You have to go to war with a sword and a shield. You cannot go to war with bare hands.
— Arundhati Bhattacharya
Cash imposes a huge burden. We don't understand it, as it is not immediately visible. It is a huge burden on society.
Waiving debts corrupts the credit culture.
When it comes down to business, everybody is very businesslike... I have never felt any difficulty in dealing with any of these situations.
I am happy to be running a public sector bank. In times of stress, most people will always have an account with us, so, to the extent that it gives stability and faith for the people and because banking is a business of trust, it is a major advantage we have.
We have been partners in nation-building and take our role in building the nation very proudly.
Senior officials are always looking for good juniors, so when the opportunity comes, they give you the responsibilities.
At State Bank, all decisions are collective decisions. I have created the comfort zone.
Theoretically, every probationary officer has a chance to become chairman.
I say what is required to be said.
There is potential for more Chinese investment in India's infrastructure, and there are already Chinese investors in India's power and telecoms sector as well as the banking and payments space.
Private sector has no issue in coming into infrastructure sector. They know very well that infrastructure is one area that can give you very steady long-term returns.
I believe that we will benefit more by globalisation.
I have never worried if my daughter has fallen sick, and I am somewhere else, because there is always somebody to take care of her.
It is important to create credit absorption capacity rather than to just enhance lending targets.
The move towards a unified agricultural market helps farmers get correct remuneration for their produce.
Multiple mergers can be challenging because people come from different backgrounds.
People are used to cash, and getting them out of that is going to be a long and tough exercise.
Because SBI is so large, serving customers in India's big cities and small rural villages alike, it has a pressing need for better tools and technology to monitor lending risks.
Demonetisation is a disinflationary process. So, this will bring down prices in the long run. It will also help in bringing down interest rates.
If you go to any boardroom... the women are, by far, outnumbered by the men.
We keep saying, 'No more 'band aid' solutions.'
I am not going to opt for a short-term view for a 206-year-old institution like the SBI.
We underestimate our people. Given a challenge, most of our people will do it, especially the youngsters who take to technology like duck to water.
I always focus on team building - both in office and at home.
It's good to be on the power list, but I don't see a practical use of it except when people introduce me to audiences.
At SBI, we say that if you need a project to be done, you need to be determined that it needs to be done, put a deadline, and it will get done.
I can't tell you precisely how much participation there will be from India in the One Belt, One Road, but what is clear is the understanding that it is important for us to develop neighbourhood trade.
If you look at it ideologically, I would say Brexit is not something that probably is good for the world.
Lending rate is a function of both liquidity as well as credit demand.
Frankly, I have a lot of interests, and I am not all that wedded only to banking.
The capping of cash transactions will help the banks reduce cash intensity.
The decision to incentivise savings for pension funds augurs well for infrastructure financing and retirement planning.
Why should a country have to take on itself a huge burden of managing a totally cash economy?
When borrowers anticipate that politicians might cancel their loans, they stop paying.
Until you get your reputation made, you have to work twice as hard... there is always a doubt in your superior's mind as to whether you will put family before your job.
To tell you the truth, if you're looking at rising pretty high, then you need to find a way of taking care of these problems and not taking time off. At the end of the day, it is a very tough competition. And in a very tough competition, if you just take breaks, then it's going to become much, much more difficult.
We are present in all areas, and our products are the best.
It was my first day at work - and beginning my training on the job, I was given the job of writing cheques and entering their details. The branch was surrounded by hordes of people... soon, they had to close the gates to manage the crowds, and they started pushing in.
If we want to be the banker to every Indian as we want to be, then we will have to use technology.
Your ability will get you the job, but you also need to have age on your side. So if you started your career at 21, you have an advantage over others in your batch who started at, say, 24.
Whatever I have said is in the interest of the system, and it has never been taken amiss.
It is too expensive to have a bricks and mortar presence everywhere.
In order to ensure long-term investment, it is important to make infrastructure as transparent and as bankable as possible - should be a win-win for all.
Brexit is actually a step back in the sense that you are going back from being connected to being on your own.
Every industry, as it comes to a certain level of maturity, there is consolidation. In that consolidation, some fall, but the men will always be there. It is the boys that get sloughed, I would say.
The higher interest and higher inflation is a vicious cycle.
Banning cash transactions over R3 lakh will allow banks to diversify their banking activities into new areas and not mundane ones.
India does not have a problem of people grabbing share from a fixed pie. India is one of the few nations where the pie is getting bigger.
