As he
greeted me with a warm smile, I couldn't help but marvel at his perfectly
tucked-in shirt, his neatly combed hair and his overall professional demeanour.
Even though he knew that an amateur college student was interviewing him.
"I always carry an extra shirt when I go for interviews. They [interviews]
make me so nervous," he joked. L.G Chandrasekhar's transformation
from a notorious, flippant teenager to a hardworking and successful businessman
is highly inspirational.
The interview began with a
nice hot cup of tea and a few anecdotes from his childhood.
"So what was your most memorable childhood experience?" With
a wide grin on his face and a twinkle in his eyes, he reminisced about his
cricket playing days. "I played very well. I used the bat to hit my
team-mates and swat all the unnecessary disturbances that came in the form of
flies and bugs. My cricket playing skills were debatable," he said, his
words dripping with sarcasm.
Wanting to unveil his
mischievous teenage days, I asked him about his college.
"I hardly ever attended college and when I did, I was always the
back-bencher. I somehow managed to pass my exams, with no effort and no hard
work. I am clearly not setting a very good example," he laughed, "But
try not to bunk college, unless it's for food or for watching a movie or going
out to meet your long-lost friend."
After a few more laughs
and cups of tea, I asked him about his jump into maturity.
"What was your passion? Did you pursue it or did you do what
everyone else was doing –engineering, medicine, etc.
"I loved arguing and winning arguments. I got deep satisfaction
when I looked at my imaginary opponent's face, his droopy eyes and bowed head,
bursting with thoughts about how he should've given up when he had the chance.
I wanted to become a lawyer, using fascinating legal terms like 'Habeas Corpus'
and 'Probation'."
He ended up doing his B-COM and worked as a company secretary in J.L.Morison.
"What was your first
job like?"
"Very clerical and boring. It was clearly not my cup of tea,"
he said, taking a sip from his cup. He finally decided to quit his job. Sensing
an opportunity to start his own business, he set up a medical equipment
manufacturing company called Sutures India.
"What inspired you to start
your own business?"
"I felt that my employer paid me 10% of my worth. I felt that it
was the right time to take the risk and embark on this great adventure."
"Did you face any
struggles when you started your business?"
"Finance. Bank loan was difficult to come by due to the stock
exchange scam. The company incurred several losses and quality acceptance by
customers took a long time. But I took it as a challenge and made sure to
improve the quality of products and indulge in better marketing ventures."
As Steve Maraboli rightfully
said, “Happiness is not the absence of problems; it's the ability to deal with
them.” Mr. Chandrasekhar's optimism and hardworking personality not
only brought him success but also provided him with the much needed resources
to set up a school for the under-privileged.
"How did you come up
with the idea to start a school?"
"I believe that nobody should be deprived of education. Quality
education brings about a sea of change in the fortune of an individual."
I asked him about the
activities that take place in his school,
‘Vidyadhan.’
"Do you encourage extra-curricular
activities in your school?"
"Yes. Arts, sports, dance, music and many others. School life
without extra-curricular activities is no fun at all."
"Do you have events like
Annual Days for the children?"
"We have Sports Day in January and a Cultural Program, where the
children put up a fabulous show for their parents," he said, his eyes
gleaming with delight.
His evident success in all his endeavours, prompted me to ask him about
his definition of success.
"Success for me is satisfaction in any endeavour. Everything has its
'ups' and 'downs'. You have to be ready to face the ‘downs’ to embrace the
'ups'. You have to be prepared for the worst, in order to get the best."
My meeting with Mr. Chandrasekhar in all, was an extremely eventful with
cherished memories, refreshing stories and good tea.
