Chief Executive Officer

Setbacks pave way for great comebacks

Although I started working, I wasn’t at peace. I was toiling for hours but I wasn’t getting compensated appropriately. My father saw my predicament. He called me one day and said, “As long as you work for someone else, you will make less money. You want to make it big, start your own business.” I knew he was speaking from his experience. He had successfully run two companies in India and was working as a Mechanical Engineer at a firm in Tanzania. My family and in-laws, specially my brother, Manjit, and my jijaji, Harjinder, approached my sister, Ravinder, and her husband, Rajinder, who helped me get a license. Though I did not have sufficient money, I somehow managed to register my company, Nandhra Engineering Construction & Construction Co, in 1983. It turned out to be easy; finding clients turned out to be tougher. I would go through the newspapers every day for new tenders and travel 30–40kms every day to offices for follow-ups. One fine day I got my first independent assignment of building a bus stand for Lion’s Club. Although I had to struggle a lot till 1985, my business picked up speed and my younger brother, Kulwant, joined me in 1986. Everything was perfect! We all lived and worked together, but a year later I received the biggest setback of my life. I lost my father in 1988. Finding it difficult to cope up with his death, I came back to India. Later on 26 November 1988, my family insisted that I get married. The marriage was more or less forced onto me, but I soon realised that I had found my life partner, Manjit Kaur.

While I was mourning the loss of my father, Kulwantand my mother were in Tanzania. He showed the grit, stood up for me and looked after the business. Manjit helped me take hold of my life and we returned to Tanzania; this time I put my everything in the business to make it more successful. So has been the case for the last 30 years. Although I got a strong competition from local and Chinese contractors, my clients started believing me because of my dedication to fulfil my commitments. It helped me gain loyal customers, some of whom have stayed with me for a long time. We have been growing ever since, the reasons behind are rather simple. We work with integrity and honesty. Our togetherness and unity our core foundation reason. We are a strong team now; never is the organisation left unattended, whenever either of us is on official trips, the other takes the lead back in Tanzania.

My mother and my wife, Manjit, at the same time, were looking after the family. Keeping the Punjabi traditions alive on a foreign soil, she was the one who taught them Indian culture and values and celebrated all Punjabi festivals with our kids when I was not around. Had it not been for her, our lineage would have been completely lost. My mother, my wife, Manjit, and my brother’s wife, Jaswinder, aremy strength and to add to it are our next generation, some of whom are eagerly joining us in business, while others are carving their own paths.

As the times are changing, I have taught my children not to trust anyone easily and be conscious of everything yet be prepared for anything in life. My elder son, Gurtej, born in 1990, has completedHospitalityand Business Management from Switzerland and wants to establish his business in the same field in the USA. Younger, Herman, born in 1992, has joined me. I want to settle all my children, which includes my brother’s children Harleen, Daman and Madan. We all stay like one large family, all together.