36 EverythingAboutWater | JUNE 2011 The Future of Water

THE OBSESSION

Harshad BastikarFounder Director & CEOJaldhara Technologies, Mumbai

Q What is your current obsession - in your professional life? How does it

motivate you?

A It all started a few years ago when I moved into the fi eld of Environmental

protection and Application Technology related to it. I got into Water, Wastewater and Effl uent treatment. It did take me a few months to fi rst understand the domain and the related Knowledge part. But, as I got deeper and deeper into it, I realized the immense value it carried with respect to it’s overall impact on Protection of our Environment and control of its degradation. Over a period of time, liking turned into drive and it became an obsession. I began to believe that my obsession is a virtue and not a vice, provided I applied it to benefi cial use, at large. Today, when someone asks me

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ImprovementsImprovements

EverythingAboutWater | JUNE 2011 37AnniversarySpecial Issue

THE OBSESSIONTHE OBSESSION

about my professional life, I simply tell them, “My Head is in Water and my Feet are in Sewage and Effl uent”. Every little bit that I can do, to help in the monitoring of our Environment and control of its degradation, becomes a motivation for me. Luckily all the people I’ve worked with and am working with over the past few years have shared and participated wholeheartedly in my quest. If my obsession wasn’t good or if I had not focused on effectively communicating it with my colleagues it could have lead to problems, confusion and frustration. I now fi nd that my obsession spreads!

Q And what is your current obsession - in your personal life? How does it

motivate you?

A All the pressures that I have borne over the last 10 years made me look at what

I was doing, how I was doing it and how or what I wanted to do in the next 10 years. The fi rst thought which came to my mind was to assess the goals I had set for myself. Thereafter, painstakingly explore any and all development which I had pushed myself into. With this, I was able to take a very honest look at my weaknesses and shortcomings. I am now working consciously on all these to do everything in my power to strengthen them. Every small improvement keeps me motivated to do better.

Q What keeps you awake at night - to make a big improvement in your

business?

A Just one thought Delivering the goods to the Customers “In Time” and as ordered.

Any slip on planned and committed OTP (On Time Performance) still gives me sleepless nights.

Q And what keeps you awake at night - to make a big improvement in your

life?

A When OTP is in control, I tend to sleep very peacefully! If not, there’s a lot to do.

Time doesn’t wait, because there’s no such thing as “if I had the time!” I try to create and fi nd the time for all that I want to do.

Q What, according to you is more heartening and enjoyable - the

destination or the journey itself? Tell us about some key milestones of your life.

A In my opinion, both, the Journey and the Destination carry equal importance and

value. One cannot be isolated from the other. I remember the time when I was located in the Gulf on an assignment and had to visit the Desert oilfi eld area, in a self-driven four-wheel drive. One week in advance two hours daily, I had to undergo “Driving & Safety” and how to make the Journey Plan training. My initial approach was “I know how to drive and what new will they teach me here”. However, after I fi nished the week long course, I realized that I knew nothing about Driving & related Safety, till then. All I was able to do, till that point, was shifting gears and turning the steering wheel. Such instances change your very outlook towards taking up any Journey. It all starts with a Destination, the Journey Plan, if this then that, what to, how to, etc. What I didn’t realize then, was that it had actually left an imprint on my mind. A few years later I found myself actually following the exact same process for everything that I wanted to do! I was able to systematically plan my Career graph and chart out the journey plan to be where I wanted to be. The journey was really enjoyable and full of circumstances, situations and moments which made up of what I call my experience, today. Among the most signifi cant or major milestone of my life was my entry into the Environment Domain. It brought me directly in contact with and closer to my Passion. I had always wanted to be a contributor in helping protect our environment.

Q How do you stay focused all the time? Any specifi c activity?

A I am conscious about the fact that it is unnecessary and time-wasting to keep

brewing on mistakes committed in the past. Those mistakes helped me to gain experience and wisdom to avoid similar instances in future. I try my best to create new opportunities that will show me how to change the current situation and stay focused on what I am doing now and

PASSIONThe resultant satisfaction derived from success after pursuing my dreams through a lot of searching, lots of trials & errors and a few false starts.

INNOVATIONSimply the way I just look at various perspectives of doing things in a new way, maybe for the better or maybe just for a change.

SUCCESSFulfi llment of both of above, or even one of the above.

for me...

38 EverythingAboutWater | JUNE 2011 The Future of Water

THE OBSESSION

want to do in the future. For this, I ensure that my “To-do & Not-to-Do” list and plan is always kept updated.

Q What kept you going during the economic slowdown?

A Tomorrow never Dies.

Q Which Indian or International personality has inspired or

impressed you recently with their obsession in their profession? How do you see people can learn from it?

A It wouldn’t be right for me to just say “This Person” or “That Person”. There are

a few. Each individual has different ideas of what to and what not to learn from others.

Q What was your key achievement in past 12 months, professionally?

What did you learn from it?

A Creating the design base for our Grewa range of products was the

most signifi cant. I had a dream to establish a contributing presence in the Environment space. The fi rst thought was to create a purpose-built solution on a ‘not-so-complex’ technology. It was only the starting point. Timing and market both were right. The enterprise was set up, like-minded professionals came together and we all got down to creating something new, highly effi cient, economical to operate yet robust. I was searching in specifi c areas and specifi c domains. That’s when I kept asking myself, “what are we creating?” Were we doing something that was Been-there-Done-that or was it something which was not-successfully-done-yet and “Better”. The result? A very compact, productized and fully automatic treatment solution based on a simple yet very effective technology. From the entire developmental exercise I learnt how not to set aside any thought or any idea, no matter how simple or how crazy it may appear to be.

Q What was your key achievement in past 12 months, personally? And

what did you learn from it?

A As far as I know, we only get one chance around this life. That meant anything

I don’t do, I won’t be able to go back and do again. So, instead of just standing, idling and letting time tick by, I get out there and lived every day of my life king size!

Q One obsession which you will never acquire - in your professional life?

And why?

A Didn’t have the time to think of anything other than what I had always aspired to

do!

Q Again one obsession which you will never acquire - in your personal

life? And why?

A Some facets of our personal life are best kept where they are!

Q What are your specifi c plans for the next 1 year professionally? Please

elaborate.

A Take our products to the world and effect a benefi cial change in the way the world

treats its Wastewater.

Q Again, what are your specifi c plans for the next 1 year personally?

Please elaborate.

A I am reminded of Abraham Lincoln’s wise words “The best thing about the future is

that it comes only one day at a time.”