Stories that inspire

When was the last time you heard an Indian parent say “I would like my child to be an entrepreneur”? Risk-taking seems to be a scary proposition, so parents tend to gravitate towards safer options when they think of their children’s future. Unless there is a family business to join when they grow up, parents usually steer their children in the direction of careers that would help them pay bills, raise the standard of living, and find satisfaction.

With the Make in India initiative, will this situation change? Are Indian parents and teachers more likely to encourage children to see business leaders as role models and nation builders? The Puffin Book of 100 Extraordinary Indians (2022) seems to be a step forward. It has been written by Venkatesh Vedam, a chemical engineer who works with Infosys. The book has “inspiring stories of outstanding achievements”, with illustrations by Mohith O.

Some of these people started companies from scratch, others expanded their family businesses. Some rose up the corporate ladder after proving themselves to employers.

This book is a great addition to children’s books like Mary Nhin and Yuliia Zolotova’s Indra Nooyi (2021), Haydn Middleton and Tony Morris’s Henry Ford: The People’s Car-Maker (1997), and Who Was Steve Jobs? (2012) by Pam Pollack, Meg Belviso and John O’Brien.

Mr Vedam’s book celebrates Adar Poonawalla, CEO, Serum Institute of India, for launching the oral polio vaccine, “which benefited crores of kids”. The author commends Mr Poonawalla for backing “undertrial Covid vaccines, including AstraZeneca, Novavax, and a few others”, and points out that businesses can serve people and make money.

He writes: “Critics perhaps thought that this young CEO was crazy to have invested so much in undertrial drugs. But Adar reasoned that without committing to these trials and taking a head start in mass production, there would be no hope down the line to mass-produce enough vaccines in the coming months.” This story does seem inspiring for the book’s target audience — ages 10 and above. Purchasing decisions for them are usually made by adults.

Indra Nooyi, who joined PepsiCo in 1994, and reached the much-coveted post of CEO in a dozen years, is presented as an Indian woman who became a game changer in a global company. Mr Vedam writes: “She reshaped the perception around junk food by introducing healthier choices. This was a tactical risk that paid off.” He also praises her initiatives to reduce water consumption, and help employees achieve a better work-life balance.

The other business leaders profiled in this book are Byju Raveendran, Faqir Chand Kohli, Karsanbhai Patel, Mukesh Ambani, Naina Lal Kidwai, Satya Nadella, Ganga Bhishen Agarwal, Mahashay Dharampal Gulati, Sundar Pichai, and Vikas Khanna. The author draws attention to humble origins, the surmounting of challenges, and eventual acclaim.

Here’s what the author says about the CEO of Byju’s, one of the largest ed-tech companies in the world: “Byju Raveendran … spent his childhood in Azhikode, a small village in Kerala’s Kannur district. He studied in a Malayalam-medium school, where both his parents were teachers. He learnt English by listening to sports commentaries on the radio … The journey from a village in Kerala to building a multibillion-dollar company has not been easy.”

The biographical sketch of Ms Kidwai, “the first woman to head the foreign bank HSBC in India” and the “first female president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry”, looks at the hardships that she had to face before breaking the glass ceiling. When she wanted to get an MBA degree from a prestigious American university, her uncles said that she should not waste her parents’ money and time and must consider getting married.

The chapter on Gulati skilfully depicts how a man whose life was upended by the Partition of India in 1947 was able to start afresh and flourish on account of his business acumen. Gulati, the “spice king”, was born in Sialkot. He worked as a tongawalla for some time after coming to Delhi, and then decided to set up a small shop called MDH (Mahashian Di Hatti) in Karol Bagh. He continued his family business of making and selling quality spices.

Generations of Indians have grown up seeing the grandfatherly Gulati endorsing his spices as “asli masale sach sach”. Mr Vedam writes: “Dharam was not just a sharp businessman but also a good human being … he also opened many schools and hospitals for the underprivileged.”

The chapter on Kohli applauds him “as the father of the Indian IT industry” whereas Agarwal is hailed as “Bhujia King”. Mr Patel is depicted as an innovator who revolutionised the detergent market with his “ingenuity in marketing and risk-taking abilities”.

This book includes stories of business leaders alongside those of doctors, scientists, painters, freedom fighters, spiritual leaders, activists, sportspersons, and dancers as role models. It will hopefully give Indian parents the courage to let their children think outside the box, and give wing to children who want to find new solutions to old problems, make profits, and create jobs.