Me

S. N. Roy is a deeply reflective and accomplished individual whose life journey exemplifies a rare blend of technical brilliance, managerial wisdom, and enduring human values. A graduate in Electrical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur (1965), he rose through the ranks of India’s top public sector enterprises—Indian Oil and later BHEL—culminating in his role as Executive Director of BHEL, Bhopal.

Mr. Roy’s leadership was always marked by thoughtful decision-making, fairness, and an insistence on root cause analysis. He famously believed that one should never bring a problem without at least two possible solutions—an approach that fostered innovation and accountability within his teams. He handled interdepartmental challenges with tact and empathy, using both logic and diplomacy to resolve conflicts.

His transition into retirement did not dim his curiosity or energy. A voracious reader, Mr. Roy reads about 24 books a year, traversing a wide landscape of fiction, history, management, and philosophy. Books to him are not just pastimes but lifelong teachers. When he finishes a particularly impactful book, it often leaves him with a haunting sense of parting, as though a friend has just left him—and a gentle ego-check as he realizes how much vaster the world is than he once imagined.

After retirement, he also embraced golf—a game that not only kept him physically fit but fundamentally transformed his temperament. Golf instilled in him a new kind of discipline and taught him the power of muscle memory: that calm repetition, not just raw effort, often leads to mastery. It mellowed the intensity of his working style and offered meditative clarity.

Despite his success, Mr. Roy remains deeply grounded. He continues to support lift operators and raddiwalas, not out of nostalgia but out of a strong belief in human dignity and employment. His affection for those who serve quietly in the background of daily life reveals a moral compass that never swayed, even as technology and systems evolved around him.

A storyteller, painter, and writer of articles and short stories, he balances creative expression with philanthropy, being actively involved with Bhalopahar, a non-profit organization for underprivileged children. He credits his wife Madhuri for being his unwavering support and tolerating his whimsical work patterns, and he values his son Anish’s feedback as a bridge to the new generation’s thinking.

In his 80s now, S. N. Roy remains intellectually agile, emotionally aware, and spiritually engaged—a man who has not only witnessed India’s industrial evolution but has lived, shaped, and reflected upon it with grace and depth.

---