New Delhi: Twitter was abuzz after the announcement of Padma awards Saturday evening as a US-based scholar was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award.
Dr Jagdish Sheth had conferred a leadership award on PM Narendra Modi in January last year and people were quick to claim a link.
PM Modi was awarded the first-ever Philip Kotler Presidential Award by the World Marketing Summit India, which identifies itself as a global alliance that seeks to explore the use of marketing to achieve national goals. It was founded in 2010 by Kotler, who is known as a stalwart of the field.
Modi is the first recipient of the award, which the organisation intends to confer on leaders of nations every year.
Is the professor Jagdish Sheth who gets the Padma Bhushan the same professor who gave Narendra Modi the Kotler Award?
— saliltripathi (@saliltripathi) January 25, 2020
@Kazeemaqil3 tweeted “It’s a very easy chronology. 1: Professor Jagadish conferred Kotler Award to Modi Ji 2019 2: Modi Ji conferred Padma Bhusan to professor Jagadish. 2020 #FAK5056”
@ShahabJafri55 tweeted “Ek chhote sheth ne ek bade seth ko diya…. Now, payback time… #PadmaAwards2020”
Although Sheth did give the award to Modi, reports suggest that it was only because Kotler, professor of marketing at Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, was unwell.
‘People, profit, planet’
According to the World Marketing Summit website, the Kotler award focuses on the triple bottom-line of ‘People, Profit and Planet’.
The citation of the award for Modi said he was being honoured for his “outstanding leadership for the nation”.
“His selfless service towards India, combined with his tireless energy has resulted in extraordinary economic, social and technological advances in the country,” it read.
The citation added that, under Modi’s leadership, India is now identified as the centre for innovation and value-added manufacturing (Make in India), as well as a global hub for professional services such as information technology, accounting and finance.
The WMS had previously only given awards to recognise achievements in advertising and marketing.
Also read: Mahatma Gandhi beyond formal recognition: Supreme Court rejects plea to award Bharat Ratna
Who is Dr Jagdish Sheth?
Jagdish Sheth is a faculty member at Emory University, Georgia.
He holds a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh (1966) and has an MBA from the university as well. He completed his B. Com from the University of Madras.
He has been awarded the Padma Bhushan for his work in the field of literature and education.
Prior to Emory University, Sheth was the Robert E. Brooker Professor of Marketing at the University of Southern California and the Walter H. Stellner Distinguished Professor of Marketing at the University of Illinois.
He has also served on the faculty of Columbia University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Sheth has reportedly published more than 350 research papers and books in various areas of marketing, including consumer behaviour, relationship marketing and, more recently, marketing for emerging markets.
He is also a fellow at the American Psychological Association, a professional organisation of psychologists, and former president of the Association for Consumer Research (ACR).
He is a fellow of the American Marketing Association, an organisation for marketing professionals, and the Academy of Marketing Science, an international professional body.
In 1989, he was awarded the ‘Outstanding Marketing Educator Award’ by the Academy of Marketing Science. In 1991 and again in 1999, Sheth was recognised as the ‘Marketing Educator of the Year’ by the Sales and Marketing Executives International (SMEI), a nonprofit working with sales and marketing professionals.
He is also the recipient of all the top four academic awards given by the American Marketing Association (AMA).
Also read: Bharat Ratna and Padma awards cannot be used as titles, says govt
Mutual admiration society often makes the PM think respect for India became enhanced on making him the PM. Yeah Right.
In addition to the obvious chronology, it’s interesting that the gentleman has expertise in Marketing, which deals with an attempt to attract customers to a given brand, eg Brand Modi.
There are notable Indians or Indian born, associated with other disciplines which may help contribute towards betterment of society, for eg recent Nobel laureate in the field of economics, or recent Ramon Magasaysay award winners. They were not considered worthy enough for this award.