It was a day filled with revelry, optimism and the spirit of achievement as thousands of ELGians and their families came together at Maharaja Theme Park, Coimbatore. 7th January 2018, the first Sunday of the New Year, was Family Day at ELGi. For more than two decades, this tradition has grown and evolved from being an annual company get-together to a platform that promotes professional, cultural, and academic success in the ELGi community.
Family Day’s Award Ceremony always remains the most-awaited activity in the year. This practice began in 2001 with the purpose of honoring employees who have completed 25 years of service at ELGi. A 25 gram gold coin is awarded to the employees as a keepsake for their memorable years at the organisation.
On this momentous occasion, we reached out to some of the many silver jubilarians who are still in service at the company.
The first person from the left is Mr. Gerard D.P.A, MANAGER-GLOBAL AFTER MARKET (CCS)
“I joined ELGi in 1982 as a welder in the production department,” reminisces Gerard D.P.A, “Today, I’m Manager of the Customer Care department. Whenever I felt the need to do more, ELGi has given me the support and space to grow; whether it was completing my post-graduation with a full-time job or taking up more responsibilities at the workplace. Receiving the ‘Long Service’ award was one of the proudest moments in my life.” Gerard has completed 32 years at ELGi at present and continues to be an invaluable part of the organisation.
Mr. Xavier Kennedy receiving the 25 years service award from the Managing Director
Another proud ELGian, Mr. Xavier Kennedy, looks back at these years at the organisation. “I joined this vibrant organization in 1988 as a trainee. At the time I was unsure about the future. I had the responsibility to support four younger brothers and one younger sister. After completion of my training, I was appointed as a fitter in 1992.
As an organization, ELGi believes that a ground level staff member should not retire in the same position. And evidently, today I’m in the HR department; having learnt the art of shouldering more responsibilities and the development of capabilities from our organization.
I have grown along with ELGi.”
This year, 52 members of the ELGi family received the award for completing 25 years at the company. Currently, there are 159 members silver jubilarians at ELGi who continue to enrich the organization with their relentless efforts.
Vasantha S, who has completed 30 years at ELGi, still believes she learns something new every day. “I moved to the Materials department in 1996. In 2017, with ELGi’s rapid growth, new systems including the LN system were incorporated. And so, with the times, I am evolving too! I’m learning to work with new systems. My interaction with the dynamic young engineers at ELGi helps me learn and grasp new skills every day. I’m confident this experience will take me to greater heights in the future”, she says.
Over the years, after seeing the overwhelming response to ELGi’s Long Service Awards, the management has added several award categories across different departments; 100 % Attendance, Manager of The Year, ‘Employee of the Year’ to name a few. As an initiative to support the younger generation in the ELGi community, ELGi also awards meritorious children in the employees’ families who score above 90% in their board examinations.
Managing Director, Dr. Jairam Varadaraj receiving the 25 years service award
“All of these awards are meant to be beacons of motivation that spur us to better ourselves at every step— resonating deeply with ELGi's core philosophy. This year, in particular, was a special one for all of us as the Managing Director himself graced the stage to receive his own service award for 25 glorious years at ELGi. Truly inspiring!” exclaims Gerard.
Family Day, of course, is also about taking a brief respite from everyday life and spending quality time with co-workers and their families; welcoming the year in high spirits as we prepare for greater things to come. It’s a day when hierarchies and job titles take a backseat, as all ELGians join hands to organize and participate in the event. As we step forth into the New Year, we hope to host many more memorable days. The strength and success of an organization comes from its people and at ELGi, we value the contribution of every member. After all, we’re family.