A friend, philosopher and guide

An unconventional educationist, Prof. M. S. Pillai pioneered Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan and Yoga as part of the management curriculum much before they took the avatar of national mission. His passing away has left a deep void in the field of education and amongst his friends and students...

I am writing this as a proud alumnus of the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM) where I came in touch with Pillai Sir. His academic qualification included M.A, MBA as well as LLB. He took premature retirement from the Air Force to join the education field. To Prof Pillai goes the credit of enhancing SIBM’s Master in Personnel Management (MPM) programme and bringing it to a level, better than the prestigious XLRI’s HR course. Until then, the two years MPM course of SIBM was sidelined and had become more of a money-spinning venture. Pillai nursed it by changing the syllabus, increasing the timings of the classes amongst several other initiatives. He was also responsible for bringing SIBM to limelight.

People are perhaps not aware that he is the Founder Director of Symbiosis Institute of Operation Management (SIOM) in Nashik. Starting this Institute was the idea of Prof. Pillai Sir and he was sharing his time between SCMHRD and SIOM for nearly three years. Thus, he fathered three institutes, bringing glory to each of one of them. It is pertinent to mention here that Dr Majumdar has an eye for talent and once he gives responsibility, he trusts the person completely and gives him a free hand. This freedom propelled Prof. Pillai to implement his innovative and unique skills of imparting knowledge and making education, more meaningful and relevant. I was a student in his first batch of MPM when he joined SIBM and he became my friend and philosopher. He was so healthy and alert but death snatched him in a moment. I want to forget him, because I do not want to believe that he is no more.

I can safely say that we were his Guinea Pigs. Because he changed the existing system pedagogy, which was new and painful. Yet, he helped me in chiseling my attitude, behavior and thought process, besides my outlook about my future. Until I met him I was dreaming of becoming a clerk in a bank, but he convinced me of a bigger and better dream. He assured me that I have all the potential to do great things in future.

During those days, I was serving in the Army and he was staying in Viman Nagar. I used to commute by a bicycle while he rode a Bajaj scooty. One day he told me that I can be his pillion rider, so we travelled together, halting an on way, at the bridge at odd hours.

What is so special about Prof. Pillai Sir which has inspired us to dedicate a special issue to him? He was an innovative and unconventional educationist and for whom, the world was his students. He wore a calm disposition but was made of steely grit within. A personification of humility, he had the courage of conviction to put his foot down whenever he felt it was the right thing to do and never ever compromised. He worked for passion and not money. He took on the mantle of Professor, 24x7. His students were his world to him; even more than his family, for whom he did not have sufficient time. The family though took it in the right spirit.

Although he was very confident, he would take a final decision only after seeking the opinion of people he trusted. I had the honor of being a part of all such discussions. Though I was older than him, he was my teacher and we become thick friends.

A fearless man, Prof. Pillai was a stickler for rules and uncompromising discipline. As Founder Director of SCMHRD, (Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development), he had set new standards and introduced unique training practices. Today everybody is talking about Yoga, but he made one-month yoga training compulsorily for each student in a yoga centre. The Prime Minister launched the great campaign of “Swacch Bharat” in 2014, but it was mandatory for the students of SCMHRD then, to take brooms in their hand and clean the surroundings. He refused to deploy conservancy sweepers for toilets in the hostel room.

At that point in time, I was the director of SIMS and he was the director of SCHMRD. I was applying my military regimentation style of teaching which was aggressive, while he believed in the calm and peaceful methods of the Vedas

He used to be pressurized realized for admissions by Union Ministers and other influential persons but he never succumbed to their demands. He is perhaps the only faculty in the world for whom his alumni from all over the world created an institute called the Sadhana Centre for Management & Leadership Development (SCMLD) after he left Symbiosis. Within three years of its existence, SCMLD was ranked No. 2 by Business India magazine, next only to the prestigious XLRI. His alumni, notwithstanding their positions in the corporate world, invariably consulted him in their professional, personal, and emotional matters. So much so that they even consulted him on matrimonial alliances!

Recently, he came to know that one of his alumni was battling for life at a private hospital. After he visited her, he realized her treatment needed more money so he campaigned for funds for her through his alumni and collected Rs.25 lakh. Who would take such pains for a student who had passed out of the institute, 10-15 years ago? This is a classic example of how sentimental he was about his students.

Once, he told me about his strong desire to educate 60 girls from the poorest of the poor families. He needed a corpus to start it. One philanthropist donated him one crore rupees. However, the mission did not take off, despite Kiran Bedi, the present Governor of Puducherry blessing it. He promptly returned all the money to the philanthropist. How many would do that?

He used to call his students, ‘minds’, not students. He used to say, I am dealing with a thousand minds; each one with different creativity, so I cannot handle them under one philosophy or vision. What I will create is an ambience, where all these creative beings can grow together.

India’s problem is not economics nor politics; it is education. Recently, I wrote an article in this magazine, titled ‘Indian education is in ICU’ (http://corporatecitizen. in/v4-issue15/overview-of-education. html). And that is precisely the situation of education in the country today. Sadly, even if India has a hundred professors like Pillai Sir, the entire situation will not change. But he was that rare professional who never treated his profession as a mundane job. He took it as a mission and a magnificent obsession. He immersed himself in his job completely and followed varied pedagogies and methodologies to make education effective, which were unheard of then.

People say there are no jobs. I believe, there are enough jobs. Companies appoint special people to headhunt, but don’t get qualified people. Pillai Sir produced those qualified students. As part of the syllabus, he sent his students for Vipassana to Igatpuri, Maharashtra, for two months. Today, we are talking of Yoga; he introduced these traditions over a decade ago. Today, India is talking about Swachh Bharat; Pillai Sir was ahead of his times considering that he used to make students sweep the streets. His philosophy was that the first requirement of a student is to possess humility.

How many B-Schools can claim their presence in the Guinness Book of World Records? Pillai Sir remarkably brought his institute, Sadhana Centre for Management & Leadership Development, this glory. On 14th January 2007, SCMLD, entered its name in the Guinness Book of World Records. Eighty-five motivated and hardworking minds of SCMLD memorized and reproduced 250 random objects and established this unique world record.

He used to call his students, ‘minds’, not students. He used to say, I am dealing with thousand minds, each one with different creativity, so I cannot handle them under one philosophy or vision. What I will create is an ambience, where all these creative beings can grow together

I too learnt a lot from him on teaching methods in management, which were innovative and unique. At that point in time, I was the director of Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies (SIMS) and he was the director of Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development (SCHMRD). I was applying my military regimentation style of teaching which was aggressive, while he believed in the calm and peaceful methods of the Vedas. He used to pontificate on philosophy; he was a voracious reader and never thought that he knew everything. That made him extremely humble.

When looking back, students would surely remember some of his initiatives, although at that time they may have resented the rig ours that accompanied them. Once out of the campus, they adored him. Once, a company which approached him for campus placement offered to pay Rs.4.5 lakh per annum for the candidates. While he did not agree to the package, he had the magnanimity to suggest my institute, as mine was a fledgling on then and such an offer was most welcome. That shows that he was a great human being, without any jealousy or competitive spirit towards his peer. He advised and stood by me when I started Sri Balaji Society. He also supported me when the world was against me and I was a single man army.

Most of the alumni are doing well for themselves so it is their duty to remember their teachers. SCHMRD was the top-most management institute in India -it used to sell more copies of the prospectus than any other institute in Pune and only second to CAT and the industry too held him in high esteem. Hence, I feel now that the alumni must come together and do something to perpetuate his memory. As an alumnus, I will also pitch in.

Pillai Sir has created innumerable kind, well-behaved and competent students who he gave to the industry. Wherever you go, you will find Symbiosis students making a success of their lives. The talent is innately hidden within us and we require a Guru to bring it out which Pillai Sir has done to scores of students, just as Dr SB Mujumdar, The Chancellor of Symbiosis International University transformed me from a subedar to the Director of SIMS. I must heartily acknowledge our beloved Mujumdar Sir for giving both of us a free hand in leadership.

I have lost a very good mentor and a friend but I believe his son will take over his legacy in terms of his values and discipline. His wife and daughter too are very confident-all a result of the values he instilled in them. He was medically fit and should have lived for another 20 years. He has played a great role in shaping my personality and he enjoyed my success. Of late he used to take a few workshops regularly at my institute. During the last few months before he passed away, he had bought five acres of land where he pursued farming.

I regret his passing away and feel that God has been very cruel to have snatched away one of the nicest and most productive of men. We feel lost without him-his commitment was so deep towards his job that he hardly spent time with his wife and children. This to me is a supreme sacrifice. I never expected that the end would be so soon, considering also that he was a stickler for good food, yoga, and lifestyle. As they say, God takes away those who are dear to him.

There will never be another Pillai n Planet Earth – so unique and precious was he!