Corporate Citizen Cover Story

How many days would it take to set up a B-school from scratch and get it going with a full complement of 160 seats including 38 girls? An unbelievable 40 days! This is the extraordinary tale of a former Symbiosis Pune director being literally egged on by a loyal group of alumni from his ex-institute and academic friends including a business rival, in setting up a fully functional management school in record time, that too in June when the admission season usually ends. "I cannot believe that our institute has actually started functioning," says an exuberant Prof. M.S. Pillai while showing around his institute, merely days after it commenced its operations in the busy city centre at Pune.

To say the least, Pillai, when he found himself without a job on 27th April 2004 after he fell out with the Symbiosis management after spending 16 years of service, was paranoid as to how he was going to meet the house and car payments, besides his household expense. "My first thought was to look for a job and I even had an immediate offer from a friend and former colleague Prof. Balasubramanian who runs a prominent set of educational institutions in Pune," reminisces Pillai. It was, in fact, Prof. Bala who first set the ball rolling by offering a massive sum purely as a gesture of friendship to bail out Pillai, despite knowing that Pillai’s institute could easily become a competitor. "He was my former teacher, under whom I did my MBA and I couldn't see him being employed with me and I suggested that he set up an institute of his own and promised all assistance," says Prof. Col. Balasubramanian, (Now, Dr (Col.) A. Balasubramanian, founder & President, Sri Balaji Society), Pune.

“My first thought was to look for a job and I even had an immediate offer from a friend and former colleague Prof. Balasubramanian who runs a prominent set of educational institutions in Pune”

THERE IS MORE TO THE STORY

Former students placing money at the disposal of their teacher; a friend offering his premises for Sadhana’s use; former colleagues joining work without salaries; teachers volunteering their services for free; three former pupils from Ahmedabad, Kochi, and Chandigarh leaving all else and committing themselves for forty days in Pune to get the institute off the ground; more than 1000 others supporting Sadhana in myriad ways, whether it was with the placement of students of the first batch to sharing inputs and ideas or standing by with help and assistance. These are the facts behind SCMLD’s genesis, which have also been the hallmark of its uniqueness and journey so far. Given these origins, it is but natural that Sadhana is dedicated to the noble emotion, spirit, and energy of those who helped create and nurture it. We work with utmost sincerity and strength of conviction, and both success and failure are met with equal resilience – for us it is the journey that matters.

Pillai's abrupt departure from SCMHRD as its founder director had created major ripples among Pune's academic community and the first ones to react had been its own students, who perhaps started the deluge of mails, SMSs and snail mails from the institute’s alumni, that poured from all overpromising support and urging Pillai to act. "My first supporters to set up an institute were my former attender and one of the accountants from SCMHRD," Pillai recalls.

"Meanwhile as the alumni started persuading me, around 25 visiting faculty members either over the telephone or in person conveyed that they would also teach free of cost in case I decided to start an institute. Even the stationery supplier, the printer and the travel agent offered that they would not bill me for at least a year until I stabilize. It was a great feeling that in the world there are plenty of wonderful people still around," Pillai adds.

After agonizing almost the whole of the month of May, Pillai finally relented to pressures from his friends and peers, and started to design the concept of a management institute. "I did not want the institute to be a commercial one, nor should it be something which I would come to own with other people's money. I wanted it to be run on trusteeship basis and I wanted the friends and alumni to form the trust and run it, while I would work as a director on a salary," Pillai says.

It was the relentless pursuit of the SCMHRD alumni that actually resulted in the founding of the SCMLD. "A former colleague from Delhi flew in with a cheque of Rs.2 lakh. An alumnus came in and offered to sit with me to set up the institute physically, several more up with air-conditioning equipment, chairs, tables, hostel furniture... It was simply overwhelming."

"As this was going on, I received an excel sheet via e-mail wherein 152 ex-students of mine (alumni) committed an amount of Rs.3 crore over a period of time, requesting vehemently to start the institute. I was deeply touched and went more into silence and reflection," recalls Pillai.

But the real trigger had been his chance meeting with Sairam on reference from an alumnus based in Dubai. "Sairam immediately understood my problem and offered that I take up his entire building and agreed that he would act as a Dean to our institute" There was no going back after that. Sadhana Centre for Management and Leadership Development (SCMLD) started rapidly taking shape.

SCMLD concept was frozen and the first small quarter page advertisement in Times of India Delhi was released on 6th June. "The admission season had just ended and we did not hope to get good candidates." admits Pillai. "I somehow felt that Pillai was simply missing the point. If you want to be in business, it should be stated loud and clear," states Col. Bala emphatically. He designed the next advertisement for his friend, a full-page one with screaming headlines hard selling Pillai and it hit home. And how! Within the next fortnight everything around SCMLD went into a mad frenzy-interviews for admissions, selection of faculty, carpentry work, purchase of materials, setting up of computer labs, locating boys hostels, refurbishing the top two floors for ladies hostels... everything was moving at breakneck speed until 14 July 2004, when SCMLD, the institute which the shishyas set up for their guru, started its formal sessions.

CHRONOLOGY OF THE EVENTS

(This article from the October – November 2004 Business India summarises the serendipitous origin of the Sadhana Centre for Management and Leadership Development (SCMLD)(The link to the article is: http://scmld.org/?page_id=3949)

How many hearts have you touched?

I believe life consists of people who are living, people who are no more and people who will be born

A C Augustine
Consultant, entrepreneur and educationist

Pillai Sir was my friend. As friends, we argued, joked like young adults, pulled each other’s leg, learnt from each other, shared exclusive learning experiences, discussed in depth many facets of life. We ate together, drank together and were friends, philosophers, teachers and seekers to each other.

I recall a famous professor saying that it did not matter how much money you have in the bank or how big house or car you have. What matters is how many hearts you have touched in your lifetime. He touched many hearts. It did not matter whether the person was as big as Dr. Abdul Kalam or as simple as a stone quarry worker. For him, they were his teachers as he was theirs. He touched them all in a special way.

I sent Prof. Pillai an autographed copy of my book. He read every page, corrected every mistake and sent the book back to me asking me to correct these errors at the next edition. He did not stop at that. He wrote me a four page handwritten note as well as spoke to me at length to improve the book so that it will be one of the best books on MBA education. He was indeed a friend

At one time I asked him, “How is Bala Sir’s health?” He said he has health issues but he has the blessings of 40,000 plus students and their parents. He will be ok and God will be kind to him. That’s Pillai Sir and his love for his friends.

When my time comes, I am going to request God, “Please send me to Pillai Sir for a long chat and then we can complete all the other formalities”. I am sure by now God too must have had several rounds of discussion with and will surely grant me my wish. My only worry is that the queue (of people like me) may be very long.

But after closing down Sadhana, he was a sad man. His heart was in education. When he could not be with students, his spirit drooped. There was heavy sadness in him, yet he had a dream of building an educational an exclusive MBA institution at the land his trust had purchased. Finance was the issue. In fact I had arranged for a meeting with a financier. But did not work out.

But if a fund can be built under the title ‘ Pillai Sir MBA college fund’, generating sufficient fund will not be an issue. Corporate Citizen has a circulation of 60,000 thousand copies. This issue will reach more than 100,000 of readers if not more. If each reader contributes Rs.1000 to this fund, Pillai Sir’s dream will come true.

I believe life consists of people who are living, people who are no more and people who will be born. I am sure Pillai Sir will smile as we carry forward his dream. What else can friends do.

He will always be my dear guide

Pillai Sir had always been a friend, philosopher and guide to me since 2008. Pillai Sir and I were able to bring a lot of positive changes in the engineering college scenes in Kerala

Ever since my son, Manu M Mathew, was looking for a masters degree in management, I, M C Mathew a businessman from Thrissur, Kerala happen to meet Pillai Sir for the first time in 2008. Ever since then we were in close contact with each other even as recent as 26th November 2018, when we had been to Delhi for a convention on Spirulina cultivation. During the time we had met with several prominent leaders and friends at Delhi. He was the best all-rounder to facilitate the conference too.

He had always been a friend, philosopher and guide to me since 2008. Pillai Sir and I were able to bring a lot of positive changes in the engineering college scenes in Kerala, which were enriching for both the faculty and the students. He made it a point to visit them after certain mapping and help them out with various persistent pointers. Whenever he would visit Kerala I always got the golden opportunity to spend time with him which was great learning for me.

He had always treated me like a family member and introduced me to many of his relatives and friends during these travels. My son Manu was hard pressed about going abroad for his masters but only because it was Pillai Sir’s college I wanted him to join there. He came back transformed, to say the least by Pillai Sir’s training. Pillai Sir was equally respected and loved by all his students and sundry. His passing has left a big void that cannot be replaced by anyone. Pillai Sir was and will be my very dear guide.

Raghunath Medge,
President, Mumbai Dabbawala Association

“He taught me to be self-reliant”

When I got the news of Pillai Sir’s death, I was saddened; but so be it, as what begins, has to end. We are all helpless in front of God’s Will. Even if Pillai Sir not around, his blessings are with us.

When Prince Charles visited India in 2003, we became very famous as we received wide media coverage. However, Pillai Sir was the first person to call me to SCHMRD as a motivational speaker and hence I have a high regard for him. Later in 2004, 2006 and 2008, some of us were invited to the Global Exchange programme along with Vandana Shiva and Prince Charles where 6000 farmers were to congregate. Vanda Shiva convinced us that language would not be a barrier as it gets automatically translated into seven languages, Hindi, being one of them. The most large hearted contribution was by Pillai Sir who came along with his two students, one of them was his alumna who started the ‘Jumbo Wada Pav Centre’ in Mumbai after he finished his MBA. They video shot our daily routine, made a one hour documentary film on Mumbai Dabbawalas, put it in a CD and gave it to us. We, not only carried it to Italy but also use it even now for showcasing our work. Prof Pillai bore the entire expenditure to make this film.

I would like to say that `आज खेल में हम हो ना हो; गर्दिश में तारे रहेंगे सदा भुलेंगे हम और भुलोगे तुम; मगर आदरणीय पिल्ले सर रहेंगे हमारे संग सदा!

(We may or may not live but stars will continue to shine in the universe; you and I may be forgotten but; Honourable Pillai Sir would remain in our hearts forever)

Pillai Sir would say that - we, human beings learn management from educational institutes; but what about the sparrows. Where do they learn the technique of building their nests? So, one must have faith in oneself.

`रखो भरोसा खुद पर; क्यों ढुंढते हो फरिश्ते; पंछीयों के पास कहां होते है नक्षे; फिर भी ढुंढते है अपने अपने “He taught me to be self-reliant” जीने के रास्ते’ (Have faith in yourself, why look for angels; do the birds have maps? Yet, they find their own way.)

आसमान म ंे तार े गिनन े होत े ह;ै तो आसमान म ंे उडानं े भरनी होती है,
गहरे पानी के मोती ढुंढने है; तो गहरे पानी में डुबने के लिये सिखना चाहिये
और दोनों का समाधान इन्सान को लेने चाहिये;
तारे गिनने की इच्छा हो या फिर मोती ढंढु ने की इच्छा हो
दोनों को साथ रखने के लिये; पृथ्वीपर अपना पाव रखना इन्सान ने सिखना चाहिये

(To count the stars in the sky, one has to fly high; to fish out pearls from the deep waters, one has to learn to dive deep; one must be satisfied in both situations, whether counting stars or fishing pearls but to do both, one should learn to stand firm on ground).

My first thought was to look for a job and I even had an...

THERE IS MORE TO THE STORY

CHRONOLOGY OF THE EVENTS

How many hearts have you touched?

He will always be my dear guide

“He taught me to be self-reliant”