Savji Dholakia remains in the news because of the gifts given to his employees on Diwali.
There is a festive season all over the country and with this, the period of bonuses and gifts has also started in the offices. Whenever it comes to ‘Diwali gifts’ given to employees, one name towers over the rest, Savji Dholakia, Surat-based diamond merchant and chairman of Hari Krishna Exports. He is not called the ‘King of Bonus’ for nothing. For the last 30 years, Savji Dholakia has been creating records by giving his employees not just boxes of sweets but also cars, houses and expensive jewellery. This year too, not only his employees but the entire nation is keeping an eye on what ‘surprise’ the Padma Shri winner Dholakia is going to pull out from his vault this Diwali.
Dholakia considers employees as family
This generosity of Savji Dholakia is not a story of one or two years. This trend has been going on continuously for the last three decades. When he laid the foundation of Hari Krishna Exports in 1991, he started making his employees a share in his success. Dholakia has a simple and clear belief that the company’s unmatched progress today is due to the sweat and dedication of its employees, hence they have an equal right on the company’s profits.
For Dholakia, his staff is not just ‘workforce’ but ‘family’. He has repeated this on many occasions. This is the reason why till now they have given such gifts to more than 4,000 employees, which is a big dream for any working person. This is not just a bonus, but his own unique way of showing respect and gratitude towards them, which has made him an example in the corporate world.
When 491 cars and 200 flats were distributed on Diwali…
The discussion about Savji Dholakia started in the country and the world when his ‘Diwali Bonus’ made national headlines. The incident happened in the year 2015, when he surprised everyone by giving gifts to 1,200 employees at one go. These gifts included 491 cars, 200 flats and expensive jewellery. Everyone was surprised to hear this news that a company can be so kind to its employees.
Just a year before this, i.e. in 2014, he had distributed a huge incentive of Rs 50 crore to his staff. This sequence did not stop here. In the year 2018, he again made his employees happy by giving them cars and fixed deposits (FD). Dholakia takes special care of those employees who have spent a long time with the company. On a special occasion, he gifted luxury cars like Mercedes-Benz to three senior employees who completed 25 years in his company, which is another example of his generosity.
Left school at the age of 13, today business worth Rs 6,000 crore
He has not inherited this huge empire of Savji Dholakia. His own story is no less than an inspiration. At the age of just 13, he left his studies and started helping his uncle in his diamond business. There he learned the nuances of trade and learned how to test diamonds.
After working for a few years, he dreamed of starting his own business. He took a loan and started his own diamond polishing business. After almost 10 years of hard work and intense struggle, he established Hari Krishna Exports in the year 1991. From that day onwards Dholakia never looked back. Today, according to media reports, the turnover of his company is more than Rs 6,000 crore. The Government of India has also honored him with ‘Padma Shri’ award for his contribution. Dholakia’s company today exports diamond jewelery to more than 50 countries of the world and is among the leading diamond exporters from India.
What ‘surprise’ will you get this Diwali?
Like every year, on this Diwali too everyone is waiting to see what special announcement Savji Dholakia is going to make for his ‘family’ i.e. employees. As Diwali is approaching, not only the employees of Hari Krishna Exports but also the common people on social media are speculating. Everyone is curious to know whether this time they will get cars, houses, e-scooters will be distributed as bonus or there will be some other big surprise.
However, Savji Dholakia has not yet revealed this surprise. But looking at their 30 years of tradition, it is certain that whenever the announcement happens, it will be memorable and will once again set new standards in the industry.