Courier, Company And Strife


Narendra Modi and VHP founding member K. Ka. Shastri
According to Rambhai, 64, "He was working as a travel agent in Porbandar in the 1980s. At that time, it was mainly the currency of the Angadiya system."
"Rambhai was associated with one such firm, but that generation fell apart. That's when he came up with the idea of starting a courier company."
The main occupation of the Angadiya firms was to smuggle gold and silver jewelery or cash. Large number of NRIs in Porbandar (Non-Resident Indian), Rambhai focused on a courier company for handling documents.
In 1985, 'Shri Maruti' (a name revered by Hindus for Hindus) was born as a courier firm, delivering to major cities in Saurashtra.
In 1987, the firm took the form of a private company and spread its wings to Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka and other states besides other cities in Gujarat.
Apart from this, Harshad Mehta's boom in the stock market during 1991-92 also played an important role in the development of the new courier company.
According to Rambhai, "At that time there was a huge craze in the stock market among the people. If you go to buy vegetables, there is a market where farms are sold. At that time, our business was very successful."
At one time partners or employees are now competing in the business in 'different forms of Maruti', about which Rambhai says:
"When the time comes, siblings or fathers and sons also separate. So it is normal for two partners to separate. No one wants to comment except this."
"Maruti's courier model has been very successful. Most of the Gujarat-based regional courier companies we see today are based in Porbandar," Porbandar journalist Jitesh Chauhan told the BBC.
"They belong to the Aboti Brahmin community of Porbandar. They were once associated with Rambhai Mokria."