Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 13, 2008
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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Sunday, Jan 13, 2008 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version |
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Tamil Nadu
“Amma could have sent me to work and made her life much easier. But, she chose to make me study... I had to give my best” 
E. Sarathbabu 
“E. Sarathbabu, founder and CEO, Foodking Catering Services Private Limited” the young entrepreneur’s business card reads. Now catering to corporates and institutions in Ahmedabad, Rajasthan and Goa, the company’s operations will soon expand to Chennai. The city-based Indian Institute of Management - Ahmedabad alumnus is busy travelling most part of the year, finalising business deals, and meeting potential clients. He spoke to Meera Srinivasan about his nearly two-year-old journey as a businessman and the battles along the way. He could otherwise pass off as a college student. But, his composure lends his personality a shade of maturity that is rare among 29 year olds. “I have a long way to go,” he smiles. A mother’s sacrificeBut for his mother E. Deeparamani, he may not have realised his dream. Working at a noon meal centre, she brought up five children single-handedly. “What she earned was barely enough to pay our fees. She could have put us in schools where the fees were more affordable. But, she was determined to give her children the best,” he says. His mother’s grit made his schooldays at Kings Matriculation, Madipakkam, meaningful. Topping school in Standard XII, he made his way to BITS, Pilani. “Amma could have sent me to work and made her life much easier. But, she chose to make me study... I had to give my best.” And he did. Well enough to be placed with Polaris, where he worked for three years. That was when he started preparing for the Common Admission Test (CAT). On the day of the test, he was down with high fever. “I told myself... ‘you will not die’.” And then, when interview calls from all six IIMs followed, his goal seemed more realistic. “I worked really hard for the group discussion, personal interview rounds. For someone who was as timid as I was, these phases could be a nightmare.” The transition, however, had begun during his BITS days. “I was involved in organising tech fests. I would go to my room, stand in front of the mirror and speak in English as if I were anchoring a meeting. I gradually gained in confidence.” Last year alone, Mr. Sarathbabu gave nearly 75 talks at reputed educational institutions and entrepreneurs’ meets. “I am lucky to have inspiration at home. Even today, my mother is just the same. In her simple world, my going to BITS or IIM did not seem big then. Now, she understands what I am actually up to.” Career growthMr. Sarathbabu attributes his career growth to the calculated risks he took at the beginning. He started off with two people. “We did the organising and also doubled up as waiters and served the food to clients. Part of me kept asking, you’re an IIM-A product, should you be doing this?... And the other part of me kept saying, it does not matter what you do, just do it well.” Infosys chief mentor Narayanamoorthy, who inaugurated Mr. Sarathbabu’s company about two years ago, urged him to employ people from economically weaker sections of society. “I am trying my best to do just that.” Currently, about 200 people work for him. The entrepreneur aims to establish a ‘food palace’, where different cuisines will be available at one place. Considering his determination and enterprise, the dream could soon come true.
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