Jugal malani biography of donald

Jugal Malani, a long-time Houstonian and successful entrepreneur, was born in Bidar in the state of Karnataka, India. Bidar is a historic city in the north-eastern part of Karnataka bordering the states of Maharashtra and Telangana in southern India. Bidar is a picturesque city with an ancient fort, palaces, temples, mosques, Gurudwara and famous for its Bidri art.

Jugal Malani received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Karnataka University and briefly worked in the Birla group in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, before joining their family business in Kolkata. In 1981 he moved to Houston, Texas to join his sister and brother-in-law and work for the small business they started. Houston was much smaller then but was suffering from one of its worst recessions with layoffs and foreclosures. The slow economy didn’t deter Jugal from growing the family business. He helped the business grow and in three-four years became a partner in the family business. In the first 17 years he played a leadership role and increased revenues from $1M to $40M, while his brother-in-law was pursuing another business endeavor. Eventually these two companies merged and Jugal left the company and sold his 30% ownership.

It was a new beginning for Jugal but a decisive moment as to whether to start a new business endeavor in the same field he had worked for in the last 17 years or do something completely new. His mother guided him with her wise words to venture into a new business that was different from the business his brother-in-law had started so as not to create competition among family members. Jugal thus founded a new business, Unique Industrial Product Company, with his business partner Pradeep Gupta and slowly grew the new company from scratch. Now after 20 years the company has 150 employees and increasing growth and revenues.

Since 1981, Jugal has been living in Houston with his wife Raj and raised their two children Pankaj and Nikita. Pankaj graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and is now leading the company his father founded. Nikita is a successful pediatric neurologist in the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Both their children are married, and the Malanis are proud grandparents.

Jugal and his family play a prominent role in the Indian community in Houston and have been key contributors to Hindu temples, organizations and religious celebrations such as Holi, Janmashtami and Diwali in the Houston areas. He is a strong believer in the philosophy of “giving back to the community” and credits his brother-in-law for this valuable lesson. In mainstream Houston, he played a role in building an Indian section in the Museum of Modern Arts and establishing the Asia Society. Jugal Malani is presently the President of India House Inc. an Indo-American community center serving all Houstonians.

Jugal Malani’s full video interview has been preserved in the digital archives of the Houston Public Library which can be viewed by clicking on the web link: http://digital.houstonlibrary.net/oral-history/MALANI-59.php.

The Indo-American Oral History Project is an undertaking of the Foundation for India Studies (FIS) being done in partnership with Houston Community College (HCC) and Houston Public Library (HPL).

All narratives and recollections of the first generation Indian immigrants who came from India and settled in Houston area in the early 60’s, 70’s and 80’s will be permanently stored in the digital archives of HPL for the benefit of future generations and researchers and historians.

Interviews are conducted on a first-come first served basis. Qualified candidates interested to participate in this Legacy project may contact: KRISHNA VAVILALA 713-795-5169 or Email: KVAVILALA1@GMAIL.COM, to schedule an interview.