उपराष्ट्रपति श्री वेंकैया नायडु ने कार्य और जीवन के बीच संतुलन बनाये रखने की आवश्यकता पर बल देते हुए कहा कि व्यक्ति को अपने पेशेवर कर्तव्यों तथा पारिवारिक दायित्वों को समान रूप से महत्व देना चाहिए।
उपराष्ट्रपति आज चेन्नई में ‘डॉ.वी.एल. दत्त : ग्लिप्सेंस ऑफ ए पायनियर्स लाइफ जर्नी’ पुस्तक का विमोचन कर रहे थे। यह पुस्तक श्रीमती वी.एल. इंदिरा दत्त ने लिखी है। उपराष्ट्रपति ने सभी कारोबारी हस्तियों से आग्रह किया कि वे अपनी एचआर नीतियां इस तरह बनाएं कि कर्मचारी सहज रूप से जीवन और कार्य के बीच संतुलन बना सकें। उन्होंने कहा कि इससे न केवल कर्मचारियों का कार्य प्रदर्शन बेहतर होगा, बल्कि मानसिक स्वास्थ्य की समस्या का समाधान भी होगा, जो हमारे समाज में बढ़ रही है।
श्री नायडु ने कहा कि जब लोग बढ़ते तनाव का सामना कर रहे होते हैं उस समय मानसिक स्वास्थ्य शारीरिक स्वास्थ्य के बराबर महत्व रखता है। उन्होंने लोगों से प्रकृति के बीच समय गुजारने और स्वयं को तनाव मुक्त करने के लिए बाहरी गतिविधियों में भाग लेने की आवश्यकता जताई।
पूर्व उद्योगपति श्री वी.एल. दत्त द्वारा अपने परिवार और व्यावसायिक दुनिया के बीच संतुलन बनाये रखने की सराहना करते हुए कहा कि यह सभी कारोबारियों और उद्यमियों के लिए प्रेरणा हो सकता है।
उपराष्ट्रपति ने श्री दत्त को जनमानस बताया। उन्होंने कहा कि श्री दत्त लोगों के साथ रहने और उन्हें महत्व प्रदान करने में आनंदित होते थे। उपराष्ट्रपति ने कहा कि कड़ी स्पर्धा वाले व्यावसायिक माहौल में यह बात आजकल नहीं देखी जाती। उन्होंने कहा कि श्री दत्त के लिए सबसे पहले उनके कर्मचारी थे और वे उनकी चिंता करते थे।
इस पुस्तक में अपने प्रिय पति की यादों और अनुभवों को साझा करने के लिए श्रीमती वी.एल. इंदिरा दत्त की सराहना की। श्री नायडु ने कहा कि यह पुस्तक इस कारोबारी हस्ती के मानवीय पक्ष को उजागर करती है और पाठकों को उन्हें एक पारिवारिक व्यक्ति और पति, पिता तथा मित्र के रूप में उनके आचरण को जानने का अवसर प्रदान करती है।
इस पुस्तक में शामिल अनेक किस्सों की चर्चा करते हुए उपराष्ट्रपति ने कहा कि एक नामी कारोबारी कार्पोरेटर का जीवन बिताने के बावजूद श्री दत्त बुजुर्गों के सम्मान, विनम्रता, सेवा तथा करुणा के गुणों को कभी नहीं भूले। उपराष्ट्रपति ने इन गुणों को अपनी सभ्यता का मूल्य बताते हुए कहा कि वर्तमान पीढ़ी को श्री दत्त जैसे व्यक्तित्वों से प्रेरणा लेनी चाहिए। उपराष्ट्रपति ने पुस्तक में श्रीमती इंदिरा दत्त की इस बात से सहमति जताई कि संयुक्त परिवार व्यवस्था टूटने से आपसी देखभाल और चिंता, समायोजन की भावना और सामूहिक लोकाचार में कमी आई है। श्री नायडु ने कहा कि भारतीय संयुक्त परिवार व्यवस्था के मूल्यों के लिए विश्व में इसकी प्रशंसा की जाती है। श्री नायडु ने युवाओं को सदियों पुरानी इस व्यवस्था को बनाये रखने और इसका प्रचार करने की सलाह दी।
श्री वी.एल. दत्त के साथ अपनी घनिष्ठ मित्रता को याद करते हुए श्री नायडु ने कहा कि हमारे आपसी जुड़ाव के कई कारणों में खेल भी एक था। खेल के प्रति श्री दत्त के उत्साह की चर्चा करते हुए उन्होंने युवाओं उद्यमियों से श्री दत्त से प्रेरणा प्राप्त करने तथा खेल-कूद तथा बाहरी गतिविधियों के लिए हमेशा समय निकालने को कहा।
उन्होंने कहा कि श्री दत्त सम्मानित उद्योगपति, परोपकारी और अद्भूत विजनरी थे, जिन्होंने युवाओं उद्यमियों की सम्पूर्ण पीढ़ी को प्रेरित किया।
उन्होंने कहा कि फिक्की के प्रमुख के रूप में श्री दत्त ने 1991-92 के वर्षों में सरकार और उद्योग के बीच खाई को पाटने में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाई।
उपराष्ट्रपति ने कहा कि बिना किसी आशा के, बिना किसी शर्त के कुछ देने का उनका गुण असाधारण था। उपराष्ट्रपति ने कहा कि श्री दत्त ने विभिन्न परोपकारी संगठनों के माध्यम से समाज की सेवा की और कॉलेजों, कौशल विकास केन्द्रों तथा स्वास्थ्य सुविधाओं के निर्माण के लिए उदारतापूर्वक दान दिया।
इस अवसर पर उपराष्ट्रपति ने रूचिकर पुस्तक लिखने के लिए श्रीमती वी.एल. इंदिरा दत्त को बधाई दी और उनकी सोच को लिखित रूप देने के लिए श्री यू. अत्रेय सरमा तथा सुश्री अंबिका अनंत की सराहना की।
विमोचन समारोह में तमिनाडु के राज्यपाल श्री आर.एन. रवि, तमिलनाडु के पर्यावरण, जलवायु परिवर्तन तथा युवा कार्य तथा खेल मंत्री श्री शिवा वी. मियानाथन, के.सी.पी. लिमिटेड की अध्यक्ष और प्रबंध निदेशक डॉ. वी.एल. इंदिरा दत्त, संयुक्त प्रबंध निदेशक श्रीमती वी. कविता दत्त तथा अन्य गणमान्य व्यक्ति उपस्थित थे।
उपराष्ट्रपति के संदेश का मूल पाठ पढ़ने के लिए कृपया अंग्रेजी की विज्ञप्ति देखें :
“Dear sisters and brothers,
It is an emotional moment for me today as we launch the book ‘Dr V L Dutt-Glimpses of a
Pioneer’s Life Journey’ written by Smt. V L Indira Dutt.
My late friend, Velagapudi Lakshmana Dutt was a respected industrialist, philanthropist and a
visionary par excellence. It has been almost two years since he left us but his friendly and warm
nature, love and hospitality remain etched vividly in my memory. There are very few people
who leave an indelible impression on the sands of time and Shri Dutt was one such blessed
soul with whom I shared a close relationship.
Born to Shri Velagapudi Ramakrishna and Durgamba on December 27, 1937, Shri Dutt earned
a name for himself in the business community in India and abroad. As the Chairman &
Managing Director of KCP Limited, he proved himself a worthy heir to his illustrious father
who had made great contribution to the nation’s development– first as an ICS officer and then
as an industrialist. It can be rightly said that if Shri Ramakrishna sowed the seed of KCP
Limited, it was his son Lakshmana Dutt who nurtured it into a banyan like tree. Shri Dutt
headed industry body FICCI during the crucial years of 1991-92 when the economy was
passing through a tumultuous phase and his vision and foresight played an instrumental role in
bridging the gap between the government and industry during those days.
Indeed Shri Dutt was not an individual but an institution. He was a corporate statesman who
inspired a whole generation of young entrepreneurs.
As Executive Chairman of the KCP, Shri Dutt made successful ventures in various sectors
including Cement, Sugar, Heavy Industrial Machinery, Power Generation, IT and
Hospitality. Conscious of his societal responsibilities, he served on the Board of various
charitable organizations such as Indian Education Trust, Chennai Willingdon Corporate
Foundation and Cardiac Medical & Research Foundation among others.
Shri Dutt was a great visionary and a stalwart in administration. Here, I would like to narrate
one particular incident as a testimony to his managerial competence. There was a sugar factory
near Challapalli in Krishna district which was making heavy losses and defaulted on farmers’
payments. Then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri NT Rama Rao called over VL Dutt
and told that farmers in the region had fallen on hard times and wanted someone like Shri Dutt
could take over the management of the factory. Shri Lakshmana Dutt took an extraordinarily
courageous risk and KCP took over Challapalli Sugar Factory in 1987. Shri Dutt, through his
enterprise and hard work, modernized and transformed the factory within a year and most of
the dues of farmers were cleared in a record time.
During his lifetime, Shri Lakshmana Dutt touched many lives and the most outstanding quality
he had was that of giving unconditionally without any expectation. In memory of his late father,
he established a trust called the V. Ramakrishna Charitable Trust, contributing to the cause of
Education, Health and Rural Development. He generously donated large sums for construction
of colleges, skill development centers and health facilities.
For his illustrious services, Shri Dutt was showered with numerous awards and recognitions at
national and international level. In 1989, the Government of Andhra Pradesh conferred him
with the Yajamanya Ratna Award. The President of Vietnam presented him the Friendship
Medal in 2017 for his positive contribution to the development of Socio Economy of Phu Yen
Province and contribution to strengthen traditional relations and overall partnership between
Vietnam and India. Beside these, ASEAN-India Achievement and Excellence Award and Paul
Harris Fellow award by Rotary International are some of the notable recognitions.
Dear friends,
The world knows Shri Dutt as a successful businessman, but this book brings out his human
side. While sifting through its pages, you get to know him as a family man, his conduct as a
husband, father and friend.
I must compliment Smt. V.L. Indira Dutt ji for sharing the memories and experiences of her
beloved husband for the larger benefit of us all. It is to her credit that the reader gets a
completely fresh perspective into Shri Dutt’s fun loving and cheerful personality, his hard
working but humble nature and concern for the well being of others. He was a people’s person
who enjoyed being with people and giving them importance in his life, a quality so starkly
missing in today’s highly competitive business environment.
This book has rekindled my own memories about Shri Dutt. We used to discuss various issues
of common interest. Sports used to be one such topic of our discussion. Like me, he was also
a sports enthusiast and would often fly to London to witness Wimbledon tournaments. Today’s
young entrepreneurs should learn from him and always find some time for sports and outdoor
activities, no matter how busy they are. If one remains physically fit, one can be mentally more
alert and make better decisions.
This book might come as a surprise for many who knew Shri Dutt only as a busy industrialist.
When you read this book by Indira ji, you will marvel at the manner in which he balanced his
family life and the business world perfectly. This should be a lesson to all businessmen and
entrepreneurs. While performing one’s professional duty, one should give equal importance to
friends and family because in the end that is what gives one an everlasting joy and support. I
would also urge all business leaders to frame their HR policies in such a way that their
employees are able to manage their work-life balance easily. This would not only lead to better
performance by employees but would also help in addressing mental health issues which are
rising in our society. For Shri Dutt, his employees always came first and he deeply cared for
them. He ingrained this value in the work culture and nurtured his group of companies with
kindness and love.
The book mentions one incident. Once, when Indira Ji’s mother was seriously ill, Dutt told her
“Kumari don’t worry about company’s affairs. I’ll see that they are taken care of by someone
or the other. You just focus on the mother’s health.” Here was a true son speaking, his samskara
speaking, his compassion and respect for elders speaking. These are the qualities that make one
great.
The virtues of respect for elders, service and compassion are at the core of our civilizational
values. Although Shri Dutt was high-flying corporate leader, he never forgot this. Present
generation must draw inspiration from personalities like Shri Dutt. I agree with Smt. Indira Ji’s
observation in the book that “collapse of joint family system has led to the dilution of mutual
care and concern, the spirit of adjustment and collective ethos.” Our youth need to understand
that this age-old tradition needs to be preserved and propagated for their own good.
He proved the meaning and spirit of the adage ‘Atithi Devo bhava’ (the guest is divine) while
conducting his guests. On several occasions, I myself had an opportunity to enjoy his lavish
hospitality and nostalgically still remember those days.
Dutt was a very warm soul with no vanity. He was lovingly playful with all the children in the
extended family. A man of clear conscience, he was artlessly affectionate to anyone – children,
friends or relatives.
His passion for work was such that he looked upon his factories as his matriarch. KCP Ltd
made tremendous progress under his active and constructive leadership. It is heartening to note
that December 27, the birthday of VL Dutt, is observed as Quality Day in every factory of
KCP. Similarly, September 14, birthday of Smt Indira Dutt is observed as Environment Day. I
am also happy to note that on this occasion, tree plantation drives are also conducted in villages
around KCP factories, enhancing green cover and protecting the rural ecology.
When I was going through this book, I was deeply touched by the personal details of Indira Ji’s
marriage ceremony with Shri VL Dutt at her native place Muktyala. One more thing that I
particularly liked in this book is that Indira ji has mostly written all names in full, not in
abbreviated form. This is appreciable and shows her respect towards her family elders. More
people should follow this.
I once again congratulate Smt. VL Indira Dutt for coming out with this beautiful book and Shri
U Atreya Sarma and Ms Ambika Ananth for transcribing her thoughts beautifully.
Shri Dutt’s legacy lives on and will continue to inspire generations to come.
Jai Hind!”