8/8/2019 DNA Sunday 21-11-10

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They belong to two different generations,andtry to ensure that the difference only paysrich dividends. Neesa group chairman San-jay Gupta and his daughter Sanjana Guptawork hand-in-hand,to blend experience withfresh thinking and the result is a very com-

fortable working equation that they're both happy about.Sanjana, business head of the group's Orient Spa Ltd,

says she learnt the tricks of the trade from her father, andhas also been working with him since the last two years.And now that she has a clear idea of the business, she iskeen on expanding it.

However, Sanjay Gupta says that in the office, he treatsSanjana not as a daughter but as a young colleague with aplethora of ideas to share. In an interaction with Gopal Modiand Himansh Dhomse ofDNA, Sanjana gets vocal about herfirst job, her role in business and a lot more. In the mean-while, her father says he has differentiated between man-agement and ownership. He elaborates also on his spiritu-al life, philanthropy, success and passion for Gujarat. Hereare excerpts from the chat with the two:

Sanjana's entry into businessSanjana: I have always been inspired by everything that

my dad did. Initially, when he was serving in the state gov-ernment, I had thought of becoming an IAS officer. Later,when he left the job and shifted to the private sector, I wasalso inclined to join a private company. Then before I com-pleted my MBA, dad became an entrepreneur and developedhis own business. So I thought, why to work for someoneelse when I can gain experience in my dad's own company?

Sanjay:Generation gap is a fact of life.But as long as thereis commonality in objectives,it doesn't make much of a dif-ference. The main thing is that the objectives should not belost. Diversity in thinking are actually beneficial to businessdecisions.More often that not, Sanjana's contributions in de-cision-making have helped me at crucial junctures.

Relationship at office and at homeSanjana: Home and business

are two different places.In office,when I come up with an idea, dadinsists that I back it up with abusiness plan and numbers.I amimpressed with his thoughts onbusiness. My dad thinks thateven if the business is small, itshould be run in a systematic,corporate-like manner.

Sanjay: Sanjana looks afterour healthcare and wellness busi-nesses and supports other func-tions.We believe that it is the bestmanager who should be incharge of the business.There aretwo things to business - manage-ment and ownership. If shedemonstrates managerial skillsbesides ownership traits,it is per-fectly all right. Otherwise, thetwo should be kept apart.

Sanjana's first jobSanjana: I did my MBA from IIPM. While in the final

year of the degree, I decided that I had to get into businessas soon as possible. I have learnt much more here and muchearlier than most of my batch mates would have. I would

probably have taken much more time to learn,had I joinedany other company after my studies.

Sanjay: I like Sanjana's coordination skills,de cisivenessand innovativeness. I believe that I should not take a viewin isolation, and hence I take suggestions from my wholeteam, including my daughter.

Views on decision makingSanjay: I don't take decisions

that can't be defended.I believe inexplaining things in detail,so thatpeople understand why a particu-lar decision has been taken. Mylogic is very simple: If you have areason to disagree with somethingI say or do,come and convince me.Else, be convinced.

Business taking rootsin Gujarat

Sanjay: I had a basic idea aboutGujarat before I commenced mybusiness here. I came here in 1985.After serving the government for 18years in various positions as an IASofficer, I realised that anything thatconstitutes a good business idea can

flourish here. I also had goodrelations and network to support my

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SOULSEARCH

Relax, think positive,be disciplined,and you will succeed in life.Discipline is the order of the day. I

think that one needs to discipline one-self to achieve any goals. Disciplineshould not be restricted only to work;itshould be applied to the entire lifestyleincluding the daily routine of eating,sleeping and reading.

Again, keeping the mind loadedwith all sorts of tension doesn't helpin finding any solution.One should re-lax, think positive and then act. Posi-tive thoughts are very important forthe right action. In my case, I alwayssee to it that my desk is clean, so thatI can think ahead. I have seen peopleliving in under constant stress, run-ning round the clock without knowingwhat they want from the life. Some-times people also worry about things

which are beyond one's control, whichis foolishness.

Good thoughts are most importantfor success. And for these, one needs tohave peace in mind, positive thinking,and good reading. I am fond of readingtoo and that is not restricted to thenewspaper. I love to read religious, spir-itual books, Gujarati literature. One ofmy favourite books is, Rashmi Bansal's'Stay Hungry Stay Foolish'where shehas profiled 25 IIM-A entrepreneurs.

Irrespective of what time I go tosleep, I wake up at 6 am, after which Igo for a walk at Law Garden for 6 kmeveryday, followed by 20 minutes ofpranayam and 10 minutes of medita-tion. Then I visit a Jain temple andleave for office around 9.45 am. I stickto my schedule even on Sundays with-out exception. (As told to Gopal Modi)

Be disciplined & learn to relax

business her

e.Today, the business we're running focuses on India's

young. It is a customer-centric business, a kind of B2Csetup. I am slowly moving out from the B2B domain.I feelone should be extremely sensitive in handling customersand business decisions, and should possess an approachby which customers understand the business.

What is success?Sanjay:The day I reach a level where the business does

not require me to drive it, I shall call myself successful.I don't believe that I have achieved much. Success is awell-travelled journey. It should be enduring and sus-taining, and that is when it will be complete.

Importance of philanthropySanjay: I am not into philanthropy right now, but

would like to make a beginning. The philosophy of theVedas is that a part of your earnings should be given ascharity - if I remember correctly, one-sixth of your earn-ings should be spent on philanthropy.I have not been ableto do that at any point of time. But as and when needed,I have contributed in the larger inte rest of the society. Ibelieve that one is merely the trustee of the wealth onecreates, rather than its owner. This is also a philosophythat requires a certain level of disassociation from the

wealth one creates.

Belief in GodSanjay: God is a formless, universal force which re-

flects itself in making things happen. God is timeless,formless, omnipresent and ever-lasting. The way toachieve and understand God is not through intermedi-aries, but through knowledge of the Vedas.

Faith in the Arya Samaj ideologySanjay: I hail from the Hindu belt of Lucknow in UP.

During my childhood days,my family members were ar-dent followers and believers in the philosophy of AryaSamaj.

The ideology has its roots in social movements.Erad-ication of social evils present in the Hindu socie ty, likeforcible conversions, was the main agenda of Arya Samaj.Saraswati said that to reach God for guidance,you do notneed an intermediar y. I do not see too many people in Gu-jarat following the Arya Samaj tenets,but in northern In-dia, it was a big movement. In parts of UP and Punjab,there still is a very strong Arya Samaj following.

On spiritualitySanjay:My parents were ardent believers of the Arya

Samaj philosophy, and I inherited it from them in mychildhood. My early childhood was spent understand-

ing and pursuing the philosophy of Vedas as propound-ed by Dayanand Saraswati and his movement.

Sanjana Gupta and father SanjayGupta at their office.

daughter

FATHER,Pics: Dhaval Bharwad.DNA

_ Decision on FDI retail limit in 2 monthsA government panel will decide on raising the cap on foreigndirect investments in multi-brand retail sector in two months,junior trade minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said. India does notallow FDI in multi-brand retail as it has faced severe politicalopposition in the country due to concerns over job losses to smalltraders.However, India allows 51% FDI in single brand retail.

_M&A deal tally touches $42.76 bnIndia Incs shopping spree remained unabated in October with 46merger and acquisition (M&A) deals worth over $530 million, takingthe year-to-date tally to a whopping $42.76 billion, according toglobal consultancy firm Grant Thornton. So far this year,corporateIndia has announced 546 M&A deals worth $42,759 million thehighest in two years both in terms of value and number of deals.

_Mircofinancier delays IPOShare Microfin Ltd, backed by NZ billionaire Christopher Chandler,plans to delay an initial public offering after rival microfinance

companies in India sought emergency funds to cope with risingloan defaults. The lender,based in Hyderabad,had planned to raise`1,000 crore ($221 million) in early 2011, Philip Vassiliou,managingdirector of C handlers Legatum Ltd, said on Thursday.

_ Aircel to spend $500 mnAircel is planning to spend nearly $500 million on 3G rollout,fromits total planned capex of $1 billion for January-December,COOGurdeep Singh said on F riday. The company a joint venture ofMalaysias Maxis Communalisations Bhd and Indias ApolloHospitals Enterprise will roll out 3G services in India by end ofDecember or early January. We are ready to roll in the month ofJanuary, Singh said.

_ Stock market week aheadMarkets closed in negative for second successive week as FIIsturned seller. Technical indicators, which showed upward trendsince September has been broken and market is bracing up for ashort-term downward trend. With the F&O derivative expiringin the coming week, markets are likely to witness volatilesessions. Nifty is likely to test 5,750 on the lower side and 6,150on the higher side. Traders should look for week-long positionat each major resistance level as market is likely to remainnegative for a couple of weeks.

BRIEFLY

F

FIIGGUURREEIITTRecession may have causedconcern about the diamond

industry in Gujarat, but ifthese figures are anything to

go by, the precious stone isshining as brightly as ever...

out of 11 diamonds mined globallyare polished in India

70,000crore rupees are earned annually

from polished diamonds in Gujarat

38,850crore rupees have been spent on

import of cut & polished diamondsin India in first half of the fiscal

10

75,000workers are engaged in the

diamond industry in Ahmedabad

WHERE EXPERIENCE

MEETS INNOVATION..._ Sanjay Gupta has a very

professional approach to workingwith his daughter. Managementand ownership are the twoimportant pillars of any business.If a person has understanding ofboth, its great. But if not, it isbetter to leave the managerialdecisions to the best manager,and let him/her take the lead, hesays.

_ Sanjana says her dad has alwaysbeen her main source ofinspiration. I have always wantedto do everything he did. When hewas in govt service, I wanted tojoin it too. When he moved to aprivate company, I wanted toemulate that. I admire the way mydad handles the business. Inoffice, when I come up with a newidea, he asks me to back it up witha business plan and figures. Hemight be my father, but he knowshis business extremely well, says

the proud daughter.

Reason, logic and rationality

were behind the setting up of

the Arya Samaj movement. It

says that one should never

follow something just because

others are into it. You should

ask yourself whether it is logical

and rational, before taking it up.

In the office, chairman ofNeesa Group, Sanjay

Gupta, treats Sanjana not

as a daughter but as a

colleague with a mind of

her own. In an interaction

with GGooppaallMMoo

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aann

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ee, thefather-daughter duo speak

about their life together, as

colleagues and as family

Week

end Biz 2Other things may make a difference in our lives, but we start and end with family. Anthony BrandtAhmedabad, November 21, 2010