This book chronicles the life of O.P. Munjal through anecdotes from his professional and personal life.
The Inspiring
Journey of a Hero
Priya Kumar
Penguin Books
Pages: 170; Price: Rs 399
William Shakespeare springs to my mind when I get for review a book by Priya Kumar. The Bard of Avon introduces Portia in the form of a letter from Bellario to the Duke in the following terms — “…I never knew so young a body on so old a head”. This applies in full measure to Priya who at the young age of 41 is the author of five sparkling books bagging the Eric Hoffer Book Award for her second book “License to Live”. She is a motivational expert and has several persons to revere and and portray. She is the CEO and Chief Facilitator of Priya Kumar’s Training Systems and has been leading the corporate training industry for over 12 years with a clientele of over 600 Fortune Companies.
The book under review is her portrayal of one whose company became a world class company that found its way to the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest producing bicycle company in the world- seven million cycles annually. This book is all you want to know of O.P. Munjal — the founding principles that he upheld and the values that he espoused to build an Empire from scratch. Hero Cycles is the centre of gravity that anchors over 90 per cent of the bicycle industry in Punjab and has radically altered the structure of that State. The company has given employment to 3500 people and created over 300 ancillary units, resulting in indirect employment of over 15,000 persons. With exports of over 1.5 million bicycles from Punjab, the industry accounts for 21 per cent share of the manufacturing output and more than 25 per cent of the share in industrial employment.
Hero Cycles is the world’s largest integrated manufacturer and is the Mother company that gave birth to Hero Honda, the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer and the numerous other Hero group enterprises, being run with great success by the Munjal family. The fifty-six year old enterprise is the story of the grit and perseverance of four brothers who set up a modest bicycle — components business and after being displaced from their roots twice started all over again and achieved unparalleled success.
In an admirable Foreword, Ram Charan has captured in one paragraph the entire life and success story of Munjal. “O.P. Munjal ran his enterprise like a tree, figuratively providing shade, fruit ,oxygen and wood for others, accepting little, getting firmly rooted to the ground, holding it in place during floods and ultimately becoming a nurturing place for many a bird.” Munjal became a widely respected beacon of hope, goodness and inspiration.
He was born in 1927 in Kamilia now in Pakistan. His father ran a wholesale shop and taught him, “When you make honesty your business, you will prosper in any business you take up.” His brother Dayanand ensured that he never compromised on quality, price and values. The Munjal brothers worked in Amritsar for three years and acquired affluence and a reputation for professionalism in service and excellence in products. The partition scarred the city of Amritsar and the family shifted to Agra — where the business did not flourish and they shifted to Ludhiana famous for its bicycle trade. The other brothers joined and they prospered as “Munjal Brothers”.
Crisis , though common in the initial stages did not dampen their spirits and the Munjal brothers bounced back ensuring that the common man’s dreams, money, business and life were safe in their hands — they became noted for their unmatched teamwork, unshakeable integrity and rock-solid work ethic. This could not have happened without tremendous application and indomitable spirit.
The turning point was the offer of the Chief Minister P.S. Kairon of grant of a small scale import licence to make cycles. Over the years Hero Cycles grew in size and stature, attracting skilled engineers, technocrats, administrators, entrepreneurs. Today it has 37 per cent share of the Indian market and produces more than 14,500 cycles a day. O.P. Munjal won the Punjab Ratna Award, the Udyog Ratna Award and the Indira Gandhi Unity Award.
The Japanese company, Honda, was searching for a partner in India to establish the production of motorbikes. They chose Hero Cycles and there was no looking back for Munjal. Hero Cycles mastered the “Art of Just-in-time Inventory”. The materials arrive, the materials are used, the bicycles are produced and the bicycles are dispatched — all in a day’s work. At Hero Cycles everything and everyone is moving constantly.
This is a fascinating book of memoirs of “Chhote Bauji” as O.P. Munjal was called. Rich in stories and anecdotes — the one about the “Two Washbasins” and the “Two Pens” are highly entertaining. The book is fast paced well written memoir of a life well-lived. Go and grab a copy.
P.P. Ramachandran
