Jai ho!

The other day, a return trip, to Bengalooru from Delhi, turned out to be as non eventful, as most other flights, that I've been on.

However, the flight to my mind was very different & significant, as, I hark back to my first flight, in 1986. This aeroplane was piloted by two very smart young ladies, a first for me, on an Indian domestic airline. Back in the 1980's through the 1990's, piloting a plane was the sole domain of men and women confined themselves, to being cabin crew.

While, the lady pilots flew their bird, very well, I was very impressed, by the efficiency of young Srikanth, who served us, through the flight. Extremely deft and in control all the time, his manners were perfect.

One day, in the near future, I hope to see, ships, 'manned' by a all woman crew. Maybe I should have used the word 'womanned'.

This is not a piece on the training methods at Jet Air, but rather, my curios interest, in the role reversal that I'm seeing all around. To me it would appear, that growth in India, is inclusive, though slow and I'm prepared to live with that.

If you look at India's long history, you would see, that we started with a superb system of division of labor ( Caste system), which fell apart as we went along and turned increasingly ugly, rigid, exploitative and non inclusive. This non inclusion of major chunks of our population, ( Dalits) in our growth has plagued India, through recent times and we have labored with divisive politics, unequal growth and a lack of national unity.

Though the pilot story, may seem insignificant, to me, it provides a window to peer into the future and if you can see through the fog, you would see an India, that is inclusive, non exploitative and strong, as against some of our neighbors, who thrive on the business of terror or who have made rapid progress through exploitative growth.

I'm prepared to wait and live with our model, because I'm convinced, that short cuts can take you only that far and not the distance. Our growth story must be sustainable.

Over the many years that I've flown the fear of landing has not left me & as I shut my eyes and prayed as we descended into Bangalore, the pilot made a perfect smooth landing.

Jai ho.................

July, August & World History

I do not know if I'm prejudiced or it's my perception, that events in the month of July & August, have shaped world history, in more ways, than events that have occurred in other months.Let us look at three events that happened on the 9th of August, in different years.

August 9,1329 - Quilon the first Indian Diocese was erected by Pope John XXII and Jordanus was appointed the first Bishop.

August 9, 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus and Pompey flees to Egypt.

August 9, 681 - Bulgaria is founded as a Khanate on the south bank of the Danube, after defeating the Byzantine armies of Emperor Constantine IV south of the Danube delta.

The above events, all occurred on August 9th, and all of them, are important enough to have found a place in the history of the world. However if you looks closely, you will probably see that the establishment of the first Indian Diocese was the lone peaceful event amidst the defeat of the Byzantines and the battle at Pharsalus.

History will also consistently show, that, Western Civilization as a rule have been at the helm of wars, death and destruction. However Western spin doctors, have also fairly successfully managed to paint most things non western, from Carthage, to the Inca's, to ancient India as barbaric, uncivilized and decadent.

Europe has, in general, been the epicentre of most wars and so much so when asked, as to what he thought of Western Civilization, Gandhi, replied that, 'He thought, it a good idea and nothing more!' I guess he summed it up brilliantly.

It is important to see, that, in 1329, a Christian Diocese was welcomed in Kerala. This was a time when religious strife was rampant in other parts of the world.

August, also has the ignominy of Hitler's horror's in Belo Russia at the height of 'Operation Barbarossa or the German invasion of Russia and the Americans dropping the atom bombs on Japan, to 'end the war'. These are stories that I would like to talk about later.

India, as such has wonderful secular credentials, and much of the time we are at the receiving end of cleverly disguised propaganda. Historical fact, on many occasions, sets the record straight.

To answer the question as to my bias towards July & August, well, my wife & I were born in these months.

3rd August.........

The Pinta

3rd of August, in my opinion, is one of the most important days in history. On this day in 1492, a sailor, by the name of Christopher Columbus, sailed out with three ship, from the Spanish port of Palos, to find a sea route to India. What he discovered were the Americas.Columbus was not the first European mariner to sail to the New World—the Vikings set up colonies (c.1000) in Greenland and Newfoundland (Leif Ericsson)—but his voyages mark the beginning of continuous European efforts to explore and colonize the Americas. Although historians for centuries disputed his skill as a navigator, it has been proved that with only dead reckoning ( a method of estimating one's position at sea without the aid of the sun/moon/stars that traditional navigators use) Columbus was unsurpassed in charting and finding his way about unknown seas. During the 1980s and 90s the long-standing image of Columbus as a hero was tarnished by criticism from Native Americans and revisionist historians. With the 500th anniversary of his first voyage in 1992, interpretations of his motives and impact varied. Although he was always judged to be vain, ambitious, desirous of wealth, and ruthless, traditional historians viewed his voyages as opening the New World to Western civilization and Christianity. For revisionist historians, however, his voyages symbolize the more brutal aspects of European colonization and represent the beginning of the destruction of Native American peoples and culture. One point of agreement among all interpretations is that his voyages were one of the turning points in history.

Seafarers!

A great many folk quiz me about life at sea. A few of them, have a look of horror & incredulity, as they seem to wonder how such life can be endured. A laundry list of the common myths and stereotypes, that are carried about sailors are:

1. They are drunk for better part of their life on board a ship.
2. They are uncouth.
3. Their family ties are not as strong as those that landlubbers share.
4. Sailors have no rules.
5. They are loose with their morals.
6. They earn a great deal of money with little effort.

While I'm not going to defend sailors in this short, piece, I will recount, a story from last week, involving an Indian Captain and his ship off the coast of Taiwan, in the China Sea. I'm quite familiar with these waters & can tell you that the density of fishing craft is high.

The ship, with the Indian captain, apparently did not stop to assist a sinking fishing trawler. It so resulted that some of the fishermen perished, in the rather turbulent seas that the ship was traversing.

The Captain has since been arrested & charged with' second degree man slaughter', which could lead to a fairly lengthy jail sentence. The captain's defense is that, he was not on the Navigation Bridge, at that point of time & was not informed by the navigating officer, cuts no ice with the marine court that has been constituted. He was the Captain and so takes the cake! He is simply responsible for what goes on on his boat and not assisting another sea farer in distress is desertion and is a strict no no in marine parlance.

Mu question, is, how many of us stop on the road to assist, an accident case? Do we care at all? The CEO of an IT major at Bangalore was surprised when, he was held responsible, for the death of a lady employee who was raped & murdered. The CEO's punishment, was but a slap on the wrist.No jail term for him. No penalties for those of us, who turn away, in horror from a road accident & move on.

Life at sea is very well regulated and disciplined. Most ships do not allow the consumption of alcohol on board and sea farers are some of the most greatly trained folk around. Their commitment to work is simply superb.

Next time you bite into, your favourite nan or roti, remember the sailor because, he would have ferried the wheat for you from a Canadian or US port. The next time you take your favourite SUV out for a spin, remember the sailor because, he got the petrol for you.

As for our Indian captain, when last heard he was cooling his heels in a lonely cell in Taipei and possibly contemplating his rather bleak future.

I rest my case with the question, as where do you think life is more civilized?

HR at cross roads?

The following recent story is indicative of the trials that those in the HR profession face. While the issue of whether HR professionals really contribute to an organizations bottom line, has been a topic debated, for some time now, drastic changes as brought about by General Motors, in replacing their HR head with a person from a technical field, have rarely been seen and is sure to get the HR community up in arms.

Personally, I feel that this would have been a decision, taken by GM's top management, based on current requirements and would probably see a change, with management. Remember GE & Six Sigma or the policies of the legendary Jack Welch.

To me it appears that the organization, is looking for a major revamp, and it was felt that a technical person at the helm of HR would do a better job, in pulling GM out of its current crises. Only time will tell, if the decision was right. HR in India are often accused of going soft on 'firing' employees. Apparently HR managers in the US are no different.

Read the story and decide for yourself.......

General Motors Shakes Up HR LeadershipSource: Workforce - 7/31/09

General Motors head of human resources and longtime executive Katy Barclay is stepping down, the automaker said Thursday, July 30. She will be replaced by Mary Barra, a top executive with an engineering background who worked closely with former GM chief executive Rick Wagoner.The leadership change comes just weeks after the new GM emerged from a structured Chapter 11 bankruptcy with the goal of overhauling the company’s bureaucratic and bloated corporate culture, especially within its executive ranks. The shift completes GM’s executive restructuring, though the company has yet to bring in executives from outside the corporation.The HR change will officially take place October 1, which is GM’s deadline to reduce its salaried workforce by 4,000 people. Saturday, August 1, is the deadline for reducing the company’s union workforce. The company said it wants to trim the number of union workers to 40,500 from 61,000 a year ago.The retirement of Barclay, 53, who has been vice president of global human resources since 1998, was seen as long overdue. According to a 2005 article published in Automotive News (a sister publication of Workforce Management), Barclay said her first automotive job was as a human resources professional at GM in 1978.“She is one of the same senior leaders who is responsible for the destruction of the company,” said Rob Kleinbaum, managing director of auto industry consulting firm Rak & Co. “She is responsible for it and should be accountable for it.”Barra, 47, is vice president for global manufacturing engineering and has been with GM since 1980. She has served in a number of engineering, manufacturing, management and communications positions and was plant manager for the Detroit Hamtramck assembly center. Barra was appointed executive director of vehicle manufacturing engineering in 2004 and was named to her current position in 2008, the company said in a release.Appointing an engineer with no HR experience as the department’s head suggests the company is looking to infuse it with a greater sense of the manufacturing principles of continual improvement and operational efficiency.“It’s a positive sign they want to make deep changes in HR and don’t want to draw from the HR community,” Kleinbaum said.Before her current position, Barclay was general director of human resource management for GM North American operations. Other positions include director of human resources for GM vehicle sales, service and marketing, and director of compensation for GM.CEO Fritz Henderson, who has made changing the company’s culture a top priority for the new GM, announced the changes to employees Thursday, July 30, as part of an overall reduction in the company’s executive ranks.“Our goal was to streamline our leadership team and put some of our best executives in positions where they can use their diverse perspectives and extensive global experience to create the new GM,” Henderson said in a statement.The company appointed Mark Reuss as head of global engineering, replacing two executives, Jim Queen and Ed Koerner, who have been with GM a combined 72 years.In a post on the company’s blog in June just after the company declared bankruptcy, Henderson wrote, “It’s important to remember that the reinvention of GM must start within GM, and we all need to be part of the process.”Henderson then formed a team to look at the company’s cultural issues, “like how the new priorities of customer/product focus, speed, risk-taking and accountability become a natural part of our behavior,” according to a memo to employees.Henderson has since appointed Chris Oster, head of organizational change management, to lead the company’s overhaul of its corporate culture.The changes come a week after GM announced that the human resources seat at the proverbial leadership table would be eliminated. The company replaced its Automotive Product Board and Automotive Strategy Board, on which Barclay sat, with a new nine-person executive leadership committee.The smaller committee is instead composed of executives from marketing, manufacturing, finance, labor relations, corporate planning, sales, and supply chain units. The new Executive Committee was created in hopes of speeding up day-to-day decision making.Barra will report directly to CEO Fritz Henderson, a spokesman said. Author: Jeremy Smerd

The price of a soldier...........

A few day's ago I received a call from a gent at Bangalore, regarding a common piece of property that we own in the suburbs. He was interested in making contact with other owners of this fairly large tract of land, in order to finalize a plan for its up keep and maintenance. I was interested and asked him if he had zeroed in on a potential candidate to get the job done.

What he said next amazed me. He went on that there were quite a few retired armed forces officer's floating around and we could easily employ on for about Rs 25000 to Rs 30000. I was dismayed, shocked and ashamed, not because of the money offered or the work itself but the the flippancy with which the statement was made.

The lack of respect that many armed forces personnel are shown in India, amazes me, because we do it from the comfort of our drawing room's and then when there is war or a national crisis we suddenly realize that there is a requirement for these folk, to protect us, and after the event eulogies are written for a short while, like the following:

Monday, July 27, 2009
Kargil hilltops lit up as India salutes war heroes
Drass (Jammu and Kashmir): The hills of Kargil came alive Sunday night in a glow of yellow lights as India marked the 10th anniversary of its military victory against Pakistan by paying homage to the over 500 soldiers killed while recapturing the treacherous peaks.
In an unprecedented military ceremony of its kind, army officers and soldiers, family members of those killed in the May-July 1999 fighting as well as people of this Shia-dominated region along the border of Jammu and Kashmir paid moving tributes to the martyrs of Kargil. The finale of the two-day ceremony was a musical show by military bands drawn from all over the country followed by a spectacular lighting of Tiger Hill and Tololing, two of the strategic peaks Pakistani Islamist insurgents and camouflaged troops quietly took over before being beaten back in two months of bloody and at times hand to hand fighting. An army officer said the military had never before organized such a function, which brought together families of soldiers from all over India to see for themselves from close range the imposing mountains where their loved ones died. A candle light ceremony was also held at the War Memorial in Drass, now a throbbing town of 2,000 people that came under intense artillery fire from the Pakistanis in 1999 before the Indians hit back. "It is an experience no soldier can ever forget," said Lt. Gen. (Retd) Amar Nath Aul, who was a brigadier in 1999 and headed the Mountain Brigade that pushed back the intruders in the Drass sector. "I salute the untiring commitment of my boys who fought against all odds and did not deter in laying down their lives when it came to protecting the country," he added. As officers and soldiers as well as families of many of the martyrs placed wreaths at the War Memorial early in the day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saluted those killed in the conflict. "I join the entire nation in paying homage to the martyrs of the Kargil war. They sacrificed their lives in defence of Indian unity and integrity," the prime minister said at the India Gate War Memorial in the national capital. Like in the better known Tiger Hill and Tololing, heavy fighting took place in 1999 for the hills off Drass, the second coldest inhabited place in the world located about 60 km from Kargil town. The entire region falls in Kargil district, giving the 1999 military showdown the name of "Kargil war". The detection of Pakistan-backed Islamist insurgents and regular soldiers on the hills by nomads led to full-fledged fighting between Indian forces and the heavily armed infiltrators, almost triggering the fourth full-scale India-Pakistan war. The battle for Drass was immortalised by the death of the young Captain Vikram Batra of 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles who took part in the capture of two peaks and then died fighting for Point 4,875. He came under attack while trying to rescue an injured officer. His final words, according to his colleagues, were "Jai Mata Di"! July 26 is annually celebrated as 'Kargil Diwas' or Kargil Day. Some 200,000 Indian soldiers took part in the Kargil war, about 30,000 of them in the Kargil-Drass sector. More than 500 Indian soldiers were killed in the two-month fighting. The intruders, who had come for a long haul, came as close as 300 metres to a key highway connecting Srinagar with Leh and the border town of Kargil. Said another officer: "Many families are sure to leave the place with a heavy heart but they will have the satisfaction of knowing that the army has not forgotten their sons, brothers and husbands."
Source: IANS

The armed forces in India deserve our respect on many fronts:

1. They are not political.

2. They seem to be the only large institution in this country worth emulating.

3. Their selection & training standards are worth following.

4.They risk their lives so that we can park ourselves in front of the TV and watch our favourite soap operas.

A story to tell.....................

The other day I bumped into a distant relative, who was waddling along, with his wife and kid in tow. I use the word 'waddle' because the gent is rather well endowed and his wife and kid are fairly portly as well.

While the chap is quite inconsequential, having pushed paper, for most part of his life & to the best of my knowledge spent his time visiting the various eating places that dot Bangalore, he generally has a smug look on his moon like face and over conversations few & far in between I have been able to gather that he owes this to being left a residence in a fairly up market area of Bangalore, by his late father. The rising real estate prices in Bangalore has contributed to his sense of well being.

While why a person feels happy is a matter of conjecture and I reserve an opinion on the same for the present, my mind harks back to the movie 'Australia', where the pretty Nicole Kidman, playing Mrs.Boss offers the 'Drover' played by a charismatic Hugh Jackman, a job on her ranch, he refuses saying he wants to have a story to tell, when he dies and so would like to continue with his rather unconventional style of lifestyle of droving cattle across hundreds of miles through trying terrain. He wants to have a story that is interesting!

The scene got me to pause & wonder, as to how many of us would have a story to tell, when we meet our maker. I guess it's a just cause for reflection. Have we done anything out of the ordinary? Can you tell a story that would hold the attention of another person? Well, that is for you folk to decide?

As for my distant relative, he toddled off, into the nearest 'Chat' joint, to what I assume would be a meal of 'Papri Chaat' and 'Pani Puri'.

As to the movie in question, watch it, it provides you a breathtaking view of the land down under.

Wither Life?

The following article, appeared in the Bangalore edition of the Deccan Hearld.
Sunday, July 19, 2009

It is sad to read these stories, considering that 'International Oil Pollution Prevention certification is mandatory for all ships and ship owners are expected to get quickly off the blocks in the event of such an occurence where a ship goes down in coastal waters, with oil on board. Fortunately this cargo carrier was not an oil tanker and has a limited amount of fuel on board.

What can be the outcome of this marine incident?

1. The Mangalore coast could be innundated with an oil slick for years to come.


2. Coastal flora & fauna could be destroyed.


3. The livelihood of fishermen is in danger.


4. Coastal Tourism is in jeapordy.

It is also interesting to see what steps are being taken to check the spill. Indian marine autorities are notoriously slack in dealing with such emergencies.

Unscrupolous ship owners, float sea going ships, which are not seaworthy and should not have left a port in the first place.

I can see only two points that bring some cheer in this rather sorry tale:

1. There were no casualities amongst the crew.


2. The Captain in true naval tradition was last off the ship.

However, as far as I can see, it is yet another nail in our fragile eco systems battered coffin.
-->
The Chinese cargo vessel MV Asian Forest, which was listing on Friday, sank off the Mangalore coast on Saturday, sparking fears of an oil spill.
The ship was carrying 366 tonnes of fuel oil and 45 tonnes of diesel in its fuel containers. Coast Guard Karnataka Commandant Padam Shekhar Jha told Deccan Herald that contact had been established with representatives of P & G Marine Company, Busan in South Korea, who own the vessel, agents Golf Alpha Charley Shipping and ABCO Trading Company, Kottara Chowki, Mangalore. The company has been asked to make necessary arrangements for salvage operations and to remove the oil and wreckage, he said. A salvage team of Singapore- based Smith and Company is expected to reach the ill-fated ship’s site on Sunday. Jha said there were no signs of oil spill as yet but all precautions would be taken to check spill.The ship carrying iron ore fines, which set sail from the New Mangalore Port for Zhavgjiagang in China at around 9:30 am on Friday encountered rough seas and later started listing. All the 18 crew members of the ship, who were rescued by the Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Sankalp, are safe in a hotel in the city.

The Italian Experience!

Most of us are aware that Italian's are very excitable and verbose folk ! They are all over you in when it comes to communication and you could consider yourself lucky, if you can get a word in edge wise.

I had a rather strange experience with an Italian gent a few years ago. I was in Delhi, and in the Hotel Imperial ( A wonderful hotel, with an old world charm), waiting for an acquaintance in the lobby, when in strode a rather elderly man, puffing and red faced. He sat next to me, caught his breath and said something to me, in Italian. My Italian, being rather limited, I smiled and nodded, my head and continued reading the days news paper.

It did not occur to me that, the gentleman was getting rather edgy, till he broke out in a fusillade directed at me. I was nonplussed and shocked, to put it mildly.What was the cause of this man's ire? Why was he annoyed by me? We were attracting a bit of attention, so I tried to edge away, but the chap clutched my hand.

I was pretty alarmed and strange thoughts wafted through my mind. Was, this man, an escaped inmate from a lunatic asylum or worse was he gay and had taken a fancy for me. I was at a loss as to how I should deal with this rather strange situation that had overtaken me.

Amidst the confusion, I suddenly, noticed that there was a fellow, in a driver's uniform, close by, with a placard that said 'Mr.Pannatta'. Apparently, the Italian gent, had also seen the board and his demeanour changed perceptibly and he, headed towards this driver, after of course disengaging my arm, without a backward glance.

What do you make of this story?

My only explanation, would be that Mr.Pannatta, was waiting for a driver and probably rushing for an appointment. In his excitement he probably concluded that I was the driver, meant to ferry him to his destination and had grown excited when I made no effort to get him to his vehicle.

I've steered clear of Italians hence.

Live & Fish!

Forgive me, if you have heard or read this story earlier. I have put it here because it is pertinent to our times and a great story for a mind buffeted by peer pressure and unmitigated materialism. Many if not all Eastern philosophers have taught that happiness is indirectly proportional to needs and though rather simplistic, the story tells us the same...
Also, it should be of interest to all my fellow MBA's!
MBA and the fisherman!
American businessman was at a pier in a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow-fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied only a little while, The American then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish?
The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.
The American then asked the Mexican how he spent the rest of his time.
The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, senor."
The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and, with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution.
"You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But senor, how long will this all take?"
To which the American replied, "15-20 years."
"But what then, senor?" asked the Mexican.
The American laughed, and said, "That's the best part! When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public. You'll become very rich, you would make millions!"
"Millions, senor?" replied the Mexican. "Then what?"
The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."
Then the Mexican Fisherman says: THEN WHAT AM I DOING NOW?