2013Book Review: Dhandha-How Guajarati’s Do Business BYVIDHI CHAUHAN–JL13PGDM123 TULIKA CHOPRA-JL13PGDM120 VASVEE GUPTA-JL13PGDM122 SONIA JASWANI-JL13PGDM117 SOUMEN AICH-JL13PGDM118 TASHEEN SHEIKH-JL13PGDM119 VARSHA DEBNATH-JL13PGDM121 JAIPURIA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT LUCKNOW ...................................................................... 7 Not only potels:............................................................................................................. 9 ..................................................................................................... 8 Conclusion: ..................................................................................................... 4 Diamonds Are Forever: ........................................................................................................................................ 5 The Circle of Life: ...............................................................................................................................T ABLE OF C ONTENTS Introduction of the Author: ......................... 2 Summary: ...... 3 Review: . 6 Life of a Salesman: ........................................................................................................................................... 4 Motelier Becomes Mayor: ........................................................................................................................ I NTRODUCTION OF THE A UTHOR : Shobha Bondre is a celebrated and much published Marathi writer. She has won many literary awards for her work. Manasi. For this. understanding them in their social. In the last few years. emotional. personality profiles of people from various walks of life have become Shobhas forte. The non-Marathi reading world is now keen to read her works and her books are being translated into English. familial. Maher. and Gujarati. and economic settings. She has written articles. She has been writing for the last 25 years and has published 13 books. many of them bestsellers that have gone into over 25 editions. Kirloskar. Hindi. Lokprabha. short stories. Loksatta. and Ardhangini. including the Maharashtra State Award for Best Novel in 1997. and columns for prestigious publications like the Maharashtra Times. She has also written dialogues for many popular Marathi TV serials like Abhalmaya. she interacts closely with her subjects. etc. . for Saata Samudrapar. Oon Paaus. the thing that distinguishes Guajarati‟s from the rest of the world when it comes to business and the book beautifully portrays it. Travelling across continents—from Mumbai to the United States—in search of their story and the common values that bond them. . Mohanbhai Patel—a former Sheriff of Mumbai and the leading manufacturer of aluminium collapsible tubes. but the best thing in all these stories was the amazing attitude for success and persistence these people showed. the failures. but also about the whole family of the businessman and how they helped. the troubles and obstacles they faced. the unforeseen events. 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. The stories are not just about how their businesses grew. and the inherent business sense of the Gujaratis. These are definitely not fairy tales. The essence of the book is to highlight the differentiating factor.5 billion so far. Bhimjibhai Patel—one of the country‟s biggest diamond merchants and co-founder of the ambitious „Diamond Nagar‟ in Surat. Dhandha showcases the powerful ambition. But there is no other community that fully embodies what the term stands for than the Gujaratis. meaning business. and Hersha and Hasu Shah—owners of over a hundred hotels in the US.S UMMARY : Dhandha. is a term often used in common trade parlance in India. incredible capacity for hard work. Dalpatbhai Patel—the motelier who went on to become the mayor of Mansfield County. It‟s not just Bhimjibhai want to pursue his dream he helped his brother‟s to get a proper sustainable life and move ahead and Bhimjibhai got the immense support from his family this leads to the Base of the Bhimjibhai Patel which is now known as one of the country's biggest diamond merchants. he when started the journey got the support of his Wife.R EVIEW : D IAMONDS A RE F OREVER : This is the story of Bhimjibhai Patel. how Bhimjibhai have been working hard all the time. Bhimjibhai has always wanted to learn and adopt. but he proved that language is no barrier. . leaving little time for family. but still he always helped others in many different ways and shared ideas and information. a diamond merchant who started from scratch. practical approach. readiness to learn and the inborn enthusiasm to see themselves as successful businessmen that matters. his initial days he spent learning the art of cutting Diamonds and along with that hard work to sustain in the world. „I know diamonds and that is the most important language in the business. He didn‟t know languages apart from Gujarati. intense dedication. „It‟s only the hard work. Literally. Bhimjibhai was confident. It shows the whole understanding of their business sense is how they are still so humble and modest. e. who studied in US and took a leap into what Guajarati‟s do the best. being a Motelier and a Mayor at the same time. Neeta Patel. providing a strong backend to Dalphatbhai. The only precondition is being focussed and cautions to capture those opportunities in time. wife of Dalpatbhai Patel proved her capabilities while contributing to manage the motel. They were masterminds in making the financial decisions. a real entrepreneur possesses. She had depicted Inspirational management Skills. this is a quality. They were quite practical and calculative about things. i. Dalphatbhai had a friend cum motivator named Mangan Bhai. this reflects that Gujarati women are no less than what a man can be. It is learnt that Gujarati‟s are hardworking and risk takers. This story also makes us understand how a single person can be a businessman as well as a social worker. Like many others Dalpatbhai Patel came to US with a better life style and a reputed job. This story talks about how any opportunity can be turned into business. He gradually became the first indian Motelier in the region. Their Partnership proved to be a great success. He went through lots of up‟s and downs emotionally and mentally. but time healed up every difficulties.M OTELIER B ECOMES M AYOR : This is a story about a Gujarati Dalpatbhai Patel. He being a perfect Gujarati businessman. . Taking rest for only 3 hours this shows dedication of Gujarati‟s for the business and the hard working quality with immense amount of patience. if an idea does not work one would abandon the idea but Mohanbhai does not give up easily. The entire family works as a team and their real risk taking ability which makes them dream high stand apart in the world. This was the first time anyone tried using aluminium). Mohanbhai working for Tata‟s at Mumbai and establishing his business for weeks not visiting home/family. It shows. The Circle of Life talks about how once while experimenting with a new machine tool for producing ophthalmic nozzle tubes (used for packing eye ointment) with aluminium (usually tin is used all over the world. The story Mentions. . Along with the support of the family. the machine tool broke down and he tried not three. The determination to establish be the best in the world is Inspiring. but 30 times. four or five times.T HE C IRCLE OF L IFE : Mohanbhai Patel (leading producer of collapsible aluminium tubes in the world) in his story. The New york life Insurance agent credited with having sold policies worth $2. wife of Jaydev Patel had played the role of constant motivator and epitome of care. who started his career as teacher. so as to sell a policy. Jaydev talent to sell Insurance policies is unbelievable and worthy of praise. But it is not that he was successful immediately. He is well known as the one who take care of all the worries. Purnima Patel. His incredible marketing skills are evident when we find that he had sold a policy even to the attendant who fills gas in his car at service station. But his determination and patience level didn‟t let him down. at the beginning he had faced many hardships. Jaydev Patel‟s achievement in the field of Insurance is laudable. then a chemist and finally ended up with that of an Insurance agent.L IFE OF A S ALESMAN : „P A TIE N C E . where he went out of the box to build three new schools in his town back in India. but his portrait would not be complete if one doesn‟t mention the other side of him. Sometimes he had to pursue the client for months and years. his family values and culture brought him to a point. Her role in this Story. as a social worker who had emotions attached to his school. She didn‟t lost her patience even when Jaydev lost his job. Jaydev Patel. TH E NA M E IS J AY DE V P A TE L ‟ This story describes in detail how Jaydev Patel. from the initial struggle to the recognition he has achieved today. clearly defines the inborn management skills a girl carries. mentions how he took up the opportunity offered by New York life that made all the difference.5 billion. . a Gujarati businessman came from India to US and his journey towards success. . further took the group to new heights and brought about a series of innovative changes. who are both highly qualified and religiously contribute to their father‟s business. like thousands of others this couple came to America from India. with aspirations and hope in there heart. In the midst of this hectic schedule. Both of them worked tirelessly to improve their life. And this can be done only if entire family contributes to it. Jay & Neil. Recession. The next generation of shah‟s i. most importantly. As of today they employ 650 people they also contribute to social service organizations. she had worked so hard and had not been scared to face any challenge. They didn‟t have any money to begin with. has been completely remarkable. In spite of having led a very pampered childhood. Every person has a dream to earn a reputable position in the society. today they are the owners of over 100 Hotels with around 11. the story of Hersha and Hasu Shah is no different. They have done a lot for the society and country.e. They started with a small motel business. “AS YOU SOW SO SHALL YOU REAP”. Dream continue to get bigger and bigger. Behind every Success story lays a dark face. floods. tremendous will power and incredible capacity to hard work. Robberies. disasters all came there way. This story revolves around a couple Hashu and Hersha Shah from Harrisburg.NOT ONLY POTELS : S U C C ES S FU L S UC C ES S IO N : A TR AD I T IO N O F S UC C E S S . But a real businessman is one who overcomes all the difficulties and hard times and converts into never ending success.000 rooms in total. they didn‟t fail to instil sound values in their children Jay & Neil. Hersha and Hasu Shah are the living example of great American dream. when we talk about living on foreign lands. The Role of Hersha Shah. what they had was sharp intellect. perseverance and patience each of the five people had to build their existing business empires. Some of the common personality traits that are being noticed in the personalities mentioned in the book are as follows: . In each of the chapters of Dhandha we will gain many things about how hard work.C ONCLUSION : Dhandha is a very simple and inspiring book for the upcoming entrepreneurs. Despite being from fairly conservative backgrounds. What's also remarkable is that the profiled gentlemen have retained their humility. None of the genuine efforts will go waste if we have put in our heart and soul in trying to achieve what we really wanted. and were blessed to be surrounded with people who supported and guided them on their path. often doing double shifts to raise enough capital and taken risks no matter what the odds. DHANDHA. The contribution of their spouses cannot be underestimated and the author must be congratulated on documenting their side of the story as well. and that is „A businessman should always think about growing business bigger and better‟ which holds completely true. We would specifically like to mention about the cover page of the book i. especially in the face of powerful ambition. Each of the business families written about in this book also gave back a lot to their rural roots in Gujarat. a suitcase. Reading the book is quite intriguing. some of these profiled individuals have made their mark in alien lands through consistent labour. after reading the stories. meanwhile rooted to their values. Every person has some insights on how they tackled the ordeal of life. and their generosity and ability to remain rooted to their origins is commendable. patience and perseverance always pay off. a symbol that glorifies business. The book unfolds to show us innumerable facets of human behaviour and make us learn invaluable lessons of humanity. A common thread running through each of the stories is the incredible amount of hard work. it is truly felt that Guajarati‟s do have an innate sense of business. One thing that is found common in all the five stories is that each of these people believe in a single funda of business. And.e. The ladies' version of the events in this learning curve does add a more humane dimension to their success stories. all the five persons mentioned in the book depict the similar type of personality being entrepreneurs and pursuers of their dreams. he was into his father‟s farming business. MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR It is the most widely used personality assessment instrument in the world. show initiative. Core values: These are the values which one gains from the parents and institutions. It was he who introduced three schools in his school in a span of two years. So. As per the myers-briggs type indicator model. who goes from a small town to a big city like Surat to learn about the diamond cutting. despite of the huge capital funding. Example: In the story of life of salesman. Guajarati‟s have got rich core cultural values. During his entire training period of four months. . Through this model. Guajarati‟s are known as „entrepreneurs by birth‟. Initiators: These are the people who identify opportunities. it was jaydev patel who took the initiative of changing his profession from a chemist to an insurance agent. which ultimately gained him a huge and never ending success. Examples from the book: In case of Bhimjibhai Patel. they are most often the initiators. They give strong preference to the parental upbringing and culture to which they are being associated.High risk takers: high risk-taking managers make more rapid decisions and uses less information. Firstly. he took the risk of moving to Surat and invested a considerable amount to learn about diamond cutting and polishing. we can judge the personality trait of an individual. which matters a lot for a farmer who earns on a daily basis. he was not even paid a single penny. without any glitch or hesitation. These types of values are deeply inherited within the individual and are not easily changed. take action and persevere until meaningful changes occur. they have EXTROVERT personality. it can be seen in case of bhimjibhai patel. who bring about the idea of latest business traits and make innovations from time to time. Hence it can be said that they do not stick on single perspective of business. he established the motel business. He then bought few more later on. Being successful businessmen. the indicator that comes out to be is ENTP. Guajarati‟s are seen to be quite flexible when it comes to doing business. But as soon as he got the opportunity to buy a restaurant. This is rather the personality indicator that best indicates the typical Guajarati personalities. they purchased the motel on the highway. the five stories show their abilities to work worth logic and reason in different circumstances. Like in the circle of life. Like in the story of hersu shah. we wind up with a conclusion that. he (mohanbhai) ran his business and decided to manufacture his own caps. Second is INTUTIVE. Despite of being on a foreign land. People with such personality are ready to accept one exciting challenges after another. innovative. mohanbhai patel came across situation where Mr Barnett. Similarly Neeta Patel worked out of her comfort zone to communicate with Americans in the motel. With this.Same characteristic trend we came across in dalpatbhai patel. versatile and attracted to entrepreneurial ideas. he originally bought a single portel which became a success in a short span of time. This type is a conceptualizer. PERCEIVING: These people are flexible and spontaneous. They took an intuitive decision to buy it and transform it into a successful business.Guajarati‟s looking everything with a bigger perspective. They have a wider perception of making use of opportunities at the right point of time. a competitor. threatened him to quit/shutdown his business. individualistic. which was running into losses. Inspite of lack of resources. If we see the example of dalpatbahi patel and maganbhai. . Hence. Their soul aim is to maximise the business in spite of all the odds. so as to arrange for the required capital. anyone who wants to be in the list of upcoming entrepreneurs must read this book and capture the ideas and strategies which Guajarati adopt to pursue their work and chase the dreams. THINKING: Guajarati‟s use reason and logic to handle the problems. he sold out the earlier portels.