Laundry to London: The amazing journey
- 5569
- 217
-
- Last Comment
Laundry to London: The amazing journey of JSW Steel’s Bikash Chowdhury
Akshay Sawai
Chowdhury was the first in his family to study in an English medium school. Lal’s wife Debjani offered to help with the language.
Bikash Chowdhury’s motivation to take English lessons was orange squash. The associate VP of treasury at JSW Steel was the son of a Kolkata laundryman who pressed the clothes of the family of Arun Lal, the former Indian cricketer.
Chowdhury was the first in his family to study in an English medium school. Lal’s wife Debjani offered to help with the language. And along with the tuition she always gave Chowdhury — he was about 12 then and is 39 now — a refreshing drink. “I would go every day to study because she would give orange squash,” the soft-spoken Chowdhury says in an interview over tea on a Saturday evening at his apartment in Sewri, Mumbai. With some striking art around the house, the surroundings are a world apart from the footpath in Kolkata’s Bhawanipore area where he grew up.
A relationship that started with English intensified. The Lals, who don’t have kids, took Chowdhury under their wing, and guided him to milestones. Chowdhury, splitting his time between the Lal home and his father’s pavement dwelling in Bhawanipore, went on to do BCom and MCom. Then he appeared for the CAT. In 2000, got into IIM Kolkata. Jobs with Deutsche Bank and Credit Agricole followed, including a stint in London for DB.
A new family for Chowdhury “I have two sets of parents, Mr Arun Lal and Mrs Lal and the other, my biological parents,” Chowdhury says. On his part, he has generously expressed his gratitude to the Lals. Chowdhury has gifted them a Mercedes, while driving the relatively modest Volkswagen Vento and Renault Duster.
He also financially aided the Lal family when they wanted to move from an apartment into a bungalow. As the ultimate tribute, the Chowdhurys named their daughter Arunima after Arun. Asked what kind of a person his improbable story has made him, Chowdhury says, "I hope into a better one.
I keep telling my wife Kamna that even if I am around 50 per cent of either of my fathers, I would have achieved something. I try daily to do a good deed. I have got a lot and try and give as much as I can."
Paying it forward A day earlier, he had planted trees. Two days earlier, he had fed blind people. On the day of our meeting he planned to feed stray dogs. Talking of which, Cindy, the family’s 11-yearold pet beagle, ambles in and out of the room during the interview, the pitter-patter of her paws and the tinkling of her collar bell a pleasant soundtrack to the conversation.
Another frequent passerby is the three-year-old Arunima. Sport too played a role in cementing the bond between Arun Lal and Chowdhury, who often refers to his mentor by his nickname ‘Piggy’ (Lal got the name because he likes to eat).
Chowdhury was a midfielder with Young Bengal, a first division football club. He wanted to become a pro, and would meet Lal during training. “The club was paying me around Rs 10,000 per year along with food which I felt was a lot,” Chowdhury says. "I played u-16 cricket too, but I never liked it.
I was considering becoming a professional footballer, as I played for sub-junior Bengal as well. So I was on that path, quite aggressively. Piggy encouraged me but said there were no guarantees in sport. I am very grateful he did that because I focused on studies after class 9."
The numbers challenge Chowdhury is not sure whether studying came naturally to him. But he says as a student one of his pastimes was to look at number plates of vehicles and perform random mathematical functions with the digits. He also liked to read.
And he spoke little, most times. Mathematics at IIM, however, was more daunting than the number plate variety, and he had to take help from seniors. “The first month after induction, the level of maths hit me, I thought I’m not going to make it,” Chowdhury says. "At that time I was lucky to have a friend named Manoj Goel. We are still friends. He helped me, our seniors helped us and I managed.
The institute was a really nice place and I became very popular and became a Lord, who is an informal student body head. So I would have information on the goings-on in the institute. I would tell Manoj, ‘You teach me maths, I’ll give you all the dope’." Goel, who works on the global markets team at HSBC in Mumbai, confirms he helped Chowdhury with maths, and says he benefitted from Chowdhury’s sporting nature and outlook towards life. “He was outgoing and sporty. I would be confined to my room studying,” Goel says. “He showed me there was a life beyond academics. He’s a guy you can trust your life with.”
A hard-knock attitude Chowdhury, who enjoys running and travelling to places with natural beauty, is asked if growing up on a pavement made him street smart. But street smartness to him is a small part of the overall package. “You must also be dedicated,” he says. What the road did teach him was resilience. And it helped him when he was laid off by Deutsche Bank in 2008. “Nothing bothers me,” Chowdhury says. “The first thing I did after losing my job was call Piggy and mom (Debjani). I told them to not worry and that I would get a job soon. By that time I had created a reputation for myself that I do my job and make the money (for the bank). I got a job in a week’s time (Credit Agricole).” His background has also made him more humane than the typical finance and banking industry type. “I don’t like being strict,” he says. “Which is why I get setbacks once in a while. They say I talk softly, but that doesn’t mean I’m less aggressive.”
Back to his roots When in Kolkata, Chowdhury sometimes drops by his locality in Bhavanipore. He feels blessed, but there is no survivor’s guilt. He worked hard for his success. It wasn’t just luck. In addition to studying, he did part time jobs and took tuitions. “I still have friends there and I like spending time with them,” Chowdhury says.
“Some of them are struggling. They don’t usually approach me for help. If they do I try to do what I can. They were very supportive of me in the past. They would take me out for a movie even if they weren’t earning that much. One of my earliest friends was Sukhpal. He had a dhabha. After the dhabha closed for the day we would polish off the leftovers. He’s in Bengaluru now.
About two years ago, I met him and he told me that he tells his son that study daily for an hour and you will make something of your life." Chowdhury did that. And he did that in no small measure because of Arun and Debjani Lal. Some months ago, Lal was diagnosed with jaw cancer. “He’s getting better slowly. He’s starting to eat semi-solid foods,” says Chowdhury. The two speak often. Lal, a gritty opener, never scored a Test century.
But he and his wife continue to play another, far more important innings.
How much money is enough?
12 Steps to Go From Employee to Entrepreneur
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/247194?utm...
If you’re fed up with your job, it may seem like there are only two steps to becoming an entrepreneur. The first is to quit your job, and the next step is to start a company. While it is possible to transition successfully from employee to entrepreneur, it’s a little more complex than that.
Here are the 12 steps you’ll need to take to become your own boss.
1. Determine what you’d like to do.
Some people call this finding your passion, but it’s more than that. Think about your skills, abilities and experience. Consider what you can realistically see yourself doing for hours each day, for weeks and years.
2. Think about what others will pay for.
A viable business is the intersection between what you’d like to do and what others will pay for. Remember the “Jump to Conclusions Mat” from the movie Office Space? Todd loved building it, but no one was going to buy it. It wasn’t a viable business opportunity.
Related: Got a Business Idea? Here’s How to See If It’s Sustainable.
3. Interview ideal customers.
Find a few people that you think would be your ideal clients. Ask them about their biggest needs, fears and aspirations related to the business idea you plan to pursue. Are the benefits of your product or service in line with their real needs? Also, make a note of the words they use, as they’ll eventually help make your marketing more authentic.
4. Design your marketing and business plans.
Today’s marketing involves content creation, social media, email outreach and more. Make sure you know how you’ll approach each of these alternatives to introduce your idea to customers. At the same time, lay out a business plan that details how you intend your business to function. It doesn’t need to be super formal, but it does need to cover your operating structure, product, delivery systems and expansion plans.
5. Set up your business on a small scale.
If you can, test your company idea by launching on a small scale on the side, while still working your day job. This gives you a no-risk opportunity to test your ideas, get your first clients and see if the business will hold up over time before you leave the security of your current position.
6. Assess feedback and adjust.
Running a small-scale operation will help you determine which parts of your idea are great and which ones need adjusting. Take customer feedback seriously and make any necessary changes before you begin scaling up.
7. Assemble a team.
If your idea seems viable, determine who you’ll want on your business leadership team when you eventually launch full time. Depending on your personal experience, you may need help in areas such as finance, marketing, customer service and production.
Related: Creating a Road Map to Business Success
8. Secure financing.
For a small venture, this might mean saving up some money to get through the first few months or taking cash from your 401(k). If your aspirations are a bit larger, you may need to think about how to procure venture capital or other outside investment.
9. Set up the structure of your company.
At the same time, you’ll also want to decide what kind of company structure to register. Do you want to incorporate, form an LLC or create a partnership? Get this taken care of legally and carefully define the roles and investment of each of your leadership team members.
10. Leave your job.
When you’re ready, leave your day job. This may feel like an amazing relief after all the work you already put in, but trust me, more work awaits. Although it may be tempting, be sure not to burn any bridges as you leave — you never know when you’ll encounter former bosses and colleagues again, and you may need to work with them in the future.
11. Set up a working budget.
With your full-time schedule now devoted to your business, set up a company budget. This should include payments for marketing expenses, salaries and other important purchases. Just be sure not to waste money on frivolous expenses!
12. Scale up your business according to your marketing plan.
Finally, all that’s left to do is to work the plans you’ve carefully laid out for yourself. Of course, that plan may change over time as you encounter and overcome obstacles. But, this is it — you’re a full-fledged entrepreneur. Congratulations!
As you can see, becoming an entrepreneur requires a lot of work before you even consider quitting your day job. However, if you follow each of the steps listed above and your idea still seems viable, you can leave your life as an employee and become an entrepreneur instead.
There are still many challenges you’ll face, but for most entrepreneurs, the benefits of meaningful work and self-direction are much more important.
pichla tag @forgotten ho gya ?
@forgotten @disclaimer @Smarty
@abhimishra @Navneet @vijkap201
@ankurjpr
@srocks
@BUTTERFLYBOY
@farzimaal
@krishan42933
@FeelMyL0Ve
@sheetalvarunyadav2223
@dealmate
@VaibhavJain
@JonSnow
@bookface
@Alpha.Barood wrote:
ज़िन्दगी की हकीकत को बस इतना ही जाना है !दर्द में अकेले हैं और खुशियों में सारा जमाना है…!
@Alpha.Barood wrote:
Zindgi kuch Uljhi hui hai usshe suljha rha raha hu waqt milga sahi to apke valuable post ka reply kiya jayega
Thank You Barood bhai & Newer Name Alpha
कोई नहीं है दुश्मन अपना फिर भी परेशान हूँ मैं, अपने ही क्यूँ दे रहे है जख्म इस बात से हैरान हूँ मैं !!
congrate for upgrades
कौन कहता है आईना झूठ नहीं बोलता, वह सिर्फ होठो की मुस्कान देखता है, दिल का दर्द नहीं..
@srocks wrote:
congrate for upgrades
कौन कहता है आईना झूठ नहीं बोलता, वह सिर्फ होठो की मुस्कान देखता है, दिल का दर्द नहीं..
Fake smilies 
)))
@Alpha.Barood wrote:
@srocks wrote:
congrate for upgrades
कौन कहता है आईना झूठ नहीं बोलता, वह सिर्फ होठो की मुस्कान देखता है, दिल का दर्द नहीं..
Fake smiles
no bro iam always on your side because ur my favorite
but don,t have have on time
pls consider
How Leaders Teach Others to Lead
@Alpha.Barood wrote:
congo for 50karmas brother 
Benjamin Kapelushnik is one of the top sneaker resellers in the U.S., with an inventory of 5,000 pairs of high-end kicks. He has 4 full-time employees and makes an estimated $300,000 a year. Oh—and he’s only 16 years old.
@ankurjpr @sheetalvarunyadav2223 @JonSnow @bookface@srocks @BUTTERFLYBOY @farzimaal @krishan42933 @FeelMyL0Ve
Meet Sheila Johnson she built Salamander Resort and Spa located in the mountains in Virginia. She also owns four other Salamander Resorts, three in Florida and one in North Carolina. Sheila Johnson is the co-founder of BET and CEO of Salamander Resorts and Spa.
@vijkap201 @asoka @Augustus @BlueWater @AKA @sukhichd710 @Plato @prinkle @mahidada @Tejaa @vishusgh @A2Zdeals @no fpd @forgotten @disclaimer @Smarty @abhimishra @Navneet @eskimo @srocks
Generally considered an abstract impressionist, Mark Rothko painted “Untitled,” which, like many of his paintings, emphasizes blocks of color. How much did this 1952 painting sell for in 2014? An anonymous bidder won “Untitled” after bidding $66.2 million during a Christie’s auction.
“I failed 3 times in college. I applied 30 times to get a job but I have always been rejected. When KFC came to China for the first time, we were 24 to apply and I was the only one to be dismissed. I wanted to go into the police and 5 postulants, I was the only one not to be accepted. I applied 10 times to return to Harvard and I was rejected. "Jack Ma, Alibaba Creator and 22nd World fortune in 2015 with $ 29.8 billion. “Never give up because you failed once, know that failure is sometimes out of the way to reach your intended route” !!!
![Pansari Kacchi Ghani Mustard Oil Plastic Bottle (Sarson Tel) 1L [location specific]](https://cdn1.desidime.com/topics/photos/1780421/medium/Screenshot2024-04-25at9.29.19PM.png?1714060899)
@vishusgh @onlyrocky @FeelMyL0Ve @AloNe ForeVer