Story updated on January 8, 2024 at 7.45 pm
Venkat Raman
Auckland, January 7, 2024
It is with deep regret that we record the passing of two lifelong friends of Indian Newslink and business leaders, who endeared themselves to thousands of people in the Fijian and Indian Diaspora for their services to communities.
Yanktesh Permal Reddy (Y P Reddy), Founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Reddy Group, which has extensive operations in New Zealand, Pacific Island countries and the United Kingdom, passed away in Auckland on Thursday, January 4, 2024. He was 89 years old and left behind his wife Vimla Wati Reddy, son Rohit, daughters Sandra, Kamini, Kalpana and Elizabeth, daughter-in-law Meena, sons-in-law Vimal, and Champak, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, with the combined family of the late Radha Gounder of Fiji.
Hundreds of men and women attended the Memorial Service held on January 6, 2024 at Anns Funeral Home in Wiri, South Auckland.
Vinod Shankar Patel, Founder and Chairman of Vinod Patel, stated to be the largest hardware and homeware company in Fiji, passed away in Lautoka, Fiji on January 5, 2024. He is survived by his wife Manjula, son Daksesh and daughters Kritida and Leena and their families. His funeral service will be held at the Varoka Cemetery in Ba (where he was born and raised) at 2 pm on January 9, 2024.
Mr Reddy and Mr Patel are remembered not only for their business acumen which led to flourishing businesses, providing livelihood to thousands of families, but also for their services to sports, community and religious activities.
Mr Reddy is a recipient of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and a Companion of the Order of Fiji for his services to communities.
Both have been honoured by the Indian government with the Pravasi Samman Award.
Mr Reddy received the Award from then-President Pratibha Patil at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on January 9, 2010.
Mr Patel received the Award from then-President Pranab Mukherjee at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held at the Bangalore International Exhibitions Centre, Bengaluru on January 9, 2017.
The Vinod Patel Company was honoured with the Indian Newslink Dr Robert Khan (Senior) Award at the 11th Annual Indian Newslink Business Awards held on November 26, 2018 at SkyCity Convention Centre in Auckland. Jacinda Ardern, who was the Prime Minister presented the Award to Daksesh, who received it on behalf of his father Vinod Patel.
Refreshers
India honours prominent Indo-Fijian
Endurance sustained for succeeding generations
Robert Khan Award for Business Excellence
Awards strengthen the New Zealand-Fiji bond
Yanktesh Permal Reddy
Business baron with a heart endears
The following tribute appeared in Indian Newslink January 15, 2010 issue. For the latest information about the Reddy Group, please visit https://reddygroup.com/
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 the 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.
on January 9, 2010 (Photo Supplied).
Simplicity and Humility
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 Girmityas 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 for 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.
An illustrious career
His scholastic life was not 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 a 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.
Impressive Projects
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 the 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 whom 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 several organisations, among which are the Then India Sanmarga Ikya Sangam, Jaycees International and Rotary International.
Over the years, he has been decorated with many citations and awards, the first of which was a Fellowship (in 1965), to represent Fiji at the 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 a 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 tranquillity.
Very few would know that Mr Reddy was intensely involved in the establishment of Bank of India New Zealand Limited in its initial stages.
Vinod Shankar Patel
Hard work like Hardware never tires
Vinod Shankar Patel is a source of inspiration to people in Fiji and businesses across the Pacific Island countries, New Zealand and Australia. The company that he established more than 60 years ago is the epitome of quality customer service, simplicity and honesty.
Vinod Patel has grown to be the largest in its class of business with branches throughout Fiji. It continues to be a family entity, named after its founder.
Born and raised as the eldest son in a modest family in Ba, Mr Patel left school when he was 16 years old to seek employment to sustain his parents and siblings. A year later, his younger brother Umakant Patel also sought employment to augment the family income.
After working at hardware stores in Ba and nearby towns, the brothers thought that it was time that they had a business of their own.
(Picture by Press Information Bureau, Government of India)
A modest beginning
In April 1962, the first Vinod Patel store was inaugurated in Ba Town. As other brothers joined the business, the company decided to expand. In 1965, a second branch was opened in Rakiraki, a town without any hardware store.
From then on, progress was continuous.
As Mr Patel said, “It was a matter of seeking out opportunity and working hard to make it a success. We work as a family- not just among brothers but with everyone in Vinod Patel.”
Today, the Vinod Patel Group employs over 1400 employees in Fiji, Samoa, and Timor-Leste across nine retail, distribution, and manufacturing business units as well as interests in property investments and associated businesses.
After receiving the Pravasi Samman Award in Bengaluru on January 9, 2017, Mr Patel told Indian Newslink: “I have been fortunate to receive overwhelming support from many friends, family members and charitable organisations. These include the Red Cross of Fiji, Shri Sanatan Dharm Pratinidhi Sabah and other social organisations. Therefore, I truly feel that the Samman Award has been bestowed on many hundreds of people who have supported me in my social service journey,” he said.
He also thanked his wife and children for their support.
Among the several organisations that he has supported include AD Patel College, Tagore Memorial School and Ba Gujarat Education Society. He established the Shankarbhai and Shantaben Patel School for boys and girls in the name of his parents in Karkhadi, a village near Vadodara in Gujarat.
Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka paid tribute to Mr Reddy and Patel in a Statement.
“Both these gentlemen became renowned not only for their corporate achievements but as philanthropists and community luminaries. They showed care, compassion and empathy for others. I am sure Mr Patel and Mr Reddy will be surrounded by grace and compassion as they make their way to the afterlife. Farewell to both of them and my condolences to their families,” he said.
