Ahmedabad’s advantage

The community’s commercial enterprises in Ahmedabad received a double boost with the launching of the Ahme­dabad Parsi Panchayat’s (APP) Ahme­dabad Parsi Yellow Pages directory and the inauguration of the local chapter of the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce (WZCC). APP’s president and businessman Areez Khambatta stated at the April 24th launch that this was probably the first time a business directory has been launched by any punchayet/anjuman. APP trustee Porus Karanja­walla who con­ceived and executed the project stated in an interview to Parsia­na in June 2004 that there had been "an excellent response” to the project. Circu­lars were sent and people were personally contacted, stated Karanjawalla, adding that those who were "left out of the direc­tory” are now complaining.

To be published once in three years, the directory charged tariffs ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 10,000. "If a person could not afford Rs 200, the trust paid,” said Karanjawalla. The 44-page directory has around 150 community entries listed along with others who advertised.

Karanjawalla conceived the idea when disbursing Hooner Udyog loans. One applicant who received the loan for a computer wanted to purchase the equipment from a non-Parsi. When Karanja­walla asked him, "Why not from a Parsi,” the would-be entrepreneur replied that he did not know of any Parsis selling computers. While Karanjawalla doubted the veracity of his statement, the idea for launching the yellow pages germinated.

When asked if more Parsis were becoming entrepreneurs,Karanjawalla, himself a businessman dealing in computer software,furniture and related products replied, "not really — not at a pace to be noticeable.” Business has "an insecurity aspect... there is always a fear of failure,” he noted.

The opening of the WZCC chapter in the Gujarat commercial capital on April 25, 2004 is the fourth such launch in India after Delhi, Bombay and Poona.

Limathwalla and Khambatta (right) launching the directory; its conceiver Karanjawalla (inset)

Jehangir Cama officiates as the president of the Ahmeda­bad chapter, with Rushad Ginwalla as vice president, Sarosh Ginwalla as honorary secretary and Aspy Unwalla as honorary treasurer, as per the WZCC website www. wzccindia.on-lyne.com "When the membership forms were distributed, it was heartening to note that Dr Armaity Davar and Burjor Patel immediately signed on as patrons of the Ahmedabad chapter,” notes Zarine Commissariat, program committee chair of the Mumbai chapter. Kersi Limathwalla, regional director and Mumbai chapter chair, and Commissariat were present at the meeting as special invitees.

April also saw a successful, 21-member trade delegation of Zoroastrian businessmen and professionals visiting the United Arab Emirates — five from Delhi, three from Bangalore and the rest from Bombay. Wined, dined and feted by the Zoroastrians in Dubai, the entrepreneurs returned with business deals and happy recollections of a desert safari, camel ride, dhow trip and what was termed "interactive belly dancing” with bawas shaking a belly alongside a buxom belly dancer!

As per a press note from WZCC (India), several members of the delegation have negotiated or are in the process of negotiating orders. They include Dara Vakharia of Banga­lore’s Altech Enter­prises who has signed a joint venture with Dubai’s Kersi Bhesania for the setting up of an aluminium fabrication and powder coating plant at Al Gaus, Dubai; Yazdi Tantra, director, On-Lyne Comtech (India) Private Limited, who has received an order for e-com­merce from Opro International, Shavak Bhum­gara of Eskay Dyestuff and Organic Chemicals Private Limited for export of optical whitener to Rainbow General and Trading Company, Ajman; Jamshed Sidh­wa, vice president, Travel Corporation of India who has signed a joint venture agreement with Avari Hotels at Dubai and Karachi and Discovery Tours, Dubai; Jasmin Mistry of Yezarina for supply of uniforms; Zarine Commissariat, office manager of Monitor Strate­gic Consultants, who has given a legal brief to Merzi Chinoy of Desai and Chinoy, Solicitors...

WZCCI members have also been informed, via e-mail courte­sy Rustom Vakil (rjvakil@yahoo.co.uk), that the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) is organizing a CNI Partnership Summit — 2004 to be held in Kathmandu on September 2 and 3, 2004. The conference is in association with The World Bank, Nepal office and the Nepalese office of the Department for International Development, UK. Chambers of commerce from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Malaysia have been invited to participate. More details on the summit are available on www. cnind.org, states an e-mail from the WZCCI which however cautions members to check the "accuracy and reliability” of the organizations and "make their own inquiries before proceeding.”

WZCCI also aims to set up a south India chapter in Ma­dras, with assistance and support from Nariman Mogrelia, presi­dent of the Madras Parsi Zarathushti Anjuman. Mogrelia was the keynote speaker at the meeting of the Mumbai chapter on June 13, 2004 at Hotel Diplomat. A self-made businessman, Mogrelia has been in the garment industry for over 30 years and is the chair­man and managing director of export-oriented Zoro Garments Pri­vate Limited in Madras.

Speaking on "Ingredients for a successful businessman,” Mogrelia laced his speech with dollops of humor. He recounted how in the late 1960s he had proceeded to England to do marketing after his MCom, at a time "when the stock of Indians was lowest” in the UK, due partly to the plight of thousands of Indians holding British passports stranded in East Africa due to the uncertain political situation there. Mogrelia’s first trial by fire was an interview for enrolment into the marketing course, with the intimidating panel of interviewers seated at a long table and the interviewee facing them on a solitary chair near the wall! He could not grasp the strange English accents nor could the Englishmen understand the language of this "boy from Baroda with Gujarati accents, speaking English in the Gujju way!” "They were asking something, I was answering something else,” Mogrelia quipped. Realizing his fate was soon to be sealed, Mogrelia dared to act! Standing up, he told the panel: "Gentle­men, I know what’s the problem. It’s not the language but the understanding!” Walking around he started to speak and from the manner heads turned to follow him, he knew he had their atten­tion! At the end of it, they were convinced that he could sell and he was allowed to enrol for marketing.

Further baptism by fire arrived by way of his first on field assignment — he was asked to sell £ 15,000 worth of books — year books, classics, comics... ensconced in a beautiful rose­wood cupboard! Instructed to approach households in London in the area of Golders Green inhabited by well-to-do Jews, Mogrelia narrated how his basic honesty paid off when he told the lady who opened the door that he was desperate to make his first sale! "She took me in and introduced me to two of her ex husbands there. I spoke little, she did the rest! I got not one but two cheques of £15,000 each!” The moral of Mogrelia’s story — be honest, it saves you a lot of time! "Be focused and self-confident too,” he exhorted, allocating equal emphasis to effort­ combined with luck.

Returning to India in 1969, Mogrelia joined Tata Textiles in Madras, till one day he heard about a wonder fabric being manufactured in Cannanore, a district town in Kerala. "This fabric, could be dyed, woven, printed or embroi­dered. Most important of all, it was creaseless. I was convinced this would put India on the world map in garments as Western housewives find ironing a back-breaking task.”

From left : Tantra, Mogrelia, Limath-walla, Shroff and Khambatta. (Inset) Mogrelia: into garment export

Recognizing the opportunity, he quit Tata Textiles to strike out on his own, much to the stupefaction of his superiors. A factory was set up, export orders rolled in. But passion has a price. "There are no big perks when you are on your own. You have to struggle 14-16 hours a day. It’s good I succeeded. If I had­n’t, people would have called me a...!”

In response to questions from the audience, Mogrelia elaborated on the quota system in garment export, due to be scrapped from January 1, 2005. "Jungle rule has already started. It will be the survival of the fittest. Smaller factories will close down. If India can survive a couple of years, the future for the industry will be good,” he said, despite the competition from China which offers lower prices, faster turnaround time and better deliveries. "But the Chinese quality is inferior,” he maintained.

To a question whether brands command a premium price, Mogrelia replied in the affirmative. "At Macy’s in New York, a designer top using barely 90 cm fabric can sell for 90 USD on the top floor where designer labels are displayed; on the middle floors the price comes down to $ 30-35, on the lower floor to $ 20, while it sells in the basement for $ 2.99! But designer quantities are small. Every piece should be the pick.”

Adding interest and capital value for the WZCC is their informative website which has over 670 members listed worldwide. Asserts Tantra who is the secretary of the Mumbai chapter and administrator of the site: "It makes sense to become a WZCC member. Data is our most valuable source... the registration form itself becomes your basic visiting card. A member from any part of the world can get to know and interact with Zoroastrian busi­nessmen/professionals anywhere else.” Most interesting too, he adds, are the web Yellow Pages which allow search by first name, last name, business category, pin code, city or country. The fee for WZCC membership is Rs 1,000 for corporates and Rs 500 for individuals. Students can enrol free.

The website has a classifieds section where job vacan­cies, buying/selling of products or other business transactions can be advertised. Such classifieds remain online normally for 90 days, but the default time can be extended, says Tantra. Current­ly the service is provided free but may involve a fee later on. For enthusiastic browsers, the website has links to a wide range of subjects including banking, labor laws, corporate governance, consulates, real estate, etc, as well as news clippings and general interest articles.