Long weekends often slip away under the weight of work commitments, leaving behind a quiet sadness. I’ve always wondered about those who thrive on such relentless dedication—how they cope when personal time is devoured by professional demands. But then again, sometimes one has to do what one has to do.
This weekend, however, I wasn’t lamenting. Instead, I found myself walking through the serene campus of ONGC’s Advanced Training Institute (ATI) in Betul, South Goa—where the Sal river meets the Arabian Sea.
First Impressions and the Green Campus
My first visit to ATI Goa was in 2007. The lush green campus struck me instantly, and over the years, every visit has carried the same charm. The institute is known for its specialised safety trainings and regularly hosts trainees from across India and abroad.
Reimagining Branding Through Mythology
In 2023, ATI underwent a major overhaul of its facilities. Around the same time, I joined ONGC’s Corporate Communications team in Delhi, which was entrusted with the challenge of re-imagining the campus branding. Depicting oil and gas creatively is never easy, and this time we were told to look beyond hydrocarbons—to weave in elements of Indian culture alongside ONGC’s operational identity.
After several brainstorming sessions, inspiration came from Samudra Manthan—the churning of the ocean in Indian mythology. The idea resonated because it reflected both struggle and discovery, much like ONGC’s journey in exploration. To make the concept tangible, we decided to create sculptures of treasures from the ocean—Ucchashrava , Shankh, Kurma, Dhanvantari, and even the Panch Tatwa—crafted entirely from ONGC’s operational scrap. Each sculpture bore a note of the percentage of scrap used, a small but symbolic nod to sustainability.
A shout out to the incredible team of Debasish Mukherjee, Gagandeep Aneja, Bagmishree, Chandrali Mukherjee, Nikita Chiripal and Arthat Studios, who gave shape to the concepts.
A Walk Among Sculptures and Memories
These sculptures were installed by December 2023, but I hadn’t returned to the campus since February 2024. This morning, walking under the early sun, I was greeted by the chirping of birds and the quiet roads of the leafy campus. The sculptures stood proudly, glowing in the golden light, narrating the story of re-imagining branding for an oil and gas company.
As I walked past them, memories of brainstorming sessions, wild ideas, the race against deadlines, and weekends sacrificed came rushing back. Two years later, standing before the very sculptures that were once sketches on paper, I felt an odd but fulfilling sense of satisfaction.
Sometimes, the reward of lost weekends is not the time you sacrificed, but the legacy you are part of.
A special shout out, once again, to the incredible team of Debasish Mukherjee, Gagandeep Aneja, Bagmishree, Chandrali Mukherjee, Nikita Chiripal and Arthat Studios, without whom these concepts would never have come alive.
Jajabor 