Nand Kishore Chaudhary (born 13 June 1953) is an Indian

social entrepreneur Social entrepreneurship is an approach by individuals, groups, start-up companies or entrepreneurs, in which they develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. This concept may be applied to a wide range of o ...

. He currently serves as the

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

and

Managing Director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of the

social enterprise A social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements in financial, social and environmental well-being. This may include maximizing social impact alongside profits for co-owners. Social enterprises ca ...

Jaipur Rugs Jaipur Rugs is one of India's largest manufacturers of hand knotted rugs. Headquartered in Jaipur, India, the company's operations encompass more than branches, operating in six states and 600 villages in India with distribution to over 40 coun ...

, which he founded in 1978.

Early life

Nand Kishore Chaudhary was born in a Marwari family in the Churu district of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

. Growing up as an introverted child and avid reader, he was influenced by the works of

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

and

Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter ...

. He went to school in Churu and graduated from Government College in Lohia in 1973. Nand Kishore was inspired by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

researcher and designer Ilay Cooper to get into the business of carpet manufacture and design, and therefore help in the revival of this neglected art. Nand Kishore decided not to follow his father in their traditional family business of shoe-making, and even let go of a government job in a

national bank In banking, the term national bank carries several meanings: * a bank owned by the state * an ordinary private bank which operates nationally (as opposed to regionally or locally or even internationally) * in the United States, an ordinary p ...

. Instead, he went into the rug and carpet business. His venture started with a loan of 5000 rupees, that he borrowed from his father, and today that venture is known as

, an exemplary model of

social entrepreneurship Social entrepreneurship is an approach by individuals, groups, start-up companies or entrepreneurs, in which they develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. This concept may be applied to a wide range of o ...

at its best.

Career

N. K. Chaudhary established the social business model of Jaipur Rugs, connecting weavers with global markets by building a global supply chain focused on developing human capability and skills at the

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

level. Jaipur Rugs provides a steady income for people living in the most rural parts of India by connecting them with markets across the world. Nanda Kishore started a humble carpet business in 1978 with just two weaving-looms and 9 artisans. That has today transformed into Jaipur Rugs, which is a network of more than 40,000 artisans across 6 states in India and is one of India's leading manufacturer and exporter of hand woven rugs, bringing in an annual revenue of $18 million. Jaipur Rugs has become an ecosystem of companies and organizations, and the 40,000 weavers and their families are an integral part in this ecosystem.

Personal life

Nanda Kishore is married to Sulochana. They have five children, Asha, Archana, Kavita, Yogesh and Nitesh, all of whom are involved in specific roles in the Jaipur Rugs Company.

Honours and awards

Nand Kishore’s vision is to create the best artisan proposition for the global hand-woven carpet industry, by connecting the artisans and customers directly to each other and nurturing co-creation. NK says, “I am not the owner of this business, the real owners are people who put in their hard work to produce beautiful carpets which are liked by customers around the world.” His vision has earned him acclaim across the world and he has been felicitated with many awards for the same. *

Ernst & Young Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and Pricewaterh ...

Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010 for the best Start-Up. NKC received the only global business award of Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year-Start Up 2010. This award commemorates and encourages the most resilient of Indian entrepreneurs. NKC's innovative thinking and entrepreneurial success became synonymous of his victory. * Distinguished Entrepreneur Award in the year 2010 by PHD Chamber of Commerce. In order to bestow recognition to Indian businesses and Entrepreneurs for Outstanding achievements, NKC received "Distinguished Entrepreneurship Award" where the theme of the annual session was "Inclusive Growth thru Skill Development – Vision 2017" * Game Changer Award by The HR Club on 7 February 2015 * India Pride Award 2011 - Social Change Agents prize at the inaugural ceremony of the India Pride Awards 2011, for giving employment to more than 40,000 carpet artisans in 10 states in India and being a Change Agent in the field of Social Development and Equity. * Karmaveer Puraskaar 2012 -

The KARMAVEER PURASKAAR AWARD ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

bestowed upon our founder member as Real Wealth Creator for the communities KVP, 2012.

Publications and Accredations

Jaipur Rugs has become synonymous with N. K. Chaudhary’s principles of equality, socialism, and love, which he maintains are the real foundation of the Jaipur Rugs ecosystem. Nand Kishore has chronicled his journey with Jaipur Rugs in his own writings. These are available as e-books at his website https://www.nkchaudhary.com/. The journey of Jaipur Rugs has found international acclaim and has also been mentioned in many publications worldwide, such as: * Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid ‘Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid’ by

CK Prahalad Coimbatore Krishnarao Prahalad (8 August 1941 – 16 April 2010) was an Indian-American entrepreneur and author. He was the Paul and Ruth McCracken Distinguished University Professor of Corporate Strategy at the University of Michigan Step ...

was published in 2009. It acclaimed Jaipur Rugs all over the world. * Take Me Home Published in 2014,

Rashmi Bansal Rashmi Bansal is an Indian non-fiction writer and entrepreneur. As of 2019, she is the author of nine books on entrepreneurship. Her first book, '' Stay Hungry Stay Foolish'', traced the progress of 25 MBA entrepreneurs and sold over 500,000 cop ...

talked about N. K. Chaudhary and Jaipur Rugs, from its very inception to the scale it has achieved now, in her book Take Me Home. * Healing Organisation Published in 2019,

Raj Sisodia Raj or RAJ may refer to: History * British Raj, the 1858–1947 rule of the British Crown over India * Company Raj, the 1757–1858 rule of the East India Company in South Asia * Licence Raj, the Indian system of elaborate licences, regulation ...

and

Michael J. Gelb Michael J. Gelb (born 1952) is an American non-fiction author, executive coach and management consultant. He is a senior fellow at the Center for Humanistic Management and member of the advisory board for Leading People and Organizations at the Fo ...

covered Jaipur Rugs in their book ‘The Healing Organisation’ describing NK’s vision of innocence and Jaipur Rugs’ as an ''ashram''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chaudhary, Nand Kishore 1953 births Living people Indian chief executives People from Churu district Indian social entrepreneurs 20th-century Indian businesspeople Businesspeople from Rajasthan