There is a food distribution chain operating in places like Chennai, Hyderabad, and Rajasthan. Its name is Food King. It started on a small scale with the aim of delivering food on order to employees working in companies in the city. Over the years, Food King Catering Service has grown into an organization with many outlets and an annual revenue of crores of rupees. The person leading this enterprise is Sarath Babu. How did Sarath Babu achieve this success?
To understand that, one must look at his life story. Sarath Babu was born in a slum in Madipakkam, Chennai, as the eldest of five children of a widow named Deepa Ramani. Deepa Ramani worked preparing midday meals in a school, earning only thirty rupees as salary. Realizing that this amount was not enough to feed a family of five or six members, she also started selling idlis. It was Sarath Babu who stepped forward to help his mother. After school, he would help in making and distributing idlis.
Sarath Babu was a bright student. So his mother enrolled him in an English-medium school. However, he often had to face humiliation from teachers and classmates for not paying fees on time. But none of this held him back in his studies. He excelled in his exams and came out as the top student in his school. Many people came forward to support his higher education, which eventually took him to IIM Ahmedabad. His final years of study were completed through loans and borrowings.
After working for two years in a company called Polaris and repaying his debts, he received offers from several better companies, but Sarath chose to reject them all. Instead, he started his own business venture- what is now Food King. His initial capital was just two thousand rupees. His greatest inspiration was his mother, who had raised the family and educated him with the money she earned from selling idlis. That inspiration turned Sarath Babu into a successful businessman.
The life stories of Sarath Babu and his mother teach us many lessons. They remind us of the good that comes into children’s lives when mothers are willing to work hard and sacrifice for their families. It is such mothers, who do not limit their children’s dreams, who stand behind many success stories. If Deepa Ramani had decided to live on thirty rupees and not educate her children, Sarath Babu would never have had the opportunity to study.
Another lesson is Sarath Babu’s willingness to make use of every opportunity for the growth of himself and his family. He had every reason to blame fate and setbacks and become just a daily wage laborer. But instead, he moved forward with a clear goal and achieved success. Having a clear sense of purpose in life is not easy, and many people lack it. But this mother and son possessed it.
Mother’s Day is celebrated in the month of May. On this occasion, we remember that there are many mothers like Deepa Ramani around us. We bow to them with respect.
Regards
Prof Antoney P Joseph
