Mr. Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao - Chairman, GMR Group Founder

G M Rao, a mechanical engineer, is the founder and Chairman of GMR Group, a Bangalore based global Infrastructure major. The Group is well diversified and professionally managed with focus on business verticals of Airports, Energy, Highways and Urban Infrastructure including SEZs.

Early Days:

Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao was born on December 14, 1950 in a small town of Rajam in the Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh. He failed his 10th class examination, due to which his father asked him to leave his studies altogether, and instead assist him in the family business. But after two years he asked his mother to let him join school, once again. He completed his engineering. He landed a job in the Public Works Department on the Vamsadhara Project. He resigned his job and started out with Rs 300,000, one truck and two acres of land -- his share in the division of the family assets. In 1978, he set up a jute mill and went on to set up around 28 agro-based ventures - jute mill, rice mill, brewery etc. In 1985, he became the largest shareholder of the country's leading private sector Vysya Bank. When some senior executives left, Rao began to run the bank. With his visionary approach he was able to successfully transform it into a modern technology driven and hugely successful financial enterprise.

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http://sparks.wisdomjobs.com/43-mr-grandhi-mallikarjuna-rao.html

"Vidya daan sarva sreshtha daan aahe. (Donation towards education is the greatest donation.)" - Professor Sandeep Desai

MUMBAI: As the train leaves Churchgate station, a deep voice announces in chaste Marathi, "Vidya daan sarva sreshtha daan aahe. (Donation towards education is the greatest donation.)" Standing amid the crush of commuters in the humid second-class compartment, a middle-aged man with a rucksack follows up his opening aphorism with a one-minute speech on how a small donation from commuters could help rescue the poor from the scourge of illiteracy. He proceeds to deliver the same speech in fluent English and Hindi and then extends his donation box.

Professor Sandeep Desai has been following this unusual routine for the last five months. Every morning, he boards a Churchgate-bound train from Goregaon and does the gruelling commute back and forth between the two stations to collect donations for his half-constructed school at Nanar village in Ratnagiri district. "I do this for six hours daily," says the former engineer who used to teach at the S P Jain Institute of Management and Research.

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http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-09-26/mumbai/28223966_1_commuters-donation-poor-kids

How M S Oberoi became India's greatest hotelier

The Oberoi Group, founded in 1934, owns and manages thirty hotels and five luxury cruisers across six countries under the 'Oberoi' & 'Trident' brands. The activities of the Group include airline catering, management of restaurants and airport bars, travel and tour services, car rental, project management and corporate air charters.

M S Oberoi: I was born on August 15, 1900 in a small village, Bhaun in district Jhelum, which now forms a part of Pakistan. The story of my life has been, in many ways, a dramatic one -- full of difficulties and hardships, in earlier days and later a spectacular rise to the position I now hold.

But this was not achieved without incessant toil and a daily fight against tremendous odds. Yet it was a challenge to prove myself. When I look back to those days, as I sometimes do, in moments of leisure, I am thankful that I was able to accept this challenge and make good.

These reflections also make me feel humble for I realise it was with God's help that I achieved what the world calls 'success.'

My father, Shri A S Oberoi was a contractor in Peshawar, who died when I was only six months old. The family consisted of my mother and myself. My earlier days were spent in the little village of my birth. I began my education at the village school. Later, I was sent to the nearby town of Rawalpindi and enrolled in the DAV school from where I matriculated.

After this I went to Lahore [ Images ] to join college and passed my Intermediate Examination. My studies were cut short as our already meagre finances began to dwindle. This was a moment of anxiety in my life as I realised that my qualifications would not get me a job.

However, at the suggestion of a friend, I went to Amritsar [ Images ], stayed with him and took a course in shorthand and typing.

There was still no job for me on the horizon and I decided to get back to my village, where it would be easier to live than in a big city. There followed a point of waiting and frustration. My uncle helped me to get a job in the Lahore Shoe Factory. My work was to supervise the manufacture and sale of shoes.

Read more:

http://www.rediff.com/money/2005/oct/21bspec.htm

Ms. Jyothi Reddy - CEO of Keys Software Solutions

At the age of just 16, She married because of her family financial position. By the age of eighteen, she became mother of two girls. She worked for Rs. 5 per day. But today she is the CEO of Keys software solutions in USA.

Early Life and Education:-She was born in Narasimhula Gudem in Hanumakonda mandal, Warangal District as eldest of four children to a common peasant who has lost his employment during emergency. His father was joined in Army but could not continue because of his attachment with the family.As it was very difficult for the family to meet the both the ends, he was forced to join Jyothi Reddy BALASADAN, a government orphanage at Hanumakonda as amother less child.From 5th class to 10th class Jyothi Reddy stayed in orphanage by having solitary life away from home.She passed 10th class with good marks bt could not continue her education.At the age of just 16 they performed her marriage with Mr. SangiReddy.and at 18, she became mother of two girls.

Career:- It was very difficult for her to provide even basic needs to her family.So she started working as agriculture labour for Rs. 5 per day.She worked from 1986 to 89 on field.in 1989,Nehru Yuvak Kendra (NYK) started a night school in the village to teach the basic education for adults.She was the only educated girl in village so they appointed her as the volunteer to educate the adults after giving some training. It fetched her Rupees 150 per month.Her hard work and dedication impressed the Inspection authorities  and they  appointed her Mandal Prerak of Hanumakonda.
 

Read more:

http://www.matpal.com/2012/02/ms-jyothi-reddy-ceo-of-keys-software.html

Jaithirth Rao Founder of MphasiS

He built a corporate career.

Then he built a company.

Now he's sold it and moved on. This is his story in short.

Jaitirth Rao, or Jerry as he is better known, does not mix emotions with entrepreneurship and it is his philosophy in life.

Early Days

Jaithirth was born in Bangalore, Karnataka, has done his BSc Chemistry. His dad was working with the Government and so he was keen that Jerry should go into the IAS. As Jerry was just 19 years old, he was not allowed to sit for the IAS.

Two years later, Jerry joined First National Citibank (later known as Citibank) through campus placement. He went to Beirut for training and even sent the forms for the IAS but eventually decided to stay on in a corporate career as Citibank was a good company. It was a heady place in those days, it had great ambitions.

Citibank was then the second largest bank in the world and it was internationalizing its management staff. From a purely 'American' bank it was becoming more multi-cultural. So it was a good time to be there.

He came back from Beirut, worked for 2-3 years in India, and then went to the Middle East. Then he wanted to quit corporate life altogether and decided to go into academics.

In 1979 Jerry enrolled in the University of Chicago to do a PhD. Two years later he realized he wasn't cut out for that kind of life and abandoned the PhD halfway.

He rejoined Citibank, but this time in New York, and then South America. In 1984, a good friend Rana Talwar persuaded Jerry to come back to India and set up Citibank's retail and consumer business. Jerry says "It was within the umbrella of a large corporation but it was very entrepreneurial. Very unusual. We were writing on a blank canvas so it was quite an interesting time. There was no consumerism, no retail at the time. We introduced ATMs in India, for example. Even though the technology was 20 years old, it was revolutionary for India back then."

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http://sparks.wisdomjobs.com/29-jaithirth-rao.html

Shantanu Prakash Founder of Educomp

Shantanu was from a regular middle class upbringing. He went into business while doing his BCom. The entrepreneurial streak continued after the MBA from IIM Ahmedabad. His company Educomp is today the leading provider of digital content for schools across India.

Early Days

Shantanu Prakash was born in Rourkela, a small town with only one notable feature - the steel plant. Dad in SAIL, mom a school teacher, an upbringing no different from thousands of steel town kids in the 1970s. After class 10, the family shifted to Delhi and he enrolled in DPS, a "shiny, big city school." A reasonably good student, Shantanu joined Shri Ram College of Commerce. And that's when it first became evident, 'this guy is different.'

Shantanu recalls "Whenever my dad used to travel, he used to buy me books. In fact, I don't remember getting any presents except books. I used to read voraciously. And probably that unlocked something in the mind. "Big thinking, big horizon and so on"

When his dad retired and wanted to come and settle down in Delhi, he found that he didn't have enough money to buy even a DDA flat. So somewhere at the back of his mind he thought that if "I need to make money, then working in a job is probably not going to do it for me."

Shantanu Prakash grew up in an 'absolutely typical middle class background'. But he knew entrepreneurship was his calling, early in life. He founded a company while still in college and started another one right after graduating from IIM Ahmedabad.

Read more:
http://sparks.wisdomjobs.com/30-shantanu-prakash.html

Ashank Desai Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Mastek Ltd

He is one among the very few people who had the vision to see the future and growth scope of the IT industry. He dreamt about floating a software company when we did not have proper telephone connection.

In the early 80's, much before IT was a buzzword, Ashank Desai set up Mastek along with a couple of friends. Mastek was the first company to focus on India as a market and is today one of the top 15 IT companies in the country. Mastek may not be the biggest Indian IT company in terms of size or scale, but it is certainly one with a lesson for many an entrepreneur wanting to start a company with his college buddies. More than friends getting together though, it is friends staying together for 25 years that is intriguing. Because partnerships which endure are such a rare thing in today's world!

Many a dream is born on an IIM campus, only to die out when faced with the real world. However Ashank, Ketan and Sundar kept that dream alive and made it happen. What's more they did this in an era when it took, on average, 15 years to get a telephone connection. And you could start an IT company, but forget about owning a PC. In fact, the 'PC' was not even in the market, technically speaking.

But life in the Doordarshan era was kinder and gentler. There was less pressure to perform, and leeway to make some mistakes. The team was young and flexible, and figured out a way. And they had patience, which is another commodity in short supply today!

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http://sparks.wisdomjobs.com/28-ashank-desai.html