10...9...8...The Count down for Global Communication begins

Reaching the top – the Navratna Formula

PRCI Veteran C K Sardana describes the Nine key points 

to remember to perform and then outperform!

 

A batch of 276 Engineer Trainees joined a leading Public Sector Undertaking in 1978. After undergoing six-month training at Corporate HRDI, they were posted in different Units and a few in the Corporate Office.

After nearly 30 years, one reached the top position as CMD, five became Directors and twelve became Executive Directors. Out of the balance, about 30 left the Organization and remaining could reach middle level position at Corporate/Unit levels.

How come, only one out of 276 ETs reached the top? In his case, as also in the case of five Directors, there must have been something outstanding. Which were the outstanding traits? Let me elaborate.

Sustained self development -- There is a word in Japanese -- Kaizen -- which means Continuous Improvement. Japanese, as a people and as a nation, follow this dictum. This was the guiding factor for the above Six persons. Through self-study and observation of the 'achievers' style of thinking, responding and operating, they developed themselves not just in knowledge but in the practice of the knowledge gained. 

Enhancing professional qualifications -- During the job, they looked out for institutions running specialized courses, through distance mode, in key Management areas like International Marketing, Law, OR, HR, Financial Management, Entrepreneurship etc. They joined those Courses and thus obtained an edge over others.

Exposure in/through leading institutions – They always looked for specialized courses – short term and long term – in institutions like IIMs, IITs, Universities – and persuaded the Management to sponsor them. Institutions included world-renowned Harvard Business School in USA. They attended those courses thereby enhancing their self development leading to gaining name and fame as ‘achievers’ and also those with ‘potential for higher responsibility’.

Movement within the Organization -- Initially, each ET was allocated to a certain Department. Having spent a few years in that Department, they offered themselves for posting in other Departments including Finance, HR, Marketing, Administration -- to name a few. Here they learnt the nitty-gritty of those functions thereby equipping themselves for varied and higher responsibilities. 

Membership of professional bodies – They became active members of professional bodies like AIMA, ISTD, Institution of Engineers, IEEE, Quality Forum etc. This brought them in close contact with professional in various fields thereby enhancing both connections and connectivity required for upward movement.

Reading success stories – Success stories of top corporate leaders like JRD Tata, Dhirbhai Ambani, V. Krishnamurthy, S P Wahi, to name a few in India, and Ford of USA were their favourite books. It was not casual reading but looking for outstanding traits, taking notes and preparing action plan for implementing them in their own life. They kept self-monitoring as a regular exercise.

Body language – This includes communication skills. No matter how much one knows the subject, what is more important how does he communicate that to the peers, seniors and those who matter. The latter form impressions from the content and the method of communication. Such impressions help selecting among so many candidates the best for higher positions.

Remaining in focus – Remaining in focus is different from remaining in limelight. The latter may produce animosity among various aspirants for higher positions and, therefore, should be shunned. Instead, remaining in focus should be aimed at.

Confidence in self and in associates – Without this, no one can rise. The six achievers, mentioned in the foregoing, followed  a sustained programme of developing their self confidence and also confidence in associates. This helped them reach much higher levels than those who had also joined the Organization at the same time.(The author is Former General Manager/BHEL/New Delhi. Email id: casardana@gmail.com)

Earn Your Award, Don’t Ask For It!

Just a thought 

By Geetha Shankar*

I grew up and earned my trophies, neither the 1^st nor the 2^nd   but more often the 3^rd or the consolation or sometimes a certificate of participation. I still have those. They mean a lot to me, because I worked hard and gave my heart out for them. Nothing was "FREE"!

Oh boy….  What a transition I see in a few years..…. Today, Everyone expects an award just for walking through the door, or an award just for showing up and even waking up at 6 AM!.  People crave for awards without doing anything to even demand an award.

How many of us would say “I did not do anything to win the award and I don’t deserve it. Let someone who deserves get it”.

The concept of ‘work extra hard’ and excel at something to get an award or special recognition is diminishing.  

One should demonstrate that one has really done something great to deserve an award.

Everybody deserves some recognition, but not everybody can get  the same recognition.

This  " I-deserve- an-award" approach  sounds very, very selfish and it reflects absence of self-esteem.

On  the contrary, I for one very strongly feel that  there should be  emphasis right from an early age by parents, teachers, peers To build that element of self-esteem.  There has to be a paradigm shift from the material perspective of awards to earning respect, dignity and just having someone say they are proud of you.

I think we have a lesson or two to learn from the selfless voluntary work that has poured in during the recent Chennai calamity. That is the level of selfless work that I am talking about. These are the people who actually deserve awards. Can Award givers raise the bar?  

It’s for all of us to think – think positively.

I am nowhere trying to belittle anyone nor am I trying to hurt anyone.

Just a thought!  That’s all, folks! 

(*The author is National Chairperson of YCC and Director – Governing Council, PRCI)

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Tech, Taka Tak!

Dear Friends: Wish you all a very Happy New Year. As new year dawns, the countdown for PRCI’s Kolkata Global Conclave-Digital-What Next – begins. I thought of greeting everyone who is looking forward to this great event with a suitable message and decided to offer the following. Warm regards.- S. Narendra

• Digital Now - What Next –2016 - Gleanings from Tech Sources

Fortune magazine December

23rd   by Adam Berry: 2015 witnessed the  birth of live social streaming with apps like Periscope and Meerkat. Facebook also entered the field and boasts of 800 million video viewers a day, more than YouTube. In 2016 users will be able share ever more vivid ,real -time experience. Expect to see more immersive videos, as publishers and even brands catch up and begin creating more content.  A true, fully immersive headset Oculus Rift is slated for release opening up even more interesting possibilities for news feeds. Oculus  VR has already released  a new social app called Oculus Alpha for use with  a Samsung  Gear VR headset, perhaps the first truly social app of  Facebook’s new technology. Expect to see live streaming reach a whole new mainstream audience.

The Other trends are:

1. VR or Virtual Reality has come to social media, The Star Wars The Force Awakens clips were a hit on social media. In a way video on social media grabbed the tech headlines in 2015.

2  Social shopping takes off

Facebook, Twitter@Twitter,  Instagram, Pinterest have now in-line buy button, giving a big push to commercial functionality to social media. Social media  in China and Korea  have been having such buy buttons for long. According to a survey, 4 out of  5 persons ( in US) say posts from friends influenced buying decisions. This goes to underline the growing importance of social media in marketing.  

3  Social media at work- New Training Opportunities

Facebook at Work  by Facebook and others  for using social media in the office will compel businesses to incorporate social tools to work plae.The social media skilsl gap at work will impact businesses. Both for internal communication and customer interface of firms and front line employees are not up to the challenge, A Harvard Business Reviewer study said only 12 5 of those who uses  social  media  said they used them effectively. Social media training will take off in earnest.

  4   Social media  as  a major  channel for customer service gets a lot better. A new study showed that of 500 top retailers, only 20.5 % answer questions send via Twitter and 54.5% respond via facebook. Facebook and Twitter have upgraded their customer service functionality. Twitter lifted its standard 140 character limit on DM  or  direct  message. It also launched a beta version of Messenger Business, offering a new avenue for real -time personal conversation with customers. Facebook claims that  its Messenger has about  800 million users .

5. 2015 saw SM or social media evolve into everything platforms-one- on-one messaging to video sharing, customer service and more. In effect SM is becoming a natural component of everything people do according to Ryan  homes,CEO of Hootsuite.

6. Going digital is not longer an option. Nor is it to be looked upon as a technology to be deployed.  It must become a MINDSET for people, organisations, businesses. Previously it  was considered as best practice to measure people and organisations on the basis of IQ.Later EQ was added. In the present world dominated by cyber technologies, IQ+EQ+ DQ have become the norm. DQ is digital quotient.

 Digital Echo-Chamber of Social Media and other trends

Mark Barrenechea CEO of Enterprise Information `Management Firm offers his take what to expect in  2016 .

More automation and machine to machine networks, devices, agents and sensors and people will join the Internet of Things (IoT).

Corporates will compete more to acquire data, attempt to monetise data, analyse  and innovate. As businesses try to master big data, improve analytics, enable customers to consume products and services and expand digital delivery of services, it will lead to the next big industrial revolution.

Social media increasingly will become marketing forums. Facebook has one billion active users in a month, 300 Twitter subscribers post 500 million Tweets in 150 countries daily. Managing social reputation and being actively engaged will top priorities.

Good news is that businesses can monitor and one participate, However, one has  to be listening for adverse notice and positive rating.

Challenges to News Organisations

VR or Virtual Reality is creating a minor storm in news organisations, especially the broadcast networks. 360 degree video and Chat apps have transformed news content.

Several news Organisations have released a string of VR projects and immersive videos, showing an enthusiasm for building VR apps. Social media have begun to support 360 degree videos on their platforms making news organisations to look for innovating their video news coverage.  These are mobile friendly, a social product and take the viewer  to the place where the action is. These are early days in digital Journalism revolution. The challenge is to create public awareness about 360degree video and educate them to experience the new product. Some news outlets like WSJ City from London is available on only mobiles. BuzzFeedNews app has its own editorial team ,uses emoji.Again it is only for mobile users.

Periscope has injected a social aspect to live -streaming by allowing viewers to send questions and comments to broadcasters in real time. It encourages sharing of images and moments online. Periscope and facebook’s Mentions together with willingness of news organisations  are creating a new ecosystem of Journalism

Chat apps such as Whatsapps have become news gathering tools. So far they were looked upon only as news dissemination outlets but now they are being used for getting user generated stories, including news tips. A recent example was the Earth quake in remote Nepal. One broadcaster said that their coverage was enriched by videos, and eye witness accounts sent on such apps by viewers. BBC had similar experience during Paris and Bangkok bombings, The text messages from people alerted news organisations much earlier than the news agencies.

In UK, half of audiences of five newspapers are mobile only. The mobile first mindset that set in 2015 will expand, according to experts. News organisations until recently used to look at Mobile as an extension of the Web. But in 2015 news  for and on mobile  came into its  own, according to a London based professor of Journalism, Jane Singer.

CNN’s  Inqa Thordar says news outlets are looking to build their own 360degree players rather than depend upon social media such as facebook,

Mobile Office to Replace Cubicle

Millenials will enter the management ranks and will reshape the world.

Young leaders will emerge out of millennials who would enter businesses. They will radically alter business and it practice and workplace will be reinvented. The mobile office will replace the cubicle. Study of disruption will become much more important. To cope with digital revolution, competition and partnerships will work in tandem.

Digital is not just a technology but it is also a mindset. Immediacy and disruption and scale will be the topics to watch out.

India-Paisa wasool Challenge

Fcaebook has embarked on a massive, controversial campaign to expand access to the internet among  indias population with its Basics. Google (Joined the Indian Railways for broadband service), Microsoft and others are also eyeing expansion.  But in India free video is the norm, making it hard for streaming services like Netflix and download services (free down leads from You Tube is getting restricted ) to make any headway in pay per use business model. Adding to the Indian market challenge is pervasive piracy.   And those who are willing to pay do not have credit cards,- the winner so far has been  You Tube which has operated in  India since 2000( source: New York Times 27/12)

  

Corruption folklore and a hapless PM - Blast from Nehru's past

      

     

Political communication (PC) is the oxygen of an open democracy like India. In the first decade after independence, PC was mostly  one way from the government, that meant mostly from the first prime minister Nehru to the political system and to the people. It was almost direct communication, not mediated by media. The latter was prone to report Nehru and what the government said and did at length. Its reach was limited. While Nehru was keen to provide adequate space for the opposition, it was puny, in the face of the Congress juggernaut. However, there was a sudden political churn at fag-end of the decade. Robust signs of challenge to Nehru’s authority, government and  Congress party government and the policies appeared...Also, sings of emergence of dynastic politics. Read the fifth in a series by S Narendra, former adviser to PMs and Govt Spokesman.

While the Karnataka government raised a controversy in trying to mark  Tipu Sultan’s birthday on November 20^th, not many in India would remember or like to remember November 21st. On this day in 1962 China declared unilateral ceasefire after occupying territories in North East Frontier (in present North East states, especially Aurnachal Pradesh and Assam) and inflicting a humiliating military blow to India. The one month long Indo-China war ended on this day. In a broadcast to the nation, Prime Minister Nehru had said ‘my heart goes out to the people of Assam......’ as the ill-equipped and under-clothed army had limped away to  Tejpur, Guwahati was expected to be under threat. President Radhakrishnan in a radio broadcast had mildly upbraided the government for its lack of anticipation of Chinese threat and absence of preparation.

An Express report on Chinese aggression

The then Times of India editor N.J.Nanporia in a scoop of the century,  through series of articles written from about November 14^th onwards had predicted such a unilateral ceasefire by China.

K. Hanumanthiah, Congress MP and a former chief minister, in a quotable quote had said “We seem to be fascinated by the word ‘non’. It was non-violence to begin, later non-alignment’. It has come to mean that half the cabinet is aligned with Washington and the other half with USSR and a prime minister in between.

A rare picture of a pensive Nehru, with a heavily slumped shoulders, clasping  hands at his back, walking alone and away from the camera  (T.S.Satyan a great photographer from Karnataka, had taken one of them)  in Parliament corridor had appeared in newspapers. It pictured the state of the nation’s morale and the shattered ideals and optimism which had characterised the political communication until then. A new questioning phase in PC was palpable.

The political rumblings had arrived in 1959, when C.Rajagopalachari launched the Swatanatra party, as a counter to the Congress party’s  embrace of socialistic pattern of society. The Bharatiya Jan Sangh founded by Shyam Prasad Mukherjee in 1951 was also a critic of the government’s  tilt against the private sector. Thus, there was some convergence of views  and the two began to coordinate their attack on the government. In the meanwhile, the Communist party of India that had opposed the Congress party and Nehru in the initial years had softened its stance, as its external mentors in USSR had now become India’s economic partners and the prime minister’s close friends. This party also had allies like Krishna Menon in the Congress party.

The Communist party had newspapers in different languages including  its English magazine New Age and through the People’s Publishing House the Communists were able to penetrate the public opinion space. On the other side of the spectrum   was the Current weekly by D.F.Karaka (in early fifties Karaka had written a book- ‘The Lotus Eater from Kashmir- and presented it to Nehru).The latter had also exposed the in -flow of money from USSR to PPB house and foreign exchange remittance to some leaders of the Communist party.

In order to fill the big gap in India’s foreign reserves, the government had introduced a scheme under which Indians could receive foreign remittances without facing any questions. Russi Karanjia of the Blitz weekly was reportedly another beneficiary of Soviet generosity. While the Blitz was blazing away against critics of the Prime Minister, Karaka was soliciting one Rupee contribution from the readers of Current for fighting communism.

Corruption Folklore: PM Nehru, who had declared very early in his stint that he would hang from the nearest tree any one found to be corrupt, was facing serious corruption charges against his partymen in government. His son in law Firoze Gandhi had mounted the attack on corruption by exposing the LIC-Munhdra scandal in 1957. A judicial enquiry headed by Justice M.C.Chagla indicted the  finance minister T.T.Krishnamachari (TTK) and the finance secretary H.M.Patel ,forcing them to quit the government. The ‘folk-lore on corruption was spreading’ was the warning given by  A.D.Gorwala committee, set up ban  the government for suggesting anti-graft steps. It had found that ministers, legislators and bureaucrats were involved in corruption. While the prime minister’s integrity was not under question, he was seen as  somewhat ambivalent in dealing with the corrupt (there was a precedent before  Dr,Manmohan Singh).

For example, Krishna Menon came into the cabinet even though he was under the shadow of corruption during his tenure as the High  Commissioner in U.K.  TTK came back into the cabinet in 1963.The Punjab chief minister Pratap Singh Kairon was alleged to be corrupt  but was seen to  be in PM’s good books. There were several other names of ministers  in states and the centre who were considered to be of doubtful integrity.

Poor Image  of Private Sector: The highly government controlled and regulated private sector was not above board either. The political communication on behalf of PSUs had put the latter on a pedestal, extolling the fact that PSUs represented the best  in private and public ownership (It is now the turn of PSUs to face  this criticism  as inefficient and prone to political misuse and calls for their dismantling mounted in the wake of the economic reforms of 1991) .

Next:Part VI- Pre-Emergency Sledging Phase. Garibi Hatao, and 1971 elections,AIR misuse attacked by Opposition, Media represents 00.001 percent-Mrs Gandhi, Newsprint Crisis. Media Urges government to set up newsprint mills, Price-Page Schedule Struck Down by SC, BBC Thrown Out, Myth &Reality Campaign by Frank Moraes, B.G.Verghese Removed from HT for his campaign on Mrs.G, foundation Laying spree, STD arrival worries government, spying on foreign media, JP's Gujarat and Bihar agitations queer political pitch, Student Strikes and Media Strikes etc

This implied that the private sector not only did not serve the public purpose but was dominated by purely profit (greed?) motive. What was more damaging to the private sector image were  reports of mismanagement of firms, manipulations of their accounts and stock market rigging. This prompted the government to set up the  Vivian Bose Commission to enquire into more than a dozen companies including the Bonnet &  Coleman company publishing the Times of India and several other papers, controlled by Ramakrishna Dalmia-Jain family. This family owned airways and an Insuracne company as well. Ramakrishna Dalmia was jailed after a trial on charges of embezzlement of funds of companies under his management. Sriyans Prasad Jain  also faced similar charges. The government had moved for removal of the Board of Directors of TOI group of newspapers headed by S.P Jain on the ground that it was being mismanaged and company funds diverted.  Even the ownership of TOI was under question. TOI editor had appealed to the government to transfer the ownership to a cooperative.  (During the emergency full ownership was restored to Ashok Jain.). A commission of enquiry had established serious fraud charges against S.P.Jain but action was not taken against him reportedly because he enjoyed the protection of the home minister G.L.Nanda. Again Nanda’s reputation for probity was unquestioned.

The Vivian Bose Commission in a separate enquiry into the state of Audit in the private sector had  found that the institution of auditors had lost  credibility, as some famous auditing firms had conducted audits but had not cared to check the records for their veracity (in the  same way Arthur Anderson and other so-called Audit biggies had audited multi-national firms such as ENRON, WorldCom in 2000-02 and Meryl Lynch, AIG in 2007 ).

The Tatas and some others  had even quit FICCI, as S.P.Jain accused of misappropriation of funds of companies he was managing and facing legal proceedings had refused to quit as FICCI president (reminiscent of the case of the former BCCI boss K.Srinivasan controversy!)

C.Rajagopalachari, had coined his famous ‘Licence -Permit Raj’ as a short hand for denoting the prevailing corruption. The country had adopted the decimal system (1957) and Naya Paisa became the currency replacing the earlier Rupee, Ana, and Paisa (a Rupee had 16 anas further divided into 192 Paisa). For the first time, aluminium alloy coins came in circulation, replacing  genuine silver, copper and brass coins. Rajaji, commenting on this transformation of coins, had written that the rot in the government was so bad that even the coins minted by such a government had lost their weight and begun to float in water (the light weight 10 Naya Paisa coin actually floats in water for some time before sinking and that was a fun game kids of my generation played!).

PSU – PR: PSUs were duty bound to be more open and expected to engage in public communication about their activities. This burnished the government image as well. As a result they became the patrons of PR and pioneers by setting up well staffed PR units with good budgets. This was in contrast to the private firms. Excepting some big, far sighted  houses like the Tatas, very few private firms engaged in PR. Of Course, they had advertising wings. Even in the  field of advertising, corporate PR and advertising was not in much vogue. Most brands in the market were extension of international brands, as Indian FMCG and other products were a very small part of the market. This supplementary position of private sector continued for several years after independence.  

Overall, the (mis) behaviour tendency of the private sector and the  political communication that derided the profit motive of private enterprise  largely have gone to  condition the Indian  public perception of  the private firm. It has not come out of such a negative image even after role of the PSUs and the government in the economy have undergone a substantial change in the post-reform period.

Father-Daughter in Driving Seats: On the political front there were some unusual turns. The PM’s daughter Indira Gandhi had been made the Congress president in 1959. Although senior party leaders were very resentful of  Mrs Gandhi’s elevation, there was no open opposition because  Nehru was the tallest party leader and a vote catcher. For the first time in history in 1957 elections, a communist government (headed by E.M.S.Namboodaripad) had come in Kerala. With the active support of Mrs Gandhi as the Congress president, a massive agitation was mounted for toppling this duly elected state government. Religious sentiments were stoked for the move.  The president of India Dr.Rajendra Prasad (according to  the autobiography of  D.P.Misra, a Congress chief minister  of M.P and a staunch supporter of Nehru and Mrs Gandhi)  very reluctantly had approved Nehru cabinet decision for dismissing this elected government. This was the first instance of the central government misusing Article 356 of the Constitution that vests power in the Union government for removing a state government, if the latter was not in a position to be carried out in accordance with the constitution. The prime minister was roundly criticised for using his daughter for this political putsch.

There were sudden  developments  on the northern borders of India derailing the much hyped ‘Hindi-Chini Bhai,Bhai’ and Panch Sheela declarations. The Chinese army had occupied Aksai Chin (part of Pak occupied Kashmir) heights ceded to it by Pakistan. China had ended autonomy of Tibet  and the Dalai Lama had sought asylum in India. Around this time, there were unconfirmed reports (now confirmed in a biography of Gen,K.S.Thimmiah, though) that the army chief Gen. Thimmiah had offered to quit his post. The army chief had differed with the defence minister Krishna Menon over the defence forces preparedness to meet the Chinese threat. Reportedly, there was pressure to cut the defence spending that was just a little over Rs300 crore. The Indian Express had reported that factories meant for making guns and ammunition had made improved coffee filters under the orders of the minister. Also, Krishna Menon was alleged to have interfered with senior army appointments.

Nehru and Krishna Menon 

There was a blistering attack on Menon in Parliament by one of the opposition stalwarts- J.B.Kripalani, a freedom fighter and a Gandhian who was not afraid of  differing with Gandhi. Kripalani was now in the socialist party and a critic of Nehru. In a memorable speech in Parliament, Kripalani said; ‘under Menon’s watch we have lost 12,000 square miles of our territory without striking a single blow “ (reference to Chinese occupation of Aksai Chin). It seemed that the entire opposition ire against Nehru was being heaped on Menon, seen to be a favourite of the prime minister. There were media reports that some of the members of the cabinet were not even on talking terms with Menon.

The 1962 parliamentary elections were held against backdrop of  several challenges before the government. While the Congresss victory was a foregone conclusion  (even a lamp post would get elected under the Congress flag, to quote Frank Anthony M.P),  the entire nation’s focus on  North Bombay constituency where Menon was challenged by Kripalani. It was a high profile and a tough contest at that, in which Nehru staked his prestige. One campaign poster on behalf of Kripalani had this memorable ditty: ’Chini hamla hote hai/Menon saab sote hai’ (from the book on this contest by Dastur). The Congress party  saved Menon’s seat by investing enormous  resources. The poll campaign was remarkable for its high decibel level that inaugurated the confrontationist politics.

Rajaji had galvanised and united the splintered opposition. Nehru had carpingly described the Swatantra party as the party of tycoons, landlords and princes representing a bygone age. The Congress juggernaut, as expected, rolled on and won 361 seats out of 488 contested. But the opposition despite its disadvantages had scored. The Communist party was the biggest gainer with 29 seats. Swatantra party made its debut with 18 seats. Jan Sangh touched double digits (14). What the opposition lacked in numbers in parliament, it made it up in terms of the personalities.

Krishna Menon’s poll victory turned out to be a pyrrhic one. In October, the Chinese had moved their army into Indian territory and inflicted heavy defeats. This post has begun with the mention of  events leading up to November 21^st, 1962.

The politics and political communication then on moved into a new phase, replacing the single most  dominant voice of the first prime minister with many. The most significant outcome of India’ s debacle on its borders  was that for the first time the hitherto unthinkable question - Who After Nehru -  began making the rounds. A year later, an American writer By Welles Hengan published his bestselling book with the same title.

Going places, PRCI hoists flag at Amravati

New Team headed by Rajesh Bobade takes charge

We take pleasure in announcing the formation of the 26^th Chapter of PRCI with a team taking charge at Amravati.

PRCI Pune Chapter’s energetic  Chairman Avinash has worked hard to ensure the formation of the Amravati unit. Hearty congrats to him and the new team.

Amravati, in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, is a significant city as it is the district headquarters as well as a major education and industrial centre.

It is also the heart of cotton growing region.

Here is the list of office-bearers.

Sr No	Name of officer Bearer	Designation in PRCI CHAPTER	Presently Working Status
1	Rajesh Bobade	Chairman	Chief PRO of State Industry, PWD ,Mining and Environmental  Minister of Maharashtra
2	Dr.Rushikesh Nagalkar	Vice-Chairman	Medical Communication Expert
3	Professor Anil Jadhav	Chief Advisor	Professor in Indian Institute of Mass Communications and Special  Correspondent of The Times of India
4	Pravin Kapile	Secretary	Bureau Chief of The Hitavada
5	Shailesh Dhundi	Treasurer	District Correspondent of Maharashtra Times

Let us extend a hearty welcome to the 26^th Chapter and invite them all to the 10^th Global Communication Conclave at Kolkata on January 22 & 23, 2016.

Death, be not proud! Rajpal will always remain with us!!

http://www.exchange4media.com/marketing/veteran-pr-professional-and-prci-chairman-n.d-rajpal-is-no-more_62764.html
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Sad end to a good friend and a long time associate of PR fraternity. That memorable  laughter is gone.

May Rajpal's soul rest in peace.

-Neelu

Add caption

Though we saw it coming, we thought a miracle can…..
revive you a little and we'll meet you soon in Jan
But though you are gone and we know you'll not be there….
leaving us with a pain that is really difficult to bear…..
we rest assured cos. Heaven has the best PR man!
- R T Kumar

ND, as Rajpal was affectionately known to many of our PR colleagues, is no more. I had personally known ND for the past 30 years or more. We shared many good moments together during som of the difficult times when PR was still evolving in India. ND was a quintessential optimist and a pragmatist to the core. He was ever eager to help and would participate in all eligible professional forums. He was always smiling and would bear challges with a grin. And so he did even during his last few days. ND, we will miss you and always remember you. You were a great frind, a true professional, a great leader, but above all, an endearing and lovely human being. May your soul rest in peace.
- Bish Mukherjee

PRCI Bangalore Chapter conveys its heartfelt condolences to the departed soul! We all miss a great personality & a friend!! May his soul rest in peace.👏
Regards
Chaya Umesh Chandra

Extending deep and heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved family and prayers for the departed soul.
- Natesh Nair

These is no goodbyes for us dear ND Rajpal ! Wherever you are, you will always be in our hearts. Bless us... as always.

- Anil Nayak

Kindly convey our deepest condolence to the family. May the departed soul rest in peace.
Regards,
Yogesh Joshi

Our heartfelt condolences to the family and the PRCI fraternity.- Arvind Jyot Sabhaney

I am deeply saddened to hear this news, Jay. Rajpalji was such an elegant and intelligent man of great warmth and kindness. I will hold very fond memories of him. We have indeed lost a great friend. RIP, Mr Rajpalji and God bless you. Please convey my sincerest condolences to his family.

- Professor Matthew Hibberd

Very Tragic News indeed! May dear Rajpal ji's soul rest in peace. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. Today, not only PRCI family but Indian PR fraternity lost a remarkable professional and a great human being. Let's remember his good deeds and keep his legacy alive and as a sincere homage to the departed soul, constitute an award in his name. Fondly remembering his ever smiling face & his warm voice of affection. We all will miss him always.

God bless PRCI Family.
- P K Pani

It is really very painful to hear the news about the sad demise of our dear friend Mr ND Rajpal. His contributions for PR fraternity are commendable & will always be remembered. He was a icon in PR. We will miss him always.
I pray Almighty to give courage to PR Fraternity & his family members to bear this irreparable loss.
may His Soul rest in Peace.

- Ajai Agarwal

Indeed, Shri N. D. Rajpal's change of great voyage to another world is a big shock, loss and challenge to our mundane world of Public Relations and we pay our salute and respect to a brave and veteran lieutenant of our PR army and fraternity. His administrative capability, intellectual magnanimity, cultural fragrance and the ability to deal with kaleidoscopic aspects of Public Relations are the great lessons of human relationship management.

Just on the eve of 10th Global Communication Conclave, his departure makes the members of Public Relations Council of India, Kolkata Chapter and Eastern India at large intellectually, mentally and organizationally baffled to get the light and more light. But let us strengthen ourselves to meet the challenges in order to pay our homage to the untiring departed soul of Rajpalji.

With a parting salute to the undaunted spirit of N. D. R. and love to all the members of Public Relations Council of India and beyond.

-B. K. Sahu, MCIPR

Reallly sorry to hear this.
He was a doyen of the industry and I am sure his presence and guidance will be missed.
My heartfelt condolences to the family.

-Sridhar Ramanujam

Shocking! Lost a friend for all😢 - C Manohar


Our heartfelt condolences to the family and the PRCI fraternity. - Aantish Ananthapura

Heartfelt condolences. I know very well this is a great loss to the PR fraternity and especially to you. I still remember his encouraging and enthusiastic  words when we met last time at Bangalore for our Decennial Celebrations.
Kindly convey our condolences to his daughters. May God Almighty rest his noble soul in peace and give courage and strength  to his family to face this grave situation.
- T Vinay Kumar

I is indeed sad to note that Mr. Raj pal is no more amidst us.He was a
collosus in the field of PR and communications.Lets pray that he rests
in peace.
My heart felt condolenses

Prof. B. Thyagaraja

यह समाचार पढ़कर बहुत दुख हुआ. संकट की इस घड़ी में हम सब आप लोगों के साथ हैं तथा 
ईश्वर से प्रार्थना करते हैं कि वह उनके परिवार, प्रियजनों तथा आप सबको इस दुखद स्थिति का सामना करने का साहस व शक्ति दें और उनकी आत्मा को शांति प्रदान करें. 

एस एस यादव
मुख्य प्रबंधक (राजभाषा)
यूनियन बैंक ऑफ इंडिया

I am sorry to hear the sad demise of Mr. Rajpal. I had occasions to meet him during the functions of PRCI in Bangalore. He was such a lovable person. I think his death is a huge loss to PR fraternity in the country and particularly to PRCI. Please convey my condolences to the family and to the fellow members of PRCI. May his soul rest in peace.

-HS Eswara

Sorry to hear about the sad demise of a great  PR Pioneer  and Guru. Please convey my sincere condolence to his family. - Sailo –Aizwal,  Mizoram, former direct of PR. Mizo govt