Soft-spoken, highly cultured, a man with a vision, are just some of the words that best describe DilipLagu of LaguBandhu. While growing up in a family surrounded by pearls and jewellery, Lagu learned the tricks of trade at a young age. This facilitated him to bring about an evolution of his family business, that is now has made a mark on a global map. Lagu has scaled new heights not just figuratively in business but also in reality as a passionate mountaineer. Priyanka Desai meets with him to know more about his business, family and love for mountains. %% With 78 years of rich unparalleled traditional experience in designing real pearls and diamond-studded jewellery, LaguBandhu is a name illustrated by wide variety, excellent quality and maximum reliability.What started as a family business a few decades ago has blossomed into a well-organized setup with its exclusive showrooms at Dadar, Thane, Dombivali, Pune, Goa and Oklahoma, U.S. Sitaram T. Lagu, a qualified mining engineer, spearheaded this illustrious business in 1936 with Mikimoto, a company of Japan involved in pearl trade. The business was initiated in Pune and since then there was no looking back. Today after being in business for more than 75 years, we got the opportunity to meet the man behind the brand who changed the face of the business from family run to highly organised and internationally acclaimed. That man is DilipLagu, Director of LaguBandhu. Talking about the roots of the business, Lagu shares, “My grandfather, Shri. SitaramLagu started the business in 1936 despite being a coal-mining engineer. He decided to change his line of career due to a chance meeting with the representative of Mikimoto, a company of Japan who had come to India for the promotion of cultured pearls. His decision to foray into the pearl business has changed the course for our entire family and we are grateful for it. During his initial days, his bother-in-law Shri. Ram Mama Soman supported him. Both of them did a lot of travelling within Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh for promotion of their new business and it was a lot of hard work.” %% Speaking about his foray in the business, he states, “I grew up in a home which was exactly opposite to our 120 sq. ft. showroom. After seeing my father and uncle working there for so many years, it was a natural choice for me to join the family business. As soon as I passed my SSC exam, I started handling minor outdoor duties and ran small errands. Then after, I gradually started learning various skills like stringing of pearls, shading and grading of pearls, gems, diamonds and so on.” Throwing light on his initial roles in business, he says, “ A more considerable involvement came in when I passed out as the first commerce graduate from our family in 1982. I was still more devoted to my hobby of mountaineering than the business. But, it was only after 1988 that I started shouldering bigger responsibilities. Since I was given the responsibility of maintaining accounts, I realised the importance of learning computers and we were one of the first jewellers from Dadar area to start maintaining books of accounts, etc. using a software.I was the first from the family to undergo a formal training in the form of Diploma in Gemology and Diamond Grading. Later I also acquired the certification as an international grader of diamonds from IGI.” %%

An inspiration, a muse or a mentor is something that each successful person owes his success too. And, why not? A person with inspiration is a person with aspirations. For Lagu too, there has been a guiding light in form of his uncle. Sharing more about him, Lagu articulates with a smile, “My uncle, Shrikant Lagu, also grew up looking at the business as his only career choice. Therefore he ensured of mastering the required skills. He was also a very good actor, public speaker and very good at maintaining relations with customers. He was a complete people’s person and he has inspired me in both spheres: life and business.” %% When asked to share more about his family, he sates, “My father, a civil engineer also joined the business of peals as the manpower needs of the business grew. We had only two staff members initially and family members handled most of the work, themselves. After my marriage, my wife Asavari, joined the business.She played a very big role as an advisor. Her rapport with our growing family of staff members has played a pivotal part in our expansion and growth. It also helped me in understanding and resolving their issues, which in turn motivated them to perform better. After a few years, my father’s younger brother and my uncle,Prakash, also an engineer, decided to take voluntary retirement form his job and he and his wife Anjali re-kindled our branch in Pune in 1994.That branch had become extinct in the year 1980 but they reflourished it. Their son, Sarang and his wife Neha are also instrumental in the growth of our business in Pune. My elder son, Parag, a software engineer and pursuing MBA (GMB) from S P Jain institute of Management, has joined the business as a member of the fourth generation. My younger son, Kunal, appearing for his final exam to be a chartered accountant, will be joining the business next year.” %% When quizzed about the changing point of Lagu Bandhu. He takes us down the memory lane and expresses, “Our real expansion came after 1996 when I took decision to move our home and devote all available area for a bigger showroom. I also decided to shift our focus from pearls to diamonds in 1997. This step proved to be a big one as it received an immense boost due to the fact that De Beers started promoting diamonds to the masses in India at around the same time.I also started advertising, which we had not done in the first 60 years of our trade. All these steps proved to be a page turning event for us.” %% Though Lagu has a big family and most of them are involved in the business, it is no easy feat to have branches all over the country and one in a foreign land. That surely must have needed large manpower and human resources. Concurring to this, he further explains, “I acquired an independent back office and also realised that further expansion can happen only by hiring professional staff, looking for new locations and complete automation of business. After taking these necessary steps, new branches started coming up since 2003.” Professing his love for the jewellery trade, he states, “The best thing about jewellery business is that everyone who is associated with it feels like a royalty. The stock-in-trade will never become worthless. As far as India and Indians are concerned – affection for gold and jewelry will never die no matter what regulations the Government may think of applying. On the other hand, despite being a high-value product, in fighting and under-cutting has caused to make gold just another commodity. We, as members of GJF (All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation) are making efforts to change this. We are trying to uplift the image of jewellers from being looked at as cheats to honourable businessmen.Besides this we are also liasoning with the Government to discourage it from enacting laws which may hamper the growth and dignity of the industry.” %%

After a detailed chat about the business and all things glittering, we tried to unearth Lagu’s personal and relaxed side. We had heard about his love for mountains but our further conversation cemented the fact he is truly in love with the mountains. When asked what is the one thing he misses due to his busy schedule, he earnestly shares, “I miss having more time to scale new mountains. I wish I could put the business on auto-pilot and pursuemy hobby of mountaineering and indulge more in social work.”Lagu is complete outdoor man and apart from mountaineering he also likes running as a part of his fitness regime. He has been running in the Standard Chartered Half Marathon for the past seven years. %% When asked for his favourite holiday destination, we had already known the obvious answer due to his inclination to mountains. “Himalayas or any other mountain is my favourite holiday destination. Also places like Europe, Australia, South Africa are on the wish list. Generally, I try to go for a fortnight holiday in a year. These are mostly trekking trips or a foreign country. I also take smaller breaks in between but with no specific location as a choice,” he quips. %% Speaking about his favourite dishes and cuisines, he articulates, “The Maharashtrian cuisine is the best according to me, though I like to try other cuisines.I prefer a lot of home made sweets like puranpoli, besanladoo, etc. Also savoury foods such as sabudanakhichadi and chivda cooked by my wife, Asavari are my favourites.” %% Talking about his future plans as an individual and not as an entrepreneur, he says, “I will try and do some social work for the jewellery industry and trekking fraternity in Maharashtra and may be some rural areas.” %% While wrapping up the conversation, he shares, “We are on an expansion path but not an aggressive one. I feel that I have done my bit and now it is time for our next generation to contribute. I must leave some scope for them to achieve something for the company.” %%

Soft-spoken, highly cultured, a man with a vision, are just some of the words that best describe DilipLagu of LaguBandhu. While growing up in a family surrounded by pearls and jewellery, Lagu learned the tricks of trade at a young age. This facilitated him to bring about an evolution of his family business, that is now has made a mark on a global map. Lagu has scaled new heights not just figuratively in business but also in reality as a passionate mountaineer. Priyanka Desai meets with him to know more about his business, family and love for mountains. %% With 78 years of rich unparalleled traditional experience in designing real pearls and diamond-studded jewellery, LaguBandhu is a name illustrated by wide variety, excellent quality and maximum reliability.What started as a family business a few decades ago has blossomed into a well-organized setup with its exclusive showrooms at Dadar, Thane, Dombivali, Pune, Goa and Oklahoma, U.S. Sitaram T. Lagu, a qualified mining engineer, spearheaded this illustrious business in 1936 with Mikimoto, a company of Japan involved in pearl trade. The business was initiated in Pune and since then there was no looking back. Today after being in business for more than 75 years, we got the opportunity to meet the man behind the brand who changed the face of the business from family run to highly organised and internationally acclaimed. That man is DilipLagu, Director of LaguBandhu. Talking about the roots of the business, Lagu shares, “My grandfather, Shri. SitaramLagu started the business in 1936 despite being a coal-mining engineer. He decided to change his line of career due to a chance meeting with the representative of Mikimoto, a company of Japan who had come to India for the promotion of cultured pearls. His decision to foray into the pearl business has changed the course for our entire family and we are grateful for it. During his initial days, his bother-in-law Shri. Ram Mama Soman supported him. Both of them did a lot of travelling within Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh for promotion of their new business and it was a lot of hard work.” %% Speaking about his foray in the business, he states, “I grew up in a home which was exactly opposite to our 120 sq. ft. showroom. After seeing my father and uncle working there for so many years, it was a natural choice for me to join the family business. As soon as I passed my SSC exam, I started handling minor outdoor duties and ran small errands. Then after, I gradually started learning various skills like stringing of pearls, shading and grading of pearls, gems, diamonds and so on.” Throwing light on his initial roles in business, he says, “ A more considerable involvement came in when I passed out as the first commerce graduate from our family in 1982. I was still more devoted to my hobby of mountaineering than the business. But, it was only after 1988 that I started shouldering bigger responsibilities. Since I was given the responsibility of maintaining accounts, I realised the importance of learning computers and we were one of the first jewellers from Dadar area to start maintaining books of accounts, etc. using a software.I was the first from the family to undergo a formal training in the form of Diploma in Gemology and Diamond Grading. Later I also acquired the certification as an international grader of diamonds from IGI.” %%

An inspiration, a muse or a mentor is something that each successful person owes his success too. And, why not? A person with inspiration is a person with aspirations. For Lagu too, there has been a guiding light in form of his uncle. Sharing more about him, Lagu articulates with a smile, “My uncle, Shrikant Lagu, also grew up looking at the business as his only career choice. Therefore he ensured of mastering the required skills. He was also a very good actor, public speaker and very good at maintaining relations with customers. He was a complete people’s person and he has inspired me in both spheres: life and business.” %% When asked to share more about his family, he sates, “My father, a civil engineer also joined the business of peals as the manpower needs of the business grew. We had only two staff members initially and family members handled most of the work, themselves. After my marriage, my wife Asavari, joined the business.She played a very big role as an advisor. Her rapport with our growing family of staff members has played a pivotal part in our expansion and growth. It also helped me in understanding and resolving their issues, which in turn motivated them to perform better. After a few years, my father’s younger brother and my uncle,Prakash, also an engineer, decided to take voluntary retirement form his job and he and his wife Anjali re-kindled our branch in Pune in 1994.That branch had become extinct in the year 1980 but they reflourished it. Their son, Sarang and his wife Neha are also instrumental in the growth of our business in Pune. My elder son, Parag, a software engineer and pursuing MBA (GMB) from S P Jain institute of Management, has joined the business as a member of the fourth generation. My younger son, Kunal, appearing for his final exam to be a chartered accountant, will be joining the business next year.” %% When quizzed about the changing point of Lagu Bandhu. He takes us down the memory lane and expresses, “Our real expansion came after 1996 when I took decision to move our home and devote all available area for a bigger showroom. I also decided to shift our focus from pearls to diamonds in 1997. This step proved to be a big one as it received an immense boost due to the fact that De Beers started promoting diamonds to the masses in India at around the same time.I also started advertising, which we had not done in the first 60 years of our trade. All these steps proved to be a page turning event for us.” %% Though Lagu has a big family and most of them are involved in the business, it is no easy feat to have branches all over the country and one in a foreign land. That surely must have needed large manpower and human resources. Concurring to this, he further explains, “I acquired an independent back office and also realised that further expansion can happen only by hiring professional staff, looking for new locations and complete automation of business. After taking these necessary steps, new branches started coming up since 2003.” Professing his love for the jewellery trade, he states, “The best thing about jewellery business is that everyone who is associated with it feels like a royalty. The stock-in-trade will never become worthless. As far as India and Indians are concerned – affection for gold and jewelry will never die no matter what regulations the Government may think of applying. On the other hand, despite being a high-value product, in fighting and under-cutting has caused to make gold just another commodity. We, as members of GJF (All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation) are making efforts to change this. We are trying to uplift the image of jewellers from being looked at as cheats to honourable businessmen.Besides this we are also liasoning with the Government to discourage it from enacting laws which may hamper the growth and dignity of the industry.” %%

After a detailed chat about the business and all things glittering, we tried to unearth Lagu’s personal and relaxed side. We had heard about his love for mountains but our further conversation cemented the fact he is truly in love with the mountains. When asked what is the one thing he misses due to his busy schedule, he earnestly shares, “I miss having more time to scale new mountains. I wish I could put the business on auto-pilot and pursuemy hobby of mountaineering and indulge more in social work.”Lagu is complete outdoor man and apart from mountaineering he also likes running as a part of his fitness regime. He has been running in the Standard Chartered Half Marathon for the past seven years. %% When asked for his favourite holiday destination, we had already known the obvious answer due to his inclination to mountains. “Himalayas or any other mountain is my favourite holiday destination. Also places like Europe, Australia, South Africa are on the wish list. Generally, I try to go for a fortnight holiday in a year. These are mostly trekking trips or a foreign country. I also take smaller breaks in between but with no specific location as a choice,” he quips. %% Speaking about his favourite dishes and cuisines, he articulates, “The Maharashtrian cuisine is the best according to me, though I like to try other cuisines.I prefer a lot of home made sweets like puranpoli, besanladoo, etc. Also savoury foods such as sabudanakhichadi and chivda cooked by my wife, Asavari are my favourites.” %% Talking about his future plans as an individual and not as an entrepreneur, he says, “I will try and do some social work for the jewellery industry and trekking fraternity in Maharashtra and may be some rural areas.” %% While wrapping up the conversation, he shares, “We are on an expansion path but not an aggressive one. I feel that I have done my bit and now it is time for our next generation to contribute. I must leave some scope for them to achieve something for the company.” %%

Soft-spoken, highly cultured, a man with a vision, are just some of the words that best describe DilipLagu of LaguBandhu. While growing up in a family surrounded by pearls and jewellery, Lagu learned the tricks of trade at a young age. This facilitated him to bring about an evolution of his family business, that is now has made a mark on a global map. Lagu has scaled new heights not just figuratively in business but also in reality as a passionate mountaineer. Priyanka Desai meets with him to know more about his business, family and love for mountains. %% With 78 years of rich unparalleled traditional experience in designing real pearls and diamond-studded jewellery, LaguBandhu is a name illustrated by wide variety, excellent quality and maximum reliability.What started as a family business a few decades ago has blossomed into a well-organized setup with its exclusive showrooms at Dadar, Thane, Dombivali, Pune, Goa and Oklahoma, U.S. Sitaram T. Lagu, a qualified mining engineer, spearheaded this illustrious business in 1936 with Mikimoto, a company of Japan involved in pearl trade. The business was initiated in Pune and since then there was no looking back. Today after being in business for more than 75 years, we got the opportunity to meet the man behind the brand who changed the face of the business from family run to highly organised and internationally acclaimed. That man is DilipLagu, Director of LaguBandhu. Talking about the roots of the business, Lagu shares, “My grandfather, Shri. SitaramLagu started the business in 1936 despite being a coal-mining engineer. He decided to change his line of career due to a chance meeting with the representative of Mikimoto, a company of Japan who had come to India for the promotion of cultured pearls. His decision to foray into the pearl business has changed the course for our entire family and we are grateful for it. During his initial days, his bother-in-law Shri. Ram Mama Soman supported him. Both of them did a lot of travelling within Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh for promotion of their new business and it was a lot of hard work.” %% Speaking about his foray in the business, he states, “I grew up in a home which was exactly opposite to our 120 sq. ft. showroom. After seeing my father and uncle working there for so many years, it was a natural choice for me to join the family business. As soon as I passed my SSC exam, I started handling minor outdoor duties and ran small errands. Then after, I gradually started learning various skills like stringing of pearls, shading and grading of pearls, gems, diamonds and so on.” Throwing light on his initial roles in business, he says, “ A more considerable involvement came in when I passed out as the first commerce graduate from our family in 1982. I was still more devoted to my hobby of mountaineering than the business. But, it was only after 1988 that I started shouldering bigger responsibilities. Since I was given the responsibility of maintaining accounts, I realised the importance of learning computers and we were one of the first jewellers from Dadar area to start maintaining books of accounts, etc. using a software.I was the first from the family to undergo a formal training in the form of Diploma in Gemology and Diamond Grading. Later I also acquired the certification as an international grader of diamonds from IGI.” %%

An inspiration, a muse or a mentor is something that each successful person owes his success too. And, why not? A person with inspiration is a person with aspirations. For Lagu too, there has been a guiding light in form of his uncle. Sharing more about him, Lagu articulates with a smile, “My uncle, Shrikant Lagu, also grew up looking at the business as his only career choice. Therefore he ensured of mastering the required skills. He was also a very good actor, public speaker and very good at maintaining relations with customers. He was a complete people’s person and he has inspired me in both spheres: life and business.” %% When asked to share more about his family, he sates, “My father, a civil engineer also joined the business of peals as the manpower needs of the business grew. We had only two staff members initially and family members handled most of the work, themselves. After my marriage, my wife Asavari, joined the business.She played a very big role as an advisor. Her rapport with our growing family of staff members has played a pivotal part in our expansion and growth. It also helped me in understanding and resolving their issues, which in turn motivated them to perform better. After a few years, my father’s younger brother and my uncle,Prakash, also an engineer, decided to take voluntary retirement form his job and he and his wife Anjali re-kindled our branch in Pune in 1994.That branch had become extinct in the year 1980 but they reflourished it. Their son, Sarang and his wife Neha are also instrumental in the growth of our business in Pune. My elder son, Parag, a software engineer and pursuing MBA (GMB) from S P Jain institute of Management, has joined the business as a member of the fourth generation. My younger son, Kunal, appearing for his final exam to be a chartered accountant, will be joining the business next year.” %% When quizzed about the changing point of Lagu Bandhu. He takes us down the memory lane and expresses, “Our real expansion came after 1996 when I took decision to move our home and devote all available area for a bigger showroom. I also decided to shift our focus from pearls to diamonds in 1997. This step proved to be a big one as it received an immense boost due to the fact that De Beers started promoting diamonds to the masses in India at around the same time.I also started advertising, which we had not done in the first 60 years of our trade. All these steps proved to be a page turning event for us.” %% Though Lagu has a big family and most of them are involved in the business, it is no easy feat to have branches all over the country and one in a foreign land. That surely must have needed large manpower and human resources. Concurring to this, he further explains, “I acquired an independent back office and also realised that further expansion can happen only by hiring professional staff, looking for new locations and complete automation of business. After taking these necessary steps, new branches started coming up since 2003.” Professing his love for the jewellery trade, he states, “The best thing about jewellery business is that everyone who is associated with it feels like a royalty. The stock-in-trade will never become worthless. As far as India and Indians are concerned – affection for gold and jewelry will never die no matter what regulations the Government may think of applying. On the other hand, despite being a high-value product, in fighting and under-cutting has caused to make gold just another commodity. We, as members of GJF (All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation) are making efforts to change this. We are trying to uplift the image of jewellers from being looked at as cheats to honourable businessmen.Besides this we are also liasoning with the Government to discourage it from enacting laws which may hamper the growth and dignity of the industry.” %%

After a detailed chat about the business and all things glittering, we tried to unearth Lagu’s personal and relaxed side. We had heard about his love for mountains but our further conversation cemented the fact he is truly in love with the mountains. When asked what is the one thing he misses due to his busy schedule, he earnestly shares, “I miss having more time to scale new mountains. I wish I could put the business on auto-pilot and pursuemy hobby of mountaineering and indulge more in social work.”Lagu is complete outdoor man and apart from mountaineering he also likes running as a part of his fitness regime. He has been running in the Standard Chartered Half Marathon for the past seven years. %% When asked for his favourite holiday destination, we had already known the obvious answer due to his inclination to mountains. “Himalayas or any other mountain is my favourite holiday destination. Also places like Europe, Australia, South Africa are on the wish list. Generally, I try to go for a fortnight holiday in a year. These are mostly trekking trips or a foreign country. I also take smaller breaks in between but with no specific location as a choice,” he quips. %% Speaking about his favourite dishes and cuisines, he articulates, “The Maharashtrian cuisine is the best according to me, though I like to try other cuisines.I prefer a lot of home made sweets like puranpoli, besanladoo, etc. Also savoury foods such as sabudanakhichadi and chivda cooked by my wife, Asavari are my favourites.” %% Talking about his future plans as an individual and not as an entrepreneur, he says, “I will try and do some social work for the jewellery industry and trekking fraternity in Maharashtra and may be some rural areas.” %% While wrapping up the conversation, he shares, “We are on an expansion path but not an aggressive one. I feel that I have done my bit and now it is time for our next generation to contribute. I must leave some scope for them to achieve something for the company.” %%