“In one hand a slate, in another hand a plate,” recalls Arokiaswamy Velumani, the multi-millionaire entrepreneur, about his childhood. He recalls how his school meals helped him survive. Speaking at a TEDx convention, the 60-year-old founder of Thyrocare reveals with a gleam in his eyes how his prolonged battle with the pangs of poverty moulded his success.

Velumani, who refers to his life story as ‘the luxury of poverty’, continues to motivate hundreds of aspiring youth every day. The son of a poor farmer, who struggled to manage two square meals a day, now heads the world’s largest thyroid testing laboratory with a staggering net worth of Rs 3,300 crore.

Family of 7, Rs 50 per week

In April 1959, the family of a landless farmer in Appanaickenpatti Pudur, an obscure hamlet in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, welcomed their son Arokiaswamy. He was one among the five children in the family. His father’s paltry earnings failed to sustain the large family, so, his mother, a homemaker, had to shoulder a bigger responsibility. She managed to buy two buffaloes and the family survived on 50 rupees a week, earned from selling the milk. The plight prevailed for almost a decade.

Velumani admits that he could only become graduate as his school offered meal once a day. The promise of food drew him to the local village school which lacked a proper curriculum or even a teacher. “They would serve meals only if we show them our slates. That’s how my education started,” he shares.

“They (my parents) never had the luxury of buying me a pair of chappals (sandals) or trousers. I was born at the bottom of the ten slices of the pyramid,” he shared with Quartz India. “But today, I am at the top of the very pyramid,” he adds.

Earning a PhD at Bhaba Atomic Research Centre

Velumani earned a B.Sc graduate degree at 19 and joined Gemini Capsules, a small-scale pharmaceutical firm in Coimbatore. At that time, he had to make do with a meagre salary of Rs 150 per month, which too stopped when the company shut down within three years of his joining. He stayed unemployed for more than three years, struggling with finances once again. Later, he was accepted at the prestigious Bhaba Atomic Research Centre (BARC) for the position of a lab assistant.

Velumani feels grateful that BARC offered him ample opportunities to pursue further research alongside his job. His diligence and focus soon earned him a Master’s Degree, followed by a PhD in thyroid biochemistry. Interestingly, Velumani admits that his time at BARC helped him learn everything that would ultimately propel him to the position where he presently stands. “In 1982, I did not know where the thyroid gland was. By 1995, I was a PhD in thyroid biochemistry,” he candidly shared with Quartz India.

Quitting a secured job

Meanwhile, Velumani married Sumathi, who was working in State Bank of India at that time. Afterwards, when he had already spent 14 years at BARC, he decided to quit his job, with a grand plan in mind. His wife also left her job, and with an investment of Rs 2 lakh sourced from his provident fund, together they started Thyrocare.

When asked about how he dared to leave a secured government job to venture into a domain unknown to him, Velumani asserts that everyone has to choose between security and prosperity in their job. “A government job provides you security while a private one can lead to prosperity. By branching out on my own, I was assured of secured prosperity,” he shared with Man’s World India.

The prosperity of Thyrocare

Initially, Thyrocare was exclusively focussed on the diagnosis of thyroid-related disorders. Later, as the company proliferated, their domain expanded into detecting other clinical disorders like diabetes, infertility, cardiovascular problems and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The company reached a monumental market worth of Rs 3,415 crore two years ago through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) which oversubscribed 73 times. Thyrocare has over 1,250 centres across the urban landscape of India as well as outlets in Nepal, Bangladesh and the Middle East. The company performs more than 30 million diagnostic tests every year.

In February 2016, Velumani lost his wife and long-time companion Sumathi to pancreatic cancer. He resides at Navi Mumbai with his son Anand and daughter Amruta.

Arokiaswamy Velumani’s story deserves to inspire a million Indians. Efforts For Good will continue to present more such motivational stories from the heroes we have amongst us.

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