Meet the Next Generation of the KHETAWAT CLAN

STANDING in his family’s office in Kolkata during a rare quiet moment in the day, young entrepreneur Vedang Khetawat reflects on his ancestors who cleared the path that brought him where he is today. The office is nestled in the midst of what quickly became a bustling hub of commerce and trade in the mid-twentieth century.

Looking back at his childhood, Vedang remembers how he would spend hours in the office after school, listening to his father’s phone calls with businesses across the globe. Sitting on the floor, playing with his paperweight and pens, a young Vedang would daydream about the future when he would be his own boss.

The family’s office became a school of sorts for him, where he would learn about the real world after a full day at the prestigious La Martiniere For Boys. He thus grew up observing the nuances of the trade, as his father and other executives made calls and transacted with buyers and suppliers all over the world.

TRACING HIS ROOTS

The Khetawats have come a long way since they first left Dhankoli, their ancestral village in Nagaur, Rajasthan. Seeking a better life, the family set up an office in Burrabazar, a former yarn and textile market that flourished under the British Raj to become a commercial hub and one of Asia’s largest wholesale markets. Before long, the Khetawat Chemical & fertiliser Ltd became one of India’s largest manufacturers and suppliers of chemicals, alum, zinc and other allied products.

Vedang says that his grandparents’ success allowed them to live a lavish lifestyle. In the early 1960s, they would go jet-setting around the globe, when air travel was not affordable by most Indians. However, even though they found enjoyable ways to spend their money, Vedang’s grandparents were essentially business folk. The family always invested heavily in securities, bonds, mutual funds, commodity trading and prime real estate in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and other parts of India.

HONOURING HIS FAMILY LEGACY