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Please take a look at the bottom of this page for the author's disclaimer and note of caution.

Thursday 27 May, 2010

Why people love to work for the TATA Group

Why people love to work for the TATA Group

Got this mail from a friend.

No wonder people love to work for the Tatas!

Enjoy reading:

What Ratan Tata did for the Mumbai victims.... a every Indian should know

Ratan Tata is the chairman of Indian Hotels who own the Taj Mahal Hotel Mumbai, which was the target of the terrorists last year .
Hotel President a 5 star property also belongs to Indian Hotels.
The following is really touching.
What Ratan Tata did for the Mumbai victims.... Don't miss!!!!!!
SALUTE TO
SHRI RATAN TATA


A. The Tata Gesture

1. All category of employees including those who had completed even 1 day as casuals were treated on duty during the time the hotel was closed.


2. Relief and assistance to all those who were injured and killed


3. The relief and assistance was extended to all those who died at the railway station, surroundings including the "Pav- Bha ji" vendor and the pan shop owners.


4. During the time the hotel was closed, the salaries were sent by money order.


5. A psychiatric cell was established in collaboration with Tata Institute of Social Sciences to counsel those who needed such help.


6. The thoughts and anxieties going on people's mind was constantly tracked and where needed psychological help provided.


7. Employee outreach centers were opened where all help, food, water, sanitation, first aid and counseling was provided. 1600 employees were covered by this facility.


8. Every employee was assigned to one mentor and it was that person's responsibility to act as a "single window" clearance for any help that the person required.


9. Ratan Tata personally visited the families of all the 80 employees who in some manner – either through injury or getting killed – were affected.


10. The dependents of the employees were flown from outside Mumbai to Mumbai and taken care off in terms of ensuring mental assurance and peace. They were all accommodated in Hotel President for 3 weeks.


11. Ratan Tata himself asked the families and dependents – as to what they wanted him to do.


12. In a record time of 20 days, a new trust was created by the Tatas for the purpose of relief of employees.


13. Whatg is unique is that even the other people, the railway employees, the police staff, the pedestrians who had nothing to do with Tatas were covered by compensation. Each one of them was provided subsistence allowance of Rs. 10K per month for all these people for 6 months.


14. A 4 year old granddaughter of a vendor got 4 bullets in her and only one was removed in the Government hospital. She was taken to Bombay hospital and several lacs were spent by the Tatas on her to fully recover her.


15. New hand carts were provided to several vendors who lost their carts.


16. Tata will take responsibility of life education of 46 children of the victims of the terror.


17. This was the most trying period in the life of the organisation. Senior managers including Ratan Tata were visiting funeral to funeral over the 3 days that were most horrible.


18. The settlement for every deceased member ranged from Rs. 36 to 85 lacs [One lakh rupees tranlates to approx 2200 US $ ] in addition to the following benefits:

a. Full last salary for life for the family and dependents;
b. Complete responsibility of education of children and dependents – anywhere in the world.
c. Full Medical facility for the whole family and dependents for rest of their life.
d. All loans and advances were waived off – irrespective of the amount.
e. Counselor for life for each person
B. Epilogue

1. How was such passion created among the employees? How and why did they behave the way they did?


2. The organisation is clear that it is not something that someone can take credit for. It is not some training and development that created such behaviour. If someone suggests that – everyone laughs


3. It has to do with the DNA of the organisation, with the way Tata culture exists and above all with the situation that prevailed that time. The organisation has always been telling that customers and guests are #1 priority


4. The hotel business was started by Jamshedji Tata when he was insulted in one of the British hotels and not allowed to stay there.


5. He created several institutions which later became icons of progress, culture and modernity. IISc is one such institute. He was told by the rulers that time that he can acquire land for IISc to the extent he could fence the same. He could afford fencing only 400 acres.


6. When the HR function hesitatingly made a very rich proposal to Ratan – he said – do you think we are doing enough?


7. The whole approach was that the organisation would spend several hundred crore in re-building the property – why not spend equally on the employees who gave their life?

I do not wish to dilute the message by adding my own comments or by disparaging the efforts of any other group (including the Government) by comparing one with the other.

Regards,

N


Wonder if I'll ever want to visit a restaurant again!!!

Wonder if I'll ever want to visit a restaurant again!!!

That's after taking a look at this slide show from Reader's Digest:

Of course, it appears to be focussed on a Western audience - to that extent our Indian experience may perhaps be slightly better!

Regards,

N


Tuesday 25 May, 2010

Perils of Modern-day Parenting

Perils of Modern-day Parenting

Came across this wonderful article on one aspect of the perils of over-indulging behaviour by our modern-day parents. Read on:

Some additional potential perils include:

  • Parents shower all kinds of material benefits to their kids (& to their parents) and simultaneously spare little or no personal time with either children or their own parents. Result - Kids learn this behaviour and don't spend time with the very same parents when they need their personal time and attention the most - in their twilight years
  • Parents inculcate "independent thinking behaviour", but expect kids to follow "conservative norms" when they grow up. Hardly feasible!
  • Parents pamper children of both genders equally. But expect
    • their daughters-in-law to be "traditional, subservient door-mats" at least to their sons, if not to them as well - Can't see how this is feasible.
    • their sons should get all the benefits of an old "MCP" world, without the corresponding duties & responsibilities that the men of yesteryears' MCP world used to shoulder!
    • their daughters should continue to be treated like the "princess" that she was
    • their sons-in-law should treat their daughters like a true "equal", and share in all the house-hold responsibilities equally, as things ought to prevail in a post-modern world
  • Parents practice zero-thrift in the eyes of the kids, but expect the kids to be thrifty
  • Parents shun physical exercises, diets, etc. like the very plague, and their refrigerators stock up all the fattening goodies that one can visualise, but never fail to sermon to their own kids on the importance of being trim
  • Parents want each and every kid to:
    • Come first in class
    • Be good in every sport that one can fathom
    • Be a musician par excellence
    • Be courteous and spend tons of time with all family relatives
    • Be a leader in class, school, college, et al
    • Be active in social service activities of every kind
      • If the kids are expected to be such "jack of all and master of all", they will certainly expect their own parents to be a combo of Abhishek Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Gandhi, Nandan Nilakeni, Aishwarya Rai, MS Subbalakshmi, Indra Nooyi and Mother Terasa, all rolled into one!

As a famous politician of yester years (Annadurai of Tamil Nadu) pointed out, all of us need to remember that when we point a finger at the other chap, more fingers are pointing towards us - automatically.

Beware!

N


Monday 24 May, 2010

Tamil Anthem

Tamil Anthem

All of you who know and/or enjoy Tamil / AR Rahman, please listen to this song. Fans of Kalaignar, please avoid listening to this song.

Why do I say so? Merely because while the music is of a pretty good quality, I'm disappointed with the lyrics.

Kalaignar Karunanithi is so great when it comes to playing with words that I'm a huge fan of his Tamil, especially lyrics of songs written by him. However, for such an important purpose like the Tamil Anthem, he seems to have fallen short, at least in comparison to his own lofty standards.

Wonder why?

Regards,

N


Sunday 16 May, 2010

Why I don't ask "Why Me" - Arthur Ashe

Why I don't ask "Why Me" - Arthur Ashe

Philosophical stuff, but worth reading introspecting about!

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player, was dying of AIDS. He contracted HIV during the blood transfusions he had received during a heart surgery in 1983. From all over the world, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed: "Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease?" To this Arthur Ashe replied: "The world over, 50 million children start playing tennis, 5 million learn to play tennis, 500,000 learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach the grand slam, 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to semi final, and 2 make it to the finals. When I was holding a cup, I never asked GOD `Why me?' And today, in pain, I should not be asking GOD `Why me?`" ...

Regards,

N


Wednesday 5 May, 2010

Speaking from Ivory Towers

Speaking from Ivory Towers

When Al Gore was giving all his sermons on the environment, I certainly thought that he was speaking from Ivory Towers.

Read the following article:

Made me realise that he was actually speaking from one huge glass house, busy throwing stones at lesser mortals while he was actually building his own Ivory Tower!

And we thought that only Indian Politicians know anything about hypocrisy!!!

Regards,

N