I can’t believe CK is no more. He was always such an imposing presence that he seemed invincible and larger than life. To hear that an unknown virus snatched him prematurely away from us seems like another of life’s cruel jokes. I am sure CK’s best was yet to come. It also feels like déjà vu – six years ago we lost another Indian giant of management thought, Sumantra Ghoshal, at just 55.
CK was inspiringly brilliant. I met him first at the very first ISB Governing Board meeting in New York in 1997. In his signature passionate and provocative style, he relentlessly challenged the board comprising senior leaders from the most prominent corporations of India and the world—how were we going to be distinctive? In our excitement at creating something new we had clearly not thought things through. CK inspired us to innovate and think differently.
He was insightful—his thinking was elegantly simple. In a consulting assignment for a successful and major MNC, he told the top management that they had the best people but were not getting the best of out of them. I will never forget how he went on to convince them that getting high-achievers to work in teams was a perennial challenge. But, the best organisations got teams going by demanding from individuals a level of performance that they could not deliver on their own.
Innovation was at the core of what he believed in. When a company expressed concern at down-trading by customers, he challenged them to find ways of building scale at lower price points. This was the precursor to his idea of Fortune at the Base of the Pyramid. At the time, people thought CK had actually lost it when he proposed the company could make profits by selling water and financial services to the residents of Dharavi.
CK stood his ground and went to evangelise his idea to the world despite the scepticism. Today, microfinance, healthcare and other services to the poor are seen as profitable and scalable businesses.
CK had amazing energy and was a gentleman. Everyone wanted a piece of him and got it too! He would always be most helpful. He showed up at the Corporate Eco Forum in California every year because he made a commitment to his friend and founder M R Rangaswami. He showed up on our calls as advisors of the Albright Stonebridge Group to evangelise the future of Africa as the next business destination.
Most recently, he had started to talk about his vision for the India@75. Anyone who heard him talk came away inspired and changed. Of course, it was his ideas and brilliance that left everyone impressed. But more than anything, it was his commitment and passion for India. Check out his ideas at http://www.indiaat75.in/. Making his vision a reality will be our greatest tribute to CK, the patriot.
Pramath Raj Sinha is the founder and MD of 9.9 Media. He is also the Founding Dean of ISB and worked with C K Prahalad as a consultant with McKinsey & Company and as a co-advisor for the Albright Stonebridge Group
