Between UsLeading With a Vision

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Let’s go for itNew Year’s Message

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Cover StoryUnderstanding Visionary Leadership

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Manufacturing LeadersProf. Shoji Shiba - An alchemist for visionary leaders

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Environmental concernsEnvisioning a greener tomorrow

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Know your Divisional HeadBreathing life into Lifespace

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Making a DifferenceAiding positive people

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C O N T E N TC O N T E N TC O N T E N TC O N T E N TC O N T E N T SSSSS

First Person AccountThe Yearning to live

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Reflect. Restore. ReimagineCooverbai Vakil: Educating people, changing lives

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Home Base

Our Achievers 1940

Leading with a VisionTHE great visionary leaders Mahatma Gandhi, JN Tata, Pirojsha Godrej, Vikram Sarabhaiand several others had made awe inspiring contributions for nation building which remainunparalleled in the history of India. The leadership they provided was driven by thepowerful vision they had for changing lives of millions of Indians.

Likewise to reshape and reposition an organisation, this crucial element of VisionaryLeadership is essential though not readily available.

To know more about this challenging concept we have in this issue of CHANGE, oneinterview and three articles on Visionary Leadership displayed in different domains.

Prof. Zubin Mulla in his piece tells us about what visionary leadership is and how it'sdifferent from leadership, as we understand.

Prof. Shoji Shiba who is the father of Visionary Leadership for manufacturing programmein India gives us deep insights into what we ought to do to push our manufacturing sectorto greater heights for not only creating millions of jobs but also meaningful lives andprosperity.

Dr. Maya Mahajan tells us about the role Mr. SP Godrej played in creating awareness ofthe environmental concerns and why we should protect and nurture our trees and thewild life.

Cooverbai Vakil provided the vision and direction for educational initiatives in Godrej.She was indeed a leading light that shaped our schools and their approach to education atall levels.

Homebase section has many interesting pieces on what is changing and what is happeningin the company. Noteable among these are report on our annual Diwali function andhow our EON brand from the Appliance Division are gaining greater market share witheach passing day.

It is now widely acknowledged that 'Design' in general will be the key determinant ofsatisfaction of customers and organisation in future. In order to provide a perspective onthe importance of design in every aspect of life we have chosen the theme Design toDelight as the theme fore the next issue of CHANGE.

Please send us our contributions including photographs to make this issue of CHANGEboth informative and useful.

We have just ushered in the year 2008. Our team at CHANGE wishes all the readers avery happy and prosperous New Year.

Enjoy Reading. Keep Reading.

Indrapal Singh

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Editorial BoardAnil G VermaG SunderramanHarpreet KaurNalini KalaMegha Moorthy

Co-ordinatorsRatul Mazumdar (East)FK Khapoliwalla (West)Sushil Thariani (North)Vinod Kumar (South)

DistributorsNariman BachaSR Marolia

Consulting EditorIndrapal Singh

Designed byUday KamatC Karunaharan

Cover DesignGodrej Infotech, Web pagedevelopment team

Printed byGenius Printers Pvt. Ltd.

Edited and published byIndrapal Singh on behalf ofGodrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd.,Mumbai-400 079.For private circulation only.

BETWEEN US

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LET ’S GO FOR IT

India and Godrej both seem tobe moving in tandem towardssomething great. In this kind ofan upbeat ‘Chak De’ mode, howdo you think each Godrejemployee should contribute?

I personally feel that we’re living insome of the most exciting times ofour lives. I have never been moreexcited before than as I am today.What I see is virtually like ametamorphosis; both on the economicfront and the people front. I havenever seen more motivated people.

Some time ago, we had a conferencein Goa with the Appliances division.These guys would dance till 4 O’clockin the morning and be ready to workfrom 9 because - everybody wascharged and everybody was willing totake on challenges. This has been theIndia that we are looking for. It is notonly in Godrej, I see it across thebroad spectrum of happenings.

It is just not our cricket team whichwins here but it is certainly a moredefined factor and I see that India isreally, really on the march and Godrejis marching side by side. See ourbusinesses, see our growth, see theconcept of innovation we want tobring across every single business. Ithink Godrej is really, really in sync

with India, we are marching togetherhand in hand.

What do you think are theobstacles in the way?

How do we retain our people? Howdo we motivate them? How do wegive them new challenges? And that’snot only Godrej, every business Italked to on the CII platform, thereis a shortage of people and there isconcerted thinking that by the year2010 or 2012 people will have towork with only 60% of their strength.So I think the biggest problem whichwe will face in Godrej and thecountry will face, is getting andretaining talent.

We have a wide variety of peopleworking in Godrej, havingexperience ranging from 20 oddyears to 1 year or so. What isthe one message you would wantto give to everybody across theorganisation?

My message to all of them is just believein yourself and there is really nothingimpossible. There is so much we needto do, there is so much innovation weneed to do - but you must believe inyourself that I can do it and once youdo that, it is like adrenaline in yoursystem and that’s what we need.

What is the one thing we atGodrej should stop doing, startdoing and continue doing?

I think we should stop going by justrules and regulations or believing in aform of socialism that we have doneso far. I think today everything mustbe based on merit, everything shouldbe based on performance and ageshould not be a criterion.

I think we should start more intensivetraining. I would like a structuredtraining programme from the top mostpeople that every employee, right froma senior executive to the Chairman goesthrough - six or seven days where wecan get exposure to what is happeningin the world. That is really critical to inorder to translate the day to dayworking to show that we are of globalstandard - that is what we need.

I think we need to sustain our values.People outside perceive Godrej astrustworthy. We may do things thatare wrong, but don’t do it deliberatelyand we then want to rectify it. I thinkthat we need to inculcate our values inthe young people to make them feelproud. Once that happens, we can takeon China; we can take on the world!

As told to Nalini Kala &Megha Moorthy

(with inputs from Harpreet Kaur)

In a freewheeling interview,

President and Executive Director,

PD Lam sends his New Year’s

message through CHANGE.

MessageNew Year’s

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COVER STORY

Leadership, historically speaking:The topic of leadership has alwaysexcited people. From the earliesttimes, our mythologies and folklorehave been filled with stories ofcharismatic leaders who have bravelyled the human race successfullythrough the trials of their time. Evenin business, the study of leadership isnot new. Whether an organisationdoes well or whether it does badly,good or bad leadership is the mostcommon explanation.

Early leadership studies were mainlyfocused on the role of rewards andpunishments in bringing about desiredchanges in behaviour. These studiesassumed that the only way to influencefollowers was to provide desiredrewards and to avoid undesiredpunishments. However, more recentstudies have highlighted the role ofcharisma, vision, and inspiration inengaging the attention and energiesof followers towards common goals.If we reflect on our own experienceand look for an individual who hasinspired us, touched our life, andtransformed us, we will find that wewere not inspired so much by materialrewards, as we were by thecharismatic personality or thecompelling vision that was providedby the individual. This type ofleadership which completely engagesfollowers and takes them beyondmere rewards and punishments has

for novel solutions to existingproblems. This crucial aspect ofindependent thinking is whatdistinguishes authentic leadership frommere indoctrination. Finally, visionaryleaders recognise their followers ascomplete human beings and act asmentors to their followers.

One of the most crucial elements ofleadership is the content andcommunication of the vision. A goodvision must not only inspire and engagefollowers; it must also make thefollowers believe that it is somethingthat is achievable by them collectively.Most inspiring visions have a commontheme of dealing with change by makingpeople work together towards idealgoals. But what is it that makes thecrucial difference between a vision thatremains a set of good intentions, anda vision that inspires followers toenthusiastically engage themselves inpursuit of its implementation? Let ussee a few instances of successful andunsuccessful visions to understand this.

Deming – neglected byAmericans, but inspiring theJapanese: From 1942 to 1944, Dr.W. Edwards Deming, then a consultantto the U.S. Department of Defense,conducted twenty-three seminars ofeight days each for the engineers ontechniques of statistical quality control.For his time, Deming’s message wasquite revolutionary; he stressed the

VisionaryUnderstanding

Leadership

come to be known astransformational, visionary, orcharismatic leadership.

Who qualify to be Visionaryleaders: Researchers across cultureshave found that transformational/visionary leaders display four commontypes of behaviours. First, visionaryleaders are highly charismaticindividuals who are role models fortheir followers and can be trusted todo the right thing. Doing the rightthing in the face of adversity requirescourage and visionary leaders possessthe required strength of character. Itis this quality that attracts followerstowards them and makes followersemulate them. Secondly, visionaryleaders are able to provide aninspirational vision which motivatesfollowers to look beyond the mundaneactivities of the jobs. An inspiringvision not only presents a gloriousfuture but shows how the individualcan work towards it in his/her currentjob. Thirdly, visionary leadersencourage their followers to thinkindependently and creatively, tochallenge the status quo and to look

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human factors in production as muchas the technological elements.However, as Deming would recalllater, “the courses were well receivedby engineers, but management paid noattention to them at all.” In fact,American managers ignored Deming’sideas for almost four decades. On theother hand, in 1950, when Demingwas invited to conduct a series ofseminars by the Union of JapaneseScientists and Engineers, his ideas werewholeheartedly accepted. Deming wasable to convince the Japanese about awhole new philosophy of management,which would actively involve workersin finding ways to improve the qualityof goods they produced and help themdesign the entire process such that itrevolved around serving the needs ofcustomers. Enthused by the power ofDeming’s ideas, the Japanese soonovertook the rest of the industrialisednations of the world.

Why were Deming’s ideas whichinspired the Japanese, ignored by theAmericans? It is easy to blame theaudience and say that they were notmature or intelligent enough torecognise the wisdom of the leader’svision. There are numerous suchexamples of leaders whose dreams fortransformation fell on deaf ears.Consider Robert Owen, anindustrialist in the early nineteenthcentury who first campaigned fordecent working conditions such asreducing the working hours from 13to 11 and for abolishment of corporalpunishment in factories. Owen’s ideaswere outright rejected not only bythe industrialists but also by thecourts and the intelligentsia. EvenPeter Drucker, was unable toconvince General Motors in 1946when he advised them to give up theirhighly bureaucratic structure and togear up for global competition,increasing automation, and a changein customer preferences. Do theseexamples suggest that leaders are atthe mercy of their followers’ maturityor intelligence in executing theirvision? Once spurned, should a leaderthen seek other constituencies bettersuited and more worthy of his orher inspirational message? Or shouldthe leader keep using logic and

arguments to convince the followersof the vision?

How often have we tried to convincea family member, a close friend, or acolleague about what we thought wasgood for him or her, with exhortationssuch as: “This isn’t good for you!”,“Stop smoking!”, “Don’t overeat!”, or“Start exercising!” Such attempts attransformation despite beingsupported by endless logical argumentsrarely succeed in winning over thetarget. Even when successful, they onlyyield half hearted compliance, neverenthusiastic commitment. What thenis the secret of inspiring another towholeheartedly commit to a vision?

Commitment to a vision can onlyoccur when three conditions arefulfilled. First, the leader must possesscredibility. Credibility means that theleader must possess integrity, reliabilityand trust in the eyes of the follower.Credibility can be established eitherthrough close relationships or throughexpertise. The second prerequisite forcommitment is that the vision be basedon universal values (e.g. oneness,equality, and non-violence) which canencompass diverse audiences. Narrowsectarian or divisive values whichpromote an “us versus them” mindsetmay engage followers in the shortterm, but they cannot form the basisfor enduring transformation. Third, theleader’s communication must be easilyunderstandable by the followers.Communication can be reinforcedthrough stories, anecdotes, metaphors,and analogies. Finally, leaders must notignore the emotional aspect of thefollower’s personality. Rationality andlogic provide the building blocks of anargument, but emotions form the gluethat holds the blocks firmly in place.

More than anything else, the leader’svision must address the followers’authentic needs. The leader’s first taskis to empathically listen to followers andunderstand their real needs, their ideals,and their aspirations. The next step isto make people aware or conscious oftheir deepest aspirations in the form ofa compelling vision. Finally, the leader’stask is to make those values socompelling that the followers are movedto purposive action.

Godrej and Visionary Leadership:One of the best examples of visionaryleadership was provided by NaorojiP. Godrej (NPG). NPG’s genuineness,simplicity, and concern for his peoplemade him an extremely loved andrespected leader. After India becameindependent, the dream of everyIndian was a technologically self-reliant nation. At that time there wereno indigenous manufacturers oftypewriters and British companieswere making a huge profit on thetypewriters that they sold in India1.Making an Indian typewriter was animportant step towards the vision ofa technological self-reliant India.Because, the leader’s vision wasrooted in the authentic needs andaspirations of the people, they wereinspired and gave their best to makingthe Godrej typewriter a great success.

Conventional leadership wisdomdescribes a leader as an intelligentindividual occupying a senior positionin the organisation, who dreams up agreat idea, and through his superiororatory skills convinces a group ofpassive followers into following hisideals. This mode of leadership may atbest lead to very superficial and short-lived changes in followers. Authenticand enduring transformationalleadership, on the other hand canoccur at all levels in the organisationand it always starts with understandingfollowers’ genuine needs and growsby engaging them in pursuit of aninspiring vision built out of their ownunspoken needs.

Zubin MullaAbout the author:Zubin R Mulla is a Professor ofOrganisational Behavior and HumanResource Management at WelingkarInstitute of Management Developmentand Research. He has a degree inmechanical engineering and has a postgraduate diploma in businessmanagement from XLRI Jamshedpur. Heis also completing his doctoral researchat XLRI Jamshedpur in the area oftransformational leadership and Indianculture. During the years 1994 to 1997,Zubin Mulla worked as a Design Executivein the Machine Tool Division. Some ofhis other writings and research can befound at www.zubinmulla.com.

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MANUFACTURING LEADERS

prolific writer, who hasauthored several books, Prof.Shoji Shiba has published

scholarly articles in prestigiousjournals across the world.

Prof. Shiba has been a consultant toleading corporations in Japan, U.S.A,and Europe. He has given his adviceto the governments of China, France,Hungary, Chile and several others.These countries having benefitedgreatly from his interventions havebestowed on him many high levelhonours.

Prof. Shiba is a professor at MIT,U.S.A and leading Universities inJapan. He is a painstaking teacher whois highly gifted and yet he goes a longway to ensure that managers learnwhat he teaches them. A spiritualperson. He introduces managers tonew concepts and skills forrevolutionising the practice ofmanagement in different industries.Deploying his unique teaching style,he makes managers rapidly learn tounlearn, look through the invisible andunknown for sensing the future. Heis a master in imparting observationskills to gather consumer insights andimprovement opportunities in theshopfloor.

In addition to receiving the DemingPrize for Individuals, Dr. Shiba'srecent honours inc lude beingnamed an Academician of theInternational Institute of Quality inJanuary 2002, and a recipient ofMIT's Teaching Award in 2001. Hewas a lso conferred theDronacharya Award by theGovernment of India.

On an invitation from the Governmentof India and the CII, he has launcheda nation wide programme fordeveloping leaders for India'smanufacturing sector. The programmeknown as 'Visionary Leadership ofmanufacturing' (VLFM), is aimed atdeveloping 500 hundred managers- acritical mass, essential for lifting ourmanufacturing to heights hithertounscaled. This programme has evolvedfrom his pioneering programme atMIT.

This initiative isblessed by ourPrime MinisterDr. ManmohanSingh andMinister ofScience andT e c h n o l o g y ,Kapil Sibal.

What is your vision for VLFM?How do you plan to take itforward in the years to come?

There i s a need to focus onmanufacturing. India is a very largecountry. When we want a majorchange, we need a critical mass ofpeople who would initiate such achange. Over three years , weintend creat ing 500 v is ionaryleaders. 500 is enough of a criticalmass to make a beginning. But, eventhis may not be enough.However,these visionary leaders may drivethe manufacturing sector of yourcountry like a locomotive the waya locomotive is in front of thecoaches.

Even in the United States, about 700visionary leaders were created to pullahead the manufacturing sector. InIndia, there are simultaneousprogrammes going on at IIM Kolkata,IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras.

We are focusing on manufacturing inthe private sector so far. They aremore serious than the public sector -that's the case in Japan and USA.However, in India it could be different.Also, the private sector is facing strongcompetitive challenges.

Prof. Shoji Shiba- An alchemist for visionary leadersProf. Shiba is a remarkable man. Known world wide asone of the greatest living experts of Total QualityManagement (TQM), he is an author, a consultant, amentor and above all a connoisseur of art, food andwines. An aesthete.

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In order to expand, their shareof global market, what shouldIndian companies pay focus on?

They should focus on the customerwho buys their product. They have tofocus on the customer. Alsocustomers in India are changing veryrapidly. If you don't focus on thecustomer, you cannot serve them wellenough. Customers of yesterday aredifferent from today's. Hold a summitof your customers and see for yourself.Anticipate change in the customers tomeet their requirements. That is thekey.

If the customer is the focus, whydon't we hear people in thecompany and CEOs talking moreabout customers?

It is common sense, really. Theproblem is that people working in theorganisation, especially people workingin manufacturing don't see thecustomers. They just see the day today work. There's a huge difference inthe mindset if a person working in thefactory has his focus on the finalcustomer. Japan's success in 1970 canbe almost entirely attributed tofocusing on the customer.

What are your views onproductivity improvement?

Well it is better not to think aboutproductivity. Focus on productivity ispurely internal. It makes sense to focuson productivity if your country has astable environment. But society in Indiais changing drastically. Therefore itsmuch better for the company to focuson the customer. Of courseproductivity is important, but if yourproduct is not in sync with yourcustomers' needs, even if yourproductivity is really high, you cannotsell the product because no one willbuy it.

How is the American mindsetdifferent from the Asian mindset?Any major differences?

As far as business is concerned, thereis no difference between US, Japan andIndia. Business is the same everywhere.One plus one will be the sameuniversally, the same logic applies tobusiness also, because management isa science not an art. If it were an art,

it would differ from country tocountry. But science is a science.Hence no difference amongstcountries.

If science is different, one wouldwonder why in your course youteach people to appreciate art,dance and theatre ….

There is a reason I focus on arts inaddition to science. You need tounderstand the new subtlechangeovers in customers. You cannotunderstand the subtle points ofcustomer behavior and predict futurechanges only with science, you needmore intuition. To be intuitive, youneed to have a holistic view of humanbeings, for which arts is essential. Ifwe just approach business with toomuch science, without intuition, it willbecome like a compute programme.(Laughs). A computer cannotunderstand human aspirations.

How do we encourage a largerparticipation of people in theorganisation?

Managers are responsible. Peoplecome to work with such a lot ofenthusiasm, why not motivate themto give suggestions.

Can you share with us whatmanagers could do to motivateworkers?

They could focus on three importantthings. First, the top manager mustvisit the site and see for himself howthings are. If he does not walk around,he will never know his own shopfloor.

Hence, he will not be able tocommunicate with conviction tomotivate people. Second, observe factsand do not go by opinions. If facts tellus, things are not good enough, thenuse scientific tools to make thembetter. The use of science is essential.If we apply science, things will surelyget better. If managers don't visit thesite and still initiate improvementprogrammes, it would be based onopinions, not facts. Scientific tools willnot be effective then. Third, develop aprogramme to motivate people basedon facts applying scientific methods.That's really the way to motivatepeople.

This classroom is designeddifferently. What's the ideabehind it?

This learning environment has threecharacteristics:

No teacher: To teach is a word ofarrogance. All are teachers and all arestudents. There is no hierarchy, noplatform. We can only create aninnovative teaching environment. It isreally learning and not teaching.

Flexibility: Sometimes we use tables,sometimes we don't. Sometimes wework in groups and sometimes wework individually. Sometimes we makepresentations. We learn skills, withvery little theory. Therefore theteaching environment must be flexible.

Unique approach: Our lectures arevery short and we believe in visitingsites, observing the sites and workingon them in the classroom. It is tocreate many environments in the

Prof. Shiba observes that Indiahad a great visionary leader inour previous president Dr. APJAbdul Kalam. He had met himin July 2004 when Dr. Kalamhad asked him to come to Indiato help the manufacturingsector become a global force.Prof. Shiba acceded to Dr.Kalam's request and committedhimself to help themanufacturing sector in India.That, essentially, is the genesisof the VLFM initiative.

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classroom. If we visit a factory, thenwe come back to the classroom andcreate an environment of the factory.If we visit a showroom or a retailoutlet, we create that environment inthe classroom. The trick is to becomelike a magnet and attract theenvironment, so that it can be workedupon in the classroom. The reality thatwe bring in the classroom is the coreof our approach, which makes itunique.

Also, our classroom is always openfor free flow of ideas and reality.

There is a symbol behind the T-shirts the participants arewearing. What does it symbolise?

It is Buddha smiling. Buddha has 3 eyesand if Buddha smiles, the customersmiles.

See the straight line, it is the past.Control is the past. The line with steps

symbolises incremental improvement.It is our present. The overlappingcurves, symbolize the breakthrough,which is our future. Thus we needthree eyes. One to deal with the past,one to manage the present and oneto create a future.

How does it relate to thecustomer?

In the past, we needed control toserve customers. Then we had tomake incremental improvementsto meet the changing needs andnow these are not enough and werequire breakthroughs to createtomorrow.

That's a beautiful explanation.

Please remember. Those who havealready bought our products is thepast, those who are currently buyingis the present and those who wouldbuy our products in the future istomorrow. Hence we need threeeyes and must keep all three eyesopen as they focus on three differentkinds of customers. The topmanagement must have all the threeeyes open.

As most of our managers cannotbenefit directly from thisprogramme, what would yourecommend they read?

They should read my book'Breakthrough Management'. If notread fully, at least keep it on

The table as a companion a personaltool kit.

Before we conclude, would youlike to make any observationabout Godrej?

When I'm conducting this programmein Mumbai, I live in a bungalow inHillside Colony and I normally walkto the Centre. At that time, manypeople are walking in and comingtowards the factory. I notice all facesare shining and looking pretty cheerful.Compared with Japanese workers,people here look much more cheerful.Even the children walking to the schoollook very cheerful. Here people lookmuch happier. I don't know why, but Ifeel very happy to see these happypeople everyday. Maybe the Japaneseare very tired, maybe even lost. But Isaw the same enthusiastic faces in the60s and 70s in Japan. Every personcoming to the factory then had thesame enthusiasm that you see here.Today, unfortunately that passion hasdisappeared compared to India. So Istrongly believe your country is nowdeveloping and is on the rise. Everyonehas a feeling that they have a future.That's the reason for enthusiasm andcheerfulness.

That's my observation andinterpretation. Do share it with yourpeople.

Indrapal Singh(With inputs from G. Sunderraman)

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My interactions with Prof. Shoji Shiba

Kaustubh ShuklaCOO, Industrial Products Group

I heard Prof Shoji Shiba San for the first time during the CII ManufacturingSummit 2006. Speaking to a large gathering of over 500 delegates hecaught the attention of all with his keen observation and sharp & crispcomments and built a rapport with everyone instantly. I met him inperson during VLFM. What an experience it was! I can describe Prof Shibaas extraordinarily soft spoken, gentle and polite, treating his mentees withkindness yet demanding when he sensed even the slightest slackening inattention.

His focus on basics, such as-What to observe & How to offer commentsbesides an almost devotional approach to the process of learning and afirm conviction that everyone can improve struck me as key qualities thatmust be making the process of learning efficient and permanent.

My colleagues who are attending the VLFM programme can not thank thecompany enough for providing this opportunity. I sense that the team ofenlightened leaders in Manufacturing coming out of the VLFM programmehas the capacity to change future outlook of Manufacturing in India.

P BalaStorage Solutions Group

Our Storage Solutions Group is to grow exponentially in the coming years.VLFM provides inputs that will help us to grow our business. Supply Chainand Design are two key pillars of our Business.

Firstly VLFM makes us think Big M as against our traditional small m.Traditionally our focus has been on the factory alone (small m) withoutconsidering the rest of the chain (Big M).

Secondly VLFM is structured on “Learning by Doing” as against Learn in class& Practice separately. This ensures that whatever we learn is only by doing.Credit goes to Prof. Shiba for planning the programme in this manner.

Thirdly VLFM exposes us to the “Best in the field Thinking”, both in thesubject as well as the Leadership series. Learning from Gurus such as Prof.Shiba, Prof. Furuhashi, Dr. Kano, Prof. Mori, Prof. Tsurushima as well aslistening to CEOs as opened our horizons.

Since the learning is by doing, the Homeworks require us to apply the tools toour business. We are confident that our business will benefit from ourcontribution.

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Anand D BagdareQuality Assurance PES Division

AM VishwanathanVice President,Storage Solutions Group

BD Joshi-President &RR Yadav-General Secretary,

Godrej & Boyce Shramik Sangh

It has been a once in a life time opportunity for me to learn from Prof ShojiShiba.I have learnt to:• Use only language of facts for ease in decision making• Practice ("Wax on Wax off "), as practice can only make a man perfect• Have a big dream to be fulfilled in a life time• Always plan before you commit any thing• Understand that 60% job completion in time is better than perfection

delayed• Find out customer's latent requirements through Voice of customer,

observation and focussing on periphery• Make final decisions based on my own knowledge and wisdom.

VLFM has given me1 Global exposure2 Competence to see the invisible3 Ability to Focus on Big M

This programme holds a lot of promise for a business like ours wherein oursuccess is based as much on operational efficiency as it is on adding value toour customers.

Not only does it create a cadre of leaders from within our 'operationsteam', it provides a fresh insight into all aspects of our business, which wehave found extremely useful and interesting.

You may have certain perceptions of the Union as flag holding activists; butwe are not like that. We hardly ever leave the negotiating table. OurCompany has certain principles and we uphold them. We are on the rollshere and therefore know the ground reality. Whatever suggestions havebeen made as a part of the VLFM will be implemented and that is ourword. We take it upon ourselves to motivate the workmen to implementthese suggestions.

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Prime Minister’s Message

A fax sent from the Prime Minister’s office on the VLFM Programme

The Prime Minister is happy to note that Confederation of Indian Industry has started theVisionary Leaders for Manufacturing Programme, an initiative under the Joint Co-operationAggreement between the Government of India and the Government of Japan. While providingimpetus to the growth of manufacturing, this programme will also enhance the government’sskill building initiatives critical to developing competency in India’s manufacturing sector.The Prime Minister believes that Indian manufacturing must become competent for innovatingnew products that meet the need of this country and for exports.

The Prime Minister conveys his best wishes to CII for success of this path breakingprogramme of National importance.

Dr. Sanjaya BaruSeptember 28, 2007

Glimpsesof the

Programme

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REFLECT. RESTORE . RE IMAGINE

Education and colonial India: Wayback in the year 1870 at theMetropolitan Tabernacle, London,Keshub Chandra Sen while speakingabout England’s duties to India said:“The first great duty which the Britishnation owes to India is to promoteeducation far and wide. It is desirablethat you should establish railways andtelegraphs, that you should open upworks of irrigation, and that youshould try in all possible ways topromote the material prosperity ofthe country. All these certainly aredesirable; but, after all, these are onlyexternal refinements of civilization, for

unless the heart of the nation isreformed and purified, there cannotbe anything like true and lastingreformation… Education is the chiefremedy for all those great evils whichafflict the country.”

In spite of such appeals, the progressof education remained rather slowduring the British period. Between1881-82 and 1946-47, the number ofprimary schools grew from 82,916 to134,866 and the number of studentsgrew from 2,061,541 to 10,525,943.Literacy rates in British India rose from3.2 per cent in 1881 to 7.2 per cent in1931 and 12.2 per cent in 1947.

Cooverbai Vakil:

Educating people, changing lives

Aunty with students of Udayachal School. Also seen in the photograph is Mrs. Jyotsnaben Mehta

Vrunda Pathare traces education through the

years, in colonial and postcolonial India and

highlights the contribution of Cooverbai Vakil, a

visionary in the field of education.

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The foundation that was laid by herwas strong enough to withstand anywrong influences from outside. Andworking holistically with the whole

family — students, home andworkplace — the concepts and thinkingof the employees was changed towards a

more modern outlook

Literacy in Independent India: Theproblem of illiteracy continues topersist, even after 60 years ofindependence. 30% of the world’silliterate population comes from India.Lack of education has resulted ingrowth of unemployment, poverty anda substantial increase in rate of growthof population. Illiteracy has proven tobe a major handicap in thedevelopment of our country.UNESCO therefore remarked that“Literacy in India is an indispensablemeans for effective social andeconomic participation, contributingto human development and povertyreduction.” Dr. A PJ Abdul Kalam inhis ‘India 2020: The vision for NewMillenium’ has identified education asone of the five prerequisites toachieve the vision of DevelopedIndia.

Pirojsha’s vision: Late Shri PirojshaGodrej while building up the IndustrialTownship at Vikhroli in late 1940sthought of addressing the issue ofilliteracy in his own way by providingeducation to his workers’ children.Pirojsha was disturbed by the plight ofthese children who, having nothing elseto do, were just whiling away theirtime in the streets. He discussed thiswith Naval. His vision that educationwill ensure a bright future for themgave birth to the idea of setting upthe school for them.

When Naval mentioned this toSoonuben, she approached her oldteacher and the noted educationist,the late Mrs. Cooverbai Vakil whoalso happened to be a family friend.Her experience in the field ofeducation helped Godrej in shapingthe character of the school in theearly years.

Cooverbai Vakil and theUdayachal Schools: Cooverbai Vakilwas a product of Shantiniketan whereamong other things she studied music,art and drawing. She had also takentraining in Indian Classical music inthe Gandharva Mahavidyalaya,Bombay. Thousands of children hadlearned from her Indian music, besidesdramatics and art. Aunty brought thisspirit of Shantiniketan, the love fornature and arts to the Udayachal

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schools. Shirin Choksey, formerlyPrincipal of Udayachal Pre-primaryand Primary School reminiscences,“She (Cooverbai Vakil) believed in all-round personality development… ingiving children the freedom todevelop…”

Along with her husband Prof. JehangirVakil, who later became a Principal atShanti Niketan, started in 1928 theChildren’s Own School in Poona. Theschool was renamed as Pupil’s OwnSchool after few years. She came toBombay in 1933 where, at Vile Parlewhere she conducted the Pupils OwnSchool till 1944. She was in ShantiNiketan again from 1944 to 1949.

it was necessary to persuade a fewparents to send their children toschool. The children had to bebrought to school, washed andcleaned and fed too. The teachersperformed these tasks most willingly.Cooverbai was their constant sourceof inspiration.

Her dedicated efforts translatedPirojsha’s vision into a reality – aschool building that stands today as amagnificent edifice on the campus ofGodrej Industrial Township at Vikhroli.Acknowledging her contribution to thefield of education, the Government ofIndia conferred Padma Shri on her inthe year 1972.

Cooverbai Vakil being felicitated at a school function. Seen in the picture are Mr.Naoroji Godrej andMr. Sohrab Godrej

‘

‘

Her dedicated effortstranslated Pirojsha’s

vision into a reality – aschool building that

stands today as amagnificent edifice onthe campus of GodrejIndustrial Township at

Vikhroli.

Among her distinguished studentswere: Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Mrs. SoonoN Godrej, Mr. Kanti Gandhi,Dr.Balakrishna Kalelkar, Mr.Kamalnayan Bajaj and Mrs. VijaylakshmiPandit’s daughters Chandralekha,Nayantara, Ritakshara.

‘Aunty’ as Cooverbai was called byall in Godrej helped the Directorsin the early years in taking many apolicy decision, supervised theinternal administration of the schoolsand worked with the teachersproviding them with practical in-service training. The school wasstarted as Balak Mandir. Initially theclasses were held at the grain storein the Godrej welfare centre with ahandful of children. In the early years,

Soonuben once recalled, ‘Without Mrs.Cooverbai’s help, guidance andencouragement, it would have takenus much longer to achieve what wedid. The foundation that was laid byher was strong enough to withstandany wrong influences from outside. Andworking holistically with the wholefamily — students, home and workplace— the concepts and thinking of theemployees was changed towards amore modern outlook, whereas in theold days their highest ambition wasStandard VII pass for their children!’

We are grateful to Ms. CooverbaiVakil for laying the foundation of theUdayachal schools.

Vrunda PathareGodrej Archives

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ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

ndia has produced visionaryleaders in all walks of life;environmental conservation is no

exception. From Mahatma Gandhi, thefather of our nation, to SunderlalBahuguna, Dr. Salim Ali, MC Mehtaand Medha Patkar - we have a longlist of celebrated environmental leaderswho greatly contributed to the welfareof our natural environment in multipleways. There are several remarkableenvironmental leaders who are far lesshighlighted, but still have done as muchas or even more significantcontributions to conserve ourenvironment. The role of the Godrejfamily in conserving the environmentalresources, especially of Mumbai regionis well-known. The bold initiatives byGodrej to conserve thousands of acresof mangrove ecosystem on theirprivate land since 1980s was onlypossible because of the visionaryleadership of Godrej who envisionedthe importance of nature and

biodiversity conservation at a timewhen these concepts were at itsinfancy in this country. We can onlybe grateful when we look back intothe life and deeds of those inspiringleaders from Godrej.

One such visionary was SohrabjiGodrej. Sohrabji grew to share hisfather’s (Pirojsha) deep concerns aboutpopulation explosion andEnvironmental degradation and was arenowned and passionateenvironmentalist. His love the forenvironment and understanding of thepopulation-environment nexus earnedhim the sobriquets ‘Mr.Environmentalist and even ‘FP Godrej’

Godrej’s Mangrove Project: In1985, several years before any formalIndian legislation came into thiscountry regarding the protection ofMangroves, the Godrej’s SoonabaiPirojsha Godrej Foundation initiated aMangrove Conservation Project. It was

started with the initiative of Mr.Sohrabji P Godrej (the then Chairmanof Godrej Company) & some of thegreat scientists including Salim Ali,botanist Dr AK Ganguli & Dr HomiSethna. The company felt that theyowed a lot to this city and savingMangroves could be a wonderfulinstance of them demonstrating theirCorporate Social Responsibility. Therewas around 1750 acres of land adjacentto Thane creek on its western bankowned by Godrej since 1940s. Initially,land was fallow and manyornithologists and bird-lovers used thisarea to watch birds. Sohrabjirecognised the importance of thisMangrove area and he took the bolddecision of reserving such a largeportion of their precious Mumbai landfor the cause of the environmentMangrove project of Godrej had athree-pronged approach, Research,Education & Conservation. Since 1985,Soonabai Pirojsha Marine Ecology

greenertomorrow

Envisioning a Maya Mahajan chronicles

Sohrabji Godrej’s contribution

to the enviroment, and

highlights the fact that Godrej

continues to follow his

guiding principles even today.

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Centre is active in management ofthis vast Mangrove area.

There was very little awarenessabout Mangroves in society. So theeducational approach was adoptedto create awareness about theimportance of mangroves forecological and economicsustainability. An InterpretationCentre was established to impartenvironmental education by usingmangroves as a platform. The centrehas facilities for a nature trail, themeparks, small marine aquariums,information through posters,presentations, film shows, books etc.

Plantation of mangrove plants wasalso undertaken in over 100 acresto improve the cover and bio-diversity of the mangroves. Asecurity post was set up with awatchtower and a boat was boughtfor patrolling the area.

Sohrabji and EnvironmentalOrganisation: Sohrabji became‘Friend’ of the International Unionfor Conservation of Nature andNatural Resources (IUCN). He wasalso vice-president and vice-patronof the Bombay Natural HistorySociety (BNHS), India’s premiereorganisation dedicated for natureConservation. Godrej’s associationwith BNHS continue till date.

In 1969, when the Indian chapterof World Wide Fund for Nature(WWF-India) was Established asa charitable trust as a wildlifeconservat ion organisat ion,Sohrabji was its founder-trustee.

WWF’s aim is to encompassconservation of habitats andecosystems and to lend support tothe management of the country’sprotected area network and ultimatelystop and eventually reverse theenvironmental degradation.Godrejdonated one crore rupees for thebuilding of the Indian headquarter ofWWF-India which is named afterPirojsha Godrej (Pirojsha GodrejNational Conservation Centre)

Mr Sohrabji was the vice-chairman of thePeople’s Commission on Environmentand Development, India, which wasinstrumental in conveying the nation’spopular inputs to the Earth Summit.

He was president of the NationalSociety of the Friends of Trees andalso of the Mangrove Society of India.He was a founder-member of the SalimAli Centre of Ornithology and NaturalHistory (SACON) of Coimbatore. TheIndian Merchant’s Chamber honouredSohrabji Godrej for outstandingcontribution in enhancing the imageof the business community by personalservice. He was also closely associatedwith the International Chamber ofCommerce (ICC) Committee onEnvironment, the ASSOCHAMCommittee on Industrial Pollution andSafety, the Indian Natural Trust of Artand Cultural Heritage (INTAC), andso on.

In Sohrabji’s biography (titled‘Abundant living, Restless striving, amemoir’) he has poignantly mentionedabout his recalling of an occasion whenhe was offered the prestigiousmembership of the WWF’s ‘1001Nature Trust.’ The membership fee thenwas $ 10,000. He hesitated to approachhis Father because at that time thecompany was passing through a criticalperiod, his father Mr Pirojsha Godrej washeavily in debt, and all the money hecould spare was going into the industrialgarden township at Vikhroli. Sohrabji did,however, broach the subject to Father,expecting a flat ‘no.’ To his pleasantsurprise he welcomed the idea: ‘If wecan’t spare money for such causes,’Pirojsha said, ‘what’s the use of makingmoney?’ In fact, his father seemed quiteimpressed (and not a little bit surprised)by the fact that he had been approached

by this prestigious organisation.

He travelled extensively and had visited160 countries, including the frozencontinent of Antarctica. He was deeplyconcerned about the global problemssuch as population explosion,degradation of environment, wildlifeand heritage. The black patch whichhe used to wear on his sleevessymbolised his concerns about nature.

Sohrabji’s Philosophy: In hisspeeches and writings Sohrabji pointedout that the worst consequences of over-population - the population holocaust, ashe calls it- is that the community and itsenvironment cannot function as anecological unit in Nature. Land cover,which is already inadequate, is beingfurther denuded. About fifty years ago45 percent of India was covered by forestand it had next to Brazil, the largestvarieties of trees and plants. Today theforest area had been reduced to a mere12 per cent. Our lifelines, the rivers, thefabulous gigantic Himalayan ranges, vastlife-giving forest areas, all had beenpolluted or devastated.

In a city like Bombay over-reclamationhad weakened the shoreline and wasdestroying its sustaining wetlands.Wetlands, in fact, were a neglectedsource of wealth. Gandhi’s wordsabout the importance of village uplifthad been forgotten with the vastmajority living in squalor. Our wildlifewas threatened along with its habitat.The tiger, for example, required vastand extensive territory of its own typefor survival, which in turn couldpreserve the habitat mainly forests.

In 1983, when he was the Sheriff ofMumbai, he initiated a campaign againstNoise Pollution. He made peoplerealise that Diwali is a “SarvajanikDiwali”, celebrated annually, is a uniqueexample, which demonstrates thatDiwali is a festival of lights and notnoise by celebrating Sarvajanik Diwali.He also used to head The ForumAgainst Noise Pollution.

Like Sohrabji, his brothers, Naval andBurjorji also shared the concern aboutenvironment degradation andpopulation which were inherited fromtheir father. Even today the concernfor the environment continues to beessential to the spirit of Godrej.

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Godrej Today: Godrej has receivedthe prestigious Green Governanceaward for their Conservation andRestoration of Habitat project fromthe hands of the Honourable PrimeMinister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh.The award is reckoned as a testimonyto Godrej’s commitment to the globalcommunity to protect the mangrovesand promote its conservation throughan extensive environmental educationcampaign. Godrej & Boyce has beensetting aside a portion of its profitstowards its environmental efforts.Godrej was involved in setting up theSohrabji Godrej Green BusinessCentre with the CII which wasconceived by the house of Godrej andthe CII, in partnership with the AndhraPradesh Government with thetechnical assistance by USAID.Incidentally, the Green BusinessCentre is the first building in the Indiato receive the LEED’s platinum rating,making it one of the mostenvironmentally advanced buildings inthe world. The center is focused onpromoting Green business and GreenConsumerism in India.

Godrej is now reaching new heightsof environmental excellence and theConstruction division has nowobtained an international certificationfor Environmental ManagementSystem (ISO 14001) in October, 1997.By 2001 the Pirojshanagar Townshipwas also certified for ISO14001.Greener technologies are increasinglybeing followed by Godrej in all

• Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Purskar 1991

• WWF 25th Anniversary Benefactor Award byHRH Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh1991

• Indian Merchants Chamber Diamond JubileeEndowment Trust Award for outstandingcontribution by a business man in enhancing theimage of the business community by personal service1992

• The Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award for1992-93 by the Indian Science Congress Association

• 1994 Distinguished Service Award for 1994 by theRotary Club of Bombay

• ‘Man of the Trees Award’ by the National Society ofthe Friends of the Trees 1997

• BOGs - Dr. BN Purandare Outstanding ServicesAward for Services in the field of Family Planning, bythe Bombay Obstetric and Gynaecological Society1997

• Golden Peacock Life Time Achievements award bythe Institute of Directors 1999

• Padma Bhushan 1999

possible fields. This involved switchingto cleaner process, recycling ofmaterials and water, efficient resourcemanagement, waste minimisation andso on. The, residential project ofGodrej Garden Enclave Project, thecompany has decided to implement acomprehensive rainwater harvestingscheme with a purpose of utilisingthis abundant natural source of waterfor flushing and gardeningrequirements of the residentialbuildings as well as for recharging theground water aquifer.

According to the Energy ConservationAct (Encon) came into effect from2001, Energy intensive Industries andcommercial building with a connectedload that is greater than 500kw /600kvaw Energy conservation systemwas made mandatory. Godrej & Boyce,being a light engineering company,does not fall within the ambit of thislaw. However, Godrej voluntarilycomplies with Encon system for thelast two decades.

Such initiatives towards sustainablemanagement of environment atPirojshanagar a better place to live infor all of us and we are sure Godrejwould strive in the future too to retainits leadership in environmentalexcellence.

Godrej’s concern aboutenvironmental and ecologicalproblems is not limited to Mumbai.They have also contributed towardsthe management of the ecology in the

Ganga Basin, which has a drainagearea of 8,60,000 sq. kms., accountingfor over 40% of the country’sirrigated land and sustaining 37% ofthe population. The Godrej GangaEcology Panel’s major role is to createpublic awareness and sensitising thepeople living on the banks of theGanga in realising the goals of theAction Plan involving the preservationof Heritage Monuments.

The contribution by Godrej to theenvironment and the role of Godrejfamily over generations to theenvironmental conservation isunparalleled, especially in thecorporate world. We, at Godrej, arelucky to be the part of a companywith exceptional levels ofenvironmental and socialresponsibility, thanks to our visionaryfuturist leaders.

- Maya Mahajan

With inputs from Dr PR Arun

Reference

Karanjia, B.K Final Victory: The Life-And Death-of Naval PirojshaGodrej, Penguin Books India Pt. Ltd.,2000

Karanjia B. K., Godrej: A HundredYears, Vols.I and II, Penguin BooksIndia Pvt. Ltd., 1997

Karanjia B. K. Abundant LivingRestless striving A Memoir by SohrabP. Godrej

Awards conferred on Sohrabji Godrej for his contributionin the field of Environment

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KNOW YOUR DIV IS IONAL HEAD

here is an instantaneousexuberance to Shyam Motwanithat cannot go unnoticed. You

enter his cabin and you know you arethere for business. No idle talk, nolack of focus - lets get started. Verycandid about his life, his mistakes, andhis achievements. He may have beendealt wrong cards, yet he does notcomplain but plays on with ingenuity,vigour and resolve. Resilience in theface of adversity seems to be adefining theme. Action and speed arethe words governing his approach tobusiness. He comes across the kindacross of person who makes youbelieve that dreams are forever - theyjust take a different coursesometimes.

Tell us a little about yourschooling and your childhood.When I was a child and in school,Mathematics used to be my favouritesubject and I was always fascinated byautomobiles, motorcycles, aeroplanesand rockets. So many of them used tofly over our building and I used toalways wonder who builds thesemachines and how are they built? Iused to always tell my mother, that

Breathinglife into Lifespace

Shyam Motwani

Educational background: Mechanical Engineer and MBA in MarketingYour family: My wife Radhika is a housewife and son Roshan is in the tenthstandard.Your strengths: Clarity of thought, I value action and speed.A habit that you would like to get rid of: Smoking. I am a very sparsesmoker. I smoke about 2-3 cigarettes but I want to kick that habit.Your hobbies: Watching television, listening to classical music and reading. I ama religious minded person so I spend a lot of time listening to vedas and mantrasand listen to a lot of bhajans.Your favourite book: The future at the Bottom of the Pyramid, one of the greatestinspirations for me as an Indian professional.Favourite film: Sholay and Amar Akbar AnthonyFavourite subject: MathsFavourite song: My current favourite is Mujh ko maloom hai, ishq masoom haifrom Jaaneman.Favourite cuisine: I am very fond of Sindhi cuisine. I love Sindhi kadi, Sai bhaji andpakwan dal.Two things about you that no one knows: I am obsessed with housekeepingand I love cooking.You dislike: Hypocrisy and backbitingYou are most proud of: Achieving what I have professionally against all oddsYou are most afraid of: Heights and water. I always believe that my death isgoing to be in water.Any social cause you have been associated with: I contribute to CRY. Iprefer to help someone who wants to educate his/her child.Your motto in life: I want to achieve happiness not through material wellbeingbut by being at peace with myself and my family.Your hero: JRD TataYour brand statement: Sincere, well meaning, street smart and above all agreat human being.

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some day I want to build aeroplanes,or maybe cars.

However, my father was really keenthat I take up Commerce and becomea Chartered Accountant. My mom onthe other hand used to alwaysencourage me to do whatever I liked.I was the eldest in the family so andbeing the eldest boy in the family sheobviously wanted me to do exactlywhat I had in mind.

As a student I wasn’t very brilliant,but I was above average all throughschool. As in I would never stand first,but always be in the top five. I tookup science after my tenth standard. Idid well in my 12th standard but itwasn’t good enough for me to get anadmission in Bombay. I was aspiringto be in VJTI or Sardar Patel Collegeof Engineering. But that was not to bebecause although my PCM scores werehigh, my aggregate was low, becausemy English scores were low. That wasa huge disappointment. And what Ialways never thought was going to bea worry turned out to be a worry.

I had applied to four RegionalEngineering Colleges including Surat. Imanaged to get admission in all fourof them. My mother was not too keenthat I go out of Mumbai to study, butI wanted to live independently, so Iwas rather looking forward to it.Finally, I chose Surat because it wasclosest to Mumbai.

Even though we weren’t exactly well-to-do back then, I managed tocontinue with my good academicrecord even in engineering. I got aGovernment of India scholarship allthrough the 4 years of my engineering.So all my tuition fees were paidcompletely and they used to pay mesome pocket money for books andperiodicals. As a part of campusplacement, I got two or three offers,from which I decided to take up a jobat Bharat Bijlee.

You joined Bharat Bijlee as agraduate engineer trainee. Tell usabout your initial years.

I was pretty excited about joiningBharat Bijlee because of the Siemensconnection. And it was an excitingplace really. It was the dream come

true for me because after my inductionI got into hard core engineering - intothe foundry of Bharat Bijlee.

I was looking after castings for motorbodies and transformer sections. I usedto come back home everyday with a lotof soot all over my clothes. But it waswonderful working there and I wasparticularly interested in industrialengineering. I actually wanted to do apost graduation in Industrial Engineering.My mentor at that time who happenedto be the head of industrial engineering,thought that there was merit in melooking at that occupation in BharatBijlee. So they offered me a job inindustrial engineering and I was doingwork study and time study of theworkmen in several factories in BharatBijlee. So I moved from foundry tomotor manufacturing, from motormanufacturing to transformermanufacturing, from transformermanufacturing to elevate themanufacturing and then back to thefoundry. For one full year I really workedvery hard. So that one year was very,very useful for me so far as learning inengineering is concerned.

You seem to have really enjoyedyour stint as an engineer inBharat Bijlee. How did yousuddenly decide to do an MBA?

Yes I was. But then there was peerpressure. People were saying what areyou doing in engineering? You shouldbe doing an MBA today. So peoplewere really encouraging me to do anMBA. So I applied for CAT and I didwell in my IIM entrance test. But atthe last minute, I got kicked out inthe group discussion, personalinterview stage. But fortunately I hadalso applied to other institutes also. Itook admission in Somaiya, because itwas closest to home and I felt that atthe end of the day it is really not aboutthe institute – it’s just about individualbrilliance and individual application.

And true enough, I have never felt thelack of a big institution associated withmy name. It has never come in theway of my career progress. I waspersonally very confident about whatI was doing and I got good grades inmy MMS and was recruited by GodrejSoaps as a part of campus recruitment.

‘‘

I have never feltthe lack of a big

institutionassociated withmy name. It has

never come in theway of my career

progress.

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How was your stint in GodrejSoaps?

It was an exciting opportunity. Andthe biggest attraction was a companycar at the end of one year. For a 24year old boy to be offered a car wasreally a big thing at that time. Hardlyanyone in my family had a four wheelerat that time.

So that whole transition, the wholejourney from higher secondary schoolto college, to engineering, tomanagement and then to Bharat Bijleein between and thereafter GodrejSoaps was fantastic. I look back atthose years with a lot of nostalgia.

I spent nearly ten years in GodrejSoaps. And in that period I had thegood fortune of working with somefabulous people. Dr. CN Sharma, whorecruited me, Dr. Pratap Roy, whowas head of Marketing at that time(he was also a theatre personality),CK Rao, who was a very bigpersonality as far as Godrej Soaps salesand marketing was concerned. Andwhen I was in Soaps, I worked onseveral assignments. I started mycareer in brand management. I wasassociated with the new Cintholrelaunch. After around 15-16 monthsin Marketing, I was picked to headSales in Gujarat. I headed Sales forGujarat for more than five years from1987 onwards. It was a wonderfulexperience because I was livingindependently. And I strongly believethat sales was the place to be in atthat time because it disciplined oneslife a great deal.

Then I moved back into brandmanagement after 6 years and then Iwas category head in the foodsbusiness. So I used to handle theentire business of tetra packs –Noble Soya, food drinks, Jumpin,tomato puree and our oils business.So that was another categorymanagement experience, which hadboth marketing and sales as part ofthe responsibility. So I began to heada function, I think this journey wasvery useful in my FMCG experience.For a couple of years I was outsidethe Godrej group, I was clearly bittenby the bug to look at things outsidethe Godrej group.

What did you do in the phasebetween quitting Godrej Soapsand joining Godrej & Boyce?

I was offered a job in Sterling HolidayResorts. But it was a bigdisappointment. Thereafter I moved toTorrent Laboratories. They weresetting up their cosmetic business.They wanted somebody to head salesand marketing, so I decided to moveto Ahmedabad, which was not veryunknown to me.

But all the while I was in touch withCK Rao (from Godrej Soaps), myphilosopher and guide. One day he

told me there was an opportunity inthe Appliances business and asked meif I was interested. I was obviouslyinterested. Vinod Soni used to headthe SBU at that time. I met Vinod,Vijay Crishna and VJ Rao and finallythey offered me the job.

How was your stint in Appliances?

Appliances was in a stage of infancy. Itwas not doing well. We had just setup a world class plant at Shirwal at avery high initial cost. After around 18months or so, the SBU structure wasdisbanded.

Competition had become veryaggressive in the late 90s and early2000. And we were finding itextremely difficult to protect ourbrand. When the ship was rocking andnot doing well, people decided to

leave. A lot of exits happened between1999 and 2001. But I decided to stayback. I have always believed that it isimportant to stick around when yourbusiness is seeing tough times. And toadd to that, I was getting anopportunity to work with theManaging Director. We built themarketing team over there, we addedmore resources, we went after a lotof new initiatives; we started the workon the Pentacool range. We launchedthe Pentacool range in 2001, whichafter the Puff launch was the nextmilestone. It was well received. Wethought we had hit upon a good subbrand. The product was looking nice.It was refreshingly different from whatwas available from competition and wedid a fair amount of aggressive stuffwith Pentacool to bring us back fromthe brink of disaster. We had lost ourmarket share. We were down by 35 -36% share in refrigerators tosomething like maybe 16 - 17% andthen we took it back to about 24%and then again it slid back.

The point is Appliances are acompletely different ball game. It hasa different set of challenges to offer.At the same time there are uniqueopportunities to go after. AfterPentacool nothing had happened forfive years. And it’s only in the year2005, with Boston Consulting Groupcoming in that New ProductDevelopment (NPD) was brought backinto focus. And I was fortunate to leadthe NPD and I was associated withthe product development of the Eonrange. I got to handpick a team ofindustrial designers - a team of youngand bubbly NID experts, NIDgraduates who delivered veryinnovative product and componentdesigns. It was a great success andone of the best looking refrigeratorsin terms of design. Around May 2006,I moved out of Appliances.

You are now the Divisional Headfor the Retailing Division. Whatis your vision for Lifespace?

Well there are a few things. One thingI think Lifespace can be the growthengine for our furniture business.Lifespace can clearly drive ourfurniture business and the reason for

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me saying this is that in any Lifespacestore 70% or more is furniture. Inappliances, we all know the retailmodel is completely multi brand. Youcannot sell a single brand in appliances.Because consumers want a choice.Some die hard loyalists may end upbuying a Godrej brand from a Godrejretail store but such cases are fewand far between. The security businessand lock business with regards toLifespace is very small.

The origins of all these 4 categoriesunder one roof have something to dowith what we did in the 60s and the70s by setting up showrooms - theobjective of which was strictly toshowcase. There was never a salesobjective. Then came a stage whenwe started doing up the stores andmaking them presentable. Then camea stage when we found a division andwe had a business objective and wewanted to sell. Then we realised thedifficulties. Fortunately, furniture camealong and that provided the impetusto sales. The revenue started growing.

My vision for Lifespace as a brand isthat it is a sub brand, which if endorsedby the Godrej brand, till such timethat the mother brand becomes verystrong and powerful, it can continueto do the job of dusting off the stuffthat the Godrej brand is associatedwith. It can present a new face ofGodrej to the consumers of today’sIndia and the future.

As compared to competition, arewe able to hold our positionthrough Lifespace?

We are actually middle of the marketin terms of our product offering. Weare largely the mid end range infurniture. We are less top end. Wehave tremendous amount of potentialto be top end. And Lifespaceparticularly has that potential to offerbecause Lifespace will not suffer fromthe baggage of the past. It is a sub-brand presented in a refreshinglydifferent manner. And it will allow usto go up the value chain and be ableto get a greater value extraction andvalue creation for our consumers.

So I think today we are able tocompete effectively with some of

them, if not all of them. But wecertainly have the mettle and thecapability to really do well comparedto all the current players that are therein the market including some of thelocal players. Essentially, their modelbarring Style Spa is all source and sell.We have the good fortune of beingmanufacturer-retailer. In a large sectionof our products we manufacture quitea few of them. Surely, a certainpercentage of our business comesfrom sourced furniture but we have afantastic opportunity.

The other thing that we can do andthat we need to do very urgently is tolook at getting into complementaryproducts such as furnishings andaccessories. Because that is onecategory that can allow you fantasticmargins which you can use to crosssubsidise your current furniturebusiness. Currently in the furniturebusiness, in spite of putting onessourcing in place and other initiativesand innovations related to supply chain,design and products, to remain costeffective is very tough. Let’s say 20%of your business can come fromfurnishings over a period of time.

So what you are saying is thatLifespace can really become adriving force of the furniturebusiness rather than the otherway around?

Of course. We should be leveragingthe Lifespace retail brand and my visionis to take the Lifespace retail brand asthe new face of Godrej and use thisretail brand as a retail business modelfor the home furniture business.

We have heard you are a believerin the importance of consumerinsight. Would you tell us whyyou think it is so critical?

It helps you zero in on that singleminded value proposition you aremaking to your consumers withrespect to your brand offering or yourproduct offering. This is whereconsumer insights help. Consumersbuy goods emotionally. Insights helpyou to get that emotion becauseinsights are all about consumer’s dailylife. When a consumer is buying a pieceof furniture he is actually not buying

‘ ‘

Lifespace canpresent a new faceof Godrej to the

consumers oftoday’s India and

the future.

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furniture. He is trying to meet a certainaspirational mood he wants to createin his home. For instance, when he isbuying furniture, whether he is buyingside lamps or candle lights for hisroom, he is wanting to create a certainatmosphere, a certain mood in hisbedroom. Furniture only helps.Furniture is a means to the end and ifyou didn’t have consumerunderstanding and you can’t figure outwhat the consumers are doing whenthey are buying goods, you wouldnever be able to hit upon a sweetspot as they say in advertising or inmarketing, which is like bull’s eye. Ifyou can’t get the consumer to say,“wow this is what I was looking for”,you have failed in your job as amarketer.

What are your concerns in theretailing business? What are theissues that keep you awake?

Profitability is my greatest concern.Currently our business model is suchthat we transact goods at a certainprice on which businesses make acertain margin. And my margin is thedifference in end selling price and theprice at which I get the goods.

Considering the recurring cost of highrentals, manpower cost (fixed salaryplus incentives etc.), running costs ofthe stores (power etc.), travel,communication, advertising and salespromotion expenses, renovation costs,capital cost for new stores, myexpenses are in the vicinity of about20-22% whereas my margin is 15%.Net operating surplus, on the otherhand, may be between 8-10% onexpense.

So to be fair in theimmediate short termas I see it, I think thechallenge is to growthe topline and thatcan happen only whenyou are able to presenta very compelling valueproposition to thefuture consumers whowould come to GodrejLifespace stores.Unfortunately therewasn’t any strong valueproposition which is

compelling enough for a person likeyou and me to visit a Lifespace store.Secondly, the awareness about Godrejlife space is pitiable. It is close to zero.

Isn’t that a classical dilemma thatthe promotion comes first orshould….?

No. I am very clear in my mind. Thereis no chicken and egg story here. Toconvert that vicious cycle into avirtuous cycle we have to we have tomake large investments in promotingthe brand. And I have to drive footfallsinto my stores. Unless I get traffic tomy stores, I can’t convert them. UnlessI convert them, I can’t hope to drivetopline. And of course I must have animaginative portfolio on display whichwill help me promote large products,top end products. That’s what mycompetition is doing. But I have todrive traffic. That’s the biggestchallenge.

Tell us about importantinnovations that will help usincrease performance?Something new and powerful thatwe have done.

One is that we are now looking atco-located interior designers to addvalue to what we sell. S/he will beable to ask a few questions to the endconsumer as to what kind of mood isone trying to create in their home.And then based on his/her expertunderstanding of the business ofinterior design and decoration, she isable to guide the consumer as to whatthe ideal solution to his/her home is.

The other innovation is leveraging IT.We have got a touch screen kiosk inour stores which has loads of new

and innovativesoftware. One of themis a virtual roomplanner which meansthat you can actuallygo on the software onthe screen and pickand choose pieces offurniture for yourbedroom and see howthe bedroom looksand then decide whichone to buy. Two, inthe category of

‘

‘

I think thechallenge is to

grow the toplineand that can

happen only whenyou are able topresent a very

compelling valueproposition to thefuture consumerswho would come

to GodrejLifespace stores.

22

appliances we are offering somethingby way of a software called a productselector software means that if I haveto buy a refrigerator and I amcompletely uninitiated, we have asoftware to help the consumer decides/he should buy. It is just a set of halfa dozen questions that the computerthrows at the consumer and theconsumer answers them and thecomputer throws up a solution sayingthat this particular product would suityour needs perfectly.

Lastly, we are the only division inGodrej & Boyce today having aworking, thriving, good lookingecommerce site on the net, where theconsumers in the confines of theirhome buy all that they want to buywithout touching and feeling theproduct. We are doing a lot of thenew age stuff to promote our websitefor people not just out of India, butfor people within India to use this siteand buy more and more of ourconsumer durable furniture.

Where do you see RetailingDivision ten years from now?

I clearly think that we should be hittingat least about 250-300 crore by 2010.This is keeping the current format ofLifespace in mind. Not in the formatthat I was talking about when we werediscussing my vision for Lifespace.

And if we were to do businessaccording to your vision…?

If we were to leverage Lifespace byGodrej as the retail brand and the retailbusiness model going forward for thehome furniture business, I personallythink that we should be looking atnothing less 800-1000 crore from thecurrent bunch of stores.

What do you do to retain talent?

Of utmost importance I think iscommunication. In today’s day and agegiven the shortage of people, it isimperative that you at all times showthem the big picture. I believe ininteracting with my employeesconstantly and when I interact I amable to come down to the level of thelowest common denominator,communicate to them in a languagethat they understand, address the day

to day concerns and provide just thatsingle assurance that there issomebody at the highest level iscoming down to their respectivemarket, spending time with them andusing that opportunity of leavingbehind some key messages and inputswhich can be in the area of trainingthem, developing them and motivatingthem and showing them.

What is your one key messageto the retailing team?

I have over the years painstakinglycome to one conclusion that all ourbusinesses, be it the B2C businessesor the large B2B businesses, consumercentricity should be our mantra. Tryand get as close to the consumer.Sleep, live and breathe the consumeronly then we will be able to get tothe top of the pyramid.

You attended a top managementprogramme conducted byUniversity of Michigan inBangalore – what were your keylearnings from the programme?

I think it just widened my perspectiveson how to run a business enterprise. Ilearnt the art of evaluating newprojects and it prepared me forhandling large businesses. I got a lotof learnings from there which can helpme in future mergers and acquisitions,which I think is a fantastic strategy forbusiness. I also understood theimportance of human capital and howone can leverage IT for businessgrowth.

It was a wonderful 12 day programmeit made me a well roundedmanagement professional, it hasprepared me for future assignmentsand for further leadership roles withinthe organization.

What kind of leader do you thinkyour colleagues and subordinatesperceive you to be? What is yourmanagerial style?

A combination of democratic andvery hard nosed - highly demandingand a hard task master; one whostrives to get to the nth level ofdetail because God is in detail andGod is in Godrej.

Indrapal Singh & Megha Moorthy

‘‘

In today’s day andage given the

shortage of people,it is imperativethat you at all

times show themthe big picture.

23

MAKING A D IFFERENCE

A proactive approach: We atFactory Dispensary of Godrej & Boycebelieve in being proactive. Ourinitiative towards HIV/AIDS began inthe year 1993. Follow up of thesecases have been thorough and we havemaintained statistics to study theprogress of this disease.

The spread of this deadly disease hasbeen worrisome. Not only is ourcompany worried, the entire nationand in fact the whole world isconcerned.

Focus on prevention: So to studyand collect statistics has not been theonly focus of our medical staff. Whereprevention is the only answer astreatment options are limited tocontaining the disease; Dispensary hasproactively conducted variousprograms on the awareness andprevention front. Last year we hadorganized a street play and conductedfree test to screen people for HIV/AIDs. We also had poster exhibition.Our continuous endeavor has been inthe area of prevention.

Rehab - an equal priority:However, we realised that takinginitiative in the prevention field aloneis not sufficient. We realised that weneed to actively get involved in therehabilitation of those who arepositive. We have worked closely withother agencies to get Anti Retroviral

Treatment free of cost to those whoare infected. We have actively beeninvolved in counseling the families onhow to protect those who arenegative and take care of positivepersons well. We have a tie up withJJ hospital which is giving freetreatment for our employees. JJHospital along with NACO is arecognized antiretroviral treatmentcentre and issues these medicineswhich cost about Rs. 3500 per monthper person free. They haveapproximately 7000 people who areon these medicines. They also treatother opportunistic illnesses. We haveabout 15 people on this programthrough JJ hospital. This numberincludes employees and their families.ESIS too gives these medicines freefor those who are under their care.So, some of our contract work forcesare treated by them.

Bringing positive people back inthe mainstream: Our focus hasbeen trying to get these positivepeople who are well enough to workback in to the mainstream. We haveabout 6 people currently workingwith us. Anonymity is strictlymaintained. We have educated first-aiders to take universal precautionsin all cases of injury. This not onlyprotects people but also eliminatesthe discrimination against positivepeople.

positive peopleAidingAiding

Being HIV positive is considered more a social stigma than a

disease. Saraswathi Char, on behalf of the factory dispensary,

throws some light on the roadblocks, the challenges and sensitivity

needed while dealing with HIV affected patients and their families.

23

24

The challenges - remainingobjective and overcomingprejudices: In our effort to supportfamilies which have HIV positive peoplein them, we have learnt a lot. Some ofthe challenges have been personal.Maintaining a positive nonjudgmentalregard to a positive person at times ischallenging. We realised that was easyto be empathic with the family becausewe saw them as innocent victims.

But the tougher challenge is to remainobjective towards the positive person.Not being judgemental about thepositive person requires a lot ofsensitivity and broadmindedness.However they get the disease, theystill need to be looked after andsupported. To do that we need tokeep our personal prejudice aside.Simply sitting back and saying thatthese people have been unfaithful totheir partners and therefore deservewhat they get is a convenient andescapist stance. The important part isto realise that this is not our purpose.We need to rise above this pettinessand be fully present to help.

What is most important is to keep inmind that we are all human beings andeven the most self-proclaimed, morallyupright people could commit mistakes.And hence no one has the right tojudge anyone else. It is easier to saybut very difficult at times to practice.

Trouble gets exaggerated when thefamilies are involved and womengenerally are self sacrificing and wantthe best treatment for the man beforethey get treated themselves. We havefound that we are battling our ownanger at our helplessness. In thisdepressing situation where we thehelpers are feeling the depression, howmuch worse is it at the family wherethe inevitable is awaited? Hence theyneed all our understanding, love,acceptance and support.

There is hope: Not all is lost. Today,with the advancement in medicine,persons who are positive are able tolead a near normal life. The life spanalso has increased. With support andunderstanding and a little bit of TLC(tender loving care) we can make ahuge difference to positive people. Solet us all do it.

‘

‘

Thetougher

challenge isto remainobjective

towards thepositiveperson.

24

25

F IRST PERSON ACCOUNT

y name is Raj and I am 31years old. I was born in UttarPradesh. My family

comprised of my parents, my brotherand my three lovely sisters. We werepoor, to say the least. In the hope ofgiving us a better life, my fatherdecided to try his luck in thequintessential city of dreams –Mumbai. And the city of dreams itproved to be, because once wemoved to Mumbai our financialcondition improved considerably.Since then I can’t recollect a timewhen the family was in a financialcrisis.

My father really wanted his two sonsto be educated and do him proud. Ididn’t want to disappoint him, so Idiligently studied through high schooland even managed to get a first classin my tenth standard exams. Becauseof my roots in Uttar Pradesh, myparents got me married rather early.But I was happy because my wife wasa city-bred Mumbai girl. After I gotmarried, I’m not sure what happened,but I gradually began to lose focus andlost interest in academics. I took up ajob and by the grace of God, verysoon, we were blessed with a beautifullittle girl. It was probably the happiestphase in our lives.

As time passed, my health starteddeteriorating – I used to perpetuallyfeel tired and I was always feelingfeverish. Despite repeatedtreatment, there was no realimprovement to the situation. Thenmy family doctor recommended anHIV test, but I didn’t take the test. Iwas wondering why he asked me totake the test; because in my worldthis disease would only affect thosewho did immoral things and I hadnever ever got involved with anyoneother than my wife. But mycondition was worsening with timeand I had to take tests for suspectedtuberculosis. That’s when I wascompelled to do an HIV test.

The next day I went, free of anykind of worry, to collect my HIVreport. But when I reached there,I realised there was a strangesilence around me and the hospitalstaff were all looking at me withan ash-stricken expression. But Icouldn’t figure out why, until Istepped out of the hospital andchecked my report. That’s whenmy world came crashing down. Iwas HIV positive.

I began crying. Suddenly it seemedas though, in a moment, my life hadtaken a nosedive and nothing of itwas left anymore. I took the reportand went to my family doctor. Onseeing the report, he lookedcompletely shaken – before he could

M

The

Yearningto liveAn HIV positive patient shares his own heart

rending tale of indestructible faith and

unflagging spirit.

25

26

say anything I began sobbinguncontrollably. My doctor held meclose to him for a while and assuredme that I would be okay. Once I couldhold myself together, I went home andlay on my bed. I remember that nightvividly. The tears just wouldn’t stop…Ihad a million things running throughmy head. I was thinking about howpeople who used to look at me withlove and respect would now lookdown upon me. I was certain that Iwas doomed to live a life of constanthumiliation now. I even contemplatedsuicide.

My wife couldn’t understand why I wassuddenly so restless and why I wasplunging into a quiet inconsolable stateof despair.

The next day, my doctor sent me to acounselor, who gave me an in-depthunderstanding of the disease andintroduced me to several HIV positivepeople, who have been leading near-normal lives for years together. But Istill wasn’t convinced. I had seen theperils of being HIV positive and havingto live in society. I had also seen thefrightful and depressing death that HIVpositive patients die.

My counselor was empathetic. And toincrease my faith, he took me alongfor an AIDS awareness programme,where I had the opportunity to meetseveral AIDS affected people like me.This was a huge learning experienceand I felt a new-found energy to battlethe disease and felt a sudden desireto live. Then I was asked to get mywife and daughter tested. Thankfully,both their reports were HIV negative.In the meanwhile, my health wasdeteriorating. My CD4 count haddropped to two. I had lost a lot ofweight. I was just 30 kilos. Aroundthis time, I lost my job and I could seesociety’s perception of me changing. Iwas getting the feeling that if notbecause of the disease, I wouldcertainly die of poverty or socialstigma. I wanted to live. But I washelpless. I was gradually losing thestrength to stand up and fight backagainst the disease and thevictimisation of society. In this horrificperiod in my life, my wife stood byme as a pillar of strength. Despite being

diagnosed HIV negative, she continuedliving with me and taking care of me.

And along with me, she began readingand getting more and moreinformation on the disease and itseffects. This is when we heard aboutAntiretroviral Therapy (ART). Once Istarted with ART regularly and beganregularising my food intake, my healthbegan improving considerably. I beganfeeling stronger put on weight and ina few months I could walk aroundcomfortably once again.

I knew I had to battle the illness andlive for my family. I had to read,attend awareness camps – doeverything it took to stay awareabout how to lead a normal life beingHIV positive. I couldn’t afford toremain ignorant anymore. And that’sexactly what I began doing – and Irealised in the process that it islargely ignorance that kills most HIVpositive patients. To do my bit todispel this ignorance about thedisease, I motivated my wife tobecome a good counsellor. Eventoday my wife continues to work asa counsellor and helps AIDS patientslead better, more informed lives.

Through this entire period, I was stilljobless, because of which my financialcondition was rather bad. I thought ofgetting back my job, so I went up tomy employers and told themeverything about my disease. I was re-appointed in the organization with loveand grace.

Now I am leading a healthy life. Andalong with my job, I am ensuring thatI fulfill every responsibility towards myfamily and society. Contrary to myinitial apprehensions I am finally leadinga dignified life in society with the loveand support of my family.

In conclusion: It is vital that people insociety acquire right information aboutHIV and more important respond toaffected people in an unbiased manner,helping them lead normal, happy life

(This is a true piece written forCHANGE magazine, by a HIVpositive patient on the condition ofcomplete anonymity)

Translated byMegha Moorthy

‘‘

I began crying.Suddenly itseemed as

though, in amoment, my life

had taken anosedive andnothing of it

was leftanymore

26

27

HOME BASE

Snapshots from the Diwali - Dussera function

Historic Moments

The Godrej spirit sparkled through"The Festival of Lights", as Pirojshanagarcontinued its tradition of felicitating theGodrej family at the Dussera - Diwalifunction. The theme chosen this yearwas "Godrej: Traditional, yet Modern",as the company has continued tomaintain its traditions while confidentlymarching ahead in its quest to remaincontemporary and at a leadershipposition in this fast changing businessenvironment.

Allen Antao, Chairman of the Dussera- Diwali Celebration Committee thisyear, reiterated that Godrej, whilemoving in tune with the modern times,continued to retain its tradition of selfsufficiency and nation building, the verymotive with which the founders startedthis Company. Today our countrybanks on companies like Godrej toestablish its rightful place as aneconomic power.

He felicitated the workmen from PESdivision, Chandrakant Wadkar andAshok Dalvi who were recentlyhonoured with a National award inrecognition of their high level of skills,for continuing Godrej's tradition ofcraftsmanship.

Rambali Yadav, President of Godrej &Boyce Shramik Sangh (GBSS), spokeabout the journey of Godrej from onecentury to another and the successfulpartnership of GBSS in tackling eachchange that the organisation faced inthis journey. He noted that while theeconomy was developing postliberalisation, workmen were still

grappling with issues such as risingprices, especially with regard to theexpenses on medical treatment andeducation for children. He requestedthe management to look into theseconcern areas and work furthertowards the well-being and prosperityof employees. He assured that GBSSremains committed to support allinitiatives of the company at all timesin future as well.

Anil Verma, EVP & Head - Personnel &Administration, mentioned in hisaddress that in a nation of unity anddiversity, if one considers anorganization, we're all equal and theterm `workman' applies to all of us i.e.`any person who works'. Consider thecustomer's perspective, and it is theproduct which is important and notwhich department produced it.

He urged all to reflect on ̀ Work as ourreligion'. And if work is worship, thenthe factory is like our temple. He said"What we do in a place of worship cantherefore be applied to our workplace.For instance, just like the `muhurat' for

28

the puja, timing for work is critical, thediscipline to start in time needs to befollowed. Also, cleanliness should notbe seen as someone else's job, just likein a temple everyone takesresponsibility to ensure the hygiene,without having to be asked. Then again,in case of material shortages, ratherthan sitting idle, we can pool resourcesto ensure a better process.

With regard to Japan, he observedthat the employees kept theworkplaces very clean andcontributed nearly 120 suggestionsper year per person, while in India,though we maintain cleanliness in ourhomes, we do not always practice thesame at the workplace.

He congratulated the team on therecent award conferred by the Govt.of India for our Safety record, whichis quite ahead of many industries andsaid that we need to go to the zeroaccident stage next. He mentionedthree prime reasons for accidentoccurrence - overconfidence, takingshortcuts and indifference towardssafety, the latter being quiteprevalent.

He ended saying "I'm sharing thismessage because I trust that if wedecide to, we can achieve anything - wehave the power to change so let uschange. And what better time than thenew year".

Mr. JN Godrej,Managing Director,wished all the staff andtheir family a very HappyDiwali. He unveiled thenew Safety policy forGodrej & Boyce. Withthis, he emphasised thatthere should nocompromise on safety.He requested everyoneto read the safety policycarefully and implementit in full spirit. Even if anyunsafe act is observed,he urged all to takesuitable action on it. He also specified thatZero accident should not mean thataccidents are not reported.

He mentioned "In the last 15 years, theeconomy as well as our country isdeveloping. But history indicates thatdevelopment can lead to complacency,which we must note". He praised alldivisions, especially PES, for completingthe extremely difficult, high precision

orders of Nuclear Power Corporationof India. He also praised all the IndustrialProduct Divisions for theirachievements, new projects andsuccesses. PED has delivered heavyequipment to different parts of theworld. Further, all businesses should begunning for profits.

He made special mention of thesuccess of EON refrigerator in thelast year and hoped that it's marketshare would keep increasing. Hepointed out that we must pay a lot ofattention to product design andsimplification of processes.

Locks Division was congratulated fortheir steady progress for 3 continuousyears towards CII Exim Bank BusinessExcellence certification. JNG requestedall divisions to implement the CII

Business Excellence Model and take itforward.

He stressed on the development ofPirojshanagar and conveyed his wish ofdeveloping the plants, making an IT parketc., while protecting, preserving thegreen environment, developing theMangroves area and setting up of aMangrove Park.

The programme was interspersedwith engaging performances bystudents and employees, living up toits reputation of being the mostmemorable annual event in theorganisation.

Nalini KalaCorporate HR

(With inputs from Saswata Nath, ProcessEquipment Division)

29

We are happy to announce that thePrecision Engineering Systems Divisionof Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., hasbeen awarded the prestigiousVishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar 2006Award.

At a grand function organised onOctober 7, 2007 at Vigyan Bhawan,New Delhi, the Honourble UnionMinister of State for Labour andEmployment, Oscar Fernandes,congratulated the PES Division team,and presented them with a certificateand cash prize of Rs. 10,000.

Instituted way back in 1965, by theMinistry of Labour & Employment,Government of India, theVishwakarma Rashtriya PuraskarAward aims at recognising theoutstanding contributions fromemployees in bringing aboutsignif icant improvements in theoveral l eff iciency of IndustrialEstablishments, in terms of:

• saving natural resources & materials

• import substitution

• elimination of waste

• increased productivity

• improvement in Quality

• safe working conditions

Ashwin B Dalvi (Maintenance Fitter)and Chandrakant N Wadkar(Electrician) brought about significant

PES Division emerges as winner of the Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar, 2006

improvement on the Skoda machine atPES Division, by substituting importedspares with indigenous ones, therebysaving cost by Rs. 28 Lacs.

Having thus qualified for the Awardunder the ‘Import Substitution’category, the PES Division applied forparticipation, and eventually won theAward under Class ‘C’.

Deepak D Chogle, Vijay Panchal andChandrakant N. Wadkar received thecertificate and cash Prize, on behalf ofPES Division.

The award was categorised into Class‘A’, Class ‘B’ and Class ‘C’, based onthe type of improvements suggestedand the value of savings earned throughimplementation of the same.

Of the 28 Companies that received theAward, 24 were Public Sector Units,and 4 were Private Companies – and itis a matter of pride that Godrej & Boyceis one among the 4.A tribute: Deepak D Chogle has playeda pivotal role in enabling the PES teamachieve the Vishwakarma RashtriyaPuraskar Award 2006. He has vast andin-depth knowledge in his chosen fieldof IMS. His persistence in completingthe assignments at hand, his penchantfor perfection, his systematic approach,his dedication, and his knack of keepingthe team motivated, are few of thefactors that set him apart as unique.‘Retirement’ for Mr. Chogle, was just aword that he came across when heturned 58 – but he never took it in thereal sense of the term, and stillcontinues to extend his full-timeservices to the PES team. The PES team,thus, stands to benefit substantially fromthe guidance and leadership of Mr.Chogle, and acknowledges his significantcontribution to the Division.

Team PES

PES Division

29

30

November 6, 2007 was a special dayfor Precision Engineering SystemsDivision. The shop floor was buzzingwith activity, as PES team memberswere busy completing the f inalperformance tests to get the eighthand the last of the Fuelling MachineBridge and Carriage ready fordispatch.

The importance of the event wasunderscored when the Chairman andManaging Director of Nuclear PowerCorporation, Dr SK Jain, accepted theinvitation to personally hand over theshipping release of the equipment toMr. JN Godrej.

Over the last 2 years, PES hasmanufactured and dispatched 7 FuellingMachine Bridge & Carriages requiredfor four 220 MW Nuclear Power Plants– i.e., for RAPP – 5 & 6 and KAIGA – 3& 4. Dr S K Jain was generous in hisappreciation of this feat, unprecedentedin the history of Indian Nuclear Powerprogramme, and complimented Mr.Godrej for theperformance of TeamPES in successfullydelivering the mostcomplex of theequipment in theNuclear PowerReactors.

Explaining the nuancesof the design of FuellingMachine Bridge andCarriage for the PHWRtype Indian-designedReactor, Dr Jain said thisdesign is based onnatural uranium as fuel,instead of enricheduranium. This was doneto suit specific Indian

conditions. Use of natural uraniumrequires that the Reactor Core isopened daily in ‘Power On’ mode, toremove spent fuel and put in new fuel.Since the operation is done remotelyfrom control cabin, while the Reactoris running, very high alignmentaccuracy and reliability is built in theassembly.

Dr. Jain congratulated PES, statingthat this technology is unique, andIndia is the only second countryother than Canada, which hasmanufactured such equipment. Headded that equipment supplied byTeam PES were comparable to thebest in the world.

During his short visit to Plant 19, Dr SK Jain witnessed cycle tests of thesystem. Thereafter, he walked throughthe Corporate Showroom with Mr. JN Godrej.

A small function was organised in Plant11 (ground floor) Conference Hall, towelcome the distinguished guests from

Strengthening ties with Nuclear Power CorporationNPCIL. Mr. J N Godrej greeted Dr. SK Jain with flowers. Various PES teammembers greeted other dignitaries fromNPCIL.

Pramod Mahimkar presented details ofthe projects PES Division hadsuccessfully executed for NPCIL in thepast 4 years.

Kaustubh Shukla made a presentationon the journey of PES, to establishitself amongst the best suppliers ofequipment for Nuclear Power Plants.He eloquently narrated thetransformation of Machine ToolDivision into Precision EngineeringSystems – a new Division of Godrej& Boyce, capable of making world-class Equipment for Nuclear Power.He also took the opportunity tohighlight to the august gathering thedifficulty faced by Indian industry inNuclear business.

Dr. S K Jain addressed the gatheringon this occasion. He emphasized theneed for Nuclear Power in India foreconomic growth and its suitability forIndia due to low carbon emissions.Praising PES, Dr Jain congratulated theteam on achieving capabil ity ofmanufacturing such world-classNuclear Equipments and encouragedus to look forward to the growingopportunity offered by the renewedfocus on Nuclear Power.In his address, Mr. J N Godrejcongratulated PES and acknowledged

the achievements andexpertise acquireddespite several toughchallenges. Hereiterated his faith in theteam and wished thatthe competenceachieved is leveraged togrow the business in asustainable manner.

RL Machado whoconducted theproceed ings o f thefunction proposed avote o f thanks todraw the v is i t to aclose.

Jayaprakash Ingle

31

Interio Division

Godrej Interio along with the Instituteof Indian Institute of Interior Designers(IIID) have together instituted an IIID-Godrej Innovations Award 2007 forcreating Futuristic Workstations.Historically, most awards institutedearlier in the furnishing industry werefor ‘built and executed’ products/projects. This is the first time in thehistory of Indian Interior Design turfthat an award has been instituted forindigenous and innovative design ideasfor the future.

The objective of the award was toprovide an ideal platform to IndianArchitects, Interior Designers andProduct Designers to activelyparticipate in designing excitingfuturistic furniture products, which areinnovative and meet internationalstandards.

Over 50 architects, interior designers,students and furniture designersparticipated in the event from acrossthe country. The criteria for judgingconstituted of concept behind thedesign, the drawings highlighting thedesign features, manufacturingfeasibility, etc. Based on their designs,the finalists were chosen andprototypes of the final designs wereevaluated on October 12, 2007 at theGodrej Campus. The Jury comprisedof eminent Swedish products andinterior designers — Olle Anderson,noted designer and educator —Kumar Vyas, practicing architect andinterior designer — Ratan Batliboi,GM-Design, Godrej Interio — EVenkat and Former HOD of IDC,Industrial Design Centre at IIT — RaviHazra.

Anil S Mathur, COO, Godrej InterioDivision, felt that “The idea was toinvolve the interior design fraternity andproduct designers to develop productswhich suit the evolving and elatedcustomer needs which could bedeveloped and manufactured in a massmanufacturing set-up. We believe inbringing all the stake-holders like thearchitects, interior designers, productdesigners and manufacturers on acommon platform to satisfy thefunctional and emotional needs of ourconsumers.”

Mr. NitinK i l l l a w a l a ,President-IIIDsaid, “SinceGodrej Interiois already anestablished brand, this ventureintends to bring the advantages ofinnovation to limelight and meetinternational standards and make thesame available directly to the commonman. The intention is to takeinnovative design ideas andcontemporary applicability within theeasy reach of the end user.”

The winners were announcedon October 27, 2007 at Sun-n-Sand,Mumbai. The award ceremony wasgraced by over 300 eminent architectsfrom India and luminaries includingNavroze Godrej, the scion of theGodrej family. It was also attended byManoj Ganjawalla, Vice President -Marketing-Godrej Interio, Anil Lingayat,Vice President – Manufacturing, NitinKilllawala, President IIID and severalothers from the Godrej team.

Planet 3 Studios was unanimouslyannounced the winner by the jury fortheir unique concept of Workstationin a Suitcase. Closely following themwas the futuristic design presented byVoid Labs, which was based on verythought provoking design for the year

Godrej-IIID spearheads innovations in futuristic workstations

Lucknow Management Associationhad organised a Convention atLucknow on November, 16, 2007on “Making of a Modern & ProsperousState - Strategy & Road map”.

The Lucknow branch participated inthe convention and give our thoughts

on “Godrej Role in building worldclass sustainable infrastructure” whichis a pre- requisite for the prosperityof the state. We projected ourselvesas an expert in making vibrant,efficient, productive offices.

In the evening our Former PresidentDr. APJ Abdul Kalam attended theconvention gave amotivational talk to sensitise thestate machinery regarding the badstate of affairs in UP.

Manoj Sadavate presented him a book“Abundant living, Restless Striving”-A memoir by Late Mr. SP Godrej asrecounted to B. K. Karanjia.

2020 transcending ages. The award notonly carries substantial cash prizesamongst design competitions but alsooffers a royalty for 30 months for thedesign won by Planet 3 Studios.

Congratulating and felicitating thewinner, Mr. Navroze Godrej, son ofMr Jamshyd Godrej, Chairman &Managing Director, Godrej & BoyceManufacturing Ltd, said, “Godrej hasa tradition of not only encouragingcreativity and nurturing talent but hasalways been on the forefront topromote innovation in businesses.This award has for the first timeprovided an ideal platform to IndianArchitects, Interior Designers andProduct Designers to activelyparticipate in designing excitingfuturistic furniture products whichare innovative and meet internationalstandards.”

Shraddha ShahInterio Division

Convention at Lucknow

32

Personnel and Administrative Department

Christmas was celebrated in the Interiodivision with solemnity, grandeur, gaietyand joy. Mr Anil Mathur, our COO litthe Christmas candle and Mr Navroze JGodrej and Anil Mathur jointly cut theChristmas cake to set off the Christmascelebrations and cheer as well as goodwillat Interio amidst all Interioites who werefilled with the spirit and joy of Christmaswhich is but the manifestation of God’slove for all of us!

This was followed with the Christmastree decoration by our Vice Presidents,Manoj Ganjawalla and Anil Lingayat alongwith their team members - fun n frolic,games n sharing and cheer as well asmusic all the way. The functionconcluded with an address by our COO,Mr Mathur on this very special occasionof Christmas, a message for the new yearand the customary thank you-s.

Doreen Rosario & Interio HR

Interio gets festive

Third Lifespace store in Ahmedabad

Retail Division

What’s new: GodrejLifespace’s uniqueretailing concept inHome & Officeimprovement continuesto witness excellentresponse fromAhmedabad. Based onthis response and feedback receivedfrom customers and the clear trendseen in convenience shopping, GodrejLifespace launched its third store inAhmedabad on October 26, 2007, at

projects a living, breathingspace. A great ambience,coupled with friendly,experienced staff, ultimatelyhelps provide customers aunique opportunity toexperience a lifestyle - theway they want it. Spanning

over 4000 sq. ft., the products havebeen displayed aesthetically forcustomers to visualise how thefurniture, appliances and other productscan look in their own homes and offices.

Baleshwar Square.

What’s special: The new GodrejLifespace store is brightly coloured,lively and youthful, where every cornerof the store expresses a mood that

Donating for a causeEvery year we take the initative to assistCancer Patients Aid Association in theirendeavour to collect donations on theevent of The National Cancer Rose Dayin the month of September.

Rose Day Coupon books of Rs. 10 eachwere distributed across all locations atVikhroli by the Administrationdepartment. Our employees supportedthis cause and generously donated bypurchasing the coupons.

An amount of Rs. 26,670/- collected incash was handed over to CancerPatients Aid Association which will beused for Cancer Patients.

We convey our sincere thanks to allour employees who donated for thisnoble humanitarian cause in bringingsmiles to cancer Patients and expect thesame in future.

Nariman BachaAdministration

33

SED does an awareness campaign for Home safety productsWith the aim of increasing awarenesson Home Security and promoting itsproduct, Godrej Security EquipmentDivision have embarked on road-showsacross the country to target home

owners andp o t e n t i a lh o m eowners fortheir homes e c u r i t y .Godrej SED

has also taken an initiative by creatingthe Shop In Shop experience for thesame. This initiative has is conductedalong with our Godrej Lifespace stores.

The main purpose of these road-showswas to target spaces with high audienceinteractions so as to provide them witha touch and feel experience. After anextensive research, 12 cities, 22 mallsand 44 mall days were selected acrossthe country for this purpose. Theseroad-shows are divided into 6 differentphases. The first phase comprised of 2day activity in the malls in Mumbai,Hyderabad and Kochi. The secondphase followed, by running similaractivities in 4 different cities. The roadshows are scheduled from October 13to December 4 to capture the festiveseason.

The brightly lit up stalls that were insync with the festive spirit, showcasedour Home security equipments, i.e.Home safes, Video Door phones andGodrej Entranza doors. Thecustomers were requested to fill in anenquiry slip and take part in funactivities and a choice to interact withany product of their choice. Throughthese road-shows, customers wereable to avail the benefit of on-the-spotbooking. The responses received fromthese road-shows have beentremendous.

Team SED

The increasing threat in commercial,industrial, institutional and governmentenvironment has forced every individualto look beyond the watch-guard for hissecurity and thus have given a newdimension to the Security Industry.

Godrej Security Equipment Division hasidentified this opportunity and offerscomprehensive solutions to countersuch security threats. Godrej SED,under the brand name "Godrej Secure"with the technical Expertise now offersComprehensive security solutionswhich can be customised to suit therequirements of the customers. Tospread awareness on the same, GodrejSED recently showcased its state of theart Comprehensive Security Solutionsat Press meets and Customer meets inDelhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

Godrej Secure offers Securityconsultancy, performs security audits,offers Comprehensive Security

SED focuses on Comprehensive Security Solution

solutions and after installation, takes onAnnual Maintenance Contracts tomaintain the systems.

A press conference held on September27 in Delhi followed by a customermeet addressed by Dara Byramjee, VicePresident, SED and Neville Bachana, Sr.GM, Sales and Marketing. Our guest,India's popular TV anchor and actor,Hussain Kuwajerwala made this eventmemorable by sharing his personalexperiences on security issues facedtoday. Godrej showcased a powerfulrange of Physical, Premises andElectronic security solutions. A furtherinsight on the solutions was given bylive demonstration of the Laser fencingand the remote substance detectorwhich left the audience comprising of75 press members in the afternoon and300 customers in the evening,impressed with the hi-tech Equipments

provided under the brand name GodrejSecure. This event captured media'sattention and the news was reported inall the big dailies which highlighted ourkey message "Comprehensive SecuritySolution" and the expansion plans.

A similar event was conducted inHyderabad and Mumbai on October 10and October 24 respectively, whereour guest for the event, young popsensation of India, Karunya shared hisconcerns and experiences on Securityand emphasised on the need for onestop shop for all the security concerns.The event was kick-started with a racyand a gripping film followed by theinnovative and enchanting laser showwhich left the audience spell-bound.The Mumbai customer meet wasattended by Mr. Navroze Godrej,where he talked about security beingone business that constantly needs torediscover itself and keep pace withtechnology as well as about the hi-techsolutions offered by us to achieve thesame. We observed a strength ofaround 45 Press members and 275Customers in both the events.

Economic Times, DNA Money, PunjabKesri, Loksakta, Mid-day, HindustanTimes, Andhra Prabha, The Hindu,Dainik Bhaskar, Navbharat carried thenews along with the news channels likeAaj Tak, Zee News, CNBC, Aaj TakDelhi, Zee Buiness and Doordarshan.

Saranjit SangarMarketing

Security Equipment Division

34

The months of August and Septembersaw frenzied activity in ApplianceDivision. We launched a whole newrange of technologically advancedwashing machines under the Eon brandname- Godrej Eon washingmachines with DAC Technology.

The new technology is in line withGodrej Appliances’ philosophy ofoffering innovative technology which isrelevant to Indian conditions. Researchrevealed that erratic water and powersupply continue to be the biggestdeterrents in acquiring a washingmachine especially a fully automaticwashing machine. And this has beenseen across smaller towns and keymetros. DAC (Dynamic Aqua-Power Control) Technologyenables the machine to adjust towater and power cutsautomatically. Unlike other washingmachines, it allows one to set themachine for operation even if there isno water/ power to begin with.Ordinarily, if there is a water failureduring the wash, there is a chance ofthe water inlet valve heating up andburning out over time. But DAC putsthe Godrej Eon Washing machine intosleep mode when there is a water cut.It will periodically check for water andresume washing once it detects wateravailability. If there is a power cut duringthe wash, memory back up enables themachine to start the wash from exactlywhere it stopped. It also switches offautomatically once the washing isdone. Alongwith the technologicalinnovation, these Eon washing machineshave another first to their credit- theyare the first washing machines to comein four fresh colors- Melon Red, Yellow

Godrej Appliance Heralds a New EON in Washing Machines

Appliance Division

Nectar, Kiwi Green, Icy Blue, thusliving up to the Eon promise ofStylish Outside, Smart Inside.

These revolutionary washingmachines were launched for the tradepartners across the country- in Delhi,Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkataamidst great fanfare – with danceperformances by acechoreographer Toby’s troupe toenthuse the audience andinteresting audio-visuals to bringalive the proposition. The launchat J.W.Marriott in Mumbai wasgraced by our CMD, Mr. JamshydGodrej who acknowledged thesupport given by the trade toGodrej over the years and assuredthem of our commitment toinnovation

Mr. Navroze Godrej emphasizedthe importance of the relationshipthat we have with our dealers andour customers. He highlighted theefforts that we put into creatingnew products- right from tappingthe best consultants to doingdetailed consumer research. Mr.P.D. Lam, Executive Director andPresident, Godrej & Boyce,appreciated the relevance of thetechnologies launched by GodrejAppliance in the lives of ourconsumers. He voiced his belief ingiving consumers only thoseproducts which truly make her lifebetter instead of fuzzy technologieswhich confuse the consumers.

The press conferences conductedalong with the dealer launches alsogenerated a buzz in the media withkey publications and electronicchannels like Zee Business andCNBC Awaaz covering the newtechnology.

Along with Godrej Eon washingmachines with DAC Technology, anew festive range of microwaveovens and Frost Free Refrigeratorswas also unveiled for the trade. EonRefrigerators were upgraded with theintroduction of toughened glass

integrated with cool shower shelves –a huge technical challenge that wasovercome with considerable effortsfrom the R&D team. Along with this,new colours were introduced in EonRefrigerators – already known for theirpath breaking colours. A new range often Microwave Ovens was showcased.

Their sleek metallic looks along withmirror and silver finishes caught thefancy of the dealers.

With enthused trade partners and ahighly motivated sales team, this newrange of Washing Machines, MicrowaveOvens and Refrigerators are set to bea resounding success in the marketplace.

Team Appliances

Mr J. N Godrej interacting with dealers

Celebrating Eon Washing Machines

New range of Washing Machines

Navroze Godrej and Mr P.D. Lam unveling EonWashing Machines

35

Godrej Locks has been participating invarious exhibitions to display the rangeof locking systems of varioustechnological levels. Although, we area market leader in the organised sector,such exhibitions help us display thelatest technological developments in thelocking system which adds to ourstrength .

ACE Tech 2007 was held at NSEGrounds, from November 1 to 4. Theexhibition attracted people fromArchitectural, Construction andEngineering Industry.

The products that were displayedincluded EVVA, Ultra EXS, SALTO,Hotel Locks, Door Controls,architectural and glass hardware. OurHO marketing and Mumbai branch sales

Godrej Locks exhibits excellence

Locks Division

teams participated in theexhibition .

We received anoverwhelming response inall categories while greaterinterest was shown inEVVA, hotel lockingsolutions e.g. SALTO .

Security Equipmentdivision co-participated tocomplement the range oflocks for the customers.

GLASS TECH 2007was the other exhibition that Locksdivision participated in from November15 to 18 at NSE ground in Mumbai.

This exhibition focused much on theglass and architectural hardware rangeof products. Targeted Customers wereArchitects, Interior Designers, Builders,Glass fabricators, and other peopledealing in Glass.

Live demos of shop fronts, showercubicle and glass fascade were made todisplay the utility of Godrej Glass &architectural hardware. Different typesof railings were also a part of the display.We introduced the Europeanarchitectural hardware range under thebrand name “Speziell”. The completerange of Speziell door controls and glasshardware were demonstrated onworking models.

Godrej Door Automatics too waslaunched in the exhibition and it wasthe main attraction and receivedmaximum response. SALTO Glassdoor electronic lock used for AccessControl is unique in its segment inIndia and gained attention in theexhibition. The prospective customerswere also made aware of the SALTOVirtual Network through a live demoof it. We explained to the customersabout the highest technological levelin mechanical locking systems availablein India, Godrej EVVA.

The five levels in the technology ladderviz., lever/wafer tumbler/ pin cylinder,ultra, ultra EXS, EVVA, electromechanical and electronic security were

explained to the customers with thehelp of a Standee.

HOTELEX 2007: We alsoparticipated in Hotelex 2007 held inMMRDA, BKC, Mumbai fromDecember 6 to 8, 2007. The basicobjective behind participation in thisexhibition was to address the lockingneeds of the Hotel industry.

SALTO and IC Hotel Locks were theprime attraction at the exhibition.

The superior features of SALTO wereexplained on a five panel stand. SaltoVirtual Network, Maglock integrationin Salto systems, Single Control Unitoperating 2 maglocks, 2 wall readerscontrolling single maglock (entry &exit). Live demo of Salto Hotelsoftware with other functions werealso done.

IC Card Hotel locks were targeted tothe budget hotels with the limitedfunctions.

Door Automatic was installed andGodrej Service strength was alsohighlighted by displaying the Salto &IC card installations in India. Thecustomers’ confidence was won bythe fact we provide the serviceacross India in 122 cities through178 service centres and also withAMCs.

All the three exhibitions receivedexcellent response and good enquirieswere generated.

NyamathullahLocks Division

36

E&E Services organised a HealthAwareness Exhibition in their division.This was inaugurated on September 26

Health Awareness at E&Eat 4.30 pm by Homi N Daruwalla, Vice-President & Business Head, E&E Division.

Posters on awareness on Cancer,Diabetics, Typhoid, AIDS, Malaria, andChicken guinea were displayed inEnglish, Hindi, and Marathi showingcauses & remedial measures.

Small posters and write ups onsymptoms & remedies on variousdiseases were displayed in Marathi.

Handbooks onAIDS werecirculated to allthose visited it.I n f o r m a t i v eposters onbalance dietswere very wellreceived. All posters were provided byFactory Medical Center.The exhibition was on for four days andwas open to all. Apart from E&E, peoplefrom other plants also visited the exhibition.

Mr. Homi N Daruwallainaugurated the exhibition.

We are pleased to announce that theTooling Division of Godrej & BoyceMfg. Co. Ltd., have been presented theRunner–Up Award in the prestigiousNational Safety Awards (NSA–2006).The Union Minister of State for Labourand Employment, Oscar Fernandes,congratulated the Godrej ToolingDivision Team, and presented themwith a shield and certificate of theNational Safety Awards (NSA) 2006, ata function organised on October 7,2007, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

The NationalS a f e t yAwards wasinstituted wayback in theyear 1965, bythe Ministryof Labour &Employment,Government

of India. The aim was to recognise theoutstanding contributions made byemployees working in factories,towards improved working conditionssuch as Safety, Health & Environment,

Godrej Tooling Division adjudged runner up at the National Safety AwardsTooling Division

Anand Patil, Tooling Division,Ramesh Bagi, Corporatesafety and Vijay KumarSaboo, Tooling Division

Vijay Kumar Saboo, General Manager ,Manufacturing, Tooling division receiving theaward and shield from the Honourable UnionMinister, Oscar Fernandes

as also improvement in the overallefficiency of Industrial Establishments interms of increased productivity, quality, etc.The criteria for being eligible to receivethis Award, is:• to have achieved the Lowest

Average Frequency Rate (ofaccidents) in the last threeconsecutive (calendar) years – viz.,2003, 2004, 2005; and

• an Accident Free year, based on man-hours worked in the contest year.

Having qualified for the first criteria,

Godrej Tooling Division duly applied forparticipation in 2006, giving relevantSafety Statistics to the Central LabourInstitute (CLI), at Sion, Mumbai.Vijay Kumar Saboo, General Manager,Manufacturing, and Anand Patil,Associate Manager, Safety along withRamesh Bagi, Corporate SafetyDepartment received the shield andcertificate on behalf of Tooling Division.M/s. Bharat Earth Movers Ltd., weredeclared the Winner of the NationalSafety Awards. Other Awardees werethe likes of Larsen & Toubro, BharatHeavy Electricals Ltd., Hero HondaMotors Ltd., Hindustan AeronauticsLtd., etc.Safety of employees has always been ofprime concern and topmost priority toone and all in our organisation. Everyemployee of Godrej values Safetygreatly and takes utmost care inensuring that Safety norms are adheredto at all times. We are quite confidentthat the Tooling team, with its focusedapproach, will emerge the winner of thenext National Safety Awards.

Handling PipedNatural Gas safely

Electric & Electronic Service Division

Arvind M Deshpande, OHS-Head, E&EDivision organised a training programmeand presentation for E&E staff as well asthe Main Canteen (Plant 03) staff. Theprogramme was conducted onSeptember 1, 2007 in E&E division as wellas Main Canteen, Plant 3.

Hall, Plant 3canteen.Mr. Makwanaanswered allthe queries ofthe participants. The presentationincluded f ire f ighting measures,leak detection, & properties ofPNG.The training programme was wellappreciated by the participants.

These divisions use PNG (Piped NaturalGas) and for safe handling, awarenessis a must. Mr. Makwana, Consultant &Trainer for PNG safe handling,conducted a presentation for the E&Ework force & staff in the morning andfor canteen work force in theafternoon.32 persons including all OHS - Headsattended at E&E & 42 persons fromcanteen attended at Manager’s Dining

37

Event: In the month of October, Primadivision participated in IPEX, anexhibition related to printing andgraphic arts industry, held in GreaterNoida, UP, under the ‘Digital Printing’category.IPEX is a UK-based event managementcompany and this was the first time thatthe exhibition was held in Indiaespecially to cater to the rapidlygrowing South Asia printing and graphicindustry.Who was there: Manufacturers andsuppliers of products and servicesrepresenting a l l aspects of thegraphic art industry including pre-press equipment/software, postpress systems, wide format printing,digital printing, finishing devices,convert ing & packaging andconsumable suppliers participated inthis mega exhibition.T Sumitani, General Manager(Overseas sales division) from KonicaMinolta Japan, along with his teamwere present during the 4 dayexhibition. Sorab Parekh, GeneralManager (Marketing) and the seniormanagement team from HO – Mumbaiwere also present during the show.The whole show was managed by theenthusiastic sales executives from ourvarious branches.What we did: Godrej in associationwith Konica Minolta BusinessTechnologies, Inc. of Japan introduced

Prima participates in IPEX

Prima Division

Overview of Godrej stall.

response with over 2000 visitors duringthe four days of the exhibition. Theprint quality of Konica Minolta machineswas highly appreciated by both digitaland offset printers.The rationale: As digital printingtechnology improves, its cost advantageextends to increase in the longer ‘short’runs. Many are willing to pay a slightpremium for the improved workflowefficiency, faster turnaround,elimination of warehousing andcustomisation in a production run thatdigital printing provides. Flexibility inhandling different paper stocks enabledigital presses to produce some of themost elegant and demandingapplications in the graphic arts.To tap this rapidly expanding market,Godrej has introduced Konica Minolta’ssuperior digital printing technologywhich enables you to respond to shortrun jobs, tight turn around times andcustomisation for printing high qualitybrochures, catalogues, calendars,greeting cards, direct mailers,transactional documents or anythinginnovative.Last word: Prima division believesthat this was an excellent platform tointeract with professionals from theprinting industry and to showcase newproducts & capabilities as a solutionprovider in the ‘Digital printing’domain.

Team PRIMA

Jubilant Godrej team members.

the globally acclaimed state of the artproduction print engines that give highquality monochrome and colour outputsuitable for large corporations andprint-for-pay services. Konica Minoltais leading the industry towards offeringintegrated, networked, hardware &software solutions that are compact,reliable and cost effective.Our stall was strategically locatedensuring maximum visibility andfootfalls. We received an excellent

Getting inducted formally at Bangalore branch

Commercial Division

Innovation: A formal inductionprocess organised for new joinees atthe Bangalore branch. This structuredinduction programme is called Knowyour Branch.

Process: The new joinee is introducedto the BCM, who gives him/her anoverview of the company’s culture andprocesses, the various businesseshandled by the branch and the branchturnover. The new joinee is thenintroduced to all the office staff by theAdministrative in-charge. A photographof the joinee along with the background

details are posted on the notice boardto enable the office to get furtheracquainted with the joinee.

Every second and fourth Saturday of themonth, a structured one dayprogramme is conducted. Theprogramme includes the introductionand highlights of each business, a guidedtour to our showrooms and warehousefollowed by lunch. After lunch, there isa classroom session where the newjoinees are introduced to proceduresof accounting, HRIS, policies, speedflowaccess, Baan, MIS etc. A checklist

confirming the above activities is filledup to ensure completion of the processof induction.

What’s more: A follow up sessionfor Baan and order processing isconducted after 15 days where moredetails are given based on individualrequirements. By the end of theinduction process, the new joinee feelscomfortable in his new environment.The objective of the programme is tomake the new joinees feel at home.

R SolomonBranch Commercial Manager

38

The evening of November 4, 2007 wasbrought alive for the scores of ouremployees and families, as we enjoyedthe Diwali mela. An initiative by theGodrej Pariwar of Delhi and NCR, sawthe families of G&B, GIL, GodrejCharitable Trust and temporaryemployees, come together to celebratethe occasion of Diwali, with its grandDiwali mela. The mela saw more than500 people, from all age-groups, havinga blast.

Flowers and festive lights welcomedeveryone to the Godrej Diwali mela,organised for the first time by thecompany. The event was organised asa ‘Mela’ , so as to encourageinteraction among people. Thevarious activities and games spreadover the different areas of the venuehad people from different groupscome together and enjoy themselves.The entire atmosphere, from thedécor, food to the games, hadeveryone reminiscing about theDiwali melas they used to attend intheir childhood.

Various games had been organised toentertain the guests. But, it wasn’tgames alone that had the guests happy.

Delhi fairs very well

The food counters were busy through-out the event, keeping everyone’senergy levels high.

Twelve retired employees of Godrej,residing in Delhi, were felicitated withmementos. The function took on anemotional colour with the touchingspeeches given by the retiredgentlemen. It surely made every Godrejemployee feel proud to be part of theGodrej pariwar.

Later in the evening,the dance floor camealive as almost theentire crowd,children and adultsalike, began groovingto the music. Therewere several prizesfor the best dancer,the best dressed

To celebrate the festive occasion ofDiwali and to generate a feeling oftogetherness in the Jaipur Team, aDiwali Milan was organised for theemployees and their family members onNovember 4, 2007. The whole eventwas finalised and decided in a span oftwo days wherein all employees tookvarious responsibilities like arranging forthe venue, organising games and giftsetc. An organising committeecomprising Shailesh Jain, Ranjan, Alok

Tripathi, Sarita Rajesh and Sukesh Arorawas formed. As such an event was beingorganized for the first in Jaipur therewas a lot of excitement amongst themembers and a bit of apprehensionregarding the same. Nevertheless withdue support from every Division, theevent itinerary was finalised. Finally, on November 4, amidst all theexcitement, there were arrangementsmade for tambola, musical chair, singingand dancing competitions for kids etc.

There were several other innovativegames for adults like a test of how muchthey knew about their partners, makingponytails etc.Over and above the fun and frolic, theyounger lot from each division wasgiven a momento recognising theirefforts and dedicationThis was followed by dinner and fireworks. Energy levels soared high when the winnersof the Lucky Draw were announced. Andto preserve memories of this evening, groupphotos were also clicked.

Alok Tripathi, Shailesh Jain,Ranjan and Sarita Rajesh

Jaipur Branch

couple, singles and children from thegroup. There was also a Mega LuckyDraw, where the winners acceptedtheir gifts amongst loud cheers.

The highlight of the event was ofcourse, the bursting of the firecrackers, keeping in mind the festivespirit of Diwali.

The event was a success thanks toproper planning and efficient executionby the organisers. The employees andtheir families thanked the organisers forconducting such an event and expressedtheir delight at attending it and hopedfor more such events in the future.

The mela would definitely go down thehistory books of Godrej Delhi, as it’sfirst of it kind.

Delhi & NCR Branch Team

Diwali celebrations at Jaipur

39

Undoubtedly, business is futuristic andsome may also believe that dwelling intothe past is certainly not the business ofBusiness. But can a business afford toignore its history?

History not only has an enduringinfluence in shaping the character of thecorporation but it also plays animportant role in deciding thecontemporary approach of anycorporation. Managers unconsciouslyrefer to the past by regularly viewingand reviewing policies and strategiesdesigned years ago to facilitate theirdecision making.

Recognising the importance of Businesshistory, Godrej Archives started alecture series from September 2006.The inaugural lecture was delivered byProf. Douglas Haynes, on “Soap Wars:Indian Capitalism and advertisements ina highly competitive BusinessEnvironment (1915-1950)”.

Encouraged by the response, GodrejArchives jointly with Tata CentralArchives organised a lecture onOctober 9, 2007 at the Goethe Hall inMax Mueller Bhavan, Mumbai. Thelecture was delivered by renownedbusiness historian and retired professorfrom the Indian Institute ofManagement, Ahmedabad, (IIM-A), Dr.Dwijendra Tripathi.

After completing his PhD on“Comparative Economic History - India& U.S.” from the University ofWisconsin in 1963, Dr. Tripathi joinedIIM (Ahmedabad) as an AssistantProfessor. His appointment as amember of the faculty at the newly-established Indian Institute Management(Ahmedabad) marked the beginning ofthe Business History in India. In 1965,he completed a Diploma inInternational Teachers’ Programmewith specialisation in BusinessAdministration History from HarvardUniversity.

When he joined IIM-A, there was littleawareness about business history in thecountry even among the historians,leave alone business people. During his

tenure, in 1982, he started the IIM-ASeminar series in Business History, as apart of the efforts to promote historicalenquiries in Indian business. His book,

The Oxford History of Indian Business, wasawarded the best book prize for theyear 2004 by the Delhi ManagementAssociation.

It was indeed an honour to have him, apioneer of Business history as a speaker.The event began with Indrapal Singhwelcoming the audience that comprisedJamshyd and Pheroza Godrej, KerseNaoroji, Navroze Godrej, VikramDoctor from the Economic Times, Dr.KA Palia, Anil Verma and an ensembleof present and former employees of thecompany, historians, journalists,students and teachers. It was a movingexperience to watch Mr. I P Singh, aformer student of Dr. Tripathi at IIM(A), years back in 1964, introduce thespeaker. Pheroza Godrej presented Dr.Tripathi with a floral bouquet and a setof books on Godrej, as a token ofappreciation.

Through the lecture titled “IndianBusiness History: Fallacies ofInterpretation”, Dr. Tripathi sought to

debunk some of the myths surroundingbusiness activities in India around the19th Century.i) That peddling, and not large scale

business establishments was thedistinctive feature of the Indianbusiness on the eve of theEuropean commercial penetrationin India.

ii) That India’s religious and culturalvalues and traditional socialorganization were responsible forarresting business developments inthe pre-modern times.

iii) The development of Indian businesshas been the handiwork of a groupof ‘business communities’ ratherthan that of a business class.

iv) The slow progress of businessduring the British regime wasentirely due to colonialexploitation.

Lastly, Dr. Tripathi reiterated theimportance of records and, therefore,Archives for an in-depth and thoroughstudy of Business History. He furthersays, “To realise its full potential,however, Business History needsbusiness records… The historian needsprimary documentary material to buildup his or her account….”

Commending the efforts of the houseof Tatas and the Godrej group, Dr.Tripathi said, “The Godrej Archives andthe Tata Central Archives, thecosponsors of this lecture, have set anexample… Even a casual knowledge ofthe kind of material about their parentorganizations these repositoriespreserve, is sufficient to suggest howgreat a service they are rendering tothe cause of business history andtherefore to business itself. For therecan be no better ambassador of socialgoodwill for business than an authentichistory.”

Deepthi Sasidharan from the TataCentral Archives proposed the vote ofthanks.

Sanghamitra SenGodrej Archives

Re-interpreting Indian business history

Mrs Pheroza Godrej presenting a token ofappreciation to Dr. Dwijendra Tripathi

Seen in the audience First Row From L to R MrsPheroza Godrej Mrs. Saryu Doshi and Mr. J NGodrej

Godrej Archives

40

OUR ACHIEVERS

Son of: Usha Iyer, Udayachal Pre-pri-mary school

Ex-student of: Udayachal High School

Achievement: Cleared the IIT JEE2007 and joined IIT, Kharagpur. His allIndia rank was 3635.

Abhishek Iyer

Son of: Purushottam Supal

Ex-student of: Udayachal High School

Achievement: Cleared the IIT JEE2007 and joined IIT, Guwahati with aspecialisation in Design. His all Indiarank was 4300.

Sandeep Supal

Son of: Trivesh Pooniwala, Process Equip-ment Division

Student of: Standard 9, Udayachal HighSchool

Achievement: Has been selected for a scholarship under NationalTalent Search Scheme (N.T.S) by National Council of Education Re-search and Training Delhi (N.C.E.R.T).He was selected among thefirst 500 students of Maharastra to represent the state for the Na-tional Level Exam.

Congratulations.

Gaurav Pooniwala

Son of: DN Deshmukh, Interio Division

Ex-student of: Udayachal High School

Achievement: Cleared the IIT JEE 2007 and joined IIT, Mumbaiwith a specialisation in Metallurgy and Material Science. His all Indiarank was 1869.

Rohan Deshmukh

40

41

Daughter of: Mohammed Iqbal Patel,Mumbai Branch

Ex-student of : Udayachal school

Achievements: Naazneen participatedin the “Miss Maharashtra” Contest in theyear 2000 and finished as 4th Runner up.She also participated in “Femina MissIndia Contest” in the year 2002, and wasselected for the qualifying round. Shehas done TV Commercials for CornettoIce Cream, Godrej Air Conditioners,Rajuri Cements etc.

Naazneen has also worked in TV serialsand films like Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani,Officer and Taal. Her forthcoming filmis ‘Good Luck’.

Naazneen Patel

Son of: G. Sunderraman, Vice President, CorporateDevelopment

Achievements: Has been selected for scholarshipunder National Talent Search Scheme (N.T.S) by Na-tional Council of Education Research and Training Delhi(N.C.E.R.T).He was selected among the first 500 stu-dents of Maharastra to represent the State for theNational Level Exam.

Shravan Sunderraman

Children of: Ashish Bhatt

Achievement: They participated in a Navratri func-tion which was reported in the Khaleej Times, a lead-ing newspaper in UAE.

Vrusha and Avinash Bhatt

KNOW YOUR MANGROVES

This is a moderately tall mangrove associate tree growingupto 10 mts. Leaves are oval shaped and often finely ser-rated on the margins. Male and female flowers appear onseparate trees. Female flowers produce berry-like fruits fromMarch to October. The fruit is a pink when ripe, with three-hooked capsules which liberates seeds by bursting open vio-lently. The seeds are buoyant due to an air space within theseed coat and float with the tides and currents until a suit-able soil is encountered.

It has adapted itself to the saline environment by a saltexcretory mechanism known as gall formation and its vastnetwork of perforated snake like roots grip loose and erod-ing soils. These roots when exposed to air at low tide permitthe uptake of oxygen. The major feature of this mangrove isthe milky sap which exudes from the plant when branchesor leaves are broken. The sap is poisonous and can causesevere skin irritation and temporary blindness if contact ismade with the eyes. However it has medicinal properties aswell. The milky sap is used as fish poison. This tree is also

used for honey collection. The wood is used to makecheap planks, matchboxes, charcoal and pulp for pa-per.

A temple of ancient village called Tillai of Tamil Naduhad a pond surrounded by a Milky Mangrove on its rim.The pond was known to cure skin diseases such as lep-rosy when one took bath in this pond regularly and thisnatural cure was believed to be originated from the leafmatter of Milky mangroves. Today, one can see sculp-tures of this species on the walls of the temple.

Today’s modern scientific discoveries have proved thisbelief to be true to some extent. The juice of leaves isbelieved to offer symptomatic cure for joint pains alongwith leprosy. It is used to cure sores and stings from marinecreatures. European scientists have extracted chemicalsfrom this plant, which has potential to reduce deadlydiseases such as HIV and AIDS at an early stage.

– Dr. Maya Mahajan

Please visit www.mangroves.godrej.com to know more about mangroves & activities of the mangrove section

Blind-your-eye Mangrove, river poison tree

Milky mangrove(Excoecaria agallocha)

Milky mangrove(Excoecaria agallocha)

Pic: Dr. Maya Mahajan