Surat, Sept 28: That there’s a man who showers his employees with gifts worth crores sounds unbelievably blissful in India, where eight out of 10 workers suffer from inadequate earnings, low productivity and difficult conditions of work.
The man is no other than Savji Dholakia, the owner of Hare Krishna Exporters, who has gifted three Mercedes-Benz GLS SUVs worth Rs 3 crore to three senior staffs who completed 25 years at the company.
Nilesh Jada (40), Mukesh Chandpara (38) and Mahesh Chandpara (43) were handed the car keys at an event in Surat by Madhya Pradesh Governor and former Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel.
The luxury SUV, whose on-road price in Surat is close to Rs 1 crore, is powered by a 3-litre V6 engine coupled with a seven-speed automatic transmission gearbox. It is coupled with LED headlamps, intelligent lighting system and many other exclusive features such as panoramic sunroof, three-zone climate control system, and rear seat entertainment among others.
These three beneficiaries were in their early teens when they joined the company, Dholakia told TOI. “They started with learning to cut diamonds and polish it and now they are not only experts but most senior and one of the most trusted people of our company.”
This isn’t the first time that the Surat-based diamond merchant has done something of this sort. On the New Year in 2017, he gifted 1,200 units of Datsun’s redi-GO hatchback to his employees.
A year before, the trader gave a Diwali bonus worth Rs 51 crore. The generous man also gifted 1,260 cars along with 400 flats to his employees.
Savjibhai Dholakia, fondly known as Savjikaka in Surat and Saurashtra, says that he offers gifts to the employees on the basis of their performance. His diamond and textiles trading company employs 5,500 people and has an annual turnover of over Rs 6,000 crore.
There’s a legend that Dholakia came from Dudhala village in Amreli district to Surat in 1977 on a state transport bus with just Rs 12.5 with him—the ticket fare—and over the years built a Rs 6,000 cr diamond business.
Courtesy: www.news18.com
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Ningbo (China) (PTI): India's Ayush Shetty signed off with a silver medal after his giant-killing run ended in a straight-game loss to world No. 2 Shi Yu Qi in the final of the Badminton Asia Championships here on Sunday.
The 20-year-old from Mangalore struggled to find his rhythm, going down 8-21, 10-21 to the reigning world champion from China, as India's 61-year wait for a men's singles gold at the event continued.
Despite the loss, it was a creditable campaign from the unseeded youngster, who became only the second Indian men's singles player after Dinesh Khanna to reach the final of the continental showpiece.
Khanna remains the only Indian singles champion at the event, having won the title in 1965. Since then, only the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have lifted the trophy, winning it in 2023.
World No. 25 Ayush entered the contest on the back of defeats to Shi at the Malaysia Super 1000 earlier this year and the Indonesia Masters last season. However, he had played with far greater control and attacking clarity this week, toppling world No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn, world No. 4 Jonatan Christie and world No. 7 Li Shi Feng en route to the final.
However, the Indian, a product of the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru, failed to counter the tactical discipline of Shi, who used his repertoire of strokes and deception to deny Ayush the opportunity to play his natural attacking game.
Shi dictated the geometry of the court from the outset, controlling the net exchanges and forcing Ayush into the forecourt battle early. The variation in the Chinese player’s game blunted the Indian’s attack, as his smashes lacked precision and he succumbed to scoreboard pressure, leading to rushed shot-making.
Shi Yu Qi logged the opening points with two fine net dribbles to race to a 4-0 lead, as Ayush’s smashes lacked precision early on and he trailed 2-6. A long rally ended with the Chinese player going wide, offering the Indian some respite. A deceptive net shot helped Shi move to 7-4, and he extended the lead to 11-6 as Ayush struggled for control, committing a string of unforced errors.
Shi mixed it up effectively, producing a lovely drop shot and repeatedly drawing the Indian to the forecourt with cross returns like a metronome, forcing errors. Two down-the-line smashes gave Shi a massive cushion of game points, and he sealed the opening game when Ayush sprayed a return wide.
The Indian needed a complete reset to stay alive, and he responded with a thunderous straight smash before diving on both flanks to keep the shuttle in play and move to 3-1 in the second game. Shi continued to test Ayush with backhand deceptive net strokes and pushes to the deep, but the Indian managed to retrieve everything and even found his precision in time, with an on-the-line smash confirmed by Hawk-Eye and a well-constructed rally taking him to 7-2.
However, he couldn't hold on to the momentum as the Chinese clawed back to 7-7 after two long shots and a smash into the net from Ayush. A return that kissed the backline from Shi, followed by another error from Ayush at the net and a return into the net, handed the Chinese the advantage once again at the interval, as he led 11-8.
Shi’s ability to place the shuttle into empty spaces with his repertoire of strokes, often punctuated by a fierce smash, made life difficult for the Indian as he stretched the lead to 13-8. Soon, the Chinese was up 15-9 with another powerful smash.
A body return followed by a straight smash took him to 17-9, and another long shot from Ayush further dented his chances. A perfectly angled smash into the forehand corner brought Shi within two points of victory. He then unleashed a cross-court smash to earn 10 match points and sealed the contest with a return that cramped the Indian, targeting his hip.
