BLURRED VISION: GRATITUDE - Letters from a Grandfather to his Future Generations

Dear Young folks:

Working at Crompton Greaves gave some job satisfaction. We were able to recruit a Training Manager in the person of Mr. Nari Mirchandani and started the training and management development activity. We also were able to conduct an area survey and revised the salary structure of the Management staff: Junior and Senior Officers as they were called. In tandem, Mr. Dhume also conducted a review of the salary structure at the General Manager/Division Head level. For the first time, the Company started providing some fringe benefits and furnishings/equipment to senior staff.

Apart from the two directors, I developed good equations with other Division Heads and their Works Managers. SK Mohile who headed International Division got particularly close. He perhaps evaluated me better than I did: He would often say: you are a Line man in a Staff job; You are a Lion in the garb of Sheep.

On Industrial relations, it was a frustrating experience. We had some periods of relative peace, following a minor ‘understanding’ with the Union. But soon it will give way to slow down, canteen boycotts, strikes, lockouts. There was much personal danger to managers. The Personnel n Works Management bore the brunt of it. Late hours, tense working conditions, targets missed, et al. Working in Crompton was a high pressure job for all of us.

Therefore, let me divert to happier tidings.

A year after joining Crompton, we trooped to Panjab for the marriage of Sukhjt’s brother Mohan Singh who was in the Indian Air Force. He married Jasbir Kaur of Amritsar. He is now retired and lives in Amritsar. While he was posted in Madras (now Chennai) I would often drop by their home whilst on tour and would be treated to a piping hot home meal by Jasbir. They have three children:

*Daughter Sukhbir aka Mini, who married Shiv. They are both IT people and live in Silicon Valley USA and have sons Tarun n Varun.

*Son Sukhvinder, aka Montu, who married Amandeep Kaur. They have a daughter Eknoor and son Angad. Montu runs a business in pharma industry i.e. Spirex Pharmaceuticals in partnership with Harshvir Singh Kochhar. Aman is a Teacher.

*Daughter Sonu married to Taranjit Singh aka Bawa of Jallandhar. They have two sons Mehtab n Kirat. Bawa is a partner in The Roller Company along with Inderjit Singh Paintal n his brothers. Inderjit is a multi talented person: a poet, photographer, Radio Jockey apart from being a full time successful industrialist.

And later the same year, in Nov 1972, my sister Swarnjit Kaur got married to Baburam Upadhyaya who was a Textile Manufacturer. Unfortunately Baburam ji passed away three years ago. They have:

*Daughter Pinky married to Harish Chawla and have daughters Niki n Simar. She is a school teacher and he an Officer in Government service.

*Son Vikas married to Prima both of them are in Logistics business.

*Son Vineet married to Sofia and have a daughter Naisha. He is Marketing MBA and works for an MNC. She is an entrepreneur and operates Saloons and a Bakery outlet.

Shall we now get back to work?

Long after leaving Crompton Greaves, I joined the Rotary Club of Bombay Main, which met at the Taj. PRDeshpande was a member there and he and his wife showed much love and a sort of pride in what I had achieved. I had always respected him and now love n affection tinged my feelings towards him. Their younger son was the President of our Club. Unfortunately he, our beloved President died in a road accident while on a Rotary visit to the USA. It was a huge blow to the Deshpandes and we grieved with them. Both of them have passed on to a better place. I can never think of them without a catch in my throat.

Why I mentioned PRD again? Well it was the general feeling that the IR situation was intractable due to rigid positions held by the two persons most crucial to the equation:- The Managing Director with his policy stance and the Union leader and his high expectations. PRD had been the MD for decades and his word was the law. The Promotors, Thapars were aware of the situation and many wondered why they were not intervening.

Into this situation, parachuted my old boss Nalin Thakor. He had retired and was an independent consultant by then. He had been taken on the Board of the IT giant-in-the-making WIPRO. One of our young colleagues in ESSO, Yasmin Chinoi had got married to Azim Premji, a prosperous businessman of of Bombay. Azim went on the found WIPRO and I had many contacts with him while serving on the General Committee of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce n Industry. Just a few years ago, Vicky ran into Yasmin on a flight and she recognized him. But at the time Vicky did not know whom she had married.

Nalin, with my best interested at heart, started to question as to how long would I want to continue in such an environment. At first I did not want to address that question. But then his enquiries became insistent. He was a frequent visitor at home and he kept addressing this question to Sukhjit too. She had seen from close quarters what quality of life I had had since joining Crompton.

Ultimately, I took the bait. He introduced me to Devoo Kothari, the Managing Director of Goodlass Nerolac Paints which was part of the Forbes Group of Companies. The Group was looking for a successor to Mr. Rajwade their retiring “Labour” head.

Devoo arranged an interview with Girin Khandwala, the nominated successor Chairman of the Group along with Mr. Dilip Madan the Managing Director of Gokak Patel Volkart, the largest employer within the Group. We met at the Chambers of the Taj. They did give some credence to all that I had learned at Esso. Khandwala, having been an alumnus of Columbia University USA had a soft corner for the fact that I had ‘American’ exposure. Yet, their overwhelming interest was IR conflict handling. Forbes Group was facing another intractable Union leader and Khandwala was determined to dislodge him. The Companies that dealt with that Union Leader had to surrender part of their Management to him. He dictated terms and employers’ accepted. Khandwala was a lot more independent minded than that.

Pretty soon, another interview followed; with Mr. Kemple the retiring and life long Chairman of the Group. He held the interview in very English environment i.e. at the Yacht Club. He kept making notes on a tiny chit of paper.

Ultimate Forbes made me an offer….

Shall we cover that in the next chapter? I shall also cover the sea change that occurred in Crompton management after I left. Also some important family events that occurred before we made the move.

My job in Forbes was to be a life changing experience. Our family moved into another orbit altogether: Town life, town office, extensive overseas travel, etc.

As I said some place:

It helps to have resourceful friends and benefactors. I am grateful to Nalin for ‘placing’ me in Forbes, even if for a fee. I am grateful to Khandwala, who is no more, and Madan for the tremendous support they lent me in my two decades with the Group.

.....oooooOOOOOooooo.....

PICTURE GALLERY

Please pardon any captioning errors.

But please do point out the errors.