A big price tag can't buy you luxury: Dilip Rasiklal Doshi

Dilip Doshi Head Mont Blanc IndiaIt all started in living rooms verandahs and innumerable gullies mdash where kids hit a six by breaking a window a four by hitting a parked car and used wooden sticks for stumps Dilip Rasiklal Doshirsquos journey began as a naughty brat who was often punished out of the class ldquoThat suited merdquo says Doshi who went on to represent India in Test cricket in the rsquo70s and rsquo80s At 67 today he wears many hats Doshi is the India head of Mont Blanc and country chief of Globetrotter a luggage brandDilip Doshi at the Mont Blanc store at Taj Mahal Palace Hotel Colaba PicsShadab KhanMaking it to the Indian teamAs a child Doshi was allergic to Algebra Geometry and the Sciences and more drawn towards the languages History and Geography Born in Rajkot most of Doshirsquos formative years were spent in Calcutta where he studied Commerce at Calcutta College and represented the university in cricket ldquoMy brother Naren who is a year younger to me was my partner We played togetherrdquo says the former cricketerIn 1994 Dilip Doshi founded Entrack India which became the sole distributor of many foreign brands in India including Mont BlancAnd when the time came to choose between studying law and pursuing cricket professionally ldquoThe decision was clearrdquo says Doshi who joined the Indian team at the age of 32 Recalling the moment he adds ldquoIt was a huge relief and a fantastic feelingrdquo Doshi soon became close buddies with the then captain Sunil Gavaskar Dilip Vengsarkar Bishan Singh Bedi and Shivlal Yadav ldquoThose days things were different We had more time for each other Today the worklife balance has changedrdquo says Doshi who watches the Indian Premier League matches whenever he is free but doesnrsquot necessarily change his schedule to make time for themTaste of luxuryWith a natural knack for business in 1994 Doshi founded Entrack India which became the sole distributor of many foreign brands in India including Mont Blanc Luxury is a misleading word says the sexagenarian ldquoTo me luxury means an extremely wellmade product which has a longlasting value traditional heritage and is userfriendly Luxury is not about being fashionable or footing an expensive bill For me sipping a wellmade tea is luxuryrdquo he says Rather than a boss he calls himself the leader of his team ldquoI believe in giving a lot of freedom to my colleagues They should be entrepreneurs in their own right But I cannot tolerate lethargy and lack of purposerdquo says the Rolling Stones fan who usually clubs his penchant for travel and incurable passion for the English rock band by attending their gigs all over the globe in his free time He was recently in Macau and Tokyo to attend their concerts It is a known fact that he is a close friend of Mick JaggerFitness freakThe selfproclaimed fitness freak who does yoga four to five times a week takes a brisk walk for 40 minutes every day also turned vegan recentlyIt was his inquisitive nature to know the food he consumes that led to the inception of Organic Haus which sourced its items from Germany ldquoIt was my dream But currently I have put it on the backburner The Organic haus stores are closed but there will soon be presence of the concept in different formats at the right time We were five to seven years too early in the marketrdquo says Doshi who believes that the importance of foods without any additives produced with a lot of care is picking up slowly now ldquoOrganic food requires a different kind of mindset It requires acceptance of a new way of life toordquo the recentlyturned vegan says thoughtfullyLife and timesDoshi who has lived in Rajkot Calcutta and London presently resides at Altamount Road in Mumbai ldquoOne has to adjust to whichever place one finds himself atrdquo says Doshi who loves the Marine Drive in the city ldquoWe are a closeknit family and I love spending time with my two adorable grandchildren mdash Arjun is five and Ambika is three This generation is full of energy and far more alert than the previous one The only thing that upsets me is that children are often burdened as they carry such heavy bagpacks on their back ldquoIt spoils their posture We were allowed to do what we wanted but today the stress on academics is way too muchrdquo says the selfconfessed family manWith professionals half his age turning victims of exhaustion and fatigue where does he find the energy to juggle more than one role ldquoI work on priority I have an interest in life in the surroundings and in fellow human beings It is an essential way of life The modern generation tends to overlook this aspect Thanks to their overindulgence in electronics they seem to be losing the art of conversation day by dayrdquo Doshi concludes