L&T Spirit Shines Brightly at Annual Social Gathering. 49, No. 10-12 March 2017 Communication...

Vol. 49, No. 10-12 March 2017

Communication journal for Mumbai-based employees of Larsen & Toubro Limited

L&T Spirit Shines Brightly at Annual Social Gathering

One of the most eagerly awaited events on the yearly calendar, the Annual Social Gathering was held on January 22, 2017 at the Shanmukhananda Chandrashekhar Saraswati Auditorium in Matunga, Mumbai.

The event witnessed a diverse mix of Mumbai based employees turn up at the venue in their Sunday best for a day filled with cheers and laughter. The entrance of the hall was colourfully decorated, inviting the guests to a unique variety show called “SWARGANDHAR”.

2 Powai Pageant, March 2017

The programme began with a curtain raiser with the office bearers of the Works Committee on the dais welcoming the gathering and offering their best wishes for the New Year. The event was graced by a number of dignitaries including Mr. Gautam Kar, Head – Corporate Infrastructure and Administrative Services Mr. D.C. Mandlik, Vice President – Personnel and Administration, Mr. Suryakant Mahadik, President - Bharatiya Kamagar Sena, Mr. Pramod Shivkar, Unit President - Bharatiya Kamagar Sena - L&T Unit, Mr. Vikas Chavan, Unit General Secretary, Bharatiya Kamagar Sena – L&T Unit, Mr. Suhas Ghatwai, Head – Industrial Relations, and Mr. Sanjay Jadhav, Sr. DGM - Powai Works Personnel. Welcoming the audience, Mr. Pramod Shivkar noted that sticking together during adverse times has helped L&T to wade through difficult waters in the past and the same philosophy can be adopted in the present time to withstand the ongoing challenges. Mr. Vikas Chavan, in his speech, expressed confidence in a great future for L&T and L&T-ites. He also said that the collective efforts of all L&T-ites will make the company and country reach new horizons in the future.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. D.C. Mandlik praised the present union committee for negotiating a good settlement necessary for the survival of the company. He complimented the maturity of the negotiating committee in arriving at a win-win situation. He also appreciated the efforts of the committee in organizing the day’s programme.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Gautam Kar expressed delight at being a part of the Annual Social Gathering. Recalling his Army days, he noted how he was a soldier then and how he is a soldier even now as he dispenses his duties towards L&T. He called upon every L&T-ite to put the nation and the company first so as to help give the coming generations a brighter future.

In his address, Mr. Suryakant Mahadik wished everyone a happy and prosperous new year. Alluding to Mr. Gautam Kar’s life in the Army and

the manner in which he continues to serve L&T, he urged all the L&T-ites to follow suit and work together as a team to take L&T to new heights. He too applauded the association of union and management in driving the negotiations to achieve a good settlement. He also praised L&T-ites for all their efforts, hard work and dedication.

The orchestra “SWARGANDHAR” enthralled everyone present at the venue with one scintillating performance after another. The audience was delighted

to see a number of popular television artists perform on the stage. The song performances were a perfect blend of old and new Hindi and Marathi numbers. The audience hummed with the singers and delighted in the performance of the dancers, who set the stage alight with their brilliant performances.

The show was marked by loads of enthusiasm and joy, and the spirit of brotherhood, that has always characterized L&T.

Children too took to the stage and joined in on the fun.

A section of the audience enjoying the show.

A group dance performance in action.

Powai Pageant, March 2017 3

Camaraderie Wins on Annual Sports Day

It was as if the festivities of 1st January had found their way into the colourful grounds of St. Xavier’s

Sports complex on 29th January 2017. The playing field was overflowing with colours as L&T-ites assembled at the venue for what promised to be a day filled with joy. It was a sight to behold – decorations, enthusiastic faces and the colourful bags that were distributed by L&T’s Sports Club as a token of love to its members. As per tradition, the day began with a flag hosting ceremony by the dignitaries followed by the L&T Anthem. This was followed by a pledge taking ceremony by all present. Releasing hundreds of balloons in the air marked the beginning of the event. The Annual Sports Day began with a 100m dash running race for the children of the L&T-ites. Children of various age groups – boys and girls, participated in huge numbers for the races. The race was followed by a much anticipated event- the Flowering Competition. Beginning with two large groups of ladies and gents, the pool of contestants got shallower till finally three contestants from each group remained. They were adjudged winners for the competition. The Ball Balancing competition was another event which offered much joy to the participants and the crowd. Couples rushed to the field in a bid to show off their ball balancing skills and prevent the ball from falling on the ground as they tried to keep it between their heads while running towards the finish line. Due to tremendous response from the crowd, the organisers had to hold three rounds of the event. A Moonwalker was also arranged by the Sports Committee to add to the excitement of the tiny tots present at the venue. And then came the main event of the day – the much awaited Tug-of-War. As muscled team members of Heavy Engineering Business Unit (HE) and Electrical & Automation Business

Dignitaries inaugurating the Tug-of-War event.

Children giving it their best during the 100m dash.

Couples put their heads together to balance the ball as they race towards the finish line.


Unit (E&A) entered the grounds in their dark grey jersey and dark blue track suits respectively, the din climbed up several decibels, and all the dignitaries left the stage and descended onto the grounds to cheer the two teams. The toss was won by E&A. Amidst much clamour, HE managed to win the opening round. After the switchover and reframing the strategies, both teams got ready for the second round. Amidst much tension, where luck swung from one side to another, anticipation built up to a point of frenzy that culminated in loud music, cheers and applause as HE, with a mighty tug, pulled victory to its side. Welcoming the gathering, Mr. Sanjay Jadhav, Sr. DGM – Personnel and General Secretary – Sports Club, thanked everyone for making the

event a successful one. He talked about team spirit and how L&T-ites have inculcated the same into their lives. He spoke eloquently about how sports and sustainability are joined together while also lauding the practice of sports club replacing floral bouquets with GROW TREE certificates. He wished everyone all the best for future endeavors. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. A. D. Shahane, Chairman – Sports Club, reiterated the importance of sports in life and the sporting spirit. Addressing the crowd, Mr. D.C. Mandlik, Vice President – Personnel & Administration, PGM, talked about how the event offers a chance to employees to come together and bond along with their families. In his speech, Mr. Vikas Chavan, Unit General Secretary, Bharatiya Kamagar

Sena – L&T unit, noted a number of points one should follow to lead a healthy and happy life. He talked about the importance of team work and went on to laud the way this spirit was displayed at L&T. Mr. Pramod Shivkar, President - Bharatiya Kamagar Sena – L&T Unit, expressed delight at how year on year, this sporting event has helped in developing a healthy lifestyle for the employees. The speeches were followed by a prize distribution ceremony during which the winners of various events were felicitated by the dignitaries present on the occasion. The programme concluded with a lucky draw at the hands of the dignitaries and distribution of prizes to the lucky winners.

Long Term Settlement Agreement Signing Ceremony - Vijayi Melawa“Machinery must be there, business must be there, but without the people it means nothing” said L&T co-founder, late Mr. Henning Holck-Larsen once. And for all of L&T’s history, his words have come to act as the guiding principle for ensuring a harmonious relationship between the management and workmen. Year after year the two have set an exemplary record of a peaceful industrial relationship. Continuing along the same lines, the Management and the Union (Bharatiya Kamagar Sena – L&T Unit) recently signed a long-term settlement agreement defining the terms and conditions of services for unionized employees of L&T Powai and Mahape unit. On January 25, 2017, the L&T Management and Union inked the settlement agreement which revised the wage rates and terms of services of the unionized workforce. A joint ceremony

marked the occasion with Senior L&T-ites including Mr. S.C. Bhargava, Mr. Gautam Kar, Mr. G.R. Tiwari, Mr. Girish Deodhar, Mr. A.V. Parab, Mr. A.K. Modi, Mr. D.C. Mandlik, and Union Representatives including Mr. Suryakant Mahadik, President - Bharatiya Kamagar Sena, Mr. Pramod Shivkar, Mr. Vikas Chavan and others gracing the event.Para indent required pleasure over

the agreement, the dignitaries shared with the audience a number of details and how they arrived at the various terms and conditions of the agreement. The dignitaries termed it as a very good settlement for the present time of great uncertainties. The program was attended by a large gathering of workmen from Powai and Mahape.

Mr. Suryakant Mahadik announcing the terms of the settlement to the unionized workmen.

L&T Wins ICC Water Stewardship Award 2017

L&T was conferred the ICC Wa-ter Stewardship Award 2017

at the ‘ICC Corporate Governance & Sus-tainability Vision Summit’ held recently at Hotel Le Meridien, New Delhi. This was the 7th year of the Corpo-rate Governance & Sustainability Vision Awards, which receives many nomina-tions from various organisations each year. The awards are accorded after rounds of screening and evaluation by an eminent jury panel.

The Water Stewardship Award rec-ognises L&T’s efforts in water conserva-tion at its campuses and project sites. The practices deployed by L&T towards ‘Water Positive’ Campuses are rainwater harvesting, reuse of treated wastewater, zero wastewater discharge outside cam-puses and community watershed devel-opment projects. The award reaffirms L&T’s commitment and rigour towards water efficiency as part of its Corporate Sustainability programme.


Mr. P.S. Mallik, GM - Corporate Sustain-ability, EHS & CSR, receiving the award from Mr. Anil Swarup, Secretary – Ministry of Human Resource Development, GOI.

Young’uns Colour Their Imagination

On January 20, 2017, the Powai Medical, Health & Welfare Services in collaboration with

the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Department held the 8th Annual Children’s Painting Competition in the fond memory of late Mrs. Sushma Mukhija, the wife of Mr. R.N. Mukhija. Over 600 children, aged 6-14 years, participated in the competition. They came from the study centres located in low-income communities of Powai. L&T’s CSR team along with NGOs Save the Children India and Navnirmati has been running these centres for learning enhancement of children since 2007. The competition was held in two separate categories, one for students of Class I to Class IV and other for students of Class V to Class VII. The kids from group one were given four themes to choose from viz., A Rainy Day, Jungle, Sea Shore, and My School. The older kids i.e. those from group two were to choose and draw from themes that included Galaxy, Saving Environment, Road Safety, and My favourite Festival.


Members of Powai Medical, Health & Welfare Services, L&T’s Corporate Social Responsibility Department and L&T-eers helped explain the themes to the youngsters and kept encouraging them throughout the one hour allotted for drawing and painting. After completing their masterpieces, the children handed them over to the volunteers for judging by a panel comprising three accomplished painters including Mr. Krishna Patil, Mr. Harshal Patil, and Ms. Sanika Patkar. As the judges deliberated amongst themselves to decide the winners, the children were treated to a surprise clown act. The kids just couldn’t contain their joy when they saw the clown make his dramatic entrance on a unicycle. His hilarious juggling acts and funny bits involving

the young audience members had everyone clapping and jumping for joy for next half hour. Even Mr. R.N. Mukhija, the Chief Guest for the event could barely contain himself. RNM was joined by his daughter Ms. Debika Ajmani, Mr. Gautam Kar, Head-Corp Infrastructure & Admin Services, PGM Group, Mr. D.C. Mandlik, Vice President, Personnel and Administration, Dr. K.J. Kamat, Director, Medical, Health and Welfare services, Brahmakumari Sister Deepaben and Pratibhaben and several others. Addressing the children, Brahmakumari Deepaben said that we should all try to fill our lives with colours of peace, prayers, and happiness. In a brief speech, Mr. Mukhija said that things like painting and craft are

just as important as academics and that they should never stop doing it as it is an important part of the overall learning experience. He invited two children to the stage who performed a song and entertained the audience further. As he handed over the prizes to the winning children, Mr. Mukhija applauded all the participants for their efforts and encouraged them to pursue hobbies which made them happy. RNM also thanked PGM Department and all others involved in organising the event and urged the children to keep coming back year after year. Ms. Chetana Pathare from the Powai Welfare Department delivered a vote of thanks bringing an eventful morning filled with cheers, to an end.

AHC Gets an e-Learning Facility

On December 16, 2016, Dr. Hasit Joshipu-ra, Member - Executive Management Committee & Head - Corporate Centre, inaugurated a brand new e-Learning Classroom facility at L&T’s Andheri Health Centre (AHC). The e-Learning Facility will

help the AHC which is a nodal centre for imparting training, build capacities across different service areas. AHC runs several Family Life Education programmes and Train-The-Trainers programmes for medi-cal doctors, paraprofessionals, education-ists, and volunteers associated with L&T’s healthcare and social services. Addition-

ally, through its Child Guidance Clinic, AHC offers support to children with de-velopmental/learning disabilities. The e-learning classroom will not only help AHC reach out to those it works with but also enhance the effectiveness of its pro-grammes significantly.

Revamped Operation Theatre Unit for AHC

With a view to broaden its scope of med-ical services and cater to a constantly increasing number of patients, the And-heri Health Centre recently upgraded its infrastructure and renovated the old operation theatre to add three modern operation theatres. Doctors at AHC will now be able to perform General / ENT/ Eye/ Skin / Orthopedic and Gynecology procedures along with advance Endos-copy services. The revamped Operation Theatre wing was inaugurated recently by L&T’s former Medical Advisor Dr. Usha Krishna (M.D., D.G.O.) in the pres-ence of Dr. Hasit Joshipura, Member

Andheri Health Centre News

Dr. Hasit Joshipura inaugurating the new e-Learning Classroom facility at AHC.


- Executive Management Committee & Head - Corporate Centre, Mr. Gautam Kar, Head-Corp Infrastructure & Admin Services, PGM GROUP, Dr. K.J. Kamat, Medical Director, Mr. P.S. Mallik, Cor-porate Sustainability and EHS Services, Medical Consultants of Andheri Health Centre and a number of L&T staffers. The list of all the procedures which can be performed at the centre is available on L&T’s e-Campus portal.

AHC Adds New Medical Services

The Andheri Health Centre has decided to keep open Dental Service & Proce-dures in the morning as well as in the afternoon daily. Those seeking the services can avail the same at AHC at

highly subsidized rates. Plus, the AHC has begun offering 2D Echo and Stress Test Services at subsidized rates. Additionally, Cardiology consulta-tion will be available every Monday (from 2.30 pm to 4.00 pm) and every Thursday (from 9.30 am to 11.00 am) along with 2D Echo and Stress Test with prior

appointment. Patients can take ap-pointment from AHC office by dialling 67251454/55.

Health Talks for Community and L&T Staffers

Child rearing is not easy. Particularly in cities where the family size has shrunk-en to just the parents and the kid(s). With the stresses of an urban existence constantly challenging the physical and emotional bonds between the par-ents and their children it is important that such matters are handled care-fully. Keeping this in mind, the Andheri Health Centre regularly conducts fo-cused talks for the benefit of the mem-bers from the local communities. Addi-tionally, it also conducts regular health awareness sessions including those on ergonomics and stress management for L&T employees at Landmark, L&T House and Powai.

Medical Camps in Tribal Areas

The Andheri Health Centre conducted medical camps in Tribal blocks of Kar-jat, Jambhulpada in the months of No-vember and December. The camps were held especially for geriatric population and tribal women. They were treated for anemia, calcium deficiency and other associated illnesses. L&T’s Mobile Clin-ic Vans continue to serve thousands of people every month, especially those on the fringes of the society with little access to proper healthcare services. To continue to stay the course and focus on the objective AHC also organised a dia-logue with its NGO partners recently to strengthen its health delivery systems.

The endoscopy unit in the operation theatre.

A view of the revamped operation theatre.

Recently the Medical, Health & Welfare Services organised an awareness session for employees on Parenting in the Digital Era. Conducted by Ms. Sonali Patankar and Mr. Unmesh joshi, founder members of Ahaan Foundation, an NGO which runs a movement called ‘Being Responsi-ble Netizens’, the session was aimed at familiarising the attendees with the risks associated with internet and how they can protect themselves and those close to them from the harms which can come from online threats. In her talk, Ms. Sonali Patankar dis-cussed the DO’s and DON’T’s of online behaviour and how to prevent excessive use of mobile devices and gadgets among children and instead encourage them to make friends in real life. She also touched on how youngsters can be encouraged to forge an identity of their own beyond the virtual world and be smart users of technology. Mr. Unmesh Joshi’s talk focused broad-

ly around the cyber laws currently in force to protect netizens. Using real-life exam-ples, he familiarised the audience with the risks associated with unsafe online activi-ties. His stories concerning young adoles-cent kids whose violation of law landed them and their parent at the Police Station struck a chord especially with the parents in the audience. Both the speakers insisted that as a parent one needs to think of out-of-the-

box solutions for dealing with these challenges and parents have to exercise careful control to ensure the kids are safe and yet feel trusted. The participants appreciated the work-shop and felt they needed more education on the topic to safeguard not only their children but themselves too from the ills of social media.


On December 17, 2016, the Powai Medi-cal, Health and Welfare Services organised a special Cupcake and Cookie Decoration Workshop for employees’ children to give the then upcoming Christmas a delight-fully sweet twist for everyone. Conducted by Ms. Sai Apate and her colleague from ‘Choco Craft’, the session offered children a unique chance to show off their creativity. During the workshop each child was given two cupcakes and one cookie and a variety of Christmassy colored icings, sprinklers and toppings to decorate them with. The youngsters deco-rated the cookies and cupcakes under the guidance of the faculty. Employees too joined their children for the last half hour

of the workshop and decorated the sweet delights with them together. Everyone

who participated in the programme ap-preciated it greatly.

Children Learn to Decorate Cakes & Cookies

Parenting in Digital Era

Image Courtesy: Huffington Post


L&T World - Now at Your Fingertips

To Get Just What You Want, Just Subscribe

The purpose of bringing all the in-house magazines on one page is also for cross-sharing of information. That is, if the target audience for some of the magazines is also your business audience and you would like them to know about the products/services or news about your business, please share the inputs with the magazine coordinators so that they can publish them in their magazines.

If the magazine your business brings out is not listed on L&T-scape, inform us (email: [email protected]) and share a PDF version for inclusion.

Do share your feedback (email: [email protected]).

With magazines being brought out by so many of our businesses (and support departments too), our mailboxes sometimes suffer from information overload.

We’ve now made it easier for you to get just the magazines you need.

Just log on to:https://lntscapenew.ltindia.com/sites/HODepartments/CBMC/SitePages/InHouseMagazine.aspxand subscribe to the magazines you wishto read.

When a new issue of a magazine isuploaded, you will receive a link for thesoft copy of the magazine on your officeemail ID.

How do you know which magazine is suitable for you? It is not a million dollar question. Details on who are the target audiences for the magazines and their coordinators names are given in the end of the page. Do go through and decide. Due to dynamic nature of work, coordinators may change. If you get to know this for any of the coordinators, please inform us on: [email protected]


For the last few years, for many of L&T’s Mumbai-based employees celebration of festivals such as Lohari and Makar Sankranti are never complete without the Tilgul Ladoos made by the ladies of of Swayamsiddha Group. Like every other year, this year too Medical, Health & Welfare Services lent a helping hand to the ladies of Swayamsiddha, an initiative which helps the wives of deceased L&T employees generate an extra income. Facilitated by the Powai Welfare Department the Group organized a sale of Tilgul Laddoos for L&T employees. A stall was put up from 11th to 13th January 2017 at the Canteen Premises, in Powai Campus as part of the sale which saw a total 54 kg of ladoos sold. Powai Welfare Department will continue to sustain the Swayamsiddha group in their entrepreneurial efforts.

Sankranti with Tilgul Made bySwayamsiddha Ladies

When was the last time you took a trip around your city in an open deck bus? Most of us have only seen the city from inside the cramped coaches of the local train or crowded buses. Right? To give the employees and their children a slightly different perspective on the city and a view that most of us rarely get, the Powai Medical, Health and Welfare Services or-ganised a joyride for L&T staffers and their families aboard ‘Nilambari’ an open deck BEST Bus. The bus ride took the passengers through Central and Colonial South Mumbai through scenic routes which most of us often ignore in the rush of our daily grind. The revellers began their journey from Dadar TT and crisscrossed around the city through Tilak Bridge, Dadar Plaza, Mahim Sitaladevi Temple, Bandra Worli Sea link Road, Worli Sea Face, Haji Ali, Tardeo, Girgaum Chaupati,

Marine drive, Nariman Point, Museum, Mantralaya and were finally dropped back to the spot where they began their trip. Employees who took the trip said that it was a great way to explore the city and

the tour provided a completely different view of Mumbai and that the company of their wives and children just added lots of fun to the experience.

Nilambari Ki Sawari - Around the City in an Open Deck Bus

L&T House Staff Does Workstation Yoga

On January 21, 2017, Ms. Nandita Gopalan of Vibrant Life, conducted a session on Workstation Yoga for the employees of L&T House. During the session she familiarised the attendees with a number of quick and easy-to-do yoga exercises which can be done while remaining seated in the office chairs. The exercises offer a number of health benefits for desk-bound employees who suffer from posture related physical ailments.


Events at L&T House

The Powai Medical, Health and Welfare Services had organised a fort visit for employees’ children on December 30, 2016 as part of an initiative to educate the youngsters about the proud history of the state. Intended for the children of 8 to 15 years the visit explored the historical facts and trances of Mumbai City. Historian Ms. Shilpa Pradhan accompanied the group and told participants interesting stories connected to the history of Forts in Mumbai and Maharashtra. She enlightened the youngsters with the rich history of Forts in Mumbai and the lives of people of yore. A total of 47 children participated in this visit.

Exploring Historic Mumbai Forts

Stress Be Gone!

The staffers of L&T House received some valuable inputs on how they can do away with all the stresses of the modern life on January 23, 2017, during a session on Stress Management by Dr. Divyang Shah, MD (PSM), DIH, as the good doctor familiarised them with a number of ways in which they can de-stress and find a more calming inner equilibrium so as to lead a more peaceful life.

Although drones have been around for close to three decades, it was really in 2015

that the technology turned a corner and went mainstream. From strictly military applications, thanks largely to the efforts of drone start-ups and software providers, it became accessible to enthusiasts and the public at large. From pint size gyrocopters to somewhat bigger drones capable to carrying heavier payloads like videography instruments, civilians began toying with personal drones and companies like Amazon began exploring the possibility of employing drones in their logistics operations. With each passing month it became clearer that the technology wasn’t just a passing fad but something more. Though in India drones are yet to go mainstream in terms of their application, there’s a general buzz around the technology. To the point that it is now starting to figure in regular conversations and it ain’t just the cool kids who are talking about it.

On January 21, 2017 at a gathering in Powai, to discuss drones and everything there is to know about their potential application, the folks over at L&T’s Corporate Training Technical invited Mr. Shinil Shekhar, Co-founder, Airpix, a leading drone solutions provider to deliver a talk as part of the 7th edition of the Coffee Session on Emerging Technologies. Held at the multi-purpose hall at NB II building the session was attended by L&T-ites from various disciplines and cadres.

The session began with Mr. V.A. Khargonkar, Head – Corporate IT welcoming Mr. Shekhar to the event and Mr. B.S. Saluja, Jt. GM – Corporate Training Technical, setting the context for the session. In his brief introductory remark, Mr. Saluja spoke of the previous editions of the Coffee Session in which topics including Internet of Things, 3D Printing, Big Data Analytics, Cyber Security & Cloud Computing, and

Artificial Intelligence were de-mystified for the audience and how each session had received an overwhelmingly positive feedback from the attendees. He said that the success of the program had encouraged them to host similar sessions at other L&T locations and that detailed workshops and certification programs on specific technologies was

also on cards for those looking to take their interest further.

Mr. Shekhar began his session with a video featuring wide expansive aerial shots of different landscapes, monuments, and people taken from a camera drone. The purpose of the video was to cut away from the usual military application talk that happens whenever


Discussing Drones over Coffee

someone broaches the topic. He said that while drones may have evolved first as a tool of military warfare, the application use case of drone extended well beyond just that and there are untold areas where the technology could be used.

Having set the agenda for his talk, Mr. Shekhar proceeded to inform the audience about how drones work and the various parts that go into making a drone. He had with the help of his team brought a number of drones of varying sizes and put them on display for the audience to get a “feel” for the technology. His talk had a very interactive feel to it as he kept taking questions from the audience throughout.

The curious attendees kept asking him about different drone models, their availability and application in business environment. According to Mr. Shekhar while the technology had found greater adoption elsewhere, in India drone tech continues to evolve and so do its use cases. As components become smaller, lighter and cheaper with advances in machine vision, drones appear to be

the answer to many challenges across a number of disciplines including those relevant to L&T such as Construction and Hydrocarbon.

He also touched upon some of the legal constraints which prevent us from using drones as freely as in some of the more mature economies like that in the US. Calling it a work in progress Mr. Shekhar appeared optimistic about the viability of drones as the technology matures and occupies more mindshare in the enterprise space.

One of the highlights of the session was the live demo of a camera mounted drone which was flown for the benefit of the audience. The live feed from the drone’s tiny camera was shown on the large screen put up at the venue. The ease with which Mr. Shekhar controlled the movement of the drone, left many in the audience wanting a crack at manning the controls.

Some more talk, and plenty of questions from the audience followed post the live demo. Towards the end of his talk Mr. Shekhar spoke about

how drone manufacturers and those invested in the technology are working towards developing technologies like geo-fencing and collision avoidance and putting aerodynamics into action to make drones fly higher, faster and more accurately. And how the accelerating pace of drone adoption is also pushing governments to create new regulations that balance safety and innovation.

The 100 plus attendees had listened to Mr. Shekhar’s talk intently and enjoyed the session to the fullest. For his efforts, Mr. Shekhar was felicitated by Mr. J.S. Gill, Head- DMN.

Mr. N.M. Athawale from L&T Heavy Engineering, who has been a regular attendee at the Coffee Session, was called upon to share his thoughts on the session. He noted that the session, thanks to the live demo wasn’t just all talk and was engaging throughout for everyone.

A formal vote of thanks by Mr. Firdosh Mistry brought an end to what had been a thoroughly engaging affair.


Anyone who has gone online a few times in his life using a com-puter or a mobile device will

be able to tell you what a password is, what it does and why it matters. Those of us who access the web regularly have normally more than one password. Every website we log into and every app we in-stall on our phone or tablet requires one and asks us to come up with a hard-to-beat combination of letters and numbers and alien signs which we want nothing to do with. And most of us are pretty lousy when it comes to coming up with unique passwords and remembering them. Let’s face it, there are better things

in life than remembering passwords for the website from which you do your gro-cery shopping. Right? Well, before you get all worked up about that rhetorical question, how about you calm down and let us tell you about a magical thing called Password Managers. Yes, you read it right, a Password Manager. Why? Okay, let’s say you use the same password for everything across the Web: your Yahoo mail, Gmail, Twitter, Face-book, Flipkart, Amazon, your bank etc. and then one day Yahoo gets hacked, exposing millions of passwords, includ-ing yours. Now those hackers have ac-cess to your entire digital life, including

your bank account, because you secured everything using the same string of let-ters and numbers. But even if you’re dili-

Manage Thy Passwords

Tech Digest

Image Courtesy: Amazon

Tech Digest


gent enough to use a different password for each login, you might be using weak passwords because you want them to be easy to type. A determined hacker can easily crack them. A password manager makes good se-curity as easy as possible. All you need to do is remember one master password (make it a good one!), and the password manager handles the rest, generating and saving a unique password for every account you need across the Internet. In addition to encrypting these login cre-dentials, it stores them locally and syncs them across your various devices, where they can automatically fill the form on any website. Password managers can also store and autofill other important information such as credit card numbers, your con-tact information, insurance cards, and other data that you want to keep handy but protected. And you can categorize everything neatly by the type of infor-mation (finance, social media, shopping, and so on). There are plenty of password manag-ers that can sort you out and alleviate your password pains. A cursory search of the best password managers will throw up a number of pretty solid options. In our own research we had the following come up with some regularity.

LastPassThe reigning champion of Password Managers, LastPass has all the impor-tant features and is compatible with all modern platforms and is one of the few services that offer cross-device syncing at the free tier. LastPass syncs across mobile and desktop free of charge and most peo-ple don’t need to upgrade to premium version which comes at a price but if you do, you get priority tech support and the ability to share passwords with up to five family members. Once you install the app or plug-in, you’ll have offline access to all your in-formation whenever you need it. Auto-fill functions as it should across a variety of forms, working particularly well with poorly coded or confusing website forms that might cause other programs to falter.

The LastPass Android app can fill forms within almost any other Android app if you enable access in the accessibility set-tings menu.

DashlaneWhen it comes to managing password business Dashlane is a pretty good con-tender for the top spot as well. It offers password security for all your browsers and devices and is LastPass’ most seri-ous rival, and like LastPass it’s absolutely superb with strong password security, exceptional ease of use and ability to store notes for future reference. It works on Windows, Mac, Android and iOS and with Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer, and like LastPass there’s a premium version that adds un-limited syncing and sharing. But even if you opted for the free version, you’ll get all the essentials like the core password manager, autofill and digital wallet fea-tures, all of which work flawlessly. Don’t settle for LastPass without trying Dash-lane first, and vice versa.

True KeyTwo-factor authentication with finger-print or facial recognition. Not bad. True Key by Intel Security, is the successor to the hugely popular PasswordBox. In addition to using a master password to protect all your other passwords, True Key can also recognize your fingerprint or your face for two-factor authentica-tion. It’s free for up to 15 passwords, and if you have anymore you can go for the premium version which costs a lit-tle bit of money. Thankfully, most of us, normal people that is, have less than 15 passwords to take care of so hopefully it shouldn’t come to that. The app is available for PC, Mac, iOS and Android, although fingerprint recognition isn’t available on Mac or Android yet.

KeePass Password SafeAn open source password manager with regular updates. Sure, why not? The pro-ponents of Open Source love this. Sure it isn’t the most beautiful looking password manager around, but KeePass Password Safe does its job beautifully. Hey free isn’t

always pretty! The Password manager comes with strong security, multiple user support and a whole bunch of plugins to expand the app further. The app is small enough to run from USB without install-ing on a PC, it can input from and output to a wide range of file formats and there are stacks of customization options to play with. The fact that KeePass is open source means anybody can inspect the code for potential weaknesses, which means that any security issues can be identified and fixed quickly. It’s a great little app, if a bit intimidating for absolute beginners.

1PasswordIf you prefer an app with more polish, 1Password is the way to go. 1Password is extremely popular with the Apple crowd, you know the Mac and iOS users. It not only looks nicer, but its developer is also diligent about regularly updating its Mac and iOS apps. What makes it worth pay-ing for if you’re an iOS user is that many more third-party iOS apps integrate 1Password than LastPass, so you can use 1Password to log in to an account within the app. As with LastPass, the subscription in-cludes unlimited use and secure data syncing across every platform 1Password supports, but for now that’s limited to Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android. How-ever, the Windows and Android versions of the 1Password apps aren’t updated as frequently as the Mac and iOS ver-sions. 1Password also doesn’t work on Chromebooks at the moment, because the Chrome plug-in requires either the Windows or Mac desktop app to function properly. Passwords are a pain – you can tell that by the number of people you know who keep ‘12345678’ for everything. But in all fairness creating and recalling strong passwords that are unique to each web-site is a huge pain and password manag-ers can help avoid all that agony of hav-ing to not only remembering those tricky letters and numbers but also typing them every time we go online.


Word Grid

The world is getting increasingly brand conscious and chances are we all own a piece of at least one of the brands hidden in the jumble below. Let’s see if you can spot all 15. Look across horizontally and vertically.

Spot the Brand!

Answers: LEETITANLEVISFILAADIDAS

LACOSTENIKEGAPESPRITPANTALOONS

BENETTONBATAWOODLANDFASTRACKWESTSIDE

Printed at Indo Flexi Pack Pvt. Ltd., 503A Byculla Service Industries, Dadoji Konddeo Marg, Mumbai - 400027. Edited by D. Morada for Larsen & Toubro Limited, Corporate Brand Management & Communications, Larsen & Toubro Limited, Landmark ‘A’, 2nd Floor Andheri-Kurla Road Andheri (East), Mumbai . The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Management of Larsen & Toubro Limited. The contents of this publication should not be reproduced

without the written permission of the Editor. Not for sale - only for circulation among employees of Larsen & Toubro Group of companies.

Editor: D. Morada, Manish Kalghatgi Editorial Team: CBMC – Lawrence Mohan, Rajendra Chaudhary, Marianne Nazareth, PGM – Suhas Ghatwai

Photography: Tushar Thakur, Sushil Shinde and Ramesh Mangaonkar

Your feedback and opinions are welcome at [email protected]

35 Years HO: Vartak M ALTHE: Ramachandran C KPGM: Bhatkar Mohd S M H, Gawde K R, Mahadik J VHE: Hazare B H, Patil G A, Parkar V V, Arote R T, Shinde V M, Manohar SalviE&A: Vaidya A S, Bhor L G, Rokade A D, Darde V S, Jadhav V R, Benke B R, Badhe V G, Gunjal K G, Pawar C V, Juriani J K, Chowkekar M S, Jadhav M M, Thakur P J, Newalkar S G, Sawant J N, Sawant J K, Naik N L, Jadhav S M, Awari V G, Kuthamire R D, Khamborkar A K, Salanke V S, Pawar Ajit S, Patil K K, Bhanuse Maruti M, Bhagyawant D L, Indap S R, Pawar C K, Bhagat G B, Chavan R D, Mali R B, Mahadik K V, More A K, Malar S R, Shetage M B, More S B, Shinde G P, Rawat P B, Dangat P K, Anerao N J, Prabhudesai S G, Kharat J K, Gunesh Beri, Jayashree Arunachalam, Bashir Chougle, Kailash Chendwankar

30 YearsHE: Panchal R D, Khanvilkar B V, Anil KulkarniE&A: S Swaminathan

25 Years Powai Canteen Services: Kevin J P FernandesHO: Agnel Nunes, Deepti Ajgaonkar, Akshata Vichare, Raju Sekhar, Umesh Karkera PGM: Kulkarni Prashant DE&A: Dawane M D, Chavan Dipak S, Naiksatam Indrasen S, Kawale R K, Jawale P V, Salvi P G, Patil R L, Karande A M, Dumbre B L, Megha Pawar, Samir Kamat, Rajendra Marathe, Arvind PanchalLTHE: T S Kapadia, M V Anantha Simha, Tamal Saha HE: Badhe Sambhaji N, Awari Vijay N, Awari Dattaraya T, Anand Gothankar, Uma Kotian

20 Years HO: Pankaj Y Morje, Prashant Vartak, Udayasingh D. Patil, Sanjay HindlekarLTHE: Manik Nanikram Karnani, Ravindra N Deshpande, Mhatre R MPGM: Jadhav Sachin V, Vasaikar Sunil G, A S Pimpodekar, D R Dalvi, S S VichareHE: Mhatre Madhukar B, Sawant Mahesh N, Nalawade Namdeo S, Barge Vitthal N, Shinde Ganesh G, Rajapurkar S Y, Gavankar P M, Pisal Santosh T, Patil Ashok A, Rathod Rameshkumar R, Gaikwad Kailash M, Bagade Gautam S, Doke Vidyadhar N, Patil Sunil V, Jaju Vinodkumar R, Kowale Mohan R, Patil Ashok I, Jagtap Girish A, Ghadigaonkar U A, Patil Nilesh A, Saldanha J J, Koli Manish B, Jamdade H J, Dangat Santosh V, More Sanjay A, Prabhune Prashant H, Tambe Sopan T, Ghude S D, Panchal G M, U E Manjrekar, Pradnya Barde, Rajesh SinghE&A: Jadhav Janardan A, Fulsundar Rajendra V, Kale Anil M, Patil

Long Service Awards

OUR PEOPLE

Suryakant M, Sawant Sanjay A, Parab Sunil M, Yadav Dilip J, Sawant Dilip M, Dawkhar Narayan S, Patil Padmakar S, Sawant Prakash D, Gunjal Dilip Bhikaji, Pandey Bhavprakash S, More Rajendra T, Nikam Jotiram V, Kubal Satish V, Jadhav Ananda Vithal, Panmand Dattu P, C A Gupte, D Souza W V, Thakur N V, Patil S R, Shinde D S, Sundeep Sawant

15 Years E&A: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Jai Prakash KediaHE: Satpute B.K., Salunke D.D., Kamane S.G., Dhumal S.N., Sawant S.M., Sivaraman Krishnan, Mamta Parekh

Prakash Mallampalli: Transferred from L&T Shipbuilding, Chennai to HO-Domestic Marketing Network, RaipurShailesh Mishra: Transferred from HE, Hazira to HO-Domestic Marketing Network, BhopalAlekh Anjara: Transferred from Corporate Accounts, Vadodara to L&T Power, Vadodara Nilay D Baxi: Transferred from Corporate Accounts, Vadodara to L&T Power, VadodaraArun John Kurian: Transferred from HO-Corporate Management (GEC’s Office), Landmark, Mumbai to EA IC Powai, MumbaiGagan Lahoty Devkishan: Transferred from PT&D IC, Chennai to Corporate Finance, L&T House, MumbaiTanu Shanker: Transferred from Corporate Strategy & Change Management, Landmark, Mumbai to LTTS, BangalorePrachi Singh: Transferred from HO-Corporate Management (GEC’s Office), Landmark, Mumbai to LTTS, Powai, MumbaiSohni Rao: Transferred from HO-Corporate Management (GEC’s Office), Landmark, Mumbai to L&T Realty, Powai, MumbaiPragati Gandhi: Transferred from L&T MHPS Turbine Generators Pvt. Ltd., Hazira to LTTS, Corporate Indirect Taxation, AhmedabadAkanksha Sinha: Transferred from HO-Corporate Management (GEC’s Office), Landmark, Mumbai to L&T Infotech, Powai, MumbaiMilind Deo: Transferred from L&T Infotech, Powai, Mumbai to Corporate Brand Management and Communications, Landmark, MumbaiSharon Pereira: Transferred from L&T Finance, BKC, Bandra to Office of Chief Financial Officer, L&T House, MumbaiMedina D’Souza: Transferred from EAIC, Powai, Mumbai to PGM, Powai, Mumbai

PGM: P.S. Mallik

Transfers

Retirement

ABCI

Member

L&T Spirit Shines Brightly at Annual Social Gathering. 49, No. 10-12 March 2017 Communication...

Documents

Transcript of L&T Spirit Shines Brightly at Annual Social Gathering. 49, No. 10-12 March 2017 Communication...