Sitting (Left to right): Praveen Kanipakam, Avinash Vasista, K.G. Suresh. Standing (L to R): Prashanth Prakash, Uma Suresh, Hemant Paithane

The best example of a functional collective is fiction: the humanoid machines called the Borg, well known to fans of the science-fiction TV serial, Star Trek. The relentless Borg-billions of them-are pretty stupid and limited individually, but since their brains function as a single unit, they become humanity's greatest threat. In real life, even the most effective version of the collective is faltering, the Israeli kibbutz where individuals pool their resources for the good of the commune. We know, of course, of the failed collectives of Soviet antiquity, where people were made to live and work together on giant farms. They made sense, but like all things forced, they were bound to fail.

At the palm- and frond-filled garden outside the coffee shop of The Oberoi, Bangalore, you will another improbable version of the collective unfolding. A clutch of CEOs and top managers from the city's competitive, frenetic world of technology companies are trying to collectively tackle a range of common issues: from sharing experiences with taxation and other unfamiliar hurdles, to the nuances of winning over the Japanese.

Like the time Prashanth Prakash, 37, CEO of software company Netkraft, got a lead on a Japanese client. Unlike the forthright Americans-the main clients of Bangalore's tech hothouses-the Japanese are immersed in behavioural and cultural subtleties. Tech CEOs battered by the downturn salivate at the prospect of cracking the Japanese market, but they soon find themselves culturally inadequate. At their monthly meeting, Prakash found a willing teacher in K.G. Suresh, 35, MD, Ind-Fuji Technologies, who had spent 14 years in Japan. Coached ably, Prakash landed the contract.

TREADMILL

For You, Novice Gym-goers This fortnight's topic is on 'How to avoid the pts.' Or the puny triceps syndrome. Common among novice gym-goers, this is an upper arm condition that arises out of frequent exercising of the biceps, while ignoring the triceps. If you want bigger arms-for strength (I'm joking!) or to show off in those fitted T-shirts (now I'm not!)-then build the biggest muscle in the arms, the triceps. So what do you think are the most effective exercises for building cast-iron triceps? If you're going to say, pulldowns on the multi-gym or the cable machine, try again. Ditto if you were going to suggest dumb-bell reverse curls-the kind where you raise and lower a dumb-bell behind your head. True, all of these work to a large extent, but they aren't the best exercise for building those triceps. Indeed, the best way to build triceps is to do dips. Set up two benches parallel to each other. Rest your outstretched legs on the farther one and with your hands behind the small of your back, grip the other bench. Now, without letting your body touch the bench you're gripping, lower your butt till you feel the strain in the triceps. Then get back to the starting position. That's one rep. Do two sets of five for starters and then keep increasing sets and reps. Check the difference in a couple of weeks. A couple of people who read last fortnight's Treadmill have reacted indignantly. If you remember, last time, I wrote about the magic of L-Carnitine. And of how it helps metabolise fats faster. Combined with a regimen of workouts, I suggested that L-Carnitine can help sculpt the body. The people who called up said it looked like I was promoting drugs. The point I'd like to make is that L-Carnitine isn't a drug in the steroid sense of the word. It's a supplement. If your diet is low in protein, it helps. If you want to improve your fat metabolism-if you're on the wrong side of 35, you may well want to!-it helps. So calm down, I'm not encouraging drugs here. There were others who wanted to know more about L-C. What are the formulations available in the market and under what brands it is sold. I'm afraid from its inception, I had decided that this column won't plug for manufacturers. So may I suggest you go down to a sports or lifestyle store to check out what they stock. The other route would be to search the net. But please remember that many muscle-building supplements are not suitable for diabetics and other patients. Most manufacturers mention that on their packs, but the better bet would be to check with your doctor. Muscles Mani

Little wonder that each of the six CEOs and managers of the collective make it a point to make it to the meeting. Prakash once came directly from the airport after a 20-hour transcontinental flight. They do share a lot. All of them are from mid-sized tech companies with 200-400 employees; all share generational values and similar business environments. The challenges faced by an Infosys are very different from their lives, says Hemant Paithane, Head of Larsen and Toubro Infotech. "The scale of operations, level, and depth of management expertise all play a very crucial role (in finding common ground)," he explains. Many members are first-generation entrepreneurs with similar technical skills and limited knowledge of daily business.

It was this lack of expertise in unfamiliar fields that got the club started in February 2001. Praveen Kanipakam, 37, President of the Sharp Sofware Development India Centre, was talking to the one person in Bangalore who is probably known to every it honcho, B.V. Naidu, local director of the Software Technology Park of India. "I was mentioning some taxation problems related to the US market we were facing," recalls Kanipakam. Naidu told him earlier that morning the CEO of a start-up, NEOIT, Avinash Vashishta, was talking about the same thing. Naidu arranged a meeting for them. Vashishta, 41, and Kanipakam, soon realised the common issues they faced and began exchanging notes regularly. Soon they realised they could rope in other acquaintances and friends if they couldn't find answers themselves. What began as a mutual-help club is now crystallising into a collective.

Still, it might seem strange that a group of young CEOs-all in their late 30s or early 40s-in their professional prime would want to share ideas with possible competitors, but the lines are pretty clear. So what happens when two competing CEOs want to be a part of the club? "No problem," says Uma Suresh, 36, CEO, Internet Technologies, and the only woman in the group. "Some of us already have overlapping areas, but nothing confidential about customers is discussed."

But what is it that members get from the collective that they could not from either industry associations or consultants? The feedback is invaluable precisely because no payment is involved. "It (advice) is always best from a person who has faced similar pressures and actually walked the talk," says Uma Suresh. K.G. Suresh of Indo Fuji also says the company of his peers helps him unwind and talk shop in a supremely casual atmosphere. "They act as a sounding board for my ideas," he says.

And so despite their hectic schedules-most travel abroad frequently-they make it a point to make that monthly meeting. Dates are arranged depending on common availability, and there is no minimum quorum needed. A formalisation of the relationship might become inevitable as membership increases, but as of now, there's no charter, not even a formal name. That's probably why it works so well.