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Billionaire Gujarati dad sends son to Kerala to live incognito and survive on odd jobs for a month
by Guest Fri Jul 22, 2016 12:44 pm
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Billionaire-dad-sends-son-to-Kerala-to-work-as-aam-aadmi/articleshow/53327403.cms
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Sreejeeth is probably regretting his decision to not be more helpful to Dravya.
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Sreejeeth is probably regretting his decision to not be more helpful to Dravya.
Guest- Guest
Re: Billionaire Gujarati dad sends son to Kerala to live incognito and survive on odd jobs for a month
by silvermani Fri Jul 22, 2016 3:20 pm
Stupid TOI wants me to disable my ad blocker to read the article. Disable it and then what? A gazillion pop ups peddling all kinds of craps ending up killing the CPU? No thanks.
Back to the topic - I think it is a great concept that should be tried out by middle class families also. These days kids have turned into pampered brats, growing up without understanding what struggle means.
Back to the topic - I think it is a great concept that should be tried out by middle class families also. These days kids have turned into pampered brats, growing up without understanding what struggle means.
silvermani- Posts : 1631
Join date : 2014-01-18
Re: Billionaire Gujarati dad sends son to Kerala to live incognito and survive on odd jobs for a month
by Guest Fri Jul 22, 2016 3:41 pm
here u go:
KOCHI: In an effort to wean his son from a life of silver-spooned privilege, a Gujarati diamond merchant and proprietor of a Surat-based Rs 6,000 crore company with presence in 71 countries, persuaded his only son to go to Kochi incognito and survive on odd jobs for a month.
Dravya Dholakia, 21, doing an MBA in the US and on a holiday in India, arrived in Kochi on June 21 with three pairs of clothes and Rs 7,000 that his father instructed should be used only in an emergency.
"I gave him three conditions: I told my son that he needs to work to earn his money and he couldn't work at a place for more than a week; that he can't use his father's identity nor use the mobile phone nor Rs 7,000 taken from home for a month. I wanted him to understand life and how the poor struggle to get a job and money. No university can teach you these life skills except experience," Savji Dholakia, proprietor of Hare Krishna Diamond exports, told TOI over phone from Surat. Incidentally, Dholakia had hit the headlines after his firm gifted cars and flats to employees as bonus.
Dravya accepted the challenge and it was decided that he would go to a place he was not familiar with and where the language would be new to him and search for a job. "He decided to come to Kochi as he didn't know Malayalam and Hindi is not commonly spoken there," said Dholakia. But little did he know what was in store after he landed here.
"For five days I had no job or proper place to stay. I was frustrated as I was rejected at 60 places, as no one knew me here. I understood what is rejection and the value of a job in these few days," said Dravya, who lied to his employers that he is a class XII student born in a poor farmer's family in Gujarat. Dravya Dholakia first got a job in a bakery in Cheranelloor. Then he worked at a call centre, a shoe shop and even McDonalds in the city, earning Rs 4,000 plus in a month. "I never worried about money and here I was struggling to get one time meal worth Rs 40. I needed another Rs 250 per day to stay in a lodge," said Dravya, who returned home on Tuesday.
Sreejith K, a finance manager who met Dravya, said: "I met him at the bakery and liked him. I gave him my visiting card and offered him all help. However, as my colleagues warned me against employing him, I wouldn't respond to his calls. On Tuesday, I received a call from Dravya's company CEO thanking me and informing me of Dravya's journey."
KOCHI: In an effort to wean his son from a life of silver-spooned privilege, a Gujarati diamond merchant and proprietor of a Surat-based Rs 6,000 crore company with presence in 71 countries, persuaded his only son to go to Kochi incognito and survive on odd jobs for a month.
Dravya Dholakia, 21, doing an MBA in the US and on a holiday in India, arrived in Kochi on June 21 with three pairs of clothes and Rs 7,000 that his father instructed should be used only in an emergency.
"I gave him three conditions: I told my son that he needs to work to earn his money and he couldn't work at a place for more than a week; that he can't use his father's identity nor use the mobile phone nor Rs 7,000 taken from home for a month. I wanted him to understand life and how the poor struggle to get a job and money. No university can teach you these life skills except experience," Savji Dholakia, proprietor of Hare Krishna Diamond exports, told TOI over phone from Surat. Incidentally, Dholakia had hit the headlines after his firm gifted cars and flats to employees as bonus.
Dravya accepted the challenge and it was decided that he would go to a place he was not familiar with and where the language would be new to him and search for a job. "He decided to come to Kochi as he didn't know Malayalam and Hindi is not commonly spoken there," said Dholakia. But little did he know what was in store after he landed here.
"For five days I had no job or proper place to stay. I was frustrated as I was rejected at 60 places, as no one knew me here. I understood what is rejection and the value of a job in these few days," said Dravya, who lied to his employers that he is a class XII student born in a poor farmer's family in Gujarat. Dravya Dholakia first got a job in a bakery in Cheranelloor. Then he worked at a call centre, a shoe shop and even McDonalds in the city, earning Rs 4,000 plus in a month. "I never worried about money and here I was struggling to get one time meal worth Rs 40. I needed another Rs 250 per day to stay in a lodge," said Dravya, who returned home on Tuesday.
Sreejith K, a finance manager who met Dravya, said: "I met him at the bakery and liked him. I gave him my visiting card and offered him all help. However, as my colleagues warned me against employing him, I wouldn't respond to his calls. On Tuesday, I received a call from Dravya's company CEO thanking me and informing me of Dravya's journey."
Guest- Guest
Re: Billionaire Gujarati dad sends son to Kerala to live incognito and survive on odd jobs for a month
by Guest Fri Jul 22, 2016 3:50 pm
i am so impressed to learn that this some kind of a family tradition in this family:
KOCHI: THE next time you meet a migrant worker cleaning your table, treat him gently as he can be a multimillionaire. Else, it will give you a shock as Sreejith Kunniyoor had two days ago.
Sreejith, the financial head with Geeko Logistics, chanced upon a smart Gujarati youth who attended to him at a restaurant at Cheranalloor, near here early this month. Quite impressed by his service and use of English, Sreejith offered 21-year-old Dravya Dholakia a better job in his firm.
However, Sreejith’s friends tried to dissuade him from helping strangers owing to the growing negative sentiments against migrant workforce.
When Dravya realised that Sreejith had some reservations in attending to his calls, he insisted on a meeting, and there unfurled the anti-climax to the migrant tale.
Dravya Dholakia belonged to the family of Surat-based diamond merchants with an annual turnover of over `1,025 crore and employing over 6,000 persons. He was in the city following a family tradition - to experience the hard realities of real life, to equip them to face the challenges in life!
“As a matter of family tradition, youths after completing Class XII prior to venturing into our family business have to spend one month in a city.
We have to find a living on our own and keep changing the job after a week. Not much money will be with us and we have to survive on what we earn daily,” Dravya Dholakia told ‘Express’ from Surat.
According to Dravya, it was Sreejith who influenced him the most during his one-month stay.
“I did nothing extraordinary. I thought of giving him a job when I found that he spoke good English and Hindi. So I gave my number and told him to contact me. However, my friends cautioned me against entertaining strangers, may be due to the recent developments,” said Sreejith, a native of Vadakara.
The Dholakias who were in the news a few years ago for gifting flats and cars to their staff have a reason to start this weird class of practical life, said the 21-year-old.“That was 12 years ago. Our family had a traditional Gujarati dinner at a London hotel. The bill came to 100 pounds per person. The hoteliers said it was because we placed the order without looking at the price listed in the menu. It was an eye-opener. Hence, it was decided that every male member should undertake one month of hard life to learn the value of money,” he said. Three of his cousins from the joint family of 30 did their ‘internship training’ in Pune, Baroda and Jaipur. Now they are heading companies with 1,500 to 2,000 employees,” he said.
Thus, Dravya, son of Savji Dholakia who is the chairman of Hari Krishna Exports flew down to Kochi on June 21 with `7,000 tucked in his pocket. He met nearly 60 persons for a job and on the fourth day he found job.
He worked at two more places, including a BPO, and earned `3,960. “While working as a waiter at Aryas Hotel they provided me with food and accommodation. Otherwise my daily expense would come between `300 and `400,” said Dravya. With a handful of wonderful memories of God’s Own Country, the young diamond merchant will be flying to New York on August 5 to pursue his BBA course at Pace University. “I got support from Keralites, though I was a total stranger here. They helped me find job. I wish my experience should be an inspiration to all those who toil,” Dravya said.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/Billionaire-business-heir-waits-for-slice-of-hard-life/2016/07/22/article3541148.ece
KOCHI: THE next time you meet a migrant worker cleaning your table, treat him gently as he can be a multimillionaire. Else, it will give you a shock as Sreejith Kunniyoor had two days ago.
Sreejith, the financial head with Geeko Logistics, chanced upon a smart Gujarati youth who attended to him at a restaurant at Cheranalloor, near here early this month. Quite impressed by his service and use of English, Sreejith offered 21-year-old Dravya Dholakia a better job in his firm.
However, Sreejith’s friends tried to dissuade him from helping strangers owing to the growing negative sentiments against migrant workforce.
When Dravya realised that Sreejith had some reservations in attending to his calls, he insisted on a meeting, and there unfurled the anti-climax to the migrant tale.
Dravya Dholakia belonged to the family of Surat-based diamond merchants with an annual turnover of over `1,025 crore and employing over 6,000 persons. He was in the city following a family tradition - to experience the hard realities of real life, to equip them to face the challenges in life!
“As a matter of family tradition, youths after completing Class XII prior to venturing into our family business have to spend one month in a city.
We have to find a living on our own and keep changing the job after a week. Not much money will be with us and we have to survive on what we earn daily,” Dravya Dholakia told ‘Express’ from Surat.
According to Dravya, it was Sreejith who influenced him the most during his one-month stay.
“I did nothing extraordinary. I thought of giving him a job when I found that he spoke good English and Hindi. So I gave my number and told him to contact me. However, my friends cautioned me against entertaining strangers, may be due to the recent developments,” said Sreejith, a native of Vadakara.
The Dholakias who were in the news a few years ago for gifting flats and cars to their staff have a reason to start this weird class of practical life, said the 21-year-old.“That was 12 years ago. Our family had a traditional Gujarati dinner at a London hotel. The bill came to 100 pounds per person. The hoteliers said it was because we placed the order without looking at the price listed in the menu. It was an eye-opener. Hence, it was decided that every male member should undertake one month of hard life to learn the value of money,” he said. Three of his cousins from the joint family of 30 did their ‘internship training’ in Pune, Baroda and Jaipur. Now they are heading companies with 1,500 to 2,000 employees,” he said.
Thus, Dravya, son of Savji Dholakia who is the chairman of Hari Krishna Exports flew down to Kochi on June 21 with `7,000 tucked in his pocket. He met nearly 60 persons for a job and on the fourth day he found job.
He worked at two more places, including a BPO, and earned `3,960. “While working as a waiter at Aryas Hotel they provided me with food and accommodation. Otherwise my daily expense would come between `300 and `400,” said Dravya. With a handful of wonderful memories of God’s Own Country, the young diamond merchant will be flying to New York on August 5 to pursue his BBA course at Pace University. “I got support from Keralites, though I was a total stranger here. They helped me find job. I wish my experience should be an inspiration to all those who toil,” Dravya said.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/Billionaire-business-heir-waits-for-slice-of-hard-life/2016/07/22/article3541148.ece
Guest- Guest
Re: Billionaire Gujarati dad sends son to Kerala to live incognito and survive on odd jobs for a month
by garam_kuta Sat Jul 23, 2016 11:01 am
While it's admirable that he experienced all this while very young, which is the critical and vulnerable factor, it's no big deal at all if one knew for sure their economics safety net is more than solid and secure
garam_kuta- Posts : 3768
Join date : 2011-05-18
Re: Billionaire Gujarati dad sends son to Kerala to live incognito and survive on odd jobs for a month
by Seva Lamberdar Sat Jul 23, 2016 3:36 pm
".... No university can teach you these life skills except experience," Savji Dholakia.
>>> Certainly.
>>> Certainly.
Seva Lamberdar- Posts : 6587
Join date : 2012-11-29 -
Re: Billionaire Gujarati dad sends son to Kerala to live incognito and survive on odd jobs for a month
by Guest Sun Jul 24, 2016 7:28 am
Q. Tell us about your experience, how it unfolded.
A. I started on June 26. Packed a duffel bag with the bare necessities. Until I was at the dinner table the night before, I did not know where I was about to go. My father had booked my tickets. I learnt I was going to Kochi in Kerala.
For the first five days, I struggled with finding a job, a place to stay and trying to afford food. I had no identification, I had a language barrier - why would anyone hire me? But on the sixth day, I managed to find a job at restaurant. I sold bakery items over the counter. I lived with the rest of the staff, ate what they ate. But my week was running out. So I started looking for a new job.
After much effort, I convinced the owner of an Adidas showroom to hire me. But on the first day, they realized I was not cut out for it and asked me to come back later so that they could train me and then hire me. It was sort of a way to let me go.
Dejected, I struggled a little more and finally landed a job at a call centre. The company sold solar power services to customers in the US. I had a fair bit of success there and started doing well. That was why they agreed to pay me per day. But it was a small startup, so the pay wasn't very good. During this time I had lived on one meal a day - a plate of sambar rice. In the evenings, all I would get to eat were glucose biscuits served in the company.
On the last leg of my expedition, I managed to find work at a McDonald's for Rs. 30 an hour but I did not have to work there because the next day, my father's associate came to bring me back. I spent the last two days going around meeting everybody who had helped me during my time in Kochi and presented small gifts of gratitude.
Q. So what did you learn?
A. The biggest thing I learnt was empathy. Often in life we are too harsh with people without being considerate of their circumstances. My experience taught me to value a fellow human's suffering. Everyone has a soul and I realized I must think about that when turning someone down. I think because of this I will remember how it feels to be rejected and dejected. I will be a more considerate person.
Q. Any people you remember from your travel?
A: Quite a few. There was one elderly gentleman at a photocopy store who did not take money for documents I needed photocopied. He said 'you can pay me back when you get a job'; a security guard, who offered to share his home and food with me when he learnt I was not able to find a job; and my more than 30 colleagues at the Aarya Hotel.
Q. What is the one specific change that you brought back?
A. Well, I feel freer from materialistic needs. I had a thing of collecting shoes. Now I am thinking I am going to start distributing them to people who need it more. I also feel much more confident about tackling adversity in life. I have a feeling that even when times are difficult, I'll be able to make it.
http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/surat-billionaire-who-gave-big-bonuses-sent-son-to-find-work-in-kerala-1435407?pfrom=home-lateststories
A. I started on June 26. Packed a duffel bag with the bare necessities. Until I was at the dinner table the night before, I did not know where I was about to go. My father had booked my tickets. I learnt I was going to Kochi in Kerala.
For the first five days, I struggled with finding a job, a place to stay and trying to afford food. I had no identification, I had a language barrier - why would anyone hire me? But on the sixth day, I managed to find a job at restaurant. I sold bakery items over the counter. I lived with the rest of the staff, ate what they ate. But my week was running out. So I started looking for a new job.
After much effort, I convinced the owner of an Adidas showroom to hire me. But on the first day, they realized I was not cut out for it and asked me to come back later so that they could train me and then hire me. It was sort of a way to let me go.
Dejected, I struggled a little more and finally landed a job at a call centre. The company sold solar power services to customers in the US. I had a fair bit of success there and started doing well. That was why they agreed to pay me per day. But it was a small startup, so the pay wasn't very good. During this time I had lived on one meal a day - a plate of sambar rice. In the evenings, all I would get to eat were glucose biscuits served in the company.
On the last leg of my expedition, I managed to find work at a McDonald's for Rs. 30 an hour but I did not have to work there because the next day, my father's associate came to bring me back. I spent the last two days going around meeting everybody who had helped me during my time in Kochi and presented small gifts of gratitude.
Q. So what did you learn?
A. The biggest thing I learnt was empathy. Often in life we are too harsh with people without being considerate of their circumstances. My experience taught me to value a fellow human's suffering. Everyone has a soul and I realized I must think about that when turning someone down. I think because of this I will remember how it feels to be rejected and dejected. I will be a more considerate person.
Q. Any people you remember from your travel?
A: Quite a few. There was one elderly gentleman at a photocopy store who did not take money for documents I needed photocopied. He said 'you can pay me back when you get a job'; a security guard, who offered to share his home and food with me when he learnt I was not able to find a job; and my more than 30 colleagues at the Aarya Hotel.
Q. What is the one specific change that you brought back?
A. Well, I feel freer from materialistic needs. I had a thing of collecting shoes. Now I am thinking I am going to start distributing them to people who need it more. I also feel much more confident about tackling adversity in life. I have a feeling that even when times are difficult, I'll be able to make it.
http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/surat-billionaire-who-gave-big-bonuses-sent-son-to-find-work-in-kerala-1435407?pfrom=home-lateststories
Guest- Guest
Re: Billionaire Gujarati dad sends son to Kerala to live incognito and survive on odd jobs for a month
by FluteHolder Sun Jul 24, 2016 8:28 am
Though there is a +ve side of the news, there is some very potential -ve side of this. There is/was no verification of identity of the person applying for job. Which is very riskier and any aspiring terrorist could easily get a job and hide and continue to live under disguise without anyone knowing about him. And he was going to work in McDonald without any identification. Though small shops it is impossible to follow the rules, medium and national chains should have good mechanism to check backgrounds of persons applying for job. Remember there was a son of Odisha top police officer who worked in a bank or some major office with forged documents after committing some serious crime somewhere else.
FluteHolder- Posts : 2355
Join date : 2011-06-03
Re: Billionaire Gujarati dad sends son to Kerala to live incognito and survive on odd jobs for a month
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