After spending over a decade in Canada and USA and having garnered a rich experience across domains in printing & packaging, I felt a deep and genuine desire to make a difference. At the same time, having been away from India for a long time, I felt as if my homeland was calling me.

This feeling was even more amplified after I lost my father in late 1996. He was the man who instilled a deep and abiding passion for inks and printing in me. Late Sri K P Nayak, was one of the pioneers of printing ink manufacturing in South India, and one of the pioneers in Ink Manufacturing in Bangalore. As a young lad, I used to often visit my father’s ink manufacturing factory. I can never forget those sights, sounds and smells! Everything about color reproduction, the printers, the machines, etc., fascinated me. My father recognized this and was my mentor and my inspiration to choose this line of work.

While I had a successful career working in global markets, I was always interested in the Indian print industry. It was only a matter of time before I decided to return to my country to teach and serve the Indian industries looking for world-class solutions in the printing and packaging arena.

With the dream to help Indian businesses with my skills and experience, I moved back to India. My conviction grew stronger by the day and soon I decided that my life would be dedicated to bringing about significant changes in the Indian print industry. So, in 2001, I landed in Bangalore with a game plan. But the first thing I needed to give shape to my dreams was a name. Not just any name, but something that resonated deeply with my personal philosophy and life’s purpose. And that name would come to me in a mysterious way.

Soon after I returned, one day I was chatting with my dear mother, and wanted to share my future plans with her. She was just about to leave for a pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya, the holy place where Buddha had attained enlightenment. My mother was an educated and wonderful woman full of practical wisdom. An earnest traveller, she was full of stories, philosophies and experiences garnered via her several spiritual trips. And unlike others who returned with souvenirs from such trips, my mother only returned with wonderful stories that always inspired the rest of the family.

So, she said she would like to continue our conversation about my plans upon her return from Bodh Gaya. And I of course, decided to wait for her before embarking on what I knew would be my life’s most significant journey. When my mother got back from her trip to Bodh Gaya, we spoke about my new plans. She blessed me and asked me what I was going to name my venture. At that time, I hadn’t decided on a name. She listened patiently and after I was done, she quietly placed a large and perfectly formed, heart-shaped leaf in my hand.

Perplexed by her action, I asked her what it was. She said, while at Bodh Gaya, she sat under the tree where Lord Buddha had meditated hundreds of years ago and found enlightenment. The gentle morning breeze caused this leaf to sway into my mother’s lap. This wasn’t just a leaf from just another tree. The Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya (Mahabodhi Temple Complex) is believed to be a few thousand years old and is said to be the very embodiment of wisdom. Parts of the tree have been carried to Honolulu, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and throughout the Indian Sub-Continent.

And now a beautiful leaf from that very tree was in my hand, thanks to my mother. Piqued by her stories of Bodh Gaya, I did a little research on my own. To my great surprise, I discovered that the legendary tree was also called as the Raja Vriksha, the king of trees. The Bodhi Tree had stood rock solid as the tree of knowledge and enlightenment. This was exactly what I wanted my company to be known for – knowledge and enlightenment. Like the Bodhi Tree, which supports the growth of all the vegetation around it, I wanted my company to help companies grow and pioneer the print revolution in India.

In the palm of my hand lay not just an ordinary leaf, but a beautiful philosophy that was completely aligned to my soul. And that is how Bodhi Professional Solutions was born. Our slogan, ‘Our Knowledge, Your Future’ reflects our deep desire to be the pathfinders based on our expertise and a genuine passion to be the guiding light for our clients...