The Inspiring Journey of Dr. Arokiaswamy Velumani: From 500rs to 5000cr

Velumani lacked both the resources and time to pursue his desire to study engineering. He decided to get a BSc, but it was 100 rupees more expensive than a B.com. He chose B.com for 300 due to financial constraints. He studied B.com for one month. His teacher Dr. K R Kartikayan, questioned him about it. Velumani explained everything to him, Dr Kartikayan took a hundred rupees out of his wallet and helped him to pursue BSc.

Velumani graduated with a degree in chemistry in 1978. He faced challenges in getting a job and failed in over 15 interviews continuously as he had no experience. That day he decided if he ever made a company he would only hire freshers. He began his career as a shift chemist at Gemini Capsules, a small pharmaceutical company in Coimbatore. Despite earning a meagre salary of Rs 150 per month, he sent Rs 100 home every month, keeping only Rs 50 for himself. 

However, his life took an unexpected turn when the company shut down after three years, leaving him jobless and uncertain about his future. During this period, Velumani frequented the Central Library in Coimbatore, where he came across a job posting for a scientific assistant at the prestigious Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai. Despite a setback due to a medical assessment that found him to have colour blindness, he was eventually accepted for the position. 

In 1982, he took a train from Kanyakumari to Mumbai and reached the city of Dreams. His work at BARC involved thyroid testing, a field that would later become the foundation of his entrepreneurial journey. He was so much liked by his would-be father-in-law. He wanted him to marry her daughter. He frequently visited Velumani to discuss the proposal. To avoid these visits, Velumani asked his landlady to tell the father-in-law that he was not at home. After telling five or six lies, the landlady refused to continue. 

Consequently, Velumani requested to meet the daughter for an hour. The father-in-law agreed and arranged the meeting. During their hour-long conversation, He spoke for 55 minutes and there was complete silence for 5 minutes. Velumani presented several conditions to the girl and asked her if she agreed to them then only they could marry. That evening, the girl’s father came to Velumani. She said yes to marriage. 

Velumani and the girl got married in 1986 and have two children. Everything was going smoothly, they were enjoying their lives. One day, Velumani reflected on his life, asking himself, “Jeene aaya ya jeetne?” (Did I come to live or to win?), and “Bada banna hai ya buddha banna hai?” (Do I want to become great or merely grow old?). He realized that if he wanted to live such a life, he could do so in Coimbatore as well. He felt that coming to Mumbai should be about taking risks and striving for more. Assessing his savings, Velumani found they had enough to cover 40 months of family expenses. 

Since his wife was also employed with SBI, he decided to resign from his job and start something of his own. His wife observed him worried and inquired about the reason. After Velumani explained everything, she responded, “Agar tum nahi jaoge to me bhi nahi jaungi” (If you don’t go, I won’t go either). Velumani replied, “Chalo sath me jeete hai sath me marte hai” (Let’s live together and die together). Consequently, the couple resigned from their jobs on the same day, their children were just 5 and 3 years old.