If you are really challenged, and if you are willing to take the plunge, very often some of the path opens up in front of you.
Arundhati Bhattacharya
Had it not been for the groundswell of support by the people of India, we would not have seen such a huge exercise of demonetisation bounce off without a single riot or a single law and order issue.
We have been partners in nation-building and take our role in building the nation very proudly.
Multiple mergers can be challenging because people come from different backgrounds.
I believe that we will benefit more by globalisation.
PSU banks are sole lenders to capital-intensive firms.
If we want to be the banker to every Indian as we want to be, then we will have to use technology.
Some amount of support from government and regulator is required when you are looking at resolving systemic issues.
It is too expensive to have a bricks and mortar presence everywhere.
You can't merge six banks and think that nothing will happen.
ATM is still a cash channel; we want to migrate it to the digital channel.
Waiving debts corrupts the credit culture.
If you have six corporate centres, six treasuries, six of everything, and then if you bring it down to one of everything, obviously there are some savings.
In order to ensure long-term investment, it is important to make infrastructure as transparent and as bankable as possible - should be a win-win for all.
Even for the people in the bank into which the other banks are merging, they also have a lot of apprehension. There is always an apprehension that opportunities will go down. There are apprehensions of displacement. Many of these apprehensions are unfounded.
Brexit is actually a step back in the sense that you are going back from being connected to being on your own.
Until you get your reputation made, you have to work twice as hard... there is always a doubt in your superior's mind as to whether you will put family before your job.
Every industry, as it comes to a certain level of maturity, there is consolidation. In that consolidation, some fall, but the men will always be there. It is the boys that get sloughed, I would say.
Children should be taught in school that you should have all kinds of asset classes in your portfolio. They should be taught what those asset classes are, and their advantages and disadvantages.
India does not have a problem of people grabbing share from a fixed pie. India is one of the few nations where the pie is getting bigger.
The decision to incentivise savings for pension funds augurs well for infrastructure financing and retirement planning.
The move towards a unified agricultural market helps farmers get correct remuneration for their produce.
Banning cash transactions over R3 lakh will allow banks to diversify their banking activities into new areas and not mundane ones.
The capping of cash transactions will help the banks reduce cash intensity.
It is important to create credit absorption capacity rather than to just enhance lending targets.
The higher interest and higher inflation is a vicious cycle.
Frankly, I have a lot of interests, and I am not all that wedded only to banking.
I have never worried if my daughter has fallen sick, and I am somewhere else, because there is always somebody to take care of her.
Lending rate is a function of both liquidity as well as credit demand.
If you look at it ideologically, I would say Brexit is not something that probably is good for the world.
Private sector has no issue in coming into infrastructure sector. They know very well that infrastructure is one area that can give you very steady long-term returns.
I can't tell you precisely how much participation there will be from India in the One Belt, One Road, but what is clear is the understanding that it is important for us to develop neighbourhood trade.
There is potential for more Chinese investment in India's infrastructure, and there are already Chinese investors in India's power and telecoms sector as well as the banking and payments space.
At SBI, we say that if you need a project to be done, you need to be determined that it needs to be done, put a deadline, and it will get done.
I say what is required to be said.
Whatever I have said is in the interest of the system, and it has never been taken amiss.
It's good to be on the power list, but I don't see a practical use of it except when people introduce me to audiences.
Theoretically, every probationary officer has a chance to become chairman.
Your ability will get you the job, but you also need to have age on your side. So if you started your career at 21, you have an advantage over others in your batch who started at, say, 24.
I always focus on team building - both in office and at home.
At State Bank, all decisions are collective decisions. I have created the comfort zone.
We underestimate our people. Given a challenge, most of our people will do it, especially the youngsters who take to technology like duck to water.
Senior officials are always looking for good juniors, so when the opportunity comes, they give you the responsibilities.
It was my first day at work - and beginning my training on the job, I was given the job of writing cheques and entering their details. The branch was surrounded by hordes of people... soon, they had to close the gates to manage the crowds, and they started pushing in.
I am not going to opt for a short-term view for a 206-year-old institution like the SBI.
We are present in all areas, and our products are the best.
We keep saying, 'No more 'band aid' solutions.'
I am happy to be running a public sector bank. In times of stress, most people will always have an account with us, so, to the extent that it gives stability and faith for the people and because banking is a business of trust, it is a major advantage we have.
To tell you the truth, if you're looking at rising pretty high, then you need to find a way of taking care of these problems and not taking time off. At the end of the day, it is a very tough competition. And in a very tough competition, if you just take breaks, then it's going to become much, much more difficult.
If you go to any boardroom... the women are, by far, outnumbered by the men.
