Meet Chinu Kala, left home at 15, slept on station, lived on Rs 20/day, now earns in crores per month

There is a popular saying that ‘every great dream begins with a dreamer’ and here in this article we will talk about a dreamer named Chinu Kala, who is the Director of Rubans Accessories, a well-known fashion jewellery brand.

Chinu Kala’s story is full of struggles and she has proved to the world that hard work can help a person overcome any odd in life. Chinu Kala left her home when she was just 15 due to some family issues. Chinu Kala had just Rs 300 and a bag of clothes when she decided to walk out of her home. She slept at a railway station in Mumbai for two days before becoming a salesgirl earning just Rs 20 daily. But Chinu Kala did not give up and is now the owner of Rubans Accessories, a Rs 40 crore turnover company.

Chinu Kala has launched Rubans Accessories in 2014 from a small kiosk in a Bengaluru mall. "So far we have sold one million pieces of accessories," Chinu Kala told The Weekend Leader.

Chinu Kala lives in a 5,000 sq ft house in Bengaluru near the Phoenix Mall with her husband and a daughter. She loves to move around in a BMW 5 series.

“I still work for 15 hours or even more everyday and want Rubans to garner 25% of the (estimated Rs 21000 crore) fashion jewellery market share in India,” said Chinu.

Chinu was studying at St Aloysius School, Mumbai, when she left her home. She was in Class 10 at that time. She could not complete her studies after leaving her home.

“I had seen people carrying bags and going to railway stations. I would think that they may find a place to stay there. But then I realized that nobody could stay at railway stations forever. I sat in a corner and cried a lot,” she recalls.

“I went door-to-door selling knives and coaster sets. I would make around Rs 20 a day,” she says. “People would slam doors at my face without listening to me. Out of 100 calls I made, only two or three would result in sales. It was just a hall where all of us stayed together. It had no washroom and no kitchen,” she added.

In 2007, Chinu Kala participated in Gladrags Mrs India beauty pageant and was among the top 10 finalists. “I made good money from modelling work, but I knew it can’t be my career,” says Chinu.

In 2004, Chinu Kala got married to Amit, who is now also a director at Rubans.

Chinu Kala invested Rs 3 lakh to launch Rubans Accessories. “I was the only person at the kiosk and handled all the customers myself,” says Chinu.

By 2018, Chinu Kala had five outlets - two in Bengaluru, two in Hyderabad, and one in Kochi.

During COVID times, Chinu Kala started selling her products online and the sales jumped. Today, Rubans Accessories is a Rs 40 crore turnover fashion jewellery brand.