Concept PR deploys hub-n-spoke model for South, pitches aggressively

Bags PR mandates of ‘Granules India Ltd’, ‘Happay’, ‘Book my Time’,‘Sathguru Management Consultants’, and  ‘VBHC’

BENGALURU:India’s premier public relations company Concept PR has deployed a hub-and-spoke model for exponential growth across South India.The hub-n-spoke modelleads to significant improvements in efficiencies due to joint development of efforts across the centres, enhances the geographical footprint of the agency and simultaneously makes available the entire offerings of varied services of the agency to all the clients across all centres. This helps facilitate the entire production process and lower overall costs.

“We believe that the Indian economy is on an upswing and the growth going forward would be exponential. South India offers excellent opportunities for communication in different verticals such as IT, ITES, Bio-technology, Startups, Pharma and real estate and infrastructure. Our renewed focus appears to have paid us dividends considering the fact that we have been winning a string of businesses in this region,” said Ashish Jalan, Director and CEO of Concept group.

The consultancy has signed new clients like Bangalore-based Happay, abusiness expense management solution company, and Book My Time, a car service and sales aggregator, Hyderabad based,Granules India Ltd, a pharmaceutical compound manufacturer, and Sathguru Management Consultants amongst others. Concept PR has also won mandate from VBHC - Value Homes Private Limited which has projects across Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi-NCR.

“The past nine months has been a huge learning curve, we have pitched aggressively, won accounts, added to the team. But most importantly, we have hit upon the ideal model to increase our presence in the South, increase our product offering, efficiently use group resources across all offices, all this without increasing unnecessary costs. This is critical as we will be able to add value for our clients and at the same time not be heavy on their pockets,” said Sunil Nair, COO – South, Concept PR.

 ‘The increase in clients is gratifying but we still have a long way to go’, added Sunil Nair.

Concept PR, with a strength of 250 communication professionals has a pan India presence and an extensive network across eight major cities in India. The agency services clients across verticals likeBFSI, Real Estate&Infrastructure, Healthcare and Pharma, SEML (Sports, Entertainment, Media Lifestyle), IT& Telecom, amongst others. It also manages pre-IPO build up, IPO marketing communication, is renowned for its crisis communication skills and has dedicated Digital Communication and Investor Relations teams. 

The 'Sparrow' that shook the World and Gen Ayub Khan!

By S Narendra

 (Immediately, after the death of prime  minister Nehru, there was a vacuum in political communication caused by political drift. Lal Bahadur Shastri who succeeded Nehru was not a mass leader, and his Congress backers chose him more for his perceived weakness. He unexpectedly came into prominence and gave memorable nation rallying slogans thanks mainly to the misadventure of Gen. Ayub Khan of Pakistan....Read on S Narendra's column on Political Communication )

When Shastriji pipped Morarji Desai to the post for the prime ministership after the death of

Jawaharlal Nehru in May 1964, most observers commented that the powerful Congress working committee chose Shastriji over Desai as a more pliable, compromise candidate. In fact, British media invited Indian ire when they referred to Shastriji as a sparrow. Shastriji was a self- effacing, diminutive political leader not much known in large parts of India. Although the transition of power from Nehru to Shastriji had been smooth, a sense of political uncertainty prevailed and remarkably there was no attempt to dispel this mood with effective political communication. There were several reasons for this state of affairs.         

The 1962 Chinese aggression seemed to have broken Nehru’s spirit that in turn told on his health. As criticism of his China policy mounted inside and outside the Congress party, Nehru’ s credibility also had been damaged, along with that of the political communication emanating from him. The two main planks of his and the government’s policies forming the core of the political communication had fallen off.

The first was them was the promise of faster development through five year plans. As resources had to be diverted to defence, III Plan suffered. The other plank, foreign policy rooted in non-alignment received a severe setback. In the aftermath of the Indo-China, Nehru’s frantic appeals for US military assistance (as recounted by J.K.Galbraith US Ambassador in New Delhi in his memoir) had raised questions about the benefits his foreign policy. In one sweep, the unifying message of hope and security that he had managed to convey had disappeared when his successor Lal Bahadur Shastriji stepped into his big shoes.

Economic and Political challenges:      As the media said, Nehru was a great banyan tree under which not a blade of grass could grow. Though Shastri had emerged as Nehru’s trusted lieutenant but certainly wasn’t a second in command by any imagination. During   the first few months of his tenure as prime minister, Shastriji had to deal with one of the worst economic conditions marked by drought sweeping north India. The country had to rely on concessional food imports, mostly from the US. The new prime minister tried to shift the III Plan focus to agriculture and his new slogan   ‘grow two grains where one grew before’ did not pick up steam. However, Shastriji is remembered more for his call to make Mondays a cereal-less day for saving scarce cereals. This had not gone down well with the people, especially with the restaurant and food business. In order to promote the prime minister’s call, the government publicity machinery hastily put together pamphlets giving out dozens of recipes for cereal-less meals and snacks and the government advertising wing created a dedicated cell for mailing the pamphlets in large numbers (I was associated with this exercise).

Notably, the  Congress party itself was inactive on the  political communication front, Its President, K.Kamaraj, could speak only Tamil and was known as ‘parkalam,Kamaraj’ (most questions put to him  elicited this response, meaning ‘Let’s see’).The party was a divided house, after the implementation 1963 Kamaraj Plan in which prime minister Nehru had asked senior cabinet ministers-Moraji Desai, Jagjivan Ram, Biju Patnaik, S.K.Patil, Lal Bahadur Shastri and several chief ministers to step down. However, Nehru had brought back Shastriji into the cabinet later, that had not gone down well with the seniors. Now Shastrijim had succeeded Nehru. Even Mrs Indira Gandhi, inducted into Shastriji’s cabinet as I&B minister was reportedly sulking, according to senior journalist Inder Malhotra. In an an article in the Indian Express written a few years  before his death, Malhotra wrote that Mrs Gandhi was unhappy that she was not given the foreign ministry. Another sore point with her was that Shastriji was not consulting her on important policy decisions. Such political differences were sufficient to slow down the government machinery as well.

Agni Pariksha: While Shastriji was grappling with domestic economic problems and the Congress party’s latent dissensions, there suddenly loomed an external threat as well. Gen:Ayub Khan who had usurped power in Pakistan, sent in army men disguised as Kashmiri  militants to the Srinagar valley. When the defence chiefs proposed a massive Indian counter attack on the western front, the prime minister without any hesitation gave them  the go ahead, according to Sharad Kelkar, who was the private secretary to the then defence minister Y.B.Chavan.

In the ensuing 17 days full scale war, India gained the upper hand, with significant territorial inroads into Pakistan. In the meanwhile, US and Soviet Union applied pressure on both the countries to go for a truce. The Soviet Union hosted a meeting between India and Pakistan at Tashkent for hammering out a peace pact. The prime minister who had travelled to Tashkent suffered a fatal cardiac arrest soon after signing this agreement. According to media persons who had accompanied the PM,  Shastriji  was extremely worried about the possible adverse public reaction back home to  terms of this agreement, according to which India had to give up the gains made in the war.

Jai Jawan-Jai Kisan: The effect of this war on India’s politics was that it had put the limelight on Shastriji’s quiet but firm leadership and the nation had rallied behind him. Amidst the crisis Shastriji had come out with a memorable slogan ‘Jai Jawan-jai Kisan’ that resonated with the people. In a simple desi idiom Shastriji had communicated a strategic policy shift-development and  defence, not Either ,Or ( Nehru was criticised for his alleged neglect of defence )-that was to define his government’s approach for strengthening India’s security. It further emphatically signalled that his government would accord priority to agriculture that had not received the importance it deserved in the five year plans thus far. For a people fighting hunger and food scarcity this was a welcome message. Alas, Shastriji was not there to carry forward the political communication riding on his very popular slogan that had won him public support.           

The author:
Former PIO and Govt
Spokesperson

In January 1966, barely 20 months after Nehru’s death, India was thrown into political uncertainly. The political transition was not smooth this time, as Morarji Desai insisted on contesting for the prime ministership against the Congress party’s nominee Mrs IndiraGandhi .Eventually, Desai lost the vote and Mrs Gandhi was sworn in as prime minister on January 19. According to most commentators, senior party leadership, especially the party president Kamaraj, was scared of Morarji Desai’s perceived unbending nature.  Their choice fell on Mrs Gandhi,  as they deemed her to be ‘gungi gudiya’ (dumb doll) who could be manipulated. A stung Morarji Desai, refused to join Mrs Gandhi’s cabinet.

This was a pre-election year and the Congress party monolith was cracking not only in Delhi but also in many states. This was at a period when the country was facing daunting challenges - one of the severest droughts, it had to recover from the costly Indo-Pak war and   the prospect of one of the worst BoP or balance of payment crisis. There was no political leadership in sight that was capable of dealing with such mighty challenges.

How to win friends among media persons

By C K Sardana*

After a 23-year stint in PR/Corporate Communication -- all along in BHEL's Units at Bhopal and Hardwar -- I was transferred as Head/Corporate PR at New Delhi in June 1985. Even though, I belonged to Delhi,  I had not rubbed shoulders with media and media persons

The Author

stationed in Delhi. But, then, I was not a novice in PR/CC, either!.

On the very first day, I sought advice from the personnel in Corporate PR as to how to go about. While I was new in that position, they had already spent over a decade dealing with media in Delhi. I just asked them to name 1-2 media persons with whom they were not very comfortable or, in other words, who were not very cooperative. They named Harish Awasthi who, then, was Director/News/Doordarshan. Incidentally, unlike now, there were no other TV channels at that time.

I asked my colleagues when did DD carry an item on BHEL last time. They shrugged and said '3-4 months'. That, surely, was not acceptable to me. In tune with my nature and work style, I thought it best to take initiative, get to Awasthi and have a dialogue with him. I rang him up. He was, as expected, cold and said yes, no and so on.

I thanked him and concluded 2-mt talk 'OK, Sir, I will come over after a few days and then we will talk.'

He said Fine.

After 15 days, I met him. This time, he was little warm and forthcoming. He started saying that BHEL was not doing well at all. Contents of what he said and his body language made me understand that his premise was based on lack of communication with him. He was quite angry. I just listened, smiled and thanked him for his frankness. I said 'we will keep meeting'.

This time again he said FINE.

In the third meeting, I requested him to just listen to me for 10 mts by the watch. He said 'no problem, come on'. Quickly but clearly and pointedly, I shared with him some outstanding achievements of BHEL which surpassed those of even the best companies in the world. Now, his face showed a big smile and discreet 'yes on the achievements of BHEL which, he said, must be aired on the DD network. I cam back happy.

Awasthi called his colleagues and told them all that had transpired. He asked them to give wide publicity to BHEL. Jolly well, tables were turned. From the third meeting onwards, DD started good giving coverage.

Moral of this narration -- PR man, especially PR Head, must have confidence in self, in his colleagues and in the media persons. He must demonstrate his confidence and professional competence inside and outside the Organization. This will bring about negativity to positivity.

But, always humble and forthcoming. PR is not a 10 to 5 job but 24/7 job. (*The author is a Former GM/Corporate PR/BHEL, Now settled at Bhopal.email id: casardana@gmail.com)

Bulldog Global Awards now open to India communication professionals

MUMBAI: US-based Bulldog Reporter, a renowned journal for communications professionals, has announced a partnership with Concept PR, a division of Concept Group, for the launching of its signature Bulldog Awards in India.

Bulldog Reporter is a leader in media intelligence, supplying news, analysis and high-level training content to public relations and corporate communications professionals for 35 years, with the mission of helping these practitioners achieve superior competitive performance. The Bulldog Awards celebrate corporate communications and public relations strategic and tactical prowess at the highest level. The Bulldog Awards is the only PR awards program to be judged exclusively by working journalists hailing from some of the best-respected news sources. The five annual awards programs have always been open to international organizations and agencies, garnering submissions from global agencies in Germany, Poland, Canada and the UK. Now, Indian communications professionals will also have an opportunity to showcase their work and talent, and compete globally.

Chris Morrison, President of MediaMiser, an affiliate of Bulldog Reporter, said, “There is so much incredible talent in India that is worthy of global recognition through Bulldog Awards. We look forward to seeing some of the great PR campaigns coming out of that country entered into our programs and witnessing new and innovative ways Indian agencies are reaching their goals in that market.”

Announcing this exciting partnership Ashish Jalan, Director and CEO, Concept PR said, “The Indian PR industry is at the cusp of a new and interesting phase where traditional and new media are equally dominant. At the same time, Indian communications professionals are breaking barriers with their extraordinary and innovative ideas. In this context, we are extremely happy to partner with Bulldog Reporter to introduce the Bulldog Awards in India and are confident that with our strong media relations, we can create a good benchmark for the media industry and the PR fraternity at large.”

The first awards program to be introduced to PR professionals in India will be the 2016 Bulldog Stars of PR Awards. This program rewards agencies and individuals in the communications arena who are deserving of recognition for their outstanding talent. The program launched globally on Tuesday, August 9, 2016. There are thirty-two categories available to enter and win, with early-bird pricing in effect until September 9, 2016, and a final deadline of October 21, 2016.

Concept PR will also bring to India the benefits of Bulldog Reporter’s ‘Daily Dog’—the public relations and communications industry’s best-read, most widely distributed trade journal.

About Bulldog Reporter

Bulldog Reporter is a leader in media intelligence supplying news, analysis and high-level training content to public relations and corporate communications professionals with the mission of helping these practitioners achieve superior competitive performance. Bulldog Reporter publishes one of the industry’s best-read, most widely distributed trade journal, Bulldog Reporter’s Daily ’Dog. In addition, the company publishes a daily online newsletter—Inside Health Media—that focuses on media relations in the life sciences industry. Bulldog Reporter’s affiliate, MediaMiser, is a leading provider of a global media contact database and media intelligence services. Bulldog Reporter presents industry awards competitions—the Bulldog Awards—which recognize excellence in multiple categories including corporate social responsibility, media relations, digital and social marketing, not-for-profit and overall outstanding professional performance.

www.bulldogreporter.com

About Concept PR

Concept PR is the public relations arm of Concept Group, India’s largest independent group of communications services. The award-winning public relations consultancy is powered by over 240 professionals having offices in 9 cities and a pan-India associate network that can execute public relations assignments in over hundred cities. The consultancy has a large practice in sectors including BFSI with a specialty in IPO communications, Infrastructure & Real Estate, Engineering, Power, Oil & Gas, IT & Telecom, Media, Entertainment & Sports, Education, Healthcare, and Diversified Corporates. Concept PR also has full-fledged Digital Communications and Investor Relations practices with a sizable and growing clientele.

www.conceptpr.com

In public eye? PR is must for you

Global motivation speaker Will Harris says bad PR can fire back!

By Rajesh Bobde

AMRAVATI (Maharashtra); “Public relations or PR can become an important issue once you put yourself in a position of public visibility,” said international motivation speaker Will Harris.

“Ordinary people don't have this kind of worries but for people such as celebrities, sports superstars, politicians and businessmen it's an important consideration. Public Relations is an important factor to the success of certain careers. Movie stars and musicians need their fan base to patronize their movies and shows. Sports superstars need the support of their fan as well,” Harris said addressing the agriculture and engineering college students on the subject of "Public Relations and Shaping Careers.”

Enthusiastic participation in Will Harris event

The interactive session was organised by PRCI Amravati Chapter in Gurukunj Ashram, Mozari.

Harris said politicians need to look good in the public eye because a bad reputation can cause them to lose in the next election. Becoming an elected public official is a matter of public trust.

Harris is a US-based noted author working on world peace movement with Rashtra Sant Tukdoji Maharaj founded Akhil Bhartiya Shri Gurudev Sevamandal. He was recently on India tour and visited Gurukunj Ashram .He is also focused PR and agriculture marketing.

He went on to say that good PR is essential for a successful business. “This is especially true as your business gets bigger. Bad PR can affect the reputation of your business; your personal reputation and the capacity of your business to generate profit,” he added.

YCC mag KAUTILYA born! Students told not to take life casually

BENGALURU: The much awaited KAUTILYA, the magazine of PRCI’s Young Communicators Club (YCC) has  been released at an event  held with the University Visveswaraya College of Engineering here on August 9.

The launch was followed by a talk on Innovations and Challenges in Cinema, Television and Digital Media by National Award winning Actor Mr Sanchari Vijai, Prof A.S.Chandra Mouli. Head- Department of Communications, Acharya Institute and Mr. Suresh Babu, Founder, Web Marketing Academy, respectively.

Say cheese! 

 The launch comes close on the heels of PRCI launching its magazine CHANAKYA in a new magazine format.

Mr Vijay asked the students to be focused and work hard and to pay attention to their communication. He spoke of the challenges he had to encounter during his initial days of college education and how hard he worked to master the skill. Mr Chandramouli spoke on the innovations Television has brought in and how it still keeps moving ahead.  Mr. Suresh Babu was on a practical demo with the students on their mobile phones. And the students had an opportunity to know more about their apps which they were holding.

Interesting Interaction 

Around 300 students from more than ten different colleges in Bangalore took part with their Professors and faculties. Interacting with the students, Mrs. Geetha Shankar, National Chairperson YCC said that students should come forward to start YCC cells in their colleges with the support of their faculties and try to bridge the gap between academics and corporate and try to be corporate ready.

Founder of YCC Mr M.B. Jayaram said that students should be behave with a sense of responsibility and accountability and “not to take life casually.”

R.T. Kumar spoke about the forthcoming Global Conclave in February 2017 and asked the students to participate in large numbers.

Mr Pranab. K. Pani was the Master of Ceremonies and he told the students what YCC is all about and how students can contribute to Kautilya.

During this function Ms Maya Chandra of Maya Films and Mr V.K. Lokesh were inducted by Ms Geetha

Rapt attention 

Shankar as President and Vice President of Karnataka YCC. Ms Maya speaking said that she has plans to lead the students of Media and Communication forward and it would help in their progression.

YCC Bangalore Chapter participated actively and the function was organised by the student volunteers under the guidance of YCC Bangalore Chapter Secretary Mr Prashanth V.

Ms Latha TS, Dr B.K Ravi, Chairman Bangalore Chapter and  seasoned Journalists, Academicians and HR professionals participated in the event.

All that begin well, ends well!

Rajdeep Sardesai? Who is he?

August 9, 2016 Richa Seth PR KnowHow, Vikypedia Exclusives, Weekly PR Roundup

Appalling GK levels of final year Mass Media students!

A Vikypedia Exclusive By B N Kumar

===============================================
Rajdeep Sardesai? Who is he?

No, I am not asking this question in the context of Arnab Goswami Vs Barkha Dutt episodes.

I am just trying to narrate my experiences at a Bandra (Mumbai) college that teaches Bachelor of Mass Media (BMM) course. I was flabbergasted when a final year student of BMM asked me this question!

Talking of crisis situations, I said any one could face crisis, people like Rajdeep Sardesai included. A well built, bearded young man, stretching his legs from the front row asked me: Who is Rajdep Sardesai.

Shocked though, I thought he was trying to tease me. But one of the college coordinators quickly said: “It’s okay. Not all of us know everything, right?”

Then, I quickly regained my consciousness and proceeded with my talk which part of the efforts by a Guest Faculty Pool that we at PRCI set up to share our experience and knowledge with the GenX.

When I asked the students as to what they wanted to know from me, there were several blank faces. I had to literally prompt them: “Seek, though shall get. Unless you ask, you won’t be able to communicate. After all, you are the final year students and tomorrow you will be facing the world.”

One girl mustered up courage to ask: “What are the various categories of PR or communication? What is corporate communication?”

I asked myself: Are these the questions that final year students of BMM should be asking? What was the college doing for two years?

As I went on addressing the blank faces, I dealt with the importance of following current affairs, depending on one’s interest “because you will be tested for your knowledge”.

Some nodded, some yawned, while the rest kept looking at me as though I am the cousin of that Penguin which landed in Mumbai zoo!

I asked: “Guys, general knowledge is important. How many of you read newspapers?”

Not many hands went up. One bold girl raised her hand.

No, she didn’t say Bombay Times. She said: Mumbai Mirror.

I asked: “So, Mumbai Mirror? How many pages do they devote for City news?”

Ummmmm…..and more murmurs in the hall…as the students exchanged blank looks, this girl in blue said: “two or three.” (Sorry, Meenal Baghel, to shoc you!)

I gave my audience some tips on reading the newspapers. “You can get your Mirror free if you buyThe Times of India and if you don’t want Mirror, you have the choice of getting ET or Maharashtra Times!”

For a second, I felt like Gajodhar addressing his village folk in the Eastern UP, narrating his experiences in an escalator in Mumbai!

Won’t they like to know about career prospects?

One boy asked: “Yes, sir. How difficult or easy is it to find jobs in PR or media?”

I spoke about the need for communication skills, knowledge of basic, grammatical English and so on and so forth and continued with my adventure: “How many of you have heard of Wren and Martin?”

Few hands went up! Not bad, I thought.

Appalling, it may sound. Most of this bunch of students did not appear to be serious about their course and from their attire they appeared to be out on a monsoon trek or a stroll in the Fashion Street, next door.

Finally, I gave one piece of take-it-or-leave-it advice: “Your parents can afford to pay for your higher studies. Consider yourselves to be lucky. I sincerely hope they are not looking at depending on you.”

(The author is Executive Director of Concept PR and National President of Public Relations Council of India – PRCI)

Media Movements - update

Jinsy Mathew from Money Today / India Today has left journalism. 

She's now with ICICI Prudential MF - Corp comm.

Biswajit Baruah, ET has joined IPan H+K

-Courtesy @ One Source

Congrats, Shyamal!

#shakti4beti - Kochi eves say Let's Take the Lead

PRCI’s  Young Communicators Club, Kerala Chapter, in association with the Department of English,

Dr Kalyani Vallath

St. Teresa’s College, Ernakulam conducted a lecture and discussion sessionon Embracing Change and Challenging Norms: The Young Woman in Urban India as part of Daughters’ Day celebration on 29^th July 2016. The discussion was chaired by Smt. Chitra Krishnan who runs Food for Thought, a food and catering enterprise along with 12 house wives-turned entrepreneurs.

Kick-starting the discussion, Dr. Kalyani Vallath, Chairperson of YCC Kerala and the Director of TES, sought to analyze the theme in a refreshingly unconventional manner and proposed that “an emancipated and empowered woman is an unsexed woman”.

The discussion that followed touched on various issues like gender equality, gender divide, lack of freedom and respect for women, increasing assaults on women, LGBT issues, and so on. Students and faculty who actively participated in the discussion voiced their fears, concerns and difficulties they face in a patriarchal world. The issue of raising a son and a daughter differently within a single family was also brought up and examined.

One faculty member posed a query pertaining to the perception of woman as weak in spite of the tremendous strength and indomitable spirit she often brings to the table in familial setup, especially in managing several things at a time like taking care of a family, paying bills, doing her job efficiently all by herself.

Students also lamented how familial bonds and social expectations often present obstacles on their path and discourage their freedom in moving around and doing things independently. They are often blamed and castigated for daring to defy the established notions of gender roles in the society

Dr Tessy Antony, HOD, English Department of St Theres'a
College and Ms. Chitra Krishnan an Entrepreneur of Kochi

Along with several pitfalls and struggles women have had to encounter, the major strides that women have made in various fields were also highlighted. The participants were urged to learn and elicit the right lessons from the struggles already won so that genuine impetus for future struggles and fights that remain to be fought could be gained. The experiences and the resultant wisdom of women who have fought tremendous odds and succeeded in many traditionally male bastions of career and life were discussed at length.

The meet also discussed the imperative to keep the spirit of the feminist movement alive and breathing new life into it.  The urgency to forge communities that would foster the sense of sisterhood and self-help that cut across social and economic divides was emphasized.

The adage “without struggle, there is no progress” was invoked to communicate in unambiguous terms the importance of keeping alive the struggle for justice and equality alive. It was conveyed by various participants in no uncertain terms that young urban women needed to be in the vanguard of the struggle. They are expected to take initiative when required, lead when they can and follow when they must.

The discussion went on to take up the issue of working towards evolving concrete solutions and proposals to enable women to tackle and overcome every day issues they face. When pondering on the issues of rape and abuse on women, the faculty and the students unanimously voiced the urgency to educate the boys through orientation programs and awareness campaigns in schools. The necessity of consciously asserting the dignity of woman and constantly claiming and occupying rightful spaces in various avenues was touched on. 
The various legal and institutional mechanisms that women could rely on in the urban space were also dwelt on.

T. Vinay Kumar, Secretary of PRCI Kerala Chapter, said PRCI has taken forward the Union Government’s programme - Beti Bachao Beti Padhao – by initiating beti DSuraksha (Girl Security) with #shakti4beti campaign across the country.

Sandhya Balasuma, a noted media person, U.S. Kutty, Chairman, PRCI Kerala, and Nateshan, Director-National Counci, PRCI,  were also present for the session.

Hail Dr (Hony) Ravi Mahaptra!

Ravi Mahapatra, president PRCI Kolkata chapter and CPRO of Eastern Railway, received an Honourary  Doctteora in philosophy in PR recently from South Korea's KISEI INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY.

Hearty congrats, Ravi!

PR professional in shock absorber's role

By Chander Sardana

An investigative correspondent, covering Power & Heavy Industry, of a national daily, got hold of a Parliament question and its answer by the Minister -- six month old. Contents therein, plus inputs from sources other than the Company's PR outfit came handy for his writing an adverse story against that Company. The story appeared on the front page inviting fury of the CMD. He sent for the PR Chief and asked 'what is all this?' To this, PR Chief replied 'Sir, this is based on the Parliament question.' Boss lost his cool and said 'what for have I kept you...and so on and on.' He asked the PR Chief to get lost.

The Author - Sardana

But, then, our PR friend mustered courage, collected all facts on that subject, did his home work and met the Correspondent. After a few pleasantries, he first complimented the correspondent for marshaling information in a highly professional manner. Then, he took out his purse and showed a one Rupee coin. He said this coin has two sides. He also asked him whether or not he would like to know other side of the story. He just could not say No. He said 'Oh, yes, by all means.'

The detailed home work done by him enabled him to explain other side. He did not just leave it at that. He had prepared a fact sheet, without any reference to the story, and handed over that to the correspondent. What more does a correspondent want or need?

Within 8 to 10 days, a story on the same subject appeared on the front page of that daily. Notwithstanding even an acknowledgement or appreciation from the Boss, he patted himself having risen to the occasion and having done a good job. His rapport with the press together with his professionalism paid dividends.

PR Chief remained intact in his job. So did the Correspondent. It was a Win-Win situation.

What this episode teaches us that a PR person has to be like a shock absorbor. He has to listen even words like 'Get lost' from no less a person than the Company's CMD and yet get going through using his contacts within the Company for right inputs and his behavioral-cum-communication skills in getting a positive story carried from the same Correspondent.

For all this, PR person must have confidence in self and in those involved in information game.

#shakti4beti reaches The City of Gardens

By Sumathi Rao

BANGALORE, July 24, 2016 –Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) – celebrated Daughters’ Day in memory of Kalpana Chawla, the Indo-American astronaut and the first woman of Indian origin to enter space.

For this year’s Daughters’ Day, PRCI  launched #shakti4beti to focus on the burning issue of  the Girl Child,taking the government’s campaign “Beti Bachao - Beti Padhao”further with "Beti Suraksha".

The highlight of the programme was a Street Play by Hashmi theatre Group on various issues faced by the Girl child, ranging from female feticide to gender discrimination and societal challenges.

Stree Play: A street play focuses on #shakti4beti

Speaking on the occasion  Dr Mallika Ghanti ,Vice Chancellor Kannada University Hampi, brought out the differences in perceptions about the girl child in rural and urban  settings, also highlighting the fact that rural folk culture had a healthy respect  for women. She observed that it was surprising to find discrimination in urban  India among educated people.

She suggested we go back to our roots and stressed that it was important for women to find strength in themselves.

Dr Srinivas Prasad CEO Philips  who was the Guest of Honour urged women and girls to be bold and make the  right choices and have confidence in themselves.

Later, a a panel discussion was held on Because I am a Girl focused  on how girls can reach their full  potential, and live free from violence and discrimination, and have equal economic opportunities. In other words they should be able to learn, Lead, decide and thrive.

PRCI  awarded women acheivers on the occasion. Dr Jayalakshmi ,Vedic Sceintist, and

Scholar, Ms Neela Journalist Prajavani, Dr Deepa Shenoy, Computer Specialist Dr 

Sangeetha  and Ashwini Angadi( both visually challenged achievers) were felicitated for their contributions to society.

Powered by Concept PR, #shakti4beti is a nationwide campaign with several corporates too taking interest in empowering the girl child.