Author reminisces about the people and the times that shaped his career
By Shashi Kant Sharma, PGP 1973
While thinking back about persons who I could call my mentors, I have used a broader definition of a ‘mentor’ – as someone who made a difference in my life. (I do not know whether it is a coincidence or destiny or both that all those people were directly linked with IIMA).
Caption: (Left to right) Mr N. R. N. Murthy, Prof. J. G. Krishnayya and Shashi Kant Sharma
Prof. J. G. Krishnayya (JGK) – As is widely known, JGK was a faculty member at IIMA in the pioneering days. He was also in charge of the computer centre there. For our batch (entering IIMA in 1971) he taught MSM-1 (among other things, he became famous for giving us a surprise quiz in the very first session he conducted!). In the second year, I chose a couple of elective courses offered by him – including Seminar on Cybernetics.
In the second term of the second year (sometime during late 1977) when JGK called me to his office. He outlined an idea he was working on – to start a new organization for which he had already thought of a name – Systems Research Institute (SRI). And right then and there he offered me a job.
Naturally, I asked for some time to think about it – but in my heart, I was pretty much sold on the idea right away. For various reasons (it would take too long to elaborate), I had made up my mind that I would not take up a job in Bombay (Mumbai now). That ruled out almost 99% of the job coming into the Placement Office.
I did participate in the placement process – in a very desultory fashion. I remember going for an interview in Bharuch and applying for a public sector organization in Ahmedabad. I got an appointment letter also but did not join because the appointment letter offered a lower grade than what was mentioned in the placement notice put up by them (on enquiry, they ascribed it to a typographical error!).
JGK did a superb marketing job – he arranged for me to visit Poona (Pune now) where SRI was to be set up. I totally liked the place with greenery all around, predominantly bicycles on the road, temperate climate and a laidback lifestyle.
Those days the holy grail of remuneration was a “four figure” salary and JGK ensured that his offer crossed that line.
And so, after graduation (in April 1973) I joined JGK as an RA and then in July 1974 we both left IIMA and started SRI in Poona.
The decision to join JGK and SRI led to other momentous impacts on my professional life – like meeting Mr. NRN Murthy (who later on gained a global iconic status as the founder of Infosys) and going to MIT, USA for another Master degree.
Caption: Late Prof. R. K. Anand, PGP ‘70
Prof. R. K. Anand (RKA) – He was a PGP ’70 graduate and in the early 80s was heading the Management Consulting group at TCS. (In the interim, he taught at XLRI, Jamshedpur.) I had met him several times through the IIMA Alumni Association, Poona Chapter.
After almost a decade at SRI, I was beginning to feel a bit restless (for various reasons talking about which would take me away from the main focus of this write up).
So I mentioned to RKA about my desire for a change. He was absolutely receptive and without much ado I joined TCS in 1982. The change had several distinct advantages – TCS was a big brand name, salary was much better, my base continued to be in Pune and the offices were located in a fabulously scenic campus – the Tata Management Training Centre.
Our group did some very interesting studies under the rubric of “Organizational Renewal” with a methodology innovated by RKA. There was a study we did for the Tata Tea Limited which, inter alia, took us to the grandly picturesque settings of tea gardens and coffee plantations. (My wife avers that the tea which I brought back from Munnar then is the best tea ever!)
The presentation on the final report of Tata Tea Ltd. study took place in Bombay House and created a life-time memorable experience – as we were leaving the building, it was raining very hard outside and a colleague and I were waiting in the foyer for it to abate. A very dignified senior gentleman came down in the lift, looked at us and enquired, “Can I drop you gentleman somewhere ?” It was none other than J. R. D. Tata! Needless to say, totally awed, we very politely declined the offer.
Caption: Mr Sanjiv Deshmukh, PGP ’70
Mr. Sanjiv Deshmukh (SD) – He was also a PGP ‘70 graduate and at that time heading the Central Planning and Control (CPC) Dept at Buckau Wolf India Ltd. in Pimpri, Pune (it was part of the Thyssen Krupp group of Germany and has now been renamed as such).
Since graduating from IIMA in 1973, I had been in what can be called a staff role (first with SRI which was basically an NGO and then with TCS as a consultant) and was quite keen to get some experience in a hardcore corporate line role.
I talked it over with SD and he fully understood my perspective. He himself had started his career with ISRO, then joined A. F. Fergusson & Company, and then moved to a corporate job at Buckau Wolf.
With SD’s help and support, I joined Buckau Wolf as a Senior Executive in 1985. The role was not exactly a line role but more like that of an “internal consultant”. On the other hand, the pay and perks were a la corporate culture. For example, it gave me a chance to buy my first car!
Buckau Wolf was one of the very rare companies those days to have a 5-day week and that more than made up for the very early start of the work day.
Having SD as the boss gave me the kind of flexibility and time control which I wanted to have for my work-life balance. I had picked up tennis again (having left it in the 10th grade to focus on academics) and I could leave the office well in time to reach the Deccan Gymkhana and have a game.
SD also gave me a lot of leeway in the kind of work I was doing – I would like to think that the note I put together on diversification opportunities had played some role in the strategic direction at BW (now Thyssen Krupp).
After more than 4 decades, I can now share that once every year, SD allowed me some semi-official leave for 3 days so that I could go to Mumbai with some friends to attend the iconic Jazz Yatra at Rang Bhavan, near St. Xavier’s college.
Some time during 1987, SD migrated to the US. Some other senior manager was made the head of CPC – and suffice it to say that people do not leave organizations, they leave bad bosses!
Conclusion: I left Buckau Wolf in 1988 and joined a public sector company through the conventional impersonal process (respond to advertisement, appear for an interview, get selected). I must say that that did not last long and did not end too well.
After that I got quite fed up with being an “employee” and transformed myself into an “intellectual entrepreneur” with the help of some other mentors, also from IIMA… but that is another story !
Postscript: SRI closed down soon after the COVID pandemic. JGK is leading a cozy retired life continuing in Pune. He is now 89 years old. I am happy to keep in touch with him.
RKA and I lost touch years ago. Very recently a colleague from the good old management consultancy group of TCS informed me that he passed away about a year ago due to cancer.
SD continues to keep himself busy in the US. On the rare occasions that he visits Pune (he and his wife still have some relatives there) we try to meet up – at least I have his email address in the US for sporadic communication.
Shashi Kant Sharma is a graduate of the PGP ’73 batch. He was born in Jodhpur and got his first professional degree BE (Mech.) in 1971 from the MBM Engineering College there. During 1977-78, he completed another master’s from MIT, USA while participating in the Technology and Policy Program. He has worked in public, private, and voluntary sectors. He has now made it a mission of his life to propagate ETHICS, primarily as a teacher.
