My life, my years

I turned 57 years old on last October 19. And this month, I entered 40th year of my long career. Born in the year 1952, I passed HSC (XI th Standard) in First Division in April 1967 at the age of fourteen and half! Then it was PUC in 1968 (we faced some communal disturbances in the Science College, Saifabad for a month or so) and went on to join 3 Year B.Sc.(with Maths, Physics and Geology) in the same year.  Had there been no disruption of studies during 1969-70 in Telangana / Osmania University, Hyderabad, I would have graduated at the age of eighteen and half! But, sitting idle at home and reading papers, fate took me to look for job advertisements during 1970-71 which led me to get selected and join the Andhra Bank job with merit.  All these incidents had also an indelible mark in my life - achieving something or the other at a very young age. Life is very strange indeed!  Suddenly, I feel I am aging!!

Having started to work at eighteen and half in April 1971 in Head Office of Andhra Bank, Hyderabad, I changed jobs six times since then. I went to SBI (1971-1993), Wonder Granites Ltd-Hyderabad (1993-96), Canaan International Credicorp Ltd-Hyderabad (1993), The Vysya Bank Leasing Ltd - Bangalore (1996-99), TAPMI-Manipal (1999-2006) and Alliance Business School (2006-09). 

Thanks to my late father's encouragement, I joined Vivek Vardhini Evening College, Hyderabad in B.Com first year classes in June 1972.  Interestingly, in the same year I cleared the CAIIB first part with hard work. Pursuing graduate and Post Graduate studies for next five years was a herculian task I experienced while working and attending evening colleges.  Fortunately, I passed out both with University level ranks - 4th in B.Com in 1975 and 6th in M.Com in 1977. This and other academic pursuits on an ongoing basis helped me to build my professional career on fast track. Quitting graduate studies almost in the fag-end did not stop me pursuing my studies further like Diplomas in Training & Development, in Merchant Banking, in Industrial Relations, Computer Programming, Industrial Finance, etc in later years. I do not know how and when I would be completing my Ph.D. which is a requisite for any good academic.  My fingures are crossed!

SBI gave me everything.  My acquiring B.Com and CAIIB Part-I well in time, made me eligible to appear for Trainee Officers competitive exam in 1976, which is considered to be tough and prestigeous for promotions.  I succeeded in my first attempt only thanks for the motivation from my father.  I achieved my Post Graduation and TO selection in 1977.  After working in various branches for two years as a Trainee and on confirmation in 1979 again at different branches as Accountant, Field Officer and Branch Manager (mostly in rural Telangana branches), I moved to RO, Hyderabad in mid-1984 and to Central Office, Mumbai in November, 1984.  In the two years 1984 and 1985, I completed the qualifications with IIB - viz., Certificate in Industrial Finance and CAIIB (Part II). These added to my CV and I was promoted in merit channel from Junior Management to Middle Management Grades II and III in 1984 and 1985.  While continuing in Mumbai up to 1992, I was also promoted to Senior Management Grade IV in 1990.

I got married to Ganga on 23rd March 1983 while I was working as a Branch Manager, SBI, Agricultural Development Branch, Wardhannapet in Warangal Dist, Andhra Pradesh.  My daughter Sravanthi was born on 10th July, 1985 in Vizag, AP while we were in Mumbai.  Life in Mumbai for about 9 years is memorable.

Working life has taught me so many things; so also the places where I worked and people with whom I was associated. On date, I had twenty one years of public and eighteen years of private sector experience. Shift from my successful banking and administrative career to Aademics in 1999 was a very big challenge to me. Sharing of my banking experience in rural and urban centres, in administration and branches, with students of MBA 2nd year offering MBFI as an elective course was the beginning in 1999.

The next term of course, I added value to another course titled Financial Services drawing from my three years stint as Vice President in The Vysya Bank Leasing Ltd, Bangalore. My banking and administrative experience gave me success for four consecutive years as Chairman-Admissions in TAPMI with multiple positive results.But then, fate again played its role to take me to Alliance Business School in Bangalore for less than three years 2006-09 as a Professor of Finance and Registrar. And then, I re-joined TAPMI as a Professor in June 2009.  I was given responsibilities of Area Chair - Finance & Economics as also Chairman of Branding, Promotion and Consulting Committee.  I had to reestablish myself in TAPMI and Manipal.

By now, I am an accomplished person, if not an excellent Academician.  I taught courses, handled assignments, wrote research papers, chapters in books, delivered lectures, led committees and struggling to complete my Ph.D. which is a necessity in this field. I also teach a course on Business Laws online for a tech agency called 24x7 Learning. I spend long hours in either reading auto-biographies of successful entrepreneurs from India or abroad or hook to computer to fiddle with the Internet and Social Networks which has become my latest fad. Today, one an find me in google, bing, scribd, twitter, facebook, orkut, linkedin, wiziq, peerpower.com, etc.  Let me see what is in store for me in the rest of my (working) life.