Prahlad P. Chhabria is a self made man who started his life from door-to-door pedlar of electrical supplies to the founder of Rs3,000 crore Finolex—India’s leading cable maker and second largest PVC resin manufacturer. Though he is from a traditional Shikarpuri Sindhi moneylenders’ community his father’s untimely death made his condition poor. 

Journey of his LIFE:

  • At the age of 12, he started his career as a cleaner in a small cloth shop at a salary of Rs10 per month.

  • At 13, Chhabria served sherbet to customers in a cloth store, living off leftovers from the sethji’s kitchen.

  • A year later he worked as a bill collector in Amritsar, while keeping accounts, he taught himself to read and write.

  • Later Chhabria and his younger brother and business partner Kishan moved to Pune and learnt their Engineering ropes.

  • They started selling electrical supplies all over Pune, which gained them the required experience to open a retail shop.

  •  Started his career with a rented bike he now travels on his own private plane between his 15 state-of-the art plants in Pune, Ratnagiri and Goa.

  

 Chairman of the UK-India Business Council Lord Karan Bilimoria presented a silver platter to Chhabria in recognition of his contribution to “entrepreneurship” at a function organised to celebrate the launch of his autobiography.Launching the book, Non-Residential Indian (NRI) Labour MP Keith Vaz said that the success story enumerated by Chhabria was an example of the contribution being made by prominent Indian businesspeople around the world, including many NRIs based in Britain. “He is an example to us all for how hard work, integrity and customer service will bring success,” Vaz said.

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