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 Twinkling Star
Diamonds breed success. And success has this quaint sparkling effect. Ask Mehul Kothari, Antwerpenaar, and entrepreneur extraordnaire. He won’t disagree
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ALL THAT GLITTERS IS DIAMOND:
Sushang Export’s Mehul Kothari is happy about the recognition given to the Indian diamantaire community by the Belgian Government. Indians now are at the top of the global diamond business
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Talk him through the recent glory cornered by the Indian diamantaire community of Antwerp, and Kothari’s eyes light up brightly. At Hovenierstraat, Antwerp’s most famous diamond destination, Kothari has truly walked the streets of success. In June, five Indians were elected to the very prestigious Diamond High Council (HRD). This was a brilliant achievement since elections were held for six seats. One of those elected was Kothari. That effort was indeed very laudable because in spite of its global presence the Indian diamond industry was under-represented where it mattered, at the umbrella outfit (HRD) that governs and represents Antwerp’s diamond trade. It was also a proud moment for the entire Indian diamond community, worldover, and congratulations poured in from across continents.
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| “Our success stems from our strong family values. The business of diamonds runs primarily on trust, and you cannot trust anyone more than family” |
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Sushang Exports was established in 1985, three years after Kothari began his tryst with Belgium and Antwerp. It wasn’t as though he was born with a diamond spoon in his mouth, Mehul Kothari had to take the road less travelled to make a difference to his life. He had middle-class moorings. His father, Dr. A.B. Kothari, was both a medical practitioner and a mayor at Baroda. Kothari studied at the city’s well-known M.S. University, and then decided to join relatives at Surat who were in the diamond business. It didn’t take him long to realize that he needed to spread out globally, if the fruits of his labour were to taste sweet. His brother, Sanjay, also groomed in the diamond industry, stayed back, and became a highly noteworthy player in India. Sanjay Kothari had a four-year stint as the chairman of the prestigious Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council. He’s back again as chairman, after a two year gap.
“Our success stems from our strong family values. The business of diamonds runs primarily on trust, and you cannot trust anyone more than family,” says Kothari, even as he investigates a sprawl of sparkling carbon through the eyes of a thick lens. Close-knit families, the ever-trusting bonds, the wisdom passed down to the next generation-these are some of the stuff that have helped the Gujarati diamond community to slowly emerge as the number one diamond people in the world. Today, nearly 65 per cent of the diamond business in Antwerp is controlled by Indians, most of them from the Gujarati community.
Kothari is not just proud of being a member of the HRD. He is also a board member of the Indo-Belge Diamantiares Association and a secretary at the Antwerp Indian Association (AIA) for the last 12 years. Away from diamonds, he looks at cultural affairs in the Indian community and makes his presence felt in ways more than one.
The AIA recently extended substantial help to reinstall a computer class room at the Onze Lieve Vrowe College, one of the leading Flemish-speaking schools in Belgium. It was a gesture aimed at promoting more integration in the school with a predominantly local population.
When Gujarat became the focal point of the world after the devastating earthquake that shook it in January 2001, Kothari led a delegation from Belgium that reached out to the helpless. A significant amount of money was raised from the Antwerp diamond community and distributed to restore entire villages through the Gems and Jewellery National Relief Foundation. Amran and Chitrod were rebuilt over time, a civil hospital at Limdi was made to function once again. The RPP Girls High School at Surendranagar that had been destroyed was restored. Earlier in October 1999 when Orissa was caught in the eye of a frightening supercyclone, the diamond community pooled in plenty of resources to reach out to the victims. “We believe that those in need must be helped out, it is one way in which we can give back to society,” says Kothari.
“After all, even though we are away from our homeland, we all at Antwerp remain very much Indian at heart. We’ll continue to remain so, and one day we want to return to our roots…”
Right now, Kothari and his shining ilk is busy trying to remain a cut above the rest.
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more...
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January 2007
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