At the Zenith

Solitary is a noble word. It implies a choice and imparts dignity. Raj Saraf, chairman and MD, Zenith Computers Ltd has tread the solitary path and today commands the Rs 300 crore IT company. Vyas Sivanand chats with him

There are always those who challenge myth. Often in those quarters, there is a willingness to tear off prejudices and preconceptions, to see what facts still remain, and to re-examine them in the cold light of reason. Raj Saraf is undoubtedly among this breed.

His brainchild, Zenith Computers, is today a major brand in India for desktops, servers and laptops, from what began as a unit selling electronic components manufactured by other companies. That was 1971. Armed with a Bachelor's degree in Commerce and a Master's degree in Law from the University of Mumbai, he single-handedly ventured into the arena of electronic components by pioneering Zenith Semiconductors. On the base of experience, coupled with insight and enthusiasm, Saraf incorporated his dream in 1980 to build a PC products company - Zenith Computers. The company has brought new technologies to India, from networking to notebooks, under his vision to enable India with IT.

"Those days, there were so many people involved in the business and I was not even a technical person. But we had our product strategies in place, which was essential considering the stiff competition. We were quite balanced from the start and that is what saw us through," Saraf recalls.

Saraf's vision from the beginning has been 'to make the latest technology available to the common man'. To fulfill this, he has taken various initiatives such as dramatic price slashes, partnered with more than 700 channel partners and built 135 Zenith exclusive retail showrooms. As a result, today, Zenith has grown to become the second largest brand in the Indian home PC market.

Saraf is looked up to as a key spokesperson for the PC hardware industry in India and is the western region head of the Manufacturers Association of Information Technology (MAIT). He is also a member of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce, German Chamber of Commerce and Indian Merchant Chambers. Saraf was recently honoured with the Maharashtra IT Ratna award for his valuable contribution to information technology.

Amidst all this glory, Saraf is a man who leads by his principles. While working hard towards meeting Indian demands, he travels extensively to be abreast with technology enhancements around the world. "It becomes imperative for me to travel that has enlightened me on my outlook towards technology," says Saraf.

Travelling every fortnight, both within the country and abroad, Saraf reckons Alaska to be his favourite destination. "Especially the cruise," he chuckles.

Saraf with his daughter Devita All Pics: Mexy Xavier

His other favourites include Moscow minus few inconveniences, Singapore and the US. "I like Saudi Arabia too but it is a tough country when it comes to travelling. South Africa is also beautiful, but has a little risk factor attached. Closer home, I have found nothing of interest in the neighbouring countries; India still remains the most exciting destination for me," he says.

Recollecting an experience, which reflected the enigmatic character of nature, he says, "I was in Jordan for a trip when we drove towards the Dead Sea. As we were nearing the lowest point on earth, going below sea level, we could make out the temperature difference. While the temperature was about 10 degree Celsius at about 30 kms from the sea, as we moved closer it started to move up and within half-an-hour the temperature reached about 25 degree Celsius."

Saraf has also had his share of not-so-pleasant experiences while travelling, but an experience that was a little chilling for him was within India. He was on a Delhi-Mumbai flight, which was trying to land in Mumbai during the July 26th deluge in the city. "The aircraft was hovering over the sky for almost about an hour when suddenly the captain announced that they had fuel for only fifteen more minutes. That particular moment was dreadful. They announced that they would divert the flight to Baroda, which meant that if the flight did not make it within fifteen minutes we were history. It was a very testing time," he admits.

When travelling within India, Saraf prefers Jet Airways, while he does not have any particular preference as far as the type of hotel accommodations are concerned. While travelling abroad he prefers Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways and British Airways.

While he works almost 12 hours a day when travelling, Saraf has yet managed to take in the sights around the world and has covered almost the whole of India. Taking the company to new heights, he believes in no other philosophy than hard work, but points out, "Work hard, but you need to be assertive as well.”