It is commonly believed that Indians make the best entrepreneurs because of their ability to find an opportunity to make a quick buck almost anywhere. I wholeheartedly believe this — and would go one step further to say that none are better at it than the Gujarati community.
Recently I came across a very interesting elderly Gujarati gentleman whose enterprise surprised even me. Devjibhai as he is fondly known among his family and friends is in his 60’s, retired and lives a comfortable life with his son and daughter-in-law. He is physically fit and passes his days in London visiting friends. As a senior citizen he holds a travel pass which allows him free rides on the buses and the London underground.
Devjibhai has found an interesting opportunity — he will obtain Indian visas for anyone who wants them for a small fee. The Indian High Commission, thanks to the computer age, now offers visa forms online that can be downloaded and filled. They then have to be lodged at the High Commission in The Strand in the morning and a visa can generally be collected that afternoon. While it is not difficult, for many employed people time is money, and they cannot take the day off work just to get a visa.
Devjibhai steps into the breach. For the small sum of £10 per passport he will submit the visa application for you and collect it again at the end of day. “It costs me nothing but my time. I get a free trip into the city and make a bit of money on the side,” says Devjibhai. Most of the people that he ‘helps out’ are of Indian origin and need a standard tourist visa which doesn’t need them to be physically present. Devjibhai often collects upto 7-8 passports a day earning a neat £70-80. “People trust me more than an agent as I give a personalised service and on top of that I am cheaper,” he adds. I raise my hat to Devjibhai. He saw an opportunity and immediately filled it. It is this sort of behaviour that has made Gujaratis the enterprising community that they are.
Dr Harish Rughani, the chairman of the Shri Vallabh Nidhi Trust in London died last week due to respiratory problems. Dr Rughani was the champion of the Sri Sanatan Mandir which is being built on Ealing Road in North London. The construction of the temple — touted as the largest Hindu Temple in the country — has been jinxed with completion deadlines being repeatedly missed. The temple received planning permission two decades ago in 1987. The budget had been placed at £7.5 million and it was expected to be ready by 1999. However the temple is now mired in controversy and the budget has been mounting putting the fresh estimate at £15 million. Dr Rughani angered some of the Trust last October by refusing to set a deadline for the temple’s completion. “We are building the largest Hindu temple, we are building a dream. Taj Mahal wasn’t built in a day,” he had said. Rughani’s comments had split the steering committee.
Since his demise a fresh ‘post-Rughani strategy’ has been formed giving the temple a new business plan and two-year deadline. “We pray to the Almighty to grant his soul eternal peace,” said Praful Patel, member of steering committee. “And request all the governors and stakeholders to unite for the sake of the new temple, start afresh and move forward,” he added. Only time will tell if this has happened.
