REENGINEERING THROUGH ADVENTURE

The Tata Steel Adventure Foundation recently held a unique adventure cum educational programme for 89 supervisory trainees of the Shavak Nanavati Technical Institute. Held in the wilderness in Jamshedpur's vicinity the course lasted 10 days.

At the Graduation Function the course Director, Bachendri Pal, exhorted the participants to focus on the concepts emerging from it and which could be implemented in everyday life. While the individual activities such as the hardships faced cooking are dynamic and exhilarating it is equally important to recognize the lessons learnt from them, she said.

She drew their attention to what Indira Gandhi had said - "Adventure should be a part of everyone's life. It is the whole difference between being fully alive and just existing". Bachendri stressed on the need for the trainees to discover for themselves - and their colleagues - their willpower, courage, decision making abilities, leadership qualities, trust and cooperation and the ability to communicate. She said another name for leadership is courage and this is the "capital" of the individual and can be utilized anytime and anywhere.

Sustained exposure to adventure filled activities allows one to develop courage. In Tata Steel such exposure is given systematically and the experience gained is so overwhelming that other companies have also realized its importance. To cope with the rapidly changing business scenario in the post globalization era, employees must display the spirit of adventure and enterprise, she added.

She also said that her experiences with near death situations have helped her face day to day problems in a sporting way, take on responsibilities and discharge them with creativity and initiative.

Bachendri explained to the trainees that adventure training was not given to them to make them mountaineers or rock climbers. She called it a self - realization and awakening camp.

She emphasized that to be a good officer one must first become a good human being, fruitful to the family, the society and the nation.