Dhandha , livre ebook

Random House Publishers India Pvt. Ltd. - Shobha Bondre

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111 pages

English

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Dhandha, meaning business, is a term often used in common trade parlance in India. But there is no other community that fully embodies what the term stands for than the Gujaratis. Shobha Bondre's Dhandha is the story of a few such Gujaratis: Jaydev Patel-the New York Life Insurance agent credited with having sold policies worth $2.5 billion so far; Bhimjibhai Patel-one of the country's biggest diamond merchants and co-founder of the ambitious 'Diamond Nagar' in Surat; Dalpatbhai Patel-the motelier who went on to become the mayor of Mansfield County; Mohanbhai Patel-a former Sheriff of Mumbai and the leading manufacturer of aluminium collapsible tubes; and Hersha and Hasu Shah-owners of over a hundred hotels in the US. Travelling across continents-from Mumbai to the United States-in search of their story and the common values that bond them, Dhandha showcases the powerful ambition, incredible capacity for hard work, and the inherent business sense of the Gujaratis.

Sujets

Sociologie, société et politique

Entrepreneurship

Economics

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Publié par	Random House Publishers India Pvt. Ltd.
Date de parution	22 mai 2013
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9788184004243
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0420€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Published by Random House India in 2013
Copyright Shobha Bondre 2013
Random House Publishers India Private Limited
Windsor IT Park, 7th Floor, Tower-B
A-1, Sector-125, Noida-201301, UP
Random House Group Limited
20 Vauxhall Bridge Road
London SW1V 2SA
United Kingdom
This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author s and publisher s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
EPUB ISBN 9788184004243
For Shalaka, Ajit, Mrugali, and Manoj.
May all your dreams come true!
This book is for you.
CONTENTS
Foreword by Narendra Modi
Introduction by Amitabh Bachchan
Diamonds are Forever
Bhimjibhai Patel
The Circle of Life
Mohanbhai Patel
Motelier Becomes Mayor
Dalpatbhai Patel
Life of a Salesman
Jaydev Patel
Not Only Potels
Hasu and Hersha Shah
Acknowledgements
A Note on the Author
FOREWORD
It is nice to receive an appreciable effort by Shobha Bondre in the translated version of the book named Dhandha. The success stories are narrated nicely, glorifying Gujarati culture and courage. Their ways to tackle tough situations with tenderness and to enter the world of entrepreneurship are unique but diverse. The traits, tricks, and tolerance for success are the inherent business sense of Gujaratis-with hard work and habit to toil-till the road to success and path for progress is carved out.
The reasons for the roaring success of the Gujaratis is their sharp intellect, tremendous will power, and incredible capacity for hard work. Success has instilled in them the sound values and high sense of responsibility for society. Caring attitude and humane approach reflects in their professional dealing and dedication to service. Once the challenge is taken, there is no looking back-self-confidence is something to be treasured and lasts for a lifetime.
The characters depicted in the book possess the grace, glory, and guts as expected of Gujarati culture. The honesty and hopes, the respect of relationship and fairness in dealings are directing forces for each one s success. The lively language and warm words picked up to portrait the personalities will touch every heart.
I compliment Random House India for a worthy publication as well as the Marathi Granthalaya Association for awarding the Best Book Award to the original version.
I hope Dhandha will inspire all to explore and expand the instinct to go ahead in life, with the Gujarati way of branding and bonding.

(N ARENDRA M ODI )
Chief Minister, Gujarat
INTRODUCTION
As one travels across the length and breadth of Gujarat, one comes to know how kings had built their massive empires from humble beginnings. Today, it s the Gujarati businessmen who have repeated history by building business empires.
Business acumen is something that Gujaratis seem to inherit rather than acquire. Did you know that it was Ranchodlal Chotalal, a Gujarati, who brought the textile industry to India? Or that it was Gujarat s Gondal Maharaja who collaborated with the British for laying down railway tracks for trains? These examples tell us how business flows in the veins of the Gujarati community.
In this book, Shobha throws light on some of the stellar performers in the Gujarati business community. Men who didn t just create wealth for themselves but for the nation as well. Men who didn t just earn money but respect too.
Let s hope this book serves as a source of pride and inspiration for people all over the world.

(A MITABH B ACHCHAN )
Brand Ambassador, Gujarat Tourism
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
Bhimjibhai Patel
I t was a busy day at the British High Commission in Mumbai in the year 1974. I was among the hundreds of people who had queued up to get a British visa stamped on their passports. The queue was inching forward at a snail s pace. Finally, it was my turn and I handed over my documents to the British officer at the counter.
He glanced at my papers and asked in plain English, Why do you want to go to England?
I was dumbstruck. I hadn t been inside a classroom for more than fifteen days in my entire life, so naturally, I didn t know a word of English.
I requested politely, Sahib, Gujaratima bolo.
He gave me an irritated look and bombarded me with more questions in English- Do you know anyone in England? Where are you going to stay in England? What is the purpose of your visit?
I didn t know what to say so I repeated once again, Bhai, please speak in Gujarati.
He continued with his barrage of questions in English and I kept on asking him to speak in Gujarati. This duel went on for a while. Finally, he lost his temper, stamped something on my passport, and flung it to the ground.
I didn t really understand what had happened. I bent down and picked up my passport. I kept thinking to myself, Has this Gora given me the visa or not? And why did he throw it on the ground?
I had to find an answer to both questions. I looked around and to my relief, I saw an Indian, most probably a Gujarati lady, at the next counter.
I showed her my passport and asked her in Hindi, Ben, can you please tell me what is the matter with my passport? Why did the Gora officer throw it down?
Sir, there is nothing wrong with your passport but he has refused you the visa. Here is the rejection stamp.
I asked her, Why has he refused to give me the visa?
She turned to the British officer next to her and spoke to him in English. He said something to her. She told me in Hindi, He says you don t speak a word of English so what will you do in England?
I said, Ben, please ask him, does he speak Hindi? Does he speak any Indian language? If he can work here without knowing the local language, why can t I survive in England without speaking English?
The lady smiled and narrated the incident to the officer. He looked thoughtful, stared at me for a long moment, and finally broke into a smile.
Come on, give me your passport. He stamped my passport once again and said to the lady, Tell him he has got the visa. Ask him to come back in the evening to collect his passport.
On the way back from the British High Commission, I felt as if I was on cloud nine. As the taxi sped along Chowpati, I looked out at the Arabian Sea stretching out till the horizon and said to myself, Bhimjibhai, get ready for a new chapter in your life. Very soon, you will cross this ocean and the Atlantic and set foot on a new land. You have to be prepared to face this latest challenge.
After England, I was going to visit Belgium and Israel. I had big dreams of increasing my diamond business. I rested my head against the seat, shut my eyes, and went back into the past. I was back in my little village in Saurashtra, Hajiradhar. I could see my house, our farm, the marketplace, and there, in front of the grocer s shop, was me, all of ten years old.

One morning, Ba gave me a shopping list and sent me to the grocery store in the village. I gave the list to the servant in Karsanji Kaka s store and waited while he packed the items. Karsanji Kaka was reading Jaihind, a Gujarati newspaper. He was the only person in our village who read the newspaper every day. As I stood in front of him, I happened to glance at the paper. Without even realizing it, I began to read the letters. Before I knew it, the letters became words and I was actually reading India wins the match at Bombay with two wickets in hand Suddenly the paper was pulled aside and I saw Karsanji Kaka s face. He was staring at me, surprised.
Dikra, do you know how to read?
Uh uh a little , I stammered.
Do you go to school? he asked me.
I didn t know what to say to that. Uh, I mean I do, but
When do you find the time to go to school, Bhimu? Whenever I see you, you are working in the fields.
I didn t have an answer to that but luckily at that moment the servant gave me the grocery items and I left without another word.
On my way back, I kept thinking to myself, Kaka is right.
Even though I was enrolled in school, I didn t attend classes for months on end. For one thing, the school was almost five kilometres away from my home. It took such a long time to go there and come back. Secondly, since I was the eldest son, it was my duty to help Bapu in his work.
We owned a house and a little land. But the land was not fertile and our farming produce was at the mercy of the vagaries of rainfall. So, in spite of toiling the whole day, we barely managed to grow enough to feed all of us.
That evening, as I was lying down in bed after a hard day s work, I couldn t stop thinking about school. I was feeling sad that I was unable to go to school. The only tiny ray of hope was a Brahmin boy from a nearby village who had been coming to our village on his horse since the last few days to teach boys like me who could not go all the way to the school.
Thanks to his efforts, I could now recognize alphabets, read a little, and do simple calculations. What was even more important was that I developed a genuine passion for learning.
As I tried to go off to sleep, conflicting thoughts clouded my mind and then suddenly I saw a white, bright light. I sat up in bed with a start. I saw a new path open up, one which would help me get an education. My mind was racing with various possibilities and my face lit up with a smile as I found the miraculous answer to my problem. I lay down once again and began dreaming of the next day.
Early next morning, I put on a clean churidar, kurta, and a pagdi. Ba was making rotis for me. When she saw me dressed like that, she was surprised. Bhimu, aren t you going to the fields today? she asked.
No Ba, I am going to the market, I re