"Honesty and truth are my most cherished values," says Nalli Kuppusami Chetti of Nalli Silks

Originally, a Telugu Chettiar, who belongs to the weaving community of Padmasaliars, Kuppusami Chetti’s origins lie in Kancheepuram, from where his grandfather Nalli Chinnasami Chetti, a weaver, came to set up the pioneering brand in the city in 1928. He not only transformed it into a multi-crore empire, but also devised marketing strategies to nurture employees and customers. Not just a great businessman, Kuppusami Chetti is also a connoisseur of music and literature. With a smiling face and a calm demeanour, the multi-faceted industrialist interacted with the editorial team of DT Next and shared anecdotes over a cup of coffee. Dressed in a white veshti and his trademark red tilakam, Nalli Kuppusami Chetti made us walk down the memory lane to his fond memories of ‘Madras’ and much more.

I would like to believe honesty lies at the heart of our business and an unwritten law for all our employees. One has to be true to their customers, if you want to establish a long-lasting relationship with them. Honesty and truth are my most cherished values. I would not like to sell something to my customers that I don’t believe in. It is essential that I give my customers a quality product, something that they are paying for. One should not compromise on quality and pricing. These have been driving factors of our growth. At the end of the day, what is important is job satisfaction.

Our shop’s USP continues to be wedding sarees. We get four generations of customers. While the youngsters might not be wearing sarees as much as the elders in the family, they definitely choose to wear one during their wedding. We have always believed in innovation and have moulded our designs according to what customers want. As a result, we have managed to hold our own.

At various points in my life, I have been influenced by many people. But there are three people who have inspired me always with the way they lead their lives. They are Sri Shankaracharya Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Mahaswamiji, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Mahatma Gandhi.

Silk woven by my grandfather was gifted to King George V in 1911. One day Prema Srinivasan of the TVS family came to Nalli Silks with a well-dressed foreigner. The visitor had a wonderful time looking at everything and buying whatever she fancied. Only later did we learn that she was Jacqueline Kennedy! MS amma (MS Subbulakshmi) was one of our most valued customers and her love for a particular colour led us to come with ‘MS Blue’. In 1953, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, India’s first president post-independence, made a visit to Nalli. A photocopy of the cheque that he made out against a purchase of silk saris, has been framed and adorn the wall at our store.

I was born when T. Nagar was just the area within Bazullah Road and the Siva Vishnu Temple, with rice fields and palm groves! My early memories are of the Krishna Gana Sabha concerts there. Before it shifted to Griffiths Road, the Sabha had its programmes where Kumaran Silks stands now. I became enchanted by Carnatic music only because, from Nalli’s threshold, I could clearly hear every note of Ariyakudi’s or M.S. Subbulakshmi’s performance. Since my father wouldn’t like me to leave the business and sit in a kutcheri, I would often stand at the shop’s entrance to listen to greats such as G.N. Balasubramanian and M.S. Subbulakshmi. Thus, began my long-standing love for music.

The have been instilled in me by my family. My father, learning about his family’s financial difficulties in conducting his sister’s wedding, lent him the necessary sum unasked. Reading this account, a prisoner from Vellore jail wrote to me asking for help with his daughter’s education at Anna University. Years later, the moment he was released, the man made a trip to Nalli in Pondy Bazaar, even before going home. These incidents left lasting impact on my mind and continue to drive my social activities.