Projects and Nations

At the project site. But see, no helmet !! :-)

Building something from scratch is always challenging. I had always known this. But got first-hand experience when I came to Gopalpur. Having operated a plant for 3 years at Joda, I had thought that working at a project wouldn't be so tough; what with no production targets to be achieved and no employee union to squabble with. I have never been so wrong in my life. The last six months have been a killer.

Consider this discussion that took place at a project review today.

Chief: "Is the raw material handling system ready at the site?

Senior Guy: "No Sir, the system isn't completely ready yet."

Chief: "Why?"

Senior Guy: "Sir a major equipment has not been supplied by the vendor yet"

Chief: "Why? What were you doing all these days when you knew that the material has not been supplied? Bas aate ho aur baith-baith ke jaate ho. Why are you coming to me now. I wanted it to be ready today"

Senior Guy: "Yes sir,.. I think they have not completely manufactured it at their end"

Chief: "Bhak!! Why? What is the manufacturing status? Have you asked?"

Senior Guy: "Sir...I didn't ask the vendor sir... but he was saying that some items have not yet arrived from his suppliers and hence it is delayed"

Chief: "Tell me what items they have not received yet which is holding up the equipment? Who are their suppliers? From which city will the supplies come? By when will they supply? What is the status of manufacturing of those supplies? Why haven't they supplied yet?"

Senior Guy: "Sir..i think it will take two weeks... but will have to check... "

Chief: "Is it my duty to check?? Just go now...asshole.. talk to the vendor and his suppliers. Ask the delivery and manufacturing status for each item. If required, go to the vendor's facility in Bangalore. Check the status of manufacturing. Ask them to make it ready in two days. Go to their suppliers if required. Give me an action plan in 15 mins."

This took place at a gathering of 50-60 people. Interactions like these happen frequently. A project is all about schedule. A project is all about momentum. You are always chasing deadlines, and without momentum you are always going to miss them. And you are going to get fucked. 

In projects, every day is a new day; and there are unforeseen challenges. On a lot of occasions, you just don't know the way forward. The whole project seems thwarted. You wrack your brain over a problem all day. You cry to bed at night. But suddenly the next morning you have an idea, you talk to your team and start going ahead with the idea, and suddenly it clicks. The project gallops once again.

The process of creation is just that much more difficult than the process of sustenance. You are creating a 600 crore entity from thin air. You are building structures, towers, reservoirs, roads, and integrating all of them to produce something absolutely fantastic. You are building skills, manpower, morale, and knowledge, touching hundreds of lives. You are building your nation. However, while you do this, you face hurdles every minute -  not the internal ones, but those external, those fostered by bureaucracy and local politics.  

Will tell another recent happening. Local villagers were staging a sit-out at the main gate of the site.(They wanted a few more of their never-ending demands to be met by Tata Steel) They had been sitting there for the last fortnight or so, not allowing any entry or exit of vehicles from that gate. There was another smaller gate which was sufficient for movement of small vehicles and trucks. However, a 80 MVA transformer of 100 T had come on a trailer to the site. And considering the combined weight, height as well as the length of the trailer, it could not be taken in through any other path except the main gate where the villagers were staging their dharna. Long negotiations were held with the agitating villagers to allow us take the trailer inside but to no avail. The district administration also gave up trying to convince the agitators. The project was getting delayed and something had to be done. At the dead of the night one day, so as to not arouse and agitate the protesters, a section of the wall of the site, at a distance from the man gate, was broken down and the trailer finally taken in. 

That night, I recalled what the Chief had once told me "In a project environment there are no if's and but's. Even if a wall comes in front of you, you have to break that wall and move ahead. You cannot just stand there and contemplate. 

That's the way with life as well, I think.

BTW, what's up with the projects of my personal life?? Where's the schedule?? :-D

Why So Serious??

Was getting too serious with life recently. Better sense prevailed soon and I realized that it was foolish to think too ahead of yourself. Watched a few of my all-time-best movies and all was well again. Needed a re-fill of emotions as I tend to run out of those from time to time.

There's a ton of passion in all the movies posted above. There's love, beauty, agony, hatred, misery, resilience, insanity, struggle, deceit, horror, sheer brilliance and intrigue in all of them. There's however one thing you had find common in all these movies - hope. 

"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies" - Andy Dufresne

Now you know which is THE movie I love the most out of these super awesome ones. If you don't, get in touch with me and I will change your life, for the better. :-)