen caught up with Lt Gen Singh in his capacity as Lt Governor, in his well appointed office in Port Blair, from where he has transformed the governance of the Islands into an action packed one in the areas of public amenities, health, education and tourism.

By Vinita Deshmukh

30 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

Corporate Citizen: Your family opposed your decision to join the Armed Forces, so how did you pursue it?

Lt Gen A K Singh (retd): I come from a business family. My father was dealing with the railways, but he was determined to give us good education. So, after my initial years in St. Peters College Agra, I went to Sainik School Rewa. One of the objectives of this school was to prepare people for the defence services. All my friends were planning to join NDA, so I

Lt Gen A K Singh (retd) as Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands is very popular with the Islanders due to his down-to-earth approach

thought it was the right thing to do. However, when I was selected, there was opposition from my mother. She had seen only the civil side and had reservations about a career in the Armed Forces, but my father supported me and I never looked back.

Tell us your experience during your tenure in NDA, which trains you for leadership.

Yes, NDA gives you a very comprehensive and wholesome training for the Army, the Air

Force and the Navy. Its identity is a pan India one and is open to every strata of society. Here, they take you to high levels of physical and intellectual development. While encouraging each person to develop his own speciality, the NDA does get you to a common platform.

Other things that come to the fore are espiritd-corps, camaraderie, loyalty, trust, integrity, competence and commitment. What you learn in NDA and IMA holds you in good stead for the rest of your life. I still remember the good

old Chetwode motto, “The safety, honour and welfare of your country comes first, always and every time. The honour, welfare and comfort of the men you command come next. Your own ease, comfort and safety come last, always and every time.� It seems idealistic, but in the Army, you cannot have it any other way. In other walks of life, most people put themselves first.

In the Army, you are a leader on whose word people will commit their lives. That is the acme of leadership.

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 31

cover story You have leadership in all walks of life and the basics remain the same. But there are three factors which distinguish military leadership.

Firstly, when you join the Armed Forces, you virtually sign an unlimited liability contract.

You don’t actually sign it but in essence you give yourself up to the service of the organisation and your nation. And thereafter you do as you are told, you go where you are asked to, even at the risk of injury or death. In some ways your families also start conforming to that.

Your children may be at a crucial phase of their education, but if you are in the field area, your wife has to cope up as best as she can. Yes, the organisation provides the facilities and supports you. Secondly, service and leadership in the Army is not about profit and loss. It is about life and death. So you cannot motivate people through monitory inducements alone. There has to be a higher plane of motivation. You cannot give a Goa package and say ‘Okay, You have done well and this is your motivation.’

Nobody puts his life on the line unless he is highly motivated for a noble cause. Thirdly, you cannot afford to come runners up even once, since you are the last resort of the nation.

There is nobody behind us and if you fail even once, the nation will pay a heavy price.

That consciousness is instilled into each one of us. Every time a task is given, it has to be accomplished. And I dare say your Armed Forces have never let the nation down. If there is one organisation every man is proud of, that is the Armed Forces. I would say to my countrymen, from you as a citizen, the soldier needs your respect, love and support.

Also, the first core value of the Armed Forces is that it is an apolitical organisation. That’s a great credit to the nation.

The second is that it’s highly secular. There are no biases.

And thirdly, there are high levels of personal and professional integrity. In fact, it’s a true representation of the constitution of India.

As the Lt Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as well as of Puducherry, you are in a high civilian status. Did you have to adapt your Army functioning to your civilian life?

Suneeti & Lt Gen A K Singh (retd) with President Pranab Mukherjee

It cannot just be an administrative job. My approach here is the same as in the Army, which is transparency in whatever I do and maintaining the highest form of integrity, competence and commitment. In fact, these are the three pillars on which I base my leadership. I used to often say that a true Army officer, a good leader in the military is somebody who has “Humility in his persona and arrogance in his uniform”. Somebody told me that was negative. But I said no Sir, its an arrogance based on his integrity, competence and commitment at work, but when he is off duty, he is humble. I think that’s the approach.

This is what I have tried to apply not only in the Army but even here. When I came here, I had a forward looking approach. I had been dealing with the bureaucracy in my higher appointments in the Armed Forces too, but here I am the head of the Administration. After

Lt Gen A K Singh (Retd) in his role as Lt Governor, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi

some time I called the government officers for a good discussion and I asked them, ‘Do you want me to change my style? Have I been too direct, too much on the job?’ In unison, they said it was conducive to deal with somebody who says what he means and speaks his mind clearly.

The curator of the Cellular Jail mentioned that you are a `rock star’ in view of all the good work you have done ever since you took over as the Lt Governor…

No, I don’t know that but I love the people of Andaman & Nicobar and feel they have given me adequate love in return, because they know my only interest here is that I have been given the opportunity to govern and serve the people.

I have to balance out pure administrative requirements and procedures with the people’s hopes and aspirations. That is the essence of my functioning here.

You also said that in the Army there are three levels of communication: upwards, downwards and with peers. Please elaborate…

It is not just in the Army. In today’s world communication is the key requirement of leaders. You may be a damn good leader but you need to communicate. Three levels of communication are required: downwards with your subordinates whom you lead; you communicate with your bosses and you also

Lt Gen A K Singh, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, GOC-in-C, Southern Command

It is a very challenging assignment. I am not only the Lt Governor but also the Administrator. There is no Legislative Assembly here – we have a Member of Parliament and the Panchayati Raj. So I am very conscious that I have to balance out the administrative requirements with the people’s aspirations.

32 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

What you learn in NDA, holds you in good stead for the rest of your life. I live by the Chetwode motto, “The safety, honour and welfare of your country come first, always and every time. The honour, welfare and comfort of the men you command come next. Your own ease, comfort and safety come last, always and every time.

In the Armed Forces, you cannot afford to come runners-up even once. You are the last resort of the nation. There is nobody behind us and if you fail even once, the nation will pay a heavy price. That consciousness is instilled into each one of us. Every time a task is given, it has to be accomplished

communicate with your colleagues. At the best of times, I find most leaders are able to communicate well with their bosses, but they find it difficult to communicate with their colleagues because there is a competitive spirit that comes in and some leaders tend to ride rough shod over their subordinates. That’s a sure recipe for disaster. And I do believe this is true with the civilian setup also.

Even in corporate life…

Absolutely! In corporate life too, you need to communicate at all levels. Leadership is present in every walk of life and it is becoming important by the day. Approaches and requirements differ but the essence remains the same. The corporate world has no dearth of intelligent people but most tend to think with their minds. The more senior you become, you need to temper that with a bit of thinking with your heart. You may get better statistics by thinking out of your mind but you will not have a vibrant organisation. Even in the corporate world, it is not just about profit. It’s also about brand value, service to your target audience.

Hence, the combo of mind and heart will give you the extra mile. Another philosophy that I have followed is, share and care. Every person in an organisation must feel like a stakeholder and that will come about when you share and also care.

You have also said that your motto is to give more than you receive...

Yes, that is my philosophy: You must give more than you receive. If you follow that, you are truly respected and loved. I always tell my children, if you can derive joy out of giving rather than receiving, you are a king. Everybody runs after receiving but if you can programme yourself to get that joy out of giving, what else is left? You have conquered.

Superbly said! You have mentioned that the

Armed Forces are the noblest of professions.

And you have said caution, positivity and double standards are out of tune with emerging leadership. Could you elaborate?

As you go up in life, you see two types of leadership. One which finds satisfaction and happiness in the status quo because they get their due, and the company continues to run. There is some merit in continuity. You shouldn’t change for the sake of it. But the world is changing so fast; the environment is changing; technology is bringing in changes quickly. Therefore, a purely status quo approach will not work. One should be able to grab opportunities as you see them. When you take these opportunities, you are taking steps slightly into the uncertain domain. And that is the true test of leadership. The true essence of leadership is that you have developed this intuition based on your experience, knowledge and on your observing other people and great leaders in your own profession. That intuition enables you to be reasonably sure of the risk you are taking.

A good leader’s mind has already programmed him to the effects of those risks and how he would deal with them if they come about. A good leader, in a good organisation will speak of continuity with change.

There is reason to believe that there is a bias that is confusing event management for military leadership. Nothing could be further from the truth. We need to nurture and develop combat leaders as distinct from event managers: leaders who lead from the front, follow the Chetwode Motto, stand up when the chips are down and who can, through personal example and influence, both direct and indirect, make their men achieve the seemingly impossible. There are grounds for thinking that incompetent leaders tend to be those in whom the need to avoid failure exceeds the urge to succeed. We need to create an environment where leaders focus on success rather than failure avoidance.

This holds equally true of leadership on the civil side as well.

What is your message to youngsters joining the Army? Why should they take it up

as a career against the backdrop of more glamorous options in the corporate world?

Well! I have found trust, camaraderie, and affection of colleagues, trust of my seniors and total faith from my subordinates. What more can you ask for? For me, the Army has been a way of life. Forty years as a Commissioned Officer in the 7th Light Cavalry, one of the oldest regiments and as Army Commander of Southern Army, which covers 40 per cent of India, it has been a great journey. The way my personality has been moulded and the place where I have reached today is all thanks to the wonderful organisation called the Indian Army. That should be motivation enough for the youth. It’s one organisation where you need not know anybody. You rise on your merit; it’s a very challenging field. You deal not only with resources but also with human beings.

You lead them into battle where they trust you with their lives. I understand there are many attractions outside, but for a dynamic young man who wants to serve the nation, enjoy life, lead a clean life full of challenges, adventure, trust and camaraderie, this is the place. From the Andaman last year I got 84 young men to join the Army and this year, it may go up to 200. I want to train our boys and girls to join the Armed Forces. Today it is open to the girls in certain fields and it sure is a very challenging field for them also.

The first thing you did when you occupied this eminent chair is to cycle around to interact with people. It is a very unique gesture!

In my service with the Army, I have occupied some of the highest posts. For example: when I retired as Southern Army Commander, somebody asked me, aren’t you going to miss this lovely house and all the attention? I said, look the Army prepares you to live in a one room apartment and also in an appointment house, so will not miss these things. I have my own small house in which I will settle down. But what I will miss is the privilege of getting into my uniform that I wore for 40 years. Whatever position I may reach in the

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 33

cover story future, I’ll never have the privilege of wearing my uniform again. So the same applies here. I don’t get enamoured with the perks that I get with this job. It’s the job and the content that is more important to me. I still play cycle polo with full vigour and I haven’t lost in cycle polo in many decades. Cycling is a passion of mine.

Whenever I can, I do take out 45 minutes to one hour to cycle and a little bit of gym, it keeps me fit. It also conveys a message to the people that I am one of them; I am not sitting in an ivory tower. Sometimes people do stop me and chat about the issues they are facing. For official engagements I go out in the official car. But in the evening when I go cycling I drive my own car, park it there, cycle and come back.

What about the security?

That is for the police to take care of. I have told them no one isolates me for the sake of security.

It’s your job to provide me security. I don’t think I have that kind of threat and it’s the police’s job to assess my threat. On Tuesdays, my office is open for the people and as you saw, anybody can walk in.

What is it that makes you so action oriented?

No! I think it’s being transparent and direct.

Most of the time, people come expecting relief from the Lt Governor on issues that may have no solution. So rather than saying we’ll look at it, I am direct in telling them whether the issue is doable or not. When I completed two years, I told my Chief Secretary instead of having any function, can we go to a rural area? Outside Port Blair we went to one of the rural areas and interacted with all the villagers and the Panchayati Raj leaders. While I was addressing the villagers, one lady got up and said, ‘I really don’t know what to do if there is a crisis, as my mobile doesn’t work; the landline is mostly disrupted.’ So I said okay, let’s see what we can do. So we called the BSNL guy. I said since it is in your coverage area, do go and put a booster there and said, tomorrow morning I would like to speak to this lady. The next morning I called her but she could not believe it. She asked me thrice is this the Lt Governor? I said yes. But then told her, they have connected you, but give me a call after a week. So after one week I checked again and the line was working. People in Andaman are very aware of their rights and are very vocal. They are simple and loving people but they are also aware.

How do you manage to hold two posts of Lt Governor – shuttling between Port Blair and Puducherry?

I hold charge of two executive jobs at the moment. One is Andaman and Nicobar where everything flows from the LG’s office and

Lt Gen A K Singh (Retd) is an avid sportsperson and is a champion of cycle polo more than horse polo

for the last one year, also hold the charge of Puducherry. Though there is a Chief Minister there, the powers rest with the Lt Governor, a situation like in Delhi. As of today, there is not even a single file pending at either of my desks. I tend to dispose off files at night or early morning. So the day time is available to meet people, to go out and visit places, to see for myself the real situation.

Andaman and Nicobar is seeing development after a long time under your governance, say opinion makers here. How did you address the local issues?

Let me put this in a different context. The Andaman and Nicobar islands are a group of 572 islands and islets, spread over 750 kms in the Bay of Bengal. It lies in Seismic Zone 5. In and around the Andamans and South East Asia, there are about 90 tremors a year, over 30 of which are more than 5 on the Richter scale. If any quake exceeds 8 on the Richter scale, it could generate a tsunami. So it’s a very challenging part of our country. We have been taught in the Army that whenever you go on an assignment the first thing you do is decide what the centre of gravity is. When I came to the Andamans, the conventional wisdom was that people are the centre of gravity, which is true everywhere. But as I got to understand the islands better, I realised, that in Andaman there are multiple centres of gravity and that is how I tried to change the discourse. There are four centres of gravity.

The first centre of gravity is the strategic nature of these islands and the great advantage they bestow on India. About 1200 kms away from the mainland, we dominate the Bay of Bengal and the sea lanes of communication passing from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Thus the

34 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

growing importance of Andaman and Nicobar in these terms.

Secondly, the centre of gravity is the people, their hopes and aspirations. The third centre of gravity is the ecology of this place. Ninetyfour percent of Andaman and Nicobar is forest, reserve forest or mangroves, leaving only six per cent area for habitation. In fact we are feeling the pinch now. The land is diminishing and we are trying very carefully to transfer some more land to revenue land. The fourth centre of gravity are the tribals of this place, the original inhabitants. There is a commitment by the Government to look after them. These four centres of gravity have to learn to accommodate each other and live in harmony. There cannot be a conflict. Having understood this, I laid down my vision for this place: “Achieve comprehensive development, while keeping security concerns, ecological concerns and tribal issues to the fore”.

There has been talk since the last decade or so of Andaman and Nicobar turning from a strategic outpost of the country to a spring board for engagement with Asia-Pacific. The thought was articulated but no steps were initiated to make it happen. To become a spring board, you need a sound base. You need to have communication, connectivity and infrastructure. That is what I have tried to do. When I came here, we had bandwidth of just 348 Mbps. The minimum requirement was at least 10 GB and today we assess the requirement at 40 GB. The first thing I did was, to get 12 extra transponders. Already we have doubled the bandwidth and have free wifi at the Marina and it is working reasonably okay. The Central Government has accepted a proposal to bring an under sea cable from Chennai to Port

Blair and five other islands. We expect cabinet approval in a month or two and this will be funded by the Centre. We are very grateful to the Prime Minister for sanctioning this.

High airfares and lack of sufficient flights has been another cause of concern - we have initiated some steps to get over this. The first thing I did was to extend the Indian Airlines flight once a week to Nicobar and give subsidised tickets, for all government servants, tribals living there and defence personnel and their families. It was a signal of our commitment to those living and serving in the remotest district of our country to get them connected to Delhi. We have started chartered flights to and from Chennai, and also Vishakapatnam. Recently, we had the first successful night landing by Spice Jet at Port Blair. This will enable us to have more flights and also commence international flights from here to Phuket/Bangkok, We are also upgrading the Andaman Trunk Road and constructing bridges over two straits, where currently ferry services are used. Other essential infrastructure projects have also been taken up.

over 120 additional doctors here. People had to go to the mainland for small operations. It will all happen here. That will greatly benefit the people. Out of 100 students, 85 students belong to Andaman. In ten years, we’ll produce 850 doctors. This is going to lift the economy.

In the meantime, till we get super specialist post graduate programmes, we have also introduced a scheme for medical insurance, called ANISHI, where we give free medical facilities in mainland hospitals upto ₹ 5 lakh to retired government servants, and anybody whose annual income is less than ₹ 3 lakh, this will be a cashless transaction. There are teething problems but we will overcome them.

just shifted the mini zoo outside Port Blair.

The same area we will turn into a botanical garden. We have issued expression of interest for cruise ships. So a whole lot of things are happening. Slowly but surely!

A part of my job is also to look at the future and not just my tenure. We have ordered a study on Andaman and Nicobar Islands 2025.

Where do we see the Andaman Nicobar Islands going in 2025? And to become a spring board for India’s engagement with Asia Pacific, what concrete steps need to be taken from now till 2025 in various fields. By October, we should finalise it, present it to the Central Government and roll out the schemes.

What about tourism, which is the main resource of Andaman and Nicobar Islands?

There are two future key areas for the islands. One is tourism, the second

How do you make smart city infrastructure vis-a-vis ecology?

I don’t see them working at cross purposes. Port Blair is one of the cleanest cities – we sincerely follow the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Both Port Blair and Puducherry have been included in the smart cities programme and they are counted among the top ten best capitals. But there are some institutional weaknesses, especially with regard to waste management, transport system and such other issues, which we will now address through the smart city programme.

Everyone is praising you about the issues you have taken up, especially the birth of a medical college.

In any administration, apart from generating employment and creating opportunities for people to help them realise their potential, education and health are two very important factors. Here we spend almost 20 percent of our budget on health and education. We have the best primary health centres in the country.

But of the 50 specialists authorised to us, 26 were missing for decades. So we got into an agreement with Delhi to send us CGHS people on three months probation – but even they won’t come. Then I remembered that the Prime Minister, when he took the oath of office, put out a scheme to turn district hospitals into medical colleges. Andaman didn’t have a single medical college. We got hold of that scheme and in one year (nobody in the country has been able to do it) we got the medical college sanctioned and classes started from 1st September with 100 students. Now we have

‘I find most leaders are able to communicate well with their bosses but they find it difficult to communicate with their colleagues and some tend to ride rough shod over their subordinates. That’s a sure recipe for disaster.’ is fisheries. Till last year, we used to get about 2.5 lakh tourists and this year we hope to attract 3.5 to 4 lakh. That is a fair number for the kind of infrastructure available here. A lot of people tell me, General why don’t you make it like Singapore or Maldives and I tell them, our tourism will be a unique brand of Andaman tourism. It will be aligned to ecology, nature, sea and water sports. As you are landing at Port Blair, you can see the bottom of the ocean, so clear are the waters. Our tourism will offer opportunities for all, not just high end tourism but also middle level because that is what will give employment to our people. We will develop our infrastructure further so that the place is not overwhelmed. We need a little more capacity to spread tourism throughout the year. The sound and light show at Ross Island is one of the best in the country. We have

Finally, you are pursuing your PhD. What is it that makes you want to study at this juncture of your life?

At the time I retired, I thought I would have all the time in the world. I was in Pune and someone suggested why don’t you write something. I said okay. I took up the subject of Military Leadership in the 21st century. That would keep me busy and I’d be able to put down all my knowledge, experience into this thesis and share it. I have gone slightly slow, but it is still on.

It was fantastic talking to you. Thank you very much.

I have known Colonel Bala for some time.

He has done pioneering work. I wish him, his institute and the magazine all the best, as it is a good way to reach out to the corporate world. vinita.deshmukh@corporatecitizen.in

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 35

cover story / Dynamic Duo 15

Mutual Respect F

or Lt Gen A K Singh, love that led to marriage to Suneeti was all about falling head over heels in love and pursuing her with dogged determination. For Suneeti, it was all about a handsome Army officer following her wherever she went and her ultimately responding to his feelings, after playing hard to get for some time.

As a young Lieutenant in the Army who was in Pune for a short term course in 1975, quite naturally, the RSI Club was his regular evening haunt. That’s where he spotted Suneeti and made no qualms about his attraction for her.

Adds Suneeti cheekily, “Although I insisted he should talk to my parents, he never did, and instead he got a ring for my birthday – it was small in size but somehow I fitted it into my ring finger. After an intense courtship for two years, we got married in 1977.”

For years, both have lived a life reflecting all the trials and tribulations but with love and understanding. When I mention to Lt Gen A K Singh that he seems to be the perfect Boss for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, he quips, “I am the boss but wait till you come to my house and you know who is actually the boss. My wife will give you a different answer. She says we Army men, go around giving the illusion

Suneeti and Lt Gen A K Singh (retd)

The love story of Lt Gen AK Singh (retd), now Lt. Governor Andaman & Nicobar and Puducherry, and Suneeti, which began with the determined pursuit of a young Army Officer, has evolved into a mature partnership of mutual understanding as much as by their approach to life, marriage and duty to the nation, as through the fulfilment of their roles as an Army couple. Corporate Citizen meets this high profile yet down-to-earth couple and finds that mutual respect and understanding have helped ‘optimise positivity’ and bring out the best in each other. By Vinita Deshmukh

that we are the bosses. Jokes apart, I think it’s a partnership. She has supported me admirably through the ups and downs of my life’s journey.

Whether I was living in the beautiful Southern Command House in Pune or in a one room quarter, she has always been able to shoulder a lot of family responsibilities, which enabled me to devote my time to my profession and passion - The Indian Army.

Tell us how you felt when saying ‘yes’ to AK before tying the knot?

With a smile Suneeti says. “ When I married AK it was for him as a person and not for anything else, I saw in him a dedicated man of vision, passion, love, integrity and a highly motivated achiever; he has always been humble in his ways; an officer and a gentleman. I am fortunate to have married the right man as I fell in love with him and feel lucky to have him in my life, AK completes the family, kept his promises from day one and never let me down from the day he set his eyes upon me.

When asked about her childhood, Suneeti states, “During school days I was an ardent sports person, represented school in more or less all sports, winning several medals in squash, badminton, basketball, throw ball and swimming. I further pursued my passion

36 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

for racquet sports and won several medals in squash/badminton at State level. I consider my sports achievements a result of my upbringing within the military atmosphere, as my father too was in the Armed Forces. One of my childhood passion was painting and cross stitching, till date some of the artistic paintings and cross stitch art adorn our home”.

What has made the marriage click?

States Suneeti, “We are both strong in our heads but have compassion in our hearts. States A.K, ``We differ many times but if you ask me who makes up in the end, it’s me.’’ She agrees and confesses, “He is a Capricorn and I am a Scorpion, both have strong characteristics. We have our disagreements and then we come to a balanced compromise, but generally he takes the initiative.Further Suneeti candidly states, “As long as there is loyalty and trust, the rest can be taken care of.”

Lt. Gen A.K quips, “To me she is Mother Superior as she is mentally strong with strong moral values, which gives me the strength.”

What is their recommendation to youngsters to have a rock solid married life?

States Lt Gen Singh, “What I’d say is that till you are alone, you are living in a cocoon by yourself.

Now you decide to share your life with someone else, then you should make the effort to make it work. In most cases, things don’t go right when you don’t put in sufficient effort. Slowly as you progress together, things which appeared irreconcilable at an earlier point of time will fall in place. You realise each one’s habits, each one’s compulsions, each one’s biases and you learn to accept and live with them. I think in the end, marriage is all about optimising each other’s positivity and dealing with the negativity’’.

Adds Suneeti, “There should be less expectation from each other. The understanding has to come from both, but more from the girl’s side, because girls are always more mature than men.”

As a very senior General’s wife, what was different?

States she frankly, “When I married him he was a lieutenant, just become a captain. From that time till today, I feel just normal and have no airs about myself. I still wear what I want to, talk to everybody, so this thing of being a Governor’s or Army Commander’s wife has never been there. I always felt happy for him and supported him.”

What about your activities as the wife of Lt General and now a Lt Governor?

Suneeti states. “In the Army we had a lot of activities. We had to take care of Jawans’ wives and their children. We were totally involved in their welfare. Here, as a Lt Governor’s wife, I visit the orphanages, visit and interact with patients in the hospitals, also accompany Lt Governor to remote and outlying islands. Once I took the girls from an orphanage for shopping, since they had never done so. I also ensure that the produce from the Raj Nivas gardens is sent regularly to the ‘child care homes’ run in Port Blair.

In Puducherry I have been visiting various

I am the boss but wait till you come to my house and you know who is actually the boss...Jokes apart, I think it’s a partnership.

She has supported me admirably through the ups and downs of my life’s journey facilities for women and children, also the facilities for vulnerable sections of the society.

Suneeti is a die-hard animal lover, has numerous dogs at home and also horses at her son’s riding school in New Delhi. She says, “I take care of animals, because they take away sorrows, absorb problems of the family, are most loving and loyal. Animals are great stress busters. Your husband may not know that you have a headache, but they know it. They will come and sit next to you, will lick your feet. They look at you in a manner only I can understand.’’

Tell us something specific about yourself and the Family?

Suneeti States with a smile. “I am a very hands on person; from repairing a car to rectifying an electrical snag in the house or be it cleaning and mopping, if help is not available. I have a passion for teaching, gift wrapping and also driving various types of vehicles from a motorbike to a tractor, even the T-72/T-90 tank, which surprised everyone during a welfare event in

When I married AK it was for him as a person...I saw in him a dedicated man of vision, passion, love, integrity and a highly motivated achiever; he has always been humble in his ways; an officer and a gentleman

the Cantonment.

Adds Lt Gen A.K Singh, “Suneeti has a soft corner for the underprivileged and the underdog. I have seen her fight for them, even though sometimes realising that they may be taking advantage of her softness.

They have two sons. States Suneeti, proudly, “Vishal, the elder one, joined the specialist sector of oil/chemical/liquefied petroleum gases in the merchant navy and rose to be one of the youngest Captains. Thereafter rose to top management shore based staff at head office Scotland where he was responsible for overlooking risk management, quality, safety and operations for the largest ship management firm worldwide. Udai our younger son, took to riding, and today he is one of the best equestrian riders in the country, especially in show jumping and dressage. He has started his own company known as “E-Quest” and runs a riding school in Delhi. Udai has established himself, provides riding facilities in various schools and he simultaneously prepares for competitive riding and representing India. He is almost at the top level. We support him by looking after the stables and taking care of the horses which is a tough job.”

While Suneeti flits between Delhi and Port Blair, Lt Gen Singh is completely immersed in uplifting Port Blair to an international class tourist hub and a strategic point for economy and military. However, Suneeti, with a tinge of sadness in her voice, says,’’ Andaman is a beautiful place. I call it the beauty and the beast. It’s so beautiful but when the sea rises it is like a beast. I am always scared, not for myself but for my husband who is here and for all the people also. I have gone into the orphans and seen their expressions - they have that hollowness in them. You can make out that they haven’t got what they should have got and we cannot fulfill everything of that hollowness.’’ vinita.deshmukh@corporatecitizen.in

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 37

CII Case Study-8

Samskritiki: Sustaining Art & Culture of Odisha by Name of the Author – Dr Rajnandan Patnaik, Professor Institute of Management Technology, Nagpur.

CII Western Region EdgeFarm-HR Case Study Writing Competition

Finalist

Dr. Rajnandan Patnaik Professor, General Management (Strategy); Associate Dean (Academics) Editor of IMT Case Journal Ph.D. (Business Management), Utkal University, Orissa, India MBA (Strategy) from University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

BE (Mech.), Utkal University, Orissa, India He teaches Strategy Formulation, Strategy Implementation and Entrepreneurship Development to 2nd year MBA students. Also teaches Capsim and Marketplace simulation games as advanced course in Strategic Management. He is a visiting faculty to newer IIM on Strategic Alliances and Joint Ventures. Research Interests lie in Complex Adaptive Systems, Evolution of Industry through Punctuated Equilibrium, Industry Dynamics, Competitive Strategy, Corporate Strategy, and Case Research.

He has an experience of more than 12 years in teaching (mostly on Strategic Management) and 9 years in industry (mostly in consulting). He has published more than 25 journal papers, 40 magazine articles and book reviews, a book – Value Chain Revolution and about 12 teaching cases.

Author: Dr. Rajnandan Patnaik

Introduction Finally, after seven grueling days of the program, performance after performance, the yearly event of Samskritiki, Odissi International 2014 comes to a close. The annual dance event, Odissi International is in its fifth year, where Odissi dancers from all over the world converge and perform for the Odia audience in the land of Odissi, Bhubaneswar. The popularity of Odissi has reached worldwide and the event is able to attract more than 200 dancers from more than fifteen countries, who came all the way to showcase their style, creativity, finesse and depth of their dance compositions. Odissi Dancers, the world over, knew Shyamhari, and through his personal contacts, it took him seventeen years to build this network of global Odissi dancers. Shyamhari thought that Odissi International has indeed come a long way, from only a few international dancers in the first year to a point where he can choose the international performers based on invitation only. Moreover, with such participation, he has stopped depending on grants and donations for revenue, and instead chose a participation fee from last year. He wondered if his new revenue model of collecting participation fee from the dance performers is more sustainable that his previous revenue model which was sponsorship dependant. Last year’s performers did not mind paying the participation fee, nor did it look like this year’s performers reacted negatively. Will the goodwill take a hit and is this ‘participating fee’ model sustainable?

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

38 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

CII Case Study-8

This Indian classical dance has gained popularity far and wide, where more than 200 dancers from more than 15 countries converged on the land of Odissi to showcase their style, depth, finesse and creativity in Odissi dance. Shyamhari, the person behind Samskritiki, started the dance event without charging any participation fee for the first three years. It was his personal relationship and goodwill, nurtured over two decades, that was pulling dancers to participate in the event.

Abstract

Samskritiki, the non-government organization, that exists to propagate art and culture, found itself conducting a global Indian classical dance event, Odissi International, to propagate other forms of art and culture of Odisha, including Odissi music, painting, sculptures and literature. Through this Odissi dance event, Samskritiki could conduct exhibitions, fairs and sale as a side-bet during the annual dance event. The sustainability of Odissi International dance event is crucial for the existence of Samskritiki, and therefore is critical for propagation of art and culture of Odisha.

Odissi International, running through its fifth year, is the annual union of global Odissi dancers in the land of Odissi - Bhubaneswar, Odisha. This Indian classical dance has gained popularity far and wide, where more than 200 dancers from more than 15 countries converged on the land of Odissi to showcase their style, depth, finesse and creativity in Odissi dance. Shyamhari, the person behind Samskritiki, started the dance event without charging any participation fee for the first three years. He wondered now if his new revenue model of collecting participation fee from the performers is more sustainable.

It was his personal relationship and goodwill, nurtured over two decades, that was pulling dancers to participate in the event. Is the sustainability of the event in question with this new revenue model?

Keywords

Sustainability, Business Model, Event Management, Indian Classical Dance, Odissi

Activities and Events

Samskritiki was set up in 1998 and went on to register with FCRA1 as a non-governmental organization (NGO) in 2002. The NGO was created to further the cause of Odisha’s art and culture (see Exhibit 1: Seminars Organized by Samskritiki – Early Years for a better understanding of initial efforts). The memorandum of association of Samskritiki clearly outlines in its aims and objectives, “conservation, promotion and dissemination of culture through an integrated approach… protection, conservation and promotion of ancient heritage… promotion of folk, tribal and classical art and arts, handicrafts and culture… livelihood development of artists, artisans

and craftsmen…” 2 Samskritiki and Shyamhari quickly learnt that it is Odissi dance that will coalesce other forms of Odisha’s art, including painting (patachitra3), sculptures (shilpi4), crafts (applique work5), and Odissi music6. In its tiny ways, Samskritiki tried to hold art and crafts exhibitions, but did not make a major mark in the cause of furthering Odisha’s art and culture. Even after so many activities, by 2009, Samskritiki remained an organization of a few office bearers with hardly any revenue to work with, yet enjoyed the benevolence of numerous patrons and members (see Exhibit 2: Samskritiki – An Introduction by Shyamhari).

Annual Global Dance Event

The prevalence of social media made it easy for Shyamhari to create a community of Odissi dancers and enthusiasts. This social media was also used to get in touch with other artisans and performers, related to paintings, sculptures, crafts and more importantly, Odissi singers and percussionists. Initially, Shyamhari wanted to create a bulletinboard kind of system to disseminate information on Odissi events for anyone who is interested. This also helped the other artisans and performers as they got a ready-made market to exhibit and sell their wares.

Slowly, the Odissi community became larger and in 2006, the Indian Performing Arts Inc. (IPA) in US noticed this trend. That year, IPA subsequently started the first international event on Odissi dance and named it International Odissi Dance Festival. This was the collaborative effort of IPA and the State Government of Odisha, with a joint cost of INR 22.5 Million. The capital cost (modern auditorium dedicated to performing arts) was borne primarily by the Government of Odisha and the event specific cost, which was around INR 1 Million, was borne by IPA. As the project required mammoth effort, the collaboration decided to hold the event in every 4 years, next one slated in 2010.

However, by 2009 end Shyamhari Chakra found from IPA that the next International Odissi Dance Festival may not happen as they were unable to raise this huge fund for the event without active Government support. Call it pride or stubbornness, Shyamhari decided to singlehandedly conduct the event in 2010 through his own cultural

Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) registration is mandatory for any institution, including Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) to accept foreign donation, patronage and support. FRCA is controlled by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

2 Samskritiki Keonjhar Orissa, Memorandum of Association, Registered Office at Bharadwaj Bhawan, Biswespur Sasan, Keonjhar Bazar, Keonjhar 758002 and Administrative Office at 1095, Satabdi Nagar, Bhubaneswar 751003, registered by the Office of the Additional Registrar of Societies, Keonjhar. The organization can be contacted at samskritiki@gmail.com and samskritiki@yahoo.com.

3 Patachitra is a form of painting using natural colors indigenous to Odisha over a ‘paata kana’ (silk or cotton natural fabric cloth). This form of art is traditional and is unique to Odisha.

4 This relates to the artistic copies of sculptures that exist in the numerous Odia temples, such as Puri Jagannath, Konark, Rajarani, and so on.

5 Odia Crafts are not restricted to appliqué work (chandua). Odia weaving and fabric are unique as well as other craft works such as filigree (tara kasi) works on silver.

6 Odissi music, although has not got the classical music status in India, yet is quite unique. Some of the instruments, such as Mardala is similar to the Mridnagam in the south and Dhol in the north.

1

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 39

CII Case Study-8 Odissi International (dance event) was positioned to the Odissi loving community as “our festival” (for a structure business model of Samskritiki, please see Exhibit 3). For the annual dance event, dancers from all over the world converged with their money, stayed on their own expense and brought gifts for each other from their part of the world. This created an ownership and community feeling amongst the participants and also brought the patrons forward to donate for the cause. Everybody felt that they are a part of the event that turned out to be a community festival. organization, Samskritiki. Over the years, Samskritiki enjoyed the benevolence of numerous patrons and members yet had limited cash to conduct any future event by itself. Raising around INR 1 Million fund to conduct the dance event was a tall challenge for Samskritiki.

Armed with his personal global network of Odissi dancers, Shyamhari took the challenge. During the time, he kept getting the confidence from the numerous Odissi dancers and enthusiasts through the social media, across the world, to go ahead and conduct the event.

Positioning and Business Model

Odissi International (dance event) was positioned to the Odissi loving community as “our festival” (for a structure business model of Samskritiki, please see Exhibit 3). For the annual dance event, dancers from all over the world converged with their money, stayed on their own expense and brought gifts for each other from their part of the world. This created an ownership and community feeling amongst the participants and also brought the patrons forward to donate for the cause. Everybody felt that they are a part of the event that turned out to be a community festival. The positive word of mouth created an environment where dancers coalesced for the cause of Odissi International. After the first two years of successfully conducting the event, Shyamhari decided to charge a nominal participation fee from the dancers as a trial, for which dancers happily obliged.

Competition

The Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha created a similar international event for Odissi dancers and named the event as International Odissi (Dance and Music Festival) and was slated right after the festival dates of Odissi International. Ironically, the success of Odissi International in 2010 gave the Government the belief that such an event is possible. This was threatening to Samskritiki, as it was impossible for the NGO to take on the Government of Odisha’s efforts head-on. To start with, the Government of Odisha has deeper pockets, its own administrative machinery, the credibility and the contacts to assemble this dance event. Moreover, the Government’s event treated the dancers as state guests and each group dance was given INR 25000, pair dance was paid INR 15000 and solo dance was paid INR 10,000, for the performance. What the Government offered in cash and kind, it was impossible for Odissi International to match. Interestingly, dancers and performers of Odissi chose to come for Shyamhari’s event, and also danced at the Odisha Government’s event. One regular participant said, “There is money and comfort in the Government of Odisha’s festival, but there is no appreciation!”

40 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

The choice of Odissi dancers for Odissi International was evident when for the Government’s festival fewer foreign national dancers participated than for Samskritiki’s event. The size, might and authority of the Government worked against them as they looked and acted impersonal.

The success and preference of Odissi International attracted numerous patrons who were willing to contribute for the Samskritiki cause. Shyamhari always wanted to take small amounts of contribution from a large number of people. His spreading the contribution came from his past experience where contributors of large amount always had some special requests that at times interfered with the management of the event. And to depend less on contribution, Shyamhari worked on conducting the event with frugality. His background of being a reporter-journalist and an art critic also helped. Without spending much, he could easily invite established dancers, exponents, critics and celebrities to the event, and could also ensure exclusive coverage of the event.

Sustainability

Samskritiki core belief for Odissi International was that they will raise at least INR 1 Million to conduct the event through a large number of contributors, including the participants. For the event, Samskritiki has to bear the costs of hiring of auditorium, lights, sound, music, and back-stage management (please see Exhibit 4: Receipt and Payment Account of Samskritiki for more details). Patrons who contribute large may make undue requests, such as blocking for a performing slot in the evening, for a performer of their choice.

Fairness of the event may be compromised if the selection of dancers, positioning of performing slots, systems and processes are not talent driven. The complexity of the event can go out of hand if there are too many disgruntled performers. When performers pay, they would seek the best.

Now by charging a participation fee, the perception of performers for the stage Odissi International may change. The effort that should have been seen as a distributed contribution to meet the expenses for a cause may now be construed as a money making effort. The change in perception of the Odissi community is likely to affect the personal relationships and goodwill that Shyamhari has painstakingly built over the years. Samskritiki always wanted growth and propagation of Odisha’s art and culture, and Odissi International seems to be the core platform to do this. With the sustainability of this annual dance event being questioned, it will be difficult for Samskritiki to achieve its overarching goal.

CII Case Study-8 Exhibit 1: Seminars Organized by Samskritiki – Early Years Sl. Date No 1.

19 March 1986

2.

17 November 1986

3.

Topic Role of Spiritualism in

Social Resurgence Dharma & Yoga

19 December 1986

Language & Communication

8 January 1987

Artificial Intelligence : Computers

Resource Persons Mr. S.K.Panda

Manager, Bank of India,

Keonjhar

Sashi Bhusan Mishra

Advocate & Writer

Dr. Prakash Patnaik, Prof; Delhi University

Prof. Jayadev Mishra University of Texas.

U.S.A 27 Dr. S.P.Adhikary 5. February Man & Environment Lecturer in Botany, 1987 D.D.College,Keonjhar Dr.Aditya Mohanty 27 April 6.

Dynamics of Mind Lect. in Philosophy, 1987 D.D.College,Keonjhar Mr. Rajib Pattanaik, 11 March 7.

The World of Women Lect. in English 1990 D.D.College,Keonjhar Dr. Aditya Mohanty, 15 April Deptt. of Philosophy, 8.

Secrets of Mind 1990 Utkal University, Orissa 13 May Sashi Bhusan Mishra 9.

Drona-The Disciple 1990 Advocate & Writer Dr. Dhaneswar Sahoo, 10 June Human Crisis & 10.

Dept. of Philosophy, 1990 Progress N.C.College, Jajpur Environmental Dr. S.P.Adhikary Consciousness in 14 July Faculty of Life 11.

Developed Countries 1990 Sciences, Utkal $ its need in Indian University, Orissa context.

Pt. Madan Mohan Mishra Sanskrit Scholar & 12 August, Writer 12.

The Future of Sanskrit 1990 & Dr. Kamal Lochan Kar, Deptt. of Sanskrit, D.D.College, Keonjhar 9 Bhagirathi Mohanta Consumers’ 13. September President, District Bar Protection Law 1990 Association, Keonjhar Dr. Aditya Mohanty, 9 Depatrment of 14. December Live & Let Live Philosophy, 1990 Utkal University, Orissa

4.

15.

13 January 1991

Communication

10 16. February 1991

Neo- Humanism

10 17. February 1991

The Concept of Silence

18.

14 April, 1991

Conservation-The Key to Survival

19.

12 May 1991

Renaissance

20.

11 August 1991

The Relevance of Gandhianism Today

21.

15 December 1991

Three Views of Man

22.

15 March 1992

Tribal Culture of Orissa

23.

12 July 1992

Language Issues of India

8 24. November Managers’ Dilemma 1992 25.

8 August 1993

Consumers’ Movement

12 Rajatarangini-The 26. September Classic 1993 27.

14 Nov. 1993

23 January 1993 12 29. February 1994 28.

My Germany Experience Bond Friendship System in Tribal Life Stock Market & Emerging Opportuniies

Kalyan Shankar Ray, Manager, Bank of India, Keonjhar

Dr. Antaryami Mohapatra Faculty of Philosophy’

D.D.College, Keonjhar Nirmal Ch. Mohanty Faculty of English D.D. College, Keonjhar Prof. Dr. K. K. Dwivedy Principal, Orissa School of Mining & Engineering, Keonjhar P. K. Singh, OAS Manager, Orissa SC&ST

Finance Development Corpn.

Dr. Dhaneswar Sahoo

Faculty of Philisophy, N.C.College, Jajpur Kalyan Shankar Ray Manager, Bank of India

Keonjhar

Dr. Kshirode Behera

Department of Oriya D.D.College, Keonjhar Ms. Sasmita Rout Department of Oriya Govt. Women’s College Keonjhar Duryodhan Behera Labour Law Consultant Mr. P.K.Tripathy Executive Director Consumers Forum, Keonjhar Dr.Bisweswar Dash Reader in History D.D.College, Keonjhar S.C.Pattanaik, OAS Project Director, DRDA Keonjhar Dr.Pabitra Mohan Nanda P. Manoj Kumar Stock Market Expert, Cuttack

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 41

CII Case Study-8 Dissemination of a daily e-bulletin (samskritiki@googlegroups.com) containing news and information on culture has been another major activity of Samskritiki since August 2007. Through the bulletin, we are reaching out to scores of individuals and institutions across the globe and developing a linkage among them all. We further use social media, Facebook, for dissemination of information on various aspects of culture through groups like Dance Matters, Theatre Matters, Music Matters, Art Matters, Cinema Matters, Literature Matters and Odissi.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

Dr.Srikanta Mahapatra Research Scholar J.N.U.,New Delhi Tushar Kanti Panda 19 April One Hundred Years of Debasis Chakraborty 1998 Oriya Stories Aurobindo Dhal (All are writers) R.C.Chakraborty 2 Niranjan Barik History of Publishing November Dambarudhar in Keonjhar 1998 Mohanta ( All are researchers) Debashis Chakraborty, 25 April Trends in Poetry Dibakar Sahoo & 1999 Today others Bhagirathi Mohanta 30 July Role of Intellectuals in Member,Orissa Bar 2000 Development Council Prof.K.C.Mishra, Vice 27 August Higher Education President All Orissa 2000 Today Non-Govt.College Teachers Association.

(1)Aswini Prasad Mohanty Joint-Secretary, WILD ORISSA Bhubaneswar 22 October (2) Niladri Behari Our Wildlife 2000 Mishra Convenor, Nature & Wildlife Conservation Society, Orissa Keonjhar District Chapter.

13 March 1996

The Kashmir Issue

(Source: Samskritiki)

Exhibit 2: Samskritiki – An Introduction

“In 1989, a few friends in Odisha’s small and tribal town of Keonjhar – all in their late 20’s then - thought of forming a forum that would intellectually enrich them through an inter-disciplinary approach to knowledge. They named the forum as Renaissance Universe and continued to host monthly seminars on a wide range of topics that ranged from science to philosophy and language to technology.

Three years later, the forum was rechristened as Samskritiki and 42 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

was registered subsequently as a Society with the Government of Odisha.

The seminars apart, Samskritiki continues to host an annual statelevel art festival – Kendujhar Kala Utsav – at Keonjhar that features events of visual art, performing arts and literature. It also runs a public library in the town besides promoting and supporting smaller libraries and cultural organizations in the district. It has established a Sunday Art School that is affiliated to Orissa Lalit Kala Akademi, a Women Writers’ Forum and a Crafts Development Centre that has received support from the Development Commissioner of Handicrafts under Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.

After operating for 15 years as a district-level cultural society, Samskritiki extended its activities to the state-level and shifted its base to the capital city of Bhubaneswar in 2005. Development of a resource and documentation centre on Odisha’s culture in the Capital City has been its primary activity over the past ten years. It has also set up an exclusive library on art and culture at the Orissa Modern Art Gallery in Bhubaneswar since 2007.

Dissemination of a daily e-bulletin (samskritiki@googlegroups. com) containing news and information on culture has been another major activity of Samskritiki since August 2007. Through the bulletin, we are reaching out to scores of individuals and institutions across the globe and developing a linkage among them all. We further use social media, Facebook, for dissemination of information on various aspects of culture through groups like Dance Matters, Theatre Matters, Music Matters, Art Matters, Cinema Matters, Literature Matters and Odissi.

Samskritiki hosted the annual Udayaraga poetry festival, Aalap (a dialogue with the distinguished) and Aasara (dance and music concert series) at regular intervals.

Samskritiki creative ‘papier-machie’ craft developed by Arun Kumar Ojha of Keonjhar, a key-member of the Samskritiki family, has put Odisha prominently in the crafts map of India after Tamil Nadu and Jammu & Kashmir, the two states which were earlier known for their ‘papier-machie’ craft.

ODISSI INTERNATIONAL, the annual union of the global Odissi community in the land of Odissi, has been Samskritiki best known event. This international dance festival, staged in Odisha’s capital city of Bhubaneswar during December 18 to 22 every year since 2010, features nearly 300 Odissi dancers from around the world.

INDIA INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL (IIDF) would be Samskritiki latest venture that would be launched in July 2015 at Bhubaneswar coinciding with the famous Rath-Yatra of Puri near Bhubaneswar. This week-long festival will showcase all sorts of dance traditions and styles – classical, folk, tribal, contemporary, martial and ritualistic – both all over the world.

CII Case Study-8 Almost all of Samskritiki activities, events and ventures are being carried out with community involvement and contribution over the past 25 years.

Samskritiki is not merely an institution. It is a campaign for culture that seeks your support and intimate involvement.”

(Signed) Shyamhari Chakra Founder-Secretary SAMSKRITIKI January 29, 2015 Exhibit 3: Business Model of Samskritiki

(Source: Samskritiki)

Exhibit 3: Business Model of Samskritiki

Customer Value Proposition •Target Customer: Odissi Dancers across the world •Job to be done: Apolitical, Equitable platform for Odissi Dancers Globally; Focus on less established names •Offering: Annual Union of Global Odissi Community in the land of Odissi (deliberately without a dance theme)

Key Resources •People: Organizer and Odissi Community •Technology: Emails, Social Networking •Equipment: Self; By participants •Information: Use of Social Networking •Channels: Word of Mouth, Social Media •Relationships: Local Press, State Govt •Brand: Equity built over last 2 decades; Our Event feeling for last 3 years

Profit Formula •Revenue Model: Friends Contribute and Registration Fee by Participants (except volunteers) •Cost Structure: Frugal, Everybody pay for themselves; No payment to Dancers etc.

•Margin Model: Built on objective to cover Cost only •Resource Velocity: Limit on time duration for performance and time slots

Key Processes •Processes: Flexible to accommodate travel asymmetry •Rules and Metrics: Acceptable to community and culture •Norms: High personal touch; collegial

(Source: after due discussion Samskritiki) (Source: Author afterAuthor due discussion with with Samskritiki)

Exhibit 4: Receipt and Payment Account of Samskritiki (Last 3 Years)

Receipt & Payment Account (Period: 1 Apr 2011 to 31 Mar 2012) Receipts SN Particulars Amount (INR) 13 1 Opening Balance Cash in Hand 2947.00 2 Cash at Bank BGB, Keonjhar/SBI, Bhubaneswar 34399.00 3 Donation and Grant-In-Aid - received from: Orissa Dance Academy 10000.00 Nrityantar, Bangalore 5000.00 Vaishali Kala Kendra, New Delhi 7000.00 Gunjan Dance Academy 50000.00 KIIT, Bhubaneswar 25000.00 Kalingayana Touryatrikam 10000.00

4 5 6 7 8 9

United Bank of India NALCO, Angul Animal Welfare Society, BBSR (for NAEC) Public Collection Membership Fees & Contribution Sunday Art School Sale Proceeds of Handicrafts Income from Library Members Loan from Gitanjali Acharya T.K. Ojha M.K. Dash N.D. Mishra

10000.00 10000.00 10000.00 405246.00 300000.00 42000.00 590000.00 36000.00 45000.00 45000.00 45000.00 45000.00 1727592.00

Expenditures SN Particulars Amount (INR) 1 Administrative Expenses Staff Honorarium 60000.00 House Rent 18000.00 Internet Charges 6700.00 Telephone Charges 9600.00 Postage & Telegrams 1750.00 Printing & Stationary 10200.00 Travelling & Conveyance 13300.00 Miscellaneous Expenses 4800.00 Repair & Maintenance 3790.00 Governing Body Meeting Expenses 1820.00 Bank Charges 516.00 Audit Fees 2000.00 2 Seminar/Meeting/Training Seminar on Library Movement 2750.00 Farmers Training on Paddy Production 1400.00 Training on Vermi-Compost 2300.00 Members & Coordinators meeting 900.00 3 Celebration of Important Days/Events Annual Day Celebration 4700.00 Children's Day Celebration 3700.00 Independence Day Celabration 1500.00 International Women's Day Celebration 2600.00 Utkal Divas Celebration 1500.00 4 Program Expenses Odissi International-2011 456250.00 Odisha Culture Resource Centre Library 51633.00 Sunday Art School 39600.00 Kendujhar Pathagara 12000.00 Children's Library, Barigaon 7200.00 Women Writer Forum Meet 7400.00 Paper Machine Exhibition 19500.00 Sahitya Asara Literary Meet 9000.00 5 Handicrafts Promotion Paper Machine Product Dev.& Res.Centre 343700.00 October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 43

CII Case Study-8 Over the years, Samskritiki enjoyed the benevolence of numerous patrons and members yet had limited cash to conduct any future event by itself. Raising around INR 1 Million fund to conduct the dance event was a tall challenge for Samskritiki. Armed with his personal global network of Odissi dancers, Shyamhari took the challenge. During the time, he kept getting the confidence from the numerous Odissi dancers and enthusiasts through the social media, across the world

6 7

Handicraft Promotion Centre Artisan's Welfare Program Design & Development Workshop Program Advance Odissi Intl. and Others Repayment of Loan Purchase of Fixed Assets Closing Balance Cash in Hand Cash at Bank BGB, Keonjhar SBI, Bhubaneswar

154150.00 52200.00 180000.00 172345.00 20000.00 37655.00 1530.00

8105.00 1498.00 1727592.00 (Source: Auditors of Samskritiki, Harichandan Karan & Associates, CA, Odisha)

2

3 Receipt & Payment Account (Period: 1 Apr 2012 to 31 Mar 2013) Receipts SN Particulars Amount (INR) 1 Opening Balance Cash in Hand 1530.89 2 Cash at Bank BGB, Keonjhar 8105.00 SBI, Bhubaneswar 1498.00 3 Donation and Grant-In-Aid - received from: Orissa Dance Academy 10000.00 Nrityantar, Bangalore 10000.00 Department of Toursim (without Deductions) 300000.00 D.C. Handicraft 75600.00 S. Patnaik 20000.00 U.C. Hota 35000.00 4 Public Collection 300000.00 5 Membership Fees & Contribution 200000.00 6 Sunday Art School 40000.00 7 Sale Proceeds of Handicrafts 330000.00 8 Income from Library Members & OCRC 36000.00 9 Bank Interest 666.00 10 Sale of Assets 8548.00 1376947.89 Expenditures SN Particulars Amount (INR) 1 Administrative Expenses Staff Honorarium 60250.00 44 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

4

5

6

7 8

House Rent Internet Charges Telephone Charges Postage & Telegrams Printing & Stationary Travelling & Conveyance Miscellaneous Expenses Repair & Maintenance Audit Fees Meeting/Training Meeting on Library Network Training on Kitchen Products Training on Vermi-Compost Members & Coordinators meeting Celebration of Important Days/Events Children's Day Celebration Women's Day Celebration National Book Week Celebration Program Expenses Odissi International-2012 Odisha Culture Resource Centre (OCRC) Sunday Art School Kendujhar Pathagara Children's Library, Barigaon Theater Production Handicrafts Promotion Paper Machine Product Dev.& Res.Centre Craft Program for School Children Artisan's Welfare Program Design & Development Workshop Loan Gitanjali Acharya T.K. Ojha M.K. Dash N.D. Mishra Closing Balance Cash in Hand Cash at Bank BGB, Keonjhar SBI, Bhubaneswar

60000.00 6120.00 6950.00 1510.00 9220.00 19600.00 3250.00 5720.00 3000.00 3510.00 2100.00 2780.00 1650.00 4600.00 3100.00 3500.00 320000.00 67000.00 42000.00 15000.00 7200.00 22500.00 386200.00 15000.00 48300.00 52250.00 45000.00 45000.00 45000.00 45000.00 11834.89 11642.00 1161.00 1376947.89

(Source: Auditors of Samskritiki, Harichandan Karan & Associates, CA, Odisha)

CII Case Study-8 Samskritiki core belief for Odissi International was that they will raise at least INR 1 Million to conduct the event through a large number of contributors, including the participants. For the event, Samskritiki has to bear the costs of hiring of auditorium, lights, sound, music, and back-stage management (please see Exhibit 4: Receipt and Payment Account of Samskritiki for more details). Patrons who contribute large may make undue requests, such as blocking for a performing slot in the evening, for a performer of their choice Receipt & Payment Account (Period: 1 Apr 2013 to 31 Mar 2014) Receipts SN Particulars Amount (INR) 1 Opening Balance Cash in Hand 11834.89 2 Cash at Bank BGB, Keonjhar 11642.00 SBI, Bhubaneswar 1161.00 3 Donation and Grant-In-Aid - received from: Orissa Dance Academy 34614.00 Nrityantar, Bangalore 15000.00 KIIT Bhubaneswar 30000.00 NEAC 4800.00 Ratikanta Mohapatra 25000.00 Bansi Bilas 10000.00 4 Public Collection 315620.00 Membership Fees & Contribution 5 218500.00 (including refund) 6 Sunday Art School 40000.00 7 Sale Proceeds of Handicrafts 495000.00 8 Income from Library Members & OCRC 29000.00 9 Bank Interest 362.00 10 Sale of Assets 5000.00 1247533.89 Expenditures SN Particulars Amount (INR) 1 Administrative Expenses Staff Honorarium 60570.00 House Rent 60000.00 Internet Charges 6220.00 Telephone Charges 6150.00 Postage & Telegrams 1810.00 Printing & Stationary 13980.00 Travelling & Conveyance 21860.00 Miscellaneous Expenses 3520.00 Repair & Maintenance 3200.00 Audit Fees 3000.00 2 Meeting/Training Meeting on Library Network 4300.00 Training on Kitchen Garden & Bio Gas 4900.00 Training on Vermi-Compost 3300.00 Members & Coordinators meeting 2100.00

3

4

5

6

7 8

Training on SHGS Celebration of Important Days/Events Children's Day Celebration Women's Day Celebration National Book Week Celebration Heritage Week Celebration Program Expenses Odissi International-2013 Odisha Culture Resource Centre (OCRC) Sunday Art School Kendujhar Pathagara Children's Library, Barigaon Asara Concert Series Handicrafts Promotion Paper Machine Product Dev.& Res.Centre Design & Development Workshop Awareness Program for Handicrafts Promotions Fairs & Exhibitions Exposure Trips for Artisans Skill Upgradation Training on Paper Machine Closing Balance Cash in Hand Cash at Bank BGB, Keonjhar SBI, Bhubaneswar

2800.00 5000.00 2000.00 4000.00 2040.00 327500.00 43000.00 42000.00 18000.00 7200.00 20000.00 317800.00 72200.00 31700 12800.00 14000.00 112300.00 15506.89 1669.00 1108.00 1247533.89

(Source: Auditors of Samskritiki, Harichandan Karan & Associates, CA, Odisha)

Disclaimer:

n The views expressed in the published CASE STUDIES belong to the Author / Co-Author (s) of the respective case studies, and not necessarily those of CII’s. n The copyright of these case studies, however, belong to CII. Reproduction, in any matter, without prior permission from CII is expressly prohibited. n NOTE : CII has given exclusive permission to CORPORATE CITIZEN to publish the CASE STUDY only, in full, and without any changes/ modifications. n Reproduction in parts is not allowed. n For further information, please contact:

Sangita Das, Head - Policy, Industry & Practices, CII Western Region, Email: sangita.das@cii.in

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 45

Survey

India’s Philanthropy Index Up In a country where most people struggle to earn their daily bread, philanthropy hasn’t exactly been high on our priority list. Since the turn of the millennium, however, there has been a rise in the number of high net worth individuals, and these people have been more generous in their social contributions than any previous generation in India. Global Management Consultancy firm Bain & Company have conducted extensive research into the trends in the Indian philanthropy space, and the results are extremely encouraging.

Corporate Citizen presents the fascinating findings of India’s Philanthropy Report!

By Neeraj Varty

H

alf a decade ago, when the first India Philanthropy Report was published by Bain & Company, India had a nascent philanthropic environment. Seeds long planted had just begun to break the surface, and the ecosystem for active and sustained giving was still developing.

Since then, the nation’s philanthropic donors and charitable donations have grown vastly in number, value and public profile.

Gradual growth

In 2009, only 14 percent of the adult population across India donated cash, and some 12 percent donated their time. For an entire year, philanthropic activity received a mere 426 mentions in the media. In the five years since, the philanthropic space has been completely transformed.

46 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

In 2009, only 14% of the adult population across India donated cash, and some 12% donated their time (see Figure 1). For an entire year, philanthropic activity received a mere 426 mentions in the media. In the five years since, the philanthropic space has been completely transformed. Today, a deeper pool of donors donates larger amounts of money to a greater number of players in the nonprofit sector.

In 2013, for example, 28% of the adult population donated money and 21% donated their time. This means a staggering increase of more than 100 million more Indians making donations in cash or time than in 2009.1 Media reporting of philanthropy is also now double what it was five years ago. What in 2009 was a tiny sapling is now a resilient tree in bud, awaiting its first blooms.

In 2013, for example, 28 percent of the adult population donated money and 21 percent donated their time. This means a staggering increase of more than 100 million more Indians making donations in cash or time than in A strong economy, growing wealth and greater global interest in India have underpinned this growth in the 2009. Media reporting of philanthropy is also now what it was philanthropic activity of individuals and corporations. The potential pooldouble of donors—India’s HNWIfive and years ago. What in 2009 was a tiny sapling is now a resilient tree in bud, awaiting its first blooms.

Figure 1: Indians are increasingly involved in philanthropic activities >100M more people donating compared to 2009 % adult population giving money

% adult population giving time

40%

40%

30

30

28% ~2X

21%

20

20

~2X

14% 12% 10

10

0

2009

0

2013

2009

2013

Source: World Giving Index 2010 and 2014 by Charities Aid Foundation

1

India has added over 100 million new donors since 2009 and that number is projected to grow 50 India Philanthropy Report 2015 | Bain & Company, Inc. percent over the next couple of years.

The 100 million includes donors who donate to nonprofit organisations—charitable, religious—as well as individuals.

Page 7

India vs developed nations ultra-high-net-worth individual (UHNWI) population—grew at 12% CAGR during 2011–2013, with UHNWIs

growing faster than in other developing markets such as China or Brazil in 2012–2013. HNWIs’ wealth grew at What is remarkable is that philanthropic donations in India are ahead of 6% per year, from $477 billion in 2009 to $612 billion in 2013. donations in other developing countries. India is a global outlier, with a What is remarkable is that philanthropic donations in India are ahead of donations in other developing countries. larger percentage of its population making charitable donations than other India is a global outlier, with a larger percentage of its population making charitable donations than other countries countries at its level of prosperity ininthe world.

Evenlikeinthedeveloped at its level of prosperity elsewhere in the world (seeelsewhere Figure 2). Even developed countries US, charitable donations do not exceed the average for its level of per capita GDP. countries like the US, charitable donations do not exceed the average for its Reflecting global interest level of greater per capita GDP.in India, foreign philanthropic funding has also more than doubled, climbing from $0.8 billion in FY04 to $1.9 billion in FY12. This is due in part to the government’s focus on social spending The non-profit sector and its support networks have driven philanthropy in areas such as education, child welfare and public health, which aligns well with the priorities of international in India. The Several sources that there has areinvested moreapproximately than 2 million nonfoundations.

Bill & Melinda Gatessuggest Foundation, for example, $1 billion in India during the past decade—in public health programmes concerned with maternal health, polio and tuberculosis profit organisations operating in this space currently. The number of noneradication as well as within its established focus area of HIV through the successful Avahan AIDS Initiative profits registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) launched in 2003. increased from approximately 30,000 to approximately 44,000 in the past The supply side of the philanthropic ecosystem has also kept pace. Indian philanthropic foundations are now an 10 yearspart in ofresponse tohave theseen increase global philanthropic interest in the established the space. We many newin domestic foundations like the Reliance Foundation and NALCO Foundation (both established in 2010) up in the pastin fivequality. years. country.

Organisations have alsosetimproved Today, the non-profit sector is a better networked space that permits quicker learning and sharing of best practices and has a greater capacity to respond to donor concerns than ever before.

As the new Companies Act is implemented, a much-needed disruptive Figure 2: India’s philanthropy sector is mature compared to countries with similar profiles change will arrive. The Act not only makes contributions by large profitable % adult population donating money (2013) 80% UK

Canada Iceland Australia

New Zealand

60

Ireland Netherlands

US

Denmark Austria

Israel Trinidad and Tobago Slovenia

40 India

Philanthropic donations in India are ahead of donations in other developing countries. India has a larger percentage of its population making charitable donations than other countries at its level of prosperity anywhere else in the world

Latvia Uruguay Spain Italy Hungary Portugal Brazil Romania Poland Czech Republic Serbia 20 Jordan Argentina Mexico Estonia China Turkey El Salvador Kazakhstan Ecuador Bulgaria Ukraine Liberia Peru

Niger 0

Morocco Georgia 20

GDP per capita ($ thousands)

40

60

Note: GDP per capita based on country’s GDP accounting for Purchasing Power Parity for year 2013.

Sources: Euromonitor; World Giving Index 2014 by Charities Aid Foundation

India is now No. 69 on thePageWorld Giving Index, up from 8 No. 134 in 2010. In a few short years, India has moved from the bottom to the middle of the pack.

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 47

to increase their philanthropic contributions over the next five years (see

Figure 4).

However, the journey is unlikely to be smooth. There are obstacles to overcome before the space can enter its next phase of growth.

Donor engagement is key

Looking ahead, the philanthropic space in India holds great promise. There is substantial momentum which, coupled with a potential turnaround in the Indian economy, will turn out new philanthropists and higher charitable contributions from existing donors. A substantial portion of existing donors are well engaged and constantly looking for ways to increase their Figure 4: 43% of donors are willing to increase their donations contribution. % of respondents 100%

Reduce

80 Keep constant 60

40 Increase by <20% 20

Increase by ≥20%

companies mandatory, but is also likely to improve the governance and oversight of the non-profit space by stipulating programmatic donations from corporations and oversight from their CSR boards. The law now requires that companies formulate clear CSR policies and disclose them publicly through an annual report or their company website.

Work Remains to be Done…

Despite the strong progress India has made, it lags substantially behind other developed markets such as the US and UK. India lacks the same depth of donors or public profile as these higher-ranked countries. In the UK, for Philanthropy Report 2015 | Bain & Company, Inc. instance, 74 percentIndia of people made charitable donations in 2013 compared with 28 percent in India. And, as a measure of public profile, there were 11,000 media reports on philanthropy in the US in 2013, compared with a Still a1,000 longin way to go the . . same . time period. However, this lag can easily mere India across change as Indian philanthropists rise to meet the demand for charitable Despite the strong progress India has made, it lags substantially behind other developed markets such as the US and UK. India contributions, fill the development gap by working with a larger number lacks the same depth of donors or public profile as these higher-ranked countries. In the UK, for instance, 74% of people made of grassroots organisations address the country’s most charitable donations in 2013 compared with and 28% insystematically India. And, as a measure of public profile, there were 11,000 media reports on philanthropy in the US in 2013, compared with a mere 1,000 in India across the same time period. However, this lag can pressing issues. easily change as Indian philanthropists rise to meet the demand for charitable contributions, fill the development gap by Inwith addition, there are many underfunded or unfunded causes need of working a larger number of grassroots organisations and systematically address the country’s most in pressing issues. attention from philanthropists.

The survey of High Net Worth Individuals There is enormous potential for donors and nonprofits to effect change in India. Despite much progress in recent years, (HNWIs) and the non-profit shows causes attract the country still lags in social development.

The scale ofsector some of these problemsthat is such some that without an active philanthropic community supporting the government’s own work, it is unlikely that incremental progress will occur. The extent of the problem disproportionate donor attention, while others receive scant notice. is reflected in the stark numbers for basic social indicators. For example, India’s maternal mortality ratio is 190 per 100,000 live births versus 8 in the UK. Its immunisation rate for diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT) is only 72%, compared with 94% and 96% in the US and UK, respectively. Only 36% of India’s population has access to improved sanitation facilities.2 A symptom of larger gender disparities, the number of women in tertiary education is only 78 for every 100 men.

More than 40 percent of the HNWI survey respondents donate to causes like education and In addition, there are many underfunded or unfunded causes in need of attention from philanthropists. Our child welfare, whereas less thanattract 15disproportionate percentdonor donate survey of HNWIs and the nonprofit sector shows that some causes attention, while others receive scant notice. More than 40% of the HNWI survey respondents donate to causes like education and to causes that support the environment and the arts. child welfare, whereas less than 15% donate to causes that support the environment and the arts (see Figure 3).

0

Change in donations in the next five years

Source: Bain India HNWI survey, 2015 (n=377)

More than 40 percent of current donors surveyed Page 12 reportedIndiathat they planned to increase their Philanthropy Report 2015 | Bain & Company, Inc. philanthropic contributions over the next five years.

Bottlenecks to reaching full potential Apathy, scepticism, major bottlenecks

A main cause of underfunding is the perceived lack of credibility and India needs to maintain its growth of philanthropic donations.

Failing to do so At couldpresent, lead to undesirable trustworthiness on thetrajectory part of non-profit organisations. only outcomes for philanthropy in India and Indian society at large. To continue to grow as it has over the past five ayears, fewallnon-profit organisations enjoy the confidence of their donors.

Some stakeholders will need to address the following challenges. organisations are able to build high profiles and showcase the outcomes Lack of credibility and donor apathy are major impediments to the progress of philanthropy of their work to donors, which translates into higher and more sustained in India donor interest in those organisations and their causes. However, donors A main cause of underfunding is the perceived lack of credibility and trustworthiness on the part of nonprofit do not think very highly of most non-profits and related agencies in this organisations. At present, only a few nonprofit organisations enjoy the confidence of their donors. Some organisations are able build high profiles and showcase the outcomessaid of theirthat workthey to donors, space.

Some 50topercent of donors we surveyed didwhich nottranslates know into higher and more sustained donor interest in those organisations and their causes. However, donors do not of a sufficient number of credible organisations or foundations through think very highly of most nonprofits and related agencies in this space. Some 50% of donors we surveyed said that they did not know of a spread sufficient number credible organisations foundations through which they could which they could their ofdonations.

Moreorthan 60 percent of donors spread their donations. More than 60% of donors said that for them to increase their contributions, nonprofit said that for them to increase their contributions, non-profit agencies must agencies must display greater transparency and accountability. display greater transparency and accountability.

Despite visible strides in philanthropy over the past several years, donor apathy remains a concern. There is a very Despite visible strides in philanthropy over the past several years, donor large base of “disconnected” donors who donate out of guilt or personal relationships rather than cause orientation apathy remains concern. is depend a very base of “disconnected” (see Figure 5). How thea nonprofit spaceThere evolves will to alarge great extent on how it is able to activate and direct this group of donors. donors who donate out of guilt or personal relationships rather than cause orientation. How the non-profit space evolves will depend to a great extent Figure 5: Donors’ motivations to donate include cause, relationship, tradition and guilt on how it is able to activate and direct this group of donors. % of responses 100%

Cause

Figure 3: The most popular philanthropic causes are education and child welfare

· Religious/philosophical beliefs

80

% of respondents donating to a cause (not exhaustive)

· Issues affecting me or my organiŝation personally

Relationship 60

Tradition

60%

· Loyalty to same organisation or friends working in the same NGO · Following family tradition of donating money

54% · Give back to community

40 41% 40

38%

38%

Guilt/Need to give back 36%

· Donate because my friends/colleagues actively donate as well · Other related reasons

20

25%

0

Motivations to donate

20 Source: Bain India HNWI survey 2015 (n=377)

0

Education

Child welfare

Old age

Disaster relief

Public healthcare

Disability

11%

10%

Environment

Arts and culture

Source: Bain India HNWI survey 2015 (n=377)

2 The improved sanitation facilities include flush and pour flush—to piped sewer system, septic tank or pit latrine—as well as ventilated improved pit (VIP), latrine, pit latrine with slab and composting toilet.

48 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

Personal Causes and Religion remain key motivations Page 13 for people to donate, while regretfully, environmental conservation is still very low on the list.

Despite the strong progress India has made, India lags substantially behind other developed markets such as the US and UK. In the UK, for instance, 74Emergence of a two-tiered space percent of people Figure 6) 28 percent made charitable donations in 2013 compared (see with in India. India needs to bridge this gap in the coming years

India Philanthropy Report 2015 | Bain & Company, Inc.

As things stand, the low credibility of nonprofit organisations and donor apathy have turned philanthropy in India into a “two-tiered” space .

Tier 1: Sophisticated donors and nonprofits driving a positive spiral

Clearing the bottlenecks

To merge the two tiers and create a positive spiral, it is important that all stakeholders—non-profit organisations, support networks and donors— come together and work on critical elements. Focusing on the following areas will ensure that the next wave of growth in philanthropy is smooth and that every donation creates maximum benefits on the ground.

Tier 1 comprises sophisticated donors who work with sophisticated, highly credible nonprofit organisations.

Sophisticated donors are typically wealthier and have given consistently and for longer periods of time to causes they strongly identify with (see Figure 7). They not only contribute cash but also provide oversight and guidance.

Emergence of a two-tiered space

Greater cause orientation

Cause-oriented donors are more loyal. This means they provide consistent funding to the non-profit organisations they choose and hence reduce the organisation’s focus on fund-raising. Such donors can also be force multipliers for fund-raising by harnessing their own credibility and relationships to act as aggregators of disconnected donors and, over time, may emerge as evangelists for the causes they champion

As things stand, the low credibility of non-profit organisations and donor apathy have turned philanthropy in India into a “two-tiered” space.

Tier 1 comprises sophisticated donors who work with sophisticated, highly credible non-profit organisations. Sophisticated donors are typically wealthier and have given consistently and for longer periods of time to The very large number of repeat donors in Tier 1 reinforces this positive spiral. A vast majority of the larger trusted nonprofits have high numbersidentify of repeat donors. causes they strongly with.Moreover, 64% of them said that they have received repeat donations from more than 50% of their donors (see Figure 8). However, only 31% of small nonprofits have The Tier 2 space comprises unsophisticated donors who donate out of repeat donors as the majority of their donors. a sense of guilt and are constrained by a lack of information about which In Tier 1, however, there is a risk of donor interest being captured by a relatively narrow set of causes, which then organisations to donate to and how. Guilt-driven donors tend to react to tend to get a disproportionate share of contributions and most of the media attention. specific events (for example, popular campaigns). Typically, they have less experience donating and are also relatively less wealthy. A majority of donors Figure The philanthropy space is two-tiered: donors andpersonal NGOs driverelationships a positive spiral, India Philanthropy Report 2015 | Bain & Company, Inc. in India6:belong to this category and Sophisticated donate based on while unsophisticated ones create an “NGO trap” or media-driven trends rather than enduring interest in a cause

Transparency in functioning

Figure 7: A cluster analysis of the survey’s segmentation of the donor space reveals types of donors

The philanthropy space in India is sorely lacking in trust. One of the top findings from the survey and interviews was that donors seek trust, so they gravitate towards relationships rather than causes. This reality is in many ways responsible for the fragmentation of the philanthropy space into two tiers.

Greater transparency in non-profit functioning, which may add slightly to overhead costs, goes a long way in building trust with donors.

Sophisticated nonprofit organisations tend to be larger and have the organisational capacity and discipline to deal with sophisticated donors. As a result, they tend to produce superior outcomes that in turn attract many more sophisticated donors. This puts the nonprofit on a positive spiral of organisational growth, increased capacity and social impact.

>4.00%

Cause-oriented donors

“Donor discipline”: Offer money, guidance • Guilt-driven donors who want to and give back to community oversight • Respond to peer pressure; giving driven by peer group

Trust and Household confidence income in the NGO donated (%)

NGO • Annual income of all respondents <5 Cr. withPositive ~60% earning <50 Spiralearning 0.5-1 Cr. lakh and ~30%

Collaboration for efficiency, impact

Donors rate transparency, demonstrated impact and low overheads as their top expectations of non-profit organisations. Non-profits need to use available resources and talent for the best outcomes. Collaboration and resource sharing across non-profits is the way forward. This will lead not only to optimal resource use but also to the dissemination of best practices.

Collaboration, however, is not easy. Most non-profits, particularly the smaller Tier 2 ones, tend to be founder-centric, displaying a propensity to control and stay entirely focused on theirReport specific segment.

To change this, India Philanthropy 2015 |grassroots Bain & Company, Inc. non-profits and stakeholders that are open to collaboration should work to draw attention to its benefits. Some 64 percent of the NGO respondents said there was aFigure need for among differentis stakeholders in the philanthropy space.

11:partnerships Donors’ top expectation of nonprofits transparency

Effective and efficient NGO operations

0%

all respondents >50 lakh with ~35% Focus earning 1-5 Cr. and on low ~60% earning >5Cr. overheads

• Donors in transition

41.5% of total respondents

• Have an emerging cause orientation, but not deep enough or long enough • Annual income of all respondents >50 lakh with ~50% earning 1-5 Cr. and Suboptimal Suboptimal ~35% earning >5 Cr. organisation outcomes capacity

Tier 2: Unsophisticated

<$0.1 million

Average household income

Note: Outliers have been removed from the data set.

Source: Bain India HNWI survey 2015 (n=377)

>$2.5 million

Tier 1 non-profits see a large volume of repeat donors resulting into a positive spiral, while Tier 2 non- profits struggle to receive Figure 8: Sophisticated nonprofits haveresulting high numbers ofin repeat patronage, andonors NGO trap Page 14

% of NGO respondents with >50% repeat donors 80%

64%

Transparency scores the highest

60

15% 13%

40 31%

11% 10%

10

9%

9%

20 7%

7%

7%

7%

5

0

Higher focus on fund-raising • Cause-oriented vs. results donors supporting specific needs 9.4% of total respondents • Annual income of

NGO Trap

Unhappy donors

Superior 49.1% ofoutcomes total and impact respondents

% of responses 20%

15

Pursuit of new donors

Tier 1: Sophisticated

4%

Transparency in application of funds

Tax receipt delivery

Low Demonstrated overheads impact

Privacy

Professional management

Speed of Audited Certification by Ongoing books an authentic communication applying funds agency

Offer involvement

Note: Sum may not be 100% due to rounding.

Source: Bain India HNWI survey 2015 (n=377)

Need for transparency is the most crucial expectation of prospective donors in selecting a nonprofit to patronize, while perceived impact, privacy and efficient management remain high on the list.

0

Annual funding <$0.8 million (<INR 5 Cr.)

Annual funding >$8 million (>INR 50 Cr.)

Note: Exchange rate of US$1=60.9 INR assumed (average for 2014).

Source: Bain India NGO survey 2015 (n=123)

Sophisticated non-profits have a large number of repeat donors, resultingPage in15a concentration of funds in the hands of a few high profile non-profits while the rest face a severe cash crunch. neeraj.varty@corporatecitizen.com October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 49

Loved and Married too-5

e t colleg ays tha edlock. d e s e th w into a t often tory It is no ce fructifies unlocks the s to n a rom ate Citizen lminated in ility b r u Corpo ve that has c eve in the sta it. of lo for we beli family un ge, and marria relationship you real life o a of ealed ing t We br ces that got s roman marriage. in

r e h t e g o t

wveercome! o He’s a Jain Marwari; she a Bengali.

But the relationship Vinod and Anindita Dangi share speaks volumes for the power of commitment. And letting minor quibbles go in favour of the bigger picture

By Kalyani Sardesai

T

hey’re spontaneous, fun-loving and newly married. But amidst the laughter and dreams, one thing stands out about the Dangi couple: mature heads on young shoulders. To say nothing of a willingness to go the distance to make it work.

At 29 and 27 years old respectively, Vinod and Anindita have been married for all of nine months, and known each other for four years. But, despite the differences in cultural backgrounds and natures, both found out early enough that they were meant to be.

So how did they meet? “At the workplace for a business related meet,” says Vinod, an MBA in marketing from the Indira School of Career Studies (Mumbai), who was then handling a commercial project for Greenscape Developers Pvt. Ltd, a Vashi-based real estate organisation.

In walked Anindita, a management trainee from Shapoorji & Pallonji Construction Material Group (SPCMG) with the determined purpose of finding a few business leads from

him (information regarding their clientele) with the objective of doing their interiors.

Fifty minutes later, she walked out, annoyed by the meeting with this stubborn young executive, who despite her finest marketing spiel refused to give her a single business lead.

“I was so upset; I told myself I hope we never meet again,” giggles Anindita. “Though he was polite and sweet—and asked me all about my MBA at BIMHRD – he would not give me any info whatsoever.” However, she had targets to meet—and little choice but to communicate with him again.

50 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

For his part though, he was impressed with her confidence, lucidity and communication skills.

Gradually, business meets led to social ones, Facebook, BBM messages, cups of coffee and so on… “I was alone in Mumbai, undergoing a lot of ups and downs at the work place. My parents were in Goa at that point due to my dad’s posting, and I had no one to talk to…until I met Vinod, that is. “As I got to know him, I realised he was sorted, balanced and mature. He is also an excellent listener.”

“Till date, though,” continues Anindita

mock-furiously --“he has not given me a single business lead”—even as Vinod hoots with laughter at the complaint.

As is often the case, opposites do attract. “I am systematic and organised and like to plan everything; on the other hand, she is relaxed and easy going and takes each moment as it comes. I love that quality about her. That, and her curly hair,” grins Vinod.

For her part, Anindita is happy to go along with his plans for their future and time—and his insistence on discipline and routine in the course of their life and career plans. “Thanks to him, I have gotten into the habit of jotting everything down. From household items that need a refill to tasks that need to get done,” she says. Food is her department (despite the help of a maid), and she has painstakingly learnt to cook assorted, delicious fare—albeit vegetarian fare—for her “choosy” husband.

Which brings us to the contrast in their backgrounds: he is a Marwari Jain from Bhilwara, Rajasthan, while she is a fish-eating “Bong” who has moved all over the country thanks to her dad’s job (he is currently an assistant commandant with the CISF). Naturally, it was quite a task to convince both sets of parents about the merits of the match.

“My parents would have preferred me to marry within our own community. But when they saw how determined I was, they gave us their blessing,” says Vinod. While Anindita’s parents’ concerns were mainly centered around how their daughter would adjust in a ‘conservative, business set up.’

To make things a little more complicated, Anindita’s dad (who was now posted in Mumbai) had seen them together, even as Vinod was dropping her home. “He asked mom to find out more about him; and initially, he was far from happy,” she narrates.

But as he got talking to Vinod and found out more, he was relieved to find out that his family was a lot more open-minded than he had thought them to be. Besides, Vinod’s dad was not a businessman (another stereotype!) but a General Manager with the Sangam Group of Industries.

“Today, both Vinod and dad are so close, you’d never guess how uneasy a start they got off to,” smiles Anindita.

To accommodate both families, the duo first wed in a court ceremony, and then followed it up with an elaborate, traditional affair that paid obeisance to both their Marwari and Bengali roots. “While I was dressed as a Marwari bride, my cousins carried me into the mandap in true Bengali style,” narrates Anindita. But the wedding buffet, had to be pure veg—no two ways about it. “My in-laws would not have even entered the wedding hall had there been a hint of fish or chicken,” she chortles. Herself a

The secrets of a happy marriage: Respect—to both partners’ dreams and aspirations. Respect, in both thought and action Letting go of little things in the interest of harmony and togetherness Discipline Patience Listening to each other Giving elders their due space in the relationship

pure vegetarian today, she feels it’s a “very small thing” to be with the man she loves. “Honestly, it hardly pinches me anymore; and quite frankly, it’s not a big deal,” she says. “Both have to make little gestures to accommodate one another; that’s how you grow together.”

While Vinod is currently working with IL&FS Township & Urban Assets Limited, Anindita is now employed as a Brand Partner with the ad agency Utopeia. Both jobs have their challenges, and demands, to say the least.

Which brings us to the question: how and why do so many marriages (especially in the corporate world) not seem to work?

“The main thing our 20-something generation lacks is patience. We earn well, manage on our own, so we tend to think: why compromise?” she says, even as Vinod adds: “When both earn well, there is a sense of one-upmanship in not ceding the point. But that’s ego at its worst; it is damaging in the extreme..”

“Two egos cannot sit in one boat; nor two drivers make a car run smoothly. Depending upon the situation, either partner can take the lead. But, if both insist on having their say simultaneously, no relationship can work,” says Anindita.

Another culprit, according to her is spending more time at work than at home. “That’s how a lot of people come to be closer to that companion at work, rather than the person at home,” she says. “It’s tricky territory indeed.”

What helps is a firm belief in the institution of marriage—and mutual respect. “Growing up, I never heard my parents address each other as ‘tu’…it was always the more polite ‘aap’. I would like our relationship to have that same courtesy for each other,” says Vinod.

Even as they live alone in their Chembur home for the better part of the year, various occasions do entail them to stay with each other’s families. “It’s early days yet,” says Anindita. “I still have a lot to learn about their way of life.

“When both earn well, there is a sense of one-upmanship in not ceding the point. But that’s ego at its worst; it is damaging in the extreme” But I have a good guide in my mother-in-law.”

Respect for elders is very important, stresses Vinod. “When couples start off without the elders’ approval, they are at a disadvantage, because there is no one more experienced to guide them and tell them about life, tolerance and adjustment. That’s why we waited for their approval—we wanted to do things the right way.” Given the pressures of their work schedule, the quality of time they spend together is hugely important. “Every now and then, at the end of the day, we get into our car and drive off to Marine Drive where we simply sit and chat. We take short vacations to Lonavala and Nashik. That’s how we unwind,” says Anindita.

Believe it or not, they haven’t been on a proper honeymoon yet. Here’s why: “It’s a matter of pride to both of us to have paid for our weddings and home all by ourselves. We will go on a sabbatical soon…”rounds off Vinod. kalyanisardesai@gmail.com

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tadka

E-bonanza e-Commerce in India is expected to reach $24 billion (`1,07,800 crores) by the year 2015, and it is expected to grow to nearly 10 times that number, by the year 2020.

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 51

star Campus placement-7

Academics

should be on the

top of the list Neel Sanjay Paratkar gets the nod from Ebay, California, as he sets off to make an entry into the big league of the corporate world

I

By Joe Williams

t has been sheer hard work and commitment to meet the set goal for Neel Sanjay Paratkar. An SBOA Public School, Aurangabad, pass out, Neel has been able to see his way into eBay Inc., the American e-commerce giant. The son of a businessman and private-tutor mother, he started with Electronics during his HSC from Deogiri College in Aurangabad. The College of Engineering in Pune (COEP) helped him groom for this coveted job. He spoke to Corporate Citizen about his journey from school to eBay, for whom Neel will be working from Mumbai with an annual package of ₹ 17.10 lakhs.

School and college

“I was born in Mumbai and brought up in Aurangabad. I did my schooling in SBOA Public School, Aurangabad, followed by HSC at the Deogiri College, Aurangabad, with Electronics as my vocational subject. I completed my engineering from the College of Engineering, Pune.”

Life on the campus

“I have been a nerd all my life (not at all ashamed of admitting it). So I have always put in sincere effort with my studies. During my engineering I studied some really very interesting subjects like Microprocessors, Operating Systems and Computer Organisation which gave me the understanding of how the internals of

a computer actually work. It is baffling to even think how the inventors of these gadgets even came up with the idea and gave it a physical form. Some other core programming related subjects that I enjoyed studying were Data Structures, Design and Analysis of Algorithms and Discrete Structures and Graph Theory.

I was part of MindSpark, COEP’s technical festival, for all the four years. I was a part of the Core Team Member for MindSpark in my final year. It was the only time, during my engineering when I was surrounded by a bunch of like-minded and fun loving people. Apart from that I was a member of the web team for our college which was responsible for handling and maintaining the official college website. We had some excellent teachers who I will respect forever. All the professors are passionate about teaching. Engineering is often perceived as a hectic course. However, I feel that if one puts in dedicated effort and not push the assignments and studies to the last hour (which rarely happens), one can complete the course without much difficulty.

Placement experience

I did my summer internship in VMware, Pune, for the project I worked on during my internship. This enriched my CV. Ebay/Paypal (then, now Paypal and Ebay have split up), was the first company that came to our campus for recruitment. It also happened to be offering the

It is baffling to even think how the inventors of these gadgets even came up with the idea and gave it a physical form. Some other core programming related subjects that I enjoyed studying were Data Structures, Design and Analysis of Algorithms and Discrete Structures and Graph Theory.

52 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

Neel Paratkar taking times off from his studies

highest package, so everyone from my department as well as others were super excited. It was also evident that everyone was going to put in their best, which meant that the competition would be tough and challenging.

The recruitment process consisted of one aptitude and technical test, followed by three rounds of interviews. The aptitude and technical rounds were a lot tougher than we had anticipated. Both the sections had some tough problems and each also had a sectional cut off.

The results were announced in an hour after we completed the test, during which time we were given an orientation about Ebay and Paypal by the company officials.

The shortlisted students were asked to bring with them a working demo or source code of whatever projects we had mentioned on our resume. The first round of interview was technical, where our technical skills were tested. The interviewers made sure we were comfortable before starting the interview and gave us ample time to think over the questions they asked. My first interview lasted for about 45-50 minutes, which was the longest among the three. After each round, based on our performance during the interviews, we were shortlisted for the next round. Questions in the second interview were mostly centred around the projects that I had already done and had mentioned on my CV. The final interview was a mix of HR and technical questions.

I think that it was both luck and my internship with VMware that helped me secure my job with Paypal. You cannot categorise the process as being tough or easy. The questions that were asked were not tough, because if you think

Extra-curricular activities should never be done at the cost of academics. Yes, these activities are very essential for the overall development of one’s personality, increasing one’s confidence.

However, one must be intelligent enough to distribute his/her time and energy for everything properly

Neel Paratkar with his friends making a happy picture

about them in a relaxed state of mind, you might find them extremely easy, it is how well you come up with the solutions for the answers that matters. Fortunately, I could answer the questions that were asked with satisfactory solutions during my interviews.

Hobbies

I love reading and writing. Lately I have been too busy to do either, but given some spare time, reading and writing will always be my favourite pastime activities. I enjoy reading fiction. I feel that Robert Ludlum is an unsurpassed author when it comes to writing thrillers. I also love writing short stories or prose and poetry as and when I feel like it. Even though I don’t post them or publish them, I enjoy writing.

comes after it. Extra-curricular activities should never be done at the cost of academics. Yes, these activities are very essential for the overall development of one’s personality, increasing one’s confidence and also making friends. The bonding you have when you are part of such activities is very strong. However, one must be intelligent enough to distribute his/her time and energy for everything wisely. Don’t bite off more than you can chew – I would like all my juniors to keep this in mind. joe78662@gmail.com

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tadka

On bonding

It is often told during orientation at college, and stressed by many seniors, that extra curricular activities matter a lot during interviews. I disagree with this statement. When a fresher is being recruited, the basic thing that his performance is assessed on, his technical expertise. So I would like to advise all my juniors that studies should be given the top priority. Everything else

Longest railway journey The Vivek Express — from Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari — travels 4,273 km, making it the longest-run in terms of total time & distance in India. On the other hand, train services between Nagpur and Ajni, situated just 3km apart, is the shortest route.

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 53

The Tax Man Cometh Starting a new Column

by S K Jha (IRS (retd) and former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax)

Big Fat Weddings Tell Tales

Watch out! That big fat wedding you have planned can be a dead give-away to a lot of unaccounted wealth and off-the-record transactions. It’s better to have it all on record and well accounted for — the tax man is watching!

Unlike the regular tax desk which is manned by a tax officer whose job is to levy tax on you, this desk is manned by a nonserving tax officer who wishes to share his experience of 35 years in the tax department, while discussing tax provisions.

It is advantageous to know how the tax department thinks and acts when, as said by Benjamin Franklin, “In this world nothing is certain except death and taxes”

O

ne important job of the income-tax department is to detect black money and collect evaded tax on that. There is a real cat-and-mouse chase between the tax collector and the evader, as real innovative ways are adopted by tax evaders and the department also tries its best by action and legislation to nail them.

One of the simplest and oldest manifestations of black money is fat weddings, celebrated for many days at expensive venues.

During my tenure in Mumbai, I picked up several such marriages for enquiry, to send the message that the department was seeing what they were doing, and also to collect tax on the expenditure incurred using black money. The only precaution I took was not to disturb the marriage ceremony. Here, I propose to tell you how we conduct such an enquiry, by discussing one case.

Many tax payers are ignorant of the provision u/s 133A(5) of the IT Act which provides jurisdiction to tax officials to make enquiry in respect of any function, ceremony or event, anytime after the function. The tax officer need not wait for filing of the income tax return.

The enquiry conducted by me was under this section

54 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

The department got information from market sources that a big fat wedding was to take place. Both the sides were well known business families. Guests from across the country and outside were invited. We learnt that the invitation card itself was designed by a leading artist, and that expensive gifts were handed out, along with the invitation cards.

Our first goal was to get hold of an invitation card so as to have information on the various wedding function venues. We succeeded in getting an invitation card without much difficulty from a reliable source. I drew my strategy to discreetly observe the functions on a secret mission mode, for which I selected my team. I kept the main venue for myself. The objective was to identify the service providers and also identify the nature of the expenses without disturbing the ceremony, and without being seen. I visited the selected venue myself, along with my wife, duly dressed for the occasion. We mingled among the crowd and kept on taking notes. While doing my work, one guest identified me, and I made him believe that I was an invited guest like him, but from other side.

Once the marriage ceremonies were over and we had full information about the nature of the expenses and the identity of the service providers, an open enquiry began by conducting a survey action against the service providers. Documentary evidence of the expenses incurred was taken, along with statements from the service providers. We collected information on the number of rooms booked in luxury hotels for the guests, as well as the bills raised by five star hotels for various

artists, etc., were all paid in cash without the name of the party engaging them. The bill amounts charged by leading fashion designers were mind blowing. While analysing the video, we could quantify the jewellery on the person of the bride and close relatives. Equipped with all this information, we roughly made an estimate of the expenditure. Then the last step was to confront both the fathers of the bride and groom. I asked them to give details of expenses incurred from the engagement to the honeymoon, together with bills and source of payment. There was a huge discrepancy between the figure worked out by me and the figure worked out by them, and to a large extent they accepted our estimate and voluntarily paid taxes in several crores. We also subjected the five star hotels, caterers and service providers for an estimation of their unaccounted income collected from these clients. They also concurred and paid taxes on their unaccounted income. Our investigation got huge media attention and our objective was served -- to convey that the display of wealth through fat weddings is not good.

M There is a real cat-andmouse chase between the tax collector and the evader, as real innovative ways are adopted by tax evaders and the department also tries its best by action and legislation to nail them functions. The main catererâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bill for catering to guests at the race-course venue of Mumbai was obtained. Significantly, we noticed that in the hotel billings as well as the catererâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s billing, there was direct collusion to supress the actual expenditure. The caterer issued two sets of bills, as did the big hotels. They both issued bills for small amounts, for which payments were received by cheque from the organisers, while the main bills were in bogus names against which cash was received. The bills of the decorators, florists, transporters, make-up

any tax payers are ignorant of the provision u/s 133A(5) of the IT Act which provides jurisdiction to tax officials to make enquiry in respect of any function, ceremony or event, anytime after the function. The tax officer need not wait for filing of the income tax return. The enquiry conducted by me was under this section.

Recent trends indicate that big fat weddings are now arranged in foreign countries and guests are flown there for a paid holiday for three to seven days. People overlook that the Government of India has entered into exchange information agreements and information has started flowing in. Also, the Income Tax department has posted senior officers in important countries whose goal is to collect information. Tax payers are therefore advised to spend tax paid money and enjoy peace of mind.

(The writer is IRS (retd) and former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax)

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tadka

Cricket fanaticism If you needed any further proof that India was cricket crazy, consider the following statistic. Indians spent whopping 807,200,000 minutes on the ESPN during 2011 ICC world cup which adds upto 150 years.

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 55

Pearls of Wisdom

By Sri Sri Ravishankar

Beat Suicide It is the most foolish thing “Suicide is the most foolish thing a person can ever do. It is only through the body that you can dispel the agony and get rid of misery.

Instead you destroy the very instrument by which you can get rid of agony. This is why knowledge is so important. Mainly, we must realise that suicide is the worst thing!”

Q

Dear Gurudev, I have had thoughts of suicide many times in my life. What happens if one commits suicide?

A: Suicide is the most foolish thing a person can ever do.

It is like, someone is shivering in the cold and he goes out and removes all his clothes. What will you call him? Foolish!

You are already feeling cold in a heated auditorium, and you go out into the open and say, ’I am so cold’, and remove your jacket, your t-shirt, your inner garments and throw them all out. Will the cold become any less? No! People who commit suicide find themselves there because they are so attached to life. They are so attached to some pleasure, so attached to some joy, that they want to kill themselves. And when they kill themselves they find themselves in a bigger soup.

They feel, ‘Oh my God, this restlessness, these desires which had created such intense agony inside me has not gone. My body has gone but the agony has remained.

It is only through the body that you can dispel the agony and get rid of misery. Instead you destroy the very instrument by which you can get rid of agony. That is why this knowledge is so important.

If you do Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya and meditation, you will realise that you are not the body.

Dedicate Your Life For Some Higher Cause What is it that you are hankering for in life? Are you hankering for love?

Attention? Money? Pleasure? What is it that you are hankering? These hankerings are boiling desires and they are creating this foolish idea inside you to commit suicide. If you feel you want to commit suicide, I tell you, I need you. I need you to do my work, so you better stay back. Dedicate your life for a social cause; for some higher cause.

56 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

What is it that you are hankering? These hankerings are boiling desires and they are creating this foolish idea inside you to commit suicide. If you feel you want to commit suicide, I tell you, I need you. I need you to do my work, so you better stay back.

Dedicate your life for a social cause; for some higher cause.

When you think only about yourself, ‘What about me, what about me’, then this is what happens. Depression comes in. Forget about yourself.

Die for a cause but don’t kill yourself. It is worth dedicating your life for something higher.

The Human Body Is So Precious After so many different lives and different bodies you get a human body; a human birth. After being a worm, a frog, a scorpion, a chicken, a mouse somewhere in some hole, a cat jumping around here and there, a dog, a bird, etc., then you get a human life, after going through all those births.

So it is very precious!

Your Hankering for pleasure is the cause of Depression in you Wake up and see, all pleasures are momentary; how long will they stay? See that they are so momentary. Five to ten minutes of joy and then it is gone.

What is it that you are hankering about? Some people appreciating you? My dear, it has no meaning. People appreciate you in front of you, behind you they feel jealous about you. That is what happens. They praise you today,;tomorrow they criticise you. So what? Do you see what I am saying?

What is appreciation? It is just a few thoughts that are passing through the mind of someone. Do you think they are going to do it forever?

Some people have good comments and some people have bad comments, so what?

If someone criticises you, so what? Those who criticise you are also going to die, and you, the one being criticised is also going to die. One day all will be finished! So why are you so much bothered about somebody’s appreciation, or criticism? Why can’t you just be yourself?

You know, it takes such a big load off your head not being bothered by anybody’s criticism or adulations. You can just be yourself; natural. And if you live like this, so lightly, then where is the question of Depression? Do you see what I am saying?

If You Get Thoughts Of Committing Suicide Know that it is just your prana which is low, so do more pranayama There are millions of people who are suffering more than you, look at them. When your suffering becomes smaller you will never think of committing suicide Know that you are needed, you are useful. You have to do something in the world Forget about what people think of you People commit suicide because they think they have lost their prestige, their status. What status? What prestige? Who has time to think about your prestige? Everybody is entangled with their own problems, with their own mind. They can’t step out of their own mind, where do they have the time to think about you? These types of tendencies come because you think others are going to disrespect you. I tell you, it is worthless to worry about what the society thinks of you.

Mainly, we must realise that suicide is the worst thing. This is one of the major reasons that we should conduct as many Happiness Programs as possible. Do you see what I’m saying? When you start the breathing exercises, it all goes away! (courtesy:www.artofliving.org) October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 57

Bollywood Biz

luxury vanity vans

Gone are the days when celebs used make up rooms in shooting locations. Today, the ultimate statement of luxury has become the lush vanity van. Equipped with everything from big screen TVS to a kitchen sink, these Recreational Vehicles (RVs) are the epitome of fine living. As Bollywood stars spend most of their time shooting, these vehicles act as a home away from home, where they can rehearse, rest and even party while on the move. Corporate Citizen presents the swankiest vanity vans of the Bollywood Brigade. Neeraj Varty

Salman Khan `3 crore

Shahrukh Khan: `4 crore When he’s not basking in adulation or hard at work on his next projects, the Badshah of Bollywood seeks refuge in his new vanity van, customised by DC Design, a company by Dilip Chabria, India’s leading vehicle modifier. Called the Shah Rukh Khan Workspace

by DC Design, the base of the van is set by a Volvo B9R multi-axle bus. The exteriors, all 14 meters of it, are thoroughly re-skinned by DC Design. But it’s inside where the magic happens. The heavily customised, lavish interiors would put an Etihad business class cabin to shame. Divided into four partitions,

which include a meeting room, a bedroom, a toilet, a kitchenette, along with a make-up and changing room, the vanity van’s extravagant innards sprawl over 280 square feet.

Other amenities include on-board super-fast WiFi, air-conditioning, satellite TV with 3 screens, and a ground shattering 4000 watt Bose audio system. The whole vanity van took about 45 days to build, which is nothing short of spectacular given the amount of detail this portable palace has. And given the cinematic status of the King Khan, it is no surprise that his van is the largest one in Bollywood.

58 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

To live Salman Khan’s life is almost everyone’s dream. Salman’s luxurious lifestyle is the envy of many – and this opulence extends to his Vanity van as well. The expensive RV is equipped with each and every high-end gadget money can buy. Designed by Dilip Chabria, This luxurious van speaks volumes about the superstar’s taste and larger than life persona. The make-up section of the van also doubles up as

Salman’s study room. He reads scripts and rehearses in this part of the van.

The van comes equipped with a bed and all other features that the superstar would need when on the road. A unique feature about this van is that it automatically changes the lights according to his mood. Depending on the people in the van and the tone of voices, the lights change profiles from serene all the way to party mode.

The van has all the amenities you can possibly imagine from a luxury vehicle starting from a comfortable couch, a cozy bed, bright lights, TV, music system and shining wooden interiors with a beige-colour contrast. Paintings by the superstar have been hung at various places in the RV, adding a truly personal touch.

Hrithik Roshan `3 crore

In the quest for ultra-luxurious and futuristic vanity van, Hrithik Roshan is one step ahead. His brand new 12 meter vanity van is equally futuristic and spacious in terms of its design.

The van has a sporty look to it and adheres to the classic black-andwhite colour scheme. In fact, the wooden flooring is made from white cedar with accents of black marble.

The interiors of the van are elegantly

done up in wood and glass, which makes the van look futuristic, classy as well as spacious. Among many features, the vehicle comes equipped with a bed, shower and a toilet.

The bedroom also has a 52-inch LCD. As a first of its kind, it has four elaborately-carved divisions- office, bedroom, make-up room and a bathroom., Just like the other celeb vans, was designed by DC Design.

Alia Bhatt `90 lakh

Sanjay Dutt `3 crore Sanjay Dutt is one of the few stars who brought the concept of a vanity van to India. Dutt replaced his fouryear old DC vanity van with another one from DC Designs at and it took almost nine months to design.

Sanjay Dutt’s home on wheels is 12-metre long and is designed on a Volvo. The exterior of the bus has a dashing and aggressive look. Its interiors are modelled on the Air Force One, the official aircraft of the president of the United States of America. This suave RV boasts of a lounge area, hydraulic bar and

chairs, two TV screens measuring 42 & 52 inches, a detachable cum foldable computer with internet connectivity, two gaming and one entertainment console in the form of Playstation, X-Box and a Nintendo Wii. But what truly sets Sanju Baba’s van apart from other celebrity vans are its electronically-articulated functions that can be monitored through two palm-sized touch-screen applications. Complex lighting effects that help create five default moods are achieved through a mix of halogen and fluorescent lights.

The young actress who is crossing a new milestone with every other movie is surely a lively girl at heart.

Her vanity van is as cozy as it can get. Complete with floral as well as gypsy patterns, Alia’s RV is more uniquely individual than any other stars. It may not have many high tech gadgets, but this vehicle is no less appealing than that of the other celebs. Recently, Alia asked a designer to have it designed with personalised graffiti and lacy curtains. Cute paintings on the

wall, comfortable cushions thrown around, designer lamps and a perennial girlie vibe makes this van a true embodiment of the bubbly star. neeraj.varty@corporatecitizen.com

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tadka Young India India has the world’s largest youth population with 35.6 crore people in the age group of 10-24 years, China is second with 26.9 crore, followed by Indonesia in the third (6.7 crore) US fourth (6.5 crore)rore), Nigeria (5.7 crore), Brazil (5.1 crore), and Bangladesh (4.8 crore).

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 59

Mobile apps

New Apples of your eye

It’s that time of the year again, when the world waits with bated breath for the world’s most recognised Technology Company, Apple to release its latest iPhone. Corporate Citizen brings you the latest and the greatest from the house of Apple! By Neeraj Varty camera which has graced the iPhone for 4 years now) and a 5 MP front camera. The new camera can shoot 4K videos now, a feature which users have been asking for years. One of the coolest new features in the new iPhone is 3D touch technology. 3D touch recognises differences between a light tap and a hard tap, as well as a short and long press. For example, pressing lightly on an email thread, gives you a preview of the message, even without opening the app, and a video can be fast forwarded with a long tap and rewinded with a short one (You can set your own commands for which features you want different taps to activate) The iPhone 6s will launch in India in the coming weeks, with the base 16 GB variant priced at ₹55,000. It will come in Silver, Space grey, Champagne Gold and a brand new Rose Gold colour.

iPhone 6s Plus

The iPhone 6s

The iPhone has been Apple’s flagship product for nearly a decade now, and the iPhone 6s lives up to the expectation. It features the same exterior as the last generation iPhone 6, but it’s an entirely different story under the hood. The new iPhone has a new and improved A9 chipset making it 70 percent as fast as the previous generation iPhones. It also has a improved 12 MP rear camera (An upgrade from the 8MP

Last year, Apple jumped on the “phablet” bandwagon with the 5.5” iPhone 6 Plus. The iPhone 6s Plus keeps the 5.5” IPS display of 1080p resolution (400ppi density) of its predecessor, but adds 3D Touch technology underneath. While the design of the 6s Plus is still the same, it utilises an improved Aluminum 7000 series unibody shell making it stronger and lighter than the previous generation.

Like the iPhone 6s, the main camera now has a 12MP sensor and in addition comes with optical image stabilization.

There is a new second generation Touch ID (fingerprint) sensor, which halves the response time. The phablet comes in four colour variants just like the 6s. The iPhone 6s Plus is priced at $749, $849, $949 for the iPhone 6s Plus for 16, 64 and 128GB options. In India, the base price is expected to be around ₹60,000 at launch.

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The iPad Pro

iPad Pro is Apple’s latest iPad targeted at professionals, packing a big humongous 12.9” display with 2732 x 2048 pixels resolution. The new display is capable of variable refresh rate, which should improve the battery life. It also comes with a new accessory called Apple Pencil - an active stylus specifically designed for the iPad Pro. You can draw various diagrams and stuff on most of the system apps - they have been already updated to support it. The pro has a 8MP iSight camera, and under the hood is a powerful A9x chipset and 4GB RAM, making the iPad pro a true monster. The slate comes with a four speaker system, which support automatic balance depending on how you tilt the tablet. Although the new iPad is huge, it is thin at 6.9mm thickness.

Apple iPad Pro will become available in November in Silver, Space Gray and Gold. The available storage options are 32GB ($799) and 128GB ($949). The LTE model comes with 128GB only and costs $1079. The prices in India have not been announced yet, but they are expected to start from ₹55,000 for the base variant all the way to ₹68,000. neeraj.varty@corporatecitizen.com

Claps & Slaps

Corporate Citizen Claps for 20 final year law students from Mumbai, who have so far helped the Charity Commission to clear over 7,000 pending files

These final year students from three law schools in Mumbai -- Pravin Gandhi College of Law, Jitendra Chauhan College of Law and NMIMS School of Law are helping the Charitable Trust’s watchdog to clear what are called “uncontested change reports”. These are applications related to change in management, replacement and addition of names due to the death or exit of trustees, accounting for over 70 percent of the workload at the commissioner’s office.

These diligent youngsters scrutinise the documents submitted with the application and check whether anyone has contested the trust’s move. If not, they tell the judicial officers that the file can be disposed off. On an average, they clear 270-280 files per day.

The most striking fact is that these interns are not paid a stipend, as due to lack of funds, the Charity Commission is in no position to pay additional staff. All the students get is practical experience which will help them once they start actual trial work.

Vaibhavi Joshi and Jash Dalia, two law students working with the Commission, said that they are not doing this for money, but for the great learning experience they are provided, and also for a chance to do their bit for society.

Charity Commissioner SB Savale told dna, “Since Mumbai region has the highest pendency, it was picked up for the “pilot”. We plan to invite students from other colleges too, as Mumbai region still has a backlog of 15,000 such files.

We salute the learning spirit of these students and the dedication with which they are striving tirelessly for the Charity Commission.

They are an inspiration for the youth that if everyone just volunteered a few hours of their time towards helping government agencies, we can be that much closer to a non-beaurocratic and efficient system. We wish the students all the best for their professional careers, and hope that students from other streams too follow their example. Way to go guys! We wish them all the best for their professional careers.

Corporate Citizen Slaps counterfeiters who are releasing fake currency notes which have rampantly flooded the markets and are causing havoc to the Indian Rupee’s intrinsic value

In a nightmarish situation, Gujarat has topped the list of five Indian states that are considered the “safest” for circulating counterfeit currency, according to the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau(NCRB).

Police officers monitoring the circulation of fake notes suspect that the ISI is pushing such notes in India which have a greater resemblance to India’s high denomination ₹1000 and ₹500 notes. The officers said that they have been noticing for the past few months that differences between genuine and counterfeit notes were reducing and that the fake notes were almost indistinguishable from the originals.

Indian intelligence agencies are worried that despite some traditional smuggling routes of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) being neutralized, the flow has not slowed. Apart from the road and railway routes, smugglers are also using the air routes via Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates, as well as China and Holland.

The Indian rupee is at an all-time low, due to rising inflation and a healthy dollar. Unless officials find a way to end the menace of fake notes in the country, we are in for some tougher times ahead. We feel it’s high time the central government steps in and cracks down heavily on the counterfeiters before the issue goes out of hand, and it acts as a lesson to immoral smugglers that we do not take such things lightly.

At one time, the use of fake currency was rampant in the United States of America, but due to co-ordinated efforts from law enforcement authorities, counterfeit currency trade has been all but eliminated So what can citizens do to protect themselves against counterfeiters? If one gets a fake note, they should immediately approach the nearby police station and register an FIR against the person who gave them the note. Also, if a fake currency is withdrawn from any ATM, one should also file an FIR against that bank. The Reserve Bank of India penalises such banks if they are found guilty.

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 61

Health Family meals are a great time to talk to each other.

So, turn off the TV during meals.

Remove the TV in your eating area.

Families who eat together tend to eat more nutritious meals on a treadmill, or lift weights. Challenge the family to see who can do the most push-ups or jumping jacks during commercial breaks.

Reduce screen time and get active ‘Let’s Move’ campaign, is America’s national movement in raising a healthier generation of kids, pioneered by First Lady Michelle Obama. How to move away from TV addiction, which is a part of her national mission to have a healthier future generation, is pertinent for families in India too

P

arents should set rules that reduce “screen time” by limiting the amount of time children spend on the computer, watching TV and playing video games. The time spent in front of the screen could be better spent being more physically active.

Talk to Your Family Explain to children that it’s important to sit less and move more in order to stay healthy. Health experts suggest no more than two hours of computer or television time per day unless it’s related to work or homework. Children younger than two should be kept away from the TV entirely. Don’t use TV time as reward or punishment; practices

like this make TV seem even more important to children.

Set Screen Time Limits and a Good Example Create a house rule that limits screen time to one to two hours every day. More importantly, enforce the rule.

You need to be a good role model and limit your screen time to no more than two hours per day, too.

If your kids see you following your own rules, they’re more likely to do the same.

active time. First, log how much time your family spends in front of a screen, including things like watching TV and movies, playing video games and using the computer (outside of school or work).

Then, look at how much time the family spends doing physical activities, such as walking, doing active chores or playing sports together. If you see that your family logs more hours in front of the screen than being active, sit down together and set goals to increase your physical activity.

Log Screen Time vs.

Active Time To get a sense of what changes may need to be made in your household, track your family’s screen time and

Be Active During Screen Time When you spend time in front of the screen, do something active.

Stretch, practice yoga poses, walk

62 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

Understand TV Ads Seeing snack foods, candy, soda and fast food on television affects all of us-especially children. Help children understand that just because it’s on TV-or their favourite TV characters eat or drink it-doesn’t mean it’s good for you.

Create Screen-free Bedrooms Don’t put a TV or computer in your child’s bedroom. Kids who have TVs in their rooms tend to watch about 1.5 hours more of TV per day than those who don’t. In addition, having a TV in their bedroom can keep kids from spending time with the rest of the family.

Provide Alternatives Watching TV can become a habit, making it easy to forget what else is out there. Give children ideas and alternatives, like playing outside, picking up a new hobby or learning a sport.

Focus on Family Time During Meals Family meals are a great time to talk to each other. So, turn off the TV during meals. Better yet, if you have a TV in your eating area, remove it.

Research shows that families who eat together tend to eat more nutritious meals. Make eating together a priority and try to have family meals at least two to three times a week. Begin with breakfast–it’s a great way to start the day. (http://www.letsmove.gov)

Featherlite

Corporate Twitterati When Leander Paes and Martina Hingis claimed the mixed doubles title at the US open this year. Twitter went ga-ga congratulating the duo. Corporate Citizen presents the best tweets congratulating Paes for his 17th Grand Slam title win and 9th mixed-double win, making him the most successful male player in the modern era.

Leander Paes @Leander Grand Slam #17 for me .. Thank you @usopen for the amazing two weeks. I hope to be back next year!

Star Sports @StarSportsIndia Congratulations @Leander & @mhingis! The first mixed doubles pair to win 3 Grand Slams in a year since 1969!

Narendra Modi @narendramodi More good news from @USopen.

Congrats again @mhingis. @Leander your accomplishments are truly inspiring & they make us very proud.

President of IndiaVerified account @ RashtrapatiBhvn Well done @Leander @mhingis, hearty congratulations on winning the U.S Open mixed doubles #PresidentMukherjee Harbhajan Singh @harbhajan_singh Congratulation to my friend @Leander for winning the mix title at usopen2015. Proud of you. Jai hind Saina Nehwal @NSaina @Leander congratulations for winning the title at #usopen2015

Anushka Sharma @ Anushka Sharma Congratulations @Leander for winning your #usopen2015 title.Such an inspiration to so many young Indians!Bravo Devendra Fadnavis @ Dev-fadnavis !Congratulations @Leander for the victory!

Nation is proud of you!

Laugh Aloud A Business Man having no child, no money, no home, a blind mother, prays to God. God happy with his prayers, grants him only ONE wish!

Business Man : I want my mother to see my wife putting diamond bangles on my Child’s hands in our new home!

God : Damn !!! I still have a lot to learn from these Businessmen Lessons learnt from the above story:-Compile all requirements and present in one line rather than boring the appraiser for a long time.

When the office photo-copies began to look faint, the office manager called in a local repair service.

The friendly technician after inspecting the equipment, informed the manager that the machine was in need of a good cleaning.

The tech suggested that someone might try reading the operator’s manual and perform the job themselves, since it would cost $100 if he did the work.

Pleasantly surprised by his candour, the office manager asks, “Does your boss know you are discouraging business?”

“Actually, my boss demands we explain this to all our customers.

After people try first to fix things themselves, we end-up making much more money on repairs.”

Fresh out of business school, the young man answered a `wanted ad’ for an accountant job.

Now he was being interviewed by a very nervous man who ran a small business that he had started himself.

“I need someone with an accounting degree,” the small business owner said. “But mainly, I m looking for someone to do my worrying for me.”

“Excuse me?” the accountant said.

“I worry about a lot of things,” the business owner said. “But I don’t want to have to worry about money. Your job will be to take all the money worries off my back.”

“I see,” the accountant said. “And how much does the job pay?”

“I ll start you at eighty thousand.”

“Eighty thousand dollars!” the accountant exclaimed. “How can such a small business afford a sum like that?”

“That,” the business owner said, “is your first worry.’’

A shopkeeper was dismayed when a brand new small business much like his own opened up next door and erected a huge sign which read BEST DEALS. He was horrified when another small business competitor opened up on his right, and announced its arrival with an even larger sign, reading LOWEST PRICES. The shopkeeper panicked, until he got an idea.

He put the biggest sign of all over his own shop.

It read MAIN ENTRANCE.

Several weeks after a young man had been hired, he was called into the personnel director’s office.

“What is the meaning of this?” the director asked.

“When you applied for this job, you told us you had five years experience. Now we discovered this is the first job you’ve ever held.”

“Well,” the young man replied, “in your advertisement for the job, you said you wanted somebody with imagination.”

October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 63

astroturf Aries

Mar 21- April 20 You can exercise your potential to the fullest, as your career planet is moving ahead with full confidence. Let go off family and personal issues for the time being and focus on your career.

Pay attention to your career. If you are willing to travel, pick up jobs, which can take you far, and will stand you in good stead and benefit you. Finances remain good. Take care of your health.

www.dollymangat.com

Fortune favours the bold and the lucky

Your attitude is your altitude, says Dolly Mangat, our renowned Astrological Expert and believes she helps people create their own prophecies rather than live predictions

TAURUS

April 21 - May 20 This period is actually a `rags to riches kind of story’ personally as well as professionally you will experience prospects of plenty.

Everything is appealing and active. Finances are comfortable and you are bound to feel lucky and blessed. Take care of your health. Make sure you rest and relax during intermittent periods.

GEMINI

May 21 - June 21 This month you would experience good health. Take a holiday for yourself to rejuvenate your mind and body. In finances the month does look happy and prosperous. You could receive cash or money that was due to you unexpectedly. You will experience a stronger money power. So make the most of it.

CANCER

Jun 22 - July 23 You are going to be even wiser and practical. For those who are single, love opportunities occur at work place. Concerns of family become really important to you.

Your perceptions will change, you will be confident about the career opportunities. Do not neglect problems, over all don’t take any stress. Trust the cosmic energies are taking care of you.

LEO

July 24 - Aug 23 The money house is still powerful even though you have passed your yearly financial peak. You could expect money to come in various ways. You will win favour of the bosses’ parents. Now is the perfect time for you to pursue your intellectual interests both from the personal as well as professional point of view. Your sales, marketing, networking and your PR, are bound to be successful in all your endeavors.

VIRGO

Aug 24 - Sept 23 You will reap abundance from your investments hard work and also inheritance. You look feel project success and richness. You could be a prode of yourself and envy of those around you. Money seeks you out and financial opportunities present themselves.

Love relationships as you exude charisma, grace and charm.

Singles can expect romantic opportunities.

LIBRA

Sept 24 - Oct 22 Your money house initiating a yearly financial peak. It is a prosperous period, and perfect

64 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

time to enjoy all that you want. The opportunities are in abundance. Relay on your own sources for your individual happiness. It is fortunate time for you to start any ventures if you so have planned for them.

Health and energy remain good. Love will be idealistic, as you will be attracted to people with spiritual bent of mind.

Practicality cannot be expected in love at the moment for passions reign supreme. Love and social opportunities happen in spiritual seminars or art of living retreats.

SCORPIO

Oct 23 - Nov 22 You will experience and exercise independence as day by day your personal power grows.

Your goals are clearer, you know what has to be done. Criticise, keep it constructive. And if the beloved is not in a frame of mind give space and allow breathing time. Do not allow the mental approach to interfere with romantic moments. Love like gets peppy. Job opportunity can be grasped duing this period. Be patient with loved ones.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov 23 - Dec 22 Your career is full of beneficent planets. You will enjoy this hectic

pace of life. Children also give you the much-needed happiness.

Health needs attention, so should be a priority. Romantic opportunities happen, as you get involved in groups and group activities. You will hit some rough spots. be more patient with loved ones on those days.

CAPRICORN

Dec 23 - Jan 20 Many nice things are in the pipeline. There is much success, as you are still in your yearly peak of career. Enhance your career by weeding out inessentials. Do not get distracted by minute details.

There could be career related travel. This is a good period for students too as there are success in their educational ambitions.

AQUARIUS

Jan 21 - Feb19 Your overall health remains good.

This time is really fortunate as you gain mental clarity in your career. Pay rises and promotions could happen. Your social skills and ability to get on well with others enhances your career.

Aspects are favourable if you are interested in buying a new car or communication equipment like a computer or telephone.

PISCES

Feb 20 - Mar 20 You are beginning your yearly career push. You succeed by sheer merit and intelligence. A prosperous aspects regarding money. Health is delicate so take care and make sure you get enough rest. Enhance your health by paying attention to kidneys.

Detox regimes will be off great benefit to you.

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October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 65

the last word

In search of work life balance Ganesh Natarajan

C

hatting with a young reporter after a Press Conference, I was asked the inevitable question – with all the responsibilities of a Global CEO role combined with leadership of entities like NASSCOM Foundation, HBS Club of India and Social Venture Partners in Pune, what about work-life balance? My answer has always been that if you find something or many things you love to do and make that your vocation, you never feel the stress that causes many to hanker after work-life balance. In fact, at the risk of sounding too pretentious, I do believe that good work is something you should enjoy doing 24x7 and while you do it at the workplace during the week, you can continue to do it from home over the weekends.

This article being written on a Saturday morning with the gentle lilt of Baul music in the background is an example of being in a happy environment while you continue to do work.

Of course there are and must be different strokes for different folks. My American friend Eric in Los Angeles is happiest when he and his family of five are out in the ocean, snorkeling, scuba diving and participating in other water sport. For my British friend Tim, fun is downing multiple pints while watching his favourite team Manchester United trounce the opposition at the world’s favourite sport. And for many CEOs in India, eighteen holes of golf without any interruptions from home or office is what life is all about. Nothing wrong with that but as I keep telling young entrants to Zensar, when you wake up on a Monday morning, feeling gloomy at the thought of going to work, it’s time to look for a new job or even a new

A work ethic which enables her to respond to phone calls and e-mails on weekends and yet enjoy the company of family and friends as often as she needs to as she pursues her bucket list of countries to visit and movies to see is what makes Prameela different. way to spend the rest of your life.

The Zensar credo of the Five Fs ( Fast Focused Flexible Friendly and Fun) by which most members of our leadership team have worked together for over a decade is one way of ensuring that work is never a drudgery that needs to be balanced by frequent vacations or work-free weekends. Prameela Kalive, Executive Vice President and Head of our largest location, Pune is a role model for those who want to really enjoy their life at work. Starting her career in Zensar in 2001 after some years at the Defence Labs where her boss was none other than Dr Abdul Kalam, this young rocket scientist has had the career path which many only dream of. Starting as a team leader for the offshore work for our largest client, she was happy to leave

It is the imperative to put enough joy into every waking moment so that the process of living never has a dull moment and relationships become filled with a sense of shared purpose

66 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015

her three-year-old daughter in the care of her husband when she spent two years in the US and then came back to set up a new business integration group for the company. Two stints in human resource management followed interrupted by a stint as head of sales in India Middle East and Saudi Arabia and after recently leading an organisation transformation and excellence initiative, she has settled into her new role, garnering more than her share of promotions and plaudits on her meteorical career path.

What makes Prameela and many hundreds of Zensarians different is the ease at which she juggles business, domestic and academic lives – yes she is also doing her PhD at Pune University at this point. A work ethic which enables her to respond to phone calls and

Prameela Kalive (R) with Ganesh Natarajan

e-mails on weekends and yet enjoy the company of family and friends as often as she needs to as she pursues her bucket list of countries to visit and movies to see is what makes Prameela different. Has she compromised anything or anyone in this journey? I think I know her well enough to say “Certainly not!”

What also helps is the strong sense of bonding and fun that many of us share in Zensar. We are quite happy to interrupt a serious business meeting to poke fun at a colleague or laugh at a shared joke, lightening the atmosphere even in the middle of a frenetic workday.

What’s the moral of this story?

Well, quite simply it is the imperative to put enough joy into every waking moment so that the process of living never has a dull moment and relationships become filled with a sense of shared purpose. Today, as the city of Pune moves purposefully towards the a tryst with the destiny of becoming a “Smart City” many of us are working shoulder to shoulder with the Pune Municipal Corporation, the Mayor and Commissioner to brainstorm ideas and volunteer for projects that will get us there. We all believe that our vision will be achieved if every citizen of the city sees the benefits of this journey. Digital India and Smart Pune are both intended to serve an agenda of inclusiveness and the attainment of both is an important part of our being. More work it may seem to some, but for many of us this is the ultimate joy of balancing work and life – and we will continue on this journey!

Dr. Ganesh Natarajan is Vice Chairman & CEO of Zensar Technologies and Chairman of NASSCOM Foundation and the Pune Action Task Force

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October 1-15, 2015 / Corporate Citizen / 67

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Corporate Citizen, Krishna Homes Housing Society, Flat No 2 & 4, Bulk land No 4, Near Iskcon Mandir, Sector 29, Ravet, Akurdi, Pune 412101. Tel. (020) 69000673-7.

68 / Corporate Citizen / October 1-15, 2015