Sujata Burla's life took an ugly turn on June 9, 2001. On a pilgrimage to Shirdi, where the Sai Baba temple in Maharashtra is located, from Hyderabad, she met with an accident.
Four months later, the doctors and physiotherapists treating her told her she could not walk for the rest of her life. The accident had turned her into a paraplegic. It meant Sujata was immobile below the shoulders. She was just 21.
Soon people who she thought were her friends abandoned her and Sujata was left alone. Compounding her tragedy was her father's death in March 2004. Not one to be easily cowed down by her circumstances, she started learning about the stock markets that year.
Now she trades like a pro and earns anywhere between Rs 200,000 and Rs 250,000 every month. On a day like Wednesday, September 19, 2007, when the Nifty was up 186 points, Sujata made a cool Rs 600,000 in a single day. She has still not sold her position.
"I expect the Nifty to touch 4800 in the next two, three trading days. I will sell my position then," Sujata told this correspondent in a telephone conversation from her home in Hyderabad.
Sujata moves around in a wheelchair and does not regret this fact. Financial independence is what she strove for and that is exactly what she has got through sheer determination and discipline.
How do you cope with such a trauma?
Before, I could not even write or type. Now I have got used to it. I can easily type and trade on my computer and laptop.
In the first four months after my accident I did not even know I would never be able to walk again. I went into a depression feeling that this was the end of life for me.
Does your condition make you dependant on others?
I am the kind of person who doesn't like to depend on anybody -- whether financially, physically or mentally. So, it was very tough for me to physically depend on somebody. I soon realised that financial independence could get me much more freedom in life.
So I started thinking how I could earn money. I worked with my sister, who is a fashion designer, and learned a bit about it. I soon started a textile workshop where I employed 10 people. However, the workers took undue advantage of my physical disability leading to losses. Since I wanted to be independent I started moving towards stock market trading. The textile workshop business is now my secondary business.
How did you get into the stock markets?
I realised that if at all I have to succeed in life I would have to do something for which I don't have to depend on anybody. Through a friend of mine I came to know about the stock markets in 2004. It took me almost a year to understand the various nuances of the stock market and it was in 2005 that I actually started trading.
What was your first trading/investment experience like?
My first investment was in blue chip companies like Reliance Industries Hero Honda, ACC and IDBI. However, the Rs 100,000 that I invested did not earn me any returns. It was my first investment and I did not know when to sell or the right time to sell my stocks. That learning experience helped me to hone my skills in the stock markets.
How much do you make from trading in stocks now?
My turnover for a month is over Rs 3 crore. But my actual investment is only Rs 15 lakhs. I make anywhere between 10 to 15 per cent per of this investment per month. It is like I earn 20 to 30 per cent sometimes and lose 10 per cent at other times. This takes my average monthly return to 10 to 15 per cent every month of my total investment of Rs 15 lakhs.
Could you share your success mantras for our readers?
Read all the advice that you get from various business television channels, newspapers, friends who understand the stock markets but be extremely cautious and disciplined when you act on this advice.
Never extend your trading bets beyond your means. I speak to my friends; get investment and trading ideas from my brokerages (she is registered for online trading with Reliance Money, Indiabulls and Kotak Securities).
How would you identify yourself as a stock market player?
I am a short-term trader; I am surely not a long-term investor.
Do you trade intra-day?
Well, if my bets appreciate considerably then I take home my profits on the same day. Otherwise, I wait for my investments to bear at least 7 to 8 per cent returns before I actually sell it.
Intra-day trading, though, is very risky as most traders tend to burn their fingers trying to time the market. And I have lost quite a bit of money trading intra-day in the cash market, believe me.
How much have you deposited with all these brokerage companies?
As I told you earlier, my total deposit with all the three brokers is Rs 15 lakhs. Using this amount I buy Call Options within my overall limits. There is no concept of margin money in options. Whatever money I have earned till now is only through Option trading. You can do risk-less trading in Options using a small amount.
As a safe strategy I never write a Put Option. Put Options are very risky. That way I am a very safe trader. In Puts I can even make 50 per cent a month on my investments; but then I can lose the same amount too. My principle is if I make money I make it; I shouldn't lose money at all.
I usually write a Call Option on the Nifty. I am always long (buying first and then selling at a higher price to make profit) on the markets and whenever the market is too overbought I wait for the markets to cool down.
The last two days turned out to be very good for the stock markets. How much did you make in these two days?
Actually, it is celebration time for me. I made 80 per cent returns today (September 19, the Nifty was up 186 points or 4.09 per cent). Most of the Nifty Calls went up by 80 per cent today. However, I did not invest the entire Rs 15 lakhs because I am sitting on a bit of cash as the markets have run up too fast in the recent past. I invested only 50 per cent of Rs 15 lakhs on which I made an 80 per cent return (Editor's note: That's a cool Rs 600,000; don't rub your eyes in disbelief; you read it right!).
However, there are times when I lose a big amount of money in trading. Such gains happen only once in a lifetime. The losses that I make during the year sort of offsets such gains.
But remember that these things don't happen every other day. I have still not booked my profits. I am still holding on my positions. I plan to sell them after a day or two because I feel that the markets can still go up -- at least for the next two, three days -- based on the strong momentum. I am expecting the Nifty to go up to 4800 at least.
Actually, the target given by one of my brokerage houses is 4900 but I am going to book profits at 4800 levels. Too much greed is also not good, is it?
Moreover, it is the festive season and Diwali is just round the corner. Normally, the markets go up during Diwali. There will be some profit booking (a situation when a trader sells her/his stocks at a profit) tomorrow and the day after that but the general mood is likely to remain bullish till Diwali. I don't expect a market crash or correction till Diwali.
Do you stay with your family?
I stay with my mother and cousin Priya. My father passed away on March 20, 2004. I have a sister and two brothers but they are all married and lead separate lives.
Do you have friends?
Before the accident I had many friends but they all ran away after my accident. They were all false friends. People like this go where there is money, success and happiness. People like these don't chase failures.
After my accident I have a different set of friends. I have a few friends now but they are my true friends. They have been with me through my bad times. They really care for me. I can count Pradeep and Ashish amongst my true friends now.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
At 18, he runs an anti-hacking company
At 18 years of age he is one of the world's youngest Microsoft Certified Systems administrators. His claim to fame, however, stems from the fact that his organisation endeavours to reduce cyber crime.
He gives lectures to officers of the Indian Army and Indian corporates on how to safeguard their networks and the Internet infrastructure backbone from potential raids by malicious cyber hackers.
As a mark of appreciation, Microsoft Corporation chairman Bill Gates [Images] invited him to the launch of Biztalk servers in India in 2006.
Meet Vineet Kumar, the founder and CEO of the Global Ethical Hackers Association (GEHA) and the National Anti-hacking Group (NAG); the latter is a non-government organisation which 10,000 hackers have joined as members since its inception back in 2003).
Vineet and these NAG members belong to a category of hackers that take pride in calling themselves 'whitehat hackers' These are ethical individuals who are opposed to the abuse of computer systems by malicious hackers known as 'blackhats'.
Interestingly, despite his expertise in a field as arcane as hacking, Vineet has had no formal training in his trade. He was attracted to computers as a child and managed to get the hang of surfing the Internet and chatting online. During one such session in an online chatroom, he met his mentor, who he refuses to name.
"He was a 'greyhat' hacker," reminisces Vineet. "He was based out of Chicago and gave me hacking lessons over IRC (Internet Relay Chat)."
How does Vineet know that his mentor was somebody based out of Chicago?
"I used some of the techniques he taught me on him," chuckles Vineet, explaining that one can obtain the IP address (Internet Protocol address) of a machine without its owner knowing. "I did it for fun and to know if it actually works."
It's hardly surprising, then, to learn that this mischievous streak caused Vineet's teachers to brand him 'naughtiest kid in school' back when he attended the Army High School in Ranchi, his hometown. By his own admission, he misses those school days. Today he is pursuing a four-year course in Information Technology and Infrastructure Management Services, ITIMs, from Sikkim Manipal University.
Vineet spoke to rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore about ethical hacking, his responsibilities as CEO of GEHA and NAG and the pressure of handling such a career while he is still in his teens.
So you are an ethical hacker. What exactly does that mean and what made you pursue becoming one?
I prefer to be called a cyber/ information security advisor. Ethical hackers are hackers who work for a good cause -- in other words, they are security researchers who plug the vulnerabilities and loopholes of online networks.
I do not concern myself with the philosophy of ethics, but with the simple knowledge of right and wrong engrained in my character. I work in favour of national interest, to save my country from cyber criminals who have a personal axe to grind.
You are only 18 now and CEO of the National Anti-hacking Group, NAG. What responsibilities does the position entail?
My responsibilities include managing the team, security projects, conferences, seminars, consultancy/ advisory assignments, taking important decisions and enabling the smooth functioning of the organisation.
You mentioned that you are pursuing a four-year course in Information Technology and Infrastructure Management Services from Sikkim Manipal University. Doesn't being CEO of an organisation interfere with your academics?
Yes, at times I do feel that my job responsibility interferes with my academic success. However, my ambition to be different from others belonging to my age group gives me the strength and will to work. Nothing worth achieving comes without concentrated effort.
Expert speak: Useful tips to beat PC hackers
How did you manage to accomplish so much at such a young age?
I think, that old adage holds true -- "Where there is a will there is a way". I also believe that at 18, I am at the most creative stage in my life -- I'm young, imaginative, full of positivity and inspired by the potential that the future holds for me.
Who are the people that are benefited by the NAG initiative?
We constantly try to solve social problems that stem from online activities by creating awareness in the field of cyber/ information security. Our efforts serve to protect children, students, families, individuals, and organisations (government as well as non-government) from the unseen criminals of the wired and wireless worlds, because we genuinely believe that social conscientiousness is primary to achieving a peaceful cyber co-existence.
We also voluntarily render our security services on a regular basis to providers who cater to society and the service sectors. The target beneficiaries includes schools, colleges, universities, educational institutions, financial institutions, the government sector, national and multinational organisations.
Our social commitment is to "enable people to use information and communication technology without fear". Our issue concerns not just our country, but the world -- today, a wired or wireless existence is almost as important as the physical.
Can you narrate any incident where NAG helped protect India from a dangerous cyber attack?
We protect many organisations, both government as well as non-government, from being violated. I am, however, bound to keep quiet by my professional commitment and therefore cannot disclose any information, nor the nature of my work. My friend Yash Kadakia and I have created a special security brigade to plug the vulnerabilities and loopholes in websites and networks and to provide them with timely guidance and security advice. According to a recent survey we conducted on Indian websites, 90 percent of them are vulnerable to violation; some of them possess critical information that should not be compromised under any circumstances. I would say that cyber security is still not given a priority in India.
What's the difference between a white hat hacker and a black hat hacker?
The basic difference is not in the nature of the work but in their objectives and motives. The techniques and strategies used by both are the same. However, whitehats work in the positive interest of online security, whereas blackhats work to disrupt it. A white hat generally focuses on securing IT systems, whereas a black hat will focus on breaking into them.
You are a regular on the lecturer circuit. How did it begin? What kind of lectures do you give and how do they benefit your audiences?
It all started a couple of years ago when I was attending Ranchi's Army High School. My father is an army officer and his colleagues, my teachers and friends all recognised the hidden potential in me. That's how I began giving lectures to create awareness on cyber security.
I make the audience aware of the techniques adopted by cyber criminals and provide tips on how they can keep themselves secure. Those who fall prey to hackers are usually victims of ignorance -- my mission is to dispel the darkness of ignorance by kindling the light of knowledge.
The audience usually accepts the stark truth that both the wired and the wireless worlds are vulnerable. They exhibit interest in knowing more about security and are ready to pay a price for a secure existence. They also appreciate my social initiatives.
Can you tell us something about your childhood? Who is your inspiration and what are the respective futures of Vineet Kumar the white hat and Vineet Kumar the student?
I was always an average student, but was quite dedicated when it came to computers. Sometimes I spent all night working on my machine and would end up sleeping in the classroom! My teachers branded me naughtiest kid in the school -- I was always up to some mischief, but the strong discipline enforced by them ool helped me follow a straight path. How I miss those memorable days!
AS for my future, Vineet Kumar the white hat and Vineet Kumar the student are the same person. As a white hat I provide security to Internet users. As Vineet Kumar the student, I try to increase my knowledge. These two aspects of my life are like two sides of one coin -- one manifests work, the other stands for growth and the urge to make a success of myself.
He gives lectures to officers of the Indian Army and Indian corporates on how to safeguard their networks and the Internet infrastructure backbone from potential raids by malicious cyber hackers.
As a mark of appreciation, Microsoft Corporation chairman Bill Gates [Images] invited him to the launch of Biztalk servers in India in 2006.
Meet Vineet Kumar, the founder and CEO of the Global Ethical Hackers Association (GEHA) and the National Anti-hacking Group (NAG); the latter is a non-government organisation which 10,000 hackers have joined as members since its inception back in 2003).
Vineet and these NAG members belong to a category of hackers that take pride in calling themselves 'whitehat hackers' These are ethical individuals who are opposed to the abuse of computer systems by malicious hackers known as 'blackhats'.
Interestingly, despite his expertise in a field as arcane as hacking, Vineet has had no formal training in his trade. He was attracted to computers as a child and managed to get the hang of surfing the Internet and chatting online. During one such session in an online chatroom, he met his mentor, who he refuses to name.
"He was a 'greyhat' hacker," reminisces Vineet. "He was based out of Chicago and gave me hacking lessons over IRC (Internet Relay Chat)."
How does Vineet know that his mentor was somebody based out of Chicago?
"I used some of the techniques he taught me on him," chuckles Vineet, explaining that one can obtain the IP address (Internet Protocol address) of a machine without its owner knowing. "I did it for fun and to know if it actually works."
It's hardly surprising, then, to learn that this mischievous streak caused Vineet's teachers to brand him 'naughtiest kid in school' back when he attended the Army High School in Ranchi, his hometown. By his own admission, he misses those school days. Today he is pursuing a four-year course in Information Technology and Infrastructure Management Services, ITIMs, from Sikkim Manipal University.
Vineet spoke to rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore about ethical hacking, his responsibilities as CEO of GEHA and NAG and the pressure of handling such a career while he is still in his teens.
So you are an ethical hacker. What exactly does that mean and what made you pursue becoming one?
I prefer to be called a cyber/ information security advisor. Ethical hackers are hackers who work for a good cause -- in other words, they are security researchers who plug the vulnerabilities and loopholes of online networks.
I do not concern myself with the philosophy of ethics, but with the simple knowledge of right and wrong engrained in my character. I work in favour of national interest, to save my country from cyber criminals who have a personal axe to grind.
You are only 18 now and CEO of the National Anti-hacking Group, NAG. What responsibilities does the position entail?
My responsibilities include managing the team, security projects, conferences, seminars, consultancy/ advisory assignments, taking important decisions and enabling the smooth functioning of the organisation.
You mentioned that you are pursuing a four-year course in Information Technology and Infrastructure Management Services from Sikkim Manipal University. Doesn't being CEO of an organisation interfere with your academics?
Yes, at times I do feel that my job responsibility interferes with my academic success. However, my ambition to be different from others belonging to my age group gives me the strength and will to work. Nothing worth achieving comes without concentrated effort.
Expert speak: Useful tips to beat PC hackers
How did you manage to accomplish so much at such a young age?
I think, that old adage holds true -- "Where there is a will there is a way". I also believe that at 18, I am at the most creative stage in my life -- I'm young, imaginative, full of positivity and inspired by the potential that the future holds for me.
Who are the people that are benefited by the NAG initiative?
We constantly try to solve social problems that stem from online activities by creating awareness in the field of cyber/ information security. Our efforts serve to protect children, students, families, individuals, and organisations (government as well as non-government) from the unseen criminals of the wired and wireless worlds, because we genuinely believe that social conscientiousness is primary to achieving a peaceful cyber co-existence.
We also voluntarily render our security services on a regular basis to providers who cater to society and the service sectors. The target beneficiaries includes schools, colleges, universities, educational institutions, financial institutions, the government sector, national and multinational organisations.
Our social commitment is to "enable people to use information and communication technology without fear". Our issue concerns not just our country, but the world -- today, a wired or wireless existence is almost as important as the physical.
Can you narrate any incident where NAG helped protect India from a dangerous cyber attack?
We protect many organisations, both government as well as non-government, from being violated. I am, however, bound to keep quiet by my professional commitment and therefore cannot disclose any information, nor the nature of my work. My friend Yash Kadakia and I have created a special security brigade to plug the vulnerabilities and loopholes in websites and networks and to provide them with timely guidance and security advice. According to a recent survey we conducted on Indian websites, 90 percent of them are vulnerable to violation; some of them possess critical information that should not be compromised under any circumstances. I would say that cyber security is still not given a priority in India.
What's the difference between a white hat hacker and a black hat hacker?
The basic difference is not in the nature of the work but in their objectives and motives. The techniques and strategies used by both are the same. However, whitehats work in the positive interest of online security, whereas blackhats work to disrupt it. A white hat generally focuses on securing IT systems, whereas a black hat will focus on breaking into them.
You are a regular on the lecturer circuit. How did it begin? What kind of lectures do you give and how do they benefit your audiences?
It all started a couple of years ago when I was attending Ranchi's Army High School. My father is an army officer and his colleagues, my teachers and friends all recognised the hidden potential in me. That's how I began giving lectures to create awareness on cyber security.
I make the audience aware of the techniques adopted by cyber criminals and provide tips on how they can keep themselves secure. Those who fall prey to hackers are usually victims of ignorance -- my mission is to dispel the darkness of ignorance by kindling the light of knowledge.
The audience usually accepts the stark truth that both the wired and the wireless worlds are vulnerable. They exhibit interest in knowing more about security and are ready to pay a price for a secure existence. They also appreciate my social initiatives.
Can you tell us something about your childhood? Who is your inspiration and what are the respective futures of Vineet Kumar the white hat and Vineet Kumar the student?
I was always an average student, but was quite dedicated when it came to computers. Sometimes I spent all night working on my machine and would end up sleeping in the classroom! My teachers branded me naughtiest kid in the school -- I was always up to some mischief, but the strong discipline enforced by them ool helped me follow a straight path. How I miss those memorable days!
AS for my future, Vineet Kumar the white hat and Vineet Kumar the student are the same person. As a white hat I provide security to Internet users. As Vineet Kumar the student, I try to increase my knowledge. These two aspects of my life are like two sides of one coin -- one manifests work, the other stands for growth and the urge to make a success of myself.
'I became a successful CEO at 30'
How many of us can think of retiring at 30? And actually achieve it?
If you are Anil Rego, CEO of Right Horizons, an investment advisory and wealth management firm in Bangalore, now Bengalooru, then it is eminently possible.
"I'd always wanted to be an entrepreneur," says Anil, whose company with over 50 employees now manages Rs 75 crore for his clients, over the phone. Right from the time he joined Wipro [Get Quote], first as business planning manager and then in the merger & acquisition team, Anil was sure that one day he would build up his own organisation some day.
And that day came five years earlier than what he had targeted for. Being the smart entrepreneur he is Anil knew that starting his own business without keeping aside funds for his family would be a risky proposition. He was able to do that when he turned 30.
"My plan was to retire from corporate life and start on my own by 35 years, even before I joined Wipro. I had set myself a target of hitting a certain capital required for the family's monthly expenses, which I hit earlier and hence 'retired' and started 'Right Horizons' at 30 years," says Anil.
Anil considers the legendary investor Warren Buffet and Wipro Chairman Azim Premji as his inspiration. He admires Infosys founder N R Narayanmurthy for his ability to build a successful business. The Right Horizons CEO spoke to rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore about his passion for investments, the challenges he faced while starting Right Horizons, and the qualities that are needed for a person to build a successful business. And, of course, how he retired at age 30!
Give us a brief sketch of your career in the industry and the company you worked with before you founded your own company.
My first job with Wipro happened to be my last job as well. I had a reasonably long tenure at Wipro -- of around 7 years. After my stint in business planning, I was part of the initial merger and acquisition team of Wipro. During that spell, I realised that we are so busy with our work that we tend to neglect our own financial management. That's where the thought of Right Horizons was born.
I am from Mangalore, though I was born and brought up in Bangalore. I did my pre-university and degree at St Joseph's Arts and Science College there.
Subsequently, I did my CFA/MBA from ICFAI Business School, Bangalore. My first job was in Wipro Infotech (now it is Wipro Technologies), as a business-planning manager.
Did you always have a passion for investments? When did you start investing?
Investments were always my passion. In fact, I started investing when I was studying in pre-university. I took money from my mother and started, after which, I never looked behind. When I took up my career, the only course I applied for was the CFA/MBA. However busy and hectic the schedule was at office, I used to keenly watch and invest in the market, with most of my research being done late in the night.
How did you succeed in retiring at 30? When did you decide to establish Right Horizons? Was it a struggle -- what disappointments did you have to cope with?
My plan was to retire from corporate life and start on my own by 35 years, even before I joined Wipro.
I had set myself a target of hitting a certain capital required for the family's monthly expenses, which I hit earlier and hence 'retired' and started Right Horizons at 30. This was possible because of planned and regular investments, right from the start. In fact, I had to plan for it in innovative ways, since there was no pension plan starting at 35!
I felt that there was a need for a one-stop-shop for all my financial needs. I spent too much time working with multiple players. I also found there was no one taking care of investors across financial planning, taxation, multiple investment avenues, tracking and providing regular and online reporting.
Most of the advisors did not have a financial background, which I felt was important even in insurance, which has evolved into market-linked instruments. I have tried to build those features and benefits, which I was looking for as an individual investor, intp Right Horizons.
I also believe that Indian equities should provide phenomenal returns and I saw this trend early and took advantage of the opportunity. Since I started at the right time, the journey has been fairly smooth. The biggest challenge we had in initial years was to attract good, quality talent, which is a prerequisite to success in any business.
When faced with a new challenge, how do you set about taking it on?
I have always set my goals first and then planned how to get there. We have taken up very challenging goals and have achieve them in reasonable time. The most common reason for failure, in my view, is the low priority given to 'tracking' one's progress. When we normally set out, we also need to outline parameters that we will track.
What qualities set apart success stories like yours from the average?
The factors that have helped us achieve what we have are:
~ Always dream and work towards converting your dreams into reality.
~ Formulate a plan to achieve your dreams, and more importantly, track it.
~ Do what is right for the customer -- for example we have always believed in doing what is right for the customer even if it has a revenue impact on us. My view is that in the long term, this is what will create value for us, as the customer sees the difference and remains with us for life.
~ Have passion and focus in what you do -- when you know what you are doing, and you enjoy what you are doing, this comes automatically.
~ Hard work -- I am always on the job.
~ Work as a team: Alone, one can only do so much.
What kind of criticism have you faced in the course of your career, and how have you learned to deal with it?
There were a lot of skeptical people, who felt I was making a big mistake by moving out of a great company, with a fantastic salary and growth prospects. Also, the investment field was full of individual advisors, and many vendors wanted to meet up with me initially out of sheer inquisitiveness. In our business, competition comes at various levels -- from unstructured individual agents and advisors, from large banks and financial institutions, and at the high end from multinational banks. I remained focused towards building an organisation in a highly competitive environment, and that seems to have paid-off.
Did you have a mentor, and if so, how did he/ she inspire you to steer your career in the right direction?
There are a lot of people and companies that have inspired me. As I would think for most investment professionals -- Warren Buffet, Chairman, Berkshire Hathaway -- has been inspiring. Mr Azim Premji chairman of Wipro, has also been a source of inspiration in terms of importance given to time, attention to detail, emphasis on process and quality, and his drive for cutting unnecessary costs.
I have admired companies like Infosys for their strategic thinking and determining the course of the company a lot in advance, through great planning. Also, Mr Narayana Murthy for building an organisation that is not dependant on any one individual and the wealth building across all stakeholders.
How has your career impacted your personal life? Do you feel like you've had to sacrifice a few personal pleasures in favour of your job?
Despite hectic work hours, I do spend quality time with my family. I come home a little early and spend time with them in the evenings and then start my 'second shift' work from 9 pm to about midnight.
Having come such a long way in your career in such a short span of time, what do you think remains to be achieved? Which dreams are yet to be realised career-wise?
At this time, I want to only focus on Right Horizons. In the future, I would like to set up a seed capital fund to help other entrepreneurs achieve their goals and work on social causes. Currently, we provide senior citizens free, tax filing, etc. I would also like to work toward helping with the education of poor children.
What tips do you have for today's youngsters looking at wealth management as a good career opportunity?
It is great career path to take because the amount of learning it provides. Since it is across multiple areas like taxation, financial planning, etc and works across multiple products like insurance, mutual funds, equity, etc, anyone who has built up a good knowledge across these verticals, is difficult to replace. This provides great career growth, both monetary and non-monetary.
What makes Right Horizons a great place to work?
Creating a common vision with the employee: Employees are part of decision making, sharing of company plans and strategies with employees.
Providing an environment of learning and providing challenging roles: High learning through continuous and in-depth training provided by top management on a regular basis, providing opportunity for leadership.
Compensation, reward and recognition programs -- both monetary and non-monetary: Competitive compensation, periodic recognition of outstanding performers, team parties/offsite team building get-togethers, and wealth-creation program.
Creating a family environment: Not much hierarchy, informal interactions, assisting team on personal issues
Can you tell me more about Right Horizons?
Right Horizons is an end-to-end investment advisory and wealth management firm that focuses on providing a solution that is specific to customers' needs. It works towards understanding financial goals of customers and helping them to attain those goals.
Our effort is to free the customer from her/his financial matters, and to help them achieve their dreams. We follow a de-risked financial model and though we use higher risk avenues, we do so on a lower risk basis.
We have a unique corporate help desk model where we do educative presentations on taxes and investments, set up support helplines by mail and phone, set up daily helpdesks on campus for employees, manage a section of their intranets -- we have experience in doing this for a corporate with over 50,000 employees across multiple locations.
We have branches in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai and have grown to be 50 strong, in less than 4 years.
If you are Anil Rego, CEO of Right Horizons, an investment advisory and wealth management firm in Bangalore, now Bengalooru, then it is eminently possible.
"I'd always wanted to be an entrepreneur," says Anil, whose company with over 50 employees now manages Rs 75 crore for his clients, over the phone. Right from the time he joined Wipro [Get Quote], first as business planning manager and then in the merger & acquisition team, Anil was sure that one day he would build up his own organisation some day.
And that day came five years earlier than what he had targeted for. Being the smart entrepreneur he is Anil knew that starting his own business without keeping aside funds for his family would be a risky proposition. He was able to do that when he turned 30.
"My plan was to retire from corporate life and start on my own by 35 years, even before I joined Wipro. I had set myself a target of hitting a certain capital required for the family's monthly expenses, which I hit earlier and hence 'retired' and started 'Right Horizons' at 30 years," says Anil.
Anil considers the legendary investor Warren Buffet and Wipro Chairman Azim Premji as his inspiration. He admires Infosys founder N R Narayanmurthy for his ability to build a successful business. The Right Horizons CEO spoke to rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore about his passion for investments, the challenges he faced while starting Right Horizons, and the qualities that are needed for a person to build a successful business. And, of course, how he retired at age 30!
Give us a brief sketch of your career in the industry and the company you worked with before you founded your own company.
My first job with Wipro happened to be my last job as well. I had a reasonably long tenure at Wipro -- of around 7 years. After my stint in business planning, I was part of the initial merger and acquisition team of Wipro. During that spell, I realised that we are so busy with our work that we tend to neglect our own financial management. That's where the thought of Right Horizons was born.
I am from Mangalore, though I was born and brought up in Bangalore. I did my pre-university and degree at St Joseph's Arts and Science College there.
Subsequently, I did my CFA/MBA from ICFAI Business School, Bangalore. My first job was in Wipro Infotech (now it is Wipro Technologies), as a business-planning manager.
Did you always have a passion for investments? When did you start investing?
Investments were always my passion. In fact, I started investing when I was studying in pre-university. I took money from my mother and started, after which, I never looked behind. When I took up my career, the only course I applied for was the CFA/MBA. However busy and hectic the schedule was at office, I used to keenly watch and invest in the market, with most of my research being done late in the night.
How did you succeed in retiring at 30? When did you decide to establish Right Horizons? Was it a struggle -- what disappointments did you have to cope with?
My plan was to retire from corporate life and start on my own by 35 years, even before I joined Wipro.
I had set myself a target of hitting a certain capital required for the family's monthly expenses, which I hit earlier and hence 'retired' and started Right Horizons at 30. This was possible because of planned and regular investments, right from the start. In fact, I had to plan for it in innovative ways, since there was no pension plan starting at 35!
I felt that there was a need for a one-stop-shop for all my financial needs. I spent too much time working with multiple players. I also found there was no one taking care of investors across financial planning, taxation, multiple investment avenues, tracking and providing regular and online reporting.
Most of the advisors did not have a financial background, which I felt was important even in insurance, which has evolved into market-linked instruments. I have tried to build those features and benefits, which I was looking for as an individual investor, intp Right Horizons.
I also believe that Indian equities should provide phenomenal returns and I saw this trend early and took advantage of the opportunity. Since I started at the right time, the journey has been fairly smooth. The biggest challenge we had in initial years was to attract good, quality talent, which is a prerequisite to success in any business.
When faced with a new challenge, how do you set about taking it on?
I have always set my goals first and then planned how to get there. We have taken up very challenging goals and have achieve them in reasonable time. The most common reason for failure, in my view, is the low priority given to 'tracking' one's progress. When we normally set out, we also need to outline parameters that we will track.
What qualities set apart success stories like yours from the average?
The factors that have helped us achieve what we have are:
~ Always dream and work towards converting your dreams into reality.
~ Formulate a plan to achieve your dreams, and more importantly, track it.
~ Do what is right for the customer -- for example we have always believed in doing what is right for the customer even if it has a revenue impact on us. My view is that in the long term, this is what will create value for us, as the customer sees the difference and remains with us for life.
~ Have passion and focus in what you do -- when you know what you are doing, and you enjoy what you are doing, this comes automatically.
~ Hard work -- I am always on the job.
~ Work as a team: Alone, one can only do so much.
What kind of criticism have you faced in the course of your career, and how have you learned to deal with it?
There were a lot of skeptical people, who felt I was making a big mistake by moving out of a great company, with a fantastic salary and growth prospects. Also, the investment field was full of individual advisors, and many vendors wanted to meet up with me initially out of sheer inquisitiveness. In our business, competition comes at various levels -- from unstructured individual agents and advisors, from large banks and financial institutions, and at the high end from multinational banks. I remained focused towards building an organisation in a highly competitive environment, and that seems to have paid-off.
Did you have a mentor, and if so, how did he/ she inspire you to steer your career in the right direction?
There are a lot of people and companies that have inspired me. As I would think for most investment professionals -- Warren Buffet, Chairman, Berkshire Hathaway -- has been inspiring. Mr Azim Premji chairman of Wipro, has also been a source of inspiration in terms of importance given to time, attention to detail, emphasis on process and quality, and his drive for cutting unnecessary costs.
I have admired companies like Infosys for their strategic thinking and determining the course of the company a lot in advance, through great planning. Also, Mr Narayana Murthy for building an organisation that is not dependant on any one individual and the wealth building across all stakeholders.
How has your career impacted your personal life? Do you feel like you've had to sacrifice a few personal pleasures in favour of your job?
Despite hectic work hours, I do spend quality time with my family. I come home a little early and spend time with them in the evenings and then start my 'second shift' work from 9 pm to about midnight.
Having come such a long way in your career in such a short span of time, what do you think remains to be achieved? Which dreams are yet to be realised career-wise?
At this time, I want to only focus on Right Horizons. In the future, I would like to set up a seed capital fund to help other entrepreneurs achieve their goals and work on social causes. Currently, we provide senior citizens free, tax filing, etc. I would also like to work toward helping with the education of poor children.
What tips do you have for today's youngsters looking at wealth management as a good career opportunity?
It is great career path to take because the amount of learning it provides. Since it is across multiple areas like taxation, financial planning, etc and works across multiple products like insurance, mutual funds, equity, etc, anyone who has built up a good knowledge across these verticals, is difficult to replace. This provides great career growth, both monetary and non-monetary.
What makes Right Horizons a great place to work?
Creating a common vision with the employee: Employees are part of decision making, sharing of company plans and strategies with employees.
Providing an environment of learning and providing challenging roles: High learning through continuous and in-depth training provided by top management on a regular basis, providing opportunity for leadership.
Compensation, reward and recognition programs -- both monetary and non-monetary: Competitive compensation, periodic recognition of outstanding performers, team parties/offsite team building get-togethers, and wealth-creation program.
Creating a family environment: Not much hierarchy, informal interactions, assisting team on personal issues
Can you tell me more about Right Horizons?
Right Horizons is an end-to-end investment advisory and wealth management firm that focuses on providing a solution that is specific to customers' needs. It works towards understanding financial goals of customers and helping them to attain those goals.
Our effort is to free the customer from her/his financial matters, and to help them achieve their dreams. We follow a de-risked financial model and though we use higher risk avenues, we do so on a lower risk basis.
We have a unique corporate help desk model where we do educative presentations on taxes and investments, set up support helplines by mail and phone, set up daily helpdesks on campus for employees, manage a section of their intranets -- we have experience in doing this for a corporate with over 50,000 employees across multiple locations.
We have branches in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai and have grown to be 50 strong, in less than 4 years.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Narayana Murthy
One of the founders of Infosys Technologies Limited; Chosen as the World Entrepreneur of the Year - 2003 by Ernst and Young
Narayana Murthy is the Non-Executive Chairman and Chief Mentor of Infosys Technologies Limited. He is a living legend and an epitome of the fact that honesty, transparency, and moral integrity are not at variance with business acumen. He set new standards in corporate governance and morality when he stepped down as the Executive Chairman of Infosys at the age of 60.
Born on August 20, 1946, N.R. Narayana Murthy is a B.E. Electrical from University of Mysore (1967) and M.Tech from IIT Kanpur (1969). Narayan Murthy began his career with Patni Computer Systems in Pune. In 1981, Narayana Murthy founded Infosys with six other software professionals. In 1987, Infosys opened its first international office in U.S.A.
With the liberalization of Indian economy in 1990s, Infosys grew rapidly. In 1993, the company came up with its IPO. In 1995, Infosys set up development centers across cities in India and in 1996, it set up its first office in Europe in Milton Keynes, UK. In 1999, Infosys became the first Indian company to be listed on NASDAQ. Today (in 2006), Infosys has a turnover of more than $ 2billion and has employee strength of over 50,000. In 2002, Infosys was ranked No. 1 in the "Best Employers in India 2002" survey conducted by Hewitt and in the Business World's survey of "India's Most Respected Company." Conducted in the same year.
Along with the growth of Infosys, Narayana Moorthy too has grown in stature. He has received many honors and awards. In June 2000, Asiaweek magazine featured him in a list of Asia's 50 Most Powerful People. In 2001, Narayana Murthy was named by TIME/CNN as one of the 25 most influential global executives. He was the first recipient of the Indo-French Forum Medal (2003) and was voted the World Entrepreneur of the Year - 2003 by Ernst and Young. The Economist ranked Narayana Murthy eighth on the list of the 15 most admired global leaders (2005) and Narayan Murthy also topped the Economic Times Corporate Dossier list of India's most powerful CEOs for two consecutive years - 2004 and 2005.
Narayana Murthy is the Non-Executive Chairman and Chief Mentor of Infosys Technologies Limited. He is a living legend and an epitome of the fact that honesty, transparency, and moral integrity are not at variance with business acumen. He set new standards in corporate governance and morality when he stepped down as the Executive Chairman of Infosys at the age of 60.
Born on August 20, 1946, N.R. Narayana Murthy is a B.E. Electrical from University of Mysore (1967) and M.Tech from IIT Kanpur (1969). Narayan Murthy began his career with Patni Computer Systems in Pune. In 1981, Narayana Murthy founded Infosys with six other software professionals. In 1987, Infosys opened its first international office in U.S.A.
With the liberalization of Indian economy in 1990s, Infosys grew rapidly. In 1993, the company came up with its IPO. In 1995, Infosys set up development centers across cities in India and in 1996, it set up its first office in Europe in Milton Keynes, UK. In 1999, Infosys became the first Indian company to be listed on NASDAQ. Today (in 2006), Infosys has a turnover of more than $ 2billion and has employee strength of over 50,000. In 2002, Infosys was ranked No. 1 in the "Best Employers in India 2002" survey conducted by Hewitt and in the Business World's survey of "India's Most Respected Company." Conducted in the same year.
Along with the growth of Infosys, Narayana Moorthy too has grown in stature. He has received many honors and awards. In June 2000, Asiaweek magazine featured him in a list of Asia's 50 Most Powerful People. In 2001, Narayana Murthy was named by TIME/CNN as one of the 25 most influential global executives. He was the first recipient of the Indo-French Forum Medal (2003) and was voted the World Entrepreneur of the Year - 2003 by Ernst and Young. The Economist ranked Narayana Murthy eighth on the list of the 15 most admired global leaders (2005) and Narayan Murthy also topped the Economic Times Corporate Dossier list of India's most powerful CEOs for two consecutive years - 2004 and 2005.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Kumar Mangalam Birla
Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group; Vhosen as Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year - India in 2005
Kumar Mangalam Birla is the Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group. The group is India's third largest business house. Major companies of Aditya Birla Group in India are Grasim, Hindalco, UltraTech Cement, Aditya Birla Nuvo and Idea Cellular. Aditya Birla Group's joint ventures include Birla Sun Life (Financial Services) and Birla NGK (Insulators). The group also has its presence in various countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Egypt, Canada, China and Australia.
Born on June 14, 1967, Kumar Mangalam Birla spent the early of his life in Calcutta and Mumbai. He is a Chartered Accountant and did his MBA (Masters in Business Administration) from the London Business School, London. Kumar Mangalam Birla took over as Chairman in 1995, at the age of 28, after sudden demise of his father, noted industrialist Aditya Birla, after whom the group is named.
When Kumar Mangalam Birla assumed the mantle at the Aditya Birla Group, Doubts were raised about his ability to handle a giant business house with interests spanning viscose, textiles and garments on the one hand and cement, aluminium and fertilisers on the other. But Kumar Mangalam proved his skeptics wrong. He brought in radical changes, changed business strategies, professionalised the entire group and replaced internal systems. Kumar Mangalam reduced his group's dependence on the cyclic commodities sectors by entering consumer products.
Under Kumar Mangalam Birla's leadership, the Aditya Birla Group, apart from consolidating its position in existing businesses, also ventured into sunrise sectors like cellular telephony, asset management, software and BPO.
Kumar Mangalam Birla also holds several key positions on various regulatory and professional boards, including chairmanship of the advisory committee constituted by the ministry of company affairs for 2006 and 2007, membership of the prime minister of India's advisory council on trade and industry, chairmanship of the board of trade reconstituted by the union minister of commerce and industry, and membership of the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India.
Kumar Mangalam Birla has won several honors. Major among them include The Business Leader of the Year (2003) by The Economic Times, Business Man of the Year - 2003 by Business India, and The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year - India in 2005.
Kumar Mangalam Birla is the Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group. The group is India's third largest business house. Major companies of Aditya Birla Group in India are Grasim, Hindalco, UltraTech Cement, Aditya Birla Nuvo and Idea Cellular. Aditya Birla Group's joint ventures include Birla Sun Life (Financial Services) and Birla NGK (Insulators). The group also has its presence in various countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Egypt, Canada, China and Australia.
Born on June 14, 1967, Kumar Mangalam Birla spent the early of his life in Calcutta and Mumbai. He is a Chartered Accountant and did his MBA (Masters in Business Administration) from the London Business School, London. Kumar Mangalam Birla took over as Chairman in 1995, at the age of 28, after sudden demise of his father, noted industrialist Aditya Birla, after whom the group is named.
When Kumar Mangalam Birla assumed the mantle at the Aditya Birla Group, Doubts were raised about his ability to handle a giant business house with interests spanning viscose, textiles and garments on the one hand and cement, aluminium and fertilisers on the other. But Kumar Mangalam proved his skeptics wrong. He brought in radical changes, changed business strategies, professionalised the entire group and replaced internal systems. Kumar Mangalam reduced his group's dependence on the cyclic commodities sectors by entering consumer products.
Under Kumar Mangalam Birla's leadership, the Aditya Birla Group, apart from consolidating its position in existing businesses, also ventured into sunrise sectors like cellular telephony, asset management, software and BPO.
Kumar Mangalam Birla also holds several key positions on various regulatory and professional boards, including chairmanship of the advisory committee constituted by the ministry of company affairs for 2006 and 2007, membership of the prime minister of India's advisory council on trade and industry, chairmanship of the board of trade reconstituted by the union minister of commerce and industry, and membership of the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India.
Kumar Mangalam Birla has won several honors. Major among them include The Business Leader of the Year (2003) by The Economic Times, Business Man of the Year - 2003 by Business India, and The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year - India in 2005.
Dr. K. Anji Reddy
Founder-chairman of Dr Reddy's Group of Companies; Awarded with Padma Shri in 2001.
Dr. K. Anji Reddy is a pioneer in the pharmaceutical research in India and is founder-chairman of Dr Reddy's Group of Companies.
Dr Kallam Anji Reddy did his B.Sc in Pharmaceuticals and Fine chemicals from Bombay University and subsequently completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering from National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, in 1969. Dr. K. Anji Reddy served in PSU Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited from 1969 to 1975. Dr. Reddy was the founder-Managing Director of Uniloids Ltd from 1976 to 1980 and Standard Organics Limited from 1980 to 1984.
In 1984, Dr. K. Anji Reddy founded Dr. Reddy's Laboratories and soon the company established new benchmarks in the Indian Pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories transformed Indian bulk drug industry from import-dependent in mid-80s to self-reliant in mid-90s and finally into the export-oriented industry that it is presently. In 1993, Dr. Reddy's became the first company to take up drug discovery research in India and in April 2001 it became the first non-Japanese Asian pharmaceutical company to list on NYSE. By the end of fiscal year 2005, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories was India's second largest pharmaceutical company and the youngest among its peer group.
Presently, Dr. Reddy is a serving member of the Prime Minister's Council on Trade & Industry, Government of India, and has been nominated to the Board of National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER).
Dr. K. Anji Reddy is also a philanthropist. He is the founder-Chairman of Dr. Reddy's Foundation for Human & Social Development, a social arm of Dr. Reddy's, which acts as a catalyst of change to achieve sustainable development.
Dr. K. Anji Reddy has received many awards and honors. These include Sir PC Ray award (conferred twice, in 1984 and 1992); Federation of Asian Pharmaceutical Associations (FAPA)'s FAPA-Ishidate Award for Pharmaceutical Research in 1998; leading business magazine Business India voted him Businessman of the Year in 2001; CHEMTECH Foundation bestowed on him the Achiever of the Year award in the year 2000 and the 'Hall of Fame' award in 2005, for his Entrepreneurship, Leadership and thrust on Innovation; and in 2001, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India.
Dr. K. Anji Reddy is a pioneer in the pharmaceutical research in India and is founder-chairman of Dr Reddy's Group of Companies.
Dr Kallam Anji Reddy did his B.Sc in Pharmaceuticals and Fine chemicals from Bombay University and subsequently completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering from National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, in 1969. Dr. K. Anji Reddy served in PSU Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited from 1969 to 1975. Dr. Reddy was the founder-Managing Director of Uniloids Ltd from 1976 to 1980 and Standard Organics Limited from 1980 to 1984.
In 1984, Dr. K. Anji Reddy founded Dr. Reddy's Laboratories and soon the company established new benchmarks in the Indian Pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories transformed Indian bulk drug industry from import-dependent in mid-80s to self-reliant in mid-90s and finally into the export-oriented industry that it is presently. In 1993, Dr. Reddy's became the first company to take up drug discovery research in India and in April 2001 it became the first non-Japanese Asian pharmaceutical company to list on NYSE. By the end of fiscal year 2005, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories was India's second largest pharmaceutical company and the youngest among its peer group.
Presently, Dr. Reddy is a serving member of the Prime Minister's Council on Trade & Industry, Government of India, and has been nominated to the Board of National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER).
Dr. K. Anji Reddy is also a philanthropist. He is the founder-Chairman of Dr. Reddy's Foundation for Human & Social Development, a social arm of Dr. Reddy's, which acts as a catalyst of change to achieve sustainable development.
Dr. K. Anji Reddy has received many awards and honors. These include Sir PC Ray award (conferred twice, in 1984 and 1992); Federation of Asian Pharmaceutical Associations (FAPA)'s FAPA-Ishidate Award for Pharmaceutical Research in 1998; leading business magazine Business India voted him Businessman of the Year in 2001; CHEMTECH Foundation bestowed on him the Achiever of the Year award in the year 2000 and the 'Hall of Fame' award in 2005, for his Entrepreneurship, Leadership and thrust on Innovation; and in 2001, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Benefits of being self-employed
Imagine this. The company you work for has just amassed a multi billion-rupee profit; your annual bonus for playing a part in this achievement is Rs 20,000. You work till 9 pm most evenings, and your boss doubts your commitment. You painstakingly prepare the sales presentation and your boss gets the credit since he always presents it.
When such things happen - and I am sure these things do happen -- do you feel the itch to just break out on your own and leave the company politics behind for good? Does any of this sound like the woe-story of your work life?
It's probably true that each of us have felt strongly about some of the above statements at our work place. There are varied reactions to such situations. Some people feel frustrated, crib and carry on. A few others want to change this situation for good in order to fulfill their potential. If you fall into the latter class, you just might consider starting your own business.
Am I meant to be self-employed?
Starting up a business requires detailed planning. An entrepreneur needs to anticipate change in markets, adapt quickly and avoid pitfalls. Odds are that even if one gets most of these elements in place, most businesses aren't profitable for the initial few months.
Owning a business is fraught with risk, but the excitement and rewards make the risk taking quite worthwhile. Most people are meant to be self-employed, just that they must choose the area of business in sync with their personality and strengths.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Quotes on Success
Try not to be a man of success, but rather to be a man of value.
- Albert Einstein
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Motivation will almost always beat mere talent.
- Norman R. Augustine
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Unless a man undertakes more than he possibly can do, he will never do all that he can.
- Henry Drummond
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They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you make them feel.
- Carol Buchner
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Motivation will almost always beat mere talent.
- Norman R. Augustine
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Footprints on the sands of time are not made by sitting down.
- unknown
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Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right use of strength.
- Henry Ward Beecher
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A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to victory.
- Arthur Golden
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Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.
- Samuel Johnson
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Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
- Theodore Roosevelt
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Prosperity doth best discover vice, but adversity doth best discover virtue.
- Francis Bacon
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The world can only be grasped by action, not by contemplation...The hand is the cutting edge of the mind.
- Jacob Bronowski
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It is time for us to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever, the one who recognizes the challenge and does something about it.
- Vince Lombardi
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One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.
- Marie Currie
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Any coward can fight a battle when he's sure of winning; but give me the man who has the pluck to fight when he's sure of losing.
- George Eliot
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Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
- Thomas Edison
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A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.
- John C. Maxwell
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The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook.
- William James
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Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.
- Henry Ford
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After the game, the king and the pawn go into the same box.
- Italian Proverb
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Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
- Abraham Lincoln
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What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?
- Robert Schuller
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We never know how far reaching something we may think, say or do today will affect the lives of millions tomorrow.
- B.J. Palmer
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The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.
- Confucius
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What comes out of you when you are squeezed is what is inside you.
- Wayne Dyer
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Empowerment is all about letting go so that others can get going.
- Kenneth Blanchard
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Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.
- Malcolm Forbes
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Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were.
- Cherie Carter-Scott
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Not every successful man is a good father. But every good father is a successful man.
- R. Duvall
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I talk and talk and talk, and I haven't taught people in 50 years what my father taught by example in one week.
- Mario Cuomo
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The tragedy in life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.
- Benjamin Mays
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Victory belongs to the most persevering.
- Napoleon
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If you are to be, you must begin by assuming responsibility. You alone are responsible for every moment of your life, for every one of your acts.
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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To make our way, we must have firm resolve, persistence, tenacity. We must gear ourselves to work hard all the way. We can never let up.
- Ralph Bunche
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I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.
- Christopher Reeve
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Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.
- Anonymous
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The real contest is always between what you've done and what you're capable of doing. You measure yourself against yourself and nobody else.
- Geoffrey Gaberino
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Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. Courage is what counts.
-Sir Winston Churchill
The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.
-Vince Lambardi
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Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing.
-Abraham Lincoln
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What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.
-Albert Pike
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The secret of joy in work is contained in one word -- excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.
-Pearl S. Buck
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Successful: coming about, taking place or turning out as hoped for.
-Webster's
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Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.
-Winston Churchill
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Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.
- General George Patton
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It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.
- Seneca
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The entrepreneur is essentially a visualizer and actualizer... He can visualize something, and when he visualizes it he sees exactly how to make it happen.
- Robert L. Schwartz
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According to aerodynamic laws, the bumblebee cannot fly. Its body weight is not the right proportion to its wingspan. Ignoring these laws, the bee flies anyway.
- M. Sainte-Lague
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Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
- Helen Keller
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You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do.
- Henry Ford
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Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all.
- Sam Ewig
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The art of resting the mind and the power of dismissing from it all care and worry is probably one of the secrets of our great men.
- Captain J.A. Hatfield
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Success will not lower its standard to us. We must raise our standard to success.
- Rev. Randall R. McBride, Jr.
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It's never too late to be who you might have been.
- George Elliot
~~~~~~~~~~
Talk does not cook rice.
- Chinese Proverb
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Rule your mind or it will rule you.
- Horace
~~~~~~~~~~
It is when the well is dry that we know the price of water.
- Ben Franklin
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Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.
- George Halas
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Attach yourself to your passion, but not to your pain. Adversity is your best friend on the path to success.
- unknown
~~~~~~~~~~
A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him.
- Sidney Greenberg
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As one person I cannot change the world, but I can change the world of one person.
- Paul Shane Spear
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To achieve the impossible, one must think the absurd; to look where everyone else has looked, but to see what no else has seen.
- unknown
~~~~~~~~~~
A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits.
- Richard Nixon
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Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.
- Colin Powell
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I am more afraid of an army of 100 sheep led by a lion than an army of 100 lions led by a sheep.
- Talleyrand
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The mind is like a parachute - it works only when it is open.
- Unknown
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Without a rich heart, wealth is an ugly beggar.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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I can not do everything, but I can do something. I must not fail to do the something that I can do.
- Helen Keller
Have courage for the great sorrows in life, and patience for the small ones. And when you have laboriously accomplished your daily tasks, go to sleep in peace, God is awake.
- Victor Hugo
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ANTICIPATION: Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.
- Benjamin Franklin
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I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.
- Isaac Newton
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Outstanding leaders appeal to the hearts of their followers - not their minds.
- Unknown
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Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
- Thomas Edison
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We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Truth fears no trial.
- Proverb
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If there is anything I would like to be remembered for it is that I helped people understand that leadership is helping other people grow and succeed. To repeat myself, leadership is not just about you. It's about them.
- Jack Welch
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Yesterday is a cancelled check; Tomorrow is a promissory note; Today is the only cash you have, so spend it wisely.
- Kim Lyons
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Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living, the other helps you make a life.
- Sandra Carey
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Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times.
- Anonymous
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If you take too long in deciding what to do with your life, you’ll find you’ve done it.
- George B. Shaw, 1856 – 1950
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How you spend your time is more important than how you spend your money. Money mistakes can be corrected, but time is gone forever.
- David Norris
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Never let a problem to be solved ecome more important than a person to be loved.
- Barbara Johnson
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Character cannot be developed in ase and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened; vision cleared; ambition inspired, and success achieved.
- Helen Keller
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I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who overcomes his enemies, for the hardest victory is victory over self.
- Aristotle
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One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon - instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.
- Dale Carnegie
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Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
- T.S. Eliot
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To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Genius is seldom recognized for what it is: a great capacity for hard work.
- Henry Ford, 1863 – 1947
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Success is your dreams with work clothes on…
- unknown
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The purpose of life is a life of purpose
- Robert Byrne
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Reputation is what people think you are. Character is who you really are. Take care of your character and your reputation will take care of itself.
- (On an American plaque)
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The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
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Most look up and admire the stars. A champion climbs a mountain and grabs one.
- Unknown
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The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work.
- Richard Bach
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The secret of success is to do the common things uncommonly well.
- John D. Rockefeller
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Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.
- Tim Notke
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Success is a journey, not a destination.
- Ralph Arbitelle
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The middle of every successful project looks like a disaster.
- Rosabeth Moss Cantor
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I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.
- Helen Keller
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The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.
- Roosevelt
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Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential.
- John Maxwell
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You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try.
- Beverly Sills
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Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.
- Ronald E. Osborn
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If you aren't making any mistakes, it's a sure sign you're playing it too safe.
- John Maxwell
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If you have the will to win, you have achieved half your success; if you don't, you have achieved half your failure.
- David Ambrose
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Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
There are countless ways of achieving greatness, but any road to achieving one's maximum potential must be built on a bedrock of respect for the individual, a commitment to excellence, and a rejection of mediocrity.
- Buck Rodgers
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The freedom to do your best means nothing unless you are willing to do your best.
- Colin Powell
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He that would govern others, first should be the master of himself.
- Philip Massinger
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If you would hit the mark, you must aim a little above it; Every arrow that flies feels the attraction of earth.
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you.
- Mother Teresa
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A good laugh is sunshine in a house.
- William Makepeace Thackeray
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It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.
- Harry S Truman
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Unless you are willing to drench yourself in your work beyond the capacity of the average man, you are just not cut out for positions at the top.
-J.C. Penny
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Success is not measured by what a man accomplishes, but by the opposition he has encountered and the courage with which he has maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.
- Charles Lindbergh
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To bring one's self to a frame of mind and to the proper energy to accomplish things that require plain hard work continuously is the one big battle that everyone has. When this battle is won for all time, then everything is easy.
- Thomas A. Buckner
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Nothing ever comes to one that is worth having except as a result of hard work.
- Booker T. Washington
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Keep true, never be ashamed of doing right; decide on what you think is right and stick to it.
- George Eliot
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You must do the very thing you think you cannot do.
- Eleanor Roosevelt
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A competitive world has two possibilities for you: you can lose or, if you want to win, you can change.
- Lester C. Thurow
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True success is obeying God.
- John Maxwell
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Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?
- Frank Scully
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There are three ways to get something done: Do it yourself, employ someone or forbid your children to do it.
- Monta Crane
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Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.
- Booker T. Washington
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All the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action.
- James Russell Lowell
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I cannot give you a formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure - which is: try to please everybody.
- Mr. Herbert Bayard Swope
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The secret of success is consistency of purpose.
- Benjamin Disraeli
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Doing little things with a strong desire to please God makes them really great.
- St. Francis De Sales
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Sometimes our best is simply not enough.... We have to do what is required.
- Sir Winston Churchill
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And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.
- Abraham Lincoln
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Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.
- John Wooden
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The more extensive a man's knowledge of what has been done, the greater will be his power of knowing what to do.
- Benjamin Disraeli
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Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility... in the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have... is the ability to take on responsibility.
- Michael Korda
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What we do on some great occasion will probably depend on what we already are; and what we are will be the result of previous years of self-discipline.
- HP Liddon
~~~~~~~
Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility... in the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have... is the ability to take on responsibility.
- Michael Korda
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What we do on some great occasion will probably depend on what we already are; and what we are will be the result of previous years of self-discipline.
- HP Liddon
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I used to sit on the banks with a raft and watch the water roll lazily by. One day I pushed my raft into the shallows of the water and found the water moved swifter than I thought. My raft was actually a boat. Then, after some time, I rowed my little boat into deeper water. There were great storms, mighty winds, tremendous waves, and sometimes I felt so alone. But I have noticed my little rowboat is now a mighty ship manned by my friends and loved ones; and beautiful calm seas, warm sunny days, and nights filled with comfortable dreams always double after a storm. Now, I could never go back and sit on the bank. In fact, I search for deeper water. Such is life when lived.
- B. D. Gulledge
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The most extraordinary thing about the oyster is this. Irritations get into the shell... And when he cannot get rid of them, he uses the irritations to do the loveliest thing an oyster ever has the chance to do. If there are irritations in our lives today, there is only one prescription: make a pearl - And it takes faith and love to do it.
- Harry Emerson Fosdick
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Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.
- Theodore Roosevelt
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GOALS
It is a paradoxical but profoundly true
and important principle of life
that the most likely way to reach a goal
is to be aiming not at that goal itself
but at some more ambitious goal beyond it.
- Arnold Toynbee
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CURIOSITY
The important thing is not to stop questioning.
Curiosity has its own reason for existing.
One cannot help but be in awe
when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity,
of life, of the marvelous structure of reality.
It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend
a little of this mystery every day.
Never lose a holy curiosity.
- Albert Einstein
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DEDICATIONThe person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That is dedication.
- Cecil B. DeMille
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HONOR
The most important thing is to be whatever you are without shame.
- Rod Steiger
~~~~~~~~~~
Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others.
- Robert Louis Stevenson
~~~~~~~~~~
Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.
- Plato
~~~~~~~~~~
Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must be first overcome.
- Samuel Johnson
~~~~~~~~~~
One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.
- Helen Keller
~~~~~~~~~~
Glass, china, and reputation are easily cracked, and never mended well.
- Benjamin Franklin
~~~~~~~~~~
He is rich or poor according to what he is, not according to what he has.
- Henry Ward Beecher
~~~~~~~~~~
Your goal should be out of reach but not out of sight.
- Anita DeFrantz
~~~~~~~~~~
Doing the best at this moment
puts you in the best place
for the next moment.
- Oprah Winfrey
~~~~~~~~~~
It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.
- Benjamin Franklin
~~~~~~~~~~
The price of greatness is responsibility.
- Winston Churchill
~~~~~~~~~~
Happiness is giving back a little more than you received. Peace is accepting what has been offered with thanks.
- Ralph Arbitelle
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It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.
- Roy Disney
~~~~~~~~~~
It is easier to go down a hill than up, but the view is from the top.
- Arnold Bennett
~~~~~~~~~~
The last, if not the greatest, of the human freedoms: to choose their own attitude in any given circumstance.
- Bruno Bettelheim
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None of the secrets of success will work unless you do
. - Unknown
~~~~~~~~~~
Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.
- Paul Boese
~~~~~~~~~~
Life is a great big canvas and you should throw all the paint on it that you can.
- Danny Kaye
~~~~~~~~~~
A life isn’t significant except for its impact on other lives.
- Jackie Robinson
~~~~~~~~~~
The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind in other people the convictions and the will to carry on.
- Walter Lippmann
~~~~~~~~~~
You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.
- John Bunyan
~~~~~~~~~~
There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich,
And he who waters will also be watered himself.
- Proverbs 11:24,25
~~~~~~~~~~
A leader is one who see more than others see, who sees farther than others see,
And who sees before others see.
- Leroy Eims
~~~~~~~~~~
You shouldn’t gloat about anything you’ve done; You ought to keep going and try to find something better to do.
- David Packard
~~~~~~~~~~
Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.
- James Baldwin
~~~~~~~~~~
He who waits to do a great deal of good at once will never do anything.
- Samuel Johnson
~~~~~~~~~~
There is a price to pray to grow. Commitment is the price.
- Ed Cole
~~~~~~~~~~
It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.
- Tom Brokaw
~~~~~~~~~~
Many persons have the wrong idea of what constitutes happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.
- Helen Keller
~~~~~~~~~~
The man who keeps busy helping the man below him won’t have time to envy the man above him.
- Henrietta Mears
Ranjan Lakhanpal
He Lost His Father And Son To Excesses Of The State. But This Human Rights Activist Is Still...
Had such tragedies happened to any other man, he would have been broken, perhaps irreparably. But not human rights activist and lawyer Ranjan Lakhanpal, who lost both his father and son to excesses of the state.
“But those two incidents only prodded me to fight harder against the dispossessed, the weak and the vulnerable,” said the 52-year-old who’s taken up more than 10,000 cases of human rights abuses. "I know the pain of a sufferer."
Tears still fill Lakhanpal’s eyes as he talks about the death of his father and, much later, his son. “My father, an advocate like me, was arrested under Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) because he raised his voice against imposition of Emergency and arbitrary arrests being made at that time,” he said, going back in time. “He died in jail."
What happened years later was worse. “My son, just 10, was killed by the police because I was fighting cases against them. They had earlier threatened me repeatedly, but I took no note. When I didn’t agree, they did this to put pressure on me,” said the man who’s now a rallying point for those taking up rights issues.
The legal eagle, who started his practice in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1980, has been instrumental in freeing 250 Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails. Not that he’s spared Pakistan. “I filed a petition in the Pakistan Supreme Court for violating the human rights of Lieutenant Sourabh Kalia and five other Indian soldiers who died during Kargil war. This was the first case to be filed by an Indian in Pakistan,” added Lakhanpal, who’s been crying hoarse about Bhikiwind’s Sarabjit Singh, awaiting execution in the Kot Lakhpat jail across the border.
Not one to back out from a tough, and often dangerous fight, the lawyer was one of the first ones to leap up to defend the accused in the infamous Jammu and Kashmir sex scandal. “Everyone needs a fair hearing,” is his simple argument against all charges, including that of treason.
So what’s been his best battle? He remembers the touching case of POK resident Shenaz Praveen Kausar and her India-born daughter Mobin. In a suicide bid, Kausar had jumped into the Jhelum in POK but survived and reached the other side of the river in India. She was immediately arrested and was later raped in jail. Kausar then delivered Mobin. But that was just one part of her unfortunate story. The Pakistan government agreed to take Kausar back but refused Mobin entry, saying she is Indian.
Lakhanpal filed a PIL in Jammu and Kashmir High Court for their release and adequate compensation. The court ordered cops to release Kausar and Mobin. It also granted Rs 3 lakh to them. After the matter got highlighted at the international level, Pakistan government too took back both Kausar and her daughter.
“This case is close to my heart because I helped a woman and her child who were totally helpless in a foreign land,” said Lakhanpal who sees Mother Teresaas his guiding light.
Had such tragedies happened to any other man, he would have been broken, perhaps irreparably. But not human rights activist and lawyer Ranjan Lakhanpal, who lost both his father and son to excesses of the state.
“But those two incidents only prodded me to fight harder against the dispossessed, the weak and the vulnerable,” said the 52-year-old who’s taken up more than 10,000 cases of human rights abuses. "I know the pain of a sufferer."
Tears still fill Lakhanpal’s eyes as he talks about the death of his father and, much later, his son. “My father, an advocate like me, was arrested under Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) because he raised his voice against imposition of Emergency and arbitrary arrests being made at that time,” he said, going back in time. “He died in jail."
What happened years later was worse. “My son, just 10, was killed by the police because I was fighting cases against them. They had earlier threatened me repeatedly, but I took no note. When I didn’t agree, they did this to put pressure on me,” said the man who’s now a rallying point for those taking up rights issues.
The legal eagle, who started his practice in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1980, has been instrumental in freeing 250 Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails. Not that he’s spared Pakistan. “I filed a petition in the Pakistan Supreme Court for violating the human rights of Lieutenant Sourabh Kalia and five other Indian soldiers who died during Kargil war. This was the first case to be filed by an Indian in Pakistan,” added Lakhanpal, who’s been crying hoarse about Bhikiwind’s Sarabjit Singh, awaiting execution in the Kot Lakhpat jail across the border.
Not one to back out from a tough, and often dangerous fight, the lawyer was one of the first ones to leap up to defend the accused in the infamous Jammu and Kashmir sex scandal. “Everyone needs a fair hearing,” is his simple argument against all charges, including that of treason.
So what’s been his best battle? He remembers the touching case of POK resident Shenaz Praveen Kausar and her India-born daughter Mobin. In a suicide bid, Kausar had jumped into the Jhelum in POK but survived and reached the other side of the river in India. She was immediately arrested and was later raped in jail. Kausar then delivered Mobin. But that was just one part of her unfortunate story. The Pakistan government agreed to take Kausar back but refused Mobin entry, saying she is Indian.
Lakhanpal filed a PIL in Jammu and Kashmir High Court for their release and adequate compensation. The court ordered cops to release Kausar and Mobin. It also granted Rs 3 lakh to them. After the matter got highlighted at the international level, Pakistan government too took back both Kausar and her daughter.
“This case is close to my heart because I helped a woman and her child who were totally helpless in a foreign land,” said Lakhanpal who sees Mother Teresaas his guiding light.
Satyendra Kumar Dubey
Satyendra Kumar Dubey (1973 - 2003) was project director at the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). He was assassinated in Gaya, Bihar for fighting corruption in the Golden Quadrilateral highway construction project.Early life
Satyendra K. Dubey, the son of Bageshwari Dubey and Phulamati Devi, was born at the village of Shahpur in the Sewan district of Bihar, India. The family of five girls and two boys subsisted on a small piece of land, and Bageshwari also held a low-paying clerical position in a nearby sugar mill.
Until the age of 15 he studied at the Gang Baksh Kannaudi High School and joined junior college at Allahabad, about three hundred kilometers away. Living away from home was a considerable drain on the meager resources of his family. However, he pursued his dream of becoming an engineer, and was admitted to the Civil Engineering Department of IIT Kanpur in 1990, the first person from his village to achieve this feat.
He graduated with an excellent academic record in 1994. He graduated with an M. Tech (Civil Engineering) degree from IT-BHU in 1996.
Exposing Corruption
During planning,designing and execution of the project he found deficiency and corruption in every stage. He termed the project as "Great Loot Of Public Money" in the subject of confidential letter addressed to then Prime Minister.
{A dream project of unparalleled importance to the Nation but in reality a great loot of public money because of very poor implementation at every state.}
The GQ project had strict controls to ensure that the construction work would be carried on by experienced firms with proper systems. A second independent contract was given for supervision of the project. However, Dubey discovered that the contracted firm had been quietly subcontracting the actual work to smaller low-technology groups, controlled by the local mafia. When he wrote to his boss, NHAI Project Director SK Soni, and to Brig Satish Kapoor, engineer overlooking the supervision, there was no action.
According to the case file after his murder (FIR), Dubey had been facing several threats following his action against corruption at Koderma. A subsequent FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) named both Soni and Kapoor.
In August 2003 when he was transferred to Gaya, a transfer which he opposed since he felt that it did not serve the interests of NHAI.
At Gaya, he exposed large-scale flouting of NHAI rules regarding sub-contracting and quality control. At this time he took a departmental test and was promoted as deputy general manager, which made him eligible to take charge as project director. Since there was no project director's post in Gaya, he was likely to be posted to Koderma soon.
There was widespread sentiment (based on their pattern of operation), that the criminal nexus, opposed to having him as director, may have been behind his murder.
Letter to the Prime Minister
Meanwhile, faced with the possibility of high-level corruption within the NHAI, Dubey wrote directly to the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, detailing the financial and contractual irregularities in the project. While the letter was not signed, he attached a separate bio-data so that the matter would be taken more seriously. Despite a direct request that his identity be kept secret and its sensitive content that pointed fingers at some of his superiors, the letter along with bio-data was forwarded immediately to the Ministry for Road Transport. Dubey also sent the same letter to the Chairman, NHAI.
Soon Dubey received a reprimand: the vigilance office of NHAI officially "cautioned" Dubey for the impropriety of writing a letter directly to the Prime minister. In the process, through connections in the NHAI and the Ministry, it is likely that the letter may have reached the criminal nexus running the highway construction projects in Bihar.
Following the event, pressure is mounting in India to incorporate a Whistleblower Law.
Contents of the Letter
The letter said the NHAI officials showed a great hurry in giving mobilisation advance to selected contractors for financial consideration. "In some cases the contractors have been given mobilisation advance just a day after signing the contract agreement."
"The entire mobilisation advance of 10 per cent of contract value, which goes up to Rs 40 crore (USD 10 million) in certain cases, are paid to contractors within a few weeks of award of work but there is little follow up to ensure that they are actually mobilised at the site with the same pace, and the result is that the advance remains lying with contractors or gets diverted to their other activities," it said.
Dubey also highlighted the problems of sub-contracting by the primary contractors.
[But in reality, they are getting most of the work done through numerous small petty contractors (main contractors are supplying only a few critical equipment & materials) at 50-60 per cent of the price quoted by them and the rest 40 per cent of contract price is being pocketed by them without much effort. In the process, the main contractors are working just like commission agents.] – Letter of S.K. Dubey addressed to Prime Minister Of India.
"Though the NHAI is going for international competitive bidding to procure the most competent civil contractors for execution of its projects, when it comes to actual execution, it is found that most of the works, sometimes even up to 100 per cent are subcontracted to petty contractors incapable of executing such big projects," he said. Everyone in the NHAI is aware of the phenomenon of subcontracting but turned the other way.
"I have written all these in my individual capacity. However, I will keep on addressing these issues in my official capacity in the limited domain within the powers delegated to me," the letter said.
Assassination
On November 27, 2003, Dubey was returning from a wedding in Varanasi, and called his driver to meet him at the station. He reached Gaya railway station at three in the morning, and found that the his car was not able to come because of a battery malfunction.
It appears that at this point Dubey decided to take a rickshaw home. When he didn’t reach home, his driver went to look for him and found him dead by the side of the road in the suburb of A.P. Colony. He had been shot.
The news ignited tremendous public hue and cry. The matter was raised in Parliament, and the Prime Minister shifted the onus of investigation from the Bihar Police (who might themselves be implicated), to the CBI.
A foundation, SK Dubey foundation, was set up to fight corruption in India.
The CBI registered a case against unknown persons under 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 302 (murder) of Indian Penal Code and various provision under Arms Act on December 14 2003.
The Investigation
In early investigations, the CBI interrogated the rickshaw puller Pradeep Kumar who was caught using Dubey's stolen cell phone. The mobile phone was switched off for about a fortnight after the murder, but then Kumar called his 'second wife' in Kolkata, following which the CBI traced the rickshaw puller to his slum in Gaya. Although Kumar had a criminal history in similar cases of robbery, it appears he was released after interrogation, and could not be traced a month later.
Two other suspects, Sheonath Sah and Mukendra Paswan, were questioned by the CBI. They were found dead from poisoning on February 1, 2004, within within 25 hours of the CBI questioning. Sah's father lodged an FIR against the CBI with the Bihar Police, but CBI Director Umashanker Mishra called their deaths a suicide in a press meeting a few days later.
The CBI concluded its investigations and four persons were charge-sheeted on September 3, 2004. Based on testimony by Pradeep Kumar, who was his rickshaw puller, the event was presented as an attempted robbery. Because Satyendra put up a fight about giving up his briefcase, he was shot.
The person accused of actually shooting Dubey with a country-made pistol was Mantu Kumar, son of Lachhu Singh, of Village Katari, Gaya district. Accomplices with him included Uday Kumar, Pinku Ravidas and Shravan Kumar.
Murderer Escapes
On September 19, 2005, while the case was being heard in Patna, Bihar in the court of Addl. Session Judge, J M Sharma, Mantu Kumar escaped from the court premises, leading to widespread allegations of police complicity. While Mantu was being held at the high security Beur Jail, the invigilation can be lax during such court appearances, and it is a common tactic of the mafia to organize a few policemen to make it possible for the criminal to escape.
It was felt that the escape was engineered by higher-ups who may have executed the murder through Mantu Kumar.
The CBI announced a cash reward of Rs. 1 Lakh for apprehending Mantu.
A month later, Mantu Kumar was arrested from near his home in Panchayatee Akhada in Gaya. He had apparently been living in Gaya town and working as a rickshawpuller.
Who ordered the murder
Now, it is quite possible that Dubey may have been the victim of a simple robbery during which Mantu Kumar shot him, as alleged in the case filed by CBI. However, given the death and disappearance of several witnesses and the startling escape of the prime accused, there is wide-spread speculation that vested interests may have engaged the criminals who actually pulled the trigger.
As for the GQ project, the Supreme Court is currently overlooking investigations into the corruption charges initially raised by the Dubey letter. Several official have been indited and a technical team is overseeing the actual construction.
Also, as of September 2005, news reports indicated that the law ministry was about to introduce legislation to protect whistleblowers.
Meanwhile, on February 10, 2006, a 600 meter stretch of the highway connecting Kolkata to Chennai subsided into the ground, opening up ten meter gorges near Bally, West Bengal 2. This stretch had been completed a year back by a multinational firm, selected after global tendering.
Fighting Corruption
It is a testimony to fickleness of public memory that there was little hue and cry about Mantu Kumar's escape. Fortunately he was re-arrested.
However, even if it establishes these men as the actual perpetrators of the murder, the motives for the murder remain to be clarified...
However, the fight against corruption in India continues. Unfortunately it continues to claim lives.
A kindred spirit of Dubey, Manjunath Shanmugam, was a graduate of the prestigious IIM Lucknow, 2003 batch. Manju was working as a Sales Manager with Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), and refused bribes and ignored threats in his drive to check rampant adulteration of petrol in the pumps owned by the erstwhile monopoly Indianoil. On November 19, 2005, he was shot dead in Lakhimpur Kheri, allegedly by a petrol pump owner and his gang.
Legacy
Dubey's murder drew several protests in India
and abroad, especially by the media. Student and Alumni bodies of IITs took the lead in raising this issue. S. K. Dubey Foundation for Fight Against Corruption in India was launched to systematically fight against corruption. IIT Kanpur instituted an annual award in his name, Satyendra K Dubey Memorial Award, to be given to an IIT alumnus for displaying highest professional integrity in upholding human values. Arvind Kejriwal, a recipient of this award, went on to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award as well. Indian Express had also announced a fellowship in the name of Dubey.Satyendra Dubey was recognised posthumously by several awards, which included the Whistleblower of the year award from the London-based Index on Censorship, the Transparency International's Annual integrity award and the Service Excellence award from the All India Management Association.
Brave through the bad times
I learnt: to stretch a shoestring budget to the max, the importance of a satisfied customer, value of a good team, and the fact that starting a company is no joke.’
Approximately one-third of employees in Indian software companies today are women. An increasing number of women enter professional engineering streams such as computer sciences and electronics. With the demand for technical professionals remaining strong in IT (information technology) industry, women will remain valued employees. “But the glass ceiling does exist at the senior management levels,” says Nita Goyal, co-founder and VP of Tavant Technologies.
She should know, as ‘the first woman to have obtained a computer science (CS) degree from any of the Indian Institutes of Technology’, a PhD from Stanford University in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), and a successful entrepreneur.
Goyal is, however, hopeful of better times for women. “I see a change with Indian companies that are beginning to create a better eco-system that supports women at work in terms of availability of quality childcare, creating women forums that allow for mentoring, flexi-time, rehiring, work from home etc,” she says, responding over email to questions from eWorld.
Excerpts from the interview:
How has your journey been thus far, beginning from IIT?
I went from being a student in IIT Kanpur to being a PhD student in CS at Stanford University. Stanford was a humbling and inspiring place where one got to learn with and from the best in the world. After graduating from Stanford I joined Hewlett-Packard (HP) Labs and learned how to apply research skills to real-world problems. The technology developed by our group at HP was spun off as a start-up. This was my first experience as an entrepreneur — participating in everything from finding an office to developing technology and leading an offshore team. By 2000, the start-up fever hit again and Tavant was started. The journey beginning from IIT-K has been exhilarating. I have done research in academia and industry, lived the Silicon Valley experience of starting companies and seen a company grow from five to 1,000-plus employees.
How did your research in artificial intelligence find relevance in your subsequent work?
The PhD had led to my first start-up, Exemplary, as a spinout of my research. Soon after I left Exemplary, I got involved in discussing ideas with a group of executives who had been part of Junglee and we started Tavant in 2000. The key appeal of Tavant was the quality of the team that had come together — people from banking, Internet, enterprise software, consulting, research — who all worked well together. The AI PhD also came in handy in putting together Tavant’s mortgage pricing and optimisation solutions for our financial customers.
You have co-founded two companies. Did being a woman pose any difficulties?
Strangely enough, I never thought about it. Not that it was a piece of cake being one of the few women in a sea of men, but I never let that bother me. And I always found many friends and mentors, a large number of men and women who helped navigate this sea. Focusing on the work at hand rather than the gender has helped me.
Who is the person you most admire?
My mother. I learnt to balance my family, career, and other interests from her. She also taught me to strive and overcome gender barriers.
How do you balance your different roles?
Prioritisation and time management.
What is your advice to wannabe IT professionals among women?
Be yourself, know your strengths and weaknesses, enjoy the labour of work with professionalism, and value yourself as a contributor to society.
On your greatest challenge…
In early-2001, with the down-cycle in the market, Tavant had trouble raising finance and we had a big first customer to deliver to. It ultimately turned out well; the customer was happy and eventually became an investor too. I learnt: to stretch a shoestring budget to the max, the importance of a satisfied customer, value of a good team, and the fact that starting a company is no joke — no one should do it unless they are willing to put in the commitment and hard work needed to see it through the bad times that are almost inevitable in any business.
Does a corporate stint help when launching a start-up?
Yes and no. Just out of school, it is hard to appreciate how markets work and how companies function. Corporate experience definitely helps in that regard. But energy, enthusiasm, fresh ideas, no fear of failure are more important and it is not necessary to spend time in the corporate world for that. Microsoft, Yahoo, Google are outstanding examples of companies sarted by people with not much corporate experience. On the other hand, the combined corporate experience of the initial team at Tavant was a key success factor.
In promoting entrepreneurial spirit, how crucial is a culture that gives space for ‘failure’?
Failure is a critical part of entrepreneurship. For every Google that succeeds, there are hundreds of companies that fail. Often failures teach us more than successes. When failure becomes socially acceptable, innovation blossoms, as people are more willing to risk the unknown. In India, failure is not tolerated quite so well. But I believe there is change afoot, and young people are increasingly comfortable with risk and failure and there are more start-ups now than even a couple of years ago.
Should entrepreneurs be trend-oriented?
Trends are interesting because they capture some market belief and usually either offer new problems to be solved or new ways to solve old problems. However, blind pursuit of trends is what led to the dotcom bust in 2000. Question is not whether a business is following a trend but rather what is the value being created by the company. For example, the Internet has fundamentally changed the way many businesses are done and several large companies have been built on this realisation.
Are current times tough for entrepreneurs in India?
Entrepreneurship is a challenge anytime, anywhere. The Indian economy at the moment provides opportunities in almost every sector, but being an entrepreneur is never easy. However, entrepreneurship has many rewards, such as a sense of personal satisfaction and the thrill of seeing your vision become reality.
It is a myth that the challenge for new entrepreneurs is lack of finance. Actually, the biggest challenge is identifying your customer and the value you can provide them. Further, you need hard work and the ability to stand your ground against overwhelming odds. Of course, you do need money to get started, a team that believes in the idea, and people who are willing to support and guide you - especially your family.
Is the entrepreneurial spirit healthy in India?
The entrepreneurial community is not only vibrant but growing significantly across all sectors. Not only are more people, senior and junior, starting and joining young companies, a lot of venture capital is available to finance them. India does throw up particular barriers for entrepreneurs - poor infrastructure and insufficient ecosystem to support entrepreneurs (mentors, risk-averse family members, inadequate talent). Incubators would help in addressing many of these issues. That said, most of the lessons of entrepreneurship are equally applicable in India. There are numerous forums that promote the understanding of these lessons by enabling India's upcoming entrepreneurs to meet with other successful entrepreneurs and investors. These forums include The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) and National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN).
How far can education be tailored to foster entrepreneurship?
Business schools today are incorporating entrepreneurship as part of their programme program. This is a welcome trend but needs to be supplemented with practical experience. Experience of entrepreneurship offers its own education that cannot be replaced by any classroom. Entrepreneurship requires one to wear multiple hats, think on the feet, act with incomplete information (intuition) and learn from failure. Having the flexibility of taking a break from the academic programme program can also be useful. Many US universities allow for it and Silicon Valley is full of entrepreneurs who mixed education with entrepreneurship successfully.
She should know, as ‘the first woman to have obtained a computer science (CS) degree from any of the Indian Institutes of Technology’, a PhD from Stanford University in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), and a successful entrepreneur.
Goyal is, however, hopeful of better times for women. “I see a change with Indian companies that are beginning to create a better eco-system that supports women at work in terms of availability of quality childcare, creating women forums that allow for mentoring, flexi-time, rehiring, work from home etc,” she says, responding over email to questions from eWorld.
Excerpts from the interview:
How has your journey been thus far, beginning from IIT?
I went from being a student in IIT Kanpur to being a PhD student in CS at Stanford University. Stanford was a humbling and inspiring place where one got to learn with and from the best in the world. After graduating from Stanford I joined Hewlett-Packard (HP) Labs and learned how to apply research skills to real-world problems. The technology developed by our group at HP was spun off as a start-up. This was my first experience as an entrepreneur — participating in everything from finding an office to developing technology and leading an offshore team. By 2000, the start-up fever hit again and Tavant was started. The journey beginning from IIT-K has been exhilarating. I have done research in academia and industry, lived the Silicon Valley experience of starting companies and seen a company grow from five to 1,000-plus employees.
How did your research in artificial intelligence find relevance in your subsequent work?
The PhD had led to my first start-up, Exemplary, as a spinout of my research. Soon after I left Exemplary, I got involved in discussing ideas with a group of executives who had been part of Junglee and we started Tavant in 2000. The key appeal of Tavant was the quality of the team that had come together — people from banking, Internet, enterprise software, consulting, research — who all worked well together. The AI PhD also came in handy in putting together Tavant’s mortgage pricing and optimisation solutions for our financial customers.
You have co-founded two companies. Did being a woman pose any difficulties?
Strangely enough, I never thought about it. Not that it was a piece of cake being one of the few women in a sea of men, but I never let that bother me. And I always found many friends and mentors, a large number of men and women who helped navigate this sea. Focusing on the work at hand rather than the gender has helped me.
Who is the person you most admire?
My mother. I learnt to balance my family, career, and other interests from her. She also taught me to strive and overcome gender barriers.
How do you balance your different roles?
Prioritisation and time management.
What is your advice to wannabe IT professionals among women?
Be yourself, know your strengths and weaknesses, enjoy the labour of work with professionalism, and value yourself as a contributor to society.
On your greatest challenge…
In early-2001, with the down-cycle in the market, Tavant had trouble raising finance and we had a big first customer to deliver to. It ultimately turned out well; the customer was happy and eventually became an investor too. I learnt: to stretch a shoestring budget to the max, the importance of a satisfied customer, value of a good team, and the fact that starting a company is no joke — no one should do it unless they are willing to put in the commitment and hard work needed to see it through the bad times that are almost inevitable in any business.
Does a corporate stint help when launching a start-up?
Yes and no. Just out of school, it is hard to appreciate how markets work and how companies function. Corporate experience definitely helps in that regard. But energy, enthusiasm, fresh ideas, no fear of failure are more important and it is not necessary to spend time in the corporate world for that. Microsoft, Yahoo, Google are outstanding examples of companies sarted by people with not much corporate experience. On the other hand, the combined corporate experience of the initial team at Tavant was a key success factor.
In promoting entrepreneurial spirit, how crucial is a culture that gives space for ‘failure’?
Failure is a critical part of entrepreneurship. For every Google that succeeds, there are hundreds of companies that fail. Often failures teach us more than successes. When failure becomes socially acceptable, innovation blossoms, as people are more willing to risk the unknown. In India, failure is not tolerated quite so well. But I believe there is change afoot, and young people are increasingly comfortable with risk and failure and there are more start-ups now than even a couple of years ago.
Should entrepreneurs be trend-oriented?
Trends are interesting because they capture some market belief and usually either offer new problems to be solved or new ways to solve old problems. However, blind pursuit of trends is what led to the dotcom bust in 2000. Question is not whether a business is following a trend but rather what is the value being created by the company. For example, the Internet has fundamentally changed the way many businesses are done and several large companies have been built on this realisation.
Are current times tough for entrepreneurs in India?
Entrepreneurship is a challenge anytime, anywhere. The Indian economy at the moment provides opportunities in almost every sector, but being an entrepreneur is never easy. However, entrepreneurship has many rewards, such as a sense of personal satisfaction and the thrill of seeing your vision become reality.
It is a myth that the challenge for new entrepreneurs is lack of finance. Actually, the biggest challenge is identifying your customer and the value you can provide them. Further, you need hard work and the ability to stand your ground against overwhelming odds. Of course, you do need money to get started, a team that believes in the idea, and people who are willing to support and guide you - especially your family.
Is the entrepreneurial spirit healthy in India?
The entrepreneurial community is not only vibrant but growing significantly across all sectors. Not only are more people, senior and junior, starting and joining young companies, a lot of venture capital is available to finance them. India does throw up particular barriers for entrepreneurs - poor infrastructure and insufficient ecosystem to support entrepreneurs (mentors, risk-averse family members, inadequate talent). Incubators would help in addressing many of these issues. That said, most of the lessons of entrepreneurship are equally applicable in India. There are numerous forums that promote the understanding of these lessons by enabling India's upcoming entrepreneurs to meet with other successful entrepreneurs and investors. These forums include The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) and National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN).
How far can education be tailored to foster entrepreneurship?
Business schools today are incorporating entrepreneurship as part of their programme program. This is a welcome trend but needs to be supplemented with practical experience. Experience of entrepreneurship offers its own education that cannot be replaced by any classroom. Entrepreneurship requires one to wear multiple hats, think on the feet, act with incomplete information (intuition) and learn from failure. Having the flexibility of taking a break from the academic programme program can also be useful. Many US universities allow for it and Silicon Valley is full of entrepreneurs who mixed education with entrepreneurship successfully.
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