We will always remember the ‘Washing Powder Nirma’ commercial song, which included a female in a white gown spinning around. A lesson in success can be learned from Karsanbhai Patel, who began the Nirma company as a cottage industry and is currently ranked among the richest people in the world.
It is not hyperbole to state that Karzanbhai Patel defied the conventional wisdom that stated you had to pay the highest price for a high-quality product. Karzanbhai Patel’s Nirma laundry powder transformed the laundry business.
In the 1980s, Nirma gained a significant portion of the market; by 1985, it had surpassed Surf, a well-known commercial washing powder that is still in use today. This is because of the cleverness and diligence of the company’s owner, Karsan Bhai Patel, who popularized the brand Nirma with the song “Washing Powder Nirma” and introduced Nirma at a price of Rs 3.50 per kilogram as an alternative to Surf, which was sold for Rs 13 per kg. His efforts ensured that every home has Nirma laundry products, including washing powder.
The founder of Nirma, Karsanbhai Patel, has played a significant role in demonstrating that high-quality goods don’t have to be costly; instead, they can be provided at reasonable costs.
Nirma’s voyage began in a tiny chamber.
Former ‘chemist’ Karsanbhai Patel of the Gujarat government’s Mines and Geological Institute resigned to create a synthetic washing powder free of phosphates. He started off selling locally. He created it in his home’s tiny room at first. In Gujarat’s Rupur, his hometown, it did well on the sales front.
Nirupama is the daughter of Karsanbhai Patel. ‘Nirma’ became his business name after he changed that name. During his daily bike to the office, he sells ten to fifteen packages. In 1969, it was a cottage industry. Surf had left and taken up most of the Indian market by 1985. Large corporation Nirma began with door-to-door sales and later expanded to offer a variety of domestic laundry goods in different forms.
Karzanbhai Patel’s net worth as of right now is $4.1 billion, per Forbes. The ‘Washing Powder Nirma’ advertisement song and the dancing girl in a white gown will live on in the memories of the same ears that were treated to Ilayaraja’s divine melodies in the 1990s.
The History of Karzanbhai Patel A farming family welcomed Karsanbhai Patel into the world in Rupur, Gujarat, in 1945. At the age of 21, he earned his degree in chemistry. was employed by New Cotton Mills. He later joined the Department of Mining and Geology in Gujarat. Karsanbhai was having a very normal existence until 1969, when a significant turning moment occurred in his life.
As a student of chemistry, he conducted experiments using soda ash and various other compounds, ultimately producing a superior detergent powder. In a tiny room behind his home, he began producing washing powder.
When fate intervened in Karsanbhai Patel’s life, everything was going according to plan. His family was crushed when his adored daughter died in an automobile accident. Rather than face the pain of losing her, he attempted to resurrect her daughter in a different form.
Her daughter had been snatched by the colon, but her efforts and determination brought her back to life. Then Nirpama Nirma started to ring throughout India. He originally sold by riding his bicycle door to door. For only Rs. 3.50 per kg. Nirma cost one-third as much as comparable laundry powders and soaps that were available at the time.
Karzanbhai Patel caused a great deal of trouble for the international corporation Hindustan Lever’s company by using Nirma as a means of compensating for his daughter’s death and the irreversible loss of his affection. For Karzanbhai Patel, it goes beyond a simple item. Not stuff intended for profit. Like a daughter he loved very much.
His other daughter is named Nirma. In 1995, Karzanbhai gave Nirma a new identity. In Ahmedabad, Nirma founded a technological company. In 2003, Nirma University was established. We can infer the brand Nirma’s worth if the state government of Gujarat passed a new law in his favor.
An estimate from Forbes in 2004 put Nirma’s sales at about 8 lakh tonnes. Karzanbhai Patel, the 775th richest person in the world, began this production in his backyard. According to Forbes, he is the 39th richest person in India. Rakesh Patel and Hiran Bhai Patel, his sons, are currently in charge of the prosperous company.
Nirma purchased US-based Sears Valley Minerals in 2007. As a result, Nirma is now among the top 7 producers of soda ash. In addition, Nirma began producing cement in 2014. For $1.4 billion, it also purchased the French manufacturer of building supplies and cement, Lafarge, in 2016. Emami Cement was also purchased by Nirma in February 2020.
Karsanbhai Patel received the Padma Shri in 2010. It would be accurate to state that the entrepreneurial spirit of a Gujarati named Karsanbhai Patel runs in his family, given that the business began as a little operation behind the house in 1969, grew to compete with enormous international corporations like Hindustan Lever, and is still growing today.
For today’s Indian youth who aspire to work for the government or in international corporations, Karsanbhai Patel serves as an inspiration.
