CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP Prof. Tejendra Singh Baoni, Principal - College of Fine Arts, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath Volume 3, Issue No. 07 / Pages 68 /
Careers in Advertising
Sourabh Mishra, on advertising as a career
www.corporatecitizen.in
CII WOMENATION Session
Survey
Family Business Survey 2016, by PwC
Loved & Married Too
Ayesha Barse and Merajuddin Ansari’s heart-warming love story
Dynamic Duo: 53 Karen & Shrikant Dikhale
June 16-30, 2017 / `50
Spirit of Togetherness
Trials and tribulations of women journalists
2 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 67
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June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 3
Guest Talk Editor-In-Chief’s Choice
Dr (Col) A Balasubramanian
Fending off cyber evil in the mobile wallet space
T
raditional payment systems are witnessing heightened competition from digital and mobile payments because they present a convenient proposition to pay for goods and services. While these mobile payment systems appear promising, unsecure wallets are bridled with potential risks that can threaten the future of the industry.
Smartphones facilitating the growth of mobile payments
While credit card penetration in the country continues to be low, the overall concept of mobile payments has begun to bridge the gap of digital penetration-whether it is through NFC, contactless payments, mobile wallets or super wallets. Introduced for convenience, mobile payments have spawned into a huge industry thanks to India being the second largest global market with nearly 239 million smartphone users. A Cisco report said smartphone adoption would grow to nearly 651 million between 2014 and 2019. But while smartphones display promise in terms of overall mobile payments, mobile wallets may continue to face hurdles.
Mobile wallets steeped in innumerable challenges
A big problem plaguing mobile wallets today is huge 4 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
investments in marketing and advertising to stand out and reach out to more customers. Cashback options and large marketing budgets, which burn money have starting leaving many startups financially strapped. Financially strapped mobile wallets are facing the pressure of their deep prior discounts. They are now reducing discounts and no longer offering cashbacks because investors are clamping down. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched new payment infrastructure known as Unified Payments Interface (UPI). It will allow users to transfer money between two parties without the hassle of going through wallet passwords and other details. It could make mobile wallets irrelevant. Use of mobile wallets means no physical debit cards or credit cards are necessary. Money is prepaid into these wallets, but the lack of interest and loss of surplus money presents a large challenge. This can be challenging for poorer section that relies on this monetary interest for their livelihoods. Mobile wallets usually don’t need identification documents to register accounts for money stored up to `10,000. This lack of KYC documents has made it increasingly difficult to identify scammers who store money in digital wallets. KYC verification is only necessary when the amount exceeds this sum. In order to win new customers amid aggressive competition, most wallets ignore consumer
quality and basic KYC checks, which leads to frauds. While the cybercrime cell has asked the RBI to make KYC mandatory for wallet users, this long-stemmed problem continues. Apart from problems related to lack of interest, surplus money, lack of KYC and huge marketing investments, the issue of security remains a fundamental challenge for mobile wallets, leaving the industry flummoxed. Malicious cybercriminals can get their hands on sensitive information and consumer data. Lack of security protocols means that fraudulent transactions are bound to take place if hackers are able to get into accounts. Recent reports indicate that seven hackers were held for stealing cash worth `25 lakh by hacking the wallet apps of leading banks. The number of fraud causes through mobile wallets is expected to rise from one per cent to two per cent in a few years. Positive steps must be taken to enhance consumer awareness about the growing need for security measures, but this is still at a very early stage and has proven challenging in an economically and culturally diverse country like India. More robust security models like two-factor authentication is crucial for reducing the fraud potential in the country.
Why two-factor authentication is vital?
Security is intrinsic to any digital payment because of the sensitivity of the information involved. While wallets make payments through biometrics and tokenisation, there is significant room for improvement in security to prevent fraudulent transactions from taking place. Most wallets offer a ‘One Touch’ or ‘Alternative to OTP’ option for facilitating transactions, but more advanced malware can easily bypass these security protocols by intercepting them as they are used, while creating an alternative browser window to log the hacker into the account. With standard security measures requiring simple passwords and usernames, it is easy for cybercriminals to gain access to private data. This is where two-factor authentication can make a real difference. The two-factor authentication platform offers greater security levels over passwords and PINs. This makes it resolutely harder to overcome two very different factors to access payments through the device. A two-factor authentication process lowers the number of identity thefts and phishing via email cases because hackers would need more than just passwords and usernames. The RBI has stipulated that all transactions using cards in India for payments should follow a two-factor authentication requirement. While there are no specific stipulations in place for mobile wallet payments, it’s prudent for the industry to consider this if they want to prevent frauds. With so many hurdles troubling the incumbent mobile wallet industry, an opportunity for
super wallets arises because of enhanced convenience and security. Data proves that since the advent of twofactor authentication, consumer confidence in using cards both online and at offline stores have gone up tremendously. Two-factor authentication has also been instrumental in reducing the number of card frauds and data cloning. Even now, there are a few instances of such frauds surfacing but most of them can be attributed to gullible customers letting their passwords out.
How superwallets can transform the payments industry in India?
With the amount of security and money laundering risks still enrooted in mobile wallets, we are probably better off using our credit and debit cards to pay more securely for online transactions. New Superwallet products are being introduced as a solution to the threats of cyber frauds. By linking existing bank accounts, credit cards and debit cards on a single platform, users have a choice to decide how they want to pay for goods and services. Superwallets store bank account information and not money, which means that users don’t lose out on interest in the meantime. Superwallets bring together different platforms, devices and channels to make the process of payments as seamless as possible. The human race is continuously on the cusp of evolving to next level. On this backdrop, superwallets can be considered as the next leap towards advancement in the new-age digital payments ecosystem. The need-gap analysis left unaddressed by mobile wallets particularly from cyber security perspective, are perfectly overcome by the value proposition offered by Superwallets. Superwallets will certainly help tide over the cyber fear. (This article has originally appeared in the blog section of NASSCOM website. The link is: http://blogs. nasscom.in/fending-off-cyber-evil-in-the-mobilewallet-space/)
Superwallets can be considered as the next leap towards advancement in the new-age digital payments ecosystem. The need-gap analysis left unaddressed by mobile wallets particularly from cyber security perspective, are perfectly overcome by the value proposition offered by Superwallets
June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 5
Contents 18
Cover story
Dynamic Duo 53
Spirit of Togetherness A candid talk with Shrikant Dikhale, Vice President – Corporate Affairs, CSR and Administration, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd and his wife Karen Dikhale, an HR professional and former OD Executive-HR, Marico Ltd, on their career, life, work and much more 9 COLLYWOOD Chatpata Chatter from the Corporate World 13 MANAGE MONEY Dr Anil Lamba on why we must pay Income Tax to eliminate black money 14 WAX ELOQUENT Who said what and why 16 THE TAX MAN COMETH SK Jha, former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax on Central law enforcement agencies and what they do 6 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
Volume 3 Issue No. 07 June 16-30, 2017 www.corporatecitizen.in
26 CII WOMENATION CONFERENCE The riveting session gives an insight into the challenges and opportunities in journalism today and tries to uncover the trials and tribulations of women journalists 30 CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP Prof. Tejendra Singh Baoni, Principal - College of Fine Arts, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, on historical beginnings of the college, its role in artistic tradition and the influence of applied art in modern times 38 CAREERS IN ADVERTISING Senior adman and accounts advertising planner, Sourabh Mishra, talks on advertising as a career
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42 TRENDSETTERS In conversation with the ThoughtWorks, Bengaluru team and learning first-hand about their TalkTechToHer campaign, their unusual office interiors and much more 46 CAMPUS PLACEMENT Alumna of IIM-Indore, Shreyasi Mahanty, talks about her placement, dedication and hardwork
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48 LOVED AND MARRIED Young couple Ayesha Barse and Merajuddin Ansari talk about their heart-warming love story 50 SURVEY Findings of the Family Business Survey 2016, by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a multi-national professional services network
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contents
56 Editor-In-Chief Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian Consulting Editor Vinita Deshmukh Assistant Editor Prasannakumar Keskar Senior Business Writer Rajesh Rao Senior Sub-Editor Neeraj Varty
54 HEALTH Vaishali Sarwankar, HeadInternational Trade/Director, Atlantic Industrial Trading, Singapore, on how good health is your foundation and exercise isn’t just for the body but also for the soul
Sub-Editor Vineet Kapshikar Writers Delhi Bureau Pradeep Mathur / Sharmila Chand Bengaluru Bureau Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar
56 PEARLS OF WISDOM Dada JP Vaswani, on how cheerfulness is the greatest lubricant of the wheels of life
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58 BOLLYWOOD BIZ On the best movies that relate to the common man in India and the issues faced by him 60 MOBILE APPS Best free apps to help you shed those extra kilos 66 LAST WORD On what is it that gives some people the arrogance to take so many people for granted—By Ganesh Natarajan
Pune Bureau Joe Williams / Suchismita Pai / Kalyani Sardesai / Namrata Gulati Sapra Manager Circulation Mansha Viradia +91 9765387072 North : Hemant Gupta +91 9582210930 South : Asaithambi G +91 9941555389 Circulation Officer Jaywant Patil +91 9923202560 Creative Direction Sumeet Gupta, www.thepurplestroke.com
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collywood
People in the news
Amara Raja’s Jaikrishna to head EFSI
Mukesh Ambani, top Global Game Changer Call it a Jio wave or the magic of the business juggernaut, Mukesh Ambani has risen on top of the Forbes magazine list of Global Game Changers. The Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman is the topmost among its Global Game Changers who has transformed industries and brought about changing trends in the lives of billions around the world. Among the 25 named by Forbes in their second edition of the Global Game Changers list, Ambani stands tall. And rightly so. This American magazine has referred to the after effects of the Ambani-led Reliance Jio mobile network’s efforts to spread internet penetration in India. Known for his oil and gas business, Reliance’s entry into the internet has created waves as it has garnered millions of customers in just six months and has sounded a warning in the telecom market, sending competitors scrambling.
While many of the corporate world have been hitting headlines for their profits, Reliance is catching the true movers and shakers in the business world, tapping customers who would be determining the course of the future for more than just their own shareholders or employees, and make the big difference in the corporate world. And more importantly, these are elements which matter in re-imagining the facets of everyday life, from health to money transfers through digital means. Among the others who make it to the elite group (list) are home appliances company Dyson’s founder James Dyson, US investment management company BlackRock co-founder Larry Fink, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, social media platform Snap co-founder Evan Spiegel and Chinese ride-sharing giant Didi Chuxing founder Cheng Wei.
DDI elevates Amogh Deshmukh as MD Amogh Deshmukh has been elevated to Managing Director in the Development Dimensions International (DDI), an HR consultancy firm. With nine years’ experience in the company, Deshmukh takes charge from Anu Zachariah, who has been holding the post since December 2014. Deshmukh’s primary focus will be on strengthening DDI’s overall strategic position and further building DDI’s competitive advantage in the talent management space in India. Deshmukh has ably contributed as a Sales Manager-national sales with Kelly Services. He has a master’s in marketing management from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), Mumbai.
The Employers’ Federation of Southern India (EFSI), Telangana and Andhra Pradesh branch, Hyderabad, has appointed Amara Raja Group’s President-group HR and new business development, B Jaikrishna, as the new Chairman. This federation of employers focuses not only on promoting and protecting the interests of employers, but also people-related policies, legislations, employer-employee relations, and various other aspects of people and industry. Meanwhile, Harsha Kadam, CEO-HSIL Ltd-PPD (AGI Glaspac), was chosen as the Vice Chairman of EFSI. The other members of the new committee of EFSI-Telangana and AP consist of R V S Ramakrishna, Group President-Asiapac and MEA and M D Signode India Ltd; Dr M Appayya, Chairman, MPR Refractories Ltd, VV Krishna Reddy, MD, Sri Krishna Pharmaceuticals Ltd, M Srinivasa Rao, Executive Director, Thermal Systems (Hyd) Pvt. Ltd, Suhas Kumbhar, plant head-farms division, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, L Prabhakar, head-human resources, ITC Ltd-Agri Business Division and Ex-officio member G Krishna Prasad, Managing Director, Annapurna Bhaskari Group.
June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 9
collywood Additional charge for Flipkart’s CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy
Nitin Sansare joins Tata Motors It has been over six months since Flipkart’s CEO, Kalyan Krishnamurthy, has moved ahead in the company as he takes charge as the Chief People Officer, and the entire HR team at the online retailer will now report directly to him. He takes up key portfolios of HR and finance under his purview. This move was initiatated after Nitin Seth, who was the Chief People Officer and the Chief Administrative Officer until 2016, was elevated as the Chief Operating Officer, at the same time when Krishnamurthy took over as the CEO. Additionally, Seth is responsible for heading Ekart, which is the logistics division of the company, customer experience, strategy-to-execution capabilities and corporate functions. There has been exodus in the company, due to some senior-level exits earlier this year.
Nitin Sansare, Vice President, Reliance, began his second innings with Tata Motors, this time as the compensation and benefits head, the same post he was holding with his former employer the last three years. An engineer-turned HR professional, he has been instrumental in various transformations at Reliance. He brought changes in compensation, reviewed policies to ensure relevance, dealt with expat and executive compensation and performance pay, and also established the Hay Job evaluation process. He had worked with Tata Motors as the head-rewards and organisation design, for close to six years. He began his career as a Senior Manager-industrial engineer, with Mahindra & Mahindra in 1995, where he stayed for over 11 years before moving to John Deere, as the senior lead engineer, manufacturing services. With over 20 years of experience, Sansare is an expert in manpower planning, compensation, rewards, benefits, performance management, designing employee-centric policies and industrial engineering. A graduate in production engineering from KIT’s College of Engineering, he did his masters in industrial engineering from the University of Mumbai, and did his postgraduation in human resources from XLRI Jamshedpur.
Tata group gets its first CFO Saurabh Agrawal, from the Aditya Birla group becomes the second investment banker, as he joins as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Tata Sons Ltd. The 48-year-old banker CFO is in the Chandrasekaran’s team after Ankur Verma from Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Agrawal, has been with the Aditya Birla group since April 2016, after his stint of having steered the biggest merger and acquisition transaction in the country, the merger of Idea Cellular Ltd with Vodafone Group Plc, a deal worth $23 billion. He has also been
10 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
instrumental in pushing through UltraTech Cement Ltd’s acquisition of Jaiprakash Associate Ltd’s cement assets and also the restructuring of Grasim Ltd and Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd. An investment banker for nearly two decades, Agrawal was previously regional head of corporate finance (South Asia) for Standard Chartered Bank. He is a chemical engineering graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, and has a post-graduate management degree from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.
Seema Nair joins Hindustan Coca-Cola Seema Nair takes charge of Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages as Executive Director, HR, spearheading the role in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. She stakes over from Gaurav Chaturvedi, who has moved to Coca-Cola Pinya Beverages as CEO. Chaturvedi is based out of Myanmar. In a bid to boost the presence in this beverages world, the company has made some changes in the company, which are around 13. Over 13 other senior executives at the company have been moved to regional roles outside India in the recent past. Sanket Ray is now CEO,
Coca-Cola Beverages Vietnam while Mayank Arora is Managing Director, Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka. Puneet Varshney is managing director, Bottlers Nepal—the bottling partners of The Coca-Cola Company in Nepal, in what could be termed as a major shake-up. An alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Chaturvedi has been with the company from 2004 when he joined as Area General Manager. He was appointed as ED-HR in 2014 and prior to that he was zonal Vice President, Andhra Pradesh and as Director, operational excellence. On the
other hand, Seema, postgraduation from XLRI in 1994. She has spent long years in Cisco, where she moved up the ranks from a Senior Manager HR to Director
and CHRO for India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. Prior to that, she worked with Intel Corporation, Microland Group and Crompton Greaves. Now this duo, will takeover the responsibility in the company, which is responsible for manufacturing, packaging, sale and distribution of beverages under the trademarks of The Coca-Cola Company. The Company owns and operates 23 factories. It also sources from and supports nine contract packers’ plants.
NSE’s Chief People Officer Mukherjee, Quits It’s end of the road for Chandrashekhar Mukherjee, Chief People Officer, National Stock Exchange of India (NSE), as he puts his papers. With over two decades of his role as HR chief, Mukherjee is set to take up a bigger mission after his last was June 5, 2017. He has been at the helm for corporate human resource function with NSE. A former VP and branch head of Bennett Coleman & Co, he has worked with Cabot India, Colgate-Palmolive India and Usha India to add to his profile. He has been responsible for a number of initiatives with NSE, making this sector (NSE) the best place to work in a financial sector. And it was during his time, NSE won the CII Business Excellence award on two occasions during his tenure. He has been the architect in designing and implementing in areas of talent management, learning and development with employees’ role in them. Besides, Mukherjee is responsible to introduce the capability index, flexibility index, training effectiveness model and a dual rating system for the annual PMS. A commerce graduate from the University of Allahabad, pursued his postgraduation in human resources from Institute of Engineering and Rural Technology.
Banks Board Bureau member, Sinor withdraws resignation Veteran banker, HN Sinor, who had decided to quit the Banks Board Bureau (BBB) after the government bypassed it in bank appointments, has decided to stay on. Following a detailed discussion with Vinod Rai, the Chairman of the Banks Board Bureau, Sinor has decided to re-engage with the activities of the bureau, with his usual fervour and vigour, according to a statement issued by the bureau.
June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 11
collywood Sujaya Banerjee in a new venture Sujaya Banerjee, who has over 25 years of experience in leading change through people in organisations such as British Gas, Godrej and Lowe Lintas and Partners, has ventured into a personal venture, Capstone People Consulting. This venture is a change management consulting firm that aims to enable clients across diverse sectors—drive change through leadership development, talent analytics, women leadership and technology adoption to build diverse and inclusive talent- savvy cultures. Sujaya, who has been on the boards of AGC Networks and The Mobile Store, is of the opinion that her venture will become the gold standard in managing change through people. Capstone offers proprietary solutions and approaches drawn from the thought leadership of its partners, validated in research and built on a repertoire of vast experience and success stories of its founders. Capstone partners with US ana-
lytics leader, Optimal Strategix to bring forth proprietary talent insights to manage unique employee experiences. The company has also partnered with HCM solutions provider, SAP-Success Factors, to provide technology integration, change management and adoption
services through its Capstone Techsmart enterprise. This unique path-breaking initiative marries technology with behavioural sciences enabling technology within organisations to stick. It also brings the proprietary talent economist approach of PeopleLENS Singapore to enable leaders to develop the ‘economist talent mindset’ through its validated interventions. Sujaya is a recipient of several awards and accolades, the most prestigious being The Contribution to the HR Community Award from the Malaysian government. She also won the HR Director Award as part of the HR Brilliance Awards, UK. She is the author of Switch—How 12 Indian Companies Managed Change Successfully, which received the Indian Publishers’ Award for the Best Management Book.
Priya Agarwal on Vedanta Board Priya Agarwal, daughter of mining baron Anil Agarwal joins the Vedanta Ltd Board as an additional and non-executive director. In a statement issued by Vedanta it stated, “The board of directors approved the appointment of Aman Mehta as an additional director and non-executive independent director and Priya Agarwal as additional and non-executive director.” The offspring of NRI billionaire Anil Agarwal, the Chairman Emeritus of Vedanta Ltd and Chairman of Vedanta Resources, Priya graduated with BSc Psychology and Business Management from the University of Warwick in the UK. Priya has experience in public relations with Ogilvy 12 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
& Mather, in human resources with Korn Ferry International, Vedanta Resources, HDFC Bank and in strategic planning with Rediffusion Y&R. Mehta, who has also been appointed on the board, is an economics graduate from Delhi University, has experience of three decades in various positions with the HSBC Group from where he retired in January 2004 as CEO Asia Pacific. He occupies himself largely with corporate governance, with board and advisory roles in a range of companies and institutions in India as well as overseas. He was earlier with ING Group NV, as a supervisory board member, and a director at Raffles Holdings, Singapore. He is also on the governing board of the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, and a member of the International Advisory Board of Prudential of America.
Amanppreet Singh Bhatia is Escorts group HR head With a view to boost business growth through efficient human resources, the agricultural and engineering equipment manufacturer, Escorts, has brought in Amanppreet Singh Bhatia as the new group HR head. Bhatia moves in from VE Commercial Vehicles Limited, a Volvo Group and Eicher Motors joint venture, where he was Executive Vice President— HR. He joined VECV in 2009, and managed human capital management for all business areas of the company, where he was responsible for managing key HR parameters, along with driving operational excellence, ensuring a talent pipeline to support expansion, facilitating strategic talent management, supporting cultural transformation, facilitating performance-driven culture and managing people-cost. Bhatia, who completed his MBA in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations from University Business School, Punjab University, worked with Gillette India as HR business partner between 2002-2005. Between 2005 and 2009, he had two short stints, first at Symantec for a year and a half, and then at Intertek Group for close to three years. Compiled by Joe Williams joe78662@gmail.com
manage money Dr Anil Lamba
The Cancerous Tendencies Of Black Money
We must pay Income Tax. If for no other reason then, as a token of thanksgiving to a nation where we occupy the top 2-3 per cent slot, the least we can do is to pay our taxes...
I
n my previous article, we had seen that both the tax planner and the tax evader share a common objective, namely, how not to pay tax or to reduce the tax liability. Yet the tax planner is an honourable person and the tax evader is considered a criminal. I had pointed out that the difference lies in the method adopted. You may also recall I had ended the article with the following statement: “In my opinion the very fact that a tax evader does not pay taxes is a minor crime. (Even the tax planner did not pay taxes). But this minor crime necessarily leads to a major crime”. In this edition, let us understand what this major crime is. The tax evader has to be essentially a very intelligent person otherwise, he will soon get caught.
And how will he get caught?
Because if this money is used to acquire an expensive property, or a luxury car, or membership to an exclusive club or other such items, sooner or later he is likely to receive an income tax notice asking to explain the source from where these were purchased. Therefore, the avenues of spending for a tax evader get substantially reduced. When the tax evader realises that he has the money and is scared to spend it for fear of being detected, this money then finds its way under the tile in his bathroom. And here is where the bigger crime begins.
What is the bigger crime?
Both the tax planner and evader have not paid taxes. But the tax planner is not scared to spend. The fact that the tax evader did not pay taxes is, as I said earlier, a minor crime. But the tax evader does not spend to avoid detection. He starts hoarding the money. And this is where the bigger crime starts. He breaks the chain. Remember, one person earns money and pays income tax. When he spends, it becomes the recipient’s income, who again pays tax. When this person spends, it becomes the next person’s income. If that person does not pay tax, I say it is a minor crime. But when that person does not spend (for fear of getting caught) it leads to the bigger crime. By not spending, the tax evader has not only deprived the nation of the tax that he should have paid but also of the tax that countless people after him would have paid. And like cancer, it spreads. It's not that the tax evader does not spend. From his bathroom, it goes to somebody else’s bathroom. Hoarding money at home is not without its fair share of risk. What if an income-tax raid takes place? How will this money be explained? So the taxpayer perhaps approaches a builder to purchase some property but offers to pay a large portion in cash. The builder then uses that money to purchase land and makes a similar offer to the land seller.
So the money moves, but it moves in parallel circles. And therefore the black economy is also called the parallel economy. However, the nation, and by extension, you and I, get no benefit out of it.
Voluntary Disclosure Schemes
Which is why periodically governments come out with amnesty and voluntary disclosure schemes. I have always felt that all such schemes are poignant statements coming from the government. It is as if the government is telling the tax evaders: “You and we have been playing a game of cops and robbers. Your job was to evade taxes and ours to try to catch you. We admit defeat. You win and we lose. You don’t want to pay taxes, don’t. But please start spending this money and allow others to pay. And if you are scared to do so, we assure you that we will do nothing to you for these misdemeanours of yours”. To that extent, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative to demonetise high denomination notes was an extremely bold move to eliminate the black money held in cash and to bring a substantial portion of it back into the mainstream. (to be continued) Dr Anil Lamba is a practising chartered accountant, financial literacy activist and an international corporate trainer. He is the author of the bestselling book ‘Romancing the Balance Sheet’. He can be contacted at anil@ lamconschool.com June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 13
wax eloquent
What drives the Economy
Take a look at what our corporate leaders have to say about recent trends and their experiences in the business world
I’m all for learning and reforming
Locally customised business strategy
“In China everyone has already bought a smartphone, they are upgrading. India is still a predominantly first-timebuyer market. Not everything we do in China can be replicated in India; we customise our business strategies locally.” Manu Jain, MD, Xiaomi India
When something is built at scale, there will be points of view on that. And if there are any gaps, they have to be addressed. That’s how we move forward. But when it’s a motivated campaign where the agenda is something else, then you have to deal with it differently. I’m all for learning and reforming. Nandan Nilekani, former chairman of Aadhaar governing body UIDAI and co-founder of Infosys Courtesy: http://www.livemint.com
Courtesy: http://www.business-standard.com
Life lessons I have learnt “I believe that it is important to identify a cause which one finds meaningful, and to dedicate time, talent and financial resources to furthering that cause. I have long learned that in the end the giver becomes the receiver. And that is a glorious feeling.” Christel DeHaan, business tycoon-turned-philanthropist and co-founder of Resort Condominiums International (RCI)
Courtesy: http://www.huffingtonpost.in
To build a great company
“To build a great company which can survive for 20–30 years, what you need the most is resilience. The business is so unpredictable that it is impossible to say where you could go wrong. It will happen. Your ability to bounce back—for leaders individually and the organisation—is critical.” Nitin Seth, Chief Operating Officer, Flipkart
Courtesy: https://yourstory.com
14 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
GST’s sectorial impact on stock exchanges “I don’t think GST per se changes the fortune of any other businesses. The company’s fortune depends on the size of opportunity, its own competitive position, and its own competences in terms of how it conducts the business. Mostly, the good companies today will become even better in the days to come.”
Raamdeo Agrawal, co-founder and joint managing director, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Courtesy: http://indiatoday.intoday.in
India’s development path is bound to be unique “As a continental country, India’s development path is bound to be unique. Urbanisation and structural transformation from agriculture to non-agriculture are proven paths towards higher productivity and overall economic development.”
Frederico Gil Sander, senior country economist, World Bank, India Courtesy: The Economic Times
Learn to overcome struggles to be successful
“I think any woman could become successful. Even I’ve heard a no before, but I went ahead and became successful. Yes, I’m proud to say it today, because it’s been a struggle and we all should learn to overcome our struggles to be successful in our lives.” Krishika Lulla, Film Producer
Courtesy: http://businessworld.in
We are more opportunistic I want kids to think differently
“Today, we are concentrating so much on the glamour of sports, that I think the real thing is taking a backseat. I want kids to think differently. Do it for the right reason. It is not about how much money you earn or how many endorsements you have. For me, cricket was and will always be about passion.” Sachin Tendulkar, cricketer Courtesy: http://www.hindustantimes.com
I remain constructive about India “The stock market is not that important for the majority of Indians because it is only a minority that owns Indian shares. But, the currency is very important for the majority of Indians and for foreign investors. If you have a steady currency, a strong currency, you have money coming from overseas, looking for investments in India and so, I remain actually quite constructive about India. What I maintained more than a year ago that over the next 5-10 years, India would outperform the US and other western markets. I think it is still a valid story.”
“Since we are not a traditional venture capital firm, we don’t go by targets. We are more opportunistic. When the market is super-hot, we stay away. But when it corrects, we look for opportunities. We are under no pressure to make investments or exit them.” Hitesh Oberoi, CEO, Info
Edge (India) Ltd
Courtesy: https://www.vccircle.com
Marc Faber, editor and publisher, The Gloom, Boom, and Doom Report Courtesy: http://www.moneycontrol.com
Help boosting aviation market “India is the fastest growing aviation market in the world. Why should we send our flyers out on foreign carriers, which take our traffic to their hubs and fly them to rest of the world from there. What works in India is low-cost, offer lowest possible fares and still make money. This is a model we need to explore for long-haul flights too.” Ajay Singh, chairman, Spice Jet
Consumption happens through every means
Pursuing your dreams
“It is never this versus that. It is always this and that, whatever you do in life. Consumption happens through every means. All said and done, even in a very odd scenario when everything will get digitalised 20 years down the line, physical will still play a role. Brick and mortar will be there.”
Courtesy: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Recognition vs Rewards
“Recognition is best exemplified by recognitions given on the field of battle for soldiers. The notion of “instrumentality” is missing from recognitions since soldiers don’t carry out an action based on expected rewards. While rewards are based on extrinsic motivators, recognitions come from intrinsic motivations.” Arun Krishnan, founder and CEO, nFactorial Analytical Sciences Courtesy: http://www.dnaindia.com
“The most important thing is not to arrive at some place where you would tell yourself that I made the right decision. Instead, the most important thing is to make the right decision at the right time, and do what you really want to do. Belief also goes a long way. Most of the people who don’t make it have some sort of disbelief.” Sushant Singh Rajput, actor Courtesy: http://www.filmibeat.com
Creative people must resist tags “Tags are an attempt to reduce us, to limit us, to put us in a tight little box and tell us that this is your space, please do not try to punch above your weight or move out of here. Creative people must resist tags. I see myself as a storyteller. My job is to make the reader laugh, to make the reader go aww and to make the reader think, just a little.” Anuja Chauhan, author and storyteller Courtesy: Economic Times
Kishore Biyani, chairman, Future Group Courtesy: Economic Times
Compiled by Rajesh Rao rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com
June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 15
The Tax Man Cometh
CBI, IB, ED, RAW..... Who? What? Why?
by S K Jha
(IRS (retd) and former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax)
CBI, IB, ED, RAW, FIU, DRI, NCB.... Central law enforcement agencies seem to be in the limelight, but most of us do not know what exactly they are mandated to do and how they are structured. Here is a mini view of who they are and what they do
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”
T
he names of central enforcement agencies like the CBI are popularly known, but it is also true that many of us do not know much about them, such as their mandate for working and their structure. Our constitution makes a clear distinction between the union subjects and state subjects. Crime, law and order are state subjects and it is the responsibility of the state police to deal with them. Central government agencies come into operation in specific cases. Economic offences like evasion of income tax, customs duty or excise duty come strictly under the domain of central government agencies. The unity and sovereignty of the country is the responsibility of the Central government and accordingly we have some agencies of the union government to deal with them in addition to our armed forces to protect our borders. I proceed to give introductory details about some of our central enforcement agencies.
CBI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was formed in the year 1941 as a Special Police Establishment. Its powers and functions are limited to the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946. It was renamed as CBI in 1963. It is the domestic intelligence and security service of India. It simultaneously serves as the nation’s prime federal law enforcing agency, which operates under the jurisdiction of Government of India. The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievance and Pension is the concerned Ministry under which CBI works, but its cadre-controlling ministry is the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Director of the CBI is its highest officer and he is appointed by a collegium consisting of the Prime 16 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
Minister, Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice of India operating under the Lokpal and Lokayukt Act, 2013. Senior officers of the CBI of the rank of SP, DIG, IG, and ADG come from the IPS cadres of various state governments on deputation for a limited time and they work under the designation of Assistant Director, Deputy Director, Joint Director and Additional Director. At the lower level, the CBI has a mixed cadre of its own recruits and those on deputation from the State Police. The CBI is comparable to the FBI of USA, MIS of Britain or the FSS of Russia. The CBI is assigned specific criminal probe duties as per the requests made by the state governments and accepted by the Union Government. The highest judiciary can also direct the CBI to take a particular case for investigation. The CBI is also a national partner of Interpol. In addition to its crime probe work, it also looks after anti-corruption work relating to central government employees and central public sector units. One other important wing of the CBI is the Economic Offences Wing, which looks into economic crimes. The CBI was seen to be very active in the recent past post demonetisation, the enquires leading to many arrests including of those of bank officials. Some notable cases probed by the CBI are the coal scam and 2G scam cases.
IB: The Intelligence Bureau (IB) is the domestic
intelligence gathering and monitoring agency of the Union government and its works under Ministry of Home Affairs. It was established by the British Government in 1887, with the primary objective of gathering intelligence about Russians on the Afghanistan border. Later, the objective was revised by the British government to gather information about political parties in India. After independence, it has the important job of gathering intelligence about the trouble spots in the country. As on today, the IB has earmarked roles in Kashmir, Northeast and Marxists infected areas. It helps the country by forewarning about the impending violence in different parts of the country. Intelligence gathered by the IB is also sent to state governments to which the intelligence relates. Like in the case of the CBI, the IB
also headed by a Director who is its highest functionary. Senior officers are IPS officers who come on deputation. The IB also recruits its own inspector level officers, designated as intelligence level officers. IB offices and officers do not advertise about themselves as they are engaged in secretive work.
RAW: Its full form is Research and Analysis
Wing. Its job is foreign intelligence gathering. This department was set-up in 1968 after our failure in our war with China in 1962. Failure of intelligence gathering was realised in our war with Pakistan as well. RAW was created as per the blueprint of its first director Sri Kao. The role of RAW can be compared with CIA of the US or the KGB of Russia. It is not like the ISI of Pakistan, as unlike the ISI it does not participate in nefarious activities in any sovereign country, although Pakistan keeps on blaming RAW for all its domestic problems. Prior to the formation of RAW, foreign intelligence gathering too was done by the IB.
NIA: The full form of NIA is National Investigation Agency. It is a Central agency established to combat terror within India. It was formed in 2009 after the Mumbai terror act in 2008. It is headed by a Director of General and it operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Its mandate is to deal with terror related crimes across the country without any special permission of the State government. The National Investigation Agency Act, 2008 is the legislation, which vests powers and functions to it. States are also permitted to make requests for NIA operations within their jurisdiction. Special NIA courts have also been created for speedy adjudication of cases probed by the NIA. FIU: The full form of FIU is Financial Intelli-
gence Unit. It was set up by Union government in 2004 for receiving, processing, analysing and disseminating information relating to suspect financial transactions. It is also responsible for co-ordinating and strengthening the efforts of national and international intelligence, investigation and
Central Excise: Although in its early days
the DRI was committed to check smuggling particularly of gold, it now also addresses narcotics and economic crimes and counterfeit currencies.
NCB: The Narcotics Control Bureau is the
nodal drug law enforcement and intelligence agency of India, responsible for fighting drug trafficking and the abuse of illegal substances. The head of NCB is a Director General who is from the IPS or IRS. The NCB was created in 1986 to enable full implementation of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act, 1988. This was essential to fulfil India’s treaty obligations under the Convention of Narcotic Drugs. NCB works in close cooperation with other law enforcement agencies.
enforcement agencies in passing global efforts against money laundering and related crimes. FIU is an independent body reporting directly to the EIC (Economic Intelligence Council), which is headed by the Finance Ministry. The FIU acts as the central reception point for receiving Cash Transaction Reports (CTRs), Cross Border Wire Transfer Reports (CBWTRs), reports on the purchase and sale of immovable properties and suspicious transaction reports. The analysis of reports is done to study the emerging pattern relating to suspected money laundering activities. The FIU is the central repository of financial information, which shares them with related agencies and departments. During demonetisation, FIU kept a vigil on cash deposits in banks and helped the Income Tax department in isolating 18 lakh cases of doubtful nature.
ED: The Enforcement Directorate is a law enforcement agency under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance. It is an economic intelligence agency responsible for enforcing economic laws and fighting economic crimes in India. Senior officers of the ED are on deputation from the IRS, IPS and IAS. The origin of this Directorate goes back to 1st May 1956, when the Enforcement Unit was formed in the Department of Economic Affairs, for handling law violations under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947. In the year 1957, this unit was renamed the Enforcement Directorate. Currently, the Prime objective of the ED is the enforcement
‘One other important wing of the CBI is the Economic Offences Wing, which looks into economic crimes. The CBI was seen to be very active in the recent past post demonetisation, the enquires leading to many arrests including of those of bank officials’
of the two key Acts of the Government of India, namely the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). The ED is headed by a Director and it has zonal offices in several parts of the country. The ED has the power to arrest and hence it is much feared. With amendments to the PMLA it has become a feared legislation and the law comes into operation when a person with black money is seen making his money white with fraudulent activities such as by using a chain of shell companies. These days the ED is very much in the news as many top ranking politicians are in its net.
DRI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence is
the apex intelligence organisation of the Indian Customs. It is the prime responsibility of the DRI to enforce the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. The charter of duties of the DRI includes collection, analysis and dissemination of intelligence relating to smuggling. DRI has established a vast intelligence gathering network which relies heavily on traditional human intelligence resources as well as contemporary intelligence gathering tools. The DRI operates under the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) and is manned by officers from the Customs and
DI(IT): As the name suggests,
the Directorate of Investigation (Income Tax)is part of Income Tax department and it works under Central Board of Direct Tax (CBDT). The objective of the directorate is to collect intelligence about black money either through its network of informants or by its officers. The intelligence collected is analysed and in suitable cases, search operation is carried out. The directorate is headed by a Director General who is of the rank of Chief Commissioner of Income Tax.
How can they function better? We just had a look at
our many law enforcement agencies. There is no doubt that they are doing their best in a professional manner. The officers manning these bodies are from the elite Services and supposed to be the best available. Still, we feel that the outcome from them is not always the best. I have reasons to believe they can do better if there is a system of co-ordination amongst them. Many a times, information in possession with an agency A is not passed on to agency B on which the latter has jurisdiction and expertise to deal with. Secondly, for the success of any investigation, time is of the essence and this rule is not followed by some agencies in some cases. Thirdly, there should be scientific and quick analysis of information in our possession so that the required action can be taken in time, against real targets. Lastly, our officers should be provided modern tools and given the best available training. We are a big country with many big problems. Our problems can be nipped in the bud if our law enforcement agencies are well equipped and kept modern.
June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 17
Cover Story Dynamic Duo: 53 /
Karen and Shrikant Dikhale
Spirit of
togetherness He is an extrovert and she is an introvert. He likes beaches and she likes mountains. She explodes under stress, he is more composed. Theirs is an inter-caste marriage—he is a Maharashtrian Hindu and she is Catholic. But among all these divergences there is a one big common point and that is their skill of managing people, an ability also acquired by their son— they are HR professionals. Shrikant Dikhale, Vice President – Corporate Affairs, CSR and Administration, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd, and his wife Karen Dikhale, an HR professional and former Organisation Development (OD) Executive, HR, Marico Ltd, say that one thing that has helped their marriage to be a success is both being in an HR profession—it has helped them get the best out of each other, have respect for each other’s job and understand each other better. In a candid talk with Corporate Citizen, Karen and Shrikant speak forthrightly about how dealing with people comes easier to them and much more about their life and career By Rajesh Rao Early days—education and career
Shrikant: My native place is Jejuri, in Pune district, a place from where my grandfather had moved to Pune city. My father, Shridhar Dikhale, was in government service and he moved to Mumbai, in Bandra when he was transferred as a Regional Labour Commissioner, Central Government. I was born in Pune and lived with my parents in Bandra. Since then till now I have been staying in Bandra. I had two role models in my life—first one was my father, he has always been my role model. Besides being an honest and upright officer, his greatest quality was his humility. As a kid I watched his ability to interact with people at all levels and observed that he was respected and revered in our community. My mother, Vatsala, was probably the best finance minister ever and kept us so happy with limited resources. She is 84 years but has an amazing memory and till today can solve mathematical problems be it Algebra or Geometry. Despite her simple background, she speaks flawless English, is well updated on 18 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
all current matters and is a big cricket fan. My elder sister worked in a bank and my younger brother is a civil engineer and working with a construction company. My younger sister is working with Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), as Director-Marketing. At a later stage in life I had one more role model, Ratnakar Gaikwad, my cousin who grew up in a very simple family and became an honest bureaucrat rising up to the highest level. He retired as the Chief Secretary, Maharashtra State Government and now is the RTI Commissioner of Maharashtra state. He is known to be a most honest, hard-working and dedicated bureaucrat and with a flawless career as an IAS officer. On a personal level he is amazing—despite the huge responsibilities, he always has time for the family. He is a classic example to youngsters, that even in today’s times one can succeed by sheer dedication, honesty and determination. Karen: I am born and brought up in Bandra. My dad was a businessman and my mom a homemaker. Mom was a teacher with Don Bo-
“Youngsters today are very ambitious and they are willing to work hard. Today, if you don’t work hard, you will not last in the job. Within that how much better you can do compared to the others will be the differentiator” - Shrikant Dikhale June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 19
Cover Story sco School, but left working when she got married. I am the eldest of the siblings, along with a young brother and a sister. My brother took over the family business and my sister is right now living in Mexico, married to a German. I graduated in Sociology Major from Sophia College, Mumbai, in 1980. While in college, my career goal was to get into the travel industry, possibly as an air hostess. After graduation, I did one year travel and tourism diploma course from Sophia Polytechnic. I was 21 when I took my first job at a travel agency, where I worked for around one and half year. It was a trialby-fire experience, because after a week on the job, I was put in charge of the domestic flights counter, a very high pressure work. It was absolutely crazy, worked for one and a half year and realised this is not what I want to do in my life. Then I left travel agency and did a secretarial course, thinking of getting into something very peaceful. This was the time when we got married. In a month’s time after marriage I joined an indenting house where I worked for over three years. I left that and joined Marico Ltd, solely because, Marico office was moving to Bandra and it was a five-days-a-week work. It was the time our son, Siddharth was born.
Jab we Met
Karen: I met Shrikant while I was working at the travel agency and he was in Siemens—he has been chasing me since I was sixteen. He happened to be the friend of my college friend’s elder brother. We were going around for three years and later got married—I was 23 years old then. My parents initially were not very happy—ours was the first inter-caste marriage in my family and in his family also. Both our parents took a little time but they got over it and became supportive. Basically when we were
ico, I had no formal training in HR management. It was all life experience and that has helped me along. In my role as OD executive, I worked very closely with chief human resources officer, dealt with the top management, dealt with interviews, appointments, on-boarding processes, increments, resignations, exits etc.
Benefits of living in a joint family
Karen: We lived in a joint family for thirteen years after marriage, before we moved to another house. I had no worries for Siddharth, as my motherin-law and my sister-in-law were there to take care of him in my absence. When you have a joint family support, it becomes much easier. When you don’t have that it can become a serious problem. Because of joint family support, I would say I could work. Otherwise, a working mother goes through a tremendous guilt—first you are leaving your child when he/ she is so small and you hear such horror stories of ill-treatment of children from caretakers. I would have had to quit without a joint family support, because I would have never left my son at a day care. I agree that working mothers do miss a lot of their children’s childhood days, but then you have to decide what you want, whether you want to spend time with your child or you want to work and earn to give them a better life. This dilemma is there.
Philosophy in life and at work
Shrikant: I have been very lucky to have very good bosses. One important lesson I learnt is that everything has a shelf-life and another lesson is respect everyone—it is what I learnt over the years working with great bosses. They would respect me as a young junior and that has taught me to respect everyone. I have to be able to work with anyone and nothing is right or wrong in this world, it is just your point of view. I have had lot of skirmishes in the young days with the unions. As I grew, I realised that they also have their different point of view. Management cannot be only one-sided thinking. I think if you respect people, respect their point of view, you can still have your point-of-view. One important aspect, have a sense of humour, makes life so much more fun. Karen: In a nutshell, we all have the power to make our wishes come true as long as we keep on believing, that has been my philosophy throughout, in my life and work.
Times change, culture changes, people change—I frankly don’t find anything wrong with someone wanting to move on and look for better opportunities - Karen Dikhale going around, I was very clear that it was for keeps and obviously he was also quite sure about that and we kind of assumed that we were going to get married very soon. So, there was no bending on your knees, no romantic proposal. Our only worry was how our parents would take it.
Secretarial Practice to HR Practice
Karen: I joined Marico, as a secretary in HR department. After a period of five years, I left the secretarial line and moved to HR. A secretary in HR department at Marico, was not just a secretary taking dictation, drafting letters, taking boss appointments—we had to also deal with letters of appointment and keeping the database of employees. Secretary was my starting role and then my boss felt that I could do more and I got to move out of the secretarial role. I was given the role of Organisation Development (OD) Executive—I worked as OD for 24 years. I left Marico in 2015.
Women in HR
Karen: For a woman, dealing with people comes easier and that is the reason why I think a lot of women get into the HR field. When I joined HR in Mar20 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
Youngsters today, aspire to own than work for a company. As HR professionals what is your assessment of today’s youngsters?
Karen: Times change, cultures change, people change—I frankly don’t find anything wrong with someone wanting to move on and look for better opportunities. If one feels that they are stagnating in the company, company is not able to give what they want and they are able to find what they want in other company, then why not. But, job hopping for the sake of increasing compensation benefits, is not right. That I think is a bad career move. In HR you cannot become an entrepreneur or make a mark on your own initially—you have to spend some time working, gain experience and then go on your own. If you want to start with HR consultancy, it comes much later. Shrikant: Youngsters today are very ambitious and they are willing to work hard. Today, if you don’t work hard, you will not last in the job. Within that
Karen: I had no problem adjusting to Shrikant’s family. I never felt like I am a misfit there. I came from a Catholic upbringing, but moving to Shrikant’s family was not a culture shock for me at all. In fact I liked the Mehendi, wearing the traditional outfits and the festivals.
how much better you can do compared to the others will be the differentiator. I think the youngsters today are knowledgeable and I personally have learnt and continue to learn a lot from my past and present young team members.
Does being in same profession help in understanding each other better?
Shrikant: Being in an HR profession has helped us both, because as an HR you have to deal with different people and you have to get the best out of them. So, both being in HR there is a respect for each other’s job and you can understand each other better. For example, if I were to come late even at this stage, she knows that this is the compensation time, so she knows those 15 days or one month in the year when I am likely to be late or whatever—I don’t have to explain. We are even able to discuss HR issues and she is a big critic of mine. Karen: He plays a pacifier role. I explode—he keeps quiet and listens, and then I calm down.
A memorable moment in your life together
Karen and Shrikant on their marriage day
What do you love and respect in one another?
Karen: I like his humour and his wit—he is an extrovert. I was a very introvert person, but I have changed over the years and that’s what HR makes you—you interact with people all the time. I became more extrovert working in HR. He is at his best in a crowd, he loves it. In fact all my relatives love it when he is around. They want him to be at the party because he is absolute life of the party. He is a sea person and I am a mountain person. Shrikant: She is not exactly an introvert, but she takes time. She is very quiet type and very happy. She prefers quieter holidays and quieter evenings. I like the beaches and she likes the hills and the mountains. Karen is very organised and efficient and to top it all, she’s a great cook. So, Siddharth and me have no complaints except having to listen to her all the time, asking us to keep the house neat and clean.
What are the qualities important in a husband and wife relationship?
Shrikant: It needs a lot of adjustment. The good part is that understanding is easier when both are working. We are in the same field, but at the same time a lot of adjustment is required. In our particular case, 80 per cent of adjustment was from her side and hardly 20 per cent from my side. I am from a Maharashtrian Hindu joint family and she is from a Catholic family. They would eat with a fork and spoon and we would eat with our hands. For us salad was only sliced unions, tomatoes, cucumber. A lot of credit goes to her and also to my parents—it must have been a big challenge to them, a Catholic girl coming into their house. But in a matter of a year or two, she became more like a daughter to them. Studying in a Catholic school in Bandra, I have been brought up in Bandra. I could slip into her family and Catholic culture without any problem. I felt at ease from day one because I was able to vibe with them. Despite one major handicap that I don’t drink and smoke. I think my schooling in Bandra and having Catholic friends helped me immensely to seamlessly merge into her family. Even today we celebrate all the festivals. We celebrate Sankrant, Holi, Easter, Dassera, Diwali, Christmas, with the same pomp. We have the best of both worlds. I will say mixed marriage has helped and it’s great. In our son’s case, we have left it to him. We have not forced any religious practice or culture on him, it is entirely his call.
Karen: The day our son was born is the most memorable moment in our life. Shrikant: When her father agreed for our marriage. I was very scared and we really didn’t know what would happen—it was a big worry for us. Fortunately all ended well and had no problem from either side.
What are your hobbies and how do you spend your leisure time?
Shrikant: I love driving and playing badminton regularly with my group of friends, which I have been doing for the last 30 years. We try and make one holiday abroad at least every alternate year. If we get few days holiday in a row, we go to Alibaug where we have our own studio apartment. We love Alibaug and it is the most de-stressing place Karen and Shrikant with their son Siddharth we have experienced. We are foodies and I am strictly non-vegetarian. I have lot of school friends and they are all ‘Bandra boys’, every first Sunday of the month we meet for breakfast at any of the old Irani joints. These are the friends who make my laugh a little louder, my smile a little brighter and my life a lot better. It is often said that “Zinda rahenge toh Milenge” but my school friends say, “Milenge toh Zinda rahenge”—an amazing group and an important anchor in my life. Karen: I am not much of a non-veg person. I love and prefer vegetarian. After I left work at Marico, I had lot of time for myself.
What advise will you give to youngsters to be successful in work, marriage and life?
Karen: For success in marriage and relationship, understanding, compromising and adjustment, are very important. I think failure in marriage is happening because the couple is not willing to understand each other, not willing to compromise and not willing to go that extra mile. Shrikant: You have to keep yourself updated, if youngsters today don’t keep themselves updated, they will have a serious problem. For an old timer like me, I have great respect for technology, but we are using technology far more judiciously. Despite the fast paced technological advances in every sphere of life, we still understand the importance of human values and human touch. I think people of my generation are able to use technology far more effectively and judiciously than the younger generation. Go for a drive, if possible, keep a pet, listen to music, and above all, meet people...life is great! June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 21
Cover Story
Pics: Yusuf Khan
22 22 // Corporate Corporate Citizen Citizen // June June 16-30, 16-30, 2017 2017
“Stop getting into the trap of doing voluminous transactional work. While this may give you a false sense of being busy and hardworking, in reality it may not be adding much value to the business. HR will have to focus on strategy and strategy implementation. It will have to ensure that the internal talent is continuously developed to meet the ever changing and volatile business scenario�
Cover Story
“Managing people is like any
true art
To be wise you have to be old, but before that you have to be young and stupid, only then you can be old and wise. But the problem says Shrikant Dikhale, Vice President – Corporate Affairs, CSR and Administration, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd, is that we get old too fast and wise too late. He started his career in Accounts and Costing and after a stint in Internal Audit, took on a Team Leader role in Plant HR, an area which was totally alien to him. With over 30 years of experience in the HR profession of which 12 years was as Head of HR at Kansai Nerolac Paints, Dikhale, speaks to Corporate Citizen on how HR practice has undergone a huge change over the years, how it is getting democratised, the future of HR role and last but not the least, what can we do to be young and wise in our career path By Rajesh Rao I missed doing my MBA, because 40 years ago it was not a very big thing. I got a job and thought why will I need an MBA? However, it was in the second half of my career, when I realised that maybe I should have done something. I did add a few qualifications later on, but I missed this path and that’s why now I don’t miss an opportunity of going to campuses and meeting students. When I come to campuses, I feel like I have come to learn.
Education and career progression
I am a commerce graduate in costing, accounting and internal audit, from Sydenham College in Mumbai. I started my career in 1978, I was just 20 years old—there was an ad in a newspaper for Commercial Trainees required in Siemens and I had applied. I was in Pune on a holiday, when I received a call letter for an interview. I left Pune urgently for the interview and to my delight I got selected. I hadn’t even informed my parents that I had applied. I got a job opportunity in a big company like Siemens, so I just grabbed it. I joined the company as a junior accounts officer. After about eight years in Accounts I was given an assignment in Internal Audit. This was an absolute turn around for me both personally and professionally. The role of an Auditor brought upon me the realisation that in order for me to raise questions, I had to first be a role model. Being nearly 10 years in the internal audit of all the things, it turned around my life. I was very young, didn’t bother about promotion and didn’t care for anything more. Being an Internal Auditor brought a huge realisation for me—an Internal Auditor has the right and the authority to question practically any department and, it dawned on me that in order to question any employee or a system or process, I would need to be above board in my conduct. I realised that I would have to be a role model to earn the respect of those I was going to audit. This brought about dramatic change in the manner I conducted myself, the way I dressed, the way I communicated, being punctual at meetings and generally gave me the feeling that I was part of the ‘management’. After a three year successful stint in internal audit, I was offered an HR officer’s role in the factory. Honestly, I had no inkling about HR but Guru and also my first boss, Giri Dore, said that HR is all about dealing
“
with people and knowing you, this will be a cakewalk for you. And then began my amazing journey in HR which still continues.
Personnel to HR manegement
It was 1990 when I stepped into factory HR. That time it was Personnel Department and not HR, the way it is talked about today. Personnel was lot to do with Time and Attendance, Payroll, Statutory compliances, and of course regular skirmishes with the unions. I had a fairly large team reporting to me, including some much senior to me in age, and who were experts in their domain. A daunting task indeed, but I soon earned their respect by simply being a team member who did not try to show superiority and by being less of a ‘boss’ in the traditional sense. I soon began to realise that running a factory was not just about producing goods or making some products, there was a lot of human element which has to be handled sensitively and it was here that I learnt about the ‘Labour’ aspect of Material, Labour and Overheads, figures which I frequently churned out in accounts. Till today, I firmly believe and am fully convinced that those HR professionals aspiring to be HR Heads, must necessarily spend not less than 2-3 years in the plant and that too in the early part of their career. It is only when you work in a plant environment that you realise that there is nothing right or wrong…there is just another viewpoint which may be different from yours. Learn to understand and respect it because the circumstances and situations are vastly different on the shop floor especially when compared to the corporate office. I did have a very good equation with the union representatives and while we had our differences, we did have mutual respect.
HR and Law
During my five year tenure at the plant, I decided to pursue some HR related courses. I completed a part-time diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations and also did three years Law at the G J Advani Law College in Bandra, close to where I live. I thoroughly enjoyed studying Law and this was probably because in my young days I loved reading Perry Mason books by Erle Stanley Gardner. June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 23
Cover Story The evolving HR practice
HR of course has undergone a huge change over the years. The expectations of the CEO and the top management, has undergone a change. IT has replaced most of the routine jobs. The ‘Personnel’ function has undergone significant changes in the last couple of decades. There is a clear shift from Industrial Relations to Organisational Development. Today HR is looked at as a Business Partner and it is expected to contribute to the business growth firstly, by getting talent on board, which delivers, then nurturing and developing home grown talent and at times weeding out non-performers or those that do not fit in. HR today, has to work closely with the business partners at all levels—have an ear to the ground and at the same time keep running.
Digitisation democratising hiring process
LinkedIn and other such sites have helped us in recruitment process. The recruitment process per say has undergone a change. Today we are conducting these psychometric tests and depending on it. Earlier psychometric tests were not given any importance—you find a right person and hire him/her. All these things have helped in changing the whole process and even the consultants have changed. They are also using these latest tools.
Succession planning is most critical
Succession Planning is critical for sustainability. I am of the firm believer of the fact that however good you are, you are replaceable. This is not to say that people are not important in an organisation. Every member in an organisation is important but the organisation must ensure that there is a proper succession plan in place so that the ripples when a key person exits are not felt and business in any way is not adversely affected. At Kansai Nerolac, all the key positions have been identified and immediate and long-term successors are part of the Talent Pool. The respective HODs and HR have periodic dialogues with the talent pool members and individual development plans are drawn up after discussions with them.
Cultural difference—moving from a German to a Japanese company
I was with Siemens for 26 years and as you would expect in a German company—it was organised, very systematic, system driven processes, SAP implemented in all areas. At Kansai Nerolac, I was surprised to discover that we were probably at par with the latest of IT technology. The environment was more dynamic as our business is far more complex and hence decision making has to be quick. Nerolac was founded in 1920 and Siemens is there since 1922 in India. The culture and style of working is similar in both the
There is no substitute to hard work. Do not miss out an opportunity to take on more responsibility especially when there is problem at work. Every problem has two solutions: Run away or Participate. Choose the latter and you will always succeed
24 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
Cover Story companies and hence I had no difficulties whatsoever in acclimatisation. The only (visible) difference is – I wore a tie to office in Siemens every day and which I continue to do so till today – but no one else in the senior management at Nerolac does so.
Redefining how HR operates and delivers
Stop getting into the trap of doing voluminous transactional work. While this may give you a false sense of being busy and hardworking, in reality it may not be adding much value to the business. Many of the traditional tasks like Recruitment, Payroll and evening will be outsourced to experts. HR will have to focus on strategy and strategy implementation. It will have to ensure that the internal talent is continuously developed to meet the ever changing and volatile business scenario.
Challenges that today’s businesses present to HR
In today’s intense competitive business world, the stress at work has increased manifold in the last two decades. Timelines for delivery of high quality goods and services have shrunk and customer expectations have skyrocketed. In such a situation, HR too will feel the heat to deliver quickly on the expectations from the top management and the Board. HR will also be entrusted to create culture and environment which is conducive in which organisation members can give their best.
Increasing attrition rate
Youngsters nowadays is a different-cup-of-tea altogether. There is huge peer pressure and they themselves are not clear. Lot of youngsters I meet change jobs every two years, which I am very much against. There is a huge peer pressure on them, whether it be of the money aspect, great company office, better culture or whatever. My advice to youngsters is give any organisation at least two years. Then if the organisation doesn’t take care of you, you are free to go. What we do internally is, if a person is good and we take him as a management trainee, we let him know within two years that the company has a plan for him/her and they have the potential. So, identify the potential quickly, because they are not going to wait for more than two years. Job satisfaction is definitely different for youngsters, which we will never know. While we are telling them you have a career path and we have sent you for training, they will say so what. Their aspiration is how can I become a regional manager in the next four years, but I know that normally it would take around 8–10 years.
Future of HR role
In future, there will be no operational and transactional role for HR, it will be entirely focused on leadership development and making sure that you have the best talent on board which can deliver. The performance management system will continue to be a key area for all HR Professionals. While some noteworthy organisations have been declaring that they are relooking at the way appraisals are done and also doing away with management favourite ‘Bell Curve’, no real alternate to this system has emerged. In my view, forget about the bell curve or whatever mechanism or tool you wish to use. End of the day, you need to differentiate performance between the employees and ultimately decide what you can afford to pay, keeping in mind the industry standard. Do not complicate issues of appraisals by hyping one method over another, keep it simple and most importantly, transparent.
The area of training and employee engagement too will see Gamification as a game changer. Today, Gamification is widely recognised as an engaging tool for all HR initiatives. Another area which will see disruption in HR is Digitalisation – HR services and deliverables will undergo a dramatic shift through the use of technology enabled digital platforms, mobile applications and deliver higher efficiency and be far more effective through deployment of integrated digital solutions. Predictive Analysis is an emerging trend for data-driven decision making and will make the HR function far more agile.
Tips to succeed in your career
■Respect: All HR leaders must remember that organisation members
respect you for one of the two reasons – Either because you have power or because your behaviour is helpful. The first one is temporary but the second one is permanent. We must learn to respect people in all walks of life not just the professional arena. ■Trust: This is natural fallout of respect for every individual. There are different ways of looking at Trust. I firmly believe that if you trust people, they will give you their best. While there have been rare aberrations where I felt let down, I have not permitted such exceptions to change my belief in trusting people. ■Interpersonal skills: Learn to work across all types and levels of people at the earliest. You will start working alone in the beginning, but as you grow within your network, then your interpersonal skills are tested. Every HR professional should ideally have spent quality time either in the Plant or been a business partner to Sales. This is important grounding for taking on higher responsibilities. ■Effort: There is no substitute to hard work. Do not miss out an opportunity to take on more responsibility especially when there is problem at work. Every problem has two solutions: Run away or Participate. Choose the latter and you will always succeed. ■Positive Attitude: Every HR professional must have a positive outlook to everything even in the times of severe adversity. You may at times get away with lack of knowledge, but no expert can succeed without a positive attitude. Appreciate what you have. ■Be passionate: The biggest concern for any organisation is when their most passionate people become quiet. An HR professional must be passionate. When I recruit anyone in HR, I look for the 4 Ps – Performance, Potential, Passion and Patience. Every HR person is looked at by the rest of the organisation as a management representative. Hence, your body language is an indicator of what’s happening–exude confidence at all times. An important thing to bear in mind is never talk negatively about anyone–no gossip, no talking or criticising behind anyone’s back, else people will stop trusting you. ■Be an Employee Champion: While practically every business leader will rightly talk about being Customer centric, the HR professional must pause and ask oneself, if everyone is taking care of the customer then who is taking care of my employees. Consider employees as your ‘internal’ customers and work for their wellbeing.
■Have anchors outside work area and take care of your Health:
Have anchors outside work area, they are extremely important. You must pursue a hobby, a sport or anything you love to do which is not directly connected with work. This brings stability to your life. My sincere request to all youngsters is please take care of your health. As long as you are fit you will have a job. Otherwise, you have HR people to tell you that it is not working out. Remember, you are important to the organisation and organisation too will take care of you as long it exists and as long as you are able to continue to perform better year on year. It is important to remember that no one is indispensable. ■Sense of humour: While it may not come naturally to all, but do try and cultivate a sense of humour, it will get you out of difficult situations. It will help you in your professional life as well as your personal life. rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 25
CII Womenation The media is one of the most exciting industries to be in India. It is also one of the few fields, which has higher gender parity. However, being a woman journalist isn’t a cakewalk. There are many challenges that women journalists face while doing their jobs. The CII WomeNation conference gives us an opportunity to get an insight into the challenges and opportunities in journalism today. Corporate Citizen brings you the riveting session. Pallavi Jha, Co – Chairperson, CII Indian Women Network – Western Region and Chairman & Managing Director, Dale Carnegie Training India, moderates the session with Sujata Anandan, Political Editor, Hindustan Times, Meenal Baghel, Editor, Mumbai Mirror, and Shaili Chopra, journalist and founder of shethepeople.com and tries to uncover the trials and tribulations of women journalists By Neeraj varty
Making Headlines Pallavi Jha - There are 1,600 TV channels in India and there are 82,000 newspapers in the country. I also read a report, which says there are only 28% women in the media, while the global average is around 37%, which isn't a great average either, but we are still much behind it. The report goes on to say that the media industry possibly is a laggard in breaking the gender stereotypes. Typically women have greater gender parity in areas of entertainment or lifestyle, but less so in politics, business science and similar areas. Sujata, it was very interesting for me to know that 26 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
you started off as a lifestyle columnist, and you were brought into political reporting kicking and screaming, by a senior editor. What has been exciting for you in the area of political reporting and what has been the toughest part?
Sujata: One of my former editors once told me that political journalists are not the makers of history but they are the makers of the makers of history. It was exciting as a young reporter to be waiting for policy decisions and sometimes when we used to cover the assembly, I have sat alone in galleries in rural areas where rural development bills are being passed. Those things were exciting. Then there were the 1992-93 ri-
ots in Mumbai. I can still remember going to the JJ Morgue and seeing the bodies piled up. That was terrible. I was with Illustrated weekly, which was a Times publication, and a senior editor hired four women journalists and one of them was me. At that time, a lot of people opposed this. The editor called me and said that we are going to Assam the next day. At that time Assam was burning, it was on fire. The other colleagues were angry that he was sending me, especially the men. They felt they should be the ones who are sent. In the end, I went there during a milestone in the country's history. I met student leaders then who are now senior leaders of the state. Those are the kinds of things
I have been sued only once in my life (laughs). I called a politician what he was, and he called me and tried to intimidate me, and when he couldn't, he filed the case in his village, so that I would be forced to travel there. Fortunately, my company took the power of attorney and gave it to someone else - Sujata Anandan elections, the media was supposed to fact check every statement of the candidates. It did so to an extent, but in some cases, they just amplified the rhetoric of the candidates without confirming the veracity. Why is this trend happening, not just in the western media, but all around the world?
you remember. Even in Mumbai, I think I was the sixth woman journalist who was reporting politics who stepped into the Vidhan Bhavan. It took politicians, especially from rural areas, a long time to take women journalists seriously, but eventually they have come around. I was very content in entertainment journalism, but I am lucky to have gotten into political journalism. I hated it at first but now I know it was what I am best at.
The Mumbai Mirror has been at the forefront of calling out the BMC and uncovering corruption. Have you ever felt political pressure to not do these kinds of stories?
Meenal: I must confess that it has not hap-
pened. The maximum kind of pressure in this modern age comes from two sources. The first is corporate, and the other is the film industry. I think there is a need to control the narrative. The most pressure comes from these sources. Politicians, I must say are quite thick skinned and cool headed about it. I think they also know that there are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies. They have the maturity and sense to know that you win some and you lose some. As far as the BMC is concerned, it really depends on the institution you represent and the backing it gives you. If your publication or channel backs you, then you can get your point across.
If you look at the US Presidential
Shaili: I think there are multiple layers to your question, and there is no simple answer to it. Quite honestly, I think a lot of people are watching television these days, and they are inherently involved in what they are getting. The reason I say this is that I don't know how many of you would enjoy television if it was plain and non-entertaining. The state of affairs on news television, with the loud debates and all is something people find truly entertaining. They are watching every day, and the TRPs and souring, because they truly enjoy it. It’s a lot about supply and demand. A lot of us like to have evening drawing room conversations discussing politics or even the state of the media. Who's really creating this type of media in the first place? It is the consumers, who love watching them and who are keeping the TRPs high. Today, if it wasn’t working, there would be course correction. Today you decide what you read, watch and buy. Everyone has become June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 27
CII Marketing Conference an editor in their own right. But I agree that fact checking is imperative. I think the state of journalism or even the idea of journalism is up in the air. What we report and how we report is being redefined. The good thing is that today we know who owns which media house. We know who is right oriented, left oriented or neutral. I think that is a good thing. People should know the source and motivation of their news conduit. Meenal: To add to what Shaili said, I think social media has basically exposed everybody's political alliance. Journalists are supposed to be neutral, but on social media, the inclination comes out which has led to a polarisation in the media and in the consumer as well.
Speaking of social media, it is definitely a game changer. Very often, breaking news happens not in the media, but on twitter. We talked about women participation being less in the media, but in the age of social media where everybody is a publisher, does that make it easier for women journalists to be heard?
Shaili: I think the first part is that the media is the closest it gets to at least being somewhat fair when it comes to gender parity, as compared to other professions. Television of course has a greater presence of women than print. I’ve come from the television background where at least 70% of the journalists were women. The golden era of journalism, as we know it is dead. I discourage women who come up to me to seek advice regarding journalism. When we look at the field today, if your drive is to report something great then you really have to be in the data journalism space. If you are looking for money or fame, it is a long journey. There was a time 15 years ago when television had just opened up; many people rode the wave of the rise of television. TV has been a path-breaking story in India. Mobile is getting there but it still relatively slow. I personally think journalism is in the midst of a transformation. If you ask me if there is opportunity in social media, I would say yes, there is. If you want the opportunity to put your talent out there, whether you are a
The media is the closest it gets to at least being somewhat fair when it comes to gender parity, as compared to other professions. Television of course has a greater presence of women than print. I’ve come from the television background where at least 70% of the journalists were women. If you want the opportunity to put your talent out there, you have avenues no previous generation had before - Shaili Chopra 28 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
chef, painter or software professional, you have avenues no previous generation had before. If today you want to enter journalism, what is your drive? The kind of roles available in journalism is rapidly changing, and the future direction of the field is anyone’s guess.
Online abuse, of women in general and women journalists in particular, is a scary reality. What do you think is the reason it is happening, and how do you think women should handle it?
Meena: The reason isn't hard to understand. Even though there are many more women in the field today, there is still widespread misogyny. That is a given. Trolls by their very nature, are anonymous. They feel that women journalists would cow down if they were bullied. The way to deal with it is just to not respond to them. Just stick to the facts of the argument and don’t engage with trolls.
It seems to me, from these frequently
Have you done a story you regretted?
Sujata: No, I have not. I think of the story carefully, and I have been sued only once in my life (laughs). I called a politician what he was, and he called me and tried to intimidate me, and when he couldn't, he filed the case in his village, so that I would be forced to travel there. Fortunately, my company took the power of attorney and gave it to someone else. The company was very strong and managed to move it to the Bombay High Court. I am one of those old-fashioned journalists who always checks both the sides before reporting. I have lost many stories, but I have never reported them if I could not 100% back them with facts.
Journalism hours are 14/7. Is that a problem for women?
Meena: Yes, of course it is. Journalism hours are crazy. A lot of women drop out as they rise in the hierarchy because it becomes difficult to manage families as well as keep the hours. This is something that proprietors need to consider. This is the reason that there are very few women at the top in newsrooms.
Pics: Yusuf Khan
occurring incidents, that there is a certain decline in the safety of women in the country. Could the media have done more to prevent this?
Sujata: Of course they can. However, I don't agree with your statement that women are far unsafe now than before. Now, television reports these incidents so people know about it. Earlier these incidents were relegated to the inside pages of newspapers. It looks now like violence against women has increased in India but I feel this has always been happening. It is just that it is being reported more now, and that is a good thing. As for the media, especially television, it has always been about the TRPs. Sensationalism sells, and the focus sometimes shifts to the media circus instead of the actual issue. Meena: I think I would like to bat for the media here. The media has done a wonderful job in these cases. In the Nirbhaya incident, the media spotlight led to amendments in the rape law,
Politicians, I must say are quite thick skinned and cool headed about it. I think they also know that there are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies. They have the maturity and sense to know that you win some and you lose some -Meenal Baghel and that is a huge thing, which may not have happened without the media. When was the last time since independence that women's safety was such a huge concern in national headlines? Yes, the media stumbles sometimes, but it has proved that it can be impartial, like in the case of Tarun Tejpal, a member of our own fraternity. Shaili: I think that even though the media may sensationalise incidents, at least they are staying in focus. It's better than ignoring them and not reporting on them, which used to happen earlier.
Shaili, you have been a business anchor. Television is either politically or corporate owned. Did you find a conflict of interest while doing your job?
Shaili: To answer your question, I have never found a conflict of interest but the organisations that I have worked in have found them. There have been times when I have been told that I cannot cover a particular story. Audiences today know which media house is owned by whom, and they also understand the inclination of media houses. neeraj.varty07@gmail.com June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 29
Prof Tejendra Singh Baoni, Principal College of Fine Arts, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath
“This is a practical oriented course so there cannot be any other way of judging talent except through practical work. As 80% is practical work, by the time students reach the fourth and final year, most have been groomed into well trained young artists. It becomes very difficult to judge these artists and 100% marking need not always be a fair judgement of the real acumen of that artist!�
-Tejendra Singh Baoni
30 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
Cradle of Leadership
The
Living
Heart of Art An illustrious voyage of art and artists, the College of Fine Arts (CFA) under the aegis of the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath (CKP) is a living ‘canvas’ to almost all generations of art lovers and connoisseurs. The celebrated college within the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath complex precincts, is a landmark site in the heart of Bengaluru’s Kumara Krupa Road, adjoining the CM’s residence and is nothing less than a haven for artists. Its glorious yet humble beginnings dates back some 50 years, and the story of the institute is also the story of determination and doggedness of its founder-teachers-pioneer artists, all who strode on to create an environment that would nurture the very spirit of artistic freedom under one roof. An autonomous institution for fine arts, and affiliated to the Bangalore University (BU) since 1983; the fine arts college is also a learning centre recognised by the state and the national Lalit Kala Akademi (academy of art) since 1966. The vision which started as a single room entity between 1960 and 1964, found momentum in 1964 due to the zeal and passion of M S Nanjunda Rao, an astute artist and the Founder Secretary of the CKP. The fine arts college took shape in 1964 on the top floor of Gandhi Sahitya Sangha as ‘Chitrakala Vidyalaya’ on 8th Cross Malleshwaram, a north-western neighbourhood in the garden city. At a rental room of `100 per month, eminent artists such as M S Nanjunda Rao, M Gopal, S S Kukke, Rajshekahar and Subramanya Raju, encompassed the first batch of teachers who conducted the then five year diploma course in an honorary position ‘sans’ salary. With 8-9 students in its first batch, June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 31
one of the first recipients of the diploma was a young woman, M J Kamalakshi, who has since served as professor of painting and also as the general secretary of the CKP and Principal of the art college in later years. A renowned artist, Nanjunda Rao, donned on the hat of an art administrator and along with founder President, R M Murthy, envisioned setting up the art institute to attain world-class stature. He realised that Karnataka lacked a strong platform for artists, and dared to dream of a larger prominent centre of art akin to the Delhi Art College and Institute of Fine Arts, Shantiniketan (West Bengal). He was the one who expressed the idea to the then ministers and approached higher-ups to procure land for the institute. He served as the Principal of the college until the 1990s as well as the Secretary for the CKP. The ‘heart and soul’ of CKP; he is remembered as a soft spoken, yet a persistent individual. CKP is a landmark visual cultural centre in Bengaluru and the State of Karnataka. Socially prominent individuals such as B L Shankar as President of the Executive Committee of CKP along with A Ramakrishnappa as Vice President and other leading personalities add to CKP’s glorious existence. The CKP also gains from the presence of its eminent Trust Committee member President S M Krishna and Vice President H K Kejriwal and other illustrious personalities such as Kiran Majumdar Shaw, P Dayananda Pai, D K Chowta and Sudha V Reddy, to name a few of the reputed line-up that has helped herald the CKP and the Chitrakala Mahavidyalaya within its precincts. The college and CKP is gearing up for yet another milestone as it prepares to spread its canvas across 14 acres on a new prototype campus site, at Ganakal village near Kengri, Bengaluru. The land granted by the Government of Karnataka will be designed as an ancillary residential and professional learning space built to international scale. The State Government has reserved an outlay of `20 crores for the construction of this additional new campus. Corporate Citizen spoke to Prof Tejendra Singh Baoni, Principal - College of Fine Arts, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath – a Fullbright Scholar, and an acclaimed sculptor in visual arts for the past 32 years, who has been associated with the college since 1987. Born in Rewa in a traditional family of court artists, Baoni completed his Bachelor in Fine Arts (BFA) in 1985 and Master in Fine Arts (MFA) in 1987 in sculpture art at Kalabhavan, Vishwabharati University, Shantiniketan, West Bengal. He then pursed his post doctorate degree in sculpture at the Kent Institute of Art and Design, Canterbury, UK. His esteemed colleague, former Principal and much accomplished artist (traditional painting) and creative thinker - Kamalakshi, also an alumni provided valuable inputs on the historical and present mileages—adding that her innings and associations with the college and the Parishath stands a “little over 50 years”. Both Baoni and Kamalakshi, have won many individual laurels, but expressed their passion for art and the fine arts college; each thriving a bit further to pass on their learning to the next gen. They along with Ramakrishnappa, discussed the historical beginnings of the college and its role in bridging tradition with modern artistic visages and the influence of applied art in modern times By Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar 32 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
History in the Making Walk us through the history of the College of Fine Arts (CFA) under the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath (CKP).
Prof Tejendra Singh Baoni: The story of the fine arts college began with the inception of the Mysore Pradesh Chitrakala Parishat in 1960. It commenced with exhibitions and art workshops in the banquet hall of the Vidhana Soudha. In 1964, the art school, ‘Chitrakala Vidyalaya’, was added to it. The Roerich Institute of Fine Arts was set-up in 1995 for art training at the foundation level. Gradually, the Chitrakala Institute of Advanced Studies commenced post-graduate courses. Much of the credit goes to the vision and passion of Nanjunda Rao who hailed from a humble family from a small town in Tumakuru district, Karnataka. He dedicated and devoted his entire life for this institute and dreamt to make it a deemed university. Gradually, a lot of artists also joined in the movement that eventually laid the brickwork for the College of Fine Arts under the aegis of the CKP. Ramakrishnappa: It is said that the foundation for a fine arts college began in the 1960s with a call from the then Chief Minister of the Mysore State, Kengal Hanumanthiah, who during the construction of the Vidhana Soudha building
College of Fine Arts campus
had called for a tender for artistic contribution. Ironically, as most applicants were artists from outside Karnataka, he was surprised at the lack of home-grown applicants from the state. He is believed to have summoned M Aryamurthy, a senior artist and urged him to form a forum of artists. Aryamurthy is said to have established the Mysore Pradesh Chitrakala Parishath from his residence in Shantinagar, which was registered in 1968. Meanwhile, they started the one-room Chitrakala Vidyalaya in 1964 in Malleshwaram. Thanks to the efforts of Nanjunda Rao (M S N Rao) and fellow artistes, the vidyalaya moved to its current site in 1976. The team of artistes along with M S N Rao chose a three acre thicket next to the Chief Minister’s bungalow; today well recognised as the land next to Hotel Ashoka in Bengaluru on Kumara Krupa Road. They conveyed their interest in developing an arena for fine arts and indigenous craft to the then CM, Devaraj Urs. It is learnt that the site had been earmarked to house a driver’s quarters as it was within the precincts of the CM’s residence and guest house. Eventually, the then Chief Secretary and the Joint Secretary of the State-T P Issar and Chiranjiv Singh also convinced CM Urs to release land for the formation of the CKP in its current site. In 1976-77, the CKP Trust with eminent personalities was formed and the Mysore
Pradesh Chitrakala Parishath transitioned and was re-named as the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath. The idea was now to start the course as an affiliation with some university as BFA and MFA. The process to get an affiliation with the BU started immediately in 1978-79. Kamalakshi: As we transitioned to the entity Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath (CKP), we also did get the land; but, now needed to make the
“Earlier it was a ‘gurukulam’ method of teaching but things have changed gradually. Now, we have embedded it with modern technology and in the future, we anticipate much more contrasts in classic work. Need is to flow with the change. Sometime people might get inspired by earlier work but interpret and create an entirely new work of art; much different from academic styles. My advice is in adopting earlier techniques and utilising it in your contemporary styles. ...Adaptation is important and then again, it depends on individual experience and liking”... -M J Kamalakshi
June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 33
Cradle of Leadership new art arena popular. So, an All India Tribal Arts and Crafts Exhibition was hosted for 45 days in January 1977 to attract people to the new premises. Post the exhibition, the huts built were converted into classrooms and eventually the building, a museum, a gallery built. Until then, classrooms were in the open and rocks were used as tables and chairs for our students.
Synergising CKP and the CFA Explain the working and arrangements between the CKP and CFA.
Kamalakshi: The government has provided certain infrastructure for setting and running of the CKP. It in fact granted the land on long lease; some portions of which was sanctioned for construction of the building. However, many philanthropists too donated funds and other resources, thereby forming a trust and some even became part of the trustee member panel of the CKP. There have been other non-trustee members who have donated to the cause of the CKP. As for the arts college, the Parishath is taking care of the college and is the main organisation. From its beginnings, the Parishath has been running the art institution – the ‘Chitrakala Vidyalaya’ and once it gained affiliation to the Bangalore University (BU) in 1983, it came to be known as the ‘Chitrakala Mahavidyalaya’.
Examples of Street Art
What is the synergy between the CKP and CFA?
Kamalakshi: The Parishath is actually running the college. While the fee components help us to run the college, it is not sufficient for the entire college expenditures. Besides, this and the DT E (Directorate of Technical Education) component towards paying salary, the remaining has to be covered by the management – the Parishath is the college management. We are autonomous for academic matters, the rest is vested under the Parishath’s umbrella mantle. The trustee committee is the caretaker of the whole institution and is responsible for the vast asset held by the CKP and the CFA. The trust is the engine that runs the college, along with upkeep of the art museums within our premises and the vast collection of world-class art, artefacts and paintings within our hold. Trustees are taking responsibility of all these assets and holdings. CKP trust is the common body between the college and the Parishath. The trust members include art lovers, politicians and artists who take care of the assets and can intervene in the wake of any disputes etc.
What was the status of the college before and after you got the affiliated to BU?
Kamalakshi: When the ‘Chitrakala Vidyalaya’ 34 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
Examples of Street Art
started in 1964, it ran and awarded a five year diploma course for interested students post their Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations. Those days the examination was conducted by the Education Board and not the University and for this reason we got affiliated to the BU. We are currently running an UG as well as PG courses. The college was getting a nominal allowance from the DPI (Department of Public Instruction), for schools in Karnataka. It was I guess, around `500 to `1000 in the 1980s. We did not come under any eligibility criteria for receiving any grant or aid. Later, we did get some ad hoc aid from the state government’s Department of Kannada and Culture, which was not at all sufficient. Gradually, we got affiliated to the DTE. Currently, the DTE is paying only the staff salary, while 80% of other expenses continue to be funded and managed by the CKP Trust. Baoni: Currently the CFA is an autonomous institute. We are expecting the third cycle of autonomy now. Since the last 10 years we have been autonomous, this was followed by the next stage which will cover another 15 years and we hope to acquire a deemed university status too in the near future.
Fine-Tuning Artistic Acumen How have you framed the four year degree coursework?
Baoni: The college offers degrees in UG and PG levels in five major disciplines - Sculpture, Painting, Graphic Art (film-making), Art History, Applied Art and Print Making. For the master’s programme too, CFA offers art disciplines which are comparable to that of Kala Bhavan, Shantiniketan’s Institute of Fine Arts or the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda, the College of Art, (under Delhi University) and to some of the international academies such as the Royal Academy of Arts, London. Courses are run as per UGC norms so they run for four years for the degree programme and another two years for the PG levels. It is a 4+2 years coursework as against the earlier 5+2 structure. The PhD research programme commenced recently in the last academic session (2016-17) encouraging students to explore pre-modern and modern art on Karnataka and pan-Indian subjects.
ing, they are better placed to take a decision on their specialised subjects in the future. Students who are specialised in applied art or painting are thus enabled to excel in sculpture forms too. As a profession, we have observed that students specialised in sculpture making have excelled in interior designing too; which is not part of our coursework. Likewise, such training prepares them for their Masters training too. View of the Sculpture Gallery
Sculpture by Baoni
Metal Art by Baoni
Examples of Street Art
Do you encourage inter-disciplinary learning?
Baoni: Yes. In the four years degree pattern, students can also move to other streams for three weeks per semester. Each year comprises of two semesters and you need to qualify a total eight semesters over four years. The spread over the first two semesters covers all five disciplines Sculpture, Painting, Print Making, Illustrations and Applied Art. Thus, we give them a taste of all kinds of visual art forms and enable them to choose their discipline for specialisation. Students have to opt for their desired specialised visual form from the third semester. Besides, after each semester after the foundation year, we enable inter-disciplinary training.
How do you break rigidity in learning of varied visual art forms?
Baoni: Our course work is so inclusive and varied that we have seen some of our students taking to film-making too (which is not a part of our syllabus). Because of the nature of fine art training at CFA, they are also equipped and can adapt to other technology platforms and infuse creativity and engage in, video art work too. Video art also forms a part of fine art in modern times. Some students thus can lead themselves towards film-making or any other performing art. So, via the five disciplines, we aim to nurture their knowledge quotient to the extent that they are capable of adapting themselves to any discipline. We have an example of a student, last year who bagged a national award in film-making— having majored in painting and art history. The possibilities are innumerable. Some of our alumni are film directors, interior designers, and even architects. Our coursework encourages and trains but, it is all to do with creativity. So, it is left to the students how they apply their knowledge in their chosen stream.
“The increasing importance of art and design in today’s world opens up many opportunities to make an impact and also contribute to the cultural and ecological landscape at both the local and global levels”-Tejendra Singh Baoni
What is the aim for such inter-disciplinary art learning?
Baoni: After the first two semesters, the college conducts internal counselling sessions to gauge their aptitude for any particular course discipline. While, we primarily give them freedom of choice to select their line of specialisation; we also do suggest on what discipline can suit them best. Once they undergo inter-disciplinary train-
Graphic Art Studio
June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 35
Cradle of Leadership How they do it is often difficult to pinpoint in a creative world.
“Our course work is so inclusive and varied that we have seen some of our students taking to filmmaking too (which is not a part of our syllabus). Because of the nature of fine art training at CFA, they are also equipped and can adapt to other technology platforms and infuse creativity and engage in say, video art work too. Video art also forms a part of fine art in modern times” - Tejendra Singh Baoni
Is there a seat cap on the student intake?
Baoni: Yes. We can intake around 150 seats per year but, we do not clamour to fill all seats. We are interested in students who are committed to visual arts and show ‘real’ artistic bent. Last academic year (2016-17), we had selected 140 students. Currently, more than 400 students are studying at the institute. This academic year, 90 of our final year students will be attaining their degrees. We do not have to fill all 150 seats; if applicants are not capable to show talent for fine arts in the test itself, we need not select them. We have gradually increased our intake and capped it at 150. However, we will be shortly moving to the new campus and might increase the intake. It depends on the demand for this course and the educational need for such a programme. Admission intake has increased in the last four years. There are 142 students in the current foundation batch of students (2016-17), as against 90 students who will be completing their final year this academic session.
What are your selection criteria for the four year degree programme?
Baoni: Since we follow UGC norms, students have to fulfil the min 55% marks criteria for Grade XII or PUC scores. However, while we select students, we also gauge their strength of character along with their skills and passion for creative challenges. Since it is a creative field, we rather prefer a talented XII grade student with 55% over a student with a score of 95% and here merit is based on their artistic talent. We have had students from science stream abandoning their engineering or medical seats and joining the arts college. Students with 9596% in grade XII also appear for our entrance tests. This is a practical oriented course so there cannot be any other way of judging talent except through practical work. As 80% is practical work, by the time students reach the fourth and final year, most have been groomed into well trained young artists. It becomes very difficult to judge these artists and 100% marking need not always be a fair judgement to the real acumen of that artist!
How often do you revise the syllabus?
The Creator with his Creation - Baoni at the Sculpture Gallery
36 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
Baoni: We have constituted the Board of Education (BOE) and the Board of Studies (BOS) and function within the purview of these two bodies. These are our own formed bodies which include our own HODs (Head of Departments) and senior professors who design the entire syllabus. We try and change it every two years to keep the syllabus relevant. Earlier the syllabus change was meted out every three to four years. The last revision was done in 2014, but now we plan to do it more often and soon. This move is to sync with current requirements of students, the industry and artistic demands in society. Kamalakshi: Our expert teaching staffs takes a call on reviving the syllabus if needed. We often adopt the latest tools or resources. Earlier, art students were required to compulsorily learn anatomy but presently, we are done with that as part of curriculum. But, if the student needs an understanding of human anatomy, for a specific project, and if necessary then teachers can teach that point but, that need not be part of the examination syllabus. In the good old days, there was no computer. But, nowadays art students rely a lot on animation techniques and thus animation is a new subject which has also been incorporated in the syllabus.
counted price to all. It is a kind of street festival, which lines up the entire Kumara Krupa road by artists who sell their paintings, porcelain art, sculptures and other artefacts. If requested, some artists also offer to draw instant portrait sketches of visiting art enthusiasts to their stalls and bespoke art wares.
Future Designs What is the scope behind creating the new campus at Kengri, Mysore Road?
Baoni: The new campus will serve as a residential facility for students and artists with additional facilities for huge studios including private studios for artists and teachers. Plans are to provide separate and common studios to work, including hostel facility, health club et.al. The Kumara Krupa campus will continue to exist as the prime city centre for foundation courses, admissions and research. Other art activities like art appreciation courses, outreach programmes will continue at this campus. Recreational Area on Campus
What is the future of art and learning?
Industry and Community Connect What is the demand for visual art in modern industry?
Baoni: We too have campus placement interview for our students where companies like Wipro, Honeywell and similar companies absorb them within their creative or marketing departments. While we teach our students creativity, companies train them on how to promote a company via product designs or marketing portfolio. Our students thus have a big demand in the corporate world. Kamalakshi: If corporate salary is attractive then most students would opt for corporate life. These companies need to also provide job profiles, which for an artist have to be satisfying. Industry profile should also match with artistic acumen for progress in the long-run. Not many students opt for teaching unless they have a liking for sharing knowledge. Those who in applied art and painting join companies as establishing oneself as successful independent and creative artists, which takes a long time; so they opt for corporate jobs.
Is there any change in attitude in the way modern art students approach their creativity?
Kamalakshi: Earlier it was more methodical; we worked around and fixed things but, now we have more scope and technological intervention in art. Present day students have more exposure than and are more aware. There is a change in every field so it is in fine art too. Nowadays, students
A Ramakrishnappa-Executive Commitee Member and VP
react to contemporary ideas and artwork rather than the traditional forms. While we do impart knowledge of the old traditional forms, it is also left to the students on how they wish to influence their own art or develop themselves. They may mix up both and create a fusion art form. With the advent of new technology and material as against say only water or oil colours, we also have various mediums to work and experiment with.
How does the annual ‘Chitra Santhe’ (art market) encourage a layman to art appreciation?
Baoni: This is an important annual event, like a street bazaar organised by the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath which helps to build a connect between artists, the Parishath and the college with the public. This is also an attempt to break the perceived ‘elitist’ mentality that is often attached to ‘art’ and artists for a common person. Hundreds of artists from all over India participate in the ‘santhe’ and sell their artwork at dis-
Baoni: The increasing importance of art and design in today’s world opens up many opportunities to make an impact and also contribute to the cultural and ecological landscape at both the local and global levels. Kamalakshi: Earlier it was a ‘gurukulam’ method of teaching but things have changed gradually. Now, we have embedded it with modern technology and in the future, we anticipate much more contrasts in classic work. Need is to flow with the change. Sometimes, people might get inspired by earlier work but they interpret and create an entirely new work of art, much different from academic styles. My advice is in adopting earlier techniques and utilising it in your contemporary styles; which is what I am doing in order to also revive traditional styles. Adaptation is important and then again, it depends on individual experience and liking. sangeetagd2010@gmail.com
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Apple Inc, first US company to pass $800 billion mark The market capitalization of Apple Inc. has crossed $800 billion, making it the first ever record-setting US company to top the world’s largest equity market. The company represents about 4 per cent of the $21.7 trillion that makes up the entire S&P 500 index.
June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 37
NHRDN Career Fest 2017
The Future of Jobs:
A Career in Advertising Economic transformation and employability are the key factors towards making India’s demographic dividend, the young workforce, a significant competitive advantage. In this context, the National HRD Network (NHRDN) Mumbai Chapter, recently organised a Career Fest at Nehru Centre in Mumbai. The aim was to provide a common platform to bring together industry, academia and student community, with the intention of helping students to make informed career choices. Senior adman and accounts advertising planner, Sourabh Mishra, who is also a visiting faculty at Xavier Institute of Communication, talked on advertising as a career and gave very focused information from the perspective of someone who has specialised for over 25 years in strategy and planning in ad agency business By Rajesh Rao
To all who had gathered, who aspired to be in advertising industry or wanted to explore the idea of being somewhere in advertising, Sourabh Mishra, in his talk explained what it takes to be in advertising and what the field is all about.
Four broad areas of business
Advertising is supposed to help business and the way I understand it is very broadly categorised. Business is broadly made of four areas: finance and accounts - people who manage the money; manufacturing or product development; people who manage human resources; and then comes the sales and marketing. These four areas broadly make the business run. So, if I am in sales and marketing, then probably I am contributing onefourth to what business is all about.
Advertising as part of marketing communication
Getting a little deeper, in marketing itself, broadly speaking, there are four areas of specialisation in marketing, starting with product understanding, 38 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
like what the product is, along with developing and managing the product. There are specific pricing managers, people who manage the price and play the whole game of price. Then there are distribution and logistics managers, who look at the whole supply chain of distribution. And then there is promotion, which is promoting the brand and communicating. So, if I have decided to specialise within marketing, say in promotion, that’s again I am contributing one-fourth to marketing. Now promotion can also be broken-up into marketing communications. Marketing communications, very simply put, can be broken up into advertising, publication, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), direct marketing, and Below the Line (BTL) marketing activity. Now if I am in advertising, then I will probably be contributing one-fourth to the whole marketing communications promotions.
Start thinking business first, before thinking advertising
I have worked for over 25 years now and I have
got few more years to work. When I started working, I had made up my mind that when I grow really old—if I have grandchildren and they come and ask me what did you do in your life, I would hate to tell them that I contributed one-fourth of one-fourth of one-fourth, that is one by sixty-fourth to the development of business in some way. And therefore, if you focus too much on just being in advertising and if you have taken up advertising, I want you to think again that advertising is business first, you have to look at it as business first to understand its overall meaning—then only will you get to contributing little more than one by sixty-fourth of business. So, I don’t think any of you want to be so insignificant. Nobody wants to be a little ant-all of you want to make a mark. Therefore, start thinking business first, before thinking advertising. Famed adman, Jerry Della Femina, the creative genius behind many brilliant ad campaigns once said, “I honestly believe that advertising is the most fun you can have with clothes on”.
Famed adman Jerry Della Femina, the creative genius behind many brilliant ad campaigns once said, “I honestly believe that advertising is the most fun you can have with clothes on”. That is the reason perhaps why most people get into advertising, it’s all great fun career June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 39
Pics: Yusuf Khan
Advertising is about logic and magic, it is about science and it is about art, it’s about business and creativity. And this is what we say is the business of advertising. If you begin to understand that you are solving business problems, you get excited by that and excited by business, advertising is the choice you have That is the reason perhaps why most people get into advertising, it’s all great fun career.
What is advertising?
It’s salesmanship mass-produced. If a businessman could go and have individual conversation with each one of his customers, nobody would be in advertising. So, advertising is, like David Ogilvy use to say, it is a salesmanship in print. Now of course it is digital and lot more, but broadly it is salesmanship mass-produced. It can make the difference between business success and failure. It is a very cost efficient way of telling buyers what is for sale and what the product’s interests are. It seems to pursue the prospective customer to consider a particular brand. In very simple way, the process is that you have - a sender who in most cases is business who is speaking about business and there is receiver who is the consumer.
What would you do if you get into advertising?
Advertising is basically connecting the sender to 40 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
the receiver through communication. We have different media, you can be using digital social media, you can be using print, you can be using television, you can be using films—these are the different ways of communicating and connecting your business to the end consumer. Good advertising is not like you have come with a fantastic idea. It might be a fantastic idea, a great piece of creative work—you feel that you are creative, which is why you want to get into this business. But your idea is creative only if it’s helping the business. That’s what the advertising is all about. The neuroscientists and neurologists tell us that the left side of the brain is all about logical, mathematical, and analytical and you have the right side of the brain, which has do with emotions, art, music and creativity. The beauty of advertising is that it is not left brain or right brain, it goes beyond that. It kind of bridges neural thinking, which is logical and lateral thinking, and it flexes you to keep moving between the two. You have to be as much of a sharp businessman, understanding and analysing the problems and then use the
right side of your brain to craft creative solutions to be able to solve it and that’s the true joy of creativity. If you think that you have it in you, if you think that excites you, then I think advertising is a good career for you. Advertising is about logic and magic, it is about science and it is about art, it’s about business and creativity. And this is what we say is the business of advertising. If you begin to understand that you are solving business problems, you get excited by that and excited by business, advertising is the choice you have.
Advertising agency structure
Top management and leadership team. In typical advertising agency structure more or less cutting across different kinds of agencies is- there is a top management and leadership team, they are CEOs, COOs, who come under the support services. Basically in advertising—as an HR person you can join advertising, but you will be a support service. A finance person is a support service, because that’s not the core business of advertising.
Client service
It is a front end function and involves interacting with clients, managing clients and managing the agency. These are called client services or account management people, who understand client business
Creative department
They are the writers, they ideate with writing and art. Creative people work with ideas that come from writing, art, and ideas perspective of designs.
Strategy and Planning
This is the part that I have specialised for many years. These are the people who actually are taking the problems and trying to figure out strategically what is the answer, before creative people start working on the actual creative development. Planning is understanding consumers, business and a lot of research—there will be a lot of market research work, to understand the real problems are.
going to take the ownership of? The planner will say this is my consumer. The consumer is someone who is not represented at that level, but is the most critical part of the business. Everything that you create has to impact everyone.
Research that goes into planning
We primarily for the most part, do consumer research. We work really closely with market research agencies. We are the user of that research. You yourself will go out and do a fair amount of qualitative research work. Good planners and What is the exact role of planning in strategy people, work on extremely interesting advertising, like what sort of research goes social trends, like what’s happening in society. into planning? Lot of people talk about As a planner, you also watch what creativity and out-of-the box people are watching. You observe thinking, so how is planning Tips to them; you understand what’s hapreally different from client succeed in pening, what they are ready to acservice and creativity aspect? Advertising cept and what they are not ready There are two parts to any comto accept. What is the motivation, munication. field what are their fears, what are they For any piece of communicaemotionally going through. And tion or anything that you create, ● You have to have then you look at the brand and there are two parts to it. For exlot of passion for look at the client’s problem and ample, you take any ad film— advertising work out what is the kind of story there are two parts to it. One is ● You need to have lot we need to tell this people. This how you say it and how the crux of enthusiasm is what people are feeling, this is is expressed in terms of the film. ● You need to get what my audience is understandBut what you have to say is where excited by ideas strategy comes in. When I started ing. So, what is it that I need to tell ● You need to get my career, I had a really tough them? That is strategy, which then equally excited by time explaining to my father that the creative person takes over and business I am an Account Planner. He said does the magic that you see on the ● You need to solve that I had done marketing, then screen. business problems using how did I go into accounts field. the power of creativity Then I explained to him that it How do you see the future of ad● Need to be a team was accounts advertising planvertising in the next five years? player—advertising is ning. Then he asked if I do writWhen you are starting with your very cruel to people who career in advertising, you have ing for ads and I said no. Then are loners, if you are not to understand where the indushe said if I manage the ad agency a team player, chances and I said there are client services try is going. There is a saying in are that you will not people to do that. Then he asked English “The king is dead, long do well in advertising. what I really do in the ad agency. live the king”, it means that the Because, you are very person who is the king is dying, dependent on lot’s of but the kingship has to continue. Planner takes the ownership other people—it’s a So, somebody else will come and of the consumer team win. You have to become the king. I think advertisThe way to answer that quesbe a team player, you tion—one is about strategy ing is going through something have to be comfortable and thinking it through. Other very similar. You could actually with other people thing—if one thinks of the meetsay advertising is dead, but long around you. ing that happens, there is a client live advertising. It should define at the conference room table, advertising in a very narrow and along with client servicing person, agency creaconstrictive way—say that I want to create a press tive director and a planner. The client will say that advertising—my creative friends have coined a this is my brand and this is my business. The cliterm called Printosaurus—these are the people ent servicing person actually comes in with sayin advertising who are dying out. ing that this is my client and this client has to be Today’s generation read news on their smartmanaged. After understanding client’s business, phones-my college going son also does that. I have to understand my agency’s business and I When he is logging on, he is getting news on his have to put the two together. In the first place, the social media feed. So, is he consuming news? client says this is my brand, the servicing person Yes he is. Is he consuming newspaper? No, he is says this is my client, the creative person says this not. If I need to communicate to him, if I need is my ad or this my idea. So, who is the planner to advertise to him-but if I continue thinking
in the old-world-way of print advertising, it will be dead end for business before it starts. However, you should think that advertising is not about print, television or anything—it is a way of communicating business to consumer and that is never going to die. People need to communicate with each other. If I have a business in Mumbai, say I need to sell my products may be all over Maharashtra, all over India or all over the world—how do I reach out? How do I communicate? That process of communication will continue and that’s why the basic concept of advertising will continue. An American billionaire, Mark Cuban, is a big investor and big Trump critic and in one of his recent interviews, he speaks about the jobs that will be most in demand, the kind of talents that will be most in demand, ten years down the line. He says that skills like liberal arts, philosophy, languages, will be most in demand, because most of the engineering kind of jobs will be taken over by automation, which is Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning. So, in the future, for advertising people, their future is going to be extremely bright, because you need to understand the softer issues that drive human beings, to connect with them and communicate ideas.
There are situations when brands prefer celebrity endorsement and other brands prefer common man to portray the message. What is the most preferred method in India?
Each situation is unique. One of advantages of using a celebrity is that I can cut across and my cut through is huge. Hundreds of ads are coming out every day. If I hire Salman Khan as my brand ambassador, at least lot of young people will notice that ad. It cuts through the problem of noticeability. So, that’s the only thing that it adds. After that it depends on what is the need for that story. rajeshrao.rao@gmail.com
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Indian CEOs most confident Indian business leaders are the most confident among the world’s 10 largest economies; according to Global Pulse Survey conducted by global chief executive network YPO’s (Young President’s Organization). The confidence of Indian leaders rose 3.2 points to 66 in the first quarter of 2017, which reversed the decline seen in the 4th quarter of 2016, when confidence dipped due to the government’s decision to invalidate old high value currency notes.
June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 41
Trendsetters
New
‘Thoughts’ AT ‘work’ IT professionals from ThoughtWorks, Bengaluru – Darshana Radhakrishnan, Divya Saravanakumar and team are on a mission. They want to bring back senior women techies into the work force by offering suitable work environment, so as to generate more women techie role models. For the fact is, there are too few. For this, they launched the campaign, #TalkTechToHer four months ago, and received overwhelming response. Their ‘enabling’ mission does not stop at women techies, as Corporate Citizen discovered, in conversation with the Bengaluru team and a visit to their Pune branch, learning first hand about the campaign, their unusual interiors and much more... By Ekta Katti 42 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
ThoughtWorkers (from left) Vikrant Chauhan, Vidhi Thakar, Smita Bhat and Nazneen Rupawalla share a pleasant conversation in their funky office
Stationary train at the platform, ThoughtWorkers can conduct their conference calls or meetings
Office Principal, Chirag Doshi poses next to his favourite corner in the office
The team at ThoughtWorks was dismayed when they found they could hardly name a few women techie role models. That is because there aren’t enough senior level women techies. Which is exactly what they want to change. ThoughtWorks is a global level software company, which intends to revamp the IT world with a positive change.
The Campaign
The seeds of hiring senior level women techies were sown a couple of years ago. But it was only in October last year that the campaign was actually flagged off. Darshana, Divya and team came up with an initiative called #TalkTechToHer. For Darshana, who has been working as an Employer Branding and Programme Strategist with ThoughtWorks (Bengaluru) since eight years, this campaign is like her baby. “The campaign is just four-monthsold. What astonishes us is the kind of response we got. The first phase of campaign is over, where we reached out to over a thousand women. The second phase is the scanning process where we are looking to hire the right candidates,” said Darshana. They made use of online media which helped them reach several individuals. Ad campaigns through ‘pun-intended’ messages caught the attention of many women. The outcome of the campaign was overwhelming, as it was envisioned to bring a positive change in the sustainability and CSR segment. This won them the marketing excellence award recently at the Great Indian IT Marketing Summit organised by Paul Writer.
How it all began...
Darshana rues that there are very few women senior level techies. “We have a lot of applicants applying at the fresher level. But at the senior level there aren’t many. This was the main reason why #TalkTechToHer was started.” The team spoke to several June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 43
Trendsetters
‘We want to change the culture of the market. Hiring is an important part of this campaign. But with this, we want to inspire and encourage women techies. This would certainly make them grow, as the sky is the limit. We wish this campaign brings in a global change’ - Darshana Radhakrishnan ThoughtWorkers (Pune team) take active part in the Udaan project
women employees and tried to understand their problems. “To get a sense of the present work scenario we tried to understand the perception of not only women employees at ThoughtWorks but we went out into the field too. We even had several meetings and group discussions. We tried to understand where we were lacking and what basically appealed to them. We aim to put employees over policies.” Chirag Doshi 32, Office Principal has been working with ThoughtWorks, Pune since a decade. The question that struck him the most and which provoked him to be a part of the campaign was, ‘How many senior women techie role models can we name?’ He said, “I was ashamed that I could hardly name any senior techies. A change here was mandatory. Which is why I decided to be a part of this campaign.” He added, “The young crop of techies need a woman role model. Also, the addition of senior women techies would make a world of difference to whichever project we are working on.”
At their service
Hiring senior level women techies is no doubt the need of the hour. But it goes without saying 44 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
ThoughtWorkers at the chai tapri in the office
that it is only the woman who makes a house a home. Even though they have excellent professional backgrounds, owing to family responsibilities, many women tend to prioritize their house and family over work. ThoughtWorks bows down to such ladies. But then, the urge to find such women techies and bring them back into the workforce entailed some changes too. They make the work place supportive by providing them a flexible environment. “We are very supportive when it comes to this. Our company doesn’t hesitate to provide them with the right environment. We’re proud of where we have Creative meeting reached so far. Our CTO rooms is a woman. Five out of six of ThoughtWorks’ India offices have women Office Technical Principals and two of our five offices are led by women Office Principals. Incidentally, the largest ThoughtWorks office globally in terms of employee strength, Bengaluru, is headed by a woman,” informed Chirag. With this, the company took upon itself to change the work environment to meet a woman techie’s needs. If the techie is needed to relocate to any of the ThoughtWorks branches in India, the company provides them with the best option. For mothers, the company also provides a crèche, where they can keep their kids while they work tension free. Smita Bhat, 36, has been in this field for more than a decade. Having worked for ThoughtWorks before, she quit her job for personal reasons. It is three months now since she joined
The ThoughtWorkers, Pune team
the company again as a Lead Developer. “IT is a very mentally and physically taxing field. There are challenges at every level. And if a woman joins back after a break, it becomes even more challenging. One reason is the family set-up, back home. They have to manage both, home and office. Companies should design a system such that it becomes easier for the woman to come back and join after a break. I am glad to be working with ThoughtWorks who are striving hard to make a positive change,” she says.
Impact and outcome
The team is sure that the campaign will bring in a positive impact. The campaign has provoked the thought process of several women. More than a thousand women have submitted their resumes while some went ahead and expressed their sentiments about this change. “This is just a small step. We want to revolutionise the hiring
nine years. “I personally feel that this is a great initiative started by the company. Some might take hiring senior level women techies as a threat. However, I think they would certainly bring good value to the projects we are working on. Also, their perspective would definitely change the outlook of the project,” said Vikrant.
A dream workplace
Home is where your heart is. And your work place is like your second home. A mundane office interior might hamper the productivity of employees to some level. But at ThoughtWorks, they strongly believe that the office environment should make them feel at home, which indeed is their top most priority. Nestled in a quiet lane in Yerwada, in Pune, Thought-
Vidhi Thakar in her favourite office space
‘Companies should design a system such that it becomes easier for the woman to come back and join after a break’ - Smita Bhat
ThoughtWorkers take a break to enjoy a game of pool
pattern in the IT world,” says Darshana. However, her main motivation is the change in the culture of the organisation. According to her, it’s not just about the flexible work hours or providing the right environment. It’s about motivating and pushing them. “We want to change the culture of the market. Hiring is an important part of this campaign. But with this, we want to inspire and encourage women techies. This would certainly make them grow, as the sky is the limit. We wish this campaign brings in a global change,” she added. Competition is part and parcel of one’s life. And the value addition of a senior level woman techie will surely be a boon, feels Vikrant Chauhan, 33, Lead Consultant with ThoughtWorks, Pune who has been working with them since
Works, opens its doors to creativity and a quirky work place where IT professionals work in a calm, serene and ‘happening’ environment at the same time. When we entered the office we heard a bell which instantly caught our attention. It was a signal for the housekeeper to bring in freshly made tea. The tea was served in a space that looked exactly like a chai tapri. Installed was a stationery bus where employees have their conference or even attend a work call. As Vidhi Thakar, 31, Senior Developer, finished her call, she came down from the bus and said, “I love the interiors here. It is calm and quiet and helps me with my work. The bus is where I normally make all my meeting calls. I love that space. The office space exuberates with positivity. The chai
tapri is also a favourite place. We hang out there whenever we take a break.” There’s an auto rickshaw next to the bus which just enhances the ingenuity of the workspace. As Chirag walked us through the office showing its most eccentric interiors, he said, “The employees pitched in with all the ideas here. We want the employees to feel relaxed and also at home. It is their personal space too.” On the fourth floor, you are intrigued by a space that looks like a telephone booth used by the Brits. And for all the Harry Potter fans, there is chamber called 9¾ next to a train platform which opens to nowhere! “The train and the telephone booth can be used for meetings or to make important calls,” informed Chirag. According to Darshana, ThoughtWorks operates on a simple principle: ‘Be yourself and bring yourself to work’. She explained, “The office is their space too. They need to be themselves when they are working.”
Up-to-date housekeepers
Twenty six-year-old Nazneen Rupawalla, a Senior Developer at ThoughtWorks wanted to bring in change at the grassroots level. In 2014, she started computer classes for the housekeepers’ kids. “Everyone gets basic education these days, but I wanted the kids to learn computers, because this visual world would change their life.” The initiative did not run for long, as the kids failed to show interest. Later, Nazneen started an English speaking course for the housekeepers called Udaan. “All the housekeepers here have the potential to learn new things which will help them grow in life. I thought speaking a language apart from Marathi and Hindi would surely enhance their knowledge and also boost their confidence,” informed Nazneen. This initiative received a great response. More than 15 housekeepers attended the class every weekend. As we were talking to Nazneen, housekeeper Nirmala Gaikwad, 40, who has been with this company for six years, confidently walked towards us and said, “Hello and good morning. My name is Nirmala. How may I help you?” While we were astonished by this gesture, Nazneen proudly watched Nirmala talk to us. “The course with Nazneen ma’am has strengthened my self-confidence. Now I can easily converse with anyone in English,” said Nirmala. Everyone at the office pitched in to take the initiative forward. While Nazneen headed the programme, other ThoughtWorkers—Sayali Jagtap and Preeti Mishra—helped with content and teaching. Result. Their mission to re-empower has not stopped at senior women techies alone. It has expanded to nontechie employees as well. ‘Thoughtful’, what? ektaakatti@gmail.com June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 45
Campus Placement
Keep your goals high and anxiety low! Well begun is half done
“I have been recruited by AkzoNobel in the sales and marketing domain. Initially, I would be working as a management trainee, where I would be exposed to the various departments of the company and gain cross functional training. Then, at the end of the training period, I would be allocated the final role or position.” Shreyasi, who is always on the lookout for an opportunity to learns and grow, shares with us. “The package will be very much at par with what the alumni of IIMs usually pocket,” she drops a hint. At the moment, she is basking in her achievement, “I am extremely satisfied with my placement. AkzoNobel is a global brand with operation in over 80 companies and has a strong foothold in the Indian paint industry as well. Further, the role offered to me suits my interests and ambitions since it offers me an S&M role in an FMCG industry which is what I always aspired for!” Shreyasi is certainly one of those fortunate few, who know what they want in life and settle for nothing less.
All that glitters is gold
B-School is a tough nut to crack (and let’s not even get started on the IIMS), but joining one pays off in the long run, “Preparations for placements begin as you enter a B-school. The first step for any placement process is to be shortlisted by a company. This depends on how you build your resume. All top B-schools provide us with ample opportunities to create an impressive resume, either through extra-curricular activities, competitions or academic excellence. So it is an added advantage to have a variety of achievements on your resume, which gives you an edge over others on the shortlisting process,” Shreyasi 46 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
Shreyasi Mahanty can’t wait to join AkzoNobel. That it is a leading Dutch multinational company is just one reason, the other important reason is that this IIM-Indore alumnna holds her placement dear to her heart, for the dedication and hardwork invested in it throughout the year By Namrata Gulati Sapra
Happy times at IIM-I during Saraswati Puja
accentuates the importance of a good resume, which is often overlooked by placement candidates. Now we know what sets apart an excellent business school from an average one. “Next are the pre-placements talks. These sessions help to understand a company’s goals and what they are offering. Further, this helps in deciding whether it is in alignment with your interest areas. Being attentive in these sessions might help you answer questions regarding the company in the interview process.” She also tells us how to score brownie points, “Keeping up with the current affairs and forming an opinion on important issues in the news is necessary.” “Preparing the generic HR questions that are a critical part of every interview definitely helps you tackle these seamlessly during the actual process. Other than that, having primary knowledge about the industry you are applying to also helps,” she makes a valid point that cannot be questioned.
Doing it right
“The recruitment process begins with being shortlisted for a company followed by some intermediary processes, which could be an aptitude test, group discussion etc. followed by multiple personal interview rounds. For AkzoNobel, we first had a group discussion round followed by a PI round.” No prizes for guessing that “the group discussion was based on a current topic.” Group Discussions (GD) often prove to be Achilles’ heel for many students facing the placement challenge. Shreyasi offers an advice that is worth considering, “The key to clearing any GD is to come up with new points which add direction and perspective to the discussion.” As for the interview, Shreyasi clearly nailed it. She says, “For the interview, I was asked mostly situational question based on sales and marketing followed by generic HR questions. I believe the interviewers were looking for someone who could give quick answers and solutions as well
Placement processes are long, tedious and the competition is always fierce in any top notch B-school. Everyone is ambitious and focused hence it is necessary to believe in yourself, set your priorities and decide which domain or position role you would want to work for
Shreyasi’s proud moment with her lifelines
as have logic to back up their own statements. Also, confidence is essential in clearing interviews and that is what worked for me.”
Miss Cool and Confident
Shreyasi is just the right mix of confidence and calmness, no wonder then that she kept her focus and never lost her cool even once during the placement season that can prove to be very trying at times. Let’s hear it from her, “Placement processes are long, tedious and the competition is always fierce in any top notch B-school. Everyone is ambitious and focused hence, it is necessary to believe in yourself, set your priorities and decide which domain or position role you would want to work for.” “There are a lot of processes happening simultaneously and hence it is necessary to keep your calm, stay focussed and believe in yourself. I had been working on building my resume throughout the year and I was thoroughly prepared for this crucial time of the year. This gave me a lot of confidence to be able to secure a placement which would suit my interests,” She certainly knows how to chase her dreams!
Placement Mantra
“If you had to give three most important piec-
es of advice regarding placements, what would they be?” Shreyasi answers without a moment’s hesitation, “Top B-schools always strive for 100% placement. Hence, just getting a job should not be your only goal, it is more important that the job suits your interest, the job environment is favourable and the work gives you the zeal to excel in future.” Well said! namratagulati8@gmail.com
CC
tadka Indians become fitness prone Pune scored the highest in FitScore with over 7.65%, with Chandigarh following close at 7.35 on the fitness meter. According to ‘Fit India Survey’ conducted by Reebok, 60% of India spends more than four hours a week on fitness with people from Pune spending the maximum time on exercising. South Indian cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai scored the lowest in the FitScore Index.
June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 47
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
When love comes a calling... Both have had to wait to find love. But when it finally came their way, HR professional Ayesha Barse and Executive Chef Merajuddin Ansari lost no time in committing themselves to it—heart and soul. This is their heart-warming story, and this is how they tell it By Kalyani Sardesai
L
osing both one's parents at the tender age of 17 would be an unspeakable experience for most. Although Pune girl Ayesha Barse was left all alone in the world, she was made of grit and resilience that few can boast of. Which explains her impressive career graph and the success she has made out of her life and relationships; including her marriage. Forced to drop out of college (despite being a good student and athlete), taking up assorted sales and telecommunication jobs to pay her bills, and eventually figuring out that it was in human resources where her eventual calling lay, she has been a self-taught figure in more ways than one. "Survival was key. Unlike other young people my age, I did not have the luxury of taking it easy or wasting time. Each minute had to be spent in productive pursuit. So be it completing my education from the National Institute
48 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
of Management via correspondence or putting in that extra hard work to excel at work, I had to succeed at whatever I did. After going through all that I did in life, I chose human resources as my arena of specialisation as I feel I can understand and relate to people and their problems," she says. "I had no guidance or moral support when I started out, but my current role enables me to
coach, counsel and bring out the best in people." A focus that took her to the top of the rung as Manager, HR, Marriot Hotels, Pune—but one that left her little time for love. "It's not as if I was averse to finding it. Far from it—I wanted to find the kind of happy marriage that my parents had enjoyed. They were such a united and happy pair that only a few months after mom died of cancer, dad collapsed from a heart attack. Nevertheless, I have very happy memories of both of them, and wanted to enjoy companionship just like theirs," she says. For once, life was listening.
Back to the beginning
This story was first scripted when Merajuddin Ansari moved to Pune to work as sous-chef with the Marriot in 2014. That's how he first spotted the warm, friendly and mature-beyond-her years Ayesha. "My first impression of her? She's very caring, very humane, possibly because she has seen life so up-close says Merajuddin. "Despite being so senior, she was approachable and easy to talk to. I found that to be a very nice quality," he says. On her part, Ayesha was impressed with the quiet young man whose gravitas was evident despite the fact that he rarely spoke. "He has several siblings—all of whom he helped get married or settled. His selflessness and ability to put others ahead of The him is something of great value. He is Pillars of a considerate and respectful, especially of women, and has an innate sense marriage of responsibility towards friends and family," she says. Space, One conversation led to anothunderstanding er, the two began to hang out a lot. and trust There was a lot to share, despite the seeming difference in cultural backPutting the grounds—she being from a nuclear other person's family in cosmopolitan Pune, whereneeds ahead of as he hails from a small town called your own Khushinagar, near Gorakhpur in UP. Bengaluru, where Meraj "One tends to believe that people from works as Executive Chef Grabbing the small towns are conservative and set with Sarovar Hotels and little moments in their ways. But that's not true. I Resorts and Ayesha as of life to enjoy have found Meraj and his parents to Director, Human Resources your spouse's be very accepting and evolved, despite with Dan Hospitality. company their simplicity," she says. It is a hectic time with both It was a classic case of opposite husband and wife keeping poles attracting each other. "I am long hours, but it helps that Appreciating talkative and outgoing, whereas he both have long years of aceach other's only talks when there is something to quaintance with the hospitalexperiences and be said. Similarly, he is very calm. It ity industry. struggles works out well," she says. "She is very mature and "When I told my parents that I had understanding and that finally found the girl I wanted to marry, they makes things easy," he says. were thrilled. The religious differences did not "He's a chef; he works when the rest of the matter; in fact they liked her from the start. She's world has holidays. I have to accept it," she a self-made woman, and yet so thoughtful of smiles. "However, we tend to grab our own little others. This is something we all respect," he says. moments with little effort and planning." Like the time he surprised her on their first His family landed up in Pune with a ring Valentine's Day together. "As usual, he had to for the bride and the nuptials followed soon work, and overtime at that, given that it was a in Feb 2016. special day. But he made the time to come home "What I must point out is that it took him a from work with a beautiful bouquet of red roses big heart to accept me with no family; my cousin and then went back. I cherish those moments." Virendra Barse being the only family member It's Ramzan right now, so she's laid out a who met my in-laws and has been a huge support spread for the evening Iftar party, including sathroughout," says Ayesha. "I would also like to mosas, fruit juice, dahi vada for anyone who may make a special mention of my friend Caroline be visiting. "It's important to make the most of Alexander and her parents who gave me away in every little moment we have together," she says. place of my parents at the Nikaah." So how has life changed after marriage? "I used to be this strong, collected woman but now The building blocks of a marriage I have become emotional. And that's a lovely Post-marriage the Ansaris have moved to
“He's a chef; he works when the rest of the world has holidays. I have to accept it," she smiles. "However, we tend to grab our own little moments with little effort and planning” thing. There's someone to go back to; someone watching out for me. It's not something I've been used to but I enjoy it very much," smiles Ayesha. "My outlook has changed in so many little ways. Like earlier on, I never believed in insurance! Why would a singleton like me with no family need it ? But now, I have moorings, someone to exchange moments with," she says. At 37 and 38 respectively, it has been a delayed marriage by typical Indian standards. "True, but since we both have experienced life and struggle in our own way, we appreciate each other more," says Meraj. Ayesha is also appreciative of his large, warm and bustling family. "After being alone for so long, it's a rich and wonderful feeling to visit them, spend festivals with them, though we live by ourselves for most of the year," she says. While plans are afoot to start a family, Meraj is clear she has his support to manage baby and work as she sees fit. "She's always been an independent, working woman and if she wants to remain that way, why not? I will back her in every way that I can, and I am confident that she will do a great job of everything," he says. kalyanisardesai@gmail.com June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 49
Survey
It’s all about the Family India has a long and glorious tradition of family businesses. Some of the biggest corporates in India today are family owned businesses, like Reliance, Godrej and Tata. With a view to understand the contributions of and challenges faced by these businesses, multinational professional services network PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has undertaken the Family Business Survey 2016. Corporate Citizen brings you the findings
I
n India, the role of family businesses in nation building, wealth creation, employment generation and contribution to the exchequer is both significant and commendable. While some Indian family businesses have followed the same lines of business started by their fathers or grandfathers and grown these significantly, others have diversified considerably by setting up new businesses, exploring new sectors and markets, expanding geographically, and increasing their global footprint. From small and medium enterprises to large conglomerates, family businesses have contributed to the growth of every sector in India and it is always interesting to find out how they have evolved over a period of time, how they deal with family conflict in the current circumstances, their take on the next gen and how they react to the digital world.
Methodology
Interviews were conducted between 9 May and 19 August 2016. The findings presented in this report have been obtained from the global and Indian samples.
2,802
102
interviews were conducted globally across 50 countries
interviews were conducted in India
Growth in 2015-16
Growth in the Indian economy between 2014 (GDP growth of 7.3%) and 2016 (GDP growth of 7.6%) is reflected in the growth of family business enterprises. Seventy-five per cent of those interviewed said that their business had grown over the last 12 months. This compares favourably against the global average of 64% Sales growth
Sales reduction
16%
75%
20%
64%
22%
65%
18%
65%
India 50 50 // Corporate Corporate Citizen Citizen // June June 16-30, 16-30, 2017 2017
Global
75% of Indian family businesses have grown in the last 12 months. 84% expect to grow either steadily or quickly and aggressively over the next five years. 56% of Indian family businesses feel the need to innovate will be a key challenge in the next five years. Only 15% of family businesses have a robust, documented and communicated succession plan. 35% plan to pass on management to the next gen. 48% plan to pass on ownership but bring in professional management.
June June 16-30, 16-30, 2017 2017 // Corporate Corporate Citizen Citizen // 51 51
Survey Survey
Growth aims over the next five years
According to PwC’s 19th Annual Global CEO Survey: Redefining business purpose in a changing world (2016), 64% of India’s CEOs are very confident about their company’s growth in the next 12 months, as opposed to 35% globally. If you focus solely on quick and aggressive growth, we should note there has been a dip from the last survey in 2014 (40%) to the present year (35%)—the shift is marked by an uptick in consolidation. Q: Which of the following best describes your aims for growth over the next five years? Base: All respondents (2016: India = 102, Global = 2,802; 2014: India = 65, Global= 2,378) 1% 9%
14%
13%
1% 13%
15%
15%
35% 2016
2014
40%
2016
2014
49% 70%
49% India
Global Grow quickly and aggressively
Grow steadily
Consolidate
Shrink
How will businesses achieve this growth?
Indian family businesses feel confident in the existing market and there is openness with respect to growth strategy in terms of market, sectors and acquisitions. Notably, 96% of those anticipating growth of over 10% annually over the next five years said that the growth of core business in existing markets would enable them to reach their targets. Over half of the family businesses surveyed said they were looking to expand into new sectors or new countries and would consider inorganic growth. Q: Which of the following areas will play a role in driving this growth? Base: All respondents aiming to grow by 10% or more (2016: India =79, Global = 1,278) India Global
Growing core business in existing markets
Acquistition(s)
New countries
New sectors
70%
96%
Current business diversification
Indian family business houses are more diversified vis-à- vis their global counterparts, with only 23% limiting their businesses to one sector within India. Family businesses have ambitious plans for growth and acknowledge that there is a business imperative to professionalise operations and bring in non-family members to run the business. Q: Which one of the following statements do you think best describes how diversified your business is? Base: All respondents (2016: India = 102, Global = 2,802)
85%
Multi-sector, multi-country
56%
One sector, multi-country
45%
Multi-sector, one country
51% 52% 51%
28%
24%
25%
25%
One sector, one country 25%
23%
20%
30%
41% India
52 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017 52 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
Global
Future direction of the business (five years’ time)
Given the optimistic plans of growth and strategic expansion of family businesses into new products, markets and through acquisitions, it is necessary that families have effective boards running their businesses and that people with the right expertise lead the organisation—family or non-family
Q: Thinking about the business in five years’ time, realistically how likely is it that the following statements will be true of your business? Please use a scale from 1 to 5, where 5 is very likely and 1 is not at all likely. Base: All respondents (2016: India = 102, Global = 2,802) India
Global
Will bring in non-family professionals to help run the business
72%
Will earn majority of revenue from the same products/services
55%
61%
72% 53%
Will establish new entrepreneurial ventures
54% 54%
Will sell in new countries
44%
Mode of financing growth
Firms in India are more likely to use external finance rather than their global counterparts. Those planning to grow at 10% or more annually will rely on banks as well as different equity and debt financing options. Eighty-nine per cent of Indian respondents said they would explore these options, which is a change from the earlier mindset where family businesses had concerns around accessing external finance options. However, reliance on own capital will continue—80% of those interviewed said that they would stick to this option. Q: You mentioned earlier that you expect to grow by xx% per year over the next five years. How do you plan on financing this future growth? Base: All respondents aiming to grow by 10% or more (2016: India = 79, Global = 1,278)
Own capital
80%
Bank loan
70%
Equity financing
58%
Debt financing/ capital
52%
Other
76%
63%
35%
31%
Any external financing: India: 89% Global: 78% India
Global
8% Compiled by Neeraj Varty neeraj.varty07@gmail.com June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 53 June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 53
Health
Mantra for healthy
Body& Soul Vaishali Sarwankar, Head-International Trade/Director, Atlantic Industrial Trading Pte Ltd, Singapore, says good health is your foundation and exercise isn’t just for the body but also for the soul. Here is how‌ By Sharmila Chand
V
aishali Sarwankar is the visionary and moving force behind the success of Atlantic Group, which deals in commodity trading. Spanning a career of more than two decades, Sarwankar comes with an enriching industry expertise and wide range of experience in the field of trading business. An MBA in Finance and Commerce graduate, Sarwankar was born in a conservative Maharashtrian family. She is the only Maharashtrian Commodity Trader along with other 3-4 Indian Women traders in international market. She
54 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
carries forward the legacy of $100 Million with a team of intellectuals working along with her whom she considers her greatest strength. Extending herself beyond her profession, she wears her various hats with aplomb. Sarwankar who deeply supports women empowerment has made significant difference towards workplace safety, especially for women in her organisation. She extends her support to underprivileged women and motivates them to stop undermining themselves. Deftly manoeuvring her roles as a trader, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, she manages her responsibilities with clockwork precision. When not
I try following my own diet that is convenient to me with respect to my travel and other factors, so I have no diet fads. I try my own permutations and combinations of diet and they work wonders to me
about staying fit, in today’s life most of our time is spent in front of the computer without any mobility. As a part of our employee engagement activity, we organise stress buster games for employees and have badminton tournaments going on for duration of four months.
Your food philosophy
Eat local and stay healthy. I love to indulge myself in the ancient Indian food to stay healthy and strong. Naani ke nuskhe proves to the best diet in modern period too. I prefer chia seeds (sabja) soaked water in office as my regular drink. A warm glass of turmeric milk will for sure keep you immunity stronger. I love to pamper myself to a yummy fish fry whenever I am in India and other delicacies too. I do not believe in oats and corn flakes but instead a bowl of upma or poha suffices the same nutritional needs. We need to value our own old tradition that is rich in every aspect. Our ingredients are rich of medicinal and nutritional properties and it’s time for us to adopt the same. Let’s eat litchi and chikoo over peach and plum.
Your exercise fundamentals
chained to her work and social commitments Sarwankar turns out to be a master chef.
Your philosophy on fitness
To my belief, fitness goes far beyond than just looking good or external features. It enriches the well-being of a person, quality of life and self-confidence of a person. Any form of exercise makes you stronger and increases human longevity. Today’s lifestyle and technology is making you flabby, don’t let that happen. Give time to yourself as good health is your foundation.
Your idea or mantra about keeping fit
Dedication and consistency. Be consistent with your workout or exercise regime and give time to yourself. Have a balanced diet and eat healthy food. As physical activity is crucial aspect of human life. Exercise isn’t just for the body but also for the soul. A good half an hour of pranayama charges you for the rest of the day.
Make a commitment to yourself and stand for that, over a period of time it will fetch results. Patience is essential. Don’t try to do too much too soon and don’t quit before you have a chance to experience the rewards. Physical fitness will help you to achieve up your potential. Make a schedule and work towards it.
Your diet fads
I try following my own diet that is convenient to me with respect to my travel and other factors, so I have none. I try my own permutations and combinations of diet and they work wonders to me.
Your Yoga (or anything else) regime
My fitness regime is a mix of different forms of exercises. Whenever I miss my gym due to some other commitments, I make sure I do Yoga. A thirty minutes of meditation at home works magic for the day followed by stretching. Yoga gives you mental as well as physical well-being at the same time.
Your healthy dose as parting shots
Handful of dry fruits is something that you will find in my bag always. Some protein bars when I am travelling. chand.sharmila@gmail.com
What keeps you fit and healthy?
I follow a very strict diet and abide by that. Because of the meetings and busy schedules it gets very difficult to follow the same but I balance it to the maximum possible. Detox days are my favourite like a simple mint and lemon detox with infused ginger is a must after a cheat day. I depend a lot on veggies and protein rich diet to keep myself healthy. Fifity minutes of gym is a daily course of life, which includes a lot of cardio, floor exercises and weight training.
Your stress busters
A peaceful evening walk over the shore or pool combined with old classic Hindi songs on my iPod is stress buster to me. And I make sure I stay away from my phone in this me time. Also we as an organisation motivate our employees
CC
tadka
Dangal is a humongous hit in china Aamir Khan starrer Dangal has made over `1100 crore and counting in its China run, which is almost thrice its India collections, making the total worldwide gross of the movie to be `1900 crore (at time of writing). This makes Dangal the most sucessful bollywood movie of all time.
June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 55
Pearls of Wisdom By Dada J P Vaswani
cheerfulness
The New Wonder Drug
Cheerfulness, it is said, is the greatest lubricant of the wheels of life. It diminishes pain, fights disease, mitigates misfortunes, lightens burdens and eases one's life
56 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
An
increasing number of doctors, today, all over the world, are of the view that if a man is happy and light-hearted, cheerful and contented, positive and uncomplaining—isease will not draw close to him and, even if it does, - it will not stay with him for long. "Laughter," says Dr Wilde, "provides a rhythmic movement of the abdominal muscles, gently massages the intestinal organs, improves digestion and blood circulation." In the Harvard and Yale Universities of America and at the UCLA's Neuropsychiatric Institute at West Los Angeles and at several other research institutions, neurobiologists and medical researchers have confirmed that smiling, laughing and cheerful expressions set in motion happy waves in the mind and generate neuropeptides which re-vitalise the immunity system to prevent and fight disease. People who do not think of negative emotions of jealousy, envy and greed are healthier than people who live cloistered, unhappy lives. New clinches and prescriptions given by modern physicians are being displayed in hospitals and clinics. "Laugh your way to health." "Laughter may be hazardous to your illness." "Cheerfulness is the new wonder drug" are some of them. Doctors are of the view that our blood molecules contain receptors, which receive signals from the brain. If a person is happy, contented, the receptors transmit these signals of happiness, and the healing process is accelerated. This is a discovery of modern science: as you laugh more, you grow healthier. Jolly physicians, it is said, are better than pills. Cheerfulness, it is said, is the greatest lubricant of the wheels of life. It diminishes pain, fights disease, mitigates misfortunes, lightens burdens and eases one's life. The example is of a young girl who was brought to
Give a hearty laughter at l e a s t t h r e e t i m e s e v e r y d ay — o n c e b e f o r e b r e a k f a s t, o n c e b e f o r e lunch and once before d i nn e R
the hospital suffering from cancer. When she was being prepared to be taken to the operation theatre, she found the nurses sad and glum. "I know what you are thinking of," she said to the nurses. "But, let me tell you, I am not going to die so soon. God has other plans for me. I have spoken to Him and that is what He has told me." When she was taken to the operation theatre, she kidded the doctors, until she came under the influence of the anaesthetic. The doctors opened her up and found that cancer has spread so extensively that there was no use of performing the operation. They immediately stitched her up. When she regained consciousness, she was told that she has only three to six months to live. She was advised to restrict her movements and live a relaxed, activity-free life. The young woman was not taken in. "I have long cherished a desire to visit Switzerland," she said. "And even if it takes the life out of me, I will do it! Switzerland is said to be a heaven on earth. Before I visit God's heaven, let me see the beauty of the earthly heaven so as to be able to compare the two and decide which is the better one." The doctors did all they could to dissuade her. "The strain of the trip to Switzerland will surely kill you," they said to her. However, when they found the young woman adamant, they said to her, "The climate of Switzerland and the change may do you good, though the strain of the travel may kill you." Both the travel and the climate did her good. When she set out on the travel, she had to be taken in a wheel chair; when she returned, she walked with a straight gait, with a rose-tint on her cheeks. The doctors were amazed. Till this day she lives a happy life and bears testimony to the fact that if one lives happily, not focusing one's attention on disease and illness—health and strength, vigour and vitality will be ours. It is said there would be no need of so many hospitals if only people could be happy, light-hearted and gay! Cheerfulness has a therapeutic value. I would wish to pass on to you a few practical suggestions on how a person can keep up the spirit of cheerfulness. Practical suggestion No.1 is: Get up in the morning with a smile on your face and the words, "Good morning, Lord!" on your lips. Those words are from the title of the book written by an American businessman, published several years ago. He says, he gets up with these words on his lips, every morning. He has been doing so over a long period and says that by merely doing so, he has added a new dimension to his life. Practical suggestion No.2 is: Always look at the bright side of things. Everything has two sides, the bright and the dark or as I would wish to put it, the bright and the less bright. But it is the way you look at it that matters. Practical suggestion No.3 is: Give a hearty laughter at least three times every day—once before breakfast, once before lunch and once before dinner. If you find it difficult to laugh, look into the mirror and make funny faces. Cheerfulness is indeed a physical, mental and spiritual tonic. June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 57
Bollywood Biz
Movies about the Co
Bollywood is the ultimate escapism. Our movies are larger than life, melodramatic, and highly stylised. But this version of Bollywood, entertaining though it may be, is hardly relatable to the common man. This edition, Corporate Citizen brings you the best movies that relate to the common man in India and the issues faced by him By Neeraj Varty
Dor (2006) Director – Nagesh Kukunoor Starring – Ayesha Takia, Gul Panag Dor is a beautiful and heartwrenching story about how two unique women from different parts of the world come together because of an incident that ties their destinies together. The movie touches upon the pitiful condition of widowed women at the hands of some orthodox sections of society in some pockets of rural India, right from forcing women to adopt a certain outfit of a certain colour, to giving up the even the basic luxuries, like sleeping on a bed. These women have zilch control over their lives and all colour is snatched from them, literally and figuratively. Some of these women are also ‘sold’ to powerful men. The movie makes the audience understand these are very ‘real’ problems and while we have progressed as a country, there are people who are being stripped of their basic rights, we are nowhere close to feeling accomplished.
Peepli Live (2010) Director – Anusha Rizvi Starring – Omkar Das Manikpuri, Raghubir Yadav Our farmers are the most hardworking and yet the most neglected work force of our country. Peepli Live is an offbeat movie that puts another pressing problem right in the middle of the plot – farmer suicides, government policies,
58 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
corruption and vote bank politics. The story is set in the village of Peepli, where Natha and Budhia face the threat of losing their land over an unpaid bank loan. Hoping for some respite, they approach a local politician who makes a mockery of them. He suggests they commit suicide since government policy grants monetary assistance to families of those farmers who commit suicide. Peepli life astutely portrays the apathy that the country feels for farmers and their problems.
mmon Man
Antardwand (2007) Director – Sushil Rajpal Starring – Raj Singh Chaudhary, Swati Sen Antardwand is a film, which won the National Film Award for Best Film on social issues at the 2009 National Awards. It was only after the award that PVR pictures decided to distribute the movie commercially. The movie was based on groom kidnappings that take place in Bihar. Eligible bachelors are abducted by a bride’s family and forcefully married so that they can avoid paying dowry to the groom’s family. Groom kidnapping cases registered a surge after a period that marked in the exponential rise in cases of women being mistreated by her in-laws and husband because of their ever-growing hunger for monetary gifts from the bride’s family after marriage as well. Dowry is an unfortunate part of Indian weddings that has surprisingly carried on in this day and age. Even educated families indulge in this system, putting a price depending on the standing of the family; dowry is often masked as “gifts”.
Well Done Abba! (2009) Director – Shyam Benegal Starring – Boman Irani, Minissha Lamba Well Done Abba! Won the National Award in ‘social cause’ category in the year 2009. Directed by the legendary Shyam Benegal, The movie is about a driver, Armaan Ali, who takes leave to go looking for a husband for his daughter. What follows is a series of events that turn his leave into a two-months long experience right from someone stealing his ‘well’ to being arrested. Wrapping in strong social messages, it is a socio-political satire about a common man’s fight for justice against an all-pervasive corrupt system. Corruption has plagued the entire pyramid of our system, the movie puts it across and how citizens have to jump hoops for what is rightfully theirs. The common man is always left at the mercy of individuals who want their palms greased. neeraj.varty07@gmail.com June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 59
Mobile apps
Best Apps to help you
Fooducate
One of the hassles of trying to lose weight is knowing what food is actually good for you to eat. With Fooducate, you can learn more about healthy foods and instantly see if foods are good for you by scanning a barcode with your iPhone or Android. You can scan barcode using the camera on your smartphone and see a grade for the food you are considering buying or eating. Forget trying to decipher the nutritional content based on a small area on the back of the box and look at a grade that will help you make smart decisions. You can also ask questions in the Fooducate community to learn about healthy foods.
lose weight Obesity is no longer a first world problem. India has the dubious distinction of being the third most obese country in the world, and the problem is only getting worse. Losing weight is not just good for your health; it also rejuvenates the mind and makes you feel more energetic. This edition, Corporate Citizen brings you the best free apps to help you shed those extra kilos By Neeraj Varty
Pact
Pact is a free app that keeps you on track to work out, eat more veggies or log your food by putting money on the line. You choose how much to put on each Pact that you make. If you perform the tasks you promise to do, you will earn money with the app - from `50 to `300 a week. But if you don't keep the pact, the app will debit your bank account for the money you put on the pact. You can start with a small amount, or up the stakes to keep yourself motivated to eat more veggies, work out or just log your food. If you use this app right, it can pay for your gym membership or help you save up for a new gadget or fitness accessory.
Lose it
Lose It is a free weight loss app for iPhone and Android that helps you achieve sustainable healthy weight loss. This tool includes an app as well as a website so you can see your information on your computer as well. Lose It helps you create a personalised weight loss plan with goals that include a goal weight as well as total wellness and fitness. The app also includes access to a verified food database that helps you track your calories with easy searching or add custom foods and you can share recipes. Lose It connects to other apps like RunKeeper, Nike+ and a variety of devices and scales to help you track all of your fitness data easily and intelligently.
Diet hero
If you don't want to count calories, there is an interesting alternative that turns this activity from something you do after you eat, to a meal planning style approach that is proactive. You tell Diet Hero what foods you like and what foods you have, and the app will tell you how much to eat and what to eat. If you only have a few things handy at home, the app can adjust to that so you don't need to scramble to find something that may not be as healthy. If something doesn't sound good, you can choose to swap it out and the app will intelligently swap a protein for a protein and a carb for a carb. With the info you share, including height, weight, gender, the amount of weight you want to lose and how fast, the app will tell you what to eat and how much to eat so that you can meet your goals.
neeraj.varty07@gmail.com 60 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
Claps & Slaps Corporate Citizen Claps for the unique endeavour called ‘Human Library’ pioneered in India for the first time at the IIM Indore campus in 2016 and later by Harshad Fad, founder of Human Library Hyderabad (HLH), who promotes ‘live human books’ in his catalogue as an idea that can bring about a life-changing experience for both the books (human narrator) and the reader (listener) Here’s community story telling with a twists—Harshad with his peers from the Annapurna International School of Film and Media spearheads this live ‘human book’ concept. Grandparents have been replaced by ‘real human protagonists’ who rely on the gift of the gab to entice readers to connect and ‘read’ their stories with them. A catalogue listing of human books such as ‘A Man’s Journey to the Epitome of Grace’, the experiences of a male dancer who impersonates as a woman, might sound ordinary and predictable as any book title but when narrated by the author or woven as an interactive tale and not through the written words but through ‘live’ conversations, adds on a new appeal to the experience of storytelling. The narrator-author who reveals and shares a part of his experiences does as so as a ‘human book’ that brings in the ‘human factor’ between the reader (listener) and the narrator (author) on live premises. Human book titles—the likes of; ‘Chains of Freedom’, the tales of a traveller who wants nations freed of borders and Life in Olive Green, the stories of an army man et.al., brings in volunteers as human books and participants who are free to choose a book and ‘read’ them. The aim is to address certain issues by initiating conversations, as a habit, which is on the brink of extinction. Founder, Harshad Fad, of HLH, began his journey when he stumbled upon an internet meme that suggested the idea of a human library. He eventually convinced a couple of his friends about the need to have conversations and understand each other, especially in a pluralistic and democratic set-up like India. Being a human book helped Harshad too. “The idea is inspired from personal experiences as well. Conversations have helped me come out of my prejudices,” he said. HLH is like any other library but here books are replaced by humans. It consists of librarians, books and readers. Booklovers go through a catalogue and borrow one of the living books for a conversation. The catalogue has names that the people choose for themselves, with a small introduction. One can have a conversation for up to 20 minutes with the chosen ‘human book’. The group’s first initiative, in March, was a huge success with ten human books from diverse backgrounds telling their intriguing stories for an audience of more than 80 readers.
Corporate Citizen slaps the shades of racist hues that most Indians harbour and the sophisticated ‘tolerant layers’ do rip off as it did for former parliamentarian Tarun Vijay who called south Indians “black people” on international television recently Ironically, his counter statement to salvage situation was made to prove that Indians are not racists and that we do co-exist with our ‘not so fair-skinned’ brethrens! His tweet—“In many parts of the nation we have different people, in colour and never ever we had any discrimination against them. My words perhaps were not enough to convey this. Feel bad; really feel sorry, my apologies to those who feel I said different than what I meant.” But, the stance taken by veteran DMK leader TKS Elangovan was surprisingly astonishing when he responded to the comment saying that not all south Indians were “black”; emphasising that the late J Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi were fair skinned. Was he trying to fight the Indian anti-dark skin syndrome by trying to say that “South Indians too are fair?” The Indian fixation for the ‘fair and lovely’ has been confronted enough in recent times where celebrity endorsements for fairness creams have now been shamed by all. While the rest of the country was unanimous in expressing disgust and shock at Vijay’s statement, which did embarrass him and pushed him to apologise. The Tamil Nadu DMK leader, however, merely found the statement funny but not objectionable at all. His attitude perhaps also highlights the fact that there might be a stigma attached to ‘dark-skin’ individuals even in South India. It is in fact quite the norm in Tamil movies; where the joke is almost always on ‘dark skin’—comedians, and even the main leads, often make fun of the dark skin and many a times the rebuke is on them too! Did you know that that all matrimonial columns in South Indian newspapers had in the recent past endorsed ‘wheatish complexion’ as a necessary fulfilment for selecting a bride? But, despite awareness campaigns to shoot down the ‘fair skin’ mentality, faux pas by public figures just go on to reiterate how ‘skin deep’ the Indian fixation is for a fair skin tone-a mark in the mind of racial superiority, is it? (Compiled by Sangeeta Ghosh Dastidar) June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 61
Dr (Col) A Balasubramanian
From The Mobile
Enrich the lives of others There was a farmer who grew excellent quality corn. Every year he won the award for the bestgrown corn. One year, a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbours. “How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbours when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked. “Why sir…?,” said the farmer, “Didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbours grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbours grow good corn.” So is with our lives... Those who want to live meaningfully and well must help enrich the lives of others, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all... Call it a principle of success... Call it a law of life. The fact is, none of us truly wins until we all win!
62 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
How to raise a Daughter I just read this story on how a daughter was raised and decided to share. My dad always sounds it in my ears "Simi, you must be tough. Being girlish and being ladylike is not an excuse for weakness". This, he still says to me and my sisters till this very day. All the children were raised to do the ‘masculine’ as well as the ‘feminine’ tasks. My sisters and I started winding a 15KVA generator as soon as we got one; I learnt how to wash a car (from inside also) before the age of 16. I started learning driving immediately after secondary school. My dad told me that before he allows me drive out independently, that I must learn to change car tyres. I remember my dad saying to me, "If you are driving on a lonely highway and you need to change your tyre, what would you do? You will have to get down and change it... that's the common sense thing to do. It's a survival skill for drivers.
My brother?
He started washing the dishes as soon as he could reach the sink and handle the dishes. He started cooking simple meals before the age of 10. He started washing his socks and underwears before the age of seven. He started handling his laundry before the age of 11, when he had to go to boarding school. In my house, the rule was (still is) that anyone who eats must be able to get involved in the kitchen, when required. My father tells me I can be the president, not first lady. There is nothing wrong with being a first lady, but there's also nothing wrong with being the husband of the president. Thus, if you tell your son that he can be the president, you should also tell your daughter that she can also be the president. The hidden but significant psychology
The hidden but significant psychology behind this is that telling your daughter that she can be the president, pushes her to be great, while telling her that she can be a first lady, pushes her to aspire to marry a great man
behind this is that telling your daughter that she can be the president, pushes her to be great, while telling her that she can be a first lady pushes her to aspire to marry a great man, and probably reduces the needed inspiration to aspire to exercise her maximum potentials. We need not teach our girls to believe that the best they can be is to exist under the success of a man, their husbands. It is disfavour to humanity to raise your son with the impression that he is better than other females... Raise your daughters to understand that they are not inferior to males. Teach your sons to be as domesticated as your daughters, and push your daughters to attain financial independence as much as you push your sons. This way, we will raise a less entitled and more responsible generation, equipped with all vital survival skills, and with less handicaps. Charity begins at home, not in the offices or work places. And equality begins at home.
Right to criticise A teacher was writing table of 5 on the board: 5X1=3 5X2=10 5X3=15 5X4=20 5X5=25 5X6=30 5X7=35 5X8=40 5X9=45 5X10=50 After writing, she turned back towards students and found that everybody was laughing at her. On asking the reason for laugh, couple of students got up and told: Ma’am - first line of the table is wrong…It should be 5
Hearing this, teacher explained, “I wrote the first line wrong on purpose, because I wanted you to learn something important. This was for you to learn how the real world will treat you. I wrote nine correct lines but nobody congratulated me but one mistake and everybody pointed at it. Moral: The world will never appreciate billion right things you do but will criticise for one wrongdoing. Therefore, never ever get disheartened if somebody criticises you. Take it positively and rise above all criticisms.
The Atheist and the Bear An atheist was taking a walk through the woods, 'What majestic trees! What powerful rivers! What beautiful animals!’ he said to himself. As he continued walking alongside the river, he heard a rustling in the bushes. Turning to look, he saw a 7-foot grizzly bear charging towards him. He ran as fast as he could up the path. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that the bear was closing in on him. His heart was pumping frantically and he tried to run even faster. He tripped and fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but saw the bear raising his paw to take a swipe at him. At that instant the atheist cried out, 'Oh my God!' Time stopped. The bear froze. The forest was silent. It was then that a bright light
shone upon the man and a voice came out of the sky saying, 'You deny my existence for all of these years, teach others I don't exist and even credit creation to a cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?' The atheist looked directly into the light. 'It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps, could you make the bear a Christian?' 'Very well, 'said the voice. The light went out, and the sounds of the forest resumed. And then the bear lowered his paw, bowed his head and spoke: 'Lord, bless this food which I am about to receive and for which I am truly thankful, amen.'
June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 63
astroturf and love peak until the 21st; love is found everywhere beyond your comfort zone and perhaps meeting up with foreigners can be more alluring. Mercury is out of bounds from 18th—love seems happy.
Aries
Mar 21 April 20
Greatest days:18, 19, 26, 27 Hectic days:24, 25, 30 Honey days:20, 21, 28, 29, 30 Money days:20, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30 Profession days:19, 27 Health needs extra attention as it may become delicate after the 21st. You need to think of holistic ways to re-energise yourself rather than the traditional way. Social connection is always important for you, financially.
TAURUS April 21 May 20
Greatest days:20, 21, 28, 29 Hectic days:26, 27 Honey days:20, 21, 28, 29 Money days:22, 23, 24, 30 Profession days:19, 27 By the 21st, your short-term financial goals will be achieved. After which your focus shifts towards intellectual ideas, interests and communications. You follow the dictates that money is only a means to an end not the purpose of life.
GEMINI May 21 June 21
Greatest days:22, 23, 30 Hectic days:16, 28, 29 Honey days:20, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30 Money days:22, 23, 24, 25, 30 Profession days:16, 24, 25 Last month on the 20th, you entered your yearly personal pleasure peaks. This continues until the 21st of this month. This is a period of self-indulgence for catering to your emotional well-being.
CANCER June 22 July 23
Greatest days:16, 24, 25 Hectic days:18, 19, 30 Honey days:19, 20, 21, 27, 28, 29 Money days:22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 30 Profession days:16, 18, 19, 24, 25 Your financial intuition still
(www.dollymanghat.com)
Fortune favours the bold and the lucky
Your attitude is your altitude, says Dolly Manghat, our renowned Astrological expert and believes she helps people create their own prophecies rather than live predictions needs to be monitored, continue to explore your spiritual economics. You will experience much revelation in terms of finance. This is one of the most fruitions time for you of the year.
LEO
July 24 Aug 23
Greatest days:18, 19, 26, 27 Hectic days:20, 21 Honey days:19, 20, 21, 27, 28, 29 Money days:22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30 Profession days:20, 21, 28, 29 Your personal happiness and selfinterests are more important than anything or anyone. Take responsibility of your own happiness and make the changes that need to be made. Finances remain status quo.
VIRGO
Aug 24 Sept 23
Greatest days:20, 21, 28, 29 Hectic days:16, 22, 23 Honey days:16, 20, 21, 24, 25, 28, 29 Money days:20, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30 Profession days:22, 23, 24 The financial planet position in your 9th house is the luckiest of all houses which is another positive financial indicator. Your judgement in regards to finances is very sound, use your intuition. You will want to be adventurous.
64 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
LIBRA
Sept 24 Oct 22
Greatest days:22, 23, 30 Hectic days:18, 19, 24, 25 Honey days:16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30 Money days:20, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30 Profession days:24, 25 The Sun and Mercury will enter on the 21st, the New Moon of the 24th will also occur in your 10th house; so this becomes a powerful career period and progress can be made. Health needs attention after the 21st.
SCORPIO Oct 23 Nov 22
Greatest days:16, 24, 25 Hectic days:20, 21, 26, 27 Honey days:20, 21, 28, 29 Money days:22, 23, 30 Profession days:24, 26, 27 Great month for tax and estate planning if you are in that appropriate stage and age. Good time for negotiating credit or refinancing debit. Health remains good all month.
SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 Dec 22
Greatest days:18, 19, 26, 27 Hectic days:16, 22, 23, 28, 29 Honey days:20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29 Money days:19, 22, 23, 27, 30 Profession days:24, 28, 29 Since you are still in your social
CAPRICORN Dec 23 Jan 20
Greatest days:20, 21, 28, 29 Hectic days:18, 19, 24, 25, 30 Honey days:20, 21, 24, 25, 28, 29 Money days:19, 22, 23, 27, 30 Profession days:20, 21, 28, 29, 30 Freshness is the key word in your exercise and diet regime. It is important to maintain a positive mood. Good family relations will also be important as emotional well-being contributes to a healthy living.
AQUARIUS Jan 21 Feb19
Greatest days:22, 23, 30 Hectic days:20, 21, 26, 27 Honey days:20, 21, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29 Money days:16, 22, 23, 24, 25, 30 Profession days:20, 21, 28, 29 Cultivate social graces and indulge in some networking. For the next few months it will be more difficult to make changes in conditions and circumstances of your life. The mind is not getting what it wants.
PISCES
Feb 20 Mar 20
Greatest days:16, 24, 25 Hectic days:22, 23, 28, 29 Honey days:20, 21, 24, 25, 28, 30 Money days:16, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 30 Profession days:22, 23, 30 There will be much progress and insights occurring this month. You will earn money or find financial opportunity as you are having fun. Speculations are more favourable this month too. 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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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
June 16-30, 2017 / Corporate Citizen / 65
the last word
Ganesh Natarajan
Dealing with Rock Stars and Arrogance! What is it that gives some people the arrogance to take so many people for granted?
T
he news of the fortnight has of course been Justin Bieber. The young star who shot his way to the top of the charts was set to take India by storm on the strength of huge pre-event publicity and unprecedented hype. Youngsters from Mumbai, Pune and various parts of the country robbed their parents’ piggy banks to find the tens of thousands of rupees demanded to watch the rock idol in action. The post event news was as usual full of superlatives and cheesy statements by the stadium audiences. But then as columnist Shobhaa De called it, the after taste of the concert became that of a stale samosa as news broke out that Bieber had committed the cardinal sin of lip syncing his way, not through a song or two, but the entire concert. Some reports have it that the star was so inconsiderate that on one occasion, he even went and had a drink of water while the microphones belted out one of his popular numbers! What is it that gives some people the arrogance to take so many people for granted? Is it the assumption that when one’s status becomes very exalted, there will be easy forgiveness forthcoming from the fans, which may well be the case with Biebermania in India? Or is it that like the great Winston Churchill, some Western
stars feel justified in reserving all courtesies for their home audiences and viewing any other country as lesser mortals who should stay content with the crumbs they are served? Either way, a resurgent and proud nation like India should not stand for this atrocious behaviour and agents who make such events happen should forsake their normally obsequious behaviour and be clear to wannabe performers about the firstrate expectations of our first-rate audiences! It’s not that all stars are equally uncaring! Ten years ago, I saw “The Boss” Bruce Springsteen extend his concert by over half an hour because of the extraordinary rapport he built with his audience at the wonderful Staples stadium in Los Angeles, USA. And just a few years ago, Lady Gaga wowed a packed audience in Cape Town, singing every song for an audience of mixed backgrounds and colours (black, white and khaki), belting out all our favourite songs with her irreverent and amusing patter in between. And can one ever imagine an Asha Bhosle or Jagjit Singh resorting to a lip sync performance? On the contrary, it is their ability to get into the mood and rhythm of their audience and
66 / Corporate Citizen / June 16-30, 2017
improvise (ever heard Jagjit do Aahista Aahista live?) their way into the hearts of their audiences! Having said that, one sees mixed attitudes in our cricketers for sure. I still recall the inauguration of a computer education centre in JP Nagar, Bengaluru that had been franchised to cricketer Javagal Srinath. Sri himself has always been the model of humility and approachability and Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble have always been willing to collaborate for the cause of youth. Sri invited the entire Indian team who were in town that
Life and work are meant to be enjoyed, not subjugated to the despicable behaviour of anybody, be they rock stars, celebrities or corporate bosses week to the inauguration centre and seeing some of the stars, the young kids in the centre naturally wanted to pose for photos. Sadly, one of our superstars who I shall not name flatly refused, saying his agent would not permit unpaid photos. And these were the days before the super popularity of WhatsApp and Facebook, where there would have been little chance of any photograph finding its way anywhere except the pages of a family photo album. Similarly, there are some top CEOs who refuse to sign an autograph book for a young fan, saying they do not want to waste time to meet multiple people who might follow, emboldened by the first signature.
To balance this, of course there are many industry leaders like NASSCOM Chairman Raman Rao, Thermax Chair and SVP Pune CoChair Meher Pudumjee and even Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha who have time for a word and a thoughtful response to any query or suggestion! For young readers of this column, what is the message one can give on the way to conduct oneself irrespective of status or position? Most of us will have enough role models to look up to, possibly parents or relatives or in some cases friends or acquaintances who rise up through sheer hard work and intellect with no family name or influence to get them where they do. These are the people who will invariable exhibit humility and go out of their way to support and encourage colleagues and juniors. These are the people to emulate, not high profile CEOs or owners who exhibit arrogance and rude behaviour or, in the words of one of my philosopher friends “harbour a huge inferiority complex that manifests itself as a superiority complex.” And when confronted with such behaviour, the best response is not to react either aggressively or through unnecessary obsequiousness but to focus on one’s work and demonstrate capability through results rather than reactions or responses. Life and work are meant to be enjoyed, not subjugated to the despicable behaviour of anybody, be they rock stars, celebrities or corporate bosses! Dr. Ganesh Natarajan is Chairman of 5F World, Pune City Connect & Social Venture Partners, Pune.
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