| Some journeys are epic tales of persistence, passion and pursuit. The life and times of Rasiklal Manikchand Dhariwal (RMD) is one such tale. An account of how a simple boy from Shirur went on to create one of the country’s largest and most respected business conglomerates – Manikchand Group; his journey is nothing short of legendary. |
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| The birth of a dream |
| RMD’s journey from a small town to the echelons of business was shaped through fire and brimstone. The loss of his father when he was 14, spurred his entrepreneurial voyage. The values of integrity and compassion his father imbibed in him were his guiding light. |
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| He inherited a bidi factory with 20 workers from his father, a struggling enterprise which needed a business impetus. Even though at a tender age, his mother’s faith in his capabilities and her sound advice inspired him to continue the business. With no funds and stiff competition from big brands, he took the reins in his own hands and sowed the seeds of an empire that would go on to change the landscape of the business world. |
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| Building blocks of an empire |
| During the earlier phase of his career he set out to build sufficient capital, by venturing into the stationery business. He added value to this business by hitching rides on Trucks to go to Mumbai and get everything from coal to firecrackers, rangoli, rakhees and transform his shop into a multi-product outlet. |
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| RMD spotted the potential in tobacco products early on. Through a patented self-developed process, his tobacco was packed in vacuum sealed pouches and resulted in consistent quality throughout the year. He marketed his product in and around his hometown by cycling to places as far as 100 kms away. At times he would carry a megaphone around town with his office boy dressed as clown and advertised door to door. |
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| Along the way, he also established a Textile factory at Ahmednagar and even worked as an agent for LIC as well as in the transportation business. He did not spare a single source of income in his pursuit to fuel his dreams. |
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| He further diversified his tobacco business and ventured into Gutkha, personally creating, testing and rejecting several samples until he got it right. With this cutting-edge product, he finally found success and broke the monopoly of the northern states, being the first ever in Maharashtra to go national. |
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| Today, RMD stands tall over an empire that has touched millions of lives. From the tobacco business, he ventured into newer domains. And found success thanks to the same commitment and fire with which he approached everything he did. |
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| For RMD, excellence starts with not being content, and forever staying hungry. |
