Bengaluru :
Two years ago, it was a fairy-tale beginning when a newspaper boy from the city made it to the Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta.
Today, N Shiva Kumar stands tall with an international job offer in hand, having received it on Day Zero (the day placements begin).
Shiva has been placed as the deputy country manager of Rocket Internet, a German company working in the space of e-commerce.
He will be posted to the Indian subcontinent, though the exact location is yet not finalized.
“I could not have asked for more. The company is relatively new. The entrepreneur in me would love to work in a company like that. The e-commerce space is like hot cake now. And, the role I have received provides great scope for learning and growth. There is a lot of responsibility involved,” he told TOI.
Shiva, a computer science engineering student from the Bangalore Institute of Technology, was a TOI vendor.
Son of a truck driver, he had don many hats to support his family. He sold flowers while in primary school, turned into a newspaper boy before becoming a vendor in Class 10. A well wisher helped him with his school fees after realizing he was a good student.
He cracked CAT 2012 and grabbed a seat in the premier B-school. IIM-C waived off his tuition fees as part of its policy to support students who require financial assistance.
“My interview with the company went on for 45 minutes. The first 15 minutes was introduction. The panel found my case rare and interesting. They were curious to know more about me and my background,” Shiva said.
Shiva had become popular by the time he joined IIM-C with the national media highlighting his success story. “People knew me when I joined IIM-C. They were friendly and had respect for my background. I have also grown as a person during my stay in IIM-C. I have got a macro and micro view of the world,” said the 25-year-old.
Shiva’s father has taken over newspaper distribution after he left for Kolkota. “My parents wanted me to be with them in Bengaluru. Now, they are worried that I will have to travel outside the country,” he said.
Shiva has set his priorities straight. “I have to get my sister married off. I have an educational loan to repay. I need to get my parents secured. After that, I will let the entrepreneurial streak in me unwind. It will be 10-15 years before I chase that dream,” he said.
It has been a long struggle for Shiva so far. Now, the long journey of chasing the dream begins.
Krishna Vedavyasa, who helped pay Shiva Kumar’s school fees, said he was completely thrilled. “Shiva Kumar is different. He has the grit and determination to go on,” said Vedavyasa.
“This is a milestone for him and his family, and just the first step in his career. My input in Shiva’s life is very marginal. If not me, it would have been somebody else. When he came to me for the first time asking help to pay fees, I knew I would not have said a ‘no’.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bengaluru / by Sruthy Susan Ullas, TNN / February 21st, 2015