Senora--Vaizag

26.08.2010

in the evening I went out for dinner with Vinay Bhandari a student at GITAM. We braved the rains on his Pulsar bike and drove at break neck speed on the beach road to

the Senora hotel. The hotel, which is part of the Laila group, is an upcoming property on the beach road in Sagarnagar. It is perched about one-fourth of the distance up a small hill overlooking the highway and the sea. This

means almost every room will have a magnificent view of the beach and bay.

I found the restaurant to be reasonably good. My companion being of the vegetarian persuasion did not join me in tasting the Tomato Egg Drop soup which was pretty good. Later we had a bread basket and some sabzee.

Vinayrecommended that I have a look at the Palace Suite on the top floor. This is a massive suite with a separate

terrace attached! The room was quite

impressive and INR5000 per day, a steal. The terrace has views on threesides so we can see the hills around and the beach across the road.

A good hotel, worth a look in next time you are at Vaizag.

Raining in Vaizag

26.08.2010

There was heavy rain in Vaizag. When I woke up in the morning, it was raining cats and dogs. As I peeped out of my window in the guest house room at GITAM campus, the rain was pouring down on the green lawn outside. The rain abated later during the day. It brought a bit of blessed cooling from the otherwise sultry weather at Vaizag. It is surprising that though both the cities are on the east coast, Chennai becomes cooler in the evenings. The cool breeze sets in around 4:30 and the heat reduces. Whereas, here at Vaizag the evenings bring no such pleasant relief. The air is still and even a casual stroll in the evening makes one sweat due to the humidity. This oppresive weather condition and the intermittent rain were possibly reasons why I never made it to the Rushikonda beach during this visit.

Scenic Landing at Vaizag

I am here at Gitam Institute of International Business, Vaizag handling the second installment of the course I offer here on Business Strategies and Management Control Systems. I landed up here on 23rd August at around 12:30 PM. On the way to the GITAM University I requested my driver to stop on the beach road a little distance beyond Kailash Giri where the road curves right. I got some classic shots of one of the best the stretches of Vaizag Beach. The terrain of Visakhapatnam is very interesting. The azure blue sea, the sands of the beach, the low hill ranges lining the bcity on the east and west. All this when taken together makes for a panorama of scenic beauty, especially on the beach road which twists left and right throwing up vistas of sea, sand and hills with every turn.

The sunrise is pretty early here possibly because of being further east when compared to Chennai.

Landing at Vaizag airport during daytime is always worth a window seat. During my landing I got a classic aerial view of Vaizag from the craft. First the blue green sea, so calm and still like water in a tub with small toy-like ships floating on it. From up above these huge vessels piled with containers looked no bigger than the miniature ships that children play with. Then the unbroken golden yellow line of the sandy beach followed by a belt of greenery. As the plane prepares to land, the docks come into sight. The sea extends into the land through a natural inlet navigable by lagrge vessels. Huge vessels lie safely docked in this inland harbor. As the plane turns again, the beach road, a winding black line between sea and city is seen. Then the city and the highrises, the railway track and finally greenery again as the plane swoops down to land at the runway of the Vaizag airport. From my window I see a line of emerald green hills just opposite the airport on the otherside of the Highway.

Goddess of Prosperity

Image of the Goddess Varalakshmi which is prepared at home by many south Indians and ceremoniously brought into the house on any Friday between New Moon and full Moon in the Simha Masam. (Tamil Month Avani). Thereafter pooja is performed to the Goddess praying for true prosperity that transcends material wealth and pomp. Prosperity that is the well spring of goodness and peace.

Cranes in the Harbor by night

19.08.2010

I attended the marriage reception of my colleague Mr. Palani at Korukkupet today. On the way back, we took the Royapuram bridge to cross over to Rajaji Salai. The car stopped on the bridge for a couple of moments. From atop the bridge we had a glorious view of the Harbor with gigantic cranes working full swing; bedecked with lights creating a surreal atmosphere. I took a snap of the cranes looking resplendent as they were luminously outlined by the lights on them against the back drop of the pitch dark sky.

General Management Communication Skills

Group Photo with the Batch of Fresh Chartered Accountants

attending the

General Management and Communication Skills Workshop

at the Southern Region Office of the ICAI.

Finance for Non Finance--VA Tech Wabagh

This was a batch of young engineers from the EPCL space. I did my best to relate the session to the Turn-key Project Execution business. They had certain initial disconnect with the conceptual base. But slowly through examples and working out simple numerics on the white Board we made new discoveries in Financial awareness.

Time Management for Tenneco

17.08.2010

I am at the Sarovar Portico, Hosur. I have just finished conducting a workshop on Time Management for the executives of Tenneco, Hosur. Many insights on Time Management were passed on through activities and case studies. One participant pointed out that Time Management is about Discipline and the Art of saying No.

Mr. Vivekanandan, the HR Head, who attended the program said participants of corporate in house programs can be classified as follows:

• People who come because they have been sent for training. They will respond well if the training is good and entertaining.
• The Time Passers who see it as time away from work.
• The Effective learners who come prepared with queries and are interactive. They attempt to implement some of the techniques learnt and will stand testimony to the efficacy of training for future programmes.

I found the group to be entirely of the third category based on the interaction and questions asked.

Metamorphosis

One of the participants at the Finance for Non-Finance Executives Program was commenting that more Chartered Accountants were becoming CEOs. I had to agree to that. I also observed that all managers go through a pupa-like phase in their career when they metamorphose and become butterflies. They theresfter totally sever their connections with their erstwhile functional identities. Like the butterfly they are aware that they were once a chrysalis and like the colorful they cannot now go back to being something lesser than what they are now. It is these metamorphosed Chartered Accountants who ultimately become CEO.

Drawing an Elephant by Team Effort

These are pictures of Elephants drawn by participants at the Hyundai Supervisory Skills Programme!

Hyundai Program on Effective Supervisory Skills

Finance and Mining

13.08.2010

I delivered the first day of the Finance for Non-Finance Program today for Management Study Centre at GRT Grand Hotel.

I had a group of five Zambians attending it. They were an extremely interactive and friendly group of engineers on secondment from KCM, Zambia to Sterlite Tuticorin. They shared their views on Finance and Mining.

Coincidentally, the audience profile was entirely from Mining or related Industries! We had Sterlite (Metals), Mangalore Chemicals (Refining), and Ultratech Cement (They have Limestone quarries where mining operations take place. We also had Revathy Equipments, Coimbatore who manufacture shot hole covers for mines! The only exception was a lady from SICAL Logistics—who represented the services sector! It was a great teaching cum learning day.

Elephant

Valuation Seminar

I conducted a program on Controversial Case Studiess in Valuation for the ICAI Program on Valuation. I took the participants through the various issues in valuation and where controversies may arise. I took examples like the Airtel-Zain buy out, TATA’s acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover, Reliance Media Works Vs. INOX and also the purchase by ICICI Bank of Rajasthan.

The audience analyzed the issues and we summed up our learning on a powerPoint.

I tried to bring out issues like having a price bandwidth rather than a single value. We also arrived at the conclusion that beyond the tangible and intangible assets being acquired, every “deal” has an Opportunity value that is sometimes perceived by others but is always seen by the buyer. That is why prices can and do differ within an extreme range.

Award Presentation at Puducherry

07.08.2010

My Lodge Asoka No. 93, won the Best Lodge in the Region Award. I am in Puducherry today to receve it from the Regional Grandmaster of the Southern Region, R. W. Bro. Varanashi Narasimham.

We stayed the night in a Hotel called Soorya’s Heritage Inn. This hotel is lousy. The outer façade is impressive with antique frontage, elephants and fake marble horses, but inside, the rooms are dirty with cockroaches and the fittings in the bathrooms leave much to be desired. The AC was not working, and I had to create a ruckus before something was done. If you are going to Puducherry, don’t stay here.

Why Telemarketing will not work

06.08.2010

Operators may face action for Telemarketing Nuisance

As I read the headline on the front page news of the Hindu today, I felt that we should be thankful that the FM Mr. Mukherjee got a call on his mobile from a telemarketer. Now, it is no longer, merely, a civic issue. It is political. The representatives of the people need to be hurt personally before they will even accept the existence of an issue. Welcome to Democracy!

That being so, the real and possibly only reason why the companies that attempt to peddle insurance and credit cards over phone should cease and desist immediately is because it does not work. The damage it does to their brand must far outweigh any enquiries they may generate through this mode.

There are many reasons why Telemarketing will not work:

a) Timing—Obviously no one in his right mind would switch off from whatever he is doing (which must be logically more important to him than an unsolicited marketing call) to listen to a bored, repetitive voice trying to get him interested in investing his hard-earned money or borrow at usurious rates.

b) Ignorance of the Caller—The cllers are invariably morons apparently selected on the basis of their inability to communicate intelligently in friendly tone of voice.

c) Follow up—Lack of—Even if one in a hundred (I think I am giving optimistic odds here) agree to meet someone from the company, the second moron (selected through carefully designed tests to ensure that he is an imbecile) who is supposed to meet the prospect usually screws it up by

i. Not doing so, or

ii. Irritating the prospect by assuming that the customer is already sold on the product and is fully aware of the subject

I seriously do not know, why they continue to do this as the cost per enquiry generated through telecalling must be quite high for the bank/insurance company.

SMS or Email may be better. But that is another issue….!

TEXMO Program on High Performance Supervisory Skills Coimbatore

06.08.2010

I am here at Coimbatore once again to conduct advanced supervisory skills development program for the same batch of managers I trained last time. This time I took them higher up the mountain and tried to make them see the connect between their efforts and the Vision and Mission of the company. Before I began the program, I asked them to tell me the contents of their company’s mission statement. While they had a vague idea about it, most of them did not really knowit. This was not because therewas no buy in but because they hadn’t bothered to connect this higher level goal to their day to day work. Once I made them discuss and come out with their understanding of Texmo’s mission, vision and strategy and their own contribution towards this, they connected.

I also helped them go through powerful teamwork based activities like Box Making, Forming a perfect square when blind folded and the Trust Walk.

The questionnaire on JOHARI windows went well and they plotted their own window. For some of them it came as a surprise.

Coimbatore is balmy and cool again with a chilly breeze blowing in through my window.

The Hunter's Lament

01.08.2010

A game hunter walks along a forest trail. In the distance, a black buck pauses in its grazing, looks up and presents a perfect target. Later he sees a leopard slinking up a hillock about twelve feet from where he is. But, alas, he has forgotten his rifle…!

My situation was no better at the beach today. As I crossed the Tarmac from the parking lot, on to the sand, the evening sun shone brightly from the west, illuminating the colorful scene on the beach with a last burst of light before sinking down behind the white colonial façade of the Police Commissioners Office.

The horses standing with the yellow sand and blue sky as the backdrop; the performing girl on the tight rope stretched right across the beach with the sea and waves just behind creating an image of walking across the waves! As I crossed over and looked back at the scene from near the waves the same girl standing on the taut rope, a long pole balanced in her hand presented a classic silhouette as she came between the bright evening sun and me. So many images to capture and I had forgotten my camera.

Of all the words ever said or written, the saddest are these-

It might have been.

Quotables

Everybody knows many things. The question is “what am I doing with what I know?” and that alone makes all the difference.

Monkey on the Mind

Quotables

Dream. Your belief in your dream makes it a reality.Abandon yourself to your dream. Dream big and make it a reality.

In the afternoon, we visited the Chamundeswari temple on Chamundi Hills. This is Ashada month (Aadi) which is the holy month of the Goddess. In fact this is also the month of the Janmaashtami of the Devi Chamundeswari. The entire temple was decorated with colorful flowers and silver and gold ornaments. We had a great dharshan of the Devi.

On the way down, we visited the Big Bull or Nandi. This huge sitting bull a symbol of shaivaite worship was also bedecked with bright marigold flowers. It rained as we climbed down the hill but the sky cleared in a short while.

Political Economics

31.07.2010

Mysore

Professor S Radhakrishnan spoke on Indian Economy— an overview. I liked his speech. A gist of a part of the speech is given below:

We are not living in an Indian economy. We are living in an Indian Political Economy. Economic measures are being controlled by political interests. Economics says we have to do this; politics says if you do this you will lose the elections. Politics wins. Dr. Radhakrishnan says economic policy should not be dictated by political compulsions. I agree.

Smart Teacher Training

I am here to deliver talks on “How to become a Smart Teacher” to college professors at the inaugural function of the CPT classes of Prime Academy at Mysore. The local partner at Mysore conducting the classes is the Pentagon Group, a team of five, enterprising gentlemen from varied backgrounds offering a diversified bouquet of services ranging from lean management to outsourcing solutions.

The Carnatic Experience

31.07.2010

The monsoon has effectively set in Mysore. They say Coorg is being lashed by incessant and heavy rains. During my stay in the Royal city, there were occasional but heavy showers. The sky was overcast and the dark clouds loomed over the city.

This City of Palaces, Galleries and Museums has lost very little of its old world charm. The roads are wide and well-planned and the stately buildings combining colonial, Italian and traditional Indian architectural themes stand amidst lush gardens and tall trees spreading their shady boughs everywhere. The people are also friendlier and human in their behavior, unlike the absolutely urbanized citizens of the Garden City.

One memory I will carry for a long time from this particular visit to Mysore is the sound of Carnatic music; the refrains of the melodies that wafted from the stereos in the cars of all our hosts. All of them seemed to love Carnatic. The music form itself derives its name from this region. The elegance, sophistication and smoothness of the Carnatic Ragas can be truly appreciated only in this city where the kings patronized this art in particular and arts and culture in general.