1st GRAND EVENT , 7TH FEBRUARY 2009
7th February 2009, Banquet Hall Manthan. It was the eve of the first grand event of Convergence of Youth Professionals (CYP), the movement which has established its roots in the City of Joy amidst the fraternity of students, members and our respected mentors.
THE HISTORICAL BEGINNING
As per the schedule Mr. Rajesh Poddar, Company Secretary, ITC Ltd. took the chair. YP Sumit Dhanuka welcomed Mr. Poddar and the YPs. He briefed all of us with the theme of CYP and the objective for which it was formed. YP Sumit spoke on the steps taken till date and the overview for the future shape of CYP . He then invited YP Neha Dhanuka to take charge of proceedings.
Mr. Rajesh Poddar
YP Neha Dhanuka introduced Mr. Rajesh Poddar to the house as a fellow member of ICAI, ICSI and a member of Institute of Internal Auditors, USA. He has been the Immediate Past Chairman of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India – Eastern India Region as also the immediate Past Chairman of Eastern India Region of CII Young Indians, the CII Youth Wing.
He has been regular speaker in various professional forums like Institute of Company Secretaries, Institute of Chartered Accountants, IIM, and various Chambers on matters relating to Corporate Laws and has contributed numerous articles in various professional journals.
“Are our Regulators Proactive or Reactive? - Lessons from the Satyam Saga” - Mr Rajesh Poddar
Mr. Poddar started the discussion by listing down the financial scams India Inc. has suffered till date but Satyam being the biggest of them all. He substantiated on Self Regulation being the
key to success. It is not necessary that more the regulation less the scams. We have example of countries like US who also suffered ENRON in the midst of the regulations net. Then came Sarbanes Oxley which also could not prevent the reckllessness of big wigs of Investment Banking Industry which are now falling like a pack of cards. Now, you can make the law as stringent as it can be but it will be as good as it is implemented.Making the legal dogs hungry for wrong doers will not stop scams unless the law has the sharp teeths to rip off the scamsters. Again, not to forget we are human beings, not wild beasts. So if our conscience cant stop us from doing something unethical, regulations will not contribute much. His discussion was followed by an interaction session with the audience.
YP Ashok Kumar Mahawar gave a vote of thanks to Mr. Poddar with a humble request to maintain a sustainable relationship with the forum.
A CYP memento was presented to Mr. Rajesh Poddar by YP Pragya Dhanuka
Mr. S S Gupta
YP Rahul Chowdhary introduced the next speaker of the session Mr. S S Gupta. Mr. S.S.Gupta has acquired the C.A. Qualification in 1973 at an early age of 19, securing 1st Rank in Eastern Region both in Intermediate and Final Examination. He has worked as Vice President (Finance) with the A.V. Birla Group of Companies. He established S Swarup & Co. in 1984 and over the years has gained immense experience and expertise. He provides expert consultancy on Taxation matters to various leading Chartered Accountants and Advocates. Some of his professional Associations and Affiliations:
1) Past Member of Direct Tax Expert Committee, ASSOCHAM, New Delhi
2) Life Member of Association of Corporate Executives and Advisors, Kolkata
3) Life Member of Direct Tax Professional Association, Kolkata
4) Member of Merchant Chamber of Commerce, Kolkata
“Is Mens Rea essential to initiate penalty proceedings?”
Mr. Gupta initiated the session by a posing a seemingly simple but tricky question to the house 
through which he highlighted the significance of thoroughly going through the basic provisions & subtleties of the language so as to grasp the true intent of the legislature. He then explained the concept of “Mens Rea” viz a viz the amendments brought in the Income tax Act from time to time. .He cited various practical examples of cases which although resulted in increase in returned income but did not amount to concealment. He finally concluded with a critical examination of the recent landmark judgment of the Supreme Court in the case of Dharmendra Textiles Ltd. It was his humble submission that the decision in lieu of the points put forward by him as above needed reconsideration by the Honorable Apex Court.
Mr. Vikash Jain
YP Mohit Jian introduced Mr. Vikas Jain to the house as a member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, New Delhi. He has the immediate Chairman of EIRC (Eastern India Regional Council). He is a eminent practitioner as a partner in B.C Jain & Co. and a prolific speaker at various discussion forums. It is worth mentioning that Mr. Vikash Jain has been associated with this forum from its inception and its his incessant guidance that this movement has taken such a beautiful shape .“Public Speaking – Basic Tenets”
Mr Vikash Jain introduced his friend and contemporary Mr. Dilip Patni to the house. He started on a jovial note then gave us valuable tips as to how to break the inhibition of speaking before the public. Tips on - How to introduce a person, keeping the pronunciation right, neccessity of nervousness and how to remove the stage fright were well taken by the house. It is very necessary for a speaker to know the compositon of the house, to rehearse his talks
beforehand (1:5 ratio), adherence to time limit are some of the points that were very valuable to us as budding professionals.Mr. Vikash Jain also informed the house about the history of CYP and the journey till date. The importance of such a movement amonst the professional fraternity and encouraged all of them who still are not associated with it to do the needful as soon as possible.
Mr. Dilip Patni also breifed us on various issues related to Public Speaking. YP Rohit Biyani gave a vote of thanks to Mr. Vikash Jain and Mr. Dilip Patni.
YP Priyanka Sureka presented Mr. Vikash Jain with a memento and YP Bhawna Surana presented memento to Mr. Dilip Patni.
The Conclusive Session
YP Sumit Dhanuka then took the dias and encouraged all of us to congregate like this more often and take this movement beyond the boundaries of this city. He gave example of some spirited Delhites with an average age of 23-25 yrs who formed a small forum on Climate Change which now is directly affiliated with UNESCO. So, enthusiasm means no limits and boundaries, its just that how serious we are in marching ahead.
YP Neha Dhanuka then took the dias and took a interesting and valuable tips on how to memorise things faster than you can think!!
Still 15 minutes left in the session , YP Ashok Kumar Mahawar proposed a General Awareness quiz among the audience which was well accepted and throughly enjoyed by all.
