All you need is a problem....

 This post is an entry for Franklin Templeton Investments partnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December 2012 on Indiblogger

Do we actually need education to bring out an innovation.? Do you actually need the MBA degree to start a flourishing business? Have we actually made a use of all the formal degrees and certificates that we have bagged in schools, colleges etc.? These are some questions that get raised while you see this video

This video is about a simpleton Arunachal Muruganantham, who is a school dropout but thought of something big. As innocently he puts his idea forward, he says this idea to create hygienie conditions for women during their menstrual phase came out of his desire to please his newly wedded wife. He had seen his wife  hiding a piece of cloth which she used during her menstrual cycle. Arunachal , though a school dropout , out of his immense love for his wife thought using a piece of cloth was unhygienic for his wife . But his wife had bluntly told him, "If i start using sanitary napkins, there would be no money left for us to eat and feed the family" That is when Arunachal thought that he should do something to replace this highly expensive sanitary napkins with his low cost sanitary napkins which met the same health standards.That is when he started using the T and E method rather the trial and error method and designed the first low cost sanitary napkin which he successfully tested on himself when all the ladies started turning down his advances ;)

And as he says, to lead a meaningful life all you need is  a problem. And the technique or the design you choose to solve your problem can be called as a business.

I can totally relate to what Arunachal's wife had to say about the cost of sanitary napkins because I myself have used clothes for a major period of time to curb expenses . And the rashes that the clothes created would be extremely painful. Women have to bear through so much of pain already during the menstrual days; the clothes and rags simply add to their woes. Slowly and gradually i shifted to sanitary napkins and the rashes started disappearing.Had i been aware of such low cost napkins, I  would have opted for them rather than going for clothes.  I totally agree with the fact that this is actually the second Silent White Revolution that would take India by storm if given a chance to evolve and grow.

The technique that he has used to create napkins is a major breakthrough in the manufacturing of sanitary napkins. I still cringe daily to shell out that huge amount every month to buy those sanitary napkins . Such an invention is a major boon for ladies in the rural areas as well as the metropolitans who are exposed to dirt, pollution . Their unhygienic method of using clothes can now be replaced by Arunachal's low cost sanitary napkins. The other best part that i see in this innovation is a lot of employment generated due to this small scale industry. A lot of women would get employment opportunities to work in the manufacturing unit of the sanitary napkins. A lot of rural women would get employment opportunities and be financially independent. 760 machines have been set up by Arunachal in 23 states of India and around 7000 women are working currently. If we help this idea grow, Arunachal's vision to create million rural employment for women would be a reality.

Arunachal has humbly proved you don't need education to start a business. All you need is a problem and a desire to solve the problem.