In India, Fevicol is used to describe adhesive. We frequently advise using Fevicol to repair broken items. Since 1959, the adhesive has been in use. We can also tell how well-known it is from the recognizable catchphrases Fevicol commercials use. It has endured the test of time and remained with us. However, this accomplishment did not happen overnight. The creator of the famous white and blue Fevicol, Balvant Parekh, experienced several highs and lows.
Balvant Parekh’s Early Life And Education
Sri Balvantbhai Parekh was born in Mahuva, a small town in Gujarat, India’s Bhavnagar district. He studied at the Government Law College. However, after receiving his degree, he never attempted to practice law. He decided this because working as a lawyer required so many lies. Parekh interrupted his studies midway and joined Mahatma Gandhi’s Quit India Movement based in Gujarat. After this, he stayed in his hometown and engaged in various social activities. Balvant also aspired to run his own business, as is typical among Gujaratis.
He participated in several social campaigns for India’s freedom before returning to Mumbai to finish his education. Like his grandfather, Balvant Parekh’s father desired for him to pursue a career in law. However, it wasn’t what he wanted to accomplish with his life. He did not study business and had no support from his family. However, he developed a legendary brand and gained fortune via his passion project. He also passed the bar council exams, but he felt very uneasy about the profession because of the abundance of lies that came along with it.
Struggles Faced By Balvant Parekh
People in Mumbai struggled and worked tirelessly, and life was always in motion. Balvant Parekh found life to be equally draining. He began his career in a printing and dyeing press. Later, he worked as a peon in a wood trader’s office. He married Kantaben while still a law student, and the couple had to spend considerable time living in a warehouse. He had to fight for himself and exist without help, making it difficult for him. Additionally, he was searching for a better chance because his peon job was not working out for him. At this point, he began making contacts and supplying a list of import-export goods.
Here’s How He Found Fevicol
When Parekh was employed by the multinational corporation Fedco, he landed his first significant job. In the 1950s, the firm acted as Hoechst’s representative in India. He had no idea that this was just the start of a long and successful business career. He was also one of the first-generation entrepreneurs in India after independence. Balvant and his brother established a dye and chemical unit in the Jacob Circle following the passing of Hoechst’s MD. The business was established as Parekh Dyechem Industries, and further Fedco shares were bought. He began creating pigment emulsions for textile printing at Parekh Dyechem.
Additionally, they produced dyes with an acrylic basis under the Acrone brand. He noted that glues derived from animal fat dominated the Indian adhesives market. These glues were awkward and difficult to use. He recognized an opportunity and began producing “Fevicol,” a white adhesive. In 1990, the business was founded and given the name Pidilite Industries Private Limited. Feviquick and M-Seal were the next two products released by Pidilite. Additionally, this led to the development of market shares which each reached about 70%. As a result, Pidilite became the preferred brand of adhesives in the nation.
More About Fevicol
Ever since, Fevicol has gained a reputation as a superior craft adhesive. Due to the labeling system, people found it simpler to grasp which adhesives were best for various projects or tasks. Furthermore, due to Pidilite’s reputation for producing high-quality adhesives, customers knew they could rely on them. In the 1970s, the first move was to market its adhesives under the Fevicol name. Doordarshan also broadcast several advertisements in the vicinity. In addition, Ogilvy & Mather developed the Fevicol logo with the “Elephant Symbol,” which was immediately popular with customers.
Fevicol dominated the television industry and quickly established itself on Bollywood film sets as well. One such film, Dabangg 2, starring Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan, included Fevicol in one of its songs. The company founded by Balvant Parekh presently produces more than 200 items. Additionally, Pidilite Industries Limited has concentrated on global growth since 2006. The factories are also present in Bangladesh, the US, Thailand, Dubai, and Egypt. In Singapore, Pidilite also constructed a research facility.
Achievements Of Balvant Parekh
Balvant Parekh always believed that if you pursue your goals with zeal and enthusiasm, no milestone is far away. In Mahua, Gujarat, he helped start an art and science college. He also contributed Rs 20 million to the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad and the Science City project in Bhavnagar. The Balvant Parekh Centre for General Semantics and Other Human Sciences was established by Balvant in 2009. He received the prestigious J. Talbot Winchell Award on October 28th, 2011, making him the first Asian to do so. Additionally, he was at number 45 on Forbes Asia’s India Rich List.
At the age of 88, Balvant passed away in January 2013. India’s Fevicol Man has a lot to say, from his early years as a boy in Mahuva to his time as a freedom warrior, a peon, a trader, and finally, a business tycoon.
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