Hare Krishna. Many people would like to know how you reached the level you are at in life today.
Everything that I am today, first is the Bhagavad Gita. 'Karu akarta anyatha karata Ishwar hi hai' – everything moves according to His plan. When we started the factory, we began addressing workers with respect. Everyone was surprised: 'This Seth is very generous, a very good Seth.' Workers started coming quickly. I got one formula, and from that, this whole world was built.
Inside the factory, alcohol, beedi, cigarettes are not allowed. Many people think if we don't give these to workers, how will it work? And another thing we saw: everyone eats lunch together – what is cooked in the factory or office, we all sit with workers and staff. We don't call them workers; we call them SR family members. We treat them like family.
So today we are going to introduce you to a person who has inspired me a lot in life. I once sat with him for just 40 minutes, and what I learned in those 40 minutes, I probably wouldn't have learned in 40 years. From that day, I wished that whatever I heard from him should reach society, because it can inspire thousands, millions, crores of people, generations. Because when we speak in these saffron clothes, people sometimes think it's our job to say these things. But when you hear those thoughts from a successful businessman, a successful parent, a government-nominated Rajya Sabha MP, and how lovingly he has kept a family together, what value system he has given to his children, how he takes care of those connected to his business – whether parenting, business, social service, family values – you will learn everything in this podcast today. The person's name is Shri Govindbhai Dholakia. He is a great source of inspiration for me, and this is my first podcast because I have long wished to bring his thoughts to society. A very warm welcome to you for giving your time. Thank you. Hare Krishna, Prabhu ji.
So Govindbhai ji, you may remember when we met at Govardhan Eco Village during breakfast. The discussion we had for 40 minutes – from that day I thought, even now when I remember your thoughts, I get inspired in my own life.
So I consider Govindbhai a saint. A person doesn't become a saint just by changing clothes. In my heart, I consider him a saint who lives in society and has saintly qualities, and whose entire time and attention is only on how to do good for others, how to bring welfare to others. There is also a rags-to-riches story of his, because of how his childhood was and how he climbed the ladder of success, how he became successful in life. Many people have such stories, but he attributes that credit to something that most people in society, who are running around, ignore or neglect. They say there's no time. So what is that secret? Today we will hear from him. But Govindbhai ji, to start, if we ask you to tell us a little about your childhood.
Hare Krishna, Prabhu ji. First of all, you called me a saint – I am nothing. Our company's sentence is: 'I am nothing, but I can do anything.' Only confidence, egoless, I am nothing. It's true that we are nothing. You asked about childhood. I was born in West Gujarat, Saurashtra, Amreli district, in the village of Dudhala. A small village with a population of 700. There was a school 10-12 km away in Dhuriya village, and I walked 6 km to school in the taluka barefoot, because for 11 years my feet never saw slippers – that was the condition in the village. Then, without taking the 7th standard exams, my elder brother came to Surat a year earlier to pick up my sister-in-law. He said, 'Govind, you have to come to Surat.' I said, 'I have to take exams, I don't even study, so what's the use of exams?' So I left with him, came to Surat in 1964. At that time, Surat was very small, population 3 lakh, and only 200 people were in the diamond business. I came, stayed for six years, took training for six months, worked in a factory for six years. My first salary was ₹13 and the last was ₹600. Then three friends who worked together thought, let's start our own. So the three of us, along with two workers, started a diamond factory in 1970. Starting the factory, growing step by step, today we stand here.
But many people would like to know how you reached the level you are at in life today? Because there are many people who start businesses, have big dreams. But you told me that you used to go to work like a normal factory worker in the morning, later you went at night. If you could share that story with people, because in that 40-minute conversation, you said at least 10 times that because of this reason, I have reached from that situation to here.
First of all, it is the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. When I first went to give a lecture at IIM, a student asked: 'You have the entire Gita by heart, is that correct?' I said yes. Then he said: 'Our second question is: those who have the entire Gita by heart are never industrialists, and those who are industrialists never have the entire Gita by heart. How did you get both?' I said: 'You won't like the answer, but since you asked, I have to say that I believe in past lives.' I told them a story. When I was a small boy, 10-11 years old, in the village of Dhuriya, there was a Swaminarayan temple, a 10x10 room. Children playing went inside, and we opened a cupboard. Inside, the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita came into my hands, and I went into samadhi – I didn't know it was samadhi at the time. I just sat down with the book and started reading. I read the entire Gita, but I didn't know its grammar or what was in it. Then I said I read it every day, so I had to memorize it. Unknowingly, by the age of 16, I had memorized the entire Gita in Gujarati. So I believe that everything I am today, first is the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. The second time I had samadhi was in 1968 when I was working. On a Sunday, we three friends went for a walk in the village. It was a holiday. Shrimad Bhagavat Katha by Dongreji Maharaj was going on in Surat. I had never even heard his name. But when his voice reached my ears, I was attracted. I went into the pandal and again went into samadhi. I didn't know anything. I sat down in the pandal. My two friends – I don't know where they went. When the katha ended at 6 PM, I went straight to my boss and said I won't come to work for seven days. He asked what happened. I said there is a Shrimad Bhagavat Purana katha going on, and I have to attend. He said: 'You are a routine worker; if you don't come, eight workers will sit idle.' So we both sat and figured out a way: after the katha ends at 6-6:30 PM, I will come to the factory and work at night until 12-2 AM, and I will make 20 diamonds every day at night. He agreed. So we did that. In that katha, Dongreji Maharaj said: 'Everything in this creation moves according to God's plan. 'Karu akarta anyatha karata Ishwar hi hai.' Everything moves according to His plan. Then he gave an example: 'It is the law of creation that whatever you give, you get back. If you give love, you get love. Give hatred, get hatred. Give money, get money. If you kick someone, you get kicked. Give abuse, get abuse. And most importantly: if you give respect, you get respect. Ask your heart: do you like respect? I asked my heart and said yes, very much. At that time, as a 17-18 year old boy, I didn't get that much importance. So I wanted it. He said it will come for free. How? He said: 'Just as if we go to the Himalayas, there are millions of hills. If someone goes there and shouts loudly, 'God will bless you,' the echo will come back 10-20 times: 'God will bless you.' And if someone shouts, 'May you be destroyed,' the echo will come back 10-20 times: 'May you be destroyed.' Similarly, if we give respect to everyone here, we get many times more respect back.' I thought: this is something to do for free. So in our factory, there were 40 boys aged 15 to 25. Everyone called me 'Govinda'. If someone was Bhagwanbhai, they called him 'Bhago'; if Veerjibhai, 'Veero'; if Laljibhai, 'Lalo'. The next day, I started giving respect to everyone: 'Laljibhai, Bhagwanbhai, Kanjibhai, Krishnabhai.' They thought Govinda had gone crazy. Everyone started making fun of me. I just smiled and said nothing. After two months, a miracle happened. Everyone started respecting me. And along with that, if anyone made fun of me, two or three people would come and say, 'Don't take Govindbhai's name.' In two months, 'Govinda' became 'Govindbhai' for free. I thought this formula of giving respect is very good. Then I started with my younger brother Arjunbhai, who was 6 years younger and in school. I started addressing him with respect. Everyone was surprised. Then in the family, to everyone outside, to this day I never say 'tu' or 'tum' to anyone. The secret is that for 50 years, no one has insulted me. My nephews, nieces, now the fourth generation – I address everyone with respect from birth. They never get a chance to disrespect me. That formula worked in business too. When we started the factory, we started addressing workers with respect. Everyone was surprised: 'This Seth is very generous, a very good Seth that he calls us with respect.' Workers who should have come in 5 years came in 2 years. So that one formula built this entire world.
Yes. So Govindbhai ji is telling two things. Today's society runs away from Gita, Bhagavat, saying there's no time. They want to be successful, earn money, earn fame. But the formula Govindbhai is sharing is what God has given in our scriptures. Many people ask what will we get from Gita and Bhagavat. You get what Govindbhai is describing – blessings. The word 'samadhi' he used means he listened to Gita and Bhagavat with full concentration, and because of the blessings he received, he has come from there to here. He became so successful in every aspect of life through those blessings. The second thing is the principle of karma created by God: whatever you give comes back. Give love, get love. Share wealth, it multiplies and comes back. Give sorrow, it comes back multiplied. And third, give respect to others, get respect back. He has adopted that formula till today, and we have also experienced that by following these rules, we can move forward in life. If you want respect, it is essential to respect others. So you spoke about your workers. We saw in your factory and office that there is no one sitting separately. All 300 people working there love you so much. The sattvic experience we had there... So the love that people have given you is obviously because you gave them respect and love, so you are getting love back. That's why they are serving with body, mind, and wealth. And Govindbhai has made another rule: inside the office and factory, alcohol, beedi, cigarettes are not allowed. Many people think if we don't give these to workers, how will it work? But in sattva guna, everything will work according to God's rules, and success will definitely come. And another thing we saw: Govindbhai, his sons, his brothers – everyone eats lunch together with workers and staff. And whatever is served to them is served to everyone. Please tell the story of how that feeling came.
Yes, Prabhu ji. When dharma increases, wealth increases. When wealth increases, mind increases. When mind increases, respect increases. It keeps growing. First of all, what I got is dharma. When we understand dharma, it's not about Hindu, Muslim, Christian sects. Dharma means humanity. Become a human being. So humanity is dharma. When dharma is established, everything grows. So our nature became one of sharing. And sharing leads to growth. We have heard: 'The history of generosity is written, but the history of greed is never written.' Since we started the factory, we consider every worker, craftsman, staff member as family. We give them 20%, 15% more salary. If they leave, we don't feel that someone took our worker away. Because they are like family. It's been 60 years, not a single strike has happened. No one has questioned. Because we share. We build them. So it happened like this: we don't call them workers; we call them SR family members. We treat them like family. Let me give an example: In 2008, the world recession came. It came in diamonds too. Everyone in diamonds broke their infrastructure. In the whole world, only three companies kept their infrastructure standing. We were one of them. We had 7000 people; we didn't say no to anyone. Our family member partners said: 'When fire breaks out, you should save as much as you can.' But we did an exercise – not for one day, for a whole month we explained. Then I said: 'We have called everyone family members. So if everyone is a family member, then I am their father today. Not a single person from this company will be laid off. If we go, we will all go together because they are our family members. Where will they go?' So that thinking – when you know God's grace and God's plan...
Yes. So this thinking – when you know, what grace God bestows and what God's plan is.
So what happened? The recession was severe. The dollar became zero in one month? Actually, there was a lot of loss, everything was in turmoil. Then after six months, raw material became 50 paise. We bought at 50, sold at 70, so 40-50% profit started. We had the infrastructure, so all the benefit went to the company, Prabhu ji. In 2007, our company was ranked 25th in India. The recession came in 2008, and in 2009, we came into the top five. This is God's plan, because our company belongs to God. Because the company is named after God: Shree Ramkrishna Exports. There is a story: Pujya Dongreji Maharaj, the Bhagavat Kathakar, used to say: 'Whatever work you do, do it in God's name, and keep God's share in it.' Our company has both. This company is God's. In the Gita, God said: 'Dadami buddhi yogam tam' – I am the giver of intellect. So wherever we needed intellect for decision-making, who makes the decision? God makes it. Not just ours, but in the entire creation, God makes everyone's decisions. But He will favor us because we are with Him, His company, and we believe in Him. So Prabhu ji, this is God's leela. To talk about recent times: when Corona came, our factory was totally closed for four months. But for four months, no worker or staff member's salary was stopped. They got their money on the first of every month. We explained to all our partners: 'This is a time for sharing. Corona will not come again in our lives. If it comes, we won't be here. So this is a time to share what God has given.' What is the effect? Our staff members – I don't say much, but if something happens and a bullet comes, they would take that bullet for us. That's how much love they have. So our company has a sentence: 'Leave your addictions, if you have to leave the company.' Addiction means fun is in me, not in alcohol. If it were in alcohol, why wouldn't the bottle dance? So it's not about alcohol, but no gutka, no tobacco, no cigar. Our company is a gathering of sattvic people. That's why we get happiness, and all our family members get happiness. This is the address of happiness.
Let me say something outside. I shouldn't say this here, but it's a very good point, so I want to convey a message. In Parliament, Rahul ji said that the whole of India is run by four Gujaratis. Everyone knows who those four Gujaratis are. They might know too, but he didn't name anyone. But you will be happy to know that I researched and found that all four Gujaratis are vegetarians. Yes, I wanted to convey this point.
So today's culture of 'hire and fire' – new people come into organizations and think these people aren't working, fire them. People don't know, and it's happening all over the world. It has come to India too. In that context, Govindbhai ji, the way you treat your family – I used the word 'worker' so people could understand – how you take care of those you consider family, and because of that, your company is running successfully. The principle is: the more you share, the more you get back manifold, whether it is love, wealth, or other resources. So it is essential to keep these principles in mind. Whoever follows these principles will have long-term success, not short-lived. It will stay with them for a long time.
And we saw another thing in your factory and office: where food is served to everyone. The kitchen is so clean. Every day, 500 liters of ghee comes so that everyone who works there... milk comes, 800 liters of milk. From that, buttermilk, yogurt, butter are made, and 20 kg of ghee is made. What is the logic behind this? When they eat, they thought: 'We eat ghee chapati at home, why not those who work with us?' So 800 liters of milk started coming, from which ghee is made. Everyone who works should get ghee chapati, buttermilk – everything we eat, they should get. That's how much love they have. That's why whoever works with them in the factory or office is ready to give their life, as Govindbhai says.
Now let's move to his other family. Today is Kali Yuga, the age of conflict. People fight without reason, there is strife, conflict. People cheat each other, cannot tolerate each other. Even four people in a family cannot live together. The joint family culture is gone. But Govindbhai ji's family has 3000 people, four generations living together. Or six generations. Yes. And we met so many people – so much love, mutual respect. How have you maintained that? Everyone needs to know about family values.
In this, I told you, it started with respect. I gave respect to everyone, so everyone became one. There was never any competition. Then what happened? Sharing – I spoke about generosity. Pujya Dongreji Maharaj had a sentence: 'Those who do not see God in their brother cannot serve the country or the divine. And if someone thinks they are serving the country and the divine while ignoring their brother, that is delusion, not devotion.' So it came to my mind. When I first went to Belgium in 1977, I felt this is another world, because my world had changed a lot. From a village to Surat – that was one world. From Surat to Bombay – another world. From Bombay to Belgium – a new world. I thought this is also a world. At that time, my two real brothers were farming in the village. I thought: we are five brothers. We all have gone ahead, and our brother should work in the fields? No. I will bring them to Surat and set them up in some business. First, I explained to them for two years, then they came because they were in their comfort zone in the village – they had the biggest house there, which was like Surat's standard. They said, 'Why should we come?' I convinced them. Then we all together decided that our cousin brothers and sisters – not much, but everyone should have their own business, their own house, and their own car. We all sat and made a plan. From 1977 to 2000, every family member got their own house, their own business, and their own car. So the entire family became united in moving together, sitting together.
