Bharat Narayan grew up in Mahatma Gandhi's arms, so to speak; worked closely with Shaikh Rashid during the nation-building era of the 1970s; his wedding reception was attended by King Mahindra and Queen Ratna in Nepal; is the proud owner of a family heirloom – autographs by Louis Pasteur and Albert Einstein among other greats, and is today chairman and managing director of Hunter Foods Ltd FZCO, the first manufacturing unit in the Jebel Ali Free Zone and the first food factory to achieve the SQF 2000 certification in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. At 67, Bharat epitomises simplicity and frankness.
A member of one of the first groups of mechanical engineers to graduate from BITS Pilani – a prestigious institution of science and technology in India – Bharat came to Dubai in 1974 at the invitation of Shaikh Rashid, the late ruler of Dubai. He landed a Dh300 million deal to supply building materials to Dubai. "It was Shaikh Rashid who taught me that the four pillars in business are sincerity, trust, honesty and hard work," he says.
Back then Bharat was the vice-president of Bajaj International, the export division of one of India's
well-known business houses. With a sharp eye for quality, he believes that even "life has to be built upon the basic blocks of trust and sincerity". But then it's no surprise that he holds such high values so close to his heart – he is the grandson of Jamnalal Bajaj, founder of the prominent international conglomerate, the Bajaj group. He is also the son of Shriman Narayan, one of India's freedom fighters and political leaders of the 1950s.
This forerunning entrepreneur of the UAE business scene continues to uphold the old world charm and tenets of honesty, hospitability and trust in all his business relationships. Bharat complains that the one thing that modern business schools do not teach is the importance of ethics.
A die-hard optimist who is ably assisted by his wife Madhulika Narayan (she is also the joint managing director of Hunter Foods) in the running of the business, Bharat is proof that age and physical challenges cannot stop a man from realising his dreams.
Though pushing 70, he insists on going to the office every day. You may not consider this unusual until you realise that he is confined to a wheelchair.
But that's just one facet of this multifaceted personality whose life reads like a fairy tale, except that there are harsh realities in between the lines.
I
I worked with Shaikh Rashid from 1974 until 1984 and helped build over 8,000 houses and apartments for the Dubai government – most of them one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments in what is now known as Shaikh Rashid Colony in Dubai. Shaikh Rashid rented these at a third of the prevailing market rents, creating housing for middle-class families and stabilising rents all over Dubai.
From him I learnt about sincerity, trust, honesty and hard work. In Arab culture, verbal commitment is a notch higher than written confirmation. I built 8,000 houses and apartments at Shaikh Rashid's spoken command (there was no written confirmation). The bills were always paid on time. I remember that we signed the agreement for Jebel Ali Port construction, two-and-a-half years after the project had commenced.
I used to spend at least two hours every day at various construction sites with Shaikh Rashid. I found many similarities between Shaikh Rashid and Mahatma Gandhi in that both loved their country dearly, were proud of it and showed an immense love for their people; both were concerned about elevating the status of their countrymen. Both of them were visionaries and I admire them tremendously for their belief in truth and peace.
I had to diversify my business in the 1980s. There was a tough period in construction after Shaikh Rashid fell
ill. But I was so much a part of Dubai by then that I did not have the heart to quit. It was just at that time that the Jebel Ali Free Zone was formed. Trading establishments were mushrooming in the mid-1980s. But I didn't have a trading temperament. My mind was set on manufacturing.
Someone suggested potato chips and I decided that that was the sector I would enter. There were plenty of bakeries in Dubai (that could sell the chips) and potato chips are loved
by almost everyone. The rest, as they say, is history.
In my family nobody purchases anything on credit and I am proud to say that I adhered to this principle even when
I was starting this company – Hunter Foods was set up using my own savings. Hunter Foods was started in Jebel Ali Free Zone with a special licence. The land purchase, design, building construction, setting up machinery and marketing were completed within five months at an investment of Dh2.5 million. I really enjoyed the challenge of setting up something from scratch.
The raw materials are imported from Europe and the US and are processed here to make the crunchies. Aggressive marketing and stringent quality control are the hallmarks of Hunter Foods.
We have never tried to copy anyone or compete with anyone. Quality is our motto.
I firmly believe that the practice of all principles must begin from one's own home. Mahatma Gandhi had equal respect for all nationalities and faiths. My family follows this concept. Almost all the male members in my extended family are married to women of both Western or Eastern origins but we are all part of one family, even though we follow different faiths.
I regard 'Gandhism' as the way to a united world. In a world troubled by turmoil, I strongly believe that following Gandhi's vision of one world, one family can pave the way for the happiness and well-being of mankind.
Me
Me and business
I firmly believe in business with social values. In the 1970s and 1980s, establishments were more people- driven than business-driven. Now that the model is global, competition is tougher and values are result-oriented. That makes a big difference. But at the core, any business model should be an epitome of 'business with a heart'.
Only then will such developments sustain humanity and stand the test of time. When I began Hunter Foods in 1986, we were keen on quality control and are determined to never compromise on that. We have brands of chips called Safari, Alladin, and Alibaba and distribute food to markets in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and Kenya.
We received the honour of being the only food company in the Gulf to supply high quality snack food directly to Carrefour France. The global sourcing office of Carrefour in Thailand picked out our products in Hong Kong and Jakarta, and contacted us in Jebel Ali. Hunter Foods has set a benchmark for quality and trust for people to follow – both in business as well as in life.
When a business becomes purely result-oriented or profit-driven, it's the customers who often take a beating. This is a trend of many modern businesses. But I would say that it is only when business is mixed with strong ethics that it can have a long-standing and sound foundation. We have been doing very well in this business for the past 22 years and are well settled. I have a meticulous way of planning and a sincere way of implementing business transactions.
Me and my childhood
I hail from a family of very industrious people. It is because of my family background that I am able to combine business acumen with standards of high quality and an honest commitment to my customers. I grew up in a family that was very traditional in spirit yet modern in outlook.
My parents, Shriman Narayan and Madlasa Narayan were prominent intellectuals and this reflected on all aspects of our upbringing. I grew up in Gandhiji's Sevagram Ashram, Teen Murti Bhavan [in Delhi, India that housed the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru] and Vinoba Bhave's Ashram.
It was from my parents and Gandhiji's family that I learnt the values of truth and peace that lead to universal brotherhood.
My grandfather dedicated much of his wealth to the poor and the downtrodden. He felt his inherited wealth was a sacred trust to be used for the benefit of the people.
I earned an MBA from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute in the late 60s. I am a staunch 'Gandhian businessman' and believe that the one thing modern business schools do not teach is the importance of ethics.
A strong sense of business ethics and loyalty creates a loyal customer base – this is your best advertising agent.
We always select products based on what people around us suggest. Word of mouth reviews lends us more credibility.
Me and my family
Opening our factory at Jebel Ali in March 1986 was a huge triumph for me. But on a June morning of that year,
I woke up to find one part of my body incapacitated. I underwent a battery of tests but my condition is yet to be diagnosed. Madhu became everything to me in the following years.
She has a very positive attitude towards life and took on the day-to-day working of the factory. She is my lifeline.
We have never mourned our fate or been depressed. A 'never say die' attitude keeps us going strong. We have two children, Ananya and Himanika. I trust my son Ananya in every decision he makes. I think that the unconditional trust I have vested in him is the reason that he continuously strives to do better. He lived in Hong Kong till last year with his Chinese wife, Yan. They now stay with us in Jebel Ali. Our daughter graduated from the London School of Economics and is married and settled in Singapore.
Me and mountaineering
I have been adventurous and outgoing since childhood. In school, during summers, I had the opportunity to attend outward-bound courses in India, organised by outward-bound schools in England. I have trekked through the Himalayas extensively. While in college I undertook mountaineering expeditions to the Gangotri glaciers and conquered Srikailash that stands at 6,931 metres.
I also held the duration and spot landing records in gliding while at Pilani.
Me and my sweet tooth
I love sweets, even though my factory makes potato chips and salty snacks. Madhu clamps down on my sugar intake as I am a diabetic now. There is no food that I dislike. I think
it is just in my temperament to not dislike anything, be it food or people.
Me and meeting people of eminence
Gandhiji personally came and blessed my parents at the time of their marriage ceremony at Wardha. I was born on the early morning of October 3, 1941 and I remember my father telling me years later that Mahatma Gandhi blessed me and offered me my first spoon of honey on the day I was born. This was the kind of relationship we had with him. I grew up with his children.
My father was the Indian Ambassador to Nepal in the late 1960s and we developed a close family relationship with King Mahindra and Queen Ratna of Nepal. My marriage reception was held at the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu which the King and the Queen were kind enough to attend.
During the 1960s, Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India, sent my father on an official trip around the world as an ambassador of Gandhi's values. The idea was to spread Mahatma's ideals. It was during this world tour that he met Albert Einstein, who received him at his cottage at Princeton University.
The message Einstein had for the youth was that direction in life comes from spirituality. He was also upset that his great discoveries were being misused for making weapons of mass destruction. He gave my father a signed autograph with the words "Nothing is more important to man than man!" My father handed it over to me and it is something that I cherish to this day.
Myself
What is the one thing that you would love to change in this world?
We have animal protection activists, environment protection groups, 'Save our Seas' volunteers. However, there are only a handful of groups striving to save mankind from war or natural disasters. Though we have relief and antiwar groups, I feel human values are not emphasised enough. The worst malady of today's society is that it is issue-driven, rather than people-driven.
Do you think life is analogous to a business deal with profit
and loss balanced out? No, life is never like business. Life has to be built upon trust and sincerity. Greatness in life can only be achieved through simplicity.
The intentions of faith, hope, love, family and forgiveness are all time-encompassing while business is only a means of living. Millions of dirhams in your account do not necessarily translate into a happy life. No matter how many zeroes there are at the end of one's account balance, there is only so much one can consume in a lifetime.
I have never bribed anyone in my life. I haven't made a single dishonest dirham. I don't believe in agreements or contracts.
I believe in honouring every word I say.
If someone is unreasonable, I get upset. My wife says in jest that I am not a very good businessman. I am too transparent in my business. I take people at face value and expect the people who deal with us to be honest. In retrospect, I realise that this is the only way for me. But given a chance I would do the same things the same way.
If you weren't doing business?
I don't regret doing business for a single moment. Given a chance, I would relive my life just as it is now. There is a Robert Frost poem called The Road Not Taken. My road not
taken is teaching. Teaching is a noble profession. I love being in the company of young people. Imparting knowledge stimulates me and makes me forget my troubles.
But what is a mechanical engineer doing in the food business?
Engineering is like a base field. It enables you to take up any vocation you wish. In the language of a mechanical engineer, anything that simplifies work is a machine. Similarly, any education that prepares you to find your means of living is engineering. I believe I have only used about five per cent of what I learned in my course for my on-the- job requirements. The rest was learnt by application. My engineering course certainly played a role in preparing
me for hands-on learning.
I also have a degree in business. But mechanical engineer or business magnate, my emphasis is on hard
work and quality. Any job that brings three square meals to your dining table is good. Education provides you with the pedestal to reach that means.
– Feby Imthias is an Abu Dhabi-based freelance writer
CAPTION:
photo courtesy: Bharat Narayan
Bharat Narayan, the founder of Hunter Foods with his wife Madhulika who is the joint managing director.
Bharat as a child in the arms of Mahatma Gandhi in 1944. To this day Bharat endeavours to live by his principles of truth and peace.
Bharat and his family with Indira Gandhi in 1968.
