He has an imposing presence at work and home. But for all his aura, 58-year-old R S Sharma, chairman and managing director, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), is a simple man. Nothing seems to get in the way of his interpersonal dealings or relationships. ?A successful man,?? he says, ?makes every effort to keep his constituents happy. They could be his colleagues at work or his spouse and children at home.?
It is this need for success that drives him in a sense. ?He?s brimming with ideas. His energy is infectious,? say colleagues. Sharma himself chooses to play down his efforts saying, ?I credit my wife Kusum for whatever I am. Let?s face it. If she weren?t cooperative, I don?t think I could have gone this far in my profession. She was there for the kids. She managed the house well and made sure the kids went to school and got a good education. All of this while I was busy working.?
For the head of the largest power utility in the country, no day is without its unique set of challenges, but the father of three, who is a mechanical engineer by qualification, loves it. ?I can handle any crisis,? he says. Having spent over 37 years in the power business, Sharma does indeed know his job inside out. He has done time in different departments and has a thorough understanding of the business. ?I began my professional life with the Madhya Pradesh State Electricity Board,? he says
Sharma spent over eight years there, learning the ropes of the business. It was arduous for the young engineer in those early days of his career, but he was not the one to give up. ?I did different things at the Madhya Pradesh Electricity Board,? he says. ?I was involved in plant maintenance for some time. Then I got into operations. All of this helped hone my skills, especially my understanding of technical issues.?
He took up mechanical engineering as his teachers inspired him to pursue it as the best possible career option. ?They played their part in getting me interested in engineering. My excitement for Maths and Physics began during my school days. This helped me to make the choice later to take up engineering, especially mechanical engineering,? he says.
A degree from the Government Engineering College at Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, then a job at the state electricity board followed by a break at NTPC as a senior engineer and it would seem Sharma had arrived. Quite to the contrary. His restless mind was unwilling to sit still. Conquering new peaks was imperative for him. But it wasn?t going to be easy. ?I found myself handling very tough assignments at NTPC,? he says. A lesser mortal would have crumbled under the weight of all this, but not Sharma. He gamely went on. He still does after 28 years at NTPC. ?Yes, I have been with NTPC since 1980,? he says. ?I?ve seen the change this company has undergone. I must say that I have enjoyed every bit of my association so far. I guess that?s what makes life interesting.?
In fact, there are many episodes that come to his mind about his time this far at NTPC is concerned. ?I can never forget the day when I helped provide electricity to a village next to the NTPC power plant in Rihand, Uttar Pradesh,? he says. ?I was posted as a general manager there. The joy on the faces of the people on receiving power from our plant was enormous. It touched my heart.?
This need to literally illuminate the lives of people is what is goading Sharma on in his current role as CMD. It is his toughest this far, but the man is not the one to shirk his responsibilities.
Sharma took over as head of the Rs 37,000-crore power utility in May last year ? not one of the best times ?given that the stock markets were choppy even before the downturn hit us.
But the public sector undertaking, which came out with its IPO in 2004, hasn?t done too badly under Sharma?s leadership. With an installed capacity of 29,894 megawatts, that is about 19.11% of the total installed power capacity in the country, NTPC accounts for about 28.51% of the total power generation in India. It has 15 thermal power plants, seven gas-based power plants and four power plants in joint ventures with allied partners. It has set itself the ambitious target of achieving 75,000 megawatts of power by 2017, for which a number of projects have been commissioned over the last few years. But this is just part of the growth story.
The other is an ambitious diversification exercise into areas such as hydro power, coal mining, power equipment manufacturing, oil and gas exploration, power trading and distribution. It also provides consultancy services in power plant construction and power generation. All of this makes the company a true integrated player that is present in almost every arena of the power value chain, says analysts.
Sharma, incidentally, was involved in laying down the roadmap for the company way back in 2002. This he did in the capacity of executive director, corporate planning. ?There were other things too that I did in this role,? he says. ?These included devising corporate strategies, overseeing implementation of projects et al.?
He subsequently moved on to become director, commercial in 2004, which saw him devote his attention to the technical side of the business?something he?s been passionate about since the start of his career ?apart from handling allied responsibilities. ?Power generation is a capital-intensive business. If you want to put the capital to effective use, an understanding of the technical side of the business is a must,? he says. Sharma, for instance, led the company?s diversification into equipment manufacturing and acquisition of coal mines abroad. He was also instrumental in pushing the firm?s interest in power trading? all of this as director, commercial.
The CMD just can?t forget to relate the rags-to-riches story of the company. During his extensive association with the state-owned generation utility, he saw it rising from zero megawatt to 30,000 megawatts capacity company. ?When I joined NTPC Korba, it was just plain land and when I left it was a 33,000- megawatts company.”
As chief executive, Sharma hopes to have a technology roadmap in place for the company in the near term. ?That would give us a sense of what we need to do, and not do. The resources required to procure the technology, training of personnel etc. A roadmap will surely help in this regard,? he says.
But Sharma has no desire to stop here. He?s looking beyond, up to 2032. ?That?s right. For a company of our size, I think it?s imperative to gauge where energy and power requirements will go and how can we contribute to it in the coming years,? he says. ?We are preparing a blueprint for the company. This will put forth the vision and target for NTPC beyond what is already laid down.?
In his free time, Sharma loves spending time with his family. His eldest daughter Swati Shukla is an MBA in finance from Indore University, the middle one Vandita Tripathi is a software engineer, while his son Rahul Sharma is a graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
?My children are grown up now. The eldest one is married, the other two are working. They have their own lives now. But I make myself available to them whenever they need me.? Live and let live is a principle Sharma abides by. It has taken him this far. It will, going forward too. ?I believe in the power of karma,? he says. You reap what you sow. Isn?t life all about that?
Fact file
•R S Sharma is chairman and managing director of NTPC
•The Rs 37,000-crore power utility, which is the largest in the country, has 15 thermal power plants, seven gas-based power plants and four power plants in joint ventures with allied partners
•NTPC hopes to touch 75,000 mw in power generation by 2017
