Our group began, as you might know
127 years ago.
It started with our illustrious founder
We couldn't have had anyone sounder.
Now Mahatma Gandhi was a friend.
And self-rule then, the future trend.
Ardeshir once just pointed out
That he still had a serious doubt
That profound economic dependence
Might preclude our independence.
A point the Mahatma then conceded
But rather promptly he proceeded
To turn the tables on his friend
And asked him to work to that end.
And so, he started up his venture
Which proved to be some adventure.
Ardeshir’s focus was invention
His single-minded intention
Was proving that he could do it.
He could succeed and he knew it.
For Indian goods could be the best
Surpass the British by every test.
He scorned the thought of protection.
And chose to prevail by perfection.
And that, he knew he could achieve.
His customers could all perceive
His products were the very best
And constantly put to the test.
To greater heights he would aspire
His safes survived ordeal by fire.
Once, in the harbour, a ship exploded.
Though outer walls of safes eroded,
The inner contents were all intact.
And even when thieves attacked
They could barely pit and dent,
Sometimes, the plates were slightly bent.
But the safes would never break
And so, the thieves could never take
Any goods his safes had secured.
For years and years his fame endured.
There was no limit to his scope.
He worked as hard in tackling soap.
For many years he tried his hand
Until he could well understand
The ins and outs of making soap.
To vegetarians he gave hope.
The other makers were all callow
And made their soaps from lard and tallow,
Not prime but rendered in the street
With the stink of rotten meat.
But thanks to his determined toil
Fine soap could now be made from oil.
Ardeshir was an inventor-seer
Quite confident, free from fear.
Pirojsha was the one who built
An institution that would not tilt,
Standing straight and standing tall
Answering a higher call.
Both brothers helped build the nation
On the back of innovation.
And hence our future will be bright
If we always keep in sight
That our founder took a noble call
And our founding story says it all.
There was purpose, there were values.
For us this is the greatest news.
We always helped to build the nation
And believed in innovation.
These always helped us in the past.
And they will ensure that we last.
And doing good is very sound
What goes around does come around.
Doing good isn’t just a cost
The gain outweighs all that’s lost.
My uncle known as SPG
Way back could clearly see
The environment was under stress
Neglect he knew would be a mess.
Our creek side land was reserved
The mangroves there well preserved.
And from my office I gaze out there,
A Mumbai view that's very rare
With greenery all the way
Until you sight New Bombay.
And now and then, with friends I float
On a gently moving boat,
With pink Flamingos in full flight,
To my mind a splendid sight.
In saving tigers, he played a role.
The environment was a major goal.
My brother Adi joined in '63
And from that point one could see
The influence of MBAs.
The advent of professional ways.
The economy gave us little scope
With the license Raj there was no hope.
The growth was slow but rather steady
And in a sense, we were quite ready
For the coming liberalisation.
This was a time of preparation.
Consumer goods were less protected
We weren't so badly affected
When competition levels rose
For we had enjoyed a healthy dose
Of competition with Unilever
Which made us a firm believer
In fighting costs to compete.
Yet could we bear the increased heat?
To hedge our bets, we formed JVs
With partners from overseas
But not the kind that last till death.
We learnt a lot and held our breath.
And as our partners went their way
We bought them out, again held sway.
The portfolio looks diversified
But much of what we have tried
Was something that we slipped into.
For animal feed this proved quite true.
For compound feed there seemed no need.
Then Buhler sought out L & T
Together they had tried to see,
If any market might exist.
There were no takers on their list.
Thus, forced to make a clean swipe
They were then left with a prototype.
A discount customer was sought
And Adi was the one who bought.
Serendipity and not a vision
Helped us start the feed division.
My father hated LAB.
Even then he could clearly see
The need for products truly green.
And so. we made natural AO
The concept, though, was a no go
But Fatty Alcohol came in our fold
This precursor was pure gold.
Import duties then were high
And palm oil duty scraped the sky.
We quickly seized the opportunity
Of introducing the Oil Palm tree.
And at that time the DBT
Served as the nodal agency
And Godrej was the biggest player
Then everyone was a naysayer
But after the commodity boom
The business did begin to zoom.
Quite clearly, I must now state
Our move into Real Estate
Was a conscious decision.
Arising from a clear vision
That the Godrej brand could provide
A cure for the shortcomings decried
By all and quite rightly so.
As a result, we could quickly grow
And will surely continue to do so
If we persist with what we know
Is right and maintain the trust
Of customers through boom and bust.
If finance is in our fold
More houses then, can be sold.
In the group we can now see
A full-fledged finance company.
Thus, many engines will help to fire
The growth to which we now aspire.
And hence our future will be bright
If we always keep in sight
That our founder took a noble call
And our founding story says it all.
There was purpose, there were values.
For us this is the greatest news.
These always helped us in the past.
And they will ensure that we last.
And here I think that we all ought to
Pay careful heed to Michael Porter.
With Shared Value there's no cost
For doing good as nothing's lost.
All it takes is a thinking brain
To remove a societal pain
And combine it with a business gain
To create a sustainable chain
Of endless mutual benefit.
This concept is a tremendous hit.
We thought that we should also try
And see if we could apply
This philosophy to our group
Our employees also joined the loop.
In the year 2010
Studies were commissioned and then
First Dasra & then FSG
Surveyed each company.
And Godrej Good and Green was born.
And with this program we could spawn
Substantial benefits to both
Society and business growth.
In good times this help us thrive.
In troubled times to survive.
In the Godrej Industries Group
Sustainability is always in the loop.
Wherever we have a continuous operation
We use biomass cogeneration.
In fossil fuel use we’ve made a dent
Biomass will soon be 70%!
In own operations we’ve made great gains
We now focus on our supply chains.
Our own learnings have been great
If we now partner and cooperate,
Our suppliers could also learn
How to be green and still earn.
It would also be very wise
If our purchase contracts incentivise
Suppliers who happen to be green.
Steady progress will be seen.
A little bit of early pain
Will ensure a long term gain!
