M & I S N e w s l e t t e r Volume 2 Issue 20 September 2008

Meteorite Speak up! Be heard!

September 2008

Meteorite
Media and Information Services ISU Newsletter Vol. 2 Issue 20

FROM THE METEORITE TEAM...

5FMVGVMNFLHNFUHWSCMGVERCC

No. This is not a typographic error.

This is how words and sentences must have looked like if we didn’t know what they
meant.
TEG
Creative Have you ever wondered how wonderful it is to read what is being written here? Cover Story
Corner Isn’t it wonderful being able to communicate with each other so well? TEG Behind the
M&IS got Scenes!! Pg3
TALENT!! Pg14 The print industry has indeed changed the face of communication. If you would
like to know about how print and publishing came into existence, then you would
sure be interested in what Joydip Mukhopadhyay has to tell about the ‘History of
Print and Publishing’.
EDITORIAL

Manish Dubey, The commander of the band of soldiers from M&IS TEG group,
shares with us the mission and the roadmap for his team in this month’s cover
story. In HR 4 U, Binu Sudevan speaks on the virtues of leadership and pens for us Practice Zone
All you need to
HR 4 U some of themes that he has noted in successful leaders in TCS. know about
Leadership Printing Pg5
in Depth As always, our associates’ exceptional performance has bought us laurels from our
Pg10
customers across the globe. This edition of ‘Delivery Corner’ throws light on few
such projects that have been successfully delivered with high customer
satisfaction.
WE?
Who
are
What’s our We never fall short of events and happenings. Do we? In this edition we share the
IDENTITY? recipe of success of the TCS-McGrawhill team as they emerged champions in
Delivery
Bowling League at CTB, Monterey. Watch out for the Sony team’s trek to
M&IS ‘Naneghat’ and TCS-Warner Bros. team’s walkathon for the American Cancer Corner
Branding Check here for
society. Delivery
Win exciting Updates! Pg7
prizes! Pg18
Thanks for an overwhelming response to the re launch of Meteorite. We have
received a lot of feedback from the team and we can safely say that the Second
Anniversary edition of Meteorite was a blockbuster.

In what we expect will be another small step to achieve our big goal of being the
Media and Information Services ISU mouthpiece across the globe, we bring to you Events
Fun Zone this power packed edition. We are sure that you will enjoy the reading. The Hot &
Laugh out Happening!!
Loud!! Pg9
Pg15 We look forward to your help in our quest for improvement, for moving ahead,
for crossing every new hurdle in our race, by sending in your suggestions,
feedbacks and contributions.

Until we meet again…. Happy Reading….

Meteorite Speak Up! Be Heard!! 2

 Media and Information Services ISU Newsletter Vol. 2 Issue 20

Manish Dubey
Editorial

STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE: M&IS-TEG M&IS TEG Lead

T he Media and Information Services (MIS) TEG

( Technology Excellence Group) has been formed to
Collaboration with other ISUs.
Integrity, Respect to individual, Teamwork, and working
Cover Story

accelerate TCS' technology positioning in the MIS
industry. We align our vision, mission, and objectives
with corporate TEG. Our Vision is: TCS to be recognized
by the M&IS market as the #1 Technology Solution
Leader. To achieve this vision, it would require hard
work, rigor, focus, and passion. To this effect, we know
one thing for sure, which is, the answer to the
important question - who will help us in achieving
Practice Zone
with ownership are the foundation pillars of the group.
We have formed a core team of experienced and
dedicated associates working for TEG. We also have a
team of self-motivated and enthusiastic associates who
are ‘Virtually Tagged’ to TEG. These associates work for
TEG in addition to their regular project work. The
working model of various teams is depicted in the
diagram.

technology leadership? And I am quite happy to address

the very same people in this article who form the core I am very excited to introduce you to the core team of
of our answer to the above question. TEG. A diagrammatic representation of roles and
additional responsibilities is depicted in the next page.
Based on the past
few months’ In terms of progress so
experience, we have “ Our Vision: TCS to be recognized by the M&IS market as f a r , we have
analyzed that we the #1 Technology Solution Leader.” c o nso l i da te d the
Delivery Corner

have silos of current knowledge

knowledge, people repository of projects
excellence, and business insight available in different and people within the ISU. Apart from the above
groups. Our aim is to build a closely knit community of mentioned technology areas, we have started work on
associates to share ideas, thoughts, and experiences on open source products (for instance, Alfresco). Also, a
COVER STORY

a regular basis. Somebody has rightly said, “Joy & team is currently working on knowledge consolidation
Knowledge doubles through distribution”, and this and research in the area of ‘Rights and Royalties’. SAP is
principle is at the very root of TEG. one of the key focus areas for us and the team is
currently analyzing and mapping the Media Industry
Events

processes to SAP. Training is another important area of

In terms of responsibilities, we are focusing on
our work. So far, we have set up a process for
Knowledge Management, Technology Offerings, Pre-
identifying and tracking training needs. We have also
sales Support, Competency Management, Assets
identified trainers and are consolidating training
Utilization, Partners & Analysts Interactions, and
HR 4U

material. Last but not the least,

we have shared assets in Knowmax
and also formed a community for
sharing experiences in Knowmax.
Other ISUs
We encourage you to register to
Fun Zone Creative Cor- Infotainment

the community of your interest and

share your experiences.
ISU Extended Virtual Team (Any one in ISU)
So far it has been an exciting
journey. Moving forward, the
ISU Virtual Team (Tagged) challenge is to maintain a fine
balance between responding to
market needs and at the same time
developing competency to meet
Core ISU TEG Team
Dedicated the future technology demands.
From the last few months, our
experience is that the demand in
terms of technology is very wide
Corporate TEG spread and hence fulfilling the
same within the ISU boundaries will
Working model of various teams in TEG

Meteorite Speak Up! Be Heard!! 33

 Media and Information Services ISU Newsletter
Editorial Vol. 2 Issue 20

remain a challenge. We are working in a collaborative
approach within and across other ISUs towards meeting
this challenge.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you
who have worked as part of the virtual team or the
Cover Story
would like to invite you to join the ‘Knowledge Journey’
with us and grow in the career path of the technology of
your interest. We, at TEG, are excited to share a hand
with you in your endeavors. I am sure that our extra
mile efforts will significantly contribute to the ISU goals
and be equally rewarding in shaping your career

extended virtual team over the last few months. We are aspirations. We strongly believe “Together We Can and
banking on your continued support to TEG. We will”.

I invite your opinions and valuable suggestions. Also, we

are eager to hear your experience and leverage your
expertise in effectively responding to customer needs. I
Practice Zone

Manish Dubey Analyst

MIS TEG Lead Interaction

Mukesh Kanchan Competency and Enterprise

BIPM Lead Architecture

Shehul Gosrani Training Process

Delivery Corner

BI Lead Streamlining

Supriya Chaugule Assets Sharing and

J2EE Lead Utilization
COVER STORY

Jayesh Buch
SAP Lead
Events

Bijaya Sahoo
Oracle Lead

Arnab Saha
Oracle Expert
HR 4U

Gargi Ghose
Assurance Lead
Creative Corner Infotainment

TEG Core Team Roles

All about Manish

Manish Dubey holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Electronics and Communications

from REC Bhopal. After joining CMC through campus, he was part of the prestigious
Indian Railway Reservation project. In TCS, Manish has worked for GE projects in multiple
roles. He has also worked for customers including BT, AXA, and Metlife. For a long time,
Manish had been a core member of the CRM Practice before joining MIS.

On weekends, he can certainly be found in the Squash court. His other hobbies include
reading and venturing out to nearby places. In close circles, he is known for his wide
Fun Zone

friendship network and witty comments. Manish’s wife, Shruti, is a school teacher by
profession and also works part-time for a NGO.

Meteorite Speak Up! Be Heard!! 44

 Media and Information Services ISU Newsletter
Editorial Vol. 2 Issue 20

PRINT AND PUBLISHING: A GLIMPSE Joydip Mukhopadhyay

Publishing & Information Services team

from lead molds in place of type made from wood or

A brief History of Print and Publishing clay. With the help of the movable type, Gutenberg was
Cover Story

able to produce virtually identical copies. The first

J o h a n n e s
Gutenberg’s
invention of the
Gutenberg Bible appeared in 1456 and within 44 years,
printing operations existed in 12 European countries and
the continent was flooded with 20 million volumes.
movable metal
type was perhaps
one of the most In order to understand the effect of printing in the 15th
Practice Zone

important ones century, you have to go back to the 7th century, and
that led to see how the book world was organized prior to the
m o d e r n i t y . advent of printing. The 7th to 13th century can be
Printing and called the age of religious ‘manuscript’ book
printing presses existed long before Gutenberg production. Books in this period were entirely
perfected his process in or around 1446. For instance, constructed by hand and are largely religious texts. The
the Chinese were using wooden block presses as early as 13th to 15th Century saw the secularization of book
Delivery Corner

600 AD. Woodblock printing is a technique for printing production. Books were beginning to be produced that
text, images, or patterns used widely throughout East does not serve as objects of worship, but that tried to
Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of
PRACTICE ZONE

explain something about the observable world. The

printing on textiles, and later paper. As a method of difficulty with the spread of such knowledge is that
printing on cloth, the earliest surviving examples from production was still taking place through pre-print -
China date back to before 220, and from Egypt to the manuscript - methods.
4th century.
The 19th century saw a series of important refinements
The use of round ‘cylinder seals’ for rolling an impress in the process of printing. Continuous roll paper, which
Events

onto clay tablets dates back to the early Mesopotamian permitted rapid printing of large numbers of identical,
civilization before 3,000 BCE, where they are the standardized pages, was invented in France in the early
commonest works of art to survive, and feature complex 19th century. Soon after in 1811, a German by the name
and beautiful images. In of Friedrich Koenig
both China and Egypt, converted the printing press
the use of small stamps “The first Gutenberg Bible appeared in 1456 and from muscle to steam
Infotainment HR 4U

for seals preceded the power, speeding production

use of larger blocks. In within 44 years, printing operations existed in 12 of printed material and
Egypt, Europe, and reducing its cost. In 1830,
India, the printing of European countries and the continent was flooded Americans Thomas Gilpin
cloth certainly preceded with 20 million volumes.” and James Ames perfected a
the printing of paper or wood grinding machine that
papyrus; this was produced enough pulp to
probably also the case in China. make 24 miles of paper daily, further lowering the cost
Stencils may have been used to colour cloth for a very of printing.
long time; the technique probably reached its peak of Another most important development in this connection
Creative Corner

sophistication in Katazome and other techniques used
on silks for clothes during the Edo period in Japan. In
Europe, from about 1450 they were very commonly used
to colour old master prints printed in black and white,
usually woodcuts.
The invention of clay-made movable types in China was
in the period of 1041 to 1048 by a common man named
Bi Sheng in China. The next most significant
development of movable types was by Wang Zhen using
Fun Zone
was the invention of the linotype machine in 1884 by
Ottmar Mergenthaler, a German migrant to the US.
Employing a typewriter-like keyboard, the linotype
allowed printers to set type mechanically rather than
manually. About the same time, offset lithography was
invented which made it possible to print from
photographic plates rather than from heavy and
relatively fragile metal casts. Invented by Bavarian
author Aloys Senefelder in 1796, lithography is a method
for printing on a smooth surface. Lithography is a

clay and tin types in his book A Treatise of Agriculture

printing process that uses chemical processes to create
in 1297 AD.
an image. For instance, the positive part of an image
Gutenberg hit upon the idea of using metal type crafted would be a hydrophobic chemical, while the negative

Meteorite Speak Up! Be Heard!! 55

 Media and Information Services ISU Newsletter
Editorial Vol. 2 Issue 20
image would be water. Chromolithography was the first
method for making true multi-color prints. Earlier
attempts at polychromed printing relied on hand-
coloring. The type of color printing stemmed from the
process of lithography, and it includes all types of
Cover Story
lithography that are printed in color.
Of course, the developments of the late 20th century
which saw the advent of desktop publishing has pushed
many of the path-breaking inventions into history. Now
the entire process is managed on computers except the
last one in which the content is transferred to paper by
Practice Zone
the use of ink.
Digital printing is a type of print reproduction method
that utilizes electronic files to produce a printed piece
from spots and dots of ink, toner, or dye. Applying it to
the print workflow has eliminated most of the manual
steps involved with conventional print processes. Digital
printing technology can be divided into two main
Delivery Corner
classifications: variable imaging and direct imaging.
PRACTICE ZONE
Variable imaging, also known as Computer-to-Print
(CTPt), is a totally digital workflow, from design and
prepress through print output. Some Computer-to-Print
systems use digital copying, laser, or ink-jet
technologies, while other systems use a larger printer
called a digital press in which the image carrier can be
completely re-imaged for each impression. Common to
all Computer-to-Print systems is the ability to produce
Events
print applications in which every page that is printed is
different from the next one.
Direct imaging uses electronic files to create films or
plates for printing. Direct imaging technology includes
HR 4U
the following:
• Computer-to-Imagesetter (CTI): The electronic
preparation of a print application through the stages in
which the film is the output from an image setting
Infotainment
device. The film is then used to create an image on
printing plates that are mounted on a press to produce
printed documents.
• Computer-to-Plate (CTPe): Also known as Digital
Plate making, Computer-to-Plate is the electronic
preparation of a print application through the stage in
Creative Corner
which the printing plates (image carrier) are created.
After imaging, the plates are mounted on conventional
presses for print output.
Computer-to-Plate-on-Press (CTPs): The image is
transferred directly from the digital files to the image
carrier on a press known as a direct imaging press. This
eliminates the need to mount plates onto the press.
Many of the control settings such as image registration
and ink flow are adjusted automatically as well.
Fun Zone
Digital printing has several advantages over
Meteorite Speak Up! Be Heard!!
Getting to know Joydip
Joydip Mukhopadhyay is
part of the Publishing
and Information Services
Pre-Sales Team of our
ISU. Joydip was born in
Jalpaiguri, a small town
in north Bengal and did
his schooling there. He
acquired a Master’s
Degree in Mechanical
Engineering from the
Calcutta University, India, and a Post Graduate Di-
ploma from Ecole Nationale Supérieur des Mines de
Paris (E.N.S.M.P.), Paris, France.
Joydip, a Six Sigma Green Belt, is a Lead Education
and Publishing Consultant with in-depth focus on
Supply Chain and Distribution. He was a Key mem-
ber of the Oracle Practice and Oracle Applications
Center of Excellence. In the past 16 years, Joydip
has been involved in Pre-Sales, Delivery Manage-
ment, Business Process Re-engineering (BPR &
BPE) , Business Consulting, Business Process Manage-
ment (BPM), ERP Implementation, Application De-
velopment, BI and Application Support in Multiple
Business and technology domains like Publishing &
information services, Manufacturing, Healthcare,
and Transportation and Utilities.
Joydip’s family includes his wife Srabani, a journal-
ist and lecturer by profession and his parents. Joy-
dip loves to play cricket and badminton and his hob-
bies include paper cutting and gardening.
conventional printing methods. For short runs, digital
printing costs are usually lower than conventional
printing because the digital workflow eliminates many
of the manual operations of conventional processes.
Time can be saved in prepress activities and the make-
ready time on digital output equipment is less than
conventional equipment. The time savings for short runs
makes digital printing a good alternative to conventional
printing.
Using conventional printing methods, large print runs of
a document are produced, stored, and pulled from stock
as needed in order to gain the price advantages of a
larger run. With digital printing, there is no need to
keep large quantities of an item in stock since it is very
easy to make changes whenever they are required.
Applications can be printed ‘on-demand’ or ‘just-in-
time’ allowing you to print only what is required and
when it is required, thereby reducing the risk of having
to destroy obsolete documents. These benefits have
made Digital printing the preferred choice for all major
publishers.
66
 Media and Information Services ISU Newsletter Vol. 2 Issue 20

Horizon Goes 10G at McGraw-Hill

Editorial

Debraj Bhattacharya

scope for simplification and greater manageability of the

TCS successfully upgraded the Horizon system to

the Oracle 10g platform for The McGraw-Hill
different associated legacy components.
Practice Corner Cover Story

Information and Media BU. This was a complete end-to-
end upgrade for the back office application system for
billing and fulfillment which was developed by TCS at
the turn of the century. The upgrade happened over a
DELIVERY CORNER
Delivery Corner
John Petruccio (Director, Global Customer Operations of
McGraw-Hill Construction) and the Global Customer Op-
erations team invited the entire team for a lunch party
to appreciate the effort put together by the team. It was

The Team with GCO at McGraw-Hill Companies, Hightstown, NJ

duration of 7 months and was executed from The a day of fulfillment and smiles.
McGraw-Hill Companies’ office at Hightstown, New As expressed by the leadership at McGraw-Hill, this was
Events

Jersey. a significant move for all. As a large and complex back-

The database and application servers were directly
upgraded from Oracle 8.1.7.4 to Oracle 10.2.0.3 without
any impact on the business. This was a step towards a
common solution framework and will provide future
HR 4U
office system with database, application server and the
seamless interfaces, the Horizon upgrade was a signifi-
cant achievement for the TCS team led by Prabhas Jha
with mentoring and support from GRM Subrata Roy.

SONY TVIEW: Support MAXIMIZED Shriharsh Mishra

Creative Corner Infotainment

were introduced in the Dropzone ap-

T he TView team supports the TView, Dropzone, INT plication. For ScriptTracker, the JBoss
Sales, and ScriptTracker applications. Seam framework was evaluated and
• The TView and Dropzone applications are interfaces the phase 1 implementation has be-
to document repositories for the TV and Motion Picture gun. This implementation harbingers a
divisions of SPE. They also provide security and docu- new framework for SPE applications.
ment distribution features. The
TView
• ScriptTracker is part of “Over a short period of 9 months, the TView team team also tuned INT Sales
SPE's Concept To Camera has garnered the client’s confidence by producing
and improved its perform-
(C2) Application stack. The
application stack aims at excellent results.“ ance. Over a short period
of 9 months, the TView
speeding up the lifecycle of
team has garnered the
a script from concept to camera.
client’s confidence by producing excellent results and
• The INT Sales application is used for promotion of the team size has increased from 2 to 9. This team size
Fun Zone

SPE Titles in Airline and Non-Theatrical markets. increase is significant because it promises to bring sus-
tained business to TCS over a long period.
Significant deliveries were made for the Dropzone and
ScriptTracker applications recently. New admin entities

Meteorite Speak Up! Be Heard!! 77

 Media and Information Services ISU Newsletter
Cover Story Editorial Vol. 2 Issue 20

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!! Vijay Vasu Nair

L ights, Camera, Action… this is the name the creative

minds of the Media and Information Services (M&IS)
Accounts, UK, chose for their new KSS session. The M&IS
Accounts in UK organized a combined knowledge sharing
session in London. The aim of this session, and many
more to come, is to ensure that the associates from
M&IS UK become more industry savvy and are able to
communicate with the customers seamlessly.
Practice Corner

It is a known fact that TCS has a good reputation in UK

for being an excellent ADM and IS service provider.
However, with the ever changing business scenario and
ever growing media and entertainment industry, it
becomes imperative for a global service provider like
DELIVERY

TCS to be more industry centric. This will help us

increase our foot print in the media and entertainment
space and also ensure that we are able to deliver
Delivery Corner

certainty to our clients all over the geography, not only

from a technological perspective, but also as a true and
valued business partner. This session also aims to be the
key to cultivate the attitude of business understanding
and systems thinking from an industry perspective
among our immensely talented associates.
The first of the series of sessions was held on the 4th of
August 2008 followed by another session on the 3rd of
Events
process, home entertainment distribution business
process, print and publishing overview, theatrical
distribution processes, and SAP in the media industry,
among other interesting topics.
It will be interesting to see how our associates shape up
as a result of these sessions. However, the beginning of
these sessions signifies that M&IS UK has embraced the

September. It was presided by Anil Baddela, the BRM for
both Warner UK and Sony Pictures UK accounts. The
focus of the first session was on the global media and
entertainment landscape, the pattern of growth in the
media industry, and TCS's foot print in the M&IS space.
HR 4U
mantra of industry orientation. Another interesting part
of this session was the effective usage of TCS Meeting
Center. The entire session was conducted on-line giving
the associates the flexibility to attend the session from
any part of the globe. Let us wish the M&IS associates in

The subsequent sessions will focus on the Film making UK all the best in this new endeavour of theirs.
Creative Corner Infotainment

TCS TIGERS TRIUMPH AT MONTERY Arnab Talukdar

A midst the glitz and glamour,

the delicious food, and the
gorgeous people all around,
(Alley Cats, Drunken Monks, and
Kamikaze to name a few) hit the
bowling alley. The tournament,
TCSers lifted the foot-long though, had all the ingredients
trophy. The trophy was well of fun, sportsmanship,
deserved as the TCS team competition, and camaraderie.
emerged Champions after
thirteen weeks of bowling and a The thirteen weeks of bowling
neck-to-neck race leading to the displayed awesome talent from a
finals. few teams and neck-to-neck race
building up to the finals but
Like every year, CTB hosted a finally it was the TCS Tigers who
Fun Zone

bowling tournament at the local held their nerves against the

Monterey Lanes bowling alley. Alley Cats and came out
The bowling tournament saw a victorious with the wonderful
host of teams with funny names trophy and the certificate.

Meteorite Speak Up! Be Heard!! 88

 Media and Information Services ISU Newsletter
Practice Page Cover Story Editorial Vol. 2 Issue 20
NANEGHAT – A REFRESHING BLOT
“Nature is nurture to our heart” – James. A. Peking
T RRRRRINNNN… And the Alarm went buzzing at 5 am
on a pleasant Saturday. The sound is
usually annoying, but then it was a day
to enjoy with friends in the total
comfort of serenity and tranquillity at
Naneghat. All of us were geared up for a
whole lot of excitement and adventure
which was in stock for the day. We
started off with ‘Antakshri’, to which
we added our version of fun by adding
short flicks of ‘Singh is King’, rhymes,
etc, between each song ;)
Delivery Corner
On reaching the resort at Naneghat, we were welcomed
with breakfast and a ‘surprise’. It happened to be the
birthday bash for two of our associates, and the cake
was all waiting to be bashed up. Following, was a butt-
smacking round of B’day bumps.
We had two cottages for a quick change. Spending a
jiffy, we were all out with our trek gear. Our adventure
trip kick started with a view of beautiful waterfalls
M&IS Events
amidst thick fog and fresh greenery. It looked as if we
M&IS EVENTS
reached Adam’s & Eve’s world, leaving the dusty, noisy,
Mumbai city behind. The place was a little bit eerie too,
if you can imagine, it was best suited for a Hitchcock or
a Ram Gopal Varma (?) thriller; particularly with its
evening stature. We then reached a lake, were all of us
took a thrill swim with the safety gear on. The view
from the lake was breath-taking. We were surrounded
HR 4U
on all sides by the best of nature; beautiful mountains,
Creative Cor- Infotainment
Fun Zone
Meteorite Speak Up! Be Heard!!
Dharmesh Kumar and Ramkumar Sundaram
shiny glittery silver strips of waterfalls, thick-black
clouds, and immense greenery. For a while we fit
ourselves in Tarzan’s attire.
The best part was yet to come, when we
walked around in the calmness of the
flowing water. We then arrived at a
waterfall, where two instructors were
waiting at the top. We were in for an
exciting adventure – Waterfall Rappelling.
Expecting a couple of them with ‘Guts of
Steel’ would actually dare to climb down
the slippery waterfall with a steep fall of
40 feet. It was shocking to see that it
turned the other way round. Almost every
one had that nerve pumping adrenaline, especially the
girls. All of them took their turns, rappelling, slipping,
and making it to the bottom of the waterfall. The
experience was Simply Superb or as we would say ’It
was Super-Kewl !! ’
We then returned for a heavy lunch after a tiresome
adventure. Few clicks and it was time to return back.
As we visualize this beautiful Trip, we all have words
lingering ‘What an amazing day we’ve had in such long
time. This trip to Naneghat is an unwind from the
hectic chores of day-to-day life.’
Summing up, a great work-life balance at TCS-SONY is
what sets us going with the excitement never fading
out. This trip, like others events at TCS-SONY, has been
marked as one of the best moments that we rejoiced!
99
 Media and Information Services ISU Newsletter
Practice Page Cover Story Editorial Vol. 2 Issue 20

BINU SPEAKS: LEADERSHIP@ TCS Binu Sudevan

I magine a company almost

doubling its manpower every
year...the kind of challenges that
departmental teams for the collective achievements. In
short, the leaders who see the whole, invite
participation from all for greater synergy which helps in
each department will face to managing flux. The current management literature
manage new issues everyday. terms this as systems thinking.
When a system grows, a lot of
flux happens in the system. The
primary question for every leader 2. Articulating the Vision
irrespective of the function in
such an organization will be to Not every leader might articulate a vision of his/her
manage Growth. Sounds own. Most often, the top management articulates a
familiar...? read on. vision for the company which becomes the guiding force
for all. A crucial quality of the leaders at the next layer
This is the synthesis of the many thoughts that I have is to consistently articulate this vision in forums like
assimilated from TCS during the last five years, town hall meetings to build collective energy and
especially in the area of achieve the vision. This would also
M&IS Events Delivery Corner

Leadership. Partly because of my mean the ability of the leader to

role in HR and partly because of “I have penned down some of the break down the vision into small
my curiosity to know how TCS as a themes that I noted in successful components that a team member
company handled its growth in the can relate to on a day-to-day basis.
last several years, I have been a
leaders in TCS “ For example, in our current ISU
keen observer of the leadership restructuring, questions have been
systems here. raised even today in common forums as to what the
restructuring means for the associates. A clear
Three years back in TCS-Chennai, we had an initiative evolutionary history of TCS from Verticals & Horizontals
called Breakfast Meetings where Ravi Viswanathan to Six bubbles to ISUs can reduce the anxiety of the
(Global Head-Telecom ISU) and K Ananth (CTO) met a associate about the way the company is evolving. May
number of associates at the middle management level be there is more to this evolutionary story with the
to understand their perception about the company and senior leaders tapping on with their experience. Hence,
the challenges. Soon after that, I was part of a start-up to manage growth it becomes important for the leaders
business unit in the BPO sector. I was fortunate to work to connect with the associates as often as they can in
on a crucial piece of assignment in the team headed by larger forums.
HR 4U

Ranjan Bandhopadhay (Global Head-HR TCS-BPO), where

I interacted with many BPO leaders who came from the
industry at very close quarters. My experience in IT and 3. Respecting the System
BPO made me think of similarities in leaders that I met
HR 4 U

and interacted with. I have penned down some of the All systems are created by certain values that get
Creative Cor- Infotainment

themes that I noted in successful leaders in TCS in my imbibed in the system over a period of time which
effort to synthesize.
1. Seeing the Whole
All great leaders seem to have an
ability to see connections in their
environment. Their actions seem to
make a larger impact on the systems
they work with. At the business
leadership level, this translates to
corporate social responsibility and
thought leadership in professional
forums. At an operational leadership
Fun Zone
necessarily may not be the articulated values. When
Growth becomes the ‘mantra’, leaders sometimes seem
to neglect the very systems and
departments that they had created. Large
companies need established policies and
procedures to minimize chaos. Leaders
who see the whole also realize the
importance of their actions. They realize
that they are at a level visible to so many
layers down. An action not in line with
the value systems articulated by the
company will become a story of ridicule
that spreads through the grapevine. The
tight rope walk and conflict in this is what

level, this can translate into building leaders would face in so many situations.
relationships with various Respecting the system in an organization

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 Media and Information Services ISU Newsletter Vol. 2 Issue 20

Attributes of Leadership
Cover Story Editorial

like ours means not expectations with them

only respecting the on realistic terms.
company but the Tata Inviting own-
ership
Group which has
The hard fact
earned its name in the Respecting of being a soft
6. Healthy self-esteem
Indian society for many the system leader
of the ideals and values Not all the above
it has stood for. LEADERSHIP qualities can exist
without having a
4. Inviting Ownership Healthy self healthy self esteem.
Articulating esteem
the vision
Having all the above
Practice Page

Growth brings flux and qualities and not

to contain flux we Seeing the having self esteem is
plan. In order to whole like creating a tall
execute the plan, building with a weak
ownership is required. foundation. Self
Whether we are growing or not, everybody who is part esteem can be defined as the concept of self that
of the organization wants to feel important in the people carry within themselves with which they relate
organization. Not being invited to play a part creates to the world. Self esteem gets formed through one's
M&IS Events Delivery Corner

negative energy and gets manifested in the form of experiences in life starting with childhood. People with
complaints, lack of ownership, and so on. Inviting positive self esteem see themselves as an important
ownership would also mean giving meaning to the team part of any environment they are in. They see a
members’ actions towards the vision of the company. connection with fellow human beings and are able to
Encouraging an associate to go for a domain think from a holistic perspective. They are not afraid of
certification and explaining to him/her about how this getting feedback about themselves. They are not afraid
will help the overall ISU structure is an example for this. to let go off the power as they already feel powerful
The simple question is how much time we consciously within and, therefore, relate to people in a respectful
spend as leaders for such kind of activities. manner.

It is very easy to sit back and criticize but very difficult
to own and invite ownership from others. This would
mean understanding the environment, sometimes
accepting the inadequacy of the plans made, and taking
the full ownership. This would also mean the ability to
execute the tasks owned either by self or through
others. The ability of the leaders to invite this from
HR 4U
The leader who refuses to take feedback and/or does
not attend training with the fear of getting exposed,
would be an example of being insecure within and,
therefore, low on self esteem.
These are some of the things that I have observed in the
many leaders that I have come across in my relatively

various functions in the organization determines the short stint in TCS. There could be many more to this
organization’s ability to collectively tackle difficult list. But for now I stop. You can write to me with your
situations. feedback or for any related literature through my e-
HR 4 U

mail-ID binu.sudevan@tcs.com.

5. The Hard fact of being a soft leader

Infotainment

All relationships thrive on expectations. This would

mean that, as a leader, you set the expectations
without any ambiguity to people who work along with
you in achieving the vision. The Human Resource
Creative Cor-

department might call this as the goal setting and

feedback process. At the heart of all this, lies the
leader's ability to set expectations and manage them
with so many stakeholders. Especially, in people,
relations this requires a great understanding of self in
terms of values, needs, aspirations, and so on. The soft
leader is the one who is empathetic, tuned to the
customer and to his/her subordinates, and sets
Fun Zone

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 Media and Information Services ISU Newsletter
Editorial Vol. 2 Issue 20

VISARJAN— CLEANING UP Jaya Sinha

W
Cover Story

e Mumbaikars bid adieu to Lord Ganesha last Sunday

by immersing him at various water bodies across our
city. And now after ten days of devotion and celebrations, it
is time to clean up our beloved city.

We have a long way to go before we make our Ganesh idols

environment-friendly and prevent the contamination of sea
Practice Page

water and protect the marine life from heavy metals used in
paints adorning Lord Ganesha. As part of TCS's Environment
Friendly / Eco Friendly Drive, for the third year running, we
from the Mumbai Team (HR & Projects) did our bit for the
city and lent a helping hand to BMC on 15th Sep 2008. We
went out to Juhu Beach on the 15th of September and
cleaned up a portion of the beach and removed all rubbles/
Delivery Corner

non-bio degradable wastes.

The Mumbai HR team's ‘one of its kind’ activity of cleaning

up the Juhu Beach post Ganapati immersion has become an
annual activity now and we have done our bit for the
environment for three years in a row. This is our small
contribution for preserving the environment and to TCS's
HR Team cleaning it up CSR activities....
M&IS Events

WALKING FOR A CAUSE Jayesh Kakad

O n September 6, 2008, the TCS team at the

HR 4U

Warner Bros Account in Burbank, CA,

participated in a 5 mile Walkathon organized by
HR 4 U

BAPS charities. The Walkathon was held at Chino

Hills in CA. The funds raised through the Walk
benefited the American Cancer Society's research
Infotainment

programs, treatment services, and patient care.

After the walkathon, TCSers also had a game of
Volley Ball with the organizers.

BAPS charities provide over 160 humanitarian

Creative Cor-

services in the field of health, education,

environment, community development, and disaster
relief. The American Cancer Society has helped lead
the way in cancer research, education, awareness,
and patient services. Various community outreach
programs and charitable organizations have helped
ACS's goals of saving lives and improving the quality
of life for cancer patients come within reach.
Fun Zone

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 Media and Information Services ISU Newsletter Vol. 2 Issue 20

INFOTAINMENT
Editorial

Vinayak Gole

From Hobbies to Ventures

A ll of us have hobbies. Writing, photography, even photos you can sell them here for a fee. CafePress
Practice Page Cover Story

sketching…the list is endless. How many times have
we read about people who have converted their hobbies
into money spinning ventures? Well, then here’s your
chance to do the same, thanks to the internet.
Given below are just five ways to help you out in your
venture:
1. Google Adsense
This is Google's advertisement program. If you have a
website or a blog, you can register with Google's Adsense
program. Create the custom ad that will look good on
your page and submit to get the code. Paste the code in
your page or blog and Google will start displaying ads on
your page. There are different earnings to be made for
Delivery Corner
gives you the option of having a premium shop (which
comes for a fee) and a free shop (which is only one
page). You can then promote your designs using their
newsletter or advertise on your page or blog.
Visit: www.cafepress.com
4. Associated Content
Are you good at writing? If you are, then this is the
place for you. Associated Content is a content producer
and seller and you can help them produce the content.
Each article that you submit is scanned manually and
hence takes about two weeks to publish. You may also
sell your article with exclusive, non-exclusive, or view-
only license. If you are good enough with your stuff, you
can make more than $3000 a month!

different types of ads. Google will send you a check for
your earnings.
Visit: www.adsense.google.com
2. Fotolia
If photography is your hobby, Fotolia is the place for
you to go. Sell your photos for a fee if they pass the
validation. Each time a photo is sold you get paid. If you
M&IS Events
Visit: www.associatedcontent.com
5. Clicknwork
Clicknwork is basically a full-fledged company which
recruits people to work from home. So if you are an
expert at something, this is the right place for you. They
even have jobs such as web searchers which involves
searching research matter on the internet. The catch

are generous enough, you may also opt to move the here is your resume is scanned manually and you have to
photograph to the free section if it gets rejected to be appear for a pretty tough test to qualify.
paid. Visit: www.clicknwork.com
Visit: www.fotolia.com
So go ahead and turn your hobbies into a profitable
3. CafePress venture!
CafePress sells T-shirts and other stuff with custom
HR 4U

made designs. And if you are good at slogans, designs, or

Test your Google IQ FACTS AHOY!!

Creative Cor- Infotainment

Q1. What is Google?
Q2. Who are the founders of Google?
Q3. What does Google mean?
Q4.What is the company headquarters called?
Q5. What makes Google unique?
Q6. What is "I'm feeling lucky"
Q7. What is Google's code of conduct?
Q8. What is Google.org?
Fun Zone
1. Honey is the only food that does not spoil. Honey found
in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs has been tasted by
archaeologists and found edible.
2. Coca-Cola would be green if coloring wasn’t added to
it.
3. Beetles taste like apples, wasps like pine nuts, and
worms like fried bacon.
4. The term "the whole 9 yards" came from W.W.II fighter
pilots in the Pacific. When arming their airplanes on the
ground, the .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts
measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the
fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target,

Answers on page 16 it got "the whole 9 yards."

5. A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.

Meteorite Speak Up! Be Heard!! 13

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 Media and Information Services ISU Newsletter Vol. 2 Issue 20

Creative Corner
Editorial
Practice Page Cover Story

CREATIVE CORNER
Delivery Corner

Fall at Mt. Washington

Debraj Bhattacharya
HR 4U M&IS Events

Midnight Blooms
Ayan Dakshi
Reporting Hollywood

The Dark Knight

Gave us a fright
With Heath's Joker, the pace, the turns and twists.
Conquering the Box Office and best movies lists,
It showed its might.
Fun Zone Creative CornerInfotainment

"Brilliant" was the refrain.

Then the hype began to wane.
The fervor reduced to awe and admiration.
Over at IMDB, The Shawshank Redemption
Resumed its reign.

By
A Movie Buff

Nostalgia
Rajeev Manghnani

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 Editorial Media and Information Services ISU Newsletter Vol. 2 Issue 20

FUNZONE!!!

T heirs:
Gladiator: In the "Battle of Carthage" in the Colosseum,
Ours:
Jodi No 1: Govinda and Sanjay Dutt board a blue train
Practice Page Cover Story

one of the chariots is turned over. Once the dust
settles you can see a gas cylinder in the back of the
chariot.
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam: Aishwarya Rai is shot in the
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines: In the scene where
John & Catherine are in the hangar at the runway,
the Cessna's tail number is N3035C. When the
plane is shown in the air, the number is N3973F.
When they land, the tail num-
ber has changed back to
N3035C. BLOOPERZZZZ!!
Delivery Corner
to Goa. But when the duo alight at Goa, the train is
red in color.
neck by a foreigner. Yet, at the hospital she's seen
with a bandage around her arm. There's no trace of
any wound on her neck. Ajay Devgan and
Aishwarya Rai have been robbed of all their belong-
ings. They don't have money to
even buy train tickets. Yet they
manage to get seats at the opera.
Great!!

Terminator 2: Judgment Day: The T-1000 punches his

The body through the window of a helicopter to
get inside. An instant later, the hole in the wind-
shield is gone.
Spider-Man: In the scene where Mary Jane is being
mugged by four men, Spider-Man throws two of
Creative Corner Infotainment HR 4U M&IS Events
Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain: Anil Kapoor is hit on
the head, stabbed in the back, and attacked with a
broken bottle in his stomach. And he's still kicking
and alive!
Anari No.1: Govinda's mother is said to have passed

the men into two windows behind Mary Jane. The
shot switches to Spider-Man beating up the other
two guys. When it cuts back to Mary Jane the two
windows are intact.
FUNZONE
away shortly after giving birth to him. But Govinda
is heard saying that his mother had told him that he
would become a bada aadmi some day.

The winner of last month’s Caption Contest is Monish Sahani

Cryptic Reels Across and he says…
1. The ________ing
“Things are different here my friend. Here dogs are
4. Forgetting Sarah
chained and monkeys roam the streets freely !
______
Welcome to Matheran!”
7. The ______
Chronicles
GOT anything
9. The _____ Guru
WISE to
Down SAY??
2. Hellboy: The Golden Do send in your
___ captions for the
3. ____-E shown picture to
rn.shetty@tcs.co
FUNZONE

5. ____ the Third

6. Into the ___ m and see if you
7. ___shine can be witty
8. ____Man enough to be
published!!

Meteorite Speak Up! Be Heard!! 15

Editorial Media and Information Services ISU Newsletter Vol. 2 Issue 20

TIME TO GIVE BACK!!

CALLING TO ARMS
Join the Meteorite team! Team Meteorite
Cover Story

T he time has come for good men and

women to come forth and join us on
the Meteorite team.
CHIEF PATRON

Kamal Bhadada
Practice Page

CONCEPT, LAYOUT &

Our vision is to make Meteorite the global mouthpiece for the M&IS DESIGN
ISU. For this, we need enthusiasm, creativity, passion, ideas, and
Anish B George
drive from every account in M&IS. [Yes, this is where YOU come
in!] METEORITE
CORRESPONDENTS
We are looking for associates to represent their accounts, to update
Delivery Corner

us with news, events, and happenings.

Smitha Raju
Shalini Udayakumar
Anil Kumar Singh
Every account needs a Voice!! The innovative script that helps save
Vinayak Gole
time, the picnic to that out-of-way place - we want to know all about Kaushik Gopalakrishnan
it! Roshan Mirwani
Creative Corner Infotainment HR 4U M&IS Events

If you are interested in joining the Meteorite team or contributing Ramya Shetty
Debraj Bhattacharya
articles, please get in touch with: vijay.nair@tcs.com.
FEEDBACK

EDITORIAL TEAM
ANSWERS for questions on page 13
Prajna Chowta
Asha Mascarenhas
Google IQ
Anu Chandrasekhar
1. Google is a popular search engine. Google also has a host
of other applications like Google pages and Google docs. COORDINATORS
2. Google was founded in 1997 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin
both PhD students at Stanford. Mumbai: Anish B George
3. Google is a misspelling of googol which refers to the num- US: Gulshan Juneja
ber 1 followed by 100 zeros. UK: Vijay Vasu Nair
4. Googleplex
5. Google uses a proprietary algorithm called pageRank which
delivers better results than other search engines.
6. When a user clicks on the button the user will be taken
directly to the first search result, bypassing the search en- Feedback !
gine results page. We need your feedback to
7. "Don’t be evil”. The motto is said to recognize that large improve! We want to
corporations can often maximize short-term profits with
know your suggestions,
FUNZONE

actions that destroy long-term brand image and competi-

tive position. opinions and innovative
8. A non profit philanthropic wing of Google formed in 2004. ideas. Please send them
to anish.bg@tcs.com

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Editorial Media and Information Services ISU Newsletter Vol. 2 Issue 20

WHAT THEY
Cover Story

HAD TO SAY!!!
Practice Page

I enjoye
d every
it!! bit of
- Binu
! N ice Sudeva
e o, n
d on with inf
Delivery Corner

g o o
Real p a cked ighly
rt– h
effo d with a ch…
an u
fun sional to
es
prof !! G eorge
os ena
Ku d - Te
Creative Corner Infotainment HR 4U M&IS Events

at…
Good layout and form
FEEDBACK

ion.
Packed with informat
Keep it up!!
-Ashok Mukherjee

Nice, colorful
and
exhaustive!
This
i
-Samitabh Roy effor s a fanta
t! stic
-As
wini
Man
o
FUNZONE

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Media and Information Services ISU Newsletter Vol. 2 Issue 20

IF TCS =TCS’ers
THEN M&IS = ??

WE?
Who
are
our ID
IDENTITY?
ENTITY?
What’s

IF TCS = ‘EXPERIENCE CERTAINTY’

THEN M&IS = ??

Come up with innovative ideas to brand our M&IS ISU and

win exciting prizes!!

Send your entries to gulshan.juneja@tcs.com

Meteorite Speak Up! Be Heard!! 18