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Roshan Seth (186-J '59), Promod Chawla(280-J '58), Prem S Jha (84-K '54) and Tara Sinha (mother of Ravi Sinha, 813-JB '81) helped the Election Commission during the recently completed Bihar elections. Their support was a National Network for India intiative. Read Promod's article to learn more about the great work that the NNFI and the National Campaign for India are doing.
National Campaign for India: Doscos Making a Difference
Promod Chawla (280-J '58)
Many of us are ideally positioned to fight the battles of righteousness and truth. Now that the initial brickbats are over ! - by a favourable Supreme Court verdict of 13 March 03 - each of you can join other Doscos like Promod Chawla, Prem Shankar Jha, Ravi Prakash & Murad Baig to make a difference to India’s destiny.
Read herein about the National Campaign for India and join in.
Problems are immense - India’s black board has a depressing message – a breakdown of civic services, motorists jumping traffic lights, graffiti, public urination, lack of bijli & pani, a polluted environment - the list goes on and on. Bureaucracy makes jerky arthritic moves - killing entrepreneurship and employment. Glaringly in our face is a diminishing jobless future with potholes of uncertainty.
To top it all, criminals sit in the state assemblies and the central parliament, grabbing goodies & aggressively granting unlawful concessions to ensure their re-election. Not to forget that civil society is quiet, not knowing where & how to begin corrections.
10 citizens, among whom were four Doscos, decided to take stock of the situation in October 2000 and formed a think tank to be proactive. One of their first initiatives under the leadership of Mr. H.D Shourie (a Dosco grandfather) was to help popularize a Delhi High Court judgment of November 2000 which made it mandatory for legislators to be - declare their assets, liabilities, educational qualifications and criminal convictions to voters. ADR a group formed by IIM Ahmedabad professors and their friends had earlier won the case in the Delhi courts.
The Government filed a petition to prevent the implementation of this ruling even though they were requested to implement the judgment in the interests and well being of the nation. Latter request was disregarded.
The think tank held public meetings, addressed students including at Doon & Welham, coordinated debates, solicited the support of lawyers and created awareness of the issue with the media. This was all done without any funds. The think tank even wrote to the Prime Minster and appealed to the President of India. This resulted in the government losing their plea petition on 2 May 2002. The Supreme Court asked the election commission to collect and provide information on candidates to all voters.
Soon thereafter, sensing parliamentary action to squash the May 2nd, 2002 verdict, the think tank with over 24 Civil Society Groups across the country - under one umbrella - met major political party stalwarts such as Sonia Gandhi, Dr Manmohan Singh, Kapil Sibal, Shivraj Patel, Manishankar Iyer, Naidus, Somnath Chatterjee, Raja, Sitaram Yachury and Sangma cautioning them that transparency and right to information are the pillars of a Democracy and must be kept intact.
President APJ Abdul Kalam was requested to intervene when there was parliamentary action to squash the verdict and a twenty five-member delegation met him on 16 Aug, 02 on this issue. Promod Chawla was one of the delegates who met him. President Kalam saw merit in the request and returned the Ordinance but it was unceremoniously resent to him and enacted.
A writ challenging the Ordinance & the Act was heard in the last week of October, 2002- fundamentally stating that the voter has a right to information as it is a fundamental right under the constitution.The favourable verdict of the Supreme Court came on 13 March 03 – is front page news in Newspapers of 14 March 03 –`The Week’ Magazine dated 30 March 03 issue – TN Sofres Mode Survey states that 99% approve of the Supreme Court decision & 92% respondents state that Implementation will clean up politics.
As you can see - taking on an active role as a whistle blower has yielded positive results - Spunk & persistence has paid off – exhilaration exceeds the exhaustion !! – first steps taken to bringing back order and discipline to ungoverned India.
You too can help – Email promodchawla@vsnl.net to be included in the National Campaign for India (NCFI) yahoo group mailing list.
Next steps on the Agenda are:
1 To create an IT led Information Hub – provide back up of Rules & Regulations, successful interventions – recognizing - Information empowers – travels almost at the speed of light - making People party to change. Have a Website.
2 India needs to enact a law ensuring transparency and accountability of government transactions and services. An act of this type (E-Government Act of 2002) was recently signed into law in the United States
3 MCDs want to extract more by way of Taxes not accounting for what they collect already - inspite of a near collapse of civic services. Their budgets and quarterly accounts should be public knowledge and on the Web. In Bangalore PROOF ( em : proof@vsnl.net ) has started the process – its being replicated, no need to re-engineer – there is now even a Book for Change available for approx Rs 200 ( from em : mani9000@hotmail.com) – `Making the State Accountable` by Samuel Paul which advocates Report Cards.
4 Civil Society creates a stir by `Jan Sunwahis` - a MKSS Aruna Roy initiative using the Right to Information bill enacted in some States & you may like to activate your Resident Welfare Association to follow this route - be proactive.Awakening and livening your own RWA is a priority task to undertake. This makes Authorities start delivering Services.
5 Take on issues, which are priority to you - you can bank on linkages to Civil Society Groups within the country - working on similar issues - through the info back up hub – which will be at your service – an email away.
As you can see taking an active role as an umpire, watch dog or whistle blower can yield positive results and is essential to bringing order and discipline back to a currently ungoverned India.
If you are interested in helping please join the National Campaign for India (NCFI) yahoo group site by e-mailing promodchawla@vsnl.net
He recently acted in an off broadway play titled, "Stumps" which was shown at the Pelican Studio Theatre in New York, (USA). The play was about two handicapped Vietnam veterans who want to make a high class movie. Visit Karam's website to learn more about his acting career.
Read the latest Doon School Weekly (PDF). The issue includes highlights from Soccer, Basketball and Cricket fixtures with the Chandbagh school in Pakistan. Also included, is an interview with the Vice Principal of the Chandbagh School, Issak Ahmed.
He moved to Mumbai a year ago to be the Joint Managing Director of the Mars Group which operates boutique hotels, restaurants, cake shops and also does airline catering in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pune. He can be reached at samir.kuckreja@mars-world.com.
In June, he joined AZB and Partners, a law firm in New Delhi. He can be reached at bharatbahadur@hotmail.com.
Yasmine and Vijai were blessed with a baby boy on April 8th, 2005. The boy has been named Kabir. Vijai can be reached at vijaigill@aol.com.
He is working for Sony BMG Music Entertainment India Pvt. Ltd. as an Assistant Manager - Alliances and Promotions in Mumbai. He can be reached at rahul.chaudhuri@sonybmg.com.
He graduated from The National Law School of India University, Bangalore, in August this year and is now working with Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, Chief Justice of India, as his Law Clerk and Research Assistant in Delhi. He can be reached at faiz.tajuddin@gmail.com.
He was married to Garima Shau on November 26th 2004. Amit can be reached at h281@yahoo.com.
L M Thapar may have turned 75, but he is still keenly following his business and passion for arts and carpets. Read the full article from the Financial Express on the Chairman of Ballarpur Industries Limited (BILT)
I have no regrets in life
by Somashukla Sinha Walunjkar
As Lalit Mohan Thapar, chairman of Ballarpur Industries Limited (BILT), completes yet another personal milestone (the genial patriarch of BILT turned 75 recently), he admits that life has been good. “If the Lord gave me a second chance to be reborn, I wouldn’t mind being myself. There have been the predictable ups and downs, but overall I am pretty satisfied. If my father had lived today he would have said I could have done better, but I have no regrets in life.”
Thapar, who has been the BILT chairman for more than four decades, has been deeply involved with the company, both during its tumultuous times in the last decade and its resurgence as one of India’s largest writing and printing paper company in the last few years. These days, however, he prefers to spend only a couple of hours at work every day. He explains, “You have to take into account the fact that my health is not what it used to be earlier and I trust my nephew who looks after the company.”
Not that Thapar has cut himself from work completely. He says, “I no longer take the decisions in my company. My nephew Gautam uses me only as a sounding board. I keep in touch with what is happening but the day-to-day running of the company is no longer my thing. I have done my share of working round the clock. At 75, I can afford to take it easy.”
Looking back at life is what Thapar enjoys the most today. “There were enough opportunities for us to succeed. As a company BILT is professional and has had the fortune of having some of the best brains working for it. The challenges were fun and I have enjoyed every bit of what I have done. There were no Monday morning blues for me. Working was always fun.”
A Doon School alumna, Thapar graduated as an engineer from the University of Southern California and is a fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering. He has played a key role in the overall management of the company as well as external economic relations through his leadership role in several industry associations in India.
Though a champion of Indian businesses, Thapar has also been a staunch believer in the imperatives of globalisation. My approach has been more pragmatic in terms of level playing field and equal opportunity for Indian businesses, rather than a protectionist attitude that would have made Indian industry insular.”
Thapar never married, but he has always believed firmly in family as an institution “and deeply respected the values that come with the legacy of my father, the late Lala Karam Chand Thapar”.
Thapar’s love for nature and appreciation of art is pretty well known. He has been collecting art for 40 years and has an enviable art and carpet collection. For someone who still likes to frequent art exhibitions, the younger artists don’t really enthuse. “I am very old fashioned that way. I own paintings from the Bengal School - Nandlal Bose, D P Roychowdhury and Jamini Roy.” He adds, “A family friend introduced me to carpets in the 60s and since then I have been collecting Arabian, Indian and Chinese carpets. I never collect things that have to be hidden away. For me collections are meant to be displayed to friends who can in turn appreciate it.”
Thapar is a partner in a stud farm, owns horses but has never gotten around to riding one after a couple of near misadventures (both in hometown Kolkata and later in Mumbai where he spent a lot of time). A connoisseur of classical music, he has always encouraged young talent.
And unlike most men his age, Thapar insists he is not very spiritual, although he does go to Rishikesh on Diwali, perform the odd puja at home, but “it’s not every day that I go to a temple. That I think is the beauty of Hinduism. You can go sightseeing in a temple, but not necessarily praying.”
Often hailed as a trailblazer of sorts when he was younger, Thapar confesses that he does wish that he were born now. “There are more challenges for younger businessmen and the rewards are also bigger. I thought I was something of a rebel in my times and did things which were daring, took risks for the company which reaped rich dividends, but now sometimes when I see younger businessmen and their techniques, I feel very fuddy-duddy.”
Any regrets? Thapar confesses to having enjoying his business innings to the hilt, but the only thing he missed out was flying. “I would have liked to fly planes. But my father gave me the firing of my life when he heard it and in those days it was assumed that we would join the family business.”
He has started practicing law at the Supreme Court of India. Prior to this he was working for Wipro as a law associate.
Kanti Bajpai, Headmaster of The Doon School has co-edited a book titled, "International Relations in India — Bringing Theory Back Home." Along with Siddharth Mallavarapu, he has also edited, "Theorising the Region and Nation." According to The Hindu newspaper, the book simultaneously indict and challenge the discipline of international relations (IR) in India. Read the full article.
According to a recent Business Standard article, Rajiv Gandhi felt that he was betrayed by his Doon friends. These were the friends that joined him in politics and became his political confidants.
Rajiv Gandhi - In fair weather and foul
by Aditi Phadnis / New Delhi November 26, 2005 (Business Standard)
Rahul’s father Rajiv relied on his Doon School buddies for friends, but felt he was betrayed by them
Doon School, Indian Airlines and the All India Congress Committee. Rajiv Gandhi, had friends broadly from these three phases in his life. Gandhi apparently made no enduring friendships when he was studying at Trinity, Cambridge — beyond his partner for life, Sonia Maino.
But his friends from Doon School were to become his political confidants. Among them were Suman Dubey who chose journalism as a career but continued to advise Rajiv from the fringes of politics, and Amitabh Bachchan and Arun Singh, who joined Gandhi in politics but later distanced themselves both from politics and the family.The one friendship that endured was with IA buddy Satish Sharma who joined politics and became a family friend, rising to become minister for petroleum.
But Rajiv’s network of political friends was drawn more from the pool of people he met as general secretary of the Congress party than after becoming Prime Minister. It was as general secretary that he met and befriended Ajit Jogi, the young district magistrate of Raipur, whom he persuaded later to join the Congress party.
It was also during his Bharat Darshan, as party leader, that he met in Tamil Nadu a young lawyer and Youth Congress leader lately returned from the US with big dreams for India. This was Palaniappan Chidambaram, current finance minister, who also joined Rajiv’s first council of ministers.
When Rajiv became Prime Minister in 1984, he naturally came into contact with a large number of bureaucrats. Rajiv was serious, pleasant and vulnerable despite a mammoth 440 MPs in the Lok Sabha. He was a Nehru-Gandhi, of course, but belonged to a class that viewed politicians as scoundrels.
But here was one among them, choosing politics as a profession and actually surviving the challenges. He became a role model for many idealistic bureaucrats and inspired by him, Mani Shankar Aiyar quit the foreign service and joined politics, becoming a friend and colleague.
Many professionals — doctors, engineers, lawyers — flung caution to the winds and plunged into public life. These included Gita Reddy in Andhra Pradesh, Non Resident Indian Sam Pitroda, journalists Rajiv Shukla, Udayan Sharma and Santosh Bhartiya and many other technocrats.
Rajiv had just one “inherited” friend who betrayed him and whose betrayal he neither forgot nor forgave. This was Arun Nehru, his cousin who was brought to centrestage by Sanjay Gandhi, whom, later, Rajiv retained as main political manager. Nehru is thought to be the eminence grise who was referred to as the man Bofors dealt with in getting India to accept the Bofors gun deal.
He has recently written a book titled, 'What Teens Need But Can't Quite Say' which was published by Rupa Books and launched by Ruskin Bond. Ex-Tata Housemaster Mr. Arun Kapur wrote the foreward. The book is a perspective written for teachers and parents using the 'teen's side of the story.' Saurabh can be reached at ssaklani@hotmail.com
The event which costs Rs. 350 for dinner and snacks will be held at the Royal Orchid, Hotel in Bangalore which is owned by Arjun Baljee (306-T '98). Alcohol will be heavily discounted courtesy of Jatin Bob (411-TA '93) who works for United Breweries. For more information email Zorawar Singh (288-JB '72) at jojo@metahospitality.com
Participate and support the DSOBS teams as they play cricket matches against Sanawar in Delhi on December 3rd, 2005. The two DSOBS teams won against Sanawar in the Friendship Cup held in March. You can find those details in the March Rose Bowl. Help them win again.
EVENT: DOON SCHOOL OLD BOYS CRICKET VS OLD BOYS OF SANAWAR (2 TEAMS).
VENUE: Central Secretariat Grounds, Opp Nehru Park, Chanakya Puri, New Delhi.
DATE & TIME: December 3, 2005. 9 a.m onwards (till completion of game at around 4.30 p.m) . Lunch, Refreshments available on the ground at reasonable prices.
ALL ARE WELCOME
DINNER (and Belly Dancers) at 'Hookah' Bar & Restaurant (near TGIF), Priya Cinema Complex, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi from 8.30 p.m onwards. Charges for dinner Rs. 375 per head including soft drinks (Alcohol at club rates).
OPEN TO ALL.
TEAM SELECTION: A practice match is being held on November 27, 2005 (Venue to be confirmed) followed by a Net Practice at the Central Secretariat grounds on Dec 2, 2005 at 3 p.m. Those interested in playing may contact any of the following:
1. Asheet Lanba (e-mail: asheet.lanba@db.com, ph: 98116-06437)
2. Raghuvinder 'Donny' Singh (e-mail: donnysingh@vsnl.net, ph: 98100-10847)
3. Vivek Seth (e-mail: vs@culturecothing.com, ph: 98110-63031)
4. Nalin Khanna (e-mail: nalink@vsnl.com, ph: 98100-28127)
Selection of the 2 teams will be made after the net practice on December 2, 2005. White kits and sweaters will be provided to all participants. Charges (inclusive of Dinner)- Rs. 400 (for College going DSOBS members), Rs. 1000 for rest.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) today sent relief material for those affected by the October 8th earthquake in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) through the Joint Check Post at the international border at Wagah. The relief comprising of blankets, life saving drugs and clothing was handed over by the Immediate Past President of the CII Sunil Kant Munjal (180-KB '73).
On behalf of Pakistan, the relief material was received by Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain, Leader of the Parliamentary Party in the National Assembly of Pakistan and Former Prime Minister, Ajmal Cheema, Industry Minister, Punjab, Pakistan, Gulhamid Rokhri, Revenue Minister, Punjab, Pakistan and representatives of the India-Pakistan Business Leaders Forum and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Munjal said that CII had provided relief material worth over Rs 52 lakh, comprising 26,000 blankets, life-saving drugs, sweaters and t-shirts.
Contribute to the DSOBS Kashmir Earthquake Relief Fund.
He has joined the SUN Group as corporate counsel in their New Delhi office. The SUN Group is an international investment firm with business interests in India, Russia/CIS, the United Kingdom and the US and invests in a variety of private equity situations. He was earlier a senior associate at Trilegal, a law firm based out of Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. His contact details are available on Dosco Finder.
Earlier this year, in a survey you told us what you liked and disliked about Doon Online. You also expressed your support for Doon Online and told us that we must continue publishing. Today, we want to simply say, we've heard you and in response have launched a new Doon Online.
This is the most significant change to Doon Online in seven years. The new site follows a "blog" format, which means that you can expect more frequent news and commentary. We've also realized that it is not enough to report the news, having an opinion and providing an analysis matters too. Expect to see more of this now.
As you know, Doon Online is fundamentally about being dynamic. You send us the news, you tell us what you like and you make it interactive. So we've added greater interactivity. For example, you can now comment on any news item published on Doon Online. Furthermore, you can setup alerts so that you're notified each time news associated with your batch is published. Needless to say, we'll continue to publish the bi-monthly Doon Online email newsletter and the ever popular Virtual Doon will remain available.
So take a look and tell us what you think. We want to hear from you so that Doon Online is best class as everything else about Doon is. And of course, do send us your news and participate on Doon Online. You, as the reader, are the foundation of Doon Online and in many respects are the publishers too. Visit the new Doon Online.
Vikram Seth was in San Francisco in early November as a part of his hectic book promotion tour for Two Lives. Fans of Seth, and I certainly count myself as one, would have followed rediff's coverage of his India visit last month and the descriptions of the readings in four cities.
Vikram Seth was in San Francisco in early November as a part of his hectic book promotion tour for Two Lives. Fans of Seth, and I certainly count myself as one, would have followed rediff's coverage of his India visit last month and the descriptions of the readings in four cities.
I had read with much curiosity all of them from this distance. It was clear that in India these events were star studded, held in banquet halls of five-star hotels and celebrities ranging from Aamir Khan to Soli Sorabjee came to listen to India's most loved writer in English.
When Seth left Amir open-mouthed
On a personal note, I had regretted not being a part of the Delhi audience. I got the book from India, read it, read reams of reviews. I then discovered serendipitously the notice in the book review section of the local papers that Vikram Seth was to be in town the next day.
I went for the book reading in a shop actually called A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books in central San Francisco close to the Opera. You can imagine opera lovers with their formal clothes browsing through an eclectic collection of books before entering the dark environs of the auditorium and you get the picture. There were about sixty people, a majority of them, Americans, a sprinkling of Indians, and others, including befittingly some Chinese.
No scene in San Francisco can be complete without an Oriental ambience. It was certainly not a high-octane, Champagne or flashlights popping, social networking kind of event. One look and you knew that the audience were all book lovers, many of them admirers of Seth's work and some, actually old friends.
Readers of Vikram Seth would know that San Francisco and the Bay Area are a special place for him. Some details of his life here and development as a writer are narrated in Two Lives. Seth says that after his Doon school and Oxford years, he applied to American Universities for graduate studies in the mid seventies.
'My years in England had made me sick of snow and rain. I decided to go to California, to Stanford University' and he joined the economics department. He also started learning Chinese at Stanford, a language he had accidentally fallen in love with earlier at Oxford. His economics research took him to China later and led to his first book, the travelogue From Heaven Lake. The Golden Gate was to come later during his California years.
First stop: Chennai
The outline of Two Lives, the almost new genre that he has created, part memoir, part history, part autobiography has been commented upon widely. The intertwined stories of Uncle Shanti, the dentist with one arm and Auntie Henny -- his German-Jew wife, their story cast across continents and spanning virtually the whole of the last century are now slowly becoming familiar to Seth's loyal readership in many countries.
I do not intend to go into these aspects. Instead the flavour of his interaction with the audience here and the witty and sparkling observations of his years in California are perhaps some new nuggets for Vikramphiles like me. Much of this came out in answers to questions after the book reading and each of the questions was answered with care, consideration, reflection and with humour and insight.
It was a treat and I try to indicate some of the lesser-known aspects of Seth's literary life as revealed by him. He was asked about the inspiration for The Golden Gate which showed his genius and established his reputation. He has narrated this in Two Lives, but told the story with his characteristic wit.
Those days (1983-1984) a diligent Vikram Seth, many years into his research was engaged in feeding the data of his economic-demographic research on China into the Stanford computers. It must have been a drudgery for so talented and imaginative an individual.
One day he went to the Stanford bookshop for a change, 'reasonably well lighted and clean' (said Seth) and chanced upon Pushkin's novel in verse Eugene Onegin in translation. Seth says he was struck by something so unique and beautiful, at once profound and light, 'made you laugh and made you cry'. He was inspired and wanted to create something poetic but as a novel, and set in San Francisco. This was the beginning of Golden Gate.
In pursuit of Vikram Seth
Answering a question from some one about translations, Seth conceded it may detract from the original, but pointed to the irony that he would never access Pushkin in his original Russian but even the translation had changed his own life!
Some one asked the inevitable question about Indian writing in English and whether an Indian writer can write about non-Indian characters. The girl in Golden Gate is Japanese-American and Seth says he saw her in her mind's eye that way first. People have since then asked him as to why with so many Indians in the Silicon Valley, his characters in the Golden Gate turned out to be non-Indians. Seth said he couldn't answer. He had talked perhaps to a Japanese-American friend, eaten a Japanese meal and this was his character -- Janet Hayakawa -- coming alive in his imagination.
One of the Indians in the audience who shyly admitted that he was a software engineer asked Seth whether his training as an economist at Stanford had left any imprint or had affected his writing. Not the standard question, I guess.
But Seth took a moment to consider and came up with his sincere, insightful and witty answer. Economics has perhaps made him interested in what makes the world go around, he said. It is not just Love that is important in life and literature. He was also interested in 'Work' and how it is important to people and lends them an identity -- be it a courtesan, a shoemaker, a violinist, a freedom fighter or a teacher.
Seth just mentioned these vocations without further annotation, but as he said it, so many of his memorable characters -- Saeeda Bai with her captivating flirtatious ways, Haresh with his single minded interest in leather, the troubled violinist Michael, Mahesh Kapoor and Pran -- flashed through ones mind.
Meet Vikram Seth, the actor
We know with what detail and authenticity he has narrated what each of these do in their professions. Finally, said Seth, his training in economics may have given him some limited advantage when negotiating advances with his publishers!
What made him leave cheery California and return to India, he was asked. Seth has written about this aspect in his book but told us again. Someone had told him that living in California is like a lazy swim in a pleasant pool. You enter at age 25 and take a few laps and before you know you are 55 years old.
This is the story of many Indians who came here, became successes and kept thinking of returning 'next year'. He did not want this to happen to him and once the Golden Gate was published decided to return to India and become a 'dependent' on his parents. But for this return and immersion in India The Suitable Boy would not have been born.
Did he ever have a regular job? What did he think of economics and who was his favourite? Seth said the only regular job he ever did was a brief stint at Stanford as an editor, but that his table was always wet with his towels after the swim. He remembered his friends from the economics department at the university -- and one of them was in the audience.
They told him not to give up economics but to do writing on the side. He knew about 'sunk costs' and 'opportunity costs' and that if economics and the university life led to the 'muse disappearing' the opportunity would be lost.
His devoted readers are thankful that Vikram Seth decided not to take a few more laps in the Californian pond.
B S Prakash is India's consul general in San Francisco and can be reached at cg@cgisf.org For more columns by B S Prakash click here
The Telegraph poked some fun at Minster of Commerce and Trade, Kamal Nath (366-H '64) and his appearance as the Chief Guest at The Doon School Founders Day in October. Click to read the entertaining article.
Back to school
Speechifying is one of the occupational hazards of politics. But even so, Kamal Nath must have found that addressing the discerning crowd at the 70th anniversary of the Doon School Founder’s Day was very different from haranguing a gaggle of rural folk. It didn’t help that Doon was Nath’s alma mater. No wonder he went a bit gaga. Not only did he not stop at thanking his school for all his success, but he also turned to his old mathematics teacher, telling him that the theorems he had been taught helped him even now to plan his elections. His geography teacher came in for mention next, for having taught Nath the difference between Africa and America. A snide voice at the back added sotto voce that as the man responsible for navigating the country’s trade policy, he must still find the distinction very crucial.
Affecting humility, Ol’ Boy Roly (the name Nath earned at school as a chubby teenager) then turned to the audience and admitted sheepishly that though he was chief guest for the evening, he was neither the chief among those present, nor was he a guest since he had been coming back to Doon over the years, first as a parent and later as a member of the school board. But for someone so immersed in the traditions of the school, wasn’t it strange that he had forgotten to wear the school tie, although he had exchanged his trademark white kurta-pyjama for a business suit? The problem was solved when the principal, Kanti Bajpai, handed him his tie. Now that is what is called renewing old school ties.
Read the latest Doon School Weekly (PDF). The issue includes a review by Kamal Bhagat (47-K '52) of "The Reduced Shakespeare Company's- The Compleat Wrks Of Willm Shakespre" which was the Founders Day play. Of interest also is a letter by Kanti Bajpai about the reasons why doscos who contribute to the school are recognized in "obvious" ways.
Rahul and his wife have been blessed with a baby boy on October 29th, 2005. The boy has been named Yuvan. Rahul can be reached at mrinal.guharoy@gmail.com.
With his elegant gray suit, expensive Swiss watch on his wrist, hair neatly combed and parted sideways and seemingly giving off a who’s-better-than-me air, Nirvana Chaudhary can pass for any fresh-faced, highly ambitious young men who can be seen passionately talking about their work over lunch with their peers in top-end restaurants about the city.
But there is something that separates him from those young professionals he embodies so effortlessly: unlike many of them he’s in the constant spotlight; a whole business dynasty with annual turnover of more than US$250 million is behind him [he is, as all know, the son of Binod K. Chaudhary of Chaudhary Group (CG)] and finally, to top it all – CG looks up to him as its future successor.
Now you can easily imagine what great responsibilities lies on the young shoulders of this man (Nirvana just turned 23 last month) who is not only expected to lead the family driven group (in all it glory and travails) in its national expansion, but also take it for a regional or, perhaps, going by what he says, a global expansion.
In his office room in Chaudhary House (Headquarter of Chaudhary Group) located in Sanepa, Nirvana Chaudhary exudes the charm of a future business leader – when you meet him he doesn’t disappoint. But despite the high life, the lavish lifestyle he may be used to, despite all the attention, all the grooming he received as the heir to the Chaudhary Group – he still maintains that easy-going nature and good-humor of his. Founder/Member of Young Entrepreneur Organization, Nepal Chapter, Chaudhary is currently making time as Chief Operating Officer, CG Finco Pvt. Ltd (a financial division of Chaudhary Group which operates and manages companies like Western Union Money Transfer), besides taking up many other responsibilities inside the organization and sinking into the role he would later assume - as one who would lead the group. “As the eldest son of the third generation of my family, there are expectations which I am obliged to live up to – one being ushering the group into the next level, and eventually drive it one day,” he says.
For a business house which is in the process of transforming itself from a family driven group into a professionally managed organization, Nirvana also had to prove his worth to make it to this level in CG. He didn’t have it easy. Like any young professional, he had to start all the way from below and work his way up and during the process going through all the initial rudimentary and hardship everybody goes through at the initial stage of their career. “I never encountered any kind favoritism while going through these phases,” he says, “In a professionally managed organization it doesn’t really matter if I am the owner’s son. If I am not competent enough to take the company into the next level then they won’t take me. I had to prove myself that I am confident to start on my own and can handle any responsibility entrusted upon me very well.” From being an assistant sales executive (his first job, he was 16 then) where he literally delivered beer cartons in Tata mobile vans to being a waiter (his second job) in a restaurant in London where he then was doing his Senior School Certificate Level at Harrow School (one of the world’s most prestigious schools, whose alumni’s includes personalities like Jawaharlal Nehru and Sir Winston Churchill), Nirvana started out early.
But even before that, coming from a family driven business and being the oldest in his generation, Nirvana was always expected to get involved and understand the dynamics of his family’s business from a very early age. So he actually started accompanying his father to the office when he was just 11 years of age. But his interest has always been music, arts and sports: he used to be always the best in music while in school (he studied in Welham’s Boy’s School and then went on to study in the Doon School, India’s most prestigious educational institution), he represented his school on Squash, a game of which his school is a founder. He is right now the no.2 player in Squash in Nepal. and was suppose to go to SAF games in Islamabad before it was cancelled because of the Iraq war.
After rounding off his Senior School Certificate Level in Commerce from Harrow School, England, he then started developing an interest for investment banking and was soon fortunate enough to work as a trainee for American Express, Credit Suisse and Meryll & Lynchh. Before this, he had worked in the L/C Department of Nabil Bank and he said this experience really helped him during his stint in these top investment banks. In the year 2000 he enrolled in Singapore Management University to complete his undergraduate degree. But two years into it, feeling that he needed to help his father in the regional expansion of CG group, he got the college credit transferred to Kathmandu College of Management and finished his Bachelor’s in Business Administration (BBA) here while working as a General Manager (Sales) for Fast Foods Nepal Pvt., Ltd, the noodles division of Chaudhary Group. Then while directly reporting to the CEO and the COO of the company, it occurred to him that when he has already proved his worth to his father and seniors in CG by doing amazing work in the existing company – the turnover of CG was about US$150 when he first joined it, today its turnover is about US$250 - they might just as well be encouraged to let him start his own business. His wish came true, but his demand for a capital support was denied. He used what he had learned in the business school he attended and his father’s grooming and his flair and innovation; he discovered, and with the little money he had saved, he started a company called CG Finco Pvt., Ltd in the year 2003 by acquiring the status of principal agent of the international money remittance company called Western Union Money Transfer. “I thought this was the best thing to do during that time. The remittance coming from Nepalese people working abroad was slowly getting recognized as the major force that was driving the country’s economy forward, and, being an entrepreneur, one has to create a supply where there is a demand,” he says. His company started doing well and broke even in no time. As if he had a Midas touch, the minute he ventured into this sector the entire money remittance industry grew by 170% and companies like IME and Krishi Premura plunged into it to grab the share of the pie, as 30 outlets providing such services to the people grew to 300 outlets across the country. And because of the success in his very first solo venture, Nirvana Chaudhary proved that he is as extraordinary and big-visioned a businessman as Binod Chaudhary, his father.
So what are his future plans for the group? “We here at CG have a vision. We want to be one among the well recognized and respected companies in the region. We want to be recognized as a company that has grown from its humble Nepalese background to a scale that it can be competitive with any company in this region.” Nirvana’s been busy these days working hard on a new project CG’s been interested to venture into, and as he speaks with me about it he gives off this impression that the world is not enough for this young guy.
Then as I get the feeling that the conversation is getting bland because of talking too much about his professional life, I turned the topic of our talk to blow a fresh air into it and, knowing that he’s the most eligible bachelor in the town, I started by asking him about his marriage plans. “I don’t know. So far I have no plans for it. But definitely, as I come from a very conservative Marwari family, it would probably be soon,” he smiles. Any one who is especially close to him? I again ask persistently. “I have some very close friends who are dear to me, yes,” he tries to evade my question, and immediately after saying this Nirvana burst into a laughter looking at his friend who had arrived in the middle of the interview and had been since sitting quietly. What is his philosophy in life? “Work hard and party harder,” quick came the reply (he is a serious party animal and if you think you have seen him in some hip nightclubs and discos in the city, you might be right). Then Nirvana laughs it off and corrects himself, “it just to keep doing what I am doing with all my heart and soul."
By
By Anand Gurung
He is working in Singapore for Mirae Asset Management as an investment analyst and can be reached at abhijit@miraeasset.com.sg
Shashwat Mishra currently in his senior year at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champagne completing a double degree in Finance and Supply Chain Management. He is looking to pursue a career in management consulting in the US and is looking for assistance. He can be reached at mishra1@uiuc.edu
Dr. P.M. Das (298-H '69) tragically passed away on Saturday, September 24th, while leading a National Level Expedition to a high mountain in North Sikkim along the Chinese border. He perished along with five other expedition members in an avalanche in treacherous terrain.
He was the Additional Director General of Police, Computerisation and Telecommunications, Punjab Police Headquarters, Chandigarh at the time.
Read the October 2005 Rose Bowl (PDF). The issue includes an obituary of Dr. PM Das, photographs of the Tsunami relief effort and minutes of the 65th annual general meeting of the Doon School Old Boys' Society
Ajmal Khan Gauhar (354-HA '92) is currently working for Honda Scooters and Motorcycles at Gurgaon in their logistics department.
Abhimanyu Kaura is completing an MBBS courseat Armed Forces Medical College in Pune.
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