Is Kolkata the heartland for Jatia Business House?

On the personal front, my family has been in Kolkata for more than a century now. Although our roots are from Rajasthan, on a lighter note, we have become more Bengali than Marwari because we have been staying in this city for so long.

Business wise, French Motor Car Co. Ltd. incorporated way back in the year 1905, is spread over West Bengal and Assam with its headquarters in Kolkata. We diversified into the Healthcare Industry about a decade ago by launching a Diagnostic Centre in Kolkata. We further ventured into the Hospitality Industry in the year 2011 by bringing to Kolkata one of the finest Boutique Hotels in the heart of the City, which goes by the name ‘Hotel Casa Fortuna’. Hence, yes Kolkata is definitely our heartland both in terms of personal as well as business perspective.

 
You have business ties with one of the biggest Indian conglomerate, Tata. Has things changed between the two? Where do you stand today, in terms of business associate?  

The relation we share with Tata Motors is like wine. The way wine tastes better with age, our association with Tata Motors continues to strengthen with every passing year. French Motor Car was amongst the first few dealers of Tata Motors in the country. We got associated with them in  1954 and I am the fourth generation from my family taking up the reigns of this business.

 
Are you looking forward to adding more companies in your list?

As Wilhelm Weitling says, "Progress is the law of nature. The duty of each of us is to promote the progress and prevent stagnation." Being a strong believer of this philosophy, our group has incorporated a new Company ‘Medicraft Technologies Pvt. Ltd.’ which will be venturing into the E-Healthcare Space very soon.

 
You are so young and up and running in a competitive world. Where do you draw your inspiration?

I began my journey as an entrepreneur very young. I still remember the day when I completed my ICSE Examination from La Martiniere for Boys, and my father who has been my mentor; guide, teacher and role model told me I had to join the business after a week. I was just 16 back then and that day was the happiest day of my life because my dream and aspiration of becoming an entrepreneur was going to come true. I would undergo training after my school hours everyday for 3 to 4 hours. Being a student of B.Com Honors in the morning batch of St Xavier’s College, which would get over at 9:50 am, I had the whole day to pursue my dream. It was that foundation which is helping me today in my day-to-day affairs. In a nutshell, the way I look at it, if one is passionate about what one is doing and enjoys doing it, he is bound to give his 100% and excel in it.

Everyday is a new day with different challenges. It might sound a little clichéd but I believe that every challenge has a hidden opportunity. The opportunity could result in personal growth, growth of your business and even growth and betterment of the nation at large.

With Casa Kitchen doing well for you guys, do you plan to open another restaurant in the City of Joy?

Casa Kitchen is a pioneer in Kolkata in infusing Fine Dining in a Pure Vegetarian Restaurant format. We already have robust expansion plans in place and would definitely be interested in opening multiple restaurants in future.

Bengal doesn't really have a lot going in terms of industry, let alone start-up. Do you plan to break that trend with your latest initiative?

Our aim and main focus area with ‘Qyura’ is to do good to the society by digitally organising the Healthcare Industry which falls in the essential need category in our day-to-day lives. Making and breaking and focusing on such trends is not our aim. We believe in doing our best and leaving the rest. At the same time, we are very confident that we will get full support and cooperation from the governments of whichever states we roll out ‘Qyura’ in, because its going to benefit the citizens at large.

From dealing in commercial vehicles to making a name in the hospitality sector, your company has come a long way. What's next in store for you?

We are diversifying our activities into the E-Business sphere by launching India’s one-of-its-kind 360-degree Market Aggregator for the Healthcare Industry. Our platform which will be available in form of a Mobile Application and Website which will act as a Discovery Platform and Opinion Generating Medium for the users at large who seek various Healthcare Services. We call ourselves ‘Qyura’ which is an adaptation of a Spanish word pronounced as ‘Cura’ meaning cure. The essence and philosophy of our business is defined in our tag-line which reads ‘We Dare to Care’. Once the product is launched, the tag line will become self-explanatory. We aim to educate our users, enabling them to take more informed decisions and at the same time,evolve as a Platform, which enhances Revenues, Operational Efficiency and reduces Expenditure for the Health Services Providers who on-board themselves with ‘Qyura’.

What do you make of the e-commerce market in India? How stable and reliable is it?

E Commerce without an iota of doubt is the present and the future of business at a global scale. India having the second highest population in the world is obviously one of the biggest market places to invest in. With the current generation growing up, the percentage of people who are tech-savvy and owning smart phones and tablets has multiplied manifolds. In the age where Technology is gaining importance and idle time of a person reducing, convenience platforms or E-Platforms are bound to gain importance.

E Commerce in India has already come a long way but has a long way to go. The E-Commerce platforms, which were able to understand the essence of the problem they are solving, are very stable and reliable. That is the reason in spite of thousands of different applications and websites being launched daily, only a handful are able to create an impact and sustain.

With E-healthcare still at its infancy in India, how do you plan to tackle/address the existing cynicism regarding the same? (People still don't trust what they cannot touch, in India at least)

As I had mentioned in one of the questions above, that every challenge has a hidden opportunity. This is the challenge we saw which is being converted into an opportunity. E Healthcare being in the infancy stage has given us the opportunity to create a platform to bridge the gap. Our motto ‘We Dare to Care’ defines the way we approach the problem. You will note the simplicity of the User Interface once the Application and Website is launched. We have made sure to avoid using technical Healthcare jargon to make a user feel comfortable.

Secondly, in ‘Qyura’ we are not selling a product but an experience. I also feel at times, we really underestimate ourselves. The country which has been able to accept platforms such as Flipkart and Amazon where you ‘Cannot touch’ what you are buying; should not have a problem getting accustomed to a platform which improves your experience the next time you need medical help.


Who came up with this idea of Healthcare app and how did it come by?

I almost a year and a half ago conceptualized the idea. Being in the Healthcare industry, I could feel a vacuum, which was there between the Health Service Providers and Users. There were multiple platforms available which were connecting service providers to the end users, be it for transportation, food, lifestyle, FMCG Products, Electronics, Entertainment etc. However, there was no platform available for the Healthcare Industry, which was a one-stop solution for all of the consumer’s needs. That’s how ‘Qyura’ originated.

The brand's initial launch is at Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata. Why have you left out Delhi for the later stages?

We wanted to launch the product in 3 cities to start off with. Mumbai being the Medical Hub of the Country, Bangalore being the Technological Capital of the Country were taken up in the first phase along with Kolkata which has been the ‘Heartland’ of our Business House. We want to roll out ‘Qyura’ in Markets like Delhi-NCR, Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Chennai next. We also plan to venture into a couple of foreign markets very soon.