Meet man, farmer’s son who left govt job to sell items on cycle, took loan to build Rs 23000 crore firm, business is...

Rags-to-riches success stories are most inspirational and moving. One similar story is of Karsanbhai Patel, the founder of Nirma Limited, a renowned detergent and personal care products company. 

Born in 1945 in a low-income farmer’s family in Ruppur, Gujarat, Karsanbhai Patel faced several financial hardships while growing up. After completing his education in chemistry, Patel began as a lab technician in a government lab. Despite his meagre salary, he aspired to start his own business for a more stable life.

In 1969, Patel noticed that many people couldn’t afford expensive detergents or other washing brands. Realizing the market gap, he introduced a cost-effective detergent powder that would be affordable for the masses. With a loan of merely Rs 15,000, Patel worked in his backyard and created a detergent powder using basic ingredients, and named it Nirma. He then began selling his detergent powder door-to-door on his bicycle. 

Thereafter, Nirma’s popularity soared as it became the cheapest brand at that time, priced at Rs 13 per kg. 

He rented a small manufacturing unit and hired labourers for the production process. Then, Nirma's success grew exponentially, and the company became a household name in India.

Currently, the company is ruling the sector with about 18,000 employees. They have ventured to other product sectors such as soaps, cosmetics, and personal care items. The company, now a renowned diversified conglomerate, recorded an annual earning of Rs 7,000 Crores. And the turnover of Nirma group is over Rs 23,000 crore.