How do you turn a traditional craft into a global luxury business while keeping the people and purpose behind it at the centre?

In this episode of Inherited: Stories of Succession, Bijay Gautam sits down with Nand Kishore Chaudhary and Rutvi Chaudhary from Jaipur Rugs for a candid conversation about building a family business, creating a premium brand, bringing the next generation in, and preparing the company for a future beyond its founder.

Nand Kishore Chaudhary shares how he started Jaipur Rugs in 1978 with ₹5,000, two looms and nine weavers, and how the business grew into a network of 40,000+ artisans across hundreds of villages. He talks about the moment he realised that the stories behind the artisans and their craft could become a powerful source of value, and why he believes a product becomes truly unique when a business goes deeper into its purpose rather than simply competing on price.

Rutvi Chaudhary shares how she entered the family business organically after marriage, starting by attending customers and gradually discovering her own strengths. She talks about the freedom Nand Kishore gave her to find her place in the business, her early experiences with customers, and how she eventually became involved in growing the brand and working closely with the artisan community.

The conversation also explores how Nand Kishore approached succession with his five children, why he believes the next generation should not be forced into the family business, and how family members can be evaluated based on capability rather than simply their position in the family. They discuss the importance of bringing in professionals, separating ownership from management, and creating structures that allow the business to grow without depending entirely on the founder.

Nand Kishore and Rutvi also talk about the challenges that emerge when a family business grows across markets. They discuss the relationship between the India business and Jaipur Living in the US, the different identities that family members developed over time, and why greater clarity around ownership and decision-making became important for both the business and the family.

The conversation goes beyond the family to explore Jaipur Rugs' relationship with its 40,000+ artisans. They discuss why dignity, recognition and creative freedom matter when trying to preserve traditional crafts across generations, and how initiatives such as Manchaha have given artisans a greater role in the creative process.

At its heart, this is a conversation about more than rugs or luxury. It is about a founder learning to let go, a family learning to separate relationships from business decisions, a new generation finding its own place, and a traditional craft finding a way to remain relevant in a changing world.

A deeply personal conversation about family, craftsmanship, succession, ambition, purpose and what it really takes to build a family business that can outlive its founder.

What does it take to build a family business that survives Partition, navigates a difficult family reorganisation, and evolves into one of India's largest bicycle manufacturers?

In this episode of Inherited; Stories of Succession, Bijay Gautam sits down with Onkar Singh Pahwa and Rishi Pahwa of Avon Cycles for a candid conversation about family, entrepreneurship, leadership, and building a business across generations.

Onkar Singh Pahwa shares how the family's journey began with bicycle components after Partition, how Avon produced its first bicycle in 1952, and how he joined the business in 1973. He discusses the company's journey into exports, backward integration, and the decisions that helped transform Avon from a relatively modest bicycle operation into a major manufacturing business.

He also opens up about the family's 1997-98 reorganisation, when his family received Avon Cycles while his cousins received the component businesses, which were initially more profitable. He shares what it felt like to inherit what appeared to be the less attractive part of the family business, and how they eventually built it into one of India's leading bicycle manufacturers.

Rishi Pahwa shares his experience of joining Avon in 2001 and becoming part of the next generation of leadership. The conversation explores how the entry of Rishi and his brother Mandeep changed the family's approach to running the business, allowing Onkar to gradually step away from day-to-day operations and focus more on strategy, people and social initiatives.

The conversation also explores how Avon has evolved beyond traditional bicycles into premium cycles, electric mobility and global OEM manufacturing, and what it means to carry forward a 75-year-old legacy while preparing the business for the future.

A deeply personal conversation about Partition, family, reinvention, succession, leadership, and what it really takes to build a family business that can evolve across generations.

How do you build a business that lasts nearly 70 years? And more importantly, how do you prepare the next generation to take it even further?

In this episode of Inherited – Stories of Succession, Bijay Gautam sits down with Rezwan Razack, Co-Founder of Prestige Group, and his son, Faiz Rezwan, Executive Director, for a candid conversation about family, succession, and the values behind one of India's most respected real estate companies.

Rezwan shares how an unexpected land deal changed the course of the family's future, why Prestige was built on a simple promise of always delivering more than expected, and the leadership philosophy that has guided the business for decades. Faiz reflects on earning his place in the company, leading the development of Prestige Golfshire, finding his own identity within a well-known family business, and what it means to carry a legacy while building something of your own.

They also discuss the emotional side of succession, the mistakes every parent and founder makes, why trusting the next generation is harder than building the business itself, how the family has worked together for decades without conflict, and the personal values that continue to shape Prestige Group today.

A deeply personal conversation about trust, responsibility, family, and what it really takes to build a legacy that outlives a generation.

What does it take to build one of India's largest snack brands, reject a ₹4,000 crore offer from PepsiCo, and still keep an entire family united?

In this episode of Inherited – Stories of Succession, Bijay Gautam sits down with Chandubhai Virani, Co-founder and Director of Balaji Wafers, along with Mansi Virani, Head of IT at Balaji Wafers, to uncover the values, decisions, and family culture behind one of India's most remarkable business success stories.

From selling their family's land after a devastating drought to starting over in Rajkot with just ₹20,000, Chandubhai shares how three brothers built Balaji Wafers into a company valued at ₹35,000 crore. Mansi reflects on growing up in a joint family, pursuing higher education in the United States, spending seven years at Goldman Sachs, and returning home to help shape the family's next chapter.

They discuss the philosophy that has kept the Virani family together for decades and how responsibilities naturally evolve across generations. They also explain why every family member is encouraged to choose their own role, the importance of their daily lunch tradition, what makes Gujarati family businesses so resilient, and the conversations behind rejecting PepsiCo's investment while later partnering with General Atlantic.

No performance. No PR spin. Just an honest conversation about courage, succession, family values, and the principles that built one of India's most iconic family businesses.

If you're building something you hope will outlast you, or you're part of a family business navigating the next generation, this episode is worth listening to.

What happens when a second-generation business leader decides that "business as usual" is the biggest threat to survival?

In this episode of Inherited - Stories of Succession, Bijay Gautam sits down with Subrata Banik, who built Ajanta Shoes into a manufacturing powerhouse, and his son, Sagnik Banik, who is transforming that foundation into an AI-driven tech brand.

They get into:

• How the Ajanta Group evolved from Hawai chappals to India's first AI-powered smart shoe

• The journey of building a 70-year-old family business across three generations

• Why "factory first, brand later" became the foundation of Ajanta's culture

• How data-driven manufacturing helped uncover hidden inefficiencies

• The story behind Impakto Navigator and the challenges of bringing a smart shoe to market

• What it takes to balance tradition and innovation in a legacy business

• How father and son navigate succession, leadership, and decision-making

• Ajanta's vision for the future, including its IPO plans and ₹1,000 crore revenue target

No performance, no PR spin, just the honest mechanics of a father and son transitioning from Hawai chappals to AI smart shoes.

For any family business owner navigating the tension between past success and future growth, this is the blueprint you’ve been looking for.

What does it actually mean to inherit a name that was never built for you?

In this episode of Inherited - Stories of Succession, Bijay Gautam sits down with Sarah Sham, founder of Essajees Atelier, and her father Mohamedi Sham, the proprietor behind one of South Bombay's most iconic antique establishments. One has spent 40+ years finding the rarest objects in India. The other built a 60-person design studio from scratch without using a single contact from his Rolodex.

They get into:

• Why the company was called Essajees and Sons for 130 years and what Sarah did when she renamed it

• The ₹15,000 monthly salary and the five years of being an overqualified secretary

• The moment she realised her father would never truly give her the keys to the kingdom

• Why she stopped wanting them

• What the zero commission model changed in her business

• What a father chooses to write on a piece of paper when everything he's built is about to disappear.

  
  

No performance. No PR spin. Just the honest mechanics of two people who built different kingdoms from the same name.

If you're building something you want to outlast you, this one's required listening.

What does it actually take to forge your own legacy when a perfectly good one already exists?

In this episode of Inherited - Stories of Succession, Mr. Bijay Gautam sits down with Shubhika Jain (CEO), Suramya Jain (CMO), and Sangeeta Jain (CRO) of RAS Luxury Skincare, India's first Farm to Face luxury skincare brand, alongside Shaillendra Jain, patriarch and founder of the RITEE Group of Institutes, to unpack the family dynamics behind building something entirely new in the light of an already existing legacy.

They get into:

• why a father with a multi-crore empire told his daughters to start from scratch

• what working with your mother looks like at the C-suite level

• how Shubhika told the difference between her father's wisdom and his bias

• what actually happened with 32 investor rejections before the $2 million round

• the advice for women in family businesses that no one says loudly enough.

  
  

No PR spin or a packaged success story. Just the honest mechanics of three women who decided on their own what their legacy would look like before anyone else did.

If you're building something that is truly you, this one's a must-listen.

What does it actually take to build a ₹12,500 crore empire from ₹12.50 and then hand it to 7 nephews and a son without a single split?

In Episode 2 of Inherited - Stories of Succession, Mr. Bijay Gautam sits down with Savjibhai Dholakia (Founder & Chairman, Hari Krishna Exports & Padma Shri awardee), Brijesh Dholakia (Second Generation Entrepreneur) and Dravya Dholakia (Founding Partner, Dholakia Ventures), three members of one of India's most extraordinary family businesses.

Sixty-four family members. One account. No budget rules. No splits in 30 years.

They get into the origin story of a 12-year-old boy who left his village with a ₹12.50 ticket and his mother's three dreams, the family tradition of sending every heir undercover to an unknown city with almost no money to find jobs for a month, why Savjibhai Dholakia says when a family breaks apart, it is always the father's fault, the transparent family conversation that got 9 people into a 2-pass Padma Shri ceremony, how Dravya Dholakia carved out a venture capital path inside a diamond family over 18 months of debate and what the second generation's story needs to be after a first chapter this large.

No performance. No PR spin. Just the honest mechanics of keeping a business family intact across generations.

And what it costs when you don't get it right.

If you're part of a family business, building one, or hoping to pass one on, this one's a must listen.