Inaugural ceremony of new Offsite ATM Objectives NPA and Net NPA - The NPA may be Gross NPA or Net NPA. In simple words, Gross NPA is the amount which is outstanding in the books,

Advisory Board:Mr. Sivakumar G.Executive Vice President (Credit)Mr. Paul V.L.General Manager (Admin)Mr. John ThomasGeneral Manager (Business Development)

Members:Mr. Sibi P.M.Dy. General Manager (IRMD)Mr. Krishnadas P.B.Dy. General Manager (Credit)Mr. Roy Dominic P.Asst. General Manager (Personnel)Mr. Bino GeorgeManager P&D

Layout, Typeset & Printing:Lumiere Printing Works, Thrissur

Objectives:

To instil in the bank staff a sense of belonging and involvement in the bank’s affairsTo appreciate and applaud the individual achievements of our members of staffTo act as a communication medium between management and the staffTo increase the professional competence of our bank staff

Corporate Family Magazine of

South Indian Bank

INSIDE

Messages

Articles

Non Performing Assets & Recovery Procedures Romita ChakrabortyRecovery- A Slow but Steady Process Sandeep SinghStaying Afloat When The Wind Shifts: Digital Transformation Nidish SebastianMeet the CEO in YOU Badri AlapatiOde to a bicycle Narayanan V.CE.S.G aka Elder Siblings Group!!!!! Radhika R.B.Selfie with a difference Bino GeorgeThe Misadventures that make a master chef!!! Radhika R.B.

Regular Features

Publisher:Mr. Thomas Joseph K.,Executive Vice President (Admin)

Editor:Mr. Francy Jos E.Chief Manager & Faculty SIB STC

Inaugural ceremony of new Offsite ATM at Tayas Hypermarket, Thiruvananthapuram attached to Kumarapuram Branch, by Padmashree Madhu (CineActor) in the presence of Mr. Mohammed Noohu Nazeer (Managing Partner, Tayas Hypermarket), Mr. K. S. Satheeshkumar (Deputy General Managerand Regional Head, RO Thiruvananthapuram), Ms. Mercy Thanikkal (Senior Manager and Kumarapuram Branch Head) and other esteemed customers

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VISIONTo be the most preferred bank in the areas of customer service,

stakeholder value and corporate governance.

MissionTo provide a secure, agile, dynamic and conducive banking environment

to customers with commitment to values and unshaken confidence,deploying the best technology, standards, processes and procedures

where customer convenience is of significant importanceand to increase the stakeholders’ value.

Inaugural function of Training Programmes for the FY 2016-’17

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Kalamassery

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EVP(Credit) Mr Sivakumar S. with Film Star Surya. Also seen are JGM Mr. Shelly Joseph and AGM Mr. Mohan V.

Dr. Viswanathan, Director TKM Institute of Management receiving a copy of 5th combined volume of Students’ Economic Forum

MD & CEO Speaks ....

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The latest Financial Stability Report of RBIshows that the GNPA of All ScheduledCommercial Banks stood at 9.1% as ofSeptember 2016, with the total stressed assetsadding up to 12.30 %.

This is indeed a difficult phase for bankingsector in our country. The lead topic for thecurrent issue of Siblink is therefore very relevantand timely.

Stressed assets, as we know, depletesprof itability by de-recognition of interestincome on the one hand and by regulatoryprovisioning, on the other. Such assets putpressure on quality time and human resourcesof the Bank, which in the normal course wouldhave been spent on acquiring and managingnew profitable business.

Stressed assets are generated by inadequatecredit underwriting standards and also by widerproblems in the economy and operatingenvironment. We have little control over thelatter. But even in poor economic conditions,good underwriting standards and practices canhelp the Bank in avoiding high level stress.

In short, credit skills of our managers and creditdiscipline as a cultural norm of the Bank arethe bulwark against the onslaught of stress. Weas a team, from top to bottom, need to develophigh credit skills and ensure development andreinforcement of a culture of credit disciplinein our organization. Let us all work towards that.

I wish you all a glorious New Year!

V.G. MathewManaging Director & CEO.

Credit skills of our managers and credit discipline as acultural norm of the Bank are the bulwark against theonslaught of stress. We as a team, from top to bottom, needto develop high credit skills and ensure development andreinforcement of a culture of credit discipline in ourorganization

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INTRODUCTION:A Man without money is like a bird withoutwings”, the Romanian proverb implicates theimportance of money. A bank is an entity, whichdeals with money. The main function of a bankis to accept deposits from public and lend thesame for generating profit. In general there aremany constraints encountered by thecommercial banks in its everyday operations.One of the major constraints faced is the properdisbursement of funds in quality assets (Loansand Advances) or otherwise it leads to non-performing assets. Now a days, cases of NonPerforming Assets (NPA) are on an increasingtrend in the banking sector which is a matterof serious economic concern for the banks. Ifthis alarming growth of NPAs in banks is notcontrolled on time then it will prove to be achallenge for the future existence of the banks.The entire credit distribution structure of theeconomy can be destroyed and the countrycould be in a major financial turmoil.

Over the next ten years Asia could emerge asthe world’s growth engine, led by China andIndia.This is basically supported by the inflowof global capital, technological upgradations,export boom, and increased domesticconsumption. However to achieve the saidposition, it is very much necessary to focus onthe cleanup of ‘Non-Performing Loans.’ Suchan alarming increase in the number of ‘NPA’ ofthe banks is the main consequence of economiccrisis that took place in many Asian countries.At the same time non-performing assets of thebanks in many Asian countries can be seen asthe probable cause of the potential bankingcrisis that could be occurred in the future inthese countries. In order to prevent this bankingcrisis, the NPA of the banks are required to bemanaged and cleared off effectively. Hence itis very important to strategically manage theNPA and also focus on effective NPA recoveryprocedures.

Our Indian banking sector is also encounteringvarious problems out of which one majorproblem is NPA of banks. In the era ofglobalization it is very much necessary for thebanks to reduce their bad loan (NPA) portfolioin order to meet the challenges ofglobalization. The improper provision of NPAadversely affects the balance sheet of the bank.

NPA recoveries are a matter of concern for banksas they not only reduce the value of the assets,but also hampers the “profit generation”. NPAgrowth involves the necessity of provisioning,which reduces overall level of profits and hence,shareholder value. Therefore, NPA recoveryprocesses are of tremendous importance as itcan free the capital that can be investedprofitably in the creation of new assets.

MEANING OF NPA:The assets of the banks which don’t perform(that is – don’t generate any return) are calledNPA or bad loans. Bank’s assets are the loansand advances given to customers. If customersdon’t pay either interest or part of principal orboth, the loan turns into bad loan.

As per the RBI master circular (Master CircularNo. DBOD.No.BP.BC.12/21.04.048/2011-12dated July 1, 2011 ) an asset, including a leasedasset, becomes non- performing when it ceasesto generate income for the bank. A NPA is aloan or an advance where;

Interest and/ or installment of principalremain overdue for a period of more than90 days in respect of a term loan.The account remains in ‘out of order’ status,in respect of an Overdraft/Cash Credit (OD/CC),The bill remains “overdue” for a period ofmore than 90 days in the case of billspurchased and discounted,The installment of principal or interestthere on remains overdue for two cropseasons for short duration crops.The installment of principal or interestthereon remains overdue for one cropseason for long duration crops,The amount of liquidity facility remainsoutstanding for more than 90 days, inrespect of a securitisation transactionundertaken in terms of guidelines onsecuritisation dated February 1, 2006.In respect of derivative transactions, theoverdue receivables representing positivemark-to-market value of a derivative

contract, if these remain unpaid for a periodof 90 days from the specified due date forpayment.

Banks should, classify an account as NPA only ifthe interest due and charged during any quarteris not serviced fully within 90 days from theend of the quarter.

‘Out of Order’ statusAn account is considered as ’out of order’ if theoutstanding balance remains continuously morethan the sanctioned limit/drawing power. Incases where the outstanding balance in theprincipal operating account is less than thesanctioned limit/drawing power, but there areno credits continuously for 90 days as on thedate of Balance Sheet or credits are not enoughto cover the interest debited during the sameperiod, these accounts should be treated as ’outof order’.

‘Overdue’Any amount due to the bank under any creditfacility is ‘overdue’ if it is not paid on the duedate fixed by the bank.

It’s a known fact that the banks and financialinstitutions in India face the problem of increasein NPA and this problem is becoming more andmore complicated and unmanageable. In orderto bring the situation under control, some stepshave been taken recently. The Securitization andReconstruction of Financial Assets andEnforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 waspassed by Parliament, which is an important steptowards elimination or reduction of NPAs.

IMPLICATIONS OF NPAs ON BANK:The major effect of the NPA is that a bank canneither credit the income nor debit to loss,unless either recovered or identified as loss. Ifa borrower has multiple accounts, all accountswould be considered NPA if one accountbecomes NPA.

Gross NPA and Net NPA - The NPA may be GrossNPA or Net NPA. In simple words, Gross NPA isthe amount which is outstanding in the books,regardless of any interest recorded and debited.However, Net NPA is Gross NPA less interestdebited to borrowal account and not recoveredor recognized as income. RBI has prescribed aformula for deciding the Gross NPA and Net NPA.

NPA and SARFAESI Act - The Securitization andReconstruction of Financial Assets andEnforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act

Non Performing Assets &Recovery Procedures

Romita ChakrabortyAsst. ManagerBr. Hatibagan

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has provisions for the banks to take legalrecourse to recover their dues. When a borrowermakes any default in repayment and hisaccount is classif ied as NPA; the securedcreditor has to issue notice to the borrowergiving him 60 days to pay his dues. If the duesare not paid, the bank can take possession ofthe assets and can also give it on lease or sellit; as per provisions of the SAFAESI Act.

Reselling of NPAs - If a bad loan remains NPAfor at least two years, the bank can also resalethe same to the Asset ReconstructionCompanies such as Asset ReconstructionCompany (India) (ARCIL). These sales are onlyon Cash Basis and the purchasing bank/company would have to keep the accounts forat least 15 months before it sells to other bank.They purchase such loans on low amounts andtry to recover as much as possible from thedefaulters.

Their revenue is difference between thepurchased amount and recovered amount.

CLASSIFICATION OF ASSET:

Doubtful AssetsWith effect from March 31, 2005, an asset wouldbe classified as doubtful if it has remained inthe sub-standard category for a period of 12months. A loan classified as doubtful has all theweaknesses inherent in assets that wereclassif ied as sub-standard, with the addedcharacteristic that the weaknesses makecollection or liquidation in full, – on the basis ofcurrently known facts, conditions and values –highly questionable and improbable.

Loss AssetsA loss asset is one where loss has beenidentified by the bank or internal or externalauditors or the RBI inspection but the amounthas not been written off wholly. In other words,such an asset is considered uncollectible andof such little value that its continuance as abankable asset is not warranted although theremay be some salvage or recovery value.

GENERAL REASONS FOR ASSET BECOMINGNPA:

that contribute to NPA are;Lack of proper monitoringReckless advances to achieve the businesstargets.No transparent accounting policy and poorauditing practices.Lack of co-ordination between banks.Directed lending to certain sectors.Failure on the part of the promoters tobring their portion of equity from their ownsource or public issue due to market turninglukewarm.

STRATEGIES FOR OVERCOMING/RECOVERINGNPAs:Various steps have been taken by thegovernment and RBI to recover and reduceNPAs. These strategies are necessary to controlNPAs.

In case of bad loans that occur in largeadvances, the following steps arerecommended:

RECOVERY CAMPS: Bank off icials jointlyapproach the defaulting borrowers forrepayment at a place and time convenient toboth the parties. These are more suited to smallloans. Normally the borrowers who had availedsmall loans will be more in number in ruraland semi urban areas rather than urban andmetro centres. As such, the banks instead ofconducting the recovery camps at theirbranches, usually conduct such recovery campsin centres like panchayat board offices, courtbuildings, government department buildingsetc. so that the borrowers find it convenient toattend the recovery camps. Under certaincircumstances, the Manager in charge of thebank branch along with some branch officialsgo to each house of the borrowers and recoverthe instalments due in respect of loans availedby them. This type of recovery camps will besuccessful in case an advance notice is servedon the borrowers mentioning the date ofrecovery camps.

PREFERENCE OF CLAIMS: Banks shouldexpeditiously and properly claim indemnityfrom organizations like Deposit Insurance andCredit Guarantee Corporation called DICGC,Export Credit Guarantee Corporation calledECGC, Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for smallscale industries, Insurance Companies etc andinvoke Government/other personal guaranteesto recover loan dues and reduce non performingassets.

Banks are required to classify non-performingassets further into the following threecategories based on the period for which theasset has remained non-performing and therealisability of the dues:

Sub-standard AssetsDoubtful AssetsLoss Assets

Sub-standard AssetsWith effect from 31 March 2005, a sub-standardasset is one, which has remained NPA for aperiod less than or equal to 12 months. In suchcases, the current net worth of the borrower/guarantor or the current market value of thesecurity charged is not enough to ensurerecovery of the dues to the banks in full. Inother words, such an asset will have welldefined credit weaknesses that jeopardise theliquidation of the debt and are characterisedby the distinct possibility that the banks willsustain some loss, if def iciencies are notcorrected.

Causesof NPA

ImproperRisk

ManagementEconomicCondition

MisManagement

DefaultFund

Diversion

Out of various reasons supporting the problemof conversion of an asset becoming NPA themajor causes worth mentioning are as follows;

Default - One of the main reasons behindNPA is default by borrowers.Economic conditions - Economic conditionof a region affected by natural calamitiesor any other reason may cause NPA.Lack of proper risk management -Speculation is one of the major reasonsbehind default. Sometimes banks provideloans to borrowers overlooking their badcredit history. There is high probability ofdefault in such cases.Mis-management - Often ill-mindedborrowers bribe bank officials to get loanswith an intention of default. Diversion of funds - Many times borrowersdivert the borrowed funds to purposes otherthan mentioned in loan documents. It is veryhard to recover from these kind ofborrowers.

Apart from these major factors few more factors

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ASSET

NonPerforming Performing

SubStandard StandardDoubtful Loss

Team SIB with Executive Vice President (Admin) Mr. Thomas Joseph K. South Indian Bank won the Overall Championship in ‘Bankers Club Thrissur-Sports Meet 2016’. (Winners in Cricket, Football, Badminton- Men’s Singles, Badminton- Women’s Singles & Doubles and Runner-up in BadmintonMen’s Doubles, Table Tennis Singles & Doubles)SIB team receiving 3rd prize in IDRBT Banking Application Contest held on April 11 2016. From left: M/s. Balu Thomas, Narayanan Killimangalath,Raphael T.J and Abin Koshy Cheriyan.

COMPROMISE PROPOSALS: Compromiseroutes are adopted by banks, where borrowersexperience certain genuine difficulties andwhere normal recovery is not possible. Itinvolves certain sacrifices on the part of thebanks on the principle of “one bird at hand isworth two in the bush”. Such proposals can betaken up considering the history of theborrowal account, security available, net worthof the borrower/guarantor, time value of offermade etc.

TECHNICAL WRITE OFF: Normally banks decidewriting off small loans which have become badand the recovery is not at all possible in thoseaccounts under any circumstances on accountof the facts that the borrower might haveexpired; he has no means to repay the loan atany cost and there may be huge losses inrespect of the properties etc. This is for thesole purpose of servicing such non performingaccounts.

ONE TIME SETTLEMENT SCHEME: To reducethe absolute amount of non performing assets,Government of India along with Reserve Bankof India are announcing one time settlementschemes periodically for the past few years.When the borrowers find it very difficult to paytheir dues for various reasons like bad healthand failure in their business ventures, eventhough they have the inclination to repay theirdebts to the banks, this type of practice is verymuch helpful to the borrowers and the lendinginstitutions. Surely the banks are in a positionto lose certain portion of their loan amountwhen they are conducting one time settlementschemes.

SUIT FILING: Filing of suit is taken up as a lastresort when all other remedies to recover nonperforming assets fail. Banks can initiaterecovery proceedings with or withoutintervention of the courts of law. To expeditethe process, banks should be alert andproactive in all stages of the proceedings. i.e.preparation of plaint, service of summons,written statements, trial of the suit, obtainingdecree copy, praying for interim relief, executionof decrees, attachment of the property, arrestof the defendants, if needed etc.

DEBT RECOVERY TRIBUNALS: The debtrecovery tribunal act was passed by IndianParliament in 1993 with the objective offacilitating the banks and financial institutionsfor speedy recovery of dues in cases where theloan amount is Rs. 10 lakhs and above. The

time limit envisaged under the act is not beingadhered to in disposing of the suits because ofinadequate infrastructure and shortage ofrecovery personnel with the DRTs. Nonetheless,the DRT act and subsequent amendment in2000 have provided a great improvement overthe normal legal forum.

LOK ADALATS: It is a legal forum for expeditioussettlement of loan dues on consensus arrivedbetween the bank and the borrowers mediatedby the Lok Adalat.

SECURITISATION ACT: The Securitisation AndReconstruction of Financial Assets andEnforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002(SARFAESI) aims to empower banks as securedcreditors to take possession, manage and sellthe securities without the intervention of court/tribunal. It also aims at Asset Reconstructionby securitization or reconstruction company.However, loan with balance below Rs. 1 lakhunsecured loans and loans against collateralof agricultural land are exempted from thepurview of this act.

non-performing assets on the basis ofclassif ication of assets into prescribedcategories as detailed in paragraphs 4 supra.Taking into account the time lag between anaccount becoming doubtful of recovery,its recognition as such, the realisation of thesecurity and the erosion over time in the valueof security charged to the bank, thebanks should make provision againstsub-standard assets, doubtful assets andloss assets as below:

Loss assetsLoss assets should be written off. Ifloss assets are permitted to remain in the booksfor any reason, 100 percent of the outstandingshould be provided for.

Doubtful assets100 percent of the extent to which the advanceis not covered by the realisable value of thesecurity to which the bank has a valid recourseand the realisable value is estimated on arealistic basis.

ii. In regard to the secured portion, provisionmay be made on the following basis, at therates ranging from 25 percent to 100 percentof the secured portion depending upon theperiod for which the asset has remaineddoubtful:

Period for which the Provisionadvance has remained in requirement‘doubtful’ category (%)Up to one year 25One to three years 40More than three years 100

CONCLUSION:In order to reduce NPA portfolio of a bank orany other f inancial institutions, followingsuggestions can be taken into consideration,

There should be complete exposure ofdefaulters between all the banks.Government should define and implementa strong legal structure regarding non-performing accounts.Banks should be able to identify the originalreasons/purposes of the loan required bythe borrower.Proper identif ication of the guarantorshould be ensured by the bank includingscrutiny of his/her wealth.Framing reasonably well documented loanpolicy and rules.Sound credit appraisal on well-settledbanking norms with emphasis on reduction

RecoveryProcedures

Preventive ManagementEarly Warning SignalsFinancial Related Warning SignalsManagement Related Warning SignalsBanking Related SignalsWilful Defaulters and Special Mention WatchAccounts

Curative ManagementOne Time Settlement SchemeLok AdalatsDebt Recovery TribunalsSARFAESI Act

PROVISIONING NORMS :The primary responsibility for making adequateprovisions for any diminution in the value ofloan assets, investment or other assets is thatof the bank managements and the statutoryauditors. The assessment made by theinspecting officer of the RBI is furnished to thebank to assist the bank management and thestatutory auditors in taking a decision in regardto making adequate and necessary provisions interms of prudential guidelines.

In conformity with the prudential norms,provisions should be made on the

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New Offsite ATM at Sri Sai Nilayam, Nizampet , RO Hyderabad New Offsite ATM at Ace Mall, Kacheri Junction, Harippad, RO Tiruvalla

First TBD alternate centre at Coimbatore Onsite ATM attached to Technopark Br., RO Thiruvananthapuram

Inaugural ceremony of Kodibail Branch, RO Kannur Inaugural ceremony of Seethangoli Branch, RO Kannur

in Gross NPAs rather than Net NPAsPosition of overdue accounts should bemonitored on a weekly basis to arrestslippage of fresh account to NPA.Half yearly balance conf irmationcertificates should be obtained from theborrowers.Banks should ensure credibility of the

INTRODUCTIONThe banking and financial services sector hasweathered many storms since the globalslowdown. Business sentiments turnedcautiously optimistic as the economy slowlysteered towards the road to recovery. Butrecent news around the rising “Non-PerformingAssets” (NPA) has brought to the fore the risksfaced by the banking sector in India. While theReserve Bank of India (RBI) has taken steps toinitiate recoveries of these loans byintroducing regulation which avoidspostponing the problem, increasing thecredibility of sales to asset reconstructioncompanies and early resolution of potentialNPAs, still the issues relating to NPA and theirRecovery requires a higher degree of attention.

Recovery- A Slow but Steady ProcessRBI and the Ministry of Finance are takingsteps to mitigate the risks around the NPAbubble. The emphasis is more on proactivelymanaging the account and identifying the earlywarning signals before it turns bad. Someleading Banks in India have announced thefollowing key areas where investments wouldbe made in the near future as part of theirproactive strategies around managing NPAs:1. The launch of new banking products and

increase in customer coverage calls fortechnology up gradation forcomprehensive monitoring. Data analyticsis a valuable component to effectivelyconduct periodic reviews and audit .

team for monitoring the performance ofkey accounts. The accounts are selectedbased on the amount disbursed,vulnerability of the business model/industry, indication of diversion orsiphoning off bank funds, etc. A separatededicated team for account monitoringwould assist in early identif ication ofirregularities, if any, and focus onimmediate remedial measures

5. Public domain searches and marketintelligence can assist banks to gatheradditional information around theborrower and its business operations,where indicators for suspicious activitiesexist. The new RBI guidelines have alsoemphasized on collecting independentinformation through market intelligence/public domain/ Registrar of Companies/defaulter list as a part of the pre-sanctionprocess. Tracking of “market information”and monitoring databases during theannual review have also been stipulatedby the regulator.

CONCLUSIONAnalysis of the current situation indicate thatbanks need to become more proactive inframing policies or guidelines andimplementing it right from the grass-rootlevel, with constant supervision by the topmanagement. The new RBI guidelines havelaid a f irm pathway for improving overallrobustness to manage loan frauds. Bankswould need to adopt and implement themeasures in true spirit and substance and notjust ‘form’. The key to proactive identificationof red flags would be to integrate and analyzetransactional data (bank statements) withdocuments available (audit report, sanctiondocuments etc.) and information from thepublic domain including market informationto find anomalies. The road to recovery is longand winding. But we bankers are cautiouslyoptimistic that the NPA situation will improvealbeit at a slow pace.

Analytics provides insight into processanomalies, trends and risk indicatorsthrough the extraction and analysis oftransactional data.

2. One of the key reasons for stressed assetscould be traced back to the lapses in theinitial customer due diligence andinefficiencies in the sanctioning process.Past history - earlier defaults, Excise/Income Tax raids and/or negativeinformation about the borrower should beadequately disclosed to the sanctioningcommittee of banks. Apart from discussionwith the borrower, surprise site visitsshould be undertaken especially in caseof high value loans.

3. Keeping the business dynamics andcomplex business structures into account,banks are required to enhance the skillsets of the credit teams. For instance, creditteam/analysts need to undergo periodictraining to upgrade their skills; scoringmodels, industry benchmarks and creditevaluation sheets should be updatedregularly.

4. Some banks have a separate dedicated

borrower.Appropriate SWOT analysis should be donebefore disbursement of the loans andadvances.Banks should ensure that there is nodiversion of funds disbursed to theborrower.Banks should get the Non Encumbrance andValuation of the primary and collateralsecurities done.The banks should ensure that the assetsare fully insured.Recovery appraisal system should beimplemented among the staff members.The staff recovering highest amount shouldbe felicitated.Last but not the least, the act(s) should bejudiciously and selectively applied so thatNPAs should be converted into performingassets.

Recovery- A Slow but Steady Process

Sandeep SinghManagerDeputed toHadi Express Exchange

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Information technology in banking is fastevolving. From enabling banking services todriving transformation in the industry,Information technology holds a promise tochange the face of banking in the next fewyears. New entrants are looking to leveragetheir existing strengths in the Indian bankingarena. The opportunity available to theseentrants through leveraging theirunderstanding of technologies and marketsthey operate in, promises innovative businessmodels with a focus on delivering customervalue.

Existing pressures from stakeholders,combined with the megatrends that arereshaping the world, will transform banks andtheir business models over the next decade. Insome respects, they will extend their reach -expanding into new markets, targeting newcustomer needs - with more decentralizedoperations. Redesigned as more flexibleinstitutions, banks will not only be better ableto adapt to the changing world, but will alsobe better placed to respond to unforeseenevents in the future. The next decade will beone of transformation in banking. The leadingbanks will be those that redefine their coreoperations to support this change and build inthe agility to allow them to cope withunexpected global shifts.

Digital transformation is like a tightrope thatmust be traversed quickly. Customers today are

Staying Afloat When The Wind Shifts:Digital Transformation

adopting digital behavior faster than anycompany can keep pace with and, as a result,banks must speed up their rate of change andremain focused on the desired outcomes toensure a successful digital transformation.Digital transformation brings in multiple risksand challenges. Business cycles are now fasterand more integrated, there is an increaseddemand for cross-silo capabilities, and thereare greater risks due to brand exposure in socialmedia.

The younger generations are conductingmassive amounts of business online and ontheir devices; this trend will likely continue toescalate. According to a recent Pew survey, 61percent of people now use online banking and35 percent use mobile banking. 80 percent ofthe “under 26” demographic banks primarilyonline. Social media is an important part of themodern banking consumer’s online life, and aprecious source of real and unbiased customerinsight. Through it, consumers express theirsatisfaction, preferences and frustrationcandidly and unabashedly with hundreds oftheir life-long accumulated contacts. Socialmedia can also be used as a powerful

communication channel, although perhaps amore precarious and volatile one than mostbank marketers realize. The ability to broadcastquickly, casually and broadly is often moredangerous than beneficial. From the customer’sperspective, being ‘digital’ means you have tobe able to deliver your service anyway,anywhere, anytime.

In order to stay competitive, acquire and retaincustomers and to capitalize on the technologyevolution within the marketplace, banks mustachieve digital transformation to keep pace withtheir customers. The key insight for this industry:banks and financial institutions need to watchtheir early adopter demographic in order to stayabreast of current trends. They must create anenvironment where customers, employees andstakeholders can engage anyway, anywhere andat anytime. In simple terms, this vision entailsthat:

All products and services are available ascustomers need themAll products and services are delivered andcoordinated across multiple channelsbeyond the branch, including the web, theapp or device, the phone, and at the ATMEmployees can access informationdelivered quickly and instantly, includingcustomer service, information, productorigination, sales, product changes andchannels, among others.

New areas where technology is transformingbank operations are Data management andanalysis, Robotics and artificial intelligence andCloud storage.

Achieving the Digital TransformationBanks looking to achieve digital transformationshould generally consider three major areas offocus to accelerate the transformation. First, theymust agree on the vision, or the destination, forwhat the transformed operation will be. Thisincludes what capabilities are required, whatnew or improved experiences the customers willhave, the new resources or organizationsrequired and the new processes among others.This is setting strategy. The second point offocus is how the bank manages and executeschange, which is execution. And the third pointis to focus on the success factors fortransformation.The success factors fortransformation can be

Prioritize individual business imperativesDefine and measure the business successcriteriaTransform the IT cultureInvigorate the leadership culture towardsaction

Nidish SebastianManagerHO Secretarial Dept.

28th Annual Day Celebration of Br. Thrissur Mission Quarters inaugurated by Mr. C.J. Mathew& Mr. P V Antony, the senior most customers in the presence of DGM Mr. M.T. Jose

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But to achieve this, it will be necessary totransform employee propositions. To secureleading talent and comply with regulation,banks must focus on creating compellingpropositions for employees that are not basedsolely on higher-than-average salaries. At anaggregate level, there appears to be littlecorrelation between pay and performance formost bank employees. Furthermore, the“lifestyle” plans proposed by some leadingglobal banks suggest that leadership is out oftouch with its millennial recruits. A war fortalent between non-banks and banks is alreadyintensifying, and tactical responses are unlikelyto tip the balance back in favor of banks. Thiswill allow banks to differentiate themselves inthe marketplace and develop ways to driveproductivity and efficiency. Ultimately, theleading banks 10 years from now will notnecessarily be defined by the very best productsand services or the most efficient operations,although they will score highly on all thesecounts. They will be defined by their ability tomanage the risks of change programs and to

make the right investments in products andservices. They will be defined by their ability tocreate an internal culture that weds dynamismto best practice. They will be defined by theirability to deliver new fit-for-purpose businessmodels. The most successful banks will be thosethat master transformation. This transformationhas got many directions, but among all Digitaltransformation is the most important one.

Regulators recognize the importance oftechnological transformation within the sectorand its impact on incumbent banks, both inpressing for technology improvements to serveregulatory objectives and in working to identifynew potential sources of risk. Like banks,regulators are carefully adapting theirapproaches to technology and technology-enabled transformation.

Most banks need to start acting quickly toaddress their digital transformationopportunities. The first conversation, which maywell be the most difficult, will need to balance

a fine understanding of the current capabilitiesand culture of the bank with the aspirationaldemand to develop and project a set ofcapabilities that are quite difficult to achieve.The best way forward to manage thisconundrum is to embrace an ‘outside-in’ viewwhere priorities and tempos are learned fromrapidly observing and absorbing customer andmarket forces. This should drive a new strategyand a change in both IT and leadership culture.The drumbeat of change is being sounded fromoutside the bank. It’s time to make the externalforces an ally and a beacon to make digitaltransformation a reality for today and the future.

Annual Day Celebration of Br. Angamali North

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New Offsite ATM at Bund Road Junction, Vechoor, RO Kottayam New Offsite ATM at Bund Road Junction,Vechoor, RO Kottayam

Onsite ATM attached to Pottassery Br., RO Palakkad New premises of Pottassery Br., RO Palakkad

Onsite ATM attached to Kozhencherry NRI Br., RO Tiruvalla Kozhencherry NRI Br., RO Tiruvalla

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Do you ever thought that you can actuallybecome CEO (for your life)??

Everybody maintains clocks, set schedules andalarms to be organized always, but they arenot aware that timing is a culture and that istotally in one’s hands and not in the schedulesor alarms. When you truly know what you want,your steps will mind its walk. When you have acontrol in yourself, you will have a control inyour surroundings and even you can controlthe effect of others on you.

Before you look yourself as CEO, just know whatdoes a CEO mean- CEO means business, anencouragement, a solution, a lucky man, aleader, a theory, a profit bringing personality,success, failures acceptable character, believingin himself and in others, responsible andresponsive.

The first step to look yourself as CEO is to keepup that magical smile always on your face. Thatsmile on your face is like a lemon to a vehicle,nothing sick nor sin will dare to reach you. Andthe major enemy for any competitive individualCEO is stress, frustration, disappointment andego.

Even a small ant have its problem, then whatthe story of a human? but do you know how aCEO see the challenge? He first accepts theproblem and then looks for solutions thanlooking for the persons who raised the problem.And he is capable to measure the severity ofevery trouble and solves it when it is in buddingtime and definitely he won’t watch the gametill it grows big and reaches to a stage of outof control. When you have to do it eventually,better you do it today so that you won’t carrythe stress in your pockets from tomorrow.

The centre letter of CEO is ‘E’ and it is not justexecutive, it’s the energy he carries all the time,and he passes on to others. The workenvironment looks bright and more vibrantwherever he steps in. Because of him thingslook simple and easy to handle.

RACE. Yes! today’s scenario we have to run allthe time and everyone is struggling for winningand one should accept this. Even earth is

Meet the CEO in YOU

revolving restlessly, clouds continuously moveand water produce waves and all of them stilllook beautiful to our eyes. So, you have tobelieve life is a race and you should also run.But there is a difference. If running with tightand closed wrist then you will win one day oryou will win some people, but if you run to showothers that you are running and continuing yourlazy steps, your life will be like a complaint boxin any Government office.

Imagine a situation where there are 100employees in a company and profits of the firmis sinking down and so the management havedecided to cut down the costs in employment.in the initial run the management wants to firethe unfit 20 employees then the second run of20 employees and final run 10 more employeesso they can save 50% in employee cost. Nowposition yourself in the batch, may be in thefirst 20, or the second 20, or the 10, even thelast 50 reserved employees. The place whereyou are going to fit yourself will speak yourperformance and that is indirectly proportionalto your insecurity of mind. The performing CEOdoesn’t know even the word insecurity but thereare people who are insecure always and eventhey don’t know why they are so, and if you areof that types so it’s the time to call the CEO inyou. The clerk sitting in a cash counter of thebusiest branch smiles and wishes all thecustomers whereas the manager inside thecabin feels the thorns in his chair all the time.there are two meaning for FEAR, ForgetEverything and Run or Face Everything and Riseand the CEO will always picks the secondchoice.

when you are a CEO, you keep your lace tied allthe time, your tie is always close to your neckand mind always open. You will maintain yourpace of running and you are not the winnertoday but you are never a loser. Because of the

CEO the company always leads and same wayit works for your own self as well.

When you didn’t get the reserved, raise yourpace. In career, the promotion plays a vital roleand you will surely get upset when the companybelieves that you are not strong enough tocontrol people under you, you are not ready tohandle the four walls of bank, you are not fit toimagine numbers and business for your branch,and the content you hold is not sufficient toface tomorrow. Then, that upset should flashyour will power and perfection. Remember, whenyou turn to reserved, then your luck, yoursurroundings, people around you all will joinhands and raise you up and at that time theCEO in you will be the happiest person and ifthis is not happening, break your comfort zonesand accept new challenges. May be yourtomorrow is waiting somewhere and if you don’tdare to go there, then your tomorrow will nevercome.

CEO reads life as LIFE, he holds anxiety in hisLIFE and his way of living. Do something whichis not expected to be done by you. When yousay I like eating, you eat less so that you willlive long and eat more. Same way when youwant to reach the next level, spend enough timeat bottom so that you can sustain at the top.

Even the works of a CEO are routine but hekeeps himself interesting, he does the samework by adding little innovation to it, he appliestechnology and common sense in every task. Hedesigns new strategies and is dare enough todump the unwanted and worthless procedures.When he can do this for the whole system whycan’t you do for your own small kingdom.

When I throw a ball at you with pace, what willyou do? You may fold inwards so as to protectyourself. But if I give you a bat and throw thesame ball, you will try to hit the ball instead ofprotecting. Same way if troubles are in the formof ball then your resources like patience,conf idence, knowledge, approach, thoughtprocess, decision making and all these will beyour bat. And for a CEO, resources are strength.Finally, the change what a CEO talks is not thechallenge, the transformation which he takesis the challenge. And believe there is a CEO inyou, call him out then you will get chance tosee your tomorrow.

Badri AlapatiAsst.ManagerVijayawada Main Br.

15

Inaugural ceremony of Valayanchirangara Br.,RO Muvattupuzha

Inaugural ceremony of New Offsite ATM at PS Mission Hospital,Kundannur , RO Ernakulam

Inauguration of New Offsite ATM at Municipal Bus Stand, Pathanamthitta,RO Tiruvalla

Inauguration of new Offsite ATM at Vytilla Junction, Thammanam Road,RO Ernakulam

Inauguration of New Offsite ATM at Cause Way Junction, Mundakkayam,RO Kottayam

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I am in love with a bicycle. With its milky whiteappearance, lanky but sturdy structure, the bikehas fascinated me and I began to develop aliking for it slowly. It has come to my life quiteunobtrusively one month before, and tookrefuge in a corner of my porch.

In many countries bicycles have now becomea favorite mode of transport. A report, publishedin a magazine recently on the increasingpopularity of bicycles in different countries,revealed that in the Netherlands 27% of alltrips and 25% of trips to work are made by bike.The average distance cycled per person per dayis 2.5 km. Holland and bicycles go together likebread and jam.

Albert Einstein, the most celebrated scientistof modern times said, “Life is like riding abicycle. To keep your balance, you must keepmoving.” Early in his schooling at MunichUniversity, he used to take bicycle tours withfellow scientists. During his final years, whileat Princeton University, Einstein chose his trustysteed over any other modern engineeringmarvels.

Ode to a bicycle

Why the world is witnessing a new foundenthusiasm for using bicycles? We are readingin Newspapers about big cities, shrouded insmog and dust, unable to breathe normally andstruggling. They say Delhi is the most pollutedcity in the world. One of the reasons attributedto this sad state of affairs is the ever increasingnumber of motor vehicles flowing to the cityroads every day. It is the desire to liberate thebig cities from the veil of smoldering pollutants;many countries have started to promote cyclingas a means of transport.

Small investment needed to buy a cycle and nocost for fuel are the other attractions and it isestablished that cycling prevents cancer,cardiovascular deceases and diabetes. Riding towork or the shops is one of the most time-efficientways to combine regular exercise with youreveryday routine.

Thus, I decided to use my bicycle to travel tomy off ice, 10 km away from my home. Onhearing this queer idea, well wishersimmediately stepped in and suggestions camegalore. ‘In foreign countries, there are dedicatedtracks for bicyclists and that is why cycling ispopular. Don’t imitate them in our country wherehighways are battle fields and a cyclist will beelbowed down by everybody”.

A dedicated track for cyclists in my home townin Kerala is a distant dream. So I decided toignore the warning and was getting ready forthe adventure. Still, I was apprehensive howother vehicles, particularly the limited stopbuses will tolerate me on the road. Narayanan V.C

Chief Manager,P&D(FIP Cell).

Starting from home, I pedalled through thecountry road and joined the high way. Vehiclesof all types roared past me, fuming and grunting.Air horns ridiculed me. Where the road climbedsteeply I pedalled hard, and at slopes I relaxed.It took 35 minutes for me to cover the 10 kmstretch and I reached my bank, sweatingprofusely but jubilant. I truly enjoyed the rideand decided to repeat the performance.

Now, it is more than a month since I startedthis new experiment and all my apprehensionshave vanished. I realized that a cyclist has alsoa space even in the busiest of roads. When a“bullet” speeds past you with its thunderingbeats, you realize how considerate your littlebike is. It does not hurt anybody with highdecibel voice, nor does it emit poisonous gasesto suffocate mother earth. It cruises humbly likea dove flying in the blue skies. After climbing aslope, you sit calm and relaxed, enjoying theride down without any effort, wind stroking yourcheeks and the feeling is blissful. Some peoplelook at me condescendingly, hinting that whatI do is not in conformity with the status of 56year old Chief Manager in a bank. Some otherpeople wanted to know form where I boughtthe bike so that they can also try it forthemselves.

As I told earlier, I am in love with my bike andhope more and more people will join hand withme to popularize this most beneficial activitythat promote health and well being for all.

Three storied cycle parking station, Netherlands.

17

Anoop A.V., Sr. Manager,Integrated Risk ManagementDepartment, DICT has secured thehighest marks at the nationallevel in ‘Essentials Of Home Loan-Practice & Procedure’examination conducted by IIBFduring 2015-16. During 2014-15He had secured the highest marksat the national level in Certificateexamination in ‘IT security’conducted by IIBF. He had alsoobtained the FRM Certification(Financial Risk Management)awarded by GARP, Texas, USA(Global Association of RiskProfessionals).

Biju E. Punnachalil, Asst. GeneralManager, Integrated Risk Man-agement Department has se-cured first rank (highest aggre-gate marks for all subjects) in theIIBF Diploma examination ‘Ad-vanced Wealth ManagementCourse’ conducted during 2015-16

Romesh Manuel, Senior Manager,Erode br. has been awarded a cashprize of Rs.1000/- by IIBF forsecuring in first attempt, highestmarks in the subject ‘BankingProducts & Services’ of Diplomacourse in ‘Advanced WealthManagement’ for 2015-16.

Ms Suma V George, Senior Man-ager has been awarded prizefor having secured the highestmarks in the subject ‘TreasuryManagement’ of Diploma inTreasury, Investment and RiskManagement examination con-ducted by IIBF during the year2015-16

Eldho ThomasAssistant ManagerBranch Cherthala

Own RajenthiraprasathClerk

Branch:Pudukkottai.

Archana A.L.Asst. Manager

VIVEK M.K.Assistant Manager (IT)

DICT

CAIIB

Nivethaasri.SProb.OfficerPudukkottai

JAIIB

Ashitha PClerk

PachalamLourdes Hospital

Riya Anna ZachariahClerk

PachalamLourdes Hospital

Achievements

Inauguration of 39th Annual Day celebration of Branch Pulloorampara,RO Kozhikode by His Excellency Rev. Dr. Mar Remigiose Inchananiyil(Bishop Of Thamarassery Diocese)

18

It was the secret meeting of the newly formedgroup…. We were very cautious that we werenot visible to the prying eyes of the maliciousworld…. We had to raise our voice against thedisparities the world had shown to us so far….And to start an agitation against the injusticealways shown by this insensitive society to theelder siblings….

The meeting was called by my niece who wasthe self appointed president of the group. Thenshe nominated me as the Secretary of the groupwhose total strength was just two… Her mother,my younger sister was watching suspiciouslyas we started talking in low voice, hiding fromthem, and becoming invisible in unison, inbetween…

It all started last vacation. After a long gap ofnearly 8 years my family and my sister’s familyhad gathered at our parents’ place. My niece,who was the youngest of our family till then,had just lost that prestigious position to herlittle brother. She was more than annoyed dueto the loss of the crown though her motherwas trying desperately to get her out of this. Itwas at that time the main villain i.e., myselfentered the scene.

“You know what...” I started adding fuel to myniece’s anger:“When your mother was born the same thinghappened to me also.”

Her eyes widened on the realization that shewas not alone in this world and there arepeople with equal distress.

“Your grandmother always used to tell me, ‘see,now you have a younger sister, you have to takecare of her’…me, a kid of just 5 years, has totake care of another child…what aninjustice!!!!!”

Niece was amused and her blood started toboil.“Then what happened Periyamma?” –Periyamma is how she addresses me, hermother’s elder sister.

I released a long sigh – “What would happen?All the privileges I used to enjoy so far weresnatched from me overnight and handed overto your mother... including the right of sleeping

E.S.G aka Elder Siblings Group!!!!!

by mother’s side...”

At my young age I was such a panicky child (Ican see my son grinning sarcastically with anexpression ‘as-if-you-are-not-like-that-now’)that if I didn’t find my mother by my side whenI opened my eyes after the sleep, I would yellmy heart out to which even the neighbours usedto come running.

My niece patted on my backsympathetically….”So sad…!!!!”

I continued my misadventures of being theelder one.

My mother was a working woman. I used tolove to be with my mother at home. When mysister was born my mother took maternity leave.To my horror I realized that I had to go to schoolwhereas my sister was spending the entire daywith my mother…. Denying me the privilege ofbeing with my mother the whole time…Hearing this my niece was full of sympathy forme and she started grinding her teeth lookingat her mother.

I continued…In those days groceries would be ordered fromthe nearby shop once a month by writing thelist in a book given by the shop owner to us.Super markets were not there at that point oftime. Our father used to take the monthly listof groceries to the shop. A handyman from theshop would deliver the goods later.

On a particular month my father went to theshop and came back with a bemused smile. Hehad the book intact in his hand. My motherwas wondering why he had not given the bookto the shop. Father called both of us in front ofhim. I was 8 years and my sister was 3 yearsold.

He displayed the book in front of us and asked:“Who wrote this?”

On the cover of the book it was scribbled with apencil in an untidy handwriting – “My Akka(elder sister) is a ‘thendy’ (scoundrel),‘patty’(dog)…”

It was very clear that my sister who was justlearning to write had scribbled those wordsbecause of the frustration of failure in a fightwith me. I was happy expecting that my fatherwould beat her for writing that. But to my shockwhen my sister claimed ownership for thosewords of wisdom, instead of beating her in andout my father just hugged and kissed her;

“Such a smart girl… has written without anyspelling mistakes… very good….”I felt as if I was being pushed to the netherworld.

This story added further f ire to my niece’sf ighting spirit. It now turned towards myparents.

At this juncture, my husband who waswitnessing the entire conversation suddenlyintruded:“See, it is always a birth right of younger childrento scribble about the elder siblings…”

He is the younger of the two siblings in hisfamily.

“Once I wrote in my sister’s note book thefollowing poem:‘You have a globe for your head with some beanson it here and there,May you fall down with your leg broken…’

He was making fun of his sister’s head withscarce hair. And his anger towards her emergedas a curse for a broken leg.

But to his sister’s dismay this poem was writtenon her tuition notebook and the teacher was abald man with scarce hair. He took this as acomment on him written by her and beat herleft and right!!!!!

My niece added one more name in her rivalfaction…that of her uncle next to her motherand grandparents.

Hearing this story literally accelerated us informing the group immediately, to uphold ourrights as elder siblings and to stop the injusticeshown towards us.

We made our letter pad (my niece is a very goodartist and she made a fine layout and designed

Radhika R.B.Senior ManagerRO Mumbai

19

a logo too) and started making our charter ofdemands:1. There are no equal rights… Elders are

always elders…more equal than theyounger ones...

2. For the attention of younger siblings- Westarted to be in this house —— – years (youcan fill in years of your seniority) beforeyou and our seniority prevails among allothers. Hence in case of any disputewhatever we decide will prevail.

3. For the kind attention of parents – eldersare elders by just a few years. . . so youcannot order them to feed the youngerones. A small amendment can be accepted- if the elder ones are first fed with thefood of their choice they may considerfeeding the younger one, but at their will.

4. Henceforth the elder ones will not carrythe school bags for younger ones. Ifneeded, parents can appoint a porter forcarrying everyone’s bags.

5. Henceforth the elder ones should not beinterrupted from their classes to clean thevomit and other excreta of the youngerones as and when they release them…Parents can appoint cleaners who will waitoutside the school waiting for the call fromrespective teachers of younger kids toclean them.

6. Appoint bodyguards for your younger ones.We cannot assume the role of a saviourwhenever your younger kid takes into afight with a large-sized individual… We areconcerned about our physical well being.

We signed this historic manifesto in thecapacities of both President and Secretary. ThePresident ordered me, the secretary, to circulateit among all the public (Other inhabitants ofthe house).

Suddenly we found that a few of the personswere missing. We searched and found thatanother group was taking formation under myfather’s chair – YSG – Younger Siblings’Group!!!!!!!

We are waiting to see their charter of demandsto see whether it clashes with ours. Howeveras per the rule of Seniority, our Charter ofDemands will definitely supersede theirs.

We are also planning to add members to ourgroup. Any aggrieved elder sibling is free tojoin our group... We will help you overcomeyour agony….Just share your experience withus.

Selfie with a difference

More than just a click sound of your mobilecamera, ‘Selfie with Pooram’ was a unique brandpromotion campaign done in the history ofThrissur Pooram for the first time. Pooram asyou all know is a majestic, internationallyacclaimed festival which adds glamour to thecultural capital of Kerala. Incidentally, the birthplace of South Indian Bank happens to beThrissur and hence imbibing artistic talent toits heart beyond business is in the DNA of ourbrand. The campaign lit the fireworks in ourmain social media platform –Face book. Thebeauty of this campaign was that the entireprocess of participation was simple, digital andpaperless. Any person taking a selfie with

Pooram or related theme and hash tagging itwith #SIBSELFIEPOORAM in their Face bookpage was eligible for the contest.

The promotion of this campaign found itspenetration through all the social mediaplatforms of our bank, newspaperadvertisements using ordinary people in visuals,graphical advertisement in local TV, mindcapturing radio jingle in main FM channelsspanning over a week. Prominent hoardingdepicting the campaign was put up at ThrissurR.O facing the Pooram venue where fireworksand elephants were to be displayed. Theresponse was overwhelming….On the day of

20

Pooram morning itself the selflies started topour with hash tag of our bank. Big and small,youth and aged, singles and couples, groupselfies with friends and relatives started to getuploaded in the face book. The emotions andfestivity mood of each selfie tells a story and isbeyond description. We got a whopping entryof more than 650 eligible selfies with correcthashtag as per the rule of the contest. Thecollage of such selfie can be viewed under thehashtag, which paints a colourful picture in thehistory of our Facebook campaign.

The spirit of the contestants was so challengingthat the Jury found it very difficult to choosewhich selfie is the best? The Media cell ofPlanning and Development Department werequick in action to conceptualize, implement andpromote the brand promotion through thiscampaign which has touched the hearts ofthousands of ardent Pooram Lovers and ourSocial Media team in Marketing Departmentworked in full swing, right from the inceptionof the campaign till end to make this campaigntechnically perfect. The combined effort yieldedits result and without any fault the campaign

went smoothly- Thanks to the support of thebranches under Thrissur and Irinjalakkudaregional offices, which were instrumental inpromoting this campaign to its customers &well wishers. After a tedious selection processwhich put weightage on the background ofPooram, quality and emotion of contestant, thebest selfie was selected. Mr. Abdul Latheef wasdeclared as the winner and at a glitteringfunction at H.O, he was awarded with latest I-Phone 6 S by Mr. V.L. Paul General Manager(Admin). The next 10 best selfies were rewardedwith power banks and 90 best selfies with selfiesticks by M/s. Jose Manuel DGM(P&D), SanthoshArnold John, AGM(P&D) and Thomas A.A. ,AGM(P&D).

The Facebook page of our bank had witnessedactivation and an unprecedented traffic throughthis campaign. South Indian Bank made thisPooram and this campaign a true celebration-A celebration which it shared with the societywholeheartedly, when it became one of the fewbanks in India to report a sustainable, profitablegrowth- a fact which should be read along withthe uncertainties that cast shadows across thebanking spectrum. Expanding its horizon acrossthe nation, with a great vision to converge itsfocus to become the ‘Retail Banking PowerHouse’, SIB share the spirit, excitement and joyof Pooram like never before!

Bino GeorgeManager(Media & Advertisement)P &D Dept.

21

Branch Malad, RO Mumbai one day picnic in AlibaugRO Palakkad Tour to Munnar

Fun & Frolic

HO Legal Department at ECO Garden Resorts, Cheruthuruthy.

A pleasure trip to Alappuzha Backwaters from HO Credit Department

23

Fun & Frolic

It was the time when our mother was forced totake a few days’ rest due to some health issuesthat we realized that eating needed cookingalso! Under the pretext of “study” we never usedto enter kitchen except when requested by ourmother to cut some vegetables or scrapecoconuts. Being a working woman, she wasalways supported by our father in the householdchores also. So my sister and me, who were inclasses II and VII at that time, were alwayshappy-go-lucky, always f inding fault withwhatever our mom used to make – “the salt inthe paayasam is very less!” (nobody puts salt inpaayasam which is a form of kheer made ofmilk and sugar, but we thus always used toexpress our displeasure towards the dishes shemade!!)

We decided to cook a warm welcome for ourmother who was being discharged from thehospital. Our father went to bring our momback home. So we thought of making food forthe patient and for ourselves. Being youngerto me, my sister was made to do all the meanjobs like cleaning the vessels, peeling onionsetc... Poor thing, out of respect to the ‘eldest’member in the house, in the absence of ourparents, she obeyed every instruction I gavewithout understanding that I was bullying her.

It was the time before internet and YouTubewhere one can get instant recipes. We realizedthe prize we had to pay for not having paidattention to what our Mom used to do in thekitchen. However we gathered all our courageand ventured out into the field of cooking.

The toughest part was that of making “Sambar”.We knew that sambar was made of daal. Butwhen we opened the kitchen shelf quite anumber of containers stared at us with daals ofdifferent varieties – some orange, some brightyellow, some pale yellow; some were moreround than the others, some were very thin asif they were grown in some drought-riddenplace… We were in utter confusion. My sistercame up with a solution;

“Akka, (elder sister) we will take the daal aftercounting the containers “Inky Pinky Ponky” withclosed eyes”!!

Though it sounded to be an intelligent solutionI pretended to accept it as if out of mygenerosity. We settled down to one particularjar of daal. We also decided that we had tomake the sambar very nutritious. So we added

The Misadventures that make a masterchef!!!

the vegetables including karela, yam and endedup adding a portion of all the vegetables thatwere there in the kitchen to the sambar!

Then an argument erupted as to how much saltwe had to put. My sister said,

“Our father always loves the food only if it hasenough salt and spice in it”. So we settled on ahandful of salt. Then came the doubt regardingwhich masala mix we had to use. Our motherused to keep all the masala powders ready forabout a month’s use in different containers. NowI was not ready to accept my sister’s idea of “InkyPinky Ponky”, instead I unilaterally decided toadd a pinch of all the masalas whatever wasthere in the shelf!

Next was the ordeal of making idlis. We hadseen our mom keeping the batter ready for onewhole week in the refrigerator. So we took outthe container which had the white dough-likething and poured the batter into the idli mould.

After toiling for nearly 2 hours our idli andsambar were ready. But alas, the idlis smelledawful and they were not coming out of themould! We desperately took each idli whichcame out as messy balls instead of soft moon-like shapes… Collecting all our courage we puta few balls of idli and sambar on a plate andtook it to our mom. Putting a small piece of idliin her mouth made mom’s face twitch to a veryfunny shape.

“What did you make this idli with?” – She asked.

I ceremoniously brought the container fromwhich I had taken the batter. Seeing it my momburst into a huge laughter-

“Stupid girls, it was not idli batter. It was thechutney I had made out of coconut and spicesand preserved. You people took it for idli batter”.

Then she looked at the sambar. She wasamused to see the round big daal grainsfloating in it. Again she asked-

“What did you put in this?”

For this I looked at my sister scornfully as shewas the brain behind the choice of daal. Poorgirl went and fetched the daal container. Seeingthe container again our mom again startedlaughing-

“Oh My! You have made sambar with the wholechanna daal!!! We have to use toor daal formaking sambar!”

I and my sister looked at each other bewilderedsince we were hearing those names for the firsttime.

The experience so far cautioned our momagainst pouring a spoonful of sambar, so shesimply put a drop of it in her mouth andimmediately spit it out. Hurriedly I also tastedit to f ind out if anything was wrong- Alaseverything was wrong – it really tasted terriblewith extra salt, bitterness of karela, sandy tasteof yam, a funny mixture of different masalas…Oh God!!!

Our father entered the scene at this point. Hewas rather a very strict person who dislikedwasting things- he knew the value of each paisahe earned.

Both of us stood with our heads bowed downand tears were rolling out in the fear ofimpending scolding. But to our greatest reliefour mom hugged both of us and kissed-

“So sweet of you to have tried to make food forme. I should have trained you to be capable inall areas of life. Don’t worry. Now onwards bothof you start doing one dish per day and I shallgive you instructions sitting in the kitchen.”

The good result is that our children have turnedout to be very good cooks now!!!

Radhika R.B.Senior ManagerRO Mumbai

24

Sabattini M.J. , Br. Edavanna Krishnamoorthy V.R., Assistant Manager, HO Personnel Dept.

Ms. Neelima M P, D/o. Mrs. SavithriA.M., Thiruvilwamala Br. has se-cured FIRST RANK in B.Sc. Com-puter Science examination con-ducted by Calicut University inApril 2015.

Ms. Vandana P. , D/o. Mr.Vinayachandran P., Patthiripala Br.has secured FULL MARKS in PlusOne Board Exam Kerala 2016(Science Group)

Ms. Hilma Joseph D/o Mr. JosephP.P., Br. Erumapetty Secured FIRSTRANK (5 year LLB 2015 October)University of Calicut

25

Children’s Accomplishment

Art Window

Alwyn , Manager, Br. Shimoga & Sheethal Vipin, (Asst Manager, Br. Shimoga) with Chithra

Prudhvi TNV Palakurhti, Br. Medbowli & Manjusri Dr. Arun K. Simon S/o C.K. Simon, Senior Manager, RS Puram Branch,Coimbatore & Shyama Koothoor

Basic Customer Services1. 24/7 Toll free centre: [email protected] (1800-425-

1809,1800-843-1800, +91-484 2365657)2. Customer care centre: [email protected] (0487-2444336)3. Careers: https://southindianbank.com/Careers/careerslist.aspx

(+91 487 2422020, 2420058) or via Linkedin careers providedabove

4. FB Customer Support: https://www.facebook.com/thesouthindianbank

5. NRI Skype Customer Support: talk2nricell

Important Contact NumbersTo report lost/stolen ATM Cards 91-484-3939345,

91-484-2771343 or91-9446475458 (24 /7)

Debit Card 0484 2373611Mobile Banking 0484 2771384/3939384Internet Banking 0484 2933559Demat Cell 0484 2933545NRI Cell 0484 2933543NPS 0484 2933550Social Media 0484-2933544CRM Cell 0484-3933546

26

Wedding Bells

CLICKZ !!!

Clickz!!!A Platform to showcase yourPhotographic skills ....Yours might be the next......Send in your entries to [email protected]

Pramod PS, Manager, Br. Davangere

Baboo Anto, Asst. General ManagerHO - Personnel Dept.

Jaikrishnan K., Asst. Manager IT, HO-Personnel Department

Jose Thomas, Chief Manager & Faculty, SIBSTC