Rajesh Chaplot’s Success Story: From Humble Beginnings to Business Leadership

An average student from a lower middle-class family, whose hunger to achieve something big and a vision took him to the heights of success. Meet Rajesh Chaplot, who is a Chartered Accountant by profession and is now leading the business. Know the inspiring story of Rajesh, who never let any situation become an obstacle. Even after one success, he didn’t restrict himself. 

In an exclusive interview with Viestories, Rajesh Chaplot told how he converted his bad incidents into blessings. It is not an overnight success, it's a long journey of hard work.

Early Life of Rajesh Chaplot

Rajesh Chaplot had a very humble upbringing. His father had a business, but the business was not very successful. Although his father was unsuccessful in business, he left no stone unturned in giving a good education to his children. Rajesh was sent to the best school in the district named St. Paul at that time and Principle of that school very much was instrumental and built strong roots for Rajesh.  Despite being an average student, Rajesh's strong willpower with a good vision never weakened him. While completing school at St. Paul, Udaipur, he developed his skills because of the good schooling as well as visionary and disciplined principal Father Avito Coutinho.

In an exclusive interview with Viestories, Rajesh Chaplot says,

"I thank my school for my roots. When there was no internet, no television, the school Principal used to organize our sports day like the full fledged Olympics." Those roots played a vital role in his overall growth, not only in his education but also in other activities such as sports, communication skills, ethical habits, moral values, discipline, logical thinking, social works, music , drama and much more.

After finishing his Chartered Accountancy course , he wanted to stay in Udaipur only ie near to his family , but something bad happened  in family and he decided that he should leave Udaipur and moved to Mumbai . This decision was a game changer  for him as that gave him exposure to him and world open the doors for him . Udaiour is a small city and could not have offered opportunity the way Mumbai did to him.

Rajesh Chaplot – Profession

With his hard work, Rajesh qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1989 and worked as a finance manager at Grasim Industry Limited in Mumbai during his career of 5 years. While working there, he got the opportunity to work and evolve in many technical areas.Where he got the exposure of full project work from land development to plant commissioning.

He grabbed the opportunity with full enthusiasm. During this time, he worked very hard, sometimes sleeping late at night, sometimes waking up early, and many times not sleeping the entire night to meet the deadline. As a result, he has developed many skills by working hard, being disciplined and meeting deadlines in that company.

At the time (1994), their company became the first in India to implement SAP, and through it, he got the chance to get trained in the SAP. Excitingly, he joined the training session along with his day-to-day work, but after 2 months he was unable to cope with his regular work and so he left SAP training in between . But after a year of the training he came to know that around 7 to 8 colleagues from the same company who completed the  SAP training got a very good offer from the American corporates for more than $ 125,000 annual package at the time.

After experiencing that he has been left behind as compared to his other 7-8 colleagues who completed SAP training , he also decided that he would not bind himself. Looking for growth, he went to Africa to get employment so that he could get a better professional package outside India. Grabbing a new opportunity, he joined there as finance manager in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Furthermore, with his dedication, at the age of 30, he got a new offer to become a CEO in Uganda in the same group during the expansion phase.

While continuing as CEO in a company named Graphics System Group  in Uganda, he expanded the group in several verticals across various areas like corrugated boxes, screen printing, textile manufacturing and printing, flexo printing, gravure printing, and offset printing as well as metal fabrication, civil construction, elevators franchise , IT. Over time, the business expanded significantly and achieved remarkable growth. In 2012, Rajesh's hunger for growth inspired him to start his own business in the BPO (Business Process Outsourcing), call centers and warehousing while working as CEO in Graphic system group.

Step Into The World Of Social Life

Rajesh's journey into social life began with an incident that sparked his involvement. He was at a government office in Uganda when a senior commissioner in the ministry shared a remark made by an Indian community leader. The leader had said that the Indian community didn't understand English well and that any communication with them should go through him. This statement deeply bothered Rajesh, as he couldn't understand why a leader of the Indian community would speak like this.

Rajesh then approached a couple of friends who were also involved in the leadership of the Indian Association. He questioned how such a leader could make such a claim. One of his friends advised him to stop criticizing from the outside and instead join the organization to bring about change from within. Inspired by this, Rajesh became a member of the Indian Association in Uganda, starting his journey in social leadership.

His strong belief in justice for unfairness motivated him to get involved in areas where most people shy away. He never tolerated being cheated, even by shopkeepers, and believed in standing up for what was right. This mindset pushed him to become more active in the community.

Rajesh later became the chairman of the Indian Association in Uganda, an organization with around 30,000 Indian members and a history of over 100 years. After serving his two-year tenure as chairman, he formed Indian Business Forum in 2014, which has become a powerful body in the country. Rajesh also founded several other associations, including the Rajasthan Association, JAIN International Trade Organization, and the UGANDA Chapter for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He has been on several boards like Uganda Manufacturers Association, Private sector Foundation of Uganda ISBAT University, Miss Uganda Foundation he also took   post of trustees for Jain Samaj , uganda and  Indian Association, Uganda.

Furthermore, Rajesh became chairman of the Business Advisory Committee to the President of Uganda, serving for six years. Throughout his journey, Rajesh always made sure to represent India with pride in every initiative he led. His dedication and contributions have made a lasting impact on the Indian community in Uganda.

Back to India

After spending 25 years in Africa, Rajesh moved his headquarters to India, where he spends around 60% of his time. The remaining 40% is spent travelling to Africa for his business interests. His decision to move to India was driven by his desire to contribute to India's growth, as he believes the country is on the right path.

Rajesh Chaplot- Achievements

Rajesh's efforts were recognized with several prestigious awards: the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award was given  to him by Hon’ble President of India in 2019. Also  he  was given by his excellency President of Uganda, The highest civilian award of Uganda, The golden jubilee Award and the International Youth Leader award from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and many more such awards.

These honours reflected his dedication to promoting India's interests and making a positive impact in Uganda. His work was always focused on raising India's profile globally.

Changing The Phase Of Life

At the age of retirement, Rajesh is still working and plans to continue doing so, for as long as he can. He believes that work is essential for everyone, no matter their age. In fact, he has written many articles and has been published in prominent journals like the Journal of Chartered Accountants, Outlook magazine, and the Economic Times. He's also published a book called Wheel and compass of Life, available on Amazon, and is currently working on three more books that will be released in the next six to nine months.

Rajesh shared his thoughts on retirement, saying that after the age of 55 or 60, people should not talk about retirement but rather a "change of phase" in life. He believes that after decades of working in one field, it's important to pursue something new, especially what aligns with one's passion and brings happiness. Now that he has reached 60, Rajesh is following this approach,and wants to serve for any project of national interest without intention of earning money.

Three Key Lessons From Rajesh's Journey

In an exclusive interview with Viestories, founder Rajesh Chaplot says,

1.  Grab Opportunities:

Rajesh emphasized the importance of recognizing and seizing opportunities when they arise. Some people ignore them, others delay, and some do not even realize them but those who grab them become successful.

2.  Save Time:

He emphasized that saving time is crucial for efficiency and productivity and creating more memories. He believes that by managing time better, people can achieve more and improve their lives. World leaders always talk about saving water, saving the environment, and saving energy but they hardly mention saving time. Rajesh believes, if you save time you can save all the other resources on earth.

3.  Avoid Being a Slave to System & Technology:

Rajesh cautioned against becoming a slave to the system and technology, warning that it could reduce one to the role of a mere clerk. He emphasized the importance of continuous evolution and innovation in one's life. By doing so, he believed, individuals could not only rise to greater heights but also make meaningful contributions to society, driving positive change.

Balancing Marriage and Personal Life.

Rajesh exemplified the art of balancing work and personal life by dedicating quality time to both. Throughout his career, he worked diligently but always ensured he spent meaningful moments with his family. He observed that many people, after returning home from work, often squander their time on activities such as mindlessly scrolling through their phones, engaging in unproductive routines, gossiping, or excessively watching television. Instead of fostering genuine connections with their families, they drift into passivity. Rajesh believed that true work-life balance is not merely staying at home but actively investing in quality time with loved ones.

 Even when he returned home late, he spent at least an hour with his family.

Today, Rajesh has travelled all around the world, spanning over 50 countries with multiple visits to each country. His relentless efforts fueled consistent growth, transforming an average student from a lower middle-class family into a remarkable achiever. 

Also read-  Navigating Dreams: Rupesh Verma's Journey of Becoming a Passionate Geotechnical Engineer.