Know Your Member: CS Arvind Rajeevsarathy

 1.       Tell us how you started doing ACS and about your student days.

I schooled in Vidya Mandir, Mylapore and chose to do B.Com. - Corporate Secretaryship at Vivekananda College (Evening). I enjoyed my student days and did reasonably well in studies. While pursuing B.Com, I decided to take CS exams because corporate laws interested me a lot! And the journey continues.

 2.       Which was your first employment? What are the companies you have worked with?

 My first regular employment was with VKC Forex Group - a leading Chennai based Forex Major (now defunct). I shifted to Dr. Agarwal's in 2013 for a six year stint there. It was a challenging and rewarding experience and I was fortunate to get tremendous exposure in Corporate Laws -SEBI regulations, FEMA , Investor Relations and VC funding and, of course, Companies Act.

 3.      How did your passion towards quizzing start?

 I was interested in Quizzing from my school days and it blossomed to an all-consuming passion later. Today I seek quizzing as an integral part of my life. X Quiz It has taken it upon itself to mentor students who have an aptitude for quizzing to participate and excel in inter-school and other major quizzes- both national and regional levels. We have enjoyed considerable success in this venture.

 4.       What are the different things you are doing in quizzing?

 In 2011, three avid quizzers including myself formed “X Quiz It” - a quizzing, infotainment and knowledge services firm. We decided to disseminate the quizzing enthusiasm across all age groups and catering to varied interests. We continue to come up with tailor-made infotainment workshops which captivate the target audience and stoke their appetite for more.

 5.       Guess in quizzing you are more interested in Cricket and have participated with famous cricketers too in events…

 I have always been passionate about cricket, but cricket is one face of X Quiz It's eventful journey. We don't believe in straitjacketing ourselves in a particular sphere. An opportunity came our way to do a programme on behalf of TNPL. We grabbed it enthusiastically. 

 6.       How have your employers looked at your passion?

 I have been fortunate to work under understanding employers who allowed me to ply my skills. However, such gestures are forthcoming only if we perform our job to their satisfaction. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement. 

 7.       What are the major events in which you have participated?

 We have conducted quizzes and workshops with IIM, IIT, IISC, ICAI, IFMR, SRM Group, MOP Vaishnav College for Women, etc .We were content providers for KBC Tamil (NVOK) for a couple of seasons. We have conducted close to 250 programmes and going strong.

 8.       Tell us about our family. How supportive are they?

 I have been blessed with a supporting family. They take great interest in my passion and stand by me at all times. My father is CMA, now retired. My Mother is a homemaker and an avid quiz enthusiast. My wife is a qualified CS and has supported me in structuring and editing the contents. My elder brother Dr. Kashyap is a highly qualified mathematician and has been very supportive and proud of my achievements.

 9.       What do you want to tell those who want to have a career as well as a passion?

 It requires great skill to strike a balance between career and passion. There are a lot of variables such as commitment, contacts, support systems and understanding employers. Sacrifices have to be made at critical junctures. Eventually the passion becomes a full-time career just as it has happened in my case.

 Interview by: CS Mohankumar, Past Chairman ICSI SIRC

Know your Member –CS CMA Prabhakar

Please tell us about your student days – in CS and CMA.

 

I did my CMA alongside my graduation and completed both B.com and CMA in June 93 and subsequently I did my CS.

 

You worked in Corporate for long and then took up practice.. How was your experience in employed with corporate?

 

I Joined Corporate in June 1993 and worked till May 2008. I worked with SPIC, BEML, Hatsun Agro and Thiru Arooran Sugars in that order . I worked in the areas of Cost Audit, Internal audit, Payables, MIS, Taxation, Oracle implementation and secretarial compliances. I enjoyed my stint in every company.

 

 What made you to take up practice ?

 

I was associated with some social activity from the year 1990. So I thought that being in practice will give me the flexibility in my work hours and schedule so that I manage my work and social activities.

 We find that you are not doing traditional CS or CMA practice, but engaged in lot of other professional areas. Can you please share about the areas of your practice now

I had always felt that SKY is the limit for any  person who holds any one of the  professional qualifications – namely CA / CMA / CS.  More than the label, it is the attitude, native intelligence and patience which are more important.

My areas of practice are GST, Taxation, PF, ESI, Trade Mark, Cost Audit, Start up Registration, MSME  , DGFT  and secretarial compliances.

 

You might have seen the ups and downs of Enterpreneurs. How has your relationship with them in these times? Any specific change in approach particularly when the business is not doing well?

My relationship with my clients are always Cordial. Entrepreneurs to my knowledge and experience are hard working and passionate. They require assistance in meaningful data management in the context of statutory compliances. 

As a policy,  when the company is not making profit , I only take re-imbursement of  expenses if any and I do not charge professional fees. This is not a recommendation or a suggestion , but this is my way of looking at things . There are instances where my clients have thoughtfully paid my professional fees when they turned black ,which I had not charged when they were in red

We understand that you are managing a charitable organization as well. Can you elaborate on that organization and what you are focusing to do from it?

 

My spectrum of  activities include marshalling resources for a  blind charitable organization, assisting people with low income on a need basis  , helping people who are incapacitated and who don’t have any one to support them and any other kind of help to any one as the situation requires. During this COVID period, I managed to supply food and medicines to a few needy peo

How do you see the CS profession in the years to come?

 

CS as a profession has evolved to a great extent  and I see that this profession in the years to come will elevate the role of CS as a compliance enabler and as a professional who enhances  the  importance and awareness of Corporate governance among the Corporate Fraternity.

 

What are the values the young professionals must have – your thoughts on this please.

For any professional irrespective of age, I think Humility , contentment and being straight laced is very important.

 

Interview by CS Mohankumar, Past Chairman ICSI SIRC

EXAM TIPS FOR CS STUDENTS – CS SNEHA MOHANKUMAR

Hello Friends, This is CS Sneha Mohankumar. Passed both groups of Executive in 1st attempt. Wrote Professional programs - one at a time and passed all of them at first attempt. 

I made few mistakes and learnt certain lessons the hard way- so wanted to share my learnings here. 

 

EXAM TIPS FOR CS STUDENTS – CS SNEHA MOHANKUMAR

·                  Be early to the exam center. Do not rush. Your mind has to be calm enough to think and understand what the question is actually about and to recollect what you have read. With COVID protocols in place there is bound to be checking the temperature, sanitizing etc, so kindly be present before an hour.

 

·         Those who have paid fees for exams, kindly write the exams without fail. Last session itself less number of people appeared and lot of people passed. We need fresh CS members as Corporates need them and my assumption is that Institute also need to send fresh members to a certain extent every year. Also just 2 more attempts in old syllabus & this will also help for a certain liberal valuation. Kindly do not miss this opportunity!

 

·         Finish all your packing (Stationaries, Admit card print out & attestation, checking the route for exam center) in the previous night itself. Do not postpone to last minute.

 

·         Read the question properly. Make sure you understand what is actually asked. Sometimes the questions are tricky & we may misunderstand and rush to write incorrect answer.

 

·         Time management is the key. The question paper pattern consists of six questions- plan to finish each question in 30 mins. If each question has 5 sub parts, plan to finish each sub part in 5 mins. You have to go through the past exam question paper to know the pattern and fix in your mind beforehand about your time management. Keep checking your time then and there. If you miss your time target, try to catch up in the next question itself. Do not accumulate your delay. You will end up not writing an entire question if time is not managed well. Also have the last 10 minutes as spare (free time). This is to check what you have written, to ensure you did not leave out any question. Sometimes you would have misunderstood the question and might have written something completely different. This last 10 minutes will help you to rectify your errors.

 

·         Attend everything. Some students tend to write only for 80 marks so that they could get 60 marks. Remember here that the person getting the first mark in the subject itself gets around 75 marks only, which shows that the one who wrote almost everything well gets 75 marks. So we must attempt everything.

 

·         There are always few very tough questions even for the rank holders, at times in compulsory questions. So, no one will know the answer for each and every question. What the examiner expects is your view and your understanding on the subject matter. So attend it even if you do not know the exact answer.

 

·         Trust yourself. Have confidence. You know the answer. You have been with this subject for the past 2-3 months or even more. You know the basic idea and intention of the subject.

 

·         Give equal weightage for each question. Some students write for pages to the questions they are confident and leave out the questions they are not sure of. Do not do this mistake. If the question’s mark is 5 mark- even if you write for 10 pages, the examiner could give maximum 3.5-4 marks only. Whereas, if you write your perspective or something connected to the questions you are not sure of, there is a chance that your perspective is right or atleast you will end up getting 0.5-1 mark for that question.

 

·         Whether the question paper is tough or easy should not affect you. If the question paper is tough, it will be tough for every student-not just you. If it is easy, it will be easy for every student- so do not be lethargic. The valuations might be strict if the question paper is easy.

 

·         Write for the entire 3 hours. Do not leave the exam hall in 2 or 2.5 hours. You have spent several months to read the subject. Utilize the full 3 hours of your time writing what you have studied.

 

·         Write what you know clearly first. It will boost your confidence. What you have written in the beginning will give the exact opinion about you to the examiner. If good opinion is formed, it will reflect for the rest of your answer paper. You can shuffle between questions. But do not shuffle between sub parts. Ie: If you know Question No’s 2 and 4 well, write them with all its sub parts. Never write Ques 2 (i), Followed by Question 3 (i). etc

 

·         Where there are choices, you may attempt a question which has more parts, if you know all answers. Ie: If one question has 3 parts and its alternate question has 4 parts, if you know the later one, better to select it, as marks will be given for 4 questions and you may gather more marks, provided you have sufficient time.

 

·         I have always written the exams to the point and precise and have not concentrated on the number of pages written. For 5 mark question I have always written 1 page- not more.

 

·         Even if you do not write 1 exam well (which has happened to me many times) never waste time in thinking about it or going through the Materials of the exams you already wrote. Instead, it should act as a stimulant to write next exam well and compensate. If you get 40 marks in the exam you did not do well, you can catch up in the next exams, for which you should not lose heart and write the remaining exams well

 

·         CS Executive - Writing MCQ paper- If you know the answer for only 50 questions, do not take risk. Write what you know. But if you are sure about 60-70 questions, you may try the other 30 questions ( atleast attend 90 questions). If one question is right, you will get one mark; whereas if 4 questions are wrong, you will lose 1 mark.

 

·         Writing CS exam is like a mind game. You should know to control your mind and keep it calm for 3 hours. Do not panic if you do not know answer for few questions and do not leave hope at any stage. Give your best! Your self-satisfaction that you have given your best is important. That will take you towards success.

All the best folks!!

CS Family- Interview with CS Sai Aditya and Cs Shobana

1. Kindly share your journey as a CS Student – where you studied and how long it took to complete the course

 CS Sai Aditya         

 Inspired from my cousin, Late Shri CS R Sudheendra Kumar, I have registered to the foundation course in 2004. I was one of the very few who were pursuing CS course in my native place ‘Nellore, Andhra Pradesh’. I still remember that some of my friends thought that I was studying Computer Science (CS). When I came for registration to Chennai, I really had no clue and I did not know Tamil language and I was very low on my English language. I really loved visiting to institute often and even used to do one day trip from Nellore to Chennai just to drop CC papers in the box kept at SIRC library. I had the opportunity to complete my training under Shri CS T Balasubramanian, who is one of the coolest personalities I have ever seen. Finally, I have completed CS final in the year 2007.

 CS Shobana

 I registered for CS in the Year 2011 immediately after completion of my graduation and completed the CS course in the Year 2015. Initially I had a doubt whether I am capable of doing CS or not because of language barrier. So I have appeared for only ‘One group’ in my first attempt. I have cleared that group in my first attempt. The success of examination raised confidence level in me. Taxation and Financial management were the toughest subjects for me which I cleared in my second attempt with the help of Shri CMA Bhaskar Swaminathan and Shri CA Mr. Rajasekaran R. I have to give special thanks to Shri CS Ms. Vasumathy V, my trainer, for guiding me from the day 1 to till now.

2. Where did you meet your spouse?

 CS Sai Aditya

 She is my relative and I met her in one of our relative family functions.

 CS Shobana

 He is my relative and I don’t remember our first meet as we know each other from our childhood. He was the one who pushed me to complete the CS Course. He was always there with me right from the registration to CS course.

 3. Kindly share about your family; is there any one in your family who has done CS or similar professional courses?

 CS Sai Aditya         

 My cousin Late Shri CS R Sudheendra Kumar, who also held qualifications from CMA and CIMA.

 My elder brother, Shri CS P Vijaya Saradhi.

 CS Shobana

 My elder sister Shri CA R Sreevidhya, all India Rank holder in CA Inter & Final. She is my first teacher and the one who is real inspiration for me to join CS.

 4. What are the positives and challenges in husband and wife being in the same profession?

 CS Sai Aditya & CS Shobana

 We really don’t discuss much on the professional matters at home. Whenever we have doubt, we seek each other’s help.

 Positive          : We understand each other’s work pressure easily and accordingly adjust.

 Challenges   : It’s tough to lie to each other about work.

 5. One of you is employed and the other is practicing; Is that a planned move. Tell us about your journey in corporate

 CS Sai Aditya         

 I have never thought of practicing ever since I joined this course. I always wanted to be in employment. I joined as an Assistant Company Secretary in 2008 and moved to a listed company as Company Secretary very next year. After that, I moved to Technology (IT) Sector Company to pursue my finance career along with Company Secretary Role. Thereafter, I haven’t turned back and I have got experience in various interesting areas throughout my last 13 years like Income Tax assessments, Transfer Pricing compliances, GST, Customs, SEZ/STPI, Financial Accounting etc.

 CS Shobana

 I never thought of doing practice as I always wanted to go for an employment. I was not able to continue my employment due to my maternity. Hence, I started up my own practice and slowly settling down.

 6. If there is an option for both of you to work in the same office – either in employment or in practice, would you take it?

  CS Sai Aditya

       200% I will be on the other side only. I can’t compete with her and I surrender.

 CS Shobana

 Big ‘No’.

 7. How do you think that the profession will grow in the coming years?

 CS Sai Aditya         

 We need to expand our horizons and guide our future generation to be subject matter expert not only in Companies Act but also in Income Tax, GST, Customs laws, HR laws and other corporate laws. Corporates should recruit qualified CS by considering subject matter expertise in various corporate laws but not for the sake of compliance to Companies Act.

 CS Shobana

 I echo the above and always wanted people to recognise that Company Secretaries can not only expertise in Secretarial compliances but also capable of becoming expert in other areas.

 

Interview by: CS Mohan Kumar, Past Chairman ICSI SIRC