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‘I am a common man with a common man’s likings’

For most of us Amul is the taste of India. It is among the few brands that have inspired affection and pride and continue to do so generation by generation. Given its witty and topical ads anticipated with bated breath, not to mention its stellar reputation Amul truly is the pride of the nation. Small wonder that Rupinder Singh Sodhi (RSS), MD, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), has been associated with the organization for the last 30 years. A first batch IRMAn (PRM 1), Sodhi has grown with his organization just like an overwhelming majority has grown with the brand it markets and products related to it. Leading Amul to greater heights he has never forgotten the humble values he imbibed at AMUL and IRMA, his alma mater.
Aniket Mitra (AM), Alumni Secretary (PRM 32) conducted a freewheeling interview with the Managing Director of GCMMF during which he spoke about his life, IRMA and AMUL.

1. AM: What was your life like before you joined IRMA? Could you kindly throw some light on your childhood, educational background and so on? Also, what made you join IRMA? And above all, the question that always stares every IRMAn in the face: “Why IRMA”?

RSS: I was born and brought up in a village called Ratta Kheda near Ferozepur in Punjab. I started going to school in that village. During the 1965 Indo-Pak war my family was forced to shift to Delhi. I underwent education, from grade IV to grade XI, at a government school where the medium of instruction was Hindi. Growing up in the city the link with my village stayed intact as I would visit the place during summer vacations and involve myself with various farming activities including wheat harvesting and paddy transplanting. That is how I developed an inclination towards this sector. I looked forward to the opportunity of studying and understanding the problems of rural India under the guidance of stalwarts in the sector. After my schooling I studied B.E (Agriculture) at Udaipur University. Around the conclusion of the programme I was faced with numerous options including working as a junior engineer, pursuing further education at IIT Kharagpur or, possibly, chase my childhood dream of joining the Indian Army. It so happened that I spotted a newspaper advertisement on IRMA and I knew right away that this is where I wanted to be. The institute was new yet both Dr. Kurien and NDDB were well-established names by then. I began looking forward to the opportunity of studying and understanding the problems of rural India under the guidance of stalwarts in the sector.

2. AM: Tell us about your sojourn at IRMA. Is there some incident that you might like to highlight or reflect upon? What was your experience with fieldwork and MTS like? Did you undergo any transformation that you might want to credit to IRMA?

RSS: I joined IRMA’s maiden batch of 42 students; we were provided a monthly stipend of Rs 800. As the current campus was non-existent at the time the participants were lodged at the farmers’ hostel in NDDB with four to a room. We had to walk a long distance everyday to attend the classes held at NDDB’s Diagnostic Lab. Initially I found it difficult to keep up with the academic pressure because it was so exacting and I was also dealing with a totally different course mixture, quite different from my undergraduate program. However, with persistence and hard work, I gradually got used to the curriculum. The entire experience was very novel. Fortunately, my room had a total of three students one of whom happened to be a local. Despite staying away from home I frequently got to taste home-cooked food. Ours was a one-year course with four months’ fieldwork including internship. This was later extended to a full two-year course. It was an enlightening period as far as I was concerned. Not only did I get the opportunity to stay on the NDDB campus and experience the white revolution first hand, I also got several opportunities to interact with the people there and enrich my learning experience.

3. AM: Please tell us about your professional life post IRMA. Could you elaborate on the various stints at GCMMF and what you learnt from them?

RSS: Post IRMA, in 1982, I joined GCMMF with five other batch mates. Initially I was given the responsibility of setting up a GCMMF office in Jaipur where Voltas had been distributing Amul products in Rajasthan. With no base present I had to start from ground zero appointing distributors, locating an office building and a warehouse. I was required to conduct staff recruitment and training among other things. It was a very challenging task which, nonetheless, allowed me to experience salesmanship first hand. Once the Jaipur office started functioning smoothly I was posted to Ahmedabad as the Depot-in-Charge. Amul liquid milk was launched in that city in 1986. What we see today as a well-established network of liquid milk supplies was built way back in 1986 when the retailers were not used to handling fresh pouched milk. To build the complete chain was a difficult yet fulfilling task. I was also involved in the launch of Dhara in that city. In 1991 I was promoted as Zonal-in-Charge. Some two years later I was exposed to work that was entirely different from what I had undergone so far. This was at the head office of the Federation where I was given the responsibility of Group Product Manager. I managed my onerous task well here due to my previous field experience. I have been working here since then.

4. AM: Could you tell us about GCMMF? How it started, reasons for starting, the difficulties faced, the journey of success, its key achievements and, above all, how it has been impacting the lives of millions of stakeholders, especially those of farmers?
RSS: The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd, Anand (Amul) is the apex organization of the Dairy Cooperatives of Gujarat. It is the largest food products’ marketing organization of India and a $ 2.4 billion entity today. Our turnover in 2012- 13 is likely stand at around Rs. 14000 crore and we aim to reach an annual turnover of Rs. 30000 crore by 2018. The organization struck its root way back in 1973 when six dairy cooperatives in Gujarat had been producing and selling their own dairy brands. Effectively, they were competing against one another in the state. That is when Dr. Verghese Kurien suggested all six district unions gather and market their products together under a common brand name ‘Amul’. This marked the beginning of GCMMF. Since Amul is an organisation working for farmers and owned by them we have had to face a lot of constraints, expectations, and responsibilities in the context of deliverability. We have always tried to give the maximum possible returns to our farmers, which is as high as 80% of our revenue. This is imperative as the farmers should feel incentivized to remain in the sector. We also provide our farmers with input services like veterinary health services, good quality cattle feed at reasonable rates among other things. A majority of our farmers are landless and are working on a small scale. With good returns in their kitty they have been able to open their own dairy farms and operate on a larger scale. Time and again we have adopted innovative strategies that help us maximize our output. For example, we have always relied on umbrella branding; this has helped us to connect with consumers and ensured lower advertising expenditure.

5. AM: What is the reason for GCMMF’S amazing growth and success? Please share with us the management philosophy of GCMMF and its execution. Also, share with us your vision for GCMMF and how you plan to fulfil it.
RSS: There are three major reasons for GCMMF’s growth and success. First, we provide our consumers with the world’s best quality products prepared from the latest technology. Second, we are able to maintain supremacy in the market because our consumers get value for money thanks to products with high quality at reasonable prices. Third, and most important, we ensure the highest remuneration possible for our milk producing farmers. This keeps them motivated to stay in the sector and supply milk to us.
The Federation is and will always remain very close to my heart. I want to see it grow further reaching out to all corners of the country. I wish to see it play a major role in ensuring that every person, not just in Gujarat but across India, receives daily milk nutrition. I also want to see it continuing its good work by motivating the farmers to grow further.

6. AM: In 2011, Amul was awarded the “Most Trusted Brand” in the Food and Beverages sector in the brand trust report published by the Trust Research Advisory rediff.com. GCMMF also won the ET Corporate Citizen Award for the year 2010-11. What other accomplishments has GCMMF achieved?
RSS: Amul was conferred with this honour because of the people’s love and trust it has gained over the last 66 years. We have never tried to exploit or manipulate our customers. There have been cases of major brands reducing the weight of their products while maintaining the price without the consumers realizing the difference. We have never indulged in such practices. Even during situations warranting milk shortage we never increased the prices. It is because of our sincerity towards consumers in providing them with the best and genuine products that Amul remains synonymous with purity right up to this day. Where most FMCG companies utilize about 10-12 percent of their revenue on advertising we use less than one percent. And yet we have managed to reach out to consumers, gain their appreciation, and stand out as a formidable brand in the face of competition. It is because we do not rely solely upon advertising. The brand has been built over time thanks to high quality products, and most importantly, ensuring availability.

7. AM: You joined GCMMF at the inception of your career and rose to the position of MD. It must give you immense satisfaction and pleasure that your efforts have made GCMMF a 12,000 crore company, which is helping change the lives of farmers?
RSS: To tell you very frankly, when I joined GCMMF, I had to sign a three-year bond. My initial plan was to leave the job once I completed those three years and move on. However, working in the field gave me a new motivation. It was demanding all right but at the end of the day I felt a sense of satisfaction. I never felt like leaving the organisation thereafter. Amul has always been a truly national brand and it is overwhelming to see it perform so well in the market. The brand starts from the people and ends with them. The success of Amul may be attributed to its owners, 32 lakh farmers, who keep it going day in and day out. The foundation of its success has been laid down by visionaries like Tribhuvandas Patel and Dr. Verghese Kurien. When the responsibility was handed over to me I had to take the momentum forward and I am glad I could deliver as per people’s expectations.

8. AM: What transformations have GCMMF brought about in you as a person and as a manager?
RSS: GCMMF gave me my first job and my first role of responsibility. Right from the beginning I was tasked with important assignments, which I tried to accomplish with complete enthusiasm and earnestness. My work made me a more responsible person.
Sales and marketing involves the coordination of multiple entities. The work style and the timeliness of each accomplished task vary from person to person. Working with different entities has made me more patient.
I had the good fortune of working closely with the legendary Dr. Verghese Kurien for 30 years. My close interactions with him helped me to become a more accomplished professional.
My role in the Federation has been eclectic- a mixture of different roles. Handling a variety of tasks gave me a versatile flair that I cherish today. Looking back at my 31 years with the Federation I get a feeling of satisfaction for the multitude of opportunities and their positive impact on me.

9. AM: According to you, in what way is IRMA as a business school different from other top business schools and what are the advantages that an IRMAn enjoys but which students at other places miss out on?
RSS: IRMA provides its participants hands’ on exposure to the villages of India and relevant organizations. Thanks to its extensive fieldwork and internship segments participants get multiple opportunities to work in villages with the residents. This gives an edge to IRMAns over their counterparts since they are not only closer to reality but more grounded. The IRMA programme enables its participants to work at all levels of an organization having realized, first hand, the actual concerns of people.

10. AM: Many IRMAns are doing some great work impacting millions of lives. But these success stories hardly reach wider media circles. As a matter of fact, IRMAnS are passionate about their work and do not chase publicity like many of their counterparts. Do you think IRMA should be more visible and tell the world about the excellent work being carried out by IRMAns across various sectors?
RSS: I do believe that the work done by IRMAns the world over should get more visibility. The same could be achieved by starting an exclusive blog for IRMAns or devising a portal through which IRMAns can interact with people at large. Extra visibility is likely to encourage the alumni and inspire many other like-minded people.

11. AM: The batch PRM 32 is on the threshold of transition from life before IRMA to life after it. What message would you like to give to these aspiring rural managers?
RSS: Patience and passion are two integral virtues that can take you places. The younger generation today is very impatient and looks for a speedy career growth. It must realize, however, that professional life is very long and the focus should always be on a long-term goal. This might involve facing setbacks and failures in the short run but persistence takes you through. I have, personally, always followed the sermon prescribed by the Bhagvad Gita – “Perform your duty with generosity and forget what the outcome will be of that particular duty”. I strongly advocate this dictum to the younger generation.
Rural Management offers a plethora of opportunities. For the brave hearts taking the road less travelled the future is promising and bright.

12. AM: When not in the role of MD-GCMMF, what does Mr. Sodhi like to do the most?
RSS: I am a common man with a common man’s likings. I love to travel and explore new places. Once I am relieved of my professional responsibilities I plan to travel the entire country – in fact the world- in my car! I also enjoy watching movies. I am a big foodie and relish different kinds of cuisine around the city and everywhere I go. Every day after work I spend time with my Labrador and take him out for a walk. It gives me a sense of peace and happiness.

By: Aniket Mitra e-mail: p32003@irma.ac.in