Space Star to Rock Star!

Yuri rocks! That’s what my daughter said after hearing his interview and I fully agree. How else can you describe a fighter pilot cum astronaut who retired from the Air Force to become a radio jockey and a Bollywood actor, and aspires to become a rock star when he grows up! It was the 12th of April 1962 and Yuri Gagarin had just gone up in space. During a dinner with his joint family, the elders wanted to know if anybody from their family could ever match such a feat. "They pointed at everybody but they didn’t point at me. They thought all the others could go except me so… I specifically remember that incident and this is what led me to join the Air Force", says Yuri. An alumnus of DPS Mathura road, New Delhi, he left school after 11th to join the National Defence Academy and took commission in the Indian Air Force; becoming the first in his business family to join the forces. In the Air Force he trained as a fighter pilot and was eventually selected as an astronaut also. He remembers, "I came real close to going up in space!" But he was disappointed when Rakesh Sharma went up instead. He left the Air Force because his mission to go up in space had not materialised. "I had enjoyed my stint as a fighter pilot, flew for 20 long years and after that I said let me seek another career and I became a radio jockey!" His daughter was in college when Yuri started charming ‘Delhi-ites’ with his suave voice, an hour everyday on the 6’o’clock FM channel. The initial qualms which his daughter had about her dad becoming a radio jock, soon metamorphosed into pride when every one in college started recognising her as ‘Yuri’s daughter’! During his days as a radio jockey, he also started imparting training as a communication expert and was also on the panel of the team preparing the Miss India contestants for the beauty contest. Today he is considered a guru in the world of pageant oratory and has trained many a young face to handle the questions of the judges in a pageant, confidently and sensibly. He was the first to notice Sushmita Sen, an Air Force officer’s daughter and recognise her as star material! This was while he was choreographing a fashion show for the Air Force Jubilee celebrations and wanted a few girls from the Air Force crowd to walk the ramp. He noticed a tall, lithe, beautiful girl and wanted her to participate in the show. Though Sushmita could not participate in the fashion show as she was appearing for her boards that year, he encouraged her parents to allow her to try her luck in this field. As anticipated by Yuri, she won the coveted Miss India and the Miss Universe crowns, creating history! During his RJ stint Lilette Dubey approached him; "You’ve got a nice voice, would you like to do theatre with us?" An important role in the play ‘Me and My Girl’ introduced him to the interesting world of theatre, where he worked with many popular directors. His acting prowess earned him a role in the movie ‘Chai, Paani etc.’, where Ashutosh Gowarikar noticed him and offered him the role of Bairam Khan in ‘Jodhaa Akbar’, thus marking his foray into the tinsel world of Bollywood. Presently, Yuri is shooting for a television serial and a few movies. He has six movies lined up for release in the next six to eight months, including ‘Kites’, with Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Morey, ‘Lamha’ with Salman Khan and Bipasha Basu and an untitled movie with Arjun Bagga. Recalling his life in the Air Force he says, "We felt a lack of money, houses were smaller and more austere, but the people who surrounded me were such a bunch of fine guys that you wouldn’t ever want to loose them which is why all my good friends are from the Air Force." "When was the last time you did something for the first time?" Yuri relies on this quote to define his actions in life. He believes in the novelty of deeds; trudging down untrodden paths following the diktats of his heart, thus setting his own rules. He defines himself as "somebody who loves life, doing whatever he loves doing best". "Acting is one of my passions, training is one of my passions and I am doing both," he says. Never letting age catch up, he outlines his future plans…"I played guitar in college so I want to form a band…. I want to grow up and become a Rock Star"!

By Poonam Talwar Sayal

SPOT ON

“Spot” On

Aditi    is  a  lady  with  a vision,  the  will  and  the  determination  to succeed. A  mother,  a wife,  a daughter  and  a sister who  has  skilfully  juggled  her work  and  social  commitments  to merit  mention  with  the  best!  Aditi was born and brought up in where  her  father  was  posted,initially  as  an  army offcer  in  the RVC  (Remount & Veterinary  Corps.)and later as the Head of Department Medicine, in the .She went  on  to do MBA  from , NOIDA. Topping in her frst semester, she  paved  her  way  to  recognition  and  fnally  a scholarship to complete the last year of her course in the , . She joined Pernod Ricard  (Seagram) as Regional Executive , handling all defence accounts. It is here that she met her husband, Lt. Col. Surya Mukherji, who was then the ADC to GOC Area. An offcer of  the 4/3 Gorkha Rifes, he is presently on a UN mission to . He honoured her decision to continue with her career after marriage and  has given  her  unstinted  support  since.  Realising the need to spend more time with her husband, who has spent more than half his professional life on the borders and her two adorable kids (Ria, 7 & Aryaan, 4), she gave up her promising  future  in Pernod Ricard,  to  start her own venture.Along with  two other  friends as partners she manages a company called  the Archee Group with a  turnover of 45 crores today, having projects in interiors and clients like Wipro, IBM, Airtel and Aircel. The company has to their credit the artfully designed DGBR Offce, Artillery Offcer’s Mess and  the ENC Kashmir House Conference Hall  among  various  other  establishments.  Aditi  is creating  a strategic  roadmap  for  the  company  to  grow into a 100 crore plus company, by the end of three years.She  is  spearheading  the  expansion  of  the  company into  two  verticals  under  her  leadership;  hospitality- with Aditi as CEO and fashion- in partnership with her brother Akshaya Singh Chauhan (ex. Director, Planning and Operations, FDCI). Presently  she  is  spending  all  her energy into  the  resurrection  of  a 150  cover,  multi-cuisine  restaurant called  ‘Spot’, in  the Global Business Park,  Gurgaon;  catering  mainly  to corporate clients. With an investment of  2  crores and a 40 member  staff  it is the frst venture of their hospitalityvertical.  Aditi  envisions  opening many such outlets in the future. MBA  jargon  is  part  of  her  regular lingua  and  she  spells  out  strategic advice like a pro. Not employing any consultants  to  start  her  business venture,  she  relied only on her experience and hard work to carve a place for her  in the competitive corporate world. Her success mantra  is  to have a clear vision of one’s  long  term and short  term  goals  and  to  be  fexible  enough to  take mid-term  corrections  by  regularly  reviewing  present day situations and aims. “Do not allow anyone  to  take advantage of you, not even your family. Learn to leverage your  opportunities  and  change  your  weaknesses into your strengths”, says Aditi.  Delicately balancing her career and her family Aditi has carved  a  niche  for  herself  in  the  portals  of  corporate bigwigs. With her  strength,  confdence and hard work she  has  been  able  to  realise her  vision.  She  believes that  every  obstacle  in  life  should  be  capitalised as an opportunity  to grow,  just as  she  invested  the years spent away  from her husband,  into her career,  instead of moping around. With  the  invaluable support  of  her  mother,  he  has carved out an easy existence where she is able to devote quality  time  to her children, while also  taking out  the time  to meet  the  innumerable  commitments  of  her job. She  is  thankful  to  the secure environments of  the cantonments where she could leave her children behind with ease and the spirit of camaraderie which never let her loose heart, even when alone.

By Poonam Talwar Sayal

Managing the demi Gods

Managing the Demi-Gods!

Poonam Talwar Sayal profiles Col (Retd) Arvinder Singh, the dynamic CEO of Kings XI, Punjab, with Adam Gilchrist as its skipper. The team is held and promoted by a consortium which includes actor, Preity Zinta and industrialists Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia, and Karan Paul along with Gaurav Burman and Shagun Khanna. The mascots are Rocky and Ranjit, who have recently found their voices through a nationwide competition shares the CEO with Purple Beret Cricket in our country has attained cult status and cricketers are nothing short of ‘demi-gods’ for their fans. Managing these demi –gods and the associated hullaballoo is no mean task and so the promoters of Kings XI Punjab sought the services of a seasoned soldier to take up the challenge! The first season of IPL had just got over and the Kings XI team was looking for a good administrator. As luck would have it Preity Zinta knew Col Arvinder personally since her brother was serving in the same regiment as Col Arvinder. Preity was well versed with the bright career record of this impressive, tall and handsome army officer. Col Arvinder in fact was then her brother’s Commanding Officer. Out of the blue, one day, Col Arvinder received a call from her asking him to join her team. Taken aback at this sudden and unexpected proposal, Col Arvinder’s first reaction was "I haven’t left the army to manage security..." little realising what the job actually entailed. Preity invited him to meet the team owners and discuss the nature of the job before taking any decisions. And the rest they say is history...! "They wanted me to come and handle the entire business as such, manage the complete franchise but I had no experience in sales and sponsorship and marketing and all that, so I myself took a step back..." says Col Arvinder. He joined the team in January 2009, taking on the challenging task of Vice President Operations initially, while slowly soaking in the nuances of this intricate business because he wanted to step into the final position as CEO only after learning through experience at the grass root levels. The 2nd IPL began on the 1st of April, of the same year. His first season of IPL went past like a whirlwind because the venue was shifted to South Africa and there were only three months to organise all the details! Flying around the beautiful locales of South Africa he tied up the various nitty-gritty’s for the team in record time. By the time the third IPL was held in 2010 he was the Sr. Vice President of the franchisee and by November 2010 he was appointed the COO (Chief Operating Officer) and Head of Management Kings XI Punjab. "I am loving it!" he says when asked whether he is enjoying his second innings. "I guess I was one of those fortunate ones who got this opportunity. Of course I am thankful to the almighty that I am sitting in my hometown, doing what I have always loved (sports), it is a unique opportunity that has come my way." He explains that the job is not the typical corporate desk job as it entails a lot of travelling and interaction with many high profile ‘page 3’ celebrities and cricketers. Strategising in the beginning of the year and planning the entire season in advance, working out the details and executing marketing gimmicks, matching sales deadlines and other such associated jobs keeps him busy round the year. He has now learnt his way around sponsors and financial big-wigs and has mastered the art of selling their brand to the public. "There is a lot that goes behind the organising of each match to ensure that it is an enjoyable experience for the people who are paying that kind of money to watch it", he says. Selling the idea of the team to the fans and garnering support for the brand is no mean task. His one trait which has helped him tackle most of his problems and establish his command here is his honesty, he modestly lets on. The experience gathered in the army has been his pillar of strength and the background was a definite advantage when he took up this new task. He might be hobnobbing with celebrities and cricketers today but his links to his regiment and the ‘fauj’ are as strong as ever. In fact he was recently visiting his regiment along with his family to participate in the command changeover. His wife and two sons miss the army culture more because of the comparative social void created as part of civilian life but Col Arvinder’s efforts are on to create a pseudo family amongst the core staffers of the team. And he hopes to create camaraderie akin to the army amongst his team members! A third generation ‘fauji’, Col Arvinder wanted to tread waters outside this disciplined and close knit zone. After commanding the elite 71 Armoured Regiment to which he had also got commissioned, Col Arvinder Singh was ready to move on. He had a plum job offer from an international firm in Bangalore and all that was left was convincing the army to release one of its most promising officers to return to a civilian lifestyle! The task was not easy because of his exceptional career profile. A gold medalist from RIMC, Dehra Dun, he was 3rd in the All India Merit List for the National Defence Academy in 1983. He was the Academy Cadet Adjutant in NDA and was awarded the President’s Bronze Medal. His success saga followed him in the Indian Military Academy where he passed out in the elite Super Bloc again as the Academy Cadet Adjutant. Arvinder made his mark as a competent soldier continuing his academic excellence by achieving AI grades in all his courses. He was awarded the prestigious Thimmaya medal for best all round performance at the Defence Services Staff College with distinction in M.Sc. He served as the BM of a Counter Insurgency Brigade in J&K, was on deputation with the United Nations as the Operations Officer of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea where he received the Force Commander’s Commendation for outstanding service. He was posted at the Army HQ for handling Indian Army overseas operations with the United Nations, was a member of the elite US led Multi National Planning and Augmentation Team (MPAT) and also served on the roster of UN instructors for International courses of instruction. He commanded his own Regiment and also converted it into the elite T-90 profile. After such a distinctive army career, it is no wonder that the promoters of Punjab’s IPL team homed in on him! True to his nature and with characteristic élan and efficiency Col Arvinder has created a niche for himself amongst the ‘Who’s Who’ of our society. A man to watch out for as he takes the Kings XI of Punjab to dizzying heights!

By Poonam Talwar Sayal