Imprint of a Unique Friendship Salute to Our Own Message Voice - Jwaladhwani
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50Golden years Imprint of a Unique Friendship Salute to our own Message voice - JwalaDhwani In early 1980s, when many of us joined Kochi Refinery, our house journal was one of the foremost communication tools in the company. Working in the shifts, I used to eagerly wait for getting hold of the issues every first week of the month. It was through the magazine that we came to know about the developments in the company. It brought to light the literary talents of many of our colleagues and we enjoyed reading their poems, stories and other articles. Through the magazine we came to know about many of our colleagues and their musings. In many ways, those years were the golden age of magazines. Magazines as India Today, The Illustrated Weekly of India and Readers Digest were having a heyday. ‘The Week’ that came out from Kochi started its publication in the early 1980s. Thanks to libraries like ours, many of us got a chance to savour international publications as Time, Newsweek and The Economist. No wonder, in those years I saw CR Newsletter also transforming in to a magazine which could match any other general publication with all content categories as letters, news stories, features, and even horoscope. I recall the newsletter having a new avathar as JwalaDhwani. I recall JwalaDhwani in its new house-style. I recall the magazine going in full colour. Recently, during the Golden Jubilee celebrations of BPCL Kochi Refinery I had gone through some pages of JwalaDhwani in the 1960s and 70s. It particularly stuck me that the newsletter was published for the very first time mainly for sensitizing employees about the importance of safety. In fact, it was safety department that brought out the leaflet in the early years. It is happy to note that safety still remains one of the thrust areas of the magazine. Shuffling through the pages was also like a journey down the memory lanes. One gets to see memorable news like the first performance run of the unit, inaugural meetings of work committee, formation of club, fund raising events of Ambalamugal Medical Aid Society, past anniversaries, commissioning of units, merger and other events. Meanwhile, the literary items with the flavor of those times when they were written attract us. It is a matter of happiness that JwalaDhwani is bringing out a 50 years special issue to facilitate such a journey through our past. Excerpts from news stories, poems, tales and articles would surely indeed be a relishing experience. It would indeed be a salute to our own voice JwalaDhwani which represent the unity and camaraderie of KR family. With Regards Prasad K Panicker Executive Director (I/C) Kochi Refinery DECEMBER 2016 I Volume LI I No. 12 Enduring words and images Indeed, magazines and journals have very short shelf life. In less than a month, the copies find their place among old newspapers, tins and bottles. Yet, magazines reflect the times when it is published. Magazines reveal the challenges of the society it caters to and have many such enduring features. The 19th century English poet Mathew Arnold who saw the initial years of popular magazines in close quarter called journalism as "literature in a hurry." Renowned American author Geoffrey C Ward whom we know in India for his Save Bengal Tiger campaign said "journalism is history's first draft." No wonder, recently when we shaped the book on the fifty years of BPCL Kochi Refinery, we mainly looked in to the pages of our house journal JwalaDhwani. Now, as JwalaDhwani celebrates its Golden Jubilee we are travelling back through the pages of the magazine to gather enduring words and images that have appeared in it. Early this month, a sub group of JD team consisting of Mr R Sasidharan, Mr M Chandrashekhar, Mr Vineeth M Varghese, Mrs V R Girija, Mr T S Manoj Kumar, Mrs Elizabeth Davis, Mrs K P Latha Kamath and Mr C S Anil Kumar was formed. The group went through the volumes of past JwalaDhwani and gathered representative writing and images. The compilation of this collection has gone in to the making of this special issue. In the mean time, past Editors of JwalaDhwani have also written about their times and given us a flavour of those days. JwalaDhwani wishes its readers a happy reading. MV Prabhakaran Editor 2 4 8 13 21 Imprint of a Unique Unity More than a Leaflet Hot off the press A new brave world Change, Changing … 1966 -1971 1972-1988 1989-1999 Since 2000 Editor MV Prabhakaran JwalaDhwani’s Golden Years Associate Editor George Thomas/HR Editorial Board Girija V R/HR Imprint of a Unique Unity Ganesan S/ESE Chandrasekharan M/Retd Writing in the eighth edition free-wheeling thoughts, we could Sasidharan R/Retd of CR Newsletter, the then feel the imprint of a unique unity Editorial team Editor Mr S Jagannathan scribed which lies deeply rooted in the ethos Vineeth M Varghese/HR about the very objective of this of our own JwalaDhwani which Ancy Johnson/HR communication exercise. commemorates its Golden Jubilee Latha Kamath/HR this month. Elizabeth Davis/HR He wrote: “Newsletter, our Mohammed Nizar PA/HR house-organ, is an important CR Newsletter, as it was known in Anil Kumar CS/HR channel through which we the beginning, started as a single Correspondents achieve and maintain effective sheet cyclostyled weekly leaflet, Bijoy K I / Maint communication. Success of this most probably on 12 December. We Biju T N/ Projects Chandresh S/ OM&S effort is entirely dependent upon do not know for sure because the Gopalakrishnan CV/ F&S timely, adequate coverage of first issue did not have a dateline. Harinath V/ Mfg news items and other matters of It began with a message: “Today we Varun M/QC educative importance. To succeed inaugurate our first CRL weekly Joseph Simon VM/ Maint in this venture, we need the newsletter with this message : Krishnan T B / Maint Manojkumar TS/ Finance willing cooperation of all of us in The management wishes to thank Padmanabhan K/ Projects the refinery. Therefore, why don’t each and every employee for their Parameswar S / HR you turn in to the editor every bit effort in bringing our refinery to a Rajan CK / DGM(AE)’s office of information you came across successful start-up and continuous Shaji P Stephen/IREP Sreeraj KR/ P&U which you feel will serve the operation of all of us in the Subramanian KP/ P&U interest of all of us?” refinery.” (See the first leaflet in the Suresh Babu/ OM&S back inner page) In that very issue with the Thulasidas N/ P&CS Vidhya KV/ IS dateline April 16, 1967 one finds The second issue had the dateline Preethi Rajeev/CR School a fine and varied spread. It writes 19 December 1966. It was brought Edited & published by about the safety man-hours, plant out by the Safety Department. General Manager (HR) shutdown, congratulations to No wonder, apart from being a Design & Printed at employees on their promotion communication tool, it was seen as a Niseema Printers, Saroj, SRM Road, Kochi and of course the visit of the medium to shape a safety culture in Email: [email protected] newly elected Kerala Chief Kochi Refinery. Minister E M S Namboodiripad. Produced by In 1971, the newsletter was Public Relations In one column, there is a piece published in printed format with BPCL Kochi Refinery of communication regarding Mr K N Krishnamurthy as Editor. Mailing address the timings for employees to For many years, the magazine Post Bag No. 2 cash their cheques in Accounts was published by the Secretarial Ambalamugal 682 302 department with a call for Ernakulam District Department. Mr B M Gopal was empathy: “During these periods Kerala, India. Editor during this period. Early sometimes you may happen to Tel: 0484 2722061 1980s saw the transformation of Fax: 0484 2720856 be busy in the plant and may JwalaDhwani in to a new format that be you don’t even find time The views expressed in JwalaDhwani are looked beyond a booklet. “We are to fill up the requisition. We not necessarily those of the management endeavoring to improve upon the understand. When the cashier quality of the Newsletter both in Member, Association of tells you that he cannot cash your Business Communicators of India form and in content,” said the Editor cheque because the time is over, Mr Gopal. JwalaDhwani estd. in 1966 as please understand and do not get CRL Newsletter offended.” Interspersed in these All these years, the magazine came For private circulation only brief reports are jokes, quiz and out with the name CR Newsletter. All rights reserved. such odds and ends. The journal got the name Reproduction in any form only with the JwalaDhwani in 1988. The name was written permission of the editor. Well, in this informality and 2 Jwaladhwani selected “after a systemic process of a world class corporate, Bharat elimination” from the 177 entries Petroleum is in all verisimilitude received from the readers. The that of a butterfly unfurling its prize winning name was suggested wings from its cocoon to take flight Gandhi…. We are all fortunate to be by Philip K Chandy of Secretarial in all its vibrancy,” wrote the Editor part of such a historic moment that Department. “What is in a name? Mr Geogy P Thomas. marks the commencement of this The flower smells sweet by whatever national project.” In the next few years, the name it is called. But admittedly, implementation of Single Point JwalaDhwani had always dedicated a good name matters much and Mooring project and Capacity pages for safety and environment.