Sodhagar : Learning the ropes from the master

After being persuaded by Chaiji, Bauji decided to quit working with his business partner Shri Bhagwan Das, where he owned 75% of the share, to create a platform for his growing sons. He settled to give Rs. 5000/= to get out of the partnership, which was more than his earnings for the year. Shri Shadi Lal ji mediated the partnership secession and it was decided that Bauji would donate the equivalent money to any charitable organization without any set timelines. Bauji donated the money to Jain Samaj after three years in memory of Late Bhagwan Dass ji.

Since Shri Bhagwan Das had taught Bauji all the tricks of the trade, he felt indebted to him. To start his new venture, Bauji chose a location far from the main market where his mentor ran his shop. He didn't want to be seen as his mentor's competitor. He rented a big shop on a street. It was the only shop on that street. A continuous five-day Pooja was performed by five pundits for the shop's inauguration. I was a 10th grader at the time. I felt conflicted to notice that Bauji's bahubali confidence was deep-rooted in the divine powers & orthodox religious rituals.

Lot of customers traveled to Amritsar, the nearest city from now divided Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, and Bauji was confident that they would come searching for him because of his impeccable honesty and competitive pricing. He went to Delhi to purchase business stock with the Rs. 7000/= he still had, and every supplier was so impressed with him that he was allowed to place his entire orders on credit. He placed an order worth Rs. 10000/= without paying a dime, and after 15 days, he sent out the demand draft for his payment that was due to all his suppliers. The skill to grow a business without investing one's own money was exciting for me, and it became the way of my Sodhagar life thereon.

Bauji's reputation spread, and many suppliers and manufacturers pursued him to sell their products. My elder brother, Ajit ji, also joined the family business. Bauji invited all his main competitors to open shops on the same street. Instead of finding a shop in an already established market, the illiterate genius created a thriving market around his own shop!

Bauji had asked for financial support from both my maternal uncle and his rich famous Shariff brother-in-law, Shri Shadi Lal Jain. Shariff refused to give any support, but my maternal uncle mortgaged his family jewelry to raise funds for Bauji. I was shell shocked. But I continued respecting the rich Shariff as he was a Javai afterall. One day, before I die, I will need to answer my kids why I gave respect to people who were worthy of it the least. 

Now they had started their second game of life to expand their business. So he thought of opening an office in Delhi only to dispatch goods to Amritsar. He rented the Khurshìd market for 70 rupees per day and a nearby room. This was when I was studying in B.Sc in Amritsar. Surinder and Raj once went to Delhi on vacation, and they have lovely memories of that visit. Babu ji took them to all the sightseeing spots, and it was a very beautiful and enjoyable day. But due to some reason, he had to leave the residence and start living in the room to focus on the activities of dispatching goods to Amritsar.

 

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