DALIT CROREPATIS The Other Temple Entry Thirty Dalit businessmen have defied odds and caste prejudice to become billionaires in their own right ANURADHA RAMAN

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DALIT CROREPATIS The Other Temple Entry Thirty Dalit businessmen have defied odds and caste prejudice to become billionaires in their own right ANURADHA RAMAN DINESH PARAB Ashok Khade "There are two kinds of poverty," says the CEO of Das Offshore Engineering, Mumbai. "One that brutalises man, and the other which is humane and can be overcome through sheer hard work." The second is what Khade prevailed over, to preside over a company with a Rs 550-crore turnover. "I weep when I cruise past my village in my BMW. My chauffeur thinks I'm crazy when I ask him to stop the car by a huge tree. I get out and rest in its shade. I give it a hug and even talk to it." —Ashok Khade, chairman, Das Offshore Pvt Ltd, Mumbai The tree Khade stops by falls on the way to his village Ped in Sangli district in Maharashtra, and is the very place where his father made a living as a cobbler. Young Khade's caste marked him out for exclusion—from the village ground, the well, its water, the temple—almost everything. Education held the lone hope in this dark abyss, and Khade clutched firmly at this straw, sweating it out at the Mazgaon docks during the day and studying for a diploma in mechanical engineering at night. It wasn't easy; there were times when he had to live under staircases because he could not afford to pay the rent. But determination and hard work eventually paid off. Today, Khade presides over a business empire that is worth Rs 550 crore and has a workforce of 4,500 people. Das Offshore undertakes construction assignments for offshore rigs, and also builds skywalks or foot overbridges. Khade and 30 other businesspersons, including a woman, are now part of a league of 'Dalit crorepatis', comprising first-generation entrepreneurs who run successful businesses and give jobs to others. And they haven't used the ladder of quotas to get to the top, preferring instead to strike out on their own, cocking a snook at the cynics who disapprovingly cluck at the very mention of an inclusive society based on positive discrimination. Propelled by sheer grittiness and tremendous self-belief, they have arrived at a juncture far removed from their predecessors and have acquired a clout their forefathers wouldn't even have dreamt of. So much so that the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is trying to formalise an association with their body, the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI).     "Why is it that the state still indulges in skill development jargon for poor and leadership development for rich?"     And they are by no means done yet. "Every time I look atFortune magazine's list of billionaires," says Milind Kamble, CMD of Fortune Construction Company, Pune, "I wonder when one of us will make it to the list." When he says "one of us", Kamble is referring to the country's most oppressed community, the Dalits, making it to the world's list of the richest. Incidentally, Kamble takes some measure of pride in one of his recent projects—laying the pipeline supplying water to Baramati, the pocketborough of Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar. "Mein Pawar ko pani pilata hoon (give him water, literally, but the phrase could also mean get the better of someone)," he says jocularly. Outlook's list of 30 Dalit crorepatis (sourced from the DICCI) is far from complete; members of the chamber say the numbers are likely to increase as more entrepreneurs come forward. But what makes each of these success stories that much sweeter is the fact that it has come after years of fighting a system whose very structure is designed to keep Dalits out. Not only that, many of the enterprises are in areas not traditionally open to the community. As Surinder S. Jodhka of the Indian Institute of Dalit Studies at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University puts it, "It is a tough struggle in a market where businesses are run on networks and caste lines, and being a Dalit often means no land and virtually no assets. The discrimination is not just on the lines of untouchability, a whole structure of stereotypes is built around them—that they lack the required skills or can't speak good English—which takes time to work around." Besides, Jodhka points out, the informal sector is brutal and exploitative, while shrinking avenues of employment in the government sector in the face of liberalisation have meant that the oppressed classes have had to perforce step out and try to forge networks as they rise up in the open market—the very reason DICCI was set up in 2005.     Not all are ready to raise a toast to the 30. Don't read much into their lavish lifestyle and their BMWs, they say.     The market, say many of these Dalit entrepreneurs, is not quite the leveller it is often made out to be. The poor and socially backward find credit facilities to start something big hard to come by. Admits Kalpana Saroj, chairperson of the Mumbai-based Kamani Tubes, which she took over after clearing a debt of Rs 140 crore, "Being a woman and a Dalit, it was really tough to make the grade." Married off at the age of 12, Saroj took a loan of Rs 40,000 from Allahabad Bank to purchase a few sewing machines and employed women to stitch and embroider garments. But ambition got the better of her and she moved soon enough into real estate and construction, using that money to buy Kamani Tubes eventually. The company started small, but today boasts a turnover of Rs 100 crore. Her next project: to buy a helicopter before Diwali! Did her Dalit background inhibit her in any way? "One has to move forward," Saroj says philosophically, adding that the initiative has come from her side. "Not all Dalits can become businessmen," notes political writer Chandra Bhan, "just as not every bania (traditionally traders) is a businessman. The Dalit crorepatis show how success is possible within the system." Once a business gets going, though, getting loans becomes easier for expansion and diversification. Devjibhai Makwana from Bhavnagar, Gujarat, found it difficult to source funds when he tried to set up a unit manufacturing multi-filament yarn used in fishing nets. But now things have changed, as his son Nagin Makwana explains. "My father struggled to get a loan, now there is no dearth of bankers queuing up to offer credit. We have a BMW now and our business of multi-filament yarn can only look upwards." Currently, the Makwanas' Suraj Filament has a turnover of Rs 300 crore. Success, however, has not made these Dalit crorepatis turn their back on where they came from. Instead, they are striving to uplift their brethren, whether by example or through community service. Since education is what liberated them from the chains of caste, Saroj, Khade and others have opted to open schools in their villages. Dr Sushant Meshram, whose father worked as a waiter in an ordnance factory and who himself went on to become a fellow at the Johns Hopkins University, is now putting the final touches on a multi-speciality state-of-the-art hospital in Nagpur which will be open to the public in a month's time. "Fortunately, I was a bright student and did well in college. We are socially backward but we have chosen not to be economically backward," he says. There is also the more celebrated example of IIM graduate Sharath Babu, who grew up in the slums of Chennai and whose mother sold idlis for a living. He went on to study at BITS Pilani and then IIM-A and started the eatery chain Food King four years ago. With his business yielding an annual turnover of Rs 7 crore now, Sharath decided it was time to repay the faith people reposed in his abilities. And so he contested the recent assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. He feels people like him should join politics to rid it of its bad name.     "Industrialists oppose reservations but welcome subsidised loans, tax cuts—another form of reservation."     And where does the state figure in this saga of Dalit emancipation and inclusion? Six decades after Independence, the state seems to have confined itself to playing the welfare card with its schemes for the scheduled castes. Employment of Dalits in the private sector is still voluntary though the idea was mooted in 2007. And predictably, the business lobby was quick to raise concerns of quality taking a hit should it implement the suggested inclusive agenda, even as they would publicly declare that the market does not discriminate on lines of caste. Given this scenario, the number of backward castes making it to top-level positions is virtually an impossibility. Something that irks Professor Anil Gupta of IIM Ahmedabad no end. The state, he says, has disengaged itself from where it should actively be helping. "Why is that the state still engages in the skill development jargon for the poor and talks of leadership development for the rich? How many leadership institutes do we have in states where there's a larger scheduled caste population?" he asks. Ironically, inclusion is an initiative being taken by some Dalits themselves. IIT Roorkee graduate Harish Bhaskar, who started the Kota tutorials in Agra, takes pride in the fact that almost all castes come to him to gain an entry to the elite IITs. Started 10 years ago, Bhaskar says he is trying hard to persuade members of his community to take education seriously. "Most of them are too scared to look at IITs and IIMs, and there are few people to guide them," he says. Not all, however, are hurrying to raise a toast to this group of 30. Some fear the lobby of Dalit crorepatis might well be gobbled up by big business as other enterprises have been by an unsentimental market. Others say poverty and backwardness are still endemic to most castes and not much should be read into the lavish lifestyle and BMWs of Dalit businesspersons. Which is not to say that new Dalit entrepreneurs should not be helped along, and the field be made open to all. Karnataka announced a slew of policies last year that ranged from a Rs 10 crore budgetary allocation for the welfare of SC/STs and credit at 4 per cent rate of interest by the state finance corporation to 40 per cent subsidy on land. Says Baalu of the Karnataka chapter of small enterprises: "The state can intervene with loans on easy terms of interest, easy credit and subsidies on land—as are made available for the big business houses." Adds professor Y.S. Alone of JNU: "All industrialists thrive on government money and support. They are opposed to reservations but welcome tax cuts, subsidised loans and many such government measures which are another form of reservation." Ask the Dalit crorepatis, and they say they don't see the need for reservations for their children. Let others not as fortunate as us avail of its benefits, they say. They are set on consolidating on the gains they have made so far. And maybe get into Fortune's list of billionaires. With a firm named Fortune Constructions, Kamble just might make it there. Top 10 Dalit Crorepati Club Natha Ram, Chairman, Steelmont Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, Turnover: Rs 600 crore Ashok Khade, CEO, Das Offshore Engineering, Mumbai, Rs 550 crore  Kalpana Saroj, Chairperson, Kamani Tubes, Mumbai, Rs 100 crore  Milind Kamble, CMD, Fortune Construction Company, Pune, Rs 101 crore Sanjay Kshirsagar, MD, Sound Concept, Mumbai, Rs 100 crore Devjibhai Makwana, CEO, Suraj Filament, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, Rs 300 crore  Swwapnil Bhingardeve, MD, Khandoba Prassana Sakhar, Pune, Rs 90 crore Malkiat Chand, CEO, Janagal exports, Ludhiana, Rs 70 crore Dr Sushant Meshram, Multi-specialty hospital in Nagpur, Rs 40 crore  Avinash Jagtap, CMD, Everest Spun Pipes, Pune, Rs 35 crore *** 20 Emerging 'Dalpatis' Sushil Kumar, MD, Simlex Engineers, Noida, Rs 25 crore Mahavir Singh, MD, Tricon Buildcon, Delhi, Rs 16 crore Rajendra Gaikwad, MD, GT Pest Control, Pune, Rs 15 crore Pradeep Nagrare, MD, P.K. Nagrare Construction, Nagpur, Rs 15 crore Dilip Bhai, CEO, Amba Synthetics, Bhavnagar, Rs 15 crore Jeetu Makwana, MD, Millennium Industries, Bhavnagar, Rs 10 crore Sharath Babu, CEO, Food King, Chennai, Rs 10 crore Harsh Bhaskar, Director, Kota Tutorials, Agra, Rs 10 crore Devanand Londhe, MD, Payod Industries, Pune, Rs 7 crore Raju Neele, MD, Sunrise Auto Pack, Aurangabad, Rs 7 crore Sukesh Ranjan, MD, ABS Beverages, Lucknow, Rs 7 crore Bijendra Singh, MD, Kabeera Printo Graphic, Faridabad, Haryana, Rs 6 crore Nand Kishor Chandan, MD, Samrat Ashoka Buildwell, Delhi, Rs 5 crore Madan Lal Khinder, MD, Rattan Brothers, Jalandhar, Punjab, Rs 5 crore Lalit Bhansod, MD, Comsolve Mediatech, Pune, Rs 4 crore J.S. Phulia, MD, Signet Freight Express, New Delhi, Rs 3 crore Shishupal Singh, CEO, Sangam Exports, Delhi, Rs 3 crore Shammi Kapoor, MD, Buildtech Engineers, Ludhiana, Rs 3 crore Devki Nandan Sone, MD, Hotel Taj Plaza, Agra, Rs 3 crore Sudhir Chaudhary, CEO, MD Plastics, Gurgaon, Rs 3 crore TEXT SIZE    PRINT SHARE COMMENTS ALSO IN THIS STORY    DALIT CROREPATIS "Don't Underestimate The Power of Education" Union minister of welfare and social justice spells out his government's agenda for scheduled castes OUTLOOK FILED IN:  AUTHORS:  ANURADHA RAMAN  TAGS:  CASTE | DALITS | RICH  SECTION:  BUSINESS  SUBSECTION:  COVER STORIES HAVE YOUR SAY |  READ ALL 10 COMMENTS  APR 24, 2011 05:15 PM 10 These are very inspiring stories, irrespective of their caste or creed and they become more so because the achievements have been in the face of constant discrimination. When will we as a nation stop judging people by what their ancestors did ? One does not choose to become a dalit. The caste system and it's exploitation by the politicos in India is the bane of civil society. There can never be any justfication for it on any grounds. AKBAR SHAH DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES  PERMALINK  |   LIKE (0)  |   DISLIKE (0)  |   REPORT ABUSE APR 24, 2011 04:38 PM 9 How long does India want to cling on to the "divide and rule" policies orchestrated by the British? Now the politicians of India are using it as "vote bank". Indians need to be under one umbrella that is being "Bharat Varshis" Being a Brahmin, Kshatryia, Vaishya or shudra was by PROFESSION not by birth. If we have a DOCTOR and ENGINEER today do we say that their kids will be of the caste DOCTOR and ENGINEER? People who are getting free benefits because of these reservations do not want to condemn caste system by birth because they will loose benefits. If the current generation condemns caste by birth and sacrifices their free benefits then the entire caste system by birth can wiped out from the face of India and bring lot more unity among us instead of getting divided. Achievements of the 30 people has to be appreciated. INDIAN DESHI HYDERABAD, INDIA  PERMALINK  |   LIKE (0)  |   DISLIKE (0)  |   REPORT ABUSE APR 24, 2011 11:47 AM 8 Untouchability,descrimination etc., go along with poverty. The ate beef(dead cows or oxen) and were unclean, so they were not allowed in to temples, or at community wells. It was pathetic as well as insulting to other human beings. But since independence, india's economy has been growing, droughts,famines,wars came and gone, but India has been producing surplus food.  Once the extreme poverty and deaths due starvation , was gone the related social injustice like untouchability and descrimination was also gone to a great extent. It is a past issue now and no more a burning issue. Reservation system for SC/ST is working and showing its benefits by pushing these sc/st's in to middle class and also in to urban elite class. Reservation in private sectors was opposed by many including Ratan Tata. He said that it would be like another partition of India. I feel that it would be like positive descrimination  against many poor people who belong to upper caste by birth, and socially backward by economical status. I don't need to go any further than my own village. I belong to upper class by birth and after all these years when I look back at my village (I often make a visit) , I find most of upper class people are now working in  nearby  towns , employed as RTC drivers,bus conductors,and truck drivers. A few have died being unable to pay for their medical expenses. Some are aching out their life based on much smaller holding after so many divisions of property. While all most all educated SC/ST gentlemen are  well employed, in the same towns in MRO offices, and other Govt. offices and like any body else they are thoroughly, and shamelessly corrupt, including fleecing people of their own caste. Some who passed only SSC have indeed became bus conductors only like upper caste people. Very few upper caste people (just one ,may be two) became successful business people. There are many PG qualified people (upper caste) but they are at best , working as school teachers in primary schools. Any one can become anything in a free democratic country. In India, decrimination on the basis of caste is not confined to or subjected to SC/ST only. Some caste peole occupy positons in an industry , like for example , Kamma caste people in telugu film industry and/or reddy's in real estate, in A.P. , that they show descrimination is more than clear, if any one observes the grip these community people have on those industries. It is a happy news that dalits have risen (at least some of them)to such levles of 100's of crores of business. I hope these dalits should have understood about descrimination by now and that they will not show descrimination against other caste people. The person who desrves the job should get it , irrespective of his colour of his skin or his caste. BOWENPALLE VENURAJA GOPAL RAO. WARANGAL, INDIA  PERMALINK  |   LIKE (0)  |   DISLIKE (0)  |   REPORT ABUSE APR 23, 2011 11:17 PM 7 Along with other classes, liberalization has no doubt enabled many Dalits to succeed in entrepreneurship and prosper. But privatization has also deprived Dalits from job reservation that single handedly propelled so many Dalits to the middle class since independence. It would be great to have data on net benefit or loss to the Dalits due to liberalization.  Indian business class get so much inspiration from America. I hope they will see light on affirmative action. US government give preferential treatment to minority owned business which benefit even upper caste immigrant Indians. Dalit business in India would benefit enormously from such policies.  RAJESH PHOENIX, UNITED STATES  PERMALINK  |   LIKE (2)  |   DISLIKE (0)  |   REPORT ABUSE APR 23, 2011 09:17 PM 6 Very good story indeed! It is interesting to know that Maharastra is in fore front of this, although the caste politics is relatively less in that state. Surprise is the South, as the chart shows that representation of lower caste in different sector is low in south. Considering the fact that south has higher percent population of dalit, and the Anti-brahmanism is the soul of all politics. What happened to that? SANTOSH GAIROLA HSINCHU, TAIWAN  PERMALINK  |   LIKE (2)  |   DISLIKE (0)  |   REPORT ABUSE READ ALL 10 COMMENTS  Post a Comment You are not logged in, please log in or register Sathya Sai Baba Dead, to be Buried on Apr 27 PMO Denies Media Report That PM Contacted Kayani Bhushans Strongest Link in This Movement: Agnivesh 2G: CBI May Name Kanimozhi in 2nd Charge Sheet  Advani Attacks UPA on Corruption WB CM Rebuts PM's Statement of Non-Performance Rahul to Take Up Larger Role: Digvijay Need for Debate on Law of Sedition: Binayak Sen Comments Policy The Other Temple Entry Delhi Diary Secular Fatwas Is There Something Iffy In It? A Porn Called T20 Hatchet Therapy And Now, Some Facts... Jaitapur, Level 7 Dum Maaro Dum French 'Reactors' End Of The CEO? Is There Something Iffy In It? Liquidity Crunch Unto The Darkness Bad Debt? Call Now Whip The Cream Enter The Dragnet Minting One-Sided Coins