CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP
Banashrii Bijoli Barman, Principal, Indore Public School, Main Campus, Indore Volume 3, Issue No. 19 / Pages 68 / www.corporatecitizen.in
December 16-31, 2017 / `50
Dynamic Duo 62
Travelling Together Entrepreneurs Renil Komitla, Chairman, YatraGenie.com and wife Rama Kini, President & CEO, Medkumo CII HR CONCLAVE Session:
Technology impact on candidate selection process
Hail this Visionary Motivational Speaker
Mohammed Asif Iqbal, Consultant, PricewaterhouseCoopers An impressive motivational speaker, Iqbal is visually challenged but has made a mark in the cutthroat corporate world. He shares the journey of his life, throwing light on how he beats challenges
INTERVIEW
Shekhar Ramamurthy, Managing Director, United Breweries Ltd. (UBL) SURVEY
Dun & Bradstreet’s Business Optimism Index India, 2017
2 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 67
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Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian
Hail this Visionary Motivational Speaker
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n Helen Keller’s words: “Life is either a great adventure or nothing. The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched—they must be felt with the heart. Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it”. Mohammed Asif Iqbal, consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers and an impressive motivational speaker perfectly fits into this philosophy. He is visually challenged but has made a mark in the cutthroat corporate world. I have observed him since the last few years as a motivational speaker. When I compare his attitude with young corporate and student managers who have all faculties as per normal parameters of the body, I am tempted to once again to quote Keller who has said, “It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision.’’ I recently invited him as a motivational speaker to address and inspire
the new batch of student managers of MBA programme of Sri Balaji Society. Despite all odds, Iqbal managed to complete his schooling in the US, return to India and then go on to become the first visually-impaired student to graduate from Kolkata’s prestigious St. Xavier College, and then the first visually impaired student to be awarded a PGDM degree from Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development. He now works as a Principal Consultant in Human Resource Management with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Kolkata. Iqbal has always been finding ways to beat challenges, which are double for him given the fact that he is visually impaired. However, he has found ways and means to beat any hurdle that comes his way. Technology for example, has really excited him. So, while you have ‘normal’ people crib about how they can’t be technolDecember 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 3
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I share my life with my audience. I connect with my listeners, whether they are students, HR professionals or corporates. I do not preach or talk in clichés. I speak from the heart. I don’t use nonsensical terms like ‘Be flexible’, ‘Strategise’ or ‘Energise’— Mohammed Asif Iqbal
Mohammed Asif Iqbal with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Global Conference on Cyberspace in New Delhi Mohammed Asif Iqbal being felicitated at Sri Balaji Society, Pune
ogy-savvy, Iqbal is a part of designing smart city applications. Says he, in an optimistic tone, “I am working on designing smart city applications for our upcoming smart cities which can provide inclusive access to citizens as well as government officials with disabilities. If I am successful in rolling out these solutions, my management will ensure that it gets a wider national release to all the smart cities. Earlier, I couldn’t file my income tax returns because you have to read the Captcha (Captcha’s are special type of verification codes, which we normally find at the bottom of the registration pages.) I was able to present solutions on an alternate authentication mechanism and convince the government to implement it. Now when you go to the income tax site, you get an OTP for the visually disabled. Even for IRCTC portals, we managed to incorporate changes to ensure that even visually impaired people can now make train reservations.’’ Besides innovation, Iqbal has a fiery passion to com4 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
municate to people and so carves out more time as a motivational speaker. Says he, “I share my life with my audience. I connect with my listeners, whether they are students, HR professionals or corporates. I do not preach or talk in clichés. I speak from the heart. I don’t use nonsensical terms like ‘Be flexible’, ‘Strategise’ or ‘Energise'. What does that even mean? We can read jargons like that in textbooks. People are giving you an hour of their time. You should ensure that you don’t bore them at least. People don’t want to be talked down to. They want to be told stories, and that is my strong suit.’’ However, I asked him whether there is any discrimination due to his visual impairment. He said in a tone of positivity, “The companies won’t say it in black and white, obviously. However, it is the ground reality. There is no overcoming this other than by consistently proving yourself. After 12 years, I still struggle to win over minds. In my case, deep down I know I have the top management’s commitment, but it took me a long time to earn that trust.’’ Iqbal rues the fact that a lot of people and companies are still doing lip service regarding employing physically-challenged people. Even large companies are saying that they aren’t ready to accommodate disabled people. When will they be ready? he asks.
Quoting an example of apathy towards the differently abled, once again there is a note of ‘problems are opportunities’ in his tone. There’s no bitterness even if he faces an untoward situation. He says, “Once, I was on my way to catch a flight, and the cab driver, who was a wicked fellow, left me 200 metres away from the airport. I had a choice to make. I could cry at my misfortune or find a way to catch my flight on time, and I had only 10 minutes after which I wouldn’t get a boarding pass. Fortunately, a lady directed me to the airport gate and I reached the airline desk two minutes before the boarding time was over. There are good people and bad people in this world; I choose to believe in the good people rather than wasting time on the bad. I formulate a plan of action based on the situation rather than brood and lament on misfortunes.’’ Mohammed Asif Iqbal Iqbal feels that over a hundred million people with Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian, with disabilities live in India, and these are just Editor-in-Chief of Corporate Citizen the ones on record. They are neglected because they have no voice. However, he is very clear that, “frankly, I believe we need solutions and not just lip service. We don’t need to be patronised. We need to be included.’’ Iqbal says it’s not about just people with disabilities. You have to look for opportunities. You have to strive hard to grab them. In our country, so many people don't reach university level. On says of his six-year-old daughter, “She realises her dad some level, people also have to take responsibility for their can’t see, and she is very sensitive about it. If I drop somesuccess, and work hard. Nothing will be handed to you thing, she picks it up and gives it to me. My entire family on a silver platter, disability or not. Eventually, it is your is very sweet and supportive. I wouldn’t be where I am potential, which will take you places, he says. without them”. His advice to young corporate and student managers is: Beauty has different meanings to different people. For “I keep telling the youth that you complain too much—I Iqbal, “Beauty is anything that gives me satisfaction. A don’t have this, I don’t have that. Instead of complaining, long walk, my daughter’s laugh, meeting new people, these stop, pause and thank God for what you have. If you do things are beautiful to me.’’ that you will see the transformation that it will bring and it will be remarkable.’’ Citing USA as an ideal example of inclusion, he says, “The development and inclusiveness in the US today is simply because of the hard work of the previous generations. The same thing applies to India as well.’’ Stating that he would like to do his bit for the next generation, he plans to become a full-time motivational speaker by 2030, by which time he says he would be financially stable enough to give up his job. Says he, “I like Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian meeting new people, which is one of the reasons I am a editor-in-chief motivational speaker. I love listening to music and travelling with my family.’’ Dr APJ Abdul Kalam is his greatIn case you would like to invite Mohammed Asif Iqbal est inspiration as he was part of a group to discuss with for a motivational lecture to your company/organisation/ him, technology initiatives for the visually impaired. “His institution, you may get in touch with him at these warmth and genuine desire to help have stayed with me following contacts: Mobile No: 9830059830 even till now,’’ says he. E-mail: mohammed.asif.iqbal@in.pwc.com Praising his wife for being the pillar of support, he
I keep telling the youth that you complain too much—I don’t have this, I don’t have that. Instead of complaining, stop, pause and thank God for what you have — Mohammed Asif Iqbal
December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 5
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True Grit Mohammed Asif Iqbal is unlike any person you will meet. Extremely humble, he is a pragmatist who understands the challenges that a visually impaired person has to face in India, and more so if the person is a corporate leader. He is full of wit, has a commoner’s charm and is stylishly tech-savvy. Corporate Citizen chats with Asif about his life as a corporate, the challenges faced by disabled people, and what a regular day is like for someone like him
Mohammed Asif Iqbal with wife and daughter
On dealing with people’s bias
This is a global problem. This is not going to be eliminated overnight. There can only be a long-term solution for this. There was a time when women were discriminated against at the workplace and over time that injustice has been largely eliminated. I feel the same way about the disabled or any other marginalised group. The journey towards the solution 6 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
has been initiated. Education and awareness is extremely important, which is why I never miss an opportunity to speak at any public forum about equality irrespective of handicaps.
On how India treats people with disabilities
When it comes to infrastructure or technical capabili-
Mohammed Asif Iqbal with family at Kaziranga National Park
ties to accommodate disabled people, India is still a long way off. What is more important, however, is providing a support system for the disabled. We must learn to inspire hope in their hearts, give them the confidence to attain any goal. We must give them wings to fly. We need to make the effort to broaden the mindset of the people.
A regular day for him is…
Like most corporates, I have to travel a lot, and for that I have to plan my day in advance. Meticulous planning and coordination is the key. If I have to travel to another city, I can book my air-tickets and plan my route using JAWS, a software which reads out information displayed on my computer screen. I do, however, need someone to drop me to the airport, where the airport staff help me to my seat. Similarly, when I land, the airport crew escorts me to the arrival terminal, where I call my driver and arrange for a pickup. The most important thing is effective communication. After checking into a hotel, I immediately familiarise myself with the room’s layout, so I can move about comfortably.
On his performance in comparison with colleagues
That’s a good question. See, I work in a team, and the team has certain deliverables, and everyone has a role. My strength lies in envisioning a solution to a business problem, but my weakness lies, for example, in making a PowerPoint presentation to demonstrate a solution. That is where some other member of my team shines. The best work is done when everyone contributes to their
strengths, and this holds true for every job, irrespective of their disabilities.
On his growth in the corporate world
It all boils down to perception. I suppose if I had normal vision, I could have grown more. Also, I have to constantly face naysayers who feel a disabled person shouldn’t work. The underlying problem is people like the status quo and don’t like to challenge it. That being said, there have been, at least, some good leaders in every company who saw the potential in me and gave me an opportunity to prove myself. I am constantly growing at my work, and the day I feel I am not, I will move on and take on a new challenge. And this is my advice to young professionals. Self-growth should never stop. Every day you learn something new.
On acquiring new skills
The last assignment I was doing was for competency frameworks, which I didn’t know much about. I did a lot of research on Google using the JAWS software, called up a few friends who work in that field, and in a few days I was up to date with the subject. The only difference here is that I would have to spend some more time to learn about a subject than my sighted colleagues, but that is a sacrifice I am happy to make.
I am constantly growing at my work, and the day I feel I am not, I will move on and take on a new challenge. And this is my advice to young professionals. Self-growth should never stop. Every day you learn something new — Mohammed Asif Iqbal
His most memorable moment
Meeting former president APJ Abdul Kalam to discuss technology initiatives for the visually impaired. His warmth and genuine desire to help have stayed with me even till now. December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 7
Contents conversation 3 Inwith Editor-in-Chief
Hail this Visionary Motivational Speaker An impressive motivational speaker, Iqbal is visually challenged but has made a mark in the cutthroat corporate world. He shares the journey of his life, throwing light on how he beats challenges
22 Cover story
Dynamic Duo 62
Travelling Together Renil Komitla, Chairman, YatraGenie.com and wife Rama Kini, President and CEO, Medkumo, talk about their life, how they met, and their entrepreneurial journey
11 COLLYWOOD Chatpata Chatter from the Corporate World 8 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
Volume 3 Issue No.19 December 16-31, 2017 www.corporatecitizen.in
15 MANAGE MONEY On why leveraging per se is not bad and how it in fact helps organisations to exceed their reach beyond their grasp
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16 WAX ELOQUENT Who said what and why
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18 THE TAX MAN COMETH How, why and what of job creation. Measures to tackle the employment problem and turn the demographic disadvantage to advantage
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28 CII HR CONCLAVE Session panellists talk about the changing process of candidate selection and technology’s impact on the selection process 32 CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP Banashrii Bijoli Barman, Principal, Indore Public School, Main Campus, Indore, talks about the school’s accomplishments and her leadership
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38 INTERVIEW Shekhar Ramamurthy, Managing Director, United Breweries Ltd. (UBL), talks on UBL’s CSR activities and eco-initiatives 42 PASSION Maral Yazarloo, a fashion designer and world traveller from Iran, talks about her passion for superbikes, her ongoing world tour and exploring new places
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46 CAMPUS PLACEMENT Sumit Saxena on his experience of campus placement and his career break in the real estate field 48 LOVED AND MARRIED TOO HR professionals, Simranjeet Singh Marwah and Ekta Kaur on their rewarding personal and professional life
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contents
56 Editor-In-Chief Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian Consulting Editor Vinita Deshmukh vinitapune@gmail.com 50 SURVEY Dun & Bradstreet’s Business Optimism Index India for Q3 FY17
Senior Business Writer Rajesh Rao rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com Senior Sub-Editor Neeraj Varty neeraj.varty07@gmail.com
54 HEALTH Trending health in 2017—a dipstick check on what’s been trending lately—tech and non-tech 56 PEARLS OF WISDOM Why vegetarian diet is the best option for good health 58 BOLLYWOOD BIZ Some of the finest directors who have transitioned into acting 60 NEW TECH Some of the best air purifiers available in India
Sub-Editor Vineet Kapshikar vineetkapshikar@gmail.com
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66 LAST WORD Opportunities and challenges that our country faces
Writers Delhi Bureau Pradeep Mathur mathurpradeep1@gmail.com/ Sharmila Chand chand.sharmila@gmail.com Bengaluru Bureau Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar sangeetagd2010@gmail.com Pune Bureau Joe Williams / Kalyani Sardesai / Namrata Gulati Sapra Manager Circulation circulations@corporatecitizen.in West : Jaywant Patil, +91 9923202560 North : Hemant Gupta, +91 9582210930 South : Asaithambi G, +91 9941555389 Creative Direction Sumeet Gupta, www.thepurplestroke.com Graphic Designer Shantanu Relekar
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People in the news
NASSCOM, IFIM come together
Bhat, Agrawal on Tata Sons board
Bhaskar Bhat, MD of Titan, and Saurabh Agrawal, Group CFO, were inducted into the board of Tata Sons, the promoter of major Tata companies, taking the number of members to 11. Besides the 11 directors, Tata Sons has Ratan Tata as its Chairman Emeritus. But as Chairman Emeritus is an honorary post, Ratan Tata is not included in the board of directors. With the latest addition, Tata Sons now has four directors from within the Group. The other two in-house executives are N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, and Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover.
Armaan Seth to lead HR at Philips India Philips India has appointed Armaan Seth as its head of human resources. He will now lead the Indian operations with a focus on fostering inspirational leadership at all levels in the company, and providing employees continued opportunities for growth across functions and geographies. He will also work towards making the Philips culture more inclusive and diverse. Seth has been with Philips for about six years now and has served the company in various positions across India and the Netherlands. He joined Philips in March 2011 as country HR Head-Consumer Durables Business, at the Gurgaon office. He also managed the organisation and people aspects of the disentanglement of the lifestyle entertainment business, and was part of the diversity and inclusion board of the company. In February 2014, he was elevated as global HR business partner for business transformation and enterprise information management (EIM) functions in Philips, and operated from the Netherlands. In January 2016, he became the Company’s Senior Director, Head HR-Global IT function. In this position, he was responsible for transformation towards a new IT operation and organisation model, and establishing a new global footprint in the US, EU and BIC countries. An MBA in PM & IR from XLRI Jamshedpur, Seth has also worked at Marico as HR Manager and Jayesh Sanghrajka & Co LLP as financial auditor, between 2002 and 2011.
NASSCOM and IFIM have come together to train 10,000 students in analytics. With the aim of skilling 10,000 postgraduate students, the IFIM Business School has collaborated with Nasscom and the Central Government to become a licensed training partner in Karnataka. IFIM, in partnership with Nasscom has started a ‘Train the trainer’ programme, where it runs three courses for—associate analytics, junior data analytics and recruitment associate. Having relevant skills is critical for succeeding at the workplace, where advanced technology is being adopted constantly by organisations. This partnership between the Government and private institutions to skill the workforce will enhance the employability of the people. With huge amounts of data generated daily, the importance of data analytics is rising rapidly. The analytics market currently stands at $1.64 billion annually in revenues, at a growth rate of 28.8 per cent CAGR as per the Analytics India Industry Study 2016.
December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 11
collywood All that Apple employees enjoy
To boost the new recruitment, Apple has come out in a special way—from paid time off and annual gym credit to beer bashes and product discounts. This is a move to attract and retain as many as possible. According to a research, that the new generation workforces focus more on the culture and employee benefits of an employer than on the salary. The decision to join a company depends, to a large extent, on the benefits offered than any other factors. Apple also offers some perks and benefits to its employees, which are very fancy and tempting. The fancy benefits Apple offers to its employees are 12 days of paid time off to its new hires, which increases over time. Paid time off is what everybody seeks. Apart from the younger generation, the company is transforming its culture and caring for their employees more than ever before, with a rise in parental leave, bereavement leave, period leave, and so on. At Apple, the mothers are allowed four weeks of paid leave before delivery and 14 weeks after. While the non-birth parents get six weeks of paid leave. Discounts on the purchase of products and services offered by the companies, is yet another benefit employees appreciate. Apple employees get an annual discount of 25 per cent on purchase of an iPod, computer, or iPad. Also, every three years, the workers can get $250 off an iPad or $500 off a Mac.
Samsung Innovation Awards 2017 Young innovators, Kshitij Jaggi, Kumar Shivang and Rishabh Sahu were adjudged Samsung Innovation awardees to recognise and reward innovative and novel ideas with potential to revolutionise everyday living. They worked on a peer-to-peer financial transaction app using block chain technology in a distributed environment. The aim was to enable financial inclusion of chit fund subscribers with Circle, a mobile-first solution for organisers to easily manage the members, thereby bringing in transparency in the whole process and creating credit history for all Indians. Team Insomniatec, comprising students Kaustubh Mundra and Sankalp Rastogi, finished behind the champions, who proposed a project that uses an infrared camera coupled with computer vision technology to detect drowsiness in a vehicle driver while in motion, and provides in-time alerts.
One of the projects, Muskan Solid Waste, with founder Hari Shankar and co-founder Mewa Lal found a special mention at the awards. This is a startup that converts organic waste into high-yielding compost. The technique used reduces time for composting and produces more efficient manure compared to artificial fertilisers. The winners were given cash prizes worth `2.5 lakh, while the five finalists received merit recognition from Samsung. The ideas presented will be further developed with the help of Samsung’s R&D Institute, Bengaluru. This edition of the Awards was initiated at the IIT Kanpur campus six months ago, seeking submission of innovative ideas from students. It was an open-entry process and received a large number of applications this year. The ideas were shortlisted by the professors at the Institute and researchers from SRI-B, who also selected the eight finalists.
Pragya Kumar, CPO of GirnarSoft Pragya Kumar has been appointed as the Chief People Officer at GirnarSoft. The position was temporarily held by Ankur Agrawal, the business head of the company’s insurance unit. With this move the company has plans to add management structures, so as to accommodate the increasing workforce through its acquisitions and expansion efforts. It also plans to work towards building cultural values in the organisation. Kumar is a proficient HR professional with over 15 years of experience in HR. Prior to joining GirnarSoft, she had been working at Yatra.com for almost seven years before quitting as the head of
12 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
human resources. She has also worked at companies such as Mentor Graphics India Pvt. Ltd, iBilt Technologies, SAIL and Dorling Kindersley. An alumnus of Delhi School of Economics, Kumar has a masters in human resources from Delhi University. GirnarSoft is a company which operates automobile portals such as CarDekho, Gaadi and Zigwheels. The Company is backed by Google Capital and has a total headcount of 2,000 employees. Commenting on the new appointment, Amit Jain, CEO of GirnarSoft said, “Girnar aims to become one of the top 10 auto sites globally. Our current company culture has led to a successful business. However with Pragya’s expertise, we will have an evolving culture that feeds our business objectives”.
Sonali to head people at Treebo Hotels Sonali Ramaiah will now anchor Treebo Hotels, the third largest hotel chain in India. She has been appointed as its head of people to strengthen the culture of the company and make it a preferred employer. With experience of over a decade in human resources she has served in several companies in various HR positions. Sonali has worked at Boeing as senior HR executive, where she was responsible for building the defense and IT teams. A pass out of Xavier Institute of Management & Enterpreneurship, Sonali started her career as a journalist in 1997 at the Deccan Herald Media Company and then joined TVA Infotech in 1998 as business manager. In 2006, she joined Fidelity Investments as assistant manager talent development, where she worked as performance consultant to the business analytics division, enterprise services, and operations functions. For almost four years (August 2010 July 2014), she worked at Philips Healthcare as Senior Manager, Human Resources, before moving to Cisco as India HR. She has garnered experience working
at organisation development, culture change, building leadership competence and driving employee engagement. “Treebo represents a fantastic opportunity for me. In building a ‘digital hotel brand’, the company has assembled different talent pools including those from hospitality, technology, brand building and operations which are all united by the common DNA of customer obsession. As an HR professional, I am excited about the opportunity to work with these different sets of colleagues, to help them grow and develop, and to preserve and strengthen the terrific culture of the organisation,” said Sonali about the move. Commenting on the appointment, Rahul Chaudhary, Cofounder, Treebo Hotels said, “Sonali’s expertise in driving initiatives at global organisations across leadership, coaching and diversity will further help Treebo build a diverse, yet cohesive team. We are excited to have Sonali join the leadership team at Treebo and look forward to her contribution in driving various people initiatives for the company.”
Manushi, sixth Indian ‘Miss World’
A 20-year-old medical student from Haryana, the winner of Femina Miss India World 2017, Manushi Chhillar was crowned Miss World 2017 Manushi had made it to the top five along with contestants from England, France, Kenya and Mexico. Miss England Stephanie Hill and Miss Mexico Andrea Meza finished as the first and the second runners-up respectively. This title was last won by Priyanka Chopra for India in 2000, a year after Yukta Mookhey had made the country proud. Aishwarya Rai and Diana Hayden and had won the crown in the year 1994 and 1997 respectively. Reita Faria was the first Indian to win the crown in 1966. It has taken 17 years for the crown to make a comeback to India. Manushi’s joyous journey would have been impossible without the proper mentoring and guidance from India’s top models, actors and of course, ace fashion designers, who made sure she looked amazing at every appearance. From Abu Jani, Sandeep Khosla to Manish Malhotra, check out the amazing wardrobe that helped Miss India become the Miss World 2017, all curated by designer Rocky Star and her stylist Sheefa J Gilani. December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 13
collywood Servion Group gets David Raj as CHRO In a bid to make its presence felt globally, Servion Group has appointed David Raj as its CHRO. Based in Chennai, and as part of the executive officer group, he will be responsible for global HR for both the Group companies—Servion and Acqueon. The firm brings in Raj who is a specialist in customer experience management. Raj moves in from CSS Corp where he was SVP and CHRO. He comes with over two decades of diverse experience which includes manufacturing, IT and finance. In the past he has worked with companies such as Murugappa Group, Rane & Polaris, Virtusa. Raj has a Masters degree in Social Work from Loyola College, Chennai. He has experience across all geographies and functions including startups, change management, acquisition and merger initiatives, IPO process, setting up nearshore centres as well as managing talent across Europe, US and Asia. The Group is on an expansion mode and is beefing up its leadership team at the same time. On a hiring spree, Servion has hired more than 200 people in the past four months. The company wants to ride on factors that video and
Dale Carnegie Award for Axis Bank
visual-based technologies are expected to replace 60 per cent of the existing customer management business services across traditional and non-visual digital channels and that the market adoption of mobile apps and chat within the business process is estimated to increase by 300 per cent by 2020. Commenting on the move, Sameet Gupte, CEO, Servion said, “We continue to execute as per our growth plans. This includes strengthening our workforce to meet our expanding customer base and market innovation needs through R&D. As we move to the next level, we will continue to build an exceptional leadership team. We are confident that Raj’s rich experience and proven leadership skills will enable us to build the right people culture and processes required to scale.”
Banerjee joins Johnson as Head-HR Sandeep Banerjee joins Johnson, a division of Prism, as Head-HR and Senior Vice President. Banerjee served Reliance Industries as the Vice President-HR. His move to a tiles company is a transformation journey and Banerjee will lead its HR agenda, aligning it with the business strategy, helping it grow further. A senior campaigner in the field of HR, Banerjee has worked with large MNCs and Indian conglomerates across service and manufacturing. Joining a midsized company will offer him huge scope of work and empowerment to transform. His objective is to establish strong people practices which are aligned to the business. An alumnus of the National Institute of Personnel Management, Banerjee started his career with the Swedish company ESAB, as Assistant Manager-HR in 1994 before heading to Electrosteel Castings as personnel manager and spent a good five years with the company. Banerjee moved to the hospitality industry, shifting base from Kolkata to Mumbai. He spent a decade at Taj Hotels and rose above the ranks from Area Head-HR to Director-HR for Vivanta Hotels and further on to Head-HR for Luxury Hotels and Vivanta Hotels worldwide. At Reliance, he was managing HR for corporate functions, Aviation, IMGR Fashion, Sports and the upcoming Convention and Luxury Retail at BKC Mumbai. 14 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
Axis Bank has won the Dale Carnegie Global Leadership Award 2017, thanks to its advanced people development initiatives, backed with proven statistics and cutting-edge efforts towards L&D with measurable results. Capgemini and Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) finished behind the champions, in that order. When this award was conceptualised by Dale Carnegie & Associates in 1985, the objective was to award and celebrate organisations which were ahead in human capital management, and considered their people as important for the success of the organisation as any technology, patent or business strategy. The nominees for this award are assessed thoroughly—for their cutting-edge investment in human capital and on the basis of the key goals and initiatives taken in the following three broad categories: organisational structure, learning & development and employee engagement. This year for the prestigious award, they received applications from 34 Indian companies. HR professionals from the foremost organisations were honoured for their significant achievements, celebrating the success of their people development. Compiled by Joe Williams joe78662@gmail.com
manage money Anil Lamba
Romancing the Stocks Investment in stock and shares-can it be a lucrative investment opportunity, given the right blend of incentives and a healthy investment environment?
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or the growth and prosperity of an economy it is essential that a sizeable proportion of its population is productively employed in the creation of wealth on a continuous basis. Those engaged in industry, mining or agriculture are directly involved in the generation of wealth while others do so indirectly by contributing their savings for this purpose. Indirect investment in industry can take the following modes: 1. Investment in deposit schemes of banks, financial institutions, post office or government securities (which are further lent by these institutions to industry). 2. Investment through scheme of mutual funds (the mutual funds in turn invest in stocks, shares, debentures, etc. of companies). 3. Direct investment in stock and shares. From the investors’ point of view, the first option may be safe but does not give any spectacular returns. The second option may give slightly higher returns (at the cost of a certain amount of safety) but there is no guarantee of the same. Besides the mutual funds utilise a sizeable sum from out of their earnings in meeting their own running and administrative costs and it is a diluted portion of the profit that gets distributed amongst the contributors. The third option can result in phenomenal gains for the investor, while at the same time entail considerable risk of even losing the principal outlay. However this investment avenue holds forth the maximum attraction for a relatively educated, enlightened and aware investor and those who stay away and miss out on what can be an extremely lucrative investment opportunity. Given the right blend of incentives and a healthy investment environment, Indian capital markets hold a promise of unprecedented growth. This has been proven by several events of
the past when the Indian stock market indices have witnessed a rise, unparalleled not only in its own history but perhaps in the history of most other countries. Investing in stocks is a national duty. Besides, it is my opinion that investing in stocks is a national duty. Why do I say so? Consider the role of a stock exchange. Let’s imagine I come to you with a very attractive investment opportunity, a brilliant business idea which can make millions in profit and I invite you to invest in it. You are given an assurance that my business idea supported by your money will make millions in profit and your money will be returned to you, multiplied manifold, after 25 years. Would you be willing to invest? Even if you have no reason to doubt my proposition, and are convinced that your money is not only safe but can also earn a handsome return, what will put you off is the 25-year period. You may have money to spare today, but what if you need it sometime in the near future? Very few people would agree to invest. But now, imagine, I present you with this great investment opportunity and also offer to pay your money back whenever you ask for it. Wouldn’t you be far more inclined towards investing? This is what the stock market does. It provides investors an opportunity to exit. When a company comes announces an initial public offering, you may invest if you have money to spare at that point of time. Whenever you want it back, all you have to do is to call your broker with a request to sell and get your money back. (Of course, you may get back a little more or a little less). But what if, you tell your broker to sell, and the broker cannot find a buyer for your shares, due to lack lustre activity on the bourses.
When a sizeable percentage of the population of a country invests in shares, the stock markets are teeming with activity. When the bourses are active, every buyer is able to find a seller and every seller is able to find a buyer. When buyers and sellers find it easier to enter and exit the market, they are more inclined towards investing. When investors are more inclined to invest, more entrepreneurs are born. Those brilliant people, who have great ideas but are lacking the funds to put them into action. When more investors are born, industry thrives, employment is generated, the GDP moves upwards and it leads to all-round prosperity. And where did it all begin? When you decided to invest in shares. (to be continued) Dr Anil Lamba is a practising chartered accountant, financial literacy activist and an international corporate trainer. He is the author of the bestselling book ‘Romancing the Balance Sheet’. He can be contacted at anil@lamconschool.com
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Indians most susceptible to online fraud India stands amongst the top four countries in Asia-Pacific region with highest digital adoption, digital banking account sign-ups and utilisation and thereby Indians are more susceptible to online frauds. An Experian survey on financial frauds said that Indian retail merchants experience higher incidents of frauds—around 5% of total gross merchandise value. The breakdown of various fraudulent methods is - 19% on return-frauds, 11.6% cleanfrauds and 11.1% on ‘card-not-present’ frauds.
December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 15
wax eloquent
Foreseeable Future for India
Take a look at what our corporate leaders have to say about recent trends and their experiences in the business world
Best investment destinations
“I have often said that India as a place to do business is a lot more attractive than the World Bank ranking suggests. This is because the bank collects its data in Delhi and Mumbai, not in the states with the best business environment such as Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.”
Learnings from evolving business environment “One has to keep up with the pace of change and uncertainty in the market place. Faster on the feet and the need for being responsive is the call of the hour. One has to be willing to act swiftly and take quick decisions. The windows of opportunity are opening and closing very fast these days. One has also to be willing to be disruptive even in the middle of a particular year if the requirement is such. Nothing is permanent.” Srivats Ram, MD, Wheels India, a TVS group company Courtesy: http://www.thehindu.com
Arvind Panagariya,
Indian-American economist
Courtesy: https://auto.economictimes. indiatimes.com
Future is in experiential entertainment “As I keep saying, India is an “and” country. There will be TV “and” digital. There is a section of India which, in my opinion, for the foreseeable future will be watching television. The reason being, a consumer pays $3 for 300 channels. That’s incredibly inexpensive. The future is in experiential entertainment: you have to build a fan base. Fans will drive the media business as we go forward.” Sudhanshu Vats, CEO of Viacom18
Courtesy: http://www.livemint.com
Reputation today precedes a résumé
I live like the world is my oyster
“Reputation today precedes a résumé. Strong personal brands do not really need a résumé. Their individual brand recall does not really depend on their current corporate affiliation. It stands tall irrespective of the brand of their employer.”
“To feel young, one must act young. We are only ever as old as we feel, so I make sure that I still live like the world is my oyster, and (have) a smile that’s as hungry for success and happiness as the day I started 26 years ago.”
Prabir Jha, president and global chief people officer, Cipla Inc.
Akshay Kumar, actor
Nandana Sen, actress, author and child-rights activist
Courtesy: Hindustan Times
16 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
Courtesy: http://www.livemint.com
Connected to the causes I care for “It’s got to be the love that I have for all my work that keeps me going. I have always been passionate about cinema and books, as well as the causes I fight for. There is a lovely synergy between all three because as an actor, most often I choose scripts that are connected to the causes I care for. So, in a way there are strong and powerful intersections between all three vocations.” Courtesy: http://www.sundayguardianlive.com
‘Carpe diem’ is the way forward
“When I speak to CIOs, they are all talking about how ‘carpe diem’ is the way forward and how now is the time where you are more important to your business than ever before. So, the opportunity of helping businesses transform has never been greater than this period.” Pa Gelsinger, CEO, VMware (unit of EMC, now part of Dell Technologies) Courtesy: Financial Express
It is just incredible what is happening here in India
Improving the investor climate in the country
“Fascinating to see the breadth of entertainment in India and how that works. In India, in last two years with Reliance Jio, just the biggest explosion in bandwidth (has happened) that the world has ever seen. It is just incredible what is happening here in India. As we go to other countries, (we are) saying an investment like Reliance Jio is transformative for society.”
“A transformational improvement of 30 spots in the “Ease of Doing Business” rankings in the ‘Doing Business’ report of the World Bank this year is a global acknowledgement of the efforts made by government for improving the investor climate in the country. Our ministry is committed to undertaking measures that would propel India in the league of the Top 50 countries in the “Ease of Doing Business.”
Reed Hastings, CEO and
president, Netflix
Courtesy: http://www.indiantelevision.com
It’s not just good enough to run but you have to run fast
“What you need to keep in mind is that doing business has become popular and everybody is striving to do better. So, it’s not just good enough to run but you have to run fast. India’s rise in the World Bank’s latest ease of business ranking is quite a remarkable progress achieved. It is remarkable because of the accelerated pace of improvement but even more so it is happening in such a large and complex country.” Kristalina Georgieva, CEO, World Bank Courtesywww.economictimes.com
Far-reaching reforms—good in the long term “Everything will sound negative for some time because some very fantastically transformational reforms are taking place. Be it the RERA Act, Banking Regulation Act, companies being pulled up by NCLT (National Company Law Tribunal) or GST, these are all far-reaching reforms and good in the long term.”
PP Chaudhary, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Courtesy: http://www.dnaindia.com
SN Subrahmanyan, MD, Larsen & Toubro
Courtesy: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com
You can’t run business from your desk…
“If you want to change something or if you want to really influence or impact someone, you need to be in that person’s market and be with them face to face. You can’t run a multinational business from your desk. You can’t just get on the phone and tell the people that you need to do things differently.” Daniel S. Schwartz,
chief executive, Restaurant Brands International, the parent company of Burger King,Tim Hortons, and Popeyes
Read more at - https://www.nytimes. com/2017/09/08/jobs/corner-office-danielschwartz-restaurant-brands-international. html?_r=0
India is leapfrogging on technology “India wants to get exactly the same level of service to its customers in all kinds of verticals and markets that everyone else in the world has. And that will happen faster here than it will happen in other markets because India is leapfrogging on technology by using mobile phones. So things won’t take as long here as in other countries because the infrastructural change through mobile phones will change society.”
Gustaf Alstromer, partner, Y Combinator (YC), accelerator-investor
from Silicon Valley
Courtesy: https://inc42.com
Winning formula “Whether it is a startup, a business venture or a new film, it is all a function of the risk-taking ability. We don’t produce a film unless we take a certain risk about it. Similarly, for a business venture we need to have the risk-taking ability. One common factor encompassing all is passion. When you combine passion and mission with expertise you produce a winning formula. This is true for all such ideas. In business, thus, what is true for Bollywood is true for corporate India as well.” Rajkummar Rao, actor
Courtesy: http://businessworld.in
India not ready for a startup epidemic
“India’s economy is not ready for a startup epidemic. I have met people who say they have set up 20 start-ups. Essentially, we are looking at the business itself as a product, where you build a product or a machine and then sell. People should look at building long-term businesses, not just selling a business.” Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, founder, Isha
Foundation
Courtesy: Mint
Compiled by Rajesh Rao rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com
December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 17
The Tax Man Cometh
Facing the Challenge of Unemployment by S K Jha
(IRS (retd) and former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax)
Unemployment is one of the biggest challenges our country faces. There are indications that the situation could get worse, but concerted measures can help tackle the problem and turn the demographic disadvantage to advantage
18 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
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”
O
ne of the biggest problems facing our country is unemployment. Unemployment means that persons seeking employment do not get jobs or get jobs which are not in keeping with their qualifications, experience and skills. It is a serious ramification. Unemployment leads to crimes, social strife and strain on our resources. Sitting idle destroys the psyche of our youth and the much-touted demographic advantage of being a young country becomes a demographic disaster. As said by Whitney Young Jr, “The hardest work in the world is being out of work.” This problem is not limited to our country but is endemic worldwide. However, it becomes more pronounced in our country, as we are a big a country of about 130 crore people with 30% of population living below the poverty line. Some important reasons for this serious problem in our country are outlined here: 1. Our population growth is faster than the growth in job opportunities. 2. In many cases our job seekers are not employable even when a vacancy for jobs exists, as they lack the necessary skills needed for the job. 3. Our education system is not in consonance with the needs of the country. We produce educated illiterates in bulk as we believe in quantity and not in quality education. There is hardly any importance given to scientific and industrial research by our colleges and universities. Students are not prepared for innovation. 4. A major proportion of our job seekers have a feudal mindset and crave only for white-collar jobs, particularly government jobs. The concept of dignity of labour is not acceptable to them. 5. Many a time, our economic growth has shown up as growth in sectors that are not labour-intensive. In the recent past and even today, it is the service sector that has fuelled our economic growth, while the labour-intensive manufacturing sector has lagged behind. For more jobs to be created, the manufacturing sector has to run full steam. 6. For the past four years, there has not been enough investment by the private sector and hence no new big industries have been set up. On the contrary, some business groups have invested outside India. 7. Banks are suffering the burden of NPAs in a big way and there is no credit off-take. 8. The introduction of new technology, especially automation in industries will kill jobs.
Can Get Worse
The situation in the job market is bleak and if necessary correction is not done immediately, it will be worse in the near future. In the global context, the alarming situation in the future has been indicated by the MD of Daimler Benz (Mercedes Benz) when he said that their com-
petitors are no longer other car companies, but Tesla, Google, Apple, Amazon. Software will disrupt most traditional industries in the next five to 10 years. Uber is just a software tool, they don’t own any cars, and are now the biggest taxi company in the world. Airbnb is now the biggest hotel company in the world, although they don’t own any properties. Artificial Intelligence computers have become exponentially better in understanding the world. In the US, young lawyers already do not get jobs because of IBM Watson—you can get legal advice (so far for more or less basic stuff) within seconds, with 90% accuracy compared to 70% accuracy when given by humans. So there will be a situation when 90% less lawyers will get jobs in the future. Only specialists will survive. Watson already helps nurses diagnosing cancer four times more accurately than human nurses. By 2030, computers will become more intelligent than humans. In 2018, the first self-driven cars will appear for the public, there will be wide disruption in the automobile market, as firstly, people will not prefer to own a car when the same is available on one phone call and second, the jobs of drivers will go down with automatic cars. In the energy sector, solar energy will reduce dependence on fossil energy and so the landscape of the energy sector will change. All these changes, together with the popularity of robotic technology, will have a serious effect on human jobs. We have to start planning now for the future problem of unemployment. In the Indian context, we have to start with the basics as we are far behind compared to the developed countries. Some important things we should do in our country are outlined here.
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Indian travellers hard to please Most Indian tourists avoid having meals in hotels because they find them priced too steep; several said they buy from outside or consume at minibars. A MakeMy Trip survey said, that 80% of the travellers requested early check-ins, 75% for late checkouts, and 35% said they always request early check-in and late check-out. While 59% Indians felt annoyed by “unsuitable” breakfast timings, 48% took offence to loud neighbours, and 43% were irritated because of fellow travellers who were too fidgety. Indian tourists also emerged as tight-fisted when it came to tipping porters for carrying luggage to their rooms with only 39% tipping them.
December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 19
The Tax Man Cometh First and foremost, we all have to do our best to create wealth which goes into the economy of the country. Better economic development and a higher GDP will have a direct co-relation with growth in jobs. Money has a multiplying effect. It is normally said that earning the first million is difficult but once that is achieved then the money so earned goes on the autopilot and the chain of earning activities follows and the same has positive impact on the job market. The conduct of the government, both at the centre and in the states, should be of an active facilitator to promote and incentivise more growth in these sectors where there is more potential to create jobs such as agricultural sector, construction sector, textile sector, and generally any section of manufacturing. The government can trigger activities in job-oriented sectors by giving tax concessions or by giving softer loans for such sectors. China, to begin with, was like India, being a populous, developing country but it started economic activity in a big way since the mid-’80s and it led to a chain reaction of more jobs created and higher GDP. The cumulative effect of the two has made China what it is today.
jor crops, rabi and kharif. These farmers are thus only seasonally engaged in work and for a significant span of time they do not have any work. We have to go for innovative farming where farmers are busy round the year growing many crops or even engaging in horticulture. This will help in generating more jobs in the farm sector while also increasing the share in GDP from this sector. The growth in the agricultural income of farmers will have a positive cascading effect, creating more rural demand and thus pushing industrial activities to produce more consumer items and thus more jobs in our factories. There are two important stakeholders in
the job market: persons who give jobs and persons who take jobs. Economic growth and more capital will add to the number of persons who will be ready to give jobs but the number of job takers cannot be added unless we have well-educated, experienced and skilled job seekers. Only those job seekers can get jobs who meet the requirement of the job to be given. Here comes the urgent necessity of quality education and our skill-building process. We have many management colleges, but as per a recent survey only 7% of MBA graduates are employable. We have many engineering colleges but our engineering graduates remain unemployed because of the lack of the necessary skill. Our education system needs to undergo a major change and we should give such education that makes students employable. We need to change our course curriculum and there should be more practical training. We are blindly producing graduates in Arts, Science and Commerce but we do not have any blueprint as to what these graduates will do. We need to think about having vocational courses and higher education should be more research-oriented. There should also be a scheme of linking colleges and universities with industries so as to enable students to get more industrial training. We have to transform the feudal mindset of our youth inherited from the pre-independence British system that white-collar government jobs are the best. There is a limit to
dest ‘The har world the work in t of work.’ ou is being m is not limited c mi ble This pro ntry but is ende omes ec ou to our c . However, it b ntry, as ide cou worldw ounced in our of about pron e r o country 30% of m a g i Keep Farmers Busy b a we are re people with the It is an accepted fact that agriculture remains our biggest employer where more that 130 cro ion living below 60% of our population is engaged, though its populat overty line contribution to the GDP remains a modest 14%. p We are still following our old style of farming where farmers are engaged to grow only two ma-
20 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 1-15, 2017 2017
Our ould youth sh at governcre, and th underst e for the medio ards ar nd h ment jobfor intelligent a he limit in t and that uth, the sky is research or yo g, working ors like teachin passionately ct ld other se Students shou hen try to confinance. eir hobby and t on. This way, i h follow t to their profess mployed in e vert it in th can be self- ting, actour you ike music, pain also areas l orts, etc., and ing, sp ake it big m
government jobs as government departments are already overcrowded. Our youth should understand that government jobs are for the mediocre, and that for intelligent and hardworking youth, the sky is the limit in other sectors like teaching, research or finance. Students should passionately follow their hobby and then try to convert it into their profession. This way, our youth can be self-employed in areas like music, painting, acting, sports, etc., and also make it big. There should not be any preconceived notion about any job or profession while choosing a career.
Runaway Population
Our efforts to solve the unemployment problem will fail if we do not put a brake on our ever-growing population. To have a young workforce in large quantity is certainly a demographic dividend, provided the workforce is suitably employed. Since our population is very big, even a modest population growth number leads to a large addition to the population every year. The numbers of job seekers go on adding up every year and it may be very difficult to create jobs in that proportion. The one solution is to put a curb on the rising population. This is however, a difficult proposition in a democratic country. China did try it by having a one-child policy in the past. Since population cannot be controlled and the number of jobs cannot be created in the same proportion, we should give emphasis on helping people becoming self-employed. Our government has started doing this by starting the Mudra Bank which gives softer loans of modest amounts to start small businesses.
Capitalise on People
Our biggest capital is our workforce and hence we should not blindly follow developed countries where they are implementing automation and robotics. Our labour is not very costly and hence we should go for labour-intensive industries. We should also go for such bilateral agreements with other countries as per which we can export our manpower for assignments to other countries. We do not require driverless cars as we have more people to work as drivers. We can send our people all over the world to work as drivers under Uber. We should try capturing the world in the medical sector by producing more laboratory technicians, nurses, etc. Our teachers are appreciated the world over, and hence we should add our strength in this sector.
Heritage, Medical Tourism
people. We are increasingly getting known for Yoga and this sector has a huge potential for creating jobs both in India and abroad for our people. Yoga teachers from Spiritual India can be high on demand. The unemployment problem can be solved only when both the government and the people join together in mission mode. The people who make policies are employed people and they do not understand the pain of the unemployed and this may be one reason that this problem does not get the attention it requires. Harry S Truman has said, “It is recession when your neighbour loses his job; it is depression when you lose yours.”
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The one area where we have potential, but have not done well so far, is the tourism sector. This sector has a huge potential for generating jobs. The government has to work hard to promote this sector. We have ancient monuments and pilgrimage centres to showcase to the world. Once this sector starts blossoming, we will have more hotels, more tourist guides, and more shops at tourist centres and thus more jobs for our people. We have good doctors and our medical cost is lower than many big countries and hence we must promote medical tourism. However, for promoting the tourism sector, we have to ensure that our places are clean and there is good law and order. We should not be known for the wrong reasons. ‘Incredible India’ will bring tourists as well as employment for our
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Hyundai, top of the charts for customer satisfaction Car brand Hyundai has overthrown market leader Maruti Suzuki to grab the top position in the prestigious J D Power 2017 Customer Service Study for after-sales customer service. Hyundai has been ranked highest in J D Power 2017 India Customer Service Index (Mass Market) Study, ahead of Maruti Suzuki, which reigned as the leader for the last 17 years in a row till last year. It has been ranked first in after-sales customer satisfaction, with a score of 923 (on a 1000-point scale), while Maruti Suzuki and Tata rank second in a tie at 893.
December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 21
Cover Story
‘We aim to digitise all healthcare-related forums to ensure their digital transformation in healthcare, rendering top-of-the-shelf consistent service which serves you and your family when it really matters. You can now keep your Electronic Medical Record (EMR) along with other useful assistance specially designed for the users’ — Rama Kini
22 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
Dynamic Duo 62
Renil Komitla & Rama Kini
Travelling Together Two computer science specialists, who met and married in the US, decided to return to India and set up a bunch of businesses—in diversely different areas, but with a common thread, the IT spine. Their businesses are built on solutions that resolve customer pain points
BY SEKHAR SESHAN
H
e gave up his US citizenship and came back to India to offer better travel solutions. She accompanied him back, and runs a 1,000-people company with offices in the US, India, Vietnam and Australia. “Growing up in a village in Andhra Pradesh, I had always felt that the system of booking tickets in buses needed a lot of improvement,” says Renil Komitla. “I had thought of entering the bus ticket booking business way back in 2008, even before redBus and the others that followed it came up. But I didn’t have the money to do anything then.” So Renil moved to Bengaluru and studied for his B Sc, graduating in 1997. He was a good student, he got a full scholarship for his Masters in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina, North Carolina, USA. “I went to the US with $20—my parents could not afford to give me any more than that,” he recalls, explaining that his father was a veterinary doctor in the village, while his mother was a teacher in Nellore. Once he had enrolled in the University, he got a job with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department as a Software Consultant in the information technology division. “I worked with them for 13 months; designing, developing and deploying a database for crime labs,” he says. After he graduated two years later, he did what most other Indian students in the US did: he got a job in the information technology industry, working for the next nine years in IT companies including Cisco Systems. In 2008, he went on to do, again, what many others like him do. The entrepreneurial bug bit him and he set up his own services company, Paxterra Software Solutions, which works with customers to help them with their engineering needs so that they can in turn focus on their core business. Meanwhile, he had met and married Rama Kini, who was also studying in the US for her Ph D after finishing a double Masters in Computer Science and Organic Chemistry from Osmania University and Hyderabad.
December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 23
Cover Story
‘The taxi service market is projected to grow significantly in the coming years. Clearly, it is underserved and there is still room for new players who can innovate and serve customers better, not just in metro cities but also in tier-II cities’ — Renil Komitla Back in the country of their birth, Renil— who had spent 15 years in the US—and Rama built up Paxterra into one of the fastest-growing players in the field. The company is now rechristened Terralogic; and, run by Rama as its CEO, has grown far beyond its earlier geographies of India and the US to become a true multinational, though most of its employees work from the Bengaluru headquarters. “Terralogic has a strong portfolio of customer engagements from telecommunications, manufacturing, semiconductors, transportation, insurance, retail, oil and gas, sports, travel and tourism, hospitality, banking and entertainment industries,” Rama explains. Renil, however, was still chasing the childhood dream he had not been able to bring to reality in his youth. In 2013, he set up YatraGenie.com to do just that. “I had checked whatever gaps I could find in the travel business,” he says. “I identified local transportation, buses and economy hotels. But I couldn’t afford to get into all three fields. I had to decide which I could do first within my limited budget—it was a chicken-or-egg situation!” His choice was bus ticketing; and obviously, with his background in information technology, it was online. He also began in a smaller way with taxi bookings.
Why, after all his experience in infotech, did Renil decide to go into transportation? “It was a pain point which needed to be relieved. Besides, technology is what makes a big difference in service, and will make a big difference in day-to-day life. My 10-12 years of learning in companies like Cisco is a great help today,” he explains simply. And simplicity is what rules his life, too, despite his affluence: “The only thing that has changed in my lifestyle over the last 18-plus years is that I have a bigger house and a car. I still wear the same brand of shoes, the same type of clothes... I even go to the same biryani centre!” he grins.
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part from booking tickets for its customers on other bus operators’ routes—some of the big ones being SRS, VRL, Orange, Morning Star, Kaveri, Diwakar, SRI and Sea Bird— YatraGenie also runs some buses of its own. In March 2015, it launched its city and outstation taxi rental services in Bengaluru. This was only the metro premiere of its cab operations—it already has cabs in 40-plus towns, mainly in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, as well as Karnataka. The towns covered are in Nellore, Tirupati, Gudur, Kavali and Vijayawa-
24 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
da. Next on the list are Guntur, Rajahmundry and Vishakhapatnam. “Coastal Andhra is my home region,” Renil points out. “We began in small towns, at the rate of one every five months. Our growth has been slow, but good.” One of the few government-licensed radio taxi operators in the country, YatraGenie will introduce 100 cabs within Bengaluru and 50 for outstation travel to start with. In the coming months, it will partner with other operators to increase these numbers to 1,000 and 500, respectively. “The growing demand for city taxi and outstation taxi services in Bengaluru prompted us to venture into this market,” he said at the launch. “The taxi service market is projected to grow significantly in the coming years. Clearly, it is underserved and there is still room for new players who can innovate and serve customers better, not just in metro cities but also in tier-II cities. By the end of 2015, we will be operating in 65 cities and towns with an inventory of 25,000 cabs.” Bookings can be done on the online portal www.yatragenie.com, as well as through Android-based mobile devices using the YatraGenie app. Apart from web and app bookings, customers can reach out to the call centre. Commuters can now book a mix of cab and bus services for home pick-up and destination drop at home. “Yatragenie.com is one of the quickly developing cab services and bus ticketing organisations with a workforce of 750 representatives,” its website says. “We are ready to extend services into airlines, hotels/inns and logistics administration.”
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he travel portal is run by Terralogic, which is a world-class IT company with diversified workforce in multiple locations—with offices in Bengaluru, San Jose, California and Richardson, Texas, in the US, and now Vietnam and Australia, too, operated and managed by seasoned industry veterans. In four years, YatraGenie.com, of which he is President and CEO, has grown into one of India’s leading online bus ticketing and cab booking platforms. It provides a one-stop travel solution to customers looking for budget travel. And it now chalks up a gross revenue of `125 crore from a million unique users who make some 5,000 bus bookings a day all over India (against about 20,000 attributed to market leader redBus). It also has taxi fleets in Bengaluru, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. “My ambition is to touch 50,000 lives before I retire from this pure-pay transport business,” says Renil. “By then, I want to expand into hospitality also. The travel portal, also widely referred to in
the industry as a Rural Travel Partner, promises to give a world-class travel experience to the populace of India. As of date, it covers most of the major Indian cities for bus travel and radio taxi services to some parts of south India, with a vision to expand into the rest of the country. The model is one that is advantageous to both the clients and the operators. This model is based on the belief of giving its customers the best service at the best price, and works on a commission-based business model which its agents appreciate for its hassle-free, low-cost ticketing service. “We make about 12.5 per cent in the bus and cab business combined,” Renil says. “We hope to increase this with our hotels and bring up the average to 15 per cent.” “Our associates are the key to our prosperity,” the ‘Careers: Join Us’ section says. “That is why we take a very thoughtful, collaborative approach when making vital employing choices. YatraGenie is a place where capable personalities meet up in a creative, friendly and dynamic workplace. We flourish when our teams are comprised of individuals from diverse backgrounds, cultures, genders, education training, interests, and skills. We trust you can thrive by joining us. If you have the drive and passion to excel, we have the right opportunities for you!” There is extensive information in the FAQs, from Booking: “Registration is not required to use any of our services. There are no charges for booking a ticket with us”... to Cancellation (possible till four hours before actual journey time) and Boarding and journey, which carries the disclaimer: “YatraGenie is not responsible for the final service provided by the operator. Any issues arising from deficient service from the operator have to be reconciled with the operator itself. However, we would love to hear from you regarding your experience to see if we can educate ourselves and the operators and serve you better. If you face any problem due to a faulty experience with our booking platform, we would be eager to remedy it.
measure return on investment in terms of the group of young professionals that we shape and send off into the corporate world after successfully completing our training programme.” Another company in which he is a Partner is RRK Holdings LLC, an Angel investment firm he set up in July 2015 in Richardson, Texas in mid-2015. RRK works with early-stage technology companies “looking at contributing to better world”. An even newer interest is Medkumo Software India Pvt. Ltd. in Bengaluru, in which he invested and became a Board Member in September 2015. Medkumo, he explains, is a stealth-mode startup working on innovative solutions in the medical field that will touch every Indian life. Komitla says all that he is aiming at is to ‘touch lives’. “I want to touch 50,000 lives in whichever way before I retire,” says the 42-year-old. “I’ve touched about 3,000 so far.”
Expansion will be systematic, beginning with tier-II towns: 100 in south India, then Odisha and Maharashtra “where people already know YatraGenie because our buses go there, so we will have a lower spend to create awareness.” Building a network as a chain is best because it makes it easier to spread, he points out, adding: “It has been an interesting journey of four-plus year. Our growth has been slow, but good. I belong to the old school of business, where I only want to make a penny at the end of the year.” Rama’s Terralogic operates in three different business segments: engineering/software development and product support, strategy and IT, and cloud and SaaS (Software as a Service). It has grown multiple times in just seven years and added world-class networking companies like Juniper Networks, Aruba Networks, Ericsson, Cisco, AT&T, Cable & Wireless, as
The teams at YatraGenie.com and Medkumo keep track of customer requests
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enil is also Chairman of Komitla Services, which he set up at Nellore in 2004 as a diversified business conglomerate with ventures in transportation, travel, tourism, logistics, IT/ITeS and retail, with a vision of providing global and international experience to the Indian service sector and customers. Additionally, he is Director and Board Member of the Bengaluru-based KINI Pvt. Ltd., established in 2008. KINI is the first-of-its-kind networking, IT and ITeS training company, with a focus on technologies specifically related to the job market. “We at KINI believe that a strong foundation lasts a lifetime,” Renil’s LinkedIn profile says. “We December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 25
Cover Story
‘I belong to the old school of business, where I only want to make a penny at the end of the year. So I’m not looking at big investments, only nominal ones which will help me take YatraGenie.com to the next level’—Renil Komitla customers and partners. “Running the company has been a humungous learning experience from every point of view,” she says. “We are working in areas which offer a challenge in day-to-day lives.”
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art of this learning has resulted in the setting up of another cloudbased platform, Medkumo. The spark that set Rama off was a dog with an injured spinal cord, which she nursed for eight months. Looking after the animal and taking it to the vet made her realise the problems people too face with visiting hospitals: there are many procedures, and the file gets fatter and fatter as treatment continues—but you have to carry the whole thing with you everywhere, each time you visit the different departments. “People forget to carry the file, or even lose their medical records,” she points out. “And accident victims are most often found to not even be carrying their blood group.” There is an example right within their family: Renil’s father, for instance, had ‘an issue’,
and had to go to hospital at 3:30 in the morning. “He wasn’t carrying anything, so he had to answer questions through his pain,” Renil says. “It took them 48 hours to remove his gall bladder!” With Medkumo, all authentic information will be accessible at one point, not in scattered bits and pieces. Ergo Medkumo. Founded in 2015, it is
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working to ‘build a smart demeanour’ of its users towards healthcare. ‘All good things come in a small package and so does Medkumo,’ its profile says. “We provide lead generation for hospitals, growth hacking for clinics and hospitals, and healthcare automation… social media management services like twitter services for hospitals, Facebook marketing for
Besides offering reservations on other operators' bus routes, Renil also runs his own buses under the brands of YatraGenie and his family name, Komitla
‘We take a very thoughtful, collaborative approach when making vital employing choices. YatraGenie is a place where capable personalities meet up in a creative, friendly and dynamic workplace. We flourish when our teams are comprised of individuals from diverse backgrounds, cultures, genders, education training, interests, and skills. We trust you can thrive by joining us’— Renil Komitla hospitals, social media management for hospitals, content marketing for hospitals, healthcare content marketing, video marketing for hospitals, content plans for hospitals, content management for hospitals and healthcare professionals, digital branding, and brand management to ensure our partner’s digital presence is well managed.” Says Rama: “We have the best digital marketing experts in India; we assure sheer professionalism. The aim is to not just be digitally present but professionally managed while taking care of the content for blog marketing for hospitals, social media curation, internet marketing, marketing keywords, and SEO (search engine optimisation) services for healthcare of our patrons.” Medkumo is not a hospital management system, she emphasises—it is intended to ease the workflow in medical record systems. “Of course, hospitals also benefit: they can see more patients in less time, because all the medical history is already available on the cloud. Explaining that she is really passionate about her venture which offers both patients and hospitals a win-win situation, she points out that it has elements of both commerce and charity. “If you look at the medical care system in New York, for instance, all prescriptions for medicines are now electronic. This is the way to go for India, too!” she exclaims. “We aim to digitise all healthcare-related forums to ensure their digital transformation in healthcare, rendering top-of-the-shelf consistent service which serves you and your family when it really matters. You can now keep your Electronic Medical Record (EMR) along with other useful assistance specially designed for the users.” Medkumo is backed up by SEO experts as well as digital marketing experts who specialise in hospitals—an “elite management team of Silicon Valley giants constantly striving stubbornly in the smartest way to generate distinct resolution aided by the in-demand proficiently lauded technology”. This makes it the best hospital SEO services provider in India. And it’s not only for human patients, but for animals as well, which was what launched Rama on this
path in the beginning. “We have a three-tier system, covering diagnostic centres, veterinary hospitals and global access,” she adds. “We have piloted one of each.”
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ama and Renil have a daughter. Trisha, now almost 13, was born while they were still in the US. “My mother-in-law travelled to America to help look after her whenever I needed her,” Rama says. “She has always been there for me. Nothing would have moved without her.” Her father also helped on the field, and with bank work. “So when both Renil and I were fully occupied with work, we had my mother-inlaw for the family and my father to share my work load.” Describing her career as an ‘intoxication’, she says, “This is what preserved my sanity. Having to be on the road constantly, I also practise zumba to stay fit. I am also a zumba instructor.” Zumba, a trademarked exercise programme for fitness, was created by Colombian dancer and cyclist-choreographer Alberto Perez during the 1990s. Renil, for his part, undertook a 2,000-km walk covering 60 towns in Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to “talk to people and understand their transportation needs”, and is submitting a report to the central and state governments about his findings. “We need a Transport Bill across the country,” says the man who, he points out, was “very clear when I was 22 years old about what I want, and never deviated from that though friends made fun of me.” Today, he is guiding Trisha about the need to “make your own choice, though there are always others who want to make choices for you.” Why the name YatraGenie? “Most of the tourism in this country is for pilgrimages,” he explains. “The typical small-town idea of a vacation is to go to the temple. So, Yatra. And the Genie part is to show that we offer to make your wish come true.” Expressing his belief that a brand “stays for ever if you do it right”, he says he didn’t choose the Komitla family name as a brand because, with change
name, a new non-family person wouldn’t be so interested in the business. “Besides, I don’t believe in dynasty building,” he adds. “Every person should have all freedom to do his or her own thing.” And that is his main satisfaction in life: “I am who I am because I wanted it, not my dad!” Despite having seen a US$30-million company, Cisco, grow to cross a billion dollars, Renil says he is not looking at making a lot of money. “I belong to the old school of business, where I only want to make a penny at the end of the year,” he reiterates. “So I’m not looking at big investments, only nominal ones which will help me take YatraGenie.com to the next level. Hopefully, this will happen in the next year or two.” With Rama’s Medkumo too growing steadily at the same time and Terralogic having doubled its revenues and employee count over the past couple of years—the two are obviously on a happy and healthy yatra to what has now begun to be termed social entrepreneurship. sekharseshan@gmail.com
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tadka
Risks of increased TV viewing Risk of blood clots increases with the amount of time spent watching television, even if people get the recommended amount of physical activity, says a study presented at the American Heart Association. Prolonged TV viewing has already been associated with heart disease involving blocked arteries, but this is the first study in a western population to look at blood clots in veins of the legs, arms, pelvis and lungs known as venous thromboembolism or VTE. Among 15,158 middle-aged (45-64 years) participants in the Study, researchers found that the risk of developing a venous thromboembolism was 1.7 times higher in those who reported they watch TV 'very often' compared with those who watch TV 'never or seldom'.
December December 16-31, 16-31, 20172017 / Corporate / Corporate Citizen Citizen / 27/ 27
CII HR Conclave
Changing Face of Selection Recruitment is perhaps the most important function of HR. However, it is also the function which has changed the least from its days of inception. With rapidly evolving technology, the process of candidate selection must evolve too. At a recent CII HR Conclave in Pune, an attempt was made to understand technology’s impact on the selection process. Corporate Citizen was present at the event, and brings you the riveting session By Neeraj Varty
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electing the right candidate is crucial for the job. However, recruiters have to traditionally browse through hundreds of similar resumes to find a handful of candidates. It is a slow and laborious process. All that is slowly changing though, making way for a technology-enabled and streamlined hiring process. Ashish Kapoor, Director-HR, Eaton moderated the fascinating session with Rohit Taneja, Cofounder, Interview Air, Nimit Bavishi, Cofounder and CTO, Happy2Refer and Griva Shah, Operations Coordinator, Uber. Following are the excerpts.
Ashish: There is a whole evolution that is hap-
pening in technology, which has a tremendous impact on organisations. Some years back, a relative asked me what work I do in HR. I replied that I recruit people. And that has remained the same even today. There haven’t been many changes in how we recruit people until very recently. Today, with Artificial Intelligence and increased automation, the way we recruit is changing rapidly. We have an extremely wellqualified panel, which will help us understand the changes that HR is going through when it comes to selecting the right talent.
Ashish: When you look at all the key technology trends in HR, what are your views on that?
Nimit: The core change which I feel is knocking at our door is the democratisation of data. We had seen this evolve from the earlier days of slow internet where even sourcing a resume online would be extremely hard. Today, Naukri.com, Google Hires and other portals have solved that problem. These have reduced the cost of sourcing candidates by a huge margin. This has opened the scope for us to do a lot more than spend our days hunting for candidates. Besides, we will now see a lot of smarter screening capabilities coming in, through Artificial Intelligence. Rohit: You have touched upon a lot of sig-
nificant points, Nimit. What I see at this current stage is social media, which is picking up steam. LinkedIn and other online portals can embellish the candidate’s achievements, but social media presents the authentic face of the person. The second trend I have noticed is the speed in which we hire has gone up immensely. The third trend is that referrals are working very well through employee referral schemes.
Ashish: Griva, what are your views on the subject? Griva: Earlier, companies used to hire can-
didates in large batches and train and shortlist a few of them. Now that trend is changing as hiring costs have gone up. Startups like Uber, especially, are taking their time to screen applicants. To do that, you need technology as
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a point of view to create a marketplace where you can screen people efficiently, and you have a wider variety of candidates. Diversity helps in making a better working environment. What happens with platforms like Internshala, for example, is that we get better candidates, and we can screen the applicants beforehand, because education in itself today is not preparing students adequately for job requirements. These common screening processes assess whether a candidate can perform a specific job and has nothing to do with their theoretical knowledge. At Uber, sometimes you may have to deal with 20 driver partners on your first day, or handle a strike. You need to be prepared for that. Whether you are an engineer, a data scientist, or HR, you have a 2-3 hour test which tests your reasoning, critical thinking and necessary
Pics: Yusuf Khan
L-R: Ashish Kapoor, Griva Shah, Nimit Bavishi and Rohit Taneja
skills to perform the job. The second benefit with startups is managers are empowered to recruit, not just HR. One person can perform multiple functions and hiring is not just within the purview of the HR department.
Ashish: Rohit, how did you arrive at the concept of your company Interview Air? Rohit: Interview Air, as the name suggests, has
a focus primarily on interviews. We have lots of platforms used for sourcing and screening, but the process doesn’t stop there. You need someone to read those CVs and differentiate between a barrage of similar candidates. The dilemma a company faces is that they cannot avoid interviews, no matter how much you streamline the process. Conducting interviews
Embracing change is always hard. There is always some resistance, that’s human nature. HR professionals fear that they may be replaced with technology, which is not true. Technology can help make hiring simpler, and reduce the burden on HR professionals—Rohit is the most important and also the most timeconsuming aspect of recruiting. What if I can provide an environment which is identical to interviews the companies conduct as per their needs? What we thought is we could shortlist 10 candidates from 200 and then send those highly scrutinised candidates to the final interviews in companies. It saves them a lot of time and effort,
and the shortlisted candidates are extremely reliable as they have gone through a rigorous screening process.
Ashish: Nimit, is this a similar way you founded Happy2Refer? Nimit: Where I and Rohit come from is sim-
ilar. The problems we face are similar but the
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CII HR Conclave approach we have taken is vastly different. I’m an engineer, and I have worked a while in finance. I was employed with the World Bank. All I understand is numbers, which is a slightly different approach for an HR professional to take. When we began, we had a dream to use AI to select candidates. However, the ecosystem hasn’t evolved yet to the point where we can leverage these tools effectively. We continued to look at data and found that referrals became more reliable sources of hiring. However, employee referrals formed less than 30% of hiring. HR professionals asked us if we could help increase that percentage. We started out with an application solution, which provided HR the tools to help hire through referrals. The tools helped screen the referrals and shortlisted the ones from the best source and with the best potential, and helped make hiring them simpler.
Rohit: Griva, what has been your experience with tools for hiring? Griva: At the junior level, we use a platform
called Internshala where graduate students are prescreened, and are connected to organisations looking to hire them. We get around 600 CVs, and all of them are similar. Internshala helps us get the best of these candidates without having to waste man hours in screening all of them. It saves us costs on placements as well, as we can select the best of the crop from these portals.
Rohit: When it comes to adapting changes, how do you see HR professionals reacting? Rohit: It’s been tough, and not because of the
technology, but because embracing change is always hard. There is always some resistance, that’s human nature. HR professionals fear that they may be replaced with technology, which is not true. Technology can help make hiring simpler, and reduce the burden on HR professionals. Once you adapt innovations, your problems will be solved, not increased. If resistance is there, technology takes time to penetrate. If it is embraced, the change would be much smoother.
Nimit: There is a lot of fear about what technology can do, but it is going down gradually. Instead of fearing that 10 people could be reduced to five, now people are thinking that perhaps these 10 people could be better used. Also, in multinational companies there are a lot of stakeholders who need to approve new technology before it can be implemented. The process can take a lot of time and by the time it is implemented, the technology has become obsolete. Ashish: Griva, how difficult is it to adapt new technologies for hiring at Uber? Griva: My experience couldn’t be more op-
I feel that the position you are hiring for will justify the cost of the recruitment platform you are choosing. Recruiting for a CEO or Manager is not the same as recruiting for an intern. For low-level recruitment, a free platform like Naukri or Internshala is preferable—Griva posite. We are a technology company. Our managers tell us that you have done your job perfectly if you are redundant after a point of time. Management does not look into the nitty gritties of hiring. As long as we are hiring good candidates, we are free to use the technologies we feel are useful. At Uber, the average employee age is 26, so change is much easily adapted by a younger generation.
Ashish: New technologies are a dime a dozen, so what is it that differentiates yours from others? Rohit: It does happen that companies try new
technologies which may not give desired results. If companies want to try many different things, then the focus is wavering. If they focus on one single thing, for example hiring, and focus all their energies in finding the right technology, they will not be disappointed. Products like Happy2Refer and Interview Air are focused on hiring and nothing else, so our clients realise that we will be specifically addressing their needs, and nothing else.
Nimit: I was once told by a senior person from
Microsoft that do not under any circumstances build a Thali startup. By Thali startup, I mean a
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little bit of this, a little bit of that, and so on. Deviation of focus is the core reason why products fail. Focus has helped us build better products over the years, and our clients have benefited from that.
Rohit: Griva, how would you choose a new technology solution for hiring? Griva: I feel that the position you are hiring for
will justify the cost of the recruitment platform you are choosing. Recruiting for a CEO or Manager is not the same as recruiting for an intern. For low-level recruitment, a free platform like Naukri or Internshala is preferable as it gives you large number of people for beginner jobs. Technology solutions are preferable for jobs higher in the hierarchy.
Ashish: We can conclude the session by say-
ing that recruitment has a very exciting time ahead of it, and HR Professionals are now more open to change and embracing new technology than ever before. This can only bode well not just for recruiters, but also for candidates who can now expect a smoother and more efficient selection process. neeraj.varty07@gmail.com
Cradle of Leadership
IPS, Main Campus, Indore
Banashrii Bijoli Barman /
Principal, Indore Public School, Main Campus, Indore
The Heart of Education in the Heart of India
Touted as one the best schools in Madhya Pradesh and the best boarding school in Indore city, Indore Public School (IPS) is known for providing quality education to its students. The school boasts of excellent achievements in the fields of academics, sports and extracurricular activities. Principal Banashrii Bijoli Barman provides a glimpse of these accomplishments and her leadership in a candid interview By Namrata Gulati Sapra What sets apart Indore Public School from other schools in the city? Founded in the year 1987 by the Late Shri Rajmal Porwalji, fondly known as ‘Papaji’, Indore Public School was established to meet the long-felt need for an ideal school which would provide quality education through innovative methods. The school boasts of a great strength of students, spacious classrooms and the most wonderful infrastructure in the city. Our hallmark assets are an excellent and enthusiastic faculty, enviable infrastructure and focused learning. What are the advantages of being a residential school?
Our school hostel was set up with the aim to cater to the ever-demanding educational needs of the students of the nearby towns in pursuit of good-quality education. We, at IPS, cater to this by providing them a safe and healthy learning environment. In short, the school is referred to as a ‘Home Away From Home’. Being a residential school offers a number of advantages. To enumerate, staying in the premises of the institution saves time spent on commuting. It also makes the students independent as they are to do a lot of things on their own. It gives them a well-rounded personality since it makes them punctual, given that there is time set for sports, games and studies as well. Thus, children learn
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to be more responsible. Staying in the hostel also gives students an opportunity to avail better sports facilities provided by the school and enjoy more attention from teachers. How would you compare being a day scholar vis-à-vis being a boarder? As they are two faces of the same coin, so also are the pros and cons of being a day scholar or a boarder. For me, both are equally important. As the school serves the dual responsibility of looking after the educational, social and emotional needs of the students, we feel equally inclined towards both of these facets of a student’s life. While being a day scholar a student is not
Pics: Vishal Bhatia
“Many of our students have cracked the prestigious IIT exam and got admission into the renowned colleges of the country. We have produced toppers right from academics to sports and extracurricular activities. Many of our students have brought laurels to school by proving their mark in the prestigious exams and national and international sports camps�
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Cradle of Leadership deprived of his close proximity to the family, he is not deprived of parental love and security; although, he may not learn to be as independent as his counterpart in the boarding might be. On the other hand, a boarder learns to be more responsible and other values, such as sharing and cooperation, which are deeply imbibed in him or her. What is the admission procedure followed at the school and what is the annual intake of students? Students of up to class three gain admission by having an interactive session with the coordinator. Parents are also asked to participate in this session. From Class IV onwards, children take a written test in subjects like English, Hindi, Mathematics and Science. Their admission in school is based on their performance in these tests. Annual intake is almost 250-300 students every new academic year. What have been the biggest achievements of the school in the last five years? Our students have been performing consistently well at the X and XII Board exams. They have been securing above 90% in the XII Board exams. Many of our students have cracked the prestigious IIT exam and got admission into the renowned colleges of the country. We have produced toppers right from academics to sports and extracurricular activities. Many of our students have brought laurels to school by proving their mark in the prestigious exams and national and international sports camps. One of our students, Shraddha Nayak won 100% scholarship and went to the US under the American Field Service (AFS) Exchange Programme. Oshin Alam won accolades by pocketing a gold medal in Taekwondo at the Asian Taekwondo Tournament held in Bangkok, Thailand in the 51 kg category. Akshansh Choudhary brought laurels to school by participating in the Asian Karate Championship held in Sri Lanka. How well equipped is the school? It is rightly said, ‘On the journey to life’s highway keep your eyes upon the goal, focus on the donut and not upon the hole’. Internal qualitative and constructive changes are forces that drive an institution to excel. Realising the importance of English language, we have a well-equipped English lab. In addition to it, Chemistry lab, Physics lab, Biology lab, Mathematics lab, Computer lab and a Robotics lab are also available. Built on 54 acres of land, the school provides the best sports facilities in football, basketball, cricket, judo, rifle shooting, gymnastics, tennis, handball, swimming and horse riding as well. Besides these, we have a state-of-the-art dance room, art and craft room . There is a music room as well. A fully-equipped and staffed medical unit with a resident doctor in addition to a visiting doctor is available at all times to meet any emergency that may arise. Talking of its infrastructure, which is one of the
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(1) Making friends with books (2) In connection with the outside world (3) Honing the artistic talent through Art and Craft (4) Learning is a treasure that will find its owner everywhere (5) Tapping feet to rhythmic beat (6) A live example of experiential learning (7) Music– the essence of life (8) Impeccable moves in water (9) Fine-tuning soul with musical notes
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“As they are two faces of the same coin, so also are the pros and cons of being a day scholar or a boarder. For me, both are equally important. As the school serves the dual responsibility of looking after the educational, social and emotional needs of the students, we feel equally inclined towards both of these facets of student’s life” best in M.P., the classrooms are airy and spacious. Moreover, 17 out of the total no. are smart classes to be precise, updated with the latest educational software. The Funtoot Programme being run in the Math lab is worth mentioning. The programme is meant for students from Class II to IX wherein all the basic concepts of the subject can be imbibed with the utmost clarity in a funfilled manner. How does the school keep up on the curriculum front? The curriculum for the whole session is planned right at the beginning of the session. This syllabus break-up is distributed to the students as well so that they too are aware as to what is to be covered in a particular month. Regular Teacher’s Diary is maintained and the lesson plans are regularly cross-checked. It is expected out of the teachers that they stick to the plan so that the syllabus is covered well within the stipulated time. Utmost care is taken hence, that the uniformity is maintained among all the sections per class. How do you ensure active participation of students in extracurricular activities? The school has been divided into four houses. Regular inter-house competitions are held throughout the year which contribute to the allround development of a pupil. It is ensured that every student of the house participates in one or the other house activity depending upon his or her field of interest.
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These days, most schools have a Model United Nations (MUN) in place. Does
IPS have one too for exposure to its students? The school, in collaboration, with Indian International Model United Nations, proposes to host an MUN Conference for Indore Chapter in July 2018. It will be a mega event where the delegates from within the country and beyond will be participating. What are the various clubs in which students can participate? Which one among them has recorded highest achievements? The school has several clubs in place. There is a Photography Club, MUNIPS (Model United Nations - Indore Public School), One Earth Society (Eco Club) and the Rangdhara Club. The Photography Club, among all these clubs, has won accolades for the school. Their list of achievements is endless. Not only this, the MUN Club of IPS (MUNIPS) is equally active and has various awards to its credit. In addition to the awards won by the IP Photography members, the delegation to various countries in several MUNs have also been acclaimed and recognised. What is the strength of the faculty at the school and how are they selected? The strength of the faculty as it stands today is: 82 with 20 teachers in the primary section, 12 teachers in the middle section and 26 teachers in the senior block. In addition to it, we have 8 teachers in Art and Craft department, 14 in sports and visiting faculty for Fashion Designing and Engineering Graphics. The faculty at IPS is selected through rigorous scrutiny. Selection takes place through several rounds of written tests and interviews. The first phase includes written test and a psychometric test after which the shortlisted candidates are called for a demo. Is there a career guidance for students? We organise a career counselling seminar every for the students of Class X. To assess the aptitude of the pupils, psychometric tests are conducted for Class X. On the basis of the performances in these tests, various career options are recommended to the students by the career counselor to ensure right career choices. Each student is called individually along with the parents to attend these counselling sessions. How does the school deal with parents’/ students’ grievances? The school has a discipline committee which also looks into the grievances of the parents and the students. Any parent may approach the said committee and relate the detailed nature of the problem concerning them. The committee critically examines the issue at hand and tries to resolve it
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Cradle of Leadership to the utmost satisfaction of the aggrieved party, Besides, regular PTMs are held which helps in gathering feedback on a sustained basis. Which are the most popular streams among students and why? Science and Commerce undoubtedly are among the most popular choice of streams among students. Keeping in mind the Indian stereotypical perspective, most of the students opt for either of these two streams owing to the multifarious career options available with them. Tell us about the academic rigours, preparing students for Class XII Board. Special care is taken throughout the year and a proper schedule is prepared under which it is ensured that the syllabus is completed two months prior to the exam. Moreover, weekly tests are conducted on a regular basis so that each and every topic is covered comprehensively. With a view to help students to cope up with the pressure of Board exams two pre-board exams are conducted in the month of December and January, respectively. Students who do not perform well in the first pre-board are made to stay back and special classes are held for them. Rigorous practice is given to the students and at the same time care is taken that the children do not feel stressed by the exams. Tell us about the academic achievements of the school. Right from its inception, the school has proved its mark in the field of academics. Our results of the past 30 years are an evidence to this. Our children have secured marks above 90% at the X and XII Board exams. These have been showcased at the reception of our school. Tell us about schools international achievements In fact, the list is long! Our student Sanskar Rathore made a mark in the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest horse rider. Pooja Potdar, a netball player represented India in Hong Kong. Amit Pilania (2007-2009) is a Team India player in rifle shooting, who represented the country in Czechoslovakia. Amitesh Purohit has set a world record for skating Korea. Alaknanda Ray is a yoga expert and a gold medalist (1994). Sajid Lodhi played lawn tennis in an international open event held at Qatar (Dubai). Neha Khandelwal, our champion swimmer and diver made history in Sri Lanka in 1995. Jitendra Shinde was quite a rage in Bangkok on the field of Baseball in 1998. Abhishek Mishra is an international martial arts player. Pawan Yadav and Kuldeep Raghuvanshi from IPS emerged as the star players in the cricket competition organised in Bangladesh. In 2008, Shivi Kharia made a name for himself in Pakistan when he participated in
the international football matches. Vijay Sonkar represented our country in soft tennis tournaments held in UAE. Usha Bhagat went to Nepal for Aerobics in year 2004. Nine participants of Yellow Diamond Riders 2009 from Indore Public School rode on horseback for 24 hours, 31 minutes, from 8:15 am on March 5 to 8:46 am the next day. The riders were Rishabh Mehta, Anshul Porwal, Vishu Kala, Sahil Sharma, Luv Soni and Gautam Kale and two girls Neer Choudhary and Gauri Golkonda. They used a total of 51 horses which were changed every one hour, giving a rest of minimum four
“My goal is to ensure that all students become critical thinkers, active problem-solvers, inquisitive readers, diligent researchers and prolific writers” hours to each horse. Their names were registered in the Limca Book of Records. Tell us about the global exposure that the school provides to it students. The school tries to give global exposure to its students. Students participate in AFS programmes conducted by AFS. One of our students – Shraddha Nayak went to USA for one year on 100% scholarship under the Students’ Exchange Programme of the AFS. It was under the same programme that the school hosted a foreign student from Italy named Marzia Ortelli. She spent one year in school and we got to know many things about Italy from her. Our students also visited NASA in the year 2015 and took a short training in Robotics. As the principal of the school, please tell us about your contribution to the school. As a principal, I have been spending hours going in and out of classrooms, observing and evaluating teachers. This part of the job has always been very challenging. The challenge for me is not the paper work or time spent in follow-up meetings. Rather, the challenge came in that I observed lots of good teachers who were committed and passionate about their work, but I also observed many who should not have ever set foot in the classroom in the first place. It became clear to me as I met with these teachers that many of them who were struggling with classroom management, lesson delivery or building relationships with students were probably never given opportunities to be supported, coached or mentored. Over the years, I have tried to resolve these issues amicably and tried to maintain transparency
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everywhere. The same is expected from my staff as well. At the same time, I ensure maintaining a democratic environment where all are free to voice their views, opinions and concerns in the overall development of the children. The call to support and mentor my teachers has always been at the forefront of my work. Whether through a formal observation or chatting over coffee in the staff room, this work of support, which has become a daily routine, made a huge difference in the success of my students and my school community. Seeking guidance from my teachers became part of my school’s culture. Together, we consistently work to develop a professional learning community. What is your message to the students of the school? My goal is to ensure that all students become critical thinkers, active problem-solvers, inquisitive readers, diligent researchers and prolific writers. I do all of this to prepare them for the demands of the realworld so they may be-
Famous names the school has produced Puranjit Dasgupta - Better known as RJ Mantra/ VJ Mantra is an alumnus of Indore Public School. He is a renowned television and film personality whose name needs no introduction. He has acted in a number of television serials and movies and won several awards. He is also a producer/director and has received several awards. He gained the status of a stand-up comedian after gaining popularity on Sony TV’s popular comedy show, Comedy Circus. Gautam Kale - A renowned classical singer who has won recognition at national and international level is an alumnus of IPS. Amitesh Purohit - Marked his entry in the renowned ‘Guiness Book of World Records’ in Limbo Skating category. He passed under the bar at 14.5 cm. above floor level. Apoorva Sohoni - The renowned classical dancer, who has performed at the national and international level is an alumnus of Indore Public School. Gaurav Bajaj - The famous TV actor who has acted in the famous TV serial ‘Piya Rangrez’ is also from IPS. Kashish Bakshi - One more IPSian who has created a mark in the field of media and communication is a famous radio jockey.
come productive citizens, become our future leaders, and contribute and/or give back something positive to the community. Therefore, my message to my students is this: Follow your heart, dream big and persevere in your efforts. Explore yourselves, realise your inner potential. Don’t follow the crowd but think critically before following and let the sky be your limit. How do you see yourself as a principal—a strict one, or one who is more liberal and understands her students well? I am strict as well as liberal and it is important to balance both as an administrator to keep a check on discipline and promote productivity. No principal can be strict at all times nor can she be liberal altogether. It has to be a right combination of both. We, at school, deal with delicate buds who would bloom into beautiful flowers tomorrow and spread their fragrance all around. So, a proper loving attitude with the right mix of strictness and liberality is the best course.
What qualities makes you a great leader, upon whose shoulders lie the essential responsibility of running a school and honing India’s future? As a difference maker, I need to be able to keep the focus on important initiatives and culture characteristics that have an impact on student learning and achievement. They establish accountability measures to hold teachers and students accountable for learning. I have to take risks, but see that I don’t overdo it. I have to be ever-ready to try new things and have a mindset to keep trying until improvement is the end result. We are given the task to establish a positive school culture by treating people the way they would like to be treated. How we smile, say hello, and engage in conversations all are important factors in setting a positive tone. Addressing problems is important. I have to do the hard, dissatisfying work associated with addressing and removing ineffective staff. This requires addressing problems head on with a positive attitude.
When hiring new staff, we need to go to great efforts to hire educators that align best with the vision of the school. I care about my students and staff members. I try never giving up on my students and supporting staff. We need to become the epitome of instructional leadership and show the students and teachers how to become more effective in their respective genres. namratagulati8@gmail.com
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Potential investment haul for India’s food processing sector India’s food processing sector has been pegged to attract $33 billion investment by 2024, according to a joint study by Assocham and Chicago-based services, Grant Thornton. India’s food and retail market is expected to touch $482 billion by 2020, up from $258 billion in 2015. With total food production in India estimated to double in next 10 years, there is scope for large investments in processing technologies, skill development and equipment.
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Interview
Driving CSR ecologically Social and Eco Initiatives Corporate Citizen: What kind of activities does the United Breweries Ltd. undertake under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mantle? Shekhar Ramamurthy: Our CSR activities are designed around the areas of water, education and health. Being mindful of our national development goals, UBL chooses the themes and issues that are pertinent to our business from a social perspective. The CSR activities are primarily focused on areas of water, sanitation and hygiene; education; primary health and environmental sustainability. Please elaborate on your ‘water positive’ initiative. Under this theme, we have a customised approach towards meeting the needs of the people. Through our ‘safe drinking water programme’, we have so far implemented it in 25 villages across five of our breweries in Karnataka, Telangana and Maharashtra. We have been successful in providing safe drinking water to nearly 65,000 individuals, in collaboration with non-profit partners. Launched in 2015, the ambitious safe drinking water programme commits to providing safe drinking water to 6,00,000 people by 2020. Another similar project is underway in Haryana wherein we would be able to reach out to nearly 30,000 individuals. For regions that have been drought-prone or have insufficient water, we have invested our efforts in water conservation to supplement the efforts of the communities in meeting their basic water requirements. These initiatives have been implemented in the states of Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. We have an ambitious goal of being water-neutral by 2025, and these initiatives will contribute towards our effort of being ‘water-positive’.
Social responsibility as a corporate ‘mantra’ no longer works on the ‘wow’ appeal. Some have pledged social responsibility that goes beyond the mandate of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Corporate Citizen discusses ecoinitiatives that United Breweries Ltd. (UBL) has set forth to include in its ’agenda of becoming water-neutral by 2025’ as part of its sustainable development initiatives. Shekhar Ramamurthy, Managing Director, UBL, says, “Our company firmly believes in sustainable development, which is interpreted as growing your business in a socially and environmentally responsible way, while meeting the legitimate interests of stakeholders.” He reiterates that UBL’s CSR programme began over 10 years back, long before the government mandate and that it is imbibed within the company’s ideology. The UBL has been spearheading its work around the themes of drinking water, health and primary education and its programmes are being implemented on large-scale interventions for the last two years By Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar
Can you share details of your efforts on water positive schemes? UBL aspires to be water-positive by 2025. In addition to implementing rainwater harvesting and watershed management projects in and around our breweries, we recycle treated wastewater within the breweries. These efforts are not limited to our breweries alone. We make extensive efforts in generating public awareness on the adaption of rainwater harvesting practices and incorporation of the necessary infrastructure. Our water conservation efforts are underway in Bihar, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. By March 2017, we have recharged about 31% of all the freshwater that we consume. 38 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
Our initiative not only provides safe drinking water but also helps reduce expenditure on healthcare incurred due to these diseases. We aspire to bring in a behavioural change by introducing such initiatives December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 39
Interview Is there a foundation under UBL that helps drive these initiatives? We at UBL believe in a more global model of implementing our CSR initiatives. While we do not have any foundation under UBL, we have dedicated employees who work back with the NGOs in ensuring effective implementation of the CSR projects. We leverage on the strengths of our NGO partners and work together to plan, implement and monitor the projects. Are these initiatives primarily around communities where you have your manufacturing plants? Our CSR initiatives are focused on improving the lives of communities in a 5-10 km radius of our breweries. This enables us to stay connected with the communities with more ease and helps us understand their needs better. Our personnel at the breweries invest considerable amount of time in building a relationship with the community and this is facilitated by the fact that our focus is on the communities residing around our breweries.
tract labourers in our breweries, we make an attempt to understand the stress factors existing in those communities, especially those related to availability of water. We work with the community in addressing their deficits in order to grow together. Besides, we become partner in their development. How have you deployed your renewable resources initiatives? We have made deliberate attempts at reducing our dependence on fossil fuels in our effort to conserve the environment. All our breweries use agricultural waste like rice husk, bagasse,
Give some examples on initiatives that have helped better the lives of people around your manufacturing zones. Prior to our safe drinking water initiatives, the communities consumed water directly from the source without filtering it. Consequently, the incidences of water-borne disease were high among them. Our initiative not only provides safe drinking water but also helps reduce expenditure on healthcare incurred due to these diseases. We aspire to bring in a behavioural change by introducing such initiatives. Additionally, our water conservation efforts have not only contributed to the environment, but have also helped over 2,000 farmers take multiple crops in the year due to increased availability of water for irrigation. Is UBL attached to any specific foundation to channelise your initiatives? Our CSR initiatives are spread across different geographies and we partner with reputed NGOs for implementing them. We strongly believe that the regional/local NGOs are better equipped at working with the community and ensuring better reception and participation from them.
Green Plans Why did you embark on sustainable growth for natural resources? UBL and its employees are committed to the community it works with and the environment it extracts its resources from. In our endeavour to peacefully coexist with the communities residing in our vicinity, many of whom are con40 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
sawdust, coconut shell, and groundnut shell and soya husk to operate the steam boiler. By March 2016, we were able to use agricultural waste for 85% of our fuel requirements and we are striving towards achieving a 100% in this aspect. How does UBL link itself with Government and grassroots (gram panchayats etal) for wind power or solar power, etc.? The Manufacturing team handles the introduction of renewable energy for UBL. Since we work on a BOOT (Build, Own, Operate, and Transfer) model, we liaise with statutory
agencies through the partners with whom UBL enters into a power purchase agreement (PPA). Do you receive any special Govt. tax rebates for doing so, especially in the solar sector? The capital subsidy given by the Central Government for setting up of solar power plants was withdrawn long ago by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). However, the accelerated depreciation of 80% for the first year on the assets was the driving force behind recent solar power investments. Subsequently, in the recent budget, the Central government has reduced the accelerated depreciation benefits to
dination with the HR personnel at the breweries. Reputed local NGOs are entrusted with the responsibility of implementing the projects. The projects are regularly reviewed by the Managing Director. Furthermore, the implementation by NGO partners is closely monitored through regular visits by the UBL team and the monthly reports received from the NGOs. The NGO partners are responsible for the implementation of the projects on ground while the UBL teamsupports the implementation through regular dialogue with the community as well as the NGOs. What are the challenges and diversity in implementing your projects?
In addition to implementing rainwater harvesting and watershed management projects in and around our breweries, we recycle treated wastewater within the breweries. These efforts are not limited to our breweries alone. We make extensive efforts in generating public awareness on the adaption of rainwater harvesting practices and incorporation of the necessary infrastructure 40% from 80% from 1st April 2017. Apart from this, there are no tax benefits for investment in solar energy. How does UBL’s PPA with M/s Renew Wind Energy (Karnataka) Private Limited for supply of wind power to three of their breweries in Karnataka help to save on costs (percentage change) and as against traditional modes of power generation? For the state of Karnataka, we have entered into a PPA for supply of renewable energy equivalent to 75% of the total power consumption in the three breweries. The wind energy comes at a discounted price of 15% lower than the grid power cost. For the rest of the country, we are planning to introduce rooftop / ground-mounted solar installations which will be to the tune of around 10 to 12% of the total power consumption. This also comes at a discounted price of approx. 15% lower than the grid power cost. The above initiatives by UBL partially replace the conventional modes of power supply with renewable energy source, thereby making a remarkable contribution to the environment.
CSR Model What is UBL’s CSR model? The CSR projects are led by the CSR Head who works with a CSR Executive and in close coor-
Our CSR initiatives are spread across varied geographies, each having its own unique challenges in terms of availability of resources and expectations of the local communities. Our broad CSR themes allow flexibility in choosing the areas we want to work in and the initiatives we want to undertake. For instance, under the water themes, we implement safe drinking water initiatives, using the RO technology in regions that have sufficient water. However, in the case of drought-prone areas such as Aurangabad, we first initiated water conservation projects followed by initiatives to reduce water wastage to the minimum. A customised approach is followed for every region where we implement our projects. During any project initiation, local communities tend to be cautious and skeptical of the company’s interest and it is for this reason that we lay great emphasis on comprehensive needs assessment as well as community mobilisation efforts. Community buy-in into the social development projects is a must for any project we implement.
Health and Education Education: For enhancing education experience for children from the underprivileged sections, UBL’s education initiatives are designed for communities across locations around the breweries. Across India, UBL adopts neigh-
bouring government schools and supports them in meeting their requirements. They have focused education projects in Rajasthan and Karnataka. Our efforts in certain backward regions of Alwar, Rajasthan works to facelift 10 government schools, in terms of infrastructure as well as teaching and learning experiences. In Mysore district of Karnataka, UBL attempts to promote science education among the children. We have established seven, first-of-its kind, mini science centres in government schools. The education initiatives have benefitted over 11,000 schoolchildren. Health: Accessing primary healthcare forms a substantial portion of a rural household’s monthly expenditure and our healthcare initiative is directed towards reducing this economic burden. A majority of our breweries provide primary healthcare to the neighbouring communities in the form of consultations and medicines, which are free of cost-through health centres or mobile units. We have been able to provide medical care to over 60,000 people this year. UBL’s future CSR initiatives and scope? UBL will continue to be committed to the CSR and sustainability agenda that we have set for ourselves. Over the next three years we would like to reach one million people with our safe drinking water initiatives. Our ‘water neutral’ programme will see us identifying and implementing several large-scale projects in water replenishment and recharge. We have identified the theme of alcohol prevention and abuse as an important aspect of our CSR programme. We will commence working on this in the next few months and our aim is to make a difference, especially amongst economically and socially disadvantaged groups. sangeetagd2010@gmail.com
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Gender pay gap not likely to close till 2166 India’s economy is growing at 7% per anum, but it ranks 127 on the gender inequality index and 108th on the global gender gap index. The latest Monster Salary Index shows the pay disparity for India stands as high as 27%. A recent research by LeanIn.org and McKinsey & Co shows that women are 15% less likely than men to get promoted. 84% of female undergrads believe the pay gap doesn’t exist or will close soon which in developing markets like India, is likely to be seen not before 2166!
December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 41
Passion
Exploring beyond boundaries Maral Yazarloo is an Iranian fashion designer, world traveller and biker-when she is not exploring the world on superbikes, she heads the Retail Marketing of Panchshil Group, in Pune. She also creates new designs for her fashion brand, “House of Maral Yazarloo�. She is currently on a world tour to find out what is real happiness in this world and prove it one more time to herself and everyone that world is a beautiful place to live, full of beautiful people. Despite being on a world tour, she speaks with Corporate Citizen on her passion for exploring new places on superbikes By Shantanu Relekar
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Leaving my comfortable luxury life, sitting on my motorbike, and riding towards unknown world can be an example for everyone (not only female bikers). The fact that this is possible can encourage everyone in life” What is your motto for going on a world tour? I completed my education and got my PhD. I was working for over 11 years, and was settled in my career. I have travelled to 67 countries and then reached the point where I wanted to find out the true meaning of life and happiness. How did you discover your passion? It was just a childhood dream after seeing a world traveller on his bike who lived next to our house. Twenty-three years later, I got my first bike, Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight and that was the starting point of my biking journey. What are the reactions of people when they see a woman riding a superbike? In the first place, they can’t figure out that whether it is a woman or man until I remove the helmet or gloves. They are usually fascinated by the fact that a woman is riding a superbike. Some people give a thumbs-up and some appreciate it with a big smile. Tell us about ‘Ride to be One’ world tour. We came across the name ‘Ride to be One’ because we want to ride to be one with the world, people, nature and most importantly, with ourselves. If everyone believes that world is made up of one energy, then, there will be no war! December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 43
Passion
Who is your role model? I don’t have a role model as such but somebody who lives life simply and finds happiness within oneself. It can be a villager working on his/her farm every day or it can be a businessman who made it right on top. On the other hand, I think I picked many qualities from my mom, for example, my adventurous side and strong mind. She was the one who taught me that nothing is impossible in this world. What are the steps you are taking to encourage female riders? Leaving my comfortable luxury life, sitting on my motorbike, and riding towards unknown world can be an example for everyone (not only female bikers) of the fact that this is possible can encourage everyone in life. I started ‘Lady riders of India’ around 1.5 years back and gathered women who ride superbike and are real riders and made a community of strong women who stand and support each other and other bikers. And I always say that I help women bikers whichever way I canthey just need to reach out to me and I will share all the information I have. I just don’t appreciate when women use their beauties and pose on some motorbikes and click photos and attract attention. We are bikers and not models to do marketing for a brand! As a biker, improve your skills—be always fully geared and don’t use the gender to get attention. Tell us about your campaign for getting permission for women in Iran to ride motorbikes I came across the question that why Iranian women are not allowed to ride in Iran. I am sure it’s not because riding is against any religion or any society norm—I think it’s because that topic is being overlooked. Currently, I don’t live in Iran hence I have the opportunity to have a license and own a superbike and since I am on a world tour, I want to travel to all the seven
then added to my collection a Ducati Diavel and BMW GS. How did you feel after your first long ride? And where was it? My first ride was from Mumbai to Pune when I picked my bike and I thought, 150 kilometres was a great achievement—I was proud of myself. Fashion creations from House of Maral
continents and as many countries I can. After going to Iran, I can request Iranian government to look at this matter and hope that they change the law for Iranian women. What was your family’s reaction when they came to know your passion for riding bikes? I’m bless with a great family. My parents were supportive with my passion and were always there to support me. I just got married and am now blessed with a strong and understanding husband. Tell us something about your bikes. Which was your first bike? My first was the Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight then, I upgraded to Night Rod Special and
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Tell us about your worst and best riding experience. Worse can’t be defined in riding. However, situations make the best stories and memories. Best experience is the moment you sit on your bike and start your journey; for me, destination doesn’t matter, I love riding and going through each and every minute of it. You have travelled in different countries; which is the country you liked the most and what are the qualities that you have liked? Each country has its own charm, plus I can collect so much of similarities wherever I go. I don’t judge, I love them all and I love everything about every country I go to. Their tradition, fashion, food, etc. How do you feel when you meet female riders
lations and experiencing different roads, surely made me a better rider and traveller. Which is the toughest city to navigate? In recent times, there are no such cities because GPS can take you anywhere. Why and when did you come to India? Why did you choose to stay back? I came to India around 15 years back for my MBA and after finishing that I was supposed to go to London for my PhD. But I was in love with India and never left after my MBA. I started working in Panchshil and did my PhD and stayed back. Tell us something about your brand, House of Maral Yazarloo. It was another childhood dream to have my own brand. After my PhD, I took months off from work, went to Italy to do a designing course, I set up my workshop, and launched my brand in Paris in 2013—followed by Rome, Dubai, India and London.
Maral at Monument Valley
I have the opportunity to have a license and own a superbike and since I am on a world tour, I want to travel to all the seven continents. After going to Iran, I can request Iranian government to look at this matter and hope that they change the law for Iranian women” and you get to know that you are their role model? Of course it feels great—but I never call myself a role model. I’ll be more than happy to encourage them to live a life they want and prove it to them that even sky can’t be their limit these days.
What are the things one should keep in mind while riding? Actually, there are many things. Be safe and fully geared while riding—is the first mantra for any biker. Always be in the speed you are comfortable with, no one should set your speed limit except yourself. If you have fears, don’t push it; practise and overcome your fears. And always remember that any overtake can keep you less than two minutes ahead of others and it isn’t really worth your life. How was your riding experience in India? How safe is it to ride in India? I loved it. There are many different places to enjoy. I’ve done many solo rides and never felt unsafe! And there is an important saying, if you manage to ride in India, you can ride anywhere in this world! How was your riding experience in other countries? They were good. Different rules and regu-
You are head of retail at Panchashil Group and also you have a brand House of Maral Yazarloo. How do you manage your passion and work? I had to sacrifice my sleep. I was sleeping three to fourhours a day and it was very hectic to manage everything single-handed. Sometimes I had to remind myself that I’m not a superwoman and I have to slow down. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan campaign is launched in India, there are many campaigns on the same goal and a movie named ‘Toilet: Ek Prem Katha’ is released recently, on women and open defication. Since you have travelled India, what problems did you face regarding hygiene? Is there good infrastructure for feminine hygiene in India? What is the scenario in other countries? In most of the rural areas you get nothing but you can carry whatever you need and make sure that you take care of your own hygiene. A lot needs to be done in India in this regard and for the roads. About other countries-First World countries have everything perfect but many countries have the same situation as India’s—especially in small villages and off main highways. What advice you would give to who are new to riding? Riding is very exciting and looks cool but build your skill first before going crazy after bikes and speed. shantanu.relekar94@gmail.com
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Campus Placement
From
Last bencher to Topper Sumit Saxena wanted to join the Indian Army, but doing his master’s in marketing changed his plans. Campus placement is a testing time for everyone, even more than getting a master’s degree, believes this professional who has entered the real estate corporate world By Joe Williams
A
back bencher during academics, things changed for this young lad who journeyed from a prominent professional college in Pune into the corporate world. Meet Sumit Saxena who once wanted to join the Indian Army, now turned corporate professional, who opened his innings in real estate, with the Lodha Group. Sumit was among 1,000-odd students who lined up for campus placement in his college after topping his Master’s in Marketing from the Balaji Institute in Pune. “It was a mad world (campus placement), as we were 1,000 students and each one had just five minutes to prove our mettle in the campus interview. And to come out a winner from the interview room is tougher than getting a Master’s degree,” said Sumit. A resident of Navi Mumbai, Sumit had always topped in sports; academics was secondary for him then. But stepping into a professional college for his master’s, he learnt it the hard way, and this helped him to balance both sports and academics evenly. Although he passed out of college with flying colours, getting into the corporate world opened new avenues, as he felt that it is not just books and notes which make a man complete, but it is the organisation he walks into, which is the real test of life. “Learning and process execution in an organisation is what is needed for any fresher, and I am no different,” he said. And went on to add, “This will help each one of us to build up our careers, which in turn will make us good citizens first, and other matters such as perks and designations will fall in line.” A pugilist with a gold medal at a national-level championship, Sumit is an ardent cyclist too. He pedals Mumbai-Lonavala-Mumbai these days. He was a cager too during his schooldays. Born and brought up in a humble family, his father Ravi Kumar Saxena is a businessman and his mother, Ranjana Saxena, a social worker. It was his elder brother’s (Adarsh Saxena) motivation which drove Sumit to where he is now. Adarsh and his wife Diksha Singh work in Chennai with Royal Enfield.
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Campus placement process
“It was like a circus, as there were over 1,000 students, and just 10 would be the chosen ones. The best part of the placement was the fact that no one had an idea as to where they would fit in, or which profile of the company they would be best suited for. But as days passed, some of them understood their worth and things started falling in place,” recalls Sumit. “The package is a by-product where your efforts are incentivised,” observes Sumit, summarising the placement process which finally hinged on only five minutes. “Yes, fears were there, but thanks to my mentors and sources
One has to prove that he/she is worth more than the package, and this will prop him/her on to a platform to build his/her career in the corporate world
L-R: Sumit with his family Sumit winning an award
harwork never goes waste. Work hard and the end result will be very fruitful,” says the former student of Fr. Agnel’s School and College, and a passout with an engineering degree under his belt. Coming out triumphant at the first attempt in a campus interview is something which changes any individual, and Sumit was one among those who made it.
What is Life all about
Life is about being thankful for what you have. ‘What you visualise, you materialise’ is his motto. “The credit for my success goes to the teamwork I shared with my colleagues, to my mentors and my family.” He begins his daily schedule with a workout, and then meets various high-profile customers who seek villas and duplexes in Pune.
Six tricks of life
• Have mentors • Have competitive friends • Plan a daily routine • Be positive • Have a hobby • Work hard
joe78662@gmail.com
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tadka who gave me adequate information and guidance to get placed, it worked out well” said Sumit. “I had an early joining in January this year, and I had to pull up my socks during the first week itself. Though my friends back in college were still in a relaxed state after placement, I had to move ahead to gear up myself to be a professional,” said Sumit.
Testing the mettle
Sumit believes that patience, self-belief, hard work and discipline are most important to earn a place in the society. “One has to prove that he/she is worth more than the package, and this will prop him/her on to a platform to build his/her career in the corporate world. And one thing is very clear:
Smartphones — your enemy no. 1 If you’re young and don’t get enough sleep, you’re not alone. Researchers of San Diego University say, young people are trading their sleep for smartphone time. Youngsters are today so much addicted to their smartphones that they don’t mind giving up sleep in favour of their smartphones. Researched data says that about 40 per cent of adolescents in 2015 slept less than seven hours a night, which is 58 per cent more than in 1991 and 17 per cent more than in 2009. It also says, the more time young people reported spending online, the less sleep they got. Teens who spent five hours a day online were 50 per cent more likely to not sleep enough than their peers who only spent an hour online each day.
December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 47
Loved & Married too
The
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
first glow
of young love
Married for just over six months, this young and much-in-love couple, nevertheless, has a relationship based on the solid ground of friendship and mutual understanding. HR professionals both, Simranjeet Singh Marwah (28) and his better half Ekta Kaur (25) are on the verge of a rewarding personal and professional life By Kalyani Sardesai
I
t could be a scene straight out a movie—except that it wasn’t. The location, instead, was the admission drive for BIMM at Bhopal. As an alumni of the college, and HR professional himself, the gregarious and affable Simranjeet Singh Marwah attended the drive in his hometown. “But when I went there, Bala sir asked me to be on the interviewing panel as he believed I would be able to recruit suitable candidates as well. Surprised and happy, I agreed,” he narrates. It was a hectic, busy day but he carried out the duty faithfully. Finally, when it was time to leave, he realised there was one more candidate on the list he hadn’t interviewed yet. The name read: Ekta Kaur. “I was impressed by her confidence and composure and ability to put across her point with conviction. Only thing: she wanted to do MBA in finance, but I thought she was better suited to HR.” And that was the start of a long and enriching
friendship—which seamlessly transitioned into a courtship. Already employed with the Aditya Birla Group, Simranjeet was the perfect mentor-cum-advisor for a young and anxious First year student. “She would ask me for advice on several matters, and I was happy to give it, especially as she was obviously so bright and driven.”
48 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
On her part, Ekta was grateful for the support that came her way, especially when it came to giving her first-ever presentation in college. “It was a success, my inputs had just obviously worked, and it clicked to me that perhaps we were meant to be together. I proposed to her just the day before she began her course. And she said yes...” says Simranjeet
The building blocks of a relationship
Despite the fact that they were so much in love and positive about each other, the relationship still had to go through the gamut of struggle, adjustments and misunderstandings. “Being in a long distance relationship is tough, and plenty of times, one is not able to convey what one wants to. Besides, he was already working whereas I was still a student with Balaji, adjusting to the demanding curriculum. Just a few months into the relationship, we had a massive argument over a matter. We just could not see eye to eye on the subject. Things got so heated that we said perhaps it would be a good idea to split,” shares Ekta. Not one to give up easily though, Simranjeet who was then working with Grasim in Gujarat took the overnight bus to patch up with his furious lady love. Naturally, she couldn’t help but be impressed with the sincerity and lengths he was willing to go to keep the Appreciating each relationship. “It said a lot about other’s strengths the man,” she says. There were many other hapWorking out your py moments too. “I must menpriorities together tion here that no boyfriend or husband I know goes through Working over tough so much trouble to plan surmoments, and prises. He is hugely romantic resolving conflict that way,” she says. An outstanding memory is gional HR manager with AeDoing little things for the time he helped her roomgon Life. each other mates hide 23 gifts in her room Simran has a special word on occasion of her 23rd birthof thanks for Bala sir in helping day. “There were so many lithim meet Ekta. “Had it not been tle thoughtfully–chosen things, ranging from for him, I would neither have taken up HR, nor flowers and chocolates to soft toys, letters and met the love of my life,” he says gratefully. dresses. It was the most beautiful gesture ever,” On a different note, Simranjeet credits his says Ekta. better half with being quite the balancing factor Shortly after, Simranjeet introduced her to his in his life. “I am an extreme extrovert. But she family on the occasion of his sister’s wedding. “I knows when to pull back and that keeps thing had told my mom about her though the rest of on a stable and even keel,” he says. the family was told that she was just a friend,” Conflict management is key to the success he says. However, Ekta’s parents had seen and of any relationship, and both are careful not to liked Simranjeet and despite not knowing about let differences fester. “Whoever is in the wrong them—Ekta was told by her parents that in case apologizes, and we both move on after sorting they had any thoughts of a future together, there the matter out,” she says. was no objection from their side. Things are busy and happy, and both are hapHe was formally accepted by the family on py to make the adjustments that are required occasion of her convocation in 2015, which he of them. “The important thing is to know each made a point to attend as well. other’s strengths and have complete faith in each other,” she says. Sure, there are the mandatory tough moJust married ments, but as Simranjeet points out: “When the The duo was finally wed in March this year in going gets tough, the tough get going. This is Ekta’s home town Jhansi amidst much revelry. true of relationships as well. One must simply As far as Simranjeet is concerned, Ekta is his be more persistent about working on things.” lucky charm. “My promotion was confirmed Marriage, like everything else, is about prithe very next day after our wedding,” he says. orities, they say. “For example, I had an opporAs of today, he is HR business partner tunity with ICICI in another city but I did not (Ahmedabad) for Amazon, while she is Re-
The building blocks of a marriage
“Post-marriage we both have had hectic schedules and have not been able to go on honeymoon. However, neither of us made an issue of it as it was a mutual decision. Besides, life is about discovering different moments together”— Simranjeet want a transfer as my relationship with Simranjeet and my new family was important for me,” says Ekta. “And when we do start a family, I am firm about wanting to spend the first three years with the baby before rejoining work. Simranjeet is completely supportive on that score as well.” But all that is for later. On the anvil are plans to take that much-awaited honeymoon to Singapore and Bali. “Post-marriage we both have had hectic schedules and have not been able to go on honeymoon. However, neither of us made an issue of it as it was a mutual decision. Besides, life is about discovering different moments together,” rounds of Simranjeet. kalyani.sardesai@gmail.com
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tadka
52 narrow escapes A report has revealed that there have been as many as 52 cases of narrow escape involving commercial aircraft in just three years, beginning 2014. Delhi, Karnataka and Maharashtra alone account for 50% of these incidents. 35 of these 52 cases are said to be near-miss collisions.
December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 49
Survey
The Business Optimism Index
Indian businesses are going through a tough time. On the one hand, net sales have decreased and on the other, input costs have gone up. With a view to gauge business optimism amongst Indian businesses in Q3 FY17, leading business information provider Dun & Bradstreet have compiled the Business Optimism Index India, a survey intended to help businesses identify pain points in the context of a macroeconomic environment. Corporate Citizen brings you the results Compiled by Neeraj Varty
50 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
D&B Optimism Index for India for Q3 FY17
T
he survey for Dun & Bradstreet Business Optimism Index for Q3 2017 was conducted in the month of June 2017, at a time when there was a heightened sense of uncertainty amongst India Inc regarding the potential impact of GST on the various facets of business. While the after-effects of demonetisation on consumer spending and normal business operations have started abating, the GST-roll out has got companies worried about financial implications of the new tax regime. Inventory pile-up and increase in inflation in select service sector categories could be the immediate fall out due to the implementation of GST. This is already evident in the survey results that show 31% of the respondents expecting their inventory level to increase during Q3 2017 as compared to 22% in Q3 2016. However, these issues should gradually even out over the course of the year. Around 63% of the respondents expect volume of sales to increase in Q3 2017 compared to around 78% in Q3 2016, a decrease of 15 percentage points. While 27% expect it to remain unchanged, 10% expect the volume of sales to decline. The intermediate goods sector is the most optimistic, while the construction sector is the least optimistic on this parameter. D&B Business Optimism Index D&B Optimism Index for India for Q3 2017 benefits from the GST will go a long way towards structurally altering the Indian economy. In the medium term, it would expedite the formalisation of the unorganised economy and bring them under formal tax net, thus improving India's low tax-to-GDP ratio. In the meantime, weak demand conditions continue to weigh on business confidence. Demand indicators such as new orders appear tepid and this has triggered a sharp fall in optimism with regard to net sales for Q3 2017. Investment growth remains a drag (Gross fixed capital formation slowed to 2.4% y-o-y in FY17 from 6.5% y-o-y in FY16) with private sector spending, in particular, moderating for the past three years. Weak earnings and excess capacity have held back capex spending. Other threats prevail in terms of high stock of non-performing assets in the banking sector and high leverage of some companies. This twin-balance sheet problem has been curbing credit growth. Reflecting the prevailing bearish business sentiment, the Composite Business Optimism Index for Q3 2017 declined by 13.3% as compared to the previous year quarter. On a q-o-q basis, the BOI recorded a decline of 8.7%. Based on the responses received, it is observed that four out of the six optimism indices, namely volume of sales, net profits, new orders and selling prices have declined as compared to Q3 2016. Amongst the sectors, the basic goods and intermediate goods sectors were more optimistic while the construction sector was the least optimistic.
December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 51
Survey Business optimism index declines by The business optimism index for India has declined by over 13% compared to its rating in the corresponding period last year.
Optimism on level of inventory at 7-quarter high The one positive is that businessmen do not expect an inventory shortage for the quarter, albeit due to a low sales forecast.
(y-o-y)
Optimism on net sales and net profit lowest in 33 quarters, barring Q1 2017 Businesses seem to be wary of the possibility of good sales in Q3 2017. Optimism is the lowest it has been in several years.
Optimism on volume of sales & new orders: construction sector is the least optimistic The construction sector was the hardest hit in the aftermath of demonetisation, and it hasn’t yet recovered. A bulk of cash-based real estate transactions has been nipped in the bud due to demonetisation, and the sector is running up losses in 2017.
Intermediate goods sector is the most optimistic Intermediate goods are used as inputs in the production of other goods including final goods. This is the one sector which has in fact shown growth during the surveyed period and is most optimistic regarding sales. 52 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
The upside Not all is gloom and doom though. There are many positives noticed during the survey. Around 55% of the respondents expect an increase in net profits in Q3 2017, compared to around 71% in Q3 2016, a decrease of 16 percentage points. Around 30% expect net profits to remain unchanged, while 15% expect it to decrease. The services sector is the most optimistic, while the consumer durables sector is the least optimistic on this parameter
-16
71 65 59
55
52
Net Profit
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
2016
2016
2017
2017
2017
-4
35
0
Around 31% of the respondents expect their inventory level to increase by nine per cent during Q3 2017, as compared to 22% in Q3 2016. While around 54% anticipate no change in inventory level, 15% expect inventory level to decline by 9%. The consumer durables sector is the most optimistic on this parameter.
27
25
25
00
Around 65% of the respondents expect their order book position to improve in Q3 2017, compared to around 70% in Q3 2016. While 25% of the respondents expect new orders to remain unchanged, the remaining 10% anticipate new orders to decrease by 5%. The intermediate goods sector is the most optimistic, while the construction sector is the least optimistic
31
`1
Around 57% of the respondents expect no change in the selling price of their products for Q3 2017. Around 27% of the respondents expect the selling price of their products to increase during Q3 2017, while around 16% expect a decline of 4%. The basic goods sector is the most optimistic on this parameter, while the capital goods sector is the least optimistic.
Y-O-Y
Selling Price
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
2016
2016
2017
2017
2017
-5
71
70
Y-O-Y
68
65
60
New Orders
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
2016
2016
2017
2017
2017
22
Inventory Level
28
25
Y-O-Y
31 26
9
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
2016
2016
2017
2017
2017
Y-O-Y
Key findings The positives
CPI inflation fell to a record low of 1.54% in Jun 17, led by falling food inflation. RBI identifies 12 accounts of corporate borrowers to initiate bankruptcy proceedings. India’s external debt declined by 2.7% (y-o-y) to US$ 471.9 bn at the end of FY17.
The negatives
GDP grew by 7.1% in FY17, slower than 8% recorded in the previous year. Impact of demonetisation on the industrial sector was most pronounced in Q4 FY17; manufacturing growth reduced to lowest level (5.3%) in 9 quarters. Share of gross fixed capital formation in GDP continued to decline and stood at 28.5% in Q4 FY17. Index of industrial production averaged 2.3% during Apr-May 17, down from 7.3% a year ago. December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 53
Health
Trending health in 2017
While health-related technology and IT solutions continue to deliver medical solutions, it is expected to see more efficiency and dependency on these in the healthcare sector in the coming years. 3D printing stepped in as the potential ‘New Age’ solutions saviour for customised medical care. Cloud computing and other upcoming wireless technologies continue to improve accessibility. What continues is tool technology that will rely on greater deployment of telemedicine, tele-radiology, hospital information systems (HIS)/hospital management information systems (HMIS), online or electronic medical records (EMR), etc. Corporate Citizen does a dipstick check on what’s been trending lately—Tech and Non-tech By Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar
3D Tech and Ticking
3D printing is now more than a buzzword. What took the Indian market by storm some four years ago is also being revaluated in the medical sector. However, operational concerns and other practical norms did slow down the pickup of 3D printing applications. While it is almost like playing ‘God’, but with a medical cause for patient wellness—it is definitely not an ignorant layman’s perception of ‘Frankenstein monster’ creation’. 3D imaging and printing actually can be a saviour for chronic patients. Creating 3D anatomical models enables surgeons to pre-plan their operations even before the actual procedure. This, in fact, might minimise grave ‘OT hazards’. Even 3D customised printed implants ensure better fit and more comfort to patients. 3D bio-printing has been utilised to create living tissues for pharmaceutical testing which might perhaps completely do away with any form of animal testing if at all being done! Imagine a world with 3D printed medications— which might just become a reality! . It is particularly seen as an answer to developing medical equipment and prosthetics at
cost-effective rates. This is especially so when the medical fraternity have had to rely on importing equipment and prosthetic materials from the west. The healthcare sector worldwide has always come under either political or economic pressure to perform and this is where 3D printing can be a boon. 3D printing is now becoming an integral part of planning for surgeries. Not just expensive, there is a time-lag in procuring equipment as these are customised as per individual patient needs. Now, with 3D technology, doctors in India have devised alternatives that can solve the needs of patients individually and at cheaper prices. It is said to be one-tenth of the original cost of the imported variants; especially for raw materials used for 3D printing. On Indian shores,
54 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
3D printing has also reduced the time needed to manufacture these medical aids and prosthetics. No wonder key players are jostling for a slice of this market. The 3D printing healthcare market includes companies—the likes of 3D Systems Corporations, Cyfuse Medical K.K, EnvisionTEC, Renishaw plc., Stratasys Ltd., Materialise NV, Organovo Holdings, Inc., Bio3D Technologies and many more.
Wellness and Preventive Health
Sensory Wellness in preventive care seems to be riding a new trend alongside yoga and meditation. With life getting even more fast-paced, people are seeking deeper and looking towards sounds, visualisation and scents to heal themselves. Whether it would lead to long-term healing of mind, body or soul needs more authentication and study platforms. Acroyoga, in the right combination of yoga and acrobatics gets onto the wellness list and is more commonly known as partner yoga in lay terms. Noida mountaineer Arjun Vajpai beat stress when he did acroyoga at a height of over 18,000 feet (about 5,500 m) above sea level—as he conquered Mt. Kanchenjunga in May 2017. The practice is expected to help not only the practitioner attune with their mind and body but also help them connect with their partners by spending quality time with them too! If trends were to
the ‘new black’ in food adjunct, then is drinking charcoal or brushing with toothpaste laden with activated charcoal really healthy or part of health hoax? Only time and additional research will tell.
What’s OUT?
Frozen yogurt as people think is healthy but, it has actually moved out of being a trend to being on the borderlines of unhealthy treats! And, the use of flavoured toppings makes it all the more worse off! Despite being tagged as ‘probiotics’, it has far less of the beneficial bacteria than regular ‘not’ frozen yogurt or naturally-set yogurt. Instead, vegan homemade ice cream might bring in a green flavour amongst health fanatics. ‘Plant-based’ desserts might be a new offering. Anybody game for “fancy shaved ice” and frozen juice, pressed juices and lavender lemonade? sangeetagd2010@gmail.com
Ketogenic diets, along with leafy diets took an upswing in 2017 not just on social media platforms but across health platforms too. The high-fat, low-sugar diet which is said to fight epilepsy is now being studied for treatments in other wellness areas too be followed ‘YogaMoon’ could be the next travel tour package for newlyweds! Ketogenic diets, along with leafy diets took an upswing in 2017 not just on social media platforms but across health platforms too. The high-fat, low-sugar diet which is said to fight epilepsy is now being studied for treatments in other wellness areas too.
What’s IN?
Cryotherapy as an alternative health therapy saw good grounds in 2017. But, what is Cryotherapy? Loose definitions explain that it is the “process of exposing the body to ultra-low temperatures (-200°F to -250°F) in a controlled environment for a limited amount of time.” In actuality, an individual enters a nitrogen-cooled chamber or cryogenic sauna for a minute or two. This lowers the skin surface temperature significantly. This therapy is said to stimulate receptors, activate the central nervous system’s response and helps in releasing endorphins. That can offer pain relief when triggered in response to pain. The exposure to the right ‘low’ temperatures helps increase blood circulation, reduces inflammation, and also encourages cellular regeneration. How about making way for Cryo Studios for a healthy rejuvenation? Activated charcoal in food and lemonade has seen a new trend and seems to have been tolerated and accepted too! Activated charcoal is being
included in everything from soft-serve ice cream to hot dogs. But activated charcoal has been used to help treat drug overdose and even poisoning. So, what is it? Charcoal, which is made from coal, wood, or other substances becomes ‘activated charcoal’ when high temperatures combine with a gas or an activating agent to expand its surface area. When we consume activated charcoal, drugs and toxins bind to it and thus help body to get rid of unwanted substances. But, beware if you use activated charcoal as a supplement; it is forbidden if you are on medications as it may also reduce absorption of certain nutrients. If black is
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tadka
Extravagant salary hike Indian lawmakers have raised their salaries by 400 per cent in the last decade. This is in contrast to other countries like the UK and the US, where the average salary hike for lawmakers has been around 13 per cent.
December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 55
Pearls of Wisdom
By Dada JP Vaswani
Health and happiness through a
vegetarian diet
Vegetarianism is not an end in itself. It is only a means to an end. The end, the goal is the Vision of the One-in-all. As the Bhagavad Gita says: Who sees the separate lives of all creatures of the earth of men and birds and beasts, and of the worms that creep, and the fish that swim in the watery deep who sees them all united in the Spirit, the one Eternal God sees them brought forth from Him, His hidden depths—He sees, indeed!
D
uring the last fifty years or more, medical experts and nutritionists have largely inclined to the opinion that a vegetarian diet is the best option for good health. Anatomical and physiological studies point to the fact that civilised, evolved man is meant to be a vegetarian. His entire digestive system, including his teeth, his stomach and his intestines are so structured as to prove that even nature meant him to be a vegetarian. The arguments in favour of a vegetarian diet fall under four categories:
1. Physiological: Flesh diet is held to be responsible for serious diseases such as cancer. 2. Moral and ethical: There is much to be said against the wanton cruelty inflicted upon dumb and defenceless animals. 3. Economic: It has been proved that equal or better nutrition can be obtained from vegetable food more efficiently and economically than from flesh foods. 4. Aesthetic: No one is every put off by the sight of a salad or other vegetarian preparations! However, we are now looking at a vegetarian diet in relation to the maintenance of good
health in human beings. Millions of individuals all over the world subsist entirely on a vegetarian diet; and they have remained in good health and led very productive lives. Nutritionally, the only possible justification for a flesh diet is the necessity for protein. But it has been amply demonstrated that sufficient protein can be obtained from non-animal sources such as beans, lentils, nuts, and so on. If there is one thing that people have come to fear as much as a nuclear explosion, it is that dreaded substance called cholesterol. An increased level of cholesterol in the blood is responsible for coronary heart disease and also gallstones. It is now a well-known fact that animal fats raise the cholesterol level in the blood. Further, the saturated fatty acids in animal fat aggravate coronary heart disease. Cholesterol is actually a steroid present in all animal cells. It occurs in almost all foods of animal origin, such as meat, fish, milk, cream, cheese, eggs and butter. Cholesterol is present in the fat portion of these foods. Most foods of plant origin such as fruits, vegetables and cereals do not contain cholesterol. Research has proved that animal fats raise the cholesterol level of the blood, while certain vegetables actually lower it.
56 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
Another factor we must consider in evaluating the health aspects of a non-vegetarian diet is the amount of toxic wastes present in the flesh of a dead animal. They are very high. Thus, when we eat the flesh of animals, we are not only consuming the so-called nutritive portions, but also these poisonous waste-products. It is not possible for the body to eliminate these poisons immediately and effectively. A number of people are under the impression that they and their children cannot be strong unless they eat food of violence. It is only meat and chicken and eggs which can give strength to the body, they say. Without this type of food, will not the body become weak, and a prey to many diseases? As an answer to this query, we can cite the example of the elephant, which is one of the biggest and strongest animals in the world. As we all know, it is a pure vegetarian! Yet another veg-
Cholesterol is actually a steroid present in all animal cells. It occurs in almost all foods of animal origin, such as meat, fish, milk, cream, cheese, eggs and butter. Cholesterol is present in the fat portion of these foods etarian animal is the camel, which carries heavy loads across endless, burning desert sands! In quality too, the protein in vegetarian food is superior to that obtained from flesh food. Dr Christopher Gian Cuisio, a nutritionist of
repute, tells us that, “vegetables are primary sources nourished by the sun and soil, while meat is a secondary source nourished and sustained by vegetables.” Most of the animals killed for food, live on a vegetarian diet. Why then, should we not go to the source of all nutrition —vegetarian food? In an interesting book which I read years ago, Dr Edwin Flatto argues that those who eat flesh food are only eating grains and vegetables second hand. The animals which they eat—cows, goats, sheep, chicken, etc.—receive their nutrition from vegetables and grains. These animals pass on the nutrition they have received to the meat-eaters. How much better it would be if they got it directly! The famous vegetarian, Dr Kellogg says, “When we eat vegetarian food, we don’t have to worry about what kind of disease the food died of. That makes a joyful meal!”
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tadka
Indian users demand longer battery capacity Around 40% of Indian mobile users want a better battery. A report, by ad tech company MoMagic Technologies, said that only 8% eight bother about screen quality when buying a phone. With a drop in data pricing, many Indian buyers have moved to 4G phones with 56% of the respondents using them, followed by 3G at 34% and 7% using 2G devices.
December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 57
Bollywood Biz
Bollywood Directors who are also Actors Those who made their fortunes in front of the camera often want to try their hand at direction at some point. Then there are those who have made a name for themselves behind the camera but have found the world of acting quite enticing. This issue, we look at some of the finest directors who have transitioned into acting By Neeraj Varty
ƒ Farhan Akhtar Farhan Akhtar chose to enter Bollywood as a director; though, given his looks and personality, he could have easily done so as an actor. His first film as director, Dil Chahta Hai, was a huge success, and cemented him as one of the top directors of the era. In 2008, he decided to venture into acting, and his first film as actor, Rock On, was a huge success. His career-best performance as an actor, though, came from his turn as Milkha Singh in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, where he won critical and commercial success.
 Tigmanshu Dhulia
Tigmanshu Dhulia may be an exceptional director, having proved his directorial mettle with films like Haasil, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster and Paan Singh Tomar, but it is his terrific performance as Ramadhir Singh in Gangs of Wasseypur which has immortalised him in cinematic history, making him the subject of countless memes on social media. He followed this campy performance up with a completely different and grounded in the Hansal Mehta-directed Shahid. 58 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
Karan Johar Although Karan Johar is known as one of the finest directors in commercial Bollywood cinema, few know this fun tidbit. Much before he started calling the shots for his debut directorial movie Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Karan johar made his big screen appearance in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. But that was just a cameo, something that he has done in many films. In Bombay Velvet, Johar appears in a full-fledged part, on the insistence of Anurag Kashyap, another director who has seamlessly transitioned into acting. As the chief baddie, Karan looks dapper and has turned in a performance which won him accolades, even though the movie itself was a disaster at the box office.
Anurag Kashyap Anurag Kashyap is often credited as a director for resurrecting the noir genre in Indian cinema. With films such as Black Friday and Ugly, Anurag has earned the respect of everyone as a filmmaker. A littleknown fact is that Anurag Kashyap and Tigmanshu Dhulia are fellow-members in a mutual admiration society. After Anurag roped in Tigmanshu for Gangs of Wasseypur, the latter brought Anurag on board for Shagird. His performance went largely unnoticed since the film flopped. Anurag then went on to act in I Am, Bhoothnath Returns and Happy New Year. He later played the chief antagonist in Sonakshi Sinha’s Akira.
Farah Khan
When the director of Main Hoon Naa and Om Shanti Om decided to try her hand at acting in Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi, it wasn’t very surprising. Farah Khan is expressive and vocal and well-suited to being in front of the camera. She got the chance in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi, directed by his sister Bela Saigal, where Farah played a part eminently suited to her personality. She plays the leading lady Shirin, along with veteran actor Boman Irani, who plays Farhad, in a romantic comedy of a middle-aged Parsi couple who meet and fall in love. neeraj.varty07@gmail.com December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 59
New Tech
The Best Air Purifiers in India According to World Health Organization, 15 out of 20 most polluted cities are present in India. What’s even more alarming is that the air quality indoors is more harmful than outside. Due to bad air quality indoors, people, especially children and elderly can become vulnerable to lung diseases and allergies. Air purifiers can improve the air quality from hazardous (300m3) to good (60 – 100m3) with a span of 1-2 hours. They are efficient in removing remove ultrafine particles, dust, pollen, harmful gases, bacteria, virus and other irritants. This edition, we look at some of the best air purifiers available in India
Mi Air Purifier 2 – `8,999
Mi Air Purifyer 2 by Xiaomi is one of the most affordable yet effective air purifiers available in India. The Mi Air Purifier has three layers, consisting of a primary filter, an EPA Filter and an activated carbon filter, to clean various particles such as dust, pollen and fibres, human hair and more. The Mi Home app that controls the Purifier gives real-time data on air quality (AQI). The device can circulate and clean the air in a 750-square feet room in about 20 minutes, which is great for a budget device.
By Neeraj Varty
Philips 3000 Series Air Purifier – `25,000
The Philips 3000 Series air purifier with Aera Sense & VitaShield IPS is one of best air purifiers in India. It has a wide range of features, advanced air purification technology and sustainability. It displays real-time indoor air quality using respiratory PM 2.5 as an indicator and four colour change indicators. The advanced AeraSense technology measures and displays real-time indoor air quality. The VitaShield Intelligent Purification System (IPS) naturally removes 99.97% allergens and ultra-fine particles as small as 0.02 micron. Some of its added features include healthy air protect alert, child lock, sensor touch panel, dedicated light control, turbo mode and specially designed air inlets. Although expensive, this device is the absolute best when it comes to air purification.
Kent Aura 45-Watt Room Air Purifier – `9,885
Kent Aura air purifier is perfect for a room size of 270 sq ft. It uses Japan’s HEPA technology to make the air pure, pollution free and healthy. The proven and tested HEPA technology removes most of the hazardous pollutants. It also removes 99% of particles in the air using a three-stage mechanism: Impact, Interception and Diffusion. This three-stage technology can catch and trap pollutants larger than 0.3 micron like pollen, pet dander, mould spores, dust mites and tobacco smoke. The HEPA filter can effectively remove PM 2.5 and suspended particulate matter present in indoor air. The activated charcoal filter absorbs any foul smell or odor present in the air. The Kent Aura air purifier has an 8-hour timer function and three different speed levels for customised requirements. It also has a one-touch child lock feature and filter change alarm. 60 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
Gliese Magic Room Air Purifier – `6,999 Gliese Magic Room air purifier is one of the most compact (14 inches tall and nine inches wide) devices available in the market. It weighs just 1.8 kg which makes it handy to carry around. It is equipped with a simple control panel with well-laid-out functions. The three step light indicators clearly present the air quality in the room—Red: bad, Purple: polluted, Amber: moderate, Blue: good. It is equipped with a five step air purification technology (Pre-Filter, HEPA, Carbon Filter, UV Filter, and Ionizer). The HEPA filter (made up of glass fibres) helps to remove large contaminants like allergens, mold, dust and other. They are 99.9% efficient in removing airborne impurities larger than 0.3 micron diameter. The carbon filter removes gases, odours and harmful chemicals that may cause eye, nose or throat irritation, nausea and headache. neeraj.varty07@gmail.com
Claps & Slaps Corporate Citizen Claps for the new state government directive, whereby specialist doctors in Maharashtra will be able to earn close to two lakh rupees if they opt to serve in rural areas
Corporate Citizen slaps the audacity of Trainee IPS Safeer Karim from Chennai who was caught cheating in the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) Main examination
The acute shortage of specialists in rural zones has triggered the public health department to encourage and recruit specialist doctors across 65 centres in 15 districts, in rural, sub-district and district hospitals. The endeavor is to recruit 500 doctors to help run outpatient clinics, take routine rounds of wards and be available for emergency calls during their duty hours six days every week. They can also opt to offer their services for emergency calls only. Regions around Hingoli, Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Amravati, Yavatmal, Dhule, Kolhapur, Solapur, Sangli, Satara, Thane and Palghar have been identified under the scheme. While overall vacancy of specialists stands at a mere 40%, crucial areas such as anesthesiology suffer more. “In certain areas, the vacancy among anaesthetists is around 70%, while that of paediatricians and gynaecologists is 40 to 50%,” said Dr Satish Pawar, head of Directorate of Health Services (DHS). As per Dr Sanjeev Kumar, commissioner of National Health Mission (NHM), the authorities are also open to different rate structures, if doctors are willing to pitch their ideas with the district committee. “The bottom line is the remuneration—is performance-linked. If a gynaecologist manages to perform 30-40 caesarean sections a month, he/she will easily take home a monthly package of ₹2 lakh,” he said. Reports explain that the implementation of the scheme has been categorised into three grades (A, B and C). This means that a gynaecologist joining grade A centre will be given a base salary of ₹70,000 while those joining grade B and C centres would be paid ₹60,000 and ₹50,000 respectively. Reportedly, out of 7,232 posts sanctioned by public health department, nearly 1,200 lie vacant and unfilled. According to Dr Pawar, the scheme focuses on limited to worse areas as of now, where despite basic health infrastructure being available, most doctors remain disinclined to work. In another move, the Maharashtra government is also planning on retrospectively implementing the mandatory rural service bond for MBBS students who took admission to the course in 2010. According to state medical education minister, Girish Mahajan, an online list of the students completing their medical education will be compiled for compulsory services based on their qualifications in rural, semi-rural and tribal areas. Very recently, the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) had cancelled the registration of over 4,500 doctors in the state for not serving the mandatory 1-year period in rural areas; some who have also denied paying the penalty incurred for not serving in the rural zones.
The 29-year-old officer, an assistant superintendent of police on probation in Tirunelveli’s Nanguneri subdivision was arrested in October for cheating during the exam using high-tech devices. Safeer Karim was found using a Bluetooth device to speak to his wife Joicy Joy in Hyderabad and accomplices in Kerala as well, as per a reports in mainstream media. Karim had used Bluetooth-enabled devices, a wireless modem and a miniature camera attached to a shirt button to send images of the question paper to his wife. He has been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act, 2003 and now faces dismissal from the police force as he was under probation. The graveness of the situation was revealed as the Chennai investigating team, alleged that Karim might have used the same modus operandi to probably help candidates in his own coaching centres which are operational across Hyderabad, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram for passing the UPSC exams. Around 11 cell phones, a laptop, a tablet, four hard disks and a pen drive have been seized from the accused. The 2015 batch officer appeared for the exam at Chennai’s Presidency Girls Higher Secondary School. “Karim admitted during interrogation that he took photographs of the question paper and sent them to his wife, who relayed the answers to him,” as was revealed by an Intelligence Bureau officer who spoke anonymously to mainstream media. But more recent reports are contrary as another investigating officer has clarified that Karim did not carry a cell phone into the UPSC (Main) exam centre in Presidency Higher Secondary School for Girls, Egmore, when IB sleuths caught him! Safeer Karim, from Kerala’s Aluva district, ranked 112 in the UPSC exams in 2015. Safeer has now moved court for a bail plea before the principal sessions court, claiming that he was framed by the police with ulterior motive. He submitted that the FIR was registered against him on a complaint by the headmistress of Presidency Girls Higher Secondary school, where the examination was held. However, Karim’s counsel contended that assuming that the prosecution’s case was true and the offence was indeed committed, according to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) rules, he could be punishable only with debarment from appearing in future examination. Whether Safeer did it or not, is still under investigation but, shouldn’t exam vigilantes too adopt measures to put a check to such sophisticated ‘cheat chits’ and cheaters—or succumb under an immoral brigade to lead the nation in the future! (Compiled by Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar) December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 61
Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian
From The Mobile
Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar!
I
was waiting in line for a ride at the airport in Dubai. When a cab pulled up, the first thing I noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for me. He handed me a laminated card and said, “I’m Abdul, your driver. While I’m loading your bags in the trunk I’d like you to read my mission statement”. Taken aback, I read the card. It said: Abdul’s Mission Statement: ‘To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment’. This blew me away. Especially when I noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean! As he slid behind the wheel, Abdul said, “Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.” I said jokingly, “No, I’d prefer a soft drink.” Abdul smiled and said, “No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, lassi, water and orange juice.” Almost stuttering, I said, “I’ll take a lassi.” Handing me my drink, Abdul said, “If you’d like something to read, I have The
62 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
NST, Star and Sun Today.” As we were pulling away, Abdul handed me another laminated card, “These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you’d like to listen to the radio.” And as if that wasn’t enough, Abdul told me that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for me. Then he advised me of the best route to my destination for that time of day. He also let me know that he’d be happy to chat and tell me about some of the sights or, if I preferred, to leave me with my own thoughts. “Tell me, Abdul,” I was amazed and asked him, “have you always served customers like this?” Abdul smiled into the rear view mirror. “No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard about POWER OF CHOICE one day.” Power of choice is that you can be a duck or an eagle. “If you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. Stop complaining!” “Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack
and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.” “That hit me really hard” said Abdul. “It is about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes, slowly... a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.” “I take it that it has paid off for you,” I said. “It sure has,” Abdul replied. “My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I’ll probably quadruple it. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on it.” Abdul made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like a duck and start soaring like an eagle. Start becoming an eagle today... one small step every week... next week... and next... and next... A great thought... You don’t die if you fall in water; you die only if you don’t swim. That’s the real meaning of life. Improve yourself and your skills in a different way. Be an Eagle... not a Duck
Choose your battles wisely
My mom’s sari pallu, I don’t think our kids know what a pallu is as mothers now rarely wear saree. The principle use of Ma’s pallu was to provide the elegance to her drape. But along with that, it also served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the stove. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears and as a hand towel. For sleeping kids her lap was the mattress and her pallu the warm cover. When company came, those pallus were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when going out as little kids, the pallu became an anchor, a guide to follow the Mom in the big bad world And when the weather was cold, Ma wrapped it around her arms. Those glorious sari pallus wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.
Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that pallu. It doubled as her apron too From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the pallu was used to bring in berries and sweet-scented flowers that had fallen from the trees. When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old sari pallu could dust in a matter of seconds. It carried so many toys, a proper basket... It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that old-time sari pallu that served so many purposes. The pallu is nothing but magic woven. And know what this pallu carried.....I don’t think I ever caught anything from my MOM’S pallu—but love.
After taking a bath in a river, an elephant was walking on the road. When it neared a bridge, it saw a pig fully soaked in mud coming from the opposite direction. The elephant quietly moved to one side, allowed the dirty pig to pass and then continued its onward journey. The unclean pig later spoke to its friends in arrogance, “See how big I am; even the elephant was afraid of me and moved to one side to let me pass.” On hearing this, some elephants questioned their friend, the reason for its action. Was it out of fear? The elephant smiled and replied, “I could have easily crushed
the pig under my leg, but I was clean and the pig was very dirty. By crushing it, my leg will become dirty and I wanted to avoid it. Hence, I moved aside.” This story reveals: Realised souls will avoid contact with negativity not out of fear, but out of desire to keep away from impurity though they are strong enough to destroy the impurity. You need not react to every opinion, every comment, or every situation. Kick the drama and keep going ahead. Not everything deserves your time and attention.
One-minute Smoothie Cold
Hangover
Headache
Nervousness
Ulcer
Depression
Carrot, Pineapple, Ginger, Garlic Apple, Cucumber, Kale, Ginger, Celery Cabbage, Carrot, Celery
High B.P.
Beet, Apple, Celery, Cucumber, Ginger
Apple, Carrot, Beet, Lemon Carrot, Celery, Pomegranate Carrot, Apple, Spinach, Beet
Diabetes
Carrot, Spinach, Celery
Asthma
Stress
Banana, Strawberry, Pear
Fatigue
Carrot, Spinach, Apple, Garlic, Lemon
Carrots, Beet, Green Apple, Lemon, Spinach
Arthritis
Memory Loss
Carrot, Celery
Carrot, Celery, Pineapple, Lemon
Constipation
Kidney Stone
Indigestion
Kidney Detox
Carrot, Watermelon, Cucumber, Cilantro
Eyes
Carrot, Apple, Cabbage
Orange, Apple, Watermelon, Lemon
Pomegranate, Beet, Grapes Pineapple, Carrot, Lemon, Mint
December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 63
astroturf Energy remains an important factor and you still need to take those timely breaks in between work. Now is the period to build your forces and focus more on your personal life and emotional well-being.
Aries
Mar 21 April 20
Greatest days: 16, 17, 26, 27 Hectic days: 18, 19, 20 Honey days: 16, 17, 28 Money days: 16, 17, 24, 25, 28, 29 Profession days: 17, 18, 19, 20, 28 Your career will have responsibilities, which can be worrying, if taken on a positive note then it would be a success. Bosses can be overdemanding and overcontrolling. At this time, you do your duty responsibly and give more than the boss demands. other.
TAURUS April 21 May 20
Greatest days: 18, 19, 20 Hectic days: 21, 22 Honey days:16, 17, 19, 20, 28, 29 Money days:16, 17, 24, 27, 30, 31 Profession days: 17, 18, 21, 22, 27 Those are in a relationship need to understand that, if you can avoid power struggles in your relationship, your love will be happy. Have a little caution and think twice which can save from buying unnecessarily.
GEMINI May 21 June 21
Greatest days: 21, 22, 30, 31 Hectic days: 16, 17, 24, 25 Honey days: 16, 17, 24, 25, 28 Money days:16, 17, 24, 25 Profession days: 24, 25 Now is the time to focus on your career and outer goals and let family issues go for a while. It is time to succeed in the world as you begin your yearly career push which culminates in February and March of 2018.
CANCER June 22 July 23
Greatest days: 24, 25 Hectic days: 18, 19, 20, 26, 27 Honey days: 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 28 Money days: 16, 17, 24, 25 Profession days: 24, 26, 27 Let go of personal efforts which
(www.dollymanghat.com)
Fortune favours the bold and the lucky
Your attitude is your altitude, says Dolly Manghat, our renowned Astrological expert and believes she helps people create their own prophecies rather than live predictions will put others ahead of yourself and allow good to happen rather than trying to make it happen. Love is the main headline this month and you will enter your yearly love and social peak.
LEO
July 24 Aug 23 Â
Greatest days: 16, 17, 26, 27 Hectic days: 21, 22, 28, 29 Honey days: 16, 17, 18, 21, 27, 28 Money days: 16, 17, 24, 25, 26, 27 Profession days: 16, 17, 28, 29 Your love planet Uranus will be retrograding this month so abstain from taking any kind of major decision. A relaxed attitude will be more appealing and help you strengthen your bonds. Health is much improved.
VIRGO
Aug 24 Sept 23
Greatest days: 18, 19, 20 Hectic days: 16, 17, 24, 25, 30, 31 Honey days: 16, 17, 24, 25, 28 Money days: 16, 17, 24, 25, 28 Profession days: 16, 17, 27, 30, 31 Focusing on the inner psyche helps you to prepare for the next career push. Feeling right is more important than doing right these days. Be there for the family in a physical and emotional way. Family issues get sorted out this month.
64 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
LIBRA
Sept 24 Oct 22
Greatest days: 21, 22, 30, 31 Hectic days: 18, 19, 20, 26, 27 Honey days: 16, 17, 24, 26, 27, 28 Money days: 19, 20, 24, 25, 28, 29 Profession days: 16, 17 There will be period where you need to manage your emotional life. There is a tendency to repress emotions under this aspect, though this never works for a long period.
SCORPIO Oct 23 Nov 22
Greatest days: 24, 25 Hectic days: 21, 22, 28, 29 Honey days: 16, 17, 21, 29 Money days: 16, 17, 24, 25 Profession days: 16, 17 You are still in your yearly financial peak so earnings are still very strong. Wealth will brighten your relationships and you will attract people to your persona. Love opportunities come as you pursue your financial goals.
SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 Dec 22
Greatest days: 16, 17, 26, 27 Hectic days: 24, 25, 30, 31 Honey days: 16, 17, 26, 28, 30, 31 Money days: 16, 18, 19, 20, 25, 28 Profession days: 16, 17, 26, 27
CAPRICORN Dec 23 Jan 20
Greatest days: 18, 19, 20 Hectic days: 26, 27 Honey days: 16, 17, 28 Money days: 17, 18, 21, 24, 25, 27 Profession days: 16, 17, 28 As you have achieved your spiritual goals of the past two years whatever enlightenment was needed has happened. All your natural organisational and management skills get stronger.
AQUARIUS Jan 21 Feb19
Greatest days: 21, 22, 30, 31 Hectic days: 28, 29 Honey days: 16, 17, 28 Money days: 24, 25 Profession days: 19, 20, 28, 29 Earnings still remain challenging until the 21st after which you will be in a period of prosperity. Love life remains happy as your power and status will now be less important to you.
PISCES
Feb 20 Mar 20
Greatest days: 24, 25 Hectic days: 16, 17, 30, 31 Honey days: 16, 17, 26, 27, 28 Money days: 24, 25, 26, 27 Profession days: 16, 17, 24, 25 Now the things will get a lot easier career-wise. You would have earned your success by merit these past few years, now you have proved your mettle so career becomes less intense. Address: 143, St Patrick’s Town, Gate# 3, Hadapsar IE, Pune-411 013. Tel.: 020-26872677 / 020-32905748 Email: connect@dollymanghat.com/ info.dollymanghat@gmail.com
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CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP
PROF. SUDHIR K SOPORY, VICE CHANCELLOR, JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY (JNU) Volume 1, Issue No. 21 / Pages 68 / www.corporatecitizen.in
January 1-15, 2016 / `50
CORPORATE CULTURE
Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank on women in leadership and gender diversity
INTERVIEW
An in-depth interview with Vishal Parekh, Marketing Director India with Kingston Technology and Rajeev Bhadauria, Director, Group HR, at Jindal Steel & Power
Dynamic Duo 21 MEERA SHANKAR AND AJAY SHANKAR
UNFLINCHING SUPPORT
December 16-31, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 65
the last word
Ganesh Natarajan
Optimistic about India
Recent whirlwind trip to Chennai for the CII National Council and Mangalore to do the Convocation address at NITK Suratkal opened my eyes even more to the opportunities and challenges that face us
A
number of friends have asked me what makes me busier than ever and travel twice as much after leaving a full-time CEO role in 2016 and doing a bunch of entrepreneurial and nation-building work. The answer is simple—when your canvas gets expanded and the paint on your palette is overflowing, there are so many new pictures to paint that twenty-four hours a day don’t seem to be enough! And a recent whirlwind trip to Chennai for the CII National Council and Mangalore to do the Convocation address at NITK Suratkal opened my eyes even more to the opportunities and challenges that face us! The mood of the corporate sector in our country is one of cautious optimism. There is hope that the nadir of GDP growth at 5.7 per cent has been reached and once the short-term stress of demonetisation and GST is behind us, the country can climb back to an eight per cent growth environment for a sustained period of time. The short-term slowdown reflects sharp deceleration in goods exports and moderation in consumption growth and some anticipated inventory destocking ahead of GST implementation in July, all of which should be temporary. The green shoots of growth are already visible with manufacturing sector’s growth improving marginally to 3.1 per cent with electricity and mining boosting the growth
Ganesh Natarajan with rural entrepreneurs in Pune
The jobs of the future will be a heady mix of storytelling, visual and sound effects to make mixed reality a success and will need people with the ability to work with cyber-physical processes and big data emerging from multiple sources in the environment. A McKinsey commentary on the new manufacturing environment with Industry 4.0 gives examples of automated oxygen fluctuation detection in a South African mine, augmented reality enabled picking efficiency transformation in large warehouses and shop floor supervisors of the future armed with the skills to work with families of robots and self-healing machines that need less of operation and more of coordination. The future of the car industry might actually see designs crowd-sourced from potential buyers and converted to a drive-away model through 3D
of industrial production. Capital goods output also rose for the first time this year and both consumer durables and non-durables, after a normal monsoon in the country continue to perform well. And the external environment shows positive signs too with global growth projections upgraded to 3.6 per cent this year and 3.7 per cent next year, well above the 2016 actual figure of 3.2 per cent. India is expected to regain its position as the fastest-growing major economy in 2018, a projection that augurs well for job creation and new opportunities for the hundreds of millions of young job seekers who expect that their country will give them the opportunity to do better than the previous generations, India is expected to regain which is often the best its position as the fastest indicator of upward movement of an econ-growing major economy omy. One concern, in 2018, a projection that which I shared with augurs well for job creation the large assembly of academicians, students and parents in NITK is the impact printing and instantaneous robotthat new developments in artificial ic assembly. As one bright student intelligence, machine learning, rocorrectly mused, is anything I have botics and robotic process automalearnt in the last four years going tion can have on traditional jobs. to prepare me for these changes? New jobs there will be aplenty! Just The answer is—you have the engiin IT, a NASSCOM study has idenneering discipline to understand tified opportunities in eight new new concepts and learn new skills areas including Analytics, Internet that will enable you to cope and of Things and Mixed Reality which succeed in the new world but you includes both Augmented and Virneed to be innovative and quick to tual Reality. adapt even as the country and the
66 / Corporate Citizen / December 16-31, 2017
world transform at an extraordinary pace. These rapid changes will also necessitate a new economic and policy philosophy for the new India. No longer can we expect a mandarin sitting in Delhi to develop a precise mathematical model for the economy, for a specific industry or indeed for anything to do with our work and life. What will be needed are individuals and organisations created and nurtured in a new mode—to be focused on success and yet flexible in their approach who move fast to capture new opportunities and face the myriad challenges that will come up on the way. All this in an environment which continues to be friendly and fun. Yes, our mantra of 5F World—Fast Focused Flexible Friendly and Fun has never been more needed than it is today! And finally returning to the subject of being busier than ever in new vocations, my role model in this regard is good friend and legendary film personality Amol Palekar. After enormous successes in theater, film acting, direction and production, he turned his attention or rather returned to an old love, painting last year and has been truly prolific with his recent exhibition in the USA being a sellout success. India needs more of Amol, Sandhya and their ilk to keep breaking new ground if we are to make this the land of our dreams by 2022. Mera Bharat Mahaan! Dr Ganesh Natarajan is Chairman of 5F World, Pune City Connect & Social Venture Partners, Pune.
Printed and published by Dr (Col). A. Balasubramanian on behalf of Sri Balaji Society. Editor: Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian. Published from : 925/5, Mujumdar Apt, F.C. Road, Pune - 411004, Maharashtra. Printed at Magna Graphics (I) Ltd., 101-C&D Govt. Industrial Estate, Hindustan Naka, Kandivali (W), Mumbai - 400067.