From its humble beginnings in the bylanes of Calcutta way back in 1884, Dabur India Ltd has come a long way, becoming one of the biggest Indian-owned consumer goods companies. Started by Dr S K Burman and managed as a family-run business, the company has retained its quality and customer loyalty over the last 129 years of its existence. At the helm of affairs is Mohit Burman, son of Vivek and Monica Burman, who is the driving force behind the family’s forays into several high-growth and sunrise sectors. And all along the family has remained closely associated with Delhi.
“We moved to Delhi in the 70s from Calcutta. Delhi seemed more like a large village then, struggling to get a big city tag. Over the years, Delhi has gone through complete transformation. It is now a beautiful capital city stretching up to satellite towns like Noida and Gurgaon. Now, it is truly a world class metropolis with large avenues and flyovers. Not to forget the Metro that’s now dominating travel. Delhi’s world class restaurants and five-star hotels are the traveller’s paradise. However, one thing that has not changed is “Dilli Ka Dil”. It is just as magnanimous as ever, welcoming everybody that comes in. Since it is the capital, most travelers have to visit Delhi – whether it is tourists, politicians or businessmen. Delhi is a great city now,” says V C Burman, Chairman Emeritus, Dabur India Ltd.
His son Mohit, Director, Dabur India Ltd, agrees. “From a small town, Delhi has today transformed into a big metropolis and has made its mark on the world map. The vast improvement in the city’s infrastructure is the single biggest change that I can talk about. Delhi always had wide open roads as compared to the rest of the country, but the quality of infrastructure has just gone from good to better over the years. The citizens were always known to have a taste for good things and that remains unchanged,” he says.
Living in a tony South Delhi locality, the Burmans have seen the best and worst of the city. They say the city has unparallel marvels which are being transformed, perhaps not for the good. “There is a poor sense of traffic and driving among Delhiites that makes it difficult for people to enjoy these roads. There is also an ugly side to the city which is the growing rage and crime that we see and read about every day,” says Mohit.
The father and son team has transformed the FMCG sector with Dabur India Ltd now the fourth largest FMCG company in India with revenues of over Rs 5,300 crore and market capitalisation of Rs 20,000 crore. Talking about the company, V C Burman says, “In 1998, the Burman family handed over management of Dabur India Ltd to a professional CEO and limited their role to strategic inputs at the Board level. The decision was taken in response to the changing dynamics of business and to inculcate a spirit of corporate governance. The Burmans also do not draw salaries from Dabur India Ltd and it was a conscious decision to rather invest their personal wealth in business ventures outside Dabur and create mega entities or ventures in various sectors.” He adds that his son has played a pivotal role in expanding the Dabur group’s financial services business into Asset Management, Life Insurance and Pension by setting up joint venture with UK’s largest insurance company Aviva. “Under his stewardship, the Burman family recently established a joint venture with Espírito Santo Investment Bank to set up an investment banking company in India,” he says.
Talking about their corporate social responsibility, Burman senior also points at the responsibilities we have as citizens of the city.
“We must continue the regulation which restricts high-rises in Lutyens Delhi, we must preserve its beauty and take pride in it,” he says. Mohit adds, “Our city has a ‘never say die’ spirit and we must retain that to be able to succeed and become a more unified city.”
