"Living every moment fully is success"

Hello RCM. For the benefit our readers. What is the story behind how you became RCM? How did you get the acronym?

I am called Mouli by friends and Chandru by family and relatives. RCM is since I joined TVS in late eighties where most of us were referred by initials - sometimes two letters, mostly three letters - some with the dept identification (where namesakes happen). We had RC R Chakrapani who was heading quality, hence I became RCM. Personally I prefer “mouli”

I want to catch up where we left off years ago. You were with TVS Housing then. And we had known each other from your TVS Motors days. Please bring me up to speed …

I was asked to head the TVS Housing, then fledgling new business into housing at Chennai in 2013. I completed my five year term in TVS Housing by 2018 and moved back to Bangalore. It was an interesting assignment for me where I learnt a lot, had the freedom to do a lot of new things, build a team from scratch and be close to the customers on a daily basis - I lived along with our customers in our first project of 600 homes, went through the once in 100 years flood in Chennai followed by the cyclone the next year.

During our last conversation you mentioned that you were into farming. Not just rice but you grow fruits and vegetables too. How did this come about?

It is because of my friend Sekar, who used be with me in TVS Motors. He used be known as SS - meaning Sekar Service - as he was in after sales service dept. Sekar used to visit our village near Hosur and liked the place. He wanted to buy a piece of land in our village. When a land parcel came for sale he agreed to buy it. In the last moment my father felt that Sekar not being from our village may face some issues later from other land owners, hence asked me also to join and buy the adjacent land ( we are from the village and my cousins have reasonably large land holding in the village). Thats how I bought the first part of my farm - then added some more lands. Initially my father took care of the lands. He wanted me to build a house for him in the village and I built it in 2001. I used to visit our village often during the construction of the house. This made my connections in the village stronger with my relatives and local people. Even at this stage I was not focusing on agriculture as it was left to my father. It was in 2008 when I moved from TVS to REVA Electric car company, that I started going to my farm more often as I had more time (my official travel came down significantly from heading TVS Motor sales & marketing). In 2013 my father decided to move to Salem from my village. From then on I started more focus on farm.

Meanwhile, I was getting educated on the impact of climate change and ill effects of chemical farming. I stopped all chemical inputs from 2010 in my mango farm. From 2018 started growing vegetables mostly for home consumption. Got my farm registered under organic farming in 2019. While I have an Engineering degree in Agricultural Engineering, I felt I knew very little about actual farming. Hence I enrolled for  Post graduate diploma in organic agriculture from TN Agricultural University Coimbatore.

Let us rewind a bit. Tell me about your early childhood, education etc. How did you land up in TVS Motors?

Childhood - happy child third and last sibling - disappointed my parents who already had two sons and wanted a daughter. I was youngest among our cousins too hence the preferred errand boy. Thank fully there was very little expectation from me ( my eldest brother is an engineer and second brother is a doctor) A pass was only expected of me.

Here is an anecdote - I was studying 6th std in Govt school in Krishnagiri. I had joined the Tamil medium like most students. One month into the academic year, the Head master of the school called me to his office and told me to “go and sit in English medium” as his son Vivek was not having friends in the class ( Vivek and I studied 4th and 5th std in another school together and were close friends). I went and sat in English medium. My father came to know about this only after the half yearly exams! ( watch - no mention of studying anywhere - “go sit”) This accidental turn had a huge impact as in the coming years as we moved to Salem, I joined a pvt school which had an excellent English medium class and teachers. These teachers moulded my early years and tolerated my rebel nature ( a stark contrast to my brother who was senior to me in the same school and an admired student)

My joining TVS was also accidental - I had joined Escorts in campus placement from IIM Ahmadabad in 1984. In 1988 my friend and senior in IIM A Somasundaram came to my office in Bangalore and we went out for lunch. Post lunch when I was dropping him at TVS office where was working. He took me inside the TVS office and I met a few people there. And they were discussing with me for over an hour about selling and marketing in urban and rural settings. Difference between tractor sales and bike sales etc., In the evening Somu told me that TVS was interested taking me as an area manager. In the next couple of days I got the offer and Somu persuaded me to join TVS. All that happened very quickly. I joined TVS and spent close to 25 years with TVS.

Who or what has been the source of your inspiration over the years?

The source of inspiration evolves. In my childhood it was MGR ( actor M G Ramachandran of Tamil movies). Later it was the anti establishment heroes especially those who opposed the emergency in mid seventies. As I started my career it was people in the organisation. Shri Venu Srinivasan inspired my and my generation of younger managers; Chetan Maini with his conviction on the first Indian electric car Reva. Shri H Lakshmanan, ED of TVS group for sheer dedication to work.

Personally my father remains an inspirational figure to me. Especially the way he reinvented himself from a dedicated govt employee into an active farmer after retirement.

Now it is the nature that inspires me the most. It is efficient, both forgiving and ruthless and vast to explore. 

What is your daily routine now? I hear you go for a walk with three dogs! Why three dogs?

The day starts with Toby waking me up at 5.30 am even earlier somedays. She is the youngest of the three and more mischievous. Pepper and Poirot are reluctant to get up so early but they also wake up along with me. I have my cup of filter coffee and then all three of them drag me for a long walk. I enjoy the walk although not waking up so early!!

Typical of most households - kids want pets mother says no! However one day my daughter brings two puppies “ they have been abandoned by their mother in the park. Poor things - we will just give shelter for a day or two and then send them away” . My wife in a moment of weakness fell for this. That “a day or two" just kept extending - “lets vaccinate them and then leave ( three to six months)” It is more than ten years now and they are still with us!

Who has been your role model? Someone who influenced you immensely?

First and foremost is my father. His courage and encouraging others in difficulty, outspokenness and being fair in offering advice, highest integrity even in abject poverty, everlasting sense of gratitude, helping nature to all those who seek him and passion for life. For example he was planting mango trees even when he was 87 years old. The way he reinvented himself as a farmer after his retirement at the age of 60 is an inspiration for me.

Next is Shri Venu Srinivasan, not only as the boss but also as a philosopher and guide.

The customer focus and actions to satisfy customers needs ( even at a high cost). He demonstrated by his actions that taking care of the customer is the duty of the company - It is the duty to be performed for the trust placed by the customer on the company. All else is secondary. This clarity helped me take tough decisions in my career and now also as a producer of vegetables and fruits.

You mentioned that you are a non-religious person. But recently you started reading the Bhagavad Gita. How did that come about?

During the five years in TVS housing I used to travel every week Monday morning from Bangalore to Chennai and Friday evening back to Bangalore. My colleague and friend Capt Jagadish used to travel with me in my car every week. During the journey he put a condition that we do not discuss business but listen only to spiritual discourses and songs. I was a prisoner in my car and had to listen to Bhagavad Gita and Ashtaa vakra Gita many times over the 500 trips in those five years.

This had an effect on me and I started slowly appreciating the teachings also arguing about them. 

Some 20 years back some friend had sent me the book on Bhagavad Gita, which I, without even opening it, went and gave it to Capt Jagadish. Recently Capt gave me back the same book and told that this the right time has come for me to read it!

I know you as a man of principles and values. What is it that you will always do, no matter what? What is it that you will never do, no matter what?

To be fair (in my judgement) no matter what I will never do - hurt someone who is fallen / defeated 

How do you define success? What is the role of success in a person’s life?

What is the role of a person’s life? Is it to achieve something and that something is “success”? This is a too narrow a way defining life itself. 

Life is to be lived, enjoyed and feeling happy and sad in good measure. Living every moment fully is success.

I have a few friends who talk about living life on their own terms. Would you say you also live life on your own terms? If so, what are your terms?

Keeping the noises away and enjoying the song (signal). The usual noise is the comparison, avoiding or screening it out will help one enjoy the music, that is life.

I have known you as a person with courage, conviction and action. How did this come about?

Largely out of foolishness !! I think I am curious and want to get things moving first. I am confident we will figure out ways to over come obstacles as we go along.

On the other side, I have seen people who want to plan for all eventualities but they seldom get started on any thing truly new.

I also know my limitation - I am not suitable for a steady kind of situation which requires repeated routine and marginal improvements.

What is your view of the concept of retirement?

I believe we renew ourselves once in a few years or a decade - learn new things and do different things. Hence the concept of retirement should be seen as a “ , (a comma)“ and not as “ . (a full stop)"

What are the three things that help you lead a happy and fulfilling life?

      1. We require very little to lead a happy life - more things lead to more complications 

      2. Doing what we like and liking what we do

      3. Laughing (at self). Laughing it off

If people ask you for advice on how to be successful, what might your advice be?

I will first ask why they think they are not successful now - In my view they are successful so no need to create something to be achieved.

Why did you decide to do what you are doing now (farming) ?

  At the end of my tenure with TVS Housing, I decided on one thing - that is NOT TO DO anything I have been doing for the last three decades. 

So I started on farming, studying Sanskrit, Joining a course in a college, cooking - all these are new for me.

Any closing message for our readers?

Do what you like. And like what you do!