Uday Zokarkar, Founder & CEO, Mantra Media Pvt Ltd, a company that helps companies leverage the digital medium to advantage. Dr Seema Singh Zokarkar, noted academician, management professional and also currently the Director, Mantra Media Pvt. Ltd., taking care of Operations and Social Media Management. Influential professionals individually, collectively they are a force to reckon with—especially at a time when both the media and academic world are on the verge of an exciting new digital age. The challenges are many, so are the opportunities—the trick is to know how. Even as professional education and traditional models of business need to evolve well enough to encompass the change and use it advantage, the Zokarkars, amongst other impact-makers are at the helm. Married for 24 years, their careers and lives have an independent as well as joint momentum. Either ways, it has been rewarding and enriching. This is their journey and this is how they see it
There is a truism about how true achievement need not shout. Instead, it expresses itself in a myriad different ways—in the bright yet understated optimism of a simple yet tasteful home—in the mischief of a family pet that is amazingly social and participative, in the savor of a freshly prepared home-cooked meal on a Saturday afternoon.
The Zokarkars are more relaxed today, given that they can work from home, chat a bit, spend time with family and ponder over where life has taken them. What makes their journey even more rewarding is that they have largely been together, each step of the way, and have also had the privilege of working and growing together. Simultaneously, both have enjoyed a bird eye’s view of the latest happenings, trends and demands in the interconnected fields of education, media and industry. A lot has been done, a lot more needs to be that is a given. Interestingly, in their time abroad both worked for BharatMatrimony. While he co-founded a magazine called Mantram and consulted BharatMatrimony, she was Chief Operating Officer, North America, a matrimonial forum that sought to introduce singles in the Indian diaspora together— all the better to consider holy matrimony.
That’s not how the two of them met though. Instead, their love story was first envisaged by Seema’s father, a retired Central Intelligence Bureau officer, who used to visit the Times of India building, Indore, all the better to read the Delhi edition of the Times of India. It was the early nineties; both Seema and Uday were working with the TOI at that point in time. While she was with Response, he was heading the department. She found him brilliant and driven, a man of integrity, someone who looked out for others--and sought to develop others in his team to reach their utmost potential. “He was also someone with a very modern outlook on women, a man ahead of his times,” she shares.
On his part, Uday was impressed by her patience and sheer dignity. “She is someone who is respectful to everyone, irrespective of their status and stature in life. That’s a beautiful quality,” he expresses. Seema’s father, a wise old gentleman, was convinced they would be good for each other given their common intellect, talent, ambition and love of learning. And so, despite the differences in cultural backgrounds (he’s a Maharashtrian; she a Rajput), he approached Uday with a proposal. He agreed.
And that’s how it all began. Post-marriage, the couple lived and worked in Indore for a while, then moved to the US, and has been in Pune for over a decade now.
"If one has the potential to run 70 miles an hour one must perform to that level—even exceed it. It is a crime, however, to do less than that. The competition ought to be with one’s own self and better one’s own best in the process"
—Uday Zokarkar
Seema and Uday Zokarkar with daughter Kadambari on vacation“It helps that we both enjoy similar things in life. For instance, we both have a yen for Hindustani classical and light music. Our daughter Kadambari, who inherits this love of music from us, is a fine singer as well. It is she who has introduced us to the nuances of Western music,” says Uday. “Similarly, we also love good books, good movies, good food and travel. Besides which, we are keen pet lovers and bond over little moments with Oscar, our Spaniel.”
Meanwhile, Seema believes a family who dines together, stays together and insists on everyone sharing at least one meal a day. Quality time also consists of post-dinner walks, and outdoorsy activities they all enjoy.
How do the two of them resolve conflict? “Honestly, Seema is such a patient, selfless and cool-headed person that matters rarely escalate,” says Uday. “The important thing is for at least one person to stay calm and step back from the heat of the moment.”
While both would advocate “respect, trust and communication” as the mainstay of a relationship, Uday is a firm believer in not letting gender stereotypes get in the way of helping one’s partner around the house. “My mother, for instance, taught me to make chappatis when I was in grade VI. That helped do away with the notion that kitchen work is a woman’s department. After all, if women can work outside the home, why can’t men work inside it?”
Both enjoy taking off on vacations that offer them the chance to do outdoorsy things like trekking and cycling. Adventure games are another hot favorite. “One of our best family vacations was at Disney World Florida, when Kadambari was in school. We really had a fine time trying out all the crazy, scary rides.
"My mother, for instance, taught me to make chappatis when I was in grade VI. That helped do away with the notion that kitchen work is a woman’s department. After all, if women can work outside the home, why can’t men work inside it? The present generation is lot more open-minded"
—Uday Zokarkar
As someone who has always challenged stereotypes in her quietly determined way, Seema believes that it’s better days today for the ambitious and independent woman. “We sure have come a long way, despite the fact that men to an extent, continue to be intimidated by strong and competent women who know their job. My advice to women professionals is simple: keep calm and carry on.”
Recounting the interview she had done for Dainik Bhaskar almost two decades ago, Seema talks of the time she had been interviewed along with two other women, who like her had taken up unusual professions. “They found it rather strange that a woman would voluntarily take up something like marketing— a career choice traditionally considered a male bastion considering it involves constant interface with the client, frequent travel and long hours,” she reminisces.
So do they believe the Indian man is ready for a wife with dreams of her own?
“Well, today, he is a lot more receptive for sure. This wasn’t the case 25 years ago,” says Uday. “The present generation is a lot more open-minded thankfully and women are breaking the glass ceiling ever day. Speaking for myself, I have had seen strong women bosses in the past, inspiring people who have broken glass ceilings.
“Child care is largely situational, and differs in assorted contexts. However, if there is something I have learnt over time, it’s this: don’t be overprotective,” she says.
Uday chips in: “When your child is in the boxing ring, what you need to do is watch from the sidelines. Offer advice and support them by all means--but essentially let them play the game. Interfering and stepping in to resolve situations will not help.”
As parents, both are encouraging of 19-yearold Kadambari’s musical leanings, keen interest in cinema and media aspirations. At the moment, Kadamabari is pursuing her Hons in Mass Communication from the Symbiosis Centre for Media & Communications. A finalist in the Horlicks Wizkid South Asian Finals 2014 and Voice of Viva 2013, she is a keen and accomplished singer. What’s more, she recently made her debut in the film as an actor with the 13-minute-long. ‘A Christmas Miracle.’
While Seema makes it a point to know what is happening in her young life—offering her relevant, mommy advice from time to time, Uday’s advice is simple enough: just do your best and don’t worry about the outcome. “That said, if one has the potential to run 70 miles an hour one must perform to that level—even exceed it. It is a crime, however, to do less than that,” he expresses. “I don’t mean to say that she is a contestant in a race—if at all, the competition ought to be with one’s own self and better one’s own best in the process,” he points out.
Despite the interest in technology and Gen-Next media, both have a spiritual bent of mind, nurtured by their respective upbringings. For his part, Uday studied in Ramakrishna Ashram run for the most part by learned Swamijis. “As students, we got opportunity to listen to them and stories of Swami Vivekananda. It is inspiring to read Swami Vivekananda. The philosophy ‘Have faith in your faith and doubt your doubts,’ makes sense to me”.
Seema’s family, on the other hand, were ardent Brahmo Samajists with an expansive and progressive outlook on religion, God, faith and acceptance. “My dad used to take us children along to listen to men of great wisdom and it helped broaden our thought processes. While he never forced anything on us, allowing us to think for ourselves, he introduced us to Swami Sivanand of Divine Life Society,” she shares.
“Listening to men of great wisdom is something that brings peace and perspective and adds value to one’s life. Apart from Swami Chinmayanand and Sadhguru we also practise the Sudarshan Kriya propagated by Sri Sri Ravishankar,” she says. “Sadhguru, for instance, has a very evolved and rational way of explaining things,” she says. “His words are logical, fair and soothing.”
Fascinated by the media and its characteristics, Uday Zokarkar has worked on the business side of media for 25-plus years. He founded Mantra Media Pvt. Ltd. in December of 2008 and within a short span of time, the company has successfully worked on interesting and challenging assignments. Mantra Media has to its credit, conceptualising and implementing India’s first virtual property fair for CREDAI (Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India, formerly PBAP) Pune. Mantra Media has been set up to help companies leverage from digital medium (primarily internet & mobile). The company works with its clients to reach out to their relevant target audiences and help them to monetise by way of designing and implementing effective and sustainable web strategies and online business models. In the past, he has worked with The Times of India Group (India’s largest media conglomerate) in M.P. market as Response Head. He was associated with Hindu’s Business Line Club, a forum that facilitates Industry-Institute interactions. He enjoys interacting with management students and used to visit various campuses like IIMA, MICA, BIMM, to name a few. In Pune, he has been involved in Google Weekend Startups initiative to mentor startups and help them grow to the next level. Greatly influenced by the teachings of Chanakya, Swami Vivekananda and Mirza Ghalib, his core belief has been that it’s the ‘people’ in any organisation that make all the difference. “Competition can catch up with you in any area of business but the only differentiating factor is going to be the people, as competition cannot have same set of people,” he says.
Uday Zokarkar: Like Seema, I describe myself as an accidental professional. Till my graduation, I prepared myself with the singular focus of taking up a career in naval aviation. I faced SSB Bangalore. I did well throughout and reached up to last round. However, I could not get in. Period.
My father told once ‘Not failure, but low aim is a crime.’ So, despite the initial disappointment, there was no looking back.
Beginning my career with the Times of India, Sales, I have always been fascinated by multiple facets of the media. The last 25 years have been testimony to that. I worked in the US market for about six years before joining BharatMatrimony. At this point in time, I co-founded Mantram magazine, a business, technology and lifestyle magazine targeting the South Asians in the Americas. Mantram was eventually acquired by SGA Media Inc. (a subsidiary of CNBC India, Network 18 Group of India.) I also had the privilege of working with the late Mr Gopal Raju (founder of India Abroad, Indian American Center for Political Awareness, IACPA) as COO of News India-Times Group. Around this time, I also took on the challenge of reviving America's first and only (at that point in time), 24x7 Indian American FM station WCNJ 89.3 FM branded as Dhoom FM 89.3.
Just before founding my dream project Mantra Media in December 2008, I worked with Consim Info Pvt. Ltd. (which owned brands like BharatMatrimony.com and Clickjobs. com) for three and a half years. During my stint with the company and as a part of the senior management team, Consim went through two rounds of VC funding and secured almost USD 20 million from Yahoo! Inc. Canaan Partners and Mayfield Inc. of USA. As a Business Head of BharatMatrimony.com, the revenues grew at the rate of 100 per cent-plus on a year-onyear basis. Similarly, as far as Bharat Matrimony went, we set up 110 brick and mortar centres within a period of a year. Consim itself grew from less than 75 employees to a 1,000 plus.
Challenging situations while working with clients or colleagues excites me to overcome these challenges and finding solutions drive me every day.
Launching Mantram magazine in record time in USA while designing it in India and printing it in USA was one such instance. Turning ‘Dhoom FM – WCNJ 89.3’ cash-positive in three months, working with Founder and CEO of BharatMatrimony and raising the first round of VC funding of about 9 million USD, conceptualising, the virtual property fair for CREDAI- Pune Metro have been some of the most memorable moments for me.
What I’d like to point out is, there is a problem statement or a challenge and there is a technological solution that exists. When people around you say ‘it may not work’, that’s when your job starts, as a professional, to make it happen.
Within a decade of our existence, Mantra Media has worked on several interesting and challenging assignments. Mantra Media, has to its credit, conceptualising and implementing India’s first virtual property fair for CREDAI (Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India), Pune. Mantra Media’s basic focus is to help companies leverage digital media (primarily the internet and mobile) to the optimum. Simply put, the company works with its clients to reach out to their target audiences and help them to monetise by way of designing and implementing effective and sustainable web strategies and online business models. In short, the mantra is to ‘co-create value for its constituents on a sustainable basis and make a positive difference’.
"The internet is going to be all-pervasive to the extent that there is seemingly going to be no internet. It will be a non-issue, in the same way oxygen is! We don’t discuss oxygen simply because it is omnipresent. With artificial intelligence and machine learning there is no end to the possibilities"
Put in your best efforts to give your best at all times, and don’t expect anything in return. Raise the level of awareness of people around you and learn from each other. Learning never stops and learning may come from anywhere, it may come from 7-year-old child, it comes from your office boy, from security guards, in the classroom while interacting with the students.
The good thing is that by the level of PG, they have already gained some clarity on what they want to do. In the beginning, what you learn is even more important than what you earn. My suggestion is simple: don’t wait for the job/internship of your dreams. If you find it, great. If not, go out there and help someone conduct their business. It could be a vegetable vendor looking to expand his base or a farmer trying to get a good price on his produce... study what their problems are, and offer them a workable solution. I assure you the lessons you learn will hold you in good stead. The good thing about working in the ‘real world’ is that you get to understand the all important contexts of how theories work.
Let me cite an example. Years ago, American ad honcho David Ogilvy addressed a group of ad professionals in Mumbai. He was discussing the difference what he thought was a good ad and a bad one. As an example of the latter, he talked about the use of Reverse. (Reverse is an ad that uses white lettering on an all black background.) He thought it was terrible and stuck out like a sore thumb, until a desi professional pointed out that in Indian schools, students grew up reading white chalk lettering on a black surface, and thus, an ad like that was simply taking the customers back to basics. On his part, David Ogilvy had subconsciously internalised the black lettering on white boards that is typical of American schools as normal and so to him, the Reverse did not work.
Ogilvy had the grace and largesse to admit: ‘I stand corrected’.
The point I am making is that each business has a culture and a context that needs to be understood in entirety and that may only happen when you apply yourself.
Coincidentally technology and terrorism was the cover story for one of the first issues of Mantram, soon after 9/11, wherein experts talked of how the World Trade Center was destroyed. Bin Laden was a structural engineer and he figured out a way to melt the steel using aviation fuel. It is an irony that creators of the technology are destroyed using the same technology.
However, that is a very dark take on it, for there is a tremendous amount of good coming from it too. The flow of information between countries, the leveraging of technology for a solid socio-medical-humanitarian cause. The examples are many, and with digital technology in the picture, everything is going to change exponentially. It is already changing as we speak. While technology is an enabler, it is a great leveller. Like John Naisbitt said: “We are living in a technologically intoxicated zone. And one such symptom is we fear and worship technology.”
The internet is going to be all-pervasive to the extent that there is seemingly going to be no internet. It will be a non-issue, in the same way oxygen is! We don’t discuss oxygen simply because it is omnipresent.
With artificial intelligence and machine learning there is no end to the possibilities. Robots will be well-versed in the standard procedures of law, and will offer you legal advice using their data bank of court judgments and legal know-how. Simple medical procedures will have robots too, instead of people.
Technology is already telling you how to reach from Point A to Point B; soon, it will park your car for you as well. In education, digital technology is already breaking down barriers, democratising education by bringing lectures and courses from Harvard to you at the click of a mouse. For instance, a technologist called Salman Khan from US, born to parents of Bangaldeshi origin, has launched Khanacademy. org to bring the most coveted courses to students online. This academy has delivered more than a billion lectures worldwide.
While both print and TV are under tremendous pressure to bring in the revenues, they sure are not going to die out. Instead, I see them leveraging the opportunities brought in by digital media to maximum advantage. For example, The New York Times was not doing too well, until it decided to go online. Major print and media houses are launching their own apps, for they have realised the difference between giving news and merely printing it.
"Raise the level of awareness of people around you and learn from each other. Learning never stops and learning may come from anywhere, it may come from 7-year-old child, it comes from your office boy, from security guards, in the classroom while interacting with the students"
Setting the agenda is too strong a term; however, what social media has done is changing the classical model of news dissemination. What was the classical model honestly? The editor and his team would decide what the readers would read the next day. This used to annoy a senior media baron no end, and he would ask his editors, much to their annoyance: “Who are you to decide the news?” He did not like anyone preaching to the readers.
Bringing this argument to social media, I would say that what social media has done is, to throw open the debate far and wide, and bring in different voices, which is a good thing in a democracy. Yes, the concerns about the polarising effects of social media are not unfounded, for there is a difference between the objectivity of trained media people and regular citizens. But that’s just one aspect of it. In recent times, there have been a great many positive instances of spreading the good word—be it finding donors for a rare blood group in record time, for even rallying for rivers.
I love and enjoy interacting with the students. This is learning both ways and keep you on your toes. I enjoy working with startups. There is a challenge every day, and you need to keep pushing envelop every time. One day, I will go back to academics. My heart or passion lies there.
Noted academician and accomplished marketing professional, Dr Seema Singh Zokarkar, is one of those unique people, who for the last 26 years has held leadership positions, in both education and business. While the academic role call is impressive enough: Approved Director & Professor (full-time) of Savitribai Phule Pune University; Approved Ph.D. Guide in the faculty of Management (Marketing) of Savitribai Phule Pune University, she has also been nominated for the prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship by Ministry of HRD to study in UK. Besides this, she is the recipient of ‘Recognition Award’ from Rotary International for successfully representing them in Germany during May 1995 as a Group Study Exchange (GSE) team member. She has also served as director of the Balaji Institute of Telecom and Management and Balaji Institute of Modern Management. Currently, she is Director, Mantra Media Pvt. Ltd, a Google Partner badge organisation which is into digital consulting with expertise in SEO management, SEO Marketing and Social Media Management, etc, serving national as well as international clients
Dr Seema Singh Zokarkar: The shift from industry to academics happened quite accidently. I used to work with ToI and was on a sales call to a management institute. The director of the institute insisted I be visiting faculty and take up their executive class. I was quite surprised; to begin with, I had no previous teaching experience, plus, the class consisted of students way older than me. However, he was insistent, and with him being a client, I could not refuse. So I decided to give it a shot.
I still remember that first lecture vividly—numerous eyes closing in on me, judging me for what I could deliver. However, it was fun sharing all that I knew of industry on-ground with the class and getting its views as well. The to and fro of information was rewarding and engaging. I realised I enjoyed teaching—very much. Soon another director insisted I do the same for his students and so it continued.
Teaching is a two way process. There’s a lot you can learn from your students especially in management class, when your students have used a particular project and service and have a useful insight to offer.
As for moving from academics to industry— again it happened quite by chance, as we had moved to the US and I had an offer from BharatMatrimony.com.
It was early 2000, creating brand equity for BharatMatrimony.com and its two publications was my task as Chief Operating Officer, North America. As the brand was relatively new in the US market, people wondered if we were marriage brokers and we had to put in much effort in positioning the brand to the opinion leaders, corporate leaders, community leaders and the media. Gradually, the Indian diaspora accepted us and North America became an important market for us.
Apart from this, we worked on engaging the target audience offline as well and our Singles’ Meet became synonymous with the brand. Various Indian language communities as well as professional organisations like Network of Indian Professionals (NetIP) and American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) made good use of the same. We successfully replicated the model in Australia while I was heading International Markets.
One of my achievements has been being nominated for my Ministry of HRD for Commonwealth Scholarship and the other one was being selected by Rotary International to represent them in Germany as a Group Study Exchange team member.
Currently, I am Director, Mantra Media Pvt. Ltd. taking care of Operations and Social Media management, and that’s an exciting role to play as the digital media has its own scope and potential.
"From the start of time, there has been teachers who work very hard on their lesson plans, and others who go unprepared to class. For those who bring preparation and positivity to the table, the respect is immense and the entire process of knowledge dissemination very enriching"
The Balaji Institute of Telecom Management is ranked amongst the top-3 telecom management institutes by Outlook magazine and it has been a privilege to be director, especially at a time when the sector is growing at such a rapid pace and contributing so significantly to the GDP. Working with Bala Sir was wonderful as well. He is quite the genius with a golden heart. A man of great vision and generosity, he really goes all out to make a difference to the youngster’s outlook and personality in the two years that he or she is at the institute.
I would not say that, no. It all depends on your own contribution and outlook. From the start of time, there has been teachers who work very hard on their lesson plans, and others who go unprepared to class. For those who bring preparation and positivity to the table, the respect is immense and the entire process of knowledge dissemination very enriching.
With the sixth and seventh pay commission, payments have improved vastly. Plus, apart from the salary, you can always be a consultant to industries.
Well, I started teaching in 1994, a time when management institutes were mushrooming by the dozen. There was this perception that if you had an MBA degree, a job was assured; that is no longer the case. However, what did happen at that point in time is that several people, even the unprepared, disinterested and inexperienced ones jumped on to the teaching bandwagon. Naturally, their perspective was limited-for they were the ones who developed the curricula.
That has changed today. Leading management institutes, including Balaji, find it worth their while to bring in professionals to close the gap between academia and industry—and not a moment too soon. The corporate world is hugely demanding and competitive; in fact companies don't want to spend time training you; they expect you to start performing from day one itself.
Stay updated with all that’s happening around you, be it technology or trends. Keep an open mind at all times and never be averse to learning. At the same time, take care of your health. Get into meditation to maintain a healthy worklife balance and keep stress in check.
Helping others. It is valuable only if it helps the other person.
You are responsible for your own happiness, don’t put that burden onto someone else’s shoulders!
By Kalyani Sardesai
