CHENNAI: 1968 — a year that changed the chapters of history for the United States. With the burgeoning Vietnam War and Civil Rights movement, the country was going through a sweep of socio-political upheaval. In another part of the world, one man was working on setting up a technological groundbreaking device in Chennai. It was the year when a thin-built 26-year-old Ramnik R Shah introduced the city to its first photocopying machine that would deliver a photocopy within two hours. Today, he is the founder of Focus Art Gallery, one of the largest art galleries in India.
Ahead of his times
Born in Ahmedabad, Ramnik and his family moved to Chennai in 1947 when he was five years old. His father set up a cycle shop in Triplicane. Fascinated by his father’s shop, Ramnik never wanted to study. Soon after he finished his third form — equivalent to class five today — he quit school and joined his father to help him with sales.
“When I was around 15 years old, my dad gifted me an AGFA camera, which then cost `40. I wanted to do something related to photos some day. By 1965, I was looking to start my own business and a friend suggested that I set up a photocopying company,” recalls Ramnik.
Back then, only two companies in Chennai were in the photocopying business — GK Vale and Klein & Peyeral — and it took four hours to deliver a photostat. The machine consisted of a large camera that photographed documents or papers and exposed an image directly onto rolls of sensitised photographic paper, resulting in a negative. They would then wash the negative and deliver photocopy within four days.
“Though Vale and Klein were masters in the business, they never tried to upgrade their technology. So they used to wash the negatives and leave it to dry for days. Instead of waiting for the negative to dry, I did a simple innovation. I used a blotting paper and a heater. As a result, I could deliver the photocopy in two hours. Also, while they charged `8, I only charged `4. My first shop at Parrys Corner established in 1968, was ‘Photostat Services’ and my target customers were all advocates. Not many people needed photocopies back then,” he reminisces.
No compromises
After about four years, other companies upgraded their technology, but by then Ramnik had made his mark in the city and was trying to spread his wings in the industry.He opened a branch on Mount Road in 1974. In addition to photostat services, Ramnik also opened a photo studio on the premises. “Exactly a year later, there was a major fire at the LIC building and all their documents were destroyed. They asked for quotations from different companies to restore the files. Though the market price of a photocopy was `1 for a copy, back then, companies quoted as low as 60 paise and I quoted 80 paise. Everybody gave samples, except me. When the LIC officials asked me the reason, I said I cannot share some other company’s document as a sample as it would be a breach of their privacy and that if they want a sample, they could share their document and I will photocopy that. I got the contact and it took us three and a half years to restore all the documents,” he says.
Xerox arrives
By 1981, Xerox machines came to Chennai and photostat machines vanished. In 1984, Ramnik opened another branch at Kodambakkam and this time, he called it, ‘Focus’ and he also began framing photographs. “Again, I cashed in on time. Back then, it used to take ten days to frame a picture and I gave it in one day. Only because there weren’t many people in the industry, photo frame companies used to delay the frames and I broke the chain,” he shares.On Kodambakkam bridge, which was then not even 20 years old stood a huge hoarding that read ‘In the time of instant coffee, why not have instant photoframes? - Focus’.
Focus & family
In 1999, he closed all the other shops and moved to TTK Road and named the store Focus Art Gallery. Two years back, he shifted the gallery to Egmore.At 76, Ramnik is fit as a fiddle and actively networks with clients, galleries and artists. Eighteen members of his family, including his son Mayur are involved in the business now.“Though my father was from a completely different trade, I learned a lot from him. The most important lesson being to never lose the client’s confidence. When orders were huge, our wives helped us. Though it is common now, it was not then. It was the thought that money can be earned anytime, but not time, that brought me here,” he shares.