The Poddars have been residents of Ranchi for the past century or so. The family left the sun and sands of Rajasthan to come to Ranchi and made this city their home.

Soon, they also started a textile business, which grew to epic proportions. For the new generation Poddars the thriving business came as an inheritance and was a part of their genes ? the natural thing was to join the family trade when one grew up.

Yet, for one brother, Punit, from the present generation of Poddars, there was always a hope to do something different, something extra.

For Punit a young city businessman, diversifying the family business was a tough decision. But there was that definite thrill of stepping into new horizons. So he finally decided to diversify, that too he chose the trade of automobiles, hitherto alien to the family.

Thirty-eight-year old Punit from the well known business family, along with his younger brother Pankaj Kumar Poddar, runs the flagship company Babulal Premsons at Upper Bazaar, Ranchi.

His grand authorised Maruti showroom Premsons Motor Udyog Private Limited, located on the Kanke Road, was inaugurated last year amid much fanfare.

?It was a tough decision on our part to venture into this new field. We are basically known as a textile business house. But we took it up as a challenge to diversify into something new. And we were lucky too. Around 40 parties from Ranchi had applied for a showroom and we were the ones to get dealership.

?This is the second Maruti showroom in the capital, the first was Sushila Automobiles,? says Poddar. The Automobile sector is still untapped in Jharkhand. And, there is a great potential in this market. In fact this growth in market and in demand is a nationwide phenomenon. Everywhere, the market for automobiles is fast expanding,? he says. That was what principally attracted the entrepreneur.

According to him: ?We had to first convince ourselves that we can start this new venture.? And one can easily comprehend that convincing the family and getting the pieces together for the showroom was a tough matter from the word go.

?It was a long process. We visited about 10 dealerships in Kanpur, Lucknow, Delhi, Mumbai and Indore to get to know about the Maruti business,? adds a reminiscent Punit.

After the two brothers finally decided to venture into automobile market, Punit made a presentation before the top Maruti officials.

Out of about 40 dealership applications from Ranchi, 10 were shortlisted and finally Poddar was selected for the prestigious showroom.

For a state like Jharkhand there are only a handful showrooms. There are total five Maruti showrooms in Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Hazaribagh and Ranchi. Poddar?s is the sixth one from Jharkhand.

As Punit says whether it is cloth or cars, the main mantra in all trades is the same ? customer satisfaction.

?Throughout our business career in textiles, we stressed on customer satisfaction. We dealt with customers professionally. We had a good tie up with well-known brands such as Grasim and Donear.

?Moreover, we launched various schemes for the customers from time to time, which ultimately benefited the customers. Last December, we arranged for a foreign tour for 20 customers, who were selected through a lucky draw.?

For Poddar the common perception that everything?s fair in business and war is rather hard to digest. One does not have to play unfair for doing well in any business.

For him, always, honesty and sincerity towards the clients is the best. ?Contrary to popular notion, I feel that a good business is not possible unless one is fair. Long-term businesses can be carried out only if there is a rapport between the seller and buyer and you have the goodwill of the customers, which can be earned only through the age-old policy of honesty. This is what ultimately pays in the long run,? Poddar points out.

A product of the Bishop?s Boys? School, Poddar did his B. Com (honours) in accountancy from St Xavier?s College in 1988. He was always a go-getter and he visited Austria in 1988 under the youth exchange programme of the Rotary Club.

He joined the family business in 1983, immediately after finishing his matriculation. This young businessman is of the view that the business scenario has brightened in the region after formation of Jharkhand.

'The government?s pending has increased in the last four years. There is a boom in the real estate sector, iron, coal, bauxite. Many industries are coming to Jharkhand,' he says.

Has he ever faced any major problem on the law and order front? ?So far, no,? Poddar laughs and adds: ?We are known as fair business people. Moreover, we have also maintained a low profile. We have also associated ourselves with various social activities and are involved with Ramakrishna Mission, Seva Sadan and Red Cross.?

?Since November we are the number one in Jharkhand and Bihar. This is a great achievement. This was our first such venture but during a very short span of time we have managed to establish ourselves in the field,? said an elated Poddar. And he has every reason to be happy as the Poddar showroom is fast expanding with a sale of 150 cars every month, on an average.

The present spate of MoUs being signed between the government and several industrial houses will induce a sea change in the Jharkhand business.

?In this age, no development can take place without industries, which create employment opportunities for the youth,? he said.

The young businessman feels that the present state government is quite positive about developing the state. ?There is a good atmosphere for budding entrepreneurs. I hope things will improve further,? he signs off.

Navtan Kumar