A model entrepreuner

 Listening to Arunachalam Muruganantham’s hilarious narration of his entrepreneurial adventures tickled me to non-stop titters. He has a winning way of describing his steady, sincere endeavour over years of overcoming the odds in establishing a truly benevolent industry with the whole emphasis on service and not profit.

Being a senior citizen myself I can very well relate to the period he started his noble venture. With his orthodox family background the way he has persevered purely for the sake of providing cheap and safe protection to women during their ‘monthly problem’ is simply awesome.

He started his ‘Research and Development’ system after learning about the very basic, hard, bitter facts about the unhygienic practices prevalent then. The commercial sanitary napkins (sold in pharmacies and handed over packed well hiding their identity very discreetly!) were priced too high for poor women.

He needed women volunteers to proceed in his search for a solution. He found it hard to get them. He points out with humour steeped in stark reality how today women volunteers swarm around swamijis but were unavailable to him in his early years. Unlike in today’s ‘open’ society of glaring ads of sanitary napkins flashed on TV so often the topic of menstruation was taboo in the 'hush hush' conservative society of our times. He even earned the hatred of his family and was temporarily estranged. The whole village saw him as a ‘psycho’. My God! What ordeals to pass through for an aspiring inventor with a noble cause! So he persevered with in his endeavour even making himself a guinea pig in the process!

Trial and error was his modus operandi. His 10x10 room was equal to any high-funded R&D department in the corporate world. He did not hurry for success but continued purposeful experiment diligently.

Finally the indefatigable champion for true emancipation of women accomplished his vision- invented a machine to make low-cost napkins. He patented the design and resolutely refused to make money with it a la mode many greedy inventors who sell their patents to the multinational companies. He was neither bothered with turnover, nor keen on seeing currency pour in. He converted his business from macro to micro level. Self-help groups of women, rural women and school girls can make them in their own places. They are his share-holders. Simplicity is the name of his invention.

Very deservedly he received the President’s Award. It is heartening to hear that 106 developing nations are following his design. His mission of freeing women from unhygienic practices of tackling menstruation and relieving them of the hampering nature of the ‘monthly visitation’ is fulfilled.

Selfish, greedy cinema stars and corrupt, hypocritical politicians hell-bent on filling their pockets  who have crowds of unthinking followers fade into insignificance near such a real hero. He is the model to follow in these times of dire need when front line nations gloat with profits stabilizing their prosperity while sucking  our resources and wealth and health. When shall we stop craving for pepsi, coke and subways and look upon our local celebrity who will not compromise principle for profit.

Let me conclude saying this noble man fully deserves the standing ovation and whole-hearted salutation of the fair sex. His success story is a handbook on persevering entrepreneurial venture  and meaningful, soul-filling purpose of human endeavour. May his tribe multiply and flourish!

Franklin Templeton Investmentspartnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December 2012.

Arunachalam Muruganantham

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=u1iWhljEbTE