My Columns: Without Fear and Favour

Inspiring Tales Part 7: My Interviews of First Generation Indian Entrepreneurs Who Made It Big August 2013 Published in Business For All From a crippled childhood, he aims to be the richest Patel From Deepak Parvatiyar in Ahmedabad    Ramesh Patel When he was just 11 months old, Ramesh Patel got polio in his left leg. After 29 surgeries, and a crippled childhood, he was able to walk at the age of 18. Today, as a 30-year-old, he aims at running against the tide to realise his many dreams -- that also include flying for which he is taking training. Patel is the CEO of the Sankalp Group, which he set up on September 25, 2000. A commercial artist by training, initially he set up "Sankalp Art" and started promoting the artists (Art Pieces) to corporate & residential high societies on commercial base. Recognition came to him when his Sankalp Artist Association – an NGO that provides support and inspiration to the economically weak and middle inco

Inspiring Tales Part 6: My Interviews of First Generation Indian Entrepreneurs Who Made It Big November 2013 The Transformer Man of India On 3 rd April 2013, Anil Aggarwal, Chairman & Managing Director, PME Power Solutions ( India ) Ltd, received the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises’s First Prize in the Medium Enterprises (Manufacturing) category. This is not the first time that he got a national award. Some of the prestigious awards under his belt include the “Niryat Shree Gold Trophy” for the year 2009-2010 by FIEO (”Federation of Indian Export Organization”) that was given to him by the President of India and India Exporters Excellence Award from ECGC-D&B in 2012. Awards mean a lot to this 57 year old entrepreneur, who has carved a niche for made in India transformers, globally. In an exclusive interview to Deepak Parvatiyar and Ajit Kumar at his manufacturing unit in Greater Noida, he speaks at length about his business, disappoin

Inspiring Tales Part 5: My Interviews of First Generation Indian Entrepreneurs Who Made It Big May 2013     Aiming for the Stars     Dr. AK Agarwal     CEO, Autometer Alliance Ltd, Noida He wanted to become a movie star and had even fled to Bombay to try his luck. But destiny had something else in store for Dr. AK Agarwal , son of a teacher. He could not get a break in the tinsel town but today, this village bred, cow rearing, and God fearing person, is considered a man with the Midas’ touch who not just turned around the fortunes of Autometer Alliance Ltd. from a turnover of just about Rs 1.8 crore in the late eighties, to the present Rs. 175 crore, he set up another company – River Engineering Private Limited – which in just five year has recorded a turnover of Rs. 65 crore. In an exclusive interview to Deepak Parvatiyar , he speaks about his life, achievements and dreams. Excerpts: You never wanted to be an entrepreneur. How did you get into it?  We w

Inspiring Tales Part 4: My Interviews of First Generation Indian Entrepreneurs Who Made It Big SERVING Mankind  Published on 07 April 2014   Health  Written by DEEPAK PARVATIYAR  Published:Business For All Magazine Mankind is our business – Rajendra Khandelwal In 1984, when he started, Rajendra Khandelwal named his retail chain after Lord Dhanwantary - the God of medicines, as his mission was to “help mankind without segregating between caste, creed, colour, gender or income.” Today his Dhanwantary Group - a retail chain of medicare provider - is a household name for the residents of Kolkata. It is the first and only recipient of ISO 9001 certification for its new retail outlet at Shambhu Nath Pandit Street. In an exclusive interview to Deepak Parvatiyar,Rajendra Khandelwal, who is the Managing Director and CEO of Dhanwantary Medicare & Research Centre Pvt. Ltd., speaks at length about his venture, struggle and dreams. Can you tell us about yourself? I

Inspiring Tales Part 3: My Interviews of First Generation Indian Entrepreneurs Who Made It Big DAILY POST expands  Published on 08 April 2014   Media and Entertainment  Written by DEEPAK PARVATIYAR  Published: Business For All Magazine I believe strongly in my abilities and my understanding of human beings. Any business is all about logic, and being a physics graduate, I feel if  the logic is right, things are bound to  work well. Still in his mid-30s, Manish Tiwari, Managing Director and Editor-in Chief of Daily Post, is determined to make his dream venture into a force to reckon with in Indian journalism. In the first year itself, the newspaper reached a circulation of over  45,000 per day in Chandigarh. Buoyed by its success, Manish is now planning another edition from Delhi this year. In an exclusive interview to Deepak Parvatiyar, he speaks at length about his past, present and future You are a successful journalist having worked with

Inspiring Tales: My Interviews of First Generation Indian Entrepreneurs Who Made It Big -- Part 2 Pampering Southern PALATE  Published on 20 June 2013   Food Products and Dining  Written by DEEPAK PARVATIYAR  Published in: Business For All Magazine When he was 16 years in 1981, Kailash Goenka, who was pursuing hotel management in Ahmedabad, decided to open a small south Indian restaurant in the city of Gujaratis. It took him around Rs 25,000 to start with and he mobilized that money from his father who was in textile business. His family had migrated from Sri Lanka. Today, with more than 100 restaurants in India and abroad, Goenka’s Sankalp group represents a style and cuisine that is nonpareil. His restaurants promise a great dining experience                                                                with an ever increasing innovative menu, food                                                             festivals and a wide range of quality produ

Inspiring Tales: My Interviews of First  Generation Indian Entrepreneurs Who Made It Big --  Part 1: A DREAM come TRUE  Published on 18 June 2013   Media and Entertainment  Written by DEEPAK PARVATIYAR      Published in Business For All Magazine Sandeep Marwah – the man behind North India’s                         first film city A multi-faceted personality, Sandeep Marwah was the brain behind Noida’s film city - Marwah Studios - the first of its kind in North India. When he started the work, Sandeep Marwah was looked down by many as a fool for conceptualising the project but he ignored them and his efforts paid rich dividends as the film city has investments to the tune of Rs 2000 crore. Operating from the film city, Marwah Studios has thus far been associated with the making of over 125 feature films. His production house churned out last year’s national award winning film ‘I Am’ while his  film school has produced over 10,000 students –