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From reel to real, Gurubhais rule the biz pariwars | Satish Jha
| Remember
Gurukant Desai, the character of an energetic biz magnet, played by
Abhishek Bachchan in Mani Ratnam's movie, Guru? Some critics found
similarities between Reliance founder, Dhirubhai Ambani's rags to
riches story and the celluloid protagonist, Gurukant Desai. However,
even if one has doubts over Desai's authenticity, the following story
has all the elements of being dubbed as Guru: Part 2 in the making,
with a difference - it is all real!
After he flagged off the first
ever cargo of banana to any foreign company, a task so far not
accomplished by any Indian company, Ajit Desai, chairman and managing
director of Navsari-based Desai Fruits and Vegetables (DFV), has
created history of sorts in the trading rink.
Desai, who has
achieved a lot and is well connected in export business, has made quite
a name as a major exporter of mango to the United States and other
countries.
Apart from carrying the same surname, Desai, 'Banana'
is something else which both Gurukant Desai and Ajit Desai have in
common. While Mani Ratnam's Gurubhai dealt in 'Kela Silk' or polyester,
the real life Desai wants to become the 'Kela King' or 'Banana King' of
India.
While flagging-off the 18-tonne container of banana exports
from Bharuch on Friday, Desai addressed the farmers and employers as
members of the Desai Pariwaar, who are working with him under contract
farming, in the same way as the protagonist in the reel life spoke
about the Shakti pariwaar.
In fact, after the Guru's release, Ajit Desai came to be dubbed as Gurubhai among his workers, especially in Mumbai.
"Everyone
in our sales office in Mumbai calls him Gurubhai. They also expect him
to get as much success as Gurukant Desai did in the silver screen,"
says his brother Nikul Desai, who assists him in the business.
"Life
is not a carbon copy," asserts a very simple and down-to-earth man,
Ajit Desai, adding that he however loves it when people address him as
Gurubhai, which he says makes him "feels good".
"However," adds
Desai, "I have struggled a lot and still have to carry on because I
have a dream of establishing Desai Fruits and Vegetables on the global
map."
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