· The book was launched amongst the presence of Honourable Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Devendra Fadnavis and celebrated architect Mr Hafeez Contractor
· HSIL Limited showcases its pioneering initiative – the ‘hindware DreamBath’ & coffee table book
Bangalore, 15 November 2016: India’s leading business leader Mr. R. K. Somany, CMD, HSIL Limited, launched his autobiography “Bringing the Rainbow” – The Hindware Story at Acetech Mumbai, leading trade fair in Asia for architecture, building materials, innovation and design, today.
The book was launched by Honourable Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Devendra Fadnavis and India’s renowned architect and Padma Bhushan awardee Mr Hafeez Contractor.
‘Bringing the Rainbow’ chronicles Mr. R.K. Somany’s life and takes the readers through the ups and downs of his family and business from setting up of India’s first vitreous ceramic sanitaryware plant in Punjab in 1960’s to business conglomerate in place today. HSIL Limited is currently a market leader in the sanitaryware and bath solutions sector and one of the top players in the container glass business.
The book is filled with personal and professional anecdotes and is an inspiring book for industry leaders, management students and readers interested in real life journeys of achievers. Chapters range from valuable advice for upcoming entrepreneurs to the importance of family in one’s life. The first chapter, for example, deals with his earliest years as an intrepid Marwari lad in Kolkata. Then on the book moves to his formative years and how he entered the market as a newbie and his work ethic which is the main factor behind his success.
Speaking about his autobiography, Mr. R.K. Somany, said “A lot of things that happen over the years, you tend to keep private. Few years ago, I realized that I have an inspiring story to tell. Like me, every entrepreneur spends a significant portion of his or her career struggling with the dilemma of making the most important business decisions in the face of not knowing what lies ahead. There are too many unanswered questions and too much at stake for easy decisions. That’s why I thought I must share my story with a larger audience and maybe inspire a few to keep faith and carry on.”
Part memoir, part business guide for entrepreneurs, Bringing the Rainbow is an inside story on how a young determined man built HSIL from scratch to a market leader. It is a lively and spellbinding account of a journey full of experiences worth sharing.
At Acetech Mumbai, HSIL showcased more than 100 new products and innovations through a display space of 3300 sq cm for hindware and 2000 sq cm for Queo. In addition to it, the company also showcased its pioneering initiative – the ‘hindware DreamBath’ visualization App and coffee table book. The app aims to provide consumers and dealers with easy access to over 24 bathroom themes & styles and is totally in sync with hindware’s value proposition of ‘building admiring bathrooms’. Along with it, live projection and the first look of the upcoming TVC for the DreamBath app was also introduced.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Manish Bhatia, President, Building Products Division, HSIL Limited, said “HSIL Ltd. is committed to providing the best in class products which stand out in terms of their designs, application and durability. All our product collections reflect the growing requirements of the evolving urban lifestyles and we aim to interact and engage with our customers to provide them with the finest.”
About the Author:
Mr. R.K. Somany has been instrumental in bringing vitreous china technology to India thus ushering in a new chapter in the sanitaryware industry. A respected personality in the field of sanitaryware, he was conferred the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ awards, from, Washroom & beyond, a reputed publication and India Plumbing Association (IPA), in recognition of his influence on society & industry. In 2013, the World Confederation of Business honoured him with the ‘World Leader Businessperson’ recognition.
Apart from building HSIL Limited, Mr. R.K. Somany was instrumental in assisting the Indian Standards Institution (ISI), now known as Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), to develop quality standards for the sanitaryware industry. He has also held several respected positions like the President of Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and the President of PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
About HSIL Limited:
HSIL Limited constitutes two primary business divisions, Building Products and Container Glass. Within the ‘Building Products Division’ the product line includes; sanitaryware, faucets, wellness and other allied products, and consumer products. The product basket is available in the market under the brands; hindware Italian Collection, hindware Art, hindware, Amore, Vents and Benelave. The Building Products Division also markets the luxury sanitary ware brand QUEO from UK, exclusively in India.
The “Container Glass Division”, second largest today, constitutes glass & PET bottles, available under AGI and Garden Polymers respectively.