New Delhi:
Multimillionaire Ashok Khade did not have even four annas to replace the broken nib of his pen when he was about to sit for his class XI board exams; Kalpana Saroj worked at a hosiery factory for a measly Rs 2 a day before owning a business empire of Rs 1,000 crore.
These inspiring stories are among a collection of profiles of 15 Dalit entrepreneurs who have braved both societal and business pressures to carve out profitable niches for themselves.
The book “Dalit Millionaires: 15 Inspiring Stories” by authors Milind Khandekar, Reenu Talwar, Vandana Singh is a vivid chronicle of how the battle has moved from the village well to the marketplace.
These individuals faced several obstacles only to set up multi-crore business empires in the past few years.
These entrepreneurs are from every sector of the economy. Saroj turned around Mumbai’s Kamani Tubes Limited which had shut down, and transformed it into a profit-making company.
Khade’s company DAS Offshore Engineering Private Limited manufactures platforms used at Bombay High refinery for oil extraction.
Hari Kishan Pippal of Agra runs People’s Heritage Hospital, and Devkinandan Son runs the Taj Plaza hotel, located close to the Taj Mahal. Savitaben Kolsawallah of Ahmedabad makes tiles, while Devjibhai Makwana of Bhavnagar manufactures filament yarn. Sanjay Kshirsagar moved on from a 120-foot tenement and now seems well on his way to become the emperor of a Rs 500 crore firm.
“The success of Dalit businessmen in the 20 years following liberalisation of the economy has come as a ray of hope. Many Dalits have finally been able to achieve economic equality, owing to their own hard work, rather than help from the government,” the book, published by Penguin Books India, says.
