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Mythili Anand
 With
inbuilt energy drive and structured support, women could excel
in any field. Mythili Anand, who runs ‘Bharath Packss’ in
Kolathur, Chennai, a carton-making unit, stands out as an
example for this.
With a Master of Commerce degree from Madras
University, Mythili Anand started her career as a screen printer
in 1990. “After finishing college, I did attend a few
interviews. But they were only fetching me Rs 3,000 per month.
Then it struck me - why not start a business of my own!”
 With
this idea in mind, she went to the Small Industries Service
Institute (SISI) at Guindy and surfed through various career
opportunities. Since she had no technical knowledge, she took up
screen printing as a workable proposal. With the help of a
technician and by hiring students from the Madras College of
Arts and Crafts, as part-time workers for a stipend of Rs 250,
she slowly began logo designing and printing.
“Installing a black and white computer in my
office for logo and graphic designing was the first achievement
for me,” she remembers.
She slowly expanded her office and opened a
new branch for graphic designing alone. She even provided
training for people who were interested in learning graphic
designing. However, competition became fierce with the intrusion
of computers in the printing field and so was born ‘Bharath
Packss’.
“I wanted to move out to a new industry
allied with mine. This is how I came across carton-making.
Today, we do the printing for companies which order cartons from
us.”
 “I
am the first generation entrepreneur in my family,” says this
proud businesswoman. So, how did her family react when she, a
woman, wanted to start a business in the early ‘90s?
“There is no classification as woman or man
to start a business. All you need is determination and
confidence. My family did support me. To be clearer, no one
objected to my idea of starting a business.”
Her belief in this is shown in her employee
strength: she has only three male workers out of 20 employees.
“I always tell my female workers that it is
not only men who can do everything. We are better than them. We
are working twice more than them. We play different roles in a
day – wife, mother, daughter, in-law, worker and so many more.
The only thing we need is to get a husband who will not grumble
if we don’t play so many roles,” says Mythili.
It is true she is lucky in this aspect as her
husband Anand, who is a real estate consultant, is cooperative
and also helps her whenever needed.
 There
have been ups and downs in her business from the day she stepped
into it. Yet, she never accepts that there is something called
losing or failing. “No one can fail or lose something if you
have the confidence. You are never a loser. I started my career
with a second-hand bicycle worth about Rs 400. Now I have a
luxury car. This is because of my confidence and faith in God.”
Her typical working day, which is six days a
week, starts at 5 in the morning with the chores of the house to
sending children to the school. Whether she is at home or is
travelling, she puts on the mantle of a professional at 8.30
a.m. sharp and goes on till 6 in the evening. But it does not
stop there. Calls from clients and printing matters come till
9.30 in the night. By the time she retires for the day, it is
almost 11 p.m.
“I spend less time with my two children
during the weekdays. So I tend to spend about 99 per cent of my
weekends with my family,” Mythili explains.
Besides this busy schedule, she also finds
time for other activities. She is a member of the Tamil Chamber
of Commerce and one of the board members of the Ollcot
organisation. Through this organization, she works for HIV
eradication and training and empowering women. A part of her
saddle is shared by her physically challenged sister, Premalatha,
who takes care of the administration side – from salaries to
managing auditors.
What has made her achieve this height of
glory? “Dreams,” she says reminding one of what ex-President A P
J Abdul Kalam said.
 “If
you dream about something it will really come true one day and I
strongly believe in the presence of an invisible guiding force.
Moreover it has come true in my case,” she says with confidence.
Talking about her plans, she says, “I live
for the day. Today matters more than tomorrow.”
And how about the profit lines? “Hmmm… I work
not for gain but more for the quality of work.” Bravo!
Dhivya
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