2. It was November 2012 when I landed up at Milestone Motors, Dibrugarh, Assam. A brand new
Mahindra Truck & Bus dealership outfit on National Highway 37. You jus’ can’t miss this 4 acre
landmark as it is situated bang on the highway: the railway track linking Tinsukia, the
furthermost Assamese railhead with the state capital, Guwahati on the one side. Just a two
lane NH37 in between.
3. Sunil Gogoi, owner of this facility, is the son of school teacher and homegrown entrepreneur.
Above all, a successful businessman with interests in petrol pump, dealership in two wheelers
and of course, trucks and buses via this Mahindra alliance.
4. As part of this campus, I notice this wing and curious to know what it is. Like the main dealer
showroom, this wing is again spick and span.
5. It turns out to be the dormitory for truck drivers those who come in for repair of their vehicles
at Milestone Motors.
6. Dormitory for truck drivers? In India? Am baffled. Perplexed. Does someone care for these
hapless chaps? Yes, it appears.
7. Wow. I could not believe what I see once inside this dormitory. Two beds with neat and clean
linens. A table and chair. And a mirror. A rest room for truck drivers? Yes, indeed.
8. How come? Sunil Gogoi explains that the Driver Rest Room Facilities or dormitories came as a
package when he signed up with Mahindra Truck & Bus Division. Every single Mahindra TBD
should have one . No dealership is awarded unless there is provision for such a facility within
the premises
9. What’s this? A classroom, of course. What for? I ask Sunil Gogoi. The Dormitory or Driver Rest
Room Facilities also made provision for ‘educating’ truck drivers on issues of relevance or
concern to them. Like what? “Anything and everything under the sun,” replies Sunil. Road
Safety, Vehicle Maintenance Tips, Fuel Management, Etiquette etc.
10. Come September 2014 , I will be revisiting north east and stoppage at Sunil’s Milestone
Motors is a certainty. See you soon, Sunil!
