Dream big and achieve bigger! Standing true to this saying, there are people who became as big as their dreams were. They began with nothing, worked over all the odds and established a great benchmark for others.
Such stories have been an inspiration for many of us to shape our dreams. When any day you feel low and want to give up, such stories will inspire to put in more hard work and have the self-belief to achieve big.
Here is a list of few Indians who moved from rags to riches.
Dhirubhai Ambani
Early Life: Bhajia Vendor
Later Became: Founder of Reliance Industries
Who would have imagined that the Reliance Industries which were started with just $1000 would reach among the world’s 100 companies? It was all the efforts of Dhirubhai Ambani that bore fruits. Ambani once lived in a one-room chawl with his wife and children.
Dilip Shanghvi
Early Life: Drug Distributor
Later Became: One of Asia’s wealthiest self-made billionaire
Dilip Sanghvi is the founder of Sun Pharmaceuticals, one of the leading pharmaceutical of India. He started his pharma company with just 5 products in 1983. The company now ranks at No. 6 which is nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Karsanbhai Patel
Early Life: Lab assistant at Geology and Minning Department
Later Became: Founder of Nirma Group
He is the man behind ‘Washing Powder Nirma’. Karshanbhai started selling the detergent at just Rs. 3 per Kg in the beginning. Coming from a humble farmer family, he is a perfect example of Self-made-man.
Narayana Murthy
Early Life: Had to rely on wife’s savings of Rs. 10,000.
Later Became: Founder of Infoysis and The father of Indian IT sector
Not everyone knows that The Father of Indian Indian IT sector has to depend on his wife’s savings of Rs. 10,000. The man built a successful empire with his talent and continuous hardwork.
Patricia Narayan
Early Life: Sold homemade pickles, Jams, and Squashes
Later Became: Owner of Snadheepa chain of restaurants in Chennai
From roads to restaurants, Patricia Narayan has a much inspiring success story. She started out by selling pickles, jams, and squashes to fend for herself and her two children. The journey of 30 years brought miracles to her and she is the owner of The Snadheepa chain of restaurants.
Indra Nooyi
Early Life: Worked night shifts and as a part-time receptionist
Later Became: CEO of Pepsico
A girl who worked wonders. After completing her MBA, Nooyi went to Yale Graduate School of Management for her management degree with barely any money in her hands. She worked as a receptionist to buy herself a suit for her first job interview.
Shah Rukh Khan
Early Life: Moved to Mumbai with Only Rs. 1500
Later Became: Badshah of Bollywood
The Delhi boy who reached Mumbai with just Rs. 1500 in his pocket is the King of the Bollywood today. The success story of SRK is quite different. The superstar has won it with his meritorious talent.
Rajnikanth
Early Life: Bus Conductor
Later Became: South Superstar
Rajnikanth did a number of odd jobs like being a carpenter, a coolie, and a bus conductor before living a superstar’s life. It was during his job as a bus conductor that he came across Madras Film Institute advert.
A.P.J Abdul Kalam
Early Life: Sold Newspapers
Later Became: The 11th President of India
A journey from a little job of selling newspapers to holding the highest rank in the highest office in the land is something to learn from. Yes, A.P.J has lived such awe-inspiring life.
Sushil Kumar
Early Life: Son of a Bus Conductor
Later Became: Olympic Medalist
Sushil, the Olympic Medalist belongs to a very simple family. At a very young age, he won the wrestling match with a 10-year elder guy. With his sheer hard work and full support from his family, he has reached this level.
Dharampal Gulati
Early Life: Tonga Puller
Later Became: Face behind MDH Spices
This popular face started his life journey as a Rikshaw Puller and later opened up a spice firm. His Company MDH is the ‘Masala King’ of the country. The company which started from a small shop now export spices in bulk to the U.S.A, U.K, Canada and Europe.