March 2009

March is the financial closing year for all the Industries. It has been a challenging year for all of us in the Industry. And, no less, will be the challenges, that shall be confronted by all of us, in this coming financial year. The fight to retain the present market shares and achieve growth simultaneously in a market, which is witnessing a contraction in consumer demand, is going to be much bigger challenge. World over, Government’s action of pumping more money into the market to turn them vibrant is not changing the course of the market.
The consumer’s confidence is at its lowest ebb at this point of time.

At home, the Indians saw the big fight between IPL organizers and the Government against the decision not to provide security. As the Hindu editorial “Over the top” (March 25) has pointed out,"... even children knew that the general election was scheduled for April and May. Surely, this could not have missed the attention of the IPL organizers. But their business acumen and the weakness of our people for cricket have made them shift the tournament out of our country. "It was surprising to note that hasty statements were made in the media by many including few opposition parties. As any ruling government would have done, the UPA’s decision to concentrate on the elections was a wise call.

Also, the public bashing of certain community by the fascist BJP through young Varun Gandhi only revealed one of the many faces of the BJP, which continue to disturb the communal harmony in this nation.The unfortunate part was that someone from the Nehru family was used as the pawn.

The month also saw the final launch preparations for the nano car in the Indian market.The mood is high, especially among each and every member in the Tata Group, and among everyone across the Industries. The smart work by my colleagues in the Nano marketing team is surely going to make "nano" carve out its own market share in its segment.

Finally the good piece is that the Indian cricket team is in the verge of winning the series in New Zealand after some 4 decades.

Lets hope the new financial year revives the World economy sooner.

March 2009 Animation Courtesy - My Sister!

During one of the days of February, I reached my transit flat in Coimbatore from Bangalore on an early morning. Our wonderful Caretaker, Mr.Selvam, a young entrepreneur in the past, greeted me with his kind smile. He knows that, am one of the biggest admirer of his culinary capabilities. Not just because am a home food starved young bachelor in the company, but, because, I am a highly interactive person with him. So, he takes special care to ask what I would like to have for the day and would be happy to serve me with all affection, the best of the home made foods.

Selvam is a wonderful gentleman, in his late twenties. He has been in our guest house for the last couple of years. He has his own fans in our company. In fact, when we (a group of associates in the company who keep traveling across markets throughout the year, from all divisions), keep meeting in the breakfast table in various locations, we rate our caretakers. And, Selvam will certainly top the list. In fact, last year, when I had a fairly couple of days stay in Coimbatore for my brand store opening, the night, he told me about his successful stint as an entrepreneur in Pondicherry. That day was wonderful for it helped me understand couple of mistakes any entrepreneur normally makes in his/her company. Selvam exactly did the same thing, and one day, had to wind of his business. At around one ‘O clock that day,When the city was seeing some beautiful drizzles, their I sat in our Balcony,with Selvam, telling me how he build his business and how he also lost the same. And, surprisingly I asked him, his future moves and he told with grit and wit, that he will again get back to his business soon and will ensure this time, he wins. I prayed to God that night, that, God, give Selvam all the courage to build his business again and protect him with all wisdom, not to repeat the mistakes he made earlier and give him all wealth. Selvam was not greedy. He was content but had ambitions. He was honest. I know that, sooner, one day, I will meet Mr.Selvam, the successful business man in Pondicherry. For am sure, God will make that happen.

India needs such Selvam kind of businessman, who will build honest business. (I need a separate blog to write about Selvam’s business and the way he built it to lose one day). A smart guy, who can smell opportunity(shall just share with you his business in a nutshell –He used to buy broomstick-a particular kind in a remote village in Tamil Nadu and sell it to big time wholesale seller in Bangalore market, where the product has a Customer base).

But, World cannot afford greedy businessmen. They kill the trust of millions of people and their associates. Unknowingly, one can commit errors that shall lead to wisdom and finally Self-Realization. Certainly not in the name of smartness like what few do today.

Anitha Roddick, The founder of Body Shop, wrote beautifully in her book, that, Business is larger than Nations and Churches. Such is its power to change the way people live their life.




I had been to the Indian Parliament twice. Once when Shri.V.P.Singh was the Prime Minister and I was a kid. And, this time, a year back, the day before the Independence Day. I had attended sessions in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as a Visitor. It was not a surprise to see an ordinary budget being passed before the final session-Since, it was an interim budget by a caretaker government before the elections. What surprised me was the women reservation bill that did not see the light.

The month saw the Indian Women Cricket team winning the Australians to reach the third place in the World Cup.



The month also saw Shri.A.R.Rahman winning two academy awards along with Resul Pookutty, winning one. It was a heartfelt scene to see the young little cute kids from the slums of Mumbai to address the press standing in the red carpet, along with the Industry’s top performers.






What great words they are….from Rahmanji….”In my life,I always had a choice between love and hate and I chose love. And, I am here...”



Right words at the right moment to World-when it looked for such caring words. How true and powerful philosophies they are.

Courtesy: My sister who had animated the month Feb in such a beautiful way for my blog.
Other Photos courtesy, Google Images.

Self-Realization

You will realize God when you respect His creations!

God is an invisible distributed energy. He resides in every human being, plants and animals. The human beings are endowed with sixth sense, which should be used in realizing God. You will realize God only when you love, care and respect His creations. God expects you to carry out his functions. If you do that you become an ideal for others. God does not reside in temples. Once you are aware of the presence of God then you realize the futility of visiting temples.

We all commit mistakes. But when the same mistakes are repeated it becomes a sin. Seeking pardon for your sins results in self-realization. Your consciousness is God. Respect your consciousness, God will always be with you.

(Thanks Sister. This was sent by my sister to be put up in my blog!)

Soil 2045

2045 AD. A dream comes true as I was waiting for my turn to get down from the Skybus. I saw around me the people with whom I have traveled along with from my place. They looked all different-their dressings, their discussions, the dialect they spoke, and the things they were carrying. Forty years back and now, the whole world looked different. I could not recognize anyone standing along with me. At sixty five, comparing myself with those standing near me, could notice that they all are living a healthy life style, compared to me, myself a pale shadow of my youthfulness now.

The discussion they were having all revolved around their nation’s vibrant economy, which is bullish, the laurels through bigger achievements in various fields like industrial growth, agricultural production, sports, arts & literature, healthy and positive lives lived by them, with a government by them, for them, giving good governance. They were proud of their nation’s achievement- an achievement without invading any other nation, an achievement with piousness for the betterment of their nation and the world, promoting peace.

These people all stayed in my motherland to sweat & toil, when I moved away for better prospects and wealthy lifestyle. They survived and have achieved in my own motherland against all odds, when I set my family in an alien land. Though I did achieve much in my career, lived a healthy and wealthy lifestyle, it took after forty years for me to feel that I am missing something. I decided to search for what I am missing in my life. And, the search brought me here back to my motherland, my place. Now, am here standing along with my own people in this skybus. Forty years back, we used to wait for the 8’0 clock bus to reach my Village. Today, every 15 minutes, there is a skybus flying from the city to my village. A journey that used to take 2 hours is now taking just 15 minutes. Indians in India have done it. I feel proud but unable to take privilege and feel the pride since something is missing.

The door has opened. And, I stepped out of the skybus, hurried outside the station, into my village along with my people. As soon as I stepped out, I knew I have found the missing thing in my life. I felt the breeze- the air with which I grew up forty years back. I ran inside the agricultural field nearby, and bent down to grab a handful of them-and brought it near my face-and felt it with my skin. I knew have got what I was missing in my life. Tears trickled down my face. I am now with my Soil.

(When I wrote this as a small piece of story, I was traveling somewhere into the hinterland of Andhra Pradesh in June 2008 along with a fellow Indian, who had come back from the US on a short trip, from Philadelphia. I understood that he was here to see his Mother and is about to return back to the US in a week's time. We had discussions on wide range of topics, speaking about the differences between both the nations-and as we were crossing Villages, i got inspired to write this Story of a Man, who had left for the West, after Forty Years, return back to his homeland, with all achievements, but, realizing how much he missed his Soil)

The Ray Of Hope ...

Over the past few months, economic recession and growing uncertainties are creating a depressing atmosphere. It's quite understandable. Business and people are affected globally. However, negative thoughts and discussions will only be adding fuel to it. What we need at this time is - Hope.

One of greatest gifts to mankind is 'hope'. With it, all things are possible. Without it, nothing is possible.

Hope is a decision or choice we make. We decide to trust life. The difference between living with hope and living in fear is like the difference between the life of a hero and the life of a coward. Those who live in fear, refuse to take risks, and wind up settling for a life of mediocrity. But those who live with hope, boldly go where their dreams take them, and experience a life of adventure. Marion Bradley makes a lot of sense when she writes, "It has never been, and never will be, easy work! But the road that is built in hope is more pleasant to the traveler than the road built in despair, even though they both lead to the same destination."

Life is synonymous with change. So, any pain or fear that I am experiencing will end, which is a cause to be hopeful. JF Kennedy has said ~ "Every area of trouble gives out a ray of hope, and the one unchangeable certainty is that nothing is certain or unchangeable."
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Hope sustains us. It provides us with the strength to look for solutions and do whatever is possible or accept what cannot be changed. It helps us to weather the storm in a sea of uncertainty, and its optimism acts as a self-fulfilling prophecy, washing away problems. Hope is the fuel for action. When we are filled with hope we have a reason to act.

He / she who does not hope to win has already lost. So don't hope your problems grow smaller; hope 'you' grow bigger. Don't hope to receive much more than you already have, but hope to be much more grateful for what you now have.

I leave you with Thomas Fuller's powerful words ~ "Great hopes make great men. You are as great as your hopes, so keep the flames burning, and feed the fire with more and bigger dreams.

Courtesy - Anonymous

Lee Wei Ling on the arrival of slump time!

By Lee Wei Ling

The writer is director of the National Neuroscience Institute and Lee Kuan Yew's daughter(Lee Kuan Yew is the former Prime Minister of Singapore).

In 2007, in an end-of-year message to the staff of the National Neuroscience Institute, I wrote: 'Whilst boom time in the public sector is never as booming as in the private sector, let us not forget that boom time is eventually followed by slump time. Slump time in the public sector is always less painful compared to the private sector.' Slump time has arrived with a bang.

While I worry about the poorer Singaporeans who will be hit hard, perhaps this recession has come at an opportune time for many of us. It will give us an incentive to reconsider our priorities in life. Decades of the good life have made us soft. The wealthy especially, but also the middle class in Singapore, have had it so good for so long, what they once considered luxuries, they now think of as necessities.
A mobile phone, for instance, is now a statement about who you are, not just a piece of equipment for communication. Hence many people buy the latest model though their existing mobile phones are still in perfect working order.


A Mercedes-Benz is no longer adequate as a status symbol. For millionaires who wish to show the world they have taste, a Ferrari or a Porsche is deemed more appropriate.
The same attitude influences the choice of attire and accessories. I still find it hard to believe that there are people carrying handbags that cost more than thrice the monthly income of a bus driver, and many more times that of the foreign worker labouring in the hot sun, risking his life to construct luxury condominiums he will never have a chance to live in.


The media encourages and amplifies this ostentatious consumption. Perhaps it is good to encourage people to spend more because this will prevent the recession from getting worse. I am not an economist, but wasn't that the root cause of the current crisis - Americans spending more than they could afford to?


I am not a particularly spiritual person. I don't believe in the supernatural and I don't think I have a soul that will survive my death. But as I view the crass materialism around me, I am reminded of what my mother once told me: 'Suffering and deprivation is good for the soul.'


My family is not poor, but we have been brought up to be frugal. My parents and I live in the same house that my paternal grandparents and their children moved into after World War II in 1945. It is a big house by today's standards, but it is simple - in fact, almost to the point of being shabby.

Those who see it for the first time are astonished that Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's home is so humble. But it is a comfortable house, a home we have got used to. Though it does look shabby compared to the new mansions on our street, we are not bothered by the comparison.


Most of the world and much of Singapore will lament the economic downturn. We have been told to tighten our belts. There will undoubtedly be suffering, which we must try our best to ameliorate. But I personally think the hard times will hold a timely lesson for many Singaporeans, especially those born after 1970 who have never lived through difficult times. No matter how poor you are in Singapore, the authorities and social groups do try to ensure you have shelter and food. Nobody starves in Singapore.


Many of those who are currently living in mansions and enjoying a luxurious lifestyle will probably still be able to do so, even if they might have to downgrade from wines costing $20,000 a bottle to $10,000 a bottle. They would hardly notice the difference.

Being wealthy is not a sin. It cannot be in a capitalist market economy. Enjoying the fruits of one's own labour is one's prerogative and I have no right to chastise those who choose to live luxuriously.


But if one is blinded by materialism, there would be no end to wanting and hankering. After the Ferrari, what next? An Aston Martin? After the Hermes Birkin handbag, what can one upgrade to?


Neither an Aston Martin nor a Hermes Birkin can make us truly happy or contented. They are like dust, a fog obscuring the true meaning of life, and can be blown away in the twinkling of an eye.


When the end approaches and we look back on our lives, will we regret the latest mobile phone or luxury car that we did not acquire? Or would we prefer to die at peace with ourselves, knowing that we have lived lives filled with love, friendship and goodwill, that we have helped some of our fellow voyagers along the way and that we have tried our best to leave this world a slightly better place than we found it?
We know which is the correct choice - and it is within our power to make that choice.
In this new year, burdened as it is with the problems of the year that has just ended, let us again try to choose wisely.


To a considerable degree, our happiness is within our own control, and we should not follow the herd blindly.

Courtesy - Thanks to my Mentor, who has circulated this mail from his end, worth emulating some good practices in our life for a better society.

Managing Career & Expectations - R. Gopalakrishnan - Executive Director, Tata Sons.

Managing Career & Expectations:

Talk at IIM

(These are the personal views of Mr. R. Gopalakrishnan, Executive Director - Tata Sons)




Great Stuff from a great ex-HLL manager. A Story on how to manage your career & your expectations by R. Gopalakrishnan


There is a Thai saying that experience is a comb which Nature gives to man after he is bald. As I grow bald, I would like to share my comb with you.

1. Seek out grassroots level experience

I studied Physics and Engineering at University. A few months before graduation, I appeared for an HLL interview for Computer Traineeship. When asked whether I would consider Marketing instead of Computers, I responded negatively : an engineer to visit grocery shops to sell Dalda or Lifebuoy? Gosh, no way. After I joined the Company and a couple of comfortable weeks in the swanky Head Office, I was given a train ticket to go to Nasik. Would I please meet Mr. Kelkar to whom I would be attached for the next two months? He would teach me to work as a salesman in his territory, which included staying in Kopargaon and Pimpalgaon among other small towns. I was most upset. In a town called Ozhar, I was moving around from shop to shop with a bullock cart full of products and a salesman's folder in my hand. Imagine my embarrassment when an IIT friend appeared in front of me in Ozhar, believe it or not! And exclaimed, "Gopal, I thought you joined as a Management Trainee in Computers". I could have died a thousand deaths. After this leveling experience, I was less embarrassed to work as a Dispatch Clerk in the Company Depot and an Invoice Clerk in the Accounts Department. Several years later, I realised the value of such grassroots level experience. It is fantastic. I would advise young people to seek out nail-dirtying, collar-soiling, shoe-wearing tasks. That is how you learn about organizations, about the true nature of work, and the dignity of the many, many tasks that go into building great enterprises.

2. Deserve before you desire

At one stage, I was appointed as the Brand Manager for Lifebuoy and Pears soap, the company's most popular-priced and most premium soaps. And what was a Brand Manager? "A mini-businessman, responsible for the production, sales and profits of the brand, accountable for its long-term growth, etc., etc. I had read those statements, I believed them and here I was, at 27,"in charge of everything". But very soon, I found I could not move a pin without checking with my seniors. One evening, after turning the Facit machine handle through various calculations, I sat in front of the Marketing Director. I expressed my frustration and gently asked whether I could not be given total charge. He smiled benignly and said, "The perception and reality are both right. You will get total charge when you know more about the brand than anyone else in this company about its formulation, the raw materials, the production costs, the consumer's perception, the distribution and so on. How long do you think that it will take?" "Maybe, ten years", I replied, "and I don't expect to be the Lifebuoy and Pears Brand Manager for so long"! And then suddenly, the lesson was clear. I was desiring total control, long before I deserved it. This happens to us all the time - in terms of responsibilities, in terms of postings and promotions, it happens all the time that there is a gap between our perception of what we deserve and the reality of what we get. It helps to deserve before we desire.


3. Play to win but win with fairness

Life is competitive and of course, you play to win. But think about the balance. Will you do anything, to win? Perhaps not. Think deeply about how and where you draw the line. Each person draws it differently, and in doing so, it helps to think about values. Winning without values provides dubious fulfillment. The leaders who have contributed the most are the ones with a set of universal values! Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King for example. Napoleon inspired a ragged, mutinous and half-starved army to fight and seize power. This brought him name and fame for twenty years. But all the while, he was driven forward by a selfish and evil ambition, and not in pursuit of a great ideal. He finally fell because of his selfish ambition. I am fond of referring to the Pierre de Coubertin Fair Play Trophy. It was instituted in 1964 by the founder of the modern Olympic Games and here are two examples of winners. A Hungarian tennis player who pleaded with the umpire to give his opponent some more time to recover from a cramp. A British kayak team who were trailing the Danish kayak team. They then stopped to help the Danish team whose boat was stuck. The Danes went on to beat the British by one second in a three hour event! What wonderful examples of sportsmanship! Play to Win, but with Fairness.


4. Enjoy whatever you do

Sir Thomas Lipton is credited with the statement, "There is no greater fun than hard work". You usually excel in fields, which you truly enjoy. Ask any person what it is that interferes with his enjoyment of existence. He will say, "The struggle for life". What he probably means is the struggle for success. Unless a person has learnt what to do with success after getting it, the very achievement of it must lead him to unhappiness. Aristotle wrote, "Humans seek happiness as an end in itself, not as a means to something else". But if you think about it, we should not work for happiness. We should work as happy people. In organizational life, people get busy doing something to be happy. The more you try to be happy, the more unhappy you can get. Your work and career is all about you’re reaching your full potential. Working at one's full potential, whether it is the office boy or the Chairman, leads to enjoyment and fulfillment. A last point about enjoyment. Keep a sense of humor about yourself. Too many people are in danger of taking themselves far too seriously. As General Joe Stilwell is reported to have said, "Keep smiling. The higher the monkey climbs, the more you can see of his backside".


5. Be Passionate about your health

Of course, as you get older, you would have a slight paunch, graying of hair or loss of it and so on. But it is in the first 5 - 7 years after the working career begins that the greatest neglect of youthful health occurs. Sportsmen stop playing sports, non drinkers drink alcohol, light smokers smoke more, active people sit on chairs, and starving inmates of hostels eat rich food in good hotels and so on. These are the years to watch. Do not, I repeat do not, convince yourself that you are too busy, or that you do not have access to facilities, or worst of all, that you do this to relieve the stresses of a professional career. A professional career is indeed very stressful. There is only one person who can help you to cope with the tension, avoid the doctor's scalpel, and to feel good each morning - and that is yourself. God has given us as good a health as He has, a bit like a credit balance in the bank. Grow it, maintain it, but do not allow its value destruction. The penalty is very high in later years.


6. Direction is more important than distance

Every golfer tries to drive the ball to a very long distance. In the process, all sorts of mistakes occur because the game involves the masterly co-ordination of several movements simultaneously. The golf coach always advises that direction is more important than distance. So it is with life. Despite one's best attempts, there will be ups and downs. It is relationships and friendships that enable a person to navigate the choppy waters that the ship of life will encounter. When I was young, there was a memorable film by Frank Capra, starring James Stewart and Dona Reed, and named IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. It is about a man who is about to commit suicide because he thinks he is a failure. An angel is sent to rescue him. The bottom line of the film is that "No Man is a Failure Who Has Friends".


Conclusion:

My generation will never be twenty again, but when you are older, you can and should be different from my generation. Ours is a great and wonderful country, and realising her true potential in the global arena depends ever so much on the quality and persistence of our young people.

Good luck in your journey, my young friends, and God be with you.

Courtesy:This article posted in my blog is a forward that I have received from my Corporate circle. Inspiring & worth sharing -It's posted with the intention to spread such good messages to one and all.