Learning life’s lessons the hard way
HYDERABAD: For a 23-year-old, born with a silver spoon and given the golden opportunity to pursue his graduation in the United States of America, it is not so easy to survive in a completely alien environment for a month with just ₹500 in the pocket.
But Hitarth Dholakia did it with great confidence. Seventh son of Surat-based billionaire Ghanshyam Dholakia, one of the founders of ₹6,000-crore Hare Krishna Diamond Exports, which has presence in 71 countries, Hitarth was asked to lead the life of a common man for one month, completely incognito, to understand the world, value of money and struggles of an unemployed youth.
On July 10, Hitarth landed in Hyderabad. “I was not aware that I was being sent to Hyderabad till I came to Mumbai airport. I had never been to this city and was not aware what language people speak and what food they eat. Yet, I took it up as a challenge,” Hitarth, a graduate in business administration from New York University, told the mediapersons on Friday, on the completion of his one month in exile.
His father told Hitarth not to disclose his identity to anybody, do whatever job he could to earn his livelihood and not to stick to the same job for more than a week.
“I had ₹500 in my pocket and no mobile phone. So, there is no way I could contact my friends or relatives, forget parents,” he said.
“I managed to get an accommodation in a dormitory on credit basis. The proprietor of the lodge understood my plight when I told him that I came from Gujarat in search of a job to support my parents who were into agriculture,” he said.
For the next four weeks, Hitarth did four jobs. “All the employers were good, though they had asked tough questions about my background before giving me jobs,” he said. Hitarth managed to earn ₹5,000 during this period. “I realised there is no better university than this kind of experience, which taught me several lessons,” he said.