By Pradeep Paul

DR HARI N. HARILELA
Chairman,
Harilela Hotels

FOR a man who has achieved so much - he has set up a chain of hotels, one of which is the Holiday Inn Park View here in Singapore; received meritorious awards like the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, the Gold Bauhinia Star from the Hong Kong government, the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Puraskar Award from the Indian government; and been conferred with a honorary Doctor of Commercial Science degree by St John's University in New York - Dr Hari N. Harilela has no hesitation when asked to pick his most outstanding achievement.

The spry 87-year-old says it is 'keeping over 100 members of my family happily living together under one roof'. The 'roof' in this case being the one that shelters the Harilela residence, a palatial building in Hong Kong's Kowloon Tong area.

In fact, family is what Dr Harilela is all about.

He is very proud of his parents, and never hesitates to admit that they went through some very tough times when he and his siblings - he has five brothers and two sisters - were barely in their teens. He stopped attending school around the age of 10 to help with the family business.

He even recounts the surname he bears with pride: It is not the one his father inherited from his Sindhi family.

Dr Harilela's father, Naroomal Lilaram Mirchandani, was working in Singapore in the mid-1920s when he got news that his mother had died. By the time he rushed back to Hyderabad (in present-day Pakistan), his family had cremated her body.

Angry at not being able to pay his last respects, he denounced his family name (Mirchandani) and adopted a new one (Harilela) which is a combination of his father's name (Lilaram) and his mother's name (Haribai).

Mr Naroomal Harilela then moved his family to Canton in the 1930s, and by 1937 had established a small curio and antiques store in Hong Kong. By the time the family emerged from World War II and the death of Mr Naroomal Harilela, it was in the tailoring business. By 1959, it had moved into the hotel industry when it bought the Imperial Hotel in Hong Kong.

All through this, Dr Harilela and his brothers stayed tight and still form the backbone of the family business - eldest sibling George passed away in 2006 - with Dr Harilela's only son Aron.

The same bond is reflected in his married life. Dr Harilela says his wife Padma - they have been married since 1947 - 'gets the credit for keeping the family together'.

After 62 years of married life, he still ensures that he has lunch with her at least thrice during the work week. In fact, so determined is he to spend time with her that he works from home for the first half of the day and she joins him on his overseas trips whenever it is convenient.

He is equally adamant about spending time with the younger ones in his family. His bedroom is always open to the grandchildren - he has 11 - and they often run in to curl up with 'Mimi' and 'Papa' in bed.

When asked to reveal the secret of his success, Dr Harilela says it was his willingness to be open. 'I opened doors,' he says.

'You know how Indians tend to be... you know other Indians who live three miles away, but you don't know your Chinese neighbours.'

So he left his door open. And till today the guest-list at his many parties always comprises a mixed crowd, with many locals included.

'One doesn't lose one's identity by mixing with the locals,' he says. 'I am Indian. And regardless of where I live, or who I socialise with, I will always be Indian.'

However, despite his open-door policy for family and friends, Dr Harilela has some very firm rules about life in general.

When I ask him for tips he would give the youngsters of today, he doesn't hesitate to list them: 'Never cheat, don't be greedy and don't look sideways.' Noticing my quizzical look at the last item, he clarifies that he means no jealousy.

So who is this wise, old man impressed by? 'I am impressed by scholarly people,' he replies. 'I never went to school so I learn from these people when I meet them.'

And then, of course, the final question: When is he going to retire?

He is not going to do that. 'I'll go senile if I just put my feet up,' says Dr Harilela. And then, just to prove his point, he tells me that he can remember the telephone numbers of all his properties around the globe.

'The other day, I was travelling with my wife and my assistant when my wife asked the assistant to call the hotel in the city we were headed to. As my assistant started looking it up, I told him the number to dial.'

It's not said with the desire to impress anyone. It is said in matter-of-fact fashion. An example of how this man lives his life.