પરિચય
આપ સર્વે નિ જેમ, મને પણ આપણી માતૃભાષા પ્રત્યે અત્યંત લાગણી છે. એટલોજ એનો શોખ છે. ક્યારેક એમ લાગે છે કે આપણી ભાષા નો ઉપયોગ ઘટતો જાય છે.
વેબ-વર્લ્ડ, ફેસબુક, બ્લોગ્ઝ, વગેરે દ્વારા આપણી ભાષા ને પ્રચલિત અને પ્રચારિત કરવાનો પ્રયત્ન કરી રહ્યો છુ. આપણે બધા મળી ને એક બીજા ના સહકાર થી કરીએ તો પ્રગતિ એટલી જલ્દી થશે.
આપણી ભાષા ને જીવતી રાખીએ. વડીલો ની ફરજ છે કે બાળકો ને આપણી સંસ્કૃતિ શીખવાડીએ, જેથી આપણા બાળકો એમના બાળકો ને વારસાગત આપી શકે.
Early Years in India:
I was attending the high school, Shri Vividhlakshi Vidyamandir, in Palanpur, during mid-1960 when diamond cutting was exploding. From the class of 140 graduating students, all but two of us joined the flourishing business. Because of inspiration from my mother Diwaliben Desai, I set out to get MBA degree. My mother was also instrumental in sending two of my elder sisters to attend higher education, and join the working women in late 1950’s. She was a forward thinker.
Migration to USA:
In 1969, my mother migrated to USA, and I moved to Vallabh Vidyanagar to attend Commerce College. Two years later, I migrated to USA to complete my studies. I graduated from Syracuse University in 1976 with MBA in finance and Economics.
From 1977 thru 1985 I worked for two different companies as Financial Analyst and Financial Planner in various capacities. My work involved five year corporate planning, profit forecasting, and financial modeling.
During this period, the computer technology was slowly coming in. I started a new project, to migrate our company from the manual accounting to an automated system. It was a 3 year long project.
During this period my brothers in India were asking me to consider starting the Diamond Business in USA. It has been our family business for decades. During my first visit to India in 1985, I decided to change my career. I stayed in India for six months to learn the business.
Shift in Career:
Upon returning to USA, I started the business as Magnificent Gems Inc., and since 1986, have continued the same business. I also have started a fine quality jewelry manufacturing for eastern European countries.
I started my business with an investment of $12000.00. That was our savings from jobs. My first shipment of diamonds was $25000.00. I started the business by going door to door. I visited jewelry manufacturers and showrooms. Further expansion was achieved by referrals.
Jewelry is a form of art. For manufacturing fine quality jewelry, I usually develop my designs by drawing on paper. My main focus is to come up with novel, unusual designs. Quality always continues to remain a central focus.
My motto in business is very simple. Business is a mutual effort. Both parties are helping each other. We need to listen to each other and take care of needs. As simple as it sounds, many get lost behind profit and short-term thinking. My approach is that of long lasting relationship, and trust. And it has worked for me.
I pay attention to all aspects and all stages of business. I have not limited myself at selling product. My approach involves understanding client needs and manufacturing process. It involves understanding and coaching workers. In a positive work environment, workers can produce jewelry that a consumer will fill proud to purchase and wear. Having this understanding makes it easy to serve my clients. I believe that no product should come back with dissatisfaction.
The passion for art:
During my high school years, I must have had a deep but silent interest in poetry, shastriya and sugam sangeet. Education in our school was much focused and influenced my passion.
My sangeet teacher, Vipinbhai Patel had profound impact that is still benefiting me. He would only sing Gujarati Sugam Sangeet. Songs he chose were always fine poems. In a silent way I must have liked them. During my 14 years of absence from India, those songs and words stayed with me.
Upon subsequent visits to India, from 1989 until today, I have been expanding my interest in poetry reading and writing. I have been teaching poetry writing to myself since it is difficult to find a teacher or teaching facility in USA. Facebook now has become instrumental in poetry writing, learning and sharing.
On a somewhat different topic, I noticed that some of our youth did not identify with our languages. I felt that I should make some effort to rid this evil. Poets at a Gujarati Convention-2008 in New Jersey, USA also highlighted this issue. That convention strengthened my resolve, and in 2009 I came to meet two key people in Amadavad to get some direction.
Poetry Collaboration:
In February 2010, I joined the Facebook revolution. Poetry was the purpose, but neither the approach nor the end goal was clear. I was fortunate enough to come across few young but enthusiastic writers, who I started collaborating with.
We ended up liking and loving each other. These are young men and women who are much better at poetry writing then I am. Having left India at the age of 18 and having lived abroad for 40 years has left a void in my knowledge of words, formal training of our languages, and religion. And that void makes writing poem very difficult.
My passion has led me to form a team મળેલા જીવ and poetry groups કાવ્યો-ગઝલો નું આદાન-પ્રદાન and ગુજરાતી+ કવિતાઓ અને સંગીત in Facebook. Purpose of my passion is to increase my knowledge, to share our thoughts, ideas and writings. We coach each other. We write “સમૂહ કાવ્યો”. We encourage new writers.
The Passion is certain, the future! Unknown.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/aadaanpradaan/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/sugam.geet/
https://www.facebook.com/malelajiv
