BCIL grows up

A quiet milestone went by without fanfare on Feb 13. BCIL completed 19 years and moved into its twenties.

It’s been a long journey for what was a fledgling idea and a spirit. The idea has taken root. It has turned into reality that many have accepted and bought into as customers. It has nurtured strengths and capabilities that are rated among the best in the world. It has earned testimony from across the world for not just the resolute directions that BCIL has driven, but also for the success that it has achieved.

It is hard to say whether it could have accomplished more; there will always be the feeling that we could have been a company with greater accomplishment and greater reach on the market.

We have built assiduously and with determination. We have worked hard, with results that some say is not good enough, some say amounts to nothing significant at all, some say is envious for the daring the courage to stay the course on sustainability. It’s been a long ride, alright, from 1994 when the company struggled into form.

It has seen five economic cycles and it has weathered each of them with dignity and doggedness of spirit.

The credit goes to all those who have shown courage and determination in the face of the worst of odds. Many have sacrificed earnings and time and work hours in order to make it happen.

Happy Birthday, BCIL! But more important is the debt of gratitude for many who have made it happen, starting from Burjor Kothawalla and Kanchan Kaur, who were among those who grew the organization in its infancy. Viren Varma, now no longer with us, who gave BCIL the first push of encouragement to get BCIL born. That was in May 1994, nearly a year before the company was born.

People like Basavaraj and Ajay Chandrashekhar were also part of the initial growing up. There were then many others who came in and gave their lot to help the company grow by the inch while it stayed on course through the difficult years. Selvaraj has grown to be an important brick in the wall. Others like Shobha have been on the sidelines but part of the scene.

There are many from the distant past who visit us and are surprised that the company is doing as well as it is today. And their surprise comes perhaps from the fact that most of them had never given a chance to BCIL for its ability to last as long.

Into the future, growth is assured because of the inherent strength that the company has built into its DNA under the able leadership of professionals of an extraordinary kind, the next set of generals. They are set to steer the company towards greater strength and consolidation. The depth built with the rest of the officers today is also going to be part of that story for the next five year.

Their commitment is extraordinary. Their faith in the values and ability to steer business is beyond the normal. BCIL has come the distance, and is set to take on the next decade of growth.

Says Sanjay, “We are good for at least three more projects and it’s about time we got to launching them and proving our prowews.” I recall Vinay saying a couple of years ago, “We can do twice as much as projects as we have now on hand.” With Dinesh’s extraordinary talent at technology and value engineering, the team is well set to deliver. Amiy Roy captured it well, “To me BCIL is still a start-up. There is the vitality and energy that you find only in baby.”