His name says it all. He is tough, he is strong, he is fierce, he is a wrestler, he is Arjan Singh Bhullar! Yet, the beneath the toughness hides a small little heart, a rather soft one which doesn’t match his built-up wrestler body! The name Arjan means warrior. And anyway, can't we all resonate the name of this hero, featured by Maneesh Media in Jewels of Punjab (2017), with our mythological hero, Arjun from Mahabharat! Wrestling, however, was in his blood, as his father, Sardar Avtar Singh Bhullar too wrestled for passion. Yet, Arjan could never realize his passion till his grade 10; once he did, nothing could stop him since then. Success followed him, he represented the national team, became Wrestler of the Year in Canada (2009), winning gold in 2010 Commonwealth Games. This was the first time...

Just 4 during the India-Pakistan partition, Bhupinder Singh Anand knows what ‘shatter’ really means. He grew up watching his father, a dentist, struggle to help his family settle down post-partition. As soon as he completed his graduation, he decided to join his father’s business, who before partition was a dentists, but couldn’t continue post it and thus had opened a kiosk, Anand Motors, trading in automotive parts, in Delhi. The father-son duo soon started to manufacture automotive parts exclusively for export, collaborating with international brands. Their clientele, international or national, swore by the quality they offered. Though, they were once again uprooted by the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Bhupinder restarted, opening Anand Motor Products, a full-scale manufacturing facility, which by 1992 had entered the North American market. By 2005, Germany, Italy, the UK, etc., demanded for his products, over other international...

“How well your business helps your nation is how well you’ll do.” World’s only Hindu Sheikh traces his history to Gujarat. Almost 150 years ago, in mid 1800s, a merchant from Mandvi, Ramdas Thackersay reached Muscat looking for better accessible ports. The family traded in grain, tea, spices, etc., in Muscat and dates, dry lime, etc., in India. Thackersay’s son, Khimji Ramdas, joined his father and together they sowed seeds of what led Muscat into a new world, forming one of the largest business group in Oman, Khimji Ramdas Group of Companies. Back then, Middle East hadn’t discovered it’s oil wealth and the royals were almost in a poor state. Khimji family was then lending money to Sultan Sa’id, the father of the present ruler, Sultan Qaboos. Time has passed since then, new generations picked up. Kanaksi Khimji, Thackersay’s great-grandson,...

Golden Temple gives another reason to rejoice, adds another feather! Which is the most visited place of the world? There might be many, but Golden Temple of Amritsar India has been awarded the ‘Most Visited Religious Place of the World’ Award by a London-based organisation, World Book of Records (WBR), an organization second only to Guinness Book of World Records. The team monitored daily footfalls for three months and they recorded more than a lakh visitors on a daily basis, some tourists and some devotees. WBR also claims that almost every visitor had meal from the gurudwara langar. Cleanliness, the upkeep of the gurudwara, and the kirtan performed were other contributory factors

Adani Group was incepted in 1988 with a vision of striving towards building a better India. Over the last 25 years, the Chairman and Founder of this leading multinational conglomerate has merged an integrated value chain and proved himself unparalleled around the globe. Mr. Gautam Shantilal Adani is a business player living around ventures including coal mining, multi-modal logistics, power generation, edible oil and transmission and others. He belongs to a Gujarati family and joined his father’s textile business in Ahmedabad after studies, but soon after made a move to Mahindra Brothers as a diamond sorter for two years. At 20, he built up his own diamond brokerage firm in Mumbai and within a year’s time, pulled in his first million. Maneesh Media had a conversation with this noble personality to feature him in its coffee table book Jewels of...

IIT Bombay recently celebrated its diamond jubilee when many among the alumni came together for the happy moment. The highlight of the festivity became the donation announcement of $1 million by one of the alumni IIT Bombay, none other than our Jewel of Gujarat, Mr. Shailesh J. Mehta. Mr. Mehta attended the event with wife Kalpa and presented the bounty under the name of Shailesh & Kalpa Mehta Charitable Foundation. While addressing more than 600 guests taking part in the celebration held at Santa Clara Convention Centre, the Indian-American executive and venture capitalist said that the contribution is millions more to what he has donated to his alma mater through the foundation. There is also a management school named after him, Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management established by IIT. The new center will reside there. “I am honored and...

When passion and purpose amalgamates, they raise the name – Chandrakant Babubhai Patel. CB, as he is commonly called, is a British-India businessman. Under CB Patel, Gujarat Samachar has taken a leap to success. handling wide operations of Gujarat Samachar, Asian Voice and their sister monikers. Featuring him in our especial coffee-table book was a must. His passion to achieve his purpose was so strong that no hurdle, no barrier could stop him in his path ahead. CB, an Asian Voice columnist, has made to the headlines with many of his articles. This man, born in a rather insignificant Kheda district of Gujarat, absorbed the best values from his parents and from the Mother Nature. Be it the local temples, woods, farms, ponds or rivers, everything kept him connected to his roots. The big name of today’s date was also...

Kashmir is an integral part of India, like every other state. In fact, more, for obvious reasons. The state is not just a state but an emotion every Indian feels. But for the same reasons, not everyone can imagine having a business in Kashmir. The risk holds many businessmen back. However, MA Yusuff Ali, one of the proudest Indians, is breaking the norms. His conglomerate, LuLu Group, has announced setting up a food processing plant in Srinagar. MA Yusuff Ali is once again one of the proudest Indians, not only in India but in the Gulf as well. The chairman of the Lulu Group, the largest retail store based out of UAE, he has brought this announcement out in the wake of his commitment to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the UAE last year. Yusuff...

The hotel magnate in the USA, Chandubhai Keshavlal Patel is the former President and Chairman of National Federation of Indian American Associations. Referring CK as a socio-political powerhouse and a man of peace would not be wrong. His motto of inspiring people and imparting the social service in full measure has carved a special niche for himself in the political and commercial sectors in India and USA. Born in India, CK made to the USA in 1974 to pursue MBA in Industrial Management. He geared up his brain for the hospitality business during his studies that ended up making him a highly successful and globally respected hotelier of the date. One of his biggest acclaims is the Hilton Hotel Resort at Dana Point in California. Thenceforth, he has built, owned, and operated many hotels in the posh areas of Los...

Spiritual growth and happiness add a positive flavour to life and imparting that to lives of people with all their heart are Mrs. Darshana and Mr. Gaurang Nanavaty—the Pioneer Acharyas of Chinmaya Mission. The wisdom of Vedanta is beyond everything and the organisation spreads the same to the world around. The couple had seen a vision of building a spiritual community together and little did they know that their mission would get the direction so well. Gaurang was born and brought up in Mumbai. He did his graduation from the University of Bombay in 1966. However, his family made it to the land of opportunities in 1966 for bigger and better prospects. Gaurang then did his Chemical Engineering from Washington State University and then moved to California State Polytechnic University. Rolling the picture, Darshana had a childhood in Surat, Gujarat....