My Journey to Mosaboni & days flew !

My First Visit to Mosaboni:

My journey started way back in 1971, while we were to graduate from Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad in a quest for our first job and we were giving interviews, some at ISM campus some at different Mines locations or there head offices etc.

Some time in June / July '2010, we were invited for interviews for Graduate Trainee (Mining) positions, few of my class mates along with me who were invited / selected were: O P Arora, R K Diwedi, along with myself from ISM and M S Raju from Raipur Mining College. And approximately 15 to 16, joined from Diploma Trainees, and PDPT trainees who converted and joined with our batch. Later  we were asked to join in the month of Oct / Nov 1971, and me and my two class mates again visited Mosaboni to get our joining extended to Jan ' 1972 as we were in the midst of our final exams , followed by our final year thesis . Our request was granted, although we were given option to join and complete our thesis from Mosaboni.

Well finally on completion of our thesis and exams we joined right on 01st January' 1972, which I still remember was a Saturday, and were given a place at newly built New Hostel block in-front of Old Hostel, near Nepali Line or near Gurdwara etc.

I stayed with M S Raju in Room No: 10, whilst my Friend O P Arora & R K Diwedi stayed in Room No: 09, on our left. First day at Mosaboni was at Training Manager's office, where we signed off our joining, along with we were given stores requisitions for mining boots, helmets, safety belts (safety gear) etc. If my memory is correct, it was either K L Ramaswamy and later  K M Agarwal who were our Training Manager that time etc.

First few days we were taken around, different sections of mines, like South Section, North Section, North Badia and Badia sections of mine, and eventually were allocated a School Stope (19L/320mN), which we trainees (both graduate and diploma) ran it as miners. It was a very hard life, and we used to get dog tired at the end of the day. Our section under ground manager was R P Prashara who used to over view us, although we were directly reporting to A K Basu and then M S Dutta, the then Senior Mining Forman (Graduate), from our senior batch from IIT Khargpur.

It was here at School Stope, where we  started hand on training in various fields like drilling, blasting, mucking, fixing of timber logs for support, experimental blasting & rock bolting which was just introduced then, along with tramming daily production from stope to grizzly platform, breaking stones at grizzlies, marking of face etc.

But always week ends were more rejoicing as we could all go out, some times for picnics to Tata Nagar or for Movies there. It was later that Mosaboni had its own movie hall near bus stand. Those days we were not allowed to join Mines Club, its facilities and cinema club etc as we were trainees, until covenancy (First Class Officer's Grade), I got in the year 1978 / 79.

Our training period ended in June / Sept' 1973, when we took over charge of Mate / Senior Mining Foreman, when we got attached to different sections, and started different shifts etc. We all graduates in mining after hard day work had to study to see we complete our First Class Mine Manager's Certificate Examination, (FCC conducted under the umbrella of DGMS, Dhanbad). Our colleague, R K Diwedi left this hard job some time in 1975, sooner he got job in Goa Iron Ore Mines. M S Raju left us, there after on his completion of First Cass Exams, followed by O P Arora who also joined Iron Ore Mines in Goa. I completed my First Class in the year 1977/78 after my marriage (Dec' 1975) and I had my first daughter, in Dec' 1976.

My life carried on, and sooner I started feeling settled here, although I also kept on trying to get jobs outside Mosaboni. I was still living at New Hostel, and I was transferred from Mining Production by then Mr. J K Mahajan - Chief Planning Engineer to join Planning Department, and hence started doing general shifts, at that time M S Raju was in planning, and I had seen his life, much better than mining shifts life.

My life changed totally, as I could see that I am now working in technical department, and evenings are free to myself. My decision to leave Mosaboni also changed for a while, but after I got married (Dec' 1975). I also tried to leave, initially I thought of leaving mining for good, to join my Dad's Business in New Delhi, but he did not agree and his decision today retrospect say was a good decision made for me. Later I got through various jobs at other places, within and out side country. But then General Manager Mr. M A Khan made us feel very homely here, and at times gave me and my family advices  to stay on etc. and also I was rewarded with new roles, so called promotions in ICC hierarchy.

It was when he moved out to HCL Head Office to Calcutta, we decided to quit in 1989, and it was this time, he said and agreed for our departure.
 

Still in progress>>>>>>>>>>>>>.