Rourkela

My first job at Rourkela and India’s Five Year Plans

Author: 
Satinder Mullick

Category:

Satinder Mullick received his doctorate from Johns Hopkins University in 1965 in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering, with a minor in Economics. He was Director of Economic Planning and Research for Corning Inc., where he worked on different consulting assignments for improving growth and profitability for 30 years. Later, he helped turn around Artistic Greetings (40% owned by American Greetings) and doubled the stock price in four years. He received Lybrand Silver Medal in 1971 from Institute of Management Accountants.

I graduated from Banaras Engineering College in June 1958. In August 1958, I got a job with Larsen &amp\; Toubro for the construction of Rourkela Steel Plant.

Off I went from Delhi to Rourkela via Calcutta (now Kolkatta). It was over 900 miles, and took me 36 hours because I had to change trains in Calcutta. I arrived on Sunday. Then, I went straight to my Chief Engineer's house as I needed a place to live and eat, because Rourkela had not developed much. The Chief Engineer, Mr B D Malani, told his driver to take me to L&amp\;T quarters. It was a house with where the cook used one room to feed us and sleep. There were three others employees, who had come a few days earlier from Bombay (now Mumbai). One was the L&amp\;T Headquarters accountant, a second was the Rolling Mills accountant, and the third was in charge of Erections of Steel girders.

We got along well as all of us knew that there is no entertainment in this town except work and drink. Since I did not drink local booze or even brand names whiskey, I had to pretend that I am enjoying my soda and lime.

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