Interview / Naina Lal Kidwai, former country head, HSBC India.
It is not uncommon to find corporate CEOs supporting a social cause. But, to have a for-mer bank chief enthusiastically talking about faeces and its proper disposal takes things to a new level. Naina Lal Kidwai’s concern for sanitation came out of disgust for the way things were happening in the sector. At a conference in Stockholm, she felt embarrassed when India was lambasted for its poor sanitation. “As an Indian in the audience, it was awful to hear that,” she says. Her latest book, Survive or Sink, presents a practical approach to sanitation, waste management and pollution. The 61-year-old says it has been a fairly easy transition from the corner office in the HSBC headquarters in Fort, Mumbai, to checking toilets and open drains in villages.
THE WEEK met her at her sprawling farmhouse in Chhatarpur, Delhi—an island of calm, away from the din and bustle of the capital. The scorching summer heat stays outside her drawing room, a simple yet elegantly done space with ample natural light. Excerpts from an interview:
How would you rate the government’s Swachh Bharat Mission on a scale of one to ten?
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 03, 2018-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 03, 2018-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
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William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
