Just as a potter shapes clay effectively...

Just as a potter shapes clay effectively on the exterior while caringly protecting the interior, Prof. Pillai moulded his students with great care using his domineering exterior, with a heart that all students knew was filled with nothing but love and care for them

I am not usually short of words; but when it comes to expressing my emotions to pay a tribute to Prof. Pillai, I feel completely tongue tied. I see him before my eyes just the way I would have during college days. He was a teacher par excellence very dedicated and committed, who put every student and the institution ahead of himself and his family. As a matter of fact, he considered every student to be a part of his extended family.

I am blessed to have been his student. He was a teacher, a guide, a mentor, a coach, a sounding board, a scolding professor, all rolled into one. He was an embodiment of a true Guru. It was not literacy, but true education-creating good human beings and strong professionals; was what he left behind as a legacy.

Just as a potter shapes clay effectively on the exterior while caringly protecting the interior, Prof. Pillai moulded his students with great care using his domineering exterior, with a heart that all students knew was filled with nothing but love and care for them. At college I was not shaped just through the lessons I learnt in class, but also by the many values that he displayed and lived by on a daily basis. He helped me discover and engineer myself through Vipassana… the list goes on.

‘Thank you’ is too mild to express my gratitude for everything he has done. I just hope he knows how much he is loved and missed. His values will continue to guide me throughout my life.

‘Charan Sparsh’ Prof. Pillai. I know you continue to watch over all of us. May God always be with you.

"Pillai Sir has sculpted diamonds out of ordinary people"

Pillai Sir has sculpted diamonds out of ordinary people and has turned them into extraordinary corporate professionals. He has added immense value to the lives of all the people he has interacted with over the years.

Uma Ravishankar
Ex-Assistant Director, Corporate Relations and
Students’ Development, Sadhana Center for
Management and Leadership Development (SCMLD)

I am a commerce graduate from Chennai. I did my MBA in HR and Admin from Symbiosis Centre For Distance Learning (SCDL). I have worked for 35 years in various corporates and educational institutions, humbled and privileged to be the wife of a retired General from the Army Medical Core.

I was introduced to Prof. Pillai by one of the students from the first batch of Sadhana Centre for Management and Leadership Development (SCMLD) by the name Venugopal. He is a family friend who had just finished his two year programme at SCMLD. At this point, I was looking for a job in Pune and I vividly remember him telling me, “Aunty, there is a college I studied from, called as SCMLD, which is a very unique institution. The Founder Director is an out-of the box leader and an amazing human being! Many may not like him and he is a tough person to work with but maybe you can go and meet him and see where this goes?”

And so, I met Pillai Sir first in June 2007. After a brief conversation, he said, “Go around the campus and if you like what you see then you can come and work for a month with us. Let us see how that goes and then you can take a call!” I have never looked back since!

Thanks to Venugopal, I feel fortunate to have met a fine person like Pillai Sir and worked with him for eight memorable years at SCMLD, right up until his last day. After working at SCMLD, I decided not to work elsewhere but continued to practice the lessons I have learnt from the institution as I went on to serve the society at large, in whichever way possible. I have worked for so many years at SCMLD for almost 14 hours a day and have come out of the institution with learnings that would last me a lifetime.

I think most of you who know Pillai Sir will agree with me when I say, Sir was like an Encyclopedia. In fact, I was unsure of how I should word this little piece because firstly, I feel small in comparison to write and speak about him with enough words that would do justice to his contribution. Secondly, I feel a bit nervous doing this. I have seen him write and re-write even the tiniest of notes numerous times till he would finalize it. It shows you a glimpse of the perfectionist Prof. Pillai was.

The institutions SCMHRD and SCMLD which Sir created are “UNCONVENTIONAL PROCESSES” that has aided in transforming individuals. These processes have known to change some people in two days, some in two months, two years and some even after 20 years. I say this with great conviction: The change, for the good, takes place no matter what the period of time.

When I worked as the placement head, under the guidance and leadership of Pillai Sir, along with the team of students, it took me almost a year to understand the meaning of each and every process. We were made to do and then choose whether we wanted to believe and follow, or not follow. Pillai Sir not only emphasized on developing skills like MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint but also insisted that students learn to share their experiences at the campus and speak the truth about the transformation these processes have brought in them. Be it knowledge, attitude, aptitude or professional skills. This experiential learning of knowledge, skill and attitude equipped them to become employable and holistic as individuals. The journey prepares them both physically and intellectually to join a corporate and explore themselves to serve any company with commitment and further enhance their professional skills and grow in their career path.

During my time at placements, I always did my best in letting a company know that they are missing out if they don’t give a student from SCMLD an opportunity at their company. The companies always have the option not to choose if they have not performed well in his or her interview. But they might miss out on selecting a simple, and a deserving ‘SCMLDian’ as an employee. The reason for that is very simple. Education at SCMLD was much more than a certificate course. The value add was more than what a theoretical curriculum could provide. And the same applies to all the students of SCMHRD. The alumni from these two colleges today are leading professionals across the globe and that is the proof of the pudding.

Pillai Sir was extremely involved as a professor. He knew all his students personally and paid attention to the smallest details about them. This is a great testament to the kind of leader he was. Someone who has invested in every individual that was a part of his family

Pillai Sir was extremely involved as a professor. He knew all his students personally and paid attention to the smallest details about them. This is a great testament to the kind of leader he was. Someone who has invested in every individual that was a part of his family. And like in most families, ours too had its share of ups and downs. Almost all of us, from students to the staff and faculty members would often wind up frustrated because Sir had a knack of changing things by a complete 180 degree in a matter of minutes, leaving all of us confused. His HR technique cannot be written in books. He knew all the tactics and he never allowed anyone to predict anything about him. He was full of innovative ideas and enthusiasm.

He may have rebuked and embarrassed us in front of the students or staff members but one who understood Pillai Sir never felt dejected or took it personally. One of his SCMHRD students very rightly said, “Pillai Sir is a potter! One who beats from the outside, but he is so soft in nature from the inside.” It was so true!

Today when I look back, I see how he treated every student as his own child, understood or at least tried to understand their problems and amended rules as time went by to create an inclusive institution where everyone could thrive. This was never an easy task because he never went by the book. He was known to be strict and firm, grounded by values and ethics but always full of empathy and compassion.

The life lessons learnt by conducting and attending his open houses, national seminars, outbound activities, out-of-the-box activities, workshops, working in admissions or placements and everyday work cannot be measured in words. The education was a perfect mix of knowledge, skills, attitude and had the spiritual dimension through yoga as well. My learning is have no ego to learn. Keep unlearning and learning every day, have no expectations from anyone and do your duty with 200% commitment. His life was his students and everyone who worked with him, right down to the office help. He was a selfless man who toiled 48 hours in 24 hours for the welfare of his students!

It was Pillai Sir who had trusted in me and my abilities and sent me to IIM (Ahmedabad) for a one week leadership workshop. I used to explain the workings of our institution and this initiated one of the professors to visit SCMLD and do a case study on our examination assessment process. Today Pillai Sir’s alumni give me so much respect and I owe it all to Pillai Sir and Pillai Ma’am.

Pillai Ma’am is like an elder sister to me. She is the epitome of sacrifice! In fact, thank you doesn’t do enough justice to you ma’am for extending your home to all of us. Manu and Indu are leading examples of individuals doing exceedingly well in their professions and I wish them all the best. Laurels are pouring in and it is a proud moment for Sir and ma’am to be addressed as Manu and Indu’s Pillai’s parents!

I owe this experience to many people. My students have worked closely with me and it has been a journey of experiential learning with fun. Every day is a new day with new challenges, but Prof. M.S. Pillai has taught us to sail through the tough times together and remain grounded. My best wishes to all of you and your families.

Seeking Pillai Sir’s blessings, let us walk his talk daily, and do something to make a small difference to the society we live in. I hope to continue my service to establish Sir’s teaching to the world at large.