CSR seems to be the buzzword of the age. As far as i know it has been the buzzword for the past few/many years. Anytime a company goes through a bad phase of publicity(external or internal) the spin pundits in the company come out with a CSR initiative. Sheesh...talk about sleazy.
Our country doesnt need large companies coming forward to adopt villages. The top management come and hold the impoverished's hands for the duration of the photo-shoot and then speed of in their waiting air-conditioned sedans. I am not going to talk about the CSR initiatives of the soul-sucking, mind-numbing conglomerates here. I am more concerned with another CSR. Citizen social responsibility.
The average citizen in India is 29 years old. That's not youth right? compare this to China where it is 37 and to Japan where it 48 or even to the US where it is 35. So definitely it is a much younger demographic than to the superpowers. The average salary of an Indian is Rs.38000. That sounds pretty impressive right? Wrong!! that's per annum. So you are talking about a salary of Rs 3000 + for the average kuppan or suppan in India.
Now look at our American counterpart. The average salary is 18000 USD which translates to about Rs.810000 per annum. Something is wrong with the picture here.We have all heard of how India's brains power the large MNC's and organizations across the world. After all that, it is a bit confusing as to how low the average indian earns when compared to their counterparts around the world.
I have been reading Gopinath's book (watch his speech here)and subsequently did some research. Apparently in the US, every day 11 new companies are being formed. This number might have dropped in the recent prolonged recession/depression. In India, 11 companies are being formed every month. I am talking about the official numbers here in terms of registration and with proper paperwork and not starting of a lemonade shop in your driveway. This shows the entrepreneurial spirit that is there in the two countries. The number of new businesses directly relates to the number of new jobs made available which in terms relate to the national income.
The day that we stop thinking about our next paycheck and start worrying about the payday for our own employees is when we could change this disparate setup. As a citizen, we have had loads of reasons to criticize and bitch about the country and the state it is in. But until and unless we as citizens do a bit of CSR, this isn't going to change anytime soon.
Start something. Anything. Even if it fails, it doesn't matter. I know it's pretty easy to say it doesnt matter when it's your time and money that is being invested. But until we take the plunge and do something on our own, we are going to remain chained to our desks, signing of on a 9 to 5 job, waiting for the month end and keep checking our bank account online to see if the salary has been credited or not. If at all you fail, the job market is still good enough for you to pick yourself up and get another job to survive the temporary financial setback.
Recently my wife got a new manager at work. This guy had been working for quite some time in some concern before he ventured out and started something on his own. It did well for some time before it faltered. I believe it must be because of his way of working. Atleast my wife keeps cribbing about him and his style of working. But the amazing thing here is that, here is a guy in his mid 40s, his business plummeted to the ground, picked himself up, got himself a job and still looking for the next big thing that he can start of on. We need more people like him. Who are ready to take the risk and plunge into the unknown. Running a business isnt for everyone. At the same time, it is something that one must do in order to know whether its for them or not.
I know, i know. I have been talking big here but still stuck in the same rut as all of you. I had been an entrepreneur and had started a couple of things way back. These had put me back into very serious financial setbacks(Thanks to my dad who was with me through all those times). Now I am married, my financials are slightly better and above the red mark. Any safe person would say I stick to this because of my commitments. I say, its because of these commitments in fact that i need to venture and take risks. I wouldnt be able to make such a move say five years from now.I would have become institutionalized by then. The time is now. The moment is now. I am taking the plunge. It's time for my CSR.
Our country doesnt need large companies coming forward to adopt villages. The top management come and hold the impoverished's hands for the duration of the photo-shoot and then speed of in their waiting air-conditioned sedans. I am not going to talk about the CSR initiatives of the soul-sucking, mind-numbing conglomerates here. I am more concerned with another CSR. Citizen social responsibility.
The average citizen in India is 29 years old. That's not youth right? compare this to China where it is 37 and to Japan where it 48 or even to the US where it is 35. So definitely it is a much younger demographic than to the superpowers. The average salary of an Indian is Rs.38000. That sounds pretty impressive right? Wrong!! that's per annum. So you are talking about a salary of Rs 3000 + for the average kuppan or suppan in India.
Now look at our American counterpart. The average salary is 18000 USD which translates to about Rs.810000 per annum. Something is wrong with the picture here.We have all heard of how India's brains power the large MNC's and organizations across the world. After all that, it is a bit confusing as to how low the average indian earns when compared to their counterparts around the world.
I have been reading Gopinath's book (watch his speech here)and subsequently did some research. Apparently in the US, every day 11 new companies are being formed. This number might have dropped in the recent prolonged recession/depression. In India, 11 companies are being formed every month. I am talking about the official numbers here in terms of registration and with proper paperwork and not starting of a lemonade shop in your driveway. This shows the entrepreneurial spirit that is there in the two countries. The number of new businesses directly relates to the number of new jobs made available which in terms relate to the national income.
The day that we stop thinking about our next paycheck and start worrying about the payday for our own employees is when we could change this disparate setup. As a citizen, we have had loads of reasons to criticize and bitch about the country and the state it is in. But until and unless we as citizens do a bit of CSR, this isn't going to change anytime soon.
Start something. Anything. Even if it fails, it doesn't matter. I know it's pretty easy to say it doesnt matter when it's your time and money that is being invested. But until we take the plunge and do something on our own, we are going to remain chained to our desks, signing of on a 9 to 5 job, waiting for the month end and keep checking our bank account online to see if the salary has been credited or not. If at all you fail, the job market is still good enough for you to pick yourself up and get another job to survive the temporary financial setback.
Recently my wife got a new manager at work. This guy had been working for quite some time in some concern before he ventured out and started something on his own. It did well for some time before it faltered. I believe it must be because of his way of working. Atleast my wife keeps cribbing about him and his style of working. But the amazing thing here is that, here is a guy in his mid 40s, his business plummeted to the ground, picked himself up, got himself a job and still looking for the next big thing that he can start of on. We need more people like him. Who are ready to take the risk and plunge into the unknown. Running a business isnt for everyone. At the same time, it is something that one must do in order to know whether its for them or not.
I know, i know. I have been talking big here but still stuck in the same rut as all of you. I had been an entrepreneur and had started a couple of things way back. These had put me back into very serious financial setbacks(Thanks to my dad who was with me through all those times). Now I am married, my financials are slightly better and above the red mark. Any safe person would say I stick to this because of my commitments. I say, its because of these commitments in fact that i need to venture and take risks. I wouldnt be able to make such a move say five years from now.I would have become institutionalized by then. The time is now. The moment is now. I am taking the plunge. It's time for my CSR.
The two big reasons why the no. of entrepreneurs in India are so low are lack of venture funding companies and the height of bureaucracy and paper work involved in starting an enterprise. One needs to file more than 20 requests at different govt. offices and it takes at least 6 months to get approvals that also only after bribing!! Most of the people give up because of this!!
ReplyDeleteSo wats ur area of CSR??