mva title

new street bdg sm

June 1996

Sat 8th

Up at 06.00 to put together the last minute bits and pieces with Brett Copsey coming to take me to LHR in time to log on at 10.00 hrs. The ticketing arrangements and service from Air Canada worked perfectly and I had a window seat in row 2 of a Jumbo all to myself. Electrically operated fully reclining seat with footrest pillows and blanket. Fine food on china plates fully liberalised drinks for them that wanted them. Pity I had a bit of a sleep in between!

Sun 9th

00.20 Delhi time we landed taxied to within half a mile of the parking bay and an apologetic captain had to explain that because we were early we had to wait! - and at the appointed time 00.44 we were allowed to dock! Incidentally it was announced that the temperature was 33deg C at that time! The Air Canada admin. was impeccable - my name was called over the intercom and along with 3 others we were eased through all the formalities and I had a minder who even saw me into a car to take me to the Hilton while assuring me that another would come to pick me up at 04.00 to take me to the domestic airport.

We set off and a 45 minute hard drive later I was deposited at the Hilton where I was told that my stay for all of 2 hours could include breakfast either in the restaurant or my room! So after being taken to the wrong room first - occupied - on the second floor I was whisked up to the 17th to room 2704. I lay down for an hour, managed a shower, nicked the shampoo and staggered down to brekewekky.

Sure enough the car came at 04.15 and I found myself at 05.00 through all the formalities and security waiting for my 07.00 flight IC401 to Calcutta. In my pocket I had a complimentary invitation to take my ease in the Port Lounge as I was an Executive Class traveller the only trouble was that it did not exist! So I whiled away the hour and a half with the plebes.

The flight was called and we were all in our places by 06.55 door shut and all. And another apologetic captain had to admit that he was not allowed to start his engines because the runway was over-booked! So we waited for 45 minutes until he was. Good flight with perfect attention and into a brand new Domestic Terminal with Krishnan there to meet me - but, of course, I was last out because they had done me the honour of loading my bag first because I was Executive Class! K then said that Page was also due in but his flight was also delayed and he would join us later.

We set off with him explaining very diffidently that they had put me in a guest house but that I was to say immediately if I was not suited and I would immediately be moved to a Hotel. The Guest House is an extremely large flat in a 5 storey building owned by ACC used exclusively by their directors. I have a large well- appointed room, en suite of course and servants to cater for my every whim. It is a hard life! K and I talked for a while then I put my feet up for a hour while Page arrived and we had lunch followed by siesta till 16.00 when two (!) cars for the three of us took us to see the green field site - block corner plot with main roads on three sides West, North and East and I was asked politely and firmly which way would I want the buildings oriented and would I approve them facing due East.

Certainly I said so that is how they are going to be. I did give Page an attack of consternation by appearing to consider facing North as that, apparently would not be an auspicious direction. Well, how was I to know! We then toured round the industrial part of Salt Lake as I remembered it and then headed back into Calcutta proper. By this time, of course, it was pitch dark and every man, woman, child and dog were out for a Sunday evening stroll.

Driving here is hair raising fun and must be taken as such or you retire gibbering. There appears to have been enormous strides in the development of Calcutta since Keith and I were here last especially in Salt Lake City where good accommodation is spoiled by poor and unfinished roads. It is the usual, outside does not matter as long as the inside is immaculate.

On returning to the Guest House a man called Air arrived who was with CEL and was responsible for their ferrite capability on the microwave side, I think. A nice tubby little chap, my age, with an eye problem so we arranged that if I looked out for him he could listen in for me. We had dinner and Page announced that we would breakfast at 09.00 and leave at 09.30 for a meeting at 10.00 with Mr Gupta, Controller of Eastern Region for ACC, at Brabourne Road.

Mon 10th

Got to our meeting on time and I was able to assure Gupta, in whose Guest House I am living, that I was delighted and honoured to be there. General chit chat and tacit agreement that the project to production would be 13 months as Dr Ganguly had told him I had said and that now I am here things will be progressed by me very rapidly. There are apparently two competing civil works consultants/ contenders and it would not surprise me if in the next day or two I was not faced by them to choose one.

This is not just our technology transfer but is also for quartz products and ultra hard coatings. Went on from him to meet T Batacharaya, General Manager of the Falta operation. I got on well with him and he was well informed about our 20T trouble and it was obvious that all the criticism and suggestions back from us were being actioned to improve the product which will be resolved in the next three months.

When Page appeared he was asked if he could allow me enough time to visit Falta while I am here. So I expect that might be a Sunday jaunt. Over to Salt Lake City, SLC, from now on to the two floors Page has taken in a house as an office base. One room has had AC fitted + 2 desks, one for Page and one for me. All the lads including a subdued Suresh were lined up to greet me and we had a jolly old reunion. Then down to work.

I decided we should take the schematic layout I had approved and to go through it area by area deciding and qualifying each and every piece of equipment. By working till after 20.00 we have just about finished the Machine Shop and I think I am now having to go to Gaziabad as well as Baroda, Bangalore and Bombay. Back to the GH on my own because Nair and Page have been banished to a Hotel because some ACC directors want the rooms. Hence well fed write this and so to bed for a 06.30 reveille and Krishnan coming at 08.00.

I am still stone deaf in my right ear and I am finding it very difficult to follow conversations as apparently when we have two ears a lot of our hearing is filtering and spatial information that when it is all pouring in one ear this cannot be done.

Tues 11th

Krishnan here on the dot of 08.00 and we roared off to SLC office. A remarkably easy trip achieved in 25 minutes and have spent the whole day there and am now back here at 20.30. Krishnan will be back for me at 08.15 tomorrow. Upal (? I think) the man servant has brought me my Limca and has promised dinner for 21.15. Always a surprise awaits. At the office we pressed on with trying to specify the presses we need with Nair trying to force me into demanding a Dorst - but that costs Rs.1.1 M and we can get nearly 3 ordinary ones for that.

Anyway I have asked Manesty to quote Page for an F3 like ours and a 16 stage rotary as well. It has been a struggle all the way with presses in that for the isostatic I was faced with about 6 quotes from all over the world all except National Forge less than ours - BUT for much smaller and less pressure units and I was left with having to appear subjective and at the same time advocating our gun barrel which does in fact have the better specification.

There is, however, a serious problem that ACC will have with Indian Customs who will insist that there is full provenance of worth and manufacture and we, Hiltek will have to take responsibility as the manufacturer of an isostatic press and will probably have to have its value independently assessed by an engineer appointed by who knows! The same problem can apply to everything else we supply as our prerogative so it is not going to be an easy ride with the sphere grinders, cavities etc. etc.

Phoned Mark and sicced him onto the problem. Phoned Bob Devine to send Page a quote for Goretex bags and Terry Norton for a quote for a 150 ton press. In summary we have now agreed all the machine tools, Schaefer equipment, micronisers and balance rooms and most of the prep areas. The bit we are all dreading - the furnace room awaits us tomorrow. I have had my dindins, totally Indian and very enjoyable. Soup, curdled cream of something possibly sweet corn, curried chicken, curried veg, dhal, rice, chapatis, popadams and a thick sweet yoghurt that I am assured is a speciality of Bengal. I don't care I love it.

Wed 12th

Back at the GH again at the usual time of 20.45 or, at least, it looks like becoming a habit. At the table in my room Limca to hand doing the first part of this till dinner time at 21.15. Krishnan was here at 08.15 and we were in residence at SLC again surprisingly by o8.45. Scorching hot but the AC soon had the office bearable and we started in with the furnaces! Nair had obtained quotes from all round the world and to my relief confirmed that he would not trust any of the indigenous suppliers to make furnaces to our needs.

The quotes were all over the place and I had to tell Singhal to go away and organise them into a form we could look at. He and Rajiv disappeared and I settled down to read the specs from the Japanese, German, US and UK/Indian manufacturers. The more I read the more convinced I became that the three suppliers we provided viz. SG Furnaces, Carbolite and Mike Lockwood were better. While the others were out trying to sort out the various quotes a ding-dong battle raged within around the relative merits and demerits of Moly disilicide v. Silicon carbide where obviously Nair could not see beyond moly and I and others, variously, wanted carbide. In the end I had to come the heavy hand and say that if they wanted to insist on moly then that was their decision.

The back-pedalling by Nair was so vigorous that he fell over himself. Of course it was my decision how could I possibly think otherwise! We left the office to stretch our legs and Krishnan whispered that it was getting a little hot wasn't it? Singhal and Rajiv re-appeared with a listing which was a complete hotchpotch so we started again with a simplified chart taking three sizes of furnace and listing the quoted prices. I was delighted that all our prices were better than the ones Nair had found and on balance Mike Lockwood had the best set of prices.

Based on that the decision was get him to quote for 16 furnaces 7 off 1 cu. ft., 4 off 2 cu. ft., 4 off 10 cu. ft. and 1 off 30 cu. ft. top hat. I, also, suggested that we should ask him to include in his quote for moly elements as an option - so I am in Nair's good books again. I phoned Mike and asked to do the necessary addressed to Page and could he make sure he faxed at least the budgetary quote and specs by tomorrow. He sounded a bit gob smacked!

We now have firm and presumptive agreements on all the preparation and up to and including machine shop equipment as well as the mechanical inspection requirements. They have also accepted the sphere grinders and 2 micronisers as well as the gun barrel provided we can satisfy Indian Customs! They take this problem very seriously and as well as getting us (i.e. Mark to investigate) they are asking their own people to test the waters. Singh from Falta phoned me to say the he and a colleague were going to a conference in Pittsburgh on ferric oxide and would be in London 4/5th July and would like to see us - I invited them warmly.

Told Mark when I spoke to him urging a response to the customs problem. I also asked him to chase up Dave Juneman for his quote. Suresh is with us in a much changed guise he says little (!) listens (!!) and the others give him all the odd jobs to do. Krishnan told me that as a result of my briefing of him he had a long heart to heart with S who admitted his shortcomings and promised to try to improve. It might, just might, be working. Actually I hope so but especially for Page's sake as he took him on. Well I have had my dindins - mutton, mainly bones, but nevertheless tasty, sweet corn soup and shondesh for afters. I have celebrated with a bottle of Keith's favourite Black Label from Kalyani and so 'Good night!'

Thur 13th

What a bloody day! Away as usual at 08.15 and a nice quiet trip into SLC. Started an early morning wash-up with Krishnan while we were on our own and managed to establish a fairly straightforward summary shewing that we more or less had just the electronics lab to deal with and for that I was expecting Dalal and Suresh. Page and Nair arrived, then Nair disappeared and much later I found them in with him having a heart to heart.

Bad vibes, and I was right as the three of them arrived severally and we got done to business. We started with 4pMs and they didn't want the Hiltek technique as Nair had found some stand alone fancy flashing lights automatic gear - I hate to think how much it costs. We then had the same issue with Tc and B/H at which point I was ready to go home. So I told them that if that was what they wanted and wished to ignore our recommendation then they had better not expect me to support or give my approval as this went far beyond approving indigenous alternative suppliers.

I was only prepared to approve the Hiltek methods with either original or suitable alternative gear if the original was no longer available. Take it or leave it! Impasse! A great babble ensued where they tried to assure me that it wasn't them honest mister it was their customers who would be asking them how they measured various parameters and if they couldn't say something like ASTM they wouldn't be believed.

This has gone on and off all day. There are some real problems in that the MI agent Blue Star appear to be playing silly b's and that some of the types and model nos. do not match up with what is now available. Hence tomorrow morning I am to await their arrival to discuss the genuine problems. I sent them away to use Mark's consolidated list to highlight those items they could not obtain and why. I had a long talk with Page again about the isostatic vessel and its second-hand nature and pointed out forcefully to him that the steel was the only thing old (and that was a strong plus) and that otherwise it was brand spanking new, so there.

He then said who will repair it if I was not around to do it - what is wrong with Stansted says I to which he had no reply. I think they have a problem with our quote - perhaps we overcooked it a tiny bit! They do have alternative quotes but only for much smaller vessels and half the pressures which are cheaper. I have insisted that they get a quote for a vessel and spec nearer ours.

The whole situation has made me fed up and in the journey back from SLC with Krishnan he was saying that much of it stemmed from Page's natural secretiveness and I am inclined to add Nair's input as an indigenous expert (and why do you need anyone else) as he has made tons of microwave ferrite in his time with CEL to the tune of 4 Dorst presses running full time! Enough of this tomorrow is nearly here and after my Dalal/Suresh session Krishnan is coming for me to take me to meet the consultants Humphreys & Glasgow who, contrary to belief, have not yet been appointed and from hints from Page may yet not be, as there is someone else they know better.

So I have not to tell them anything about the project except that it is a microwave ceramic process. I think I shall have to have a showdown with them tomorrow! Good night I shall sleep on it.

 Fri 14th

Despite asking for an extra hour in bed this morning - on the spot of 06.30 morning tea appears! what the hell it is only sleep. Dallied for brekkers but was ready by 09.00 for Dalal and Suresh who didn't appear until 10.00. While I was waiting for them Dr Gosh came over and introduced himself - I had been briefed by Page that he was here and that he was a main board director and governor of this that and the other bank. A few minutes chat exchange of cards, nice man. D&S arrived with Nair! He drives me potty with his harsh strident shouting.

This time Dalal had a list of comments but at least by the time I had ploughed through them with them we were left with five more or less trivial problems to sort out with Mark which I did later. So when they have departed and cleared my suggestions we should have electronics lab agreement - maybe! Then Nair arranged for the rep of the tabletting tool company to come in and shew his wares. Sure enough there was a single station labelled SSF3 that looked, down to the dent in the casting so to speak, an exact replica of our Manesty offered at Rs.59000 with a set of disc tools at Rs.500. The 19 station rotary press capable of pressing up to 48 mm discs came in at Rs.190000 and a whole Rs.800 for a tool set and probably Rs.1200 for a carbide set. He would check.

I need to see these machines and I think that is arranged for Tuesday. We shall see. Krishnan appeared late because of terrible traffic problems caused by the chap who was prime minister for 13 days making a speech to the assembled masses in the business heart of Calcutta. So our car could not get within a quarter of a mile of the H&G premises. So we got out and walked even having to cross the equivalent of the M25. Eventually you point imperiously to the ground in front of the on-coming traffic and walk. It seems to work but God knows why.

The Indians seem to be voluble, volatile and yet immensely patient. At H&G we were welcomed and as expected I found myself up front on the white board explaining what we wanted without telling them anything. I was getting on fine confusing the hell out of them as to our actual product until Nair jumped in and said we had a black and white line which I then passed off as our own local apartheid! Half way through the session we were told that the building was totally cut off because of the political rally out front and very apologetically they brought in truly native Indian food from the local street vendors as the only sustenance available - a non-veg Chinese Indian curry chow mien and a thick sort of chapati rolled round a vegetarian veg curry.

All thoroughly enjoyable although the chow mien was vindaloo hot and Krishnan had to give it best. No problems so far. The meeting went well and Page then asked what I thought of them and would they do? So I confirmed my impression that they did know their business and could certainly cope with the project especially I liked the two Ganguly & i's. Page said good so I could then convince the third. So now I know why I was there - to vet the consultants. I do get very tired of getting the feeling that I am kept in a cupboard and on occasion taken out, dusted, prodded to perform and then put back again. Perhaps I shall have to have this out with Chatterjee.

After the meeting I was given a whistle stop tour of H&G and we were escorted out through a series of back alleys till we found our car. Calcutta is hot oppressive smelly and sweaty on a scorching mid afternoon in June! Nair and I then back to SLC with Krishnan and Page following on behind after visiting Calcutta office.

I managed to have a long talk with Krishnan and it emerged that the paperwork we are providing is not wanted till commissioning and they really need proper layout drawings of equipment, services to equipment, process layout and in general all the schematic drawings necessary to enable the consultants to draw up the detail planning drawings ready for the architect. He also said that he recommended strongly to Mark that he needed to employ some specialists to help preparing the right documents because he recognised that we did not have the time, infrastructure or expertise necessary to do the professional thing. There is plain talking for you! He shrugs and says so now we have to do it for you. Tomorrow same time start 06.30 back to SLC and a fairly hard embarrassing day I reckon. Anyway got back here at 21.50 dindins at 22.00 and now it almost the witching hour!

Sat 15th

It has been a long day. Krishnan came for me at 08.15 and it is now 21.35 and it has been a hard slog all the way trying to finalise the equipment list in a fashion suitable for the project consultants to use as a starting document. The fear I have had all along that the contract did not spell out in enough detail our actual contractual obligations is coming home to roost. We have said we will supply all documents and they are now saying everything needs a document. Krishnan is right we should have engaged a consultant versed in preparing preliminary technology transfer documents even if it was just to tell what ones to prepare and why.

This is because in reality we are using their people to do our work and they are very conscious of it and I am being made to feel the stigma. That having been said I have now almost agreed the full set of equipment specs and type nos. for everything except the microniser and the isostatic. The isostatic may actually be agreed but I wont know that until they give me back the final list to authorise.

The microniser is back in the pot and I have said that we will need to re-quote much higher! I intend to phone Mark on Monday and ask him to get Myron on board (and I hope he is not in the Ukraine!) to draw up the new box, the frame, the pipework, the hopper, the vibrator feed in fact the whole works. Krishnan apologised saying that he had agreed that they could do that part under my guidance and he was now proved to be wrong ( Page the while turning the thumb screws).

I think one of the difficulties they are facing now in their new circumstances is that all these facilities are now 1500 miles away in Bombay and if they ask for any help it becomes a project and they are charged and it takes 12 months - so it is easier to pay us to do what we should have done in the first place! I have also agreed to ask Mark to send a photo of the microniser to shew H&G or whoever gets appointed.

These people are used to putting up steel mills soda plants etc. etc. and my reference to a jet mill has an image in their minds of something the size of a double Decker bus. Had to break off briefly for dindins but back now at 22.35. Not too sure what I had but was quite flavoury. Enough of the process equipment now for the electronics lab! What a session 13.00 till 20.30 and virtually nothing agreed for a myriad different reasons.

Principally because Page has not involved himself in ANY of the details and when he was faced with a list of a few hundred items to purchase he had kittens. At this I gave up and said that we could happily buy all these items for them but it would cost them many rupees. So he is thinking about that.

I think also that Page somehow had the idea that each test rig had neat little tranny which took the sample you twiddled a knob and it spat out the answer. He kept saying to me you do not have all this testing and I said we had that and a lot more. I hope a quiet Sunday and wet towel round the head will give him solace and me some decisions on Monday. Krishnan has promised to phone me tomorrow at about 10.00 to see if we can go out somewhere for a quiet time as he says. I can do with it and I am grateful that I am not going to Kalyani as I thought.

Sun 16th

A quiet day, up at 08.00, breakfast at 09.00 and both Page and Krishnan turned up at 10.45. Tea and chit-chat and it was off to Howrah and the botanical gardens approached from a most unprepossessing entrance amid a squalor and clutter hard to imagine if not actually seen. Through a gate opened after a peremptory blare on the horn, declaring unequivocally 'No vehicular traffic allowed in gardens!'

We drove up to some entrance lodge manned by half a dozen babus with nothing to do but look officious. Krishnan went in chatted, came out and we prepared to move off. Great agitation from within gesturing at me to go to the lodge. Much consternation in the car from Page, Krishnan and the driver before they let me out having decided that they wanted to check my passport. In the end all that they wanted me to do was to sign the visitors book and record my passport number in it to authenticate the entry. They had captured a foreign devil and it gave them kudos and we in our vehicle could proceed with their blessing.

The gardens are vast set out along a couple of miles stretch of the West bank of the Hooghly in a sort of elongated pear shape split into 5/6 acre parts each devoted to the flora of different areas of the world. These were interspersed with a huge greenhouse (in an outside noon temperature of 35+!) which turned out to be full of cacti and succulents, a vast covered structure which declared itself as 'The Palm House' (shut so we did not go in) and inter alia, a 2 acre medicinal plant area. To a botanical philistine like me lack of labels on trees etc. made it difficult to appreciate but their is no doubt that it is a botanical wonderland for those who know.

We finished up at what is reputed to be the worlds largest Bunyan tree over 240 years old spreading over a radius of 240 metres providing a beautifully shady canopy. Then back over the new Howrah bridge which was being rebuilt for the umpteenth time when Keith and I came here, to try and get the two ends to co-incide in the middle! This is an amazing structure as long as the Dartford crossing but chunkier with an amazing pattern of intertwining roads creating a tortuous spaghetti mass on both sides of the river. You come round a vast ring to be faced with say 5 concrete strips leading out and not a sign post in sight.

Then there was virtually no traffic either and when I remarked on this Krishnan said it is not used because it was a toll bridge! By Indian standards a superb well constructed road interlinking system almost to European standards but unused. The toll fee is Rs.7 (14p) and Krishnan said that automatic tolls are fitted but, of course, don't work - probably sabotaged to keep more people employed he thought.

We did a bit of a tour round Calcutta ending up at the Kenilworth Hotel where apparently Krishnan is lodged (Rs.2000 a day when I asked) and he has been there for a month. Looks like a good standard 5* place but I am happy at the Guest House. We had lunch there and Page can now chalk up another brownie point with Ganguly in that he has provided me with the taste of HILSA when others had failed!

I was not looking forward to the experience as I have fought my way through mouths full of fresh water fish bones and it is not pleasant! Amazing  - hilsa, as served anyway, with not a bone in sight a lovely, firm, dense fish remarkably tasty and enjoyable. Page and Krishnan had never heard of it and Page was happy to let me be the guinea-pig. Anyway back to a siesta and while the day away and girded ready for Krishnan to come for me at 08.00 tomorrow.

Mon 17th

I had a very bad night and as the day wore on it got steadily worse. I gave myself an Arret so at least that end was at bay, but by the time I got back I was running quite a temperature with aches and pains all over. Took a cocodomol which gave me relief from all the pains etc. and having stuck to copious draughts of water and a fluid dinner I did get a good sleep. But I now have to write up two days in one. Krishnan and Page disappeared to Calcutta office to sort out the fencing round the plot and I did not see them until about 19.30.

A relief really because I was not up to coping with them. So I had a succession of the lads all with a tale to sort out but luckily most of the time was with Amit and Singhal on the base equipment which really all resolved except for the isostatic press. I have told them the best technical option, for all reasons, is the gun barrel. The ABB vessel would serve them too but they would find it inconvenient to use and restricting in the end. It almost seems that I am being expected to take responsibility for their decisions as well as ours.

A lot of talking, a lot of lists, a lot of frustration and fever was the impression of the day. Various chats to Mark after Goatham's prodding and that is all. Collapsed in bed and had a good night's sleep thanks, I think to cocodomol.

Tue 18th

Now up to date having got in early by 20.30 and am now awaiting dins. I think my man here thinks I am still an invalid and I am going to be fed on Chicken soup! Anyway away this a.m. by 08.20 with Amit to see Philips who were just installing a new surface grinder. ELB made under licence in India from German know-how. Good sturdy machine but it still has to prove its ability to produce chip free ferrite grinding, so as I told Amit afterwards I still need to see the factory and results.

Then rushed back to SLC,  but perhaps that is not the right description because it does imply progression at, at least, a 10 mph gallop. Back to the same old stalemate of 4pMs and the isostatic. I was right it was chicken soup only he called it stew, chapati, plain curd and a sweetmeat he called chum-chum. Nair is back in the guest-house but, thank God, he is in session with Sinha and not us. I tried to release the magnetisation log-jam by telling them to send off the samples of ferrite I had brought to the four houses they said were using the VSM method and seeing what they made of them. I pointed out that the actual measured value was immaterial just to try and gauge the 1% tolerance claimed by the method.

You have never seen such a plethora of difficulties that suggestion has raised. I wont go into them I do want some sleep, but I will keep plugging away at them. The isostatic does not want to go away. I have said again technically Hiltek but ABB will do. They can choose and even with that Page is not happy. I don't know what else to do as I am not prepared to perjure myself to them. One excuse Page put forward was that Suresh could not open the gun barrel himself and I am afraid I snapped back that Suresh was not capable of opening a paper bag.

Anyway the furnaces are agreed and I phoned Mike Lockwood to get him to quote for a specific set of furnaces and sizes 16 in all as the first phase of the furnace population. So when I get the various things I have requested from Sittingbourne it is just magnetisation and isostatic left to resolve. It is just after 22.00 I am going to try and have an early night.

Wed 19th

Up at 07.00 as usual and Amit came for me at 08.15 to go and see a lathe in the southern fastness of Calcutta. We had to be there by 09.30 but actually made it by 09.15. It is the usual situation out here - everyone is totally vague about distances, they tend to work with journey times but the margin of uncertainty even in this is equally woolly. It was supposed to be 20 km which in our terms, even in London, could only mean 30 minutes and we took an hour moving all the time and were in fact well into the countryside (though that was difficult to appreciate from the melee of people around). Anyway enough of that - saw the lathe, liked what I saw and with bellows on the bed and lead screws it will make a perfect 'green' turning lathe.

We took our leave of the owner of the company, Indian Chains, and they sure did that including testing chains up to 500 tonne loads. He was a little put out we did not have time to take tea with him but having saved a bit of time we wanted to capitalise on it. How wrong could we be? We left there at 09.35 and should have been in SLC by 11.00 at the latest - 12.45 we made it having sat immobile in a solid jam in College Street for the extra time with literally at times no more that 2" between the surrounding vehicles and ourselves. It was certainly not possible to open any of the doors.

Picture the scene, this was a normal two lane carriageway with six streams of traffic across it, because it is one way today, a dense pack of milling crowds as well as sundry bicycles scooters and the like, all sitting patiently for something to move so that they could jump into the space. In the end the whole bog up had been occasioned by a group of about 20 or 30 fully laden pedal powered tri-cycle trucks pushing their way against the stream i.e. the wrong way!! (Just suffered Nair's company at dins - I do have problems with that man!) When we finally cleared the jam and got to SLC and then went straight on to see the Praga (Jones & Shipman) surface grinder.

Exact copy, 10 years old, well abused but still with good slides everything working and next to no backlash anywhere. So I do not have a problem giving Praga a clean bill of health. Spent the afternoon giving another 'Consultant' firm the spiel. So still no firm is appointed - but Page said that his hands have been tied by Bombay. I really do not know what to make of him sometimes. Krishnan made a point of saying he is very sensitive and he would not have much compunction in just finding another job. Anyway he is picking me up in the morning so I will chat to him some more.

He is also arranging my trips round India to see the firms that are important in Delhi, Baroda and Bombay so it is beginning to look like sometime late next week before I can get home, I will know more tomorrow. I am not down to see Mathai, the project man, until Friday much to my consternation and I said so to Page who looked surprised and pained saying that I had spoken to him just now what else? I just cannot get through to him that without long discussions with somebody like Mathai any planning and layout we do is just so much waste of time with a project like ours.

He is the sort of man I expected to be spending most of my time with this trip and I am not being given that opportunity. I wonder why? Getting on for 23.00 kip time I think.

Thur 20th

Krishnan came for me as usual at 08.15 and we managed to have a serious but, I think, open chat on some of my concerns and in particular Page's machinations as I saw them. Page's trust and perhaps even ACC's was and is to some extent, still, badly shaken by Hiltek's flirtation with Trak. I am not sure how but they considered that situation as a serious breech of faith and I think a lot of the undercurrent which has been very heavily debilitating for me has arisen from this.

For this reason this may be why they are very reluctant to accept 'Hiltek' equipment like the isostatic press and we say wham bam thank you ma'am and disappear. I do not know how to counter this , words don't count I have found. I have told Krishnan that the trips he is arranging for me he must also ensure that I can have a session with AKC and Dr Ganguly. I can start trying to build bridges from that point. Naturally, every time we pressure them, in the present climate, for the next slice of money fuels their paranoia. I think that when we approached Eastgate, if we had told them what was on our mind they would have matched at least the arrangement and even if not would have been in the picture and continued to trust us.

If I am right I will try to salvage what I can when I get to see the good doctors. Today was spent doing bits and pieces trying to tie together the strands ready for signing off but it aint half ponderous. Krishnan started with plan A for my visits West and homeward move this morning and by this evening we are at plan E. This states we, Krishnan, Nair and me, leave for Delhi on Sunday p.m.; see a grinder manufacturer on Monday; take the evening flight to Ahemabad to visit the tabletting press manufacturer on Tuesday and then fly into Bombay on Tuesday night; Wednesday we go to see SpeedFam and check out their claim to fine grind; Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be devoted to seeing lathe, press and other sundry equipment manufacturers as well as my other two important interviews.

Perhaps in a European context this may not seem a heavy schedule until you realise that every change of venue usually requires a bone-shaking, hair-raising drive of 2 hours or more. I hope I will get my session with Mathai tomorrow. Sinha phoned and said he would like to come to the Guest House tomorrow night for a quick chat which I am looking forward to. As you will have gathered from Plan E I am stuck with Nair until at least Bombay so I had better make the most of it. We came back in the car together and he has been all affable and friendly, inviting me into his room for a chota peg before dinner and easy chat during. I wonder if he has been told to mend bridges! Bed time now!

Fri 21st

Left as expected at 08.15 and it is now 22.00 I have just had my dinner and taken the staff's photo in case I don't have any time later. SLC was a series of discussions with most of the staff in turn starting with Goatham based on a doodle I had done on costing for the first year and the most optimistic amount of material I could see them producing, assuming a start in June '97. The sums worked out at 3 tonnes gross of which I supposed 2 tonnes was YIG and 1 tonne spinel/ dielectric, then with 70% losses to development, R&D, prep, machining and general wastage we were left with 600 Kg of YIG to sell.

Having costed the raw materials doubled it for labour and first tier O/Hs and then added various %s for G&A, S&A, R&D, HO and profit I came to £485 per Kg or Rs.24,225. Translating all that to annual T/O we get Rs.2.5 Cr. Goatham went away thoughtful but I had a hard time with Page who is greedy. I convinced him in the end that he is not making cement and winding up with 600 Kg represents process losses. All these futile discussions just underlines just how easily misconceptions can arise and just how many ends a wrong stick can have.

Further talks on the equipment lists with Singhal, Amit and Rajiv and Bharat and Suresh on the electronics lab have essentially tied it all up apart from those pieces I am still to assess on my visits this coming week. Mathai was held up in Kalyani today but has phoned and promised all day tomorrow if required (and Krishnan said he was also prepared for Sunday too.) So it does seem to be coming together at last. Page announced that I was to pay my respects to Gupta and we were to be at the Calcutta office by 16.00.

We arrived at 16.15 having met the usual bog-ups and finally got in for a friendly chat and coke at 18.00. The intervening period having been spent trying to unearth the faxes we have been awaiting - especially Mark's which is still not found. Krishnan came back with me to the guest house so that we could talk in private without Nair's or anyone else's interference. I was delighted as it was his suggestion not mine.

We discussed freely all my caveats and misgivings and we have arrived at an understanding of the form of interim report we can all sign. This will contain clearly the exact conditions for authorising the invoice if there are deemed to be any outstanding points and if there are none to so declare. Krishnan will prepare this while I am busy with Mathai. All told a better day and I think I see light at the end. Krishnan has given me my tickets and come 14.05 on the 30th I should be back in blighty.

 Sat 22nd

Off to SLC with Nair and Krishnan at 08.15. It is a long time since I took such a dislike to anyone as I have to Nair - he is in your space at 100 dB's all the time, buts straight across a syllable if he feels like it! Went through the electronic equipment list with Bharat and Suresh agreed everything had been clearly put. A few small outstanding points which I have noted to clear up on my return. Then Mathai came and we got down to discussing the schematic layout by my going through the process in fine detail, he followed it, commented on it and even promoted critical views. Krishnan joined us and took notes on what was wanted by him in his negotiations with architects and the like. A straight and easy man to work with and I felt that we were getting on well especially trying to ignore Nair.

I feel he now understands what we are trying to achieve and the essentials of the process. The dual channel idea remains, black and white, but otherwise the whole concept has amended to 15 to 20k factory rather than 30k as was. We have managed to discuss water which has to be supplied in the form of softened, filtered, demin and drinking. And you thought water was water! ducting, working environment, dust control and electrics came and went with understanding and Singhal was seconded to start sketching a new layout. I said that this was exactly the tasks and progress I expected to be doing when I came. Anyway I am reasonably confident that if Krishnan is left to it with Mathai all will be well. The whole office turned out i.e. the 8 trainees plus Page, the accounts chap whose name I can never remember,

Mathai and the leech, Nair, to take me to lunch at a traditional Punjabi restaurant at the end of which I was presented with a tie for me and a scarf for Joan - very emotional. Back to the office, long chat to Mark to re-send faxes etc. and finish off talks with Mathai. It was getting on for 19.30 by now and Mathai took his leave as he had to get back to Kalyani and I was looking forward to doing a little loose end gathering when Page hit me with the fact that there is no in progress analysis routine i.e. carrying out analysis of the ferrite mix at each step. I said we keep samples at each stage and go back to analyse them if a problem arises. Ah but that is history what about in process control, he says.

Eventually as I was getting more and more worked up I told him straight that if he wanted to burden himself with in process routine analysis he could sort it out for himself or he could ask us to do it and we would give him a quote for same. But it was never part of our process and I did not intend it to be and it had never hitherto been mentioned by anyone. 22.00 before we got back to the guest house and after a chat to Krishnan I hope we can sort it out tomorrow because it is back there to the grind at 08.45. I have still emphasised to Krishnan that I must leave with a crystal clear statement of the second cheque situation. It must either be cleared forthwith for payment or state exactly what is required. He agrees let us hope Page does not let him down. The witching hour is upon me I am going to bed.

Sun 23rd

It is now Tuesday, I am in Bombay and this is the first opportunity to write this up I have had. So I am probably in the past tense. Normal working day starting at 08.00 with Krishnan beavering away at trying to come up with a politically acceptable report for us to give to Chatterjee and Ganguly when we, I, meet them on Wednesday at 14.00. Page Krishnan and I had long and at times quite acrimonious discussions about where we thought we were with regard to the contract. In the end Page led me down the path of the contract signed by Mark ever so gently demolishing our pathetic attempts to fulfil the terms and that he was now faced with doing our work in order to save his skin as much as ours. Hiltek signed up to provide detailed specs for all equipment, plus complete GA for the plant +++.

Page now says that they knew that we were totally under-resourced to undertake the magnitude of the detail required by the project people to be able to advise and then progress the work through an architect or consultants firm. It could only be done by Mark and me and we patently would not have the time to cope. This is why they had had Kulkarni pushing Mark so hard going over and over the requirements of the job so that he would realise the plight Hiltek would be in and say 'no we cant cope and will need help from the experts like RCD. We will provide all the information possible if they would then prepare the necessary documents which we in turn could authorise thus maintaining the integrity of the responsibility with us.' It would not have effected the value of the contract one iota because I firmly believe that the figure was fixed long before Mark arrived reflecting the RBI maximum ground rules which is what we got anyway.

The point that Page made almost in passing was that in the fortnight I have been here it has taken 6 engineers working with me 12 hours a day for 14 days to produce a document that is just about acceptable to Mathai for the equipment and test gear! WE still have no GA with its attendant layers for the services etc. nor do we have certain other detailed documents specified in the contract. By this time as you can imagine I was in despair and I said to him 'what now?' I reminded him that since I had arrived I had been wanting to talk to someone like Mathai because I knew that was the only way we could pass on the 'know-why' of the mass of information we had provided. 'Exactly,' he said, 'so now you expect me to produce all the documents you have promised to provide as written in the contract'.

This cat and mouse game went on for some time and I was feeling thoroughly mauled. We have patently failed to meet the obligations of the contract so how could we expect to be paid. The money is there and waiting for the items in the second tranche to be ticked off and it will come winging to us instantly which means 6 weeks i.e. 2 days for them, 5 and a half weeks for the RBI and 3 days for the transfer. To cut a long painful episode short Page will produce the documents, send them to me, us, to authorise so that he can try and keep the project on schedule. Obviously quickly within the next fortnight Krishnan hopes. We packed up at 17.00 dashed to Mishra's for a snack - the first of the day - together with a little something extra which was to be a disaster for me. Krishnan and I then dashed back into Calcutta for me to pack, pick up Nair and get to Dum Dum before 19.20 for the 20.20 flight to Delhi. We made it, of course, and it was a perfect 2 hour trip only 20 minutes late leaving. Nair has his home in Delhi so we took him there and Krish and I went on to the ACC guest house.

A much larger establishment than Calcutta's but not as well finished and a bit impersonal. The man ushered me into a room on the ground floor. It seemed fine to me but K started to jabber at him muttering ooper (meaning upstairs). Suffice it to say I found myself in Ganguly's room when he stays there. Anyway this shifting around took a few minutes and by the time I was alone I was about 3 seconds too late! Mishra's or someone's bug had its wicked way with me! I wont tell you what I was doing till 01.00 suffice it to say the chap at the guest house managed to get my laundry back to me in time to pack on Monday night. So now the next day!

Mon 24th

Up and away at 08.15 to see the cylindrical grinding people Parishudh Sadhan Yantra Pvt Ltd. Met their Technical Director, Venkatareddy. Excellent people with full ISO9001 approval, quite ready, willing and able to modify their small grinder to work as the Myford. Just needs a small sketch from me that I have promised. Went on to see Wadco because Nair thought they could do pneumatic presses for us. But no they only make small hand tools and the like. We eventually tracked down Kirloshkar the lathe people but they have too much on to consider an 'Ingers' mod. So no dice there.

As you may imagine this meant whisking around all over the place to Ghaziabad in one direction and God knows where in the other and of course all over Delhi itself. Thankfully the monsoons have broken in Delhi so the temperature had plummeted to a mere 28oC with the rain going from overcast drizzle to down pour then stair-rods alternately. Localised flooding everywhere. Delhi apparently has more cars than all of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras put together. In stark contrast to Calcutta though the roads are wide, good and in squares, the edges are iffy and the drivers downright mad. Took some photos but I have no idea if I have managed to capture any of the essence of the place. I still wasn't feeling right so I was glad to get back for an early night as we had to be up at 03.00 to be away by 04.00 to catch the 06.20 to Ahmabadad!

Tue 25th

Started at 03.00 and caught the plane as planned but then the skipper aborted his move and decided to take on some more fuel. So we lost about an hour and had a perfect flight to Ahmabadad (1hr30) only to find on landing that the local ACC office had not sent a car so Krishnan was forced to hire a taxi for the day (about a fiver) BUT the vehicle had no AC and the rains have not quite broken in Ahmabadad! What a town everything in profusion you name it , it is there; bullock carts, buffalo carts, rickshaws of at least 20 sorts and even camel carts. I have taken a few snaps of bits and pieces but I did not see a camel again after I got my camera out. But enough of having fun in the sweltering, non-AC, heat.

We went to see Cadmach Machinery CoPvt Ltd, met the MD, Khambhatta but spent most of the time with Vachhrajani their GM. The machines are perfect for our needs and I have quotes for the export models. Kicked our heels for three hours in the airport, just a sweat box actually and took the evening flight to Bombay. Even on the plane the AC was not working so everyone just boiled. It got a little better when we got under way and we did the hour's flight in 40 minutes, the skipper took her straight in with NO preliminaries rushed up to his docking point, cut his engines which died immediately as did ALL the power on the aircraft bringing on the emergency systems.

I reckon the skipper had a problem or two. Got in to the RCD Guest House at about 21.30 to be greeted effusively by George who wanted to feed me etc. but it was too late. I nibbled a bit so as not to hurt his feelings. The GH here has been transformed since my last visit it is magnificent. It is now 01.45 and if I am not to fall asleep during my visit to Chatterjee and Ganguly tomorrow at 14.00 confirmed I had better sign off.

Wed 26th

It is now Thursday morning when I am writing this because last night there was a power cut for about an hour and a half and when it came back on everywhere but this office block came on! I gave up and went to bed. Back to Wed. Was collected by Nair and Krishnan at 09.00 as arranged. In the two and a half years since I was here there have been many changes and improvements. Dr Chatterjee has a new suite of offices, Mr Cursetji is ensconced in Mr Page's old office as the new GM - and well deserved, etc.,etc. As we were looking around Dr C appeared and announced that he had cancelled his visit to Bangalore so our meeting at 14.00 was off and we could meet at any time during the next few days to suit our supplier visits.

We then went in to pay our respect to Mr Cursetji who surprised us by saying that he had made available to us his old office opposite and he hoped it would suffice!! What a nice man. So here I am in a nice comfortable room as a base with all mod con except an outside (international line). For that I have to worry Mr Cursetji. However it is wonderful to have somewhere lay things out. We set up and visited SpeedFam yesterday and I went through in considerable detail what they appeared to have in the fine grinding line and it does not amount to much. Stock removal is too slow 30 microns /min; 60 rpm max. speed; claiming 60 to 70% plate loading and the final killer the need to re-condition the wheels after every two or three cycles of 300 to 400 micron stock removal!! In the afternoon we went to see Gore (pronounced Goarey) who makes his own version of the Eirich mixer.

This he demonstrated to us and no doubt it works BUT it is crude in its engineering and needs considerable refining and therefore will not be pretty enough to satisfy Mr Page. His factory is some 65 Km from Bombay and he turned up complete with Neil in tow which was a wonderful surprise for me and I was able to catch up a bit on the gossip. From what I understood Neil is going to move his business out to beside Gore's. On our return I chased up ACT for the lathe quote and left a message with Bob Devine for help to deal with the Bombay office of W L Gore! All the faxes that I had talked to Mark about had arrived with only one smudged line. Since I was not able to write my piece I said 'sod it' and went to bed with a beer.

Thur 27th

Up and in our room by 09.00 picked up a fax from ACT for the lathe; arranged with Krishnan to get all the faxes sent belt and braces to Page. Nair arranged for us to go to Electropneumatics to look at hydraulic presses. I regarded Myron as a battleship engineer but these people - why use 1" when 6" will do. Good presses but monumental. Problem will arise with SLC where the press will need an underground chamber. We will need to talk to Mathai to see if this will cause an insuperable problem. We were summoned in to see Dr Chatterjee and had a very frank discussion with him the burden of the song being I was here to impart knowledge and until that information was translated into the necessary documents to enable the work to start properly and professionally then I was not to be allowed home - so all I have been able to tell Mark and Joan is that I shall not be in London on Sunday! When exactly will become clearer in the next couple of days, I hope.

Dr Chatterjee has also intimated that he wants to have a strategy meeting with us tomorrow in which we try to identify and define areas of true co-operation between our two companies i.e. by supplying product made in India through us in Sittingbourne we will be able to help establish their world-wide credentials in advanced materials. I cannot see but that this will be very helpful to both of us. AKC said that even if this became the subject of another agreement then that will also be possible. From the construction of the sentence you can hear him saying it! As additional impetus Page has been summoned to Bombay forthwith and as I write he is winging his way here. No doubt delighted to be able to see his family if a little apprehensive in regard to the forthcoming meeting.

Krishnan told me that AKC had had a note from Ganguly reminding him that I was here so that EVERYTHING could be FINALISED before I leave. AKC, of course, did not mention this but the tenor was totally forthright. I like him because he does say what is on his mind and I don't have to keep trying to look behind the subtleties for the true meaning of what is being said - this is what I find maddening about Page and even Krishnan has admitted to a certain weariness in this respect. However enough is enough 21.30 says it is time I got back to the Guest House and see what delectable George has in mind with which to stimulate my gastric juices.

Fri 28th

Not a comfortable night for no good reason. Dr Chatterjee had sent out to me a copy of ACC's house journal and I read that, quite interesting the company seems a bit patriarchal like the old Marconi, and was in bed by 23.00.  Up at 07.30 and over here by 08.30.  Had some faxes in from Mark and had Page in from Calcutta as promised so we went round the old problems and then Krishnan more or less disappeared for the day doing other things for Page. Popping back occasionally to feed me another morsel or two. The Goretex man came in as promised and I think I managed to impress on him what it is we want for ACC,   so hopefully a quote will be on its way to us soon.

Nair came in and excused himself because he had attend hospital. I found out when he re-appeared that on his way home from here last night a dog dashed out from nowhere and bit him. So the poor chap has had to go and get himself a series of Rabies injections - not the usual daily one for 21 days, very painful, but a series of about 10 extended over 2 and a half months. The injections are easy apparently but the anti-biotics they filled him with knocked him sideways. I looked at some microscopes but I did not like them. I need to look at some recent catalogues. My travel arrangements look like being roughly open ended as my tentative date is next Friday!

One of the things that Nair was at pains to explain to me was some of the machinations of Indian bureaucracy involved in any importation of capital goods. Nothing and no one is believed about anything. That is the starting point! So when you go for an import licence you need recent documentary evidence that no Indian supplier is prepared to provide equipment to meet your specification and even then it has to be a clear statement of refusal. The authorities still insist that perhaps you have not explored the Indian field thoroughly enough and say do not worry we will do it for you with your Specification. This as you can imagine takes a smidgen of time! Now you have your licence at last and can place your order and await delivery all is sweetness and light. WRONG! Now you have to deal with the customs people who have nothing to do with the licensing people and do not believe a word they say anyway. You have to convince them that you are importing what you say you are and that is identifiable, preferably from authenticated catalogues which they obtain for themselves.

Now you have the equipment it merely behoves you to pay duty, sales tax local, sales tax govt, inter state tax and anything else they can think of. Paying the supplier is just as fraught - the invoice and cheque is submitted to the RBI for authorisation along with ALL the documentation so far accumulated and you have to prove everything out all over again. No wonder they have patience. It is late again so I am packing up for the day Krishnan is in tomorrow and we are in for a busy day preparing all the base documents that are needed in the format specified.

Sat 29th

In at 08.30 and started in at deciding what needed to be done with Krishnan. We went through all the equipment listed to make sure we had everything then tried to cobble together as best we could the two specifications we needed. Meanwhile Nair who is becoming a little more bearable, was clearing up a few of the last bits and pieces. We found that because it was decided that the documents were going to be raised in SLC we had not brought enough information so quite a bit of the time was spent chasing up SLC to phone and fax info into us. It is Saturday so they had not turned up especially as both Page and Krishnan are here!

Anyway we have managed to generate quite a bit of data which enables Krishnan to start on the purchasing specs for the equipment while Nair and I work on the capacity aspects and civil specs as they call them. They have offered me a car and driver for tomorrow so I am going to try and see Neil and Prof. if they are around and since my passport is with the travel people Krishnan has lent me Rs.1000 so i can at least tip the driver when I get back. Despite having been in 5 airports none of them have had open facilities for changing cheques so I have been going around with the remnants of the Rs. 200 Mark gave me. Had enough and packed up at 21.30.

Sun. 30th             

Departed in style at 09.30 for Bombay or Mumbai as it is now known officially but of course never acknowledged so in conversation. Spent the day with Neil had lunch with Gore who is a fun guy. Then went for a trip round town a bit ending up at the Taj where I managed to get some postcards and the latest John le Carre so I have something to read. Prof. came back just as I was leaving from his trip to Goa and we had a few words but he was whacked out and I took my leave with him promising to try and visit the major capital of Europe, Billericay, in August. Back to George at 21.00.

Mon 1st July

Spent the day as promised with Nair trying to look at capacities of all the equipment in order to try and identify potential bottlenecks and consequently trying to predict where and possibly when additional investment will be required. A complete pain as a task that is totally meaningless until you know the pattern of business at least. Still it is now almost done and Krishnan and I should be able to put it to bed tomorrow. I chased up Mike Lockwood for the TH info, Malcolm Smith for drill quotes which he said he had tried to send and then just sent to Hiltek, Mark to get the latest update on all the various items I need to have from him. Nair has had to rush off to Delhi because he had an urgent call from his family to say that his daughter has been taken seriously ill - I know he is a pain but I hope he finds her improving. Krishnan has been beavering away on the specs as promised and they are now back with me to go through. It is now 21.00 I am tired it will have to wait until tomorrow morning.

Tues 2nd

Up bright and early ready to start at 08.00 but I had reckoned without the monsoon just as I was about to step out the heavens opened up and it was solid stair-rods and a 4" deep river flowing down the road in about 2 minutes! So I waited until it eased and using a borrowed brolley covered the 50 yards to the covered way. I have done the write up of the process plus 2 flow charts and Kulkarni translated  my doodles into a CAD drawing that at least looks impressive (never mind the content!). Equipment lists are now all but complete including both sets of specs.

I have finished the exercise in trying to determine the maximum capacity of the plant. It is quite frightening to see what is potentially possible when you push all the facilities to the limit. Not much more to note for the day except that we caught up with AKC in the dining room and he quizzed me on progress. I said we had done a great deal, we thought, but it was feeling a bit like the darkness before the dawn. That seemed to strike a cord with him. It is the usual 21.00 and I am even more bushed than yesterday. So cheers!

Wed 3rd

Dawned dull but relatively dry so in by 08.15. Went through all the equipment lists which Krishnan had left for me, gave all the machines numbers and got him to start a plant register. Spent time with Bosely and Krishnan while we tried to sort out a practical layout. Left Bosely putting in various layers on a plan that seems to gel for me at any rate. One thing though - the laws in India dictate that any goods for dispatch must be put through a bonded store i.e. as soon as an invoice is raised with packed goods they must go to their destination a due tax being levied. They are no longer allowed to belong to ACC. I thought they were pulling my leg when they first told me!

Anyway it looks as though dawn may just be round the corner. Krishnan and I think that we should have enough information to go to AKC tomorrow afternoon without my feeling too uncomfortable. Rumour has it that Dr G is here tomorrow as well so we may have a full house. I have my passport back and I am  booked on the 06.25 flight AI101 on Saturday morning. I have yet to find out when I land. I have written a status report to go with the 'Engineering Documents' which, hopefully, will unblock the next payment. Enough is enough for today.

Thur 4th

It has been quite a day. At breakfast I found I had a fellow guest, Dr Ganguly from NCL at Pune whom I had met at lunch, as Mr Cursetji's guest, yesterday. He apologised for being a boffin with little or no practical bent and went on to say he was here to give a presentation to the assembled dignitaries about their research in the inorganic materials field and in particular the deposition of monomolecular layers of almost any material on any substrate but, more importantly, over large areas. The process was also capable of being repeated at will.

Anyway I had to explain what I was doing and about microwave materials that resulted in the usual invitation to go up and give a presentation to the assembled material scientists at NCL. I said 'delighted but the plane leaves on Saturday'. 'Oh dear' he says wistfully 'another lost opportunity.' The rumour about Dr Ganguly, ACC's that is, coming today was right and after he had heard the other Dr G's dissertation Page, Krishnan and I were summoned to the presence. Mr Nambiar the new MD was there also with Dr Chatterjee.

I made a brief presentation of the point we had reached and that the site was perfect. The equipment was chosen, I said and Ganguly jumped in saying that whatever I had chosen was sacrosanct and that no excuses were acceptable only that equipment was to be had - see to it Page and Chatterjee! So all in all quite a positive session. The real bummer for Page was the suggestion from Dr G that we did not want to involve any outside consultants and the like because the activity was too sensitive and he did not want anybody getting a whiff of the process and setting up in opposition and by the way the plant will be introduction by 1st August 1997.

The beauty of this was that it was done so skilfully that the decision appeared to be made by me and I was not even aware I had so done until Page ruefully pointed out to me that I had dropped him a major series of headaches and how was he going to cope. I sighed sympathetically and told him he was the best man to do it anyway. After lunch we had another session with Dr Chatterjee re the MOU. Page and I had cobbled together a sort of document which we presented to him. Effectively he said that it was not strong or positive enough he wanted to see some positive commitment from HML that we would have some over capacity work to off-load to AML as soon it was on stream.

So we have to re-hash the paper tomorrow along with everything else! The basic engineering package is now almost complete and Krishnan and I will clear it up tomorrow. I will return with a complete set of papers which we will have to translate onto HML paper and in some cases our own words - sign and submit two copies by courier to ACC thus unlocking the vault door. I shall seek a personal assurance from Page to this end tomorrow. As long as he gives me this I will be confident that they will be in a position to start the negotiation with the RBI. That is all for the day as usual it is 21.00 again.

Fri 5th

In to the cabin for the last time by 08.15. Krishnan appeared at about 09.00 and meanwhile I had been working on my status report that I had decided was going to be the opening document for the Basic Engineering Package. Krishnan and I then worked out the contents of the package and I prepared the covers etc. while he went off to get photocopies of the documents to make up the two sets and also to finish off the final details of the layout that we had just agreed. Page did not appear till quite late and I was hoping that he was working on the MOU - but no - at the end of the day that has been left to me to cobble together something which may just satisfy Chatterjee.

We agree on the principles that he wants it is just how we can satisfy him on the specifics that he wants. In 15 months, the earliest that they can come on stream our order book could be a totally different shape so if we promised to share, say, part of the Trak order with them we may not be doing the present pieces by then. Krishnan agreed with me about the difficulty and we tried to get Page to understand but I am not sure that we succeeded. Anyway we still have to put together some sort of proposal to try to ease Chatterjee's worries that come 15 months he will have a beautiful factory and nothing to do in it. So I suppose that the MOU will be one of the more urgent things for me to do as soon as I get back.

After lunch Page appeared ever so apologetically and proceeded to present me with a pure gold diamond jubilee of ACC coin sent over for me from Bombay by Ganguly. The envy with which Page handed it over made me think that I had indeed been accorded a high honour. He then gave me a sari to take back for Joan as a gift from Chatterjee. After that little bit of excitement we were back at the grind trying to finalise the package. This was finally finished at about 20.00 and we three sat down and solemnly signed both copies and I, in addition, provided Page with a set of procurement specifications signed on every page in green declaring that these were the only acceptable options technically available to ACC! So with everything I have had to do over the past month every nut, bolt and pin, with the exception of the fence round the site, has been approved by me one way or another.

Hence it is all going to be my fault whatever goes wrong! A bit of an emotional farewell with Page and Krishnan and I was back in the Guest House for a quick dins by 20.30, half in the dark because of yet another power cut, the sixth of the day. Then up to my room with 2 candles to do my packing and get a little sleep before being wakened by 02.00 to go to the airport. Still we made it.

Sat 6th

Up at 02.10 quick cold shower dressed and finished packing, had me pills, morning juice and in the car to the airport by 03.00. Booked in at 04.15 and retired to the executive lounge to await being called for the flight. Minor drama at the immigration desk when the guy asked me for the green form - Keith will remember this - however, unlike the first time he gave me a form to fill in and having done so moved on and in my seat by 06.15.

They shut the doors and we were nearly off. But no! the captain announced that we were in for a slight delay because we had to take off 3 passengers at the behest of customs! The delay was only short and we were up, up and away by 07.10. A pleasant and uneventful flight despite an increasingly grumbling gut and we landed on time in LHR 11.22 and I was able to respond with happy relief to Mark's smiling wave at just after 12.00. However, he had lost Singh and his mate - but that is another story.