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FORBES INDIA September 11, 2009

60

September 11, 2009 FOR

THE WORLDS MOSTPowerfulwomen

It is about bottoming out, Sub-

oto. Evey time I had the eel-

ing that I as at the bottom, I

have isen to ull a lage de-

sign. I emembe the st time I elt that

ay. I as a little gil in school. I kne

that my athe as a bee. I kne some-

hee deep don that my athe oked

o the liquo industy. It bought me

deep embaassment. I elt he belonged to

a tainted poession. One day, I spoke to

him about my sense o shame. He lookedme in the eyes and told me that being

as a science; it as not about getting

dunk. He did not stop thee. He said: Do

not make judgment on things, people, and

issues ith hal inomation. He said thee

is tuth in eveything you see aound. So,

look o eveything in its entiety. Tat

as a game-changing moment o me.

I stated going out o the lo I elt. It

may have been a juvenile moment but it

became basic to my lies philosophy.

Kian Maumda Sha is Chaiman

and Managing Diecto o Biocon but,

moe impotantly, she is Indias bio-tech

queen. I am sitting in he tasteully ap-

pointed oce, hich eects easoned

sel-condence, genetic engineeing andoks om painte and sculpto Yusu

Aakkal in equal doses.

And as that ho you tuned to be-

ing, Kian? I ask.

No. I did not eel that I ould eve

coss ove to his poession. I anted to

study medicine. So, it as medicine I o-

cussed on. But that as not going to hap-

pen. I as a little shot o the qualiying

maks o a meit seat in the medical col-

leges. So, I ent back to my athe, I asked

him to pay the capitation ees. He said,

no. Kian, he said, you must lean about

meitocacy. I the a t.

I have been tanspoted to anothe

time. I am itness to a athe-daughte

ace-o ove a esolute mans unilling-

ness to give his only daughte that ee bit

o a lif so she can pusue he deam. It is

a study in leadeship. And I ant to knohat happens next.

I I ee a son, I told him, you ould

cough up the ees.

He ould not eact to my accusation.

Do not save o my edding, I said.

Give me the money.

He emained steadast.

His noas no.

I elt I as at the bottom o the pit. I

ent to study oology. At college, I stayed

ahead o the othe students. I got my con-

dence back. Afe gaduating, I could get

into a Ph.D in genetics in London Unive-

sity o continue ith oology but I anted

to study something that had an industial

application. So I said, hy not being? It

as the beginning a long pocess o sel-discovey. Tat is ho I ent o to Aus-

talia to study. Once thee, I stated ab-

sobing knoledge ahead o othes. I got

the espect o my colleagues in an all-male

pogamme in Austalia and, afe lean-

ing about being, I etuned home and

stated applying o jobs.

Nothing. No jobs, not o a oman, in

Tis bio-tech entepeneu leant the impotance o sel-eliance and pesonal

e-invention at an ealy age. Tat philosophy has held he in good stead though he lie

mallikarjunKatakol

KIrANMAzUMDAr SHAw

being. Some ee sympathetic but they

ould athe see me in a unction like

quality. Not being, no.

I elt let don. It seemed to me that

the success at Austalia as just a venee.

Belo it, the bottom as meant to all.

Tat as the eality.

It is then that Biocon happened. A

chance meeting ith an Iish gentleman

led to the beginning in a gaage ith all

o rs. 10,000. I told mysel, I have nothing

to lose this time and chugged along mak-

ing enymes. we did ell. Fo sometime it

as just that. My lagest custome, Unile-

ve, asked me to stay ocused on that. But

I said, I must do something moe, I as

not going to be content making enymes

all my lie. And that is ho e ent in to

phamaceuticals. we did ell thee. Ten

many othe avenues opened up in e-

seach, in dug discovey, and in all this, I

as listening to the little dumme in me

ho kept saying beak ee, beco

build something memoable.

why memoability? I ask h

Suboto, you and I ge

apologetic about India. whenev

ing people in my geneation ha

vesation ith an outside, e

getic. About this and that and ev

It as a eeling o shame in som

Te same kind o shame I elt

about hat people thought o m

poession. So, I elt a stong u

to ceate something that ould

o the ne India. I did not an

geneation to eel apologetic.

Kian, I ask, tell me abou

no. who is Kian Maumda Sh

I am a people peson. I ins

dence. I have espect o othe

I have honesty o pupose. I a

good iend. I cae deeply abou

Sometimes people om opinion

ith patial inomation. Tey se

good and bad, heoes and villa

able and otheise. Tough m

I have leant to see issues, thing

and thei being in thei totality.what about you elations

John? I ant Kian to talk ab

Sha, the man she loves, the man

ied and ho is no shaing he b

deams to bing a cance dug

one day. Te man is himsel dea

a kidney cance that as, meciu

nosed ell in time last yea.

It as devastating; it as such

o act thing, the ay the doctos

Ten o couse as the sugey

he is in emission and e have h

six-monthly scans clea. But tho

I leant so much about psycho-

and hat a citical ole it plays i

people deal ith the kille. It is s

absent in theapy in this countis such geat need o it. Tat is

even moe inteested in the disea

pevention. Tat is hy I state

ventue ith [Naayana Hud

D. Devi Shetty in cance esea

bottomed out hen John as dia

Tee is a pause. She looks m

eye. I think, no, I am ising o

kiran mazumdarshaw

C m

dec, B c

PRINcIPLES IN LIFE

Do not make judgment onthings, people, and issues withhalf information

Listen to the little drummerin you who keeps saying breakfree, become large, buildsomething memorable.

ZEN G A RD EN

suBroto BagChi

C-fe & gee,

mtee L., be-ell

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