Gold rush

Jaya Patel helped change Vama from a sari shop to Mumbai's premier fashion house. Before you make the same mistake that nearly everyone e...

Jaya Patel helped change Vama from a sari shop to Mumbai8217;s premier fashion house.

Before you make the same mistake that nearly everyone else does, Ramchand Popley does not own Popley and Sons. So it was not his son who had that mile-high wedding in an aeroplane, over two years ago. That was his brother Laxmandas whose second son is, incidentally, getting married in a submarine.What Ramchand Popley is famous for is the fact that he left India at the height of his career.

In the seventies, he was the highest exporter of jewellery from India. Despite his success, Ramchand was viewed with suspicion. He had received a large order from the ruling sheikh family in Dubai worth Rs 35 lakh. When the order reached customs, they insisted that the gold was not real. quot;I told them, that if I was found guilty, they could slap a case against me,quot; says Ramchand. Which they could not. After breaking the jewellery they found that the gold was real. But Ramchand was so disgusted by this that he moved to Dubai in 1984, with wife, two daughters and sons.

And now it is his family that brings him back to Mumbai. Ramchand8217;s younger son, 19-year-old Suraj, did not want to live in Dubai. And being a doting father, Ramchand opened Popley Gold Plaza for him. This white stone and marble multi-storey jewellery shop is paved with gold. It even has two levels for parking and a staff of over 100 people.

It took three-and-half years to build, and cost him Rs 16 crore. quot;I am not expecting to make pots of money. I know that I will be giving jobs to others and building a good reputation. That8217;s enough,quot; he says.

But Suraj has other plans. Though young, he is eager to prove to his father that he can be a success too. He has just returned from the jewellery design course in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, and is bursting with optimism. He says, quot;I am going to work very hard to make this a success. I am not going to take any break for at least three months, and then I will take just one day off when the shop is closed.quot; Despite his good intentions one cannot help but think he is just another rich kid with daddy footing the bill.

But his father has no such doubts. quot;I started working when I was only nine years old in Zaveri Bazaar for my father. This gave me the knowledge and experience to know what to design. The trick is to know what people want,quot; he says. He is sure Suraj also has his finger on the pulse of the market.Ramchand has two shops in Dubai8217;s world famous Gold Souk as well.

His store Al Anwaar is the largest in the gold market. Ramchand will still be running his stores in Dubai and insists on remaining an NRI. Being dubbed a non-required Indian8217; does not worry him. quot;I will stay here 170 days a year. It is much more peaceful there,quot; he says. And helping him out over there is his elder son, Raj.

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The Gold Plaza will be left in the hands of Suraj. The store was inaugurated on May 1 this year, by Balasaheb Thackeray and Manohar Joshi, so it is still too early to know if it will be a success.

The store has jewellery across a broad price range and they will also design made-to-order jewellery. quot;Bring any design, and we will be able to do it,quot; he says. Though majority of the jewellery is made in India, there is also some plain gold imported jewellery. They also have a money-back guarantee. quot;You can return a piece any time and we will give you back the full worth of the gold,quot; says Ramchand. All that remains to be seen is whether young Suraj can take all this responsibility on his shoulders.