Leadership Learnings
“Earthquake-Aftershocks, riots, strike, fire, flood & mob.....Is it Corporate Job...”
Earthquake-aftershocks...& Riots
Jobs are simple, yes/no !?
Again, if you are willing to take risk, there will be moments which will make you different person. You have to make a choice, whether you want to go through that & stand there.
Being in Gujarat during the earthquake, we had seen the negative impact of same in Kutch. Job gave me opportunity to go & work in Kutch area. Took train from Mumbai to Kutch which was considered as punishment posting for anyone who is not from Gujarat. In a scenario where you don’t get home state posting, for me it was pleasant surprise.
Train journey from Mumbai Central, only three travellers in the entire AC Coach. The moment train entered Gujarat, police entered in the coach & locked it from inside. I was told that train will directly stop at Kandla only, due to riots in most Gujarat cities.
Moment of networking, curiosity who are the two more like me & why they are in train. So, they were the top bosses of Kandla Port Trust, one of the largest port of India. It’s difficult to even get appointment of these guys in Kandla. Situation made them curious to ask me why I was in train & conversation started. Kept on talking about Port operations, import-export, products destinations. Some more reading than after & I understood the link with transportation business with Kandla & Mundra. Road transport was our target for fuels & lubricants business.
By the time I landed in in Kandla, I had few names to throw & some knowledge to talk (Icebreaker) with stakeholders, transporters(customers).
First day in the town & you realise why special deviation for you of getting home state posting assignment (Kidding). Aftershocks were as strong as earthquakes, sometimes twice or thrice a day.
Everyday, due to aftershocks, employees will run out of office twice or thrice as buildings were not repaired or old.
The town was full of employees who are post-bachelors or bachelors, as kids & families had shifted out of town.
Bhachau town, the earthquake impact was so strong that I couldn’t see single house in good shape, most houses were completely collapsed.
Opted to be there, team achieved the targets-miracles, & got quick new posting in Ahmedabad, new challenge, riots....
Riots....
Happy to come out of Kandla, where not a single theatre was left, to Ahmedabad, happening city with maximum number of Multiplexes in India at that time.
First day in transport nagar to generate business, both sides of roads everything.. carbon Black, why, all establishments were burnt by rioters. You have to cross communally sensitive area to reach Transport nagar. Even if you want to cross that area the warning was that it should be between 11 am to 4 pm, excluding few days fully. Yes, the core transport nagar area was from Naroda Patiya to Sarkhej-Juhapura. After 20 years also, these areas keep popping up in media & courts. Some childhood training of surviving riots helped during this time.
Again choice, be there, stand there, things move...