I decided to do my final project of MBA in a steel plant name Ispat Profiles India Ltd at Sanaswadi, Maharastra. Though its more common for an MBA student to get engaged in some corporate office for the projects. This was one of many out of train decisions, I took in my life, and that exposure really helped me in many ways. Not only it enriched my memory and experience but also I wouldn’t get any second chance for getting this exposure after.
Some sense of emptiness used to bother me a lot, that is, even after all my knowledge and degrees and certificates, I was still missing something which I need to have to get success in the professional life, or simply to make sure to earn my bread and butter. So I had decided, I’ll go to the very bottom level of an industry to understand how people work , sense the behavioral dynamism at the place of work, how people make a difference being one in the crowd, I could understand its not simply degree or knowledge or intelligence but I was not being able to capture and realize what it is. And also we always hear people do politics etc etc to raise in the ladder in professional life, but I wanted to know is there any way to play this game by rule and still can be successful, I guess, more importantly and how to nurture these faculties.
Other factor which driven that decision was, we three Bengali friends decided to do the three months final project some place away from Bombay, which may give us a chance to stay at another place other than Bombay. We all 3 have got project close to Pune, though Pune was not new place for me but at least that idea worked out.
It was very nice experience, professionally very educative and personally kind of experience I always like to have… exploring a new place.. get along with local people of an unseen place..
I was not very satisfied with my work in the summer project at SBI, so from the beginning of Ispat Profiles project I was determined to make the project value for money to the company. After four months when the project presentation was done at NITIE, institute sent the copy of my project report to Ispat Profile. After that when my placement was over and I have arranged to comeback to home and spend some time before starting my first job, Ispat Profile replied to my guide they liked my work and is there any possibility, I can present it in front their management team. But my travel arrangement was finalized so I couldn’t squeeze my time to put it in my schedule. But I still think, if I could go there and present it in front of the management and see the eyes of a satisfied customer, it would mean a lot to me. Professionally it was very inspiring but here I’ll talk more about personal aspects.
I remember the day I arrived first time at the plant at Sanaswadi, after good amount of initial struggle I got a bus from Pune, which will go close to the plant. After about an hour ride bus dropped me almost at a no where land far away from civilization. One dirt road linked the so called industrial Complex with the highway, with a suitcase with all my belongings I started walking. Ispat Profile was almost at the end of the Industrial complex which was at the stage of introduction. Most of the plots allocated in the complex was just having the boundary wall with out any construction started. Very few had some construction activities on but not with much dynamism as you usually find in any time bound project, very few construction workers were involved over there. And only few facilities had actually started their operation. I think Ispat Profile was one of those pioneers. As some commercial activities were present , one small restaurant (better tea stall ) opened up just opposite to the factory gate. I was really exhausted after walking about 1 - 2 miles with a suitcase at my hand and an executive bag hanging over my solder.
After crossing the security when I entered inside, I was amazed with the amount of people and dynamism at this no where land. I think, about 500 employee and contract labours were engaged in that plant. But to support them and their families, it was a small township with all the basic facilities.
Other than the factory it has Hostels type arrangement for the trainees and bachelors, has quarters for the families, bungalows for the top executives and a small guest house. Effort of landscaping the facility was easily visible. It has a small medical facility even a small library too. Even it had a beautifully constructed and nicely maintained temple just at the entrance of the facility. I am always fascinated, when I see effort of settling up a life style at the odd places where economy drives a group of people to live. I have seen these at many places, some are active, some only have the remains from history, but still describe the dynamism of its time. It may be Baba’s offices, the microwave stations at a remote places or may be the old forts in Machino Island in north Michigan, its amazing to learn the effort or imaginations of initial settlers. How people utilized the things what are locally available then brought something from their known life style and create a place for living at odd places and try to create a lifestyle of their own far away land. So I was very excited to be part of such a life style for coming 3-4 months.
After initial introduction with my reporting manager Laksnman, I was instructed to get settled in one room at the guest house, that is where I’ll live for next few months. There was a small mess provides foods for bachelors, I have been allowed to have my three meals over there. There was a small bus which shuttles 2-3 times between plant and Pune station, this was the mode of commutation for the people, living there, to get connected with outside world. If you need to go any other time, you have to go to 1-2 miles distance to the highway and get bus every hour towards Pune. Interesting life style! But to me the most interesting feature of the plant was its source of water. As we all know water is a very important resource to run a steel plant. And that part of the state has issues with local sources of water. So what they did is quite impressive, they used a very small natural water hole surrounded by few small hills( hillock) and at the open side facing toward plant about 100’ tall dam is constructed out of local stone and earth. So it becomes a water reservoir to store just enough water through out the year by collecting water in the monsoon season. What an amazing example of human problem solving mind using science and technology at no where land. Other than serving its original purpose, it has created a very nice scenic place with all the plants and natural habituates surroundings the water body. I can easily imagine if you place an holiday home or resort down one of those hills and have facility like boating, fishing then it can easily turn into a small tourist attraction. Fortunately nobody did that, that’s why it was so beautiful naturally. Immediately after seeing that, I decided to explore it of my own. No body used to go to that side, it was quite secluded, but many evenings during my stay over there, I took an evening walk around the reservoir, dam on those hills, one day I even discovered an abandon stone made temple behind the hill. Taking calculative risk this type of exploration always excites me, I enjoy them a lot. Now we always get connected through cell phones, wherever we go, so loosing the excitement of this type of adventure, not being a daredevil but rational judgment of minimizing risks and uncertainties and experiencing the unknown and unseen.
Living there was really a very good experience for me, when we develop a lifestyle from scratch at a new place, leaving all our daily habits and necessities far away, its always an enlightening experience to me. I can realize how little things we really need for living. We always think, I cannot imagine life with out TV with out this thing that thing, but how false it is. Actually we can , humanity can survive and keep marching with happiness and joy at any circumstances, its only our habit compel us to think other way.
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