Flash Mobs and Vada Pavs in Aamchi Mumbai- My Experience in Tata Motors

i) The Beginning

An HR internship. I finally got what I wanted. That too, at one of the leading automobile giants, Tata Motors. Which would also be my first actual corporate experience. No wonder, I was pretty excited when I landed at Mumbai on 15th of April, 2012, brimming with expectations. I was also eager to make new friends and enjoy Mumbai life to the fullest.

During the initial 10 days, Tata Motors had provided us with accommodation in a hotel. The hotel where I[along with several other interns] stayed was pretty decent, and situated at a stone throws distance from the Gateway of India/Taj Hotel. The room which I got was pretty decent.

It was fun interacting with people from a mixture of Bschools. However, I did not really get the courage to speak to any female intern.

ii) Losing my Virginity

Okay, April 16th was my first day at Tata Motors, and my first day at corporate[being a fresher]. The first two days were reserved for the induction programme, after which everyone would leave for their respective destination[which was revealed during the induction]. I was a bit apprehensive, since I had no idea where I would end up, considering Tata Motors has its presence in multiple locations in India and outside. The office where we had to report to was near the Bombay Stock Exchange. For those who do not know, Tata Motors has 7 offices in the Mumbai region itself.

Anyways the induction programme was good, and well structured. We got to know quite a few things about Tata Motors and their business operations. A host of speakers came to take different sessions, which was quite interactive. We even had a cake cutting ceremony with the HR head. The ice was broken, and all 45-46 of us got along well. Lots of formalities were done and finally the time came for the project locations to be announced. I felt a sigh of relief when I got to hear that my location would be Mumbai itself, as I had really wanted to explore the city[having only been here once before, and that too for one day]. The other locations were Pune, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, even Nepal and Sri Lanka. Some of the interns were happy, others were apprehensive.

Got to speak with quite a few people in the induction, and hopefully made a few friends as well. My favorite pass time during the night was to take a walk near the Gateway and the Taj Hotel, with a majestic view of the Arabian sea, eerily reminding me of the sea route which the terrorists had taken in 2008.

So the induction ended and I was supposed to work in the same office building, since the HR division operated out of there. Got introduced to my project head and my project guides, all of them being extremely nice and helpful people. My first impression of Tata Motors was pretty positive.

iii) Friends and Co-workers

Now to talk a bit about the employees in Tata Motors. To be more specific, those in HR[though I have interacted with people in several departments, but primarily I was in the HR division]. The environment was mostly informal, though of course formal meetings and discussions existed as well. Tata Motors has recently adopted a First-name culture, which is slowly spreading across all offices. The best part was that anytime you could speak to the senior management team without being apprehensive or worried. Nobody would stop you from doing what you wanted to do. You had decent independence to take a call. And neither was anyone on your head pressurizing you to do this and that. The average age group in the HR department would be 24-25, with over 50% of the employees being female. As for me, I got an entire cubicle to myself[which could normally seat 2 people]. That too just near the newly installed Coffee machine. Which meant I had generous helpings of Chocolate drinks and Badam Pista shakes daily. Everyone was friendly and always ready to help. Starting from the security guards[whose contribution was extremely valuable] to the Chief Learning Officer, who actually encouraged me to do lots of things.

I had lots of fun and fultoo masti with my co-interns. Honestly I feel sad for some of the interns who had to work alone in certain locations. Working without a fellow intern nearby is a hell boring job.

The canteen offered average food, but a wide variety of it. And it had a Free Snacks time from 5 pm to 7 pm. So you could eat and drink as much as you want for free during that time. Though I am a non-veg, I usually avoid eating heavy food outside. So I decided to stick to the canteen on most occasions. Nevertheless we did try out places such as Paratha Mantra and Café Samovar.

iv) A Live HR Project

A bit about my project work[but don’t worry I wont go into the details]. Within HR, I was working under the Learning and Development team. My project was related to making a database of External training programmes based on the need requirements of corporate functions. Basically there are different functions and each of them has different training needs. I spoke to people about the technical and behavorial needs, and then contacted institutes such as the BSE, SIAM, CII, etc to map their training programmes to the need requirement.

Just after having stayed in one week at Tata Motors, a Plant trip was organized by the team, to get us acquainted with the process of developing vehicles, performing research, etc. So 5 of us interns, along with 2 other employees were sent to the Tata Motors, Pune plant. It was a fun trip, and I really enjoyed it. I feel it was one of the best part of my internship, since I could witness how a car is made from scratch and what the working environment in a plant is like.

There are lots of things I could write about the Plant trip, but I will restrict myself to mentioning a few: i) The ERC or the engineering research center, where the vehicle models are designed and benchmarking is done, ii) The different Assembly lines where the vehicles are made, the welding and painting shops, etc, iii) The Crash testing site, where vehicles are literally crashed to check for damage and impact on the drivers. We had official guides who gave us tours in multiple areas across the plant. And trust me, it is quite a big plant. Almost like an entire city in itself. It felt good to have lunch with all other employees, in the massive canteen. I was especially impressed to see how blue collar workers keep doing the same job hour after hour, day after day. Hats off to these guys, the actual producers. Though yes, some part of the process has also been automated, as in huge robotic arms doing the stuff.

During the two day trip, I handled all the logistics, including calling the cabs, deciding the locations to be visited next, co-ordinating with the POCs, etc. The trip to Pune, on the Mumbai-Pune expressway was also a nice one.

v) Life in Mumbai- Total Bliss

Back in Mumbai, it was time to search for accommodation of my own[the hotel was only there for 10 days]. I had heard lot of stories that getting a convenient, cheap accommodation in Mumbai was a pain, and that people travelled for over 1.5 hours daily, struggling in local trains, in order to reach their offices. Moreover, getting a cheap accommodation in South Mumbai[the place where my office was] was out of the question. Anyways, I just decided to go to Wilson college[near Marine drive] and search if they had a room available in their boys hostel[since the college was closed for summer vacation]. And lo and behold, I got a room within 2 days itself. That too at a very reasonable rate. The warden was a pretty decent guy, who knew quite a bit about FMS.

So I shifted to Wilson with a guy from XLRI. On one particular day, I got to see Akshay Kumar shooting for a new film.

So continuing from where I left off. Life at Wilson was fun, the Warden was a nice guy, and there were many people from different Bschools including IIM A, B,C,L,XLRI, etc.We used to take a bus to reach the office. On the way, just watching the sea waves strike the shore was a sight which cannot be described in words, but gave you intrinsic pleasure.

There are several cafes on the opposite end of marine drive, stretching across for kilometers. I liked Sukh Sagar, which offered quality South Indian food. A vegetarian restaurant called Crystal is pretty popular out there. Many times the queue outside these places would be amazingly large. One of my favorite night past time was to roam around the beach, have ice cream and take in the fresh,cool air along with others.

Met up with many friends and visited the Nehru Art gallery, Planetarium and Science center along with several malls. Other places which I explored included the Sanjay Gandhi National park, Bandra band stand, a zoo, etc.

I should also mention at this point that I made friends in Tata Motors too. Some of the senior professionals out there are really great, and I simply love it how they encourage everyone to participate in all matters. People enjoy and people work. This is something I really loved about the company.

vi) The Flash Mobs- something Creative and unique

To give an example, I was part of multiple meetings which involved different heads of departments, including the CFO, CLO and the Vice President, HR, in spite of being just a summer intern. There was one particular project which involved spreading awareness about the concept of E-learning within Tata Motors. For that, some of the summer interns, including myself thought about the idea of implementing flash mobs in different offices. We organized a 3 minute event comprising of a skit and a jingle. We would actually barge into different floors while the employees were working and then do the performance. To my surprise, my entire team got involved into different facets of the project, and we actually executed it successfully multiple times. In fact, we got compliments from the HR heads, and the MD himself. One of the heads even mentioned that I should try my luck at Bollywood. It was an amazing and memorable experience.

Back to office, well Tata Motors got an Award for being the best learning organization in South Asia. To celebrate, we had cut caking sessions and an Official party scheduled. Which was held in the last week of my internship. Was lucky that I got to go there. The entire HR team was present, and I really had lot of fun. Even danced for a change[though am a horrible dancer]. The food was scrumptious, and the dessert mouth watering. After a great evening, went back to Wilson.

vii) The Sayonaras and Adieus

But then, slowly, it was time to wish adieu. To the TML employees and my co-interns. Some of which I had become close to, and bonded pretty well. It was an emotional time for me, no doubt. These two months in Mumbai were probably the best of my life.

I actually worked a lot on my last day in office. Had my final review, got many formalities covered. Finally it ended. The goodbyes were done, bags packed, and for one last time, I walked across Marine Drive. Glancing over the couples, the joggers, the sleepers, and the wanderers. Maybe I was just one of them, feeling the breeze, the waves rush by. I don’t know why but I could feel a tear drop at that instant.

Thank you Mumbai, thank you Tata Motors, thank you all my fellow interns, my friends, my colleagues. It was just a super wonderful, amazing time I had. Till we meet again.

 
This internship reflection at Tata Motors is a well-structured, detailed, and highly positive account of a fresh graduate's first corporate experience. The author effectively conveys the excitement, challenges, and valuable learnings gained during their HR internship in Mumbai.


Key Strengths of the Narrative:​

  • Engaging Introduction: The excitement of landing an HR internship at a leading automobile giant like Tata Motors, especially as a fresher, immediately hooks the reader. The anticipation of Mumbai life and making new friends creates a relatable opening.
  • Vivid Setting Descriptions: The author provides excellent descriptions of the initial accommodation near the Gateway of India/Taj Hotel, and later, the convenience and scenic beauty of staying at Wilson College near Marine Drive. These details immerse the reader in the Mumbai experience.
  • Detailed Induction Program: The account of the well-structured induction program, diverse speakers, cake cutting with the HR head, and the bonding among interns provides a clear picture of how Tata Motors welcomed its new cohort. The suspense around project locations and the relief of being placed in Mumbai add a nice touch.
  • Positive Corporate Culture Insights: The narrative highlights several positive aspects of Tata Motors' HR division: an "informal" yet professional environment, the adoption of a "First-name culture," approachability of senior management, independence in work, and a supportive atmosphere where "nobody would stop you from doing what you wanted to do." The mention of a personal cubicle near a coffee machine and friendly colleagues further reinforces this.
  • Specific Project Details (without being overly technical): The project on "making a database of External training programmes based on the need requirements of corporate functions" is explained clearly, showcasing the practical HR work involved (speaking to people about needs, contacting institutes like BSE, SIAM, CII).
  • Highlight of the Plant Trip: The Pune plant trip is a major highlight, described with great enthusiasm. The details of witnessing car manufacturing from scratch, visiting the ERC, assembly lines, welding/painting shops, and the crash testing site provide fascinating insights. The author's appreciation for blue-collar workers and their dedication is a mature observation.
  • Balanced Portrayal of Mumbai Life: Beyond work, the reflection paints a lively picture of Mumbai weekends: exploring Marine Drive, visiting cafes, Nehru Art gallery, Planetarium, Sanjay Gandhi National Park, and even spotting Akshay Kumar. This balance makes the experience feel rich and well-rounded.
  • Unique and Creative Initiatives: The "Flash Mobs" for E-learning awareness are a fantastic anecdote, showcasing the interns' initiative, teamwork, and the company's openness to creative ideas, even from interns. Receiving compliments from HR heads and the MD himself underscores the success of this endeavor.
  • Emotional Conclusion: The final section expresses genuine emotion, reflecting on the two months as "probably the best of my life" and the sadness of saying goodbye. The imagery of walking across Marine Drive one last time, feeling the breeze and a tear drop, provides a poignant and memorable farewell.
  • Gratitude and Lasting Impact: The author's thank you to Mumbai, Tata Motors, fellow interns, and colleagues reinforces the positive overall experience and the significant personal growth gained.

Overall Impression:​

This is an exceptionally well-written, engaging, and heartfelt internship reflection. It excels in its detailed storytelling, balance of professional and personal experiences, and its ability to convey a deep sense of gratitude and positive transformation. The narrative arc from initial excitement to profound appreciation for the corporate environment and the city of Mumbai is beautifully executed, making it a compelling read for anyone interested in HR, corporate culture, or life in a bustling metropolis.
 
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