SteelMont's Rajesh Saraiya to set up cooperative unit in food processing industry

Rajesh Saraiya is the chief executive of SteelMont, a metal trading company headquartered in Dusseldorf, Germany, and has offices in London, Kiev, Moscow, Istanbul, Dubai, Mumbai and Tianjin. Despite a slide in fortunes in recent times, owing to a fall in metal prices, the company has a turnover of Rs 1,200 crore. He was given the Pravasi Bharatiya Award in 2012 and the Padma Shri in 2014.
ALSO READ: Dalit achievers overcome odds even as atrocities rise

He hails from Saraiya Sani, a village near Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh. His father Natharam recalls how he bent traditions to name his son Rajesh: “Nathu, Kallu, Kuddu — those were the names we Dalits were given. My father’s name was Kalluram; I am Natharam. There was no question of adding a surname, which just meant more disadvantages. I proudly named my son Rajesh — a shift from the trend of names given in our community. But to keep the name of my village alive, I added Saraiya to my boy’s name.”



Rajesh, who lives in Dusseldorf, says he is proud of his country and background. “All my family members, including my two sons, are Indian passport holders,” he says. Rajesh denies facing any discrimination in the country and says that the Indian government as well as other countries where he has worked have been very supportive. “There are a lot of opportunities in the world. One just has to pick them up and work hard.”

Rajesh may have been living in Europe for the last 25 years but he is serious about giving back to his home country. “I plan to come back to India and set up a cooperative unit in the food processing industry,” he adds. A perfect homecoming.