My Quick Tryst with Rajiv Bajaj

sriramv.iyer · 1st December 2011, 13:09

In my efforts to raise funds for my company, I did the unthinkable - I participated in a reality show that funds the winner startup. The journey has been good so far. Each week, of the 10 contestants,one is eliminated. I am still standing after 4 weeks, and hope to go as far as possible

The 4th episode was judged by Rajiv Bajaj - It was an awesome experience interacting with him, and EVERYONE of the contestent were blown away by whole experience. We were amazed by the focus, clarity of thought and expression and a genuinely good personality. There was no air of superiority or swagger that even a moderately successful personality sports nowadays. He was leading a company close to 16,000 Cr topline, and it was an absolutely humbling experience to find out how he went about his work with absolute sense of purpose. I was genuinely surprised to know about his management style that derives from Yoga and Homeopathy! (a different post on that, later!)

As the show was getting setup, I had good 10 mins to interact with Rajiv, and I used the opportunity to the max to get some 'insider' information on Bajaj

[SVI] DTSi is your flagship product. Do you think DTSi can scale multi-cylinder scenarios?

[RB]DTSi can definitely work in multi-cylinder scenarios. Our R&D is already working on such scenarios. It may not be an inline twin. But you can see some updates from us going forward

[SVI] Do you have the ability to scale beyond your current 220 cc offerings? Or, do you leave the market over 250 cc to Kawasaki and KTM?

[RB] We have schemes to create Pulsars with displacements from 150 cc all the way up to 750 cc! We don't have any technological challenges / hurdles in scaling up to 750cc. Our R&D already has some work done in this area

[SVI] When can we expect the next launch of Pulsars?

[RB] You should expect them very soon, even before March timeframe. You'll be very happy with the new list of features and a vastly improved platform.

[SVI] Should I start saving money?

[RB] The price points are in such a way that you don't need to save that much money!

[SVI] You launched FI with P220, and then you went back to Carb. Don't you think it is a step backward for Bajaj?

[RB] In smaller displacement bikes, the role of the FI is limited. It might help you while starting the bike on a cold day. Otherwise, a carb and FI do the samething - Help mix air and fuel mix. However, if I am able to save 10K - 15K INR by going back to carb and pass on the benefits back to the end-customer, that would place the product very attractively. P220-DTS FI was selling like 500-600 bikes a month. After we released the DTSi version (fastest Indian), we sell like 5000 bikes a month. This makes sense for the company.

[SVI] What about higher displacement bikes from the Pulsar range?

[RB] For 250cc and higher offerings, they'll have FI be default. We can't and will not use carbs there.

[SVI] What is the arrangement with KTM?

[RB] The Duke 125 is completely done in our plant here and is exported to European market. We'll be launching them here too

[SVI] What model of Duke are you planning to launch? Is it the 200?

[RB] Yes. We'll first launch the Duke 200 here. It is an awesome bike and it will shake up the market

[SVI] What is its power output? Should I sell my Honda CBR?

[RB] The bike produces close to 25 BHP. It is an awesome bike and it will beat CBR in all aspects. CBR is a pretty heavy bike close to 163 kgs. Duke 200 is close to 139 kgs. So, you can expect much higher power-to-weight ratio. You should probably shift

-----------

I told Rajiv that I was member of Team-BHP and he also passed on his email ID (in confidence

) to ask further questions and he'd be glad to answer. One of the girls in the competition was TOTALLY floored by him - Little does she know that I was, as well!

esteem_lover · 1st December 2011, 13:33

Must have been thrilling to talk to one of the biggest auto pioneers in India (I did not mean the bajaj RE Auto). I never had any taste for these "Reality" shows. I am sure you had a whale of a time and Good luck on the next rounds, keep us updated.

P.S what sort of a reality show is this, could you please explain ?

amtak · 1st December 2011, 16:24

Esteemlover, I think he's referring to the Pitch on CNBC TV18. I have never met rajiv in person. However, whenevere there are any auto awards on show, only this gentleman goes to collect the awards for Bajaj in jeans and a tee shirt. Speaks a lot about his simplicity. Products should deliver!

msdivy · 1st December 2011, 16:42

@sriramv.iyer, thats a great experience and thanks for sharing. I have just one request for RB, to bring some reforms & innovation for auto-rickshaw, in terms of passenger safety & comfort.

djay99 · 1st December 2011, 16:55

Thats a great experience sriram.

What msdivy said is very true. If possible you should write an email to RB about enhancing passenger safety and comfort in auto rickshaws. Increasing traffic risking passengers safety.

e46 · 1st December 2011, 23:22

great first hand experience there mate! Thanks for sharing.

I dindt get to meet this rollicking personality, btu read something about him long back in one of the auto mags, which i think all of you would love to know. It was a FICCI/SIAM kinda meet and all the auto honchos had arrived in their most polished business attire, and Mr. Rajiv arrived with his polo t shirt with Bajaj logo on it! All were taken aback by this.

This shows this man has got what it takes to swerve from the crowd, make something new.. I really admire this person. Mr. R Tata is one more towering personality, which I r4espect and admire.

Thanks,
Abhishek

Rehaan · 2nd December 2011, 12:13

Super interview sriramv.iyer!

Well-informed questions, and informative no-nonsense answers too

Quote:

Originally Posted by sriramv.iyer

I was genuinely surprised to know about his management style that derives from Yoga and Homeopathy! (a different post on that, later!)

Sounds interesting... do tell.

From the Bajaj website :

His current priority is the application of the scientific principles of Homoeopathy to the task of building a brand centred strategy at Bajaj Auto with the objective of achieving its vision of being one of the world’s leading motorcycle manufacturers.

cya
R

_raVan_ · 2nd December 2011, 12:58

Very interesting interview Sriram! Thanks for sharing. He seems to be a born leader and by his answers, he is spot on. Looking forward to the next wave of pulsars.

sriramv.iyer · 2nd December 2011, 13:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Must have been thrilling to talk to one of the biggest auto pioneers in India (I did not mean the bajaj RE Auto). I never had any taste for these "Reality" shows. I am sure you had a whale of a time and Good luck on the next rounds, keep us updated.

You bet! I was thrilled to the core! This is a business reality show called 'The Pitch (Season 2.0) by Bloomberg UTV. I don't watch TV and I wouldnt watch a reality even with a gun pointing to my head. It is a twist of fate that I landed up there! (http://www.yourmoneysite.com/thepitc...r-landing.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by amtak

Esteemlover, I think he's referring to the Pitch on CNBC TV18. I have never met rajiv in person. However, whenevere there are any auto awards on show, only this gentleman goes to collect the awards for Bajaj in jeans and a tee shirt. Speaks a lot about his simplicity. Products should deliver!

UTV Bloomberg guys will be very cross with you! He was in this attire on the show too. Cool and exuding an aura of peace, purpose, clarity with a lot of cheer!

Quote:

Originally Posted by msdivy

@sriramv.iyer, thats a great experience and thanks for sharing. I have just one request for RB, to bring some reforms & innovation for auto-rickshaw, in terms of passenger safety & comfort.

Quote:

Originally Posted by djay99

Thats a great experience sriram.

What msdivy said is very true. If possible you should write an email to RB about enhancing passenger safety and comfort in auto rickshaws. Increasing traffic risking passengers safety.

I am going to mail this link to him

Quote:

Originally Posted by e46

great first hand experience there mate! Thanks for sharing.

I dindt get to meet this rollicking personality, btu read something about him long back in one of the auto mags, which i think all of you would love to know. It was a FICCI/SIAM kinda meet and all the auto honchos had arrived in their most polished business attire, and Mr. Rajiv arrived with his polo t shirt with Bajaj logo on it! All were taken aback by this.

This shows this man has got what it takes to swerve from the crowd, make something new.. I really admire this person. Mr. R Tata is one more towering personality, which I r4espect and admire.

Thanks,
Abhishek

Thanks, and I totally concur with you!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Super interview sriramv.iyer!

Well-informed questions, and informative no-nonsense answers too

Sounds interesting... do tell.

Thanks Rehaan! I collected a lot more gyaan from him. I'll share that in this thread too!

Quote:

Originally Posted by _raVan_

Very interesting interview Sriram! Thanks for sharing. He seems to be a born leader and by his answers, he is spot on. Looking forward to the next wave of pulsars.

Yes, of course! He is an AWESOME guy! I'll share more (just terribly busy with show and business

)

jkdas · 2nd December 2011, 14:09

Excellent interview

Thanks for sharing.

Red Liner · 2nd December 2011, 14:55

So sriram, are you using anything you learnt from the Kamanahalli kick boxing classes to land a few punches in the contest?

sriramv.iyer · 2nd December 2011, 16:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkdas

Excellent interview. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, JK!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Liner

So sriram, are you using anything you learnt from the Kamanahalli kick boxing classes to land a few punches in the contest?

- What's your real name? - Though it might not appear so, things learnt in martial arts classes always continue to guide me! They closed down the center now

Red Liner · 2nd December 2011, 17:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by sriramv.iyer

- What's your real name? - Though it might not appear so, things learnt in martial arts classes always continue to guide me! They closed down the center now

I'm not Suraj for sure

JVH · 2nd December 2011, 21:42

So this explains why are not on the riding radar. Good stuff there and thanks for sharing.

Good set of questions too! Do share more on him and the manufacturer's strategy than the show

And finally, will it be KTM 200 now? ;-)

Shubz · 2nd December 2011, 22:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by JVH

And finally, will it be KTM 200 now? ;-)

Do you even doubt? It was clear from a long time that the 125's were for the export market and the 200 was sure for the India market.

It is very unusual for a top man to be so candid about the future. They usually play their cards very close to their hearts!

I have always been in awe of this man! Just like millions of others! We are all waiting for the market shake up to happen! Soon!

Come on Duke!!

1st December 2011, 13:09	#1
sriramv.iyer BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 845 Thanked: 739 Times	My Quick Tryst with Rajiv Bajaj In my efforts to raise funds for my company, I did the unthinkable - I participated in a reality show that funds the winner startup. The journey has been good so far. Each week, of the 10 contestants,one is eliminated. I am still standing after 4 weeks, and hope to go as far as possible The 4th episode was judged by Rajiv Bajaj - It was an awesome experience interacting with him, and EVERYONE of the contestent were blown away by whole experience. We were amazed by the focus, clarity of thought and expression and a genuinely good personality. There was no air of superiority or swagger that even a moderately successful personality sports nowadays. He was leading a company close to 16,000 Cr topline, and it was an absolutely humbling experience to find out how he went about his work with absolute sense of purpose. I was genuinely surprised to know about his management style that derives from Yoga and Homeopathy! (a different post on that, later!) As the show was getting setup, I had good 10 mins to interact with Rajiv, and I used the opportunity to the max to get some 'insider' information on Bajaj [SVI] DTSi is your flagship product. Do you think DTSi can scale multi-cylinder scenarios? [RB]DTSi can definitely work in multi-cylinder scenarios. Our R&D is already working on such scenarios. It may not be an inline twin. But you can see some updates from us going forward [SVI] Do you have the ability to scale beyond your current 220 cc offerings? Or, do you leave the market over 250 cc to Kawasaki and KTM? [RB] We have schemes to create Pulsars with displacements from 150 cc all the way up to 750 cc! We don't have any technological challenges / hurdles in scaling up to 750cc. Our R&D already has some work done in this area [SVI] When can we expect the next launch of Pulsars? [RB] You should expect them very soon, even before March timeframe. You'll be very happy with the new list of features and a vastly improved platform. [SVI] Should I start saving money? [RB] The price points are in such a way that you don't need to save that much money! [SVI] You launched FI with P220, and then you went back to Carb. Don't you think it is a step backward for Bajaj? [RB] In smaller displacement bikes, the role of the FI is limited. It might help you while starting the bike on a cold day. Otherwise, a carb and FI do the samething - Help mix air and fuel mix. However, if I am able to save 10K - 15K INR by going back to carb and pass on the benefits back to the end-customer, that would place the product very attractively. P220-DTS FI was selling like 500-600 bikes a month. After we released the DTSi version (fastest Indian), we sell like 5000 bikes a month. This makes sense for the company. [SVI] What about higher displacement bikes from the Pulsar range? [RB] For 250cc and higher offerings, they'll have FI be default. We can't and will not use carbs there. [SVI] What is the arrangement with KTM? [RB] The Duke 125 is completely done in our plant here and is exported to European market. We'll be launching them here too [SVI] What model of Duke are you planning to launch? Is it the 200? [RB] Yes. We'll first launch the Duke 200 here. It is an awesome bike and it will shake up the market [SVI] What is its power output? Should I sell my Honda CBR? [RB] The bike produces close to 25 BHP. It is an awesome bike and it will beat CBR in all aspects. CBR is a pretty heavy bike close to 163 kgs. Duke 200 is close to 139 kgs. So, you can expect much higher power-to-weight ratio. You should probably shift ----------- I told Rajiv that I was member of Team-BHP and he also passed on his email ID (in confidence ) to ask further questions and he'd be glad to answer. One of the girls in the competition was TOTALLY floored by him - Little does she know that I was, as well! Last edited by GTO : 1st December 2011 at 17:55. Reason: No more than 2 smilies per post please
	(35) Thanks

1st December 2011, 13:33	#2
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 502 Times View My Garage	Re: My Quick Tryst with Rajiv Bajaj Must have been thrilling to talk to one of the biggest auto pioneers in India (I did not mean the bajaj RE Auto). I never had any taste for these "Reality" shows. I am sure you had a whale of a time and Good luck on the next rounds, keep us updated. P.S what sort of a reality show is this, could you please explain ?
	() Thanks

1st December 2011, 16:24	#3
amtak Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai - The city of Sea Link!!! Posts: 2,915 Thanked: 901 Times View My Garage	Re: My Quick Tryst with Rajiv Bajaj Esteemlover, I think he's referring to the Pitch on CNBC TV18. I have never met rajiv in person. However, whenevere there are any auto awards on show, only this gentleman goes to collect the awards for Bajaj in jeans and a tee shirt. Speaks a lot about his simplicity. Products should deliver!
	(1) Thanks

1st December 2011, 16:42	#4
msdivy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,815 Thanked: 2,826 Times	Re: My Quick Tryst with Rajiv Bajaj @sriramv.iyer, thats a great experience and thanks for sharing. I have just one request for RB, to bring some reforms & innovation for auto-rickshaw, in terms of passenger safety & comfort.
	() Thanks

1st December 2011, 16:55	#5
djay99 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 1,475 Thanked: 544 Times View My Garage	Re: My Quick Tryst with Rajiv Bajaj Thats a great experience sriram. What msdivy said is very true. If possible you should write an email to RB about enhancing passenger safety and comfort in auto rickshaws. Increasing traffic risking passengers safety.
	() Thanks

1st December 2011, 23:22	#6
e46 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: BLR, RDP Posts: 322 Thanked: 279 Times	Re: My Quick Tryst with Rajiv Bajaj great first hand experience there mate! Thanks for sharing. I dindt get to meet this rollicking personality, btu read something about him long back in one of the auto mags, which i think all of you would love to know. It was a FICCI/SIAM kinda meet and all the auto honchos had arrived in their most polished business attire, and Mr. Rajiv arrived with his polo t shirt with Bajaj logo on it! All were taken aback by this. This shows this man has got what it takes to swerve from the crowd, make something new.. I really admire this person. Mr. R Tata is one more towering personality, which I r4espect and admire. Thanks, Abhishek
	() Thanks

2nd December 2011, 12:58	#8
_raVan_ Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 1,074 Thanked: 660 Times	Re: My Quick Tryst with Rajiv Bajaj Very interesting interview Sriram! Thanks for sharing. He seems to be a born leader and by his answers, he is spot on. Looking forward to the next wave of pulsars.
	() Thanks

2nd December 2011, 14:09	#10
jkdas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Thiruvananthapu Posts: 9,687 Thanked: 1,492 Times View My Garage	Re: My Quick Tryst with Rajiv Bajaj Excellent interview Thanks for sharing.
	() Thanks

2nd December 2011, 14:55	#11
Red Liner Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,209 Thanked: 18,044 Times	Re: My Quick Tryst with Rajiv Bajaj So sriram, are you using anything you learnt from the Kamanahalli kick boxing classes to land a few punches in the contest?
	() Thanks

2nd December 2011, 21:42	#14
JVH Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,045 Thanked: 207 Times	Re: My Quick Tryst with Rajiv Bajaj So this explains why are not on the riding radar. Good stuff there and thanks for sharing. Good set of questions too! Do share more on him and the manufacturer's strategy than the show And finally, will it be KTM 200 now? ;-)
	() Thanks