Walking out of abusive marriage was the best decision: Social activist Urmila Chanam

October 29, 2020 by Keyur Seta 3 Comments

There was a time when Urmila Chanam’s life was full of uncertainty. She was going through an abusive marriage in her hometown Manipur while looking after her little daughter. At that time, not many would have expected her to be known as one of the most renowned journalists, social workers and social activists a decade later.

But that is exactly what happened with Urmila Chanam. After she walked out of her marriage, she built her life from scratch and has now reached the pinnacle of success. She has been working tirelessly for spreading awareness about women’s empowerment, women’s health, waste management, digital literacy of girls and women and family planning. Earlier she worked in HIV/AIDS-related causes and rural development.

In an exclusive chat with us for our Young Achievers’ section, Urmila Chanam looks back at her life and shares in detail about her work as a social worker and social entrepreneur.

Best decision of life

Leaving the abusive marriage was the best decision I made because life is beautiful and it has to be experienced the way it’s meant to be. I am a single mother now. There are problems which are inherent when you are a single parent as there is just one person managing the house, child, career and profession. Then you have your family to look after. So you have double work to manage.

Urmila Chanam (All photos source: Facebook)

More blessings than problems

But the problems are limited to this and the blessings are many. You are free to make your decisions and somebody is not there to make your life miserable. You don’t have sadness and you are not pushed to your worst constantly. So when all those negatives go from your life, your life then gets room for good things to step in. So that’s why I say this is the best decision I made. When I got free, my social work and journalism picked up and I flourished as a person.

Looking back

It’s almost funny when I look back to the time when I was married and was just a graduate. My former father-in-law used to tell my former husband that if you both relocate to Bangalore or any metropolitan city then you will get a good doctor’s job in a good hospital. ‘Your wife, as she is young, will get a job as a receptionist in some place,’ he said. So in their eyes my calibre was very low, also for the man I was married to.

Now I am a social worker, social activist, columnist and journalist. When I go to the field in new districts and when I introduce myself to doctors with my name and organization and I discuss with them the situation of women’s health. Many times at the end of the meeting, the doctors and nurses tell me that they already know me because they have read my articles since long.

All this was possible because I gave attention to my own growth and I walked out of an abusive marriage to build myself.

Urmila Chanam pads — With a carton of sanitary pads donated by someone

No compromise with self-esteem and dignity

I am not telling every married woman should walk out of the marriage at the mere mention of a problem. That’s not what I advocate. Each person is free to decide what is her threshold. But when you try to establish your threshold to the point till where you can take, I think personal dignity and self-esteem are non-negotiables. Once you compromise there, I don’t think any woman or a man can live a happy life.

Getting started

I started my career in rural development and community mobilizing officer and NREGA in-charge where my role was to form self-help groups among women, train them and keep them strong as they grew. To link them to funding from banks, to export and market their products and help them generate income through CII platforms. That was my first job.

Working in HIV/ AIDS prevention

I have worked in HIV/ AIDS prevention care and treatment at program as well as policy level for several years and also worked with United Nations (UN) in that capacity. I was also attached to Manipur Legislative Assembly and working with ministers and Chief Minister.

Urmila Chanam-Men take the lead — During her initiative ‘Men Take The Lead’ where men help in spreading awareness about menstrual hygiene

Worked with various sections of society

I have worked with transgender community, with drug users, female sex workers, orphan and vulnerable children, famers, self-help group women and youth. So I have worked with large segment of people in my career. Finally, I have quit my job so that I can build my organization and fulfil the vision that I have for women empowerment, family planning and digital literacy.

Also read – Young achiever: India has power, ability to overcome worse than this, says 21-year-old MD Sahil Lalwani

Maintaining a decent lifestyle despite being a social worker

I think it is not easy to maintain a decent lifestyle while being a social worker. Now that I have become a social entrepreneur, I have realized it requires business skills to make it succeed. They say every artist is not a businessperson. There may be a great painter making beautiful, life-changing paintings. But do they necessarily have the business skill to sell that paintings. The answer is no.

Need to become social entrepreneur

Just because somebody is very good at social work, it is not necessary that the person has the business or entrepreneurship skills to establish a strong organization, find funding and be able to run that organization for years. These are two different skill sets. Right now I am at the juncture where having been a social worker for little over a decade, I have ventured into entrepreneurship. I have to acquire new skills, explore new places and make my organization a pillar of strength in terms of programs, vision and reaching a vast number of girls.

Message for women

Women may grow up thinking that there are things only men can do. They might feel scared that they might not be able to look after themselves and live a happy life without a man. Even I used to sometimes worry about that when I left my abusive marriage and got divorced. But in these 10 years I have found that there is nothing that a woman cannot do. You can do anything. Be it banking, investment, travel, etc. Everything is manageable. You only underestimated your talent.

India has power, ability to overcome worse than this, says 21-year-old MD Sahil Lalwani

July 10, 2020 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

Success stories of people are generally narrated when they have lived quite a few decades. But for Sahil Lalwani, an age of 21 is enough to write a lengthy success story. Circumstances forced him to start working when he was in the 9^th grade as a vendor post-school and deliver products via Metro. From here on, he went onto own a series of start-ups in the coming years through his company Twelve 10.

But there is much more to it. Sahil scored defence contracts for chemicals and building the internal base for Indian Navy. But along with all this, his major business is into real estate. His current project includes a six-acre township in Kalyan and Kharghar.

We know this might be too much information for you. So we will just let Sahil speak in detail about his success journey.

You are doing a lot of things professionally. What was your aim in life to become when you were a kid?
Back when I was a kid, all I wanted to do was travel, visit different countries and meet people from different cultures. When I saw a picture of New York City in one of my general knowledge books back in grade two, I had a drive to explore USA. But being from a middle-class background, the only way to achieve this was to either go there for studies or for a job.

I had an interest in cinematography in grade eight and nine and I got into New York School of Film Academy back in 2015. But then, life happened and if you want to grow, you have to leave your dreams behind and follow the path leading you to success. My dad got ill while I was in 10th grade and I had to take over the reins and support my family alongside my mother.

What was going through you when you started working when you were in 9th grade?
I was going through a lot at that time like any normal 15-year-old. I would go to school and see these children arrive in Audis, Porsches and BMWs with VIP number plates. We were given a uniform so that no one feels inferior or superior, but I felt that we, as a family, lacked something. Though I belonged to a normal middle-class family, my dad would buy a luxury car and that pinched me a bit.

I had gone on a school trip to Dubai and the lifestyle there inspired me to make something of myself. As soon as we came back, I started working and formed a Facebook page and started getting references. I still remember the time I used to sell wallets online, followed by different merchandise. My first start-up was called Merchandise and More.

How did you get motivated to create quite a few start-ups at such a young age? Who guided you? Where and how did you learn the tricks of the trade? What were the challenges?
There was another instance that inspired me. Every summer we used to spend our holidays at my Nani’s house in Mumbai and while we were there, I used to see cars that my family accountant would drive. He had these huge luxury sedans that would make me a bit jealous, to be honest. It was a life changing moment for me, and I decided that it was time to either go big or go home.

If you have been given a life, make it work. I honestly didn’t have much help because my dad didn’t want me to work at such a young age, but I had the dream to buy my own luxury car. The first few months were tough, but I bought my first car in Grade 10 which was, of course, a second-hand luxury sedan. At that moment, I realised that I was successful and there was no stopping me after that.

Since my dad got unwell when I was in grade 11, I had to handle his business. There was no one to teach me the tricks of the trade and I fell on my knees quite a few times, but I got back up again. Books were the only thing that helped me learn technical terms and taught me how to deal professionally with people.

You also used to make defence contracts for Indian Navy. How did this happen? Tell us about your work in this arena.
After I finished school, my mom and I moved to Mumbai so we could explore our business options. And that’s when we came across an idea to manufacture household liquids, since they were so expensive. While searching for the breakeven contract, we came across an opening of Karwar Naval Base from where we made Twelve10 chemicals a success and now we supply to all navy and CSD canteens across India.

We at Twelve10, always want to provide products at a reasonable price. For this, we have also faced a lot of backlash and we’re considered to be a lower grade brand but what people do not understand is that MNC are over charging people. Even we want to earn, but we want to earn ethically. FMCG is an industry where people do not have work ethics at all. The profits sore up to 400% on manufacturing costs.

A major part of your business is real estate. How did you start in this arena and when?
Soon after we made money, we started to invest in the builder buying equities and properties on pre-construction basis or advance bookings. This helped us get better prices than properties that were already built. This, again, opened a source of income in the longer run. With my eyes set on construction, we started Twelve10 Construction where we provide an all-in-one solution to developers, right from putting the first brick on the ground, till the lock and key is finalised.

Also read: Post-lockdown things will be very difficult in the education sector, says Atreya Roy

Since it takes off a lot of pressure from the small builders in the sector, it has helped us grow and become the company we are today. Currently we are working with SR Group even in lockdown, to make a 6-acre township near Kalyan and various stand-alone properties in Kharghar.

What is the process of importing avocados from Peru? How and when did you venture in this area?
During the lockdown, we came across a term called immunity, which was already there in the market, but nobody cared about it back then. However, COVID-19 opened the eyes of the public and they started looking for products to increase their immunity. At this point, we saw an opportunity to import a superfood, avocados, that contain many nutrients and antioxidants. During this time, the government was only allowing us to import goods from Peru and New Zealand. So, we searched for traders and set up an ecommerce website overnight.

The process starts by contacting a trader in Peru who provides us with the prices of the product, which then get shipped in a plane with a controlled atmosphere to our city’s airport and from there, after clearing customs, gets shipped to our warehouse in the city.

How much has your business been affected because of the COVID-19 lockdown? How hopeful are you of things being back to normal before we reach 2021?
During the lockdown, we managed not to take a bad hit. Our constructions business and e-commerce website were doing pretty well, as people started to buy a lot of stuff online. However, our food and beverage subsidiary company called Tithe suffered to make ends meet. We had 25 Outlets to launch in Mumbai, out of which 5 were operational before the lockdown and, as we were still in the initial stages, suffered a few losses.

I believe different industries will react differently to this. Real estate prices, even with the most notable developers in Mumbai, have taken a hit as everyone is trying to liquidate their assets. There is a sense of insecurity about the future in the market, but I believe India has the power and ability to overcome even worse than this. We will get back on our feet. Of course, some losses are not curable but within 6-7 months we will once again be, a profit-making economy.

Also read: After scoring just 1 run in his first 6 innings, Marwan Atapattu made a historic comeback

Post-lockdown things will be very difficult in the education sector, says Atreya Roy

April 18, 2020 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

The ongoing Coronavirus pandemic has hit had every business in the entire world, right from large scale to small scale. But the one casualty that is not much talked about is the education sector which is also going through similar crisis. I got in touch regarding this with Atreya Roy, a 24-year-old COO (Chief Operating Officer) of Learn4Exam institute in Delhi.

Education sector post Coronavirus lockdown:

He believes that the education sector has severely been affected and online learning is a not a solution as of now. “Students are very much equipped nowadays. They have internet and devices. Government of India advises various institutes to conduct classes online but it’s not possible for all courses. Like I can’t conduct science practical classes online where I have to test in a laboratory,” he said.

Adding further, Atreya Roy said, “Do I have the required instruments where I can teach maths? If I am teaching maths I need to draw a lot of things. This unprepared-ness was something quite exposed during this crisis. Things have been pretty unprecedented. Nobody knew this was coming. From a very normal life we have gone to complete lockdown where you can’t see your friends for a month and a half.”

Book sellers form an important part in the education sector and their market is also come to a halt abruptly. “People who were into reading only books, they can’t purchase it right now. They are forced to take courses online but a lot of people are not ready to take that. Along with students it also makes the educator’s life difficult. According to me, things are going to be very, very difficult,” he said.

Affects on studies during Covid-19 lockdown:

Atreya Roy also believes that it is important that students use this lockdown phase in doing something productive. “There are two kinds of people. One, which are extending their time to Netflix. There would be another scale of people that would be upsclaing themselves. They will research more. They will network more. One category of people would come very hard at other category of people. People need to understand that if they don’t plan for the next few months, their life will be difficult,” he said.

I have come across various students who haven’t been able to concentrate on their studies in the lockdown despite having all the time in the world. They say that the gloomy and uncertain atmosphere around is not helping them concentrate and making them feel fatigued.

Atreya Roy has a piece of advice for them. “I would just say to take this as a challenge. We all gave our 10th and 12th board exams. During this period the last few months have been very tough for us and we didn’t go out that much. Everyone was busy with preparations. A proper planning and methodology will help you come out with flying colours once the period is over,” he said.

Lay-offs and paycuts due to lockdown:

A major serious crisis that has emerged at the lockdown is that a lot of people have lost their jobs while many others are facing paycuts. Speaking about it, Roy said, “I read somewhere that the way the companies treat their employees right now will help them maintain their brand image for the next 10 years.”

But he also believes that one should consider things from the point of view of business. “The companies in the manufacturing sector are almost stagnant right now because they don’t have sales people going out and selling things. Then it becomes very difficult. Like I don’t have funds incoming, I can’t let funds go outside. In countries like US, almost 15 percent of the workforce has been laid off. India is very lucky in that perspective,” he said.

Further rise in demand for government jobs:

Interestingly, Atreya Roy points out that there will be a much bigger demand of government jobs. “There will be constant pressure from your peers and family to look for jobs which are permanent. And in India permanent job means government jobs. So, their entrance exams are going to be difficult,” he said.

Personal journey:

Roy achieved the feat of being appointed as the COO of Learn4Exam by the director of the company Gurpreet Singh last year when he was just 23 years old. After doing his Engineering in Information and Technology, he became a subject matter expert with e-GMAT and has also taught a wide range of students.

Speaking about Learn4Exam, Roy said, “We provide courses that help you crack the different MBA entrance exams that are been conducted in India presently. We provide everything to our students regarding that. Our company was started three years ago. It has a high success rate. We have 100 students out of which we sure 80 of them get placed in the top four colleges of India.”

Roy further tells us that he was pretty much into mathematics since he was kid. “I used to take free classes. I used to teach students from class six to tenth. I once got exposed on Facebook to CAT preparations group, which had 50 to 60 thousand members. People used to post questions and a set of people used to solve,” he said.

This became the starting point of a journey ahead. “I started solving various doubts that people had in their preparations. This was during my second year of graduation. Then I started teaching in various institutes in Kolkata,” said Roy.

Also read:

After just 1 run in first 6 innings, Marvan Atapattu made a historic comeback