By now most of my readers must have come to know why my blogs are short, and on many days, it doesn’t appear even.

I have my sweet little angel to play with for just few days. We are meeting after 6 months of her appearance on the mother earth. An old man like me can’t dream for anything more and better. She is sweet and soft. She is like a live beautiful doll. Though very little in size but has filled the home fully all right. She keeps on smiling to everyone. She hardly bothers anyone unless she is hungry. We are having our quality time with her. She is Emma. She attracts everyone wherever we go. She pleases everyone with her divine smiles and giggles. She is the best. She is in the age that is the best. I play with her and bless her. This is the unique experience that I couldn’t get ever.

1988
2008-01-12 23:07:44
Hindustan Motors: A Ghost Township

Hindustan Motors as company is still alive. And its main plant at Hind Motors tells the story. Last Saturday, I with Anand and Shannon was again in HM, the campus that one time used to be one of the most contemporary automobile manufacturing plant. As one of the totally integrated plant, it had all facilities from foundry, forging, stamping, machining and assembly of vehicles- cars, utility and commercial vehicles with latest technology. It brought in transfer machining system for the first time in India. It was an attraction for all the students of manufacturing engineering of the country. It had a design and development facility with engineers trained in USA, UK, Germany and Japan.

Today, HM’s share in automobiles is miniscule. Though the famous Ambassadors are still in production, HM is gradually becoming a ghost town. I was shocked to see the places where we spent the best part of our life. Here are some photographs that itself whispered and predicted the time to come.

Anand went around decaying Hind Motor Colony- New Flat 15, his school, TH, temple, hospital, auditorium, and flat 4 where we spent many years before leaving Hindustan Motors HM. Most flats are lying vacant.

I was surprised that some people still know me. The whole place is in bad shape. HM is an example of family enterprise the way it grows, flourishes, and dies. As I am told, most of the manufacturing divisions are closed, the machineries have been sold or shifted, and most of the land has shifted hand for building real estate or Software Park (?). The place also tells the story how leftist unions can doom an industrial plant that was once one of the best in the country. However, HM is just that elephant that is still valuable for many. Surprisingly, CITU, the CPM union that took over the reign of this industrial establishment many years ago has lost it to some splinter group and presently fighting to take back the control. That’s what people there told me. At one time, the plant had about 15,000 workmen and engineers at one time. Today the number must be hardly couple of thousands.

And who were responsible for this condition of HM? CITU, the trade union of CPM played the major role. Neither the Birla management had the guts and wills to make it a great automobile plant of the country, nor the government helped it out. Surprisingly HM never gave any dividends to its shareholders.

I felt bad but this is perhaps the destiny of HM.