Rise is a powerful word that binds us all at Mahindra Partners. Each of us demonstrates Rise and its attributes in our own ways. Our contributions to Rise is a combination of lots of little acts – behaviours that inspire us and others to greatness.
Here are some stories that will get you started in thinking of your own Rise journeys.
Let’s see whether you can figure out the attributes that our colleagues in the following stories are displaying.
You can send your responses to [email protected]
It was midnight on 8th October ‘16, when a 16-year-old boy allegedly tried to rape a five-year-old girl at Talegaon village near Trimbakeshwar. Protests erupted in adjoining villages and spread across Nashik. There was chaos across the streets, transportation was hampered due to road jams of major routes and all National highways were blocked by protesters. There were group clashes and incidents of stone pelting and burning of tyres to block the roads. MSRTC buses and commercial vehicles were targeted to further enhance the agitation.
These circumstances greatly affected our operations as aggregate parts were supposed to move through Nashik-Velholi Cross Dock (CD)-Igatpuri-Kandivali route which had been afflicted by the agitation. On that day, a Purva transport vehicle loaded and dispatched from Velholi CD towards Nashik Plant, was blocked by protesters in transit near Rajurbhaula Phata, Nashik and they punctured the vehicle’s tyres, due to which the vehicle was stuck in the middle of the National highway. After receiving news from the driver, MLL’s CD team immediately rushed to the spot for verification. CD officers Vikas, Satish and Girish were entrusted to protect the vehicle, driver and material from protestors who intended to burn these vehicles and buses. The officers were in uniform and with the help of the local police and villagers, they managed to secure the vehicle in the middle of the conflict.
Due to this situation each and every part was becoming critical for production at Nashik Plant. Chassis were especially in shortage for production. A meeting was called to decide on the movement of Chassis vehicles. They instructed the MLL team to track the in-transit vehicles and plan to divert them directly towards the plant. The team started to track and monitor the vehicles at different locations. The vehicles were detained at Sangamner and the team called up all vehicles to move forward till Sinner. Tushar Shinde, Nilesh Bhavar and Rajesh Shidore were on the route in search of vehicles. From Sinner, they were escorting the vehicles and delivering them to the Nashik plant. The team managed to deliver all the Chassis vehicles safely at Nasik Plant, avoiding significant production losses.
At the same time, Neeraj Bhambre, the location head, along with a few colleagues from Velholi CD warehouse moved towards Igatpuri around 10 pm, safely escorting the Axel/Gear box & Velholi CD loaded vehicles, protecting them from protestors. The team reported the successful delivery of all the vehicles around 12:30am. While returning from Igatpuri, the team’s Xylo vehicle was attacked by a group of people throwing stones on the team but they survived, with some damage to the vehicle.
The next day, there was no improvement in the situation but the team continued its work to keep with its 10th October deadline. The Vendor Cluster team also worked to ensure the safety of the drivers and vehicles.
On 10th October, 7 vehicles in the night shift were loaded with Bolero & Scorpio Engines from the Igatpuri Plant, waiting at Shreejee Transport parking, near MUSCO Co. Due to the protests, the team spoke to the MUSCO Plant head Mr. Reddy to inward the vehicles into their premises.
The riots continued for the next couple of days and considering the situation, the Nashik Commissioner and Collector had to order the suspension of internet service facilities across the region for 3 to 4 days.
Operations at risk, the team discussed with the Police commissioner for protection near the CD premises. The police agreed and the team acted immediately to make arrangements of manpower as well as snacks for the police officers since all the hotels, dhabas and market was shut down. The team also took help from BSNL Corporate Ambad office for internet access to work at their exchange premises and update their system every day for 2 hours until the situation abated.
The entire week was tough for the CD team but they took on the challenge valiantly. The real heroes were Neerja Bhambre and his team who, with great risk to their lives, ensured that operations at the Nashik Plant weren’t affected.
Education at Rawra village had always been a concern, particularly the education of women and girl children. This trend was also witnessed in neighbouring villages which witnessed an equal amount of dropouts from girl students. The root cause of dropouts was found to be security issues. Adolescent girl children were forced to drop out and there was a perception that girls were more vulnerable to sexual and physical harassment after they attained puberty.
In 2014, Mahindra Susten began its ‘Nidar Beti’ initiative to address the above issue. Since 2014, Captain Jaspal Singh, Liaising Officer with Mahindra Susten and his team have imparted self-defence training to more than 1000 adolescent girls in Rawra and its neighbouring villages.
A master in the art of Budokai, Captain Singh’s efforts have enhanced the self-confidence of these girls. The girls also seem eager to pursue and complete their higher education. “I now know I can find a job at Mahindra Susten if I try. So I study hard to find a good job there”, mentioned a girl student from the 8th grade. By giving his time to this cause, Captain Singh has succeeded in making a difference to the lives of several Indian girls and their families, opening their minds to new possibilities.
In May 2016, Husain Abbas, a Store Manager in a BabyOye store in Allahabad turned Entrepreneur, taking over as Franchise Owner of the store.
From fashion retailers to salons and even restaurants, the Franchise Business Model is gradually gaining momentum in India and finding the right association is of paramount importance in ensuring success. Through this move, Mahindra Retail not only succeeded in cementing a strong bond with a new franchisee but also presenting a unique opportunity for Abbas in his career.
Coming from a business family, Abbas always had the genes of an entrepreneur and he took this bold step to give wings to his dreams. “I have been with Mahindra Retail for about 9 years now”, says Abbas “and this is a dream that I have been nurturing for almost one and a half years now. There is a feeling ki abhi store ko aur bhi aage badhaana hain (now, I need to take the store further ahead). The sense of ownership and responsibility has given me more determination and hope for the future!”
In March 2016, Mahindra Intertrade changed the inclusivity paradigm in its Vadodara Plant, with its first all-women shift on the Lam line. The journey began in December 2015 when the team hired 22 year old Bindiya Rathwa – the first of these women on Vadodara Plant’s male-dominated shopfloor. Quizzed on this, Vadodara Plant Head Mukesh Agrwal said: “The idea was always at the back of our minds, but the support from top management and especially HR helped us take this step.”
The Mahindra Intertrade team did its best to ensure a smooth and seamless transition for Bindiya and later her team members. Bindiya’s family members were also involved in the process to generate confidence in her prior to joining. Her induction was well-planned and she was invited to be part of Intertrade’s first ever GenNext Conference for its Millennial workforce, where she received the opportunity to meet all her plant colleagues and build camaraderie with them.
The team was groomed in advance, with brainstorming sessions held to detect potential issues that could crop up post Bindiya’s joining. A company shuttle was also arranged. Mukesh also got Bindiya’s husband for an exclusive Plant visit which added to her family’s confidence in her appointment to MIL. Quizzed on her recruitment, Bindiya remarks: “I never expected any of this! In my classes, I used to find it odd to ask my male classmates for help. Today, I am working confidently with men on the shop floor. I am just really thankful and hope to increase my knowledge and skills and achieve great things in my career!”
With this move, Mukesh and his team have made a decision that will change the dynamics of diversity and inclusion at Mahindra Partners.
On 30th July ’14, a small tribal village Malin faced a landslide that buried nearly 40 houses. The location where it occurred and the heavy rainfall made it worse for the NDRF teams to carry out search and rescue activities. On hearing this devastating news, a team of 20 volunteers, men and women from Mahindra Tsubaki Conveyor Systems set off for the actual site to help NDRF teams and rescue workers in their attempts. The team started on 5th August early in the morning. The scene was horrifying and could make anyone numb, but there was no time to weep. They formed two teams - one was on the actual site carrying dead bodies of the victims to the ambulance; and another at the funeral site made arrangements for the funeral and even carrying it out as there were no relatives left or bodies were beyond recognition.
It was very sad to carry dead bodies of children, in some cases even body parts were separated but nevertheless it was a necessary task as with the passing time the bodies were decaying and it would have worsened the situation for nearby villages. Avinash Pawale and his team carried nearly 19 bodies by the end of the day and provided them with a proper funeral. The brave team made a big difference to the rescue mission, facing the toughest of circumstances with grit and selflessness.