A JOURNEY THAT CHANGED MY LIFE - 814
A Journey that went on to Change my Life
I must at the very outset post a disclaimer about the events that took place more than half a Century back . My memory is not that very good , in fact it never was good . Still , I shall try and relate to things and events that took place way back in the 70 s to the present times based on my not so very good memory my passable English .
I never imagined that my decision to visit RAVANASAMUDRAM in Early 1974 will bring about such far reaching changes in my life . I had passed out from SASMIRA , WORLI , MUMBAI with a Diploma in TEXTILE TECHNOLOGY . I had a job even before passing ou and was working at WAYON GLASSTEX , a Fibreglass Weaving Unit in at Saki Naka in Mumbai for almost a year and had got a better job at the HINDUSTAN MILLS at Jacob Circle - SAAT RAASATA in Mumbai . I decided to take a break between the change of Jobs and Visit my Parents who were then settled at my Native Village RAVANASAMUDRAM in Tirunelveli District of Tamilnadu . This is a place which is almost at the Southern Most Tip of India . The fact that I could manage to get Sleeper Class Train Reservation from Mumbai VT to Madras Central and then again from Madras Egmore to Tirunelveli without having to spend the whole night at the VT Station in a queue went on to make this possible. My lucky day probably.
Staying at RAVANASAMUDRAM had a charm of its own . Green paddy fields all around and the Western Ghats not very far away and the Ramanadhi close by made it an ideal retreat for all at any time of the year .
Almost everyone in the Village which consisted of just Three Streets in the Agraharam were related to each other in some way or other .
One such person was PS Sitaraman Sir, who was also my Brother in Law in a way . He worked as a School Teacher at Chatram Boys High School at Kadayam. He was also a member of the Rotary Club of Ambasamudram which had its weekly meetings at Urkaadu in Ambasamudram. He distinguished himself by wearing a Gandhi Cap at all times .
My proficiency in both English and Hindi somehow seemed to be to his liking .
He invited me for a Weekly Rotary Club Meet and we were off to Ambasamudram on his Lambretta Scooter which was a novelty during those times .
During the meet there was a session where jokes were exchanged and a hearty laugh was in the air all around . I for my part let out a few jokes which had a little 'A' content in them if you may like to call it that .
Lalitha is Mallika's Teacher , both have something which is TWO in number but Lalitha s is larger than Mallika's, what is it ?
You got it all wrong , the answer is obviously not what comes to your mind first , it is the LETTER ' L' , both Lalitha and Mallika have two of them and Lalitha starts with a bigger or capital L.
A couple of more such jokes and a few Managers from Madura Coats who were also in attendance at the meet started enquiring about me and my background . On learning that I was a Textile Diploma Holder from Bombay on leave and at home between change of jobs , they informed that they were recruiting Textile Qualified Technical Staff in big numbers and that I should apply for the same immediately as the salary on offer was amongst the best in the industry.
Interview was at Madurai and 30 of us from various Colleges / Institutes from Chennai , Bangalore ; Mysore and Rajapalayam including me were asked to join on 1st July 1974 at Madurai and in the Loom Shed there .
Barely a month later and after drawing our first Salary , 22 of us including me were transferred to the Ambas unit .
The overnight Shenkottah Passenger Train from Madurai on 3 rd August 1974 with an exclusive First Class coach or compartment attached especially for us brought us to the Ambasamudram Railway Station the next morning .
The Dodge Kingsway Ambulance Van with a protruding front was at hand to receive us and take us to our place of stay which was inside the Mill Complex itself and very close to the water storage pond earmarked for Fire Fighting Operations if and when a need arose. We were asked to report to the Admin Section only the next morning .
The same evening all 22 of us headed straight to the Irumbu Palam or Iron Bridge and had our first plunge in the Tambarabarani River .
View of Loom Shed from outside the compound wall
ABOUT MADURA COATS : -
Over time the Mill has had different names attached with it .
HARVEY MILLS
MADURA MILLS
MADURA COATS
COATS VIYELLA
AGAIN MADURA COATS
AND FINALLY MADURA COATS PRIVATE LTD
Nearly 145 Years back , Harvey Brothers fom Scotland set up Ginning Factories in and around the Cotton growing areas of Sattur and the present day Virudhunagar.
They also dug up a huge pond and filled it up with water by building a channel up the hillock near Papanasam which had an abundance of Water right through the year . It now goes by the name of Harvey Pool . To this day there is an exclusive room atop with a PUNKAH ( HAND OPERATED CEILING FAN )
Huge pipes brought down the water along the slope and the gravitational force operated huge turbines which in turn powered the Hank Winding Machines . Card Room , Ring Room and Spinning Mill began to function .
The Water Mill as it began to be called was a source of employment for generations across the whole of the original Tirunelveli District and beyond .
Over the years it expanded its operations to Sewing Thread and also had the largest Spinning Mill in South India .
Early 1960 it started to have small Weaving operations and by 1967 it had 796 PICANOL LOOMS AND 403 CIMMCO LOOMS . This combined with the huge Bleaching DYEING AND FINISHING DEPARTMENTS made it one of the largest COMPOSITE TEXTILE MILL IN INDIA or Asia .
The Road on which I would have traversed countless Times
Back to 4 th August 1974 : -
We were at the Administrative office where we gave all the required information . We were informed that accommodation in the Bachelor's Quarters would be provided soon .
My Native Place RAVANASAMUDRAM was just 14 KMS away from the Mill Compound and Could be reached easily .
Barring a few , most of us were earmarked for the Loom shed . Let me begin with the size of the Shed itself . It was larger than a Football Field . The sound of the 1200 Looms hit you like a thunder . The Humidification Plant only added to the decibel level .
It was headed by Shri Hemantha Rao as Weaving Manager who was on the verge of Retirement to be joined by
Shri M . Lakshminarayanan
Shri GN Raju Wvg Prep Manager
Shri John Tharakkan LSM Shirting Proj
Shri JA Paul LSM Section 2
Shri M Chakravarthy LSM Section 1
Shri M Venkatesh LSM CIMMCO L
Shri Amboiram Mtce and Training Mgr.
The three Shift In Charges were :
A Abdul Kareem
B RN Mohan Ram & R Subramaniam
C B Ganapathy
I was posted in Section 1 under Mr M Chakravarthy and in C Shift under Ganapathy Sir . This Section had 384 - 44 Inch Looms and 64 - 48 Inch Looms .
The First few Months involved training in various primary and secondary Motions of a Loom which included the application of a New Shuttle in a Loom . Any slippage of the Spanner or Screw Driver would invite a stare from Shri Amboiram and if repeated again , a painful whack on the Wrist .
The ' FIRST NIGHT ' inside the Loom Shed in the night shift was anything that you may call as pleasant . The Shuttle Moving from Box to Box at 210 PICKS PER MINUTE is sure to bring a headache within an hour . Not knowing what to do to while away the time and each worker resembling the prototype of an MN Nambiar at his Worst did give one a shiver . .
CIMMCO LOOM
PICANOL SHUTTLE LOOM
SULZER PROJECTILE LOOM
You slowly got to know what it meant to take the Quality Round , interacting with the Weaver to get a better output , tackling low production , absenteeism , Quality Issues . You also got to know what your Manager will look for during his 7 o' clock round or later . You mastered the art of increasing the Running Efficiency or Shed Efficiency as Required .
Voile 3704 , Drills 1023 OR 1024 , Chambray HD419 Poplins HP 401 , Canvases HO 55 , 4084 , Sheetings , Shirtings , Suitings , 9 to 5 , Filament Shirtings , Parachute Cloth Denim Saraband and the list is almost endless .
We were the largest producers of Voile Blouse Material in India and a Firm Favourite of the Ladies over the length and breadth of the country . The shades to match the colour of the Sari would put one in a daze . There were infinite number of shades in Green Blue Red Yellow or Whatever to match the Shade of the Sari that the Lady of the House had just bought !!
CENTENARY Celebrations : -
The year 1980 saw us celebrating the Centenary Year in a grand manner . Ilayaraja with his Music Troupe , All India Kabbadi Tournament , A Gift Hamper , A day when the family of everyone including the Workers were allowed inside the Mill . A truly memorable and once in a lifetime event .
Bachelor's Quarters : - We were soon provided accommodations in the Bachelor's Quarters. This had 2 floors with 7 rooms in each flank with the Dining Hall in the Middle . Vegetarian on the ground floor and Non Veg on the First Floor . Billing was on a dividing system and this suited everybody . One Significant feature here was that almost everyone had a Motorbike . I too managed to get a Royal Enfield Crusader Motorbike in 1976 . This made going to RAVANASAMUDRAM even easier . I had Ramasubramanian of BDF who also hailed from my place on his Jawa for company as also Kadayam Mani .
This period also saw Mr Amboiram , Mr Karunakaran , Mr Chakravarthy leaving the Company and seeking Greener Pastures elsewhere .
A Babu Prakash and ES Shankar took over as the Head of the Weaving Mill . I was made in charge of Section 1 .
Shuttle Less Weaving also began to be introduced first with Sulzer Projectile Looms and then with Picanol Airjet and Rapier Looms . RN MOHAN RAM was in charge of this section .
Staff were sent to Switzerland for Sulzer and to Belgium for Picanol Airjet Looms . I myself was sent to Belgium for Picanol Airjet Looms and to France for the Staubli Electronic Dobby .
Marriage and Colony Life : -
I got married in the year 1978 at Tuticorin . More interestingly this was during the time when the Mill was on Strike . The reason for the strike was that the price of the subsidized cup of coffee had been increased from 6 Paise per Cup to 8 Paise per Cup . As I was to learn later my C Shift was the place where most of the Strikes Usually Commenced . More about that and Strikes later .
Thanks to Weaving Manager MLN Sir , I was provided accommodation at Ewart House , opposite the Ambas Railway Station . My Wedding reception hosted by my Workers and The Seemantham or Baby Shower for my Better Half were held here . The Bungalow was too big for Comfort as was the fear of Snakes , sighting of which was quite often . The very size and length of these slippery reptiles sent the shivers up one's spine .
Fortunately a decision by the Mill Management to convert this Building to a School which now goes by the name of Vikasaa was taken .
We were given quarters at various places over a period of time . Majority of our stay of close to 30 years in the Mill Colony was at K2 Old Colony which was right in front of the Colony Club . My better half to whom I Owe so much by virtue of being a Tamil Pandit and a State Rank Holder at that Managed to get appointed as a Tamil Teacher at Chatram Bharathy Girls High School , Kadayam after going through all the with Government Stipulated Selection Process . She also Completed her MA and BEd while being employed from the MK University . This was in the year 1979 even as my Daughter Anoo was still an infant. My Parents were also with me and this was a big boon .
More than a thing or two need to be mentioned about the Mill Colony and the facilities it provided .
People often refer to a place as HEAVEN ON EARTH , these words would be most befitting for The Madura Coats Mill Colony at PAPANASAM. This was Literally located on the foothills of the Western Ghats with neatly laid Houses with clean approach roads and the canopy of Greenery all around brought about an old World Charm to it .
The hundred odd houses in the Colony had everything going for them . The residents of the colony , though at loggerheads inside the Mill Premises over official issues led a very happy life inside the Colony .
The Colony Club and the famous Tambarabarani Club had all the facilities that one could wish for . Children and Adults could play BADMINTON TENNIS TABLE TENNIS BILLIARDS SNOOKER CARDS WITH OR WITHOUT STAKES OR SPLASH IN THE WELL LAID OUT SWIMMING POOL and all this for free . Which other place can boast of all such facilities in a small colony .
My son , born in the year 1984 grew up with all these facilities at his disposal which not many were fortunate enough to have .
The bimonthly Screening of Latest Blockbuster Movies on the huge screen in front of the colony club was a sure attraction for all as was the Chole Bhaturay during the Interval . We in our house had the advantage of watching the Cinema scope movies from the comfort of my house itself as it was just opposite the Colony Club . This suited my aged parents very well .
There were cultural events almost every month . Diwali , Christmas , Pongal , Onam , annual sports events were a regular feature . The icing on the cake was the NEW YEAR EVE CELEBRATIONS which started around 6 PM and extended well past midnight. The fun and frolic is unforgettable.
I too have been on the Stage many times . Performing Broken Mirror Skit with MA Perumal Raja Comes to mind as does the Dance with K Ayyappan for the song from the Movie Karagattakaaran : - Mundhi Mundhi Vinayakanay , A musical night with Japan Balu using an old Oil Can as a Percussion Instrument or the Japan Balu Skit which made ABHITAKUCHALAMBAAL JALAJAA famous .
Stage shows by Crazy Mohan Troupe or Ramadas or V Gopalakrishnan was a special feature .
Gas Connection to each and every house , Dish Antenna TV Connection to All the houses .
The monthly operation of Bus Services to Tirunelveli and back from the Colony itself by the KTC was a much looked forward to event .
Vikasaa School Bus to Sunday Market Shandy for purchase of Groceries also needs to be mentioned here .
The Sound of the horn from the Ambulance to transport the needy to the Hospital or Clinic and back at 3.30 PM was a big boon .
Last but definitely not the least was the the Vikasaa School which was by far the best School by any Standards that one Could Measure . My Son was the School Captain during the Final Year and owes a lot to Vikasaa School and all that the School had to offer for his current Position in Canada .
Safety was never an issue as entry into the Colony was restricted . Security was very strict . In my entire 30 years of stay in the Colony , there was never any pilferage of any sort save for the odd occasions when the Rhesus Monkeys Chose to see what was being Cooked in your House . The Black Faced Langur Monkeys never touched anything that you had to offer . They seemed to like everything growing on the trees all around .
The Rhesus and Langurs Monkeys learned to live along with us and be with us over generations .
All these were factors that prevented attrition and search for greener Pastures by the Technical Staff .
Back inside the Mill : - The Shuttle Less Shed began to take shape in a big way . Work Wear 5230 and 5231 had huge Export Markets . Design Shirtings from the Shirting Project and Picanol Rapier Looms ruled the market for a while .
Yours truly had the Singular Distinction of Achieving the Highest Efficiency in both the Sulzer Shed and Picanol Section 1 .
The unfortunate and untimely passing away of VB SUDHAMAN SIR had me being posted as the MAINTENANCE IN CHARGE OF THE 1200 SHUTTLE LOOMS . I was authorized to Sign the Returnable Gate Passes as also the Non Returnable Gate Passes after it was Ratified by the Weaving Manager .
What an Irony , my own entry into the Mill or the Mill Colony is not allowed or Permitted !!!
Training on the Quickest way to put out a fire in the unlikely event of a Fire was a regular feature by the Security Officer. The efficient way to connect the HOSE NOSE AND HYDRANT AND THE CORRECT WAY TO HOLD THE NOSE were imparted in all sincerity. It went by the name of FIRE PRACTICE but was jokingly referred to as Vada Practice as there was a session of Vada and Coffee in the Canteen after the training was over !!
Madura Coats believed in Scientific Management . MANAGEMENT BY OBJECTIVE ( MBO ) , ISO 9001 , KAIZEN were all tried with relative or no Success .
Diwali Bonus and Strikes : - As I had Mentioned earlier , there was a strike for close to 20 Days around the time that I got Married . There was a also a strike over unseemly words spoken by the Technical Staff to a Worker .
The Strikes preceding the announcement of the Diwali Bonus and the Percentage agreed upon , more often than not ended up in a strike of varying durations . Most if not all of the Strikes for the Entire Mill originally started from Loom Shed in the ' C ' Shift during the Night Shift where the workers will not return to work after their interval break . Negotiation between the Management and Unions took place and after several rounds a settlement was arrived at .
This had the Management start thinking about doing away with Weaving Operations . 1995/96 Saw a Mass Retrenchment of Staff where the Pink Cover was Handed over . This was just the beginning of the massive fall .
The final nail in the coffin was the Strike that originated in the Water Mill and later spread to other Departments.The modus operandi this time was different . Tea was on sale around the shed on a Trolley two hours after the start of a Shift . The workers would simply walk off from their work spot after their Tea to take rest . The Staff would then stop all the Looms and Switch Off the Motor . The next Shift would promptly report for work and do the same after their Tea arrived .
It took a while to get to know the persons behind this movement and their demands and by then the damage had already been done .
A settlement was reached but by then the Voluntary Retirement of the Workers was announced and started in a big way . Ways and means were found or invented to force the workers to opt for Voluntary Retirement . The motion was set for the closure of all operations barring the Water Mill and Spinning Mill .
What led to the downfall of this once tall edifice ?
I am No Expert In Management Practices nor do I hold a Fancy Degree in Management after my name but I can point out a few things which could have been better Managed to avoid this scenario.
A ) A firmer action by the Industrial Relations Department to weed out the known heads who are Prone to Create trouble from time to time instead of soft pedalling on the issue to be in the good books of the Union Leaders . A few battles lost in the Court is a small price to pay for the loss they bring about by way of loss of production .
B ) The Mill Was Overstaffed and was a way beyond what a Bombay or AHMEDABAD Mill with a similar capacity will employ . The Administrative Office , IRD , Purchase or PCD was more in line with what one would see in a Government Office or a LIC Branch .
Even imagining the figure of One Lakh Meters of Production from Loom shed to be true as the Heads who Descended from Madurai during the final Years liked to project ( the actual figure was around 90000 Meters ) with 8000 direct and 2000 indirect employees works out to 1 person for every 30 Meters of Cloth Production . This in my view is way beyond acceptable standards .
C ) The Fancy - MANAGEMENT BY OBJECTIVE , ISO 9001 : These were a sheer waste in a Labour Intensive Manufacturing Unit where 95 % of the workforce have not seen the other side of a Middle School . Trying to compensate that with the Blue Eyed Boys with Fancy Degrees from YALE , HARVARD OR IIM CLOSER HOME IS A SHEER WASTE OF TIME ENERGY AND MONEY . We were in the business of Manufacturing a Fabric by interlacing the Warp and Weft and that at an affordable price . People had been doing this from centuries back . We were definitely not into Rocket Science or Moon Landing .
D ) We have had our Main Manufacturing Facility at Madurai Tuticorin and Ambasamudram . All the three centers are within 200 KILOMETERS of each other . What is the necessity of having the Corporate Head Office at Bangalore some 600 KMS away . Except for the Salubrious Temperature for the Top Honchos of the Company , better Schools for their Wards and a more Cosmopolitan Lifestyle for their wives , I see no reason why Bangalore Should Find a place in the scheme of a Corporate Office . Air or Train Travel for whatever reason is a must and they all cost Money which in turn is going to add to the cost of every Meter of cloth that goes to be produced . .
E ) We had the famous Garment Brands VAN HUISEN LOUIS PHILIP , ALLEN SOLLEY AND PETER ENGLAND WITH US . THESE WERE PREMIUM BRANDS CATERING TO THE NEEDS OF A HIGH END CLIENTELE . SELLING THE SAME TO THE BIRLAS WAS ONE MORE NAIL IN THE COFFIN .
F ) We were not in a Monopoly Market , we have umpteen players in the Market selling the same product at much cheaper prices . We failed to realize that every Rupee that we spent , went on to add that wee bit more to the cost of the product that we were producing . What all we or did when a VIP visits our place I am sure is still fresh in everyone's mind. We are in an industry with Cotton as the basic Raw Material and fluff everywhere is a natural phenomenon .
If a Barbershop is free of fallen Hair on the floor ; it means just one thing ; he has closed the shop or has not yet opened up business for the day .
I do not for one moment suggest that we should keep our workplace like a Fish Market but the way we went about doing this during a VIP visit defies logic . And these visits happened almost every month .
NOT ONLY LALITHA AND MALLIKA BUT EVEN RAM RAHIM AND ROBERT STARTED TO LOOK AWAY . THE FINAL ACT WAS JUST WAITING TO HAPPEN .
THANKS EVERYONE FOR GOING THROUGH THIS LONG PASSAGE AND MY SINCERE APOLOGIES IF I HAVE HURT SOMEONE'S FEELINGS . PLEASE DO SEND AND SHARE YOUR COMMENTS OR THOUGHTS EITHER WAY .
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