Latest news with #Saigal
Mint
6 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Search firms find you jobs. Now their CXOs are jumping jobs too
Top recruitment and staffing firms are grappling with an unusual wave of senior executive departures, as rivals poach top talent from each other to navigate a rapidly evolving market. Major players like TeamLease, Adecco and Manpower Group are locked in a talent war over the past year, as the industry expands to meet the growing demand for gig, temporary, and permanent workers. 'Leaders who have grown within it often find it easier to navigate, while those coming from outside sometimes struggle to settle in. Add to that the fact that our business model is shifting rapidly—more specialization, more tech, more AI-led transformation—and it is natural for companies to bring in leaders with new skills and perspectives," said Manu Saigal, country manager of recruitment firm Hays. Saigal joined UK-based Hays in June this year, and was with Adecco, one of India's largest staffing firms, for a decade. Her last position at Adecco was that of a director. The recruitment sector can be divided broadly into three categories. The staffing industry conducts mass hiring, and its employees work out of client sites. Then there is permanent hiring which can be done by the staffing industry, which places candidates on clients' payrolls . Finally, executive search firms have a team of headhunters, recruiting CXOs. While search firms are hiring top executives from consulting companies and the Big Four (KPMG, Deloitte, EY and PwC) for better access to the kind of talent pool that clients want, the staffing and recruitment industry is gunning for its rivals. The recruitment industry is going through a choppy phase as the economy is on a yo-yo. The advent of AI impacting hiring numbers, global wars and poor visibility of the demand and supplies has made hiring tougher. For many senior recruiters who now hold the top positions in these companies, they need to get someone who understands the crests and troughs well. In February, Ramesh Alluri Reddy, chief executive officer (CEO) of degree apprenticeship businesses at Teamlease, joined American staffing and recruitment firm Allegis Group as India managing director (MD). Kartik Narayan, CEO for staffing at TeamLease Services has stepped down as well, after working with the recruitment firm for three years. In fact , Sunil Chemmankotil, now country manager of Adecco, also came from TeamLease Digital, one of the businesses of the staffing firm and joined rival-Adecco in April 2024. 'It could be a function of new challenges, new roles, larger roles, compensation, working for an MNC, new industry and so on. I think each of the exits we had could be attributed to a different personal reason, and while we would have liked to keep the people, we respect their decision to move and continue to keep in touch," said Ashok Reddy, MD, TeamLease Services. While the company makes efforts to prevent exits and builds a second rung of leaders to ensure business continuity, some may not have worked out, Reddy said. 'While we have tried to work on compensation plans that have an annual incentive component, long-term incentive plans and employee stock appreciation rights alongside the capability building for the leaders, we do acknowledge that it didn't work for some leaders as a retention tool." Adecco and ManpowerGroup did not respond to Mint's queries sent on Tuesday. Mails sent to Kartik Narayan, Ramesh Alluri Reddy, Alok Kumar and Sunil Chemmankotil remained unanswered. According to one of the CXOs who has joined a rival firm, these shifts also come at a time when the recruitment sector is coming of age in India. '12-13 million youth are expected to join the workforce every year, and the employment will not be taken care of only by the government. The private sector is working on different formats to get more employees on board, and this is why the recruitment industry will play an integral role in getting the candidate," said the CXO who joined a rival recruitment firm for better growth prospects. The different formats here include mandates for gig, temporary staffing, blue-collar and permanent jobs. Manpower Group India's former president and country head Alok Kumar joined National Skill Development Corp. International Ltd as CEO in November 2024, after working with the recruitment firm for six years.
Indian Express
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Pre-Independence Bollywood icon had real-life Devdas spiral, succumbed to alcohol at 42; once gave the equivalent of Rs 75,000 to blind beggar
Before there was Dilip Kumar, before there was Shah Rukh Khan, there was Kundanlal Saigal. Born in Jammu, Saigal achieved fame and success for his portrayal of the titular character in the 1935 adaptation of Devdas. Sadly, his own life was marked by a dependence on alcohol. He died in the year of India's Independence, in January, after damaging his liver to the point of no recovery. He was only 42, and reportedly didn't have much money to his name. He had returned to his hometown of Jalandhar, and was hoping to rebuild his singing and acting career. Feeling unfulfilled as a youth in Jalandhar, he took up odd jobs across the country. He worked as a salesman, peddling sarees and typewriters. He worked at a hotel in Shimla. But his passion for singing drew him to Kolkata, then the hub of the film and entertainment industry. In Kolkata, he was signed by New Theatres, a production company that retained him for the sum of Rs 200 per month. His first few films didn't work, but the year 1934 was pivotal for him. The song 'Prem Nagar,' from the film Chandidas, was a hit. The very next year, he starred in Devdas, which catapulted his career to even greater heights. Also read – Legendary Bollywood music composer lived as paying guest in final years, banned family from attending funeral 'I am just an ordinary person with no acting experience. I used to be a salesman and singing is my hobby,' he told Kidar Sharma, who'd go on to write Devdas, and worked with pre-fame Geeta Bali, Madhubala, Bharat Bhusan and others. 'Saigal had two passions,' Kidar Sharma wrote in his autobiography, 'Music and alcohol; one made him and the other destroyed him.' Saigal remained skeptical about his skills, and grew certain that he could perform only when he was under the influence. In his book, Kidar Sharma narrated a story about the music composer Naushad asking Saigal to sing a song both sober and drunk, and then told him that he was going to pick the sober version. He once told a concerned music director ahead of a recording session, 'Please forgive my staggering but I do not sing with my body but soul.' In an interview with Kirit Ghosh, editor of the film magazine Jayathi, Saigal said, 'I have no clear understanding of the grammar of music. I manage to sing because of a strong feeling about how certain sounds should feel in a given raga. I do not use ten notes if I can manage to do the same with one. That's because I know very little.' Read more – Star of Bollywood's Golden Era died penniless due to flamboyant lifestyle, influenced Amitabh Bachchan and won praise from Mahatma Gandhi Saigal was one of the first performers to insist that his songs be recorded live, instead of in a studio. In his book Bollywood Melodies, Ganesh Anantharaman wrote, 'Saigal's supreme effort at singing was, of course, RC Boral's, Bhairavi Thumri 'Babulmora Naihar Chooto Hi Jaaye' in Street Singer (1938). In terms of authenticity and feeling, no other Bhairavi comes close to matching this Boral-Saigal masterpiece. While playing the protagonist, insisted that this song be recorded live as he is walking the street, though playback was well in vogue by then. Saigal knew that it was through his voice that he conveyed the truths of his character, and the truth of street singer needed a live recording. The director complied, and the song was recorded live with Saigal walking the streets, singing while a mike followed him in a truck just behind! No other singer would have dared a live recording. No other singer, therefore, has sung as intense a Bhairavi.' In his book, Kidar Sharma narrated a story to illustrate how sensitive Saigal was as a person. Back when Saigal was making a living selling sarees and typewriters, he'd cross the house of a poor girl who had her eye on a green saree in his case. But she couldn't afford it. One day, she promised him she'd have the Rs 10 that it cost the next day, and told him to come by. When he did, he discovered that the girl had died. Saigal donated the green saree to his brother for her funeral, and was so deeply affected by the incident that he stopped selling sarees altogether. Read more – Bollywood's most celebrated Golden Age writer died penniless, burdened by heavy debts; Javed Akhtar blamed Raj Kapoor Once, at a party, Saigal persuaded Kidar Sharma to step outside with him for some fresh air. Sharma realised that Saigal had heard someone singing in the distance, and wanted to investigate. The voice belonged to a blind beggar. Saigal was so moved by his song that he reached into his pocket and gave the beggar whatever he had. He later told Sharma that he'd given the beggar Rs 5000. When Sharma expressed shock, Saigal said, 'You think the one who gives me ever counts?' Saigal retreated to Jalandhar when he fell gravely ill. Doctors had reportedly given up on him, and his family had decided not to withhold his alcohol. They wanted him to do as he pleased. His sister-in-law told Punjabi writer Balwant Gargi several years after his death, 'Kundan was a great soul, an unusual person. He was ill and in need of complete rest but would tell us jokes and make us laugh. A few days before his death, he got his head shaved and said that on his return to Bombay, he would play the roles of sadhus and bhakts. But suddenly, his condition became critical and he passed away on the morning of January 18, 1947, leaving behind only his eternal melodies for hordes of his mourners in the country.' Read more – Mughal-E-Azam actor worked in over 500 films, but lived in a house without electricity, could never afford a car In a 1973 interview with a film magazine, Saigal's son reflected on his alcoholism. He said, 'My father did drink like anybody else… While he enjoyed his drink, my sister and I used to take music lessons in his presence from our teacher Jagan Nath Prasad. He would then listen to our practice. I did not see him drinking in excess at home. Nor do I remember his ever coming home in a drunken state.'
Time of India
02-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Despite promising fundamentals, markets may lack decisive momentum in the near future: Anshul Saigal
The markets are well aware that this is ongoing situation and skirmishes here and there do not really move the markets too much. So, my guess is markets will take it in their stride. Anshul Saigal of Saigal Capital suggests the market is consolidating after a strong rally. Fourth-quarter results exceeded expectations, leading to market gains. The Russia-Ukraine war's impact is now minimal, with markets largely desensitized. Peace efforts are underway. Saigal anticipates a range-bound market in the near term. Markets are expected to digest recent gains before the next move. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads "We have seen this war break out sometime in the year 22 February and that was the period where it was a surprise, a negative surprise of course, but thereafter I mean, I still recall that around that year the markets consolidated till the end of that year and in fact, only in March 23 the markets started rallying, I am talking about the broader markets and thereafter after we have seen a tremendous rally, particularly in the smallcaps we have seen as much as 70-80% upside from the lows of March 23," says Anshul Saigal , Founder, Saigal Capital So, if you look at the move of the markets in the last say one to two months, it has been quite a turnaround from what we were seeing in the first quarter of this year, as also what we saw in the last quarter of last calendar year. Now, it left everybody flummoxed as to why this is happening and then the fourth quarter results came in and what we have seen in the fourth quarter results is that by and large with the exception of maybe one or two sectors, there has been a beat on expectations and Nifty this year has ended with a 1% kind of upside on earnings over a large base of the previous year was, we need to keep in mind, around 24% earnings growth , on that we saw 1% earnings growth for the year. The other thing we noticed is that in this quarter the upgrade to downgrade ratio that became favourable, and this is again a change from the previous two clearly the markets were anticipating this sort of a result season which is why the markets rallied as much as they did. And having done that, it is only fair that markets digest this kind of a move and it becomes somewhat of a consolidating market , a boring market for some time before markets are in place for the next leg of the move and as a result, it is possible that for this month as also as we have seen in recent one or two weeks, the markets become rangebound and that markets digest this move over the last two-three months and thereafter set up for the next have seen this war break out sometime in the year 22 February and that was the period where it was a surprise, a negative surprise of course, but thereafter I mean, I still recall that around that year the markets consolidated till the end of that year and in fact, only in March 23 the markets started rallying, I am talking about the broader markets and thereafter after we have seen a tremendous rally, particularly in the smallcaps we have seen as much as 70-80% upside from the lows of March the surprise factor in this war is by and large in the markets. Everybody understands that this is a war which has been happening for the longest time and markets move on surprises, much more than whether positive or negative markets move on surprises. Now having seen the war go on for nearly three years now and we have seen this escalation of late but we are also seeing peace moves happening in Istanbul as you rightly mentioned and we have a president in US who is working overtime to ensure that the war comes to an we will have to wait and see. I doubt that this will have adverse repercussion on the markets. The markets are well aware that this is ongoing situation and skirmishes here and there do not really move the markets too much. So, my guess is markets will take it in their stride.
Hindustan Times
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Bollywood's first superstar dwarfed Shah Rukh, Amitabh Bachchan's feats; but ruined his career with alcohol, died at 42
The term superstar may have arrived late in the Bollywood lexicon, but superstars had existed right from the early years of the industry. Even in the days when Bombay was not the filmmaking capital of India, big stars were ruling the roost. The first of them captivated the audience like nobody has since and set the template for what superstardom is. And yet, his journey has been briefer than anyone's since. Kundan Lal Saigal gained fame as KL Saigal in the 30s and 40s. Saigal was an extraordinary singer and a hugely popular actor, the original Hindi cinema superstar. Born in Jammu to the tehsildar at the court of the Maharaja of J&K, Saigal learnt singing from his mother, who used to take him to bhajans and kirtans as a kid. He began as a singer in Calcutta in the early 30s, and eventually made his acting debut with Mohabbat Ke Ansu in 1932. He used the stage name Saigal Kashmiri for his first few films, but they all flopped. His breakthrough came with the 1933 film Puran Bhagat, where his bhajans became chartbusters. Films like Chandidas and Yahudi Ki Ladki followed. In 1935, he played the character that defined him - Devdas. PC Barua's adaptation was a golden jubilee hit, making Saigal a superstar. In the late 30s, Saigal continued to churn out hits like President, Dharti Mata, Street Singer, and Dushman. He even appeared in a few Bengali films during this period. In 1941, Saigal moved to Bombay and appeared in more hits like Tansen and My Sister. But by now, alcohol had taken hold of him. Contemporary reports state that the star was unable to come to the sets unless drunk, and his dependence on alcohol was starting to affect his work. Despite this, he delivered hits like Shahjehan and Omar Khaiyyam in 1946 and Parwana in 1947. Parwana was to be his final film and was released after his death. Saigal went to his ancestral city of Jalandhar in early 1947, where he eventually died of liver failure. He was 42. Easily the biggest star of the time, his death created a vacuum in Indian cinema filled only by youngsters like Dilip Kumar a few years later. Saigal acted in 26 films in his career, of which 28 were in Hindi. Over half of them were successful at the box office, a record no superstar has been able to achieve, not even Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan. But not just actors, even singers idolised Saigal. Legends like Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, and Mukesh have spoken of Saigal as their musical guru.
