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AT THE HELM OF KATTI-MA GRANITESMR.GOKULDAS HAS REACHED THE PINNACLE OF THE GRANITE INDUSTRYINTERVIEW WITH K.S.GOKULDAS, MANAGING DIRECTOR, KATTI-MA EXPORTS PVT. LTD.

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INTERVIEW WITH K.S.GOKULDAS, MANAGING DIRECTOR, KATTI-MA EXPORTS PVT. LTD.

Katti-ma Group has established itself as one of the leading players in the Granite export import industry. The Managing Director of this Group ,Mr. Gokuldas, needs no introduction to those associated with the Granite Industry. He has become the confidante of many leading business enterprises from Japan, Germany, Italy, China, Taiwan and United States by virtue of his strong business ethics. Mr. Gokuldas stands tall among the Industrial

stalwarts in the Indian Granite industry, undoubtedly, by his sheer dedication towards honest business.

Mr.Gokuldas who scaled this Himalayan success is, a true tamilian, an enviable gentleman, an able administrator, an incomparable dedicated hard worker.

On seeing the Shipping Mark of Katti-Ma on their granite blocks, the Granite traders

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K J QUARRIES.

AT THE HELM OF KATTI-MA GRANITES,MR.GOKULDAS HAS REACHED THE PINNACLE OF THE GRANITE INDUSTRY

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from far and wide have great faith and belief that the quality of the blocks is the best in the industry.

Through all trials and tribulations that shook the Granite industry, he has stood as a solid rock without compromising the quality of ‘Katti-ma Granite’.

He does not believe in vanity and has refrained from self-promotion; he would rather let his work speak for him! He always keeps his cool and stay composed and dedicated towards establishing his business to the best of the interests of everybody concerned. Now in his ripe age of 80 due to the insistence of his well-wishers, he shares his success story with the younger generations. There is no doubt that his experience will guide and enlighten the paths of countless Indians in propelling their growth and to sow the seeds of entrepreneurship among the fellow

countrymen.

We take great pride in the fact that a fellow Tamilian has pioneered the Granite Industry and has brought name and fame to our country and State.

With this backdrop, we struck a conversation with him only to be get surprised by his amazing and astounding success in two different careers.

Can you please share something with us about your young life?

We basically belong to Tirunelveli. My mother hailed from Nagercoil. My father was from Tirunelveli. Since my Grandfather worked with Kerala state government, we had to shift Kerala. My father started his business in the Coir Industry and he was engaged in the manufacture and export of Coir artifacts.

MR. K.S. GOKULDAS AND HIS SON DR. G. KALYANKUMAR WITH JAPANESE BUSINESS ASSOCIATES.

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GRANITE CLADING PROJECT TAIWAN

KEYS KATTIMA HOTEL

VETERAN MEMORIAL U.S

KATTI - MA RAMANIYAM

KATTI -MA ISANA

We were unfortunate to lose our father at a very young age. When I was seven, my father expired. That was indeed a testing time for my family. Instead of blaming everything on fate, my mother boldly took up my father’s business and she did excellent business by handling the import and export and filled the role of my father swiftly. My elder brother also provided ample support to our business with zeal and interest. Eventually I also became curious and learnt the export related formalities. However, my brother and I did not want to rely on one business only. After completing my intermediate education at Sacred Heart College, Cochin, I joined Sanatana Dharma College, Alleppey and by 1959 I graduated in Commerce. B.Com

contd. pg.46

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WHAT FOREIGNERS LIKE MOST IN

MY FATHERDR. G. KALYAN KUMAR

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER – KATTI-MA EXPORTS PVT. LTD.

I marvel at the thought of my dad’s success and the credit goes to his hard work. He works with honesty and dedication. Sometimes we are not able to match his standards. He does not take anything superficially. This is the strength and the weakness of this legend. Another likeable thing in my father is absolute honesty. Whatever be the endeavor, honesty takes the driver’s seat for him. He always abides by the law. For him everything should be straightforward without any legal complications. He would say if you compromise a little today by violating something, the same would pile up as a huge garbage tomorrow and that would be difficult for you to clear that aside. With this guiding principle, he will never allow any small compromises and would be upfront sincere. He wants his company to follow the same rule at all costs.

He inherited these qualities through his long service in the top position with a British organization. Whatever attributes

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he learnt there, professional dedication, punctuality, discipline, credibility and much more, he sowed in katti-ma and that has germinated and grown multifold to a huge perennial tree. Another likeable aspect of my father is his communication ability. He can easily get along with anybody. He can speak freely and frankly without any prejudice. It is an art and a passion. His approach to business coupled with friendly and warm exchange of feelings has taken him to the zenith in his profession. It is enviable. Foreigners prefer his companionship rather than mine. He used to say that tolerance and negotiations are vital in

DR. KALYAN KUMAR C.E.OKATTI-MA EXPORTS PVT. LTD.WITH FATHER MR. K.S. GOKULDAS

“Dad’s honesty, frankness and humanness are amazingly impressive and highly contagious”

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business. He would always speak in favour of both the parties concerned.

When I did not secure admission in engineering, I got an opportunity to study medicine. My father was fond of seeing me as a medical professional-that too, in the prestigious madras medical college. He never disturbed me while I was pursuing my education. After completing my graduation, I had planned on doing postgraduate course and pursuing my musical interests. However I could see my father in the brim of his work. One fine day he strictly told me to go office, as there were many visitors for him. It came as a sweet surprise and I felt that was an upfront invitation for me to join him in business.

There was a hidden meaning in his order to me. At that time there was a slight set back for the medicos and young doctors in getting proper breaks. There were some

legal cases also against doctors. Some doctors could not get their degrees and they flew abroad without certificates.

In this backdrop, my father’s call was none less than God’s call. I went on a two months tour to japan on business. I got very involved and devoted to our business.

Even when my brother in law motivated me that I should go for my dad’s business if given a choice to choose either medical career or granite business. When the choice had become clear, I made up my mind to carry forward the business as much as I can under the able guidance of my father. Thus gradually katti-ma, became a leading exporter in the granite industry due to the sheer hard work of my father. We are proud to dedicate the success of katti-ma to our father.

Presently, katti-ma is engaged not only in exports but real estate, manufactured sand, mining, warehouses,and hotels too with further diversifications planned.

EVEN ON TURNING 80

Mr. K.S.Gokuldas, Managing Director, Katti-Ma Exports Pvt. Ltd., His son Dr.G. Kalyan Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, Mr. M. Shanmugam, Associate Manager, Admin & Legal.

On 20.10.2016, our beloved Managing Director Gokuldas Sir will turn 80. Even though by age he turns 80,he is still in his 20’s. That is what we feel and believe. This is a fact that we have realized as we are blessed to be working with him. Whatever I praise, it is similar to showing candlelight in front of the Sun. I take pride and feel elated for working with him for twenty-five years. His unique attributes like unlimited love and affection on his mother, religious fervor, warm speech, hard work, punctuality, Professional ethics, Discipline, Commitment, Modesty, Honesty are not only incomparable but enviable. The good news is that it is contagious and we are all imbibing these skills in our lives too.

YOUNG

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KATTIMA CENTRE

EVEN ON TURNING 80He is no less than a social scientist, as for him all the workers, irrespective of their level, are the same. He is such a humanist. He would give due respect to everyone’s opinion. He would also consult with everyone concerned. Finally he would take a prompt decision. He always remembers that he got elevated from the worker to the dignified level. The list of his good qualities doesn’t end here. He does not hurt anyone by his word or deeds. He is extremely passionate about his work. He is always as dynamic as the hands of a clock. He is extremely philanthropic. He does not want to create an image for himself. He is iron willed but innocent at heart.

He adheres to our Tamil literature, Thirukkural, and abides by its direction, especially for the wealthy folk. He leads life on principle with noble intentions. He has great regard for

humanity. He never likes luxury. He won the hearts of the global industrialists by virtue of his honesty. He has profuse interest in the upliftment of the younger generation. He is the symbol for Honesty, Hard work and Growth. I take great pride that I am blessed with his guidance and warmth essential for the grooming into a good human being. I also sincerely feel that like me, many should be fortunate enough to get his blessings. As the saying goes ‘A wild goose never lays a tame egg’. Like father, his son, Mr. Kalyan Kumar, has inherited all the goodness from his father and has become an able progeny.

I am not old enough to wish our Managing Director Mr. Gokuldas but I pray the Almighty for his long, healthy and happy life.

- M.Shanmugam

KATTI-MA CENTREBY 1981, KATTI-MA STARTED AN INDO- JAPANESE JOINT VENTURE

AND ESTABLISHED KAISEI KATTI-MA GRANITE LTD. THIS INITIATIVE WAS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN INDIA.

BY 2008, KJ QUARRIES WAS ESTABLISHED AND STARTED FUNCTIONING IN MINING ACTIVITY, PARTNERING WITH A FEW

JAPANESE FIRMS.

BY 2014, KATTI-MA VENTURED INTO PRODUCING MANUFACTURED SAND (M-SAND) COLLABORATING WITH A JAPANESE FIRM, IN

ANDHRA PRADESH.

KATTI-MA TAKES GREAT EFFORTS IN SUSTAINING INDO JAPANESE RELATIONSHIP AND HAS EVOLVED A POLICY FOR MAINTAINING

THE SAME FOREVER.

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of those days is considered equivalent to CA of present days. By 1960 in search of some good openings in my profession, I came to Chennai. My sister and her husband were also living in Chennai then, they were working as Doctors in a leading hospital. Staying at Royapettah, YMCA, I started earnestly looking for Jobs. By 1960 November I got a fantastic break, I was selected as a Management Trainee in a reputed establishment ‘Shaw Wallace’. My first posting was at Karamadai, Mettupalayam in Coimbatore District. I was posted as a Manager at a Fertilizer factory belonging to Shaw Wallace there.

Later I was transferred to Chennai. I had a good flair for Marketing; our management transferred me to Tirunelveli as a Marketing Manager. I was responsible for marketing and sales of four districts - Tirunelveli, Madurai, Ramanathapuram and Kanyakumari. My role was to travel from village to village,creating awareness about the use of Urea, Pesticides and manure mixes to the agriculturists. That was an interesting phase of my career; I got an opportunity to travel and it was really an enlightening experience. The names of the small hamlets like SurandaiOor, SambarOdaietc are still fresh in my memory. We used to travel around in a jeep and visited all the nooks and corners of these districts. Sometimes the travel would even stretch for months. We used to travel to Kerala as well. Though the work was a bit strenuous, with the British organization, one could groom his character and traits of punctuality, professionalism and other necessary attributes, which in the long run shape one’s career. That is what happened to me and I excelled in my professional career. Gradually I rose to Chief Executive Officer. By 1970, I came back to Royapettah and stayed at Gopalapuram. By 1972, with my earnings, I purchased a land at Egmore and built a

house.

There was a transformation in my life by 1978-79. There was a strong urge within me to venture into some profitable business. At that time in Shaw Wallace, an Englishman, Tony Hayward was the Chairman. You might have noticed Haywards Whiskey and Brandy - all these were named after him. Tony Hayward at a particular period of time sold Shaw Wallace to Dubai based Chhabria group. These events made me lose interest in my job. I was seriously looking for some meaningful business of my own. My brother,Janardhanan, used to travel abroad for his export and import Coir business. On one of those days when he just came back from a Japan trip, I met him regarding consultation for my business ventures. He gave me the idea that there is a good demand for Granite stone in Japanese market and asked me why I shouldn’t think about it?

With this idea, I made up my mind to visit the granite quarries of Tamil Nadu. To start with I went to Salem.There I met one of the stockists of Shaw Wallace. He also shared with me some useful information. He suggested that there are many exporters and C&F agents in Chennai. Then I came back Chennai and discussed with my father-in-law about this granite business. Still everything remains fresh in my memory as if it has happened only a short while ago.

My father-in-law referred me to one of his brothers, Mr. Sundaram. When I went to Mr. Sundaram’s residence, I was pleasantly delighted to see that he had displayed polished granite slabs. On seeing this, the pace of my business interest almost doubled. However, he cautioned me that this business had to be pursued with utmost care and vigilance, as it was not as juicy and appealing as it looks outwardly. As his

contd. fm.41

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words of encouragement and advice fuelled my passion, I made up my mind to go all out with this business idea. A lot of planning and execution needed to be done. Mr. Sundaram took me along with him to Tindivanam, Thiruvannamalai, Mylam to show the granite quarrying regions. All these visits inspired me and there was no looking back after this. The budding desire to run a successful business had blossomed indeed.

Your organization’s name Katti-Ma sounds more Japanese, is it derived from there?

This is an interesting story. In fact you wouldn’t believe it if I would say, my father used to call my mother by ‘Katti-Ma’ as a shortened name for Kattiyamma. However, her actual name was Ponnammal. My brother and I were discussing the name and decided to use our Mother’s name. We decided on ‘Katti-Ma’ because, that’s what came to our minds when we think about our Mother. To our surprise many Japanese friends used to say that this name sounds very similar to Japanese.It was easy for the Japanese to pronounce this name. They even started to address me ‘KattiMa-San’ i.e. master.

Can you tell us about your growth in the industry and experiences?

I got an opportunity to meet many business firms in Japan. I got introduced to ‘Jordan Shoji’ a leading business house. I built a strong rapport with its proprietor Mr. Adachi. Once Mr. Adachi came along with me and personally witnessed my career and position in Shaw Wallace. Thus he developed an unshakeable faith in my ability to run a business with discipline and professionalism. That was the time, that many exporters followed some unethical practices and exported second and third quality materials against the approved standards. So there was a sense of doubt about the quality of

the Indian granite blocks exported by the traders. Having witnessed my Shaw Wallace association, Mr. Adachi gained confidence in me before shipment itself. Mr. Adachi promised me his fierce support, which paved the definite way for thumping success. Gradually, my company’s reputation for high quality and strong commitment grew.

I was working day and night with a lot of zeal, enthusiasm and commitment. I always spoke the truth and wanted to do honest business. As a result, I became the confidante for many Japanese partners. After Japanese collaborations, traders from other countries followed suit; they volunteered to do business with us. The quality of our products made an ever-lasting impression among the buyers to such an extent that they did not check the material instead they would just look for the K.M. mark. In due course we rose to become the no. 1 granite exporter of India. To add one more feather to our cap, we had been bestowed with the representation of leading Japanese firm, Kaisei Shoji.

Kaisei firm, upon promptly studying our quality consciousness, offered a suggestion that a granite manufacturing facility be opened in Tamil Nadu. This would pave the way for a lot of job opportunities to the local people. Subsequently, by 1992,the first indo-Japanese Joint venture for processing Granite, KaiseiKattima Granite Ltd came up. In this joint venture, the investment and the industry belonged to us and the machinery and technical support belonged to Kaisei Japan.

By then, this cutting system was sophisticated and the machineries were state-of-the art. Two Japanese professionals were working with us in this regard. One technician looked after the quality and the other the accounts. This joint venture functioned from 1992 to 2000 for a period of 8 years. Upon annual

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audit, dividend was paid to our Japanese partner as per statutory regulations. However, at a particular period of time due to their internal problems, our Japanese partner requested us to buy back the shares voluntarily.

In 2008, KJ Quarries, another of our Japanese joint ventures, also started mining operations thus the blend of Japanese quality and finish along with Indian expertise and administration makes Katti-Ma unique in the granite trade.

In 2014, Katti-Ma ventured into producing manufactured Sand (M-sand) collaborating with a Japanese firm at Puthur in Andhra Pradesh. In these firms, it is worth mentioning that Japanese professionals also work. In short we take great efforts in sustaining Indo Japanese relationship and we have made a policy of maintaining the same forever.

How did you get involved in the Construction business?

When I travelled on business to various countries, I witnessed the aesthetic beauty of the architecture and buildings there. This spurred me into entering the Construction Business and creating some memorable buildings. With frequent visits to Japan and their quality and beauty in construction, I have always wanted to team up with Japanese experts to bring the best of their quality to India in construction projects. To augur this desire, coincidentally my two granddaughters have taken up architecture with passion.

Having successfully partnered with the Japanese in the Granite Industry, I dream of executing construction projects with Japanese technology and Zen philosophy. I strongly believe that my grand children will help me realize my dreams soon.

About your family background..?

My mother was a strong woman who played a pivotal role in my upbringing; we named our organization after our mother.

It is said that ‘Behind every successful man there is a woman’. I take pride in saying

that my wife definitely was supporting me all the way along in my achievements. She was Doctor by profession and was a practicing Gynecologist with the Govt. Hospital. But that did not deter her from extending her absolute cooperation to my dreams and passions. She was so careful that she could manage the home, her

career and her better half with her unlimited love and affection.

My wife provided a lot of encouragement and support to ensure that the fame of our company, Katti-Ma, grew. My son, Mr. Kalyan Kumar, who had completed his graduation from a top Medical College was always beside me, and by 1990, he took charge of almost all the activities. I feel proud to see that my son sacrificed his medical career for my sake and Katti-Ma’s Sake. Moreover, we feel our daughter in law, an engineering graduate, is more of a daughter than a daughter in law.

Our daughter-in-law Yogita handles the financial transactions of our firm. Our

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grandson, Harsha, is pursuing Management Studies abroad. My granddaughter, Madhumita,is studying Architecture in a leading college. My daughter, Hemamalini, who had completed engineering in Anna University, is now a Creative Fashion Designer and is into her own business. Our Son-in-law Mr. Rajshekar, also an engineer has his own business. My granddaughter, Pranayita, is studying fourth year architecture in a leading college and younger grandson is in the eighth standard.

I always wish my son, daughter and my grand children should grow and excel more than me. They should take our Indian heritage and pride globally. Even personally, I also have intentions to form a group where we can do something to teach the younger generation so as to hone their professional skills.

I am now at the age of 80. My honesty is the reason behind my success. Even now, there are many invitations for business from abroad. I have interest at the heart but still age is a factor. In future, all our endeavors will be taken care of by our granddaughters. They are also women.

These I am not mentioning just to boast but kindle a sense of love and respect for our women by youngsters. The young generation should learn to respect their mothers. They should try entrepreneurship. Not only Katti-Ma but every initiative of our fellow countrymen should lead as sterling examples. My very best wishes for the younger generation in all their endeavors.

Interview by: Sindhu BaskarArranged By:M. Shanmugam,

Associate Manager, Admin & Legal.

KATTIMA LOGISTIC