Women power world’s largest clockmaker
Swati Bharadwaj-Chand, The Times of India
March 8, 2008

Introduction: On International Women’s Day, Here’re A Few Tales Of Those Who Braved All Odds To Make A Mark

Their nimble fingers work with clockwork precision to power the world’s largest clock manufacturer.

And if the Rs 900 crore turnover Ajanta-ORPAT group is alive and ticking louder than ever, nearly 37 years after it first set up shop in 1971, it’s thanks to the thousands of women that keep the hands of time moving smoothly in this small and dusty town in Saurashtra. Testifying to this is the father of Indian wall clocks and founder of Ajanta-ORPAT group Odhavji Raghavji Patel, “Without our women employees we wouldn’t have been able to achieve the distinction of being the biggest manufacturer of wall clocks in the world.’’

The clock actually turned in this Morbi-based time keepers’ favour after Patel decided to employ women workers in 1985. Till then Ajanta was an all-male domain. “Women are more efficient and productive as they are disciplined, dedicated and focused, unlike men who waste time at work. Besides women’s nimble fingers are ideal for the precision work that clockmaking requires,’’ explains Patel, after whom the ORPAT brand is named. Of course it was an uphill task convincing parents to allow their young daughters to step out of home into a shop-floor. The unit started with 500 girls. Today, of the 7,000 employees working the group’s factories, 5,500 (80%) are women in the age group of 16-30. So much so that sighting the odd male on the shop floor and the office premises is rare. Some even drive the buses that bring women from over a 100 villages in a 65-km radius of Morbi to the factory.

For Hansa Savsani (20), a supervisor who earns around Rs 4,000 a month, the daily 8-hour shift pays for her younger brother’s college education and brings in the much-needed extra income. “We brought a colour TV last year,’’ says this farmer’s daughter from Neknani. With changing times and the group’s diversification into other products like mobile phones, home appliances and compact fluorescent lamps, women are doing more than just keeping time. Even the high attrition with an average of 500 women quitting jobs each year to get married has not deterred Patel from hiring more women.