India’s industrialists have dominated the news cycle for all the wrong reasons recently—bad loans, allegations of money laundering and corruption scams.
However, there is one business tycoon who is winning the internet for helping a cobbler literally set up shop.
Anand Mahindra, the chairman of Mahindra Group, announced on Twitter that his firm assisted Narsi Ram, a cobbler from Haryana, to construct a better working kiosk.
Earlier this year in April, the business tycoon had posted a picture of a cobbler sitting in front a billboard which read ‘Zakhmi Jooton Ka Hospital’ (a hospital for ‘wounded’ shoes).
Impressed by this interesting pitch, Mahindra said that management students across India could learn a thing or two about marketing from Narsi Ram. Moreover, Mahindra asked his followers on Twitter to help him locate Narsi so that he “could invest in his startup.”
Got it on whatsapp. No clue who or where he is or how old this pic is. If anyone can find him and he’s still doing this work I’d like to make a small investment in his ‘startup’. https://t.co/A8kdJTvAN1
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) April 17, 2018
Initially, Mahindra had offered money, but Narsi refused and instead requested a better kiosk. Evidently touched by the man’s entrepreneurial spirit, Mahindra asked a team of designers in his organisation to help Narsi develop and build a better workstation.
The designers soon flew down to meet him and produced ideas that Mahindra posted on his Twitter page, and sought further design inputs from his followers. “We want to design something that enhances the pavement aesthetic & hopefully create a template for roadside vendors,” he tweeted.
They flew down to meet him&produced these ideas. We would be delighted to get your inputs on the analysis & approaches & which you prefer. We want to design something that enhances the pavement aesthetic & hopefully create a template for roadside vendors..(2/2) pic.twitter.com/bNRB9bkJOi
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) April 28, 2018
Yesterday, Mahindra tweeted a video of the kiosk his team had developed. “Remember the cobbler Narsi Ram with the innovative banner ‘Zakhmi Jooton Ka Hospital?’ Our team had contacted him & conveyed my interest to invest in him. He said he wanted a good kiosk. This is what our Design studio in Mumbai came up with. Great work guys! Will be delivered soon,” he wrote.
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Narsi wasn’t seeking charity, but an opportunity to conduct his business under better working conditions and business tycoon Anand Mahindra has seemingly obliged.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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