Science and Art of Management - How to Solve Tough Management Problems - A personal Account

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Murli Dhar Dalmia

I am 96 now. My son is sick and confined to bed with Parkinsons disease, which is agonizing. He wants me to stay with him all the time. My presence is soothing to him. I have cancelled all other activities. For better utilization of my time I started writing this book on management.

I joined Birla Jute Mill, Calcutta (Kolkata) when I was a boy of 16 years. Shri J.P. Mandelia, who was my maternal uncle (Mamaji) was an officer in the jute mill. He took me to Mr. Patterson who was a Britisher and Manager of the Mill. He requested that I should be employed as a clerk. Mr. Patterson said to Shri J.P. Mandelia, "The boy appears to be quite young."

Mamaji said, "He is young but he is a brilliant boy Mr. Patterson appointed me as a clerk in the store department. I came in touch with him on a number of occasions. It appears that he saw something in me and appointed me as a storekeeper. It also happened that after sometime, Mr. Patterson resigned and went to South Africa Shri G.D Birlaji appointed Mamaji, Shri J.P. Mandelia, as Manager in his place.

Soon, after some body wrote an anonymous letter to Shri Birlaji that J.P. Mandelia had appointed his bhanja (Sister's son) as Storekeeper even though he was a young boy. Shri G.D. Birlaji took notice of that letter, and after making some enquires, called me, 1 went to his office in Calcutta and met him. Shri G.D Birlaji said, "You are a young boy. How can you become a storekeeper?" I told him that Mr Patterson had appointed me as a Storekepper of his own sweet will. I showed him some letters that I wrote to managers. Shri Birlaji went through those letters and he found in one of the letter that I could convert the jute mill store into White Way Ladlow store in Calcutta if a few facilities were given to me.