Simply Punjabi
A monthly magazine by India Today
The Fab Five
Enterpreneurship remains an enduring leitmotif of Ludhiana. Home to countless ragsto-riches stories, the city continues to churn out entepreneurs who, by their ingenuity and hard work, have scripted success stories.
But, what has radically changed here in the last decade is the way women entrepreneurs have emerged in the hitherto male-dominated sphere. Leading the pack is Rajni Bector, who has baked her hobby of making cookies and icecream into a Rs 450 crore food empire.
Her success has inspired many women to establish themselves in different areas of business. We bring you five such success stories.
Vijay Dhingra
Beautyka Cosmetics
We ensure that our products do not have any harmful effects. Rather, they should be nourishing and beneficial.
Proprietor of Beautyka Cosmetics, Vijay Dhingra, 55, looks very much like the homemaker next door. But, behind that exterior is an enterprising businesswoman. Her small venture, initiated in 1990, has grown into a major enterprise, with a customer network in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Jammu.
A science graduate with an analytical bent of mind, Dhingra has always tried to unravel the ingredients in cosmetic products. While running a beauty parlour at home she realised the importance of good quality, but reasonably priced, cosmetics.
So, she got herself trained in the anatomy of skin and hair with a fouryear course in cosmetology and beauty therapy from Shehnaz Hussain. On whether she wanted to emulate the herbal queen, she says, “She was my ideal. The products of Beautyka, too, are totally herbal.”
Her factory now churns out lipsticks, massage creams (the most popular is the cabbage cream) herbal henna, face packs and shampoos. The ‘lipstick lady’, as she is popularly known, adds, “We ensure that there are no harmful effects of Beautyka products. They should be nourishing and beneficial.”
A popular figure at ladies’ club functions, Dhingra gives lectures and demonstrations in cosmetology in women’s colleges. Now, her twin sons, Rishi and Muni, have entered the business to help out with marketing and procurement of raw materials.
Anjali Avasth
Sportking Institute of Fashion Technology
It was difficult to make students understand the importance of fashion designing as a career, since most considered it a hobby
In about 15 years, the Avasthis of Ludhiana have turned Sportking into a leading brand of hosiery. Realising that a lack of trained manpower is affecting their growth trajectory, the Awasthis decided to set up a fashion designing institute.
It was their daughter-in-law, Anjali Avasthi, 35, who came up with the idea, and she pitched in full-time in establishing Sportking Institute of Fashion Technology (SIFT). The courses were designed and developed by the Pearl Academy of Fashion, Delhi.
This success story is now four years old, and when they recently had their first convocation, it was a moment of great satisfaction for Avasthi: “It was a challenging job to put this institute on rails but the results have been gratifying.”
It was even more difficult to make the students understand the importance of this line for, she says, in Ludhiana, many students with flourishing family businesses considered fashion designing a hobby.
“They started noticing when they got jobs in concerns such as Shoppers’ Stop, Malwa Group, Trident Group, Lilliput, Wills Lifestyle and Orient Craft.”
SIFT has students from all over India. Avasthi invites luminaries from the fashion world, such as J.J. Vallaya, Ashish Soni and Vishal Jain, to interact with the students. The lady has more plans for SIFT’s success, but for now, it’s “so far so good.”
Shashi Batta
Sharon Exteriors
I went to the grassroot level, learnt the technicalities, and combined it with my own aesthetic sense
Making inroads into new professions has become second nature to the fairer sex but when potentials are realised, it becomes another success story.
Shashi Batta, 45, a law graduate, watched welders at work in her husband’s factory. This prompted her to start a business of wrought iron products.
Soon, Sharon Exteriors became known for its customised pieces: pots, lamps, candle stands and kitchenware, and for external decoration in gardens and balconies. To equip herself, Batta did a course from National Institute of Fashion Design.
“I learnt the technicalities from workers and combined it with my own aesthetic sense.” She has made wrought iron look graceful in a town known for its opulence. A few years ago, Batta lost her husband and she then had to take over Ravika Plastics, her husband’s venture.
Ravika caters to pharmaceutical firms, besides providing kitchenware. It has a distributor network all over India. Batta has sent her son to work at Unilever instead of engaging him in her own business. “This way, he’ll get all the experience he needs,” Batta says.
Amrit Grewal
Expressions
I think, I was born with business in my genes. I want to give a total experience to all my enthusiastic customers.
Amrit Grewal’s label, Expressions, is the answer to the quest for trendy and classy apparel for ladies within a reasonable budget. After getting a hands-on training in the hosiery line, Grewal, 58, read into the need of the day and started Expressions in Ludhiana.
The store houses ethnic salwar kameez, western wear and woollens, all made in her factory. Even the clothes outsourced from other areas (like chikankari work from Lucknow) are customised according to the style of Expressions.
Grewal has branched out in other cities, too. Now, there’s an Expressions store in Sector 17, Chandigarh, and one at the Greater Kailash area in Delhi.
She is planning to venture out in Bangalore and Pune as well. About her success, Grewal confides: “I think I was born a businesswoman.” Her future plans include launching a fashion accessories line.
Sandeep Riat
Akal Impex
It was not easy for a girl to deal in auto parts. I had to doubly prove myself. However, that turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
The untimely demise of her father, Manjit Singh, an industrialist, made her pitch into the family business with her younger brother.
Gradually, Riat built up the empire, clearing titles, making new contacts and starting her new line of exports, Akal Impex. She says, “Some tried to pull me down, demanding their dues. Others helped by withdrawing cases and waiving off debts.”
Riat says it wasn’t easy for a girl to deal in auto parts. “I had to doubly prove myself. However, that turned out to be blessing in disguise,” she says.
Today, the smart lady is raring to go and is trying to tie up with industry giants such as Tata and Mahindra. Till then, Riat has her fingers crossed.