SAYS HE IS CLEAR ABOUT ADDRESSING A DIFFERENT IDIOM AT THE SCHOOL Kanti Bajpai The Doon School		SAYS HE IS STILL RATHER BUSY PUTTING OUT ONE FIRE AFTER ANOTHER Gautam Chatterjee The Lawrence School

So, when are they going to list on the stockmarket?" asked the old boy, in response to the 'corporatisation' of the hallowed school portals through which he had long passed, having successfully ensured that his education did not interfere much with his growing up. "...if that's what it has come to."

Grant him his pique. Old boys of boarding schools are zealously possessive about the places of their zaniest memories, zippiest experiences and zygotic adolescences. They've 'passed out' years ago, but never really left. In truth, though, there's nothing to be alarmed about. The 'corporatisation' refers to nothing more drastic than the use of headhunters to nab headmasters.

Busting Bounds

Still, accusatory fingers tend to turn towards The Doon School, Dehradun, which kickstarted it all-busting the bounds of convention by opting for a headhunter instead of the usual network of old hands, "the bizarre merry-go-round" on which "the same five to seven names keep circulating", in the words of Derek Mountford, Headmaster, Assam Valley School. After the 2003 departure of Doon's former headmaster John Mason, the board of governors took the liberty of getting a Delhi-based headhunter to find a replacement. How come? "There is a scarcity of talent and poor response to advertisement," explains Ronesh Puri, Managing Director, Executive Access, the search firm that took on the task. Indeed, such a school principal is expected to be something of a boarder himself (culturally speaking), as also a straightfaced academic: a rare hybrid. Such an individual, once traced, would also have to be persuaded-and that's how Kanti Bajpai, ex-Dosco, JNU professor of International Relations and TV soundbite man, took charge as Doon's headmaster.

With a foot through the headmastership door, so to speak, Executive Access has since notched up a couple of other high-profile placements at India's so-called 'public schools': one, Dev Lahiri at the head of Welham Boys' School, Doon's one-time prep school in Dehradun, and two, Gautam Chatterjee at The Lawrence School, Sanawar, which is co-ed. Meanwhile, Ma Foi has placed Derek Mountford, the former shake-up man of Sanawar where the 33-year-old was acting principal briefly before Chatterjee took over, at Assam Valley School.

If this is corporatisation, there's no escaping it. The headhunters are in, and so is the process. "It gives the board a certain degree of unimpeachibility," reckons Bajpai, who thinks "modern methods of hiring and firing need to come into practice".

Toy Time

If executive headhunters have gained ground, it's also because they have done their professional homework on who can click and who cannot-in this specialised role. Bajpai, for example, is clear that after JNU, he's now addressing a "different idiom", an idiom of 500 Doscos, not just students. Thankfully, the school's governing board is deeply involved-helping him toy with new ideas, for instance. And Bajpai is also comfortable with the corporate way his performance is judged. "There is an annual referendum in the form of board results," he says, "the results are equivalent to corporate balance sheets."

Welham Boys' principal Lahiri, who recently took over from the late 'Charlie' Kandhari, has experimented with stints at "instant schools" such as SelaQui, Dehradun, and Heritage, Kolkata. But this, really, is different. There is no training for the "hot seat of the headmaster", he says. In an age when students have to be taught to access knowledge rather than be fed it, a headmaster must play a multitude of roles-"from chief chowkidar to chief shoulder to cry on". With Welham Girls' School across 'The Wall', this requires special skills, no doubt. But on the whole, for Lahiri, the job is "about the imprint you leave behind".

FEELS A BOARDING SCHOOL PRINCIPAL MUST ALWAYS PLAY A MULTITUDE OF ROLES Dev Lahiri Welham Boy's School		THINKS ONLY A PUBLIC SCHOOL MAN CAN RUN A PUBLIC SCHOOLS Derek Mountford Assam Valley School

"Only a public school man can run a public school," says Mountford, who feels age went against his being appointed headmaster of his pined-for Sanawar, and is glad to be given "a long innings" at Assam Valley-with which he has synchronised his value system.

Olive Time

The test case of headhunter appointments, however, is Sanawar-a school witness to much turbulence, punctuated by old boy interventions, ever since Andrew Gray's headmastership (2000-2003). The headmaster's appointment here is a tortuous process, as the board is chaired by the Union HRD Ministry's Secretary of Education, and must always include a senior Armed Forces officer. So there was quite a flap when Chatterjee, appointed only in September 2003, resigned in January 2004. "I love my job, and as long as I am here, I will take care of the school," says this US-returned academic, still busy "putting out one fire after another". Why did he resign? He speaks of an "alternate power centre" (though without mentioning the old boys' network). "When the board appointed me," he reflects, "I think they got the Ivy League and Ivory tower mixed up-much to their chagrin."

So, is this post being hunted for again? Maybe not. Last heard, the Sanawar board was offering an olive branch.

SPOTLIGHT
Sameer Kulkarni

Creativity and responsibility: That's Kulkarni's recipe for success

If finance is your dream career, maybe managing a few thousand crores of investor funds should be your goal. That's what a good fund manager at a mutual funds does. It takes mathematical acumen, corporate knowledge, and an analytical mind, not to mention such qualifications as an MBA and perhaps Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) or Financial Risk Manager (FRM). Above all, according to Sameer Kulkarni, 35, Head of Fixed Income, Templeton Mutual Fund, Franklin Templeton India, it takes responsibility. "One is managing someone else's money," he emphasises. But that's not all. Right-brain thinking counts, too. "Creativity is important for a fund, and I love cooking and experimenting. Take, for instance, aubergines and roasted capsicum. It tastes really good," says Kulkarni, with childlike enthusiasm.

-Aditya Wali

COUNSELLING
Help, Tarun!

I am a 24-year-old electrical engineer working as a technician with the Indian Railways for the last couple of years. This job is not offering me any opportunity for growth, and I want to make a switch to the corporate sector. But I believe I need additional educational qualifications for that. Should I go in for an MBA through correspondence from a good B-school? I am not in a position to consider a full-time one because it is not possible for me to quit my job on account of financial constraints. Please advice.

An MBA through correspondence will not increase your chances of getting into the corporate world. Ideally, you should have gone in for a full-time MBA. However, since that is not possible, you could apply for a job in the electrical industry. A position in the electrical maintenance department in a factory, for example, could be an option. That way, you would enter the corporate sector, and once there, you could work your way up. Remember, however, that it would not be easy, and you may be deprived of some of the benefits you are currently enjoying with the Railways.

I am a 21-year-old commerce graduate, planning to do an MBA from a reputed B-school. Though I took the CAT last year and got calls from a couple of leading B-schools, I could not convert the calls to selection. Now I am confused about what I should do. Should I work for two years and then give MBA a try again, or should I go in for a course in investment analysis since I am interested in finance. If I opt for the latter, what are the job options available to me after I'm done with the course?

The fact that you got calls from A-grade schools reflects that you have the aptitude to get through a good B-school. However, since you couldn't pass the interview stage, you would do well to brush up your communication skills. If you have friends at relatively senior levels in the corporate world, ask them to give you mock interviews. MBA coaching classes could help as well. Don't contemplate a change of discipline just because you couldn't make it through the interview. Try again next year. In the meantime, if you get a job, start working so that you do not waste the year.

I am a 23-year-old B-Tech (Computer Science) planning to pursue a post-graduate diploma in marketing management from a reputed management institute. I want to know what kind of job options would be available to me after I graduate. If, however, I do not opt for this course, would joining a BPO firm that does off-campus tests for IT companies be a good option? Or should I take up teaching in a private engineering college? Would I need to get additional degrees or diplomas for these?

It seems to me that you have lost focus. Before you even choose to take up a job, you need to have a good idea of what it entails. Private engineering colleges may not pay according to your expectations, but could give you job satisfaction if you really love teaching. However, BPOs would not provide avenues for growth, even if the immediate compensation and employment opportunity is high. You could, however, always go in for additional degrees or diplomas in it or marketing to enhance your marketability. But ultimately, you would need to decide where your interest and aptitude lies, and choose a profession accordingly.

I am a 25-year-old law graduate with a bachelors degree in economics from a reputed college in Delhi. For the past one year, I have been working with a high court advocate as his assistant. However, I want to switch to a job that does justice to my knowledge of economics and civil law, together. Is there any such job? What are the prospects available to me in the corporate world?

Since you want your knowledge of economics and law to be of simultaneous use, you would do well to apply to the legal department in a medium-sized or large company, at the trainee level. Many such companies have legal personnel employed full time even if they go to established lawyers as and when special problems arise. Doing a course in company secretariship, though a long-drawn process, would also be a profitable option for you. The job of a company secretary, besides paying you well, would address your desire to dabble in both legal and economic issues at the same time.

Answers to your career concerns are contributed by Tarun Sheth (Senior Consultant) and Shilpa Sheth (Managing Partner, US practice) of HR firm, Shilputsi Consultants. Write to Help,Tarun! c/o Business Today, Videocon Tower, Fifth Floor, E-1, Jhandewalan Extn., New Delhi-110055.

The Secretary Pageant
Recognition for the unrecognised-it works.

Gripping the nation's attention: Jassi, the uncrowned secretary of Indian television

Being identified publicly as somebody's appendage all the time is no fun; ask the legions of secretaries in offices, who rarely have an identity independent of their boss'. So when they get recognition-that too from the country's best recognised 'secretary'-it serves as a morale boost.

Recently, in a scene straight out of Miss Universe, a Delhi ballroom was treated to the fanfare of Jassi, the bespectacled lady with the signature metallic smile from Sony's hit TV show Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin, crowning Neena Sharma, a GE Cap secretary, the winner of a 'Secretary of the Year Contest'.

Jassi, who Indian audiences can't get enough of, plays the TV role of a plain-Jane secretary with star-like ambitions and a crush on her boss. Here, she played crowd and flashbulb magnet. Sharma, though, who won the contest by giving an impromptu speech on whether single women make better bosses (her answer: it makes no difference), was candid about not watching the TV show. "But I've heard it portrays secretaries in good light," she said, approvingly.

-Sushma Subramanian

Renewed Incursion
Why the sudden jump in female IIM admissions?

Rising numbers: More and more women are getting admission, but how far will they go in India Inc?

The gender ratio at IIMs has always been an embarrassment. Suddenly, it's less so. But the change doesn't surprise Bakul Dholakia, Director, IIM-Ahmedabad, which boasts of 16.5 per cent female admissions this year, up from 12.5 per cent in 2003. "This had to happen," he says. Are women suddenly more interested in management, or has the cat bias in favour of super-numerate engineering studs been eased? "Neither," replies Dholakia, "it is simply a question of the ratio of applicants. The number of women applicants has increased and ceteris paribus, the inevitable consequence-more women have qualified."

As many as 3,588 girls (about 15 per cent of all female applicants) got IIM-A interview calls this year, up sharply from about 2,090 in 2003. Girls are evidently cracking the cat with greater vigour-though their relative lack of work experience still holds them back, says Dholakia. Career advisor Usha Albuquerque also sees the inevitability of progress at work. "Women are now aspiring to get into courses that were earlier considered male-dominated," she says. How long, though, before corporate boardrooms are stormed?

-Ananya Roy