It certainly was an ‘aahaa’ moment for the Madras Management Association – the dedication of the MMA Management Centre at the heart of the city.
it’s a dream project of 24,000 sq.ft. Built over seven grounds with spacious lecture halls for large, medium and small meetings and a library at a cost of around Rs 30 crore. Gp Capt R Vijayakumar, Executive Director and MMA’s recent Presidents worked in unison in pursuing this project with passion.
MMA’s healthy state of finances has enabled a continuous expansion of programmes offered and also in improving the infrastructure. In recent months there has been an explosive growth in membership of both institutions and individuals numbering around 10,000. There is active participation of the newgen entrepreneurs and professionals. Unlike the cautious older generation, the newgen seems to be more willing to open its purse strings. The liberal list of donors is testimony to this.
Over 600 programmes a year!
One is impressed by the spate of programmes offered by MMA, an average of around a dozen every week. The subjects covered are impressive with a good sprinkling of current and emerging issues of interest to young managers. The big expansion of activities across the state with eight chapters extending the expertise built over the years to tier II and tier III cities has been a welcome effort in spreading interest in management issues.
My association with MMA began in the 1970s. At the base of its sustained growth is efficient and effective management. It appears a master stroke in opting to get dedicated ex-Defence service officers at the head of the secretarial team. Successive executive directors have focused on systematic, well-planned and great growth. I remember the lead taken by MMA in instituting the Business Leadership Award and the Anantharamakrishnan Memorial Lecture at the initiative of M K Raju that took the association to great heights. There was liberal support by business leaders like A Sivasailam.
Lack of sense of history…
I cannot, however, help registering sadness at the lack of a sense of history on the part of the new younger scions of prosperous business families, who adorned the stage at the dedication function.
The Commander with Wings…
Just look at the evolution of MMA in parallel with
that of the economy. I remember the thrill when Wg Cdr V Ramadurai convinced the committee to acquire a modest flat of its own at Nungambakkam High Road in the 1980s. The modest staff of around six was trained to use computers and in effectively using information technology. Self-effacing Ramadurai, along with management experts like Raju, made the annual management conventions, spread over two days, memorable annual events. MMA presented several brilliant leaders across the nation from large multinationals, public sector companies, defence units, academics from IIMs. The address of Dr V S Arunachalam, Director, DRDO on public sector research is still ringing in my ears.
I remember the imaginative efforts and the dogged pursuit of Wg Cdr Ramadurai in the late 1980s in getting a generous grant from the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Germany. The original fund, designated in Deutsche Mark grew massively in rupees, thanks to the steep depreciation of the rupee. For three decades, the KAS fund helped MMA conduct close to 5000 training programmes with 3 lakh participants. Yet, there was no mention of Ramadurai!
His successor Col. S Lakshman helped move MMA to a more spacious premises at Nelson Manickam Road. The activities expanded further. Growth was more rapid during the period of Col R Hariharan. A much larger,more spacious and iconic building was acquired on the OMR. The building had an interesting history: originally bought by Enfield India, then acquired by Greaves Cotton which sold it to MMA. Vijayakumar did mention the emotional problem of parting with it and the reason: the much expanded activities demanded a more central location with easy access to mass transport.
No mention of the MMA stalwarts…
The new young team should have bothered to have gone through the history of MMA. I felt it should have referred to the phenomenal contributions made by past presidents like M K Raju and V Balaraman and, more importantly, to the succession of brilliant executive directors. It should have passed a note of condolence to Lakshman who passed away last year. I suggest Vijayakumar to organise an exclusive programme for the newgen leaders on the evolution of MMA nurtured by such stalwarts like Dr A L Mudaliar, S Anantharamakrishnan, K Easwaran, M K Raju and V Ramadurai. -SV
