Barbara Ellington, Lifestyle Editor
Chatani: The breakdown of the family has led to the erosion of strong social values. - IAN ALLEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
TODAY HE controls one of the largest shopping centres in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, as well as real estate and other business entities. But the then 18-year-old Gobind Chatani never dreamt of such success when he emigrated from a small town in Madhya Pradesh, India, to work for his uncle in Kingston.
Then in 1958 he made the move to Ocho Rios to continue working for his uncle until 1962. He started his own business in March 1963 with assistance from the Marzoucas. The popular resort town has been his home since then.
Mr. Chatani focused on the in-bond business buying from abroad and selling for someone else at a 20 per cent profit. He has seen good times and bad, so bad, in fact, that during the 1970s he went completely bust. But things turned around, and today he is concentrating on leaving his legacy for his children to take over. He tells his story - success, failure and ultimate triumph.
Barbara Ellington: Go back to the early days in the business and tell us how you started.
Gobind Chatani: The in-bond business was different in the old days; you bought goods, sold it and made a 20 per cent return. When I set up business I did not have cash of my own, so I started a club and lounge - Brown Jug. I got a business partner and we started building across the street and I went back to India in 1966 for the first time to see my parents. On that trip I met my wife, Kavita.
I operated the club for a year and a half but sold it because the hours were too long. I would be working at the in-bond business in the days and then going to the club at nights till late; I had to work hard to get the money.
The 1970s were very rough and my partners left me. I had properties all over but I had to sell them all. Business went totally down, I went to zero from a millionaire.
In 1979, a church approached me to sell them a piece of land for $15,000 but I also got another offer for that same land for $35,000 but I sold the church for $10,000. However, I could not sleep for months so I gave them back the money in three months. I thought how can I sell land to God?
I felt better after giving back the money and I later met an architect and started doing business with him till I started this complex in 1984. I did not have the money to complete it so I told every prospective tenant to give me five years' rent in advance in good faith and they did. The entire thing took eight years in total but we made it through.
Now we are adding a new section for the first Hard Rock Café for which I have the franchise. I plan to have three in the island initially.
BE: How many shops do you have here?
GC: Thirty-one shops, small and large, and 15 warehouses and offices on the top floor. I have a souvenir shop downstairs. I used to be the biggest in-bond business and we have three cambios and another plaza in St. Ann's Bay, as well as other business interests in this parish. Jamaica is the only place I now have businesses but I used to be big in The Cayman Islands but all my investments are now in Jamaica.
BE: Do you still keep a busy schedule?
GC: No, I may leave home at 10:00 or 11:00 and go back home at 5:00.
BE: What is your proudest achievement?
GC: I am proudest of my three lovely children - to see where I am now to where I am coming from. I am very proud to see that the financial loss has turned out to be something significant like this.
BE: Why did you call the plaza Taj Majal?
GC: The name Taj Majal is very famous in India and other parts of the world with many hotels, restaurants and malls carrying it and because it's famous and easy to recall, people will remember it.
BE: How many people do you employ?
GC: We have about 600 in the entire plaza.
BE: What has been the most difficult thing for you in running your business in Jamaica?
GC: It's getting through. Sometimes you have a proposal to government agencies for some type of improvement in business but it's hard to start because of red tape.
BE: What about challenges?
GC: Those would include things like licences, quotas, import restrictions and the other challenges of the 1970s; only one man could get the licence to sell souvenirs to tourists. But getting my licence is what helped me later to start climb again.
BE: What were the 1990s like for you? How did you manage during the financial sector meltdown?
GC: Since I had gone through the '70s, I made sure never to overextend myself beyond my blanket. I had a loan for $7 million but when the interest climbed to 103 per cent in 1994, I borrowed US$1 million, paid off my loan, my overdraft and remained cautious. Once bitten, twice shy.
BE: How do you find doing business now in tourism versus when you started.
GC: Nowadays it's difficult. I don't think Government or even Jamaicans are interested in tourism. So many ships want to come here but we have no plans to expand the cruise ship pier. Hotels are coming but all-inclusives do not help taxi drivers, supermarkets, in-bond merchants, shopkeepers and other small players in the sector. Tourists are controlled. The only thing that will help Ocho Rios is the cruise ships, so we need places for them to dock.
BE: You have been here since the '50s; what has been the most interesting development for you to observe over the years?
GC: In 1966 when they started to develop the town, the coast areas and other parts were fascinating to see. We have moved from one road to two, and the hotels and other infrastructure have all transformed the landscape.
BE: What more do you think is needed to boost tourism in Ocho Rios or Jamaica?
GC: The problem in Ocho Rios is the harassment of tourists, and that stems from poverty. To get more people fed and to get more out of tourism, people have to be educated and get jobs. We should get the idle ones off the roads. We could designate a special areas for tourists to walk in freedom and shop like happens elsewhere in the world.
BE: Where do you see the industry in 20 years?
GC: Tourism will always be there, because people will always be curious about new places. We have to devise ways to let them explore safely. Crime is everywhere and the Caribbean will become more and more in demand, so if we want bigger and better ships to call here, we must have better piers.
BE: Do you feel like a Jamaican now or will you one day go back to India?
GC: I will never go back to live in India; I only have a sister there now and I stay only 15 days when I go. This is home for me.
BE: Do families from India who live here go back to India to find a wife?
GC: There is a little parental influence but today's youngster makes his own choice; it's a good practice; love begins after you get to know someone. It depends on how you were brought up.
BE: I see from your memorabilia that you love cricket, what do you think of the West Indies team?
GC: We definitely need a stronger team. I am happy that we will have World Cup Cricket in two years; that will bring more tourists and do well for us. The money we spend on some imports could go towards education and other things like training the future cricketers. The team will have to improve though; they can't stay down forever.
BE: What charities are you involved in?
GC: Religion and education, but we are always making donations to persons who write us. We don't broadcast what we do. In our religion, we say do not advertise, what we give. Give it in the name of a God and forget it.
BE: Is there anything you have not done yet that you would like to do?
GC: I want to grow old with my family; I would like to see my children succeed at all they do. And I want to see everyone happy, peaceful and prosperous. But I am taking things in stride now.
BE: Jamaica has a bad crime situation; what do you think we need to do to curb it?
GC: There are too many orphans or others are growing up without guidance; children need proper schooling and good jobs when they graduate. People who are coming here to invest should be treated right and should not have to worry about crime. We have to get back to the family unit; that is what brings us together; it's the best school for a child. Education leads to work later and the investors have to be allowed to do business here so they can provide jobs.
BE: What's been your biggest surprise over the years?
GC: How crime has escalated, I never dreamt it would get so bad. We used to be able to leave our doors open and nothing would go missing but we dare not do that now. The politics has surprised me, too; They used to be different in the old days.
BE: What is your wish for Jamaica?
GC: That we be a happy and prosperous people and work together to emerge from so-called Third World status even greater that we are.
