Saturday, May 18, 2013
Friday, May 17, 2013
Mr. Rainer, former CFO Unilever at Alliance Uty, Bangalore
Mr. Rainer Schultheis in Alliance University, Bangalore.
It was indeed a great privilege to hear Mr Rainer Schultheis, former CFO, Unilever and present MD Conference Board, (a non-profit organisation of Global CEOs) speak in Alliance University Bangalore on 17 May 2013. He was the special guest of Prof S. Ramadoss, Regional Director and Senior Fellow of Conference Board and faculty in OLS at Alliance University. (Prof S. Ramadoss was former Sr. VP and CHRO, Titan Industries of Tata Sons). Here in the snaps Mr Rainer is seen interacting with students in Alliance Uty, Bangalore.
Mr. Rainer originally hails from Germany, completed his schooling and education from Germany and was operating till recently from Brussels in Belgium, just a 45 minute flight from his country, before taking over as MD of Conference Board a consortium of Global CEOs, which works to influence the way the globe develops.
It was indeed a great privilege to hear Mr Rainer Schultheis, former CFO, Unilever and present MD Conference Board, (a non-profit organisation of Global CEOs) speak in Alliance University Bangalore on 17 May 2013. He was the special guest of Prof S. Ramadoss, Regional Director and Senior Fellow of Conference Board and faculty in OLS at Alliance University. (Prof S. Ramadoss was former Sr. VP and CHRO, Titan Industries of Tata Sons). Here in the snaps Mr Rainer is seen interacting with students in Alliance Uty, Bangalore.
 |
| Prof Ramadoss, introducing Mr Rainer to the MBA Jan '13 class |
 |
| Mr Rainer narrating and sharing his vast global experience to the students .. |
 |
| Mr. Rainer fielding "interesting, inquisitive" questions from the students .. |
Mr. Rainer originally hails from Germany, completed his schooling and education from Germany and was operating till recently from Brussels in Belgium, just a 45 minute flight from his country, before taking over as MD of Conference Board a consortium of Global CEOs, which works to influence the way the globe develops.
While talking in general regarding the massive challenges facing the country, Mr Rainer stressed on the agriculture sector in India. Improving productivity in the agriculture sector which employs almost 55% of our population, generating just 14 % of GDP is the most important and immediate action the policy makers in our country should be taking up on war footing. Cost cutting by effective assets utilization with great investments in imparting education and improving skills of the population will allow the GDP to grow at 10-11 %. If only the economy picks up at this rate, he feels India can lead the world yet again ..
He stressed on the need to improve our global competitiveness by innovating, helping reduce costs and supply talented, skilled human resources which will see India take the lead over China (China is seeing a shrinking workforce now). Mr Rainer also made a special mention about managing the risks in growth.
All these measures would "generate enough jobs" to propel the Indian economy. Here is a link to an earlier posting from the author of why China should be wary of India and not the other way round..
Mr. Rainer was particularly impressed by the meeting he had the previous evening with top CEOs from the city of Bangalore in a meeting presided over by the Chief Secretary of Karnataka Mr. S. V. Ranganathan.
He was upbeat about the intellectual prowess and complete grasp of the Indian economy and global matters by Mr Ranganath in his speech the previous day and the discussions which ensued after that. He was satisfied that Karnataka was in safe hands, indeed. He was happy that Karnataka was the only state in the country where agriculture grew by 6% consistently over the past five years.
Mr. Rainer did field interesting questions put by the students to him and was indeed impressed by the quality of the interaction. He felt improving agricultural practices would catapult India to the forefront of nations. Though he was of the view that productivity in IT and ITES in India was among the best in the world, in the area of agriculture and manufacture it had to improve a lot. India is one of the countries where agriculture is still practiced in medieval ways. By improving the productivity in the agriculture sector he opined the population would move to more productive agri-services related businesses, improving employment and spurring the growth in GDP.
The departing point he made was : make agriculture high tech and see the increase in productivity and the growth in GDP then !!
George Easaw
He stressed on the need to improve our global competitiveness by innovating, helping reduce costs and supply talented, skilled human resources which will see India take the lead over China (China is seeing a shrinking workforce now). Mr Rainer also made a special mention about managing the risks in growth.
All these measures would "generate enough jobs" to propel the Indian economy. Here is a link to an earlier posting from the author of why China should be wary of India and not the other way round..
Mr. Rainer was particularly impressed by the meeting he had the previous evening with top CEOs from the city of Bangalore in a meeting presided over by the Chief Secretary of Karnataka Mr. S. V. Ranganathan.
He was upbeat about the intellectual prowess and complete grasp of the Indian economy and global matters by Mr Ranganath in his speech the previous day and the discussions which ensued after that. He was satisfied that Karnataka was in safe hands, indeed. He was happy that Karnataka was the only state in the country where agriculture grew by 6% consistently over the past five years.
Mr. Rainer did field interesting questions put by the students to him and was indeed impressed by the quality of the interaction. He felt improving agricultural practices would catapult India to the forefront of nations. Though he was of the view that productivity in IT and ITES in India was among the best in the world, in the area of agriculture and manufacture it had to improve a lot. India is one of the countries where agriculture is still practiced in medieval ways. By improving the productivity in the agriculture sector he opined the population would move to more productive agri-services related businesses, improving employment and spurring the growth in GDP.
The departing point he made was : make agriculture high tech and see the increase in productivity and the growth in GDP then !!
George Easaw
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Hachiko (1923-1935) funeral
 |
| Prayers and farewell .. |
The much adorable dog in real life, Name : Hachiko, Breed : Akita Inu, (1923-1935), as a symbol of love and friendship to his master Professor Hidesaburo Ueno on which the film- " Hachiko, the dog story " is made. The story is real old, a 1934 real life story ..
Click on this link for the film, about 90 mins.. .. on youtube ..
Hachiko's statue at the Shibuya train station, Japan,
Hachiko waiting for his Prof Ueno ...
Click on this link for the film, about 90 mins.. .. on youtube ..
 |
| Being remembered forever .. |
Hachiko's statue at the Shibuya train station, Japan,
 |
| Hachiko's tomb besides his masters .. |
 |
| With his eternal master !! |
 |
| Tearful farewell .. Image courtesy www.hachikodog.com |
India and China working together ....
India and China working together ...
India and China share borders and lot of features geographically, spiritually, scientifically and historically. Can they take the liberty of letting those relations turn sour ? My firm belief is that with some brilliant diplomatic moves, with a proper understanding of history over the past three millenia, we can dispel any distrust and fear of each other.
Looking back at history, in 1962, China went back on its promise on Panchsheel and attacked India and took possession of some Indian territory. This was a heartburn for India's first PM Pandit Nehru who died a very sad death, ashamed of the loss to China. The territory which is with China is barely hospitable and it will take many years before either country makes a foray into asking citizens to settle there. Since 1978 when China opened up its economy to the outside world and but for brief pretensions and protestations of arrogance and intolerance, I think the best neighbour India can have is China without any doubt.
Author : George Easaw, Bangalore, 2013.
India and China share borders and lot of features geographically, spiritually, scientifically and historically. Can they take the liberty of letting those relations turn sour ? My firm belief is that with some brilliant diplomatic moves, with a proper understanding of history over the past three millenia, we can dispel any distrust and fear of each other.
Looking back at history, in 1962, China went back on its promise on Panchsheel and attacked India and took possession of some Indian territory. This was a heartburn for India's first PM Pandit Nehru who died a very sad death, ashamed of the loss to China. The territory which is with China is barely hospitable and it will take many years before either country makes a foray into asking citizens to settle there. Since 1978 when China opened up its economy to the outside world and but for brief pretensions and protestations of arrogance and intolerance, I think the best neighbour India can have is China without any doubt.
I happened to interact with some army officers over the past couple of weeks and the strong point I get from them is that they consider China to be greater threat than any other country to India. While it may be good in the short run to have a potent threat to our security, not to make our population complacent, in the long run it may not fetch much results. Let us consider some historical background to this.
In 1 AD, as per the graphic available and published by faculty from the University of Groningen, Netherlands, global economy was dominated by just 2 powers, India and China. While India controlled 40% of global economy then, China controlled 30%, the rest were shared by the rest of the world., like for example the Greek empire, the Roman empire (approximately 7%) and so on. India was 6 times as rich as the Roman empire. Sadly we only have historical documents which support the greatness of the western empires, Rome and Greece while they were just one fourth or one eighth of the Indian or Chinese economies ..
Still those empires are called great because they were offensive empires which caused maximum damage to others, they attacked, pillaged, ransacked and conquered other neighbouring friendly countries / kingdoms for selfish interests and benefits. The western society was never educated or cultured to believe in the principles of peace, equality to achiever great knowledge. History that way has been unkind to India and China .. The Great Emperor Ashoka would have ruled over an empire ten times as rich as what Alexander could ever dream of. Hope historians understand some of these truths of history and stop glorifying the western civilizations, because truth can never be shut up !!
By 2008 from the same graphic, we find the list has changed dramatically, India the largest economy in 1 AD is just controlling 7 % of global economy now. A non-entity which came up as a colony of colonisers, settlers and immigrants around 1700 AD after much bickering and battles with the local indigenous people, dispossessed them of their land and asserted with the formation of a new colony, the United States of America. US now controls 21 % of the global GDP ( $ 15 trillion of $ 70 trillion global GDP), yet nowhere near to India's control of 40% at 1 AD.
As per a recent Citibank study of 2011 (1), it is said that by 2050 AD, the scenario would change a bit. India would be the richest country in the world with a GDP of about $86 trillion and China would be behind us with $ 80 trillion. Presently Indian GDP, on purchasing power parity is around $ 5 trillion and China's $9.3 trillion.
Still those empires are called great because they were offensive empires which caused maximum damage to others, they attacked, pillaged, ransacked and conquered other neighbouring friendly countries / kingdoms for selfish interests and benefits. The western society was never educated or cultured to believe in the principles of peace, equality to achiever great knowledge. History that way has been unkind to India and China .. The Great Emperor Ashoka would have ruled over an empire ten times as rich as what Alexander could ever dream of. Hope historians understand some of these truths of history and stop glorifying the western civilizations, because truth can never be shut up !!
By 2008 from the same graphic, we find the list has changed dramatically, India the largest economy in 1 AD is just controlling 7 % of global economy now. A non-entity which came up as a colony of colonisers, settlers and immigrants around 1700 AD after much bickering and battles with the local indigenous people, dispossessed them of their land and asserted with the formation of a new colony, the United States of America. US now controls 21 % of the global GDP ( $ 15 trillion of $ 70 trillion global GDP), yet nowhere near to India's control of 40% at 1 AD.
As per a recent Citibank study of 2011 (1), it is said that by 2050 AD, the scenario would change a bit. India would be the richest country in the world with a GDP of about $86 trillion and China would be behind us with $ 80 trillion. Presently Indian GDP, on purchasing power parity is around $ 5 trillion and China's $9.3 trillion.
Why then should we worry about China now ?? Is it in China's interests to antagonise the giant India by its mischievous acts ? China even in its wildest dreams would never want to be left behind India. Any negative action can only damage its objective of global leadership.
This Chinese posturing with India is only for the digestion of other neighbouring countries, India should not get perturbed by these Chinese postures be it near Tibet or Arunachal Pradesh. We have the necessary military might combined with the nuclear capability and missiles to reach all parts of China. But it is just a deterrent, not for actual deployment on the field, since we have signed the 'No First Use; pact.
History has shown that the aggressor always has had to suffer while it is the aggrieved / attacked country that finally gets the upper hand. An example is Alexander the Great who went around the Eastern world conquering countries and finally died in his homeland after his army revolted against his evil expansionist designs. China knows this fact well and however hard it may try and however strict it may get in its dictatorial postures, it can never match up or catch up with a democratic India in the long run which respects tribals - the indigenous people of the land, the dispossessed, marginalised, poor and gives them opportunity, economic, political, educational and social, to rise up the economic ladder and prove themselves to the world.
History has shown that the aggressor always has had to suffer while it is the aggrieved / attacked country that finally gets the upper hand. An example is Alexander the Great who went around the Eastern world conquering countries and finally died in his homeland after his army revolted against his evil expansionist designs. China knows this fact well and however hard it may try and however strict it may get in its dictatorial postures, it can never match up or catch up with a democratic India in the long run which respects tribals - the indigenous people of the land, the dispossessed, marginalised, poor and gives them opportunity, economic, political, educational and social, to rise up the economic ladder and prove themselves to the world.
As in 1 AD, so in 2050 AD..
Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai, because the stakes are too high for either side to squander now..
References :
1. https://www.privatebank.citibank.com/pdf/wealthReport2012_lowRes.pdf
2. http://www.businessinsider.com/fastest-growing-economies-2011-2?op=1
3. http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-11-12/news/30391268_1_largest-economy-demographic-dividend-indian-economy
References :
1. https://www.privatebank.citibank.com/pdf/wealthReport2012_lowRes.pdf
2. http://www.businessinsider.com/fastest-growing-economies-2011-2?op=1
3. http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-11-12/news/30391268_1_largest-economy-demographic-dividend-indian-economy
Author : George Easaw, Bangalore, 2013.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Monday, May 06, 2013
Saturday, May 04, 2013
In fond memory of Charlie
Charlie was indeed a very quiet and reserved person. My acquaintance with him goes back to 1987 when I was in MRF Goa and Charlie and Deepa came there after quitting Charlie's job at Mavoor Gwalior Rayons in Calicut, Kerala.
Little did I know that God would take him from this world so quick at a ripe age of just 53 years.
Charlie's ancestral home at Chennithala, Mavelikara is just a km away from our ancestral place.
Charlie's ancestral home at Chennithala, Mavelikara is just a km away from our ancestral place.
May his soul rest in peace .. May God give Deepa, Karthik and Thilak courage and conviction to hold on to the discipline and values Charlie held so close to his heart. Let the boys tread on in the good path Charlie showed to them..
George and Anila ..
George and Anila ..
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
What is happening in Iran ?
When the Islamists overthrew Shah Reza Pehlavi and took power in 1970, the Iranians fell to religious radicalism. One of my colleagues in th...
