Grit To Glory – Takeaways From The Journey Of Padma Shri Chintakindi Mallesham

Handlooms are an integral part of Indian culture. In Telangana alone, there are more than 10,000 families that depend on handlooms and weaving for livelihood. Padma Shri Chintakindi Mallesham was born in a small village in Telangana called Sharjipet. As a child, he has borne witness to the pain that his mother had to go through as a result of the taxing manual weaving process.

This sight moved him and instilled the grit to introduce the world to the “Laxmi Asu Machine”. The rest is history. We couldn’t possibly add more to what has already been written and told about his inspiring story and personality.

But we can always learn something from his journey.

Here are the excerpts from the Webisode that Mr. Mallesham has generously graced with his presence.

Do not give up before the miracle happens

In these 3 years of teaching entrepreneurship to the school students, Metamorphosis has managed to bust many myths that surround entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship, one of the major myths is – Entrepreneurship is all sunshine and rainbows. Uh, it’s not. Your entrepreneurial journey is going to be a bumpy ride. “There will be many hurdles that come in the path of your entrepreneurial journey. But, you should not give up till you reach. Turn a deaf ear to the noise that surrounds you and just keep going ahead,” says Mr. Chintakandi Mallesham drawing this principal from his own experiences.

There is always scope for development

Perfection is overrated because there is always room for improvement. Mr. Chintakandi Mallesham believes the same, “My invention of Asu Machine came from pain. The pain my mother had to go through on a daily basis to yarn. I am not saying you always have to go through pain to identify a problem (but it is the biggest motivator). What I am trying to say is that there is always a scope of improvement, innovation, and discovery. We just need to have an eye for it.”

Perseverance must be your qualification

Yes, the biggest and the most successful entrepreneurs out there are school/college dropouts but that is not the point you draw inspiration from. “Qualified or not qualified doesn’t decide your success. It is your attitude, your determination, and being grounded – these things determine your success. A Ph.D. holder might fail to make any difference to the society while a school drop-out might come up with a life-saving innovation or it could be the other way round. There is so much beyond just qualifications.”

Set achievable goals

We have all been there – with those long never-ending checklists, crash diets, and one-week deadlifts. But evidently that doesn’t do any good. “Given my circumstances, I knew I wouldn’t be able to clear all my Class X subjects at one go, so I decided to clear two subjects in one academic year and I did it. Again, I am not advocating not to clear your subjects, I am recommending to set achievable goals. Keep elevating your standards as you go forward,” advises Mr. Mallesham.

It was an absolute pleasure to have such a revered personality being part of Metamorphosis Webisode. His humble presence has taught a lot.

If you missed the webisode, watch it on https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=305474987549042