Patricia Narayan...........पेट्रीसिया नारायण

Patricia Narayan
winner of this year's 'Ficci Woman Entrepreneur of the Year'

पेट्रीसिया नारायण
फिक्की के वर्ष की महिला उद्यमी के पुरूस्कार की विजेता

पेट्रीसिया नारायण ने अपना व्यवसाय एक असफल शादी के बावजूद , एक नशे के आदि पति से झुझते हुए अपने दो बच्चो कि परवरिश करते हुए मरीना समुंदर तट पर एक ठेला गाड़ी पर खाने की चीज बेच कर शुरू किया था .सब मुश्किलों से पार पाते हुए आज उसकी अपनी एक रेस्त्रां की अपनी चेन हैं .
खाना बनाना उसे हमेशा अच्छा लगता था और उसे हमेशा ही आकर्षित करता था पर एक दिन उसका यह शौक ही उसका व्यवसाय भी बन जायेगा यह उसने कभी सोचा भी नहीं था क्योकि वो व्यवसायी परिवार से संबंध नहीं रखती थी उसने तो शादी के बाद घर बसाने का सोचा था पर उसकी शादी ने उसका पूरा का पूरा जीवन बदल दिया.

पेट्रीसिया खुद कहती है कि....मैंने सिर्फ दो लोगों के साथ अपना कारोबार शुरू किया था .अब वहाँ 200 लोग मेरे रेस्तरां में मेरे लिए काम कर रहे हैं. मेरा जीवन शैली भी बदल गयी है. एक साइकिल रिक्शा में यात्रा शुरू करके , मैं ऑटो रिक्शा पर आई और अब मेरे पास अपनी कार है. मेरी कमाई 50 पैसे एक दिन, बढकर आज 2 लाख रुपये प्रति दिन है.

फिक्की ने मुझ इस वर्ष की उद्यमी 'का पुरूस्कार दिया हैं जोकि मेरी ३० वर्षों की कड़ी मेहनत की परिणति है. यह मेरे लिए एक आश्चर्य के रूप में आया है क्योकि पहली बार मुझे कोई पुरस्कार प्राप्त हुआ है.

अभी तक मेरे पास समय ही नहीं था अपने लिय और यह जानने के लिए भी में क्या कर रही हूँ.कुछ सही भी कर रही हूँ या नहीं पर इस उरुस्कार ने मुझे मेरा लक्ष्य दे दिया हैं. अब एरी मंजिल अपने संदीफा ब्रांड को मज़बूत करने की हैं...

FICCI Woman Entrepreneur of the year, Patricia Narayan's tale may sound like the quintessential rags- to- riches story, but it is also a stark tale of survival. An entrepreneur by accident, director of Sandeepha Chain of Restaurants, Patricia belongs to the ilk of those who bloom in adversity.

“Till the FICCI award was announced, I never realised what I had achieved. It was an opportunity to look back.” says Ms. Patricia unassumingly, attributing her success to ‘lady luck'.Hailing from a conservative Christian family from Nagercoil, her marriage to a Brahmin caused an uproar in her family. Soon, all went downhill for Patricia who suffered abuse at the hands of her drug addict husband. At 18, Patricia was left to fend for herself and her two children.

“I reached the crossroads where I had to choose between living and dying. I chose to live.” Keeping her two children in mind, Patricia decided to fight her own battle. “My entire life has been driven by my determination to be independent.” Her passion for cooking only fuelled her will to survive. She started out by selling pickles, jams and squashes. From then on, there was no looking back and she set up a kiosk at the Marina beach, selling juice and cutlets. Her first- day sales would not count as memorable- she sold one cup of coffee for 50 paise- undeterred, she was back at the Marina next day.“I had no time to sympathise with myself. Soon, my hands were full and I was running all the time.”

Ms. Patricia's road to becoming a restaurateur was no overnight miracle but a journey spanning 30 years. She took up catering contracts in the cafeterias of the Slum Clearance Board, Bank of Madura and the National Institute of Port Management after which she forged a partnership with one of the restaurants of a leading hotel chain in Chennai.

Patricia's progress was halted briefly when tragedy struck in the form of her newly married daughter's death. A bereaved Patricia left her business to her son Praveen. After two years, the resilient woman came back and set up her first restaurant named after her daughter Sandheepa.

“Everybody should have a motto in life to succeed. At that time, mine was to stand by my son.”According to her, the hallmark of the restaurant is the home-made quality of the food. She advises entrepreneurs in the food sector never to compromise on quality or hygiene.

Ms. Patricia also operates an ambulance service from Acharapakkam, the spot of her daughter's accident to Chengalpet. “I shall never forget the sight of my daughter's corpse which arrived in the boot of a car, as the ambulance had refused to take her.” Willpower is the most important attribute to succeed, claims the entrepreneur. “When she sets her mind to something, she always achieves it,” her son Praveen asserts. Not a complacent entrepreneur, she sets targets for herself . Her next goal? “To operate a cruise liner,” a wish that was triggered off at an event in Tiruchi. Going by her record, this should be a cruise as well.

Ficci entrepreneur of the year award
I started my business with just two people. Now, there are 200 people working for me in my restaurants. My lifestyle has changed too. From travelling in a cycle rickshaw, I moved to auto rickshaws and now I have my own car. From 50 paise a day, my revenue has gone up to Rs 2 lakh a day.

The 'Ficci entrepreneur of the year' award is the culmination of all the hard work I have put in over the last 30 years. It came as a surprise as this is the first time I have received an award.

Till now, I had no time to think of what I was doing. But the award made me look back and relive the days that passed by. Now, my ambition is to build my Sandeepha brand.

Advice to young entrepreneurs

Do not ever compromise on quality. Never lose your self-confidence. Believe in yourself and the product you are making. Third, always stick to what you know. When you employ people, you should know what you ask them to do.