“With desire and desperation, you can cross all the boundaries in life” is the lesson we can learn from Bhaskar Duttagupta, who is in his seventies, but not ready to retire from his passion of empowering people around. An alumnus of IIT Kharagpur 1970 batch, Mr. Dutta Gupta has more than 40 years of industry experience. A visiting faculty with Symbiosis Institute of International Business, he is always open to mentor entrepreneurs and helps them become more efficient with the help of neuroscience and mind management.
In an exclusive talk with Machine Maker, Bhaskar Duttagupta talks about his incredible journey in Indian manufacturing. At a time when people are still yielding to societal pressures and ending up with limited, lackluster lives, for the young and ambitious, the name of Bhaskar Dutta Gupta comes as a reassurance. He has had several years of experience with such firms as Larsen & Toubro Ltd, Tata Exports and Thermax. From his early life, he wanted to come out of family boundaries and explore the world at its fullest. His initial plan of getting admission at IIT Kanpur was not heard, and Mr. Dutta Gupta graduated in chemical engineering with first class honours from IIT, Kharagpur.
Taking the initial risk of leaving the campus placement got from a company based in Kolkata, he started his own destiny by moving to Mumbai for unknown opportunities. He got his first job at Larsen & Toubro in Mumbai, where he would return after intermittent stints with other firms. Bhaskar recounts that his first experience as a chemical engineer in Mumbai was fantastic. However, after nine years, he felt that in India the technical excellence is not respected as against their counterparts in Europe and the US. He took a decision which turned his life completely into a newer dimension: he joined Tata Exports, moving from a technical to a commercial role, where he learned how to prepare large tenders, handle customers and the basics of marketing within three years.
Tata Exports was more like a trading Company, where they assisted Indian companies to get International projects, and the profit came from the commission earner. He was eager to achieve more and that brought him to Thermax in Pune, where he would stay for ten years, and where he effectively gathered the nuances of marketing. Establishing a water treatment division was a challenge he took as a marketing person, and within few years, he was able to get a very large project order, which further took the division to greater heights.
In Thermax, he found immense support and freedom from Mr. R. D. Aga, the then Chairman and Managing Director of the company who taught him the concept of Interpreneur (Running a business division as your own company). He traveled South East Asia extensively and became enriched from the experience and encouragement from Mr. Aga. He has remained in touch with Mrs. Anu Aga and Ms. Meher Pudumjee, the current chairperson of Thermax.
As a person who would always raise the bar for himself, he once again felt the urge to challenge himself with higher targets. From handling projects at Thermax, Mr. Duttagupta once again moved to Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T), Vadodara. He Joined the Refinery Project division of L&T at Vadodara which had just started a few months back and had no orders in hand, despite the fact that neither his company nor he knew much about refinery projects. During this time, large tenders arrived for environmental projects for all refineries in India. However, the Government of India got in touch with the leading companies of South Korea like Hyundai, Samsung, Dailem, LG, etc and became inclined to offer all of these projects to them. Mr. Duttagupta decided that this was a do-or-die situation: if L&T fails to get at least one Project order then this market would be closed forever. He strategized and repositioned the company to acquire a major share of these projects worth very close to ₹2,000 crore; by doing so, he not only met his personal target but also had the honour of being the only Indian Company to handle such large and diverse Refinery projects in India .
After retiring from his second stint with Larsen & Toubro Limited as a Vice President in Oil & Gas Division and a Member of the Board in L&T Hydrocarbon Upstream Company, he re-joined Thermax, acting as an advisor and Vice-President from 2011 to 2013. During this period, he also helped the company set up an oil and gas division.
Unconventional, optimistic and infectiously enthusiastic, Mr. Duttagupta asserts that the most vital requisites for success are desire and desperation. Desperation, he avers, is particularly important, as it removes all inhibitive boundaries and makes one impervious to all hurdles and resistance.
Mr. Duttagupta strongly feels that the lack of both positive guidance and enterprising approach prevents a large number of ambitious young men from realizing their full potential. Speaking of his own times, he observes, “No one taught us how to think. It was all reactive… those who did well-had the vision.”
Also to blame is the lack of respect for knowledge in India: “The industries just want profit. They do not spend money on development.” From his experience, he also recounts that it is important to be able to “smell money, to get through the thick of contracts… and negotiations”.
Regarding his new found mission, Mr. Duttagupta eagerly informs, “I have created a training module on “Mind Management” based on the concepts of Vedanta, Buddhism, Neuroscience and Zen Meditation. I had the opportunity to make a presentation on “Mind Management” in L&T at their Learning Center at Lonavla, Rotary Club and also to IIT Alumni. He strongly believes that it is essential to forego nationalistic feelings, appreciate other cultures and embrace globalization.
You can write to Bhaskar Duttagupta at raksahb.74@gmail.com
