If one were to compress the life and times of Professor Anurag Singh, a core faculty member of Jaipuria, Noida, into one line, it would be ‘tough times don’t last, tough men do’. Professor Singh did not start out as an academician, destiny brought him to it.
“Finance is a part of our DNA. Whether you are taking an interview or giving one, whether you are a dancer or an artist, at the end of the day you need to know how much is it that you are making; whether that’s ok? Whether it’ll take care of your current needs and the needs in the near future? how much is it in comparison to others? Right or wrong, everyone has the knack of dealing with numbers. Its only when you study Finance in a structured fashion in B-schools like Jaipuria, Noida, with a purpose of excelling, it becomes demanding.”
Born in a family of army officers, little Anurag Singh traversed the length and breadth of India during his school days, studying in schools wherever his dad was posted. After his BSc from the Panjab University, Chandigarh, he did give the Army a shot, but destiny had other plans for him. He enrolled simultaneously for the MBA and CA programs.
“I did a lot of bank audits and statutory audits for quite a few big firms and banks, during my CA articleship, in Orissa. This turned accountancy and taxation into my strong points. The first thing that I tell my students at Jaipuria, Noida is that in finance, you can never be scared of numbers. Financial options, products and investment options keep on multiplying. Few of them give you good results and few don’t. Turn financial literacy into a habit at Jaipuria, Noida. In finance you cannot be just ok; you cannot just survive or be mediocre. You have to work really hard and keep yourself updated; do not free yourself of numbers.”
Young Anurag Singh picked up his first job in Solan, Himachal Pradesh, with an engineering and construction firm by the name of Amar Promoters Pvt Ltd Solan. After 3 years in this profile he moved to Delhi with Career Launchers. He began taking assignments with various colleges as visiting faculty, and was eventually picked up by Delhi School of Professional Studies as a regular; a profile which he held for 5 years. Today, he teaches Strategic Financial Mgt and International Financial Mgt at Jaipuria, Noida.
“The best and worst thing about the Finance-scenario is that it keeps on changing, and therefore market demand for people in Finance is always good, especially if you are from a B-school like Jaipuria, Noida. Attrition is very less in Finance; just like people don’t change their doctors, they don’t change their financiers. It’s because it takes a lot of time to understand the business environment and also because you are dealing in something very confidential. The number of opportunities in the finance sector has multiplied manifolds. There is no dearth of jobs, just dearth of quality manpower.”
Apart from his regular teaching assignments at Jaipuria, Noida, Professor Anurag Singh, has also conducted numerous MDP (Management Development Programmes) on behalf of Jaipuria, Noida for Managers of various banks, and concerns like Maruti-Suzuki and Tata Motors.
“It’s a platform where I pass on the latest in the areas of finance – what you have to know, what you can avoid, taxation, how to plan your taxes within the provisions of the law of the land, claiming valid deductions… and doing all this without having to pay a hefty sum to a CA. Such programmes are very, very welcome in the corporate world. My teaching methodology in the classrooms of Jaipuria, Noida and outside is pretty much white board calculations. I hardly use PPT’s in Jaipuria, Noida since Finance is more about application of concepts… not really much of theory. Every situation is a case an every case has to be broken down into small pieces to bring home a point. As I tell my students in Jaipuria, Noida – Finance, after all, is about picking up a pen and paper, and crunching numbers.”