My Dad and
D-tec
My father
served D-tec (currently his own company) from 1983-2013. Mom has had dad for 28
years now, my brother has had him for 27, my sister-in-law for 2 and I have had
him for 21. D-tec beat us all. It had him for 30 years. My father was in the
cutting-tool business, he processed diamond powder. Well, I can’t really go
into the depths of it but this is the simplest introduction I could give about
what happened within the four walls of D-tec. This is what happened in D-tec,
but it’s not all there is to D-tec. It may be a short spelling, but it’s got
more depth than any of the conglomerates or new age businesses. There’s a sentiment
that’s almost viral, that kept my dad and D-tec bound for so long. 30 years is a
great threshold to cross. Many businesses do survive for many years, I don’t
deny that. However, many survive out of power and a few out of emotion. D-tec
survived out of the latter.
It started
off with dad going door to door, selling diamond powder and paste. He used to
work on my uncle’s terrace (who was dad’s partner too) for nights together. He
explained to me the logic of sacrificing that amount of sleep just to purify
the diamond powder. I learned that, it let
out fumes that made people around the processing uncomfortable.
In 1985, dad
bought an office at Swastik Chambers in Chembur.
Dad and mom
got married in 1986. They occasionally would drive down to Umbergaon. During
that time, dad owned a shed where he used to work all day long, filling the
paste into empty syringes. He had two partners, both great people and extremely
fond of my father. It’s easy for anyone to be fond of him and respect him, but
the one thing that stands out is his righteousness. That’s apparent in the way
people who work for him, admire him.
In December
1987, my parents had my brother. During the early 90s, dad and his partners
bought a factory in Umbergaon itself. Nothing had changed my dad; he still
dedicated his time towards his diamond paste and syringes. The thing with dad
is, the more successful he becomes, the more humility generates within him. I
know how he thinks. He wants to be worth the success and when it comes, he
wants to make it worth the while for the success.
I came into
his life in June 1994. The first time I saw him when I was in his arms; I knew
I’d be a fan of this man. From a fan, I turned into a fortress. He doesn’t need
one but still, keeps me pleased. In the early 2000's, Dad bought 8 offices in
Nirman Kendra, at Mahalaxmi and sold the office in Chembur. He works from the 5th floor office
(3 offices combined together) and the one on the 7th floor (three offices combined), with the most gorgeous view, is given out on lease. The 3rd
office (2 offices combined) was the one he sold to Anchorage, an NGO. The
Japanese government had given Anchorage a budget. When they approached dad with
that budget to buy the office from him, he ignored the market price of the office
and readily agreed. Till date, whenever we have bumped into anyone from
Anchorage, they’ve always said, “Mr Sanjay gave away his office to us.”
Dad was in no rush for power, that’s how he
went on gaining it and his sheer ignorance of it went on accentuating it.
In 2009 and
2010 he bought over the whole of D-tec from the two partners, becoming the sole
owner of the thing he loves the most (it’s a tie between Mihika and D-Tec).
In 2011, my
brother came back to Bombay for good, after 4 great years at the Duke
University in Durham, North Carolina and 2 years of working with Goldman Sachs
in New York. In April 2011, my brother
started his own investment proprietary called The DMZ Partners making my dad a
partner with him. They work together in the same 5th floor office at
Nirman Kendra.
In May 2013,
Bhaiya got married to the most amazing girl. That’s how Dad and mom got their
second daughter and I; a sister. I touchwood with every word I write because
it’s the happiest life ever and I owe it to my dad.
Now, this is
the part where my dad gets emotional. He rarely does get emotional but these
are one of those rare but most beautiful times. In 2013, he realised that he
wants to give more time to DMZ and to bhaiya. So, he decided to pass on his
products and technical expertise to Drestar, one of his ex-partner’s company.
This way he wouldn’t harm the livelihood of those clients who depended on dad
for his products (diamond paste and powder).However, he didn’t sell his company.
The relation between D-tec and him was here to stay.
He does get
into his mode of thinking occasionally which is absolutely healthy. So, I write
this note for him to know that it’s not the end; there will never be an end. This
is just that moment of time, from which to look back and or from which to look
ahead. Both the ways, the journey is going to be just as beautiful. Soon he
will know that both the ways complemented each other. He took all the right
turns. He did put his heart into creating D-tec, making it what it is today. He
worked his way from Mac laboratories and the shed to the great office he sits
in today overlooking the race course. It’s time for him to enjoy what he has
created. Enjoy D-tec. Enjoy DMZ. As he said to me once that he has become a
thinker now. I know that sometimes it just hits him. But as bhabhi says, “It is
still your baby, Paa”. It’s a new beginning. Everyone has a new beginning. As
for me, I love writing. I keep turning over new leaves and spoiling them, and I
make so many new beginnings that there will never be an end.
As for bhabhi, being an artist, she is always
beginning. Any work of art which is not a beginning, an invention, a discovery
is of little value. That actually applies for everything, doesn’t it? That’s
how dad started D-tec and bhaiya started DMZ.
Dad and
D-tec still have a long way to go.
He may have to deal with me getting married.
But he won’t have to deal with D-tec parting from him. As I said, he and D-tec
are here to stay. As anchor and kite for each another.
