Some commercial beginnings are flamboyant, others are humble. Either way, the endeavour may go on to positively influence the lives of many.

In Ruparani Ravindran's case, neither did a lack of business education nor a shortage of funds detract her from her desire to start a commercial enterprise. A qualified pharmacist, she used a minimal capital of rupees two thousand to establish a hobby school in her residence in 2002.

Where there is a will, there is a way

Her hobby school caters to women, men and children, and offers training in diverse arts such as candle-making, Tanjore art, paintings, Jharokhas, stained glass, ceramic arts, Malaysian art, terracotta jewelry, and terracotta handicrafts.

Alongside an arts school, Ravindran also began manufacturing designer candles for both the export and local market. She setup her industry on the outskirts of Bangalore where she was able to employ skilled and unskilled labour residing in the area.

Over the years, her passion, creativity and interest led her to also start a third proprietary concern - an interior design concern to offer consultation regarding modular kitchens, wardrobes and other furniture, residential interiors, commercial interiors, office interiors, modular workstations, structural glazing, aluminum fabricators, stained glass works, glass curtain walls and aluminium composite panel structures.

Sharing success

Ravindran describes herself as a "women entrepreneur with a casual background." So when she tasted success in all her ventures, she realized that if passion and zeal could work for her, the same qualities would help other women make it as well.

Her exposure to underprivileged women, especially those who worked in her factory, spurred a desire to help them raise their standard of living, clean-up the squalid surroundings they lived in, and empower them to offer their children a better future. But then logic took over - after all, how many women could she employ?

So Ravindran decided to assist women to start their own ventures by arranging job-oriented training programmes to teach them new skills and develop their managerial capabilities. If this has you thinking, ‘Well a lot of people work for the socio-economic upliftment of women, what's so great about that?' - read on.

Social work with a difference

Many people encourage women to start entre-preneurial ventures, but then let them get on with building their business. In contrast, Ravindran has taken it upon herself to network with government and other organizations to explore the avenues available for women entrepreneurs in rural and semi-urban areas and then counsel women so as to correctly match their skills with the available opportunities. That isn't all - Ravindran hand-holds the women through every stage of their venture, and uses her contacts and business platforms to arrange exhibition-cum-sales to help the women gain exposure for the products in markets in towns and cities in India and overseas.

Evidently, Ravindran is aware of the need to break into new markets. In 2002, when she had just started out her ventures, she had participated in the Women Inspire fair in Suntec City, Singapore and in international fairs in Malaysia and Sri Lanka. She followed this up by participating in the International India Initiative 2005 in Warsaw (Poland) and led a delegation of AWAKE women entrepreneurs to the Summer Fair 2007 in Colombo (Sri Lanka).

Inspiring excellence

A step further, Ravindran has extended the high standards she has established for herself to the many women entrepreneurs who flock to her every day for guidance in establishing business and industrial ventures to enjoy a better lifestyle. Hence, she looks to train women to acquire not just basic technical and managerial skills but to also have an understanding of the larger issues pertaining to industry, trade and commerce.

To this end, she coordinates with a number of institutions like the S.I.S.I. (Small Industries Service Institute), government authorities, banks and financial institutions to organize workshops, seminars and open-house discussions. No surprises then that some of the more enterprising women entrepreneurs she has engaged with have risen to higher levels in entrepreneurship and now hold important positions in business and in society.

Her extensive work with underprivileged women has led her to hold the position of chairperson of business counseling at AWAKE. In this capacity, she continues to arrange training programmes for would-be women entrepreneurs in Karnataka.

The making of a leader

Ravindran also continues to drive the cause of women entrepreneurs. She had led delegations of women entrepreneurs to a meet for members of a worldwide network of women entrepreneurs in Egypt and to SAARC meets in Sri Lanka and another gathering in Kuala Lumpur. More recently, she took an active interest in organizing the Voice of Women International Summit 2008 at the Palace Grounds in Bangalore.

Her enterprising nature and initiative have not gone unnoticed. For her innovative candle designs that sell internationally, she has won the Kempegowda Prathiba Puraskara award and the business women entrepreneur of the year 2007 by Wecan India.

Today, Ravindran occupies a powerful position. Her own businesses are thriving, and she has come into the public eye thanks to her hobby art programmes that are regularly aired on UDAYA TV, DD, EENADU, and CITI CABLE. But more importantly, she knows that she can positively influence and assist women in changing their lives for the better. In other words, every candle she lights dispels darkness for many. 

Charu Bahri is an author, freelance writer, columnist and [part-time] manager - projects and information systems at J Watumull Global Hospital  & Research Centre. More about her at http:/ charubahri. googlepages.com

Issue BG88 July 08

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