Friday, January 06, 2006

Will my dream come true?

I dream of a day when I will be able to commute from Madhapur to Secunderabad seated comfortably in a city bus.It would be wonderful if I can reach secunderabad in 45 min.This is a luxurious dream for a Hyderabadi.

Currently during peak hours travelling is a night-mare.After waiting for a long time you have to travel standing until unless you get into the bus at its originating point.You cannot even comfortably stand.In a circle of radius 1 metre around you there will be 4 or 5 people.Imagine the horrible scenario for your self.The bus will move like a bullock-cart because of heavy traffic.If you own a vehicle you wont have to undergo this arduous journey but the delay will be the same.
The cause of the problem is less number of city buses combined with narrow(relative term) roads.Realizing this Municipal Corporation Of Hyderabad is continuously widening the roads.I dont know when will this process comes to an end?

The solutions like constructing fly-overs,widening roads have a physical limitation.At some point of time we cannot widen roads even by an inch.

I think the effective solution is increasing number of city buses and reducing the number of private vehicles on the road.Please note that I am not at all against automobile industry.In our situation we have to make some compromises to meet the goals of all atleast partially (I'm not sure but I think that Nash's game theory (remember the blonde in Beautiful mind) is applicable here).
The number of private vehicles are increasing day-by-day.Easy vehicle loans and the perception of vehicles as a basic need have contributed to this increase.A car that provides space for 4-5 people carries only 1 or 2 people.This wastage of space leads to a feeling that roads are narrow.Government should make policies that discourage people from using personal 4-wheelers on weekdays.At the same time the number of city buses should also be increased.If I am not wrong this is similar to bin packing problem.

Although my solution is vague please comment on it and feel free to post your own solutions so that we can bring it to the notice of the concerned authorities.

IIM grads who gave up India Inc.

AHMEDABAD: Think about an Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad alumnus and you conjure up the image of a corporate warrior engaged in boardroom battles.

That's till you meet people like Bhushan Punani, director of city-based Blind People's Association, or social entrepreneur Vijay Mahajan.

"Money offers pseudo comfort which never attracted me," says Punani. And Mahajan wishes that "more IIM-A alumni would move away from the beaten path".

The latest issue of IIM-A's inhouse magazine 'Alumnus' features 20 IIM-A alumni who took the road less travelled. These "intrepid souls", says the magazine, put their cause above themselves by promoting livelihood for the poor, supporting the visually challenged, contributing to performing arts, sports, eco-restoration etc.

It features the likes of Pavan Kapoor (1985 batch) who made a career in the Indian Foreign Service. "It is particularly satisfying when we are able to defend our nation's interests against others," he writes....

Kapoor's job involves negotiation on behalf of the Indian government in specific WTO committees. Then there is the more famous Harsha Bhogle who lived out of his wife and batchmate Anita's income before making it big in the world of cricket.

"It is important to realise," says Punani, "that the concept of management is relevant to any activity which concerns people and money."

It was while working on dairy development in Punjab, that Punani decided to pursue an alternative career and has established a leading disability development organisation.

There are a few odd students who do think differently. Vardan Kabra (2004 batch) made headlines when he chucked an offer from P&G and started Fountainhead Education Foundation.

But what about status and money? Kabra is candid, "At times, I do wonder whether I have made the wrong choice but that's a temporary phase."...

Punani's words probably reflect the overall sentiments of many others of his kind, "My batchmates earn tonnes, while I earn pennies; most people have sleepless nights, I go to sleep content."

There are some unconventional souls in the present batch too, like Gaurav Dagaonkar, a guitarist and vocalist who wants to start a music company. This soon-to-be IIM-A grad calls money "a by-product of talent.

Source:- Rediff News

I am proud to work with Tata Group

This article on Tatas inspires every one to do their part for the society.It is written by Suhel Seth,CEO, Equua Redcell.

I visited Jamshedpur over the weekend to see for myself an India that is
fast disappearing despite all the wolf-cries of people like
Narayanamurthy and his ilk. It is one thing to talk and quite another to
do and I am delighted to tell you that Ratan Tata has kept alive the
legacy of perhaps Indias finest industrialist J.N. Tata. Something that
some people doubted when Ratan took over the House of the Tatas but in
hindsight, the best thing to have happened to the Tatas is
unquestionably Ratan. I was amazed to see the extent of corporate
philanthropy and this is no exaggeration.

For the breed that talks about corporate social responsibility and talks
about the role of corporate India, a visit to Jamshedpur is a must. Go
there and see the amount of money they pump into keeping the town going;
see the smiling faces of workers in a region known for industrial
unrest; see the standard of living in a city that is almost isolated
from the mess in the rest of the country.

This is not meant to be a puff piece. I have nothing to do with Tata
Steel,but I strongly believe the message of hope and the message of
goodness that they are spreading is worth sharing. The fact that you do
have companies in India which look at workers as human beings and who do
not blow their software trumpet of having changed lives. In fact, I
asked Mr Muthurman, the managing director, as to why he was so quiet
about all they had done and all he could offer in return was a smile
wrapped in humility, which said it all. They have done so much more
since I last visited Jamshedpur, which was in 1992. The town has
obviously got busier but the values thankfully haven't changed. The food
is still as amazing as it always was and I gorged, as I would normally
do. I visited the plant and the last time I did that was with Russi
Mody.

But the plant this time was gleaming and far from what it used to be.
Greener and cleaner and a tribute to environment management. You could
have been in the mountains. Such was the quality of air I inhaled! There
was no belching smoke; no tired faces and so many more women workers,
even on the shop floor. This is true gender equality and not the kind
that is often espoused at seminars organised by angry activists. I met
so many old friends. Most of them have aged but not grown old. There was
a spring in the air which came from a certain calmness which has always
been the hallmark of Jamshedpur and something I savoured for a full two
days in between receiving messages of how boring and decrepit the
Lacklustre Fashion Weak was.

It is at times such as this that our city lives seem so meaningless.
Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata had created an edifice that is today a robust
company and it is not about profits and about valuation. It is not about
who becomes a millionaire and who doesnt'. It is about getting the job
done with dignity and respect keeping the age-old values intact and this
is what I learnt.

I jokingly asked someone as to whether they ever thought of joining an
Infosys or a Wipro and pat came the reply: "We are not interested in
becoming crorepatis but in making others crorepatis."

Which is exactly what the Tatas have done for years in and around
Jamshedpur. Very few people know that Jamshedpur has been selected as a
UN Global Compact City, edging out the other nominee from India,
Bangalore.
Selected because of the quality of life, because of the conditions of
sanitation and roads and welfare. If this is not a tribute to industrial
India, then what is? Today, Indian needs several Jamshedpurs but it also
needs this Jamshedpur to be given its fair due, its recognition. I am
tired of campus visits being publicised to the Infosys and the Wipros of
the world. Modern India is being built in Jamshedpur as we speak. An
India built on the strength of core convictions and nothing was more
apparent about that than the experiment with truth and reality that Tata
Steel is conducting at Pipla.

Forty-eight tribal girls (yes, tribal girls who these corrupt and evil
politicians only talk about but do nothing for) are being educated
through a residential program over nine months. I went to visit them and
I spoke to them in a language that they have just learnt: Bengali. Eight
weeks ago, they could only speak in Sainthali, their local dialect. But
today, they are brimming with a confidence that will bring tears to your
eyes. It did to mine.

One of them has just been selected to represent Jharkand in the state
archery competition. They have their own womens football team and whats
more they are now fond of education. It is a passion and not a burden.
This was possible because I guess people like Ratan Tata and Muthurman
havent sold their souls to some business management drivel, which tells
us that we must only do business and nothing else. The fact that not one
Tata executive has been touched by the Naxalites in that area talks
about the social respect that the Tatas have earned.

The Tatas do not need this piece to be praised and lauded. My intent is
to share the larger picture that we so often miss in the haze of the
slime and sleaze that politics imparts. My submission to those who use
phrases such as "feel-good" and "India Shining" is first visit
Jamshedpur to understand what it all means. See Tata Steel in action to
know what companies can do if they wish to. And what corporate India
needs to do. Murli Manohar Joshi would be better off seeing what Tata
Steel has done by creating the Xavier Institute of Tribal Education
rather than by proffering excuses for the imbroglio in the IIMs. This is
where the Advanis and Vajpayees need to pay homage. Not to all the Sai
Babas and the Hugging saints that they are so busy with. India is
changing inspite of them and they need to realise that.

I couldn't have spent a more humane and wonderful weekend. Jamshedpur is
an eye-opener and a role model, which should be made mandatory for
replication. I saw corporate India actually participate in basic
nation-building, for when these tribal girls go back to their villages,
they will return with knowledge that will truly be life-altering.

Corporate India can do it but most of the time is willing to shy away.
For those corporate leaders who are happier winning awards and being
interviewed on their choice of clothes, my advise is visit Tata Steel,
spend some days at Jamshedpur and see a nation's transformation. That is
true service and true nationalism.

Tata Steel will celebrate 100 years of existence in 2007. It won't be
just a milestone in this company's history. It will be a milestone, to
my mind of corporate transparency and generosity in this country. It is
indeed fitting that Ratan Tata today heads a group which has people who
are committed to nation-building than just building inflluence and
power. JRD must be smiling wherever he is. And so must Jamsetji
Nusserwanji. These people today, have literally climbed every last blue
mountain. And continue to do so with vigour and passion.

Thank god for the TATA s