An article about sarath babu in Hindu in the year 2006

Sarath Babu owes his achievement to mother

IIM graduate owes his success to his mother's resilience, hard work Deeparamani recalls the struggle she waged to bring him up

CHENNAI: Last week, E. Deeparamani took a flight for the first time in her life to go to Ahmedabad. Back in Chennai after attending her son, Sarath Babu's convocation at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, the proud mother who sold idlis and snacks to sustain the family is still overjoyed. "When everyone asked me: `You are Sarath's mother, is it? What a wonderful son you have!' I couldn't but cry."

She makes sure that her small thatch-roofed home in suburban Madippakkam, comprising a small hall, one room and a kitchen-cum-pooja room, is sparkling clean.

"I can't believe my son has done so well," she says, recalling their early days when she worked as a cook for the mid-day meal scheme for eleven years. "I got paid one rupee a day. Managing my four children was no easy task," says the mother of four.

Having completed SSLC, she worked as a teacher under the same scheme for five years. But the salary she got barely took care of her basic needs. "Then I made idlis, dosas, bhajjis and appams and Sarath sold them in the neighbourhood," she says.

Fighting odds

That little boy is a proud IIM-A product now. His mother humbly narrates their story — the story of a student's determination, of a mother's hard work and enterprise, of a family's fight against odds.

Sarath, who went to Kings Matriculation School in the neighbourhood, topped classes since then. "He always came first in class," says Deeparamani, pointing to a rack filled with cups and shields.

"During school days, we didn't even have electricity. But Sarath has never complained about anything. His teachers were very fond of him because he was a good student," says Gajalakshmi, Sarath's elder sister. His teachers paid his fees and motivated him to do well.

In school, Sarath was a very quiet student. "He wasn't too interested in playing with friends or roaming about. He would study his daily lessons systematically," she says. And when he came first in his school in Class XII, BITS Pilani was his choice for higher studies.

Sarath made it to BITS, but things were no better at home. "He did not have too many shirts, some were even torn and I had to stitch them. But nothing except his studies mattered to him," she says.

A government scholarship and loans from relatives helped. Following graduation, the Chemical Engineer worked for Polaris in Chennai for nearly three years. He paid off loans and started preparing for the CAT. "I told him to study as much as he wanted. I decided to do my best for him," says Deeparamani. When contacted over phone, Sarath Babu said, "When I was in my third year at BITS, I organised an event. My friends thought my management skills were very good and suggested that I pursue a course in management."

Paper leak

The first time Sarath appeared for CAT, the paper got leaked. "He came home saying how well he had done. The moment he knew the paper had been leaked, he got really upset," she says. However, he wrote CAT again and got interview calls from all six IIMs. He paid his fee with the help of a scholarship and a loan.

His new firm, Food King catering services, was inaugurated at Ahmedabad by IIM-A chairman and chief mentor of Infosys N.R. Narayanamurthy. Sarath is all set for a brilliant innings.
source:http://www.hindu.com/2006/04/09/stories/2006040915320300.htm