Pralhad P Chhabria, chairman of Rs 2,000-crore Finolex group has just released his autobiography There?s No Such Thing as a Self-Made Man. The book is the narration of the rags-to-riches story of this self-made business tycoon.
Chhabria began his career at age 12, as a cleaning boy, earning Rs 10 a month. He worked his way up as a collection agent, a trader in electrical accessories, and a supplier of defence contracts.
In 1958, Chhabria along with his brother set up a small-scale unit in Pune to manufacture PVC insulated cables for the automobile industry. As the business grew, Chabbria set up Finolex Industries Ltd in 1981 and today the group is a market leader in cables and PVC resin with a presence in telecommunications, petrochemicals, irrigation and education.
With no management degrees to boast off, Chhabria says, ?Through all my years of working I never looked back upon my early struggles. I was always focused on my work. It?s only in the last few years, as my pace of work reduced that I felt the wish to have my story documented.?
The book, co-authored by columnist Saaz Agarwal, is a fascinating story of an entrepreneur who dreamt big and never missed any opportunity to learn from those around him to lead a successful organisation.