How will one define Guajarati’s? For me, Guajarati’s are a fun-loving, frolic vegetarian foodies zealous to enjoy festivals and passionate globe-trotting shrewd businessman community. They are the only community who can beat laws of Economics by measuring happiness attained and loss suffered in monetary terms!! Are really Guajarati’s really obsessed with money then as the world perceives? Yes, they are but indisputably they know how to live life as well. What differentiates Guajarati’s especially Baniya community from rest of Indians and nationalities is presence of mind, clarity of objective and knack of grabbing the opportunity.
Let us look at some Amazing Gujarati Business Facts:
Leading Brands include names like Amul, Balaji, Fogg, Vadilal, Sintex, Astral, Ajanta and Symphony. Interestingly, Fogg, Balaji and Vadilal have gained the leadership position in 2016
The top 5 richest people in India are Gujaratis, here goes the list: Mukesh Ambani (Reliance Industries)>>Dilip Shanghvi (Sun Pharma)>>Gautam Adani (Adani Enterprises)>>Azim Premji (Wipro Ltd.)>>Pallonji Mistry (Shapoorji Pallonji Group). Thanks to its rich commercial heritage, almost 2/5 of the richest people of India are proud Guajarati’s.
Amul is well known dairy product giant in India, headquartered in Anand, Gujarat. Regardless of the number of dairy brands in India, Amul still rules the market. Thus, Gujarat is largest producer of milk in India.
Gujarat has always been considered as the best place for investment in India because of its trade policies, commercial resources and co-operative mindset. Thus it’s the leader in investment support to India with around 1/5 of ratio.
Being a coastal and rich resource state, Gujarat provides 1/2 of the petrochemical production in India.
Gujarat possesses the largest P-based ICT WAN network in Asia and 2nd best in the world.
Latest reports by NCAER shows that by beating Bengaluru and Chennai, Surat has become the richest city of India based on the annual income.
Surat being the main center of diamond merchants refines about 4/5 of world’s diamonds.
Gujarat has around 14 operating airports and is considered to be the busiest airports mainly due to tourism and commercial background.
The % of man-day lost in Gujarat due to labor unrest is barely .42%, lowest in India.
Gujarat is the only state to have a state wise gas grid of 2,200 km.
With a huge area covering of around 50,000 kms, Gujarat has the longest optical fiber network which is expensive but provides great bandwidth and low power
In North America, more than 60% NRI community is from Gujarat. Gujarati origins as per an estimate own more than 17,000 motels in US, with one million rooms representing over 50 % of US Economy lodges. In North America, more than 60% NRI community is from Gujarat. Gujarati origins as per an estimate own more than 17,000 motels in US, with one million rooms representing over 50 % of US Economy lodges. Astonished, but it’s true. Stats shows that the family income Guajarati’s in North America are 3 times more than the locals.
Across the globe, Guajarati’s have left their footprints as successful businessman.
Ahmedabad houses other major Indian corporates such as: Rasna, Wagh Bakri, Nirma, Cadila Pharmaceuticals, and Intas Biopharmaceuticals. Ahmedabad is the second largest cotton textile Centre in India after Mumbai and the largest in Gujarat. Many cotton manufacturing units are currently running in and around Ahmedabad. Textiles are one of the major industries of the city.
The Sanand-Bechraji zone would have an installed car manufacturing capacity of 1.46 million vehicles and around 3 million 2-wheelers in next 3-4 years. With this expansion on cards, the area would be a noted automotive hub in Asia-Pacific.
Kandla is the largest port of India by volume of cargo handled. Kandla, India’s busiest major port in recent years, is gearing to add substantial cargo handling capacity with private sector participation.
I will like to highlight few Gujarati characteristics which makes them what they are. Hope you too will concur to it.
• Active Business Community before medieval century: Gujarat is gifted with the longest coastal belt in India and they have made optimum utilization of its geographical location in commercial terms. This is something Gujjus bap-dadas (forefathers) were taught by their forefathers and history supports to it. Gujju Baniyas have been considered smartest of traders before medieval century. Gujarat has been house to lot of business communities across the world since those days.
• Passionate about Business: Furthermore, business is taken a matter of pride in Gujarati Community. Most of Gujarat’s prefer business over service. Even those who are in job aspire to start up own business or service later or sooner or they might be carrying business simultaneously. Those who opt for a job serve with a mission to gain experience and data base and start up with own venture. As a matter of courtesy and in civilized world, one will never enquire a man’s salary, but Gujarati businessmen are upfront – I have experience this too. When I was pursuing my article ship for Chartered Accountancy, I was enquired about monthly stipend I was drawing by a Rajkot based client. I told him 300 per month. He had a roaring laugh – he exclaimed this is my daily expense on pan padicki (cigar ate and tobacco), he was least bothered on enquiring what I was pursuing. He was prompt – why don’t you start own business?
• Knack to capitalize on opportunity: For better understanding, I will like to quote one incidence. I went to temple last year in southern part of India last year. There was a long que. There was a Gujarati joint family (almost 11 members) as well with me. They noticed that there was a priority line for old people. They made a smart move, both of their children separated with their family and one took charge of the mother and the other for mother. They all pleaded to the security to grant prayers as a part of manta. They were allowed. Within 15 minutes they wrapped up the prayers, whereas for us it took almost 1 hour to accomplish prayers. This message is to transpire the presence of mind and knack of grabbing an opportunity in adversities.
• Negotiation Skills and What’s it in for me?: Certain skills cannot be taught they have to be cultivated or either should be god gifted. Guajarati’s are blessed with negotiation and business acumen skills. Seemingly on a lighter note but the fact is Gujarati start teaching importance of money to their children from early age. Children are groomed to make independent purchases and it is ensured by the parents that they carry balance amount and goods as per the billing after negotiations. The legacy of negotiations and bargaining has been a trademark that has been carried forward. They are proactive in evaluating what is it in for me in each and every scenario? Parents have turned more rational in computing ROI on studies as well. Gujarati parents prefer to educate their children in developed countries rather than in India, earn in dollars and then settle back in India.
• Stock Market parallel option to earnings: Those who are already occupied in business and service prefer stock market as second income. Though stock market is one of the most complex industry to analyze globally, Gujrat’s love towards Stock market is unparalleled. At every nook and corner of Gujarat, you will find someone trading in stock market.
• Experience is the Best Teacher: Usually, businessman crave to educate their children in top-notch management institutes to make them more polished, whereas Guajarati’s prefer their child joins business as soon as he or she accomplish their edification. They are not so keen on pursuing management studies as they believe experience is the best teacher. This gives them chance to groom at early age under veterans. There is no
• Commitment, Vision and Give a damn attitude: One real thing which differentiates them is commitment and vision. No work is inferior for them. The other characteristic is Give a damn attitude. For them business is money and money is business. They hardly allow sentiments rule business will never come into sentiments, stay committed to their business. They are proactive, highly rational and time bound. Though they might not be carrying magnifying or charismatic persona, but their Give a Damn attitude and approach differentiates them from the herd. Gujarat bounced back strongly after to back natural and man-made tragedies in early 2000s and how.? Surat which suffered from plague in 90’s is now tagged as one of the cleanest city in India. Most of businessman follow traditional and orthodox business tactics, but smart enough to absorb themselves in developed world.
• Key to Success: They are best at handling their man. The coherence between Seth (Owner) and Naukar(Employee) is a treat to watch. They are having homely relations and which in fact has built loyalty for generations.
• Networking & Administration: There is a saying in Gujarati which goes like “ઓડખણ – ઍટલે સોના ની ખાણ!”. They are best at networking and sweet spoken community. Across Gujarat and Mumbai there are lot of elite clubs with hefty membership fees but Gujarat’s join them willingly as they know contacts can create treasure.
• Likes of Dhirubhai Amabni still inspiration: This article would be incomplete if Dhirubhai’s name does not figure here. He has been an inspiration to many Gujarati’s still. Not only Dhirubhai, time to time Gujarat has produced business tycoons who have made tremendous contribution in progress of India. I am confident Generation Next is equally talented as well as smart enough to lift Gujarat to new highs.
About Author:
I am CA Falgun Shah, currently working with a jewellery company in Dubai. I hail from Ahmedabad, Gujarat. At times when people meet with some traumatic incidents in life that helps them to realize slumbering powers they possess. I am also one of them. I feel fortunate to have lived life on the edge and that has propelled me in sharing life experiences in exemplary manner. I am neither a good author nor a creative writer, a simple learner of life.
