We had the privilege to attend the grand finale which was held at Jyoti Nivas College on 12th Feb. 2011. It was a great event. There we got to meet some eminent personalities of the industry like Mr. Romesh Wadhwani, Ms. Kiran Majumdar Shaw and others. Meeting and hearing them was a life altering experience. They gave us an insight as to how to think and make it big in life for ourselves and also for others. We as entrepreneurs will be job creators and not job takers.
Ms. Majumdar told us as how she embarked on her journey of entrepreneurship way back in 1978 with an initial investment of Rs.10,000. She is the “Pioneer of Indian Biotechnology” and was awarded Padma Shri for her contribution in this field. The picture was not very rosy for a woman in those days(1978). She had her share of hardships like people were not ready to work with her because she was a woman. No bank was ready to finance her. Despite all this, she emerged as a leader. Her aim in life is to make life better for others with her constant innovation and R & D in Biotechnology. She also spoke about a new concept, M-health. It is a radical innovation. Mobile health information technology (mHealth) typically refers to portable devices with the capability to create, store, retrieve, and transmit data in real time between end users for the purpose of improving patient safety and quality of care.
The next speaker of the evening was Mr. Romesh Wadhwani, who had just recently sold his 4th company Symphony for a whopping 10 billion dollars! His journey was very fascinating. He is basically from a service family, but his accomplishments have made critics wonder if he has mutated genes! Mr. Wadhwani left India to do his M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He had just $3.25 with him when he reached Pittsburgh. He had to take a loan of $25! From the Dean. And now he had created not just one but 4 companies. He was very prudent to get the pulse of the market and encashed it to his advantage. Now he has dedicated himself for the society through NEN but the fire in him is still burning to do something bigger and better. The key mantras that he shared in the reverse order were as follows-
10. Scare your parents by being an entrepreneur.
9. Save money by not buying a bed, you won’t get time to sleep!
8. Feel the passion.
7. Celebrate your team, great teams lead to great results.
6. Learn to beg, there would be time when you have to literally beg for your money(VC).
5. Set low expectations with your in-laws.
4. Learn humility. If you don’t learn it, your employees or your customers will teach you.
3. Be your own “BOSS”.
2. Hit the jackpot.
1. Get to live your dreams. If not you, then who else would live your dreams ?
There are lots of opportunities in India; so this is the best time for all of us. The event also had some fun element incorporated in it with its dance numbers. The event had NEN Pledge ceremony and concluded with an award ceremony wherein many colleges were acknowledged for their remarkable work during the E-week.
At the end, the event was a grand success and we thank ISME for giving us an opportunity to attend such a great event.
Written by Sharmistha Roy
