A KOHINOOR GROUP PUBLICATION

VOL : 12 ISSUE 2

April - June 2015

Kohinoor Foundation Day is always a day for introspection and planning for the forthcoming year. With the new fiscal year less than a month ahead, I take this opportunity to recount the salient measures CMD Sir has decided to implement and goals set for the coming year 2015-16 so that we all can attune ourselves to these. Derived from CMD Sir’s speech on 7 December 2014, this is a synopsis of the thoughts expressed by him. Although a synopsis, it is a first person account coming straight from CMD Sir.

- Editor-In-Chief

The year 2014 was marked by the Business Excellence Program conducted by veteran

management leader T R Doongaji and attended by Kohinoor’s top management. This helped us review our business and gave us an insight into the future.

The focus of our business this year is going to be the shareholder or stakeholder. By stakeholder, I mean all those who have an interest in the Kohinoor business, not necessarily financial, and includes employees too. But let us start by first taking a review of the entire year. Analyzing the ups and downs of the bygone year, I would say that it was one more year of learning.

The so called ‘big brother’ in Kohinoor, Real Estate, had to face many problems, but these have got sorted out to a large extent and the coming year looks brighter for ‘big brother’. KBS Khandala was merged with KBS Mumbai and the residential Kohinoor American School has been started in Kohinoor Global Campus with an experienced team. The rest of the units have given a fairly steady performance, give or take a little here and there.

In KTI, we decided to take some initiatives to control the cost and focus on revenue increase by making some structural changes and focusing on government tenders. Other initiatives include:• LeveragingassociationwithNSDC• OptimumimplementationofeKOPS• DevelopingafullyefficientplacementportalCorporate HR created a vision ‘Kohinoor business units to be amongst the Great Places to Work by 2016. It has been found that people in great places to work stay longer with high productivity and efficiency which increases customer loyalty and profitability.Kohinoor participated in an Economic Times

Survey on Great Places To Work. While Real Estate and Hospital took part in the survey, KET will do so this month (Dec ’14).The assessment is done in two parts -1) Trust index - experience (employee feeling)2) Cultural audit - practices (what the management does, processes)So far, we have received only Trust Index results for Real Estate. Best places to work are in the range of 70 to 90. Real Estate got 76 points. After the Cultural Audit, we will know the shortcomings.Corporate HR has made a beginning in the direction of Kohinoor featuring among the Great Places To Work by 2016. As some of the surveys are yet to be conducted, many of you have not even participated in the survey. Once the surveys are complete, the results will give us a clearer picture of where we fall short and what we need to improve. We will then have to work very hard to successfully figure among the Great Places To Work in 2016. From next year, all Kohinoor units will compete with one another to excel, and yes, an award will also be declared.Corporate HR also took the initiative to evaluate the Inter-Department Performance Index (IDPI) in Kohinoor Group. This index is based on the concept - A satisfied employee may not be necessarily be engaged but an engaged employee will by and large be satisfied.

Women'sDaySpecial

Kohinoor’s Mission For 2015-16

MAKING KOHINOOR A REPUTED, GROWING, EFFICIENT, SMART

ORGANIZATION FOR FUTURE GROWTH

CMD Unmesh Joshi makes a point on Kohinoor Foundation Day

Continued on page 2

From Me, To YouThe timing of this issue triggered off two thoughts in my

mind. One, we are just three weeks away from the next

financial year. So I thought, why not refresh our mind with what CMD Sir said on our Foundation Day? That would give us three weeks to plan for the new financial year.

Two, this issue would be released around International Women’s Day. Just out of curiosity, I enquired with Corporate HR – What is the strength of Kohinoor’s Woman Workforce? I was told that about one-third of our staff comprises women, which means Kohinoor owes 33 percent of its success to its female workforce. That’s when I decided to make this issue a Women’s Special as a tribute to Kohinoor ladies.

Naturally, all cannot be featured in this one issue. We selected a few who could give us different interesting perspectives -• Kohinoor Hospital Director Madhavi Joshi speaks about ‘Woman Power’, typical issues faced by working women and various initiatives taken in the hospital for its lady employees.• Kohinoor Global Campus Assistant General Manager Madhulika Siddiqui has graciously shared the story of her life with the thought that it could be a morale booster to others when they have to face difficult situations in life.• KCPS Program Head Sonal Satelkar has written about her transformation from the girl next door to an ambitious career seeker ready to take on new challenges.• Kohinoor Continental Executive Housekeeper Bharati Ulpe tells us how comfortable she is working for Kohinoor.• KTI Assistant General Manager (Institution) Chhaya Khedkar has transgressed the graph of her 24 eventful years with Kohinoor Technical Institute. Next year, she will be a Kohinoor Jubilarian.• Kohinoor Square Assistant Relationship Manager Rashmi Datta’s first brush with Kohinoor was as a student of KBS, Khandala. She narrates her dual experience with Kohinoor, as a student, and then as part of the Kohinoor workforce.• Kohinoor International School Principal Dr Veena Shrivastava has composed a poem ‘Woman’ specially for Women’s Day.• After reading Business Analyst Neel Bhende’s annotations about Kohinoor Group, I found that he had made some interesting observations about the Kohinoor Woman Workforce. I felt it would be worthwhile including his analysis in this issue. He is the only male to have contributed an article for this Women’s Special issue.

That was as much as I could include in this issue. But ladies, please do not get disheartened. In future quarterly issues of Kohinoor Times, we shall be featuring at least one Kohinoor lady employee in each issue. Do send in your suggestions and contributions to kohinoortimes@kohinoorgroup.co.in.

Trust you will enjoy reading this issue.- Editor-In-Chief

Various internal surveys based on criteria like Department Satisfaction, Department Engagement, KRAs and Strategic Mapping were conducted and the IDPI for different departments was arrived at.

Now with this learning experience, we need quick and great actions.

On the Kohinoor Business Excellence Model (BEM) front, we need to traverse the journey from Purpose to Results. For this, we must first introspect on the following aspects -What are our key organisational characteristics with respect to -1. Leadership2. Strategic Planning3. Customer and Market Focus4. Measurement, Analysis and Knowledge

Management5. Workforce Focus6. Process Management7. Results

Our learnings from this study will educate us more about – culture of working in a group, understanding our own business with a different angle, respecting ideas of each team member, challenges in each business. Besides, it will be a valuable data resource for us and help us understand the personality of each Kohinoor team member.

I am not advocating any rocket science to achieve our BEM. Keeping our Vision – To Grow Perpetually – in mind, our Corporate Study Group is doing a lot of research on the seven BEM parameters -1) Who we are?2) Where are we today?3) Where we want to go?4) Our core competency/strength5) Opportunities with respect to change in the new

scenario6) New government in centre and state7) Economical changes in India and globallyPurpose –

To Make Kohinoor A Reputed, Growing, Efficient And Smart Organization For Future GrowthThis is going to be our Mission for the coming year.

What do these terms mean to us?Reputed - Satisfaction of employees, customers, partners, vendors and all stakeholders along with community careGrowing – In size and numbers, brand, perception, profitsEfficient – ROI/ROC, speed, processes, resultsSmart – Technology, information and analysis, innovation

KTI business will be restructured and realigned as per current Skills Development needs. On the Hotels front we will work on expansion and building the Kohinoor Hotels brand. Similarly, we are looking at expanding Kohinoor Hospitals in other parts of the country. In Real Estate, projects are in the pipeline. We are looking at various options for partners, funding and investment.

To protect the interest of our stakeholder, we need to improve our existing working system. Recently, when I went to Germany, I studied the working of a round-the-clock automated car parking system which was running superefficiently with skeletal manpower. The secret of its efficiency was

the best use of modern technology. Technology today is progressing by leaps and bounds and is available to us. We need to use modern technology and constantly keep upgrading ourselves to become more and more efficient. I declare 2015 as the EFF-TECH Year for Kohinoor.

Here, I would like to quote Peter F Drucker - “Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes.”

So friends, let us see to it that our knowledge does not ‘vanish’ by ‘improving, challenging and increasing it constantly.’

Let me share some interesting facts with you. Kohinoor has 2.5 lakh direct customers, 5 lakh indirect customers and about 2,500 internal customers. So we thought, why not look at increasing customer satisfaction through more efficient service using technology to our advantage? Therefore, we formed a team divisionwise to make the best use of technology and enhance efficiency.

To achieve the EFF-TECH Mission, we have formed teams for Efficiency and Technology in Real Estate, Hotels, KTI, KET and Hospital.

Efficiency can be achieved with Energy, Speed, Process, and Sales for the safety and security of the customer and the workforce. And finally the centre of all our entire exercise – Efficiency for the shareholders/stakeholders

Technology can be used only if the processes are well-defined and efficient. Impact of technology is immediate and instant. Speed is critical.

Efficiency and intelligence are going to be key factors in adopting and adapting to technology lead changes.

Let us not forget. Although free tools are ample, our competitors also have access to them.

Speed is no longer an option but it is at the core of every business. Technology has dramatically changed day to day life of everyone and thus dynamically changed the way of doing business too.

In a short span of just a few years, we have moved from mobile to WhatsApp, FaceBook and Twitter. What was new two years ago is old today.

But we should not get carried away. Before adopting anything new, we should think about some vital issues -• Whatisrequiredforourbusiness?• Isitgoingtogiveaddedadvantage?• What is the long term, short term value to all

stakeholders including shareholders,• Howquicklycanweachieveresults?

So let us prepare a plan for next year - a measurable plan, divisionwise, at the Group level with a monitoring mechanism.

We need to plan for growth by proving our efficiency keeping shareholder interest right on top. We should not work according to any of our whims and fancies, but in a systematic planned manner with a definite goal ahead.

I also plan to appoint divisionwise profit centre committees (group of five in each committee). We will have internal people, not from the corporate office except for finance people, in these committees. They will conduct a monthly review on the behalf of the shareholders. The main role of the profit centre committee would be to add an external perspective to the business review process and facilitate the respective divisions in their strategic decisions.

Now it is our responsibility to Make Kohinoor a Reputed, Efficient, Growing, Smart organization for our future growth.

Next year will be a smart and efficient year for Kohinoor. I know that satisfying shareholders within one year is a great challenge.

But challenges are not new to us at Kohinoor. We believe in constantly challenging ourselves to raise the bar and emerging victors. I am sure all of you will rise to these new challenges too. I look forward to standing on this platform again next year on this day to laud you for your efforts and achievements.Good luck!

02

The Kohinoor family is all smiles on Kohinoor Foundation Day

MAKING KOHINOOR ...Continued from page 1

April - June 2015

“If you have it in you, there’s a whole new world waiting for you...”

There are many forms of goddesses and Mahalakshmi

is one form of the Goddess Lakshmi. The way Goddess Mahalakshmi holds the lotus in her hand, and the shankha (conch), chakra (disc), gada (mace) in the others signifies that she is delicate and gentle; at the same time, strong and powerful. This, I would say, best describes ‘feminine power’ or ‘Woman Power’. Woman Power is nothing new. It has been coming down through the ages. A man’s power lies more in his physical strength and is manifested externally, but a woman’s power lies more within her. It is a kind of inner strength.

If we talk about mythology in India, there were great women like Sita, Draupadi, Gandhari, Radha. In the era of kings and queens, we had Jijamata, Rani Padmini, Rani Laxmibai, and many more. This shows India always had strong women and Woman Power was always prevalent from olden days. The power of women is apparent from the way they have risen to the occasion in so many difficult situations and emerged victorious or fought valiantly, but they always held their heads high.

Later, in contemporary India, we have seen powerful women like Mother Teresa and Indira Gandhi. Highly qualified, Indira Gandhi’s transition from ‘goongi gudiya’ to ‘the only MAN in her cabinet’ is phenomenal.

Former President Pratibhatai Patil is another gutsy lady who flew in a fighter plane. At the age of 74, she made history by taking off in a frontline Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jet aircraft from the air force base, becoming the first woman head of the country to fly in a warplane. Not just India, but many countries in the world admired her courage and dedication. By this brave act, she sent out a strong message that ‘Age cannot restrict your ambitions. Only your dedication, inspiration and courage count.’

Even on the international front, there are so many powerful women role models right from Florence Nightingale and Madame Curie to Margaret Thatcher.

As I have already said, a woman’s power is her innate strength. This perhaps comes from the fact that God has intended women to go through the most intense pain of childbirth which naturally makes her very strong with a high tolerance threshold. At the same time, as a potential mother, her maternal instincts make her loving and caring right from childhood. She is tender and soft-hearted as a daughter, sister, mother; at the same time, equally strong and bold, standing up for what she believes in.

Therefore, in civilized society, she is treated with respect by her family members and society for her qualities which are a unique combination of

- Madhavi Joshi Director, Kohinoor Hospital

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tenderness, grace, determination and toughness. Her outer physical appearance alone does not define a woman. It is her overall personality that reflects what she truly is.

Today women are there in every field. They represent the country at the national and international level through Miss India, Miss World and Miss Universe competitions. On the other hand, we see women holding top positions too in various business sectors. To give a few

names - Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank Ltd; Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise; Indra Nooyi, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo; Schauna Chauhan, CEO, Parle Agro; Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairperson, State Bank of India; Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, CMD, Biocon Ltd; Shobhana Bhartia, Chairperson, HT Media. These are just a few examples of powerful women in India in the current scenario.

All these powerful ladies are well-known to us, but it is no easy task for them to achieve a work-life balance. Besides holding such challenging positions at work, they have to fulfil their domestic responsibilities as a wife and mother. Although it is difficult, they gracefully balance both. Such a woman is always ridden with a guilt complex that she is not able to give as much time to her family as a housewife or homemaker can. She feels her children and family do suffer to a little or great extent because of this.

Recently, there was a strong debate on ‘Can women have it all?’ In the sense that can a woman give 100 percent to both, her profession and her family? Also, family members are traditionally inclined to have certain expectations from a daughter or the lady of the house. It is interesting to note Indra Nooyi’s take on this.

The day Indra Nooyi was informed by her Chairman & CEO that she would be announced as President and put on the Board of Directors, she decided to go home earlier than usual and share the good news with her family. She got home at 10 pm (that was early, mind you!) and found her mother waiting for her at the top of the stairs. Indra - “Mom, I’ve got great news for you.” Mom - “Let the news wait. Can you go out and get some milk?”Indra protested saying that her husband who had reached home at 8 pm or some househelp could have got it. Mom – “Just get the milk. We need it for the morning.”So like a dutiful daughter, Indra got the milk and banged it on the kitchen counter saying –Indra – “I had great news for you. I’ve just been told that I’m going to be President on the Board of Directors. And all that you want me to do is go out

03

and get the milk, what kind of a mom are you?” Unfazed Mom - “Let me explain something to you. You might be President of PepsiCo. You might be on the Board of Directors. But when you enter this house, you’re the wife, you’re the daughter, you’re the daughter-in-law, you’re the mother. You’re all of that. Nobody else can take that place. So leave that damned crown in the garage. And don’t bring it into the house. You know I’ve never seen that crown.”

Yes, I think we all realize that ‘Nobody else can take that place’; and we should be proud of it.

This happened almost 15 years ago. But even today, this is the perpetual dilemma of all working women. It is not that they do not get support from their families, but everyone naturally looks up to them for the fulfilment of certain responsibilities as they have been fulfilled by them through the ages.

I think the recent much talked about Airtel commercial depicts the modern woman very aptly. At work, she is the perfect boss. Not ready to compromise on work, she directs her junior (who is also her husband) to stay late and complete an urgent task. But once out of the office, the loving wife in her surfaces. She returns home, cooks for him, waits for him for dinner coaxing him to come home early...and enjoys it.

Modern working women give immense credit to their families and especially to their life partner for giving them unconditional support. Without hurting their personal ego, their life partners support their wife and share their responsibilities. Balancing work and family life is literally a tight rope walk. That is why it is important to provide a support system to such women rather than just talk about Woman Power.

In the modern day scenario, go to any company, office or business establishment, and you are most likely to see at least some ladies working there. In Kohinoor itself, women constitute about one-third of Kohinoor’s workforce. Today, women are there even in fields which were earlier male bastions. Recently, on Republic Day, Wing Commander Pooja Thakur led the Guard of Honour for US President Barack Obama. She became the first lady officer to lead the Inter-Service Guard of Honour which was inspected by Obama at Rashtrapati Bhavan. ‘Nari Shakti’

Continued on page 4

April - June 2015

(Woman Power) was the theme for the Republic Day parade this year where Obama was the chief guest. For the first time, all-women officer contingents of the army, air force and navy walked down the Rajpath on Republic Day. Though India began recruiting women as Short Service Commission (SSC) officers into the armed forces in 1992, she is yet to make up her mind on allowing them to participate in combat. But slowly things are changing and this issue is under consideration. India may soon allow women in combat too. Countries like New Zealand, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Israel and Sweden, however, allow women to serve at all army positions. The US and the UK too allow women to join combat roles, but with a few restrictions. Neighbouring Pakistan also has women fighter pilots in its air force now.

These days, women are also opting for technical and vocational courses to make a career for themselves. In Kohinoor Technical Institute itself, almost 2000 girls have enrolled for various courses over the past two years. This year, there was a 10 percent increase in the number of girls enrolling for our courses as compared to last year. Not only that, there was an increase in the number of girls enrolling for traditional male courses like mechanical and electrical engineering,

Tata Steel started a very interesting project called Tejaswini in 2002 to empower women on their site in Jamshedpur. The Tejaswini Programme gathered the women who swept, cleaned, served tea or did odd jobs at the plant and took the revolutionary step of imparting technical training to these unskilled women. The trained ladies were called Tejaswinis. These Tejaswinis were then absorbed at the site to work shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts performing heavy mechanical tasks like driving giant dumpers and earth-movers and cutting metal with thin sharp blasts of flames. Not only that, under the programme, they are trained to maintain machinery. They perform challenging tasks of opening the dumper engine, greasing it, replacing parts such as crank shafts, pistons, bearings and getting it back on the road. Tejaswini has changed the mindset that heavy work can be handled only by men.

Such is the transformation in the attitude towards women. When my children became grown-up enough to not need me constantly, I decided to pursue something of my liking. And I decided to do

something in Kohinoor itself. Around that time, my husband and Kohinoor Group CMD Unmesh Joshi had started developing the site in Kurla-Vidyavihar where Kohinoor City stands today. He dedicatedly kept part of the plot for healthcare services and another part of it for education. He then gave me the choice to decide where I would like to work, healthcare or education.

Coming from a family of doctors and having a science background, my interest was in healthcare and I opted to work for the upcoming hospital. While the hospital was coming up, I made full use of my time to prepare myself for my future work as Director of the hospital. I completed my study in Healthcare and Hospital Management from Symbiosis. But I was not satisfied with a mere degree. I wanted to actually go out on the field and get to know how the healthcare industry operates. For almost for three to four years, I made it a point to visit various hospitals, medical sites, clinics and other healthcare units to understand how they are run.

Having a medical background or degree and actually managing a hospital are two different things. My degree and field work paid off very well when I got involved in the administration of Kohinoor Hospital because by then I was fully familiar with the working of a hospital.

Being a woman, I can understand a woman’s perspective. We give special attention to the needs and concerns of the female staff and patients in our hospital. We take good care of our hospital nurses and pay attention to their physical and mental well-being. These girls leave their homes in places as far off as Kerala, stay alone here and work with full dedication for the hospital, taking care of our patients. Naturally, they miss their family. In Kohinoor, the work culture is such that we work together like a family referring to Kohinoor Group as Kohinoor Parivaar. It is more so in the hospital as people work long hours; so the hospital becomes their second home and the people in the hospital their family.

The healthcare profession is such that they can seldom take long leave and go home for festivals or to visit their family members; so they miss out on most of the festivals celebrated in style in their native place. We try our best to make up for this by celebrating almost all festivals with a lot of enthusiasm – Pongal, Divali, Christmas and many others. During these celebrations, we have entertainment programs where the staff members get a chance to showcase their diverse talents giving them a good break from their monotonous and often

depressing work. We also organize extracurricular

activities like sports competitions for them – badminton, carrom, musical chairs, lighting the candles, boat race and tug-of-war during Onam, cricket with at least one lady in each team and a prize for Woman of the Match, along with typically feminine activities like a Rangoli competition too. You will be surprised to see how good they are at sports and such activities. They play with a very good sports(wo)manship spirit and take trophies home as well.

We give training to the female housekeeping staff and encourage them to upgrade themselves.

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Various training sessions are organized for the female staff by renowned doctors and professionals on issues ranging from women’s hygiene and healthcare to issues like hair and skin care, importance of grooming etc. During Navratri, we organized a session on Women Empowerment conducted by an expert female trainer. In this interactive session, she shared some success stories of Indian Businesswomen and spoke on various topics - how to strengthen yourself, tackling time bandits, overview on sexual harassment, raising your profile, corporate etiquette, being economically independent, handling emotions and difficult behaviour, personal and business case for EQ, common causes of stress at work and home, assessing your current work-life balance, health tips followed by a Q & A session.

We also reward them for their professional performance. We take patient reviews and felicitate the Employee of the Month, Employee of the Year etc so that they feel happy that their good work is being appreciated. Even non-medical staff members are encouraged to work in different Kohinoor verticals or units to gain experience and get an opportunity for career growth; for example, a girl whose specialization is HR, joined as a Management Trainee about six years ago. After her training, she worked as Assistant Manager-HR for about two years in the hospital and then went on promotion as Deputy Manager-HR to Kohinoor Corporate Office where she is presently working.

In times of emergencies or if female staff members work late into the night, we take the responsibility of making sure that they are reached home safely.

My focus is also on lady patients in our hospital. We develop different customized health packages for lady patients from 18 to 50 plus years of age. We always update the hospital and the hospital equipment with the latest technology. Preventive healthcare measures like mammography and other women-centric problems like gynaecological issues, obesity and skin related problems are given special attention. We make a continuous effort to provide the best of healthcare to our patients as we believe in constantly creating a new benchmark in healthcare.

Not only that, very rarely do people bother about patients’ family members and relatives. When a patient gets admitted to hospital, the family members and relatives go through a lot of anxiety, mental and physical stress. As a new initiative for patient welfare, we have started Meditation and Yoga sessions for all patient relatives in the hospital to combat this stress.

Often, they are so preoccupied taking care of the patient, that they neglect their own health. Therefore, along with Yoga, we make a dietician and nutritionist available to them so that they not only know what to give the patient if home food is permitted, but also know what and when they should also eat to take care of themselves.

I feel very proud that I have the full support of my family to fulfil my ambitions. They have always been very encouraging and helped me to balance my work and family life. According to me, Women’s Liberation is a thing of the past. Today’s woman, I feel, is liberated. The attitude of family members and society at large towards women has changed

“If you have it in you...Continued from page 3

Continued on page 5Making lady staff members feel special on Women’s Day

April - June 2015

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will see quite a few lady traffic constables managing the heavy traffic of Mumbai.

Women are there in every field which till some years ago were considered to be exclusively for males. They become architects, civil engineers, pilots, astronauts. Earlier, even in the medical field, girls used to traditionally opt for only some less strenuous streams like pathology, dentistry,

physiotherapy, gynaecology or pharmacology. Today you find them going for surgery and even superspecialization fields in surgery like bariatric surgery.

To give one more relevant example, India’s Monorail project in Mumbai was spearheaded by a lady, Ashwini Bhide. She was Additional Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA, for six and a half years and played a major role in mobilizing this project including deciding the design and bright colours of the monorail coaches. Now, if infrastructure projects of a huge city like Mumbai can be headed by a lady, then what is there to stop us from entering any field? Ladies, times are

certainly changing and the future is bright for us. If you have it in you, there is a whole new world waiting for you.

I would say that with this social change, being a girl should never come in the way of any girl to take up what she likes. She should just consider her liking and aptitude and go ahead. It is important that she should enjoy what she is doing; only then will she able to give it her all and become successful in her field.

Before I conclude, I would like to share a very inspiring poem by Dr Harivanshrai Bachchan -

05

Sharmila Phadnis To Sonal Satelkar

Behind every successful man

there is a woman, is an age old saying. But in today’s world, there are so many successful women. Surely, there will be at least one man behind every successful woman. In my case this is especially true. I would never have come this far in my profession without the support of not just one but at least four men – my father, husband, son and my ultimate boss Kohinoor CMD Unmesh Joshi.

I grew up in a family of three sisters with no blood brother. Being the youngest girl in the family, I was a spoilt pampered kid. Even as I grew up, I had no career aspirations. I was Sharmila Phadnis, an ordinary girl, who thought nothing beyond getting married one day to her Prince charming and having a cushy life. Had you asked me 30 years ago what I aspire to be, I would probably have said, “I want to be a homemaker and blow my husband’s money.”

But little did I know then that destiny had something very different in store for me. After completing my graduation in 1986, I went on to do my Law. This was more so as per the will and desire of my father who was an eminent lawyer himself. While I was pursuing my law, my father constantly advised me to take up further studies in management. To me, it was more than enough that I completed my Law. I preferred to get married and settle down.

In 1989, I got my degree in Law. In the same year I got married and became Sonal Satelkar. Initially, it was just one man in my life, my father, who would keep nudging me to study and make a career; now, my husband too joined the bandwagon.

After completing my LLB, I joined a leading solicitor firm Kanga and Co. in Mumbai. I did my articleship with them for two years. Due to certain personal health problems, I couldn’t appear for my solicitor’s examination. But I have absolutely no regrets about it.

From 1991 to 1998, I had a long gap in my career, but this gap was filled with a new role, the most challenging role of my life, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I

- Sonal SatelkarProgram Head

Kohinoor College of Paramedical Sciences

became a wholetime mother to my two wonderful kids Advait and Chaitravee. I used this time to bond closely with my children when they were young.

In 1998, I got this amazing opportunity to work for Kohinoor. This is when I actually started my professional career and then there was no looking back. Sharmila Phadnis became Sonal Satelkar in 1989. But the real Sonal Satelkar started shaping up only in May 1998 after joining Kohinoor Group as Legal Manager. In those days, Kohinoor was a sleek organization with few people. Although there were departments and divisions, this small team of people was multifunctional with members willing to help one another in times of urgencies or mounted work pressures. I had the privilege of reporting directly to Kohinoor Group CMD Unmesh Joshi.

I would never have been where I am today if I did not get the encouragement, support and opportunities Unmesh Sir (as we all refer to him) has put my way. His role in moulding my career is of immense value to me. Right from understanding my temperament to understanding my interests, Sir has always given me opportunities that have helped me grow in my career. At every step, he guided me and showed me the right direction. His most valuable advice was - start taking decisions and you will learn to take the right decisions. I have learnt from him the art of delegation and the art of empowering people. He has put me in challenging situations and it was left to me to weather the storms and learn to swim in deep rough seas. He constantly pulled me out of my comfort zone and transplanted me into new learning zones. This, to me, has been a part of my career development. Very few people get such bosses and opportunities. The challenge for me has always been to live up to the expectations of Unmesh Sir and never let him down. And believe me, this certainly, is no easy task!

I have been in Kohinoor now for almost 17 years. I have transited from departments to divisions, taking on different roles. My major stint in Kohinoor was as Corporate Human Resource Manager. I pursued and completed my MHRDM (Master in Human Resource Development Management) just after I joined Kohinoor. With two small kids, one actually a toddler, a job and a family to manage, it wasn’t an easy task to pursue my education. Again, I must add here that without Unmesh Sir’s encouragement and backing, this would never have been possible.

Here, I will also give credit to Advait who was around eight years old then. My little boy would make sure I studied, would check on me if I had got the time to read for my exams and would also share the responsibility of looking after his baby sister so that I could get time to work on my projects and assignments. I handled the Corporate HR of Kohinoor Group for 13 years. Since I am a hard core HR professional at heart, I have enjoyed this stint the most. I was also the Head of HR for our Real Estate Division.

Ever since I made up my mind to make a career for myself, all I have asked from anyone who could offer me anything to further my profession is just an opportunity; an opportunity to do good, challenging, satisfying work and prove

If you have it in you...Continued from page 4

Continued on page 6

April - June 2015

Yoga to soothe frayed nerves

considerably. Women are encouraged to study and pursue their ambitions. They also get adequate support from the family. Go to any office and you will see so many women working and holding responsible positions. Even when you go out on the road, you

06

myself. One such opportunity I got was to enter the teaching field. While working in Kohinoor, I also became a guest lecturer and started teaching students of undergraduate and post graduate management courses. It’s been 10 years now that I am into the teaching profession. This has added a new dimension to my profile and has proved to be very fulfilling.

Another good thing that has happened to me at Kohinoor is that I was made a Trustee of Premier Shikshan Mandal. This Trust runs a government aided school Gandhi Bal Mandir in Kohinoor City. The school has around 1800 students, most of them from very modest backgrounds. Working closely with the school Principals for the overall development of our students is something that keeps me alive and kicking. When I feel low for any reason, I pay a visit to the school. This place brings a smile on my face. It gives me a feeling of being blessed to be able to touch the lives of these kids in some way.

In 2011, I was offered another challenging opportunity of establishing and managing Kohinoor College of Paramedical Sciences (KCPS). By now, I had grown to love taking on challenges. My KCPS experience is something I’ll cherish all my life.

I guess it time to move on now. This time it is KTI. I am now looking forward

to working with the KTI team and adding some value to this division, Kohinoor Technical Institute, which is very close to Unmesh Sir’s heart. I take this opportunity Sir, to thank you for your faith and confidence in me and for your never ending support in grooming and shaping my career.

I may keep transiting from departments to divisions, move from Operations to Business Development, but what will always be close to my heart is organizational development and human capital development. Apart from my development and career progression in Kohinoor, I am also fortunate enough to be a qualified Coach and a Psychometric Assessor.

Each day of my journey in Kohinoor has been beautiful. Of course, there were some frustrating moments, but tell me, which profession does not have such moments? At such times, I have strongly voiced whatever I felt and I am grateful that my colleagues have heard me and understood me. I may have felt temporarily let down but deep down in my heart I know for sure that Kohinoor will never let me down.

One gratifying feeling I genuinely have is that I am truly blessed to be a part of Kohinoor; and let me tell you, on a lighter note, that there are many who envy my good fortune.

From Sharmila Phadnis to Sonal Satelkar, it’s been a great journey so far. And the road ahead too looks promising and welcoming!

Very Much At Home In Kohinoor- Bharati Ulpe

Executive HousekeeperKohinoor Continental

“Best Department – Kohinoor Continental Housekeeping”

The moment is engraved deep in my mind. This announcement by CMD Sir on Kohinoor

Foundation Day was sweet music to my ears. We were proud of our achievement and rejoiced at our success. After spending 11 golden years with Kohinoor, I felt elated that my department had won this honour.

But even after such a long tenure, the learning process is still on. Creativity and Innovation is one of Kohinoor’s Core Values. This achievement now spurs me to outdo myself. With renewed vigour, I have once again become a fresh explorer to try new methods to optimize the resources, time and cost for Kohinoor Continental.

Before joining Kohinoor Group, I had worked in different hospitality segments, working across different environments. This experience and the people I worked with helped me to understand multiple cultures.

I joined Kohinoor Continental in 2003. What struck me was the warm family atmosphere across the entire Group. We refer to Kohinoor as the Kohinoor family. I was always keen on developing new methods and more effective systems in my department. The family environment encouraged me to express my ideas freely. I received full support from the Vice President of our Hotels Division, Mr Mukund Kamat, and gradually, I implemented these ideas and set systems in place for more effective functioning of my department. My previous work experience helped me a lot in these endeavours.

In my initial years, our CMD Sir also played a key role in helping us build up our SOPs. With continued support and trust by our seniors, we are continuously improving our systems. Strong support and guidance from our top seniors works like a magic potion. It egged us on to become a passionate, energetic and trustworthy team to achieve goals together as one. Regular interaction with the staff helped in maintaining lower attrition.

Although the hospitality industry demands long working hours, Kohinoor has a welcome work-life balance approach. This helps me to take care of my personal commitments and also allows me to devote some time for socio-welfare services. I could thus get associated with the NGO ‘Save A Child’. I help in different activities carried out by our social group to develop an adopted village near Karla-Lonavala. We have helped the village people by donating school material, holding free medical camps and other such activities. Such activities give me a sense of fulfilment of being of some help to a less fortunate section of society.

No doubt, all this would not have been possible without great family support. I am fortunate to have such a lovely life companion in Anoop who has always walked in step with me and encouraged to go the extra mile.

Here at Kohinoor, Continuous Learning is one of our key values. We are encouraged to upgrade ourselves through various trainings. Some of the major trainings that have really helped me are Balance Score Card, Changing Trends In Leadership Style, Art Of Selling For Non-sales Staff and Interview skills. Recently, we went through a training session based on Malcolm Balridge’s Business Excellence Model, which is one of the most popular and influential models. These trainings help us to update ourselves with different industry practices.

Post the predicament in Delhi, it has become a focus of every organization to ensure safety and security of its female staff. But Kohinoor Group has always been one of the safest and most secure organizations to work with, especially for ladies. The Group believes in empowering its womanforce, extends its warmth and concern for continuous safety of its lady employees.

In my ongoing journey of 11 years with Kohinoor, I never realized when Kohinoor became my second home.

And I always feel very much at home in Kohinoor.

Sharmila Phadnis To Sonal Satelkar...Continued from page 5

With her social group

The Satelkar family

April - June 2015

07

LIVING LIFE BY THE DAY- Madhulika Siddiqui

Assistant General Manager-AdministrationKohinoor Global Campus, Khandala

Brought up by a doctor father and a homemaker mother in a traditional Rajput family, I was blessed with two boons – studying in a convent school

followed by graduation from a good college and a comfortable lifestyle. After graduation, the natural consequence was marriage to a boy chosen by the family, as it is in traditional families.

I was no career girl and had no dreams of making a career for myself. But destiny ordained otherwise. Sitting at home and waiting for the right match was not my cup of tea; and so, I started working after graduation.

Around this time, I met a smart and handsome pilot, an officer with IAF Flying Helicopter, Squadron Leader Farhat Siddiqui. I was completely swept off my feet by his charm and grace. We decided to live our life together and tied the knot against all odds in 1991. We decided we will not take any help from either of our parents and set up our dream home ourselves.

Yes, hardships did follow but we had each other, working towards our dream of a beautiful life together. Within two years we had set up our beautiful home. By the beginning of the third year of our togetherness, we were blessed with our first daughter Sana, and by the time she was three, the second angel Lubna, joined our family. When I conceived my first born, as I was stepping into motherhood, I promised myself that come what may, I will do anything to bring up my child to the best of my ability and fulfil our dreams! ‘Our Dream’ became the Pole Star of my life, a ‘Guiding Star’ to be followed that would take me on the path of realizing our dreams.

My husband and I were determined partners and soulmates walking shoulder to shoulder on this path. We had a wonderful eight and a half years of togetherness and close companionship. Everything was going fine. I had started working again after a five-year break. My daughters were six and three, we had bought our first brand new car. We were living our dream; we were in bliss when…..

One fine day in 1999, after I returned from work. I felt a strange restlessness….. and soon came the news that shattered my world …. I had lost my husband in an air crash…. He was on a rescue mission … his aircraft was shot down from the ground.

Being a pilot’s wife I was aware of this frightening reality from the day I decided to get married; but as long as things are going fine, one gets complacent with the subconscious thought, “Oh well, it won’t happen to me.” Now... it had actually happened.

With his crash, our life also was shattered to pieces. It hit me like a thunderbolt. I had no choice but to face it. No doubt, with time, I picked up the pieces of my life and got a hold on myself. But, to tell you the truth, I have still not got over it.

Soon after losing him, we realized that we would have to leave our accommodation at the Air Force base. I really didn’t know where to go, so I decided to go to ‘Jodhpur’, a known territory.

I got my daughters admitted in the best school of Jodhpur. The management of the school was kind enough. They created a post for me and recruited me as a Public Relations Officer.

A little later, there was a change in the IAF policy, and I got a house in the Air Force station at Jodhpur for two years. This was a great help. It gave me a base to nurture trust in myself, accept some realities of life and build up my confidence that I could be a capable breadwinner of the family, set goals and achieve them.

However, it took me hardly any time to realize that a widow is always looked down upon by society. People hesitate to be associated with her, they are reluctant to help, even if they do, it is simply out of pity. By the time the full impact of this hit me, more than one year of stay at the Air Force station in Jodhpur had passed by.

I wanted to hire a dwelling for the three of us, but no one trusted me. They had no confidence that I could pay the rent and felt it was not safe to give me a house on lease. I didn’t know what to do. I was always worried. Where will we go after a few months when we will have to vacate the house at the Air Force base? This thought kept nagging me constantly. But God came to my rescue.

Those days in Jodhpur, high rise buildings were looked down upon. Staying in a bungalow was a status symbol. There were only two high rise buildings in

Jodhpur then. I zeroed down on one of them and approached the builder for renting out a flat, but he refused saying it was available only for outright purchase.

Fortunately, during the course of our conversation, something clicked and he agreed to give me a flat on rent; but only till the time he got a suitable a buyer for the place. Having scant choice, I agreed and gave him a deposit of ` 25,000/- as advance for eight months’ rent.

Next day, I approached a bank for a loan. Those days, banks were not very friendly. The bank was on the verge of refusing the loan, as I could not get any guarantor, a herculean task as no one wanted to be a guarantor for a widow. I walked into the Manager’s office and shared my woes with him and he showed me a way out.

Finally, I had to mortgage the flat and give an additional bond of ` 6 lakhs (my one and only life‘s saving) as guarantee; only then could I convince the bank to give me a loan of ̀ 6.25 lakhs to buy the house. With the loan approved, I got my first taste of success and this reinforced my self-confidence. Yes, I am capable of doing something worthwhile in life! It was a great feeling.

This was a milestone achieved, and certainly, no mean achievement.Within two years of the loss of my husband, I had succeeded in buying our

own flat. Finally, we now had a secure roof over our heads. A house I could call our own, our home sweet home, where I could enter with pride and grace.

I was only thirty and half, when I lost my husband. As a young widow, I would often attract wrong advances. When I shared this with a few friends, they got worried and started looking for a suitable match for me without my knowledge and one fine day, one of them broke the news that she had found a ‘suitable match’ for me.

But this so called ‘suitable match’ was laden with conditions - that the ‘prospective groom’ was ready to accept the ‘widow’ in his life but not her daughters. The girls would have to stay in a hostel; he would finance their education, and later, their marriage, but he would not allow my daughters to stay with me in ‘his’ house.

This set me thinking. “How can I let anyone decide my future and my daughters’ future, just because he is a man, a provider, and has money?” That day I made a solemn vow to myself - Whatever happens, I will not let anyone steer the course of my life. I will be the provider for my daughters and I will decide which way my life goes. No one, repeat…..no one can have that power over me!

With grit, sincerity and integrity, I contributed my best at my workplace, established the Pre-Primary section, starting from scratch, right from setting up the classrooms to setting up the curriculum, so on and so forth. I got back to teaching and continued for two years. This set the ball rolling for others to follow. After a while, I was called back into administration again. Here too, I contributed my best with full determination, sincerity and grace.

Continued on page 8

April - June 2015

08

But the bug in my mind…. the promise I had made to myself kept nudging me. I got a couple of good job offers. The salary offered was great, but those boarding schools were not ready to keep my daughters on the campus for the first year of my job with them. My choice was clear….. ‘I wasn’t going anywhere without my daughters’…..my eyes were always on the mission that I had created for my life. Seven years passed by in this process….. but like Arjun who could see only the eye of the fish, my eyes were always focused on my goal.

A lot of water had flown under the bridge in seven years. A co-pilot’s wife had got her own Gas Agency and was running it successfully. In spite of all efforts, I was still running from pillar to post to get one. I was fighting for my rightful pension dues… fighting it out with the system, with no support from any family member, friends or society……all ALONE.

In June 2007, one fine day, I got information that defence forces were allowing eligible widows to do a certificate course along with the officers at prestigious institutes of India, including IIM, Ahmedabad.

I applied for it and got a call for the interview at Directorate General Resettlement - DGR, New Delhi. I faced the board and was selected for IIM, Ahmedabad. The course was scheduled to commence in October 2007, but lo and behold! Another hurdle! The board had genuine concern that there were limited seats and if an Officer applied, he would supersede me and I may lose out on the chance….. but they gave me an offer of NMIMS, Mumbai…. But again, there was a catch. The course was scheduled to start in a month’s time……. I grabbed the offer and within 25 days I was in Mumbai.

But before I left for Mumbai, a lot was to be taken care of back home. In May 2007 I had sold my Maruti Car and with whatever savings I had, I had bought a new Santro; so I had no cash or saving in hand, I was completely broke.

I then approached the bank to release my FD which had grown to nine and a half lakhs. By this time, I had become a Star loan repayer of the bank. The bank authorities were very helpful. They released my FD so that I could use the earned interest and surrender the principal as guarantee.

With three and a half lakhs in hand, I could take care of all the immediate expenses for myself and my daughters. I was relieved, no doubt, but I would now be without a job and any earning for the next seven months.

Every situation in my life required me to take on different roles and adapt to the changed circumstances. Some needed microplanning some needed me to take calculated risks. It completely depended on the situation and I kept moving forward…

At NMIMS, I was looked down upon by fellow coursemates. No one accepted that I deserved to be there… but soon the tables turned. My coursemates recognized my worth and accepted that they were wrong in their perception, we all would sit together and study... I would make PPTs for them as most of them were not so computer savvy... Imagine me teaching them Finance and Statistics ... my notes would get circulated amongst the entire class... just can’t get over it. I smile with fondness when I think of those days.

Most of the coursemates at NMIMS are good friends and a few very close…. friends for life! I cherish them and always wish well for them!

After this, I got a campus placement with the Kohinoor Group and joined at Kohinoor Global Campus (KGC) in Khandala. Soon the girls joined me and we were back together after a separation of nine months.

A big challenge was waiting for me at KGC, Khandala. I took stock of the situation for two months, set small goals, succeeded in establishing peace and discipline in the students’ hostel, streamlined the campus processes and documentation. This was my achievement, but the bigger challenge for me was to create a niche for myself. In due course, the Kohinoor management recognized my efforts and promoted me to the position of Assistant General Manager.

I was a graduate with a Certificate Course from NMIMS and 13 years of experience when I joined at KGC in January 2008. But I always felt the urge to do more. Hence I enrolled for PGDBM from NMIMS in 2012, and this February I cleared my exams, I shall be receiving my PGDBM Diploma soon.

When people ask me what are your future career aspirations ….. I smile and say NONE. It is difficult for them to accept it. But that is what the truth is. It is so difficult to make people understand my viewpoint. How can you have a dream? At every turn, life throws a challenge at you and all your planning and dreams go for a toss... you survive and live on from one day to the next. After going through so much, I am scared to dream... “Sapno ke tootne ki awaz nahi hoti, tootne ki chubhan sirf aakhon mein dikhtee hai.”

All through the travails of life I went through, I did not get support from my near and dear ones. In fact, there was ridicule and criticism to break my spirit and pull me down. But this made me only stronger. At the same time, God gave me some real true friends who have stood by me like a ROCK all along.

Seven years in KGC have given me strong stability. It is my second home. No doubt, life’s struggle goes on. Just this year, my daughter Lubna cleared entrance for medical college. It was fraught with difficulties due to ridiculous rules, but finally, we succeeded. At this time, my colleagues in Kohinoor went all the way out to help me.. ‘Thank you’ would be too small a word. My heartfelt gratitude to all, we shall be grateful to all the helping hands throughout our life.

LIVING LIFE BY THE DAY ...continued from page 7

Continued on page 9In the lap of nature

Not without my angels Sana and Lubna!

April - June 2015

09

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ìhmdo `mgmR>r {S>Q>OªQ> nmdS>a, IS>y>, _oU~Î`m, CX~Î`m V`ma H$aÊ`mMo hr à{ejU H$mo{hZyaZo {Xbo. Bór, {_Šga, AmoìhZ `m J¥{hUrÀ`m amoOÀ`m dmnamVë`m dñVy d Qy>-pìhba ̀ m gJù`mMr XoI^mb d àmW{_H$ XþéñVrMo _{hbm§gmR>rMo dH©$em°nhr Am¡a§Jm~mX_Ü`o Pmb.

AmVmn`ªV ho gJi H$aV hmoVo Vo Am¡a§Jm~mX ~«±M_Ü`o nU AmVm ‘amR>dmS>çmV ZdrZemIm gwê$ H$am`À`m hmoË`m Ë`mgmR>r [aOZb _°ZoOa åhUyZ _mPr {ZdS> Pmbr. Am¡a§Jm~mX {gS>H$mo g°Q>obmB©Q> ~«±«M, na^Ur, Zm§XoS> `oWo ZdrZ ~«±M gwê$ Ho$ë`m. àdoemgmR>r Amboë`m {dÚmÏ`m©bm H$mC§{gqbJnmgyZ dJ© KoÊ`mn`ªV ~«±M_Ü`o gJù`m àmogog ñdV… Ho$boë`m hmoË`m Ë`mMm \$m`Xm Pmbm {edm` ì`dpñWV aoH$m°S>©g², Q>r_ dH©$ Am{U Q>mJ}Q>nyU© Pmë`mZo Am_À`m Am¡a§Jm~mX Q>r_bm gbJ XmoZ df© ~oñQ> ~«±M hr {\$aVr Q´>m°\$s {_imbr.

ór åhUyZ Hw$R>o H$_r nS>m`Mm àíZ ZìhVm nU VoìhmÀ`m n[apñWVrÀ`m H$mhr _`m©Xm hmoË`mM. Eg².Q>r ~gMm AZma{jV àdmg, ñdÀN>Vm J¥hm§Mm A^md, gwa{jV hm°Q>obMm àíZ. _J H$m` OdinmgÀ`m ZmVodmB©H$m§Mr Ka emoYm`Mr. _mo~mB©b Va Voìhm ZìhVmM, AmVm _mo~mB©bMm _moR>m AmYma AgVmo. Am¡a§Jm~mXbm {dÚmÏ`mªgmR>r ~«±M_Ü`oM Voìhm hm°ñQ>ob hmoV. Ë`m {dÚmÏ`mªZr ~mhoa EH$Xm JS>~S> Ho$br Am{U nmobrgmV VH«$ma Pmbr. Vr gmoS>dm`bm nmobrg ñQ>oeZMr nm`ar MT>m`Mrhr doi _bm Ambr. ‘hmamï´>m~mhoa n{hb nmD$b nS>b Vo B§Xÿa ~«±MÀ`m {Z{_ÎmmZo, Voìhm _r B§Xÿa ~«±M Am¡a§Jm~mXhÿZ ~Km`Mo, Ë`mZ§Va amÁmñWmZ~amo~a JwOamV amÁ`mV ~«±Mog S>oìhbn H$aÊ`mMr g§Yr {_imbr. gwédmVrbm JwOamV_Ü`o ~S>moXm hr EH$M ~«±M hmoVr. Ë`mZ§Va gyaV, Ah_Xm~mX AmU§X d amOH$moQ> Am{U AH$am b{ZªJ g|Q>a gwê$ Ho$br. na^mfm, naamÁ` ̀ mMr gd` Pmbr. gVV Q´>oZ d ~gMm àdmg `m gJù`m AZw^dmVyZ KS>U gwê$ hmoVr, Ë`mVyZ AmË_{dídmg {Z_m©U Pmbm.

H$mo{hZyaÀ`m gJù`mM ~«±«°Mog²_Ü`o ñQ>±S>S>m©`PoeZ ìhmdo `m H$m_mgmR>r àm°S>ŠQ> _°ZoOa åhUyZ _bm H$mo{hZyaÀ`m H$m°nm}aoQ> Am°{\$g-XmXa_Ü`o H$m_ H$am`Mr O~m~Xmar {Xbr Jobr. {gb°~g², ZmoQ>g², ñQ>±S>S>© à°pŠQ>H$b ‘Q>o[a¶b `mgmR>r dZ dw_Z Am_u åhUyZ H$m_ Ho$b. {~«Q>re ñQ>±S>S>© BpÝñQ>Q>çyQ>H$Sy>Z Am`.Eg.Amo. brS> Am°S>rQ>aÀ`m Q´>oqZJMr g§Yr {_imbr d H$mo{hZya Q>opŠZH$b BpÝñQ>Q>çyQ>Mr _°ZoO_|Q> [aàoP|Q>oQ>rìh hmoVm Amb§. h¡Xam~mX_Ü`o nm`bQ> àm°OoŠQ> gwê$ H$aÊ`mgmR>r {ZdS> Pmbr, Ho$.Q>r.Am`.À`m Ë`mdoiÀ`m S>m`aoŠQ>a X`m gw§Xa_² `m§À`m~amo~a Mma _{hZo h¡Xam~mXbm am[hbo. Z{dZ àmoOoŠQ>da H$m_ Ho$ë`mZo Z{dZ Jmoï>r {eH$m`bm {_imë`m. gÜ`m BpÝñQ>Q>çyeZ {~PZoggmR>r B-Q>|S>[a¨J‘ܶo àm{dÊ` {‘idU gwê$ Amho.

_{hbm åhUyZ g§YrMr H$_VaVm H$mo{hZya_Ü`o H$YrM OmUdbr Zmhr H$s _`m©Xmhr Amë`m ZmhrV. A{gñQ>§Q> gwnadm`Pa Vo A{gñQ>§Q> OZab _°ZoOa øm H$mo{hZya Hw$Qw>§~mVrb àdmgmbm Mmodrg df© H$er Pmbr Vo H$ibM Zmhr. dS>rbm§Zr {Xbobm g„m {H$Vr `mo½` hmoVm `mMr à{MVr Ambr.

AmnU àm_m{UH$, à`ËZdmXr, _ohZVr d nmaXe©H$ Agm`bm bmJVM nU àJVrbm OmoS> bmJVo Vr àaUoMr, {dídmgmMr Am{U _mJ©Xe©ZmMrhr. åhUyZM {OÔ Vw_Mr, _mJ©Xe©Z Am_Mo ho H$mo{hZya Q>opŠZH$b BpÝñQ>Q>çyQ>Mo ~«rXdmŠ` Ho$di H$mo{hZyaÀ`m {dÚmWmªH$arVmM Zmhr Va Am_À`m H$aVm gwÜXm Amho ho Iao.

I take each day as it comes and thank God, I think that is the best way to live. Equanimity is a virtue which helps you tide through life with a level head, remain calm, content and happy with what you have.

A lot is yet to be done. I always ask myself how comfortable my husband would have kept us had he been alive today. That is my benchmark and if I am somewhere near that, I am happy. Today, I have reached a milestone on my life’s journey. Sana is doing her MBA while Lubna is on her way to becoming a doctor. And I am quite satisfied that I have reached here with my daughters holding my hands.

I am sharing the story of my life with a wish that what I have gone through might grant solace and be of some help to someone, God forbid, who may have to go through such difficulties in life.

All I would like to say is – No calamity is so great that it can overpower us. As the most superior creation of God, we have the strength to rise above all calamities. Just evoke that power and strength within you.

Mother Teresa said, “I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.”

As for me, I have developed the attitude - God has given me this because He trusts me to handle it. And I will live up to His Trust.

Believe me; it helps tremendously in life!

LIVING LIFE BY THE DAY ...continued from page 8

’°$eZ {S>PmBqZJ CnH«$‘

April - June 2015

10

My Alma Mater, Career Sculptor

- Rashmi DattaAssistant Relationship Manager

Kohinoor Square

I suppose that my stars and those of Kohinoor had to converge at some point, for I have been

treading the path of life along with Kohinoor ever since I completed my graduation. Kohinoor has offered me many good opportunities and the opportunity to share with all you wonderful people my experience with Kohinoor is one more such opportunity for which I am truly grateful.

For all of you who aren’t aware, before joining the Group as an Assistant Relationship Manager, I was a student at Kohinoor Business School and Center for Management Research (KBSCMR), Khandala. So in effect, I have been a part of the group for almost five years now.

There’s a very interesting story behind how my association with Kohinoor began. My first encounter with Kohinoor happened when I was still an undergrad management student at Lala Lajpat Rai College in Mumbai. Unlike most of my classfellows, I did not wish to take a break after graduating, which is why I was appearing for entrance exams simultaneously along with my final year course, to further my study in Management. I had interviewed with a whole bunch of colleges in Mumbai and was absolutely certain that I didn’t want to leave town to pursue further studies. After all, Mumbai is the land of opportunity and why would I want to leave from here to try my luck elsewhere?

My mother, like all Indian mommies who take keen interest in their child’s welfare, would accompany me to most of these colleges for the GD and PI process. While I would be in one of the classrooms, she’d do a mental assessment of the college based on its infrastructure, staff, library, transport routes available to the place etc and on our way back she’d announce her decision on whether or not I should attend there.

One random day, we received a letter at home which was addressed to my younger sister inviting her to enrol with Kohinoor Group’s Business School in Khandala.

My sister is a year younger to me and I wondered why the letter was addressed to her while I was the one college hopping to find the right academe to polish my skills and intellect. The self-confessed hothead that I am, I decided to take this up with the first person who’d answer the call-to-action number printed on the letter. In the background, I also ran a check on the institute - Kohinoor Business School and Center for Management Research, Khandala, and found the campus a complete stunner. Also, the college was then rated as the 10th Best Business School in the West India region.

On speaking to the representative from the education department, I learned that I had missed the opportunity to participate in the GD and PI rounds in Mumbai and that I would have to travel to Khandala if I wanted to attend the same. The idea seemed fine to me at that time as I had just completed my mid-semester exams and was anyway looking for a break. Also, somewhere in my mind, I knew that I wouldn’t move to Khandala even if I was offered admission there.

So as usual, my mom and I set out on our field trip with all documents in tow. But this time, on completing my rounds of selection, surprisingly enough, my mom ruled in favour of KBSCMR, Khandala. “You don’t love me anymore, do you?” I exclaimed. “You’ve rejected a trillion great colleges in Mumbai to send me to exile?” I cried out. To this Mom calmly replied, beta trust me, you will not regret this. Very soon, both my parents were convincing me to go live the quintessential hostel experience. I tried all the emotional theatrics in my kitty to dissuade my parents, but finally had to concede. Looking back now, I realize how accurate their judgement has been. I’d like to tell all children, please trust your parents’ judgement. They have seen much more of life than you and although you may feel otherwise at times, they have only your good at heart and have to take harsh decisions sometimes. But way back then, I was fuming and sulkily succumbed to their wishes.

Before I knew it, there I was in an alien environment, all dressed in my new uniform to go to college. Time flew by and before I knew it, I had adjusted to my new found life as a hosteller, embroiled between my daily chores and a hectic curricular schedule. Gradually, I emerged out of my sulkiness and slowly grew to like my new residential student life.

One thing that really caught my attention was the way education was imparted at Kohinoor. This approach towards teaching, where the stress was on learning as opposed to passing exams, I had not witnessed even in Mumbai.

By now I was somewhat familiar with the Kohinoor Group. But my first real encounter with the Group’s values and culture, however, came about at the convocation ceremony of the 2007-2009 batch. The Group founder Dr Manohar Joshi and the Group Chairman & Managing Director Unmesh Joshi had presided over the ceremony. It was a great day; a naval band escorted the Chief Guests, faculty members and graduating students into the hall. Parents and junior students were seated in the audience. One by one, all graduating students were felicitated and handed their certificates.

This was followed by a speech by Dr Manohar Joshi. It was this speech that deeply inspired me and is indeed the cornerstone of my association with Kohinoor. Dr Joshi started off by introducing himself, not as an acclaimed politician or a much famed educationist or a successful entrepreneur and neither as the ex-Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He called himself a friend and throughout his discourse, he addressed us as friends only.

Citing examples from his own life, Sir suggested that each one of us should set self goals and that we should be passionate enough to meet them. These goals should fuel the fire in our bellies which should in turn drive us to scale insurmountable heights. He elucidated that, there shall be innumerable road blocks on the way to success, but that hard work and persistence would help us find our way through these difficulties. He insisted that like Arjun, at all times, our focus had to be on the eye of the fish, that is, our goal in life and that we should never lose sight of it. He encouraged us to keep studying further to augment our personality and accelerate our careers. He emphasized that age is no bar for education. He also suggested that life is not always going to be a bed of roses and that we should not only be prepared for failures but should embrace them with open arms, as these failures will set the foundation stone for our upcoming successes. Sir insisted we should not give anyone or anything the right or power to dishearten us or deter us from achieving our goal. He also hinted that in all our endeavours, we should remember our roots and make an effort to give back to the community. He maintained that all initiatives we wish to undertake should be with the blessings and good wishes from our parents, elders and teachers and that our actions should never be such as to hurt their sentiments or betray their trust. However, the most important thought that Sir tried to instil in us that day was that each and every one of us should sometime down the line start his/her own business and be the master of our own destiny.

Continued on page 11Graduation Day at KBSCMR

April - June 2015

11

Throughout my stay in Khandala, I tried to practice Sir’s principles. I strived to gain knowledge to the best of my ability. Good grades automatically followed. For me, this was like a bonus in my quest for knowledge. I persevered with diligence, put in hard work and made sure that even leisure taught me something; so while most of my friends would go sightseeing, I would stay back in my room and read up world news or watch the travel and living channel to learn about different cultures and cuisines.

Inspired by Sir’s idea of constant self-improvement through education, I took up and aced the National Stock Exchange Certified Capital Markets Professional Course along with my curriculum and also completed an industrial training with Coca Cola.

I was also among the select few students who were invited to attend Kohinoor Group’s Golden Jubilee celebrations in Mumbai where the then President Hon’ble (Mrs) Pratibha Devisingh Patil was the Chief Guest. It was on this occasion that I actually witnessed how technological advancement can be realized while preserving traditions; how prosperity and modesty can coexist and how for employees, the organization that they are affiliated to, is not just the place where they invest time to earn their bread and butter but a place where they invest the essence of their being. I was deeply impressed by this. The seal of Shivaji Maharaj that was extended as a memento for the ceremony to all guests as part of the takeaway gift still rests proudly on the showcase in my living room.

By now, I was certain that I too wanted to be part of one such organization on postgraduating, but I had never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would be awarded the prospect of starting my career with the very same company I so looked up to.

As the time for final placements neared, my schedule was busier than ever trying to collate all that I had learned in the last two years and channelizing the same into interview specific answers. I interviewed with a couple of good companies, both on and off campus. My parents

would urge me to take up job offers that seemed good to them, but to me somehow I hadn’t found the right fit.

Then towards the fag end of the placement season came an opportunity to interview with ‘Kohinoor Square’. I hadn’t heard of Kohinoor Square then, but Kohinoor rang a bell in my mind. Immediately, so many questions cropped up in my mind. Kohinoor Square….. Square…..what is it? Is it a part of the Kohinoor Group? I went around asking everyone - Have you heard the name before? The JD is interesting, isn’t it? Etcetera-etcetera. My campus was rife with questions and rumours.

After turning down a few offers myself and facing rejection a couple of times, I finally took a decision. Though I know very little about this job opening, I’m definitely applying for it. If it’s Kohinoor - it ought to be good, I thought to myself. With this belief, I submitted my application and was one of the 30 odd students who had decided to try their luck with Kohinoor Square. After a gruelling interview process, I got the job. I don’t have words to express what I felt back then. I was so grateful that my hard work had finally been acknowledged. I was on top of the world.

On selection, the mandate given to me was to start work immediately after my end term exams. What I was experiencing then was a mix of anxiety and excitement, which I’d like to call ‘anxitement - a state of mind wherein a person is both excited to explore the novel proposition at hand, but at the same time, gripped by the fear of the unknown. In all my anxitement, I joined Kohinoor Square as a fresher with only three months of professional internship experience. However, as opposed to all my jitters, I was received really well and was allowed time to get on par with my colleagues.

Three months into my role, I was already operating complex technologies in the Experience Centre responding to just gestures (my colleagues teased me saying it listened only to me) and was felicitated as an ace project presenter. I do remember this one incident where I was called upon to present the project to an important guest who was accompanied by Principal Architect of Kohinoor Square Sandeep Shikre. After completing the presentation, Sandeep Sir very graciously declared that it was an excellent presentation and asked me

where I had graduated from. To this I most pompously replied, that I am from the Kohinoor Family itself and that I have completed my Masters from the Group’s Kohinoor Business School in Khandala. This was indeed a moment of triumph for me. I felt that I had made my teachers and Alma mater proud.

Soon after, the then Chief Marketing Officer for the project recommended that I assist the Deputy Manager-Marketing with his duties. Slowly but steadily, over the following six months, my job role expanded to include all aspects of Marketing. There has been no looking back for me since then. I have had the privilege of working with some great professionals, both in-house and externally. I have been awarded the chance to be a part of, and independently execute an array of diverse assignments, right from building websites and tablet applications, to organizing high-end events. And I must say, that all these accomplishments and learning, I attribute to those meaningful words that our founder articulated almost five years ago.

My work has given me the opportunity to expand my boundaries and follow my passions. The kind of creative freedom I enjoy at work, I wonder if my counterparts in other companies get. The trust that the Management has in its employees is immense and offers a great stimulus for achieving optimum results. Today, I feel empowered to take decisions that are in favour of the company and am glad that my opinion is valued. This empowerment results from being backed by a great Management team and colleagues. Even interdepartmental and intervertical ties in the organization are so affable that one has to believe the presence of a common sense of belonging which snugly holds the company together. Not to forget, our CMD Unmesh Joshi especially exemplifies the adage – “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a good leader.” - John Quincy Adams.

In conclusion, allow me to illustrate, what sets Kohinoor apart. The Group’s remarkable commitment to excellence notably comes through from its Vision ‘To Grow Perpetually’. The Vision also reiterates the Group’s drive to institute new paradigms across business verticals and enables it to indeed enliven the soubriquet of a diverse, distinct, multifaceted assemblage of equally versatile patrons. On this note, it becomes imperative to highlight how with the prevalent echelon of competition in each sector, the Group still manages to uphold and abide by its Philosophy ‘To achieve sustained and enduring excellence in every activity by creating an environment for partners, customers, vendors and stakeholders for win-win alliances and for empowerment of employees to ensure growth’. This most certainly comes across as the Mantra for success that Kohinoor stresses on.

However, as they say, Rome was not built in a day, and so the idyllic business milieu that the Group philosophy promotes can result only with incessant practice of the Group’s core values. These seven values of Ethical Business Practices, Customer Focus, Employee Empowerment, Instant and Accurate Decision Making, Continuous Learning, Creativity and Innovation and Result Orientation act as ground rules that guarantee business excellence and warrant progress.

My Alma Mater, Career Sculptor...continued from page 10

Commanding the Experience Centre in Kohinoor Square

April - June 2015

Published By : Hotel Airport Kohinoor Pvt Ltd, Kohinoor Corporate House, Senapati Bapat Marg, Dadar (West), Mumbai - 400 028 Email : kohinoortimes@kohinoorgroup.co.in Editor-In-Chief : Ullhas B Kulkarni Executive Editor : Makarand Vagaskar Editor : Mugdha Deshmukh Principal Correspondent : Amruta Kokate - Kanade Design : Kohinoor Design Cell.Web : www.kohinoorgroup.co.in For private circulation only. The editors and Kohinoor Group do not necessarily subscribe to personal views expressed in this publication. Copyright © 2015 Hotel Airport Kohinoor Pvt Ltd

From A Man’s Point Of View

- Neel BhendeBusiness Analyst

12

While sharing his analysis on Kohinoor Group over the past 10 months, Business Analyst Neel Bhende makes some interesting observations about the ‘women workforce’ of Kohinoor.

Starting a new role in a different industry can be a steep learning curve. I joined Kohinoor as a

Business Analyst for the Group about 10 months ago. This was an entirely new position for the organization. My interview process was great, refreshing and it put me at ease.

Kohinoor as an organization has a deep-rooted legacy which is well-recognized. My on-boarding experience was very positive, though I believe responsibility for a successful on-boarding doesn’t just rest with the organization – there’s a certain amount of initiative you have to take as an individual. It is important to get the right message out in terms of what you are responsible for, articulate your priorities, your values and the journey you intend to take.

I was fortunate enough to be reporting directly to the CMD of the Group. What attracted me to this role was the change agenda which CMD Sir was looking to undertake. In my initial 3-4 months, he asked me to take a quick tour of different businesses. My objective while meeting colleagues from different businesses was to check;• Whatisworking• Whatisnotworking• Whatpeoplewouldliketoseechangedand• Whatyoubelieveshouldbechanged

My initial plan was to:• Gain a solid understanding of how the business operates, at the same time, remember what has come before me and the contribution it has made to where the organization is today.•Identifythekeyissuesandopportunitiesthattheorganization faces and showcase them to CMD Sir.•Build relationshipswith:CMDSirand theseniorleadership team.

Visits to all major business verticals were planned and delivered great connections. The next two months mainly consisted of understanding the concepts of the Business Excellence Model (BEM) and how it can be useful for organizations such as Kohinoor to imbibe, accept and challenge the traditional ways of operating.

My next project was the implementation of the above concepts of BEM. In the course of preparing a forward-looking roadmap for a legacy business, I observed that many staffers who have been working tirelessly and selflessly for more than 15-20 years came from a very humble background.

In spite of difficulties in rising above the traditional roles thrust upon the staff, particularly the womenfolk, it was heartening to note that their humble beginnings did not deter them from taking on the diverse challenges and roles mandated by the business.

I have particularly observed that the organization has entrusted important responsibilities to women. That itself speaks for the fact that Kohinoor believes in woman power. Their loyalty, hard work ethic, forecast vision and the unique female viewpoint that counterbalances the male one (yin and yang) cannot be ignored.

I have now taken on a new role in the CEO’s office in Kohinoor Technical Institute. Recently, I read a very interesting article on Role of Women in Marketing and was delighted to see the insight that I was offered, partly because internally the Management Team of Kohinoor Technical Institute was also thinking ‘Out of the Box’ to evolve the traditional marketing into a ‘Disruptive Sales and Marketing Agenda’;

To give you an extract from that article -Quote

Do you want 2015 to be your year of personal and business glory and financial reward? Do you want to innovate and disrupt? Do you want to demonstrate breakthrough creativity that has everyone talking about your brand? Do you want to sell more products than ever before?

There is one easy, simple step you can take right now to begin making all of this happen immediately.Hire three women.

Men - you feel more comfortable working, hiring, promoting and co-founding agencies with other men, and you do this unconsciously. Working/hiring/promoting/co-founding with women is uncomfortable - because they are the ‘other’. Women have different perspectives, different mind-sets, and different insights. They ask tough questions that disrupt the comfortable closed loop at the top of every company - and industry, of guys talking to guys about other guys.

Women challenge the status quo because they are never it.

That challenge is exactly what your brand and business needs, because women matter more to your future than men.Un-Quote

For attitudes towards women to change, it is essential to educate men and get them involved to understand the viewpoint of women. Kohinoor has already demonstrated its faith in the power of women as a workforce.

Our CMD Sir strongly advocates stepping out of a comfort zone and getting into a new learning zone to keep walking on the path of Continuous Learning. I believe that with greater initiative of skill development and business coaching, the members of the Kohinoor family, both male and female, can indeed be groomed for better positions.

O Woman!You are the mystery, the magic of this

magnanimous world!You are Durga!

You are Saraswati !You are the reflection of Mariam!

You surpassed the infinite limits of clouds as Kalpana Chawla,

You cared for destitutes and tended the weak as Mother Teresa,

You ruled the country with majesty and excellence as Indira Gandhi,

You rode and swayed the sword gallantly as Rani of Jhansi,You are Mother,

You are Daughter,You are Sister!

You are Emotion,You are Strength,You are Eternity!

You build not only a Family,But whole Fraternity,

You are God’s messenger of Love;You are Power!

You are Devotion!You are giver to Humanity!

You are Dream of every Home!!You are maker of a Nation!

Come on! Take a lead!Show the path to the lost;

Guide them to better their past;The future of all progressive lands;

For sure! lies in your Magical Hands!

¬Woman!

In Kohinoor, it is an unwritten policy that whenever a new responsibility has to be taken up, we first look within the organization for suitable candidates and give them an opportunity to widen their horizons or rise up the ladder. Many women too in Kohinoor have seized such opportunities and are having fulfilling careers.

As for me, I have begun my process of continuous learning and improvement. My next assignment has already begun in the CEO’s Office at Kohinoor Technical Institute where apart from my core competence, I have started taking up new added responsibilities outside of my usual work area. I am keen to seek a leadership position and I have already commenced my journey.

Dr Veena Shrivastava - Principal, Kohinoor International School

April - June 2015