Different Dialogues : Extended & Enlarged Version of Mr. Harshad R. Mehta's Interview
Extended & Enlarged Version of Mr. Harshad R. Mehta – Chairman of Rosyblue (More than Diamonds), Dubai, U.A.E.
Background: A visionary diamond entrepreneur, achieving true to life goals in philanthropy. President of Young Comrades Cricket Club affiliated to the Mumbai Cricket Association. Serving Member on the Managing Committee of Garware Club House. Past Chairman of Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council. Past Vice President of FIEO (Federation of Indian Export Organisations). Vice Chairman in the Dubai Diamond Exchange Committee (DDE). Chairman of the Governing Council of LIFE. Past President of the Rotary Club of Bombay Metropolitan. He made the single largest contribution of US$ 1 Million for Rotary Foundation in the year 2006. Receiver of Philanthropy Award 2013 in UAE.
Q 1. In your view, what is most important in life? Accordingly, name three aspects, important in life. A. (a) Family values, Family bonding and respect for each other.
(b) People should be happy dealing with you.
(c) Anyone who is asking for ‘help’ – do not say ‘no’ and see ‘what part you can play to assist’.
Q 2. If you were not doing what you are doing now, what would you be doing? A. I am lucky that I am doing what I am doing. However, I love sports, especially being a coach and to train.
Q 3. What motivates you to achieve your goal? A. The lessons I learnt from ‘my past’.
Q 4. How do you handle stress and pressure? A. Through: reading and music.
Q 5. Which of your qualities would you want to pass down to your child/children? A. (a) Being very honest.
(b) At all times, do your homework thoroughly.
(c) Be sure of facts and figures in a business model.
Q 6. Who is your favourite author? Which book of your favourite author have you enjoyed the best? A. Girish Ganatra, Gujarati author. All his books are great as his writings are based on real life situations with lessons to be learnt.
Q 7. What are you pursuing currently, by the way of a light hobby, or by the way of a serious goal? A. Swimming is my light hobby.
Q 8. In the last 1 year, is your particular goal advancing? Which is that goal/dream? A. Yes, my particular goal is advancing. The goal is ‘fund raising for good causes in various NGOs’. We are getting good results supporting EKAL Vidyalaya Foundation of India and more people are coming forward to assist in furthering the cause. Also, now we are getting associated with The British Asian Trust to identify, sustain and strengthen good ‘NGOs’. British Asian Trust (BAT) was founded in 2007 by a group of British Asian business leaders at the suggestion of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.
Recap of the conversation with Mr. Harshad R. Mehta – Chairman of Rosyblue (More than Diamonds) Dubai, U.A.E., which appeared in the month of October 2010.
Background: A visionary diamond entrepreneur, achieving true to life goals in philanthropy.
He has an instinctive skill of getting into the root cause of a problem and gallantly giving guidance to solve it. With a single-minded devotion, he will give a patient hearing to anyone who comes with a genuine cause. He listens with rapt attention to good view-points of others, but will not waste a moment on something that crops up as irrelevant. He implements his faith in individuals through his evolving intuition. Everything in his conversation shines in a simple manner. Born on 15th August 1947, Harshad R. Mehta’s success stories are what we see and read from the direct contributions he has made to various charitable organizations. To translate his own impression, Harshad Mehta naturally feels the absolute need to ‘share’ his wealth by his own acts and concepts that are reconstructing lives of so many. For a man committed to the sparkling business of diamonds, the theory of karma, is more than the weight of pure gold. Fully a voice for this doctrine, (proclaiming the total effect of a person’s action and conduct during the successive phases of existence), the philanthropist will not dismiss any deserving level to be given all such help that it may need. That is the background of Mr. Harshad R. Mehta who is also considered as the Diamond King with a huge network in over 15 countries employing around 15,000 people globally.
Since 1995, a cumulative figure of around US$ 4 million donated to The Rotary Foundation alone decides how Harshad Mehta is defining his actions. With his characteristic nature and dexterity, he is attached to other charitable bodies, also. He is the Chairman of the Governing Council of LIFE. Amongst its additional activities, LIFE manages the Rajkot Voluntary Blood Bank in India, and is affiliated to the American Association of Blood Bank. The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation, focusing its primary education programs for the tribal and other underprivileged communities in rural India is another pet-project of Harshad Mehta. The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation’s goal is to achieve the national standards of Minimum Level of Learning (MLL) for its pupils. The Ekal Vidyalaya movement aims to help eradicate illiteracy from rural and tribal India by 2011. To date, Ekal Vidyalaya is a movement of over 26,719 teachers, 5,000 (approximately) voluntary workers, 22 field organizations (scattered in 22 Indian states), and 8 support agencies as on January 2009. With this tremendous human force, The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation strives to create a network of non-formal schools that will educate and empower children in rural and tribal India.
Based in Dubai now, Harshad Mehta spends substantial time traveling to India and elsewhere. He considers his spouse, Naina Mehta as an enormous support who equally pursues his causes for charity.
Q 1. What has been the turning point of your life? A. I have always been of a philosophical bent of mind. I believe that one’s needs should be minimal. Once I became successful and I had more than I needed – I started devoting my resources for the betterment of people around me. So I would say that the turning point of my life was financial success.
Q 2. If you could go back in time, what would you want to do? A. I have a lot of enthusiasm and wish to do many things personally, including going to places where my NGO activities are ongoing. However, I am unable to do so at times, due to my health. If I could, I would like to have led a healthier lifestyle taking care of my health better. So I could enjoy participating in all these activities today.
Q 3. What are your future dreams? A. I have more or less retired from active business life and spend most of my time on social activities. I would love to be able to increase my activities in these areas, whether within The Rotary, LIFE (a NGO out of Rajkot) EKAL or others, and also wish that I am able to influence like-minded people to join in.
Q 1. In your view, what is most important in life? Accordingly, name three aspects, important in life.