Naman Pujari

Due: March 6, 2017

The Blueprint of an Engineers Job:

A Constructive Discussion with Lalit Grover

Understand your weaknesses and strengths, and focus on the things you enjoy doing the

most. Work in that direction to excel in that field. These few, but highly valuable words

annunciated by Mr. Lalit Grover acted as advice that is truly universal. An alumnus of the

renowned Punjab University in India, Mr. Grover deeply cherishes his role as Assistant Projects

Manager at Allways Elevator Inc., and hopes to keep expanding his Engineering horizon. As a

student walking the hallways of the Engineering Department of Punjab University, it was often

the case that the then young engineer found himself questioning his major. From being a

potential Mechanical Engineer, and then a Chemical Engineer, Mr. Grover discovered his

intellectual clique when he was introduced to electromagnetism. Due to this revelation, he

recognized his passion for all things electrical, and went forward to mark his path down that very

road. And now, with around 25 years of experience in the elevator industry, Mr. Grover is

nothing less than a reservoir of inspiration for aspiring engineers.

Mr. Grovers first job as an engineer proved to be, in his own words, a great learning

experience. As a former Senior Executive at Bharat Bijlee Ltd., one of Indias largest electrical

engineering companies, Mr. Grover recalls having the opportunity of handling some of the

biggest projects going on in that period. It was this experience, and many others, that provided

Mr. Grover with the background for his current job at Allways Elevator Inc. When questioned

about his day to day obligations he replied with enthusiasm and detail. Firstly, Mr. Grover, living

up to his title of his position, manages various ongoing projects. Secondly, he conducts drawing

evaluations, thereby either giving them approvals or disapprovals based on the merit of the

drawing. In simpler terms, an engineering drawing could be any schematic that aids interpreters

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Due: March 6, 2017

understanding of a potential structure/design. Lastly, Mr. Grover claims that he coordinates,

rather frequently, with various vendors for the procurement of material. Material entails

anything that is by every means necessary for building procedures.

Naturally, a worker of his caliber would have to communicate in writing and/or person.

Hence, I asked Mr. Grover to describe the type of interactions he has with his co-workers and

clients. Meeting are conducted in office on a weekly basis, he replied, and went on to explain a

plethora of other modes of communication. In addition to office meetings, Mr. Grover

participates in on-site (at the location of the construction/project) meetings. He explained how

minutes, short descriptions of previous meetings, were referenced in subsequent meetings and

strongly emphasized their importance. Moreover, the engineer claims to write an average of 10

emails per day. e-mails play a vital role in day to day functionality and interaction with

clients for approvals and with vendors for procurement processes.

When questioned about the kinds of professional reading and/or writing he conducts, Mr.

Grover replied, ASME A17.1 are the codes for elevators and escalators which need to be

followed for day-to-day work. Out of curiosity, I researched the internet for more information

on the technical report he mentioned. ASME, or The American Society of Mechanical Engineers,

issues specific documents that entail all the required safety procedures to be followed for specific

projects. The report he cited, A17.1, lays out all the safety requirements and procedures to keep

in mind whilst installing and/or reviewing the designs for an elevator or an escalator. The report

maintains a remarkable attention to detail throughout its 50-odd pages. This fact really resonated

with me, as I realized that the safety (thereby implying the lives of clients) is of the utmost

importance when it comes to any type of engineering. When asked for examples of any technical

reports he had written, Mr. Grover unfortunately replied with a soft No.

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Approaching the end of my scheduled time with Mr. Grover, I started to ask him some

more personal and casual questions. The first, an almost clich question, asked him what he liked

most about his job. His response:

The thing I like most about the job is its versatile nature. Each project is different and we need

to interact with different clientele, architects and project managers belonging to various

background and having different sets of skill.

I too related to this answer since it is my knowledge that versatility and diversity is most of the

time, if not always, an asset for ones personal growth. Next, I asked him whether all the

quantitative subjects, such as mathematics and science, really applied to his day-to-day activities.

Grinning, almost as if he had predicted the question, Mr. Grover replied, Yes, to some extent.

Since we are Engineers, we need the basic principles of Physics and Mathematics. Mastery in

those subjects is always an asset for any engineer if he really wants to understand what he is

doing.

It became rather clear during my meeting with Mr. Grover that his engineering career was

no joke. In all honestly, his descriptions of things like day-to-day work, and communication

modes far exceeded my imagination of what an average engineer would do throughout his career.

From things like emails to technical reports, every aspect of his job required the highest level of

diligence. Id like to think that, in the distant future, I will be trailing the footsteps that Mr.

Grover took towards achieving his colorful and productive career.