MMA-KAS Business Mandate (Dec 2023)

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CONTENTS

EDITOR Gp Capt R Vijayakumar ﴾Retd﴿, VSM

READERSHIP OUTREACH Gp Capt Dr R Venkataraman ﴾Retd﴿

Sundar R Vakeeswari M DESIGN D Rajaram, Tayub Refai

MADRAS MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION Management Center, New No.240 Pathari Road, ﴾Off Anna Salai﴿, Chennai 600 006 Ph:044‐2829 1133 / Email:mma@mmachennai.org | mandate@mmachennai.org | www.facebook.com/mmachennai

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EDITORIAL

Gp Capt R Vijayakumar (Retd), VSM

Breaking Boundaries: The Rise of Innovation in Emerging Economies

I

ndia

today

is

witnessing

tremendous

Member of the Group Executive Board at Mahindra &

transformation. What we need now is a coherent

Mahindra Ltd. I am delighted to present an article based

vision for the future. As a nation, we must do today

on his address in this issue along with an embedded

what others might do in the future. India must reimagine itself as a nation of discoverers and innovators. The eternal tussle between quantity and

video.

China and the Emerging World Order

quality has been a subject of debates in various fields,

The recent Sino-US summit between Xi Jinping and

including innovation. This dichotomy is particularly

Joe Biden in Chicago has raised eyebrows across the

relevant in the context of innovation, especially when

world. However, expectations are low due to the deep-

considering the role of patents. However, the sheer number of patents filed does not necessarily reflect true innovation. The ultimate goal for the nation is, to



Chinese exports are facing pressure as growth in

foster a culture of innovation.

In this context, MMA organized the Dr. KCG Verghese Endowment Lecture on the theme "Innovation in Emerging Markets" by Mr. Velusamy R, PresidentAutomotive Technology and Product Development & BUSINESS MANDATE

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developed countries slows, and there is a trend toward reshoring.

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

Governments worldwide are advocating for ‘right‐to‐repair’ to reduce waste and promote a circular economy.

Governments worldwide are advocating for ‘rightto-repair’ to reduce waste and promote a circular economy. In 2021, the European Union passed legislation on mandatory rights to repair, with the United States following suit in July 2021. The UK also

seated differences between the US and China over trade, Taiwan, and human rights. The Chinese economy is slowing down, with expectations of growth at 5% and 4.2% in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Between 1982 and 2022, China grew by an impressive 9.2% per year.

Chinese exports are facing pressure as growth in developed countries slows, and there is a trend toward reshoring. The US, in particular, is exploring alternative sourcing destinations beyond China. Does the summit signify that Biden has extended not just an olive branch but much more, perhaps a lifeline, to a leader whom the US and the rest of the West want the world to believe was sinking?

has a similar policy in place. We hope that India will soon follow suit in embracing this sustainable approach.

Infrastructure Development: A Comprehensive Approach to Risk Management The sigh of relief that swept through India was almost palpable as news broke of the rescue of 41 workers who were trapped in a tunnel blocked by a cave-in on November 12, 2023, during the boring process. Swings of hope and despair ended in jubilation as the last obstacles were cleared, and a horizontal passage finally opened to the chamber where they survived on piped supplies. Not only does the nation owe gratitude to them, but the successful extraction

In this context, MMA is organizing an online

also upholds our prestige as a country capable of

seminar on the theme "China and the Emerging World

mobilizing resources to overcome challenges full of

Order" on December 8, 2023, featuring a galaxy of

uncertainty. The tunnel collapse in Uttarakhand should

eminent speakers sharing their insights on this highly

compel us to insist that various risks associated with

relevant theme in today's environment. Click to view

infrastructure projects are appropriately mitigated right

the invitation and join us online to watch it live, gaining

from their planning stage.

a deeper understanding of China.

India's Right to Repair Policy and its Business Implications

A Glimmer of Hope The Israel-Hamas deal to release hostages and Palestinian prisoners in return for a pause in fighting

The government is considering to replace the "Use

offers much-needed humanitarian relief to the 2.3

and Throw" design philosophy of products with a "Right

million people in the Gaza Strip. However, sadly, the

to Repair" framework, a concept that could disrupt the

deal is far from a guarantee that fighting will not

way businesses operate. The Ministry of Consumer

resume with the same intensity or worse. A solution is

Affairs unveiled this idea in June 2022 and has set up

required at the earliest to permanently end this cycle

a committee to prepare the framework. If implemented,

of violence. We hope Hamas realizes that the cycle of

it is likely to force companies to tweak their business

violence it initiated only serves to further devastate the

models.

lives of Palestinians. In this context, MMA organized an

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event on the theme "Gaza Demystified" in November



This is an opportunity for Indians to lead with AI. As the

2023 at MMA. We are presenting an article on this thought-provoking discussion with an embedded video

chair of the Global Partnership

for your information.

on AI, India must seize its

AI Race for Supremacy

opportunity...

In recent years, India has taken a lead in digital adoption and innovation. The adoption of AI holds the potential to revolutionize various sectors of the Indian economy. AI is fast emerging as a co-pilot, working alongside humans to assist in complex or routine tasks, freeing them from drudgery for more creative problemsolving. For India, this presents a unique opportunity to unlock the creative potential of its young workforce to solve pressing challenges faced by industry and society. This is an opportunity for Indians to lead with

starting as the favourites. Cricket is, after all, a game of chance too! Sportsmanship is of immense importance both on and off the field. In that sense, India is an equal winner. To lift your spirits, we are presenting an article on the talk organized by MMA on the theme "Cricket World Cup 2023 - Management Lessons for Success."

Click to read or watch the video.

AI. As the chair of the Global Partnership on AI, India

I am also delighted to present to you, in this edition,

must seize its opportunity to assume a key role in

articles on "Planet First," "Profit with Purpose" and

designing a global governance framework for AI and

"Doctor Thiruvalluvar on Health Management" for your

forging a consensus on it.

reading pleasure. MMA has planned a number of

In this context, MMA is organizing a series of thought-provoking lectures by international speakers on AI. Please block your diary to watch these insightful sessions:

2023 and January 2024. Click to view the calendar of MMA events and block your diary to watch them.

As always, we would be happy to hear your views, comments and suggestions.

•December 4, 2023

- "Demystifying AI"

•December 18, 2023

- "Challenges with AI & ML Technology"

•December 21, 2023

interesting and thought-provoking events in December

Merry Christmas, Happy reading!

- "AI for Business"

I am also delighted to present to you the transcript of the article based on the event on "The Professional's Handbook to ChatGPT" organized by MMA for your reading pleasure. Alternatively, watch the video and get inspired.

End of a Dream Run India came up short against Australia despite BUSINESS MANDATE

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What is the innovative mindset of a CEO? Innovation can happenin multiple ways: It can be a sustained innovation, incremental innovation, or disruptive innovation. Mr. Velusamy R, President of Automotive Technology and Product Development, and Member of the Group Executive Board, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., speaks on M&M’s innovation journey at the Dr. K.C.G. Verghese Endowment Lecture held recently.

I

nnovation is the need of the hour. All of us

made the biggest blunder of his life. If ordinary

innovate. When my father was ploughing the field,

scientists like Hubble can discover something great, you

I never realized the plough was an innovation. With

and I can also discover. That's exactly what Steve Jobs

a combination of wood and a steel frame, he could

did. He combined the phone, the music system, and the

plough the field. When such a development is used for

camera system and made a hefty profit from the Apple

business purposes, to solve larger problems of society,

iPhones.

and to make an organization profitable, we call it innovation. For me, invention and innovation are one and the same. Discovery follows these two.

Innovations have happened over the years, starting with the telephone and followed by electricity, radio, color TV, microwave oven, and cell phones. We also

Albert Einstein wrote the equation for gravity. He

witnessed the birth of Facebook, the internet, and many

said that gravity is not a force. The way you fall down

other things. You create a business and by the time you

is caused by the curvature of space-time. He assumed

reach the peak of it, it starts falling down. You have to

that the universe was constant. That was in 1915.

continuously innovate; otherwise, you will not sustain

Everybody thought the universe was constant and there

the business and you will not be able to make a value

was no accelerated expansion of the universe. Edwin

proposition. Innovations have been an integral part of

Hubble, an experimentalist, went to California, set up

human civilization from time immemorial - whether it

a telescope, and was looking at it. He found out that the

is to solve problems, improve the quality of life, satisfy

universe was not only expanding but accelerating much

curiosity, gain a competitive edge, or leave a legacy. The

beyond the speed of light. That was a discovery. The

CEOs

next day, Einstein went there and physically saw that

Blockbuster, Xerox, IBM, and Sony lost valuable

experiment. He immediately acknowledged that he had

businesses because they did not listen to the ground

of

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Kodak,

BlackBerry,

Nokia,

Hummer,

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

It's not about technology or

of button technology. It is said that Steve Jobs broke

competency or capital. It is the

that button phone and said, “If we develop a touchscreen, Plan A or Plan B or Plan C–everything should be

shift that is happening with

touch-screen only.” That is the innovative mindset of a

customers that really matters

CEO.

the most.

Price and Willingness to Buy

and to their customers. It's not about technology or competency or capital. It is the shift that is happening with customers that really matters the most. Unless you incorporate that change and reflect it in your system, process, competencies, and culture, you are not going to produce a different form of output. Nokia did not realize the importance of software. Blackberry thought that their buttons were the best things. They did not realize that customers did not want buttons. Your best product or feature could turn out to be the enemy number one for your growth. When Steve Jobs wanted his team to develop the touch-phone, in one of the design meetings, his Chief Designer said that if the touch-screen technology did not work, he had a plan B 12

DECEMBER 2023

On the price front, if a customer is willing to pay $1000 for your product, your price should be $700. The gap of $300 is the motivation for the customer to buy the product and stick with you. If the price and the willingness to pay are almost the same, when competition improves the product with an incremental innovation, you will lose the market. It will lead to a dogfight between you and your competitor and you cannot survive in that market. Blockbuster did not realize that its customers were moving to Netflix. In the Blockbuster model, a customer had to take his car to go to the shop, pay in advance and take the cassette, go home and view it. If he did not return it in time, he had to pay a fine. They thought their business model was

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 very solid. People fed them with such data. Netflix used

We realized that it is not the lack of technology perfection

the internet to screen movies. People could watch them from their homes. Its revenue moved from 65 million

that led to the failure of the

to 65 billion dollars while Blockbuster crashed from 8.4

missions. It is the culture of the

billion to 8 million. Netflix listened to the customers.

organization that makes all the

As a CEO, you must listen to the customer and

difference.

understand their pain points. The day you lose the voice of the customer, you will stop innovating.

You can do innovation in multiple ways. You can keep on doing sustained innovation. That means the innovation accelerates in the beginning, like iPhones.

Later, it is the brand that carries the sales rather than

can win you business. It's about knowing what the customer wants.

M&M’s Innovation Journey

the innovation. You have incremental innovation. You

At Mahindra, we were really struggling from 2012

can also come with very disruptive innovations like

to 2020. We made three or four products. We made

what was done by Netflix. This too will stabilize, beyond

Marazzo and XUV300. We wanted 10,000 per month

a point. Whichever zone you are in, you have to keep

volume but didn't get it quite right. So we went back to

listening to the customers and keep watching what is

the table. We studied NASA. We studied the Challenger

happening in the marketplace.

space shuttle failure, Columbia space shuttle failure,

At Tesla, Elon Musk was determined to do something. He is a software engineer who wanted to build a car. He's not an automobile engineer who built a software car. He had not seen a manufacturing line.

So he asked, “Why are you putting all the sheet metals and so many parts? Remove all these, have software and provide a display. Let everything be controlled by

the Apollo 13 mission and the success of Apollo 11. We got insights. We made movies. NASA is a brilliant organization. It is a hallmark of innovations but it has failures. We realized that it is not the lack of technology perfection that led to the failure of the missions. It is the culture of the organization that makes all the difference.

software. I can put a song for a birthday and when the

Whether it is the Air France flight AF447 crash of

person opens the car door on his birthday, the birthday

June 2009 or the Boeing 737 MAX plane crashes, a

song can be played.” That is innovation.

common underlying cause is the organizational culture.

A Tesla car may not be as good as a BMW car but has unique software. The car owners need not take it to the workshop for service. All the software can be updated when the car is parked at home. That's a big difference and a major shift in mindset. The Tesla owner Elon Musk found it out and he applied it. The other car makers were very late to detect it. Again, this suggests that it's not that the technology you possess 14

DECEMBER 2023

We did correction on the culture of listening to customers and removed the silos. Every department exists for customers. Taking Apple Computers example, if the head of the department of the phone buttons realizes that buttons are not needed for the phones, he should be the first person to tell that he will dissolve his department and give it to the touch-phone department.

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Idea is just a form of creativity. It doesn't bring you anything unless you execute it. That's our realization.

We were selling 280 SUVs per month. We launched the new Thar in August 2020. We made a business case to sell 1500 units per month. We opened the booking

top two variants, we could sell only 10%.

The Ducati Award

and the demand was 6000 per month. This SUV had

XUV700 had everything that the customer wanted.

refinement. It had performance in all the areas

Once again, we were listening to the customers. They

—drivability, NVH, handling, music system, fuel

wanted a sunroof. They wanted a stylish headlamp.

economy,

handling.

They wanted to go to a five-star hotel and get out of

Everywhere, we went beyond the hygiene requirements.

this car to say, ‘I have arrived.’ As a proud Indian, they

If we try to perfect two things and miss out three

wanted to have a car and say that it is manufactured by

things, customers will not accept it. Customers pay for

an Indian. They wanted to proudly park their car closer

a vehicle that has everything above hygiene. That is

to BMW, Benz, and Audi. There was patriotism. There

what we did. We listened to the customers. It was the

was a craving for status in them and to declare it to the

Corona period and it took us a year to ramp it up. Now

world. It's not about being arrogant or showing off. It

we have more than 80,000 bookings open. This vehicle,

was just a feeling of self-actualization. This car had all

after three years, is still doing extremely well.

the safety technologies and we had the highest level of

traction,

and

high-speed

As the Chief Engineer, I was directly involved in the making of XUV700. Earlier, we had XUV500 and its sales came down to 1500 per month. We said our target should be 3000. I was given an open cheque. We started this program in 2018. On the fifth of July, I along with my wife went to Rameswaram after sending the budget file to our Kandivali office. As we came out of the temple, I got a call from our office and I was told that the budget was approved. That was the start date. When we came closer to August 15, 2021, we geared up for 3000 per month. But we got 50,000 bookings in just 2 hours and we stopped the bookings. In the first 50 minutes of the bookings, our software stalled because most of the bookings were made in 10 minutes. The

refinement. We struggled and struggled to get to that level. Innovation is the result of very hard work. If you have to prepare yourself for differentiation, you should be prepared for extreme hard work to execute it, once you have an idea of what to do. Idea is just a form of creativity. It doesn't bring you anything unless you execute it. That's our realization. Since then, for the last two years, 10,000 per month is the booking number that we get. It took us two years to increase our production from 5000 to 10,000 per month. This month, we sold about 9700 vehicles. It reveals the belief that the customer has shown in us. XUV700 is a car that got us the Ducati award. I was so proud to receive the award.

next day, we opened it and in the first 10 minutes, once

If you create a product that resonates with the

again we got thousands of bookings. We didn't know

aspirations and trends of the customer, they shower

what to do. We had six variants. 93% of the bookings

you with orders, they stick to you, and they don't run

were for the top two variants. We thought that in the

away from you. But if you don't listen to them, they

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punish you by dragging your sales from billions to

that you expect not to be disturbed. If one company is

millions. The customer is the boss and innovation is

not there, then I have another company. In this format,

your tool. The next car that we worked on is Scorpio. It

you will not have any kind of innovation and willingness

is always a blockbuster. When we opened bookings, in

to listen to the customers. The other leadership style is

30 minutes, we got 100,000 bookings and we stopped

to connect to the people and find out their strengths

the bookings. It still continues and we have 10,000 per

and their purpose in life. If your leader is able to

month. So we have three blockbusters. The only change

connect the job to your purpose, give you a challenging

that we made was the culture. Culture can inspire

assignment and he supports you, you will be inspired.

people. You must give complete freedom to your team,

You will come out with innovation. Inspired people give

with a framework. You have to challenge them. The

more than 200% output. You need to have the right size

team is inspired when they have high levels of support

but you need to have extremely hardworking people.

and high levels of challenge in their work.

That's the formula for innovation.

When I finished my B.Tech, I took up a job, and all

Change is the only constant in life. Dark energy and

I wanted to do was to satisfy my boss—because if I

dark matter are two things behind innovation. Dark

didn’t, I would lose my job. That was 27 years ago. Then

energy is your purpose. If you connect to the purpose,

came the engagement. In this stage, if someone gives

your speed will not be limited even by the speed of

you $30 per hour, you work for nine hours and after

light. It will be limited only by your passion. 

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We have gone from a processing‐limited society to a data‐limited society. Theoretically, if you had infinite data, you could get the machines to learn everything.

Dr Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Hon’ble Minister for Information Technology & Digital Services, Govt of Tamilnadu, was the Chief Guest at the book launch function. The book has been authored

by CA Pattabhi Ram V, public speaker, teacher, and partner, Yoganandh & Ram. .

T

he impact of AI today is remarkable. AI is not

particularly, in medicine and law. I think these two are

a new technology. Large language models have

areas of immediate application. In medicine, I've seen

been around for a long time. This is probably

a few companies that take somebody's coughing into a

the third or fourth coming of AI. But what is different

phone and diagnose if they are affected by TB or some

now, is its sheer capacity to collate and aggregate data;

other respiratory diseases. In the law, it is all about the

an almost infinite capacity to store it and the on-

database. There are engines that can not only aggregate

demand computing power, scalable minute by minute.

previous decisions and show precedents but take it to

We can run almost any kind of analysis we need. This

the next level.

was not possible in the olden days as we couldn't afford to buy the computing power.

The notion of cloud

Precedents influence judgment

computing has really enabled those who need a high

I served on the GST Council. I was on the

amount of computing power, for a short period of time,

subcommittee on horse racing, gaming and casinos. We

to really be able to do things in a cost-effective way.

were discussing how we should tax these. In every

This was simply out of reach, because of the capital

meeting, some three or more precedents would come

investment needed to get that kind of permanent

out of some interested party, that were basically

capacity. AI is already starting to change our lives. Not

conflicting all the precedents we had heard before,

only do students use such aids, but teachers have a tool

through high court or supreme court judgments. This

to check if they have used these kinds of aids, when

notion that precedent sets law and that everybody reads

students submit their assignments. The applications,

every case first, before they write the next judgement

of course, are endless. I often emphasis its use,

has been around. We found it very difficult to do our

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jobs,

because

we

had

at

least

five

different



We have gone from a

interpretations of what was betting, what was gambling,

processing‐limited society to a

was it skill, was it chance, what percentage and what

data‐limited society.

should be the conveyance of value and things like that.

In that sense, the new engines, I'm told, can not only provide precedents but given a judge with a 10 or 15 year track record, they can even tell you which way this judge is likely to rule on a particular case. The amount of processing is infinite. We have gone from a processing-limited society to a data-limited society.

Theoretically, if you had infinite data, you could get the machines to learn everything. But we see limitations

to be infinitely higher. But all that tells you is that you're on a progression that is never going to reverse.

It's a secular trend. The more data there is, the smarter these learning models will become and the more difficult it will be for you to tell what is human and what machine output is.

already. The engines in English are far superior to the

Over time, the number of applications will get wider

ones in the regional languages. There are companies

and wider and deeper and deeper. As the IT Minister,

that try to fill that gap. I read somewhere about

many of the major tech companies come to me. Their

companies in Karnataka, who pay people in rural areas

primary offerings are to automate the notion of a call

to read Kannada or Tamil or Telugu into a machine, so

center or dispute/complaint resolution desk. They

that they can build databases of audio in regional

believe that if we give them enough GOs and case

languages, for the machine to process. The ability of

studies, they can make the machine accept a query and

the machines to learn is still not quite as good as what

give an answer, without the persons on the other side

a human can. So the volume of data required is going

even knowing that it's not a human being that answered

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was Finance Minister, in two years, I processed about

Many jobs are going to be



7000 files. The chief secretary at the time, used to tell

affected by this transition

me that if I was away from the country for more than

—sometimes in bad ways,

a week or 10 days at a time, then the system would

sometimes in good ways.

come to a halt. Because all files go through the finance minister, some way or the other. I've had to change travel plans. Once I came from New York to Chennai for 24 hours, signed files, then went to London and

them. Again, it's easier to do in English and it's harder

attended the Oxford Union debate. I then flew from

to do in Tamil. We're working hard on trying to bridge

there to Melbourne. A human being is needed here to

that gap.

sign these files. Thinking about those files, on many of them I raised queries and that led to substantive

A Minister’s job is safe, for now!

change. It's really hard for me to envision any machine

Many jobs are going to be affected by this transition

being able to make that kind of automated decisions.

—sometimes in bad ways, sometimes in good ways. I'm

So at least for now, I think the job of a Minister is fairly

not personally worried, at least as long as I'm in public

safe. But you never know. Even those jobs may be taken

life, about being replaced by these machines. When I

over by a machine sooner or later. 

Ms Priya Bhansali: The Niti Aayog, in 2018, brought out a paper on artificial intelligence where they stressed

Notes from the Panel Discussion

upon responsible artificial intelligence. Later in 2021, they brought out a paper, again on the principles of CA Pattabhi Ram V: We are living in one of the most

responsible artificial intelligence. They stress upon

amazing periods of world history, a period which is

seven characteristics of artificial intelligence that

pregnant with so many possibilities. Most of us who are

include integrity and risks. Positive human interaction

in our careers still, are extremely fortunate. We see the

is one of the principles of AI brought up by Niti Aayog.

magic of artificial intelligence happen right in front of

The government is not only thinking about artificial

our eyes. Once upon a time, it was just science fiction.

intelligence as such, but on how it can integrate it with

Mr

P.V.Rajarajeswaran:

Nowadays,

government

executives and policymakers are also talking about artificial intelligence and ChatGPT. It is said that there will be a big danger for the chartered accountancy profession if AI/ML and ChatGPT fully come into force.

What is your view about the thinking of our government on artificial intelligence?

positive human relationship. There has not been a lot of history on this, in terms of act or laws. Institutions like the ICMR have brought out guidelines on ethical biomedical research and healthcare. In 2019, Sebi brought out guidelines for inventorising the AI tools used in the capital market by brokers and market players.

The

government,

through

the

national

education policy, is trying to include AI at school level 22

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education. The skill development program of the government also stresses upon it. They provide grants



Now there are also tools to

for institutions that skill people on AI. Europe has

even convert the ChatGPT

brought out an AI Act, which also talks about the risks.

output into a human‐like

It means that programs which are risky will not be

output. So, it is both a boon

permitted to be used in those countries. The laws are

and bane to education sector.

strict there.

~ Dr Anbu Thambi

Mr P V Rajarajeswaran: There are both positives and negatives from ChatGPT. How does it help the education

very powerful option. All these advanced levels came

sector? Does AI disrupt the workplace?

five years back.

Dr Anbu Thambi: AI is nothing but a super powerful

The next super powerful thing which is coming now

word of automation. More than a decade ago, Microsoft

is that the tool can send a voicemail through WhatsApp,

introduced mail merge option. Even today, many of

like the mail merge option. The messages can be

those in the offices don't know how to use it. Then

customised for each person. Because of the cost factor,

many advanced features were introduced in mail merge.

AI has not yet been commercialized. One fine day, it

For instance, as Chartered Accountants, you can use

will become like a commodity and everybody will be

mail merge to send IT returns to thousands of

able to afford these levels of automation. Today, in L&T,

companies, quite easily. The mail merge will pick up

we conduct automated exams and interviews. There are

the return pertaining to a company, based on the email

some standard questions. As we are hiring freshers, we

address and send that return to that company. It is a BUSINESS MANDATE

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have to interview a lakh of people to take in a few

ChatGPT also learns from its experience. It is definitely

candidates. The automated tools gauge exactly like a

a great tool, not only for the small and medium

human. That power has already come into the

enterprises but for all the accounting firms. Some

workplace. On the negative side, you can ChatGPT to

people use very high-level analytical tools. With these

even generate a PhD thesis but you can easily make out

tools, the concept of sampling has gone. In fact,

if the output is from ChatGPT. Now there are also tools

auditing standard itself should undergo a change. You

to even convert the ChatGPT output into a human-like

can now do a complete analysis of the population itself.

output. So, it is both a boon and bane to education

So why do you need sampling and materiality? There is

sector.

now more responsibility on the auditors to report on

Mr P V Rajarajeswaran: From the deliberations of the Court, I have a feeling that some of the judgments are also written taking cues from ChatGPT. How will ChatGPT help small and medium chartered accountancy firms to make audit programs and to prepare audit checklists?

fraud. Using artificial intelligence is the only way to make sure that we identify those red flags and address them.

Mr P V Rajarajeswaran: How does ChatGPT affect the younger generation? What is your advice to them?

Mr. Ganesh Balakrishnan: The younger generation

Mr. Ganesh Balakrishnan: As Chartered Accountants,

wants to pick up things which are already available. If

we need to have the basic knowledge of accounting and

it is not available, you need to invest in that knowledge.

auditing. That's where we need to start with. ChatGPT

The good part about them is that they are smart.

is an assistant. It will give you a list of information. You

They're smarter than the last generation. The next

have to compare and check that information with the

generation will be much smarter than that. But what is

technical library or the information that you have.

important is that your fundamentals must be strong.

That's number one.

That's all you need. You can use a simulator and drive

As far as checklists are concerned, the ICAI themselves have come out with a lot of checklists and documentation. But when you go for a client meeting and you want all these information to be captured, ChatGPT can play a major role. You can use ChatGPT

a car or an aeroplane. But when I give you the car to drive, would you drive it on the road or on the pedestrians or anybody else? That's what becomes very important.

The younger generations are in the prime age of

to generate many questions that the client may ask and

technology.

to get probable answers for those questions. Many

fundamentals of technology before they apply it. The

companies now use drone technologies to do inventory

youngsters have less patience. They want more money

verifications. This is possible, only when you have a

and want to convert everything in no time. They want

good system in place. When we use such technology,

to conquer everything. But at the same time, they must

the error of judgment is very minimal.

Just as

be more knowledgeable with their wisdom. After all, a

technology has evolved, humans have also evolved.

technology gets obsolete. So, my suggestion to the

Though there are tools available, it's important for all

young generation is: invest in technology, learn

of us to use them rightly. Learning is continuous.

technology but be strong on your fundamentals. 

24

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But

they

need

to

understand

the

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Sustainability cannot be achieved without responsible environmental practices. At the MMA All‐India Management Student Convention, speakers highlighted businesses that have successfully integrated eco‐ conscious strategies into their operations, from green supply chains to waste reduction initiatives. They shared practical steps to reduce the carbon footprint and promote eco‐friendly practices.

and came into force in 1950, was in some ways, quite prescient. Article 48A of the Constitution mandates that the state shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment. Thus, in many ways, the Constitution of India predates some of the later documents that have come over the course of the last 10 or 20 years when we've become increasingly aware of the dangers to our planet. We've had a number of legislations that have

Mr Suhrith Parthasarathy

come into force, like the Water Act, the Air Act, the

Advocate & Policy Commentator

T

Environmental Protection Act and several others, each

here is an urgent need for corporations and businesses to be eco-conscious. With respect to that urgent need, I'd like to focus on the

legal and ethical standpoint and bring my own experience as a practicing lawyer in our courts.

of which seeks to broadly ensure that industries operate in a manner that is environmentally sustainable.

Favouring Business Interests Apart

from

these

legislations,

we've

had

interference from the courts against public interest

Studies have shown us that the real impact of

litigations. Various courts ensure that sustainable

climate change could cost India up to 2.8% of its GDP.

development remains the goal of the country. But what

The Constitution of India, which was drafted in 1950 BUSINESS MANDATE

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27 DECEMBER 2023

is regrettable, at some levels in the approach of the courts, is that the courts have tended to place interest of businesses first, over and above the idea of sustainable development and the interests of the



When we look to find

poorest amongst us at the bottom rungs and that needs

innovative solutions to

to change. In trying to bring about that change,

environmental concerns,

businesses—and all of you as future leaders of

businesses don't just ensure

businesses—have quite an important role to play.

compliance with the laws and

Businesses aren't just economic entities; they are

broad ethical practices.

societal entities as well. The corporate ethos should transcend mere interests of profits and emphasize on adding value to the society and planet. David Attenborough has said, “Our planet is a world and we

just mitigate risks; it also opens doors in many ways.

are all its citizens.” We must all cooperate and make

We've had an increasing demand for green products,

sure that we leave it in a condition that ensures that

sustainable supply chains, and ethical practices. All of

future generations enjoy it as we have.

this is growing globally. When we look to find innovative

Not Just Compliance but Growth

solutions to environmental concerns, businesses don't just ensure compliance with the laws and broad ethical

Some of the environmental concerns today which might seem daunting to us also present businesses with an opportunity. A shift towards sustainability doesn't 28

DECEMBER 2023

practices. They can also carve out new and profitable niches and ensure that they cement their own brands in an increasingly environment-conscious world.

BUSINESS MANDATE

fountainhead of excellence

The

ethical

standards

today

have

evolved

significantly. They transcend mere profit making to encompass a much broader responsibility towards various stakeholders, the environment and society at large. We need to see businesses as custodians of the planet's future. Their ethical standards and actions will play a crucial role in shaping the world of tomorrow.

We must see technology not just as a tool for efficiency.

We must also look at our responsibilities towards the planet, and its inhabitants. There has to be some nexus between business ethics and technological solutions, so we arrive at a more sustainable and inclusive future.

There are a number of penalties that one is susceptible to under different legislations when one doesn’t follow the standards that have been set. But it's also equally important to think about the incentives that are offered, if we provide energy solutions or energy compliance solutions. We have subsidies; we have a national mission for enhanced energy efficiency.

Sustainable businesses enjoy better reputations, which in turn, can lead to better relationships with regulators and enable us to get quicker clearances, and even ensure waivers in certain duties and taxes. So, it's all a win-win.

As future leaders of India's business

landscape, you have a great opportunity and a responsibility to set a good precedent where you can run businesses by looking not just at the next quarter financial results but at the next generation. Businesses shouldn't just be about boosting stock prices but also be about looking at the health of our planet. Ultimately,

Dr R Palaniswamy IAS (Retd), Advisor ‐ Education, Srinivasan Services Trust

I

represent SST—Srinivasan Services Trust. I would like to share a few of our programs that we are implementing in SST. SST is the CSR arm of TVS

Motor Company. We have successfully integrated ecoconscious strategies into our operations. We are ecoconscious in all aspects of business and community service. We have taken several initiatives in water conservation, wildlife conservation, afforestation and wastewater treatment.

Biodiversity We strongly feel that our customers should feel that they have received 25 % extra value over what they pay for our products. Our TVS manufacturing factory in Hosur is spread over 330 acres, out of which 50 acres are dedicated to biodiversity forest that houses 442 trees or plants and 292 animals. We have 27 years of experience in water conservation, wildlife conservation and afforestation in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

We started in 1996 in a simple way, initially with

we can look towards our constitution for inspiration in

focus

this regard. Because our constitution in its preamble

Subsequently, we moved into formation of self-help

itself speaks about liberty, equality and fraternity.

groups; holistic development of villages, working in

These ideals might sound like abstract ideas, but these

multiple focus areas; community participation; and

can only be met if we are all environmentally conscious,

moving to remote and tribal village communities. We

because climate change and global warming will only

work

drive inequality. 

Tiruvannamalai. Water was a major thrust area in 2017

on

in

BUSINESS MANDATE

fountainhead of excellence

repairs

the

and

Nilgiris

renovation

and

of

Jawadhu

buildings.

hills

in

29 DECEMBER 2023



We have desilted about 350 water bodies that led to an

After we do renovation or any

increase of 150 crore litres storage capacity. In

work with community

collaboration with NABARD, we created 19 check dams

participation, we ensure that

and 120 farm ponds. Our total investment in this sector alone is 400 lakhs in the last five years.

further upkeep of the

We select the villages through Geo Informatics

infrastructure that we created

Center mapping, with the help of experts. SST already

or renovated is maintained by

has plans to invest 10 crores in this sector also. Another

the community, through 50%

Impact Study by The Center for Water Resources, Anna University has shown how water levels improved in

contribution.

various districts, by our intervention. Tiruvannamalai district saw an improvement by 22 feet. The increase in gross product value ranges from 6 to 18%. The

and 2020. During Covid, we purchased essential

cultivation area also has increased.

In wildlife conservation, we have invested two

medical equipment. We even imported and supplied

crores in six tiger reserves in Tamil Nadu and

them to many government hospitals.

After we do renovation or any work with community participation, we ensure that further upkeep of the infrastructure that we created or renovated is maintained

by

the

community,

through

50%

contribution. We have 400 field staff who live in the villages and they mingle with the community and act as a part of the community.

Karnataka. We have supplied various essential items like

torches,

binoculars

and

GPS

devices

in

Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, BRT Tiger Reserve in Karnataka and Mudumalai. Towards afforestation initiative, in Santhavasal Reserve Forest, Padavedu, we have covered 140 hectares and planted 70,000 plants.

Every year, we plant more than a lakh of trees.

We also focus on waste-to-wealth. We help rural

Measuring the Impact

women to make useful products from waste to wealth.

Our impact is being measured by external agencies

From banana fibre, river grass and fall leaves, they make

like Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA). As

beautiful handicraft items. Once they produce these

per their studies, Padavedu village has seen 141% of

products, marketing is their concern. SST has provided

growth with our intervention, whereas the nearby

an e-commerce platform branded, ‘Truly Cottage’ for

Kalasapadi block without intervention has seen only

selling their products. Through this initiative, we can

38%. That says that because of SST TVS intervention,

avoid plastic usage and generate income for women.

there has been three times more than normal growth.

As future leaders, I suggest that you must try to

As part of water conservation initiative, we desilt

have your own wing for implementing all kinds of

water bodies, construct and renovate check dams,

activities related to CSR, so that you can have your own

irrigation tanks and create watershed and farm ponds.

ideas properly implemented. 

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conclusion that my job is only to do my piece of work and achieve my target and KPIs. You will, for sure, rise to a particular point. But if you are someone who will go beyond that, you will be moving up, having differentiated you from others. From an India perspective, we need to go from oil towards natural gas and eventually towards hydrogen more than electric cars. Hydrogen is my personal bet. Because with electric,

Mr Suniti Bhat

the biggest challenge is storage. Hydrogen is still a sub-

Managing Director, Selan Exploration Technology Ltd

W

commercial thing. But you can hear a lot of noise going

e all love the planet that we live in. We want

on in the ecosystem around hydrogen. I think, Hydrogen

to leave the planet a ‘better’ place for our

ecosystem is going to pick up in India as well.

children and future generations. The only

question that comes is: What is the definition of that ‘better’? How do we define the family that we want to leave better? You could take a very narrow view or a very broader view that includes everybody on the planet. Strategy is always about making choices. It is about deciding what to do and what not to do.



Q&A Can you share an example of the eco-conscious initiatives that you have implemented?

Mr Suniti Bhat: When you produce oil and gas, some of the gas

The Bhutan Story

gets released to the atmosphere as greenhouse gas. One of the

We all talk about net zero by 2050. Some want it to

big ini a ves we're trying with the current technology is piping all

be 2030. In India, we want to achieve it by 2070. But

the capital natural gas into consump on rather than pu ng it into

Bhutan is one country that is already net zero. In fact,

the atmosphere. The second thing we are trying is around

it is net negative. Bhutan is the only country in the

hydrogen. We are also trying to do some green hydrogen pilots,

world which emits less carbon footprint than it absorbs, primarily because of the large forest cover that helps it. But Bhutan tries to go beyond the targets. They do something completely different. They still commit to net CO2 reduction targets in how they consume energy and how they drive up their tourism. For someone as an entity, they don't need to do it. They're already net

so that we can see if we can eventually replace natural gas with hydrogen.

What advice would you give to students aspiring to lead the organizations?

Dr R Palaniswamy: Whatever you get from the society, you must try to return more. That's why we have CSR ac vi es mandated for organiza ons. My sugges on is, from the beginning, try to frame the policies in such a way that you try to protect the

negative. They are increasing the radius of what they

environment and mother planet. That is number one. Number

think their sphere of influence is.

two, try to have your own policy wing or CSR wing. Once your

It is always going to be about your perception of what your sphere of influence is. If you walk into a

organisa on grows, your CSR wing also will grow and you can impact more and more people’s lives.

place, you are a part of a team, and you come to a BUSINESS MANDATE

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The future of business lies in profit with purpose. Experts explore the growing trend of social entrepreneurship and impact investing. .

emit carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide gets trapped in the atmosphere and it causes the earth to look like a greenhouse. When sunlight falls during the day, the heat does not get dissipated. It remains trapped. That's what causes the temperature of the earth to rise. If the temperature of the earth rises to about one and a half degrees Celsius more than what it was before the start Mr Sujay Ghosh

of the first industrial revolution, we will have

CEO, First Solar

permanent changes to the climate system and they will

F

irst Solar is one of the world's largest

be irreversible.

manufacturers of solar photovoltaic cells. Our

When the earth heats up, it melts ice caps. The

company is headquartered in the US. We make

Arctic and the Antarctic ice caps are melting and that's

solar panels. You must be aware that climate change is

driving sea levels to rise. When sea levels rise, you get

essentially caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

extreme weather events. The cyclones which were

Everybody needs energy to grow. Energy is a key part

happening once in 100 years are now happening once

of our lives. We use energy to commute from home to

a month. Extreme weather events cause cities to get

work or to college. We use energy when we cook food.

flooded. Recently, Derna, a city in Libya got flooded in

We use energy for entertainment. As our economy

just 30 minutes and 30,000 people lost their lives. When

grows, we keep consuming more and more energy.

a lot of rainfall happens in a very short span of time, cities built on riverbeds get washed away. We see in

Environmental Toll of Fossil Fuels

Manali, Kullu and Shimla massive landslides, causing

When we burn fossil fuels, we get energy and they

damage and destruction.

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

Today's solar generated

Renewable Energy's Cost Evolution

anywhere between the two

The only way we can stop this is by transitioning to

tropics, is the cheapest form of

more sustainable forms of energy. The three primary

energy on the grid, at about Rs

sources of sustainable energy are water, wind and sun.

2.60 per unit.

For hydro power, we use the natural force of the water, through a dam, run a turbine and create electricity.

There are no emissions coming out of it. Likewise, when

Extreme weather events can cause drought. If drought happens, we won't be able to grow food, which means there will be food crisis. We see some of that already playing out in certain countries. It's going to become more and more acute, if the weather continues to change. So, we have to stop this, without disrupting

we use the force of wind, to generate electricity, there are no emissions going out. The last but not the least is photovoltaics, where we take the energy of the sun and convert it using semiconductor technology. We convert sunlight into electrons, collect the electrons and then use it to get power, without carbon emission.

growth. This is the single biggest problem which confronts humanity. Climate change doesn't select a

Historically, till about five years ago, most forms of

country. Everybody is impacted and we have only one

renewable energy or sustainable energy were expensive.

Earth. The weather system happens across the globe.

When we started the solar program in India way back

The impact of carbon dioxide emission is boundaryless.

in 2010, when the country's first solar mission came

Carbon dioxide, whether it is emitted from India or in

up, one unit of solar energy was Rs 17.60 per kilowatt

China, will affect global weather the same way.

hour. At that time, one kilowatt hour of coal power was roughly four rupees. Now, the situation is different.

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Clean Energy Transition represents one of the most compelling opportunities, just like we had the IT boom in the early 90s.

Today's solar generated anywhere between the two

This sector will drive job employment, investment and

tropics, is the cheapest form of energy on the grid, at

startup opportunities. If you can directly and indirectly

about Rs 2.60 per unit. One unit of coal power is now

contribute to reduction of carbon intensity of the world,

Rs 5.50 and diesel power is Rs 20 per unit.

it should excite you.

Clean Energy Transition

Today, the government of India is not able to find

Globally, every country is transitioning to renewable form of energy and there are massive policies, plants and investments happening in the sector. In India, by 2030, the government has committed that 50% of our energy will come from renewable sources. At the beginning of 2010, 95% of India's energy was from coal.

Hydro power is very difficult to create, because we have

loans, either in debt or in equity, to fund new thermal power capacity. Ironically, NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation) has pledged that they will build only renewable assets going forward and they'll stop building coal plants. That's the kind of transformation which is happening in this sector. It presents a very compelling opportunity to everybody. 

to displace a lot of people to build a hydropower plant.

The Prime Minister has made a commitment that India will be net zero by 2070. That means that by 2070, we will be completely carbon free. That's a massive transformation in our energy sector. Clean Energy Transition represents one of the most compelling opportunities, just like we had the IT boom in the early

Ms. Gayathri Shanmugam

90s.

Chief Program Officer, Haqdarshak Reserve Bank of India estimates that we will need

about 85 lakh crores between now and the end of 2030 to get to 50% renewable energy capacity. The adjacent effect of this is going to be felt on transportation and industrial

manufacturing.

We

will

be

able

to

decarbonize our electricity grids and switch to renewable power. So far, we had only trains, which are

I

represent a company called ‘Haqdarshak.’ It is an Urdu word that means the ‘pathway to your rights and entitlements.’ We are a very proud for-profit

enterprise. We normally don't find for-profit enterprises in the social sector and we are unapologetic about it.

We want to make money out of this, so we can build a sustainable business and attract talent.

electric. There is a very clear shift, coming in the mobility side. Two wheelers and three wheelers are now

What is the problem that we are trying to solve? The

moving to electric, because it's more affordable. The

government has an annual budget of about nine lakh

next step is going to be passenger cars and then buses.

thousand crores for social welfare that covers sectors like Education, Health, Pensions, Insurance and Social

BUSINESS MANDATE

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

It is a technology that houses

a federal system. Every state government has its own set of schemes. These are policy documents, sitting in

all the government schemes

the form of a PDF or probably hardcopies and

across the state and the

sometimes, not even soft copies. If it's a hardcopy

country.

sitting on a bureaucrat’s table, how do you get that into a format that a system can read and write?

We have a team that constantly does primary

Security. India is a social welfare state. There are a set of marginalized communities that need to be taken care of, so you can get them into the mainstream economy.

The government recognizes that and spends. The question is how much of that actually reaches the marginalized? That's the problem we're trying to solve.

Every year, almost 60 to 70% of this budget remains unutilized. How do we reduce that gap? There are two problems here. One is the problem of awareness. Many people do not know about the schemes the government has designed for them. For instance, the government gives free health insurance—the Ayushman Bharat scheme—but how many people are aware of it? The second problem is ‘accessibility.’ Suppose I create awareness and reach millions of people below the poverty line and I'm able to communicate to them about the schemes they are eligible for. Does it solve the problem? Do they know how to apply for that scheme?

Do they know how to fill up a form? Do they know

research and secondary research and captures these schemes in a format that is easily readable. We gather details such as: What is the name of the scheme? Which state is it applicable in? What are the eligibility criteria?

What are the pre-requisite documents? What is the benefit? How do I apply for it? We capture that in a database. On top of that, we build a rules-engine. For instance, a woman resides in Tamil Nadu, and she has lost her husband. She is in a certain age group and belongs to a community. Her income is below a certain level. Is she eligible for a widow pension? That's the rules engine that I'm talking about.

The Impact We Create With this, you have easy discoverability of the scheme. What do I then do? I build a simple app, where I capture basic details about the citizen, name, age, gender, caste, community, occupation, farmer or nonfarmer, health, etc.

which office to go to avail that scheme? That's the

The system will then throw up what schemes that

problem of accessibility. So, there's a problem of

particular individual is eligible for. I would urge you all

awareness. There's a problem of accessibility. We are

to go to Google Apps and download the Haqdarshak

trying to solve these through an assisted tech model.

app. You can use this to help your own domestic help

We are a 7.5-year-old startup.

or drivers or whoever it is. You will be able to discover the schemes that the person is eligible for. At the least,

Tech‐Assisted Solutions

we can create the awareness.

It is a technology that houses all the government schemes across the state and the country. The central government has thousands of schemes. Our country is 36

DECEMBER 2023

With the Haqdarshak app, you can help your domestic help or drivers or whoever it is. You will be able to discover the schemes that the person is eligible

BUSINESS MANDATE

fountainhead of excellence

for. At the least, we can create the awareness.

We reached out to the remote parts of the country.

We have trained community workers and self-help groups on how to use the app, to fill up the forms, to go to the government offices and submit them; to

Q&A

follow up with the government officer and to ensure that the benefit is actually received. So, the problem of accessibility is solved through feet on the street. We

How do you measure and quantify the social impact that you create?

have trained about 50,000 women entrepreneurs on the

Gayathri Shanmugam: There is a framework for measuring

ground so far. In the last seven and a half years, they

impact. We do monitoring and evalua on. For instance, if I unlock

have reached out to 4 million citizens, unlocking about

Ayushman Bharat, which is the insurance scheme in the country,

5,000 crore worth of benefits for these 4 million citizens. That's our model.

what is the possibility that the people will end up using it? For many schemes, the government has direct benefit transfer (DBT).

We have a way of calcula ng the poten al unlocked and there is a formula that is unique to every scheme. We then club all that

The Business Side of the Model

and say for this program, that we have unlocked so much benefit.

Where's the money in this? How is this even a

We measure the impact in terms of cri cal success factors. As a

business? We work with a lot of CSRs. We work with

business, the scale, the quality of the applica on, the scheme

philanthropy, large foundations and corporates, who

diversity that we have covered, ge ng people out of poverty are

give us service delivery contracts, to go and do this on

some of the cri cal success factors.

the ground. That's where our money comes from. I

What are the challenges you foresee in scaling up renewable energy adoption in India?

found my calling in this sector and in this organization.

We have our investors. They do what is called

Sujoy Ghosh: Rather than challenges, I would rather say these are opportuni es. Energy is a commodity and the final output has

impact investment or patient capital. They look for SRI

to be affordable. The first thing we look at is cost. Our solu ons

(social return on investment). We appeared in Shark

must be cost compe

Tank India, early this year in January. Three of the four

look at. Everything across the value chain must be cost compe

sharks have invested in us and we've closed that round

Otherwise, people will immediately switch to the next lowest cost

of investment. We pitch ourselves in the impact sector

of energy and then we lose the whole plot in the fight against

and development sector.

climate change. The other aspect when you're dealing with scaling

ve. That is the one challenge we constantly ve.

up renewable energy, is that the renewable energy by its nature,

We are not the only organization. There are a lot of

is infirm power. You cannot accurately predict if the sun is going

organizations that are trying to do good here. There are

to shine or if there would be clouds tomorrow. Whenever it's bright

a lot of ways one can contribute. There is Tech for

and sunny, you get solar power and whenever it's windy, you will

Good. If you're a tech enthusiast, you must know that

get wind power.

we are building technology for this. If you're an

But as a consumer, the light should come on when we flip the

operations enthusiast, then there are problems to be

switch. We want the energy to be reliable, and available on

solved there as well. And there is money in it.

demand. That's where there's a gap today. For this, we need to build storage systems. If the whole world has to switch to net zero BUSINESS MANDATE

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37 DECEMBER 2023

and completely go away from conven onal energy, then storage

Development Management). They have a two‐year MBA program,

would be the limi ng factor.

just for social development. Even working with small NGOs, you

What advice would you give to young professionals and students interested in pursuing a career in social entrepreneurship and making a meaningful impact on society?

can learn a lot and become more socially aware. Then, you can

Gayathri Shanmugam: That's exactly why I'm here today. There are a lot of fellowships in the country, focussed on social impact, for example the Ashoka Fellowship programme. People come for internships. But you must realise that impact is created on the ground and not in offices. So, you will have to be there out on the ground, be there with the people, understand their problem and then solve for it. We are always open to internships.

38

sector.

How do you navigate the market differences, working in various countries?

Sujoy Ghosh: We are a global company and operate across 45 different countries. Yes, climate change and sustainability are global concerns. Today, China monopolizes about 90% of the global supply chain for solar panels and wind turbines. They dominate in the areas of lithium ba ery, cri cal minerals, and semiconductors.

Post‐covid, everyone has felt the need for resilient supply chains

In Delhi, there is an organisa on called ISDM (Indian School of

DECEMBER 2023

make a conscious decision whether you want to move into this

and most of the na ons are working on it. 

BUSINESS MANDATE

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Experts discuss the Gaza war, providing a nuanced and comprehensive understanding of the region that has often been shrouded in controversy and misunderstanding.

the past was very easy: The better off the Palestinians are, the less they will commit terror attacks on Israel.

There is a UN agency called UNRWA, which is, in particular, in charge of Palestine refugees. I'm not aware if there's any other UN agency, which is only in charge of one ethnic group or one region in the world. This is very unique. I highlight this, to raise the point that there was never a lack of material support for Palestine. Some

Dr Adraian Haack

people say that Palestine had the chance to become a

Director ‐ India Office, Konrad‐Adenauer‐ Stiftung

I

Singapore of the Middle East. But now it is more in the

sraelis and Palestinians have one thing in common.

They usually hate when foreigners explain their conflict to them. I'm an observer from the outside,

so I don't know in person how the people in the Gaza Strip suffer right now and I don't know how it felt to be an Israeli on 7th of October 23. The first thing we should know about Germany in this conflict is Germany was the biggest bilateral donor of the Palestinian authorities. Not many people are aware of that. But this went hand-in-hand with our commitment to Israeli security. The principle of the German governments in 40

DECEMBER 2023

direction of Afghanistan.

But I remember from my work in parliament, in the foreign committee, that there were always problems with UNRWA. For example, the Germans were paying for the schoolbooks in West Bank and Gaza. But they were full of hatred towards Jews. Anti-Semitism was always more important than mathematics. The same was with infrastructure. There was a functioning water system in Gaza Strip, provided by the donor countries.

The pipes were kicked out. They are now building the

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body of many of the rockets, which we see now being fired on Israel. There are a lot of bad examples



regarding this. We can say, in total, the German

The German Middle East policy also failed. We supported the

philosophy of money for peace didn't work out. This

two‐state solution but we were

policy completely failed.

never really close to that,

That's very similar to Germany's Iran policy which also completely failed. We defended the Iran deal, and

except, perhaps in the 90s.

had the idea that offering economic perspective to the Iranian regime will lead to less aggressive foreign policy. But the opposite happens. They use the peace

keep in mind that Abbas who is the Chairman of the

times to intensify the proxy network, all over the region

Fatah party since 2009, is not distancing himself from

—the Hamas in Gaza; Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthi

the terror. After the 2009 election, they didn't have

in Yemen.

elections. He is from Fatah. He's denying holocaust. He's

The German Middle East policy also failed. We supported the two-state solution but we were never really close to that, except, perhaps in the 90s. The main problem is that Gaza Strip and West Bank are

very close within the radius of Moscow. So, he never, in fact, not only impressed, but the Fatah itself was never really a solid partner to build a two-state solution or in that regard, a three-state solution.

ruled by two different groups, which are sort of

The logo of Fatah is assault rifle and a hand grenade

enemies towards each other. The Fatah are the more

covering the map of Israel. The official position of

moderate group, compared to Hamas, but one has to

Germany is that we support this two-state solution. But

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41 DECEMBER 2023

I'm not too optimistic. Since the seventh of October, Germany is engaged in this conflict. Germans were killed during the attack. A 20-year-old German woman was beheaded. Officially, we are in favour of an end of violence and a ceasefire.

Iran’s Proxy Wars Israel maybe able to destroy the structures of Hamas but it will not be able to end the idea of Hamas.

The rubbles of Gaza will create a new generation of people who will continue the fight into the other direction. On both sides, the hate has increased so

Rise of Anti‐Semitism But let's be honest. Our people are still somewhere in the tunnels of Hamas, taken as hostages. So, we are probably not the best advocates of a ceasefire. The very

much. I don't see Israel as an aggressor. I'm not seeing the average Palestinian peoples in Gaza strip of West Bank as the aggressors.

objective of the German policy since the past has been

The aggressors are the leaders of Hamas, living in

very simple. It has good intentions, but it was never

luxury in Qatar, using their own people as cannon

really able to commit to the realities in this conflict. It

fodder. Furthermore, there's Iran which doesn't want

was always an ivory tower kind of politics and it was of

to get dirty. Hence, they use proxies all over the region.

the opinion that you can somehow exchange peace for

Their proxies, namely Hamas and the Houthi, are

financial support. That has not worked out so far.

already in a fight with Iran's enemies—in one situation

At the same time, we see that the immigration into Germany from the Middle East and North Africa in the last decade has created a situation where we have anti-

with Israel and the other one, with Saudi Arabia. As long as Iran is not committed to a peace solution, it will be impossible to achieve peace. 

Semitism on the streets. We don't have the same situation like in France, but we are going towards it. We have aggressive demonstrations all over Germany. It is a one-way street because the Jewish population is very smaller and, at the same time, unaggressive. Many parts of Germany are not safe for Jews.

For any Israeli

government, it is hard to present any strategy to its people. Hamas has no military bases. They are right

Dr Stanly Johny

within the civilian infrastructure in Gaza Strip. We have

International Affairs Editor, The Hindu

a situation where the continuation of violence is very

T

foreseeable. At the same time, Israel is now fighting this war, mostly with the Army reservist forces. Israel is a very small country. There is a chance that most people who are now in uniform and fighting in Gaza are personally victims of the seventh of October. They have a personal connection to the terror attacks and this makes the war even more difficult than it always is.

42

DECEMBER 2023

he crisis, which is now unfolding before us in Gaza is one of the largest humanitarian tragedies and it is also a major geopolitical

event. It has multiple implications. The latest flare up began on October 7, when Hamas, which is the Islamist militant group that controls Gaza, carried out a cross border raid in Israel, killing 1400 people, mostly civilians.

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The larger context is that the occupation of the



Palestinian territories has been going on for the last, at

Look at the world's response to this crisis. Russia invaded

least 56 years. It was in the 1967 war that Israel captured the whole of historical Palestine; which

Ukraine in February 2022. In

includes today's West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza

the past 20 months, the United

strip under Israeli control. Israel was forced to withdraw

States has led the global

from Gaza in 2005 after the 2nd Intifada, but from

response to this.

2007 onwards, Gaza has remained under Israel's naval, land and aerial blockade.

Even prior to the October 7 attack, the situation between Israel and Palestine remained tense, especially

have been displaced, which is more than half the

in the West Bank. In 2023 itself, some 200 Palestinians

population of Gaza Strip. Thousands were moved and

and 35 Israelis were killed, prior to the October 7 attack

thousands more injured. Hospitals and refugee camps

by Hamas, in West Bank itself. The West Bank has been

are being bombed. Even ambulances are not being

divided into three areas—ABC: Area A is controlled by

spared.

the Palestinian Authority, which practically has no authority; Area B’s security is divided between the

Shocking Global Response

Israelis and the Palestinians; and Area C is completely

Look at the world's response to this crisis. Russia

under the Israeli control. There are 400,000 Jews

invaded Ukraine in February 2022. In the past 20

settlers in the West Bank and 300,000 in East

months, the United States has led the global response

Jerusalem.

to this. The US mobilized the western world and imposed biting sanctions on Russia. The US supplied

Multiple Check Points

billions of dollars-worth weapons to Ukraine to attack

I have visited West Bank three times and travelled

the Russians. The United States has also imposed

across the West Bank townships—both Palestinian

pressure on other countries, especially the developing

townships as well as Israeli settlements. In the West

countries, including India, to take its line. US media said

Bank, there are about 640 Israeli checkpoints. If you're

that America was taking a very moralistic position

in Ramallah, the headquarters of the Palestinian

against Russia's violation of international laws and

Authority and want to go to the Al-Quds University in

against the occupation of the Ukrainian territories.

Abu Dis, which is the most important University of West bank, you will have to go through multiple Israeli checkpoints. I went through it.

And then, when Israel started bombing Gaza, four weeks later, after 10,000 people were killed, you don't see any Western government even calling for a ceasefire.

The UN Secretary General has called Israel’s

They have not even condemned Israel or asked for a

response as collective punishment. In the last four

solution. G7 today has called for a humanitarian pause.

weeks, 10,500 people were killed in Gaza alone, of

It means: ‘Stop bombing for a while, let in aid and then

which 70% are women and children. 1.5 million people

start bombing again.’ We see these contrasting

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43 DECEMBER 2023

responses towards the two big crises that we face now.



Thirdly, when it comes to the Hamas attack, a lot

We have had the Bombay terror attack and the Pulwama. We

of questions come to our mind. Why did they do this?

Everybody knew that the Israeli response would be

did not go and bomb civilians

disastrous, because Israel in the past had also

in Pakistan indiscriminately.

responded with heavy force against every Hamas attack.

What is Hamas’ or Israel's military objective? There were multiple wars and peace efforts, yet a solution remains elusive and Palestinian state is still not a

we clearly said that the only way to settle the issue is

reality. So, what could be a possible solution? Is a two-

to return the land to the Palestinians. We have had the

state solution still viable? We need to debate this. 

Bombay terror attack and the Pulwama. We did not go and bomb civilians in Pakistan indiscriminately. First of all, it was a security lapse in Israel that has happened on October 7. But that's an internal problem. We still don't go out and kill civilians, especially children.

Media Bias The Western media gives a disproportionate attention to the casualties of October 7th. Al Jazeera is balancing that to some extent. Two of the hostages were Mr. Sashi Kumar

released by Hamas. One was an elderly woman sitting

Chairman, Asian College of Journalism

on a wheelchair and she was interviewed by the media.

A

In the Al Jazeera interview, she says the Hamas

s far as I can see, in 1918, Palestine comprised 80 to 90% Palestinians. Within a decade or so, it changed to two thirds of Palestinians. There

was a move to remove Palestinians from their homeland where they were living. This is a process of converting the inhabitants of a place—the native population—to

The latest flashpoint of October 7 and what Hamas did was certainly condemnable. It was horrific. But on the other hand, the way the governments have reacted officially, including India, is curious. In my personal view, it is pathetic. This has not been India's foreign policy stance on Palestine for a long, long time. In 1977, 44

adds that they were treated equally and looked after well. But the same interview in BBC stops the moment the woman says she was kidnapped.

The demonstrations against Israel are not just taking place in the Arab world or the Islamic world.

refugees in some other place.

DECEMBER 2023

kidnapped and took them away to their holdout. She

People in Grand Central Station, majority of them Jews, protest and they say, “Do not kill civilians in our name.”

They are shocked. I'm seeing a new history. Historians like Ilan Pappe’ call what Israel has been doing in the Palestinian land, for over 55 years at the least, is ethnic cleansing. It's being called an apartheid state and a rogue state as well. The problem is not with the Israelis

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or the Jews. The problem with the official Israeli State.

We have an extreme right virulent regime with racist



You cannot be hair‐splitting and

and apartheid character. We can't be apologising and

discussing academically or

defending that, just as we cannot apologise and defend

geopolitically or strategically

the October 7 attack that took place.

the requirements of a

Where do the media get its news from? There's a

situation.

Swiss policy research study of 2016 and revalidated in 2019. It says that 80 to 85% of the news in the world, especially the global news comes from three news agencies. Barring a few newspapers like The Hindu, even

27,000 outfits or individuals across the world and

the richest news organizations, particularly in this part

spends $5 billion a year to ensure that the news

of the world, don't spend money on having a foreign

structuring of the world is aligned to the Pentagon.

correspondent. They pick up news from the agencies:

India Enables Nations

AP, AFP and Reuters.

AP is an American agency based in New York. It's

You cannot be hair-splitting and discussing

owned by the newspaper owners. It has 4,000

academically or geopolitically or strategically the

correspondents across the world and feeds 12,000

requirements of a situation. The point is, there has to

major news outlets across the world. Those then feed

be a ceasefire. There has to a halt to this. Otherwise,

sub outlets including news agencies like PTI and UNI in

Israel will continue to perpetrate genocide on a daily

India; DPA in Germany; Middle East News Agency

basis. The Holocaust is certainly one of the biggest

(MENA) and Gulf News Agency in the Gulf and so on.

disasters in our living memory. 6 million Jews were killed. It is called ‘Shoah’ in Hebrew. Similarly, we have

The second is AFP. AFP is a quasi-government news agency. It has about 4000 correspondents across the world and has a sizable reach, though not as much as AP. It has a slightly different viewpoint. The third is Reuters, which is a private news agency. In 2008, Thomson, a Canadian billionaire took that over and it's called Thomson Reuters now. He's one of the 26 richest

the Nakba of 1948 where lakhs of Palestine Arabs were displaced from their homes. We have a whole history of the colonization of Palestine and of making people refugees in their own land. Gaza is called an open concentration camp. The whole process of uprooting the people has a sense of ruthlessness. It is a prolonged torture as well.

people in the world. They have about 3000 journalists across the world. These agencies put out some 3500

When there was a refugee crisis, which threatened to inundate India, what Mrs. Gandhi did was to create

photos, videos every day.

a Bangladesh. We enable nations. We do not destroy But the point is, their viewpoint is completely aligned to the Pentagon and NATO axis. Thomas Curley is a retired AP chief turned a whistle-blower after he

nations. We do not make them refugees. I'm afraid I'm not able to sympathize or apologize or celebrate Israel's action. 

retired. In 2008 or 2009, he said that Pentagon employs BUSINESS MANDATE

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45 DECEMBER 2023



The scene we see now is completely radicalized.

Netanyahu is a survivor and a politician. In my analysis, there are enough conspiracy theories floating around...

Air Marshal M Matheswaran Chairman & President, The Peninsula Foundation

I

first visited Israel in 97. Since then, I have made quite a few visits there, officially. Being in the Air Force, we work with them on a lot of projects. As a

military man, I have studied how Israel handled the 67

They said, “They are Palestinians and we are Israeli citizens.” The Palestinians were kept secluded, and the infrastructure was extremely poor. The settlements were mushrooming.

and 73 wars and bounced back. Of course, the American

But the majority of the Israeli citizens and the

support was very vital in all that. From a military point

people are secular. They have a compulsory military

of view, we admire the Israeli military, particularly the

service for boys and girls. Many have continued with

Air Force. We've always had very great equation in

military service for 20 years, even though they may

working with them during our visits and on our projects

work in companies and various other assignments.

of strategic importance. My first impression when I

Many of the people whom I interacted said, “We are

visited Israel was highly appreciative of the excellent

tired of this conflict. We want to make peace with

infrastructure development there and the people were

Palestinians. Our next generation of our children must

extremely good.

live in peace.”

I am also a person quite interested in history. I

The scene we see now is completely radicalized.

moved to every nook and corner of Israel. They took us

Netanyahu is a survivor and a politician. In my analysis,

around, and majority of the people who take you

there are enough conspiracy theories floating around

around on Israeli tours are former military personnel

that Hamas was enticed into doing this attack.

and who are very knowledgeable. So, you will learn

Netanyahu has a political history and from the 90s

everything quite well.

onwards, there's one clear radical statement that keeps coming out that the entire Palestine will be Israel and that Palestinians have no place in that land.

Striking Inequality

Leveraging Holocaust

I observed that the region was highly developed and posh. But the majority of the people who come and work for them are from areas which are literally ghettos. I asked my Israeli friends, “Why is this so?”

46

DECEMBER 2023

Israel has leveraged Holocaust. It was a catastrophe and any normal human being must hang the head in shame for belonging to a society that conducted the Holocaust. But Israel has leveraged it, by getting

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There was certainly anti‐Semitism and discrimination. But that disease is a European disease, not Middle Eastern.

sympathy over the Holocaust, for over 75 years. I think

terrorists. Menachem who became Israeli Prime Minister

they are running out of that leverage now. While they

in 1977 belonged to a terrorist outfit in the 1940s.

were the victims in the Holocaust of the Nazi Germany, today, their behaviour is no different from the Nazi Germany, and they are the perpetrators. The world is

The Tunnels of Gaza From a military perspective, there are many tunnels in Gaza and they are highly intricate. Urban warfare is

already recognizing this.

From a geopolitical angle, ever since the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the Western credibility has taken a massive beating. Who are the people who actually populate Israel today? The majority of the population belong to the Eastern Europe and Central Europe. The Zionist process was started in the middle of 19th century by Theodor Herzl, and a few others earlier than him.

almost impossible for Israel to tackle. Therefore, the first action for Israel is to bomb the hell out of the Gaza and flatten it completely. But tunnels run right down to 240 metres below. If that is the case, they will have to ultimately go into large, highly penetrating bombs, to demolish the survival and breathing mechanisms that operate in those tunnels for people to live there. Once you've done significant damage, then you move in and send your forces to do the urban warfare. That is

They were looking at land elsewhere because Jews were all over the world and they wanted land for themselves. There was certainly anti-Semitism and discrimination. But that disease is a European disease, not Middle Eastern. For 2000 years, the local Jews and the Palestinians lived comfortably in Jerusalem. They

probably the objective Israel is looking at.

Anthony Blinken said that Israel is looking at doing pretty much the same that the US did in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. What does that mean? No one can survive.

That is probably the objective.

had no conflict. The conflict started when European

The civilians will have no place to go but get

Jews started coming into Palestine and occupying that

themselves boxed between Egypt and the last portion

land.

of Gaza. That's the worst catastrophe you can think of.

The UN Secretary General was quite right when he said Hamas doesn't come out of nowhere. It is a reaction to state oppression. When the Jews bombed the hotel in Haifa, and killed British soldiers in 1930s, the British quite clearly labelled them as Jewish

A leaked Israeli report, perhaps leaked deliberately, says that this is an opportunity to ethnically cleanse Gaza and push them into Sinai.

If that happens, the 40-year peace treaty between Egypt and Israel will collapse. 

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47 DECEMBER 2023

Q&A

The UN Security Council is not even able to pass a resolu on, calling for a ceasefire. The first resolu on that was put to the UN Security Council by Brazil, called for humanitarian pause. Even that was vetoed by the United States. The only country that can now

When it comes to fighting the non-state actors in an asymmetric warfare, Israel doesn't have that edge which it showed in conventional warfare, whether it is fighting the PLO in 1982 or when Israel invaded Lebanon. Is the objective of crushing or defeating Hamas, even if you use heavy, lethal and collective force against the Palestinian citizens achievable?

effec vely put pressure on Israel is the United States and nobody else. President Biden famously said his foreign policy would be cantered on human rights. But his administra on doesn't even call for a ceasefire, a er four weeks of bombing. That's the reality.

Air Marshal Matheswaran: Firstly, it's not achievable. Secondly, you cannot kill people en masse. It is state terrorism. The children who are watching all this, will grow and they will fight. Britain and

After the 1967 war, the UN Security

the Irish Republican Army fought for 70 years. Finally, they came

Council asked Israel to withdraw from

to the nego a ng table.

all the captured territories—the West

Unfortunately, Israel is building a

narra ve based on biblical history and they have become a prisoner of that narra ve. Talks and nego a ons should be the

Bank in Jerusalem, Golan Heights and

way forward.

Sinai Peninsula.

What do you suggest as a possible, practical and actionable solution?

Mr. Sashi Kumar: One state solu on is not prac cal. Two state solu on was a possibility. The prerequisite for that is that, on both sides, you cannot have extremists. On the Israeli side, they must give up their theological approach to statehood. On the side of

There is a view that you need to silence non-state actors like the Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihads or even the Houthis. What do you think about it?

the Pales nians, the militants must take a back seat. There must

Air Marshal Matheswaran: If the state of Israel is very virulent

be a more moderate representa ve force, perhaps like PLO in its

and treats the 2 million Pales nians as second grade ci zens in

more moderate days, which can carry on a dialogue and come to

their own land, then the ques on of resistance from the non‐state

a kind of consensus.

actors like Hamas and Hezbollah going away is just a wishful

Why is the UN helpless or what can be done by the UN?

thinking. It is not going to happen. If they really want a solu on,

Air Marshal Matheswaran: UN has a very limited role, especially when it comes to conflict. The UN Security Council can pass resolu ons and ask countries to do something. There are mul ple UN Security Council resolu ons. A er the 1967 war, the UN Security Council asked Israel to withdraw from all the captured territories—the West Bank in Jerusalem, Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula. 56 years later, except the Sinai Peninsula, all the

then the poli cal process must start. One must recognise the fact that Israel is as much a se ler na on, as the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada are. Majority of the Israelis will themselves recognize that. Because they were persecuted in Europe, on a humanitarian angle, the Pales nians were willing to accommodate them. When you are a guest, and they are the owners of the land, if you want to live together in peace, then you must first recognize this historical fact. 

territories are s ll with Israeli control.

48

DECEMBER 2023

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49 DECEMBER 2023

Dr. Murugusundram, Founder & Medical Director, Chennai Skin Foundation, expounds on the timeless, practical advice offered by Thiruvalluvar in areas such as maintaining physical and mental well‐being, making lifestyle choices, and practicing overall health.

D

uring Covid, I started reading Thirukural.

relate its relevance to the field of medicine. So let me

Being a doctor, I could find a medical pearl in

dwell on a few couplets from Thirukural and give my

every couplet. Thirukural is a book beyond

own interpretations on the same, using a doctor’s hat.

comparison and it has gems of wisdom related to every field. It has been translated into so many languages. It

Managing Stress

covers spirituality, philosophy, ethics, self-discipline,

மலர்

ைச ஏ

னான் மாண

leadership, political diplomacy, management, legality,

நில

ைச நீ

வாழ்வார்

justice, friendship, family, death, love, lust… and the

The flower of the heart is where the flawless lord dwells

list goes on and on.

ேசர்ந்தார்

That belief ensures long healthy life.

Thirukural is brought out in three parts. The first part talks about virtues, the second part covers wealth and the third part covers love or lust. Even in the third part on love, Thiruvalluvar’s couplets carry a lot of medical wisdom and are more therapeutic in nature. I

Valluvar has a simple remedy for managing stress.

If you firmly believe that God dwells in your heart, you will not hurt that heart by stressful thoughts. This is an antidote of toxic stress.

sincerely wish that Thirukural should be part of every தனக்

medical curriculum.

Nowhere does the author prescribe a medicine for

வைம இல் லாதான்தாள் ேசர்ந்தார்க் கல் லால்

மனக்கவைல மாற் றல் அரி

any disease. He dwells on understanding the root cause

His feet, whose likeness none can find,

of the disease and how one can prevent it. Also, for

Alone can ease the anxious mind.

every aspect of management, there is at least one couplet. I looked at Thirukural from the health care management perspective. Though, every couplet can be interpreted and applied in several fields, I chose to 50

DECEMBER 2023

Valluvar says, ‘Surrender to a person who is unique and has no comparison.’ The unique person can be God, parents, guru, wife, son or daughter, friend or your boss. When you surrender to such a person, you will be

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free from anxiety. When I get stressed out, I would go

belief according to Indian mythology).

to my guru and just sit in front of him. I would not discuss my problem nor would he ask me about it. We would just chat for half-an-hour and at the end of that

னெமன்

ம் ேசர்ந்தாைரக் ெகால்

chat, I would be totally relaxed. Normally we say that

ஏமப்

when we have a problem, we must transfer our burden

Anger destroys everyone around you like fire

to God. Valluvar suggests that you can transfer your stress to a mentor and that mentor could be anybody,

ம்

ம் .

Never spares even your life’s last savior.

When we get angry in office, our colleagues will

who is unique in their own way.

move away from us. When we lose our temper in home,

Controlling One’s Senses

our children will shy away from us. Slowly, we start

ஒ

ைம

ள் ஆைமேபால் ஐந்தடக்கல் ஆற்

எ

ைம

ம் ஏமாப்

ைடத்

ைணையச்

இனெமன்

ன்

losing our friends. When we start drowning in the sea of anger, someone close to us (perhaps, the spouse) may

.

come to our rescue but our anger will destroy even such

Five senses controlled like a tortoise

a savior. So, control your anger, for a healthy and

Such are protected in seven births.

peaceful life.

Tortoise is the longest living creature in the world.

Those who can control their five senses like a tortoise will be assured of a long and healthy life in poise, not just in this birth but in all his seven births (This is a

The Power of Meditation ற் றம்

த்த

ம் ைக

ஆற் றல் தைலப் பட்டவர்க்

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ம் ேநாற் ற

ன்

.

51 DECEMBER 2023

Meditation imparts mental strength

propounded only during this century but it is a marvel

That mitigates the fear of death.

how Thiruvalluvar knew of itt 2600 years ago. Every

Meditation, according to Valluvar, gives peace of mind. Today, people get many auto-immune diseases.

There may not be any discernable reason for such diseases other than mental stress. Mind relaxation exercises like yoga and meditation are recommended even by doctors for such diseases.

food has a certain gastric-emptying time. For example, if you take red-meat, it will take more than 4 or 6 hours to digest. A light vegetarian meal will get digested in one to one and half hours and sometimes, even within 30 minutes. Even water has a gastric-emptying time. All the nutrients are absorbed in the duodenum-jejenumileum path. We must give adequate time for the food to get digested and absorbed in this path.

கண்

ேகட்

ஓண்ெடா

உண்

ர்த்

உற் ற

ம் ஐம் ல

ம்

கண்ேண உள.

Eat in Moderation அற் றால் அளவ

ந்

Not only my senses but also my soul is satisfied by her

ெபற் றான் ெந

ய் க்

Why should my mind wander for more pleasure?

Eat food to digestive measure

According to Valluvar, a husband should not seek pleasure beyond his wife. The institution of marriage is sacrosanct. This is the reason why Indian marriages survive even in turbulent times, while in the western countries, marriages fail often.

ந்ெதன ேவண்டாவாம் யாக்ைகக்

அற் ற

ேபாற்

அ

ந்

உணின்.

the cause of many health problems. Valluvar says that you should not take food, unless the food taken earlier is completely digested by your system. Such a person who follows his advice will be free of diseases and they don’t need any medicines.

52

you can live for long. What we eat should be

அ

ந்

கைடப்

வரப் ப

த்

த்

மாறல் ல

.

Know your digestion; with keen appetite

meal and immediately, think of the next meal. This is

DECEMBER 2023

digested, you should eat only in moderation. Then only,

ய் க்க

order food at the tip of our fingers. We complete one

gastric-emptying

Valluvar also says that even after your food is

அற் ற

Today, thanks to apps like Swiggy and Zomato, we

of

Life in body lasts with pleasure.

ய

His body needs no medicine.

concept

.

work, we don’t need much of carbohydrates.

After digestion one who feeds

The

மா

டம்

commensurate with what work we do. If we do just desk

The Power of Digestion ம

உண்க அஃ

Eat what is suitable and right.

We must know about our digestive system and manage it the right way. Eating the right amount at the right time is paramount. For example, most of the Jains eat their dinner quite early and it is rare to see them obese. No food should be taken unless we are hungry.

He also advises against taking foods that are contradictory in nature. Doctors recommend a balanced

time

was

diet. South Indian food is generally quite balanced.

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ெபய் சாகா

Today, thanks to a sedentary life style that people lead, we recommend less of carbs and more of proteins.

சால

த்

ம் அச்

ப் ெப

ம் அப் பண்டம்

ன்.

Even the gentle peacock's plume இ

வ

ந்

உண்பான்கண் இன்பம்ேபால் நிற்

க

ேப ரிைரயான்கண் ேநாய் .

ம்

Cart's axle breaks by gross volume.

This is generally interpreted that when a cart is

As pleasure dwells with one who eats moderately

overloaded, even to the extent of a peacock feather,

Disease dwells with the glutton (who eat voraciously)

then its axle will break. As a doctor, I feel that the cart refers to the human body. Even when we get a slight

Valluvar perhaps refers to the junk food that we take. Most people now do binge-eating. They get into depression and take huge bites of pizzas and burgers.

Such people will only invite diseases.

neglected could lead to duodenal ulcer. It could even symptom can indicate a major problem and no

எப்ெபா ள் யார்யார்வாய் க் ேகட் ள் காண்ப

immediately attend to it. A simple indigestion that is be a symptom of myocardial infarction. Each and every

Beware of Fake News ெமய் ப் ெபா

symptom, it should not be neglected and we should

அ

ம் அப் ெபா ள்

symptom should therefore be neglected.

.

To discern the Truth From everywhere;

எ

ரதாக் காக்

From everyone, is real wisdom.

அ

ரவ

Today, for everything, we do google-search and rely on Google, rather than the authentic sources. Anything and everything that we hear must be vetted for correctness and that is real wisdom.

ம் அ

னார்க்

ல் ைல

வேதார் ேநாய் .

Never will you face the shock As long as you predict, protect and act wise.

Those who take precautions against calamities will be saved of any serious trouble. This applies more to health. If one does a master health check-up once in six

ெசய் தக்க அல் ல ெசயக்ெக ெசய் யாைம யா

ம் ெக

months, most of the major health problems can be

ம் ெசய் தக்க

easily resolved at the early stage itself. A disease at a

ம் .

later stage or in advanced stage becomes difficult to

Doing unfit action ruins

cure.

Failing to do the right things also ruins.

A Capsule for the Doctors

We are generally advised against doing improper things but Valluvar also stresses on not failing to do the right things. Most of us never walk and never take

ேநாய் நா

ேநாய்

தல் நா

வாய் நா

வாய் ப் பச் ெசயல்.

அ

தணிக்

food on time. To maintain good health, we must

Seek the diagnosis; search for the causes

exercise and have diet-control.

Apply suitable remedies that alleviate the illnesses

ம்

Beware of the Symptoms BUSINESS MANDATE

fountainhead of excellence

53 DECEMBER 2023

This is one of the most powerful lessons for a

Precisely direct a learned doctor to act wisely

doctor. A good doctor must first diagnose the patient, look for the root causes of the disease and address those causes. The treatment given should suit the patient. Whenever we find it difficult to ascertain the cause of a disease, we would call it as ‘idiopathic disease.’ My professor used to joke, “If you diagnose some disease as idiopathic, then you are an idiot and patients who come to you are pathetic.” The duty of the

A doctor must study the patient’s condition thoroughly, assess the severity of the disease and act in a timely way. We now say that a patient who has suffered a heart attack or a stroke must be rushed to the doctor, within the golden hour. Beyond the golden hour, the body suffers more damage. That is what Valluvar has also said.

Need for Communication Skills

doctor is to diagnose and find out the cause.

இண எண்ெபா ளவாகச் ெசலச்ெசால் ண்ெபா

ள் காண்ப

அ

த் தான்

றர்வாய்

ழ்த்

உணர

ம் நாறா மலரைனயர் கற் ற

ரித்

ைரயா தார்.

One who doesn’t explain lucidly what he learns

.

Is like a bunch of flowers without fragrance.

Speaking out thoughts in clear manner

A good doctor must be a good communicator. He

and having a subtle sense of comprehension is wisdom.

A doctor must patiently listen to the ill and lucidly tell the cure in a simple way. This is a skill and if the

must be able to explain clearly what he has learnt and diagnosed.

doctor explains in a way that the patient understands, then the patient feels as if he is cured.

உற் றவன்

Face is the Index of Mind

அப் பால் நாற்

அ

த்த

காட்

ம் பளிங்

க

த்த

காட்

ம்

ர்ப்பான் ம ந் ற் ேற ம

In treating a patient, not only does a doctor have a role but also, the health care workers play their parts.

Internal damages are shown as facial reaction As a skin doctor, I interpret this as: If you have any health problems, it will show up in your skin. A doctor

We observe the Doctors’ Day. I feel it should be observed as ‘Healthcare workers’ day.’

who examines skin, hair and nail properly will be able

Be Smart with Gadgets

to find out many underlying illnesses.

அ

ைன என்ப உளேவா க

காலம் அ

கற் றான் க

54

ந்

ெச

ன்

What is hard for him who acts

ம்

With proper tools and in a timely way!

ச் ெசயல்.

Patient parameters, disease severity and timely intervention

DECEMBER 2023

.

Are equally responsible in treating a disease.

கம் .

ணியள ம் கால

ந்

Patient, doctor, medicine and nurse

ேபால் ெநஞ்சம்

External images are seen as a mirror’s reflection

உற் றான் அள ம்

உைழச் ெசல் வாெனன்

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யான்

Today, so many gadgets have come up in the medical field and it is astonishing how Thiruvalluvar

ெதாட்டைனத்

could have envisioned them. We have AI for robotic

கற் றைனத்

surgery, CT scan and many other sophisticated

The deep you dig in the sand, the spring flows

technologies. If a doctor is adept in handling the latest gadgets and in a timely way, he will be quite successful.

A doctor is a messenger of faith. He should convey the right information to the patients, without losing the principle of compassion.

வதாந்

.

I would argue that for doctors, this relates to continuous learning and thereby gaining knowledge.

Choosing & Cherishing the Doctor

க்கண் அஞ்சான் ெசலச்ெசால்

தக்க த

ம் அ

க்

The deep you learn, the knowledge grows.

அன்ப கற்

ம் மணற் ேகணி மாந்தர்க்

க் காலத்தால்

.

நன்

ேதற் றம் அவா

ன்ைம இந்நான்

ம்

ைடயான் கட்ேட ெதளி

Trust him in whom these four you see:

A learned ambassador talks impressively, is not afraid of fierce looks

Love, knowledge, clarity and non‐greedy How does one choose the right doctor? Valluvar’s

He conveys what is right for that time

answer is that you must choose one who is When a doctor treats a patient who has serious

compassionate, has knowledge, clarity of vision and

ailments, he must have the courage to tell the patient

thoughts and who is not greedy. When a doctor becomes

about his health condition, without the patient getting

greedy, the society becomes nasty. Unfortunately, we

into depression. The doctor must show compassion,

see that greed has crept into the medical profession

such that the patient is able to face the problems.

today.

Use Common Sense ெசயற் ைக அ யற் ைக அ

ந்தக் கைடத் ந்

லகத்

ைனக்

ெசயல்.

அதற்

ரிைம நா ய

ன்ைற அவைன

ரிய னாகச் ெசயல்.

Though an expert through theoretical knowledge

Spot the person who is fit for duty

Act with common sense and in worldly ways

Leave him to do the best he can.

A doctor might have acquired many degrees and

Once you select the right doctor, you must trust

certificates but practically, he might be a zero in front

him. Earlier, we had the concept of a family doctor who

of a patient. He must thoroughly understand the

knew all about his patients. Now, we always seek a

patient, his physical, mental and financial conditions

specialist. Valluvar has advocated for the family doctor,

and background and act according to that, rather than

so many years ago.

blindly applying his theory to practice. Mere theoretical knowledge does not make a doctor successful. He needs to have compassion.

உற் றேநாய் நீ க்

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fountainhead of excellence

உறாஅைம

ற் காக்

ம்

55 DECEMBER 2023

யார்ப் ேபணிக் ெகாளல்.

Today, we have bone-marrow transplantation. We

Protect and Cherish the doctors of skill

donate heart, kidneys, eyes and liver. It is amazing how

ெபற்

Valluvar could think of organ donation even in those

Who ward and safe‐guard you from ill.

days. He says that loveless people amass everything but

According to Valluvar, a doctor who cures diseases and protects the society must be revered and taken care of. Unfortunately, we see doctors being assaulted by

those who love others will not even hesitate to donate their bones.

the family members of patients and public, when the

In sleep, we die

patients’ health deteriorates. Post-Covid, people have

உறங்

so many health issues and if anything unfortunate happens to a patient, people think that it is a doctor’s failure. This is a dangerous trend.

லார் எல் லாந் தமக்

என் ம் உரியர்

ேபா ேபா

ம் சாக்கா ம்

உறங்

றப் .

Every night we die; Every day we are born As naturally as we sleep at dusk and raise at dawn

Advocating for Organ Donation அன்

ப் ப

வ

If we understand this couplet, we will have no

ரியர்: அன் ைடயார்

anxiety from any disease. Every day, when we sleep, we face a temporary death. If we wake up the next day, we

றர்க்

The loveless will love to have everything for themselves But the selfless loving ones will give everything from skin to bones

are lucky and we should be happy that we are born fresh for that day. We must spend every day happily and purposefully. If we gain this philosophical mindset, we will never have the fear of death. 

56

DECEMBER 2023

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BUSINESS MANDATE

fountainhead of excellence

57 DECEMBER 2023

Distinguished speakers, including cricket experts and business leaders, share their perspectives on how to leverage the spirit of sportsmanship and the tactics of the game to achieve excellence in an organization.

M

r. Syed Kirmani: We should believe in

a big boost to the entire cricket team. Captain Kapil Dev

ourselves and our capability. Faith is the

said, “We have beaten the world champions. Now we

key to anybody's success in any walk of

don't have to look back at all.”

life. I recall my experience in the Zimbabwe match, which we played during the 1983 Prudential World Cup.

There were seven seniors to Kapil Dev in our team.

Before the first match against the West Indies, he said,

When we started the campaign, we were one of the

“Gentlemen, I have seven seniors with me. I don't have

weakest teams in the competition. The very first match

to tell the seniors what their responsibilities are, what

of the tournament was in Old Trafford against the

their commitment is, and what their focus is. You have

mighty West Indians, who had won the inaugural 1975

to guide me.” It's a great script penned by a captain. I've

World Cup and the 1979 World Cup. They were gunning

never heard a captain say this. We all got together and

for a hat-trick. We lost in the inaugural edition and

shed our egos. Another very important turning point,

didn't even qualify for the 79 World Cup.

which we realized later on, was capitalizing and bottlenecking the stronger opposition teams on their

It’s a Honeymoon!

complacency. Complacency subconsciously comes into

Each one of us had a different notion about going

a team or individuals when they are at the helm of

to England to represent the country in the 1983 World

affairs. We don't even realize that we are complacent.

Cup. One of them said, “I'm going on my honeymoon.”

Another one said, “I'm going to have a great holiday.”

Reeling at 17 for 5

Another one said, “I'm going to enjoy myself.” The first

In the Zimbabwe match, we were 17 for 5. I was

match in Old Trafford was against the mighty West

never considered an all-rounder. So, I was relaxed when

Indies. We won that match very comprehensively. It was

someone called me, “Kiri. Pad up.” I thought they were

58

DECEMBER 2023

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He said, “Don't worry.” That was self-confidence



In my era of cricketers, nobody even told us to go and play

and not overconfidence. I told Kapil, “I'll play one delivery and give you five deliveries. You don't have to play. You have to hit.” I was so fortunate to have given that 126 runs partnership. That partnership got us into

cricket. It was natural instincts

the knockout stage of semi-finals. Then it was historic.

and the sporting blood that

We went on to win the finals. We played all the 30 overs

was gushing and flowing into

remaining. It was 60 overs those days. We had pure white clothing. There are different characters in every

our veins, I suppose.

team and every organization, and you have to put up with those characters. We had a wonderful character in

~ Mr.Kirmani

our team - Krishnamachari Srikkanth, who was full of fun.

pulling my legs. When I looked outside the window, the scoreboard read 17 for 5. I don't know whether I had a

In my era of cricketers, nobody even told us to go

good breakfast or a good shower. I walked in when we

and play cricket. It was natural instincts and the

were 120 for 8. After me was the last man Balvinder

sporting blood that was gushing and flowing into our

Singh Sandhu. I have never panicked in any situation. I

veins, I suppose. My father always drilled into my head

believed in my strength. I went up to Kapil and said,

to study, get a degree and get a government job. Of

“Captain, we are in a situation of do or die. If we are

course, you also need lady luck. I was thrice dropped

going to die, we have to hit and die.”

from the Indian team, but I never gave up and I always knew my strength. In organizations and corporates, BUSINESS MANDATE

fountainhead of excellence

59 DECEMBER 2023

wherever you are, you must believe in yourselves and

a lot of patience, to lead from the front working as a

do your best. You must excel in your organization and

team. There was a point where I had to make a decision

acquire the qualities of a good leader.

of settling between cricket and music. I once performed in a concert in Nagercoil. The same night, I took a bus

No to Complacency

to Chennai, got off near the airport and proceeded to

The present Indian team is as good as the West

the ground for a cricket match. In that match, I was

Indies team in our era. The Board of Control for Cricket

bowled on the first ball. Then there was another match

in India (BCCI) is building multiple stories on the strong

where I scored 150 runs. After the match, I straight

foundation that we set with the 83 World Cup win.

went to a concert. This time, the concert went for a toss

Cricket has become a religion after that in our country.

because I couldn't sing. That was one big lesson I

Mahendra Singh Dhoni showed all the great credentials

learned. You need to focus on one of your strengths

and qualities of a good captain and a great leader. He

and should not have your hands in too many plates.

led from the front and is a gentleman to the core. One should imbibe such qualities from MS Dhoni. I rate him as the greatest captain. I feel very proud that I was the one who spotted Dhoni when he was fielding in a match against Jharkhand. The cricketers who are in the current team have all played under his captaincy. I only wish and hope that complacency does not creep into our team like what the West Indians had in 1983.

Mr. Bosskey: Talking of this World Cup, who would have thought that the mighty South Africans would be all out for 83 against India? The Indian team is playing very well in all departments. Shami is bowling with real accuracy, and thanks to his bowling, people have got back their faith in God (punning on the word ‘shami’ which means God, in Tamil). Rohit Sharma is leading the team so well. As a captain of all times, I would rate

Mr. P. Unnikrishnan: I played a lot of senior-level

Dhoni as extraordinary. As a player, he was lightning

cricket, and cricket has been my first love. Let me draw

behind the stumps and thunder in front of the stumps.

a little bit of an interesting parallel between Carnatic music and cricket. In my experience, once you possess the skill of Carnatic music, it is straightforward to understand all other genres of music in the world. The nuances in Carnatic music are so vast. The ragas and the structures are so complex. The same thing is true in cricket. If you're a good cricketer, you can play any other game with ease. Cricket is a highly technical game. You have to perfect every shot. You have square cut, square drive, leg glance, cover drive, off drive, flick,

Cricket has taught me a lot of fabulous things and to be a better individual. We call it a gentlemen's game.

It has taught me to be a gentle person. It has taught me 60

Kapil Dev. He and Dhoni have won us World Cups. Even before Dhoni came on the scene, we had a very good captain, who probably made the players believe a lot in themselves - Sourav Ganguly. As a player, what is your take on Ganguly as a captain? In the 2003 World Cup, we played very well under him, until Ricky Ponting floored us.

Ms. Shebani Bhaskar: Ganguly took the game wider in India, and Dhoni took it deeper. Ganguly took cricket

reverse sweep and so on.

DECEMBER 2023

Dr. Lalitha Balakrishnan: A lot has been said about

to the east of India. There is a lot of cricket in Calcutta now. That's where I started my cricket when I was 11 years old. He picked the players, brought them into the team and gave them the confidence that they can beat

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foreign teams on foreign soil. He led by example. He

the foot of the player.” We have one of the world’s best

backed his players to no end. We saw very different

spinners with us - Ashwin - who is playing as the 12th

captaincy styles between Sourav Ganguly and someone

man. Whereas, Afghanistan plays four spinners, and

like MS Dhoni.

they all bowl well. They are really shaping up well as a

Dhoni was very calm, whereas Ganguly like Virat Kohli, expressed himself on the field. He identified

team.

Mr. Unnikrishnan: Afghanistan’s performance is a

players like Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, and he was

huge

able to build a team. Dhoni took that team, and they

underestimate them. They could just come from behind

won the World Cup. Dhoni was absolutely brilliant. He

you and overcome you.

had a great ability to identify players and to handle pressure.

takeaway

for

everybody.

You

can

never

Ms. Shebani Bhaskar: Afghanistan is also coached by Jonathan Trott. He was a very calm and collected person

Regarding the India-South Africa league match,

at the crease. He was very successful in chases for

India handled the pressure very well. Virat Kohli scoring

England. Ajay Jadeja along with Jonathan Trott have

the 49th century on his birthday was absolutely

instilled that confidence in Afghanistan. We know that

brilliant. South Africa has been very good when they

they're very good in T10 and T20.

haven't had the scoreboard pressure.

They haven't been as successful in 50 over cricket

The handling of pressure comes back to the mental

so far. But in this World Cup, we've seen a

aspect of a player. Just keep it simple and get the basics

transformation in their batting style. They are natural

right. We know of Sehwag as a dashing batter, but what

hitters. But they have curbed their instincts and their

made him so successful was his strong basics. His

natural shot selection to score big runs to win the game.

defence was impenetrable. For every company, the

They've used their mind to control their body. It's been

foundation needs to be strong. After that, you can grow

absolutely fantastic to watch them.

as tall or as wide as you need. I think Ganguly did that.

He gave us a roadmap of where to start, and then we've headed in the right direction.

Dr. Lalitha Balakrishnan: How can the discipline and dedication required in the world of music, particularly in the classical genre, be compared to the commitment

Dr. Lalitha Balakrishnan: Afghanistan's team has played very well in the tournament. Ajay Jadeja is the coach of the team. They have been playing to a plan and sticking to that plan. They have not tried to do anything innovative, anything totally different. What do you think of the coaching strategy of Ajay Jadeja?

needed for success in cricket?

Mr. Unnikrishnan: You need to keep practicing for hours, both in cricket and music. That is the only way to succeed. When you practice, your confidence is at a high. The moment your mind is weak and you're less confident, you will fail.

Mr. Bosskey: I think Ajay Jadeja must be telling them not to be bothered about the big names of the opposition players. He would say, “If you want to bowl a yorker, don’t look at the face of the batsman. Just aim

Dr. Lalitha Balakrishnan: Team dynamics are crucial in both cricket as well as corporate settings. Could you share some insights on that?

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61 DECEMBER 2023

Ms. Shebani Bhaskar: Yes, team dynamics are

team. In this tournament, I feel England has been

extremely crucial. I've had the opportunity to play for

affected by team dynamics quite a bit. As the defending

many different teams in many different countries. Each

champions, we expected them to do very well. When

team has been different. The cultures are very different

Brendon McCullum was their coach, not just on the

as well. For example, when you play in the West Indies,

field, but off the field also, they were very relaxed. They

they're very cool. They might get out for duck and walk

were allowed to express themselves very differently.

back to the pavilion laughing and dancing. Whereas

That was not the case in this World Cup. It is a different

here, you score a century but your team loses. You're

coach now.

not allowed to smile. Different cultures definitely change the team dynamics. I have captained many teams in the US as well. I have played under captains who stare at you if you drop a catch. Having played under different captains, I realized that I wanted to be that person who encourages everyone.

I've also been fortunate to work in companies and businesses very briefly, but I've had very good bosses.

They've always encouraged me to keep playing. We must grow with and because of other people. That makes you very grateful. In sports also, you can grow together. I've known a couple of people who played together and who

Mr. Bosskey: Whether it is a team or an individual, you should never give up hope. Even at the last minute, things can change in your favour. I was once playing in a match where the opponents had to score three runs to win, off the last ball. They ran two, and we thought the match was tied. Just then, the umpire declared they

now are business partners.

They maintain those relationships and friendships and keep growing. Regardless of the country you come from, regardless of the state or the language you speak, I think you can build friendships over a long distance.

had run one run short. So, we became a winner by one

Dr. Lalitha Balakrishnan: Our prayers and good wishes

run. Also, whatever you do, there will be many people

to the Indian cricket team. Management students have

to put you down.

a lot to take home from cricket. I always believe that

I have faced so much of negative comments and ridicule, all my life. But I have never given up. Only because of this attitude, I am able to shine in many fields such as commenting, stand-up comedy, TV anchoring, and so on. Win or lose, you must be able to accept them and move on. You can enjoy watching cricket but do not lose your sleep and spoil your life, worrying too much about cricket. After all, your life is

sports is a great teacher because it teaches us to play hard, be determined, dedicated, and win. But more importantly, it also teaches us to lose and be a smiling loser, because not all is lost, as Bosskey rightly pointed out; you win some days and you lose some days. That does not mean the end of this world or the end of your life. You've got to keep playing the game of life.

If you believe in yourself, that self-belief will definitely take you places, and it is important to

important to you.

Ms. Shebani Bhaskar: As a captain, if somebody drops the catch, I will go up to the fielder and say, “Hey, it's okay. I know you didn't do it on purpose. Just focus on

continue doing whatever you do in the right way and in the best possible way because, to you, you're always a winner. 

the next ball.” You must create those dynamics in your 62

DECEMBER 2023

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BUSINESS MANDATE

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63 DECEMBER 2023