Billionaire's son stayed in Hyderabad for a month to understand value of money

Son of a Surat based billionaire who was born and brought up amidst riches and had studied in the USA has successfully survived in Hyderabad on a Rs 500 pocket money to understand poverty, the value of money and above all the travails of unemployed youth in the country.

The 23-year-old Hitarth Dholakia is the seventh son of Ghanshyam Dholakia, one of the founders of Rs 6,000 crore Hare Krishna Diamond Exports which has a presence in 71 countries. His father asked him to live in a completely alien environment for a month that too without the Dholakia tag and a mobile phone. His father also did not tell him that his destination was Hyderabad till he landed in Mumbai.

Hitarth arrived at the Shamshabad International Airport on 10 July “I never been to Hyderabad before nor I am aware of the eating habits and the local language. But I stepped out of the Airport with confidence and took the challenge,” Hitarth who successfully finished his one month of exile assignment told media.

“My father asked me not to disclose my identity to any one and not to stick to the same job for more than a week. As there is no mobile phone, I couldn’t contact relatives or friends for help. My mission was to take up any job to survive,” he said. Putting his New York University MBA brain into practice, he first gathered information about the twin cities with fellow passengers and information brochures available at the Tourism counter. He then took the airport bus from Shamshabad to Secunderabad embarking on a once in a life time journey.

 Hitarth found accommodation in a cheap dormitory in Secunderabad which is known for its floating commercial population. “I told the hotel manager that I am the son of a poor farmer from Gujarat in search of a job in the city. He was kind and understood my plight,” he said. He didn’t waste a single minute sitting idle and took his first job at Mc Donald eatery. Then he took the job of a delivery boy in a marketing company, then the salesman in Addidas Shoe Company and Jade Blue showroom. 

Hitarth who walked most of the time during the past one month remembers each one of the employers as kind. “But they used to ask me tough questions particularly about my background as they were concerned about employing a stranger,” Hitarth recalls. The son of a billionaire shared beds with colleagues in the rented rooms, had breakfast and lunch at road-side eateries and travelled in local buses.

Started with Rs 500 in his pocket from Surat, Hitarth made Rs 5000 in exile.  He said that there is no better education than experience. The take home point for him was that there is no dearth of jobs if one is hard working and patient. Hitarth will join his father’s diamond business after returning home. “The experience I had will hopefully help me in turbulent times I might experience as a business man,” a home bound Hitarth said.