A Gujarati diamond merchant sent his only son to Kochi, Kerala, to survive for a month on odd jobs, in an effort to acquaint him with life. Dravya Dholakia, 21, who is currently doing an MBA in the US, had a surprise in store for him when he arrived home for a holiday.
Savji Dholakia, who is also the proprietor of a Surat-based Rs 6000 Crore company with presence in over 71 countries, wanted his son to learn life skills. He is the same businessman who gifted his employees cars and gifts as bonus, last year. "I gave him three conditions. I told my son that he needs to work to earn his money and he couldn't work at a place for more than a week. That he can't use his father's identity, nor use the mobile phone, neither the Rs 7000 taken from home for a month. I wanted him to understand life and how the poor struggle to get a job and money. No university can teach you these life skills except experience," Dholakia said. "He decided to come to Kochi as he didn't know Malayalam and Hindi is not commonly spoken there."
Accepting his father's challenge Dravya reached Kochi on June 1, with just three pairs of clothes, and Rs 7000, solely for emergency purposes. A little bereft from the struggles of the middle class, Dravya did struggle initially. "For five days I had no job or proper place to stay. I was frustrated as I was rejected at 60 places, as no one knew me here. I understood what is rejection and the value of a job in these days," said Dravya. His first job was in a bakery in Cheranelloor. He also worked at a call centre, a shoe shop, and even a Mc Donald's outlet, earning Rs 4000 in a month. "I never worried about money and here I was struggling to get a meal worth Rs 40. I needed another Rs 250 per day to stay in a lodge."
Sreejith K, finance professional who took to the boy, said, "I met him at a bakery and noticed something unique in him. However, as my colleagues warned me against employing him, I didn't respond to his calls. On Tuesday, I received a call from Dravya's company's CEO thanking me and informing me of Dravya's real story."
