Business baron with a heart endears

India honours YP Reddy with Samman Award

Nations honour those who persist and persevere, with honesty and hard work.

The Indian Government did well in presenting a Pravasi Samman Award to Yanktesh Permal Reddy (‘YP’ to thousands of people who know him) at the concluding session of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2010 in New Delhi on January 9.

President Pratibha Patil presented the Award, which included a gold medal and citation to Mr Reddy and 13 others. He was the only person from the South Pacific (including Australia and New Zealand) to receive the Award this year.

It was a singular and well-deserved honour for septuagenarian.

Governor General Anand Satyanand said, “It was a hugely well deserved Award.”

Integrity and honouring the spoken and written word are qualities of the man that combined in the making of an empire that has its tentacles in Fiji, New Zealand and indeed the South Pacific.

It is hard to believe that the man is fast approaching the Platinum Jubilee in his life, for people less than half his age would find it difficult to cope with his pace and energy.

At international conferences such as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, he would be seen riding in a bus with his wife Vimla, while he could afford a limousine.

Being with people and talking to them gives Mr Reddy more pleasure than pleasures in life. That has been his wont since the beginning.

Converting adversity to advantage runs in the family. His father, the late Sanyasi Reddy was in the last batch of Girmitiyas that arrived in Fiji under the indentured labour system, after serving under similar circumstances in South Africa.

He returned to India after the Girmit system ended but unlike many others of his ilk, he went back to Fiji. Hard work and harshness were his friends.

Mr Sanyasi married Appaiamma who was tricked into Fiji by colonial rulers when she was seven years old. The couple sired eight children and relocated the family to Samabula, a suburb of Suva.

As the youngest son, YP assisted his father as a vendor dealing in rice, vegetables, fruits and other domestic items and later established a bus company. 

There is no substitute to on-the-job experience and soon YP learnt the nuances of business and became eligible to join his elder brothers in the construction industry. His initial tasks were that of a driver and labourer.

His scholastic life was no ordinary either. He mowed lawns and maintained gardens in New Zealand to pay for his university study. His ambition of pursuing a course in Quantity Surveying in England vapourised as soon as it began (he had saved enough and secured a seat) – his brothers offered him junior partnership in their firm.

In many ways, the decision proved prophetic in his life and career.

Having faced harsh realities during his formative years, YP was determined to ensure that those around him were comfortable and prosperous. His devotion, dedication and diligence helped the business to grow and with it the family of people who worked for him.

What followed had the makings of a successful story, always admired but rarely emulated.

His efforts to build the company in Lautoka began to bear fruit but not before agonising and anxious days associated with the construction business. Like the proverbial dictionary, one building led to another, and soon YP’s prowess in the commercial world was proved.

With a record of achievements and the good word that began to spread, it was no surprise that YP’s brothers named him Chairman of Reddy Construction.

Thereafter, the growth of the company, proliferating into a fledgling group has been one of awe for many.

Among the impressive projects that the Group handled include Korolevu Hotel, the Maternity Annex at Naiserelagi, South Sea Brewery, Northern Furniture & Joinery, Fiji Pine Scheme Headquarters, Globe Theatre, First National City Bank and many more.

The Reddy Group today is one of the most successful enterprises in South Pacific.

He has over the years proved that he is not only an entrepreneur with business acumen but also a man of compassion and concern for others. As his empire expanded, so did his heart, which is why he has brothers, sisters and children and not employees, working in his enterprises.

Vimla has not only made a home but also YP’s life and their only son and four daughters, each of who has proved to be a chip off the old block, taking the company and family flags to greater heights.

His interest in community and social welfare has involved YP in a number of organisations, among which are the Then India Sanmarga Ikya Sangam, Jaycees International and Rotary International.

Over the years, he has been decorated with a number of citations and awards, the first of which was a Fellowship (in 1965), to represent Fiji at Duke of Edinburgh Conference in Australia.

The Queen honoured him with the Order of Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in 1973 for his contributions to the progress and development of Fiji.

The Fiji Government made him Companion of the Order of Fiji in 1995.

Five years later (2000), the Fiji Visitors Bureau honoured him with the ‘Excellence in Tourism Award,’ a natural response to his contributions to industry.

A Justice of the Peace, he approaches all issues as a pacifist with tranquility.