THE pair’s arrival from Dharmaj in Gujarat State would have found a large population of Colonial Sugar Refinery workers and labourers in the notoriously humid farming centre that was Ba.
It was the 1920s and though many of their fellow Indians had previously been coerced to Fiji for indentured labour, the brothers seemed undeterred at the treatment and years of ordeal endured by their countrymen in the cane plantations of a foreign land.
They arrived at the end of this contracted period. To a degree of relief for these sorrowful girmitiya, the colonial authorities had cancelled all their unexpired contracts. This signalled the end to a system the labourers had termed narak (hell), for the slavery enforced in what was thought to be an awaiting paradise when they left India.
European settlement in the Ba area began around 1870s, with the replacement of cotton planting by sugar witnessing the introduction of indentured labourers in 1879.
For the brothers, maybe a sense of adventure had prevailed after all, for despite the conspicuous circumstances that led to their venture from the Indian sub-continent, their trailblazing business acumen would leave a mark, close to a hundred years after landing in Fiji.
Early days
Records from the family confirm that their first foray into business was in an unassuming grocery store that serviced the rural community of Korovuto settlement, located 10km from the main town centre.
Publications from a former CSR settlement resident at this time, depict the order of classes that defined the segregation of this era.
As noted in Betty Freeman’s memoir, Fiji: Memory Hold the Door, the homes of European mechanics were located in close proximity to the Rarawai mill, while part-Europeans were billeted at villas in Newtown.
The long, low buildings of single rooms referred to as the “coolie lines” were occupied by CSR labourers — coloured or otherwise, and facilities were permitted for use of certain employees.
The social segregation at the CSR settlement was some distance away and the Patel brothers’ shop, known as DV Patel & Sons, did well.
Its establishment at the time would also have added to the already burgeoning fleet of other businesses in the community. These included a host of Chinese shops near the Vaileka creek and Pillay’s store, which amongst other items, retailed brassware next to the Nasadi railway line. Other fledging businesses in the vicinity included a grocery belonging to Sir Hugh Ragg, which would be replaced by a Morris Hedstrom. However, in spite of the success of this store, leading to the eventual opening of a second shop at Nabatolu, unforeseen circumstances led to its closure a few years later.
A change in direction
More than a decade since arriving from Gujarat, Raojibhai was ready for a change in direction, especially with the town’s broadening economic prospects.
“In the mid 1940s, Raojibhai left the business to seek other opportunities and later set up another company,” relates grandson Bhavesh Kumar Patel, who is now the company director.
Ba was only inaugurated as a town in 1935 and its commercial centre was stationed in two rows of buildings facing each other, with a railway track running down the middle to the Rarawai Mill, near the Ba River.
“He commenced working as a sales assistant for AN Patel & Sons in Ba, one of the pioneers of the hardware business in Fiji, and later in 1950, he was joined by his nephews Manubhai, Jayantibhai and Ramanbhai, the sons of Dahyabhai.”
A decade later in 1960, Raojibhai and Manubhai established a grocery and hardware business named RC Manubhai & Company along Ganga Singh St, Ba Town.
Afterwards, Ramanbhai and Chandrakant Patel also joined the business and this shop was eventually moved into the company’s new premises at the Ba market sub-division in 1969.
To date, and following a flourishing franchise, this address remains the company’s head office.
Forging into hardware
With the closure of the Korovuto store, Jayantibhai joined the family business at the market sub-division in town. Raojibhai’s son, Chandrakant, joined the business in 1962 and became the managing director and chief executive officer in 1968, after the passing away of his brother, Manubhai. Prosperity would consolidate their position in a town settled by the family almost 50 years earlier.
A spate of fires would bring disaster, and sadly the calamity wouldn’t be restricted to the Patel business, as for a while, infernos seemed almost periodic in Ba.
“In the early days the family was devastated by disastrous fires to the shop, followed by numerous hurricanes, cyclones and floods. However, despite all the adverse forces, the family focused on building a sustainable future.”
By the 80s, the family’s steely business prowess earned it a reputable spot in the hardware field, with a workforce of 150 people. By now, the demands of other rapidly growing industries also led to the family expanding its manufacturing scope to building materials, steel and foam.
“It was during this expansion that the organisation changed direction. The board decided to move out of the very competitive grocery business to concentrate on building a strong, vertically integrated hardware business to cater for the increasing demand from the growing construction, sugar milling, mining, engineering and utilities sector.”
This would eventually lead to the company further expanding its reach through branches in Suva, Valelevu, Nadi, Tavua and Rakiraki, Labasa and Lautoka.
As Bhavesh Patel relays, the vision of their ancestors has been retained, with operations continuing to be headquartered in the adopted home town of their forebears.
Diversification
As for Raojibhai Patel himself, while his vision to also diversify into other prospective businesses would reach fruition, it would not be in his lifetime.
“The company Manubhai Industries Ltd was formed and a factory was set up to manufacture polyurethane foam mattresses and related products. Unfortunately, he could not see the fruits of his dreams as he passed away in 1979, just before the completion of the project.”
Older brother Dahyabhai passed on earlier in 1958.
In 1989, a fatal car crash claimed the life of Chandrakant, who at the time had served as president of the Ba Chamber of Commerce for a decade. As noted in a tribute by the chamber, Chandrakant’s keen interest in community and educational affairs had him involved in the development of Tagore Memorial School and AD Patel High School, and he was also on the verge of completing three tennis courts when he met his untimely death.
The present
Today the business is overseen by the descendants and third-generation family members of Dahyabhai and Raojibhai Patel, including Dinesh Patel (managing director) and executive directors in Jitendra, Rajesh, Ashik and Hiten and Bhavesh.
Close to a hundred years since the arrival of their ancestors from India, their ventures continue to be managed by descendants, alongside those of other notable entrepreneur families.
Its board of directors is led by Dinesh Chandra Patel as managing director of RC Manubhai Industries Ltd, CRP Industries, Roofing and Profiles (Fiji) Ltd, Glass & Mirror (Fiji) Ltd and Ajax Spurway Fasteners Ltd.
Jitendra Kumar, who was appointed a director in the 1990s, is a board executive director and moved to Suva in 1993 to establish its branch operations in the capital. He has over 35 years of experience in sourcing and procurement fields and has been vice-president of the Suva Retailers Association.
Director Bhavesh Kumar Patel helped set up RC Manubhai’s flagship store in Suva and moved back to the Ba head office to oversee manufacturing and back office operation. He also holds several directorships in the group of companies.
Ashik Kumar Patel was appointed to the board in 1994 and according to his company profile, been a member of the American Chamber of Commerce and Suva Retailers Association. His directorship also extends to the company’s other companies.
Rajesh Kumar Patel’s directorship also extends to other company businesses and he has served the company for more than 20-years. A director for Blue Lagoon Cruises, he is also the current president of the Fiji Football Association.
Retired company directors include Ramanbhai Patel, Jayantibhai Patel and Kalpana Ben Patel.
