10 14 18 - Home | Ashok Leyland€¦ · · 2011-11-02Ashley News / August 2011 2. cover story...

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Ashok LeyLAnd empLoyees’ JournAL August 2011

HOSUR I led by N C Krishnamurthy

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Rajasthan. Undulat-ing sand dunes, winding lines of camels and a riot of bright colours. Or regal palaces and forts seeped in history. These are the usual associa-tions. But for 379 souls in Ashok Leyland, these days, Rajasthan – and more particularly Jaipur – instantly reminds them of one and only one thing: IMPROVE 2010.

Because, for three days in July 2011, Jaipur became a battleground, a grand coliseum to exhibit 66 journeys of innovation undertaken by inspired veterans and newcomers alike, of the Ashok Leyland family.

A spanking new Hotel Marriott hosted them in style, offering a grand setting befitting of cham-pions. After a point, it was difficult to decide what was richer … the cream in the malpuah or the stuff post-presentation Q & A sessions were made of! While some teams were on their PDCA way to impress the judges, another batch of teams was out, exploring the ‘pink’ city. Stunning hill-top forts, bustling bazaars, awe-inspiring Jantar Mantar – historic Jaipur had more to offer than even the number of equally tasty items in a typical Rajasthani thali.

From bandhinis to lehriyans, from meenakari to kundan, from ghewar to pheeni, the shopping sessions were serious! More reason why the organizers decided not to load the teams with the results of the prelims the night before, to zero in on the dozen to present at the National Finals.

“In my 30 years with Ashok Leyland, my first taste of ‘IMPROVE’ was in 2007 at Kodaikanal. I was thrilled to meet my fellow colleagues from all the plants, to witness the various projects and the five-star experience. At that time, I committed myself to continuously involve in improvement activities and participate in all the future IMPROVE contests. I started spreading the word in my department and got more people to participate. I am happy that I am continuously attending the last two IMPROVE Nationals with new team members.” – K Kanniappan, QE Dept, Hosur I.

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Colour, carnival and camaraderie mark Improve 2010@JAIPUR

“I enjoyed all the presentations. Team members have put in their mind and soul to drive some improvements in the organi-sation. The way they have taken up challenges and proved with results require to be appreciated. They match with any best company in India in respect of application of QC tools and good practices.”– C V Ramaswamy, Quality Management expert and an external judge at IMPROVE 2010.

“The experience of IMPROVE is beyond words – one has to experience it first hand – the adrena-line rush, the pain and the exhilaration! It also ensures that we get a chance to meet executives and workmen across all the units / functions. The bonding is great, considering that there is no other such forum that brings us all together and treats us so equally well!”– J Anand, PPCE, Corporate

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So came the 66 teams, with bated breath, don-ning the victorious Indian cricket team jerseys, to conquer the final frontier. It was time for the best of the best to strive for the prestigious IMPROVE trophies in the three leagues of Manufacturing, Manufacturing Support Services and Corporate Functions. And what a show they put up! The Champions of the World would have been proud of the teamwork, attitude, guts, courage under fire and dynamic leadership exhibited by the Champions of Ashok Leyland who were worthy to ‘Dare to win’.

And to award these best teams, a dramatic setting change – held in suspense till then - was warranted. Surprised participants and guests were taken on a thrilling journey, up a winding hill to centuries-old Jaigarh Fort. Right from the red-carpet entry where it rained rose petals, the fort was transformed into a spectacle of light and sound that spell-bound the audience and transported them to a bygone era. Performances by Rajasthani folk artistes served as the right garnishing on an already flavorful platter.

With all teams strictly instructed to dance their way on stage to collect their prizes/certificates from the MD, it was a burst of energy, tried and unmatched by the fireworks on display at the end of the awards ceremony. Champions of Ashok Leyland, Jai ho!


The panel of Judges


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“I have been an IMPROVE national qualifier since 2004. Every time, I experience tremendous pleasure and enthusiasm at the event. Fac-tors that constantly persist me to participate every year, without fail!”– B Thennarasu, ZFGB Shop 1, Ennore.

“IMPROVE 2010 was an excellent experience. Especially the final function venue took us all back many centuries, and I actually felt like the kings who built the fort!” – J Yuvaraj, Mission Gemba

“Every single employee who had participated in IMPROVE is like a butter-fly – agile and colorful; surviving on the nectar called Ashok Leyland – its culture and heritage – while concurrently cross-pollinating our cherished value systems. May the pollination continue!”– M Sathya Prasad, Advanced Engineering, and Judge @ IMPROVE 2010.

“Congratulations to each one of you on a record number of projects this time. My challenge still remains. You are among the best minds in the Company, you should get more of your colleagues to participate in the IMPROVE movement. The day we cross 10,000 people, you and your spouse choose where we go for the IMPROVE NATIONALS from anywhere in this world!” – Vinod K Dasari, MD

“I find so much passion and energy at IMPROVE, that the positivity rubs on me every time I am here.”– Anup Bhat, ED-Manufacturing

“I am sure that with all your ‘dare to win’ spirit, we will be the Number One Company in the country one day …” – Shekar Arora, ED-HR


The team of volunteers


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MANUFACTURINg

MERIT AwARDEESS Sathya Moorthy, Ennore K Subramanian, Ennore

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PANTNAgAR led by gaurang garg Reduced cycle time, work content and EEI of front axle unloading stage

ENNORE led by C Krishnamoorthy Adapted an existing machine to a new product matrix, thereby avoiding capital expenditure

ENNORE led by N Suresh Re-deploying internal resources, achieved high production levels of FVDP spring brackets for U-Truck, from zero base.

HOSUR I led by K Siva ShankarDesigned and developed a tool for pressing PTFE oil seal in engine assembly

ENNORE led by R KarthigesanAchieved cost reduction by applying value engineering and ECRS principles in ‘braking’ system.

ENNORE led by C Satheesh Kumar Tool cost reduction in cylinder head machining

Laxmikant R Kulkarni, Hosur IIV Loganathan, Ennore D Senthilkumar, Hosur II

D Sakthivel, Ennore S Elangovan, Ennore T Arunachalam, Hosur I


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MERIT AwARDEESV Muralidharan, Hosur IIP Kaniyavan, Ennore A Antony Peter, Ennore S Suresh Kumar, Hosur IS Hari, Ennore

MANUFACTURINg SUPPORT SERVICES

HOSUR I led by N C KrishnamurthyReduced cash outflow towards Excise Duty payment by transferring unutilized CENVAT credit among Units.

ENNORE led by g Pandian Reduced delay in material entry pass generation at the Security gates.

HOSUR I led by S MohankumarStandardised air intake system in 2518H series tipper (for both front end and under body tipping arrangements)

HOSUR II led by P UdayappanImproved uptime and reduced EEI in under-slung cranes


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At the Mini-Improve level, 8,340 teams (6,867 employees) par-ticipated at Improve 2010

CORPORATE FUNCTIONS

BREAKTHROUgH TROPHY

CORP LOgISTICS led by R Sampath KumarIntroduced ‘kitting’ concept for material movement through hubs to Pantnagar

MARKETINg led by K VenkatesanSignificantly reduced chassis frame failures in 6x4 Tipper models

MERIT AwARDCORPORATE led by J Anand

BHANDARA led by H T ThakreWaste heat recovery applied to washing process and solar water heating system introduced for industrial applications.

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The 66 teams that made it to the National Finals made a one-time saving of Rs.138 mil-lion and a recurring saving of Rs.577 million for the Company.

KAMAL NATH, Hon’ble Union Minister for Urban Development, Government of India, laid the foun-dation stone for a new Driver Train-ing Institute at Chindwara, Madhya Pradesh in April this year. A pilot project with the Government of India, this 15-acre property will be equipped with the latest facili-ties for heavy commercial vehicle driver training including tracks like 8-curve, S-curve, 6 lane roads,

Brij Kishore Sharma, Hon’ble Minister of Transport, Government of Rajasthan shakes hands with K C Balasubramanian, AGM-S&M, Ashok Leyland. Also in the pic are C H Shah, MD-Rajesh Motors Pvt Ltd (extreme left) and Deepak Upreti I.A.S., Principal Secretary Transport (third from left).

Two more Driver Training Institutes

village roads and a state-of-the-art simulator. Ashok Leyland will pro-vide trained manpower, develop and conduct appropriate courses at the Institute.

In another development, Ashok Leyland and the Govern-ment of Rajasthan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a Driver Training Institute in Rajsamand, near Udaipur, Ra-jasthan. While the land and all

ASHOK LEYLAND and Krishna-patnam Port Company Limited (KPCL) have signed an agree-ment that facilitates a unique strategic partnership between the two organisations.

According to the agreement, Ashok Leyland will provide 85 U-Trucks to KPCL, for all its inter-carting operations at the port. While the day-to-day operations will be handled by KPCL, Ashok Leyland will continue to own and maintain the vehicles, as per serv-ice levels required by KPCL.

“This is probably the first time that such an arrangement is being tried out in the Indian commercial vehicle industry” said Vinod K Dasari, MD-Ashok Leyland. “It shows our intent of becoming a complete transport solutions provider for our valued customers like KPCL. We see this associa-tion with KPCL as a definite win-win situation,” he added.

Unique partnership with KPCLRevenue-sharing model based on leased vehicle operation

Anil Yendluri, CEO-KPCL, said, “In Ashok Leyland, we see a partner with shared values and are confident that we can together make this bold, new arrangement a resounding suc-cess. This also marks a very significant step in realizing our ambitions of leadership in the port industry.”

With port operations bound to increase, the potential for

freight movement is only set to go up. The current arrange-ment is for the new generation trucks which are on Annual Main-tenance Contract and covered by ALLCOVER, Ashok Leyland’s exclusive service product. A driver training facility and serv-ice bays have also been set up within the KPCL premises, jointly by Ashok Leyland and KPCL.

Vinod K Dasari, MD-Ashok Leyland, and Anil Yendluri, CEO-KPCL, exchange the MoU documents.

civil works will be provided by the State and Central governments, Ashok Leyland will be ‘running’ the institute.

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JULY 22, 2011 was a Red Let-ter Day in the history of Ashok Leyland. It marked the realisation of a long-cherished dream of the Company to become a full range Commercial Vehicle player. At the celebration of Job One, the ribbon was cut for the first go-to-market DOST to be symbolically driven off the brand new assembly lines at Hosur Unit II by Dr V Sumantran, Executive Vice Chairman, Hinduja Automotive Ltd and Chairman, Nissan Ashok Leyland Powertrain Ltd and Dr Andy Palmer, Execu-tive Vice President, Nissan Motor Company Ltd and Chairman, Ashok Leyland Nissan Vehicles Ltd – the two people who have been spearheading this joint venture.

In an atmosphere charged with anticipation and a sense of achievement, at a shop floor that

DOST ‘Job One’ celebrated

wore a festive look, Dr Palmer described Job One as “a dream come true” and that “it has been a remarkable journey” from the time the leadership teams of the two companies met for the first time in Geneva a few years ear-lier. Addressing the audience, Dr Palmer said, “hopefully you have learnt something from us and we, at Nissan, have learnt loads from you.”

Dr Sumantran described the event as the culmination of a rela-tively short but arduous journey, thanks to the untiring efforts and the phenomenal motivation of many. “We started this journey with a very simple premise that we will deliver to our customers a product that embodies Japanese quality at Indian cost. And I truly believe that with all your efforts, we can make it happen. With this

milestone, we must remember that the journey is only half done. What lies ahead of us is to make sure that every day, every month the product we deliver is truly an exceptional product to our customers. If we work with that focus and commitment every day, I can assure you that this will be another huge chapter of success in the history of Ashok Leyland.”

Praising the efforts of all who have worked on the project, R Seshasayee, Executive Vice Chairman, Ashok Leyland said, “I would like to appreciate and rec-ognise the efforts put in by each one of you for developing such a remarkable product from scratch within such a short period of time. Now, let us make sure that every vehicle that is driven out of here is best in terms of quality, at the

At the ceremonial inaguration: (from L to R) Anup Bhat, ED-Manufacturing; R Seshasayee, EVC; Vinod K Dasari, MD; Dr Andy Palmer, Exec VP-Nissan Motor Company and Dr V Sumantran, EVC-Hinduja Automotive Ltd.


newssame time, frugally engineered,”

he urged. Vinod K Dasari, Managing Di-

rector, Ashok Leyland, assured Dr Palmer that “we have learnt as much from Nissan and will hopefully continue to learn from Nissan in the times to come. It would be our challenge and pride to make the DOST best in quality and achieve the best in terms of productivity in the world.”

After the vehicle was driven out, a key was handed over to Nitin Seth, ED-LCV Marketing symbolising a sharing of respon-sibility. Production and marketing efforts are at a feverish pitch as the countdown to the market launch of DOST draws to a close.

Dr Palmer described Job One as “a dream come true” and that “it has been a remark-able journey” from the time the leadership teams of the two companies met for the first time in geneva a few years earlier.

Amidst thunderous applause, Dr V Sumantran and Dr Andy Palmer drive the first ever DOST to roll out of the Hosur II unit.

Inaugurated in March 2011, the CV training centre in Sengadu is a state-of-the-art training institution that offers many facili-ties. Spread over a 6,500 sq ft floor area, it is equipped with the most modern of equipment including two post and four post hoists, wheel aligner and AC charging machines.

It also has two fully air-condi-tioned classrooms, with seating capacity of about 18 each. A parts display area, a cut section display of major components to show the intricacies of its work-ing, a practice area where candi-dates get hands-on experience of parts removal and re-fitment are the other major sections.

To make the centre best-in-class, the team even visited Bosch, Hyundai, Toyota and Honda, apart from getting special inputs from Nissan Training Centre, Yokohoma, Japan. 3G and 5S principles are to be followed in the work-shop.

The LCV training centre aims to train about 600 personnel in the current financial year.

LCV training centre at Sengadu


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See we won! EVERY YEAR, the CV Magazine recognises the best in the industry through its CV Awards. This year, at the APOLLO-CV Awards:

R Seshasayee, Executive Vice Chairman, Ashok Leyland was awarded the ‘CV Man of the Year’ title. The pic shows H S Billimoria, CEO-Next Gen Pub-lishing Ltd, giving away the award to EVC.

Ashok Leyland’s U-Truck platform won the ‘HCV Truck of the Year’ recognition. Rajive Saharia, ED-Marketing, received the award from Satish Sharma, Chief of India Operations - Apollo Tyres.

Russia ho! ASHOK LEYLAND has trained its focus on the CIS countries and more particularly Ukraine, a market which highly values the hallmark of Ashok Leyland vehicles – reliability and rugged-ness. The Company has already established a strong network with reliable local partners.

290 DDs for BangladeshASHOK LEYLAND bagged an order for 290 fully-built Double Decker buses from Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC). Worth around USD 23.3 million, this represents the Company’s largest single order for Double Decker buses from that country. An agreement to this effect was signed at Dhaka by the Chairman of BRTC and Antony Lobo, Special Director-International Operations, Ashok Leyland.

2010-2011 saw the Company’s export numbers zoom by 72% to touch 10,306 nos in which Bangla-desh had a significant contribution. Over the years, more than 9,500 vehicles (of different models) have been exported through Ashok Leyland’s sole dealer of over two decades, Ifad Autos Ltd.

“Bangladesh has always remained a very important mar-ket for us. Our continued focus on this robustly growing market has helped us establish ourselves today as the second largest brand in that country’s commercial vehicle market. we will continue to maintain this focus in the com-ing years” – Vinod K Dasari, MD- Ashok Leyland.

The keys of an Eagle 816 is being handed over to a customer by Vinod K Dasari, MD- Ashok Leyland. P G Nilsson, ED-International Operations, is standing next to the customer. The bus in the extreme left was built on 193 Falcon aggregates and won a gold medal at ‘Bus World Russia’ November last.


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THE THEME for the 5th Supplier Summit held in Chennai was ‘Mission Possible: Powered by Quality.’ The event threw light on the significant steps being taken in the areas of product strategy and process capabili-ties as part of the Company’s preparation to meet the emerg-ing global and domestic compe-tition. While representatives from the Company’s senior manage-ment presented on some major initiatives either on stream or to be introduced, select supplier partners shared their own plans towards productivity and quality enhancements along with Ashok Leyland.

On display were the Com-pany’s latest offerings – the U-Truck, the ULE and the School Bus – that drew a lot of interest. The much anticipated online vot-ing session was conducted to

THE ASHOK LEYLAND John Deere (ALJD) manufacturing facility at Gummidipoondi had one more reason to celebrate on June 27, 2011 as it played host to Andrew T Simkin, the then Con-sul General of the United States of America. After a whistle-stop tour of the spanking new facili-ties, Simkin did the honours of inaugurating a state-of-the-art training centre in the presence of the senior management.

The training centre, with a total built-up area of 8,400 sq ft, will have four classrooms to seat a maximum of 100 students at one go, a fully supported e-Learning room and a technical library. An eco-friendly shop floor will feature a workshop, display cut mod-

Andrew T Simkin, the then Consul General of the United States of America, cuts the ceremonial ribbon. Also present are: (L to R) J N Amrolia- Director; Randal A Sergesketter – Director; Ronald C Wiegman ( partly seen) - COO ; Dr V Sumantran - Chairman and P Ravishankar, CEO.

Quality is power

garner suppliers’ feedback on the Company’s processes. ‘Sup-plier Connect’, a quarterly online newsletter for the supplier com-munity was also launched during the event.

The high point of the evening was the awards to supplier partners in recognition of their outstanding performance through the year.

A new seat of learningels and machines for effective hands-on training. Going forward, this facility will be a seat of learn-ing not only for employees but

also for dealer sales, marketing and product support teams, cus-tomers, machine operators and even maintenance personnel.

Floppy likes to jump.Floppy likes to run.Floppy likes to dance. Floppy hates to take bath.

Floppy is a (rhyme book) cat that the LKG ‘B’ section stu-

dents of THE ASHOK LEYLAND SCHOOL are slowly getting to know. While also getting to know the meaning of the words: ‘like’ and ‘hate’.

Shwetha Miss (as the kids call her) holds the imagination of this bunch of three-year-olds with a sing-along style and a chirpy attitude. A qualified nutritionist, Shwetha found teaching to be her calling some four years ago. “I like it here. And I like what I do. Though I started with teaching senior classes, and still do, it is while teaching these kinder-garten kids, that I find the most satisfaction!” she says. And back she goes into a classroom that is surrounded by a colourful as-sortment of the many small things that make a nursery class!

Floppy hates waiting, you see!

Out on the breezy corridors, a group of students is busy

preparing “a thousand cranes.” They use old newspapers to deftly create yellow hand-paint-ed ‘cranes’ that would adorn the entire premises during the ‘Project Day’ two days later.

Madhumitha Miss is taking (yes, ‘taking’) instructions on what ‘animal’ each member of a group of students wants to be. She helps them with a basic sketch and encourages them to complete the drawing, giving the animal they choose their own colours and interpretation.

A fifth standard student, who has chosen to be a ‘blue whale’, goes about saying: “Good morning! If you go on shooting me and killing all my family and friends, one day there will be none of us left!” A shocker you would say, but delivered with complete sound effects, to drive home the point of extinction!

Last year, five seventh class students - S R Poobesh-

gowtham, K Suryakrishna, V Sanjana, M R Aafrin and S Santhana Nandini - took it upon themselves, with only their Chemistry teacher as a guide, to provide a roof to the girls’ toilet in a nearby Government school. “We were shocked to know about their situation and wanted to help them out somehow”, they say. Not stopping with collection of funds and the construction of the roof per se, they went a step further and did a presentation on personal hygiene to all the school students.

Not surprisingly, this noble deed quite deservedly was chosen one of the ‘Top 80’ ideas at the national level ‘Design for Change’ contest and also quali-fied as one of the ‘Top 20’ entries at the DLF Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards.

Now in Class VIII, the five have already decided on what project to do next. “We came to know that in many Government schools in and around Hosur, the blackboards are not maintained properly. We want to paint all blackboards”, they say with such child-like glee – the only factor that reminds us that yes, these are just kids we are talking to!

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Welcome to The Ashok Leyland School Hosur

SET ON 6.5 ACRES of the lushest of landscapes that Hosur can offer, the first thing that strikes one about ‘The Ashok Leyland School’ is that it does not ‘look’ like a school! Chance on-lookers might very well mistake it to be a posh resort or a well-maintained villa of some VVIP back in the city. The two-layered tile roofs and the un-cemented stone walls (to keep the place cooler) lend an aesthetic touch that is too hard not to be admired. A few steps into the open corridors and the second aspect strikes you: there is so much natural light all around! In fact, every well-ventilated classroom opens out into the courtyard or a patch of greenery. Be it the angular staircases or the slope-y corridors (to help the differently-able), all use stone and there is very little metal or steel to be spotted anywhere. Architect P T Krishnan deserves all praise for having created a place of learning that is so warm and inviting in its appearance.

“When we were moving out of our earlier space and into our own building, we were clear that this one should be the ‘greenest’ possible we can have. With support from the Ashok Leyland Management and an architect who could give the best in class, I am glad that we could build a space that ultimately went on to be recognised as a ‘Green School’ by the Centre for Science and Environment – the first and only school to have won this accolade in Tamil-nadu!” informs Ms Uma Srinivasan, Principal – The Ashok Leyland School.

And when we say ‘green’, it is not just the build-ing. It is also the various eco-friendly practices that are followed in the day-to-day running of the school. Re-cycling water, rainwater harvest-ing, waste management and disposal – all these happen naturally here. In fact, every Thursday, time is set aside for children to participate in activities like gardening, waste segregation and

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“The school simply has a great atmos-phere! what I like the most about it is that the number of students per section is just right, making way for a good teacher-student relationship.” – D Saravanan, Production Plan-ning, Hosur II.


composting. They are also discouraged from us-ing plastic in any form.

“We have as many as 100 different species of plants growing inside the campus”, informs Ms Srinivasan.

The beginnings Originally a primary school, it was in December 2006 that a Trust was formed to run the current school. “The support of the Ashok Leyland Manage-ment was instrumental in procuring the land and all necessary permissions for us. The buildings also came up really fast and by August 2007, we moved in with 400 children, offering up to 9th standard,” says Ms Srinivasan, herself an academician, with 25 years of experience. The CBSE affiliation came about in 2008. Today, ‘The Ashok Leyland School’ is “a unit of the Ashok Leyland Educational Trust.”

61 qualified teachers and 20 non-teaching staff (including helpers and gardeners) make up the team that Ms Uma Srinivasan leads. “CBSE guidelines are followed for choosing the teachers. Plus, looking at the expertise of a candidate, if we feel the school can benefit, we don’t hesitate to hire that person,” she says. The teacher-section ratio is at 1:1.5; the teacher-student ratio is at a very healthy 1:21.

Of the 1266 children who study here, 80% are those of Ashok Leyland employees – a concession in fee is also offered to them. “There is so much demand for the general 20% category. And even among the Ashok

Leyland employees, depending on the age dynamics of the Company at that given point in time, there are sudden peaks in demand. Like for example, this year, LKG seats were in huge demand!” she says.

While for the kindergarten, admission is de-cided through a draw of lots, for other classes, there are entrance exams.

Holistic approach“We strive towards holistic excellence enabling in-novation, enterprise and humaneness”- that is the ‘Vision’ statement of The Ashok Leyland School.

Reiterating that objective, Ms Srinivasan says that she would like every student who passes out of the school to be “holistic, innovative. And above all, be a good human being”.

That is why the equal emphasis to social, emotional and physical development. That is why community-related projects. That is why sports, music, yoga, drama, pottery, club activities - all built into the regular timetable.

“The sense of affinity and identity that parents (aka Ashok Leyland employees) have is very strong. At the PTA Meets, I often hear them say “Enga School Madam” (It is our school, Madam). At the same time, they have very high expectations of the school too”, she adds.

In order to offer academics that is as relevant as possible, the higher secondary curriculum pro-vides for Entrepreneurship as a subject (in place

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“For my sons, going to school is so much fun! I have never seen them com-plaining about any school-re-lated matters.” – N Seenivasan, TQM – Hosur I.

“My daughter enjoys going to school more than playing at home and my son is get-ting moulded to observe things sharply”. – Suresh Kumar, Finance, Hosur I.

Ms Uma Srinivasan, Principal - The Ashok Leyland School


of Maths) in the Economics/Business Studies/Computer Science group. Makes immense sense in an industrial town like Hosur.

What nextThe immediate objectives, according to the Prin-cipal, are to “institutionalize the school … and get accreditation within a year”. And just as Ashok Ley-land has successfully implemented the Balanced Scorecard concept among its dealer community, develop one for the school with performance,

T ANANTHA NARAYAN, former ED-Finance, Ashok Leyland is the Chairman of ‘The Ashok Leyland School’. Ms Uma Srinivasan describes him as “a great support… someone who ‘understands’ education”. According to TAN (as he is fondly known), the unique feature of this model is that Ashok Leyland created the entire infrastructure and set up a Trust to run and operate the school on an almost autonomous basis. Let us hear from him:

How has been the experience till now? Undoubtedly, it has been a great experience to bring into existence a beautiful school in a great infra-structure, so magnanimously contributed by Ashok Leyland.

What have been the high points so far?Putting together an excellent team of teachers and winning the ‘Green School’ recognition at all-India level from the Centre for Science and Environment…

What do you see as next steps for the school?The school children will participate in various events both within and outside the school. The school man-

financials, customer satisfaction and CSR pa-rameters.

Of course, the wish of the collective Ashok Leyland family is to see this school as a ‘model educational institution’ and going by the pace of its growth (both tangible and intangible), that day just cannot be too far!

agement will ensure that their participation is not limited to events in academics and sports only. They will be encouraged to participate in events focusing on pure science, fine arts, literature and entrepreneurial initiatives.

What would be the grand future plans for the school?Two major areas where the school would con-centrate would be social networking and green initiatives.

The school will play an active role in developing an academic and social network with CBSE schools at Hosur, network with Ashok Leyland to participate in its CSR pursuits, network with schools in villages in and around Hosur and even network with villages to create awareness on subjects relevant for the society like child education, health and sanitation, kitchen farming and other green initiatives.

On green initiatives, the school will work on water, paper and energy usage besides continu-ing its ongoing efforts in rain water harvesting and creating a green cover in the school campus.

The school can be contacted at: [email protected]

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“They take individual care of the students. The interest shown by the teachers is quite heartening. They even have counseling sessions for parents to understand their children’s capabilities. I am happy that I am able to provide ‘quality’ education to both my daughters through the Ashok Leyland School.” – Dhanapal, Axle Assembly Production, Hosur II.


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“YES, I DID make a lot of mis-takes. But I made note of them … in fact, devoted a separate diary for just that. Just before ex-ams, I went through the list and reminded myself not to do those mistakes again.” If one had a magic formula to become a top-per, this comes closest. And K Rekha does not mind sharing it!

State first rank holder in the 2011 Tamilnadu Higher Second-ary exams, K Rekha, is the daugh-ter of V Kesavan, Senior Officer – Quality Engineering, Hosur I. Just ten marks short of the total 1200 marks on offer, with centums in the four main subjects, Rekha set a record of sorts and became a celebrity overnight, attracting a flock of cameras and media persons to her home / school in Hosur. What they found was a simple, unassuming girl who was so down to earth, despite reach-ing the top spot.

“To be honest, I never expect-ed a State rank”, she says. “In fact, in most of the exams and tests through the 12th standard, I was getting 7th or 8th ranks. But since I stood District First in the 10th standard exams, my teach-ers and parents were more con-fident of me,” she smiles.

This is where a school like Sri Vijay Vidyalaya helped. Having done almost all her schooling there (right from first standard), it was a second home for Rekha, and she had become really close to the teachers and the school Principal, Dr Sampath Kumar. “But it was not like they were not strict with me. They guided me the right way. Particularly our Prin-cipal used to play a lot of moti-vational videos for us and kept us highly charged and positive. That to me was important. As also

Success Rekha

the continuous preparatory tests that were held towards the board exams. Those really helped me learn from my previous mistakes and left me ready for the finals,” she informs.

The other major source of mo-tivation for Rekha was her mother, Ms K Malarvizhi, a Government school teacher at nearby Avala-palli. “If I am a State topper today, the entire credit goes to my moth-er!” Rekha declares. “A working woman herself, she created the right atmosphere at home for me to fully focus on studies and kept me totally at it!” That included a ‘no TV’ policy, which continues till date “because my sister Krithika is in tenth class now.”

So, is she a champion of an educational system that encour-ages only scoring of marks? Rekha clearly refutes, “While preparing for exams, one should know what will earn marks – it could be the usage of the exact

text book words or it could be a particular style of presenta-tion. But what we learn should be beyond preparing for exams. I believe that the concepts and fundamentals that I have learnt over all these years would stay with me forever and in fact see me through in the future.”

A School Pupil Leader and an almost default Class Rep-resentative every year, Rekha had earlier set her eyes on the Civil Services. “In fact, that was my mother’s dream – and it still is!” she says, having just taken up an MBBS seat at the Madras Medical College. Inspired by a cousin who pursues her Ph D in Oncology, Rekha is confident that she will make her parents more proud as the “first Doctor” of the family!

On ‘results’ day at Sri Vijay Vidyalaya, Hosur. A beaming Rekha (second from right) with her proud parents and younger sister.


“wHEN I wAS in 7th standard, I had decided to do Medicine at Madras Medical College. And the rest of my studies was to work towards getting there.” That is as matter-of-fact as R Manikandan can be. Almost making the State fourth rank that he secured in the 2011 Higher Secondary exams sound very incidental!

Has he always been this clear and concise, we ask his elder brother, R Swaminath, a GET (2010 batch) with Ashok Leyland. “He was quite a bright guy from early on. And once we knew he was interested in Medicine, we just made sure that he got the right opportunities,” says Swami, himself a steady rank holder in academics.

Swami and Mani hail from Vil-lupuram District in Tamilnadu. Father R Rajakumar is an Assist-ant Commercial Tax Officer, while mother S Padma is a Deputy Tah-sildar in the District Administrative Department. The brothers went to local Anglo-Indian and Matric schools for their initial schooling. Says Swami, “I aspired to be an engineer. But I did not have the

Sibling Revelry: Mani (foreground) and Swami are self-declared role models for each other!

Swami and his brotherkind of exposure that I now have to set clear goals for myself. Not that I am complaining – I stood school first and got through to PSG Tech, my dream institution. However, I am glad that I picked up a few things along the way that helped us make better decisions for Mani.”

Like joining AKT Academy at Kallakurichi for example. “We were clear that to get a 200/200 in all the main Science subjects (a pre-requisite for a seat at MMC), the level of preparation ought to be rigorous. And going by the track record of AKT in producing State toppers, we decided that as soon as Mani finished 10th, he got ad-mitted there …” Even if that meant their mom getting a transfer to a new town to look after Mani.

“Our parents have made a lot of sacrifices for us to focus fully on our goals. But there has never been any pressure from them. We just set ourselves clear goals to achieve. That’s all,” well, do we even need to say that Mani said that! Hidden in that easy-looking statement is two years of sheer hard work that ended sweetly with

the following telephone conversa-tion with the school principal:

“Mani, congratulations, you have stood second in the district.”

“Thank you, sir. But have I scored 200 in all the subjects?”

“Yes, of course!” After standing 8th in the shortlist

for Medicine, Mani can today be seen in the MMC premises, white coat in hand and the next goal in life quietly forming in his eyes …

International paper presentationIN MAY this year, A Vishnu Pras-anna Moorthy, Engine R&D, pre-sented a paper on “Design of oil sump using Coupled Eulerian Lagrangian (CEL) technique” at the Simulia Customer Conference (SCC) 2011, held in Barcelona, Spain. Representing the only automotive company from India to get selected for the presenta-tion, Vishnu’s paper was among 90 from across the world, includ-ing those of Airbus, Fiat Research Centre, Ford Motor Company and Rolls-Royce.

Vishnu’s paper is to do with the design of the oil sump that holds the lubricating oil in an IC engine. When the vehicle moves on inclines, a set of complicated gravitational and inertial forces act on the lubricating oil. The re-sulting oil movement may have serious implications on engine performance - difficult to calcu-late using the classical design approach. Vishnu attempted this using ‘Abaqus Explicit’ software and coupled Eulerian-Lagragian technique. The oil movement was

visualized and it was verified that the sump provides oil to engine at all required tilting conditions. This conclusion is useful during concept/layout stage of the en-gine design.

“SCC 2011 was a great event and it was a wonderful opportu-nity for me to meet some of the industry’s greatest designers/an-alysts. The papers presented in the conference were of very high quality and showcased emerging fields in design analysis,” says Vishnu and is thankful to Ashok Leyland and particularly his En-gine R&D colleagues for having supported his nomination.

people

Vishnu (centre) with fellow presenters in Barcelona



Class X

Class X toppers

CBSE %Shubhangi Ratnawat, D/o Girish H Ratnawat,

Div Manager - Tools & Stores, Bhandara 95.4B Srinithi, D/o A C Balaji, Manager - Sales, Kurnool 95.0Anmol Saxena, S/o A K Saxena, Div Manager - Production, PNR 95.0Athira Gopinathan, D/o P V Gopinathan, Div Manager - SS, Corporate 95.0S Chandini, D/o T Selvarajan, AGM - PMG, Marketing 95.0M Saradha, D/o S Muthukumar, 240 / 36898, Ennore 95.0K Rizfana, D/o A Kamaludeen, 61187, Hosur I 95.0R Akalya, D/o K Ravi, P186, Hosur I 95.0S Thurka, D/o A K Shanmuganathan, 61475, Hosur I 95.0P Sugapriya, D/o A Pandi, 61317, Hosur I 95.0K Raghul, S/o S Kannan, 62384, Hosur I 95.0N Preetha, D/o M Nedumaran, Div Manager - QC, Hosur II 95.0Megha R Jain, S/o Rajkumar N Jain, DM - PE, Bhandara 94.4Onkaar Upalap, S/o Rammesh Upalap,

Div Manager - Stores & Logistics, Bhandara 93.8N Koushika, D/o S Natarjan, Section Head - Maintenance,

AL (UAE) LLC - Ras Al Khaimah 93.1B Akshaya, D/o V R Balaji, Sr Officer - Sales Admn, Marketing 93.1K Nandhini, D/o S Kalyanakumar, 263/36685, Ennore 93.1P Ranjani, D/o G Pandi, Y114, Hosur I 93.1S Sriram/ S/o S Sivakumar, Y477, Hosur I 93.1R Vijay Anand, S/o D Raghavan, SM - Electrical, Ennore 93.1Nafisa M Kapadvanjwala, D/o H K Murtaza,

Manager - Marketing, Ahmedabad 91.2Ashok Bhagia, S/o Shobha H Bhagia, DM - Vehicle Sales, Nagpur 91.2K U Madan, S/o P Udayappan, Plant Engg, Hosu II 91.2K Kalaivani, D/o G Kandha Kumar, 61905, Hosur I 91.2D Sandiya, D/o A Dhamodaran, 61248, Hosur I 91.2

STATE %G Nikkitha, D/o M Gajendran, Div Manager - Mission Gemba, Hosur II 98.0Rekhate Shubham Madhukar, S/o M R Rekhate,

Div Manager - PE, Bhandara 97.1

E Ramya, D/o V Elangovan, Electrical Dept, Ennore 96.4K Kishore, S/o S Kumaran, 250/37041, Ennore 95.8N K Samaneri Sithan, S/o S Natarajan, 61189, Hosur I 95.8K Praveen Ram, S/o P K Kannan, 221/J075, Ennore 95.0A R Vinay, S/o G Renuka, S549, Hosur I 95.0V Lakshmi, D/o P K Vishwanathan, Y821, Hosur I 94.9B Bakya Lakshmi, D/o K Babu, 230 / 38231, Ennore 94.8B Gautham, S/o T Bharathiselvam, 450 / K672, Ennore 94.6M Aravind Srinivasan, S/o S Murugan, Sr. Officer - Production, Alwar 94.2R Kavitha, D/o S Ramar, 221/K697, Ennore 94.0D Arun Kumar, S/o K Dayalan, 265/J183, Ennore 94.0Dinesh Selvaraj, S/o P K Selvaraj, SM - Systems, Hosur II 93.8T Varan Raj, S/o S K Thangaraj, 240/J198, Ennore 92.2N Selvaganapathy, S/o M Narayanan, S918, Hosur I 92.0S Bhuvaneswari, D/o M Shanmuga Gani, 265/L091, Ennore 90.6Purnaye Ankita Santosh, D/o Santosh Gajanansa Purnaye,

PE-Elect Shop, Bhandara 90.5

MATRIC %P Hari Prasad, S/o K Prasanna Venkatesan, 62687, Hosur I 97.8V Srinidhi, D/o S Vijayaragavan, Sr. Officer - Internal Audit, Corporate 97.2T Arunmozhi, S/o R Thulasidoss, 61195, Hosur I 97.0R Karthick, S/o R Ramesh, 60228, Hosur I 96.8B Ashwin, S/o S Babu, 61088, Hosur I 96.4S Loshini Keerthi, D/o C Sundaramurthy, SM - QE, Hosur I 96.2G J Miller, S/o R Jeyachandran, 61250, Hosur I 96.2G Maria Gracia Magdelena, D/o A Gerard Arokiaraj, SM - MDV, Hosur I 96.0S L Sindhujaa, D/o R Sayee Suresh, 261/J369, Ennore 95.8S Swathipriya, D/o G Selvam, 61135, Hosur I 95.8C Shamina, D/o I Chanbasha, 62316, Hosur II 95.6R Jhanani, D/o S Ramesh, SM-Strategic Sourcing, Nandanam 95.2L Meena, D/o E Lakshminarayan, 61181, Hosur I 95.0M Sukumar, S/o S Murugan, 61190, Hosur I 94.8V Gokul, S/o G Vasu, 61152, Hosur I 94.8A Angelin, D/o O R Anandan, Engine Test Bed, Ennore 94.6C Deepika, D/o R Chandra Sekar, 263/OT353, Ennore 94.6T R Mugilan, S/o R Ravi, 61324, Hosur I 94.6M Rajalakshmi, D/o M Mahadevan, 61661, Hosur I 94.4

topp

ers

Shubhangi Ratnawat(CBSE)

B Srinithi(CBSE)

Anmol Saxena(CBSE)

Athira Gopinathan(CBSE)

S Chandini(CBSE)

M Saradha (CBSE)

K Rizfana(CBSE)

R Akalya(CBSE)

S Thurka(CBSE)

P SugapriyaCBSE

K Raghul(CBSE)

N Preetha(CBSE)

Megha R Jain (CBSE)

G Nikkitha(State)

Rekhate Shubham Madhukar, (State)

E Ramya(State)

P Hari Prasad(Matric)

V Srinidhi(Matric)

T Arunmozhi(Matric)

J Chitra (Anglo-Indian)


Class XIICBSE %Sanya Abbey, D/o Sanjiv Abbey, ASM - Delhi 94.8S Santhosh, S/o V Sankaran, SM - Stores, Ennore 94.4Himanshu Gupta, S/o Vinay KR Gupta, Manager - Sales, Gurgaon 94.0K V Vagulavalli, D/o K V Govindarajan, Div Mgr - Treasury, Corporate 93.4

R Karthikeyan, S/o V Rajasekar, 450/0K982, Ennore 92.4B Dharshana, D/o V Boopathy, 250/L551, Ennore 91.0

STATE %K Rekha, D/o V Kesavan, 61367, Quality Engg, Hosur I 99.2Nithisha Srinivasan, D/o V Srinivasan, Quality Control Inspector, Ennore 98.4J Lakshmipriya, D/o T Jayakumar, AM - QC, Ennore 98.1V S Alamelu, D/o V Subramanian, AGM - QE, Ennore 98.1B Bakyalakshmi, D/o T Boopathi, 276/L001, Ennore 97.9V Nandhini, D/o Vigneshwar, Div Manager - PD, VVC 97.8K Ashwini, D/o G Krishnamoorthy, Y066, Hosur I 97.7S Balamurugan, S/o M Saminathan, 254/37720, Ennore 97.7K Deepak, S/o V Kannan, Manager - Purchase, Hosur II 97.6P Catherine Sinduja, D/o P Paulraj, Shop II, Hosur I 97.4S Krithigaa, D/o H Sivaraman, ED-PD’s Office, VVC 97.3V Giridharan, S/o V Venkatachalapathy, 60096, Hosur I 97.1V Swarna Gowri, D/o S Vaidyanathan,Div Manager - ALIMS, Ennore 97.0K S Anurag, S/o K Markandeya Sarma, 63375, Hosur I 96.9E Nirmal Kumar, S/o K Ekambaram, MDV Stores - Hosur I 96.7S Priya, D/o G Subramaniam, 261/36277, Ennore 96.7B Thamaraiselvan, S/o B Bose, 60094, Hosur I 96.7S Kavya, D/o P Subramanian, 61203, Hosur I 96.6M Nithya, D/o P Manivannan, P467, Hosur I 96.5S Haritha, D/o V Sridharan, 352/5953, Ennore 96.4S Keerthana, D/o K Subramaniam, Y024, Hosur I 96.3A Selestin Soundarya, D/o P Arputhamathi Malan, Medical Dept, Ennore 96.3A Prince Rajesh, S/o A Arokia Samy, 265/K919, Ennore 96.2V Priyadharshini, D/o R Venkatesan, 61429, Hosur I 96.1R Lekha Shree, D/o G Ravindran, 61282, Hosur I 95.7S Karthikeyan, S/o A M Suresh, 375/L237, Ennore 95.6R Rakesh, S/o S Ravindranathan, 263/L791, Ennore 95.2R Narendar, S/o N Ramesh, P001/2145, Hosur I 95.2K Aravindan, S/o Dr M Kumaravel, Chief Medical Officer, Ennore 95.2N Sai Subadra, D/o S Hariharan, 221/K180, Ennore 95.1L Jayashree, D/o V Lavanyan, 265/5373, Ennore 94.9S J Sherine, D/o K Stephen Jebakumar, MDV - Hosur I 94.8M Naveen Kumar, S/o S Muthumari, P431, Shop IV-Hosur I 94.8N Arunmozhi, S/o P Nagarajan, QE, Hosur I 94.6L Harini, D/o K L Lakshmipathy, ED-Manufacturing Office, Corporate 94.4K Rishi Kumar, S/o S Krishna Kumar, 263/36618, Ennore 94.3M Nivetha, D/o K Mani, Y747, Hosur I 94.3K Lakshmi Vibha Pratha, D/o N Kannan, 450/5863, Ennore 94.1Hannah Shreya Sudhakar, D/o Shyamala, SM - Office Services, Marketing 94.0K S Lavanya, D/o K Krishnaraj, 261/L749, Ennore 93.8K G Vishaal, S/o K R Ganesh Babu, 276/36262, Ennore 93.7R C Malathy, D/o B Rajendran, 265/37033, Ennore 93.5J Adlin Jenifer, D/o R Jayaraj, P405, Hosur I 93.3S Lavanya, D/o M Santhamurthy, 353/K632, Ennore 92.8V Namrata, D/o V Sudhakar, 265/L360, Ennore 92.7S Dhanashri, D/o V N Srinivasan, Y825, Hosur I 92.5V Vaishali, D/o G Valluvan, 450/K704, Ennore 92.3Kashyap Maheshwari, S/o A K Mahesh, SM - Vehicle Sales, Mumbai 92.3K Murthy, S/o M Krishnappa, S774, Hosur I 92.3M Thirumaravan, S/o C Muthulingam, AM - Payroll, Ennore 92.2K Monica, D/o A Kathiresan, Div Manager - Neptune Eng Assy, Ennore 92.2Pund Sankalp Ganesh, S/o G D Pund, QC-Synchro Parts, Bhandara 92.2B Sabapathy, S/o S Balakrishnan, 221/5671, Ennore 92.2J Narendran, S/o V Janarthanan, 250/L038, Ennore 92.2Iti Jain, D/o P K Jain, R1336, Alwar 92.0N Logeswari, D/o D Nandakumar, 240/36942, Ennore 92.0M Kavya Sri, D/o S Muruganantham, 261/J185, Ennore 91.8S Heera, D/o N S Sankar, 61158/3602, Hosur I 91.8K S Arun, S/o S Soundararajan, S846, Hosur I 91.8V Vignesh, S/o T Venkateswaran, 250/C154, Ennore 91.6V Shyam, S/o P Vijayan, 760/9422, Ennore 91.6J Vishwa Nandhini, D/o R Jayaprakash, 217/38040, Ennore 91.4P Loheshwar, S/o G Paneerselvam, 217/L181, Ennore 91.3Y M Anish Joys, S/o Y Michael Raj, MDV Production, Hosur I 91.3S Ramya, D/o E V Suresh, 60225, Hosur I 91.1G A Priscilla Lourdus, D/o G S Arokiaswamy, 870/C878, Ennore 90.8C Anitha, D/o M Chandrakesan, 375/L118, Ennore 90.7M Rajesh, S/o P Mathavan, AM - Electrical Maint, Ennore 90.5E R Geo Raja Prabaharan, S/o G Eugine Raja, P364, Hosur I 90.5

G R Hari Govindan, S/o G B Rajendran, 450 / K090, Ennore 94.2K Gayathri, D/o G Kuppusami, Manager - Materials, PD 94.0S Guru Prasath, S/o V R Sivakumar, 61286, Hosur I 94.0R Shyam, S/o S Ravichandran, 61409, Hosur I 94.0G Elakkiya, D/o N Ganesan, 60243, Hosur I 93.8P Aishwarya Janaki, D/o T N Pushpavaneswaran, 263/36736, Ennore 93.6K Subash Chandar, S/o S Kumar, 263/36462, Ennore 93.6Kanchibhotla Meghana, D/o K Markandeya Sarma, 63375, Hosur I 93.6S Madhan Vignesh, S/o M Srinivasan, 265/36635, Ennore 93.4U Athiseshan, S/o A Ulaganathan, 60178, Hosur I 93.4H Saisruthi, D/o S Hari, SM - Mechatronics, Ennore 93.2C Vinaya Sree, D/o S Chandrsekar, S909, Hosur I 93.2K Deepika, D/o N C Krishnamurthy, 65153, Hosur I 93.0K Abhishek, S/o K Kasilingam, 61335, Hosur I 93.0S Deepika, D/o P Sidhaian, 60031, Hosur I 93.0V Anisha, D/o P Veluchamy, Div Manager - Mechatronics, Ennore 92.8S R Pavithra, D/o S Rajkumar, Electrical Maint, Ennore 92.8Z Sajana, D/o P S Zakir, 240/J030, Ennore 92.6S Yamini, D/o R Sankar, 265/L906, Ennore 92.6S Karthik, S/o D Sakthivel, 62385, Hosur I 92.4A Lidia Maglin, D/o P Arputha Mathi Malan, 862/C566, Ennore 92.2S Ranjani, D/o N Somasundaram, P257, Hosur I 92.2P Janani Shree, D/o E P Poovarasu, 250 / 36526, Ennore 91.4M Gowtham, S/o N Manivannan, 61445, Hosur I 91.2R Pradeep, S/o D Ramesh, S632, Hosur I 91.2E Sanjana, D/o V Ethiraj, 450/L384, Ennore 90.6C Nivetha, D/o A Chakravarthi, 61547, Hosur I 90.6S Vigneshwar, S/o P G Sasibabu, 261/K537, Ennore 90.4J Nagalakshmi, D/o K Jaganathan,221/J271, Ennore 90.4S G Aswin Kumar, S/o S Ganesan, DM - CQE, Ennore 90.2M Pavithran, S/o G Manickaraj, AM - PPC, Ennore 90.2J L Astle Stejack, S/o D Jacob Jeya Kumar, AM - Maint, MDC Hosur 90.0D Suganya, D/o N Duraisamy,62725, Hosur I 90.0N Kalaiselvi, D/o D Nandakumar, 240/36942, Ennore 90.0

ANgLO-INDIAN %J Chitra, D/o N Janardhanan, 261/36342, Ennore 92.6

toppers

Class XII toppers

Sanya Abbey(CBSE)

S Santhosh(CBSE)

Himanshu Gupta(CBSE)

K Rekha(State)

Nithisha Srinivasan(State)

J Lakshmipriya(State)


cont

est

“Along the Besant nagar beach … Trying to break the Walls”– S goutham, GET 2010, Technical Centre.

wE RECEIVED 68 entries for the photography contest announced in

the March 2011 issue. Thanks to each one of you for your enthusias-

tic participation.

we had asked you to “capture a scene which you feel best ex-

presses the place (city/town) you live in!”

while we did receive many that fit the description well, some en-

tries (despite being beautifully shot) failed to qualify for not sticking

to the theme.

To choose the FIVE best among the entries that qualified – purely

based on merits of photography and execution of the theme – we

turned to graphic designer, J Menon. Currently Professor and Head

of Communication Design at the D J Academy of Design, Coimbat-

ore, Menon is himself a keen photographer and was in fact the first

prize winner at the all India ‘Kodak Award for Photographic Excel-

lence’. The five best entries selected by him are featured here.

Congratulations! we shall send across your prize very soon …

LLFRAME IT! RESULTS


contest

“Sprightliness of fish-ermen, Chennai” – P L Muniswara Raja, Plant Engg, AL-JD

“Outstanding Students” – D Sreedharan, PMO, Corporate


cont

est

“In perfect harmony!!” – M Pradeep Kumar, Global Bus Program, Technical Centre

The busiest and the biggest shop-per’s paradise – not just during festivals, but always!– R Bala Venka-ta Sabareesh, Treasury, Corporate


contest

From among the entries that

did not stick to the theme, we

present five that we feel our

readers should see … (Sorry

no prizes for these!)

Jarawa tribal man, living in the reserve forests of South and middle Andamans. Only 240 of them are left. They eat, drink and live only on naturally available material, without disturbing the environs. Hence they are called ‘The God’s People’. – James Lourd Raj, Mechatronics, Shop-7, Ennore.

This ‘7 layers tea’ is available only at Nilkantha Tea Cabin, Moulavi Bazaar, Bangladesh. Each of the 7 layers has a different taste and flavour. – Kaushik Sarkar, AL-Bangladesh.

‘Great theft’ – M Rajesh, S/o. P Mathavan, AM-Elec. Maintenance, Ennore.

Heights of ‘Deep Dive’ – Hogenekkal, Tamilnadu. – Balaji P (Buses - PD)

Mukkurthi forest, Ooty – P Sivakumar, Purchase, Hosur I


For many it starts as a hobby and very often stays just that. Be it stamp collection, tending fish, gardening, sketching, writing or even playing the violin. Either due to other pre-occupations or just time pressures, very few of us develop our hobbies into more serious indulgences and even fewer stoke the fires to kindle a passion. Here is one person who has given wheels to his passion.

Train of thought … and passion!

THE TRAIN wHISTLE … long, distant, piercing the darkness of the night … a sound that almost always brings alive the thrill and romance of travel; of places to see, people to meet, experiences to be savored. This sound would have been most natural if you were either on a train or next to a railway line but to hear it from the top floor of an Abhirampuram (Chennai) flat was most incongruent!

But the sound was genuine, just as was the clatter of wheels on rails as a small train thundered down a straight stretch with farm lands and villages scudding past. As it slowed to negotiate a particularly sharp curve, the whistle filled the air once more as another locomotive crossed it going in the opposite direction. The train eased to a graceful halt at a platform that was

We are sure many of you have such similar passions that are, at present, well-kept secrets. Share them with us and through us to the world of Ashok Leyland. Write to [email protected].

replete with travelers, porters, benches, indicators and even a foot bridge. Then, as dusk descended, street lights in the small villages neighbouring the tracks lit up bathing the entire area in a ghostly white light.

What we were witness to was a thing of joy and a product of sheer passion: a highly intricate railway model fastidiously hand crafted over several years by Sundaram Parthasarthy, Special Director- Business Planning. Stretching across 10 feet by 4 feet filling an entire room, the whole system is electronically (digit-ally) and/or computer controlled!

“It’s ironic that the idea of developing this transport system took roots at a time when I was immobile,” rem-inisces Sundaram, when quizzed as to what triggered this. “I had broken my leg in early 1989 when visiting a tool maker for the G48 FES. I was laid up in bed with nothing to kill but time and that’s when I started with the first sketches.” As he regained mobility, he was already well on his way to translating his passion from paper to reality. Always fascinated by trains, perhaps because his father was in the Railways, he recalls when as a kid he ran to see the flag-off of the very first Brindavan Express. His favorite indulgence has been spending hours studying locomotives, train engines and the whole railway system, sometimes in sub-zero temperatures. Every time he holidays, he scours places for some new ‘addition’ to his ‘rail city’.

Meticulous in detail, the real innovation lies in the raw material used. Matchsticks became ladders, ther-mocole pieces were shaped into rocky outcroppings, ballpoint pen refills were converted into lampposts and TV antennae became structures for the over-bridges. “It is a continuous improvement process,” explains Sundaram, “there are always things to be added and refined. More importantly, it has been the perfect avenue to excite the engineer in me. The relationship between my work at Ashok Leyland and on this model is symbiotic: each feeding from the other and both getting better.”

As he fusses over another fitment, the whistle sounds again fading into the night but Sundaram’s passion on wheels is burning ever bright!

pass

ion


Seize the Day

THE NEXT TIME you see an ant going about its busy way, put out a finger to block its path and watch its reaction. It will try to climb over your finger, go around it, seek a pas-sage under it or just find another way. Turning back has never been an option for ants and it never will be. Essentially, an ant never calls it quits!

Another sterling aspect of an ant’s mental makeup is that it ‘thinks winter’ all summer and ‘thinks summer’ all winter. Ants are cautious optimists: in fact, realists; they do not delude themselves that summer lasts all year round. Happy days are to be enjoyed, but they never lose sight of the reality that not-so-happy ones could be lurking round the corner. So all summer, ants are busy gathering food to prepare for the dark and cold winter days.

When winter arrives, ants seek refuge in their holes but wait expectantly for the return of summer. Their mindset is simple: “this cannot last forever; soon it will be over!” and with the dawn of the first warm day, they are out again in numbers to ride life’s cycle again.

If their attitude is worthy of emulation, so is their lifestyle. They live in large colonies, described as superorganisms but operate as unified entities, collectively working to-gether towards a common goal. Ants have survived the last 100-130 million years on earth thanks to their perfect communication, a well-defined system of division of labour and concerted approaches towards problem-solving.

For me, the ant philosophy has great relevance for us at Ashok Leyland. In an organiza-tion as big, complex and widespread as ours, there are bound to be problems but our mindset should always be that problems are there to be licked. We cannot give up; that’s non-negotiable. The ant’s approach to summer and winter rings true for our industry known for its periodic cyclicality. The downturns are a reality so it is futile to wish them away. The secret, however, is to shore up our defenses so well during the upturns that we are better prepared to face the tough days. The success of teamwork lies in each one knowing exactly what his or her individual goals are and how well it is aligned to organizational objectives. Ants have done it for so long; surely we can!

Thinking and acting to be ahead of the curve is crucial to win today’s battles. Only then can we seize the day!

– Editor ([email protected])

The power of positive thinking

www.ashokleyland.com

North Arindam DasMaharashtra & Goa Madhavi DeshmukhKarnataka S Arun Kumar

For PrivAte circulAtioN oNlyviews expressed in the journal are not necessarily the views of the company.

A Corporate Communications publication.

Designed by J Menon, www.grantha.com

August 2011editor Vinod Chacko Assistant editor Priya M Rao

CorrespondentsAlwar vinay BharadwajBhandara Arvind D Boradkarennore G ramakrishnan M Arul Krishnan P Kaniyavan P Meikandan v Krishna Kumar B Murthy G rajaraman A Mohamed yusuf P Arulmani M v rajasekharan

Hosur i r venkatasubramaniamHosur ii M B Purnachandra raoPantnagar Anil Guptatech centre B chandrasekaran

Regionsrajasthan Abhishek Bansalchandigarh Neeraj GoyalGujarat vijay Sadanand BodadeAndhra Pradesh Nikhil Kulkarnicentral Pranita lanjewartamilnadu & Kerala K vijayalakshmieast Mridul Pegu

ASHOK LEYLAND selected among INDIA’s BEST PLACES TO wORK FOR 2011(By a joint study by Great Places to Work Institute and The Economic Times)

“For inspiring trust among your people, for instilling pride, for creating an environment that promotes camaraderie …And for many other reasons that make your organisation one of India’s best companies to work for.”

adjudged ‘Unique Company initiative’Innovative work to create a great workplace • Attitudinal transformation of the workforce• Operational excellence to decongest bottlenecks• Continual improvements in core areas

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