#MarkOfProfessionalism: Commitment to Excellence

Celebrating the spirit of new age professions and new age professionals, we bring to you the first interview in our series of #TheProfessional. Here, we discuss the best practices for a professional, and ethics involved in unconventional careers and the modern corporate world. In Conversation with Suraj Bhalla, Vintage Car Restorer, Co-Founder - Team Motor Works Vintage car restoration is often considered the pinnacle of automotive engineering, because of the engineering skill, sheer effort and even historical expertise it takes to restore a vintage car to pristine road-worthy condition. Suraj Bhalla’s Team Motor Works is one of India’s very few automotive garages specialising in vintage car restoration and its facilities are often visited by Bollywood A-Listers and India’s rich and famous; the likes of Hrithik Roshan seek Bhalla’s expertise in restoring their vintage beauties. A young man with a passion for old-world charm, Bhalla, 35, has been restoring cars for a decade now, along with his father. His story of single-handedly revamping an abandoned old Mustang found in the gutters of Goregaon has made many Indian automobile enthusiasts look up to him as an inspiration. His dedication for the art has earned him recognition as a man committed to excellence, which he believes is his mark of professionalism. It’s no wonder he is considered a unique blend between an artist and an engineer. It all began when, at the age of 16, Bhalla moved to Pune to intern at his uncle’s garage. It was here that his desire to pursue a career in automobile engineering grew stronger. However, Bhalla could not find any relevant programme in India that placed emphasis on craftsmanship than on mere theories. And this convinced him to move to Australia for a degree in automobile engineering from Barton TAFE, which was the turning point of his life. Post graduation, Bhalla was employed by Auto Hangar, a Mercedes Benz service dealer in India. He then collaborated with his father and gave India one of the very few privately owned garages of international standards, specialising in automatic transmission, all mechanical and electrical car works. More importantly, he gave himself a platform to nurture his dream of bringing vintage cars back to life. Vintage car restoration is a process that may involve many rounds of consultations between the owner and a restorer, and often the views of a creative automobile engineer who knows cars like the back of his hands may clash with that of an owner. So, how does Bhalla strike a balance between client satisfaction and job satisfaction? What is it like to be a professional in this exacting and unforgiving line of work where perfection is not something that’s a choice but is mandatory? Here is an excerpt from the interview where he answers our queries about his work and the ethics involved. What drove you into doing what you do now? Instincts! When I returned to India (after earning the engineering degree) I joined my father in his garage founded in 1969. But soon, I knew this is what I wanted to do (be a restorer). What does professionalism mean to you and in your line of work? It means the ultimate satisfaction of the client in all aspects of the expectations they had out of my work and me. Professionalism means a larger commitment and responsibility. In my line of work, there are some hurdles we face often. For instance, not getting the right components, some parts of the car or the time taken to explain a concept to the technicians, and several rounds of discussions with the client and between the team internally, for instance. Yet, we see to it that quality of work is not compromised and we deliver what is promised. Be it procuring the right part from wherever it is available or contouring the body. It essentially means a commitment to excellence. Despite all the manual labour that goes into rebuilding a car, despite all the back and forth with the client, despite all the effort of explaining one concept, over and over again, to technicians at different levels, we have been maintaining a culture at our work station where everyone enjoys the creativity and the science and the high of rolling out the final product, with every project. What’s the biggest risk that you have taken in your career? I broke down something I loved the most to recreate it – a 1966 Mustang. It was the iconic American muscle car legend Ford 66’Mustang on which I did right hand conversion with automatic transmission on the Mustang prototype. What have been some of your most creative ideas? The Indian muscle car based on the Hindustan Contessa that we remodelled for a client. It has been extremely popular with my circle of clients and people who have had a look at it on our YouTube channel . I am proud of it because despite being an Indian make, it resembles an American muscle car. Every inch of its body has been hand-crafted and people often mistake it for a Mustang or a Camaro or a Pontiac. A lot of innovation went into it and it took about a year to restore. Is there any pet project that you are extremely proud of? Yes, the Shiva Chopper – my first bike! Also, the candy orange Hillman and the Ford Mustang. With Shiva Chopper, it was the first time I was working on a bike; besides, I didn’t have much knowledge on re-engineering one. So I did a bit of study, worked on the concept and broke down two bikes to produce one! The idea was one of my dearest friends’. We planned to give Indian streets Indian made bikes that would be nothing less than ordinary. And the Hillman - it is very popular with everyone who has had a look at it – from kids to adults and women especially. I showcased both of these at the India Bike Week this year along with some of my other work. Besides all the restored artwork, I also have a YouTube Channel – Craftsmen6037 . My team and I conceptualised this channel to showcase our art and technique, what we do in a step-by-step process. It also lets me have accountability for all my work. Any future plans that you would like to talk about? I wish to open a school that gives more hands-on training, unlike any other institution in India. I wish to create more professionals than simply technicians. A school where everyone gets to learn the technology at the core of an automobile, every component, every logic and principle behind it, the inside out of automobile engineering and not just “working knowledge”. I have held workshops in the past. Now, I am waiting for the right time to upscale my knowledge and experience to a bigger platform. To know more on what professionalism looks like today, read here.