Acceptance Speech @ Book Release

SPEECH @ Mahindra Logistics Annual Day Conference/19 July 2012

Namaskar.

Good evening Ladies & Gentlemen.

Way back in 1972 April, I was in school final.

Just completed my examinations and had to wait for results before deciding what to do next.

My maternal grandfather, one day, said: come with me.

He took me to his office.

Eagle Transport Corporation on Armenian Street in Chennai.

I became a summer intern for Rs.50. Just for a month.

That was my first exposure to the so-called logistics.

I used to envy drivers. Because they had travelled across India and used to speak several languages.

It was a wow factor for me.

Almost 35 years later, in 2005 I landed up in Muscat to revamp a business publication. That is where I saw the maturity of logistics and supply chain.

Big companies were there. Vehicles were massive. Used to mingle with drivers - tall Pakistani and buxom Indian drivers on Fridays at roadside coffee shops; and eager to ferret out info about their life.

When I returned to India end 2009 due to a fatal accident to my daughter on Delhi-Gurgaon road - hit by a trailer tractor, my wife said, 'enough of gulf. return home.'

Daughter safe and the itch to go back was very much there. But, you know the spouse pressure!

That's when one day, I got a call from a young female voice: would you mind writing something on logistics?

It was Smati Suri of Cargo Connect. We never met until then.

I began to write for her. Thanks, Smati!

Soon after I ran into another young colleague of mine - - he was editing Cargo Times.

And he was wanting to do something different, but in logistics segment.

I said, I am ready provided it is beyond air cargo. 

Early 2010, we launched Logistics Times.

We agreed that Logistics Times will not be a cut and paste stuff. Not a garland of events happening in transport and cargo focused companies.

Because we genuinely felt logistics and transport industry deserves better media attention.

No business publication was touching them for a cover story kind of treatment though they deserved such coverage all the time.

We imposed some conditions on ourselves.

we won't put pen to paper or key in a single word, unless we visit and interact with people.

And we said, no cover story will be based on one single interview with Chairman or CEO.

We will meet all vertical heads and then the story.

Luckily for us, the industry understood our seriousness.

When LT reached the desks of logistics companies, they saw the difference and liked it.

 That is when I begin to focus on Transport.

 Began to spend time with genuine transporters with sizeable fleet.

 Added to that was my association with Automotive Logistics of London for whom I was stringing from India.

Louis Yiakoumi - whom you all know personally - and myslef hit it off very well right from day one.

In the course of writing my maiden story on Indian car carrier industry for him, I met Vipul Nanda of Mercurio Pallia Logistics.

We became thick friends and well wishers of each other's profession.

I used to ask friends in KPMG, Frost and Sullivan, Accenture who used to come out with thick tomes on logistics etc whether they have travelled in a truck for long distances. Their response was no. Then I asked friends in transport industry. Their response was again no.

Yes they did travel for short distances. But in an air-conditioned car behind their fleet!

Bingo! That was the time, I had completed the Blue Ocean Strategy, a well known book about new business opportunities.

I said to myself, nobody has travelled in a truck for long distance - say from Gurgaon to Chennai or in the reverse direction.

Why not I bloody hell do it?

I mailed Louis about my intention.

He jumped at it and said go ahead and Christopher Ludwig, Editor, called up to say, write a diary on the proposed trip for me!

I was pretty happy.

Not my family. My 80 plus mother in law asked: "are you crazy?"

My 60 plus brother in law, somewhere sitting in the audience now, chastised his sister: "what does your husband think of himself: 15 year old kid? He is 55 and diabetic."

My wife knew my temperament and kept quiet.

Daughter jumped in glee and said, 'cool idea. do it".

I travelled from Chennai to Gurgaon with 8 Hyundai i10s on a Mercurio Pallia over 7-8 days on my maiden trip.

First night was tough.

That's when I watched the lifestyle of drivers. How they were pilloried. Harassed. How they were not trusted by maliks.

Then went stayed with two drivers' families to understand their family surroundings.

In fact, I attended a child marriage in Rajasthan.

And a sahai in Sultanpur.

Both events belonging to drivers.

When I had completed 10,000 km through multiple trips, wrote the book over 3 weeks in my inlaws place in Chennai.

Then came the critical question: how to get it published.

It is then Vipul sprung a surprise. He said that his company - Pallia transport company - has completed 50 years and he plans to celebrate in a big way.

Would you mind if i back your book?

 I literally hugged him.

I don't want to talk about the book because i want each one of you to read.

I can humbly submit that no one will give such a ringside view of your industry.

Thanks to encouragement from the industry, i did not stop.

As of today, i had completed another 7,000 km before summer halted me - temporarily. More trips are in the pipeline.

I have become fascinated with Indian highways, transport and drivers.

When the first edition was launched November last year, the response was huge and tremendous.

Today, I can boast of a fan club across the globe.

Vipul, Fiat's Kalpesh Pathak, Louis have become my unofficial ambassadors by talking about my book across globe.

I began to get mails and calls from many places asking for copy.

Some friends from IIMs called up to say, 10,000 KM on Indian Highways is included in the "Must Read" list!

That's when the idea of second edition cropped up

I must confess that the only contact i made soon after this idea came was to knock on Mr Piroz Sarkari's office.

Within 30 minutes after my mail was sent, my inbox flashed, "let us do it" from Nasserwanji Huafeed, on behalf of Mr Sarkari.

Significantly, Mr Sarkari was present at the November launch and actually I stood next to him on stage when the photo opportunity came up.

A million thanks to you, Mr Sarkari and Mahindra Logistics for this special gesture! And Hua, to you also for facilitating this dream come true!

I am onto my next book: with lot more fresh insight and input.

Am sure, God will send someone to back that book also.

A special thanks to all transporters who are gathered here and who are not here also who encouraged me all along and they continue to do that even now.

And to my family and friends. One of them said, "Discovery of India - Ramesh Way"! Another nicknamed me: Highway Humrahi!

Now ....

I must tell you this. Whenever my wife plans a trip, she asks: plane ticket? train ticket? or your free truck trip? Actually, 17000 km of free Bharat darshan so far!

I had just landed up this morning from Petropole, the Indo-Bangladesh border town - spending time with drivers from all across India waiting to help Indian companies to sell their products to our neighbour over 10 days.

I saw Mahindra and Mahindra gensets crossing the border. I saw Leyland AC buses waiting on the Indian side. Caterpillar road making machineries in the CWC parking lot. Also spent time with hundreds of drivers living pathetic life there.

It is nothing new to me.

Ladies and Gentlemen, while our soldiers guard our borders from external aggression, these drivers are quietly doing a very big favour to each one of us.

Tatas, Birlas, Ambanis, Mahindras and a whole lot of them sink in huge dollops of money in building a massive industrial empire to build a robust India.

For which, they need drivers to push raw materials from wherever to the assembly lines and when final products are ready, again drivers are needed to push the same to the nooks and corners of this vast nation called India. We must give them due recognition.

...

Just two days ago, I got a call from a driver friend from Pune.

Mr Nalin Mehta (CEO, Mahindra Navistar) will be happy to hear this.

"Sirji, hamara company 10 Mahindra Navistar karid liya. Training bhi ho gaya."

I asked him: "Kaisa lag raha hai, Pandeyji!" Like a typical Indian TV Reporter!

Because his favourite until now was Mann trucks.

By the way, who is Pandeyji? you are curious to know, I am sure.

Read the book. He is one of the main lively characters in my book!

"Sirji, you come for a trip with me in Navistar. Jamshedpur to Ludhiana with Tata Steel load. See for yourself."

I had done the same route with him in February 2011.

Am itching, Mr Mehta for the Mahindra Navistar experience!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is often said, travel expands mindspace.

I don't know about that.

But I must tell you ...

That these 'trips and travels' got me a whole lot of new friends: drivers to cleaners to RTOs to Inspector Generals of Police to ... ufff... what not!

My daughter makes fun of me, saying: "papa, your mobile has more driver category numbers than anybody else!"

Thanks you all once again for this lovely opportunity.

Jai Hind!