The 2nd tranche of solo songs of Lata Mangeshkar for 1948presents a bit more varied range of music directors’ works. Interestingly Anil Biswas again has a major share in this set of Lata Mangeshkar’s solos, with at least one song that has remained popular even now when as it was then.
Dil-e-Nashad Ko Jeene Ki Hasrat Ho Gayee – Chunariya – Hansrah Behl – Mulkraj Bhakari
Jab Dil Mein Tere Dard Ho Aur Rand Tera Juda Ho – Chand Sitare – Premnath – Ishwar Chandra Kapoor
Aye Dil Ka Maalik Mujhe Tose Gila Ha – Chand Sitare – Premnath – Ishwar Chandra Kapoor
Ab Kisko Sunaun Main Katha Krishna Murarai – Dukhiyari – Gyan Dutt – F M Kaisar
Kab Tak Kategi Zindagi Kinare Kinare – Gajare – Anil Biswas – G S Nepali
Preetam Tera Pyar Gup Chup Kya Jale Sansar – Gajare -Anil Biswas – G S Nepali
Kab Aaoge Balama… Baras Baras Badali Bhi Bhikhar Gayee – Gajare 0Anil Biswas – G S Nepali
Ghar Yahan Basane ye The Ham Ghar Hi Chhod Chalein – Gajare – Anil Biswas – G S Nepali
Kahe Ko Byaahi Bidesh Re Sun Babul Mere – Heer Ranjha – Aziz Khan – Ameer Kushro
Asides:
Khayyam was a music director in this film under pseudonym Varmaji. He has used this song in his musical epic – Umarao Jaan (1981) – albiet in Jagjit Kaur’s voice
Interestingly, we can find few more interesting versions – in Suhagan (1954) and a mujra in Adha Din AAdhi Raat (1977) in Asha Bhosle’s voice too.
YT search will yield some more NFS versions as well.
Kaise Katoon Ye Kali Raatein, Aa Balama, Aa Saajana – Heer Ranjha – Aziz Khan – Wali Sahab
I could not locate the soft links to:
Mit Ke Rahega Ye Jahaan – Gajare – Anil Biswas – G S Nepali
Chali Dulhaniya Baaraatiyo Ke Peechche – Gajare – Anil Biswas – G S Nepali
We will conclude Lata Mangeshkar’s solo songs of 1948 in our next episode.
There was magic whenever Geeta Dutt lent her voice for Shyama. This vibrant singer and exuberant actress complemented each other perfectly through several films like Shrimatiji.
Suna Hai Jab Se Mousam- Ramudada (1961) Kamal Barot / Lyrics- Prem Dhawan
Gori Tori Banki Chitwan Mein – Aadhi Raat Ke Baad (1965) Manna Dey / Lyrics- Prem Dhawan
The Uncommon Roshan – What sets legendary composer Roshan apart from his peers? What – if any – is the hallmark of his compositions? What makes him so different and so intriguing? Monica Kar takes a look.
Actor, producer, novelist and raconteur: Archival documentary reveals Prem Nath’s many roles : ‘Amar Prem Nath- Last of the Titans’ has been directed by his son, Monty Nath, and is being screened on Zee Classic…… Kalicharan (1976) contains a meta-moment: as the characters played by Prem Nath and Ajit play a game of chess, a police officer’s portrait hangs in the background. The figure in the painting is Prem Nath’s father.
Percussion Discoveries: Kathak Bols Can Be Great Just for Listening, and I Have Finally Found a Queen of the Dholak! – The path of discovery takes us from LP recording of SItara Devi to 1951 film Dholak’s song Mausam Aya Hai Rangeen, in which dholak is being played all female cast (on the screen). The hunt for a real female dholak player does not find any result from India or Pakistan or the UK or the U.S.A. It lands up at some place closer to the countries in the Western hemisphere that obviously influenced the Latin-flavored jazz within that song from the film Dholak. Her name is Chantal (referred to at different times, I see, as Chantal Mangal or Chantal Khaderoe), and she is from the Caribbean – specifically, Suriname. She is seen performing @ Sarnami khana pakana and a live Baithak Gana. YT search leads to a couple of more performances – here and here.
Bol Ri Kathputli: Personifying the Puppet Perfectly – Among the memorable dances picturised in Hindi films, Bol Ri Kathputli from Kathputli (1957) is an innovation in terms of choreography and music. Anand Desai and Antara Nanda Mondal explore the finer nuances of this exuberant story of the puppet personified by Vyjayanthimala, written by Shailendra, composed by Shankar Jaikishan and sung by Lata Mangeshkar.
And They Made Classics – Director-Writer Duo of Bimal Roy and Nabendu Ghosh – Antara Nanda Mondal – Directed by Ratnottama Sengupta, And They Made Classics goes behind-the-scenes through an interview with Nabendu Ghosh that was taken in 2005 where he talks about his association with Bimal Roy. The film explores behind the scenes stories about the casting, the arguments, the reactions, the way they worked, along with clips, stills, documents.
My Favourite ‘EYE’ Songs lists songs that describe a certain quality of the eyes, it can be romantic, naughty, sad, quiet, magical, frightened or just beautiful!
Ek Tha Raja Ek Thi Rani saw Nargis paired opposite Kishore Kumar for the first time, a most unusual pairing. The film, written by Inder Raj Anand, had them both in double roles, in a tale of mistaken identities
We will begin the end of the present post with a post on The 11 Emotions of Mohammad Rafi which has presented Mohammad Rafi’s ‘ability to express the emotions which make up different slices of life across 11 different Ras (emotions).
We will also listen to two of the great but receded-from-the-memory-songs of Chitragupt:
Dharati Aaazad Hai Aaasmaan Aazad Hai – Sindbad The Sailor (1952)
On a very rough count we may be able to list not more than 40 solo songs of Lata Mangeshkar for 1948. The numbers appear neither not very insignificant nor very impressive when compared to the number of solo songs of other female singers individually and all others put together collectively.
Let us first listen to the songs:
As a most unexpected coincidence, the first two films, in the alphabetical order, happen to be the ones for which music was composed by Anil Biswas and Khemchand Prakash. They are the two big names who will appear in the names of music directors who gave the outstanding Lata solos for 1948.
Two of the Anokha Pyar songs were filmed on Meena Kapoor’s voice, but records were cast in Lata Mangeshkar’s voice. We find several theories for such an incidence. At this stage we are not very much concerned wth those stories. We have listed here Meena Kapoor versions as well .
Ek Dil Ka Lagana Baaqi That To DIl Ko Laga Ke Dekh Liya – Anokha Pyar – Anil Biswas – Zia Sarhadi.
I have exhaustively drawn excerpts from Prem Ranganath’s article The Art of Quality, which states that Design Thinking is an opportunity to humanize quality and continuous improvement.
As may be seen in the above Visual from IDEO as a reference, traditionally quality and continuous improvement initiatives are largely driven by viability and feasibility considerations. Integrating design thinking with improvement initiatives brings the ‘human’ element into focus, by driving conversation on ‘desirability’ of the solutions being proposed for implementation.
This Visual shows the integration of a Design Thinking flow represented by the steps Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test with the DMAIC approach for continuous improvement. Integration of design thinking methods adopt a humanized approach to characterizing (challenges and opportunities) current state.
Design Thinking was popularized by David M. Kelley and Tim Brown of IDEO and Roger Martin of the Rotman School. A very good, short video on the topic was recently published by the Harvard Business Review blog . For a more detailed explanation please read the paper, “Design for Action” written by Brown and Martin.
As stipulated by a paper recently published by Creativity At Work, “Design Thinking is a methodology used by designers to solve complex problems, and find desirable solutions for clients. A design mindset is not problem-focused; it is solution focused and action oriented towards creating a preferred future. Design Thinking draws upon logic, imagination, intuition, and systemic reasoning, to explore possibilities of what could be—and to create desired outcomes that benefit the end user (the customer)”.
What differentiates Design Thinking from traditional Voice of Customer collection approaches is the emphasis placed on observation of behaviors rather than relying on customers’ input to satisfaction surveys.
Why is Design a CEO Matter? – Tim Brown – CEO of IDEO – In order to compete today, CEOs need evolutionary skills that will ensure their survival in a fast-changing climate. Business fitness now means learning how to be agile, resilient, and creative. It means adapting to the marketplace in quick generational cycles. That requires a brave new brand of leadership, and from our vantage point, as we work alongside companies young and old from around the globe, it requires being able to think like a designer.
A few videos to better understand the concept:
Design Thinking – Tim Brown, CEO and President of IDEO
‘What Is Design Thinking?’ gives better understanding of what design thinking is all about.
How It Works: Design Thinking – For more information on IBM Design Thinking, please visit: http://www.ibm.com/design
Stages of Design Thinking
Stanford Webinar – Design Thinking = Method, Not Magic – In this webinar Bill Burnett, consulting assistant professor and master in design thinking at Stanford University, as he shares three barriers organizations face when adopting an innovative culture and how to overcome them.
ABC Nightline – IDEO Shopping Cart – In 1999, ABC’s Nightline tried to describe IDEO’s approach by commissioning us to design a better shopping cart, and filmed the entire process. 17+ years later, the video is still shown in classrooms across the globe as a lesson in design thinking and team collaboration.
Build a business case – Spell out why change is needed.
Communicate the changes systematically – share the right things with the right people at the right time, or there is great risk of inadvertently rev up the rumor mill
Mobilize your employees from the onset – When employees feel involved, they’re more invested in and supportive of the effort—and less likely to offer resistance.
Roll out in phases and celebrate small wins
The reality is that change is happening all around us all the time, leaving us with two choices: embrace it to get ahead of it and manage it proactively, or resist it and let it drag us to our fate.
ASQ CEO, Bill Troysection does not have anything of interest at present.
For the present, we continue with the practice of picking up one article form ASQ.org site: Forward Progress – Looking back at quality’s evolution over the past 50 years and seeing where the movement is headed:
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION USING QUALITY TOOLS – Sam Yankelevitch, CEO, Xpress Lingo Solutions, discusses the importance of using quality tools to improve invisible processes like communication to positively impact our physical processes.
Jim L. Smith’s Jim’s Gems for the month of October, 2017:
Dissatisfaction : It is easy to look for others to blame for our failures, discontent and dissatisfaction. Maybe that’s part of our human frailty. The alternative is to choose to embrace our failures, fully own them and be responsible for our own dissatisfaction. The result is that our willingness to own it will make it go away.
Quality and Lean Partnership must be linked. The purpose of quality has always been to concentrate on the process and identify sources of variation, control or eradicate them, and provide the customer, as much as is possible, product they are willing to purchase. Lean, Six Sigma, or for that matter any tool, must take this role of quality management into consideration.
I look forward to your active participation in enriching the blog carnival as we pursue our journey in exploring the happenings across quality management blogs…………
Note: The images depicted here above are through courtesy of respective websites who have the copyrights for the respective images.
We have so far covered Suraiya, Geeta Roy, Shamshad Begum, Raajkumari and Surinder Kaur in our Micro-View of Female Solo Songs of 1948. These are the female playback singers who had fairly extended tenure during the (so-called) Golden Era of the HFM – the period from’50s till ’60s (or some cover even mid’70s.).
We have observed that even as these singers had quite a remarkable quantitative share of the songs, the songs which did remain well-known even in the Golden Period were really very few.
With this disclaimer of my personal bias, I decided to curtail songs of other female playback singers into one post. Hence, I have chosen one song of these ‘other’ female singer each. Even the, the list is fairly large. Most of these singers have had three to more than 10 songs in their account of 1948. So collectively they form what statisticians would call a very dominant tail of normal distribution curve.
Ameerbaii Karnataki – Taqdeer Ne Hansa Ke Hamein Phir Ruladiya – Shehnaz – Ameerbai Karnataki – Dukhi Premnagari
Johrabai Ambalewali – Bus Mein Kar Ke Wo Bas Kar Gaye – Padmini – Ghulam Haider – Tanveer Naqvi
Khursheed – Pacchataynge Jo Hamein Barbad Karenge – Aap Biti – Hari Bhai – Hasrat Lakhanavi
Lalita Deulkar – Jai Bolo Mahatma Gandhi Ki – Khidki – C Ramchandra – P L Santoshi
Meena Kapoor – Boot Polish Karwa Le Babu Boot Ploish Karwa Le – Ghar Ki Izzat – Pt. Govindram – Ishwar Chandra Kapoor
Meena Kumari – Aata Hai Dil Mein Pyar Kyon Chhede Hai Bar Bar Kyon – Bichchade Balam – Bulo C Rani – Narendra Sharma
Munnavar Sultana – Mera Nanha Balam Na Bole – Patjhad – Ghulam Haider – D N Madhok
Parvez Kapadia – Hum To Motor Khareed Ke Le Aayenge – Hum Bhi Insaan Hai – H P Das + Manna Dey – G S Nepali
Sulochana Kadam – Jahan Koi Na Ho Wahan Chalenge Hum – Lal Dupatta – Gyan Dutt – D N Madhok
Sitara (Kanpuri) – Dil Ki Jaban Par Aaye To Kya Karoon – Pugree – Ghulam Mohammad – Shakeel Badayuni
Uma Devi – Kahi Jiya Dole Ho Ho Kaha Nahi Jaaye – Anokhi Ada – Naushad – Shakeel Badayuni
Mrs. Vishnilal – Kisi Tarah Dil Hi Na Jab Chain Paaye – Anjuman – Bulo C Rani – Majrooh Sultanpuri
It may also please be noted that I have not included those female singers who, to the best of my knowledge, did sing some songs in 1948, but that was in the capacity of an actress in the respective film.
In the next episodes(s) we will take up solo songs of Lata Mangeshkar for Micro-View of Songs of 1948
Salil Chowdhury’s Hindi Film Songs in Other Languages
Salil Chowdhury (b: 19 November 1922; d: 5 September 1995) was as multifaceted as was talented.
We know the gems he has created as a music director. But he was a poet and playwright too. He has composed many of his Bengali poems as NFS Bengali songs. Songs like Gnaayer bodhu, which he composed at the age of 20, brought about a new wave of Bengali music. Almost every notable singer of that time from West Bengal had sung at least one of his songs. That he wrote story for Do Bigha Zameen, based on his short story Rickshawalla is now a well-known detail of his writing abilities trivia.
His interest in music made his cast his net wide from Western classics like Mozart to folk songs of Europe to folk songs of East India to enable him to innovate a d experiment. For example, his Dil Tadap Tadap Ke Kah Raha Hai (Madhumati 1958) does seem to have a very strong influence of a150+ years old Silesian (South-Western) Polish folk song Szla dzieweczka do laseczka ( The girl was walking to the forest)
He was one of the music directors of the school who would so much accord high priority to the music that they would they were insistent upon setting the music first and then set the lyrics of the song to it. Salil Chowdhury was an excellent arranger who was proficient in several musical instruments, including flute, the piano, and the esraj.
We may know that he has composed music for over 75 Hindi and over 40 Bengali films. Many of us may further know that he composed songs for around 27 Malayalam films. And of course, some of us may also know that he did compose music for even Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Oriya, Assamese, a Marathi and Gujarati film as well.
In this tribute post to Salil Chowdhury we have chosen to bring on one page his Hindi songs that have been transposed to other languages. Such songs are so very large number that they would need several posts to cover them all. So we have chosen here the Hindi songs that have receded from our memory such that we get at least one song form each of the languages he composed songs.
(Note of credit for the core information for this post: I have sourced the other language song version-links as well description about these other language songs from the one the most complete online data base of Salil Chowdury’s work, World of Salil Chowdhury. Gautam Choudhury has so painstakingly and lovingly built up the entire collection. Gautam Choudhury himself has recorded several instrumental albums on which he plays harmonica, recorded tribute albums to Salil Chowdhury’s legacy:
So here is our tribute to Salil Chowdhury:
One of many Hindi to-from Bengali songs:
Dil Mera….Na Jaane Re Naa Jaane Re Biraj Bahu (1954) – Shamshad Begum – Lyrics: Prem Dhawan
Gayatri Basu’s “Naa Jaani re” in Bengali ‘Aaj Sandhaay’ (1954) is as haunting and appealing as Shamsaad Begum’s rendering.
(Bengali-)Hindi – Malayamam connection
Dhitang Dhitang Bolay, Dil Tere Liye Dolay – Awaz (1956) – Lata Mangeshkar – Lyrics: Prem Dhawan
The Malayalam version is “Thaiyam Thaiyam” (Neelaponman (1975) a duet by P.Susheela and P.Jayachandran.
The source for both these is a 1954 Hemant Kumar’s NFS – a Salil classic – “Dhitang Dhitang Bole” with a totally new arrangement
(Bengali-)Hindi – Telugu connection
Kai Baar Yoon Bhi Dekha Hai Ye Man Ki Jo Seema Rekha Hai – Rajanigandha (1974) – Mukesh – Lyrics: Yogesh
This one had quite a contemporary Telugu version – Nayanalu Kalise Toli Saari – a duet by P.Susheela and S.P.Balasubramaniam in Chairman Chalamayya (1974).
Ay Mere Dil Gaa Pyaar Ki Dhun Par –Dil Kaa Saathi Dil (1982) – S Janaki, Chorus – Lyrics: Manohar
This film is Hindi dubbed version of Malayalam film, which had become so popular that its Tamil and Telugu versions were also dubbed.
The Tamil version of in this film-dubbing chain was Paruvamazhai (1978) which had the equivalent of the above song Thenmalar Kannikal which is also in S Janaki’s voice.
Here are the Malayalam and Telugu versions as well.
If this was not enough, out of nowhere appears another ‘unknown’ film called Mera Damaad (release date 1995) with another Hindi version of this song. Gautam Choudhury writes: Sometimes I think Salil just lost the track (no pun intended) of his version table! – Jhir Jhir Barse Aaj Gagan Se – Anuradha Paudwal, Sabita Chowdhury, Amit Kumar and Shailendra Singh
It seems the root source is a 1977 Usha Mangeshakr NFS, O phooler dal, in Bengali.
(Bengali-)Hindi – Kannada Connection
Naam Mera Nimmo Muqaam Ludhiyaana – Sapan Suhaane (1961) – Lata Mangeshkar, Manna Day, Dwijen Mukherji – Lyrics: Shailendra
A very fast-paced song wherein male leads Manna Dey and Dwijen Mukherjee aby support Lata Mangeshkar who so ably does the justice to the tempo and the mood of the song.
It appears that opportunity to re-use this tune came up when Kannada film had a situation for a cabaret dance. The case in point is: Dooradinda Bandhantha for film Samasayaphala (1971) by L R Eswari . The song has undergone changes in all spheres except the basic structure of the tune. Guatam Choudhury notes that a regular column writer on Kannada film songs, Sridhar Rajanna writes that: “Dooradinda bandanta sundaraanga jANa” ….is the best cabaret ever, sung by LR Eswari, has excellent rock and roll style guitar music. It is still popular in orchestras and is frequently played on A-I-R.
At the back of the tune must be some Bengal folk tune. So a Bengali version probably was called for to record the nuances of the original tune. The result is Sabita Chowdhury’s NFS of 1963 – Jhilmil jhauer boney.
(Bengali-)Hindi – Oriya Connection
Salil Chowdhury has composed music for only one Oriya film – Batasi Jhada (1981). The film had a Sabita Chowdhury song Rimjhimi Nishaa Bharaaye Raakhi.
Bengali film Antarghaat (1980) has a chronologically earlier version – Jaanina jaanina – in Asha Bhosle’s voice.
Its Hindi version came up in an obscure 1989 film Aakhari Badla. The song was Jaane Kaisaa Jaadoo Ye Chal Gayaa. This version was too in Asha Bhosle’s voice. Its video clip shows that it is a cabaret-type dance number. That leads us to believe that Bengali and Oriya versions would have been filmed for similar situations.
(Bengali-)Hindi – Marathi Connection
The only Marathi film that Salil Chowdhury did was Sunbai (1982), produced by Hridaynath Mangeshkar. Guautam Choudhaury writes: Lata wanted to sing her favourite song once again in Marathi. She finally got to sing the same song three times in as many languages! I must say that the Marathi version ‘Preet Khule Maanjhi Soneri’ is equally beautiful.
The original Bengali song, recorded in 1961 – ‘Saat Bhaai Champaa Jaago Re’ is a classic and every Bengali knows it. This song seems to have been based on a Sihalese folk tune.
It’s slow hindi version in Mere Bhaiyaa “Pyaas Liye Manwaa” is also wonderful and also sung by Lata.
Assamese Connection
Salil Chaowdhury has done two Assamese films – Aparajeyo in 1970 and Manas Kanya in 1985. Gautam Chowdhury has not mentioned any Hindi connection to the songs of these films.
Gujarati Connection
Salil Chowdhury’s only Guajarati film was Ghar Sansar (1978).
This film had a Guajarati folk tune based Prafull Dave song – Ho Halo Re Hansa- penned by a noted Gujarati poet Venibhai Purohit.
This song has only Bengali version in a 1980 film ‘Parabesh’ – O Ghoomer Moyna Paakhi by Asha Bhosle
and a Malayalam version in a 1975 film ‘Ragam’- Omanathinkal by P. Susheela .
We will end our post with a couple of Salil Chowdhaury’s Mohammad Rafi’s songs in other languages.
Zindagi Hai Kya Sum Meri Jaan Pyar Bhar Dil Meethi Juban – Maaya (1961) – Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
Salil Chowdhury had recorded a Bengali NFS – Jhar Jhar More – in the then Bengali and Hindi film hero Biswajeet. Biswajeet had made his Hindi Film debut with Bees Saal Baad.
Like his other contemporary Bengali music director S D Burman, Salil Chowdhury also had an inherent dislike for Mohammad Rafi’s natural Punjabi loudness as against a Bengali voice’s ‘tenderness’. SDB had had to use Rafi for a good many of songs from Pyasa (1957) till Aradhana (1969). In contrast, Salil Chowdhury seems to have used Rafi only when he had to. Dil Tadape Tadapaye, Unke Milan Ko Rarase Woh To Na Aaye (Poonam Ki Raat (1965) – Lyrics: Shailendra) is said to be one such case.
Salil Chaudhury had recorded this song in Bengali by Shyamal Mitra
and by Debabrat Biswas.
I personally feel that each of the singers has done justice to the delivery of the song in his own style.
We will continue our search for Unforgettable Songs that seem to Fading away from our Memories every second Sunday of the month……..
Disclaimer: All images are sourced from net. All copyrights of the respective image remain with the original owner of the image.
The present episode, 4th one in the series, deals with Conflicts.
When one is looking at conflicts, we automatically seek answers. In this case, we want mythology to answer all our problems. After all it is the repository of ancient wisdom. But a repository does not offer prescriptions. It cannot offer prescriptions because every context is unique. All repositories can offer are principles and frameworks that facilitate decision-making. So, one feels that he is cheated by mythology. It is not the fountain of solutions, we hope it will be. It makes us skeptical. As humans we seek prescriptions. In today world, gurus are becoming prescription-providers, rather than decision-facilitators, which not a good thing to have happened in the first place.
The presence of a conflict of interest is independent of the occurrence of impropriety. Therefore, a conflict of interest can be discovered and voluntarily defused before any corruption occurs. A conflict of interest exists if the circumstances are reasonably believed (on the basis of past experience and objective evidence) to create a risk that a decision may be unduly influenced by other, secondary interests, and not on whether a particular individual is actually influenced by a secondary interest.
A widely used definition is: “A conflict of interest is a set of circumstances that creates a risk that professional judgement or actions regarding a primary interest will be unduly influenced by a secondary interest.”
Few videos to further clarify the concept:
Ethics Defined: Conflict of Interest
Conflict of interest
Beware conflicts of interest | Dan Ariely
In this short talk, psychologist Dan Ariely tells two personal stories that explore scientific conflict of interest: How the pursuit of knowledge and insight can be affected, consciously or not, by shortsighted personal goals. When we’re thinking about the big questions, he reminds us, let’s be aware of our all-too-human brains.
Conflict of Interest
John is a successful business man and has many great things going on for him. Today however will challenge John in a way he never thought possible….he has to interview his ex-girlfriend that is applying for a job where he works for.
Conflict of Interest: A Discussion
Dr. Daniel Sweeney, Director of the Institute for Enterprise Ethics, Discusses “Conflicts of Interest,” with Professor John Holcomb, Department of Business Ethics and Legal Studies, Daniels College of Business.
Sample of Keith White’s Conflict of Interest presentation
We also examine a few articles that relate to the conflict between the Board and the CEO:
What CEOs Really Think of Their Boards – Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Melanie Kusin and Elise Walton : CEOs believe it is important to address problems and opportunities they are uniquely positioned to observe. They know that their strategic visions and personal legacies can be undone by bad governance, and they have plenty to say on the subject. … The conversations showed that the CEO–board relationship is more complicated and nuanced than the standard debates about corporate governance recognize. Undoubtedly, those debates will continue…. In the end, therefore, is the advice to the experts and advisers seeking to improve board performance: Turn the focus to the human level—to “what’s really going on in that boardroom,” in William Donaldson’s phrase. And listen to every informed perspective on what goes on there, including the CEO’s.
A tier-I conflict is an actual or potential conflict between a board member and the company. Major conflicts of interest could include, but are not restricted to, salaries and perks, misappropriation of company assets, self-dealing, appropriating corporate opportunities, insider trading, and neglecting board work. All board members are expected to act ethically at all times, notify promptly of any material facts or potential conflicts of interest and take appropriate corrective action.
Tier-II conflicts arise when a board member’s duty of loyalty to stakeholders or the company is compromised. This would happen when certain board members exercise influence over the others through compensation, favors, a relationship, or psychological manipulation. Under particular circumstances, some independent directors form a distinct stakeholder group and only demonstrate loyalty to the members of that group. They tend to represent their own interest rather than the interests of the companies.
A tier-III conflict emerges when the interests of stakeholder groups are not appropriately balanced or harmonized. Shareholders appoint board members, usually outstanding individuals, based on their knowledge and skills and their ability to make good decisions. Once a board has been formed, its members have to face conflicts of interest between stakeholders and the company, between different stakeholder groups, and within the same stakeholder group. When a board’s core duty is to care for a particular set of stakeholders, such as shareholders, all rational and high-level decisions are geared to favor that particular group, although the concerns of other stakeholders may still be recognized. Board members have to address any conflicts responsibly and balance the interests of all individuals involved in a contemplative, proactive manner.
Tier-IV conflicts are those between a company and society and arise when a company acts in its own interests at the expense of society. The doctrine of maximizing profitability may be used as justification for deceiving customers, polluting the environment, evading taxes, squeezing suppliers, and treating employees as commodities. Companies that operate in this way are not contributors to society. Instead, they are viewed as value extractors. Conscientious directors are able to distinguish good from bad and are more likely to act as stewards for safeguarding long-term, responsible value creation for the common good of humanity. When a company’s purpose is in conflict with the interests of society, board members need to take an ethical stand, exercise care, and make sensible decisions.
So we quickly take up what Devdutt Pattanaik has to say in Segment 1 of the episode 4 – Conflict – Board versus CEO, as the Indian Mythology’s point of view.
The Annunaki of ancient Sumerian texts were a council of gods and goddesses; perhaps the earliest known form of a consultative group – a concept that in modern business is referred to as the board of directors.
Mr. R. Gopalakrishnan, ED, Tata Sons: I would ask a question about corporate governance. I recognize that companies are social structures and we have imported the corporate concept from West. But at the end of the day, people interact between themselves within the corporation through the social mores of the society from which they have sprung up. We have devised corporate governance in the last 10 years based on the Anglo-Saxon model of how the board should interact within itself and with the management. I wonder whether you have any suggestions on how the cultural moorings of Indians can be better played out in the way our corporate governance rules and procedures are currently laid out so that we can get a more effective form of corporate governance even if it’s not so efficient.
The question is how they are working together. If they are working well together then it’s fine. What happens when this conflict – who becomes more powerful. Usually it is not either or. What you have is a set of rules that are almost as if you have the commandments. You have the king and you have the prophets and each one is checking who is following the rules. There is a level of suspicion that you know the King on his own is perhaps not going to follow the rule. Then he must be constantly watched.
Now if I’m the promoter. I have done the business on my own without board and have done a successful business on my own. Now as I grow in size per force the rules force me. Because I need more funds, I need to create a board of directors. Suddenly I see that just because I’ve got access to more funds my freedom is being taken away from me – that same freedom that enabled me to grow the business is being taken away from me – and therefore the relationship starts getting soured.
Let us look at the biblical examples. There are stories of King David of what he wants to do, but is constantly being warned by the prophets that you cannot do what you want to do; you have to align within the rules. Thus, there is this great tension between the King and the prophets. For example he has an extramarital affair which is forbidden; he wants to build a temple which is forbidden. He is constantly doing things because he wants to fulfill his individual will rather than what is the appropriate conduct within the by the commandments and by the law and the voice of God. That narrative is very strong in the Bible – you cannot be an individual you have to be subservient to an impersonal entity called the law.
These are the sources from which the idea of governance has come into India. The idea is relatively alien because the focus over here is on the king. If the king is an honest man then things will fall into place. The education of the kings played a lot of role. But today what we are saying is we want Ram and to create Ram, we will produce a set of rules. Rules don’t make Ram.
I’m curious. Even the Kings in ancient India must have had a council of ministers, ministers that advise the king and also kept the king in check, to some extent by offering him the right advice; nudging him constantly in the right direction. Is there a parallel in our scriptures that draws from the Western model of governance but Indianises that?
You see the king was never kept in check. The Council of Ministers was to counsel, to advise the king. But ultimately the king was like what is called a host (Yajman). He is performing the great sacrifice – a Yagya – and he is offering all the things to the fire (the Swaha). All his decisions are the swaha. Whatever comes from the Yagya is the result of his actions, his decisions, his swaha. What is the SWAHA. It is how you pour things into the fire. Once you throw it out, it doesn’t come back. It is your decision. What comes back to you is the direct result of your decisions. Nobody keeps you in check. There are ministers and there are the sages (rishis) and the wise men (pundits). Everybody sitting around you is supporting you to do the Yagya. Ultimately in the Yagya, who is the Yajman, who is the decision maker, who takes accountability? Is the Board taking the accountability or is the CEO taking the accountability?
It comes down to that that in today’s world and age it would be almost impossible to live without a set of rules, constantly telling people that hey if you’re not doing what these rules set out for you to do then you are doing the wrong thing. How do we leave companies entirely to the governance of an individual? How do we build in checks and balances through a board? And yet, how do we create equality between the board and the CEO or the promoter or the king?
Implicit in your questions is the premise that if the rules did not exist, there would be anarchy and chaos.
To some extent!
You see this is a Western construct. What do I mean by that? The idea that laws create order, if we remove laws there is no order and there is chaos is a Western construct. In the Indian construct, if there were no laws it’s not chaos. Therefore in the Western mythology the images of dragons exist if you read a Mesopotamian mythology or if you read Greek mythology, there is always this image of dragons, which exists and it is the great hero, the great king who comes and tames the dragon and creates order with rules. But in the Indian context if you take away the human being completely what exists is nature – Prakruti. What is nature? Nature is not disorganized, the nature is not chaotic. What you have in nature is the instinct of survival and only the fit survive and might is right. Now that is what exists in nature. So when I create culture I am creating the very opposite. It is not might as right. Meek have rights, too. So it is about a world where I go out of my way to help the helpless.
Now how do I do that? Will the rules make me do that or I genuinely want to do that? If I don’t want to help the helpless, despite being a human being if I behave like an alpha male which rule is going to control me.
In short, your response to Gopal’s question is that no there is no Indian code of governance that can be created or a code of governance that is contextualized to our conditioning. Here in India there is no such thing because no set of rules can actually help you be a better person.
Let me give you an example of rules and from our story. When you read the Ramayana, you know one of the most famous lines in the Ramayana is Raghukul Rit Sada Chali AAyee, Pran Jaaye Par Vachan Na Jaye – There always has been a custom in the Raghu lineage, you may lose life, but never break a promise. When you read this line you have to ask us the question – when Ran goes to the forest, is he obeying his father or is he obeying the law?
Well, his father’s word is the law. So, meekly follow that.
It is not what father has said. It is Raghukul Rit – the law of the clan is more important. It is the Ragu family, the dynasty to which he belongs to. So, is Ram obeying the father or is Ram obeying the law?
There is no conflict in obeying either one because the both are saying the same. The law is the custom of his family or the tradition is to follow what your father says. He is obeying the both right now.
Let us look at the same narrative as it continues over time. At the last chapter of the book the same law says: the King’s wife shall be of unblemished reputation.
He followed that as well, didn’t he?
Exactly and so what is the narrative inadvertently saying – be careful of laws. If you stick to them and not look at the spirit of the law, then there can be trouble at the other end. Why did laws come into being? It came into being to help the helpless; to move out of the animal desire to dominate. For the might to have rights you had the law so that the meek have rights too. But look at this law – an innocent pregnant woman has been told to leave to the forest because the law becomes more important and Ram is Maryada Purshottam (100% Compliance. So here we see too much of alignment to the laws. Indian scriptures are always wary of laws because laws seem to be arcane, removed from context; while Indian thought is all about context.
In business we cannot create rules that are contextual to every business, its leader and its future. So we need something that is uniform. That is the honest truth of this game. So, is there anything that is more suited to the Indian way of thinking as opposed to importing what is a Western code of governance, and then trying to fit it onto Indian companies and saying, ‘hey, we understand that you guys are not all equal; but the board is supposed to stand up to the CEO and the CEO is supposed to defer to the board. So how to make it work?
I think this is where the humanity has to be worked out. Everywhere we are talking about a code transforming people into good people. I need a code to make me good. That is what it comes down to this one single argument – give me this law which would make me good. That is a very difficult thing to achieve. We have to ask ourselves – are we working towards creating leaders who know why they are doing what they are doing? These are things that are not even being addressed. We are focusing so much on the law because we have given up on human beings. Missing human beings do not work.
The processes are important, structures are important, laws are important, conducts are important. You have constitutions being changed every day. You can change Indian constitution 20,000 times. That will not make a politician’s honest.
So the answer to Gopal’s question is that boards at best can play an advisory role but they cannot really keep the CEO in check, they cannot stop him from exploiting a loophole which he has decided to nor can they make him a better person than he actually is.
Yes, Absolutely. You see, while it will not be there in the rational world, but in Indian thought it is that for every action there are consequences – if not in this life then in the next.
So, in the end, if there has to be a conflict, that conflict has to be about whether we have been able to create leader, who follow the law in spirit, who has not lost touch with the humanity whilst in the search for the results, who does not follow custom because he has to but because he inherently values a better world – for now and for the future.
In the second part of the 4th episode of Devdutt Pattanaik’s TV serial Business Sutra, we will see if The End Justifies The Means.
Note: The images used in this post are the irrevocable property of their respective creator. They have been taken up courtesy the internet, so as to illustrate the point under discussion.
Surinder Kaur generally would not fall into the category of well-known names of the playback singers for an average Hindi Film Song fan. We did recognise her potential when we listened to the Female Solo Songs of 1949.
Popular solo songs
Badnam Na Ho Jaaye Muhabbat Ka Fasana – Shaheed – Ghulam Haider – Qamar Jalalabadi
Taqdeer Ki Andhi Aisi Chali….Ujhada Ummedon Ka Chaman Ham Kahan Aur Tum Kahan – Shaheed – Gjulam Haider – Raja Mahendi Ali Khan
Other Solo Songs
Mere Dil Ki Ram Kahani Sun Ja Meri Jubani – Lal Dupatta – Gyan Dutt – D N Madhok
Mere Uljhe Uljhe Sapne Sulaz Na Paaye – Lal Dupatta – Gyan Dutt – Manohar Khanna
Chanchal Man Kahe Dhadake, Ruk Ja Ruk Ja – Lal Dupatta – Gyan Dutt – (??)
Akhiyan Mila Ke Akhiyan Roye Din Ratwa – Nadiya Ke Paar – C Ramchandra – Moti B.A.
Ek Nazar Woh Yaad Hai Unki, Jisne Dil Pe War Kiya – Nao – Gyan Dutt – D N Madhok
Tum Ho Na Ho Hamare Lo Ji Ham Gaye Tumhare – Nao – Gyan Dutt – D N Madhok
Kitane Door Hai Huzoor Jaise Mulaqat Ho – Pyar Ki Jeet – Husnlal Bhagatram – Qamar Jalalabadi
Aana Hai To Aa Bhi Jaao Gar AAj Bhi Na Aaye To – Shaheed – Ghulam Haider – Nakshab Jarachavi
The song for which I could not locate the soft link:
Ab Tere Bina Mera Nahi Thikana, O Pardesiya – Nao – Gyan Dutt – D N Madhok
We will take up solo songs of Ameerbai Karanatakiin our next episode in our The Micro View of the Songs of 1948 @ SoY series.
The world is too small? or Is it? 
