- Shyamal Aroskar, Regional Director at Institute Of Indian Foundrymen Western Region, has been working with the manufacturing sector
- Shyamal gains immense pleasure from supporting and mentoring women who want to be a part of the foundry business
- With more than four decades of professional exposure, Shyamal opines that hard work and the right attitude are the keys to success
Shyamal Aroskar joined the foundry, at a time when its territories were mostly paraded by men professionals. However, that would not intimidate Ms Aroskar. Born and brought up in Mumbai, Shyamal Aroskar started her career in the manufacturing sector, and she still continues to flourish in it. A woman assistant director, Shyamal Aroskar is a pioneer in educating and supporting the foundry members spanning across the country.
Shyamal had completed her B.Sc before working in the foundry lab where she had to do most of the work manually without the availability of any spectrometers. Being brought up with three brothers it became easier for Shyamal to work with male staff right from the get-go. She was the only woman working in the manufacturing units. She was not wary about it but, in fact, enjoyed working there. She is proud to have gained a lot of experience working beside male seniors under their invaluable guidance.
A journey from Lab Technician, Sabbatical & Foundry
Yes, there are certain inhibitions that prevent women from working in the manufacturing sector. At the same time, they can easily come out of it if they intend to as at the end of the day the interest has to come from within. No one can be forced to do any kind of work, says Shyamal. She spent hours in the lab working with chemicals like sulfuric acid and Nitric acid.
During the initial years, after two hours of lab work, she invested the rest of her time in expressing her interest in the manufacturing aspect of work. From the lab, she was shifted to the administrative department where she gained in-depth experience in the manufacturing unit. After that, she was on a sabbatical of 10 years as she wanted to devote time to her family. However, her determination made sure that even after the hiatus, she never lost interest and was keen on working in the same area.
Foundry, Hope on the Horizon
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Shyamal started her career at 21. Now at 65, she is the Regional Director at The Institute of Indian Foundrymen. Shyamal is the defining factor for the community which comprises not only foundry members but also the raw material and equipment suppliers. She takes care of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, however, she extends her support to members belonging to any part of the country as per their requirement.
She takes pride in imparting her knowledge to individuals and engages with them by organizing seminars, exhibitions B2B meetings in India and abroad. Shyamal believes that stepping out of the comfort zone is not easy for anyone, be it a man or a woman. “When you start work at a low level you can learn a lot from the beginning and eventually grow.”
She is hopeful about women getting opportunities in the foundry sector, a business that was once essentially dominated by men; foundry is now more inclusive and has women members as well. Shyamal gets immense pleasure in mentoring and training women members who seek her help.
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