It has been a momentous 6th of March 2012 throwing election results to shake many a bastion, and I must congratulate the media and its exit polls who got most of its predictions right. Every channel carried the coverage of the Elections, its preparation and its results comprehensively.
However I am extremely disappointed with the way Goa as a state has been treated on such a historic occasion. Guess compared to UP and Punjab, Goa does not command eye balls like the big boys, but Goa often gets frivolous coverage when there is Carnival, Celebrity stacked New Year and mishaps like accidents/incidents with Foreigners.
I know the Goa in literal as well as economic sense is a small state, but I believe the 6th of March 2012 and the election day 3rd of March 2012 is a day which is likely to be etched in the history of Goa like its Liberation in 1962 or the Opinion Poll referendum in the 1967.
The powers at helm Congress have had a fruitful (in personal monetary growth) 5 years of mis-governance in Goa. With UPA II at the helm and a sufficient stable government of the Congress in Goa, Both the centre and the state performed as if they cared little for the people of Goa. From Lack of impetus to Business , rampant corruption, poor decision making and all round failure in governance had been the mainstay of 5 years misrule. In spite of growing public opinion national media has paid little attention to the wishes of a small state like Goa, and Politicians in Goa became like monsters who feared little and Congress high command either though its intentional ignorance or mistaken dominance gave little attention to a small state and had taken the people for granted.
The people themselves began to question life and their status in a country such as India and its democratic values. Goans were feeling and experiencing the state of a helpless, land lost, unemployed suicidal farmer.
The announcement of Elections in December 2011 by the incumbent government and the subsequent tamasha set fire to an already aggrieved public. Congress High command; Its chamcha’s and representatives who are responsible for Goa, colluded with the already thick skinned corrupt incumbents and family raj politicians to hatch a massive re-election plan built on Dynastic Politics and Monetary power. The Congress High Command in fact sent emissaries to promote and justify this concept of Family dominance over people.
As soon as the code of conduct applied and the Chief Election Commission was given complete authority the real power behind democracy began to surface. This power had been suffocated, threatened, influenced, manipulated and trampled by the incumbent congress government time and again for 5 long years. Once the CEC got into groove and promoted free and fair elections, devised innovative publicity methods for elections, with coverage on radio, appointing election mascots and even door delivery of voter slips created an atmosphere where in the people realised, ‘Hey here is a chance to us the most potent weapon in our hands!”
Every Goan with galvanising campaigns by Anti-Corruption crusaders, Friends of Good Governance, Influential Elders, Seasoned Businessmen, Rich Mining Families, students, colleges, village sarpancha’s and the average common man every man, woman, student, young and old felt this overwhelming urge to do something about the massive decay that the state was falling into.
From 1st of January 2012 when the new year festivities ended to 2nd of March 2012 pre election day, the people of Goa talked to each other, held their hands together, put their heads together and brought their hearts and conscience to play.
People went with their wishes and hope to new entrants, independents, fresh faces, minority candidates and to an intelligent highly educated leader of a beleaguered saffron party. This Leader of men; Stood up, took responsibility, acknowledged past mistakes and created a team which people could believe in.
A ‘SUSEGAD’ state woke up early on 3rd March 2012, and voted. It voted in numbers which people could themselves not believe. The Incumbent governments strategy to hold elections on Saturday to allow Susegad Goans to relax, take a holiday and let them rule the roost.....was uprooted and thrown out like a weed. The people of Goa from the first time since the opinion poll stood up themselves and took responsibility and voted in a record breaking 82%. More than 8 lakh people voted out of the 10 and a half lakh electorate. They came out in large numbers, the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the first timers and old timers, all of them broke from their slumber and came to make the ‘Change they wished to see’
And what a change it was people on election day were seen threatening incumbent leaders openly about overthrowing them. The electorate was strong and confident of such a impact that they went on record to state which constituencies they would break the Congress. Such power, such relevance, and such impetuous talk was never with the public but was earlier used by the politicians. But how the time was changing.
The time had changed indeed, incumbent Congress party and its allies NCP were not thrown out from the government but were kicked out by the people. Congress was reduced to single digit irrelevant whimp and NCP failed to even win a single seat. All ring masters, playmakers and corrupt players were shown the door and some won by wafer thin margins. For the first time since 25 years a single party has been given a massive mandate by the People of Goa, and that too a party which the Congress paints as communal. This party has brought together all Goans, Hindus, Christian, Muslims and others to stand for what they want, what they believe and safe, strong and progressive Goa.
Goa’s ‘SUSEGAD’ lifestyle has been harped on by the media and the people’s FRIEDSHIP-FORGIVENESS-FUN behaviour has been taken to be a carefree attitude of a literate population who have a ‘Chalta hai’ behaviour. But Goa today becomes the only state in the country to have now a true representation in the Legislative Assembley devoid of caste politics, devoid of religion based issues, devoid of divisive politics.
Growth/Development/Security and Good governance by intelligent and capable leaders at the helm is what the people of Goa have mandated.
-It is a lesson for the rest of the country what the People can do,
-It is a lesson to the leaders as to what their people expect,
-It is a lesson to the bigger states of India to evolve and grow to look at development and progress issues rather than divisive politics, religion and caste to determine leaders,
-And it is a lesson to India and to all Indians across the world that in the Biggest Democracy in the world the Power of the people can never be underestimated.
Not since the overthrowing of Indira Gandhi after emergency has anywhere in the country people come out in massive, focussed and galvanised numbers to make their Power felt.....
Because nobody including national media paid attention the people of Goa had to take matters into their own hands and solve it with its most potent weapon,...VOTE!
But my question to you is does India Care!!!??? Does India believe that a small state of Goa can teach a billion people how to be democratic? Does India believe Goa’s pristine beaches and beautiful people are more than just Feni and fun? Does India believe in Goa??? If it does then the people of Goa did not see it on National Media.........
Jai Gomantak!
Monday, March 12, 2012
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
CASTE in STONE??
ARE WE CASTE IN STONE???
Caste has existed in India from the Ancient times, evolving from a fluid social structure to a rigid, oppressive hierarchy that condemns individuals on the basis of their birth.
In today’s fast paced times when business, Knowledge, travel, interaction and communication is at the speed of thought (almost, at the touch of that button on your speed dial) the question that keeps popping up is how much do we understand caste ism and what is its relevance today ?
Turning back the pages, at first we need to understand the history to know our relevant future; The Indus Valley Civilization dating back to 2500 BC – 1500 BC had an extremely efficient system of governance. However till today there is no evidence at all that people living in its towns practiced caste system of any sort.
The Vedic Period from 1000BC -600 BC brought to the fore the Varna system or the effective Fourfold caste system. Primarily in the later part of this period this system came to prominence. However it appears that this system might not have been rigid as certain hymns in the Rig-Veda are believed to say, “I am a poet my father, a doctor and mother a farmer’’, clearly depicting the flexibility and acceptability of inter-caste marriages.
The Manu smruti from 200 BC focused on the basis that we the children of Manu and his descendents have a particular codified system of 4 Layers of caste.
The Bramhins who were Priests & Teachers were at the Top of the Social order.
The Kshatriyas next, who were rulers and soldiers.
The Vaishyas next, who were traders, artisans, businessman and farmers.
The Shudras finally, who were uneducated, illiterate, unskilled workers who served the other 3 Castes above it.
Buddhism came around in 500BC. Later around 100BC its adoption by the rulers, from Chandragupta Maurya to Ashoka gave it the firepower to attack the by now strongly entrenched 4 layered Caste System. Buddhism became widely followed and the traditional Caste system was put in the background. But the disintegration of the Maurya Empire and Buddhism spreading beyond borders of India, its power of universality and opposition to Caste system dimmed. Finally with the revival of Brahmanism by Adi Shankaracharya, Caste system returned to prominence.
During the Bhakti Period 13th -17th Century the Caste System was now strongly making its footprints felt. However, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Vallabha, Surdas, Meerabai, Kalidas, Tulsidas and other mystics challenged the system in the north and taught people that Caste does not determine their right to relate to God.
- 2 -
Also with Various Power centers in the country from the Muslim Invaders in the North West & Plains, to Hindu Kings in the South and tribal regions of the mountainous North East the Caste system started becoming less rigid. Also its boundaries started to be challenged by converts, ruling patronage, advent of Islam & Spread of Christianity etc.
So there was technically no Pan India Caste System prevalent when the British took over. However the British to counter their disadvantage in numbers understood the importance of the Caste Classification for effective governance.
The British in fact are believed to have re-inforced caste Stereotypes and even created some of them such as the martial race of Gorkhas. This was primarily a Human resource Management & utilization problem of ruling India which was addressed by the British effectively.
Finally Independent India in 1947 decided to out law the caste system. The Founding fathers created a non- discriminatory, secular and open agnostic constitution. This constitution forms the basis of the Republic of India.
If you closely understand and evaluate the History of India, you will find that the Maurya Empire in about 100 BC integrated a Vast Country called Hindustan.
Kautilya or Chanakya was the fundamental thread which ran through this empire.
Kautilya’s Arthashastra considered the First bible of Economics and Accounting clearly tried to focus on the issue of managing the vast and complex empire with a huge populace. A system of segregation, de-centralisation of decision making, allocation of responsibilities, skill based classification of manpower and efficient utilisation of resources was followed.
Knowledge even then became the source of all power. The Manu Smriti Caste system guided and enabled him to maximize the efficient and effective management of the Empire.
Kautilya was a man with purpose, a man who was not only focused but was very clear in his approach to see results in action. Thus I believe he adopted the fundamental basis of classification of human resources which was skill and ability based, for effective management.
Considering this the 4 codified classification Castes would be -
Priest / Teacher /Knowledge Permeator - Lets Say called a Brahmin
Leader/ Ruler /Fighter /Athlete /Administrator - Lets Say called a Kshatriya
Trader/ Manufacturer / Artisan /Businessman, Farmer - Lets Say called a Vaishya
Unskilled/ Illiterate/Uneducated/Labour - Lets Say called a Shudra.
- 3 -
Thus in an even unbiased analysis it would enable in Kautilya’s (Maurya Empire ) regime an equal chance for Eklavya or Karna to be classified as Kshatriya
In today’s time athletes being yesterdays Gladiators would mean even Sachin Tendulkar /MSDhoni/ Sania Mirza/ Vijender Singh/ Leander Paes etc be classified as Kshatriyas.
Also being effective Leaders, Rulers in the same vein like Sonia Gandhi/ Barrack Obama/ would have to be Kshatriyas.
Thinkers and Teachers like APJ Abdul Kalam, Dr.Manmohan Singh, Dr. Ambedkar, Gandhi and many such would have to be called Brahmins.
Businessmen, Traders, Manufacturers etc from Ambani’s, Wadia’s, to Birla and Tata would thus be classified into the Vaishya’s
Finally Critically uneducated and illiterate & with no classifiable skill sets, like Dhirtarastra & Shakuni (of Mythology Epic Mahabharata), a lot of our Politicians with absolutely no administrative skills and scavenging talent would all be Shudras then????
What fundamental fact comes out of this is that the classification is based only and only on skill sets or ability to be tried /tested/ proved and evaluated and absolutely not by Birth.
The restriction imposed on classification in a caste by birth is nothing, but an egoistic protectionism to retain one’s higher position in the hierarchy of social administration.
A Brahmin’s child however unskilled and good for nothing is pecked up in the high
social order so as to improve his prospects for a fortunate and better life as determined by that social order.
In todays time, when performance is the key to success right from school to business to the playing field any classification based on anything other than ability and talent is just foolhardy. I believe the age old System of Caste as nothing but a Human Resource Management tool for efficient and effective Governance. As it is said the “Intent of law is greater than the law itself.” The intent of such classification may be needs to be understood by one and all. When that happens skill, ability and talent shall be the only basis of evaluation and shall determine the future of a family, institution, organisation, state or a nation.
If Excellence & Prosperity is the ultimate Goal or Vision /Intent of the Republic of India any enquiry, classification, evaluation and discrimination based on caste (read race, creed, religion) needs to be not only opposed but vehemently abolished.
Caste has existed in India from the Ancient times, evolving from a fluid social structure to a rigid, oppressive hierarchy that condemns individuals on the basis of their birth.
In today’s fast paced times when business, Knowledge, travel, interaction and communication is at the speed of thought (almost, at the touch of that button on your speed dial) the question that keeps popping up is how much do we understand caste ism and what is its relevance today ?
Turning back the pages, at first we need to understand the history to know our relevant future; The Indus Valley Civilization dating back to 2500 BC – 1500 BC had an extremely efficient system of governance. However till today there is no evidence at all that people living in its towns practiced caste system of any sort.
The Vedic Period from 1000BC -600 BC brought to the fore the Varna system or the effective Fourfold caste system. Primarily in the later part of this period this system came to prominence. However it appears that this system might not have been rigid as certain hymns in the Rig-Veda are believed to say, “I am a poet my father, a doctor and mother a farmer’’, clearly depicting the flexibility and acceptability of inter-caste marriages.
The Manu smruti from 200 BC focused on the basis that we the children of Manu and his descendents have a particular codified system of 4 Layers of caste.
The Bramhins who were Priests & Teachers were at the Top of the Social order.
The Kshatriyas next, who were rulers and soldiers.
The Vaishyas next, who were traders, artisans, businessman and farmers.
The Shudras finally, who were uneducated, illiterate, unskilled workers who served the other 3 Castes above it.
Buddhism came around in 500BC. Later around 100BC its adoption by the rulers, from Chandragupta Maurya to Ashoka gave it the firepower to attack the by now strongly entrenched 4 layered Caste System. Buddhism became widely followed and the traditional Caste system was put in the background. But the disintegration of the Maurya Empire and Buddhism spreading beyond borders of India, its power of universality and opposition to Caste system dimmed. Finally with the revival of Brahmanism by Adi Shankaracharya, Caste system returned to prominence.
During the Bhakti Period 13th -17th Century the Caste System was now strongly making its footprints felt. However, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Vallabha, Surdas, Meerabai, Kalidas, Tulsidas and other mystics challenged the system in the north and taught people that Caste does not determine their right to relate to God.
- 2 -
Also with Various Power centers in the country from the Muslim Invaders in the North West & Plains, to Hindu Kings in the South and tribal regions of the mountainous North East the Caste system started becoming less rigid. Also its boundaries started to be challenged by converts, ruling patronage, advent of Islam & Spread of Christianity etc.
So there was technically no Pan India Caste System prevalent when the British took over. However the British to counter their disadvantage in numbers understood the importance of the Caste Classification for effective governance.
The British in fact are believed to have re-inforced caste Stereotypes and even created some of them such as the martial race of Gorkhas. This was primarily a Human resource Management & utilization problem of ruling India which was addressed by the British effectively.
Finally Independent India in 1947 decided to out law the caste system. The Founding fathers created a non- discriminatory, secular and open agnostic constitution. This constitution forms the basis of the Republic of India.
If you closely understand and evaluate the History of India, you will find that the Maurya Empire in about 100 BC integrated a Vast Country called Hindustan.
Kautilya or Chanakya was the fundamental thread which ran through this empire.
Kautilya’s Arthashastra considered the First bible of Economics and Accounting clearly tried to focus on the issue of managing the vast and complex empire with a huge populace. A system of segregation, de-centralisation of decision making, allocation of responsibilities, skill based classification of manpower and efficient utilisation of resources was followed.
Knowledge even then became the source of all power. The Manu Smriti Caste system guided and enabled him to maximize the efficient and effective management of the Empire.
Kautilya was a man with purpose, a man who was not only focused but was very clear in his approach to see results in action. Thus I believe he adopted the fundamental basis of classification of human resources which was skill and ability based, for effective management.
Considering this the 4 codified classification Castes would be -
Priest / Teacher /Knowledge Permeator - Lets Say called a Brahmin
Leader/ Ruler /Fighter /Athlete /Administrator - Lets Say called a Kshatriya
Trader/ Manufacturer / Artisan /Businessman, Farmer - Lets Say called a Vaishya
Unskilled/ Illiterate/Uneducated/Labour - Lets Say called a Shudra.
- 3 -
Thus in an even unbiased analysis it would enable in Kautilya’s (Maurya Empire ) regime an equal chance for Eklavya or Karna to be classified as Kshatriya
In today’s time athletes being yesterdays Gladiators would mean even Sachin Tendulkar /MSDhoni/ Sania Mirza/ Vijender Singh/ Leander Paes etc be classified as Kshatriyas.
Also being effective Leaders, Rulers in the same vein like Sonia Gandhi/ Barrack Obama/ would have to be Kshatriyas.
Thinkers and Teachers like APJ Abdul Kalam, Dr.Manmohan Singh, Dr. Ambedkar, Gandhi and many such would have to be called Brahmins.
Businessmen, Traders, Manufacturers etc from Ambani’s, Wadia’s, to Birla and Tata would thus be classified into the Vaishya’s
Finally Critically uneducated and illiterate & with no classifiable skill sets, like Dhirtarastra & Shakuni (of Mythology Epic Mahabharata), a lot of our Politicians with absolutely no administrative skills and scavenging talent would all be Shudras then????
What fundamental fact comes out of this is that the classification is based only and only on skill sets or ability to be tried /tested/ proved and evaluated and absolutely not by Birth.
The restriction imposed on classification in a caste by birth is nothing, but an egoistic protectionism to retain one’s higher position in the hierarchy of social administration.
A Brahmin’s child however unskilled and good for nothing is pecked up in the high
social order so as to improve his prospects for a fortunate and better life as determined by that social order.
In todays time, when performance is the key to success right from school to business to the playing field any classification based on anything other than ability and talent is just foolhardy. I believe the age old System of Caste as nothing but a Human Resource Management tool for efficient and effective Governance. As it is said the “Intent of law is greater than the law itself.” The intent of such classification may be needs to be understood by one and all. When that happens skill, ability and talent shall be the only basis of evaluation and shall determine the future of a family, institution, organisation, state or a nation.
If Excellence & Prosperity is the ultimate Goal or Vision /Intent of the Republic of India any enquiry, classification, evaluation and discrimination based on caste (read race, creed, religion) needs to be not only opposed but vehemently abolished.
Monday, December 8, 2008
THE WAY FORWARD-SMALL AND MEDUIM ENTERPRISES
THE WAY FORWARD-SMALL AND MEDUIM ENTERPRISES
Over the miniscule experiences I have been having over the past few years of being in the consulting sphere is that SME Sector shall continue to inspire and drive the country’s economy. However there are certain issues relating to the sector which I would like to mention. SME today is a sector which with its combined might is itself like a behemoth like ‘Reliance’. Stretching from 5 Crores to 500 Crores in basic top-lines these businesses not only have their own problems but have time and again been able to come out with unique ways of dealing with crisis. The present economic melt down not withstanding it is now time that every one of us recognize the unique status all these enterprises hold in keeping the economy alive and kicking.
The Challenge – The single biggest challenge that SME’s face today is quality manpower. Rest of the problems can be solved if they can somehow acquire, retain and develop talent.
The whole of India is today infatuated with big businesses. Employees want to work with bigger companies. Consulting Organizations, Advertising Agencies, Law and Accounting firms, Raw Material Suppliers, HR Firms all want to work with Bigger companies as they give easy money. Even Banks and Financial institutions want to serve bigger organizations and the terms which they offer to smaller organizations in-spite of the priority status are much inferior to what they give to Big companies. The result is the ‘Big-fall’ for every one to see. Even in the downside the first one’s to take the real hit in terms of recoveries, supplies, funding etc are the SME players. The Government Officials presently are a very committed and competent lot who want to have progressive thoughts, but seriously lack the implementation and execution skills. The challenge here is to look for a brother in Arms rather than look for a god father. The greater the re-aligning, M & A’s, JV’s happen in this sector the greater would be its speed of recovery at this time and faster will be the growth curve.
Professional Management – The transition from a owner driven to a professional set-up and finally to a professionally managed corporation is the most difficult journey which a organization travels. Our advice to SME’s has always been to train themselves by undergoing professional courses. Create horses for courses in your own organization by upgrading their knowledge in the particular fields they are interested in. A continuous support to a young child in his education, extra curricular and his interests creates a leader of a family. This same philosophy shall hold good in chosen individuals in a organization.
Consulting support and being open to newer ideas of professional consultants is required for creating newer bench marks for bringing about the desired change in a organization. A indifference to this leads to many organizations being locked in the same orbit or trajectory forever. Also the concept of 'CEO Mentoring' and moving towards corporate set-up is a must.
Technology – In- spite of being leading providers of soft power the world over…Indian SME’s are not able to leverage technology as much as they should. May be because of their own lack of knowledge and secondly because most of IT Hardware and software providers do not have cost effective solutions for them . Apex Chamber Bodies could enable for shared solutions for small players and on the other hand encourage strongly the implementation of technology from sourcing to delivery for organizations so that SME’s continue to be lean on all resource utilization from power/energy to HR.
Economic Meltdown – Small businesses are feeling the heat with crumbling demand in the Export and Western markets. Small businesses now feel that Cheaper Asian Countries will not only give them a run for their money on foreign shores but will also eat into their domestic market share. SME’s dependent on a few global clients like say Iron ore to China/ Japan etc, to US Distribution Chains or Retailers are facing severe order and cash crunch and are at loss to decide their future course.
Funding and PE – Disturbing events in the US investment banking scene has had its impact on the Funding and PE deals in India. Last year India was the largest receiver of PE investment, precisely USD $ 10 billion. This year the figures are going to alter in, quite a few percentage points. However a firm belief is held that the smaller cogs in India Inc Wheel will continue to move driven by domestic demand. Number of PE Funds and Banks like SBI ICICI and SME player SIDBI have announced setting up of SME focused funds. A good infrastructure set-up, a product with future and demand which is domestically driven first and is potentially international will attract the funding. Also the Governments noises to support Industrial growth from bottom up augur’s well provided it is executed.
All in all Big Fat rich Boys of Indian Industry are today where they are because of SME’s doing the dirty work. The Dirty boys now need to dress up and be counted on the world stage.
Over the miniscule experiences I have been having over the past few years of being in the consulting sphere is that SME Sector shall continue to inspire and drive the country’s economy. However there are certain issues relating to the sector which I would like to mention. SME today is a sector which with its combined might is itself like a behemoth like ‘Reliance’. Stretching from 5 Crores to 500 Crores in basic top-lines these businesses not only have their own problems but have time and again been able to come out with unique ways of dealing with crisis. The present economic melt down not withstanding it is now time that every one of us recognize the unique status all these enterprises hold in keeping the economy alive and kicking.
The Challenge – The single biggest challenge that SME’s face today is quality manpower. Rest of the problems can be solved if they can somehow acquire, retain and develop talent.
The whole of India is today infatuated with big businesses. Employees want to work with bigger companies. Consulting Organizations, Advertising Agencies, Law and Accounting firms, Raw Material Suppliers, HR Firms all want to work with Bigger companies as they give easy money. Even Banks and Financial institutions want to serve bigger organizations and the terms which they offer to smaller organizations in-spite of the priority status are much inferior to what they give to Big companies. The result is the ‘Big-fall’ for every one to see. Even in the downside the first one’s to take the real hit in terms of recoveries, supplies, funding etc are the SME players. The Government Officials presently are a very committed and competent lot who want to have progressive thoughts, but seriously lack the implementation and execution skills. The challenge here is to look for a brother in Arms rather than look for a god father. The greater the re-aligning, M & A’s, JV’s happen in this sector the greater would be its speed of recovery at this time and faster will be the growth curve.
Professional Management – The transition from a owner driven to a professional set-up and finally to a professionally managed corporation is the most difficult journey which a organization travels. Our advice to SME’s has always been to train themselves by undergoing professional courses. Create horses for courses in your own organization by upgrading their knowledge in the particular fields they are interested in. A continuous support to a young child in his education, extra curricular and his interests creates a leader of a family. This same philosophy shall hold good in chosen individuals in a organization.
Consulting support and being open to newer ideas of professional consultants is required for creating newer bench marks for bringing about the desired change in a organization. A indifference to this leads to many organizations being locked in the same orbit or trajectory forever. Also the concept of 'CEO Mentoring' and moving towards corporate set-up is a must.
Technology – In- spite of being leading providers of soft power the world over…Indian SME’s are not able to leverage technology as much as they should. May be because of their own lack of knowledge and secondly because most of IT Hardware and software providers do not have cost effective solutions for them . Apex Chamber Bodies could enable for shared solutions for small players and on the other hand encourage strongly the implementation of technology from sourcing to delivery for organizations so that SME’s continue to be lean on all resource utilization from power/energy to HR.
Economic Meltdown – Small businesses are feeling the heat with crumbling demand in the Export and Western markets. Small businesses now feel that Cheaper Asian Countries will not only give them a run for their money on foreign shores but will also eat into their domestic market share. SME’s dependent on a few global clients like say Iron ore to China/ Japan etc, to US Distribution Chains or Retailers are facing severe order and cash crunch and are at loss to decide their future course.
Funding and PE – Disturbing events in the US investment banking scene has had its impact on the Funding and PE deals in India. Last year India was the largest receiver of PE investment, precisely USD $ 10 billion. This year the figures are going to alter in, quite a few percentage points. However a firm belief is held that the smaller cogs in India Inc Wheel will continue to move driven by domestic demand. Number of PE Funds and Banks like SBI ICICI and SME player SIDBI have announced setting up of SME focused funds. A good infrastructure set-up, a product with future and demand which is domestically driven first and is potentially international will attract the funding. Also the Governments noises to support Industrial growth from bottom up augur’s well provided it is executed.
All in all Big Fat rich Boys of Indian Industry are today where they are because of SME’s doing the dirty work. The Dirty boys now need to dress up and be counted on the world stage.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
SPORT - A WAY TO LIFE
As a child coming from a background of sporting family, sport was always encouraged at home. Sports was almost a way of life, the holidays meant breakfast …sports …lunch…sports.. tea….sports and by the end it was too tiring for us young souls to even have dinner, as if it pleased our mothers. And you thought this was confined to the holidays?? No! The school used to be less taxing than what it is now, home work used to finish by 6 and ..then sports again.
You will think what this guy is jabbering about sports, what sport man? You name it maan cricket, football, hockey, basketball, Tennis and of course how can I forget the family heirloom ‘ Table Tennis’. By the way there wasn’t cable TV back then. My father being a champion TT player and having tremendous interest in cricket, tennis ( including playing at club level) and all other sports ( the others were however limited to being a keen reader and watcher of the game) helped. My mom though not a huge sports fan had brothers ( Uncles of mine) who played cricket at the highest level in Mumbai. The fact of the matter is Sport and its intricacies have had a tremendous impact on me as a person.
I have always felt that Sport doesn’t get the kind of recognition at home /society in India then what is in other countries. At home parents in the end would go for the cliché “ do you hope to make a living by playing?” India has always been a land of scholars and people with emphasis on the power of the mind no doubt; and has helped create India into a knowledge superpower. But aren’t we forgetting that even our greatest epics had Ram or Krishna playing sport to enhance their battle skills.
Sport for that matter I believe has the spices that build a character in a person. Only a sportsman would understand what it feels like to lose…and then learn to still fight the next day or in the next game. The ability to pick up the pieces , analyze the mistakes and come out fighting again takes you way ahead in life. Sport you also have to understand is less about ability and more about hard work, a philosophy that stood me in good stead during my C.A course. It is not talent that makes Sachin Tendulkar great but the hard work that has been put in all those years and even today makes those instincts work when you have a Shoaib Akthar missile coming at you. The embodiment of a good sports man is to focus on certain areas that don’t come naturally to him and work hard enough on those points so that they become a part of his instincts. Wouldn’t a similar philosophy apply to improve certain habits that our young people show up with; like being impulsive, careless, stubborn, disrespectful etc? I believe it certainly would.
Sports of any type has a basic hierarchy in an individuals performance, oneself, the teacher, the parents, the supporters and the critics or opponents/ and their support. The own decides first hand what you want to do and the teacher (Coach) polishes/scrapes/ cuts and delivers an efficient product. The parents and supporters generally form the backbone which keeps a sportsman going. The critics and opponents form the rest of the society which always tries to pull you down. All these characteristics are part and parcel of our day to day lives, whether you are doing business, are self employed or in employment. Such a social structure exists around all of us and thus you see; a sportsman or a person with a background in some sport has a preview to life very early and I believe such a person is much better prepared than most.
Sport also has two critical characteristics; one being the requirement of not giving up when it hurts the most and another aspect of any sport is it builds the character to perform when it counts the most or when the expectations are sky high and a sportsman has to deliver. Both these characteristics are the secret to the most successful sportsmen, and the same characteristics also spell the secret of success in Business, Profession and in Life….
Any sport, whether indoor or outdoor is basically an action point. ‘ The Walk the Talk’ principle. Herein you have to perform, since a sportsman is not known by how talented he could have been, how beautifully he or she played the game, but only how he or she performed , how many Championships you have won or how grittily you played the game. A sportsman I believe will never make a good politician as in any Sport and I believe , in the character of any person ‘Actions Speak louder than Words’.
All sports the world over have brought to the fore inspiring tales of courage , Grit, Determination and a spirit called sportsmanship time and again. I believe the monumental effort involved in getting a single Gold medal at the Olympics, or Winning the World Cup, or making a World Record is the greatest example that a young generation can have. The Stories of Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, Greg Louganis, Tiger Woods, John McEnroe, Sunny Gavaskar, Don Bradman, Vishwanathan Anand, Sachin Tendulkar, Micheal Jordan, Muhammad Ali etc are truly awe inspiring and should be passed from generation to generation, Parents to Children, Brothers to Sisters, Friends to Friends. All of these people , their tales of courage as told to me by my Father right from child hood, Some which I have myself seen and observed, have had a tremendous impact in the way I work, I talk, what I believe in, how I lead a team of people, how I react to situations , how I handle pressure, etc and the overall perspective of my life.
Finally another factor that puts sport on the my pedestal of spirituality is the fact that sport knows no bar, no age, no creed, no religion, no discrimination, only talent and ability; and the fact that to perform at the highest level you work in a sub consciousness mind that is called the ‘zone’ where nothing else matters but yourself and the game. I think that is something that takes you closer to our own supreme inner being which some people refer to as ’GOD’. A complete human being, with the right in-built spirit, right attitude, right values is just a manifestation, or a by product of SPORT.
( The writer is a Sportsman , a Chartered Accountant & Visiting Faculty at Damodar College of Commerce & Economics, Margao-Goa.)
You will think what this guy is jabbering about sports, what sport man? You name it maan cricket, football, hockey, basketball, Tennis and of course how can I forget the family heirloom ‘ Table Tennis’. By the way there wasn’t cable TV back then. My father being a champion TT player and having tremendous interest in cricket, tennis ( including playing at club level) and all other sports ( the others were however limited to being a keen reader and watcher of the game) helped. My mom though not a huge sports fan had brothers ( Uncles of mine) who played cricket at the highest level in Mumbai. The fact of the matter is Sport and its intricacies have had a tremendous impact on me as a person.
I have always felt that Sport doesn’t get the kind of recognition at home /society in India then what is in other countries. At home parents in the end would go for the cliché “ do you hope to make a living by playing?” India has always been a land of scholars and people with emphasis on the power of the mind no doubt; and has helped create India into a knowledge superpower. But aren’t we forgetting that even our greatest epics had Ram or Krishna playing sport to enhance their battle skills.
Sport for that matter I believe has the spices that build a character in a person. Only a sportsman would understand what it feels like to lose…and then learn to still fight the next day or in the next game. The ability to pick up the pieces , analyze the mistakes and come out fighting again takes you way ahead in life. Sport you also have to understand is less about ability and more about hard work, a philosophy that stood me in good stead during my C.A course. It is not talent that makes Sachin Tendulkar great but the hard work that has been put in all those years and even today makes those instincts work when you have a Shoaib Akthar missile coming at you. The embodiment of a good sports man is to focus on certain areas that don’t come naturally to him and work hard enough on those points so that they become a part of his instincts. Wouldn’t a similar philosophy apply to improve certain habits that our young people show up with; like being impulsive, careless, stubborn, disrespectful etc? I believe it certainly would.
Sports of any type has a basic hierarchy in an individuals performance, oneself, the teacher, the parents, the supporters and the critics or opponents/ and their support. The own decides first hand what you want to do and the teacher (Coach) polishes/scrapes/ cuts and delivers an efficient product. The parents and supporters generally form the backbone which keeps a sportsman going. The critics and opponents form the rest of the society which always tries to pull you down. All these characteristics are part and parcel of our day to day lives, whether you are doing business, are self employed or in employment. Such a social structure exists around all of us and thus you see; a sportsman or a person with a background in some sport has a preview to life very early and I believe such a person is much better prepared than most.
Sport also has two critical characteristics; one being the requirement of not giving up when it hurts the most and another aspect of any sport is it builds the character to perform when it counts the most or when the expectations are sky high and a sportsman has to deliver. Both these characteristics are the secret to the most successful sportsmen, and the same characteristics also spell the secret of success in Business, Profession and in Life….
Any sport, whether indoor or outdoor is basically an action point. ‘ The Walk the Talk’ principle. Herein you have to perform, since a sportsman is not known by how talented he could have been, how beautifully he or she played the game, but only how he or she performed , how many Championships you have won or how grittily you played the game. A sportsman I believe will never make a good politician as in any Sport and I believe , in the character of any person ‘Actions Speak louder than Words’.
All sports the world over have brought to the fore inspiring tales of courage , Grit, Determination and a spirit called sportsmanship time and again. I believe the monumental effort involved in getting a single Gold medal at the Olympics, or Winning the World Cup, or making a World Record is the greatest example that a young generation can have. The Stories of Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, Greg Louganis, Tiger Woods, John McEnroe, Sunny Gavaskar, Don Bradman, Vishwanathan Anand, Sachin Tendulkar, Micheal Jordan, Muhammad Ali etc are truly awe inspiring and should be passed from generation to generation, Parents to Children, Brothers to Sisters, Friends to Friends. All of these people , their tales of courage as told to me by my Father right from child hood, Some which I have myself seen and observed, have had a tremendous impact in the way I work, I talk, what I believe in, how I lead a team of people, how I react to situations , how I handle pressure, etc and the overall perspective of my life.
Finally another factor that puts sport on the my pedestal of spirituality is the fact that sport knows no bar, no age, no creed, no religion, no discrimination, only talent and ability; and the fact that to perform at the highest level you work in a sub consciousness mind that is called the ‘zone’ where nothing else matters but yourself and the game. I think that is something that takes you closer to our own supreme inner being which some people refer to as ’GOD’. A complete human being, with the right in-built spirit, right attitude, right values is just a manifestation, or a by product of SPORT.
( The writer is a Sportsman , a Chartered Accountant & Visiting Faculty at Damodar College of Commerce & Economics, Margao-Goa.)
Diluting Excellence
As a young professional upon qualifying extremely competitive exams you take your few steps in this competitive world; then changes take place beyond your control, which bring unhealthy performance in terms of competition and values. The people in power sometimes instead of creating a conducive atmosphere for growth; bring about ambiguous criteria creating doubts in the minds of these young and bright futures of the country.
Nearly 50 per cent reservation in government –aided institutions, including IIMs and IITs, from next academic year is a foregone conclusion. Much has been said about the undesirability or otherwise of such a move in higher education. Few of these views take a look at the issue from the perspective of teachers in these institutions. Among the most important reasons why, despite poor salary, high-calibre faculty is attracted to teach in IITs, IIMs and IIS, I think is the opportunity to teach the very best students. Teaching toppers is a pleasure one can appreciate only if one has experienced it first hand. You take that away and you take away a very important reason for the very best to teach in these institutions.
In higher institutions, typically, the pace of learning accelerates quickly. The level of teaching is way beyond regular schooling, HSSC or Graduate courses. In any class representing a mix of merit and reservation students, one will be presented with the challenge of where to pitch a lecture. If you cater to the merit group, the reserved group shall be unable to keep up. If you slow down to the reserved group’s level, you risk resentment from the merit group. Moreover, it also takes away the challenge that attracts one to teach in these institutions – the adrenalin that flows from matching one’s wits with the best. Some of these problems I guess are still present with 22.5 per cent reservation for SCs and STs. But as the number represents only about one-fifth of the total, the system should cope with some tutorials and extra handholding.
But the situation is set to change for the worse. With nearly 50 per cent reservation, any given class in these institutions will comprise two distinct intellectual levels. Willy-nilly the institutions may be driven to running separate sections for reserved and merit students, so that teaching could be accomplished at a level commensurate with the intellect of students. This is bound to see friction among the faculty as to who will teach in which section. I am not even talking about the friction levels that shall prevail among the students.
As the best faculty may not want to teach the non-merit category, newer or younger faculty will be pressed to teach reserved students, impairing the ability of these institutions to attract high-calibre faculty, resulting in eventual dilution of brand equity.
A thought comes to mind though?
Why should a responsible and committed faculty be averse to teaching students from socially challenged communities? I have no doubt that most faculty would like to do their bit for social development, provided the students admitted are genuinely needy. But from a little what I have seen during my student days as well as what I understand from reports coming through; most students from SC /ST category in these institutions are children of senior government officials who are hardly socially handicapped. I understand that it also include students who had got into IITs on reservation, then into some public sector corporation on reservation, got promoted on reservation and then came into an IIM(can be vice versa also) on reservation! You can hardly hold it against a teacher if he does not want to teach such candidates in he name of social development.
Perhaps the government would do well to consider the following exclusions from the ambit of reservation: Children of central or state government officials, if they had enjoyed reservation benefit in their education or jobs; offspring of MPs, MLAs and senior office-bearers of political parties up to district level; children of taxpayers or owners of a house, car, telephone or credit card on the premise that if these criteria are good enough the file tax returns, they do not need reservation benefit; and anyone seeking reservation benefit for a second time (say at IIM, having got a similar benefit at an IIT), unless he has worked in a rural area after the first degree for at least three years.
If the government favours empowerment of women, can the children of all widows under a certain income level be included for reservation? Can government revisit its language policy in state-run schools and introduce English at least as a compulsory second language to improve the employment chances of students from reserved category in a globalised world?
Change is welcome; provided it is for the better but in our country change brought about by any from of compulsory regulation or enforcement has always produced a result to the contrary!
(Writer is a visting
(Inspired by V.Ragunathan Analysis on Teaching in a Tainted Environment )
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