Augmenting the Physical with the Digital D - Godrej Archivesarchives.godrej.com/assets/pdf/Dec_2018_Archives_Times.pdf · from a Godrej safe. Visitors are prompted to align the segments

GODREJ ARCHIVES RESTORE | REFLECT | REIMAGINE

Volume 5 Issue 1 December 2018

themselves. The story of archives is an

itinerant crusade to piece together

fragments of history and identity – the

brief to ourselves was to capture the

excitement and the pitfalls on this

journey.

Richly peppered with as many

anecdotes of euphoric discoveries as

disappointing leads. ‘Back to the

Future’, presents material artifacts,

Documents, images, oral histories, objects,

and now digital files and YouTube links.

These bits of history can seem like junk to

the unpracticed eye. However for an archivist

they offer insights into the identity and

culture of an organization. We decided that

our task as curators and designers for the

Godrej Archives’ exhibition-‘Back to the Fu-

ture’ (B2F) was not only to make the stories

contained in the archives alive – but to bring

to the forefront the stories of the archivists

The opening panel

for the exhibition

features a hand

painted signboard

for the title of the

exhibition inspired by

period typography

seen in archival

documents and

advertisements

Augmenting the Physical with the Digital

Sarita Sundar writes of how she curated the exhibition, ‘Back to the Future, the History of Godrej

through an Archival Lens’. She also lends insights into what went behind the design of the

exhibition which she spearheaded through her consultancy, Hanno.

The Archives Times December 2018

oral histories, letters and documents that

record and mark milestone periods in Godrej

corporate history. A passing statement, such as

“kuch pada hain Lal Baug mein”, (there is some-

thing in Lal Baug), that offered the promise of

archival treasures and prompted the lifting up

of creaky shutters in dusty, cobwebbed sheds –

is made into the focus for one of the

‘Adventures of Archives’. Another adventure

story was inspired by conversations with early

employees plumbing the recesses of memory

that provided exciting leads to old black and

white photographs with blurry faces. Clues to

these and other artefacts such as fraying

fragments of paper – or a corporate film from

the 1960s long thought to be lost forever,

provide fodder for the archival stories that are

featured as comic book frames on laddered

panels with QR code links to online content.

Fragmented stories of marginalized, objects

and people, often get ignored in the big picture

corporate narratives. However it is these

fragmented stories that add colour and thread

meaning to the culture and identity of

corporates such as Godrej. In order to give

voices to these stories, objects and people, B2F

uses many diverse tools such as: creatively

blending and augmenting the physical with the

digital using appropriate film clips next to

objects; oral histories of past employees loaded

onto digital tablets; a recreation of the

Vikhroli township with stations with Kindle

screens that feature black and white

photographs of the manufacturing at various

plants through history; a key unlocks a slice

of history by triggering a film on the

manufacture of locks in the mid 20th century

in one of the plants. These embodied

experiences allow visitors to curate their own

experiences and dip into parts of history that

they themselves may feel particularly

interested in.

Interactive elements such as a cut out panel

encourage visitors to enact a role in

advertising campaigns and upload their

selfies. On the day of the launch visitors were

gifted soaps that were manufactured using

the same composition and fragrances from

the early part of the 20th Century. Others

could walk away with a print made from

decades old letterpress advertising blocks.

Warning, a blast from the past. A Video Booth that

plays videos and advertisement films from the 6os.

The booth was custom made at the Godrej heavy

engineering plants for the exhibition using existing

designs – an example of repurposing existing

products.

‘Archive Adventures’ short

graphic novels on laddered

frames dramatise how

discoveries were made by

the archival team.

Scannable QR code links

connect online to further

documents.

A portion of Vikhroli, campus map is

recreated graphically on the floor. Visitors

can walk on the map – an embodied

experience into a period of history with

digital screens at ‘stations’ that store

archival photos and oral history recordings.


From paper to digital, from static to fluid, with

design, sound, and smell – which as we know,

are memory-triggers like no other – all these

are used to breathe life into otherwise

inanimate records. The aim is to encourage a

thoughtful pause, excite recognition or

meaningful nostalgia to the many people who

have been part of the Godrej family as

employees, founders, as well as customers and

associates.

Sarita Sundar

Founder, HANNO

Sarita Sundar can be contacted at

[email protected]

An interactive installation using a wheel

from a Godrej safe. Visitors are prompted

to align the segments of a wheel to

commitments that Godrej had made

(towards the nation, its people, the earth,

self sustainability and quality) in its early

years. By aligning the wheel correctly

archival documents that demonstrate these

commitments are triggered onto

connected digital screens.

Business History

A Springboard Forward

“Know the past to know the present, reflect on

the future to change the present.”

- Anonymous

“As a company we have to look into the future

and not into the past.” This is the constant

lament that Business Archivists hear from the

businesses. Few understand the value of the

role history plays in shaping the future. This

remains a challenge for archivists across the

globe. In India, a country where corporate and

business archiving is just about taking off, the

challenge is even greater. Over the years, I

have attended many a conferences and

seminars on the value of business and

corporate archiving and seen how well

companies are leveraging their heritage to

make business decisions. To help promote the

idea of leveraging business heritage for

business decisions, the Godrej Archives

decided to bring the annual conference of

Section of Business Archives (SBA) of

International Council of Archives (ICA) to India.

The conference that was held across two days,

December 5th and 6th, was indeed an exciting

moment for the Godrej Archives. It comprised

of speakers from around the globe; many of

whom were from organisations and brands

that are well known and admired by us.

Together, these archivists and historians

presented their experiences and stories that

showcase how corporate archiving is relevant

in today’s time. And that too in a manner that

resonated with the diverse audience in

attendance.


Steering Committee of (SBA) Section

on Business Archives of (ICA)

International Council on Archives (L to

R: Alexander Bieri (Roche, Switzerland),

Henning Morgen (Maersk, Denmark),

Andrea Hohmeyer (Evonik Industries

AG, Germany), Vrunda Pathare (Godrej,

India), Yuko Matsuzaki (Shibusawa

Eiichi Memorial Foundation, Japan),

Melanie Aspey (Rothschild Archive, UK)

& Cai Yingfang (The State Archives

Administration of China, China)

Day One

The first day began with an introductory address

by Dr. Pheroza J Godrej. She welcomed the

delegates wishing them a pleasant stay in

Mumbai and encouraged them to share their

unique experiences with the audience. Her

address was followed by a presentation by

Alexander Bieri, Curator at Roche Historical

Archives, where he stressed on how History

Marketing can play a crucial role in fostering

values and creating a differentiator for

customers to choose a specific brand over

prices and other attributes. He added that as

the internet has destroyed the idea of

information being of value by itself, business

archives as providers of evaluated and

contextualised information can help secure an

edge in the market place. Henning Morgan of

A.P Moller Maersk advocated that the use of

carefully preserved knowledge can help brands

stay relevant and protected to support the

business in a fast-changing world.

IKEA, a value-based company, traces the origins

of its culture to the philosophy of its founder

expressed Tony Nilsson, their archivist. Tony

illustrated how their archives helped in creating

a sense of belonging in employees through

storytelling. Melanie Aspey of Rothschild

Archives opined that sharing of stories helped

those at the headquarters bond better with their

colleagues in regional offices across the world.

Talking about connecting with regions that the

brand operates in, Tobias Ehrenbold, a historian

Dr. Pheroza J. Godrej and Alexander Bieri (Roche,

Switzerland), Chair, Section of Business Archives, In-

ternational Council of Archives at the inauguration of

the conference

told the story of how BATA, a global footwear

and accessory brand immersed itself so

deeply into the local cultures of several

nations that the founder went on record

saying that BATA was indeed multi-domestic

and not multinational.

Andrea Hohmeyer of Evonik, the largest

specialty chemicals company in the world,

showed the audience how their travelling

exhibition titled ‘Breaking Barriers’ not only

enabled them unfold their fascinating history

of employing women but also helped them to

carefully listen to the otherwise hidden voices

of the current employees. Closer to home, at

CIPLA in Mumbai, information from their

archives is taken as a key input to their

external communication as well as for their

employee engagement initiatives, said Dr.

Usha Iyer, Senior Manager, External

Communications at CIPLA.


L to R: Gustav Svensson

(Centre for Business History,

Sweden), Anders Sjöman

(Centre for Business History,

Sweden), Tony Nilsson (IKEA,

Sweden), Melanie Aspey

(Rothschild Archive, UK),

Andreas Blume (Centre for

Business History, Sweden),

Henning Morgen (Maersk,

Denmark)

In panel discussion on oral history, the

panellists, Dr. Rob Perks, Dr. Indira Chowdhury

and Tracy Panek highlighted how oral history

can be a great source of knowledge for an

organisation for having a sharper perspective on

various facets of the past. Dr. Perks, Director of

the National Life Stories at the British Library,

elaborated on how oral history can help

companies document not just the tangible

aspects like documents and artefacts but the

intangible ones too such as practices that have

disappeared over the years or are disappearing,

relationships between various stakeholders,

technological evolution, gender related issues

and the voices of the marginalised. Tracey,

Director of Archives at Levi Strauss, showed how

a quick five-minute interview on a relevant topic

can be effective in capturing important

memories. Dr. Chowdhury drew upon her

experience of oral history projects at Dr.

Reddy’s, an Indian multinational pharmaceutical

company and at CIPLA and stated that life

stories captured, helped in showcasing the

values upon which their founders built the

company. These stories when interpreted and

repurposed by the individuals in the current

context can create a deeper sense of belonging.

Day Two

The second day started enthusiastically with

more ideas to think and act upon. Anders

Sjoman, VP, Communications at Centre of

Business History at Stockholm presented

examples of how leading Swedish companies

like Ericsson, Swarovski, ICA and Alecta have

Panel on Corporate Oral history (L to R): Dr Robert Perks

(British Library, UK), Indira Chowdhury (Centre for Public

History, Srishti School of Art Design & Technology, India)

& Tracey Panek (Levi Strauss & Co., USA)

actively worked on their histories thus

promoting that history should be a “spring

board forward” to be leveraged by all and not

only a subject of historians and archivists

alone!

Drawing upon his experience of developing a

digital platform for Reebok, Niles Lichtenstein

of Envowen explained to the audience as to

how Reebok combines the power of story-

telling and technology to create a living and

thriving platform for their heritage to make a

continual impact on their audience. Likewise,

Yuko Matsuzaki from Shibusawa Elichi

Memorial Foundation presented a case of

Nissin Foods where their corporate history has

been effectively used for brand building and

education. Their CUPNOODLES Museum at

Osaka, a unique concept, tells the story of the

evolution of the brand and continues to draw

thousands of visitors year after year.


Through the conference, a very pertinent

question lingered - Can a corporate archives

help improve the bottom line of a business?

The answer was given by Wim Van Lent,

professor of Montepillar Business School, by

sharing an insightful case study on Barclays

bank, UK. In 2008, they suffered a massive

decline in business due to the global financial

crisis. To recover from this crisis, in 2012, the

management took a conscious decision to

return to their historical values and practices.

This strategic move gave the bank improved

performance financially by building stronger

relationships with their customers and more

importantly, created a sense of belonging

amongst its employees enabling them to

compete better.

Business history is not a popular elective

opted for by the students of management in

India. In fact, there are not many business

schools who teach business history as a part

of their curriculum. The major challenge faced,

is that of attracting the faculty to teach

business history. Chinmay Tumbe, Assistant

Professor at IIM-A addressed these concerns

as he traced the journey of Business History in

India.

R. P Narla of the TATA Group narrated how

the Founder J.N Tata and his successors, in-

spired by the concept of “trusteeship” have

contributed significantly for over 150 years

towards the building of the nation. Lulu Wang,

from Renming University of China shared his

experience of repurposing archives to combat

the threat of getting marginalised at the turn

of the 21stcentury. By upgrading their

capabilities, they equipped themselves to play a

larger role in managing information, data

analysis and knowledge management for

playing an important role in brand advocacy

and marketing. Jason Dressel of the History

Factory presented case studies showing how

heritage management can help build stronger

brands and put forth a strong message that

‘your culture is your brand’.

Kopal Kulkarni from our very own Godrej &

Boyce presented how he and his team at the

Innovation and Design Centre created System

21 which is a new contemporary product

inspired by the Storwel, an iconic product of

Godrej. The team retained the core values of

Storwel in the new product meant for modern

day sensibilities. An impressive case of using

legacy to move forward.

Anders Sjöman (Centre for Business History,

Sweden) during his presentation

Students of Business Management Schools

attending the conference

Yuko Matsuzaki

(Shibusawa Eiichi

Memorial

Foundation,

Japan) holding a

pop-up book of

cup noodles of

Nissin Foods


By end of the second day, many among the

attendees were inspired to take an in-depth look

at their own heritage and find ways to leverage it

for a competitive edge. It was evident that that

heritage goes beyond just evoking nostalgia.

Another crucial takeaway was that the involve-

ment of the top management is essential to the

success of business archives for managing the

heritage, in a manner that is useful to the

businesses. We were fortunate to garner such

support at Godrej which was evident from the

presence of Dr. Pheroza J. Godrej, Nadir Godrej,

Smita Crishna and Vijay Crishna on both days of

the conference.

The second day ended with the screening of the

documentary, The Merchant Princess of Mumbai

by renowned filmmaker Zafar Hai. He along with

Sushil Premchand, the group Chairman of the

Premchand Roychand Group, the producer of

the film, graced the occasion with their presence.

Mr. Premchand shared insights and interesting

anecdotes about the film.

After two engaging and thought-provoking

days, the delegates proceeded to a reception

hosted at Godrej Interio showroom to enjoy

fellowship. The delegates left spirited and

invigorated to pursue their goals of making

business archives more relevant to the

businesses, and hopefully revisit India.

Sushil K. Premchand, Group Chairman, The Prem-

chand Group, Dr. Pheroza J. Godrej and Zafar Hai,

the director of the documentary- ‘The Merchant

Princes of Bombay’ at the Conference

One can view the proceedings of the

conference on http://archives.godrej.com/ICA-

SBA-Conference-2017.html

In the days that followed, the Godrej Archives

received a large number of notes

appreciating the efforts put in by the entire

team for the hospitality extended. All in all, it

was a hugely successful international event.

We at the Godrej Archives look forward to

hosting such events in the future.

Vrunda Pathare

http://archives.godrej.com/ICA-SBA-Conference-2017.html

http://archives.godrej.com/ICA-SBA-Conference-2017.html


Oral History in Business and Corporate Settings:

A Workshop by Dr. Robert Perks By Pallavi Ramane

On the eve of the ICA SBA Conference on 4th

December 2017, Godrej Archives hosted a

workshop on ‘Oral History in Business and

Corporate Setting’. The workshop, which was

conducted by Dr. Robert Perks, was a great

opportunity to interact with fellow participants

including historians, archivists, academicians,

journalists and students. Lead Curator of Oral

History/ Director of National Life Stories at the

British Library, Dr Perks’ wide experience in this

field in addition to the presence of archivists

from Asia and Europe promised a day full of

enlightening discussions.

Beginning with the basics, Dr. Perks took the

participants through the evolution of oral

history as a tool used to capture the memories

and lived experiences of people. He then

discussed various aspects of oral history such as

subjectivity, narrative genre, memory theory,

interdisciplinarity and most importantly, the

context of the person being interviewed. He

impressed on the participants the importance of

understanding the project’s historical rationale

and objectives before taking anything on.

In India, even though oral histories have been

extensively used by historians, sociologists, and

activists, its use for capturing corporate

memories still remains an unexplored territory.

Dr. Perks who is among those few oral

historians dedicated to collecting corporate and

organisational oral histories emphasized on how

oral history can contribute to business history.

This was, indeed insightful for the archives

team and the participants, working in a

business setting. He also highlighted how oral

history methodologies can provide a space for

the hidden voices of marginalized groups such

as women employees, ethnic minorities,

junior/support staff, etc. He further stressed

on the ways it could be used as a means to

record disappearing practices, relationships,

power structures etc. that would normally

remain absent from documented records. He

also demonstrated as to how oral history can

help in unfolding company ethos, values and

culture and subsequently can add to brand

building & marketing.

Dr. Perks emphasized that the most important

skill while conducting oral interviews is

listening. From creating a relaxed,

comfortable and informal atmosphere for the

interviewee to open up to the art of

conducting interview by keeping questions

short, clear and open-ended, he took us

through the process of oral history step-by-

step. The information provided on equipment

to be used such as digital recorders, micro-

phones, memory cards, etc. was also useful for

the participants mostly consisting of

beginners.

We discussed copyrights and ethical issues

involved in oral history. We learned the

Participants exploring innovative solutions to the challenges faced in oral history projects during the workshop


importance of having a clear framework for the

informed consent to protect the interests of

interviewees, to avoid any legal complications

and to make the recordings available for

research in the future. Some of the challenges

and ethical dilemmas faced while planning oral

history projects were debated upon. These

included deciding the sample set, tackling

self-censorship, commercial sensitivity,

innovative ways of making oral history collection

accessible and most importantly deciding upon

whether an insider should take the interviews or

is it better to leave it to an external expert.

Godrej Archives Team

celebrating the success

of the conference with

Harpreet Kaur , Senior

VP and Head, Corporate

Personnel and

Administration at

Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co.

Ltd.

During the last session of the workshop,

participants were divided into four groups.

Each group was given case studies to discuss

and come up with a series of innovative

solutions. This activity gave us a chance to

analyse the opportunities and constraints

faced in carrying out oral history projects in

practical situations. The workshop ended

with us renewing our commitment to

preserve oral knowledge before ‘it walks out

the door’ as termed by Arnold Kransdorff –

an expert practitioner of Knowledge

Management.

Participants of Oral History

Workshop pose for a picture

with Dr. Robert Perks


Interns at Godrej Archives

Riddhi Joshi

Intern (Nov 2017 to Feb 2018)

Student, Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous

College

Mrunal Salunkhe

Intern (Nov 2017 to Jan 2018)

Student, Ramnarain Ruia

Autonomous College

“The international conference was not only a

platform for business archives professionals

around the globe to network with each other

and to pave a way towards improvement in the

field of business archives, but it also provided

an opportunity for an intern like me to under-

stand the importance of this field. One of the

most memorable experiences was meeting

people dedicated to the task of making

business archives a dynamic field. Listening to

all the presentations and speeches given by the

experts was a great learning experience. Apart

from the conference itself, working behind the

scenes with my fellow interns and mentors was

a delight. As an intern, this was a wonderful

opportunity where I earned a wholesome

growth.”

“Soon after I commenced the internship, I got to

know that Godrej Archives was going to host the

ICA-SBA Conference. Although I did not know

what to expect, I could sense that it was going to

be something really big, offering loads to know

and understand. I must say that it was indeed an

enriching experience as I had imagined it to be.

To start with, I learnt how business conferences

of such scale are organized and the amount of

hard work that goes into it. I was part of the

logistics arrangements right from preparing the

conference kits to setting up the auditorium.

Being a History student, I already knew about

archives and their significance but here I got to

understand their importance from a business

perspective and realised the influence it can have

on the overall working of a company, which was

indeed very interesting. Interacting with guests

from all over the world broadened my thinking.

Volunteering during the conference trained me in

multitasking. I also participated in the Oral

History Workshop conducted by Dr. Rob Perks on

the eve of this conference. It gave me an insight

into how individual stories can enhance our un-

derstanding about the company and the society.”

We’d love to engage in a dialogue. Contact: Godrej Archives, First Floor, Plant 19A,

Pirojshanagar, L B S Marg, Vikhroli West, Mumbai 400079; Tel: 022-6796 4124/ 4196/ 4197

Website: www.archives.godrej.com; Email: [email protected]