Chunks of Change - May 2010 - Aug 2010 by Godrej

THE HOUSE MAGAZINE OF GODREJ & BOYCE MFG. CO. LTD., VOL 9, NO. 3 & 4, MAY - AUGUST 2010

CHUNKS OF CHANGE

inside The PMO Methodology

Projects for Rapid Results Reduction of fuel cost at Mohali & Shirwal - Godrej Appliances

1012

Re-designing using cost tear-down process Godrej Material Handling

Devendoring of die-casting components - Godrej Locks Reduction in detention and demurrage charges incurred by the businesses Corporate Procurement

16 1820

National Recognition for Keshao Ingle!

Celebrating a Legacy of 113 years of Godrej & Boyce Godrej Precision Engineering (GPE) gets ‘Outstanding Achievements Trophy 2009’ Godrej successfully delivers crucial assemblies for India’s Fast Breeder Reactor... Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Centre at Godrej Memorial Hospital (GMH) Golden Jubilee of Maharashtra Day - 1st May, 2010, celebrated by Godrej & Boyce Shramik Sangh (GBSS)

Never never never Quit !

Prashn 2010

24 26 2829

3032 3436

Rang Tarang

Target costing methodology for producing complex dies at globally benchmarked costs Godrej Tooling

A Magnificent Turnaround A Tribute to the Heroes

3738

Reducing cost of packaging materials Godrej Security Solutions

Understanding Confidentiality Agreement (CA)

Remembering the visionary Professor C.K. Prahalad

Krsna for Godrej Interio

A Monsoon Memoir

Fresh from Home

“The Mangroves”A monograph by Dr. Maya Mahajan

Know Your Mangroves Mangrove Apple

team

editorial

Chunk it, to change it The business scenario today is uncertain, volatile and recessionary especially in the markets of the western world. In such conditions it is essential that the businesses plan and develop means for new sources of revenue and cutting costs. Hence, cash generation and cash release programmes become critical for the businesses. The conventional way of making business-wide improvements takes simply too long. It is not quick enough to give results or inspire people. Finding new markets is even more difficult. One good way out of this dilemma is to conceptualise a set of manageable projects which can give results rapidly. We are calling each such project, a Chunk of Change.

Anil Verma Head Edit Board

This issue of CHANGE is about sharing with you the stories from our businesses as to how they have brought about significant improvements in revenue generation or cost savings by following the project route. These stories are from across the businesses and functions; each having unique challenges, learnings and pointers for other businesses to follow and benefit from. The stories are a great repository of learning. In fact, we received so many stories that we have chosen to share some of them only in this issue and the remaining ones later. Appliances business had a great turnaround last year. Mr. P. D. Lam has penned a poem eulogising the team Appliances’ grit and determination. Truly inspiring and memorable.

Falguni Turakhia Edit Board

Precision Engineering business not only turned profitable last year but also earned laurels for demonstrating outstanding engineering capabilities in developing super critical equipment for India’s prestigious fast breeder nuclear reactor. GPE has done India proud! An achievement worth reading. In the untimely death of Professor C. K. Prahalad, India has lost a great management thinker and a champion of India’s cause. Anil Verma pays a tribute to him on behalf of all of us at Godrej. He will be missed by us greatly. Godrej Interio launched a vibrant home furniture collection by Krsna Mehta targeted at modern, young and stylish consumers. A step in the right direction.

Sana Anjum

Manufacturing of Locks began on 7th May 1897 and every year we celebrate this milestone. This year our archivist Vrunda and our design team bring to us the key achievements of our journey of 113 years in an interesting manner- something you should read to appreciate our legacy.

Edit Board

Beside these, we have interesting contributions from our Legal Department, Godrej Memorial Hospital, Garden Department, others and Team CHANGE for you to learn about and benefit from! Do read them all.

For private circulation only. No part of the magazine can be reproduced in any form without due permission of the editor.

All recipients of CHANGE are encouraged to take the magazine to their home and share it with members of their family. Invite them to have a conversation with you, help them appreciate our concerns and encourage them to do something about the key idea of the feature.

You can mail your contributions, suggestions and feedback at :

We hope that the stories of positive change published in this issue would encourage Godrejites across the organisation to volunteer to envision and undertake projects, “Chunks of Change” for higher revenues and lower costs.

The Editor, Plant 11, 2nd fl oor, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., Pirojshanagar, Vikhroli (W), Mumbai 400 079

change@godrej.com or to

Nariman Bacha Distribution

Do engage with us by sharing your own story… The theme for the next issue is Vending - Promoting Self Service. Your contributions are welcome and so is feedback.

Indrapal Indr dr dr drapal Singh Singh

Published by Indrapal Singh on behalf of Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. Designed by DesignMembrane www.designmembrane.com Printed by

Nidhi Print Arts Pvt. Ltd.

CHANGE > CHUNKS OF CHANGE

Projects for Rapid Results By INDRAPAL SINGH

hange happens in organisations at many levels. High-level changes deal with complete re-shaping and re-configuring of the organisation while base-level changes deal with improving specific work related activities and ways of performing different tasks. The mid-level changes fall somewhere in between the two and deal with a task in the department, a sub-process or an activity which could be a driver of revenue or cost. In practice, such projects or chunks are carved out from the rest of the operations such that they are clearly defined and a team can work upon it. Research suggests that the most powerful driver of better performance is better performance itself. If we want our organisation to develop its ability to perform better, then there is nothing more effective than experiencing a tangible success on one/some of the dimensions that we want to strengthen. This approach challenges and turns upside down the belief that in order to have results, begin with the preparations and wait patiently. Rapid Results Projects help achieve quick results in a way that helps participants learn how to integrate new approaches into the broader existing organisational patterns. The projects help develop an organisation’s capacity to absorb all sorts of changes without generating chaos. The long lag times and deadly inertia that often stall urgently needed progress are reduced or eliminated. As a result, people are engaged in the learning and discovery needed to make change stick. These projects open the pathway to undertake larger and more complex projects for a far-reaching change. The successfully completed projects throw up the results very quickly and make visible opportunities for further improvements so that the next levels of benefits can accrue. It is possible to complete about 24-30 projects in a year. Rapid Results Projects is a fine way of engaging people for a significant change in the organisation’s performance and inspiring them to work collectively in teams. Also, it helps them realise that thinking in terms of projects and managing them well is not as difficult as they had imagined. However they must follow the methodology rigorously and sincerely. The support and guidance of senior management is absolutely vital. In the next section, the project management methodology as followed by Godrej is described in detail and several examples of successful projects are shared with the readers to empower them to think about the “Chunks of Change” for enduring progress.

CHANGE > CHUNKS OF CHANGE

The

Methodology By PANKAJ ABHYANKAR, Product Supply, Godrej Appliances

Project Management Office (PMO) initiatives have impacted the culture of G & B positively and it has challenged and encouraged our people to think out-of-the-box for exploring innovative ways of enhancing revenues and cutting costs.

odrej Appliances embarked on PMO initiative in 2004-05 as a “Cash Release” program for improving the division’s profitability. In the years that followed, the initiative was embraced by Godrej Interio successfully and the management saw an opportunity to extend it to other businesses for improving business results. PMO was thus rolled out to all businesses of G & B in 2008-09.

Every PMO project has a Project Leader and team members to support the implementation. A senior leader from the business mentors each project as a “Sponsor” to guide and coach the project team during the implementation. The Project Leader is carefully selected as it is he, who inspires the team members, removes the bottle-neck, gets the resources and lends dynamism to the project implementation.

Under the PMO structure, a “Wave” consisting of a cluster of projects is undertaken for implementation. The process begins with an ideation phase wherein brainstorming sessions are held and ideas are selected for in-depth evaluation. As an outcome, typically 6-8 projects are identified and selected for implementation in a particular wave. The projects are discussed and critiqued so that they are manageable and workable in the form of a project. Subsequently, its “Project Charter” is formulated in which the scope of the projects, the milestones, the schedule and the benefit potential are clearly specified. The projects undertaken are of shorter time-duration, not exceeding 12-16 weeks, with a clear financial goal, clear milestones and clear pre-defined plan of work. All this detailed thinking, upfront, makes the projects highly do-able.

The projects are undertaken across all the business functions such as design, engineering, manufacturing, sourcing, service, logistics, marketing and sales, commercial, finance and human resources. The team begins the work by meeting regularly and assigning the task as per project plan to different team members. As these projects are tracked weekly, the progress of the project is flagged Green for being onplan, Yellow for milestone missed or Red for being delayed. The review structure includes the weekly “PMO Review” at the business level and monthly/ quarterly reviews by the apex steering committee of G & B. As the projects are reviewed every week at the business level, the required inputs are obtained,

...businesses are exploring innovative ways of enhancing revenues and achieving cost-efficiencies. 6

decisions taken and guidance is given. Also, the teams are inspired to push ahead and accelerate the pace of implementation. The business-level steering committee comprises of the Business Head, heads of major functions as well as Finance & Project Coordinators. The Project Coordinator monitors the progress of the projects and the Finance Coordinator keeps track of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;accrued savingsâ&#x20AC;? and links these outcomes to the relevant line of the Profit and Loss statement. Once a set of projects undertaken in a particular wave are successfully implemented, the process of new project identification begins and the next wave is formulated and the cycle repeats... Typically in a year, three such waves are undertaken and as a result of which about 24 projects can get implemented.

To exploit the benefits potential across the company, a corporate PMO committee also known as P20 committee is formed and headed by Mr. Anil Verma, Executive Director & Head - P & A. Further, a specially designed software is developed for making the projects undertaken across the company visible to all PMO Coordinators in all the businesses. PMO initiatives help ushering the change in chunks and enables businesses to take appropriate positions for benefiting substantially from both, growth and slow-down scenarios. In the pages that follow we share the examples of projects that demonstrate how multi-faceted this initiative is and the significant benefits that can be obtained by adhering sincerely to the methodology.

Today, at Godrej, PMO has become ubiquitous and has promoted participation of our people and has engaged them to thinking out-of-the-box and hone their project implementation skills. All this has had a positive impact on the culture at G & B. The PMO initiative encourages businesses to explore innovative ways of enhancing revenues and achieving costefficiencies.

CHANGE > CHUNKS OF CHANGE

Reduction of fuel cost at Mohali & Shirwal - Godrej Appliances In the era of ever-increasing fuel costs, the projects undertaken at Mohali & Shirwal clearly show that it is possible to have significant reductions in fuel-costs besides giving a healthy boost to energy conservation.

In 2006, at the Mohali plant of Godrej Appliances, High Speed Diesel (HSD) was used as a fuel for firing ovens and hot-water generators. Mr. Vivek Srivastava, Head of Engineering sensed an opportunity for waste reduction without any additional cost in the above operations. Once the process was studied in-depth, it unraveled several opportunities for improvement which were identified and implemented over a period of four years for substantial benefits.

Team The PMO crack team of operations was led by Mr. Vivek Shrivastava - Head, Engineering at Mohali and the team members were Mr. Rakesh Kumar and Mr. Nitin Chauhan of the Engineering department at Mohali, supported by Mr. Anil Rijhwani, Plant Head and mentored by Mr. B. J. Wadia, EVP & Head, Technology as the Project Sponsor. Team Godrej Appliances

Phase I

technology was evaluated as an option to reduce costs further. PG is a carbon-neutral and environmentfriendly gas besides being half as costly as LPG. There are several types of solid fuels and organic wastes that can be used to make PG. The emissions are minimal and there are no effluents. Worldwide it’s accepted as a clean & renewable source of energy. This project was successfully implemented at both Mohali and Shirwal in March 2010.

Key learnings

Project Objective To reduce the fuel costs by 10% year on year and hence improve the conversion cost per unit of refrigerators and compressors.

Key actions undertaken

In 2007, the team conducted a detailed analysis of the heat requirement and its delivery system in the plant. Instead of a centralised hot water generator system for the two plants, separate local units were set up which reduced 1000 mts. of pipeline. Further study revealed that the pipeline could be re-routed and accordingly an additional 200 mts. of the length was cutshort leading to a total reduction of 1200 mts. of pipeline. Optimisation of airflow inside the oven from heat exchanger was done with the help of controlled experiments on the airflow through a Variable Frequency Drive.

Phase II 1.

In 2008, the team examined the possibility of using an alternate fuel. Numerous options were explored and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) was chosen. It was also a cleaner fuel than HSD. Liquid off-take system for storage was opted for and the system was installed with help from Bharat Petroleum to ensure the required high levels of safety. Also the heat from fuel gases which was wasted in the earlier set-up was now recycled. Some ovens were also modified to reduce heat-losses.

The heat load in the pre-treatment was reduced by using lower temperature chemicals for the process.

The high ambient temperature in summer season was exploited by shutting off the water drying oven in this period and designing a blow off station to achieve the same result.

1. Examining a process in detail and by constantly being at it results in unraveling of opportunities so far not seen. This is an important step for discovery of an opportunity. 2. Working together with suppliers helps a great deal. 3. There is no limit to improvement. Constant seeking of new knowledge will always throw up opportunities.

Benefit derived The fuel cost per appliance produced at Mohali has reduced by almost 50% from its 2006 levels. In the first phase, approximately 52,000 ltrs. of HSD was conserved during Apr-Dec 2007, resulting in a saving of Rs.18 Lakhs in that year. In the phase II, the annualised saving of Rs. 45 Lakhs was achieved by switching to LPG and benefits obtained through other small projects in related areas. After the implementation of phase III in March 2010, there will be an annualised savings of Rs. 80 lakhs. To summarise, the team feels it is necessary to begin small, experience success and then envision the next more difficult and complicated steps for realising greater benefits. The key idea is to move ahead step by step continually and never harbor a feeling what has been achieved is the ultimate…

Next Step

Phase III Under Mr. Wadia’s guidance, Producer Gas (PG)

The team is now exploring options to use solar energy to meet energy needs.

Project Objective Steering axle assembly was chosen for the study. The aim was to identify ways of re-designing components for lowering costs using the tear-down approach. In case the process unraveled the ideas for design simplification or the use of alternate materials then to study the findings carefully and adopt them for enhancing competitive advantage.

Key actions undertaken 1.

Steering axle of other makes were stripped and mapped against ours, component by component. Mounting of steer axle to chassis and design of steering knuckle links were identified for study and improvement.

Mounting of steer axle was simplified, having fewer parts resulting in ease of manufacturing and assembly.

Current design of steering knuckle link was simplified for improved durability in tough working conditions.

Challenge To convince team members to challenge designs which were working well for years.

Key learnings 1.

Cross-functional teamwork yields greater benefits.

To remain competitive it is essential to challenge existing practices continuously.

Benefits 1.

Reduced part count.

Easy assembly of components.

Improved tolerance to tough conditions.

Next Step To identify some more high cost and critical assemblies for study using alternate tear-down approaches such as Dynamic teardown, Materials teardown, Process teardown etc.

CHANGE > CHUNKS OF CHANGE

Reducing cost of packaging materials - Godrej Security Solutions The peripheral material costs especially in case of products which are driven by standards and specifications tend to be overlooked. The aim here is to challenge the prevailing paradigm that these materials/specifications cannot be changed as the customers and the standard authorities will not accept them. Rigorous examination of such costs, careful experimentation and field trials can facilitate the acceptance of the changes.

ackaging materials generally are a small percentage of the total material costs for manufactured products targeted at institutional customers. Using ABC principles, major material costs are focussed upon for reduction and control. Typically the peripheral costs such as packaging materials are often not examined deeply for reduction considering adverse efforts to result ratio. Any reduction in such costs become enduring. As the business volume grows these C-category costs become substantial in absolute terms and lowering it calls for special efforts.

Team Amod Keskar - Sponsor, GM - Procurement & VDC Neville Shah - Crack Team Leader (CTL), Purchase Rahul Naik - PMO Coordinator Ankeet Kansara - Assistant PMO Coordinator Sanjeev Atgur, Ashiwini Shandaliya and Saurabh Deolwadkar - Purchase Mahendra Patel - Manufacturing Satish Ramavat - Design Mukund Walawalkar & Apoorva Verma - Marketing Team Godrej Security Solutions

Project Objective

Challenges

To optimise the usage of packaging materials and their costs whilst meeting customer requirements, standards & specifications. Target savings of atleast Rs. 14 lakhs per year.

1. The team members found it difficult to work on diverse ideas and think out-of-the-box.

Key actions undertaken 1. Brain-storming sessions were held to generate approaches and ideas for lowering packaging costs. 2. Multiple options were explored challenging the existing practices and assumptions to reduce the cost of corrugated boxes, wooden crates, rubber wood bottoms of the crates etc. 3. Existing packaging of all types were critically examined for making small but numerous changes for improving their effectiveness and lowering of costs. 4. Rigorous field trials were carried out involving customers and dealers for obtaining the feedback on the changes made. 5. Competitive practices were examined in-depth for improving designs and performance. 6. Cooperation from Interio and Appliances business was sought for achieving economies of scale. 7. Explored the possibility of using alternate materials. Eco-friendly options were considered with the help of external experts. In brief, a comprehensive, well, thought-out approach was undertaken involving several experiments for understanding the problems thoroughly and finding solutions.

2. Maintaining rigor continuously was demanding and so was conducting of field trials. 3. Working with suppliers to bring about the changes to attain the planned results.

Working cross-functionally is a must for arriving at effective solutions... Key Learnings 1.

It pays to generate many options for taking commensurate action.

It helps to think â&#x20AC;&#x153;Greenâ&#x20AC;? for selecting materials and processing of wastes.

Working cross-functionally is a must for arriving at effective solutions.

Benefits Rs. 34 lakhs in cost savings during the period July 2009 - March 2010. Further savings of Rs. 23 lakhs are likely to be realised in the remaining part of the year. Thus the total annualised saving of Rs. 57 lakhs which will be approximately 4 times the planned level of savings of Rs. 14 lakhs.

Next step To take up cross-functionally similar cost reduction projects for fabricated and machined components as well as paints in the forthcoming waves.

Coming together is beginning - Keeping together is progress - Working together is success

CHANGE > CHUNKS OF CHANGE

Devendoring of die-casting components - Godrej Locks Devendoring becomes an effective approach to lower lead times, improve quality and increase production. Higher utilisation of under-utilised production capacity leads to lower costs.

his project was undertaken as a need arose to reduce the lead-time from 7 days to 3 days. Also, it was felt that the business should have better control on quality and the quantity produced whilst improving the capacity utilisation of existing machines and processing facilities.

Team D. D. Narwekar - Sponsor P. Swaminathan - Crack Team Leader (CTL), Die-casting V. P. Gawde - Quality Pradeep Kudale - Die Casting Mayuresh Juvekar - Procurement Ameya Dandekar - Automation Sadanand Pawar - Design S. K. Joshi - Surface Finish Team Godrej Locks

Project Objective

Next Step

To improve contribution margin and reduce lead times by devendoring of die-casting components.

Similar projects to be selected for execution in the wave 2 and 3.

Key actions undertaken The team analysed all the components that were vendored out and selected high volume, high contribution components for Devendoring. Special dies were ordered so that high-volume, high contribution components can be produced according to the planned quality standards. Project progress was monitored regularly by using a detailed Gantt chart prepared for execution. Course corrections were made after taking into account views of the team members and business review committee.

...realised that taking up similar projects in future would improve profit margins and reduce lead times across the entire segment of high volume... Challenge The team had to prepare performance requirements for the tooling of prime components in a very detailed and careful manner so that tool correction, effort and time are minimised at the trial stage.

Key Learnings 1. Working in a cross-functional team helps to expedite project execution. 2. To maintain high-level of quality, the requirements have to be spelt out upfront and in-detail.

Benefits Apart from saving costs to an extent of Rs. 800,000 per year the lead times were reduced to 3 days from 7 days. Also, it was realised that taking up similar projects in future would improve profit margins and reduce lead times across the entire segment of high volume, high contribution components.

CHANGE > CHUNKS OF CHANGE

Target costing methodology for producing complex dies at globally benchmarked costs - Godrej Tooling Target costing puts positive pressure on the members of the cross-functional teams to examine cost and cost drivers of their area and find ways to reduce the negative impact of it whilst successfully meeting customer requirements and planned profit margins.

There exists an opportunity to sell a large number of dies at specified price points. This justifies efforts to reengineer the dies and leverage the benefits of scale to make a win-win proposition for all concerned.

Team V. K. Saboo - Sponsor Tushar Rahate - Crack Team Leader (CTL) & Project Coordinator, CNC Programming F. J. Bhuri - Finance Coordinator Nilesh Chauhan - PMO Coordinator Others in the team included Jayesh Rathod - Design Milind Kore - Procurement Ravi Singh - Machine Shop g g Mahesh Karekarr - Process Engineering

16 1 6

Team Godrej Tooling

Project Objective

Challenges

To manufacture crank case dies at globally competitive cost without compromising on profit margins with a target of at least 20% reduction.

1. To bring about changes in the unquestioned standard practices.

Key actions undertaken

3. To design a cost optimisation experiment based on data, logic and machine limitations.

The prevailing die is designed ensuring it satisfies the customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; requirement of production, quality & maintainability. Functional needs are analysed for optimising material usage at three levels. In the first level, redundant structures and features were eliminated. In the second level, overall layout and cavity orientation were improved to reduce the material cost. And in the third level, time taken for manufacturing, assembly, and commissioning of the die was reduced by as much as 20% on the basis of data taken out from benchmarking exercise, past records of reference projects and CAD/CAM features for analysing repetitive activities.

hitherto,

2. Push the team to accept best of benchmarked times as our standard time.

Key Learnings 1. To remain competitive the team must challenge the existing practices. 2. Cross-functional expertise is crucial for all-around improvements. 3. Team members must learn to appreciate practices and constraints of functions other than their own.

Benefits 1. 24% reduction in engineering hours. 2. 25% reduction in material costs. 3. 7% reduction in operations costs. 4. Overall cost reduction achieved 9% as against the target of 20%. Additionally deploying new practices horizontally across the business could yield a further benefit of Rs. 10 lakhs.

Next Step To iterate and experiment some more changes in operations to reach the target of 20% reduction in costs.

Additionally deploying new practices horizontallyacrossthebusinesscould yield a further bene fit...

CHANGE > CHUNKS OF CHANGE

Reduction in detention and demurrage charges incurred by the businesses - Corporate Procurement Very often the so-called incidental costs incurred are not well identified or controlled. These costs are incurred on account of several common causes prevailing in the work system. To manage these costs it is essential that cross-functional teams are formed for working in a holistic manner.

sharp rise in our exports and imports in India in the recent years has created a pressure on our work systems and on the external agencies such as customs, port authorities, shipping lines, airport which has resulted in delays and excessive costs being incurred towards detention and demurrage. Detention charges are incurred for holding the containers beyond the stipulated period while demurrage charges are incurred for occupying the space beyond the limits specified, belonging to the custodians - port authorities, airport authorities, shipping companies etc. To reduce these costs, it was found that a holistic approach was necessary involving external agencies, Corporate Procurement team and support from the businesses.

Team R.D. Contractor - Sponsor B. S. Khatib - Crack Team Leader (CTL) Narendra Rupareliya - Project Coordinator Other members in the team included Denzil Soans, Pankaj Bagal, Jayprakash Yadav, Kerman Bacha, Shodhan Patil, Jignasha Patel, Rakesh R.U.

Team Corporate Procurement

Project Objectives

Challenges

1. Identify factors that lead to detention and demurrage charges and minimise their impact.

1. Find ways and means to reduce the delays in the receipt of the copy of shipping documents, original documents etc.

2. Improve efficiency of the entire supply chain for reducing the lead time. 3. Foster awareness and establish accountability across the procurement and support teams.

Key actions undertaken Phase I

2. Minimisation of congestion for incoming goods at warehouses. 3. Accurate evaluation of value of imports especially furniture items. 4. Timely availability of transport especially tankers for up-country distributions.

Key learnings

It involved a study of past data pertaining to detention and demurrage and their analysis for identifying the major causes and their impact

1. It pays to challenge prevailing external and internal processes/practices for improvement.

Phase II

2. Cross-functional approach helps in realising improvements faster.

It involved sharing of information obtained from phase I with the businesses and the support teams and developing a plan of action for reducing the impact of major causes identified Phase III It involved taking action across Corporate Procurement and the businesses whilst modifying the way work was being done to reduce the charges. Also, it was checked if any other factors affected the costs and if yes; a plan was worked out to reduce their impact.

Pro-active approach, advance planning and projections help a great deal in saving costs...

3. Pro-active approach and advance planning and projections help a great deal in saving costs.

Benefits 1. Detention charges reduced from 0.25 % to 0.06% of the total value of Export & Import portfolio. 2. Demurrage charges reduced from 0.17% to 0.07% of the value of Import portfolio.

Next Step To adopt a pro-active approach comprising of planning in advance keeping in mind the contingencies for all important Import and Export consignments to keep the above costs under control. Also to further improve the procedure developed. 19

CHANGE > CHUNKS OF CHANGE

A Magnificent Turnaround - A Tribute to the Heroes

..after five tumultuous years, they had performed a miracle wiping the stigma salute and of losses of twelve years...a years...a salute and toGeorge Georgeand and Team Appliances dedication to Team Appliances for their indomitable spirit in surmounting what once seemed impossible... 20

: Dedicated to George and Team Appliances :

The Homecoming I was lonely in the night, Floundering in the dark, not knowing my way, Clinging to a blind faith, That one day I would come back home. Along the way I found a friend, Someone to share my hopes and dreams, And together we were stronger in our resolve; I was no more tired, no more afraid. Each day we grew from strength to strength, Found so many more who dreamt like us, Together we marched hand in hand, growing in our conviction, That one day we would come home. We fell so often but always got up, We wandered from the path, but we always got back, We gave each other the strength to go on, Each lonely night preceeded a new dawn. The years have flown, but we never lost hope, We laughed through our despair, and never did mope, It mattered not how rugged the path, We never lost faith, we never lost heart. I opened my eyes and pray Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not dreaming, The bed is soft, the room is warm, I gaze around to see my smiling friends, Peace is writ large on all their faces, We have come Home! We have come Home!! By P. D. LAM, Executive Director & President, G & B

Godrej Appliances Team in Paris 21

CHANGE > CHUNKS OF CHANGE

National Recognition for Keshao Ingle! Interviewed by SANA ANJUM

Mr. Keshao S. Ingle, an ace welder of Godrej Precision Systems won the Gunwant Kamgar Award for 2009. He received the award from the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Mr. Ashok Chavan on 9th February, 2010 at Mumbai. Keshao is also the winner of Prime Minister’s Shram Shree Award 2007 which he will be receiving in New Delhi from the Prime Minister on 15th September, 2010.

CHANGE : What does work mean to you? Ingle : Work means ‘honesty’ to me. Whatever work I do, I believe in doing it with honesty. Five points which I follow at work diligently are: 1. Safety - In my 20 years here, I have taken the pain to work safe and prevent accident of any sorts. 2. Punctuality - I believe in coming to work much before my shift starts. 3. Kaizen - I believe in incorporating Kaizen in my work. 4. I strive to better my work and technique with every work I undertake. 5. I follow the 5S* work methodology. * The 5S are five Japanese words which are seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu and shitsuke. Translated in English, 5S stands for sorting, straightening, systematic cleaning, standardizing, and sustaining - a sound methodology for Brighter Workplaces

CHANGE : What drives you to excel? Ingle : The 100 % encouragement and support given to me by my seniors and business head. CHANGE : Tell us something about your family and the kind of support you get from them? Ingle : My family comprises of my wife - Changuna, two sons - Ajankiya (16) and Abhijeet (10). She takes complete care of the household, education of the kids and gives me full support in my work. We value achievements in my family - My elder son Ajankiya stood first in the Godrej & Boyce Shramik Sangh Marathon on 1st May, 2010. CHANGE : What should we do to enhance skill levels of our workforce? Ingle : Workers should also be encouraged and sent for company visits to learn their best practices and for competitions like the engineers. This will help us get first hand information to better our own working and get laurels for the organisation. CHANGE : Having become a master welder, what would you like to learn next? Ingle : I would like to get training in the area of Welding Automation. Keshao has truly made us proud!

Prashn 2010 Business Quiz for all employees of Godrej & Boyce (G & B) By FALGUNI TURAKHIA

rashn 2010 on 10th March became the first real time Quizzing contest at G & B which was organised at a national level for all G & B employees. Prashn was introduced to encourage the competitive spirit amongst our employees, to motivate them to keep themselves updated with knowledge about the company, the business world and other sectors. It was very well received by quiz enthusiasts. There were 60 teams (each team comprising of 2 members) from Vikhroli and 22 teams from Branches and Upcountry locations. In all, 82 teams participated. Participants were thrilled throughout the Preliminary, Quarter and Semis that lead to an exciting finish in the Grand Finale that was held on 27th May 2010. There were 2 teams from Branches and 4 teams from Vikhroli. More than 200 employees witnessed this exciting event. Mr. Navroze Godrej, Mr. Anil Verma and Ms. Harpreet Kaur were present as the chief guests. Hosts for the evening, Vani Bundela (Godrej Infotech) and Gaurav Chopra (Godrej Appliances) kept the quiz interesting with their witty humor. Judges, Saby Fernandes (Godrej Infotech) and Mehernosh Subedar (Godrej Appliances) ensured the answers given were correct and tallied with the scores. Nikita Samuel provided the much needed technical support by ensuring the presentation was driving the sync of the nail-biting Grand Finale. The audiences were left glued to their seat till the nth hour! Vaibhav Tanwar and Mhd. Azaruddin Ansari from Delhi Branch emerged as the champions at the end of the contest. They were followed by V. Ramesh and M. Anand from Godrej Security Solutions at the 1st Runner-up position and Ashim Koul and Abhinav Kishore from Godrej Material Handling at the 2nd Runner-up position.

“It’s a great experience to get involved in such a national level contest arranged by our own organisation. It was good to compete with teams from different branches and business units. The way it was organised and communicated was very professional. The contest was challenging and enjoyable.” Kunal Kulkarni, Godrej Interio, Ahmedabad

Organising committee of Prashn takes this opportunity to thank each and everyone who helped making this event a success that it was. Winding up with a promise to be back with more excitement in Prashn 2011 next year! 23

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Understanding Confidentiality Agreement (CA) By GAURI GANDHI, Legal, G & B

Let ambiguity/partial knowledge not defeat the purpose of CA. CA This write-up helps us understand CA. “Need to know” principle is the cornerstone of confidentiality of information in today’s business world. Confidentiality is defined as “ensuring that information is accessible only to those who have an authorised access to it”. Confidentiality also refers to an ethical principle associated with several professions. It is used in mediation and arbitration practises where the ‘privileged’ professional is bound not to divulge the privileged information with third parties. Many contracting parties use “Confidentiality Agreement” to ensure that sensitive information disclosed by one party to another is kept secret. Such agreement is often used when a company or individual has a secret process, data or a new technology that it wants another company to evaluate in early stages of negotiations. Or, perhaps one party wants to evaluate another’s existing product for a new and different application. Employees too can be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement when they are involved in a development of new technology, product or an application. However, the most common use of a CA is to create a secure space in which a

dialogue between two parties can take place wherein it becomes feasible to share one’s proprietary knowledge or information minus the fear of it getting used without permission or being leaked out to third parties.

...the most common use of a CA is to create a secure space in which a dialogue between two parties can take place...

At Godrej, for ensuring security of our information as well as of our clients’ information it is important for us to deploy CA judiciously and meticulously. Trust and confidence reposed by our clients in us must be protected by a strong fence of well-defined legal and administrative mechanisms.

Precautions :

Functions of a Confidentiality Agreement : • They protect sensitive and technical or commercial information from disclosure to others. • The use of CA can prevent the fortifying of valuable patent rights. • CA helps define precisely what information can and cannot be disclosed. The scope of confidential information is negotiable and virtually unlimited.

•

Investigate in-depth the other parties’ practises for maintaining secrecy of their own information. If the investigation reveals that their practises are not adequate then the CA should have a provision for upgrading of their practises.

• CA should specifically state that under the exchange of information no implied licence is granted to the recipient for information or technology. All embodiments of the information such as data drawings, models, etc., should be written upon request and no copies retained thereof by the recipient beyond the end of the term of the CA. • CA should specifically contain the start and the expiry date of the time period; to avoid any ambiguity or misunderstanding later.

People planning to enter into CA often ask as to what the remedy is if the information shared is not kept confidential and is disclosed? Some of the legal remedies available are :

Trust and con fidence reposed by our clients in us must be protected by a strong fence of well-de fined legal and administrative mechanisms.

• A temporary injunction pending a full hearing at trial. • A permanent injunction to prevent original or further disclosure. • Damages based on the “royalties” or sales of the product. • Demanding the return or destruction of the documents or any other embodiment of the information. Under the law, commercial information shared is treated as personal information and as a result the chances are that an injunction is granted readily. There could be issues pertaining to “trade restraints” where disclosure, if any, is evaluated carefully and measures are enforced depending on the worth of the information misused. To ensure that the information is kept confidential, it is important to scrutinise the party concerned for their trustworthiness. Also, the worth of the information to be shared must be carefully valued. If at the very beginning trust is non-existent then it is advisable not to, proceed further because a lawsuit that may ensue may not provide adequate shield to the intellectual property. CA is one of the ways to protect intellectual property. Measures beyond CA can be considered for safeguarding our interests. CA need to be used selectively keeping in view larger considerations and legal & commercial implications.

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Godrej Precision Engineering (GPE) gets ‘Outstanding Achievements Trophy 2009’

PE has won the Outstanding Achievement Trophy 2009 in manufacturing category, under the Indian Merchants Chamber Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Award. Mr. Kaustubh Shukla (COO, Industrial Products Group, G & B) and the Team received the trophy presented at a grand ceremony on 19th March 2010 at the YB Chavan auditorium in Mumbai, by Dr. Ashok S. Ganguly – an illustrious personality from the world of business. This Award is based on the Malcolm Balridge International Model of Business Excellence. Participants were required to share information focusing on quality initiatives and best practices of their organisations highlighting the results obtained thereof. The principal mechanism for sharing this information with a cross section of industry, academia and professionals, was the two day Annual Conference on ‘Making Quality Happen’. This conference of sharing successful performance strategies was useful and sucessful in disseminating the core of effective practices for all participating organisations for taking further steps in their Quality Journey. Team Godrej Precision Engineering

Congratulating the Team for the feat Mr. Kaustubh Shukla mentioned,

“Team GPE embarked on its turnaround journey with focus on processes and people to deliver Profits, Customer-Centricity and Inclusive approach. This recognition, coming soon after the GPE turned around, reinforces the team’s belief that doing the right things is the key to success in business. The business has just broken above the surface of water and there is a lot more to be accomplished. Journey towards developing a sustainable business in high technology area has just begun. The award gives us the confidence that we are on the right track.”

Remembering Professor C.K. Prahalad By ANIL G. VERMA, Executive Director and Head - P & A, G & B

rofessor C.K. Prahalad was widely accepted as the most influential management thinker of his generation. For decades his thinking on business strategy, economic development and innovation, challenged and changed the existing paradigms, shaped new thinking and provided a totally new perspective in the above mentioned areas to both academicians and management practitioners. Born on 8th August, 1941 in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, C.K. - as Professor Prahalad was popularly called, was one of the nine children of a Sanskrit scholar and judge. He studied physics from Loyola College, Chennai and began his career at Union Carbide before joining IIM-A in 1964. After his PGDBA from IIM-A he worked briefly for India Pistons before joining his Alma Mater as a faculty.

In 1972, he went to Harvard Business School for his D.B.A. On its completion, he joined the Stephen Ross School of Business, Ann Arbor, Michigan as a faculty member where he was reputed as a brilliant teacher and a thinker par excellence. As a teacher and researcher, Professor Prahalad articulated the concepts of ‘Core Competency’, ‘Co-Creation’, and the large untapped markets at the ‘Bottom of the Income Pyramid’ amongst others. He had this great ability to convert his ideas into a kind of a movement for the benefit of the masses. Unlike most management Gurus he focused on ordinary people and their empowerment for their upliftment. In his article on “Core-Competency” he urged the companies to focus on what they knew and do well to reap the best benefits out of it. In his seminal book on “Co-Creation”, he explained the importance of having the customer being part of the design effort. He emphasised the need to look at the customer as a driver of product/service creation. Fortune at the “Bottom of the Pyramid” is the most famous of all his theories. Professor Prahalad was one of the rare intellectuals who made a bold assertion that there lies a huge untapped market amongst the people who can least afford it. To tap such markets, upcoming technologies/break-through innovations or new business models have to be deployed. The idea was to eradicate poverty through profits. Professor Prahalad was a close friend of our CMD, Mr. J.N. Godrej and had a long and close association with the CII. He passionately and tirelessly spoke about the tremendous potential of the Indian manufacturing sector, its capability to contribute to a 25% share of the total GDP, its competitiveness vis-à-vis China (given our software skill-sets) and constantly reminded the Indian business community to change their mindset from what the government can do to what they should do. He was a strong advocate of local innovations which not only benefited the masses but were also sustainable business models and spoke globally with pride of Indian organisations such as Sankara Nethralaya, Narayana Hrudayalaya etc. which had achieved the same. He always championed India’s causes in many world forums. Only a few months back he had delivered an outstanding Seventh Annual Nani Palkhivala Memorial Lecture at Mumbai on the topic of India’s Unfinished Agenda. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 2009 and was the winner of Economic Times Award (Global Indian) for the year 2004. Professor Prahalad was the author of numerous outstanding books as well as award winning articles in distinguished management and economic journals. Management thinker of the century, Professor Prahalad will be greatly missed by those who believe in India’s future and all of us at Godrej. 29

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Godrej successfully delivers crucial assemblies for Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fast Breeder Reactor... Large and Small Rotatable Plugs

Team GPE

o meet Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growing need for energy emerging from faster growth of economy, India has embarked on an ambitious threephase nuclear power generating programme. The development of first Breeder Reactors is crucial to the success of this program as they can be made to go critical in a shorter time-span besides being nuclear fuel efficient. A part of this milestone project was entrusted to Godrej Precision Engineering (GPE) for execution. The task by no means was easy. GPE undertook the challenge and successfully realised Large Rotatable Plug (LRP) and Small Rotatable Plug (SRP) assemblies, in-time - an unusual story of grit, determination and superb team work.

The Large and Small Rotatable Plug Assembly

LRP is a large size assembly measuring 7.5 mts. in diameter. It has two major sub-assemblies - the Large Rotating Plug which sits on the roof slab of the reactor and Small Rotatable Plug which is housed inside the LRP and it can rotate independently. Transfer arm is mounted on SRP and both the plugs enable, locate, transfer arm at the required positions. The entire assembly is used for fuelling fresh fuels into the reactor and removing the spent. The order was received by GPE in July 2005 and it posed several challenges in terms of achieving demanding specifications in the development of several technologies for the first time in the country. These include sourcing of very large size ring forgings, precision fabrication of thin-shell structures, accurate rolling of plates, a fine level of cylindercity, realisation of large

load bearing frontable bearings, surface-coating, highly accurate scales for LRP and SRP, precision machining of large equipment measuring 6930 mm and 4685 mm. All these and several other challenges were overcome successfully by our team with the timely and relevant support from the engineers of BHAVINI, IGCAR, and NPCIL. We are indeed thankful to them. Our team worked for weeks as if under a spell and raced against time available to finally complete the project at 2.30 a.m. on March, 31st, 2010.

He said, “You have made not only Godrej & Boyce proud but also the country proud...” and congratulated the team GPE. These sentiments expressed by Dr. Jain strengthened our resolve to scale greater heights in future and lifted our spirits… This happy ending was an outcome of the “Never Say Die” attitude of the team GPE. No difficulty or obstacle was menacing enough to dilute their resolve to succeed…and succeed they did! CHANGE congratulates Team GPE!

On the following day, GPE received an unsolicited letter of appreciation from Dr. S.K. Jain, CMD of BHAVINI and NPCIL.

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Krsna for Godrej Interio A new, vibrant, sophisticated collection for our consumers By KHUSHNUMA JAMASJI and HARSHADA DESHPANDE, Branding & Communication, Godrej Interio

odrej Interio has gone all out to explore new, uncharted design trends and expand its audience to include ever-growing segment of young, fun-loving, stylish, open to experiment and design-conscious consumers. To promote the new identity and affect a deep makeover, Godrej Interio has tied-up with internationally acclaimed designer Krsna Mehta, to introduce a new designer range of Interio products named KRSNA for Godrej Interio. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Krsna for Godrej Interioâ&#x20AC;? collection includes, 1. Slimline - Live Differently : Pastel floral look by Krsna Mehta. 1. Sleekness and spaciousness by Godrej Interio. 2. Sofa - Freedom to Express : Psychedelic floral patterns by Krsna Mehta. Comfort and durability by Godrej Interio. 1.

3. Kitchen - Flaunt your style : Psychedelic colour design by Krsna Mehta. Form and functionality by Godrej Interio.

Krsna Mehta is a sought-after Mumbai-based artist and designer who has worked for some of the most wellestablished names. Complimenting his uniquely flamboyant design style, Interio’s latest range is an enchanting combination of vibrant colors, modern styling and ultimate sync-in comfort that will stand out as a style statement in any home. We have introduced the brand’s bold new look—which includes vivid, multi-hued wardrobes, vibrant floral prints on sofas, and retro motifs in the kitchen. The result, expectedly, is a range of furniture that is fun, quirky and young. This has helped our consumers to see Godrej Interio in a completely new light – as a trusted company with a fresh and trendy outlook. It has helped lure consumers not only towards the collection but also to other innovative products of Interio’s offering. Godrej Interio is now being looked upon as a brand that pays equal attention to both visual aesthetics and functionalities. To showcase the entire Krsna Mehta collection, Interio store at Godrej Bhavan in South Mumbai was transformed tastefully into an art gallery. The collection was appreciated by consumers, guests and media. The result was a ‘Krsna Mehta Corner’ created at Godrej Interio stores in metro cities across the country. Its success led to dealers of smaller towns also displaying the collection in their stores. The response to the collection has been overwhelming and it is expected to do even better in the near future!

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Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Centre at Godrej Memorial Hospital (GMH) Inputs from Surgeon Commander (Dr.) A.M. JOGLEKAR, Indian Navy (Rtd) & CEO, Godrej Memorial Hospital

yperbaric medicine! HBO (Hyperbaric Oxygenation)! Not heard of it? Ask Mr. Anil Sharma (name changed to protect identity) a case of severe Traumatic Brain injury in coma for more than a month. Today, he leads an almost normal life, thanks to Hyperbaric Medicine at GMH. GMH is often described as a gift that keeps giving. The latest on offer is the unique Life & Limb saving Multi-place Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Center.

Nestled in the green patch at Vikhroli, GMH provides affordable yet high quality service to all with no distinction. It is amongst the first few hospitals in the country to be accorded both NABH & NABL accreditations. It comes as no surprise that GMH is the first private hospital in Mumbai to set up a multi-place chamber facility, to provide patients with Hyperbaric Oxygen, at its newly commissioned department of Hyperbaric & Diving Medicine.

...a step towards leadership in Healthcare. HBOT Facility at GMH 34

Hyperbaric medicine deals with physiological problems & therapeutic applications of barometric pressure more than sea level. Hyperbaric Oxygenation (HBOT) is made possible by patients breathing 100% oxygen in a special chamber. HBOT is of immense value as a life and limb saving measure in several medical and surgical conditions. Most commonly used for diabetic wounds, (Diabetic foot) and enhanced healing of other non-healing wounds, severe crush injuries of limbs (seen typically in road, rail or industrial accidents), damage to soft tissues & bones due to radiation as part of cancer therapy, severe soft tissue infections including the dreaded Gas gangrene, resistant bone infection (refractory osteomyelitis) or selected cases of severe fungal infections, thermal burns, carbon monoxide poisoning, smoke inhalation, caused by fire accidents, HBOT is worthwhile. Plastic surgeons find it convenient to provide HBOT to patients with compromised skin flaps & grafts. Decompression sickness (DCS) may strike deep sea or fresh water divers. DCS may also affect workers exposed to high ambient pressure during tunneling operations & bridge building, across water bodies. DCS has a plethora of symptoms ranging from severe joint pain to disabling vertigo, paralysis, while more serious cases may end fatally. Such cases can now be effectively dealt with at GMH. Researchers are actively investigating into utility of HBOT in several other medical disorders. HBOT appears to be promising in Autism affected children, Paralytic Stroke rehabilitation, Traumatic brain injury, etc. Further research will determine the status of HBOT in these and several other disorders.

...does add to treatment costs but reduces overall hospitalisation bills, due to faster healing, besides bettering outcomes in the seriously ill or chronic and vexing disorders The side effects are usually uncommon & reversible. HBOT is given in “sittings” lasting between 60 to 120 minutes. The large multi-place chamber at GMH has several patient friendly features – the room interiors provide comfort. It also allows patients to either lie down or relax in a sitting position. Up to six patients can be treated at the same time. A trained in-chamber medical attendant accompanies and monitors patients during treatment. The center is managed by a team of hyperbaric physicians, anesthetists & nurses with experience in HBOT. HBOT does add to treatment costs but reduces overall hospitalisation bills, due to faster healing, besides bettering outcomes in the seriously ill or chronic and vexing disorders. Presently all three HBOT facilities in the city are located in South Mumbai. HBOT at Vikhroli would be a boon to doctors & patients from Central Suburbs, Thane & beyond, Navi Mumbai, etc. Since the hospital is, “open to all”, out of station patients can access this facility as well. In a short span of three months more than 50 patients from other cities & Mumbai have availed HBOT at GMH with very satisfactory outcomes. A few of the patients have come from Bangladesh and the Middle East. HBOT at GMH is truly an innovative gift from Godrej Memorial Trust - capturing the spirit of Disruptive Innovation, a step towards leadership in Healthcare.

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A Monsoon Memoir By SANA ANJUM, Corporate Communication

odrejites take great pleasure in every form of rain from a drizzle to a deluge living in the heart of a lush green campus of Pirojshanagar. It is truly magnificent how a few droplets of water can rejuvenate this area and make it look splendid as the riotous shades of green get accented with a freshly cleansed look after the first shower. The sudden change in the climate, life in slow motion, writing names on foggy glass, dancing in the rain or simply being one with nature – monsoon elicits different emotions from different people. For some, the joys of monsoon lie in the greenery and calmness around, while for others the season is defined by - the view from their office window while it drizzles, the puddles of water, the thick droplets hanging from the tips of the leaves, the colourful umbrellas, sipping hot tea with colleagues while the rain splashes against the window sill. We love it, year after year as we go by creating or recollecting our own monsoon memories. There is an evident smile on everyone’s face, a spring in everyone’s step. With every droplet of rain, a flash-back, or a special incident of this campus springs up a monsoon memory ever so unique! Monsoon is the season of optimism, rejuvenation and imagination. It is all about romance that each individual has with nature in their own special way. While it may bring a smile on your face, eating and drinking the wrong things could play a spoiler. The onset of rains can put you at a risk of many illnesses. The list is long with viral infections; cough and cold, malaria, hepatitis, gastrointestinal infections, typhoid, cholera and many more. What you must do is, be prepared for the season, take steps to protect yourself from ailments and also appreciate the beauty of nature and do enjoy the wet spell!

Pirojshanagar in rains

Golden Jubilee of Maharashtra Day 1st May, 2010, celebrated by Godrej & Boyce Shramik Sangh (GBSS) GBSS, the recognised Union of Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., organised the first ever Mini-Marathon and a Cricket Tournament at the Creek Side Colony, Vikhroli. The event was organised by the organising committee consisting of the President - Mr. Balchandra Joshi, Secretary - Mr. Rambali Yadav, Vice Presidents - Mr. Vijar Salaskar, Mr. Tukaram Surve, Deputy Secretary Mr. Dattaram Haldankar, Mr. Kishor Angane, Mr. Ashok Gawandi and Treasurer - Mr. Ajay Dalwi. The Mini-Marathon was held for men and women above 25 years and girls and boys between 15 and 25 years. With an overwhelming response, more than two thousand Godrejites took part in this event including their family members. Chief Guest, Mr. Prakash Mehta (MLA), Mr. Harun Khan (Municipal Corporator), Mr. Suresh Gaikwad (Senior Police Superintendent, Vikhroli) and Mr. Kaustubh Shukla (COO, Industrial Products Group, G & B) were present for the event. The Cricket Tounament Prize winning team was the RNCC Station Colony with Godrej Material Handling being Runnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;-up. Mr Vinay Singh was the Man of the Series, Mr. Hitesh Panchal was the Best Bowler of the Series, Mr. Sabhash Tekawade was the Best Batsman of the Series and Mr. Niket the Best Fielder of the Series. In the Mini Marathon, the first prize winners were Janaki Padamshali amongst women, Dhanashree Raorane amongst girls, Amol Shinde amongst men and Ajinkya Ingle amongst boys. The second prize winers were Madhavi Sawant amongst women, Prajakta Bhave amongst girls, Sachin Khandari amongst men and Karan Thorat amongst boys. The third prize winners were Nilima Bangal amongst women, Ankita Raorane amongst girls, Prithviraj Yadav amongst men and Abhijit Yadav amongst boys.

First-ever Mini-Marathon held at the Godrej Creek-Side Colony

The event saw the coming together of Godrejites and bringing a feeling of mutual bonding amongst them.

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Fresh from Home By SANA ANJUM with technical inputs from RAM NIVAS RATHORE, Garden Department

Forget the supermarkets and zap-up your meals with home-grown herbs!

erbs are the most wonderful collection of plants, for not only do they look good, smell good and do you good, but they can transform a meal into a feast. How about maintaining a small herb garden in your house? With just the smallest available space you can grow your herb garden by making a bay window in the kitchen. Even if you live in a high-rise apartment where the closest thing you have to a garden is just a view of the park, you can start your own indoor herb garden in a sunny window, which allows five hours of daylight for your little green friends. The success of herb garden is all in the planning. Herbs can also be grown in window boxes, pots and planters. You can place them on steps, window sills or secure them to balcony railings. You can keep culinary herbs close to the kitchen, or use aromatic plants to scent a patio or balcony. Food seasoning with herbs works best when they are fresh, and how much more fresh can these herbs get than being plucked right when you are cooking the dish! Here are some such herbs :

Anyone with just the smallest space can grow them as it doesn’t involve extensive home renovations to make a bay window in the kitchen.

Basil ( tulsi )

Sweet Basil ( sabja )

This plant with fragrant leaves needs no introduction. Basil, in Indian tradition is considered extremely auspicious. This herb does good to people suffering from cold and cough. Many Ayurvedic cough syrups contain basil, because it helps mobilise mucus in bronchitis and relieves symptoms of asthma. One can boil basil leaves in water and drink the decoction to ease sore throats.

This annual herb is used in many styles of ethnic cooking, and it comes in many flavours, as well. Sweet basil is easy to grow. It has a strong clove-like flavour and fragrance. The flowers and leaves are best used fresh and added only during the last few minutes of cooking.

How to grow Basil? Basil seeds are easy to germinate and grow. Sow the seeds directly in bed or pots and they will germinate within one or two weeks. Basil prefers full sun, rich soil, and plenty of water. It does well in pots or window boxes, and is traditionally grown for good luck near the front door of the house.

How to grow Sweet basil? Seeds can be sown directly into the bed. Sweet basil seedlings transplant easily. It also does well in containers and pots which can be placed onto balconies in sunlight. Continuous plucking of leaves will prolong the life of the plant.

Mint ( pudina )

Bishop’s Weed ( ajwain )

Coriander ( dhaniya )

Mint is not just a refreshing garden herb but it also has remarkable medicinal properties. It is as healthy as is tasty. Mint leaves are used in tea, beverages, jellies, syrups, candies and ice creams too.

Bishop’s weed is a perennial herb. It is high in antioxidant activity. Its leaves are used in cooking, and the dried herbs have often more flavour than the fresh ones. It is often used in tomato sauces, fried vegetables, and grilled meat mostly for flavouring.

Coriander is used regularly for garnishing meals or used in sauces, salads, soups and chutneys for added flavour. It is a simple kitchen herb and is very high on health benefits.

How to grow Mint? Mint cuttings can be planted in a good drainage pot as it will require a lot of water. Whilst mint will grow well in full sun, it does not like dry conditions. Its preference is therefore for partial shade, and is well suited to a north facing wall.

How to grow Bishop’s weed? It is easy to grow either in your garden or indoors, from small plants or seeds. Just sprinkle the seeds over soil without covering them and give a good mist of water. Let them sit in a sunny window until they germinate and take about five to seven days to grow.

How to grow Coriander? Coriander is easy to grow on your kitchen window. Soak a handful of coriander seeds overnight in water; sprinkle them into a small pot and place it on a sunny spot on your window sill. Before you know it you will have more sprigs of fresh ‘dhaniya’ for use!

Water your herbs regularly and once you have your garden going, don’t be afraid to use it. You’ll have basil for home-made tea, fresh sweet basil for homemade pesto, and mint for a little garnish literally at your fingertips! Enjoy stress-free living by making space for more greenery at home. Plants and flowers help create the ideal ambience to de-stress.

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ang Tarang, a painting contest that aims at bringing out creativity, expression and fun amongst the employees of G & B was organised by Corporate HR as a part of its Employee Engagement Activities. The event that was held on 29th June 2010 saw Mrs. Pheroza Godrej and Mr. R.A. Singh, a veteran Art Teacher, Udayachal School, as the judges for the competition. Themes given to the participants were - Green Planet, Brighter Life, Healthy Living and Water.

2 Theme : Healthy Living 1. Sanjay D. Bendre, Godrej Interio 2.Nilanjan Burman, Godrej Precision Systems

Theme : Brighter Life 6. Deepak J. Rane, Godrej Precision Systems 7.Juhi Jain, Godrej Electricals and Electronics

3 7 Theme : Water 3. Jayesh Sawant, Godrej Appliances 4.Ganesh N. Shinde, Udayachal Primary School 5. Ramesh Jadhav, Godrej Interio 5

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Theme : Green Planet 8. Pratiksha Parulekar, Udayachal Primary School 9. Baijayanti Sahu, Udayachal High School 10. Sachin Shinde, Godrej Tooling 11. Avelino Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Souza, Godrej Precision Systems 12. Chetana W. Wasnik, Godrej Prima 13. Vishwanath S. Ludbe, Udayachal Primary School

As we know, anything is possible when an artist sets to work knowing he has something he needs to express in a way it hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite been said before! CHANGE showcases the winning collection where the thoughts, ideas, expression and creativity of each participant can be seen closely.

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“The Mangroves”A monograph by Dr. Maya Mahajan The monograph was released on Sohrabji Godrej’s birth anniversary on 3rd June, 2010. Interviewed by SANA ANJUM To mark the significance of the World Environment Day, ‘The Mangroves’, a monograph written by Dr. Maya Mahajan was released by Mr. Jamshyd Godrej and Mr. Navroze Godrej. Mr. P. D. Lam - President and Executive Director, Mr. Anil Verma - Executive Director & Head-Personnel and Administration and Mr. Balchandra JoshiGBSS President were present. On this occasion, Mr. Maneck Engineer, Sr. V.P., Godrej Construction spoke about Sohrabji Godrej’s contribution towards Nature Conservation. Following the release of ‘The Mangroves’, CHANGE interviewed Dr. Maya Mahajan and here are the edited excerpts from the interview : CHANGE : Tell us something about your affiliation with nature? Maya : Growing up as a child I was always enthralled by nature. It was this zeal and zest for Nature Conservation that led me to take up studies in Environmental Sciences and pursue a doctorate in Forest Ecology in Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. I began my research career with a comprehensive

study on ecology of Mangroves in the West Coast of Maharashtra in 1992. Since then my career path was driven by the passion for Nature Conservation and Environment Protection. CHANGE : Why “The Mangroves”? Maya : The need to write this monograph arose with the objective of conveying the message in a simple language about the Mangroves and their importance to those who visit the Godrej Mangroves. I wanted people to take with them a memento which should remind them of their role towards the environment. As the awareness about Mangroves and need of Mangrove conservation is very low, we are working towards sensitising diverse sectors in the society such as school children, college students, NGOs, citizens groups who visit Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Marine Ecology Centre about the importance of Mangrove Conservation. CHANGE : What are the topics covered in the monograph? Maya : The Monograph covers - what mangroves are, their bio-diversity and importance. In the context of global warming and sea level rise they are critical for our survival. The Monograph focuses on how they act as a lifeline to coastal cities like Mumbai by acting as a buffer between land and sea. CHANGE : How do you plan to take these initiatives forward? Maya : We are planning to translate this monograph in the local language. We have conducted a study on butterflies of Pirojshanagar in which 82 species of butterflies were recorded and are planning a pictorial book on the butterflies of Pirojshanagar.

Dr. Maya Mahajan aims at spreading the message of Mangrove conservation through this monograph. Mangroves are highly productive and have a diverse eco-system which must be protected by us.

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Never never never Quit ! By ANONYMOUS

ne day I decided to quit... I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality...I wanted to quit my life I went to the woods to have one last talk with God. “God”, I said. “Can you give me one good reason not to quit?”

His answer surprised me... “Look around”, He said. “Do you see the fern and the bamboo?” “Yes”, I replied. “When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.” He said. “In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit.” He said. “Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant...But just six months later the bamboo rose to a hundred feet tall.” It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.” He said to me. “Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots.” “I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don’t compare yourself to others...” He said. “The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern... Yet, they both make the forest beautiful.” “Your time will come”, God said to me. “You will rise high!” “How high should I rise?” I asked. “How high will the bamboo rise?” He asked in return. “As high as it can?” I questioned. “Yes.” He said, “Give me glory by rising as high as you can.” I left the forest and bring back this story. I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you. Never regret a day in your life. Good days give you happiness. Bad days give you experiences; both are essential to life. “A happy and meaningful life requires our continuous input and creativity. It does not happen by chance. It happens because of our choices and actions. And each day we are given new opportunities to choose and act and in doing so, we create our own unique journey.” Keep going...

know your mangroves

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Do you see and learn from nature and animal behavior? How much of your own neighborhood do you really know - plants, wild animals, nature, humans...This section aims at educating you about the different species of plants, animals, insects and the life in our Mangroves.

Mangrove Apple (Sonneratia alba) Marathi name : Chipi

One plant that grows extensively in our Mangroves is Sonneratia alba. It is named in honour of Pierre Sonnerat (1749-1814), an explorer who traveled to New Guinea, the East Indies & China. He spread his knowledge about many new plants to the botanists of Europe. The Latin world alba means white and the plant bears white flowers. These flowers are unique as they blossom at dusk and wither by morning. Being nocturnal, they are mainly pollinated by bats and nocturnal insects such as fireflies. It is commonly called Mangrove Apple as its fruit shape resembles an apple. Sonneratia alba has thick cone-shaped breathing roots (pneumatophores). They use ultra filtration at the root level to exclude salt. It can tolerate wide fluctuations in salinity and often grow on exposed, soft but stable tidal mudflats. Leaves of this plant are eaten raw or cooked. The ripe fruit is eaten by Africans, Malaysians and the Javanese, and it tastes like cheese. In Eastern Africa the leaves are used as camel fodder. As Sonneratia species regenerate easily from branches it is favored for plantation. Sonneratia is traditionally used in poultices for cuts, bruises (Burma), sprains and swellings. Ripe fruit is used to expel intestinal parasites (Malay) and half-ripe fruit for coughs.

- Dr. Maya Mahajan, Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Marine Ecology Centre For more information, visit www.mangroves.godrej.com 44