If you thought billionaires are boring people who are only interested in hopping from one corporate strategy session to another and are constantly worried about their next rankings in the super-rich club, meet Adi Godrej.
As we settle down at Kebabs & Curries at the ITC Grand Central Sheraton at Lower Parel, Godrej points at his jet black hair and says he uses products made by his companies only, as they give value for money. That includes the Godrej hair colour, which has a 40 per cent share in the domestic hair dye market.
"We also have a fantastic hair restorer called Anoop. I use it every day," he says. Sensing that we are keenly looking at his fast receding hairline, Godrej tells us that's his fault, not the product's.
"I started using Anoop pretty late. But it will work wonders if both of you start using the product now. That's a guarantee," he says and orders a Diet Coke.
The master salesman says his home has only Godrej furnitures, almirahs, locks and, of course, safety vaults, which are there "for generations". We tell him Godrej products may be doing well, but it's a bit hard to digest that the owner of a Rs 5,500-crore group, who can afford the best and the costliest products in the world, uses only Godrej products. He answers, slowly: "We are world class. If we are not, we'd better be one "" fast."
Godrej has middle class values, courtesy his mother who was a schoolteacher and taught him "the greatest lesson "" humility", but believes in living life king-size. That explains his visit to 75 countries all around the world (Rio De Janeiro in Brazil remains an all-time favourite) and he makes it a point to go on extensive sightseeing even on official tours.
At the age of 62, he spends his Sundays on the Arabian Sea alternately with a jet ski and a speedboat (his grandsons Aryaan and Azaar and close friend Anil Ambani's sons, Anshul and Anmol, usually accompany him, hitched behind his boat on water-skis); and two years ago, he went to Mount Kailash "" a 42-km trek going up to altitudes of 19,000 feet, within a day.
How does he manage all this? "Well, I walk endlessly, do isometric exercises and have the willpower," he says. This is the first time that Godrej is visiting Kebabs & Curries as it was recommended by his son. "It's good to listen to young people," he says.
That's why he has institutionalised an event called the Chairman's Tea in the company where bright young managers are called to discuss with him the issues before the company. "It's an enormous learning experience," Godrej says, ordering "" what else? "" a non-veg kebab platter.
His young managers may like the Tea and their chairman's open-door policy but what they may not be too fond of is a practice Godrej has maintained for many years. He is at work every morning sharp at 8 am. Reason: many years ago, his children used to leave very early for school. "So I would make sure I always had breakfast with them before they leave. After breakfast, there is nothing else I can do at home."
The kebab platters look inviting and the taste does nothing to disappoint us. Godrej orders some special chapattis and we turn our discussion to the role of professionals in family-owned businesses like his. Godrej, however, feels this is a needless discussion, as professionals have nothing to worry in a well-managed family business.
At the same time it's absurd to expect that family members should not be in top management positions of companies. "Professionalism is not anybody's exclusive privilege," he says, adding even some multinationals have hugely bureaucratic practices.
What matters first is top quality education. That's why Godrej, an MIT alumni himself, has given his children what he says the best education possible. His second daughter is in Harvard and his only son has joined Godrej Properties after finishing his management studies abroad.
The second thing that matters is training and his children have gone through rigorous training along with other managers in the company. His eldest daughter, Tanya, is already executive director and president (marketing) in Godrej Industries Ltd, and the doting father says she has earned her position every bit.
He seems to have enjoyed the kebabs and orders a coffee. Godrej says he taught his children value for money by giving them a fixed amount of money every month. The money was generous but the condition was that they have to manage within the budget.
He picked up the practice from his mother, who, he says, could have spent her life in the lap of luxury without doing anything, but chose to remain a teacher at one of the Godrej schools all her life. He also remembers how his mother put him on an allowance since he was 10.
"Within that, I had to buy my own clothes, textbooks, toys, school fees, gifts...everything." This early budgeting experience has taught him to understand why money should not be wasted.
As we walk towards the portico where his Mercedes is waiting, Godrej says he wants to extend the group's footprint to more countries in the world. Pakistan is an obvious destination where Godrej is a strong brand name, courtesy the serial Buniyaad that was sponsored by his group.
As for his next travel plans, he would love to go to Russia, which fascinates him, even though he isn't too enamoured of the concept of socialism and communism.
"If at 20, you are not a socialist, you are heartless. But at 40, if you are a socialist, you are headless. I agree with Winston Churchill's famous remarks that socialism is nothing but equal distribution of poverty."
His strong dislike for the concept, however, will not stop Godrej from including the Communist country as his 76th port of destination shortly.
