Dikhyaa Mohanty 
A successful journey is not about having the best of all possible outcomes, but about handling the worst and still finishing. These words perfectly describe Vivek Rathi, the eminent businessperson who has redefined business ethics through his unwavering vision and leadership. To reach the heights he has, he has faced all kinds of obstacles and challenges. Vivek happily juggles business and philanthropy and aspires to build a better society for all.
Vivek was born into a business family in Kolkata and completed his graduation and MBA at IIM Calcutta in marketing, as well as a GNIIT course in systems management. He started working at Coca-Cola in Kolkata as an ASM after finishing his postgraduate studies. The most interesting part is that despite being born with a golden spoon, Vivek wanted to carve out his niche. He would often use public transportation and travel around 30 km a day. To gain a full understanding of the market, he also interacted with shopkeepers. However, the profession did not excite him, so he quit. In 1998, he joined his family business, Rathi Group, as head of marketing.
Vivek leveraged his past experiences and set up a sales team to cater to the customers, mostly PSUs and industries like IOCL, NTPC, Paradip Port, Kolkata Port, etc. Through Vivek’s excellent management skills and policies, the company grew to clock Rs 210 crore in revenue in 2012, with offices and stockyards in 10 major cities in India, as well as three manufacturing units. His company grew to enviable heights under his leadership and he oversaw entire marketing departments across the country. Since his father’s health was deteriorating, and the business was expanding exponentially, Vivek decided to divide the business demographically and chose Odisha as his next state to expand since he was familiar with the steel market in the state. “Several major industries like Mesco Steel and Nalco were soon coming up in the state. As our regular clients, I was always in touch with them,” he recalls. The company began operations in Odisha with just 5 employees and a single manufacturing unit in 2013. Vivek and his team overcame obstacles on their way to success and revolutionized the steel industry in Odisha. As of today, his business employs nearly 175 people with offices in India and Oman, as well as two offshore operations in Africa. His business has a turnover of about Rs 140 crores and is involved in steel & fabrication.
Until the Covid pandemic hit, everything went smoothly. As with other businesses, Vivek and his team were affected by the deadly virus and the subsequent lockdowns and shutdowns. Sales dropped from Rs140 crores to just Rs20 crores, and the markets were temporarily shut down, leaving most of his staff without work. The sight of countless unemployed youth returning to their home states moved him deeply. Vivek saw the unprecedented times as an opportunity and decided to enter into Covid-related industries like fabrication of sanitization tunnels, sanitiser stands, protective suits, masks, etc. and sanitization services that augured well for him. The youth he reached out to was mostly car washers who had lost their jobs due to unemployment and trained them to sanitize homes, malls, offices, banks, etc. In addition to having elite clients such as Mayfair Group, Swosti Group, Sai International School, etc., they also created job opportunities for much unemployed youth.
Apart from his business activities, Vivek is well known for his philanthropic activities. Vivek, who lost his mother very early in his life, started a community organization in memory of her, called the Shishi Bala Rathi Foundation Trust. Ashakiran Foundation helped the organization begin by providing support for 28 orphans. Its second project, Seva Griha, was specifically designed for senior citizens who had been abandoned by their children. This project currently serves 26 senior citizens. Vivek also started a hygiene kitchen that provided free nutritional cooked meals to home-quarantined families and financially backward people during the Coronavirus lockdown, and also provided free ambulance services for needy people after the second wave of Coronavirus hit the state. Vivek’s selfless service during the crisis period received widespread praise, and he argues that everyone has a responsibility to give back to society and help those in need.
Vivek, who has several ambitious projects in the pipeline, believes that hard work, dedication, and perseverance cannot be substituted. “Focus on staying current in life, that you always must be ready to accept challenges, and that you must never accept defeat, no matter what, and your success will surely come,” he concluded.
Article By – Dibyajit Sahu
