- B G Sastry had been associated with the first commercial production of SG Iron in Crescent Iron and Steel Corporation in 1950
- Various expansions were undertaken with the project engineering provided by Sastry
- He has contributed several technical papers in different technical journals and at seminars
“When I first met B G Sastry, probably in 1960s, he was heading Mond Nickel (Canada) promoting Nickel. He used to patiently train a novice like me. I received a lot of literature and guidance on Heat Treatment from him. I have always had good insightful interactions with him regarding his dream of establishing a Modern Foundry,” Raghuvir Kothari, Founder of Rhino Machines Private Limited and another industry veteran, reminisces about his associations with B G Sastry.
On 26th May Indian manufacturing lost an inspiring figure in B G Sastry, the name that has always been associated with the development and production of Spheroidal Graphite Iron (SG or ductile iron) in India. He was a mentor and role model for many in the Indian manufacturing industry and beyond.
“Sastry was among the most down to earth and polite soul I have ever met and he always maintained a low profile. He had tremendous technical depth and the most analytical mind with the combination of tremendous business acumen. In 2018, he was felicitated at 66th IIFCE at Gandhinagar and it was a rather fortunate coincidence for me to receive lifetime achievement award on the same platform,” shared Kothari.
His greatest quality was his meticulous honesty and integrity. His word was his bond. He would always be ready to lend a willing ear, give honest and sincere advice, encourage and praise where it was due. Because of his reputation for honesty and integrity, his advice was valued and taken to heart. He was particular about nurturing women and strongly believed in their financial and professional empowerment.
Talking about his values, Annapurna Sastry, his daughter recalls, “He along with my mother provided me with the most secure, stable and cheerful home any child would ever want. We were very close-knit and communicated at all levels, whether it is to solve the world's problems or selecting the upholstery for the sofa – it was democracy, discussion and unanimous decision making from a very young age. The value given to my opinion has made me a very confident person. My father gave me a value system, integrity and yet a lot of freedom to think the way I wanted and be the way I wanted, rarely imposing his will on me. He has always been a part of my endeavours, encouraged and worked with me to achieve the standard of perfection we both sought. I admired his honesty, integrity, his meticulous planning, and his intellectual analysis and made some of these qualities my own.”
He had been associated with the first commercial production of SG Iron in Crescent Iron and Steel Corporation in 1950 where he was working and had been associated with production and development of SG Iron in one capacity or another particularly during his experiments with International Nickel in whose laboratories SG Iron was developed.
He was obsessed with quality. Often he advocated the Indian Standards Institute quality specifications higher than the international ones, suggestions which often did not go down well
All this culminated in the promotion, in 1971, of Ductron Castings Limited, India's first full-fledged SG Iron (Ductile Iron) foundry with his technical know-how. He had set up Ductron Castings Ltd. with liberal financial assistance from IDBI, APSFC and APIDC as a technocrat venture. In those days, import of technology was very expensive and the Government through various schemes actively encouraged entrepreneurs and business ventures that were able to set up industries with their technical know-how.
“He was well-oriented with the technologies he put to use. He was extremely humble and has been my mentor. Not only was he technologically equipped and way ahead of his time, but he also had a keen interest for indigenous products,” recalls C. Harinarayan General Manager, Pioneer Engineering Industries who closely worked with Sastry at Ductron Castings Ltd. from 1972 to 1983 as a Commercial Manager and R&D Manager.
The unit commenced commercial production in November 1972. The original installed capacity of 1000 tonnes of SG Iron castings per annum was raised five-fold in about 10 years. Various expansions were undertaken with the project engineering provided by Sastry. The implementation in 1986 of a major expansion involving the installation of an automatic shoot squeeze type high-pressure moulding line representing the state-of-the-art technology in the field, had further doubled its capacity and became, at the time of amalgamation, one of the 3 or 4 foremost foundries of its type in India. The unit has been sold for business reasons to Ashok Leyland Ltd. in 1990.
If one has to speak about B G Sastry’s work culture, the first thing that comes to mind is his meticulous attention to detail. He was blessed with a phenomenal memory and an amazing ability to impose a sweeping overview on minute detail and this enabled him to come up with offbeat and innovative solutions. And Sastry reestablished the same even at the time of his demise at the age of 92 by continuing to write a paper titled “Post Corona Pandemic Lockdown: Survival, Revival and Growth of Indian Economy and Industrial Development” which was sadly unfinished. Moreover, he has contributed several technical papers in different technical journals and at seminars conducted by FAPCCI besides many feature articles in some of the well-known economic dailies. While a majority of the papers/articles are on SG Iron, other topics covered are analysis of the budgets, industrial development, economic growth, etc.
He was a man beyond the barrier of his age; at the age of 90, on 10th January 2018 at the time of the 66th Indian Foundry Congress held in Ahmedabad on 10th to 12th January 2018, he was able to stand upright at the podium and deliver a lecture titled ‘Economic Growth – Some Constraints.
He liked to be independent and till the end kept his body and mind as sharp as possible, trying to do as many chores as possible himself and reading voraciously, especially on current political and economic affairs
Sastry’s immense capabilities have been the recipient of innumerable accolades such as –
“J V Patel Trophy” instituted by the Western Regional Branch of the Institute of Indian Foundry Men in 1963 for his paper ‘Alloy Additions for the Production of High Strength Grey Cast Irons'.
“Manager of the Year Award” in the year 1978 instituted by the Hyderabad Management Association to recognise and honour the outstanding achievements in industry and management by a practising manager.
“Bajaj Auto Award for Best Quality Man” in 1979 instituted by the National Institution of Quality Assurance.
“Distinguished Alumnus Award” instituted by the Department of Metallurgical Engineering, Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University to honour its alumni who have achieved lasting recognition through their long and distinguished services to the cause of metallurgy, education, research and development, industry, management of the organization, and conferred on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee Celebration of the Department in November 1983.
Special citation given in 1998 by The Institute of Indian Foundry men on the occasion of the completion of 50 years of the discovery of SG Iron to B G Sastry in appreciation of his contribution to nurturing SG Iron in India”.
Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 presented by The Institute of Indian Foundrymen on 10th January, at the time of the 66th Indian Foundry Congress held in Ahmedabad on 10th to 12th January 2018, in appreciation of his contributions to the Foundry Industry.
