At the tender age of 19 years, in the year 1998, C Ganesh Narayan, Joint Managing Director of C. Krishniah Chetty & Sons ventured into full time business. A travel and sports lover at heart, he loves visiting historical sites and collect abstract & artefacts. His wish list includes flying a plane and pursuing music! Kunjal Karaniya brings you the life voyage of this multi-faceted man himself! %% The legend dates back to early 1869, when Cotha Krishniah Chetty built a shrine as an ode to the divine feminine. His first homage to the goddess was made from special tiny coloured beads. He crafted the most beautiful pieces of Jewellery that adorned, enhanced and defined her. In 1869, he gave the shrine a name. It was to be called C. Krishniah Chetty & Sons. Here, he continued to make his masterpieces, woven with the finest threads of gold that surpassed time and space, and unsurpassed beauty. He later built a bigger more luminous place in 1890. This enchanted ground was fertile for his finest works. His magic invocated the high one and soon found patronage in the Royal families of Mysore, Sandur and Travancore, who became a part of his discerning clientele. Also, his work was highly talked about in the British community located in the Cantonment area. For the past 140 years, the shrine continues to revere the high born priestess. It is filled with gold and sparkling light. The chanting circles remain eternal, creating timeless pieces of art. “I stepped into the jewellery industry as a natural progression towards joining my family business to continue a legacy after completing my degree in finance and marketing. I always wanted to be a part of this industry since my family had established this business for more than a century and I was inspired by the passion developed by all the generations of our family to get involved in this venerable institution,” says Ganesh Narayan when quizzed whether he always wanted to be a part of jewellery industry or had some other ambition? %% His greatest inspiration in life and business has been Sir Richard Branson. And his mother has been the greatest pillar of strength given that he lost his father at an early age. He expresses his sentiments, “She has helped me mould my character and personality which has manifested in my business and life. She has also helped me immensely to overcome my insecurities in the early years of my work life and enabled me to create a balance to every facet of my personality.” Coming to his wife, he adds, “My wife, whom I have known for a while before we got married has changed my perspectives to many aspects of my life and business. Her objective and rational viewpoint in approaching every issue on facts and merits has transformed me as a person.” %% Sharing his journey in the world of gem and jewellery, he says, “My journey has been very focussed over the last 16 years through continuous learning about every nuance of the business, industry, the world of gemstones and metals and of course through many hours of reading and observation. I believe that now I have reached a point of maturity to unleash my own potential and vision to grow a jewellery enterprise.” %%

The industry is heading towards being more organised than ever before. Especially in retail, the competition and opportunity is huge given the growth of consumer aspirations and urbanisation. Sharing his dislikes about the industry, he states, “The price war between retail players is not encouraging to build a good brand as it directly hits the profitability and margins. Also with high costs of R&D & design, spends on marketing, technology and customer acquisition, it's almost necessary to have higher margins to sustain a brand.” And then, his likes, “The Indian domestic market is like a white canvas and the eco system is the best to build an integrated jewellery business in design, merchandising, production, distribution and retail. The key is to manage input costs and build a business professionally by taking calculated risks as there are too many macro and extraneous variables determining the potential for growth.” He shares his hopes, “With a stable government and favourable policies, every segment of our industry will grow. The key is to get access to cheaper funding as the profitability is very low given the amount of effort that goes into cutting gemstones, manufacturing jewellery, marketing and selling. Also, with prohibitive costs of real estate, smuggling of gold and low margins, there must be policies to plug these issues, if not, jewellery will become a commodity and will lose its sheen for the alluring values it has been known for.” %% If given a choice, one thing he would like to change about his life is to spend more time travelling the world. Hence, we had to ask, his favourite holiday destination, “My favourite holiday destination is New York and I travel at least once in a year to NY.” We ought to know the hobbies of this travel-lover and so here he answers, “I love visiting historical sites and study art and history. I would like to collect abstract & artefacts, pursue music, especially playing the piano and earning the credential in classical music.” Owing to his busy schedule, “I am a sports lover and miss playing tennis and travelling.” He goes on, sharing his yet un-achieved dream which is to fly a plane! Being a foodie, “I do not have any one favourite. I love Italian, Indian, Pan Asian and Thai. But my home-cooked favourite is Burmese Khaoswe made by my wife who only cooks when she has the time.” %% In the end, we tried to find out his future plans as an individual and not as an entrepreneur, “I would like to set up an incubation centre to nurture entrepreneurs and also set up a fund along with my wife to encourage investments into start up ventures as there is tremendous entrepreneurial potential in our country to be untapped.” And when quizzed where you do see your brand in the next five years? He simply answers, “Would like to keep it close to my chest!” %%

At the tender age of 19 years, in the year 1998, C Ganesh Narayan, Joint Managing Director of C. Krishniah Chetty & Sons ventured into full time business. A travel and sports lover at heart, he loves visiting historical sites and collect abstract & artefacts. His wish list includes flying a plane and pursuing music! Kunjal Karaniya brings you the life voyage of this multi-faceted man himself! %% The legend dates back to early 1869, when Cotha Krishniah Chetty built a shrine as an ode to the divine feminine. His first homage to the goddess was made from special tiny coloured beads. He crafted the most beautiful pieces of Jewellery that adorned, enhanced and defined her. In 1869, he gave the shrine a name. It was to be called C. Krishniah Chetty & Sons. Here, he continued to make his masterpieces, woven with the finest threads of gold that surpassed time and space, and unsurpassed beauty. He later built a bigger more luminous place in 1890. This enchanted ground was fertile for his finest works. His magic invocated the high one and soon found patronage in the Royal families of Mysore, Sandur and Travancore, who became a part of his discerning clientele. Also, his work was highly talked about in the British community located in the Cantonment area. For the past 140 years, the shrine continues to revere the high born priestess. It is filled with gold and sparkling light. The chanting circles remain eternal, creating timeless pieces of art. “I stepped into the jewellery industry as a natural progression towards joining my family business to continue a legacy after completing my degree in finance and marketing. I always wanted to be a part of this industry since my family had established this business for more than a century and I was inspired by the passion developed by all the generations of our family to get involved in this venerable institution,” says Ganesh Narayan when quizzed whether he always wanted to be a part of jewellery industry or had some other ambition? %% His greatest inspiration in life and business has been Sir Richard Branson. And his mother has been the greatest pillar of strength given that he lost his father at an early age. He expresses his sentiments, “She has helped me mould my character and personality which has manifested in my business and life. She has also helped me immensely to overcome my insecurities in the early years of my work life and enabled me to create a balance to every facet of my personality.” Coming to his wife, he adds, “My wife, whom I have known for a while before we got married has changed my perspectives to many aspects of my life and business. Her objective and rational viewpoint in approaching every issue on facts and merits has transformed me as a person.” %% Sharing his journey in the world of gem and jewellery, he says, “My journey has been very focussed over the last 16 years through continuous learning about every nuance of the business, industry, the world of gemstones and metals and of course through many hours of reading and observation. I believe that now I have reached a point of maturity to unleash my own potential and vision to grow a jewellery enterprise.” %%

The industry is heading towards being more organised than ever before. Especially in retail, the competition and opportunity is huge given the growth of consumer aspirations and urbanisation. Sharing his dislikes about the industry, he states, “The price war between retail players is not encouraging to build a good brand as it directly hits the profitability and margins. Also with high costs of R&D & design, spends on marketing, technology and customer acquisition, it's almost necessary to have higher margins to sustain a brand.” And then, his likes, “The Indian domestic market is like a white canvas and the eco system is the best to build an integrated jewellery business in design, merchandising, production, distribution and retail. The key is to manage input costs and build a business professionally by taking calculated risks as there are too many macro and extraneous variables determining the potential for growth.” He shares his hopes, “With a stable government and favourable policies, every segment of our industry will grow. The key is to get access to cheaper funding as the profitability is very low given the amount of effort that goes into cutting gemstones, manufacturing jewellery, marketing and selling. Also, with prohibitive costs of real estate, smuggling of gold and low margins, there must be policies to plug these issues, if not, jewellery will become a commodity and will lose its sheen for the alluring values it has been known for.” %% If given a choice, one thing he would like to change about his life is to spend more time travelling the world. Hence, we had to ask, his favourite holiday destination, “My favourite holiday destination is New York and I travel at least once in a year to NY.” We ought to know the hobbies of this travel-lover and so here he answers, “I love visiting historical sites and study art and history. I would like to collect abstract & artefacts, pursue music, especially playing the piano and earning the credential in classical music.” Owing to his busy schedule, “I am a sports lover and miss playing tennis and travelling.” He goes on, sharing his yet un-achieved dream which is to fly a plane! Being a foodie, “I do not have any one favourite. I love Italian, Indian, Pan Asian and Thai. But my home-cooked favourite is Burmese Khaoswe made by my wife who only cooks when she has the time.” %% In the end, we tried to find out his future plans as an individual and not as an entrepreneur, “I would like to set up an incubation centre to nurture entrepreneurs and also set up a fund along with my wife to encourage investments into start up ventures as there is tremendous entrepreneurial potential in our country to be untapped.” And when quizzed where you do see your brand in the next five years? He simply answers, “Would like to keep it close to my chest!” %%

At the tender age of 19 years, in the year 1998, C Ganesh Narayan, Joint Managing Director of C. Krishniah Chetty & Sons ventured into full time business. A travel and sports lover at heart, he loves visiting historical sites and collect abstract & artefacts. His wish list includes flying a plane and pursuing music! Kunjal Karaniya brings you the life voyage of this multi-faceted man himself! %% The legend dates back to early 1869, when Cotha Krishniah Chetty built a shrine as an ode to the divine feminine. His first homage to the goddess was made from special tiny coloured beads. He crafted the most beautiful pieces of Jewellery that adorned, enhanced and defined her. In 1869, he gave the shrine a name. It was to be called C. Krishniah Chetty & Sons. Here, he continued to make his masterpieces, woven with the finest threads of gold that surpassed time and space, and unsurpassed beauty. He later built a bigger more luminous place in 1890. This enchanted ground was fertile for his finest works. His magic invocated the high one and soon found patronage in the Royal families of Mysore, Sandur and Travancore, who became a part of his discerning clientele. Also, his work was highly talked about in the British community located in the Cantonment area. For the past 140 years, the shrine continues to revere the high born priestess. It is filled with gold and sparkling light. The chanting circles remain eternal, creating timeless pieces of art. “I stepped into the jewellery industry as a natural progression towards joining my family business to continue a legacy after completing my degree in finance and marketing. I always wanted to be a part of this industry since my family had established this business for more than a century and I was inspired by the passion developed by all the generations of our family to get involved in this venerable institution,” says Ganesh Narayan when quizzed whether he always wanted to be a part of jewellery industry or had some other ambition? %% His greatest inspiration in life and business has been Sir Richard Branson. And his mother has been the greatest pillar of strength given that he lost his father at an early age. He expresses his sentiments, “She has helped me mould my character and personality which has manifested in my business and life. She has also helped me immensely to overcome my insecurities in the early years of my work life and enabled me to create a balance to every facet of my personality.” Coming to his wife, he adds, “My wife, whom I have known for a while before we got married has changed my perspectives to many aspects of my life and business. Her objective and rational viewpoint in approaching every issue on facts and merits has transformed me as a person.” %% Sharing his journey in the world of gem and jewellery, he says, “My journey has been very focussed over the last 16 years through continuous learning about every nuance of the business, industry, the world of gemstones and metals and of course through many hours of reading and observation. I believe that now I have reached a point of maturity to unleash my own potential and vision to grow a jewellery enterprise.” %%

The industry is heading towards being more organised than ever before. Especially in retail, the competition and opportunity is huge given the growth of consumer aspirations and urbanisation. Sharing his dislikes about the industry, he states, “The price war between retail players is not encouraging to build a good brand as it directly hits the profitability and margins. Also with high costs of R&D & design, spends on marketing, technology and customer acquisition, it's almost necessary to have higher margins to sustain a brand.” And then, his likes, “The Indian domestic market is like a white canvas and the eco system is the best to build an integrated jewellery business in design, merchandising, production, distribution and retail. The key is to manage input costs and build a business professionally by taking calculated risks as there are too many macro and extraneous variables determining the potential for growth.” He shares his hopes, “With a stable government and favourable policies, every segment of our industry will grow. The key is to get access to cheaper funding as the profitability is very low given the amount of effort that goes into cutting gemstones, manufacturing jewellery, marketing and selling. Also, with prohibitive costs of real estate, smuggling of gold and low margins, there must be policies to plug these issues, if not, jewellery will become a commodity and will lose its sheen for the alluring values it has been known for.” %% If given a choice, one thing he would like to change about his life is to spend more time travelling the world. Hence, we had to ask, his favourite holiday destination, “My favourite holiday destination is New York and I travel at least once in a year to NY.” We ought to know the hobbies of this travel-lover and so here he answers, “I love visiting historical sites and study art and history. I would like to collect abstract & artefacts, pursue music, especially playing the piano and earning the credential in classical music.” Owing to his busy schedule, “I am a sports lover and miss playing tennis and travelling.” He goes on, sharing his yet un-achieved dream which is to fly a plane! Being a foodie, “I do not have any one favourite. I love Italian, Indian, Pan Asian and Thai. But my home-cooked favourite is Burmese Khaoswe made by my wife who only cooks when she has the time.” %% In the end, we tried to find out his future plans as an individual and not as an entrepreneur, “I would like to set up an incubation centre to nurture entrepreneurs and also set up a fund along with my wife to encourage investments into start up ventures as there is tremendous entrepreneurial potential in our country to be untapped.” And when quizzed where you do see your brand in the next five years? He simply answers, “Would like to keep it close to my chest!” %%