The inspiring rags-to-riches tale of Sarathbabu

This is truly an inspiring story, really worth a read. This was published on rediff.com.

The inspiring rags-to-riches tale of Sarathbabu
Shobha Warrier

August 31, 2006

When 27-year old Sarathbabu graduated from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, he created quite a stir by refusing a job that offered him a huge salary. He preferred to start his own enterprise -- Foodking Catering Service -- in Ahmedabad.

He was inspired by his mother who once sold idlis on the pavements of Chennai, to educate him and his siblings. It was a dream come true, when Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy lit the traditional lamp and inaugurated Sarathbabu's enterprise.

Sarathbabu was in Chennai, his hometown, a few days ago, to explore the possibility of starting a Foodking unit in the city and also to distribute the Ullas Trust Scholarships instituted by the IT firm Polaris to 2,000 poor students in corporation schools.

In this interview with rediff.com, Sarathbabu describes his rise from a Chennai slum to his journey to the nation's premier management institute to becoming a successful entrepreneur. This is his story, in his own words.

Childhood in a slum

I was born and brought up in a slum in Madipakkam in Chennai. I have two elder sisters and two younger brothers and my mother was the sole breadwinner of the family. It was really tough for her to bring up five kids on her meagre salary.

As she had studied till the tenth standard, she got a job under the mid-day meal scheme of the Tamil Nadu government in a school at a salary of Rs 30 a month. She made just one rupee a day for six people.

So, she sold idlis in the mornings. She would then work for the mid-day meal at the school during daytime. In the evenings, she taught at the adult education programme of the Indian government.

She, thus, did three different jobs to bring us up and educate us. Although she didn't say explicitly that we should study well, we knew she was struggling hard to send us to school. I was determined that her hard work should not go in vain.

I was a topper throughout my school days. In the mornings, we went out to sell idlis because people in slums did not come out of their homes to buy idlis. For kids living in a slum, idlis for breakfast is something very special.

My mother was not aware of institutions like the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, or the Indian Institutes of Technology. She only wanted to educate us so that we got a good job. I didn't know what I wanted to do at that time because in my friend-circle, nobody talked about higher education or preparing for the IIT-JEE.

When you constantly worry about the next square meal, you do not dream of becoming a doctor or an engineer. The only thing that was on my mind was to get a good job because my mother was struggling a lot.

I got very good marks in the 10th standard exam. It was the most critical moment of my life. Till the 10th, there was no special fee but for the 11th and the 12th, the fees were Rs 2,000-3,000.

I did book-binding work during the summer vacation and accumulated money for my school fees. When I got plenty of work, I employed 20 other children and all of us did the work together. That was my first real job as an entrepreneur. Once I saw the opportunity, I continued with the work.

Life at BITS, Pilani

Sarathbabau. Photograph: Sreeram SelvarajA classmate of mine told me about BITS, Pilani. He was confident that I would get admission, as I was the topper. He also told me that on completion (of studies at Pilani), I will definitely get a job.

When I got the admission, I had mixed feelings. On one hand I was excited that for the first time I was going out of Chennai, but there was also a sense of uncertainty.

The fees alone were around Rs 28,000, and I had to get around Rs 42,000. It was huge, huge money for us. And there was no one to help us. Just my mother and sisters. One of my sisters -- they were all married by then -- pawned her jewellery and that's how I paid for the first semester.

My mother then found out about an Indian government scholarship scheme. She sent me the application forms, I applied for the scholarship, and I was successful. So, after the first semester, it was the scholarship that helped me through.

It also helped me to pay my debt (to the sister who had pawned her jewellery). I then borrowed money from my other sister and repaid her when the next scholarship came.

The scholarship, however, covered only the tuition fees. What about the hostel fees and food? Even small things like a washing soap or a toothbrush or a tube of toothpaste was a burden. So, I borrowed more at high rates of interest. The debt grew to a substantial amount by the time I reached the fourth year.

First year at BITS, Pilani

To put it mildly, I was absolutely shocked. Till then, I had moved only with students from poor families. At Pilani, all the students were from the upper class or upper middle class families. Their lifestyle was totally different from mine. The topics they discussed were alien to me. They would talk about the good times they had in school.

On the other hand, my school years were a big struggle. There was this communication problem also as I was not conversant in English then.

I just kept quiet and observed them. I concentrated only on my studies because back home so many people had sacrificed for me. And, it took a really long time -- till the end of the first year -- to make friends.

The second year

I became a little more confident and started opening up. I had worked really hard for the engineering exhibition during the first year. I did a lot of labour-intensive work like welding and cutting, though my subject was chemical engineering. My seniors appreciated me.

In my second year also, I worked really hard for the engineering exhibition. This time, my juniors appreciated me, and they became my close friends, so close that they would be at my beck and call.

In the third year, when there was an election for the post of the co-ordinator for the exhibition, my juniors wanted me to contest. Thanks to their efforts I was unanimously elected. That was my first experience of being in the limelight. It was also quite an experience to handle around 100 students.

Seeing my work, slowly my batch mates also came to the fold. All of them said I lead the team very well.

They also told me that I could be a good manager and asked me to do MBA. That was the first time I heard about something called MBA. I asked them about the best institution in India. They said, the Indian Institutes of Management. Then, I decided if I was going to study MBA, it should be at one of the IIMs, and nowhere else.

Inspiration to be an entrepreneur

It was while preparing for the Common Admission Test that I read in the papers that 30 per cent of India's population does not get two meals a day. I know how it feels to be hungry. What should be done to help them, I wondered.

I also read about Infosys and Narayana Murthy, Reliance and Ambani. Reliance employed 20,000-25,000 people at that time, and Infosys, around 15,000. When a single entrepreneur like Ambani employed 25,000 people, he was supporting the family, of four or five, of each employee. So he was taking care of 100,000 people indirectly. I felt I, too, should become an entrepreneur.

But, my mother was waiting for her engineer son to get a job, pay all the debts, build a pucca house and take care of her. And here I was dreaming about starting my own enterprise. I decided to go for a campus interview, and got a job with Polaris. I also sat for CAT but I failed to clear it in my first attempt.

I worked for 30 months at Polaris. By then, I could pay off all the debts but I hadn't built a proper house for my mother. But I decided to pursue my dream. When I took CAT for the third time, I cleared it and got calls from all the six IIMs. I got admission at IIM, Ahmedabad.

Life at IIM, Ahmedabad

My college helped me get a scholarship for the two years that I was at IIM. Unlike in BITS, I was more confident and life at IIM was fantastic. I took up a lot of responsibilities in the college. I was in the mess committee in the first year and in the second year; I was elected the mess secretary.

Becoming an entrepreneur

By the end of the second year, there were many lucrative job offers coming our way, but in my mind I was determined to start something on my own. But back home, I didn't have a house. It was a difficult decision to say 'no' to offers that gave you Rs 800,000 a year. But I was clear in my mind even while I knew the hard realities back home.

Yes, my mother had been an entrepreneur, and subconsciously, she must have inspired me. My inspirations were also (Dhirubhai) Ambani and Narayana Murthy. I knew I was not aiming at something unachievable. I got the courage from them to start my own enterprise.

Nobody at my institute discouraged me. In fact, at least 30-40 students at the IIM wanted to be entrepreneurs. And we used to discuss about ideas all the time. My last option was to take up a job.

Foodking Catering Services Pvt Ltd

My mother is my first inspiration to start a food business. Remember I started my life selling idlis in my slum. Then of course, my experience as the mess secretary at IIM-A was the second inspiration. I must have handled at least a thousand complaints and a thousand suggestions at that time. Every time I solved a problem, they thanked me.

I also felt there is a good opportunity in the food business. If you notice, a lot of people who work in the food business come from the weaker sections of the society.

My friends helped me with registering the company with a capital of Rs 100,000. Because of the IIM brand and also because of the media attention, I could take a loan from the bank without any problem.

I set up an office and employed three persons. The first order was from a software company in Ahmedabad. They wanted us to supply tea, coffee and snacks. We transported the items in an auto.

When I got the order from IIM, Ahmedabad, I took a loan of Rs 11 lakhs (Rs 1.1 million) and started a kitchen. So, my initial capital was Rs 11.75 lakhs (Rs 1.17 million).

Three months have passed, and now we have forty employees and four clients -- IIM Ahmedabad, Darpana Academy, Gujarat Energy Research Management Institute and System Plus.

In the first month of our operation, we earned around Rs 35,000. Now, the turnover is around Rs 250,000. The Chennai operations will start in another three months' time.

Ambition

I want to employ as many people as I can, and improve their quality of life. In the first year, I want to employ around 200-500 people. In the next five years, I hope to increase it by 15,000. I am sure it is possible.

I want to cover all the major cities in India, and later, I want to go around the world too.

I have seen people from all walks of life -- from the slums to the elite in the country. That is why luxuries like a car or a bungalow do not matter to me. Even money doesn't matter to me. I feel bad if I have to have food in a five star hotel. I feel guilty.

Personally, I have no ambition but I want to give a house and a car to my mother.

Appreciation

I did not expect this kind of exposure by the media for my venture or appreciation from people like my director at the IIM or Narayana Murthy. I was just doing what I wanted to do. But the exposure really helped me get orders, finance, everything.

The best compliments I received were from Narayana Murthy and my director at IIM, Ahmedabad. When I told him (IIM-A director) about my decision to start a company, he hugged me and wished me luck. They have seen life, they have seen thousands and thousands of students and if they say it is a good decision, I am sure it is a good decision.

Reservation

Reservation should be a mix of all criteria. If you take a caste that comes under reservation, 80 per cent of the people will be poor and 20 per cent rich, the creamy layer. For the general category, it will be the other way around.

I feel equal weightage should be given for the economic background. A study has to be done on what is the purpose of reservation and what it has done to the needy. It should be more effective and efficient. In my case, I would not have demanded for reservation. I accepted it because the society felt I belonged to the deprived class and needed a helping hand.

Today, the opportunities are grabbed by a few. They should be ashamed of their ability if they avail reservation even after becoming an IAS officer or something like that. They are putting a burden on the society and denying a chance to the really needy.

I feel reservation is enough for one generation. For example, if the child's father is educated, he will be able to guide the child properly.

Take my case, I didn't have any system that would make me aware of the IITs and the IIMs. But I will be able to guide my children properly because I am well educated. I got the benefits of reservation but I will never avail of it for my children. I cannot even think of demanding reservation for the next generation.

How does one make money ?

I found this article on rediff, an interesting one.

The 5 secrets of making wealth
R A Krishna

What does one do to become wealthy? Save a lot, spend less, invest well and in time you will become wealthy. Right? Well, yes, but. . . But what?

This is not a game. There is a secret to creating wealth that is far more than saving more, spending less and investing well. All these are external actions and involve, well, actions.

This is like saying that a building or an automobile or a ship will come up just by giving a few masons or blacksmiths or workers some tools and saying 'Go!' I am sure you would agree with me that these are nowhere near enough. So what is the missing piece in the puzzle? It is a concept.

First it's in the mind of one person and then it leads to actions to create the object in 'reality.' The aggregation of men and material occurs thus and the concept acquires a physical dimension.

This is not 'planning.' It is creation and this occurs in the right hemisphere of the brain. It is our connection to the universal life force, God, or whatever you may term it. It is the power and infinite intelligence that runs your body.

I have heard of people saying that the cosmos is just a random occurrence, that there is no infinite intelligence that operates the engine of the world. Try, however, to create a grain of rice with all the properties of a grain of rice and you will fall short even with the best tools in the best lab!

Okay, remember when you were last doing something creative? Did you feel energised? Did you feel excited? I am sure you did! Because life is creation and life is in creation. The best works come out when one does something without making any 'effort' whatsoever.

Thoughts flow easily and action becomes an extension of thought.

Okay, buddy, you are getting vague and philosophical. What does all this have to do with becoming rich? Just get to the point! The point here is that you become rich through creation rather than planning only.

Sure, but read on just a bit, till you come to my five-step formula for achieving health, wealth and happiness.

My previous articles have dealt with the process, but not the creation. So what is this creation? Thought is the beginning of manifestation in the physical realm. As mentioned in the first para, creation is not construction. It is not a random event. It is preceded by a desire or a dream.

From there the mind weaves its magic. It starts imagining how it can fulfil the dream. The next step is creation of a concept. There was a serial called Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapnein which loosely translated means 'The Wishful Thinking of Mungerilal.' Mungerilal spun roseate dreams of riches and the good life that never ever came true.

So what separates Mungerilal from Dhirubhai Ambani? It is the steadfastness or holding on to the dream, being open to doing what it takes to make the dream come true and finally taking the right actions.

When Dhirubhai started as a small trader in Aden, did he imagine that he would be one of the greatest tycoons in the history of the world? Did he think that his empire would be as vast as it was at the time of his passing away? Did he dream that thousands of people would get jobs because of him? These questions can only be rhetorical as of now.

Do you get the drift? By starting the process of creation and believing in the power of your dreams, you will become far wealthier and satisfied in life than by just squirelling away a part of your income and allowing it to be grown by other people, however good they are at their job.

Does this seem to be a contradiction to what I wrote earlier? Maybe. But, imagine, one person was unable to comprehend the power of compounding of growth in income over a 25-year period.

For instance, is it possible for you to imagine that Rs 12 lakh (Rs 1.2 million) income per annum will be common place in India by about 2015! Or that if you get a growth of 10% in your income every year a person earning Rs 15,000 per month would be earning Rs 62,000 in 15 years. Do you believe that you would be getting a hike of only 10% every year? Young people expect more and get more these days or they switch jobs.

Here then is a very important concept. Your increase in income will be in direct proportion to your aspirational levels, your belief in yourself, your willingness to change and your openness to accepting that money could come from any source or sources which you may not even be aware of. Only through ethical means.

There are some unfavourable signals you give the Universe if you apply dishonest or harmful means. You will sabotage yourself!

I have experienced umpteens of instances when money came to me at the right time from sources totally unexpected, an old debt paid back, some payment I was not even aware of, and so on. May not have been huge money but just enough for the time.

I did not have to do anything except to be open to random occurrences. Rack your brains and you will recall instances when this has happened in your life. Can we make the process automatic rather than random? Sure.

Oh, but there is a 'but'! But make sure that your faith in the process does not waver. What did I say about an open mind! Also understand that the clock of the Universe operates on a different scale.

You can bring it to your scale by being more specific in wording your requests. So, does it mean that one makes a request to the Universe, sits back and waits for it to do its bit? Yeah sure, if you are willing to go according to its clock. Unfortunately, we have our urgent needs and also desires that do not wait. We also know how a wish can be fulfilled in a way that actually harms us. All this is starting to sound like mumbo jumbo. Let us get to specifics.

The process of creation in any field starts with a concept, a thought. This thought takes energy and becomes stronger. The energy increases to seeing the created entity as real in the creator's mind. A mental picture is conceived in three dimensional 'virtual' reality. Finally it culminates in action to realise the dream in concrete or wood or metal or whatever.

Please note that action is the last step and action comes after a number of mental iterations occur. In effect you create your reality. Your ability to 'see' the picture and give it the energy to manifest, results in its realisation. For sure you may have to slog to achieve.

Even then, the picture in front of you will propel you to realise and manifest your dreams and the process will become pleasurable. This is just as an athlete pushes his body forward beyond its apparent capacity. At the time of running or jumping or swimming, the athlete's thoughts are focused on running the race, not the rewards, not the pain nor any other thought.

So also when you are pressed and pushed just stay focussed on the job at hand and it will seem to be effortless.

If you have felt the sheer exhilaration of doing something to the exclusion of all other thought, you will know what I mean. Okay, let us take a totally passive activity such as watching an interesting cricket or football match where the two teams are almost equally placed and the end of the game is near.

For one example, Sachin bowling the last over of the Hero Cup match against South Africa sometime in 1994 or so. Anyone who saw that match live will vouch for the fact that they had no thought other than the event unfolding on the TV. To take a more prosaic example, remember catching a train or a plane. You are sure that you will catch it come what may. How is this so?

Well, we always are sure of catching the train or plane. Were we to approach each of our goals thus, we would unfailingly achieve them. All our failures stem from the element of doubt that creeps in like a malignant shadow.

So here is my five step formula for achieving your health, wealth and happiness goals:

1. Start out with a clear idea of what you want, the clearer the idea the better your chances of achievement. Write it down clearly in a positive way and in the present tense. For example, if you want a car, clearly spell out what kind of car, what colour, what d�cor, and so on.

Let us say a Honda City in blue colour with beige faux leather interiors. Write down: 'I have a blue Honda City with beige faux leather interiors. It has a stereo system of the best quality from xyz, a television monitor, a DVD player, etc'

2. Picture yourself achieving your goal. If you are thinking of the car, picture yourself driving this car. See it in your driveway or parking lot. Give the picture a lot of colour and atmosphere such as smell (those who know will tell you that new cars smell different. For me it is an intoxicating smell), sound, etc. The better your visualisation, the faster you will get there.

3. Convince yourself of the definiteness of achieving your goal however absurd it appears initially. Dream big and see it as absolutely real. Conviction carries the day. Belief is all.

4. To assist you in your visualisation, prepare a scrapbook or a sheet of card paper and stick pictures of all the things you want in life. Only do not put people in it. For instance, you want a good partner, visualise your getting a good partner, the kind of person, his or her qualities and so on. Do not expect Marilyn Monroe to drop into your life, she is long since gone! If you are lucky and you desire it, someone who looks like her just might. . . so all the best!

5. Last of all there are two very important principles:

Be grateful for what you have and are getting everyday. Enjoy the sunrise and the sunset, the smell of flowers, the internet or whatever else you have, and say a silent thanks to all those who made this possible.

Do not badmouth the rich or famous or those with the traits that you seek to acquire. For instance if you want to be rich, revel in the riches of others. Let go of your programming that tells you that all rich people are greedy or evil or both. That they got there by cheating others. True or otherwise, stay away from these thoughts and from voicing them. (Anyway this is not true in the present world where honest persons like N R Narayana Murthy or Azim Premji or Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and many others have made it by the dint of their ideas and by acting on them.

Do not generalise. There are rich and dishonest people just as there are poor and dishonest people or dishonest middle class people.) Attract good experiences in your life by focussing on these rather than the bad ones. Believe in your power to attract good and desirable experiences through honest means and for your highest good. Use this caveat always, for my highest good.

I wish to mention that many of my dreams have come true in my life of five decades plus. Seven years back I never dreamt that I would ever be able to afford a new car. I drove a 1970 model Fiat. Since then I have had two new cars.

My income has increased so much that I say a silent prayer of thanks to Goddess Laxmi everyday. Sometimes when I feel down, I am able to see it as a passing blip.

All the best in your endeavours. May your fondest wishes come true. Also be careful what you wish for as it just might come true!

The author, who is based in Bangalore, is a former banker who is now a consultant for banking and finance. He can be contacted at rakrishna1952@gmail.com

The amazing Harley-Davidson story

I found this on rediff.com. All copyrights are with whoever wrote and published this article. Its an interesting read about Harley Davidson.



One man who has held onto this company is Willie G Davidson, after whose family, Harley-Davidson takes its name. He told Ingrid Vanderveldt on a CNBC show called American Made, that this company is his hobby, his love and his passion.

He says, "The products are emotional and therefore, we have loyalty second to none. The brand is world famous and I'm just proud to be part of it. I'm lucky that I can help keep the flame burning."

His passion for the bikes began in his childhood. His father, William H Davidson was President of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company from 1942 to 1971. He had a great passion for riding and this was something that his sons -- Willie G and his younger brother John inherited.

While, there was no pressure on the boys to join the firm, Willie G had a talent that would prove to be valuable. He could draw very well and while listening to history lectures in school, he didn't take down notes, instead he was sketching motorcycles!

He then sharpened his skills at the Art Centre and Design College in Los Angeles. He recalls, "After graduation, my portfolio was looked at by automobile design companies, industrial design firms and I actually wound up at a design firm in Milwaukee for a couple of years."

At this job, he designed everything but bikes -- he designed furniture, outboard motors to furniture. He couldn't design bikes right away because there was no designing department at his father's firm, so he moonlighted for the company. By 1953, his father realised the need for a full designing department and that's when Willie G finally joined the family firm.

US President George W Bush at the Harley-Davidson assembly plant in York, Pennsylvania, along with Jim Ziemer (L), President and CEO of Harley-Davidson, Inc. Photograph: Tim Sloan / AFP / Getty ImagesHe says, "We are close to our customer, we ride these bikes, we collect them, we design them and so, we have an intimate understanding of the products and what they are all about. We try and understand its history over all these years and use our heads to make sure, we can keep it going for the next 100 years. I think it can go on forever, if we do it right. But every company is vulnerable as we all know."

This company has a rich and long history. It was founded in 1903, at the turn of the century when transportation was in a state of flux.

Wille G explains, "The original four - the three Davidson brothers and one Harley - were in the process of designing and producing prototype motorcycle, so you could get to your destination easier than on a horse (which was the favoured mode of transportation being used then). They were struggling trying to build this and they were working in a little shack behind my great grandfather's house. They all had jobs, so they did this in their spare time."

"Railroads were big then and they all knew about machinery. They used to come home from work at night, go into the shack and start making parts. There were no auto part manuals then, so they had to do it all themselves. They built a motorcyle, that they thought would have durability and that would work okay."

Around this time, the team ran into competition from another entrepreneur - Henry Ford. Willie G says, "Henry Ford created mass production and the Model Ts became equal in cost to a Harley-Davidson. So, back in the 1920s, everyone could have a car. So, we were no longer the cheapest mode of transportation."

That's when Harley-Davidson made owning and riding a motorcycle a fun thing to do, which continues to be its unique selling proposition even today.

These bikes also found their way to the local and federal government. In 1908, the Detroit police department had been utilising the bikes to help maintain law and order. During World War 1 and the Second World War, the Harley-Davidson founders were roped in to help with the war effort.

They produced thousands of bikes for the US and its allies. These bikes were built to go over fields and rough roads, had high ground clearance, was painted olive green with a white star on the fuel tank and had a gun scabbard on the front fork.

In 1969, some of the owners of Harley-Davidson thought of diversifying their interests. Willie G, his father and brother did not want to do this and wanted to remain an independent company. But this company was an attractive cash cow, so the manufacturing group Bangor Punta approached Harley-Davidson shareholders and offered to buy their stock. To avoid this, the company leaders decided to look for a white knight - essentially a cash-rich third party, who understood what Harley-Davidson stood for.

They found AMF, America Machine and Foundry -- a manufacturing company that made a wide range of products from food and tobacco processing equipment to bowling balls. AMF came in and quickly established who was boss, by incorporating their logo on the bike's fuel tank.

This marriage wasn't turning out the way it was intended. AMF realised how capital intensive the business was and the quality had begun to slip. With the American economy in a recession and the Japanese bikes coming in, their problems just seemed to be getting worse.

So, in the 1980s, the company came back to its original owners because AMF asked them to buy it back! So, they used their personal networth, help from the banks and whatever they could raise personally to buy back Harley-Davidson. They managed to raise about $80 million. They had to rescue the company from debt and they were able to did it because they were passionate about it and believed in the brand.

But 1982-83 and 1984 were rough years because Japanese manufacturers like Kawasaki, Suzuki and Honda began selling in the US in increasing numbers and were able to build bigger bikes at lower costs. And this began to tell on Harley-Davidson's balance sheet.

The plant was operating at 50% capacity and struggling to maintain the 13% market share they had. They had to layoff 1,800 employees. Even the banks were thinking of pulling the plug on them.

So, they went to the government to ask for assistance in putting curbs on Japanese imports, which the government agreed to do. And within a timeframe, Harley-Davidson bounced back.

The company was held up as an example of American competitiveness and was even given a stamp of approval by President Ronald Reagan himself, who came to their plant and gave them a congratulatory speech.

Today, Harley Davidson has close to 1,300 dealers worldwide employing approximately 9,000 people who help move around 3,00,000 bikes each year. In Europe, retail sales jumped 20% last year.

They are also No.1 seller of the 650cc and higher class bikes in Japan. The company's net income has risen 45% from 2001 to 2005. But keeping the customers coming is a challenge, which they are more than geared up to meet.

As Willie G Davidson says, the company has brand loyalty and recognition and some new products lined up as well. So, those die-hard Harley-Davidson bikers can ride on into the sunset.

Indra Nooyi

Indra Nooyi...facts to know about this Dynamic Corporate leader who will occupy the corner cubicle at Pepsico Holdings.

It’s a simple story of a powerful woman. A story of an Indian girl who came from conservative Chennai to pursue higher studies in the US with little money and no safety net. If she failed, she failed. A story of this determined girl, who while studying in Connecticut, worked as a receptionist from midnight to sunrise to earn money and struggled to put together US$50 to buy herself a western suit for her first job interview out of Yale, where she had just completed her masters. Incidentally, she wasn’t comfortable trying out a formal western outfit and ended up buying trousers that reached down only till her ankles. Rejected at the interview, she turned to her professor at the school who asked her what she would wear if she were to be in India. To her reply that it would be a sari, the professor advised her to “be yourself” and stick to what she was comfortable with. She wore a sari for her next interview. She got the job and has followed this philosophy for the rest of her career. She’s been herself, never tried to change her basic beliefs, derived strength from her traditions and believed in who she is. As she says, "I'm so secure in myself, I don't have to be American to play in the corporate life." She worked hard and in time was counted as one of the most powerful women in the world by Forbes. In this edition of ‘My Story’ we present Indra Nooyi, President & Chief Financial Officer PepsiCo, Inc – a story that is both inspiring in its simplicity and grand in its achievement.

It all began years ago in Chennai, where she studied hard in school to get her grades. She remembers how her mother would, after meal every day ask Indra and her sister what would they like to become when they grew up. They would come up with different ideas and their mother would reward the best idea each day. It forced Indra to think and dream for herself. It was this dream that led her to be a part of the 11th batch of IIM Kolkata. After two years of work with Johnson & Johnson and Mettur Beardsell in India, it was this fiery urge that took her to America in 1978, when she left India with barely any money to pursue a management degree from the prestigious Yale Graduate School of Management.

Starting off with Boston Consulting Group in 1980, she knew it would be harder work for her than others for two reasons – one, she was a woman and two, she wasn’t an American but an outsider. She spent six years directing international corporate strategy projects at the Boston Consulting Group. Her clients ranged from textiles and consumer goods companies to retailers and specialty chemicals producers. Six years later, she joined Motorola in 1986 as the vice-president and director of corporate strategy & planning. She moved to Asea Brown Boveri in 1990 and spent four years as vice president (corporate strategy & planning). She was part of the top management team responsible for the company's U.S. business as well as its worldwide industrial businesses, generating about one-third of ABB's $30 billion in global sales.

An interesting tale surrounds her joining PepsiCo in 1994. At that time she also had an offer from General Electric, one of the world’s best run companies under Jack Welch. The Pepsi CEO Wayne Callloway, in a bid to lure her, told her, “Jack Welch (GE's legendary boss) is the best CEO I know, and GE is probably the finest company. But I have a need for someone like you, and I would make PepsiCo a special place for you.'' Nooyi agreed.

She broke the glass ceiling when she was appointed senior vice president, corporate strategy and development after joining PepsiCo in 1994 but she knew that getting there was one thing while staying there was another. As she says, “If you want to reach the top of a company, I agree that it can only happen in the United States, but you have to start off saying that you have got to work twice as hard as your (male) counterparts.” Not only did she work harder than her counterparts, she also made her way up the ladder to become President and Chief Financial Officer of PepsiCo, and was also appointed as a member of board of directors of PepsiCo Inc – which she assumed in 2001.

Nooyi was 44 when she joined PepsiCo. Ever since, she has been involved in every major strategic decision the company has made in the last few years. That includes the drive to spin off PepsiCo’s fast food chain in 1997, acquiring Tropicana in 1998, and the US$ 13 billion move to acquire Quaker Oats. PepsiCo chief Roger Enrico announced her elevation following the Quaker acquisition saying, ``Indra's contributions to PepsiCo have been enormous and she will make a great President. In addition to her new role as President and CFO, Indra will also be nominated for election to the Pepsi board. She is a terrific addition to our world-class board and her perspective will be invaluable.''

Indra attributes a lot of Pepsi's success to its great employees. She believes that a company remains great when there is a strong competitor, like Coke. She believes if you have no competition, a company will atrophy. Nooyi has a unique formula that keeps her work–life balance. She feels that you must have an extended family at work to give you that balance. To keep a company running at top speed, you need to attract the best employees.

At PepsiCo she has ensured that employees actually balance life and work. She views PepsiCo as an extended family and everybody at the company is there to help in every way possible. Sometime ago, when Indra was traveling, her daughter would call the office to ask for permission to play Nintendo. The receptionist would know the routine and ask: "Have you finished your homework? Have you had your snack? OK, you can play Nintendo for half an hour". She then left a voice message for Indra saying "I gave Tara permission to play Nintendo". Unheard of in most corporations, it’s a team Indra has built up at PepsiCo which knows each other so well.

Despite the monumental successes of her career, Indra Nooyi remains a quintessentially Indian woman who has combined the high-octane energy of her job with the calm, collected demeanour required to manage the equally central responsibility of a mother and a wife. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Fairfax county, Connecticut. If you ever visit her Connecticut home, do remember to take your shoes off before entering. If you forget, at least remember to take them off before entering the large puja room where a diya is lit and the inviting air of incense greets you. She keeps an image of Ganesha in her office, and in fact, some PepsiCo officials visited India and received similar images besides being told of the Hindu belief about Ganesh being the symbols of auspicious beginnings. Many of them now keep images of Ganesh in their offices! Nooyi attends PepsiCo board meetings in a sari; for she believes the corporate world appreciates people who are genuine.

At work, Nooyi is in the pressure cooker world of intriguing business maneuvres and frenetic multi-million dollar moves but when she enters her home, it is like entering a sanctuary of calm. She says Carnatic music plays in their home 18 hours a day, and the feeling is much like being in a temple. Does she think her religious convictions help her to do a better job in the corporate world? "I don't know about a better job, but it certainly makes me calm," she says. "There are times when the stress is so incredible between office and home, trying to be a wife, mother, daughter-in-law and corporate executive. Then you close your eyes and think about a temple like Tirupati, and suddenly you feel 'Hey--I can take on the world.' Hinduism floats around you, and makes you feel somehow invincible."

Is it tough being a mother and a corporate executive? Nooyi admits it is difficult, "You can walk away from the fact that you're a corporate executive, but you can't walk away from the fact that you are a mom. In terms of being a mother and a corporate executive, the role of mom comes first." She believes that her husband has been a great source of strength for her. Adds Nooyi on a perkier tone, "Always pick the right husband. I have a fantastically supportive husband.” What sees her through tough times? "My family and my belief in God. If all else fails, I call my mother in India when she's there--and wake her up in the middle of the night--and she listens to me. And she probably promises God a visit to Tirupati!" Nooyi has always seen the world through the prism of her mother's faith and beliefs and calls her the guiding light in her life.

At the same time, there is another side to her too. Nooyi plays the electric guitar and belts out popular tunes at office parties. Is it not a surprise to know that she was once a part of a part-time all-girl band? “It is a testament to her ability to balance a high-powered career with a family and her Hindu heritage,'' says Business Week. It is this creative streak and the ability to innovate that has inspired her to think out-of-the-box and create unorthodox methods. She is an ardent sports fan and in the past, has used videotapes of the final championship games Michael Jordan played for Chicago Bulls for their lessons on teamwork.

You wonder how Nooyi gets time to herself after having essayed different, demanding and versatile roles of executive, wife and mother throughout the day. She believes in putting whatever time she gets for herself into increasing her abilities. “That includes reading a book every day from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. To keep me being a real person,'' she says. To keep up, she is constantly trying to better her previous efforts. She believes you need to be constantly on the learning curve. Only then do you get better. She recalls what her parents taught her, “if you do a job, do it better than anybody else."

These are the values that Indra came to this country with - ones she banks upon till this day. Today, as Indra Nooyi stands apart as one of the most successful businesswomen in the world, she exemplifies the virtues of determination, perseverance, hard work, business acumen, tradition, simplicity and a genuine self – the very virtues that build her identity as much as apple pies, burgers, opportunities, dreams and Pepsi make America’s.