Two millionaires and Mekhela

Dear Reader,

Most people believe that once they hit 60, it is time to hang up their boots. In fact, today, youngsters talk of retiring at 45! But I believe that retirement is just a state of mind. You can be super productive at 70 if you wish to.

And that’s been the case with Reeva Sood as well. She bought barren land in Himachal Pradesh’s Una when she was nearing 60. With organic farming practices, she has converted 30 acres into a lush green farm of medicinal plants and dragon fruits. She is now 65, and her annual earning is Rs 70 lakh.

More than the money, her work stands out because she is helping hundreds of other farmers earn better through the plantation of herbs. 

When I spoke to her, Reeva excitedly told me she is now working on setting up a dragon fruit juice plant in collaboration with the World Bank. Do read up on her story. You will agree with me that age is just a number!

Our other story this week is also about a millionaire, but a young one. He is just 32 years old and quit his engineering job at Motherson Group to pursue his passion. P Janakan set up a millet processing plant in 2018 in Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, and his annual revenue this fiscal is set to touch Rs 3.5 crore (Rs 2.5 crore in FY23). 

But this business success was not achieved overnight. He travelled through India’s hinterland and met farmers for two years before finalizing his business strategy. How he zeroed in on the idea and convinced farmers to work with him is all part of the story. 

My colleague Aruna wrote an interesting story on a couple who set up a handloom enterprise to wean forest-dwelling communities off forest resources. 

Anu Mandal and Arup K Baishya’s Ava Creations provides livelihoods to over 400 women in the forest ranges of Assam. It promotes biodiversity conservation by providing spinning and weaving work to women, who earn stable incomes with the startup. Ava is set to achieve a Rs 1.2 crore turnover this fiscal and the number of women working with it is growing every day.

Our Sunday story is on Maharashtra’s Harihar Fort, where 80-degree rock-cut stairs take you to the top of the world! The steep steps of the fort have been made by excavating rocks. 

Happy Reading!

Warmly,
Rashmi