FROM CHARMINAR TO CHINA

by Shweta yammada

challenge it seemed was keeping a lid on the expectations.

  Finally, the day for the meeting arrived at the Crowne Plaza Hotel International Airport Beijing attended by Dr. Rajesh, Dr. Deng, Thomas, Reddy Sekhar and my father. They discussed at length the technicalities of the order. Given the opportunity Dr. Rajesh impressed upon Dr. Deng that his company had been producing the SCOPLOAMINE HYDROBROMIDE, the material in question, in-house for a long time now. Later they had embarked on the idea of purchasing this product from vendors because of the more value added supply commitments that were to be fulfilled within the time constraints. Producing everything in-house was no longer feasible in the given scenario. If the desired purity levels were not met by Dr. Deng then the end product could not be supplied by Rajesh Chemicals as it was bound to be rejected and the loss would run into millions of rupees. Quality was the critical factor in this business that had to be honored. Dr. Deng should not aim to garner small frantic business that could come his way by applying great pressure. He should know that such business had a very short life, instead he should aim for the longevity of his business by seeking to satisfy his customers so that they could look for a long lasting relationship with him. That way he could hope to widen his customer base. Dr. Deng agreed to this and later what followed was a discussion about chemical equivalents, processes and formulas that were beyond the comprehension of the rest of those assembled there. However they were only too relieved that there was a ceasefire between the two of them. Dr. Rajesh caught the flight back to India the same day and later Thomas drove us back to the Grand Hyatt Hotel where we were initially put up.

  Once in the room, we were so relieved that everything had gone off well and thanked Thomas for his great gesture and timely intervention. Thomas suggested that Dad as well as Sekhara could as well start a trading company dealing with pharmaceutical chemicals as they had years of work experience behind them. Why work for someone when there was no dignity of labor? Dr. Rajesh’s behavior spoke poorly of him as an employer. He seemed to think only of his business, clients, commitments etc, but not about the welfare of his employees. He squeezed them to the maximum extent possible bordering to the grounds of inhumanity. How long could a person survive in such a hostile environment.. It was then that I realized the sacrifices that Dad had been making for the sake of his family. It was now that I knew of his difficulties after seeing them for myself first-hand. I resolved never to trouble him in future. Dad as well as Reddy Sekhara could not counter this statement of Thomas. They were often driven to the wall sometimes in desperation by the high-handedness and the unreasonable expectations of Dr. Rajesh. Seriously, they were thinking of giving it a shot. Thomas prodded them still further and said that if they were interested he could help them by giving them a list of pharmaceutical chemical manufacturing houses in China that would operate on commission basis. They offer anything between five to fifteen percent as commission depending on the product. He could arrange for them to meet the manufacturers or distributors for preliminary discussions with them. Reddy uncle and Dad exchanged glances. This was an offer they could not refuse. Reddy uncle was already suffering from the symptoms of acute stress and Dad had also been complaining of the lack of personal life and he had also been suffering with stress related disorders for some time now. They agreed. They could become product agents and they could make profits by earning commissions and discounts from manufacturers. Growth potential was high. Meetings were arranged with the top most distributors of China. Besides there were foreign collaborated companies registered in China. There were around two thousand small scale pharmaceutical companies in China. Once Dad and Sekhara set the ball rolling Thomas said he would be glad to help in whatever way possible if they got their logistics right which was Dad’s strong-point.

  It was a moment to be savored. I was glad to be bidding adieu to China. My memories of the trip to China could be categorized as sweet and sour. Tickets were booked for the return journey back to India via Singapore and not Bangkok. We arrived at Changi airport by Singapore Airlines. There was just two hours gap to take the connecting flight to Hyderabad. So we stayed at the airport. Once we reached home everyone embraced us. Relatives had come in and it was a warm get-together. They had all been worried about the goings on of the events in China. Boy! Was I glad to be back home.