William Shakespeare has said, “some are born great; some achieve greatness and; some have greatness thrust upon them.’’ Here, I am narrating an incident pertaining to a renowned scientist, who has achieved greatness and yet lends his ear intently to the views of the other person who may not have achieved his level of success; who is none in front of him.
This incident took place more than a decade ago but keeps guiding me even today. I was returning from Chennai to Pune by an evening flight. Before checking in, I had a get together with my old friends and had consumed two big bottles of beer. As I entered the flight and began walking the aisle, I saw a renowned scientist seated in the business class section which I had to pass through. He wished me as I went past him. I continued and moved to the Economy Class. Until then I had not met him.
The flight took off. Soon thereafter, the air hostess requested me to move to the business class section as the gentleman had requested that I sit next to him as he wanted to talk to me. I promptly got up and sat next to him.
He started the discussion by saying, “Bala, you succeed in whatever you start and interestingly, that too even without any infrastructure or any other support. I am part of a big education establishment, like you. But, I have not been able to succeed. What is the secret of your success?”.
Unaware that he was heading any institute, I asked him, “Sir, who is the director of the institute?”.
He said, “Me Sir,” On this came my reaction, Phir toh Bhatta baith gaya’(then you are doomed). I cursed myself for this slip of the tongue and did not know how to make up for it. When we say something which may convey a perception of being derogatory to someone, it is quite natural for that person to go into an offensive mode; it may also trigger violent reaction from him. Alternatively, even if the person does not instantly react at that moment, he would take it to heart and politely end the dialogue. (On hindsight, I realise, it was absolutely incorrect on my part to use such unparliamentary words. Such kind of reaction between two equals/buddies could go off as a fun dialogue. In this case though, he was a top notch scientist and I was nowhere near to his status).
However, I could see an expression of calmness peppered with curiosity on his face as he coolly asked me, “Why do you say so? Are you saying that I am not a qualified person?”.
I told him, “Sir, you are highly qualified, but I don’t think you are fit to be in this position. Because there are three attributes required for the director of a private business school, if you want to take it to greater height at short duration. A scholarly scientist is unlikely to possess, or is capable of possessing those attributes”.
He asked me, with a frown on his face, “What are they?”.
I told him candidly, “The first qualification is that a director should have the attribute of shamelessness (besharam).”
He was shocked. He asked me, “How can you say that?” .
I told him, “Sir, I am saying this and very confidently, based on my experience. The people who glorify you may treat you like dirt also and you should have the capability of withstanding that.” He asked me to elaborate.
I decided to narrate an episode pertaining to job placement of students. I said to him, “For example, I visited a particular company with a lot of hope and happiness in my mind, as one of my alumni was a senior corporate manager there. So, I took it for granted that she would give me royal treatment when I visited her. Ordinarily also, most of the corporate professionals with whom I fix appointments, try to accommodate me as quickly as possible, not only because they know me but also because physically I am not in the pinkest of health.
I told him, Sir, you are highly qualified, but I don’t think you are fit to be in this position. Because there are three attributes required for the director of a private business school, if you want to take it to greater height at short duration. A scholarly scientist is unlikely to possess, or is capable of possessing those attributes. The first qualification is that a director should have the attribute of shamelessness (besharam).
“So, in this case, the professional happened to be our own alumni, so I went there with a relaxed mind. However, when I reached this particular company, she made me wait for a full two hours. Having had expectations in my mind of a quick appointment, every minute that I had to wait there made me claustrophobic and agitated, but I had to quietly bear it. Then after two hours, when I was called by the peon, I went in, hoping to get a warm reception in her cabin. Instead, She was very cold and asked me, “What can I do for you professor?” Earlier she would call me “Bala Sir.” I don’t go to any company for anything, except for inviting them to participate in our campus placement programme, a routine that I have been following for the last three decades. However, she asked me to make a professional presentation, which took me by surprise, but I did so. Then came her cold response, stating that her company only visits prestigious institutes like IIMs and XLRI.
“She was placed in that company from the campus of a college that was neither an IIM or a XLRI. (please note, the story is not related to Sri Balaji Society). Swallowing all the humiliation, I continued to plead with her to consider our campus for placements. She said flatly that she couldn’t help me.
As I came out of her cabin, her director was entering the office. On seeing me he warmly wished me and said, “Hi Bala, how are you?” We exchanged pleasantries and then he invited me to his cabin and offered a cup of coffee and also called her in. He proudly told me she was our student. I smiled and said that she was one of the best students and we all were proud of her. After some time I left, as I had to go to many other companies. However, because she had kept me waiting for two hours, I had to miss two other company appointments.
Then, I asked the scientist, “My question is, will anybody like to be in this kind of situation? We all have our own egos, related to our position. When we all are standing, sometimes we have to bend and sometimes we have to stand straight. But, many will not bend.”
I said, “The second point is, like Plato who said that a philosopher king should not have a family directors of business schools also should not have a family if they really want to look after their children. Every employee has his or her own family. They have a duty for fixed hours. The director, or for that matter anyone in this country suffers from the mentality of being an employee. However, parents send their children to us from across the country, hoping that the institute will take care of them. The full time faculty are of course there to guide students when the classes are in progress. These young.
children cannot miss a lecture or training and as they are mentally occupied they forget their problems during class hours.
“But the moment the classes are over, and the faculty go home, the students get conscious about their problems, which are mostly emotional. Where will they go during the odd hours? You can appoint a qualified counsellor, but he too will be time bound. Also, students hesitate to go to a counsellor, because of the social stigma. Here confidentiality and trust factors are involved. Ideally, the director’s mobile should be on for 24 hours and his physical presence in the campus can prevent a lot of calamities. Delegation of duties is alright, but delegation does not mean abdication of responsibilities. If you call an institute a family, then the director should be the head and he should live with that family. In a residential campus, the directors and faculty live on the campus, but how about the rest of them? You are in this category of other such institutions, which do not have such facilities.”
To this he was frank enough to tell me, he couldn’t give more than three to four hours in a day, that too for a few days in a week.
Then, he asked, so what is the third condition?
I explained, “The third condition is that you should be married to one institute; you cannot dabble your fingers in many pies. Because the students put their life, their money and their future in our hands and hence, you cannot focus on anything except the students. You should also do the marketing function for your students.’’ “But,’’ I told him, ``you are a member at several companies, on boards and government bodies.”
He looked at me very patiently, his hands folded like a student, and in a contemplative mood. As the flight landed in Pune, he asked me, what he should do. I diplomatically suggested to him that maybe he should not continue to take up the responsibility of the institute.
We walked our ways.
Incidentally, the name of the stalwart scientist is the genius, Padmabhushan Dr. Vijay Bhatkar.
Note the tragedy of this country. Dr. Bhatkar was heading the The International Institute of Information Technology (pronounced I square IT) rated amongst the top Technology schools in India (NASSCOM-IDC-Dataquest May ‘05). Situated amongst IT leaders such as Infosys, Wipro, Tata Technologies and Cognizant at the Infotech Park, Hinjewadi, in Pune, Bharat Ratna Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, the then President of India, on the 28th of May 2003 dedicated IIT to the nation. With a curriculum developed and delivered by leading academicians and industry professionals, I²IT provides aspirants full residential MS and MA Programs in Advanced Technology. It was the dream child of leading industrialist, P P Chhabria.
However, the institute was not recognised by AICTE, on some flimsy ground. The then Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Vilasrao Deshmukh, himself wrote a letter to the Union HRD Ministry stating that the institution in question shall be treated as the State’s IIT as the union government was opening more number of these premier institutes, in different parts of the country. However, the bureaucracy killed the institute as it refused to accede to accept the request.
So, in the end, the State Government stretched its hand to own the institute; the industrialist pumped in a lot of money to create one of the best technology-driven infrastructure in a premier industrial belt all it required was a signature on a sheet of paper for the bureaucracy to endorse it but the recognition was denied!
After a few years, I decided to invite Dr Bhatkar to address the students of Balaji Institute of Telecom Management (BITM). I called him up with some trepidation.
He remembered our meeting in the plane, for, when I called him up for the invitation, he said, ``Bala, do you think I am fit to address the students?’
But the moment the classes are over, and the faculty go home, the students get conscious about their problems, which are mostly emotional. Where will they go during the odd hours? You can appoint a qualified counsellor, but he too will be time bound. Also, students hesitate to go to a counsellor, because of the social stigma. Here confidentiality and trust factors are involved. Ideally, the director’s mobile should be on for 24 hours; his physical presence in the campus can prevent a lot of calamities.
I told him, ``Sir, you are the most eligible to do so, as BITM is a technologically-driven institute and you are the best technocrat to interact with the students.’’
He answered, ``thank you for the recognition, I will certainly be there.’
What I admired about him is that, he did not carry the baggage of grudge and was gracious enough to forgive and forget.
Hence, I still remember this episode as clear as crystal because, what was important is not what I said, but despite being an internationally acclaimed scientist, he listened to what I said with intense concentration, despite me being nowhere close to his level of achievement.
Dr Bhatkar, as most are aware, is an internationally acclaimed scientist and one of the premier IT leaders of India. He is best known as the architect of India’s first supercomputer and as the founder Executive Director of C-DAC, India’s national initiative in supercomputing.
He is credited with the creation of several national institutions, notably C-DAC, ER&DC Institute of Technology which is the Academic Wing of Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) in Thiruvananthapuram, Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management-Kerala (IIITM-K), ETH Research Lab, MKCL and India International Multiversity.
He has been a Member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Cabinet of the Government of India, Governing Council Member of CSIR, India and e-Governace Committee Chairman of the governments of Maharashtra and Goa.
A Fellow of IEEE, ACM, CSI, INAE and leading scientific, engineering and professional societies of India, he has been honoured with the Padmashri, Padmabhushan and Maharashtra Bhushan awards. His other recognitions include Saint Dnyaneshwar World Peace Prize, Lokmanya Tilak Award, HK Firodia Award and Dataquest Lifetime Achievement Award, amongst many others. He was a nominee for the Petersburg Prize and is a Distinguished Alumni of IIT, Delhi.
Despite being such a genius, he intently listened. Young corporate managers should develop the art of listening. This requires shedding off your ego and having the yearning to learn from others, no matter how small they are. Like it is said, listening is not a passive activity; it is not the ‘unexciting’ or ‘un-flamboyant’ part of the conversation; listening well is the vital ingredient in a successful, productive and interesting conversation.
As for humility, Chinese Philosopher Lao Tzu has aptly said, ``I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others. Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men.”
Dr (Col.) A. BAlASUBRANANIAN
editor-in-chief
