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In 1990, a young
Indian graduate went to China for higher education and to further his desire to
become a scholar.
As of 2008, he was the only Indian director in a multi-million dollar Chinese
business conglomerate and had also established himself as an expert in
China-related affairs.
Sagnik Roy (Roy), known in Chinese business circles as 'China's son-in-law', is
arguably the most successful Indian businessman in China.
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Roy was born in a middle-class family in Durgapur, an
industrial town in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal. His father
was a teacher and an ex-Marxist.
After finishing his schooling, Roy surprised many people when he opted
for a degree in Sinology (study of China and things related to China) in
1986. This was at a time when both China and India were yet to be
totally recognized as major emerging economies and there was very little
bilateral trade between the two countries.
Naturally, there were many well-wishers who were quite skeptical about
his choice of subject. Nevertheless, Roy obtained his Bachelor of Arts
degree with Honors in Sinology from the Department of Chinese Studies,
Visva-Bharati University1, Santiniketan, West Bengal. Regarding his
decision to pursue a degree in Sinology, Roy later said, "Sometimes you
buy a share that may not be doing well, but is one that you believe has
some potential."2
In 1990, Roy went to Beijing, as part of a scholar exchange program to
study modern Chinese at the Beijing Language and Culture University.3
When he landed in Beijing, he had just US$20 in his pocket. He had to
make his living with whatever little scholarship he received. Moreover,
confusion over the paperwork on foreign exchange allotment deprived him
of the US$200 quota allowed then.4
After completing the year-long course, Roy was all set to return to
India and probably become a professor when he landed a well-paid job
with Capital Resources, an American company that sourced goods such as
mineral ores from India.
During the next two years he learned the nuances of the trade and gained
vital insights into doing business in China. He realized that there was
little direct trade between India and China.
Companies from the US and Japan acted as intermediaries with the
companies from the US, in particular, doing good business by telling
Indian traders that the American companies were more trustworthy than
the Chinese traders and hence it was safer to do business through them.
He also learnt some other vital lessons on how to do business in China.
"Talking through interpreters and middlemen does not take you very far
here. Neither does the Harvard style of doing business. Identifying the
real decision-makers in a Chinese company is itself a tall task,"5
explained Roy.
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1] Visva-Bharati University is a central
university in India. It was established in 1921 by the great Indian poet and
India's first Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore.
2] Pallavi Aiyar, "Doing Business Successfully in
China, Sagnik Roy's Way," www.thehindu.com, February 25, 2008.
3] The Beijing Language and Culture University was
set up in 1962 primarily to teach the Chinese language and culture to foreign
students.
4] Saibal Dasgupta, "Indian Scholar Makes it Big in
China Biz," www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, September 7, 2006.
5] Saibal Dasgupta, "A Bengali, a Businessman, &
China's Son-in-law," www.economictimes.indiatimes.com, September 8, 2006. |
