नए साल की शुभकामनाये

नए साल की शुभकामनाये!

Dear GlaxoIndians,

 

May the new year bring good health, peace, prosperity & success to you and your families. 

 

May the new year end world-strife, bring about amity among nations so peoples of the world live like a  वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्!

 

We hope in the new year you would participate in our online community more regularly by sharing your thoughts and anecdotes of a shared past - or present - for being in touch with fellow GLAXOINDIANs and to make the idea of the online forum GLAXOINDIAN a greater success!

 

Thank you!

 

The Doctor in the 'Theatre'!

FH

A GlaxoIndian Medical Representative (MR) and his Area Sales Executive (ASE) went calling on a doctor in a village near a coastal town in AP. The doctor's attendant asked them to wait as the doctor 'was in the theatre'. They waited for a while and wanted to know whether the doctor would be long. The following conversation ensued:

MR:           "Will the doctor be long in coming?"

Attendant: "No Sir; just a few minutes."

MR:           "Has the doctor been in the 'theatre' for long?"

Attendant: "No Sir."

MR:           "So, it is a minor surgery, then?"

Attendant: "No Sir."

MR:           "But you said the doctor wouldn't be long?" 

Attendant: "Yes Sir."

The MR and the ASE were both perplexed by now.

MR:           "Oh, what kind of operation has he been conducting?"

Attendant: "He is fixing a tube-light Sir." 

Be Practical, ASE!

FH

The young ASE was lambasting the two senior medical reps based at his HQ. The team missed its sales budget in the previous month. The ASE was thrashed by his superiors in the ASEs’ monthly meeting.

The ASE was shouting that the current month’s sales budget plus the deficit of the previous month should be ‘covered’ by the twentieth and he didn’t mind how they did it.

We must clarify, all Glaxo ASEs used this expression, ‘I don’t know how you are going to do it, but do it you must!’ It did not have any ulterior implications; it was only a manner of speaking. Some of them used a variation of the statement, because they liked its roll on the tongue - which nevertheless meant the same: ‘Don't tell me why it can't done; tell me how it can be done!’ These imperatives were a part of the vocabulary of ‘Glaxo culture’ of the seventies.

One of the two senior medical reps was agitated and pleading with the ASE to understand that ‘if they could do it they would have done it’. They could not do it because there was high inventory with the AWDs; the ‘season was down’ and there was no way in the world that they could achieve what the ASE was demanding in the time he gave them.

The second senior medical rep was coolly listening to the shouted orders and the plaintive wails. He finally interjected, addressing his colleague: “Don’t worry my dear friend. He is our ASE. He is ordering us to do it. He will also tell us how to do it!” 

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Can you suggest a better or more apt caption to this story? Please mail your suggestions to indiaglaxo@gmail.com. We will publish your captions in our next post!

"I Visited he in July and then she became pregnant!"

FH

A Glaxo-Indian ASE was checking the MSL of a Medical Representative to appraise his "doctor coverage". When he came to a particular name he found three consecutive  "Date of Visit" columns blank. When the ASE asked the reason for  missing an important "call" for three consecutive campaigns, the Medical Representative explained, "Sir, I visited her in July and then she became pregnant!"

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In order to make navigation easier, we have merged the separate columns , "Sad to see you go", "Letters" and "Field Humour"  with the main body of the blog.

A GlaxoIndian's Narco Test!

FH

Many years ago a GLAXOINDIAN known for his phenomenal memory and excellent detailing abilities underwent surgery for hernia. The surgery was conducted under general anaesthesia. While the surgery was progressing, the surgeon who knew the GLAXOINDIAN quite well - and his insistence on detailing in full during every visit - wanted to pull his leg and asked him to detail. Even though groggy, the GLAXOINDIAN  delivered the complete detailing story while the operation was under way. Afterwards, while narrating the incident to colleagues, he quipped: "Thank God, the doctor did not ask me my opinion about him - instead of detailing!"

The 'Nouveau Riche' Farmer!

FH

Everyone knows that the nouveau riche – the new rich – would like to splash their wealth and generally show off - to show that they have arrived.  One such farmer from one of the rich farmland districts of Andhra Pradesh had to see a doctor for some ailment. The doctor suggested a stool examination. The farmer purchased a brand new stainless steel pitcher, filled it with - you know what - and brought it to the clinic.

As it happened, the farmer promised the doctor in an earlier visit that he would bring him some good desi ghee. On seeing the brand new stainless steel pitcher - covered with a leaf and neatly tied - the doctor assumed that the farmer was making good his promise after all. He asked his compounder to take it home and hand it over to amma garu – his mouth watering already in anticipation of a sumptuous lunch suffused with desi ghee. The unsuspecting lady accepted the pitcher and kept it on the dining table.

After a hectic day in the clinic the doctor went home for lunch. Everything was served – the doctor's wife had prepared his favourite dishes. And she opened the stainless steel container ... ... .

The Doctor had "Reservation"

FH

This is an anecdote recounted by a colleague from his experience in the seventies. He used to call on a top ophthalmologist/GP in a small town near his headquarters to seek prescriptions for Multivite-FM, as the doctor was a good prescriber of multivitamin brands. When the doctor did not respond even after a few visits, he asked him, ‘Dr. Do you have any reservations about my product?’ The small town doctor who was poor in English unfortunately understood that our friend posed the politically 'inappropriate' question and replied, ‘Yes, reservation, get the hell out of my clinic!’

A Corporate Cricket Match!

“As far as this correspondent could remember”, reported ‘this correspondent’ of our company’s house magazine, “there has been no like of this cricket match.” “It will”, she continued, “go down in the annals of our sporting life as a landmark.”

The magazine published a multicoloured photograph of our MD’s ‘magnificent hook shot’ and went on to describe his innings as consisting of ‘mighty fours’, ‘full-blooded strokes’ and several ‘cheeky singles’ – all adding to a total of seventeen runs. 

The credit for incepting this annual cricket match goes to Mr. Bakwaswala, the Divisional Head of our sales department, when he was Assistant Sales Manager - as a mark of respect to our last British Managing Director, in his name. It was alleged by his critics that he owed his present position in the company more to his ability to discuss squash and handicaps in golf with his former English bosses rather than any worthwhile contributions to the organisation.

The teams for the match usually consisted of wily executives ‘oozing cologne, cockiness and confidence’ – as the pert copy of a magazine advertisement describes – who knewhow to bowl to MDs. But the crunch came when the greenhorn apprentice who just joined the company, was inducted into one of the teams. He was just out of the university and had been his univ’s strike bowler.

Not knowing the rules of the corporate world of make-believe, he had been bowling good line and length. His first ball – a short pitched one – nearly dislodged the MD’s spectacles without which, the ball and the moon looked equidistant to him. Not that the match was played in moonlight!

The myopic managing director peered uncertainly at the skies. Keeping his tubby frame erect, he opened the face of his bat and hooked the ball. Then, pirouetting on his axis, he placed the ball plumb on the fine leg boundary – or so he thought – and with his bat still raised, looked around expectantly for the applause. But only a stunned silence greeted him.

The first to recover from the embarrassing situation was the umpire, the head of the Customer Service Section. Hesitating only for a moment, he called a ‘no ball’, keeping in view his impending grade promotion, and once again upholding the eternal truth that if a Caesar could do no wrong, much less a managing director could be bowled out.

Taking his cue, the commentator – the brand manager with the staccato voice, stilted English and a phoney British accent – regained his speech and roared that that was a ‘magnificent hook shot’ repeating it six times in three sentences hoping that it would enter the MD’s ears at least once – as it was believed that the MD was short of hearing.

The commentary was for the players – as there were no spectators for the match and broadcast over a loud speaker. It served the same purpose as the performance appraisals conducted for our executives once in a while. The performance appraisals, by the way were introduced after Newsweek published the format of (the then) president of the US, Carter's evaluation of his executives.

All would have been well, except … … … the greenhorn apprentice’s second ball – the ball preceding the stunned silence and the cause for it – ripped the bales and knocked the MD’s middle stump cart-wheeling it six yards away.

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This spoof was written by a GLAXOINDIAN for THE CITY TAB, a Bangalore tabloid, and was published in its issue dated October 19 – 25, 1986.  It was reproduced by some Blogsites in recent times.

A Three Minute Management Course!

SOME OLD LESSONS …

Retold By D. Rama Mohan Rao

LESSON 1

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbour.  Before she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you £800 to drop that towel."  After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob. After a few seconds, Bob hands her £800 and leaves.  The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.  When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, "Who was that?" "It was Bob the next door neighbour," she replies. "Great!" the husband says, "did he say anything about the £800 he owes me?"

Mr. D. R. NATHAN

Friday, April 9,2010.

Mr. K. Gopal wrote:

I just heard the sad news that Mr.Nathan passed away at 11 a.m. I understand from Ramesh, his son, that the end was peaceful. The cremation is likely to be tomorrow morning.

Address: 'Akshaya'

             79, Second Main Road, VGP Layout, Palawakkam, Chennai - 600041.

             Tel.No. 24511546  ( Mobile number of Ramesh: +919840391953)

Saturday, April 10,2010.

Mr. C. Jagadishan wrote:

Dear Friends,

VERY SAD NEWS ALAS!

We are extremely pained to hear the sad news that our very dear Mr. D. R. Nathan passed away at 11 10a.m. I gather   from Shri. K. Gopal that the end was peaceful. The cremation is likely to be tomorrow morning. I understand from Ramesh, his son, that the end was peaceful. The cremation is likely to be tomorrow morning, the 10th April 10.

When I communicated this to Mr. K. S. Ramanathan at his Coimbatore res, he condoled and said, that two people in Madras branch will always be remembered for their singular contributions: 1. Dr.R. Krishnaswamy & 2.Mr.D.R.Nathan.

I entirely agree with him and so will all who knew both of these wonderful human beings!!

May we all join the family in praying for Mr. Nathan's soul to rest in peace!! Amen!!

Yours in sorrow,

C. Jagadishan

Mr. Jagadishan's condolence note to Badri & Ramesh, Mr. Nathan's sons

Very dear Badri / zamesh,                                                                                

10/4/10

Your father was an exceptionally compassionate, empathetic,caring, and most lovable person with extra-ordinary sense of humour and great presence of mind!

Shri. DRN & Dr. R. Krishnaswami were two individuals who made significant and substantial contributions to Glaxo in South of India! Both will be ever remembered for their singular and noteworthy contributions! Both had a knack of keeping others all the time smiling, forget their grief/sorrow, give them warmth, love and affection all the time! Both were great teachers in their own right! I and many others have greatly learnt quite a few things from both of them!

May their soul rest in peace!

May the Good lord give your dear Mother Smt. Padma Nathan and you both and all other family members the strength and fortitude to bear this irreparable loss!

Yours in sorrow,

Jagdishan. C

Ch. MOHAN RAO TRAVELS TO MEET FORMER COLLEAGUES

March 22, 2010: From Left B.V. Suryanarayana Murthy, B.S.R.Anjaneyulu and Ch. Mohan Rao (See Ch Mohan Rao's letter in LETTERS column.)

Ch MOHAN RAO REMINISCES!

Ch. Mohan Rao, who worked in Vijayawada depot from 1965 to 1989 writes:

Let me start by saying that I am very glad to know about the creation of this platform - GLAXOINDIAN - where all Glaxonians, past and present  can meet and ‘converse’.

I would like to bring us all up-to-date about some former colleagues and our recent activities.

Mr. P.V. Samabasivan: I have met Mr. P.V. Samabasivan on the Republic day 2010 at his residence in Ashoknagar, Madras. Sambasivan is now 83 and suffering with back pain. His wife too is not well. His children are taking care of them.

Sambasivan started his career as a Medical Representative in Vijayawada and was later transferred to Bangalore. His residence in Alibagh Street, Vijayawada was a popular meeting point for Medical Representatives. It was also a centre point for many trade union activities. Sambasivan eventually retired as the Sales Services Executive in Madras. Those of you who wish to contact him may e-mail me or GLAXOINDIAN for Sambasivan’s phone number.

G. N. Jayaraman, who worked in Vijayawada and later in Chennai too is unwell.

S. Ranganathan: Ranganathan is fine and leading a happy retired life at his residence in K.K.Nagar, Chennai.

T. G. Santana Krishnan: I recently spoke to him on phone. He is hale and healthy and leading a happy retired life.

Mohan Rao’s lunch for former colleagues: I have hosted a lunch for all former Vijayawada depot staff on March 15.  M/s. C V Perumallu, S. babu Rao, B. Someswara Rao, U. Gandhi attended and we all had many happy reminiscences.

Mr. B.V. Suryanarayana Murthy: Mr. B.S.R. Anjaneyulu and I plan to meet our former Depot Executive, Mr. B.V. Suryanarayana Murthy shortly at his residence in Lakidi-ka-pool, Hyderabad.

Mr. D. R. Nathan: I had the opportunity of working under Mr. Nathan when he was Branch Manager. I am sad to hear that is ailing with cancer and pray to God to give him health.

I understand that quite a few of our former colleagues are in high positions in the company today and I wish them all success!

Mohan Rao may be contacted on e-mail: ch.mohana.rao@gmail.com

Mr. P. V. KOTESWARA RAO

Mr. K. Aravamudu wrote:

Mr. P. V. Koteswara Rao died this morning at Vijayawada. He served GSK more than 40 years. He began his career as a clerk in Vijayawada depot, then moved up to become Depot Executive and then Personal Executive in Madras. I know him ever since I joined Glaxo in1969. After his retirement he was associated with GSK as C & F Agent for another 6 to 7 years at Vijayawada. He was a straight forward person, very sincere and hard working gentleman. He is survived by his wife four daughter - all of them are well placed (in Canada, USA, Delhi and the last one at Vijawawada).

After his bath and prayer he asked his wife for breakfast. When he did not turn up after some time she went in search of him only to find him supine on the bed as if sleeping peacefully. He had a peaceful death.

May his soul rest in peace.

We convey our heart felt condolence to his family members.

Saturday, March 20,2010.

Mr. Ch. Mohan Rao wrote:

I have worked in Vijayawada depot between 1965 and 1989 and intimately knew Mr. Koteswara Rao. He was a tough disciplinarian, always focused on the task.

I offer my heartfelt condolences to his family.

May his soul rest in peace!

ARVIND J. GANDHI SAYS HELLO

Friends,

At last all can catch up wherein all Glaxo-ites can meet & be in touch with all, will be sharing this blog with all the known ones.

Hello Aman, nice to see your mail, after many years.

Arvind J. Gandhi

arvindjgandhi@gmail.com
RBM-GSK
Mumbai.

D. RAMA MOHAN RAO REMINISCES

Here is a collage from DRM's album

DRM addressing a farewell meeting for a Depot Executive who was transferred during 1983-84.

DRM seen with M.P.P. Rao at the time of a STAR the function in Sringar

Don't memories haze over time?

DRM with K. Prabhakar at the time of a STAR function in 1979 at Mahabalipuram.

Wasn't it the best? A section of Glaxo-Pharma A.P. team

Doesn't it look like a page from Inspira? A detailing practice session in progress.

The Hyderabad City team in 1979-80.

The big moment! 

DRM recieving his STAR Award from Sir Austin Bide in 1979.

N. M. Reddy, A.S.E. is seen in the middle.

A GLAXO PHARMA CONFERENCE (MADRAS - DECEMBER 1967)

This file photo of a Glaxo Pharma - Madras Conference known in those days as the 'Interview Plan Meeting' held in December 1967, was contributed by K.Gopal (first from right in the first row). Gopal was a Medical Representative then. He became A.S.E., R.S.M., and Branch Manager in Madras Branch and finally retired as General Manager, Training & Development in 2001. 

In the photo are seen Dr. R. K. and John Reece (back to the camera at the 'head-table'.) Who is the other one addressing the group? A few, alas, are missing from our midst. We shall be thankful - and be happy to publish - if anyone can identify all the names.

Here is another view:

Click on the photos to see them in full-screen magnification.

Photos contributed by K. Gopal

FESTIVE SEASON-1974

The Indian calendar is dotted with festivities throughout the year but is dense between September and October beginning with the nine-day Vinayaka Chaturdhi followed by the ten-day Dusserah-Pooja and then the Diwali.

For the group of 35 mainly from what was known as the MSA (Madras Selling Area) and a few from other branches, September - October 1974 was indeed a festive season, for it marked their induction into the Glaxo-Indian community. In September a prayer to the elephant-headed god was in order to seek His blessings for a successful career. If one remembers well, the training stretched through the Dusserah festivities with a promise of Vijay on the Dasami! Diwali was ‘back home’ with the heart lighted by a new joy adding a new lilt to the tune and a new spring to the step! Earlier on, after a gruelling selection process in July they had an agonising wait through August as the induction training programme was to start on September 2.

If the five-and-a-half-foot cots in Sodality House (Bycullah) where the company accommodated them were too short for a couple of tall guys or the ‘princely’ stipend of Rs 350/- and daily allowance of Rs 5/- was measly, it did not matter, for what was to come was a ‘dream come true’, which expression might sound like a cliché but like many clichés, quite true! Yes indeed, as the five-letter logo on the visiting card spelt open sesame in the ‘field’ and not just for doors that were generally closed.

A colleague remembers with great delight that in one of his first visits to a small town a doctor clutched his hand with both his hands to his heart and intoned, “I am so happy a Glaxo medical rep has come to my clinic!” Sounds apocryphal – but quite true! And the five-letter logo was also the bearer’s pride and neighbour’s envy!

GLAXO PHARMA OCTOBER 1974

It was also a time to be in Glaxo where the lingua franca was still English English, to which this writer is partial! Madras Branch had its share of men erudite in this genre led by the scholarly and witty D. R. Nathan; the ‘emphatic’ V. Seetharaman, the soft spoken S. Ramachandran (SRC) and in the lower ranks C. P. Appa Rao whose memos were peppered with Johnsonese - to be more savoured by the few than understood by many!

The trainees did not know it then but Glaxo diaspora was to rule the industry for the next two decades. Tarun Gupta’s Glaxo was the training ground for pharma marketing managers, the equivalent of IIMs of later years! TG’s ateliers and marketing experiments could well find their way into the ‘case studies’ of these premier institutions, but were certainly replicated by many other companies.

TG had in place a team that was the toast of the industry: the erudite K. S. Ramanathan (KSR), whom C. Jagadisan a senior member of the product management team nicknamed ‘the Englishman from Trichy’; the redoubtable Dr. Meswani who could find a killing slot for the doddering Betnelan in Asthma and a number of Bhabhas and Bhatias.

The company had an equally powerful implementation arm in its sales teams. How else did the company climb back to the number 2 slot in the industry rankings in just nine years armed with such ‘pricey’ products as Complex B Glaxo Liquid and Ostocalcium B12 Syrup the unit costs of which never exceeded Rs 5/- and the Beta group as mainstay, the prices of which were actually pushed down by the government not once but twice within the period?

Boy, wasn’t the training programme a lark? It was to last four weeks but was extended by a week when Marketing Manager Irani espied this gem in an answer sheet in the daily test: Betneton contains Betamethasone and Chloramphenicol. (“I can not send you into the market with this kind of knowledge!”) The railways extended it by another week as they could not accommodate the large Madras contingent in the Bombay - Madras mail just yet.

A typical day would commence with a sumptuous subsidized breakfast (priced @ Re 1/-) in the staff canteen and end with dinner in the South Indian restaurant across Bycullah Bridge. A colleague conversant with Hindi commented on the travails of South Indians unfamiliar with the nuances of the language: ‘yeh baaji lao, vo baaji lao’ and helpfully adding, ‘billu mat lao’! Then there was the hilarious moment when a couple of pure vegetarians realised to their horror, with a mouthful, that the fare they were served for lunch on the ‘Biryani day’ was non-vegetarian!

The training did have its highs and lows. It began with an announcement by TG that made many daydream in the day and sleepless in the night, on the first day: “Gentlemen, by the time you go back to the field, you would be drawing a four-figure salary!” A week into the training one member was missing and the newspapers the next day announced the names of a gang that was arrested for smuggling, which unfortunately included him. Those were the days when the government was showcasing COFEPOSA and movie theatres screened a Films Division documentary which commented, ‘the higher the status in the smuggling world the greater the ostentation and vulgarity of greed!’ The ‘emergency’ that the government declared to ‘discipline an errant nation and run trains on time’ was only months in the offing.

A faculty and the interface between the trainees and other faculty was Mr. Choksey, who though lovable had a favourite fellow Gujarati in the batch: ‘Mr. Vyas will throw the latest light on the subject’ as the said Vyas graduated with microbiology as one of the subjects! The faculty composed of an amorphous group: the plain (it would be impolite to use the word ‘simpleton’) Mr. Mallick who every time there was a query rushed to a tome he kept on the table (Let’s see what this fellow says!); the debonair Dr. Kochar (reporting some of his ‘asides’, though delectable then would be politically incorrect today!) the irascible Dr. Kuverjee and of course Dr. Meswani apart from Marketing Managers, KSR, Irani and Venkatesh.

And finally the ‘return to Branch’ had had its share of adventure. The engine of the train to Madras broke down at Guntakal and the guard ‘assured’ everyone that the train would not move till next morning. Two members of the AP team walked into the nearby town, which is about two to three miles from the railway station to visit the movies. As luck would have it they picked up a rather long movie lasting about three hours and after enjoying it slowly walked back to the station.

They were still a mile away when they saw a train chugging out of the station and realised to their horror that it was ‘their’ train. They began running after it on the tracks, at the same time shouting for it to stop. After they ran about two miles they could attract the attention of the guard who peeked out to see two people running behind the train and pulled the brake. Panting and grunting the duo lunged into the guard’s compartment and narrated their tale. The kind guard offered them water which they accepted gratefully and in the next stop moved to their compartment.