The Pragati Group, in concept is over three decades old. But behind those three decades of continuous progress is Mr. Dinesh Furia. A man who, even in his early twenties, visualized it all as he traveled by train from a small village called Bidhada in Kutch (Gujarat) to Mumbai. Of course, there is more to the story than just the effect.

      After completing his SSC in 1965, Mr. Dinesh Furia joined his father’s grocery business in Mumbai. Soon enough, he realized this wasn’t going to take him to the place he had dreamed of. So he took up his studies for a Bachelors degree in Science. However, his dedicated efforts at balancing his duties at the grocery store and graduate studies didn’t yield the result he expected. The failure, however, spurred him to take up a job as a door-to-door product salesman, where he could get a first hand experience of meeting people and learning the art of direct sales. But he soon gleaned the limited prospects the profession offered. Immediately, he turned back to studies for the Inter Science, where, this time, he succeeded. But not enough to get a seat in the Medical stream. Disappointed but not defeated, he went on to complete his B. Sc. This time, for want of a few marks, his aim to go abroad for education couldn’t fructify. Knowing the importance of stability, he decided to take up a more practical job.

     He joined as a counter sales person in a bookshop in Mumbai. Here, in direct contact with customers across the counter, he could see people who were as passionate about education as he was. He observed the rising need for academic books and the necessity of setting up a one-stop destination for academic customers. The 4-year stint in the bookshop got him thinking.

     In 1974, Mr. Furia’s started his own venture in the form of Pragati Book Center in Appa Balwant Chowk. His foresight in choosing this area to set up a books and stationery shop is to this day paying huge dividends today, in that Appa Balwant Chowk is Pune’s chief academic market.

     His natural inclination towards academics and an highly cultivated entrepreneurial mindset led Mr. Furia to establish Pragati Prakashan (now Pragati Books Pvt. Ltd.) and, after a few years Nirali Prakashan. That today these two publishing houses have over 4000 fast-moving titles in circulation is a fact that is sufficient basis to imagine the vast workload that has been handled in just over two decades.

      Looking back to his father’s makeshift grocery shop, Mr. Dinesh Furia can trace the origins of his dreams. “My father always offered the best products he had in his grocery shop. That way the customer knew he cared about their health and knew what they wanted. This built trust and goodwill. At Pragati Group, that is our duty as a business, and as fellow humans.”

      Apart from the manifold business commitments for the Pragati Group, Mr. Furia also heads several charitable and community welfare organizations. So, whether it is a complicated business issue or a very personal family problem, people around him head straight towards his cabin. They have the solution when they close the door on their way out. The recurring theme in all his day-to-day ventures (and that includes business) is social responsibility. “It’s all in what you give back to the society. The society fed you, remember?” He says, time and again.

      Today, at the age of 60, Mr. Dinesh Furia is as active as ever. Insightful in his way of handling complex business and human resource issues, he is an abiding inspiration to everybody around him.