Volume3 issue 22 corporate citizen

CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP Prof (Dr) S.B. Arora, Vice Chancellor, IGNOU Volume 3, Issue No. 22 / Pages 68 / www.corporatecitizen.in

INTERVIEW

Dr Vithal Venkatesh Kamat, Chairman and MD, Kamat Hotels (India) Pvt Ltd

February 1-15, 2018 / `50

CII-National Leadership Conference

What drives the first-gen entrepreneurs

Loved and Married Too

Entrepreneurial couple Amruta and Mandar Deogaonkar

Survey

Deloitte, 2017 MillenNial Survey

Dynamic Duo: 64 Avinash Saurabh, co-founder, Zoojoo.be and Shruti

Wealth of Wellness

2 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 67

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Editor-in-Chief’s Choice

Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian

While Rayat Bahra IITM college (right) in Sonepat shut down earlier this year, next door, the Tek Chand Mann College is now Modern Convent School

// The Indian Express Investigation Reports //

Devalued Degree

7 10 of

Seats Empty,

in Engineering Graveyard, few lessons come to life An Express Investigation - Part II: As many as 18 engineering institutes have closed down in Haryana since 2012, the third largest number after Andhra Pradesh (23 colleges wound up) and Telangana (21) 4 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

Pics: Praveen Khanna

VACANT BTECH SEATS OVER LAST FIVE YEARS

62%

66%

73%

74%

2012-13

2013-14

2014-15

2015-16

2016-17

58,551

56%

69,004

66,400

40,000

66,050

60,000

69,520

80,000

20,000 0

Btech Seats

Vacant seats

No wonder, 97% of its first-year seats are unfilled this academic session—17 students against an intake of 540 B.E/B.Tech seats. Almost one half of the campus remains inaccessible to students. “The institute runs up a power bill of almost `2 lakh a month. We couldn’t afford to keep all classrooms functional,” says an administrative officer at SBIT. Of the first-year batch of 17, 13 are in Computer Science, four in Mechanical Engineering — not one has opted for Electrical, Electronics Information Electronics and Information Technology this Technology & Electrical year.

The Indian Express could not Mechanical 23 reach college chairman Sushil Yadav or institute director V. K. Panchal. Both were not available when Computer The Indian Express visited the cam21 Science pus and did not answer calls and SMSes left on their mobile phones.

Civil 14 The story of SBIT is illustrative.

As many as 18 engineering institutes have closed down in Haryana since 2012, the third largest number after Andhra Pradesh (23 colleges wound up) and Telangana (21). AICTE records investigated by The Indian Express show 17 institutes in the state are currently on the regulator’s radar for low admissions and run the risk of forced closure next year.

This, again, is the third largest number after Maharashtra (26) and Andhra Pradesh (19) though Haryana has, at 58,551, half the number of B.Tech seats as Maharashtra.

Haryana’s Sonepat district, home to 17 engineering colleges as of 201617, the highest in the state, is now pockmarked with failed institutions. According to AICTE data, three colleges have closed down in this district in the last five years but the situation on the ground is worse – a visit revealed at least five had shut shop indicating that there were colleges winding up without informing AICTE.

CLOSED COURSES IN HARYANA OVER 5 YRS (SINCE 2012)

52 51

T

o listen to the death knell of an undergraduate engineering degree, come to the graveyard—Haryana which, at 74%, tops the vacant seat list in the country and its Sonepat district, home to the state’s private education hub. Launched in 2006 by then Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia, Shri Balwant Singh Institute of Technology (SBIT), spread over 10 acres, is a textbook example of what has gone wrong.

Last August, when its second-year students returned from their vacation, they found that most of their teachers had left. “For almost two weeks, there was no one to take classes for four of our papers,” says a Computer Science student who did not wish to be identified. “The college then replaced our teachers with B.Tech graduates, some of them fresh out of college.”

As for first-years, a school teacher was brought in to teach thermodynamics—from the school across the road run by the same group.

Clearly, these violated norms mandated by the All India Council of Technical Education, the apex body of engineering colleges in the country, according to which teachers at the entry level (assistant professor) should have had a postgraduate (M.E/Tech) degree.

But AICTE norms have long gone out of the window at colleges like SBIT—a testament itself to the laxity in regulation and the close-your-eyesee-no-evil approach to colleges (see box).

The boom—and the slow bust

Things weren’t always this bad. Haryana was late to join the engineerFebruary 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 5

Editor-in-Chief’s Choice Pics: Ritika Chopra

ing bandwagon that the country rode in the mid-1990s—fuelled by the IT boom of that period—but when it did, like elsewhere, colleges mushroomed across the state helped by the ease with which the AICTE granted approvals. In fact, 74 per cent of the total engineering institutions in the state i.e. 106 out of 144 that offer undergraduate courses were set up only in the last decade.

“Many of these colleges came up in Sonepat. Its proximity to Delhi meant better job opportunities for the graduates,” says Bachan Singh, deputy director and registrar at Bharat Institute of Technology (BIT), which was established in 2008. Last year, 89 per cent of the college’s 420 B.Tech seats were empty and the institute is surviving on revenue generated from the pharmacy college next door run by its parent group, Bharat Group of Institutions.

Until 2009, the nearby Bhagwan Parsuram College of Engineering, whose last batch graduated in 2016 and which has had no fresh admissions since 2013, had nine buses to ferry students from Delhi and all over Haryana to the institute. The college is now largely under lock and key with part of it leased out to a wrestling academy.

S. K. Bhardwaj, 62, the college principal who now lives in GurgaEXPERTS SAY that at the heart on, says, “In 2009, we had almost of the rampant mushrooming 1,400 B.Tech students across all of engineering colleges lies four batches. In fact, we increased AICTE's weak monitoring our seat intake the same year and mechanism. even started building a new academic block in 2010 for new classAlCTE OFFICIALS who spoke rooms to keep pace with the burto The Indian Express said the geoning demand.”

Council, in most cases, did not Experts point out that this ‘inrevisit engineering colleges for discriminate expansion’ in Haryana years after giving its approval. also coincided with a period when In fact, an inspection team AICTE was accused of rampant of AICTE would only visit corruption. institutes to probe the veracity According to AICTE data, 2008of a complaint or when the 09 witnessed an increase of almost institute sought permission to 30 per cent in engineering intake increase student intake. That over the previous year—the hightoo did not happen too often in est in a single year since 2001—with the past, said AlCTE chairman over 700 new engineering instiAnil Sahasrabudhe. tutes being approved, 41 of these in Haryana.

WHEN ASKED when was That year, the CBI caught then the last time AICTE inspection AICTE member-secretary K. team visited the campus, BlT Narayan Rao accepting a bribe deputy registrar Bachan Singh from the owner of an engineering said he didn't remember. college in Andhra Pradesh. The incident eventually led to the susSAHASRABUDHE, HOWEVER, pension of then AICTE chairman said things were changing. Last R. A. Yadav. year, AlCTE decided to revisit

Few Checks, Balances

Then came the great unraveling

With the global economic crisis of 2008 slowing down growth in US and Europe, the main markets for IT companies, the job market shrunk. Like elsewhere, Haryana was hit hard.

technical institutions before the first batch graduated and also conduct surprise inspections at 5% of the institutes every year. "We realised that the current system based on selfdisclosure was not working," he said.

6 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

College principals say the first slump in fresh admissions was witnessed in 2011, when big companies stayed away from campus interviews. Last year, less than half of the 180 final-year students at BIT were placed through campus recruitment. Bachan Singh admits that only 25 to 30 per cent of the graduates usually find jobs now, a big shift from the 60 to 65 per cent placement rates about six years ago.

The combination of poor student intake and poor placements have trapped institutes in a “vicious cycle”, says Vinod Dhar, who was in charge of the placement cell at SBIT for almost six years until he quit four months ago. “When companies visit a college campus for recruitment, they expect a pool of at least 150 to 200 students to choose from. Why would a company want to come to your campus when your batch of graduates is as small as 30 to 40? This is a big reason why colleges haven’t been able to attract companies now. This is also the reason why more and more institutes in Haryana are holding their placement drives together so that companies have a larger pool to choose from.”

Lowering the bar, industry disconnect

The year 2011, says Bachan Singh of BIT, was the inflection point. “We had good companies visiting our college till 2010. Maybe it’s a problem of oversupply (of students) or a slump in the economy but now only BPOs participate. These jobs pay little. Moreover, why would an engineer want to work at a call centre,” Singh says.

Industry leaders, college principals and academics The Indian Express spoke to agree on reasons—poor quality of both students and faculty exacerbated by lower eligibility norms and an outdated syllabus.

Mohandas Pai, former Infosys board member and chairman of Manipal Global Education, says he has a theory for why IT companies, which are among the largest recruiters of engineers in the country, may have desert-

The computer lab at Bhagwan Parshuram College in Sonepat lies locked up

institutes started cutting corners. Faculty was the first casualty with unpaid salaries and work pressure taking a toll on those who stayed back.

“Private colleges depend on student fee to sustain themselves. Fewer students meant fall in revenue and this affected us (teachers) directly. I did not get an increment for almost seven years and to make matters worse, our salaries never came on time. A delay of two to three months was considered normal,” says a teacher at SBIT who did not wish to be identified as he was still waiting for the college to clear his dues.

Teachers say that it’s unfair to blame them for the poor quality of graduates. “Once faculty started quitting, many of those who stayed back had to teach as many as five papers. Our output will obviously get affected under such a work burden. You cannot expect a teacher of computer science to teach a paper on e-commerce,” says a former teacher of the college who too did not want to be identified.

If not college, start a school

Colleges also began downsizing, surrendering seats in courses with few takers. According to AICTE data for the last five years, 52 institutes in Haryana wound up their Information Technology programme, 51 their Electrical and Electronics engineering branch and 23 of Mechanical Engineering. BIT, for instance, surrendered all its IT seats to AICTE three years ago.

But the crisis staring engineering has translated into a boom of sorts for another sector—school education.

Of the five closed institutes that The Indian Express visited in Sonepat, three—Rukmini Devi College of Engineering and Allied Sciences, Tek Chand Mann College of Engineering and Sonipat Institute of Engineering and Mangement—have been converted into schools.

Tek Chand Mann College of Engineering started in 2008 but wound up seven years later, in 2015, after filling less than 30 per cent of the seats

With the global economic crisis of 2008 slowing down growth in US and Europe, the main markets for IT companies, the job market shrunk. Like elsewhere, Haryana was hit hard growth in US and Europe ed colleges in Haryana.

“Colleges in North India have a problem. People here are not taught to speak in English. This (IT) is a global industry. If your communication skills are not strong, then the (job) opportunities will be less. So if you ask me, Haryana having a large number of vacant seats is not a surprise,” he says.

Unlike states such as Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, Haryana has no common entrance test for admissions to undergraduate engineering colleges. It does, however, conduct online counselling based on the JEE (Main) merit list. If institutes fail to fill their seats through online counselling, they are free to admit students directly and it’s this route that most colleges in Haryana take.

The minimum requirement for students to secure a B.Tech seat is an aggregate score of 45 per cent in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.

The eligibility criterion, laid down by AICTE, was 50% until 2011.

“AICTE may have lowered the bar from 50 per cent to 45 under pressure from institutes suffering from low admissions. There’s only so much a teacher can do to make such students (with bare minimum pass marks) excellent engineers. This eventually affects job placements. So institutes are trapped in a vicious cycle,” says Dhar, the former placement officer at SBIT. With poor admissions reducing revenues to a trickle, a few years ago,

in 2013 and 2014. Its 11-acre campus is now called the Modern Convent School, with 500 students up to Class 8.

Some others, meanwhile, have doggedly hung on. Bhagwan Parsuram College, the college a part of which is now an akhada, has been renewing its AICTE approval every year in the hope that the interest in engineering education will revive and its fortunes see a reversal.

“Even this year, we paid `3 lakh (to renew AICTE approval) though we didn’t admit any students. This is just is a phase and we are confident the students will come back,” says Bhardwaj.

AICTE’s warning to institutes with 30 per cent or more seats vacant to shape up or ship out hasn’t found too many takers. “If you go to them (AICTE) today with a proposal they will allow you to set up an institute.

They didn’t look at viability (when we were opening our institute), then why look at it now? If they shut us down, who will repay us for the investment we have made? Why don’t they take over these colleges, instead of shutting them down? Only then will they know how difficult it is to run one,” says the administrative official at SBIT. (This article was originally published in The Indian Express) (Link: http://indianexpress.com/article/education/devalued-degree7-of-10-seats-empty-in-engineering-graveyard-few-lessons-come-tolife-4978717/) February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 7

Contents 22

Cover story

Dynamic Duo 64

Wealth of Wellness Avinash Saurabh, co-founder of startup Zoojoo.be on how wellness is essential for company’s growth. He and his wife, Shruti, a software engineer also speak about how marital relationships depends on one-to-one connection and why they believe health is wealth in the corporate world

11 COLLYWOOD Chatpata Chatter from the Corporate World 15 ECONOMY OVERVIEW Why Whitefield, in Greater Bengaluru region, is a burgeoning micro-market with a rich history of over 200 years 16 WAX ELOQUENT Who said what and why 8 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

Volume 3 Issue No.22 February 1-15, 2018 www.corporatecitizen.in

40

18 THE TAX MAN COMETH The malaise of unsolved criminal cases in our criminal justice system 30 CII-National Leadership Conference What will drive the first-gen entrepreneurs in the prevailing and future business climate?

16 32

32 CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP Prof (Dr) S.B. Arora, Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), on what it takes to run the leviathan people’s university 40 INTERVIEW Annapurna A., Director - Human Resources, Inspirage, on what requires to be an HR, ‘a human doctor dealing with people’

30 48

44 CAMPUS PLACEMENT Rajat Prabhakar, on his campus placement experience and achieving his goals 46 LOVED AND MARRIED Entrepreneurial couple, Amruta and Mandar Deogaonkar, on their marriage and how their partnership works 48 INTERVIEW Dr Vithal Venkatesh Kamat, Chairman and MD, Kamat Hotels, on his journey in the hospitality world and as an inveterate writer

44 18

50 SURVEY Deloitte, 2017 Millennial Survey, on millennials and if they are dominating the job market, especially in India 54 HEALTH How a family has built aspirations around ‘running’ and ‘sprinting’

46 February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 9

contents

56 Editor-In-Chief Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian Consulting Editor Vinita Deshmukh vinita.corporatecitizen@gmail.com Senior Business Writer Rajesh Rao rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com Senior Sub-Editor Neeraj Varty neeraj.varty07@gmail.com 56 PEARLS OF WISDOM How appearances can be deceptive

Sub-Editor Vineet Kapshikar vineetkapshikar@gmail.com

58 BOLLYWOOD BIZ A look at the rare movies that have grossed `300 crore in India

Writers Delhi Bureau Pradeep Mathur mathurpradeep1@gmail.com/ Sharmila Chand chand.sharmila@gmail.com Bengaluru Bureau Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar sangeetagd2010@gmail.com

60 MOBILE APPS A look at interesting products and technologies introduced at CES 2018 66 LAST WORD Uma and Ganesh Natarajan, on introducing Indians to their own country and making hundreds of new tourist destinations come alive

Pune Bureau Joe Williams / Kalyani Sardesai / Namrata Gulati Sapra

58 66

60

Marketing Manager Delhi: Mohamed Rizwan riz.mohamed@hotmail.com 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 On Cover Page Shruti and Avinash Saurabh

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collywood

People in the news

Rashesh Shah takes over as FICCI President

Tendulkar bowled for a DUCK!

FICCI during its recent Annual General Meeting elected Rashesh Shah as its president for 2017-18, while Sandip Somany was elected FICCI’s senior Vice President and Sangita Reddy its Vice President. “Rashesh Shah has spent over 25 years in the corporate and financial markets sector and is one of the leading spokespersons for the industry,” FICCI said in a statement about Shah who is also the Chairman & CEO of Edelweiss Group. Somany is the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of HSIL Limited, a building materials company.

Sen to lead Korn Ferry as MD Kunal Sen has the tag of being an influential leader by the World HRD Congress in the year 2017, and Ferry Futurestep India has roped him as its Managing Director. Kunal will be responsible for the growth, profitability and overall management of the Futurestep business in India. He will work out of the Bengaluru office of the company. Kunal has two decades of experience, and is better known as a leader in the corporate world with diverse experience in both B2C and B2B. He has a strong operational

background, is a proven leader and has the ability to scale up businesses profitably. He has worked in several companies at senior positions. He worked at TeamLease Skill University (TLSU) as senior Vice

President. He was responsible for deriving the growth and profitability agenda for a large (200+) team. Kunal has also worked at StoveKraft between 2013–14, as Director sales and marketing. There, he made the strategy for the expansion and growth of various products all over India. An MBA from XLRI and an alumnus of IIT Bombay, Kunal’s vast experience includes his stint with Dell, Idea Cellular, Colgate Palmolive, Agro Tech Foods, Heinz and Asian Paints, in senior positions in sales and marketing.

Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar was gearing for his maiden innings delivering a speech in Rajya Sabha, but unluckily for him and many others he was bowled out—as the Congress raised a massive ruckus over PM Narendra Modi’s comments about Pakistan and former PM Manmohan Singh.

Sachin did stand up smiling, but all hell broke loose. He did wait for a few minutes.

He was to deliver his speech on the topic ‘Right to play and the future of sports in India’. The chairman of the house Venkaiah Naidu tried several times to quieten the opposition MPs, telling them their protests were not going on the record and asking them to show respect to the Bharat Ratna awardee, but in vain. Naidu, finally, had to stop the live telecast of Rajya Sabha before adjourning the Upper House for the day, and in the process calling off Sachin’s debut speech.

February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 11

collywood Rahul Varma elevated at Accenture

Rahul Varma who joined Accenture in 1994 as team member of the HR team, has now been re-designated as the Senior Managing Director – Talent. His role is focused on the mission of discovering, inspiring and nurturing exceptional people in Accenture. He now leads a team of experts in recruiting, on-boarding, learning, performance, employee experience and research and innovation, serving Accenture’s global workforce of over 4,35,000 people. Varma is a Delhi University graduate in arts and economics and has a Master’s in personnel management and human resources from the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune, and has been with Accenture for two decades. Accenture grew from being a niche management consulting firm, employing about 200 people, into a multi-business organisation (consulting, technology and outsourcing) with over 37,000 people, in what is acknowledged as one of the world’s biggest corporate organic growth stories. In 2008, he moved to Singapore as the Senior DirectorHR strategy and enablement. He is also the founder of Accenture’s HR Academy Network across India, the Philippines, China, South Africa and a grouping of nine European countries.

Kohli dislodges SRK as the most valuable celebrity The much liked celebrity in sports, Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli is not just one who is talked about in the game as the most valuable player going around in world cricket, he’s also India’s most valuable brand with a celebrity value of $143 million.

Kohli has sidelined Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, as the country’s most valuable celebrity brand from 2014, according to a report by corporate advisers Duff & Phelps. Kohli, along with Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, has led the ascent of millennials to the top of the rankings. Former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni slipped from 9th place last year to 13th this year. This year saw PV Sindhu make an entry at 15, the first time a female sportsperson has made it to the top 15. “For the first time since 2014, Shah Rukh Khan has slipped from the top ranking and has been replaced by none other than Virat Kohli. Kohli is now the first choice of brands to engage and attract consumers, fuelled by his extraordinary on field performances and off-field charisma,” said Varun Gupta, Duff & Phelps

MD and regional leader, India, Japan and Southeast Asia. Talking about the recent trend, Abhishek Ganguly, Managing Director of Puma India, which Kohli endorses, said, “Virat has transformed the way fitness is looked at in Indian cricket. He has emphasised the role of an athlete and reshaped cricket in the millennial culture. He is a youth icon with effortless style.” Kohli signed an eight-year deal with the brand early this year, making him the first Indian sportsperson to sign a `100-crore endorsement deal with a single brand. The report also observes that companies are signing endorsement deals to draw in millennials. For instance, this year Coca Cola chose to not renew its contract for Thums Up with Salman Khan for the first time since 2012. It, instead, signed Ranveer Singh. Similarly, Honda roped in upcoming actress Tapsee Pannu as its brand ambassador for scooters for young riders. Juhi Chawla was replaced

by Parineeti Chopra in the Kurkure ad, while Lays Chips’ previous ambassador Saif Ali Khan was replaced by Ranbir Kapoor.

Nitin Dossa elected president of FIAA

12 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

Nitin Dossa, the Executive Chairman of the Mumbai-headquartered Western India Automobile Association has been unanimously elected as President. He will hold this position for a period of two years.

Dossa is also the Chairman on the WIAA-Castrol Institute of Motor-

ing. He is also involved with other sports associations. He is the first Indian to be unanimously elected Vice President of the Paris-based Alliance Internationale de Tourisme (AIT), a world body of mobility. Dossa also holds the position of president of the Vintage & Classic Car Club of India.

Manasi Kirloskar wows House of Lords

5FWorld, Chesapeake Group to connect people In a bid to connect people and provide growth advisory consulting and digital transformation linkages between large firms in India and the US with innovative startups and growth companies focused on digital solutions, the 5F World, the Consulting and Startup company founded by Dr Ganesh Natarajan in 2016 and the Chesapeake Group, a New York based boutique investment and merchant bank founded

by Douglas Land announced an Indo US Joint Venture. In a press release issued by Kalzoom stated that, the Joint Venture, Kalzoom Advisors Pvt. Ltd. will have offices in New York, Bengaluru and Pune and will work in twelve defined areas of digital solutions – UX/UI, Artificial Intelligence, IOT, Block Chain, Social & Mobile, Mixed Reality, 3D Printing, Digital Platforms & Design Thinking, Big Data & Analytics, Cloud Computing, RPA and Cyber Security. A digital platform, Zoom 12, has been launched to enable emerging companies to connect with funding sources, service providers, mentors and potential clients in India and the USA. Speaking on the venture, Natarajan said, “We have been

delighted with the pre-launch response to the platform and have already evaluated and signed up 60 companies, for two of whom Kalzoom is providing growth advisory services that will enable them to grow at thirty per cent per annum in defined digital spaces. With a new wave of growth emerging in the IT sector we are confident that we can provide a great service and create major impact.”

Douglas Land said “Over the last 20 years, Chesapeake has served many large and medium technology customers and also helped young companies to grow and command superior value when they raise capital or get acquired by larger firms.

We are confident our GrowBuy-Sell approach will be a true enabler to Indian and American companies.” Commenting on the move, Ipsita Nayak, Business Head of Kalzoom Advisors said, “Leveraging on 5F World and Chesapeake’s distinctive competencies and our connects with corporate clients, angel groups and venture capital firms, we look forward to building robust partnerships and creating a high growth business which will add tremendous value to our clients and the digital marketplace.”

A fifth-generation businesswoman and the heiress of the 150-yearold family business legacy, Manasi Kirloskar wowed the House of Lords as a distinguished guest and speaker at the 17th annual London Global Convention of IOD (Institute of Directors, India) recently. Well versed with statistics, the Pune-based businesswoman, Manasi said, “As far as trade between our two nations is concerned, at present the UK ranks 15th in the list of India’s top trading partners. The UK is India’s 6th largest export market and is 22nd amongst the countries exporting to India. The India-UK bilateral trade in goods and services in 2015 amounted to £16.33 billion with India enjoying a surplus in both merchandise and services trade.

As I pondered through the trade data, the thing that strikes me the most is the huge potential that remains untapped. More disturbingly, with the exception of 2017, trade between India and the UK has been declining over the last few years. So the two countries face the immediate challenge of finding ways of exploring newer areas that can provide sustained momentum to growth in trade so as to realise the available potential that exists. This will also automatically reverse the declining trend in trade between the two countries seen in the recent past.” This is not a new venture by Manasi as she has addressed many during her short stint in the corporate world. She has also spoken on multiple occasions about her social non-profit venture, ‘Caring with Colour’, which aims at changing the education paradigm in schools by making learning a more focused and enjoyable experience, especially for under-privileged children. The first pilot project of the venture will begin this month in Bengaluru. The 27-year-old Manasi signed off on a positive note saying, “I would like to say that whilst the strong intent of both governments will definitely be a deciding factor in the future of economic relations between our nations, it will be the sincerity of intent and the strength of the people-to-people relations that will shape the determination of the governments.”

February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 13

collywood Railways becoming a better employer There has been a good turn-around with a shorter and better recruitment process, hiring of retired professionals and paid foreign trips for non-gazetted staff at Indian Railways. Indian Railways (IR) is setting new benchmarks as an employer. Winds of change are sweeping over some of the PSUs known for their not-so-fancy employment practices. They are now re-looking at how they hire and engage talent. Be it the changing times or the current circumstances, the track that Indian Railways has just set on is sure to make it a sought-after employer. Following its decision to shorten its hiring duration to six months, by going online, Railways is now likely to hire retired employees in the Mumbai division of both Central Railway and Western Railway by next year, to compensate talent shortage. That being a wise move, could prove to be a win-win for both the employee and the employer. While the corporates

Shim to head Kia Motors India have already been taking advantage of the years of experience and expertise that retired or senior professionals bring to the table, the Railways would be the first PSU to implement this. Although, it is an ad-hoc measure to fill in the vacancies in the technical and operations departments until new recruits are appointed for the same, it would still benefit both the retired professionals and the system immensely.

Currently, there are over 10,000 vacancies in the division in different grades and cadres. The retired staff will be eligible to work till 65 years of age. The divisional railway managers of both Central Railway and Western Railway are empowered to re-engage staff who are competent and suitable to fill the vacant positions. While the CR has already floated a tender to hire as many as 672 employees, WR is likely to frame a draft policy and invite applications by next week.

Jivrajka takes over as Foodpanda CEO Pranay Jivrajka, founding partner at Ola has been appointed as the interim CEO of Foodpanda after Saurabh Kochhar, former CEO of Foodpanda India left the company. The ride-hailing player Ola is making an entry into the food delivery space again, this time by acquiring Foodpanda India from Germany based Delivery Hero Group. While the companies did not disclose the details of the deal size, sources have pegged the stock-based acquisition at under $50 million. The move will also see Ola invest another $200 million, as it takes on rival UberEats and incumbents like Zomato and Swiggy. According to analysts, Ola has acquired the third largest player in the food delivery business in India and is focussed on broadening its range of services, including the food delivery segment, after Ola Cafe failed to take off in 2015. “Foodpanda has come 14 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

to be a very efficient and profit-focused business over the last couple of years. Our commitment to invest $200 million in Foodpanda India will help the business be focused on growth.

With Delivery Hero’s global leadership and Ola’s platform capabilities with unique local insights, this partnership is born out of strength,” said Bhavish Aggarwal, CEO of Ola in a statement. According to analysts and employees at the company, Ola faced stiff resistance from users within three to four months of Ola Cafe being rolled out in 2015. With a drop in orders, users returned to the likes of Swiggy, Zomato or Foodpanda. “Ola cab drivers would pick up the food from the partner restaurants and deliver orders that came up when they were driving around the locality. This made a significant dent on the revenue that came from the regular cab rides,” said an employee.

In a bid to expand their presence in India, Kia Motors India has roped in Kookhyun Shim as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. He will also oversee the construction of the company’s first manufacturing facility in India. Kia will be investing US$ 1.1 billion for its future development in the Indian market. Prior to this, Shim served as head of Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia Plant Coordination Group, and before that he was head coordinator of Kia production in Slovakia. In April 2017 Kia Motors signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Andhra Pradesh State Government to build a new manufacturing facility in Anantapur district.

Commenting on the move, Han-Woo Park, President at Kia Motors Corporation said, “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Kookhyun Shim as MD and CEO for India.

We recognise India as a major market with huge potential for our world-class cars. We are confident that Shim’s leadership will provide the direction we need to grow our presence in what is one of the world’s biggest new car markets.” Kookhyun said, “The Indian economy is at an inflection point, and I am excited to work in an emerging market that’s forecasted to become the third largest globally by 2021. ” Compiled by Joe Williams joe78662@gmail.com

Economy Overview Prashant Thakur

From Anglo-Indian village to IT hub

Falling in the eastern periphery of the Greater Bengaluru region, Whitefield is a burgeoning micro-market with a rich history of over 200 years

O

nce a quaint settlement known for its scenic beauty with lush green trees and inhabited by Eurasians and Anglo-Indians during the late 1880s, Whitefield has witnessed a shift from being a settler’s haven to one of the sought-after real estate destination of Bengaluru. Whitefield is one of the key tech hubs in Asia and has evolved as a preferred residential real estate destination.

Falling in the eastern periphery of the Greater Bengaluru region, Whitefield is a burgeoning micro-market with a rich history of over 200 years.

However, the spurt of real estate developments in Whitefield dates back to early 2000s when the IT-ITeS sector began to boom. The establishment of Export Promotion Industrial Park (EPIP) and International Technology Park of Bengaluru (ITPB) shaped Whitefield into a buzzing suburb.

Today, more than four lakh ‘techies’ work in various multinational companies located here.

Over the last few years, Whitefield’s skyline has metamorphosed into tall skyscrapers and big residential communities. The housing demand in this region is primarily driven by the IT professionals working in nearby office complexes. Whitefield’s residential real estate growth has also benefitted from the saturation of core areas of the city, significant rise in ITITeS and retail spaces in and around the locality, availability of land parcels for large-scale developments and the presence of excellent physical infrastructure. In addition, the micro-market is an apt representation of the ‘work, live, play’ concept and has emerged as a self-sustaining hub.

Being strategically located and close to the Old Madras Road (National Highway 4), Whitefield is well-connected by road, rail and air.

• Road: Whitefield has easy access to the rest of Bengaluru through the Whitefield main road, further linking to Old Airport Road and Varthur road. Unsur-

1%

2%

2-3 years

> 3 years

13%

1-2 years

41%

Ready to Move-in

43%

< 1 year

passed connectivity to the Outer Ring Road at Marathahalli is an added advantage. The nearest railway station is Hoodi at a distance of 3.5 km and Whitefield at a distance of 5 km. Excellent connectivity to Kempegowda International Airport (at a distance of 49 km) via SH 104.

Over the past five years, around 28,500 new residential units have been added to the Whitefield region. The maximum new-launch activity was noted during 2013-15 and accounted for 83% of unit launches during the past five years.

Since 2016, new launches have declined significantly due to the presence of existing unsold units and the large-scale impact of DeMo, GST and RERA. With around 8,500 unsold units as of Q3 2017, developers active in Whitefield are currently focused on clearing existing stock rather than adding new supply in the micro-market.

Of all the units launched in Whitefield, more than 12,000 are ready-to-movein. Due to continuous residential supply addition over the past few years, more than half of the inventory is expected to enter the market

With around 8,500 unsold units as of Q3 2017, developers active in Whitefield are currently focused on clearing existing stock rather than adding new supply

in the next two years. With stiff competition between ready-to-move-in and under-construction units to gain a share of sales, homebuyers focused on Whitefield are benefitting from the freebies and discounts offered by various developers.

The average residential property prices in Whitefield witnessed an upward trend from `4,600/sf in Q1 2015 to `5,100/sf in Q4 2015.

Despite the marginal drop in property prices post Q4 2015, Whitefield seemed to hold steady during the DeMo, RERA and GST period, and the average price stood at around `5,200/sf as of Q3 2017.

The demand for residential properties here remains very healthy, as Whitefield has developed into a self-sustaining location. The superlative connectivity to the central business district, the upcoming metro corridor from Byappanahalli to Kadugodi under the phase-II of Namma Metro, and the proposed eight-lane peripheral road that connects Whitefield to other arterial roads of the city enhances the real estate potential of this region. Overall, Whitefield has amply earned its label ‘the jewel of the eastern suburbs’.

The authour is Head , Research, ANAROCK Property Consultants

February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 15

wax eloquent

India for rest of the World

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

‘Made in India’ for rest of the world

“When the vision is to make technology accessible to everyone and you are close to the consumer needs, the product development fits in wonderfully.

India has the potential to become the global hub for manufacturing and the government has taken steps to strengthen the same.

There is a growing confidence to share the best of ‘Made in India’ with the rest of the world.”

Makeover to an old story

“Juxtaposition of the modern and the ancient can often give an interesting and unique makeover to an old story. The core remains the same, the soul remains the same, but the packaging can be fresh and new.”

Rahul Sharma, co-founder, Micromax Courtesy: https://www.teleanalysis.com

Amish Tripathi, banker-turned-writer

Courtesy: https://www.thebetterindia.com

Corporate reputation

Innovating, and surprising customers are key elements

“Craftsmanship is an important value. Innovating, and surprising customers are key elements—our métier is in to produce beautiful objects that are not always expected by our customers. We are not here to just bring something that people want. Giving them something that is not always expected is also part of the job.”

Eric Festy, MD, Middle East and South Asia, Hermès

Courtesy: http://www.forbesindia.com

16 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

“Reputation that you have built over years and years can be broken in an instant. People would not return calls, not want to engage, not want to be seen with me...at times like these, you get a good feel and flavour of who is actually with you and who is making false excuses. There are just a handful of people who stood by me. No individual or corporation should undergo undue humiliation, slander and damage to individual and corporate reputation.”

Anil Ambani, chairman, Reliance Group Courtesy: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com

Creating happier life online “If you look at the Indian culture, people are so connected.

There is a sense of togetherness and we are bringing that togetherness that we see in our daily lives on Hello. We are trying to create happier life online.”

Buyukkokten,

founder of Hello Network, Inc. and creator of Orkut.com (unveiling his new social media network ‘Hello’ in India very soon)

Defining culture “There are three culture statements that we have – “no fear, no greed, no entitlement.” This means that we won’t fear whoever you are, and we won’t carry any sense of entitlement that we will be successful just because of what we are. I think we are originally hard working people, so hard work is the one word that defines our culture.”

Vijay Shekhar Sharma, founder, Paytm

Courtesy: https://inc42.com

The next wave of growth

“The next wave of growth in the enterprise collaboration and employee productivity space, will come from innovation of a different level altogether. This is where the concept of digital workplace comes into the picture. It can help teams across the globe to create, share and save projects by combining applications, content, live sources, video and the web.”

Kumar GB—VP, APAC Prysm Inc.

Courtesy: http://www.pcquest.com

Dreams do come true if you believe in them

“My tip to all aspiring entrepreneurs is that your dream does come true when you believe in it. Go all out to pursue it, and you would surprise yourself. Keep investing and working on it till you become the best.”

Durgesh Khandelwal, founder and festival director,

Wassup Flea

Courtesy: https://yourstory.com

What drives a true CSR professional

There is direct connection between stress and bad decisions

“More wisdom and less stress is going to have a big indirect impact on politics because there is a direct connection between stress and burnout and bad decisions whether in media or in business. The truth is that we are really led by a lot of politicians who don't know how to govern themselves.”

“CSR is not a job, but passion and it requires the same dedication at the beginning as at the end of the career. The zeal to learn, to empathize, to make impact and to work for greater good is what drives a true CSR professional.”

Arun Raste, head, Partnership Bharat Banking IDFC Courtesy: http://indiacsr.in

Arianna Huffington, author and businesswoman, and founder, Thrive Global Courtesy: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com

Find a way for persuasive leaders to take people in the right path

Challenges for next gen, in family business

“As these young individuals come into leadership positions and look ahead, it is important to imbibe the learnings of Founders Mentality to thrive. The central challenge for the next generation is to become the scale insurgent in their industry. They must simultaneously capture the benefits of size (scale/scope advantages, learning, market power and influence) and retain a strong sense of the Founder’s Mentality (insurgency, frontline obsession and owner mindset).”

“What we really need is leadership, rather than followership. Leadership, which says okay I hear you but even though this is against your short-term interest, this is in our collective long-term interest and we should go this way. I do not see leadership as always listening, but I see it as sometimes convincing and saying we must move in this direction because we have to, it is needed. And so, what we have to do is find a way for persuasive leaders to take people in the right path.”

Raghuram Rajan, Former RBI governor Courtesy: economictimes.indiatimes.com

Capitalising on opportunities “At the end of the day, senior executives have to make judgement calls and be resilient enough to figure out how to capitalise on an opportunity. They also need to balance the said opportunity with its associated risks. Opportunity and risk, after all, are the two sides of the same coin.”

Sam Balaji, Global Risk Advisory Business Leader, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Courtesy: http://www.businesstoday.in

Perseverance kept me going

Nikhil Prasad Ojha,

“Life was good, but I had no plan B. I had no option.

Sometimes your greatest curse turns out to be your best blessing. I decided I was starting a TV serial business. My dad invested in me. Now comes the twist in the plot. Your biggest twist happens when you are at ground zero. The lowest point in your life—when you fall lower from a low.

For me it was when lots of my pilots got rejected.”

partner, Bain & Company Courtesy: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com

Telefilms

Ekta Kapoor, Joint Managing Director and Creative Director of Balaji Courtesy: https://www.pinkvilla.com

What you think is what will happen

“I believe in the theory that what you think is what will happen. Life brings things that you want, think about and aspire to achieve. For the uncertainty and unexpected side to life, you need to witness it.

You need to be open to everything and go with the flow.”

Katrina Kaif, actor

Courtesy: http://www.dnaindia.com

Compiled by Rajesh Rao rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com

February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 17

The Tax Man Cometh

Many crimes but no criminals!

by S K Jha

(IRS (retd) and former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax)

Many cases have remained unsolved and the alleged accused are not found guilty by the courts for want of credible evidence. Even premier investigating agencies such as the CBI were found wanting in providing evidence strong enough to bring the guilty to book. But the malaise in our criminal justice system goes far deeper...

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”

“We

have many crimes but no criminals,” said one wise man. On the face of it, this statement may look contradictory, but if you see it from actual happenings, it appears true. Questions have remained unanswered. Who killed Arushi Talwar and Hemraj? Who killed Jessica Lal? Who were complicit in the big 2G scam, which required the Supreme Court to cancel 127 licences? There are similar unsolved cases where the alleged accused were not found guilty by the courts for lack of evidence. Even the evidence collected by our premier investigating agency, the CBI, was found wanting and not credible enough to award punishment.

The recent decision in the 2G scam by the court is an eye opener into our criminal justice system. The court questioned the manner of presentation of the case before it, the adequacy of evidence produced and even the correctness of the charge sheet. All the 42 alleged accused were acquitted as they were found not guilty and nobody was held responsible for the revenue loss of `1.76 lakh crores. Our prosecution failed to establish a case of criminal conspiracy, which had led to such a mammoth scam. Loss of revenue did happen as spectrum was sold at the old price of 2001 on a first-cum-served basis, but there was no identifiable culprit. Our criminal justice system is not in good health and the same requires our utmost attention.

force. For a country of our size, the number of police personnel is very small for the protection of our people and for solving crimes. This problem is further aggravated by the deployment of police personnel on non-policing jobs like VIP bandobast. We are the lowest in the list of per capita police force vis-a-vis citizens.

Due to this acute shortage, investigations of crimes are not adequately pursued. In most of the cases, only a routine job is done right from

What are the causes for this malaise?

Holes in the police force

One big question is the lack of adequate police

18 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

the lodging of the FIR to the stage of filing of the charge sheet.

Added to this, there is lack of passion in the police administration to solve cases. This is evident right from the stage of lodging of FIR where sometimes-delinquent officers do not apply their minds in portraying the facts of the case in a scientific manner, and the same adversely affects the path of investigation. The frequent transfers of investigating officers further

affects the investigation and also causes delay in completing the case.

The second big problem is the lack of specialised training of our police force and the paucity of modern scientific equipment to assist the probe. In many cases, crimes are conducted by intelligent minds and with international footprint. To solve such crimes we need to interpret the intelligence with modern electronic gadgets and then the same has to be followed by processing the evidence recovered from the scene of the crime by modern forensic methods. Our system is not well equipped for this. Recently in a high profile case of alleged unnatural death, the investigating agencies took more than three years to find out the nature of the poison and that too was possible after the sample of the viscera was sent to the FBI in the US. The next reason is the lack of domain knowledge among our force. Say, for example in the case of 2G scam it required in-depth knowledge of spectrum, which many well-educated people too do not have. To crack such a case, our force has to be well trained not only regarding spectrum but also about its loopholes which the

culprits could have exploited. In the world of economic crimes, investigators need to know, in addition to the normal provisions of the Indian Penal Code, related laws such as Income Tax laws, Customs laws, money laundering laws, etc.

Today cybercrimes are on the rise, and to solve such crimes our officers have to be well versed in the intricacies of software and network technology. How can hacking and data related crimes be solved without such domain knowledge? In a globally connected world today, crimes with global ramifications can be solved only through specialised knowledge and training which the majority of our force is lacking.

Lacuna in the judicial system

problem of high cost of litigation. Prolonged litigation and high cost of advocates are the ingredients of our costly justice system. Like social inequality, there is also inequality amongst seekers of justice. Poor litigants remain in jail for longer periods as they cannot afford costly advocates through whom rich litigants are able to get faster bail. Sometimes, rich litigants deliberately try to delay the proceedings in the court when their case is bad. So justice is not fair and equitable as the litigants are not on an equal pedestal.

The government is the biggest litigant but like the poor litigant, it is also an unequal litigant, as government advocates in the courts have to fight cases against leading advocates of the region or of the country.

It becomes more difficult for government appointed advocates as they have to depend on government departments to get the records which are not sent in time, the advocates are not briefed properly by the officers of the concerned department, whereas the opposite side is fully prepared with a battery of advocates.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;There is lack of passion in the police administration to solve cases.

This is evident right from the stage of lodging of FIR where sometimesdelinquent officers do not apply their minds in portraying the facts of the case in a scientific manner, and the same adversely affects the path of investigationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Policing and investigating work have to be complemented by a wellequipped judicial system.

Speedy adjudication of cases is a must, as we all know that justice delayed is justice denied. We have a well-respected and able judiciary with complete freedom to operate, but the sad situation is that it is too slow. More than three crore cases are pending, of which about 22 lakh cases are in the High Court, about 65,000 cases in the Supreme Court and the rest are in the lower courts.

There are cases which are pending for more than 40 years. The judgement in the case of the murder of late L.N. Mishra, who was the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s minister of Railways was given after 40 years by the trial court and the same is an illustration of the prevailing situation.

Our jails are crowded with under-trial prisoners and some for allegedly small crimes.

Sometimes, one finds that the sentences given are of lesser duration than the period already spent in jails. There are some genuine reasons for delayed justice, such as shortage of judges and the habit of applying for adjournments by litigants. In recent days, the time of the higher courts has been seen to be wasted by frivolous PILs. Our justice system also suffers from the

Corruption mars justice

Lastly, but not the least, corruption plays an important role leading to the miscarriage of justice, particularly at the lower level of policing and also at times at the lower judiciary level. The case is deliberately skewed to favour some litigants. If the case is weak to begin with, it does not stand at the trial stage or the appellate stage. The case falls and culprits escape due to a weak charge sheet or deliberate improper investigation. Rich and powerful litigants have more chance to succeed by bribing.

Coupled with corruption, there is also a lack of positive attributes to a large extent among our police force, such as devotion to duty, passion to excel and out-of-box innovative thinking in investigation work. We cannot expect good results from our system, which does average work, as a mere routine.

February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 19

The Tax Man Cometh There are ways to change

How do we improve our system? It is difficult but quite possible. To begin with, we have to increase the strength of our police force so that the ratio between the police force and the population improves. This process should be undertaken gradually every year, considering budgetary resources. We have also to spend on modern equipment for crime detection and intelligence tapping. There should be an improved protocol on training. Considering the nature of crimes, domain expertise in each area of crime should be imparted. For elite agencies like the CBI, IB and DRI there should be a system in place to update their expertise on a periodic basis by even deputing officers overseas, for training.

Our forensic laboratories should be strengthened. There should be nurturing of our forces in matters of discipline, devotion to duty and passion to excel. Dereliction of duty and issues of corruption should be punished while honest meritorious work should be appreciated and even rewarded. Officers should be assigned responsibility and should be held accountable for any lapse on the part of their team.

There should be a complete disjoint between the police force and politicians. CBI should be made an autonomous agency and should no longer be a parrot in the cage. Officers should have fixed duration posting and frequent transfers should be avoided, except for genuine reasons.

Our judicial system needs urgent reform. There should be a system in place so that the time of the court is not wasted by routine adjournments and frivolous cases. Since the government is the biggest litigant, the process should begin by limiting the number of cases filed. The government should not file appeals if the revenue involved is very small.

We should have more fast track courts to deal with cases of serious crimes and particularly corruption cases. The government should appoint pleaders based on merit and not on extraneous reasons as they play a vital role pleading in the

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Like social inequality, there is also inequality amongst seekers of justice. Poor litigants remain in jail for longer periods as they cannot afford costly advocates through whom rich litigants are able to get faster bail. So justice is not fair and equitable as the litigants are not on an equal pedestalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

interest of the society and the country. Our education system in the field of law should be improved and it should frequently be updated so that we can produce brighter advocates and judges.

The Law Commission and the government should put more efforts in amending the provisions of law, which give rise to unnecessary litigation. There should be no grey areas and our provisions of law should be black and white. Irrelevant laws and provisions should be repealed.

The liquidation of piled up cases before courts should be taken on a mission mode, and for this, more judges should be appointed and vacancies filled without delay. The time of the court should not be wasted by endless numbers of PILs. There should be a clear check on this.

There should be a direction by the CJI and the

20 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

chief justices of the High Courts that orders passed by the lower courts should be Speaking Orders based on facts of the case and the position of the law.

CC

tadka

Corruption finds no relief

Corruption watchdog, Transparency International stated that 45% of their respondents claimed they paid a bribe at least once in the past year as against 43% surveyed last year. Of 71% respondents interviewed in West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh claimed that the graft had gone up in their states. In Maharashtra, only 18% felt corruption had increased, though 64% said it was status quo. Delhi had mixed reviews, with 33% saying corruption had gone up and 38% claiming it was the same.

Cover Story

wealth of

wellness

How do you bust stress in the corporate world? Paradoxically, stress is often a result of poor lifestyle choices. That fitness and wellness can be embedded through the fun and indulgence of gamification was realised by young IT entrepreneur, Avinash Saurabh, CEO and Founder of Zoojoo.be, who has developed an online platform where an employee can get motivated to play the game of health and win over bad lifestyle. Corporate giants like GE, Mindtree, Crisil, Mphasis, Hewlett Packard and other 5,000 plus employee companies are using his gamification modules to leverage the health of their employees. Corporate Citizen caught up with this young entrepreneur who believes health is wealth in the true sense of the word and one that would boost the economics of your company too!

By Vinita Deshmukh With three lakh active users of Zoojoo.be, its founder and CEO, Avinash Saurabh is bringing about a revolution in organisational wellness, by making organisations rethink employee wellness as not just a personal benefit but as a growth strategy. Zoojoo.be is a cloud based social wellness platform which uses gamification to unite the workforce to form healthier habits which in turn will up their performance. An employee is directed to form a good habit of, let’s say walking, or any other exercise which is then tabulated by him online and like in a fun game, makes him compete with the performance of such ‘good habits’ by his colleagues. Steadily, it becomes a lifestyle, and enhances not only his personal health but augments his professional performance as well.

After graduating from college, Avinash joined Bosch Engineering Solutions Ltd as Embedded System Designer and thereafter worked as a senior engineer for Continental. After a break for a year, he created Zoojoo.be that was incubated in the prestigious IIM-Bangalore Incubation Programme. His theme of creating high performing, healthier and engaged workforce touched the pulse of several leading companies, who are his clients.

Corporate Citizen: What is your company, Zoojoo.be all about?

Avinash Saurabh: It is an organisational wellness company, which makes organisations rethink employee wellness as not just a benefit but a growth strategy. It is a cloud based social well-

ness platform, which uses gamification to unite the workforce to form healthier habits. The platform leverages on the tremendous power of the social network at the workplace to encourage and motivate employees to cultivate healthy habits.

Zoojoo.be is a tool that gives a scientific way, through algorithms, to reach a goal or instil a good habit because social motivation has only a momentary effect on us. With users having a 120% login rate (as good as Facebook) who engage collaboratively by forming teams of average size of seven, we have delivered organisational engagement of over 70% for our customers which is leaps and bounds ahead of 4-6% engagement of traditional wellness solutions. Powerful game mechanisms convert the healthy habit formation journey into a fun game played with friends at work.

What made you start this unique venture?

I actually did not find happiness in the work I was doing at Bosch and Continental. So, sometime in 2007-2008, I ended up asking myself two questions. One, what is the purpose of education —which to a large extent, is to get a job. The second question was, what is its worth? So, I decided to quit. When I quit, I had no idea what I wanted to do, I spent six to seven months blogging, with the intent of engaging with other entrepreneurs and CEOs, trying to get a sense of what they were doing. The idea of the conversation was to get a sense of how to do what I wanted to do. That is how I started—slowly this idea of doing some-

22 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

thing related to the health of corporate employees developed simultaneously, and then came a time where I said, it is better to start doing and stop interviewing.

You lay a lot of stress on fitness and health

Our mission is very clear—‘to measurably improve happiness in the world’. That is what we want to pursue. The technology or any other aspects are just enablers and at the end of the day, all these things need to enable a larger sense of mission or purpose and that sense of mission or purpose is to measurably increase happiness in the world. That is what drives us.

So how did you make that into a technology company?

We are a behavioural science company. We are trying to synthesise the research in the area of human behaviour and change and translate that into technology. Can you think of a system, which was more efficient ten years ago? We can’t —everything evolves and over a period of time keeps on becoming more efficient. However, when it comes to habit formation or behaviour change—people used to rely on motivation and guilt or a carrot and stick policy, but these traditional mechanisms of behaviour change, motivation and guilt don’t work all the time. Within academics, a lot of research has been done in identifying models in behaviour change and how people react in various circumstances and how you can facilitate, or amplify their ability to

Pics: Sanjay MD

change a behaviour. What we are doing is, we are taking that research, synthesising that and building technology which then can be consumed by people so that they can use it to bring about behaviour changes or habit formation, in the areas that they want. At this point of time, we are focusing on healthier habits to start with, because that is the central thread of everyone’s life. Everyone wants to be healthy. Let us focus on this behaviour change technology towards that and gradually we will keep on expanding.

How do you apply technology through the gamification technique?

There are multiple aspects to the technology that we are building—gamification is one part of it. The central idea of what we are trying to do is through habit formation and understanding the science behind it, so we put the layer of gamification on top of it. Gamification is the technology that is used to build it, or a wrapper that you put around it. When you buy a gift, you will wrap it up with nice beautiful things and people will want to see it and get excited about it. If you give it in a boring form of technology to people, they will not engage. You need to wrap it properly. So, gamification is just a gift wrapper on the technology.

Which companies use your technology?

Our platform is used by 50 organisations, globally. We don’t just sell in India, but worldwide.

Our clients include Mindtree, HP, Crisil, ITC, Sapinet, Siemens and so on. We generally sell to companies which have more than 5000 employees. So, close to three lakh employees are using our platform.

Do the companies think of it as a necessity or a luxury item?

The answer lies in the process maturity of the organisation. For a smaller company of let’s say 300 employees, they are still growing; HR processes are not set; they are not benchmarking against

An employee is directed to form a good habit of, let’s say walking, or any other exercise which is then tabulated by him online and like in a fun game, makes him compete with the performance of such ‘good habits’ by his colleagues. Steadily, it becomes a lifestyle, and enhances not only his personal health but augments his professional performance as well” February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 23

Cover Story

Gamification is the technology that is used to build it, or a wrapper that you put around it.

When you buy a gift, you will wrap it up with nice beautiful things and people will want to see it and get excited about it. If you give it in a boring form of technology to people, they will not engage. You need to wrap it properly. So, gamification is just a gift wrapper on the technology” the industry, and so the benefits of these tend to be driven by the leadership. And that is the reason why we deliberately sell to 5000 plus employees because such companies are big enough to set a bar saying that we will have a budget on something like this for the employees. Also, as a startup, I don’t have the bandwidth to convince HRs of small companies. I would rather go to people who are already convinced and show them that this is the better way of doing it. The answer is split—with the larger audience there is some maturity, they want to do it, and they want budgets allocated for it. For smaller organisations, I think it is still leadership driven.

Have you seen any behavioural change and got any feedback on them?

Because we are a behavioural science company, it is important to look at data, which is replicable as well as validated. We are engaged in multiple research at this point of time. We have completed one study, which we did with the Society for Human Research Management (SHRM) which was released at their conference last year. It highlighted the impact on certain kinds of behaviour change, such as coping better with stress levels, increased job satisfaction and commitment to-

wards the organisation. We are doing another study with Georgia State University, which is getting published in peer review journals which looks at the impact of certain kinds of behaviour changes on employee’ creativity. To a large extent what we are talking is new, and therefore it is important for us to start putting data out. It is important to focus on research, data, and draw conclusions that make sense and are meaningful for organisations. We have an MoU with the IIM-Bangalore behaviour lab to work with researchers there and they work with us.

We engage with HR teams very extensively to constantly refer our programme. In fact, we are very proud of what we think is a record, that till date any company that has on-boarded our platform has not left us. Any company which has completed the first year of subscription has now signed a multi-year contract; the reason for this is we engage very extensively and collaboratively with the HR team—constantly listening to them, trying to understand what needs to be done in order to facilitate engagement in their organisation.

This is at the corporate level. But the crowd comes from educational institutions, colleges, MBA and

24 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

engineering institutions. Is there a need for such technology to be used there? What is your recommendation?

The concept of habit is very relevant within the educational institute, because there is a lot of focus on discipline, focus on having the right set of habits that can help you succeed. Our definition of well-being is very expansive; we just don’t limit to healthy living and fitter living. It extends to mindfulness, it extends to relationship, to productivity, to time management and so on. All these things contribute to who you are. So I am pretty sure that a lot of this is relevant within the context of an institution, such as a school or college. We would like to explore the opportunity, but given the size we are, how young we are, it is important to focus on one market, establish ourselves and then subsequently grow from there.

Please elaborate on how it works.

The central point is that beyond engagement, what gamification does is that it starts generating data points for you which otherwise you would never have. When someone engages on our platform, he or she picks up a challenge, invites friends, engages with them, competes on the data board and posts stuff.

We are also collecting data, which helps in prediction. To give you an example, a study at Stanford showed that you can predict peoples’ level of intelligence by just the posts they like.

There is no causality in this, by the way, only co-relation. We say that engagement by itself doesn’t lead to any impact unless and until you define engagement for what. So as an organisation, you have to articulate what impact you want to see, what is that core change that you want to see. It is very difficult for me as a provider to know what the things you want measured. But once you are able to do that, you can design programmes and facilitate those kind of outcomes.

I will give two examples of what we did. One is a recent study, which we just completed along with SHRM, we released at a conference, which talked about the impact of certain kinds of behaviour change or stress levels of people and the subsequent impact on reduction of those stress levels or their commitment towards the organisation and their increased job satisfaction. They were very specific about the point that stress was a big concern for them. They asked us, can you design programmes that are facilitating people to bring out their stress levels and help them form stress alleviating habits, and subsequently can you measure multiple outcomes based on that.

Another example is the case of HP Philippines, where they came to us with the problem saying that they would like to bring down their insurance levels. Year on year the risk of hypertension was increasing. They wanted us to design a programme that addresses the hypertension issue for them as an organisation. We said we can’t. So, while the outcome is clear, it is also important that you design the engagements so that it leads to that outcome.

That is what gamification facilitates, and in our case, we had that framework where we said, instead of focusing on hypertension, we will focus on other factors that are clinically linked with the reduction of risk of hypertension.

And we promote those habits. People may not be interested in the risk of hypertension but they might be interested in going out for a walk, they might be interested in doing five-minute breathing exercises. So, for this Philippines company, we involved a local hospital to identify such habits which are clinically linked with the risk of hypertension. We created, engagement campaigns around that. People used the platform to form those habits. The programme is still not complete but the point I am trying to make here is the articulation of the impact that they wanted to make as an organisation was very clear and the moment the articulation is clear you design the engagement towards that. vinitapune@gmail.com

Actor Rajinikanth inspired the name Zoojoo.be

A

n unhealthy workforce with bad lifestyle and low motivation is leading to increased stress levels among employees, necessitating higher investment on health and insurance. You need tremendous willpower to motivate yourself to stay healthy and fit. Young IT entrepreneur Avinash Saurabh formed Zoojoo.be, along with friends Anandraj K.S. and Moovendan, to solve this problem and engage employees to adopt healthy habits and stick to them. The company was incubated at

completing the challenges.

They can compete with their teammates, earn virtual badges and share it with everyone on their social network. At a time when stress and high workload at office are driving employees to make poor lifestyle choices and compromise on their wellbeing, the onus has shifted on companies to keep their workforce healthy. The usual methods of calling doctors and dieticians, creating awareness campaigns etc., do not work because the problem

the N. S. Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL) at IIM-Bangalore.

Zoojoo.be is a cloud-based workplace wellness platform that uses gamification to help people form healthy habits.

The habits could be related to health and fitness or even anger management! Habits are set up as challenges and played like games between colleagues and co-workers.

These could be as simple as drinking x glasses of water a day, or using the stairs instead of the elevator for a week. Users earn points for

is no longer about the lack of access to resources or awareness. The real problem is lack of motivation. And that is where Zoojoo.be's platform makes a difference. It uses peer-to-peer motivation and draws upon transformational HR methods like gamification, social collaboration and analytics to unite the workforce and drive wellness outcomes.

It is a method that takes learnings from games and applies it to non-game scenarios to drive the desired behaviours. Gamification has

been successfully applied in diverse areas like sales and marketing to electricity and water conservation. The power of gamification lies in its ability to leverage on our intrinsic motivators – play, challenge, win! It is this power that Avinash Saurabh, CEO of Zoojoo.be decided to leverage in making health and wellness goals fun and fail-safe to achieve, for its users. Ramakrishna N.K., CEO of Range De, says that before his company started using Zoojoo.be’s platform he never thought wellness could be so much fun. “Truly innovative and engaging platform. It has positively impacted the energy levels at my organisation,” says Ramakrishna.

Getting incubated at the N. S. Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL) at IIM-Bangalore has helped Zoojoo.be improve its visibility and credibility in the ecosystem and stay focused on their core strengths. Zoojoo.be was facing tough times typical of young startups when they applied for incubation at NSRCEL and got selected.

Sanjay Anandram, member of NSRCEL incubation screening committee, says, “It was the team’s passion that clinched Zoojoo.be the incubation berth. The team is focused on delivering value to corporate clients and make it work for them.”

The name, says Saurabh, was inspired from Rajinikanth’s famous dialogue, ‘Yena, raskalla, jujube.’ Zoojoo.be is a variant of the original word ‘jujube’ whose colloquial meaning is ‘it’s easy’. Rajnikanth says this dialogue to indicate how easy it was for him to defeat the villain. We wanted our users to feel the same and easily overcome wellness challenges.”

February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 25

Cover Story Dynamic Duo 64

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Shruti and Avinash Saurabh

millennials’ m a rr i a g e Shruti and Avinash Saurabh, both engineers, are very much a part of the IT city of Bengaluru. Avinash, co-founder of startup Zoojoo.be, and Shruti, a former senior technical engineer with KPIT who has taken a sabbatical to write a book, speak to Corporate Citizen about what makes them click; how their generation sees the institution of marriage, and how marital relationships today depend more on a one-to-one connection with the spouse than with the entire family

By Vinita Deshmukh Jab We Met

Shruti: This happened in 2012. It was about two years since I joined my first job and was walking up to meet a friend. I usually walk a lot in the city – that’s the way I think and clear my head. He had alighted out of an auto rickshaw with `100 in his hand, and stopped me to ask for change. I had some change and I gave it to him. Then both of us began walking together. We got talking and I found him interesting. He must have thought so too. He gave me his card. I kept the card in my bag. The next day, I was having a bad day or slow day at work, and so I decided to message him. I messaged him for a date, but I thought I was just meeting an interesting person. I had never met anyone before who had a serious startup and was branching out on his own. The first date went on for hours. We had dinner together.

Avinash: I took an auto but it ran out of gas and stopped right in the middle of the Silk Board signal, a big and famous signal in Bengaluru. It takes you a minimum of 15-20 minutes to cross that signal; it is always busy. The fare was `50. I had `100, but he had no change. There were no shops nearby either, to get change from. This was around 6:30 pm, so it was already dark. I saw this girl walking; I asked if she had any change. She had only `60. I gave `50 to the auto guy and I said, let’s find change for `100 towards the signal. We did end up talking, but got no change.

We liked something about each other. She was

well read, she talked stuff which I respected and I hoped she found something similar in me. When we reached the signal we both had to part to go to our respective destinations, and I said, ‘The 40 bucks that you have to pay me I will not take in cash. You can buy me a coffee someday,’ and I gave her my card. But the mistake I did was I hadn’t taken her number. I was praying that she messaged me back, and she did. That’s how we met. Since I had just begun my startup, I had spent my savings and I had no money left. However, on the day that I had met her, I was feeling a little rich so I had taken an auto instead of a bus.

In that meeting what did you like about him?

Shruti: At that time, I hadn’t met people who had strong opinions. I was on probation and the people I met with were very young who didn’t have opinions; who didn’t know the city that well.

Most of the people KPIT hired were from smaller towns. You feel out of place in the city, and I just saw somebody who was completely at home in the city, who knew his way around and he had a goal, a big goal and that attracted me to him. He was not from here, and yet he belonged.

How did it progress?

Avinash: We started spending time together in the evenings. What worked was that each of us were very independent people. She wanted to

26 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

pursue what she is passionate about, that is something I really value. Being with someone who has an independent identity helped the relationship and became the foundation on which we built those independent identities. That was what I found in our relationship—although we both found anchors in each other, we are independent identities and we are happy pursuing that.

What about your parents approval for the marriage?

Shruti: He was from a different caste, from Patna, Bihar-it took quite some convincing. They had to meet his parents a couple of times to be okay with the whole idea.

How would you define marriage in terms of the personal and social set-up?

Shruti: We are fundamentally similar and we respect each other’s right to be involved together, and that makes things easy. Criticism gets resolved in a very supportive and loving environment. It has been a process of discovery for us.

The first few days of our relationship were difficult, though not in a fundamental kind of way.

You had to figure out the vagaries of the other person. Past that, it has been quite simple. We ask the question as to whether we want to support each other in what we are doing. The answer is always yes.

Avinash: A marriage, a generation or two ago

Pics: Sanjay MD

It is not just a social marriage; it is marriage of intellect as well, because you have two people who are living together without any external support. It is important that there is some foundation that you can build on, an alignment more than anything else, more than looks and all. It is about that intellectual compatibility, common ground on which you can build onâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Avinash February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 27

Cover Story had a social component about it. You got married into a family. It was not just about the boy, it was about the parents and others who lived in that family. But where people are in nuclear families, there is an intellectual component. It is not just a social marriage; it is marriage of intellect as well, because you have two people who are living together without any external support. It is important that there is some foundation that you can build on, an alignment more than anything else, more than looks and all. It is about that intellectual compatibility, common ground on which you can build on.

That component can be different for different people. In our case, what really keeps us together is that we both want to pursue independent goals. Because we want to achieve that, we realise the importance of support, and we are

stigma, so even if you separate, you do not have people around you to comment. The attached stigma having gone, people are more open to expressing themselves, howsoever it maybe.

Shruti: These are growing pains in the sense that, in the west, there are teenagers trying out relationships. No one believes they will last. They learn a lot about the person they want to be with, and of themselves, and that gives them a low stake situation. We as a society do not welcome such arrangements. So people do not get to know about themselves.

What is the success rate of marriages these days?

Avinash: About 20-25% marriages don’t succeed.

Many girls don’t want to get married…

Shruti: I agree. Before I met him, my parents

”Most of my friends who are separated had arranged marriages, and it makes me wonder why they didn’t learn about the other’s thinking and the way the other one lived before they committed to each other. But the fact that they can break the relationship now unlike earlier when people didn’t have freedom to go to the court is a good thing”—Shruti happy to extend that to each other. If I look at my friends who recently got married, I see the same trend. It is no longer about family and other issues that used to be there. There is this single connect at an intellectual level—people understand this is something that is important, and sorted out between the two of us. We are on the same plane.

What is the perspective about marriage in general among your generation?

Shruti: I have friends who got married and were separated within two to three years. Like Avinash mentioned, you need some common core between two persons or else the way you grow will be too disturbing and too different for the other person. Most of my friends who are separated had arranged marriages, and it makes me wonder why they didn’t learn about the other’s thinking and the way the other one lived before they committed to each other. But the fact that they can break the relationship now unlike earlier when people didn’t have freedom to go to the court is a good thing. Now, they can voice this fear that they might not be right for each other.

Just the fact that young people have this option is I think, fair.

Avinash: I agree. One obvious access to option like that is because you are no longer living with your family, and there is no longer that attached 28 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

were making me meet eligible bachelors from our community but I didn’t want to. It made me realise that the men in my community hadn’t evolved the way I would like to see in a mate or share my life with. Women have more to lose in a traditional marriage because they have to take on a bunch of roles, they have to dilute their creative expressions, but many women do not subscribe to that idea anymore.

Both of you are pursuing independent goals…

Shruti: My goal is to write good Indian fiction.

I did my electronics engineering from a local college in Gulbarga and I got a job in KPIT right after college. I worked there for six years. I never considered the idea of writing until last year.

I got disillusioned, though it was a good job, I was doing well as a senior technical engineer.

But I wanted to do something I couldn’t do in that job. We sat one day and thought, why not quit and learn the craft of writing? So I quit in May 2016.

Did you help her quit?

Avinash: To be honest, when we met, I had just begun this startup. I had already spent all my savings. I used to borrow from my dad on a monthly basis for my expenses. Then Shruti came into my life and after initial dating she supported me for a while. I starting cutting down on the money I was taking from my dad and started taking from her. We grew with that level of comfort. For the first year and half, I didn’t make more than `10,000 per month, the remaining I took from her. She helped me at a time when I needed it, if she hadn’t, it would have been difficult for me. When the time is right for her, I will do whatever it takes. Around the time when we were contemplating about her quitting and starting to write, we had already raised the first round of investment, I was kind of rich. So we said, this is the time, we can do it, so why not.

Whose forte is the kitchen?

Avinash: We got into a relationship with the expectation that chores like cooking and stuff need not be done by your spouse. It is always better to pay someone rather than spend an hour and a half on a daily basis. That time is spent better either sitting together on the terrace or reading books. We had that understanding right from the start.

Shruti: We value certain things and make sure that they are addressed. Cooking was never one of them. We are not foodies, but if we occasionally get cravings, we satisfy ourselves by ordering food. That seems to be working.

What about home management and how do you go about it?

Shruti: The cleaning that is required to be done in the house is very limited, we have a maid who comes in and cleans. Since I work from home I can take breaks and finish the stuff.

Avinash: What we value is time spent with each other. We are methodical about the time we spend while we work and the time we get to spend with each other. Whenever there is a question of spending money, which translates into giving us more time, we are more than happy to make that transaction. Luckily, we have the means to do that.

The aspect of social media

Avinash: I am there on Facebook and LinkedIn but what I very consciously do is spend time on ways, which yield the maximum result. If you look at consumer technology like Facebook or LinkedIn, there are thousands of researchers, figuring out ways for you to spend two more minutes on their platform. They are trying to extract whatever time they can extract from you.

I don’t want to give that time; I would use it at a time when I want to use it. For example, my

Shruti: We are in a privileged position that we can ignore technology. We have someone to go to when the society is not with us. I have seen many single friends who use technology to get them to meet new people. And that is an important thing-to find someone, or not just one person, but friends. That is one legitimate claim these technologies make—that we are getting the world closer, but I am sure they are not encouraging any sort of intellectual connection between people.

I don’t think discussions are of the deeper kind. We have online political discussions, but our politics is not getting better because of that.

I don’t think we are getting to understand each other better because of technology—we might actually be losing ways to talk to people who disagree with us. As Avinash pointed out, they are capitalist products-in the end their job is to get us to use them—they are addictive.

The other aspect of social media is much more fundamental and much more distressing—how technology is engaging your brain for shallow work. Today, if we have five minutes, we open WhatsApp, Facebook and things like that” —Avinash phone doesn’t have notifications, it doesn’t buzz, and I use it when I want to read a message, not when someone sends a message. Similarly, I look at email as someone else’s agenda for my time.

The other aspect of it is much more fundamental and much more distressing—how technology is engaging your brain for shallow work. Today, if we have five minutes, we open WhatsApp, Facebook and things like that. Our brain is being trained to look for quick distractions. Whenever you are doing hard intellectual investment, the moment it gets hard you will open a tab and go to Facebook. We are constantly training our brain to seek novelty. The moment you have to work hard, you automatically try to seek novelty.

Hard work is very difficult

Avinash: Hard work is very difficult. You have to focus on something that is intellectually challenging. It is very important that we are methodical about that, so we question whether consumer technologies like Facebook, LinkedIn are appropriate. It is progress in the sense that it connects people, but how frequent is right? Is it every hour or when someone sends you a notification? Or do you need a notification to get connected? I don’t think so. We are sceptical about technology in that way, but we must make conscious choices around that.

How do you define wealth?

Avinash: For me, it is the means to pursue what you want to do in life. The moment you go beyond that, then there is no limit for your wants.

I am not saying I don’t want to live our lives in a comfortable way, but we want to be very clear as to what that means.

Shruti: There is a study of the reverse U curve, the kind of pleasure you get from having an excess of anything drops after a while, climbs after a while, then there is a plateau and then it drops after a while. The same applies to money. Having beautiful things around you is important.

It doesn’t mean that you need them in excess.

What is the philosophy of life that you live by?

Avinash: The way I look at life probably defines what I have been trying to do. It is the pursuit of some meaningful goal. Set a high goal and pursue that and milestones will come; never mind the intermittent failures or achievements. Whatever comes is because of the pursuit.

Shruti: I used to define life as something very curious and trying to understand the world, and that it doesn’t set a mandate for you or actionable things for you. He is the one who showed me how I can think of it as a goal towards something. vinitapune@gmail.com

February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 29

CII – National Leadership Conference

Taking Stock of First-Gen Entrepreneurship

Whether passion or commitment alone drives entrepreneurship or whether belonging to an entrepreneurial family scales business acumen in individuals, were some top talks at the CII-National Leadership Conference—First Generation Entrepreneurs—‘Entrepreneurs to Enterprise’, held in Kolkata recently. Young participants were made aware of ‘how to derive inspiration’ and on the prevailing and future business climate; on government directives and entrepreneurship policies in West Bengal and on the possibility of support systems that could be made available to first-generation businesses. While building business from scratch was primary to the talks by eminent speakers, perspectives on innovation, patenting, and R&D spends were reiterated as ‘essentials’ as part of new age business ‘mantras’. Corporate Citizen brings the overview of session

By Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar

P

assion, commitment, fire in the belly, chutzpah, lots of gumption, these are the things that separate entrepreneurs from startups. Maybe, all startups are entrepreneurial but the reverse might not be true always", said Aloke Mookherjea, Chairman, CII-SNCEL Advisory Committee & Senior Adviser, Ernst & Young.

He observed that young business aspirants currently hail from diverse fields including the ‘cream’ club of the IITs and IIMs, who are now forfeiting their temptations of premium-paying jobs to trying out something new for themselves.

He believed that some amongst these first-generation entrepreneurs are attempting to make "the quality of life of the society around them much better than before". One of the concerns discussed was on the hardships that startups may undergo and this need not be finances alone. "Amongst first-generation entrepreneurs, many don’t understand the deeper nuances of the finances," he added. "Finance is like furnace, if you handle it well then you can make wonderful dishes, if not, you will be in a hot seat—very hot! Understanding of finances is what needs to be imparted to first-generation entrepreneurs and first-generation startups", said Mookherjea.

He said that entrepreneurship in India is an extremely important aspect. "It looks untenable in the long run to provide jobs for the large entrants to the workforce. In this situation it is only natural that India should nurture its entre-

preneurial ecosystem and create more entrepreneurs to generate employment for a large section of its population." He added that, "demographic dividend will be a reality only when educated Indian youths and skilled workers either start getting employed in high-income ventures, or start their own businesses as entrepreneurs. The Government has already started many initiatives and have introduced several policies to usher in entrepreneurship in the country."

Home and Away in Business

"There is very little predictability in schedules as an entrepreneur springs many surprises; some pleasant but many of them not-so-pleasant!" said Harshavardhan Neotia, Chairman, CII-SNCEL and Chairman, Ambuja-Neotia Group. Recounting his early days growing up in a business family, he spoke about setting up right priorities and on sacrificing worldly comforts as a trade-in for greater business possibilities. An anecdote from his early years reflected on his learning on time schedules that are linked to business deals that somewhat reflected the proverb ‘the early worm got the best pick', He said, "One of the early memories is that of my home... During the summers those days, as children, we slept in the veranda and our father’s room was nearby. At an unearthly hour, around 5 am, he would come out to the veranda and we use to overhear telephone conversations on the telephone—a black box with many cable extensions", he added. “If

30 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

you made a trunk call before 6 am as most of our businesses were outside Kolkata, it was half the rate and it was easy to get through. Early on, I realised that this frugality, that discipline, to get up early in the morning to make those calls taught me that entrepreneurs do not have any time schedules."

For Neotia, if his family members had already set the precedence of helping him set his priorities right. Vijay Bharati, Director - Directorate of MS & ME, Govt. of West Bengal, expressed the need to sync in ‘Task and Responsibilities’.

Speaking on different leadership traits, he said, “High level of responsibility equates to high level of tasking and gets combined into the leadership matrix.” He reiterated that there are about 20 to 30 leadership theories that could impact the business environment. “While some CEOs are young and some not, idea is to delegate and guide, but this must not be mistaken for ‘control’. This (leadership) position needs to be reinvented for suitability to today’s business environment and on the selling concepts—"What I tell... sells, whatever I decide, I take full responsibility" were the key adages that he wished for first-generation entrepreneurs and encouraged

R. Venkataraman, Venkatesan explained that “Grampreneurs”, a word coined by BYST, relates to entrepreneurs at the micro level. “If we are able to help villagers become entrepreneurs, much of the challenges of unemployment can be resolved,” she said. “At BYST, we provide holistic support—from training and mentoring to access to finance. This is part of our stated principle and policy to encourage self-employment in the manufacturing and service sectors and create greater job opportunities. Mentoring is embedded in the system,” Venkatesan added that since BYST is working almost in all the states in the country, it will be happy to join the West Bengal Government’s current drive to create an enduring culture of self-employment.

Future Call

them towards adaptive leadership. He further listed key initiatives being taken by the West Bengal Government for promotion and development of MSMEs. "The State Government has introduced some new policies, each designed to make businesses simpler, easier and smoother," he said. Bharati also acquainted participants on the Unique Clearance Centre (UCC) that enables single window to fast-track land clearances, especially in cases of land mutation and conversion of land for industrial purposes.

“SWAS (Service with a Smile) is a mobile appbased help desk and query-handling system for MSME entrepreneurs,” he said, adding that “The Government has launched a Finance Clinic that will help monitor interactions of entrepreneurs with bankers and government officials on a monthly basis.”

The ‘Grampreneurs’

Lakshmi Venkatesan, Executive Vice President, Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST), spoke on the requirement for not jut rural entrepreneurship but also on seeding and help scale entrepreneurs from the ‘grassroots’. For the past 24 years, BYST has been devotedly helping youths at the grassroots

Most speakers reiterated that new learning and reinvention has to be part of the business learning curve. “Where do entrepreneurs get their inspiration from and where ideas come from?”

Was a query explained by Vasant Subramanyan, National President, Indo-American Chamber of Commerce and Founder & CEO, Last Peak Group. Subramanyan and Aditya Sapru, Managing Director, Neumck Strategy & Advisory, focused on why young people should look at entrepreneurship as a means to achieving sustainability for national development.

Sapru, a management strategist and an industry doyen reiterated on the shifts strategy needed to keep sustainable business tracks from time to time.

Dipankar Chakrabarti, Executive Director, PwC India, explained why Indian companies need to pull up their socks to climb the global ladder in innovation, patenting, spending in R&D, in order to survive in the 21st century.

“They must keep inventing new business models, or else they cease to exist,” he said. sangeetagd2010@gmail.com

“Demographic dividend will be a reality only when educated Indian youths and skilled workers either start getting employed in high-income ventures, or start their own businesses as entrepreneurs” —Aloke Mookherjea level across the country and expressed keenness in working with the West Bengal Government and help create more “Grampreneurs”. BYST is a notfor-profit organisation that primarily assists disadvantaged Indian youth in developing business ideas into viable enterprises under the guidance of a mentor. “BYST is also the founding member of the Youth Business International (YBI), UK, that works for youth aged between 18 and 35 years, who are either unemployed or underemployed.

BYST invites individuals with sound imaginative business ideas, along with the will and determination to succeed,” she said.

The daughter of former Indian President

CC

tadka

India’s factory activities paces up India's manufacturing activity expanded at the fastest pace in five years in December 2017, The Nikkei Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index INPMI=ECI, rose to 54.7 in December from November's 52.6, marking its fifth straight month above the 50 level that separates expansion from contraction.

February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 31

Cradle of Leadership Prof (Dr) S.B. Arora, Vice Chancellor

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)

Open online omnipresent With over 3.3 million learners, nearly 232 programmes, 67 regional centres and 3000+ support centres, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) stands out easily above all distance education universities, not just in India but even abroad. In just over three decades, it has silently revolutionised India’s higher education landscape and boosted the career prospects of millions of its marginalised and disadvantaged learners by bringing higher education to their doorsteps. What’s the true story of this most popular and forward-thinking university of India? How does it keep serving the masses as well as working professionals through its affordable distance education and online courses? That too in a variety of subjects including Arts, Science, Commerce, Law, Informatics, Nursing, Management, Engineering and more. Corporate Citizen caught up with Prof (Dr) S.B. Arora, Vice Chancellor, to learn what it takes to run this leviathan people’s university...

By Pradeep Mathur

32 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

I n d i r a G a n d h i Nat i o na l O p e n U n i v e r s i t y ( I G NO NOU)

‘You may earn anything in life including big money, name, fame and whatever else you can think of but there is no substitute to education. It’s your passport to the future because tomorrow belongs only to those who prepare for it today’

A

Pics: Vivek Arora

A doctor by profession, Prof S.B. Arora’s association with IGNOU, of which he took charge as Vice Chancellor (VC) only four months ago, dates back to his student days when he was himself a student of its diploma course in distance education. With over 23 years of experience in IGNOU, of which 17 years as Professor, he also served as Director of its School of Health Sciences (2005-08).

But that’s not all. For the last several years, he has been playing an important role in implementing several other key IGNOU programmes including those in Maternal & Child Health, Hospital & Health Management, Nursing & Paramedical Sciences and Medical Record Keeping, to name just a few. Prior to joining

IGNOU in 1994, Prof Arora also worked at the National Institute of Health & Family Welfare in Delhi. A thoroughly down-toearth, modest and soft spoken person, he talked freely about the little-known stories of this largest distance education university which has earned the exceptional reputation for enhancing the learning experience of its millions of students. Edited excerpts: Take us through the journey of IGNOU. How did it begin?

We have to go back to 1970 when the UGC, UNESCO and the Ministry of Education jointly organised a seminar in Delhi on February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 33

Cradle of Leadership

IGNOU’s Learner Support Systems

Vice Chancellor’s office at the huge IGNOU campus

the idea and concept of ‘Open University’. Most scholars felt India needed it because higher education was not reaching out to the masses and it provided the perfect solution especially for women who give up education mid-way due to financial barriers, time constraints and family reasons. So, the Government of India (GOI) appointed an eight-member working group in 1974 under the guidance of G. Parthasarathi, an eminent journalist, educationist and diplomat. He was someone who had been adviser to all our PMs from Nehru to Rajiv Gandhi and was the first VC of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) who also founded the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC).

His group recommended establishing an open university by an act of Parliament as early as possible. It also said this university should have jurisdiction over the entire country so that students, even in the remotest corners of India, can have access to its material and degrees. It also gave valuable suggestions as to how to prepare study material, how to set up core groups in different subjects, how to set up study centres to maintain live contact with students and give age relaxations. Finally, in 1985, the then PM Rajiv Gandhi took the initiative and introduced a Bill in Parliament in August, which was passed by both the Houses and thus IGNOU came into existence on September 20, 1985, named after the late PM Indira Gandhi.

That, in a nutshell, is the story behind its creation.

What is that?

Since our objective was to provide higher education to the largest segment of our disadvantaged population, we tried to take the advantage of technology right from the beginning. Our strategy was not limited to sending books and notes only. We also started using radio and multi-media in very effective ways. We prepared interactive audio and video programmes for broadcasting and sent cassettes and CDs to students to explain important concepts of various courses from our Electronic Media Production Centre (EMPC). We also started organising weekly classes at convenient places for our students.

The objective was to make distance education as supportive, easy, attractive and interactive as possible, more so for courses in technical, engineering, management and health sciences because they involved complex concepts.

Was the concept of distance education not known to us till that time?

The concept was known, but in the form of correspondence education system only. Universities like Annamalai and even Delhi University were offering correspondence courses but it meant sending some reading material to students to help them face their final examinations and that’s all. It was not a dynamic and technology-driven system such as we have developed, here at IGNOU.

How far has technology helped you reach out to the masses?

It has been a great help as it has made our students, sitting at the other end, not only listen to their teachers but also ask questions in between. In fact, in 1999, we launched the first virtual campus in India, beginning with the delivery of Computer and Information

34 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

l 67 Regional centres and 3,136 Learner Support centres across the country l Of these, more than 600 LSCs are Special Study Centres, serving disadvantaged communities l Special Study Centres set up to serve disadvantaged communities, with around 140 Special Study Centres located in jails providing educational opportunities to jail inmates l Programme Study Centres [PSCs] established for providing laboratory support and hands on experience as per requirements of specific programmes l Academic support through academic counselling, continuous assessment, laboratory sessions, workshops, seminars and extended contact programmes, provided to learners at LSCs, besides information services and administrative support l Technology used in teaching, learning and other support services

Sciences course via the Internet. These virtual classrooms that we set up proved to be a big hit. Today, thanks again to the Internet, we’re at the threshold of a digital revolution that heralds Integrated Information Communication Technology or ICT application in higher education for open and digital learning.

But were these virtual learning formats available from the beginning?

No, because these things came with the progress of technology. But meanwhile, we kept strengthening the development of our interactive multimedia content and learner support through video conferencing and web-based platforms. Our courses are also gaining immense popularity, thanks also to the ICT offering us a robust IT platform for MOOCs or Massive Open Online Courses.

But what was the scene like when IGNOU was born?

Way back in 1985, when we began, internet was not there. We had only two programmes— Diploma in Management and Diploma in Distance Education, and our strength was 4,528. Today it has gone well over three million learners. In the beginning, we had only nine Schools, mainly in Social Sciences. Today, we offer a whopping 232 programmes or courses—ranging from certificate level to PhD—through our 21 Schools of Studies, and the cumulative number of our students, both domestic and international, has also gone well beyond 3.3 million! We provide our services through a network of as many as 67 Regional Centres and over 3000 Learner Support Centres (LSCs) throughout the country. We’ve also setup Special LSCs for marginalised, disadvantaged, differently-abled learners, especially women, so as to make education available right at their doorsteps. Today all our 21 Schools are located here in this huge campus, but at that time, we started with some small, rented buildings in Hauz Khas and other areas of Delhi. One School was here, the other was somewhere else and it was not easy to prepare books, cassettes, CDs as well as hold counselling sessions. Computers had not come and we were still in the era of typewriters. But we kept integrating technology into our delivery mechanisms so that the access of our resource material was in the easy reach of the most disadvantaged of our society. So in a short span of just three decades, we’ve grown to become the People’s University of the world—not just in terms of numbers but also in terms of quality!

What about fees? How costly are your courses?

Compared to the fee charged by regular colleges and other similar open universities, the fees for our courses are peanuts. It’s heavily subsidised because our primary aim is not to make money but to serve as many poor as possible. For instance, you can do a BA/B.Sc course from IGNOU for maybe between `2000 to 3000 only. We don’t charge anything for SC/ST students. It’s absolutely free for them, for any course that they wish to pursue from IGNOU That’s great, but then how do you survive? Do you get liberal aid from the Central Government?

Earlier, we were getting some aid but now we’re not getting anything. We’re self-sustained. We’re earning our own salaries.

So you’re no longer dependent on government dole to survive?

‘We’ve signed an MoU with the Indian Postal Services. They’ve opened a centre here. Earlier, we used to send it to our regional centres and from there, it would go to the students. But now we do it from here itself. So a lot of time is saved, and we’re able to avoid things getting lost in between’ Yes, but sometimes they give. Like when they come up with a new scheme or there is a demand from the ministry to train some people, they ask for our help and we provide it. For instance, they once asked us to train teachers for B.Ed course because B.Ed has become compulsory for teachers. They gave us funds and we trained the candidates. Otherwise, by and large, we're not getting any grants from the central government.

How do you manage without any grant?

We’re able to do so because our volumes are very high. We survive on numbers. We’re having over six lakh students per year and that’s a big number which only keeps going up. So even if we keep our fees lower, we earn enough to manage our affairs. For, our focus remains the same—to make higher education affordable for our masses and we continue to work in that mission mode all the time.

How do you ensure quality in preparing the content of your course material?

We’ve got teachers—from lecturers to professors, in all the 21 Schools that we have. They develop their courses, but since we have a very limited faculty, what we do is, we take help from well-known subject experts from other universities. Suppose we have to develop a BA course in history, which has many phases—from ancient to medieval to modern. We identify the subject experts—there are certain criteria for that—we invite them here, take their suggestions and based on that, we work on a curriculum. Then we ask them as to who would be the best person to write different chapters and get that done. They prepare the course material and send it to us. Then our faculty goes through that and then decide where they need a photo, where a CD and such other things. They work out all those details, and finally the material is produced. We pay the experts for the work they do. Once this material is produced by our Material Production and Distribution Division, we go for the printing.

Do you have your own printing press?

No. We get it printed. We've got about 30 printers. Everything is time-lined including the supply of paper. We purchase the material and pay for printing as per government rules. Once the material is printed, we deliver this to the students whose addresses we have.

How do you do that because you have lakhs of students to serve?

We distribute the material with the help of the postal department. We’ve signed an MoU with the Indian Postal Services. They’ve opened a centre February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 35

Cradle of Leadership Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar addresses the IGNOU students during the Bharat Bodh event held in New Delhi recently

‘This is the only place in our country where we’re able to create a Bachelor’s programme in Medical Records Keeping, which is another area that no other university caters to, and where technical manpower is in great demand for better patient care, especially in medico-legal cases which continue for years in our country’ here. Earlier, we used to send it to our regional centres and from there, it would go to the students. But now we do it from here itself. So a lot of time is saved, and we’re able to avoid things getting lost in between. We store the material here. They make thousands of packets daily and dispatch them. The Speed-Post vans take the packets straight to the airport. This way they’re also earning something. If they’re sending 20,000 packets every day, they must be making some money out of it. Similarly, when we conduct exams, we have to send question papers to more than 10,000 and sometimes 20,000 centres and also have to maintain secrecy. So, here again, people from the Postal Department help us in loading these packets straight to the airport for faster delivery. They don't take them to the post-office for putting stamps, etc. Everything is done here itself for quick and better distribution.

But, by doing everything from here, haven’t you reduced the role of regional centres?

No. It’s not like that. They’re our mini-IGNOUs. Our job here is to produce the academic work; their job is to deliver the things. They distribute the admission forms and admit the students, prepare the lists of the students in various courses, send them here and do the counselling. They also conduct the classes on Saturdays and Sundays. They identify the colleges where practical training and revision classes can be held.

How do you provide tuition classes on weekends?

36 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

Union Minister of State for Higher Education, Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey(centre), presents the gold medal to a student at the 30th Annual Convocation function held at IGNOU’s headquarters, while the former VC, Prof Ravinder Kumar (left) looks on

Once the material is distributed, students are advised to attend these weekend classes and do their practicals. We've got thousands of part-time teachers. We call them academic counsellors. They conduct the practical examinations and send the data to us. Then we've got a student evaluation division which conducts the examinations.

Where do you conduct exams and when?

We have our centres in all cities and even in small towns. Students therefore need not come to the capital for the examination. For instance, all Bihar students need not go to Patna or Ranchi. We see where the concentration of the students is more and then decide the venue. Like in Delhi, we have 200 centres where we conduct the exams, twice every year—once in June and the other in December.

What about declaration of results?

We have made a mandate to declare results within 42 days. Earlier, it was very erratic, but one of our VCs got a resolution passed that results must come out within 42 days. Ninety per cent of our results are declared within this period. The rest take a little more time because of other reasons, considering the volume of the task.

Students perform yoga during the International Yoga Day celebration held at IGNOU

Students collecting their graduation degrees at the IGNOU Convocation Participants of a cultural performance during Bharat Bodh event at IGNOU

What happens when somebody fails in an exam?

We’re very liberal in giving chances to our students. If, somebody is doing a certificate course of six months, we give four chances. In case of a degree course of three years, the minimum period is three years, but the maximum is six. So, we give another three years to them to clear it, and that too without charging any additional fees.

That's great.

Yeah. We charge only for three years, but give liberal opportunities. The beauty of our system is that they can attend the classes all the six years. Say, for example, if there is a married girl who couldn’t attend classes due to delivery or there is a farmer who missed classes because he got ill, he can always come back to attend classes and appear for exams the next time by paying the examination fee of `100/200 per paper only.

How do you get your answer sheets evaluated?

Earlier, the evaluation work was also done here but now we've decentralised it by making seven evaluation centres in Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, one each in north-east and south and so on. We've allotted 5-6 states to each such centre and copies from these states go directly over there. So, what was seven times load on us has now got reduced to one-seventh. Our staff at these centres sends copies to our approved teachers who check and send them back to our centres and they, in turn, send us the results.

What if somebody wants a re-valuation?

We retain these copies for 3-4 years for these purposes and then dispose them off. We've kept very nominal fees for re-evaluation. Earlier it was `100, now it’s `300 per paper.

How popular are IGNOU courses in foreign countries?

Some of our courses are hugely popular in countries like the UAE, UK, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Mauritius, Maldives, Ethiopia, Namibia, Kenya, Myanmar, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Fiji, France, Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, Liberia, West Indies, Samoa, Lesotho, Malawi, Switzerland, Nigeria, Mongolia and Zambia, to name only a few. Recently, the minister from Papua New Guinea was here and he wanted that we should establish this kind of university over there.

He wanted consultancy for that, so we said, okay, till the time you develop

your own university, you can use our material, if you want. So, they wanted the technical know-how. Maybe that will be the next country where we'll be having our programme study centre soon.

What about fees?

Fees from foreigners is certainly higher, but we charge it to serve the poorest of the poor. So, whatever we earn from them, we pass it on to the people who are not able to pay. Recently we've also started the PhD programme in our university.

What is your admission mechanism for PhD? Same, as per the UGC regulation. UGC has laid down the norms and we follow them.

Can you give us an idea of how well-placed IGNOU students are?

I can’t give you the exact figures as I've just taken over as VC, but many colleagues say, we’ve produced not one or two, but over 100 IAS officers in our journey so far. We’re compiling the list. To give you just an example, Shashi Prakash Goyal who was earlier Joint Secretary with the Uttar Pradesh Government and is now Principal Secretary to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, has been a student of our MCA course. Every year, at the time of our convocation, we invite and honour such students for their achievements. I can also tell you that many of our nursing students are also doing very well in their careers. Many of them are serving top corporate hospitals including Delhi’s Max Hospital.

Does that mean placement of your students is as good as that of any other university?

Absolutely, and that's because our all degrees are recognised by the UGC. February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 37

Cradle of Leadership IGNOU’s Learner Support Systems l Programmes on Offer: 232 l Around 3.03 million active students on rolls l Admission in two cycles in July and January sessions l Web based student information and services system l Online admission system for registration and re-registration l Payment gateway for free payment l Examination held twice a year l Decentralised system of evaluation Do you have campus recruitment too?

Yes. We've a placement cell which regularly conducts on-campus and off-campus placement drives here in Delhi as well as at our regional centres. In 2016, placement drives were conducted for companies like British Telecom (BT), Mahindra & Mahindra, Genpact, Policy Bazar, Convergys, Yatra.com, Goibibo.com, Devlin Formulations, ICICI Prudentials, LIC, Frankfinn and such others. Almost 4422 students took part in these events and 1374 got selected.

What are IGNOU’s future plans?

Very shortly, we’re going to launch one more scheme for the benefit of school drop-outs with an age bar of 18 years. They may have left studies in class eighth or ninth for whatever reasons. For them, we've developed a BPP or Bachelor Preparatory Programme. They have to do a six-month course and if they clear it, they’ll get direct admission into our BA course.

Tell us about your career journey.

I belong to a very middle-class family. My father was a clerk in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). I was born and brought up in Delhi but my father got transferred to various places. So I've been to Rampur (UP), Ajmer (Rajasthan), Neemuch (MP) and then Mokamaghat (Bihar). The initial years of my study was very disturbed. But after class ninth, my father made sure that my studies were not disturbed because of his transfers. So, four of us, my brother, sister, mother and I stayed here in Delhi so that I could focus on my studies.

How did you become a doctor?

I did all my education from government schools. After doing my 11th class

‘All our course material has also been made available online. This is not just for our students but anyone can see it for free by just taking a password available online. Titled ‘E-Gyankosh’, we’ve put all our course material on government websites for the entire world!’

38 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

or higher secondary from Vijay Nagar School in Delhi, I cleared the Pre Medical Test to get admission in Delhi’s prestigious Maulana Azad Medical College. In 1977, when I passed out, my father told me, ‘I can't support your studies. You have to now earn and support yourself’. So, I started some private practice for some time. But then again after 5-6 years, I came into academics because I always wanted to become a teacher. But before that I did several courses including a diploma in health education.Then I did my MD in Hospital Administration and followed it up with a diploma in Training and Development. Parallely, I did a PG diploma in distance education from IGNOU itself. So, I've been a student of IGNOU also and my association is pretty long. After doing my MD in Community Health Administration, I joined the Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI). Then I worked for the National Institute of Health & Family Welfare (NIHFW). Prior to joining IGNOU in 1994, I served NIHFW for four years as Reader and Associate Professor, but that was an ad-hoc job. So when there was a permanent post in IGNOU, I joined its School of Health Sciences.

What was your experience at IGNOU? I got lots of opportunities here to work in many areas for medical, nursing and paramedical personnel through the distance mode. Thanks to a former VC, IGNOU, who started the Centre for Paramedical Sciences, I got to work for its bachelor’s degree program. There are very few such programmes in India. We started six bachelor's programmes in areas like Optometry, Anaesthesia, Radio Therapy and Radiology, to name a few.

But that’s not all. I'm also very proud to say that this is the only place in our country where we’re able to create a Bachelor’s programme in Medical Records Keeping which is another area that no other university caters to, and where technical manpower is in great demand for better patient care, especially in medico-legal cases which continue for years in our country.

In the last five years, we’ve produced over 600 technically-trained people, many of them coming from very poor jhuggis of Delhi’s Khanpur area, now earning between `40,000 to 50,000 as starting salary, depending upon

which corporate hospital they're working for. I feel proud to have produced many quality paramedical personnel who all are doing well, especially in anaesthesia.

What’s the response of the medical fraternity to your efforts?

Recently, I met a lady working in AIIMS, Delhi who came here for some moderation work. She’s a cardioanaesthesiologist who gives anaesthesia, standing for 12 hours daily, to patients getting operated in AIIMS, and she told me what you’re teaching here and what practical training you’re giving here, even the MD students cannot do there. She said, “The kind of questions, the kind of curriculum you're providing is incredible”. To me, that’s the best certificate of the quality and content of our programme.

But how do you ensure similar quality for all your programsme?

We’re very particular about each one of our programmes and work to render quality online degrees in a very, very supportive and flexible environment. You can check out our track record, quality of our study material for different subjects, week-end classes and counselling sessions. The popularity of our programmes on the Gyanvani Educational Channel on FM Radio Station also speaks volumes about the quality of our services. People may say whatever they like about distance education, but we’re very much attached to our students. It’s not that we’re working here just from 9 to 5. You'll find us working and replying to queries of our students even late at night.

We're available online all the time for our students.

What other initiatives have you taken up recently?

We’ve centralised our entire admission process and that’s quite a task. We’ve just admitted over 2.5 lakh students and collected the entire fee through the digital centralised online system. Prime Minister Modi keeps exhorting people to go digital, but we’ve actually done it, even in small towns and villages of India! But that’s not all. All our course material has also been made available online. This is not just for our students but anyone can see it for free by just taking a password available online. Titled E-Gyankosh, we’ve put all our course material on government websites for the entire world!

How has NAAC ranked IGNOU? We're not ranked by them because we’re ourselves are the highest ranking body for monitoring and setting standards for all distance learning programmes in the country. Just like NAAC, we’re also distance learning counsellors, being the apex body in distance education. We're a national university, which also helps all those who want to use our courses. There are at least 17-18 state open universities using our material. For example Prof Shrikant Mohapatra, who was here with us, has now become the VC of Odisha State Open University in Sambalpur. We support it with our course material. So many of our colleagues have now become vice chancellors of different universities and they’re all using course material from IGNOU. When I joined here, I was a Reader, but now they’ve elevated me to this chair because the atmosphere here is very conducive for professional growth. There may be some problems here and there but those are there everywhere.

What is your equation with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL)?

It's an inter-governmental organisation of the Commonwealth of Nations,

headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. For the quality of our programmes, COL designated IGNOU as its first Centre of Excellence in Distance Education in 1993 and today we’re partners in strengthening open learning systems throughout the Commonwealth. In fact, the present COL chairperson Asha Kanwar was earlier a professor of English literature at IGNOU. It’s said that you also teach jail inmates for free?

Nothing is done for free. But it’s true that IGNOU is perhaps the only university offering extensive programmes and training for jail inmates. We started these programmes way back in 1994 with just one centre in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. Today we have over 94 such study centres all over the country and over 25,000 inmates have benefited from this initiative. Jail authorities give us the list of their inmates who wish to study our courses and then we send them the material. We conduct the exams for them in jail just like we do it for other students in June and December. Many of them perform better than students.

It’s a noble social cause and we feel proud in associating with it.

Are you also doing something in skill development?

Yes. Our school of engineering is offering lots of skill development courses and our paramedical courses also come under this. We're actively thinking of starting some new courses of small durations. We’re trying to grab some big government projects so we can train all the students in skill development.

‘In 2016, placement drives were conducted for companies like British Telecom (BT), Mahindra & Mahindra, Genpact, Policy Bazar, Convergys, Yatra. com, Goibibo.com, Devlin Formulations, ICICI Prudentials, LIC, Frankfinn and such others. Almost 4422 students took part in these events and 1374 got selected’ Any other new initiatives you're thinking about?

A recent new initiative we introduced relates to choice-based credit system and we’re also advocating one syllabi for the whole country because we’re providing study material for many state open universities. Incidentally, we're offering a course in disaster management and it’s doing very well. We've got a defence cell also and they offer IGNOU courses for our fauji brothers for which we've signed an MoU with the Defence Ministry. So, our reach has truly crossed all geographical barriers.

What is the philosophy of your life?

I believe in honesty. That's what my father had also taught me. He used to say, honesty is everything. I've been honest in all my professional or personal endeavours. The second thing is, I believe in respect for elders. Hence, I respect all my teachers, elders and my colleagues.

Your advice to those who wish to join IGNOU? Not as a VC, but as a person I'd like to say, you may earn anything in life including big money, name, fame and whatever else you can think of but there is no substitute to education. It’s your passport to the future because tomorrow belongs only to those who prepare for it today. mathurpradeep1@gmail.com February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 39

Pics: Yusuf Khan

Interview

Cultivate Positive Attitude and Agility Annapurna A., Director - Human Resources, Inspirage, is indeed a gutsy woman in her own way. Born and brought up in the interiors of Orissa, she wanted to be a medical professional when she was young, but instead became what she describes as ‘a human doctor dealing with people’. She has made herself heard in all-men boardrooms, helped girl children empower themselves and maintained her energy, calmness and positivity. In an interview with Corporate Citizen, she gives credit to a number of mentors she met in her professional and personal life and her study of psychology and human behaviour

By Prasannakumar Keskar

Corporate Citizen - Could you please take us through your education and career background?

Annapurna A. - I was born and brought up in a very interior part of Orissa. I studied from my kindergarten to PG in Orissa itself. I was a hardcore science student and as a young student, I wanted to become a doctor. I still feel I am a doctor. I would rather describe myself as ‘a human doctor dealing with people’. The field of Human Resources (HR) is my passion. I did my B. Sc with Honours in Botany and thereafter I did my post graduation in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management (IRPM) and took up my career in HR. Then I did my Master’s in Psychology. I also did various other certifications in HR. I have always loved understanding human behaviour and dealing with behavioural issues—why a certain individual behaves in a certain way—that is an eternal research.

What challenges do you face while playing your role and how do you overcome them?

My professional role throws a lot of challenges because in any organisation, you have to deal with a lot of softer aspects of human life too. Here, you are not only dealing with the business but also dealing with human emotions. It needs a lot of sensitivity. When you are dealing as an HR professional or an HR Head, you need to be very careful when someone comes to you or any issue 40 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

is referred to you. You need to be empathetic, and decide how to put logic at work while understanding the emotions at the same time.

We need to come up with a highly customised solution for every situation and always need to think out of the box. The rulebook will not have all this. We need to understand the situation and frame different rules for different situations. HR is not just a static strategy. It is very dynamic and situational. HR people have to exhibit a lot of leadership skills and they have to beat all the odds. They have to stand up to the highest order of code of conduct and integrity in any given situation.

The topic of maternity leave vis-àvis paternity leave is much talked

In any organisation, you have to deal with a lot of softer aspects of human life too. Here, you are not only dealing with the business but also dealing with human emotions. It needs a lot of sensitivity

about. What are your views on it?

Almost 40 plus years has passed. It took ages for maternity leave to be reviewed. Meanwhile, many mothers including me have gone through ups and downs when we were supposed to return to work after the 3rd month. Therefore, I would say it is a very welcome step to give 26 weeks of maternity leave. This is giving respect to motherhood. Every organisation has to support it because it is a biological phenomenon and if you are not supporting one species to build, what kind of nation are you building?

Many organisations will not be able to digest if a resource is unavailable for 26 weeks. But we should build an ecosystem to take care of the job or the activity that resource is involved in during her absence. Give the employee a feel

that maternity is a beautiful thing that happens with women. Give all the support for her to come back.

As for paternity leave, we are advocating it.

Both parents are important for any child. There is a difference between a mother and a father because the mother biologically gives birth to the child so she needs a lot of rest. The father too needs to give emotional support to the mother, child and family. We advocate two to three weeks of paternity leave, depending upon whatever the organisation needs. And here, we are not talking of many occasions one experiences, at the most twice in a life. For most, it comes only once in a life. Why make a hue and cry?

You have studied behavioural sci-

ence and psychology. Does it help you in the role of an HR?

Definitely yes! It helps in having an edge over other HR. I recommend everyone to study behavioural science and psychology because it helps a lot to be a good HR professional.

Antagonists argue that women want leave for maternity and for marriage but at the same time they want equal salary and status as that of men who do not get such privileges. What do you think?

Men and women both have to take leave when they are not well or they have some other requirements. We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say that women are taking more leaves than men. Organisations may

February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 41

Interview have a policy to give menstrual leave apart from maternity leave because it is not that a woman has to undergo all the pain and at the same time she has to be sitting in the office contributing to the work. Devise policies according to your whole work force in the organisation, have flexible policies. HR has to open the windows to understand what their work force is and where employee engagement is. If I want a good employee engagement score, I should see what my territory is, what my people distribution in the industry is and build policies accordingly.

If someone’s performance is not alright, then there is no way to tolerate that person. Just give the feedback and show them the way.

Often the patriarchal structure of society affects women’s performance. What is your take on that?

It is not society alone, which deprives a woman from opportunities. Often women themselves leave the battle and go away. A woman has to be aware that opportunities are life-changing

events and think whether she can build an ecosystem around this and build her career. Just look back and look at the history from the Vedic times. It was never a stop for any woman who really wanted to do something great, be it war, studies or anything. For example, when Mata Gargi was having a dialogue with Rishi Yajnavalkya for not allowing a woman to be a teacher. That’s when Mata Gargi pointed out that it is differentiating on the basis of gender. So, if a woman wants to be empowered, there is surely a way for her.

What is your biggest success?

My biggest success is that I have always been resilient.

The moment I felt I have fallen, I have sprung back.

Do you have any spe-

42 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

cific moment in your corporate life that you cherish?

There are many special moments that I cherish, especially when it comes to gender equality. In most of the organisations I have been in, I was the only woman at boardroom meetings and management discussions. I was the only woman sitting with men dialoguing and trying to make them understand my ideas. Every time I was given an equal chance and an equal hearing. I cherish that very much.

The making of an HR

W

ell-known as a complete strategist and execution oriented HR professional with 20 plus years of experience, Annapurna A., Director Human Resources, Inspirage has worked in different business sectors ranging from hard core Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Aeronautical, Sales, IT and Health. She has always been a change agent in all organisations and mostly executed green field projects and built the organisations in driving organisation development, effectiveness and leadership.

Possessor of expertise in Talent Acquisition, Talent Development, Talent Retention, Rewards and Recognition, Leadership Development and Organisation Development, she strongly believes in Productivity, Quality, Safety and Security and ability to always come up with a PLAN B. Prior to joining Inspirage, she worked with e2E Rail, Essilor India Private Limited, Manhattan Associates, Raman Boards Limited, HAL’s Aircraft Research and Design Centre, Elgi Electric and Industries Ltd and Shanmughavel and Co., in various capacities.

A corporate citizen with the flair of a social activist, she has been working on the cause of empowering women and children in her individual capacity.

Everyone has a mentor. It may be the first boss, or a teacher, or anybody else. Who was your mentor?

I have had a lot of good mentors and leaders who taught me different things in my life. They motivated me a lot.

Starting from my home, I can acknowledge my brother, parents, husband and my motherin-law. My mother-in-law was a great mentor. She taught me never to give up just because I am a woman. She also gave me many basic life lessons. In college, I had a nice professor, Guru Charan Patro, with whom I am in touch till date.

In my corporate life, I had many bosses who extended their support. I owe it to them what I am today.

As an individual you do a lot of social work.

Could you please explain what you do and why?

Gradually, I understood that HR is not just limited to organisations. My interest in taking the principles of HR outside organisations began when I went on a talent hunt for my organisation. That was when I understood why some engineering students could make it up to the corporate world and why some cannot, or why certain girls can do it and why some cannot. Take my own example—coming from an interior part of Orissa, it was not an easy journey for me to make it to the corporate world. I worked upon myself, found out what is

It is not society alone, which deprives a woman from opportunity.

Often women themselves leave the battle and go away. A woman has to be aware that opportunities are life-changing events and think whether she can build an ecosystem around this and build her career required to become a corporate professional, what a B-school student needed to do, how to become a good professional and worked on all that. I noticed that these students have a lot of knowledge, they understand, but what they need is motivation and mentoring, exposure so that such talent can come forward. I realised I could not do much for everyone but I can certainly help some women. Now my passion is to work for any girl I spot in a B-town and feel she can be trained and mentored. That’s how I try to give my two bits to empowering the girl child.

Tell us something about your family.

I have one daughter, a nice, loving husband. I am blessed with great parents and one brother.

Both my parents and parents-in-law have always extended great support to me, motivated me and have played a great role in pushing my career forward. It’s all God’s blessings!

How do you balance your work and life?

For me, these are not two different things. If you like your work, it is your life. I need to be passionate while I am cooking or I’m looking after my child and my family. Similarly, when I am at work or I am dealing with my friends or doing any social work, I need to be passionate.

The moment you find that passion in the work, you do not find it stressful and instead enjoy it.

How do you maintain a positive attitude despite being in the cutthroat corporate world?

It is difficult. You get upset, face ups and downs.

But I am trained to know different kinds of behaviour. If someone is getting upset, I know there is a reason and I can maintain my calmness. You can always take a situation and see how you can respond instead of reacting first.

But keeping calm 24/7 is difficult. You are a human at last. But you should properly exhibit your emotions.

What is your idea of relaxing?

You can relax anytime. It is up to you to build a lot of positive energy around you. Whenever I am in a conversation, I can learn something new and that makes me feel relaxed. If I talk thinking that it is just a conversation and I need to end it, I would feel stressed.

So, in any occasion or any opportunity, you need to keep yourself calm and build a lot of positive energy around yourself. Being well balanced itself is relaxation. You don’t need to give separate time for relaxation. Sometimes, I may see some picture and get relaxed, I may talk to someone and get relaxed, I may do nothing and get relaxed or even too much of work may make me feel relaxed. It could be anything.

How do you view youngsters today?

Youngsters are a boon because they are very quick and agile. These are Internet era students. The only thing the older generation needs to teach them is to channelize their energy, motivate them, mentor them and tell them that they can achieve the right things

treading on the right path. Else, the new generation may create a lot of destruction. We should be ready for the new generation with open arms and embrace them.

What qualities do you look for in the people you hire?

I would look whether they have a positive attitude, whether they are open to learning and whether they are quick and agile. They should be adaptable, able to manage change and able to regulate their emotions.

What advice would you like to give youngsters?

My only advice to youngsters would be ‘JUST DON’T GIVE UP’. prasanna.keskar@gmail.com

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tadka India’s push for digital money Paytm is now India’s largest consumerpayments app, with 302 million account holders and 90 million active users.

According to Kantar TNS, a research firm based in London, only one-third of India’s 1.3 billion residents have access to the internet. Of those who are able to go online, just 14 per cent make mobile payments at least once a week.

February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 43

Campus Placement

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look for perks,

look for

satisfaction The discipline that came from looking after his body and health spilled over into academics and co-curricular activities, which helped Rajat Prabhakar overcome all odds and achieve his goals

By Joe Williams

R

ajat Prabhakar hails from a humble background from Chandigarh. The son of a police officer, and affectionately called Rajjo by his friends, he is a fitness freak who visits the gymnasium regularly. He completed his Masters in marketing from a well-known college and today walks into the corporate world with Aditya Birla Retail Limited as the team leader. He is working on a project in marketing in Karnataka, and is posted at Bengaluru. His advice to juniors waiting in the pipeline for campus placement is prepare well for the interview, erase any negative approach, and things will fall into place.

Early education

Rajat completed his schooling from Manav Mangal High School and his graduation from Government College of Commerce and Business Administration in Chandigarh.

His two elder sisters taught him the values of life, which boosted his confidence. Like any other kid in school, Rajat was fun loving and very fond of eating, and that was the reason he had put on extra weight. He participated in sports and was nominated the prefect of the school. He secured 59.89% in SSC and managed to get into Commerce.

44 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

Thanks to his parents who always supported him, he went on to improve his performance in graduation with 68%. He had put on 100 kgs and people used to talk about him, but that did not hinder him as he took up centre-stage in public speaking and performing on the stage. There was a time when he was intimidated due to his obesity, but at the back of his mind, he was sure that one day he would silence his critics. He took interest in politics and his leadership qualities saw him being elected as the general secretary in college. And it was here at the age of 17 that he started working out because he realised that health is very important in life. The focus, dedication, discipline, patience and perseverance he learned in working out helped him to perform well in other areas of life.

Discipline pays

Life at the professional college was tough, but he was prepared and it was his workingout regimen, which helped him face all hurdles. However, one has to sacrifice to gain

something and so he skipped festivals and preferred the gymnasium and studied alone in his hostel room. That was why he had no backlog in his studies, and this brought about changes in him, which were positive. His role as discipline coordinator at his college was the toughest and as a council member, he had to face a lot of resistance from the juniors. There were teachers who were more like friends, which was the turning point in his life. And one among them was Subina Sayal who played a major role in boosting his confidence levels.

Campus placement

Rajat got the nod from ABRL (Aditya Birla Retail Limited) and is currently posted in Bengaluru and working on a project in marketing in Karnataka. It was not perks but job satisfaction that was on the top of the list for him. Learning was all about giving back to the company which had trusted him. ”Never go for the package as the priority criteria but go for the role and future growth opportunities the company is providing. Be a learner in the initial years and gain as much as you can from the first company,” says Rajat who had one of the lengthiest campus placement processes, which went up to 13 hours, and five rounds of campus screening—aptitude, case study, creative round and personal interview.

“Yes it was one of the most sought after processes in the college, the reason being the company came exclusively to our college, and it was offering an above average package,” said Rajat. Rajat wanted to get into this company because he always wanted to be in the retail sector and ABRL is a major in retailing. He was the only male among the six candidates who got selected. “Think positively about achieving something, everything falls into place and you reach that place without much of hardship,” he says.

His only fear about placement was of getting a company from a sector outside his line of interest, though he was confident of being placed. “People still ask me how I prepared for the aptitude test or group discussion, and about my fears while entering the interview room. Till date my answer has not changed—you can’t learn how to speak in a single day, but keep learning things every day. One question every interviewer asks, ‘Tell me about yourself and what are your strengths and weaknesses?’ This is it, grab the opportunity and speak as much as you can about yourself, tell them about your interests, hobbies and strengths, and by doing this, you have already turned the tables on your side.”

He had appeared for three companies. At the time of getting placed, Rajat was waiting for the result of another company where he was shortlisted. So for him the placement season went very smoothly. Although he is of the opinion that his mettle was not tested much during the placement process, it was tested a lot more before that.

“During my induction period, during college functions and especially when I was the discipline coordinator of the college, I was a very short tempered guy, and being a Punjabi, tended to take decisions impulsively. But I think the grooming process that I have gone through has transformed me from an angry, impatient and impulsive guy to a humble and calm person.”

Rajat with his college friends

Life is all about

For him, life is all about living in the present. Take life as a gift, a blessing and an opportunity to do bigger and more challenging things. “We youth, take a lot of risks and chances, but one thing I cannot do is take chances with my life. Life is short, live in the present and be thankful for even small moments and things that life gives us,” says Rajat.

Six tricks for success

Never go for the package as the priority criteria but go for the role and future growth opportunities the company is providing.

Be a learner in the initial years and gain as much as you can from the first company

1. Play strategically: Strategy is very important when it comes to clearing any aptitude test, group discussion or interview. For aptitude tests, focus on your strong areas. Don’t try to attempt all the questions but focus only on the questions where you are 100% sure. For the aptitude test, accuracy matters the most than the number of attempts.

2. Analyse the mistakes of your peers: Learn from mistakes. Always observe your peers and analyse what went wrong. There is nothing wrong in hitting on those points if they repeat.

3. Sweat more in practice and bleed less in battle: Placement is a battlefield you will face and practice starts from day one of your college. Always participate in activities, express your views when given the opportunity, keep a pen and notebook handy and always write down points you feel are important.

4. Discussions at night: Give time for mock discussions with your friends because you are most expressive when you are with friends. You will speak the most and you will get to know your weak points.

5. Get out of the classroom: This is the most important thing every student must do. You should always maintain a balance between your academics and co-curricular activities. Never hesitate to participate in college activities because these events will bring out the best in you. These events will give you practical experience of team building activities, group politics, engagement of team members and every other theoretical aspect you learn in management books.

6. Always be positive: Never lose hope and never lose faith in yourself. Always be positive even if you are being rejected for the 100th time. Remember, the best things come to those who wait! joe78662@gmail.com February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 45

Loved & Married too It is not often these days that a college romance fructifies into a wedlock. Corporate Citizen unlocks the story of love that has culminated into marriage, for we believe in the stability of a relationship and family unit. We bring to you real-life romances that got sealed in marriage

Building tomorrow’s dreams,today Entrepreneurial couple Amruta and Mandar Deogaonkar believe marriage as a partnership works best when spouses complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and work towards common goals. In their case, the goals happen to be the growth of Jaisons Group, the family owned integrated real estate players engaged in three different verticals—construction solutions, smart living and work space solutions and a unique holiday village home concept called Synergy.

And even as the company charts its own along with parenting their two boys-Karan (12) and Aseem (8)

By Kalyani Sardesai

M

ornings are the Deogaonkars’ favourite time of the day. Even as they drop off their boys to school, it’s time to unwind a bit, chat about the latest happenings, and possibly enjoy breakfast together at their favourite Udupi joint, before starting the work day at 9 am. And though it’s a packed schedule to be sure, both are happy to put in the effort it takes to make the most of their day together.

Back to the beginning

This story was scripted in the late nineties on

the campus of Pune’s famous COEP (College of Engineering), even as both Amruta and Mandar were pursuing their civil engineering. Typically, as it happens, it was the classic case of opposites attracting each other. “I am outgoing, extroverted and social, whereas he was the more studious, reserved and academic type. While we knew each other from the very start of our engineering days, it was only in the last year that we became friendly,” shares Amruta. “We were both organising a college fashion show together, and that gave us the chance to get to know each other.”

46 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

On his part, Mandar was drawn to her confidence and energy. “These are excellent qualities in anyone. Most certainly so in a potential partner,” he says.

Nevertheless, they both took their time saying ‘I do’. Both had fledgling careers to think of.

Post his graduation, Mandar headed to the US for his MS, while Amruta went onto do her MBA in North Maharashtra University, in her native place Jalgaon. “Those days my grandmother happened to be very ill and I needed to be with

her in her last days. After she passed away and I completed my MBA, I gave my GRE and TOEFL and went abroad to pursue my second Masters.”

The duo were finally wed in 2000, and went back to the US to pursue their education and careers, before finally returning to Pune and the family business in 2002.

The balancing act

From the outset, both Amruta and Mandar have been ambitious and focused about taking the family owned Jaison Group from being a contracting firm to a manufacturing unit. Gradually, they went on to establish their holiday village Synergy as well. To do that, both had to share responsibilities, and leverage each other’s strengths to optimum advantage.

“There are certain aspects that are her strong points and there are some that are mine. The idea is to give space and support to your spouse in the direction that they are best suited. This really works out well in the long run,” says Mandar.

Meanwhile, Amruta had no qualms about taking that mandatory career break to be with her boys. “It is all about priorities. I felt no sense of loss in spending more time with my children initially, before finally resuming full time work,” she says.

While the initial years were spent with their in laws, she is clear about pointing out that there was no sense of burden there. “Adjustment is a good thing. It builds lives and families,” she shares.

The building blocks of a marriage • Shared goals and priorities • Taking the backseat occasionally, and letting go of the need to have the last word—if need be • Responsibilities shared are burdens halved • Adjustment is not a dirty word • Recognising and appreciating your partner’s strong points is the key to growth Nevertheless, responsibilities are carefully shared in both the personal and professional zones. “This way both progress,” says Amruta.

Like every couple, both have also worked out a way to resolve conflict. “We always refer to the most recent issue. If the other person stepped down last time, it’s your turn this time,” she smiles. “The important thing to realise is that one can’t win every battle. It is often essential to let go in the interests of the bigger picture.

Knowing when to keep quiet is the key.” While Mandar adds, “One way of resolving fights is to recognise where your spouse is strong and where they need support.”

The parenting trap

Naturally, parenting their two boys Karan (12) and Aseem (8) is an important zone of teamwork. Here too, both are on the same page, about providing the children the right atmosphere and environment to develop their respective skills.

“Frankly, both my children study just before their exams,” laughs Amruta. “Studies are important, but so are extracurricular activities for overall development of the child’s personality.”

Early on, both children exhibited vastly different interests and abilities. “While Karan is

“

There are certain aspects that are her strong points and some that are mine.

The idea is to give space and support to your spouse in the direction that they are best suited —Mandar

musically inclined, Aseem loves sports. So both of us decided that Mandar, being the musically gifted parent, would take charge of Karan, and I, of Aseem,” she says. “This way we are both able to give them focused attention.”

And while spending time with children is important, Mandar is of the opinion that the perfect balance is often not possible. “Frankly speaking, there are moments when business takes over. But I look at it this way—the focus and excellence one demonstrates towards one’s chosen fields is also an important take away for the children,” he says.

At the end of the day, both would say shared goals and priorities are the pillars on which a relationship stands. “It is a good thing that our respective personalities complement each other. While business is about taking risks, it does help to have one partner serve as the reality check and grounding factor, especially when it comes to taking big decisions,” rounds off Amruta. kalyanisardesai@gmail.com

CC

tadka Helmets, a non-priority amongst riders More that 50% of India’s two-wheeler riders do not wear a helmet while riding on the road, according to Exide Life Insurance’s report. While 13% cite cost of a helmet, 16% believe that they are not required to by the law; 22% habitually ride bare-headed and nearly 29% admit to riding without a helmet for reasons of comfort. More than 70% admit to have ridden without wearing a helmet.

Nearly a quarter (23%) of riders would allow a pillion rider without a helmet, and an equal proportion of pillion riders (24%) admit that they would accept such a helmetless lift.

February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 47

Interview

Food for Body & Soul A man of his words and who fears none, Dr Vithal Venkatesh Kamat, Chairman and MD, Kamat Hotels, has consistently been serving India some lip-smacking food for decades. A well-known face in the hospitality world, what is lesser known is that he is also an inveterate writer. Having penned down three books so far, he has now written an ode to his mother in his fourth book – ‘Yash Apyash Ani Mi’ By Ekta Katti

T

he Orchid hotel at Balewadi, Pune was abuzz with his family, relatives and friends as Vithal Kamat was all excited to launch his fourth book – ‘Yash Apyash Ani Mi’. This book in Marathi language, is a heartfelt ode to his mother and explores the relationship between a mother and a son. Through the chapters of his book, he wishes to convey a very important message to today’s generation, which overlooks the importance of parents in one’s life.

Vithal Kamat, the Chairman and Managing Director of Kamat Hotels (India) Ltd is a second-generation restaurateur. He is a pioneer of green hotels, an environmentalist, entrepreneur, educationalist, antiquarian, ornithologist,

Dr Vithal Kamat with his mother Indira, during the launch of his book ‘Yash Apyash Aani Mi’ at the Orchid Hotel, Pune

author, a globetrotter, and black belt holder in karate. His journey began from a small vegetarian family restaurant to becoming the chairman of the world’s highest award-winning, and also Asia’s first Ecotel hotel, The Orchid. He is a recipient of many national and international awards including ‘Best CEO of Industry’ award

by The Indian Express, ‘Golden Peacock’ award received from the hands of His Holiness The Dalai Lama, and the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award in Berlin, Germany. He is a visiting faculty at IIM-Ahmedabad, BITS Pilani, Rajasthan and Symbiosis, Pune and many management institutes in India and Abroad.

He is essentially known as the kingpin of the hotel industry. While his journey in the

48 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

hospitality industry is well-known by all, very little is known about him being an articulate writer. At the launch of his book, which left every one teary-eyed, Corporate Citizen caught up with Vithal Kamat at the side-lines of the launch to know more about his versatile personality. He talks about his journey as a writer and much more.

The writer in the making

He is a staunch follower of the saying, ‘Knowledge is not everything, application of knowledge is wisdom’. Ever since he was a kid, he was an avid reader. “My love for reading is courtesy my mother and friends,” he smiled. So what provoked him to be a writer? “All my life I have

faced competition at every level. I somewhere felt that I might have done injustice to others. Now I am at a stage where I want to give something back to the society. There are a lot of deprived people in this world. If my words could provoke them to believe in themselves and motivate them to take a plunge to follow their passion, then I believe that I did something worthwhile. I feel the best way to return something to the society is to write a book,” he says. The returns of the book are then given to an eyesight foundation and organ harvest donation.

He believes that all have a writer in them, they just have to find it and start penning it down.

During his reading days, he was in complete awe of the writer Behram Contractor, whose articulate writing inspired him. “In life, I have become successful by following and watching other successful people. However, things changed when I entered the food industry. There I found some other gurus and reached the pinnacle. The thing about me is, I see dreams and make them come true,” he says.

Never give up

ing as chef in London for 100 pounds a week.

There we had an order to make 2000 laddus. And the owner was reluctant to make it. However, I took the situation under my control and made the laddus efficiently. The owner was quite impressed by my work. As a result, he asked me if I would marry his daughter. I politely declined, as I wanted to do something big in my country.”

‘One of the most important values that I have learnt is – fear none.

Don’t let fear grip you if you have committed something. Just politely accept it in front of everyone.

People may not forgive at first, but later everything will fall in place’

His one peculiar trait is that he would go to any extent for the well-being of his loved ones. When his mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, dementia and Alzheimer’s, he says was shattered. He made sure to consult the top doctors in the country for her treatment. What struck him the most was when a doctor said, “You can always keep your mother happy. But unfortunately Parkinson’s, dementia and Alzheimer’s are not curable.” But he was one of them who would never give up easily.

The love for gardening is a seed which once sown never perishes. His love for building gardens around his area is immense. He is a man who loves greenery around him and will do anything to preserve it. Residing in Mumbai, he has helped to build several gardens.

The star chef

Aai Museum at Fort Jadhavgadh Heritage Resort Hotel, Pune, which has collection of over 35,000 antiques collected by Dr Vithal Kamat, owner of Fort JadhavGADH

The best way of learning how to cook is to watch your mother cook. He certainly agrees with this.

“I love to cook. It’s a stress buster and more so I love to feed people. I am a self-taught chef and I learnt the art of cooking by simply watching my mother,” he informs.

At 19, when in London, he had the first chance to prove himself. Sharing the incident, he proudly says, “It was almost 50 years back, I was work-

A risk taker

Fear none and don’t hesitate to take risks—these are the two principles that he religiously follows. “The values that a person receives from his family members, teachers and friends are what makes him a better person. One of the most important values that I have learnt is—fear none. Don’t let fear grip you if you have committed something.

Just politely accept it in front of everyone. People may not forgive at first, but later everything will fall in place,” he explains.

He began his career by acquiring loss making properties in Khandala(Pune district) and Vapi (Valsad district, Gujarat).

It was a big risk, but he was prepared for it. “The biggest risk is not taking a risk.

When you have an ability to change something, I feel the risk is worth it. This risk rather boosted my confidence. I saw an opportunity and encashed it,” he said. His plan of embarking on the loss-making property and creating something worthwhile from it was simple. The journey taught him several things. “I tried to be in their shoes and understand what went wrong. I made sure that I did not commit the same mistakes,” he says.

He later acquired some bigger properties in Mumbai. In 1997, he took a giant leap and started The Orchid, Asia’s First 5 Star Ecotel

Hotel in Mumbai. With several employees under his guidance, he made sure to set the right example and tried to be their role model. One ritual that he follows is to appreciate his employees no matter what. “A pat on their back motivates them. Rather than finding out their flaws, a few kind words changes their lives. If you treat them with respect, it reflects in their work,” he smiles.

Since then, there has been no stopping him.

The Orchid chain soon started getting recognition. One of India’s truly homegrown hospitality chains, The Orchid is part of Dr Vithal Kamat’s group of hotels, which also owns the only Maharashtrian luxury fort heritage hotel, Fort JadhavGadh and Mahodadi Palace, Puri.

Adventurous Vithal is street smart when it comes to dealing with people. He never does business with people who have no ethics. Also, he is a firm believer that the service industry is very different from other sectors.

Staunch believer

He never leaves a stone unturned when it comes to hospitality. Each step in his hotels is monitored for better outcome. Following the notion of—you eat with your eyes—he makes sure that the plating is also given utmost importance. ektaakatti@gmail.com

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tadka

India’s job and business problems Of our 6.3 crore enterprises, 2.4 crore don’t have an office or work from home, only 85 lakh have any tax registration, only 12 lakh pay the mandatory social security, and only 18,000 companies have a paid-up capital of more than `10 crore.

(Source: The Indian Express)

February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 49

2017 Millennial Survey

91%

of Indian millennials optimistic about the future Millennials are dominating the job market, especially in India where we have a rich demographic dividend. Millennials have inherited the world at a time of increased work pressure and global turmoil. With an aim to understand their world view and identify their problems, Deloitte has conducted the 2017 Millennial Survey. Corporate Citizen presents the results. Compiled by Neeraj Varty

Millennials, especially in developed economies, are anxious about their future. They are concerned about a world that presents numerous threats and question their personal prospects.

However, there are strong reasons for optimism. Millennials are increasingly conscious of their role in societal change, and want to make the world a better place. They are more concerned about charitable causes, women empowerment, and income equality for all. Without further ado, let us dive into the survey results.

Methodology EMERGING MARKETS

DEVELOPED MARKETS

Argentina | 300 Brazil | 300 Chile | 300 China | 300 Colombia | 300 India | 300 Indonesia | 300 Mexico | 300 Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore (MTS) | 300 Peru | 200 Russia | 300 South Africa | 200 The Philippines | 300 Turkey | 300

Australia | 300 Belgium | 200 Canada | 300 France | 300 Germany | 300 Ireland | 200 Italy | 300 Japan | 300 South Korea | 300 Spain | 300 Switzerland | 200 The Netherlands | 300 UK | 300 US | 300

Interviews achieved: 4,000

Interviews achieved: 3,900

A mix of millennials from emerging markets as well as developed ones were interviewed for the survey. The total number of respondents was 7,900.

50 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 51

2017 Millennial Survey

Diverging levels of economic optimism Percentage of people that surveyed expect the overall economic, social or political situation in their countries to improve (next 12 months).

Emerging markets Overall Mature/Western markets

57%

49%

48%

47%

45%

43% 42% 48%

41%

33%

38%

31%

36%

34%

25%

2014 (Economy)

2015 (Economy) 2016 (Economy)

2017 (Economy)

2017 (Political)

As regards economic confidence, those in mature markets are less optimistic than a year ago with barely one in three (34 per cent) now expecting economic conditions to improve. By contrast, those in emerging markets are significantly more positive than in 2016 and, in fact, confidence levels are the highest recorded in this series.

Overall, only 36 per cent of millennials expect the social/political situations in their countries to improve during the next 12 months. A minority (48 per cent) in emerging markets foresee improvements while the proportion in mature economies is half that figure (25 per cent).

Conflict issues primarily a mature market fear; for emerging markets, crime/corruption the #1 challenge Mature markets

Emerging markets Hunger/healthcare/income inequality

War, terrorism, political tension 56%

43%

42%

Economy/unemployment

Crime & corruption 58%

36%

31%

Environment

31%

50%

29%

Unemployment continues to worry many millennialsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;with a quarter (25 per cent) concerned, it ranks third of 18 items measured. It is natural that millennials will continue to be concerned about the job market.

However, in 19 of the 30 countries covered by the survey, terrorism is a bigger concern than unemployment.

Of the 11 countries where unemployment is a bigger concern, only one, Spain, is a mature western market.

52 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

39%

Millennials' employers most supportive of education, employment, and healthcare initiatives Almost nine in ten (86 per cent) believe the success of a business should be measured in terms of more than just its financial performance. It is, therefore, encouraging that the vast majority (82 per cent) of millennials report their employers are directly involved in issues of personal concern, or are supporting charities and other social initiatives in the area. Across organisations of all sizes, the most common issues with which businesses engage are education, skills, and training, unemployment and health care/disease prevention. However, businesses are possibly falling short of their potential to address the societal challenges that are most important to millennials. In particular, only 10 to 13 per cent of respondents feel their organisations are addressing income inequality/ distribution of wealth, corruption within business or politics, or climate change and the environment.

Education, skills, and training

31%

Unemployment

27%

Health care/disease prevention

21%

Community cohension/social involvement

17%

Climate change/protecting the environment/natural disasters

13%

Food supplies/hunger/famine

13%

Stability of national economies

11%

Income inequality/distribution of wealth

11%

Corruption within business or politics

10%

Rights of minority groups

10%

Crime/personal safety

10%

Empowered millennials more optimistic and loyal Charitable opportunities provided No charitable opportunities provided 24% Loyalty (stay 5+ years)

25%

Social optimism (improve) 35%

46%

66%

Business impact (positive) 85%

Just more than half (54 per cent) of millennials are provided with opportunities to contribute to charities/good causes in their workplaces. Such activities could be considered laudable in their own right, but the relationship to other findings is noteworthy. For example, those provided with such opportunities in the workplace show a greater level of loyalty, have a more positive opinion of business behavior, and are less pessimistic about the general social situation. neeraj.varty07@gmail.com February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 53

Health

Run

together to

Stay Fit

Four is definitely not a crowd especially in a family that has sown ‘togetherness’ around a sport that instils passion, and has built aspirations around ‘running’ and ‘sprinting’. Meet Bengaluru-based amateur runner Pavithra Vijay, an ex-Chartered Accountant and co-owner of Aeronutrix, a nutrition company that markets innovative products for active living.

Pavithra and her husband Vijayaraghavan Venugopal’s passion for running has had a positive impact on their daughters also. They reveal their love and jubilations; trials and tribulations to continue running and staying fit

By Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar

T

he journey of a chartered accountant (CA), a seasoned homemaker and a talented dancer, to selling sport-based lifestyle nutritive products to becoming an active amateur runner in the past three years has seen Pavithra Vijay, picking up a piece of the baton from her hubby Vijayaraghavan Venugopal and passing it on to her daughters Sharanya (11) and Radhika (7). Her sprint began in late

2014 when she was disenchanted with her last corporate stint; she rediscovered the positivity of being fit. While her husband Vijay; himself an avid and seasoned amateur runner got her introduced to running. By participating in some of the events, she got an opportunity to see diverse people running for various goals.

“I started to run myself, and enjoyed the activity and thoughts which come with it”, she says.

As the co-owner of Aeronutrix, that owns the

54 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

brand ‘Fast&Up’, she felt the need to add credibility to its’ product portfolio. “At the events when I said I am a CA, people would actually laugh; I then realised that if I have to convince people of what I would be selling, running had to be a part of it. As our products are based on sports and active lifestyle, I had to set an example for the product and for the company”, she adds.

Living to Run

“Running has brought in a lot of discipline in my life, which I probably did have but, it pushed the scales—knowing that you have to do it!” For Pavithra, who has been managing lifestyle changes through other disciplines such as yoga, felt that running teaches value for time and instils patience too. “With running, it is very easy to give up as your mind plays over your body. It’s like saying, ‘I will push in for the next one km and then maybe take a call to drop’. Obviously, without hard work, you can’t achieve anything. That ‘something’ to push you comes out of running”, she adds.

Also, running inculcated Pavithra to manage

her time better. “In today’s nuclear family, you have to get everything going, no matter what!

I can’t procrastinate anything. When you are into fitness, you don’t procrastinate your training because you feel guilty, likewise in life too.

It develops a more happy life as positivity comes only when you train—when you run. Scientifically too, it releases endorphins in your brain and creates overall positivity into your lives.”

She trains for at least two hours every day— either cross training, dancing or running.

For Pavithra, running is akin to gaining ‘freedom’. “Frankly, I don’t like to participate in events. I just love to run and don’t like to be confined by a time and pace. But, if I need to know how good I am, I need to participate in these events. My dream is to do a HM (half marathon) in less than two hours. However, that requires more dedication and needs a lot of regime-to run ‘so many days’, ‘so many km’ and as a mother, it has to fall around my daughters and their daily schedules, she says.”

“Every year I attend three running events.

Given a chance, I run every weekend. But, as a mother I sometimes have constraints of caring for my daughters. Usually, I would be running for two to two and a half hours, about 18 km is the max that I have done and I aim to do a HM, 21km this year, as part of my new year (2018) resolution, she says.”

Vijay, was always into sport right from childhood apart from a few years. “While I did some athletics at school, I also played cricket and football. When I got into running, some traits did help but. I found that there was no substitute to hard training and passion.” He played as a member of the U-13 Kerala Ranji Trophy team and encountered the likes of V.V.S. Laxman and Hemant Badami in his cricketing days. However, his tryst with running happened at the age of 37 in Pune in 2012. “I found running to be an easy sport to pursue that makes you feel fit and healthy and also has finite goals attached to it. With running becoming popular, getting a group to run with was not difficult, and I started my ‘running’ journey,” he says.

For young Sharanya, her parent’s laurels have impressed her to realise her own strength in the middle distance running category.

While she and her sister are both part of the school athletic teams.

Women and Running Being a woman and a runner has its own challenges and according to Pavithra, “The biggest issue in India is safety and people’s notion on what you wear or should wear.

International running gears are comfortable but might not fit ‘culturally’ with the

1 1) Picture perfect-it runs in the family 2) The silent marathoner-Vijayaraghavan Venugopal 3) Like mother like daughters-Sharanya and Radhika with Pavithra

had such facilities, I could have done much better.”

On the number of woman participants at races, Pavithra said that there is a general awareness of fitness in the country especially amongst women. “There is a general tendency to be fit among women across generations and more so, in the age group of 18 to 35 years. It is not about looking good, it is about staying fit, for happiness,” she said.

However, for women above 50 years, and who are into running for first time, need a little bit of a push.

I think running events have contributed a lot to Bengaluru and in 3 Mumbai.”

2

“While I did some athletics when at school, I played team sports like cricket and football. When I got into running, some traits did help but, I found that there was no substitute to hard training and passion”

Community Run

— Vijayaraghavan Venugopal so called ‘acceptable code’, or are too expensive to cater to varied income levels within running groups.”

“A women runner in India ideally needs a very good support system and a safe environment to run. Frankly speaking, you need more ‘Kanteereeva Stadiums (Bengaluru) in the country. You need a lot of stadiums like this where you have a covered place, a security guard… If I

One goal for Pavithra has been to encourage more people to run. “I also channelised my energy into getting more moms and women like me take up fitness in a small way. I found that many have similar insecurity and challenges. In Bengaluru, in the society I live, I started taking out a group of women for a short run and walk every weekend in a nearby green area which they thoroughly enjoyed. I also set up regular training sessions for a group of homemakers which involved more of intense cardio and strength sessions. Somewhere inside each of them there was an aspiration to do something like this and they were glad an avenue was made available, with me being the catalyst.” sangeetagd2010@gmail.com

February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 55

Pearls of Wisdom

By J.P. Vaswani

The difference between a good man and a bad man, a kind man and an evil person, lies not in their looks or in the clothes they are wearing. “One can smile and smile and be a villain,” Shakespeare tells us. Equally, one can look stern and forbidding and still possess the kindest of hearts

Appearances Are

Deceptive!

W

e have been told repeatedly since our schooldays, that we must never judge a book by its cover. But this is exactly what we do with people. We judge them by the clothes they are wearing, the car they are driving and the jewels, accessories, even the brand of cell phones they carry!

Let me tell you a real-life incident that happened at what is probably the world’s best university, namely, the one and only Harvard!

One day, the smartly-dressed receptionist at the Harvard University President’s outer office, looked up from her vanity mirror to see a middle-aged couple enter the reception area. She frowned. What could bring them here? They neither looked affluent nor fashionable; and they certainly did not look like professional researchers or scholars. And these were the only ‘types’ she recognised from her front desk. The lady was wearing a simple cotton dress and it was not exactly new; her husband was in a homespun suit. They both walked in timidly and approached her. “Can we see the President of Harvard University?” the man asked softly.

The receptionist favoured them with a cold

disapproving look. Putting them down in her own mind as “backwoods” and “country hicks” she decided that these people had no business at Harvard and probably didn’t even deserve to be in Harvard.

With an air of authority and arrogance, she uttered the line that all receptionists love to utter. “Have you an appointment with the President?”

“As a matter of fact, we don’t” the man replied.

“But we would like to see him as it is a matter of great importance.”

“Well, he is going to be busy all day,” the secretary snapped.

56 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

“That’s alright,” said the lady, “we are prepared to wait.”

For the next few hours the secretary ignored them completely, as donors, senate members, professors and rich parents came to the reception area. She smiled and fawned on them, laughed and joked with the students and even got up and bowed obsequiously to those whom she considered VIPs. All the while she was hoping that the ‘shabby’ couple would realise what a grand place Harvard was and go away discouraged.

However, the couple stayed on, determined to attend to their errand. The receptionist felt that they were disgracing Harvard and herself by

would like to give a building to Harvard.”

The President rolled his eyes. He glanced at her simple clothes and her husband’s quiet demeanour and exclaimed as haughtily as he could, “A building! Have you any idea how much a building costs? The Harvard buildings today are worth seven and a half million dollars in terms of immovable assets! Do you want to give us a building?”

The lady stared at him silently. The President rejoiced secretly. At last, he had shown them what it was to talk to a Harvard President. Surely, they would leave now. He glanced at his receptionist and they exchanged triumphant smiles.

The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, “Seven and a half million dollars! Is that all it costs to start a university? I think we should start one of our own, in that case.”

Her husband, a man of few words, nodded his head in assent.

The President stared at them in utter confusion and bewilderment. What were they talking about?

The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, “Seven and a half million dollars! Is that all it costs to start a university? I think we should start one of our own, in that case”

staying put in her front office. In frustration, she walked into the President’s office and said to him, “Sir, there is this shabby couple stationed in the reception. They say they want to meet you anyhow. May be if you could come out and just see them for a few seconds, you can dismiss them.”

The President sighed. Might as well get rid of these unwanted visitors, he thought to himself.

Looking his sternest and proudest, he walked into the outer office and stood before the couple.

“Yes?” he said sternly. “What is it that you want?

And make it brief; I have several appointments pending.”

The lady told him, “Our son was at Harvard

last year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here.

Unfortunately, we lost him to typhoid last year.

My husband and I thought that we would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on this campus where he spent such happy times in the last days of his life…”

The President was not touched or grieved. He only frowned and said harshly, “My Dear Madam, you must understand we can’t put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died.

If we did, this place would look like a cemetery!”

“Oh, no Sir, you don’t understand,” the lady explained quickly. “A statue is not the kind of memorial we want for my son. We thought we

Mr and Mrs Leland Stanford got up and walked out of Harvard University. Their next stop was at Palo Alto, California where they already owned over eight thousand acres of prime ranch land. Here they established the University that bears their name: Stanford University, a memorial to their son whom Harvard did not care about.

The propensity to be swayed by surface meanings and external appearances is a delusion that many people fall prey to.

We invariably tend to judge people by their outer appearance, which can be misleading. We end up treating people badly, thinking they can do nothing for us. In this manner, we lose several potential good friends, employees or customers. We also lose out on our real benefactors.

The difference between a good man and a bad man, a kind man and an evil person, lies not in their looks or in the clothes they are wearing.

“One can smile and smile and be a villain,” Shakespeare tells us. Equally, one can look stern and forbidding and still possess the kindest of hearts.

February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 57

Bollywood Biz

300

Meet the

Crore Club!

2014

In Bollywood, the `300 cr club is a very exclusive one. Only a handful of Hindi films have managed to breach that coveted barrier, and it is the mark of a true superstar if a film crosses that mark domestically. This issue we look at the rare movies that have grossed `300 cr in India

By Neeraj Varty

`340.80 crore PK

The first Bollywood film that first came into this 300 cr club was Aamir Khan starrer PK (2014), which had done a whopping business of `340.80 cr in Indian markets. Overall, PK has grossed `792 cr globally. It is interesting to note that it was Aamirâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s movie Ghajini (2008), which first created the `200 cr club, and then PK, which broke new ground entering `300 cr domestically.

2015

`320 crore Bajrangi Bhaijaan

After Aamir, it was the turn of box office king Salman Khan to enter the coveted 300 crore club, with Bajrangi Bhaijaan. The film became the highest-grossing film of the year and collected `320 cr gross at the Indian box office. Globally, it has done the business of `626 cr.

58 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

2016

`300.67 crore Sultan

Salman Khan once again roared at the box office in 2016 with his sports drama film Sultan, but this time he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just match box office records, he created them. The film grossed approximately `206 cr from its first weekend, becoming the first Indian film to do so. By the end of its run, Sultan grossed `300.67 cr domestically.

2016

`386 crore Dangal

Not one to be left behind, Aamir Khan took his crown back from Salman, as the undisputed king of the box office with Dangal, which grossed `386 cr in India in its initial run. Only one Indian film (Baahubali: the conclusion) has broken this record. However, Dangal grossed almost `1,500 cr in China, taking its worldwide gross to `2,000 cr, making it the biggest Indian film of all time.

2017

` 330 crore Tiger Zinda Hai

With Tiger Zinda Hai, Salman Khan becomes the first Indian actor to have three films in the `330 cr club. Tiger Zinda Hai also holds the record for the highest single day gross of `45.53 cr on its third day. neeraj.varty07@gmail.com February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 59

Mobile apps

Samsung Foldable Displays

It was in September last year when Samsung's mobile boss DJ Koh said the company will launch a foldable smartphone sometime in 2018. At CES, he showed a prototype of the device and said it would launch sometime later this year. The device is expected to feature a 7.3-inch flexible OLED display, folding which will make it a smartphone, while it would act as a tablet in unfolded form.

Samsung ‘The Wall’ MicroLED TV

‘The Wall’ is a modular TV system that merges multiple borderless MicroLED TVs into one giant screen that measures up to 146 inches diagonally and can occupy an entire wall. They feature 8K resolution, and fewer panels can be used to create a TV that isn’t quite as massive. Samsung hasn’t yet announced pricing or availability for ‘The Wall’, but this is undoubtedly one of the most impressive creations.

The Best of CES 2018 The New Year kicks off with one of the biggest events in technology–The Consumer Electronics Show 2018. This is the place where the most cuttingedge technology in consumer electronics is demonstrated before it is launched in the market. Corporate Citizen looks at some of the most interesting products and technologies introduced at CES 2018 By Neeraj Varty SanDisk Ultra 1 TB Pen Drive

SanDisk showcased two new flash drives at CES this year. The more interesting one is the 1 TB USB type-C drive, which is said to be the smallest of its kind in the world. The other drive is the SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.1 flash drive, which is claimed to be the smallest 256 GB flash drive in the world.

The pen drives are as just as small as your standard 16/32 GB drives, with multiple times the storage.

LG InstaView ThinQ Refrigerator

Refrigerators with built-in displays are becoming more common these days, but you’ve never seen one like the LG InstaView ThinQ fridge. This cutting-edge refrigerator features a gorgeous design and a 29-inch touchscreen display. It runs webOS and can of course display things like the weather, recipes, and more. But LG’s new screen has an even better feature—knock on the screen twice and it instantly becomes transparent to show you what’s in the fridge behind the door without having to open it.

Vivo’s in-screen fingerprint reader phone Samsung Notebook 9 Pen

Laptops are a dime a dozen at CES, but there was nothing else quite like the new Samsung Notebook 9 Pen. The housing on this sleek notebook computer is made out of a new material that Samsung calls Metal 12, which is a magnesium alloy that’s designed to be ‘incredibly light, yet unbelievably strong.’ The laptop itself is essentially a mix between a Samsung convertible laptop and a Galaxy Note device. It offers specs that include an 8th-generation Intel Core i7 chipset with 16 GB of DDR4 RAM and a 512 GB SSD, along with all the stylus features that make Galaxy Note devices great.

60 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

Vivo unveiled the first smartphone with an inscreen fingerprint reader. The in-display fingerprint sensor will sit between the mainboard and the OLED panel where it will illuminate the finger and then process the beams of light. Due to this revolutionary feature, phone displays can now become wider without the need to place the fingerprint sensor on the back of the device, which can be hard to reach. The phone dosen’t have a name yet and will release in the next couple of months. neeraj.varty07@gmail.com

Claps & Slaps Corporate Citizen Claps for the World Health Organisation (WHO)for recognising video game addiction as a mental disorder The 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) manual is due in 2018, and will include gaming disorder as a serious health condition to be monitored. ICD is a diagnostic manual published by the WHO and was last updated last in 1990. In fact WHO’s recognition comes three years after India set up its first government-run clinic for people with gaming and mobile phone addiction. “The WHO move reflects growing awareness about this disorder among health professionals, parents and teachers,” said Manoj Sharma, associate professor of clinical psychology at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru.

“Standard treatment for technology-associated addictive behaviour, involves quantifying gaming patterns, assessing dysfunctions and motivating patients to initially change lifestyles to reduce gaming durations. Resolving the addiction may take three to six months,” he said. In WHO’s ICD draft version, gaming disorder is described as ‘a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour (‘digital gaming’ or ‘video-gaming’), which may be online (over the internet) or offline’.

The draft lists out behaviours that health practitioners could use to determine if a person’s gaming has become a serious health condition.

According to this draft, someone has gaming disorder if one has ‘impaired control over gaming, in terms of frequency, intensity, duration, termination.’ “Health professionals need to recognise that gaming disorder may have serious health consequences,” Vladimir Poznyak, a member of the WHO’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, was quoted saying. “Most people who play video games don’t have a disorder, however, in certain circumstances overuse can lead to adverse effects,” Poznyak added. The proposed guidelines states, ‘A pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour (‘digital gaming’ or ‘video-gaming’), which may be online (i.e., internet) or offline, manifested by (1) impaired control over gaming (e.g., onset, frequency, intensity, duration, termination, context), (2) increasing priority given to gaming to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities and (3) continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.’ This means, classification of ‘gaming’ pattern as a disorder depends on the severity of the addiction, disruptive enough to damage anyone’s personal and professional life and relationships.

Corporate Citizen slaps the viciousness and ‘passing the buck’ systems that engulf ‘safety’ audits on our buildings or urban infrastructure in general and calling on for more stringent systems to avert any damage to human lives Central Mumbai area, which has been coming to terms with the stampede at a railway bridge in September, witnessed yet another tragedy at the Kamala Mills Complex – a swanky commercial venue for work and leisure. The recent blaze that claimed 14 lives at a popular city pub at the complex has risen like a ‘Phoenix’ and the ‘ashes’ left behind regurgitates many known and familiar queries and probes. As with every natural or manmade calamity that strikes us, it is appalling when post ‘What went wrong’ theories flood media and civic agencies.

Why can’t safety nets be more of a regular system? In the aftermath of the pub fire, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said that it would inspect all 35 or so restaurants in the complex located in the Lower Parel area to ensure fire safety norms. This has resulted in tweets and social media comments criticising such localised agenda and implored authorities to take measures on a larger scale. Some tweets sounded were @suchetadalal—“The entire lower parcel area is a mass of violations, no exits, crazy construction and rampant illegality. What’s the point in focusing on #KamlaMillsFire alone. Need largescale clean up to avoid more tragedies!”; @KiritSomaiya—“Today I raised the issue of Kamala Mills Fire in Loksabha, Parliament. The illegal construction of Kamala Mill Compound and also Phoenix Mall.

It’s death trap. Wants Fire Security Audit and action against BMC corrupt officials and the owner”; and similar rants go on to prove their ire and a cry for disaster management as part of good infrastructure related governance. “With Mumbai’s entertainment scene expanding rapidly, the city’s fire department must conduct more regular fire safety audits, especially in older buildings”, said Pankaj Joshi of the Urban Development and Research Institute, Mumbai. “There needs to be a thorough audit of most buildings that have been retrofitted,” he said.

An anomaly pointed out by Mumbai-based architect Samir D’Monte states “There are clear regulations for new buildings with respect to fire safety, though it takes ten to 15 years for them to actually be implemented,” but there’s no clear regulatory framework for old buildings.”

While onus is also on the landlords to ensure fire safety of its tenants, a 2013, Supreme Court directive has asked the fire department to conduct annual fire safety audits of the city’s structures.

(Compiled by Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar) February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 61

Dr (Col) (Col) A. A Balasubramanian Dr

From From The The Mobile Mobile

Auspicious

feng shui

Zhao Zi Hao made it big in business so he spent money buying a piece of land in the suburbs and built a three-storey villa. He had an impressive swimming pool in the garden with a hundred-year-old lychee tree in the backyard to boot. In fact, he bought the property precisely because of this tree. His wife loved eating lychees.

During renovations, his friends urged him to get guidance from a feng shui master, just to tread on the side of caution.

Zhao Zi Hao’s never quite believed in feng shui, yet he took the advice to heart and went out of his way to engage a feng shui master from Hong Kong. The Grand Master was none other than Master Cao who’s been in the profession for over thirty years, renowned in the feng shui circle. They had a meal in the city then; Zhao Zi Hao drove the Master to the suburbs. Along the way, when cars behind them tried to overtake, Zhao Zi Hao would simply give way.

The Master laughingly remarked, “Big Boss Zhao, your driving is really safe”. He spoke really fluent Mandarin for a Hongkie.

Zhao Zhi Hao laughed at the remark, “Usually people who need to overtake have some urgent matter to attend to, and so we shouldn’t hold them up”.

Arriving at a small town the streets grew narrow and so Zhao Zi Hao slowed down.

A giggling child suddenly darted out from an alley and as the child ran across the street, Zao still didn’t speed up. Instead, he kept his gaze on the alley, as if waiting for something. Out of the blue, another child darted out, chasing after the child ahead.

Master Zao was surprised and asked, “How did you know there’d be anoth-

62 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

er child following suit?” Zao shrugged: “Well, kids are always chasing after each other so it’s impossible for a child to be in such glee without a playmate.”

Master Cao gave him a big thumbs up and laughed out loud, “That’s really considerate of you!”

Arriving at the villa, they got down from the car. Suddenly about seven to eight birds flocked from the backyard.

Seeing so, Zhao said to Master Cao, “If you don’t mind, please wait here for a little while.”

“What’s the matter?” Master Cao was taken aback.

“Oh, there’s probably some kids stealing lychees in the backyard. If we walk in now we might give them a fright, let’s not risk anyone falling off the old lychee tree.”

Zhao replied humorously.

Master Cao stayed silent for a while before stating matter-of-factly, “This home doesn’t need a feng shui evaluation anymore.”

Now it’s Zhao’s turn to be shocked, “Why’s that?”

“Any place graced with your presence naturally becomes the property with the most auspicious feng shui.”

When our minds prioritise others’ peace and happiness, the one who benefits is not just others, but ourselves too. When a person is considerate of others at all times, then this person has unconsciously accomplished Buddhood. The Buddha is in fact a person who through benefiting others become enlightened.

Fun with the pun Q: Can February March?

A: No. But April May!

is always in a hurry?

A: Urgent Tina!

Q: Did you hear about the painter who was hospitalised?

A: Reports say it was due to too many strokes!

Q: What do you call two fat people having a chat?

A: A heavy discussion!

Q: Have you heard the joke about the butter?

A: I better not tell you, it might spread!

Q: Why can’t a leopard hide?

A: Because he’s always spotted!

Q: How do you know that carrots are good for your eyesight?

A: Have you ever seen a rabbit wearing glasses?

Q: Music teacher: What's your favourite musical instrument?

A: Kid: The lunch bell!

Q: What kind of shorts do clouds wear?

A: Thunderwear!

Q: What’s easy to get into but hard to get out of?

A: Trouble!

Q: Where do boats go to when they get sick?

A: The dock!

Q: Who cleans the bottom of the ocean?

A: A mer-maid!

Q: Why can’t your nose be 12 inches long?

A: Because then it would be a foot!

Q: What did the triangle say to the circle?

A: You’re pointless!

Q: Why did the barber win the race?

A: Because he took a short cut!

Q: What do you call a ghost’s mom and dad?

A: Transparents!

Q: Why did the boy tiptoe past the medicine cabinet?

A: He didn’t want to wake the sleeping pills!

Q: What do you call a group of men waiting for a haircut?

A: A barbercue!

Q: Why did the tomato turn red?

A: It saw the salad dressing!

Q: What do you call a person that chops up cereal?

A: A cereal killer!

Q: What kind of emotions do noses feel?

A: Nostalgia!

Q: What do you call a South American girl who

Q: Why did the tree go to the dentist?

A: To get a root canal!

Q: Why don’t you see giraffes in elementary school?

A: Because they’re all in high school!

Q: Why was the maths book sad?

A: Because it had too many problems!

Life before Computer Once upon a time! when Window was just a square hole in a room and Application was something written on a paper. When Keyboard was a Piano and Mouse just an animal. When File was an important office material and Hard Drive just an uncomfortable road trip. When Cut was done with knife and Paste with glue.

When Web was a spider’s home and virus was flu. When Apple and Blackberry were just fruits.... That’s when we had a lot of time for family and friends!

February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 63

astroturf a smooth sail. With more energy at your disposal you can make it even better and all kinds of vistas open up to you.

Aries

Mar 21 - April 20

Though Uranus leaves your sign, which is a good aspect, yet there are two heavy planets, Saturn and Pluto in stressful alignment to you. The empty sixth house suggests that you should apply discipline in diet and exercise.

Your Fortune In

2018

other.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 20

Health and energy look excellent in the year ahead. Jupiter is in a stressful alignment with you.

All the other planets are mostly in harmonious aspect. Listen to your body. Don’t test the limits of your body. There will be periods when you may feel low or drained of energies, then you must take breaks and rest. Be mindful and conscious of your health.

GEMINI

May 21 - June 21

Overall health remains good.

Neptune is the only long-term planet in stressful alignment with you. Other long-term planets are either in harmonious alignment or are leaving you alone. Whenever you feel your energies draining, a good rest and relaxation will help you.

When the short-term planets move away, health and energy always turn to normal.

CANCER

June 22 - July 23

Though overall health remains good yet it needs your attention as you have three long-term planets in stressful alignment with you, so overall energy may not be what it should be.

Proper diet, rest and relaxation will help you. You have to force yourself to concentrate on your own well-being, as you do have a tendency to lack of attention and neglecting yourself.

CAPRICORN

(www.dollymanghat.com)

Dolly Manghat, our renowned astrological expert scripts major trends for the New Year. Read what you have in store for you. Let it be your guideline to Health in 2018!

LEO

July 24 - Aug 23

Health remains good if you have paid attention and given due care. Until 16th May one long-term planet is in a stressful alignment with you—Jupiter.

Not to worry about stress, but Uranus which will move into a stressful alignment on 16th May will create problems till 8th November. After November, situation eases.

VIRGO

Aug 24 - Sept 23

The solar eclipse on 15th February and lunar eclipse on 27th July could give you a health scare. A yearly health checkup can eliminate your worries.

With Uranus being your health planet, you tend to become experimental with health therapies. This year and in the years to come being conservative will do you more good than being experimental.

LIBRA

Sept 24 - Oct 22

Uranus leaves a stressful aspect but gets replaced by Saturn,

64 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

thereby indicating that you need to be careful of your health. Plan your diet and exercise regime in order to avoid ill-health. You need to develop acceptance and patience in order to develop resilience. Resilience gives mental power to withstand all what life has to offer. Make sure to maintain your energy levels as a slight neglect can dip them.

SCORPIO

Oct 23 - Nov 22

Health looks excellent, since there are no long-term planets in a stressful alignment with you.

Uranus is your home and family planet, thus good health for you also means good health for your family and good family relations brings in good emotional health.

If God forbid problems arise, restore harmony at home and as quickly as possible.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 22

Health should remain good as Neptune is the only planet afflicting you long-term. You had a vulnerable health in year 2016, although year 2017 was a little better. If you got through those years then this year will be

Dec 23 - Jan 20

Health is much improved. Your health gets better in the coming years. This is a good year to get your energies level high and have a makeover done. Saturn is concerned with your outer image. Mercury plays the role of a personal physician, he is concerned with your health and well-being more than with your outlook.

AQUARIUS

Jan 21 - Feb19

Health should be good this year.

Two lunar eclipses indicate changes in the health regime.

Your health planet moves very fast, thus there could be many short-term health problems.

Because the Moon moves so quickly, a symptom can appear briefly and disappear quickly.

The moon will not in the right place when you will be in discomfort, so don’t get worried.

PISCES

Feb 20 - Mar 20

There is a steady increase in health and energy over the past years. This year your health will be excellent. Now that Saturn has moved away from Sagittarius, all long-term planets are either in harmonious aspect or leaving you alone. Jupiter helps you to get a good understanding of health matters and you seem to enjoy your current regime.

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

February 1-15, 2018 / Corporate Citizen / 65

the last word (Left) Uma Ganesh and friends at a temple in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu (Below) Ganesh Natarajan at Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu

Ganesh Natarajan

Backpacking through our history!

Seen through the eyes of people who have never really understood the South beyond the ‘Madrasi’ collective label, the wonders of the South came alive through the little temple towns we visited, the local foods we sampled, the music we heard and the conversations we had with temple guides and drivers

T

here has been a surge of holiday travellers to foreign lands in recent years as the increasing affluence in the country has led to many looking for that US or Europe holiday in summer and Thailand or Bali for the new year.

However, what many of us forget is the wonderful opportunity to explore South India when the climate is perfect and the opportunity to understand the history and culture of our lovely Southern states is available.

In the last ten years or so, weary as we are of too much foreign travel with eighty countries visited for work and pleasure, we have decided to explore India. The wonders of Hampi, Belur, Halebidu and Coorg explored in the past and the standard vacations in Kerala and Tamil Nadu done, this year we decided to explore the temple belt, and what a holiday it was! The places we chose and the cultural experience we enjoyed are worth understanding for anybody who wishes to explore history, culture and traditions in India.

Tamil Nadu boasts of thousands of temples built over several centuries, many of which are well preserved and continue to be the places of worship. Even with the waves of invasion by foreign dynasties, the local communities have managed to preserve the culture, traditions and in some cases, have even safeguarded the idols for hundreds of years until it was safe to reinstall the

during this month around the temple town, a tradition preserved over several centuries.

The town is famous not only for Kanchipuram silks but also for cotton textiles and visitors have easy access to them at shops situatidols at the temples. The successive ed close to the temples. rulers of Pandya, Pallava, Chola and Vijayanagar empire have been The next stop, Vellore, famous for ardent supporters of temple archithe hospital CMC, boasts of the Jaltecture and due to their encourakandeshwarar temple, which has agement, music, dance and other been restored for worship by the forms of fine arts have thrived in Kanchi Shankaracharya after almost temple premises. The seven towns 400 years of neglect. The temple has we visited—Kanchipuram, Vellore, exquisite carvings of the 17th centuTrichy, Tiruvannamalai, Tanjavur, ry at its entrance and there is a huge Madurai and Rameshwaram, each hall also with beautiful carvings on has its own history and culture emits pillars, ceiling and the platforms. bodied in its temples. This article In contrast to this ancient temple, covers two of them and we will do there is a newly constructed temple justice to the last five in the next around 17 km away from the city in column in this magazine. a place called Sripuram. This temple The first destination on our tour, known as Golden Temple is made of 1,500 kg gold and is dedicated The places we chose and to Goddess Mahalakshmi. Dethe cultural experience we spite the opulence enjoyed are worth underof this temple, it standing for anybody who lacks the soul and hence the allure of wishes to explore history, more ancient culture and traditions in India the shrines.

The faith and Kanchipuram, is a city of temples, belief in the legends bring to these many around 1,500 years old and temples thousands of devotees display exquisite workmanship, e.g. along with their families every day Kamakashi Amman temple, the particularly in the month of MarVaishnavite temples of Varadaraja gazhi. They visit scores of temples Perumal and Ulagalanda Perumal during a particular visit—just like and the Saivite temples of Kailaus tourists—stand patiently in sanadar and Ekambareswarar. queues at each temple for their The compositions of Tiruppavai turn to get the glimpse of the deand Tiruvembavai are sung by ity. For most people, such visits to Bhajan groups at dawn every day temples from time to time double

66 / Corporate Citizen / February 1-15, 2018

up as their leisure outings. Over the years, the amenities for those visiting these temple towns have improved and there are good hotels in most temple locations that are clean, well-maintained, offer a variety of local fare and other cuisine and are reasonably priced.

Possibly the best decision we made on this trip was to request two of our great friends, Ashok Sethi and Renu Khurana, Delhiites who have lived in China for over a dozen years to accompany us on the trip. Seen through the eyes of people who have never really understood the South beyond the ‘Madrasi’ collective label, the wonders of the South came alive through the little temple towns we visited, the local foods we sampled, the music we heard and the conversations we had with temple guides and drivers.

One of the companies we have invested in through 5F World, called Live History India plans to start a programme called ‘Backpacking through History’ to introduce Indians to their own country by making hundreds of new tourist destinations come alive. That could surely create millions of jobs, provide pleasure to many travellers and serve the major cause of uniting India and all Indians. Look forward to that!

This article is penned by Uma Ganesh, CEO, Global Talent Track & Dr Ganesh Natarajan, 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.

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