Dead End

Wednesday, September 6, 2006, 7 am
They have already left the beds. Splashing some water on their wrinkled faces, putting the same tethered filthy uniform, carrying the trademark safety caps with an electric torch, they are almost ready, heading for yet another journey of their not-so-kind life. Barely aware that this might turn out to be the last one.

Some of them had the luxury of seeing the faces of their loved ones, with an eternal optimism in their eyes saying, ‘See you in the evening’. While some others couldn’t avail this opportunity, it being like any other normal routine day. Housewives got to address the chores, while kids picked up their bags to school. After all it was still a normal routine day. None had hardly imagined that one news is going to change the course of their lives, just a single hit of a seconds hand and the world would never be the same again.

They picked up their equipment and fearlessly boarded the bogies that gradually carried them away from rest of the world; forever. The greatest irony of the instant is that, inspite of yourself being the subject, yourself being the actor, is still unaware of the role you are going to play very soon. Every single moment passing, is inching closer to the dead end.

The unfortunate moment has struck. Sometimes I wonder this ‘Time Machine’, its such a flawlessly programmed device, that it not only executes everything as scheduled by the Big Boss, but also the most cruel and heartless as it wont give an instant more than it has been programmed for.

News has broken out. Reporters, journalists, cameramen are a common sight all around. ‘Breaking News’ has got a brand new story. It’s a huge commotion.

Deep down there 250m below the surface, were 50 men caught totally unaware by the leaking methane gas, resulting in an explosion powerful enough to rip apart the coal bogies, that sent people slamming across mine walls. Within a few moments the oxygen levels fell to zero, filling the entire mine with lethal carbon monoxide gas. Explosion, suffocating gas, followed by mine inundated with water was enough to kill all of them in a few moments. The 50 souls witnessed those atrocious moments , when life is worse than death. The end stands in front, ready to embrace, while the victim has endless thoughts playing on his mind. One moment comes a thought that lot many tasks are yet unaccomplished. The entire life cycle is reduced to a single snapshot and it gets hazier every moment. Then comes a thought if at all God gives me a second chance.

At times one is left totally helpless, with little control over our own life. There is little any of us could have done. All we can do is to pray for peace to the souls.

Why Japan

My 6 months of work experience with an automobile component manufacturer, plus a brief stint at a Public Sector Navratna, provided me a reasonably good opportunity to get accustomed with the concepts that made the country’s manufacturing sector stand apart of the entire crowd. Tools like 5S, TPM, TQM, Kaizen; just a few to quote here, lie at the heart of its success that helped the nation to establish global benchmarks in the industry. Undoubtedly, the subject here is JAPAN. Organisations around the globe are today trying to implement these tools and emulate the Japanese success model. Substantial amount of money is being invested for Japanese Consultants, to guide through the methodology and nitty gritties of these concepts.

If you ever happen to be in a Japanese partnered company, yellow striped floor & the hanging sign boards will themselves direct you to the destination, sans any assistance. Neatly stacked files, flawlessly oriented furniture, labeled equipment, attention seeking warning signs, clear and perfectly sorted table tops; well that is a way of life in any such company and is notoriously known as a 5S company.

In Indian parlance, 5S refers to sorting, sweeping, cleaning and segregating. This was infact the first training session I attended after induction in my first job. Barely within one month of joining, I realized Indian companies take too much pride in claiming itself to be a TPM or a 5S compliance company. With another month adding to my experience, I concluded Indians corporates are actually obsessed with something as rudimentary as sorting the stuff on your study table and putting the unwanted under cover. Precisely, this is something my mother (and infact everybody else’s) had always been trying to convince me when I was a kid.

My two months summer project at the above mentioned navratna was to assist in implementation of TPM. ‘Total Preventive Manufacturing’ or ‘Total Productive Maintenance’ even I get confused sometimes, but that is immaterial, trust me. What matters here is that a 'Totally Focused approach' to get rid of unpredictable breakdowns. I find the Japanese to be the most organised creatures on planet. TPM involves identifying the worst nightmare machines in your manufacturing facility. The first step is to clean, inspect and to lubricate the machines, meanwhile rectifying some minor flaws and identifying the critical issues. Followed by ‘Why-Why’ technique to reach the root cause of a trouble. The driving force here is the challenge, to make your machine ‘The Best’ and a benchmark.

I found, the Japanese begin with a target, set up practically achievable time frames and then they execute the action plan. I often hear people saying, a Japanese will start from home at 8:02 am and by the time he will reach the traffic signal at 8:07am , it would be green, thereby saving him one and a half minute. They are certainly not born like that. Indeed it is the self discipline inculcated within. It is not the jargon, but the self imposed discipline and commitment that made the small patch in south east , a cynosure on Globe.