In the unfamiliar environment of a host country, immigrants often face subtle undercurrents of discrimination. It is this very scenario that triggers larger doses of adrenaline and positivity that push them to excel.
It was no different for Haresh, a first-generation Malaysian, born to Indian immigrant parents, Mukta Gauri and Natwarlal Jadavji Bhatt. They had moved to Penang, Malaysia, in 1949 with the hopes of creating a bright future.
In later years, Haresh’s frequent shuttling between Penang, Malaysia, and Singapore in different jobs and ultimately shifting to Vancouver, Canada, were all prompted by the underlying factor of limited opportunities. He agrees saying that the “prevailing restrictive environment against non-ethnic Malaysians in Malaysia was largely responsible for my move to Canada. People there don’t look at one’s origin or religion. All that matters is skill and talent!”
Haresh’s father showed immense courage for a 13-year-old when he made the train journey from Surat to Madras (now Chennai) all by himself. There he boarded a ship to go to Singapore where he was met by his uncle, Himmatlal – his father’s brother. They embarked on their onward journey to Penang.
The legacy, the pride
In Penang, Natwarlal began as a helper in a community kitchen-cum-office canteen and his uncle started off with basic trading work. It didn’t take him very long to strike out on his own with a modest trading company. He went back to India to get married when he was 24. His bride, Mukta Gauri, was just 15 at the time. Haresh was born in Penang on 20 April 1964, the third among the five siblings. A sharp and intelligent child, he completed his O-Levels with good grades. Admitting that he was naughty and mischievous in school, he shares an incident. He says, “I was 12 and a student. I used to lend my pocket money to other boys and take back twice the amount the next day as ‘service fee’. It became a good business opportunity for me until a parent made a complaint to the school principal. I had to return everyone’s money. Happily, the principal did not inform my parents, so I got off lightly”. Excelling in studies, he was also a very competitive tennis player. He believed that sports instilled a sense of discipline and required hard work and determination – the qualities he found useful later in life.
The fact that he was born and raised in another country did not pose any kind of problem; nor did it affect his ethnicity as an Indian growing up without the cultural moorings of his homeland.
Haresh explains that his school was in a Gujarati Samaj institution. “I think I must have studied in that school up to grade 4 or 5 – the reason behind my proficiency in Gujarati and Hindi.” Bollywood films also helped him sharpen his Hindi-speaking skills. His parents ensured he had a fair amount of exposure to India and Indian culture. He remembers visiting Zanzmer and Mahuva as a 10-year-old to meet both his maternal and paternal grandparents.
He went on to complete his tertiary education in computer science and business administration from Cedar Rapids, Iowa (USA). His brilliant academic record helped him qualify for the financial aid package without a hitch in Coe College in Iowa.
However, after his return to Malaysia in 1986, he was unable to leverage his qualifications to his advantage: he was unable to find a decent job. Recession in Malaysia made matters worse until he decided to move to the capital city, Kuala Lumpur.
On the way to success
Matters improved on the job front. He found work as a broker in the palm oil sector, where the young Haresh had gained a fair amount of knowledge.
Eventually, his work brought him in contact with three Indian palm refineries and he was now able to expand his influence and operations as a result. Interaction in Hindi was an added benefit to both sides. But after eight months, he got tired of the brokering business. He went into trading after finding a job in Nalin Industries, one of the Indian palm oil companies he was in touch with. He later moved to an American company, Louis-Dreyfus.
It was 1991, Haresh was still in his late 20s, he had a fine job, was married to a lovely lady, they had a beautiful daughter and had bought himself a cozy house in Singapore; however, he lacked emotional support from family and friends. Two years later, he was happy to return to Malaysia, where he had found a job as a marketing manager at Unitata – United Plantations Berhad, a palm oil refinery located in the middle of a palm oil plantation.
In 1997, Haresh joined Kulai Edible Oils Refinery where he gained the experience and connections to later transition to start up his own business, Intra Oils and Fats in 2001. In 2014, he suffered a stroke and his wife, Hema, took charge of the business. Earlier too, in 2007, he had undergone a bypass surgery. He also suffered memory loss and partial immobility. But with the love and care of his wife, Hema, and care of Hema and two daughters, Dharinee and Nikhita, he is back to normal.
Haresh attributes this illness to hectic lifestyle. Over the years, his trading oil company – Natu’Oil, established in 2003 in Canada – has grown into a multinational conglomerate spread across Malaysia, Singapore, India and the USA.
Handling so many companies across various time zones hardly resulted in him lacking proper rest and recreation time. He is extremely pleased that Hema, Dharinee and Nikhita are actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the organisation.
Hema supports him as the vice-president of the company. Dharinee has a degree in health sciences and is the vice-president of operations. Nikhita is a business and finance graduate from the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University.
Bold and beautiful!
Hema and Haresh’s love story has all the ingredients of a Bollywood romance. While he is a Gujarati Hindu Brahmin, she is a Tamil Catholic. In 1986, a friend had arranged a meeting between the two. Haresh turned up at the given time, but Hema was unable to. Exasperated after waiting for around three hours, he managed to find the address of the travel agency where she worked and met her there the next day. She apologised and they went out for lunch and, thereafter, a courtship ensued for the next three years, finally culminating in a fairy-tale wedding. Theirs is a perfect blend of intercultural and interfaith marriage.
The entrepreneur in Hema was born when she started her gift hamper business from home. When her work was flourishing, they decided to move to North America and she suddenly had to put all her focus on bringing the girls up. She geared up and started with getting herself a license to drive – in two weeks because, like Haresh shares, “I had to start travelling to establish my business within two weeks. I told her to either get a license or walk the kids to and from school in the minus temperatures of this country”. He is quick to credit her not just for the success of Natu’Oil but also the family’s well-being. Haresh states, “We visit the church on special occasions and religious celebrations and we also follow all the Hinduism rituals and customs. Hema has learned all the shlokas, mantras and rituals of Hinduism and recites them beautifully. We have a wonderful balance of faiths at home”.
The Bhatts, as they have been taught by their elders, are active social workers. When Haresh was recovering, he decided that the entire family would find a way to give back to the society. “I went to my village once I recovered and found many elderly people in need of surgical treatment for cataract. It started from there. I partnered up with the Rotary Club of Bhavnagar Roundtown. To this date, we have provided 980 free cataract surgeries for the underprivileged. We take care of their travel, lodging, meals and check-ups until two weeks after the surgery.” They also help with orthopaedic, paediatric, gynaecology and dental needs. As a celebration of her birthday in 2021, Hema announced the beginning of their family foundation, The Haresh and Hema Bhatt Foundation, and made the first contribution to the South Asian Health Fund at the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation.
“A human being is a human being, no matter what. Treat everyone good, help everyone in need,” Haresh learned this from his father and follows till date.