Section 36
Savji Dholakia
Hari Krishna Exports · Dudhala, Amreli district, Gujarat
- ₹6,000 crore
- Annual turnover · 2022
- About 5,500
- Employees · 2022
The story
Savji Dholakia comes from Dudhala village in Amreli district, Gujarat. He dropped out of school at 13. In 1977 he took a state transport bus to Surat with just ₹12.5 in his pocket, enough for the ticket.
In Surat he worked in his uncle's diamond business. For about ten years he did hard diamond-polishing work and learned the trade from the bench up.
In 1992 he founded his own company, Hari Krishna Exports. By 2014 its turnover was ₹400 crore. It went on to export polished diamonds to more than 50 countries and built the Kisna jewellery brand. In 2022 he received the Padma Shri, and the Free Press Journal reported that the company had about 5,500 employees and an annual turnover of ₹6,000 crore.
Timeline
- 1977Arrives in Surat with ₹12.5; joins his uncle's diamond business.
- 1992Founds his own diamond company.
- 2014Company turnover reaches ₹400 crore.
- 2022Receives the Padma Shri.