Chronicles of a time to Rise

Life in a Bhandup chawl meant queueing in long lines for water among other hardships for Vishal Kumar Excelling at computer science he won a Mahindra scholarship Topping the state he gave tuitions to meet daily expenses Employed by Goldman Sachs he bought the family a house did his Masterrsquos at Cornell University and is a senior software engineer in California Vishal Kumar was supported by the KC Mahindra Education Trust A lsquoRise for Learningrsquo storyBhavna Patil loved fixing broken things as a child in a remote village in Maharashtra Deciding to study engineering she was overwhelmed by problems including a huge language barrier Slogging to surmount the difficulties after graduation she shifted to the big citymdashwhich bewildered but never deterred her from becoming Mahindrarsquos pioneer woman engineerBhavna Patil defied odds to earn distinction as the first female engineer for Mahindrarsquos Nashik plant A lsquoRise for Equalityrsquo storyAnand Mahindra with uncle Keshub Mahindra left and father Harish Mahindra PicsMahindra Archives Tukaram the farmer struggled in a small field with a slow bull A larger vehicle would prove efficient but expensive Mahindra produced a costeffective tractor to plough a tiny plot the compact reasonably priced Yuvraj mini Tukaram sold his bull rented out the tractor and recovered fuel costs Humble farmers like Tukaram step from poverty to prosperity with appropriate aid A lsquoRise for the Farmersrsquo story Shyam Kumar a 26yearold designer had to modify a vehicle as his first assignment He sketched night and day for months The last of his four submitted drawings was selected Despite research not in favour of it Mahindra took a chance on him The Scorpio the companyrsquos premier global offering in 2002 roared to incredible success Young Shyam Kumarrsquos striving for excellence was backed by Mahindra A lsquoRise for Excellencersquo storyMemory Suitcase the exhibit showcasing the personal possessions of trainee engineer Mohan Redkar who lost his life saving four people from drowning the Mahindra Veerta Award is instituted in his honour PicMahindra Archives After serving the Army Capt Jaspal Singh joined Mahindra Stationed at Pab village in Rajasthan he saw local classrooms were missing desks Children bent over books after trekking miles carrying torn bags Dropout rates soared Getting Mahindra Susten to convert school bags to desks he ensured the ldquogreen desksrdquo improved childrenrsquos posture and attendance Jaspal Singhrsquos resourcefulness enabled children to continue schooling A lsquoRise for the Futurersquo storyThese are a mere handful of narratives from among hundreds forming the soul of the Mahindra Museum of Living History in Worli which marks its first anniversary on July 12 The spirited tribute to the 75year history of the Mahindra Groupmdashborn in freshly minted free India the company grew apace with the countryrsquos progressmdashcelebrates the basic DNA of its culture This remarkable museum exemplifies how serious purpose can meet cuttingedge designJay Shah Head Cultural Outreach in the museumrsquos The Big Bang section which also traces the now iconic Mahindra Blues festival PicAnurag AhireThe momentous journey from leading automaker to multinational conglomerate is explored in the widest possible context Slicing beautifully through to the projectrsquos essential human heart in no way does the novel technical wizardry on superb displaymdashinteractive gizmos shining holograms specially commissioned installations by contemporary Indian and international artistsmdashdetract from a single deep conviction That employees are the golden key to a company That their inspiring histories are important deserving to be heard Collecting and curating these stories mirroring the vision of the Grouprsquos legendary foundersmdashthe trader brothers Kailash Chandra Mahindra and Jagdish Chandra MahindramdashChief of Staff Chairmanrsquos office Prochie Mukherji says ldquoThe museum doesnrsquot just look at the nostalgic past It defines what has made us who we are and what we continue to dordquoGateway Building the companyrsquos Colaba bastion once the address of the Bombay Motor Car Co as seen in this 1915 advertisement PicMahindra ArchivesThe saga of Indiarsquos largest SUV maker and first firm to place a computer on every employeersquos table began with two men and their ideals Initially dealing in steel the Mahindra brothers regarded business as an undertaking which would as well help mould independent India Formally established on October 2 1945 the enterprise was originally Mahindra amp Mohammed An advisor to the Nizam of Hyderabad Malik Ghulam Mohammed was later appointed Finance Minister in the Cabinet of Pakistan in 1947MampMrsquos first advertisement articulated a mission whose goals stay espoused even today It announced the birth of an organisation fostering ldquoencouragement of initiativerdquo a workplace built with ldquothe dignity of human toilrdquo where selfbelief is applaudedEmbracing that clear thinking while ideating for the museum some immersive brainstorming later Mukherji and her team concluded that besides being a strategic asset acting as a repository of memory and myth such a space encompasses multiple functions A powerful tool for employee engagement and pride it is a means of emotional connect with the customer and should share the corporate contribution to community life Mukherji emphasises this comprehensive effort involved artists architects designers filmmakers and musicians working in tandem with inhouse archiving IT administration branding and budget management departmentsPredating the museum was a 1995 experiment the HR team conducted Mukherji reveals interestingly mixed resultsmdashldquoIn the decade of liberalisation the oldfashioned company faced foreign competition We came up with the Core Values exercise speaking to oldtimers whorsquod worked with KC or JC Mahindra After some resistance they were unstoppable It was tough often frustrating Different perceptions of the company ranged from lsquoToo much of a topdown companyrsquo to lsquoItrsquos a decent office jobrsquo Everyone scattered in random directions It was like herding catsldquoThough the iterative process threw up one big churning and a completely contradictory set of data five main values emerged good corporate citizenship business ethics professionalism empowering the best personnel chosen quality in products and actions centering the customer in the Mahindra universe and respecting the dignity of the individualrdquoThe push to collate these anecdotal accounts and experiential findings came from an American tourist reviewing Mani Bhavan Mukherji remembers ldquoI took umbrage at him dismissing an institution dedicated to the greatest human being of the 20th century as lsquoa series of dolls in glass casesrsquordquo She handed Anand Mahindra JC Mahindrarsquos grandson and Chairman of the Group a sixpage plan for their museum ldquoTerrific letrsquos do itrdquo he respondedThe Bhavna Patil story is Mahindrarsquos favourite Rise story Considering lsquoRisersquo a pithy poignant encapsulation of the company philosophy he has explained in an earlier interview ldquoIf there is one word that has changed the way we look at ourselves it is Risemdasha single word holding the whole Group togetherrdquoFrom the Rise films to the History films the Digital Book to the Mutoscope the exhibits weave amazing tales of determination and drive of honesty and passion of a bold breaking of frontiers either solo or with partnerships of integrity The storytelling flows flawless Unfolding with objects touchaccessed from both sides of each pod this is lucid responsible reporting stunning in its simplicity All fitting brilliantly into 4500 square feetldquoThe museum project was an unusual combination of designing a space within the existing area of the Worli office curating the entire Mahindra history plus future vision into a personal warm experience for visitors of every agerdquo says Elsie Nanji ldquoWith the architect Harsh Manrao I visualised the conceptual space to keep the human factor central Cocooned within a nautilus shell and soothing music you appreciate the skill of craftsmanship feel proud to be Indian and hope for the future inspired by success or learning from failuresrdquoRarely discussed in the public domain the acknowledgement of nonstarter innovations or acquisitions is on record with frank equanimity Anand Mahindra asserts ldquoIn business there is no greater resource for learning than past mistakes and failures The most illadvised response to failures would be to attempt to disavow and bury them out of sight That is why a company museum should not only celebrate grand successes of the past but also showcase grand failures This is the best testimonial to an organisationrsquos ability to learn and growrdquo Jay Shah Vice President Head Cultural Outreach is personally very proud of the Mahindra Blues Festival story here ldquoThe company trajectory not only parallels that of the nation but is a gift to the city thatrsquos home to such an iconic brandrdquo says ldquoThe Blues fest is another wonderful gift to Mumbai from the GrouprdquoShaped by an eventful past tempered by the present and marching on with optimism the company spreads its saga across six nonlinear sections assigned galactic names The Force The Big Bang Stars in Our Skies Hyperspace Beyond Space and Time MultiverseldquoVisitors enjoy the fact that it is less about our products more an idealistic approachrdquo says Senior Manager Shubha Shetty ldquoThey react with excitement to the stories told some even with tears in their eyes Wersquove struck resonating chordsrdquo She points out the Rise for Good philosophy of the Group ties in with its Veerta Award extending recognition to heroes showing uncommon braveryOne recipient showed exceptional valour when the nation celebrated Republic Day in 2017 Raj Sharma in Kishtwar Jammu got news of an oxygendeprived mother with two daughters falling unconscious after their charcoal angithi heater flickered off Aware of terrorists and no transport to a hospital 25 kilometres away Sharma carried the freezing bodies on roads under threefeethigh snow Admitted to the emergency ward the three women breathed againThere is arresting symbolism at every turn beginning with a giant hourglass at the museum entrance It represents three broad phases The period of striving 19451960 middle years of the licence raj 19601990 and postliberalisation decades 1990 onwardsThe audio description of a dreamcatcher dramatically positioned near the exit is a goodbye greeting voiced by Mahindra himselfmdashldquoThis final object holds within its concentric rings the dreams we dream together Its dynamic movements capture the energy turning our dreams into reality Its shimmering surface reflects the lure of the futureTake a moment to dream a dream with us for a better life a better worldrdquoGet in touch mahindramuseummahindracom98671 83381Authorpublisher Meher Marfatia writes fortnightly on everything that makes her love Mumbai and adore Bombay You can reach her at mehermarfatiamiddaycomwwwmeher marfatiacom