There Is No Such Thing as Self Made Man

by Chhabria P.P.

Pralhad P.Chhabria began his career at age 12, as a cleaning boy in a small cloth shop in Karachi for a monthly wage of Rs.10. Working his way through stints as a domestic servant, a collection agent, a trader in electrical accessories, and a supplier of defence contracts, he flourished in 1958 by P.P.Chhabria and his younger brother Kishan or K.P.Chhbria, is today the number one manufacturer of cables in India, and second only to Reliance in the Manufacture of PVC resin. With no management mantras to follow, he applied a hands-on approach to his powerful vision, absorbing the various lessons of each step. His unassuming style attracted a devoted team to whom, as Finolex Completes fifty years of existence, the company now belongs. He attributes his every success to this team, and to the forces of nature that guided him through difficult circumstances and helped him take decision. Perhaps it is this modesty and humility that inspires him with the energy to continue planning and envisioning so that even today, at age 78, he embarks on new large-scale projects with the same passion and determination as ever. This fascinating story depicts a unique Indian businessman with an international business outlook and a very traditional personal life, and is a must- read for every student of management, every aspirant setting out on the rocky road of entrepreneurship, and for every forward-thinking human being struggling with various facets of existence.

About the Pralhad P. Chhabria's formal education ended when he was only in class 2. In this book, this reserved and even rather reclusive gentleman describes how he learned all that he needed to know to be the leader of a large corporation. He shares his experience and subsequent learning in the areas of Sales, Finance, Quality, and people management, and tells what he did to build an enviable, almost formidable, reputation for both Finolex and himself. Mr. Chhabria has himself made significant contributions in the field of education, from primary school initiatives to the Finolex Academy of Management and Technology at Ratnagiri and the premier Pune-based I2IT which imparts postgraduate degrees in the most highly advanced scientific technologies.

Hardcover

First published December 7, 2009

Reviews

[Divik · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is autobiography of Pralhad P Chhabria ,Founder and Chairman Finolex Group ...pioneer in making PVC Electric Cables ,which are common part of every household today,in India .He covers his journey right from childhood in Pakistan where. how they suddenly lost their fortune when his father died ..then his small stints of doing odd jobs as help in shops, accompanying trucks as co driver cum owner rep and then moving to Pune prior to partition to work as domestic help . Then how his family came to India during partition and how he started his business of trading electrical accessories and finally becoming the Number One Manufacturer of Cables in the India. It is a typical rags to riches story of a business tycoon who started with a 10 rupee salary as 12 year old with no formal education went on to build an Business Empire. Mr Chhabria is a grounded and simple man and has attributed his success to his team ,younger brother who was integral part of his journey and to the forces of nature who that guided him through difficult circumstances and helped him take decisions.... Book is full of anecdotes and incidents of his life and is an easy read, but appears disjointed at times.. especially sometimes chapters miss the chronology...
Considering it is an autobiographical account of a business tycoon ,it is not very well edited but still a good and motivational read for budding entrepreneurs...