When Christopher Hogan, 62, first met Rajiv Bajaj at a Maldives resort three years ago, little did he know that he was in for an unusual India journey.

The Managing Director of Bajaj Auto was keen to use the Australian artist’s skills to unleash the creativity of his employees back home.

“He said he wanted lateral thinking in his team,” Hogan told Business Line at the Auto Expo in Greater Noida.

Over the last three years, the good-natured Australian has had painting sessions with over 800 Bajaj Auto employees across its plants in Maharashtra and Uttarakhand. These are not classes but fun time, when employees splash colours on paper and try out their artistic skills. Hogan has now become an integral part of this fun ride at Bajaj Auto.

Boosting motivation

Today, these ‘works of art’ adorn the walls of the Bajaj Auto boardroom in Pune. Hogan says it boils down to having a good time and allowing employees to get rid of their inhibitions. In the process, their creative skills come to the fore and the result is better motivation.

Some of these designs have been superimposed on the Bajaj Auto stall at the Auto Expo. The real psychedelic effect, though, is saved for a set of RE60s. Each of these quadricycles has the Hogan touch, with vibrant colours, and key symbols of India embossed on them. The symbols include the tiger, lotus, peacock, banyan tree and the mango.

Hogan’s genius is evident, with the generous splash of colours bringing the vehicles to life. Add the background effect of the employees’ own efforts and the Bajaj Auto stall is well and truly vibrant.

Hogan says the three years with the company have been exciting and he looks forward to returning each time for the painting sessions. He also believes that the employees have discovered hidden skills which will, perhaps, pave the way for what their Managing Director intended in the first place: lateral thinking.

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