Prof. Dr. Sawar Dhanania is the president of the All India Rubber Industries Association. He is a Graduate-cum-Laude from Jadavpur University in the field of Mechanical Engineering in 1974, followed by securing a Gold Medal in the 1st position for Masters in Mechanical Engineering in 1976 from the same university.
In an exclusive Interview with Krishi Jagran, he candidly talked about what it took him to become the president of ‘All India Rubber Industries Association’. So read on!
Tell us about yourself and How did you enter this industry.
He nurtures avid scholarly interests and thus around 65 years of age in 2017, he completed his five-year Ph.D. program from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur from 2012-17. He had joined his family business after completion of Engineering and ensured the prosperity of the trade. He is the proprietor of the firm D. S. Engineers & Consultants and Director of the company, Mutual Technologies Pvt. Ltd. He developed ‘Silverline’, a new brand of Cycle Tyre and Tube, which became popular amongst the consumers and the masses.He is well connected to various research organizations.He worked as research scholar in West Bengal State Planning Board under Prof. Amitabha Bhattacharya, Jadavpur University, former director IIT Kanpur, 1978.; External examiner of M. Tech thesis, Jadavpur University, 1990.; Co-convenor of First National Workshop on Guayule Natural Rubber (GNR-2015) held on 10-11th April, 2015 in RTC, IIT, Kharagpur sponsored by DST, Govt. of India, New Delhi among others.
What were the services provided by DS Engineers and Consultancy?
In 1978, when I became an engineer, my family wanted that I must have my own company where I am the owner and where I can participate in the rubber industry apart from whatever work I do in the family business. I started DS Engineers after my father’s name Dinanath. I took the initials from Dinanath Sawar to name the company. I carried out new and innovative projects in the company such as research-oriented projects and development work. I am also producing cycle tires and tubes.
Where do you source your raw material from?
We source our raw material from Kolkata now. In the past, rubber was not produced in West Bengal but now in some areas of northern West Bengal, new natural rubber plantations are emerging. We used to bring natural rubber from Kerala and then from Tripura, in the beginning.
What global presence does all India Rubber Association have? Are there any member associations that are globally present?
Globally we don’t have much presence as of yet. But all the raw material manufacturers, machine manufacturers all the universities’ research organizations know about all India Rubber Association because, in 2001, we started this International Rubber Expo also called IRE. We invite all the exhibitors to the conference to speak along with people from research organizations, machine manufacture, and rubber good manufacturers also join the expo. We don’t have offices and membership from all over the globe yet but people from the rubber sector are aware of IRE.
Who are your member associations? How many members are there in your association?
There are about 1400-1500 members in my association and the majority of them are members of the MSME sector. We call them ordinary members. Some associate members are manufacturing, dealing, or trading the raw materials and machines. We have some technical members as well.
What are your expectations with Krishi Jagran as a media group?
Krishi Jagran should create more awareness and inclusiveness. Spread more knowledge about agriculture because agriculture should not be limited to just the grower and farmers. Everyone should be informed that there are new methods, crops, and technologies used in the agriculture sector. I expect Krishi Jagran to inform the people about new crops, crop diseases, and how to cure them. They should also share government schemes for the farmers. They should also create more awareness regarding protecting our farmers because we should not leave our farmers at the mercy of traders who purchase the goods at their own quoted price. When any natural disasters like floods happen the entire crop is washed away and the farmers are left feeling handicapped so Krishi Jagran should introduce farmers to the protective schemes going forward. Krishi Jagran should also focus on bringing in young talents in the agriculture sector to increase productivity and create start-ups. They should bring extra focus on organic farming, fertilizers, and how we can make our country aatmanirbhar in the agriculture sector. It’s a very vast list of expectations but Krishi Jagran can play a key role and make everyone aware of the government initiatives and the opportunities for farmers. Now we know that a family of farmers doesn’t want to go into the business of farming, but farming isn’t limited to just you and your hands anymore. If you show the way that technology has advanced, we can see new talent join the agriculture sector. This kind of Jagran (awareness) is done by Krishi Jagran for the benefit of farmers and the country.
What message do you want to convey to our readers?
Krishi Jagran is trying to reach every type of policy, innovation, and opportunity in the agriculture sector. They are creating and spreading agricultural policies to every corner of the country. They are attracting the government's attention by publishing articles about the farmers, their struggles, and their achievements. They are interacting with people in the industry and have a huge database that is catching the eyes of policymakers and stakeholders.
What are your future plans? Where do you see the Indian rubber industry in the next 5-10 years?
We want to make the Indian rubber industry aatmanirbhar by making the supply chain strong. Nowadays you see that the tire sector uses natural rubber they are getting from other countries. The tire sector uses a certain type of special-purpose rubber that is not manufactured in India so we have to depend on the import from other countries of the raw materials like EVA, neoprene, and fluoro rubbers. The supply chain is weak and although a huge opportunity lies in exports; to manufacture the products we require cluster level distinct facilities. We need to upskill the people who wish to join the industry. We also want to increase the knowledge and skills of our workers. We want to provide certificate and diploma courses for those who want to learn the ins and outs of the industry to make the rubber ecosystem strong. Everyone uses rubber products but no one is concerned about where and how to produce natural rubber. From a child’s milk bottle to aircraft, there is a need for rubber. You come to your office by riding on rubber but nobody cares about how the sector is suffering from various shortcomings. We are trying to identify the areas where the government must help us so that the rubber sector can also become a leading sector and bring revenue to the country by exporting the products and making India aatmanirbhar in the rubber sector.
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