STOP PRESS: Mourning Loss of a great soul: S. Venkatraman, Retd Director Finance, Goodlass Nerolac Paints.

Letter to Padma Venkatraman, on the passing away of her father: S, Venkatraman.

Dear Padma:

We the colleagues n friends of your father Mr. S. Venkatraman are very sad at his sudden demise. We understand what a big blow it is to you and your Family.

Please accept our heartfelt sympathies at your huge loss. Please convey to your Mother our condolences on her bereavement. We pray that the Lord Almighty keeps his soul close to His Lotus Feet and gives your family the courage to face the future without him.  

Mr. Venkatraman was a very respected personality in the Forbes Group and within Nerolac Family. We  regarded him as a friend, philosopher and guide. He had been extremely helpful to our own family at critical junctures. I cannot do better than quote the sentiments expressed by his former colleagues:

quote

*God doesn't make such souls any more. Godly earthlings. Respect

*Will always remember him as committed and loyal, incredibly pleasant, amazingly gentle, very professional, totally non-controversial and far, far removed from bristling corporate politics. Could'nt agree more that God simply does not make such humans any more.

*Great person, unassuming, straightforward and jovial. we all have to learn from him.

*I join you in mourning the demise of a wonderful human being...RIP SV Sir

*Thorough gentleman and a great teacher

*Great soul May his soul rest in peace.

unquote

 The Family should know that Mr. Venkatraman did proud by them in the way he led his personal and  professional life.

If ever, I can be of any assistance, please feel free to call upon me.

With much love for all of you

Yours sincerely

Raj ahluwalia

Retired Managing Director

Goodlass Nerolac Paints.

GRATITUDE: Letters from a Grandfather to his Next Generations. Chapter 19

COPYRIGHTS RESERVED. BOTH FOR TEXT N PIX.

Chapter 19

Dear Family n Friends:

I am a bit late in completing this Chapter. We just completed Phase I of the Home Improvement Program. I am sitting at my customary desk after 6-7 weeks. And the apartment looks good n well worth of the slumming we went thru. Phase II starts after Simran visits us later May. Waiting, Simran, waiting.....

Let me tell you, how Sukhjit and I became globetrotters. Some time in 1979, our MD Girin Khandwala sat me in front of him in his corner office and gave me the good news: that I had done well in the organization, that I was getting a salary boost and that I was being authorized to make a prolonged overseas trip to meet up with the various Foreign Associated Companies. For good measure he  added that Sukhjit could accompany me for a check up for her bad back. Some of you might remember that Sukhjit had got caught in a stampede and had injured her knees n back.

As was his wont, he called Sheila McGready, his secretary and dictated a letter spelling out all this. We kept chatting till the letter was brought typed in. Khandwala signed it with a flourish and handed it over. I am sure he would have recorded this with the FFC Board at some juncture.

Folks, there was an important aspect to this trip. Khandwala was keen to import American best practices to the Group. He took the Education route. He was an alumnus of Columbia Business School and had invited Boris Yavitz, the Dean of the School to India and held a Workshop with him for the Group at the Tata Management Training Centre in Pune. During my travels, he wanted me to spend some time at Columbia Business School and learn a few things in Management.

Now this was something: My first prolonged overseas trip along with Sukhjit. We went west to Volkart  HQ at Winterthur, Switzerland. We had a young trainee as our escort: Thomas Daetwyler. He was the son of an old India Volkart hand. We became friends n kept in touch. In course of time he left Volkart and joined another Swiss Co: Baur n Co in Ceylon. He rose to be the Chairman of the Company. We are in touch to to date. Next was England and Ireland to meet the Goodlass bosses. America! you were next. We spent some weeks in New York at the King’s Crown on the Columbia Campus.  I did some intensive study under the HR Professors. Weekends we would hop a plane to Toronto and spend time with my cousins Kuku n Reena. We have fond memories of our time with them.

We went on to the Queens University at Kingston as guests of Prof Vince Gilpin, the Transactional Analysis Guru. We had become good friends on his earlier visit to Mumbai. He arranged for Orthopaedic check up of Sukhjit’s back.  They said it wasn’t too bad.  We came back home after five weeks of travel, duly relieved on her health aspect and got back to work. She to the School and I  went back to the salt mines. 

So then lets back to work too.

Those were the days of restrictions on growth n diversification of Companies that belonged to large Groups as well as those that had significant foreign shareholding. MRTP and FERA were bad words. Now Khandwala was a man in a hurry and was frustrated in his attempts to diversify and grow the businesses within India. Therefore he started to look abroad and attempted to create overseas operations mirroring the Indian Operations:  

I am told that the Group was active in Indonesia even before I joined.  They had wanted to set up a  Textile Mill. However Management thought it fit that the Group should gain some experience in local environment before investing in a big way. They adopted the route of  seeking Management Contracts. These were shades of the Managing Agency culture that was embedded in the Group. They did have one or two successful contracts and then proceeded to set up the Mill. 

Source: Suresh Vaidya of the Gokak Mills who was involved in all this; albeit before my time.

The Group embarked upon setting up a Textile Spinning Mill in Indonesia: PT Gokak Indonesia. Some Indian businessmen in Singapore joined them as promoters. One of them was a branch of Thakral Family. In later years, Chinnappa and I worked for another branch of the same Family. A state of the art spinning Mill came up at Citeuruep outside Jakarta. The Group also set up a mini HO in Singapore and commenced Bradma and Latham trading operations in Jakarta. Management Team was hand picked from India operations: Jagannathan, Saby Chatterjee, Vijay Malik n many others. So Group personnel got a taste of Foreign work experience and life styles.

In course of time Chaterjee n Jaganathan left the Group. Chinappa of London office came on board to head the Mill. After some time he too left. In the decades gone by,   BG Jain the CFO at Gokak was Mr. Continuity  thru many ups n downs of PTGI.  I had lost touch with Jaganathan; but remained in contact with Saby who was last known to be in Miami. We caught up with them on a Holiday in Florida in the 90s.  Some other Team members stayed put in  Indonesia on their own: Yogesh Dikshit, Hazuria. At some stage Sheila Raman, my admin, got married to Natesan of Gokak Mills HO and moved to Jakarta. I have had frequent contacts with them, ever since Mickey moved to Jakarta  in 2006.

During the early years of the Overseas operations, I was a regular commuter Bombay-Singapore-Jakarta n back. It was interesting times.

The Mill survives to day – a tribute of Mr. Madan’s grit n BG Jain’s prudent management of shoe string resources.  The Latham n Bradma operations were wound up a few years later.

In the midst of this, a surprise. No that is putting it mildly: Shock n Aww: Astad Parakh decided to leave the Group and set up his own business. It was an unthinkable news. Of course,  he has done well for himself and we are in touch.

Astad’s departure left a big hole in the FFC Organization. I suggested to Management that Ranga would make an ideal President of Forbes. But then their worry was who would run IVP, where Ranga had started all new business of Foundry Chemicals. I suggested Ravi Marphatia, who was the Technical Director of GNP. I am sure Management must have gone thru some deep thinking and and serious negotiations but Ravi took over as President iVP. Word had come to me  that my name had been suggested for IVP. But Khandwala ruled that out with ‘I have other plans for Raj”. Déjà vu. But thank God for that. Other plans have always worked well for me. There is somebody up there who is looking far ahead on my behalf.

As part of the reorganization, Amarjit Singh Puri joined as head of Lathan Div in FFC. They were the sales arm of typewriters made by Facit Asia.

Aha, Facit Asia and the Swedish Connection… Oh that is a long and interesting story. Shall we keep it for next time?

Picture Gallery Follows.

Pls pardon any caption errors.

But do pls point out the error.

                                                      .....oooooOOOOOooooo....

 

Good News!

Girin Khandwala

Switzerland!

Thomas Daetwyler and wife Lilly

Tommy's Mom; a Great Lady;
 we had a lovely lakeside dinner with Tommy n his parents. 

My cousins Kuku n Reena
we spent quality time with them often in Toronto

D.J.Madan the Group's Leader par Excellence

Suresh Vaidya, long time Textile expert 

Astad Parakh. You were missed for long.

Dr. T. Ranganathan

GRATITUDE: Letters from a Grandfather to his future Generations. Chapter 18

COPYRIGHT RESERVED.

BOTH FOR TEXT AND PIX. 

Chapter 18

Breaking News:

Our long time friend, Ashok Ravat has married Yogini  ModaK a colleague of his from Mumbai Grahak Panchayat, one of the many social service organizations he is active in. Congratulations! Yogini and Ashok. Look forward to meeting our Bhabi.

                                                                …oooOOO…

Now to get on with the story of Forbes n I:-

FFC had also set up factories at Aurangabad. One was a ceramic factory,  the modernized version of the spark plug manufacture which was in Kurla. The other was to be the expansion of the Tap n Die manufacture which was at Chandivali. Once when IR conflict was at peak, Khandwala ordered Chandivali machines  uprooted and transferred to Aurangabad. Later when we had IR trouble at Aurangabad, and one of our Managers was stoned, he ordered the same machines to be uprooted and transferred back to Chandivali, which had settled into peaceful state. So it was Crompton all over again, albeit on a smaller scale and with the Directors being in the fray, hands-on.

When our Manager was stoned, the police did not act; so I went off to meet the Police Officer. He said that we know he has been stoned; but we have no proof who has done it; so we cant do anything. In a burst of anger I told him: so you will act only when we produce: a dead body, the accused, and five witnesses to the act? Phew!! Those were exciting but not happy days.

But there was a happier side to the job in Forbes:-A year after I had joined Forbes,  Khandwala  (GK Esq) had authorized me to travel to  Europe n USA to meet with the Companies who had stakes in the Group Companies. He was also Inspired to set up an in-house education and development facility.

My first overseas trip  had been a full decade ago when Esso had sent me to Bangkok for a training conference and I had added Malaysia and Singapore to my plans. I am not counting the boat trip, perhaps Calcutta-Singapore-Calcutta that I must have made with Papaji and Bibi ji as a 2 year old toddler.

After completing the European leg of my journey, I sat drinking beer n eating Pitta balls in the Bar with my resident cousin Billa n nephew Tolly n Rosa. We said bye bye and I proceeded to board the flight, only to find:-  Gate Closed!  I missed the Amsterdam - New York flight and had to fly out the next day. My bags had duly travelled ahead. Those were the days when Security was not such a bad word in civil aviation. I should call that a ‘night in Amsterdam without a tooth brush.”

On arrival at JFK I was standing at the curb waiting for a ride to town. A taxi came along and rode over one of my soft bags.

A porter pointed out to another: did you see that: the Cabbie ran over his bag.

The other retorted: what is so great: cabbies run over people.

That was the first of my several trips to USA. I had worked for an American company for 15 years but it was to be up to Forbes to make me a frequent flyer to USA, and around the world. In those days, if you had a destination in USA, you could convert that trip to round the world. I met up with GK n Astad in USA and visited some plants together. I returned home via Los Angeles, Hawaii, Tokyo n Hong Kong! Sukhjit still treausres the Mickimoto pearls I got for her.

I went on a campus recruitment drive, along with Dr. T Ranganathan,  then President of IVP n Uday Malik the Deputy Managing Director of  Goodlass Nerolac Paints.  We selected two trainees for the Personnel Department; Madhu Katariya from FMS Delhi and Subaiah from XLRI.  After an informal introduction to the Group, they were assigned: Madhu to be the contact for the HO management personnel. Subiah for the Factories.

Soon thereafter we chose TB Jayraman to head the Training function.  Jay had come out of Indian Oil; so we had something In common. He was a good trainer and raconteur as well. In course of time Ranga, Jay and I became some kind of storyteller team in the Group. At the drop of a hat…. As Ranga would say.

So by n by we had a goodly HO team in Personnel department. I started a morning  tea meeting of all Personnel Staff in my office…all levels. It was a nice bonding session of HO n some other visiting Personnel staff… usually Ghankar from Patel Volkart would join. I had to egg on the persons concerned to share information of the happenings in their area.

In course of time, Madhu got married, and left us to join a Consultancy firm.  Subaiah left to join Stanchart. He was in the HR Team there, when Mickey applied for a job there.

Madhu continued with the consultants in a flexi time arrangement that allowed her to bring up her family. Finally she settled down in Delhi. Subiah went to Dubai.. and the just the other day I heard of his sad demise.

Subiah was a great pal to the youngsters in the Company and Mickey n Vicky. He was into Soccer and the boys loved that.  He had  married but we don’t know what came of  that. We mourn his passing away. Age 60-61 is rather premature in these days of longevity. 

One particular evening, GK invited me to a ‘walk’ at the Services Club. I had earlier read a huge big file in which earlier Personnel n Accounts Dept Heads had drafted proposals for ‘perquisites’ of Managing staff but these had remained on file. I was keen on improving things in Forbes.  Here Perks were handed out on case-by-case basis and there was much heart burning n hardship.

During that evening walk I spelt out the major changes we needed to make in Management salary and perquisite structure. As GK seemed receptive, I asked him, how to go about it. He gave me the secret: Get together with CT Gadhiali, the  Company Secretary and prepare a board note. Bingo! The new structure was approved and put in place. In Crompton it needed only the MD’s approval. But in Forbes, most companies were run as if Board Managed. So Board Notes were the means to put wheels under any proposal.

Another new thing for me was being summoned before Board meetings of the various Companies of the Group: to be introduced; to be asked about the Personnel situation in that particular company, quite often the IR angle, etc. In Esso, the equivalent of this were the Committees on Management Compensation. In Crompton, there was only one occasion where I joined in a meeting with the Board… the IR crises meet that I referred to earlier.

Folks, like in a family, each organization has its own decision making model: The real one and the formal one.

Also, friends, you can learn something from everybody; From GK I learnt, Do it Now. From Astad I learnt, be clear n precise. From Ranga I learnt that what looks simple may not be so simple. From Jay I learnt that work n fun can be combined....

More in my next...

                                                             .....oooooOOOOOooooo.....

Picture Gallery follows:

Please forgive any errors in Captions

But do please point out the errors.

Ashok with Yogini
She is recovering from a fracture in the house

Devoo n Indu Kothari
Devoo had introduced me to Forbes and turned out to be a
good friend n supporter throughout my career n
thereafter. 

Madhu Malik, nee Katariya n her daughter Anjali
with Sukhjit at home 2011.

Obit for bright n energetic Subiah

Nephew Tolly n Rosa in Rotterdam - 2012

My cousins Billa n Harmohan on a visit to Mumbai

Dr T Ranganathan President of IVP n later FFC.