On my first contact with Unilever in Aug 2014, I was not really excited – yes, I did feel a bit relieved – but I had no sense of achievement or jubilation after the shortlist was out. Things however started to pick up pace later in the next semester with the arrival of the wrapped gift box (?! – expected to find some deo there. Tough luck :P). Apart from conveying the message that Unilever cares about its interns enough to send a memorable gift, it also gave a glimpse of the plethora of products that it manufactures – ranging from liquid soaps to instant soups – and a reflection of the brand itself. What came next was the location – and to be frank, Khamgaon was relatively unknown to me before that.

Immediately after the end semester examinations, I had to hurriedly pack up my bags and leave for Mumbai – the place where this amazing journey started. After informal sessions, formal sessions, parties and what not, I was fully prepared to dive into the enormous world of supply chain. Though the journey was a damp squib, I was excited to reach Khamgaon and start working on my project (which I soon found out to be projects). The first impression of Khamgaon was a hot, dry and a shady place – which is pretty much accurate and applied throughout the stay.

After reaching the hotel (which was my other home during the stay – I had to shift b/w 7 rooms during the entire stint :O) and settling down a bit , I decided to explore Khamgaon – only to see the level of shadiness was wa-aay more than expected – bylanes do not have proper lighting! I soon learnt that it was not such a bad place after all, considering the other places that Unilever had set-up its factories ( Leeds junta, if you are vetti (read, vela in Hindi) enough to reach this point – please take note that you have not experienced the true face of Unilever :P)

The first contact with the factory soon followed and was introduced to a young (?!) and energetic team – starting from the factory manager to all the divisional managers – all were below 40! After generic introductions, safety and a plant tour, I was finally given two projects and was to report under the FE (who was an IITM Alumnus). After an awkward first week of working from 9am in the morning to 8:30 in the night ( :/), I soon realized that the internship required a lot of effort and dedication. Shifting from the hotel (no internet there :\)  to the GH (multiple times, back and forth) was a regular occurrence – especially during high profile visits . Slogging day in and day out and learning about not only the process, machines but also of diverse topic (thanks to the FE) became a routine –so much so that during the end phases of the internship I was working full days on Sundays as well. Challenges were thrown, deadlines met and ideas implemented/recommended – thanks to a supportive team and a dedicated workforce ( Communication was an issue at first, which was gradually bridged. I found out that two or three key Hindi words run the factory – Bharabar and Chalu – these are part of my vocab now)  

Fun at Khamgaon included random movies at the GH and Saturday night get-togethers with the managerial team and their families. A complete weekend  was spent in reconnecting with the long lost urban world (exaggeration much) through a visit to Aurangabad ( 5 hours of journey through a car for some Pizza and an English Movie :’) ) and Ajanta.

 The best thing about Unilever as a whole is the way the treat an Intern’s work – as true and valuable as it is, and not just as something that looks good on paper (or) a college kid’s musings.

Overall, had a pretty life changing experience at HUL Khamgaon J !