Mr. Aaloke Surie is the Proprietor of SURIE POLEX – India’s largest manufacturer of grinding and polishing machines and abrasives.
Besides a B.Tech. (Honors) degree in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Bombay, Mr. Aaloke Surie holds a Diploma-Ingenieur (Master’s) degree in Machine Tool Design from the University of Aachen, Germany in 1979. During his postgraduation in RWTH, Aachen, he was the President of Bharat Majlis, an Indian student association in Aachen. After completing his postgraduation in 1979, Mr. Surie returned to India and founded SURIE POLEX in 1985. Under his leadership the company has become India’s largest and world’s third largest manufacturer of floor polishing machines and abrasives.
His company helped create many employment opportunities. His well-established business has contributed positively to the growth of the Gross National Product (GNP) and the delivery of goods and services to Indian citizens.
Mr. Surie shared his technical expertise and experience to build a base of distributors and customers in enhancing their knowledge on utilizing the products invented by SURIE POLEX and by doing so, thousands of industrious people were motivated to start their own business using the equipment called SURIE POLEX Built, thus making them prosperous owners and creating additional jobs for the nation.
By establishing a successful manufacturing business, Mr. Surie has set an example for IIT Bombay students in taking calculated risks and overcoming the obstacles that an entrepreneur faces in India. He sincerely hopes that more IIT students become self-employed and create employment opportunities in India.
Mr. Surie, on his memories of the time spent at IIT Bombay said, “Life at IIT Bombay, at least during our days (1965-1970) was a dream of sorts. Tough studies, sports, cultural and all other activities were part and parcel of our day-to-day existence here. I could not take full advantage of it all. Simply spoilt for choices”. During his stay on campus, Mr. Surie represented Hostel 8 on its track, football and hockey teams, and IIT Bombay at Inter-IIT meets. He captained the IIT Bombay contingent in his last inter-IIT meet and served as Sports Secretary at Hostel 8 and gymkhana.
Mr. Surie volunteered for Koyna school building initiative of IIT Bombay after the Koyna earthquake. He, along with two other batchmates, evolved and implemented a plan for introducing Laundromats for Hostel 8 in 2012.
As an alumnus, he was proactive in raising funds for IIT Bombay as and when required and has helped raise contributions from batch alums exceeding Rs. 30 lakhs. When a young student Suvendu was battling with Leukaemia, Mr. Surie launched a global appeal amongst batch alums to raise funds for him.
His hobbies include trying out new recipes, discussing politics and economics and their effect on each other: two inexact sciences and how they affect our lives.
Sharing other interesting facts, Mr. Surie, said, “I was called a ‘fresher’ throughout my stay at IIT! I guess because I remained ‘naive’ and helpful to all, even at times to my own detriment. This trait and the exposure to all aspects of science and engineering at IIT have played a major role in my professional and personal growth. The stress on fundamentals in the classroom lead to a rational and logical approach to all situations and problems. The understanding of the importance of fairness, sharing, integrity, continuous focus, being accountable and working hard to achieve goals during my stay at IIT have played a major role in the development of my business and personal life.”