From humble beginnings in Assam to becoming a household name in the plywood industry in India, Sajjan Bhajanka has led a remarkable journey as the Chairman of Century Plyboards (India) Ltd and Founder of Star Cement Ltd. Recently conferred with the Padma Shri, Sajjan Bhajanka is now turning his focus towards philanthropy as he prepares to step down from his corporate roles.
In conversation with LiveMint, the 72-year-old industrialist opened up about his career, legacy, and long-term vision.
“After getting the Padma Shri, there is a big change in my thinking process. I am already 72, on the verge of retirement. It was announced only two months after I was calling it a day. Bohot ho gaya—ab woh samjhenge.”
“But after the Padma Shri, the response I am getting for my philanthropic and social work… I have intensified it now. I have taken a decision that 20% of my wealth would be dedicated to charity purposes. My son and daughters have agreed to this. In my will, I have included this now. In my lifetime, I will do what I can do—in Kolkata and other parts of the country, maybe on national issues like unemployment.”
Sajjan Bhajanka set to retire after decades of business success
Sajjan Bhajanka, who is ready to step down as the chairman of CenturyPly and Star Cement, asserted, “God was kind to me at the end of my career. He has blessed me with this award—rare for this industry community. For sports, art, and entertainment, it is rampantly given. For businessmen, it is hardly given. In the past years, only eight people from Bengal got it. It is a big honour.”
Looking back, Bhajanka, who has weathered trials and tribulations in his career, shared how it began for him.
“My entrepreneurial journey began in 1974, right after I completed college. I started a small factory with my cousins, where I learned everything — from buying timber, managing accounts, sales, and even the technical side of vinyl production. Unfortunately, due to internal conflicts, my cousins decided to part ways, and we had to shut down the factory. I walked away with almost nothing.”
He added, “With the little I had left, I rented a small unit for ₹3,500 for six months. In 1976, I restarted with ₹1 lakh borrowed from friends. That first year, I earned ₹1 lakh; the second year, ₹2.5 lakhs. By the grace of God, the business steadily grew. In 1982, I was able to revive the factory we had shut down in 1976.”
“Then came 1986, an interim year. We founded CenturyPly with a total capital layout of ₹60 lakhs. From there, we expanded into various ventures, including Century Star Cement, which has grown from ₹40,000 in revenue to ₹24 crore.”
“Today, with God’s blessings and a strong, dedicated team, CenturyPly is the market leader.”
So, how did CenturyPly remain relevant through all these years in a competitive market?
Bhajanka believes, “It is hard work and integrity. Whether luck favours you or not, if you are honest, reasonable success has to come to you. The quality of the product is what I never compromised on. I always tried to use the best materials — value for money — and that helped us build our client base. If a customer once purchased CenturyPly, they never went to any other brand. They became our repeat customers. In fact, they were also our biggest advertisers.”
Why Kolkata became headquarters for CenturyPly
CenturyPly began with its headquarters and factory in Kolkata, even though many might not see Bengal as their first choice. Bhajanka, who hails from Tinsukia, Assam, chuckled at the thought.
“We started the Kolkata factory out of ignorance. By manufacturing here in Kolkata, we’re saving on logistics. So we started processing the timber here itself, instead of taking it all the way to Assam.”
“People said, ‘What are you doing? Yeh aapka labour-intensive factory Kolkata mein kaise lagaya?’
Did you face any labour-related problems in Bengal, especially under the leftist rule?
Sajjan Bhajanka reveals, “Shankar Naskar, a six-time MLA, was the labour union president. He came to us and said, ‘Labour humse lena padega.’ At that time, my partner Sanjay Agarwal was very young. But thankfully, the situation wasn’t very nasty.”
“We fixed a three-year agreement with the workers. When the next three-year term came, they started demanding much more. We immediately opened our cards and began the negotiations. But that dragged on for a year with no agreement. The entire process was dominated by outsiders. In the end, the workers agreed to what we had originally offered, and their leaders got offended. Our factory remained shut for a year. But we used that time wisely by creating different divisions. We started regular monthly meetings; there was no tussle, no issue. We gained their faith and never had any labour unrest, strike, or walkout.”
Sajjan Bhajanka on work hour debate
CenturyPly were also among the first companies to introduce incentives for labourers in Bengal.
Bhajanka said, “We also introduced incentives. At that time, labour unions in West Bengal didn’t allow incentives. They believed that with incentives, productivity would increase and fewer workers would be needed. They didn’t allow overtime either— instead, they asked us to hire more people.”
He adds, “But today, it’s not possible to run operations without overtime. Workers come from Bihar, Odisha, and different parts of Bengal. Locals can go back to their homes, but those coming from outside, staying in Kolkata — if they work only 8 hours, they are left with 16 hours of the day. Whatever they earn in those 8 hours, they end up spending in the next 8. They’re unable to save anything. We give proper lunch breaks for about 1.5 hours. They work for 10.5 hours, and no one takes home less than ₹1,000 per day from our factory.”
The company factory now has 3,000+ workers in two shifts.
Turnaround moment for CenturyPly
However, the labour union wasn’t the only problem the company faced. On December 12, 1996, the Supreme Court stopped all timber operations and factories in the Northeast, affecting CenturyPly, which was only 10 years old.
“We had the Chennai factory, but we were also making a huge amount of money in the Northeast. When the operations were halted, everything stopped. We had to abandon our business in the region. However, we didn’t stay idle. Within a year, we started another factory in Karnal and expanded operations in Kolkata and Chennai. By default, we became market leaders.”
“When the market closed in the Northeast, there was a scarcity of materials. We capitalised on this situation. Within 6 months, we increased production in Kolkata by three times. All the other companies had shut down, but we seized the opportunity and grew stronger.”
Sajjan Bhajanka on mental health
Running a business empire requires strength, capabilities, and the heart to stay grounded through it all. In an era where people have become more vocal about mental health, Sajjan Bhajanka shared how he dealt with bad days.
“Uss time itna time tha hi nahi—bas karo, karo, karte raho. Bohot sochne ka ya low-high hone ka time tha hi nahi. By the grace of God, I have an inbuilt quality. You will never see me angry. People are not scared to come to me. My door is always open for my employees.”
“When you learn to take things in the same stride —har jeet ko equally lena—then you stay balanced. For example, when the BJP’s result came out badly, I really felt bad. But that’s life. You keep moving forward. Yesterday I lost more than seven crore rupees. What to do? Markets fall and rise,” joked the industrialist.
But, how does Bhajanka unwind once he leaves office and steps into his abode?
“Usually, my wife and I watch 2–3 serials together after I return home. We play rummy or something like that. In my younger days, I used to play chess and badminton.”
“I also have spiritual intentions. I’ve finished reading the Gita and have started it again. I read a lot—autobiographies, the life of Swami Vivekananda, and other spiritual works. At 72, by the grace of God, I’m on only a few medications,” quipped Bhajanka, who is a complete family man with three daughters, one son and eight grandkids.
