INTRODUCTION
Mr.
Rakesh Kumar is a seasoned Technocrat, Consultant & Strategy manager, a
Teacher and Quality expert. As a
technology he has 37 years of distinguished service with the Govt. of India. He
significantly contributed in the field of Telecom Development, Management and
Network Planning, Adoption of Emerging Technologies and Manpower development.
He also served two of Telocom Public Sector Enterprises, namely MTNL and TCIL
during their initial period of incorporation. He established labs and prepared
course-ware for Advance Level Telecom Training Canter, Ghaziabad, a UNDP
Project.
Mr.
Rakesh Kumar is on the Board of Quality Circle Forum of India as well as on the
Board of Quality Council of India.
THE INTERVIEW
Q. While you were addressing the audience in the morning, you had
mentioned an incidence in which you snatched a balloon from an English boy when
you were just 6 months old, somewhat right after Indian independence. How do
you feel when you cherish those memories?
Ans. For me that incident reflects
transformation of our nation from colonial mindset to independent where any
unconditioned mind is fearless and our young students stands equal
opportunities if not better in this Global market place. Like this incident, everything in life should
teach you something. Observe every minute thing and be a keen learner. Big
researches begin from small thoughts and observations. Always be prepared to
learn from everyone no matter what his status is. Learn from their body
language, character etc.
Q. What do you
feel about today’s educational facilities?
Ans. First of all, today’s students are
really fortunate to have all these facilities and environment that we did not
have in our time. I have been in the best of institutes of those times. At Muir
Allahabad where I did B.Sc. and at IIT BHU, where I did B.Sc.(Engg) Honors
Mechanical, hostel room one had to pay extra Rs. 5/- to have fan. Toilets were
far away and common bath room were in lobby, without Geyser. We had to spent
lot of time in library for our project works. Today you have Google one touch and
all information is available at finger tip. The mode of education and pedagogy
has changed so also the set of skills required. There are more opportunities
waiting to be grabbed. You have to decide what type of job you need on long
term basis. Money is important. The opportunity to learn, career graph and work
culture are as important.
Q. So do you
think that being devoid of facilities made you work more to achieve your goals?
Ans. I had never seen better facilities, so I was satisfied that
was available. At Tata Steels, there was lot of practical learning; In Telecom
Department again it was emerging technologies, their adoption, operations, and
management of the equipment, the work force and the customers that kept us on our
toes. Customer expectations were always more demanding. Being a Mechanical
Engineer and MBA by qualification, I had inclination towards the installation,
testing & commissioning and customer related issues. Technology per-se was
of little interest. Every time I sought for change the ways things are being
done or challenged the specifications itself, there would be resistance.
However my seniors would simply advise me that ‘Rakesh, you are right, but…’.
So eventually, I had to work differently, always keeping in mind how to
mitigate the customer problem without compromising with large number of out
dated rules and keeping bosses in good humour.
Q. You have
proven yourself in different fields of work and have been in different
designations. Has this all happened because of your hard work?
Ans. Basically, I do not believe in sitting
long hours in office unless it is absolutely necessary. I believe in training
my juniors, winning their trust, available for suggestions and team working and
delegation of power after being satisfied of the person. However I am little
intolerant for indiscipline and excuses. This message gets conveyed within 3 to
4 days of my taking over the new charge.
Being a technocrat, consultant and strategic
manager, a teacher and a quality expert are not different, these fields are
integral and quality is required in every field. No one can teach these things,
one has to learn through observations and experimentation. At new assignments,
I would learn from my staff for as much time as needed, without feeling
ashamed. Then strategise how to improve upon and take risk, the typical PDCA
cycle. Even while sharing Rabbit and Tortoise story with my grandson, where the
moral of story is slow and study wins the race, you have to keep on modifying
it to make it interesting and give new meaning. We together have already worked
8 different stories each giving different message developed by employing
different strategies. New strategies and messages are being worked out.
Q. Do you feel
that the greenery of ABV-IIITM is in any way a support to the quality council,
that you have been a part of?
Ans. Of course, balancing between technology
and natural ecology is an important aspect of every institution and this
institute is exemplary in the task. I must congratulate every member of this
institute and specially Prof. Deshmukh; Director through whose untiring efforts
this wonderful eco-system has been developed.
Q. MTNL had a
large number of users but its usage had drastically dropped in the recent
years. What do you think has caused this?
Ans. Unlike other services, Telecom and
Aviation are the two services which can be profitable when they have no
geographical barrier. MTNL land-line is limited to two metros namely Delhi and
Mumbai. However its Mobile service covers entire NCR region in Delhi and only
Mumbai Metropolitan area. It has no growth potential but has to compete with
Private Service providers that have not only national but also International
connectivity. Any turnaround is possible with merger with National player.
Q. So why not
merge MTNL and BSNL?
Ans. Policy decision is needed. There are
stake holders; some of them have different views or vested interests. Policy announcement
followed by committing resources and clear direction for adhering to timeline
is equally important. We can’t have the luxury to wait and allow these
institutes to be a burden.
Q. What kind of
message do you want to pass on to the future generations?
Ans. Be a solution provider and not a product
delivers. Never doubt ‘can it be done?’,
instead do it and show. Try to come up with cost efficient and practical
technology. Show empathy to those who are less fortunate and help them. Develop
a few leaders and not the mere workers.
Team of This Interview
Reporter
- Raktim Patar
- Sakshi chahal
Photographers
- Barre Rishvanth
- Mathangi Akash Kumar
Editor
- Haritha S
- Soumya Veldandi
MR. ANURAG: At the time of the starting of this
club, we were no one. No one really knew us. But then after some time, people
recognized our work and started following us. Basically,it gave me the pleasure
to help everyone. The power of group work was clearly shown in this club. It
taught me that when we have to help someone, helping him/her in a group will
end in much better results than what might have been achieved if we had worked single-handedly
for it. Like if someone needs 100 rupees and I can only give him maximum 50
rupees individually. The matter can be more easily dealt with if there are 100
people and they can contribute 1 rupee each. This is the power of group work.
MR. ANURAG: When the club was founded, my sub
juniors worked very hard for this club. The immense amount of effort they put
in gave me inspiration and kept me motivated to do more and more work. In fact,
they worked so hard that I had to keep myself motivated to do better than them.
These were very satisfying moments. We then introduced more protocols and impressed
more people with our work. We just kept on doing new things, improvising
wherever necessary and saw the club growing.
