Sri. K. Chandrasekharan
Hailing from a family of ministers, political leaders and other prominent people, and being a retired Department Director (I think he got IAS confered) he always had connections at the highest levels. Yet, he seldom used these for his own use or for Asianet. I was with him when he went to various offices, to obtain permission to erect Cable posts (wherever KSEB posts are not available). We walked across various section clerks; and one finally said, "there is no rule stating poles cannot be erected by the side of roads, so you go ahead".
Sandwitched between hard-core sales professionals like Manoj Cherian and Ambili Madam on one side and the Finance team under EVG Paul and Management on the other ,he always under high presuure to close on franchises. Even then he advised the francisee hopefuls to rethink twice or thrice before committing. (Remember this was a time where Steve and co. even persuaded the hotel-boys and fishermen to take up a franchisee).
He cared us like a grandfather, I would say. He often took us to his home at Mannanthala where he was staying with his wife and the 15 year old Tibetan vegetarian dog (once in a while he used to buy beef fry for the dog).
Lately I heard that some cable operator acting as a potential franchisee, ditched him by making him sign some papers which turned out to be an NOC letter by Asianet to use KSEB poles for his network. He trusted everyone, and this deception was more that he could hold. I was told he never recovered from that shock and left us for heavely abode. May his soul rest in peace.
