Inspirational Story:

Most of us would crib about shelling out a few hundred rupees for charity. But how about donating the entire's life's earning for the well-being of others? Our inspiration for this month is a person who has given a new meaning to the word charity. Please read the full article to know about Mr Palam Kalyanasundaram. You will be surprised to know that such is this person's level of service, humility and simplicity that even the megastar Rajnikanth has adopted him as his father.

Early life:

No words can describe the beauty of this man’s kindness.

Palam was born in Melakarivelamkulam, Tamil Nadu. Born to a humble family, Palam lost his father when he was just a year old. It was a small village with just 30 houses then with no roads, no buses, no school, no electricity and not even a petty shop. Palam studied in the light of a kerosene lamp or by candlelight till he was about ten years old. After completing school, he was determined to pursue a B.A degree with Tamil as the main subject. As he was the only student for the course at St. Xavier's College, Tirunelveli, the college management persuaded him to take up another subject, but he refused. Impressed by the youngster's determination to study Tamil, the founder of a renowned college admitted him to the course he wanted with full sponsorship by him. Later Palam went on to pursue library science at the Madras University at a time when the Indo-China war was on.

A turning point came when he came he heard the PM Nehru on the radio requesting people to contribute to the defence fund. Something struck Palam then. He immediately went to the Chief Minister and gave him his gold chain – the first student to do such a thing. The Chief Minister later felicitated him at a special function for this contribution. This was just a small beginning though.

Palam is a gold medalist in library science and also holds a masters degree in literature and history. After completion of studies, he joined an Arts College as a librarian. During his 35 years of service, Palam diligently and willingly donated his salary month after month towards charity and did odd jobs to meet his daily needs. His primary focus during this period was the welfare of underprivileged children by helping them get shelter, food and education. He also made regular donations to several orphanages.

Such was his motivation for the well-being of others that Palam decided not to marry so that he could dedicate all his resources and money to help others rather than spend money on family. Even after retirement, Palam donated all his pension money and worked as a waiter in a hotel in exchange for two meals a day and a meagre salary so that he could continue to donate to orphanages and children’s educational funds. Not only has Palam donated all his life's earnings, but he has also donated everything he owned, including his ancestral properties and all the money he received from awards. We all work because we want a comfortable lifestyle and dream of settling down with the luxuries of life. This man was different, he worked hard just so that he could earn more money to donate.

In 1998, after retirement, Palam decided to expand his service and, thus, Paalam was born. He used all his retirement funds towards this initiative. Paalam serves as the link between donors and beneficiaries. Assistance is not only monetary but also through caring for others. Children are helped in pursuing education, medical attention is provided to the needy, blood donation camps are organised and blood samples are reached to hospitals during emergencies, the unemployed, elderly, sick and handicapped are rehabilitated, and free counselling is provided. Paalam has also taken an active part in relief work during cyclones and earthquakes that have struck various parts of India. People trust Paalam because of Palam and what he stands for. "I have slept on pavements and railway platforms to find out what it is like to be poor, without a roof over your head," he says.

Palam, is an epitome of selfless service, a fine example of simple living and high thinking. He prefers to stay low and practices Gandhian principles without bothering whether the world takes notice of them or not. Even today, he approaches people and appeals for funds to help suffering children in his soft voice, they realise that he is not just another fund-raiser.

“Everything is a state of mind”

Palam says money does not impress him at all. “One can get money in three possible ways. First, through earnings; secondly, through parents’ earnings, and thirdly, through money donated by someone. But there’s nothing more fulfilling than being able to donate money for charity out of your own earnings.” 

Palam never wanted anything for himself and was always able to manage doing odd jobs. He simply does not wish to own anything. One of his happiest moments was when, after being chosen as the `Man of the Millennium' by an American organisation, he donated the entire amount of Rs.30 crores he received towards charity. Everything is, therefore, a state of mind. Finally, what do we take with us when we leave planet earth?"

Recognitions:

Palam has been amply rewarded for his service to humanity. The Union government acclaimed him as the best librarian in India. The International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, has honoured him as one of the ‘noblest of the world’ and the United Nations adjudged him as one of the most outstanding people of the 20th century. He also received Man of the Millenium award by an American organisation and Life Time of Service Award from Rotary Club of India in 2011.

Palam strongly believes in words, “Don’t bother about how you speak. Strive to make others speak good about you.” He also believes that “we cannot sustain ourselves, unless we contribute to the society in some way or the other. I strongly feel if even one person does his bit towards social good, there will be some change.”

With so much of social service, selfless charity, noble international awards, but yet very less popularity, Kalyanasundaram is indeed an unsung Man of the Millennium.

There are many entrepreneurs who have risen from the bottom of the pyramid to build successful businesses. In today's inspirational story, we will talk about Mr Velumani, who has successfully created a business worth thousands of crores from mere Rs.2 lakhs. The man behind Thyrocare, Velumani still is known for his frugality and hard work. Let us see his life journey...

Early life:

Velumani was born in April 1959 to a landless farmer in a village in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. His parents were landless farmers and cultivated crops on leased land, but their earnings were meagre to even meet the basic needs of their four children. Velumani was the eldest child and he had two younger brothers and a sister. Velumani and other siblings had to study in local panchayat school. The primary education was completed with a slate in one hand and a plate in another, since Velumani took mid-day meals at the school. There were even days when Velumani had to go to school wearing only shorts, because the only shirt was given for washing after wearing it for days together.

Unable to cope with adverse circumstances for what appeared to be an endless period of time, Velumani's father had given up taking care of his family, which included four children, early in life. Faced with her husband's helplessness, Velumani's mother took on the responsibility of keeping their head above water by investing in two buffaloes. The money from the milk -- Rs 50 a week -- was what sustained the family for almost 10 years.

Even though Velumani was very poor, he was a diehard optimist and considered himself richer than many others. But the diehard optimist says he was richer than many others. “I had 60 meals a month, but there were children who didn’t have even 30 meals a month. They were poorer than me. That’s how I look at life,” says Velumani. To attend college, Velumani had to leave the village. His motivation to enrol in college was unusual – to get a 'fair-skinned wife' as in those days village, only boys who were graduates in village could hope to marry a fair girl.

In 1978, aged 19, Velumani got his BSc degree and started looking for a job, but could not find one in Coimbatore. There were two difficulties – one his English language was not good and second, he had no prior experience. The matter irked him to such an extent that today he employs only freshers in his company that has 1,200 odd people.

Early Career:

After months of looking, Velumanyfinally landed a job at a capsule-making factory as a chemist on a meagre salary of Rs.150 a month. Of this, he used to keep Rs 50 for himself and send Rs 100 home to his parents, who needed the money to educate his siblings. Veumani even today believes that it is the hallmark of a good son to live frugally and send 60% of his earnings to parents.

After working at the company for four years, Velumani could see there was no progress either in his role or in his company. Just a month before the company's closure, Velumani resigned and applied for a job at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai. He had to borrow money to go for the interview and landed the job at a princely sum of Rs.880 a month. To supplement his income, he started giving four tuitions a day, earning another Rs 800. While working at BARC he did his post-graduation and also completed his doctorate in thyroid biochemistry.

Birth of Thyrocare:

Velumani had by now been working for 15 years tirelessly at the government job but a kind of restlessness had begun to set in. He had seen those who had learnt thyroid testing from him make huge money, while he continued to struggle on a government salary. Then in 1995, without consulting anyone, not even his wife -- he resigned. Velumani felt life had become too cosy and that he had to do something challenging.

Together we were earning around Rs 10,000 per month. We used to spend around Rs 2,000 and save Rs 8,000 every month. We had Rs 2.90 lakh in our savings account when we quit our jobs. I knew that my family could live for 100 months with that money.”

“We lived frugally. Frugal people are not misers. They only spend for themselves. Stupid people spend because their neighbours are watching them. If you are frugal you are a king, if not you are a slave,” says Velumani.

Velumani could visualise the huge potential for thyroid testing in India. Thyrocare was then started in 1995 from a 200 sq ft rented garage at Byculla in South Mumbai. He operated on a simple business model, which he has just scaled up over the years. Velumani himself would personally go and canvass for orders from labs and hospitals and also collect samples. As the number of samples grew in size, he expanded the business and set up franchises across the country. Thyrocare offered thyroid tests to patients through its distributors at a fraction of the cost of competitors. Slowly the business grew and the laboratory was later shifted to a larger set-up, its main headquarters and central processing laboratory at Navi Mumbai.

Today, Thyrocare is a chain of diagnostic and preventive care laboratories offering over 200 tests and 50-odd profiles for preventive care and wellness under its brand, Aarogyam. The company has over 1,100 outlets and collection centres across India and parts of Nepal, Bangladesh and the Middle East. In April 2016, Thyrocare made its IPO which was oversubscribed nearly 73 times.

Frugality and simplicity have the dearest virtues of Velumani who continues to live along with his children in company quarters situated in the main headquarters of Thyrocare at Navi Mumbai. He does not own a house or a car. Velumani today only employs freshers in his company, out of his own experience in life.

Velumani is one of the inspiring success stories emanating from India. From a son of a landless labourer to one of the leading business personalities, Velumani cherishes his 'luxury of poverty” which taught him important lessons in frugality, hard work and an unending sense of optimism in everything he does.

Sources: www.theweekendleader.com, www.rediff.com/, en.wikipedia.org/

Today we draw inspiration, not from an individual but an organisation. The organisation is perhaps the most successful enterprise in the private or public sector in India. It is an organisation which has not only reached the skies but has also catapulted India's image and standing in the world. Yes, the organisation is ISRO or Indian Space Research Organisation. In this issue, we will talk about this organisation and how it has managed to make name for itself, in the face of all challenges.

Humble beginnings:

Indian Space Research Organisation, formed in 1969, superseded the erstwhile INCOSPAR (est. 1962). Dr Vikram Sarabhai was the person who identified the role and importance of space technology in a nation's development. He was instrumental in setting up of organisation and providing ISRO with the necessary direction to function as an agent of development. ISRO then embarked on its mission to provide the nation with space-based services and to develop the technologies to achieve the same independently.

The first major event for ISRO was on November 21, 1963, when it successfully launched the subcontinent’s first sounding rocket. The launch site was a small fishing village called Thumba in Kerala where the launch pad was made in a field of coconut trees. A local church served as the main office for scientists and the bishop's house and cattle shed became the workshop and the laboratory. The rocket parts and payloads were carried by the scientists on bicycles from one place to another.

The year 1975 marked a major milestone for ISRO as it built the country’s first indigenous satellite, Aryabhata, which was launched by the Soviet Union. In 1979, the major launching site of ISRO was shifted to Sriharikota, and shortly, in 1980, RS-1 became the first satellite to be put into orbit by an Indian launch vehicle, SLV-3. Although such feats were achieved by several other countries before this, it was significant progress for India’s young space programme.

Later ISRO designed India’s first communication satellite, APPLE, in 1981. The iconic photograph of APPLE being transported in a bullock cart is widely seen on social media. Apart from being simple and cost-effective, the wooden bullock cart also helped avoid interference of magnet-sensitive instruments with metal trucks! APPLE was subsequently used in several communication experiments including relay of TV programmes and radio networking. After this, the INSAT series of satellites developed by ISRO in the 80s and 90s went on to become the largest domestic communication system in the Asia Pacific Region.

Between 1979 and 1994, ISRO had experienced several failures in developing launch vehicles. However, the next series of launch vehicles, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLVs), achieved unprecedented success with 38 successful launches and only 1 failure in the last 24 years. It created a record in 2008 by launching 10 satellites in one launch, and again on 15th February 2017 by launching 104 satellites in one go. ISRO’s PSLV remains a favourite among various organisations from many countries who use it as a launch service provider. ISRO also successfully tested India’s first reusable launch vehicle in May 2016, that could potentially cut down launch costs by 10 times.

ISRO has had other ambitious projects beyond the earth as well. In 2008-09, ISRO successfully crash-landed Chandrayaan-1 on the surface of the moon using an indigenous PSLV. The mission confirmed the presence of water on the moon, making India the first nation in the world to do so, among its other achievements. In 2014, India became the first country to place an orbiter in Mars’ orbit in the first attempt through ISRO’s Mangalyaan Mission. At a total cost of 11% of NASA's MARS mission, it was also cheaper than what it cost to produce the movie Interstellar.

In March 2019, India announced that it had tested an Anti-satellite weapon in an operation codenamed Mission Shakti. The announcement was made by PM Modi himself in a much anticipated televised address to the nation. Recently the Chandrayaan 2 lunar mission was launched and the event was widely followed by everyone. The mission will boldly go where no country has ever gone before – the Moon's south polar region and make a soft landing using home-grown technology. If successful, it will make India the fourth country in the world to ever soft-land on the moon.

Isro’s success is despite the fact that for a large part of the first four decades, it has had to cope with the pressure of sanctions which denied it access to cutting edge technology. Instead of crying about it, ISRO has gone about developing the technology indigenously. Much of the technology that ISRO today uses is developed indigenously. Another big challenge has been the budget of ISRO which is nowhere comparable to that of the western countries. This made ISRO focused on minimising costs, bringing efficiency and finding innovative solutions to its' challenges. Owing to these sustained efforts, ISRO is today the world's cheapest satellite launch service provider in the world and its' missions are also among the most cost-effective.

Contribution of ISRO:

The vision of ISRO is to “harness space technology for national development while pursuing space science research and planetary exploration." Indeed, throughout the years, ISRO has upheld its mission of bringing space to the service of the common man, to the service of the Nation. In the process, it has become one of the five largest space agencies in the world. ISRO maintains one of the largest fleet of communication satellites (INSAT) and remote sensing (IRS) satellites, that cater to the ever-growing demand for fast and reliable communication and earth observation respectively.

ISRO has delivered great service of the nation and is perhaps the most important service provider to the country and us all. It is because of ISRO that today we have our communications systems, broadcasts, weather forecasts, disaster management tools, Geographic Information Systems, navigation, telemedicine, dedicated distance education satellites and so much more. Till date, ISRO has completed 105 spacecraft missions, 75 launch missions and put nearly 300 foreign satellites of 33 countries in space.

With the achievements, ISRO has surpassed all expectations and has brought immense pride to Indians. What further inspires us is how a dedicated team of individuals have performed over many years in the face of all the challenges before it. We humbly congratulate the scientists, engineers, staff and everyone associated with ISRO for their outstanding success streak and wishes them the best for their future endeavours.

Sources:

https://www.isro.gov.in, https://thelogicalindian.com, https://en.wikipedia.org, https://www.livemint.com

Have you have been rejected and failed many times in life? Do you think your time has passed to do or start something great? Well, there is one man you must know about. Colonel Harland Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). Yes, he is the man you see on the brand still today. Sanders faced many failures and rejections in life but in the end, made the world a better place. In this issue, we will read about the inspiring story behind one of the most famous fast food brands in the world.

Early Life & Career:

Colonel Harland David Sanders was born in 1890 and was the oldest of three siblings. When he was six years old, his father passed away and his mother would work during the day leaving Sanders to cook and care for his siblings. By the age of 7, Sanders was reportedly skilled with cooking. Later when his mother remarried, he did not enjoy a good relationship with his step-father and in seventh grade at age 13, he dropped out of school and left home to go work on farms and do some odd jobs. At age 16, Sanders faked his age to enlist for the US army but was honourably discharged a year later. He did an odd job before he was hired as a labourer in railways. While working there, he also studied law at night with correspondence. During his time with railways, Sanders also met his wife and they got married when he was around 20 years old. However, he was fired from railways due to fighting with a co-worker. After this, he practised law for three years and even his legal career was ruined after getting into a courtroom fight with his own client. After that, Sanders moved back with his mother and went to work as a labourer in railways again. In 1916, Sanders moved on to a job selling life insurance and again Sanders was fired had to take another job. In 1920, Sanders (age 30) established a ferry boat company which was an instant success. In 1922 he took up another job but resigned after less than a year. Sanders cashed in his ferry boat company shares for about $22,000 and used the money to start a company manufacturing lamps. The business failed very soon and Sanders had to again work as a salesman for a tire company, a job lost soon due to a local unit closer. In 1924, he started a service station for a gas company but again misfortune followed and in 1930, the station had close down during the Great Depression.

The KFC Story:

In 1930, the Shell Oil Company offered Sanders a service station in Kentucky. Sanders also began to serve chicken dishes and other meals, initially at his adjacent living quarters before opening a restaurant. Sanders's restaurant started doing well during this time. His fried chicken recipe was so notable that he was named a Kentucky Colonel in 1935. In 1939, Sanders acquired a motel but very soon misfortune again followed and both his restaurant and motel were destroyed in a fire. Sanders had it rebuild the motel with a 140-seat restaurant. However, due to World War II, Sanders was again forced to close and sell his motel and restaurant. Sanders again had to move on and work odd jobs. However by 1940, after many years of trials and experiments, Sanders had finalized his "Secret Recipe" for frying chicken in a pressure fryer that cooked the chicken faster than pan frying. In 1952 at age 62, Sanders franchised his secret recipe "Kentucky Fried Chicken" for the first time to the operators of one of that city's largest restaurants. Surprisingly, his recipe was rejected many times before anyone accepted it. In the first year itself, the restaurant sales more than tripled due to his chicken recipe. However, his first restaurant franchise on the highway had to close due to the opening of a new interstate highway. Sanders was left with very less saving and being on monthly social security. By now, Sanders was about 65 years old, had lost many jobs, failed at multiple businesses and had no savings in hand. Sanders felt like a failure & had even decided to commit suicide. Sanders sat writing his will, but instead, he wrote what he would have accomplished with his life & thought about how good of a cook he was. It was then, did Sanders decided to sell his chicken and decided to borrow money to do it. Sanders was focussed on franchising his chicken recipe and travelled far and wide, looking for suitable restaurants. He travelled hard, often sleeping in the car, visiting restaurants across US and negotiating the franchise. He used to cook loads of his chicken at multiple restaurants in order to sell his product. While he travelled and did business, his wife used to prepare the secret recipe and shipped it to restaurants. After years of failures and misfortunes, Sanders finally hit it big. Soon, the franchise approach became highly successful and KFC was one of the first fast food chains to expand across US and also internationally, In 1962, Sanders (aged 72), obtained the patent for frying chicken. In 1964, then 73 years old, Sanders finally sold his rights for $2 million and became a salaried brand ambassador. Sanders travelled 200,000 miles a year on the company's behalf and filming many TV commercials and appearances. His bleached moustache and goatee matching his white hair had is still today the face of KFC. By the time of Sander's death in 1980 (aged 90), KFC had over 6,000 outlets in 48 countries and nearly US$ 2 billion in yearly revenues. Colonel Sanders had become a household name in the US, an urban legend and who is still a very popular character in media today. If you're overwhelmed by rejection or discouraged by setbacks, remember the story of Colonel Harland Sanders. After so many jobs and failures in life, he still created one of the largest fast food chains in the world at an age when no one even dares to dream. Sanders wouldn't let anything or anyone defeat him. "I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labour, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me.". He is a true inspiration for millions even today.