Looking back: How he became the Naik of L&T

A young engineer who was walking on the workshop floor once saw a distasteful sight. One of the big bosses was screaming at an employee. Something about that sight and the way the employee was being insulted made the engineer quit the job, in spite of appreciation for his own work and quick rise in the company, though it was only his first job. No pleas could change his mind.  

Without a job in hand, he took a pay cut to join a company called Larsen & Toubro. A young AM Naik had nothing to complain about. He was full of glee because he had wanted to be there right after his engineering course. But, the large company and its slick employees had intimidated him, then. His rise in L&T was slow and steady as the people had to come to appreciate his technical knowledge, incisive mind, industriousness and most of all—unflinching dedication to the company.

The Gujarati boy who was educated in a village still had some ground to cover. As he reached the management level, he knew that his English was poor. Back then, the company was staffed with white-collared, league educated people. Naik called in BBC audio records from London and would listen to them every day in the morning. He would stand in front of the mirror and practice his diction. Years later, Naik was glib at club lunches and dinners.

Naik’s elevation to the top position came at tough times for the company and the sector. L&T had just fought off a takeover bid by none other than Dhirubhai Ambani. Grapevine says that the shareholders were so angry at the annual general meeting (AGM) of the company that the Ambani brothers--Mukesh and Anil, had to take to their heels. After that victory, L&T was caught in between a rock and a hard place. Old timers say that top executives of other companies would snicker on the sly, as Naik walked into business congregations during those days.

Years after that, Naik built and strengthened the construction order position of the business, bagged big orders and clinched international deals. Slowly, those who snickered, swallowed their smiles. The company grew and so did his stature in the stock markets and amongst industry peers.

Naik still had someone else to please -- his father. Naik’s math wizardry was taken for granted in a family which was full of such. Naik’s grandfather was famous for solving complex math problems in his mind. People would come from villages all around, to consult him in the trading community which is known to make calculated moves. Naik’s achievements were big for his father, yet were of less significance until they helped someone. A school teacher in a village, the elder Mr Naik, donated a major chunk of his savings to build a charitable hospital. He demanded his son to match his donation. A humbled Naik looked away from L&T for once, and gave enough to build an entire wing , now dedicated to his grandfather. That’s how the Naik of L&T finally won his father’s heart.