From the heart of a banker

Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit *

Recently I have gone through a very well-researched, thought-provoking and eye-opener book “From a Car shed to the Corner Room & Beyond” written by Sunder Rajan Raman a former CMD of Canara Bank. Executive Director of Union Bank of India and former WRM, SEBI.

The book narrates the personal and professional journey of S. Raman in an honest and candid manner.A Post Graduate in Economics, Raman holds a Diploma in Business Management and a Senior Diploma in German Language, besides CAIIB from the Indian Institute of Bankers and ACIB from the Chartered Institute of Bankers, London. Raman joined the State Bank of India as a Clerk at 19, while not yet a graduate.

On completing B.Com as a University Topper and Rank-Holder, he joined Bank of India at 21 as a Direct Recruit Officer where he spent 35 years across India, besides two stints abroad.

Raman started with modest beginnings, living in a car shed for about 6 years of his childhood, before gradually rising to head Canara Bank, one of India’s largest banks, where his father had served as a stenographer for more than three decades earlier.

The book exemplifies how a simple career path should be for an honest banker and in reality, how circumstances can stress test the person fully.

I feel lucky that I got an opportunity to work with S. Raman when he was Zonal Manager in Bank of India – Ahmedabad Zone. Really he has shared the joys of success and sorrows of setbacks experienced in his personal as well as professional journey and the balance he had maintained during his successful tenure.

If you speak particularly of people involved in business endeavours across industries, we’re often faced with constant pressure to perform at our best and achieve success, whether it’s in our careers or our personal lives. It is rightly said that Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world. For S. Raman, Success isn’t always about greatness.

It’s about consistency and consistent hard work has led to success and greatness. During his entire career, Raman’s attitude was to go for hard choices that would lead to lasting benefits rather than going for easy options.

His book is a well-crafted biography that vibrates with the universal themes of honest hard work and strong determination. On going through many chapters, one feels that Raman is a good story teller as he can turn a minor incident into a major event, worthy of the attention of the unsuspecting reader.

It transports impactful leadership lessons through forthright language that encourages continuous reading. The book reveals the fact that hard work is about doing something that may not directly inspire you but that is necessary for you to achieve your goal.

It really speaks of S Raman’s professional learnings, including the tougher situations he has had to face. Some of these events tell of difficult times that the author faced personally. Despite the hardships, this book articulates his beliefs in spirituality and his truthful journey.

Post retirement, Raman had to face some disastrous events. The way he faced these difficulties is an important part of the book, which essentially is the story of his professional and personal life, intertwined in a smooth and seamless way.

The author has very nicely depicted the transformative power of mentorship and the impact of meaningful relationships in his life’s journey.The acumens can really help to enhance proficiency in business development, operations management, and administrative strategies.The book offers valuable insights into overcoming challenges, making it a motivational read for anyone aspiring to achieve their goals.

It delivers impactful leadership lessons through straightforward language that encourages continuous reading. The book is useful not only for bankers but also for individuals with varied interests, given its broad applicability and engaging style.

In his epilogue, the author rightly points out that “Positive thinking has ensured that all in our family have retained our optimism and confidence.” There is no doubt that this book will be scratched as an inspiring and remarkable narrative for all of us.