The Legend - Sri DN Adhikary: A Journey of Resilience and Triumph
Introduction:
In the heart of every family, there exists a treasure trove of stories—some passed down through generations, others whispered in quiet moments. Yet, among these tales, there are those that stand out, shining brightly like guiding stars in the night sky. Such is the story of Sri Dwijendranath Adhikary, a man whose life journey transcends the ordinary, weaving a tapestry of resilience, determination, and triumph.
Born into adversity, young Dwijendranath faced the harsh realities of life at an early age. Bereft of parental guidance, he navigated the turbulent waters of fate with courage and fortitude, determined to carve out his own destiny. Through hardship and struggle, he emerged not as a victim of circumstance, but as a beacon of hope—a testament to the indomitable human spirit.
Join us as we embark on a journey through the remarkable life of Sri Dwijendranath Adhikary, a legend whose legacy continues to inspire and uplift, reminding us of the power of perseverance, the importance of resilience, and the enduring promise of a brighter tomorrow.
The Child's Battle with Odds
Childhood is the most precious and cherishing memory of any child. Even in old age, it’s such a delight to remember those carefree days, the days full of fun, laughter, and pure happiness. But some children don’t get to live up to their childhood like other normal kids and struggle for their survival.
One such story is of my Dadu’s (maternal grandfather): Dwijendranath Adhikary, a boy from a well-to-do family who lived in a small village. To his bad luck, he lost his mother when he was six months old and his father when he was eleven years old. Dadu’s father was a medical practitioner by profession. After he passed away, the eleven-year-old boy was left with his older siblings (two stepbrothers and one brother of his own).
It was very hard for Dadu to be without parents at that young age. From here, the fight for survival began. He was very young and needed support for his studying and day-to-day needs, but it was hard to get that support from his older siblings. One day, Dadu was verbally abused by one of his stepbrothers which was intolerable for him. He understood that his stepbrothers were unhappy with him and wanted him to leave the house.
Those words hit hard on the twelve-year-old boy who had thought his siblings would be with him during the tough time, but instead, he had to think of leaving the house. The young boy was not fully aware of any of his relatives apart from his late parents and siblings. He tried very hard to find someone who could support him in those challenging days.
One day, Dadu remembered that once he had overheard someone talking about his maternal uncle living in a village which was three or four villages away from his current residence. So, he decided to meet his maternal uncle and see if he could stay with him. Dadu somehow managed to send a message to his maternal uncle through a common family friend that he was going to meet them.
Then, one night, Dadu started his journey to his maternal uncle’s place. It wasn’t an easy journey at all. He started walking alone. It was dark all around, and, the young boy had to be careful with every step. As he was walking, he saw that he had to pass by a crematorium. He kept walking and then far away, it seemed to him that a woman with a veil was standing with a lamp beside her (a scary view indeed).
The young boy got very scared and thought that he was going to face a ghost. For a fraction of a second, he thought of running back to his stepbrothers, but then he gathered all his strength and kept moving forward. As he kept walking forward, he figured out that it was just a banana tree with a lamp kept near it (huff - such a relief). That moment made him feel brave and conquer fear. And finally, he reached his uncle’s place. That night motivated a young child to fight his fears and turned him into a confident person who was ready to fight his battles.
Hard Luck Driving to Hard Work
Human nature is designed to evolve with time. We grow by learning from our experience, whether it was good or bad. Man is not the same after any challenge. The challenge either turns him into a good or bad person. It depends on how we perceive particular challenges. The same happened with my Dadu. He faced so many challenges at merely 12 years of age that those hardships took his childhood away.
During his stay at his uncle’s house, he realised that his two uncles had a large family to support. They were trying hard to make both ends meet. They were so poor that they had to share three dhotis (a traditional garment worn by men in some parts of India), amongst two of them; they used to wash the dhotis with the ashes of the burnt banana leaves (a rural detergent). However, they were very kind to my Dadu and welcomed him to their house. Dadu decided to stay with them but also decided not to be a burden on them.
He started to figure out ways of helping his uncles. His uncles worked in the fields to earn their livelihood. Dadu began working with them in the fields to support them financially. But he did not stop there. He wanted to help himself, too, along with supporting his uncles to become economically independent. He started going to Sealdah railway station (one of India’s busiest railway stations) in search of work. He noticed that there were very few vegetable sellers there at that time. He decided to fill the gap by selling vegetables there.
He started going to Sealdah railway station early morning to sell the vegetables which he used to pick up the previous day from his uncle’s farm. He woke up early in the morning at 3.00 am, got ready, and started from his Uncles’ place by 3:30 am so that he could reach Sealdah station by 5.00 am. He started putting his vegetable baskets in his allocated spot and waited for the buyers. Buyers started coming from 7.00 am. Till then, he used to lie down, put his head on a brick, and take some rest. While he lay down, his eyes watched the running fans on the ceilings of the apartments (visible through the open windows of the rooms) beside the station. He visualised his future while watching the running fans, that one day he would also be a successful man who would have his own bedroom and there will be a fan in the room.
Dadu was able to sell all the vegetables by 10 am and then he returned to his uncle’s place. He continued doing that and after a year, he decided to finish his schooling as he had a few hours for himself during the day. As he was excelling in his studies, he decided to continue with his higher education.
He enrolled himself in a local school and started going there after returning from work. He was a brilliant student. But fortune tested him again. He could not afford the expensive textbooks. So, he decided to buy cheap notebooks and pencils, to take down the notes as much as he could and revise them during the evening. However class notes were not enough for having an understanding of the topics taught in the class, hence he started borrowing textbooks from his friends and copying important sections of the book into his notebook. He kept on getting very good marks in all the subjects, especially in Mathematics.
The year 10 exam was a very important exam during those days and if someone got 80% in the exam, people used to say that the student has got “Letter” marks in that subject. Getting “Letter” marks in a subject was considered a great achievement, those days. Dadu was a great achiever from his school, who got “Letter” marks in Mathematics. His Uncles were very happy and proud of him. Dadu wanted to continue his higher secondary education but it became almost impossible for him to continue his higher studies as it was very expensive. So, again he had to pull himself back from further studies and continue helping his uncles at work. This continued for a few years until a significant person stepped into Dadu’s life to change his fortune.
Navigating Uncertainty
“Life is full of lessons,” said Shakespeare in his famous play Julius Caesar and we can’t disagree with this fact of life. Life teaches us a lesson every moment. Life also takes sharp turns during its course against all odds. We have to keep on putting in our efforts to cope with the obstacles.
Dadu was not able to continue his education any further owing to a meagre budget. He kept on supporting his uncles and continued living with them. One day, the whole family, except him, fell ill due to malaria.
Since Dadu was the only one who was not attacked by malaria, he had to take care of the entire family. He talked to different people in the neighbourhood and came to know about a good physician who could treat malaria patients. He, then, somehow managed to borrow a bicycle from a neighbour to go to the physician. The physician, Dr. Hem Roy, was a very well-known general physician, and also a specialist for treating Typhoid patients.
When Dadu went to Dr. Hem's dispensary, he explained his uncle’s family’s situation and requested the doctor to give him medication for the family members who were suffering from malaria. Dr. Hem Roy told Dadu, that he would like to see and examine all the patients before giving any medication. So, they both went to Dadu’s maternal uncle’s house. Dr. Hem checked each and every patient in the house and gave them medication for malaria (Quinine was the medicine used for treating malaria in those days).
Dr. Hem visited a few more times until all the family members recovered. During his visits, he started to know the family better and also started liking Dadu, especially Dadu’s intelligence, hard work, presence of mind, and hunger to progress in life. He started speaking to Dadu more and more and came to know about his dreams and vision. Dadu told him, that he wanted to study medicine and become a doctor. Dr. Hem, who was a very intelligent and visionary person, understood and felt the dynamic nature of Dadu.
Dr. Hem offered Dadu a job, working with him as an assistant. Dadu accepted the offer and started working with Dr. Hem as his assistant. Sometimes they travelled together to different patients’ houses, sometimes Dr. Hem used to travel by himself to different places to treat Typhoid patients, and then Dadu used to take care of the dispensary. And all other times he assisted Dr. Hem in his dispensary.
There was a very interesting fact about Dr. Hem Roy. He used to travel to different villages by riding on his bicycle, and carried 32 hard-boiled eggs with him, which kept him full throughout the day. In the evening, when he returned, he had dinner with his family.
While working with Dr. Hem, Dadu learned a lot from him but among all, the best thing he learnt was preparing a medicine named, Enodone. Enodone was prepared by mixing natural ingredients and it was very popular because of its cost-effectiveness and multipurpose use such as headaches, coughs, colds and cuts.
As days and months passed, Dr. Hem came to know more about Dadu. He decided to get Durga, his eldest daughter, married to Dadu. He also decided to offer Dadu to stay with them in their house and continue working as his assistant, after marriage. However, he did not discuss the second part of his plan with Dadu. Instead, he told Dadu that if he agreed to marry Durga, then after the marriage, he would sponsor Dadu’s medical studies.
Dadu grabbed the opportunity (to study medicine with sponsorship) and agreed to marry Durga without thinking twice. The date of the wedding was decided and Dadu got married to Durga (I called her - Dunu). The wedding party was grandly organized at Dr. Hem’s place and many well-known personalities were invited there.
Then, when Dadu’s turn came to organise the reception, he wanted to spend all of his savings (Rs.150) for the reception party, but before organising that, he sought permission from Dr Hem. Dr Hem. told him, “Spend your money only when it won’t finish even after you spend.” Dadu followed his father-in-law's advice, spent a small part of his savings and arranged for a dinner for his close relatives only.
Leaving with risk and uncertainty
Dadu had been living with Dunu at his in-law's place and helping his father-in-law with his medical work. Days passed by, but Dr Hem never uttered anything about Dadu’s medical studies. One day he asked Dr Hem when can he fill out the form for his admission to medical studies as the last date for taking admission was approaching fast. He had to deposit Rs 800 for his medical studies.
As he brought up the topic of his studies, as a shock, Dr Hem said that he was not going to sponsor Dadu’s medical studies and instead, that Dadu needed to continue working as his assistant. Dadu was extremely disappointed with Dr Hem for breaking the promise. But he decided not to ask Dr Hem again to sponsor his Medical studies, instead, go to Calcutta (now known as Kolkata) and give his luck a go.
Financially, Dadu was not at all strong and had only some savings (Rs.120) in his pocket. Still, he decided to move out of his in-law’s house. Before leaving, he asked Dunu, if she wanted to come along with him. He also made Dunu aware of the financial situation and explained to her that her lifestyle wouldn’t be the same once she moved out of her parent’s house and that she might have to struggle financially for a few months or maybe a few years.
Dunu was only sixteen when she got married. She decided to move out with Dadu and be with him in his ups and downs. When they reached Kolkata, they found a rental accommodation within their budget (Rs.10 per month). It was tiny compared to Dr. Hem's house, but Dunu tried her best to adjust herself to that house. The house had only one room and a small space to cook. The bathroom was not supplied with appropriate water channels, hence, they had to go to a nearby pond to take a bath.
Dadu went for job hunting every day but was struggling to find a job in the new place. Then, he found out a way to earn his livelihood, which was making Enodone and selling it. He bought the raw ingredients and a big vessel in which he could mix and boil the mixture. He then had to get small bottles where he could pour the liquid mixture. The mixture would solidify inside the bottles, then sealed and ready to be sold. However, Dadu was unable to buy a brand new set of bottles as he exhausted most of his savings in buying the raw materials and utensils to prepare the mixture.
With very little money left with him, he went to a bottle seller and made an offer to get the slightly defective shaped bottles at a cheaper rate. The seller accepted Dadu's offer and gave him a few sets of bottles. Dadu took the bottles home and washed them in hot water. He then prepared the mixture, filled them in the bottles and sealed them, ready to be sold.
Dadu then took the Enodone bottles in tried to sell them in the markets but failed. He even tried selling the ointment at Sealdah station but no luck. Then he realised that he should find a person who sells such items. By some strokes of luck, he found one. He made a deal with him of 50 per cent profit sharing and finally, the business started. After a few months, they began to make money out of this business.
Crossing hurdles and growing as an Entrepreneur:
Dadu's business continued running. One day, he decided to get a loan to expand his business. He contacted a lender and asked him for a loan of Rs.10,000. He promised the lender that he would return the money in one month with interest. Dadu did not spend the money at all and at the end of the month, added some money as the interest to the principal and returned to the lender. This way, he gained the trust of the lender.
After a few days, again, he asked for a loan from the same lender. This time he asked for some more time for returning the money along with the interest. The lender easily agreed and gave the money to Dadu. Dadu invested the money into his business and his business started booming.
Dunu became pregnant, in the meantime. The day she was about to give birth to her first child (my mum), Dadu took her to the hospital, dropped her off and told her that he was going to attend a business meeting and that he might not return alive. Dunu got scared and when she asked Dadu about the statement, he told her that in the meeting there would be his competitors who are very jealous of his booming business and they might harm him.
He then went for the meeting and Dunu kept on praying for his safety while giving birth to her child. After a few hours, Dadu came back safe and Dunu was relieved. Dadu considered his daughter, my mum, as very lucky for his business. The business kept on expanding, and after three years, Dunu gave birth to a son. In the meantime, Dadu got his medicine license, and registered a company name, "NP Industries", where N represented the name, Nirmala (His mother in law’s name) and P represented, Pharmacy. Nirmala was Dr Hem Roy's wife and Dadu respected her a lot and she loved Dadu like her own son.
Dadu was a wise businessman, so he started naming his company's product against the name of diseases, the medicine was made for. For instance, he launched a medicine called Hath Kata Oshudh (a drug used for cuts on hands). He named his products in the local language, not in typical pharmaceutical names. The words were chosen from the local language so that people could easily remember them. They could easily understand the purpose of a particular medicine from its name. That strategy multiplied the company's revenue.
The Empire starts:
Dadu had a stable income source now, hence he decided to build a house for his family. At that time, he recalled his father-in-law's advice that he gave him at his wedding which was spending money when there is regular income and not spend money from savings. He was grateful to Dr Hem, for putting him in a challenging position, as he was able to rise to the challenge and build a business with his intelligence, determination and skill.
Dadu, thereby, acquired 2880 sq ft of land, which cost him about Rs. 4000 (It was during the 1950s). He built a five-bedroom house on the block of land. As his business kept thriving, he added two more floors to the house. He started using the ground and first floor for his company's product manufacturing site and lived with his family on the second floor. There were ten bedrooms on the second floor.
NP Industries was growing at an exceptional rate and Dadu had to hire an army of the workforce to manage his business. He also needed vehicles for transport and supply of the product to market. He purchased 4 Austin cars to increase and ensure the timely supply of the products to market. He offered jobs to many people and also gave them the option to get their spouse or other family member employed in the company to increase their income.
In that particular interval of time, God blessed him with three more kids.
Within few years, Dadu's business started blooming and he employed 500 people for his business. As days passed and years passed, people in the community started calling Dadu Doctor babu and Dadu's popularity kept on increasing throughout Kolkata. He helped many people in the community by giving them jobs and supporting their families.
While Dadu's business was booming, his maternal uncles, who supported him when he was helpless, were not there anymore. Dadu had heartful of gratitude for them and hence asked his maternal uncles' children to come to Kolkata and join his business. He also built a house for them, besides his own house. One day, his step-sister-in-law came to him and asked for help. She came with her three sons and told Dadu that she was sick and believed that she wouldn't be able to survive anymore and didn't know what was going to happen to her three sons after she passed away. She asked Dadu if he could manage some kind of job for the boys so that they could support themselves. Dadu told her that she could leave her three sons with him and that they would be taken care of.
The three boys started living with Dadu's family. It has become a big family now. The business started growing more and more as the members of the family got involved in the business.
Chocolates - Business of Happiness:
One day Dadu found that there was a small spare space on the ground floor of his house. He started thinking of ways to utilise that space. Then he came up with an idea to put a chocolate machine there. He went to a chocolate manufacturer, built rapport with him and understood the process of manufacturing chocolates. He also came to know about the worker who actually made the chocolates.
He went to meet the worker at his place and discussed about the chocolate manufacturing process. The worker advised Dadu of the ingredients and the machinery needed for chocolate manufacturing. Dadu decided to start chocolate manufacturing along with his medicine business. He advertised for a job in chocolate manufacturing and was soon able to hire a skilled person.
People in the community started liking the chocolates and soon they got delivered in the retail shops. Even when dealers or medical representatives came to NP Industries, to meet Dadu and discuss about the medicines, they used to buy packs of chocolates.
One day it so happened that a person from the community came to Dadu to know if Dadu had any work available as he had lost his salesperson job and was desperately looking for another job. Dadu immediately offered him a job of supplying chocolates to small and big retailers. Soon the gentleman started the job and started to earn a good living by supplying chocolates to various retailers. Various types of lozenges and chocolates got manufactured (with and without milk) in NP Industries.
While the business of NP Industries was running very smooth, it was time for Dadu to get his children get married.
How far did the business go?:
Dadu got his five children married one by one and NP Industries was operating very well.
Then suddenly the rules and regulations changed. Dadu was asked to shift his factory far from a residential area. It was very hard for him to get a nearby area where he could shift his business. Then he thought of moving his business to Ghatshila which was the place he and Dunu went for their holiday.
Ghatshila is a place located on the bank of the Subarnarekha River, and it is situated 45 km from Jamshedpur in a forested area. Ghatshila is famous for its refreshing natural beauty and is considered as a prominent tourist destination in Jharkhand. People are able to spend quality time by nature. Dadu had liked and understood the potential of that place. He bought land in Ghatshila for 14400 sq feet and decided to build his factory there.
He built the factory and then bought some new machinery required for the factory and also shifted few of his machinery from Kolkata to Ghatshila. But then he was in the final stages of shifting, he found that there was issues with electricity and water which were the most essential requirements of the business. He had to cancel the idea of moving his business to Ghatshila. He also couldn't manage to get another place to shift his factory as he was able to get affordable land and which would be convenient for the workers to travel.
Unfortunately, he had to give voluntary retirement to his workers and gave them compensation and cancel his business license and thereafter wrap up.
He arranged for a lifelong employee pension scheme for all the staff of NP Industries.
He had to also demolish the factory building which he built in Ghatshila but he had another plan to use the big land and use it for some other purpose. So he built two buildings there, one with twelve rooms and the other with 28 rooms. He allowed his family members to stay in the rooms in the building with 12 rooms if anyone went there for holidays.
He converted the other building, which had 28 rooms, into a motel and rented it to tourists. He had already realised that Ghatshila was a popular place for tourists and was in demand, hence his decision was the right one when he had to wrap up his medicine business.
The motel started doing very well during the seasonal period and income started coming from there as well as few people were recruited to manage the motel (fooding and lodging). Then there came issues with tourists visiting Ghatshila as the district, Jharkhand, started having Naxalites issues and tourists were scared to travel to that place.
The legend - Sri Dwijendranath Adhikary, will live in my heart forever:
In 2005, Dunu passed away. Dadu continued living in Ghatshila. While his motel was not running well, he still didn't give up. He thought of ways to provide service to the local community. He rented the motel to a private college that held its diploma courses which started doing well.
Dadu passed away in 2017, at the age of 92. I feel extremely blessed to be the granddaughter of a great personality. He not only helped his near and dear ones but also contributed a lot to the community. My mother is Dadu's eldest daughter and I am Dadu's eldest granddaughter.
I believe my Dadu was a legend (self-made millionaire from a vegetable vendor) and he should be remembered forever by his extended family and everyone who would love to understand that in life there are always options to move forward by being optimistic and make the best of their current situation.
Conclusion:
As we conclude the tale of Dadu, Sri Dwijendranath Adhikary, we are reminded that within every challenge lies an opportunity and a lesson to be learned. His story is a timeless reminder that no obstacle is too great for those who dare to dream.
Though he is no longer with us, Dadu's spirit lives on in the hearts and memories of those he touched. His journey, marked by trials and triumphs, stands as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.
By sharing his story, we aim to inspire the next generation to know and be proud of their roots. Let us carry forward his legacy, honouring his memory through our determination, generosity, and belief in the power of the human spirit.
