GRATITUDE - Letters from a Grandfather to his Future Generations. Chapter 13

 COPYRIGHT RESERVED - text and pix.

Chapter 13

Writing on All Fools' day makes 13 lucky for all of us. 

Hello folks, I am back and shall move the story forward.

CG Visvanathan, an ex Esso Personnel Manager himself, whom I knew only by reputation, was then the General Manager Personnel  of Crompton Greaves. He arranged for me to be interviewed by the working Directors. At the interview with the Board, the major topic for discussion was my Industrial relations ‘battles’ at Esso Refinery and not so much the Best Practices that I had learned in Esso.  

Moral: you never know which of your strengths works when.

They offered and I accepted the job of Industrial Relations Manager in Feb 1971.

The company was embroiled in a series of confrontations with the Unions over wages and huge temporary employment. The conflict I had seen in Esso was cakewalk comparatively. We had series of lock-outs and strikes and atmosphere was very tense, unproductive and at times violent. Also the company had a huge portfolio of labour litigation and resources had to be devoted to that fruitless and never ending activity.

In those days, a truism in Industrial Relations circles used to be: You can change your job, but you can not change your Industrial lawyer: P.K.Rele. I had got to know him due to the wage litigation in Esso Refinery. It was very reassuring to find him handling Crompton’s portfolio of litigation. He was a soft spoken but hard working lawyer. Soon after my joining Crompton, GT Gokhale of Greaves, PK Rele and I were camped in Delhi to deal with a residual litigation in the Supreme Court. A great personal friendship ensued. We remained family friends till PK and then Gokhale Passed away. 

 A few months later, Mr. Bhagwan Bhagchandani joined as the Industrial Relations Manager and I was kicked upstairs as Asst to General Manager Personnel. In the company lingo this ‘Asst to’ was a successor position. Little did I know that succession was around the corner!

I submitted a long charter of Best Practices that we should introduce in personnel management. To my pleasant surprise the Managing Director approved all but one. The exception was: introduction of five day week. (Esso did not mean Every Saturday Sunday off).

I was sent off as member of a task force to study and reform the Marketing Organization. However halfway through I was recalled, since the Company faced tremendous industrial relations conflicts. I returned post haste and was ushered in to a large Conference with full board attending including the Chairman Mr. NM Wagle and the Mr. Thapar head of the Thapar Group. At that forum, I  suggested that we should initiate the process of negotiations for a Long Term Settlement. But, as years progressed, we were in the never, never land.

Soon, perhaps within the first year itself, I was taken by surprise when it was announced that Mr. Visvanathan was retiring and I would be his successor.

Within our own Department, Bhag and I had developed a very great friendship. He was a veteran of Industrial Relations. He was fearless in the face of turbulent conditions and a great pillar of strength.

Allow me to jump ahead: In later years, Bhag was instrumental in our buying the property in Asuda Kutir where he had already purchased an apartment. It turned out to be an excellent investment and is now the Family headquarter. He also got me to subscribe to membership of Khar Gymkhana. At that time it seemed to be diversion of precious money; we poured more money to buy memberships for Mickey n Vicky. Just as well, since in later years it too has turned out to be a boon. Today that membership costs an arm and a leg.  Thank you Bhag.

As I mentioned earlier, we had leased Krish’s house and had started to live in Ranjni in Chembur:  Later n 1971, my Sister Harjit Kaur got married to Amrik Singh ji. In those days he was working for Kwality Ice Cream Factory at Worli. Now he is a very successful Insurance agent. They have two children:

*daughter Preeti married to Bobby Arora and they have a son Gurudev. They have a flourishing business of their own.

*son Arvinder aka Bittoo married to Sonia and they have a daughter Harsimran. Bittoo works along with a cousin in a Dairy. Sonia teaches students at home.

Let me get back to work at Crompton.

We had a large Personnel team in the HO and in the Factories. We added a Training Manager. There was a competent team of Works Managers. In the atmosphere of conflict and unrest, great friendships developed amongst Management members. Much off hours socializing also took place. Many of those friendships survived long after I left the Company.  Bhag and Savitri live upstairs from us. She is an active ‘Hon Secretary of the Housing Society we live in. I have some contact with Devinder Sodhi who headed the Personnel Team in one of the major Divisions. I have fond memories of Joglekar n Sujan, who are unfortunately no more. I am in touch with the Joglekar Family.

My job as head of Personnel,  entailed active involvement with PR Deshpande and VV Dhume; Managing Director n Commercial Director respectively. They made a strange duo but complemented each other admirably. PRD was a tall and austere person. A stickler, if there was one. VVD , though equally demanding and scathing at times, kept a friendly relationship at work. To my good fortune, VVD and I became very close.

There were several whole time directors and senior General Managers and we would socialize at each other’s home.  Dhume n other seniors were quite informal people and stayed true to form. But, on these occasions, PRD showed that he was a very tender hearted human being. I recall once at a dinner at our home, he hoisted young Vicky on his shoulders so very playfully.

The spearhead of the Union was an ex employee of Greaves Cotton, a hard man to budge. He had tasted great victory in Greaves whereby the ‘workers’ were awarded the same Dearness Allowance as office staff. His ambition was to achieve that in Crompton. Also the company employed a very large number of temporary workers at starting wages. Their regularization in regular cadre, justified though it was, involved a huge cost multiplier.

The situation was very intractable. While there was much friendship within Management group, the working conditions were very tense and demanding.

                                                            .....oooooOOOOOooooo.....

PHOTO GALLERY.

Any errors in Captions are regretted

But do point out the errors please.

Neighbours all.. clockwise from left: Mommy Sajnani,
Savitri and Bhagwan Bhagchandani,
Drs Pravin and Anjali Sajnani
at our 50th Anniversary
 

r-l Bhag, Guljit, Jagjeet, Jasbir and Bhabi Harsharan

Bhag n Savitri with Sukhjit

l-r GT Gokhale, Ramu, Ashok, Khanvilkar and Chetan Gokhale

l-r Khanvilkar, GT and elder son Chetan Gokhale

Harjit and Amrik at their Wedding Reception
(photo courtesy Harmohan Singh our cousin)

Amrik Singh ji n Harjit 

clockwise l-r Amrik, Harjit,Harsimran, Gurudev, Preeti,
Bobby's dad Narinder Singh ji, n Mom Harsharan Kaur ji, Bittoo n Sonia
(photo courtesy Facebook)

PR Deshpande at Mickey/Venus wedding reception - 1990
(photo courtesy Mickey)

Crompton director VD Desai and his wife
(photo courtesy Mickey)

GRATITUDE - LETTERS........ supplement

Postage stamp

Coins of 1950s before decimalization
in 1955 it would buy a dosa

GRATITUDE - Supplement to Chapter 12

COPYRIGHT RESERVED - PHOTOGRAPHS N TEXTS

Supplement to Chapter 12

Letter from Ron Saldanha to Sukhjit

GRATITUDE - Letters from a Grandfather to Future Generations - Chapter 12

COPYRIGHT RESERVED - TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS

CHAPTER 12

ESSO the Learning Organization

My dear Gen Next:-

I continue with my story and shall cover my closing years with Esso, entry to Crompton Greaves and marriage of  Sukhjit’s sister Rupinder i.e. up to 1971:

The onslaught of Indian Oil Corporation continued and a stage came when Esso had to start selling its Operating Assets to IOC. There were a large number of employees in these Operations and Esso’s salaries were way higher than IOC. The Company then launched on the much maligned ‘Golden Handshake” scheme. Esso’s name for it was Special Voluntary Separation Offer. It was purely voluntary with a view to shrink the numbers and to compensate those willing to join IOC at lower salaries.

We in the ER department had to embark on massive calculation exercise working out benefits payable to individuals. This was needed to get approval for the huge outlays. Also we needed to ensure ‘saleability’ of the separation packages to the Unions and employees. The workload fell on the Compensation n Benefits Department headed by Ronnie Saldanha  and comprising, two smart ladies, Manek Bhathena and Jeroo Elavia beside Alwyn n I. Those days the Computer Operations were very rudimentary and we had to do a lot of pencil work with the help of the heavy calculating machines. We worked many a long hours and weekends on these massive exercises. Thankfully we had a very congenial work atmosphere and quite enjoyed the workload.

The scheme ran foul of the authorities, and the Government of India appointed Gokhale Commission to investigate if any wrong doings were involved.  It was a good learning experience to participate in the preparation of the documents and data for presentation to the Commission. It was to come in handy, since my subsequent job was to involve a huge portfolio of Industrial litigation.

 Around the same time, Jaydee had been placed on Special Assignment and he used to collate the Performance Appraisals of Management Staff. He also undertook compilation of the Personnel Policy Manual. He sought my help in the later project and I was quite happy to lend a hand.

In 1969, Sukhjit’s sister, Rupinder, got married to Amarjit Singh of Kapurthala.  She was a popular teacher in a local school and rose to be the Headmistress. He was an Officer in the Audit Service. He took over a neighbourhood Gurudwara and developed it into a very fine institution. Unfortunately, Rupinder passed away in 2009 but only after she had seen both her children married and well settled:

   *daughter Vimi married to Charanjit Singh of Banikhet. He runs poultry business and they have sons Ravjit aka Shogu and Prabhjot.

   *son Simran married Nidhi and have daughters Harnoor and Taran and  son Harjot. 

Coming back to Esso: In course of time Krishnamurthy also joined the GMO ER Team and Alwyn D’Souza was sent to take his place as ER Manager of the Refinery. I felt that the job belonged to me. But fates had other, and better things in store for me. I was surrounded by friends in the GMO: Jaydee, Madan and now Krish as we called him.

I must have given a good account of myself, so much so that one year I got the rating of EXCELLENT…hush… I was not supposed to know of it. Ronnie sent a very warm letter to Sukhjit and I append that in the Photo Gallery.

In 1969  Manek Bhathena and I  joined the 2 year post graduate diploma course in Management at the Xavier’s College. That, it is not a very large world was tragically brought home: in 1976 when I had just joined Forbes Group. I got word that Manek Bhathena had died in a tragic road accident. Oh such a promising life had been snuffed out in prime.

Although I was well thought of n well rewarded in Esso, yet I was aware of the bleak future that lay ahead for Private Oil Companies. Therefore I started searching for new pastures. I kept Jaydee and Madan in the loop but word got around to my superiors. They made an attempt to retain me: gave me independent charge of the Compensation Division, putting Ronnie on special assignment, et al.  But I did not quite relish the prospect of working for a nationalized Company. The Nationalization did take place a few years after I left.

Meanwhile Krish had left Esso to join Gujrat Refineries. As it turned out, in the 1980s he rose to be the Chairman n Managing Director of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation the nationalized avatar of Esso n Caltex. We rented Krish’s apartment in Chembur in the two story building that Mr. Raote and he owned. So Raote and we ended up as neighbours.

As my job search progressed, I found that Madan had also been on the search for a change and both of us were candidates for two particular jobs. As fates determined, he got one of them and I got the job in Crompton Greaves. 

When I was leaving Esso to join Crompton Greaves, I got a very encouraging letter from Jehangir Cama, the Refinery Manager, which I append in the gallery.  At the time I thought that his words were mere courtesy. However, he proved very prescient. Did he evaluate my potential better than I did? I recalled his words when I was elevated as Managing Director of Goodlass Nerolac Paints. I am not counting the Chairmanship of subsidiaries in the Group. Thank you Jehangir ji !

I reiterate what I recorded while leaving Esso: 

Please accept my GRATITUDE for the unlimited opportunity for growth and the excellent treatment extended to me…”

Moral of the story is: Hard n smart work pays.

In the next chapter I shall write of my work life in Crompton Greaves and some of the very fine people I encountered there. And one or two Family landmarks.

  

                                                            .....oooooOOOOOooooo.....

PHOTO GALLERY: Pls excuse any errors n omissions in captions. But please do point out to me. 

Harjit Singh n Prakash Kaur on their 25th ann

Harjit Singh and Prakash Kaur's  gr kids
clockwise from front Raman, Bikram, Rajbir, Kashish n Khushboo 

Dr Ranjit Singh (first from left) n his
 Family in front of the Family Heritage Bldg

Rupinder Kaur n Amarjit Singh

At Amarjit's Retirement function

Rupinder n Amarjit's Family:
l-r Ravjot, Charanjit, Harnoor, Nidhi, Vimi, Simran and Harjot

At home on retirement of Amarjit Singh
l-r Vimi, Charanjit, Rupinder, Amarjit, Nidhi,  Harnoor n Simran

Dr Jehangir S Cama

Letter from Dr Cama

Rupinder n Amarjit's Family Ladies l-r Harnoor, Nidhi, Vimi  n Taran. Gents l-r Prabhjot, Simran, Harjot n Charanjit

GRATITUDE - Letters from a Grandfather to future generations. Chapter 11 Supplement

Chapter 11 Supplement

Sukhjit's brother Harjit Singh married Prakash Kaur on our wedding anniversary in 1967.  Unfortunately their elder son, Ricky, died in tragic circumstances and left behind wife Manjit and a son. Their daughter Pinky married Wasu and have two lovely daughters. Harjit's younger Son Bunty married Baljeet and have two sons.  

Harjit Singh at his 75th bd

With sisters and
l to r Bhabo Mrs. Gurdeep Singh, Nini, Sukhjit and Rupinder

Pinky, Wasu n gen Nextgen

Bunty n Baljeet

seated r to l. Manjit, her son Raman n Baljeet

GRATITUDE - Letters from a Grandfather to future generations.

PREAMBLE revisited

Having got through narrating the story of my work-life in the early years, a realization dawns that what I pen here should be of much interest to future generations. I address those of you in mid life  mid career now and others who are just embarking on their careers. You need to know that success in life is a function of one’s own effort aided and abetted by fair minded and generous people one befriends on one’s journey.  You need also to accept that a bigger force dictates many a turn in our life.  And, Be assured that good things happen to good people.  I do thrive on the interest that some of my friends in real life and Social Media are taking in my life’s story and I am encouraged by their response to carry on the task.

I am therefore redirecting my effort:

GRATITUDE – Letters from a Grandfather to future generations.

Chapter 11

My dear GenNext:

In this chapter I shall speak of a great friendship that I made in the course of my work. And how the Hand of God guided my progress.

During my assignment on Refinery Public Relations, I became very good friends with the well-known Industrial Photographer Mitter Bedi. Mama ji’s family knew the Bedi family well enough.  He turned out to be the Refinery’s official photographer. I learned the basics of photography from him. We became good family friends and he introduced me to the Advertising community. Unfortunately he passed away at a relatively early age. The business still stands in his name.

As the years progressed, the writing on the wall was very grim for the private oil companies. The State owned Indian Oil Corporation was growing at their cost.  Therefore within the Marketing Organization also there was a embargo on further recruitment. The company  launched on a novel internal recruitment drive to fill Supervisory vacancies.  Aptitude and other relevant tests were administered to all those who volunteered.  The qualifying office staff and operatives, were selected as Draftsmen, Depot Supervisors, Aviation Refuelling Supervisors and so on. From the Refinery, among others, Ramu had been selected for Aviation and Santosh Wadhwani for Depot Operations.   I had to bid au revoir to two good friends and colleagues. Not good bye; for Ramu and I remained in touch and I have recently revived contact with Santosh.

In course of time, I also got my own transfer orders.

After conclusion of the Long Term Settlement at the Refinery, I was transferred to HQO aka General Manager’s Office.

Now…..

Boys, girls! Tighten your seat belts.

It was an earth-shaking Day, 11^th Dec 1967. An earthquake of 6.5 magnitude hit the town of Koynanagar and caused much damage to life n property.  Its reverberations were felt in faraway Bombay. And that was the day I reported to GMO for my new assignment.

I was assigned as Position Analyst.  First off I was asked to formulate proposals for negotiations of Long Term Settlement in the GMO. That was familiar territory for me.  The core of my job, however, was to prepare job descriptions and evaluate jobs for classification.  Esso operated merit based system for Management Personnel without guaranteed periodic increases in salaries. I was also to draft salary review recommendations for Management personnel, based on their performance appraisal and Merit salary review policies. It was a valuable addition to my skill n knowledge set.

On the family front, as Mickey was growing up nicely, and years were going by, we started to think in terms of having another child. Our second son, Vicky was born on 12 July 1968.

Soon thereafter, Alwyn D’Souza and I were nominated to attend Compensation Workshop at Bangkok, conducted by the Compensation head in New York Office. It was my first overseas visit and I happily combined it with a visit to Malaysia, where a branch of our family was settled. They were the step-siblings of my Bhayya ji. They were prosperous Landowners and their offspring were Lawyers n Doctors. Two of their sons, got admitted to Khalsa College and got close to us. In later years, I got to know well enough Dr Ranjit Singh, n his wife Saro and we are in touch till this day. After Penang I visited Singapore, from where our family had repatriated to Quetta Baluchistan in the wake of WWII. I could even locate the Showroom of Nahar & Co. at Raffles Square where Papaji had worked. On later visits to Singapore in the 1980’s there was no sign of it and the landscape had completely changed.

Folks, let me retrace our Family’s journey through three quarter of Century n more. It has indeed been a very long journey and our Members have left global footprint:

Sialkot >Lahore>Singapore>Quetta Baluchistan>Peshawar<

Sialkot>Dehra Dun>Poona>Bombay/Assam/Delhi>

Saigon/KL/Dubai/BKK/Jakarta/Toronto/Philly>

Bangalore> Delhi> Bombay. I may have missed a stop or two.

My role in Management Compensation brought me in close contact with Senior Managers in the GMO and I learned the mores of operating at that level. I needed a combination of solid preparation, tact and willingness to learn and change in my future assignments at senior levels.

I shall write more about my work in Esso HQO in the next Chapter.  Meanwhile, please remember my motto:

Live n Learn. Don’t ever stop learning.

Our Gen Next Mickey, Vicky, Anu. Not in Pic Venus Sim n Hark
and a horde of in laws friends nephews n nieces

Our Gen Next Simran n Harkirat in their boyhood days
and a clan of grand/nephews n nieces n young friends in Twitter n FB

Mitter Bedi at our Wedding Reception
RIP my dear friend

with Bedi's n Sharma's 

Compensation workshop - 1968 Bangkok
Alwyn is standing 2nd from L

r-l Dr Ranjit with his cousin Baldev, a lawyer

another cousin Balbir

Penang in the 21st Century

Butterworth-Penang sea link 21st century