I'm very excited about this opportunity to talk to you today. Forty-six years ago, I started my business with the vision of connecting the creative capability of my grassroots artisans to the global market. Today, when all of you came to hear our artisans, see their work, and capture pictures with them, my dream has come true. Thank you very much.
My work began forty-six years ago in a shop selling branded shoes that my father used to run, and I realized that this was not my passion. While working in the shop, I was offered a job at a government bank, which I did not accept, and I wrote a thank-you letter to the bank for considering me for the position. After much introspection about who I am and what my passion is, I discovered that I am a people person.
In those days, Indian carpets were in high demand in overseas markets. After some research, I concluded that I ought to begin my life as a carpet maker. This would enable me to assist those shunned by the society. I loaned Rs 5000 from my father, purchased two power looms, and started this business with two weavers whom I used to visit at their homes with my old cycle.
After a while, I recognized that all of the artisans were men and that they did not work well. So, we began working with women and discovered that they were more disciplined and generated higher-quality results. Today, 90% of our weavers are women. When I started this business, my family members presented the most significant challenge. They claimed that these artisans were untouchables and that we would not allow them to visit my home. My neighbours refused to let the artists enter the neighbourhood. People refused to shake my hand at parties and social gatherings because I worked with the untouchables. I pondered how a person could be identified just by their caste rather than their occupation. I realized that I was part of a hypocritical society, in which individuals behave differently at home, different in a temple, and different at work. But my love for people and weaving kept growing. I used to dine with my weavers. Soon I realized that I love weavers and I love weaving.
Then I spent two years working as a contract manufacturer and subsequently moved to Jaipur, stayed here for three years, and started an export company with my brother. There was so much demand for Indian carpets that I required more workers. In my quest for more artisans, I went to Gujarat, where the government was attempting to create job opportunities for tribal people who were extremely destitute and underfed. When I shared my plans to build my business in the tribal region, the locals cautioned me, claiming that the tribals could damage my vehicles and business. I sought counsel from my friend, an Englishman and a researcher who used to visit India for a few months and dined with us, on what to do.
He told me that the tribal people of India are the most innocent, and have been exploited by outsiders, due to which they don’t trust them. If you treat them with love, compassion, and empathy, they will be your most valuable and biggest workforce. Heeding his suggestion, I started my business. Within three years, they regarded me as their mentor and guide. When I went to visit the villages to see my weavers, their families would wait outside their homes to greet me. I spent about eight years there, teaching weaving to over 8000 weavers.
We are a fairly traditional family, and I have three children. Women with three daughters were looked down on. My wife used to be nervous, and I had no idea what the problem was with having three girls. So I asked a friend from England how I should approach this matter. He claimed you were extremely fortunate to have three daughters since women are more efficient and receptive. Hearing him, we treated our daughters as if they were our sons.
When my eldest daughter opted to pursue education in the United States, she inquired about my expectations of her. I informed her that my end user lives in the United States, and I have never met them. So, when you study in the United States, observe how Americans design their homes and the changes in their thinking. That way, when you return, you'll have a greater grasp of your consumers' requirements. All of my children took care of this element, resulting in a global footprint for Jaipur Rugs.
Meanwhile, during my visits to the villages, I noticed that, despite their families' meagre earnings, women managed their families' health and well-being while also finding time to weave the carpets. Most likely, they are the best managers in the world, and we must learn from them.
In 1999, I started Jaipur Rugs from scratch. I encountered numerous challenges during the first three years because I had spent my entire life in villages and had no idea how to run a worldwide corporation. I understood I needed to adapt my leadership style and behaviours, as well as learn the abilities required to run a worldwide firm. My learning experience was so successful that I am still learning new things. My five children began returning to India one by one and joining the business. That’s when the business started growing like wildfire.
To maintain that growth I hired educated individuals, but they turned everything upside down. After considering what went wrong, I realized that education without practical experience breeds ego. One might become lost in knowledge while being completely unaware of reality, whereas practitioners may possess skills without knowledge. We explained to the educated people that our weavers may be uneducated, but they understand the process and the company, so you should learn the business alongside them. We established a management philosophy based on the idea of losing yourself to find yourself. The more I lose myself, the more I discover myself. I realized that the ego of knowing is the largest impediment in today's business.
In 2004, I was sitting in my office reading a management book when I came across the phrase, "Business problems are people's problems." Every year, I hired three or four additional weavers, and the team at the Jaipur office grew. I realized that as the number of people grew, I too would face this problem. To solve that problem, I established the Jaipur Rugs Foundation to improve the lives of these artisans. The problem with artisans is the problem of mindset. The foundation created programs to change the mindset of our artisans, and all the artisans collaborated like a family and became very receptive to their customers' needs.
In 2008, while I was sitting in my office, I received a call from C.K. Prahalad, who at that time was the No. 1 global management guru. He asked me, “Mr. Choudhary, do you know me?” I said, “Who does not know you? The entire government listens to you; after all, you are the one who is sharing the formula to eradicate poverty with the government.” When he expressed his interest in developing a case study on my business, I told him that we are very simple people and wondered if anyone would read those case studies. He said that your global supply chain is connecting the poorest of the poor with the richest of the rich by enhancing capability at the grassroots. His case study was published in his book "Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid." He said that he goes to the world’s best colleges to teach but visits only a few places to learn himself. After discussing with C.K. Prahalad, I learned what we did right. The first was the vertical integration. All the sixty processes are managed by us. Secondly, we don’t work with middlemen, and third, we provide everything at the doorsteps of the artisans.
My daughter, who had started the Manchaha business, had studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. When she visited the villages, she told me that some of the ladies were even more creative than me. I told her that I have spent millions of dollars to educate you; how can they be more creative than you? But she chose those talented ladies who have till now won 21 global awards for their creations. In 2017, Bimla Devi travelled with my daughter to Germany to collect the German Design Award in the Gold category.
In 2019, we started "Freedom Manchaha," in which inmates in jail poured their aspirations, creativity, and stories onto the rugs to cope with the ordeals of their lives. We started work in five districts in Rajasthan, allowing the artisans to design carpets as per their wishes without any prescribed design. Their carpets have become so famous that the world’s best designers use them in their work.
Once, employees from Bain and Company came to India, and ten employees stayed with us for ten days to understand our business. While returning, they said that "Jaipur Rugs is the only company on the planet which has thousands of real authentic stories which no other company has." They told us, "The deeper you go into your core, the harder you make it for your competitors." They are now converting each weaver into an artist and connecting them with the world of design. We are developing them by giving them dignity and income. In 2019, the book "The Healing Organization," written by Raj Sisodia, included case studies on how a business can heal society. The first case study in it is about Jaipur Rugs. He had visited Manpura village and spent an entire day there.
Our tagline is "We don’t sell carpets. We sell stories. We sell experiences. If you want to buy your carpet, that is free." When I was in the third year of my commerce college, our professor of business administration came to our class with a copy in his hand and read aloud how I had articulated the definition of business: "Business is next to love. It is the creator and preserver of civilization". The professor said that this boy would one day become a unique businessman.
Once again, Thank you.
