KP Chaudhuri, who with just $8 in his pocket went on to buy a hospital in USA

p>He just had $8 in his pocket when in his youth he left for US. Despite being the son of a zamindar, Kali Pradip Chaudhuri had a restless and adventurous soul. Coming from a well-heeled family, he had a carefree childhood and youth. He completed his intermediate science at the MC College in Syllhet and then shifted to Calcutta for his MBBS degree. His Ulysses soul drove him to alien territories and take up challenges and reach greater heights. He left for the US in his youth with barely $8 in his pocket.

The KPC Group has widely diversified property acquisitions worldwide. He has 25 different types of business ventures spread across eight countries and around 20,000 people work for the Group worldwide.

After reaching the US, KP’s challenging journey began. He first met the authorities of a hospital and expressed his wish to work there. His plea was rejected outright. But this did not dishearten   the youth and he kept trying. By then, KP was determined to join that particular institution. Finally, his perseverance paid off, and after 11 months, he was taken in. Initially everything went off smoothly until, a couple of months later, KP confronted the administrator of the hospital and ‘bragged’ he would ‘buy’ the hospital one day!  It definitely sounded ludicrous at that point of time and soon the word spread and he became the butt of all jokes. The young man took everything in his stride and continued to work diligently to fulfill his ambition. It took just 13 years for KP to have the last laugh and prove to those who had ridiculed him that he succeeded in doing what he had announced earlier. He actually bought the hospital! Those who had laughed at his expense, including the administrator, had to swallow their words. KPC Group was born. 

Not one to sit on his laurels, KP continued to steer deftly in the murky waters and over the years kept expanding his business across continents. By 2020, he had 70 hospitals under his belt spread across different countries.  At present, the KPC Group owns 7,000 acres land in the US alone and operates from a massive 30-lakh square ft. swanky commercial establishment in the US.  The KPC Group has widely diversified property acquisitions worldwide. He has 25 different types of business ventures spread across eight countries and around 20,000 people work for the Group worldwide. In India, the KPC Group has invested in 16 tea gardens of which one garden measures approximately a whooping 50,000 acres!  

In 2003, KP successfully established the first private medical school in West Bengal. On a sprawling 25 acres state-of-the-art campus with more than 1.8 million sq. ft. of construction, the KPC Medical College & Hospital, Shova Rani Nursing College and Paramedical College provide health and educational services to millions of Indians. In 2010, The KPC Group’s pharmaceutical company, Chemgen Pharma International, partnered with Ferrer Grupo based in Barcelona, Spain to develop The KPC-Ferrer Institute for Infectious and Tropical Diseases. 

The KPC Group, along with Mobidough, Inc., created Swiftlythere.com, a mobile and web-based travel services company enabling virtual, “home-based” travel agents to book international and domestic air, car, cruise, hotel, custom packages, and group sales reservations at deep discounts with easy payment and ticket redemption technology.

It took just 13 years for KP to have the last laugh and prove to those who had ridiculed him that he succeeded in doing what he had announced earlier. He actually bought the hospital! Those who had laughed at his expense, including the administrator, had to swallow their words. KPC Group was born.

The KPC Group is also involved in the information technology (IT) and architectural/ engineering/ construction sector. In 2005, KP’s Group created DowcoMAX Services to provide automated structural steel facilities to the worldwide steel market. DowcoMAX contributed to high-profile projects such as the Freedom Tower in New York City, the Goldman Sachs World Headquarter in New York, and many others including Oil and Gas refineries throughout the world. In 2011, Chaudhuri acquired DowcoMAX by enhancing his ownership position from 40 per cent to 100 per cent and renamed it ITeMAX Engineering Services.

KP lives in Hornet in California with his wife Sunland and two children, Kali Primo and Sumanta, in a palatial mansion that stretches across three-and-a-half kilometers. The US has dedicated a 55-kilometer road in Los Angeles in his name and it is called KPC Road.  There is also a city in Los Angeles named KPC City. He owns a nuclear power plant in Ukraine. 

Despite his fame and success, KP has not forgotten his motherland. He plans to set up a state-of-the-art multi-specialty medical college and hospital in his village on the plot owned by his family. He also wants to construct a 142-floor iconic tower at Dhaka Purbanchal, which will be the third highest tower in the world.  As per moderate estimate, the construction will cost approximately four billion US dollars, which is equivalent to Rs 32 crores.

Bengalis are generally branded as a race lacking in business acumen and hence fail to make any mark as entrepreneur. A cursory look at Pradip Kali’s illustrious career graph is enough to silence all critics.