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CHAPTER 12
ESSO the Learning Organization
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.
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.
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.
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| Harjit Singh n Prakash Kaur on their 25th ann |
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| Harjit Singh and Prakash Kaur's gr kids clockwise from front Raman, Bikram, Rajbir, Kashish n Khushboo |
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| Dr Ranjit Singh (first from left) n his Family in front of the Family Heritage Bldg |
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| Rupinder Kaur n Amarjit Singh |
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| At Amarjit's Retirement function |
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| Rupinder n Amarjit's Family: l-r Ravjot, Charanjit, Harnoor, Nidhi, Vimi, Simran and Harjot |
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| At home on retirement of Amarjit Singh l-r Vimi, Charanjit, Rupinder, Amarjit, Nidhi, Harnoor n Simran |
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| Dr Jehangir S Cama |
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| Letter from Dr Cama |
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| Rupinder n Amarjit's Family Ladies l-r Harnoor, Nidhi, Vimi n Taran. Gents l-r Prabhjot, Simran, Harjot n Charanjit |
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