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Dalit Child Bride to $112 Million CEO: The Wonder Story of Kalpana Saroj English Lesson with Summary.
1. DALIT CHILD BRIDE TO $112
MILLION CEO:
THE WONDER STORY OF
KALPANA SAROJ
2. Kalpana Saroj is described as the 'original Slumdog
millionaire', a compliment as backhanded as it is degrading.
Born in poverty and subjected to inhuman abuse, she
overcame impossible odds to become one of the most sought
after entrepreneurs in the country. Today she is at the helm
of a $112 million empire that is growing rapidly. How she
did that is as heart breaking as it is faith affirming. The only
lesson you need to understand from her journey, she
insists, is that ivy league degrees and fancy MBAs are not
what make an entrepreneur. Grit, perseverance and a
superhuman ability to have faith in yourself does. Her story,
in her words:
4. Early life
I was born in Vidarbha. My father was a constable and
we used to live in the police quarters assigned to us. I
had three sisters and two brothers. I was a bright student
and loved school. In the quarters where we stayed, I and
the other children would play with abandon. It is the
adults who posed the problem. They expressed
displeasure if I ever came over, scolded their children for
playing with me and forbade them from visiting my home
or accept any food I offered.
5. This attitude, though hurtful, was unsurprising. It
is the behavior of the faculty at school that shocked
me. They tried to make me sit apart from other
students, constantly prevented me from
participating in extracurricular activities and
undermined any dreams I had for myself. It didn’t
matter anyway as I was pulled out of school in
class seven and married off.
7. Child Marriage
My father was not a very educated man, but courtesy
his job in the law enforcement, he was emancipated in
his views and wanted me to complete my education. But
in the Dalit community where I grew up, child marriage
was the norm. My father’s refusal was drowned out by
the clamor and clangor of the extended family- people
who placed little to no worth in the life of a little girl. My
father was powerless against their united front. I was
powerless.
8. Married Life
The kind of society where I grew up, it was a given
that life post marriage would not be a bed of roses. I
was mentally prepared for all the slavery that was
expected of me. But even I couldn’t have foreseen the
hell that was to come next.
9. I was a scrawny kid of twelve, responsible for all the
cooking, cleaning, laundry etc. for a household of
about ten people. But that wasn’t enough. They were
a sadistic lot and I was the easiest scapegoat around.
They would look for the slightest excuse- too much
salt in food, house not scrubbed clean enough and so
on- to hit me, brutally kicking, punching and
thrashing. They starved me and heaped emotional
and physical abuses on me. When my father came to
see me six months later, he was horrified. He said he
saw a walking corpse, not his daughter.
10. Walk of shame
In my community, and most poverty stricken societies
across the nation, girls are burdens to be cast off at
marriage, never to be thought of again. When my
father brought me back home, not a single eyebrow
was raised at what I had been made to go through.
What caused the hysterics was the ‘shame’ I was
bringing upon my family, community and society at
large by daring to return home a married girl.
11. I was determined not to be a burden on my father. I
applied at a local women’s constable recruitment
camp, nursing school and even the military. But
either my age or lack of education got me rejected.
Forlorn, I picked up some tailoring skills and
started sewing blouses at rupees ten apiece.
12. But the levels of hate and taunts kept rising. My
father gently suggested I go back to school, but I
could not fathom putting up with the humiliation
and vitriol coming my way every time I tried to leave
home. People kept whispering that only if I killed
myself would the dishonor that I had wrought upon
my family be expunged. So I obliged.
14. A second chance
Living is hard, but dying is easy. These were my last
thoughts as I downed a bottle of poison. My aunt
caught me in the act and rushed me to the local
hospital. I was in a critical condition and doctors
informed my parents that if I didn’t regain
consciousness within twenty four hours then all hope
was lost.
15. I don’t know how it is I didn’t die, given the
quantity of poison I had. But when I opened my
eyes in the hospital room I was not the same
person anymore. Gone was the naïve helpless girl
the world had deemed too worthless to exist. I felt
strong, recharged and empowered. I had been given
a second chance at life and wasn’t going to waste it
on self-pity for one more second.
16. A new life
I convinced my parents to let me move to Mumbai, where
I stayed with an uncle and committed to my tailoring gig
full time. A little while later, due to bureaucratic shuffles,
my father lost his job. I was the eldest daughter and only
earning member of the family. I put down my savings as
deposit and rented a small room at forty rupees a month.
My siblings and parents joined me here. The space was
cramped and money was tight, but we were together and
that’s what mattered.
17. The tragedy that made me an entrepreneur
As I mentioned, money was scarce. Amidst this, my
youngest sister fell ill. We could not afford her
treatment. We scrounged everywhere, but to no
avail. She kept crying, “Didi save me. I don’t want to
die.” But I could not help her. Her words are seared
in my memory. That’s when I realized that life
without money is useless and I was going to earn
lots of it. I started working sixteen hours a day, a
habit I still maintain.
18. Getting started
I went through various government schemes and
applied for a loan (Mahatma Jyoti Bhai Phule
scheme). With that small seed fund, I started a
small furniture business where I sold cheap
versions of high end furniture from Ulhasnagar. I
did not give up my tailoring gig either. Our
circumstances gradually began to improve.
19. I learnt everything about being an entrepreneur from the
ground up through this business- sourcing raw materials,
the art of negotiating, identifying market trends and, above
all, holding my own among a sea of crooks trying to take
advantage of me.
I also started a small NGO where we aggregated and
distributed knowledge about the various government loans
and schemes available to people like me. I did not want a
single child, boy or girl, go through what had happened to
me. I wanted to let them know that they could do
wonderful things with their life if only they cared to find
out how.
21. Seizing opportunities
It took me two years to pay off my initial loan.
Meanwhile I was on the lookout for other business
opportunities and an interesting offer came my way. The
proprietor of a litigation locked land need cash urgently.
He offered to sell me his property for a pittance because
the land was practically worthless to him. I ‘begged,
borrowed and stole’ the funds to buy it and then threw
myself into the ensuing legal torture that unfolded.
22. The next two years I was in and out of the courts,
trying to get my property cleared up. After that
was successful I wanted to get the land
developed, but had no resources for the same. So
I took on a partner who agreed to invest if his
share was sixty five per cent of the profit. Soon a
building came up on that land. With my thriving
furniture and real estate business, I felt life had
come a full circle. But the best was yet to come.
23. The strange case of Kamani Tubes Ramji Bhai Kamani
was a disciple of both Nehru and Gandhi, a pioneering
entrepreneur in a newly independent India. After
independence he came to Kurla and opened three
companies- Kamani Tubes, Kamani Engineering and
Kamani Metal. His ideas were firmly rooted in worker
rights and their welfare. He had big visions for the
country’s economic progress and wanted to be a key
player in the nation’s development.
24. All went well for him. But in 1987, not long after his death,
dispute broke out among his sons. The Union at the time
went to court to demand that the ownership be transferred
to the workers since the owners were acting against the
best interests of the company. At that time such changes
were sweeping across countries like France, Germany and
Japan. In India Kamani became the first company where
the Supreme Court passed the ownership from the legal
heirs to the Workers Union. But if there are going to be
three thousand owners, who is going to do the actual
work?
25. Soon tussles and the inevitable ego clashes broke out.
The union leaders had no vested interest in the
company, they were just out to make a quick buck.
Since this was the first time the rights of the workers
had been, supposedly, upheld people assumed that
Kamani industries was at the forefront of a
revolution.
26. Banks poured in with loans, extensions and credits. The
government provided them with various funds and
benefits. They had huge capital and no expertise with
which to utilize it. From 1987 to 1997 the company kept
limping along. Shutting it down was not an option. Since
the servants were the masters, who was supposed to do
the shutting down? Once the investors realized what was
actually going on, they came down heavily. The Electricity
and water supply was cut. Once IDBI surveyed the
situation and realized that the workers had become
defaulters, the court mandated that a new promoter be
brought in.
27. 140 litigation cases had been filed against the company.
A debt of 116 crores had been incurred. Two unions were
battling it out for supremacy. Of the three Kamani firms,
two had already gone into liquidation. The third seemed
set to go down the same way. That is when the workers
came to me, entreating me to save their company and,
thus, their livelihood. My flourishing NGO and my
business acumen had earned me a decent reputation
among certain circles. My knowledge was nil, but the
thought of 566 starving families gave me pause. I have
nothing to lose, I thought.
29. Battle
In my first order of business I formed a core team of ten,
each an expert in their respective fields. Then we hired
some consultants and created a proposal on how to go
about fixing the damage. When I took my proposal to the
board (which comprised of several IDBI and bank
representatives), they said they would give me the go
ahead if I agreed to sit on the board and took charge of
all liabilities. I agreed. They appointed me president. This
was in 2000.
30. From 2000 to 2006, we were just running in and out of
courts. I realized that penalty taxes and interest were
the main contributing factors of the 116 crore amount. I
approached the then finance minister and pleaded with
him to forgive the penalty and interest. “If the company
goes into liquidation, then no one will benefit,” I told
him. “This way at least the lenders can get their money
back.”
31. He held extensive talk with the banks. I feel proud to
report what happened next. Not only were the
penalty and interest amounts forgiven, they
deducted 25 per cent from the principle amount as
well. Now that the debt had been reduced to less
than half the original sum, life got much easier.
32. In 2006 I was appointed chairman of the company. The
court transferred ownership of Kamani tubes to me. We
were told to pay off the bank loans within seven years.
We did it within one. We were instructed to clear the
workers back wages within three years. We did it within
three months. We gave out five crores and ninety lakhs,
instead of the requisite five crores only.
33. While we were paying off debts and clearing liability, it
was imperative to focus on restarting manufacturing
and getting the firm back on its feet. We started by
replacing all the machinery which either had been
stolen or fallen to disrepair. The union had also sold the
land in Kurla, on which the factory operated, long
before I came on board. In 2009 I shifted the factory to
Wada, where I had bought a plot of seven acres.
34. Future Ramji Bhai Kamani had started Kamani
industries with a vision for what the newly minted
nation of India would look like and the radical role
companies like his would play in the nation’s growth. I
share those dreams and will take this company forward
in the way he envisioned it- on principles of justice, fair
play and equality.
35. Summary
Dalit Child Bride to $ 112 Million CEO, the Wonder
Story of Kalpana Saroj is written by Rakhi Chakraborty.
It is the biography of Kalpana Saroj who really grew
from rags to riches. She was born in a Marathi Buddhist
family and married at 12. The life in her husband’s
family was a nightmare. So, she was brought back
home. She attempted suicide. At the age of 16 she went
to Mumbai and life took many truths. At last due to her
grit, perseverance, willpower and faith in herself, she
became a successful business woman.
36. The mindsets of the adults in Kalpana’s
neighbourhood were male dominated oriented. They did
not like the girls got out and play freely along with the
boys and the children of other castes. She was born in
Dalit family at that time, the children of Dalits were
prohibited form playing and sharing food with the
children of upper castes. The adults believed that the
girl children are expected to be at home and do all the
household chores. But Kalpana went to school because
her father was a constable and he wanted her to study.
Because of all these things, the adults had a problem
with Kalpana Saroj when she was a young girl.
37. Kalpana was born in a Dalit Buddhist family. She
faced many pressures. Though they were Buddhists they
were treated almost untouchables. Her father sent her to
school. Though he was not well educated, he was a
constable. They were living in police quarters. When Kalpana
went out with her siblings, other children were prohibited
from playing with her. As a small girls, she did not
understand why she was treated an untouchable. So she
lived almost in isolation. She would have continued her
education, but she as married off at the age of 12. That
totally sealed her opportunities for growth. In those days
child marriages were common among Dalits.
38. ‘shame’ started in her life when she was taken back home
by her father. Kalpana was married at the age of 12. In those
days, Dalits followed child marriages very strictly. Kalpana had to
go to her father-in-law’s house and there was a lot of work to do
as the family consists of ten members. There was no proper food
and rest to her. Besides she was physically and mentally
tortured. Her father was shocked to see his daughter when he
visited her after six months. She was living like a corpse. So, he
brought her home. This was a ‘shame’ for the people around.
They believed that once a girl was married, she should not leave
her husband’s house at any circumstances. This reinforced
gender bias.
39. When we read the life story of Kalpana, we can understand
her strong character. She was an independent girl. She did not
like to confine her at home. When she was free, she used to go
out with her siblings to play. The life in her mother-in-law’s house
became a hell to her. She had no proper food and she was ill-
treated there. Her father brought her back home and he advised
her to go to school again. She felt that she could not bear the
humiliation there. She tried for many jobs, but she lacked in
education. She learnt some tailoring skills and started sewing
blouses at rupees ten a piece. It shows Kalpana’s perseverance to
earn some money to support the family. She did not want to
become a burden to her father.
40. Whether it is sweet or bitter, we have to accept one thing
that we are living in a male dominated society. Things are slowly
becoming better now. But in the past, it was horrible for girls and
women. Poverty suffered women and girls more in the poor
families. Feminine gender was always inferior. They were treated
as working machines. When Kalpana came back home, she tried
her level best to earn something to help her father, but she failed.
She did not get the substantial income to help her father. She
applied for many jobs but she get rejected due to lack of
education and age. She did not go to school in fearing
humiliation. Her strong will power yielded to the hardships and
decided to die. She felt that living was difficult and dying was
easy.
41. Kalpana Saroj’s marriage certainly adds to the ongoing
conversation about gender roles and inequality in India. Marriage
should be fixed on the agreement of both the boy and girl when they get
married age. But in her marriage no one took the opinion of Kalpana
and it was like unlawful. In child marriages, it is the girl who is a scape
goat and She is treated as a burden on the shoulders of her parents.
Child marriage is one of the strong roots of gender inequality. Child
marriages put an end to a girl in all her growth. Gandhiji said that
marriage without love is prostitution. With child marriage, a girl would
become a working and child producing machine. No one listens to her
feelings and thoughts. Her life becomes a nightmare. Gender equality
comes, when society gives equal respect, recognition and opportunities
to both boys and girls, then there will be balance in the society.
Cooking is not one’s birth right and enjoying is not another’s birth
right.
42. Kalpana’s accomplishments reveal her very rare
qualities. The first accomplishment in her life is
following her father and coming back home. If she had
not agreed because of the fear of society, they would
have sealed her growth. Though she failed, she made
many attempts to earn money. She tried tailoring too. In
fact, they are all social taboos in those days. Ultimately,
her continuous failures and humiliation from society
weakened her will. It was because, she was not mentally
matured enough to face all those things. Lack of
educational qualification was another problem.
43. As a result, she attempted suicide. She failed in it
too. But this failure made her mind strong, recharged
and empowered. She felt that life is worth of living. The
next accomplishment was moving to Mumbai to live with
her uncle and find opportunities. Next accomplishment
was to buy a disputed land courageously and making it
successful. Later another opportunity came in the form
of Kamani Tubes. These accomplishments made her feel
strong and clever. She said that action without vision is
a nightmare and vision without action is a daydream.
44. The theme of Kalpana Saroj’s biography is the road
to success, it is not decked with flowers and petals. She
said that diligence, perseverance and willpower are the
mother of success for fortune favours those who work
hard and think smartly. The theme of the biography
also states that behind every success, there are bitter
failures. When a person reaches his or her heights in
life, success also comes by them. A person who is brave
enough to get success in every phase of life is favoured
by victory, while those who are not brave, loses from the
very point and fall in the darkness of failure.
45. In order to become victorious, one has to face
challenges in his or her life with bravery like Kalpana
Saroj. A quitter never wins and a winner never quits. It
is a universal principle. At only one point, Kalpana felt
forlorn and attempted suicide, but the failure in her
effort taught her the value of life. It energized her will
and she set out seeking other ways and means. The
theme teaches us a profound lesson that every end of
the road is the beginning of the other. This is the
positive approach to success. The lesson should become
a potential inspiration to not only girls, but also to boys
who would like to do something remarkable in their
lives.