nick18_in
Nikhil Gadodia
Time of the Hero (Reproduced from Times of India, Mumbai edition dated 8th April 05. Editorial Page)
From small-time maker of bicycle-parts to the single- largest manufacturer of two-wheelers in the world, it’s been a long ride for Brijmohan Lall Munjal. To the myriad awards on his pillion was recently added the Padma Bhushan. This consummate global player presides over the increasing rarity, the non-squabbling joint family. Four generations still start their day with a Yagna together. The patriarch of Hero Honda tells Bachi Karkaria about kicks and starts :
Q :You said the Padma Bhushan is not your award, but that of your family and co-workers. Why ?
A: A doctor or artiste is honoured for individual achievement. Similarly, an Anil Kumble getting 10 wickets in one game is something he has done entirely on his own. But where would I be without the contribution of those who have forged this company into a proud symbol of Indian Industry? In the early years, the team was just the family. Even today, you won’t find a more brilliant sales person than my brother Om Prakash. My elder brother Satyanand is 87, but he’s in the office before anyone else. Our goal from the beginning was not profit, but total devotion to the customer. Give him full return for his money, and make him proud for choosing an Indian Product.
Q: The Munjals aren’t quarrelling over the empire. What’s the secret glue?
A: Values. Previous generations set the rules and lived by them. They were the same on the outside and inside. We grew up seeing a total cleanliness of dealings. We imbibed, practised and passed on. Our Children too know that they must do themselves what they expect of their own kids. If my grandson sees me ready to go to work at 9.30 every morning, can he keep sleeping?
Q: But the family has also taken the precaution of ensuring that each son has his own domain.
A: Fortunately, our is not a stand-alone business. Whenever a young man completes his education, we have been able to keep one unit ready for him to take over after a period of apprenticeship. However, everything still belongs jointly to the family, thought each member has his or her needs fulfilled very respectably.
Q: What helped you cope with the loss of your oldest son, Raman ?
A: Only my belief in Karma. That young gentleman had done in his 41 years the work of 121. He came for a mission, completed it, and has gone to do another elsewhere. He knew everything happening in the company, and he was a man of the masses. He’s also formed a 20 Couples Club in Ludhiana, and they would hire a bus to go off to different places. He negotiated with Honda. He and I had the same traits. Tell me, what can you do? You can’t keep crying. You have to surrender yourself to His greater plan.
Q: Did the same inner core help you in the heady journey from modest cycle-parts make to the top of the global league?
A: Why should money and position turn your head? The only immortal is what you bring with you into the world, and what you leave it with. We have our feet stuck to the ground.
Q: Which family values top your list?
A: The fundamentals are the same, whether managing a family, a small enterprise or a bug JV. Respect for all, and tolerance. Give and take. Sacrifice, put your requirement last, you’ll lose nothing. Our Japanese partners trust us completely; they even call themselves Nakajima Munjal or Subiyama Munjal.
Q: How have two such rigidly traditional work cultures managed to integrate?
A: Again, their fundamentals are the same. Our values and their methodologies work seamlessly. I must tell you one difference. We Indians say ‘No Problem’, when there is indeed a big one. The Japanese take their time before uttering a single word. But when they commit, you know it will happen.
Q: How did you decide on motorbikes instead of scooters? Either would have furthered your consistent goal of providing low-cost mobility to the masses.
A: The motorbike was my destiny. Bajaj-sahib had not let anyone make anything but scooters, and I too would have opted for it. But when Honda came in ’83, they made the choice to me.
Q: ‘Hero’ was the name of carriers supplied to you in the Lahore days by a Muslim manufacturer. Did you ever try to get in touch with him when it struck luck?
A: No, he died. Originally we had our own brand of cycle parts, EMBEE, from ‘Munjal Brothers’. But for the cycle we wanted a name which conveyed power, and yet could be asked for easily and smoothly.
Q: Are there decisions which you regret?
A: Yes, but I don’t want to talk about them. It’s past, why bring them up? You make a mistake, learn from it, and move on. Don’t carry it around like a baggage.
Q: Did you ever think you’d see the India of today?
A: No, not even a decade ago could I have envisaged such liberalization. Every small licence had to pass through 10 tables. I would make two trips a day from Ludhiana to Delhi to ensure there’d be no excuses. The system was the problem. Today, everyone has a different mindset, babus, bankers, Customs. Perhaps the old regime was a blessing in disguise. We learnt restraint, and can value our new freedoms.
Q: What gives you the greatest satisfaction today?
A: That I’ve sat at the feet of some of the greatest dharma-gurus. And that my six-month old great grandson – Raman’s grandson – sits in my lap first thing in the morning. Like his name, Sarthak, he completes the meaning of my life.
From small-time maker of bicycle-parts to the single- largest manufacturer of two-wheelers in the world, it’s been a long ride for Brijmohan Lall Munjal. To the myriad awards on his pillion was recently added the Padma Bhushan. This consummate global player presides over the increasing rarity, the non-squabbling joint family. Four generations still start their day with a Yagna together. The patriarch of Hero Honda tells Bachi Karkaria about kicks and starts :
Q :You said the Padma Bhushan is not your award, but that of your family and co-workers. Why ?
A: A doctor or artiste is honoured for individual achievement. Similarly, an Anil Kumble getting 10 wickets in one game is something he has done entirely on his own. But where would I be without the contribution of those who have forged this company into a proud symbol of Indian Industry? In the early years, the team was just the family. Even today, you won’t find a more brilliant sales person than my brother Om Prakash. My elder brother Satyanand is 87, but he’s in the office before anyone else. Our goal from the beginning was not profit, but total devotion to the customer. Give him full return for his money, and make him proud for choosing an Indian Product.
Q: The Munjals aren’t quarrelling over the empire. What’s the secret glue?
A: Values. Previous generations set the rules and lived by them. They were the same on the outside and inside. We grew up seeing a total cleanliness of dealings. We imbibed, practised and passed on. Our Children too know that they must do themselves what they expect of their own kids. If my grandson sees me ready to go to work at 9.30 every morning, can he keep sleeping?
Q: But the family has also taken the precaution of ensuring that each son has his own domain.
A: Fortunately, our is not a stand-alone business. Whenever a young man completes his education, we have been able to keep one unit ready for him to take over after a period of apprenticeship. However, everything still belongs jointly to the family, thought each member has his or her needs fulfilled very respectably.
Q: What helped you cope with the loss of your oldest son, Raman ?
A: Only my belief in Karma. That young gentleman had done in his 41 years the work of 121. He came for a mission, completed it, and has gone to do another elsewhere. He knew everything happening in the company, and he was a man of the masses. He’s also formed a 20 Couples Club in Ludhiana, and they would hire a bus to go off to different places. He negotiated with Honda. He and I had the same traits. Tell me, what can you do? You can’t keep crying. You have to surrender yourself to His greater plan.
Q: Did the same inner core help you in the heady journey from modest cycle-parts make to the top of the global league?
A: Why should money and position turn your head? The only immortal is what you bring with you into the world, and what you leave it with. We have our feet stuck to the ground.
Q: Which family values top your list?
A: The fundamentals are the same, whether managing a family, a small enterprise or a bug JV. Respect for all, and tolerance. Give and take. Sacrifice, put your requirement last, you’ll lose nothing. Our Japanese partners trust us completely; they even call themselves Nakajima Munjal or Subiyama Munjal.
Q: How have two such rigidly traditional work cultures managed to integrate?
A: Again, their fundamentals are the same. Our values and their methodologies work seamlessly. I must tell you one difference. We Indians say ‘No Problem’, when there is indeed a big one. The Japanese take their time before uttering a single word. But when they commit, you know it will happen.
Q: How did you decide on motorbikes instead of scooters? Either would have furthered your consistent goal of providing low-cost mobility to the masses.
A: The motorbike was my destiny. Bajaj-sahib had not let anyone make anything but scooters, and I too would have opted for it. But when Honda came in ’83, they made the choice to me.
Q: ‘Hero’ was the name of carriers supplied to you in the Lahore days by a Muslim manufacturer. Did you ever try to get in touch with him when it struck luck?
A: No, he died. Originally we had our own brand of cycle parts, EMBEE, from ‘Munjal Brothers’. But for the cycle we wanted a name which conveyed power, and yet could be asked for easily and smoothly.
Q: Are there decisions which you regret?
A: Yes, but I don’t want to talk about them. It’s past, why bring them up? You make a mistake, learn from it, and move on. Don’t carry it around like a baggage.
Q: Did you ever think you’d see the India of today?
A: No, not even a decade ago could I have envisaged such liberalization. Every small licence had to pass through 10 tables. I would make two trips a day from Ludhiana to Delhi to ensure there’d be no excuses. The system was the problem. Today, everyone has a different mindset, babus, bankers, Customs. Perhaps the old regime was a blessing in disguise. We learnt restraint, and can value our new freedoms.
Q: What gives you the greatest satisfaction today?
A: That I’ve sat at the feet of some of the greatest dharma-gurus. And that my six-month old great grandson – Raman’s grandson – sits in my lap first thing in the morning. Like his name, Sarthak, he completes the meaning of my life.
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