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 !
