Business Today, People

PEOPLE

Sometimes, just sometimes, you wonder where all the pioneers that revolutionised an industry have gone. Have they faded away with time? Or are they still there, behind the new leaders, gently egging the young blood to scale new heights? In the case of the country's famous `milk' man, Verghese `Amul' Kurien, 77, the second option couldn't be more true. After beginning his career with the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation--which, under his aegis, ushered in the White Revolution in the country--on a humble salary of Re 1, Kurien, the white-haired man, has now been inducted into the Advertising Club, Calcutta, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the milk(y) cause. Although now retired, Kurien has a gleam in his soft eyes whenever you talk to him about frozen vegetables and fruits--Amul's non-milk products--which should cross the Rs 10,000-crore mark in sales in the next 5 years. So, what was behind the success of Amul, we asked him. "I possess the quality of not missing an opportunity when I see one!" claimed the grand old man. Like they say, great men never grow old. They only become legends

From one grand old man to another "almost" grand old man's son. When Rahul Bajaj's son and the Vice-President of Bajaj Auto, the 31-year-old Rajiv Bajaj, was selected among the Top 100 Global Leaders Of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum (WEF), we thought he'd do a little jig in the privacy of his office. Maybe he did. Nevertheless, Bajaj Jr declined. Why? Because global leaders have to meet in disparate clubs simultaneously in Davos for the next 3 years. "The nomination was subject to an acceptable level of participation," he says. "And I knew that my present preoccupation would not permit me to justify WEF's confidence. So, I was obliged to regret the offer." Well, what was more important than the invite? "I need to win some battles before collecting medals!" admits the pragmatic businessman who would rather focus on the skidding performance of Bajaj Auto. Did someone say, Hamara Bajaj?

As for hamara footballer Baichung Bhutia, business doesn't mean just scoring a goal. The 19-year-young lad has launched his company, High Altitude Spices, dribbling a partnership with his brother-in-law. The spice factory will be set up at Ravangla, the town nearest to his village, Tien-Ki-Kam, in north Sikkim. And the first tangy product, admits the shy teenager, is Gingerina. "The next in line, after spices, will be fruit juices." Whoever said age had anything to do with business brilliance?

While on spices and fruit juices, can a la carte be far behind? Remember India Talkies? The much-hyped chain of restaurants financed by Wizcraft (the biggest event-management firm in India) and G.S. Entertainment (which produced the 1998 hit, Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya), and endorsed by Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Mahima Chowdhary, Karisma Kapoor, and apna Govinda? Well, they're planning to launch their first restaurant in Bandra, Mumbai, by end-1999. While, for starters, "Only Indian cuisine will be served," says Sabbas Joseph, 34, Director, Wizcraft, "as sales pick up, we'll introduce fast food also." Will the customers have to take the food with a pinch of stardom? Only time will tell

Till then, one can look forward to creativity of a different kind. Of art, as in painting. After having artists over for a week every year at his Marvey residence for the last 6 years--where they dabble in paint, cook meals, and exchange creative ideas--Harsh Goenka is now ready for the show. In the first week of April, 1999, the 40-year-old CEO of Ceat Tyres will display the work of the Top 10 artists--and the Top 10 promising artists--in the country. "It will be like a fast-forward retro," he says. "You will have traditional ones from the likes of M.F. Husain and Anjolie Ela Menon along with the stark new ideas of the young." And who will choose them? "I think I know enough about art," exudes Goenka. Just to be on the safe side, Anupa Mehta, an art critic and columnist, will help him. Well, this is one show that'll display the bonhomie among the artists' fraternity. We hope

On the other hand, to encourage bonhomie among young MBAs, Reebok International Captain, Muktesh Pant, decided to recruit them "differently." He roped in ace cricketer Ajay Jadeja, and together they went to bat in the recruitment field of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. The idea? "We wanted to recruit youngsters who had a love for sports and an energetic profile," said the 44-year-old Pant amidst gasps. Of course, seeing the charismatic Jadeja helped Reebok get the highest level of participation--as many as 95 applicants--much more than what Hindustan Lever did. Though they chose only two, we're sure Pant is smiling as though he's scored a century.

Another businessman who keeps scoring centuries, but only where money is concerned, is filmstar Mithun Chakravarty. After the success stories of his Monarch Group of hotels--2 hotels and 3 resorts spread over Mysore, Coimbatore, and Bangalore--he's now thinking of launching Monarch Airways. Flash news tells us that he has a friend in the airline business who, along with another non-filmi partner, will advise Chakravarty on how to run the business. "We'll start the service next year," admits the business-minded star. "It will be a chopper shuttle-service between Mysore, Coimbatore, and Bangalore. These places are not well-connected." Keeping in mind the way he offers to shoot his films at his hotels, it seems 90 per cent of his clients would be filmi folk. Now, isn't that where the real moolah is, too?

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