Learning lessons from poverty

Being rich and powerful is every person's dream. We all aspire to greatness and success, but it is only a select few that truly achieve it. All around us, there are numerous stories of people who made it big despite all the odds. Many people attribute success to serendipity or chance, stating it to be a consequence of being at the right place, at the right time. But then, a truly successful individual will tell you that success is more about perseverance than perchance. Geniuses that achieve greatness are not accidents of fate, but rather the master of their destinies. As Thomas Edison used to say, that "genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration".

So, is there a template for success that can be followed? Just like in business, one has the set of best practices that one can adopt, similarly, are there are such practices or traits that can be adopted by people seeking a fortune? Can we learn from other people's success?

The answer is a resounding yes. One can learn much from people who have achieved success in the face of stiff challenges and beating all the odds. This is essentially the theme of a special series brought by CNBC-TV18 and Thyrocare titled “Luxury of Poverty: Winning Against All Odds”. Hosted by veteran TV Editor AB Ravi, every week a success story will be profiled, with an exclusive interaction of the entrepreneur. The big USP of the show is the manner in which the factors that led to the success will be discussed in detail with Dr. A Velumani, Chairman and founder of Thyrocare Technologies --India's first and most advanced Totally Automated Laboratory having its strong presence in more than 2000 cities and towns in India and even overseas.

On the face of it, “luxury of poverty” is a contradictory phrase, an oxymoron if you will. But for Dr. A Velumani having a net worth of more than Rs. 1500 crores, the phrase coined by his daughter defines both the man and his legacy. In fact, Dr. Velumani's rags-to-riches story is a much inspiring tale and there can be no better way to kick off the series that trying to gain lessons from his entrepreneurial journey. Editor AB Ravi takes the viewer and Dr. Velumani on a journey through time, finding those moments and traits that made all the difference in his journey.

Dr. Velumani was born into a poor family in a village near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu in 1959, and along with his four siblings were raised single-handedly by his mother. He attributes his successes to his humble beginnings. He met failure in his first attempt, trying to raise poultry. But that did not deter him, as he used the lessons learned to build on to something much bigger.

Through the episode, we learn as to how Dr. Velumani envisages Thyrocare's business model as "McDonald's plus Walmart". He talks candidly about why successful businesses fail, or when should entrepreneurs call it quits.

To know more, on how success is a function of hard work and perseverance, catch the first episode of the series that features an exclusive discussion with Dr. Velumani on April 30^th, as it airs on CNBC-TV18 at 6.30 pm.