Unstoppable

by Sonu Bhasin

  ‘Mr Sharma could not believe his eyes,’ exclaimed Ajit. Kuldip was now the chairman of Berger Paints, which is a big company. The dealer could not believe that the chairman of this large company had come to his shop. ‘Kuldip was so nostalgic when he spoke with Mr Sharma,’ he continued.

  Mr Sharma himself started remembering the old days. ‘You know in those days whenever Kuldip came here I would get papdi chaat from next door for him,’ said Mr Sharma. He turned to Kuldip and asked if he would still want to eat that chaat. Kuldip nodded promptly. Mr Sharma called out to his office boy and said to him, ‘Jaldi se jaa. Bhaag ke teen chaat le kar aa [Come quickly. Run and get me three plates of chaat].’

  Ajit was getting a bit worried about the time and reminded Kuldip that they had a flight to catch. But Kuldip would not leave till the chaat arrived and he ate it. After wiping his hands Kuldip got up and hugged Mr Sharma and left.

  ‘When we left, both Kuldip and Mr Sharma had tears in their eyes,’ said Ajit. ‘He got really emotional and all through the journey to the airport kept telling me about his days in Rajdoot,’ Ajit said.

  ‘Mr Dhingra has this ability to speak with anyone and make them feel like they are the most important person for him,’ said Abhijit Roy. ‘I remember the time when a few of us had gone out for a meal after the meetings,’ he continued. The team had gone to the Taj Hotel, where a table had been reserved for them. Everyone gave their order when the steward came to take down their choices. Kuldip, after telling the steward what he wanted, asked him, ‘And how are you? Is all well with you?’ The steward was surprised as he knew that it was the chairman of Berger Paints that was asking him the question. ‘All is w . . . we . . . well, Sir,’ he stammered. Kuldip was not finished yet. ‘And how is everyone at home? I hope they are all fine,’ Kuldip continued to talk to the steward. ‘Yes, Sir, all are well. Thank you for asking,’ the steward said, getting back his voice. Kuldip then patted the steward on his arm and said, ‘Chalo, take care of yourself.’

  Abhijit was watching this from his seat. ‘I can’t forget the look on the steward’s face. He was surprised, thrilled and honoured, all at the same time. He had a broad smile on his face by the end of it all,’ said Abhijit. ‘Mr Dhingra may not remember his face the next time he goes to the same hotel but that guy will remember him for a very long time,’ he added.

  Brinda, Ajit Syali’s wife, narrated an incident that happened on her birthday. ‘Kuldipji was the honorary counsel of Georgia for many years,’ remembered Ajit. As honorary counsel Kuldip had to fulfil some diplomatic duties. ‘He told me that since I had worked in the government I would be able to better understand the protocol and other bureaucratic work. He asked me to help him with the counsel work as well,’ said Ajit. ‘I forget the number of visa applications that we processed as part of the counsel office,’ he laughed.

  Kuldip had to visit Georgia regularly and sometimes Meeta would accompany him. ‘This time he invited Ajit and me to also accompany them to Georgia,’ said Brinda in her soft, measured voice. She taught at Modern School, Barakhamba Road, for many years and she had the patient manner of a teacher used to dealing with pesky children.

  The flight to Georgia was via Istanbul and the two couples took a day’s break in Turkey. ‘We went for lunch at a restaurant. It was my birthday and I told them,’ said Brinda. They had a good lunch. ‘In between Kuldip excused himself for a while and got up. I thought he had gone to the toilet or something. Anyway, he came back soon enough,’ remembered Brinda.

  As lunch was finishing there was a small commotion near the kitchen. A small retinue of stewards walked towards their table. The steward in the front was holding up a cake and the rest of the staff was singing ‘Happy birthday’ in their Turkish accents. ‘I was so touched that I almost started crying. Kuldip had got up and gone to order this cake for me,’ said Brinda, getting a little emotional even now.

  ‘Even though I was working for him, Kuldipji gave me so much respect. He told me that he had lost his father when he was very young and that he would take any advice I gave him as given by a family elder,’ said Ajit. ‘He is really a genuine person,’ continued Ajit, one of India’s top spies at one point of time.

  The internal auditor at Berger, Shubhashish Mukherjee, had his own story to tell. He was coming back from his honeymoon and saw Kuldip sitting in the same aircraft. ‘I recognized him but of course he did not know who I was,’ he said. After the aircraft reached cruising altitude and the seat belt signs were off, Shubhashish got up from his seat and went to Kuldip. ‘Sir, you don’t know me but, I work at Berger Paints. I saw you, so I thought I would come to give you my regards,’ he said.

  Kuldip did not know him but asked him his name and the department he was working in. ‘So what work did you have in Delhi,’ asked Kuldip assuming that Shubhashish was travelling on work.

  ‘No, Sir, I am on leave. I am returning from my honeymoon,’ said Shubhashish shyly.

  ‘Oye, honeymoon!’ exclaimed Kuldip and turned to Meeta who was sitting next to him. ‘Meeta, see Shubhashish is returning from his honeymoon. We must say hello to his wife.’

  He told Shubhashish that Meeta and he wanted to meet his wife. Shubhashish was thrilled and went back to get his wife. Kuldip and Meeta spent five minutes talking to the couple. ‘I was so happy and my wife was so impressed that the chairman of the company spent time talking to us,’ said Shubhashish happily, his eyes shining with joy years after the incident.

  The emotional side of Kuldip shows itself very frequently. For a man who is known for his quick temper and iron will, the vulnerable side comes as a surprise. But then, it is only the strong who can afford to show their vulnerability.

  Looking Back and Looking Ahead

  ‘Kuldip is a family man. His life is only about his business and his family. Here you see him with (left to right) Jessima, his middle daughter, Meeta, his wife, Rishma, his eldest daughter, and Dipti, his youngest daughter’—Harish Ahuja, a business associate and Kuldip’s friend.

  Forty-nine

  Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi

  LIFE IS LIKE AN EXPRESS TRAIN

  Kuldip Dhingra is a man that evokes a multitude of emotions. The only emotion he does not evoke is that of indifference.

  ‘It is difficult for someone to meet Kuldip and walk away without being affected either positively or negatively,’ said Jerry Adams, Kuldip’s business associate since 2000. ‘He has an inbuilt ability to connect with people.’

  ‘Now that you say it, I think it must be true,’ said Kuldip contemplatively. I had told him that people say that Kuldip is able to talk to anyone and everyone.

  It was late evening and Kuldip had had a busy day. ‘Not at work. There was a family occasion,’ he clarified.

  The garden outside was not visible as the floor-to-ceiling glass doors reflected the warmly lit indoors. It was cold outside but the electric fire was keeping the indoors warm. The room smelled lovely as the tuberoses, fresh from the Dhingra farm, in all corners of the room gently spread their fragrance.

  ‘Yes, I think I have a connect with people. But I feel that I am losing that as I feel isolated now,’ mused Kuldip. ‘There is no time to visit the factories and the people there. I don’t remember the last time I went to meet my dealers,’ he said.

  ‘What keeps you busy at work? You have a full professional management, your daughter Rishma and nephew Kanwar are also fully involved in the business. Have you thought of slowing down? Do you see a time when you are not working at all?’ I asked.

  ‘But what will I do then?’ Kuldip shot back, doubtfully. ‘I love my work so much. I am so passionate about it. I don’t know what else to do,’ he said. He stopped to take a sip of the hot coffee as he thought about a life without work. ‘I have worked for so many years. This is the only life I know. I get a headache if I don’t have anything to do,’ he said. ‘See I am not the kind of a person who will go on cruises or for shopping. I know only to work. Unj hi chalda rahega. [It will carry on like this only]. Afte
r all, chalti ka naam gaadi [literally, life is like an express train]!’ he said somewhat sardonically. ‘I love the paints business and there is so much to do. I really want to get into R&D full time. It is such an exciting time,’ he said, enthusiasm returning to his voice.

  Life, which has been full of excitement for Kuldip, continues to play a role even in the seventh decade of his life. ‘Do you have any regrets?’ I asked.

  ‘I have no regrets at all,’ Kuldip said immediately. ‘Whatever I have done I have done after a conscious decision, after thinking about all the pros and cons. So, if things go wrong I don’t curse anyone. If things do well, it is because God is kind to me,’ said Kuldip.

  ‘I take life as it comes. What is there in my control?’ he asked me.

  He did not wait for me to answer. ‘Nothing. There is very little in my control. There is a larger force that controls our lives,’ he said. However, for a man who believes that nothing is in his control Kuldip is a control freak.

  Having spent a lifetime in the paints industry and having built the business from scratch, Kuldip believes that he knows more than anyone else in his company about the business of paints. And he does not hesitate to tell them. ‘See, professionals are professionals at the end of the day. They are worried about their CV all the time. If the business collapses they will find themselves another job. But where will I go? This is the only business I have,’ said Kuldip. ‘So, I have to patiently teach them about the business. I have to get them to love the business as much as I do,’ he added. ‘But I can’t leave it completely to them,’ he said seriously.

  ‘What about the gen-next? Can you leave it completely to them?’ I asked.

  ‘They are already in the business. I have voluntarily stepped off some of the boards. Gurbachan and I are there to give them guidance but the children are taking a lot of decisions themselves,’ said Kuldip. ‘The other children are free to do whatever they want to do. We are very strict that way. Only Rishma and Kanwar will be part of the business. The others will not work in it,’ said Kuldip.

  One of the other decisions that the family needs to take is about the separation of the business from the family assets. ‘Gurbachan and I are in the process of disentangling the joint holdings in our assets other than the business. It is better that we do it so that after us there are no problems,’ said Kuldip. ‘The work has been on for a while. There are only a few loose ends that need to be tied up now but we are almost there,’ said Kuldip. ‘Once this is all done, I am free to concentrate on my work again!’ said Kuldip, his eyes shining.

  ‘Theek hai, as you say chalti ka naam gaadi,’ I said. ‘But tell me now that you have earned fame and money, what are you working for? What keeps you motivated?’ I asked.

  Kuldip sat up straighter. ‘I don’t think I have earned fame,’ he bristled. ‘The day I think ki mera naam ho gaya that is the end of me,’ he added.

  ‘Not you, but others believe that you have earned a name for yourself,’ I persisted.

  ‘Let them say,’ interrupted Kuldip with a wave of hand. ‘I don’t believe them. I have only done my work. I haven’t thought of name-vame or anything like that. I don’t go anywhere to make speeches, I don’t go to collect awards. It is a waste of time. I just concentrate on what I have to do,’ he added.

  I held up my hands to admit defeat in this discussion. ‘OK, OK. So, you don’t think you work for name and fame. What about money?’ I asked him.

  ‘Oh money! Yes, money initially was a matter of survival. I had to earn money to keep the families going. But now money is not important. I don’t work for money. I work to grow the business. There is so much to be done,’ he said.

  ‘I love the discussions for joint ventures, for takeovers, for mergers, for new businesses. We are doing so much of good work. We have products that no one in the Indian market has. Even Asian Paints doesn’t have those products,’ said Kuldip speaking fast as if he wanted to make the most of the time. ‘And I think the reason I enjoy all this is that I genuinely love connecting with people. Koi dikhava nahin hai [There is no pretence]. I speak to them from my heart and I think people respond positively,’ he said.

  ‘Business is my life and it is my destiny,’ said Kuldip seriously. ‘And I cannot take either for granted,’ he added.

  Kanwar, his nephew, had just returned from Poland after a board meeting there. ‘I told Kanwar, “You always have to keep your eyes on the business. You cannot relax thinking that it is going well. The moment you take your eyes away, you take your focus away, the business could slip out of your control. It will happen so fast that you will not even know it,”’ said Kuldip. ‘“There are competitors waiting for you to make a mistake. One mistake, and phat,”’ he slapped his hands together, ‘“you will be finished.”’

  ‘I have seen the world and I have seen life from all angles. I know that it is a fight, a struggle to keep going every day. And that is why I continue to be in business. To fight. I will never run away. I will never, ever do that. Come what may, I will fight back. Always.’ Kuldip concluded.

  * Name has been changed to protect his identity.

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  Acknowledgements

 
Saying thank you to the family is usually kept for the last—be it at award functions or in acknowledgments of books. However, I start my acknowledgments by thanking my family—my husband and my son—for the role they have played in my life journey. It takes inherent self-confidence and compassion for men to appreciate, truly, the success of women. These two strong men have supported and applauded me, albeit in their own unique ways! These men keep me steady and are my sounding boards for whatever I do, including writing this book. Thank you, Juggi and Karan, for always being there.

  Working with an editor takes on almost the same intensity as being with family. I am fortunate to have Lohit Jagwani as my editor, and have come to think of him and Zoya, his wife, as family. Lohit is extremely well read, loves to talk about what he has read and is a good listener to boot! Talking to him has always helped me structure my own thoughts; working with him has helped me write better. Thank you, Lohit, for your continued motivation, enthusiasm and patience.

  Milee Ashwarya is the editor-in-chief at Penguin Random House, and I am delighted that I am an author who is part of her team. A bundle of energy, Milee has an uncanny ability to bring a sense of calm in her authors. Discussions with her have always been insightful and her comments have been incisive. Thank you, Milee, for your continued guidance.

  Kuldip Dhingra is known to the world as the chairman of Berger Paints. Besides the occasional anecdotal story, not much is known about him personally to the world at large. Kuldip, for the first time, allowed a total stranger to access his hitherto fiercely protected personal life and told his story with honesty. Thank you, Kuldip, for trusting me with your story.

  Unstoppable would not have been possible without the generosity of time and commitment of the immediate family, extended family, friends, associates and employees of Kuldip Dhingra. While some names have been changed on request, these people are all there in the pages of the story. Thank you, all, for your stories and the many hours you spent going down the memory lane.