The Length of a Breath

Lead:

There are three divisions of Gaurav group founded by Gaurav Kulkarni namely ‘Gaurav Infra Power Services’, ‘Maruti Atharva Car Services’ and ‘Gaurav Constructions’ Gaurav manages all these fronts with the help of his parents, wife and his superb staff.  First, among these, the electricity business was built by his father with the help of Gaurav’s mother. He is still involved in the company. The second business is also run with the help of reliable colleagues. The third one bears the imprint of Gaurav’s personality. Construction business is full of success stories, but Gaurav’s is an exceptional one with a touch of cancer. The knowledge of this fact makes us reflect on his achievement from a different angle. 

Matter:

Brace yourself. You are going to get shocked. But I must tell you the truth. The doctor says, very seriously. I have seen all your reports. I do not doubt that you have cancer. Unfortunately, this is stage 4 cancer. But you can recover with an optimistic attitude. In fact, that is the only option you have.

If these written lines have shaken you to the core, imagine what effect they might have had on Gaurav who heard them in person. Generally, cancer patients in such situations surrender to the idea of death. However, there are only a few who overcome the malignancy of their illness with sheer will power. The hero of this success story, Gaurav Kulkarni, did not just stop at recovering from cancer, but he went further to become a successful construction professional. This story might sound fictitious, but it is true to the core. This fact makes our heart miss a beat.

Currently, in his late forties, Gaurav resides in Pune. He was born in Bhusawal. After completing his 12th in MIT school Pune, he took a degree in ‘Automobile Engineering’ from Sinhgad Engineering College. Then he received an electrical diploma from IMS institute Mumbai for his family business. Similarly, he also studied business administration. He specialized in ‘international market’. 

His father used to work in electrical contracting and distribution. His mother was MCom. She used to take care of the accounts of the father’s business. Gaurav, who had the experience of contracting at different builders, now in his twenties, started participating in the family business as well. His chores included electric fitting slab, complete wiring, conduiting, high voltage up to substations, extra-high voltage etc. But he liked something else than his family business. He wanted to prove himself independently. His father’s remark “people should know me as your father” was etched in his mind. Therefore while studying automobile, another interest caught his eye. That was to take the service dealership of Maruti Suzuki. When the advertisement for the service dealership was published, he went for the interview. He had no idea about the requirements of land, money, infrastructure etc. After the initial round of technical interview, aptitude test etc. he got to know that an investment of 12 to 15 lakh is a must for the set up of machinery and shed. 

He had never thought about this!  Where to bring money from? Commonly in such situations, the boy goes to the mother to talk frankly about his problem. Gaurav did the same. He was close to his mother. Hence he asked for the necessary amount of money. But she refused. Then he went to his father and asked him to give him a job. His father was clueless as to why he wanted the job that he hated so much? He said, “I will sell one of your products”. With his father’s friend Kiran Ranade, he secured a conduit (plastic pipe) dealership and within eight months raised 12 lakhs rupees by working on the accounts of 33 builders. He started his firm ‘Rudra electricals’ for this purpose. Then he confidently went to Maruti to secure their service dealership. Today his Maruti Atharva Car Services is successfully running in a big showroom at Kothrud. It has the capacity for servicing 12 cars at a time. 

Gaurav used to visit the sites for electrical fittings frequently. He always used to observe the construction of slabs, houses always. To learn was his passion. Hence he felt an internal attraction towards the construction business. He was eager to become a builder. But then money posed a problem. He decided not to touch the savings from the earlier two firms. Then how to find a solution?

One fine Sunday, his father told him, “there is a plot in Pirangut. The land beneath the Shendri tree belongs to you. Now go and find the exact location yourself.” Gaurav knew nothing about “how to read the sat-bara extract, what is revenue? Etc. But his strong will came handy, and the land was his. But his strong will came handy, and could get the land for himself. Under the guidance of his father’s friend, he started his first scheme over there. Now he had entered the life of a ‘builder’. Within the next seven years, he completed 9 projects in areas such as Dahanukar Colony, Karvenagar, Bavdhan, Bibwewadi etc.  Presently work on four schemes is ongoing. 

Gaurav constructions plans 2-3 schemes per year. Everything in these schemes is meticulously planned. Concentration is the key here. Competition or jealousy has no chance and only hard work and personal attention are the things that Gaurav puts his emphasis on. Because he firmly believes that ‘construction’ is entirely a ‘service industry’. Apparently,  we feel that there are limits to the works, yet every chore is quality demanding. It is a policy at Gaurav constructions to provide service even after the work is complete. 

In the last 4-5 years, all old concepts in every field have changed drastically. Now, this is a ‘consumer’s market’ because they have a lot of options. The Construction sector is not an exception to this. In the old times, a home was considered to be a shelter which was one of the basic needs of a human being. Nowadays, it is necessary to include maximum amenities to the shelter. Besides, people also turn to Realty as a form of investment. Any construction professional has to take into account all these factors. Gaurav Constructions takes all of this into consideration.  

Today there is a slowdown in the construction sector. It is affected a lot by demonetization, GST and RERA. However, Gaurav Constructions has a positive approach to all these factors. Gaurav Kulkarni says, “GST has hit those who work very badly outside the legal framework, but not to us who follow the legal system. We are very positive about RERA. Because we follow the RERA system from the very beginning, in fact, we believe that RERA must be mandatory as it has brought discipline in the business.” 

Gaurav has a firm grip on the construction business. He does everything – technical and legal facts, architecture, meeting different people, planning etc. He is accompanied by his wife Aditi, who is also an MBA in keeping the accounts. They have primarily decided to focus on redevelopment. There is a satisfaction in it as they can build houses as per the needs of the residents.  They emphasize building homes considering all the amenities and Vastu Shastra. Gaurav constructions ensures that every house has to be Vastu compliant. Gaurav discusses with the housewife, housemaid, elders in the house to incorporate everyone’s needs along with the basic needs in a home. Very small details like a small passage for the shoe rack near the entrance, reasonable and small distance for senior citizens from the elevator to the main door, visual obstruction for any stranger standing outside the main door to shield the bedroom area, a small sit out balcony accommodating two chairs and a small table, kitchen facing south-west, carefully designed places for fridge, mixer, microwave, processors, facility to wash the kitchen with removable trolley, dry balcony accommodating the washing machine and a small platform to dry utensils after washing etc. ensure customer satisfaction. Gaurav Constructions always pays minute attention to these details; however small they may be.

They also think futuristically about the maintenance of a newly constructed building. Gaurav constructions signs agreements with the first year maintenance free and later on affordable maintenance. They are very particular about the quality of the construction. It is their routine to hand over the building after cleaning every inch of premises from the ground to the terrace. Gaurav says, “construction is a job that needs full attention. It includes so many other jobs like Bhoomipuja, RCC, brickwork, plastering, tiling, plumbing, painting, electrical fitting, finishing etc. Many of these works can be given to hired contractors. But one needs to ensure if that contractor provides quality work in the given time. If you are sure, then you have to make decisions with the contractors very quickly. Otherwise, the project dangles. Since we have paid minute attention to all these aspects, we are now experts in redevelopment.” 

There is a certainty of sales in redeveloped housing. Most of the schemes are in cities. The market rate is higher. Hence redevelopment proves to be beneficial to the construction professionals. Also, slow down does not affect the redevelopment sector. 

If you want to enter this sector, you have to have experience, information and education. Only money, your own or your father’s will not do. A qualification like BE civil, or MTech has to be accompanied by experience. Similarly, you must know the ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ of the trade. You should have a passion for thinking deeper. Gaurav even today goes to his Gurus for guidance. He continually checks if his research is on the right track. While in school, his mother used to say, “if you want to do something, take a paper, draw a line, note down the pros and cons in the columns and then do it. Laying one brick on another may raise a building but not a home.”

Gaurav says, every project, scheme, the case is different. It is essential to understand the capacity of the consumer. You have to be reasonable in designing assets like a swimming pool, sports complex, clubhouse, keeping in mind whether the residents will be able to maintain them? You have to think about how best you can give the right products. How to get extra space, how to design that space in a minimal area. 

In the construction line, there are many businesses affiliated with construction. An entrepreneur who is unable to enter the construction business can try their hand at these businesses like glasses, readymade plasters, reinforcing chemicals for readymade plasters, fire solutions, power and water-saving equipment, i.e. solar, rain harvesting units and elevators. The elevator does not always have to be Omega or Schindler. Construction industrialists give bulk orders worth crores of rupees on call. Hence there are many opportunities in this area. For the smooth running of the leading construction business, these affiliated businesses are essential. This advice by Gaurav is very significant for those who want to enter this business. 

Gaurav is also socially aware, along with his business. It is his mission to counsel cancer patients as he is a cancer survivor. His doctors call him to get the case details. Gaurav on many Sundays visits hospitals to boost the morale of cancer patients. He is also preparing a model where special kids would get business opportunities. It is his objective to include these kids in works like painting and enabling them to be independent. His business is to build homes, but his social mission is to shape the minds of special and cancer affected kids. 

Originally Published in Yashashwi Udyojak. Subscribe Today.