Sarada Jagan, Chief Executive, HR, Sanmar Corporate Division, was one of the corporate personalities to receive the Indira Super Achiever Award on 18 December 2004 at a function at the Taj Connemara, Chennai.
The award launched in 2003 and given out by the Centre for Change Management, Pune, consisted of a trophy and a citation. According to the organisers, Centre for Change Management by design of research have found the professionals from the corporate world who had a vision of the organization they served and the values they inculcated in their people must be recognized. We created a platform by which we were able to let the younger generation know that role models and mentors are available in abundance in the corporate world. It is a question of finding them and learning from them, with this intention the Indira Group of Institutes instituted the ‘Super Achievers Award’.
At the awards function, C K Ranganathan, Managing Director, CavinKare Ltd., was the chief guest, while P K Divakaran, and Dr R L Bhatia of the Indira Group of Institutes, Pune, were the other speakers.
Sarada Jagan, Chief Executive - HR, Sanmar Corporate Division, receiving the Indira Super Achievers Award from C K Ranganathan, Managing Director,CavinKare Ltd., on 18 December 2004.
K Balakrishna of Chemplast Hyderabad underwent a harrowing experience recently from which he not only escaped unscathed but also emerged with honour and pride showing character under duress while carrying out his official duties. Here he gives us a first person account of his adventure.
Mr S Suresh, Senior Manager, PVC Division, asked me to collect ‘C’ forms from our customers at Nandyal, Kurnool, in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh. Accordingly I visited the Nandi group of companies at Nandyal, to effect rectifications in the ‘C’ forms and obtain signatures from six of the group’s companies. I left my Hyderabad home at 4.30 in the morning and reached Nandyal at one o’ clock in the afternoon. By 4.30 p.m., I collected the signatures of the company’s executives on the annexures of all the invoices. The total value of the ‘C’ forms was Rs. 21.63 crore. I then went from Nandyal to Kurnool by bus. At Kurnool, I boarded a bus bound for Hyderabad at 7.00 p.m. It was around 9.30 p.m. when the bus stopped at a ticket checking point, some two hours before Hyderabad. All the passengers were watching a film on the coach video when these three persons boarded the bus. They wore monkey caps to cover their faces and carried pistols, hand grenades and a dagger. They went to the driver and took over control.
‘This bus is hijacked’
One of them announced: “Dear passengers, this bus is hijacked.” They then took the bus into the forest, collected all our mobile phones from us and threatened us with dire consequences if we offered any resistance.
One of them stood guard, while the other two went round collecting cash and valuables from all of us and putting them into huge bags they were carrying. They collected 20 cellphones in all. A number of businessmen were travelling by the bus, and the hijackers managed to gather quite an impressive amount of gold, cash and other valuables. They spared nothing, even mangalsutras were forcibly removed. My own loss was worth about Rs. 20,000, including my cellphone, Rs. 1,000 in cash and my gold ring with a 12 gm diamond stud.
Physical violence
The hijackers were tough on anyone who tried to hide their money or valuables or refused to part with them. They bodysearched each of us three or four times, looking inside footwear and other hiding places. They even hit one of the lady passengers when she tried to hide her ornaments. I got hit too and was made to hand over my ring. They were curious about my briefcase which I was constantly clutching as it contained the valuable ‘C’ forms. They thought I was carrying a lot of money in it. Luckily, I managed to save Rs. 1,000 which I had hidden in my ‘thief pocket.’ The hijackers left us finally after 24 hours of terror.
One of the passengers, Mr Zakir Hussain of Kolkata, had flung his cellphone out of the window. He retrieved it, and I was able around midnight to call Mr Suresh, who called me back. We were by then in the Jadcherla police station, where the police took written statements from all the passengers. I was able to retrieve all my ‘C’ forms even though the thieves had scattered them in anger, when they found no money in my briefcase.
The police let us go around 4 in the morning. I reached home at six o’clock. By then we were in the news, all Telugu newspapers and TV channels broadcasting recorded passenger statements on the incident. I appeared on TV too!