Indian change agents: Without degrees
By Aadil Masood, SiliconIndia   |   Thursday, 28 October 2010, 00:02 IST   |    32 Comments
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Indian change agents: Without degrees
Bangalore: 'Rebels' have one thing in common; they don't go by the convention or norms of the society. They tread on path which no one dares to walk along. That's why they are being followed by millions and become the source of inspiration for others. They have the courage to take the risk and make it big not only for themselves but carry nation with them. The leaders are defined by the change they provide, and the leader is the person who challenges the order of society. Education plays a pivotal role in our life as it hones our abilities and skills which are key factors to succeed in different walks of life. However, a beautiful quote by Rasaq Okoya questions this common belief saying, "I have nothing against education. But at times, education gives people false confidence. It makes people relax, trusting in the power of their certificates rather than in working hard." It seems to hold true for when we talk of great people Indians who made the country proud. The Reliance Maker: Dhirubhai Ambani alias Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani, was the one who built India's largest private sector company, Reliance and is still recognized for his abilities take the company to unexpected heights. He was named the Indian Entrepreneur of the 20th Century by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Dhirubhai was born on December 28, 1932, at Chorwad, Gujarat, into a Modh family. His father was a school teacher. So, Ambani, who had an entrepreneurial mindset started his journey by selling "bhajias" to pilgrims in Mount Girnar over the weekends. After doing his matriculation at the age of 16, Dhirubhai moved to Aden, Yemen. He worked there as a gas-station attendant, and as a clerk in an oil company. He returned to India in 1958 with Rs 50,000 and set up a textile trading company. This man is the most enterprising Indian entrepreneur. His life journey is reminiscent of the rags to riches story. He is remembered as the one who rewrote Indian corporate history and built a truly global corporate group. Man behind India's satellite TV: Subhash Chandra, the founder of Zee TV, dropped out of school in class 12th. This onetime rice trader from Hissar, Haryana has today transformed into a media baron and his other interests include packaging, theme parks, lotteries and cinema multiplexes. Subhash Chandra launched Zee Telefilms in October 1992 as a content supplier for Zee TV - India's first Hindi satellite channel. He was the first in India who sought to harness the huge business potential of satellite television channels. Subhash Chandra reaped the benefits of liberalization which provided the way for private satellite channels coming to the picture. Before the launch of Zee TV viewers in India were under the firm grip of Doordarshan, the state-controlled terrestrial network. It was his vision that helped give birth to the satellite TV industry in India and inspired others to follow suit. After the launch of Zee TV, he commenced Siticable operations in 1995 and also started a joint venture with News Corp. In 1995, he launched two new channels, Zee News and Zee Cinema. In 2000, Zee TV became the first cable company in India to launch Internet over Cable services. In 2003, Zee TV became the first service provider in India to launch Direct to Home (DTH) services. The Trade Master: He did not make his money from the fancy 21st century businesses such as software or telecom, like NR Narayana Murthy of Infosys or Sunil Mittal at Bharti Airtel, instead, the burly Gautam Adani ventured into what merchants during the Chola Empire a thousand years ago and the British East India Company did: Build ports to facilitate trade. Gautam Adani was born on June 24, 1969, to Shantilal and Shantaben Adani in a Gujarati Jain family. He had seven siblings. Adani's parents had migrated from the town of Tharad in northern Gujarat in search of livelihood. He set out for Mumbai to make a living with only a few hundred rupees at a young age of 18 only. He studied at the Seth C. N. Vidyalya School in Ahmedabad and later on at Gujarat University. Adani is a college dropout; he studied till his second year for a Bachelor's Degree in Commerce. In 1981, one year later, his elder brother Mansukhbhai, bought a plastics unit in Ahmedabad and asked Gautam to run it. This marked the beginning of Adani's foray into global trading by beginning to import polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a key raw material for manufacturing plastics. After the economic liberalisation, the import duty on various goods was slashed, and profits of Adani Exports, then his flagship company, grew immensely. Adani, who started dealing in diamonds in Mumbai in 1980, has come to be worth more than Rs 30,000 crore in three decades. It did not require great technical knowledge, or massive funds. All that was needed was skills to persuade the bureaucracy to allot land and guide policies. The company, founded with a capital of Rs 5 lakh in 1988 to trade, manages ports, develops real estate, produces electricity, trades in agricultural commodities and explores oil. 'Fortune favors the brave'. These people had the guts to take the risk and succeed as they knew what they were doing. To become a change agent it doesn't matter whether you have a degree or not. All is required is the vision to see through barriers of time.

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