Summer Internship Experience At Bajaj Auto

You can imagine my excitement when I officially signed the offer letter for Octane'19 - the Summer Internship Program at Bajaj Auto. It all felt like a dream. I had made it into the Summer Internship program of one of the most coveted companies on my campus and the MBA circuit.

Two Trimesters later, I found myself sitting at the Pune headquarters of the global automobile manufacturing company - Bajaj Auto Limited, in the company of many excited B-schoolers from the top institutes of the country.

"Sales enhancement of Bajaj Genuine Oil"- that's what the document in front of me read along with the other details describing my summer internship project. But the real 'Octane' journey was much more than the one-pager project description.

It is difficult to sum up these 2 months of my internship days at Bajaj Auto. The events that stand out in my mind are the three days orientation program where we got an opportunity to interact with top leaders of the organization, the sessions on different business units, the plant visits and the 'networking dinner' where we had a one-on-one interaction with the industry stalwarts, about whom I had read in magazines and newspapers.

But the best part of this premier organization isn’t a specific event - it is its uniformity and work culture. It was heartwarming to see that every employee is treated the same way irrespective of where they fit in the hierarchy. Bajaj is like a family where even the interns are made to feel at home.

Based in Kolkata, West Bengal, I had an opportunity to work with the Commercial Vehicle-Spares, understanding our consumer needs, business models, ideating out pilot activities, visiting numerous places in West Bengal and North East and interacting with many stakeholders across the value chain of the business. Being a fresher, this project was my first corporate exposure and a tremendous learning platform.

The journey would not have been so enriching without the guidance of the many senior leaders who made helped me throughout. A special shout-out to my mentor here - from explaining the concepts, discussing ideas and answering my endless queries - I was fortunate to have a mentor like him. I still remember him saying - "Innovation and sustainability of an idea is the only key to making a product successful."

Today when I pen down my thoughts, all I want to say is Thank you, Bajaj, for encouraging me and being supportive throughout. Because Bajaj isn’t just another business, it’s a family.