A well-designed system must account for these differences.
The company also needs to consider the full cost of any benefit, including taxes, financing, administration, maintenance obligations, and potential legal requirements. A reward that creates financial or administrative problems can undermine the goodwill it was intended to generate.
For these reasons, the most transferable element of the Hari Krishna Exports story is not the number of cars or apartments. It is the idea of connecting recognition to employee contributions and making the benefits meaningful.
For one company, that might involve helping employees save for a home. For another, it might mean providing a strong retirement plan or funding professional qualifications.
The scale can differ dramatically while the underlying objective remains the same.
The Human Side of a Business Success Story
Behind the headlines about cars and apartments were individual workers with different ambitions and responsibilities.
A car might mean a shorter commute, easier travel with family members, or the convenience of no longer relying on other forms of transportation.
Assistance toward a home might represent a long-awaited opportunity to establish a permanent household. Jewelry could have personal or cultural significance, particularly during a festival associated with family gatherings and celebration.
The rewards were not necessarily equally valuable to everyone, but they gave selected employees something concrete to associate with their work.
This human dimension helps explain why the story resonated with audiences around the world. People could imagine what such a reward might mean for their own families.
The contrast was especially striking because ordinary employees rarely appear in headlines about corporate wealth. News coverage often focuses on business owners, executives, company valuations, and major commercial deals. The 2016 announcement instead placed workers at the center of the story.
It also challenged the familiar image of an annual company bonus as a relatively small gesture.
At the same time, the available reporting does not provide a detailed account of every recipient's experience. It would be inaccurate to assume that every employee felt the same way, that all recipients became financially secure, or that the program resolved broader workplace concerns.
What the reports do establish is that the company announced an unusually large reward initiative and identified employees' performance and loyalty as the reasons for providing it.
That is remarkable enough without embellishment.
A Final Look at the 2016 Announcement
In October 2016, Savji Dholakia and Hari Krishna Exports brought international attention to an employee reward program that was far outside the ordinary.
The company announced 1,260 cars, 400 apartments, and jewelry for selected employees, with contemporary reports describing approximately 1,700 beneficiaries from a workforce of around 5,500. Reports also explained that company assistance with loan installments formed part of the arrangements for some vehicle and housing purchases.
The initiative continued a practice that had begun several years earlier and had already included vehicles, housing assistance, and jewelry.
Its scale made it unusual, but its central idea was straightforward: recognize employees whose work has helped a business grow, and do so in a way that can make a meaningful difference in their lives.
For many people, a job is not simply a source of income. It is also a means of supporting a family, saving for the future, building financial stability, and pursuing goals that may take years to achieve.
Employers cannot guarantee all those outcomes. They can, however, make choices that recognize the people whose work supports their organizations.
Dholakia's program was one particularly visible example of that principle. It demonstrated how an employer could turn a traditional seasonal celebration into an opportunity to provide substantial material rewards.
The broader lesson is not that every company needs to give employees cars or homes. It is that recognition carries greater meaning when it is connected to real contributions, designed with care, and supported by fair employment practices.
Most employees may never receive a new car or help toward an apartment as a holiday reward. But the idea behind the story remains relevant: when people devote their skills, time, and effort to helping a business succeed, acknowledging that contribution can matter.
And in Surat in 2016, that acknowledgment took an extraordinary form. For selected workers at Hari Krishna Exports, the announcement was not just about a festive bonus. It was an opportunity to move closer to a personal goal—and a reminder that the people behind a company's success can be recognized in ways that extend well beyond the workplace.
Sources and further reading
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CNNMoney — Best boss ever? Diamond dealer hands out cars and apartments for Diwali — Contemporary reporting on the number of rewards, employee selection, estimated cost, and Dholakia's stated philosophy.
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The Guardian / Agence France-Presse — Indian boss gives 1,260 cars, 400 flats and jewellery as Diwali bonus to staff — Contemporary coverage of the 2016 announcement and the company's earlier reward initiatives.
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The Indian Express — Surat diamond tycoon gifts over thousand cars, 400 flats to staff for Diwali — Reporting on the employee rewards and the company's contribution toward loan installments.
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Hindustan Times — From cars to flats to jewellery for staff: Meet the super generous Savji Dholakia — Background on Dholakia, Hari Krishna Exports, and the history of the reward program.
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Business Standard — Surat diamond exporter showers flats, cars on staff — Reporting on the company's 2014 employee benefits and its approach to identifying recipients.
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The Indian Express — In Surat, diamonds lose glitter after Russia sanctions, risk of recession — Context on the diamond industry's dependence on international markets and the effect of economic pressures on workers.
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Gallup — State of the Global Workplace — Broader research on employee engagement and workplace outcomes. This is background research, not direct evidence about the results of Dholakia's program.