December 25, 2012 1 Pitstop4Performers

December 25, 2012 2 Pitstop4Performers

Contents of the issue dated December 25, 2012

‘Power’ presentations - Conference on Tamil Nadu power

dynamics, Gujarat story – MCCI & IEF

Yoga Nidra - Balaji Gorantla

A platform to create interaction among directors

S. Srinivasan, Founder, Indian Institute of Directors

Help in raising growth capital

Abhijeet Dhar, MD, Callidus Capital, Mumbai

Meet David 5.0

David Appasamy, Strategy consultant, Chennai

Right connections for Indian businesses

Gavin Young, New Zealand Consul General

Looking for the next Instagram

Alexander von Kotze, V. N. Jagadeesh, Next Big Idea

Doesn’t take a lifetime to build value

Meena Ganesh, CEO, Pearson Education Services

Events

CII Seminar on Applied Innovation

AMP Technologies launch event

60 Secs Chief

Sharad Mehra, CEO, Pearl Academy

Oscar Pereira, MD, Cheryl’s Cosmeceuticals

60 Secs Chief Questionnaire

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December 25, 2012 3 Pitstop4Performers

‘Power’ presentations

‘Conference on Tamil Nadu power dynamics and

future perspectives’

Organised by the Madras Chamber of Commerce & Industry and India

Energy Forum, December 15, 2012, Chennai

Speakers

T. Shivaraman, President, MCCI

P. S. Bami, President, India Energy Forum & Former CMD, NTPC

R. Raghuttama Rao, MD, IMaCS

K. V. Rangaswami, Advisor to Chairman, Larsen & Toubro Ltd.

Anil Razdan, Former Secretary (Power)

S. Kabilan IAS (Retd), Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission

J. Mahin Selvan, Director - Power, Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd.

B. Bhambhani, Convenor (Power), India Energy Forum

N. Suresh Kumar, VP-Head (Thermal Power Plant) L & T Construction

T. Sankaralingam, MD, BGR Energy Systems Ltd.

D. J. Pandian IAS, Principal Secretary, Energy & Petrochemicals,

Govt. of Gujarat

V. Subramanian, Former Secretary, MNRE

S. Gomathi Nayagam, Executive Director, Centre for Wind Technology

(C-WET)

Pashupathy Gopalan, VP & MD, South Asia Operations, MEMC,

SunEdison

C. N. Srinivasan, Partner, CR Narayana Rao LLP, Architects

K. Balu, Former Director, Nuclear Recycle Group, BARC

T. J. Kotteeswaran, Station Director, Madras Atomic Power Station,

Kalpakkam

P. Puthiya Vinayagam, Associate Director, IGCAR, Kalpakkam

M. Subramaniam, Southern Zone

Convenor, India Energy Forum

Amarjit Singh, Secretary General,

India Energy Forum

Playlist

Gujarat ‘power’ story

December 25, 2012 4 Pitstop4Performers

Yoga Nidra

An effective ancient tool for modern day executives

Balaji Gorantla

In this fast-paced life, we have forgotten to listen to our

body. We are generally unaware of our physical stress,

lack-of-sleep and even hunger, which when aggravated

to serious levels cause mental stress and lifestyle

diseases. Physical stress when ignored or suppressed

with pain killers will find its way out through the

mental route leading to mental stress, poor

performance at work, anger and strained relationships.

Ancient Indian wisdom is laden with many tools,

techniques and practices to make our living peaceful, simpler and happier.

Yoga nidra is one such tool, which was culled out from the treasure and

delivered to the world by Swami Sivananda.

In yoga nidra, along with awareness, pranic energy and oxygen are guided

to each and every cell of the body, relaxing, energising and activating them.

This has two-way advantage. One, it helps to relax the body and reduce

stress at the cellular level. Two, long and consistent practice of yoga nidra

helps us to become aware of messages from the body and take necessary

action at the right time.

Other advantages

These include:

venting out of suppressed feelings and emotions;

enhanced deep breathing with awareness thus helping the heart to

pump blood more efficiently; and

sufficient supply of oxygen to nerve and brain cells helping them to

function better. All these translate to stress-free mind, better and

balanced decision-making at the work place.

My personal experiences include:

Once when I was running temperature with body pain, I could become

aware that it was due to lack of sleep on account of continuous travel

and pressure at work. I felt body needed rest more than medicine. I

simply rushed home post-lunch and practised yoga nidra twice – once

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in the evening and again at night. Next day, I was able to be back at

office with renewed energy. No medicines. Now, whenever I have a

long or hard day, I simply go for another round of yoga nidra after

reaching home. This relaxes me immediately.

Very frequently, I correct my posture at work place as I am now more

aware about messages from the body, even while engrossed in serious

work.

Yoga nidra with visualisation of day’s activities has helped me identify

my strengths and weaknesses, which led to founding my latest

venture Ankur Learning Solutions Pvt Ltd.

(The author is a promoter of BLISS Group of companies based at Chennai

www.ankurlearningsolutions.wordpress.com)

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A platform for interaction among directors

S. Srinivasan, Founder, Indian Institute of Directors, Chennai

“Why I started the Institute”

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Help in raising growth capital

Abhijeet Dhar, MD, Callidus Capital Advisors Pvt Ltd, Mumbai

“Where there is repeat consumption for brands”

Private equity syndication, M&A advisory, structured finance

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Meet David 5.0

David Appasamy, Strategy consultant, Chennai

“Primarily for SMEs in IT services”

Earlier interaction

as Executive Director, Madura Micro Finance Ltd, Chennai

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Right connections for Indian businesses

Gavin Young, Consul General and Trade Commissioner, New Zealand

Trade & Enterprise, Mumbai

“We see two-way opportunities”

“New Zealand is a strong advocate for free trade and was the first developed country to

enter into a free trade agreement with the People's Republic of China. We also have free

trade agreements with many other nations, including Singapore, Thailand, Australia, the

ASEAN nations and Malaysia. Australia and New Zealand have one of the most open

economic and trade relationships between any two countries, effectively giving our

exporters duty-free access to 25 million people.” (http://business.newzealand.com)

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Looking for the next Instagram

Alexander von Kotze, V. N. Jagadeesh, Next Big Idea

“Giving young entrepreneurs access to capital”

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Doesn’t take a lifetime to build value

Meena Ganesh, CEO and MD, Pearson Education Services

“TutorVista: Zero to thousand crore in four years”

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Events

AMP Technologies launch event

CII Seminar on Applied Innovation

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60 Secs Chief

Sharad Mehra, CEO, Pearl Academy

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Responses to 60 Secs Chief from Sharad Mehra

1) One teacher I remember, and why

My Principal, Mr Chatterjee. He taught me the importance of work ethics

and values.

2) One most valuable work lesson, thus far

The cream always rises to the top.

3) One thing I look for the most in a new recruit

Positive attitude and a desire to learn.

4) One thought from a book I am currently reading

It is from a recipe book: “There are no shortcuts to a good dish and a great

life.”

5) One tip for time management

Respect the value of the time of others.

6) One key thing in my fitness routine

Regularity.

7) One signal that tells me there is a problem

When everything around seems normal.

8) One technique for handling anger

Give yourself time and think hard before you speak.

9) One essential ingredient in my investment portfolio

Prudence.

10) One good thing about the new generation

Energy and fearlessness.

11) One worrying thing about the young

Too digital, losing the human touch.

12) One thing that clinches a deal

Fairness and empathy.

13) One definition of values

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A set of personal beliefs that should not change because of circumstances or

time.

14) One way that I use for resolving conflicts

Putting yourself in the shoes of others makes all conflict resolvable.

15) One favourite activity when travelling

Reading.

16) One indicator of performance

Happy and motivated team.

17) One macroeconomic variable I keenly watch

GDP growth.

18) One dream I’d like to chase, later in life

Open a restaurant where I will be the chef.

19) One good way to foster innovation

Encourage out-of-the-box thinking and allow your

team to disagree with you.

20) One clue that tells me I’m the leader

When my team looks up to me to take a final decision.

**

What’s your feedback about the questionnaire?

Interesting, though at a few places more clarity is required.

Do you manage energy costs in your company?

Yes.

How do you view the ‘slowdown’/ ‘recovery’?

A cyclical pattern that has stood the test of time. Recovery will follow a

slowdown.

Can you state the outlook for your industry in a line?

Extremely positive and the key sector to drive the growth of the country.

How do you de-stress?

Shut my mind off, switch my cell phone and read or listen to music.

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60 Secs Chief

Oscar Pereira, MD, Cheryl’s Cosmeceuticals P Ltd

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Responses to 60 Secs Chief from Oscar Pereira

1) One teacher I remember, and why?

Mr Colaso. He taught me to question without fear of reprimand.

2) One most valuable work lesson, thus far

Strive for wisdom, which is proper and judicious application of knowledge.

3) One thing I look for the most in a new circuit

Integrity.

4) One thought from a book I am currently reading

Too often, managers think that people development occurs once a year in

performance reviews. It should be a daily event. Customer visits are a

chance to evaluate your sales force. Factory visits are an opportunity to

meet promising new line managers. A coffee break at a meeting is an

opening to coach a team member about to give his first major presentation.

Think of yourself as a gardener, with a watering can in

one hand and a can of fertiliser in the other. Occasionally

you have to pull some weeds, but most of the time, you

just nurture and tend. Then watch everything bloom.

5) One theme for time management

Delegate tasks to capable others and un-clutter your life.

6) One key thing in my fitness routine

Cardio exercise.

7) One signal that tells me there is a problem

Negativity.

8) One technique for handling anger

Yoga.

9) One essential ingredient in my investment portfolio

Invest a major part of surplus back into the business.

10) One good thing about the new generation

They are open to change.

11) One worrying thing about the young

Low moral values.

12) One thing that clinches a deal

Being magnanimous.

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13) One definition of values

Keeping my word.

14) One way that I use for resolving conflicts

Confrontation communication with those involved.

15) One favourite activity when travelling

Reading.

16) One indicator of performance

Fulfilling targets.

17) One macroeconomic variable I keenly watch

Never spend more than what I earn or am capable of earning.

18) One dream I’d like to chase, later in life

Skin Care Clinic in every major city in India.

19) One good way to foster innovation

Delegation.

20) One clue that tells me I’m the leader

There are people following me.

**

What is your feedback about the questionnaire?

Some of the questions are too personal, keeping in mind

that these answers are going to be available on the Internet.

Do you manage energy cost in your company?

Yes. We do not use greenhouse gases and ingredients that damage the

environment.

How do you view the slowdown/ recovery?

Cheryl’s Cosmeceuticals is not experiencing any slowdown. In fact our

factories are working overtime to meet increasing demand.

Can you state the outlook for your industry in a line?

The beauty and cosmetic industry is on a high-growth curve and will

continue to do so for those who manufacture products that deliver

outstanding results.

How do you de-stress?

Spending time with family, exercise and yoga.

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60 Secs Chief for Business Leaders

December 25, 2012 20 Pitstop4Performers

Published by: Shrinikethan, Chennai http://bit.ly/ShriMap

Edited by: D. Murali http://bit.ly/dMurali http://bit.ly/TopTalk

December 25, 2012