Passion To Profession — Five Women Entrepreneurs Who Defied Age To Build Their Business Empire! - Infano Women's Health | Lifestyle

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My grandmother never stopped working — not until her last month. And this is what encouraged me to keep working, no matter what the situation in your life is!

That feeling of being self-dependent and making your life the way you wish is incomparable.

People often limit their ambitions — either after a certain milestone, or a certain situation or a certain age. But they do not actually unleash their full potential and do not explore life as much as they should be.

Who says that age is a limit to anything? I’m writing about six such passionate women entrepreneurs who proved that age is just a number, and it’s you who define yourself and your ambitions.

Radha Daga

When Radha Daga started her food business at the age of 69, she wasn’t new to the entrepreneurial space — her garment export business was already a hit. But her multi-crore company, Triguni Food Pvt Ltd, a ready-to-eat food manufacturer in Chennai, became a major success after Indigo Airlines became one of their premium clients and responsible for the 80% of their business profit.

“I work eight hours every day, and though I do take three to four short vacations in a year, I am always available to my team,” says the 78 YO founder and managing director of Triguni Food.

Harbhajan Kaur

When Harbhajan Kaur started her home-made barfi business at the age of 90, little did she know that her business would be praised and recommended by Mahindra group chairman Anand Mahindra.

Her barfi recipe has always been one of the most demanding and tempting recipes among her family and friends, but she never thought to turn it into a business because her husband was against her working. But on her daughters’ suggestion, she started selling her barfi at Apni Mandi, a weekly organic market in Chandigarh.

“Every week, I make about 5kg of barfi or more depending on the orders I get,” says the 94 YO entrepreneur. “Who would have thought she would get so much success and fame?” says her eldest daughter, Amrit Tulsi.

Yamini Mazumdar

When Yamini Mazumdar started her laundry business at the age of 68, she never thought that she would be able to achieve so much with it. “I didn’t want to sit idle so decided to start something of my own. I go to the office every day and work for four hours. I am still quite young,” says the 88 YO businesswoman.

“My mom’s entrepreneurial genes have made me who I am,” says her daughter and Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.

Kokila Parekh

When Kokila Parekh started her chai masala business at the age of 79, it was only a way to keep herself occupied during the coronavirus lockdown. Her brand, KT Chai Masala, has received more than 500 orders from Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, and Ahmedabad in less than a few months.

Her chai masala powder business is handled by her and three domestic helpers. The ingredients include various spices such as dried ginger powder, cinnamon powder, pepper and cardamom, and the whole packet comes with a shelf-life of 6-8 months.

Ansuya Shah

When Ansuya Shah started her spice business at the age of 67, it wasn’t her first attempt in the entrepreneurial space. “From a very young age, entrepreneurship interested me. I have always had good management skills and an inclination to keep busy all the time. One thing was clearly etched in my thoughts – to always be the ‘alpha’ in whatever I do. I think all of this has helped me in my life to be a success,” Ansuya says.

Her home in Ahmedabad would give you a mixed essence of packaged condiments, powdered masalas, and raw spices. She single-handedly set up and built her spice business and made it a success with her husband’s constant support.

I don’t know what I’ll be doing at the age of sixty, but if I stay alive and healthy and feel clueless, I will surely come back to this story to take some inspiration and strength! #PassionToProfession #InfanoWomen

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“Sooraj toh roz hi jeet ta hai, chaand ka bhi toh din aata hai na!”

If you have ‘The Last Color’, you’d be knowing what I’m talking about. The Last Color is meant to be viewed with patience, with empathy, with love — it’s an amalgamation of the societal rules that ruined several lives, the beauty of Varanasi which seems to be lost in the modernization and the essence of ’90s with which my friends and I grew up!

“Can the city of the dead also outlast the rest of extant civilization? Can a vast number of its women in white really remember the meaning of color? Can a foundling from a garbage dump pay homage to a corpse in the joyous pinks and reds of Holi? Some say, those can only happen in Varanasi,” celebrity Chef Vikas Khanna’s novel ‘The Last Color’ reads out — which has recently taken the shape of a motion picture, directed by the author himself.

The film starts in 2013 and gets a flashback of 24 years. We follow the troubled childhood of Supreme Court Advocate Noor Saxena aka Chhoti, who ensures the widows of Varanasi get a chance to celebrate Holi, too. Why must they be deprived of colours and beauty and companionship?

Growing up, Chhoti a homeless orphan, who earns money as a flower seller and a rope walker, is poorly treated by people and labelled as untouchable for belonging to a lower caste. A fighter and a survivor, the little girl strikes an unlikely friendship with a transgender, Anarkali and a widow, also called Noor. The outcasts find solace in each other until an evil local police officer starts harassing the trio for no logical reason.

But as we reach the climax, we find that little Chhoti grows up to become a successful lawyer who fights for transgenders’ and widows’ rights; however, she loses her beloved friends in her journey.

The Last Color intends to bring out the darker side of society. Although the film attempts to shed light upon too many issues — miserable lives of widows, casteism, domestic violence, transgenders’ misery, police corruption, etc., it did leave a message at the end.

And no matter how modern you call yourselves or how much you rate this attempt as just a movie, the fact is that others still oppress a major portion of society — especially if they are widows, transgenders, less educated or are from a low caste.

The Last Color is a reminder that the art of filmmaking is not just about making things big and grand, but it is also about making an impact. Though the film did not impress the audience, who happen to watch fancy college stories more than art films; a considerable fraction was really moved.

Neena Gupta really saved this movie by playing the character of Noor. She, portraying a widow, left an imprint and a question, “are all women getting equal rights; are they really living their dream?”

I personally liked this Vikas Khanna’s debut film because he chose to cast a transwoman for Anarkali’s role and did not think of taking any other actor wearing lehenga! Rudrani Chhetri’s impressive portrayal of Anarkali, a transwoman, is worth mentioning.

And Aqsa Siddiqui, as Chhoti, would remind of you of your childhood and the notoriety which gets lost on the street — a constant fear that people like us carry for these kids.

“I’m a trained chef, not a filmmaker. Yet people have said that the film moves very organically and nobody can take away the fact that it is so original,” Khanna said on his directorial debut. “People have showered their love on me ever since the movie has come. It moves people, and they feel it is their movie. Growing up, we always felt that movie making is magical. Now people see that if I can make a movie, anybody can make a movie.”

In August 2012, the Supreme Court had passed orders for the rehabilitation and empowerment of widows. After the historic decision, in March 2013, around 800 women had gathered together and celebrated the festival of colours for the first time in Vrindavan.