GRATITUDE - Chapter 10 Supplement

Balwant Singh ji at Mickey's baraat

Three Jeeja jis at Mickey-Venus' Reception
r-l Balwant Singh, Amrik Singh n Jagjit Singh

GRATITUDE - Tribute to those who helped me in my Career n Life

Chapter 10

JS Cama

SV Dange

GR Raote

Balwant Singh ji Dang

Note: I am writing of the times long gone by. Therefore I am taking the liberty of using ‘Bombay’ to describe my town in the days before its renaming as Mumbai in 1995. I mean no disrespect to my adopted home-town that has given me so much. I shall switch to Mumbai when I come to the relevant time frame.

Note:  I am writing in these Notes the story of my work n family life. Therefore all that is recorded here is my property and may not be quoted, reprinted by any one without my express permission in writing.

In this Chapter I shall cover the period 1962-67. The Chinese attack on  India not only dimmed the popular Republic Day illumination of big buildings in South Bombay but also diminished the aura of Jawaharlal Nehru. Physically n politically he never recovered and breathed his last in 1964. Another Indo Pak war ensued in 1965 in which India got the better of Pakistan and saw the diminutive Lal Bahadur Shastri emerge as India’s most beloved Prime Minister. Jai Jawan Jai Kisan.

It was in these years that many big things happened in my Family and Work life. Our first son Mickey was born the year after our marriage. A few months later my grandfather, Bhayya Ji passed away at age 92. And then quite unexpectedly Sukhjit’s father S Pritam Singh ji had a set back in his health and did not recover. He death at an early age was a trauma for all of us.  The siblings all rallied forth and saw the family through some difficult years. Sukhjit joined Guru Nanak School where my Sister Jasbir was teaching and our younger siblings were  schooling  The School was to be an important feature in our family life.

Then our sister Jasbir had got married to  Balwant Singh ji Dang (aka Balma ji).  He was a good natured, family loving man. He was a great conversationalist too. He had a large extended Family of his own.  They came from a different part of Punjab, with an entirely different dialect. He made a mid life career change; did a course in Industrial Relations and spent many years in that profession.  Balwant Singh ji passed away in 2003. They have a son, Harinder aka Mintoo, working in Australia and daughter Harpreet aka Mini.

Our Family shifted to an apartment at Sion and began to enjoy the facilities of living in  town.   Mickey also shifted school.

It was quite satisfying working with the Jaydee and Jehangir S. Cama as Refinery Manager. I got much leeway in my role and thrived in that enabling environment. Whenever the Employee Relations Manager went on leave or outstation, I was appointed to officiate in his place. That gave me good opportunity to bond with his peers, the Heads of other Departments.

In time, Jaydee was also transferred to HO, and replaced by K Krishnamurty, who was Shift Superintendent. KK was a different kind of Manager, but not a stranger to me and so there were no hassles in working with him. He took keen interest and made meticulous notes, since he was new to the function. We shall see more of him later. By now I had many of my friends n benefactors in HQO.

With Madan’s transfer, I had got first hand experience of collective bargaining. I discovered that: the real negotiating is done outside the meeting rooms. My role in employee welfare activities had given me quite a bond with the worker leaders. They trusted me and we had many long meetings one on one informally.  The ‘outside’ leaders guiding the Union were decent upright social workers. There was, however, a splinter group that wanted more aggressive tactics to pressurise the management.

The negotiations had been very protracted.  The Union expected very high wage hike since the Company ‘can afford it”. Management wanted wide total flexibility in utilisation of manpower. It was a hard task to bridge the gap. So much so that adjudication proceedings had to be initiated.

The job flexibility issue was untangled by SV Dange the Mechanical Superintendent. He explained: what we need is a craftsman doing some other work which arises in the course of his own job but belongs to another craft. So that one worker need go to worksite rather than two.

One not-so-fine day, workers of the splinter group stormed the Refinery Manager’s Office and ‘gheraoed’ his office and did not allow him to come out. That was the first ever gherao in the Bombay industrial scene, though it was happening in the Eastern states. The Gherao lasted several hours before the workers dispersed unconditionally. The Management charge sheeted n dismissed the ring leader of the Gherao. Mr. GR Raote, Process Superintendent, the Equiry Officer was the ultimate in patience, good tactics and perspicacity.  He did such a thorough job that several legal attempts to upturn worker’s dismissal were in vain. Many years later, the  worker’s lawyer said: you did not leave us a toe-hold.

Despite the Gherao n adjudication I continued informal discussions with the union leaders. In these parleys, a worker leader gave me a cue: we need the top gainer to get a raise of certain amount. This cue and the flexibility shown by Management enabled fruitful negotiations. We could thus arrive at an important Long Term Settlement.

At that time little did I know that handling of this episode of the Gherao n the ensuing enquiry will establish me as a tough industrial relations Manager and ease my selection in two subsequent and crucial job changes. The Long Term Settlement signed in 1967 brought me to the notice of the HQO Employee Relations Team of Nalin Thakor and Ronnie Saldanha who got me transferred to HQO soon thereafter.  My benefactors, Madan n Jaydee,  must have have had a hand in this. Thank You.

That is another story and subject of the next chapter

I am grateful to the Union n Management leaders of the Refinery,  for giving me a few Keys which opened the gates of my future growth and progress in the Management Profession.

Harmohan n Narjit my Cousins
re Previous Chapter

Late S Pritam Singh

His sons l-r Gurbir Harjit Mohan

Balwant Singh ji with Jasbir n Mini

Mintoo their son

Dr. Jehangir S. Cama Refinery Manager

 

G.R. Raote Process Supdt

K.Krishnamurthy then ER Mgr

SV Dange Mech Supdt

Chapter 9

Jaydee Parekh

Madan Kamra

JS Cama

Our Families had agreed on a longish engagement and finally the marriage was set for 14 May 1961.  Papa ji and my friends Ramu n Mohan Paralkar left a few days earlier. The rest of the family boarded the Pathankot Express for the 50+ hours  journey to Gurdaspur. Papa ji gathered his relatives in Delhi and boarded the same train with us.

It was a leisurely affair. We had been put up in a local sarai not too far from the bride’s home in Chowk Rang Mahal. We had a whole next day to ourselves before the Reception of Barat the night before the wedding. My friends and I ventured out into the countryside and landed on the banks of the Canal. The Bombayites ordered a tall glass of Lassi from the resident Halvai. He duly served it up heavy and ice cold; thanks to the Canal’s ice cold water, which the Pump must have drawn. We were hard put to finish our glasses.

In the evening the Barat landed at the Bride’s house, what with Sehra, Ghori, Band, Baja et al. It was at their door step that my father in law to be whispered the good news into my ear that: he had got the result and I had passed MA Part II. Lavish dinner was set up in their courtyard. Next day Anand Karaj was held in their courtyard. A big lunch was set in the courtyard of the neighbour’s house.

Sukhjit and I went off to our first ‘honeymoon’ at Dalhousie. I say first, because we have made the journey to Dalhousie several times in subsequent years and even stayed in Mount View Hotel. After a brief stopover back in Gurdaspur, then Ludhiana where my Mama’s family lived, we landed in Karnal for the wedding of my first cousin Harmohan. We could not accompany the Barat for I was due to return to work shortly. The rest of the family proceeded with the wedding.  Sukhjit and I accompanied by our sister Jasbir landed back in Bombay and started our domestic life.

Harmohan had married Narjeet of Barnala where they he has now settled after retirement. They have daughters Veena n Neena and son Vicky. All of them are blessed with happy families of their own.  

After the family arrived back in Bombay, a reception for a few close relatives and friends was arranged in a Hall in Matunga just behind Mama ji’s residence.  By then Mama ji had passed away.  His family was there in full strength. His daughter, who was our contemporary but a Bhua in relationship had got married recently.

In the years that followed, our first son Mickey was born. Then my grandfather, Bhayya Ji passed away at age 92 or thereabouts. He was in good health, till he met with an accident and did not recover.

In those years too, I was promoted to Housing n Welfare Officer, a job held by Nana Chudasama, Prabh Singh Minhas and Alwyn D’souza. Alwyn was transferred to HQO n I inherited this portfolio. I had charge of the Canteen n Cafeteria and the two Housing Colonies.  I also headed the Cooperative Credit Society and established a Cooperative Consumer Society with a grocery store in the larger Housing Colony Esso Nagar West. The Company built a large Recreation Center at the same colony and we played badminton in the Hall and showed Indian Movies each week.

This job brought me very close to the work force and their leaders. This was hands-on training in human relations at the very front. Some of the activity was off hours but I don’t recall Sukhjit ever complaining about it. Some of the active workers would drop by at our home and were happily entertained. All along my Shivaji park friends were treated to Bibi ji’s and, after our marriage, to Sukhjit’s generous hospitality.  In recent years, when my friends were entertained at home, they said that nothing had changed.

 Somewhere around 1964, Madan Kamra was also transferred to the Head Quarters and I was promoted Employee Relations Assistant. I was then responsible for what little Recruitment took place in those days and more importantly relations with the Trade Union and collective bargaining.

Madan inducted me to the intricacies of labour negotiations. I got into detailed arithmetic of the Union demands and Management proposals. Those were the days when one did such detailed work by pencil n ruled column sheets with the help of huge machines, which served as Calculators. We roped in Comptometer operators to check out our calculations. I, who had very poor school record in Mathematics and Arithmetic became quite at home with Numbers. In later years, in Board Rooms, I would have the approximate numbers much faster that the Engineers with their slide rules or accountants with their pocket calculators. 

By this time, Jehangir S Cama was elevated as the first Indian Refinery Manager. I had got good exposure to him at several fora. Also I seem to have impressed him with my conceptualising and drafting skills. By then Indian Express had published two of my Center Page pieces and paid me Rs. Ten each. Also I had got a few things published in the ESSO India Magazine, published by HQO. John Cama (as he was popularly called) used my services extensively in the furious correspondence that ensured between him and the New York Head Office following a devastating fire in the Refinery in which several of our colleagues were burnt to death. Following that he let me start a Refinery Manager’s News Letter which I composed n published. I am sure Jaydee n Madan had his full backing in advancing my career. And I am grateful to them for my steady progress laying the foundation of my career.

Those were days of learning and building a career and a family side by side.

More of this in the next Chapter. 

Sehra Bandi with Ramdas Iyer

Anand Karaj

Sukhjit's Extended Family 

Our Family n neighbours

Harmohan and Bhabi ji at the marriage of Veena's daughter

GRATITUDE: Tribute to those who helped me in my Career and Life - STOP PRESS

Supplement to Chapter 7


NARAIN MAKHIJA: In Memoriam

I am very sorry to record that my very good friend of sixty years, Narain Makhija passed away on 13 February 2015.... just a few days before I mentioned our mutual friendship of 60 years in my blog of 18 February. I was abroad and did not receive the message sent by his son Lalit. (in the process I learnt the lesson: Keep your Whatsapp linked to your local cell phone number. The app permits that. Thanks Birender for advising me to change to Indian Cell and I found the message waiting for me. Another motto of mine: Live and Learn. )

Narain was 91 years and passed away 'peacefully". Lalit says that, towards the end,  his father would say: beta, I am tired; I want to go.

Narain was a staunch family man and honest as a rock. He was simple and hardworking. He would not brook fools nor make compromises in life, at least none that I know of.

He left behind son Lalit, a banker, grandson Herschel and daughter Kiran an Accupressure Practitioner. He has a younger brother Arjun. His mother passed away long ago and his wife a few years ago.

Rest in Peace my good friend. We had a ball in our times together.


In the b&w pic below to my left: Narain, his wife with son Lalit in arms at our wedding reception.
In the most recent color pic below: Narain with son Lalit and grandson Herschel an aviator.

GRATITUDE - ...CHAPTER 8 - errata

Chapter 8

Errata

It was Gurcharan Singh, who did the match-making. He was the maternal Uncle of Sukhjit's mother. Error Regretted. 

GRATITUDE - Tribute to those who helped me in my Career and Life

Chapter 8.

Pritam Singh Ahluwalia

Jaydee Parekh

Madan Kamra 

The years rolled by and my parents started to think in terms of my marriage.  Mama Narinder Singh also counselled me not to delay it too much. My argument was that I was not making enough money to support our existing large family, leave alone taking on the expense of raising a family of my own. Mama ji clinched that one by countering: but the girl who comes she will also earn, naa?

There was a proposal for a match from Harbans Singh who lived in Poona and whom Papa ji knew very well. The former had a niece, Sukhjit, daughter of Pritam Singh ji. She  had finished college, and post graduate in Teaching; a bright student and so on. Papa ji seemed to know the family tenuously. Photos were exchanged. Meanwhile I was thinking of doing my Masters and the only possibility was to appear as External candidate at Nagpur University. Papa ji arranged for me to stay with Pritam Singh ji. It was also agreed that Sukhjit will make a visit to Nagpur around that time so that we could ‘see’ each other. To cut a long story short, the ‘seeing’ was done and Papa ji trooped over to Nagpur. We got the ‘Shagan’ on 13 April and returned to Bombay. We solemnised the engagement at our place on May 1, 1960. The same day that the erstwhile Bombay Presidency was dissolved and State of Maharashtra was established.

I had spent a month at Nagpur preparing for the Exam and writing it. I had seen from close quarters what a large hearted person S. Pritam Singh ji was. His mother was keeping house since part of the family was in Gurdaspur. His mother was  bent old, but a pert, kind hearted and loving lady. I was reminded me of my own grandmother. I had lost my Bhabi ji to sickness winter of 1942 when I was barely 6-7 years old. I had also built a good bond with Sukhjit’s brother Harjit Singh who was working in the NCC establishment. There were lots of similarities between our two families: Large family, many children, 3 generations together, Father in sports business,  Harjit a Steno, Mohan Singh had completed  Apprenticeship in Indian Air force, the very career which was denied to me. They had other brothers n sisters back home whom I met upon our marriage. More of this story in next Chapter. Meanwhile to return to my Career:

Soon thereafter Madan n Jaydee delivered on their indication that they had better things in mind for me. I was given a temporary assignment in Management ranks as Public Relations Assistant – Tours. I promptly wrote to Sukhjit saying that it was the good effect of our linking together. Little did I know that she was to be my good luck charm and would bring me so many glad tidings over the years. Sadly, it was to be at her Father’s cost, since his fortunes started to wane.

Now Tours was an interesting assignment and took me into the world of education n Refining.  The job involved taking around the Refinery, the Engineering students, and general public who asked for it. The load of engineering students was particularly heavy during summer vacations. On some days I would  go around the refinery three or four times in hot sun.  My anti dote was a cold coke and a whole lemon squeezed into it in our Cafeteria. That is where we would take the visitors for a soft drink, before escorting them out of the Refinery.

My predecessor in that position, VM Vartak taught me the basics of the Refining Process with the help of a short movie. I accompanied him on a few tours. Surprisingly I had no difficulty in understanding and explaining the rudiments of distillation and fractionation to students of Chemical Engineering. So much so that at the end of the Tour, invariably a student or the escort professor would ask me as to from where I had done my Chemical Engineering. They were surprised to learn that I wasn’t an engineer and whatever I knew, I had learnt on the job.

Obviously the Management was pleased with my work and I was promoted a member of the Management Staff on Oct 1, 1960. I promptly sent a copy of that announcement to Sukhjit with the words “Sukhjit – Congrats. Raj “

In course of time the Management built a large Hall near the main gate to seat the visitors and show them the Movie. Also by that time I had got a working model of the Refinery built and did preliminary explaining and Question/Answer session there. That simplified the work of going around.

Next year, I went back to Nagpur to write the Part II of the MA Exam.  On the eve of our Marriage, as I stood at his doorstep with the Marriage Party, Pritam Singh ji whispered to me that I had passed the exam.

More of him and our marriage in the next Chapter.

                                                                  Madan Kamra

                                                                     JD Parekh

                                                                The girl I married

                                                                     Her Parents

                                                           Her Daadi, Bhabi Ji

GRATITUDE - Tribute to those who helped me in my career and life - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

STANVAC-ESSO

BEST PRACTICES

I devote this chapter to my work life in the Refinery. I am, to this day,  grateful to the Esso Management and in particular the Refinery Management for imparting to me the practical education, knowledge n skill which were to be my strengths in my future progress.

As receptionist, my job was to respond to employment applications as sorted out by Santosh Wadhwani. Response letters would be signed by Madan Kamra. I would also receive candidates for recruitment, ‘make them comfortable’ and  check their documents. Santosh would administer pre employment tests.

After the employment embargo most of the recruitment was to very essential engineering staff. Santosh and I would take one good look at the candidates gathered in the Reception Hall and arrive at gut feel as to who among those would make the grade. Our judgment was quite uncanny though once in a while a candidate would completely surprise us.

On the strength of my short-hand skill, I earned a promotion to Steno Typist-cum-General Clerk and moved out of the Reception cabin to the office upstairs. Santosh taught me many of the jobs I was to do later on. Among them, sorting employment applications, reading through Labour  Law Gazettes and Journals and making card index of the relevant ones, administering n evaluating pre employment Tests. 

 The Refinery’s Employee Relations Management was exemplary. The Relations Team comprised Graham Waugh, who moved out in 1955-56, BM Sitlani and Madan Kamra. Alwyn D’Souza was also part of Madan’s Team. He was a direct recruit to Management ranks. In the early years itself, the Management had started all the institutions stipulated by law. That included a Works Committee with Management and Employees’ representatives. Madan was the Secretary of that Committee. He would write (dictate) the Minutes in English. Then a contractor will translate them to Hindi. It was my job to proof read the Hindi version. Once printed, a copy of English n Hindi versions was given to each employee…about 800 of them at peak.

I have worked for many Manufacturing Organizations thereafter but not one had a thriving bilateral Works Committee. Nor for that matter, things like Formal Induction Procedure, or Formal and time bound Grievance Redressal Procedure.

The Refinery Management was quite state of the art in all disciplines. They were also very perspicacious in important matters.  So much so that the Refinery was instrumental in initiating adjudication proceedings which in course of time established land mark Supreme Court Decisions and in fact Central Legislations. For example: The law on Abolition of Contract Labour, and law on Payment of Bonus. The Refinery had a Provident Fund and Gratuity Fund right from inception. 

The Employee Relations Team was cognisant of the mischief which two different Dearness Allowance Formulae were to cause in Mumbai’s industrial Sectors.  The Office staff had a much higher and faster escalating Dearness Allowance as compared to Industrial workers. Therefore, in successive Collective Bargaining Settlements, they kept re-working the DA formulae to minimize the mischief.  Greaves Cotton were to be the victim of the Supreme Court Judgment enforcing common Formula i.e. the better of the two. When I joined Crompton Greaves years later, my first assignment turned out to be a hearing in Supreme Court protecting the Company from the remnant effects of that Judgment. We won! Sadly, one of the organizations that I worked for decades later refused to see the writing on the wall and paid a heavy price.

The negotiations for the earlier contracts were conducted with the mediation of Shri Bhaskar L Shelke, then Conciliation Officer. It was commentary of the times, and of the Man that Mr. Shelke would make trips to the Refinery for these Conciliation sessions. In later years, the parties would make numerous trips to the Labour Commissioner’s office for Conciliation. No wonder Mr. Shelke rose to be the Commissioner of Labour of the (future) Maharashtra State and I had much interaction with him on behalf of my future employers.

Exposure to all these developments at close quarters, set the foundation of my knowledge and understanding of Management especially Employee Relations Management. This was to be the vehicle which was to carry me to much growth n progress in later years.

But then I am moving ahead of my story:

In course of time Mr. Sitlani moved as Employee Relations Manager at Esso India  and Mr. J.D.Parekh replaced him as Employee Relations Manager. By then the Refinery and Marketing Organizations had come closer and there was movement of Management personnel to and fro. Mr. Sitlani an, alumnus of Cornell University USA was a direct appointee. He was  a good communicator and ‘modern’ methodical Manager. Jaydee on the other hand had been a long time Company man and was a Regional ER Manager in the Marketing Organization. He was an affable, kind-hearted man and had a hugely humane touch.

After some years as the Employee Relations Manager at HQO, Sitlani opted for the position of Head of Sales  and Marketing in Esso India and Mr. Nalin Thakor was appointed in his pace. More of this in chapters yet to be.

To come back to my story, one day, a colleague in another Division of  our Department was promoted to Senior Clerk. He was to be the first in that position in ER Dept. Without any rancour or a particular motive, I conveyed to Madan, that at last we had a Senior Clerk in the Department. Apparently he had not been taken into the loop. He went marching up to Jaydee protesting about the unilateral decision. One thing led to the other, and Madan came back to tell me that he had spoken to Jaydee, who had assured him that ‘they’ had other (better) things in mind for me.

The name of the O  and Socony Mobil  and operated in Africa, Asia and Australia. Once the partnership broke up, the company underwent name change to Esso Standard Eastern n then Esso Eastern. The transition from Flying Red Horse to ESSO Oval was a major logistics and Public Relations campaign. Those interested in the history of these Oil Companies in USA can look up the link below **

rganization saw several changes over the years. Standard Vacuum (Stanvac) was a partnership of Standard Oil of New Jersey

During these early years, Ramu and I continued to be very close. I made friends with another colleague: Narain Makhija. We became family friends and used to visit each other’s homes. We are still in touch with each other. His wife died a few years ago. He is looked after by his daughter Kiran. He has a son Lalit. I have fond memories of his mother and younger brother Arjun.

In 1957 I made another trip to Ludhiana to write the exam for BA and passed with reasonably good grades.

Well…the story of my work-life at the Refinery continues next week.

**

History of Stanvac..Esso

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utcah/00352/cah-00352.html

extract

As the merger provided increased stability in the domestic market, Socony-Vacuum set its sights on its foreign resources and joined with Standard Oil (New Jersey) to form the Standard-Vacuum Oil Company, or Stanvac, in 1933. This 50/50 venture operated in nearly 50 countries, from Africa to the South Pacific, until the assets were divided in 1962.

Jaydee Parekh

Group Pic:  R-L Jaydee Parekh, Prem n Suvarna Kamra (Madan’s siblings), Mr n Mrs Makhija with the baby her arms, Santosh Wadhwani, Mrs. Prem Kamra n their daughter.