Success Stories – Entrepreneurs – BYST

"Panchamirtham Elumalai’s story is one worth telling to every little girl wondering about their future in this world marked with so many gender discrepancies. It is one that speaks of fighting the odds, standing on one’s own feet, and chasing the dream till it becomes a reality. She comes from an agricultural family residing in rural Madhurandhagam in Chengalpattu district. As a young girl, Panchamirtham’s only aim was to be able to complete her education. For her, this meant undertaking a long and risky 7 km journey on foot to attend school every day.

Through sheer grit and determination, she managed to complete her secondary education, but soon after was married off to a relative, Mr. Elumalai. Post marriage, the couple moved to Chennai where the husband was working in a company that designed tools & dies. The newly married Panchamirtham did not want marriage to stop her from realizing her true potential. For 16 years, she had been nurturing the dream of becoming an entrepreneur. When she learnt that Mr. Elumalai had 16 years of experience in the field of tools and dies, she jumped at the idea and immediately set out to make her dream come true with the help of his experience. "

Success Stories – Entrepreneurs – BYST

"Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out,” once said the famous basketball coach, John Wooden. Ragu C, an entrepreneur from Tamil Nadu, India stands testimony to this quote with the way he has led his life. It has not been an easy journey, especially for someone like Ragu who comes from the Scheduled Tribe community, one of the most backward tribal communities in the country. The social background alone created many hindrances for him, added to the fact that his family was never financially well-off. However, with sheer grit and determination, Ragu has been able to turn the tables in life.

Even as a child, he was quite aware of the impact of the socio-economic condition of his family. For his tribal family that practices agriculture, money was scarce. He was also always concerned about his community and their status in the society. Ragu has two siblings and is the only earning member in the family. Once he completed his secondary education, he invested his life into becoming financially independent. Bringing his family out of the misery he grew up in and turning his dreams into reality motivated him to become the first person in the family to move into entrepreneurship. "