FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear BCAJ Lovers,
I am beginning to understand
the true meaning of the phrase “the pen is mightier than the sword”. With every
passing month, the feedback and responses to my page appear to be increasing in
frequency and in the amount of positive energy that they convey to me. I am very
thankful to all those who have continually sent me their views.
As I begin writing this month’s
page, we have just had an extraordinary event that the BCAS organized on 25th
March. At the Late Dilip N. Dalal Oration Fund Lecture meeting, we felicitated
some of the Mumbai based rank holders at the last CA Final examinations. We also
released the updated RTI publication authored by our past president Mr. Narayan
Varma. The highlight of the evening was BCAS’ felicitation of CA T.N. Manoharan,
past president of the ICAI on his being conferred the Padma Shri Award by the
Government of India. He then spoke on “Satyameva Jayate – Learning from the
Satyam Experience”. Every word he spoke came straight from his heart and touched
a chord in the hearts of everyone present. When he sat down, he got a standing
ovation – something which I have not witnessed during my long association with
BCAS. We at BCAS are proud of our member Mr. Manoharan and wish him many more
such achievements in future.
All of you would, by now, be
well aware that the IPL cricket matches are going on in full swing in various
corners of the country. I would like to talk about cricket at this time. And now
that I have your attention (considering what a cricket crazy nation we are), let
me clarify that it’s not the runs and wickets that I ant to talk about. But the
lessons that we all must learn from the IPL and its promoters.
Cricket, as you know, is an old
game. The basic objective of each team is to make more runs than the other team.
There are set rules of the game. What has IPL done for the game and for others
that is different? Cricket was once ruled by 5-day test matches. As the years
passed, test matches were replaced in terms of popularity by One Day
Internationals with 50 overs. Later, we graduated to day and night matches and
today, we have T-20 matches. Is there a difference? Has life changed for
everyone concerned (and also for those not concerned)? The answer is a loud and
clear YES! Let us see what changes have come about.
People no longer have the time
and the patience to watch 5-day test matches and, in many cases, even ODIs. They
want shorter matches so that their working hours do not get affected
substantially. Then, someone thought – why should the clothes worn by cricketers
be plain-jane white clothes? Why can’t they wear colourful clothes? So, IPL got
bright designer clothes for cricketers. What’s more, the colour of the balls,
bats and stumps too have changed to livelier ones as compared to before. Now we
have large screens in the stadium and spectators can see action replays there
too. Similarly, in order to help umpires take the right decision, we now have
third umpires. This reduces the possibility of unfair decisions.
How are the players affected?
They get tons of money, first of all to be selected in any team and then when
they play, they get money to endorse products. Secondly, because there are so
many teams, there is a requirement for so many more cricketers. This gives more
youngsters a chance to play. This, in turn, allows the selectors a larger pool
of cricketers to choose from while deciding on the national teams. Ultimately,
this raises the bar as far as performance is concerned. Even foreigners get to
play in the matches.
What do the spectators get?
They get complete entertainment. Every match gives a result so there is no
chance of a disappointing draw. There is ample scope for being innovatively
dressed and painted up to catch the cameraman’s eyes. There are event managers
at the stadium entertaining the people with songs, music and what not! People at
home get to watch Bollywood and other celebrities talking about and cheering
their teams.
The popularity of cricket
matches has started wooing people away from movies. This, in turn, has lured
movie stars to cricket and we now have several stars owning various teams. Even
industrialists are taking interest in the game. A classic example of multi
disciplinary partnership! Both professions stand to gain from this merger.
I can go on and on. But this
page is not allotted to me to talk about cricket. Let me come to the point. What
can we CAs learn from the IPL phenomenon? What can BCAS as an organization
learn? What can ICAI learn?
The most important lesson to be
learnt is to understand that people change over the years and so do their
preferences and wants. Every new generation thinks and acts differently. We have
got to understand that and learn to adapt to those changing needs. We cannot
afford to provide our services in the same manner as we used to do 20 years ago
or the way our senior CAs used to do. We need to understand the changing market
dynamics and try to latch onto the same. We also need to understand that loyalty
is fast becoming a thing of the past. Today, just as we have fans switching
loyalties from one team to another (and so also cricketers going from one team
to another when they are paid more), the time has come when our new clients
(especially the foreign ones) too don’t get emotionally attached to their CA or
the firm. The same is also the case with our staff. Time and again, we have read
news items bout high profile members moving from one reputed organization to
another. Is this not a reflection of the times that we are living in today?
Today, salary is the deciding factor in many cases while selecting a career. Let
us accept it and be prepared to pay what the market is offering. If we don’t, we
have no business to complain that we are not getting good staff. And why don’t
we offer higher salaries? Because, we complain that we don’t get higher fees.
And why don’t we charge higher fees? Maybe, we are afraid of losing our clients.
IPL tickets cost thousands of rupees today. That was not the case with test match tickets and ODI tickets. Yet, people pay these kind of charges. Why does that happen? It happens because they perceive a certain value for money when they go for such matches. The game is the same, the rules are the same, the objective is the same. But the value has gone up. Do we CAs know and understand our own value? Are we able to position our services well in the eyes of the public? I don’t need to spell out the answer to this one. The value of a profession is directly proportionate to the value of its members. We individuals are responsible for what our profession as a whole is perceived to be by others. We elect our leaders and our leaders decide our policies and our code of conduct and our rules and regulations and we follow these rules. How others see us depends on what face we show them. Have we bothered to take a look at our faces in the mirror to find out what others are seeing?
The marriage between Bollywood and sports has helped both. This classic merger is staring us in the face. Have we taken a step to create such win-win situations with other professions? We have only been reading about it but nothing concrete has emerged.
IPL has used latest technology to the fullest extent for marketing itself. Virtually, all the popular ways of communication have been used to the advantage of Brand IPL. This has, in the words of Mr. Lalit Modi, made the IPL a billion dollar enterprise. Have we, as CAs, whether personally or collectively as an organization, used technology effectively? IPL has been eminently successful in magnetically pulling all strata of people to it. If someone did not go to the IPL, then IPL reached out to that person. That is a clear message for organizations like the BCAS. We must reach out to people. If they don’t come to us, we have to reach out to them. We need to find out what the members of our profession want and also how far they are willing to travel to get what they want. If our members live in the suburbs of Mumbai, then we have to go to the suburbs. If not, be ready to accept falling numbers at our programs. This holds true not only for BCAS but for all other organizations. Today, IPL has become a symbol all over the cricketing world. Mr. Modi is known and respected by cricketers across the globe. Can BCAS become such an organization? Do we have it in us to capture the imagination of young CAs all over the world? Can we become a catalyst in changing the face of the profession? Do we have a Lalit Modi amongst us who can turn the picture on its head or the world on its head? Only time will tell!
I am aware that this message is highly debatable and many of you may not agree or may not want to agree. As always, I am open to discussion. I look forward to your feedback. In the meantime, we can all keep guessing and hoping and praying as to who will win IPL Season 3!
