The Company of Master Mariners of India formally launched their 'Mentoring Scheme' on 5th December 2020. A 'Mentoring Workshop' was organized online for the 44 Senior members of the Company who had graciously volunteered to participate in the scheme. The soft launch was at the hands of none other but the Director General of Shipping, Shri Amitabh Kumar, IRS.

The Master of the CMMI Capt B K Jha in his inaugural address said that he had been thinking about this for a long time, that CMMI was a group of highly experienced professionals and this is something CMMI could do....and do it well. And that this was the need of our profession today. He further said he was so glad that CMMI has some excellent persons who had volunteered for this noble initiative. He was expecting that many more would come forward and join up. The aim of CMMI was to groom and put the Mentees on a fast-track to be Global Maritime Leaders of the world.

Director General of Shipping, Shri Amitabh Kumar, IRS, profusely congratulated and praised the CMMI for visualising and implementing the Mentoring Scheme. He said that this was one of the best initiatives he had seen in recent times and offered all his support as needed. While IMO has well defined the Training requirements however the more important aspects of learning happen through Mentoring. The ships work is highly operation oriented and with small crew this aspect was getting neglected on board and it was good to see some senior people taking on this mantle. He cautioned that Mentors need to have the right attitude and correct values to enable a successful program and to that end this workshop organized was a step in right direction. He further opined that if this scheme receives the success, it will see much better officers coming out of India.

CMMI Secretary General, Capt M P Bhasin, heartily thanked Shri Amitabh Kumar and then introduced the program and resource persons to the Mentors.

Dr Aprajita Bhardwaj, Consulting Psychologist, then presented the psychosocial aspects of mentoring. She asserted that mentoring was all about empowering the mentees and helping them acquire the necessary resources to achieve their professional and personal goals. She dealt on mentor-mentee relationships, fostering potentials, requirements of confidentiality and listening skills, giving constructive feedback and building self esteem, and engaged the mentors in activities true to a workshop style. Furthermore she elaborated on the mentoring process itself and how to bring it to a closure.

Capt Yashovarman Sharma, eminent trainer, then engaged the mentors with the 'Nuts and Bolts' of Mentoring and took them on a voyage from 'Stand-by engines' in Preparatory work to 'Finished with Engines' in Closures as envisaged in the crisp Mentoring Manual of CMMI. He emphasised that the Nautical Institute book 'Mentoring at Sea' addressed mentoring of Junior Officers by senior officers on board the vessel. However, the programme embarked upon by CMMI dealt with the mentorisg ashore, prior joining sea and it would continue till the mentee obtains his first Certificate of Competency. He recounted his own rich experiences as Shore based Training Officer at Barbers when it was the single largest recruiter of Indians in Mumbai. He ended by saying that Mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability in the mentee than the mentee himself/herself, and helps the mentee bring it up to develop himself further, into a first class professional.

Ms Manpreet Kaur, Happiness Philosophist and Mentoring expert, then brought the Corporate perspective and emphasised the ABC of Mentoring as Acceptance, Barter and Collaboration.

Capt Savraj Mehta, from UK then shared some of his experiences at Mentoring.

It was then curtains with Capt Kaustubh Pradhan, Deputy Master, CMMI lucidly summing up the proceedings and extending a warm vote of thanks. This brought a positive culmination of a very successful event, sending out a strong and encouraging signal to the Mentors and the entire Shipping Fraternity, in general.