Determined to become a Chartered Accountant (CA) from a young age, Nirmal pursued his dream, topping competitive exams and completing his CA and graduation. His education and determination led him to transition into equity venture capital, CSR, business advising, and banking, where he has become a prominent figure. He emphasizes the importance of confidence, hard work, and giving back to society in achieving life goals.

Nirmal Kothari is a well-established Chartered Accountant based in Surat, Gujarat. He is also an active member of several social groups and an adviser to various NGOs.

Nirmal was born and brought up in Jodhpur. He was born with a silver spoon as his family was well-off, and he never had to struggle financially. Since childhood, he has been determined to become a CA.

Nirmal says that he was so determined that he appeared in the CA entrance exam just after completing his schooling. Eventually, he topped the competitive exam and went to do an internship with the best CA in town. He topped his college while doing his CA and completed his graduation and Chartered Accountancy in 1985 and '86, respectively. After he passed his CA, Nirmal attempted the Civil Services Examination. He attempted it once but couldn’t make it, so he eventually dropped it.

Meanwhile, one of his relatives suggested that he venture into the garment-export field. So he went to Chennai to work for a garment-export giant firm. In Chennai, he cut many important deals, catering to many foreign clients, and helped his company make a handsome profit. Impressed with his hard work and honesty, in just six months of him working there, his boss offered him to manage the company's business in some regions of Europe, says Nirmal.

Meanwhile, when Nirmal told his family about the offer, his mother got quite concerned about him going to Europe for a very long time. So finally, at her mother’s insistence, he quit the job and returned to Jodhpur.

After talking to one of his relatives, Nirmal met a prominent marketer in Mumbai who had come to India with a premium dealership offer. He somehow managed to convince the marketer to give him the dealership, who was quite skeptical of the young guy taking this risk. The yarn dealership business proved to be very good for him, but he was not able to find enough buyers working from Jodhpur. So, on his family’s advice, he shifted to Surat. After about two years working from Surat, Nirmal felt that business was not his cup of tea. Thus, he decided to establish a yarn manufacturing plant, and after completely establishing his plant, he slowly shut down his dealership business.

After some time, when his business was going pretty well, his ambitiousness again motivated him to increase his plant’s capacity. He finalized some new, efficient machines manufactured in Italy. Later, his agent informed him about some exclusive, although second-hand, machines available in Turkey at a very low price. He finalized the deal and managed to get a huge loan from various banks in India with a little difficulty, says Nirmal.

Nirmal says that the real tragedy struck when the local AGM refused to sanction the loan for some reason. Some government policies had also changed regarding exports, so his business took a huge shift. After four years of doing everything in his power, Nirmal decided not to take any more loans and shut down his manufacturing unit. He paid off all his debts and liabilities with support from his friends and family.

Eventually, Nirmal’s education helped him get back on track. He got into the fields of equity venture capital, CSR, business advising, taxes, and banking. He set up a unit in Mumbai with a small staff and worked day and night. Slowly but surely, he became a prominent name in his field. Currently, he has set up his office in Surat and is working with several banks and companies. He has settled all his debts and loans and advises everyone, based on his experience, to take loans as a last resort.

Nirmal has always been a very friendly and social person. He has always been socially active throughout his life. He is a member of various NGOs and social groups and has started his own NGO in Surat.

Nirmal shares that once, when he was a student, he wondered if he could also write an article for a newspaper, so he wrote one, and it got published on the editorial page of The Economic Times. This gave Nirmal motivation to write even more, but eventually he discontinued writing due to his busy schedule. He says that if he gets the time, he will surely want to continue this hobby. He is also a foodie and an avid traveller who wants to travel the whole world.

The concept of CSR is also very close to Nirmal’s heart. He has delivered several speeches and conducted many workshops to make people understand CSR. He believes that CSR is very helpful in running a successful NGO.

Nirmal firmly believes that if you have confidence and work hard, you can achieve any goal in life. He advises youngsters to go for their goals with zeal and not to take unnecessary risks. He also says that we must give back to society in any way possible, be it through a green revolution, power saving, or running an NGO. The idea is to give back to society.