Blue uniforms, Godrej and Kitply

Monday 5th July 2010 – Today’s experience was surreal. I was in an office filled with men in blue shirts, women in synthetic blue salwar kameezes, lunch in an “office canteen” – steel plates and tumblers, canteen style food. There is definitely a sense of old world socialism in this place as employees at all levels march around in their uniforms, the sense of travelling back in time however is strong. Painted blue walls, musty rooms filled with Godrej, Kitply and calendars from the local newspapers. Central Bank of India? Maybe. But its something else it brings back and I cant quite place the nostalgia. Appu’s father on his Bajaj scooter going to the BHEL factory on the outskirts of Bangalore? Doordarshan – thats it! Musty offices, steel fastened lunch boxes, men in uniform! Anyway, I ought to embrace it quickly as it is going to be my life for the next 7 weeks. Not surprising that a French student has come to study the art of Lean Management from my temporary employer. AL.’s style is certainly lean and the experience truly humbling!

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