I found myself in a bus, on my way to Goa for a quick weekend reunion with my college friends. Anxious and nervous throughout the journey, checking Indian Institute of Foreign Trade’s (IIFT) site multiple times. This was the day, the day where I would knew whether I had made it to the premier institute or not. The bus sailed on the road, indifferent to the roughness and potholes on the road, thanks to Birla Carbon I believe. Finally, the delightful moment, I had made it through. With great excitement I called my parents and they could be part of my happiness thanks to the superior network offered to them by Idea cellular. This good news gave a much needed adrenaline push enabling me to enjoy my holidays to the fullest. Then came the time to prepare for the on boarding and the new journey that awaited me. It was time to dress like a professional, and the only place to have a rich buying experience, Pantaloons and the brand of choice, Peter England. A brand that still instills nostalgia for my father, as he fondly remembers his wedding Peter England Blazer. Even to this day, the Knot on that Peter England Tie is intact, as if it is stuck in the past and failed to keep pace with the world around. The best fabric and the best fashion brands that use it, made this rookie boy emerge as a confident Business School candidate, waiting at the gates of IIFT, ready to enter, learn, prosper and take on the world.
After completion of my training period in Hindustan Unilever Limited, I was given the role of Production Executive in HUL Pondicherry Unit. After being allotted Pondicherry as my final location, I was contemplating whether to initiate a location change request. The key concerns in my mind during this critical phase were, being from a Non-Tamil background adjusting and adapting to this new culture was a challenge for me. Also my role was of a shift executive, hence I had to deal with blue collar employees for whom the only viable language of communication was Tamil. To make things worse, the factory had a frivolous past with regard to union issues, to the point that the management had at one point contemplated closing the entire unit. However, I decided to take up this challenge, as change begins at the end of comfort zone. Against this backdrop I reached Pondicherry. I knew the only way too effectively work here was to learn Tamil. I started learning Tamil through online and offline means. However, in the meantime, in order to garner support from blue collar employees, I tried to fill in the gap left by other shift executives. Their lacking was on two fronts, lack of technical knowledge and interest in machine working. I understood the machines well and executed some changes in them to make the operators life easy. This along with my genuine attempt to learn Tamil made me emerge as a leader who comes out of his comfort zone to work with his team.
