Loneliness and Dreams in Mice of men Essay Example for Free

Loneliness and Dreams in Mice of men Essay John Steinbeck wrote the novel of Mice and Men during the great depression. During this time there were few jobs which meant people had to migrate in search of jobs. This meant they were constantly moving and could not establish lasting friendships or relationships. Steinbeck portrays the loneliness and hardship felt by people living through the 1930s American depression. He shows how the dreams of the characters were what helped them survive through this period. In this essay I will discuss the dreams and loneliness of the characters in the novel and how Steinbeck reveals each characters loneliness and dreams. George and Lennie both experience loneliness. Even though they had each other George needed somebody on his wavelength, with his level of maturity because Lennie is like a child and does not think like an adult, he is mentally retarded. One almost gets the feeling that he doesnt want Lennie for companionship at all when he is talking to Lennie about how he would live without him. God a mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. Page 11 As George carries on talking of his laid back carefree lifestyle he dreams of he progressively gets angrier. It makes the reader wonder why he even stays with Lennie if he feels so overwhelmed with the responsibility of looking out for Lennie. George is a thinker he sees how bitter other men on the ranch have become through their loneliness; George knows that staying with Lennie stops him from being truly lonely. He also has protection from Lennie because he knows he is safe when he has a big guy like Lennie as his friend. Looking out for Lennie gives him a purpose, a reason, a role in his life he gets the satisfaction of knowing he is needed. George fell silent. He wanted to talk. Page 41 This quote is from when George talks to Slim. He is happy to have the chance to talk to someone on his level of maturity. As Slim is a good listener and tries to understand the relationship between George and Lennie. Lennie doesnt really experiences loneliness although he needs to pet something, to hold something. He always has George to look after him sees George as a father figure. George instructs him on how to behave and what to do in certain situations. Slowly, like a terrier who doesnt want to bring a ball to its master, Lennie approached, page 9 This quote is taken from when George wants to take a dead mouse away from Lennie who doesnt want to give it up. It reveals how George has an authority over Lennie. George and Lennies dream is to one day own some land. They wish to live on this land and be their own boss. George no longer wants to comply with somebody elses rules. He wants to have a purpose in working hard on the land because then he will benefit from his hard work. Whereas when working on a ranch he is working hard for somebody elses profits. Lennie is only interested in tending to the rabbits. He just wants to be able to pet some animals. His dream fits in with Georges it doesnt matter if he owns the land or not. Curleys wifes name is never mentioned she is always referred to as Curleys wife. Steinbeck never uses her name because the other men see her as belonging to Curley, just another possession of his on the ranch Curleys wife is the only woman on the ranch, she married Curley recently and she is still quite young. She is lonely because she has no one to confide in. When she wants to talk to the men she uses the excuse she is looking for Curley. Any you boys seen Curley? Pg81 This quote is from when Lennie, Candy and Crooks are in Crooks room and Curleys wife comes in. In this chapter we know she uses the excuse she is looking for Curley as a way to talk to the men on the ranch. We know this because, after the men tell her he hasnt been there she says Think I dont know where they all went? Even Curley. I know where they all went. Page 81 She uses this excuse every time she wants to talk to the men but she has shown that she knew exactly where he was this time. She then calls them the weak ones the bunch of bindle stiffs but even after that she wishes to talks to them. This is because she is desperate for some company anyone to talk to. She is seen to be a tart and jail bait by the other men on the ranch, but she still wants to have them for company. Curleys wife also had dream, she still has, and when she was younger she wanted to be an actress. She says how she could have been famous, rich and happy. I coulda made somethin of myself. She said darkly, Maybe I will yet. Pg 93 The fact that she still hopes to fulfil her dream is rather pathetic. Her dream is very unrealistic she will never break free from her unhappy marriage. She has this dream because it is a form of escapism, she can pretend that she is not lonely and that one-day she will not have to live the way she very much dislikes. I tell you I aint used to livin like this. Pg 93 She reveals her dreams to Lennie when hes on his own she finds that the men only talk to her when they are on their own. Even when Lennie is on his own he is reluctant to talk to her because of what George has said about her. Crooks is a Negro in a society that considers non-whites as sub-human. He also is partially crippled which does not help when he is living in a society that value people by their ability to provide a service. Because of his race he does not sleep in the same room as the other workers, he lives in the room where he works in and a manure pile under the window. Because of this Crooks spends most of his time on his own leading to a great feeling of loneliness. His only companions are his books and as he has seen people come and go he has acquired more possessions than the others have. His loneliness is revealed when he is talking to Lennie. Lennie is talking to Crooks in his room, telling him about the land they will one day own. A guy needs somebody-to be near him. Pg 77 Crooks reads books but because of his colour he has no friend not even somebody on his wavelength. He is on his own every night whereas all the other men share their room in the bunkhouse. Crooks is so overcome with his loneliness that he cannot hope or dream anymore. He doesnt take any notice of Lennies dream because he has heard it all before. I seen hundreds of men come by on the road An every damn one of ems got a little piece of land in his head. An never a god-damn one of em ever gets it. Pg 78 Although after he hears how this dream could become a reality Crooks is influenced and wants to join in. He later retracts his statement because of the way Curleys wife treats him. Well you keep your place, then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it aint even funny. Pg 85 Shes racist and through her body language she shows that she has the authority over him. This is why he no longer wanted to join in with the plan of owning land. Candy is lonely because he has nobody; he only had one companion, which was his dog that he had since the dog was a puppy. Candy was very upset when his dog had to be killed. His loneliness is revealed when Carlson proposes that the dog should be shot. Whynt you shoot him, candy? The old man squirmed uncomfortably. Pg 47 The thought of Candys only companion being shot fills him with dread. The thought is uncomfortable. He tries many times to reason with Carlson and find a way that he can put off the death of his dog. Candy said hopefully, you aint got a gun. Pg 50 The only reason he lets his dog die is because he cannot argue with Carlson. Also Slim agreed with Carlson and Slim word is the law in this play, the voice of reason. Candy is so desperate for companionship that he keeps a blind dog that is in pain from dying in a way this is an act of selfishness. Candy listens attentively while George and Lennie are talking about their dream. He offers to buy the land they need to fulfil their dream. Sspose I went in with you guys. Thas three hundred an fifty bucks Id put in Pg 62 Candy is very old, because of the great depression there is no job security and because of this he thinks he will be sacked soon. At this point the dream seems more real to them than it has ever been before. Before it was just a fantasy, some thing to find comfort in, but he could never actually let himself believe it. They all sat still, all bemused by the beauty of the thing, Pg 64 I think now their dream is more realistic but not realistic enough because George says if Lennie and he dont spend anything they would have $450 but they are bound to spend something especially when George is interested in going to the cat house. Also the asking price is $600 it will take a lot longer for them to raise that amount of money. The great depression in America had its effect on many of the characters; money was hard to come by. Loneliness is a major theme in the novel Of Mice and Men because many of the characters suffer from this more than anything else. Loneliness kills Curleys wife, embitters Crooks and candy although Lennie and George put it off through the fact that they have each other for companionship. Guys like us, that work on the ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. Lennie broke in. But not us! Because because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and thats why Pg 14 Steinbeck doesnt offer any answers to the characters problem of loneliness. Showing the reader a graphic and moving portrayal of how loneliness affects people without providing an antidote or giving a happy ending makes the novel really sad. Lennie and Georges dream brought nothing but pain and grief instead of promised joy and happiness, which ties into the tittle of the book which was taken from a poem titled to a mouse by a Scottish poet called Robert Burns. This poem was about how a mouse, which had planned for the winter by making a nest, had its nest ruined by a tractor. George and Lennie planned carefully how they were going to achieve their dream of being free and independent but forces beyond their control shattered their dream. Steinbeck never suggests that dreams should not be had, Lennie and Georges dream was so powerful that Candy was drawn in and for a short time so was the cynical Crooks. This dream was what comforted Lennie and helped George survive. The dreams the characters had had to be had they were what was needed to hold on to, to survive and to work for. This period of time made people bitter because they were lonely, the only person they had to look out for was themselves, kindness had no place on the ranch. They all cried out for love and care but only Lennie openly expressed his need for it through his constant talk of rabbits. Characters like Crooks had become cynical, he had lost hope and he couldnt dream. At first when Lennie talked of his dream Crooks thought it was another pathetic dream he was beyond imagining how everything could be. Curleys wifes dream was rather pathetic and quite unrealistic but it was a form of escapism for her. So she fantasised about her dream coming true but it was her way of coping when she was in an unhappy marriage that she had no way out of. It is sad to think that the loneliness that she was trying to get away from killed her in the end.

Effect of Metabolic Disorders on Rumen pH

Effect of Metabolic Disorders on Rumen pH The effect of metabolic disorders on rumen pH and production performance of Holstein dairy cows Ondrej HanuÃ… ¡ovskà ½1, Daniel Bà ­ro1, Milan Ã…  imko1, Branislav Gà ¡lik1, Miroslav Jurà ¡Ãƒâ€žÃ‚ ek1, Michal Rolinec1 Abstract The main goal of this research was to evaluate the health condition of dairy cows in relationship with milk production and milk composition using continuous monitoring boluses in cooperation with University Experimental farm in Oponice. Totally, 7 Holstein cows had implemented bolus for monitoring rumen pH and temperature every 15 minutes with accuracy  ± 0.1 pH and  °C. Milk production test-day records by Breeding Services of Slovakia, s. e. 5 times per each cow with bolus during 27 weeks of lactation were realised. Dairy cows were divided into three groups (NORMAL, SARA, KETOSIS) according to average daily pH. After that test-day records with the selected group were paired.   In the NORMAL group in comparison with the SARA group statistically significant higher pH by 9.81% (p

Marjane Satrapis Persepolis Essay -- Marjane Satrapis Persepolis

In the 1970's a great power struggle began in Iran, leading to a profusion of civil unrest and mass emigration. In 1941 Iranian monarch Reza Shah, was removed from power by the United States and replaced by his son, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, who Westernized the highly conservative and religious nation. He continued implementing the Westernized laws set by his father, which were known to "discouraged democratic political expression in the public sphere" and condemned Islamic fundamentalism (Khosrokhavar 3). The largely conservative citizens of Iran protested the alterations in multiple movements in response to the westernization, financial failures, and perceived belief that the Shah was being controlled by Western powers for control over Iran's vast oil supply. January of 1979, the Shah went into exile in Egypt and the devoted Muslim leader Ayatollah Khomeini assumed power, reinstalling the strict, Islamic law; "The Constitution allows all laws to be revised [...] by an Assembly of Expert, which is dominated by conservative clergymen" (Khatami 122) . In 1980, Iraqi troops invaded Iran in hopes of capturing the oil- rich country amidst the Revolutionary turmoil, further contributing to Iranian emigration to European countries. The Iran Iraq War continued until 1988. The mass exodus resulted in the "forced dispersal, immigration, displacement and establishment of reconfigured transnational communities", now known as the Iranian diaspora (Agnew 19).Such abrupt uprooting of a citizen's identity and physical connection to their homeland leads to a conflicting sense of identity and belonging in individuals who are involved in the sudden transition. As a member of the Iranian diaspora, Marjane Satrapi endured many h... ...2010. N. pag. Print.Parsa, Misagh. Social Origins of the Iranian Revolution. New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 1989. Print. Safizadeh, Fereydoun, Persis M. Karim, and Mohammad M. Khorrami. A World Between: Poems, Short Stories, and Essays by Iranian Americans. New York: George Braziller, 1999. Print. Satrapi, Marjane. "On Writing Persepolis.†." Pantheon Graphic Novels 1 (2005). Satrapi, Marjane, and Marjane Satrapi. The Complete Persepolis. New York: Pantheon, 2007. Print. Salehi, M. M. Insurgency through Culture and Religion: The Islamic Revolution of Iran. New York: Praeger, 1988. Print. Diaz 13 Shavarini, Mitra K. Desert Roots: Journey of an Iranian Immigrant Family. El Paso, TX: LFB Scholarly Pub., 2012. Print. Talebi, Shahla, and SuÌ„daÌ„bah ArdavaÌ„n. Ghosts of Revolution: Rekindled Memories of Imprisonment in Iran. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 2011. Print.

Good and Evil in Human Nature in Lord of the Flies and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde :: William Golding Robert Louis Stevenson Essays

Good and Evil in Human Nature in Lord of the Flies and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde The novels The strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde written by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lord of the Flies by William Golding both portray a very similar message. In both novels there are characters, which represent both good and evil showing the contrasts, which occur throughout the whole storyline. Both novels can be described as an allegory as they both show different levels and meanings e.g. in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde one represents good the other evil even though they are the same person. This gives us the indication that Stevenson's message is that evil can be found inside everyone. Also Golding uses characters to bring this message across as well. Lord of the Flies is situated on an island and when the boy's plane crashes they are provided with the ideal surrounding with great resources to survive until they're rescued. The island almost acts as a parent even though they are without parental supervision. The island can be compared to the Garden of Eden as it's described as a "natural beauty". But straight away we are warned there is a "dark side" to the island. Almost suggesting something will go wrong or this is where something horrendous will take place. The children's main aim when they are all together is to pick a leader. This is where the conflict begins mainly because Ralph gets picked and Jack becomes Jealous. Ralph shows maturity and intelligence where Jack shows power and strength. Golding almost suggests that if Jack and Ralph were combined they would be the ultimate leader. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde shows how scientific experiments can go wrong and Stevenson tells that even though we try to avoid evil it will never go away. The novel all starts with the concern of Mr. Utterson, Henry Jekyll's lawyer. He is worried and confused that Jekyll has left all his possessions in his will to a Mr. Hyde who he has never met. "All his possessions were to pass into the hands of his friend and benefactor Edward Hyde" Utterson confronts Jekyll's old friend Dr. Lanyon but he hasn't heard of a Mr. Hyde. "No. Never heard of him. Since my time" Its ironic that the name Hyde can be heard as hide so we are told that even before we begin to read that Mr. Hyde must be strange or almost none existent. Utterson tracks down Hyde and is horrified by the way he looks and doesn't understand how Jekyll could be friends with such

The Importance of the Sea in The Awakening Essay -- Chopin Awakening

The Importance of the Sea in The Awakening      Ã‚   Throughout her novel, The Awakening, Kate Chopin uses symbolism and imagery to portray the main character's emergence into a state of spiritual awareness. The image that appears the most throughout the novel is that of the sea. â€Å"Chopin uses the sea to symbolize freedom, freedom from others and freedom to be one's self† (Martin 58). The protagonist, Edna Pontellier, wants that freedom, and with images of the sea, Chopin shows Edna's awakening desire to be free and her ultimate achievement of that freedom.    Edna's awakening begins with her vacation to the beach. There, she meets Robert Lebrun and develops an intense infatuation for him, an infatuation similar to those which she had in her youth and gave up when she married. The passionate feelings beginning to overwhelm her are both confusing and exciting. They lead to Edna beginning to ponder what her life is like and what she is like as a person. The spell of the sea influences these feelings which invite "the soul . . . to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation" (Chopin 57). Edna begins to fall under the sea's spell and begins to evaluate her feelings about the life that she has.    During the summer of Edna's awakening, the sea's influence increases as she learns how to swim, an event which holds much more significance that her fellow vacationers realize. â€Å"To her friends, she has accomplished a simple feat; to Edna, she has accomplished a miracle† (Showalter 114). She has found a peace and tranquility in swimming which gives her the feeling of freedom. The narrator tells us that as she swims, "she seem[s] to be reaching out for the unlimited in which to lose herself" (Chopin 74). She sees the freedom t... ...ms out into the ocean for the final time, she finds her ultimate freedom.    In the end, the sea symbolizes freedom for Edna. It will never treat her as a possession like her husband has for so many years. It will not demand all of her time and attention as her children do. It will never abandon her as Robert does. It will enfold her "in its soft, close embrace" (Chopin 176) and allow her to experience the vast array of feelings that her life has forbidden her to do. The sea will allow her to be free.    Works Cited and Consulted Chopin, Kate. "The Awakening." 1899. The Complete Works of Kate Chopin. Ed. Per Seyersted. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 1969. 881-1000. Martin, Wendy, ed. New Essays on the Awakening. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1988. Showalter, Elaine. "Tradition and the Female Talent: The Awakening as a Solitary Book." 1993

Of mice and men †character analysis Essay

Because the boss is of higher position than George and Lennie he really makes it clear that he is by shouting and being very rude, then watching to see what George and Lennie are going to do because they can’t actually do anything. Because he’s boss and if they did do anything then they would not be able to get the job, so they just have to let it pass and ignore it. Curley is very rude as well, although he is of no higher position than them he is the boss’s son and if they do anything to him then its trouble again. The above basically means that a position any higher than any other worker is highly exploited. A man who used to work at the ranch called Bill Tenner is a good example of the way workers do not get close to each other, because he had worked at the ranch for years and three months after he left he was completely forgotten. What George and Lennie have is something special, a friendship a person they can turn to in times of need. In the 1930’s when the Great Depression was occurring friends were looked upon as a possession and possessions created jealousy and that is why friends were so rare, but George and Lennie fight through. When George is tired and doesn’t want to walk anymore Lennie helps him along. When Lennie is upset George comforts him. With the other workers no one does that for them, they’re on their own. QUESTION 1; Part E: The life the workers and George and Lennie live, involves much cruelty and isolation many unknown things go on that lie deep in the â€Å"group† but ones that stick out are the situation with crooks, because he is black he is isolated from the white people. Crooks is a good example because he is different, today he would not be different but in those days he was looked upon as a â€Å"nigger† or a â€Å"negro†. The other workers thought of him as dirty and he wasn’t aloud in the bunkhouse and he was not aloud to sit with the others in the lunch hall. All things were his own he had his own bunkhouse, his own bed, his own table and all right next to where he works, he’s isolated. Another good example is Candy he has a mangy old dog that he sees as a friend so the other workers are jealous. The workers say that the dog needs putting down so they kill the dog with no remorse :(, now they’re even. QUESTION 2; Part A: The dream which George and Lennie share is the most direct antithesis of all this. The dream is a dream that may become a reality, the dream is a dream which is a way of getting away from what life they have had, the dream is their only escape from the sheer horrible life they lead. The dream is of course a dream of freedom, freedom from the rules and regulations of the ranch. Freedom from the strict boundaries they are caged up in. Freedom to do what they want when they want and not have to be told to work, clean, move, shovel, drive, push and pull anything, they’ll do it when they see fit or when they can be bothered. It will be their little place to call home, and they won’t have to keep changing it either. In that era status was of large importance everyone was below and above someone, but this time THEY will be boss. QUESTION 2; Part B: Work: The two of them, George and Lennie will have the pleasure of living of the fatta the land. First they will plough the land to make it fertile for the seeds. Then they will sow the land. Then they will raise the crop like it were a field of children. Then just as the crop blossoms they will harvest the food and eat it and as they do they will feel fulfilled as if they have made it. The only work boundary they will have is the seasons (meaning if they don’t plant the crop by a certain season the ground will be too hard, wet e. t. c). They will have no one to fire them, which means they wont have to move around every other month. Both George and Lennie will have greater control, not only over the ranch but over their own lives. QUESTION 2; Part C: Home: There own place, nicer accommodation because there won’t have to be rows and rows of workers all in one room, they will have what they want. If their cold then they will get more blankets, or put more logs on the fire they wont need to ask if they can either. They won’t need a little work slip to get in and any friends they want to stay its there decision. All the food will be grown by them so just because of that it will taste better. It would taste better even if they hadn’t grown it themselves because they are only cooking for 2 unlike the cook at the ranch who had to cook for 20 so the food was not as well prepared. They can spend all the time they like on cooking it and cook what they like as well. QUESTION 2; Part D: Entertainment: When on the ranch George and Lennie only had the nearest town to go to because they were not aloud to go to any where else because it was to far from the ranch. If they had there own home it wouldn’t matter, Christmas, birthdays they could go wherever they wanted to go to celebrate whatever they wanted it did not matter it was there own life to live. QUESTION 2; Part E: Friends: On the ranch they had little friendships, and the little friend s they did have were not exactly the stereotypical friendships if either had the chance they would root out the other friend and not think twice. If they lived the dream it would be there own house so they could have who they want to stay, for example if they met someone in town they liked they could bring them back if they liked and have no hassle. Whilst on the ranch if a unfriendly worker came to work they had no authority to send them away but in there own house unwanted visitors came they could easily send them away and have no problems in doing so. QUESTION 2; Part F: Security: As we know George and Lennie are friends and they would both be living in this dream if it were made a reality, also we know that George is the brighter of the two and he looks after Lennie a great deal. The main problem the couple-face is the fact that Lennie can’t keep his hands to himself. George does his best to protect Lennie from this problem but as we know he cant always be there. When he is not then that’s when Lennie goes fiddling (Lennie’s fiddling problem is not strictly his fault its just the fact that he is so stupid that he sees something he likes and has to touch it like a child in a shop). If the dream were a reality though they would not have this problem because Lennie would be far from anywhere where he could do any harm. QUESTION 2; Part G: In the end though the dream is overpowered by the sheer cruelty of the life style, the dream for George, Lennie, Candy and Crooks has been shattered by once again Lennie. The rest of the group are doomed to an eternal life of wondering from ranch to ranch looking for work. For Lennie his life is over he has been shot in the back of the head by his, (humane? Selfish? ) Friend. So near and yet so far would be the best describing sentence for this whole book. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Steinbeck section.

Leadership Quality of Kumar Mangalam Birla Essay

Are we doing everything we can to help people be the best they can be? † asked Birla in the Q203 issue of The Smart Manager. The question is close to his heart. Since he took over the reins at the Birla Group he has focused on fine tuning the group’s talent pool. If this meant taking hard decisions Birla did not shy away. More than 350 senior managers left the group. Some through natural attrition, others through counseling, leaving space for new faces and new talent. Management means attracting talented people, nurturing them, developing them, and giving them space,† asserts Birla, â€Å"decisions need to be made at every level and decisions need to be quick. So, we have to spot, incubate and groom talent at every level of the organization, because more people need to be making high quality decisions. † To build this culture in the group, Birla has created a system based on meritocracy. His HR initiatives fall under three broad heads: learning and relearning, performance management and organizational renewal. For example Gyanodaya, the group’s learning center falls in the first category. It helps in the transfer of best practices across group companies thus sharpening the group’s competitive edge. The training calendar is accessible to employees via Aditya Disha, the group wide intranet, and the teaching programs consist of a mix of classroom, outreach, and e-learning initiatives. Birla has also instituted The Organisational Health Survey (OHS) which tracks the satisfaction levels of 8,670 managers across the group. A direct result of such initiatives is that today his brand as an employer has enhanced significantly, allowing Birla to access to some of the best minds and talent available in the country. The group is considered among the top 20 preferred employers in Asia. For performance management Birla instituted the Aditya Birla Sun awards an annual internal awards system. Here each group company makes an open presentation on their successes and failures to a group of 400 managers drawn from different group businesses. This leads to information sharing and also encourages healthy competition in the group. Birla believes that star performers need appreciation and recognition. â€Å"It is very important for people who are doing well to be told they are doing well,† he says. He insists that performance levels jump considerably higher after a person/team receives an award. The Aditya Birla award is for teams while the chairman’s award is for individuals. A group company that has won numerous such awards is Hindalco. Birla has transformed Hindalco into a globally competitive non-ferrous metals company. The first step was to merge the copper division of Indo Gulf with Hindalco unifying the group’s non-ferrous metals business under one company with 40% market share. He acquired 74. 6 % equity stake in Indal for Rs 10 bn to make it a wholly owned subsidiary of Hindalco. This made him the largest producer of aluminum in India and today Hindalco-Indal command a 70% market share. Having made Hindalco competitive now Birla is pursuing market growth. He recently entered the Rs 2. 50 bn branded foil market. Within a year of launch Hindalco captured a 40% market share and put a robust distribution in place. Last year Hindalco launched of as many as five branded products. The launch of â€Å"Aura† Alloy Wheels in early 2002, uniquely positioned as â€Å"dress code for your car†, was followed by the launch of its kitchen utility range – Freshwrapp aluminium foil and Freshpakk semi-rigid containers, and Everlast roofing sheets. Hindalco also introduced â€Å"Al Planet†, a unique exhibition format highlighting products from the secondary aluminium industry. For organic growth Birla has embarked on an Rs18 bn brownfield expansion at Hindalco’s integrated complex in Renukoot to increase aluminum metal capacity from 100,000 TPA to 342,000 TPA. This will ensure Hindalco’s leadership position in the domestic market and improve its export markets as well. But while Birla was revamping Hindalco, a move towards untangling the cross-holdings among group companies, a legacy of the ‘licence raj’, was also initiated. He unified his diverse companies under the Aditya Birla Group head. â€Å"If one were to encapsulate it (the group strategy) in a single word – the dominant strategic theme over the past four years has been consolidation,† says Birla. The process was threefold. Birla rearranged the companies, consolidated market presence in the different industries and then went on an acquisition spree to further strengthen leadership position. The result is a streamlined group with all aluminium companies merged under Hindalco, cement companies under Grasim, copper companies under Birla Copper and textiles and garments under Indian Rayon. Losing some of its loss making divisions also made Indo Gulf a debt free fertilizer company. In the process the group’s revenues have risen from Rs 72 bn to Rs 270 bn in eight years. â€Å"Our strategy dictates that we get out of businesses where we are bit players and strengthen the businesses where we have clear competencies, so that we get to the top of the league or consolidate our position there, as the case may be. This leads to a sharper and tighter business portfolio with our firepower being better targeted,† says Birla. Birla began with Grasim in 1995. His first step was to move the cement division of Indian Rayon to Grasim, thereby integrating the cement holdings within the group. Then in 2003 he acquired the cement division of Larsen & Toubro for Rs 22 bn increasing Grasim’s total capacity to 31 MTPY. Today Grasim is the largest producer of cement in India and the seventh largest in the world. Similarly the copper division of Indo Gulf was divested and incorporated into Birla Copper. Then Birla increased the smelter capacity of Birla Copper from 100,00 to 150,00 MTPY and acquired two copper mines in Australia. Birla has been nicknamed the ‘non-ferrous general’ by the industry: his aluminium, copper, and carbon black units are ranked among the top three in their respective segments. Indian Rayon also saw dramatic changes in portfolio. Its cement division was demerged. Then it acquired Madura Garments, the apparels and garments division of Madura Coats for Rs 2. 6 bn in January 2000. This takeover gave Indian Rayon ownership of prominent brands — Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Byford, Peter England and San Frisco. This marked a dramatic change in focus for the commodity based group. Though a major player in textiles, Birla had not been able to impact the branded menswear market. Building brands from scratch takes time as well as money, and the easiest way was to acquire an established one. â€Å"The apparels business is one in which we want a leadership position. We will make a focused entry into the high-value, ready-to-wear segment. This acquisition as well as the acquisition of certain overseas brand rights has catapulted the group to the top of the league in the branded apparels market,† says Birla. Today after a long period of negative growth Madura Garments has reported a 14. % increase in revenues. As a part of the restructuring process he sold Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals to ONGC. â€Å"The exit from MRPL indicates our firm resolve to rationalized the Group’s portfolio of businesses with a view on the future, and also bears testimony of our commitment to a key group of stakeholders: our lenders,† says Birla. The other major restructuring at Indian Rayon was demerging the insulator business into a new JV with Japanese company NGK to sustain leadership position and to acquire a global marketing network for the insulator business. The consolidation initiative has allowed each company to emerge with a stronger balance sheet. The three largest companies in the group, Grasim, Hindalco, Indian Rayon, turned in a cumulative net profit of Rs 10. 55 bn in FY03, a jump of 2. 1% from FY02. Their combined sales increased to Rs 110. 45 bn in FY03, an increase of 36% over the previous year. The group’s overall revenues touched Rs 2,700 bn. Management style Birla is his father’s son, but he has gradually developed his own personal management style. Commonalities include performance orientation, a strict eye for detail, close attention to budgets. Differences include more informal interaction with managers from top to bottom; a greater gap between personal and office life; and a strong emphasis on financial performance. For example he has replaced the old Parta system, which focused only on production with the Cash Value Added method, which emphasizes profitability, asset productivity and growth. Birla is a firm believer in meritocracy. In his father’s time, there were several marwaris in top management. Today there are plenty of non-marwaris. He places a lot of emphasis on HR and hired Santrupt Mishra from Hindustan Lever to spearhead the groups HR initiatives. A 360 degree feedback program that allows managers to question even Birlas own leadership style and does away with the ‘babu culture’ prevalent in the group. But while on one hand Birla nurtures employees, on the other he is very careful about performance measures. Birla is equally adamant about strict adherence to policies and procedures that have been discussed and approved. For example he introduced a retirement policy, similar to the one Ratan Tata introduced over at the Tata  Group. While a cresendo of unhappiness was heard at Bombay House, peaceful silence reigned at Industry House. At Lever House, no doubt Vindi Banga is closely watching these events. Birla’s retirement policy saw 325 senior executives, between the ages of 62 and 65, step down after years of service. Though the policy was drafted in 2001, he took a year to implement. He then hired 190 young executives to infuse fresh and out of the box thinking in the group. â€Å"I think its been one of the most important decisions I’ve had to make,† says Birla. People skills are Birla’s biggest strength. He has the ability to get on with both the old guard and the new turks. Soft spoken and insistent Birla likes to be directly involved. For example he sends individual notes to employees regarding their performance. Debu Bhattacharya currently the managing director of Hindalco and another former Hindustan Lever employee says, â€Å"it won’t be an exaggeration to say that I joined this group because of Mr Birla. For somebody who is from a highly respected MNC in the country, going to an Indian business house, I had a lot of reservations. My reservations came from that perception of the group. But I was so overawed with his simplicity, his genuineness, and his ability to explain simple things without trying to sell the job. If I had to take that decision all over again I’d do the same. † For all this Kumar is a low profile person, with a sense of humor and the rare ability to laugh at himself. This ease spills into his business relationships. For example the stalemate between the houses of Tata and Birla is now history. Ratan Tata recently invited Birla to join the board of Tata Steel, and Birla just as easily accepted.