Carat And Stick

With their work ethic and generosity, the Dholakias have set an example in life and in business.

- Nandini Oza

Three pairs of clothes and 5,000 in cash. That is all that Dravya Dholakia of Ichhapore in Surat, Gujarat, had when he landed in Kochi on June 21, 2016. His father had told him to use the money only in an emergency, and to fend for himself till he found a job.

Not that his family needed a breadwinner. Dravya’s father, Savjibhai Dholakia, is the founder chairman of Hari Krishna Exports, which deals in diamonds and has an annual turnover of 7,500 crore. Savjibhai, 56, built the company with his three brothers, and all of them want their sons to learn the value of hard-earned money before they join the family business. To this end, they have made it a tradition to send their children to scout for jobs in cities where they had never been before.

Dravya was the sixth of the eight cousins to follow the path. A graduate in business management from Pace University, New York, he was enjoying a monthlong vacation when his father sent him to Kochi. His first job was as a salesman at a hotel chain called Aryas, where he was given free accommodation and three meals on weekdays. “On the other days, I ate unlimited rice and sambar for 40 every night,” says Dravya, who does not favour rice. “There was no tea or coffee, breakfast or lunch. I had to keep in mind that the 5,000 given to me was to be used only in an emergency.”

Nearly 60 employers turned him down before he landed his first job, for he did not know Malayalam, nor did he have a resume. As someone who could buy the latest iPhone without thinking twice about the cost, Dravya was forced to borrow cellphones from strangers to call up his father.