V 2, 6th issue all pages for website

Cradle of Leadership An exclusive with Dr R.G. Pardeshi, Principal, Fergusson College Volume 2, Issue No. 6 / Pages 68 / www.corporatecitizen.in

Dynamic Duo: 30 Shruti and Atul Shroff

Grassroots Dedication

May 16-31, 2016 / `50

Interview

Padmini Misra, SVP and Global Head - HR, Cox & Kings (India)

Expert Talk

Arun Firodia, Chairman, Kinetic Group on Smart City

LOVED AND MARRIED TOO

Smitila and Vishal Barnabas on love and commitment

CII - Western Region 2nd EdgeFarmHR Case Study Writing Competition 1st runner-up Primary category

2 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

CC - Rearview mirror to the corporate world We have had decades nothing has changed in the way business magazines bring out their content.

It’s time to shake up things and Corporate Citizen has rightly done that by looking at the other side (cool) of business. Thank you for publishing the series like Military to Management and Cradle of Leadership-they are extremely important masterpieces that clearly demonstrate qualities of leadership and management, coming out of years of experience. It is interesting to read how military strategies are so compatible to corporate management practices and able to perform in agreeable combination. I look at the magazine as a rearview mirror to the corporate world.

- D Shanmukhananda SK Jha’s Non-taxing Tax Desk is truly entertaining The Corporate Citizen magazine has an excellent mix of stories pertaining to Indian corporate scene, be it the Dynamic Duo, Military to Management, Collywood and other such ones.

But what I really appreciate is your column, Nontaxing Tax Desk by Mr S K Jha. It would indeed be in the interest of CC’s corporate readers to follow the message he wants to convey through the article—i.e. to observe the provisions under the I-T Law, for the sake of themselves and the country. The way this drab, dull and of course, dreadful topic is approached through amazing anecdotes about the ever-enterprising (and deceitful) businessmen is quite praiseworthy.

I hope to get to read more insightful articles similar to these.

- Mahesh P. Shinde An invaluable learning for students of management Corporate Citizen is a very good magazine, with interesting stories and interviews. Some of the sections like Dynamic Duo, Collywood and Corporate Life, give a complete overview of the Indian corporate scenario which is extremely useful to students, who will be soon entering the corporate world. The journey of successful corporates and young entrepreneurs, their struggles, success stories, motivates students and entrepreneurs who want to make it big in life. Great job by the editorial team.

- Archis S Relekar Business fortnightly that stands out through a different approach Corporate Citizen is definitely a business magazine with a difference. The narration and presentation style is very fluid and makes the articles interesting and easy to comprehend.

feedback What is cool and idyllic!

In your last issue (May 1-15, 2016)

column Wax Eloquent rightly articulated whether India’s progress towards reforms is in the right direction or not. The opinions from our country’s progressive thought leaders are perceptions that drive the country and are not divorced from reality. These are very strong opinions, which are worthy of headlines. The Pearls of Wisdom column is again a good summation and treasure trove that explores remarkable facts about how the realm of spirituality can be ardently rooted in our day-to-day life. In these days when we are spoiled by excess, readers very well know what is cool and idyllic. I am simply impressed with how you eke out stories of smart and charismatic people from the corporate world.

- Shailesh Gaikwad

One can almost sense the absence of jargon, which makes it appealing to the young readers. Simultaneously, the wide range of topics in every edition-from food to lifestyle to entrepreneurship-makes this magazine a vibrant collection of interesting stories. It’s like a zephyr in the monotonous world of business magazines. Congratulations to the entire team..!

- Santosh More Redefining the corporate media with innovative stories I have read many corporate magazines, but never ever come across one like Corporate Citizen which has redefined the corporate media.

The interviews from CEOs to the students (campus placement) are completely out of the box. They read well, edited crystal clean and most importantly in simple language.

The design is wonderful and the picture presentation is good.

Rightly said—the cool side of business.

Corporate citizen is that rare gem—the perfect blend of serious inspiring stories mixed with feel good content that educates, entertains as well as exhilarates all at the same time.

The best part is that stories are told in a simplified manner without using any kind of jargon.

All the best to Team Corporate Citizen! Keep up the great work! Way to go!

- Indulekha Ghosh Business magazine with a human element Business magazines are a dime a dozen, but Corporate Citizen has the one thing other business magazines lack-the human touch.

Going beyond annual reports and market valuations, Corporate Citizen introduces us to the people who breathe life into these institutions. It gives us an insight into their lives and the lessons learnt. Great job by the team…keep it up!

- Saurabh Sarkar Surveys that give an instant glimpse into biz trends I am a mathematician by profession, and therefore I like facts stated in accurate statistics and figures. That is why I look forward to the interesting surveys in every issue of Corporate Citizen. The surveys cover the most interesting topics, backed with accurate figures, and are peppered throughout with eye-catching graphs.

Keep up the good work!

- Prof. Rajesh Awasthi May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 3

Contents 32

Cover story

Dynamic Duo 30

Grassroots Dedication An in-depth interview with Shruti Shroff, Managing Trustee, Shroffs Foundation Trust, and Atul Shroff, Managing Director, Transpek Industry Ltd, who work hand in hand to change the lives of the tribals in and around the forests of Chhota Udepur near Vadodara

7

COLLYWOOD

Chatpata Chatter from the Corporate World

11

MANAGE MONEY

Dr Anil Lamba on Marginal costing principles and break-even analysis

12

WAX ELOQUENT

Who said what and why

14

expert talk

Padma Shri Arun Firodia, Chairman, Kinetic Group on Smart City 4 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

Volume 2 Issue No. 6 May 16-31, 2016 www.corporatecitizen.in

7 14 20

cradle of leadership

An exclusive with Dr R.G. Pardeshi, Principal, Fergusson College

26

20

interview

An in-depth interview with Padmini Misra, Senior Vice President and Global Head - HR, Cox & Kings (India)

30

loved and married too

Smitila and Vishal Barnabas on love and commitment

38

THE TAX MAN COMETH - 12

Why ‘Good Times’ is a Bad Story

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

40

26

62

CII CASE STUDY

CII - Western Region 2nd EdgeFarm - HR Case Study Writing Competition

50

Survey

An in-depth survey by the HRD Ministry on the top educational institutes and universities in the country

54

STAR CAMPUS PLACEMENT

Esha Dutta on her journey from college to corporate world

50

30 May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 5

58 Editor-In-Chief Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian Consulting Editor Vinita Deshmukh Assistant Editor Joe Williams Senior Business Writers Mahalakshmi Hariharan / Rajesh Rao

56

56

BOLLYWOOD BIZ

The ‘Short’ cut for film buffs PEARLS OF WISDOM

Pune Bureau Dinesh Kulkarni / Suchismita Pai / Kalyani Sardesai

Eternity of Bhagvad Gita

60

VP - Marketing & Sales M. Paul Anderson

HEALTH

Do doctors abide by the Hippocratic Oath?

MOBILE APPS

MIRACAST and the future of television

Writers Delhi Bureau Pradeep Mathur / Sharmila Chand Bengaluru Bureau Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar

58

62

Senior Sub-Editor Neeraj Varty

60

63

Claps and Slaps

Our brickbats and bouquets for the fortnight

66

THE LAST WORD

‘IT companies have to do a T20’

by Ganesh Natarajan, Founder of 5F World and Chairman of Global Talent Track, Pune City Connect and NASSCOM Foundation

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!

6 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

Manager Circulation Mansha Viradia +91 9765387072 North : Hemant Gupta +91 9582210930 South : Asaithambi G +91 9941555389 Circulation Officer Jaywant Patil +91 9923202560 Creative Direction Kiyan Gupta, The Purple Stroke Graphic Designer Shantanu Relekar On Cover Page Shruti and Atul Shroff Cover Story Pic Manish Chauhan Photographers Yusuf Khan, Ahmed Sheikh Website / Online Subscription www.corporatecitizen.in For Advertising, Marketing & Subscription queries Email: circulations@corporatecitizen.in (Corporate Citizen does not accept responsibility for returning unsolicited manuscripts and photographs. All unsolicited material should be accompanied by self-addressed envelopes and sufficient postage) Tel. (020) 69000677 / 69000672

collywood

People in the news Jack up the hill, pips Wang as Asia’s Richest Man

What happens when Modi Meets ‘Modi’?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has finally joined the ranks of prominent global figures in the world famous wax museum, Madame Tussauds. Besides London, his statues will also be installed in Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok. Dressed in Modi’s trademark cream-coloured churidar kurta and sleeveless jacket, the statue strikes a namaste pose. The wax figure reportedly took four months to create and cost £150,000 (₹1.5 crore) each.

We must agree that Modi’s statue looks quite life-like, compared to the other statues of Bollywood

stars and celebrities at the wax museum.

However, there are some striking differences between India’s Prime Minister and his wax statue. Can you spot the differences?

It’s not very difficult, but in case you haven’t, here they are: 1. The statue is slightly taller than Modi 2. Also, is it our imagination or does the statue have a little more hair than the Prime Minister?

3. And, the statue is in a shade lighter than our PM’s skin tone.

So, what did Modi think of

it?“What can I say? As far as art is concerned, the Madame Tussauds team is exceptional at what they do. What Lord Brahma does normally is what the artists there are doing. Today, I had an opportunity as the prime servant of my people to meet my wax figure,” Modi was quoted as saying at the Madame Tussauds release. Describing him as a “hugely important figure in world politics”, the museum had said the Indian Prime Minister had given the museum’s team of artists and experts a sitting at his residence in New Delhi earlier this year.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. chairman Jack Ma overtook Dalian Wanda Group Co.’s Wang Jianlin as Asia’s richest man after the e-commerce giant’s financial affiliate raised a record amount in its latest round of fundraising. Ma added $4.3 billion to his fortune on Tuesday after his Ant Financial latest deal, expanding his wealth to $33.3 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. That puts him ahead of Wang’s $32.7 billion and Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing’s $29.5 billion. Ma’s lead among Asia’s billionaires could be short lived as Wang reorganises his entertainment business and seeks to relocate his property unit’s listing in search of higher valuations in mainland China -- deals that could affect the property-to-entertainment mogul’s fortune. Alibaba’s billionaire chairman owns 6.3 percent of Alibaba and 37.9 percent of Ant Financial, whose full name is Zhejiang Ant Small & Micro Financial Services Group Co., after the fundraising. Ma is also said to be planning to take Ant Financial public in what could be China’s largest IPO since 2010.

May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 7

collywood

Bhaskar Das thumbs down transfer, quits Zee Media Bhaskar Das has quit following his transfer to another Essel Group entity, according to Zee Media Corporation, in a BSE filing. He resigned as Chief Executive Officer of the company with effect from April 20, 2016, it added. Das, who was president of media group Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd (BCCL), had joined Subhash Chandra-led Essel Group as chief executive officer (CEO) in 2012. He was given the responsibility of driving the group’s news business, including the digital properties. Zee Media Corporation is one of the largest news networks in the country with 10 news channels in six different languages, Mumbai edition of DNA newspaper and digital properties like zeenews.Com and dnaindia.Com.

Three Indians among highest-paid CEOs Three Indian origin persons have been named among the top 100 highest-paid CEOs worldwide, with PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi and LyondellBasell’s Bhavesh V Patel making it to the top ten list compiled by Equilar. Chemicals company LyondellBasell Industries’ top executive Patel was ranked sixth on the list with a total compensation of $24.5 million, while Nooyi, the chief executive of PepsiCo, was ranked eighth on the list with a total pay of $22.2 million. Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, was ranked 26th on the list of 100 highest-paid CEOs with a total compensation of $18.3 million.

The overall list was topped by Mark V Hurd and Safra A Catz of Oracle with both boasting a total compensation of $53.2 million. Others in the top 10 include Robert A Iger of Walt Disney ($43.5 million), David M Cote of Honeywell International ($33.1 million), General Electric’s Jeffrey R Immelt ($26.4 million), Randall L Stephenson of AT&T ($22.4 million), Rupert Mur doch of Twenty-First Century Fox ($22.2 million) and James P Gorman of Morgan Stanley ($22 million).

Malaysia Airlines CEO bids goodbye Airline executive Christoph Mueller has resigned from his position as CEO of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), less than a year after he was brought on in an effort to salvage the ailing carrier. Mueller cited changing personal circumstances in his decision to step down, the BBC reported. He will remain in the job until September. The German-born Mueller arrived at Malaysia Airlines last June after years of working in the airline industry in Europe, where he was credited with revitalising the Irish carrier Aer Lingus. Experts were

8 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

hoping he would deliver the same magic touch to Malaysia’s state carrier, which carried the burden of

substantial financial losses and two catastrophes — the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in March 2014, and the violent downing of Flight 17 just four months later. He effectively reinvented the airline as a much smaller regional carrier to compete with budget airlines like Air Asia. Earlier this year, MAS ended its service between Kuala Lumpur and Amsterdam — the route of the doomed Flight 17 — and is planning on selling off larger aircraft like the double-decker Airbus A380.

Amit Agarwal on Amazon’s A-team... oops! S-team Amazon has inducted Indian managing director Amit Agarwal into founder & CEO Jeff Bezos’s S-team, a set of senior (the S stands for senior) leaders who have a direct line to Bezos and play a crucial role in important decisions that the $107-billion e-commerce behemoth makes. In an email to select employees last week, Bezos said, “Please join me in welcoming Amit to S-team.

Amit and our India team are doing remarkable things. Amit and his experience in India will be a key resource for all of us on S-team as we work to figure out what it is to be a true global company,” he said. Confirming the development, Amazon India said, “Agarwal’s inclusion in Amazon’s S-team is a recognition of how excited the Amazon leadership is with our progress and how committed we are in delivering on our ambition to transform how India buys and sells.”Under Agarwal’s leadership, Amazon has captured

Centrum wants Bindra to wave magic wand, on Board a significant market share of India’s e-commerce market in less than three years of commencing operations. In December last year, Amazon issued advertisements in leading newspapers in India saying Amazon.in had become the most visited e-commerce site in India (the web, not mobile apps). The claim was backed with data from

ComScore that showed Amazon had seen 30 million unique visitors in October, ahead of rivals Flipkart (around 27 million), Jabong (around 21 million), and Snapdeal (around 18 million). The US online retail giant has also made significant strides on the mobile app, though it remains well behind Flipkart-Myntra on that platform.

Frank at BMW India’s steering wheel Frank Schloeder, currently director (marketing) at BMW India has been appointed as acting president of BMW Group India, according to the company. The outgoing president Philipp von Sahr will head BMW Niederlassung in Berlin, Germany. Schloeder completed International Studies in Business Administration from the University of Munster, Germany and Montpellier Business School, France. He began his career with BMW in France in 1997.

Schloederfaces tough competition from other luxury car makers, especially Mercedes which has

been growing at high double digits in the last few quarters. BMW has not disclosed India sales numbers for over a year. Philip von Sahr, president, BMW Group India, will be moving to Germany to head the BMW Niederlassung (translates

into branch) in Berlin. BMW India launched several updated models in 2015 in a bid to retain its market share. We expect the luxury brand to have quite a few updates for this year as well. BMW India started off 2016 by launching the new gen 7 Series flagship sedan at the Auto Expo early this year. Shortly after the launch, the 730Ld variant started rolling out of the company’s CKD plant in Chennai.

The main task for the new president would be to improve sales and regain lost ground in the intensely fought Indian luxury car segment.

Jaspal Bindra, former Asia Pacific chief executive at Standard Chartered Bank, joins the board of the financial services group Centrum Capital. K Sandeep Nayak, executive director and chief executive (broking), said the group was finalising a five year business plan. This would require growth capital. The span of activities Centrum group is active in includes investment banking – equity and debt, wealth management, institutional broking and foreign exchange. On the institutional business side, the group plans to expand its investment banking activity, said Nayak. Chandir Gidwani, founder and promoter, Centrum, said the group was operating in a highly dynamic and competitive business environment. Bindra’s strategy and execution track record is exactly what Centrum needs for growth in the future, he said.

May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 9

collywood Aniston ‘World’s Most Beautiful Woman’

Chandok takes charge as ICICI Bank’s ED

People magazine gave actress Jennifer Aniston the title of the ‘World’s Most Beautiful Woman’. She may be one of the most beautiful women in the world but actress Jennifer Aniston says she did not have much sense of style in her high school and looked like a goth nightmare. The 47-year-old actress credits her glam squad for teaching her everything. Over the years, the super fit star has transformed her style but she still keeps her makeup regimen simple. Aniston declared herself very, very flattered by the honour. She counts women like Gloria Steinem, Lauren Hutton and Brigitte Bardot as her beauty icons. It’s the second such cover for Aniston who also received the accolade in 2004. Last year’s winner was Sandra Bullock.Aniston attributes her famously toned body to spinyoga classes three times a week.

Rahul Johri, BCCI’s first CEO: Will he ‘Transform’?

Rahul Johri was appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He will be the first person to take over the post in the Indian cricket board. Johri may be an unknown name for the common man but the BCCI has surely done its homework before handing over such a big responsibility to one man. Johri worked with Discovery Networks Asia Pacific as Executive Vice-President. The last eight years of his tenure he served as the head of India and South Asia operations.

Under Johri, Discovery Networks grew to a 11 channel bouquet, including lifestyle, kids and

Hindi entertainment channels along with three high-definition channels. He will continue to work with Discovery as a senior advisor until the end of 2016.

Johri will be based at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai and will report directly to the Honorary

10 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

Secretary, Anurag Thakur. Johri’s appointment comes after the Justice R.M. Lodha Committee report, which suggested a complete overhaul of the BCCI including the creation of the post of CEO. The BCCI, however, had said the creation of the CEO and CFO posts was part of an initiative called ‘Project Transformation’ aimed at improving governance, and operational and financial processes. He will be responsible for the smooth functioning of operations, stakeholder management and building robust strategies for further promoting the sport. He takes up his new role from June 1, 2016.

K Ramkumar, executive director (ED), in charge of the Operations Group of the bank and President of ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth, has decided to take an early retirement, the bank stated.

Ramkumar is replaced by Vijay Chandok who has been appointed as ED. Chandok has been working with the bank for 23 years and has worked in different capacities in corporate banking, project finance, retail assets, and rural and inclusive banking groups.

Ramkumar, the former head of human resources at the lender was currently in charge of operations and president of the bank’s non profit ICICI Foundation. “Ramkumar has opted for early retirement to pursue his personal interests in the area of leadership consulting, research and training,” the bank said. Chandok joined ICICI in 1993, in different roles in the corporate banking, project finance, retail assets and rural and inclusive banking, the bank said. He is currently, in charge of SME (small and medium enterprises) and international banking at ICICI. Chandok is likely to be in charge of commercial banking, SME and international banking. He will be join Rajeev Sabharwal (in charge of retail banking), Vishakha Mulye and NS Kannan as fourth executive director on the bank’s board.

Compiled by Joe Williams joe78662@gmail.com

manage money Dr Anil Lamba

Marginal costing principles and break-even analysis Apply marginal costing principles to understand your business better, and to take financially intelligent decisions

C

ontinuing our discussion from the previous issue, where we had seen a table costing 200 (variable cost 100 and fixed cost 100) was sold for 150, and the company had still made a profit of 50. I had pointed out to you that this was so because the sale had nevertheless generated a positive contribution of 50 (which is calculated as Selling Price less Variable Cost). This company’s break-even point was on sale of 67 tables.

After the break-even point, where not only the variable cost but the lumpsum fixed cost has also been recovered, the only additional (marginal) cost incurred is the variable cost. And so long as the selling price exceeds the variable cost and leaves behind a positive contribution, one cannot go wrong. That led to the question whether this logic would work if the company had not reached the break-even point.

Let us assume that Rita is selling only 50 tables, well below the breakeven point of 67.

The financials would look like this.

Per Unit

50 Tables

250

Sales

100

Variable Cost

12,500 5,000

200

Fixed Cost

10,000

300

(-) Total Cost

15,000

50

= Profit/Loss

2,500

Since the break-even point has not yet been reached, the organisation is suffering losses. The cost per table at this stage works out to 300. Due to pressure from the competition, Rita is forced to sell at a price of 250. With each table sold, the organisation loses 50 and on selling 50 tables, it loses 2,500. In this situation, Neil, the salesperson, comes across a customer who shows great interest in buying a table from him, but has budgetary constraints and cannot afford a price beyond 150. Neil now has to decide whether to accept this offer or not.

Do you think he should do it?

Let’s see if conventional logic will give us an answer. On a sale of 50 tables, the organization has suffered losses of 2,500. This is because a table which is made at a cost of 300 is being sold at a price of 250. 50 tables are sold at a loss of 50 on each table. The next table, if sold for 150, will entail a loss of 150 (selling price 150 less cost 300). This means that the bottom line for 51 tables should reveal a loss of 2,650 (loss on 50 tables of 2,500 + loss on the 51st table of 150).

Let’s see if this is correct.

Per Unit 250

Sales

100

Variable Cost

200

50 Tables

51 Tables

12,500

12,650

5,000

5,100

Fixed Cost

10,000

10,000

300

(-) Total Cost

15,000

15,100

50

= Profit/Loss

2,500

2,450

Voilà! The loss has not increased to 2,650 but rather has reduced by 50 and is now 2,450! This also means that the organisation has actually made a profit of 50 on this order! Now how do we account for this?

When a table is sold at the rate of 250 the organisation loses 50 per table – but when they sell it for 150 they earn 50! How strange! There is actually a simple reason. I don’t recall telling you at any stage that contribution is called contribution after reaching the break-even point!

Contribution is contribution, period. Even though Neil appears to have sold the 51st table at well below the average cost of 300 per table, this sale has still generated a positive contribution of 50 (150-100). I have pointed out earlier in this chapter that if the organisation is making profits, for additional sales the profits will increase to the extent of contribution. If it is suffering losses, will reduce to the extent of contribution. Can any sales or marketing person afford not to understand this? Let’s take a step back and view this with a larger perspective. In the example we have discussed, imagine that the sales of the organisation was 125 million, costs were 150 million, and the organisation was losing 25 million.

There is a recession in the economy and a dearth of business. Every day the marketing chief or the CEO urges the sales team to go and find customers, failing which there is a possibility that the organisation will go under, as it may not be able to sustain losses for much longer.

The sales team goes out desperately looking for business. A customer walks up to the salesperson. She is very keen to buy the tables, but can only afford the rate of 150 each. What would be the typical reaction of this salesperson (invariably a so-called non-Finance executive!) to this offer? This salesperson would probably refuse the offer, being under the impression that even when the tables are being sold at 250 each, the organisation is on the verge of shutting down due to mounting losses.

The salesperson truly believes that if orders are accepted at 150, it would only serve to hasten the downfall. You do realise that this person has committed a crime against the organisation. Had the salespeople accepted the order, where earlier the organisation was losing 25 million, it would now be losing only 24.50 million. Had they gone around looking for more customers who would be willing to buy at the reduced price of 150, perhaps this organization would survive where others were closing down. One may, of course, point out that if they now start selling to every customer at the lower price, it will take that much longer to reach the break-even point. But did anyone explore the possibility that perhaps it may have been easier to reach the revised break-even point by selling more numbers at the lower selling price than it was to reach an earlier break-even at a higher price?

This must also be a part of their strategising. (to be continued) Dr Anil Lamba is a corporate trainer of international repute on finance management. His clients comprise several hundred-large and medium sized corporations across different countries of the world. He is the author of the bestselling book ‘Romancing the Balance Sheet’.

He can be contacted at anil@lamconschool.com May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 11

wax eloquent

Focus on boosting One-eyed king in the land of blind

“I think we have still to get to a place where we feel satisfied. We have this saying—‘In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.’

We are a little bit that way. We feel things are turning to the point where we could achieve what we believe is our medium-run growth potential.”

Raghuram Rajan, Governor, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Courtesy: www.thehindu.com

If you keep working, you stop thinking

“I don’t work, and I keep almost half the day free. If you keep working, you stop thinking. I have to think.”

PN Vasudevan, MD, Equitas Holdings Courtesy: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

Been a very good student of e-commerce business

“I have been a very good student of e-commerce business.

I have been watching it by doing it myself with Futurebazaar (.com) and by meeting a lot of people who have been in this business. I have met everybody in this business. I have experimented with exclusive tie-ups with particular e-tailers and have also worked with the father of multi-channel retail (Love Goel, chairman of global investment firm GVG Capital Group) to understand global trends.”

Kishore Biyani, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Future Group Courtesy: www.livemint.com

12 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

Idea of iterative productive culture

“Lot of people think the product is about technology but product is actually about trying to figure out what users want, launch something, iterate on it, look at what worked and what did not work and then keep iterating. So, the idea of launch and iterate is significant.”

Punit Soni, Entrepreneur and Former Product Strategy Head of Flipkart Courtesy: www.livemint.com

Technological Indian is a citizen of the world Among Indians who had graduated from MIT in engineering since 2000, more of them do return to India, but the vast majority stays in the United States, often taking positions either in Silicon Valley or on Wall Street. The technological Indian is a citizen of the world.”

Ross Bassett, American science historian Courtesy: http://www.thehindu.com

Seeing current times through…

“I see the current times through the analogy of a traffic signal, which has red, amber and green lights. So, 25 to 30 years ago we were stuck at a red light, where we were waiting at an intersection, but weren’t uneasy because there was no option to move forward. But when the light turns amber, before it turns green, impatience kicks in. What is happening currently is that there is an ‘amber tape’, which has replaced red tape because the whole regulatory mechanism has changed.”

Analjit Singh, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Max Group Courtesy: http://forbesindia.com

Long-run attractive characteristics

“In terms of a longer run outlook, we do think India’s capable of outperforming the rest of the emerging markets and that is because of the long-run attractive characteristics.”

Jonathan Garner, Chief Asia and Emerging Markets Equity Strategist, Morgan Stanley Courtesy: www.livemint.com

BCCI-still the market leader

“Don’t forget, that in world cricket the BCCI is still the market leader by a huge margin, and there are quite a few cards it can play if pushed too far. The recent example of a board official hinting that the IPL may move from 2017 onwards, is a good example of that.”

Desh Gaurav Sekhri, Sports lawyer, columnist and author

Courtesy: www.sportskeeda.com

growth

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

Like to make a movie in India

“I would primarily like to go to India and make a movie. I’d like to be there for a while. Some time ago I had a great idea, a great movie idea. It wasn’t mine, it was someone else’s. It wasn’t well thought-out, but it was such a great idea and I would really like to do something like that in India.”

Morgan Freeman, American actor Courtesy: http://www.business-standard.com

Importance of healthy and happy employees

Indian talent needs to be seen “For any industry, the domestic market is not the only source of revenue. That applies even to Bollywood—the international market is extremely important for us too. Similarly, for international industries, the global market is very important. Entertainment comes to you directly on your smartphone today—that’s the era we live in. And that makes international factors interesting. Personally, I think this is a great time for worlds to collide, and Indian talent needs to be seen.”

Priyanka Chopra, Padma Shri awardee and film actress Courtesy: www.deccanchronicle.com

“If your employees are healthy and happy then you have happy customers, if you have happy customers then you have happy investors and if you have happy investors then you have a good business. So employee engagement and employee well-being is very important. I think slowly Indian industry is also recognising the importance of healthy and happy employees to keep them engaged because if they are not engaged, your financial outcome is going to suffer.”

Dr Deepak Chopra, Co-Founder, JIYO & Chairman, Chopra Foundation, California Courtesy:Economic Times

ITeS-leading India’s transformation

“What makes me really proud of the ITeS industry is the number of jobs it has created. Now, millions of people in India earn more than ₹5 lakh per annumoften much higher than their parental incomes.

ITeS was perhaps the first industry to capitalise on economic liberalisation. Earlier, it used to be much tougher to travel abroad and repatriate funds.

Liberalisation changed all that.”

Subroto Bagchi, Founder and former Chairman, Mindtree Courtesy: www.livemint.com

Cow has gone into the ditch

In the corporate world, no matter what role you have taken up, you will always find that the ‘cow has gone into the ditch’ (meaning there will be some crisis to be tackled). To deal with this effectively, first you have to get the cow out, then figure out how it got into the ditch, and finally ensure it never gets into the ditch again. These three things need to be done in sequence.

P Elango, MD, Hindustan Oil Exploration Co. Ltd Courtesy: www.thehindu.com

Diesel is not a bad guy

“Diesel is not a bad guy, the only issue is emission. Once we introduce Euro VI emission norms, all issues will be solved. The purpose of diesel ban is introduction of better emission vehicle. With an early deadline, the introduction of CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) norms is kind of a gate for global standards in the Indian market.”

Akito Tachibana, Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor

We believe in a string of pearls “We have always believed in a string of pearls rather than big-bang acquisitions.

There is a myth that bigger the deal, bigger the return.

Usually the opposite is true: smaller deals actually do better than larger ones.”

VS Parthasarathy, Group CFO, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) Group Courtesy: Economic Times

India is a potential counterweight to China “From a strategic perspective, India is a potential counterweight to China’s growing regional influence in Asia. As the world’s third-largest economy, India has the potential to become a major economic player in East Asia, and is already playing a constructive role in maritime issues. It’s the third-largest economy in the world by purchasing power parity and is the largest democracy in the Asia region.”

Eliot Engel, US Congressman Courtesy: Business Standard

Courtesy: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

Compiled by Rajesh Rao rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 13

Expert Talk

Envisioning

Smart City

The government has announced its big vision to set up 100 smart cities across India, inspiring cities to get smarter and faster. Although it is a given that information technology will be the underpin that will hold such smart cities, what are their implications for citizens?

At a recent event, Padma Shri Arun Firodia, Chairman, Kinetic Group, extolled his Smart City blueprint: what a smart city can be, how it has to be managed within a geographical limit, how such a Smart City is feasible, practical and can be developed at zero cost-along with suggestions as to how we can stop cities from growing too big. Corporate Citizen brings to you a rundown on Firodia’s Smart City talk and his Smart City blueprint.

By Rajesh Rao

T

he natural progression is to grow from town to city. Cities like Tokyo, New York or Mumbai are very efficient, but they are too big.

When a city becomes very big, it becomes unmanageable. The question is what is the correct size of the city, which is neither small, so it is efficient-and not too big, so it is governable. A city like Mumbai or Pune has more than two municipal corporations and now there is a movement to increase the number of corporations to even more, because they are becoming ungovernable. My question is why allow a city to become that big? Why not restrict the size of the city to something that is manageable? The size of a city that is manageable, is of five-seven lakh population. Examples of cities which have five-seven lakh population are Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and these are cities recognised all over the world as model cities. A city which is manageable in its geographical boundaries, is the first thought.

Around five decades ago, the communist revolutionary and the founding father of the People’s Republic of China, Mao Tse-tung, had decided that they don’t want villages but only towns. So, all the villagers were told to move to towns. A village of 1000-2000 people, like we have in India, doesn’t exist anymore in China. They have towns, each with a population of around 20,000. They created a town out of 10 villages.

Now that town of 20,000 suddenly becomes

14 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

efficient, because it can now have a school, library, doctor, repair workshop, traders, etc. A village of 1,000 people had none of these facilities and villagers would commute to the nearest city or town for their smallest needs. So, Mao Tse-tung decided to make efficient towns and told farmers to stay in towns, but go to their villages (less than 10 kilometres away) on bicycle, do their work and return to the towns in the evening. Now this conversion of village to town has really transformed China and improved people’s lives.

The Smart City BlueprinT Industrial and residential areas

I have made a blueprint of a city which is 6 × 2 kilometres. The city has industries, which we need because we need employment. If all the industries are located in a specific band, you can have pollution control, effluent treatment and wellsuited logistics. These industries in my Smart City blueprint are linked to each other by efficiently managed logistic support. More important is the residential area next to the industry, so the workplace is at a walkable distance from people’s homes. You might wonder if that is feasiblein the Mumbai mill areas, people walked from their house to work in the mills. Which is why you would find sirens installed outside the mill and not inside, which was used to call the people to walk to their workplace. It was a nice and compact arrangement.

Zero pollution

One of the important things in a Smart City is zero pollution. Therefore, every industry must ensure that not only is water effluent treated and released, but even particulate emission or the air they are emitting out is treated and then sent out into the atmosphere. Every industry has to install an airborne monitor to continuously monitor the quality of the effluent or the exhaust and ensure industries treat their exhaust in a fashion that no harmful exhaust pollutes the city.

It may add one or two percent to the cost, but if it adds 100 percent to the health of the people, it is worth that cost. People should live next to the industry, but the industry should not pollute or emanate harmful pollutants. All emission should be monitored and ensured that it is within the prescribed norms.

Commercial and recreational facilities

In my Smart City blueprint, people not only live next to their workplace, they also live next to all amenities, and all commercial and recreational facilities. This way people spend just a few minutes commuting. In a city like Mumbai, people spend one to two hours commuting each way, while in a big city like Tokyo or Los Angeles people spend two-three hours commuting. But in our Smart City, people will spend just a few minutes walking to work or for amenities.

Now there are other amenities like hospitals

Pics: Ahmed Shaikh

and shopping centres, which you don’t need on a daily basis. So, they are located a bit away from the residential areas, but still at a walkable distance. In this city there is also a walkway, which is meant for people to walk, where vehicles are not allowed. And on the side of this walkway, there are little shopping stalls. In our cities we have these unauthorised small stalls, which serve a purpose-to meet our daily needs.

In our Smart City, these stalls will be authorised and given licensed space.

Electric-run vehicles for city transportation

On the central road that we have shown in our plan, there is track for an electric tram. Those who do not want to walk longer distances, can use the electric tram or use electric vehicles on the road meant for vehicular traffic. I strongly recommend electric vehicles for the Smart City,

like electric auto-rickshaws, electric scooters, electric mini-buses and buses. Electric vehicles are zero-polluting. What they require is overnight charging of batteries. There are batteries which can be charged in one hour, they are expensive but can be used if you want fast charging.

Though electric vehicles are preferred in the Smart City, it does not mean that non-electric vehicles are banned. We allow people to have fuel-run vehicles but for them parking on the city roads will be expensive. They will have multistorey parking facilities, where you have to pay per hour and you will not be allowed to park on the road-side. Only electric vehicles will be allowed to park on the roadside and they can also charge their vehicle batteries while they are parked. We have to induce people to use electric vehicles, public transport, bicycles or walk. We have to create the conditions so that people are induced to walk, use bicycles and electric vehicles

‘City NGO, Janwani has started a very novel concept called ‘Participatory Budgeting’ in Pune city.

In this Participatory Budgeting, we have told the commissioner that if your budget is a few thousand crores, allow around `50 lakh per ward, for which people of the ward can make suggestions’ May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 15

Expert Talk

‘Though electric vehicles are preferred in the Smart City, it does not mean that non-electric vehicles are banned. We can allow people to have fuel-run vehicles but for them parking on the city roads will be expensive. They will have multistorey parking facilities, where you have to pay per hour and you will not be allowed to park on the roadside’ by designing the city that way, and from day one, ensuring that these modes of transport are actually used by the people. The city has to be planned in such a fashion that public transport is encouraged, walking is encouraged, electric vehicles are encouraged and private transport is not banned but discouraged.

Recycling-reusing domestic effluent

Domestic effluent that pollutes the river water can be treated and reused. Each of the city houses use about 100-120 litres of water a day, which can be brought down to as less as 2530 litres a day by recycling and reusing the water. First, you get clean drinkable water for drinking, cooking or bathing. The water which goes down the drain should be collected and recycled, to be used for toilets, which again goes down another drain and recycled to be reused for gardens, or farms or car wash. Effluent water can be recycled for garden use and need not go to the rivers. In the same way, the city decides not to dump effluent or garbage into neighbouring villages or rivers, but it is treated and reused.

Farm-fresh food at low cost

Our Smart City is bordered by farms that produce vegetables or grass for cattle feed and also has poultry farming so we can get fresh vegetables, milk or eggs from within two kilometres. The farmer is allowed to directly 16 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

sell his produce to the consumers. The city provides him with water for his farm, and access to the city market to hawk his produce, while the advantage to city dwellers is that they can get the produce at half the price, in the absence of middlemen. In the Smart City, we try to avoid the multiple agencies of middlemen, transportation and spillage, by inducing the farmer to sell directly to the consumer. As the transit distance is less, there will be no spillage and transportation, and the produce will come at low cost to the consumers. In cities today, the middle class spends 50 percent of their income on food; if that is available at half the price, then you save 25 percent of your income. So, in the Smart City, people can live at less cost and enjoy a better standard of living.

Bona fide residents

Education at affordable cost

Till now, I talked about self-sufficient multiple wards, with school, industry, hospital, playground and everything. As the population increases, you add additional wards, and restrict it when the population reaches a maximum of five-six lakh. Each self-sufficient ward is one of the key ingredients of the Smart City. The ward officer will have the power to spend the funds for that ward. Citizens of the ward with a population of 20,000, will be able to give their suggestions to the ward officer, on how to spend the money on their suggested projects. If every ward has its own budget for road repair, cleanliness, garbage collection, education, etc., and citizens will be

Urban dwellers’ main cost of living comprise of food, transportation and children’s education.

A Smart City should offer land to schools and even construct the school building free of cost, so people can just come and set up their schools and impart quality education to children. Quality education means that it should be at the standard of International Baccalaureate (IB) with teacherstudent ratio of 1/20. With land and school building provided free of cost, all that the schools have to spend on would be teachers’ salaries.

This way quality education will be available at affordable cost.

Our Smart City plan shows that there is a boundary around the city with only two entrances. These entrances will have security, which will allow entrance to only authorised people within the city. Housing will be provided to the people as per their liking and affordability, but they should have a work permit. If they have a work permit in the industry or any commercial establishment, they can come and stay in the city.

They can avail all the amenities within the city, provided they are bona fide residents of the city.

Those who are working in the city are the bona fide residents of the city. And as the city becomes bigger, more people should be encouraged to come in.

Self-sufficient wards

ready to pay for those services; I am sure every citizen will willingly pay more taxes if they are sure the usage of their money is to their satisfaction.

Citizens’ involvement in ward development

In a large country like India, we think we are helpless and can’t influence the decisions made by the government in Delhi. The same is the case at the state and city level-we are not able to influence decisions taken by state government or city mayor or commissioner. This is because the city is too big to a hear a citizen’s voice. But, in your local ward, you can make your voice heard. You can go to your corporator and make your voice heard. The corporator will look into your complaints or suggestions and influence the ward officer, to improve things you want.

So, in the Smart City, every ward will be selfsufficient, every ward officer will have the power to spend money, jointly with the people’s elected representatives, and people will take part and interest, ensuring that the money they give as tax money is wisely used.

suggestion as to how to spend that 50 lakh rupees on the development of their ward. All this is put up on the website where people can file suggestions online, which, then goes to the ward officer in the corporation. People can also monitor online, the progress on their suggestion. This way people become involved in the corporation affairs.

In the guidelines for the Smart City issued by the government, one of them is participatory budgeting. This way we can involve citizens by bringing in decentralization and e-governance.

seven rupees per unit, which is about the same charged by the electricity board. Now, the Maharashtra government has allowed net-metering, where you generate electricity through solar generators and feed into the government grid. You will get paid for what you feed into the grid, and you pay for what you draw. At the end of the year, it will be calculated whether you have fed more or drawn more electricity, and charged as per that. So every citizen or industry or commercial place

Citizens willing to pay higher taxes

Today, we are paying property taxes which are really miniscule-a few thousand rupees a year.

We should be willing to spend much more. But people are reluctant because they think it will be misused. If you are able to influence the way your money is used, you will be willing to pay more taxes. For example, the city of Surat in Gujarat was afflicted by the plague sometime back. The commissioner there then decided to clean up the city. Today Surat has become khoobsurat.

Today people in Surat are willing to pay more taxes, because they saw that the commissioner made a difference in their lives. Today Surat has become a very liveable city. So, if you make a difference in the lives of the people, they are willing to pay higher taxes, provided they have the right to decide how to spend their money.

In the Smart City, there will be possibility and feasibility of how their taxes should be spent. For this purpose, e-governance is required, because 20,000 people cannot make their voices heard, except through e-governance. The Smart City should have everything controlled electronically.

All your suggestions, requirements, applications, plebiscites, referendum-everything should be controlled by e-governance.

Participatory budgeting

City NGO, Janwani has started a very novel concept called ‘Participatory Budgeting’ in Pune city. In this Participatory Budgeting, we have told the commissioner that if your budget is a few thousand crores, allow around 50 lakh rupees per ward, for which people of the ward can make suggestions. So, every citizen can make a

‘If the land is free, a Smart City can be developed with 2,000 crore rupees, and the cost to the government will be nothing. All that the government has to do is prepare and approve the plan, issue guidelines, and provide water, electricity and fuel on a chargeable basis’ Electricity for the Smart City

Electricity can be generated through solar energy. In an area of 6 × 2 square kilometre, a lot of electricity can be generated by using solar roof-tops which will not only meet the needs of the residents, farmers, and transport, but also provide electricity to the industry.

This way one-third of industry requirement can be provided through rooftop solar power generation. Today solar power generation is not expensive -it comes to around six-

can generate solar power on their rooftops and feed the grid during the day and consume it during the night.

Water management for the Smart City

Water will come from rainwater harvesting.

In our Smart City, we will also ensure there is no water loss from evaporation, by covering the water surface with plastic balls, and by not making wide but deep wells. The well is an Indian invention. The advantage of the well is that for a given surface area, it has maximum storage capacity, so evaporation loss is minimised. The well gets its water from the nearby river and the water gets filtered on the way to the well. A better option than the well is a bore-well. So, if you want to store rainwater, dig wells and bore-wells. In a 6 × 2 square kilometre area you can store enough water through rainwater harvesting to meet your entire need, provided from day one you have dug enough wells or bore-wells.

The groundwater is stored in this way, then pumped out using solar power and used for your need, then it is recycled and finally used on the farmland. This way a Smart City will ensure no demand on water, no demand on electricity, no demand on the drainage system.

It will be a self-contained Smart City.

May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 17

Expert Talk

Q&A Session

How does a Smart City finance itself?

A Smart City will come at zero cost to the government. Say, the government approves a Smart City plan like the one we have prepared and invites developers to build the Smart City.

The government won’t bear any cost, but if the farmer’s land is procured for the city, he will have to be given alternate land around the city and also given a livelihood. If the developer agrees to giving farmers guaranteed water supply and a market, they will be happy. If I take farmers’ land for the Smart City and give them land outside the Smart City with free water supply and free access to the market to sell their goods, farmers will not be unhappy to give away their land.

If the land is virtually free, water can be rainharvested, and electricity can be generated, then expenses will be limited to constructing houses, solar rooftops, transport infrastructure. But all this can be charged. If somebody wants to live in these houses, you can charge rent. If somebody wants to use your transport infrastructure, you can charge a fee on the user. If the land is coming free, the developer will agree to invest, say, ₹2,000 crore on development and recover the same over a 10 year period. Banks also should be willing to give money to developers. The plan will be prepared by the authorities, subject to guidelines. If the land is free, a Smart City can be developed with 2,000 crore rupees, and the cost to the government will be nothing. All that the government has to do is prepare and approve the plan, issue guidelines, and provide water, electricity and fuel on a chargeable basis.

Where can we build the Smart Cities?

We can’t make Mumbai or Pune into a Smart City at zero cost to government. To convert these cities into Smart Cities will require huge investment.

But that does not mean that Mumbai and Pune cannot become Smart, they should become Smart, but people should be willing to pay for it. But a greenfield or new Smart City, in the suburb of Mumbai or Pune, can be set up, with each having a population of five-seven lakh. So that future migrators from villages need not come to Mumbai or Pune, they can come to Smart Cities and live a happy life.

What role should the government play in building a Smart City?

18 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

The government should identify locations around the metro cities that can house a population of fiveseven lakh and invite people to submit their plans.

Then the developers can go all over the world and induce industries to set up factories there, induce the farmers to part with their land and develop nice Smart Cities. Such entrepreneurs exist, and people are willing to come and invest in India. If the government gives a go-ahead and approves the location of greenfield Smart Cities around metro cities, I am sure this dream will come in to reality. And if there are 500 such Smart Cities and in every district there is one such Smart City, 25 crore population will move to Smart Cities (500 × 5,00,000 = 25 crore). Some districts can have more than one Smart City. For a city like Pune, there can be three to four Smart Cities.

How do we develop smart cities as antarbharateeya cities?

People are waiting to leave their villages and come to cities. The question will arise whether we want villagers without skills to come into these cities. No, we want villagers with skills.

So, all these industries will have to run their industrial training institutes, where the people who come to the cities can be trained to be able to

work in those industries. Let us have our villagers coming to Smart Cities, we will train them, we will use them in our industries, provide them employment, and good working and living environment. Going one step forward, we should ensure that people from all over the country come and live there. India’s real strength is that it is multi-cultural. So, in the Smart City, we should ensure that not only do local people migrate, but people from all over the country are encouraged to come there with their skills, knowledge and culture. So, each Smart City should become a mini India. I want to call these smart cities as antarbharatiya cities. With such smart cities, all the dreams of Swachh Bharat, Samarth Bharat, Sakshar Bharat, Shashakt Bharat will be realised.

These dreams cannot be realised in villages, they cannot be realised in mega cities, they cannot be realised by starting industries here and therethey can be realised only in Smart Cities.

What are the plans for physically challenged people in the Smart City?

Physically challenged people can move using electric vehicles. Now electric vehicles are available which can take voice commands and

that will again give rise to tension. Similarly, if people whose land you are taking are not given a place, it will again be an issue. So, there has to be a good mix of local and outside people.

Outside people should come with special skills, managerial or technical skills and the local people should be trained to become workers. Right in the beginning we have to plan the city to be selfsustaining. It does not matter if India is illiterate.

Our soldiers who are tenth-grade pass operate the Bofors gun and they can do that because they have been trained. Your formal education needs to be supplemented by skill-training.

Continuous training and energising people is required. Smart people have to be self-sustaining.

even neck commands. Technology makes all this possible. Designing the city suitable for physically challenged people is possible. In old cities, physically challenged people are at a big disadvantage, but in a Smart City, design principles can accommodate the needs of physically challenged people.

In a democratic country like India, everyone is free to go anywhere, free to hold property anywhere, free to work anywhere. In Smart Cities how can you restrict people, saying only authorised people can get permit to enter the city? How would you sustain a Smart City?

People’s entry will be controlled, that does not mean that only local people will be allowed inside.

We would like people from all over the country to come into the Smart City. Countries like the US have prospered because they allow people from all over the world to come and live there.

Mumbai city prospered because people from all over India came and lived there. Parochialism has no place in a Smart City. We have to get people who will contribute to the city. You cannot say that local people will not be given a place, because

‘First our mentality has to change, that we want to make our city pollution free for our children. Citizens have to make that sacrifice and not insist on private vehicles but prefer public transport. There is definitely a need for educating the people and for some sacrifice on their part, like, I will walk a little bit, I will not clog the roads, I will use public transport…that kind of awareness and change of mentality is also required’ How do we convince people to switch to electric vehicles, when the majority of them are using vehicles running on fuel?

In Delhi, there are electric-run public vehicles which cost ₹1 lakh and charge passengers five rupees, whereas in Pune there are petrol-run auto-rickshaws costing ₹5 lakh and charging passengers over ₹25. Electric vehicles are cheaper because one unit of energy costs six rupees and a petrol vehicle which has five horsepower fuel engine, consumes two litres of petrol in one hour. One litre of petrol costs 60 rupees. Electric vehicles are cheaper to run and manufacture also. Electric vehicles are cheaper because you make them deliberately lighter.

Electric vehicles are the way to go, as they have

low running and purchase cost.

Generally, industrial areas are located on the outskirts of the cities. But in your Smart City plan, we have education institutes, hospitals and industries within one kilometre radius of the city. Will this be safe for people and to keep pollution level down?

At one time, industries did cause pollution and there was a regulation that industrial areas should be distinct from residential areas. For example, in the industrial area of Pimpri Chinchwad they realised that people used to live in Pune city and commute to Pimpri-Chinchwad, on a daily basis.

Hundreds of company buses would clog the roads during the peak hours. However, now you hardly see any company buses coming from Pune to Pimpri -Chinchwad, because the government understood the folly and they allowed residential areas in certain pockets in Pimpri Chinchwad.

Now the government has gone a step further and has decided that residential areas will be allowed within MIDC areas. Again, they are coming back to the idea that you live near your place of work.

Pollution is a problem but you don’t allow industry to pollute. First, make sure that they will not pollute, make sure that their exhaust is monitored and not allowed to exceed the norms. That is the way to go rather than saying let industries pollute, but we will keep people away.

Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) in India is looking for Smart City opportunities in the country. Hitachi has done major work in developing the Smart Cities across Japan. Can we expect Hitachi to do the same thing in India also?

You will find that the entire Japan is a smart country. With 90 percent Japan being hilly, they have still managed to make pollution free smart cities. In Tokyo, private cars are not allowed, only taxis or public transport are allowed. Japan is smart because-and Hitachi can do their job because-people know the importance of good health and zero pollution; they are willing to commute by subways and taxis and not by private cars. Here in India, our people are not willing to commute by public transport and prefer only private vehicles. Here Hitachi or any other company may fail in their attempt.

So, first our mentality has to change, that we want to make our city pollution-free for our children. Citizens have to make that sacrifice and not insist on private vehicles but prefer public transport. There is definitely a need for educating the people and for some sacrifice on is also required. So, Hitachi can succeed if we change our mentality. rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 19

Cradle of Leadership Dr R G Pardeshi

Principal of Fergusson College, Pune

Fount of

Inspiration

Fergusson College has a history as rich and storied as the history of Independent India. Established in 1885 on the then outskirts of the Pune city, Fergusson College (FC) is the first privately governed college in India. While it is named after Scottish-born Bombay Province Governor Sir James Fergusson, the institutes's roots are wholeheartedly Indian. So much so, that even Mahatma Gandhi showered praise on the institution in a personal message to the then Principal Dr Mahajani. From its connection to the Indian independence movement to its role in shaping up the lives of some of the most accomplished alumni in every possible field, FC has always lived up to its remarkable tradition of excellence. The greatest quality about FC, however, is not its stellar legacy, but its ability to adapt to the present and pioneer educational innovations to stay ahead of the curve. Corporate Citizen meets Principal Dr Ravindrasinh Pardeshi to understand the glorious past, the spectacular present and his future plans for the institute. We also try to find out what is it about the college that inspires the best political minds, evidenced by the fact that it has produced not one, but two Prime Ministers for the country!

By Neeraj Varty FC has been founded in 1885 and it was the first privately-governed college in India‌

Yes, our founders were Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak and even before that, Vishnushastri Chiplunkar, who was selected for government service (at that time the British service). However, instead of opting for it, he preferred to be a teacher and that is how with his idea, Lokmanya Tilak, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, Vishnushastri Chiplunkar, and Mahadev Ballal Namjoshi founded New English School on Tilak Road in 1880. After that they wanted to start a college too, so they sought an approval from the Governor of Bombay Province, Sir James Fergusson. The prime purpose behind their effort was to give nationalistic education to the locals as part of the renaissance movement after the Great Uprising of 1857. Before founding the college, a trust was formed. As such, on October 24, 1884, the Deccan Education Society was formed and at that time, Sir James Fergusson became the first patron of the society by donating a handsome sum. Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj of 20 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

Kolhapur also agreed to the request to be the first President of the Deccan Education Society who as a reformist had already started Rajaram College in Kolhapur in 1880.

What was the motivation of teaching the Indian natives English at that time?

One of the founders, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar was of the opinion that once our people are educated, we will have a reformed, civilised society and only then can we gain independence from the British rule. Lokmanya Tilak, on the contrary, was of the opinion that independence should be sought first and social reforms later. Both studied at Deccan College and later formed the Society and Fergusson College. As they differed in their opinions, they later separated. Although these two opposite thoughts existed, there was no friction or conflict of ideology in the college education because though they differ greatly, the very basis of these two schools of thought was to provide nationalistic education to the youth of this

In FC, we give freedom to think and that is essential for developing independent thought.

Students too come up with so many ideas the year-round. Students are given freedom to express their views and articulate, which leads to overall personality development from all angles

Pics: Ahmed Shaikh

May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 21

Cradle of Leadership country. And this has been the guiding principle for the college all these long years.

A great number of national leaders studied here.

Could you throw light on the role Fergusson College played in nurturing the nationalist feeling during the struggle for independence?

Fergusson College was founded with an aim to provide nationalistic education to the youth of this country. Lokmanya Tilak, one of the founders was at the forefront of the struggle for the freedom movement. So the nationalistic spirit was very much prevalent in the college. Between 1902 and 1905, Swatantryaveer Savarkar was a student of Fergusson College, staying in its hostel. Later on Acharya Kripalani was also a student of this college. So the atmosphere was full of patriotic fervour. The college authorities, too, would keep on instilling these values into the students, a tradition that continues even today.

This college has the rare distinction of producing not one but two prime ministers of India, PV Narasimha Rao and VP Singh. Do you know any anecdotes about them as students?

I know only about VP Singh who did BSc Physics here. He being a prince, used to be called ‘Raja Saab’ and used to come to the college in a horsedrawn buggy! Narasimha Rao did his BSc in Mathematics but I personally don’t know any anecdotes about him as a student.

What is it about the college that gave birth to such great leaders, ever since it started and does so even now?

In FC, we give freedom to think and that is

essential for developing independent thought.

The students too come up with so many ideas the year-round. We have many activities, be it cultural, sports, dramatics, debates, etc. Chittatosh and Shivakumar are two recent Fergusson students who have bagged prizes in the recent Loksatta competition for bloggers to critique and comment on a particular issue discussed in a select editorial.

In this way, the students are given freedom to express their views and articulate, which leads to overall personality development from all angles.

It looks like Fergusson College has a great tradition of excellent faculty who indeed helped in shaping many a young mind….

Yes, for English, we had G. P. Pradhan, the revered professor and socialist leader, affectionately called as Pradhan Master, Prof. K. V. Kelkar for Geology, and for Mathematics we had Wranglers like Prof.

Mahajani, etc. So this kind of tradition is here where students come with their ideas and they are mentored and given the right direction and that’s how they get shaped.

Also, you get the best students as your cutoff percentage is always ninety-plus. So what makes your college so sought-after?

I would attribute this to a few things. FC is a much-preferred college by the toppers. Secondly, the college is known for excellence, we offer the Department of Biotechnology’s (DBT) STAR College Scheme, and the Department of Science and Technology’s (DST) Fund For improvement of Science & Technology (DST FIST) scheme, etc.

This way, students get many avenues for research even at an undergraduate level and get mentored

by excellent faculty. This attracts them to our college. At our Astro Club, the students have been organising activities pertaining to astronomy all the yearroundfor the last ten years, including the national seminar and the national conference on their own. Of course, the teachers are there to help them as and when required. There was a NASA hunt for asteroids and four or five of the students, Ziad Modak, Radha, Neha, and Kshitija, discovered three asteroids from the main gate of the college. They are now named after Fergusson College Pune as FCP Pune 09, 014 and 64, in September 2015. Hamsa Padmanabhan is another student who discovered an asteroid four years back and a minor planet was named ‘Hamsa’ after her, by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after her presentation at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in 2006. She is now doing research in the U.S. Around 42 past students, ex-members of Astro Club, are working as professionals in astrophysics all over the world.

We also apply for schemes introduced by DST (Department of Science and Technology) and the Ministry of Science. These are for funding for research, development of infrastructure and running some programmes as well. The University Grants Commission grants status to select institutes that qualify for ‘colleges with potential for excellence’ (CPE). Since the time we got accredited, we have crossed the 3.5 mark of the UGC, we are now eligible for the status of ‘College with Excellence’. Since a couple of years, we have been trying to get an autonomy status for the college, and we are under process for the same.

Why do you want to go for autonomy and what

Swatantryaveer Savarkar, Acharya Kripalani, to name a few, were students of this college. So the atmosphere was full of patriotic fervour Picture of the main college building at the turn of the 20th century

The renovated heritage auditorium packed to the hilt

22 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

A recent pic of the main building

some Notable Alumni are its advantages?

As per our records, on January 27, 1885, Fergusson College was officially affiliated to Bombay University. Pune University was founded in 1948.

The University Grants Commission (UGC), which was founded in 1956, earlier had an idea that there shouldn’t be more than 50 colleges under a university in order to effectively administer or work on a syllabus, etc. Today with such a huge number of colleges affiliated to any university, and with the burgeoning burden of managing such mammoth operations including conducting exams, it is increasingly felt that the syllabus is not challenging enough or getting updated or is relevant enough to keep up with the changing times. With autonomy, it will help us prepare the syllabus more appropriately, keeping in mind local employability, industry needs and career-specific requirements, even for languages. For example, German language courses were introduced in our college in 1914. Today we offer courses in six languages and the German and French language departmentshave cultural programmes with German and French universities. Another gripe is that the University has one pattern of examination.

Autonomy will give the college the freedom to balance the two options available on this front, rather than the standard yardstick of being judged in one examination.

But won’t education at an autonomous college mean paying exorbitant fees, as per popular perception?

Right from its beginning, the aim of FC has been to provide nationalistic education to the masses.

Therefore even now it has kept a reasonable fee structure and after getting the autonomous status, we will ensure the college fees are reasonable so as to make it affordable to all sections of the society.

Under DBT there is a STAR College Scheme, under which some of the Science departments are given special funding, especially to run programmes which would attract students and strengthen undergraduate teaching in Science.

Lately, for the last five-six years, we have been successful in getting funding under many such schemes. There are so many overseas universities interacting and collaborating with us and they say our syllabus is very good.

Since its beginning, Fergusson College is acclaimed for its arts and science courses, and now also for environmental science. What, according to you, makes these courses so sought after? What is your USP, since similar courses are offered by your competitors as well?

As I said, we don’t only stick to the syllabus, we go beyond it. Like I explained earlier, through DBT STAR, DST, UGC, etc., we are able to get experts from different fields, different national laboratories or even at times, overseas experts interacting with our students. So that’s definitely giving them an edge over others. Environmental Science is very

PV Narasimha Rao

Former Prime Minister of India

the Kaprekar Constant and the Kaprekar Number

Vishwanath Pratap Singh

Dattatreya Gopal Karve

Former Prime Minister of India

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar

Indian independence activist, icon of the Hindu Nationalism ideology

Dr Burgula Ramakrishna Rao Former Chief Minister of the erstwhile Hyderabad State; activist in the freedom of Hyderabad from Nizam’s rule

Economist, first Principal of Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce, Pune

Jivatram Bhagwandas Kriplani Indian independence activist, senior Congress leader, founder of the Praja Socialist Party

Kranti Kanade

Former Chief Minister of Gujarat

National Award-winning film director and screenwriter (Gandhi of the Month, Mahek, Chaitra)

Balasaheb Thorat

Kiran Nagarkar

Babubhai J Patel

Member, Maharshtra legislative assembly and current Minister of Revenue and Khar Lands, Government of Maharashtra

Bhalchandra Nemade

Playwright, novelist

Mohommed Ali Shah

Theatre personality, actor and social activist

Marathi writer of books such as Kosala, Bidhar, Jhool, Jarila, Hool, Hindu - Jagnyachi Samruddha Adgal, winner of the 2014 Jnanpith Award

Nandini Nimbkar

Pandit Chandrakant Sardeshmukh

N H Antia

Sitar player, first Master Fellow of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (India)

D R Kaprekar

President, Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute; Member, Senate and Academic Council, Shivaji University

sought after, but it is just one of many. Computer Science, Electronic Science, Biotechnology, Microbiology — these are departments started in the last 25 years, which are also doing extremely well. Even psychology and humanities, for that matter, are doing good research and are considered one of the best, as are the English and Economics courses.

What is the student strength and the faculty strength of the college, and are you happy with the quality of the staff?

I definitely am. However, change is constant in nature. We cannot have the same kind of professors we did fifty years or hundred years ago. With changing times, students have become smarter; they are e-savvy, tech-savvy and that is how they are updating themselves. At the same time, teachers have become research

Damodar Dharmananda Kosambi

Marxist historian, Indologist, mathematician, statistician and former head of the Dept of Mathematics at FC

Pooja Batra

Model, Miss India 1993; actress

Prahlad Kakkar Ad film-maker

Pralhad Keshav Atre

Playwright, editor, orator

Vasant Kanetkar Playwright, Padma Shri awardee

Wrangler RP Paranjpe

First Indian to become Senior Wrangler at Cambridge University, former Principal of Feregusson College

Ram Ganesh Gadkari Playwright

Dr Shreeram Lagoo Smita Patil

Actress, two-time National Award winner for Best Actress

Playwright, actor, icon of modern Marathi literature

Mathematician, discovered

Professor and current Director of IISc Bangalore

Stage and film actor

Plastic surgeon and Padma Shri awardee

P L Deshpande

Padmanabhan Balaram

Sonali Kulkarni

Actress, columnist and writer and development-oriented with their projects, etc., and are thus keeping up with the changing times. So we too accept and adapt to it. The best part is that the quality of teaching is not limited to our internal staff. When it comes to liaisons with overseas universities, we have a tie-up with Penn State University, one of the top universities in the U.S. Students doing their BSc in computer science or electronic science or mathematics and physics, after their BSc degree — which they get from Savitribai Phule Pune University — can get directly admitted into the third year of B.E., which is called B.S. (Bachelor in Science) of engineering in Penn State. We also have tie-ups with Glasgow Caledonian University a Scottish University, where we run the clinical research programme and microbiology. We are also trying for a blended BSc programme with Melbourne University. Like I said, we are interacting with French and German May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 23

Cradle of Leadership universities, Copenhagen University of Denmark, as well as Arizona State University, US. To answer your question in numbers, there are about 6,000 under-graduateand post-graduate students, the junior college has about 2,500 students. So more than 8,000 students are studying at Fergusson College. The teaching staff is about 300-plus and the supporting staff is 200-plus.

In today’s age, is getting quality teaching staff much harder?

The process is full of government norms and regulations which change often and there is delay in the process due to all this. However, as far as Fergusson College is concerned, an advertisement in the newspapers gets a good response.

Do you think the role of a teacher has changed with technology? And how do you describe the most ideal faculty or teacher?

The role of the teacher keeps evolving. As we say, this is an age of information and technology. So the student comes with an idea before the lecture starts, unlike earlier, when students would get information only after a lecture was delivered.

Therefore the teacher has to be one step ahead of the students and that’s the real challenge.

So does the teacher have to do much more than just teaching and giving knowledge and mentoring and inspiring? With so many changes on the social front, does a teacher have to fill that gap as well?

Certainly. No doubt it’s a challenge, but as far as we are concerned, we get along very well with students. Teachers mentor them well and that is how that tradition is still on. Today, along with the information, other things are also being taken care of.

The college is named after the then Governor of Bombay, Scotsman Sir James Fergusson. Does the college have any Scottish connection today?

Although the college is named after Sir James Fergusson, it was only because he helped the founders to form the society, and was also the Governor of Bombay and he donated a sum of ₹1,200 then. All our founders are Indian, and all our Principals since inception have been Indian.

We are an Indian college, heart and soul.

Fergusson College has been declared a heritage structure. What are the challenges in the maintenance and upkeep of such a storied institution?

It is a privilege to work in an institute which has been declared a heritage structure. The main college building was completed in 1895. The amphitheatre was built in 1912, and the library was built in 1929. These have been declared as heritage structures. Apart from these, there are many pre-independence-built structures on the

24 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

We are seeing a renaissance of Pure Sciences, after years of floundering. There are more and more students interested in taking admission in these fields.

In Fergusson, fields like Astro-Physics and Psychology are seeing tremendous interest.

Today, there is saturation in engineering and other streams premises, which also require a lot of maintenance.

The college Trust is very diligent in maintaining these structures, as they are not just invaluable to us; they are a treasure to the nation. In 2012, on the eve of the centenary of the construction of the amphitheatre, it was renovated and made state-of-the-art, while maintaining its century-old aura. The college is situated on 66 acres of land, which takes a lot of work to maintain. However, our alumni and many prominent people have donated over the years to the Trust, which helps us ensure that no stone is left unturned in the upkeep of the college.

Fergusson alumni are spread all over the world, in many areas such as entertainment, science, politics and sports. Could you tell us about some notable alumni?

Absolutely. The list is long. Our alumni not only include former prime ministers and freedom fighters, we have a great number of accomplished alumni in every possible field. Ranjan Mathai, the former Foreign Secretary of India, was from FC. Gautam Bambawale, the High Commissioner to Pakistan, Pravin Dixit, the Director General of Police (DGP) Maharashtra, former DGP Ajit Parasnis, and Air Marshal Bhushan Gokhale are notable alumni in the government. Legends in Literature like Ram Ganesh Gadkari, PK Atre, PL Deshpande studied here. Dr Shriram Lagoo, Sonali Kulkarni, Radhika Apte are well known in the entertainment field. In sports, Rohan More, who completed the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming tournament, Deepika Joseph, who won the gold in kabaddi at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, visually challenged and differently-abled Amol Karche led India to victory

Dr R G Pardeshi in the renovated FC amphitheatre

in the Cricket World Cup for the Blind 2014.

Suyash Jadhav has qualified for the paraplegic games at the Olympics in Rio. Nazleen Madraswala (nee Namrata Shah) represented Indian women's hockey at the Olympics. There were seven students who represented India at the Asian games – Sneha Rajguru, Deepika Joseph, Neha Pardeshi and others. In international badminton, we have Rashmi Teltumbde and Anuradha, in basketball, Shruti Menon and Shirin Limaye. Also, extreme sports person Shital Mahajan, who holds five world records and 14 national records in extreme sports. In the scientific and education fields, we have Dr Vijay Kelkar, Dr Bhalchandra Nemade, and Dr Sanjeev Dhurandar who conducted scientific research in the field of gravitation, Dr Vivek Sharma, former Director of the Indian Institute of Sciences, Wrangler Paranjpe, Wrangler Mahajani, Principal Dabholkar, and Professor Ram Takwale who were the vice chancellors of Pune University, Rajan Harshe, who was the Vice Chancellor of Allahabad University.

Due to the centralised process of admission and your high cutoff percentage, a lot of academically talented students procure admission here. Due to high concentration of studious applicants, do you feel that your output in sports has declined compared to the past, where Fergusson had excelled in sports?

Nowadays, students prefer to have their own groups in sports, and they often practice a lot at their sports clubs. That is why some of the sporting facilities in the college aren’t being used as much.

Students are still excelling in sports, but they don’t necessarily practise in the college premises. A notable exception is our lawn tennis courts, which

got an offer for a temporary teaching position for two years at Fergusson. I loved the work so much that I decided this would be my career.

Do you think interest in Pure Sciences is dying?

Interestingly, we are seeing a renaissance of Pure Sciences, after years of floundering. There are more and more students interested in taking admission in these fields. In Fergusson, fields like Astro-Physics and Psychology are seeing tremendous interest.

Today, there is saturation in engineering and other streams. Pure Science students, on the other hand, are getting many job offers, especially in the government. Research labs are also on the lookout for these students, and of course, they are always welcome in the teaching field.

You have been the Principal at Fergusson since 2009. What initiatives or changes have you overseen?

are used very frequently by students.

profession.

Over the years of your association with Fergusson College, what has been the change in the attitudes, personalities and mindset of the students?

My father worked in the Central Excise Department. When I completed my 12th (HSC) in Solapur, he was transferred to Kolhapur. I was trying to get admission to the engineering stream in Walchand College, Sangli as there were no private colleges at that time. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get through in the first cut-off of the merit list. While I was waiting for the second merit list to come out, I decided to take admission in Gokhale College, which was near my house.

There I had to select four subjects. I took Geology as one of the subjects as I didn’t like Biology. I didn’t immediately take a shine to Geology, but later it grew on me. My Geology teacher was pursuing his Ph.D at that time, and he took me with him on study excursions. I took a liking to nature during these visits. At the same time, I got admission to a polytechnic college with a specialization in mining. My father was initially against the idea, as he knew mining was a tough job with a lot of outdoor work in extreme climate.

However, since I had taken a liking to Geology, mining felt like a natural progression for me and I joined. Even in college, I loved explaining things to my classmates and friends, and I would be the go-to person in case they needed any clarification. This is where my passion for teaching surfaced. Later I took admission for MSc in University of Pune, after which I got offers in different geological organisations.

However, I got a scholarship at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. I was there for five years, during which time I went to the Himalayan region over a couple of months as that was my specialisation region. It was then that I

With time, there are changes in society that reflect in the students. Students today are well aware of their rights. They are extremely open and ask questions if they have any doubts. They are more vocal about their views and opinions.

What do you think about student political unions being a part of college culture, and do you thank the Maharashtra government for banning them in 1992?

We should respect the fact that there needs to be some election to elect representatives of the students. However, the election process should be performance-oriented. In the past, based on academics, sports, or extracurricular, the toppers in their respective fields would be elected and then there would be an election amongst these toppers to select their final candidate. Such an election process ensures the best representatives are selected and they truly have the betterment of the students in mind.

The institute publishes an e-magazine called 'ferzine'. Do you believe in editorial censorship in the college magazine or the media in general?

Generally, we do give freedom to the students to decide the content. It is a form of freedom of expression, which should not be squashed. I believe the media should not be censored.

Tell us about your experiences in the teaching

To promote teaching activities, I have been able to approach and secure funds from many government organisations. To promote skill-based streams, we have managed to get sanction from the UGC in 2013 to start a Bachelor in Vocation Courses. Under that, we have begun offering BSc in Media and Communication and Digital Art and Animation courses.

What is the percentage of locals and students outside the state?

The Maharashtra government has said that only 10 percent of the seats should be filled by students from outside the state. Again, there are international students. More than 400 students from 36 different countries have taken admission in our college.

How are the placement statistics?

At present, our Computer Science department has almost 100 percent placement. Our Biotechnology and Microbiology departments also get good placements. The placement for our other courses like BA is also on the rise.

What are some of the notable awards won by the college?

We have won the Best College award from Pune University. We also won the ‘College with potential’ award, ‘Heritage status’ award and several more over the years.

What is your philosophy of life?

I am a geologist, so I believe in living on Earth (laughs). I also believe in ‘Geo’ and Jeene Do. Pun intended.

What is your advice to youngsters?

There is no alternative to hard work in life. Be honest and sincere in your work and you can achieve anything you want. neeraj.varty@corporatecitizen.in May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 25

interview

Circling the Service Circuit Experiential holidays is the new trend, and New Age travellers are opting for holidays for adventure, hobbies and education... Let’s meet Padmini Misra, Senior Vice President and Global Head - HR, Cox & Kings (India), who has had a fulfilling journey from the hospitality industry to ITeS to retail to travel trade

By Chaitraly Deshmukh

P

admini Misra’s journey of growth has been a remarkable one, having begun as a frontline service provider to becoming senior vice president in different companies for the past 12 years.

Born in the UK, brought up in a small town in West Bengal, she has spent most of her life in New Delhi. She is a student of Delhi Public School and graduate from IHMCT & AN, New Delhi. She has more than three decades of experience in the service industry, having led Business Operations, Projects, Learning & Development and HR in Hospitality, ITeS, Retail and Travel Trade.

Corporate Citizen spoke to Padmini Misra on her journey from a frontline hospitality service staff to Senior Vice President and Global HeadHR, Cox & Kings (India) Limited.

Tell us about your journey.

I was in the hotel business for 17 years and that’s

26 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

where I moved from operations to learning and development. It’s a choice that I made because transferring knowledge has always been close to my heart. After the Taj, I have been with three service industries namely ITeS, Retail and Travel Trade. I was in the first team when GE started its BPO business as GECIS and then in Spectramind which later got acquired by Wipro.

In the eight years that I spent in this space, I had the experience of setting up every aspect of HR right from scratch and I learnt a lot. I then joined Aditya Birla Group in their new venture of Super Markets and Hyper Markets. For the last six-anda-half years I have been in Cox & Kings Group and handle HR and Admin for the Group.

It has been a long journey. How did you manage the different career paths?

It’s been within the service industry, so the industry stayed the same. What changed were the service lines or product offerings. The continuum is that these are all service companies, where it’s more about B to C, not B to B, whether it was hotel rooms and food and hospitality, or knowledge processing, or vegetables, sugar, butter, dairy and groceries and now, holidays!

How varied has your life been from the time you were in the hotel business?

I can’t think of another better life than this one.

In the hotel world, it was out on the stage. In a restaurant, a customer could be a celebrity or a politician, an Amitabh Bachchan or Indira Gandhi, or it could be someone like you or me. But, whoever they are, for me they are my customers. Whereas actually as my career progressed, I went behind the scenes from being in the front. But I don’t think that really matters because there’s always a customer. It could be an external customer, or in HR and Learning and Development it’s an internal customer. The customer is always a customer, you’re a service provider. Today as HR or Admin I’m providing service to the internal customer, to the staff and employees of the organisation and I’m not actually interacting with external customers who are commercially paying for the service. But it’s the same.

What is more satisfying, serving external customers or internal?

Well, external is more satisfying because you get an instant feedback, it is either appreciation or complaint. It’s instant gratification. With internal, it’s taken for granted because you are anyway supposed to do it so we don’t have to come and thank you that you did this, because you’re paid to do it. Then in the case of an external customer the feedback is more instant, it’s moment to moment. With internal, you

don’t get so much feedback. You may get more criticism internally but appreciation is hard to get.

Could you tell us about a turning point in your life?

My CEO at GE left and started his own venture and I joined it. I don’t think my risks were as high as his. But the experience was incredible because I have always worked with the best of organisations, MNCs and eminent companies like the Tata Group, the Birla Group or Cox & Kings which is also a globally listed company.

This one time in these 33 years of my career I took a risk leaving a very sound, established organisation and joined a start-up called Spectramind under the leadership of my CEO, whose ability and leadership was extremely high. In turn he trusted my capabilities and together as a team we were able to create a wonderful company. However, typically, it’s not expected that one would leave a GE job.

So in hindsight it was a risk, but it was worth the satisfaction. It was somewhere around the middle of my career, so you can say it was a mid-life experience.

You’ve been an embodiment of a superwoman, playing so many roles throughout your career. Which role do you think was better?

No, I don’t think anyone would agree that he or she is a superwoman or a superman. Those are comic-book ideas for little children. But I would give equal weightage to the individual who makes it for himself or herself, and to the organisation because the organisation gives you the ability to do things that maybe in a smaller set-up you would not be able to.

Women’s sensitisation has increased over the years. Earlier, being a woman-head you must have faced issues. Now how do you look at it?

Did you face any problems?

I personally haven’t faced any gender issues and I have even worked night shifts. Seven years of my career I only did night shifts. However, gender challenges are a reality and the world over, whether at home or in the workplace or society, there is still a very big gap in terms of gender diversity. A lot is happening today and it’s good that people are looking at it, and some people are strongly voicing the need to bring in more diversity sensitisation, but the fact of the matter is it’s not gone away. It’s just that it may change in its sophistication and change in the way it is exhibited. But, it very much continues to be in the system so we can’t deny it. In C & K we take special care to ensure that there is no differentiation between genders.

‘The industry stayed the same.

What changed were the service lines or product offerings. The continuum is that these are all service companies, where it’s more about B to C, not B to B, whether it was hotel rooms and food and hospitality, or knowledge processing, or vegetables, sugar, butter, dairy and groceries and now holidays!’

Do you make sure that women are May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 27

interview treated well in your company? What measures have you taken for this?

Yes, of course. Luckily for me, the owner-promoter is a woman herself. When the owner is a woman you can imagine the company will be far more sensitive to women. But, even if that were not so, in the other companies that I have worked in, I have been fortunate enough to be in an environment where we have certainly ensured that we take care of our women colleagues. In C & K, we provide flexible timing opportunity if there is requirement, we provide extended maternity support if there is need, and in any other way without jeopardising the overall performance and productivity of the company. If we can make allowances for our women colleagues we certainly would do so.

What do you think should be the relation between an employer and employee?

It has to be a professional relationship. When either party starts fudging the line, it creates that amount of emotional strife. There’s always maturity in remembering which side of the court you’re playing on, instead of confusing it because ultimately one or the other will be a victim of that confusion.

How is your company coping up with the widespread and fast digitisation?

Fantastically, because we’re a very pro-technology company and our director herself is very keen on technology. Cox and Kings is probably one of the front runners in using and developing technology in the travel world. For us, it will be more about travel technology to help us provide more efficient services. So there’s a difference between an e-com company and a retail company.

Cox & Kings is both. Traditionally Cox and Kings is a retail company which means that you have stores, you have staff, and you have sales—direct interaction. Our main business is retail. We have 11 of our own branches across India, and we have 150 franchise outlets. You can come to any of the franchise outlets or to our retail counters and buy our products, holidays or travel. But we also have an e-com company, called EzeeGo1.com. It is a complete travel portal. We have a mix of both and we’re very smartly and efficiently using technology to bring in a big advantage. Even for support functions, we’re using technology. If a consumer wants to buy a product directly, he will go to our e-com portal. If the consumer wants to come and have an interaction with the staff, talk, discuss, he can do that too.

Your company, like every other, does regular market surveys. Any recent findings from those surveys that you could share?

One of the things—and I won’t say it’s recent or it’s a discovery I’ve made—but generally speaking, 28 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

‘I don’t think anyone would agree that he or she is a superwoman or a superman. Those are comic-book ideas for little children. But I would give equal weightage to the individual who makes it for himself or herself, and to the organisation because the organisation gives you the ability to do things that maybe in a smaller setup you would not be able to’

one of the things that is happening is, people are moving from pure luxury and decadent holidays to adventurous and experiential holidays. Earlier if you thought of a holiday you would think of going and only staying in luxury, doing nothing, just sleeping around. Nowadays people are looking at adventure holidays. They go trekking, they go rafting, and they go mountain climbing. They do a lot of activity. It’s not like I’ll go there and hang around and sleep and eat. It’s more of experiential

holidays, where I experience, and I do things myself, I cook my own food, I go for a mountain trek, that is more than just a normal holiday.

Which destination do you feel is trending right now with regard to experiential holidays?

Well, it’s not only about adventure, but even otherwise, every year or two, I would say, there’s a destination popularity movement. For example,

How do you unwind after a long day at work?

Cooking is a very big stress buster for me and the other is my spiritual practice. I actively practice Nichiren Diashonin’s Buddhism and am a member of the Soka Gakkai organisation. I personally think it’s important to have a balance in terms of your physical, mental and spiritual pursuits. For the physical side I invest an hour and a half every morning in some form of activity like yoga and strength training.

It’s All About Attitude

M

isra recently visited a reputed management college in Pune and in sharing her experience with the students she re-emphasised that it’s all about having the correct attitude.

“Your attitude determines your success.

More than almost any other factor, your perspective on the current situation affects your ability to get work done. If you wish to be successful, make sure you build on your positive attitude. The more positive your attitude, the more you can get done.”

To substantiate her belief she shared that in the formative days of her career she handled every task given to her right from serving tables, making beds, etc, with the same pride and enthusiasm as the jobs that need to be done by her today. There is no job that is high or low, big or small, since every experience only teaches us one new thing and it’s with all our experiences that we become that much more capable and richer. She emphasised, “Attitude for me has four key areas: Authenticity, Integrity, Quality & Team work.”

She shared that working in leadership positions for global corporations in the service industry had given her opportunities to work closely with industry leaders and participate in strategic decisions with substantial revenue impact.

The majority of her engagements in the last 33 years have been with start-ups - either by way of establishing a new function or a company. She has led projects in both hotels and IT/ITeS in India, Romania, Singapore, Germany and USA. She said, “This experience has expanded my appreciation of the diverse nuances of business beyond the boundaries of HR. My inherent quest to

in 2014-15, there was a lot of movement towards Eastern Europe, so Uzbekistan, Africa, Turkey.

Egypt, because of their political problems went down, but otherwise Egypt was very hot in 201213. But, 2014-15 has been much more of Eastern Europe and the usual, USA, Far-East and the Middle-East would anyway continue. In the last four-five years the trend towards Africa has also grown, the safaris, Kenya wildlife parks. So if I look at the last five to seven years, it’s been more towards Eastern Europe and Africa.

Tell us about your company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity.

CSR, is very important and Cox and Kings is very keenly involved in CSR. The dominant area in which we work is, he support that in a big way and NGOs which are working with PETA.

gain business knowledge and convert it into high end customer experience through suitable training and development platforms has enabled me to manage operations whenever required, especially in the Food & Beverage domain in both Hotels and Retail and ITeS. As a strategic adviser to business, I have developed a broad spectrum of HR, leadership and organisational skills and competencies.

More specifically, I have been responsible for defining strategic human capital agenda, talent management, CXO level hiring, development, coordination and communication of HR strategy, differentiated reward strategy, diversity programmes, management of culture, effective management of complex and large system changes, leadership development and organisation development.”

“I have built entire teams from scratch more than once, and mastered the art of achieving commercial outcomes through HR strategy at all levels of hierarchy,” she added.

Any upcoming plans with regards to a new launch or expansion?

New packages will always be there. Within the business, if you’re not continuously bringing in new products, you’ll become irrelevant. The competition is always cut-throat and you can’t keep going back to the market with yesterday’s product. Within the organisation, new product development is an integral part. Acquiring companies is also another area that our key promoters are involved in. Otherwise it’s more about digging deeper and having stronger roots so that whatever be the business risks, you’re less impacted by them.

Does recession affect your company in a big way?

Very much! Travel is a luxury industry. It is not critical to daily living. You will only travel if business requires you to, and only if you can make money on it. But when recession happens, 80 percent of the community which is leisure travel will not travel because they have limited funds which they will not waste on a holiday. So, it’s a very fragile industry which gets affected easily. We keep on looking at providing more reasonably priced travel to closer and cheaper destinations so people can still get a break, they will still come and buy something from us and it will be within their means to do so. chaitraly@gmail.com May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 29

Loved & Married too

It is not often these days that a college romance fructifies into a wedlock. Corporate Citizen unlocks the story of love that has culminated into marriage, for we believe in the stability of a relationship and family unit.

We bring to you real-life romances that got sealed in marriage

The building blocks of commitment

Corporate couple Smitila and Vishal Barnabas believe commitment is compromise with a different spelling. “Sometimes it is calculated, sometimes it happens naturally.

Either ways, you have to give in order to get,” says the duo who’s been married for over 17 years

By Kalyani Sardesai

T

his love story goes back to 1995. Two young engineers, Smitila and Vishal, employed with Bharat Forge. While he was a mechanical engineer, her specialisation was E &TC. Ambitious professionals both, neither had much time or space to notice the other in the rough and tumble of maintenance work. “He was just another guy at work, hard to notice beyond the soot and grime,” she grins.

Or at least until the time she required to recruit his skills with her car.

“I used to drive a Maruti 800 that I managed to bang quite often,” laughs Smitila. “And I was so scared of what my dad would say that instead of going to a mechanic, that instead, I decided to approach Vishal to help fix the damage ASAP, so dad wouldn’t catch on.”

Two-three similar mishaps later, they were friends. “He was chivalrous, helpful and kind,” says Smitila. “In a fast-paced work environment it was nice to have someone to relate to. He was

30 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

PICS: Yusuf Khan Pics:and Yusuf Khan jovial easy to talk to.”

For his part, Vishal liked her simplicity and straightforward person. “She speaks her mind fearlessly—I really like that about her,” he says.

And so the conversations grew. Shared meals and long drives to Mahabaleshwar and Lonavala became a regular feature. “One fine day, he took me to meet his parents,” she says. “While they were understanding and open to the relationship, there was a hitch. I am a South Indian Hindu Lingayat, while he’s Christian. I needed time to convince them.” But even as they would have wanted to be discreet, life had other plans. “It so happened that we decided to go out to Crystal Ball, one of the first lounge bars in Pune. Usually, we used to be part of

a group. But the first time just the two of us hung out together, the newspapers decided to publish a photograph of the party that was happening at the Lounge,” laughs Smitila. “So there we were, snapped together for all the world to see.”

Luckily for her, only a couple of her cousins noticed. “Of course, they questioned me about it,” she smiles. “But at least I was able to open the conversation about him.”

One thing led to another, and her mother finally gave them her blessing. “She always did like him, but the difference in socio-cultural background was daunting for her. However, with the help of other relatives I managed to convince her.” They were married in 1998.

Give some, gain some Despite the fact that they had an inter-religious marriage, the differences never got in the way, says Vishal. “Frankly, I am not very religious, and I never forced anything on to her. It also helped our cause that my parents, trained MSWs both, had spent a decade abroad , and were liberal and receptive to her,” he says.

The family celebrates both Christmas and Diwali amongst other festivals and rituals. Even the fact that Vishal and his family were nonvegetarians, and Smitila, a pure veg—did not prove to be a major irritant—as the family made it a point to accommodate her palate too. “While I had grown up with the fork and knife culture, it was through her I discovered the joys of eating by hand,” shares Vishal. As time went on, Smitila began to eat a bit of non-veg as well.

A good 17 years and two kids—Neil (16) and Karan (14) later, the respect for differences has stood them in good stead.

As of today, Smitila (44) works as lead auditor (processes) with Kalyani Technologies, while Vishal (also 44) is Head Operations, India for Unipart Logistics.

Particular about achieving the right-work life balance Smitila has had to take long breaks from work for the kids—and stick to a job with regular timings, while Vishal travels extensively. “One partner must be the grounding factor at home, while the other can concentrate on their career.

Otherwise things won’t work out,” she says.

Adds Vishal, “There’s no relationship without compromise. Compromise can be both calculated, and spontaneous. In our case, she’s adjusted a lot, and never made a fuss about my frequent absences”.

The mainstay of marriage Elaborating further, he says, “The corporate world today is fierce and competitive. If professionals have to grow, they can’t be constrained by geography. However, I know of several younger colleagues who are having a tough time because their partners are not as understanding.”

Having said that, Vishal adds that men, these days, have to respect their wife’s education and aspirations as well. “Men must learn to take the backseat as well, and step down, every now and then.

Respect and adjustment have to be both ways” a point he reiterates even during the counseling session he has for young executives. It helps when senior executives like him share their life experiences. “Sure, my wife is understanding and supportive and takes on most of the responsibilities at home with regard to the boys and family, but I help out whenever I am home,” he stresses. “Cooking is not a menial activity, neither is chipping in to help with the boys’ studies.”

Like most couples, who are also parents,

The happy couple with their sons, Niel and Karan

» The pillars of a marriage l Respect each other’s

socio-cultural backgrounds.

Celebrate differences— instead of complaining about them l If you want an understanding, supportive spouse, try and be one yourself l Don’t dwell over fights l Self-help books and regular exercises of self-introspection help bringing up the kids is an integral aspect of their lives. “I think we are a mix of both traditional and contemporary values,” says Smitila.

“She’s not only particular about the kids sticking to a certain discipline with regard to studies, but also how they behave otherwise.

Truth be told, we’re both pretty big on respect and courtesy towards others, be it elders in the family or the domestic help at home,” says Vishal.

“We are very honest with our kids, apart from firmly adhering to the importance of delayed gratification. For instance, if they want something, they’ll let us know—but won’t expect us to buy it for them straightaway. The reason could be either that we don’t think it’s the right time for the children to have that particular thing, or it may not be our priority right then,” says Smitila.

“They trust us to do the right thing for them, and don’t argue over it.” Quality time with the family means one short and long vacation every year, whereas the two of them like the occasional long drive or pubbing.

Like any relationship, friction is a given.

However, both have a firm rule about not carrying forward arguments to the next day. “The good part

is that both of us tend to be aware of where the fault actually lies—and the person in the wrong is the first to apologize,” smiles Smitila. “Also, given his fondness for self-help books, he is much calmer and is able to put the situation in the right perspective.”

Relationships these days Both Smitila and Vishal are non-judgmental about the phenomena of live in relationships—even though it was never part of their narrative.

“We are neither for it, nor against it. Whether it is marriage or a live-in, every relationship ultimately boils down to how serious two people are about each other. If they are, then, honestly, no piece of paper really matters,” they say. “Besides, divorce is a painful, time-consuming and expensive process; so it is perhaps a good idea to get to know each other well.”

“That said, the problem with youngsters, both in the personal and professional domain, is that they want everything, right here, right now--be it a great career, branded shoes or a fine-tuned marriage. I call it the mall culture—the one that wants instant success,” says Vishal. “But honestly, that’s not how it works.

There are no shortcuts to success. Life is like a test match and you need dedication, determination and patience to face the challenges that arise. And only if you are consistent over that duration will victory be yours. Never forget that rule even in marriage.” kalyanisardesai@gmail.com May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 31

Each project at SFT has been like a child to be nurtured, each being a very special and joyous experience. Through the SFT team my hands have multiplied manifold — Shruti

Pics: Manish Chauhan

32 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

Cover Story Dynamic Duo: 30

Shruti and Atul Shroff

Grassroots dedication

Shruti Shroff, Managing Trustee, Shroffs Foundation Trust, and Atul Shroff, Managing Director, Transpek Industry Ltd, are working hand in hand to change the lives of tribals in and around the forests of Chhota Udepur near Vadodara. From a small NGO offering health and medical services, SFT has grown into a multi-sectored organisation, empowering communities in a variety of areas such as watershed development, good farming practices and self-employment.

These are in addition to Transpek’s own range of core and CSR activities that include producing livelihood-relevant chemicals, education, skill development, vocational guidance and training—which together have helped improve the lives of 3,00,000 people in over 400 villages in the region.

T

By Sekhar Seshan

he time, 30 years ago. The place, Vadodara in Gujarat.

The Shroff Foundation Trust (SFT), administered

by Atul G. Shroff, managing director of chemicals manufacturer Transpek Industry Ltd, and his family, was given a plot of land near the Transpek factory at Kalali village on the city’s outskirts. Atul and the others planned to set up a super-specialty hospital on it. His wife Shruti, then 36 year-old, objected. What, she asked, was the need to spend so much? She argued that they should set up just a small hospital to look after the local people’s basic medical needs.

Atul, who has been the MD of the family-owned company since 1981, has expertise in specific functional areas of the industry with wide business experience. He also served as Chairman of Transmetal Limited until January 2008, and has been a Non-Executive Director of the parent Excel Industries Ltd since August, 26 1994. Besides Transpek, he serves as a Director of Ace Zipper Industrial Co, Benzo Petrochemicals, McNally Sayaji Engineering, Nascent Chemicals Industries, Onix Industry, Punjab Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, Sayaji Iron & Engineering, Shri Dinesh Mills, Transpek Marketing and Transpek Metadust. He has also been a Director of Punjab Chemicals & Crop Protection, Shree Dinesh Mills, Transmetal and TML Industries, and a Non-Executive Independent Director of Banco Products India.

Step by step

Shruti, who speaks Gujarati, Kutchhi, Hindi and English, is now Managing Trustee of SFT. Her work with the Trust began in 1986 when, she says, she and her team did not even have a clear vision of how their work would progress. “We were sketching our path step by step, gradually turning dark

into light. Our struggles were many but today we have reached a point of clear vision thanks to all our supporters and well-wishers who contributed greatly by continuously motivating us and also providing monetory support,” she says after more than three decades. “Each project at SFT has been like a child to be nurtured, each being a very special and joyous experience.

Through the SFT team, my hands have multiplied manifold.”

Guided by stalwarts

Along the way, Shruti has been mentored by-and worked closely with leading nationalist K C Shroff, her father-in-law Govindjee Shroff and renowned socialist activists Nanaji Deshmukh, in various aspects of Rural Development. She also learnt Management, tutoring under renowned Gurus G. Narayana, Dr Shrikanthaiya, Dr M H Atreya and Dr Nanudiah.

She was also mentored by Rolex Award winner Chanda Shroff in the revitalisation of indigenous crafts. She has trained in hospital management and the management of dialysis units under the experienced guidance of Dr Nandini Gandhi at C.C. Shroff Memorial Hospital in Hyderabad; in the management and implementation of rural development projects at the Administrative Staff College of India. The tutelage of Swami Jitatmanand and Swami Atmasthananda in the 'service before self ' work ethic of the Ramkrishna Mission also led her to work as a voluntary teacher with the leading Baroda educationist Savitaben Amin.

Over the years, she has actively dedicated herself to the total development of vulnerable, impoverished and marginalised tribal and rural communities living in Gujarat, through natural resource management and revitalisation of indigenous resources—human, natural and cultural. SFT has grown from a small NGO providing health and medical services in the vicinity of the family industry to a multi-sectored organisation catalysing holistic May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 33

Cover Story and sustainable local development through, interventions that focus on empowering communities through capacity building and the development of regional institutions.

Small beginnings

And it all began with her opposition to the multi-speciality hospital and advocacy of a small one. “The next thing I knew, I was invited to a meeting of the Trust Board, at which my father-in-law told me to go ahead with my idea!” she recalls. “He told me the Trust would put ₹two lakhsat my disposal to do it.” So she did. And that was the beginning of the story of Shruti ‘bhabhi’, who went on to become the Managing Trustee of SFT, subsequently expanding not only her brainchild Ramkrishna Paramhans Hospital - which gives free consultancy and diagnostic services as well as heavily subsidised surgery, dialysis and other in-patient facilities—but the scope and geography of the Trust itself.

How did she decide that a scaled-down version of what was proposed would be good enough? “I am a mother!” she explains simply. “I know that if a woman wants nine children, she will find her own way to bring them up.” She and Atul have only one She still remembers that first visit. child, a daughter. But Vishwas Shroff had her own “Everybody advised set of difficulties, with an eye problem and dyslexia me against going, when she was in school – which she and her mother because the tribals were reputed to be worked together to overcome. Vishwa Shroff, who is violent people who now a fine artist and a Cordon Bleu chef, married a resented any outsider.

Even government Japanese architect, Katsushi Goto, whom she met and officials never fell in love with when he was with her family for eight ventured into the years, working as the assistant to the main architect forests without an armed escort,” she who designed and built their new bungalow, 10 km says from the city.

Shruti, who terms beadwork and cross-stitch embroidery as 'meditation' and lists them as her special skills and hobbies, was a Bombay girl who regularly did well in her studies, winning a gold medal in her B A Philosophy at Bombay University. Her marriage into the Shroff family, which runs the Excel Group of industries, was an arranged one. “That was the first time I went into a temple,” she grins. After that, she could have been a socialite. Once she went to Vadodara and saw how the people outside the city lived, however, she chose to become a social worker.

Her first visit to the forests of Chhota Udepur, and her close-up observation and experience of the tribal forest-dwellers’ lives only strengthened her resolve to make a difference.

Building bridges

She still remembers that first visit. “Everybody advised me against going, because the tribals were reputed to be violent people who resented any outsider. Even government officials never ventured into the forests without an armed escort,” she says. “But I had my mind made up, and went. We came to a shallow stream, and I had to pull up my sari to wade across. When I reached the other shore, there were some men standing there. I held out my hand, and one of them willingly extended his hand to help me climb out of the water.”

That bridged not only the two shores separated by the stream, but the people on both sides. One of the women invited her into her hut to eat with them. Shruti tried to put her off. “How can I deprive her family of food they obviously couldn’t spare?” she thought. But the woman insisted, so she had to go in and share their ‘lunch’—which, she found, was jaggery mixed in water. “That’s all they had,” she shivers.

It also struck her that there were none of the usual sounds one hears in the forest: the silence was total. She remembers thinking, “Where were the chattering monkeys and chirping birds in the trees? The barking, growling dogs running around on the ground? Then it hit me: the poor tribals had 34 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

Atul and Shruti Shroff in the field

At their wedding

Young Shruti and Atul

The role of SFT is that of a catalyst, a facilitator providing the community opportunities for development, a mentor that guides them through the development process eaten all the wildlife. But their spirit was strong; so was their sense of what was the right thing to do when they had a visitor—they must share what they had.” This act of selfless hospitality prompted Shruti to take on a task a Gujarat government official had suggested: work to uplift the people of the area. She saw her efforts succeeding when, a year later, the same woman gave her a proper meal of ‘bhakri’ (a coarse roti) and vegetables.

From ‘Kitchen Lab’

The other half of the Shroff couple, Atul, became Managing Director of Transpek not by virtue of his birth in the family, but has grown through the ranks of the company to occupy the corner cabin only in 1981. “The Excel

Group began as a kitchen laboratory, which my father and uncle set up in 1941 at Jogeshwari in Bombay to create pesticides that could help improve farm crops and solve the then prevailing food crisis. They eventually set up six different companies, which my father decided would be distributed among me and my five brothers and cousins, with all of us having joint investments and directorships across them,” he says. The Shroffs being philanthropic people, they also set up half a dozen non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to help solve the problems of the people around each plant. Thus was born SFT, for Atul’s company.

Known widely as a people’s man, he is usually not in his cabin, but moving on the shop floor, strengthening his direct rapport with most of the workforce. With his deep understanding of chemical processes and his vision of developing Transpek into a world-class company with a global network, he has spearheaded the development of several innovative and appropriate improvements in Transpek’s plants. “We have seven plants across Excel, employing 3,500 people, but we all produce different chemicals—so we don’t compete with one another,” he says. “On the other hand, Shruti with patients at the Ramkrishna Paramhansa Hospital we complement one another by exchanging knowledge and doing marketing for one another.”

Today, with 60 cows on an attached farm, the cow dung is used to culture worms that are ‘happy’ feeding on the E. coli bacteria in it and power Transpek’s organic ETP. The two plants set up with the unique worm-based process can treat 120 tpd of effluent villages self-sufficient, as they used to be 200 years ago.”

'Happy’ worms do their job

Beyond business, Atul has overseen the planting of 35,000 trees on 40 acres the company owns, and the setting up of a 7,000 litres-per-day water recharging facility for the two wells, two lakes and six borewells on the property. “We have not bought any water for eight years now,” he says. “My uncle wanted to establish an effluent treatment plant (ETP) right since 1973, but the chemical engineers he hired used to run away because Right technologies they were taunted as ‘gutter mukaddam’—till Transpek, which has grown to a turnover of ₹260 he tripled their salary!” Atul says. Today, with crore over the past 35 years with Atul at the helm, 60 cows on an attached farm, the cow dung is has harnessed the most innovative and appropriate used to culture worms that are ‘happy’ feeding technologies for manufacturing chemicals with on the E.coli bacteria in it and power Transpek’s complex chemistry that also ensures due concern organic ETP. “The two plants we have set up with to the environment and safety of all employees and our unique worm-based process can treat 120 tpd the neighbourhoods. “Like most businesses, we too Women working on handicrafts in the Shardadevi of effluent,” he adds. went through difficult times before I hived off the Co-operative Society Transpek continues its own corporate sulphoxylates business to a joint-venture company, She still remembers that social responsibility (CSR) activities, including Transpek-Silox Industry Ltd, and built it up into first visit. “Everybody advised me against going, vocational workshops for village children, a self-sustaining organisation of international because the tribals were scholarships for employees’ children and awards standard,” he explains. “But I continue to provide reputed to be violent for meritorious students in the villages in and entrepreneurial inputs, adding products that people who resented any outsider. Even government around its plant at Ekalbara. It also manages have new applications and arranging synergies officials never ventured the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) at Padra through both backward and forward integration into the forests without an under the Union government’s public-private to improve in-house generation of important raw armed escort,” she says partnership scheme, and is, according to its materials and increasing in-house consumption Tribal woman at work on annual report, “actively engaged with science, of existing products. Today, our products are all Kutch Mutwa embroider engineering and management institutes of repute world-class: for example, our thyonil chloride in Vadodara and Vallabh Vidyanagar to orient capacity of 80 tonnes per day makes Transpek the students to various industrial aspects”. As Atul biggest Indian producer of this raw material for explains, “We are following my father’s basic chemical weapons.” value system, which says that at least 10 percent of On the home front, Transpek has come up our income must go to society, preferably starting with a soil testing kit that Atul says “even Shruti’s with needy neighbours.” tribal people can use themselves”, to analyse nine Shruti herself recalls having been approached parameters within 24 hours and say how good the by the then rural development secretary soil is.

Gopalaswami, who knew what she was doing This costs ₹50 per sample, as opposed to the in rural areas and asked her to work with the government’s system for which they need to pay government. “But I didn’t want to work in a ₹150, and get the results only after two months. corrupt system, so I turned him down. But he was very persistent: he After the Vadodara floods of 2014, Transpek also came up with a kit to test eventually managed to rope me in, persuading me that only people like water potability. me could help the government’s schemes to succeed.”

“You pour the water into a small bottle, and it turns black if it is not fit to As with most NGOs, her ‘entry point’, was watershed development, drink,” he explains. “This is actually something Shruti wanted 10 years ago! for which funds were available in Chhota Udepur. Gujlabhai in It took a lot of time, trouble and money to perfect, but my scientists and I Ferkuwa village still remembers how Bhabhi did two projects worked on it without giving up. for them, and taught them how to do it themselves. “We are no We manufactured four million bottles at ₹ eight each. The aim is to make the May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 35

Cover Story longer in lift irrigation, since the grants now go directly to the village panchayats instead of NGOs; but I still visit them,” she adds.

Right practices

Shruti and her team also taught the villagers how to select the right crops that would grow well on their land. Says another farmer, Ganjibhai: “Earlier, we used to bring assorted seeds in a bowl and sow them all; some grew, some didn’t. They showed us how to plant only two or three that would grow, and to intercrop. We get a much better yield now.” The trust’s initiatives in agriculture, for which Transpek and its sister companies contributed supplements, pesticides and inputs, yielded tangible benefits, including the reduction of migration of villagers. As many as eight or nine out of every ten used to go away to work in other areas as farm labour. Today, most of them stay at home, and have multiplied their farm income thanks to SFT’s intervention. Along the way, Shruti helped set up milk collection centres and established the Baroda Dairy the viability of establishing a 10,000-litre bulk chilling plant at Chhota Udepur.

After the farmers, their womenfolk: Atul’s aunt Chandaben Shroff, who runs an organisation named Shrujan that promotes traditional embroidery in Gujarat’s Kutch region, helped train them in Kutchi embroidery.

Beginning with 40 of her village women, she got them trained to work on small job orders for products like cushion covers, bags, borders, purses and patches. This initiative has grown into the Shardadevi Co-operative Society, which has outlets to sell its ‘Viveka’ brand of handicraft products in major cities including Mumbai, and conducts exhibitions all over India.

Stitching their futures

“There are some 16 kinds of embroidery that the women in Kutch do,” Shruti says. “The one Kaki chose to teach our women was that of the Mutwa tribe, which is a very difficult one. So I suggested that we start with Ahir, which is an easier type—but Kaki said, what difference does it make, when the women here don’t know which is more difficult!” Today, the experiment has been so successful that not only are the products sold at the Shardadevi outlets, but Atul says: “I make sure that I carry a number of the items, like cloth visiting-card holders, whenever I travel abroad to give away to my business contacts there.”

SFT also started a school support programme and a business process outsourcing (BPO) training centre at Chhota Udepur in 2008—which began a commercial operation with a lot of data processing work for the state government. Vikas Vaze, who was then the site head for Aditya Birla Minacs Worldwide, a major initial customer, is now the chief executive officer of SFT. “We have come a long way,” he says as he shows a vegetable cold storage the Trust got going at Chhota Udepur, to which it has added a ripening centre for bananas. “We started with potatoes, which we got farmers to grow in this declared ‘non-potato’ area—now the cold store is full of potatoes, and the government has changed its category to that of a ‘potato growing’ area!” The facility is also rented out to traders for grapes and other produce when there is space available, helping to earn some more money.

the development of regional institutions. “Today, the Trust attracts a number of national, international and government collaborations for development initiatives in the region,” she says. “Our annual budget had multiplied from the original ₹ two lakh to over ₹18 crore for 2014-15, with a committed team of almost 150 professionals and a network of 100 grassroots volunteers groomed for the task of local coordination and servicing. Our major achievements in the development sector include an integrated development process, which has brought about measurable and visible improvements in the region. We have been able to significantly improve the quality of life of 3,00,000 persons in 412 villages: agricultural incomes have increased by 80 per cent, small and marginal farmers have more than doubled their income in successful programmes like, Project Sunshine and the Wadi, programme, and incomes from sectors such as dairy have grown substantially. And Chhota Udepur, which did not traditionally have a dairy industry, is on Gujarat’s dairy map now.”

Shruti has always taken an active interest in her husband’s business, too. “We both go and meet the workers regularly,” she says. About a decade ago, when the company was performing particularly well, she addressed them and requested them to give a day’s pay or ₹500 each every year, to help society. “They all agreed, and they stand by us through good and bad times,” she adds proudly. “Even when the company went into a loss, they continued to support us – even the junior most worker has the feeling that he is supporting someone who is worse off than he is. They all feel joy in this.”

There were none of the usual sounds one hears in the forest: the silence was total. She remembers thinking, ‘Where were the chattering monkeys and chirping birds in the trees? The barking, growling dogs running around on the ground?’ Then it hit her: the poor tribals had eaten all the wildlife

Successful strides

Under her, SFT has grown from a small NGO providing health and medical services in the vicinity of the family industry to a multi-sectored organisation catalysing holistic and sustainable local development through interventions that focus on empowering communities through capacity building and 36 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

SFT has successfully blended Gandhi, Ramakrishna Paramhans and Vivekananda’s philosophy with modern science and effective corporate management and governance systems the region through extensive training, setting up some 50 Samaj-shilpis and training them. The Trust’s emphasis, she points out, has been to identify, inspire, motivate and build capacities of local leaders through extensive training and exposure.

One crucial factor has been the process of change, preparing people for it and empowering them to play a leading role in directing the development initiatives in their own communities. “I believe the role of SFT is that of a catalyst, a facilitator providing the community opportunities for development, a mentor that guides them through the development process,” Shruti says.

“The results and targets achieved have been a by-product of this process.”

Personal challenges don’t deter

Vishwa, from Japan, visiting her parents, at tea with them on the lawn of their new home on the outskirts of Vadodara

Villagers are the real producers Adds Atul, “The economy of this country is not in the cities – those are only consumers. The villagers are the real producers. So if I can help them, I am happy to support their basic needs and give inputs. That creates a win-win situation.” He also bought a farm to understand his target group’s problems better. “I did farming myself, and hired a B.Sc Agriculture graduate to run it with me,” he says.

Besides Shruti’s original Ramkrishna Paramhans Hospital at Kalali, SFT has also created several other medical and other institutions like the Shardadevi Medical Centres in the remote belts of Chhota Udepur and Banni, the Krushi Seva Kendra at Chhota Udepur to help farmers in the region adapt modern agricultural practices, and its latest, VIVEC, the Vivekanand Institute of Vocational and Entrepreneurial Competence, to groom tribal youth for the present-day job market. VIVEC, set up in 2014 to commemorate Atul’s father C.C. Shroff’s centenary on a two-hectare campus at Paldi about 25 km from Vadodara airport, offers 10 courses in subjects ranging from information technology to fashion technology to nursing. Shruti personally supervised the design, with the walls showcasing folk and tribal art from different parts of India. “We want to make it aesthetic but people-oriented,” she explains.

They learn and they earn

A similar dual philosophy of combining training with industry guides the laboratories in the Centre: “The students will earn while they learn,” she says.

“For instance, the fashion students stitch uniforms for the next batch; those studying retail sales run the tuck shop on campus; those in the welding course make boards the electrician students need.”

Shruti has prepared detailed training and implementation manuals drawn from SFT’s experience in the field in the seven key areas of adult literacy, livelihood development, community organisation, pre-primary education, information education and communication (IEC), HIV/AIDS awareness and watershed management. She has also designed the Samaj shilpi grassroots activist programme to groom local youth to maximise the development of

In her firm belief that obstacles, difficulties and deterrents are to be taken as a challenge, she doesn’t let these discourage her. One of her personal problems has been her health—a lung condition that necessitates regular use of an oxygen cylinder, which she keeps in her office and carries with her in the car when she goes on field trips. “That was why we built the new house, away from the city,” Atul explains. “In Vadodara, Shruti had to use the oxygen cylinder almost 10 hours every day. Out here, amid the greenery and the unpolluted atmosphere, she is much better.” Shruti, sitting next to him and looking at him as he speaks, nods in agreement.

Husband and wife work together to minimise mistakes in the field— which can be very costly in terms of retaining the community’s credibility.

“We ensure that all new ideas, particularly in agriculture, are tried at our own farm first,” Atul says. “Any of our initiatives are introduced in the farmer’s field only after ironing out any wrinkles that crop up in these trials. We actually bought a buffalo with a disease known as chakri ka rog, and kept it on our farm but didn’t know what to do with it. God brings the right resources at the right time – a retired government veterinarian landed up at our house the next morning and treated it till it was cured.”

Of Seva, Sadbhav and Vikas The woman whose first entry into a temple was as a young bride now explains her belief in the synergy of a spiritual vision with professional, business and management practices. Shruti says seva, sadbhav and vikas—the spirit of selfless service, a firm belief in social justice, sustainable prosperity and progress, respectively, are what guide her. “I am deeply influenced by Swami Vivekananda’s ennobling principles of practical Vedanta for the upliftment of the downtrodden and potential divinity of the soul. Gandhi’s comprehensive idea of rural reconstruction that emphasised the economic, political, social, educational, ecological and spiritual dimensions has inspired me to develop a holistic approach to rural development. SFT has successfully blended Gandhi, Ramakrishna Paramhans and Vivekananda’s philosophy with modern science and effective corporate management and governance systems,” she explains, adding: “The operative strategy of the Trust is Sahaviryam karvah vahey—a Sanskrit phrase broadly translated as ‘the joy of togetherness… together we will achieve the best, together we will grow… together we will prosper’.”

Shruti’s work has earned her a lot of recognition and a slew of awards, including The Times of India Social Impact Award 2011 in the NGO category for the livelihood sector. Atul, she says, has always played a stellar role in her achievements: “My husband has ably and enthusiastically aided me in my task.

And the whole journey has been a lot of fun!” It obviously still is. sekharseshan@hotmail.com May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 37

The Tax Man Cometh-12

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

Why ‘Good Times’ is a Bad Story

The Vijay Mallya saga is a case of negligence and/or connivance riding piggy, back on bad banking practices helping rogue companies access loans and misuse taxpayer money with impunity. But Mallya’s case, though highprofile, is not unique: it is one of many.

Banks need to tighten their belts and follow good due-diligence and banking practices when they loan out money

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 non-serving 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”

W

hen the ancient Chinese built the Great Wall of China, they thought no one could climb it due to its height. During the first 100 years of its existence, the Chinese were invaded thrice. And every time the enemy had no need to penetrate or climb over the wall because each time they bribed the guards and came through the doors. The Chinese built the wall but forgot character-building of the guards.

Corruption dented the Great Wall of China. This Chinese story is very relevant today in all walks of our life ,but especially so, in the banking and financial system. We have in our country an elaborate banking system regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). But still, time and again we lose money due to some elements of corruption and negligence. The leakage really hurts as it is the depositors’ money kept in the bank, that is lost.

The hot case of Vijay Mallya

Today, the hot news is the case of Vijay Mallya, the so-called ‘King of Good Times’ because of his flamboyant living. He is at the moment enjoying the luxury of a 30-acre mansion ‘Ladywalk’, in UK. But, back home, he has left some public sector banks poorer by ₹9,400 crore. Mallya is in the possession of huge wealth spread around the world—many islands, a mega yacht with helipad, personal aircraft and many mansions and castles.

The loan taken by him for Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) which became bankrupt could have been paid by him from his personal finance without hurting him too much. He left the country to avoid repayment. His passport has now been revoked and a money laundering case has been instituted against him. Mallya declared that “nobody can get money from me by arresting me”. It appears that it will be a long battle before the banks get back their money. Mallya’s case deserves an unbiased look to understand the problem our banking system is facing. There are two persons involved in any loan transaction. One is the bank which 38 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

gives the loan and the other is the person who gets the loan. In the case of Mallya, some banks, which gave the loan, appeared to be negligent, although an element of corruption cannot be ruled out. The CBI is making an inquiry into the conduct of the bank which gave the ₹900 crore loan when KFA had declared a loss of ₹1,600 crore. It is alleged that the money borrowed by KFA was diverted to foreign destinations, even for buying properties.

Conduct of lending banks

The issue emerges is, the conduct of the lending banks—the mistakes they committed while financing KFA. They neither followed the proper protocol while lending, nor did they monitor the movement of the fund in the hands of the KFA. One bank, while lending, took the brand value of the KFA as collateral. Today, nothing is realisable from this brand value. KC Chakrabarty, former Deputy Governor of the RBI, has summed up the issue as, “The Kingfisher case is an example of collective failure of the system. The banks should have declared it an NPA much earlier. Why did the RBI even clear the restructuring of Kingfisher?”

Experience is the name everybody gives to their mistakes, said Oscar Wilde. Bankers in India today are an experienced lot and they need to thank Vijay Mallya for this learning!

The Mallya story is not an isolated instance.

Unfortunately, our system does not learn from its mistakes. In one case, it was seen that a leading public sector bank had given a huge amount of loan to an NRI in London through its London branch. The money was lent for a project in Nigeria. But the money came to India immediately after the disbursement, routed through another bank. The transferred money was deposited in the bank account of the HUF of the borrower NRI. The money was finally used to purchase shares of a big company, which was against banking regulations. The mistake committed by the PSU bank was not to have monitored the movement of the fund as the fund never went to the project

for which it was lent, something like what has happened in the case of Mallya.

Unhealthy practices

The problems in our banking system are perennial.

The problem in many cases starts with the project report submitted by the borrower for taking a loan.

The business practice commonly followed is to hike the project cost and take loan higher than needed.

Over-invoicing is done with the collaboration of the suppliers of the plant and machinery equipment and the connected bank officials. The money thus siphoned off by the promoter of the borrowing company, in many cases, have been used by them to

buy shares of their own companies under different names. Recently, a ₹6,000 crore in the case of Bank of Baroda was detected where some bank officials were in criminal conspiracy with some clients of the bank. The conspiracy was to transfer foreign exchange to foreign countries by splitting ₹6,000 crore into small sums routed through several thousand transactions. It was shown that money was being remitted apparently as a normal trade transaction for the import of commodities where no such import had taken place. Considering the huge amount of money involved, now the CBI is inquiring with other banks as well, to detect illegal outward remittance of foreign exchange. It is very ironical that illegal transfer out of India of ₹6,000 crore was detected whereas recently-promulgated Black Money Law could fetch only ₹4,100 crore.

The problems faced by the banking system are many and are really frightening. In response to an RTI query, it was admitted that the state-owned banks had written off a total of ₹1.14 lakh crore in the last three years. This amount has been sucked off by the system with no returns. The problem of bad loans can be seen from the fact that bad loans of banks which totalled ₹53,917 crore as in September 2008, went up to ₹3,41,641 crore as in September 2015. The bad loans thus went up to 5.08 percent of the total loans in 2015 as against 2.11 percent in 2008. The Central Bank of India (a PSU bank) has the highest NPA of 6.27 percent of total loans in 2015. If stressed loans are considered along with the bad loans, then as on today, the system has a liability of ₹8 lakh crore. The combined level of NPAs and

‘The issue which emerges is the conduct of the lending banks—the mistakes they committed while financing KFA. They didn’t follow the proper protocol while lending, and at the same time, they didn’t monitor the movement of the fund in the hands of the KFA’ stressed loan is 14 percent or one rupee in every seven rupees of all loans. The Bank of Baroda has recently shown a quarterly net loss of ₹3,354 crore, which is 225 percent more than the corresponding last quarter. Even the biggest private sector bank, the ICICI Bank, has shown a steep fall by 76 percent of its quarterly income. The erosion of assets of banks by bad and stressed loans will mean that the depositors’ money has been lost. And to bail out the system, the government has to do something.

Rob the taxpayer to save the banks

The Finance Ministry has announced that a sum

of ₹1.85 lakh crore will be infused into the public sector banks in four years. This means, to save the banks a big amount of the taxpayers’ money will be going to banks. We have to save the banking system from collapse and hence this decision of the government. The bad loans given by the banks have made the system vulnerable. It was seen that 701 bad loans of PSU banks account for ₹1.63 lakh crore. Thus the mother of all the problems is the mistake committed by the banks while giving loans.

The mistake could have been bona fide or mala fide.

Bad asset quality

The problems of the banking system in India can be summarised as: 1) Asset quality 2) Capital adequacy 3) Un-hedged forex exposure 4) Employees and technology 5)Balance-sheet management. The stressed loans and bad loans which form part of the asset quality are the biggest problem as on today.

A proper inquiry while sanctioning a loan will be very helpful to improve asset quality. There is always the possibility of the business of the borrowing firm going down, and the loan becoming bad. In such a situation, the bank and the borrower can sit together and go for restructuring of the loan or for a one-time settlement.

The RBI has given directions to all banks to identify bad and stressed loans and make provision in their accounts. The capital adequacy is also an important parameter which is governed by the international regulations. The decision of the government to infuse funds into PSU banks is to maintain capital adequacy. The conduct of the employees and the technology also play an important part in helping the system. In our country today when our exports are going down, it is very essential to guard our forex exposure. We need not take risk by making the necessary hedging. The balance-sheets of the bank should speak the correct health of the bank and these should not be manipulated to show better health of the when they are doing badly. The instruction of the RBI is very strict and firm in this regard. To help the bank when the borrowers are not honest, it is essential to give more powers to DRTs (debt recovery tribunals). Vijay Mallya could not have fled if the DRT had the power to impound his passport. DRT should also be given power to take possession of the assets of the wilful defaulter. Our present legal system is such that wilful defaulters like Mallya enjoy their wealth outside India, after running away from the country. Mallya may seek asylum in some foreign country and may not like to come back.

Robert Frost had said, “A bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for it back when it begins to rain.” I will urge our bankers not to wait till the rains come as there is always a chance of a borrower running away from the country. Banks have got a role to play in helping the economy and their job is to give loans.

Loans should be collected back regularly as per the reasonable installments earmarked for repayment.

May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 39

cii Case Study-3

Engaging High Performers Through the Psychological Contract by Name of the Author: Dr V. Vijaya, Associate Professor, Indian Institute of Management, Tiruchirapalli Name of the Co-author: Dr Richa Pande, Chief People Officer, Inatech, a Glencore company, Chennai

CII - Western Region 2nd EdgeFarmHR Case Study Writing Competition 1st runner-up Primary category Author: Dr V. Vijaya

Co-Author: Dr Richa Pande

Dr V. Vijaya has completed her doctoral programme in Human Resource Management from IIT Madras. She has been teaching and training for around 15 years in offerings like personality in managing and leading and HR analytics. She has published research papers and has presented papers at international conferences. She is an awardee of the ICSSR Young Social Scientist research grant for research on Psychological Contract. She is a certified associate value specialist by the Society of American Value Engineers and is a Belbin Team Roles Accredited Consultant. She also offers consulting on HR Analytics to scientifically conduct qualitative and quantitative studies on workforce analytics to understand value to business through people.

Dr Richa Pande is a Doctorate in Organisational Behaviour from University of Delhi and has 24 years of experience in the field of HR. Presently she is Chief People Officer in Inatech, a Glencore company. The role encompasses building people capabilities in the organisation which includes aligning HR function to Business & Performance management, Leadership Development, engaging employees and creating a vibrant work environment. Prior to Inatech, Richa has been with Ramco Systems, IGate, Tech Mahindra and Ernst & Young. She shares an interest in academics and has been a visiting faculty to a number of institutes.

The current assignments are with IIM Trichy and LIBA, Chennai. Richa considers herself fortunate to have experienced HR from the role of academician, consultant and a practicing manager.

Corporate Citizen, the Exclusive Magazine Partner of the event, will publish the series of top Case Studies, one by one 40 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

I

cii Case Study-3

t was a pleasant day, rather an exciting day. Janani was running high on her adrenaline. She had been working very hard in the last month designing major initiatives for her employees. Today happened to be the second day of their company’s global summit. The Annual meet – Global Summit was an important event in the company that the employees eagerly looked forward to! Employees from all global offices came for a two-day off site meet. This meet included the Annual Business strategy with Business updates followed by two days of fun & frolic. The preparation and pre-events started a month earlier and built the excitement combined with the competition spirit among teams.

The Office challenge included as part of this Global Summit was a two-fold fun event. The Leadership team had always believed that Physical fitness and emotional stability made employees productive. Therefore, this was part of the events and competitions during this gathering. There were games and competitions like crawling, jump on the wall, snake hole and many other fun filled activities that involved a good amount of team work. Additionally, the focus of Office Challenge was also on making employees understand business competition, identification of untapped markets and motivating &developing people.

Yesterday’s agenda had a business update where the CEO addressed the Town hall meet and announced that the year witnessed a number of new customers, and a good growth in Middle East and Europe. The challenge that the Company looked forward to, was to gain more traction in the US market in the future and consequently, new business innovations for which employees had to gear up. This meet was followed by a Round table with many employees taking a deep breath and also exhaling fresh ideas sharing their concerns and their suggestions on how they could be a charged workforce. A special discussion meeting had already been arranged with the identified High performers of the company in the last one year and Janani had taken efforts to understand their requirements better.

Engaging High performers is extremely important for a Company that is a global provider of cloud software and IT services in Oil, Logistics, Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management. The company had started in early 2000 as a software services company and gradually made a mark in the Product development space too. It had been an exciting journey with many challenges and learnings. As a niche provider to the Oil product, it has a unique position in the market. It is a mid-sized IT company supporting a part of the large commodity trading company which was a multinational corporation operating in Americas, Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania. It operates in multiple segments: Metals and Minerals, Energy and Oil and Agricultural Products.

The business unit employs over 250 Developers & Consultants; with Offices across the globe: London, San Francisco, Dubai, Singapore and India.

Established in 2002, Inatech is a global provider of intelligent cloud software in Oil Trading and Marine industries.

Headquartered in London, UK, Inatech has a global footprint and local presence in USA, UAE, Singapore and India. Inatech customers extend to Shipping, Bunkering and Oil companies.

It provides the customers with an automated, cloud-based, fuel management system that transforms the way they buys bunker

When people are brought in at Inatech, the key trait looked for is innovativeness—thinking outside the box, inquisitiveness, openness to new ideas, flexibility to shift if there is a better way. Sometimes, candidates with strong profiles and achievements do not tend to perform here, when they continue to live in their past laurels, without the fire to create another success

fuel / oil. Through seamless integration of Financials and Business Reporting, customers receive and share data maximizing automation, facilitating management reporting and delivering operational efficiency. The product reduces reliance on manual intensive fuel purchasing processes and enhances information flow across the company, enabling faster and smarter decision making. Inatech’s customers benefit from an international delivery model that provides the competitive edge needed to thrive in today’s dynamic markets. As part of the Glencore group, Inatech benefits from the knowledge and expertise of Glencore in oil trading, hedging and management of the entire oil supply chain, helping Inatech to develop best-of-breed cloud technologies for selected industries to enable companies to integrate, automate and optimize business processes, driving efficiency and revenue growth. Its mission is to be a leading global provider of intelligent cloud-enabled applications and business solutions for the Oil trading and Marine industries. It has won several Awards and Recognitions including UKOUG ‘Middleware Partner of the Year’, Oracle Partner Awards ‘Specialist Technology Partner of the Year’, Oracle Partner Network ‘Technology Partner of the Year’; to name a few.

When people are brought in at Inatech, the key trait looked for is innovativeness– thinking outside the box, inquisitiveness, openness to new ideas, flexibility to shift if there is a better way.

Sometimes, candidates with strong profiles and achievements do not tend to perform here, when they continue to live in their past laurels, without the fire to create another success. The key focus of shaping the performance culture therefore, is to try to drive practices on the lines of - How do we enable people to try and create innovative solutions, despite failures? How do we reward and recognize resilience and ability to learn from mistakes to be able to deliver impactful outcomes in the long run? The performance management is focused towards “Performance Development” where appraisal is extended beyond positive or negative feedback, and strengths or development needs. The approach is to encourage “continue to do” and “consider doing” insights that works out a fit between the employee and organizational goals.

The company believes in engaging the employees by providing

May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 41

cii Case Study-3 People had made plans for other activities on the third day afternoon before they started back home to do a little trekking, wildlife watching, bird watching, etc., among others.

Janani had carefully chosen this destination because it would really help people to relax and rejuvenate and they would be in the best position to open up and share a lot with others as a team in making future plans for the company. One of the important objectives of the global summit was to bring the employees together and to plan on how to take things forward including a discussion of the present challenges faced

a greater learning opportunity through exposure to business and technology facilitating learning and continuous mentoring and competitive compensation.

Today was the second day of the summit. The meeting with the CEO was scheduled at 2 p.m. after lunch at 1 p.m. Now, it was around 11 a.m. Since this summit was being organized at a hill resort at Gaviin Kerala, which was supposed to be a paradise for nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts, people wanted to take a little time off going around for short walks. People had made plans for other activities on the third day afternoon before they started back home to do a little trekking, wildlife watching, bird watching etc among others. Janani had carefully chosen this destination because, it would really help people to relax and rejuvenate and they would be in the best position to open up and share a lot with others as a team in making future plans for the company. One of the important objectives of the global summit was to bring the employees together and to plan on how to take things forward including a discussion of the present challenges faced. There were a few employees of the India Office relaxing on the large lounge that opened out to a great scenery outside.

“It is really cold over here, not like our dear old Chennai.” said Nidhi who was a project lead in the company working for the last 8.5 yrs. I really wish my two kids have gone to school and my mother-in-law had no problems in packing them off to school. It is such a big support to have her with me, you know.” She said.

Sitting beside her was Sriniket, sipping into a glass of lemonade. They were about 15 of them sitting in the spacious circular verandah with huge comfortable cane chairs. From there, they could get the view of the beautiful green valley spreading over many acres, with wild flowers in yellow blossoming here and there. Raksha who was going through the newspapers looked at the valley and exclaimed,“Wow, it is so beautiful and peaceful here! I agree Nidhi. But, you know the minute, I think about my little 2 yr old son at home, my mood sinks. Will he be crying for me?”

Sriniket who took the last sip kept the glass aside and said,“This doesn’t happen just for you, but for us men too, who are fathers and husbands at home. We too go through this. There have been times in the last quarter that we have all worked for more than 10 hours, sometimes even 12 hours, as we had to complete well ahead of the deadline to do the checks before passing to the client and this happened for as long as three months continuously.”

Raksha worked as a project manager (lateral) for the company since around 3 yrs and had a total experience of 10 yrs. Sriniket was a project manager working for the last 5 yrs. He added “Too

42 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

long work hours creates some conflicts at home with my wife. I know it is nobody’s fault. I completely buy in that we need to push ourselves to deliver the best to the client. But could there be some flexibility, like Work from Home options where I could log in and work from there? Even If I am not talking with them, my presence at home makes a huge difference to the family, not coming home late every night. I could even log in very early morning from home.”

Akash, a senior project manager with the company with around 15 yrs experience exclaimed, “I do understand, boy; that today, life is different. Men are also required to share a little at home. Since, we are a little relaxed out here, out of our daily routine, let us have a straight talk. If we look at this point on work hours, I think all of us here, buy in that we need to give the best to the client and feel most happy when we get those appreciation mails. The question is how do we balance?”

Raksha: “Akash, let me tell you something with my experience of over 10 years. There are times when I have asked for a little time flexibility with the client through my boss and he was kind enough to discuss this with the client and it was really great that the client too understood and gave a flexibility so that I could be off work from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. during the UK shifts to attend to my kid, and could open up from home to attend to client calls from 10.00 p.m. even 12 midnight. One thing that the professional community needs to understand is that we women are also equally driven to give in our best. When we come in, there are a lot of aspirations to know more, for exposure, for challenging projects, for up-skilling etc. However, I must admit that there is a small plateauing from asking ‘for more’ when you become a mother. It is a different world altogether. You get so much attached to that role too… However, if these types of flexibilities are worked out in the system it means a lot to us”.

Akash: Raksha, we perfectly understand your situations. The dilemma that we as managers go through is that sometimes, we are not sure what is getting done at home. Just for a joke, whether WFH means Work from Home, but sadly it could be also Work for Home!!”

Nidhi: “Come on, guys. Let us not make the discussion appear as if it were women-centric. I too have two kids going to school, but I believe that since we come in as professionals, it is up to us to solve our personal problems on how to cope. Otherwise I believe we may lose out on opportunities. A woman can work as equally effective as a male counterpart. That is my view. I on my part, have worked on proving myself in any role, right from when I was a team lead. I would want to improve and learn every day. I look

cii Case Study-3 forward to some training in technical seminar presentation skills.”

“One thing I feel could be worked upon in our company, is to see that the system should have more employees to avoid dependencies. When someone is not able to come to work, there would be no need for us to take the initiative to arrange and make someone agree and accommodate during our absence, which is a little difficult for us. The system should take care by itself without employees searching for a replacement. There should be more resources in the system to handle difficulties and absences. This is not to say, that I am less serious and will casually absent from work.”

Navin, who was the Director Client Engagement, was sitting a few chairs apart. He rolled his eyes and also seemed to get hooked on to this interesting conversation and came closer.

Navin: “Young ladies, we never said, you are not good. The point to note here is that, not just our company, but many others in business are bothered about costing to the client. We say, we get the work done with lesser number of people to create a cost-effective project for us as well as the client. So, we try to do more with lesser people. I think that is justified. On the other hand, there are times when many of you keep demanding a better compensation which can increase the costs to the company. This is where the conflict arises. We cannot have ample resources which increase the cost to the company. I hope you are able to understand the constraints the company faces. Our company has given us the best; we know all employees, women included want to go on client visits abroad, like to take up client interaction roles and also want to grow. I think we are getting the best. On my side, the company has given me a lot of location flexibility where I could work from any of the three cities I choose and connect to the client. If technology enables that for you, why not?”

Vriksh, a consultant programmer who joined as a fresher 3 years ago, suddenly seemed interested and pulled his chair nearer.

Though hesitant at first, he strongly felt that he should also share his point of view with seniors.

Vriksh: “What I really like about this place is that we juniors have the freedom to interact with the clients and global users and understand requirements. This is something so valuable to us. I also look forward to this global summit where we get to understand many others and different cultures. On the other hand, at work, I do feel that we need an exposure to frameworks on advanced technologies and also a chance to work on other domains. If you asked any of my friends, they would say, that what they need is loads of training – Technical, communication, soft skills and interpersonal skills. We look forward to being trained by internal people, but could we not bring in external experts too?”

David, a senior consultant since the last nine-years showed interest in the chat and added his bit.

David: “Guys, Just wanted to share with all of you; this being a free, relaxed chat, not directed at anyone. We know all of us need to improve with the growing business. We are mid-way between you and the senior managers. We also have to do a lot of juggling between levels. Sometimes, I wonder; why is it that we are not able to get talented youngsters? Question of supply? I understand that sometimes, when we need to get in someone very urgently on the business side, we make do with whoever is available in a month’s time and that can affect quality of the selection. I am not saying,

“The point to note here is that, not just our company, but many others in business are bothered about costing to the client. We say, we get the work done with lesser number of people to create a cost-effective project for us as well as the client. So, we try to do more with lesser people. I think that is justified. On the other hand, there are times when many of you keep demanding a better compensation which can increase the costs to the company.

This is where the conflict arises. We cannot have ample resources which increase the cost to the company,” Navin, Director - Client Engagement

you are bad, but better knowledge and skills oriented to business is required. I think it is applicable to all of us with changing technologies and business scenarios.”

Janani, the Chief People Officer seeing an excited chatter joined in. With her years of experience, she had understood that these were the times when employees really opened up and all that they expressed could be counted as genuine feedback from the horse’s mouth and she had to do something about most of this. She was however very confident that the company’s Employee Engagement practices were one of the best and some of the surveys also confirmed the same as much as the good retention rates within the company as compared to industry rates. She was keen on participating to have a meaningful dialogue with her internal customers.

Janani: “Did you guys know that one of the prime concerns of a company is to justify the spend on employees? In some of places I had worked, I have observed that there is a certain set of youngsters, who have the habit of just testing the waters. You understand what I mean, those who just stay for about a year.

How can the company keep spending more then, when you don’t get the returns? I am not pointing at anyone, nor wanting to be pessimistic. Additionally, the business side could also sometimes take a topple in just a quarter suddenly. In that case, what do you do to reduce the expenses? This is where the conflict is. I think, as a company we would want to give the best to develop the employees.

I shall try talking to the CEO on what best can be done.”

Akash, who was observing all the while stepped in.

Akash: “I think we need to continuously upgrade our competence. More than the spend through training programmes, we could create a KM system within, which works semi-formally.

I mean, we could encourage our interested employees to offer technical seminars, which can also help improve themselves in different ways.”

Nidhi: “I look forward to that.”

Vriksh: “When we are talking about KM systems and training, I feel that some of these things could even happen informally.

People sharing their knowing with each other, helping each

May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 43

cii Case Study-3 “Employees should be allowed to be creative and to be able to find different solutions to problems.

They should feel free to search for new avenues for business opportunities and suggest new ideas. I strongly believe in developing a number of experts within projects. An expert’s role is to integrate the understanding of different modules. This role should help the client through the product development process. This would also help relate to the client in a positive manner. In my experience in handling more demanding clients, we need to learn even the nuances of conflict management with the client. It is important to develop a shared understanding on these” — Khanna, principal consultant other could be a practice very beneficial even to juniors like us to improve the quality of our work. But, I have found instances, when some seniors, feel a little threatened and are not willing to share some information, which could have been very useful to me as a junior. The culture of sharing needs to be developed.”

Just then Manu, a senior consultant in charge of Database administration, spoke up. He was always known to be someone who was always ready to help to such an extent that his managers used to tell him “Learn to say –no”.

Manu: “The culture of sharing and initiative is helpful. I think it is an individual attitude and everyone can develop it. I say—try hard and keep clients happy. Most of us who want to grow are obsessed with need for more work and more learning. There is no doubt about it.”

Nidhi, Vriksh and David immediately nodded.

Manu:“I have an individual role to play. But I make it a point to go and support many of my friends on the floor. Personally, I have always wanted to take challenges and each time it is tough and I learn more. When you prove yourself to the company, to your customer, your manager….everyone likes it and you too like it!!”

Vriksh: “I would honestly want more openness of managers and transparency in the system. Whenever juniors require support, the higher officials should be able to offer support. I am not saying that all managers are closed. Some of them could be friendlier. Will some interpersonal training modules help? ” Akash:“I understand it is a two way process. Sometimes, managers feel cut off from the juniors. There is a need for both sides to understand each other better. Growing is important to all of us. Together, this can make a big difference to the business. Over the many years I have lead projects, I have understood that this can even get extended to building a culture of client relationships, much of which is very tacit and can be understood only by sharing and maybe chatting like this, with each other.”

“Once, my mother was not well, I had to postpone a meeting with the client by a day. My client immediately obliged as soon as I communicated. It felt better for both. I think this was possible, because I worked on being very understanding and friendly with the client-side manager and would take care to be in touch many times, even outside the scope of business.”

Janani: “So you are saying, that we could really get that close to the client in sharing our difficulties and they are OK. This is great news to me.”

Navin: “I agree with Akash completely. There is a culture that needs to be built up with a certain consistency and modalities of client relationships. It is understanding of each other’s needs and

44 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

preferences, being open to cues and trying to work on satisfying the other side. This is something to be encouraged within our own floor between ourselves. To extend it, if everyone within the company speaks the same language, it becomes easier for the client, right?”

Arjun, Head of Database administration, who had an otherwise quiet demeanor, got interested in joining the conversation.

Arjun: “I too strongly feel that Communication needs to be straightforward and frank discussions can also happen in an informal manner with the customer as well as within. We can share our personal constraints with each other and also with the customer. This sets the tone for a good relationship. There could be weekly meetings in the team to discuss informal issues. Freshers could be trained in customer interactions and its nuances.”

Khanna, Principal consultant, who has just joined the group a short while ago, also added his view.

Khanna: “Employees should be allowed to be creative and to be able to find different solutions to problems. They should feel free to search for new avenues for business opportunities and suggest new ideas. I strongly believe in developing a number of experts within projects. An expert’s role is to integrate the understanding of different modules. This role should help the client through the product development process. This would also help relate to the client in a positive manner. In my experience in handling more demanding clients, we need to learn even the nuances of conflict management with the client. It is important to develop a shared understanding on these.”

Durga who was a junior consultant posted in the client’s site since 4 years, immediately joined in.

Durga: “It is really exciting to be here discussing with all of you. I really enjoy the time I spend with you, otherwise, I am always at the client site. When I joined as an SCM consultant, I was not too seasoned, when I was posted in the client’s location. But the excellent rapport I built with the clients, thanks to my manager here who facilitated the whole thing made me experiment and come out with a lot of innovative concepts which has helped the clients in their business. There is a one-on-one perfect sync between me and my manager here in the company.”

“Let me share with you what I have wanted. I would want expert’s’ role being created, which will help us to test our ideas.

Suppose, I have to create a new presentation to the client based on a new concept, I eagerly look forward to someone internal to help me to sound the ideas to them and check for any feedback, before I present it to the client. This expert’s role is technical and I do not expect my present manager who is more than a mentor to me, to

cii Case Study-3 feedback on this. Can the company help me out with these needs?”

David: “Given that we are discussing on client engagement, I thought it important to share some difficulties too. There are times, when as part of our culture or rather, by view of the beliefs of the managers, we believe in a set pattern of communicating to the client to evince their interest in many of the features that we have to offer them. It is about being given autonomy in what style of communication you use and what you want to tell the client, to convince them when we are conducting the business. I believe there should be more freedom to do things our way and express our way within the scope of company norms. Our culture needs to work on making the managers open to most of the ideas offered by the juniors.”

Vriksh immediately nodded his head in agreement.

Janani felt that it was time to moderate.

Janani: “The lack of agreement and views are part of any discussion. But I do agree, we could do something about bringing a sync across employees. How do we do it?”

Raghav, a senior project manager and a lateral entrant since 3 yrs added on.

Raghav: “For us to perform, we need both. Independence as well as interdependence. When I came in to the company, one thing I wanted; like many of you too, was personal growth.

I wanted freedom of operations. My manager has been more than a mentor to me. I earned a lot of client appreciations and my manager also has given enough visibility to me inside. I, like most of you, wanted to take up additional responsibilities. I am in one project, along with other projects under one product. Now, I want to understand more projects and products. I think this is important for people like me because we are focusing on product development and not only services in our upcoming business focus, we need to build internal competencies quickly to gear up to the business based on what our CEO shared with us yesterday.

Our CEO,all of you will vouch, has been extraordinarily participative. I think it was in one of the earlier global summits, that we all agreed that we shall sit together in the same hall with just chairs and desks and not big doors separating each other. This made us more free and friendly with each other, including our CEO, right? I am also very happy with the Town Hall meetings with our CEO that is helpful to set expectations and understanding of the company’s growth in the future.

Janani: (laughs)“Of course, I am more than happy and will convey this to our CEO that you guys have appreciated many of all that he has done. Our being a not-so-big company in terms of numbers, I think we could afford to do that. As a culture we have also built in the systems of instant appreciation emails, which makes people feel very positive about work.”

Akash: “Janani, I know you have been trying hard, and have kept us more than happy. Nevertheless, we wanted to share with you our important expectations. Can we?”

Janani: “Of course, please go on.”

Akash: “It is not just about the juniors, but also among the senior consultants as well as among project managers and also levels further, it is common to want to grow. I have some suggestions on our Performance management and competency development process. At a basic level, they have been very scientifically designed with a focus on discussing past performance including

“I understand that additionally your career growth path is an important concern, wherein the managers during appraisals have to identify individual strengths of employees and develop a ‘relationship’ to help nurture and support the growth of the employee. We know you look forward to taking other roles, like that of architects. We shall look into some kind of a design of a KM system to improving your orientation to business and other technicalities” — Janani, Chief People Officer

KPI Review, identifying Training needs and encouraging a twoway dialogue between manager and employee on progress against work objectives and skill development and goal setting for next year. It also has a 360 degree focus.”

Navin raises his hand. He is a little too enthused and adds on.

Navin: “This is good, Janani. However, we would suggest a periodic once-a-quarter or an even more frequent discussion on the progress made by us. We want to know more clearly what is expected out of us to move forward to grow. We suggest a framework like discussing questions like – What do I want? Will I sustain in that role? How do I develop those skills? How do I know I am improving on those skills? Where do I want to go?

Will it help the company? And many such other clarifications.

Many of us would also like to take the client facing roles, being first trained by our sales team on the nuances of the customer. I do know some managers do it in their style. However, it will be good to systematize these.”

Janani: “I understand that additionally your Career growth path is an important concern, wherein the managers during appraisals have to identify individual strengths of employees and develop a ‘relationship’ to help nurture and support the growth of the employee. We know you look forward to taking other roles, like that of architects. We shall look into some kind of a design of a KM system to improving your orientation to business and other technicalities.”

“Regarding your personal growth concerns, I think we have given a deep thought to how to link our Performance appraisal, rather performance management system to our competency development clusters. I hope you all remember, we have three clusters for development – Leadership, Management and Personal effectiveness. I understand that for most of your roles, we may need to work on some short term goals and KPIs on these dimensions. We shall definitely facilitate a discussion with your managers when we are back.”

It went on into such a lively discussion that none knew when the hands of the clock touched 1 p.m.

Janani had to close the show, “Our CEO will be joining us soon and we shall discuss more of this with him in the afternoon. Well,

May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 45

cii Case Study-3 There are many instances when employees are able to learn from their friends from other companies on some best practices or solutions. A KM system can be created to share knowledge. It is important for people to be aware of what is happening outside.

Whenever issues are resolved, it can be stored in the central repository and solutions can be found by other employees using this, if a KM system is built

we had a lot of food for thought. Now it is time for our tummy!!

Let’s get going…”

As the team walked towards the Dining Hall, Janani began to think on how some of these expectations had already been mapped to the Employee Engagement Practices in the company. She was reflecting on some of the practices that have been embedded in the culture.… n The company had created open workspaces where managers and leaders sat along with the team. It enabled a healthy discussion at work place between employees and management quite spontaneously. n The company did not monitor attendance. Largely this flexibility was given to sales team. There were flexible hours of working. There was a belief in effective deliverable of the work rather than keeping track on individuals’ swipe in and out status. n The Global Summit was an event where employees could interact beyond boundaries and develop relationships that could have some business ideas cooking for the future, along with fun time with their peers. n The career path for employees was KPI-driven. The Competency Framework helped the employees to know the attributes to move on to the next cadre. This helped the employees to plan and work in a smart way. However, some amount of facilitation in the process and more frequent progress reviews could be put into the process mandate. n There were a number of instances in the company when the employees who joined as intern had developed into the managerial / Leadership Cadre. n Coach and Mentors were identified for people in critical roles / fast track path. n Learning & Development was greatly focused on which comprised of technical skills and necessary certifications.

Behavioural and Management skills were given as much importance as technical. Some amount of customization of training content to the roles could be taken up. n Women employees were given flexibility beyond maternity period. There was respect for the increasing demands of women employees and support for them with flexible work options. n Employees were privileged with a uniform Insurance Policy where all employees shared similar policy and coverage. All employees—irrespective of the level, were equally important and treated accordingly… n A number of other initiatives for employee well-being that formed a part of the culture in the company premises included – Indoor games, Gym and a Yoga center.

Janani pondered. “We are doing a number of things. We have seen the company gearing up and are familiar to some extent about

46 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

the plans for the next three years’ growth. Now, why not pitch on incorporating global standards in the company, which could mean some type of standardization of industry practices. The company therefore must be in a position to capture outside standards. There are many instances when employees are able to learn from their friends from other companies on some best practices or solutions.

A KM system can be created to share knowledge. It is important for people to be aware of what is happening outside. Whenever issues are resolved, it can be stored in the central repository and solutions can be found by other employees using this, if a KM system is built. A culture of give and take should be encouraged.

The KM system as discussed earlier, will also be helpful to create backup of skills when employees go on leave, so that someone else is able to handle without any disruptions to client.” “What else do we need to do to be an “Employer of choice”?

If one looked at the frames of Diversity, it could be differentiated along factors like Seniority, Gender, Life position, Mental model of work, Back-end-front end. Every employee can also be different across their life positions ( the life stage and the personal and occupational roles put together) and different types of mental models of world views and preferences could be present.

It is important to identify these finer textures and understand employee expectations among these segments… The PET… SET… MET expectations. It would also be important to understand the cost-benefit implications of standardization and customisation of practices to cater to their expectations. So, the question is how do we increase the sweet spot?

Engagement

Life Position

Psychological Contract

Mental Model

Figure 1: A model to design employee engagement

cii Case Study-3

Fig 2 – Proactive HR practices tuned to expectations of high performers

Fig 3 Organisation structure

May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 47

cii Case Study-3 A number of other initiatives for employee well-being that formed a part of the culture in the company premises included—indoor games, gym and a yoga centre. Janani pondered, ‘We are doing a number of things. We have seen the company gearing up and are familiar to some extent about the plans for the next three years growth. Now, why not pitch on incorporating global standards in the company, which could mean some type of standardisation of industry practices’.

The company therefore must be in a position to capture outside standards. There are many instances when employees are able to learn from their friends from other companies on some best practices or solutions. A KM system can be created to share knowledge. It is important for people to be aware of what is happening outside. Whenever issues are resolved, it can be stored in the central repository and solutions can be found by other employees using this, if a KM system is built.

A culture of give-and-take should be encouraged. The KM system, as discussed earlier, will also be helpful to create backup of skills when employees go on leave, so that someone else is able to handle without any disruptions to client

Fig 3 - COMPETENCY MODEL - CLUSTERS LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES 1. Business & industry knowledge 2. Thought leadership 3. Leadership presence 4. Leading change 5. People development 6. Building and leveraging client relationships 7. Collaborating to achieve company goals

MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES 1. Customer focus 2. Planning & execution excellence 3. Drive for results 4. People management 5. Problem solving & analytical thinking 6. Innovation & creativity 7. Interpersonal effectiveness 8. Managing work processes & knowledge management

PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS COMPETENCIES 1. Effective communication 2. Holding company values 3. Open and adaptable 4. Learning & intellect 5. Subject matter expertise 6. Accountability & ownership

Table 1 -Details of the characters, total experience and their roles S. No

Name

Designation

Experience

Role

1

Vriksh

Programmer

2 yrs

Define, design, implement and test software applications using Microsoft / Oracle technologies

2

Sriniket

Project Lead (Father & husband)

5 yrs

Leading a team of 2-3 programmers; responsible for a small module

3

Manu

Sr Consultant DBA

7 yrs

Performs activities related to maintaining a successful database environment.

Responsibilities include designing, implementing, and maintaining the database system; establishing policies and procedures pertaining to the management, security, maintenance, and use of the database management system; and training employees in database management and use.

4

Nidhi

Project Lead

8 yrs

Leading a team of 2-3 programmers; responsible for a small module

5

David

Project Manager

9 yrs

Managing a small project in Oracle

10 yrs

Is abreast of new and emerging areas in database management; understanding complex specifications and deciphering the action plan; experience in database performance tuning; database security; database management; handled a few complex recovery scenarios

11 yrs

Working on a small project; reviewing work plans for projects; anticipating delays and helping team to prioritise; mitigating failures by de-bottlenecking within and with customer team members; highlighting and escalating key resource requirements well in advance

6

7

Arjun

Raksha

Head DBA

Project manager

48 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

cii Case Study-3 There were a number of instances in the company when the employees who joined as intern had developed into the managerial / Leadership Cadre. n Coach and Mentors were identified for people in critical roles / fast track path. n Learning & Development was greatly focused on which comprised of technical skills and necessary certifications. Behavioral and Management skills were given as much importance as technical. Some amount of customization of training content to the roles could be taken up Women employees were given flexibility beyond Maternity Period

8

Khanna

9

Business Analyst

12 yrs

Scopes client’s business requirements and application objectives, makes recommendations that will improve the client’s current business processes; brings in domain expertise to provide product/solutions to clients across multiple problems

15 yrs

Managing a large project. Reviewing work plans for projects; anticipating delays and helping team to prioritise; mitigating failures by de-bottlenecking within and with customer team members; highlighting and escalating key resource requirements well in advance

Akash

Project manager

10

Navin

Director client engagement (Home grown)

17 yrs

Understanding the customer’s organisation structure, key decision makers and decision making process; understanding the technical architecture of the client, technology strategy and also the business strategy; being plugged into organisational grapevine

11

Durga

Consultant

4 yrs

Posted as technical support at client site. Has to liaison with manager for support and guidance

12

Janani

CHRO

22yrs

Heading HR

Table 2 - Career Path Years of Exp (Preferred)

Project Management

0-2

Senior Programmer

Technology track

Solutions Track

Account Management

Support Functions

Sales Track Sales Executive

Executive

2-5

Project Lead

Sr. Executive

4-7

Project Manager

Asst. Manager

6-11

Delivery Manager

Designer

Business Function Analyst

Sales Manager Sr. Sales Manager

Sr. Manager

Vice President

Vice President

10 - 15

Delivery Manager

Technical Specialist

Business Function Account Manager Specialist

15 +

Delivery Manager

COE Head

Principal Solution Client Partner Architect

Manager

KPI = Key Performance indicators

i

Disclaimer: n n n n 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.

The copyright of these case studies, however, belong to CII. Reproduction, in any matter, without prior permission from CII is expressly prohibited.

NOTE: CII has given exclusive permission to CORPORATE CITIZEN to publish the CASE STUDY only, in full, and without any changes / modifications.

Reproduction in parts is not allowed.

For further information, please contact: Snehada Fatterpekar, Executive – Human Resources & Industrial Relations, CII Western Region, Email: f.snehada@cii.in

May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 49

#India Rankings 2016 Survey

Ranking the best of Indian Education

India has produced some of the brightest students of the past quarter of a decade. Despite this, there is ambiguity when it comes to deciding on colleges for students and their parents due to a lack of an official ranking system. This was taken up as a priority by the newly elected government under the leadership of Human Recourse Development Minister Smriti Irani. After conducting extensive research for a year and a half, the ministry released a list of the top educational institutes and universities in the country. Corporate Citizen presents the findings

The need for a ranking system Higher education in India is extremely fragmented.

On the one hand, there are exceptional institutes that offer stellar education and highly employable graduates, and on the other there, is no shortage of shoddy educational bodies with minimal reliability. In such a situation, the need of the hour was to prepare a ranking framework to enable the government to identify and promote the best educational centres in the country.

Who said what

The ranking framework will empower a larger number of Indian institutions to participate in the global rankings, and create a significant impact internationally too. I see this as a sensitisation process and an empowering tool, and not a tool for protection.”

- Smriti Zubin Irani, HRD Minister

50 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

“A ranking system is needed to capture all facets of education, teaching, learning and facilities for overall development of students.”

- Anil D Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, AICTE

Devising a ranking system “In the early stages of its work, it became clear to the Core Committee that a single ranking framework for such a complex scenario of institutions would be counterproductive, and even meaningless. This led to the conclusion that a ranking framework should be designed that enables an apple-to-apple comparison,” - Surendra Prasad, Chairman, NBA & Member, Core Committee, NIRF

Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR)

Graduation Outcome (GO)

FSR: Faculty Student Ratio

PUE: Performance in University and Public Examinations

FQE: Metric for Faculty with Ph.D. and Experience

LL: Metric for Library, Studio & Laboratory Facilities

SEC: Metric for Sports and Extra Curricular Facilities

PHE: Performance in Placement, Higher Studies and Entrepreneurship MS: Mean Salary for Employment

Outreach and Inclusivity (OI) Let us now look at the best educational institutes in CES: Outreach Footprint (Continuing Education, Services) the country in educational stream RD:each Percentage of Students from Other States / Countries

Research, Professional Practice & Collaborative Performance (RPC) PU: Combined Metric for Publications

CI: Combined Metric for Citations

WS: Percentage of Women Students and Faculty

Engineering

IPR: Intellectual Property Right and Patents

ESDS: Percentage of Economically and Socially Disadvantaged Students

CP: Collaborative Publications and Patents

FPPP: Footprint of Projects and Professional Practice

PCS: Facilities for Physically Challenged / Differently Abled Persons

Indian Institute of Technology Madras Perception (PR)

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), set-up by Government of India in 1959, is one among the foremost institutes of national importance To tackle this problem, the process of framing in higher technological education, basic and applied research. It is located in 8.1. Ranking Engineering (Category(NIRF) A-Research & Teaching) National Institutional Framework the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. IIT Madras stands at the first position with began on October 9, 2014 with a 16 member weighted score of 89.42. Its rank on different parameters is as follows:

core committee. Institutes were evaluated Indian Institute of Technology Madras based on several metrics such as the quality of teaching, research facilities, Placements of Indian Institute perception of Technology Madras students as well as the general of the institute in the public eye. Theset-up complete list of (IIT Madras),

by Government of evaluation parameters is1959, givenis below India in one among the foremost

Parameter Rank

TLR

RPC

GO

OI

2

2

5

1

Rank - 1 PR 4

Institutes of National Importance in Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR) higher technological education, basic and Faculty Student Ratio - Permanent Faculty (FSR) applied research. IIT Madras is located in Faculty Student Ratiothe - Visiting (FSR) city ofFaculty Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Metric for Faculty with Ph.D. and Experience (FQE) IIT Madras stands at the First position Metric for Library, Studio & Laboratory Facilities (LL) with weighted score of 89.42.

Metric for Sports and Extra curricular Facilities (SEC) Its rank on different parameters are as follows: Metric for Teaching and Innovation (TI) Parameter TLR RPC GO OI PR Outreach and Inclusivity (OI) Rank 2 2 5 1 4

Outreach Footprint (Continuing Education, Services) (CES) Percentage of Students from Other States / Countries (RD) Percentage of Women Students and Faculty (WS)

Percentage of Economically and Socially Disadvantaged Students (ESDS)

Management Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM Bangalore) is a premiere public business school located in the Indian’s Silicon Valley, the city of Bengaluru, Karnataka. The Institute is the third IIM to be established in the country in the year 1973. The Indian Institute of Research Productivity, Impact and IPR (RPII) Management Bangalore bags the first position in management education Combined Metric 8.2. for Publications (PU) Management (Category A-Research & Teaching) with weighted score of 93.04. Its rank on different parameters is as follows: Combined Metric for Citations (CI) Parameter TLR RPC GO OI PR Indian Institute Management Bangalore Rank -1 Intellectual Property Right and Patentsof(IPR) Facilities for Physically Challenged / Differently Abled Persons

India Rankings 2016 % of Collaborative The Publications Patents (CP) IndianandInstitute of Management Footprint of Projects and Professional Practice (FPPP) Bangalore (IIM Bangalore) is a premiere

public business school located in the Graduation Indian's Outcome (GO) Valley, the city of Silicon

Rank

1

1

1

1

4

14

Performance in University Examinations (PUE) Bengaluru, Karnataka.

The Institute is the

third IIM to be established in the country Performance in Public Examinations (PPE) in the year 1973.

Performance in Placement, Higher Studies and

Entrepreneurship (PHE) Indian Institute of Management Mean Salary for Employment (MS) Bangalore stands at the First position

with weighted score of 93.04. Its rank on Perception (PR) different parameters are as follows: Process for Peer Rating in Category (PR) and Parameter TLR RPC GO OI PR Applications to Seat Ratio (SR)

Rank

1

1

1 1

4

May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 51

aluru

s n t e f s d d d

scientific and technological research and education in India. The University is located in the city of Bengaluru, Karnataka.

#India Rankings 2016 Survey

Indian Institute of Science Bangalore stands Institute of Chemical Technology Mumbai at the First position with weighted score of The Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), formerly known as the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, Bengaluru 91.81.University Its rank on differentofparameters are Department Chemical Technology (UDCT), is a leading as follows: chemical technology research institute located in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) was formally vested in 1909, The Institute was established on October 1, 1933 by the University of the foundation stone was laid in 1911 as a result of the joint efforts of Parameter TLR RPC GO OI PR Mumbai and was granted deemed university status in 2008. ICT has Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, the Government of India, and the Maharaja 1 second 2 position 1 7 amongst 1 been awarded the the country’s universities of Mysore. Since its establishment, IISc has become the premier institute Rank with weighted score of 87.58. Its rank on different parameters is as for advanced scientific and technological research and education in follows: India. The University is located in the city of Bengaluru, Karnataka. The Indian Institute of Science Bangalore stands as the premiere universityInstitute of Chemical Technology Mumbai Parameter TLR RPC GO OI PR in India with weighted score of 91.81. Its rank on different parameters is as follows: Rank 5 1 6 9 6

Universities

Parameter Rank

TLR

RPC

GO

OI

1

2

1

7

PR Rank -1 1

The form Dep (UD rese Mah esta Univ deem

Insti stan wei diffe

s f e

Pharmacy Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal

The Jawaharlal Nehru University is a public central university located in New Delhi, the capital of India. The University was established in 1969 Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal widely by an Act of Parliament. It was named after Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, the known as MCOPS, has a unique standing for offering professional -2 pharmacy education in the country. It is presently one of the first Prime Minister of India. Of all the Universities, JNU is the most Rank India Rankings 2016 well-known, being in the news due to the Kanhaiya Kumar controversy. premier institutions of Manipal University, Manipal, Karnataka.

JNU stands at the third position with weighted score of 86.46. Its rank The college was started in the year 1963. MCOPS has been crowned The Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), on different parameters is as follows: the premier institute amongst pharmacy colleges with weighted formerly known as the University score of 77.87. Its rank on different parameters is as follows: Department ofGO Chemical Technology Parameter TLR RPC OIA-Research PRRank 8.3.

Pharmacy (Category & -3 Teaching) chemical technology Rank 3(UDCT),7 is a premier 1 5 3 Parameter TLR RPC GO OI PR Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Manipal Rank -1 research institute located inSciences, Mumbai, Rank 1 8 2 5 5 Maharashtra, India. The Institute was Manipal College of Pharmaceutical established on 1stwidely October, 1933 asby the Sciences, Manipal known University of Mumbai and was for granted MCOPS, has a unique standing odeemed f f e r i n guniversity p r o f e s sstatus i o n a linp2008. harmacy education in the country. It is presently Institute of Chemical Technology Mumbai one of the premier institutions of Manipal stands at Manipal, the Second positionThe with University, Karnataka. college was started the87.58. year 1963. weighted scoreinof Its rank on

differentCollege parameters are as follows: Manipal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal stands at the First Parameter TLR RPC GO OI PR position with weighted score of 77.87.

Rank 5 1 6 9 6 Its rank on different parameters are as follows: Parameter TLR RPC GO OI PR Rank 1 8 2 5 5

52 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

The Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), formerly known as the University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT), is a leading chemical technology research institute located in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The Institute was established on October 1, 1933 by the University of Mumbai and was granted deemed university status in 2008. ICT has been awarded the second position amongst the country’s universities with weighted score of 87.58

The Complete list of best Institutes India Rankings 2016: Engineering Category “A” Name

Est.

State

City

Weighted Score

Rank

Indian Institute of Technology Madras

1959

Tamil Nadu

Chennai

89.42

1

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

1958

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

1951

Maharashtra

Mumbai

87.67

2

West Bengal

Kharagpur

83.91

3

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

1961

Delhi

New Delhi

82.03

4

Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

1959

Uttar Pradesh

Kanpur

81.07

5

Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee

2001

Uttarakhand

Roorkee

78.68

6

Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad

2008

Telangana

Hyderabad

77.23

7

Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar

2008

Gujarat

Ahmedabad

75.21

8

Indian Institute of Technology Ropar

2009

Punjab

Rupnagar

74.89

9

Indian Institute of Technology Patna

2008

Bihar

Patna

74.68

10

State

City

Weighted Score

Rank

India Rankings 2016: Management Category “A” Name

Est.

Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

1972

Karnataka

Bengaluru

93.04

1

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

1961

Gujarat

Ahmedabad

89.92

2

Indian Institute of Management Calcutta

1961

West Bengal

Kolkata

87.45

3

Indian Institute of Management Lucknow

1984

Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow

86.13

4

Indian Institute of Management Udaipur

2010

Rajasthan

Udaipur

84.23

5

Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode

1996

Kerala

Kozhikode

81.97

6

International Management Institute, New Delhi

1981

Delhi

New Delhi

81.78

7

Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal

1982

Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal

81.01

8

Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

1959

Uttar Pradesh

Kanpur

79.44

9

Indian Institute of Management Indore

1996

Madhya Pradesh

Indore

78.63

10

Est.

State

City

Weighted Score

Rank

India Rankings 2016: Pharmacy Category “A” Name Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal

1963

Karnataka

Manipal

77.87

1

University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chandigarh

1944

Chandigarh

Chandigarh

77.10

2

Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi

1989

Delhi

New Delhi

71.39

3

Poona College of Pharmacy, Pune

1981

Maharashtra

Pune

70.93

4

Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University, Ahmedabad

2003

Gujarat

Ahmedabad

69.76

5

Bombay College of Pharmacy, Mumbai

1957

Maharashtra

Mumbai

69.49

6

Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra

1955

Jharkhand

Ranchi

67.00

7

Amrita School of Pharmacy, Kochi

2005

Kerala

Kochi

66.10

8

JSS College of Pharmacy, Ootacamund

1980

Tamil Nadu

Ootacamund

63.29

9

JSS College of Pharmacy, Mysore

1973

Karnataka

Mysore

63.22

10

May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 53

Star Campus Placement

T

Keep the

HOPE

A young, dynamic student, Eesha Dutta, who completed her post-graduation from a leading management college talks to Corporate Citizen about her first big break

oday, Eesha Dutta, is successfully placed in the SCM - Marketing Department with Panasonic India Ltd with a decent package coupled with other perks. She takes us through her journey from college to corporate world.

Campus placement

“I am glad that I am today placed with Panasonic India Ltd. When the company came to the campus, I recall, there were about 320odd students who were also part of the interview process. It was my very first company and I was all confident, all set to crack it. I had made up my mind that I will do my best without any expectation,” says Eesha.

“There were about 22 groups of 12-15 students each, for the first round of group discussion. I was part of the twelfth group and just before the interview process for my group started, and the HR team wasn’t too happy with the previous five to six groups. This did call for some amount of nervousness from within but I made sure that I will not lose my confidence and not show any

Piece of advice to juniors No matter how brilliant or super-talented your friends or other batchmates might be, remember that each and every one of us is blessed with something unique. It’s just that you have to find the best thing about yourself You should never lose hope or feel demotivated if you are not able to crack the GD rounds or other interviews Stay positive. Don’t ever give up. Cribbing will never give a solution, it will rather confuse you and stop you from doing anything good Relax and enjoy your life to the fullest. The best is yet to come. Keep smiling and be hopeful

54 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

By Mahalakshmi Hariharan

signs of nervousness,” recalls Eesha.

However, to Eesha’s surprise, she was the only one to be selected from her group. This was followed by another round of group discussion, which was more of an extempore, than a typical round of GD. “Eventually, there was an interview with the HR team at Panasonic, followed by the last and final round of interview with the managing director of the company. Every round was an elimination round and the level kept getting tougher. But, I was never bogged down by competition, but held on to it with a smile throughout, answered all the questions confidently and cracked it. Things just worked well for me,” smiles Eesha.

Eesha did her internship from Netcore Solutions in digital marketing where she got good exposure of the digital world.

Life at the campus

Undoubtedly, the college schedule was extremely tight with regular tests and presentations. Classes started early morning and went until late in the evening.

Reminisces Eesha, “The schedule was very hectic. Classes would start at sharp 8 am and continue till 6.30 pm with only one lunch break and a small breakfast break for just 15 minutes.

But despite my hectic schedule, I decided to balance both ends—studies and personal life. I like to interact and meet people, which helped me make a lot of friends on the campus. Post my classes, I always made sure that I made time to interact with all my friends, and relax with them, after a heavy day. I did not take it as a hectic schedule. Instead, I made sure to cope up with any kind of difficulties that came my way, with a smile and not complain about anything. The best time spent was during our college festivals where I participated in events like extempore, Indo-Western dance, and various fun events like musical chair and antakshari.”

Eesha kept herself constantly engaged and involved in numerous activities despite her hectic schedule and studies.

“We had some of the best faculty members at college. The faculty members were not only involved in teaching, but were also helping to groom us as an individual. I got some valuable advice regarding my personal and professional life from them. We were able to approach our faculty members at any time of the day. They would give us a patient ear, solve our queries without any kind of hesitation,” says Eesha.

She added, “The best thing about our marketing course is that it covered a lot of areas of marketing as well as operations, as a result of which my current job profile is also going smoothly.”

Family background

Eesha is born and brought up in Jamshedpur.

Eesha with her family

“We had some of the best faculty members at college.

The faculty members were not only involved in teaching, but were also helping to groom us as an individual. I got some valuable advice regarding my personal and professional life from them. We were able to approach our faculty members at any time of the day”

Eesha with her friends

Her father works with the National Insurance Company Ltd and mom is a homemaker. She completed her graduation from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, by specialising in the Science Stream (B.Sc in Mathematics (Hons). Her family now stays in Kolkata after her dad’s work transfer there. Eesha is passionate about dancing and is trained in kathak. That apart, she is a voracious reader. She regularly reads a lot of journals, blogs, magazines and novels.

Like most other youngsters today, Eesha is also quite tech-savvy. She loves to surf the internet and can spend all day in front of her laptop watching various YouTube videos, television series and reading.

Mahalakshmi.H@corporatecitizen.in

CC

tadka

The reign of travel mobile apps A survey by online travel portal Yatra, states that at least, a third of travellers from India are booking holidays on their mobile phones. There has been a 10 percent year-on-year jump since 2014 in mobile bookings, currently standing at almost 32 percent.

May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 55

Bollywood biz

The ‘Short’ cut for Film buffs With the growing adaption of the Internet, people have increasing access to original content. At a time when slow Internet or lack of time makes viewing a two-hour movie online unfeasible, short films are increasingly attracting more viewers and have become a popular medium for storytellers. These are made with a singular focus to tell a compelling story and that too in less than half the time and with a fraction of the budget for a feature film. Short films are also a playground for budding filmmakers to come and showcase their talent and skills before moving on to the big league. This edition, Corporate Citizen presents the most must see Indian short films of the decade

By Neeraj Varty

T

he most fascinating quality about short films is that even they are short, they are hard-hitting and stay with you much longer than traditional formats of films. They also make you think hard about the world around you and the choices you make. Quite frankly, there is nothing quite like a short film.

56 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

Black Mirror

Director: Adi Burman Starring: Sahil Rewale Link: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=KAJPgwfGv60

Nayantara’s Necklace

Director: Jaydeep Sarkar Starring: Konkona Sen Sharma, Tillotama Shome Link: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=L1TTNOBbN2k Nayantara’s Necklace, starring Konkona Sen Sharma, Tillotama Shome & Gulshan Devaiah, is the story of ‘an accidental friendship between two of the unlikeliest characters and the twist and turns it takes as their relationship develops’.

It would shake you, jolt you and leave you wondering about life. Directed by Jaydeep Sarkar, (the writer behind films like Khoya Khoya Chand, Shaurya & Tera Kya HogaJohhny) and with a duration of just under 20 minutes, Nayantara’s Necklace captures the beauty of everyday life, the dynamics of female friendship and the hypocrisy of image-making.

Directed by Adi Burman this short tells the story of an orphaned boy, Ranu, who lost his parents in a bomb blast. Driven by hunger, he roams around in the streets of Mumbai and the story leads us to the dark side of the metro city through his perspective. The film acts as a mirror to society, stripping aside the glitz and glamour of maximum city and revealing the true nature of the urban jungle.

Ahalya

Director: Sujoy Ghosh Starring: Soumitra Chatterjee, Radhika Apte, Tota Roy Chowdhury Link: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Ff82XtV78xo

That Day After Everyday

Director: Anurag kashyap Starring: Radhika Apte Link: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=AQR6cB1DXzY

Bypass

Director: Amit Kumar Starring: Irrfan Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui Link: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=NCRBY9ss-58 At a bypass somewhere in Rajasthan, two violent muggers meet a corrupt police officer but there is a lot more to it than meets the eye.

In a nutshell, this is the story of Bypass, a 2003 short film. Yes, it’s an old one but the list of India’s best short films would go incomplete without the mention of the movie that packs both Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Irrfan Khan in one frame, even before they became famous!

But fair warning, this film is not exactly the heart-warming kind.

Made under Large Short Films by Anurag Kashyap and starring actress Radhika Apte in the lead role, this short focuses on the issue of eve teasing and molestation. Anurag Kashyap whose flair lies in narrating gritty realities of the modern world, provides the viewer with lots of grey characters. Written

by Nitin Bharadwaj, the film keeps you glued till the end.

The much-anticipated short film Ahalya by Sujoy Ghosh is an excellent watch because of the way it’s been made, rather than the twist in the end. The film, which is produced by Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films, stars the legendary Soumitra Chatterjee, Radhika Apte and Tota Roy Chowdhury. The film is a modern day retelling of the mythological tale of Ahalya (Played masterfully by the very talented Radhika Apte), but with a feminist twist. Watch it for the subtle poke at patriarchy that the movie takes.

These movies are available to watch for free on Youtube. The next time you have 15 minutes to spare, you know what to do! neeraj.varty@corporatecitizen.com

CC

tadka

India’s exports down Exports from India amounted to US$264 billion in 2015, down -12.4 percent since 2011 and down—16.9 percent from 2014 to 2015. India’s top-10 exports accounted for 58.1 percent of the overall value of its global shipments.

May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 57

Pearls of Wisdom

Eternity of

Bhagvad Gita

The Bhagvad Gita transcends beyond any religion, race or time frame. Even in the 21 century, it is relevant, as its teachings enables man to get the true understanding of life and offers philosophical and practical ways to come out of the everyday miseries that engulf him. No wonder, legendary personalities from across the world, since centuries have taken note of it. Here are some examples to inspire you to refer to this epic text to transform into a dashing corporate leader and fine human being

Albert Einstein

When I read the Bhagavad-Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else seems so superfluous.

Ramanuja

The Bhagavad-Gita was spoken

by Lord Krishna to reveal the science of devotion to God which is the essence of all spiritual knowledge. The Supreme Lord Krishna’s primary purpose for descending and incarnating is relieve the world of any demoniac and negative, undesirable influences that are opposed to spiritual development, yet simultaneously it is His incomparable intention to be perpetually within reach of all humanity.

You have the right to work only but never to its fruits. Let not the fruits of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction 58 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

Prime Minister Nehru

Rudolph Steiner

In order to approach a creation as sublime as the Bhagavad-Gita with full understanding it is necessary to attune our soul to it.

Mahatma Gandhi

When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day.

The Bhagavad-Gita deals essentially with the spiritual foundation of human existence. It is a call of action to meet the obligations and duties of life; yet keeping in view the spiritual nature and grander purpose of the universe.

Sri Aurobindo

The Bhagavad-Gita is a true scripture of the human race a living creation rather than a book, with a new message for every age and a new meaning for every civilization.

Carl Jung

The idea that man is like unto an inverted tree seems to have been current in by gone ages. The link with Vedic conceptions is provided by Plato in his Timaeus in which it states…” behold we are not an earthly but a heavenly plant.” This correlation can be discerned by what Krishna expresses in chapter 15 of Bhagavad-Gita.

Dr. Albert Schweitzer

The Bhagavad-Gita has a profound influence on the spirit of mankind by its devotion to God which is manifested by actions.

Adi Shankara

Herman Hesse

The marvel of the Bhagavad-Gita is its truly beautiful revelation of life’s wisdom which enables philosophy to blossom into religion.

From a clear knowledge of the Bhagavad-Gita all the goals of human existence become fulfilled.

Bhagavad-Gita is the manifest quintessence of all the teachings of the Vedic scriptures.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad-gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us.

Henry David Thoreau

Aldous Huxley

The Bhagavad-Gita is the most systematic statement of spiritual evolution of endowing value to mankind. It is one of the most clear and comprehensive summaries of perennial philosophy ever revealed; hence its enduring value is subject not only to India but to all of humanity.

In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial.

May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 59

Health

Do doctors abide by the Hippocratic Oath?

Did you know that one of the pledges in the Hippocratic Oath is: ‘‘I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon’s knife or the chemist’s drug’’

H

ippocratic Oath is one of the oldest binding documents in history, the Oath written by Hippocrates. There are two versions. The “classic” version (translation of the original oath) and the modern version.

Classic Version of the Hippocratic Oath

I swear by Apollo Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panaceia and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfil according to my ability and judgment this oath and this covenant: To hold him who has taught me this art as equal to my parents and to live my life in partnership with him, and if he is in need of money to give him a share of mine, and to regard his offspring as equal to my brothers in male lineage and to teach them this art - if they desire to learn it - without fee and covenant; to give a share of precepts and oral instruction and all the other learning to my sons and to the sons of him who has instructed me and to pupils who have signed the covenant and have taken an oath according to the medical law, but no one else.

I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice.

I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy.

In purity and holiness I will guard my life 60 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

and my art.

I will not use the knife, not even on sufferers from stone, but will withdraw in favor of such men as are engaged in this work.

Whatever houses I may visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief and in particular of sexual relations with both female and male persons, be they free or slaves.

What I may see or hear in the course of the treatment or even outside of the treatment in regard to the life of men, which on no account one must spread abroad, I will keep to myself, holding such things shameful to be spoken about.

If I fulfil this oath and do not violate it, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and art, being honoured with fame among all men for all time to come; if I transgress it and swear falsely, may the opposite of all this be my lot.

A Modern Version of the Hippocratic Oath

I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant: I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.

I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures which are required, avoiding those twin traps of over treatment and therapeutic nihilism.

I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon’s knife or the chemist’s drug.

I will not be ashamed to say “I know not,” nor

- - - Stay healthy to feel good - - -

S

andeep Joshi, CEO, Showflipper.com is a simple man with simple eating habits. Sandeep, a workaholic, spends 16 hours a day at work. Aman of frugal habits and tastes, this 30-year-old CEO of a new shopping destination for anything related to the field of art, has spent three years ideating and creating a business model, which is unique. Sandeep, who is an MBA from the University of Surrey, is a marketing professional par excellence. In a career spanning eight years, he has worked with major multinationals across the globe.

My good health mantra I believe that staying healthy is about feeling good and being able to do all the things that you want to do. End your day by eating a light dinner. Fruits, milk or salads are great options. I have survived on fruits for six months. I like to listen to music, and read too. It soothes me.

My stress-busters I do not take mental stress. I work because I genuinely love my work, I am not heavy hearted. I believe if you are facing a work-related problem which cannot be solved at that precise moment, change your focus to another issue which will help reduce stress. I might get cranky at times at work due to pressure of getting things done right, but I am open with my people which enables me to handle tight situations and handle those stressful moments.

My fitness funda I have always been a keen walker. There was a time I used to regularly play. However, these days, I do not get the time to play a lot of sports, but I try and walk at least 15-20 minutes, post dinner, daily. I believe, exercising is very important for your body.

Walk at least for two hours every week.

Sandeep Joshi, CEO, Showflipper.com during his workout

I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient’s recovery.

I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God. I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person’s family and economic stability. My responsibility

My diet decoded I believe that eating homemade food is the key to me leading to a healthy lifestyle. It is also about eating smart, sticking to basic foods, and eating fruits. I am a vegetarian… also do not smoke or consume alcohol.

includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.

I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.

I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.

If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.

(The classical version of the Hippocratic Oath is

from the translation from the Greek by Ludwig Edelstein. From The Hippocratic Oath: Text, Translation, and Interpretation, by Ludwig Edelstein. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1943.

The modern version of the Hippocratic Oath was written in 1964 by Louis Lasagna, Dean of the School of Medicine at Tufts University.)

CC

tadka

Tallest building in India The Imperial is a twin-tower residential skyscraper complex in Mumbai, India that are the tallest completed buildings in the country, having 60 floors. The towers are located in Tardeo, South Mumbai.

Construction was completed and the towers were inaugurated in 2010.

May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 61

Mobile Apps

Miracast and the future of television

Smart TVs are the new craze worldwide. Not only do they let you watch your favourite movies and shows at the click of a button, you can also browse the Internet and install your favourite apps on the TV. However, easily priced over a lakh, Smart TVs can be exorbitantly expensive. But what if you could make your existing TV do everything a smart TV does, by just plugging a cost-effective dongle? Miracast technology lets you do just that, and we bring you the best Miracast dongles available India today

By Neeraj Varty

EZCast m2 Dongle

(`1,548) EZCast is the cheapest casting device available in India. Supporting up to 10 devices at a time (which covers mobile phones, tablets, and PCs, this one device can let your entire family connect to the TV and stream their favorite movies or photos as well as play games on your phone which will be mirrored on to the TV’s screen.

Chromecast (`2,539)

What is Miracast technology exactly?

It is a technology which pairs your smart device with the TV using a dongle which has inbuilt Wi-Fi (which creates a hotspot to connect your device wirelessly), then let’s you cast (stream without using any internet) your phone’s local files to your TV through any of countless casting apps available for free on the Play Store. You can also cast internet pages and your tube videos. As mentioned earlier, this process requires no internet data, and is a cost effective alternative to a Smart TV, which will require an internet connection.

Matchstick

Teewee 2

Matchstick streaming device was built as an open-platform device and is based on Firefox OS. The device originally started out as a project on Kick starter that garnered a lot of public support and funding. Matchstick is an HDMI dongle, plugging directly into your TV and the Fling app lets you ‘Fling’ content from your phone to your TV. The best part is that once the content begins streaming, you can use your mobile phone to continue doing what you were doing without interrupting what’s being displayed on your TV.

Teewee 2 is a Miracast Dongle made by Bangalore based Mango Man technologies. Apart from doing everything that the above mentioned Miracast dongles can do, Teewee has an intelligent AI, which observes the most frequent movies and songs you play, and curates content from YouTube, Spotify and other online services to recommend new material for you. It also has built in profiles, so it recognizes usage patterns based on the device you are using to connect to it. This allows every member of the family to get an individualized curation list.

(`2,000)

62 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

(`2,230)

Chromecast is the most popular casting dongle in the world. Manufactured and promoted by Google, Chromecast gets along very well with android phones. It does support Apple devices, but the experience is not yet up to the mark. The idea behind the Chromecast was to bring smart functionality to the series of “dumb” TVs that hit the market before smart TVs rose to popularity near the end of the last decade. Chromecast plugs directly into your TV’s HDMI port (make sure it has one of those before you buy it) and streams video from your mobile phone, tablet or PC. If you have a Netflix, Sling TV, HBO Now, Hulu Plus or Hotstar subscription on your phone, you can easily toss it onto your TV. Hotstar, for example, streams cricket matches in Full HD. You can easily stream onto your TV. No need to spend on an HD set top box anymore. Since Chromecast is a Google product, there are many apps and games on the Playstore exclusively for Chromecast. neeraj.varty@corporatecitizen.com

Claps & Slaps Corporate Citizen claps for Tamil Nadu-based activist Dr Palam Kalyanasundaram, who remained a bachelor to dedicate his life to the service of the poor and downtrodden

In a media-frenzy world, this frail and thin gentleman has been completely ignored despite his contribution to society. The 75-plus-yearold today has had several feathers added to his cap, the most prominent being the ‘Man of the Millennium’ award and ‘Life Time of Service Award’ from Rotary Club of India in 2011. Dr Kalyanasundaram is a gold medallist in library science, and also holds a Master’s degree in literature and history. He worked as a librarian at the Kumarkurupara Arts College at Srivaikuntam and donated his entire lifetime salary accrued over 35 years to help the needy. He has been recognised as the first-ever individual across the globe to have pledged his entire earnings to social causes.

He donated an estimated `30 crore, earned as honorarium from several awards. Kalyanasundaram lost his father at a very young age and it was his mother who is said to have inspired him to serve the poor. Post-retirement, he also served as a waiter to meet ends and continue with his charitable contributions, despite earning a pension amount close to `10 lakh, which he once again pledged for his charitable work. The United Nations Organization has adjudged him as one of the ‘outstanding people in the 20th century’. The Union Government has acclaimed him as ‘The Best Librarian in India’. He has also been chosen as ‘one of the top ten librarians of the world’. The International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, has honoured him as ‘one of the noblest of the world’. Despite his accolades as a humanitarian, he barely managed to score the Indian limelight which happened around 20122013 when certain media sites proclaimed that, he was adopted by superstar Rajinikanth, as his father.

Unfortunately, not much has been said about his work in the last three years despite his retirement benefits and his share of family property being rolled on for charitable causes. He runs an organisation ‘Paalam’ that serves to bridge donors and beneficiaries and like a modern-day ‘Robin hood’, the organisation collects money and other donations in kind from those willing to donate and distributes the same amongst the weaker sections. It is said that he was born into a rich agricultural family and was not used to a hard life but, he slept on pavements and railway platforms to find out what it is like to be poor, without a home. Let us then hunt out this ‘unsung hero’ and take a small cue from his life and extend ours too.

Corporate Citizen slaps the surging trend in tiger poaching numbers as wild life conservationists say that census figures are ‘worrying’ and cast doubts on the country’s anti-poaching efforts

Latest data by Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) show that 28 tigers have been poached till April 26, 2016 in comparison to 25 killed for body parts in 2015, highest for the first four months in the last decade. This indicates that more tigers have been killed in India this year till date than in the whole of 2015. The WLPSI, a conservation charity, noted that tiger meat and bones are used in traditional Chinese medicine and fetch high prices. The surge in poaching trend hints the spurt in demand for their body parts and a revival of poachers’ network. Poaching has been reported in some of the country’s most protected forest areas from Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand to Pench in Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra to Kaziranga in Assam to Satyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu.

India is home to more than half of the world’s tiger population with 2,226 in its reserves according to the last count in 2014. The figures come after a report by the WWF and the Global Tiger Forum said the number of wild tigers in the world had increased for the first time in more than a century to an estimated 3,890. This new data comes at the time when tiger-range countries cheered themselves for increasing tiger population from 2,700 to around 3,200 in April 2016. The related ministries of these countries had claimed that poaching was relatively levelled off primarily because of control on poaching through improved vigilance and wildlife crime control. However, leading tiger experts in the country, the likes of Ulhas Karanth, do not agree. The report cited improved conservation efforts, although its authors cautioned that the rise could be partly attributed to improved data gathering. P K Sen, director of Project Tiger noted that despite huge investments made to fight poaching, the killing of tigers has continued unabated. “The reason is that many of the issues grappling tiger reserves have not been resolved and access to tigers is as easy as before.” Poachers use guns, poison and even steel traps and electrocution to kill their prey.

Despite preventive anti-poaching attempts, questions continue to arise as more new poaching incidents are being reported from southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka that was unheard of till a few years ago. It indicates that poachers are now scanning the entire tiger population in the country.

High time we do something about this issue!

May 16-31, 2016 / Corporate Citizen / 63

astroturf Aries

Mar 21- April 20 Be responsible for your own actions and happiness. Personal power will get stronger. You need to be aware of your financial situations and its implications. Good time to make investments and networking.

On the surface nothing seems to be happening, but they sure are happening behind the scenes.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 20 This is another happy and successful period for you, many of the happy trends. You will look and feel great and energy levels will rise. Singles will attract partners and those already in a relationship will enjoy the harmony, more romance. A period of peak earnings.

GEMINI

May 21 - June 21 A good time to review your past, especially around your birthdates.

Time to get a thorough makeover of mind and body so pamper yourself.

You could be investing in some kind of new equipment connected with communication. Some of you could perhaps be investing in cars too.

SAGITTARIUS

(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

LEO

July 24 - Aug 23 Career remains the main focus and it will go great guns, you will experience much success and happiness as advancement happens on all fronts. You will have mental clarity and realistic views about your money and career. Take care of your health.

Nothing serious, it’s just a shortterm phenomena. Try enhancing your health through holistic means. Finances remain good. Do not sign any important contracts before you finally have gone through it minutely. Prosperity is seen.

CANCER

Jun 22 - July 23 Devote some time to yourself and make working conditions conducive to your happiness. Its time to take responsibility for your own personal happiness. Do not worry about what others think or will say. This is a good period to go deeper into the spiritual dimension of wealth. New career opportunities need to be looked at closely, things might not be as easy as they seem. A pause that will refresh you and give you clarity in your career. You may feel nothing is happening, but situations subtly change behind the scenes.

VIRGO

Aug 24 - Sept 23 Foreign travels have been in your chart all year round and this month it indicates more intensively. Happy opportunities come and you must avail of them. This is a good month for metaphysical and philosophical studies. A great month to examine personal belief systems. It shows that money is high on your agenda.

You admire prosperity and those who are rich, aspiring to be one like them is a good sign. You will receive financial favours from bosses or elders. Enhance your health through diet and exercise regimes.

64 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

LIBRA

Sept 24 - Oct 22 Emotional harmony family and home concerns still need to be balanced. You need to be practical in all your decisions. Excellent financial period. Take care while dealing with any financial transactions. Material wealth and material gifts will be important.

There will be a pause in love and social life. Health remains fine. Job situation remains troubled for some more time, you will have to work harder to maintain harmony at the job. Jobseekers will have better proaspects.

SCORPIO

Oct 23 - Nov 22 Love is the main headline. Social activity will be all time high.

Romance would be on your mind, and there would be plenty of opportunities for you to indulge in.

Good social relations will enhance your life in all aspects. Finances see an overall improvement. This indicates towards a pause in your career and general routine. If you can take a break from your work during those days, it will be beneficial to you as your mind gets refreshed and energised as clarity is gained for future. Health needs watching.

Nov 23 - Dec 22 Use your extra energy to be helpful to others. If someone angers you take a few deep breaths before answering. Good for jobseekers.

Take care of your throat. Office romance may happen. Move forward, in right direction, bring in more confidence and selfesteem.

CAPRICORN

Dec 23 - Jan 20 This is the right time for you to enjoy life, to schedule in leisure activities and fun. Be around your children for the maximum satisfaction in life.

Many of your ideas which may have been rejected in the past are now accepted and people around you will be more practical and down to earth.

AQUARIUS

Jan 21 - Feb19 You will walk a fine line over the next few months. You need to brush up your social skills.

Health still needs attention. There are many happy career events happening, but your focus should be on home and family. Your career is expanding as you are being elevated.

PISCES

Feb 20 - Mar 20 You are in the situation of having to balance a successful career with a successful home and family life.

There are no rules to this, you may keep oscillating one way or the other. Pay more attention to health. Your financial planet is still retrograde this month. Earnings will happen but with more delays and glitches.

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the last word

IT companies have to do a T20 Ganesh Natarajan

The similarities between T20 cricket and IT firms don’t end here. As we all know, the course of an IPL game is predictable in its unpredictability. IT companies are no different

W

e are in the middle of one more exciting IPL season, which always starts with low viewership but builds up excitement as the games progress and likely winners manage to emerge. The IT Services industry follows pretty much the same course during each quarter with the excitement peaking after the first company, typically Infosys and TCS announcing its financial numbers and then moving back to “business as usual” as the top three and the next ten report their numbers and get back to business.

The similarities between T20 cricket and IT firms don’t end here.

As we all know, the course of an IPL game is predictable in its unpredictability. When the team batting first manages to reach fifty for the loss of two wickets in six overs or less, the supporters sense victory only to fall into a slough of despond when the star batsman gets out. Finally what happens in the game is any body’s guess and the truth for India has always been that when a Kohli is batting with Dhoni still to come, the hope of victory surges constantly in our minds.

IT companies are no different.

Having come off the leadership role in Zensar recently after a wonderful ride of 15 years and more, I find it amusing to think of the number of times a big deal or success in a growth area like Digital Commerce has kept industry watchers happy even when the numbers were somewhat weak in traditional areas.

Today every company is talking up their “Digital Transformation” story with the full realisation that this area of our work is the ‘Virat Kohli’ of our team portfolio and if that continues to fire, the target of consistent ten percent annual organic growth in our revenues is very achievable.

Ganesh Natarajan with a colleague

Today every company is talking up their “Digital Transformation” story with the full realisation that this area of our work is the ‘Virat Kohli’ of our team portfolio and if that continues to fire, the target of consistent 10 percent annual organic growth in our revenues is very achievable One reason why one can expect this heavy hitter called Digital Transformation to enable a turnaround in industry fortunes next year and set is back on a 12 to 14 percent growth track is quite simply, the complete alignment of customer needs in singling economies with the hunger of service providers to offer a new range of services and garner new revenues. On the demand side, companies particularly those who directly serve the end customer, are all looking for technologies and processes to get even closer to the customer. A case in point is retailers who are using Geo-positioning on mobile phones to track potential customers even when they drive within a few miles of the store and entice them to the store with offers based on their previous buying history and even their preferences discerned from their Twitter and Facebook behavior. The availability

66 / Corporate Citizen / May 16-31, 2016

of omni-channel marketing methods coupled with deep analytics to discern spending patterns all combine to make digital capabilities in mobility. Social listening and big data truly critical in the arsenal of the chief marketing officer. Add to this the new capabilities coming through artificial intelligence, augmented reality and virtual reality, beacons and sensors n the shop floor and it is easy to realise why the world of the marketer will never be the same again.

For the IT service provider, this has meant a clear need to move from the traditional systems of record where the load on the computer was primarily around record keeping and reporting to systems of insight and systems of engagement. Increasingly, IT services firms are developing user experience and customer experience capabilities and integrating digi-

tal interactive agency skills in their value propositions. For a company like Zensar, which has seen the digital component of its revenues grow from single digit to over 25 percent in two years, this has meant a transformation of marketing, execution and even skills to meet the demands of newer and more discerning customers. The narrative of most of the companies in this month has shown that the move to digital transformation is now an inexorable trend across the industry.

Coming back to our cricketing metaphor what does this mean to the team that is playing the game, namely the IT Company and the watchers, typically the industry analysts who keep peering through their binoculars to see the game closer and find the next boundary that the industry will hit? The obvious first step is for the coach or CEO to ensure that the whole team is digital ready. In the future, it will not just be a few creative designers or data scientists who will set the stadium on fire, but the entire engagement team, at the client site as well as in offshore campuses in Indian IT cities who will have to demonstrate the skills to talk and deliver digital in every stadium in every part of the world. The good news for traditional Test cricketers unused to the quick pace of IPL has been that they can always wait to play another day but for the new age IT warrior every day will be a digital day and it is essential to understand the rules of this new game and play it well !

Dr Ganesh Natarajan is Founder of 5F World, a platform for start-ups, skills and social transformation. He is also Chairman of Global Talent Track and Chairman of NASSCOM Foundation and Pune City Connect.

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