Penguin Books India, the largest English language trade publisher in the sub-continent, hosted the launch of ‘Grids of Change – Managing Power Games and Power Lines’, a book by Dr. R. P. Singh at Cricket Club of India, Mumbai. The event was graced with the presence of prominent business leaders like Mr. Shekhar Bajaj, Chairman & Managing Director, Bajaj Electricals Ltd.; Mr. Vallabh Bhansali, Chairman, Enam Securities Ltd.; Mr. Arvind Singh, I.A.S., Managing Director, Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Co. Ltd. and Mr. M.N. Singh, I.P.S., Former Police Commissioner, Mumbai.
‘Grids of Change’ is a memoir of Dr. Singh’s journey in a public sector enterprise where he reveals the inside workings of India’s government-owned business sector. He unfolds the saga of PowerGrid, how a start-up with borrowed staff and facilities was built into a public-sector jewel and one of the leading power grid operators of the world. The book brims with Dr. Singh’s bold, principles-driven approach to leadership. It gives an insight into the complex issues faced by the executives who are managing change and building effective institutions.
Sharing his experience on ‘Grids of Change’ Mr. Shekhar Bajaj said, “A stirring saga of an upright public sector CEO’s gritty and forthright response, to often insurmountable odds, through courage, dedication, determination, integrity and leaderhship. A must-read for every present and aspiring CEO.”
On the occasion of this book launch, Dr. R.P. Singh expressed his views, “There are three major reasons behind writing this book, first I wanted to clear myths about Indian Public Sector that they are incapable of handling new technology. Second, I wanted to talk about the various aspects involved in managing public sector company and third I wanted to place my homespun and locally-contextualized management principles before a wider audience.”
This book is a must read for aspiring managers entering the corporate world who intend to achieve higher positions in both public and private sector enterprises. In this book, Dr. Singh talks about tolerance, trust, truthfulness mixed with the spice of courage and conviction in the vibrant democracy, India. While cultural values are deteriorating in the modern Indian society, Dr. Singh holds on to the traditional ‘joint family culture’ and emphasises how our age-old value system can help in addressing complex business scenarios.
About Dr Rajendra Prasad Singh
Dr Rajendra Prasad Singh is a Post Graduate in Mechanical Engineering from BHU. In a career spanning more than 37 years, he has served TISCO, NTPC and POWERGRID. Dr Singh has more than three decades of experience in project formulation, engineering, tendering, awards, execution and O&M. He has ‘hands on’ experience in dealing with multilateral funding agencies viz The World Bank, ADB etc., thus fully conversant with public procurement policies & procedures. He is presently Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Jindal Power. Short term consultant to the World Bank and Chairman of the board of NIT, Patna, Bihar.
About the book Grids of Change
Being the head honcho of a public sector enterprise is one of the most exacting or testing positions in the corporate world. As the Chairman of PowerGrid, one of India’s leading utility companies, R.P. Singh was on the inside track of Indian business, government and policy for 12 long years spent not just reshaping power networking in India but also raising the benchmark in corporate governance. In this book, Dr. R. P. Singh has used his candid approach to highlight challenges in the management of the Indian public sector: the tug with the political bosses, the resolution of conflicts within the organization and the achievement of consistent performance. This is a fascinating business book: part memoir, part management manual, part survival guide for the Indian system.