A Legacy of Values

NAVRATTAN KOTHARI (NK): The most significant change I see is in thinking and values. Business has grown, but the mindset that shaped it before is often missing today. My childhood in Jaipur instilled in me a deep sense of values and discipline— something I don’t always see in the new generation.

NK: My grandfather. He was a profoundly religious man, a 12- fold Shravak, and a constant source of inspiration. From him I learnt humility, discipline, and faith—values that remain with me to this day.

NK: My education at St. Xavier’s played a huge role. Many of our teachers were Americans and Europeans— they taught us culture, discipline, values, and the importance of home and family. My grandfather instilled in me a sense of religion and balance, while my teachers provided me with a modern outlook. That combination became a guideline for life.

NK: When I entered the diamond trade, it was almost entirely dominated by Palanpuri Gujaratis. There were hardly any Marwaris. Naturally, there were many rejections. But instead of discouraging me, those no’s gave me the fire to expand. With my brothers, we took the coloured stone business abroad, and then to America. Today, our company is over 50 years old, and KGK as a group has crossed 120 years. That early resistance became a driving force.

NK: A huge role. Business is like nature: seasons change on time, fruits ripen on time, and growth too comes in its own time. You cannot rush it. Our company is 120 years old; I have given 60–65 years to it since I was 18. Through that journey, I learned that you must follow systems and traditions without compromising on the basics. Even when diamonds hit a peak, I never got overjoyed; in crashes, I never broke. I told my CFO, “Spend only half of this windfall. Keep the capital safe.” That formula protected us. Growth must be steady, sustainable—not rushed.

NK: Entering diamonds. When I went to Bombay in 1958, I was already in coloured stones. That was a good business, but like a pond. Diamonds felt like an ocean—the scale, the depth, the potential. People asked, “Why risk leaving a safe business?” But I saw the sea and leaped. Step by step, we grew. My philosophy has always been: do not make high jumps, make long jumps. A high jump can hurt you; in a long jump, even if you fall, you land safely.

NK: For me, there is no final destination. Work itself is the purpose. If you only chase goals, you may not achieve them, leaving you unsatisfied. But if you keep working with purpose, the journey itself becomes the achievement.

NK: Money is only a by-product. If you run after it, you will never be successful. Aims and objectives must guide decisions. Money will come, sometimes it won’t—but if your intentions are strong, your goals endure.

NK: Through values. If you think of yourself as permanent, the ego will takeover. But if you remind yourself that you are just a traveller in this world, everything will stay in perspective.

NK: Honesty. Even delaying a payment by a day is unacceptable to me. In our industry, especially, transparency is non-negotiable. Treated goods must be called treated, lab-grown must be called lab-grown, and natural must be called natural. Faith is the real currency of business.

NK: Think carefully about what you genuinely want, keep a sharp and open mind, and work hard—because there is no substitute for hard work. Business is like an aircraft landing: unless you follow the right signals, you end up in the wrong place.

NK: In technology, no doubt, they are far ahead. But in values, discipline, and responsibility they are weaker. That foundation is as essential as modern tools.

NK: For 25–30 years, horse riding. Early mornings with friends, cavalry horses passing by, our private stables—it gave me immense happiness. But when my friends passed and the horses were gone, that chapter had to come to an end.

NK: Today, my joy is in service—at Bhagwan Mahavir Cancer Hospital, in education, and in healthcare. Helping others gives me more satisfaction now than horses ever did.

NK: Legacy is not personal. Legacy is values. People are born and they die, but values outlive them. Empires rose and fell, but the values of names like Babur or Bahadur Shah Zafar survived centuries. That, to me, is what truly matters.

NK: Honesty. If you are honest, you can survive all kinds of weather. In business and in life, words matter. If you have given your word to someone, you have to ensure you stick by your words.

NK: I would do it exactly the way I did it all these years. Externally things change, but values must never be diluted.