By Savita Bhave Translation Nandu Dange

Claridges, but would slip into chappals (slippers) and walk into a dhaba forplain food. He used to maintain a good balance between status and economy.Even when he went to the US for treatment, he thought of recompensing theCompany for the expenditure for which he set up an export company alongwith a few others. On the other hand, he planned a good eight-day celebrationfor the Silver Jubilee of Menon & Menon. But labour unrest and ill health camein the way. He had wanted to use the celebrations as a stepping stone tohigher things.Menon had the skill of carrying others along with him, and thus for anydispute, people would approach him for arbitration. Everyone had full faith inhis impartiality and sense of justice. In this connection. Shankar Nalawadehas written that Menon worked from beginning to end on the principle of ‘liveand let live.’ Be it disputes between brothers or between partners, Menonwould investigate thoroughly and find a solution so that all parties weresatisfied and full justice was done to all. Nalawade remembers seeing Menonsorting out highly tangled partnership issues at PAKCO Engineering andUnited Castings. Y. P. Powar passed away in 1974. In the absence of acompetent leader capable of leading the PAKCO group, differences aroseamong the partners. It was impossible to conduct business together, and itwas decided to restructure the PAKCO group and split it amicably amongstthe various owners. Menon was entrusted with the job. The ownership ofPAKCO was spread over a large number of members of three families, withvarying ages, levels of education and temperaments. Distribution with duecare of all these was a Herculean task. Menon spent his precious time andthrough hard work pulled off the feat and helped the three families to set upindependent businesses, and also helped them bury their differences. Thematter was settled amicably without resorting to the lengthy legal tussles.Menon had been encouraged by the late Y. P. Power to start his business. Itwas out of a feeling of gratefulness to him that Menon carried out this wholeexercise.United Castings was a partnership firm and the fixed assets were personallyowned. Menon arranged things in such a way that there were no legal hasslesand increased tax burden. Menon managed all this on the basis of histowering intellect and experience. Even Dr. Kulkarni says had it not been forMenon’s intervention, things could have gone to extremes and the concernedfamilies would be still fighting amongst themselves. Thanks to Menon thoughthe businesses are now separate but the families are still together.Menon’s role in sorting out the mess at Kolhapur Steel has been covered in aseparate chapter. V. L. Potnis of Kolhapur Steel says Menon has healedseveral broken companies and organizations in this manner. BapusahebJadhav has remarked that Menon had unparalleled arbitration skills, andcould handle any dispute or quarrel. Hemraj Samani has said that Hudli, Ramand he picked up arbitration skills from Menon after seeing the smoothnesswith which he sorted out the tangle for Atigre, Shelke and others. They wouldconsult Menon for methods of sorting out matters in a just manner, the basison which action should be taken, and then act accordingly. Hudli also asserts