A tinge of sadness….Part II 3 December 2007

I had my invaluable hands-on experience as a fresh engineering graduate in that company. My manager was excellent; he gave us a lot of freedom to experiment and even to break things, no questions asked! There I learnt the trade as well as the tricks of the trade.

After working there for approximately three years, I took up another job in Lucknow. When I learnt that my previous company had closed down, I went to Bhandup, a suburb of Mumbai (It was known as Bombay then) where the factory was located. The gates were locked. Just one man stood guard. The building was decaying and bushes had overgrown the boundary walls.

Many scenes flashed in my mind with sadness: My hands soiled with grease and oil holding a broken fixture, the smell of kerosene used in manufacturing, the special odour in the diecasting shop, and many more.

The company was The Automobile Products of India, the pioneer of two wheelers in India; they used to manufacture Lambretta scooters in collaboration with Innocenti of Italy.

S . Gopal

….Keying in is better than idling

A tinge of sadness..Part I.. 2 December 2007

Last week I chanced to visit certain localities of Bangalore. Many of them were the ones I used to travel to for procuring business for the engineering products marketing company I ran for about 18 years.

Many familiar landmarks and institutions with whom I did business were missing.

• Two electrical engineering giants – NGEF and Kirloskar Electric – have disappered from the scene. On most of the land where the Kirloskar Electric stood have come up the `Metro Cash and Carry’ (a German wholesaler giant) and a multi-soreyed residential complex.
• Bhoruka Steel, KAP Steel, G R Engineering, and Mcnally Bharat in the Whitefield area do not exist anymore ; in their places swanky commercial and resdiential complexes have come up.

When organisations wind up, it does not happen suddenly; the end comes quite slowly. However, when they cease to exist, it brings a tinge of sadness not only to their employees, but also to the countless suppliers, dealers, partners, and service providers.

A small lump formed in my throat as I was returning home.

S .Gopal

….Keying in is better than idling