it was 2012 juvencio maeztu had just landed in the country as the ceo of ikea india he had relocated from london and was setting up home and office in national capital region but he was still in transition mode i had many concerns recalls maeztu 49 sitting at the swedish embassy in delhi i am too small and india is too big could i understand india its size its complexity and diversity will my european roots constrain me one day maeztu was rushing for his morning appointment at the frro foreigners regional registration office in delhi he needed a passport photograph his driver stopped at a roadside shop a hole in the wall managed by an old man maeztu stepped in and asked tentatively can you take my photo yes the man said how long will it take maeztu asked five minutes he replied maeztu sat for the photo the camera clicked the clock ticked five minutes became 15 minutes the dusty printer was still warming up the photographer politely offered masala chai no the punctual spaniard worried about making it to frro on time declined the photographer persisted as he fiddled with the printer an exasperated maeztu barely hid his irritation as he said a blunt no sir whats the point of life if you cannot enjoy a masala chai for five minutes the old photographer asked something clicked says maetzu remembering that moment he sat down for the tea chatted with the photographer for over an hour and even missed his frro appointment that was the moment i connected with india it was a turning point he says it was there in that dusty shop where the ikea ceo in transition and in dilemma suddenly felt at home in india swedish roots indian dreams almost six years later an ikea store is yet to make a debut in india and maeztu is preparing to leave the country next month and move to the ikea global headquarters in the netherlands ikeas first store in hyderabad is a few months away land has been bought in gurgaon bengaluru and mumbai but retail stores will not come up before 2019 with 535 staff members and a rs 10500 crore investment the swedish mnc is already deeply committed most corporates dealing with quarteronquarter pressure rarely shows such patience we are here for the long term says maetzu we think of 100 years when we think of our strategy i have taken no short cuts more importantly i have had no pressure from the headquarters to take short cuts perhaps thats what makes ikea the euro 383 billion company and the worlds largest furniture retailer different founded by the swede ingvar kamprad in 1943 the company with 194000 employees and operations in 49 countries prides itself in its longterm vision its flat packs and valueformoney quality furniture have been its usp for many decades however change is afoot ikea which has been focused on developed markets its