It started with our illustrious founder
We couldn't have asked for
someone sounder.
Though just a lawyer by profession,
Invention was an obsession.
His first case was in Zanzibar
And though he proved to be a star,
The fact that he was forced to lie
Then made him feel he could not ply
This dubious practice any more,
As honesty was at his core.
Now Mahatma Gandhi was a friend.
And self rule then, the future trend.
Ardeshir once just pointed out
That he had a serious doubt
That deep economic dependence
Might well preclude our independence.
A point the Mahatma conceded
But then he promptly proceeded
To turn the tables on his friend
And asked him to work to that end.
And so he set up his venture
Which proved to be quite an adventure.
Ardeshir's focus was invention
His single-minded intention
Was proving that he could do it.
He could succeed and he knew it.
For Indian goods could be the best
Surpass the British by every test.
He scorned the thought of protection.
And chose to prevail by perfection.
And that he knew he could achieve.
His customers could all perceive
His products were the very best
And constantly put to the test.
To greater heights he would aspire
His safes survived ordeal by fire.
Once in the harbour a ship exploded
The outer walls of safes eroded,
But the inner contents were all intact.
And even when thieves attacked
They could barely pit and dent,
Sometimes, the plates were slightly bent.
But the safes would never break
And the thieves could never take
Any goods his safes secured.
For years and years his fame endured.
There was no limit to his scope.
He worked as hard in tackling soap.
For many years he tried his hand
Until he could well understand
The ins and outs of making soap.
To vegetarians he gave new hope.
The other makers were all callow
And made their soaps from lard and tallow.
But thanks to his determined toil
Fine soap could now be made from oil.
Ardeshir was a butterfly
And each new flower he would try,
While flitting there deeply drink.
But then he would always think
It's time to try another flower.
And yes, he had the wondrous power
To range quite far and still excel.
By now I'm sure that you can tell
That Ardeshir could fly and soar,
But often found it quite a bore
To build a home that would last.
For that role he was not cast.
Ardeshir was an inventor-seer
Quite confident, free from fear.
Pirojsha was the one who built
An institution that would not tilt,
Standing straight and standing tall
Answering a higher call.
Both brothers helped build the nation
On the back of innovation.
All this transpired long ago
At first the growth was rather slow
But the group still succeeded
In bringing products that were needed.
My brother joined in '63
And from that point one could see
The influence of MBAs.
The advent of advent of professional ways.
The economy gave us little scope
With the license Raj there was no hope.
The growth was slow but rather steady
And in on one sense we were ready
For the coming liberation.
This was a time of preparation.
Now consumer goods were less protected
We weren't so badly affected
When competition levels rose.
For we had enjoyed a healthy dose
Of competition with Unilever
Which made us a firm believer
In fighting costs to compete.
Yet could we bear the increased heat?
To hedge our bets we formed JVs
But not the kind that lasts till death
We learnt a lot and held our breath.
And as our partners went their way
We bought them out, again held sway.
The portfolio looks diversified
But much of what we have tried
Was something that we slipped into.
For animal feed this proved quite true
For compound feed there seemed no need.
Then Buhler sought out L & T
Together they had tried to see,
If any market might exist.
There were no takers on their list.
Thus forced to make a clean swipe
They were then left with a prototype.
A discount customer was sought
And Godrej were the ones who bought.
Serendipity and not a vision
Helped us start the feed division.
My father hated LAB.
Even then he could clearly see
The need for products truly green.
And so we made natural AO
The concept, though, was a no go
But Fatty Alcohol came in our fold
And in due time proved to be gold.
Import duties then were high.
And palm oil duty scraped the sky.
We quickly seized the opportunity
Of introducing the Oil Palm tree.
And at that time the DBT
Served as the nodal agency
And Godrej was the biggest player
Then everyone was a nay-sayer.
But with the commodity boom
The business has begun to zoom.
Quite clearly I must now state
Our move into Real Estate
Was a conscious decision.
Arising from a clear vision
That the Godrej brand could provide
A cure for the shortcomings decried
By all and quite rightly so.
As a result we could quickly grow
And will surely continue to do so
If we persist with what we know
Is right and maintain the trust
Of customers through boom and bust.
Thus many engines will help fire
The growth to which we now aspire
